Interview with EM Rainstormer!

Community Manager

I had the absolute pleasure of interviewing EM Rainstormer this week! You can read all their answers to my questions below.

What made you decide to start EMing?
In December of 2021 I came across a “wanted” ad on UO.com that they were looking for EM’s. I thought to myself there is no way that I would ever get accepted to be an actual EM. I had always looked up to the EMs for all the work they do for the community.  I wanted to create content for players to enjoy. Nothing would make me happier than to know that years down the road players would be talking about events that I had created. I decided to apply and the next thing I knew I was in training under Elder EM Obsidian.

What has it been like, being an EM for so long?
Well, I am going into year three, so I am a newbie EM compared to some of the other EM’s that have been around.  Being an EM has been a dream come true honestly!  It has been an honor to be a part of the greatest game ever created.

 What is your favorite part about EMing?
I absolutely love bringing a story to life.  Being able to find an area that has nothing around to creating a “build” containing hundreds and even thousands of pieces is so rewarding. We are given so much freedom to create, which makes each event so unique. After all the work and preparation for an event to be told “That was an awesome story, we loved the decorations or just a simple thank you makes it all worth it.

What is your most memorable moment playing UO?
There are so many memorable moments that come to mind. However, there is one that really sticks out everytime I think about UO. I think everyone knows how hard it was to get housing in the early years of UO.  For a very long time I shared a home with a guildmate who became one of my best friends within the game. One day I got a message saying, “come to the Trinsic bank”. When I arrived, there were about 30 guild members waiting for me to arrive. One by one each guildmate approached me and handed me a check for different amounts of gold. I was then put in contact via ICQ with a guy that was selling a tower and was told “you deserve it and thank you for everything go buy yourself a tower”. My jaw hit the floor! I made my way to the tower and met with the seller. After handing the seller check after check my heart was filled with so much excitement and adrenaline. After I handed him the last check, I saw three dreaded words “Kal Ort Por”.  My heart sank! I stood there for a few moments, messaged him on ICQ, and could not quite comprehend what had just happened. After about 10 minutes and a few messages from guild members I returned to Trinsic and started to explain what had just happened. Everyone was in disbelief. A few days later the GM gave me his tower within our city, and I finally had my very own home.

What is your favorite thing to do in UO currently?
I love treasure hunting! Over the years I have probably completed 10,000+ treasure maps. I am not exaggerating when I say I love treasure hunting.  I wouldn’t be lying if I said when I play on my home shard, I poke around players houses in search of Event Drops that have dropped from Origin. I always smile a little when I see a rewards, I created in someone’s house.

What is your favorite memory thus far of EMing?
Besides getting death robes at the hands of Mesanna?  I don’t think I can pinpoint it to just one favorite memory. I will say that we form real friendships with other EM’s. We often look to other EMs for advice and even comfort when things don’t go as planned. I will say that we cut up a lot and poke fun of one another and even place bets on who’s going to get a death robe from Mesanna next. It’s so much fun. BTW I think I have 5


Is there a specific event that you've done that is your favorite? What is it?
Sometimes we (EM’s) come across NPC and even builds that never got deleted. There is one specific NPC that never got deleted and I believe that he has been on the shard for at least 5 or 6 years. A few years ago, a player found an NPC and eventually wrote a beautiful story about him and one of her characters. I was so inspired to create a story around it. Hence the story of Goldie and Xavriad the Magnificent was created. Over the span of three events the shard was able to bring a Happy Ending to the story of Goldie. When I am long gone as an EM, I believe that this story will still be told by the players of Origin. This is part of what I love about being an EM: Creating Lore
 

Was a drop you made that your favorite most out of all of them thus far? What is it?
Probably one of my favorites was the reward for “Our Cities are Crumbling” event.  It was a Head on a Pike: “head of a corrupt governor” “Let this be a warning for deception”. The Event was based on the governors being kidnapped and replaced with imposters. The imposters were ruining the cities and depriving the citizens. I loved this event because it involved the governors and even 2 other EM’s helped RP.

Is there a specific story that comes to mind about UO that has stuck with you to date?
Probably one of the most well-known stories. The Death of Lord British at the hands of Rainz when he cast a fire field. I would have loved to be in the room when he realized he was dead. I’m sure Lord Blackthorn never let him live it down.

Do you have any words of wisdom for the players out there? New and Old?
Take the time to learn about the Lore of the game. Everything in the game is there for a reason.  For a long time, I just played Ultima Online for the fun of it. I grew a whole new appreciation for it when I learned the lore. I have drawn lots of inspiration for events just off the lore. Ie Ophidians vs Terathans. Lastly just have fun!

Is there anything else you'd like to add to the players out there?
Don’t assume that all players have been playing as long as you have! There are many new players out there that have no idea what they are doing. You could be the difference between them hanging around or moving on. Be nice!