Messages

Rumors spread of the latest diplomatic mission to Il Modo.

Despite a cold welcome and an uneasy start (it is said that the long-winded Legate Gloamingdaith may have inadvertently offended the Modini with his choice of gifting an old Caliphate amulet and a certain lack of clarity regarding his view of Modini sovereignty), it is reported that the troupe of performers - the "Floating Fantasia" - were a popular & appreciated spectacle.

It is also reported that Legate Gloamingdaith and his advisors succeeded in persuading the Modini to dispatch a representative to attend the Kardesler conference.

But at what price? It is whispered - in tones of shock and amazement - that the Ephians agreed to offer a gift of One Hundred Barrels of Well Water in exchange for this attendance.

Such a huge quantity of sacred waters (representing nearly an entire month's worth of discretionary production) being handed over to slimy eel-merchants and strange Sage-worshippers is widely considered to have been a colossal gamble. Many of the faithful of Ephia's Well are particularly angered by the decision and consider it a huge scandal, whereas others urge caution.... after all, desperate times call for desperate measures.

Perhaps the Legate is right and this distant naval power could in some way be persuaded to offer its help against the threat of the Thousand Clans...?

Legate Gloamingdaith,

With some trepidation arrangements have been made for your Fantasia to make a brief performance for our Court at an appropriate time.

There is some possibility of informal discussions subsequent, but I would encourage you to conduct your visit to us with modest expectations and a great deal more humility than previous representatives of your Well.

- Paula of the Court

Alignment is far from an ideal system and certainly is highly imperfect in many ways, but I don't think it need get in the way of complex characterization.

Instead it's useful for very simple things like:
- certain spells and mechanics
- managing the silly factor with certain game-play activities (such as animating the dead) being classified as ~ evil ~ that good guys can oppose
- letting DMs churn more items by having flavorful item properties to use
- etc

Dear Players,

January 23 is Dangerous Dan appreciation day. He is an essential member of our community and a dear friend, and I'd like to take a moment to share some brief thoughts about how he's grown with our community.

Daniel has been a DM for 16 years. He arrived to us in the earliest days of Chapter 1 of EFU, "Escape from the Underdark." The server then was dark, dismal, buggy, and poorly balanced (naturally we've squashed all bugs and balance issues perfectly since then). We were not exactly a "newbie friendly" server, and it is a small and private miracle that the very young Daniel managed to last as much as an hour.

Daniel had absolutely no experience with the NWN platform, and - perhaps wisely - rather than learning a single thing about how the game operated he simply jammed the notoriously bad "Recommended" button for his fighter (Ferius Worn) and just blindly ran at anything red. Yes, dear friends, this PC ended up with WF /Spec longsword despite never once using one (Greatsword only). Rather than scavenge up some half decent half-plate, Ferius Worn found some really bad "Worn Leathers" and decided that they would be perfect for his entire career because leathers are cooler than metal. Let's just say that Ferius Worn met various dismal ends to every random under dark ambient monster that you can imagine.

But the role-play was great, and from his first moments there was promise there. As young and fresh DM myself, I used to follow him along in the client, cloaking my presence but trying to subtly adjust monsters and move them away to try to encourage this promising new player... well, it didn't matter, because Dan loved EFU. Soon Ferius was setting up a stew shop in the slums of Lower Sanctuary and unknowingly hosting a terrible devil cult. The plots and intrigue roared, and Worn's escape quest was one of the most memorable escape-quests of v1.

Dan became a DM around the transition from v1 -> v2 and became an important creative contributor to the project of EFU. He was the primary mind behind the genius idea of "The Order." He developed the early technique of applying stone-skin vfx to barrows pillar placeables and lowering them to make flagstones to decorate Mistlocke as well as developed a huge amount of the overall lore-mythos of Ymph. He wrote some of the best Spellguard directives of v4. When present, his writing and ideas were always a huge influence on the lore and settings of EFU.

However, in v6 he truly took off and achieved a higher form as a DM. Many of v6's most epic and beautiful areas are his work. He's matured from flighty artistic genius ideas-man to passionate ideas-man who builds complete areas and runs amazing events / plots. To the extent that you as players are enjoying v6, Dan deserves this credit...

Daniel is a special soul, and I am grateful for EFU that it allowed me to meet him and that we've had the chance to work together off and on for all these years. Let's all take a moment to wish him happy birthday and thank him for all that he does for us.

I would like this if it worked smoothly and was optional, but as I understand it is a bit clumsy - it wouldn't actually display the VFX if you're typing, but only if you're focused in the chat bar, and also it would show with dm messages / tells / chat commands.

Just as a note to future new players who read this, this thread is still useful but some information is outdated. For example, druids are no longer generally considered as inherently antagonistic.

Just a quick note to mention that SqtCommander has generously donated some art with which to festoon our Patreon tiers.

We are grateful to those who choose to donate either through a membership through Patreon or occasional gifts send via PayPal to howlando@gmail.com

For those who are interested, signing up as the "Goblin Tier" to send us a little less than 1$ a month might be a nice way to show your appreciation as a lover of EFU.

Of course donations get you absolutely nothing in EFU, and never will. We are very proud to provide a totally free product. We are also doing entirely fine with fixed server expenses.

However, we are tentatively looking into buying some art assets from people outside of the community and having a little extra cash available for that might be of some benefit. So if you're in a position to send EFU some $$$, you are welcome to do so!

Soldier Lawcleaver,

You are requested to conduct your searches outside of the halls of the Sandstone College.

