AMIA ARCHIVE • View topic

This is a reminder post.

If you have a character based in L'Obsul or in the Underdark in general and want to get engaged there, then you are welcome to PM me anytime. Due to the reduced number of players, I understand that setting up a faction based on a race is much harder. As such you are welcome to join the existing NPC factions there and work yourself up in the ranks through RP and dedication. The UD is an unforgiving land though so please mind that failure may be an option!

Options are (not limited to these):

- Drow: Since Nec'perya is no longer Lolthite and drow-centric you are welcome to try something else in L'Obsul. Currently the Zau'tars have PC members as well and interested PCs can join. Also, you are welcome to come up with your own initiative if you are involving other PCs (house, faction, etc.) and we can discuss the possibilities. Think of any kind of drow here (Lolthite or any kind of heretic).

- Duergar: The most convenient one is obviously the clan in L'Obsul. However they are not the only ones in the setting and you are also welcome to come up with your own agenda if you gather PCs around yourself.

- Svirfneblin: We have the clan in L'Obsul and at least one other clan in the setting.

- Monsters: Orcs, Orogs, Goblins, Cyclopes, Hobgoblins and other terrifying creatures! You are welcome to engage in L'Obsul as part of the existing Orog clan to work your way up, as a mercenary for the existing powers, or you can try your own initiative, involving other players. There are various clans in the setting, so do not hesitate to ask.

- Dark minded surfacers: Zhentarim spy! Thayvian merchants! Smugglers! Slavers! Assasins! You are welcome too!

I am bumping this.

The UD is, for the most part, pretty damn quiet at all times of the day and night now.

Spent the better part of the entire day bopping around on Amia B in L'Obsul today, and there was nary a soul in sight.

It's a saddening state of affairs, but when I look at the Island and Abroad stuff, I see '27/65' on A, and '5/65' on B. Where would I go? A. That's where the action is, but I'd like that to change a bit - or find some way to drag the UD a bit to A.

Also, could we perhaps get the DM team to update their general availability DM-time and where they're focusing their attention? (Like: Cordor, UD, Kohlingen, etc) so we know A) When to look for a DM, and B) Where we know the DMs currently have some attention? I know Lutra's currently doing.. Kohlingen and the Underdark, I believe?

Edit: When I do see people on B, I can tell if they're here for RP or here to run something, because you'll find like 5 odd folk coming on as a group and can generally assume 'Yep, they're running something'.

Arkun wrote:

I am bumping this.

The UD is, for the most part, pretty damn quiet at all times of the day and night now.

Spent the better part of the entire day bopping around on Amia B in L'Obsul today, and there was nary a soul in sight.

It's a saddening state of affairs, but when I look at the Island and Abroad stuff, I see '27/65' on A, and '5/65' on B. Where would I go? A. That's where the action is, but I'd like that to change a bit - or find some way to drag the UD a bit to A.

Also, could we perhaps get the DM team to update their general availability DM-time and where they're focusing their attention? (Like: Cordor, UD, Kohlingen, etc) so we know A) When to look for a DM, and B) Where we know the DMs currently have some attention? I know Lutra's currently doing.. Kohlingen and the Underdark, I believe?

Edit: When I do see people on B, I can tell if they're here for RP or here to run something, because you'll find like 5 odd folk coming on as a group and can generally assume 'Yep, they're running something'.

Lutra is Ruathym/ Underdark if I recall.

But I would like to second the notion of maybe updating the personnel page with play times and focus so players can better work out when and who to work with.

I'm just going to throw something in the air, hate me for it if you want, but it's a concern I have with underdark and I really want to share it :/

I recall 2 years ago that the underdark was -full- of characters. It was very active. This produced two problems, in my opinion.

1 - Because the underdark is isolated, that meant that the number of players there was substracted from the number of players that were playing with the majority of the rest of the server.

2 - This meant that "staff force" was also spreading, as the number of players in the underdark required some attention.

This activity resulted in even more players creating alts just to join the flavour of the month, which increased the isolation effect and basically emptied many of the other "surface factions".

So here's my question; With the reduced player base we have at the moment, is it really that great of an idea to try and push for more underdark focus? I understand the UD rp is most likely unique and different, but wouldn't the "will to be a bad guy" best served if it filled other baddy factions instead of one that's usually keeping to itself in the middle of nowhere?

It's nothing against the players of the underdark, by the way.. I'm sure you guys do a good job!... but I can't tell, because in all my time here, even when the server had twice the population it has now, I think I have met a total of MAYBE two non-surface drows.

