Wizzar

Our Misguided Brother We Akaal weep for our brother who has fallen into the arms of darkness, we have failed in our duties as shepherds of enlightenment. Drus’Akaal is no more, Drus’Akaal has succumbed to the temptations of the Inferi, of the Bronze Bull, and of our greatest enemy, Iblees. Hours prior to the traitor writing his missive, I came across him in the city of Sulianpolis while I was scouting for our enemies. I approached Drus asking my weak-minded brother, asking what purpose he had there. He dishonored us with lies. He was there as an ALLY of the Inferi Bull. Urukim! YOU must see through that trickery of chaos, YOU must not allow such lies to guide us into further conflict, such is the goal of darkness. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ As for the accusations against the honorable Clan Akaal, I will address them each in turn: 1. Our misguided brother has misunderstood the meaning of Vitalism and the understandings of Akaal. Vitalism is not of dark shamanism, rather it is akin to any sort of spiritual worship. Akaal simply seeks to empower a lesser spirit into a greater. THIS IS NO DARKNESS. 2. Our misguided brother has misunderstood and misidentified the means in which Akaal continues life through death. Is it a crime to survive? Survival is in our BLOOD. When our time comes, we will welcome the Stargush with open arms. We will not blame ourselves for surviving as Krug willed us to do. THIS IS NO DARKNESS. 3. Our misguided brother has failed to find purpose and meaning in history. Gadhaal the Black is a piece of the uruikim story. To fail to acknowledge and learn of the stories of our ancestors is to blind ourselves. THIS IS NO DARKNESS. 4. Our misguided brother has succumbed to rumors regarding the Blood Rex. Akaal played no part in his disappearance. Once again, do not fall for the lies of Iblees. THIS IS NO DARKNESS. 5. Our misguided brother once again equates knowledge and understanding of history to purpose and moral. Clan Akaal denies any such claim of Dark Shamanism, such are baseless rumors without support. THIS IS NO DARKNESS. 6. Our misguided brother has failed in his trials of Akaal, misunderstanding their meaning and value. Akaal are not xionists, each and every member is free to have relations with whichever spirit they feel called towards. This has always been the way of Akaal. THIS IS NO DARKNESS. The only wrongdoing of Akaal was its failure in guiding DRUS to the LIGHT. For this, we apologize to the Ancestors, we apologize the our fellow Urukim. We are the Light. KAAL AKAAL Signed, Ghuun'Akaal, Elder of Clan Akaal, Disciple of Dlimbok, Champion of Bregthar

The Elder Akaal spits out his cactus juice, his clawed hands crumbling the parchment "Why did latz nub come to mi firzt bruddah, der ahm anzwerz to latz grukz dat can explain it all..." he sighs before picking up his own materials, sitting down to write.

Yeess

OLD +1

A certain urukim returns from his own pilgrimage deep into the Earth to find his Akaal brothers had left without him "Mi guezz mi will have to hear wub happened...." he grumbles with a heavy sigh

"Thiz Olog ahm out of itz grukker... agh zoon to be without azh" the shaman grumbles, returning his focus to his haruspexy as crimson mists float about him.

