Fourteen years later....

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TimeAdept
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Joined: Sun Aug 06, 2017 7:02 am

Fourteen years later....

Post by TimeAdept » Sun Aug 06, 2017 7:49 am

I played on Arelith back in 2003 and 2004. Maybe earlier, my brain's a sieve. I remember when Zanshibon wasn't in the Abyss, and when Brog was a snowy island separate from Cordor, (And before Brog even existed!) and a great deal of other things. I left when a lot of others did for reasons that are better left to history at this point, and did a lot of time of some other servers over the years, but Arelith was my second home for RP, after my first server kicked the bucket due to a server wipe. I'd brought about 4 friends with me, and was invited by a DM at the time who I played in a private game with a small group on Sunday nights. Arelith then was very different then, of course. Cordor was wild. More than now.

I came back recently. About last week. In the course of that week, I have experienced a great deal of Arelith's new (ish?) systems, having been in game in Arelith for the first time longer than 10 minutes, in about 14 years. In that time, it's easy to see why other servers have waned, but Arelith's population continues to grow and flourish. The DMs are active, and automated systems are in place that allow PCs to affect the world on a very real, constant basis. Systems of all sorts and kinds. Alongside that are areas that simply feel *dense*, and full of content. I have experienced 2 smaller DM events, where I could not tell they were events until obvious DM actions such as emotes or NPCs speaking - it speaks very highly of your spawn systems and dungeons that this is true. You have accomplished more with vanilla content than most servers with maximum custom content have not achieved in a decade. You have a unified vision and direction for the server.

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Tonight I spent the better part of 7 (more?) hours wandering with a group from Cordor, to the Orc Caves (many of these places STILL vaguely identical to old layouts - nostalgia hits hard - Bendir Frontier... is still Arelith Frontier [North] in many ways. Cordor Outskirts is still very much Arelith Frontier in many ways, with a new tileset coat of paint.). We were average level 6 or 7, some as low as four, one as high as 9. We sauntered through the orc caves, me playing Pierce Wellby, a rogue who has come to worship the sorcery known as the 'Guard System', which actually allows me to enjoy playing a dual weild rogue in NWN again. There are locks and traps for me to pick and disarm. There are corners for me to sneak, spawns to scout from a distance. Interesting loot to be found constantly rather than abstracted gold pieces.

We make our way deeper, and then it's trolls (fire or acid only! Clever!), giants, and ogres. We fight the Orc Chosen of Gruumsh, who has a fancy new Phylactery, and can be hurt without breaking his altar, but also now has a quarterstaff and Mestil's instead of a Warhammer and Elemental Shield. He goes down after a long, intense fight, and we continue to head downward. It gets hairier. We fight more giants. Bigger trolls. We almost completely wipe on a Troll Shaman who spams Confusion, Haste, and Slow, and the Paladin, Klaus, is confused and kills the Druid. (oops.) We win over the fight, and the Paladin raises the Druid. PS: The RP has been flowing like ambrosia the entire time and continues to do so for the entire duration of the trip.

We go deeper because at this point we're invested. Also last time we were here we lost to that damn Troll Shaman and we're Hoarrans so it's vengeance time. We press on deeper and find bigger monsters. We find ruins. We see an entrance to an area that makes my eyes light up: Stonehold. Stonehold, the great hold of demons and blackguards, with Baalzebul inside. Another nostalgia rush. It's so odd to see all these areas that are just enough different to throw off my mental memory, but same enough to trip all the right nostalgia triggers. I was legitimately excited and terrified to see what was inside. At this point the monsters are pretty tough. We're shield walling, pairing off with guard, and using terrain to fight, and the druid is smashing heal kits into us like we're mummies. I've been scouting traps and locks and doors the entire time. I feel like a rogue, and the entire trip feels like an intense dungeon crawl (mostly because it was). We get inside, and there we are. Judging by the AB numbers the various mobs were rolling, I can only guess we had absolutely no business going up against the monsters that were in there. We dragged ourselves onwards (with votes arriving to back out at this point - but Pierce and I were INVESTED and I am seeing what is behind all these doors, and that ended up being tiebreakers.)

