Ilikefooddude

First off- Huzzah, Orcs!
Anyway, there are usually two ways you can go about applying to play an Orc. The first, and most popular, is to start as what we call a 'Nomadic Orc'. A Nomadic Orc is one which, in their bio, hasn't previously had a clan, and has been wandering around the realm either in search of one, or simply as an Uruk who prefers their own company. The backstory should involve how they came to be clanless (Whether they were born to a parent without a clan, orphaned, or their clan was destroyed), what their childhood was like (Who were their parents, where have they been wandering) and why they have no chosen (Or not) to return to the Orcish society to join a clan. After you've written all of this up, you can end the bio in two ways. You can say that they're still searching, and acquire a clan in-game by talking to one of the various Clan Wargoths, or PM one of them on the forums and ask if you can put it in your bio that you've been accepted. Most clan leaders really enjoy gaining new members, so don't be shy to ask.

Now, the other way you can go about making an Orc is to first talk to a clan leader about joining, asking them whether any of the Orcs in their clan are wanting a new cub, and creating one with a bio involving their early childhood, who their parents are and possibly about his or her ambitions. Playing a cub is very fun, in my opinion, and i'd recommend starting off your journey there, since you'll also be guided by the parent in the ways of the Orcish society and their speech. At the moment, i'm not sure who's currently looking for a cub, but i'd suggest talking to Catarrh or Drakehaze about it, since they seem to have been adopting a lot of young Uruks, lately.
That's the basics, then! If you have any other questions, send me a PM and i'll do my best to help out. 

Thurak glanced dejectedly around the Uzg, a large, unhappy frown drooping across his face. With all of the Feuruks taken, there was no way the Uruk could come to the party. Or was there...

((
MC NAME: ilikefooddude

JOB: Exotic dancer.
))

There's been a bit of a 'Pex' error recently, in addition to a few bugs brought forth by the new map and cacophony of new plugin clashes. A mod should get around to re-whitelisting you within the next hour or so, and hopefully the error will be fixed soon enough so this will stop being a problem.

Also- Brewing stands, dammit! Alchemy's a whole profession, and all we can do is sob while we watch our skills slowly degrade to that of a two year old who found the key to the laundry cabinet. 

I saw a halfling crush an orc with a tree once. It was hilarious. 

You saw nothing!

The messages reach Thurak as no more than passing wisps in his ear, and he neither hears them nor heeds them in the infancy of his training. Nevertheless, a disconcerted frown constantly passes across the Uruk's face, and he finds himself wondering if the twisting in his gut and the sense of doom that pervades him is more than a bad case of the grumbles from a stinky halfling he ate not a few days ago.

I love your renders, man! Also, nice animation. 

Also- This lore has actually already been approved by the LT, and can go into action immediately (As far as i'm aware, anyway). This is just a public notice to tell everyone of the change and to reference later when the magic is being used.

  The talisman would be used as a mental image, not an RP item within the mortal world.

Ah, well in that case, as I said before, the lore for the Spirit Realm  has changed a lot since Farseers were last properly used. Individual Realms aren't really a part of the current lore, though we will be discussing this at a later date, again with our current Shamans and the LT, to see if it's at all possible (Though I don't quite see the point of it, as each Immortal Spirit can be found in the Immortal Plane and this would simply add complexity where there doesn't need to be any).

Have you specified the concentrated drug which is used to more easily transverse to the spirit realm?

The current Shamans know of the drug (or mix thereof), though we would think it would be better if not all of our little intricacies didn't become public knowledge, so it wasn't included in this lore.

  Most Farseers would klomp the spirit and injure it to cure the individual. Also Farseer would klomp them for a talisman of some sort (what I remember from Goldrim), which can be used to enter their individual realm. I haven't reviewed all the lore, but I will when I've got time for it.

Woops, that was removed when I took Curses out of the lore I'd written. One moment, i'll add it back in. Also, a lot has changed since the Farseers had any proper lore (Involving the spirit realm and all that), so many things that I would have liked to include in the lore can no longer be used. As for bringing back items from the spirit realm, that'll be discussed in greater detail later between our current Shamans and the LT.

Otherwise, thanks for all the support, guys!

Greetings, Curse-Flingers and wannabe sand-shifters! Today marks a momentous day for all those delving into the art of Shamanism. After a long while of fiddling and writing, i’ve finally cleaned up (With the help of many of our current shamans, and a few LT’s (Especially Ptah!))  the Lore on Farseer Shamanism to again make it an applicable subtype. Hopefully these changes will promote more ‘Orcish’ roleplay for the Orcs, and help bring back our race to a decent playerbase size. So, without further dallying, I present to you; The Lore!

