Posts Thanked By User

1

Important Layonara Announcements / Re: Server unkown to us

« on: March 25, 2020, 01:15:31 pm »

I just gave it a little test and I can log in without any issues (6:10 PM UTC+1). Can you please double check if you are running the correct build of NWN:EE? Right now, we still need NWN Enhanced Edition Version 8186 which you have to set manually in the game settings within Steam.

2

Rumour Has It / News from the "Bean Counters"

« on: October 17, 2015, 09:08:52 pm »

The clerks and accountants for the Angel’s Guild begin to make some disturbing reports to Ferrit. Some of the institutions and individuals that the guild maintains lines of credit with have reported being contacted by agents of an unknown financial broker who is seeking to purchase Angel’s Guild debt at a significant discount… essentialy coin on the spot for accounts receivable.  Due to the liquidity of guild accounts and assets and no overdue payments, there is no indication of any transactions actually being made.

3

Ancients Legacy / Ancients Legacy -- Epilogue, Part IV

« on: September 05, 2015, 04:11:29 pm »

Time passes with most of the world being blissfully unaware of anything that happened in the Mountains of Madness or its significance. Across the world, Fastrot is considered to no longer be a danger, and quarantines are lifted. Leveraging rumors of some sort of confrontation or activity in Milara's domain, Rael declares Fastrot to have been the work of Milara himself, who sought to create a plague to afflict upon the people of the world. He further claims to have discovered its nature and was thus able to defend the residents of Rael against it most effectively, though he stops just short of taking credit for discovering a “cure”.Of note, a collection of similar stories begin to circulate through the world involving a confrontation between a dragon and the people of a town. The details vary depending on the teller and the region. Sometimes the village in question is nameless, or it is a small place on another continent. Sometimes the “hero” of the story is a farmer, a seamstress, a shopkeeper or a teenaged girl (though often braggards will insert themselves into the protagonist role). Sometimes the dragon is stunned, sometimes it is burned, shocked or otherwise sent away. In all cases, the dragon leaves and bothers the town no more.A full two years, give or take, from the recovery of the Conduit, the people of Layonara look up into the night sky to see another change. Of the seven deities who converged in the sky several years prior, all had returned to their usual places in the Heavens. There was no movement, no shifting and no warning. Simply, one night, they were back where they “should” be. Grannoch too and retaken her place. Only Toran, Rofirein and Pyrtechon remained displaced, but these only for a few additional nights. All was now as it was to be.

4

Ancients Legacy / Ancients Legacy -- Epilogue, Part III

« on: August 31, 2015, 11:43:15 pm »

Another two months pass before the Conduit is fully disassembled and prepared for relocation. Near the end of this, scouting parties have found what is believed to be a passage through the Deep that will lead to Mistone and eventually the Hall of Seven, however, it is not without its perils, and such a large group passing through with the added load of the Conduit pieces would surely draw unwanted attention. In the interest of expediency, it is ultimately decided to take the Conduit overland to Anger Bay and from there to sail for the subterranean docks of the Ulgrids with the aid and capacity of the Toranite troop ships, and eventually traverse into the Deep for the last part of the journey.The Conduit is moved in five main efforts, each conveying the parts for one fifth of the Conduit, based on the notion that should any section be lost, it could be recreated using their plans and the others as a template. A key piece of each section of the Conduit is taken and moved through another means. The gnomes refuse to answer questions about these pieces or how they are moved, referring to them only as “essence” or “heart”, though there seems to be some disagreement among them as to the correct way to translate the specific word.The transportation of the Conduit back to the Hall of Seven is every bit as painstaking as its disassembly, yet the challenges along the way remain well within the abilities of those serving as scouts, protection or both. Every consideration is given to the safety of the pieces. Reassembly within the Hall begins as soon as the pieces begin arriving. After the better part of a year from the discovery of the Conduit, all pieces arrive safely within the Hall. All those who aided in its transport and protection are thanked, offered provisions and a time to rest, but they are asked to depart as soon as possible. “Our work...” they are told. “for reasons given by the gods themselves, must remain secret. The Five will soon be reborn to disappear among the peoples of this world. Remember all you have learned. Respect what you were told. When the skies change next, you will know the meaning.”

5

Ancients Legacy / Ancients Legacy -- Epilogue, Part II

« on: August 28, 2015, 10:43:21 pm »

Days of work by the gnomes turns into weeks and more. Slowly but surely, the Conduit is separated from Milara's modifications and disassembled. It's parts are tagged, catalogued, cross-referenced and documented. New diagrams are drawn with very explicit illustrations and directions for reassembling this very special and intricate artifact. They answer very few questions about their work or the Conduit itself, and only those questions asked by those who solved the puzzles are given any consideration at all.During this same period, things are relatively quiet. No sight, sound nor event attributable to Milara is noted. No passages in this chamber or the caves that link to it lead anywhere into Milara's personal domain (though he most certainly claims the whole of the Mountains of Madness at a minimum). The giants themselves are patient with all the traffic through their caves. While there are some tense moments, they honor their part of the agreement and seem much more at ease when the adventurers and the troops at their disposal consistently honor the giants' requests as well. They eventually even prove useful in keeping the path back to Bloody Gate somewhat safe and secure without the need for a large presence of troops. A few times, the impaled head of a dark elf is presented as a show of continued good faith.About three weeks into the gnomes' effort, with still a fair amount to go, the leader Ehkaheic addresses Acacea with a request. “We think Milara brought this through the underground,” he says. “Safest and quickest way back may be through the same. We need scouts...and protection when it is time to move...and perhaps messengers.”In one particular shipment of supplies, a crate arrives containing a collection of shields and rods which are distributed to the adventurers who recovered the Conduit as a token of thanks. Each device bears clear signs of gnomish design and craftsmanship.

6

Ancients Legacy / Ancients Legacy -- Epilogue: Inner Workings

« on: August 02, 2015, 01:31:23 am »

