Story Announcement - Winter Fixes and Updates

[squakhawk 7924]

  

 

Hello critters and creatures.

It’s been a while since we’ve done one of these quarterly updates. 

 

In this update we’ll be talking about updates all over the team, from Event Team, Lore Team, and even management as well. We’ve got a lot to talk about, so feel free to navigate through the sections of this post and see the changes we’re making and upcoming. As always, feel free to ask any questions here or in the Story Team Discord.

 

Lore Team

 

Introducing Anthroparion Shelf

Anthroparions have been a lore that, since its inception, somewhat struggled. While for some time it did restore the Homunculus aesthetic/archetype which it reinvented in a cool way, it never took off or really, took off at all. This is somewhat due to the initial playerbase for it, but not long after its release did Tawkin return, and bring back Homunculi from the days of old. This proved much more popular, especially in the last year, while Anthroparions despite some efforts to spread it both player and ST-side have been mostly unfruitful. With this, we are going to be shelving Anthroparion lore and merging it with Tawkin (see changes below in the “Tawkin” section), and offering those with Anthroparion Tawkin FAs as compensation. Anthroparions will be changed to Homunculi for purposes of tracking, and mini-homunculi will be added to make up for the niche that Anthroparion added. With this, were you a fan of the lore, we recommend you make additions for mutations or other parts of Anthroparion that could be added to the Tawkin Lore, in case you feel we missed anything.

 

 

Thanhium Changes

Since arriving on Aevos, Thanhium has seen practically zero use. While the metallurgy rebalance we implemented was highly successful in removing its monopoly as the “Best Material”, we still see Thanhium very scarcely used despite how much was actually brought over from the last map. In particular, the only Thanhic SReqs we have received pertained to item re-descriptions - NO NEW ITEMS. A solution proposed was to reduce the creation cost given the steep requirements for a Thanhic Forge, and thus we are going to introduce an alternative method for forging Thanhium. While a Thanhic Forge may be worthwhile for prolonged crafting, a new and noded alchemical regent, Gelunite, will enable any forge to become a temporary Thanhic Forge with the proper quantities. In short, by sacrificing ten Gelunite to a forge, the forge’s temperature shall drop considerably so that a smith may be able to refine one chunk’s worth of Thanhium or Thanhic-Steel. We hope to see more Thanhic items come into circulation without the worry of a risky and steep investment cost. Expect Gelunite to be implemented (should our implementation into the plugin permit) within the next week. It's lorepage will be posted by the end of the day.

 

 

Mysticism Changes

Mysticism has been a lore which has steadily come and gone in waves of activity over the last couple years. When new leaders rise, the magic thrives and does exceedingly well in providing a spooky niche and different type of villainy to the server which has led to some extremely memorable conflicts. When community heads are absent, the magic falters and becomes negligible in presence on the server- if having any presence at all. The last rewrite a few years back by Gammabyte, saint_swag, and Pundimonium was extremely well done and still has been somewhat bulletproof to this day, spare for some flavor additions done by a few shining star members of the community. A common complaint we’ve heard from Mysticism activity is that it’s heavily reliant on Wights. While Wights are something not too uncommonly made (though certainly an occasion), we’re going to see how this community feedback is done and remove the mechanical barrier Wights add but keep their cultural and lore significance to the piece. With this, the following changes will be made (check full lore for non-summarized changes)

 

-Amputation now requires one Wight OR two mystics to perform.

-Connection (Truesight) stated in text it had required a Wight, which has now been removed.

 

 

Tawkin Changes

Tawkin has been something of a personal frustration of mine, and I’m sure others for some time. While it’s a great piece of lore and alchemy, it is a little bit of a catch-all with very little for any form of drawback or downside- leading to a huge explosion of apps this year. With this, we are going to implement some changes that are aimed at improving trackability, aesthetic, and reading, while taking little from what makes the lore so popular while we address problems the lore has had. These changes mostly affect Klone reincarnation, Homonculi, and Mutations. The full list is rather extensive, see the spoiler below. These changes will be finished implementing by the end of the day.

