02-27-2012, 10:00 AM (This post was last modified: 09-24-2013, 01:40 PM by Reigen.)
Hey, I get to make a news post. Well, here it goes.
Dragonsworn
Dragonsworn are individuals who have been taken in by a draconic flight and shaped into an agent. They are the eyes and ears of their patrons across Azeroth. Anyone may be subject to being offered the position, but it's largely luck which decides whether or not a dragon takes an interest in someone. They care not for social class, so both princes and paupers may be serving their secret masters.
Dragonsworn must be capable of providing their masters with information, and aiding them in combat if need be. They are some of the best Azeroth has to offer, as the Dragons can pick and choose who joins them. If a Dragonsworn should be deemed incapable of serving his or her master, the position shall be swiftly lost and all ties with the draconic flight shall be cut.
The same will occur if a master's opinion of a servant falls low. Respect must be maintained in the presence of dragons, unless of course you're attempting to maintain a disguise.
Dragonsworn may never publicly reveal who they work for. Granted, they can inform their loved ones and trusted friends about their position, but they must be wary of doing such. For if such information becomes public knowledge, the Dragonsworn will be cut off in fear that someone might use him/her to obtain sensitive information. (Which, for the record, will be enforced by GMs. If your character's position becomes public knowledge, expect to lose it).
Dragonsworn will operate with Dragonsworn serving other flights occasionally. So long as it's not the accursed Black flight, information may be shared freely. Such exchanges must be made in secluded areas, as the information being given is usually sensitive.
Dragonsworn are expected to be able to handle situations on their own. They are not to be babysat by dragons. If they are calling upon their masters for aid far too often for situations not requiring a dragon, a replacement can be found. Most calls for aid are answered. But one's patron will be irked very swiftly should these calls end up pointless, fruitless, or beneath their attention.
'Showing off' a dragon to anyone will quickly earn the creature's ire. Once again, be respectful. I'm certain mortals wouldn't enjoy being shown off as the dragon's pet. Well, the normal ones anyway.
Dragonsworn rarely ever fly dragons. Why? Because such would immediately reveal their identities. It is far more likely that they would call to their masters for aid in a crisis, and a drake of some sort would answer, maintaining the illusion of just 'stumbling upon the situation' or 'a dragon comes where he/she is needed most'. Dragon riding is something the species views with disdain since the red flight was enslaved by the Orcs. This event happened relatively recently for their immortal race.
There are times when a Dragonsworn must reveal his/her identity. These situations are rare, for the dragons are more than capable of representing themselves. If however a Dragonsworn reveals his/her identity, it must be for the best of reasons, and a last resort. Afterwards, if this results in the Dragonsworn's identity becoming publicly known, he/she will be given two choices. Cut all ties with the dragons or cut all ties with mortals and join the Wyrmrest Accord. Both options are respected.
Dragonsworn dishonorably discharged will receive nothing from the dragons ever. They, for all intents and purposes, are just like every other mortal. A Dragonsworn who honorably leaves service will always be given the option of joining it once again, though for all intents and purposes he/she is cut off until he/she actively tries to join again by coming to the Wyrmrest Temple. While they are neither told or entrusted with anything, dragons do tend to keep an eye out for their retired Dragonsworn as a respectful gesture for the services offered to the flight.
'Gifts' are now reserved for Dragonsworn who prove themselves in the eyes of their masters. The same applies to artifacts, though the latter is easier to obtain than he former. Neither of the two will be anything that blatantly states 'I AM A DRAGONSWORN', such as sprouting wings from your back.
The drake companion will be significantly downplayed. Now, it's less a 'draconic bffl' and more a 'drake that happens to be the one you report to/receive orders from'. You can still be on friendly terms, though just know duty comes before friendship.
Dragon Profiles
We've decided that, instead of having everyone have their own specific dragons, we would make it so each flight has a specific dragon that our PC Dragonsworn might serve. This is done with the hope it might foster roleplay between Dragonsworn, instead of everyone serving different masters. Plus it gives the GMs a degree of control over the dragons.
While all GMs can roleplay each of the dragons, we have made profiles for each one so they're roleplayed with consistency. So you all know what these dragons are like, we'll release these profiles to you.
Spoiler:
Profile Creator: Krilari
Name: Terastraza / Tera
Flight: Red
Gender: Female
Preferred Disguise: Blood elf female, often bearing a vast amount of red armor. Should she be in a more peaceful environment, she would bear a red and gold robe instead.
Long Term Goals:
* See the end of the Scourge upon Azeroth.
