Unwillingly

Something that's always been a point of contention for me and druidism is dedicancy. It's always felt like culture that's just validated through lore, because to my knowledge the majority of other magics on the server don't contain this rigid of a schedule. "You need to do x amount of tasks over x amount of weeks in order to even be CONSIDERED for druidism oh and also you need to do this GRAND task that literally every other druid teacher has to do too" It feels very restricting of freeform RP and how people perceive not only learning magic, but teaching it. Genuine question, what's the necessity behind dedicancy being lore-enforced instead of just a cultural aspect, and just letting people teach students at their own pace and style like other magics do?

Hey, thanks for the thorough response. I'll comb through each of your points. This is a style of RP we've been encouraging within the community — interactions that prioritizes furthering a narrative and long-term RP rather than short, one-off encounters such as impromptu attacks or random village burnings (which, lets be honest, no one likes CRP). However, it's a style of RP not everyone tends to appreciate of dark mages. There's a handfull of players on the server who believe the impromptu attacks and random village burnings are the way to go. To each their own, but myself and other players are of the belief that what we pursue now is more likely to ignite a long-term narrative and create mutual enjoyment from both parties involved. It's why boons/banes and cursed idols are a favorite within our community. They're subtle but neat gadgets that perpetuate interaction. In the early-mid stages of the rewrite, I had written a fleshed-out ritual for what was essentially voodoo doll creation (entirely OOC-consent based), something the server hasn't seen since soul puppetry many years ago. The intention was that it would accomplish what cursed idols and boons and banes lacked — something that would perpetuate personal character growth rather than surface-level insanity or cripple RP. I decided to remove it last minute in an attempt to remedy what was already an exceedingly long lorepiece, and I didn't feel like we were ready to introduce such a tentative element of RP at that point. Boons & banes are tricky because they aren't RP tools that are best used for personal character development and growth. Personally, I perceive boons & banes not meant to be testaments to character growth and journey, but accessories of RP and interaction. We made the attempt to dramaticise them just a little by adding "greater boons," but at the end of the day I think they're better left as sneaky, deceiving gifts. For the Taken Sense bane, I added that adding both blindness/deafness combined requires OOC consent, while adding one without the other does not (adding just blindness but not deafness = no OOC consent, but adding blindness AND deafness = OOC consent). I also went ahead and added an extra redline/clarification, as well as some more specific example details and thorough descriptions to Stolen Mind. Do these help? Maleus passively regenerates over 12 OOC hours, but may additionally be harvested through harvesting from soul-bearing mortals. Malflame has never been capable of killing a character. At most, it incapacitates them from the pain. I've taken the efforts not to encourage murderhobo or needless-killing RP, as I'm of the belief that the killing of characers who don't need to die is not conductive to fueling interaction, and does little more than stonewall one player from pursuing potential RP. However, I understand the concerns. The topic of adding a memory-wipe spell is something Bobbox and I butted-heads on a lot in our discussion chat. I have a strong distaste for memory-wipe spells, because I've only ever seen them used as a total cusion for RP consequence, a tool that completely bars further interaction and the potential for a story to unfurl for the fear of consequence. If you attempt to recall the encounter in-RP in any way, you're metagaming. I attempted to create a balance with the changes I made to the Stolen Mind bane, wherein a Naztherak may pursue villainy using this bane as a caveat of hiding their identity, but a long-term story may be pursued if the victim desires. I'm unsure if this would be able to be navigated within the realm of maleus harvesting, but I'm always a fan of unique lore interactions. I'm sure this can be considered for future MArts or lore pieces! All in all we really appreciate the feedback, and it actually did help us clarify things we might have missed or gaps in the lore that should've been addressed. Hopefully I helped clarify some stuff and met the concerns :)

