Vrahn

Hello Sir or Madam, my name is Cedric and I'm looking to speak with one of the mages at the tower, I'll be staying in Holm until I can at an apartment close by, send me a bird if you are able, and please accept my humble thanks. Regards, Cedric Aurilen ((Matt8883))

Thanks for the updates!

Welcome aboard and thanks a lot for your time and effort, it means a lot to all of us. :)

Name of the Person who Proposed the Change: Whitebeard Change: Taxes My concerns or ideas about the Change: I have to echo what a lot of other people have said about this. Taxing for the sake of being a money sink doesn't seem right to me, players should be forced to devise their own system of taxation, complete with its' loopholes, tax evaders, and all the RP that can come from that. I don't think it will draw people away from towns because towns provide a massive number of benefits, including exposure, protection from mobs/bandits/enemy nations, other facilities close by, more RP, etc. Further, taxes should all be manual with emeralds, I'm actually really in favour of the emeralds physically existing, it adds so many dynamics to the game as opposed to EFTs. I think that we could take the money system even further and have player run banks and treasuries, as opposed to the auto-safe one we currently have, it could lead to some very interesting situations, providing another avenue for RP with thieves trying to steal from banks and player's safes, and good folks trying to build safer... safes. ;) Anyway in summary taxes should be handled ICly with IC interactions and not via a plugin or automatically.

No one has to maintain a DDOS attack... the attacking machines are just ordinary people who had their computers compromised by a virus of sorts perhaps quite a long time ago, they are paying for their connections, they are maintaining their hardware, etc. Increasing the strength just requires you to get more people to download your virus, it's quite a free process. And no one would need to sit there and watch it, it's pretty hands off hehe.

If possible could you clarify what exactly the problem is with Limestone that is prompting the switch?

Thanks Shift that sounds great, very much appreciated. :)

The temp. fix I listed in the other thread would work to get us back in action albeit a bit crippled. Likely the DDOS is from a competing server in my opinion.

It's a little disturbing that we've been down for two days straight with no additional information. Again really anything helps but the longer we go with little communication the bigger this issue will become for us. As a temporary measure which will work to get us off the ground again and running will be to blacklist ALL inbound connections except a database of whitelisted IPs collected from member's accounts on this forum and then via an application page on the forums. This is not an ideal situation, and it means some manual work and some people being locked out until they get all their IPs whitelisted but as a guy who works in the IT industry and has dealt with this stuff before it will get us at least back on our feet until we can get a more permanent solution. There are also a variety of other options when it comes to combating a DDOS, none of which are perfect but they are at least steps we can use to mitigate our downtime and get back up. Also to address a few points: 1) You will not be able to find the attacker, odds are any machines he owns are not actively engaging in the attack, instead it's just a big net of comprimised computers that have been told to hit up this server. 2) IP Addresses do not lead to home addresses. -_-

Hey do we have any new news or progress on the situation?

Thanks a lot for the heads up. :) Good luck boys heh.

Would it be possible to get an update of some kind on how we are doing and what's the status on the DDOS protection stuff? Sorry I don't mean to be pushy it's just good to not be in the dark on this kind of stuff. Thanks a lot guys.

Is the server down again?

Could we possibly get a quick update on the situation please?

Aye I hate to ask questions like this but considering that we're having an almost endless stream of this problem it would make a lot of sense to allow at least one or two other high level staff the ability to go into command line for restarts. Anyhow any update would be appreciated, thanks. :)

Thanks a lot, it's very appreciated.

If you are unable to resolve the problem on your own I would recommend immediately going to sign up with a DDOS migitating service for roughly the price range you quoted per month. (200-400ish), they can have everything set up in a few hours or less and that would tide the server over until a more permanent solution was sorted out or you guys made the decision that you can afford the monthly fee necessary from donations, advertising, etc. That would at least help to get everything moving again as the downtime can severely impact new server signups, player retention, etc. The longer it goes on the worse, I'm confident with the community size that is currently here you guys would be able to sort out a method to cover the costs if necessary. If there is currently no money available then I'm sure the community can rally together the few hundred dollars needed to start the DDOS protection monthly payment. Further down the line a monthly goal that was publicly displayed showing the amount of progress required to cover the monthly costs could go a long way to motivating people to contribute to the server that they love and enjoy for free to keep it running. Regardless good luck and I'm confident you guys will be able to find a solution, keep soldiering on. ;)

Is the server down again?

