1. Please tell us why you’ve picked the domain you’ve picked and what keeps you enthusiastic and happy moderating in that domain?Creating my first ever PC on Mizahar and becoming a Storyteller goes hand in hand for me. I made an Inarta and fell in love with Wind Reach as I explored the city with her. I was approached on my two month mark and it was strongly suggested that I applied for an AS position. Obviously WR was my first and only choice. After that, it was just a matter of time until I felt comfortable asking for DS-ship (It took a long time. I had to use my Ginger-ness to steal other peoples Confidence). Looking at the city from both a PC and a Storyteller’s point of view has really helped to keep everything fresh and in perspective for me.
Quite frankly, I think Wind Reach is one of the most unique cities in Miz. But of course, any ST in love with their domain will say that. Our cities are our babies. Goss left me a wonderfully developed city, but there is still even more I can do to build and keep the city evolving. It’s the challenge of keeping things fresh and new that keeps me interested, it’s my wonderful players that make me happy. It’s very satisfying to see people enjoying the things you’ve spent so much time creating for them.
2. What are some of the challenges of being a Contributor on the DS level?The workload. There is a lot more to being a DS than meets the eye. Moderated threads are only one aspect to running a domain, but they are usually the most visible part. Upkeep of Locations and NPC’s are the less noticeable things that have to get done; For everything to run smoothly, these have to be stored in some way. WR has an NPC library but I also (try to) add everything into the wiki. It’s very time consuming.
I also noticed a considerable increase in my flow of PM’s when I transitioned from a pink to a green name. Tracking players, making sure that everyone is using the lore correctly, watching threads, checking CS’s, grading… it’s all a part of it. And it can get very confusing and overwhelming sometimes. I go out of my way to help every newbie in my zone, offering them my personal attentions and expertise. Of course, now I have Sphinx. And she's amazing. So it helps a lot.
But probably the most challenging, and the most fun, part of being a DS is brainstorming and creating with the other DS’s, bringing new and interesting events to the cities each season. It is a lot of work to create a quest or an arching plot, but it’s brilliant to see come together.
3. Once you get your chosen domain to a place where it really needs no more help or development (if that’s possible) its easy to start looking outside regionally for more ways to tie a domain to a region. What are some of the things you are doing with Wind Reach to tie it to Kalea and integrate the domain with the region more cohesively?I think it is possible to get a domain to a place where it doesn’t need its Storytellers hands in every little thing, it just takes a lot of work.
As for the rest of the question, I have recently been talking to the other DS’s in Kalea (and a couple in other regions as well) in order to try and get to know the other cities surrounding WR. Poision, Leigon, and Fallacy are all wonderful to work with, and even though I don’t know their cities as well as my own, we have been able to toss ideas back and forth as to how we can get our cities more integrated with each other. This opens up a lot of opportunities for the players to access new aspects of the domains they’ve chosen, while still staying true to each cities heart.
I’ve also been developing Thunder Bay, slowly, but in the hopes that I can use it as a way to allow the Gingers to spread their wings outside of their mountain home and develop some ties with other cities. It will also hopefully allow for more flow into the city as well.
4. The Gingers know who Ivak is now without forgetting him five minutes later. What does this mean for Wind Reach? Do they love him? Hate him? Are they indifferent? Now that the geas on Ivak is lifted, how are your NPCs and PCs in Wind Reach dealing with this fact?Right now, it leans more towards indifference. I have some ongoing threads where a handful of players are having to deal with Ivak’s escape but I have focused more on the aftershocks of the storm, the destruction and what they have to do about it rather than how they feel. Barely hanging on to begin with, such a disruption threatens the Inartan’s ability to survive the upcoming Winter. They will have the entire cold season to ponder and take a stance on the Gods escape. Being cold, starving, isolated and stir crazy totally brings out the best in people.
From an NPC standpoint, they are not happy. Of course, they didn’t know that Ivak was there to begin with and the mood shifted quickly from shock to horror to anger and resentment. I don't think anyone could really feel comfortable in their own home after finding out that a monster had been right there under their feet the whole time... I can't even go to sleep when I know there is a spider in the room, so I guess I can relate.
