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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.

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

Dear Players,

Ten years ago, on the 23 of October of 2013, Abala arrived to EFU and made the character Abala Quickfeet. In recognition of this ten year anniversary, I am pleased to announce that today is officially DM Abala Appreciation Day.

Abala the player and PC took to EFU like a fish does to water. Although I wouldn't have normally recommended a new player play a halfling (!) politician (!) paladin (!) of Tyr (!), Abala somehow made it work. Abala the Paladin quickly developed a reputation as a stern and unforgiving champion of the law; merciless in her judgment and uncompromising in her views. This style of fierce arbitration would come to be one shared by Abala the DM in the years to come.

Abala the Paladin was a perfectly portrayed 10-int naive do-gooder, and I was never entirely sure how much Abala the player fully appreciated how much her PC was being used as convenient political cover by the more nefarious members of Sanctuary's Red Guild. Eventually the story of this particular minute 19-fort champion of Try resolved in a super secret spooky flawless assassination / execution undertaken by a TOP Spellguard agent of the time played by none other than the fearsome PvP-expert cmenden (spoilers finally revealed!).

Abala as a player continued to rock out in EFU with two iconic and famous Spellguard Agents, Phaele Gedreghost (combust, empowered) and later Claire Chambers (slave-caste-buckler, Dhimani Rebellion, tragic death from Elder Brain tap-tap). Her characters were heavily involved in many of EFU:R's most iconic and grudge-inducing plots: the War on the Dark Lake, the Crystal War, the Cult War, the Civil War, the End Plot Ysinode War,  and of course the IRC Faction Channels War.

Abala proved herself to be an excellent player, but her most important contributions to EFU were yet to come.

Abala was made a DM shortly after the start of Ch. 5, EFU: City of Rings. She swiftly proved herself to be an absolute toolset work-horse. At one point, frustrated by her reliance on others to to implement code, she decided to teach herself to script. She made rapid progress, from zero to hero, and became an essentially self-taught master programmer, relying on various internet resources and that famous MIT Wizards-Coding textbook from the '80s.

Abala was dismayed by the incomplete state of the v5 mod, and took it upon herself to tackle the extremely intensive task of finishing and developing the Rings content, a heroic deed which she undertook with her customary zeal and industrious competency. It was in the midst of these labors that Abala pitched to the rest of us some Rings involving ash-desert content, and a city populated by Ashfolk named Baz'eel. This, of course, was an early seed for what would later come to exist as Ch. 6 EFU: Sands of Intrigue.

Abala has been probably the most productive DM of the past several years, but I will list just a few of my favorite of her many contributions to the EFU project. In v5, Ring 64 was probably the "meatiest" and most satisfying Ring experience and I will always regret never having had a chance to experience it as a player. In v6, the entire political and economic system of Ephia's Well totally blows my mind - EFU has never had a political system so slick, so player-focused, so smooth, so well implemented. I am also a big fan of some of her iconic areas like the Souk of Salt and Spices, the Palatial Pyramid, and (of course) our bustling inn & quest gathering locale, the Krak des Roses.

Abala "Animator Dhimani" DM isn't always the most DIPLOMATIC with you guys, but I know you'll overlook her occasional grumpiness (as I have) and join me in recognizing and appreciating her many incredible and essential contributions to EFU. In particular I want to recognize the outstanding work she put towards Chapter 6 of EFU: Sands of Intrigue. Please join me in thanking DM Abala for giving so much of herself to this project, this place would not be the same without her!

[Mustapha al'Mus]

A diminutive, bearded, and hooded Ashfolk dressed in ornate academic vestments delivers a letter personally

Legates,

You have accepted in your midst a viper named Q'tolip, who I must warn you was ejected from the Great Academy of Baz'eel on account of his dangerous and absurd teachings. It staggers the mind to think that he has achieved a position of some importance in this place, and seems to have been permitted to construct that outrageous and gaudy observatory atop the Eagle's Mount.

But this is not the reason I am writing today.

I have been warned, that you have seen fit, to grant to his cultic followers, the privileges of the issuing of licenses, for the practice of archaeology?

How ridiculous! How absurd! How vile!

As my colleague Professor Ghul will tell you, the practice of archaeology is a delicate and serious undertaking, and these supposed-Astronomers of Q'tolip are likely to smash priceless urns to pieces simply to gather material for their ridiculous devices... for them to be responsible of the issuing of these licenses, is utterly stupefying!

Wiser that you grant these privileges, to the Sandstone College. We are, after all, the grandest repository of priceless artifacts in all of Ephia's Well.

I will encourage my Students to follow up with you on this matter! But I am compelled to write personally to warn you against Q'tolip and his delusions!

SINCERELY

Mustapha al'Mus
Founding Faculty of Sandstone College
Doctor of Astronomy, Great Academy of Baz'eel

Dear Players,

I'm pleased to announce that October 18, from the this day forward, is an official holiday in EFU: it is, in fact, Halfbrood appreciation day. Most of you probably know DM Halfbrood a bit from his industrious DM'ing (at least, EU players!). But I bet you don't know him as well as I do.

Who is DM Halfbrood? DM Halfbrood joined EFU relatively early on in Chapter 1, which was a distressingly long time ago. How he found us I have no idea. I believe he frequently played then under the moniker "DrUNk AnD DiSsoRderLy," which was often an accurate description of his mental state. Even more accurate was his other account name: "ISmokeAFattyAndThrowRocksAtTheCats." Nevertheless, he had the knack and played memorable Spellguard and Society PCs.

One common early legend about Halfbrood is that he is a secret brother of another famous EFU personality, Dangerous Dan. This was believed by the player-base at the time, but (I believe) has never been truly confirmed or denied. There are even whispered myths of an IRC dare that resulted in an EFU-related tattoo that found its way onto a butt-cheek, but who can truly say if there is any truth to these preposterous notions? I may have seen photographic evidence, but who can really trust my old memory?

DM Halfbrood was inducted on April 2, 2011 which would have been sometime in EFUA, our second chapter. He swiftly proved himself to be an indifferent and lazy DM, which didn't really surprise anyone. However, by the standards of the time, he was refreshingly drama-free. Drama-free DM'ing is worth every penny, believe me.

DM Halfbrood enjoyed finding small corners of the server to make his own, developing his taste for oddity and amusement in a highly characteristic manner that was specific to his deranged personality.

These small seeds for the grotesque blossomed into increasingly impressive and reliable DM'ing as the months and years rolled on. He became one of the Great Order DMs of EFU:A/M. The Numinous Order was one of the most successful and memorable factions of EFU:A/M, an EFU original that gave huge shape to the themes, plots, events, and feeling of those early chapters.

