Life as a GM

[Alkhara Majere]

From http://www.wow-europe.com/en/recruitment/gm-island.html
Im not sure how many people have read this, but I found it cool

Life as a Game Master

he tall troll stifled a yawn as he stretched his long limbs. He was overlooking the bay from atop a small hill close to the wharf. The first rays of the sun were tentatively breaking the cover of darkness and it promised to be another fine day. He scanned the horizon, looking for the first signs of the ritual that took place daily at the same time. And sure enough, far in the distance, he saw the first dots materializing and slowly growing larger as they moved ever closer to shore. "Hmm, so the ferryman will be in time again, will he?" Ari asked, startling Tuskfyre as he seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Tuskfyre looked at Ari while the little gnome gazed through one of his strange devices which allowed him to see over vast distances. "He’s more reliable than your little mechanical toys," Tuskfyre teased him good humouredly.

With a grating noise, the boat came to a halt alongside the pier. A sailor tossed a rope to one of the ghouls who slowly tied it to a bollard. Even before the boat had come to a complete stop, a merry crowd of the strangest company Azeroth had ever seen assembled began to jump ashore: fleet-footed night elves, brawny, heavyset orcs, sturdy dwarves, regal humans, chattering gnomes and powerful taurens.

"Alright, the day shift has arrived. Time to get moving," Tuskfyre said as he turned around and began to stroll down the hill. On his way towards the building, the undead of the night shift crossed his path as they were heading to their mouldy tombs where they would pass the daylight hours until it was time for them to rise again at night. Tuskfyre made his way through the main hall, which was now bustling with activity.

"Goooood morrrrrning!" the troll’s voice rang across the room, calling the wild bunch to attention. "Reports indicate no unusual activity. The zombies have done a good job during the night, everything has been going smoothly. We’ll take it from here; if there are any problems, you know what to do. Remember, everyone is counting on you. Don’t let them down!" he said as he handed out the day’s assignments.

The men and women of his team made their way to their workstations and began to operate the mysterious devices mounted to the tables. Trusting Ari to ensure the smooth running of the devices, Tuskfyre retreated to his antechamber and began to check through the reports of mass brawls, petty larceny and drunken gnome punting, assigning tasks to various members of his team and checking in with his colleagues to discuss some of the important issues of the day. When the sun had risen high in the sky, he allowed himself a short break in his work and walked over to the window overlooking the small port.

Beyond the sea there were hundreds of thousands of adventurers, all doing their best to find their place in this world. Deep in thought, the troll scratched his tusks. A long time ago, he had been one of them, an honest soul always looking for the next adventure, always an encouraging word for his comrades on his lips and a deadly arrow on his bow. How long had it been since he had put his adventurer’s hat to rest and donned the robes of blue? It never failed to amaze Tuskfyre how quickly time passed on the island. Each day held a new challenge, and the troll loved challenges. Thinking back to his tribe, he couldn’t help but smile his typically crooked trollish smile. If they could see him now!

A knock on the door and the sound of bony feet on the wooden floor took Tuskfyre back to the real world. Erynshar, one of the few undead from the day shift, stood in the doorway, shifting from one foot to the other uneasily. He had arrived only recently on the island. "Yes, Eryshnar, what do you need?"

"It is really rather embarrassing, master Tuskfyre," he began, "there is a young elf, a druid in fact… she is having problems talking to her trainer for a class quest. She is doing everything right and I can’t locate the problem."
"Ah the young ones, still learning the ropes," Tuskfyre mused. "Don’t worry, these druid trainers sometimes don’t know their left from their right. We will have this druid back on track before you know it. Here, let me show you how it is done…"