* Aid the preservation of all forms of life, Horde, Alliance, or otherwise.
* Maintain a watchful gaze over the mortal races as a whole for any sign of rising threats.
Short Term Goals:
* Observe Alliance-Horde relations post-Arthas’ death.
* Lend aid to worthy neutral organizations who combat widespread threats such as the Scourge.
Personality: As a fiery warden of life upon Azeroth, Tera holds her flight’s task to the utmost expectations. Her interest in the mortal races is well-supported by a myriad of whelps, drakes, and even dragonsworn that preside under her in order to keep a watchful eye. While her gaze is maintained both upon the Horde and the Alliance, this has not kept her from putting a fair amount of her interest to the rising Argent Crusade which seems to share a similar goal with her own.
Tera is far from an idle person, and is more than willing to drive into conflicts if, yet only if, her presence is truly required.
History: As the world burned, torn asunder by the war wrought upon Azeroth some twenty thousand years ago, so did the dragonflights. By the betrayal of the Earthwarden, Netharion, each flight was left on the brink of extinction and desperately needed to repopulate, and in that movement would be where Terastraza was hatched.
As a whelp, as with any child, she held a burning curiosity for the world beyond, yet it would never come to be stated as her mother kept a constant and protective gaze over her small brood. It would only be until the years of her adolescence in which Tera would be free to explore the world all about her.
For countless years the young dragon would go about, rummaging through the remains of Northrend that had been ravaged by the grand sundering. Ultimately as she searched for answers about the world, she was only met with more questions.
This quest would bring her to bear many guises and travel many lands in search of what the world held in store. Ultimately this curiosity would bring her to eventually join the conflict against the Quraji that came to be cataloged by her Bronze brethren as the ‘War of the Shifting Sands’.
At the end of the conflict, Tera returned to Northrend to lick the many wounds from her combat, and in that she found a suitable haven within the rocky mountains of Dragonblight. It would be there that she came to evidently produce a small brood of children of her own, though the numbers are fairly small for the sake of Tera’s perpetual curiosity.
Often enough, the mother herself ventures out of the cavernous depths of Northrend to mingle with the mortal races, keeping a fair tab on the major movements.
Spoiler:
Profile Creator: Rigley
Name: Balathagos
Flight: Blue
Gender: Male
Preferred Disguise: Bala takes on a variety of disguises but his preferred is that of a Quel'dorei male, due to their common affinity for the arcane. He can, like others, take other forms beside this one. He has no true sense of attachment to any specific forms and thus is not always very consistent, save where it is absolutely necessary (IE: portraying a noble patron).
Short-Term Goals:
-Acquire mortal servants for various assorted tasks and rigmarole unsuited for his station.
-Maintain some semblance of magical stability in the world by confiscating or destroying various arcana.
-Collect, cleanse and destroy relics of demonic origin or influence.
Long-Term Goals:
-Collect, catalogue, and confiscate or destroy different relics and machinery of magical significance.
-Temper imbalances in ley lines and other assorted phenomena occuring in the world.
-Investigate failed or incomplete efforts of mortal magi and either bring them to fruition or destroy them.
-Attempt to placate tensions between the blue dragonflight and the mortal races, namely those of Dalaran.
-Solve the unsolvable.
Personality: Balathagos' mind is one which works off a complex and intensive sense of logic. This can be difficult to understand, as he is also completely mad. Or is he? It's difficult to tell sometimes. He is prone to blather on about the trove of relics he has collected-- what they do, where they came from, how much magical energy they contain, what color pigmentation a specific part is, and whether it was a Wednesday or not that he found it.
He is rather unpredictable even to his closest associates, though luckily his pleasant demeanor never dips. He views those who work under him as more of students learning from a master than servants, and commonly attempts to teach them about the wealth of magical know-how they deal with. Even if the ability to fully perceive his explanation is completely outside of their grasp. He has immense (perhaps limitless) patience for the unlearned and incompetent, and is much more prone to attempts of diplomacy that any violent course of action. His only real issue is when he finds himself presented with the work of technomagi, often finding the marriage of the two rather unnecessary and detracting from either the elegance of the arcane or the ingenuity of machines. He frequently will attempt to disprove the work of any such machine by endeavoring to replicate (if not trump) the results with magic alone.
He also has an aversion to warlocks and will not allow them to serve under him, as is evident in his policy for demonic relics; cleanse and destroy, no exceptions.