His appreciation for the vibes and feeling of EFU lore was always there, and he was often in cahoots with his brother-from-another-mother Dangerous-Dan. The two enjoyed their late night ramblings, scribbling upon google docs and proffering up their ideas together as prophets and madmen. Many of these ideas found their way into the most foundational and significant aspects of EFU lore, some were tragically consigned to the dust bin by their tasteless colleagues.

DM Halfbrood was established as a TOP DM from these and countless other contributions, but I think his truly great second act probably arrived sometime in mid EFU v5: City of Rings. Halfbrood had always been an inventive toolset tinkerer, but it was sometime around then that he started to build in earnest. Outstanding and mechanically challenging brutal quests followed, deep ring adventures that fulfilled the chapter's desperate need for more original high-level questing content. Halfbrood rapidly become a master builder.

It was in one of those building sprees that Halfbrood had one of those truly great moments of genius. Busy arranging to placeables to construct enormous roadways laid out across desert expanses, Halfbrood had a thought. "Giants," he pondered. "Are really cool."

This moment of GIANT ENTHUSIASM, along with other similar deep thoughts from other DMs, was one of the absolute key moments that led to the slow gears of EFU Development to settle in working towards a desert-oriented chapter that would HUGELY develop existing EFU lore and themes regarding GIANTS which are, indeed, really cool.

Halfbrood played a truly GIGANTIC role in v6 building, busily churning out more areas than anyone and becoming one of the great legends of EFU Development. He continues to kick huge amounts of ass, a titan of the EU time-zone who probably DMs for more players than anyone and has for quite a long time. He is always in the trenches, sniffing out what to get fixed, working away to make sure EFU is healthy on every level. He really deserves a lot of credit, and I hope players will take a moment to thank him here or in Discord. This place could not possibly exist without him.

Dear [Students of the Sand College],

I am Ernesto Est, I am a student of the Lamp of Learning  in Il Modo. I am now visiting Ephia's Well, and staying in your Krak.

I have seen your school, and would like to invite some of you to come visit us, in Il Modo, and give my fellow students a little lecture. I know it is a long way, but I think I can arrange for your passage on my return ship.

I hope you will nominate among yourselves, a speaker and a topic on which to present. Please let me know who this will be, and how many of you would like to come. There will be a ship returning not long after, so I think it will be not so difficult for you to come and visit my beautiful city.

Write to me back at the Krak, please, and tell me your decision.

Yours

Ernesto

P.S. If you are unable to decide amongst yourselves, feel free to send me a list of topics and I can choose for you!

// Hope to run this this upcoming weekend, +/- a few hours 7pm GMT either Saturday or Sunday at your discretion.

Copies of this notice are left by a certain man at the Palatial Pyramid....

We offer Greetings from the Grand Duke of Il Modo, Nicodemo Nicosino, and his Council of Five, to the settlement of Ephia's Well -

Long have we known of your Well, of its intriguing and difficult history, and of the great miracles of its waters. We note the arrival to your walls of an abundance of refugees and other settlers, escaping the Storms of Ash, and all the many other Calamities of the southern Ringlands.

We believe that it would be to great mutual advantage, to begin to discuss closer relations, so that we might learn from each other, and see where there could be areas of possible future cooperation.

We have therefore, instructed our Scouts, to bring you this message of greetings, and to further invite you to undertake a diplomatic mission to Il Modo; and indeed to be granted the opportunity of an audience with the Grand Duke himself, and his Council of Five.

Our Scouts and Emissaries will make themselves available to assist in coordinating the difficult journey, to come first to the shore of the Sea of Pearls, and from there our Pilot-Priests will safely sail you to our beautiful home of Il Modo.

Our request is as follows:
That the Legates of Ephia's Well appoint an official Emissary, duly invested with all appropriate responsibilities and authority, and that this Emissary lead this mission. This Emissary might be a Legate, should one be willing to undertake such a difficult journey, or an otherwise appointed representative.

That this Emissary be accompanied by a few appointed Attendants, such as you believe appropriate.

That these Emissaries and Attendants likewise be joined by at least one Representative from each member of your Accord: that is, from your Astronomers, from your Cinquefoil Rose, and from your Janissaries of the IV Legion.

That the total number of your Diplomatic Mission not exceed the number of twelve, for the vessel that will be prepared for your journey is not overly commodious.

We ask that this mission be undertaken in but a few days time. [[Hoping for Sunday around 8:00 PM GMT]]

Il Modo awaits with great anticipation the expected arrival of the mission from Ephia's Well.

We are certain the wonders of the Floating City shall not disappoint.

[STAMPED WITH THE DUCAL SEAL OF THE WINGED LION OF IL MODO]

I'm back from the store, kids. Sorry I was away for a while!

I'm delighted to announce I'll be able to carve out some time with full-time DM'ing throughout the rest of this fall. I look forward to supporting the exceptional work of the current DM Team and Active Playerbase (probably many of you have no idea who I am).

As is my nature, I return with gifts. Happy to announce that:

I. We have a new faction, The Sandstone College, which is now accepting new students and visitors. See attached doc for details.

II. We will be slowly rolling out accepting Il Modo as an acceptable background for new characters. Please see attached doc for details.

We also will accepting clerics of the different Sages of the Way of the Divine Dome, the main faith of Il Modo. As clerics of the Dome / Sages should be in a significant minority, we are restricting numbers and applications will be required for Dome Clerics for at least the first couple weeks.

As part of this introduction, we are adding a new mechanic. It will now be the case that Clerics casting outside of their religion will be subject to a significant chance of spell failure for beneficial spells. All characters are now considered as belonging to four different religious groupings: Wheel Faith (main), Dome Faith, Pra'raj, and Neutral. Clerics casting a beneficial spell on a character outside of their own religious grouping / pantheon will thus have a chance of spell misfire. Currently this is IC knowledge.

IMPORTANT to note that this will strongly incentivize unaligned / neutral characters to pick a faith. For the vast majority of you, it is recommended to join any of the gods of the Wheel as they are the most important local faith.

III. I will be rolling out some other changes over the next couple weeks, including mechanical changes & opening up lots of fresh content near, far, and below Ephia's Well....

Be prepared.

