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McDankus

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Everything posted by McDankus

  1. McDankus

    The Flamespire Clan

    "Bound through culture, forged by strength and spirituality" ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ One fateful evening, those of the vanguard, the last remnants of the "Horde" gathered atop Grom'Thar Peak. Their purpose? To discuss the future of their people in light of recent events. Those at the peak, including leading figures of the vanguard, spoke of their predicament. Flying the banner of the Horde had only brought them suffering and hardship time and time again. It came to the belief that the image and banner of the Horde had been stained by the actions of others before Bloodfury and his warband on the Island, and thus created a negative view of their people. Having committed much of their resources to facing the great evils of the Isle and receiving nothing in return, they grew tired. Disillusioned. Instead, they decided to unite in culture, rather than the flag they flew from Azeroth. And thus, The Flamespire Clan would come to pass. An independent union of races from the Horde, uniting under culture rather than race, in order to seek peace and safety for their people as a priority. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ After establishing the clan, it was through the suggestion of the ex-Warlord, Bloodfury, that the Clan would go back to the Old Ways of the Orcish people. Before the time of Gul'dan and the Legions corruption. These ways, both spiritual and noble, suited most of the races already residing in Grom'Thar. The old ways consisted of ensuring peace for the continuation of their kind, whilst ushering in the spiritual balance of the elements and ancestors. Great hunts would be waged in the jungles of Opej'nor, to show their strength and might, and to seek spirituality from their primal kills. This would not mean weakness, however, for the old ways were some of the most savage and brutal times of all. Warriors fought to the death without hesitation and welcomed the notion of glory on the battlefield. When in the right circumstance. The Flamespire would choose their battles, and their fields, before committing to a foray. Long since their arrival on the shores, the orcs have noticed the elements remain damaged. Restless. The balance shifted. The Flamespire Clan vow to ensure that they pursue the restoration of the elements, before the wars to come. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 'Doldrosh' - Named by the Clan as 'The Heart of the Doldrums' in Orcish, the Doldrosh is the supreme authority of the Flamespire Clan. The Clan moves and acts when they give their order, and is tasked with ensuring the overall vision of the Clan is followed through. They are to uphold the law and culture of their people, and to put their people first above all else. The Doldrosh must show their skill in both martial and spiritual matters, as they are the prime focuses of the Clan. Elder - The spiritual leader of the Clan. The Elder has achieved the highest level of spiritual enlightenment than any other in the Clan, and is considered the upmost authority in these matters. They are to focus primarily on spiritual matters, whether it is the Ancestors or the Elements themselves. Additionally, they are to act as counselors to the lesser clansmen of the Clan, and act as part of the Doldrosh' inner-circle as an advisor of sorts. The Bastion - The military leader of the Clan. The Bastion is tasked with ensuring the defence and protection of the Clans holdings and its people. The Bastion must understand the Clans aims and interests to avert war unless it cannot be avoided, or must be done to avert the destruction of the Clan. Additionally, they train new recruits and oversee their outfitting. The Bastion is also tasked with handling disciplinary proceedings among members of the clans fighters, including disputes of honor. They act as part of the Doldrosh' inner-circle as an advisor also. The Wolfguard - The Wolfguard serve as the Clans elite Honor Guard, tasked with providing increased aid to dire situations. In some cases they also act as the inner-circles personal guard. Whilst they are expected to serve their superiors loyally, they are expected to think for themselves when a situation requires initiative. The Mork'Kar - The bulk of the Clans forces, the Mork'Kar are the shield that protects the lands of the Clan, and the spear that drives through the heart of the enemies. A strong, disciplined unit, they are taught the true meaning of Lok'tar Ogar, and are prepared to put their lives on the line for the sake of their people. Anyone who wishes to fight, whether they be a warrior, marksman or shaman, is expected to join. Clansmen - The civilian populace of the Clan, including those who cannot fight. Whether they are crafters, civillians or gatherers for the Clan, this is where they belong. Associate - Those trusted by the Clan to allow to be closely accompanied within their society, although they hold no official rank or power. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Coming Soon ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Just a refined draft for the Clan, given The Mork'Kar Vanguard has changed into a different concept. Hopefully this can make for some interesting RP and development!
  2. Since The Flamespire Clans establishment, they have focused solely on their own people. Not many have been seen outside of their territory, save for hunting parties and the like. To the East of the stronghold, down the road that leads to the mountain, peons are seen posting out an area along the road and fortifying it. The foundations of what is to become Mag'Gol, a village for farmers and clansmen from the Flamespire Clan. Whilst the mountain would serve as their stronghold and base of operations, Mag'Gol would serve as a source of cultivation and housing for the clans settlers. Location: Mag'Gol (East of Grom'Thar) Players Involved: The Flamespire Clan Type of Project: Small Village Construction Premise: Doldrosh Bloodfury and the Flamespire Clan have decided to establish a small village outside the mountain stronghold, with the purpose of providing farms and housing for settlers who wish to be part of the Clan, but work in other areas not explicitly related to shamanism or warfare. This is to provide a more ideal alternative for settlers, and help provide food and other resources to the Clan for their needs. Additionally it would help expand their living space and territory. Requirements: 2x Farms - 1x Fruit + Veg Farm, 1x Meat Farm. Livestock for the Meat Farm. Cultivated land ready for planting. Living Spaces such as tents. Settlers/Workers. Guards/Grunts. Overseer/Village Leader.
  3. McDankus

