“Very few actually know Athena’s Avatars actually received its name from my best friend’s mom. I wanted the guild name to have some sort of connection to a Greek deity. I had been going through several names and couldn’t quite pick one. Once, while I was over at my best friend’s house, his mother came up to me and suggested Athena’s Avatars. Her reasoning was that Athena was the Goddess of Wisdom and War and that Avatars was a good complement. So if I must be precise... my guild was named by a 50-year-old woman who has never played a video game in her life.”
Lore & Archives
The written history, legendary posts, and sacred texts of Athena's Avatars - preserved for posterity.
Athena’s Avatars Interviewed by WarhammerVault
August 16, 2008
Q: What is the meaning of your guild’s name?
Q: What is the history of your guild?
“Athena’s Avatars was formed June 21, 2002 in the game Dark Age of Camelot in Tir na Nog on the Igraine server. The guild evolved with the maturity of DAOC. We played in Beetle Hell, Click ate many of us, some of us made it out of Connacht alive, and we all had a blast on the battlefield. AA grew pretty quickly in DAOC and we started attending regular Dragon and Legion raids as soon as possible. Athena’s Avatars was also one of the first Igraine guilds to have a website. We’ve been through many domain names, many hosts, and many versions. In 2005, AA moved to the Gareth server. We then found a home on the Ector server with the guild name ‘Hey Yall.’ We then transitioned to WoW on the Hellscream server in June of 2006. We are now also looking forward to playing Warhammer Online.”
Q: How many people are in your guild?
“Currently, in WOW, we have about 275 active accounts with 490 members. We raid 25-man content regularly and we have always been able to muster a healthy amount of bodies for a fight. In Warhammer, we expect to have a minimum of 60 active accounts.”
Q: How long has the core been together?
“The core of the guild has been around since 2002, and some even earlier. We have a very solid core group of around 30 people who have been together since the DAOC days. Some guilds have been around as long as AA but few have the heart.”
Q: What style of play?
“We have mothers, fathers, and midget clowns who all like to play on different levels. But when it comes to endgame raiding or PVP, we go hard. We expect perfection. We expect performance. And we expect results. Our guild has always been able to find a balance between having fun and getting it done.”
Q: How is your guild structured?
“A totalitarian tyrannical dictatorship. Believe nothing else. For additional questions, seek Ibaf. =)”
Q: What part of WAR is most intriguing to you?
“PVP. The hunger for PVP in this guild is undeniable. We have been craving solid PVP since the days of DAOC. WoW has its moments in the Arenas but what we really want is that zone PVP combat feel where you are part of a 200-man force marching through and defending territory. Warhammer is going to provide us that feel. We have been eyeing this game for 3 years and we are finally ready to unleash ourselves on a new world.”
Q: What are your past accomplishments?
“Where to start... We’ve been through a lot. In DAOC, we helped take all 6 relics and defend them for Hibernia on Igraine. In WoW, we are a current 5/6 Sunwell guild who has cleared ALL content in the game to date. We consistently rank in the top guilds on our server. But honestly, the greatest achievement this guild has ever seen is its simple conception. It’s a refuge and home for so many people of so many walks of life and all of which we’ve had the chance to become friends with. I was 18 when I first started this guild. We’ve all gone to college together, we’ve entered the ‘real world’ together, we’ve found our significant others together. We’ve watched each other grow up. 6 years later the guild is still just as strong as it was when it first started. We’ve experienced the spectrum of emotions together - we’ve grieved the loss of family members together and triumphed together in a PVP victory. I cannot stress enough how meaningful this guild has become in some people’s lives, including my own.”
Q: Are you still seeking members?
“We are always seeking members who can fit our description: 18+, mature, sense of humor, must be able to take a joke, and absolutely must mesh with us. It’s a huge bonus if you are hot, too. Pics or it didn’t happen.”
Q: Who would win in a fight - Paul Barnett or a Pink Orc?
“The Pink Orc would definitely win, but only because AA didn’t get a guild beta invite.”
Legendary IGN Igraine Posts - The Dogsnack Era
These are the legendary forum posts from the IGN DAOC Igraine server boards by Dogsnack, a Midgard Shadowblade whose satirical rants became server legend.
On the Role of Healers
Dogsnack had strong opinions about healer responsibility in RvR combat. His philosophy was straightforward and unforgiving:
“Anytime you pass a tombstone you are seeing a monument to healers who failed.”
To Dogsnack, the battlefield was divided into two categories: those who killed, and healers who were personally responsible for every single death that ever occurred. There was no middle ground.
On Runemasters
A furious screed about the state of Runemasters on Igraine, featuring claims about Roller and Yourbooty massacring everything in Mularn and a direct appeal to the developers:
“Mythic, YOU ‘TARDS HAD BETTER LISTEN. Roller and Yourbooty have been massacring everything that moves in Mularn. The bodies are piled so high you can’t even see the forge anymore. Something needs to be done about Runemasters or I swear I will personally come to your offices and show you what REAL imbalance looks like.”
Dogsnack’s relationship with Runemasters was adversarial at best. He viewed them as an affront to everything decent about Midgard.
