Istaria Storyline: Brushing off the Cobwebs
Interestingly, I see a lot of discussion about mechanics, but I haven't seen a thread which discusses possibly moving the timeline/storyline of Istaria itself forward. (yet, forgive me if I am repeating a former thread, but I did search first). If you're the type with a weak constitition (allergic to discussions of new content or posts over five hundred characters), flee. Flee now while you can!
Horizons is a very niche game. I won't even bother trying to compare it to other games because, quite simply, it isn't. The game has essentially been drifting in limbo for a year, and yet people still remain. Some would call that loyalty. Others may call it a habit. Yet, I came back to the game from years' absence, and I note that others are doing the same. However, after my second or third week ingame, I found myself wondering why I was logging in. Surely, there isn't that much to do. Work on another abandoned site no one will ever see or visit, grind up yet another crafter for items because I can't find anything I need at a decent price. Wander around saying not a whole lot to anyone because no one seems to be talking in anything but guildchat. The channels are that same sort of "MSN feeling" to them. It's friendly, but in that "we're just passing time" sort of way.
I see a lot of discussion about the lore, mostly dealing with "interpretation" rather than what was actually written. It did get me delving into the lore from Back in the Day to refresh my memory, and I found myself again tantalised and eager to read all the lore I could find, with the enthusiasm I had when I first heard of this game in beta; all the little tidbits and hints which we used to postulate over in the community channels and in the squares for sometimes nearly hours at a stretch. It brought back some rather good memories. I remember freeing the Satyrs. I remember reclaiming the homelands of the elves. I remember getting those first dragons to adult status (even though the AROP didn't technically exist, and didn't until a few months later). I remember that buzz and excitement of the first attack of the Withering Aegis. Yes, so there was still the grind, still the crafting this and dragging-in-a-cargo that and heal and res, heal and res with total utter chaos and trying to figure out which way was which, but the main thing I remember was the sense of urgency, of taking every and any offer of help from whoever gave it, or forming up for a resources run with total strangers.
And then I felt strangely deflated...where is that now? Where is the urgency, the drive to get the Aegis halted before it reaches Dalimond's walls? What is Istaria's future now that the Aegis seems to be long gone? Is it still a game, a world, or is it just a habit?
Yes, I know the arguments about "fix what's broken"; mostly this comes down to mechanics. But I don't play for mechanics. I'm a roleplayer, I'm a storyteller, and that's the only reason I play. The game is still badly broken and there's a lot that needs fixing, but I'm still playing it, because I'm hoping for the story. Right now, there isn't one; the well is dry. I could make something up - and invariably many a person already has - but why, when there's so much there about Istaria, so much there which could be used to give us a purpose WHILE what is broken is being fixed, to give new players something to look forward to and get involved in? Indeed, there's no need to create new content; the content is all there, in the lore - half finished histories and hints to potentially catastrophic futures, all waiting to be put into motion...just waiting for everyone to take sides, to get involved or to resist, to put their shoulders to the stone collectively and push, or to pull.
I suggest it's time for Istaria to dig into its lore and come up with a bit of storyline. I'm unaware what Vit has planned, but I don't see why any community-created tale couldn't tie in. There's no need for it to warrant the introduction of a new race, but perhaps it could pave the way for new events for the future.
Just a few examples which I am quoting directly from the Lore of Istaria:
- It is said that either under the icy bedrock of Kirasanct, or perhaps in a nearby cavern, lays(sic) a dormant portal to the Realm of Twilight. It is rumored that before the onset of the Lament, the Fiends were actively trying to re-engage the portal, creating a gateway between the Prime and the Realm of Twilight, where it is said that the Fiend's patron deity, Niatha Moraven, dwells. The Fiends have never made a secret of their desire to strengthen the connection they have with their chosen goddess; in fact, the Fiends chose to found Kirasanct over a source of potent magical essence in the hopes that it would fuel their rituals and sorceries to achieve said goals.