Right now, not having Lutra take care of the Ud would mean like a couple of players would lose their DM. Also, it seems like Lutra wants to do this. I mean, I might get that wrong, but that was how it seems to me.

Then, the UD would be even more empty than it already is now. And you said the surface might lose RP? I highly doubt it, when things like Wharftown are going pretty well, Bendir, Kohl, Barak. Those are pretty good now. Would I like other factions having more attention? Yes, but those other don't have players either, so there is no need to put a DM on it. Even in September there was a huge rush of UD dragonkin, and that had a DM doing it. I wouldn't say simply because we do not want to disversify the server, we should stop having a UD. I mean, if people want to play there, they should. If they don't want to, they should contine on the surface. But deliberately taking a DM away because we fear that with four and a half surface and half a UD DM we would lose the surface? Nope.

UD Drow are awesome. Sadly it requires groups of some respectable size to touch their politics. I have seen phenomenal Drow styled RP between groups of players in the 10-20 player range totally unmoderated by DMs. As it stands though you can't snag the pop consistently enough to garner roleplay. Consistency is one of the largest issues amia has. And it's the backbone of locations and groups. Trying to resurrect Drow will just feed this problem sadly.

OpenTheRift wrote:

UD Drow are awesome. Sadly it requires groups of some respectable size to touch their politics. I have seen phenomenal Drow styled RP between groups of players in the 10-20 player range totally unmoderated by DMs. As it stands though you can't snag the pop consistently enough to garner roleplay. Consistency is one of the largest issues amia has. And it's the backbone of locations and groups. Trying to resurrect Drow will just feed this problem sadly.

My point exactly. I am not against diversity. My observation, however, is that with the playerbase we have at the moment it would not be good for Amia to thrive to have a super healthy underdark faction. They simply are too isolated by nature. I too have witnessed that 10-20 drow phenomenon, and I recall even with twice the playerbase we have now, that it was heavily impacting the "surface factions activity".

I am not saying "do not make evil underdark characters!" but rather "How about you try and find a place for said character in one of the evil factions from the surface?"

In the best of worlds, there would be 20-30 active players in every single factions, nobody making side characters, with a couple of DMs for every faction. But that is not happening. Given the situation we are in, I don't think underdark is a faction that should be focused on, especially because of "how much" (how little) political life in the underdark affects the server as a whole.

Last edited by Budly on Sun, Jan 29 2017, 16:12 PM, edited 1 time in total.

So...the Underdark now is Drow and other freaks hanging together? How do this work lorewise since Drow, the Lolth kind is not really known to be friendly to other races, living in the same settlement? As slaves but not as?

EDIT: I Honestly think The Underdark on A would revive it. The split up is bit bad for The Underdark. The B server is almost always less populated.

Budly wrote:

So...the Underdark now is Drow and other freaks hanging together? How do this work lorewise since Drow, the Lolth kind is not really known to be friendly to other races, living in the same settlement? As slaves but not as?

There's more down there then Lolth. L'Obsul is a good example of why you need multiple groups working together to function.

I bumped this primarily to bring to peoples attention that there is a UD and you can do interesting and fun things in it. Also so that we could know DM's availability, if only because of how sparse it can be in some parts of the game. I wasn't asking for a DM to focus entirely on the UD - I was trying to get some player focus on it instead.

Mushidoz:

1 - The Underdark is isolated. That's why I mentioned bringing something to Server A. People rarely seem to go onto B anymore, as a general rule. It's vastly underpopulated unless there is some sort of event going on.

2 - I don't see this as a bad thing. If people want to play something, they should be encouraged to actually /play/ something. Numbers generally mean you'll get a DMs attention, yes. DMs cannot be everywhere at once, so they generally try to peek at where wands are being used and where there are groups of people.

3 - In reference to your question: Sure. Why not? Why not try to get interest in a group that has, in the past, had great developmental RP? Why not try to take it for a different course this time? All of the 'big' Drow settlements are gone, kaput. Nec'perya is a Dragonkin isle now. This forces people to come together a bit more. Sure, you might be an Evil Drow, but you're not stupid enough to think that trying to bully the local Duergar clan will result in anything but you being beaten to death and thrown in the Pit, right? Being Drow means you RP with a certain innate superiority, it does /not/ give you godmodding powers where you can lord it over absolutely everyone and make them do as you want - even if you're a Drow Female Priestess. That had it's back broken after Nec'perya, it got Bane'd.