On Shadowblade Uberness
In one of his most celebrated posts, Dogsnack recounted a solo kill on a Hibernian player with characteristic modesty:
“There I was, two poisoned axes, lurking behind a tree like the angel of death I am. This poor Hib comes strolling by like he owns the place. Two swings. TWO. He was dead before he hit the ground. I hope you don’t mind my size 7 1/2 imprint on your back.”
He concluded the post by noting that Shadowblades were the only class in the game that required true skill, and that anyone who disagreed had simply never been killed by him yet.
The Rules
Dogsnack laid down the fundamental laws of Igraine in a post that was referenced for years afterward:
“There are four ways to do things: The right way, the wrong way, the Mythic way, and my way. If you choose any way other than my way, see option two.”
The post went on to enumerate additional rules, most of which involved other players doing exactly what Dogsnack said at all times, and Runemasters being permanently banned from RvR.
On Skalds
Dogsnack’s class analysis of Skalds was a masterpiece of absurd logic. He argued that Skalds were simultaneously the most useless and most overpowered class in the game, depending entirely on whether the Skald in question was on his side or not. Running speed was “the only thing keeping Midgard alive,” but also “a crutch for people who can’t fight.” He somehow held both positions in the same paragraph without a trace of irony.
Farewell from the King (Final Post)
When Dogsnack finally hung up his axes, his farewell post was equal parts bravado, sincerity, and classic Dogsnack absurdity:
“Even after playing in 3 NFL post-season games, the thrill of taking a BG keep tops them all.”
“You Runemasters can burn in hell.”
“I might see about getting a job at the mall and really making a difference.”
The post was a love letter to the Igraine community disguised as the ramblings of a man who believed himself to be the greatest Shadowblade who ever lived. It was, in many ways, the perfect ending.
Thus ends the Dogsnack Era. Rest in peace, wise one. You will be missed.
- Igraine
Guild News Archive
The most memorable news posts from athenasavatars.com, preserved in the order they were written.
First Guild Meeting
“Last night the guild had their first guild meeting in front of Mag Mell. The turnout was great and we discussed several issues including alliances, recruitment, and the future of the guild. It was a proud moment seeing everyone gathered together for the first time.”
Seoltoir Impersonation Contest
“Imagine 15 dead seoltoirs on the port pad. LOL! The guild held a Seoltoir impersonation contest and it was one of the funniest things we’ve ever done. Everyone created level 1 characters named after variations of ‘Seoltoir’ and marched to the port pad. Chaos ensued.”
The Horse Run
“The horses rode for a very long time and created quite a crazy stream of horses!! We organized a massive horse run through Hibernia with as many mounted guild members as we could muster. The line of horses stretched as far as the eye could render.”
ALL SIX RELICS
“Relic Raid - We took all 3 relics from mid. Hib was the FIRST realm on Igraine to have all six relics! One million realm points were earned in a single week. This was the defining moment for Hibernia on Igraine and Athena’s Avatars was right there in the thick of it.”
Moving to World of Warcraft
“I still have all the old news updates... it has extremely high importance to myself. The guild is officially moving to World of Warcraft. We’ll be Alliance on the Hellscream server. A new chapter begins, but the old one will never be forgotten.”
The Fall of Thrall
“AA raided Orgrimmar and pissed all over Thrall’s teeth. He went down like a cheap date yall! We organized a massive world PvP raid straight into the heart of the Horde capital. The chaos was glorious, the lag was legendary, and the screenshots are immortal.”
Closing the WoW Chapter
“It’s done - It’s finished. I grew tired of wow to the point of dreading logging in. What was once the greatest gaming experience of my life had become a chore. But the memories we made - from SSC to Sunwell to Heroic Lich King - those will never fade.”
The Return
“We are all grown folks and can’t be crack-headed gamers anymore. But Warlords of Draenor pulled us back in. The old crew is logging on again, a little older, a little wiser, but still the same family. Some things never change.”
Guild Poems
Written by members of Athena’s Avatars - odes to the guild and the bonds forged within.
By Aerois
Once was a goddess of Wisdom and War,
Who gathered her Avatars from near and from far.
Together they battled through darkness and light,
And forged in the fire a bond burning bright.
By Madathair
All around the Hibernia Realm
Is a group that’s bound to overwhelm.
From Mag Mell to the battlefield wide,
Athena’s Avatars fight with pride.
By Johsiah
The realm we walk in Athena’s light,
Foes fall unto us with no resistance or fight.
Our blades cut swift, our magic burns true,
Athena’s Avatars - we’re coming for you.
By Disinia
In a land of green and people so fair,
Where the mist hangs low in the evening air,
A guild was born of courage and might,
To stand together and carry the light.
By Vyktors
Deities incarnate,
Guarding the faultless multitude.
We are the chosen, the resolute,
Athena’s will made absolute.
By Nightowl
We run through the wind as quick as steeds,
Our armor gleaming, fulfilling great deeds.
No foe too fierce, no battle too long,
In Athena’s name we carry on strong.
Guild Slogan - Wagonrage
“In the land of Hibernia resides the mighty Athena’s Avatars. In the far lands of Battle Grounds, against the Albs and Mids’s we cry out: ‘You can run but, you will only die tired.’”