I'd argue a large portion of our lore is non-combative as is. Boons & banes, cursed idols, infernal blood-magic & its respective rituals, gatrov creation & adjacent land corruption are all for the most part non-combative, on top of the litany of aesthetic flavor spells we implemented. However, during the rewrite process we did some tweaking with the combative concerns in mind, and actually have less malflame spells than the currently accepted lore (From 11 to 8). Admittedly it is still a bit too much, and I wish we took the steps to remove a bit more and overall work on cutting down the lore as much as we could without neutering our own RP. Thanks for the feedback :)

real

Zar'akal is a tricky creature that myself and Kujo put much thought and consideration into. We explored new ideas, made last-minute changes, and like the Naztherak magic itself, this is no revolutionary, groundbreaking rewrite. However, there are some things I feel as though are worth covering. Facade. We gave Zar'akal the ability to polymorph, to hide amongst the crowds and manipulate their surroundings beneath one's nose. Our justification is simple: we find it counterproductive to expect a meaningful, long-term story to be produced from these creatures when they physically cannot be perceived as mundane components of the interactions they're meant to twist. Entering any public setting and engaging with the individual character is almost impossible due to the understandable response to kill the 8 foot tall eldritch behemoth standing at your gates, unless we decide to hold our players to incomprehensibly high expectations and standards. They were an outlier by every metric, and to my knowledge, one of the only endgame CAs on the server that lacked this basic mechanic. Mentality. What you see now isn't what we thought we were certain on submitting. For a long while, I was certain that I wanted to attempt to lessen the rigid constraints of the "husk of one's former self" mentality, and instead allow for something that was more malleable and changing. The idea was that, in their Inferis, un-polymorphed form, they were exactly this: insidious, corrupt, and malicious in every intent. However, in their polymorphed "facade" form, this disposition was slightly lessened under the front of attaining a sliver of humanity from the soul essence of the victim they used to attain their false-skin. It was not removed, just lessened, and made on-par with the average Naztherak mentality. I've noticed this particular subject to be controversial within the community over the years. Whether or not dark CAs shouold be capable of experiencing humanity and fluid emotions, or if they should be treated as event-creatures. I consulted player to player, asking for their honest feedback and thoughts on the matter. Many of them concurred, and said they enjoyed the idea of a fluid dark creature, rather than an unchanging "husk" of emotion. But, as you can see, it's not here. I'm not really sure what made me go back, but if you've decided to read this far through my wall of text, I'd like to hear some thoughts on this matter in particular, and what a fleshed-out response under the official lore post might bring. Additionally, please offer your honest thoughts and feedback, be it advice, critique, or praise. I am a novice lorewriter, and I want to know what can be done to improve the piece.

When the rewrite was first conceptualized, we were under the impression it would only take a few weeks, maybe a month or two. It didn't. Between myself and @BobBox, we finished Naztherak, Zar'akal, and the Inferis Compendium in just shy of a year — 9 months. Something many of you will notice is that a lot of this is @Luciloo's writing, and we have no intention of downplaying the immense effort and care that went into what she wrote. Instead of putting all of her work on the chopping block, we instead attempted to write as an extension of the current lore, because in truth, there are a lot of things we wanted to keep, a lot of things that didn't need to be fixed. We