    [Project] Mag'Gol Village - Flamespire Clan

    In recent times the Flamespire Clan have continued work on Mag'Gol. Tents and other living spaces have been raised to accommodate settlers for when they come to live in the village. A tower, likely used for the leader of the guard and the guards, is also under construction. The tower that stands is to provide protection and visual aid for watchers who stand on sentry duty from any lingering threats. For the time being, Mag'Gol is slowly but surely rising. Additionally, cultivated farmland has given rise to fruit and vegetable farms that can provide for the hungry denizens of Grom'Thar and Mag'Gol. Farms have since taken shape, however the lack of livestock means that there is a not currently a livestock farm for meat and poultry goods. Alongside this, roads and markings have also been placed to further plan the construction of other buildings. However, due to the recent threat of the undead and insect swarm, steel walls have began to form, as Mag'Gol prepares to be a forward post in any battle to come. Lastly, Mik'turok has been elected as the current overseer of Mag'Gol village. The villages operation and defences are now his responsibility, and he must report his efforts to the Doldrosh. Working with the peon Pik, hopefully the project will be complete in due time. Completed Task: 1x Farm - Fruit and Veg Farm Cultivated land for planting Living spaces such as tents Overseer/Village Leader
  4. Heroes. What does it mean to you? A hero can be defined in many ways. They can be someone of great admiration, known for noble qualities or outstanding achievements. A hero depends on who the mindset or ideology of that person may be, where others might not see the admirable qualities of that particular person, another may see this clear as the blue sky. In times of desperation, conflict and peace, heroes have always come to aid those who need it, and act as a light in the darkness when all seems dim around them. The Flamespire Clan know many heroes, Thrall, Warchief of the New Horde. Cairne Bloodhoof, Chieftain of the Tauren. Sen'jin, Chieftain of the Darkspear before his son, Vol'jin. In times of great peril on the Doldrums, the Doldrosh has called for a celebration of such heroes. This celebration however, is not strictly tied to the Horde. There are heroes among both the Horde and Alliance, and the world, that are known by all. Broxigar the Red, Bolvar Fordragon, Saurfang the Younger and more who stood not only for their factions, but for Azeroth. All are welcome to the village of Mag'Gol, a growing village of the Flamespire Clan just east of the mountain. In addition to these celebrations, a tournament of sorts shall be held known as the Brawl of Heroes. The rules are as followed: - The Brawl is a fight of strength and martial prowess between two fighters. It is a brawl until the other opponent cannot continue. Armor and weapons are prohibited, and magic is excluded. Only your body may be used to fight fist, feet, teeth and more. - There will be no fighting to the death. If an opponent is knocked unconscious, the fight will end there. Failure to comply will result in immediate disqualification. If it is felt a fight is getting too heated and may result in death, a break shall be issued. - Good sportsmanship shall be given. Each fighter shall give respect to the opposite faction before, during and after the brawl. It is a celebration, and not a means of one-upping another faction. More rules shall be outlined in the future if need be. Additionally, the Doldrosh has sought to reward those of notable placements with the following prizes: 1st Place - A Breastplate from Devon's Library, and one thousand silver, and the title Arena Master. 2nd Place - A Weapon of their choice crafted by Mik'turok (Mats provided by the Clan), and a five hundred silver prize. 3rd Place - A five hundred silver prize. Special Mentions or Notices may be given to those who show respect, honor and showmanship during these games. When the games are concluded, a small feast shall be held to commemorate the victors and sing songs and tales of Heroes past. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ OOC: Where: Mag'Gol (Just east of Grom'Thar). When: Sunday 14th of July 9 PM ST (8 PM BST) Who: Any race or non-hostile faction. (Any infiltrators from hostile forces will be publicly executed in the pit before the or during breaks during the festivities.) GM Assistance: Not entirely. If GM assistance is required I shall speak with them prior just in case. GMs are free to do anything spontaneous though! Combat Guidelines: - The fight will use RPG Checks to determine the fight as it goes on. Physical skills such as Acrobatics, Athletics etc will be used, although most of the combat will be based around Martial Skills with Strength or Dexterity rolls depending on the choice of the fighter. Situational rolls will be asked for by a DM, for example if your character is loosing footing they may be asked to do an Acrobatics check. - Each fighter will be given a set HP pool (to provide a fair way of giving and taking damage). The amount of HP will be determined by your CON Stat. For example if you have 6 CON, you have 6 HP Points. - Damage will be decided as followed; If you fail a defensive roll against an attacking roll, you will loose 1 HP Point. Critical rolls (purples) will cause you to loose 2 HP. The person who reaches 0 HP will be knocked out. Anyone who reaches negative HP (whether they've been critted on 1 HP or the other fighter decides to take things to far, RP is RP ofcourse) will be given injuries dependent on the DM. - Roll orders will be determined by a roll for initiative. A simple 1d20 will decide who goes first. The roll order will go one to one unless a DM pauses the fight to force a situational roll as mentioned above. Anyone wishing to partake in the tournament must contact me on discord or ICly to sign up. That way I can make a roster of who is fighting and a table of the fights. I will also inform you all of how this will be done and carried out shortly!
  5. McDankus

