dard

Was a deciding factor for the name Lark because its phonetically "Carl" spelled backwards?

when can varen'thal come back as my lich

Gruko reads over the notice, scratching the back of his stubble laced dome. "Maukta am remember thiz pinkeh bruke Maukta tue. Latz keep latz peeperz un hum." His mask looks down to the gnarly toe that never quite healed the same way, shaking his head.

Gruko squatted down, looking to the sky as he thought about the news that spread like a uproar across the continent of Atlas. The Maukta spit on the ground, donning a wicked grin beneath his false face. "Nub uv Krug. Nub uv us. Maukta am pleazed. May da hunurlezz bruddahz at leazt hunur da lazt wordz ov dey 'Rex.'" A muffled cackled emitted from behind his mask as Gruko rose to his feet and allowed himself to feel the winds of change upon the desert sand.

Xaleskar placed his eldritch, metal talons upon the surface where Varen'thal's corpse lays. His open, ceaseless cowl stared emptily at the face of the man who once swore himself to his service. He pondered how he got to where he was, how Varen'thal got to where he did. The two of them started down a similar path. Each was a dedicated child of Xion, yet here one stood in the glory undeath and the other trapped within the maws of the soul stream. Would it had been different if Varen'thal took up tutelage under Nasir in his Knighthood? Could it have saved him? Perhaps if the coven had made wise and given him the gift—the curse—that plagued Nasir to the threshold of death... The thoughts were fleeting, the Wraith did not tremble or shake. He did not cry out or smile in a nostalgic reverence. Not because he could not recall what such emotions were, but because he was incapable of doing so. "I feel nothing." The wraithlord's visage remained fixated on the eyeless cadaver before it turned to Adremeich and went along his path. There was one last fleeting thought, the figure pausing as he parted from the dead. It was something, however, not for the eyes or ears of mortal Man.

From what I can see, the reason why there was two rewrites was because there were just different views for the direction in which the magic should change, not because there is a fracture between users in the community. As someone who helped work a little on Geo's rewrite, I will say that I thoroughly respect Zarsies (and the others who worked with him) and the effort he put into the rewrite. I think he is a talented writer and he definitely has some creative concepts I never would have thought of with the magic, some I think better than Geo's and vice versa. Whichever rewrite goes though, I one-hundred percent believe it will change the magic for the better and tackle the problems that the current iteration of Necromancy has both in their own unique way. In terms of what I think Zarsies' Rewrite could use is a magic moderation tool; specifically, I'm talking about the removal of clotting/sapping. I believe that, while you should exercise caution in who you teach, you will not be able to catch them all. Perhaps I am being pessimist for thinking like this, but I've had many experiences where people put on a front but revert to a state of tastelessness when they are not watched. I would like to point out the issues with the Rebel Necromancer charade—where at one point Ghouls had CA hold because of which—where the magic was handed out to people who should not have gotten it and creatures were made out of players who should not have made them. The reason why this group was allowed to get so out of hand was because of the absence of the Black Nexus (which is another ordeal) and clotting .

There is only one type of wraith, its just that necromancers can take a similar path to become one. With current lore it makes sense for Abyss Wraiths to gravitate towards necromancy, and for some necromancers to gravitate towards Abyss Wraiths. In that instance, it seems a little odd for a necromancer to drop their magic for three months to become a Resonant Knight to then become a wraith.

Have to disagree. Ascended and Clerics are struggling with the aftereffects of being shoehorned into one style of RP because they have been forced to with that lore by an almighty being. Necromancers have had some interesting RP. The issue comes when spastics get ahold of the magic and walk down the road asking Joe Blows if they wanna learn Necromancy. Necromancy was originally from Iblees then it was stolen from him. The lore is a bit complex, but if you're getting at why this lacks the backstory portion I believe its because there was no real need to change what was there, just many of the mechanics. So instead of a lore post, Geo posted this as a sort of Magic Guide to lay out the magic more clearly.

Deathknights and Gravecallers have been removed. Wraiths are not being added, they are being shared. Thats -2, +0. Wraiths are also not an "end game" because they are limited. They are an alternative and have their drawbacks to Liches. Even in SotA they are not an endgame, they are a choice. For all intents and purposes, they are still a Strength of the Abyss creature. It does not make sense for someone who wishes to become a wraith to drop their necromancy for three months to become one, however.