Music

So, I understand that the lore is pretty long (5 pages, before I did some editing), so i've decided to put in some music to make it that little bit more bearable. I think it's quite moody, too, so enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06H_6oI4EK4&list=TLoShnBuZC84-YaAbLdogExZ-yT9goKWWF&index=4

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INaM813ohL8

Farseer Shamanism

A Farseer shaman is the spiritual leader and guide of the Orcs. Unlike other shamans, Farseers concentrate almost completely on the happenings in the Spirit Realm rather than trying to use the power from the Spirit Realm to influence things in this world, as Elementalists or Witchdocters do. They listen and learn to what the spirits have to say, and enact their wills as they see fit. In practicality, a Farseer has two different roles to perform in the Orcish society: upholding culture and history by means of visions gifted by the spirits, and blessing Orcs for battle or everyday lifestyle. The roles are mastered separately; usually with the Farseer easing into their magic through short trips into the Immortal Plane.
 

The Spirit Realm

 

The Spirit Realm is an alternate plane from the land of the Mortals, and is home to all of the creations of Apohet- though also the spirits of those honourable Orcs who died and were chosen to ascend to a revered position in the Spirit Realm, who are dubbed ‘Ancestral Spirits’. Long ago, the Orcs discovered their ability to contact the inhabitants of this realm, and shamanism was born through the use of befriending or bargaining with the otherworldly beings. Four sects were created, each a different branch of Shamanism controlling or handling different aspects of the Spirit Realm- These being Witchdocters, Elemantalists, Lataumans, and Farseers.

The latter of the four, Farseers, are the most diverse of all of the Shamans. They sacrifice direct power over their own realm by the use of Spirits for a greater connection to the Spirit Realm, and as such can perform arts usually restricted to a certain form of Shamanism. They spend most of their time traversing through the planes of this other world; speaking to its inhabitants, and learning the knowledge they have to share. Sometimes, communicating to these Spirits is easy for a Farseer, and their motives are easy to discern; though more commonly, as should be expected of an entirely different race of beings living in another plane of existence, their wills and wants are strange and near uninterpretable to the mortals that wish to learn more of them. For a Farseer to connect to the spirit realm, they must do as all Shamans do, and perform a certain well guarded ritual that moves their consciousness from one plane to another. Though the details are jealously hidden by the Shamans that know of it, this ritual generally involves the use of the Shaman’s Tools; which include a Drum of animal hide, a Rattle, a Mortar and Pestle, a Smoking Pipe, and most importantly their Shaman Weapon. A shaman weapon, usually coated in Magegold, can range from something such as an Ivory dagger to a sturdy, wooden staff, and is the only possession aside from their clothes that traverses to the Spirit Realm with them.

A Farseer uses these tools to perform a ritual accompanied by a chant in the Old Blah, which usually involves calling to Krug or various other reputable spirits and partaking of copious amounts of narcotics. The Shaman’s vision would slowly recede as the ritual commence, and after a time, he would appear motionless and unconscious, usually sitting cross-legged on the ground. At this, the Farseer’s consciousness would suddenly flow out of his body and into the Spirit Realm, where he may do as he wishes- be it trying to contact a spirit to gain a blessing, to remove a curse, or to simply wander around the ethereal planes in search for an answer to a question which they might not even know.

Though it’s not widely known, a Farseer is accompanied by a Spirit Guide once he enters this realm. This may simply be a representation of something important to them, or their ancestors- such as an incorporeal Lur Wolf- who will accompany them where they walk, lead them to where they wish, or guide them away from the dangers that plague the Spirit Realm. At later Tiers, a Spirit Guide may be more easily controlled, and can even act as a messenger to a Spirit, or even other Shamans who will come into contact with the beast when they next enter the realm.
(When a Farseer wishes to enter the Spirit Realm in roleplay, he or she must go into great detail of performing this ritual. Once complete, a roll should be made- With one to eight being connections, and nine to ten being a failed attempt. Though this may seem a bit too easy, it’s got such a large chance of success to make it fair on the Shaman, as he must roll again to actually perform any game changing acts using this magic.)

Blessings

Blessings, aside from the general keeping of the entire culture of the Orcish race, are the most important part of a Farseer’s duty as a shaman. Though more often used before battles or klomps between rival Orcs, these divine gifts are much sought after by people of all races for their unique enhancements useful in all ranges of situations. As a rule, blessings are physical or spiritual alterations from minor spirits who represent a desired aspect on a person or a living thing’s abilities or properties, brought forth by either convincing the spirit that it benefits them to perform the blessing, tricking them into thinking so, or bargaining with them until it does. Another form of gaining a blessing from a spirit, which quite drastically differs from the other approaches, is for a Shaman to fight the spirit in question. The reason why it’s so dangerous is, as should be expected, the fact that if an Orc dies in the spirit realm, he dies. Now, usually, if a spirit beats a Farseer in battle, he or she will begrudgingly spare the Orc’s life and simply banish him for a period of time from the spirit realm, but if in a certain circumstance a spirit is overly angered by the shaman’s pitiful attempts at trying to force a spirit to his will, then no amount of pleading will influence him to stop. The Farseer usually fights with his chosen 'Shaman' weapon, which as stated earlier is the only possessions they’re allowed in this realm, though as it’s usually something such as a staff or dagger, they’d be grossly outgunned by a spirit’s weapon- which could be something as brutal as a flaming warhammer, or a snake-headed cattle whip. Most minor spirits fight in a humanoid form, though they are all much stronger than any Orc, and it usually doesn't end well for them- Hence why only more advanced Farseers choose to best a spirit in combat. After they've won (assuming they haven’t been banished or killed), the spirit will do as the Farseer wishes- But only once, and the shaman doesn't hold any further control over the spirit. Additionally, spirits who have been bested in a fight may hold grudges against Farseers and make their journeys through the realm much harder.