 

Mutation Changes Summary

Spoiler

Given the widespread and untrackable nature of Greater Mutations, the LT has decided to make them compatible only with Klones and Homunculi per the alchemical nature of their bodies, and to buff those CAs. Klones will be capable of possessing [2] Greater Mutations, while Homunculi will be able to retain [3]. This said, Lesser Mutations remain available for all presently compatible players. Those who would now find themselves INCOMPATIBLE with their Greater Mutations would simply find that their enhancements have faded, with no punitive drawback.

 

Homunculi Changes Summary

Spoiler

Tawkinists may now create non-combative bestial NPC Homunculi, to the maximum size of a golden retriever. Homunculi, playable and NPC, will also now possess black beady eyes as opposed to their current faded and glassy aesthetic. This serves to make them more identifiable and uncanny. It has also been made explicitly clear that Holy Magics (and Aurum) are capable of affecting Homunculi.

 

Further, given the Anthroparion merger, Playable Homunculi have now adopted the “Play Dead” ability from Anthroparion and are now able to feign death for a period of [10] emotes after charging for [2]. Other abilities from the Anthroparion piece were considered, but it was determined that they could obtain similar feats from Greater Mutations. For those Anthroparion players who are switching to the Homunculus CA, the LT will afford them the ability to choose three Greater Mutations to carry over, and the LT will let them keep their current eyes and aesthetic (to be noted on their CA).

 

Reincarnation (Kloning) Changes Summary

Spoiler

The most notable change for Kloning  is that now Klones can only be made by and for the Tawkinist themself. The OOC reasoning is that tracking the plethora of Klones being made for those without the Tawkin FA has become unmanageable for the LT. The RP reasoning given is that the Soul now requires an innate understanding to the process to aid in the pathing towards its new vessel. Players who do NOT have Tawkin are requested to self-deny their Klone CA; however, as compensation, we will permit those former Klone players to return to descendant-hood at their current age, and with no PK clause!

 

Further, players can now only retain up to [3] Klones at any given point in time. Should a Tawkinist make more than three, their Soul will link only to the three most healthy and will irrevocably lose its path to the additional, defunct pygmy.

 

Lastly, players making SReqs for Klones will now need to include an uncropped screenshot of their mutation roll at the end of their creation process. This will be recorded by the ST in item-logging. The number of Klones and their Mutations will also be noted on their CA.

 

When applying for Homunculus, mutations will need to be included and updated on the CA app where applicable.

 

Exact Changes

Spoiler

MUTATIONS IN GENERAL

Greater Mutations are now compatible ONLY with Homunculi and Klone CAs.

Clarified that Homunculi can now hold up to [3] Greater Mutations, while Klones can only hold [2].

Clarified that Lesser Mutations can be used to restore descendants to the standard of their race provided that they were afflicted by a self-imposed ailment (i.e. Non-Necromantic Leprosy, Cancer, ETC.)

Clarified that Lesser Mutations cannot be used to circumvent curses, poisons, necromantic plagues or detrimental Klone pygmies.

Updated the Recipes for Greater Mutations. Instead of requiring x2 the Symbols (which only added to confusion), they now only require the additional symbols per the recipe.

 

MUTATIONS: AUGMENTED SENSES

Updated the Recipe. It is now included with the Mutation itself.

No discernable mechanical change.

 

MUTATIONS: HEIGHTENED DEXTERITY

Updated the Recipe. It is now included with the Mutation itself.

No discernable mechanical change.

 

MUTATIONS: NATURAL ARMAMENT

Updated the Recipe. It is now included with the Mutation itself.

Changed the name to just be “Natural Armament”.

No discernable mechanical change.

 

MUTATIONS: BOLSTERED STRENGTH

Updated the Recipe. It is now included with the Mutation itself.

Clarified that while undergoing exertion, the Mutant simply achieves x2 of their racial strength. In the previous write, the matter was rather indecisive and confusing.

Clarified that the difficulty in breathing prohibits a state of resonance for the Mutant. This makes Kani incompatible while active.

 

MUTATIONS: HYPERMETABOLISM

Updated the Recipe. It is now included with the Mutation itself.

Clarified that burning could be a valid means of cauterizing wounds in the short-term.

 

MUTATIONS: HEALTHY BODY

Updated the Recipe. It is now included with the Mutation itself.

