PlaneShift

Development => Development Team Blog => Topic started by: Xillix Queen of Fools on January 11, 2010, 06:31:07 pm

Title: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: Xillix Queen of Fools on January 11, 2010, 06:31:07 pm

Factions Guidelines

Author: Xillix
Co-Author: Valrion

-Overview

The aim of this document is to redesign the faction system to become actual organizations in the game and not just some random values. Examples of these are Onyx Daggers, and Cutthroats. The first implementation is to be limited to no more than 30 factions, each with 20 quests that lead to 100 faction rank for the player. Note this means not less than 600 quests. At this level the character is in good standing and trusted well by the faction. This objective will be reached by concentrating on the following objectives:

-define all npcs and which factions they belong to.
-decide which factions preclude advancement in which others.
-define for players how factions feel about each other.
-choose a limited number of factions to develop (as small as possible at first)
-use all moth-balled and current quests in this new implementation.
-decide the periodic rewards for having faction values.
-all factions in game, other then monsters, are to be renamed as to become organizations in that hold influence in Yliakum.
-At first, all factions will have 20 quests related to them, with each quest giving 5 faction points per quest.
-all quests in these series must indicate the next step in progression within the faction "Go see x to advance yourself further with our order" or some such.
-all factions to allow winch access through some means by 50 faction points
-we want an award of some type at each tens place or so.
-make a list of requested art that allows personalization (faction items) for outward expression of the roles the faction will play.
-make sure the quests have sequentially more difficult loyalty challenges.
-request locations to be made for people pursuing a given faction to inhabit.
-In order to achieve these goals the current system needs:
--to remove faction from existing quests to start with a clean slate and then decide if any existing quests fit into the sequences we wish to build.
--current quests that are able should over cover the ways for this project.
--Quest should not give out more than one faction without serious thought to the consequences of that choice. It is better if we develop paths for each of the 30 factions.
--The aim of factions is to be able to use it as an organization, meaning that if a player has a faction of 100 in Laanx, then the player will be seen as a priest of Laanx. This will result in the player gaining “goodies” related to his faction. In this case priest gear. A fine balance must be kept here as not to over power the player with “goodies”. This section will require good amount art, but for now we can use in game art as placeholders until the art has been created.
Another important aspect of balancing the various factions is to have a simple mathematical model to determine the reward for reaching various milestones within the faction system.

1. Faction Names

1.1 Current Ingame factions

The following list contains all the current factions:

Dakkru, Talad, Laanx, Black Flame, Xiosia, Crystal Way, Azure Way, Blue Way, Brown Way, Red Way, Dark Way, Xacha, Ylian, Dermorian, Nolthrir, Stonebreaker, Hammerwielder, Enkidukai, Kran, Klyros, Lemur, Ynnwn, Diaboli, Monster, Merchants, Octarchy, Education.

1.2 Suggestions of new Faction names

Current Name - New Faction Name / Organization Name

-Dakkru - Keepers of the Veil
-Talad - Conclave of the Glyphs
-Laanx - Iron Hand
-Black Flame - Cabal of Whispers
-Xiosia - Seeds of Wildwood
-Crystal Way - Crystal Order
-Azure Way - Azure Order
-Blue Way - Blue Order
-Brown Way - Brown Order
-Red Way - Red Order
-Dark Way - Dark Order
-Xacha - Xacha
-Ylian - Ylian
-Dermorian - Dermorian
-Nolthrir - Nolthrir
-Stonebreaker - Stonebreaker
-Hammerwielder - Hammerwielder
-Enkidukai - Enkidukai
-Kran - Kran
-Klyros - Klyros
-Lemur - Lemur
-Ynnwn - Ynnwn
-Diaboli - Diaboli
-Merchants 1 - Gronk's Goods (the darker merchant syndicate)
-Merchants 2 - Mikana Trading Company
-Octarchy - Octarchy
-Education - Octarchal Academy
- Onyx Dagger
- Forbidden Arcanists
- Cutthroats

1.3 Handling of Opposing Factions

After a score of 50, work done for Onyx Dagger and/or Cutthroats takes away from Octarchy and vice versa (as an example). One may accrue up to 50 in opposing factions concurrently, however beyond that, gains in one are offset by losses in the other, forcing the character to make commitment choices, while at lower levels allowing the character to shop around a bit, discover themselves, find their calling, etc. Other quests that aren't linked to the faction system OR go above and beyond these will be made available as possible.

2. Factions interaction with other factions

TBD

3. Implementation of Factions

The implementation of factions as an organization will not only govern how the player will role-play his char but will unlock various histories and goodies to the player. It is not about defining role-play in the range of personality, but more giving the players roles they may fill in society. The following example will illustrate how this will be achieved.

Example:

Players can get to know laanx, blackflame, talad, xiosia and dakkru up to 50 faction points in each faith, when doing the next quest for a specific faith, they will be asked if they want to become followers of the faith and forsake the others. Once they accept a faith and thus the quests, they will THEN receive + faction points to the selected faith (thus in the process of becoming a priest) and – faction points to the others. This will ensure that the player can only reach 100 faction points in a specific faith. And at 100 faction points will then be considered a priest of this specific faith. Other options will be available for atheists/other types of players.

We will show two examples of DRAFTS of factions under the intended system. Please don't take these as final or count on them to be implemented as you see them today. They are in very early stages. We choose to show these to you in the spirit of cooperation and openness. To give a hint or a teaser on future possibilities.
____________________________________________________________________
Conclave of the Glyphs

-Overview

Conclave of the Glyphs are worshipers of Talad. As the name suggests, the study of glyphs is an important area of interest to the Conclave, however it is not the only area of interest. The peace and protection of society in general are also concerns. Mages of all kinds are especially attracted to the Conclave of Glyphs, but anyone who feels called to worship Talad is welcome. There are many festivals dedicated to Talad celebrated throughout the year.
Insignia
The octagonal Crystal Glyph on an azure background.

-History

The Conclave of Talad is one of the earliest faiths within the world of Yliakum. The Conclave formed early on with the creation of the Kran. Although the Kran are mostly unable to work magic themselves, they are devoted to their creator. They formed the Conclave as a way to follow their belief in the goodness of Talad. As races came through the portals they, too, began to worship Talad. At that time there were no temples, but after the creation of Talad's Temple, other temples were built along the same pattern. Worship became more complex as understanding of Talad grew.

-Goals

To increase the knowledge of the glyphs as well as to give training to any mage who desires it. To provide service to the community as well as to promote understand a peaceful cooperation between all races of Yliakum. To promote respect between mages of all six ways of magic.

-Methods

Most temples of Talad are usually a walled-off set of buildings. The complexes often provide quarters for the priests and adepts, as well as food storage and warehouses. The buildings of the temple are connected with either covered walkways or paths for the major routes. The ones between the quarters and the temple are the most built up and decorated. The temple itself is decorated with glyphs, crystals and beautiful art. Chimes are found in the gardens around the temple within the complex.
All are encouraged to give service to the community, be generous with their skills and goods, be peaceful and law abiding citizens, accepting all races as their equals.
The Conclave of the Glyphs is formed of priests, adepts, acolytes and researchers and has a small force of warriors for the protection of the people. It should be noted that, while many priests are adepts, they need not be.

Festivals:

Chimes of Talad, Unodin 14. Beginning at the Crystal's first light until it darkens the chimes of Talad are rung throughout the day. A solemn occasion the worshipers meet in the temple, praying and telling stories of the past to keep their history alive.
Sharing of Talad's Gifts, Tremain 22 . A day of celebration of friendships and relationships . Gifts, generally home made, are given and received. It is a time of joy.
Estrevania, Ylaren 8. Celebrated in memory of a woman, Estrevania, who set out to be of service to all followers of Talad. This is a day spent in the service of others, doing kind deeds for those around you.
Important members

-Allies:

Seeds of the Wildwood, Keepers of the Veil

-Enemies

Iron Hand, Cabal of Whispers

Rewards at 10
TBD
Rewards at 20
TBD
Rewards at 30
TBD
Rewards at 40
TBD
Rewards at 50
TBD
Rewards at 60
TBD
Rewards at 70
TBD
Rewards at 80
TBD
Rewards at 90
TBD
Rewards at 100
TBD

-Quest Suggestions

Feel free to make some

-Quests Associated

TBD

Art Requested

*Temples
*Insignia 
____________________________________________________________________
Cabal of Whispers

-Overview

Cabal of Whispers are the followers of Blackflame and an extremely secretive organization.

-Insignia

(The cabal members will not wear any symbol or items that can identify them as members.)

-History

The Cabal of whispers was started in Kaikados, the cities Laanx and the lemurs founded in the fourth epoch. After Laanx had left the Lemurs to spy on Talad and Yliakum, the Blackflame arose and deceived the lemurs into thinking that the flame was a part of Laanx' soul.