Usually, a Farseer Shaman will invoke the will of a spirit on a person or thing by first connecting to the spirit realm, which was explained in detail earlier. There, they must search for the spirit in question and either convince him or her into believing that it benefits them to do the blessing, trick them into thinking so, bargaining with them until it does, or klomping it out of them. After the spirit has agreed, it will begin to interfere with the natural world through the shaman’s body. Eyes may start to glow the colour that best represents the spirit’s aspect(s), and a Farseer’s limbs will move without his or her consent- as he is still far within the spirit realm. Soon after, an intangible mist will begin to pour forth from the shaman’s orifices- generally the mouth, nose, and ears- and will start to swirl around the person or object to be altered- though it must be a living thing, as when the mist has been established it will search for holes or pores into which it can be absorbed.

Afterwards, the desired effect will take place and will begin to alter the person's or thing’s abilities or properties. The victim, in addition to his blessing may start to feel ecstatic, drowsy, tough or overconfident, depending on what power was invoked, though plants influenced will appear the same. Although Farseers can make contact with all Spirits- Elemental, Immortal and Ancestral, blessings can only be gained from the Immortals. This is due to the methods that Farseers choose to gain their power- as Ancestral or Elemental Spirits are too strong, wise, or uninterested to be affected by their means in blessing objects or people. Because of the fact that the Farseer must act as a conduit of the spirit’s power, the strength of a blessing is relative to the strength of the shaman performing it. The more experienced with power from the Spirit Realm a Farseer becomes, the more energy a spirit can pour forth from him- And as such more powerful a blessing becomes, and the more people or things they allowed to affect. As a rule, Farseers can bless more than one thing in on ritual, but the more that are added the quicker a Farseer’s energy reserves will decline. Additionally, a Farseer cannot bless him or herself- much for the same reason that they cannot perform curses of a particular spirit. A spirit granting a Farseer a blessing would be seen by other spirits as one trying to gain favor or control over this Shaman, and so it would either end with hostilities between the two spirits over the matter, or a constant battle of blessings between all spirits involved trying to win over the favor of the mentioned Farseer- an event agreed by the spirits as unpleasant and best avoided. To repeat- no spirit will bless a Farseer, or allow a Farseer to bless another Farseer, due to the 'political' ramifications that could occur in the spirit realm. Types of blessings vary greatly for Farseers, but there are generally two types: Those used before battles, and those used in everyday life. An example of a ‘Battle Blessing’ would perhaps be that of Bloodlust. A person who’s been gifted by the blessing will be thrown into a berserker-like frenzy, identical to an Orc’s, though possible for all races. It’s preferred over the traditional bloodlust in klomps, as a shaman can choose to end it at any time- preventing the unnecessary death of the one defeated once the fight has ended. Everyday blessings provide much more variety, however, and they’re where a Farseer’s real worth in the Uzg comes from. The most famous blessing, and perhaps most important, is that of fertility. Depending on the power of the Farseer, these blessings can increase the chance of conception within an Elven day, but also, after conception, make the child healthier and the birthing easier- which is valued greatly for those feuruks new to the harrowing ordeal. Elves, unfortunately, aren’t susceptible to this blessing, as even the most powerful of the Farseers could not even lift a finger to Iblee’s Curse, and it is much the same for any other curse of the four races- they cannot be removed. Additionally, even the strongest Farseer’s cannot improve an ability or property by more than double it’s normal strength; so no lone Orc, blessing or not, can break through a castle’s gate, and no Elf can completely remove the curse Iblees set upon them- Temporarily or not.

(Blessings performed by a Farseer require a roll out of ten, with numbers five to ten being a success and one to three a failure. Only one chance at this certain blessing may be attempted each hour after a failure, as a Spirit will refuse to communicate after denying him or her their blessing for a certain amount of time.
Fights in the spirit realm use rolling as well, though at a different ratio; with one to five being a win and six to nine being temporary banishment by the spirit, preventing use of the magic for an hour or so. Rolling a ten out of ten will result in death, which is another reason why other methods are preferred. Blessings handled by fighting the spirit are enacted quicker and with less discomfort to the victim, as conveying the will of a spirit into a person isn’t usually a painless or un-invasive process, and other methods may be drawn out for hours on end.)

