(This is a thread from Mizahar's fantasy role playing forum. Why don't you register today? This message is not shown when you are logged in. Come roleplay with us, it's fun!)
A city floating in the center of a lake, Ravok is a place of dark beauty, romance and culture. Behind it all though is the presence of Rhysol, God of Evil and Betrayal. The city is controlled by The Black Sun, a religious organization devoted to Rhysol. [Lore]
Summer has come! If you stay within the protective sphere of Rhysol's benevolence, then you will continue to enjoy paradise. Not much changes in Ravok and that's how the people like it. Trade is waning a bit as the rest of Mizahar continues to reel from Morwen's betrayal. Progress on several fronts has given way for hope in a higher level of Ravok's self-sufficiency as well as some interesting turn of events which have the whole lake buzzing about this or that.
The Lakeshore and surrounding Wildlands have developed a bit of a haze that is visibly noticeable around midday and will increase in duration as the season marches on. The floating city feels a pull from somewhere deep down to unite and reaffirm a faith in their Lord, their protectors and one another. Spirits are high and expectations of greatness are higher still.
Will you rise to the challenges of the blessed city or will you sink beneath her weighted goals?
Lakeshore Storm Dates:
All night on the 3rd
Dusk of the 15th to Noon of the 17th
The first half of the 28th
Mid-morning on the 34th to sunrise on the 35th
All day on the 41st
Breakfast on the 49th to sundown on the 53rd
Morning of the 68th to midday on the 73rd (Event - See below)
All day and night on the 85th
Events
**Quest Etiquette by Gossamer** :
Quest Etiquette The Player Section
Quest Etiquette can be a real make or break thing in terms of a quest. Players sin and moderators sin. Sometimes I wonder if its because players have no idea what true quest etiquette is? Do moderators? From years of D&D tabletop I've formed what MY OPINION of quest etiquette is. I go by it now on Mizahar. Be sure you review this if your in one of my quests and try to adhere to the basic premise of this post. If your a moderator, make sure you are trying to enforce these things in your quests. Otherwise, your quest party is full of douchebags and you should just run their horses off a cliff and end the bad behavior once and for all.
Acknowledge the other people in a quest. Note their actions in your post by reacting to them even if its just a brief line or two. Don’t ignore their presence. It’s rude beyond belief to come into a quest and solo it without paying attention to the others in the party. The same thing is true if people break into subgroups and ignore the other subgroups. Subgroups are fine as long as everyone is a part of one and they note each other’s actions and include each other and everyone else in their posts.
Acknowledge the actions of others in the quest. You aren’t in a solo moderated thread. Note others actions as part of your response and put some opinion of the action in there. Do you approve? Are they being stupid? Make that part of your post. Argue with their action if you disagree or try to block it. That’s all part of the fun. Agree with it? Help them do the action! Step up and say great idea and lend a hand. The biggest crime in a quest thread is to ignore a fellow quester.
Establish what your PC is wearing/wielding/and has on their person. Magically appearing gear is annoying in any sort of quest. That goes double for the whole ‘its in my bag at all times things’. Please make sure in your initial post to establish to yourself and the others what your PC is wearing, holding, and carrying for the duration of the quest. If your allowed to take the time to ‘gear up’ then go get your full gear and re-establish what you have in a post following a ‘gear up’ session. That way one can avoid the magical bag of ‘everything even the kitchen sink is in here’ and yet your pc moves unencumbered through the quest.
Don’t poach information. If one character learns of something by their actions, its up to them to share that information with the party. If they don’t then you don’t know it. So long as they are paying attention to you and acknowledging your actions, its perfectly fine to withhold information.
Stick to the posting order. This goes along with information poaching. Try very hard to post in the order the original postings were made. This gives everyone an equal chance to post and react in the order they carried out actions and learned things. Skipping posting order is only okay if a moderator says it is or the moderator is tired of waiting for one slow poster to post.
Don’t stand and do nothing. No one likes a PC who’s in a quest just to observe. This is a huge waste of time too. Don’t do nothing and don’t actually join a quest thread if you think all you are going to do on your first post is observe. Moderators hate that and might get spiteful towards your PC if all you are doing is lookilooing the whole time. Perform actions, ask questions, and think heavily about what might be going on.
