Hobolympic

IGN: Hobolympic RP NAME: Balek Irongut AGE: 600 something ACTIVITY REQUIREMENT: Home owner etc (Legion, Guild, Home Owner, Clan List) CANDIDATE: Ulfric Stormcloak Frostbeard

IGN: Hobolympic RP NAME: Balek Irongut AGE: 611 ACTIVITY REQUIREMENT: Home owner, Irongut Clan CANDIDATE: Dorimnur Goldhand

Meanking aka Grand King Thorin Grandaxe is the true Lord of the Craft, at least he was for some time. Effectively becoming the underdog world hegemon of Anthos, vassalizing all the human kingdoms, and by extension Malinor. Can't remember what the orcs were doing at the time though.

IGN: Hobolympic RP NAME: Balek Irongut CANDIDATE: Norli Starbreaker

The hour was early as an Irongut beardling shuffled about in Kal'Darakaan, depositing letters into the mail boxes of all Council Members and Clan Lords alike; their homes scattered across the city. The small beardling's footsteps echoed in the palace halls as he neared the Grand King's own quarters, personally handing the final letter to one of His Majesty's personal retinue, before scampering away. The letters would all read as follows: With this letter I, Balek Irongut, son of Thrag Irongut & Grandson of Hiebe Irongut, hereby resign my position as Grand Architect of the Grand Kingdom of Urguan. I do this not with a heavy heart, but with a great hope for the future. The Grand Kingdom is stronger than ever; its citizenry all sharing in its success as of late, in spite of the unfortunate and tragic events taking place prior to our new arrival. With such times of grandeur, it is only fitting that the old make way for the young to carry on our ancient legacy. Nearing my six-hundredth year, I have come to the realization that my body, whether through old age and hard work, or my centuries of delving into the voidal arts, as is the right of the Irongut Clan, is no longer fit to carry on as it has in its younger years. A Grand Architect also needs time, and that is time I simply do not possess any longer. I seek now to live out my retirement in Dunheim, where I shall resign myself to a peaceful and humble life, and be ever closer in the presence to our Gods. But life is family, and as long as I still hold breath, I shall never abandon my kin. While I do now resign mine government position, I do foresee a more active role as Elder of Clan Irongut; to share and pass on my knowledge and experience to the younger generation. And should the council ever wish for my insight on a matter, so too shall I oblige. I want to thank the Council and His Majesty for the opportunity to serve the kingdom once more, and hope the restoration of Kal'Darakaan will provide sufficient shelter for the decades, or centuries to come.

Where did Lightforging go? Looks solid tho.

Agreed, though believe at the time of recording, Hefrumm wasn't fully finished and was therefore mostly left out.

