Dragon RPbarely exists let alone permeates the dialouge on Dragon chat [ as it once did ]or in groups. [:(]
I miss fiesty Lunus trying to take a bite out of my gnome.Dodgeing snoutskept me on my toes and helped me train my evasion skill. [:O]
Though intended to be a major factor in faction selection, there seems to be little consideration of faction ideology in the choice of faction by newer dragons difference between the RP of players from each. A 'useually' trait [ melee/scholar ]has surpassed an always trait [ factionideology ]as reason to choose faction which makes me very sad. Just as a Helian can be meleeoriented [ 1/3 of the Helian I know are ], personalised variations of faction ideals can be part of the fun. Evenoff the wall original RP [for thosedragons that remember 'the world ofBOB']such as'BOB'spiced up chat. I enjoyed the back and forth between players of each faction as it was all in fun [ granted every now and then a newb will take it too seriously, but last time I checked Order was an RP shard.. ]. I enjoyed playing HZ more when the RP was alive, am I alone in that?
What I feelkills the RP chatis for a player to RP ideals that are diametrically opposed to the idealsof the faction they chose and claim to bepart ofthat [ based upon ideology ] they shouldbelong to the other faction or create an independantlike Helians who eat sentient bipeds or Lunus who wantequality for all races. It destroys lore based RP chatsand places the players who were RP chatting in the position to either move chat to private, quit chatting or disagree whichtends to create a ridiculous arguement. My request being that while whether or not aplayer RPsis one's choice, but please don't 'anti-RP' by trying to rewrite dragon lore, etc...
Bring back the RP! [:)]
[quote user=www.istaria.com]
****************Istarian DragonsFaction Lore *****************
Even with the distinct and unique nature of Dragonkind in Istaria, there are certain realities of being that even the mighty Dragons cannot escape. For hundreds of years, the Dragons have endured what outsiders call the Great Schism. In what is known of current Dragon society (the Dragons are not fond of openly sharing the details of their personal business with the world at large), there are two major factions: the Lunus and the Helian. The Lunus view themselves as the paragon of civilization, and that the other races should serve either to praise Dragon civilization (from a comfortable distance away), or they should simply get the hell out of the way. The Helian see themselves as the protectors of knowledge and of the world at large; they feel the other races of Istaria could learn much from their example, and often inform them as much when they do decide to communicate.
While at first, the differing philosophies of the factions never found themselves at odds, they began to clash when the maturing Living Races no longer feared and revered Dragonkind as they had in times past. The Lunus, typically the warriors of Dragon society, felt that the other Living Races, especially the Humans, would eventually spell the downfall of the Dragons and wanted to take appropriate action to stop it. The Helian, usually the scholars and mages among Dragons, countered the Lunus by saying that Dragonkind should take the lead in Istarian society, re-earning the reverence the other Living Races once had for them. The differences compounded between the factions, and over time became twisted as the inherent, unflattering draconic characteristics of possessiveness and greed twisted each side?s view to the point that they found themselves at odds. Eventually, both factions became so disaffected with each other that unless immediate and drastic changes were made, the Dragons might turn on their own. The Helian acted first, choosing to relocate themselves away from their ancestral home so that they could pursue their agenda in peace. The Lunus were not happy with their society being torn asunder, but they did not move to stop the Helian; cooler minds realized that a civil war would certainly have spelled the doom that they had been predicting all along.
Though the Dragons now have turned their attention to the continuing threat of the Withered Aegis and their Undead Hordes, the memories of the Great Schism are still as fresh in their minds as though it had happened yesterday. The Helian have an open dialogue (as open as dialogue with a Dragon can be) with the Humans, the Dwarves, and the free city of Tazoon. The Lunus have found it necessary on occasion to work with their neighbors in the mutual defense of their lands from the Undead Horde. The Lunus share their dislike for the Humans with the Fiends, and this mutual dislike has fostered cooperation between them. The Dragons remain two distinct cultures to this day, and even though the menace of the Undead Hordes might force them to work together from time to time, there is little chance that the Dragons will reunite under a single banner anytime soon.[/quote]
**I hope when/if faction based abilities are added that the strongest melee/magic attacks, such as gold rage and Silver str,are open to all dragons. Otherwise there could easily be a valid conflict between one's combat preference and thier 'ideals'.