-Goals

The ultimate goal is total annihilation of everything that exists, true entropy. But there are many lesser goals to reach before that can be possible. The Cabal will infiltrate every aspect of society and gain power on all arenas and they will use that power to secretly spread their corruption and entropy. They will strive to make all other power hotspots fall, religious as well as political. They want brother to kill brother and friends to become enemies.

-Methods

The Cabal will use any method necessary, there are no limits except that a member of the cabal must never reveal that they are so. The Cabal is a very secretive group that infiltrates every aspect of Yliakum. Gaining power through lies and deceit.
Members of the cabal can be found anywhere, the local Laanx priest might be one of them, the humble merchant, selling wares cheap, might be one too.
Those who gain knowledge of the cabal will be permanently killed, any one claiming knowledge or membership of the cabal will be permanently killed. Any one even as much as mentions the name Blackflame or the Cabal of Whispers will be permanently killed.

-Important members

Relliom

-Allies

The cabal have no real allies. There are organizations that are exploited by them, like the Onyx Daggers and the Dark Order.

-Enemies

The Cabal has no enemies because it is secret. But there are many opposing groups and groups that the cabal would deceive at all costs. Among them are all the other religious factions like Keepers of the Veil and Seeds of Wildwood.

Rewards at 10
TBD
Rewards at 20
TBD
Rewards at 30
TBD
Rewards at 40
TBD
Rewards at 50
TBD
Rewards at 60
TBD
Rewards at 70
TBD
Rewards at 80
TBD
Rewards at 90
TBD
Rewards at 100
TBD
Quest Suggestions
TBD
Quests Associated
TBD
Art Requested 
TBD

__________________________________________________________

This post is intended simply to let you look under the hood. If the thread gets flamed or people create too much noise or people begin attacking each other, gms, or devs, It will be locked.

Discuss Politely:

 

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: RlyDontKnow on January 11, 2010, 07:01:10 pm

sounds like an amazing idea to me XilliX
though instead of having the magic ways as factions, I'd love to see the magic schools(Argan, Esteria, Lah'ar) in their stead showing the character a potential way how magic can be used.
additionally I'd really appreciate it if the organizations do not only lock others out as in your example, but would depend on each other in a positive way as well.
e.g. a positive relation to the azure order(or the school of Lah'ar if you take those) would be required in order to become a higher rank member of the cabal of whispers as those abilities are in some way required to fullfill your tasks.
similiarily I could think of a dependence on certain skills if you want to become a higher rank member of a faction as well. for example it shouldn't be possible to become an exeperienced cutthroat if you don't have any fighting abilities or to become a well known scholar if you're as intelligent as a stone.

EDIT: nearly forgot something. I'd totally love to see that the training you may receive depends on your factions as well. for example if you're hated by the red way, the followers shouldn't teach you anything. similiar if you're just an apprentice, you shouldn't be allowed to see a great master for further instructions.

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: Xillix Queen of Fools on January 11, 2010, 07:13:12 pm

Some of what you're asking for requires engine support so we'll see.

Some factions you can only ever reach once you've gotten to 100 faction in another faction.

For obvious reasons I don't want to roll out the whole implementation at one time. (this includes the fact that it is not done, it will take a long time to write, and we're still fine tuning it)

But good thoughts.

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: katu on January 11, 2010, 07:28:04 pm

Quote from: RlyDontKnow on January 11, 2010, 07:01:10 pm

...
 nearly forgot something. I'd totally love to see that the training you may receive depends on your factions as well. for example if you're hated by the red way, the followers shouldn't teach you anything. similiar if you're just an apprentice, you shouldn't be allowed to see a great master for further instructions.

One flaw with this is that this will require all players to do a lot of questing and by that a lot of time for RP is lost. Though I do think it should involve a lot of questing to gain ranks within the organisations, training should not be restricted to having contacts within them. It will also limit the possible combinations. It would be better if you for instance can train cheaper or faster the higher rank you have. Let us use The red order and red way as an example again: With a low rank in the red order training cost could be at -10%, with a high rank -20%. As the trainers will favour members of the red order. This will make it possible for a member of the Cabal of Whispers to learn red way, but it will be more expensive.

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: Rigwyn on January 11, 2010, 07:53:17 pm

This is a very nice improvement and certainly looks like a lot of work !

It would be nice if messed up quests could be corrected to some extent.

For example, say you are required to resolve several quests in order to get access to a resource and you mess up on one quest. Perhaps one or two second chances could be allowed?

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: khoridor on January 11, 2010, 07:58:28 pm

Quote from: Xillix Queen of Fools on January 11, 2010, 06:31:07 pm

1.3 Handling of Opposing Factions

After a score of 50, work done for Onyx Dagger and/or Cutthroats takes away from Octarchy and vice versa (as an example). One may accrue up to 50 in opposing factions concurrently, however beyond that, gains in one are offset by losses in the other, forcing the character to make commitment choices, while at lower levels allowing the character to shop around a bit, discover themselves, find their calling, etc. Other quests that aren't linked to the faction system OR go above and beyond these will be made available as possible.

It appears that one should first reach 50 points in each faction, and only then make his choices of where to progress and where to regress. This would allow to get the rewards at 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 points (we know that most players would go for as many goodies as they can.)

Also, what happens when one reaches 100 (and for instance becomes a priest), then starts to move up in the opposite faction (maybe from 0 up to 100 points as well)?

(Just pointing out possible issues that you may or may not have foreseen, here.)

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: Xillix Queen of Fools on January 11, 2010, 09:33:02 pm

Rewards up to 50 will be standard things and no great faction specific bonus.

People will only be penalized AFTER 50 even if they have 100 in an opposed faction.

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: bloodedIrishman on January 12, 2010, 01:30:52 am

How will the alliances among outlaw factions be handled, as they are fragile?


Nonetheless...
A progressive step forward...for chaos!

CUTTHROATS FOREVER!

 :devil:

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: Dermathil on January 12, 2010, 01:56:37 am

Is it just me or I see some link with this and this (http://www.hydlaaplaza.com/smf/index.php?topic=32399.0)? ;D

Anyways, I really like what I am seeing. Seems like a dream coming true! Keep up the good work!

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: Xillix Queen of Fools on January 12, 2010, 04:36:28 am

Just announced doesn't mean just planned.

Cutthroats and Onyx Daggers Compete for turf.

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: Tuxide on January 13, 2010, 04:28:11 am

Incrementing by multiples of five is like getting rid of the penny.

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: Anumesa on January 13, 2010, 05:55:26 am

Sounds like a great idea, can't wait to see this implemented :D

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: Xillix Queen of Fools on January 14, 2010, 03:21:06 pm

You try! Pick one of the odd ones not exemplified and try to fill out some details for it. If we like, we may use it. Anything we choose to use will be under the ABC license.

Overview

Insignia

History

Goals

Methods

Important members

Allies

Enemies

Rewards at 10

Rewards at 20

Rewards at 30

Rewards at 40

Rewards at 50

Rewards at 60

Rewards at 70

Rewards at 80

Rewards at 90

Rewards at 100

Quest Suggestions

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: RlyDontKnow on January 14, 2010, 05:01:21 pm

something I just recognized: shouldn't enemies be consistent? e.g. if A is enemy of B, shouldn't B be an enemy of A as well?
because in your examples the Conclave of the Glyphs has the Cabal of Whispers as enemy while the Cabal of Whispers doesn't have any enemies because they're secret - that doesn't seem to make sense

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: neko kyouran on January 14, 2010, 05:28:30 pm

its not always a one to one ratio.

group a could hate everyone, but that doesn't all groups must hate group a. some could be pacifistic or think they may try to eventually work to make group a not hate them and what not.

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: Rigwyn on January 14, 2010, 05:42:46 pm

It seems that one's alignment with a faction should be known only to a limited extent. If I do a favor for the Conclave for example, then those Conclave members who know of my positive alignment with their faction might be influenced by it. Those members who are unaware of my good deeds should be oblivious to it. If on the other hand that organization knew me by name and discussed my good deeds amongst themselves and made it known within the faction then it would make sense for all members of their faction to treat me accordingly.

It might make sense for a person to at some point identify themselves to the faction for continuity. I might trust a person more if I knew who they were, their acquaintances, where they live and other personal information. Likewise if I was to infiltrate a faction I would probably not give them such information. Perhaps to gain a very high level of trust a character might need to make themselves very vulnerable to the faction ( ie. selling your soul, taking an oath on one's life etc.. )

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: Mordraugion on January 14, 2010, 06:46:56 pm

Doesn't have to be symmetrical, after all Nicole de Boer (http://www.perfectpeople.net/photo-picture-image-media/Nicole-De-Boer-300x440-20kb-media-4514-media-120829-1189108361.jpg) hates me (well she never answers my phone calls and set the police on me after getting a restraining order against me for stalking ;) ) but I dont hate her :)

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: Xillix Queen of Fools on January 14, 2010, 07:50:19 pm

Rygwyn for this to work we're going to have to assume that a faction does in fact speak about you by  name, broadcast information about you to other members etc. Among npcs this will be the case because in order to advance we're going to depend on npcs detecting faction for someone to even be able to get the advanced quests.