History: Balathagos was hatched in the Blue Dragonflight's home of the Coldarra, in Northrend. While not exactly the most prominent of his brood he always had an expansive aptitude for order and an immense fascination with magic, both of his flight and of the mortal races. By the time he was of age to leave the Coldarra as a drake the War of the Ancients was well underway. With the flight scattering after the betrayal of the Black Flight Balathagos and the other drakes surviving the Dragon Soul's onslaught flocked to their now harrowed aspect, seeking guidance.
To Balathagos' disappointment the aspect had little to say to his kin and himself. Besides instructions for the bulk of the remaining flight to watch over the Mazthoril caverns there was little else specified of them, many deciding to return alongside Malygos to reside in the Coldarra once more. Following the example of the other wyrms which remained behind he decided to take up the duty of researching the arcane. He frequented the stations that other drakes had taken up amongst the Highborne ruins, keen on investigating the magic which had led to the sundering of the world. As the other mortal races began to rise up as the ages passed though, Bala became much more interested in their own endeavors into the way of the arcane. As he grew into the full age of maturity he took flight to the lands of Quel'thalas and the human kingdom of Dalaran, disguising himself in the shape of the local elves in humans as he observed their own forays into magic. Through the wars between orcs and the human kingdoms he took a very passive and analytical position, simply biding his time and observing the chaos which unraveled upon the world. Though he admittedly felt some semblance of disappointment or pity when he saw the fledgling races suffer, it was never really enough to motivate him to act. Passions of emotion were, after all, not scientific-- These people were specimens to be examined, not children to be coddled when their lives went awry.
Eventually Balathagos decided it more pertinent to watch the progress of the newer races rather than those of the fallen Highborne. He took flight to a remote enough location of the world, away from prying eyes-- the crater of Un'goro being as good as any, given its distance from the newly founded lands of the Horde. From here he began to amass a trove of artifacts to observe, study, improve or destroy; Dalaran's fall left him with many such specimens to pick at from the ashes in the wake of the Scourge, and many books to peruse. All of it went back into his home in the crater, simply stocking and hiding the relics away from those who might misuse them.
When the Nexus wars began Balathagos hardly paid attention to the conflict between his own flight and the rest of the world. Seeing the mortal's work firsthand had given him some insight into their machinations, and in no way was he overly concerned with their recent developments. Beyond even that, ages of research and pursuit of higher and bolder magic had made him quite... eccentric. He had become more and more engrossed in the pursuit of knowledge, to the point that he had not even contacted another of his flight in many years. He had shut himself away in his overlook, only leaving to scavenge or observe. Most of the others were still obsessing over the Highborne's ruins still, anyways.
Of course, the Blue Flight's assaults on Dalaran had begun to make the task of visiting the mortal races difficult, and he had no intention of making himself appear a traitor to the flight by investigating the newly relocated Dalaran in person. He decided upon a rather simple alternative; send another in his stead. Mortals seemed easy enough to bribe and manipulate into his own needs, and so they proved the perfect envoy for what was effectively a sight-seeing trip of the new city. And then other regions of the world. Actually, why did he bother flying out at all? There was always some pesky archer about when he needed to land, and his size and azure scales certainly didn't ease passage when in flight.
Better to send some bumbling adventurer to do it under the service of some 'noble'.
With the luxury of outsourcing now growing on him Balathagos began to look into more tasks for his little minions to busy themselves with. Of course, not knowing of his being a dragon would likely be an issue at some point. He would have to deal with that quandary later. Until then he could have them busy themselves with his miscellaneous work, and even entreat them on some studies of their own once his inquiries began returning others interested in the world of the arcane. He concentrated on the bigger tasks at hand and they developed textbook length essays on how a mage in Dalaran devised a polymorph that turned a person into a penguin. Good times.
Of course, the only issue was time. It was rather boring and time consuming waiting to see the results of an envoy's project, and when one of them ended up violently combusting or getting teleported into solid ground in his bidding that was always an inconvenient span of time before someone sent word back that he had either gone missing or had been splattered against a wall. It would probably be better to actually take them under his wing (he found the pun amusing) and have them working in his hideaway. Perhaps he could teach them to be less inane and prone to exploding as well, or at least give them some protective spells to ensure they didn't make a mess of his lair.
The idea was quite appealing. Now to find some new goons.
Spoiler:
Profile Creator: Cressy
Name: Shalara
Flight: Green Dragonflight
Gender: Female
Preferred Disguise: Night Elf, though if coming through the dream, she can sometimes be seen as an Ethereal.
Long Term Goals:
-Protecting the wilds of Azeroth
-Clearing of the corrupt, Black Dragonflight
Short Term Goals:
-Investigate nightmare within the emerald dream
-Ensuring the emerald dream portals' safety
-Locating and finding nightmare that has broken from the dream.
