Medvekoma

In the deep caverns of Urguan, the elderly once-Queen sorceress perched over a table filled with a scatter of loot. A human-sized set of steel armour, a sloppily forged blade inscribed with the indescript insignia of a vassal - to her, it was one of a thousand she'd seen before - and most interestingly, a horse's whistle. "I felt more alive this eve, than I had for the past centuries. Side by side with Uruks. Just as I led our alliance against the Dominion, just as I followed the Grand King against the first human empire I witnessed crumble. Fate is a wheel, Yemekar's balance is a certainty. And now I am ever-more certain that the Urukim and the freefolk of the world are just as vital cogs as the chosen Khazadmar." Late on, she emerged to the vale in front of the Dwarven realm to blow the whistle, and was pleasantly surprised when a spotted gray courser appeared. "A fitting steed for my daughter." She remarked, as the horse was given feed and home in the Urguan stables. All in all, the war started optimistic for her. A good sign, perhaps. And she had a pair of Doomforged to talk to, one she'd already met - not even mentioning her daughter. Perhaps the Dark Dwarves will deliver and showcase that despite their rarity, their contribution to the war will be in line with all other clans and bloodlines of the Khazadmar.

An elderly dark dwarf made her way to the Grand Kingdom, a note sent to the Grand King. Her armour gleamed with the colours of magma, wrapped around her frail, malnourished form. "Narvak oz Thrummaz. Kavir oz Umros."

A young Mali'ker locked her tower-home's door shut as she pondered. Behind her, a furnace gleamed with a crucible full of unrefined chunks of ferrum. Each piece, each bit mined from dwarven soil. The embers, the coal gleaming underneath - spoils of Urguan, fairly claimed from Dwarves who've allowed her into the workforce, and whose quotas in exchange she ensured she meticulously filled every year. A dwarf, slain at the gates of Cauróst. Almost in sight of her home, down the avenue... She hoisted up the crucible with a pair of oversized leather gauntlets. Previously drenched in water, the heat nevertheless left steam hissing as she began to pour the contents into moulds. Some of the ferrum slipped from the crucible's funnel and formed droplets of calcifying iron in the stony forge. She did not notice the mistake. "I fought by their side. They are good people. They wouldn't hesistate to form a line between the world and certain death, axes and hammers pummeling at the horrors clawing on Azuras." Thoughts swirled in her head. The description of the events, how they unfolded. It could have been me. The realisation put prior days, events and gossip into perspective - though she remained unconvinced. Besides her forge, a series of parchments wre splayed out on a table, describing her travels to Norland, describing a tale of the Empire far sifferent to what's occurred in Cauróst... again. She would have to talk to the dwarves of Urguan. And she shouldn't arrive empty handed. No, she will leave something more in her workforce coffers.

Lhindir, a legend. I'll miss you. Hope all will shoot to the stars IRL for you bud.

Bring back the auction house and slap a 0.5% listing, 2% transaction fee on it. Observe the economy and if minae inflate, put some freshly created ST items in the auction house.

This is wholly down to the roleplay, activity and dedication of each of those communities. Dwarves are notoriously low when it comes to new players picking a race; just check the recent community team report. Yet, almost any time you visit Urguan there is RP, and they remained a significant factor in IC politics/sway. Frankly, all of this is down to engagement, motivation, IC unity and ease of getting into RP. From IC organisation, to ease of understanding the "concept", to how much of a fictional language you have to learn to not struggle / require OOC translation help for basic interactions. Simply, if other races want to be prominent, they gotta make people look at their RP - on forums, in character, in events - and say "Damn, I wish I was part of XYZ".

I was active on the server through the rise, peak and fall of the longest lasting human empire in LOTC history. I roleplayed initially within the empire (as a vassal & knight) and then outside (as a dwarf, part of the last independent nation).And yes, also as a professional Courlandic screamer. And yes, after all that I returned to RP briefly in Renatus. The peak of the Empire, and the coalition war leading to its fall, were some of the most amazing months of roleplay I ever saw on the server. I actually went inactive after the fall, as I felt nothing could live up to the intensity, the activity and the sheer hype around it all. Johannesburg was probably the most active settlement I'd ever seen on LOTC, with multiple pockets of RP at any time during the day. It left us with memories that'll forever be etched into the server's history. Algoda Frostbeard's execution and defiant last words, the explosion of Johannesburg, last stand of the dwarves, the Savoyard rebellion, The negatives? The OOC arguments, accusations of staff/pex abuse, etc. Also, anyone who actually partook in the Battle of Goldfields will remember how comically ill-prepared the server was to handle the activity unleashed by the Empire's fracturing. I believe it was the only time we reached the 500 player limit (?). My two main regrets, through the whole many months it lasted were: 1. I was swept up by some of the OOC arguments and tribalism. 2. Even as I logged on almost every day, I feel I didn't RP enough during the wars. Try and give the Empire good faith in that they are also composed of gamers who log on to have fun. While it lasts, the Imperial Capital is likely going to be one of the most active RP zones you'll ever see, you have free entry and travel through dozens of settlements and may attend each of their events, each of their social functions, you can get to know their players and communities. You'd rather your /own/ settlement was the most active one? Now you have basically 80%+ the server freely entering your town as allies for any event, storyline or battle you'd host. Or swing the other way and roleplay dissidents, rebels. Join the nations standing against them and partake in RP. Raid the empire, attack their settlements create an opposition resulting in RP (Sorry 2016 Haense you were so close to Urguan it was convenient to raid you every day). Ultimately, RP is what you make it be, and there'll be plenty to had if you ICly accept the Empire as having unfolded, and something you can enthusiastically interact with. I personally will have my character travel around the Empire and write down her experiences everywhere she goes perhaps to encourage people to travel and explore. And I've made a half-drunk promise to Mr. Wolf that I'd host him and some imperials to a sewer event in Cauróst so I either have to join the ST or figure out how to arrange that. At least I found the sewers (2 minutes ago).

I feel the system rewards actions/behaviour other than roleplay, and takes a significant portion on participating player time. I also agree with Aesopian that vanilla+ is superior. It is at least intuitive to new/returning players.

In the half-furnished, shady copse of a tower at the base of the grand tree in Cauróst, now the Protectorate of Malin, a Maehr perched over the notice, reading every word, taking in every detail. Her eyes skimmed over the details. Guaranteed to enact the law of Cauróst as it had been. She was guaranteed the right to worship her ancestors and the Mother-Moon to her bidding. There really wasn't anything in the treaty that'd impact her, beyond the chance she wouldn't have to pay the "Non-human visitor tax" if she visited the imperial capital again. Then, as she sat there, the room almost lit up, a candle right above her head magically springing ablaze. An idea, or as ancient elvish would prescribe, an Eu'reka. "We're now part of the Imperium ... I could access /all their mines/. I could sell my wares in /all their markets/." The realisation left the Mali'ker's crimson eyes briefly reflect a cascade, a waterfall of minae falling into her lap, piling into a glistening mound of gold around her.

Read and decide for yourself!

A young & impressionable Mali'ker read the announcement with a fair degree of delay, in a distant elven city. "Now the elven visitor tax makes sense. It could have been much worse..." She noted, reading the note. The description of Kha caught her eyes. "That explains why the Kha did not intervene to help or save the dwarf last Moon, and simply disappeared. I must be careful around them if they collaborate with daemons."