I wasn't entirely sure to post this so if the questions here belong somewhere more appropriate please feel free to move it.
There's been a lot going on in DRlands for a long, long time and unfortunately, there is a serious lack of logs available on the wiki. I've been wondering about the lore and how much is being revealed through the quests. Su Helmas is a huge piece of Moon Mage lore and while I haven't done the quest myself, I don't see many discussions or logs being posted that showcase the history there. Does the quest possess any recalls that detail some hints of the place's history? It seems too important of an opportunity to pass up :)
On another Moon Mage note, are there translations for all the Grazhir shards or only the Gamgweth naming conventions? And speaking of naming conventions; do the moons, including Grazhir, have potential translations, or are they merely fun names?
With Maelshyve gone, will there be anything done with Zaulfang Swamp and the STR area? Curiously, I love the GS3/4 nod with Maelshyve. Was it intentionally designed to recall some of the original ICE lore? The STR area is straight out of Shadow Valley/Silver Valley and some the old school ICE. I've always wondered who designed the area!
Was Misenseor Abbey ever meant to have a story behind it and the poem that players find there? It's practically parallel to the Dark Temple in GSIV. Will we see anything come out of it since Aspect of the All-God has obvious associations with the place?
I respect the changing storytelling environment and necessary retcons but I also enjoy knowing some design philosophy, allusions, and literary nods that designers use for inspiration when creating the game world. It's a shame DR lacks the archival power that exists in GS. I'm hoping that the GMS might be able to help us with that.
VITRUVIANGNOME
DR-KOROR
Re: A few lore questions
07/22/2020 05:02 PM CDT
>>...but I also enjoy knowing some design philosophy, allusions, and literary nods that designers use for inspiration when creating the game world
To be only a little glib here, I can confess to watching Warhammer cinematics and listening to speed metal while writing some things. Which I do not think would surprise anyone, really, given some of the events I have worked on. Mood music is key, like when we linked to a YouTube video during the HE closing events.
Less sarcastically, inspiration comes from all sorts of directions. All of us are consummate consumers of media, which of course influences and inspires what we bring to events. We all have areas of the lore/setting that we find most interesting, and tend to gravitate to those areas.
Somewhat separately, I want to say that I think generally there are fewer retcons than people seem to imagine. The direction something was going may change, but I would not say that is the same as full blown retcons, which I would define as "We said the thing was blue, but for reasons, now we have to say the thing was actually red."
You can also see GM-Armifer's recent post on this topic. Stories grow and evolve. The plot moves forward.
>>It's a shame DR lacks the archival power that exists in GS.
Can you expand on that? We want to avoid spoilering things or posting them to Elanthipedia before players have a chance to experience them in game. Some of this stuff is also somewhat up for interpretation. I have my own views of what the Abbey poem means, which may differ from the creators intent!
VITRUVIANGNOME
Re: A few lore questions
07/22/2020 08:56 PM CDT
>>Can you expand on that?
For most of the larger events that have occurred in GS there are written accounts of the story and events. This is usually coupled with player logs and or other summarized articles. With the events as they are run now, the GM running it will usually write out briefings and synopsis of what's happened, hints of what we can expect, and the like. Playing a few months ago I realize that the team in DR was small but growing so it's hardly something I expect to happen. Saying that it honestly does go a long way in helping the game feel alive and active in the narrative sense to see so much historic lore present as well as the continuation of weekly/monthly briefings/story posts.
For most of the larger events that have occurred in GS there are written accounts of the story and events. This is usually coupled with player logs and or other summarized articles. With the events as they are run now, the GM running it will usually write out briefings and synopsis of what's happened, hints of what we can expect, and the like. Playing a few months ago I realize that the team in DR was small but growing so it's hardly something I expect to happen. Saying that it honestly does go a long way in helping the game feel alive and active in the narrative sense to see so much historic lore present as well as the continuation of weekly/monthly briefings/story posts.
PRIMEQ
Re: A few lore questions
07/23/2020 02:11 AM CDT
>>For most of the larger events that have occurred in GS there are written accounts of the story and events. This is usually coupled with player logs and or other summarized articles.
You might want to check out the First Land Herald (link in my signature). It's an IC newspaper that chronicles a LOT of the events that happen in DR. Granted, we are a very small team and for that reason there are always some things we will miss, but much of it is there. Side note: if you know anyone who wants a difficult and thankless writing job, send them to me.
The latest articles always appear in game first, in newsletters you can buy at the imps' news stands. The wiki has more details on how to find these. Once a new issue comes out, the older articles get moved to the wiki.
You can also always feel free to reach out to Navesi in game, or attend Town Hall meetings, for updates on the latest events.
- Navesi
The First Land Herald -- Zoluren's newspaper. https://elanthipedia.play.net/The_First_Land_Herald
You might want to check out the First Land Herald (link in my signature). It's an IC newspaper that chronicles a LOT of the events that happen in DR. Granted, we are a very small team and for that reason there are always some things we will miss, but much of it is there. Side note: if you know anyone who wants a difficult and thankless writing job, send them to me.
The latest articles always appear in game first, in newsletters you can buy at the imps' news stands. The wiki has more details on how to find these. Once a new issue comes out, the older articles get moved to the wiki.
You can also always feel free to reach out to Navesi in game, or attend Town Hall meetings, for updates on the latest events.
- Navesi
The First Land Herald -- Zoluren's newspaper. https://elanthipedia.play.net/The_First_Land_Herald
DIMINISHEDANGEL
Re: A few lore questions
07/23/2020 06:15 AM CDT
Seconding Navesi's First Land Herald. It's a great resource for an IC viewpoint/timeline.
ENOTS
Re: A few lore questions
07/23/2020 07:03 AM CDT
If you want accounts of some older events, check out The Wren's Nest: Dreamheart managed to save a lot of older accounts written by older players there.
Ryeka
Sometimes the key to happiness is not assuming it is locked in the first place- Ziggy
A journey of a thousand SMILES begins with a single step- Ziggy
DR-KOROR
Re: A few lore questions
07/23/2020 05:08 PM CDT
Sharing logs and talking to each other about what happens at events and gatherings is a really good way to ensure everyone is on the same page. I have posted two extremely cursory summaries of events from prior months, but hope to see players continuing to take the lead with sharing, discussing, and documenting. There are several fantastic resources for this, including the First Land Herald which does a great job of reporting on events in an IC manner.
My hope is that the events we (staff and players alike!) work on are considered public and freely available to everyone in the community. We are all playing this game together, after all.
