Spoiler:
Really, I wanted to write this to you guys three months ago, but I never did find the time. Now, I think this might be one of my last opportunities to make such a post, so I'll make it now and I'll make it brief.
Have a look at this for a moment.
![[Image: iaza18016269310900.png]](http://www.iaza.com/work/130424C/iaza18016269310900.png)
That's us. That's what this whole thing is -- some letters and numbers and supporting coding on an account management page. As far as our WotLK server is concerned, that's probably all we will be, anyway, in however long it takes for us to finally make the Cata switch. According to Kret, we have a day. A lot can happen in a day.
It's been fifteen months to the day since a guild calling itself <Black Harvest> first came into being. While brainstorming, we went through a lot of different name ideas that evoked a lot of different images -- <Fist of Sylvanas>, <Scythesworn>, <Eidolon>, <Revenant>. Those ones there were too vague or too corny, but then <BH> occurred to me vividly all of a sudden. Literally as I was making the charter, the fundamental metaphor, the core idea -- the idea of strengthening and securing Lordaeron anew for the Forsaken -- fell into place with little to no prompting. I knew what I wanted to do with this guild. I knew the kind of story I wanted to share with you.
What I wanted to do -- mainly -- was to get more people rolling Forsaken, get more people roleplaying them regularly, get more people seeing them as something more than cartoon villains and walking jokes.
Our success in achieving either of those things is up for debate, of course. A lot can happen in fifteen months, and a lot has. A few of those months have been drearily quiet -- a couple have been straight-up bad. But overall, I have to say I'm pleased with what we've done. We've had some truly golden moments. I'm pleased with what we've accomplished. Hell, I'm actually proud of you guys.
Forsaken RP was a scattered and meagre thing once upon a time. Around January 2012, I think they made up a constituent portion of about 5% of the server population. I took this screencap today:
![[Image: iaza18016233002900.png]](http://www.iaza.com/work/130424C/iaza18016233002900.png)
Joint fourth with the orcs. Take that, Kret and Grak. :P It's been a good fifteen months to be Forsaken.
. . .
Now, this post is celebratory, but it comes with a slightly solemn purpose. The Black Harvest will not be carrying forward into Cata with us. Not in name, at least, and not in practice. Most of you have probably seen this by now, though, so let me briefly clarify that score:
We're not dying out -- not technically, anyway. Being undead is funny like that. Sure, BH will be dead, but we'll still be alive in a different form -- harder and stronger like Lordaeron itself, you might say. We'll keep doing what we've been doing, but in a different way. We'll have a different face, a different personality, a different feel, but deep down we'll retain the same core that's kept us going strong for so . . . wait, what?
BH as it currently exists will not operational when we switch to Cata. And the Dreadmarch will not be inaugurating for a little while yet. I need more time to set things up, sort things out, and for my schedule to clear up on my end, so consider this also an announcement of a brief interregnum of sorts. Your Forsaken characters will be free of guild ties immediately after the Cataclysm, but you are all welcome and invited to return to us in our next incarnation when the ball gets rolling.
It feels silly writing this big post, but it feels like I'm saying goodbye to something big. It's dumb, I know -- I know most of you'll still be around and RPing with us after the fact, but this chapter of our story is at a close, and you can think of this as its written ending. I certainly am. It's nearly gotten me all trickly about the eyes. The guild has attained a real sense of community in the past fifteen months, kind of taken an unlife of its own. It's a community I'll always want to be a part of.
The reasons for the jump are manifold. One of them is, simply, that with this now looking like this, it can hardly be said that Lordaeron needs to be 'strengthened and secured anew', as our old IC Oath put it. It's looking quite strong and secure, isn't it? Our job's done -- we can put away the scythe. The Harvest, you might say, has finally been brought in.
But someone needs to stand to protect what's been gained, and so I hope you'll march alongside us into the Forsaken's uncertain future. It's been a great fifteen months -- let's not see if we can top it this time around, shall we?
. . .
To our officers, storytellers and event-runners, I want you to know that I couldn't have done it without you. It's been a privilege.
To our loyal Reapers, let's just say that . . . without you, I wouldn't have even wanted to in the first place. You were the folks who made the magic happen. You da bomb.
And to our observers from afar, I hope you've enjoyed the show.
Cheers,
The Executor -- or Conor, whichever you prefer.
And he who swings the scythe with me shall be made my brother eternal.
Spoiler: