Grim Views

((Cross posting from TNG))

*Through word of mouth, muttered quietly in rumors, you start to hear about some strange new illness that has been infecting mages all over Azeroth. Wild and varied these stories might be, rumor making it sound more severe or strange from person to person, but one thing seems consistent: It is starting to become an epidemic. It is said that the Kirin Tor itself is taking high interest in this, with the leaders of Dalaran sending out various personal to look into what is causing this weird... "silver sickness" as it is called.*

*OOC info*

Description: This multi-server spanning story arc will include various people from various realms, with each realm having its own representative to guide the events of the sickness as the campaign unfolds (with myself being the Ravenholdt representative at this time). The campaign will begin on October 1st, which is when the sickness will start to spread. Anyone is welcome to participate in this campaign as little or as much as they want, and even bring elements of what happens in the campaign into their own RP as well if they wish. I will update with more information as the campaign progresses, and you can contact myself if you are interested or have any questions as well.

Contact: Please contact myself: Danariel-Twistingnether (Bnet tag: altairus#1646) or the event coordinator for all the realms (Bnet tag: silane#1133) if you are interested in participating or want more information about the event.

Tumblr: For more in depth information about the event, please look here: http://silversickness.tumblr.com/

-Danariel

http://silversickness.tumblr.com/post/1 ... exposition


Q: Is it limited to just arcane casters, or other types of magic?

A: Only arcane casters are susceptible. Blood elves in Quel'thalas, who pull passively from a fount of arcane and holy energy, may contract early stages just by being in the city even if they’re not actively casting spells. The same goes for night elves living around moon wells.

Q: Do we know what causes it?

A: I know, and my moderators and guilds working towards plot points will know, but otherwise that’s a pretty big spoiler. It has both a source and a method of transportation.

Q: Do you think that such a disease would have any impacts in Draenor - in places where there is a heavy arcane influence?

A: No, it’s only affecting Azeroth. However, players who contract it and move to Draenor will still retain it, but it will not spread there.

Q: So there is no biological element to this then? The only vector of transmission is arcane energies?

A: The disease still malignantly affects living cells, so there is a biological element. Think of how fire needs both fuel and oxygen. Magic is the oxygen, and our bodies are the fuel.

Q:What about classes such as warlocks and such similar to arcane users?

A: Fel is described as the “purest form of arcane”, but it is also described as “life essence.” I will leave that up to the player.

Q: What kind of RP are you trying to foster here? Purely medical? Investigative? Combat?

A: All three, and more. I’m looking to make sure each guild gets the roleplay they want out of the event. There will be premade quests that guilds can accept, or they can work closely with me to create their own that contributes to the plot.

Q: Will you be plotting interactions between guilds, or would that be up to the leaders involved?

A: I will suggest that guilds working on similar subplots team up, but in the end, that is optional. I know a lot of guilds have bad blood, and I don’t want to make things tense or uncomfortable. Working together is encouraged, but not necessary to proceed.

Q: How is this going to be handled? Do we have a rep for WrA? Horde/Alliance? How will this be handled with DMing?

A: Few people have stepped up to help moderate the event, and I’m looking for more, but WrA does have a representative applicant. I would prefer having a rep for both factions on each realm.

As for DMing: each guild has their own system, and I’m not going to be forcing anybody to use a specific system.

Q: Do balance druids count as arcane casters for the purpose of this plot?

A: Balance druids will not count as arcane casters for the purpose of this plot, no.

Q: Are the premade quests open to guilds on servers like Cenarion Circle?

A: Yes!

Q: Do you have a specific conclusion in mind? And what is the duration you’re aiming for this with event?

A: I have the conclusion mapped out. The plot will go for four to six weeks, depending on player consensus.

For unaffiliated players, I’m going to go over the mercenary system. Individual players are players who have no guild to roleplay with, or whose guilds are not involved. When a guild accepts a quest, they are asked if they will be accepting mercenaries for the duration of the mission. You will be listed online along with how many auxilary players you are willing to take under your wing. If an individual sees a plot they may be interested in, they can message me or one of the event reps to get in contact with those guild members. As I said in the blog post, these players are on a strict 3-strike system before they are kicked from the plot, to encourage good behavior.

Q: Where will this list of mercenaries be found/where will a list on ongoing plots be found?

A: Both can be found at silversickness.tumblr.com. The contract board is where you will find guild recruiting mercenaries.

Q: With how limited the pool of potential infectees is out of Silvermoon, how big do you expect this to be? In terms of classes, though. As it seems only mages and maybe warlocks can be infected.

A: The sickness does not only affect Silvermoon. There are casters all over the world. Considering how many guilds I’ve already contacted and how many more I have plans to speak with, I’m aiming for a total of 70 guilds. It’s an alarming number, but I’ll address it in the levels of guild involvement. If you’re talking about infection rate, then 20% will be affected with at least mild symptoms ranging from faintness to discoloration. I expect this number to change as the plot goes on – if more guilds take interest, the number could rise. It could also fall if somebody discovers temporary cures.

