Lyanna

So, does that mean that the Healer's Room is now also a healing area? If that's the case, I think I'm going to shift my office there. -Lyn-

TG magic school I wanted to keep for "academic" records, like "On the Properties of Ethereal Matter Units", religious texts, documents, etc. Tirnwood would feature more race-specific lore and perhaps certain stories about skills. I'm keeping it as a backup. WSC and PL are for general reading, focusing more on biographies, histories and poetry (which are pretty much all that have been written, so far). -Lyn- P.S. *slaps forehead* I can't believe I missed Kilaran...

Right. Okay, stamped ready for conversion to XML. We'll publish this in the usual WSC and PL libraries. (And maybe a scroll lying somewhere in KF, if someone can find one, please...). Actually, this would be best in bot-bard form. Are any of the bards still around and working? -Lyn-

I agree... isn't there any way to reduce the number of smilies on the left back to a number that won't exceed the input box length, and put the rest in "Show All"? -Lyn-

Okay, this is a bit of a huge mess, but I actually compiled two previous timelines for EL's History, with fairly major changes to each version. You might want to read up on the threads where we used to collaborate to try and work things out, Quint. (Plus, it's an interesting tour of the history of the Storylines Forum) They are found in: Trying to pull all the major stories together (1st version) Storylines Discussions (2nd version) Also, please note that Kayliana has more than one story on this forum... I just used her most famous one. The rest can be found in Storylines Status, Misc. category. -Lyn-

We need more scriptwriters. -Lyn-

How was it undramatic? More feedback would be helpful. -Lyn-

It was home to the Grand Palace of Tiral if and only if Kayliana's Dragon stories get integrated into the main timeline. Currently, I had left them out because at that time she wasn't back yet. Now, I have no idea what to do with them. -Lyn-

Sorry, just lightly intruding on the discussion here... I'm just curious about one thing, Aerowind... why did you choose to become a Pagan? How do you view the choice of your beliefs? Do you view it as a personal taste (ie. you pick whatever you like and that seems to suit you the most), or do you view it as a search for absolute truth? (ie. there exists an underlying supernatural truth/reality out there somewhere, and all religions try to describe it, but you pick the one that comes closest to the truth) This seems to me to be one of the fundamental issues that would also be relevant to that big discussion going on in the previous posts, but I'll let you guys debate it out. I'm just interested in the reason behind Aerowind's choice. -Lyn-

Me too... -Lyn-

Just thought I'd post one of my own interests here. For those of you who like reading and writing, check this site out: http://www.fanfiction.net/ It's an eclectic group of some very good, and some hopeless wannabe, amateur writers. Lots of subsections and categories - you're bound to find a story that interests you. Other recommended stories: The Gunblade Saga - a novelization of Final Fantasy VIII. Incredible combat scenes. Some of the best descriptions of rip-roaring battles I've seen in a long while. Worth the Trouble - for all you Shikamaru (from Naruto) fans out there! Absolutely beautiful fic. Very good for romance in general. Naruto Primer - hilarious high-school comedy, based on the characters of Naruto. Short snippets, so it's easy to pick up and read. Have fun! -Lyn-

I really like your style, Razia. I'm presuming you're deliberately writing it in that way, since it's a ballad. There's only one thing to change: "Luxin's Soldier's shouterd alarms" --> "Luxin's soldiers shouted alarms" But the thing about "shouterd" may sound better, even though it's not a real word. If this was deliberate on your part, then we'll leave the shouterd in. But the "soldiers" would still have to change, though. -Lyn-

He died in a hunting accident when I was really young... don't remember him much. -Lyn-

Checked, and approved. Placid, if you read this, tell me what you need to put it into the EL.net fanfiction archives. -Lyn-

YES, please! It's quite incredibly difficult now, because according to the license we have to consult and document every little spelling change that we make, for the writer to approve of. It takes forever. And the consistency issues would be even harder to deal with unless the authors sign off their permissions, as you've suggested. -Lyn-

Edited copy The Path of a Warrior by Jipomax I wasn’t aware of how I found this land or why I stayed, but nevertheless the times I have spent here are filled with adventures which I will remember for the rest of my life. Some, of course, were more memorable then others. One in particular is the story I wish to tell you all today. This is my story. It may not be much but it happened to me and I need to let someone know this story before I am gone. I suppose it all started the day I took the ship from my homeland to Isla Prima. I watched as men and women alike, dressed in their strange battle gear, stabbed at rabbits and deer and took their meat and fur. I wondered to myself: what in the world were these people doing to these poor animals? I don’t know what kind of sick place this is but where I come from actions like these are looked down on. Not wanting to cause a scene I tried to blend in and not be noticed. Seeing what they did to rabbits that didn’t even bother them, I didn’t think they would look too kindly on someone who was trying to speak out against such cruelty. I decided to lay low and try to find someone who wasn’t abusing helpless animals. At this point I think I should mention that I myself have a sickness. I suppose I shouldn’t judge abusers of animals since I left my hometown because I couldn’t stop chasing women. I see one and then all I can think of is how I am going to conquer this woman. I suppose it is something that I was born with... I don’t want to be this way, it is just how I am. I suppose it isn’t really a sickness but more of a typical male syndrome. I would someday like to settle down and do the whole kid thing. I just want to enjoy the years when I am still young. Of course, when I saw the first woman who wasn’t dressed to kill I approached her and asked about the animal bashing. "What in the world are they doing to those animals?" I asked her. She looked at me as if I had lost my mind and walked away muttering something under her breath of which I could only make out the word "noob". What a b*&5h, I thought to myself and glanced over at the next woman who was nearby. "Hello there, miss. Can you tell me what is going on here?" I asked. "They kill those animals and take what they drop to sell to others or they keep them to use for other things," she explained. "Like a rabbit pillow?" I asked. "Yeah, something like that," she said as she flashed me a smile. I thought this one liked me so I asked if I could follow her around to see what a typical day was like in this land. She accepted and I followed behind her so I could get a good view of her. "Now people do many things in this land. Some people like to fight and build up their strength while others just like to make things and sell them to others for pure profit," she explained. "Is that what you do?" I asked. "Yeah it sure is….someday I will have enough money for my own house and pet puma," she said. "That’s nice. I sure think I like this better then smashing rabbits," I said, trying to be amusing. It went on like this for some time, hours and hours that turned to days and days, until I believed I knew all about these lands and what it was these people did. I thought this land was exciting, but even more exciting than the land was the new woman I had met. We walked for a while until we came across a rough-looking man with a sinister look on his face. "Hello Shivar," she said with a frown. "How are you doing Amber... who’s your friend?" he said while looking at me with a cold stare. "Why we just met," she told him. "I’m sorry I never got your name. It is...?" she asked. "Jipomax," I said. Shivar laughed and told me what a weird name I had. "I think it is a nice name," said Amber. This didn’t seem to please this guy and he looked at me as if I had assaulted his own mother. "Well," he said. "It sure is nice to meet you Jipomax. How long have you been here? You look new to the land," he said. "Not long," I told him. "Well let me show you around then Jipo," Shivar said with a grin. "Thanks, but Amber is showing me around today," I mentioned. "Nonsense. She doesn’t know anything about fighting or building skills which every man needs to survive," he told me. "Come, let me show you around a little bit... then the two of you can get back to learning about how to sew and all the other exciting things Amber does." I figured it couldn’t hurt and that maybe Amber would be more impressed by a man who could kill his own rabbit. "Amber do you mind if we go with him for a little to see what he has to show us?" I asked. "I guess not," she said, looking scared. "Splendid," Shivar lit up like a child who just got his first toy. "Come, let me show you what men do in these lands," he giggled. We walked for some time all the while Shivar told us tales of the people he had killed and the strength that he had gotten from killing these men. He talked and talked and then he talked some more. Occasionally I glanced at Amber to see her rolling her eyes and mouthing the words that appeared to be a combination of jack and ass. This continued until we got to a place, which seemed to make Amber very nervous. Grasping my hand she stopped walking and looked up at Shivar and yelled "NO!" "What’s the matter Amber?" Shivar asked. "You are not taking him in there you jerk; I know what it is you are planning." "Excuse me Amber?" Shivar asked with a blank look on his face. "You will not take Jipo into KF... not while I am around, not him," she cried. "Oh dear Amber you have me all wrong - I just want to show him what to look out for," he said. "Whatever, you pig! Leave us alone now... we don’t want to follow you anymore," she told him. I didn’t know it then but the place we were going was something they called a PK map, a place where people kill other people! I wish I had known it then, I wish a lot of things. If only I knew…… "Amber, as you can see, we are already in KF and I haven’t done anything to him... yet," he said while pulling a short sword from his boot. I looked around trying to see the rabbit or deer this man was going to kill but I didn’t see any at all. "Now you will feel the wrath that is Shivar!" the man said. I wondered what this guy was talking about. I thought at the time that he was coming on to me and I only like the ladies. While pondering this man’s words his sword drew ever so close to my heart. At the last second Amber had managed to get in-between his blade and myself. It pierced her heart instead that day, although I wish it had been my own. "Noooo!" he shrieked as she fell to the ground. I couldn’t do anything couldn’t say anything although if I could have gotten it out it isn’t something fit for most ears. As he pulled the sword from her body he looked at me as if I had done this thing. "You will pay for this nooblet!" he yelled. I suppose it was his loud mouth that saved me that day and the thing that irritated me most about this man. For when he was yelling footsteps grew closer and soon there were men upon us. There were two men - one an elderly man in a Viking helmet who looked like he hadn’t slept in over a year, and the other a strange guy that had a little pet goat with braces O.o. "Donpedro, Shasso... what are you two doing here?" he asked. "It appears we should be asking you that, Shivar," Shasso told him. "I don’t want any trouble," Shivar said. "Well you are gonna get trouble, for you are my enemy and all enemies of mine will fall by my sword," the old guy in the helmet said. With that Shivar ran away and I didn’t see him again till much later in my life. When we met again is a different story then the one I am telling today. Shasso helped me carry Amber out of that horrible place and bury her body in a grave in a beautiful area far away from where it had happened. I spent a lot of time talking to this Shasso guy and learnt the real way of the warrior from him. I learned to fight, and I learned to do many things guys need to know to take care of themselves in these lands. One day when I was rich enough I built a house by her grave and I brought a puma skin that I had gotten from one that I had trained on. I put the skin on her grave and said to her that I knew it wasn’t the same as she had hoped for but it was the best I could do. Although she didn’t know it at the time she had changed me. She had made me a better man. ==================================================== Lots of editing done, mostly formatting and punctuation. Do you want it published under ChangeYourName or Jipomax? This can't be published in-game, because the current game's story doesn't allow anyone to die, but we can put it into EL.net's fanfiction archives instead. Please check through it and see whether there's any last-minute changes you want to make before we publish it, jipo. -Lyn-

