[Ravok OOC Thread] The Water's Depths

[Daegron]

. I have the same impression of the city, more or less. But here's my thoughts: Sunberth is a chaotic city. It's lawless, there is absolutely no order and anarchy prevails. But in all its qualities it is predictable. Disorder and chaos are taken for granted, you are certain that things won't go as planned and hell will break loose. In Ravok, what is truly chaotic and unpredictable is the careful and predetermined placement of certain subtle or not-so-subtle inconsistencies\facts\events that can make one paranoid or prone to betrayal. Thus, you never can be sure what is going on. It is meant to draw the evil from the depths of one's soul and corrupting it. While everything in the surface is clean, you can't really know which part is rotten. I have no idea if that makes sense to you.. .

[Nemesis]

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I remember there was a debate on chat once about this very topic: Ravok versus Sunberth. Obviously people will vehemently defend their own city so it wasn't all that productive. My own conclusions are that Ravok's form of chaos is much more subtle than Sunberth. Not necessarily more superior than our anarchistic brothers, just different. Where Sunberth is openly lawless, Ravok imposes a tight regime upon its citizens which is more akin to the enemy of Syliras. The consequence for murder is capital punishment here, which people seem to be forgetting.

If we head back to the roots of tabletop RPGs, like D&D, we see that,in the nine point grid, Chaos and Lawlessness are cross referenced, meaning that in this instance they are not simplified to be synonyms of each other.

Ravok is best described as a dichotomy; it is the city of beauty and culture, kept afloat by something that in real-world terms would now be described as an almost totalitarian dictatorship. It is a carefully constructed veil, which hides the corruption and evil from all those who are too blunt or weak-minded to see it. Because, in Ravok, the corruption is a slow process which goes unnoticed by the majority. Take the Valterrian - if I remember correctly, Rhysol instilled paranoia into the Emperor. A subtle manipulation that goes unnoticed by the quarry is the only way that chaos can really thrive. So Ravok is not anarchistic, nor is there any disorder... we are chaotic, masters of subtlety, and slaves to the corruption that we aren't even aware is happening.

Well.. that's my personal view... ^.^
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[Abstract]

This is an interesting discussion! I'm actually remarkably glad with your thoughts, Amo... as they're exactly what I think.

It's mentioned in the lore that... well... not all citizens truly understand what Rhysol stands for, yet still worship him. There is the good side, and the dark side. A lot of you show the dark side. Ireth, from what I'd seen, had done a beautiful job with the nicer side... the uneducated happy-to-follow citizen, among others of the same kind. I miss that. I have noticed, that Amo, you're delving into the same area... and thank you for that!

Now for the comparison of Ravok to SB... they are similar, in a way. SB is... chaotic. Complete and utter chaos. It's so chaotic that it's a flat out mess. It's weak. Sure, each of the factions are strong... but they waste all their effort squabbling against each other. Think of a country in civil war. That's my impression of SB.

Now... Ravok. A few of you got this pretty accurate as well. Ravok is chaotic... but subtle about it. Rhysol knows he needs followers. He also knows that not everyone quite believes in chaos as a good thing. So... he tricks them. Relation back to Ireth, he gathers those kinds of people. People who worship him... because that's what everyone else does. They grow up devoted because he puts a beautiful city in front of them. They listen to all the propaganda.

There's a nice quote I found in the Ebonstryfe lore. It's confusing, but it fits Ravok rather nicely.

"Evil is its worst enemy. Each individual is out for their own gain. The hordes lack discipline and there is no respect for those who command and those who command have no respect for one another. In chaos, evil feeds upon itself. In this time of chaos, the greatest enemy of order is chaos with a direction. Give it focus and it will conquer all opponents."

The example given at the beginning can be related to SB. The bit at the end... is what Ravok strives for. And where it is, in a sense. To give it some context, Rhysol liked that quote so much that he made the speaker the first Voice.

There's also an extension...

"The failures of the past can only be amended by change. We must be strong yet sway with the wind. In doing so we may live forever and maintain our strength while changing with the ways of the world. As I see it, the key to victory is focus and the ability to adapt to our enemy."

Which is possibly not as relevant, but... I like it XD

[Nemesis]

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Hey, all!

Just letting you all know that once again I will be becoming distant for a little while. I have an exam this coming Wednesday, and then another two on the 4th and 5th of June. I don't know if I mentioned it earlier, but this is my final year of my undergrad degree and I'm in danger of slipping down a grade if I don't at least try! So I won't be around (doing many useful things) until after this first exam is over and I might do a little before the last two.

After that, I promise I'm all yours... not long to go now, but I've spent a lot of time procrastinating and I don't want to be playing the "what if" game for the rest of my life. I hope you guys understand.

So happy writing, and I look forward to enjoying my freedom soon!*
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[Elias Caldera]

*Insert Inspirational Braveheart Picture Here*

Go get that freedom Nemesis! Good Luck.

[Daegron]

. *raises fists* Good luck Nemesis ! give em hell ! .

[Amolina]

Go for it Nemesis

[Elias Caldera]

So, is there more holding Ravok together than just the ropes?

Also, is each building its own individual island, or is it more like large platforms with numerous structures built upon it?

[Amolina]

This is actually a good question.

Personally I have always imagined it to normally be big platforms with rows of buildings and with walkways and plazas between them.

Though I guess there could be platsforms of various sizes. There could maybe also be a few platforms with only one house on, or big platforms that hold one grand family estate.

I think it can be good to let it be a mix of this.

[Abstract]

Once again, Amo is right! That's the same way I picture it XD