    [Event] The Celebration of Heroes

    Azyria Dawnbinder signs up to the brawl!
  6. McDankus

    [Event] The Celebration of Heroes

    Mik'turok has signed to partake in the brawl!
  7. McDankus

    [Event] The Celebration of Heroes

    Erlania, a Draenei Hunter, has signed to partake in the brawl!
  8. McDankus

    [Event] The Celebration of Heroes

    Mel, Matron of Haven, has signed up to partake in the brawl!
  9. McDankus

    [Event] The Celebration of Heroes

    A few hours before the brawl begins, word spreads that Elder Charrbone and Doldrosh Bloodfury have entered themselves into the tournament. However, they have stressed that whilst they will be partaking in the competition, they will hold no claim to any prizes or titles during the event. It is strictly for entertainment on their end.
  10. McDankus

    New Moonbrook

  11. McDankus

    [Event] The Celebration of Heroes

    Combat guidelines have also been posted now fully for viewing.
  12. McDankus

    [Event] The Celebration of Heroes

    Rothan Ghosthide has entered the brawl!
  13. McDankus

    [Event] The Celebration of Heroes

    Drok'thul Goresnarl becomes the first to sign up to the brawl!
  14. McDankus

    New Moonbrook

    Hi Alliance filth
  15. McDankus

    A wild Kitteh joined

    Did someone mention a whip?
  16. McDankus

    [Event] The Warlords Call

    In recent times, the Horde have fallen into chaos with the absence of Warlord Bloodfury and the destruction of Grom'Thar. Until the return, the Horde have re-established themselves as a growing force of reckoning for their enemies. Around various settlements on Opej'nor where Horde races were found, notices sprung up: Attention, true Sons and Daughters of the Horde! For too long we have been scattered and broken, downtrodden by those who believe we are nothing but savages. I, Warlord Bloodfury, call upon the true people of the Horde who wish to stand under our banner once more. To make amends for the tragedies of the past, and to bring death to those who have wronged us! Join us in restoring our dignity and glory, and allow us to make a home for our people here, perhaps find a way out of these Islands so we can re-connect with our loved ones. Join me in my camp at the base of Grom'Thar Peak. Hear my words, and then decide whether you wish to truly stand with us or not. Lok'tar Ogar! The Horde will never die. Not whilst we draw breath. What: This event is for the chance for people to introduce new characters for the Mork'Kar Vanguard, and to gather more support and influence through NPCs on Opej'nor. Who: Anyone who is a Horde race is willing to join. Anyone with known ties to enemy groups/banned from the area will be turned away. Where: At the Mork'Kar Vanguard camp at the base of Grom'Thar Peak Time: Sunday 23rd of July, 9 PM GMT +1 GM Aid?: Possibly, depending on whether Keepers decide any NPCs from other settlements may attend to listen and possibly pledge to the Horde. Hope to see some of you Hordies there! It's important people tell me their availability so I can choose a more appropriate date.
  17. McDankus

    [Event] The Warlords Call

    Event has been rescheduled due to issues with peoples times. Event will now be on Sunday 23rd of June at 9 PM GMT +1.
  18. McDankus

    wait is this a thing?

    About that....
  19. McDankus

    [Event] The Warlords Call

    Event is schedules now for Wednesday 19th of June at at 9PM GMT +1. Anyone who's going to be there please confirm, so I know what numbers will be there.
  20. If I'm honest, the issue that puts new players off is the information overload of the RPG System when starting, and the fact that the forum guides are a bit muddled at the moment. They're not in exact order and are just a random collection of stuff, more than a clear and concise guide which would be helpful. As Dasc said, you're washing up on the shores so likely you're left with barely little. How will you explain someone managing to get to the shores in full plate for example? When Dragor first started, he looked like a rag-tag Warsong hobo. But now? He's wearing the Champions Battleplate and looks befitting his role. But this has all come through progression, something new players need to be taught. You want nice things? Gotta earn 'em man. Sure, maybe add a few more grey or white items for a bit of aesthetic variety, but I'd say keep it -very- limited in terms of aesthetic and appearance. We don't need people looking like they've just finished level 60 dungeons and are about to take on heroics.
  21. McDankus

    [Issue] Haven Troop Deployment

    My issue is it seems like Haven is just growing and growing with little to no explanation, even Icly. Just sounds like a pet project that someone wants to expand because they can with little to no opposition. Haven doesn't even provide interesting or dynamic roleplay. Even the tavern RP is stale at best. There's only so many times you can sit in a tavern and pick up chicks to bang in your player bought housing.
  22. McDankus