Infiltration of factions is something we're concerned with and some factions will have means to infiltrate, and mechanics to do so, but a player "lying" to get to max faction in a diametrically opposed faction while Rping that they belong to another is godmodding. I want you to understand my allegiance to thieves should never be in question, my allegiance to having a means for evil rp to succeed and be endorsed by the settings is absolute. It's just that it is much more difficult to write, plan for, or code.

As for other players knowing your faction, that's a discussion that the development team is considering. For the most part, MY intent is that you will have powers abilities and items specific to the factions you've advanced into the upper ranks of. An individual players determination to USE that stuff in front of other players is his or her own to make. Just because I have the "Staff of Talad's Eye" doesn't mean I have to run around with it.

For infiltrating player guilds and such forth like that, that is not dependent on mechanics it is done within RP, but we may choose high level spells eventually that will hide a players loyalties while others may help to divine the loyalties of others.

There will always be a need for a degree of suspension of disbelief and respect of IC/OOC knowledge in any rpg.

Also about factions liking or disliking each other: it won't be symmetrical. Blackflame is the enemy of existence itself, those organizations which know of its presence will seek to disrupt, dismantle, unmask, destroy it. Blackflame hates everyone equally.

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: Tuathanach on January 15, 2010, 08:38:33 pm

Excellent XIllix and team. I like this idea alot and hope it will amke the game have a much better depth and help players to focus the RP. One thing I would like to see implemented at some point in future (if possible, I am sure it will be a pain to code) is guilds aligned with factions i.e. Knowledge seekers with Octarchal Academy (Education), ifthe guild can raise its standing witin the faction to 100 they could be rewarded with an appropriate for example a guildhouse to act as a university.

Even if that can't be done I look forward to what you are proposing being implemented. \\o//

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: Rheos on January 15, 2010, 10:14:59 pm

/me puts his tongue firmly in cheek and suggests that the Hammerwielder faction should be called "The Way of The Hammer"   :innocent:

Seriously, brilliant idea Xillix, Ill start scratching my head to see if I can come up with any real faction ideas.

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: zinder on February 15, 2010, 10:25:18 pm

Quote from: Xillix Queen of Fools on January 14, 2010, 07:50:19 pm

Rygwyn for this to work we're going to have to assume that a faction does in fact speak about you by  name, broadcast information about you to other members etc. Among npcs this will be the case because in order to advance we're going to depend on npcs detecting faction for someone to even be able to get the advanced quests.

I would suggest this talk about you only applies to the open or public factions. The hidden groups, like the Cabal should rely more on markings, secret handshakes or pass phrases. As you advance you learn the higher level recognition signals and their npcs only admit to their faction if you give the right signals. I think that would do much to emphasize their hidden character.

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: Roled on February 16, 2010, 01:43:46 am

Thanks for this post ...
As I and a few others are currently organizing the Sons of Xiosia, SoX as a Religious Society and NOT a Guild ( so in your terms, a faction) we're very interested in your ideas. I will give it some thought and post when I have some time to consider- thanks for the great example Xillix.

The one thing that immediately occurs to me is a series of quests of non-violent nature-maybe evenutally leading the the implemetation of potions and alchemy as crafting levels, and player made potions with postive effects on friends (rathr than enemies) stats, etc.

I'm not a techie or a developer or even very computer saavy so I can't help at all in those departments. But this is a great idea and leads to all kinds of potential paths that Roled sees as alternatives to killing for points.

Thanks!
I'll post again just wanted to thank you for opening this discussion. Very exciting!

Roled Rolak
Carrier of Xiosia's Song
Sons of Xiosia

May The Goddess spread before ye a carpet of charmflowers and surround yer blades with compassion.

Cognate
Knowledge Seekers Guild

PS If anyone is interested in becoming a student at the KS University, or in participating in rps with the SoX (and our partners of course the DoX, as well as representatives from many other Guilds) please look for me in game or leave me a message, or a message at the Stonehead as Roled goes there daily fer deep conversation with Elady and the DoX, and of course fer the best pie in all Ylikum. Thankee!
Citizen

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: Rigwyn on February 16, 2010, 08:29:30 pm

Would this faction system be implemented after a stat wipe or before a stat wipe?

I am writing a proposal for the Dark Order and have some ideas for rewards that would need to be worked out differently depending on if there would be a stat wipe or not.

Also, should proposed ideas be posted to this forum or should they be PM'd to a GM ?
Putting ideas for quests and rewards on this forum could be spoilerish.

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: Akkaido Kivikar on February 20, 2010, 04:12:00 am

I have a thought/idea:

It would be nice if based on player RPs that are general knowledge, characters could get minor faction bonuses from GMs.

It of course would have to be arranged beforehand and at the sole discretion of the GMs/Settings.

Also would help for GM events too.

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: RlyDontKnow on February 20, 2010, 06:25:00 am

Quote from: Akkaido Kivikar on February 20, 2010, 04:12:00 am

It would be nice if based on player RPs that are general knowledge, characters could get minor faction bonuses from GMs.

keeping the mechanics in mind it'd render faction lockouts useless because you could bypass them that way
additionally it'd get you out of sync for factions vs. quest progress in that faction
summing it up while it might be a good idea at first thought, it could lead to problems as it'd bypass the intended behaviour and might support godmodding (e.g. progressing in a faction that shouldn't be possible)

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: weltall on February 20, 2010, 07:21:51 am

when this is done factions won't be attribuited anymore from gm

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: Akkaido Kivikar on February 20, 2010, 11:07:21 am

Well, I thought GMs could view factions, and therefore could easily see that PlayerX is past the lockout point for a certain faction.

It's just there are several players who don't quest much for faction points, because they're running a player RP or continually taking part in player RPs.

Perhaps we could come up with a player faction system as a community idea.

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: Xillix Queen of Fools on February 23, 2010, 04:12:40 pm

Some people have responded to this via PM, I suggest now that anyone with ideas just publish them here for others to see and comment on!

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: Rigwyn on February 23, 2010, 09:20:40 pm

Ok, Taking a stab at the Keepers of the Veil.

-Dakkru - Keepers of the Veil

Overview

"Keepers of the Veil" is a powerful religious sect that worships Dakkru, the goddess of death who inhabits the death realm. They are comitted to serving Dakkru and promoting Dakkru worship.

Insignia

* Wrath Rat

History

Prior to the crystal eclipse a rather disheveled Yilian named Sellio Bahr found himself layning half conscious up on the death realm floor. He picked himself up and staggered about in a daze as he tried to shake an enchanting dream from his head.

Sellio had died some time earlier as a result of falling from a steep one day while en route to the Eagle fort. He and his wife were highly respected followers of Xiosia, both working hard towards higher initiation in their faith. He thought of her for a moment only to be interrupted by the recollection of his dream.

He had dreamed that he met a young woman named Dakkru. She was lithe and lean. Her supple limbs were smooth and soft, her eyes were green like emeralds. No matter how he tried he could not shake her out of his head. He was so obsessed with this image that he almost didn't want to leave. What if this woman of his dreams was wandering here in the realm of death. He couldn't leave.. not just yet. Perhaps she was somewhere to be found. His wife could wait.

He closed his eyes to recall the image and to his surprise the memory was crystal clear. He imagined that she spoke to him with a teasing smile and open arms. "Follow me" she whispered as she waved a dagger near her own heart. He continued to sit there gazing into nowhere. He listened to her whisper the details of a secret ritual. One through which they might meet.

Inspired, he ran about killing rats and collecting their innards and bones. He made circle on the floor with the remains and laid inside it face down, arms and legs spread to touch the circumference. He began to sing a melody to Dakkru the best he could. Upon completion he reached for his dagger and propped it between the floor and his chest with the point aimed at his heart. He sang the last verse of his prayerful song as held himself up with his palms and feet. On the final note he let go. His body fell upon the dagger which found its way into his heart. He died within the minute with a painful cry.

The citadel turned black and a warm breeze that smelt and tasted like rotten flesh blew through the realm kicking up swirls of dust and debris. He found himself floating, suspended in mid air. His arms and legs hung at his sides. He looked forward staring into the impenetrable darkness. Without notice, a woman's face appeared in front of him. It was as large as a building and while its features were pleasing he was frighted like never before. He breathed in for what felt like minutes, unable to exhale. His hair stood on end and his body began to crackle with enchantment from his head to his toes. Slowly the unimaginable fear was transformed into elation as the goddes spoke, "Sellio, you shall be my priest, and I your goddess." The breeze escalated into a howling forceful blast of air and filth which blew the rats and book all over the citadel. She cried, "Build my temple Sellio. I command you !" . Sellio felt as if his body would explode. His face felt like a sheet flapping in the wind, his clothing slapped his body fiercely as tears flew from his face. He tried with all his might to nod in agreement but the escalating wind thrashed it about at will. She smiled playfully as she witnessed his sheer helplessness and sensed his willingness to serve. As a final show of power she let the wind blow his body freely. It flew through the air like a toy and met a wall with a series of snaps and a thud. The wind died down and his body fell to the ground, broken and bruised. "Yes my goddess" he whispered though cracked and bleeding lips, "I will serve."