The Black Nexus was never meant to be some dark magic holy grail for holy mages to target. It has always been means to moderate the magic, lest we get another iteration of the Nexus essentially removed from roleplay and a group of players who sole job it was to destroy necromancy by spreading it and its creatures to new players for the purpose of lackluster bandit roleplay. The wound will heal physically but it'll have a scar that will hurt as if it's still wounded until it is healed, iirc. The scar can be healed by holy magic. I would have preferred the term "living scar" since it better characterizes it. Phylacteries were being stored in Echests and at bedrock level locked chests that were impossible to get to. The other problem was that Liches promoted a creature that was supposed to be a high risk high reward type playstyle being shifted into a no risk all the reward; new Liches were the only ones shoehorned into being slaves. The number of players who will have access to sacraments will be very low, and only Necromancers who know the sacrament can use the specialized life-drain. This was more so done to moderate the issue of spastic darkstalkers and liches who'd suicide at city gates, rather than hunt down rogue Lichtypes. Also Wraithdom already exists, this is simply allowing for the creature to be shared between Necromancers and SotA under the exact same predicament. There is still only allowed to be four wraiths under a single wraithlord, and four wraithlords in total. Only Liches who have mastered all the Necromancy spells (not including sacraments).

gottem

I'm having a hard time trying to grasp the differences in this one and the one that was submitted earlier. The only real difference I'm gathering is that there are no triggers to force a transformation (blood, trauma, pain, ect.) and limits on which magic users can become it, which seems to only really be druids or blood mages. That's a lot of meat in one day. 150 steaks just about. Even spooks don't need to kill a person every day, I feel like this could be reduced to make it practical. Also, what are the consequences for failing to feed?

Thanks, that answers most of my questions. Would it be plausible to draw up a standard set of redlines? I was more or less getting on the issue that it seemed rather ambiguous and lacked a somewhat definitive set of triggers.

They cannot use magic while in their lycan form.

I thought it was decently well written and it seems to address a lot of the concerns I at least had with it and I know you put a large amount of time and effort into it. Here are the things that stuck out to me while reading this and my concerns: I feel as if there should be some sort of risk involved. I think I've mentioned before a PK system would be nice, or perhaps a delayed death (i.e. 3-5 days to reform) with likely banishment from the pack. I do not understand the purpose of Alpha's being able to decline a challenge for "harming another pack member" when they require two pack member's support. I'd suggest that an Alpha may only be able to decline a challenge if they have previously defeated them in combat. I imagine this would only serve to help reinforce that druids would be the "better" ferals since they could lull their pack mates back to a sense of sleep. Just above it is also states as it can persuade, which leaves it open to the feral themselves whether they would or not. While it seems great for non-feral druids since they are not forced, it seems like it "buffs" druid/feral interactions in the cliques where druidic ferals are a thing. This seems counterintuitive to blood being a trigger. Is there smell just normally dampened to all things but blood? Are these to be enforced? The former half of it seems to be suggestions whereas the cup of blood is not specific on how much time can pass. If possible, I'd suggest to hard define these so it isn't ambiguous. 3-4 emotes around blood, perhaps could cause it. Maybe for the pain have it be sudden unexpected pain or bodily trauma. Is there a weakness to this potion besides repeated use dilutes the effects? This feels like it might become draught 2.0. Is the suppression potion going to be known by all immediately or will it be closely under lock and key pending IC knowledge?

This seems like unnecessary bureaucracy added into the mix. If the user is belligerent and distasteful on the forums, ban them, sure. But having to go through the process of creating a new account seems goofball wack-backwards way encouraging users to not be bothered. You have some instances where people are wrongfully banned, and the harsh reality is that you discourage them further when you make the process convoluted. What of the Community Guideline Violations where it seems to be a way to loosely interpret an overarching variety of issues without much definition? Those users are "banned" but they are not given an appeal date or anything of the such. They have to wait for an Admins whim to unban them. While I will not get on the specifics of vigilante administrative tools that work outside the current system, I will say that it seems like a way to shoehorn those users into a closet and keep them from complaining—or rather, keep them from alerting the rest of the community about back-alley punishments. I surely would not have known if not been for Leowarrior and Chon screeching about it; there are no staff announcements on the matter, it just sort of started one day. This does not feel like a change that would help anyone, but rather a change to create the illusion of achieving something so a person could add a notch in your belt. I do not know you personally, Chorale, but I do not think I would have chosen you to be director. As someone who doesn't get banned, I'd ask you quite frankly to remove the unnecessary red-tape.