So, yeah? Why not look at the UD? Why not look at -anywhere- people might want to go and have fun? We have a reduced playerbase, but it doesn't mean we should reduce our concepts or reduce our thoughts and hopes on finding some place to have fun and play as a group.

I noticed that there was a line of thought going that if you're a Lolthite Drow you're in charge - that isn't the case anymore. Maybe in Edonil and old Nec'perya, you ruled the roost. Now, you're slumming it with everyone else in L'Obsul. Don't get uppity, because the Guards might decide not to help you if that small angry group of Svirfneblin have decided they've had enough of your bossing them about in -their- part of L'Obsul. Playing a Drow does require a bit of a different mindset, but it also requires you to keep in mind that everyone about you is also trying to have fun, and that fun-evil-rp only flourishes if you try to make sure that the things you do bring A) Some entertainment and B) Some measure of OOC fairness. That isn't meaning that you let people run roughshod over you, though. Evil is still evil - but the players behind evil characters are just here to have fun like you are.

tl;dr yeah, I think the UD if it has players deserves the love. I think anywhere that has players deserves the love, end of.

Commie wrote:

Budly wrote:

So...the Underdark now is Drow and other freaks hanging together? How do this work lorewise since Drow, the Lolth kind is not really known to be friendly to other races, living in the same settlement? As slaves but not as?

There's more down there then Lolth. L'Obsul is a good example of why you need multiple groups working together to function.

I know, but Ultrinnan worked perfectly fine back then. Bigger playerbase but it worked. Drow are not that keen in my opinion, down there, to share a city if they can enslave others. They are the boss in their settlements.

In their own settlements? Sure. Outside them? Eh. Drow are pretty adaptable who frequently do trade/make deals with other Underdark races. This is true even of Lolthlites.

L'Obsul is a place that is close to or is in the Lower Dark, the most perilous level of the Underdark where there is few Underdark cities. Drow cities and cities belonging to other Underdark races are usually in the Upper Dark or Middle Dark areas, they avoid the Lower Dark because its full of nasty stuff.

So L'Obsul is more of a frontier town to the Lower Dark where all the resident Underdarkers have to work/live with each other to survive and prosper. Its certainly not what you would call harmonious as you should expect, but it works. L'Obsul is a pretty neat place as a hub for adventurers (even surfacers) who want to explore the Underdark.

Only in their very large settlements. Moderate and smaller ones are very often metropolitan in style.

Genar_Detkasa wrote:

In their own settlements? Sure. Outside them? Eh. Drow are pretty adaptable who frequently do trade/make deals with other Underdark races. This is true even of Lolthlites.

L'Obsul is a place that is close to or is in the Lower Dark, the most perilous level of the Underdark where there is few Underdark cities. Drow cities and cities belonging to other Underdark races are usually in the Upper Dark or Middle Dark areas, they avoid the Lower Dark because its full of nasty stuff.

So L'Obsul is more of a frontier town to the Lower Dark where all the resident Underdarkers have to work/live with each other to survive and prosper. Its certainly not what you would call harmonious as you should expect, but it works. L'Obsul is a pretty neat place as a hub for adventurers (even surfacers) who want to explore the Underdark.

Drow? Cooperating? Singing Kumbaya with others races? Never heard of it before.

Cooperating does not mean "singing Kumbaya." The Underdark is a harsh place and alliances of convenience are a thing.

It can be relationship that isn't that all different from how drow houses coexist. There might be a common goal for profit etc. but they're always seeking ways to get them a better position than their "partners," including shivving them in the back if it is advantageous to do so, given they are still ultimately competitors who look out for themselves.

The Underdark is a realm of treachery, for treachery to exist, you have to make alliances to betray. All of which, can make for some stimulating RP.

Skullport is basically the most famous UD city and it's a mix of different races.

The drow-only settlements can be found in the Upperdark mostly and not in the Lowerdark...the was one of the major issues with Edonil and Nec. That is a location that even drow would avoid and made absolutely no sense to go there.

L'Obsul is a vertically built open-city that stretches from the Upper tot he Lowerdark west from the Northdark Labyrinth. Much like the Skullport (It is debatable if it is UD or not) or Mantol-Derith, it is an open setttlement.

Commie wrote:

Skullport is basically the most famous UD city and it's a mix of different races.

Sshamath is a better comparison. Skulllport is in Undermountain directly below Waterdeep and is run by a cadre of magical floating megapowerful demi-liche skulls. It's not really a comparison.

Ed: Sshamath might not be the name, looking at the wiki...