Goals

To promote the worship of Dakkru and to offer her sacrifices in hopes of strengthening her and possible receiving her blessing. To offer to the goddess the lives of those who have lived a truly good life.

Methods

Promotion of Dakkruism is done mainly by teaching fellow citizens about how their life is sustained by death in one form or another. Dakkru is the final destination of all souls. Those who worship Dakkru and forsake the other gods will find greater peace and happiness with her when their body ceases to return to the living. For those citizens who are a little darker in nature, they may be taught to view Dakkru as a god who understands and supports their violent nature. Dakkru followers will also make regular sacrifices ranging from simple animal sacrifices to high masses in which she is offered the life of someone who has lived a good life. ( permadeath )

Important members
* Londris, Rulayne, Arden Phostle, Oriven

Allies
* Dark Order, Onyx Dagger, Cutthroats

Enemies
* Seeds of Wildwood, Crystal Order

Rewards at 10
* 5,000 Tria

Rewards at 20
* Ceremonial Robe ( Black robe, image of skull on back )

Rewards at 30
* Dakkru Temple Access

Rewards at 40
* Ring of Dakkru - Has the Veil's insignia on it. Lessens Dakkru's curse a little and can be used to stamp/seal  letters for rp.

Rewards at 50
* Winch Access

Rewards at 60
* Amulet of the Dead  +5 CHA, +5 STR +5 AGI (These are stats a fighter/hunder would benefit from)

Rewards at 70
* Ceremonial Dark Dagger - for RP sacrifices. Perhaps it drains life with each hit - similar to "weakness" or "necrotouch"

Rewards at 80
* Choice of weapon: Dark (Staff,Sword,Dagger,Club) of the Veil  ( With nice buff.. perhaps +15 Str )

Rewards at 90
Title of Low Priest
- Low Priest's role is to liase between the community of followers and the High Priest
- Ability to bless certain items (ie. weapons, armor ) giving them a light buff ( perhaps +5 Str +5 Agi )
- Ability to marry and divorce

Rewards at 100
Title of Priest
- Priest's role is to liase between the community and Dakkru
- Ability to curse ( light version of Dakkru's curse )
- Perhaps Dakkru would consider an occasional petition from them. Ie, the priest might request a cameo, a quest for the followers, some guidance ( Dakkru might use the priest to steer the community in a direction )

( High Priest status would be reserved for NPC's and above )

Quest Suggestions

Early quests might introduce the character to other Dakkru worshiping npc's 
Middle quests might have the character cause some harm to non-dakkru npc's
Latest quests might had the character:

  murder a xiosia or crystal-way priest
  commit a serious crime against nature which causes the death of many
  convert a xiosia following ncp to Dakkruism.

The Winch quest might involve a plot to nab a rich, elderly business owner who has been a pillar to the community and has been afortunate enough to have seen his children grow up and prosper. The winch might be full of such prosperous souls. The Keepers of the Veil might keep a close eye on this sector for this very reason. They might have a front .. perhaps they too have a business that is established in the winch. Unknown to anyone members of the Veil work there quietly. I have some ideas for what this business might be about too  :devil:

Edit: Added last paragraph
 

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: Roled on February 25, 2010, 09:34:32 am

The Song of Xiosia

{aka Xillix's Seeds of Wildwood}

Author: Roled Rolak
with thanks to Elady and the Daughters of Xiosia \\o//, and apologies to Rigwyn! :devil: hehhehee

-Overview:
The Song of Xiosia are dedicated followers and protectors of the sacred teachings of Xiosia, the Goddess, the Keeper of Balance and Nature in our world. The Song of Xiosia have allied with the Sons and Daughters of Xiosia and other Guilds of Yliakum to protect the common good. We assume friendship and integrity in all others, until proven otherwise. Devotees are organized to follow Nature as reveal by Xiosia, by fostering the growth of equality, community, strength used to protect the common good and spiritual advancement.

Insignia:
The Ruqua Tree with Xiosia’s image within a Circle

Goals: {The Oath}
Freely and without coercion, devotees of the Song of Xiosia will Provide for the needy, Protect the threatened, Celebrate Nature, Behave with Balance, and Honor Xiosia’s Spirit in Thoughts and Deeds.

Methods:
All devotees are committed to taking time to introduce themselves to and assist new arrivals, many of whom may be in need of tria, food and warm clothing. It is our philosophy that all are offspring of the Goddess, whether in a guild or not, and it is part of our oath to provide for the needy.

All devotees endeavor to act in peace and non-violence except in cases of hunting for food, survival [training] or when someone is threatened by an evil or Dark force, for this is part of our oath, to protect the threatened. When a devotee does kill, he should make amends with atonements to Xiosia and the slain entity. A senseless killing is an act against our Circles, our Communities and the Goddess Herself.

All devotees agree to study the ways of and writings about Xiosia, to attend Community -building lectures and discussions, and to participate in active service to the People, for that is our oath, to honor the Goddesses’ spirit in thoughts and deeds.

Important members:
* Roled, Elady, Dragonis, Deror, Qata, Lodisto, Dannae, Narthen, Yahh,

Allies
* Crystal Order, Brown Order, Azure Order, Blue Order, Dermorian, Nolthrir, Alchemists, Herbalists, Scientists, Horticulturalists, Octarchal Academy, University of Yliakum

Enemies
* Dark Order, Onyx Dagger, Cutthroats, Forbidden Arcanists, Black Flame (except we don’t really know who those folks are), Rigwyn… :sweatdrop:

-Friendly NPCs: Jardet, Drok, Grok, Charisa, Vladovic, Leira, Mulok, Gulm, Derghirs, Tarmeen, Zhaomal, Datal, Amidison, Joshoky (sp?), Brintec, Aleena, Allelia, Levrus, cooks, artists, crafters, the performers whose names I forget… {others}
-Less than Friendly NPCs: Zak, Thorian, Eneck, Kaiman, Remillion, sewer dwellers, Camp Banished denizens, slashers and killers and exploiters and power mongers…

Rewards at 10
* 25,000 Tria
Glyph of the Goddess- a glyph that befriends monsters, allowing then to drop their loot one time a day without being killed

Rewards at 20
* Xiosia’s Eye (a headdress in the shape of atree adorned with feathers, gemstones, laurel wreaths and a large crystal in the center) :flowers:

Rewards at 30
* Death Realm debuff

Rewards at 40
* Ring of Xiosia- Has the Song’s crest on it. Paralyzes all attackers for 3 seconds: can be used to stamp/seal letters for rp
*Winch access via Jardet and Pawprech

Rewards at 50
* Crystal Rivnik, a red and orange beast, true descendant of Xiosia’s own Rivnik, that never runs out of stamina  \\o//
Rewards at 60
* Amulet of Nature: Reads opponents stats instantly, plus adds  +5 CHA, +5 INT+5 END (These are stats a naturalist would benefit from)
* Access to the secret Library of Jayose that contains recipes for magic poultices and remedies
Rewards at 70
* Aura of Nature – A cloak for RP healings, it could add mana each time the wearer is hit by an attacker.
Rewards at 80
* Choice of weapon: Crystal (Staff, Sword, Dagger) of Peace  ( With buff.. perhaps +15 Int )
Rewards at 90
*Xiosia’s Lumenium Silverweave Sword of Enlightened Peace- a sword that glows, blinding everyone, that paralyzes without killing and when armed, prevents all but the strongest opponents from even landing a blow on you!
Rewards at 100
*Title of Xiosia’s Voice, Oracle of the Goddess
- The Oracle’s role is to interpret signs in nature and translate the speech of animals to the community of followers
- Ability to bless certain items (i.e. weapons, armor, glyphs) giving them increased power
* Glyph of the Ruqua Tree- gives the bearer the ability to pass through the Death Realm without running to the exit, and the ability of the bearer to pass to the top of the Eagle Bronze Doors (to Zhaomel’s field) without running up the hill, no problem. If I only could I’d make a deal with ___ and get h__ to swap our places…
 :whistling:

- Ability to endow herbs with healing energy that can be given to friends and those in need
- Ability to marry and divorce and adjudicate ethical {not judicial} disputes {rp}
- Perhaps Xiosia would consider an occasional petition from the Oracles, such as appearing at certain events and festivals, granting favors or access to a quest only for devotees, some guidance (Xiosia might use the priest to steer the community in a direction )

Quest Suggestions :
Since Song of Xiosia devotees are encouraged to learn the stories and sacred teachings of Xiosia, quests could involve time meditating and divining, studying in the Library and fact finding, helping NPC’s plan and get supplies for  ceremonies, rituals and festivals, planting and harvesting crops, and learning and practicing herbal healing skills. In addition, quests could follow three internal paths, those of

•   Xiosia’s Shield~  The Shield is the path for those that are committed to defend, with their lives if need be, the weak or the threatened as an expression of the sacred truth of Balance. The Shield quests are for a defensive warrior who acts to protector those that are vulnerable or persecuted. A Shield path quest will require characters to train in mastering the art of defensive dueling, weaponry and the crafts of smithing, blade maker or weaponry repairs.

