General RP Chat #52: *A flash of light did nothing*

While Telogrus sounds lovely, I suggest come to Suramar and stay with us untill this is over
The Legion is defeated, so there is no reason we can’t have the Eye of Aman’Thul back (Khadgar “borrowed” it, like the Lightforged “borrowed” the Vindicaar…), reignite the Nightwell and raise the shield once more to lock the insane world out… With Oculeth portal-network we could help Magni to save Azeroth…
N’Zoth is coming, and it would be wise to have that shiled again… just in case
But even without the Well and the Shield, Suramar is the safest place at the moment from the insanity of the world

In this particular case it creates more problems than it solves. At this rate she may well become a political refugee, though, if she’s not supposed to be an outcast already in this threadbare canon and weird timeline.

I’ve seen no indication that the transformation can be replicated even if you’re willing. Mari’s state is a strange beast in that she’d logically be exiled anyway in the current climate for what she was doing RP-wise during Legion. The context of the whole void elf thing was just “oh, well, she’d be in trouble. Thanks, Blizz?”.

I’ve said so before but she’s wholly disillusioned with most things and in a bit of a pit. She’d leave on her own accord if she believes the regent lord betrays the memory of the fallen but even then you don’t cure depression by adding voices!

An interview with one of the Blizzard’s devs sort of implies that they are increasing in numbers and somehow replicating the process.
" But it’s natural as other elves have found out about them — elves who are interested in new sources of magic, power, or opportunities — would see if they could undergo a similar process. They’re not … recruiting , necessarily, but they’re open to those who show a similar interest."

Source: https://www.polygon.com/2019/1/21/18188397/wow-world-of-warcraft-allied-races-story-nightborne-void-elves-steve-danuser-interview

In which case she might have a Zellig moment of “help me protect what I still hold dear” but the way things are written, I can’t even tell if she should already be an outcast and I can’t even play her ingame as a result.

It’s like “remember all those things you do? Yeah, that’s been illegal for years and we exile everyone who’s like you. You didn’t get the memo?”. It’s extremely awkward and Mari is either on the brink of defecting (though not necessarily going Void) or was exiled all along and present during the rift incident demanding a giant and inconvenient retcon.

I’m mostly just annoyed at Blizzard’s writing and new lore putting yet another character of mine in a weird situation without sufficient clarity to move forward.

Yeeah… they made up some stuff about it, and kept stuff so vague that it’s difficult to say what should we do. What happened to blood elf warlocks? What happened to the shadow priests? The subtlety rogues who as far as I know canonically use shadow as well? Whether all these would be exiled out of Quel’Thalas or not if they were secretive enough about it, we don’t know.

Not to mention that we don’t know when the exile has happened either, to my knowledge… the one of the original void elves, that is. Could be anywhere between the Sunwell’s purification and Legion’s invasion, pretty much. So I know what you’re feeling, regarding not knowing how to write your character. Whether Laurenn should have any idea about Cataclysm’s happening or Garrosh becoming Warchief is something I can’t even be sure of… which is a pretty big deal, I would say.

They really should clear some stuff up, I agree with you! Although if RPers are anything to go by regarding your character… I’ve seen people secretly using shadow magic RP in Silvermoon. So I suppose she wouldn’t necessarily have to be exiled for what she has been always doing.

Going by the usual practice within established canon, they’d have their butts thrown out or have their minds overwritten with more loyal protocols for being agitators. I distinctly remember something like blood elven voidpriests fighting in MoP but Blizzard isn’t famous for consistency and could easily declare that all void heretics were exiled back in Wrath.

Which depending on context is either incredibly dangerously foolish or another example of being too cool to Lore. Mari in this state would be hiding her void research under the floorboards and nearly indisposed with despair.

I still don’t buy that the consistently power hungry and driven Sin’dorei would ever throw out a sizable portion of their dwindling race for seeking out new and powerful magic. Unless they went “enough’s enough” after Kael and trust exclusively in the Light and Arcane.

If Umbric’s lot endanger the Sunwell, what exactly keeps them from continuing their research from the ghostlands for the benefit of Quel’Thalas with the no doubt giddy, enthusiastic aid of the forsaken who have zero qualms about such magics?