Duraath: The Gnashing Marauders of Akaal Flames engulfed their entirety, the ash billowing, enveloping the environment, marking it with its deathlike grayness. From within those clouds of smoke, a laughter fitting of demons became audible, echoing about that valley. Louder and louder, the terrifying cackles taunted them, toying with their inevitable demise. Finally those wicked figures emerged, enormous beasts with claws rivaling the size of their clansmens’ blades, jagged teeth still stained red from their latest meal. The hulking hyenas drew the attention of their victims who did not even notice the large urukim on their backs. Within seconds did the slaughter commence, their flesh and bones becoming a meal for the Akaal mounts. The appearance of the Duraath began as those Akaal of the Grizhubu erected large Moruhks in the nearby grasslands. As those monuments to Throqugrizh began to decompose and rot, the large beasts first revealed themselves, in search of a meal. At first, the Akaal fought off these enormous hyena’s, guarding their sacred shrines from their carnage. However, the enlightened shamans could not remain by their Moruhks forever, a new approach was needed. And so, the priests began to leave meals of slaughtered meat for those savage beasts. Night after night, this continued, the Duraath becoming conditioned for such, quickly expecting those urukim to bring their next meal. Description From afar, these creatures look as if they are your typical hyena but larger. Duraaths are anywhere from 5-5.5 feet tall, weighing anywhere from 800-1000 lbs. The claws of the Duraath are hooked, perfect tools for piercing and tearing their prey’s skin. Their sharp teeth are jagged and designed to tear the flesh of their large prey. Duraath are primarily scavengers drawn to the bloodiest remnants of battlefields. Still, Duraath make formidable hunters with their keen sense of smell. The Duraath have a very powerful bite, akin to a typical hyena of their size. What the Duraath lack in both strength and speed in comparison to the Lur wolf, they make up for with their terrifying laughter. Taming Taming a Duraath is a very dangerous process that has become sacred within Akaal. A capable orc is sent into the cave of a Duraath to challenge one. After wrestling it to the floor, the Akaal forces the Duraath’s mouth open and presses their own flesh against their fang, allowing the hyena-like creature to taste their blood. This ritual demonstrates to the Duraath that the Akaal is superior and a worthy rider, binding the two by blood. However, this ritual does not alone maintain this relationship. The Duraath rider must continue to hunt and feed their Duraath for a time, creating a dependency on the Akaal. The Duraath are needy carnivores who will quickly abandon their uruk if not properly fed. If the Akaal successfully feeds their Duraath for two OOC weeks, the Duraath will be much less likely to turn on their rider. Still, the Akaal must continue to feed their companion or risk them running away. Redlines: Duraath are primarily meant for an event setting. Duraath function identically to horses should they be used outside of sanctioned events without OOC consent. Consent must be granted by the organizer of the event for the Duraath to be used in combat. Duraath cannot be used in CRP outside of events. This can be overridden if all parties agree. An exception to the CRP rule is if a third party purposefully attacks the Duraath. Once this occurs, the Duraath may partake in CRP. If a Duraath is killed in an event, they must be PKed Legitimate RP MUST accompany the acquiring of a Duraath, while forum posts are not required, they are highly recommended. Only one Duraath can be owned at a time unless you are breeding them. Duraath cannot be tamed or ridden by Ologs After each combat scenario, Duraath will rest for one IRL hour. Credits: Krunos10 (writer), Panashea (editor), Jihnyny (editor), DrunkPapaBear (editor)

"War against the False Light... Finally..." one Head of the Hydra rasps upon his sandstone throne, his voice echoing about the glorious temple.

What gets you to log in these days? The communities you are a part of? The RP narrative that you have going? Perhaps both? In addition, why did you get me hyped for Warhammer delves last map and where are they now?

Hello, love the lore. 1) How do we reconcile the current lore for necros and darkstalkers that require them to acquire lifeforce through darkening? (The soul of a darkstalker being that of a vacuum of entropy). 2) Do we think 4 slashing type attacks is too high a threshold for cut bone? Seems a bit high, especially given their brittle nature.

A CALL TO BLOOD From deep within the Underkrug of San’Briu, a lone haruspex grips his bone-adorned ritual knife, its blade etched with the symbols of yore. He presses its sharpness against his new body, remnants of his former self sewn into its composition as its spills to mix into the gore that already decorated the room. The storyteller’s eyes rolled back into his horned skull as he released a gutteral chant of the language of shamans. Crimson illustrations hovered over his head as Dlimbok’s sacrifice allowed for the memories of the former Kukaal to come forth. And so, Ghuun’Akaal told story after story, memories of his past life being introduced to the Clan Hall, to his evolved form. A large, burned covered uruk used his war scythe to carve rows of darkspawn that dared to challenge him. A mighty Ram smashed down with its hulking warhammer to smash the skull of a bone monstrosity. The one-handed juggernaut rising before the spirit of Dominance to become his champion. The serpent of Akaal leading his nation into an era of Blood. A Ram of Thunder calling upon and guiding the storm itself. The horned Brute rising victorious in the arena of San’Velku, his form covered in his opponents blood. A half-goblin shaman aiding the urukim in clearing the darkness about the Gate of Dom. Each of these stories of Akaal passed through the air, serving both a reminder of the clan’s achievements while demonstrating that clan’s potential. KAAL AKAAL