•   Xiosia’s Staff~  The Staff is what we lean upon, and what holds us all erect in our world. The Staff is also the receptacle of Magic and Power that our Goddess herself has gifted to a few followers who have found her favor. Staff is the path of growth  for devotees with an appreciation for commerce for the common good, and those who wish to excel in a craft, trade or skill. Those embarking on Staff quests would work towards mastering a trade. Staff is expected to always respect and honor Our Goddesses’ teachings as they flourish in their trade, so quests could involving making things that NPC’s need, or finding custom items.

Xiosia’s Song~  Those who enter the path of the Song would be trained and tested in quests involving the arts of healing and artistic expression. The Song quests would be designed for those who wish to practice a devotion to the Goddess through acts of non-violence, preservation, knowledge, beauty and kindness.  Quests could involve protecting temples, gardens and followers. Song devotees could be asked by NPCs to help organize parties, prayers, concerts, herb gatherings, potion making, magic healings that celebrate nature and balance.

Early quests might introduce the character to herbalist npc's  and locations of herbs, plants and farmers.
Middle quests might have the character heal some illnesses or injuries with herbs and poultices
Latest quests might have the character make potions to enhance healing spells {buff by increasing speed of recovery} or increase the yield of mines, ores, plants and spawn rates of animals

- requested art
*Glyph of the Goddess glyph
*Xiosia’s Eye headdress
*Crystal Rivnik- orange or red!
* Crystal weapons of Peace
*Amulet of Nature
*Aura of Nature cloak
*Xiosia’s Temple of Trees
*Xiosia’s Lumenium Silverweave Sword of Enlightened Peace
Glyph of the Ruqua Tree
*Oracle of the Goddess- a shimmering, color changing crown with jewels hanging down the sides and back, shaped like a Holy Helmet, with the crest inset in the front and a pulsing crystal gem in the center of the forehead

-requested locations
*Maybe a couple of new NPCs who are farmers and who raise animals in one of the dead end canyons ?
*Jayose’s Inner Library of Herbs, Potions and Alchemy
*Xiosia’s Temple of Trees- an offshoot of the forest path, with an outer ring of trees shaped like a Stonehenge grove, that is open to all, and an inner glen of ruqua trees, a waterfall, a glade of flowers and benign animals, rare and powerful herbs, a bonfire site, some tables and feasting areas, and a canopy of shimmering crystals reflecting light, that requires faction access {like Winch Access}. The grove could also have mines for gemstones.

Faction Attraction:
Xiosians as a faction, to my current knowledge and experience, don’t yet exist in quests. Yet the largest percentage of players by far claim devotion to the Goddess.  :sorcerer: There’s the clean slate!

Thankee fer listening!
Roled Rolak

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: RlyDontKnow on February 25, 2010, 11:29:13 am

Roled: I think you should give the rewards you proposed some reconsideration. those seem highly overpowered to me. additionally winch access should be rewarded at faction 50, not 40.
for a (in my opinion) good example of rewards, check Rigwyn's proposal. those are pretty nice to have, but aren't completely overpowered like a glyph with a spell to allow to loot monster without killing at faction 10, the amulett you proposed for faction 60 or the glyph proposed for level 100.

also keep important members related to NPCs and allies/enemies the factions stated in the initial post

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: Rigwyn on February 25, 2010, 12:07:53 pm

Xillix said in his post that winch access should be given at 50 faction points.
If the order in question will have a secret meeting place ( as the blackflame has their temple) then at how many faction points should that be given ?

I would think *after* 50 faction points to keep spies and godmodders out ?

Regarding rewards, there will be people who will do the quests with alts in order to obtain and sell these items.
I think it would make sense if either:

A. Buffs and rewards were bound to the character and not the item
B. If the special items required a certain level of faction points in order to equip them.

Perhaps some of the lesser items could be free of this limitation so that they can be sold or given.
I definitely would not want to see a special item for priests to be sold by the dozen on the side of the street.

PS. Roled, I'm flattered that my main has made your enemy list  :devil: . As Sillamon would say, "Xiosia Bless !"

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: Zytorr on February 25, 2010, 03:20:36 pm

Referring to Rigwyn's description of the Keepers of the Veil (and thanks for the effort to do so) one thing seems to be in conflict with settings. That is the notion that Xiosia and Dakkru would be enemies. As there is a cycle to life and death, light and dark, so too do Xiosia and Dakkru bond.

I believe that by the settings only Talad and Laanx have some "issues" and then it is really mostly Laanx that holds the "grudge".

Certainly it is to be expected that there will occur minor differences amongst the gods, but in the end it seems they would all be intent on preventing the Whisperer from destroying everything. Tensions would indeed be stirred between various factions by the Blackflame, but then that seems to be a big part of the game.

Perhaps Rigwyn is starting already to sow the seeds of conflict between those allied against the Blackflame. hehe!

As to the goodies, I believe this will provide an interesting challenge, a challenge as to maintaining a game that has no predetermined outcome. Along with that thought is also a concern that it not take a lifetime, or good portion of it, to build one's character. Granted one might always be changing, but please keep skills and experience within reason of a game. I especially like the concept of selecting a path at the loss of not advancing on others.

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: Rigwyn on February 25, 2010, 03:36:13 pm

Heh heh .. Zytor, Rigwyn is a troublemaker .. not me. I wont try to stir the pot OOCly.
And good point regarding god vs god conflict. Also from a player's point of view being that most players who follow Xiosia don't seem to like war like RP it might be good for the Veil to disike the Seeds ,, but leave them alone as there primary interest in the ultimate offering - those who have lived a good productive life. Being that Xiosia is against killing (senseless killing) and Dakkru is all for it, I would still make the Veil and the Seeds enemies in that they conflict greatly.

Here is my suggestion for the Dark Order (with some corrections and without the quests ). I PM's it previously.
It suggests a radical change to the way in which one trains magic and the time that it takes to reach mastery.
Bufs, stat levels and story may need to be tweaked but they illustrate the intended idea.


Dark Order

- Proposed change to the magic system:

I would like to propose that with the new faction system magic ability is gained via quests and not via grinding. This reward outline should be implemented after a stat wipe and after ability to train stats is removed. A Player should be able to train about 1/3 of the way in a magic way without committing to the Dark Order. A priest should have 3 times more power than a non committed member. The items in the rewards list are more for show and recognition and have very small buffs ( +5 ). This is to discourage players from doing the quests OOCly in order to sell them in the market place. A Buff of less than +5 is pretty useless. Also the higher priestly items have a high buff so that they are worth more than say a sword or ax that has +20DW. A priest should use these items instead of buffed combat items.

-Overview

Dark Order is an order of Dark Way practitioners. They are not necessarily allied Dakkru or with any particular god. Their primary purpose is to advance in Dark Way.

-Insignia
A simplified line drawing of a crystal inside a circle ( like the one in the DR )

-History

The Dark order was started in the year 512AY when the diary of Jhaav Lernol was unearthed accidentally by an experimenter named Velwort Grellos who was rummaging though the howling well while digging for fresh cadavers for his experiments in necromancy. The diary contained extensive notes detailing his theories, experiments and observations. Much of the tome was written in an unknown argot perhaps to prevent others from learning of his discoveries. Velwort spent the last 20 cycles of his life decrypting the diary and had successfully translated most of the book to common. As some of the higher rituals required multiple casters he was forced to recruit and train a fold of devotees. This fold grew in power over time and eventually became know as the Dark Order.

In the year 532AY Velwort succumbed to the temptation to exercise a new ritual that he had deciphered. According to the diary it would imbue him with the strength and power of twenty men. He called upon twenty devotees and promised them a share in the tremendous power that he would harness. The ritual was to be performed at the next eclipse.

It was midday when the sky began to darken. Silence fell. Twenty men stopped their work. They dropped their hammers and plows leaving their work unfinished. They rushed to the howling well grabbing their ceremonial garb on the way. The draped themselves in black cloaks and wore around their necks a golden chain to which was affixed a small shard of the dark crystal. As the Ritual progressed the sky turned black and the wind tore though the cave with a fierce howl that brought the men to their knees with their hands over their bleeding ears. A black column of smoke rose in the middle of the circle and whisped around the practitioners. Velwort stood in the middle and cackled hysterically as he looked upwards raising his hands. A violet bolt of energy flashed from amulet to amulet and eventually struck Velwort in the forehead. He body was lifted off the ground and suspended in mid air convulsing and bending with the ebb and flow of the energy. It was too much. His bones began to shatter and his head exploded spaying his devotees with a red mist and a smattering of brain, bone and hair. His body dropped to the floor lifeless and still. The devotees also dropped to the ground as the withdrawal of the energy rendered them unconscious.

