Rebuilding the RP in the Underdark - How are we doing it?

[Eviloth]

I have to also state, if the other cliques if we want to call them that(which it would be better to be more tactful and call them GUILDS ) lowered there requirement status and played more, then it would bring more drive for others(newbies as well) to join up with them.

My 1st pc ran into Valas and Amon at the same time. Her being a female (rare) follower of Selvetarm wasn't the most graceful of meetings. And I had no clue as to the social dynamics of the server at that time at all. However, I did RP that to try and stay away from those two.

With Cythis, he was a Loltholite, it just works out better that he associates with House Mori'hyanda. The other House was not even around to my knowledge at the time, however apparently they were, just incognito.

The reason why I am posting this is, because I am trying to shine how a person's experiences will either help lead them into a House or detour them from associating with other players.

Out of House Mori'hyanda, we are RARE ever all on at once. Usually as of late, it is me, Istinid, and Elighn. I can almost bet when I sign on I'll see one of them. I can only assume the other House has the same issue, unless they are all from the same time zone. So I don't see alot of House members running around, I would disagree with that.

But what is to say that the Conclave and Charnag can't start trying to recruite? Honestly I think that is really what it comes down too. Loltholites have an advantage when it comes to healing. Wizards are in both groups, but there is always other Drow God/Godesses.

[Brian]

The school of necromancy will take in non wizards, fighters and rogues and the likes. Once I achieve the proper rank I believe I can start recruiting myself.

[Molag__Bal]

But what is to say that the Conclave and Charnag can't start trying to recruite?

adzling is the current head of the Charnag, and I have not seen him in game in a long time. Izzy would be second in line, and he's been busy with RL for the last few months. Myself, I am enjoying playing on the surface right now, but will return to the UD if and when the forthcoming improvements are implemented and the UD population grows. That might seem selfish on my part, but to be honest I just don't enjoy playing my Drow at all right now.

[Ansient]

Player factions built around some of the schools would be great!

I've played my wizard as a master who teaches in the School of Mages (for generalists). Yet offhand I can only name two other active mages of any stripe, Belados and Pharojl, and they're both only newly active.

Edit: Oh just saw Amon, don't know him well.

It's one of the things that's most frustrating about Sshamath.... a city of wizards with no real wizards about. Sure there are some arcane tricksters like Elghinn, but they act more as roguish assassins.

I think it would be great if DMs or a group of players in the know would formally spell out all the highest positions available to PCs, organized some kind of ranking system underpinning the Conclave NPCs, and helped run a player-driven "guild" of sorts around it.

[Kelsfar]

Hmm. Sad to see the bickering in the UD these days, and sad to see the turn around of Lolth houses conquring the city, My suggestion in all this as the former DM of the UD is simple, Conclave rules all in the city, Citizens rule second and lolthites are nothing more then potion peddlers in regards to any struture within Sshamath, houses mean nothing and in all honesty a house that wishes power within Sshamath would play the role of secrecy rather then open conflict with ANYONE within the city, because that would draw the wrath of the Conclave to come down upon their house and perhaps end that house or banish them from the city and there house taken from them.

Lolthites are, and everyone needs to understaand this lore aspect, are "Allowed" in the city which means they are tolerated and thats all the sway they have, the conclave is extremely strick with houses of Lolth or churches and sanctions of Vhaerun or even Eilistreea or any other faction of a deity worship. And being a true Drow and rping a follower of Lolth you would scheme hidden from the scutiny of the Conclave and not give away your actions in a take over of the city, but would rather plan in the shadows and not alert there attention with open fights in the city with others or even in the remote tunnels outside of the city.