(( This is intended for those who were involved in the discovery of the Conduit during the finale and/or the immediate lead-up to the finale. As such, the situations described below will not be common knowledge. ))The Conduit remains largely static from the time in which it was found until it is secured. The dissonant sound in the area persists, causing some people physical discomfort when exposed at close proximity for too long. The “holding tank” attached to the machine seems to slowly grow less full with each passing day. By the time the gnomes arrive, there is a noticeably less “energy” or whatever it is contained within.In the thick of battle, Milara was able to escape, leaving behind a force formidable enough to draw everyone's attention from his departure. In his wake, a small study containing a work desk and a broken portal are found. The desk contains something akin to a ledger, detailing a progression of “extractions” as well as an analysis of yield based on factors of race, gender and age (which produces no significant differences). On the first page of the ledger is a number written in the top right corner and circled. The number seems to correspond with the last line of the ledger, which together with the twenty-some lines prior, remain unfilled and presumably uncompleted. As a last point, the ledger is divided into sections. Each section seems to total up to about the same number of (presumably) people recorded, within 1-2 of the average except for the last, which is incomplete.The ruined portal is a mess, magically speaking, to anyone with the right sensitivities to magic. While it would take a directed examination of the remains to determine anything more, it is immediately clear that the portal that was here no longer functions.The contingent of gnomes, quite a few more than the few already met, arrive about a month later. They are pretty horrified and dismayed by the Conduit and in particular the fact that it was removed and placed into an “unsuitable” place and that the purity of its design and function were distorted and modified in such a way. Wasting little time, they begin to disconnect Milara's additions, though they take extreme care in doing so and make sure they understand exactly what was done so that it could be undone. As the first order of business, they are able to reverse the guide that feeds into the holding tank, thereby siphoning the stored energy/essence from the tank and back into the five nodes of the Conduit. “It may not last, but it may put the sacrifice of others to good use afterall,” says one of the gnomes. Acacea arrives not long after the gnomes in a manner that suggests that she is arriving exactly when she intended, and she is seemingly less horrified than the gnomes by a large amount.From there, the gnomes begin to meticulously disassemble the device. It is not a complete disassembly; the device is broken down only so far as needed to allow for easy transport. They work with a set of fantastic and complex tools that seem both newly fabricated and specifically made for this task. The gnomes from the secret temple seem to be directing the efforts and referencing an extensive set of plans. Despite its size, the pieces of the Conduit do not seem to be overly heavy or cumbersome. Even so, the workers treat each piece as though extremely fragile.To be continued...

7

Ancients Legacy / Ancients Legacy -- Epilogue, Part I

« on: August 01, 2015, 10:23:38 pm »

With little warning, the fortress of Bloody Gate is suddenly a hub of activity. It began a short time ago with the arrival of several persons whose names would be recognizable by the stories told of them. Not long after, a brigade of soldiers bearing standards of Toran made landfall in Anger Bay. The force, numbering a thousand or more troops based on observations, began to march through the wilderness of Morholt, apparently taking pains to avoid centers of population by a wide margin, at least until reaching Bloody Gate. The troops settle into a camp just outside the walls, resting and waiting for something.The wait ends up being not long at all, and with a few more arrivals of storied (and even legendary) persons, the troops begin to mobilize. Joined by a sizable force of Voraxian troops from Bloody Gate itself and a small contingent of scouts sent by the Wolfswood Rangers, a coordinated march into the Mountains of Madness to the east of Bloody Gate begins, led by the same prominent individuals who arrived not long before. And so began the campaign into the mountains, with the mighty adventurers securing the path and the army of troops holding the lines of supply and communication.The expedition proceeded into a cave, and at that point, the details get spotty. From outward appearances, the activity and troop distribution would suggest holding position, yet only a few waypoint camps are established along the secured route, suggesting no permanence to the effort. Observations also suggest a regular rotation of troops through the lines of fortification, some going as far back as the camp outside of Bloody Gate. Rumors of an alliance with mountain giant tribes long left undisturbed since the long-expired truce with Milara circulate among the forces. As could be guessed, such rumors are met with varying degrees of acceptance.Likewise, stories circulated among troops rotating out of the caves speak of a large machine of some sort being secured and kept for study.Within a month or so of the incursion into the mountains, a half dozen gnomes arrive at Bloody Gate. After being allowed to rest and refresh from their journey overnight, the gnomes were escorted along the supply lines and into the cave. A week after the gnomes' arrival in Bloody Gate, a trio of riders bearing insignia and flags of Morholt arrive and demand audience with King Rory.Though precisely unknown at the time, the last recorded case of “Fastrot” occurs two weeks after the mountain incursion with a man who stumbles into Fort Homestead, collapses and almost immediately liquifies. (( more to come... ))

8

Ancients Legacy / Ancients Legacy -- Epilogue

« on: July 20, 2015, 10:08:25 pm »

Sorry for the teaser here.I just wanted to let everyone know that we're working to write up the epilogue to the Ancients Legacy plot. As you might guess, there are a lot of little parts at work here, including reward items, RP and lore consequences/benefits/etc., and we want to make sure it all works out correctly. In addition, we allowed ourselves a little down-time, after having spent so long on the plot in general and on the preparation for the Finale.So anyway, it's coming. Thanks for your patience.

9

Ancients Legacy / Tactical Assessments of Milara

« on: July 11, 2015, 08:34:01 pm »

*Kurn sends copies of a letter to all those members involved in the final battle and previous installments*Well done and a hard fought battle!  We sent that cowardly bugger running and thwarted his godhood in one fell swoop.  We learned some very important things that day.  One, that when we put our skills and abilities together, we can move mountains and shake the foundations of one of the most powerful men to walk the world of Layonara.  Two, that he can bleed.  And three, that he fears us.  He fled and escaped despite his fine showing.  But the battle is not over.  While Milara still breathes, he will try his mad plans again.  His Pet in ashes and his Triumph stolen from him, he is weaker than before.  But he will rebuild.What now then?  I say we prepare quickly and press forward.  If he is ever to be stopped once and for all, we need to destroy him utterly and make for darned certain he finally breathes his last.  And we should do so quickly before he musters enough forces to get his revenge; and believe me, for we thwarted his plans and he fears us, we are in more danger than ever before.  Each of us is now marked by him and, unopposed, he WILL try to take us out before we take the fight to him.  Death is certain, life is not.Having stood toe to toe with the bugger and landing a good volley of blows, I'd like to share with ye all what I have learned of his strengths and his weaknesses.  Of course you know well his tactics and that of his dark elven henchmen... dispelling magic blasts quickly followed by death magics and swarms of undead using the same.  Disjunction and greater dispelling appeared to be at work in the deaths sustained on our side leading up to the battle.  Second most he appears to have a great love of the greatest evocation, Hellball.  I noticed many of ye blasted with it, while I myself managed to evade most of its effects.  This was in part to a combination of me quick feet and reflexes, evading the epicenter of the blasts to avoid the brunt of impact.  That which was not dodged was warded by the constant effect of the resistanced placed on me amulet, rings and helm... greater resistances against each element on each piece of jewelry.  What little remained of the hellballs he laid upon me were negligable.  While not all of you are as quick to dodge such a blast, I highly be recommending investing in such protections on all of yer equipment, and boilstering the effects with means to help increase ye reflexes.In melee with him, though I hit him many many times, he withstood the brunt of the damage.  He did not appear to have the skin of stone, so likely it was absorbed by some of his equipment or even perhaps supernatural abilities.  As I glimpsed him up close, I witnessed me blades many times appearing to land as sure strikes only to pass through the image with a whoosh of air, indicating that he had some magic of the displacer beast at work, which could explain some of his purplish hue.  Perhaps even a ghostly armor.  I could have sword I had me truesight spell active, but it is possible that it had faded or been dispelled in the heat of battle. For those blows which hit him solidly, I noted the following.  Despite many attempts to knock him over, he resisted them without fail, and despite his having much natural strength of his own.  Though me blade easily swatted aside his meager and flimsy arms many times as he cast spells, the strikes to his legs did not fell him over.  I can assume therefore that this ability is not through training or opposed strength, but rather some form of persistant immunity against attempts to take the feet from under him.  Some magical items such as the dragonslayer sword or turtle shield have such effects, so I suspect something he wore has a similar ability.Also to note was that many blows which should have been cheap shots or devastating in nature, such as me patented gut-twister and cross the neck gashing combo, were dealt with only the basic severity of a regular blow.  In this manner twas much like battling one of his many undead minions.  Not many magical items that I have seen can do something of this nature, so the nature of Milara himself have been weighing heavily upon me mind.  I be thinkin that he is not entirely mortal, or has at least enhanced his body and abilities into some supernatural form.  Tis possible he be of undead necromantic material, or even a Pale Master, though I did not get a close enough look at his arms to determine if one of them had been grafted bone or not.  More likely is that he either holds some magical items we do not typically have access to, or that he may have enhanced his form beyond the mortal coil of dark elves and into something of stronger ilk.  Thus I consider his nature to be not that of standard dark elven, but of an abberational quality.  His vital organs did not appear vulnerable, nor did well placed blows across the neck.  I doubt that he breathes or feels pain as most mortal men.  he also did not burn from the bite of me blades' magics.In any case, we have therefore learned tactics that will not win a battle with him.  Backstabbing, knocking him over and anything but the heaviest and surest sighted blows will deflect right off him.  He is however not that difficult to hit when compared to many heavily armored foes, and relies on his magical and supernatural resistances to sustaining damage itself.  The question then, past nullifying the effects of his offense, is how to get past his defense.  I'm thinking that any future battle with him should begin with a barrage of dispelling magics of the highest power to breach his defenses.  While the disjunction and standard dispels might be problematic fer the frontline, perhaps the greater spell breaches designed to combat mages might be most useful.  Beyond that, blade enhancements might need more power to them to break his skin more reliably.  While Daniel's is formidable, I have felt some priests and mages cast even stronger ones, such as Sala Stonehill's blade blessings.  Rather than attempt to knock him over, frontline fighters should utilize the strongest possible blows they can.  I think had Grogmegor not been busy with Milara's Pet and Triumph and put his back into it, some devastating blows indeed could have breached the skin.  And perhaps we should look outside the conventional elements, such as the thundering blast of a barbarian's strike, spells which mimic thunder or perhaps even acids.  And of course, the smite of divine wrath might make the most powerful dent in his dark hide.This is all well and good to say how to strike at him from educated preparation, but also to prepare for his hoardes and tactics.  He uses masses of undead as fodder reinforced by mages who tactfully dispell our wards and weaken us.  For the final push, divine magics and displays of faith might be best served.  Turning those bodaks to ash quickly and arching the mages with zinging shots to make them fumble their spellcasting.  Breaching mages and routing the fodder to strike at them quickly with cheap shots and quick, brutal strikes.  The fodder is nothing but a distraction with our wards intact.  And with spells such as Stygian's massive undead slayer and Foresta and Daniel's massive healing circles they be dust in the breeze.I hope this letter serves to better prepare us when we face Milara in the future.  And we WILL face him soon.  Whether we take the battle to him while he is weakened, or allow him to sit back and lick his wound, grow in power and exact his revenge.  Either we finish the job, or he will.  There is no avoiding the battle to come.-Kurn Blackwater, stabber of would-be gods P.S.- I be also sending a copy of this to our gnomish friends who have dismantled the conduit.  It is possible that his supernatural abilities stemmed from whatever rituals he performed to drain those poor sods in the cages appended to that machine.  Perhaps in understanding the nature of what he was doing, we can unravel some mysteries as to how he was empowering himself in preparation for godhood.

10

Ancients Legacy / More upheavals "up there"

« on: July 09, 2015, 08:36:18 am »

Though somewhat known for its variability, the group of stars known as Giantess' Supremacy has made a rather unsuspected change. Unlike other movements in the skies quite some time ago, the constellation representing Grannoch in the heavens simply appeared in a new location come nightfall. The original hexagonally-shaped conjunction that formed several years ago remains intact, but Grannoch's constellation now joins them, taking up position outside the grouping and situated near to those pertaining to Prunilla and Deliar. And while too the colors of Giantess' Supremacy are known to shift with the seasons, the individual stars are now observed to be yellow, blue, white or red, with no two observers seeming to agree on which of the fifteen stars in the grouping shine with a given color.

11

Just for Fun / For All Our Ancients Legacy Plot Questers...

« on: May 22, 2015, 09:47:26 am »

Love,
Milara(Credit: Space.com)

12

Ancients Legacy / Ancients Legacy -- Plot Status -- 19-April-2015

« on: April 19, 2015, 03:02:48 pm »

Hey all,We wanted to remind everyone that the next installment of the Ancients Legacy plot quest series is coming up in a few days on the 25th of April, 2015.  The quest is open to all. There are no RP barriers preventing anyone from attending this quest session.As well, we're nearing the end of the plot quest series. We're not entirely sure how many more sessions there will be, in part because that is somewhat up to what happens on this next quest, but there are at least 2 sessions remaining. In that vein, it's pretty important to your efforts to get together, share information as it seems appropriate and come prepared to RP and play smartly. Some of you have recently gotten some information, and we still owe a few bits of information as well. Ultimately, what you do with this information is your choice, but sharing this information is the recommended plan of action, particularly if you cannot attend this next session. Blend it with what you and others have heard so far.Good luck! 

13

Ancients Legacy / Posted at the Stormcrest Shack

« on: January 14, 2015, 03:40:15 pm »

For a time, a mess of different parchments and map scraps were seen inside the Shack where notices or requests used to be hung. The handwriting was so messy as to be indecipherable, with sentences at times seeming to be in pieces on different pages, and terms that could be nonsense or some sort of slang or technical jargon used profusely throughout. Nicknames that might be descriptive to someone offer little hint of what person or places they reference, and at times the writing is not even oriented to the page but rather upside down or in an imaginary margin. After a few days, they are replaced with a smaller number of neater pages, carefully printed in a small block script. CONSTELLATIONS SHIFT

• PRUNILLA'S GIFT FOLLOWED BY SHINDALERIA'S GREAT TIDE
• ONE MONTH LATER, LUCINDA'S FOLLOWED BY DORAND'S
• ANOTHER MONTH LATER, GORAN FOLLOWED BY DELIAR
• ANOTHER MONTH LATER, ARAGEN'S BOOK TAKES ITS PLACE IN CENTER
• PRIOR TO ARAGEN'S APPEARANCE, THE SIX WERE ROTATING TOGETHER AROUND THE CENTER

POSSIBLE MAGICAL DISTURBANCES

• AN INCREASE IN SPONTANEOUS CHANNELING OF THE AL'NOTH APPEARS TO CORRELATE WITH TIME
• NUMBERS MAY ONLY CORRELATE DUE TO INCREASED AWARENESS OF STRANGENESS BECAUSE OF THE TIMES
• REPORTS OF MANIFESTATION OF ABILITIES DESCRIBE THOSE OUTSIDE OF THE USUAL - EG THE VERY OLD OR VERY YOUNG
• ONE EXAMINER REPORTED THAT AN OBSERVED MANIFESTATION WAS NOT ARCANE IN NATURE, BUT DIVINE
• WHEN DOING A SEEKING FOR A BOY WHO HAD NEWLY DEVELOPED HIS GIFTS, A VISION WAS HAD, MOVING GENERATIONS BACK, SEEING THE SKY, SIX POINTS OF LIGHT AROUND A SEVENTH BECOMING BRIGHTER THAN ALL THE REST. THEY BECAME ONE AND MORE POWER THAN THE SEER  COULD BEAR, ENDING HER VISION AND HER SIGHT. 