“...And it is foretold that from the deepest gloaming the Fifth Lord shall rise, defying his nature as man under Darkness to reinvigorate the flame once within us all.” Nothingness. “Weahur,” the word drifted along the walls of the chasm in a surreal half-whisper as his mind made it real. A gauntlet rose to his countenance. He knew it was there; he heard it rattle in the silent stillness. He could feel the thin grime of ash and soot upon settled upon the eldritch talons. Ashes…? My … ashes… “Hisht…? Do’sek... hisht...” The words shrieked against the air, spoken not. It did not vibrate off his lips or tongue, rather a hiss of a dark amalgamation scraping against metal and reverberating off the air. His gauntlets instinctively went to his ears—rather—where they would be. The compressed upon a soot-stained hood and the featurelessness of his being, prompting the ashes seep down in front of his murky gaze. What am I? “Davu o’daz?” The phrase stirred an anger in his core. It seemed to claw into the stone walls of the Slumber, bouncing around to the top but not making it far enough to stir a sound beyond the chasm’s threshold. The wraith drifted upright upon his sabatons, sounding a cacophonous discord as armor shook and shambled about in this cess of earth. But beneath the violent reverie of metal there was something lighter. A softer sound, almost pleasant to the mind. It was small, amateurly crafted lapuz bracelet. Gently, it clinked upon the antediluvian ash and metal that littered his new form. And soon a sudden a fit of rage and ire. His being raced from one side of the hole to the other, and back shrieking no words, but a maddening incoherent sound that seemed to wretch forth without breath. The being slumped, wresting his gauntlet into a gritting grip that seemed to draw close to bending the hollow metal. I remember… “O’daz’uwar…” The phrase sounded like a low growl as it rumbled forth from the pit of his essence, though it lingered with a sting of defeat. The sound of his metal fingers grinding and groaning in his grip seemed to wake him up from his solemn stupor. The wraith shuffled around through the ashes and bones that littered the sunken fane of earth until it pried free a twisted metal. A burnt metal crown—which he fastened to his hood before returning to face the towering depth of stone. My name… “Xaleskar...” He launched his gauntlet forth, slamming into the cavern walls and grasping makeshift rungs of stone or making his own. He repeated this with his other gauntlet, lifting himself in a slow ascent. Clack. Clack. Cruk. Clack. Clack. The newly risen Wraithlord had been climbing for many hours—perhaps days. Each time, he dug its twisted metal talons into the side of the earthy cavern, piercing stone and embedding his nigh weightless form upon a foothold. He felt no tire or aches, lifting himself rhythmically without the woe of flesh burdening down his hollow form. Upon reaching the threshold of the depths, he threw his form over in a single swing and drifted upright without dirtying his already stained attire. He approached the decaying bridge which seemed to be more decrepit than the last he remembered of it, and the still preserved corpse of a girl upon it. In some eerie fashion, she was kept eerily intact by the Slumber a last some perverted torment for his twisted deed. My daughter… Ro’ya. “Do’sek lithrin …” He wished to speak her name one last time, fearful whatever darkness tainted his words would desecrate a sound so innocent. He reached down, picking up her lifeless form and cradling it in his arms to carry it out of the fane. “Ro’ya.”

"... You deserved better." The lightless chasm echoed the words off the unconscious girl's body and off the walls nearby—as if the chasm itself taunted the man for the betrayal he brought. Nasir wiped a trickle of blood from her lips, the Ringed Sword in his hand clinking upon the stone derelict as it fell from his trembling hand. The blood painted his gauntlets a thick red—that which sustained life in the closest thing he had to a daughter figure. "Shhhhshhh..." He whispered, as if lulling the woman to sleep. Nasir ran his gauntlet down her face, staining it with her own blood and staying his hand as he realizes in full what he had done. Anger filled his mind, his heart—rage and spite towards none other than himself. The darkness fueled his mind, but what manifested was much darker than the ire of self loathing—the Grand Betrayal—something brought about from the cursed trial. He choked on his words, unable to speak, looking to his Brother expectantly, wishfully to be put out of such misery. The knight offered no protest as he was cloaked in black, crowned in Nimdravur's mantle, covered in pitch, then lit aflame. The warmth enveloped him in a gruesome display as it seeped into his skin and lit the dull caverns. Nasir was absent of any cry of agony, rather something harsher on the mortal ears: a harsh, choked rasping as the murderer refused to shriek, yelp or scream in pain to let his child sleep. The resonant spared one last look to Sylva before he lept into the ceaseless Slumber—his body to be shattered as his mind—to disturb the peace of the depths of the Slumber with flame, to be claimed by the ceaseless darkness below.

I am not a proponent for Monk RP. I know the Admins and staff are having fun with Monk stuff, and it looks neat, but Cloud Temple should not become an RP hub simply because it is a literal safe space with no repercussions and it does not allow for dynamic conflict or substantive RP. I'd argue that it should be a 3-5 days AT MOST or you're boned for something like reattaching a limb or regrowing it, however the other magics work, as well. Onto the question actually being asked: if there is to be Major Healing, it should be provided player-side. Give those Ascended and Clerics a chance to use their magic if its gonna be there. It promotes more organic Roleplay searching for players then simply having a be-all end-all clinic. Some of the best RP I've had on the server was when my character was out desperately looking for a necromancer. Albeit, it was to learn the magic (not being healed), but it is the same premise. I imagine it would be great seeing players searching for clerics desperately trying to get that healing before the time runs out.

