A few weeks ago, a guildmate asked if the new NPC on the public test realm was named after me. I hadn't heard anything about it, so assuming it was a joke, I kiddingly replied "yeah, that's me". A few more people started talking about this NPC in guild chat, so I became curious. They said her name was Michelle De Rum, and she supposedly sells pets. At first I was amused that her name was so similar to mine (a combination of my real first name and a surname that was phonetically similar to Drrum). But once I learned her full title was "Michelle De Rum <Pet Collector>" I began to wonder if it might actually be some sort of tribute. It just seemed too crazy, but I downloaded the PTR anyway. I had to see this NPC for myself. I thought if she looked anything like me or had some matching armor set on, I would be less skeptical.
I logged onto the PTR and flew out to her location in Everlook. I wandered around the buildings looking for her and finally found her in the back of the inn, two Wintersaber cubs at her feet. As I approached, I was astonished to see she was identical to me! Hair, face, everything. It was like looking in a mirror! She looked splendid in her tier 2 Wrath set, a lovely shade of blue matching her pets perfectly! That was the clincher.
Now that she has made it into the game, I am completely overwhelmed with excitement and bewilderment. I remember how thrilling it was when Breanni of Warcraftpets.com got an NPC. I was so touched that Blizzard noticed and paid homage to someone who put so much love and work into a fan site. I'm thrilled to share company with the likes of Breanni, who I credit (along with Lisa Poisso's articles about me at WoW Insider) with popularizing my web gallery. I am delighted and truly honored that Blizzard gave me this very special ingame recognition.
So to celebrate, I am giving away two very special World of Warcraft TCG loot prizes: El Pollo Grande mount, and the Robotic Homing Chicken. I have hidden a couple of eggs on random pages of my website gallery. If you find one of the hidden eggs between midnight GMT on April 26th, 2011 and midnight GMT May 3rd, 2011, click on the egg then follow the instructions to enter your name in the pet and mount giveaway. Two winners will be selected at random from all the entries received by the deadline. Winners will be announced on May 5, 2011. One entry per household please - one prize awarded per winner. Click here for the complete rules.
Please don't spoil the fun for others by revealing the location of the hidden eggs, which will move to different locations throughout the week!
Happy Hunting and good luck!