-Seeking and eradicating druids of the nightmare from the mortal realm.
Personality: Shalara is a quiet, collective and calculated creature, emitting a bit of grace only one of the green dragonflight can possess. While she may not be a creature of many words, her actions can be quite profound and touching to those who pay attention and open their third eye to see and understand their meanings.
History:
In the calm of the dream realm hatched Shalara, an emerald skinned whelpling, who's small female frame left her typically unnoticed. She was the tiniest and only female of the four broods hatched that day. Her mother, while attentive to her needs, often allowed her to learn and develop on own. While she was curious with her siblings, her shy demeanor often left her sitting and watching as they played. She did not mind this though, it allowed her to notice things her siblings did not; the texture of the grass, the way the moons allowed light to bounce off of the grass and even how to smell when rain was developing.
Her curiosity with life, nature and the dream only grew as she aged. At certain points in her adolescents and adulthood, she came in contact with the wandering creatures of the dream. She quietly watched them, always being a wallflower.
But her silent nature could not keep her from being sent off to help fight against the Silithid and Qiraji. She fought there and helped push them back into their city, before they were finally locked within the gates. This gave her the opportunity to meet and learn from the Elven people who her flight had been so bonded to. They were different, queerer than she had first thought; this only peaked her interest in them more.
While she spent much of her time within the dream, she did take opportunities to venture off; often spending times near or with the Night elves. She learned of its pasts, their victories and their falls, their stories all made her grow fond of them.
The dragon would pass between the realms for many a years before finding out that her mother was over taken by the Nightmare. Her family and many comrades have tried to keep it at bay, unfortunately all in vain.
Currently, she seeks out help with in the mortal realm, hoping that the kind people that she once helped out could possibly return the favor, in hopes of returning and purifying her home back into the paradise she remembered.
Spoiler:
Profile Creator: Delta
Name: Minormi / Min
Flight: Bronze
Gender: Female
Preferred Disguise: Gnome, bronze eyes.
Long Term Goals:
-Upholding the Balance of Time
-Protecting the Timeways
-Neutralisation of the Infinite Dragonflight
Short Term Goals:
-Defense Against the Silithid Threat
-Investigation of the Infinite Dragonflight
-Observation of Gnomish Advances and Progress
Personality: Min is a staunch custodian of time, but sympathetic towards those ravaged by the whimsical ebb and flow of fate. She has an uncommon interest in the plights of the mortal races, and endeavours to ensure that they follow the intended course of the current world line, whilst satisfying her own curiosity about their development and progress.
Despite her interest in mortals, precious little would see her interfere in a hostile situation - monitoring the lesser races is merely a hobby to her, their lives passing by in the blink of an eye, to a dragon. Suffice it to say, she would only act if the balance of time was threatened, and the risk of damaging the delicate threads of destiny is enough to quell any fickle notions of meddling.
History: "If you could go back in time and change one thing, what would it be?"
The question had caught her off-guard, and she frowned. The look passed quickly, but it was long enough to have been mistaken as one of contemplation.
"It's a tough one, isn't it?" He laughed triumphantly, raising a feathery, white eyebrow.
"Take a break," she teased. "You've been fiddling with that contraption for much too long."
An indignant 'hmph' came from across the table, followed by a short period of silence. Guilt flared, the possibility arising that she might have nipped that sensitive nerve of his.
"'That contraption', I'll have you know, is what people are going to remember me for," the watchmaker mumbled. As she nodded apologetically and bowed her head, he startled her into looking up from her own work with his next energetic outburst.
"Just think! You'd have the power to change the world for the better--" Gesticulations and accompanying words were cut short by a meek reminder, "And the worse. The threads of fate should be woven by the powers that be, if you ask me." Though she chuckled, the bitterness in her smile was palpable. The artisan billowed a sigh and tweaked a gear. "That's no way to think. You can't sit back and hope the pieces will fall into place. Sometimes you've... just to get in there... and fiddle about with your own two... Hah! I've done it!"
...
Hatched aeons ago, in an age of recovery and hiding following the black-winged Aspect's betrayal, Minormi was an insatiably curious fledgling. Childhood fled quickly, but she never stopped asking questions. Taught the cunning ways of the Bronze dragons and guided by Nozdormu’s provident wisdom, she was able to beguile and evade those of the Black Dragonflight who hunted her kin, and sequester herself away in the colder climes of the Eastern Kingdoms. At some stage, she discovered a very peculiar and fascinating race of people who seemed to share her own tendencies. It was with them that she remained, making only clandestine contact with her scattered flight, until she was summoned to assist them in the War of the Shifting Sands.