I'd like to be added to the discussion as well as one of the founders in the Initiative Dardonas#6440

Nobody is advocating horror tier snuff RP. It'd be sickening. Excessively gorey emotes are against the rules, if I'm not mistaken, so turning someone into a gored up freak/head on a torso would likely not be tolerated. If a player tries to steal in a city where stealing is illegal and you cut off his hand, you know what ought to happen? He loses the hand. Consequences for Roleplay, that's all anyone ever advocates for nowadays and people seem to misconstrue that as taking fun away from roleplay. You know what isn't fun? Seeing a guy lahdeedah around towns, starting fights and stealing crap only to come back 30 minutes later after the guards put him down. Its unrealistic, and its created a roleplay environment full of psychopaths who are numb to death and violence as a result. People want their slice of life RP? That's fine, have at it, this won't effect them. On this point, I'd like to say that it should be RP'd this way if that's truly how it is. If you can truly risk death and strain of your body, then it should not be a first resort but a last resort. Just earlier I ran into a cleric saying "Oh lemme do a little 'Light Therapy' on someone" It felt overthetop cartoonish and like the cleric had no value on healing magic because they can use it at a whim. Are clerics incapable of learning alchemy or medicine with their magic? I mean, personally, I'd be ecstatic to see Clerics have a role as a doctor of the supernatural. It fits more thematically in with Tahariae being against impure things for him to only allow healing impure wounds.

I agree wholeheartedly. Since there aren't too many suggestions, here's what I would suggest (vaguely) to fix it. They aren't mutually exclusive nor dependent on one another, just what I would argue has been frustrating to deal with. Remove regrowing limbs of any kind. If the RP has been completed to remove the limb, then that should be it unless it can be reattached freshly (1-2 days at most). Consequences for entering a city you are not supposed to be in should mean something. Punishments for stealing should mean something. I once had a player outright refuse to accept his hand was cut off (though GMs solved the problem). In all honesty, I'd like to see a lot more mangled people on LotC. It adds character to your character. Waving a magic wand and regrowing a finger or hand is ridiculous. I heard that it supposedly isn't supposed to be a thing, but plenty of clerics will RP it otherwise. Counterhealing. Add possibility for healing to harm the recipient even more than before, or have some counterweight to it. Tahariae's light doesn't feel like it'd be healthy since its supposed to be dedicated to purging as well. What should be the correct counterbalance? Not sure. Perhaps make it painful for the recipient. Life threatening healing could use some sort of roll system to see if its successful. If you get injured, seeking a cleric should not be the be all end all. In fact, it should be risky. Perhaps make it risky to the healer as well—it should be extremely exhaustive, only able to be used once a day if that's the approach. Combat Healing. Nope. Nope. Nope. Get rid of it. It's dumb. Healing should require concentration, if you get someone out of the fight it should render them incapacitated for the duration of the fight. Potions should have some sort of reemergence if you're looking for a quick fix. Had an issue where a cleric ran into a guardhouse, circlejerk healed with a druid, came back out. He isn't an issue anymore, but I doubt that such a practice wouldn't be seen today. Dedicate it to Healing the Supernatural Afflictions. Remove mundane healing entirely. Clerics, for instance, would now only be able to heal afflictions caused by other magic. This could be tainted wounds from a necromancer, it could be some form of curse, an infection from an ET creature at the most. Anything really that isn't mundane. There would then be a reason to seek out a cleric, while still making it so there isn't "hand wave, wound go away" stuff.

Nasir is overcome with the desire to nod at the poster.

Nasir's twiddled the missive in his hand, idly thinking. A breath, a sigh, a mutter—his fist clenched and unclenched, clasped an unclasped. He was decisive—yet indecisive. With resolve, he rose to his feet. Sand gritted under his boot, scraping against the worn stone of Outerhaven. He walked towards the courtyard, mindless of the tangled bramble underfoot and dispatched a carrier raven with his response. "The image of Man was not in that of beasts. The first curses divided us. The second seeded tribal spirit. The third shall not be our undoing. Across every rockside, hovel, and deign of land—I say this—the curse of any False Detractor of Mankind shall not propagate free. You will be hunted; you will be slain. The earth shall gorge itself upon your flesh and blood, and cast your souls into the pits of the Abyss. Mankind shall be free from one less shackle that chains it. For the fire is gone, and we are forsaken." They will burn, the Resonant Knight's mind scorned with ire painting itself upon his face, burn them all.

see ya around my dude. I'll probably be active in WoW when BFA comes out if you're still playing that.