5. How has the djed storm and the freeing of Ivak changed the Wind Eagles? Are they still as tight lipped as always or are they speaking more freely to their riders and taking on new responsibilities or at least changed duties within the domain?The Wind Eagles still take their jobs seriously. They are there as protectors of the city, and that they shall remain. There is a certain amount of disappointment and resentment among the birds because they technically failed to contain the danger, but they are getting over it. It will take a while, especially since there is the long lasting reminder of the ordeal; the Wind Eagle eggs were crushed when the storm raged. That empty generation will always be a reminder.
For some, there is a large elephant in the room concerning the whole ordeal; the Endal didn’t know that their Eagles were keeping such a secret from them, and it’s hard not to feel a little betrayed when you are bonded so closely to another being.
Overall, they have taken a stance in accepting some amount of help. Their isolation from the rest of Mizahar prior to the storm impacted them greatly when Ivak actually did escape. There was nobody to come to their aid. In order to prevent the desctruction of their city should another world-altering event occur, the Eagles are listening more to their riders and extending tentative friendships to those cities that could prove helpful.
6. What are some of the challenges of playing a PC in Wind Reach? What sort of advice to you want to give new players about the location and its advantages and disadvantages?Wind Reach has no shortage of challenges. First and foremost is the constant lack of food. The entire cities depend on the Endal and those hunting Avora to provide them with enough food to feed everyone, and they never quite get to that point. They are at the mercy of the game in the Unforgiving, and that is never reliable. Especially after the Djed storm.
Another is the seclusion factor. If a player were to choose to play an Endal PC, they are effectively bound to the city, as Wind Eagles won’t leave their home. There are small windows through which PC’s have the option of leaving for other cities and they are easy to miss.
For some, individuality is very important and this can be considered a great challenge, as redheads are supposed to be unique and rare. I’ve heard many a player state that they don’t want to just be another Ginger in the sea of redheads.
My advice to players is to not let challenges and difficulties intimidate you. They should inspire you to invent ways to overcome them or use them to your advantage. Too often are challenges looked at as negative, rather than an awesome addition to your writing toolbox.
7. Recently you’ve been itching to do some outside threading with other DS’s in order to exchange players and activities. What are some of the pluses and negatives of doing this?I have always wanted to expand my horizons. I get terrible tunnel vision and I am woefully uneducated in a lot of different things because they simply don't appear in my city. I know the same thing happens to players, so I figured that by leading the pack in educating myself and incorporating new things, maybe it would inspire others to do so as well.
The pluses are obviously the increased communication. It is never a bad thing to be friendly with your neighbors (unless of course they’re noisy and gross). It also is a great way to show players that you care and can mix things up. Everyone has their moments where everything seems stale and that they have done it all before. Throwing in aspects of other cities and other Storytellers helps to liven everything up. Not to mention, once you get too close to a subject, you start to become blind to some things that a new perspective can pick out within seconds. I’ve already had dozens of these moments where another DS throws me an idea, I facepalm and wonder how I didn’t see it sooner.
Some negatives are sharing. I am not good at sharing, as I was out sick with chickenpox when they taught us that in kindergarden. I might think that so-and-so idea would be AWESOME in my city, but the DS of Blahblah might also feel the same way. It’s a give and a take. You have to let some of your ideas go to other cities in order to get good things in return. It also sucks when you work hard on an idea that just… doesn’t work. But you can never look at it as wasted effort or the discouragement will just be too great! Everything is a learning experience ☺
8. How challenging is The Unforgiven as a backdrop to Wind Reach. When I think of Kalea, I think of the Himalayan Mountains and cringe about travel. But your PCs, especially the Endal, In Wind Reach have a unique ability to bypass these issues. Are you going to take advantage of this in the future to the point where cities will get giant eagle visits for trade and travel?The Unforgiving is VERY challenging. I have been trying to develop there as well and it is hard to pin down the unique aspects of the forests into specific locations. It’s all one, giant mass of danger. I want to see more PC’s posting in the Unforgiving, but it also isn’t somewhere that just anyone can go and frolic through meadows, holding hands and singing show tunes. You could die, and that scares people.
