Unwillingly

Galahad wishes Rue'Lur a swift recovery, and a prosperous reign to the Rex'khan Daahd'Lur.

Issued by High Prince Galahad of Ílumrin & the War Council of Cauróst 1st of Malin's Welcome, Year 196 S.A. •⊱ ⊰• Prior to the Southern War of Dominion, sometimes referred to as “The Feast for Wolves,” a fledgling faction of exodus elves led by Galahad Nullivari would seek temporary refuge in in the lands of Ravenmire, who was kind enough to host them with little expectation in return. Though they were a modest company with little for an identity and even less of an upbringing, there are those who believe it was their spirit that sustained them among the northern gales for so long. As the winds carried word of these wayward elves, the refuge would experience a steady but welcomed growth of numbers over time. For several years did they linger in the chill as they considered the prospect of a true home for themselves, but the logistics of it all became the most daunting task. The founding of a new elven polity would be no forgiving ordeal, for great legacies are seldom had without cost. These elves understood that cutting corners would spell their undoing, but with little outreach or tools to their name, they could do little more than idle. However, it wasn’t long before the refuge would be approached by a band of Luraki warriors led by Autarch Daahd’Lur of the orcish Rexdom after hearing word of their struggles. He proposed a mutual gain to be had for their respective people: in exchange for Galahad’s forces in the war to come against the Vikelans, his people would be promised the home they sought. After extensive consideration and debate among themselves, the refuge would soon join forces alongside the Luraki host. Though the shared relationship began as superficial and unsteady, each decisive victory served to ease the tension between the elven and orcish parties. With lingering animosity soon quelled, the two built a shared sense of kinship and bond among one another, enough to spawn the desire for a prolonged allyship. With the solidified alliance between his and Lurak’s people, Galahad recognized the need for structure and the expectations laid upon his people for the future, thus the founding of the Ilumrin Vanguard. •⊱ ⊰• While the Vanguard’s origins began as a nameless faction of exodus elves, its steadily growing recognition has earned it considerable status. Commonly referred to as sellswords, mercenaries, or even an independent militia, the Vanguard is a warrior-based body dedicated to the protection and preservation of their ideals. They take great pride in their venerated allyship with the Rexdom of Lurak, their respect for history, ethics, and philosophy, values they commonly refer to as "Elvendom." Though without so much as a uniform or a true home, they believe it is no less a cause worthy of living and dying for. Notable Events • The Begrudging Alliance - Autarch Daahd’Lur and Lord Galahad Nullivari strike an alliance for the war to come, unknowingly forging a bond that would mark the beginning of their friendship and the friendship of their people. • The Feast for Wolves - The Rexdom of Lurak declares war on the Queendom of Vikela, which was followed by three sieges before the Queendom’s eventual surrender. - Siege of Maehr’nor, Luraki & Ilumrin Victory - Siege of Ubuntu, Luraki & Ilumrin Victory - Siege of Hallowcliffe, Luraki & Ilumrin Victory • Peace in the Ivorywoods - Rex’khan Daahd’Lur and Lord Galahad Nullivari negotiate terms of peace with the Grand Duchy of Silasia, who rallied to the Queendom’s defense, marking the end of the war. - This peace negotiation included great territorial gains for the Rexdom and Vanguard, allowing them to establish the settlement they sought. •⊱ ⊰• Lord Commander The Lord Commander is entrusted with absolute responsibility over his people and the broader function of the Vanguard. His job is to ensure their wellbeing and protection, oversee diplomatic affairs, polity relations, and vanguard functionality. War Council Entrusted with similar duties to the Lord Commander, the War Council consists of a triumvirate of leaders whose responsibilities consist of martial advisory, overseeing vanguard functionality, and aiding the Lord Commander in carrying out tasks. Arbiter Though lesser in ranking but higher than the Sentinel, Arbiters are regarded as adept warriors among the Vanguard. They’re expected to not only carry out orders at the behest of the War Council and Lord Commander, but also train recruits, embolden numbers, and act as mediators between the upper and lower ranks. Sentinel Acting as the backbone of the Vanguard, the Sentinels consist of trained and trusted warriors expected to aid in military campaigns, recruitment, and carrying out daily routines. Recruit Recruits are the heavily scrutinized, under-trained elves of the Vanguard. Though they possess little to no authority, their primary duties include fulfilling training expectations and shadowing their superiors until they may advance the ranks. Divisions In order to equally divide responsibilities and skills among warriors, members of the Vanguard are expected to join at least one division upon reaching the rank of Sentinel. Battle Medics are the adept healers and physicians of the Vanguard. Though less trained in warriorship than their peers, this division is expected to act as first responders on the battlefield or times of duress and are to be trained in advanced forms of first aid. Infantry are trained in standard forms of combat, including melee and ranged. They’re expected to be familiar and versatile with their weaponry, and be able to adapt to the needs of their peers and environment. Cavalry are trained in mounted combat. They’re typically those who have excelled in the Infantry division and have displayed aspects of confidence and valor in the heat of battle. They are typically the first in the fight and the last to leave. •⊱ ⊰• Core Values Honor is the adherence to principles of dignity and ethics, to forgo deceit and pursue mercy. It’s the embodiment of respect and integrity for not only the ally, but the enemy, for a mali who forgoes principles of honor tarnishes the prestige of not only himself, but elvenkind. Altruism is the selfless regard for the wellbeing of others, even at the cost of one’s personal wellbeing. It’s the embodiment of compassion and goodwill, for the warrior is not afforded merely a sword to wield against his foes, but a shield to protect his people. Prodigy is the pursuit of the highest standards in all endeavors, for both the self and collective. It is the pinnacle of innovation and improvement, for prodigy is not to simply meet the standards or expectations imposed, but to soar beyond them. Brotherhood is the bond between members of the Vanguard and the willingness to fight, support, and celebrate with one another. It is the embodiment of a fraternity, for Brotherhood goes beyond the connection of blood and flesh. Fortitude is tantamount to the eternal perseverance seen throughout the growth of the Vanguard, a testament to one's endurance. One's peoples must remain unwavering in the face of any and all turmoil, maintaining unwavering purpose and strength •⊱ ⊰• Those of the Vanguard are expected to maintain their physical and mental fortitude at all times. Often hosted by either an Officer or higher, expected training routine is as follows: Standard Sparring Using weapons of their choice, the warrior will engage in one-on-one fights, team-based fights, as well as routine skirmishes among themselves or with most esteemed allies. Hand-to-Hand Combat The warrior will engage in hand-to-hand combat to test their competencies in close quarters, as well as train their response to critical situations where they are disarmed or otherwise without a form of self-defense. Ranged Combat Warriors are expected to show moderate to adept capabilities with at least one form of ranged weaponry, such as the javelin, spear, bow, throwing axe, et cetera. Mounted Combat Warriors are expected to possess an understanding of how to handle warhorses, such as how to navigate an active battlefield or strike enemies while mounted. First Aid The warrior will be taught in basic emergency first aid such as chest compressions, tourniquet crafting, and cauterization. If the warrior is among the Battle Medic division, they will be given extensive training. •⊱ ⊰• Promotion While those who desire to join the Vanguard are not expected to give oath, methods of promotion are arbitrarily determined between each soldier. The Lord Commander and War Council will often scrutinize those of lesser ranking based on things such as work ethic, combat prowess, or time dedicated to the Vanguard. Assemblies Steadfast communication is imperative among the ranks of the Vanguard, necessitating bi-yearly assemblies (once every two OOC weeks). These assemblies can be hosted for a variety of reasons, which include but are not limited to: marching orders, newly established alliances, upcoming events, or even expressing concerns among the ranks. These assemblies will be issued by the Lord Commander and members of the War Council before being eligible to lesser-ranking members of the guard. These assemblies are exclusive to those within the Vanguard, allies of the Vanguard, and trusted peers. Exhibitions Exhibitions are events that allow those of the Vanguard to show their prowess in combat both within their homestead and lands abroad. These are typically organized with their fellow warriors of Lurak and are used as a means to carry out that established bond between the two militaristic societies. •⊱ ⊰• Those who are interested in joining the ranks of the Vanguard are to write to High Prince Galahad of Ilumrin (@Unwillingly), Marywen Tudorix (@Kiiztria), or Avagis Ingeson (@Holyland), should they meet the following simple criteria: - Must be of Elven lineage. You will be swiftly turned away from our ranks lest you share Malin's blood. - Must be either capable in battle, or be willing to learn it. We will not accept pacifists or non-combatants among our Vanguard. - Must be willing to dedicate oneself to the Vanguard. That is to say, you will be turned away should you share sworn allegiance to other polities or guilds. Signed, Galahad of Ilumrin High Prince of the Princedom of Caurost Diarch of the Khanate