    [Announcement] McDankus' Fiasco

    This really doesn't change the fact that staff have given me 0 updates on how long my ban is. Constantly telling me "it's a tricky situation" and all of that isn't helpful. I've asked numerous times for the chance to sit down with staff and MATURELY discuss the situation, yet it seems to be staff that aren't acting mature and instead hiding from the situation or refusing to give actual updates on what is happening? Yes, a system has been put in place for punishment, but you've still said absolutely nothing in regards to where I fall within the bracket, which does lead me to believe staff are simply using this as a way to repair any leaks in their little boat and to keep paddling. This leads me to the next point. This to me simply states that staff aren't going to give clarity or transparency to their playerbase about a particular situation. To me that sounds extremely counter-intuitive and practically against the concerns of players that have spoken in this chat. The lack of transparency, especially in this particular manner, is what gripes people about staffs handling. 90% of what you're doing is in the dark, with little to no updates other than telling people it is being "discussed" about, which even then has no solid substance for people to go on. To turn around to people and say this is no better than to go "if you don't like it, leave". Let's be real, because I have the PMs to prove otherwise if you try to tell me this isn't the case. But the original ban -WAS- 3 days for the spat in LFRP. It seems people are getting the wrong picture because that's not the reason I was banned for. You, yourself, told me that Varen was going to consider a ban because of me calling Elle a petulant child. A perma. Over such a minuscule insult. Yes, I've admitted I didn't need to insult them, but the insult is no different than a staff member talking down to a player and calling them immature or childish. After that I tried to reason with Varen, albeit heated due to my anger. Regardless of the fact, -YOU- told me yet again that Varen and Elle were intending to ban me for other stuff, and I had to hear from Lang that they were considering throwing other transgressions ontop of my sentence: 1) Accusations of insulting staff members. 2) Spreading lies about other players in whispers, creating hurtful rumors. 3) Metagaming. Yet in the past no one from staff has ever approached me on the subject, nor have I been warned, nor has anything been properly logged. The fact that no proof was given to me on how staff has the right to add this to my sentence (no screens, no proof of any of the 3 above) leads me to believe that this was simply an excuse to prolong the ban or even justify the perma further. Yet the fact that, as people keep telling you, no one from staff has come forward with any solid proof against me aside from what lead to the 3 day ban, simply tells us that the image seems like you're trying to hide and wait for it to go away. This isn't a personal attack on anyone, I'm trying to tell you what you're doing wrong and why people aren't happy with staff and how you conduct yourself. I will say this much, If proof needs to be given in this thread to justify anything, I will do it. At this point if staff won't provide transparency with people, I'll be more than happy to with what I've got. Whilst you can visualize Dascs response as a personal attack or not (although calling someone a coward is such a small insult it shouldn't even be considered an attack tbh), if he can answer discord tickets when he has the internet, then he can spend the time to chip in on this situation with staff. You don't just tell people "I'm unable to handle this ban because of my internet, but I'll still answer tickets with what internet I have" just sounds fishy to me. But that's not the worst of your response. Everything highlighted in red, is essentially an effort of emotional blackmail. Indirect or not. To tell people "what you're saying is going to stop this person from being unbanned" is downright wrong to even do so. Why should -I- be judged because other people are speaking against staff members and giving