Sandstone College
Il Modo Guides


SQT ART
STIRRINGS IN THE DARK

Dear players -

With the hopes of contributing towards a more positive and relaxed atmosphere in #efu-main, I'd like to invite players to reach out to me to volunteer for a new Discord moderation role. Discord Moderators will be asked to:

- Be a good example for the EFU community
- Be helpful to new players
- Ensure that #efu-main exists as a positive and welcoming place. Unpleasant subjects or disagreements between players should be worked out through private messages or with the assistance of a DM
- Communicate to myself or another DM when there are problems in the community or issues that need to be resolved

Discord Moderators will have the ability to "quiet corner" Discord accounts, however this  should generally be used sparingly and the role is instead more appropriate for someone with a knack for re-directing toxic conversations and defusing problems.

Please contact me on Discord if this is something that you think you would be a good fit for.

Dear players -

At some point it is very probable that we will somewhat rework how PRCs applications work in EFU, but for now I'd like to clarify some details about them if you wish to submit an app.

You should not expect us to allow you to completely rebuild your PC (i.e. no keeping high levels - we will be glad to de-level you though)

Please submit some details of your desired build for us in your application, including level split, so we can keep an eye on what you're planning. Weird or highly optimized build plans will likely be more challenging applications.

You will not lose any perks that you have sufficient levels in your base class to keep - i.e., you will not 'lose' a perk because of multi classing into a PRC. But you should also not expect to retain perk bonuses if you don't have sufficient levels in the base class - so, for example, unless you are keeping 8 rogue levels you won't get to keep your level 8 rogue perk.

In a perfect world, prestige classes would be mostly earn-in-game. Your character should have made significant progress to develop the prestige or acquire the knowledge necessary to pursue these alternate paths. Some prestige classes  absolutely requires the successful completion of specific accomplishments (i.e. an assassin completing a contracted kill). Players wishing to play prestige class characters should anticipate a potentially slow ride towards actually being able to take these classes.

I'd like to take a moment to clarify EFU's position on the issue of prejudice against or about other kinds of creatures.

In the real world, I and the DM team believe it is important to behave in a respectful, tolerant, and non-prejudiced manner towards other human beings. This is an enforced standard in all OOC channels.

EFU is not the real world, and contemporary understandings and norms do not apply to in character attitudes about the sentient beings of other species. Terms such as "racism" really should not ever be used IC.

Prejudice against different human ethnicities is generally to be avoided in this current iteration of EFU as they would not really make sense in the City.

Prejudice against Demi-humans such as halflings, elves, dwarves, etc. does make sense and can be optionally a useful source of conflict and interesting role-play. Indeed, this is the basis for many of the attitudes of the Peerage Ward. It is important to remember that in our magical settings these different demi-human races are not ethnicities but really something closer to different species that possess immutable biological differences. Non-evil races such as genasi are another edge case where any prejudice is largely dependent on the character (i.e. a cosmopolitan resident of the City may be comfortable with them but other characters may be frightened by a plane-touched being).


Monstrous creatures such as goblins, aberrations, undead, etc are inherently evil; "evil" in EFU is best understood as a metaphysical force that both encourages and is enhanced by evil actions. "Evil" is not a subjective term as such, it is at the bottom of things something real and definite. That is not to say that we want your characters to necessarily think that way - indeed, shades of grey and difficult choices and nuances is where some of the best role-play can come from. But it is important to emphasize that in EFU "evil" is inherently different from the real world.

Creatures such as tieflings are more complicated, and these (rare) beings are where interesting stories can indeed come from the complexities of portrayal of a being that may be driven towards evil actions but also has capacity for good - again, there is room for plenty of complexity here.

That said, "tieflings" by nature are still evil in EFU. They are descended from beings of evil, and thus they are by nature tied to this force.

I will also add that, 100% of the time, part of the DM approval process for an evil sub-race such as tiefling is for the player to explain how they will portray their character's evil tendencies. There is plenty of room of nuance and twists-and-turns here - but basically, at the core of things, we expect monsters to have a monstrous nature.


Players are free to portray the attitudes of their non-monstrous characters towards monsters as they think best, but continual association with evil beings (such as the undead, aberrations, and - indeed - even tieflings) does lead to potential corruption of the soul such that an evil alignment may gradually become a more accurate reflection of the character.

Enlightened or modern attitudes being crudely applied to the radically different environment of EFU should probably be pretty rare or reserved for particularly naive or low-wisdom PCs.

Previously there was a post "Races & Reactions" that described common attitudes towards many of the different species in EFU but I can't seem to find it. If someone can it might be useful, although it should likely be updated somewhat.

I am happy to clarify further issues, address questions, or speak privately with any players who are concerned about these issues.

I am very sorry to pass on the news that beloved player Diz-e has passed away unexpectedly in his sleep. He was with us from chapter 1 I believe, and was absolutely a cherished member of our community. He frequently played druids, necromancers, and all manner of exiles. His characterization and role-play was on point. I was always happy to see him in-game and participating in OOC discord channels or whatever else. I respected his sense of judgment and style a lot, and admired the way he approached EFU.

Above all else, I think we could really tell he was overall just a wonderful human being and we were lucky to have had him.

I know that a lot of players were really close to him and will really miss him and the important role he played in our community. I certainly will.

Dear players -

We are currently beta-testing a new application system which will hopefully vastly easier for both DMs and players.

Instead of submitting applications on our forums, players will be able to directly submit applications using EFUSL2 by selecting the "Applications" button on the left side.

This does mean that players are required to have access to an EFUSL2 account, which we do highly recommend. If you are unable to do so, you may submit an application using the old method for now or contact a DM privately.

Let us know if there are any issues or suggestions. Thanks!

Dear players -

I have an important announcement to make. Please see attached PDF document announcing the next chapter of the EFU persistent world. This time around we want to make sure you guys are part of the design process.

Thank you all for your recent feedback, and we're so excited for what is to come!

DOCUMENT

If you have yet to do so, players are invited to  fill out our Google Forms survey that will be helpful for the EFU DM team moving forward.

Thank you!

Link to Google Forms Survey

[New Application Guidelines]

For review and suggestions:

New Application Guidelines

Applications submitted through our application forum is the preferred method for players to formally communicate any special kind of requests with the DM team. Applications are primarily submitted in order to make requests such as: subraces, prestige classes, admission into application-only factions, permission to advance past level 10, or special perks / backgrounds.

Applications must be passed by a two-thirds majority of the active DM team. DMs typically consider the following factors in deciding how to vote:

1) The strength and creativity of the concept ("is it awesome?");

2) The mechanical balance of what is being proposed ("is it too strong?");

3) The reputation of the player ("how have they been doing lately?") (i.e., has the player demonstrated the ability to play a successful and interesting EFU character through completion; does the player play with good sportsmanship and attitude; is the player due extra consideration due to recent successes or losses);

4) Will the result improve the existing server climate ("will this make things more interesting?") (i.e., interesting goals that others will be involved in, or generally anything that seems likely to be entertaining for others as well as yourself).