THE MISSING

• A VERY SMALL SAMPLING OF 'NEWLY GIFTED' ARE KNOWN TO HAVE 'DISAPPEARED'
• ATTEMPTS AT SCRYING ON TWO(?) OCCASIONS RETURNED ONLY AN IMPRESSION OF DARKNESS, AND SOMEWHERE BENEATH
• DUE TO HIGH NUMBER OF MISSING EVERY DAY, EXACT NUMBERS ARE IMPOSSIBLE TO DEFINE
• DUE TO NATURE OF THE MANIFESTATION OF ABILITIES AND THE DIFFICULTY IN FINDING IF SOMEONE MISSING IS 'MYSTERIOUSLY' MISSING, ESTABLISHING A DEFINITE CORRELATION BETWEEN THE TWO IN ALL OR EVEN MOST CASES WAS IMPOSSIBLE - IN THOSE SORTED CAREFULLY THROUGH HOWEVER, IT WAS SUGGESTIVE
• THE MISSING APPEARED TO OCCUR ACROSS RACES, GENDERS, AND CONTINENTS

THE WALL

• A DIG SITE IN THE BRECH MOUNTAINS ATTRACTED NEW INTEREST FROM MULTIPLE PARTIES DUE TO CONSTELLATION SHIFTS IN THE HEAVENS MATCHING THOSE DEPICTED ON PRE-CATACLYSMIC WALL FRAGMENT
• THE CHANGES IN THE LAND BOTH CATASTROPHICALLY FAST AND SLOW OVER TIME MAKE THE WHEREABOUTS OF THE WALLS PREVIOUS LOCATION OR THE CONSTRUCTION IT BELONGED TO UNKNOWN
• EROSION AND EFFORTS AT BRINGING IT TO LIGHT MADE THE PATTERN NOT ENTIRELY MATCHING, AS THE WALL WAS ONLY A FRAGMENT, HOWEVER WE INFER FROM THE SYMBOLS PRESENT THAT THE CONJOINED STARS DEPICTED PRIOR TO THE CATACLYSM ARE THE SAME AS ARE NOW REFLECTED IN THE HEAVENS, LEADING US TO CONJECTURE PROPHECY, WHICH LATER EVIDENCE SHOWED TO BE EITHER NOT THE CASE, OR AT LEAST NOT EXCLUSIVELY THE CASE.
• THE STONE ITSELF DID NOT BELONG TO THE AREA, AS IMPLIED, AND NOTHING ABOUT THE FRAGMENT OR THE AREA ITSELF WAS INHERENTLY MAGICAL. ITS SIGNIFICANCE WAS BEING THE LIFE WORK OF AN ARCHAEOLOGIST, AND DREW INTEREST DUE TO PRESENT TIMES.

BYDELL CASTLE

• THE RESEARCH PUTTING FORWARD THE ARCHAEOLOGIST'S HYPOTHESIS OF THE WALL HAVING EXISTED PRIOR TO THE CATACLYSM WAS GIVEN AS REQUESTED TO THE ARAGENITES AT BYDELL CASTLE
• IT WAS ACCEPTED THERE BY ARAGENITES WHO IMPLIED THAT THERE WERE MORE INDICATIONS OF PROPHECY OR PRIOR SHIFTS OF THIS NATURE
• ONE SUCH EXAMPLE WAS A SET OF SHIP LOGS DATED VERY BROADLY AS BEING AFTER THE DRAGON WARS AND BEFORE THE CATACLYSM.
• THE CAPTAIN IN QUESTION WAS PROBABLY CALLED BLACKTHORN, ORIGINS IF AT ALL RELEVANT DUE TO THE NATURE OF THE LOGS AND THE NECESSITY OF CROSS-REFERENCING WITH PRE-CATACLYSMIC GEOGRAPHY. TRANSCRIPTION WAS INCOMPLETE AT TIME OF VISITATION
• THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE LOGS WAS THEIR REFERENCING OF THE CONJOINED CONSTELLATIONS, SIGNIFYING THAT ANY REFERENCES TO IT WERE LIKELY NOT MERELY PROPHETIC.
• TO RE-ITERATE, THE CONSTELLATIONS HAVE TAKEN THIS SAME PATTERN BEFORE
• THE LOGS WERE DONATED SOME THREE HUNDRED YEARS AGO; THE DONOR WAS REQUESTED

THE RETURN

• AN ELF (REFERRED TO AS ERA) MISSING FROM BYDELL ARRIVED AT THE GATES IN ILL HEALTH. ARAGENITES REPORTED THAT HEALING MAGIC POSSIBLY INTERFERED WITH WHATEVER WAS HOLDING HIM TOGETHER. HE AGED AND DECAYED QUICKLY, TO THE POINT OF DISINTEGRATION. HE SPOKE OF FAMILY ON VANAVAR
• A TRIP TO VANAVAR LED TO SPEAKING WITH FAMILY, AND THE LEARNING OF A LEGEND OF FIVE FAMILIES WHO SAVED THE WORLD FROM BEASTS AND A CHAMBER UNDERGROUND WHERE THE GODS ARE PRESENT
• LEGENDS ALONG THESE LINES ARE NOT UNKNOWN OR EVEN UNCOMMON, HOWEVER UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES AND CORRELATIONS WITH GODS AND UNDERGROUND AND FAMILY TIMES AT THIS TIME SEEM RELEVANT
• A GROUP BACKTRAILING THE ELF IN BYDELL TO SEE WHERE HE WALKED FROM LOST HIS OLD AND DIFFICULT TRAIL IN THE TAUR'EN HILLS, DUE EAST OF BYDELL. HE APPEARED TO HAVE STARTED OUT SOUND OF BODY AND MADE HIS WAY WITH COURSE CORRECTION STEADILY WEST FOR THE CASTLE, POSSIBLY RESTING ONLY WHEN HE COLLAPSED. HE BECAME INCREASINGLY UNSOUND AS HE CONTINUED UNTIL HE NEARED THE GATES, WHERE HE WAS FOUND IN POOR CONDITION BY THE GUARDS AND GIVEN TO THE ARAGENITE HEALERS
• NO MAGICAL ANOMALIES WERE DETECTED NEAR WHERE THE LAST SIGNS OF HIS PASSAGE WERE NOR FURTHER ON
• OTHER MISSING BEGAN RETURNING IN THE SAME MANNER - SEEMING TO RETURN ON FOOT TO THEIR HOMES ONLY TO DECAY RAPIDLY AND FALL INTO NOTHING, LEADING TO PLAGUE SCARES AND PREVENTATIVE QUARANTINES
• ACTUAL CAUSE OF 'FASTROT' UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME. POSSIBLE SUGGESTIONS HAVE BEEN PLANAR TRAVEL (MULTIPLE DISCREPANCIES), GEAS (TO WHAT END?), ENERGIES BEING USED BY SOMETHING WHERE THEY WERE (SAME), AND OTHER VAGUE SPECULATIONS UNTIL FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE OVERALL PURPOSE/MOTIVES OF THEIR DISAPPEARANCES AND CONDITIONS ARE FOUND.

