Settlement Synesthesia

Our server is fortunate to have a number of settlements that lend themselves towards different styles and themes of roleplay. Whether by design or server history, areas attract players to them because they work well for their characters and/or the players simply enjoy the backdrop the area provides. Sadly, as with any media, there are limits; as a game with finite structures, placables, models, terrains and space, there are only so many elements that can be shown. However, our imagination often overcomes this. We don't assume we see all of the settlement as we walk through it: the populations must live somewhere. We don't assume NPCs stand there idle all day: certainly they have their own habits and agendas when we aren't interacting with them. We add on to what we see. We form a lens through which we view our favorite cities and hamlets, adding and supplanting detail where necessary.

This thread is intended to express and understand what players see when they look at our settlements. Maybe even more--what do they feel? A good deal of work goes into designing our areas, so I imagine the Devs would be happy to get lucid feedback and hear how their creations have been received. While experiences, plots, and happenings that formed your impression of a settlement are cool to reference, I'd advise that we focus on the visual and audible elements of the areas: the things that are present in the module regardless of DMs or players being present. The "physical" gameworld. I considered putting it in the Concept thread, but this is more reflective rather than formative (and also isn't about a particular character!). It could be considered as an extension of the "Dev Praise" thread, but it doesn't all have to be praise and it doesn't all have to be critique. What does a particular settlement make you think of? What do you chose to see it as? And if possible, through character action, player initiative, or design, is there anything you would want to see it become?

I'll start off with one or two and add as they come to me. But I also have a great interest to hear some other perspectives, particularly on places that have never stood out to me as having much of a theme one way or another.
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♫
"Sometimes you could walk for hours and never see another soul--yet you'd never lose the feeling that you were being watched. Something down a darkened stairwell skitters against the wall. As smoke billows up from the rooftops, a wind rolls in. Cold. No direction in particular. Despite being held in perpetual night, the main streets bustle hour to hour, livings made in the market center, lives taken in the back alleys only a few paces away. Calling it a "city that never sleeps" would be a misnomer. It's never fully woken up. It hangs there like the living shadows that patrol its streets, tossed somewhere between the tides of wakefulness and slumber: the place where nightmares take form before us. Where sleep paralysis is the norm.

Some would call it evil; but that assumes too much. Evil responds. Evil at least considers the objects of its harm. But the red eyes that gaze down from the city ramparts, the pale-skinned townsfolk that brush by unassumingly, they regard you no different than any holy or fell outsider that makes business in the city. Something within harks back to a quote you once heard, something about "indifference being a greater curse than hate." Something in you finds some truth in that now.

But at least the wind has stopped blowing. And at least you're warm now. At least there's that."

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Shadowscape has always been a neat place for me since I stumbled into it on the server. With the color-drained imagery, my mind was immediately drawn back to all the noir movies, media, and literature I enjoy (if that wasn't obvious from the music choice). I could see Humphrey Bogart just down the street, smoking a cigar in a trench coat, waiting for the next case to come along. And initially, that's what my PC took up residence there to do: some personal detective work on a group of characters. While I don't think he ever actually made much measurable headway with it, it was fun enough to go through the motions in a place where it felt like it could happen. Shadowscape as it was explained when I first went there is a trading hub. A planar trading hub. The Shadow Plane is used for transportation very often, and being the "warmest" and assumedly friendliest place on the entire plane, Shadowscape would see its fair share of traders, outcasts, criminals, and freaks pass through its streets every day. The Shadowplane in general reminded me so much of The Talisman by Stephen King that I took a serious interest in having my character based there. So in terms of character roleplay benefit and personal taste, it worked out on both ends.



The layout hasn't changed much over the years. In fact, I'm not sure if the city proper has changed much at all, aside from the bottom of the map, gates being fiddled around with, and the occasional Academy update. Some of the "building" terrain was added and turned around a bit when more rentable houses were added. The Docks are a nice and pretty recent addition, but it kind of confuses me about the position of the city. A large enough body of water to sail on in one direction, a bleached frozen tundra in another, and then what appears to be a random desert in the next. One could chalk this up to the Shadowplane always moving around(maps are made obsolete fairly often by this shifting, actually). But it's still a bit jarring to go so quickly from the city walls to those extreme locales without much of the transition I assume a character would be seeing, the shadows of one landscape melting into the next. In terms of sounds and music, I think it could be a little better. IIRC, it's the "rebel drow village" theme, which is neither here nor there for me. Often I play my own music instead. Things like Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble, Bohren & Der Club Club of Gore, and E. S. Posthumus of all things. I don't think there are many sound placables outside of the ambient and maybe around the obelisk at the center of town. The sound of bats, while somewhat fitting, always makes me think of a cave more than a shadowy, opened-up city. While no one could expect the Shadovar folk to be too loud with their bartering, some of the "muffled whispering" placables might do wonders around the buildings.