We would welcome the Janissaries to assist in ensuring that cultists do not enter our ranks.

Chancellor Khel

Well guarded Modini couriers are seen carting away a heavy chest of dinar, conveying it back to Il Modo.

Legates of Ephia's Well -

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. Your bill is now closed.

Administrator Foccio
The Ducal Court of Il Modo

To the Legates of Ephia's Well -

As you have declined our desire for entering into a position of formal friendship, I have been asked by Lord Fornato of the Seat of the People to send you the attached itemized receipt of charges. We expect your treasury to pay promptly and a courier will await for immediate payment.

For your convenience all charges have been converted into your local currency.

Invitation Fee - 100 Dinar
Groknak Caravan Conveyance Charge - 250 Dinar
Il Modo Diplomatic Galleon Travel Fee - 1000 Dinar
Beverage Fee  - 13 glasses of our finest wine, 260 Dinar
Cannon Cleaning Fee (your unwelcome companion "Rashid a'Rashid" left a great deal of falafel crumbs within the cannon he smuggled himself in) - 200 Dinar
Port Registration & Customs Fee, 14 Travelers - 1400 Dinar
Loose Weapon Fine (one of your guards was waving a sword around within our most precious Dome of Man) - 200 Dinar
Palace Negotiation Charge - Waived
Palace Carpet Cleaning Charge (your unwelcome companion "Rashid Al'Rashid" soiled our carpets, possibly deliberately) - 1000 Dinar
Diplomatic Galleon Return Travel Fee - 1000 Dinar
Groknak Conveyance Return Fee - 250 Dinar
Cannon Preparation Charge - 2000 Dinar
Courier Fees - 300 Dinar

Total Dinar: 7960 Dinar

As a gesture of good will, and as it seemed one of you had a particular enthusiasm for this substance, I have been further instructed to send you this Barrel of Fine Eel Oil, which you may accept with our hopes for a more productive future. May it aid in the increase of the quintessence.

[A reeking barrel of old eel oil is left within the Palatial Pyramid]

As for the charges, I am obliged to inform you that they are non-negotiable and if left unpaid will begin to accrue interest and fees.

Administrator Foccio
The Ducal Court of Il Modo

::Kanon Hray 24th Y 7787::

It has now become public knowledge that tenuous diplomatic relations between Il Modo and Ephia's Well have frozen almost before they began.

It is said that Legate Marcellus Saenus entered into an agreement in which Ephia's Well would recognize (for its part) the independent status and sovereignty of Il Modo as queen of the Sea of Pearls; and furthermore conduct an exchange of friendship-gifts of two barrels of well-preserved Well water in exchange for a barrel of eel oil (exchanged monthly) as well as a single cannon.

It is said that upon his return to Ephia's Well, and after consulting with his various handlers and advisors, the Legate realized that such a deal would displease the faithful of B'aara and the Grandees of the Sultan's Court, and he therefore immediately wrote back to Il Modo to break the deal that he had just freshly signed.

Reactions to this gossip is mixed. While none deny that overall this has been an embarrassing incident for the reputation of Ephia's Well diplomatic acumen, many argue that Legate Saenas was simply unaware of the ancient resentments and histories between Il Modo and Baz'eel, and that he had made good faith efforts to make a deal with very slippery foreigners who took advantage of age and good-nature to press for concessions that would displease the Sultan's court.

What, after all, are these Modini good for? Who needs them and their strange beliefs and deceptive ways of speaking, their masks and knives, their eels and cannons?

The Sea of Pearls is far distant, and the Janissaries are a highly visible reminder of the true ruler of the desert.

I have conveyed your meager responses to the Council of Five. Please be advised that it is now the policy of Il Modo that Ephia's Well must make amends for its insulting behavior.

Paula
The Council of Five

Enough with the delays, Legate. The favor of your response is cordially requested - immediately -.

If you have time enough to declare war on distant orc tribes, you have time enough to deal with me.

P.

Samira Al-Darwish
Blade of the Sands
Shield of the Last Hearth
Blooded of the first dervish
Champion of Ephia's tournament,

Cordial greetings to you! I must admit the diplomatic practices of the residents of Ephia's Well never ceases to surprise me. I myself was not exactly born to privilege, so I do appreciate the merits of simply.... grasping for authority? Which is to say, I admire the ambition.

Nevertheless I must caution you that my Grand Duke's Council is traditional, and prefers to treat only with designated Emissaries. We are also well aware of your erstwhile allies, the Banda Rossa? Their reputation is a checkered one, as I'm sure you are aware.

I will offer a few brief words on your points, I suppose, as a gesture of my own friendliness.

I can not imagine giving you a ship for free, where would you even dock it?

If you wish to go into the trading and caravanning business I will not stop you. There is some possibility of securing an exclusive license for our imports, but would require much discussion.

We naturally already expect that the Cinquefoil Rose will protect our people and their faith when they visit.

I have no comment about whether or not you wish to open a stall in your krak.

We welcome gifts of your Waters, but their importance to us should not be overestimated.

I do not think you would want ten percent of our catch, you would drown in fish.

Finally... questions regarding alliance, and so forth... naturally there are possibilities there, but we prefer to arrive at a complete clarification of relations with your designated Emissaries and Legates.

I do appreciate your wisdom in recognizing the might and power of Il Modo.

Regards,

P.

Dear Healer,

My congratulations on your talk and thank you for coming to visit us. I will see that the other letter reaches its intended recipient. I must caution you that it is whispered she is in the favor of another, but I am sure she will enjoy your recommended reading list. 

My best,
Ernesto