His name brought Light to darkest Azeroth.

His valor tore the walls of mis’ry down.

The Silver Hand would ne’er do better more

than give the world the knight who’d give himself.

His fame was not that which he sought to grow.

Nor was the lordship over his own kind.

Instead he chose to fight for Lordaeron

to hope his kin would have to fight no more.

The tragic tale of this most holy knight

will never end with his unholy death.

We honor him, and we shall give him thanks!

Uther always shall know glory and Light!

~For the Light by Jennre Loresinger

Q: What’s the relation between The Order of the Silver Hand, Tyr’s Hand (City from Lordaeron region) and Watcher Tyr (from Ulduar)?

A: Long ago, on the continent that would eventually become known as the Eastern Kingdoms, a small group of creatures struggled to survive, using the limited supplies provided to it by parents who had just abandoned their children on an unfamiliar shoreline. These creatures, eventually called “humans,” would occasionally take to gathering around a fire whilst trying to read from scrolls telling of ancient heroes and leaders – tales from the civilization that had cast these creatures out. One of these scrolls spoke of a great leader, a paragon of order and justice, who sacrificed his right hand in a fight against an unfathomable evil. Although it was within this hero’s power to fix his hand after the fighting had ended, the hero instead chose to replace it with a closed fist made of the purest silver. In this way, the hero impressed upon those who followed him that true order and justice can only be accomplished through personal sacrifice. This hero, who slipped into memory long ago, went by the name of Tyr.

Ich möchte an dieser Stelle nur sagen, daß ich als Spieler eines Menschen-Paladins und als Alt-Skandinavist diesen Hintergrund – mit den Worten meiner Generation – einfach nur geil finde!

Earning your sword: the magical inner sanctum of Blizzard

The corporate culture at Blizzard is intense. After working with the company for five years, you get a sword. After ten years, you get a shield. Each year a new design for each is created, meaning long-time employees will all have different combinations. Peeking into the offices, we saw many, many swords and shields.

Also wenn für Blizzard zu arbeiten nicht schon ohnehin verlockend wäre, spätestens jetzt wäre es das!

Seien wir ehrlich, klingt das nach Apple? Ein iPhone irgendwo verlieren, um die virale Marketingmaschine anzuschüren? Zum einen hat Apple das gar nicht nötig, die Gerüchteküche ist besser als alles was sich Apple ausdenken könnte. Und zum anderen ist doch ein verlorenes iPhone nur think small. Apple hingegen ist think different.

Das bringt mich dann jetzt zu think huge: Wenn einer weiß, wie virales Marketing funktioniert dann Blizzard. Was die alles tun, um die nächste WoW-Erweiterung Cataclysm zu bewerben; R‑E‑S‑P‑E‑K‑T‑! Und das kurz vor Start der Beta. Ich bin schon gespannt, was die erst auffahren, wenn es auf den Release zugeht.