criticisms. Don't use the uproar of community members as a way to shelter yourself from the issue pertaining my ban. It's wrong against me for one, because I've been more than respectful for the most part since the ban. Don't smear one person with a brush of paint because you want to smear others with it. The fact that you're saying that people are wrong for accusing staff members of things, yet staff have blatantly gone ahead and accused me of things I've allegedly done without proof? That's what an accusation is, no? Claiming someone has done something wrong? So who really is in the wrong? Players for speaking out accusing staff members of bias/cowardice etc, or the staff members who are also accusing a player of the above points mentioned with little proof to bring to the table? Not ONCE did you tell me that the assumptions and "attacks" were what was keeping the issue ongoing. So whether you're saying this in an attempt to force people into being silent because it'll get me into a worse situation, or whether you're just blatantly lying to my face, is yet to be seen. But it seems to me, for the most part, that staff don't really have much of an idea on what they're doing with this situation. And the lack of productivity towards the solution of my dilemma for the most part, partnered with the fact that we've seen staff recently show complete lack of respect for the players as I was banned for, just goes to show either you're all not on the same page, or you're just being childish. I'll again, offer staff the chance to talk to me maturely over PMs to reach a viable conclusion. But I'm tired of being lied to directly to my face, or be involved in some cover up because some staff members wanted to make things personal and then hide away when the backlash became too much. Edit: Also going to throw this here for anyone who wants to know the definition of a personal attack: Please stop taking every little mean word said by someone as personal. It really isn't.
  23. McDankus

    [Announcement] McDankus' Fiasco

    I can agree with Dascs statement tbh. It's been 3 and a half weeks since the ban and we've heard zilch from staff aside from being told "It's still being discussed". It's frustrating because I don't think anyone really understands why it's taking so long to actually reach a viable conclusion. The only thing it tells us is what dasc said, that it's basically being abandoned and/or kept in the dark in the hopes people forget about it. Personally I'd rather not have to wait a month/month and a half to then be told "nah you're still banned for 3 months sorry" because at that point what's the point in even sticking around when staff seem to be handling the situation so poorly? If Elle can't commit to handling this situation, then make a decision without him. From what I've heard he's been mostly absent due to IRL stuff and internet. Whilst I do understand IRL is more important, get someone else to replace the Head Keeper given it's having an impact not just on this situation, but the backlog of 30+ tickets that can't be handled because the Head Keeper ain't available. I'm not going to sit here for months just to hear a verdict which could have been made easily in a matter of hours. Yes, Varen has trouble getting words out or wording things, but that's why Terra is there. Varen doesn't need someone to hold his hand when he needs to make decisions. We've already seen that before. It's disappointing to see a staff team conduct a situation so dysfunctional and keeping so many people in the dark. Even Terras responses have been less than helpful. Telling us it's "being discussed" means little in the long run when there is no action being taken. At this point I'd politely ask staff to make a decision on whether my ban will be lifted/prolonged or kept permanent. Because at least that way I can decide whether to stay or leave tbh because at this point it's proving tiresome just to deal with it. For a server with such a small playerbase that is dwindling by the days due to staffs lack of handling and their complete disconnection with their playerbase, you'd think averting drama like this would be a priority really.
  24. McDankus