One thing I always appreciated was that true to its narrative, the center of the city was the market. The only issue I had was that it seemed to have a severe lack of player operated stands to be such a trade hub. I think there's one now, but given how far removed it is from the portal node, I'm not sure if it would get much notice. If another area or modification to Shadowscape were to be made, I would actually like to see a more industrialized area of the city. Warhouses, shipyards, factories. Now. I know from a design aspect that seems like a bad order; I'm essentially asking for big empty buildings. Which is a waste of server space in itself. But, with all the potential for direly needed questlines, intrigue, espionage, and even non-violent burglary RP that has been asked about now and again, they wouldn't have to stay empty. Perhaps this can be incorporated into the Docks area. I'd advise against adding any more to the city central, as it weakens the illusion of livable space in the settlement. And as cemented as the Shadowbornes are to the town, I doubt their monopoly on shipping is so secure to warrant only one (apparently very empty) storehouse.

While most probably have a significantly different idea of what makes Shadowscape what it is, that's the lens I've always had drawn over it. I've never really been involved in the Academy RP there. The Drunk Dancer Inn is nice, but has nothing really going for it besides a few unique potions. The Temple of Mask is great in its layout and its visuals, but there's nothing really to do there once you've stocked up. No quests or bits of lore to direct you here or there within the city. The Docks are new, so I'll give them a pass. In no small bit, Shadowscape seems aimed to be a proverbial "college town" where the effort and focus of most of its inhabitants are directed towards its school. Which isn't a horrible thing, but there are still so many elements related to that that might flesh out the setting more. College, I mean, Academy students like to drink. One can assume the Drunk Dancer gained its name from the students that fritter the hours away there when not in class. Perhaps we can introduce some more folk and dialogue there to connect the two places. The Temple of Mask, god of thieves, seems like it would take a vested interest in this virtual gold mine of fresh workforce being churned out every year. Maybe give some connections there, too--recruiters ahoy! And while all of this goes on in the foreground, we still have a deep and widening gyre of planar politics, celestial trade routes, and infernal business deals providing the wealth to keep it all ticking. Even still, we have (supposedly stunted) inroads being made being made by Sharran cohorts that seek to curry favor with one of the few places on the Shadowplane to escape the Dark Goddess's clutches.

I say all this because despite trying to be "the change in the world you'd like to see," Shadowscape often gets written off as a trope town. It's Shadowy. There are shadows on the street. You learn Shadowdancing there. That's about all most folk have. Which is a shame because it originally billed itself for so much more... and still has the potential to do it! So while the city seems to be largely dormant, a few well-placed catalysts could bring it around I feel. It's got a good layout, it's got a hell of a good backstory, and if there are players willing to build upon the foundation already there, there is a lot of great RP, adventure, and development to be had there.

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♫
"While the 'City of Paladins' lives up to its name in architecture, there still remains some quaint charm of its humble beginnings here. To the south, farmers, haberdashers, and smiths peddle their wares with the ease and familiarity of a once smaller locale. The stately buildings to the north catch the Lathander's rays and the vast marble forums along with tall stone spires are bathed orange by their light. The city's artistic use of fountains and water adds to the calming ease that hallmarks Kohlingen. Beautifully worked copper awnings and railings wind around the tops of buildings and as night approaches, they gleam with the soft light cast by the streetlamps that line the avenues. Though a few flustered priests, monks, and factotums hustle by in a rush, the prevailing feeling is one seldom crystallized so genuinely in Faerun's often turbulent history: hope. Though Kohlingen suffers somewhat from all the normal maladies of a large city (particularly a loitering and littering problem near its docks), its denizens seem determined to right these issues along with any others that should come about.

However, beneath it all is sinking and unspoken feeling. War will soon again test the city, straining the normally cordial bonds between its clergies and laypeople. The threat of battle visits the city many times over the years, enemies foreign as well as domestic vying to mar its image and crumble it's mighty walls to dust. As time passes, each test proves itself more challenging than the last. But for now, uneasy peace shall reign over its alabaster domes."