The next day the devotees awoke with pounding heads and shocked expressions on their faces. The ritual was a complete disaster - a product of greed and over-zealousness. They decided that such knowledge was too much for any one individual to possess without limitations to prevent such recklessness. They split the book into three parts and handed a part to each of the three eldest devotees who were to become the Order's three high priests. Each division would specialize only on the knowledge in their fraction of the book.

The first division became known as the Necromancers. These members possessed the knowledge needed to divine past and future events and to animate the dead. The high priest of Necromancy is NPC1

The second division was known as the Destroyers. These members possessed knowledge used for destroying life. It included advanced forms of Taste of Death, Blindness and Daemon Arrows. The high priest of destroyers division is NPC2

The Third division was known as the Parasitics because of their taste for blood. These members were takers by nature and chose to feast on the living - stealing what life they had. They had advanced knowledge in spells such as Weakness and Necrotouch. The Parasitic's high priest is NPC3.

-Goals

The Dark Order is bent on advancing their knowledge in Dark Way. They recruit and train new practitioners in order to support their own advancement in the dark arts. The are not aligned to any religion.

-Methods

The Dark order places advancement in dark way above all else. Their research is performed in various ways including dark crystal meditation, magic rituals involving corpses, and leaching power off of other living beings. They will often wear an artifact containing a shard of the dark crystal to enhance their powers. Despite Dakkru's presence in the death realm, they are not necessarily allied to her. The fact that Dakkru inhabits the death realm is to them just a coincidence.

-Important members

Velwort Grellos ( Historical Importance)
Jhaav Lernol    ( Historical Importance)
NPC1,2,3 - the three high priests

-Allies

Keepers of the Veil - inasmuch as the Keepers would also have a similar attraction to the dark crystal.
Conclave of Glyphs - In that they are a pure magical order.
Brown Order, Red Order - Neighboring ways

-Enemies

Crystal Order, Azure Order, Blue Order - In that they are opposing ways

Rewards:

I think that for rewards the character's stats should be changed to make them more mage like and less warrior like. The highest ranking players in this order would gain a clear advantage magically without the need to grind excessively. I don't think that path to being a great mage should be attained via grinding. It should be gained via the faction system. Also a priest should not be as strong as a warrior and should not be mining plat or running errands from town to town.

The stat increases as a result of being in this order would render priests and those just under the priesthood with clearly superior dark way skills. A priest would have an additional 100 points in dark way and an additional 20 in charisma. He would also be weakened greatly - a loss of 45 points in str and 45 in agility. The decreases in strength and Agility that are incurred at the highest levels should be permanent. A priest should not be able to train these stats back to 200.


Rewards at 10

A Letter of Recommendation to the Dark Order. (Quest Item)
- This would be part of the initiation process
+10 Dark Way
Death Glyph ( For casting Taste of Death )

Rewards at 20

1st Signature on Letter of Approval by High Priest NPC1
+10 Dark Way

Rewards at 30

2nd Signature on Letter of Approval by High Priest NPC2
+10 Dark Way

Rewards at 40

3rd Signature on Letter of Approval by High Priest NPC3
+10 Dark Way
Darkness Glyph ( For casting Darkness)

Rewards at 50

Ring of Darkness +5 Dark Way
This ring bears the insignia of the dark order. It shows ones alliance to the Order.
+10 Dark Way

Rewards at 60

Access to the Dark Order Temple.
+10 Dark Way
Entropy Glyph (Player will be instructed to find a hand glyph )

Rewards at 70
+20 Dark Way
An NPC casts a spell on the player empowering him with Dark Way skill

Rewards at 80  ( 100 total )
+20 Charisma
Dark Amulet of Velmort  +5 charisma

Rewards at 90   ( 120 total, -20 str, -20 agi )
Staff of the Dark Priest +5 Dark Way
+20 Dark Way, -20 str, -20 agi
The character earns the title of "Low Priest"

Rewards at 100
Dark Priestly Robe with inlayed dark crystal Gems +10 DW
+30 Dark way  -30 Str -30 Agi
An NPC initiates the character into the Dark Order Priesthood. During the initiation he is imbued with Dark Way skill but cursed with a weakening in strength and agility. This is part of the price that he must pay in order to be a priest.
The character earns the title of "Priest"

Art Requested

* Dark Order Temple
* Staff of the Dark Priest
* Dark Priestly Robe
* Dark Amulet of Velwort

Quest Suggestions:
( Removed - original suggestions were PM'd )

Ideally it would be nice if the quests gave the player a good feel for what the settings allow.
For example, quests might show the player that he/she may:
*Summon demons to obtain information, attack other characters, protect them
*raise corpses from the grave (zombies)
*perform rituals that involve eating corpses, wearing their clothes, using obscure symbols like protective circles etc...
Supporting Reference (http://www.planeshift.it/guide/en/guide-magic.html#guide-magic-ways-dark)

I think It should clearly illustrate *PlaneShift's* definition of what necromancy and the black arts are.
According to Wikipedia such definitions have changed over time and have been influenced by different religions.

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: RlyDontKnow on February 25, 2010, 04:13:58 pm

Quote from: Rigwyn on February 25, 2010, 03:36:13 pm

I would like to propose that with the new faction system magic ability is gained via quests and not via grinding. This reward outline should be implemented after a stat wipe and after ability to train stats is removed. A Player should be able to train about 1/3 of the way in a magic way without committing to the Dark Order. A priest should have 3 times more power than a non committed member. The items in the rewards list are more for show and recognition and have very small buffs ( +5 ). This is to discourage players from doing the quests OOCly in order to sell them in the market place. A Buff of less than +5 is pretty useless. Also the higher priestly items have a high buff so that they are worth more than say a sword or ax that has +20DW. A priest should use these items instead of buffed combat items.

to be honest this clearly seems to violate itself to me. checking your rewards, the player gets +130 dark way permanently and +20 via equipment during this quest line. that would definetely motivate a lot of people to do this quest line just to get the dark way levels. with DW so high up you can kill pretty much everything around...

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: Rigwyn on February 25, 2010, 04:36:03 pm

Would it be more reasonable if the priest character received up to 80DW plus 10 to 20 DW in items ?
That would be in line with the current max levels.

The heavily DW buffed items (Staff and Robe) could have faction requirements in order to wield them.
The resulting character given this revision would be a maxed DW mage who has a serious handicap of 45str and 45agi
Also he would not be able to max multiple ways or be a master swordsman at the same time given his weakened phys stats.

If the rate of advancement is too fast it could be slowed down by adding a requirement to utilize the DW skill before it could be leveled up again.
ie. the NPC might endow the player with 5 or 10 levels of theoretical knowledge, and then the player would have to put that skill into practice until the stat bar turns green.
This would also prevent a character from becoming a priest overnight by simply questing.

Perhaps the rewards could be revised as follows: ( cutting the quest awarded DW stats in half )

Summary of Accumulated Rewards:

 At 40 - Highest level without joining the Dark Order = Total of 20DW
 At 80  ( Total of +50DW , +15CHA with items )
 At 90   ( Total of +65DW  +15CHA with items, Handicap of -20STR, -20AGI )
 At 100 ( Total of +85DW +15CHA with items, Handicap of -45STR, -45AGI )

Breakdown of Individual Rewards: ( Halved )

Rewards at 10
+5 Dark Way
Death Glyph ( For casting Taste of Death )

Rewards at 20
1st Signature on Letter of Approval by High Priest NPC1
+5 Dark Way

Rewards at 30
2nd Signature on Letter of Approval by High Priest NPC2
+5 Dark Way

Rewards at 40     ( Total of 20DW )     
3rd Signature on Letter of Approval by High Priest NPC3
+5 Dark Way
Darkness Glyph ( For casting Darkness)

Rewards at 50
Ring of Darkness +5 Dark Way
This ring bears the insignia of the dark order. It shows ones alliance to the Order.
+5 Dark Way

Rewards at 60
Access to the Dark Order Temple.
+5 Dark Way
Entropy Glyph (Player will be instructed to find a hand glyph )

Rewards at 70
+10 Dark Way
An NPC casts a spell on the player empowering him with Dark Way skill

Rewards at 80  ( Total of +50DW , +15CHA with items )
+10 Charisma
Dark Amulet of Velmort  +5 charisma

Rewards at 90   ( Total of +65DW  +15CHA with items, Handicap of -20STR, -20AGI )
Staff of the Dark Priest +5 Dark Way
+10 Dark Way, -20 str, -20 agi
The character earns the title of "Low Priest"

Rewards at 100 ( Total of +85DW +15CHA with items, Handicap of -45STR, -45AGI )
Dark Priestly Robe with inlayed dark crystal Gems +10 DW
+20 Dark way  -30 Str -30 Agi

Edit: Revised and added a summary of accumulated rewards

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: zinder on February 25, 2010, 10:16:09 pm

Perhaps you could change some just giving DW skill, especially later on, into receiving excerpts of the book. Perhaps untranslated, or newly codified, and decrypting the excerpts brings the new theoretical knowledge. Reading decrypted passages might also give hints on glyph combinations to try.