I have thought about using the Wind Eagles for travel and trade for a long time. They are completely capable of doing both. I have already opened up some trade aspects that should be coming soon to cities near you, but the travel thing is still really up in the air. I guess I have been holding off until it can be decided exactly how long it takes to get from place to place. I am a creature of consistency. I cringe at the idea of opening up Wind Eagles for travel purposes and having one trip take three weeks to Avanthal, while another takes an hour. It’s a Moderator Nightmare, because you have to be constantly looking for these things anyway.
9. Your city is often on the edge of starvation. Because of this, life has little meaning if that life isn’t productive. People in real life might call this strict caste system communism or socialism and find it abhorrent. How do you manage to keep the city from being invaded by bleeding hearts that want to be good people and help dek while at the same time still feeding themselves as they should be? Dek are inferior people, to the Inarta, mostly handicapped with issues of mental health, lack of education, and can’t ever usually rise above where they are placed once their Dek status is assigned and all their rights – indeed humanity – are taken away. Do people enjoy rping this situation out or do they shy away and avoid it all together?We have had quite a few Dek PC’s, and the majority of them have been superior, grabbing immediately onto the concept and running with it. It’s hard to play as the inferior being in the midst of a bunch of people who think they’re superior because of their mental and physical perfection.
You’re right when you say it’s our instinct to reach out and try and help the Dek, and it’s not uncommon to see it represented in threads. For the most part, players seem to grasp the concept of the Dek being this disgusting worthless thing in the upper castes’ eyes, but there is a sense of hesitancy. Everyone is afraid of going “too far”. But there isn’t a ‘too far’ when it comes to the Dek. I would love to see the Caste system played out a little more. Just because your fellow player is a Dek and your an Endal, it doesn't mean you can't thread. You'll thread, alright, but your characters will hate each other. We need more hate.
Over all, most of the players seem to shy away from the idea of the Dek. If they are mentioned, it’s momentary and usually just an order or two. Which, in one way, stays true to the lore. The upper castes wouldn’t sit there lamenting about the dek, nor would they sit there hating on them. The dek are invisible until they are needed or in the way. I try and help players realize this in my grading, either by suggestion or in their award. I like to assign Dek slaves to PC’s that would feel uncomfortable taking one of their own accord.
10. Are gingers truly soulless as have been reported? And if they do indeed have a soul, please let us know what most of the Inarta souls are like. Also.. is that freckle thing true? The more freckles you have, the more people you’ve killed in a past life? (Cayenne made me ask this!)This question stumped me, so I googled “Ginger”. Google always has answers. It told me..
Gingervitis is a serious hereditary disease caused by a recessive gene. It can lay dormant for years and two perfectly healthy parents can have Ginger Babies. Gingervitis affects millions of people worldwide. The symptoms of gingervitis include: Red hair, pale skin, and freckles, a “Soulless” feeling. Some Ginger Kids may show symptoms such as violence and depression. Although Gingervitis is not a life threatening disease it can be very serious. There is currently no known cure and very little treatment for Gingervitis.
Apparently this is more serious than I thought. I always thought that Inarta have souls, but I think it is actually one giant soul that they all share. You steal it from its previous owner by sleeping with them. This explains a
lot.Mish … I have many freckles, so I’m biased. Though it is kind of an awesome thought, past Jules hacking away at baddies with a sword or axe. Then again, with the amount of freckles I have, I would have de-populated the earth, and we wouldn't even exist right now.
Deductive reasoning tells me that this myth is officially Busted.
11. Anything else you’d like to share?Yeah. I’m creating Phoenix Facts. The will be coming to OOC forums near you and you’ll never know when they will strike. But beware, just because they’re called facts, it doesn’t mean they are true.
You have been warned.
by Nij on July 1st, 2012, 5:11 pm 