enjoy many of the mechanics and abilities her rewrite introduced, and felt that removing them would be a detriment to our RP interactions. Before we had any intention of a rewrite, it had been an ongoing trend of amendment after amendment, addition after addition, all in an attempt to remedy the problem we faced, and currently do face: stagnation. The problems we faced were too big and all-encompassing to submit as individual amendments. Despite the depth and detail to it, we were struggling to utilize our lore in a way that would truly provide to long-term interaction, because the mechanics simply didn't allow for it. For example, in the old lore, there's nothing stopping boon application from being a one-off interaction wherein a player could receive a boon before disappearing, never to be seen again. In our rewrite, we applied an "expiration" date on it, which we hope will serve to encourage more natural, frequent interactions between players and the Naztherak. These sorts of mechanics are sprinkled throughout the lore, along with other additions, changes, and removals. It is a big lore piece. I regret to say that I was much more critical of Luci's lore a while ago than I should've been, and I apologize for that, because the truth is that our rewrite is likely to contain many flaws as well. As a novice lorewriter, I didn't comprehend the sheer amount of work and care that needs to be considered when writing minecraft fantasy magic. It is ******* hard. Towards the later months, bobbox and I started to experience heavy burnout. I did not want to touch the doc. I was doomering so hard. My wife and children left me. Eventually, @Valkireyshowed enthusiasm for helping us finalize spells, rituals, redlines, etc, which I am extremely thankful for, because he did an awesome job. What you see here is by no means what we had written two, four, or six months ago. We removed many initial concepts after reconsideration, peer-review and understanding that what was there simply wouldn't work. Although what you see now by no means introduced groundbreaking, revolutionary new ideas, the main intent of the lore was to create amendments that would provide to the broader scope of our storytelling abilities and interaction. I'm sure that in time, our rewrite will be left behind and replaced with something new, but I'm alright with that. I just want to focus on what we have now and work from the ground up next map with a hopefully thriving, engaged playerbase. Things have been slow within our tiny community, but the players we've garnered in the last few months are passionate and engaged with what the lore has to offer. Over the last few months, @TimberBuff@_Leyd@Valkirey @greisnhave all been singlehandedly carrying the lore on their shoulders, and I want to thank them for that and hope that their support can follow through with us next map. Without them, I genuinely think I would've lost hope and pursued a different niche of RP. With that being said, I want to once again take this opportunity to state that we are always looking for new players to bring into our community. We want an active, thriving playerbase that takes genuine interest in what we have to offer, and want to develop, expand, and engage with the lore. We want to weave storylines from player to player, because in my opinion, that's what makes the magic most enjoyable. Although my last recruitment post garnered a handful of interest, I found myself struggling to balance time between them, myself, and the rest of the community. It's my hope that with this project off my plate, next map right around the corner, and summer coming up, I'll be able to truly focus on the players who show interest. Thank you to everyone who offered input and advice along the way, as well as those who reassured me when I was ready to call it quits. I'm genuinely thankful for the community and environment we've fostered lately, even if small, and want to spend more of my time on this server helping you guys pursue the litany of amazing ideas you've told me about in DMs.