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"Beyond the tidy and dignified marble lies a rather normal-looking town of good size. The population fits the setting, though still keeps a somewhat upbeat manner itself. Thatched-roofed houses line the cart-paths to the food and drink vendors while cabins and barns dot the fields up towards the hinterlands. The protection and generally well-meaning goals of the city's officials allows Kholingers a lifestyle most common folk are lucky to ever find. While viziers and governors tie knots in their gut over piety and justice, Kholingen's agrarian populace goes about a life of farming, gossiping, craft-working, and reveling. It should come to no surprise that while the Temple of the Triad occupies a large portion of the city, it is the Chapel of Sune that sees their patronage in the time between regular holy days and services.

Whatever airs might have been subtly worn by the Central District and Keep, they seem significantly removed from the modest living and everyday happenings of the huddled houses beyond. Green fields stretch north and south, patches of golden wheat striping the land far into the rolling hills."


With its revamp, Kohlingen easily became my favorite settlement on the server, aesthetically. The additions showing the land beyond all of the holiness and clergy really lends itself to the idea of settlements being places in their own right, without the PCs or DMs present. There are houses and buildings in the way that people would live in them. There are areas and sufficient space between them to give a sense of depth that's hard to beat. Damn the fact that there are some things, houses, etc that are there to simply add to the prettiness; that's what makes it awesome! The alternative is to suffer the syndrome of early RPGs where a "town" was no more than what was needed to advance the plot. NPC1 has his house, NPC2 has their house, and then there's the PokeCenter. Eventually, and hopefully, some of these pretty places will see themselves get quests that will an incentive to go exploring around the hidden corners of town.

That's really all I can say, except that if you haven't simply taken the time to look around all of the new areas and places in Kohlingen, then please do. I've already sang most of my praises to the Dev that worked on this while it was first being built, about each particular area and even some particular buildings. No need to write all of that again, but inspiration was taken from many things to make this newer Kohlingen feel more than the "city of paladins" it had been before.

My only issue with it isn't really even the settlement's fault; despite receiving such a facelift, it remains pretty prohibitive as a hub of operations. You cannot truly start in Kohlingen because the areas around it are a bit too high for starting players. Pirates will eat a Lv 2 alive and to catch the boat to go anywhere else costs a couple hundred. If we could adjust the "heat map" of spawn difficulty around the city, out into Tristam's Path and elsewhere, I think we would see more people set up shop here. The truth is, the longer you stay active in a settlement, through quests and hunting, the more likely your RP is to keep you there. Getting to level ~10 or so in Cordor before you can even make it to Kohlingen stacks the deck against it seeing more use.

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Really liking this so far DI. Good initiative

Kohlingen

Unlike DI, I somehow have not received this artistic feeling of that city. Rather, considering its past, it is a city planned to fend off sieges and last. The area design, even though NWN does not allow it, to me would have been more of a star-layout or square-like with multiple corners to be easier to defend. A city which has been planned for utility and defense does not place much price upon aesthetics/details. Monolithic forms that make the approaching people feel insignificant against it's walls and gates. Statues of past heroes to respect their sacrifice and impact people with sense of ever present military force in the city. People of Kohlingen always have been more practical in their approach. The streets would be kept clean to avoid diseases and for military purposes. While some of the churches would place gold upon the exteriors of the churches, the buildings are build sturdy, to withstanding sieges. The interior designing playing higher role in bringing in the luxurious feel and sense of magnificence. The waterways that lead wastes out of the city, are restricted with bars in the walls so no enemy could sneak inside.

To me, the city has always been about military, utility, defense and religion. Not arts and architecture which Winya and Cordor have paid more attention to and former even more than the latter I would suspect.

