Once for a simple trade.
Twice for freely given aid.
Thrice for any insult made.”
― Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind
A whimsical purple and gold wooden caravan rumbles across Stormwind’s cobblestones, heralded by the sound of bells and colorful light cast ahead of it and behind it by the jewel toned glass lanterns and star shaped string lights hanging from its roof. It’s pulled by two gorgeous Gilnean quarter horses and its driver is a little red haired wild woman who wears a leather potions bandolier slung across her body. A tiny black cat snoozes at her side. The caravan and the woman herself are absolutely packed with bags and bundles, sacks and satchels and glimpses of big floppy scrolls, etched stones, and toys can be seen. The Ephemeral Wagon is here!
A paid town crier traverses Stormwind’s streets, ringing a bell and shouting:
“The Ephemeral Wagon is open for business!
A wandering shop of wonders, an eclectic emporium of enigmas, the Ephemeral Wagon is a roving caravan shop that sells unwanted items given new uses and life through enchantment and one of a kind arcane artifacts, curiosities, and books with secrets all their own and stories to tell. Her stock is always changing and you never know what you will find!
Fortune telling available by request only and scheduled appointment!”
RP Concept and Style
Ever wish the Darkmoon Faire could be more than once a month? This mobile caravan shop provides that flavor. Inspired by text adventure games of old and M.U.Ds, I hope to fully embrace what it means to play a fantasy MMORPG, by providing a dynamic and immersive experience.
The specialty of the Wagon is in approaching it not knowing what you will find and being surprised as you dig around in the displays and browse the shelves to see what catches your eye. You are able to make choices about what parts of the Wagon you browse and which items you see.
The Ephemeral Wagon’s stock is vast, ever changing, and what Hazella shows you and which items you see depend on who your character is, what they’re interested in, and emerges through our RP with your character’s choices.
Interacting with the Wagon
- Use of TRP3 Extended TRP3 *Extended* is *highly* encouraged (but not required) to get the absolute most out of roleplay with the Ephemeral Wagon. I create items, campaigns, quests, and items drops around zones within it. Many parts of my stock are Extended only items.
- Buying Items Everything that Hazella sells can be bought simply through RP with RP gold. She sells a mix of RP items with in-game counterparts or proxies, pure text RP items, and items created via TRP3 Extended.
- Item Effects Most items are interactive, responsive, and dynamic! You as a player may take this as far as you wish. The items can be seeds that you take off into your own RP and use however you see fit or if you choose I can moderate what they do for you. No godmodding here from me, everything is just an option or an attempt.
- Quests This character gives out a variety of quests, just as an NPC would. Many are campaigns in TRP3 Extended, but many don’t require the addon at all and these can be discovered through RP and reward in-game gold, pets, or other items as a celebration of particularly creative RP. The caravan's Notice Board is a good place to get started.
Locations to be Found
Public walk-up RP whenever the shop is open and I’ll post schedules to my TRP profile and here in this thread.
- Static The candy caravan outside of Scribe of Stormwind in The Canals (next to Robby Flay the cooking trainer) serves as my proxy. Whenever I’m open in Stormwind, that’s where I’ll be!
- Roaming The Ephemeral Wagon has a current circuit through Elwynn Forest, Westfall and Duskwood, keeping to the main roads. Future plans include Boralus.
Next Event
Can’t seem to find the caravan? I keep unpredictable hours, but you can count on me to next be at Duskrose Wandering Market in Stormspire, Netherstorm on 11/17/18 at 8pm server time. https://us.battle.net/forums/en/wow/topic/20762107587?page=1
Guild Events
Need a merchant character for one of your guild’s events or just want the Wagon come by for folks to browse and shop? The whole shop is mobile and I’m happy to bring it wherever you’d like. Send an in-game letter, respond here, or whisper me in-game.
The Merry Makers
I’ve started this TRP3 Extended in-game community for Moon Guard because I’d love to see our server more widely embrace the addon. The addon is incredible in its potential to add another layer to RP, but it can be a beast to begin using. Post here to get or give help with content creation in the addon. The Merry Makers Discord coming soon.
Come get your pre-order in for the amazing and sensational Nethergon Toymatic 6000!
BEST WISHES TO ALL OF YOU AND THANK YOU!