ASCENSION Zar’akal — The Twisted Kings ⛧ Unknown artist. Please DM if credits can be found. A Prince who has mastered the infernal arts may take a final leap into the pits of hell. Though the creation of accursed artifacts, conjuration of wicked flame and sewing of accursed items and trinkets are a handsome prize indeed, there is no reward greater than the infernal ascension from a mere Prince to a Twisted King. For those who have already delved deep into demonology, there is one step left to take in their pursuit of power, zealous service to the Pentacle, or other blinkered searching for promised forbidden knowledge. Through a dark and unnatural rite, Naztherak may surrender the last of their blasphemous soul to the powers of Moz Strimoza and in doing so, shed their mortality. They take up the mantle of Twisted King, Zar’akal, and serve their patron Zar’rokul as a harbinger upon the mortal plane. The ‘akal walks amidst mortal kind as a wolf amongst sheep, luring potential Princes from the flock, and preparing the rest for slaughter. A Naztherak who has dedicated four slots to their devilish arts may take the final leap to become a Zar’akal. Like all prior pacts, this cannot be reversed and is typically only undertaken by those Princes who have truly lost themselves to the powers of the Pentacle. They are often distinguished above even other Inferi as a commander or a general is over footmen, wreathed in embers and ash, crowned with horns, and some even cloaked in great wings. General Redlines - Acquiring Zar’akal requires a T5 Naztherak to possess Malflame, Demonology, Curses and Pacting; meaning four of their magic slots must be dedicated to Naztherak. - Zar’akal creation is inherently learnt upon one reaching T5 in Naztherak. It can be assumed that one is told via their familiar, member of their court, or whichever aesthetic fashion one so desires. - Although the creation of a Zar’akal does not require one’s RP consent, OOC consent is required and thus requires a valid CA. - The transformation into the CA Zar’akal is irreversible by default but is plausible with an accepted MArt. - The emote counts for combative casting are unchanged from normal Naztherak. Compatibility - Acquiring Zar'akal does not cost additional magic slots, meaning that a Zar'akal will have one remaining magic slot to spare after transformation. - Cannot be combined with any other CAs. - Cannot be combined with the Sycophant, Corcitura, or Harsupex FA. - Retains the magical compatibility of the Naztherak magic, meaning any magic that costs 1 slot only is compatible. CREATION ⛧ Ascension of Flesh This ritual requires a signature pit of blood and viscera, also refferred to in Ilzakarn as surrounded by a pentacle, in which the aspiring Prince will enter either willingly or unwillingly. They are then completely submerged in blood, and although it is typical to use the Inferi of one’s court, mundane animals or even a Descendant blood sacrifice will suffice. The surrounding Naztherak and/or Zar’akal will then each infuse at least [30] maleus into the pentacle over the course of 3 emotes each. Beneath the pool, the subject’s mind and body falls into a comatose-like state as they begin to undergo the infernal changes, leaving them unable to be played for 1 OOC day. The amount of Naztherak and/or Zar’akal required for this ritual varies. -If no Zar’akal aid/lead the ritual, five T4 (or higher) Naztherak are required -If one Zar’akal aids/leads the ritual, four T4 (or higher) Naztherak are required -If two Zar’akal lead the ritual, two T5 Naztherak are required Redlines - The Ascension of Flesh ritual requires the proportionate amount of Naztherak in accordance with the list above. - In order to become a Zar’akal, a Naztherak must be T5 and have devoted all 4 slots to the differing subtypes. - The character undergoes a temporary shelving period in which they may not be played for 1 OOC day once the ritual concludes. - Flavor and aesthetics are encouraged, so long as the general premise of the ritual is adhered to. - Although a character may be turned into a Zar’akal against their will, OOC consent is required regardless. Additionally, a Naztherak may be ascended via event lines via whatever means are appropriate for the overseeing ST, be it to encourage healthy longevity of the CA or other reasoning. Redlines - This requires managerial approval. MENTALITY ⛧ Image generated by Glib With their last vestiges of mortal mundanity cast away, a Zar’akal is consumed almost entirely by their Malice. Their newfound form brings with it the catalyst to their mental undoing, wherein the will to walk this accursed path has trumped their humanity. They are selfish to a fault, shedding the moral laws of man that hindered their goals. The primary malice is further emphasized, dominating the Zar’akal’s fractured mind, as well as their secondary malice to a lesser degree. The whispers and nightmares bestowed upon them by their patron do not fade, but such a wretched thing might find comfort in them. The Twisted King may find they hear their Zar’rokul more readily now, or are merely broken and delirious enough to believe they do. In any case, the mastery of their dark powers culminates with the ability to cast their abilities without the need for a Grimoire, their demonic mind able to comprehend, remember, and recall Ilzakarn, speaking incantations without aid. Redlines - All memories, skills, knowledge, etc all remain intact at the player's discretion. - A Grimoire is no longer required to use Naztherak abilities, but they may choose to keep one. - Connection to the magic for a Zar’akal is instead denoted by constant embers, small flames emitting from them, or other light aesthetic emotes. This takes the place of the grimoire emote as the