It sort of just stinks of Rommath getting rid of a rival and his followers, able to conveniently go “see, see?!” when Alleria polluted the Sunwell. They clearly weren’t sufficiently terrified of the risks to deny her visit.

The lore is a mess.

Agreed. Although… I have seen several people state that the current void elves got exiled not purely because they researched the void, but mostly for the reasons of pursuing Dar’Khan Drathir’s notes. This would explain how our velves got exiled while nothing happened to the warlocks/shadow priests/rogues.

What do you think? Could that be the reason for this all, or is that hardly likely to be the case? This is one of the things I struggled to find clearly stated anywhere when reading about my void elf lore. Has Umbric started using Drathir’s notes before their exile from Silvermoon or has that happened already in Ghostlands?

No, he made his breakthrough while already in exile, Rommath insisting that Umbric and pals be exiled before that due to general riskyness which goes against the general blood elf attitude of “more power with which to save and restore my home? Where do I sign up?”. A motivation at Mari’s core; becoming a warlock specifically to learn how to bind and destroy demons because they were ultimately responsible for the scourge and the bigger scope threat to her people.

I find that the image of void elves being exiled because they studied the writing of the Great Betrayer(!) to be a mix of misunderstandings and IC propaganda of blood elf RPers. It’s also made out to be a case of the exiles wanting to be and make a new scourge rather than the notes amounting to a treasure hunt where X marks the spot.

This is where we find Mari having studied the Void extensively as a plot theme since at least early Legion with motivations near identical to Umbric with the end goal of protecting her people by using Void to destroy the souls of demons and render the Legion finite.

Knowing then what players know now she would have been an Umbric student and exiled along with him. That is, unless the exile happened earlier, meaning that there’s precedent of punishment for delving into such. She’d still do it to save Quel’Thalas from the green flame because what is the risk to her compared to risking all by ignoring it? But we have no timeline and in its absence we have a character who cannot interact with the rest of the RPers due to being in a lore limbo, her forum variant operating on the assumption that she’d effectively hide her banned studies and despair at the state of her homeland.

You see the pickle I’m in when writing her going forward.

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There is difference between Void and Shadow…

For instance a Death Knight’s magic is Ingame Shadow damage, but it would fall into the category of ‘Death’ if looked into.
In the same way a Witch Doctor could communicate with Bwonsamdi/Hireek/Shadra to gain ‘darker’ abilities which the game would class as ‘Shadow’.
A sub rogue in the same way could use void yes, but it wouldn’t be too farfetched for them to use a difference source to do their stuff.

Only those that researched the Void got booted because Rommath deemed it dangerous and a threat to the Sunwell, which as we saw when Alleria came back was a true concern.

As for when the Exile happened… Just going with it happened around Legion shrug Seems most likely for me.

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I’m just not comfortable with basing character defining, life changing events on a guess and a hunch.

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Shadow and Void are indeed implied to be somewhat different sources of energy in lore. An interesting quote on the matter being “Shadows of the Light”, in which one would logically assume that Void is instead the absence of Light. Blizzard themselves actually demonstrate this as of recent; one key example being that Valeera Sanguinar still uses shadow magic. A whole lot of void controversy is based on poor communication, I find.

The best way to explain it: Void is to Shadow, what Fel is to Fire.

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Dream Diary 60: Poles Apart.

In another fit of apocalyptic visions we find ourselves at the north pole in a vast underground facility built to withstand what appears to be a sudden and relentless ice age. The structure is square at the base, rising into a flat topped pyramid a bit above ground with each corner capped with a strange object that the on-site scientists call a beacon.

The beacons are made from a white, pumice or coral like material that has been polished. Great horizontally aligned crescents with diamond shapes floating above them. Nothing about them seem natural but the scientists insist that the beacons are the product of multinational research efforts allowing the facility to do “measurements and communications”, whatever that means as long as it is guaranteeing mankind’s survival. The general idea is that the facility’s position on the north pole and its beacons would have it monitor all directions of the compass and track the situation on at least the northern hemisphere.

Time passes in this structure as isolation grows, everyday life being concerned with keeping the vast bunker clean and running smoothly along with brief treks outside through a perennial snowstorm to check on equipment. The complex is such that all but one of the beacons cannot be seen nor interacted with but as they are so vital to survival, they are constantly remotely monitored.

