Nimvahlis is the Featured Character for the month of September! As one of the most recognizeable roleplayers on our site, both on the boards and in chat, he surely needs no introductions. Please join me in congratulating Morse on winning this medal, and enjoy the interview. Feel free to ask questions of our award-winning Ethaefal, as well.
Tarot: How did you get into roleplaying, and how did you find Mizahar, specifically? Are you a veteran role-player? Nimvahlis: I actually got into roleplaying while stumbling about Battle.net on Warcraft 3. It was a complete accident, I was entirely oblivious to the nature of the game I was joining. In fact, at that point in time I was rather scornful of concepts like D&D in general. Little did I know at the time that I was irrevocably caught in the web of roleplaying. Down the slippery slope I fell, and before I knew it another player enlisted me in their nation based forum RP. After my tiny techno-nation was reduced to rubble by the clutches of site inactivity, I found myself without a means to scratch that itch. I squirmed through the RP lists as I futilely suppressed my addiction, and found some Apocalypse RP. It took me about four weeks to realize that place was trash. So the quest continued. Sometime between the aforementioned events and the one that follows this sentence, I also embraced my nerdosity and picked up playing D&D. Yet the grand finale of my search came one Christmas morning, at exactly 1:48 AM PCT, when I hit an inconspicuous submit button and suddenly found myself wrapped up in the world of Mizahar. Such was the genesis of Morse. Tarot: You are the first Ethaefal player to receive the Featured Character medal. What drew you towards this race, which is often considered somewhat hard to play effectively? What are the most rewarding aspects of playing this race? Nimvahlis: As a start, I really enjoyed the strong emotions that an Ethaefal can experience. You've essentially worked for X number of lives to attain supreme providence in your deity's arms, and then circumstance denied you. How painful is it to lose your eternal reward? It isn't just about the hurt though, it's about the character's reaction to it. Everybody has different defense mechanisms when presented with traumatizing experiences. In Nimvahlis' case, he lost himself in his magic. Where some people would deal with loss with alcohol or drugs, he utilized the memories of his Akvatari life and began erasing himself. Then what was originally a coping device, a means of filling in that empty spot for a short while, became a consuming addiction. So I think that the possibilities for reactions and stances regarding the Ethaefal’s divine rejection are fascinating. I like how varying the Ethaefal PCs view their fall. It’s up to them if they want to chime in their As a more mechanical interest, I thought that wrapping two races into one character was neat. Mixing the ideas and psychology present from the other life's recollections with those that his Ethaefal form granted him was a really appealing idea. The Akvatari and their signature melancholia really drew me when I considered it, and I thought that the strong emotions of the race would mix well with the Ethaefal's. That is what makes each PC of this race interesting in my opinion, the fact that the concoction of reminiscences from can bring such widely varying traits to the character. One of the many rewards of playing this race is having a character with such an interesting psychology (at least I think). But that isn't solely due to being an Ethaefal, because I tossed in hypnotism and the Akvatari race to compound things. I also enjoy being able to represent two races, both of which are rather underplayed (until recently, for the Ethaefal). Oh, the horns are cool too. Tarot: I have a confession to make. When Colombina wrote the Ethaefal, the rationale for their creation was to have a race for the Elf-lovers and those who normally play immortally beautiful characters. That said, how do you keep Nimvahlis from falling into the trap of being "too perfect for this world"? Nimvahlis: Before I dive into this, I'd like to say I'm a little shocked to discover I'm playing Mizahar's version of an Elf. I think Heatherly did an excellent job of disguising them, that cunning girl (woman). Actually one of the reasons I played the race that I did not mention above is the "too perfect for this world" trap. They do have huge potential for being super cliche because of their divine gifts. I mean Ethaefal are exceptionally beautiful in a world where I'm sure a lot of people don't even bathe, and they have slight aging powers, and cute horns, etc.. They could be the perfect Mary Sues is you downplayed or ignored their psychological aspect. So I decided to mess with Nim and accentuate the flaws present in an Ethaefal. I did this in two ways, one evident in his design and the other his voice. I set out to demonstrate just how far somebody could fall from grace, and that is why the Ethaefal’s beauty appealed to me- though instead of wrecking Nimvahlis’ body, I opted for his brain instead. As well, when roleplaying Nimvahlis I’ve sort of gravitated less toward the physical aspect and more toward the mental ones. More attention is thrown onto what he’s thinking and how it’s affecting the situation than say, how he looks at the time. Tarot: How does an Ethaefal deal with the large time frame involved in having multiple past lives? How do you get around the lack of historical detail in the lore? Nimvahlis: Amnesia! Really the only things an Ethaefal remembers from past lives other than the one he reverts to are big events. Paraphrasing Colombina, specific things like voices or faces wouldn’t really be there because of how loose the connection is. So I’d think Nim could remember a few of his deaths and some mid-life crises, but probably not who his father was 400 years ago. So that was sort of a godsend from Heatherly, because I wasn’t too keen on digging into the founder’s heads so I could plot the details of twelve different lives. I think the red names are grateful for that too.  