Clarified that the Mutation prevents Azhl-Anemia and disease wrought by curses.

Clarified that wearing an Air-Filter, while not improving the Mutation, would allow them to breathe clean air. Thus, no headache.

 

HOMUNCULI: ANATOMY

Added the ability for Tawkinists to create bestial NPC Homunculi with a maximum size of a Golden Retriever. They are non combative and do not require a CA to play - they are environmental setpieces and lack higher intelligence. Bestial Homunculi which appear Humanoid are akin to monkeys.

Homunculi can play dead. This necessitates [2] emotes of preparation and lasts for a period of [10] emotes, whereby for all intents and purposes they are DEAD to observers. Extending beyond this limit subjects them to a PK.

Changed Homunculus glossy and faded eyes to be black and beady. This is to make them more identifiable, and to encourage better disguising.

 

HOMUNCULI: FAUX CONSCIOUSNESS

Clarified that Holy Magic affects Homunculi as it would a Dark CA. Aurum now also affects them.

Removed compatibility with Kani to make it consistent with the fact Homunculi can use no Magic.

 

REINCARNATION

Cut down and clarified the Creation Process to make it more streamlined. Whereas before it was confusing, now it simply requires that a Bogodan Fetus be placed in any container of the Tawkinist’s choosing, followed by an inclusion of Vitae of Rebirth and sealing of the container.

Clarified that Tawkinists can only make Klones for themselves. The RP reasoning is that the innate understanding of the process aids their soul in finding its new vessel.

Added a limit of [3] Klones per Person. Should a Tawkinist make more than three Klones, the Soul will link only to the three most healthy and irrevocably lose its path to the additional, defunct pygmy.

Added a clause that requires an uncropped screenshot of the mutation roll when submitting a Klone for ST Approval. This is to be recorded in Lore-Pixel and noted on the Tawkinist’s CA.

 

 

Un-legacy’ing Hou-Zi

As a part of determining whether beast CAs have a negative effect on player retention for the server, we are going to reimplement the shelved Hou-Zi lore from 2020 and return it to full acceptance from Legacy Lore. Given that 3-4 years have passed since its shelving, LT Management will make efforts to clean its formatting and content so that it is palatable for modern standards. At this time however, pending admin approval, Hou-Zi may not be applied for until approved. When approved an announcement will be made in the Story Team Discord. We will monitor and trial the CA to how people play Hou-Zi, how they are interacted with, and what they offer the server, as well as how often they are meme'd or taken to failrp.  

 

Though Wonks may be popular culturally, LT Management fears that they would underperform given prior statistics and thus will not be re-implemented at this time, though the option is not off the table should Hou-Zi perform well. In addition, we remain hesitant on approving new beast-type CAs and we maintain the motivation to deny them outright. It is an interest of the LT management to explore a general Beastman CA in the future, though this is not a guarantee nor promise.

 

 

 

 

Event Team

 

Hey guys, BobBox here to give my thoughts on the current state of the event team.

 

Following the end of the antag hiatus some months ago, the event team underwent a small recruiting drive as we bolstered our numbers. After this drive was complete, we were incredibly happy to see unprecedented numbers of events being run, oftentimes hitting 2-4 events logged per day for multiple weeks on end. These events have largely been focused on singular nations or smaller groups, and while the number of events occurring is something I strive to keep at its current level, I believe that many great stories occur when nations work together towards a common goal. 

 

With that being said, I plan to take a more hands-on role in creating regional or map-wide eventlines. Just like squakhawk utilized map lore during the Naga storyline many of you encountered, expect to see similar-sized events based around another piece of map lore in the not-so-far future (hopefully beginning in February if all goes well). Furthermore, while myself and Kujo will continue to support the current ET in any type of events they wish to run, we will also be striving to accelerate their growth so that they may continually hone their skills and event styles throughout the entirety of the year. 

 

The last thing I’d like to touch on is the material distribution system. With the scrapping of material nodes and the withholding of materials at the beginning of this map, I had expected to see some of the world’s reserves burned, though it is only recently that a reasonable number of these resources have begun to be used. Following this recent uptick in smelting was a rise in the distribution of materials, something I’ve been closely keeping my eye on. Over the next year, I plan to work with ET to increase the number of ST materials flowing into the hands of players, whether by giving out chunks of ore or event-specific items made from various materials (think the evil boss’s azhl sword, etc). 