"The Holy City stands at the north of Amia Island. While having grown of a humble village to size of a city today, the past is evident in its design. Approaching the city, the turmoils of Amia island become clear, thick walls to prevent sieges having been build and in many places clearly repaired. Upon the walls and gates there are number of guards seen, even wizards are not that uncommon sights. Military keeping keen eye for any signs of trouble and ready to step in if such is brewing. The overall appearance of the city appearing monolithic, building build sturdy to stand impacts. The exterior design remaining quite simple in architectural design, but tried to be paid homage to with paint and flower settings. Walking through the city there is few waterways and fountains, the latter being of more impressive design with decorative depictions, while the waterways, clearly serving a purpose of keeping the city clean. The streets within the city walls are rather narrow, the city is packed and it comes clear as to why the city grew outside the protective walls. As the citizens go about their life's, from them it is clear that they are used to tough times. Just the way they carry themselves with purpose and a hint of pride, undeniably there is a sense of hope in them of times more peaceful. The people work in very industrial manner, which gives hints that they are very used to work in life. Few churches stand among the city, their domes standing above most other buildings. Yet still clearly showing the manner of constructing have placed heavy highlight on withstanding something more than just worshipers visiting and masses held within. Few buildings have placed more effort in architecture, namely the churches within the City that seem to influence strongly every day life, and the governmental buildings."


This photo gives good idea what a city build inside city walls would look like. It is build with narrow streets, other than the few main streets in the city. Everyone wanting to live inside walls protections. A city placing its gold on defense, not making the city beautiful because protection is more important than culture. Especially for smaller cities that are trying to ensure growth, once they are sure they are safe.. Then investing on culture. The windows of churches and buildings in general are rather narrow, while walls are thick to stand the impact of siege engines.

http://www.doomsteaddiner.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Medieval-Town.jpg

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http://www.d20srd.org/indexes/spells.htm

I always thought Shadowscape really worked with the following musical accompaniments (though I do like the whole Bogartian/Noir theme too).

Beirut - Gulag Orkestar
Beirut - Prenzlauerburg
Chicago Klezmer Ensemble - Sweet Home Bukovina
Melody Gardot - Your Heart is as Black as Night

It is a city of the done deal, the change of cash and the darkest deeds. Dirty deeds, done dirt cheap an all that jazz. It was briefly the home of the drow of Amia after the April Fool's Day prank of 08 or 09 where the underdark was taken out of the module and to be honest, part of me wishes that was a scenario that had played out in the long term. If Cordor is the city of gold, Shadowscape is Sin City.

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Jys'zyne Do'larn

Man, this account is over 10 years old. Where do I get my old man beard?

Winya Ravana & The Nexus Falls

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-Ryoko
I’ve been playing at a new fun sever!

https://theaccursedisland.enjin.com/mobile

Winya Ravana

"Next to the Nexus stands old-fashioned enclave of the elves. Found within a valley, the elven sanctuary is surrounded by mountains, only accessible by the entrance at south and underground path from Skyforest. Through the recent renovations the artistic architecture is ever present upon any construction within the city, and most buildings having adapted as part of the surrounding as trees have been grown to envelop them. Weaving the buildings as part of the nature, which simply enhances the natural beauty, it was clear that the city was meant to blend within the forest and not to overwhelm it. The city is covered by leaf roof, only one slender tower known as Tower of the Moon piercing it at the distance. At the entrance of the city lies gazebos in which merchants hold their wares at times, in the middle of them a sphere that kept releasing a luminous light. A great lake expanded in the middle and divided the city in half, the streams peacefully flowing to and from it, waterfalls keeping constant peaceful music of their own. Numerous animals running around the bushes, climbing the trees or birds flying in the air, among other creatures such as fey, the sounds of life simply fill the city, seeming like a praising symphony to life. Cross the lake stands light structured wooden bridge. A grand and massive tree stood upon a hill at the north-east side of the city, it's branches reaching almost the temple at the distance, while towering towards the sky. The Grand Temple of Corellon Larenthian was a stunning masterpiece of elven craftmanship, every detail seeming to fit into the artwork, trees growing within the open sky marble temple. Clergy and citizens moving quietly among its halls on their business, number of shrines here and there for people to gather to speak their respects. It partly feels as if time was not a relevant term within the city, the elven people working their wonders of artwork with unmet patience elsewhere on the island. Few sitting among the stunning scenery in circles, singing, reciting poetry or debating in soft manner. While some worked honing their competences with their weapons or magic, seeming to gather few to watch their display of their artwork. As the day went by and sun settling down, dancing lights in multitudes of colors seemed to appear around the city, dancing among the treetops and branches illuminating the city with their soft warm light.

For elven people the place was truly a heaven, however, outsider races quickly noticed the not so warm welcome. Many of the elves, especially sun elfs, giving them a polite yet a rather cold welcome. "


That is something small how I see the city. There should be more of the temple, the library and the inn be said.. But I am feeling lazy now. As well, the current events have turned the city a bit more somber I would say.