The audacity of the insectoid race that dared to assault the Caverns of Time appalled her, and her contempt for them was firmly ingrained when Grakkarond fell to their sheer numbers. Having been injured in the hostilities, Minormi opted to remain in Tanaris both to recover and to watch over the sacred Caverns. Only recently did she re-emerge, along with her brethren, when the power of the Dragon Soul was rightfully returned to their flight.
She was encouraged to return to the diminutive race she once watched over. Minormi had recognised them before as being a knowledgeable, ambitious people, and she was more than happy to return to their numbers. She shared in their successes, which were numerous and grand. Sometimes, she immersed herself in their world to such an extent that she almost forgot who and what she was, and why she was there. A rude reminder came during the fall of Gnomeregan, and she shared in their sorrow in the aftermath. Though she had been assured that what was, had to be, even knowledge of the impending disaster didn't soften the blow any. That burden was her duty and her curse, and one all of her kin shared, and she seldom let it slip from her mind after that.
Minormi resides primarily in Ironforge, where her identity remains a secret. She occasionally returns to Tanaris on business, and has ventured as far as Northrend, but the mountain city has become her home away from home.
Spoiler:
(The Black Dragon's personality was written as this so as to make it significantly easier to be a Dragonsworn of him. While still evil, he is not as kill-happy as the others of his flight currently. He will turn fully evil/insane by Cataclysm, and thus the Dragonsworn who serve him will be dropped from service, or become NPCs to be killed.)
Profile Creator: Xigo
Name: Dulthaan
Flight: Black
Gender: Male
Preferred Disguise: Human, black hair and dark eyes, often clad in extravagant garbs. Note - This is only assumed if he needs to represent himself in a mortal form. Otherwise he will take whatever disguise is best for the task at hand, regardless of whether it's a bum or a noble, an orc or an elf.
Long Term Goals:
-Increase my holdings
-Ensure they and myself are not threatened
-Be prepared for father's eventual return
-Avoid drawing attention to myself, or giving a potential threat reason to pursue me
-Find a way to keep these voices from my mind, and potentially from my kin as well
Short Term Goals:
-Acquire additional servants
-Enjoy myself without causing chaos. Isolation can be boring
-Ensure Azeroth is not majorly threatened, after all, it's my home
Personality: Dulthaan is a cautious individual, believing himself to stand upon a precarious metaphorical platform which could tip over with the slightest miscalculation. As such, he has a tendency to over-think things, trying to account for every detail. While he does enjoy his plans and anticipations proving to be right and proper, he can adjust them according to changes. Expect absolute befuddlement for a brief moment if he has to completely rethink something.
He is interested in his own display of power. Thus, whether due to how others perceive an item (priceless painting, trophy of one of his kills) or it actually being powerful (burning blade of badassery), he will often pursue trinkets and artifacts in order to add them to his hoard. After all, a dragon with a glorious stash must be glorious himself. Slights to his ego are not taken lightly, though he's not one to kill unless outright insulted. If someone's respectful to him, he is respectful in kind, only insulting ones who insult him. This even applies to foes (though he will still kill them if given the opportunity).
He finds mortals interesting, largely due to how such puny and pathetic beings have managed to shape the course of Azeroth's history thus far. As a whole, they have his respect. Individually, he recognizes that they are inferior to him. He bestows rewards upon those who serve him, often a trinket of lesser value from his hoard, more frequently giving them to those he believes to be useful. He will keep poor servants so long as they serve him, and do not do anything that might harm him. Otherwise, the individual shall be made an example of before his peers. This usually results in death. He only takes servants that he believes would be useful in the first place, so this is rare.
Today he finds himself waging an internal war, fighting with mysterious voices for control over his thoughts. Sometimes it's hard for him to determine which words are his, and as such, he can sometimes seem erratic in his behavior. One moment he could cry out for blood to be spilled, the next he could be displaying his normal persona, and the next he could be grieving. This nature normally only comes out when he is alone or stressed, as his desire to maintain an image pushes back these chaotic thoughts when he concentrates. He does have a tendency to mutter to himself when he thinks no one is listening.
History: A young drake's wings carried him through the clear night sky, the moon's light guiding his flight. For the past few days he had felt a strange sensation within his mind, causing him to neglect his duties to Azeroth. Confused and dismayed, his course was set for his mother's lair, to seek her council on matters that be.