I think the easiest way to approach past lives is to just get a loose outline going for a few of them. Think NPC level detail when writing them up, in my opinion. You don’t want a past life to be overly detailed because of the mentioned historical gaps, but you don’t want to leave it so vague as to rob your character of something important. So I plot out a few big events, memories, and character concepts for the lives that you think will play a role in the character’s development. Tarot: What are your goals for Nim, and how much have you planned for him? Do you tend to stick to the plan or do you enjoy unexpected detours from your original vision for a character? Nimvahlis: I think Nim should learn dominion somewhere along the line, as a major goal in one of his past lives was repairing the rift in his deity's domain. Can dominion do it? I have no clue, but we'll find out someday I suppose. He also needs to go to Sahova next season for some happy fun time in the city of zombies. I’ve always seen the island as a crucible for character development, so we’ll see what Nimvahlis takes away from it. Oh, and I’d like for some interaction between Leth and Ionu. The former meeting desired for obvious reasons and the latter because Nim is rather interested in illusions and perception (even if he doesn’t worship Ionu). Regarding how much I tend to stick to a plan, it entirely depends on how much the external world about the character depends on intervening. I do like it when a character’s future takes on a life of its own due to in game events rather than external planning, but I also hate trying to force it to do so. The best route for me is to formulate my plans, sit back, and let everything fold out as it will. What’s really neat though about Mizahar and goals, is how the player base tends to treat their characters. A lot of people seem to be prone to thrusting their character into a tumultuous situation and seeing what comes out of it, like putting money in a slot machine. Rather than sit back and plan where the character will go, they just throw them into a thread and see how the PC wants to develop. I think an awesome example of this is Satu and her plot with Tarot, and how her experience in Opportunity gave her so much development and life. Another one that pops up is when a character goes to Falyndar, which I see as another crucible area for these things. It’s such a dangerous and unpredictable environment for many PC types that something interesting is bound to pop out.  Tarot: Does the 'alien' factor limit an Ethaefal's social options? What kind of PCs does Nimvahlis get along with best? And are they the same characters you find it easiest to write with? Nimvahlis: It’s definitely possible for that to be an inhibiting factor for an Ethaefal. How an Eth views others can be lightly of heavily tainted based on their stay in the Ukalas. At best it’d just make a lot of conversations stilted and awkward and at worst the other person might get sick of them and get some defenestration experience. Even if the new take on things doesn’t affect the Ethaefal’s desire or capabilities for social interaction, it’s probably going to have an impact on the other person. Because really, how often do you get to speak with a pseudo-divine being? Not a lot of people know how to approach that situation.  Nimvahlis gets along with PCs that have an active emotional dialog. Or rather he is attracted to them; whether or not they’re attracted to his probing and tugging is kind of irrelevant to him (unless you have a weapon in his face). Characters feeling a heavy depression, or joy, or anger, anything really, call to him and his pseudo-empath mindset. It’s sort of a reassurance for him that he isn’t the only thinking creature floating around this place. Another important thing is the whole “don’t sweat the small stuff” mindset. Nimvahlis doesn’t really care for people who become overly preoccupied or caught up in day to day details. After living for so long, and being cognizant of the fact, those things would tend to become rather irrelevant. This also ties in to his emotional thing; Nim likes the great, flaring displays of dramatics that invoke a strong reaction. That doesn’t happen much at Farmer Brown’s house (unless you’re badass like Amorette). Tarot: You are a highly meticulous wizard player and Nimvahlis is one of a precious few PCs who truly put emphasis on overgiving as part of their spellcasting routine. This means having to put the hurt on your own PC. What do you think is the key to playing a believable canon wizard in Mizahar? Nimvahlis: Ooh this is a neat question. I think a really good start is to drop all previous notions of magic, because they really don’t help at all when looking at Mizahar’s representation. The entire magical paradigm is different. People don’t practice magic without facing the consequences. I sort of see it like gunrunning or drug dealing, you’re mixing yourself in with dangerous elements for a great reward. As with anything that has potential for so much more, you will inevitably push yourself for more. There is always that bigger catch out there just beyond your fingertips, and the whispers want you to get it. Just as well, you don’t improve as a magician without pushing your limits to new extents! How does a chef become better when he only cooks the same Panna Cotta every day? The more your body tests itself by expending an amount of djed it isn't comfortable with, the more your abilities will grow. Will it come without growing pains and a bit of scarring? Probably not. Sure, some people will be tentative and cautious at first, but that perception will