Visions

Sometimes, while a Farseer is on a journey throughout the Spirit Realm for any of his various reasons, he will see an event happening somewhere in the distance. When approached, it would usually seem to be a strange representation of something that happened in the past which involved the Spirit World or the Orcs. The Shaman might see an ancient city far in the distance, and a group of ravens devouring a few Orcish corpses outside the walls. This could be interpreted as an event long ago that caused the death of many Orcs, because they refused shelter and protection for their homes in the desert. Now, as a rule, these visions have no obvious signs of time, and as such can't be identified as a vision from the past or the future. The events would mostly be of long ago, and none would go into great detail. Most of the time these would be used as stories to the Cubs of the clans to warn them of the Orc's past follies so they don't repeat them. Another type of vision, however, is the one directly brought forth by a spirit, with the intent of warning or demanding something of a shaman. Though these are still cryptic, they can be interpreted much more easily by the Farseer, and the message would usually get through that something needs to be done- Though less advanced shamans can misinterpret these visions and cause great disasters.

 

(Now, explaining these oocly- The visions randomly come across in the spirit world are events that the Shaman will make up himself. It'll be used for roleplay for the Orcs, and generally won't be based of any previously known story- As the events aren't well described and the shaman usually makes up the details. The spirit-invoked ones, however, are quite different. An ET, if he or her so wishes, can contact a Farseer and give him small, mostly unhelpful hints of events that will proceed in the future. This is entirely optional, it should be noted, and can only be possible if the E.T chooses to do it, and not by any forcing of the player in question (Who should be reported if he continues to request info. about classified events). These could start prophecies or rumors, which I think will aid the Orc's publicity, which is something they need very dearly at the moment.)

In addition to all of this, Witchdoctors will lose their ability to perform “Beneficial Rituals” on other people. This is to prevent the two magics from clashing, but to also fix the fact that Witchdoctors had a lot more abilities than the other shamans. Their potions, however, can still aid people, but their effects are a lot harder to control and it will be more difficult for Witchdoctors to tell if they invoked the Spirit’s power in the form of a blessing in their potion, or a curse.

Thurak wrinkled his nose as he pulled himself up to the next cranny, the familiar acrid reek of dried sweat assaulting him in wafts of sickening pungency each time his arms rose and fell in the steady rhythm he’s decided upon himself this point in the climb. It was late afternoon, and the withering rays of dusk’s final sunset cast a lonely black shadow of his person across the black mountain’s stone; matching his black mood that dreary evening. All day he’d been pulling, jumping and scrambling across the harsh charred skin of this peak; the tallest one in the Fringe no less, a mountain he’d cursed himself for choosing several times in his adventure. As a cloud passed overhead and drenched the Orc in shadow, he shivered and realised how cold it would get on these giant, bleak monoliths once night fell, and reminded himself to make camp before icicles began droop from his tusks. Ascending to another foothold, Thurak could see above him, not so far away, the clouds that blocked his view of the pinnacle of his climb- grey and unsaturated blobs that Thurak mused could hold tears just as easily as rain with their melancholy appearance.
The Uruk’s ear flicked at the sound a high, sharp yip, followed by the tumble of loose rocks down a mountainside. It’s STILL following!? He scowled, glancing down for a moment to confirm his assumption. Poots, a deranged and thoroughly demonical Hyena who Thurak had found within his teachers blarg the day after she left, had taken it upon himself to plod nonchalantly behind the Orc as he’d began on his trip towards the southern mountains, and no amount of shouting or nudging would seem to deter him- who was half deaf and blind already, no doubt. Either way, Thurak was surprised he’d made it this far, and he wondered if it was because of this resilience that Kroga had chosen him as her companion for all of those years. Among the more useful things he’d been lent by his missing teacher was the small passage of text that had led him on this expedition; written not in the usual cryptic verses of the old Feuruk’s hand but instead straight and blunt, detailing his mission precisely.

"Once one understands the importance of blood, one must come to learn the importance of determination. A shaman must be able to see beyond things, to see both what is within our world and that of spirits. We as shamans must understand balance between our worlds, the precarious sway of the two forever swirling in a vortex of insurmountable power. But even within all this raw power there is fragility. Even the most virile and powerful orc must realize he too, can be struck down. He too, can succumb to weakness if he does not fight with all of himself. And it is within this, I shall send my students on a quest to test their own strength, not of body but of will and heart. I send them away to the tallest and steepest of mountains, above the clouds where the air is thin and their great size and strength shall become a painful burden. Their task is to find a star fallen to earth, nestled into the thick green leaves as it lay there upon the earth. They are to pluck this fallen star from its bed, and carry it back to the camp without its light fading. If they can succeed in this, they will come to learn more of the fragility of their own bodies and begin to strengthen their spirit for the tasks ahead.”