PACT OF STONE A solemn orc trudges through silken sands. Each step shifting the grains beneath him, threatening to swallow. Colossal pillars of quartz extrude from the barren earth, providing sparse shade like oversized sundials. The orc stumbles, falling on one knee. He grits his teeth, drops of sweat from his visage staining the sands. The orc lowers a knife to his palm, slicing a shallow wound. The crimson fluid stains the sands, seeping into the white grains. “Ilzgul rar-ob, Ilzgul ghaamp-ob, golm-izg grish-izub.” Spirit of sand, spirit of earth, I offer my blood. The pale sands shift as the blood drains deep. The earth quakes as the quartz pillars snap, tumbling to the ground. Before the orc the sands give way, unveiling a great worm, The rings which made its body like marble and its teeth like crystal. “Lat. Pukhl ghung turk-lat slaium-lab.” You. Speak if you value your life. “Ilzgul, gaakh lûp-izg lat-û. Naakh-lab matûrz’dâl-ishi.” Spirit, let it be that I pray to you. Your hand in the mortal plane. The worm’s crystalline teeth shake in thought. A few moments pass, then minutes. At last the worm speaks once more, its voice echoes. “Kul-izg Numagak. Gaakh mum-izub shakrop-ub matum-lab-zi.” I am Numagak. Let it be that my mark will stay until your death. A great pressure then overcomes the orc, forcing him upon both of his knees. The orc lets out a bloody roar in pain as he feels the weight of the earth upon him. Then nothing. The orc awakes in his home, a mark upon his soul. Story written by Astrophysical

I do not like that it is necessary, however, it is necessary. +1

An unnaturally aged adunian sits upon his sandstone throne, his colorless hues fixated on his newest creations "For years we have waited for this moment. With such forces, we are now capable of real change... to stand against that which is the False Light" a smirk etches itself onto his usual monotone "The age of reckoning is now"

Epic +1

Taps his ivory cane against the stone floor, a smirk etching itself across the frail adunian's unnaturally wrinkled features "If you need aid in the battle against the False Light, do reach out to my Coven" He exhales a breath, returning to his wretched scheming.

I will try to organize my thoughts best that I can. I think that moderators are trying. I think that they do a fairly good job at issuing bans for rule infractions and appear to be fair when dealing with appeals. I do not believe that the issue exists within the individual moderators. While there are surely instances where moderators have bias or when a moderator's decision is not entirely spot on, they are only human. The larger problem is how moderation is viewed as a whole, especially on a Minecraft roleplaying server where the rules are not very developed to deal with the plethora of issues that may arise. Too many bad faith actors (by bad faith I mean those who either are targeting for OOC reasons or are acting with no care to actual IRP circumstances) are enabled by the server's inability to confront issues not covered explicitly in the rules. For example, the rules allow raiders to stay for up to an hour. However, when raiders are raiding off cooldown and staying for the entirety of the allowed duration, they are technically following the rules, yet they are acting in bad faith and are disturbing RP. This extends beyond PvP as people can skirt around RP and CRP rules to circumvent what is fair and conducive to logical and healthy RP. Still, I think PvP is perhaps the most abused system on the server when it comes to bending the rules at the expense of the server-at-large. The community needs more protection from the PvP groups who selfishly raid and pillage without enhancing anyone's RP experience (who would be better off on a factions server). Moreover, I believe the story team has degraded over time. Approaching and discussing anything with the story team is usually a dead end as they are quick to dismiss your ideas and wave you away as they do not want to deal with you. More and more, people are telling one another to not bother with asking an ST or getting permission for something as ST just are becoming more and more negative. ST bias is natural. The community is small, and the ST are volunteers who are a part of their own micro community, often leaders in such. Yet, it is very discouraging when we are told that ST exist for the community at-large, yet their efforts and attention are clearly focused on specific groups. I do not mind ST helping out their friends, but it is frustrating when individuals are denied assistance from STs who have clearly helped others with the same in the past. While they are certainly not obligated to help, this is a concerning trend. Despite being volunteers, I believe staff should be held to a certain standard of professionalism that is clearly currently lacking.

Love unique creatures to include in RP and events, this is great! +1

The broken hobgoblin reads over announcement, a smirk creeping onto his maw "Let uz hope dat mi do nub make ah mockery ov mi anceztorz. Mi ravaged form ahm ready for its departure, let it give itz lazt klomp den" he cackles, his only clawed hand reaching forward to grab one of those broken bones for a future ritual .

In your lengthy experience as a staff member, what advice/tips/strategies can you offer for dealing with internal bias? How do you remove yourself/overcome situations where there may be bias? Do you think any decision can be made without bias in mind on a server where everyone is so connected to one another, especially with the relatively small playerbase?

TRADEMARKS

"Now dat mi haz read diz mi nub even have to go outzide" grumbles the sleeping uruk before dozing off in some caverns underneath the goi.