I HAVE TO UPDATE ALL MY ******* MODS

Galahad's fingers brush across the section of parchment these words were writ. Over his shoulder lingers a lavender elfess, to which he presents the missive. "It's a difficult thing to come to terms with," he softly tells her. "That our upbringing is had on the backbone of war. I do not bask in the blood, but I choose the legacy it begets. Not them. Vikelan blood shall not go to waste." @Kiiztria

Malphas cackles into the air, bitterness ebbing between its syllables upon hearing the news of the siege. "Hallowcliffe is not their home, it never was! It is a relic of the Moz'strimoza, my relic! Vikelan 'nobles' shall not seize that legacy from me! Tch, they got what they deserved."

I don't hate it but I feel like it'll just make cursed idols even more neglected. they're already pretty underutilized in lore, which sucks because I think they're pretty cool. if we want to make curses used more I feel like we should try to improve cursed idols instead of adding a mechanic that's effectively the same thing, just without needing an object for it like from what I understand this is just the same effect as what cursed idols and doesn't introduce anything new

Justine Thibault “There, just a little higher.” Childish, delicate hands fumbled with the feathered arrow of a longbow at the gentle instruction of his father, Hùrin. His were much greater than Galahad’s, stronger and more weathered, yet ever-touched by elven youth. Though Galahad would soon be fourteen, he displayed a particular reluctance towards the mastery of the blade and bow that Rumil and Carys hadn’t. They learned quicker than him, outpacing him despite their youth in a way that sometimes frustrated, but most often discouraged him. He peered down the shaft of his arrow, arms nigh trembling against the draw weight of the bow as his chest rose with breath. Hurin hovered over him, watching not where the arrow might land, but the child who aimed it. Tsst! The arrow whizzed through the air with what he thought were precision, only to go careening past the woven target and into the breadth of woods beyond. Galahad’s shoulders sank as he lowered the bow, a dejected pout touching his features as he turned to his father. “I don’t get it! Why aren’t my shots landing?” Hùrin had watched the target’s peripheral in reticent silence, any thought well-hidden behind his stony, detached complexion in a way that even Galahad sometimes failed to read. He soon extended a hand in retrieval of the bow, slinging it over his shoulder before regarding the boy. “It will come to you,” assured Hùrin, who lowered himself to a knee to meet his level. He took his hands, brushing a thumb across a palm with warm inspection. “Precision does not measure your merit, my son.” Galahad stares at his hands. Pale. Clammy. Trembling. His breath leaves only in snagged bouts he attempts to contain, whistled from his nose and parched through his lips. Upon his brow, his ivory fringe clung to the thin veneer of sweat glistening there, which he haphazardly wiped away with an arm. He flexes his hands a time or two. They moved rigidly, as though bolts had tightened into his joints and rendered them stiff. Eventually, his gaze falls over the desolate road ahead and the vast stretch of fields on each side of it, and only then does he remember how much his legs burn, how much his heels ache in the absence of a horse. It makes continuing all the more undesirable. While his chest coiled with guilt, suffocating in the way it seemed to choke back his breath like barbed wire, his mind rang with the blinding glare of the inferno. He remembered the way it heated his face, crackled in his ears, and the pervasive scent of charred ash that filled the cavern. The way the rising air never allowed his cloak nor hair to rest fully still, and the sharp of a blade digging into his back, daring him forth. Daring him to gaze. Though terror was an understatement, part of him equally detested the principle of tarnished pride that came with that terror. To be so easily, so simply brought back to reality after riding what felt like the highs of victory. It was the triumph that made him feel unstoppable, like a force not to be reckoned with. And with every banner raised, every victory declared, he felt just a little less burdened, a little less forgiving each time. It was difficult to say he confided in orcish bloodlust, disagreeable even, but he’d be lying if he said he didn’t find it easier to understand the perspective the more time he spends among them. It’s the little details that often remind him he stands not in a kingdom of mankind, but an alien way of life that demands not only to be respected, but to be understood before it is judged. It’s their choice of word when describing a battle, the tone with which they speak it, or the way they greet their brethren in contrast to those they regard as fragile or weaker than. “You would trust the word of an Uruk?” In Galahad’s youth, his understanding of the orcs was superficial at best, naive at worst. He remembered the coldness by which he regarded them, his willingness to anticipate trouble in their every step and be the one to brandish his blade in defense of it first. He knew only the tales of his progenitors, a time when war between elves and orcs didn’t feel so distant back then. Now it felt unimaginable. For all the tests and expectations that demanded his unconditional tolerance of elvenkind by simple principle, he began to question how far it would really get him. If his kin would show the same sentiment if it came down to it, fulfill their promises of grandeur and harmony, and no longer live a pariah to elven society. He would be lying if he didn’t find the prospect alluring, even if just a little bit, the possibility of returning to a home he once knew so well and leaving his web of troubles behind. To be venerated. But at the end of the day, it wasn’t an orc who made him feel this troubled.

