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[✓] [Feat + Magic Lore] Heralds of Azdromoth


Kalehart
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Changelog:

-Minor corrections, wording changes, and format adjustments.

-Adjusted it so that the next emote after Virolah reaches a target must be of them moving out of it, to avoid the hallucinogenic effects.

-Removed mental changes for the sake of distinction from Azdrazi.

-Added new redlines and lowered emote count for Yol Zahkrii.

-Added a bit more explanation in the Heraldic Tells section.

-Polished the Creation & Erasure and Culture sections.

-Simplified the process for removing Heraldry. Anyone with the ability to connect a new herald may also disconnect any herald.

-Some minor ability updates, mostly formatting.

-Allowed the ability to create custom tells, with ST approval.

-Redlined striking in the same emote as activating Yol Zahkrii.

-Redlined using Bel Zahkrii while bound, and summoning armor to avoid blows, and added a tell requirement.

-Specified that the culture is not enforced by any means.

-Specified that rogue heralds can exist, Azdromoth will not remotely or directly remove their powers.

-Added an initial spellcasting interrupt to Virolah when the mental impacts set in.

-Noted that Dratho Zha does not work through solid, unbroken walls.

-Reoriented Dovra-kul to aiding fellow Heralds instead of Azdrazi. Nerfed it significantly and lowered emote count. Adjusted exhaustion system to accommodate. 

-Added the ability for Dratho Rihk to be used on oneself as a means of voluntary self-disconnection.

-Numerous wording fixes.

-Summoning an item or weapon now counts as a major action.

-Herald markings cannot be hidden when in plain view.

-Paladins may purge Heralds of their magic with OOC consent.

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Chad tier, give us awesome heralds +1

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Hm I see 1+

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Ah, my ninth post on the forums of 2020.

While I do agree with heralds having a revamp, and more abilities, there are several issues I've had with this from the start. 

 

One of my biggest problems with this from the very beginning has been the issue brought up with the hierarchy of heralds and azdrazi. From the beginning you tried to write heralds into being more important to Azdromoth than Azdrazi, I see that has been changed yet the intention still remains.

Instead of trying to earn respect and to change the way SOME azdrazi treat heralds, you  are trying to write a change instead of actually doing such in roleplay. This I will remain not agreeing upon, and will have issues with.  

 

Heraldry is an amazing introduction into the azdrazi culture and life and is a great way of proving who can handle the change to azdrazi.  I feel with this change, this will create more division between the two, creating a smaller need for azdrazi. 

 

I also disagree with Heralds gaining dragonic traits. If what you wish is a clear separation between herald and azdrazi, then making them azdrazi like doesn't make sense.What you’ve written, down to the behavior, is azdrazi, without the lizard.  The traits you list are azdrazi characteristics, add in the abilities and it is too much like azdrazi to my liking. 

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Truthfully, the treatment of heralds by their Azdrazi counterparts looks to be more something you rectify in-character rather than something wrote down in lore.

 

Also not sure what the difference is between your typical Azdrazi and the proposed Ordained Herald is beyond one looking more draconic than the other.

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2 hours ago, Nummy said:

Ah, my ninth post on the forums of 2020.

While I do agree with heralds having a revamp, and more abilities, there are several issues I've had with this from the start. 

 

One of my biggest problems with this from the very beginning has been the issue brought up with the hierarchy of heralds and azdrazi. From the beginning you tried to write heralds into being more important to Azdromoth than Azdrazi, I see that has been changed yet the intention still remains.

Instead of trying to earn respect and to change the way SOME azdrazi treat heralds, you  are trying to write a change instead of actually doing such in roleplay. This I will remain not agreeing upon, and will have issues with.  

 

Heraldry is an amazing introduction into the azdrazi culture and life and is a great way of proving who can handle the change to azdrazi.  I feel with this change, this will create more division between the two, creating a smaller need for azdrazi. 

