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The descriptions still call Harvix retainers 'Harvis'.

Landor's dead. The character was basically an excuse to explore, acquire treasure, and discover ancient secrets.

He did okay, I guess. He explored exotic locales, and made startling discoveries into ancient history. These startling discoveries often had astounding applications to reality.

He participated in death defying adventures, which didn't always turn out great.

As a Retainer of the House, he met lots of important people, who left a real impression, on him, before they passed away.

Landor would have been nothing without his friends, and they usually knew what was best for him.

He bore witness to great heroics, and he had a penchant for blowing shit up.

All through his career, he was dedicated to knowledge, but he learned the hard way that knowledge only comes with a terrible price.

He was very, very, very lucky to have been as successful as he was, and I hope I can play an even more enjoyable character next.

For the curious, though, I'll at least fill you in on his mysterious crossbow, which became  what it was as the result of two separate DM quest rewards, and did less damage on average than a mundane crossbow.

Thank you to everybody who beat the shit out of Landor and slandered him with stories of his uselessness. You guys know who you are, and in the end it was you folks who knew him well enough to see how lousy he was, who made Landor worth playing.

Could the text alerts that come with pus-bearers throw spores be removed? They are extremely distracting, and make in-character communication extremely difficult during one of the toughest parts of the quest.

Also, I don't know if it's intentional or not, but none of the trolls in the QA are weak against fire or acid, and I think that should be changed.

Because ScottyB apparently needs a detailed explanation, I shall provide as best I can:

I have the Custom PrC override, and in single-player, the Archaeologist (barracks) PrC works perfectly. the class can be taken, and there are no issues at all in its implementation. Spell progression, skill adjustments and feat additions all appear to work as intended. However, the class cannot be taken on the EFUA server.
It was initially suspected that the reason the class couldn't be taken was because there was no tool to flag characters for the PrC.
Secutor allowed me to take the class in singleplayer, send him the character file, and he uploaded the new, levelled character file to my server vault. On the left pane, my class fields read x/y/Archaeologists Barracks, but when selected, in the right field, read x/y. I checked the feats page and had the Skill Focuses that come with the PrC, but not the PrC itself. I was able to log in without the character being called corrupted by the server or anything like that , but the character file was nevertheless reverted to the natural file.
The suspicion as of that point was that it was because I wasn't flagged server-side for the PrC (which I know is the incorrect assumption.)

A few days later, the tool to flag people for PrCs was added, and I was flagged, but still could not take the PrC.

It seems that the server simply doesn't have the necessary overrides installed to allow the Custom PrCs to be taken.

There is extremely cool stuff in the neat future of House Sharboneth, and a great many vacancies in the guard portion of the faction.

Rather than bother with enumerating all the little perks (persistant storage, free resting, high-quality faction gear, etc), I'll see if I can entice you with something better.

Empty factions, are the very best time to join, because they give you an opportunity to redefine the image and nature of the faction.

It's an opportunity to turn the Armsmen into the faction your character wants it to be. All it takes is a little bit of initiative.

As far as applications go: believe me, applications are not hard. If you want some tips, or help with applications for the Armsmen please, feel free to send me a PM on IRC, and I'll be glad to help you out how I can.

I'll say again, that there are some very interesting things expected to happen, which are going to have an extremely long lasting impact on the course of the setting. It would be awesome to have a good group of folks in the faction to help make it happen.

Would it be possible/desirable/worthwhile, to script NPCs on the Ziggurat to move to safety as night falls?

Could it please be increased significantly? It is currently capped at 50 messages sent and received, before one has to save the records to a hard drive and empty the inbox.

This seems unreasonably low, and most likely something that wasn't noticed, or was otherwise neglected at the forum changeover.

If you'll bear with me, I'd like to take a moment to try and articulate why I feel that EfU:A isn't living up to my own expectations. Understand that I'm not trying to rock the boat, put down the hard work the DMs have done, or convince anyone that the server is somehow worse than it was before, or no longer fun to play on.

The purpose of this thread is for me to express as well as I can, something that I feel ought to at least be addressed in an open and thoughtful way. Believe me when I say I would like my mind to be changed about this; as well, that I'm not certain whether the actual problem is with the server itself, or if I've just grown disenchanted with the nature of PW:Story servers in general.

Since EfU, EfU:A has changed in a number of substantial ways. One in particular: it doesn't feel like a high-fantasy setting anymore. the EfU:A setting has turned the Forgotten Realms from a vibrant and magical place, into the 'Dark Age of Feudal Politics'.

I have personally been unable to find myself interested in any of the currently established factions. I have a hard time explaining it. Perhaps I need to give them a fairer chance, but I think I can best put it this way: The Factions of Sanctuary each stood for something. They had some sort of moral high-ground which characterized them.