Out-Of-Character Details Minecraft Account Name: Matt8883 How old are you?: 21 Time-Zone/Country of Residence: Canada EST (GMT -5) Do you have a good grip on English grammar and the English language?: Yes. Have you had any previous experience in roleplaying?: I have a number of years of roleplay experience on a variety of platforms including D&D, WoW, Guild Wars, Jedi Academy and others. I have also had experience running RP communities and circles in the past. Have you read and understood and agree to the rules?: Yes. How did you hear about the Lord of the Craft?: A friend of mine linked to you guys as a server to follow up on for roleplay. Link any previous applications you have made to the Lord of the Craft: N/A Have you posted this application on Minecraft Forum? If not, post it here:http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/832121-the-lord-of-the-craft-enter-the-world-of-asulon-o-f-f-i-c-i-a-l-l-y-t-h-e-n-o-1-r-p-s-e-r-v-e-r-100-unique-gameplay/!: Will do. :) Definitions In your own words, define what the act of roleplaying is: Roleplaying is the act of assuming the ‘role’ of a character other than yourself and then playing out that character’s thoughts and actions independent from your own viewpoints in order to craft a story, usually with other people as well. In your own words, define what the act of meta-gaming is: Meta-gaming is using knowledge that you have gained OOCly to the benefit of your character Icly which they would otherwise have not known. In your own words, define what the act of power-emoting is: Power-emoting is the act of taking actions on behalf of another character without that player’s consent. It also could be used to describe characters performing feats that they should not be reasonably able to do. In-Character Details Character Name: Cedric Aurilen Character Race: Human Character biography - Make this at least 2 paragraphs long, which must explain your character’s history, appearance, personality, age and any other details you deem necessary: Age: 34 Appearance: Cedric is 5’10 and of medium build, his eyes are grey and his hair is dark black and of medium length. Typically he dresses in a clean, professional manner whenever possible, his clothes are formal and perhaps a little old fashioned. When he is performing rigorous work he will dress down to more suitable clothes to the task, nothing overly fancy. He has a short beard that he keeps well-trimmed and altogether it could be said he takes care of himself well. Personality: Cedric carries a somewhat cold disposition in his heart, he is not the kindest but he is fair, adopting a sort of businessman mentality. Despite this he is very capable of blending in with gregarious chatter when the situation warrants it and it suits his goals. He firmly believes in protecting your ‘family’ and being loyal at any cost, to that end he takes a strong view against anyone who would turn their back on him or those he perceives as ‘family’. History: ((Just a note here I didn’t want to go too detailed in the history because of the amount of lore that this server has created and I didn’t feel 100% confident in my interpretation of it all. ;) )) Cedric was born into the Oren Empire in the city of Arethor to a family of merchants of modest wealth, it was a good household for the most part and he was educated well for a his class, at an early age he learned how to read, write, and count, who the people of importance were and especially of the world and which countries produced which goods, which would sell well and which would not, which were dangerous to transport and which were easy money, the list of things seemed nearly endless and as the years rolled by the work simply became more difficult. Yet eventually he reached adolescence where the typical love of the fighting kicked in, he was never the best of students of arms but he did reasonably well, keeping fit despite most of his time being spent on studies or helping his father run the business, a fairly typical endeavour. It was during these years that his talents for engineering surfaced and he helped to develop a number of devices and eventually structures for a modest sum, altogether he did quite well for himself into adulthood. In time he eventually took over the business from his aging father, running their import and exports on the side as he delved further into mechanics, as well as the stories, he enjoyed a good read or a good tale and many nights he would spend in taverns listening to bards prattle on about life outside the Empire, away from all he had known, it wasn’t long before such tales had him turn the day to day management of the business over to a cousin and he departed the city, intent on seeing the sights that he had always been told of. Now, some years later he returned to the Empire, keen on re-establishing himself and becoming a prominent part in the ever changing game of politics, a difficult task, but not impossible, not for a man prepared to do what it takes. What are your characters ambitions?: Cedric at his core wishes to become respected and important, and to that end most of his goals are shaped, but even above that he is