nickrocky213

+1 actually understands the economy, and made an absurd amount of money last map and legit still makes stupid amounts of money

Patching time!

This is a high tier **** post +1

Yay I get to cry first!

Whats that... the sound of a train...

Nope its the sound of techlock that's about to slap the hell out of this piece

(I like the idea of trains for fast travel and all but uh, the line has got to get drawn in the sand. Steampower should stay at the current status quo)

Already in the works, we want to basically encompass Vortex stuff first, but want to keep it compatible with other peoples personal texture packs. I.E our textures dont change block textures, and such. 

The Ashwood Tree

A distant relative to the Elderwood tree, the Ashwood Tree has adapted itself to survive in areas that have become overcrowded with flora. The Ashwood Tree is native to the small continent of Vailor, although not exclusively so, they are rarer in other locations. The Ashwood Tree is considered a symbol of the Norlandic people, and as such they have seen fit to bring the original Ashwood tree from Seahelm and its descendant seeds and saplings with them whenever the descendants are forced to migrate to new lands, planting it in the middle of their settlements. The Ashwood tree is also typically depicted with empty nooses or bodies hanging from its large barren branches, as the Ashwood Tree is used quite frequently to hang criminals as its strong branches will not break under the weight of most descendant creatures. Gaining most of its nutrients for the year through its root system, the Ashwood Tree needs to maintain a nutrient strong soil. Ashwood trees usually grow near bodies of water, where tides can bring in silty soil to the tree, alternatively the tree can grow in forests, where when it ignites, it would start a forest fire causing the soil to become “supercharged” with nutrients. The Ashwood Tree sprouts leaves in spring, soaking up much needed sunlight to create its sap during the summer. The sap coats the tree during the fall, and when the winter comes it burns off its sap that covers all of the exposed parts of the bark and remaining leaves for the year.
 

Appearance:

Location:

Ashwood trees prefer to live in cold arid climates, currently most of the Ashwood trees that exist are in Norlandic hands, thanks to so few being saved from their home continent of Vailor.

Description:

Ashwood Swell

The Ashwood swell, sometimes referred to as the Ashwood seed, is a dark bulbous seed that would be large and hard enough to survive an impact -the swell falling from the branches. The impact of the seed falling from the tree would compromise part of its shell weakening it, this would render the seed weak to all further physical attacks.  The swell will remain fertile for up to a year (One OOC Week) as it has a fair bit of nutrients inside the swell itself to kickstart the tree’s growth. 

In its homeland of Vailor the swell would often be pushed around by larger animals as its exterior has a sweet nutty flavor prized by many animals, though as the tree has been taken from its original ecosystem, it requires support from descendants to spread its swells to create new Ashwood trees. As such Norlanders took on the mantle of supporting and caring for the tree, by helping move the swell wherever they think it would have a good chance for survival. 

The swell’s has an awkward width of two feet, length of two feet, height of three feet and its weight is typically 50 pounds, though never more than 80 lbs, this makes the swell quite awkward to carry for one person, as such two people will be needed to carry the swell. In their adolescence (0-9 years old) Ashwood trees will not produce a swell, and as such are not likely to shed their branches as they are trying to grow.   

Wood, Bark, and Branches

The Ashwood tree while young has easily bruise-able bark that can hinder the tree's growth, that must be hardened via Ashwood firing every year (1 OOC week). As the tree ages its bark will get progressively harder until it's adulthood (10 OOC weeks), at this point the tree will be decently resistant to most mundane attacks, though strong blunt damage - such as hitting it with a large warhammer -to the tree can break off a little bark. Further, if extreme damage is dealt -such as hitting it with a cannon shot directly-, the tree can become bruised and even break off the weaker upper branches of the tree when impacted. Ashwood bark has a chestnut color with a very coarse and abrasive texture. When a branch or some bark fall off the tree and over time dry, it becomes brittle, losing most of its hardness and strength. 

Harvesting:

Ashwood Swell

The Ashwood Tree drops a single swell every year in the spring, the tree grows a black swell in its branches during the summer, then over the course of year it will swell bigger and bigger until it drops from the branches in the next spring when it’s too heavy to continue to be supported by the tree. An Ashwood tree can also prematurely release a swell if convinced by a Druid on occasions where its life is threatened, or is ill. Spare that occasion, any premature removals of swells via mundane means from the Ashwood tree will kill the swell.

Ashwood

The tree is decently sturdy and is resistant to most mundane attacks, spare excessive blunt attacks. The primary means of getting Ashwood is through its discarded branches, throughout the year the tree will shed its less productive branches leaving the healthy productive ones in the canopy. 

Credits:

@nickrocky213

@AstriaS

@Spoons

3 minutes ago, Laeonathan said:

Had nothing to do with it. 😛

^ true facts

me?

This was already taken into consideration for our next map, there is a plugin that is currently in development (though it isn't on the tech discord yet because I’ve been busy) that will allow nations to have a form of fast travel. Though, I don’t think I can say much more than that at this time.

+1 This is a LOT better than the former crater 2x over fantastic job as always. (Bacardi is also carrying me when it comes to building assets I need for Vortex)

Lucien would take a heavy hit before murmuring to himself ”It’s time to make some fine rag-rugs”

23 minutes ago, SoulReapingWolf said:

Another idea would be to have different types of dungeons. Some heavily involved in story, maybe some filled with rare resources, maybe others connected to the self teaching altars. Some that act as monster nests. I think this would be a cool project to work with the World Team.

Maybe have some PvE focused ones as well where STs are not necessarily needed and people can hunt custom hostile mobs and as you go through the dungeon maybe curios, signs or region messages tell you some sort of story. Or simply the dungeon is a bit more focused on monster hunting and has a story that maybe is not as deep as the ones told in other types of dungeons.