The Watch, tasked with the impossible defense of the city against the faceless black.

The Seekers, seeking Freedom at ANY cost.

The Spellguard, Knowledge and Control, through deception, oppression, and carefully calculated demonstrations of Power.


I confess, my view on the current factions of EfU:A is likely one of ignorance. I see it thus: Who the Watch, Spellguard, and Seekers were, and what they wanted was immediately obvious, even during the Alpha stage of Sanctuary.  They each had their own romantic charm, which drew people in. Here is what I see from EfU:A's established factions:

The Order: Dogmatic Good. They'll, I dunno, bust heads if you get in the way. Defend the Colony.

The Stygian Armada: Lawful Evil, I guess? Money, the chance to kill stuff.? Defend the Colony.

House Sharboneth: Neutral, Make the Colony successful. Defend the Colony.

Crudely put, I know. There is surely more to the story then that. I HOPE there is. But the factions don't seem to have any actual stake in the survival of the Colony. They haven't got a compelling reason to care about the colony's future. Therefore, I haven't got a compelling reason to care about any of them.
If any of them were to disappear by plot, or be retconned out of the setting, I can't see myself expressing anything but apathy, or perhaps cautious optimism.

---
But the thing that bothers me more about the setting, is the focus on politics, over adventure. I know there is still adventure to be had by some, but it seems (again, from my ignorant position) that the DM team is aggressively trying to herd people into the settings' factions, and thereby reinforcing the political aspect of the server, which I personally find to be a drudge. I can't say that I've experienced true immersion in the setting at all yet, except in the early days. (Boohoo, I know. Whatever!)

I know people will try to point at specific instances of adventure and tell me "Look! adventure isn't dead!", and hey, you're not wrong.

I just don't get the feeling of playing in a Fantasy Setting anymore. It seems to be an island chain populated entirely by humans, doing human things like building a city (and it doesnt really feel much like a city, either). The humans are overwhelmingly faceless and boring. Outside the human settlements are some nasty animals, but only a few of them are particularly interesting. Then there are some orcs and goblins and kobolds thrown in like a tiny pinch of salt on some kind of dish that needs a lot more salt than that.

The Mist Ogres are very cool, but they aren't enough. The other monsters custom to EfU are very interesting, but range from redundant to pathetic. Assassin Vines,Yellow Musk Creepers, Gibbering Mouthers, Howlers, etc. All are very cool, but none of them feel like they actually make the island a threat to the people living on it.
-
But really, tell me what the overall theme of the server is these days.

In Old EfU, you could ask that question, and I would tell you without hesitation that the theme of the server was survival. Ask me now, and I'll tell you that the theme is Feudal Politics, or High Court, or something like that.

Does that actually appeal to people? I suppose it must. I know DangerousDan seems to enjoy this stuff, and he's allegedly a person, so others must, too.

I've felt bad my whole time writing this, because I feel like I'm taking the piss out of the server, complaining about the things people have worked hard on. Marcus Aurelius said that when you complain, all you're doing is hacking and destroying. I can see that it's true, but I don't consider this to have been a rant, or complaining. I'm trying to see who else feels the way I do, to see if maybe there really is a problem, if it isn't just me.

Perhaps I really have simply become disenchanted with PW story servers in general. No, of course I don't think showering everybody with +3 magic items and epic level monsters is the way to go. I'm not convinced that anything can or will or should be done to change the way the server is right now. My hope with this post, is that I get some thoughtful responses that go beyond "You're wrong on every point, gtfomyserver" (I find it disappointing that I'm even worried about this reaction being an issue). I hope also, that I may have helped articulate some of the frustrations of other people.

The transition down to the Abandoned Home's basement (i don't remember the name, it's the area which leads to the QA for the Missing Persons quest. The one with the things that don't belong on planes) is completely missing, when the door is opened.

The Job Offers bulletin board in Kingsman's Inn (It's the one on the right) tells people to meet Fyoris at the Gate, for the Missing Persons Quest.

I don't know if this is in place already, but I'm putting the idea out there:

Factions have always had "call buttons" in EfU, intended to facilitate people being able to easily reach members of a faction they need to speak to.

Same principle for Watch/Sharboneths and being notified when a citizen needs to make a report.

Can it be arranged so that people in the Sharboneth guard / factions with doorbells will be notified in their respective IRC channel (the same way as sendings and shouts are broadcast now) if somebody calls in a report?

Gawd, being as it's 4 AM I don't know how to phrase that any clearer.

example: Joe needs to report a crime on the south face of the ziggurat, so in addition to the IG message that Guards recieve, it is also broadcast to the Sharboneth Guard IRC channel.