Application Format

It is vital that applications be presented in a concise manner and in such a manner that DMs can quickly skim it. The EFU DM team has received in excess of over five thousand individual applications over the course of the server's history, many of which were very lengthy to read. While we welcome additional detail in Part C of your application, it is important for players to understand that most DMs will only skim an individual application.


The format should be as follows:

Part A

Player Identity.  Make sure we know who you are (OOC handle as well as past important characters if you think we might be unfamiliar), as your reputation as a player will be an important part of the criterion of evaluating the application. If you are a new player, that is entirely OK, but please make sure you briefly tell us your background with roleplaying or NWN persistent worlds.

A listing of your character's name, race, age, alignment, deity, and class.

Summary. Please summarize the basic pitch / concept in one or two sentences.

Part B

The second part of your application should address some or all of the above (4) factors. You should explain what you will be doing to justify your request, you should NOT simply list goals that will mostly require DM activity. It is incredibly rare that DMs look at an application and are inspired to run entire plots around a PC. Instead, you should focus on what you will be doing without us -- we frequently contribute to individual character's stories, but we do not wish to feel obligated to do so.

A list of bulletin point goals or objectives is frequently a good way to fill out this section. Again, be concise and simply try to explain what you will actually be doing IG and how it will be fun for you and others.

Part C

Part C is the least important part of the application and is optional. Feel free to include here any additional details, background information, or other ideas here.


Application Tips

Applications for subraces should allow for a week or so of discussion before you make the character, however feel free to check in with DMs after a few days about how any app is going.

It is acceptable to apply to join an elite faction either on creation (or shortly afterward), however DMs may decide that it would be more appropriate as an EIG (Earn In Game - basically meaning your character has to succeed in convincing existing faction members that they will helpful and have earned the right to be admitted.

Applications for prestige classes should be normally submitted when your character has made substantial progress towards developing some prestige in his/her chosen field. As EFU has no mechanical requirements for PRCs, you should submit precise details of the desired build and understand that the more optimized it is the less likely it will be approved. For some concepts, it may be appropriate to submit a PRC application early in the character's history and depending upon the overall strength of the concept DMs may approve immediately.

Applications for plots / module changes / other things that require DM action are fine, but understand that they will frequently produce a response from us of, "Sure if someone wants to." It is therefore helpful to develop a rapport / reputation with individual DMs and privately reach out to see if someone is interested, active and would be available to do the work if the app is approved.

Applications for level 11 characters (very rare) should focus on how your character is demonstrating mastery over his/her profession and how this increase in power will be justified both in IC terms (i.e. major Arcane research for a Wizard or proven abilities in an epic encounter) as well as OOC (i.e. how the server will be improved by allowing for this considerable increase in power)

Try not to take a declined application seriously. Sometimes it's just the wrong time, or we just couldn't agree. Regardless, it is the EFU DM goal to make the server as fun as possible for players without ever needing to write an application.

Feel free to reach out to a DM for feedback about declined applications.

Thank you for submitting an EFU application!

We will also include some examples of applications in this format.

Hello all -

LIalh4 and I took a try at cleaning up our somewhat out of date and poorly presented server rules. I'd like to post a draft of the document here, since it concerns everyone that is part of the EFU community. Note that I added some general principles to more clearly lay out our values as a community.

It is not necessary to pay attention to this if you're already familiar with our rules, I am posting here just for feedback in terms of making our rule presentation more clear to new players.

Thanks!

Server Rules

General Principles
The mission of EFU persistent world is to maintain a thriving, welcoming, and supportive online role-playing community. We believe in the importance of creative self-expression and think that our role-playing and story-based world can provide value for those who choose to play here. Demonstrating tolerance and out of character ("OOC") respect for all players is mandatory for all who join our community. Discriminatory or bigoted statements, personal attacks, or any manifestation of trolling will not be permitted. Basic standards of decency and civil conduct are expected from all community members.

Roleplaying
EFU maintains a very high standard and level of roleplaying for all players. While those players who are new to roleplaying can expect a patient and welcoming community, it is important to understand that our standard is set very high. All players are expected to fully engage with the roleplaying and story-telling expectations of our world. It is essential to be able to separate the OOC ("out of character") with the IC ("in character").

Conflict
We believe that meaningful conflict is a necessary condition for interesting stories. In EFU, characters are expected to sometimes engage in conflict with other characters. While this does not exclusively mean PvP combat, this does mean that sometimes characters will permanently kill other characters.
Players should be familiar with our rules & principles regarding character conflict and play with good sportsmanship, whether winning or losing. When death happens, as it will, it is important to draw a line between in-character ("IC") and OOC events. While the end of a character's story can be an emotional experience, it is important to remember that there are real, breathing people behind GSIDs and discord handles: OOC hostility relating to IC events should be avoided.

Honesty
Players are expected to be honest (OOC) with each other and with members of the DM team. Cheating and meta gaming is not permitted and will result in being banned from our community. Players should sincerely attempt to follow the spirit of our server and rely upon their best common use.


The Fine Print


Understanding and accepting the above general principles are all that is required of new players, but after 15+ years we have found it best to also maintain a complete set of rules that addresses various specific cases and situations. We ask that long-time members of our community be familiar with the following rules:

Overview

The following rules are intended to provide a non-exhaustive list of required or prohibited behaviors. It is possible to violate the general principles expressed above without violating a specific rule articulated below. The word of in-game DMs is binding on player behavior at all times.
DMs will punish rule breaking in the place, time, and manner of their choosing. It is important to note that punishment is always an OOC act and will be communicated in a clearly OOC manner. IC situations (such as a NPC yelling at your character, a monster trying to kill you, or even dangerous spice) are always simply to be considered as part of the game world. All punishments for rule breaking are at the discretion of the DM team. Punishments may include various consequences, such as the retirement of PCs, OOC removal of experience points, temporary bans, or permanent bans. Appeals may be made through contacting the DM team via Discord or our Application forum.