We very nearly wipe against a monstrous spellcaster, 2 ogres and a spearman. I'm talking full out panic run scattering like roaches from Chain Lightning here. But we pull it out and we keep going (Also we LOOT EVERYTHING. BLESS PICKLOCK AND DISABLE TRAP). Why? Investment. We HAVE to keep going. By this point we've gone from cave to complex to terrifying interior decorating belonging to dudes with some really bad juju. We manage to kill a few more of them and after nearly dying to enemies which are using attack bonuses triple what we are swinging (BUT WE'RE STILL KILLING AND LOOTING BECAUSE WE'RE AWESOME), open essentially every door we can, loot some libraries with some OMINOUS TEXTS and finally get to a door that needs a specific key - but behind it I can see this massive fountain of gore and blood and I want to know what is back there, and I'm going back when I get the key that opens that door. When.

We finally have to back out after biting off way more than we can chew with a pair of Crows, cockroach scatter again, pick up two dead, raise them thanks to the best Paladin ever, and meander our way out of the caves ending up in Guldorand. Some time later, we boat back to Cordor to relax, sell, talk about what happened, and I ding level 8, solely off of the exploration XP we'd gotten from going through all those crazy areas almost assuredly too high for our level. The hardest and most well earned level 8 I have ever gotten while playing this game. Level, period.

If I wasn't already sold, tonight I was. The dungeons are an experience. The monsters are interesting. The loot is interesting. The mechanics encourage using what you find, not hoarding. It encourages stocking up, and grouping up. It encourages tactics, and meshing different classes together. I am playing a human rogue with 18 int and I feel like if I had any LESS skill points I would be direly missing out on content. I cannot imagine not having every skill, because they're all useful now.

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This doesn't even count the DM interactions and PC interactions I've had outside of tonight. The QUALITY of RP here is top notch. Constantly. All the time. Everywhere. I see little... threads of plot everywhere, and I want to tie them. The noticeboards are permanent, and feed the rumor mill, and most importantly, keep everything in game. PLCs are permanent, and signs of player habitations are everywhere. I can just go SEE the Oakenheart base. I can just go SEE the Bramble Watch. This altar to Auril. This fancy bit to Chauntea. It's just THERE. I can go to it anytime any day.

You seem to have worked hard to render your own forums obsolete, to the point that I had to go in game to register this forum account to make this post.

It was with great remorse and sadness that I left my previous server, for a multitude of reasons, but it is with great joy and genuine excitement that I come to Arelith again, after 14 years gone. It's a genuine feeling for the game that I haven't felt in a long time.

This is all just really, really impressive, and the dev and DM team, as well as every player here who contributes, should be immensely proud of themselves. After 14 years, I've come full circle, and I'm back again. Thanks for the warm welcome.

TimeAdept
Posts: 1336
Joined: Sun Aug 06, 2017 7:02 am

Re: Fourteen years later....

Post by TimeAdept » Sun Aug 06, 2017 7:50 am

PS: RIP Wharftown, I knew ye so well, and then it was pirates. What a time to come back.

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The GrumpyCat
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Re: Fourteen years later....

Post by The GrumpyCat » Sun Aug 06, 2017 9:31 am

Wow, they always DO come back!

Welcome back, glad to have you here!
This too shall pass.

(I now have a DM Discord (I hope) It's DM GrumpyCat#7185 but please keep in mind I'm very busy IRL so I can't promise how quick I'll get back to you.)

OverTheSeaToSkye
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Re: Fourteen years later....

Post by OverTheSeaToSkye » Sun Aug 06, 2017 3:45 pm

Welcome Back! <3
Active Chars:
Lily-Rose - Daughter of the Storm
In'iira Arab'afin - Woman of Many Talents

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Bashagain
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Re: Fourteen years later....

