Goodbye? Oh no, please. Can't we just go back to page one and start all over again?

Praise and Honey Cookies from Players for Players, and Chocolate Cookies for the Devs

Moderators: Forum Moderators, Active DMs

Post Reply
The Notorious Z
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Jun 14, 2018 5:27 pm

Goodbye? Oh no, please. Can't we just go back to page one and start all over again?

Post by The Notorious Z » Wed Sep 26, 2018 3:01 am

I spent the larger part of the last two months playing with some of my favorite people on the server. It had been close a full year since I had a chance to create, develop and thoroughly enjoy playing a character with some pretty cool people and although Valas’ story was short, he has some really great interactions with specific individuals that deserve a shoutout.

Vesta Mel’nozz - You’ve inspired me to really think about my characters before I make them. We spent several hours together, going over Valas’ and Vesta’s backstory. Traits about them that made them unique, descriptions and most importantly the interesting way that they met. Watching their story flourish when they were created on Arelith was really just something else for me.

Vesta as a character meant everything to Valas. In public, she was fierce and confident because she knew, that at a moment’s notice if things got ugly, Valas was always there, in the shadows waiting for an opportunity to save her, if only to gain a favor from her later. They were obsessive and toxic towards one another but that just made their chemistry even stronger and the character became even more enjoyable to play. My favorite part, was enforcing the ‘3 step rule’ and seeing how other characters reacted to it. (For those of you that interacted with them at any point in time are probably well aware of it)

Kren’fryn Mel’nozz - I haven’t seen anyone that can go toe-to-toe with this guy and win. He’s a fierce warlord and proud weapon master of the house. Proud of you little brother.

Vidomina Mel’nozz - When you volunteered to be our Matron, I knew then and there that this house would be successful. We’ve played together on/off for almost a decade now and I’ll always strive to step-up my RP game when I’m around you, because you’re just that good.

Lesrak Mel’nozz - GREATEST Wizard ever. Not only did you enchant gear for the entire house at lightning speed but you’ve been a great addition to the group. From our time spent goofing around while mindlessly grinding for hours, to watching you perform some seriously bad-Snuggybear operation RP, you’ve been a blast to play with.

Baelara Mel’nozz - BARD SONG! The reason Valas could break 72 AC. Ouff. On a serious note though, she was a very well played twisted drow pale master. Although most of our interactions were in a group setting, she was always a joy to have around. I’ve interacted with many PMs in my years on Arelith and none have undergone that micro-level of transformation that I had a chance to see with Baelara and I’m glad I was able to participate in that.

Nyvarion Talvathar - From the first moment they met, Valas was hostile towards him. Valas treated Nyvarion like an object, a target practice dummy. He would experiment various traps, trinkets and grenades on him to see their effectiveness. However, it was Nyvarion’s resilience that proved to be the reason that he became the /only/ human to earn Valas’ respect.

Alissa Duvain - It’s not easy to live as an evil elf in the Underdark, but there’s only a handful of elves that manage to survive without a collar. Duvain’s willingness to slaughter her acquaintance to save her own life was enough to impress Valas.

----

We had countless encounters with our counterparts on the surface. Some ended in victory, others ended in defeat. Although Arelith is a RP server, there is undoubtedly sometimes when you’re faced with adversity and forced to draw your sword to resolve a matter. I want to thank anyone who ever had any sort of conflict RP with Valas’ because, each and every encounter added depth to his story.

Jhaamdath - The short-lived rivalry that was sparked between Valas and Jhaamdath during his Beast fight was great.

David and Harkon Ironmoor - It wasn’t easy keeping it a secret, that I went from playing an ally of yours to being part of the evil plotting that resulted in Harkon’s untimely (temporary) demise. But honestly, kudos to you guys for being such great sports during the sabotage of the cage fights! That was an intense encounter!

User avatar
MajorArcana
Posts: 24
Joined: Mon Apr 09, 2018 8:51 pm

Re: Goodbye? Oh no, please. Can't we just go back to page one and start all over again?

Post by MajorArcana » Wed Sep 26, 2018 3:02 am

Since Valas and Vesta were a package deal - attached at the hip, inseparable, absurdly possessive to a deadly degree - it only makes sense that their Kudos was done in the same manner.

Vesta was created as a lowkey alt for me to play on the side and unwind a bit. Her background was full, though throughout playing I felt development was lacking due to the limited role I gave her from the start. Regardless, there are a few characters and players that really made the short two months I spent playing her memorable.