Game Exploits

1.    Item transferring between different PCs belonging to the same player, or helping another player do the same, is strictly forbidden. There are no exceptions to this rule, including remaking a character, unless a DM assists you in an approved character remake.
2.    Exploiting monster AI in unrealistic ways is forbidden. Avoid situations where monsters behave in a completely implausible manner. Specific prohibitions include:
i.        "Luring", the practice of drawing a single monster away from others with a ranged weapon or dragging groups of monsters from a fortified position to march at your party single file;
ii.        "Trapping" monsters on cliffs or other impassable areas and then killing them with ranged weapons; and,
iii.        Using the "Backwards-Walk" to prevent an NPC from attacking you.
3.    Logging off to avoid death is forbidden. This includes both PVP and non-PVP death. If you feel you are being griefed, please contact a DM.
4.    Players may not abuse OOC tools. This includes:
i.        The use of "/c recall" is intended to assist with controlling summons; it is not acceptable to use it as a free teleport or regroup spell; and,
ii.        The practice of sneaking ahead invisibly or in stealth and to then use "/c recall" to teleport your summons on top of monsters or enemy PCs.
iii.         Manipulating like/dislike setting to avoid attacks of opportunity, spell effects, and other consequences of hostility.
5.    If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. If you discover a method to earn GP or XP that seems out of line with other methods or can be used in some non-balanced way, please check with a DM to ensure it's legitimate or bug report the issue.



Out of Character Behavior

1.    All players must be respectful to one another in OOC communications. Insulting tells are forbidden. OOC and IC are two separate spheres of existence: OOC disrespect is completely unacceptable, IC disrespect and conflict is fully encouraged. Players should not confuse the two.
2.    "Power-gaming" is not allowed. For the purposes of our server, we define power-gaming as any activity that has no IC rationale and is done for OOC reasons. It is okay - and even encouraged - to have a character that wants to get rich or powerful, and accomplishes this through various IC means. In contrast, it is not acceptable to perform an act such as repeatedly "farming" a single spawn of monsters or other such activities.
3.    Meta-gaming is not allowed. This means that you can not take advantage of the knowledge that you as a player might have but your character does not. Always think about what sort of knowledge is IC (in character) as opposed to OOC (out of character).
4.    Players may never use tells or other methods of OOC communication to coordinate PvP or other tactics.
5.    Players may not attack blue NPCs unless they have received permission from a DM.
6.    Repeatable scripted quests should be considered a new experience when repeated. While every effort has been made to randomize and produce very large amounts of content, EFU still has many static quests that should be approached as a new experience. Your character does not remember the location of traps, spawns, dangerous rooms, etc.
7.    In-game, OOC communications should be avoided in favor of remaining in character, especially if OOC communications are visible to other characters. Note that:
i.        Tells from other players are always OOC;
ii.        Text marked with "//" is always OOC.
8.  Do not use voice chat programs to communicate with team-mates while roleplaying on EFU. Communication between characters/players must exclusively be through NWN while in-game.

Roleplay and In-Character Behavior Rules


1.    Always stay in-character. Do not break immersion for other players. Inserting real-life references into your RP, including abbreviations or smileys into IC talk, acting in a ridiculous or OOC manner is not acceptable.
2.   The like/dislike toggle is entirely OOC. Do not construe a character that appears red as hostile unless there are IC justifications to consider them a threat.
3.   Players must roleplay their character's stats and skills, especially if a stat is below 10. Having a character with low charisma "smell bad" or be "ugly" but otherwise be a well-liked leader is discouraged.
4.   Any depiction or insinuation of sexual violence is strictly prohibited.
5.   Graphic depictions of torture are prohibited. Where extreme violence does occur, players must avoid detailed descriptions of harms inflicted.
6.   There is a single universal language that everyone can speak. Using racial languages is optional, but overuse is discouraged as disruptive. Written languages are handled by scripted lore checks or through a DM.
7.   Players may not roleplay explicit sexual acts. Although characters may make references to the existence of sexuality, relationship roleplay is frowned upon unless handled with an extreme level of care.
8.    Players should be careful in their use of the sending system. This includes the following prohibitions:
i.        Sendings should not be vulgar, pseudo-OOC, or in a trolling style;
ii.        Sendings should not be made in a tone of anti-establishment unless done with DM supervision; and,
iii.        Messenger NPCs should not be given messages that "roleplay" the NPC or would be reasonably considered as implausible (they deliver messages, they are not parrots or looking to make particularly controversial messages).
9.   Players may not break into faction areas without the supervision of a DM. Taking items from faction storage when you are not a member of the faction should be done with the supervision of a DM.
10. If a player finds faction equipment, including keys, they should contact a DM if your character decides to keep it or use it.
11. Players must observe good IC and OOC conduct around quests. This includes the following rules:
i.        Roleplaying during quests and when organizing quests is required;
ii.        OOC methods should not be used to organize and strategize during quests;
iii.        Do not split up a large group into smaller groups in order for each to tackle a particular quest with the aim of getting more of a reward;
a.   It is acceptable to split a group where an OOC limit on the number of participating characters prevents the whole group from attempting it at once,
iv.        Do not use stealth or invisibility to obtain quest rewards without engaging the monsters unless doing so is clearly indicated as permissible by the quest itself;
v.        Do not steal loot from other members of the party without emoting or otherwise indicating by some IC means that you are doing so;
vi.        Do not enter into a Quest Area with a group unless all members of the group are aware and give consent that you are mechanically added to the quest with them.
a.   The only exception to this rule is if you have contacted a DM and the DM has allowed you to enter the Quest Area.
12. Using stealth or invisibility to gather the treasure of random explorable areas without defeating the monsters is in most cases highly discouraged. If your character(s) engage(s) the monsters, fail and are unable to defeat the foe, feel free to consult with a DM if it would be appropriate to attempt to use stealth and trickery to plunder the area.
13. Do not play "alternate" characters if you are roleplaying a high-conflict character that has regularly engaged in PvP.
14. Do not share IC secrets through OOC methods.
15. Do not share IC secrets lightly through IC methods. Although it is fine and encouraged to roleplay as a teacher instructor and share information, some secrets are best kept quiet in order to allow for other players the same enjoyment of solving mysteries.
16.  Players should respect the RP involved in hostage situations and not immediately default to attacking hostage-keepers without due consideration of other alternatives. Note that:
i.        A subdued hostage may be healed as part of a rescue operation;                 however,
ii.        The hostage must remain down and helpless and not activate any defensive damage modes (i.e. no switching on expertise or equipping shield).
17.  Blood Vial labels are OOC. Limited exceptions exist:
i.        If the PC who made the vial would have labelled them (check this first through tells if necessary);
ii.        Characters will recognize a sample of their own blood; and,
iii.        Characters with high-Heal or affinity with blood-magic also potentially recognize blood vials if they come from special kinds of creatures (consult a DM if in doubt).



Character Creation and Leveling Rules

1.    Characters must have appropriate names and appearance for their race and subrace. This includes, but is not limited to, the following restrictions:
  i.        Humans may not have the horned head appearance;
ii.        Standard elves may not have drow skin coloring;
iii.        Character names must make sense for the setting;
iv.        Character names must not be directly copied from a well known fictional or real-life person;
v.        Including titles or honorifics in the character name requires DM permission.