Imagine where the waterfalls go filled with water. And the buildings hidden more in among the trees.
Elven Valley

Not exactly this kind of buildings, but the atmosphere is fitting with the soft lights. Though there are no light posts, but the lights dance around freely.
Atmosphere

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http://www.d20srd.org/indexes/spells.htm

The following are my impressions of the settlements as they stand right now - not as they once were or how they might be.

Kohlingen
Kohlingen is a city that has a strong heritage of being a militaristic paladin citadel, which has emerged from the Arcanum War as the dominant realm on Amia. It now de facto rules all land north of the Minmir and holds Wharftown as a protectorate. The influx of Cordoran refugees (especially its merchant nobility), the strong alliance with Barak Runedar and its membership of the Lord's Alliance have brought it considerable wealth - which in turn has attracted artisans and artists.

While still maintaining its heritage, Kohlingen is undergoing a cultural renaissance. Considerably more attention is given to aesthetics in its architecture and the new temples of Milil and Sune cultivate an increasing appreciation of the humanities amongst the populace. Much of this manifests itself as a reawakened appreciation of the chivalric ideals - and courtly love.

Overall, Kohlingen is an increasingly vibrant city-state, with a pious and hardworking populace, an experienced militia and the loyalty of a number of powerful heroes. Should its rulers decide it, they could likely take the entire island under its wing - and some might argue that they have already...

Cordor
While once the mercantile heart of Amia, years of (intentional) mismanagement leading to complete bankruptcy, political (and at times open) infighting, months of blockade and the long manipulations and ravages of the Arcanum have left Cordor all but a shadow of its former self. An entire district was lost, thousands have died and countless more departed for greener pastures. Old trade relations have soured or been lost altogether. With the majority of its experienced clerks and scribes (and the archives) having been lost, those who remain try to piece together a working government from the rubble. But with the Arcanum's manipulations having been laid bare - and having suffered under an elitist nobility before that - the people have become distrustful of strong government. The city's districts are all but independent entities lead by those with the charisma or power to claim control - and each district pulls its own agenda over the whole. A great portion of the population has been reduced to poverty or outright homelessness, and the city as a whole teeters on the edge of famine and plague.

Yet the long hardship has made a hard people out of the Cordorans. Those that remain do so with a grim determination to rebuild their lives and city, the long present faith of Lathander expanding in influence. Battered hard but not yet broken, the new Republic of Cordor could in time recapture the old glory of the City of Water - yet such seems at best years away. Not only are there more immediate internal concerns, Cordor's fragile state also makes it exceptionally vulnerable to the machinations of threats from without - and within. Without strong leadership, Cordor may fall into anarchy altogether. A favorable outcome to some, perhaps..

Wiltun
Though much of the world changed, Wiltun remains as strong and unmoving as the rock on which it stands. Within the protective fist of the Jarl, its people carve out their lives from the inhospitable wilderness of Careigh. Though the growing influence of Kohlingen and Tarkuul might in time challenge the dominance of Wiltun, they remain far away at present. Should these foreign powers try and gain a hold over The Rock, they will find the Jarl and his subjects much akin the plentiful iron they mine - cold and unyielding.

Tarkuul
Long isolationist, the Arcanum War saw Tarkuul show its military and political clout. No longer dismissible as glorified crypt where necromancers and fiendish cultists ply their trades, Tarkuul has shown itself willing and more than capable of affecting things beyond its borders. While ever a center of dark magic, the arrival of thousands of refugees from Cordor has given the Old City the means to greatly expand its economy - and itself. Combined with the persistent influence of the Shadovar, Tarkuul has become less of an unliving city and more a city of living shadow. Open (though not necessarily welcoming) to all who respect its laws - a fact not lost on domestic and foreign merchants - Tarkuul is poised for greatness, and stands as the strongest political and practical opponent of Kohlingen in the region.

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Aernoud Van Brabant: Heir of the House. Proprietor of the Beer Wagon.
"Go to the Mayfields, have a pint, and wait for this to blow over."
Aurelius: Sunmaster of Amaunator. Contemplative. Aspirant to Transcendance.
"Sol Invictus"

Considering the Shade Enclave, and most of the Shadovar as a whole were wiped out by Reyes aside from a very small handful of survivors outside the city of Thultanthar, who for the most part have abandoned Tarkuul; the Shadovar influence has mostly died out in Tarkuul.