I don't think Nec'perya is Lowerdark, it's not far from L'Obsul IIRC, they are in the same area if I recall from what Dusty said a long time ago. Unless L'Obsul is much lower than everyone is thinking.

Nec is deeply in the Lowerdark. L'Obsul is vertically built as I said from the upper to the Lowerdark. The IG signs actually say which level is the upper, middle and lowerdark.

Yeah, L'obsul is built around a big vertical tunnel and is actually 3 separate "cities" connected by the elevator, from what I understand.

So L'Obsul is like 7-10 miles deep?

edit: Now that I recall, I remember Dusty saying Nec'perya is on the border of the Middle and Lowerdark. Unless I am still mis remembering, haha. Like it's just inside the Lowerdark. I thought Edonil was Middledark, though, tbh.

L'Obsul is pretty deep, yup. It is built in a chasm below Mt Eldfell, and the closest Surface town to it is Endir's Point.

Edonil and the lowest parts of L'Obsul had been in the lowest part of the Middle Dark.

Nec, being much further down a sloped, forking tunnel, is in the Lower Dark. Exactly how deep it is, was never determined during my time as DM.

As for races "playing nice," that is fairly common in the UD. Sentient races tend to work in tandem until one has a clear upper hand. In L'Obsul's case, none of the factions hold the power to oust all the others.

Make no mistake: Playing nice does not equate to friendship, trust, or singing kumbaya. It means that you smile politely and play the game while reaching for a sharper blade. The UD is a treacherous place, after all.

Quote:

I know, but Ultrinnan worked perfectly fine back then. Bigger playerbase but it worked. Drow are not that keen in my opinion, down there, to share a city if they can enslave others. They are the boss in their settlements.

Ultrinnan failed mate. It became history because it failed and its failures have been haunting the communitu like a legacy ever since.

Leave the history in the past and move forward. Amia is not what it once was, nor should we cling to what it once was. Support your DM, support your community and make something of the opportunities it offers.

For the record Lutra, I praise what you're doing. I just wish that I could be part of it.

Ultrinnan died because it was railroaded onto B for OOC reasons. That's why it "became history". It was one of the biggest foulups that was made as a DM team.

I'm here to second Arkun's sentiment and tell ya'll I've never been able to leave it. The Dark is full of great RP, so come on down and see what's around. Terms and conditions apply.

As I remember it, a lot of people used to be turned off by all the pre-knowledge requirements needed to survive in Lolthite drow rp. Well, now those requirements are gone along with the city (again) so don't be afraid to give something a bash in L'Obsul where most things can flourish if it's tough enough.

Mostly I want to chant: Dark back to A! Dark back to A!

It seems cruel to relegate anyone to B. I feel lonely and disheartened on an empty server when I know the other one is much cosier. Can't B just be for hunting?

Travis wrote:

I'm here to second Arkun's sentiment and tell ya'll I've never been able to leave it. The Dark is full of great RP, so come on down and see what's around. Terms and conditions apply.

As I remember it, a lot of people used to be turned off by all the pre-knowledge requirements needed to survive in Lolthite drow rp. Well, now those requirements are gone along with the city (again) so don't be afraid to give something a bash in L'Obsul where most things can flourish if it's tough enough.

Mostly I want to chant: Dark back to A! Dark back to A!

It seems cruel to relegate anyone to B. I feel lonely and disheartened on an empty server when I know the other one is much cosier. Can't B just be for hunting?

B should get better once updates can happen there again.

But I've been almost exclusively on B for half a year now.

I play probably 97% of the time on B and in the Underdark and know jack about drow compared to most people. As being part of the crew(who has mostly left) who ousted the lolthites in the first place and is trying to make Thran'Daariv(formerly Nec'perya) a cool place for RP, I invite anyone down to come help make it interesting. Dragonkin or not.

Putting the Underdark on A is an enormous task simply because of how many scripts guide its travel, but it is possible.

Probably the single most difficult part to port over to A, really. In truth, all of B could be on A. But that's scary.

TormakSaber wrote:

Ultrinnan died because it was railroaded onto B for OOC reasons. That's why it "became history". It was one of the biggest foulups that was made as a DM team.

I won't deny that. The DM team is not solely to blame however: the playerbase did themselves no favours either, but not to spark up another debate.

Going backwards is not an option however: we can only move forward.

I see more activity in the UD and folk about - which is great!

Don't be afraid to try and do your own thing, either. It's pretty much a free-for-all for power at the moment, it appears, so get what you think belongs to you.

We can't roll things back, like Galenson said, so lets just all try and push forwards and bring some fun for everyone.

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