Post by Bashagain » Sun Aug 06, 2017 8:49 pm

Welcome back! Yes, Arelith is the best.
"Drider-man, with Great Smite cometh Great Responsibility to SMITE THEE!!!" - Erik Silverarms, in The Underdark. Circa AR 63

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Baron Saturday
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Joined: Mon Sep 08, 2014 4:34 am

Re: Fourteen years later....

Post by Baron Saturday » Mon Aug 07, 2017 3:08 am

This was a really fun read! Welcome back, glad you've enjoyed your return.
Rolled: Helene d'Arque, Sara Lyonall
Shelved: Kels Vetian, Cin ys'Andalis, Saul Haidt
Playing: Oshe Jordain

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Dunshine
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Re: Fourteen years later....

Post by Dunshine » Mon Aug 07, 2017 10:09 am

Welcome back, great read!

Tryn Dralar
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Re: Fourteen years later....

Post by Tryn Dralar » Wed Aug 09, 2017 11:12 pm

You're lucky, you get to comer back to a server that is still around from that long ago. But then, I wouldn't want to go back to the servers I played back then,lol.

Very fun read btw, and welcome back.

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Opustus
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Re: Fourteen years later....

Post by Opustus » Thu Aug 10, 2017 10:56 am

The dungeons go on forever! I rarely have the time to play for longer than an hour or two, so I've only ever been able to descend two floors in a single dungeon: in those two floors, there are entries to a whole network of underground tunnels, which simply overwhelms me. Despite the cheating device that is the corner-right minimap, I'm lost most of the time and it takes me a couple of rounds to remember which entrance leads where. THIS IS AMAZING FOR IMMERSION.

And to the OP: the few times I've been questing with a party we haven't had a rogue along. All the doors, chests, and maybe even secret doors and entrances (QUESTION MARK) have remained hidden to us. I surmise the excitement will start to dampen once you start learning the areas by rote, but that'll take many years of active playing for a new player to happen as the areas are so unbelievably huge.
Characters: all poor babies suffering from neglect

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Ambigue
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Re: Fourteen years later....

Post by Ambigue » Thu Aug 10, 2017 5:11 pm

I had a similar experience having come back after a decade. It's a very different place and far more welcoming, I think.

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Aero Silver
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Re: Fourteen years later....

Post by Aero Silver » Sat Aug 12, 2017 3:00 pm

TimeAdept wrote:Tonight I spent the better part of 7 (more?) hours wandering with a group from Cordor, to the Orc Caves
There is no need to be alarmed. That is a common case of WoW Player Syndrome. Fortunately, it doesn't prove lethal unless the player neglects the basic body needs (water, sleep, bathroom, sandwiches and pizza) for prolonged periods of time.

A common remedy is getting a gf and exercising on a regular basis. Also, try to limit coffee and don't neglect to get at least six hours of sleep, to avoid extra stress on the heart.
All articles that coruscate with resplendence are not truly auriferous. Meaning: all that glitters ain't gold.

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Aero Silver
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Joined: Wed Jun 07, 2017 8:20 pm

Re: Fourteen years later....

Post by Aero Silver » Sat Aug 12, 2017 3:34 pm

Disclaimer: my above post is meant as a joke. You are free to spend your time as you see fit. So don't take this personally.
The important thing is to have fun and let others have fun. :D
All articles that coruscate with resplendence are not truly auriferous. Meaning: all that glitters ain't gold.

zinlor
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Re: Fourteen years later....

Post by zinlor » Fri Aug 18, 2017 2:56 am

Welcome to hang with Klaus any time katana brother. XD. Was one of Klaus's most memorable adventures thus far. Been around the server for some time now. But I must say the DM and development teams are excellent. The players as well seem to have a refined taste when it comes to RP on this server and you fit in well with the mix. Welcome back I look forward to Rping with you more in the future.

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