I like the idea of dungeons being kinda “modular” where maybe the interactions of the descendants will start opening new areas within a dungeon. So it feels like the effort made by adventurers is represented by the development of the dungeon itself.

Would also be interesting to see how the dungeons implement stuff from the new plugins we have. So maybe you also find out that there are some rare resources within the dungeon and that is the entire reasoning for you being there. 

Idk that is a list of ideas I had when I read your post and Xarkly’s. 

On the tech side of things we have five dungeons planned but they are all fairly mechanical and were only really planned for Vortex use (so like as of rn keefy’s thing is separate from our stuff) , through those dungeons we were going to have neat stuff, further with 1.17 on the horizon, I was talking with some other techs about the possibility of a random rogue like dungeon as well that we could do by messing with the cave generation code. Anyways, the thing we want for vortex dungeons as of right now is basically Darksouls meets Legend of Zelda, we want hard harsh mechanics for mobs that are complicated but respectable(granted darksouls here may be a bit of an over exaggeration), and neat puzzles that require you to use various items from vortex crafting to operate. A great example of this is crafting a potion of revealing to find a hidden door, and when you walk in that room you find yourself dealing with a custom mob with custom attacks and mechanics to defeat them. Dungeons for Vortex wont come for a hot minute, we want to finish a bunch of stuff content wise in the plugin not to mention updating various plugins to actually prepare this server for our eventual port to 1.16 and beyond. Anyways, ill probably make a post regarding Tinkering, Enchanting, Alchemy, Culinarian, and the dungeon subsystems in the tech discord whenever we are ready to take on that mantle.  

My only complaint is that I can’t run around your square stealing Hogo’s tax slips till 8.0, jokes aside nice job guys!

Lucien would start feverishly taking his freshly printed tied together stacks of New Reza Tax slips out of his various drawers in the palace, “Alrighty, one reefer for all of Norland, we aught to buy more of these.. ((@HogoBojo )) Perhaps that head steward lad can bring some if they come around”. He would continue running throughout the palace finding all of his stashes of cactus green.  

5 minutes ago, Cheezzy_Garlik said:

what about the grudges against Norlanders (the only one ik of is Chryssa Stormbringer)

((Chryssa is dead irp, iirc the ceremony has held like 2 irl weeks ago, and it had a public thing put out))

Lucien Arkin would read the document with a smile, “It’s nice to finally see it on paper”. He’d take out a fresh New Reza Tax slip before rolling himself a nice cactus green reefer, “Aye, to now and what’s yet to come!”

A big thanks to ST for letting us use some of your materials in Vortex! 

On the Nature of Substance Impairments

By Lucien Arkin

It is no secret that the monotony of life finds itself many situations where one may find various substances, be it alcoholic or psychedelic in behavior,  intriguing. Though, the perilous path of these so called drugs do lend the bitter question. In what cases are the consumption of impairments just and unjust? While those seeking substances to lull their mind into a better place should not be reprimanded, the question remains, when is the consumption of such a substance cowardice. For which a coward may say never, though it's not the roster that may pick the time of dawn, but the sun and when it rises. The line should be distinct, and as such the consumption of drugs to form a façade to barricade one's mind from the true perils of their reality is cowardly to say the least. While Arthasians may state any interaction with such substances should be an act of cowardice, I would like to remind them that, not only are such substances a part of our world, but to bar their existence in its entirety is an act only a coward would stake. Further, to condemn such a thing is near to as preposterous as stating a lowly sprig of cactus green should be treated in the same cohort of those in the dark arts, magery, and entities of the long dark. Your actions when impaired may be lost on others, though the consumption of such a substance is in essence a journey to the heart. To not be true to yourself, is to lie to the father, and further to purvey false sentiments of security, and contentment. Our deity isn’t one of omniscience, but one of understanding, he can only guide with what he knows. 

As for the topic of addiction, I pose this regard, is it that a person is addicted to the substance or the feeling granted from such a substance. In this you find the truth of your answer, are you hiding or are you seeking, and who is the second player in your game. It would be simple to state the All-Father is the one always there standing in for the second, though I think the more honest answer is a far deeper one. The first of such a game is the amalgamation of physical self weighted with the obstructions one creates to hide the truth, and the second is one of the true self. While such a manifestation can be seen as one of divine will, such an endeavor can be reached with ambition and faith. Such is the true nature of the All-Father, one of a guiding hand that may help you reach that ambition and not that of the almighty toolbox of solutions to your mortal qualms. 

On the topic of vision quests one may state that the fabrications of the mind act as nothing more than mere temptations that seclude the mind from the truth. Though, the truth of such is the machinations of the mind are extensions of our will. Such will has guided us thus far to find refuge in the light of the All-Father, so why not humor the figments of our inner self? Such figments may serve as a path to further enlightenment, or just as likely traverse a path unknown to most. For one to fight the darkness, you must find your inner light, and if you need to light up to do such, that is a problem between the flame and the substance, not your integrity and the faith.

Lucien Arkin would read this weirdly public letter ”With a faith as large as the Church of Canon you would at least expect them to be far more accepting of their kin, perhaps this is more the nitpicking of men than that of deific will. I hope they choose the obvious option, though the cross is naught more than an item to me” 

13 hours ago, argonian said:

No other nation subforums have “The” before their names and the inconsistency is jarring. 

Then whatever you do don't look at the subgroups under sub-forums,  “The Territories” and “The Crownlands” the HOE sub-forum, “The Holy State of Vuillermoz” under the Church of Canon subforum, tisk tisk.

Lucien Arkin would look upon the document with a cheery nod “Aye, its time to remember what it means to be human”

+1 this looks really solid and I’m super impressed that you guys wrote this up so fast.

edited: miss read something