Do things you can do. Don’t do things you can’t do. Are you a fighter? Fight then. Are you a wizard? Perform magic. Healers can heal. Everyone can look and observe for things. But if your unskilled at something like say disarming traps, don’t try to disarm traps. You’re going to get your stupid ass killed and probably those around you. Quest parties form organically and come together in a way where everyone has a role. Play your role. Don’t suddenly think your superman when you’re a three inch pycon. Those roles don’t work. Play roles that work.
Make quest posting a priority. If you are in a moderated thread, post to that FIRST before you post to your solos or socials. They are important to the moderators and the players so be sure you make it a priority to yourself as well.
Keep information organized in your mind. Understand and keep it straight in your mind what is ‘general’ information that everyone learns and what is ‘private’ information that someone finds out. You can act on general information but not on private information unless it is private information you earned.
Know your character limits. What is your characters size and strength? Can you lift that? Can you wield that? Does your character know what that thing is even if you do? Make sure you are aware of your lores and your skills. If you don’t have say a huge physical presence, don’t think you can lift a knight in full body armor as an average female and carry him out of a burning building. That probably won’t happen. You probably can’t even roll him over.
Be aware of YOUR location and the locations of the rest of the group members. Describe where exactly you are standing carefully in the scene in relation to fixed objects or things that are the focal point of a scene. Are you right next to another group member? Are you standing behind the group ready to heal them? Are you kneeling in front examining something? Be specific. Remember, let everyone know where you are. Don’t stomp on anyone in making an action. Slide around someone if they are in front of you and what you want to do. This goes back to acknowledging someone is somewhere doing something. Acknowledge them.
Just ask and you’ll know. Sounds like a simple thing right? But don’t assume anything. If you want to know more about something specifically examine it in your response. Ask in your post. “John Smith wondered how the man had managed to carry enough water to traverse the desert without dehydration. He should have been dehydrated right? So John decided to check his gear and see if there was any evidence as to how it was done.” Boom. You’ve just asked the Mod how something happened and made it clear you were looking for the answer. Now it’s the mods turn to do their job and tell you in their response to your actions. “After a few minutes of searching, John found a bag of holding that had five hundred canteens, most of which were still full, all stuffed inside it.” Don’t assume. Ask!
Let the Moderator know how you’re feeling about their quest. Are you bored? Have your PC yawn in boredom. Are you feeling left out or ignored? Write about that. It’s their job as a moderator for everyone to have fun as they tell a story to you. If you’re not having fun or there’s nothing for your PC in the quest so far, let them know by writing about it. They can and will adjust the story accordingly. Though remember, there are two types of quests. One is a sign up quest where a story should be tailored to every PC that signs up. And there are random posted quests you join. The random posted quests are the luck of who shows up first and its less about the PCs and more about the story in that case.
Don't criticize the moderator. They are doing it for your fun and their own enjoyment. Go easy on them. Understand that a good moderator might be flexible with the rules to preserve pacing or flow and add an element of the fantastical to the story. This goes for undermining the narrative, too. “This seems straight out of last months' Letters to Penthouse, Jen. What's the deal?” NoteYou know I'm just throwing this in there as a humorous reward for reading this far right? That might not be cool to point out. Just go with it. A good mod will change the ending or the middle and if you hate the quest you can not opt in on another one of theirs later down the line. Also, if you’re noticing inconsistencies, and can’t help it, try phrasing it in the form of a question. E.g., Is this the same begger we met in the last scene? If so, why is his peg leg on the right now instead of the left? Is that really necessary to point out? Probably not. The whole point is that hes a peg-leg dude and leave it at that. It might even be intentional. Is he an illusion that has changed over time? The changes might be hidden clues.
Don't engage in non-rewarding conflict or squabbling. Everyone knows that fighting among party members can be hugely distracting. try to limit this type of conflict to those instances which are dramatically rewarding. Contribute to the narrative as a PC rather than distract from it. This game is a social cooperative one. Players forget that. They like to grandstand defiance under the banner of staying true to a character concept. That's bullshit and everyone including themselves know it. The exception to this rule comes when tension or opposition within the party results in dramatic role-playing rewards. In order for the latter to work, remember, all PC’s need to be on the same page and it needs to be fully IC. OOC contempt for another players actions can't creep into the overall narrative or you're violating this rule.