inevitably falter (particularly for personal magic users). Why? Power, greed, security, association, knowledge, survival, and the list drags on. People don’t become magicians for no reason when it’s so dangerous, only those who are driven by something will survive. Keep in mind that it takes weeks of meditation and focus to learn a personal magic and begin manipulating your djed. So what drives the magician to overcome that huge entry barrier? Please tell me something other than “it’d be cool”, give me screaming, "blood dripping from your mouth", rabid passion. As for coming to terms with laying the smack down on Nim, I guess it helps to keep in mind that overgiving isn’t always permanent. It’s similar to getting a cut; unless the wound is serious or constantly repeated then it probably won’t be permanent. That helps the mindset, but ultimately it’ll come down to the player being comfortable with subjecting their character to effects that can alter their life if they aren’t careful. Because while overgiving heals like a cut, unlike a physical wound it becomes easier to do as it continues. Though that doesn’t seem to be a problem with quite a few of Mizahar’s players (Kamalia and Leo being two magician examples off the top of my head), given how some PCs end up being tormented. In summary, drugs and guns = magic. Stay away kids, it'll make your teeth fall out. Tarot: As virtually everyone on the site knows, you also play the inventor Alistair deGrey. In fact, we debated which one of your PCs should get the award, and gave it to the one you tend to play more these days. What are your favorite moments in Alistair's roleplaying career? Looking back at the PC with the lens of experience, is there anything you would change about Alistair if you had to rewrite him today? Nimvahlis: I always thought the inventions were neat, primarily because I got to see a finished product after putting work into its design. For each mechanism I’d have a page or two of notes and sketches for it, that way I’d know where all the parts went and when to write them in. Transcribing these actual designs that I’d write up, review, simplify, and so on would make me feel like an inventor. Yeah a little (lot) vicarious, but I thought it was cool. xD Though the inventing was interesting and sometimes challenging, I’d say that ultimately my favorite part of roleplaying Alistair was developing his relationship with Ha’na. For one it really developed an emotional side to the character I had never really considered, and he became more real in my eyes. Sex, intimate relationships, constant social contact, these were all things I had never considered with the character. Another awesome part was how unplanned it was. One night Dani was in chat and demanded somebody join a thread with his new friend, and I slithered off to write for her. In fact, at that time deGrey was destined to inadvertently fall for Jilitse, but Ha’na snatched him up first (hey, that’s a good example of those detours). So I posted and less than a week later found Alistair tied up with (by) Ha’na. Also, that was the first time I had ever roleplayed a lovey dovey relationship, so she sort of took my literary virginity in that regard. If I had to rewrite Alistair, the most prominent change would be his emotional state. In a fit of poor character design, I had him start off right after he had gotten over the emotional hump that comes with having your only lover cut into tiny bits by a vindictive/insane magician (not like he had the social skills to replace her anyway). I should have placed him at the beginning of the hill, not the end. Mainly because I think that a good character always knows when to exit the stage, and it's about Alistair's time. Putting the fulfillment he's at right now farther away would have lengthened his shelf life without any contrived circumstances. Tarot: And as virtually everyone on the site knows, you are also a moderator on the Mizahar staff. How does moderation complement your writing as a PC? Is there a benefit to experiencing both sides of the coin? Nimvahlis: Yes there definitely is. I, like so many other players here, get that “Character Itch”. I’ll start jonesing to make a new character, and being able to craft NPCs definitely helps me stick with my current PCs. If my brain isn’t constantly drifting to other ideas, it’s easier for me to develop my characters. I know this happens to tons of other players (Asheny being a notable example!), so take it from me that being a moderator helps you get a fix (unless you’re Asheny ). Sometimes it doesn’t feel like it when I’m focusing on moderation and not my PCs, but being a storyteller definitely helps me write and develop my characters.It was also a really interesting to experience firsthand a fraction of what the founders go through. As a storyteller, I award threads (or would if people weren’t scared of me), moderate, develop, and plot for both characters and the city. Not only do the founders do this for their cities, but they develop lore, answer HD questions, administrate, and oversee multiple AS’. Needless to say, after I became a storyteller I gained a lot of patience for the founders. [/brown nosing]. So yes, both as a creative outlet and a lesson in patience, storytelling has definitely benefiter me. Tarot: Where do you see yourself next year, game-wise? Do you have a secret and/or outrageous Mizaharian dream that you'd like to see fulfilled at some point? Nimvahlis: Yeah, actually I do. While I'm currently working on Riverfall and dearly wish to flesh out the city, I'd eventually like to build my own from scratch. It’d be similar to what Jen did with Syliras- build it and then start a new one. So while I'm probably going to be seeing Riverfall through its major development, one day the name Puck may be branded on a different place. But that depends on how insane the founders are. |
