Post by Aldrannath on Nov 4, 2009 16:19:22 GMT 1
I'll collect any matters arising here. Feel free to ask any IC questions in-character; just for the record, here are the answers, as well as a few OOC queries that have cropped up.
My character is really ancient; can I join?
In principle, sure, but in practice please do discuss this with us first. The older your character, the higher the minimum standard of RP we will accept, and the pickier we will be about, well, everything. In some cases we may say, "you're welcome to join us, but only with a character below the age of X".
Why did you ask me to change my character? Isn't that mean?
No, we don't think it's mean. We will try to be nice about it, but if your character just doesn't fit with what we do, we'll let you know and suggest how you could change them so they can join. We want you to join! But only with a character we're happy with. If you're not willing to make the changes we ask for, that's fair enough - but then we have the right to say, "thanks but no thanks."
Why do you insist on your version of the lore?
It's tempting to say "because we've done the research", but the real answer is "because it's our guild." If we've got something wrong, please do show us the source and we'll correct it. If you imagine things differently, feel free!
Hold on, wowwiki says Night Elves only live to be 2000.
*Aldrannath pauses to register on wowwiki and propose a change, before this discussion drives him even further round the twist.
The source this is based on is out of date; Blizzard has repeatedly changed its mind on this part of lore. Tyrande Whisperwind and Shandris Feathermoon (not to mention Malfurion Stormrage) participated in the War of the Ancients, 10,000 years ago, and are still alive in the game world. Before the War of the Ancients, Blizzard appears to think all Night Elves were already immortal, but they have vacillated on this point somewhat. From the War of the Ancients (and the creation of the World Tree Nordrassil) until the Third War (and the destruction of Nordrassil) only a few years ago, Night Elves were definitely immune to both age and disease, dying only through accident or violence. As such, ages over about 11,000 years should be avoided, in case Blizzard changes their minds again about how and when Kaldorei became immortal. Anything up to 10,000 years is fine - but should be approached with caution. The life of a Kaldorei is fairly dangerous, so with the possible exception of Druids, very old characters should be somewhat rarer than younger ones. Nobody really knows IC how long Kaldorei will live now that their immortality is gone - which is handy, because Blizzard have been a bit vague about it. For more guidance, check the Guide to Kaldorei RP.
What's with all the bloodletting? Surely Elune and Malorne are peaceful deities?
Absolutely right, they are peaceful deities. The bloodletting bit is more concerned with the Balance, which from our characters' point of view is "Nature red in tooth and claw." There are deeper meanings, too. Anyway, the idea of animal sacrifice is indeed likely to shock most Priestesses; they definitely don't do that in the Temple of the Moon.
Don't Kaldorei love animals?
Nope, Kaldorei love the Balance - although some Kaldorei do form attachments to certain pets, which apparently gain extended lifespans as a consequence; Tyrande still has her Nightsaber from the War of the Ancients. Anyway, lots of Kaldorei are hunters, and many Kaldorei eat meat. There are actually problems with the Balance in Ashenvale because so many Sentinels died in the Battle of Mount Hyjal, not enough Kaldorei have been out hunting and keeping the animal populations under control.
But surely Druids love animals?
Nope, Druids love the Balance, which is red in tooth and claw. Typically, Druids are no more sentimental about the death of individual animals than you or I would be about clipping our toenails. Many Druids spend a lot of time as big cats or bears, and as such probably eat quite a lot of raw meat. The Way of Malorne would dictate that they should catch and kill it themselves.
What about DEHTA then?
Well, first, DEHTA is a rather silly lore joke. Second, they are clearly meant to be a fringe group of crackpots - rather like the Way of Malorne, only at the other extreme. But most importantly, DEHTA object to the wholesale, commercialised slaughter of large numbers of wild animals in an already-damaged ecosystem; in other words, what they really object to is damage to the Balance. Back in Ashenvale Forest, some of them probably wouldn't even be vegetarian.
Surely all this butchery is Trollish behaviour?
Well, Trollish behaviour would be to do to other Kaldorei what we do to the occasional wild animal. The primitivist mysticism of the rites is arguably Tauren-ish, but it's also quite authentically Kaldorei, although some "modernist" Kaldorei (such as Fandral Staghelm) might well disapprove. So no; hunters kill animals, butcher them, and eat the meat, presumably getting covered in blood in the process. The Way of Malorne is all about getting back to Kaldorei roots and experiencing the cycle of nature at first hand, so from our characters' point of view, a Kaldorei who eats meat but can't stand the sight of blood "has left the Way of Malorne." Of course, some Druids of the Grove, for example, are probably vegetarian; they may well find our rituals shocking or disgusting, or simply meaningless.
Tyrande is 10,000 years old, and she acts like a stroppy teenager. Why can't I?
Just because most of Blizzard's fiction has less literary merit than the better brands of toilet roll, doesn't mean we'll stand for it in our RP. Two-dimensional or silly characters are boring. We try to quietly assume that Tyrande is less of an idiot than she appears to be in lore.