With a sudden start, Thurak realised he couldn't see. Around him was thick, blank canvas- cold enough to send static shivers down his spine and so sudden that he gripped against the rock face with renewed vigour- certain that should he move he would plummet to his doom. And just as quickly, it was gone. As tendrils of the cloud blew away into the distance the Orc released his pent up breath and resumed climbing. So preoccupied with his thinking and so used to the constant drill of lifting himself up and up he hadn't even noticed he’d reached the cloud line! Still above him was more of the insubstantial mist, but he was certain that soon he’d pass that complete and open sky would greet him.
As the hour moved on, Thurak found that, just as the verse had described, breathing up here was becoming increasingly difficult and strained, and each sip of air was less fruitful than the last in helping him catch his breath. Despite their thick skin, Orcs had little affinity to the cold, too, and as the sun finally ducked beyond the horizon Thurak could do no more than shiver uncontrollably and wince each time a cloud washed over him- drenching him from head to toe in icy condensation. He was determined, however, that just beyond the next cloud would be the peak- and if not this, the next. Each time he repeated this to himself until finally, with a bone chilling breeze that swept aside the gloom around him the early night air was exposed in all of its glory- blending with the nearby peak of the obsidian mountain in a mottled black and charcoal. Within the hour, trembling with exhaustion, Thurak collapsed against the flat stone of the mountaintop panting and shivering with the fatigue of his day’s journey. As he wearily pulled a woollen blanket from his pack then across his curled body he felt a soft, warm pressure up against him, digging its way beneath the sheet. Too tired to be annoyed, Thurak found a short smirk creeping across his features, strangely glad that Poots had managed not to kill himself on the trek upwards to the peak.
Closing his eyes, the Uruk slept throughout the night, warmed by his blanket and his companion, and content that the hardest part of his journey was done.

A groan poured from the Uruk’s chest as he pulled the blanket from him, followed by indignant yapping from Poots who scrambled to his feet and began to pace around in wobbly, concentric circles . Every muscle in his body ached, and his tight ligaments burned and threatened to tear as he rose trembling to his feet. It was mid-morning, and the sun was warm enough to calm most of the initial violent shivering that had overcome him at the shock of removing his sheet. Glancing around, he finally took stock of his surroundings- hard, black stone as always, with no sign of the fallen star he would supposedly find atop this steepest mountain of the Fringe; expecting as much but no less annoyed by the prospect of spending more time with the blistering winds of the mountaintop. He set out to circumnavigate the peak, leaving the deranged Hyena to his plodding and growling for the time being.
After twice doing such, the second to make sure he didn’t miss anything, a short pang of despair clawed at Thurak’s chest. He’d found no sign of anything remotely like a fallen star, and all rocks on the monolith’s pinnacle were all black, jagged and cold. Is this the wrong mountain? He found himself thinking, doubting his choice with a scowl. When he made his way back to Poots, who was pawing and sniffing at a dilapidated piece of shrubbery hanging from the side of the mountain, he nudged him angrily with then end of his boot. The Hyena cackled softly; a low, disconcerting sound, though continued his wanton fascination with the bush. Frowning, he stepped forward to examine what it was that held the pup’s such devoted attention, and furrowed his brows in through. A tiny, fragile flower grew amongst a bed of soft leaves, completely unlike the rest of the scrappy vegetation elsewhere around the mountaintop. Its petals were a soft, calm grey, adorned with a dull gold lustre across its edges which gave the plant startling outline against the dark greens of its leaves. Bending down and kneeling beside it, Thurak exhaled with a sigh and let a victorious grin spread across his face. Not the star he’d been thinking of, but every bit as precious and fleeting as that gleaming metal that chanced to fall from the heavens.

The journey back would definitely be interesting, Thurak mused, as he cupped his hands around the base of the plant and began to dig it from its sanctuary atop the mountain. 
 

OOC

Well! That ends the second chapter of Thurak's trip to becoming a Shaman. Apologies for the length and the time it took to write- I believe I got a bit carried away with this one! Though I won't be posting again until Thurak first connects to the spirit realm, be sure to keep an eye out for Thurak asking for companions for a trip, as he's still got a few trials to go and I enjoy, with the help of ET's, creating events for those who would like to join in. Thanks for reading, and keep watching for the next update if you're at all interested!

Thurak glanced over the pile with a nod of approval, happy with their clan's efforts of collecting so many of the severed heads. As the goblins bagged them and began taking them away, the Orc had a faint sense of disappointment at seeing the spoils of so many of their battles being carted away, though shook it off quickly. That was the price should Braduk wish to return, and he couldn't truthfully say he hadn't enjoyed collecting the it from the corpses of those he and his brothers had slain.

That happens sometimes, though isn't really 'fixable', it's mostly because of where the server is based and such. Try using the IP: mc.lotc.co
Usually that will help. Use it more than once, if the Connection Timeout persists, it has nothing to do with you not being accepted. 

Hi! Can't wait for the map, and as usal all the rp that comes with it, but I have one question, will land only be claimable by the kingdoms? Or rather by the first people who get to it, and size by how many people want to live on it, like in most of the minor maps?obviously, this going to be a large, and hopefully long lasting major map, so, I'm just wanting to know...