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Player of:
Asya Goodmonsdottir - Knight of Lesser Gods.
-Winner of 2014's "Razored Tongue" Award, and Emcee's pick "Authoritarian of the year".
Jannah Vindle - Mistress of Coin.

Well it is an individual interpretation of tarkuul after all, and at the least it's an interesting one. And it isn't entirely inaccurate, though I'll leave hour to the imagination.

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Gerald Edmund
Discord: Metal Viking Guy #5433

DC taxation is theft!

I somehow forgot this thread was for settlements and ended up writing this instead.

♫ The Frozen Wastes of Brogdenstein
"The moment you step off from boat or portal, the frigid air will likely have made you wish you hadn't. Before your eyes is an inhospitable land of ice and snow that stretches for miles. A constant gust of snow always seems to follow you around this place, at least until you find one of the many caverns hidden amongst the ice. Beware, as caves tend to be home to much of Brogdenstein's ferocious wildlife. Reaching the northern point of island does not offer any more safety than the rest of the wastes. Even though you may find a candle-lit mansion overlooking the sea, remain steadfast; its tenants will do anything to have you in for dinner."

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Melsa

There are horrors beyond life's edge that we do not suspect,
and once in a while, man's evil prying calls them just within our range.

Well if we're going with individual interpretation...

Tarkuul:
Once nothing more than a sorry speck of sand, a tiny settlement where only the desperate dwell; Tarkuul is undergoing a true renaissance. Under inscrutable guidance by an unseen entity of ancient stature, the old Netherese enclave now stands swelled to the brim with the spoils of its victories and labors. Dug out by the backbreaking labor of cultists and rogue wizards; ancient towers stand tall above both ancient rubble and newly born urban sprawl.

By day the streets are clogged with Cordorian refugees and freed slaves, anyone with nowhere else to go and little else to do; amongst them, the dead carve the ancient rock of the city in a sight of unceasing toil, and the hardened faces of the numerous sailors an traders with little care for where their money comes from walk with purpose. By night the wizards and soldiers garbed in the colors of the city descend from their towers to conjure palaces and feasts to feed those who would come to take the freely offered scraps of the Enclave's labors.

All around the city streets there is the smell of salty sea air, or so you'd hope as the ever present sweat and heavy heat of the bodies of the other city dwellers abounds, with just a hint of an acidic undercurrent from alchemical reagents wafting along with it. The towers are heavy with the scent of dust, a sign that very few actually set foot here, this is the realm of those who have the stomach and the backbone to actually accept the city's unspoken bargain: Find something, anything. Serve the city, and its people. Serve yourself. You are welcome to be here if you have nothing else in your life, but you'll be here with nothing should you merely feast at scraps for the rest of your days.

Tarkuul has knowledge for you to learn your path. And Tarkuul has power to protect you as you do it. Here there's nowhere to go but up. Climb higher, and fight harder for what you want. But if you should fail... Well, there's always something lurking in the dark to offer you what you want, for a price you might not have considered...

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Player of:
Asya Goodmonsdottir - Knight of Lesser Gods.
-Winner of 2014's "Razored Tongue" Award, and Emcee's pick "Authoritarian of the year".
Jannah Vindle - Mistress of Coin.

Waitwut?

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Aernoud Van Brabant: Heir of the House. Proprietor of the Beer Wagon.
"Go to the Mayfields, have a pint, and wait for this to blow over."
Aurelius: Sunmaster of Amaunator. Contemplative. Aspirant to Transcendance.
"Sol Invictus"

While the information isn't widely known outside of the PCs it affected, it has been mentioned several times on the forum since this happened.

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Iim'mur'ss - Grandmaster Shadowdancer / Aaralyn - Diplomat / Oleander - Toxic Desert Flower

I'd also assume it should be publicly known since you need to account for it if you want to request a shadovar character these days.

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Player of:
Asya Goodmonsdottir - Knight of Lesser Gods.
-Winner of 2014's "Razored Tongue" Award, and Emcee's pick "Authoritarian of the year".
Jannah Vindle - Mistress of Coin.