A guide to Kal’Darakaan – 8.0 Dwarven Capital Hello! This short guide will cover the features of Kal’Darakaan; the new Urguani capital city, its design and philosophy behind the decisions made. The city itself has actually been in the works longer than prebuild. Initially this was just a side-project that I started working on around January to test out a few random ideas I had in mind at the time. It wasn’t until later on that I realized its potential as a city design, gradually expanding it by adding more appropriate facilities; the palace, tavern, districts etc. Throughout 8.0 prebuild, us Urguan builders have spent many hours attempting to make this city into what will hopefully be the best capital city to date. With the construction now fully over, and the city ready for launch, this post should bring any residents or visitors up to speed on its features and design; starting with the layout: Layout The image above is a simplified representation of the city layout. With the city having multiple levels in some areas however, not everything is shown. The image nonetheless gives a good overview of the basic shape, and of how the districts have been situated to one another. The layout is structured to be as compact as possible; the idea behind this decision is to primarily centralize RP towards the centre of the city. Smaller, more compact cities are from my own personal experience better suited to attract RP. It also makes them look more lived-in, rather than a city where you must actively walk past rows and rows of empty buildings in order to find people to interact with. Any players in and in between the Culture- and Clan districts should be visible to one another, allowing for easier interactions. Older veterans might recognize this layout from a previous capital city; Kal’Karaad from Athera City Centre All districts and facilities are connected via bridges from the Main Square, which is the primary RP hub of the city. Here you will find open space for events and gatherings, including lucrative market stalls, the auctioneering NPC, and a couple of shops to draw in traders. Whether your path takes you to the worker’s district, clan halls or the palace, everyone will have to pass through the square. Smack in the middle is an opening to the foundry below, where you can witness the smiths hard at work making their crafts. Smithing roleplay is an important staple of dwarven RP, so instead of hiding it away in a secluded district, we’re bringing it back into the middle of the city. The Tavern has been placed in the upper right corner, which will allow the two hubs’ RP to bounce off each other. (P.S: Those familiar with Holm in Atlas will recognize the tavern design.) Furthermore, the Bank is easily accessible in the left corner, where you can withdraw minas and pay your taxes. It also features high-security rental vaults, where you can secure your riches without the worry of having it being stolen by burglars. The Clan District and Culture District are where most homes can be found, and they are easily visible from the square. Anyone chilling at home should effortlessly be able to spot ongoing RP taking place in the square, and join in on it should they wish to do so. There are three distinct housing tiers: A, B and C. The Class A homes are the best homes your money can buy; bigger manor homes in prime locations that overlook the entire city. If you can afford the higher upkeep, this is the home for you. Class B homes are of a decent size, and are less expensive than the top tier class, perfect for any active dwarf with a regular income. Finally, C tier homes are shoddy abodes that are more akin to dug-out caves than actual buildings; lining the walls along the lower slums of the city. If you want to pay as little as possible, these small hovels are definitely worth their price, if you can get over the smell. All homes have been fully furnished and are ready to be inhabited upon release. The Grand Palace The Palace serves as the main political arena for Urguan as a whole. Its most important room is the Throne Room. This is where the Obsidian Throne can be found, flanked by council chairs for all the important offices and clan lords of the realm. Trials, hearings, feasts and bigger council meetings that are open to the public, will all take place here. A smaller council meeting chamber can also be found on the uppermost floor of the palace, along with the Grand King’s own quarters. Two wings extend both left- and rightwards, featuring the royal kitchen, archives and the kingdom vault. Temple Quarter The Temple Quarter is where the Kingdom library, Temple of the Worldmaker, and Medical Institute can be found. This is where both the Clergy and the Remembrance Guild reside, as well as the medical order recently established in Arcas. They have purposefully been placed in the same wing, seeing as the RP they provide complement each other well. Clan Halls This cave features a natural spiral staircase that takes the player up and down along the walls of the section. Halls owned by the various dwarven clans have been carved into the cave walls, each with their own unique twist and features appropriate for their respective clans. This time around, no homes have been allowed inside them, to prevent tax evasion. That being said, they are a lot bigger in size this time around. In the lowest section is a lift that takes the player down to the Grand Arena, big enough to host tournaments and other large-scale events. Military District Home of the mighty Legion of Urguan. Here you will find housing for legionnaires, the armory, offices, training facilities and a muster hall. A new addition is the Hall of Fame, where only the most exemplary of legionnaires can earn themselves immortalization. The complex is also directly linked to the Main Gate and City Entrance, so that these can be manned at a short notice. The Engineering hall is where siege weapons and other contraptions are built and maintained, and it also connects the military district to the rest of the city. The prison complex can be found below, featuring “Sky Cells” hanging from the deep roads ceiling. Nice view for the prisoner if they can disregard the circumstance they find themselves in. The Worker’s District The very backbone of the kingdom resides here, producing immaculate objects and the mighty armaments of which the dwarves are so famous for. The Foundry, aka the Crucible, is situated just below the main square, and features a golem workshop, a runic blast furnace, and storage facilities. In the middle, just above the roiling lava is the Evraali Anvil; the same runed anvil brought over from Kal’Evraal. Moving just below the bridge linking the city entrance to the main square, is where you will find the smelter, Worker’s Guild headquarters and guild housing. This is also where the main gate that leads to the deep roads and mines can be found. The Deep Roads The Deep Roads is a massive cavern complex that spans the entire capital tile (and possibly farther). So far, the only known accessible way in is through the city via the Deep Gate, a fortified entryway that is under constant threat by all manner of foul beings that call the depths their home, be they scheming cave goblins or lumbering trolls. The tombs can also be found down here, away from the city should the dead ever somehow stop resting. The deep roads have always been a staple of dwarven RP, and have had many iterations. It provides a fun and exciting arena for expeditions and event lines to play out. I’ve purposefully skimped out on screenshots from the various spooky caverns and features down here, so if you want to find out more, you better gear up and head down there yourself… Final words Now is as good a time as any to join the community of Urguan if you’ve ever fancied growing out a beard and slinging insults at puny elves and manlings. We’re expecting 8.0 to be a blast and we’d love to have you along the way. This Link will take you to the Urguan information post that should cover all the basics you might need to get started. A special thank you to all the builders who have dedicated their time and talent into making Urguan 8.0! Soulreapingwolf Fimlin_ ForestDwarfMan Ryno2 Cpt_Noobman Elite_Snipes sneakybandit ( PM Me if I've left anyone out by mistake, been a while since prebuild;) ) Lastly, do check out the awesome showcase video made by Z3m0s and give my guy a thumbs up:

Thanks alot for the video mate, great work! Very excited for release.

“Ah support moi forest kinsmen, ah realleh do. But yeh should ‘ave captured that massive land snail n’ brought it back to Hefrumm once that old coot wus eaten by tha lizards!”, Balek Irongut mumbles.

“famous last words”

The contention is inherently subjective. Some people want to see guns introduced into the fantasy-setting, others prefer it the way it is now. You can argue that there’s no central theme to the server (I disagree), but the current gun-less fantasy setting is something tangible that is distinct from a setting that includes guns. Lore-inconsistencies and “shitty writing” does not exclude the server from being (at the very least) fantasy themed, nor does it mean people cannot be immersed in the current setting. Hell, it’s right there on the front page; we’re a fantasy-based roleplaying experience. Certain elements, such as guns, absolutely will affect the general vibe and setting of this server, for better or worse, which is what the contention is all about.

I’ve generally been on the anti-gun side, simply out of preference, as I’d like LotC to be more LotR-fantasy-themed than something akin to Warhammer. That being said, there are some good arguments on both sides, though also quite a few flawed ones. One is pointing out the social structures being unrealistic in a medieval setting -> therefore server is not “medieval” fantasy -> therefore we should have guns. The medieval fantasy theme is a well-established, but loosely-defined theme that is identifiable across many genres. The fact that most of the governments and economic structures of LotC are not completely based in medieval realism, doesn’t inherently discredit the setting, to be chucked aside, and used as an excuse to implement later-period firearms to the server. After all, the setting is not strictly medieval, but also has fantasy elements in it, to a greater or lesser extent. It can for instance be argued that some power structures or elements in Lord of the Rings are modern, and yet no one would bat an eye if you chose to call it medieval fantasy. That being said, pointing to social structures in order to justify the implementation of a technology is pointless, as the interaction between history and technology in LotC has never strictly mirrored that of real life. The consideration should instead be based in preference of the players. As such, the simple “I don’t want guns in my fantasy setting, because I don’t like said fantasy setting” might not be an argument, but it is still a valid point that should be taken into consideration. Mechanics-wise however, I don’t see that many issues with the implementation of guns. If the same standards applied to crossbows are applied to guns as well, powergaming shouldn’t be an issue. What should be addressed however, is what kind of gun we’re talking about specifically. Unlike crossbows, most firearms will pierce good-quality plate (which is one of the factors for why it became obsolete later in history ofc), and can in this regard outclass the bow and crossbow. Should the guns ever be implemented, they must be so with significant nerfs, to not become the only viable alternative for ranged combat.

bUt My mAgIkS