My character is really ancient; can I join?
In principle, sure, but in practice please do discuss this with us first. The older your character, the higher the minimum standard of RP we will accept, and the pickier we will be about, well, everything. In some cases we may say, "you're welcome to join us, but only with a character below the age of X".
Why did you ask me to change my character? Isn't that mean?
No, we don't think it's mean. We will try to be nice about it, but if your character just doesn't fit with what we do, we'll let you know and suggest how you could change them so they can join. We want you to join! But only with a character we're happy with. If you're not willing to make the changes we ask for, that's fair enough - but then we have the right to say, "thanks but no thanks."
Why do you insist on your version of the lore?
It's tempting to say "because we've done the research", but the real answer is "because it's our guild." If we've got something wrong, please do show us the source and we'll correct it. If you imagine things differently, feel free!
Hold on, wowwiki says Night Elves only live to be 2000.
*Aldrannath pauses to register on wowwiki and propose a change, before this discussion drives him even further round the twist.
The source this is based on is out of date; Blizzard has repeatedly changed its mind on this part of lore. Tyrande Whisperwind and Shandris Feathermoon (not to mention Malfurion Stormrage) participated in the War of the Ancients, 10,000 years ago, and are still alive in the game world. Before the War of the Ancients, Blizzard appears to think all Night Elves were already immortal, but they have vacillated on this point somewhat. From the War of the Ancients (and the creation of the World Tree Nordrassil) until the Third War (and the destruction of Nordrassil) only a few years ago, Night Elves were definitely immune to both age and disease, dying only through accident or violence. As such, ages over about 11,000 years should be avoided, in case Blizzard changes their minds again about how and when Kaldorei became immortal. Anything up to 10,000 years is fine - but should be approached with caution. The life of a Kaldorei is fairly dangerous, so with the possible exception of Druids, very old characters should be somewhat rarer than younger ones. Nobody really knows IC how long Kaldorei will live now that their immortality is gone - which is handy, because Blizzard have been a bit vague about it. For more guidance, check the Guide to Kaldorei RP.
What's with all the bloodletting? Surely Elune and Malorne are peaceful deities?
Absolutely right, they are peaceful deities. The bloodletting bit is more concerned with the Balance, which from our characters' point of view is "Nature red in tooth and claw." There are deeper meanings, too. Anyway, the idea of animal sacrifice is indeed likely to shock most Priestesses; they definitely don't do that in the Temple of the Moon.
Don't Kaldorei love animals?
Nope, Kaldorei love the Balance - although some Kaldorei do form attachments to certain pets, which apparently gain extended lifespans as a consequence; Tyrande still has her Nightsaber from the War of the Ancients. Anyway, lots of Kaldorei are hunters, and many Kaldorei eat meat. There are actually problems with the Balance in Ashenvale because so many Sentinels died in the Battle of Mount Hyjal, not enough Kaldorei have been out hunting and keeping the animal populations under control.
But surely Druids love animals?
Nope, Druids love the Balance, which is red in tooth and claw. Typically, Druids are no more sentimental about the death of individual animals than you or I would be about clipping our toenails. Many Druids spend a lot of time as big cats or bears, and as such probably eat quite a lot of raw meat. The Way of Malorne would dictate that they should catch and kill it themselves.
What about DEHTA then?
Well, first, DEHTA is a rather silly lore joke. Second, they are clearly meant to be a fringe group of crackpots - rather like the Way of Malorne, only at the other extreme. But most importantly, DEHTA object to the wholesale, commercialised slaughter of large numbers of wild animals in an already-damaged ecosystem; in other words, what they really object to is damage to the Balance. Back in Ashenvale Forest, some of them probably wouldn't even be vegetarian.
Surely all this butchery is Trollish behaviour?
Well, Trollish behaviour would be to do to other Kaldorei what we do to the occasional wild animal. The primitivist mysticism of the rites is arguably Tauren-ish, but it's also quite authentically Kaldorei, although some "modernist" Kaldorei (such as Fandral Staghelm) might well disapprove. So no; hunters kill animals, butcher them, and eat the meat, presumably getting covered in blood in the process. The Way of Malorne is all about getting back to Kaldorei roots and experiencing the cycle of nature at first hand, so from our characters' point of view, a Kaldorei who eats meat but can't stand the sight of blood "has left the Way of Malorne." Of course, some Druids of the Grove, for example, are probably vegetarian; they may well find our rituals shocking or disgusting, or simply meaningless.
Tyrande is 10,000 years old, and she acts like a stroppy teenager. Why can't I?
Just because most of Blizzard's fiction has less literary merit than the better brands of toilet roll, doesn't mean we'll stand for it in our RP. Two-dimensional or silly characters are boring. We try to quietly assume that Tyrande is less of an idiot than she appears to be in lore.