 

I also disagree with Heralds gaining dragonic traits. If what you wish is a clear separation between herald and azdrazi, then making them azdrazi like doesn't make sense.What you’ve written, down to the behavior, is azdrazi, without the lizard.  The traits you list are azdrazi characteristics, add in the abilities and it is too much like azdrazi to my liking. 

 

1 hour ago, ThumperJack said:

Truthfully, the treatment of heralds by their Azdrazi counterparts looks to be more something you rectify in-character rather than something wrote down in lore.

 

Also not sure what the difference is between your typical Azdrazi and the proposed Ordained Herald is beyond one looking more draconic than the other.

 

I’ll address the points one at a time.

 

The treatment of Heralds is an IC issue and should not be addressed in lore.

Spoiler

 

I totally understand this stance, and I don’t entirely disagree. I should probably edit in something to clarify that I don’t really expect current Azdrazi to just... Suddenly treat Heralds differently, it can be as much of a process as is needed. That said, essentially the reason I did this is because doing this rewrite without addressing how Heralds relate to Azdrazi would have seemed quite strange to me, and to address it I needed to express what I thought to be the ideal relationship between them.

 

I suppose I could have just explained the current state of things and left it at that, but that would have prevented me from developing Ordainment fully as a concept. I’ll also state that I do have a practical reason for asserting this dynamic, that essentially being to aid in making Heraldry a more viable option as something to taken without consideration to become Azdrazi. Through Ordainment as written, it allows players to feel like a more meaningful part of the Azdromothian community. I hope that makes sense- I certainly don’t expect everyone to agree, but that’s where I was at with it.

 

 

Heralds are too similar to Azdrazi.

Spoiler

 

This is actually something that was brought up to me before posting, that this lore somewhat fills the Azdrazi niche better than actual Azdrazi. Whilst I acknowledge and am somewhat troubled by this, I think it honestly speaks more to the state of current Azdrazi lore to an issue with this concept. I agree that perhaps the mental traits I added in go too far (though I tried to make clear, and have now edited to make clearer, that they aren’t remotely as extreme as those experienced by azdrazi), so I may cut those out after I think it over. Really, I’d have liked to post this alongside an Azdrazi rewrite, but it doesn’t seem that one will be coming in the near future and I don’t have the energy to do both.

 

By way of abilities, I have to disagree that they are particularly Azdrazi-like, or that there is really much meaningful overlap. Azdrazi are CRP hulks with a multitude of powerful combative / influential abilities in enrapturements and brands. They are themed on fire and heat. Heralds, by contrast, are themed on ash and smoke and only really have two directly offensive skills, with the rest being situational, utilitarian or geared towards synergies with Azdrazi. A number of skills like Dovra-kul, Dratho Zha, and even Virolah are meant to serve as compliments to Azdrazi and their desires. To heal them, protect their hoards, and get them high as **** respectively.

 

There are bound to be similarities between such closely related bits of lore, but I was careful to leave ample room for an Azdrazi rewrite to come in and scoop up all of the cool dragonflame, smithing, knowledge-absorbing, combative abilities that one could come up with. Heralds and Ordained Heralds are like feeble reflections of their draconic peers.

 

Edit: To expand for anyone reading this in the future about what I said on Azdrazi lore there, basically it’s kind of bland and heavily focused on combat over flavor. It does little to carve out a distinct niche for the Azdrazi beyond being fiery dragon dudes. ‘Filling their niche’ essentially just means that Heralds also seek to spread and enforce Azdromothian values, but Azdrazi could with a rewrite do far more than that.

 

I’m just not going to gimp the ideas in this piece to compensate for lore that is bound to be rewritten eventually, and I’ve left a lot of room for them to do their own thing when that time comes. Even as is, Azdrazi remain far cooler, more powerful, and more culturally significant than Heralds.