A great beast of black and molten red passed by his gaze in an instant. It took him a moment to realize that it was a dragon, the aspect Neltharion at that. The drake called out to his draconic patron, pursuing briefly before realizing the effort was futile. His brow furrowing in thought, he sped towards his original destination, another question being added to the many he would ask.
The deep cavern his mother and her brood lived in was dark, flames that once kept it warm and lit extinguished. "... Mother?" Worry carried the drake's words. "Brothers!? Sisters!?" The only response was his echo. Natural dark-vision serving him well, he began to run.
He allowed himself to be relieved as he saw a flickering mass of flames up ahead. "Mother! What has ha-." His voice halted as his pace slowed down, coming to a still.
Before him rested his beloved mother, body torn asunder by claw and fire, surrounded by her shattered eggs. Tears billowed in her son's eyes as he slowly stepped closer to her. He attempted to nudge her head with his own, but the painful flames denied him even the comforts of physical contact. His eyes shut tightly as he dropped to the ground in despair.
"She was weak."
His eyes snapped open, a voice whispering in his mind.
"She died because of this weakness."
"Who dares speak!?" His eyes darted about frantically. "Show yourself!"
"Neltharion is strong. Those who follow him will be strong as well.
The drake rose to his claws, roaring, daring the unseen speaker to step forth.
"You will follow him. You will be strong. Or you too shall fall."
As one might assume from the previous passage, Dulthaan was but a young drake when his kind descended into madness. His mother was a loving dragon, wise and nurturing. She would be slain during Deathwing's quest to mate with every single dragon he had fornicated with in the past, intercourse with him resulting in her death.
As the black dragons began their hunts and quests for personal power, Dulthaan hid himself away, fighting against the voices that sought to control him. Knowing all too well he was too weak to stand up in the political games of his flight, he remained away from his kin, living as a recluse for centuries as his power festered.
It was only when he grew to his full size that he allowed his ambition to carry him. He felt a desire, a need to prove himself to his kindred. And he did this the only way he knew how. By being a threat. Drakes and dragons of all flights were hunted by him during this period, only going for those he knew for certain he could overcome. He would poison, steal, backstab, murder. Anything to further his own standing. Relationships were fickle, and only a means to an end. He had none to confide in, for none trusted him, those of other flights who would have once pitied him now being disgusted as he committed acts of cannibalism.
This path of destruction would come to an abrupt end after defeating one of the bronze dragonflight. Those of her brood fled for their lives as Dulthaan committed his usual acts of decadence upon his broken prey. All save one. A lone drake taking to the defense of the mother.
The tiny fragment of Dulthaan's 'humanity' cried out at this youth's act, fighting with his tainted heart to stay his claw. To flee. To escape. It was only after swatting aside the drake like the annoying gnat it was that he did flee, leaving a broken mother with her crippled child.
He would escape to his lair, sleeping for years as an internal turmoil raged within his mind. Nightmares assaulted him, produced by both stress and the continual barrage he had always received from the green flight after his first kill. When he awoke though, his mind was his once more, though only barely.
The voices that had once faded into his subconsciousness now wrestle with him for control again, thoughts that are not his now invading his mind. He tries to fight them, though such is a challenge at times. Knowing all too well that he could slip up, he has become a recluse once again, not leaving his lair for long periods of time.
Today, he gathers artifacts of power, in the hope that they might abstain the continual lust he feels for them. And they do, to a point. His great horde keeps his conscious satiated, convinced that he is indeed powerful. With a continual supply of them being brought in by servants, he has no need to risk unleashing himself upon the outside world. As long as he stayed within his lair both he and Azeroth are safe.
Whispers in his mind order him to commit acts of unforgivable evil every waking moment. But he fights them. He knows he is strong enough to resist. And he knows that one day he will find the source of these voices and eradicate them. He would be free of his kind's curse.
(Spoiler: He won't.)
Becoming a Dragonsworn
Aligning yourself with a dragon has an easy enough start. It begins with starting a private discussion on the forums with the GMs. Within this discussion you must list the following reasons.
-Which dragon is this character joining?
-Why would this Dragon take notice of this character?
-What would make your character a good Dragonsworn?
-What would make your character a bad Dragonsworn?
You may make this either an established character or a new character. If an established character, the GMs will create a trial for your character to pass. If passed, then he/she will be offered the position, and become a Dragonsworn.
If it is a new character, then you must include this trial within your profile, which will be posted in private discussion along with the aforementioned information. Also, please take note of when these dragons reached adulthood, as they would not have taken servants before then.
