Best Of

Re: Farewell, Lusternia

It sounds like you're being forced away from your baby and that's very upsetting to hear. Of all the IRE games only Lusternia ever inspired me with its lore and story - you created a wonder and I forever judge every other game against it. For me mechanics was and always will be second to the story, and I have loved the world you built. I really hope you are able to be able to continue to nurture your creation in some form.

Lavinya

12

Re: To Trust Her and Love Her

I have to say that when Aruokei said centaur-eating was acceptable, thoughts of Everiine's reaction to any Serenguard saying that flashed through my head.

Xenthos

5

Re: Farewell, Lusternia

Okay. Lots of people have been effusive in their praise. I'm going to take my post in a different direction; as anyone who knows me well will be shocked to hear: I have Concerns.

Lusternia-the-game is not about the mechanics, to me. The bulk of us don't play it for the PvP (some of us find it nice as an occasional fun diversion, but it's not the main point of the game). We certainly don't play it for the PvE (while I personally like PvE more, if I really wanted to play a game for PvE there are thousands of other options; any mainstream MMO is far more complex than IRE MUDs in this respect).

Don't get me wrong! Both Orael and Ianir are well-known quantities by now, and I have no doubts in their capabilities and capacity as they have steered Lusternia thus far, but neither of them have been the consistent center of lore and driving force for stability in terms of Lusternia's main selling point: the lore (to my knowledge, at least).

What is going to happen here? Are things just going to drift? This has always been a bit of a tug-of-war; I remember when Glomdoring went through a brief Return Of The Living Zombies because they all got nuked, Estarra wasn't aware, and things got very messy. But she worked with us to come up with a solid Glom plot point and keep things consistent, letting the zombies go back to their well-earned rest. I've seen any number of God blogs where the volunteers float something and she just waxed on and on about even the most minute bits of Lusternian lore. Is that all just gone now?

Estarra and I have a... rocky / complicated history. I found Lusternia during a very troubled period of my life. And especially during those early years here, Estarra and I had a lot of conflict. I've still not hesitated to tell her when I think she's making mistakes. But one thing I've never doubted was how much she loves this game-- this play-- that she's been lead director on, and we've been the actors on the stage for. So much of my life has been spent here, with her, and with some of you that've stuck around through these many years.

I'm actually feeling a bit lost myself, now.

Xenthos

12

Re: Farewell, Lusternia

There have been a lot of times when we've butted heads. A looooooooot of times. I can't count how many times we've snarked back and forth over something that really ended up being unimportant in the grand scheme of things.

But I want you to know that at no point have I ever wanted you to leave, or thought Lusternia would be better off without you. This is your creation, and it's my second home. I don't actually know how long I've been playing (my oldest surviving character is 377, if that helps), and every time I've gotten fed up or tried to leave, your creation has pulled me back in. No other IRE game compares to Lusternia, even with whatever faults and mistakes some may try to find in it. Its story is a neverending tapestry of possibility, and I can't help but to think the greatest Weaver of them all is now leaving us. Lusternia would not be the roleplaying dreadnought it is now without you. Thank you.

I hope that wherever your path leads you, you remember us fondly and maybe sneak back in to secretly play alongside us if you want.

Shaddus

11

Re: Lack of Raves VI: Rave Today, Tweet Tomorrow

Raves for @Daraius helping me out and forgiving me for every mechanic I forget each time I log in. Hero.

Sylandra

5

Re: Character breakdown

This looks fun, so I'll hop onto this train!

Character: Esei

THE ESSENTIALS

Race: Elfen
Gender: Woman??
Guild: The Auguries
City/Commune: Glomdoring
Order: Nocht

THE LOOK

Hair: Red
Eyes: Brown
Height: 6'+
Build: Lithe
Defining Features: Freckles
Piercings: Ears, right nostil
Scars: None visible
Tattoos: Historical Glomdoring saga on the waist, Mother Night on the arms

PERSONALITY

Strengths: Curiosity, openness, steadfast
Weaknesses: Sometimes a little TOO curious...
Attitude: Mischievous but willing to get serious
Morals: Kindness is not mercy
Pet Peeves: to be discovered!
Best way to piss her off: to be discovered.
Best way to get on his good side: Being yourself, even if yourself is not what aligns to her ideals