Understand your role in a quest as a party member. Your PCs presence in a quest should be to strengthen the bond of the party, support each other player’s character-concept in game, weave your story alongside the other characters’, and finally work together towards your goals. That's it! Everything else like comedic humor or superfluous knowledge is icing on the cake.
And finally…
Don’t void the social contract of quest fellowship! Remember, when you are joining a quest, you are agreeing to join a group and work towards a common goal for the benefit and fun of all the player and the characters in the group. This is a social contract! Avoid slavish behavior meaning a character acting in a way that makes no attempt at originality, constructive interpretation, or development. We all know the pc types. There’s always that pc who won’t go with the party even though the player has joined the quest because they don’t know the others, don’t trust the others, and can see no benefit in it for them. It’s your job as a player to suspend disbelief and find a reason to go and help and be in that group. It’s not the moderator’s job. It’s your job and your social contract of RP QUESTING that you signed. Follow through.
Rumors :
Watery Whispers - The Ravosalamen talk a lot but they hear everything. Take a few rides and you might not believe your ears! Can these things really be true? Maybe you'll just have to discover for yourself.
Players: This will be something that can be done in any order and on any days you choose. PCs will need to investigate the Rumors listed in the Ravasolamen section below. In order to do so, one must take a ride in a ravosala in thread to hear the Rumor. Once that has been posted, send me a PM with the link and I will reply with a clue or tidbit that can be used in another post. Some Rumors will be shyke and some might have multiple layers which need to be peeled away in order to find the truth. As you use the clues I give in thread, keep me apprised with links so that I may track your progress.
To summarize:
RP hearing a given Rumor.
Send me a PM with the thread link.
RP with the information I give you.
Send me a PM to finish the investigation.
Due to my experience with this system in Spring, I am going to be using it to initiate some quests. Also- some of the rumors will look familiar and that is because no one discovered those secrets. Anyone can investigate any rumor so long as you go about it in a way that makes sense for your PC.
Spoonman :
A Spoonful of Sugar - At several of the various establishments throughout the city, decorative or fancy spoons have been left in random places. Unbeknownst to those who take possession; strange things occur when two of these items come into close proximity with one another.
Players: There are seven spoons. The quest is first come first serve so sign up using the supplied form. In order for the submission to be valid, the player must have a thread STARTED where he or she is in or near a linkmap location that is not government, military or a family residence. Players will be assigned a spoon.
When two spoons are in the same thread, simply send me a PM and I will inform both parties of the affects. These affects will only happen once. Please know that everything has already been written up. The types of events will depend solely upon the order of spoons.
NOTE: 7 spoons means that each player has 6 threads where the premise has already been laid out. Please do not sign up for this if you don't intend to write with your fellow Ravokians. From a personal standpoint- this is probably the coolest event I've created to date.
Going Once...Going Twice... :
An Auspicious Auction -9th- The Slave Market holds an auction which is being touted as one of the best in years. All of the Ravokian families are in attendance as well as representatives of the Black Sun and Ebonstryfe who come weighted with gold and steel.
Players: Slaves: Whether your are willingly enslaved or not, you will be sold at this auction unless you are already someone's property. PM me and we will work something out. You are more than welcome to make our own arrangements but please keep me in the loop.
Non-slaves: Players are more than welcome to watch or bid on slaves. Price list amounts will be pretty standard unless one can come up with a good reason for a discount.
The Garden of Good & Evil :
The Latest Attraction -28th- The Ravokian Shipyard releases one of the massive vessels it had been working on for the past few seasons. It's a huge ship with a width berth and shallow drop. The hull looks fairly standard but the rest of it is unlike anything anyone has ever seen.
Players: There will be an unveiling event - a dreaded social thread but it's not what you think. I will start things off then let people interact as they see fit. There's a cover charge but it will vary depending upon your character.
The Love Boat :
Trouble in Paradise -59th- A water glider arrives at the Docks with every person on board brutally murdered. Three of the passengers were Ebonstryfe officers and one was a very high ranking Black Sun official. The scene was flooded with the less noble individuals of Rhysol's fair city which make it difficult for the Black Sun and City Guard to contain the mess - and the story.
Players: Be a spectator. Be an investigator. Most of all- be careful or you may become a suspect.
Red Sky in Morning :
Storms Suck -68th-73rd- Unmoderated. Shows the power of Rhysol to protect Ravok from 'land hurricane'.