2.    Paladins, Druids, and Clerics must be created and roleplayed according to specific guidelines, including:
i.     All Paladins, Druids, and Clerics must adhere to their respective code or faith in order to preserve the ability to cast spells.
ii.    Clerics draw their power from a specific relic. They are not limited by the tenets of a particular faith but may serve individual philosophies, creeds, or ideals, but there must be a real, IC belief underpinning their spellcasting.
a.    Clerics should select domains from the primary / secondary pools that best reflect their faith, portfolio, or belief system.
b.    Awoken Clerics may choose to serve the deities of the Forgotten Realms.
c.     Clerics born in the City of Rings are more likely to serve one of the small gods.
d.    Clerics may receive spell failure if they act in a way contradictory to the teachings of their faith.
iii.        Paladins draw their power from a belief in a set of objective ideals. Consult the paladin class page for details.
a.    Paladins have diminished class abilities until they find and adopt a specific oath.
b.    Oaths that act as an additional layer on top of their character's baseline oaths.
c.     Paladins that adopt an oath must abide by both the baseline paladin ideals and the specific tenets of their oath.
d.    Paladins should remain in keeping with their ideals and oath at all times; failure to do so risks falling.
    iv.        Druids draw their power from the natural world.
3.    Optimizing characters to an extreme extent is highly discouraged; stats should generally be selected according to the concept. It is important for players to fairly and ably portray their character's strengths and weaknesses, whatever they may be.
4.    Skill point banking is forbidden. Skill point banking is the practice of saving skill points in order to put them into a class skill at a later level. There are limited exceptions:
i.      When multiclassing roughly evenly, players may save their skill points every-other level as needed in order to keep a primary skill maxed; and,
ii.     Other situations of modest skill banking may be permissible depending upon the build, but egregious examples of (for example) taking a single rogue level at a high level in order to maximize tumble/UMD are not permitted.
5.    Application-based, subrace, faction, prominent/semi-prominent or high-level PCs who are not played for over a month should not return to active play unless permission is given from a DM or through application. We are eager to welcome back players to EFU but it can be highly disruptive for characters that have long been missing to make a return.
6.    Creating "alts" (alternative characters) is discouraged but not strictly forbidden, as playing alts can lead to incidents of unintentional metagaming, unfairness, and perhaps most importantly degrades the playing experience. Alts may not:
i.     Be involved in one another's affairs;
ii.    Be involved in factions that are in conflict;
iii.   Be involved in separate ringrunning groups; and,
iv.   Communicate with one another in any way.



PVP Combat Rules

EFU is a full-player-versus-player ("PVP"), conflict-oriented setting. If you perform PVP, you must be prepared to face the IC consequences of the IC action. OOC issues or concerns are always handled by the DMs in an OOC manner. Players are advised to read the 'PVP Karma' thread when deliberating over whether or not to use Full Damage mode. Characters may not respawn from PVP.
PVP Karma is an important facet of EFU. When engaging in PVP, consider: whether your approach is reasonable; whether it is best to subdue, subdue and loot, or to kill; whether the PVP fun and stylish; and, whether your attitude as a player is respectful and sporting.
1.    Do not initiate PvP against characters you believe are level 2 or level 3 characters except in extreme circumstances.
2.    PvP must always be initiated for IC and justifiable reasons. Insanity or a desire for random death may be considered as an excuse for griefing by the DM team.
3.    You must always set your opponent to Dislike (hostile) before PvP. The dislike/like toggle is fully OOC. Seeing someone set you to Dislike should not be considered an IC act. Many players set the whole server to Dislike in preparation for PvP that may well have nothing to do with you, so you should not read too much into it if it happens. Be warned that if someone sets you to hostile, and you then relog, they will still see you as hostile/red whereas you will see them as non-hostile/blue. This is not their fault.
4.    When beginning PvP, send a message via /c pvp indicating that PvP may begin in your area.
5.    Do not initiate PVP in an area with NPCs present without a DM present. You must obtain direct confirmation from a DM that they are overseeing before initiating PVP in these circumstances. Specific, narrow exceptions to this rule are indicated on signs and NPC descriptions.
6.    If a DM is not present, PVP begins in an area without NPCs present, and PVP transitions into an area with NPCs present, the PVP must stop. Specific, narrow exceptions to this rule are indicated on signs and NPC descriptions.
7.    If your character is attacked, or if someone else is engaging in PvP, you may always respond IC with no confirmation from a DM.
8.    If you engage in PvP, remain in the server for a substantial period of time to give others an opportunity to respond to your actions.
9.    Traps must be used carefully in PVP. All players using them must review our trap policy on the forums. The following additional rules apply:
i.              Traps should be used in moderation;
ii.             Traps should not be used at transition points;
iii.            Traps should not close all conceivable avenues of escape with high powered traps;
iv.            Traps should never be stacked;
v.             Traps are limited to one stunning/disabling trap and one damage-dealing trap being out at a time.
a.    Exceptions may be made, consult with a DM about your specific plan. If you believe you are the victim of bad-trap policy, please do not attempt to OOC'ly pause the PvP but rather consult with a DM during or after as it is possible an exception was made.
10.  Characters recently engaged in PVP may not rest without the permission of a DM.
11.  Characters recently engaged in PVP may not break off the PVP and reengage without the permission of a DM.
12.  Players must observe nuances to damage modes in PVP:
i.              If a character is attacking in full damage mode, and a target is sent into negative HPs immediately, that target is not subdued - they can be healed, continue fighting, flee, etc.
ii.             If a character is attacking in subdual damage mode, a subdued opponent is completely helpless, must remain on the ground, must cooperate with dropping_pack/giving over items/removing armour if ordered to do so, and may not re-engage or flee unless the PvP is finished and the victory has departed, gives verbal permission, or a DM gives permission.
iii.            Using blackout mode on a subdued PC to steal or rescue a PC under the control of another character is forbidden unless you have specific DM permission to utilize this technique.
iv.            If a character is attacking in sparring damage mode, a winded opponent is not completely helpless, but should roleplay the effects of having lost the bout of combat.
13.  Goblin/Kobold/other subrace PCs can legitimately be killed by other characters just for being goblins/kobolds, however as always if the PvP occurs in an area with NPCs there should be a DM supervising.
14.  Playing a goblin/kobold is not in itself an excuse to grief other characters. Although of course you are free to engage in (non-FD) banditry.
15.  Characters may not utilize faction HQs or plot-locked (non-bashable/pickable) doors for the purposes of PvP unless they have permission from a DM. This includes law-enforcement PCs bringing a character into their faction for "questioning" with an intention to make a more significant arrest.
16.  Looting packs during an active PVP encounter is prohibited without permission from a DM. Discussing your intentions with an overseeing DM beforehand is encouraged.
17.  Looting the packs of characters that you did not have an active hand in defeating is prohibited without permission of a DM. Discussing your intentions with an overseeing DM beforehand is encouraged.
18.  Characters must be judicious in their use of stealth in PVP encounters. Note that:
i.              "Corner-sneaking," the exploitation of line of sight to reenter stealth is permitted only once as a method to escape from a PvP situation and may not be tactically reused during a combat encounter.
ii.             Players should avoid applying stealth after transitioning if being closely followed during a PvP situation.
iii. Due to a NWN bug, stealthed characters may briefly appear upon entering a new area. This is not IC knowledge.