 

If you have questions or concerns about events, applying to the team, or material distribution please do not hesitate to reach out to me or Kujo.

 

 

 

Management POVs

 

 

Bloodmagic, Templars, Runesmithing, and Lore Overlap

 

This is a big bundle of topics, so I wanna address them in an order that I think will be most digestible and easy to read and understand, at least from my point of view. 

 

Lore Overlap is something which is touched briefly on in various pieces of lore criteria, the most mention it gets is under “Explanation: Lore Variants” but doesn’t really go into the detail it requires. It’s likely something I’ll be making a new lore criteria explanation about in the next couple weeks. 

 

Lore Overlap is something we have seen with a few different pieces, and an attempted few new pieces which have attempted submission, rewrite, amendment, or addition. Lore Overlap is something I will define as writing that borrows from, accomplishes, or extends it’s capabilities with justification or similarities to other lorepieces. 

 

This is why we practically auto-deny lorepieces which start out far too big and all encompassing, and why we seem to be running into fewer original ideas for new magics and CAs which aren’t immediately and directly compared to currently existing ones. Often, when I see people writing lore and talking about it, they say “Oh, let’s take this ability from this lore- since it’s accepted it should be fine”. 

 

Now, this issue comes into play in a lot of ways. One, is that “power” or “strength” comes into ways a lot more indirect than direct. One should take into account the full lore; does it make sense for the lore to have this? Does it fit in with the rest of the lore’s theme and place? Does it unnecessarily extend a lorepiece’s capabilities to overtake the niche of others?

 

I’ll give two examples from recent memory and proposals I’ve heard.

One, is that I overheard some people talking about a Templar addition where they add a healing spell to the magic. This is something that immediately just sounded jarring to me- this doesn’t really fit into Malchediael’s aesthetic, does it? Even if you reskinned it appropriately, isn’t it more beneficial to perhaps put healing in the hands of another person to generate roleplay? A similar stance for a recent suggestion to add ranged spells to the lore; Is that truly within the spirit of Malchediael’s Templars to be casting spells and ranged attacks against his foes? Is the lore which is wholly themed around dueling, fighting to the last breath, and crusaders, fully realized by spellcasters and marksmen?

 

Another is during the last Cleric submission. Before it had finished running its course through admin approval, there had already been a proposed lore submission to take away a decent section of Paladinism to sort of justify clericism’s existence further, and give it a point. At the time, this seemed ridiculous, though now as I look onto other magics; such as Bloodmagic, I can see the reasoning.

 

An issue Bloodmagic has been facing is that the community surrounding it has fundamentally changed. Older, more veteran bloodmages and players may recall it as something much more practical, ritual based, with less of a focus on item creation. However, ever since Pale Bloodmagic, it seems that it attracted a new audience who had enjoyed it strictly for item creation. In a recent submission, the piece was torn both in comments and by ST because there was a fundamental disagreement on what bloodmagic should be. Rather than encompass everything, the write focused on one aspect of the magic, it’s core themes, and attempted to stick to those over parts less iconic and thematic of bloodmagic. 

 

Lore Overlap is a relatively new dilemma, and one I see harming a lot of potential lorepieces. An example of one is Runesmithing, and while there is work being done to enable a better and easier power source and justification for runesmithing, it faces the fundamental issue that it’s niche had sort of been swallowed up in the 6-7 years that it’s really been gone from the server. While this is a problem very few of the “original” magics face, and to be honest, some may be better suited for, it is an issue that Runesmithing will always be compared to something like bloodmagic, despite there being a distinct difference between the two.

 

This is something that’s not easy to retroactively patch, and something that’s hard to determine how we fix what has already been broken. Who is to deny the new generation of bloodmages all they know and like of the magic in favour of a magic which has been gone for the better part of a decade? Who is to say we should chop off 1/3rd of Paladinism’s thematic with Vestals in favour of a write which may or may not ever come? 