One day the crew of the facility find that the northwest beacon has stopped responding. After some mild panic, the scientists reassure the rest of the crew that losing one ironically isn’t the end of the world. It was the beacon funded by the Americans and you know how it is with them! The loss is blamed on corporate corruption and government bribery cutting costs and beacon quality even as the world was collapsing and no tears are shed over that.

Not so long afterwards, the southeast beacon vanishes from the measuring range. It’s as if it was plucked and gone, not broken like the northwest one but it’s still sending its signal. It’s assumed to be faulty measuring equipment since the beacon is clearly still transmitting its signal and must still be atop the corner of the facility. Surely it’s been covered in snow. The crew find it odd that nobody is sent to clear the beacon of snow but they are told that a little snow won’t stop the signal, only obscure visual confirmation of the beacon itself.

Time goes on and the beacons do their work, maintaining “measurements and communications” for untold days when suddenly, the facility trembles and shakes as through an earthquake. In the arctic? No, this is something else. The scientists gather the crew and urge them to step outside together. The beacons did their work and rescue has arrived! Rescue? The beacons were never about rescue, but everyone is reassured that it’s time to leave the facility.

Dressed for a long trip, the crew step outside into the night, the vast white landscape illuminated by countless coloured lights from above. An enormous spacecraft hovers over the pyramid top of the facility, collecting the beacons that were obviously of alien origin all along! One of the aliens drops down from the ship; a four armed mess of exoskeleton, cybernetics and dark, angular armour. Speaking in a grinding, guttural growl to the scientists, almost accusatory, its words impossible to comprehend, the scientists seem to understand and despair.

As it turns out, the new ice age was artificial and designed to destroy humanity. The beacons were “stolen property”, misinterpreted as remnants of benevolent aliens left in various corners of the world. The facility had been built to contact the distant creators of the beacons to evacuate the dying earth and they did come, retrieving their property. Now they leave us in the deepening snow to return in a few centuries when the ice recedes.

I had a nightmare in which this forum’s increasing automation imposed a change where trust tiers were displayed as stars under the character portrait and we lost all our privacy due to forum names being replaced with our email adresses.

Supposedly, in the context of the dream, it was a measure by the corporate heads after some forum bullying made it into a BBC article, tarnishing the company’s good name. Presumably we’d behave if exposed thus.

This could happen.

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Probably the article was about Argent Dawn’s ERP drama. I’m sure.

So is it really just me who thinks void elves and lightforged getting severe burns upon skin contact is utter bullcrap and should never be done in RP?

I feel like taking something so set in stone that happened once under very specific and unique circumstances (Alleria using void for the first time) and was never really mentioned ever again is a bit… overcomplicating things for the sake of overcomplicating things.

And yes, I know the sole problem here is simply that blizzard is as unclear about their lore as they possibly can be and a little more so.

Dream Diary 61: Bewitched.

We begin in a tabletop roleplay session, our characters battling a wicked sea-witch and her minions. Felling all manner of fell fish, my character comes face to face with the scaly sorceress.

Attempting to spare my group trouble as we’re low on healing and general supplies, I ask the DM to roll for negotiating the witches’ surrender rather than risk harm to the group with another lengthy fight. The only thing that’s viable to work is a “Seduction” roll.

No, it’s not that kind of dream.

A few odd contrivances later, the roll was an astounding success and my character has a sea-witch fiancée in human form. The plot, shifting to a first person narrative, now revolves around my character being a noblewoman and having to convince her bigot father to not disinherit her for marrying a witch woman. All while having to juggle the witch being unaccustomed to being a well behaved, Good-aligned civilized person, demanding much defusing of awkward sitations with the servants at the family estate.

What in the world is wrong with me?

It could be weaponised, which is risky. What’s even the precedent of this happening besides Alleria who’s Alleria with Allerian circumstances who isn’t really a Void Elf at all?

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I prefer it that way than the Lightforged and Void Elves cuddling without any sort of feeling unease.

Is it really common enough? Has it become enough of a public scourge to warrant a hard rule against it?

I’d say if it was in the middle of casting Light/Void spells, then okay. Or being recently blessed or used void form.
But severe burning through simple touch is just really meh.

Woop! New forum, same old me. I’ve been away from WoW for a minute and came back to find the old forums abandoned and archived. Did a couple world quests and got my item level high enough to do the new raid. How’s everyone been?

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