looking for something more, he is a man afraid of death much like Horen and the thought of dying, losing all he has worked towards has the potential to drive him to the edge. He is strong willed, and will do what must be done to achieve these ambitions, regardless of the price. Please provide an in-game screenshot of your skin here: http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r101/Matt8883/2012-09-05_232237.png http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r101/Matt8883/2012-09-05_232232.png Is there anything else you would like to say about your character: The only thing I would like to add is I intend to apply for the villain and perhaps magic applications when it becomes possible for me and I was wondering if you could provide me with more information on how those applications apply to characters that already exist, particularly villains as it’s slightly difficult to explain a character’s actions before and after the approval. Also if you could provide a definitive answer for if lying requires a villain approval because I’ve read yes and no when going over your rules in various places. Finally though I’d just like to note I very much approve of the regulation for both magic and ‘evil’, and I look forward to seeing how that reflects on the community in-game. Open-Response-Questions Each question here must be answered with a minimum of one full paragraph, and detail the scene you are given in the way it would happen in roleplay. These questions should be answered in first person. Be detailed, not short. ((I apologize for writing in third person when first person was asked; it just seemed to flow a lot more naturally for me when I’m writing solo as opposed to with a RPer.)) Upon entering the Mighty Human City of Arethor, you come across a shop-keeper calling out to sell his wares to passers-by. The shopkeeper is not a Human, he is a poor dwarf looking to make a living in a new city. What is your response? Cedric’s cloak trailed behind him, the edges caked in mud as he traversed the narrow street, it was dark and soon night would be upon them. By now most shops had started packing up, hauling their carts off to storage until next day’s market. His nose coiled slightly from the smell, altogether it wasn’t the most pleasant trip he had made. The man arched his shoulders back and picked up the pace, there was little sense in enjoying the ‘sights’ here and besides, there were things to do and places to be, yes, a dinner, a quick evening party, the colour of his tunic was clear in his mind as he bumped into the lone dwarf in the alley. Quickly his gaze shifted downwards and he regarded the man who staggered slightly and then extended his hand, a ring of sorts held out for inspection. It was not hard to tell it was a rough piece, likely not worth the price he was offering up. The cloaked man’s gaze turned on the dwarf then, definitely poor, perhaps new, it was hard to tell with this kind. The merchant had stopped talking now, his gaze becoming somewhat awkward as he waited for Cedric to respond, and some moments passed before it seemed the cloaked man came to from his thoughts. “I’m not buying.” He spoke clearly, leaving no room to argue as he tugged his cloak back into place over his shoulders, brushing past the poor merchant who stood watching as the man disappeared down the winding alleys, releasing a resigned sigh. You’re in the Cloud Sanctuary late at night, when a large orc begins to threaten a nearby dwarf. The only present monk is fast asleep, and the situation looks like it will escalate into violence soon, what does your character do? He gazed towards the rowdy pair, pursing his lips as he watched the orc snort, lean forward and spit at the feet of his dwarven counterpart, it meant trouble, lots of trouble. Thus he paused, turning his gaze about the scene until he finally noted the small monk collapsed across a bench, with a smirk, a small one, he then simply turned away from the brewing conflict he kept about his business, whatever the outcome he would not be involved. Whilst walking down the road to Malinor, you stumble upon an old man. His walking stick , looks weak and frail, and just as you are about to ask something, the stick breaks, and the man falls to the ground. As he falls down, a bag of Minas falls to the ground, and splits open. As you watch the multiple coins spill out, you peer down at the defenceless man. What does your character do?: Cedric frowned slightly, shifting back a moment as the stick made its’ unsettling crunch, snapping in half sending the poor man sprawling about on the road, coins scattering across the cobblestone. He stooped down then, firmly grasping the old man’s arm and attempting to help him to his feet again. “You might want to consider purchasing from a new woodworker; it seems your man didn’t quite know his business.” Chuckling softly he leaned down and started collecting the fallen coins in his palm, placing them back in the old money pouch. It took some time but eventually he pulled the ties on either end, closing it up and offering it back to the man with a small smirk. “So, about that question I was going to ask…”