 

One thing is exceptionally clear however. A magic should not focus on a goal of self reliance in roleplay, save perhaps in the case of a darkmagic in a different context. Were Templars to be given a healing spell, even if not “true” healing, what would the point be should the combat end and wounds no longer really matter? Were they to receive ranged spells and attacks, does the gap simply not close between becoming another Paladin lore? Do paladins need anyone, or anything, else to support them when they sort of have a piece of everything to work with? Could bloodmagic expand further into it’s original themes with rites, rituals, and spells, while also keeping an extensive item creation that dominates over any other magic? 

 

The treatment hereon should be one more proactive, while we address the retroactive. Communities should take more insight to look over what their magic, CA, or lorepiece otherwise offers to the server. Does it need this or that, or could perhaps we find an avenue to mitigate that lapse in strength or scope of ability with roleplay? Could we utilize other pieces of lore with other groups to cooperate and better stand together against our enemies in roleplay? 

 

As management begins to figure out a way to address this issue as it exists, we will as well be implementing policies to proactively look at this going forward. That lorepieces should stick to their direct “Core” theme, and not stray from that tenet which stands as the heart of the lore. That a member of that community or beyond could look at a proposed addition or amendment and definitively say “That belongs in the lorepiece” rather than “That would be nice to have” or “This sticks out compared to the rest of the lorepiece.”. As we finalize a solution to address current issues, which would be a public announcement should there be changes coming forward, we will begin enforcing our proactive policy and drafting a new Explanation Criteria on Lore Overlap, targeted at encouraging lorepieces with their additions, amendments, or rewrites, to stick to their core themes and resist the temptation of stacking more and more parts to the magic until it’s ideal image or theme is stretched into a blur. 

 

As a quick note to touch again on runesmithing is we are working tentatively on something that would function as a proper power source or explanation using existing lore concepts without retconning in or out various parts of history to fit the narrative. This will be available for reading when it is finished and not until then, so please do not ask for a sneak peak or to discuss it before it’s even got a draft. These changes should not interfere with any writes being submitted or in draft.

 

---

 

The Shamanism Deepfreeze

 

I wanted to as well address Shamanism, and some problems faced by players, lore team, management, and administration regarding the current direction.

 

Under the lore criteria topic “Bad Lore” I very briefly touch on the idea that many lore submissions are written out of boredom, or thoughts of an idea without intent to carry it out. Unfortunately over the past year or two, we have seen a nonstop stream of submissions for Shamanism which has proved extremely difficult for players and the team to keep up with them (let alone, actually applying the changes once the lore hits pending), and harmful to the lore which is constantly being overwritten by different groups and people with different ideas that contradict one another.

 

With this, I am going to be employing a “deep freeze” embargo on shamanism as a whole, and will disallow any further rewrites and submissions indefinitely. The magic has had, in the past year, 18 different rewrites, amendments, and new submissions under its class. Beyond this in 2022, there are even more. With this in mind, I already foresee (and see) an issue in which the lore is excessively confusing with how often it is being changed, or attempted to be changed, and is actively discouraging members of the lore to read it, interact with it, or teach others. Even with this in mind, under my explanation in lore criteria topic “Story Team Oversight” and “The Lore Web”, it details how lore which is frequently changed is often requiring more and more changes. 

 

I got into this a bit above with the lore overlap paragraph, but lore that faces constant changes and rewrites will only beget more changes. It’s why personally I advocate very strongly against any form of rewrite unless a lore is completely unsalvageable, as it in every case I’ve personally witnessed only has been significantly detrimental to the magic in more than just the immediate short term. 

 

In general, we will address any critical amendments that may be needed (such as loopholes, errors, misplaced parts between lore/guide, etc.) but will disallow any further changes to Shamanism until further notice. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

General Announcements, Ongoing/Upcoming Projects

 

Lore Team Recruitment

The Lore Team is not a fun team. It is hardly a gratifying team. Yet still, it is perhaps the most crucial team on the server, second to Mods. The reason LT exists is to ensure that the Lore the players use on a day-to-day basis remains balanced and RP’d correctly. LT handles enforcement of lore violations, the approval of lore items (and structures) and, most importantly, the approval or denial of lore proposals. It is a lot of janitorial paperwork - THERE IS NO WRITING. That said, the LT is rewarding for people who can put in the work and who desire a say at the table. We are currently looking for applicants who can handle a decently sized workload and who can analytically and competently review Lore without bias in a timely fashion. If you want to earn your chops as a professional nerd-poster, the LT calls for your help!