    [Announcement] McDankus' Fiasco

    Whilst I understand Elle has internet issues, (not sure how they've managed to contact staff about it if they can't chip in for this situation), I still don't understand why it's taken staff so long to come up with a solid response to the criticism in this thread. All posts hold valid points, not just about my ban, but the situation regarding the server and the relationship between player and staff. Even now I'm seeing incidents crop up of a similar nature to staff members showing clear lack of respect for players in OOC channels, so to the people it appears like these issues aren't being addressed. Staff may see this and think "but we are taking it on board", the problem is that the staff are not -PUBLICLY- telling people, in statements or otherwise, what steps are being taken to solve the issue at hand. It's been a week and a half now since I've been banned, and enough discussion has been made on this thread to warrant a cohesive, sensible response from staff to address each problem, and how they plan to fix it and move forward. Because what I'm seeing right now, is as others have pointed out, a hesitation to address the issues at hand. I get that again, Elle has issues with their connection, but I see no reason why Varen can give his two-cents given he is technically running things at the moment. And even if Varen is unable to comment for whatever reason, isn't that the job of the curator? To act as an ambassador/liaison between players and higher staff? If he's not being used to mediate stuff like this, then why have him at all? That's not me saying his position is useless, it's just useless if staff aren't utilizing him fully for stuff like this. I'm in no position to demand, nor is this a demand, but I don't expect to go more than 2 weeks from being banned before we get a proper staff response on this situation. Even during the whole ban scenario, staff should have had their reasons for the ban nailed down already, but it seems even now that's up in the air which raises the question was this ban made out irrational staff behavior or not? Additionally they should have been more than ready by now to give any form of staff response, so we'll see how long it takes. It doesn't change the fact that with each day that passes I'm loosing time to be on the server. I've already admitted I deserved a ban, but not this long for something so minuscule. And even if I've been banned for other stuff I've apparently done, where's the exact reasons and where's the proof? Because none of that was mentioned in Terras original statement. Trying to be as sensible as possible with this reply, so I do apologize if some of it has come across in the wrong manner.
  25. McDankus