connection. PHYSICALITY ⛧ Zar’akal are no longer bound by the constraints of their descendant-flesh; they are indistinguishable from other Inferi, their Naztherak mutations heightened and their image hideously warped. This new flesh of theirs would be impervious to the effects of malflame. They may emerge taller or shorter after their transformation, reaching a maximum of 7 ft and a minimum of 4 ft, but do not become any faster, keener, etc. Zar’akal possess a deeper pool of 65 maleus and lose the weakness obtained from the connection as a Naztherak, matching the peak strength of their original descendant race. As well, the Zar’akal is capable of casting without a grimoire should they choose, wherein the emote of grabbing one is substituted for some other tell. These beasts will come to realize their appetites have also changed, reliant on a meat-based diet to remain at their peak strength, and such waning should they be forced to subsist only upon plant-based foods. A zar’akal made to rely on vegetation would fall into a weakened state but will live. They may consume descendant races, without risk of negative side effects and disease. Redlines - They may additionally have physical mutations as long as they are monstrous. Mutations may not provide a mechanical or combat advantage without a MArt, save any variation of wings, which are detailed in the ability “Flight.” For instance, one may not have more limbs to use in combat, or climb city walls, horns cannot block sword strikes, spines cannot impale others etc. - The natural state of a Zar’akal cannot be conventionally attractive. Even if a player applies an ‘otherworldly beauty’ aesthetic to a Zar’akal, their appearance should be deeply unsettling. - One may not use the height boost to go beyond 7ft. - Zar’akal cannot be bound by Naztherak. - Zar’akal are immune to malflame. - They do not need sleep, but must eat, drink and breathe. If a zar’akal is forced to subsist upon plant-based foods, such as while captured, they may not maintain their peak physical strength. Their appearance may deteriorate to connote this. - Zar'akal are sterile and unable to FTB. - When not using their Facade, a Zar’akal is considered a ‘revealed dark creature.’ Holy magics are more effective against the Zar’akal, causing a burning sensation upon mere contact and additional pain and burns when struck with spells. - A Zar’akal may be harvested for 5 units of rakir upon death in a freeform fashion. One could quickly draw it from them with a needle or attempt to squeeze it out of a severed limb, for example. - As mentioned above, the connection emote may be substituted for a different emote, though it may also be broken much like a Naztherak’s would be. WEAKNESSES "Immortal, but not impervious." ⛧ Sergei Zolotov - The Infernal Metaphor Whilst a Zar’akal has been given many boons from their new state, as with any other gift from the Hells, there is a cost. Once unaffected by the likes of aurum, such a thing now brings that terrible burn that they bring any other creature whose soul has been altered in such a way. As well, holy magics bring their burn upon such a corrupted soul, a powerful weapon against the Zar’akal. The best weapon against this King, however, is the elusive substance known as Thanhium. Cuts can render a Zar’akal’s casting inert, and prevent them from shifting between their Facade and their true form. Redlines - As stated before, a Zar’akal, when not using their Facade, is considered a Revealed Dark Creature for the purposes of holy magics. - Aurum has the full effects listed within the Aurum lore against creatures with altered souls, causing an increased level of pain upon cutting the skin. - Aurum does not burn on physical contact with the skin alone, but aurum blades, and to a lesser extent slayersteel, will cut flesh easier and with more pain to the Zar’akal. - Cuts made with thanhic steel, or thanhium within the bloodstream, locks the Zar’akal out of all casting, up to and including shifting in and out of their Facade. This prevention lasts for four [4] emotes post-exposure. ABILITIES ⛧ Rebirth The ascension to Zar’akal breaks the shackles binding a False Prince to the standard cycles of life and death. Now bound to the pentacle and their whims, a Zar’akal’s soul will be banished to Moz Strimoza upon the demise of their physical form. In these hellish planes the wretched soul thrives, mending itself of wounds sustained. Zar’akal recover within the following timeframes: Witch’s Mark A Zar’akal may grant any soul-bearing individual an accursed Ilzakarn scripture known as the Witch’s Mark. The Witch’s Mark acts as a tether between a Zar’akal and its bearer, in which it may allow the Zar’akal to bind a descendant to itself for an array of nefarious, self-fulfilling means, not unlike the nature of their own infernal court. Facade A means to lull descendants into false feelings of security, the zar’akal can temporarily take mortal shape by siphoning soul essence untainted by maleus. This form is not permanent, however. A reminder that true humanity is no longer theirs, nor will it ever be. Flight Through the use of wretched wings, Zar’akal who possess wings are capable of feats of gliding; from building to building, down a jagged cliffside, or anything between. RITUALS ⛧ Ra’Ilkgarokk - The Infernal Sickness “Zhad ze’hug, rokmael kiel.” Destroy this land, o’ great Lord. Daena Key A means to an end - The Ra’Ilkgarokk is a powerful ritual that turns a lush environment into one that imitates the realm of Moz Strimoza, so that the semblance of disorder and chaos may flourish instead. Credits @Bonito @Unwillingly — Lead writers @BobBox @TimberBuff @Valkirey @caddisf1y— Feedback & Idea spitballing @Luciloo - Previous write. Much of what you read here is her work as well.