About February 2004... I can still clearly remember answering the newbie questions of lot of the players who joined just after me (like Satan/Shiv). -Lyn-

This series of posts will be set Invisible for now. It contains a record of my actions and philosophy towards the development of EL's stories and quest, and is meant to be read by my successor, whenever he or she is appointed. After all, the continuing nature of this project means that I may not always be there in the future to help with development. Therefore, in order to promote continuity and ease my successor into the role, I'm preparing this well in advance. Should I leave, would one of the Forum mods or developers ensure that this can be seen by the right person? ----------------------------------------- A Support for Stories To My Successor, Welcome to one of the most difficult and complex jobs within the framework of EL's development. I do admit, a large part of the difficulty has come about because of my particular philosophy towards development within Storylines and Quests, which I will outline below. I think the rewards outweigh the cost, though, which is why I have chosen to do things this way. The previous person in charge of stories (the creator of the game), Entropy, opted for the opposite approach instead. Which method you prefer is up to you... but I'm guessing that by the time you take over, the framework set by me would be solidly in place already - so it may be difficult to change. Let me first outline the general scope of your position and role. You are the person in charge of the overall picture of Storylines and Quests. As such, you will be working on both sides of the border, primarily focusing on integrating them both together into a cohesive world. On one side, you will be dealing with writers submitting stories to be published in various forms within or without the game - which you will have to decide - and on the other side, you will have to prepare and review the quests being submitted by other people. I'll say this straight away - be prepared to give up any ambitious plans you have for writing. You simply WILL NOT have enough time to both manage and write at the same time... not if you want to do a good job at either. I had to make that difficult choice too, and I chose to give up writing. That's not to say that you will never write again - but rather your writing will be confined to "filler" pieces and whatever is necessary or needed at the time, rather than original masterpieces of script. My philosophy towards the development of storylines and quests runs alongside that system. I have deliberately sought to get more and more people involved in the development of the game, rather than trying to do it all myself. The role I see myself doing is that of providing framework and tools for the players to create their own content. And then, after that, merging their content into a cohesive whole. This method, I feel, is the most productive over time - since you can have a lot of people working concurrently. Also, it makes players feel happy that they are somehow able to contribute to the game. It makes them feel valued. And because of that, they'll stick around. The longer they stick around, the more experience they get, so the higher the quality of their work becomes. You're essentially in the process of raising and training veteran story- and quest-writers. The DOWNSIDE to this is that anything run by committee can get very scattered. That's why you need a strong framework to hold it all together, and a person who will be ultimately responsible for making sure all stories stick to that framework. That person happens to be you, and the framework is your Vision (or rather, the vision you inherit). For that reason, you'll need to be on your toes all the time, and always monitor the situation in Storylines & Quests. Don't be afraid to overrule someone when it's really needed - good writers will be able to handle your critiques, and most writers will quite happily change their stories to fit the larger picture. Authority, tempered by a willingness to listen and appreciation for writers' input, is the image I want to project - and I hope that you will project too. In all cases, never forget that respect for your leadership comes from example. Never have a separate standard for yourself (or your quest/stories). And if you want the writers to take a radically new approach to anything, make sure you do it yourself at least once, to let them know that you're in it with them. Now, as to the details. When it comes to crafting a story for a MMORPG, the maxim to follow is "an infinite source of conflict that can be applied to any number of players". Because the world of an MMORPG is by necessity continuous, and since EL is highly combative, there always needs to be conflict in the world somewhere... and it has to come from an infinite source. Also, because a true multiplayer experience is that which allows players to SHARE a common world, the story must be able to be realistically applied to any given number of players. For that reason, I chose to work on the Curse of Mortos theme... where infinity is provided by the lack of an exit from this world. Therefore, the enemies can never leave this realm, and because of the influx of long-dead souls from the Underworld, this story can be applied to any number of players. But remember, this is still only a framework. It provides a base (albeit a very wide one...) for roleplaying - that is all. The rest is up to the players to decide. And that is as it should be. Remember, your job is not to TELL the entire story of the game... but rather to give the players tools to tell their OWN stories - within the context. Your role is a supportive one. This should be reflected in any work you do in quests, or in creating story arcs for the game. Give players choices and tools - lots of them. A player would rather read his own created meta-story any day than your scripted one. Let him do so. -Lyn-