    [Announcement] McDankus' Fiasco

    I wasn't going to comment at all to avoid any issues, but I felt having a statement from the person who was banned matters at this point. Looking back at the whole situation with the ban, It could have been handled much better. On my end, perhaps my vulgar tone of language could have been reduced a bit, but on another note the way I speak is just how I speak unfortunately. Many here will know I use such colorful language often to emphasize points, sometimes a bit too much. The situation started after speaking to Lang about the NPC prices system, something which at the time myself and a few individuals disliked for a number of reasons (which currently aren't the focus of this thread.) This divulged into a debate about how a certain NPC faction (not too important to the topic) would have to pay for all of their NPCs in conjunction with the system, due to a number of IC/OOC angles. The situation escalated when a number of people chipped into the discussion, and some tensions were high when shitty comments were made on either side. What fueled the fire in my belly was the general attitude of a certain Head Keeper, who's response to our critique was essentially "if you don't like the way things are, uninstall". For me, this coming from the Head Keeper, was immensely insulting and such an immature attitude to have. A server with such a small playerbase should not have this as their ultimatum, and instead should be looking at working with the players rather than against them, something I see often than not. Admittedly I made a comment or two that maybe shouldn't have been said, but apologized later on in LFRP for it. After the Head Keeper slapped a 72 Hour Ban warning in LFRP for anyone continuing the discussion (something I found a bit over the top and seemed to be an act of "I can do this because I can") I decided to poke the subject still, more so annoyed that the Head Keeper was behaving in such a manner. It really speaks volumes when the curator has to warn the Head Keeper on their behavior towards players, publicly, in LFRP. I was banned of course for 72 hours, I still felt that was a bit much especially over a verbal spat. The discussion itself did not deserve a 72 hour ban warning, and staff shouldn't be trying to force bans on people in an effort to silence their disagreement with a system. Everyone is entitled to their opinion regardless of who they are or what people think of them, and to behave in such a manner is downright wrong. As Skippy said, it's reasonable to ask OOCly how NPC or Player Factions are operating in conjunction to systems, to ensure there is transparency and also consistency towards all groups. I'll take responsibility for making a small ruckus in discord post-ban, although after a few minutes I stopped talking and let the discussion flow after some people were angry I was banned. Eventually it lead to Elle stating "I know how to stop this" and abruptly banned me from the discord. No warnings, no one pulling me to the side and going "cool your shit man", just a straight up ban. Should I have called Elle a petulant child in PMs? Probably not. But if the chat history of that was to be shown here, people would see that Elle had more than enough time to block me. Instead, they responded with: "No. I'm just not dealing with shitting attitudes. Please, insult me again, because I don't have to allow you on shores. It isn't your right. You don't get to act like a shithead and keep playing here like it's acceptable." Elle, Head Keeper, 05/16/19 And there lies the problem, in red highlight. That clear display of goading because someone -CAN- stop someone from coming on shores. I'll be honest, I don't like Elle, but I probably shouldn't have insulted them the way that I did. But at the same time I must stress, like others can agree, this is has not come without similar behavior on Elles end. There was a quite sensible issue we had a week prior, where Elle contacted me about not taking the piss out of Haven as much being the Argent Dawn 2.0 etc. I complied, politely explained my reasoning behind it and expressed it was a joke, however I would tone it down. We did not have any issues since. Moving on though, as this is not all about Elle (nor is it a personal attack on them), I look at how Varen handled the situation. I reached out to Varen, as I believed Elle had been a bit heavy handed in the dishing out of bans. Admittedly some of my language and the way I came across as quite angered, hostile, something I should have toned down. But after being treated in such a way by another staff member, it's sure to make your blood boil. A few minutes into the discussion Varen stated that I, personally, was making people not want to play. I asked for validation, even though I may have come across a bit strong. Of course Varen tried his best to handle the situation, stating that it wasn't an issue with staff attitude as I had claimed, but an issue with my attitude. Perhaps to some degree, he was correct. However, the next thing he said was something that really did make me feel unwelcome, and made me believe this ban was truly unjust: "The point is we've had several players quit the server over people being dramatic as you've been, and ever since you, dascombe & co of people who acted in that manner on a daily basis left, we had a fine relationship with players. And that's what I'm looking at right now. People who tell me "McDankus and dascombe are back?"" In my frustration, I challenged the statement, as it seemed to me that this amount of players were just a small clique or bubble together. Varen claimed it was five people who openly spoke to him about their dislike for myself, dasc and others. He also claimed "the rest just doesn't want to deal with the drama". This would make me believe that a good majority of the server were against myself and dasc, and it sounded like perhaps a reason for the ban was to get rid of myself to allow these players who had quit to return? The further I delved more into the discussion, the more it sounded like this was server politics. This was further reinforced by another statement Varen made: "Who's more important, you or 5 people?" This quickly became an issue where it was clear that this miraculous group of 5 players were having a bias impact on Varens decision making. I could understand if I was warned about this behavior before, however since the ban no staff have approached me about warning me for -anything- other than Elle with the Haven stuff a week ago. There has been no documented warnings of what I have done, and