THE LETTER - FROM SOMEONE TO SOMEONE ELSE

• STORIES IMPORTANT REMEMBER TELL OTHERS NOW IS TIME. FIVE FAMILIES WILL SAVE STARS CONJOINED AS BEFORE (WORD - CATACLYSM?) IS SIGNAL MOST FORGOTTEN. TOLD BY GRANDFATHER. DIFFICULT TO BREATH VERY TIRED. HALL OF SEVEN MUST FIND ANSWERS IMPORTANT HIDDEN DEEP FRACTURED MOVED PROTECTED DANGEROUS START AT THE EYE SEEK EVER DEEPER. DARK CANNOT BREATHE COLD MUST REST COLD MUST REST
• POSSIBLY THE LAST WRITINGS OF A VERY OLD AND INFIRM ELF BEFORE PASSING ANONYMITY HERE PRESERVED
• TWO SPOTS WERE SEARED ONTO THE PARCHMENT ABOUT THE SIZE OF A FINGER BONE. IS THIS SIGNIFICANT? AT THIS TIME THERE IS STILL NO WAY OF KNOWING

LEADS THAT COULD BE FOLLOWED - TIME IS VERY RELEVANT SO THE MORE HANDS DIVVYING UP SMALL TASKS THE BETTERKNOWLEDGEABLE PERSONS SUGGESTED -

• MORAKEN - REQUEST SENT
•  XORA - REQUEST SENT
• THE SILKWOOD WITCH - ?
• BARONESS ATHALIA IMJAM - ~Kyle
• DAMAN OF THE TRIBES - ?
• MELIZAPHEI HILLIARANAME - ?
• KING COLDROCK OF ULGRID - REQUEST SENT
• THE GOLDEN EMERALD - REQUEST NOT POSSIBLE, VISITATION REMAINS ALTERNATIVE

FOLLOW-UPS SUGGESTED

• SHIP LOG TRANSCRIPTION SHOULD BE COMPLETE, REQUEST HANDS TO BYDELL FOR REMAINDER AND REQUEST TRANSLATION OF THE ELVEN WORD OR NAME bielaebisáimf AS WELL AS SEEKING RELEVANT LEGENDS WITH NEW INFORMATION - FIVE FAMILIES, HALL OF SEVEN ~ Moustache
• DONOR OF SHIP LOGS MAY HAVE BEEN COLLECTOR - A FOLLOW UP MAY FIND ADDITIONAL PRE-CATACYLSMIC DOCUMENTS, OR MORE LIKELY, NOTHING
• SOMEONE MAY RETURN TO THE DIG SITE TO INFORM THE GNOME THAT HIS WORK IS  BEING REVIEWED BY THE ARCHIVISTS AND FIND OUT IF THERE HAVE BEEN FURTHER VISITORS TO THE SITE AND OF WHAT NATURE. A SLENDER THREAD BUT A COURTESY. REST ASSURED THAT ALL OF THE GODS REPRESENTED HAVE ENEMIES, AND IF SOME HAVE LEGENDS OF SAVING THE WORLD, SOME WILL HAVE LEGENDS OF PREVENTING IT FROM BEING SAVED ~Charm
• REQUEST PARTY TO GREAT LIBRARY FOR PRIOR INSTANCES OF CONJOINED STARS NOW THAT IT IS MOSTLY CONFIRMED, LEGENDS OF FAMILIES OR THE HALL OF SEVEN ~Plenarius?
• SAMPLES OF THE BYDELL ELFS REMAINS WERE TAKEN BY A WIZARD OF UNKNOWN NAME. SOMEONE PRESENT IS BOUND TO HAVE KNOWN HIS NAME AND WHERE TO CONTACT HIM FOR RESULTS
• FAMILY LEGENDS OFFER SOME SUGGESTION THAT INSTANCES OF MULTIPLE FAMILY MEMBERS DISAPPEARING MAY NOT BE COINCIDENCE - RETURNING TO INVESTIGATE BLOODLINES MAY BE RELEVANT BUT WILL BE DIFFICULT, AS MOST WILL BE UNAWARE OF THEIR OWN HERITAGES, PARTICULARLY HUMANS. ELVES HAVE LONGEST GENERATIONS BUT CHOOSING OTHER RACES MAY HELP LOCATE OTHER FAMILIES IF THEY ARE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RACES. REMEMBER THAT THESE PEOPLE HAVE LOST FAMILY TO STRANGE AND FEARFUL CIRCUMSTANCES.
• "START AT THE EYE, SEEK EVER DEEPER" MULTIPLE INTERPRETATIONS EXIST, ALL MAY BE INVESTIGATED - DUNGEON OF THE EYE IN PROGRESS, OTHER LOCATIONS NAMED FOR SUCH SHOULD BE AS WELL, THOUGH THERE ARE MANY WHEN OLD AND NEW AND RACIAL OR LOCAL NAMES ARE FACTORED IN. ADDITIONAL SUGGESTIONS HAVE BEEN VARIOUS CENTERS, THE WORLD PRIOR TO THE CATACLYSM, OR THE CATACLYSM ITSELF IF SUCH A THING HAD SOMETHING SIMILAR.