Two links to help you: Storylines Status (every important story in the history of EL is there... read them, and you'll get a good grasp of the events.) Eternal Lands Fact Files (this was compiled by me regarding the information that Ent provided in his NPC scripts... some of the details about place histories may change, as the quests are rewritten). If you could implement a search function for certain topics, like races and religions (eg. all stories featuring Elves), that would be extremely useful. I would suggest renaming your "story" category to "event" and "saga" to "story", just for clarity's sake. (We don't have any real sagas yet, but they can be added later as an even higher function, I suppose). The main aim of this is writer's resources, so we want it to be as useful to writers as possible (with the sub-goal of documenting everything important in the storyline). -Lyn-

Aww, I feel so touched now. I've enjoyed myself in Storylines and Quests... it's fun to create a world for people to live in. And I'm glad that you guys are taking up your responsibilities well. I'll pop in now and then after I'm gone to say hi and take a look at how you're doing. Don't disappoint me! (I'm sure you won't) -Lyn-

Finally! I found an Archivist! This will be an IMMENSE help in the future, ttlanhil. Great to see you go for this! -Lyn-

Memories of a Healer It was the first story I ever wrote on these Forums. -Lyn-

Okay, apparently Quinticus still can't see Invisible posts. (Somebody do something about that, please...) Right, I'm making this visible now. This is primarily for the reference of my successor(s). I will be retiring again shortly, by July 20th, to focus more on RL issues. Therefore, the Storylines and Quests duties will be split up into two separate responsibilities. Quinticus will be the overall person in charge of Storylines, with ttlanhil under him as the head of the Publishing sub-division (for in-game books). Your task is to continue to build the framework for the backstory of the game, and to encourage player-submitted fanfiction, for publication either on EL.com, EL.net, or in-game. Issues like explaining the religion, beliefs, history and cultures of the races also fall under your jurisdiction. Luckily, I've outlined the basic Storylines Development Plan for the next 6 months, so all you have to do is to follow that to get a running start on catching up with my work. A joint-committee of Crannog, Derin, and Lord_Vermor will be in charge of Quests. Your task is first to train and build up a larger network of quest writers, and a smoother quest implementation routine. Once that's done, then quest-writing can go much quicker. Also, one (or all) of you will have to take up the responsibility of being the person to whom players will submit quests and quest ideas to. You'll need to provide constant feedback and critical analysis of the players' quests. All three of you should familiarise yourselves with the back story being developed in the Storylines Forum, so that you can tie-in the quests to that. Before I leave, I'll try to do the following things: - Critique and edit the winning entries in the Storylines Contest, so that conversion to XML can be done straightaway. (Stage #1 of SDP) [done] - Rewrite the current NPC quest scripts to reflect the Main Story of EL. (This will just be a patch job though... I had initially planned on a much wider scope of quests, but it looks like I've run out of time). - Finish off the Recommended Quest Submission Format and publish it in the Announcements Forum, for wannabe quest-writers to read. [almost done] * If I have time, I'll also try to do some referencing of the Historical Timeline to the stories I've taken the events from. [done] Up to and until someone steps up to fill my position again, you guys will all have to work very closely together, as well as with the various other people tied in with Storylines. Lachesis or crusadingKNIGHT, please give Quinticus/ttlanhil access to the CVS languages repository for publishing purposes. Forum mods, Quinticus should also get access to the Storylines and Quests Forum, for story continuity referencing, please. Good luck with everything. I'll still be around for a limited time, so any questions you guys want to ask, ask now. -Lyn-

Ah, I see. That's all we really need then. Thanks Lachesis. I'll leave it to Quinticus and ttlanhil to handle the rest. For the moment, I want both of you to handle publishing, but eventually let ttlanhil take the job, because I've got bigger responsibilities planned for Quinticus. -Lyn-

Quinticus, if you can read this, please respond. I'm planning to retire soon again, since RL duties will be piling up, and I'd like to leave you in charge of Storylines. -Lyn-