if there are, staff clearly are choosing not to disclose this for whatever reason, even to me. So how can I improve and stop people from leaving, when staff are not telling me? This raised the question now that, if 5 players disliked a staff member, should they be treated with the same sort of bias when handling disciplinary issues with them? Now, Varen stressed that the bar they want to uphold is (in his words) "Sensitive", and even confirmed that the environment should be PC, which apparently is stated in the rules. The issue, so Varen went on to say, was this: "The dripping sarcasm, the outright insults towards all these things we've been working on for ages now, that's the problem." Many people here should know that such sarcastic attitudes can be seen from many others players, some of which go relatively unpunished as well. It seems to me that a few individuals are normally targeted because, as others above have identified, they don't fit the bill for the clique that is being fleshed out in this server. This is further proven and reinforced by another line Varen said: "You change the way you speak or leave" This has slowly started to become an environment where someone has to tiptoe around people because of their feelings, no matter the discussion. Further in the discussion, Varen stated that insulting the server systems is a personal attack on the work that people have done. If this is the case, and I say "Oh, the RPG Combat system is shit", does that mean I am to be punished for a personal attack? The other problem I see here is the emphasis on the rules, as if they are the 10 Commandments. The problem with that is certain members of staff seem to be getting away with not showing respect to their fellow player. Respect is earned both ways, not given through right of attaining a position of power or authority. I will be 100% honest and state this is not the entirety of the conversation myself and Varen had. I am willing to clarify anything or any points, or speak to people privately about anything that might have been missed and said on my side and Varens. But these are key points that contribute to the situation that you, the players, should know given staff have only given their side of the banning. All statements above, highlighted or not, can be proved and justified, but I will not do so publicly since I don't want to make this thread a screenshot dump. Moving on, this whole fiasco has outlined major issues in Unknown Shores. Firstly, the relationship between player and staff. There's been quite a divide as far as this goes. You tend to boil down this into two groups: 1) The people who are liked by staff (considered to be in the clique as we know) 2) The people who are disliked/tolerated by staff (the ones who are told "change or leave" essentially) This causes major friction because the latter group are often people who, like myself, are honest and very vocal when we need to. This is mainly because as roleplayers, we are passionate about what we do, and when we see an issue you're damn right we point it out. I'll admit I could do it a lot less crudely, but I will stress the fact it is who I am. It sadly won't change, I can only try to be somewhat politer, but it won't change the fact I'm a blunt, honest and sometimes crude person. People lack faith in staff, primarily because of general hypocrisy. We've seen examples of staff members break rules and get off with no punishment at all, and yet when players have similar issues, the problems get dropped on them like a ton of bricks. I understand the "my way or the high way" attitude, staff have a vision they want to deliver, but when your player ultimatums are "don't like it, leave", especially for such a low pop server, you're really asking for trouble. The method of punishment is also, at best, ludicrous. From what I am told, there is a warning system in place on discord, but rarely ever have I seen a warning system implemented for server disputes. Throwing a 72 hour ban warning, especially over a verbal dispute, isn't a warning process. It's an effort for someone to silence a group of people because they don't like what they're hearing, and that's that. During this entire process, other members have staff have told me firstly I've been considered for a perma over called Elle a petulant child. Additional questions have come to light over metagaming and allegedly spreading false lies and hateful rumors OOCly, yet little proof has come to light to say I have and should be judged for it? Regardless of that however, it is clear staff aren't properly executing their disciplinary procedures. I, for one, have not received any official warning points or cooldown periods for -any- of the issues I'm being banned for. Metagaming? No warning. False lies and rumors? No warning. Making players quit? No warning. Yet when something happens like this, staff (Mainly Varen and Elle) decide the best action is to find as many faults to me as they can to justify giving me a perma ban with a 3 month wait to appeal? That's not punishment. That's witch-hunting and considering what's been mentioned above about peoples opinions on myself, I'd go as far as to say it's bias to a degree. I'm not saying I'm innocent. I've mentioned multiple times I should have handled things better and not in the ways I did. I apologize to Elle for the insult to them directly, and also to Varen for any sort of attitude I had at the time. This is not to say I'm begging to return. I deserve a sentence of sorts but anything more than 2 weeks for me is silly. I can't say I can change 100% to your "ideal" community member, but what I can do is make steps to avoid drama. That is why, should staff consider lifting my punishment, I would be fine to remove myself from OOC channels. Retain a discord rank where I can make tickets and have no input in OOC stuff, and remain out of LFRP or OOC in-game channels. I do apologize for the long, daunting post, but when I got into this I was told to be honest and speak my mind and how I feel. I don't want a giant drama fest, and I sure as shit don't want the server to struggle over this. But one thing I will not accept is a one sided argument without the facts from all sides being lay bare for the community to see. They deserve to know how staff are handling this as much as anyone here. No one is free to believe what I put, or support me. None of that matters, but everyone is welcome to come up with their own conclusions. I just want to RP, and bring Horde RP here, as I always prefer to do. Lok'tar!
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