WHEN PURSUING ANY INFORMATION IT MAY BE PRUDENT TO FIND OUT IF ANY OTHERS HAVE BEEN ASKING THE SAME.INFORMATION FOUND MAY BE POSTED AT THE SHACK OR TOLD TO INTERESTED PARTIES SIR DANIEL BENJAMIN POETR, BIRD LORD PLENARIUS ASHALEY, ANDREW REID, ELOHANNA, KATELYN POETR, DANIELLA STORMHAVEN, THE HALFLINGS QUENTON, CHARM, IRI AMBERCRESS

((This information, however presented, is IC, and so may or may not suffer from unreliable narrator. Corrections and further information should be given IC as well. The names given are those that have been talking plot lately and not representative of all of those involved. This information is now public and especially intended specifically for those not mentioned here for catchup. ))

14

Layonara Server / The NWN Servers are going to be moved

« on: December 04, 2014, 06:55:48 pm »

Hello everyone,I hope you and your loved ones are all well.I've recently been able to secure a great deal for the NWN Server on a much faster machine on a Black Friday special so we're going to be moving it over there some time in the near future.I'd like to get the server up and tested this month so we can confirm that everything is okay to go and I can cancel our previous account before the end of the month. I haven't yet set an exact date and time but I'm thinking maybe late Friday or Saturday night this week.Players shouldn't notice any difference, you will still connect to xora.layonara.com (5121 or 5122).  The IP address will change if you use that but I'll inform you of the new one when the time comes.This may also mean we can revert to automatic cross-server portals without crashes which might be nice but we'll have to test that.The new server will only cost $40 a month in donations so we can hopefully extend NWN Layonara at a fairly inexpensive price for as long as folks still enjoy coming here.For those curious and in the tech know:Existing server is a 4GB RAM, Dual 2.53GHz CPU, 250GB SATA HD running Windows 2k3 Server dedicated system.New server is a 10GB RAM, 10 2.3GHz CPU, 100GB Turbo SSD HD running Windows 2k8 Server cloud server.My initial tests have the servers starting up in half the time the old ones did. I'm not sure how much this will help lag and larger groups but we'll hopefully be able to test that.All the best,-orth

15

Ancients Legacy / Digging for Answers or Another Brick in the Wall

« on: October 20, 2014, 02:03:02 am »

"And so he's sitting there at the table," he said, clearly bemused, "Talking about this ancient wall he found. He said it's up in the mountains and was trying to see who wanted to come look at it with him."" An 'ancient wall'?" the halfling woman asked, curious."Aye," the man answered. He took a long swallow from his tea. "It certainly was curious! I mean he makes a real sell with the supposed partial carvings of the four deities. Deliar is among these so I cannot help but be curious.""Are you thinking of going?" she asked. "I am, but I don't know if I'd have time," he answered, somewhat disappointed with the admission. "I cannot miss my window of opportunity in Fort Vehl. You know how it is there...." She nodded and tugged at her lower lip briefly. "If I didn't have this full load of textiles...""Well maybe put the word out?" she suggests hopefully, "With all that's going on, some answers certainly wouldn't hurt return everything to something more normal." She shook her head, "If that 'soothesayer' comes out to the fields again to preach at us about 'end of the world as we know it,' I think I'm going to lose my mind. Doesn't he have to prepare for winter like the rest of us?" She makes a disgusted sound but then shrugs. He snorted in reply. "Some of these people," he said in agreement with her sentiment, "No sense in them. If we go to pieces after every 'major happening' how in Layonara would we ever recover from the real tragedies?" He laughed a little. "Yes, I think I might pass this along on my route. I wasn't the only traveler in the bar tht night. Some people were far more taken in too. You know, what with the way people are reacting to the star movements and all." She nodded soberly. "Until He tells me otherwise, I have a schedule to keep!" he says dramatically, stabbing one stubby finger in the air. She laughed then laid her head down on his shoulder. "Well either way," she says, "I'm glad it was an interesting evening and you kept your sense and came home to me instead." He grinned at her."Like there's any contest.""Lay it on thick," she snorted and then laughed. ----------------------------------------------------------------------Some days later, at the sensible advice from his wife, the halfling trader was in the bar along his route sharing the story of the gnome he met in Brenuth. Good food and ale in his belly to warm him, he shares the tale again and again of the mysterious artifact from another era, supposedly carrying the marks of four of The Seven, including his own Deliar.

16

Ancients Legacy / Ships in the Night

« on: October 12, 2014, 10:49:35 pm »

When Shindaleria's stars first moved months ago, shipping traffic all across Layonara ground nearly to a complete halt. Between supersition inherent in many who make a living on the seas and the distruption of their usual navigation aids, most captains became unwilling to brave the open waters and cross the oceans between continents, opting instead to stick with costal runs if they even left port at all.  Only the most experienced captains...those who knew other ways of navigating besides relying upon the stars of the gods...would brave the high seas.  Fortunately for them, the need of their services grew quickly, as did the price merchants and traders were willing to pay to have their goods shipped over those distances. For those who adapted quickly, the last several months have been very profitable indeed.Yet this boon was relatively short-lived, as gradually captains and crews adapted to this new normal, slowly put aside their supersitions as ocean-going ships returned to port safe, sound and loaded with cargo from distant ports, and learned other ways to use the skies to find their way at night.  Now, a few months after the last of the star movements settled into place, there is almost no sign there was any impact at all.But for the new arrangment of the skies, life at sea has returned to normal.

17

Ancients Legacy / OOC: On actions and responses

« on: October 03, 2014, 06:09:07 pm »

All,Just so everyone understands, we will be responding to actions and inquiries in an order that makse sense based on location, action taken, destination, etc.What this means is that somone making inquiries or investigating things local to where they are presently located will get a response quicker than someone who decides to travel for weeks or months for their actions/investigations.  In some cases, this may mean that world events happen before players get a response on something they started before said event.  Including your character's location and intended means of travel will help greatly in helping us to keep everything straight. Otherwise, we'll probably make assumptions that may or may not favor your character. This is simply an attempt to keep time in a straight line as much as possible.In some cases, there will be a series of events stacked on top of each other, relatively speaking. In other cases, the events will be spread out more. It is the former case where we will do most of our selective ordering in how and when we respond.I wanted to put this out there for everyone to understand our methods. We know some of you compare notes OOCly, and this is fine of course, but we didn't want anyone to feel marginalized or a victim of favoritism (or its opposite) when someone gets a response before someone else.  There is a method to our madness, so please try and keep this in mind as we try and get back to everyone in the most appropriate way.

[Remodels]

18

Layonara Server / The Fortune System

« on: November 06, 2013, 11:06:03 pm »

Greetings all,A short time ago, we announced the Fortune system, which at the time was described only as a system to accumulate points that can be used for various things simply by being in-game and active. Today, I am going to describe exactly what Fortune is and how it can benefit you.At the simplest level, Fortune is essentially like XP, only more flexible in what one may do with it. The system is also very similar to AutoXP, except that Fortune does not have to be activated by a GM, and it doesn't expire. That's right, the Fortune system is always running.To give credit, the original concept came from long-time player and former GM stormspirit. Once the concept took root in my head, I worked out the details and initial state with Rowana and added the system to the modules. She's since been instrumental in testing and refining the system.

How does it work?

As long as a character is logged in and active, that character will earn some small amount of Fortune every few minutes. This Fortune adds up, and eventually a character will earn a whole point. Once this happens, that point can be spent or saved. There is no requirement to spend Fortune points. In fact, some may wish to save it up for special reasons, which I will detail later. Fortune points are stored on each character and saved to the database. There's very little to it than that. Characters will continue to accumulate XP through all the normal methods, but they will also accumulate Fortune at the same time.There is one thing of key importance that must be stressed. Fortune is NOT an in-character thing in any way. Just like XP is an OOC mechanic with in-game benefits. Just like you do not talk about XP in an IC sense, neither should you talk about Fortune in an IC sense. If you need any guidance on this, please ask. Do not discuss Fortune in any in-character way.One way to think of it is a representation of a character's "social capital", their influence, reknown or reputation, though in some other ways it is also just a way for us to reward and thank you for spending time in-game.  Despite Fortune being earned simply by being in-game, as you'll read below, the Fortune rewards for more RP-focused activities are greater, and so there are some significant RP ways to spend one's accumulated Fortune.