FAVOURITES

Color: Purple
Location: Nocht's shield shrine in Glomdoring
God/Goddess: Nocht
Guild Master/House Head: Rancoura's the only one she's had
Artifact: a fur-lined mantle of frost (never used for battle but it's pretty, so)
Commodity: silk
Animal: fire wyvern, so far
Item owned: some of her paintings, which I won't describe here - you gotta be Special for that
Village/forest/region: either the Glomdoring proper or the Ethereal Glomdoring
NPC: Liadahn, the Auguries' guard barghest
Memory: being baptized into Nocht's Order
Song: none I can think of
Drink: Eliron gave her some white berry tea one time... that?

MINDSET

Goals: achieve high status within her guild and commune, without overstepping
Ambitions: none, yet. pretty unambitious all-round
Nemesis: none so far!
Rival: Slowly, it's becoming Lief, but not necessarily in a derogatory sense
Best Friend: Either Freja, Regat, or maybe Gurashi... so hard to choose
Idol: Rancoura, honestly!
Best personal achievement: becoming a professor in the Shadowmaze
Worst personal achievement: leaving 4 novices in holes
Most shameful moment: none that I can think of

SUMMARY

Why you should hate her: can and will butt heads with you if necessary
Why you should love her: willing to lend a hand, an ear, or a shoulder to cry on
Why you should fear her: behind that smile is a razor-sharp brain with ulterior motives. be wary.
Why she is harmless: when alone, she's a mischievous little shit, always thinking up something or another
If she ruled the world, you'd best expect: nothing. she would pass up the offer. too much power can go to one's head.

Esei

5

Re: Farewell, Lusternia

A fond and heartfelt farewell, Estarra. Through ups and downs, good times and struggles, I appreciate your efforts, creativity, and love for all of us and the game. The lore of Lusternia has been so incredible, and never ceases to amaze no matter how many read-throughs you do.

I wish you all the best.

Never forget #IronCon2013VegasBestShitShowEver

Zagreus

13

Re: Farewell, Lusternia

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5020142/uploads/editor/lf/p68qagj1fm75.png

Thank you.

Gurashi

20

Re: Farewell, Lusternia

@Estarra - I've known you for a long time. Off and on for more than a decade.

To me, you are Lusternia. You breathed life into it, and its stories, its people, it histories, all of it you have worked out painstakingly, and it shows. This is the only world I can truly feel like I've entered, fallen in love with, and felt like I live it.

You built a team of people around you who expanded on this shining vision of Lusternia, and you taught us how to treasure the story, and how to make beautiful even the most mundane.

I have learned so many things because of you, and not just about progging, or building, or quest design, or even story. I echo @Czixi in saying this: You showed that you cared to so many people across so many years. You stayed and worked even when so many of us left and returned. And some of us have stayed, and some of us have come back to the game, because of you.

It's going to be hard to continue doing what I can for Lusternia without you. But you have made me love Lusternia.

Thank you for Lusternia, a work across the years. You have put yourself in it, and it shows.

Maylea

16

Re: Farewell, Lusternia

When I was a wee ephemeral, several months in and about to release my first area project, something went catastrophically wrong. Roark had had to code something especially for it, and it worked in a way we didn't expect. We found a fix, but it meant I would have to edit every single denizen, item, and part of the quest. I was in floods of tears. My event was meant to start the next day.

Estarra, who had much better things to do than fix my problems, single-handedly changed every single one. She calmed me down, and took care of it, so that I could focus on the two hundred other things I was meant to be doing on a deadline. Over the years, Estarra did things like this for me over and over again. I couldn't possibly list them all. The thing I want you to understand is this: whenever we have needed her, Estarra has been there for her Havens children. She loves us deeply, and we have always known that, no matter what.

We really are a family. We are as shocked as you, and as we go through that shock we are grieving together, a process that no one is having to do alone. We want you to know that none of you are doing that alone, either - and that the Havens family is going to make certain that the brilliance of Estarra's legacy continues to shine through.

The number of lives that Lusternia has touched and improved and even saved cannot be underestimated. None of that would have happened without Estarra. So we in the Havens family hope that you will all join us in expressing our love and gratitude to this Goddess who has transformed our lives for the better.

Czixi

17