 

Event Team Recruitment

We will be specifically hunting for new ET who are driven, independent, and interested in creating larger-scale eventlines for nations and big groups. If you desire to run your own self-operating event line stories, please don’t hesitate to apply. 

 

Build Team Recruitment

As for builders, we are looking to pick back up our event activity, which is directly correlated to our builders. Working on Build Team is a very casual project which includes mina payment for every build built. This includes commissions from the team, as well as passive build projects such as event sets, monsters, and so on which you can do in your freetime or whenever you get that creative urge. If you have a skill for building and are looking for a little mina side hustle, or a greater calling to make some great event playsets, feel free to submit an application. 

 

https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forms/54-story-team-application/

 

Pantheon Project

Pantheon project has taken a bit of a halt as I go through a lot of personal hardship in these last few months, other writers occupied with work, travel, and the holidays. However, Zarsies has for the most part returned (do not ask him to read your lore, I will auto deny it, he will be unbothered!) and this puts the team back at full strength again. In the coming months we expect a handful more Aengudaemonica pieces to be released, as well as a few other ideas we have had cooking to clarify and publish old/vague lore to allow for the development and expansion of new lore, so I hope it is something we can all look forward to seeing!

 

Starting Locations 

Starting Locations was a project we’d touted to be done within the first couple months of Aevos. However, this plan never quite came to fruition. With this however, and getting back into my groove, I’m going to be resuming plans for the project and starting to stage the phases of development for the starting locations project. With this, we hope to revamp, reinvent, and clarify current and new starting locations aimed to give new players alternative backgrounds to develop their own story, and give older players new ideas with more solid lore foundations to write up. We do plan to, very cautiously, include Aeldin in this write, and will be reaching out to its creators and keepers to make sure we stay truthful to the writing, and spirit, of the lore to make sure it is solidly written. This project may take some time however, so anticipate that it may be some time before it's effects truly are visible within the playerbase.

 

 

 

Hope you guys enjoyed the reads and are happy with the changes done, and to be done. I'm still impressed with the general impression that has changed about and with lore over the past couple years of my tenure and i'm elated to see lore continue to develop, grow, thrive, and make it's way into every facet of the server.

[Spoopy_Duck 1500]

3 minutes ago, squakhawk said:

Introducing Anthroparion Shelf

Squakhawk you just took the only flex I have on this god forsaken server

[Astrophysical 1003]

It’s so over…

[Crevel 4727]

Self Teach Book clarification when?

[UnBaed 8953]

walking the shore with this update

[Lirinya 2646]

7 minutes ago, squakhawk said:

I plan to work with ET to increase the number of ST materials flowing into the hands of players, whether by giving out chunks of ore or event-specific items made from various materials (think the evil boss’s azhl sword, etc). 

🙏

[Proddy 2247]

 

hou-zi back baby lets gooooooo

[Greehn 1850]

thank you guys for all you do for the server, i'm excited to see what comes next out of story team. love you guys

[salamanderfantasy 671]

Eye change is bad send tweet

[teeylin 998]

Spoiler

nice

 

[X3N0 515]

How will this affect the trout population 

[sam33497 2793]

holy based

[Gustando 1457]

where's the part where you let people with kani carry mina and items that are required to interact with the server's plugins...

[Child Neglecter 2137]

Seeing as now that Greater Mutations are Homonculus and Klone specific, as someone who's had experience with Tawkin for many years, they should have to be documented on the applications of the players who are either Klones or Homonculi in order to make life easier. I've often found that I'd have to create player-made "placeholder items" that would effectively only exist to prove OOCly to other people that the person had the mutation. It's just better to introduce them onto the app and make things a lot more clear cut with mutations that way, since people tend to argue about them.

[Tabby64 1295]

@squakhawkDo you think paladins should be rewritten along so there can be room for clerics?