my perspective is that calling someone the f or n-word in 2016 is way different than, for example, having a full blown conversation about how you want to bring physical or sexual harm to them in various ways I don't think either are acceptable behavior, but one is arguably more incriminating than the other. ofc this is very situational and depends on the "who and what," but not all dialogue should be treated the same tldr what @Enlightenmentsaid

you have your friend settings set to private so I can't add you, please dm me @ un-w#7537 Auction closed, thanks all for participating

is this really the forum post to be making passive aggressive remarks about mods not enforcing benign pvp rules or whatever on also I support this. people shouldn't be witchhunted bc they dropped a slur or called someone a mean word once 6 years ago but there are genuinely behaviors that cannot be excused under "but it happened x years ago" and I hope this is something that admins will really see through to in the future

conjuration this conjuration that when are u gonna conjure urself some *******

Skin Auction The following skins are completely unused, and all made by me This auction will run from April 2nd - April 5th, 5:00pm CST Rules Bids start at 8 USD Minimum bid increments of 2 USD When bidding, post a new reply instead of editing it If I'm unable to contact you or do not receive a response within 2 days of the auction, the skin will be given to the next highest bidder I do not accept delays on payments — please do not bid if you aren't able to pay by the time the auction ends Bid Format: Discord: Bid: Skin Name: Cottagerose Swamp Witch Folkblue Russian Gold

what satinkira said, also if you want more description length on the item feel free to msg me and I can do it for you :) un-w#7537

Old Lore Zar’akal are virtually indistinguishable from other Inferi. They may additionally have physical mutations such as unnatural mouths littering their form, vestigial wing stubs, ashes and embers dripping from their flesh, mandibles, many eyes and so on as long as they are monstrous. New Lore Although Zar'akal are no longer descendants, or even truly mortal, their physical appearance may adopt a variety of aesthetics and features which distinguish them from unassuming crowds and faces. The nature of these features may be left to player interpretation, and an example of what a Zar'akal may appear as can be seen below. Purpose

[!] A note is published! Hello, I seem to have received mail regarding my carriage's extended warranty. Although I would like to write back, the aviary services claim they are unable to locate the origin of your letter. If my carriage insurance reads this missive, I would like it to be made known that I am NOT interested in renewing my warranty, and you may remove me from your files. Thank you in advance, Warren

I'll admit that a lot of the critiques I made for this piece when I was on the LT were rather subpar and non consequential, as I was quite inexperienced in the realm of lore review & wish I had the opportunity to make a more helpful response regardless I do love the aesthetics and theme of this piece and wish more lore was resubmitted instead of being forgotten about forever when denied

@Fanglikedur an exceptional writer and RPer and I'm very thankful 2 have met u and u have helped me develop and improve a lot of my own writing and RP style which I dont feel would've ever happened (or at least not the pace that it did) before 2020 & wish we could RP more often @Kiiztria ur an awesome friend n im glad weve been able to grow close and RP with each other and wish we had the time for it more often but also im glad I found another rocket league partner even if u suck and never pass the ball to me and call me vile things when I make a tiny mistake this is for @Nectorist you big fat white nasty smelling fat ***** why you took me off the motherfuking schedule with your trifling dirty white racist ass big fat ***** oompa loompa body ass ***** i'm coming up there and i'm going to beat the **** out of you bitching don't even call the police today cause i'm gonna up there unexpected and wait on your motherfucking ass ***** i’m coming to beat the **** out of you ***** cause you did that on purpose with your aundry racist white ass thin haired ***** watch i'm coming up there to **** you up ***** I'm telling you watch i know it kind of car you drive and i'm gonna wait on you and i'm going to beat your ass ***** cause imma show you not to play with @Valkireyur genuinely one of the funniest ppl to talk to and do things with bc our dms sometimes has me fuckin cackling and gasping for air but on top of that ur also a very distinguished RPer and I wish we had time to interact more often

ET who don't allow their events to be molded by player interaction shouldn't be ET

Recently one of the videos from the LOTC tiktok account went viral and has garnered close to 200k views. From it we saw a wave of new players that joined, upwards of I'd say close to 30 per day logging on, and multiple submitted applications per-minute, many of which were actually well-written. Not sure if this is something u were aware of but when one of Treshure's videos showcasing LOTC builds got on the front page of r/Minecraft, it got removed for advertising when he very vaguely somewhat implied it was part of an online server in response to a comment. real shame but tiktok has since then saved our loss of noob revenue