Last I heard msot changes on the mainland was negated by the time police thingies, so the shades would be back

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-Ja'acira Arrows'R'Us
-Balorin Wolfhammer- A dwarf so old he remember when the Beer stein was invented
Saisha Jai'diem Knight of bahamut, and abit of a looker

Nope, it's been a recurring plot point that it hasn't been reversed for the shade enclave for some reason. Usually bringing about this conversation:

'So should we help get the shade enclave back?'
'Why? They haven't done anything for us lately.'
'Yeah, it'll probably sort itself out eventually.'

And that's how Tarkuul internal politics works.

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Player of:
Asya Goodmonsdottir - Knight of Lesser Gods.
-Winner of 2014's "Razored Tongue" Award, and Emcee's pick "Authoritarian of the year".
Jannah Vindle - Mistress of Coin.

Murkoph's right about Thultanthar. But, as she pointed out, it's highly unlikely for any non-shadovar PC to know that.

*buries thread in Pet Sematary*

I remembered this thread and figured it was as good a time as any to bring it back. We have a few new settlements that weren't around when it was originally made, or at least not in the forms they have now. We also have a places that never got mentioned. I'll get around to posting my impressions of more settlements, but, as always, I'd like to see what players newer to the server feel and experience when going through our cities, towns, and establishments.

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"A wasteland of stone and iron lies sprawled in the middle of the sea. Ancient twisting spires rise high into a sky hung perpetually in twilight. Though large open forums and high banners speak of a time of grand processions, it is only the mindless undead that parade the streets before you. Although it seems at first unwelcoming, the city does indeed offer a place for those that seek it. Everywhere one looks, people seem to tentatively follow the duties expected of them, from the bustling scholar to the keen-eyed privateer. Making ones way through the ubiquitous scaffolding that screens the many buildings, it becomes apparent that this is a place of perpetual becoming. It is not night nor day. It is not wholly secular or religious. Buildings are being built upon even as they crumble. What dies either rises up again or is replaced. The city is frozen, petrified within a cycle that has held for years, for centuries. The clatter of the cobbled steps herald your entry past the great black gates and emerald flames. A scribe with dead eyes bids you welcome. 'Knowledge and Power.'

You've arrived. The city greets you in its own strange way. Now. What have you to offer it?"

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To dive back into this, Tarkuul is certainly a challenging place to start. I'm not sure of "controversial" is the word, but it's definitely got its baggage, both good and bad.

In terms of lore, Tarkuul offers one of the richest potentials for RP. It is (the remnants of) a Netherese enclave. And as a fan of Netheril, I have always loved that about it. It's a pretty unique idea in any FR setting to have a surviving enclave that isn't Shade(or Opus I guess, but I've never found much info on that). Since the absence of both the Monolith and Tower, it has in years since become the de facto spot for magical RP in many respects. The city's message, one of knowledge and power by any means, is a very inclusive one: there aren't many characters that can't get behind at least one of those ideas. Over time, people have poured countless hours into both the political and more casual RP of this settlement. In idea and theory, Tarkuul is probably up there in terms of settlements that gave me great times and enjoyment over the years.

Now, of course, here comes the other edge of that sword. Tarkuul, despite all the love and attention both DMs and players have put into it, still comes off as a bit flat, though not as bad as Shadowscape. And I don't really think its totally the fault of the settlement. Or players either, because I can name a good many PCs who weren't the "average" Tarkuul types that had great RP there. But it's no secret that Tarkuul is rife with undead, and given just how black-and-white that issue tends to be treated, it doesn't attract as many as it could. Not just because you yourself will have to be around undead, but as players have said in the past, you will sometimes have actions taken against you for even associating with a place that endorses that form of necromancy. So it's a vicious cycle of non-undeady people getting interested, getting skeleton-stink all over them and leaving because of it, and the only ones being left are the ones who don't mind the possible ostracization. It's nothing the city can necessarily change itself. But all the same the end result means the whole Ayn Rand wet dream of a place without morals, concerned only with profit, knowledge, and power generally only attracts people who are already elbow-deep in a corpse by the time you mention the place to them. Over the years both players and DMs have tried to introduce new, non-necromaner-ish elements(many unfinished, like the Moorhound company), but it inevitably seems to reduce back down to those elements.

As an aside, I have a love/hate relationship with the concept of the Voice, and I can't tell if it meshes with my PC's motives, or eventually the opinion just bled over into him. The concept of a "living city" is awesome. It is. It offers a direct interface and impetus to do something regarding DM events or plot. On the other hand, I've always found it a bit stagnating too. The Voice doesn't give a crap about you murdering anyone, stealing, plotting, scheming, all sorts of Evil. It only seeks to protect itself. But I do think there's an unspoken chilling effect to having a magical Big Brother in any context. Whether it cares or not is irrelevant. Something is always listening, always watching. For a city of schemers and less savory people, I find it a bit counter intuitive.