Flame weapon: works on gloves; visual effect removed.

Mechanics page on the EfU:A website. The Visual effect has since been added back to the game. Furthermore, this note does not mention any change to the damage Flame Weapon deals, and I'm (almost) sure I recall correctly that damage for Darkfire and Flame Weapon were adjusted.

Somehow the "u" in "Mausoleum" at the headstone in game got turned upside down. I can't understand figure out how the ascii charactre u got turned upside down that way, and I'm really impressed that somebody was able to do it, but it's also a little unsettling seeing it there like that.

:confused::(:o

There's a transition in the Undervault, which, when descending deeper, doesn't seem to work. It's the one in the center of the area, in one of those circular descents.

The Bear quest's encounters should probably be looked at. My party was ambushed by four brown bears in a location that made absolutely no sense.
It was, let's see... Probably the first doorway, past the entrance chamber with all the bear droppings.

Two members of the party died horrible grizzly deaths. No mercy from the DMs, 'cause nobody witnessed it personally, either. :(

A Waste Barrel has been added to the Troglodyte Sea Cave quest.
This is great, except that it's a Dunwarren Waste Barrel, and seems just a wee bit out of place.

Also, there's a Trash Pit, like a foot away.

In the Mythallar room, the Unpacked Supply Barrels have the portrait of a kobold.

The new thread. Try not to make this one suck, guyz.

Starting off with a bang, probably one of the best PC deaths I've ever had.