Keeping track

Since Fortune is a custom system and will not show up on any character sheet in-game, we've made it easy to check one's Fortune at any time. Simply type the following in the chat bar:

=c pointsThis will report to you how many whole points of Fortune your current character possesses. Also, anytime a character earns a whole point of Fortune, this will be shown as a system message, and that character's current total will also be displayed. This message will not be seen frequently. Instead, during each interval, a more generic and non-specific message will be shown:

Your Fortune has increased slightly.This means your character has earned some fractional amount of Fortune. This update message can be disabled by using the following toggle command:

=c toggle points_feedbackFor those who really need to get a microscopic view of their current Fortune levels, there is another command to show a more exact total:

=c points exactEveryone who already had a character at the time that this system was put into place will start out with a starting pool of five (5) Fortune points. Existing characters belonging to GMs start out with a pool of fifteen (15) Fortune points. World Leader characters start out with a pool of twenty-five (25) Fortune points. New characters will start out with one (1) Fortune point.

Gaining Fortune

As stated above, simply being actively in-game will allow a character to gain Fortune at a slow but consistent rate. However, there are other ways to earn Fortune.GMs can give out Fortune points in the same way they give out XP right now. In fact, the tool is set to give out Fortune in the same sort of amounts, except rather than giving out whole or fractional hours worth of XP, they can now give out whole or fractional points of Fortune instead.GMs may give out Fortune instead of quest XP. This choice will be primarily up to the GM, though requests for one or the other by players will be considered.Also, effective immediately, GMs will give out 1 Fortune point simply for showing up to a quest, even if the GM cannot ultimately take everyone who shows up. (Note: If people begin to abuse this, we will be forced to reevaluate this policy. Please don't make us do this.)Lastly, the World Leader XP wand has been modified to give out either XP or Fortune.One Fortune point granted by GMs and WLs is effectively equivalent to 1 hour of RP or Quest XP.For transparency, World Leader characters will accumulate Fortune at a faster rate. However, they will receive the same number of Fortune points when awarded by a GM for quest or RP rewards.Fortune earned by a character is for that character alone. One may not share Fortune with another character on the same account, nor can a player pool all the Fortune from all characters held by that player. There are only a few cases where pooling of Fortune will be allowed at all (more below), but it will not be allowed to pool the Fortune points of characters belonging to the same player.

Spending Fortune

While the idea of earning points just for playing is probably interesting in itself, it's worth talking about the sorts of things on which these points can be spent. Note that once a point is spent, that character's Fortune is reduced accordingly. Of course, the points can be earned again, but in this way Fortune is also like a sort of currency...a resource to be used and managed.The things upon which one may spend Fortune fit into one of four key categories:

• Direct Exchange – Fortune points can be converted into either XP or GP (True) using a set exchange rate. This can be done in-game at any time by issuing the command
  
  =c exchange
  
  A dialog box will pop up, giving you the options for exchange and displaying the rate of exchange. At present, one Fortune point may be exchanged for 1000 True or the equivalent of 1 hour of quest XP. Since quest XP is dependent upon character level, the number of XP given for one Fortune point will vary depending on character level. However, the amount given will always be appropriate and meaningful for a character of any level.
  
  Please note: These numbers are subject to change, and we may adjust them up or down for balancing reasons, bonus events and other reasons. If you notice different (positive, non-zero) numbers than I have described here, it is not a bug; it is an adjustment
• Quest Benefit – At each GM's discretion, Fortune points can be exchanged to affect outcomes in quest situations. The currently-supported possibilities for this are:
  • “Changing luck” – re-roll failed or poor die rolls. This only applies to manual die rolls (i.e. skill checks, attribute checks, saving throws) and not to automatic mechanical rolls for things like combat, damage and the like (unless these are manually performed for RPed situations). It should be noted that the Save vs. Soul Mother rolls can never be re-rolled using this option. Ever. (cost: 1 Fortune Point per re-roll)[/li]
  • “Greasing the wheels” or “Calling in favors” – You're an adventurer. You're famous, or perhaps infamous, but your name is recognized. Your deeds are remembered. Maybe you have friends you didn't know about. Maybe you have pull and influence beyond the usual just because of your name. Or perhaps your guild has helped people indirectly that you never realized or your reputation in a city's underbelly is worth a favor. Whatever form your fame takes, you might as well be able to take advantage. Naturally, this is not an automatic success, and what is attempted has to make some sort of RP sense. A Toranite is not likely to get favors from a group of Corathites, nor is someone with a less savory reputation likely to get much goodwill among honest shop-owners. Note that networks and influence earned by CDQs and WLDQs can still be used without spending Fortune, but going beyond established parameters can be an option using Fortune. (cost: 1-2 Fortune per use at the GM's discretion) [/li]
  • “Minor heroics” – Effectively, this is equivalent to “taking 20” at times when taking 20 is not supported by the rules or the situation. To make sure everyone understands the term, “taking 20” refers to an automatic roll of 20 when performing a task that has a skill check involved in situations where there is plenty of time and a lack of urgency, such that the character can take the time and caution to succeed and succeed well. Yet sometimes, the survival and/or success of a party may absolutely depend on being able to pick a lock, analyze a magical ward or any number of things without the luxury of time and under various levels of duress. This is opening a complex lock at the last possible second, disarming a magical trap through a moment of extreme clarity and concentration or other similar sorts of outcomes. Basically, it's an opportunity to ensure success when it's sorely needed. (cost: 1-2 Fortune per use at the GM's discretion)[/li]
  [/li]

Again, these options are solely at the discretion of the GM(s) running the quest. There is not guarantee these options will be available, nor is there any guarantee of complete success. Always work with the GM when desiring to spend Fortune in this way. Note also that GMs will deduct Fortune on the spot when it is used in this way.

Also, it's important to note that there is a limit to the number of times a single character can utilize Fortune like this during a single quest. While the GM running the quest will have final say on this limit, we will generally limit these uses to three (3) times, in any combination, during a given quest episode/event.

• Projects – Want to set up a monument, shrine or some other sort of addition to the game, whether physically represented or not? Or maybe you just want to undertake a massive remodeling of an existing structure. Whatever special project you have in mind, you may be able to spend some Fortune to make that happen. This typically follows in the vein of “pulling some strings”, but can also take the form of drumming up donations and investors in lieu of a pure outlaying of True and piles of harvested/crafted resources. Below are the initial ways Fortune can be used for projects and how much it will cost. As with other aspects of Fortune, this may change over time, but if it does, we'll be certain to update and notify everyone.