I think that would fit nicely with the history you posted, but would mean more work for the settings people.

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: Tadano Hitoshi on February 26, 2010, 07:09:55 am

Iron Hand
-Overview
The Iron hand are worshippers of Laanx. Like Laanx they are willful and unforgiving. They believe in a harsh path to enlightenment and the betterment of self. Lead by example rather than the more charitable activities of Talad`s followers. The Iron Hand attracts a great variety of followers from various walks of life, though only the devout progress to the higher ranks, generally favouring one of the five branches of the masked lord`s priesthood, be they warriors like Sempetor, Pryam`s magicians and guardians of lore, educators as with Noctar or ministering weddings or celebrations in Vestru and Ogan.

-Insignia
The image of an iron gauntlet, the back of which is decorated with the serpentine symbol of Laanx as found in the Iron Temple.

-History
The Iron Hand was founded by Galeran Tarbius, the chosen prophet of Laanx himself. It was formed of Tarbius and his closest advisors and guards, both xacha and lemur, having its true founding on the day the Iron Temple itself was completed. Tarbius formed the Hand to gather the devotees of Laanx into a cohesive priesthood and set down the five branches as a way to organize the church. Since then the highest ranks of the Hand have always been made up of the priesthood`s Diats, with others elevated to such lofty positions only after showing great piety. The Iron Temple of Laanx: Galeran Tarbius` great creation, has always been the headquarters of the organization.

-Goals
To spread the teachings of Laanx and his chosen prophet. Often seen as harsh and unforgiving by those who worship other gods, members of the Iron Hand see the doctrine as necessarily harsh in order to forge the faithful into strong souls able to endure any hardship. They are also taught that forgiveness should be seldom granted, and only after great deeds are completed by the transgressor.

-Methods
The Iron Temple in Hydlaa is the headquarters of the Hand, with chambers sealed off to those who have yet to show sufficient piety. The sealed chambers contain the organization`s archives: texts dating back to the days before Laanx`s scarring, rare tomes from ancient Kadaikos and the xacha pilgrims whom the masked lord found in the Stone Labyrinths.
The Hand is formed of members corresponding to the five branches of Laanx, thus including a great many priests and scholars, but also a small number of warriors and, it is rumoured, assassins.
The majority of the Iron Hand conduct religious services and hold celebrations, while others are devoted to the recovery of artifacts linked to Laanx and Kadaikos, the procurement of offerings for use in the temple, and interfering (indirectly where possible) with Talad`s priesthood.

-Festivals:
Exodus` End, Azhord 21. Said to be the day when Laanx lead the lemur to their new home in the Stone Labyrinths and Ancient Kadaikos was founded. One of the most important days of the year for lemurs, who gather at temples with great offerings on this day. To not attend the services (which last several hours and are a trial of endurance) is a scornful act.
Salvation, Kravaan 1. The day when Laanx came to the xacha in the Stone Labyrinths, saving them from starvation and leading them to Yliakum. A celebration more important to the xacha than other races. Xacha fast and extinguish all light in their homes for eight days before decorating their houses with lanterns and gorging themselves with food and drink upon the Day of Salvation (mockingly known as the Day of Salivation by some non-worshippers).
Eonoch`s Week, Quintahl 17. A week-long wild celebration in remembrance of the pious xacha warrior Eonoch who held back a horde of beasts in Laanx`s name before dying the Truth Death. The week is marked with dancing, dueling and jousting tournaments held by the warrior priests of Sempetor, with the champions at the end of the week being offered arms in reward and, on occasion, offers of recruitment into the branch.
Finally, not on a fixed date but coinciding with the first snowfall of the year, members of the Iron Hand spend a full hour in prayer outside in remembrance of Laanx`s scarring. It is common for those upon the Dome to make a pilgrimage to the Scar of Laanx at this time.

-Allies:
Red Order, Azure Order, [something related to smithing?]

-Enemies
Conclave of the Glyphs, Cabal of Whispers

-Important Members
Sharven, Menlil, Polyuntri

-Rewards:
Rewards at 10
5,000 tria
Rewards at 20
Landas candle
Rewards at 30
Iron (or jade) symbol of Laanx.
Rewards at 40
Iron ring (or jade) engraved with the Iron Hand`s insignia (RP use, +1 RW?)
Rewards at 50
Access to the Iron Hand`s rooms in the Iron Temple.
Rewards at 60
Platinum (or jade) symbol of Laanx (enchanted for +5 Will)
Rewards at 70
Choice of an enchanted Sempetor battle hammer, or Pryam magic wand (+5 RW)
Rewards at 80
Quinx-summoning gem for addition to Ring of Summoning.
Rewards at 90
Priest`s robes, large sum of money
Rewards at 100
Priest`s staff (grants a considerable bonus to Red Way)

-Quest Suggestions:
* Konroran`s Statue. The character, after becoming sufficiently initiated into the Iron Hand (faction 50+) is given the task of investigating rumours of the discovery of Konroran`s Statue of Laanx (perhaps it turns out to be one of his earlier attempts, since multiple players will be attempting it) and ensuring it gets to the Iron Temple.
(This quest could be mirrored by a similar one in the Conclave of the Glyphs, with the Talad worshipper trying to recover the statue for Talad).
* From Garad (`Shadows`). Sempetor, the priesthood`s military branch, is rumoured to contain holy assassins and you, after showing extreme faith (Faction 70-80+), are chosen to carry out an assassination for the Iron Hand. Reward is a sufficiently enchanted dagger or disguise.

-Quests Associated:
The existing ones, layered to progress a character`s initiation.

-Art Requested:
*Landas candle (complete with lighting effect)
*Temple rooms only accessible to those with sufficient Faction Points.
*Insignia (rings, amulets of iron, jade and platinum).
*Sempetor battle hammer.
*Pryam magic wand
*priest`s robes
*Priest`s staff (same in appearance to that held by the statue of Laanx)
*Quinx-summoning ring.
*Quinx.
*Sempetor assassin dagger or disguise.

I`m sure I can think of more later, and will edit it in if/when I do.

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: Tadano Hitoshi on March 05, 2010, 05:56:08 am

I have some ideas for Faction benefits linked to the Merchant Faction (Jirosh and co.), but not yet a full proposal.
I`ll post the ideas if no one minds, and perhaps something can be used or put together.

Often players have suggested that trade between cities could be implemented by having prices different at different shops. What I propose is a couple of benefits, tied to a player`s faction, which give discounts when buying, and a benefit when selling.

Favoured Customer (FC)
The character becomes a favoured customer of merchants across Yliakum after the work they have done for them and gets a discount on goods.

Silver Tongue (ST)
The character has become skilled at bartering with merchants when selling goods and increases the value of their goods.

For example:
Faction Points
50 FC10%
60 ST10%
70 FC20%
80 ST20%
90 FC30%
100 FC30%

Thus a master merchant (100 Faction) can buy goods with a 30% discount, and sell them for 30% more than the standard price.
To prevent manipulation of the system, selling goods back to the merchant you buy them from would have to be prohibited. For example Taemian will sell you plate-mail gloves, but he won`t buy them. Take them to Harnquist however and you`ll get your 130% when you sell them.
I thought it best to reserve the benefits for 50+ faction in order to make players devote sufficient time to becoming a successful merchant. Are the %s too small?

It`s just an idea, anyway.

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: bilbous on March 05, 2010, 08:32:02 am

I'd say they are too large by half, but there ought to be some variation in what the merchants offer to buy and sell. Typically if you are going to get into a trading situation then merchants will have things they have and things they want and each merchant is different. There ought to be some room for newcomers to make a profit.   

Just my two cents. Maybe it is not worth one to you :)

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: Aerig on April 07, 2010, 04:41:13 pm

Far too much focus on specific details here.

Planeshift development is incredibly slow as is and excessive focus on detail, ratherthan reliable general mechanic, is probably one of the reasons why. Genericise this whole discussion and all underlying issues and you can rapidly move this game forward leaps and bounds.


Obvious important issue is, what does faction actually mean? 10 points equals how much standing with that faction? 50 points equals how much? How hard is it to get 10 points from 0 or 10 points from 90 to 100? So .. convert the numbers into a social, human context before you even start to think about this .. then convert them back into numbers.

What is a reward worth? What is the point in saying "oh at 50 points we will give you a shiny new longsword". That means nothing to a Dark Way mage. Find some way to define values in the context of the character, not the context of that individual system or what you think is specifically reasonable.

As a coder you also have to be able to RP what you write! To do that you must have a clear definition of what each faction stands for and how they interact with each other in an RP context before you can even begin to think about the code.

You want factions to be real, to be realistic?

What are the socio-politico-economic implications of being a member of, for example, the Red Way? You need your settings team to flesh out a human description of all of that before you even think about putting into coded arithmetic. AFIAK, you dont have that, though maybe you do.

Apart from that? Well, hell, in all fairness, this game, so far, is still developing the noob areas - so implementing factions is slightly premature.

