The Boon writing Challenge

Matty was really into the whole writing challenge thing, and she proposed one of her own:

So, what I would love to hear is a short piece, poem, limerick, drabble or ficlet, on how you obtained (or didn't) your favorite weapon(s). Yes, this can be complete fiction, a wish if you will.

Should I break tradition and steer away from verse?  Maybe people are sick of my poems and sonnets by now.  But I might NOT be good at fiction writing.  So, I decided, no I'll stick to epic verse.  It's what I like and whenever I write poems, it's like hearing lyrics and music in my head.  And I remembered what I have said before - write what I want to write, not what other people think I should write.  So I modelled my poem around The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, a famous poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

The Rime of the Ancient Val'anyr

(Part I)

Whispers of a healer mace

Legendary it was told.

Was hidden deep in Ulduar's depths

Worth beyond its weight in gold.

How to choose which hero shall

Receive this great reward,

Was decided with a roll of dice

'Tween myself and a priest of Horde.

The priestly roll was mightier

And the Fragments he was granted

But one fine day he did not show

Then to me those shards directed.

Thirty Fragments you will need

To forge this mighty mace

Only during 25 mans

Can you get them from this place.

You start with Flame Leviathan

A tank who vents out fire

For achievements you must make it hard,

And leave up at least one spire.

Ignis throws you in the air

And burns you in his pot.

Iron constructs must be tanked away

The encounter's very hot.

Razorscale the protodrake

Was Veranus, Thorim's mount.

But Ignis welded plates to her

Many kills did we amount.

XT, the childish voiced robot

Was Mimiron's own creation

A week went by before we won,

And delivered him to salvation.

Kologarn, Ignis did forge

Shattered Walkway he does guard

Until you defeat him AND his arms

The way ahead is barred.

Steelbreaker, Molgeim, and Brundir

Assembly of Iron is their name

Defeat in different order for

Achievements, glory, fame.

Auriaya, Crazy Cat Lady,

Can be snuck past if you're skilled

But if you're on a Fragment quest

This archivist must be killed.

Freya, Thorim and Hodir

Titan Watchers we must quell

And when defeated they will help

Us in the final fight as well.

Mimiron the last watcher

We killed when time allowed

Don't think we ever could defeat

Him with all members standing proud.

One by one these bosses fell

To our Frostwolves' mighty blows

Those Fragments, rare, elusive but

How much longer? No one knows.

Alas!  My story pauses here

As my quest ground to halt

New content Blizzard did release

New raids did we assault.

 (Part II)

Years went by before I could

Complete my heroic task

Assembling teams when content's old

Was really, a big ask.

When Cataclysm moved our cap

And Ulduar we outgeared

'Twas easier to get a group

And get the damn place cleared.

Vezax guards the Prison

Where Yogg-Saron the old god lies

Green clouds return your mana

Don't destroy them for a prize.

When Vezax falls proceed to Yogg

Who drives us all insane

We kill it from the outside

And we fight it in its brain.

When killed a fragment always drops

Sometimes, your only one

Then wait a week 'til we go again...

Here we go, another run!

All Fragments are collected!

You combine them to create

An item for a quest

One more run I had to wait.

Get to Yogg-Saron and throw

Unbound fragments in its maw

You can only do this 

When Yogg does a Deafening Roar.

Huge guild turnout for that run

To see me complete my

Legendary achievement

Guild history making nigh.

We got to Yogg, the fight ensued

And waited, patiently

Target Yogg, watch the cast

Throw, then wait and see.

The Roar! It came! Throw it now!

My ears were full of yells

My guildies in excitement screamed

And my screen was full of tells.

I clicked the item, watched it fly

Into Yogg's great Maw

But quest completion did not show

The conclusion I did draw...

That I had failed, I tried to cast

The item once again

 I panicked and forgot to heal

As those around me went insane.

The item wasn't in my bag

I was so distraught

All those weeks, and years, a waste!

"I'm a twit!" was all I thought.

They all asked me if the task

Was done, was it complete?

Tears welled in my eyes

As I went to admit defeat.

Leaden chested, heart heavy

I clicked on Yogg to loot

Hoping that the item

May be found on this slain brute.

(Part III)

My eyes went wide with shock and

My heart had flown with wings

For in my hands I now beheld

Reforged Hammer of Ancient Kings.

I squealed in Vent, I typed in chat

Myself could not contain

The end was near, completion nigh

All this was not in vain.

I ran back to the console room

My comrades in my wake

A yellow question mark was there

My hands began to shake.

I waited for all to gather round

So they can witness the event

I closed my eyes, took in a breath

All those weeks, those years I'd spent

Silently I thanked all those

Who'd helped me on my chain

I looked at all those in the raid

And a smile broke out again.

I clicked the mark, the completion screen

Was up and not greyed out

I clicked Complete, my screen lit up

It was MINE, there was no doubt.

That feeling of elation when

Achievements light your screen

A feat of strength, a guild one too!

What a journey it had been.

This mace I had outgrown it

Could not use it in this Tier

But having your own Legendary

That feeling has no peer.

I thanked my friends who'd helped me

Complete this awesome feat

My voice cracked as I thanked those who

Grats'd my quest complete.

My hands they were still shaking

Though my eyes no longer wet

And though the weapon was in my hands

It wasn't over yet.

I equipped my weapon for all to see

To marvel at its glory

And think back on the trip

And how it would make an amazing story.

The one thing I was sad about

Was you can't transmog this mace

How awesome would it look if I

Could carry this look all 'round the place?

Val'anyr lives in my bags

I never let it from my sight

I still equip it now and then

And relive that final fight.

So ends my epic journey and

So ends my long drawn tale

Of all the things within this game

All my achieves in comparison pale

So take this journey if you dare

It is worth its weight in gold

And when complete, please share your tale

For its a story that must be told.

The end.