Server Conduct and Discord Rules

1.    Banned players may not circumvent their bans; they may apply to return on the forums or contact a member of the staff to discuss their request to return.
2.    Players must inform the DM team of banned players that are playing under alternate identities.
3.    Do not attempt to identify the identity of a player that is playing under an unknown GSID or Discord handle.
4.    Do not publicly speculate as to who may be playing a specific character or reveal who is playing a specific character.

[The King]

Here is a draft of a document that touches on the different superstitions commonly held to by the residents of the City of Rings. Once I am satisfied with the document, I will post it in our wiki for the benefit of new players. I hope this also clears up some misconceptions by active players.

I welcome thoughts, suggestions, criticism, or additional questions.

The King

"Who is the King you ask? Well, you had better go to his Keep in the center of the City and ask him yourself...."

While it is generally acknowledged that the City is ruled by an ultimate sovereign known as the King, he is a distant ruler and the extent to which he is respected, feared, or hated varies considerably within the City of Rings. According to myth, it is he who (along with the Daring Swords, heroes of legend) defeated the Sibilant Empire and caused the Ring Walls to rise. It is also commonly believed that he dwells within the center of the City, and will grant a wish to those who visit him there.

There are many tales about the King, and much disagreement about who he is and what he wants.

The King himself is never heard from, but he does seem to have various servants. Perhaps most famously there is the voice of the Royal Herald, who regularly announces Dispensaries in which a mixture of treasure, remains of the Royal Feasts, and other curios magically appear in certain key areas after a steady countdown. According to tradition, these "gifts" are normally fought over in a display of non-lethal combat.

Positions such as the Royal Archivist, Royal Inquisitor, Royal Court Wizard and others also exist... although some wonder if these appointments are genuinely legitimate, as these servants do not seem to have any method to directly communicate with their sovereign.

Interpretations of "King's Will" or "King's Laws" varies considerably according to different communities and perspectives. Generally, his will seems to manifest itself most directly through the application of bad luck. Indeed, while the King seems to have few servants who directly enforce his will, there can be no denying the terrible misfortune that appears to fall upon those who are insistent in violating his most important strictures.

The Royal Dispensary

"Little folk of Ring 99, raise your ears to the wisdom of I, Royal Herald of the King..."

While battles during the Royal Dispensary are ferocious, it is generally considered very bad luck and against Royal Will to rob or murder during the course of these contests.

[Note: While this restriction is an IC one, please consult with a DM beforehand if you intend on violating this custom as there may be IC manifestations of Kingly Wrath. This is an example of an IC belief that the DM team also believes contributes positively OOC when adhered to, although there may be some exceptions depending on concept & execution.]

Changelings

"It's a Changeling! Kill it, burn it... drive it away!"

The superstition and hatred against those who change their shape ("Changelings") is quite severe. "Changelings" is a local term that is used to describe a wide range of phenomenon: everything from Druids who know how to transform into Animals, to Arcanists who use magic to do the same, or even monstrous lycanthropes and mongrel-beasts.

Common folk fear them and the bad luck that falls upon those who are near them. The residents of the Peerage do not hesitate to hunt them down and chase them away from their lands.

[Note: Engaging in abilities such as Wild Shape & Polymorph Self may result in PvP and permanent consequences up to and including permanent death for your character! Beware!]

Timekeeping
"Tick... tick... tick..."

The question of timekeeping is one of the most nebulous superstitions in the City of Rings with a considerable range of opinion and application. Many common folk consider it forbidden according to Royal Will, while others simply observe that clocks tend to break and ill fortune falls upon those who pry too deeply into the recording of time.

While it is true that there is no universally accepted system of dates and calendars, a complete ban on all forms of timekeeping does not exist aside from the most fanatic few. Many keep a count of the seasons of their life, or hold to memories of dates from before they arrived to the City (generally the year 1374 according to the FR Calendar). Hours and days are estimated by those whose livelihood depends upon it. Astrologists study the stars and secretly mark the passing of years, and some families keep to their own customs and superstitions. Loremasters carefully attempt to make an accounting of seasons. Even House Sunpurse, one of the most staid and traditional houses of the Peerage, marks the passing of years through a life by the lighting of special candles that burn (so they say) for exactly one year.

Nevertheless, the question of overly detailed timekeeping and record-keeping is popularly considered to be unwise and perhaps even villainous. Indeed, within the City of Rings there is overall a certain aversion to asking too many questions in general as it is a frequently a disreputable and dangerous inclination.


Ringrunning & Ring Knowledge
"The King awaits you, Ringrunner...."

While the vast majority of the inhabitants are content to dwell in their Ward & Ring, or perhaps travel only a few Rings distant, many of the City's most bold and indeed an entire profession of residents dedicate themselves to traveling the Rings, proceeding from one to the next, in arduous travel to the King's Keep. Ringrunners each have their own reasons for running the rings (everything from a desire to return to their home or proving themselves by besting the trials), but all have learned to respect the superstitions and customs of the trade.

Chief among these is an aversion to discussing specifics about what can be found within the deeper Rings. Furthermore, most Ringrunners found it wiser to band together into Ringrunning companies of trusted friends who they can cooperate with to solve the trials of the Rings and safely share information with. Outside of these companies, it is generally believed that it is highly dangerous to discuss specific solutions for passing through Rings or describe in too great a detail of what can be found in the deepest ones

Ringrunners do believe it safe to brag about how deep they've gone, but revealing solutions or knowledge in too great detail seems to bring down terrible ill fortune or even the horror of the Royal Hound.