Players: This coincides with the storm dates listed above. I will post a general starter that players can use to begin their own individual or small group threads.
The Dogs of War :
Call of Duty - For all Ebonstryfe and Black Sun members, I have a schedule of deployment available. Once you have registered, send me a PM and we will loosely plan your season. Should you wish to join any of the quests, you must sign up like everyone else. I will not discuss any of the listed events until you have completed the necessary form. Also, should you wish to be given tasks for your job threads, I am willing to provide personalized assignments.
Rumors of the Ravosalamen
To get around Ravok, one will inevitably end up in one of the sleek vessels that cruise through the canals. The drivers are known as Ravosalamen. They come in all shapes and sizes but know more about what goes on in the city than just about everyone aside from the top brass of the city's main organizations. These public servants talk amongst themselves but also to their fares. Sometimes, the conversations expose a dirty secret about an affluent member of society or reveal the true purpose of a mundane structure. There are also times when the gossip is just hot air. Regardless of one's station in Ravok, it's always wise to keep an ear to the canals.
:::Note::: Completely investigate every rumor and receive a special IC token.
Rumors :
⍔ "Did you see that they're starting work on the old part of the Temple? Oh, Rhysol's smiling face! When I was a kid, I remember how amazing that place looked in the morning sun. We used to go up to the City Center once every few days to see the colors on the stone. It's a shame that it'll never get finished, though..."
⍔ "Look at those little kids over there! Ha-Ha! Rugrats, the lot of 'em. Those uniforms mean they belong to the Galatos home for orphans. Weird place but they do a fine service for this town. You ever seen the building? Ya can't miss it. If we go by the Merchant's Ring, I'll show it to you. They say it's got more secrets than the Vitrax. I wouldn't recommend asking too many questions though- that family has a long reach."
⍔ "Now there's a sweet face. You remind me of my old neighbor, ya do. She was the nicest thang then she come down with something right mean. Sick for months - well, damn near the whole season, she was. So we finally got her rolling and took her to the Healing Hand. Wouldn't ya know it, they patched her right up and she was back to her old self. Funny thing, though- almost too weird but about a week later she started to change. That girl was still sweet and all but it was like she was hollow inside. Then she just disappeared. Ain't seen her smile in almost a year."
⍔ "Wait, wait, wait. You want me to take you where? No way! I don't go to the Plaza of Dark Delights. I had a friend who used to troll around there a lot but no one's seen him for weeks now. My wife thinks he prolly lost his papers and got snatched up and sold at the Slave Market but my gut tells me otherwise."
Information
To sign up for an event or to make your thread available for moderator interruptions, please fill out the form below and post it in my Office.
[b]PC Name:[/b] [b]Skills you want to improve:[/b] [b]Moderated thread (date):[/b] [b]Your interest in this thread:[/b] [b]Something you're willing to lose:[/b] [b]Can your PC sustain an injury:[/b] [b]Preferred outcome:[/b]
Challenges
Complete 5 for the city's medal.
Complete all 8 for the medal and a custom gift from me.
You cannot cover more than two seasonal goals in a single thread.
The thread must be at least 1500 words long for a single challenge; 2000 words for two challenges.
Please be sure to include detail when completing your challenges. I reserve the right to deny anyone for lack of effort. The challenges are used to encourage everyone to think and write. Simply restating the challenge in a thread will not suffice.
❂ Take a ravosala ride. (PC)* ❂ Visit the new location. (PC) ❂ Do something against your nature. (PC) ❂ Investigate a rumor.** ❂ Help with the restoration of the Temple.*** ❂ Pull a prank. (PC) ❂ Be judged by a citizen or judge a non-citizen. (PC) ❂ Make an enemy.
*(PC) Indicates the challenge must be completed with another PC. **Rumor indicates one of the given gossips of the Ravosalamen. ***Refers to the Rumor about the Temple's Restoration project.
When you complete the challenges, fill out the form below and post it in my Office.
[url=]❂[/url]Take a ravosala ride (PC) [url=]❂[/url]Visit the new location. (PC) [url=]❂[/url]Do something against your nature. (PC) [url=]❂[/url]Investigate a rumor [url=]❂[/url]Help with the restoration of the Temple. [url=]❂[/url]Pull a prank. (PC) [url=]❂[/url]Be judged by a citizen or judge a non-citizen. (PC) [url=]❂[/url]Make an enemy.