"He what?" A dark, cracked beak turns skyward as it spoke, peering at the sunlight shafting through the broken crags of its den from above. Whether it were bitterness, resent, or frustration, rarely would the death of a holyman stir something in Malphas. So powerful this one must've been, Even to these creatures without a conscience.

literally what are you talking about there isn't a single person who thinks the first fight would have gone down fair and square, but you guys are using it as an excuse as to why you lost and are going to permanently whine about how it was the sole reason you lost the fight. pvp being disabled didn't "help" us, nor did it disadvantage the vikelans. it simply happened and staff honored that mistake with a re-do, on top of extensive communication, which not a single person in our VC complained about despite us winning the first time people are dogging on the post because everyone knows that it was an issue. we literally just got done hearing this last week, on top of kowa's follow-up post. this post doesnt introduce anything new other than a scapegoat to blame as to why you guys lost the fight, despite nothing being further from the truth

dude the fight was re-done. like yeah it sucks it couldn't have gone smoothly the first time but it was rerolled and pvp happened as normal ur describing it like they literally didn't reroll the fight, which ur lucky they even did because it's extremely rare that ever happens in WCs I know its a tough pill to swallow but u got a second chance and u still lost. nothing that did or didn't happen would have changed that outcome

ok everything else u said is fair and I'm not discrediting that but why is it unacceptable to kill children in rp genuinely curious what the perspective is here

unless bandits are proactive in their RP and go the extra mile of trying to give the player a lasting positive impression, I think the majority of bandit RP is just inherently undesirable to receive, even if the RP isn't necessarily low quality or the players aren't being OOCly belligerent. a lot of people care more about their pixels than their actual character, which is why in many cases people throw a bigger fit about losing their ST item than their character losing an entire arm in CRP and I think it's what makes bandit RP especially tedious. RPly it should be a good thing that all a bandit wants is your valuables, but OOCly people hate that all bandits want are your valuables and I think it's that mindset that invokes the expectation of bandit RPers needing to be the people to go out of their way to make the encounter enjoyable. I don't really think it's wrong to desire a more enjoyable encounter, because who doesn't? but then it begs the question (considering recent conversation, particularly orlanth's comment on joel's thread) of how much we even should be trying to coddle players, and whether or not catering to this mindset of "you NEED to make the encounter enjoyable for me or you're a toxic player" is healthy for the server

fair enough, my take on the mounts thing is more so just a personal opinion so feel free to discard if you want so like, if you're on emote 2 of charging this beam, and someone who was previously standing under it walked out of range right before the 3rd emote, I'd just clarify what exactly happens (or doesn't) happen to the spell at that point also looking back you should clarify the actual size of the beam, similarly to how you've described the pillar spells, particularly how many blocks wide it would cover. I think that would help make it less of a gray area I more so suggested that you need to take the hit when using this spell due to the fact that people would otherwise be able to use this as a dash spell, which it sounds like you dont want. if people were forced to take a strike upon using this spell, it'd prevent it from just being a functional brisk step if that makes sense. my bad anyhow, I missed the redline about the ally, which in that case it could just use some more direct clarification of what it's meant to do/not do healing emotes don't need to be linear, so like if you want to make bruises/scrapes to be 1 emote, you can make moderate wounds 3 emotes, if that's what you mean that's definitely a fair and good point maybe just a bit more specific wording, but I think it's mostly fine as long as it's implied the threads are able to be dodged/avoided in some way I wasnt aware of this, no worries then