OOC: in the middle of the EBD quests, I am just beginning to feel that I have an appreciation of the game, its possibilities, and the possibilities for my character's future development.

Before you start on implementing factions, I honestly feel that you need to implement quest lines for each likely faction and note down what ideas you have as you do so that might flesh out and humanise the idea of what that faction is and represents.


All that said, here is a very simple way of implementing factions with respect to individual characters:

Character does something for some faction and gets X faction points. The game looks up a table and says ok that means he also got Y +ve faction here and Z -ve faction here.

Kind of obviously, getting faction with Good will affect many things and getting faction with Evil will affect many things. Getting faction with the Red Way may not affect that much. Good and Evil are big, the Red Way is only one facet of either, or maybe, both of them.

But .. what is Good in Ylakium? What is Evil in Ylakium? Start to answer those great big general questions, to define the answers, and then work down through progressive levels.

For me, I would say: Good, Neutral or Chaos, and Evil.

Good promotes social structure, it is in the best interests of as many as possible.
Evil opposes social structure, it is in the best intersts of only the individual pursuing it.
Neutral refuses to participate in Good or Evil, yet incorporates both in an attempt to find the most balanced path between one and all.
Chaos is like normal individual human opinion, it picks and chooses according to what it thinks is best.


I continually see Ynnwyn classified as Evil ingame. Is this correct? Are they genuinely destructive of the social fabric of Ylakium or are they merely more self oriented?

Is Zak so evil? He is a thief, a rogue, but has a mother and is social enough that he is willing to help Rinna despite her being 'marked'

You have to define, in the context of the world of Ylakium, what people living there consider to be good or evil. Then you need to work down from that to define what proportion Chaos and Neutral have of each of Good and Evil. Then you have to define every other faction in the context of those four easily graspible terms.

Once you define all that, then you can begin to define how each faction actually relates to each other faction.

At tha point you have the foundations for writing quests that are intensely complex, interms of the underlying numbers, but which are simple and easy to grasp, in the context of the human playing the game.

At present I do not think you have more than a handful of quests that you can easily associate that sort of faction to, not without the risk of players inadvertently making decisions that they really did not mean to make.

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: Earowo on April 07, 2010, 10:48:00 pm

you are just full of negativity today :\

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: Akeera on April 24, 2010, 05:01:18 am

Primary Faction Group 1: Dakkru, Talad, Laanx, Black Flame, Xiosia, Atheist
Primary Faction Group 2: Crystal Way, Azure Way, Blue Way, Brown Way, Red Way, Dark Way

{PrimaryFaction1 && PrimaryFaction2} = {Aura} {FactionPoints 20->40->60->80->100} PROFILE
{Dakkru||Xiosia && Crystal} = {Evil||Good} {Beginner->Initiate->Expert->Master>Grandmaster} MINER
{Dakkru||Xiosia && Azure} = {Evil||Good} {Beginner->Initiate->Expert->Master>Grandmaster} EMPATHIC
{Dakkru||Xiosia && Blue} = {Evil||Good} {Beginner->Initiate->Expert->Master>Grandmaster} COOK
{Dakkru||Xiosia && Brown} = {Evil||Good} {Beginner->Initiate->Expert->Master>Grandmaster} BLACKSMITH
{Dakkru||Xiosia && Red} = {Evil||Good} {Beginner->Initiate->Expert->Master>Grandmaster} METALLURGIST
{Dakkru||Xiosia && Dark} = {Evil||Good} {Beginner->Initiate->Expert->Master>Grandmaster} CRAFTER

{Laanx||Talad && Crystal} = {Good||Neutral} {Beginner->Initiate->Expert->Master>Grandmaster} HEALER
{Laanx||Talad && Azure} = {Good||Neutral} {Beginner->Initiate->Expert->Master>Grandmaster} PRIEST
{Laanx||Talad && Blue} = {Good||Neutral} {Beginner->Initiate->Expert->Master>Grandmaster} PALADIN
{Laanx||Talad && Brown} = {Good||Neutral} {Beginner->Initiate->Expert->Master>Grandmaster} MONK
{Laanx||Talad && Red} = {Good||Neutral} {Beginner->Initiate->Expert->Master>Grandmaster} SORCERER
{Laanx||Talad && Dark} = {Good||Neutral} {Beginner->Initiate->Expert->Master>Grandmaster} ILLUSIONIST

{Atheist||Black Flame} && Crystal = {Neutral||Evil} {Beginner->Initiate->Expert->Master>Grandmaster} LORD
{Atheist||Black Flame} && Azure = {Neutral||Evil} {Beginner->Initiate->Expert->Master>Grandmaster} THIEF
{Atheist||Black Flame} && Blue = {Neutral||Evil} {Beginner->Initiate->Expert->Master>Grandmaster} BARD
{Atheist||Black Flame} && Brown = {Neutral||Evil} {Beginner->Initiate->Expert->Master>Grandmaster} KNIGHT
{Atheist||Black Flame} && Red = {Neutral||Evil} {Beginner->Initiate->Expert->Master>Grandmaster} ARTIST
{Atheist||Black Flame} && Dark = {Neutral||Evil} {Beginner->Initiate->Expert->Master>Grandmaster} ASSASIN

Crystal Way Clan: MINER, HEALER, LORD
Azure Way Clan: EMPATHIC, PRIEST, THIEF
Blue Way Clan: COOK, PALADIN, BARD
Brown Way Clan: BLACKSMITH, MONK, KNIGHT
Red Way Clan: METALLURGIST, SORCERER, ARTIST
Dark Way Clan: CRAFTER, ILLUSIONIST, ASSASIN

+ make skill table for each PROFILE
+ with max. skill level reachable
+ depending on Beginner, Initiate, Expert, Master, Grandmaster

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: khoridor on May 03, 2010, 03:38:17 pm

Quote from: Tadano Hitoshi on February 26, 2010, 07:09:55 am

Iron Hand
[...]
-Rewards:
Rewards at 10
5,000 tria
[...]
Rewards at 50
Access to the Iron Hand`s rooms in the Iron Temple.
[...]
Rewards at 90
Priest`s robes, large sum of money
Rewards at 100
Priest`s staff (grants a considerable bonus to Red Way)

This post inspired me most comments; although I never cared much for Laanx so far, to have an unforgiving, harsh religious faction is very enjoyable in a fantasy world.

My first comment applies to other submissions as well: don't give a large sum of money as the 1st reward (10 FP). Riches are for important and trusted members only; 5000 tria to every new face is neither sensible nor sustainable.
In fact, at this level, I would give either tria or FP. The choice is to take a reasonable payment for the given task, or to forfeit it as an offering to the cult, thus opening yourself a path for future favours.

In a general way, I believe rewards should be, as often as possible, openings towards new things, rather than magic trinkets and buffs. That without further closing the paths for other personal development (like reduced physical abilities, which makes no sense).

Back to the Iron Hand, and reading that the faction contains priests, warriors, and even assassins. You don't want everybody to try to become a priest, I suppose. So, the reward at 50 points is also a choice: choose the path of the priest or the path of the warrior (like crusaders or inquisitors or whatnot).

50 points reward:

Position as a student of sacred texts   or   Position as a warrior/monk trainee
Religious robe(s)   or   Religious surcoat
Access to libraries   or   Access to barracks
Acces to good CHA-skills teacher   or   Access to good combat teacher

70 FP reward:

Access to barracks   or   Access to libraries

90 FP reward:

Priesthood robe   or   Inquisitor armor

etc.

As a basis, I'd see the warrior path more physically rewarding, and the priest path more politically (and maybe financially) rewarding. Not so much about magic, which can be achieved through personal training anyway, or even through another faction.

PS: For religious factions' quests, I'd very well consider 1 or 2 pilgrimage quests, one at low level, one at higher level for example. Better leave that aside until the game map is larger, though.

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: Elvors on May 09, 2010, 07:35:32 pm

Enemies should be generally consistent, but as Neko pointed out, it need not be a perfect symmetry.

To prevent misunderstandings like this, it might be a good idea to rephrase the faction relationships in terms of "A hates B" to "A loves B".

I.e. BF hates everybody, but nobody hates or loves them.

Oh, and I think there should be a secret organization that knows about BF. Otherwise, BF will simply win, hands down.

Title: Re: Factions As Real Organizations.
Post by: Earowo on May 11, 2010, 06:47:09 am

Quote from: Elvors on May 09, 2010, 07:35:32 pm

Enemies should be generally consistent, but as Neko pointed out, it need not be a perfect symmetry.

To prevent misunderstandings like this, it might be a good idea to rephrase the faction relationships in terms of "A hates B" to "A loves B".

I.e. BF hates everybody, but nobody hates or loves them.

Oh, and I think there should be a secret organization that knows about BF. Otherwise, BF will simply win, hands down.

certain people in winch do know about bf, and there are even quests involving somwhat infiltrating them, i was ing these quests on the ez server, im still in the middle of it, but i dont think they can win, hands down