There will be several 'main' regions which will be claimed by the nations as a whole which require around thirty or forty members. There's also another 'non-nation' regioned area which will probably be claimed by Alras which needs fifty players to band together to claim it. Additionally, smaller plots will dot the map which require only one or two players so people can live out by themselves if that's their wish. 

Will there be advanced protection against griefing and malicious acts? Just curious.

A lot of the new map will be regioned with varying sized plots, meaning that if you claim and build within them blocks can't be broken inside them. If you build in a non-regioned area you can, unfortunately, still be griefed, but this is still against the rules and a simple /modreq can get whoever destroys your home in a lot of trouble. I'm not quite sure about the Minecraft-Generated portion of the map, however, though I think griefing there is 'allowed'.

The world painted part of the map is much smaller than Anthos. It's well confined and set out, and from the Orcish Savannahs you can even see the Dwarven tents up on their mountains. It's bigger with the minecraft generated area, though most roleplay will be done inside the Build areas of the map. I've heard that it only takes three minutes walking (not running) to reach the closest city from spawn, then another three from that, and so on. 

For those who are looking for a text to read out, I'd definitely suggest the first few lines from Tolkien's 'The Hobbit'. It's mellow, moody, and kinda fitting :D 

In a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means * comfort. It had a perfectly round door like a parthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass nob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube-shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chars, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats- the hobbit was fond of visitors.

*Good food, a warm hearth, and all the comforts of home.

Thurak let a small, displeased frown spread itself across his face as he found himself pondering the news of the False Titles and Uruk Rebellion; his fingers tracing the harsh, twisted lines of the hardwood staff that he'd forged not too long ago- now deep in thought. As an Elder, and especially as a Shaman, Thurak's choice should reflect the best interest of the Orcs, and as of yet he knew not what they were. The Dom's clan's rise had brought forth a great amount of new Uruks, and their Goi was now as well defended as it had ever been. In addition, this 'Thrusk' was supposedly the strongest Orc of the Uzg; who had indeed fought his way to the Rexdom against all other competitors.
And yet still, he did not trust their power.
Dom was a name that rung faintly in his mind, whispering of bad omens and the corruption of power that was never meant to be. Likewise, he had never before seen nor heard of this Thrusk, and he found himself doubting the faith he usually had in those who he counseled. Grogmar had indeed been absent from the tournament, that alone rendering it illegitimate despite its outcome, and the Dominus at the time had been Thore, not the self-proclaimed Erok. The whole situation reeked of treachery and plots. It reeked of the Doms he was always told never to trust.

Thurak's chest rippled into a snarl as he stamped the butt of his staff against the hard sandstone ground, causing the bells that adorned it to ring a solemn tune. A harsh display of emotion crossed his face as he proclaimed to himself, decided;
"Ah pledg mah Hammah agh Ztaff tu da riyteengz ob wrungz. Da Domz wil nub taek powah, da Domz wil nub taek da Rekzdum; Da Domz wil nub taek da Urukz az dey hab dem mani tikz befur! KRUG!"

I agree with Lago mostly, though have nothing strongly against the idea. I believe

that this type of Event Roleplay is excellent and diverse, and that it is important

that it becomes more common in every playerbase, not just the Orcs'. However,

performing a series of events that will run on for a while that use Shamanism as

a base and 'excludes' Orcs would hold us from a great deal of quality roleplay

that we desperately need at the moment. Simply having a lone man, probably

played by an ET member, handling these events by himself is a massive waste

of the opportunities this type of roleplay can bring for normal players. Additionally,

as Lago outlined, having a player, knowledgeable staff member or not, using

Shamanism that isn't monitored could bring forth a plethora of complications and

conundrums that would best be avoided. 
Don't take this to be a selfish request, however- quite the opposite, in fact! Even

though the Orcs need this type of roleplay, keeping it from everybody else would

be extremely detrimental to our race anyway, as we'd become secluded, cut off,

and generally a playerbase living off events that won't last and will get boring quickly.

Instead, I believe that the best way to do this is to indeed have these events open

to all races, but to somehow directly incorporate the Orcs into it so they don't miss

out.
With the public release of the new Farseer Shamanism lore, a few changes to the

current Farseer Shamans, and a few other surprises our current Head Shaman

has whipped up, within the next few weeks I can guarantee that we'll see a massive

increase in the 'Spirit Realm Blanace' type of roleplay for everyone which should

help to maintain the Orc's playerbase's members for a long while to come.

Sorry if something's not worded out right, or I didn't explain myself quite right. It's

pretty late for me, so i'll get some sleep and sort anything out in the morning.

