Paladin Progress, Favorite Toons, and other Ramblings

Well,
I've spent the last several days leveling my Paladin Ahrias. He is Prot specced and all the way up until he hit Cata Dungeons he was wrecking the 5 mans during leveling phases. Then he hit a bench mark where DPS folks were tearing his aggro meters to shreds. I've done a bit of research for 5.3 to ensure at least the spec was right. Gear would still be a problem for a bit though as the proper tanking gear isn't really available at this point. I kind of tapered off on Dungeoning for the moment until I can rehasg what is going on aggro wise. But, I've really gotten into the storyline for MoP. I hadn't taken any of my other toons this far into the game as I was dreading the gear disparity. Still, I actually started to take my time again in reading through quest lines and picking up the lore as I could.

Throughout this process Ahrias has traveled all over Azeroth, with the exception of the "Waterworld" Cata phase. I never enjoyed that area and easily by passed it. Hyjal as always was a blast and the Highlands were also a lot of fun to roll through. I didn't do every quest, just the ones I liked or felt were relevant to his persona. His Jewel crafting has kind of hit a wall between 505 to 520, the next major breach, but that will come in time for me. At now lv 86 soon to be 87 he feels pretty formidable and carries the weight of his Holy Warrior status well. Over all, I've been very happy with his progress and enjoyed the time he has traveled about.

So why talk about it? Well, Ahrias is the first toon I've really taken a liking to. I'm not all into the holy preachy warrior thing, but Ahrias strikes a special chord with me. I've been developing a persona from the immersion perspective in fleshing him out to be something more than a pixel action figure/doll to play with. My wife can easily tell you I hire and fire alts so fast, she looses track of what I am working on at the moment. Though I keep the names I like the most on standby, very few ever make it past lv. 30 before they stop resonating with me. It's odd how I have grown fond of the old, grey eyed, silver maned paladin. He has started to take a life and personality of his own.

I don't really get into RP anymore, though perhaps I'll crack it again sometime. What I will say is, Ahrias as a project has come to life for me. In the end, he is what I enjoy about WoW. The creation, the progression and the development of something I can take away as fond memories of glory. I personally think this is a part of why even old veterans who grumble about the state of the game still play. It's not the whole reason, but I figure it is a part of it. I get lost in the story and I look back through his eyes and see what has been accomplished, and what remains to be done. He embodies some of who I am in the real world, and many things which I aspire to be in attitude, execution and overall bad assery. So, while I have plenty of other toons, many which umm...well, die by my hand more often than by the dangers of Azeroth, Ahrias has stayed on and above the rest.

So, what toons have you my fellow readers call your personal favorite? Are they main class? Alt? RP? What makes you enjoy the special ones? Do drop a line when you get the chance, I always love a good conversation over ale, whiskey, or even some well brewed tea! Till next time, may your bags be loaded with gold and may glory be showered upon you!