In terms of physical representation, Tarkuul's petrified nature kind of spills over into it. I remember when the Court of the Living was being raised and I asked why the buildings where so unaligned with each other. It seemed to be part of the intended feel, but years later it seem just makes navigating with drive controls difficult. Scaffolding here, an invisible placable there, buildings that just seem to be stuck where they are for no real reason. These are the ruins of an empire, but even ruins at least have some semblance of their former selves, you know? I find it hard to believe that in its heyday, Tark was like "Yeah, just drop that building right there, I'm an archnecromancer, not a city planner!". The Court of the Undying is a bit better, but that's essentially the original Tarkuul that stood for years, moved around a little bit. The Court of the Dead is really pretty, but there really isn't much to do or see there. Which is probably how the Jergalites like it anyway. But the themes, the colors, the motifs, those are all there. In terms of ambience, Tarkuul definitely has all of the ingredients for coming off as it is supposed to. But those parts seem like they aren't always in the right spot, when looked at more closely.

I want to end by saying my critique of Tarkuul only comes from a love and expectation of the idea behind it. Even when my PC absolutely hated the PCs he dealt with there, never once did I not thoroughly appreciate all the RP and DM work that went into it. In fact, many of my favorite PCs to RP with have come from there. So I KNOW the place has a lot of merit and value. I just think it could be better in several aspects that can't exactly be adjusted from IC. There's a lot of stigma tied to it, both from PCs and DMs. But hopefully the potential for RP offered by Tarkuul will eventually outweigh all of that and allow it to branch out in new and interesting directions. Also, the bulk of this comes from a lore and physical module perspective. I can't really speak to all the new and interesting things this new Tarkuul crew is doing, so maybe those changes are on the way.

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I would just like to point out that The Voice does care if you are breaking the laws or causing a disturbance. However it does not interfere directly but utilizes the Sentinels, an elite undead guard unit stationed around the city. And in extreme cases, the Annihilators as well.

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Elwyn Sabel - Laura Jarshall - Mordoc Ebonhand

Discord: Bhaalorian#5715

Yes, I suppose I was thinking more of the "plotting" phase of murder and such.

Even so, that still builds into the chilling effect I spoke of. "Disturbance" is a pretty wide umbrella. A sentient, virtually omniscient force is in many ways the plot-armor we have in places like Cordor given IC form. There are a few ways to skirt around it(the obvious one being if you're planning to do something against the city, avoid plotting it IN the city), but you've still got this intangible entity that's gonna beat you 99% of the time if you're ever dumb enough to challenge it.

The fact that it is there in lore and history is super well established. But from a world-building perspective, I'm not convinced it really adds anything. If you replace it with a powerful NPC, as was done with Mherun for a while, and you've lost nothing while still allowing different avenues of RP. NPCs can be convinced, bribed, killed, replaced. Where's the Voice going? What is it going to change its mind on? If you disagree with it and want to do something it doesn't want you to do, what recourse do you really have? You're never going to have civil unrest like in Cordor. There's never going to be political crisis because the Voice will just tell you who is in charge and what it wants. There will never be a spate of murders or mysterious disappearances because by the time it becomes an issue, you've got this thing that already knows and has all the means and motives to stop it.

Of all the settlements where PCs and NPCs are likeliest to have this sort of roleplay, it's also the one where it is the least likeliest to happen. If you were to imagine introducing a Voice-like entity to, say, old Ultrinaan, I think it'd become immediately clear in what ways RP might be stifled.

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Join Tarkuul and find out the answer to those questions for yourself.

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Elwyn Sabel - Laura Jarshall - Mordoc Ebonhand

Discord: Bhaalorian#5715

Been there, done that, did it again anyway. Hence, those questions are largely rhetorical and instead pointing out what I find problematic with the entity.

Anyone got any more settlement impressions? I feel like I missed the rise of places like Wharftown. My only real interactions with it were back when there was also Uhm and Cliffside and the Delta. It seemed yet another seaside village. That was cool in a lot of ways, and I liked the idea there were just these smaller fishing communities hanging out there.

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