The disease is dispellable. It can be removed. But the cells it kills remain dead, and it can always come back if magic is used again. Mages and warlocks will be the primary infectees, yes. The sickness doesn’t have much further range than that, and for a reason.

There are three routes you can go if you sign up. Central guilds spearhead plot points, Auxilary guilds take sidequests, and Peripheral guilds incorporate the sickness into their already-in-progress storylines and everyday roleplay. I know a lot of you have a lot on your guilds’ plates already, and I don’t want you to have to drop everything just to be involved.

Q: Do you think there would be room for guilds to progress from one level to the next?

A: If a guild finds themselves invested and wanting to move from, say, Peripheral to Auxilary, that move is easy. However, to advance from Auxilary to Central is more difficult. None of these “ranks” denote the importance of your roleplay, by the way. They’re just a classification system.

Q: Central is only open to WrA, MG, and ED, right? What about Central to Peripheral?

A: Central guild involvement is only open to WrA, MG, and ED, yes.

Central guilds are convoluted because their contribution to the plot is predetermined. They are given/crafted a collaborative quest with higher risks and rewards, and if they succeed, they claim credit for that plot point. HOWEVER– If the guild has to leave the plot or otherwise fails in the roleplay – and they can, that’s where the risk is – Auxilary guilds can step up to try and finish the quest instead. Thus advancing from Auxilary to Central. To move from Central to Auxilary, all it takes is a message to me, and your plot point will be up for grabs for a lucky Auxilary guild.

In a rush situation, where the Central guild fails a few hours before the deadline (for example), an NPC will take credit, but there will be a negative butterfly effect on the plot.

Thus, if you are a Central guild who knows they cannot complete their task, please message me as soon as possible to allow more time for others to take the reins.

Q: Are places of the guild (central auxiliar…) defines by their roleplay ? Like an “arcane” guild has more chance to be central than the rest?

A: Nope, but an “arcane” guild has a better chance to have an “arcane” plot point than others.

Q: Are there going to be anymore meetings other than tomorrow’s? I’d like to grab a guild member or two to see if they’re interested but we’ve got a prior commitment during tomorrow’s meeting.

A: There won’t be other Q&As, but there will be threads on the forums, and you can message me on battletag anytime you have a question. Silane#1133, for those of you who don’t have it.

Q: Do you have any examples of what might constitute a central guild failing in the RP?

A: The central guild fails to kill a D20 boss, or loses in a PvP engagement.

Q: Can mercenary changes guild affiliation if, after try, their initial choice isn’t fitting their expectation ?

A: Yes! Mercenaries can float between guilds freely. But your strikes carry over.

SUNDAY Q&A PLOT AND EXPOSITION
Questions and answers under the cut, hot from the meeting.

I’m going to start out by going over what most of us discussed privately. Silver Sickness is a magical epidemic – it’s not a plague or normal disease, though it may seem that way at first to our characters. It affects only Azeroth – and for a reason. I’m telling you this now in case your guild or character is going to be in Draenor/Outland for the month of October. The sickness isn’t communal – it doesn’t spread from person to person. It only manifests in arcane users.

Q: Is it particularly potent in magically inclined races?

A: Yes. Blood elves, who pull passively from a fount of arcane and holy magic, will develop some symptoms even if they have no magical inclination. The same goes for Night Elves around moonwells.

Q: How catchable is it and how fast do arcane casters contract the sickness? What’s the timeline for this? I’m sort of looking for the timeline of the contraction for an average magic-user. I understand it might be accelerated with heavy magic users, correct? If there’s a human mage, who doesn’t spend too much time around moonwells, will he contract the sickness over a period of weeks as a standard?

A: Every time a spell is cast, there is a chance of contracting it. Once in the body, the sickness is like fire. Our bodies are the fuel, and the magic that the mage uses is the oxygen. The general pattern of the spread begins in the arms and creeps towards the torso. Using everyday spells and charms will cause minor pain and little development. On the other hand, using powerful spells like portals could cause it to flare up a few inches. As for the human mage around the moonwell – all that matters is if he’s casting, or pulling from the moonwell.

Q: Perhaps as a way of us figuring out the contraction time, if you told us how long (weeks, months) you foresee this event lasting?

A: The event will last four to six weeks depending on what players want. If they grow tired of it, or want to extend it.

Q: Hopefully this would be an appropriate time for this question: What about in the case of the undead/Forsaken? Do they, also, face the same symptoms/detriments? Deathknights?

A: For undead/forsaken = they are held together by magic. They would also develop it passively. Perhaps less pain, but necrotic flesh is still problematic, especially if you’re trying to preserve yourself. Death knights are held together by a different type of magic. They are unaffected.

Q: Would creating a portal spread this to the one using the portal?

A: Creating a portal and traveling through it will put you at risk of contracting it, even if you’re not a mage.

Q: Are there any preventative measures besides, I’m assuming, avoiding using magic as much as possible?

A: I’m glad you brought that up, because the disease is actually dispellable! It’s magic-based, after all. However, the tissue it kills is not healed by a simple dispel, and there’s always the chance of being infected again if you continue to use magic.