[core_efu] John Keel: [Talk] Hm-
[core_efu] John Keel: [Talk] Your name..?
[TheThirdChild] Eban Luralen: [Talk] *a grimace, his mustache bristles, peering up at Keel*
[TheThirdChild] Eban Luralen: [Talk] ...Ebb... Eban.
[TheThirdChild] Eban Luralen: [Talk] *he regards him with no small trace of fear*
[core_efu] John Keel: [Talk] Well-
[TheThirdChild] Eban Luralen: [Talk] Y'- Y'come t'butcher me like t'other two?  
[core_efu] John Keel: [Talk] You accompanied Pyotr Ign-
[core_efu] John Keel: [Talk] I'm sorry. You're to be executed.
[TheThirdChild] Eban Luralen: [Talk] *he blinks a couple times, his crusty eyes flapping slowly*
[TheThirdChild] Eban Luralen: [Talk] ...that jus' ain't fair...
[core_efu] John Keel: [Talk] Why?
thing t'object...
[TheThirdChild] Eban Luralen: [Talk] I 'ardly even 'elped! Please, c'mon! I'm t'only one o' the bastards what were there who did a single thing t'object...
[core_efu] John Keel: [Talk] You aided in the slaughter of four-hundred gnomes.
[core_efu] John Keel: [Talk] [He glances around]
[TheThirdChild] Eban Luralen: [Talk] I didn't... I didn' realize we were tryin' to wake up t'appetite.
[core_efu] John Keel: [Talk] [Sighs]
[core_efu] John Keel: [Talk] How old are you?
[TheThirdChild] Eban Luralen: [Talk] I ain't a kid...
[TheThirdChild] Eban Luralen: [Talk] I jus' don't wanna die in here like a fuckin' pig! Please! All I wanna do is kill t'chosen.
[core_efu] John Keel: [Talk] [A shuddering sigh]
[TheThirdChild] Eban Luralen: [Talk] I'm good at it! I can 'elp! I wanna make it better, dammit!
[TheThirdChild] Eban Luralen: [Talk] *he gets on his knees, crawling toward the door* I'll fuckin' grovel!
[TheThirdChild] Eban Luralen: [Talk] *he throws himself at the ground on the in side of the door*
[TheThirdChild] Eban Luralen: [Talk] Jus' gimme a break!
[core_efu] John Keel: [Talk] [He stares down at Eban, his expression invisible]
[TheThirdChild] Eban Luralen: [Talk] I hate th'chosen! I hate 'em! Why th'hell would I 'elp wake up th'appetite if I knew?!
[core_efu] John Keel: [Talk] Then why the hell did you aid in killing all of those gnomes?
[TheThirdChild] Eban Luralen: [Talk] I was tellin' th'other guy... I just ain't th'best o' judgin', y'know? *he peers pitifully up at Keel*
[core_efu] John Keel: [Talk] I've read your statement. Private Uson felt that you expressed no remorse.
[bordellokindofguy] Vladimir Antonov: [Talk] [Grunts.] This is another of the murderers?
[core_efu] John Keel: [Talk] That you understood what you were doing and you did it for a mere thousand coins.
[TheThirdChild] Eban Luralen: [Talk] I thought it was just merc-work, somethin' what ain't a big deal - and then it was--
[TheThirdChild] Eban Luralen: [Talk] I was answerin' his questions!
[TheThirdChild] Eban Luralen: [Talk] If I didn't 'ave any fuckin' remorse I woulda ran when he asked me t'come here.
[TheThirdChild] Eban Luralen: [Talk] I sure as 'ell wouldn't o' walked in all peacelike.
[core_efu] John Keel: [Talk] Apparently you attacked him.
[TheThirdChild] Eban Luralen: [Talk] *his mouth drops open* I... I 'it 'im a couple times, yeah...
[bordellokindofguy] Vladimir Antonov: [Talk] Bah, more lies!
[core_efu] John Keel: [Talk] [A sigh]
[core_efu] John Keel: [Talk] You almost had me. I was about to release you.
[core_efu] John Keel: [Talk] Now I realize that your words are only lies.
[TheThirdChild] Eban Luralen: [Talk] I ain't! I ain't lyin'!
[core_efu] John Keel: [Talk] I think that you are.
[core_efu] John Keel: [Talk] [A sigh]
[bordellokindofguy] Vladimir Antonov: [Talk] Same as others, my friend? [His tone is rather dull.]
[TheThirdChild] Eban Luralen: [Talk] *he shifts up onto his knees, grabbing the bars,* What! Whattya want me to do!?
[core_efu] John Keel: [Talk] Same as the others, Sergeant.
[core_efu] John Keel: [Talk] Take care of it, please..
[TheThirdChild] Eban Luralen: [Talk] I just wanted t'make it better! I wanted t'come 'ere and--
[bordellokindofguy] Vladimir Antonov: [Talk] [Snaps.] You start by thinking before you -MURDER-!
[TheThirdChild] Eban Luralen: [Talk] *his mouth drops open at Antonov*
[core_efu] John Keel: [Talk] I've a few words for you, Mister Luralen.
[core_efu] John Keel: [Talk] Mayor Bresley wishes you to know that there is Sun enough for all in the next life.
[core_efu] John Keel: [Talk] Pray that you do not waste your next chance.
[core_efu] John Keel: [Talk] Sergeant, take his last words and record them.
[TheThirdChild] Eban Luralen: [Talk] ...ain't fair... *he sniffs*
[bordellokindofguy] Vladimir Antonov: [Talk] [Looks down at Eban.]
[bordellokindofguy] Vladimir Antonov: [Talk] You have something to say?
[TheThirdChild] Eban Luralen: [Talk] *his mouth works uselessly for a moment*
[TheThirdChild] Eban Luralen: [Talk] *he peers up at Antonov a few moments longer, a sigh, he croaks* Don't let th'fuckin' chosen win. I'm beggin' y'.
[bordellokindofguy] Vladimir Antonov: [Talk] You do wicked thing, I pray you find way to find another way in the land of spirits.
[TheThirdChild] Eban Luralen: [Talk] I wanna find another way 'ere!
[bordellokindofguy] Vladimir Antonov: [Talk] It is too late for that!
[TheThirdChild] Eban Luralen: [Talk] Why!
[bordellokindofguy] Vladimir Antonov: [Talk] How many you help to kill? Maybe three hundred, maybe more?
[bordellokindofguy] Vladimir Antonov: [Talk] For what?
[TheThirdChild] Eban Luralen: [Talk] I barely even got three arrows t'find purchase. *he sniffs*
[bordellokindofguy] Vladimir Antonov: [Talk] The gold of creatures that will bury our city and our peoples?!
[bordellokindofguy] Vladimir Antonov: [Talk] On your knee, please.
[TheThirdChild] Eban Luralen: [Talk] I was unconscious half th'damn fight...  
[bordellokindofguy] Vladimir Antonov: [Talk] Take a knee!
[TheThirdChild] Eban Luralen: [Talk] *he gags a bit, going down on his knees, he clings to Antonov's leg*
[bordellokindofguy] Vladimir Antonov: [Talk] [Kicks him away roughly.]
[bordellokindofguy] Vladimir Antonov: [Talk] The spirits find mercy on your soul, you get none here.
[bordellokindofguy] Vladimir Antonov: [Talk] [Grunts, cleaving off his head.]
[TheThirdChild] Eban Luralen: [Talk] *dead eyes stare out uselessly from the bloody head*

Is there any chance that we pale sensitive eyed folks can get an optional dark colored forum skin?

The blue and white is very nice and I recognize that this is the surface, but it's a lot more difficult staring at this bright white screen in the lonely hours of the night.

plz&thx