 

 

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Just now, Kalehart said:

This is actually something that was brought up to me before posting, that this lore somewhat fills the Azdrazi niche better than actual Azdrazi. Whilst I acknowledge and am somewhat troubled by this, I think it honestly speaks more to the state of current Azdrazi lore to an issue with this concept. I agree that perhaps the mental traits I added in go too far (though I tried to make clear, and have now edited to make clearer, that they aren’t remotely as extreme as those experienced by azdrazi), so I may cut those out after I think it over. Really, I’d have liked to post this alongside an Azdrazi rewrite, but it doesn’t seem that one will be coming in the near future and I don’t have the energy to do both.


So from this I’m getting that this rewrite is indeed filling the azdrazi’s role, and it’s the fault of the azdrazi’s lore and not you writing it as such? 
The traits I agree are something that should go. 

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Heralds should be a stepping stone into Azdrazi and not their own thing. That’s  over stuffing a niche  by having actual dragon people and then dragon priests when the dragon people SHOULD BE those actual dragon priests. This rewrite does fix some issues likely present in the current write, but it also gives them way too much independence when a Herald should exclusively be the student to an Azdrazi or an associate trying to become an Azdrazi.

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7 minutes ago, Zacho said:

Heralds should be a stepping stone into Azdrazi and not their own thing. That’s  over stuffing a niche  by having actual dragon people and then dragon priests when the dragon people SHOULD BE those actual dragon priests. This rewrite does fix some issues likely present in the current write, but it also gives them way too much independence when a Herald should exclusively be the student to an Azdrazi or an associate trying to become an Azdrazi.

 From everything I’ve heard and read from my being in the Azdrazi community, heralds are supposed to be more than just a stepping stone into Azdrazi. They’re supposed to be more independent, even in their current iteration. They are just seen more as the beginning steps OOC. At least, that’s what I’ve concluded from my few months here.

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2 minutes ago, WarNeverChanges_ said:

 From everything I’ve heard and read from my being in the Azdrazi community, heralds are supposed to be more than just a stepping stone into Azdrazi. They’re supposed to be more independent, even in their current iteration. They are just seen more as the beginning steps OOC. At least, that’s what I’ve concluded from my few months here.

They shouldn’t be more than a stepping stone is what I am saying. Heralds should be the little bit before someone becomes an Azdrazi where they have semi-draconic powers and are  being tested for their worthiness to become an Azdrazi. If they are proven worthy, they become an Azdrazi and inversely if they fail at proving them self then the smaller blessing of being a herald is stripped away.

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1 hour ago, Zacho said:

They shouldn’t be more than a stepping stone is what I am saying. Heralds should be the little bit before someone becomes an Azdrazi where they have semi-draconic powers and are  being tested for their worthiness to become an Azdrazi. If they are proven worthy, they become an Azdrazi and inversely if they fail at proving them self then the smaller blessing of being a herald is stripped away.

 

I disagree. As someone who’s been apart of the Azdrazi community for a long while – herald is not a stepping stone to becoming an Azdrazi. Though, most heralds do often end up becoming an Azdrazi – or set their goals of becoming one – a Herald is usually independent outside of the small tasks given by an Azdrazi or Azdromoth himself. Usually, heralds are respected (if not as equals) as comrades to the Azdrazi – and there are current existing heralds who use the magic as a cultural thing, not as a stepping stone to becoming an Azdrazi. Some heralds even exist without the magic or draan – and simply just the tattoos for the cultural RP. You’re prying it as if it’s just a magic and not a race and culture. Stripping of heraldry is done when a herald of Azdromoth goes against his will – or does something that breaches the current culture set (I.e: mingling with paladins, worshipping the aspects, or something more). Azdromoth has no set mandate on the Azdrazi, so they may also strip a herald due to distaste – this simply shows the levels between the two. 


I personally like this rewrite. Kalehart did pretty good, outside of the draconic traits – most of these things, even if written in lore (the current Azdrazi lore itself says we should respect heralds as our own) – will be worked up into IRP.

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