The faint noises of twigs snapping and falling to the undergrowth below were barely heard above the ruckus of the mid-morning jungle canopy and the laboured breath of the Orc who was trying to climb it. Thurak’s hands and arms ached from the day’s fatigue, and a rebellious bead of sweat had started to slide troublesomely down his face. He wiped it off with an angry swish of his free hand, and pulled himself up to the next branch. He’d been at this since the early point of dawn- Climbing, swearing, and searching for just the right type of branch. It sounded like a pointless job as he thought about it, brushing aside leaves as he ascended further up the behemoth’s wooden trunk; searching for a twig amongst woodland full of the blasted things. But this one had to be just right. It would have to last a lifetime, after all.
Much to the dismay of the Orc, it soon became apparent that he’d nearly come to the top of his climb. Indeed, the branch he wanted would most likely be on the highest canopy of some towering pillar of wood, but he knew wouldn’t enjoy the climb down nearly as much as he had the climb up- And not much could be said for that, either. With a sudden burst of blinding light, Thurak broke to the surface of the tree’s leafy expanse. He was at the top. As he glanced around, he slowly realised how high he actually was. Then, dauntingly, he realised how high he wasn’t.

With a grunt, and a dismissive shake of his head, he chose to ignore the swaying sentinels and continue the task at hand. After much time spent slashing awkwardly through leaves and smaller branches, he finally grinned with pleasure at what he found beneath them- A branch the perfect size for what he’d come for. He placed it across his knees, wiped the leaf litter from his dagger onto his loincloth, and proceeded to carve out the wood, humming happily the whole while.

On the evening two days after, Thurak stumbled inside his blarg; hot, panting, and overwhelmingly tired. He shuffled over to his bench, wiping a pool of sweat from his brow with a filthy rag from his loincloth. There he placed the small, wooden object he’d made those two days before- A carved smoking pipe. He set it beside various other miscellaneous objects, glancing down at them with a faint hint of fondness. There laid many weeks of his hard work: a small drum, made from the hide of an ancient Braduk Rhino, a rattle made from dried, hard cocoa beans from the sturdiest jungle trees, a mortar and pestle he carved himself from the rocks of the southern mountains, and finally his most prized object; a long, wooden staff. The object was of fine make from fine materials, and was adorned with many runic carvings across its length. At the tip was secured a small golden nob; which when examined carefully would seem to be made of ivory coated in a thick layer of Arcaurum- more commonly known as magegold. He’d used the last of the Braduk Rhino horns to embellish the staff, and wasted no expense finding the purest magegold to coat it. Across its length, small gems of malachite were imbedded into the wood; cleaned and polished until they shone. These would be the tools he would use for many years to come- not as a warrior anymore, and not even as an alchemist, but as a shaman. His journey as a Farseer of the Uzg would be a long one, but a path he would take gladly; with the help of Kroga and the other Shamans, Thurak would soon join the ranks as the newest Farseer of the Uruks. 
 

Thurak sauntered slowly into his teacher’s blarg, an empty bucket

tucked under his arm and a displeased expression on his face. He’d

failed this test, he knew, and he’d have to do much better in the

future should he wish to proceed in his training.
“Kroga!” He called, nudging aside the vines that always blocked his

entry into the musky hallway, “Kroga, ah-“ He paused, ear twitching.

Nobody was inside, it seemed; which was strange, as Kroga had said

to meet him there after he’d completed the test. A large mountain of

books had been moved to the end of the hallway, each of them dusty

and worn. Beside them, the form of a grey, gnashing hyena faced

the wall, drooling as he stared blankly at the bricks. Thurak edged

slowly away, hoping it wasn’t diseased or possessed or something.
The Uruk grumbled as the back of his head knocked a heavy wooden

sign, swearing that it wasn’t there before. As he turned to examine it,

his pained expression switched to one of intense curiosity.
“For Thurak”
A book sat below, new unlike the many others that littered the badly

organised library that was the Shaman’s abode. Strangely enough, it

was his name that was the title, written in the harsh ink of Kroga

herself. He cautiously lifted it from its pedestal of rotting Elf skulls,

brushed off the debris of flesh, and flipped open the cover.
“Thurak, ahm leevin. Diz am ull latz nuw.”
 

And, yet again, Thurak has to walk this path alone. 

So! This is the start of my journey into Shamanism. Expect a lot more posts about Thurak's travels in the future, detailing his various visions and such. Poots the Hyena will be tagging a long, too, so don't forget about him! Hope you enjoyed the read.

Thurak ponders his and his clan's history alone in his blarg; his memories sharp of the hot deserts and raging battles, but lacking information in some places and having forgotten masses of it over his century of hard life with the Orcs and two years in captive service with the Great Wyrm, Setherien. It was a good story to remember, nonetheless, though he mourned his losses silently and how far the clan had plunged due to his absence.
He also agrees that, indeed, his virgin brother Gor WAS the worst chieftain Braduk had ever seen.

Apologies if this has already been said, since I haven't read all of the five pages of comments, but while using this magic and taking 'mana' from the blood from another (Should the caster be past Tier Three), wouldn't  the person who's blood is being used be prevented from using magic, since they would lack the required mana?
Apart from that, I like the lore! Great job writing it, and i'd love to see where it could go being brought into the server again.