Q: And the one casting the dispel?

A: If it is a mage casting the dispel, they could contract it (it’s an arcane spell.) If it’s another class that doesn’t rely on the arcane, they are safe.

Q: Could a priest’s dispel work?

A: Nope. Unless they were trained in magic.

Q: Either way arcane magic would be involved then?

A: Yep.

Q: And warlocks are not affected?

A: Fel magic, for warlocks, has been described as “the purest form of arcane”, but it has also been described as “life essence.” I leave it up to the style of the warlock roleplayer.

Q: Can warlock pets, such as Observers that feed on magic, get this sickness? And if so, can any other magic using pets contract the virus? And can they spread it?

A: Good question! Because the observers are eating magic that’s in another person, they won’t contract it unless they drain an infected individual. However, if they drain from their environment, they are at risk. Same with felhunters. Pets cannot spread the sickness. The sickness isn’t communal.

Q: Will the sickness leave permanent damage?

A: If not treated in time, yes. The sickness kills our cells. Some dead tissue on the fingers can be saved, but a whole hand (such as in stages 2-3) proves a challenge. There is also infection that seeps into the body from these wounds, which acts independently from the magic.

Q: What are its origins?

A: The origin will be revealed, but I have it planned out. It’s a pretty big spoiler.

Q: This sickness will only affect those who use magic?

A: The sickness only affects those who use arcane.

Q: So this event will be mainly for arcane users then?

A: The event focuses around the arcane, but there are niches for non-arcane users to fill as well.

Q: Runes involving arcane with the light would infect?

A: Oh, good, somebody brought up runes – generally, it begins on the arms and fingers: the tools we use to cast. However, it can also spread from magical runes on the skin. If your character has their privates runed, I’m so, so, so sorry.

Q: So anyone with an arcane rune on their skin is also at risk for infection?

A: Only if they use them to cast arcane spells. Actively or passively.

Q: Are we saying this will lead to permanent scarring on characters, or will healers eventually be able to treat the damage once this event is over, in your vision?

A: I know that people have differing ideas of what a healer can and can’t fix in this game. Personally, I believe that once a hand is thoroughly necrotic, that hand is GONE. However. I will leave the decision up to the players as to whether their characters have permanent damage/scarring or not. Fix your entire arm after a stage 3, if you like, as unrealistic as that is.

Q: Does this mean those in stages 2-3 would have to get their limbs amputated?

A: I’d imagine amputations of stage 3 cases won’t be uncommon.

Lone players will be working on the mercenary system to get involved. Whenever a guild accepts a quest, they have the option of taking “mercenary” roleplayers under their wing. These guilds, and the number of players they’re willing to accept, are listed on the event site. Players can browse their options and message me to be put in contact with that guild’s members. Mercenaries are allowed to float freely without consequence, but they are on a 3-strike system before they are removed from the plot. These strikes carry between guild transfers. The 3 strikes denote ooc conflicts/bad behavior.

Q: What exactly …are the mercenaries for? Are they spreading this or something?

A: The mercenaries aren’t spreading anything. It’s a system for people who are unaffiliated with guilds/their guilds don’t want to be involved.

Something I want to get to that was touched on briefly yesterday were encounters and guild battle systems. Each guild handles fights and plots differently – you’re free to keep your current system, and we’ll work with it to ensure there’s risk and reward involved. Be it D20, PvE, or PvP. There’s also the matter of rewards and prizes, which wasn’t talked about previously. These can range from mounts, to gold, to art, to useful artifacts your character can use for roleplay.

Q: Are the rewards exclusive to Central guilds?

A: No. Though they may have better ones – more risk, more reward.

Q: Who is funding these prizes? And who determines who will receive them?

A: I’m funding the prizes for the most part. The prizes will be given to the guild leaders/councils, who I will trust to distribute them fairly.

Q: How long do we have to get back to you on whether we want to be involved?

A: If you want to be Centrally involved, applications close on the 24th. Any other rank can jump in and out as they want.

Q: And we will get these quests (premade) on the tumblr page? Will there be story advancement… say, once a week?

A: Yes. Depending on how many guilds end up being Central, the average will be one big advancement once a week. I’ll post the quests on the site the day the event goes live, and if you don’t like anything you see (or have an idea in mind already), you can message me to craft one from scratch.

Q: Do you think that there will be larger-scale guild events, for multiple guilds?

A: This is a multi-server, multi-faction plot. It may be difficult to get everybody together for large events.I encourage guilds to make their own events, and will help them spread the word to others involved.

Q: Do you have a set day of the week where the next plot point/quest will be posted? ie every sunday?

A: Yes. There will be deadlines for advancement (Central) quests.

Q: Where should we go to sign up?

A: Message me privately in-game (silane#1133), on skype (zappypew), or through tumblr (silversickness).

Looks pretty cool! Unfortunately, I've spoken with Silane, the head coordinator, and their central planning is now closed to outside guilds. Grim members are of course welcome to participate at their own discretion, but it doesn't look like we're invited to be part of the larger plotline.