Thanks. Just to prove you wrong, I tried testing my port using something other than EQ and found this website that will ping a port
http://www.yougetsignal.com/tools/open-ports/
7000-7004 (that's all I tested, not all that I had set up to forward) come back as closed even though I set them up the same way as 9000 and 5998, which return open. I'll have to keep at it to see my my router is being unkind. Maybe it doesn't do port ranges the way it's supposed to, but I did set up the whole range.
I have windows firewall turned completely off for now.
Thank you!