Notes
-Night Elves are canonically the most numerous Dragonsworn, and this is for good reasons. They have participated in many events that involved the draconic, whether it was the Sundering or the War of the Shifting Sands.
-Dulthaan, the Black Dragon, would have changed his ways from hunting down and killing other dragons to hiding away around the year -2000. This is when he started taking servants. He did partake in the Nexus War, and this conflict might be a good opportunity to have joined him.
-If we have issues with a character becoming a Dragonsworn, we reserve the right to deny the character.
-The dragons are considered NPCs. They're just NPCs we're creating. They will not be showing up for social RP in taverns, for example.
-Approval requires two yeses.
_________________________
Thoughts? Complaints?
Quote:[8:53AM] Cassius: Xigo is the best guy ever. he doesn't afraid of anything.
My god.. Dragonsworn.. Oh how fun this shall be. But these gifts, I take it something subtle like an increase in strength or better vision and the such?
I'll be brutally honest here and express my great dislike for this Dragonsworn system.
My first issue is with the patron dragons. Pre-made characters? It comes off as stifling creativity. Greatly. Since they're basically the one undeniably speshul thing about Dragonsworn(I.E. That you are sworn to a dragon), that's basically cutting all Dragonsworn into five cookie-cutter molds.
Secondly, I feel the need to express my distaste for the "You have to arpee with these people in order to be Dragonsworn." I.E. Having GM-only Dragons, or that can be RP-ed only by GMs. What if none are present at a time of need as far as IC interaction is concerned? What if they are online and are busy with their other duties? What right do we have to just yank them out of their day and into RP because it makes sense that a Patron wouldn't, say, (And this is utter exaggeration) let their protegee attempt self-mutilation to honor them.
...Also, who says Dragonsworn have to be secret? Rhonin is as subtle as a rhino in a porcelain factory, and he's pretty much the figurehead of Dragonsworn in the Warcraft universe(What with being DS to the consort of the Dragonqueen).
I can understand the want to carefully regulate who gets Dragonsworn, but this seems to be judging people on a personal basis(I.E. A critique of Players), rather than objectively analyzing what characters make sense in the situation(Thus, a critique of Characters), via the good old "You have to RP with me for me to allow you this.", as opposed to deciding from a detached position that a concept for a character makes sense or does not.
Furthermore, I dislike the idea of forming a Dragonsworn clique. It's encouraging elitism on so many levels. Especially with such an exclusive class/variant/free-form thingy. If anything, I'd have Dragonsworn(Public if need be), right in the middle of society, interacting with as many things as possible, and changing the world(Even in the most overt of manners) that we RP in daily, inch by inch.
I quite preferred the way in which they were handled in the previous system. Even though that was a stunted manner of portraying what could be a class with limitless possibilities, it was certainly more free than this. I find it inappropriate for the free-form system in which we find ourselves.
And those are all of my complaints. I'm sorry if it seems I am attacking anyone. It's by no means an attempt at such. Instead, I aim to provide critique.
As for my suggestions?
-Make Patrons up to Players.
-Make going public an option. Sometimes, a show of force is a sound tactical and diplomatic decision. Intimidation, coming from being allied with what are arguably some of the most powerful entities on Azeroth can be extremely useful.
-Make Players describe and profile both the Patron and the Dragonsworn in their Dragonsworn's Profile, and have them post both(In a single post) in the Private Forums. If you feel the Patron that the player came up with is inappropriate, then suggest the changes to make it more plausible. Oh, and make players describe and provide a mini-profile for their Drake as well. -All- of them should have to get three okays. That's the same as Demon Hunters, seeing as all the info would be in one post.
-Keep things objective. Don't force players to interact with one specific other player or GM. Allow RP to grow organically for the Dragonsworn, so it makes sense to the situation that they are in, their standing orders and their peers in life.
(02-27-2012, 11:01 AM)Aphetoros Wrote: Well, I agree with the above but as long as we don't have custom lore there's really not much that can be done.
Actually, none of this involves or even comes close to writing any custom Lore. You don't affect any existing Lore through it, any more than a playable Warden does, or a random Far Seer sitting on a lonely mountaintop, peering at the world.
I have some questions, even though I agree with flammos.
1. Would our dragonsworns be immortal?
2. Many lore dragonsworns are known to own multiple classes. Is this the case?
02-27-2012, 11:18 AM (This post was last modified: 02-27-2012, 11:34 AM by Grakor456.)
