The back story begins with an incident between two widely known members of the guild:
A few nights ago I was playing late in WoW. As is my habit, I gave a shout out to the guildies when I logged on, and continued to monitor the chatter among guildies on the guild channel. It was pretty darned late at night, and the regulars were the main folks online. A group was forming up to do the SM instance (Scarlet Monastery...no one refers to an instance by name, just initials.). I was asked, and declined the offer as I was midway through a really long and frustrating quest specfically for warlocks. I noticed that one of the core guildies online seemed to decline too as he said, I'm busy in a quest right now. I remember this because I noticed he was in Desolace and since I had quests there and since this quest I was on was dogging me, I considered asking him to partner with me to knock off some quests there.
As it turned out, a party for the SM instance was formed without our questing friend, who apparently finished up his quest and headed back to the SM area. It was a long trip, as can sometimes be the case in WoW if you are not in handy gryphon route reach. Apparently when he got there, or as he got there, or as he announced he was about there, he learned that he wasn't needed, a group of five (that's the max allowed in a party) had been assembled, mostly of the other regulars.
This person felt wronged and insisted he had laid claim to being interested but had to wrap up his quest first. The party leader disagreed with the interpretation. Unfortunately the disagreement took place on the guild chat channel, for all logged in guildies to see, and unfortunately it got heated. Before the night was over, one person had quit the guild and others followed the next day. The guild began to split aruond two key players: one, the GM of the guild who had happened to be in the party, and two, the allegedly wronged individual who was, until he quit, a guild officer. Both people are very much liked among most of the guild. By the very next day, the member who quit in anger was solicted others to quit and was starting up another guild.
In the days that followed, everyone in this group (GamerX: Holly, Eric, James, Vicki, and myself) as well as other friends we have in the guild, Sarianna, Bany, Dimentia, and others, were faced with the need to take sides. To stay in Night Shift was to deny one person's experience, and to leave Night Shift was to ascribe blame to another. Some folks jumped right away. I waited a couple of days. Sure enough, a second guild emerged and folks began to join that one. I was not happy with things and resented having to choose. I ended up making an alt, another toon, that could play in one guild whilst Hallgrima played in another. What a drag. Others did the same though.
Of course I kept all my old guildies on my friends list and continued to interact with them no matter which guild they were in. I discovered the pleasure of creating a second character that was different from my first. I tried my hand at being a mage with the complementary professions of herbalism and alchemy.
But wait, this ain't over...
Yesterday, while running some quests with the GM of the old guild, I learned that the two people in question had made up (his words). In fact, I found out that one had lent the other 80 Gold to buy his mount now that he was a level 40 and eligible for a mount. At first I was incredulous, then amused, but finally pissed...pissed at all the needless energy wasted trying to accommodate friends who seemed to be going separate ways. Yes, pissed that I had to make choices and waste time creating and grinding levels on a new character. Pissed at the whole dramatic pile of b.s.
I guess if you acknowledge that social life thrives in virtual environments, you have to also acknowledge that it is susceptible to the same whims and madness of real world social life. Arg.
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