  • Remodels – Fortune points can provide a discount based on how much players want to spend in each aspect (base cost, area-expansion, tileset change, permanent placeables, exterior changes, etc.) of a remodel, with each point of Fortune spent giving a 10% discount in a single aspect of the remodeling cost.

  • Relocations/reties – Fortune points can provide a 10% reduction in the list of materials needed for every point spent. Obviously, this applies more to materials needed in larger quantities than those in smaller quantities; there is no 10% of a single Gnomish Lens, for example. To put this another way, spending 10 Fortune would eliminate the need for gathering and/or crafting all the necessary materials for the relocation.

  • Monuments – Each fortune point will provide a 20% discount on the monetary cost of each monument individually. This applies to things like custom statues placed in guild halls and stone markers placed somewhere to denote or commemorate something or someone. Bear in mind, these sorts of monuments are relatively modest, not a gigantic colossus of ego. Also, in the case of outdoor monuments, it may be necessary to obtain permission from the land-owner, pay an additional fee/tax/tribute, which would be covered separately but which could also be discounted by Fortune at a similar rate.

  • Other buildings – Buildings in this category would be physically in-game but not necessarily usable in any mechanical sense (i.e. no accessible interior, no house-type furniture, etc.). For the monetary costs associated with constructing these buildings, each point of Fortune will reduce the cost by 5,000 True. If there is an additional material cost associated with the construction of this building, each point of Fortune will reduce the material needs by 10%.

  • Intangibles – Buildings, structures and other constructs that are not represented in-game but which were established in an RP sense through CDQs and which may have some form of cost associated with them fall into this category. This would cover things like orphanages, “underground” markets, trade networks, or things of this ilk, where players have to invest in their creation. The cost in Fortune for such things, should players wish to spend it, will be based on the number of CDQs that the GM estimates will be required to complete the goal. If the number of CDQs increases due to player actions (or inactions!), the Fortune cost will increase as well, however, the Fortune cost will never go below the original estimate. The baseline Fortune cost in this case is 5 points per CDQ required to accomplish the end result.

  • What else – Try as we may, we will never be able to conceive of all possibilities that our player base may want to try to accomplish and how they may want to put Fortune toward such efforts. To that end, we'll have to handle these sorts of things on a case-by-case basis at first while we try to establish some sort of guidelines. Chances are good that it will be some kind of hybrid of the options given above.
    Up to four characters will be allowed to pool their Fortune together for any given project. Characters pooling their Fortune for such a purpose should be associated with the project in some way. There is no set limit as to how much Fortune one character may spend on any single project, assuming the character has Fortune to spend.
    
    In some situations, there may be a world-level effort that requires some level of contribution from characters to bring about a certain end. In such cases, there is no limit on how many characters can contribute, but again they should be associated with the effort already.

• Graceful Pleas – Yes, I said it. You will be able to spend Fortune to buy a Graceful Plea, even if you have used all three for a given character. The cost is high, and rightly so. At present, it will cost 100 Fortune to gain one Graceful Plea. At this level, we estimate a player can make a dedicated effort with a single character and earn enough Fortune within about 6 months. This assumes a certain number of hours per week, of course. If the player attends quests during that time, the time to earn enough points may be shorter, as the rate of earning Fortune on quests is faster than the always-on trickle of Fortune points.

As you can see, there are some very quick and simple benefits to Fortune, but there can also be some very significant benefits to saving one's Fortune points for a greater purpose. The choice is yours to make.

What are the numbers?

The Fortune systems is based on time and a certain number of points given out per hour of playing, divided up into smaller intervals to allow people to benefit regardless of how long they can spend in-game at any given time. We have factors we can bring into play to increase or decrease this rate or even shut it off completely.At this time, we are not inclined to discuss the exact numbers. We may never be, in fact. We may tweak and adjust the numbers over time as seems appropriate. We may find cause to change the rates because we feel they're too fast or too slow. We may have bonus events, announced and unannounced.We also don't want people to game or exploit the system. We don't want people scrutinizing their time spent in-game and figuring out how maximize their Fortune and little else. As such, we are keeping the inner workings of this system private for the foreseeable future. That said, there are certain rates and numbers which are public and visible:

• Fortune points given by GMs or WLs are equivalent to 1 hour of quest or RP XP in terms of the magnitude of the reward, and it scales with the character's current level.
• Fortune points exchanged for XP are equivalent to 1 hour of quest or RP XP. This is directly parallel to the above point, which again scales with the character's current level.
• Fortune points can be exchanged for GP (True) at a rate of 1 Fortune Point for 1000GP/True
• Fortune points can be exchanged for a Graceful Plea at the rate of 100 Fortune points for 1 Graceful Plea

These numbers are still subject to change, but we feel they are pretty solid and simple. If we were to make any long-term adjustments, we would instead change the rate of accumulation rather than these exchange rates, so that the system remains simple and there are no mental gymnastics required to conceptualize how much reward one can get for a given number of Fortune points.So that is the system in summary.  As mentioned above, we'll update this with more details as we work them out. If there are any questions regarding what has already been worked out, please feel free to ask.  We'll also be creating and updating a FAQ for this system, so that all the important details of the system can be easily found and understood.Enjoy!

19

General Discussion / End of an Era

« on: January 02, 2013, 12:57:42 pm »

For many of you this will come as no surprise, my absences of late  saying far more than words.  I wanted though to remove doubts and make  it official.
 
When I joined way back, Layonara was a different place with a different  vibe but like all things it has evolved over the years. People and  places change and sometimes relationships grow apart.  Its hard to admit  when something no longer works and that apart is far better than  together.
Layonara was a salvation in my life in a time when I needed an escape  from my reality.  Now Layonara only serves mostly as a catalyst of angst  and that's not the way it is supposed to be.
 
So from here forward I am stepping down as an active game master and  administrator.  I will still be around in the background as part of the  team for Lore consultations and I still have some quest loose ends to  tie up or move to other game masters.  I am not leaving all together as I  will be turning my concentration to the art of the MMO and writing.
 
Sincerely
  Minerva

20

General Discussion / The time has come...

« on: November 11, 2012, 10:06:39 pm »

Greetings Layonara Community,
 
 It is with mixed feelings that I announce my retirement from the develoment of NWN-based Layonara after doing this for seven years and some change.  This is a move I have planned for some time (and almost did several times), and which has been needed for some time, but I am only just now making it a reality.  My development focus is now shifting completely to the MMO effort and Layonara's long-term future.
 
To keep NWN Layonara going in a development sense, I now officially pass the torch to the capable hands of Script Wrecked, who will now be responsible for all future fixes and updates.
 
 I know you've all heard this plenty of times, but...this is not a “good-bye” letter. I am still very committed to and invested in Layonara and its long-term future. I still like to play here even (when the stars align properly), GM here and participate in this community. I do not see these things changing.  My presence will remain, but my fingerprints will no longer be on the updates.
 
 There's not a lot more to say here, so join with me in congratulating Script Wrecked on his new position.