(02-27-2012, 10:58 AM)flammos200 Wrote: My first issue is with the patron dragons. Pre-made characters? It comes off as stifling creativity. Greatly. Since they're basically the one undeniably speshul thing about Dragonsworn(I.E. That you are sworn to a dragon), that's basically cutting all Dragonsworn into five cookie-cutter molds.
Secondly, I feel the need to express my distaste for the "You have to arpee with these people in order to be Dragonsworn." I.E. Having GM-only Dragons, or that can be RP-ed only by GMs. What if none are present at a time of need as far as IC interaction is concerned? What if they are online and are busy with their other duties? What right do we have to just yank them out of their day and into RP because it makes sense that a Patron wouldn't, say, (And this is utter exaggeration) let their protegee attempt self-mutilation to honor them.
While the dragons themselves are cookie-cutter, the sworn need not be.
That said, I suppose this comes down to how you prefer the Dragonsworn RP to go. Players can't play dragons by our rules, so this is pretty much the only way to facilitate actual RP on the server between dragon and sworn. This really wasn't that much different than in the past where GMs had to RP a dragon for you in the last prestige system.
Keeping in mind, the dragons are more communal characters than owned by any single GM. The specific GMs were just the ones who wrote the profiles. There are also advantages to having a single dragon for each flight, being that we can use them to create events and expand upon their role, and the role of their respective sworn, to create RP. That wouldn't be possible if every sworn had a different dragon.
Now, yes, I can see problems with "What if a GM is too busy to RP the dragon for me?" and I can see that as a valid complaint.
Quote:...Also, who says Dragonsworn have to be secret? Rhonin is as subtle as a rhino in a porcelain factory, and he's pretty much the figurehead of Dragonsworn in the Warcraft universe(What with being DS to the consort of the Dragonqueen).
Rhonin gives me a headache in general.
In any event, this is an experiment, just as allowing Demon Hunters to exist was an experiment. If things go poorly, we'll adjust as necessary.
Have you hugged an orc today?
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(02-27-2012, 11:18 AM)13kira13 Wrote: I have some questions, even though I agree with flammos.
1. Would our dragonsworns be immortal?
2. Many lore dragonsworns are known to own multiple classes. Is this the case?
And also, by what I understood, the only RP we, the dragonsworns, could get, is either being secretly seen by an invisible, OOC, GM, or being -with- the GM, ICly. That correct?
02-27-2012, 11:55 AM (This post was last modified: 02-27-2012, 12:00 PM by flammos200.)
(02-27-2012, 11:18 AM)Grakor456 Wrote: While the dragons themselves are cookie-cutter, the sworn need not be.
That said, I suppose this comes down to how you prefer the Dragonsworn RP to go. Players can't play dragons by our rules, so this is pretty much the only way to facilitate actual RP on the server between dragon and sworn. This really wasn't that much different than in the past where GMs had to RP a dragon for you in the last prestige system.
Keeping in mind, the dragons are more communal characters than owned by any single GM. The specific GMs were just the ones who wrote the profiles. There are also advantages to having a single dragon for each flight, being that we can use them to create events and expand upon their role, and the role of their respective sworn, to create RP. That wouldn't be possible if every sworn had a different dragon.
I'd think that if someone were sworn to a Dragon, they'd mold themselves to the Dragon's wishes, no? You can't really afford to offend your master/mistress, seeing as they're an enormous magical winged lizard that could kill you if they sneezed wrongly. Singular Dragons have singular types of preferred servants.
And, at least in the last system, you could write IC Posts containing the Dragon without it having to be drawn from in-game RP. At least, to my knowledge and observation.
While I won't deny that having the Dragon as a sort of Questgiver NPC is quite fine, I'd like to point out that having a sort of Dragonsworn-centric storyline only furthers their dissociation from the norm. If you're going for the incognito approach to Dragonsworn, then opening up the 'Quest' to the public defeats the purpose. And if you're not, then other people may feel excluded for not being Dragonsworn, in a storyline clearly dedicated to them. (On the other hand, if you -don't- open it up, you further the clique and the elitism and the 'Oh, you're not invited, because you're not a part of our super-awesome group!')
I'd like to put Dragonsworn on a similar level with everything else out there. "Oh, one of those." to the rare connoiseurs and "So, what're you supposed to be?" to the masses of ignoramuses.
Quote:Rhonin gives me a headache in general.
Tell me about it. He's one of the biggest Mary Sues in aaaall of Warcraft. I find it funny how they keep him as canon yet dismiss much more plausible and down-to-earth things.
Anyhow, thanks for the answer! It sort of puts me at ease that it's an experiment.