- The decision of the Withered Aegis to bypass the Dryads, however, was brought on by the Dryad’s own manipulations of the magic that defines the laws of reality upon the Prime. The Dryads, being the masters of magic, had found a way to supplant mirrored areas of other extra-planar realms on the Prime, and vice versa. This allowed them to, in essence, remove their city of Palmyra and the vicinity from the Prime and replace it with a linked counterpart in another realm.
- The home of the Satyr is an elegant city along the shores of eastern Aradoth known as Bachan, in honor of their chosen deity. While Bachan has not been visited in many years by anyone from western Aradoth, history tells of a city where detail and elegance of architecture rule the day. The Satyr are thought to be excellent builders, as the elegance of their city was proof of such. Detailed accounts of the Satyr’s magnificent use of wood for most of their structures is covered in texts dating back hundreds of years. The structures of Bachan were said to be made of a wood that was specially treated with magic essence, giving the wood a resiliency like that of steel. The Satyr made expert use of other resources as well, dedicating their structures to their own pursuits. The city was thought to have multiple temples to Bachanatus as well as a large and ornate amphitheatre that dominated the center of the city.
The above is but a small tidbit of what could be pressed into service for potential new stories and goals -actually Istaria is full of things which had so much potential but then seemed to fall into disuse; artifacts, the whole of Tazoon - a beautiful but completely abandoned city, but the same could be said of all the cities of Istaria. The beauty about creating some new lore, some new event we can sink our teeth into is it wouldn't necessarily need to happen overnight - the building of the tunnel for the Dryads took months, and each few patches, we got a bit more story leaked down, but it was enough to keep everyone hyped up and postulating all that time.
But even these small bits I've listed above offer a considerable amount of opportunity; just getting to either the old Satyr lands or the Dryad's prime would take a considerable amount of effort, and no one said it would have to be an easy task - there will undoubtedly be plenty of hardships along the way. The delving into the planet's core to find the Fiend's Lady in and of itself would be rather charged from not only a physical gathering/preparation period but also from a rather moralistic ground; no one knows whether the Fiend's Goddess is benevolent, including the fiends. After the destruction and continuing pockets of Aegis, who truly wishes to risk another cataclysm? Why, those who do not fear power of course, the Fiends and the Lunus come to mind, but if we must talk about "not doing stereotypes" then surely there are beings of other races who might be interested in grabbing up a shovel and digging deep....
I doubt it would take too much to set up at least the foundation of such "mini-arcs" of story; the tunnels were essentially differently-coded dragonlairs. However, it would take some creativity to allow the storyline to move and twist, to rise and fall, and maybe take a few surprise turns! That's where the writing comes in.
"But they've got to fix the game!" you cry. Indeed, they do...however the one thing I note from the Horizons of Olde is they were never adverse to allowing the community to lend a hand with its own story. There are NPCs named after ingenious players, food items with names given by same, quests written by others. Thus, if Vit truly doesn't have the time to dedicate to writing any new lore at the moment...let us take up the pen (or keyboard) and write a few intros ourselves. Give us a quest-line, chosing from the lore of the game, and let us submit it privately (just to keep the sense of surprise). Let Vit choose the one they like the most, and then, the hints start coming in - and perhaps there's something in the world an enterprising explore has just found which no one has ever seen before...or heard of before. An NPC traveller who happens to be calling over the hills that the end is near - and no one listens. A region of resources which has suddenly become blighted - or perhaps an effect no one has ever heard of before. A race which finds itself becoming "magically unstable" and prone to power surges or collapses. Or the sound of "taptaptapping" as of someone gently rapping below a city's foundation...and we doubt it's Avon calling.
Excitement. Anticipation. Postulation. Discussion. Exploration, and sometimes the urge to just charge bravely into the unknown to get one's bum handed to one on a plate - so they can charge back yelling "You will NOT believe what I just found, everyone, grab a weapon, here it comes!"
Namely, let's make this a game again...not merely a habit.
Congrats on some well thought out approaches.
Originally Posted by C`gan