The Plague gave me and hopefully the other Alchemists a great chance to roleplay and to fully delve into a side of the art that's usually left alone, which is 'myths'. The 'cure' that was made, as many know, is a Panacea, or a cure all, which is a highly balanced, highly water-centered potion capable of healing (if correctly made) any illness or any wound. Of course, we couldn't simply make one completely balanced that would heal everything because we needed the cure to be somewhat easily made, so we opted for a weaker potion concentrating on the plague only, which is why infected blood and other infected substances were needed for the brewing.
Anyway, that's the end of today's alchemy lesson!
+1 for the plague for the fun Alchemist roleplay.

Items For Sale

Reagents

Blood Lotus
An average fire symbol, representing heat and strength. Useful in potions needing a calmer portrayal of fire. Sold powdered or as a live, flowering specimen. 

 

Goblin's Ivy
A somewhat weak earth symbol expressing resilience and life in potions. Useful in potions of Stoneskin, Fortitude or Strength, though slightly toxic. Sold powdered or infused into a moderately concentrated liquid.

Frost Vine
A water symbol of ice, calmness and release. Can be used in oils of frost or potions of mending, though also as a numbing agent. Sold powdered or infused into a moderately concentrated liquid.

 

Elrow Berries
A spicy symbol of fire, representing power, anger and destruction. Useful in a great range of poisons and potions, though also as a food additive. Sold powdered only.

 

Elf's Hair

A potent symbol of air, portraying speed and grace. Useful in potions of swiftness and haste. Sold in powdered form or as a nectar. 

 

Dwarven Pumpkin

A somewhat strong symbol of fire expressing power and destructions. Useful in potions focused around fire or something in need of power. Sold powdered only. 

Saffvil
A strong symbol of earth, resilience and decay. Useful in all sorts of deadly poisons with a blood-coagulating effect upon consumption. Sold freshly bundled or infused into a moderately concentrated liquid.

 

Swamp Blossom Nectar
An average symbol of air representing speed and motion. Can be used in potions of swiftness or mending, though is also capable of nullifying the blood-coagulating effects of Saffvil in potions. Sold as a nectar.

 

Mandragora

An expensive symbol of water useful in potions involving clarity or regeneration. Sold powdered only.

 

Tippen's Root
An average symbol of earth portraying fortitude, strength or balance. Useful in potions of mending or as a herb to stop the bleeding of nearly any wound. Sold powdered or as a balm.

 

Night Sap

 

A mediocre symbol of earth, endurance and strength. Can be used in poisons to give them a sweet taste or as a strong sleeping agent lasting for one to two hours. Highly addictive. Sold as a nectar.

 

Alabaster Leaf

A moderate symbol of earth representing fatigue or endurance. Useful in weak, slow acting poisons, potions of fatigue, or, if prepared right, strong antidotes. Sold freshly bundled or powdered.

 

Serpent's Stalk
A weak symbol of water, calmness and relief. Useful in potions of mending or calmness. Sold powdered or in fresh cuttings.

Flametongue Root
An average symbol of power expressing power, pain and torment. Useful in fire-centered potions and poisons or as a harsh blood coagulator giving an intense burning sensation. Sold powdered or as a whole root.

Miner's Helment

A weak symbol of earth representing resilience, strength and poison. Useful in potions of strength or strong poisons. Sold powdered or as a deadly toxic slime. 

Potions

Mending
Knits flesh back together and stops bleeding altogether in a short amount of time depending on its strength or the wound's severity. Sold weak or moderate- Strong upon special request.

Strength
Grants the consumer increased strength and fortitude for a limited amount time, with after effects involving weariness and fatigue. Sold weak or moderate.

 

Waterbreathing

Grows gills and flipper-like flesh conjunctions between fingers and toes on the consumer for a short amount of time. User cannot breath above water when active. Sold weak or moderate.

 

Acuity
Increases the senses of the user temporarily, including eyesight, taste, touch, smell and hearing. Loud noises may be painful and clothes uncomfortable. Sold weak or moderate.

Celerity
Allows the user increased limb movement and reaction speed. Fatigue or fainting may occur during of after use. Sold weak or moderate.

Oil of Fortitude
Can be used on various objects to further increase their strength. Prevents most sword or arrow strikes from piercing chainmail or leather armour. Has a chance to rust chain or iron armour to the point that it's unusable and joints refuse to move. (Requires a modreq and an item to use on)

 

Poisons

Various poisons are sold upon special request for the desired circumstance. Side effects vary, sold weak, moderate, or strong.

Plague Panacea
Temporarily cures and vaccinates the user from the Blackfoot Plague. Free upon request if already infected.

I'll give it a shot, I suppose. Though, remember, Dark Elves aren't really ever purple- only grey to black skin tones.

Thurak chortles as news of the infamous High Elven note

reaches his ear; and with a shake of his head addresses the

Uruks nearby in the communal smoking hut with an amused exclamation.

"Whuupz. Wai nub'azh blah mi diz skah?

Hrmhrm, peepz biznizz wiff da Albaiz am owd

ob da kweztiun, den."

He lets a small, displeased frown twitch across his face at that,

then shrugs, deciding that his alchemy shop doesn't get any

business anyway.