[Note: This is another example of where the IC restriction matches an OOC expectation. From an OOC level, we fully encourage IC attempts  to gather information and learn more about the setting and for this information to be shared IC with trusted companions. That said, such efforts are best reserved IG and it is important to be careful about what is discussed or revealed OOC'ly as the DM team wishes very much for the experience of new players exploring the world to not be spoiled. Please restrict what is discussed OOC'ly and be judicious and careful about the IG spreading of sensitive knowledge. Feel free to consult with a DM if you are uncertain about something.]

Planar Travel
"It's not the horrible monsters that bothers me.... It's puking-pink from Seamsickness for days after that really gets me down..."

It is a characteristic of the City of Rings that planar portals (called Seams) regularly open and close throughout the City, most frequently in certain disrupted areas but potentially nearly anywhere. These Seams are frequently filled with dangerous monsters, but may also link to or other resources (indeed, the City is in some ways dependent upon the resources brought in through the Seams). It is an unfortunate consequence of entering the Seams that residents of the prime will inevitably catch the disease known as Seamsickness (understood to be a result of planar radiation) which, if left untreated, leads to madness and death. Thankfully, the cure to Seamsickness is simply to wait it out within the City itself and it seems to eventually go away.

While common folk may look down upon those who make a living by entering into the Seams, there is no denying it is a common practice among the bold. Nevertheless, those who become too Seamsick tend to be ostracized and are not welcome in polite society.

Wizards & the Planes
"You're a Wizard? Keep your magic away from me.... Go to the Wizard Warrens where your kind belongs!"

It is a common belief in the City of Rings that Wizards are not generally respectable, and that their form of Arcane Magic is dangerous and disreputable. Whereas a Sorcerer's unusual and innate gifts might be admired, a Wizard's studied art is dangerous and even sickening. Indeed, Wizardly magic (if left unfocused) seems to cause seam sickness in the same way as traveling from the City and into a Planar Fragment does. Wizards are thus frequently looked down upon, although they are not persecuted in the same manner as Changelings are unless they delve too deeply into strictly forbidden magic.

Forbidden Magic
"Get you and your foul magic away from my granny's tomb, you necromancer! Die!"

There are some forms of magic that, even in the absence of a solidified code of laws, is considered by almost all as far too depraved or dangerous to tolerate. Practices such as animating the dead (necromancy) and the conjuration of devils & demons (infernalism) is something that most view as a crime worthy of death. Those who wish to engage in such practices tend to keep such secret and hidden from sight from those who are not trusted fellows in the grim arts.

Delving too deep into familiarity with such dreadful monsters as aberrations, beholders, or slaadi, while perhaps less notoriously dangerous, may also result in similar consequences.

The practice of "shadebinding" (shadow-magic and the binding of shadows) is also similarly dangerous as it bears an association with both evil cults and most fearfully the mysterious and terrifying phenomenon of The Nothing. The Nothing, although poorly understood, is rumored to be a kind of storm of shadows that is gradually dissolving and eating away at the outermost rings and occasionally blows over the City itself, leaving horrors and terrors in its wake. Those who seek to bind its power for their own purposes are sure to suffer swift consequence from those who rightfully fear it.

[Note: Even tolerating the presence of others who engage in such forbidden magic (i.e. questing with a necromancer with undead) may result in consequences, including alignment changes, for other characters.

Monsters
"Men are men. Monsters are monsters."

The City of Rings in all its vastness is full of monsters, but the majority of civilized Wards do not tolerate their presence. Monster-hunters are a respected profession, and few civilized Wards tolerate monstrous visitors unless they are kept in chains.

[Note: Monstrous PCs such as goblins and kobolds exist to be hunted and to die. Application sub-race characters such as lizardfolk, lycanthropes, mongrel folk, or even outsiders such as tieflings, aasimar, and genasi (even if tolerated in hubs) can likewise be legitimately killed and slain just for being what they are.]

Superstition & PvP Cheat-Sheet:

Don't spoil information about the setting or deeper Rings without consulting with a DM
People are frequently superstitious about keeping precise time
Royal Dispensary events should be subdural-only and not an opportunity for stealing unless you consult with a DM
Changelings (both druids & and other character that changes its form somehow) is very dangerous and might get you killed
Animating the dead (zombies, skeletons, spirits....) conjuring devils & demons might get you killed
To a lesser extent, researching or consistently conjuring shadows / aberrations / slaadi might get you killed
Being any kind of application sub-race might get you killed just for being what you are

This Sunday, May 3, I will be running a brief prelude to introduce eight new PCs into the world of EFU.

Deep in the Wizard Warrens, eight wizards have gathered to learn from another - an oddball collection of apprentices, hedge-mages, and wizards of modest talent (if perhaps great ambition) who seek the learned ways of Master Wizard Golfaldus and have been accepted for study in Golfaldus' Warren.

Each Wizard represents a different spell school of Wizardy, and each player must commit to a very serious and sustained enthusiasm for their particular Spell School. This will, in the case of the less mechanically effective spell schools, be balanced by starter loot.

The primary purpose of the 8 Wizards being brought together in Golfaldus' Warren was the creation of "The Stave of the Schools," a powerful wizard staff that would grant a Wizard a variety of potent arcane gifts. The intention was to make nine of these staves, one for each of the junior wizards and for Master Golfaldus himself.

Alas, in the first attempt, there has been an accident. Golfaldus has died, and each Wizard has been bound to a smoldering stave-fragment that represents their chosen school. Furthermore, it is possible to remove the stave piece only at the moment of death.

The Wizards are thus at a loss in the Warren, the first trial a failure, their Master dead, and only a few scattered notes left to go on...

There are two solutions to this mini-plot / prelude:

1) Co-operate and successfully travel to the fabled golden city of Baz'eel, there to consult certain certain geomancers and treatises that may allow all those that reach Baz'eel to complete their stave.

2) Collect all eight fragments (through violence or simply out-living the others); with all eight fragments it may be possible for a single Wizard to complete the Stave.

Let me know on Discord or forum PM if you're interested. I'd only ask that players commit to playing their Wizard through and not simply disappear.

It goes without saying that this is not a concept for the conflict-adverse.

On Thursday 9pm EST I will be running a prelude for interested players. Players will be portraying the enslaved residents of "The Ziggurats of Szka'zul," which is one of the remaining Lizardfolk Settlements that endure within the many Rings of our City.

Characters should generally have a Forgotten Realms background before awakening and being enslaved by the Lizardfolk, or possibly as having been born into slavery within the crumbled and much diminished ziggurats of the Lizardfolk.

Feel free to consult with me about any special concept or if you have any questions.

Feel free to make throwaways for this.


BE THERE... IF YOU DARE.