I actually have a epic level priestess of Lolth on the server and she rp her house as it should, she prances the strrets inall her getty up and a spider trailing behind her but doesn't get into fights within the streets of Sshamath but if had a problem would find another Drow and pay him to assasinate this pest and leave the trail cold to her house, would likely eliminate the person she hired to make the kill just to make sure nothing leaked out..I am not trying to tell anyone how to RP a Drow but one of the fun things about playing a Drow is being clever and in a so called game of chess you must be patient and plan each move carefully without losing your queen


My thoughts to help boost RP in the UD

[Ansient]

Heya Kelsfar! Got good memories of your time... dunno as you'd remember Zyil, a Selvetarmian fighter and my first character here.

sad to see the turn around of Lolth houses conquring the city

Well that's really not what's happening (although I think it would be fun if it were to...)

What's happening is simply a matter of PC activity. No one's really going against Sshamath's lore, it's just that not very many are interested in playing a Sshamathan... because there's don't seem to be any opportunities to affect the city in a meaningful way.

Rather, it's more fun to be part of the Lolthian subculture and just mind our own business... largely letting Sshamath be and attending to our own affairs. At least that's how I see it.

[Molag__Bal]

I joined this server only weeks before Kelsfar stepped down as a DM. The UD was a bustling place, I had no trouble finding folks to group up with...and I had an encounter with "The Black". Since Kelsfar left, I did notice the UD slowly wither. No DM(s) filled in to take his place.

It's nice to say that DM activity shouldn't matter, but the truth is it does. So much has been added to the surface since I joined this server, and the UD has remained unchanged. In fact it is worse off now, without a DM.

[Ansient]

Well. Yeah. That's the sad truth of it.

Although in my case, I have to say I am having just as much fun now with the player-driven stuff within Mori'hyanda. (e.g. my character was killed yesterday as part of his lover's Test of Sacrifice to become a full priestess!). So not to seem vain, but I think Mori'hyanda is a good example. I'm sorry other groups haven't had the same success fending for themselves, but TBH I really haven't seen the same kind of effort to stay in the UD and make it interesting. Instead I've mainly seen interest in gratuitous surface expeditions.

Now I may just be projecting here, but I get the sense Mori'hyanda's player effort comes from Lolthite culture just being more familiar and engaging, particularly with regard to staying in the UD. As I often put it, "Lolth is what makes drow tick."

Drow who reject her just don't seem particularly Drow to me. They seem like a more mundane evil race on par with Duergar. And for me, that means I can't work up the same level of interest on my own; I'd need someone like Kelsfar or better playable areas like the surface to keep me engaged.

[Vekin]

Well. Yeah. That's the sad truth of it.
Now I may just be projecting here, but I get the sense Mori'hyanda's player effort comes from Lolthite culture just being more familiar and engaging, particularly with regard to staying in the UD. As I often put it, "Lolth is what makes drow tick."

You sort of hit the nail on the head there, I would say people play what they know and nearly all of the lore on the Drow is based on Lolth so players tend to stick to that or use that as a base. Add to that the main faction down there being Lolthite based and you can see why it continues to grow.

I have never played a PC on the surface but from what I have read on the forums it does seem clerics are very popular on the surface as a whole so when that is added to the underdark you can see why we have so many priestess's of Lolth

[Maecius]

I am currently DMing two plots on the surface, but once one or both of these plots wrap up, I would be happy to begin a plot in the Underdark.

While I am often the first person players and DMs direct others to with questions about Forgotten Realms Lore, I have to admit that I am only a novice with the Underdark.

I do hope you will welcome some DM attention, however; Even if some of the jargon and the language -- as well as the culture -- is still largely foreign to me.

[Ansient]

I have never played a PC on the surface but from what I have read on the forums it does seem clerics are very popular on the surface as a whole so when that is added to the underdark you can see why we have so many priestess's of Lolth

Yeah it's natural to get that impression when reading here... but from what I've seen actually playing in recent months, it's way off. Clerics and also wizards are surprisingly rare.

For instance, recently I was in a big party of 12 people that hunted at orcs, xvarts, and hill giants. There was one wizard and one cleric. That's fairly typical, from what I've seen.