holy shit we're so back. anyways here's my official application for the lore team please enjoy I've never really been fond of spells/summons that have a "two lives" mechanic, and I think that if you manage to kill a stag, it should just be for the rest of the encounter. if you dedicate 2-4 emotes to swinging ur blade or loading ur projectile, and successfully strike a mount twice, it should just be a one-and-done deal instead of having to go and potentially kill it again despite already having won in that regard. it's more rewarding to actually kill a stag that way I really like this spell, I think the limitations could use some elaboration though. for example, is the beam of light "locked" on the darkspawn such as if they emote moving from point A to point B while it charges, or is it unable to follow them? does this work indoors, or only outside where they're exposed to the sky? maybe it's a bit nitpicky but it's better to cover more ground than cover too little I think once again I really like this spell, especially the fact that it's 1 emote whereas most people would have made it 2. but since it's 1 emote I definitely recommend clarifying that this can't be used to block any incoming attacks once it's performed, and you're required to take the L on the incoming strike. also, can this double as a dash-type spell? such as if a cleric wanted to use it to get from point A to point B really fast without necessarily protecting someone? if you wanted, you could add that in and just make it +1 emote count since the shield dissipates upon use I honestly feel like you could buff this to just make it shield from any T5 spell tbh. also the dimensions of the shield should be clarified. I recommend 2 tall, 1 wide, roughly the size of a player model, as well as possibly allowing aesthetic customization (such as if they want it to be shaped like a heater shield, kite shield, etc. just little stuff like that) I guess I'm kinda lost on this one since there's already a spell that strikes darkspawn with a beam of light, is this meant to be a "two birds one stone" type of spell? if it is, I feel it could definitely be combined with the previous spell by simply allowing for an additional few emotes to summoning a second pillar of light, they just feel almost identical unless I'm missing something here since this spell is 4 emotes I feel like you could buff it a little bit. right now all it can do is just knock people over, which they can just recover from in the same emote if they wanted. literally, *falls down and gets back up*. it'd be cool if the stag could, rear it's antlers forward with the potential to create puncture wounds to (unprotected) people, or if it's hooves had the potential to break bones if someones unlucky, stuff like that I also recommend maybe clarifying exactly how fast it moves to give people an idea of whether or not it can be reasonably dodged, such as "moves at the speed of an arrow/bolt" or something maybe I'm just overthinking it but I feel like there's a bit of a gray area here regarding the actual movement of the threads. are they possible to dodge/avoid by the time the 3rd emote comes? do they independently try to follow the target, or does the cleric need to actually aim and strike with the threads? under supreme verdict, having a "revealed pure" clause feels heavily restricting, because how exactly does one prove their purity? word of mouth? does the cleric just hope they aren't lying, or is there some way to verify with certainty within the context of this spell? darkspawn are a given, because, well, you can see their afflictions and be affected by it. there's no way for someone to prove themselves if they don't have any magic, so I guess I'm just struggling to imagine how this would be navigated in RP. even with the following few redlines it just seems a bit more convoluted than necessary, I don't really know why there would be such strict redlines around healing people of minor wounds outside of combat yk gashes could probably be defined better, like, if I create a gash over someone's stomach or their neck, is that still a moderate wound? you could probably just define it as "gashes the size of [so and so] over major arteries or organs, such as the jugular/neck or stomach are classified as major, while gashes the size of [so and so] over the shoulder, leg, or arms are moderate" minor wounds should really only be 1 emote tbh, like 3 emotes to heal something like a scrape or a bruise feels a bit excessive and would just kill the atmosphere could use a simple rephrase to just say "must maintain physical contact to heal" bc rn it reads a little like you just need to be in range. less subjective or vague wording is always better definitely recommend elaborating given how it might compare to other prosthetics on lotc. this pretty much describes the stone limb as being purely aesthetic to an otherwise functioning limb, which definitely shouldn't be the case and should have some major signifigant drawback, or even multiple, considering the general perception of prosthetics on LOTC are that they just have 0 penalty or restriction which makes them widely disliked, because this would just add another element of "no consequence" to the server because the guy can just go get a brand new arm from some clerics. some examples could be, slowing down movement speed by x blocks during combat, being extremely fragile and prone to breaking- which if it's broken or crumbled, it shouldn't be able to be regrown by clerics again and is just gone forever. maybe it weighs you down in water, meaning you can't swim, etc given the above I'd honestly just recommend making limb regrowth it's own healing spell in order to cover all your ground, and potentially take a look at other forms of prosthetics on lotc to get an idea of how those are balanced. I dont have any inherent issue with prosthetics, bc I think having a marble arm made of stone would be cool as ****, just that it 100% needs to be balanced because losing a limb needs to have lasting consequences its cool, neat environment spell, just feel like it could have some more meat, some more functionality aside from the arbiters feeling comfort ok nvm this is cool, this is cool as ****. allows for some RP opportunity even if you die, ignore what I said above this is cool anyways sorry for the colossus text wall. im not expecting you to respond to everything here (unless u want to), just some surface-level feedback of which it's ultimately up to you what you do/don't implement. best of luck friend

hello, I saw you in Haense a couple of times doing guard work I recently did some RP with my friend Kaiser where our elves were having a discussion on their royal upbringing and what they believe in. but because they were from basically two different generations of elves, one was older and the other was quite young still, they had a hard time getting along despite having similar ideas with one another and it made for a pretty cool dynamic there's another one from my warlock character. some time at the end of last year I was in charge of one of the covens, but went on a couple month hiatus. when I came back, it was pretty much entirely changed, had new leadership and a bunch of colorful new people who subscribed to ways of thinking and ideologies my character did not, so he and his daughter (who shared his sentiment) declared war on this new coven, albeit partially out of spite that he no longer had a claim over it. it lead to some pretty cool RP, especially considering the leaders of this coven were once his closest friends and family