Firstly, Valas Kil’ar/Mel’nozz - Vesta’s shadow, and sole confidant. He was the only one who knew Vesta for what she truly was, a woman who hated the expectation of being in control, and was able to take the reins while under the guise of being subservient. They brought the absolute worst out in each other, and I feel on some level that’s why they were so great together - they made one another more drow and less “just competitive killers”. I’ll never forget being so used to knowing he was around, but undetectable, and only a shout away from doing what was asked. As with everything he did, he was discreet and sneaky, and pulled it off in a way that wasn’t too gimmicky or overly edgy.

I felt a bit sad that when I decided to roll because it meant that Valas would too due to how dependent they were on one another. It was their time; their story was dwindling, and it would have been cruel to try and drag it out for much longer without a story-generating catalyst we didn’t possess. But I am glad for the time we spent together on what I suppose would effectively be my first “dedicated” drow.

Vidomina Mel’nozz - I wanted to thank you for the opportunity for being in the House, despite timezones effectively cutting down our interactions to near zero in the last few weeks of Mel’nozz’s relevancy. I loved Vidomina’s drive, and domination of the lesser Houses through negotiation (and sometimes force) in order to whip the Devil’s Table into shape for a while. I felt, in the long run, it was beneficial for the district as a whole and RP flourished considerably under her steady hand (especially during the Delano trial event with the three Councilors).

Kren’fryn Xal’rae/Mel’nozz - I’m not really a fan of PvP, and am in fact pretty damn terrible at it all things considered. But the few times we sparred in the arena gave me a reasonable understanding of my build - at the very least, enough to not panic on instinct. Fighting by Kren’fryn’s side, and waiting for his order, was really a confidence booster for someone so inexperienced. Thank you for being patient with me, and for step-by-step explaining the importance of everything I asked about.

Lesrak Mel’nozz - It’s always a pleasure to interact with your characters, albeit our interactions seem to be limited or short-lived due to availability. Lesrak was one of the few male drow I’ve seen to have some semblance of influence in the Underdark - an impressive feat on its own.

Baelara Mel’nozz - Likely one of the only people, aside from Valas, that Vesta was particularly fond of. While most of their interactions were short, no thanks to Valas whispering romantic things in Vesta’s ear (like how much he’d like to poison her drink and watch her drop), they always felt meaningful and a small step in the right direction in terms of development. I wish we could have RP’d a bit more before rolling, but I hope that the super eloquent letter Vesta gave Lesrak found her well.

Nyvarion - A never-ending well of favors for herbs, stemming from saving his tush from the Ironmoor group post Beast Fight Sabotage. The surface-dominant plants came in handy during the brief stint of poison crafting I did in an “experimental testing phase”. Oh, and also for saving ALL our butts when we basically wiped at Beholders. That was intense as hell, and super clutch that you were able to pick up a majority of us to raise.

Jhaamdath - It was a pleasure to backstab murder you in the arena after your “honorable” duel with a Valas. Remember that drow never fight fair, especially when one is as obsessive and determined to win by any means possible.

Alissa Duvain - While we didn’t interact very much on these characters, due to Duvain being of filthy elven blood, it was interesting to witness Vesta tolerate and make an exception to killing all elf-kind found in the UD for her, and her alone. The peace offering between the Sharps and the Devil’s Table through the presentation of a no-strings-attached moonblade was a lovely gesture and certainly sated my normally unmoved drow.

---

Surface-side, there are a few people I wanted to thank for having what I felt was rewarding roleplay.

Ievos Selorn - For the short, tense talk in the fugue after the large “counter”-raid on the surface. I was hoping it would end up in a proper rivalry, but alas it was not meant to be. Regardless, I was really excited to have been able to interact with an elf in that way for the first time, and have it seem like genuine resentment between the two races.

The Arcane Tower - For being such good sports about the repeated, and random, well-poisoning. It was nice to see a chair-sign go up to warn about the water quality, and I felt proud to have made a small difference. It was nice seeing people roleplay getting sick from the water or, in one case, act a bit less intelligent (as the poison claims to do in the description). Praise the Poisoner, Mistress of Disease, Talona!

strong yeet
Posts: 292
Joined: Wed May 02, 2018 9:09 pm

Re: Goodbye? Oh no, please. Can't we just go back to page one and start all over again?

Post by strong yeet » Wed Sep 26, 2018 3:10 am

I loved you guys. I thought you were super cool and fun. Valas was a spooklord and Vesta kept him under her heel (literally. haha...)

I'm looking forward to the next one.

Post Reply