Priestesses of Lolth are great, I love the role and mainly play when there's at least one around (often waiting semi-afk otherwise and, um, browsing this forum meanwhile--like now). I don't think there's "so many of them"... we have virtually four active ones in Mori'hyanda--and are always looking for more! =)

I have great respect for people who can play a priestess well; the role doesn't come naturally to me at all. Like for awhile now we've had the 'prestigious' First Daughter position open... need someone to step up who can play a really ambitious and active bitch who could in the future possibly become the matron some day : D

[Lila_Laguna]

I read the whole threat with interest and this came to my mind right away:

Houses have a big advantage and will have it a lot easier to gain new members than any guild. It starts with a very simple OOC reason: They all have the same last name. That allows all players to instantly know which of the players of the 'guild' are on to RP with and most importantly it shows new UD players "here is a guild"

If maybe other organizations (like bregan) will get an 'OOC' last name tag as well it would be a bit easier for them to get known by new players.


Other than that: The following of the Shamathian rules (inside of the city and maybe 2 transitions further, at least Varallas Passages as there are guards) would help a long way.

[Vallyn]

Like for awhile now we've had the 'prestigious' First Daughter position open... need someone to step up who can play a really ambitious and active bitch who could in the future possibly become the matron some day : D

Ansient, can we please not turn the "rebuilding the UD thread" into a Mori'hyanda recruitment thread?

As Lila_Laguna has said, Houses do have the big advantage. Another issue is specifically dealing with Bregan D'aerthe. It has three branches, fighters, wizards, and sneakers. The sneakers don't want it to be publicly known that they are in Bregan D'aerthe. That makes it rather hard to recruit people...

As far as the Conclave goes; the ruling council is a fixed number of seats and they are all far too powerful for any PC to hold. No PC will ever be allowed to be on the ruling council, which many refer to as the Conclave. (It's actually the ruling council of the Conclave.) So as Amon has mentioned, the schools are recruiting. He's building the Necromancy school and will probably have a small collection of followers. As far as I know all of the other epic wizards on the server are Houseboys. Rauva Eilserus may be low-epic but I'm not so sure she'd go for a spot in the schools.

The Charnag... I have no idea since I've only ever seen Moksha Ma'fer, and rarely.

[Ansient]

Like for awhile now we've had the 'prestigious' First Daughter position open... need someone to step up who can play a really ambitious and active bitch who could in the future possibly become the matron some day : D

Ansient, can we please not turn the "rebuilding the UD thread" into a Mori'hyanda recruitment thread

Hmm? Why should I not mention vacancies in response to a comment about priestesses in the UD?

Sorry man, I know that you're sadly personally hostile to us and all, but we play here too : (

as Amon has mentioned, the schools are recruiting. He's building the Necromancy school and will probably have a small collection of followers. As far as I know all of the other epic wizards on the server are Houseboys. Rauva Eilserus may be low-epic but I'm not so sure she'd go for a spot in the schools.

Ah that's Amon, good to meet you : )

That I know of there are only two epic wizards in houses, Istinid Mori'hyanda and Belados Noqu'afin. Both are their house's head wizard, I think. Istinid only has one low level apprentice, Pharojl, who I believe is a necromancer and will probably be interested in participating in the school. Istinid has some interest in Necromancy himself, but his main (though unspecialized) area is Abjuration.

[Eviloth]

I think one thing to aid in the RP of the UD is to get lowbies to understand that mouthing off to epics is a bad bad bad idea.

It is one thing to be an ass to someone (like I did with the leader of Bregan Darthe) and then find out you pissed off one big epic guy. It is another thing to continue to do it and know that there is no penalty, ie PvP xp loss.

Why not implement something even if small to put some motivation in NOT doing it and I think that would help add to better RP.

Maybe 10xp per level of the pc that dies. I think Bellados has a great story to tell about a young mage smack talking him.