Kylin

Ah, the end of an era. I suspected it was only a matter of time. The RP community in XIV has changed over the years. Whether for better or worse depends entirely on who you ask. But one thing is for certain regardless of subjective opinions: The community is far more dispersed than it once was, and the RPC just doesn't serve the purpose it was designed for any longer. So the decision is a perfectly understandable one. The project began at the end of 2009 when knowledge of FFXIV first arrived. RPers from FFXI's Vana'diel were all too familiar with being broken apart across worlds and having tiny communities. We sought to change that by bringing as many RPers together in this new world to create a better and more thriving experience for all. In those days, such a coalition was laughable and it was no easy feat to persuade everyone to give it a shot. FFXI RPers started slowly gathering on our first (free) forum (https://ffxivrp.forumotion.net/login). We held discussions about what we would be and how to proceed with our unveiling to the greater communities. A 'charter' was crafted and voted on by the members (approved unanimously at this juncture might I add) and when the time was right, on February 15th, 2010, the RPC announced itself to the world to mega sites at the time such as Zam, Eorzeapedia, FFXIV Core, and several other gaming media sites. Our numbers rose. A podcast was even formed: https://archive.org/details/RpcvEp.1 . An "RPC Council" was formed of the various prospective Linkshell leaders and a teaser site of the first 10 RP groups of Hydaelyn was released to the public. On game release day, population exploded to unforeseen proportions. There were so many posts in a single day, keeping up was next to impossible even for the most active forum goers. We had our server vote, with the usual drama (though tame compared to other games). Besaid won the day and the migration began. Over time, it evolved into Balmung. Then branched out to Mateus. Now, RPers can be found in small clusters in even more servers beyond those. The RPC had its ups and downs, dramatic moments for the ages. Too many to list and tons of old posts I'm likely to slosh through just for old time's sake now. This group set a foundation for a community to build itself in a way few MMOs can replicate. I appreciate those who continued to hold the banner high and maintain a source of invaluable resources, advice, safety, and companionship for the thousands of RPers who passed these halls. To all the staff and the members, new and old, thanks for the memories. It was a fantastic run worthy of stories for years to come. So many plans that came to fruition, so many that fell through the cracks. But through it all, memories and friendships were forged from the foundation built and sustained here. Thanks for the commitment.

((Apologize for any typos. The Tonberry's Lantern has fallen on hard times and can't afford good editors >.> . Text only version below image if unable to enlarge to read. )) TEXT ONLY: Cartius Felstar Passes, End of an Era? By: Marybeth Zofan 26th Sun of the 4th Moon Former patriarch of House Felstar, and House Mavanix pre-Calamity, has passed away as of yestersun. The powerful aristocrat was well known in both Ul'dah and Ishgard both for his savvy and aggressive business practices, along with a host of crimes that didn't come to light until just approximately two cycles ago. Cartius Mavanix Felstar passed of natural causes on the 25th sun of the 4th moon, having grown ill over the past few moons while imprisoned in Ul'dah's Marasaja Pitts. His anti-climatic demise comes as a shock to many who once viewed the man as an unstoppable force not to be reckoned with. Raised in Ul'dah's House Mavanix as the son of Julius and Rochelle Mavanix, Cartius lived a life of luxury that many across the continent can only dream of. He was prepped at an early age to eventually take over as house patriarch and eventually did just that. Under his reign, the house prospered with the aid of his strategic mind and aggressive business practices. He helped lead the helm on a number of projects that included, but are limited to: the expansion of the Avalon Heritage Museum, the establishment of the former mercenary company known as Outer Heaven, the acquisition of numerous small store fronts, record profits in the Margarah fashion line, record acceptance into the Mavanix Academy, and more. These accomplishments ended up being marred by the many revealed atrocities of the powerful man. A covert operation by an independent and unnamed mercenary group would uncover myriads of documents linking Cartius to both small and high crimes, including a past attempt to have a Syndicate member assassinated. Cartius was also revealed to have been behind the atrocities and murders of members of House Mavanix prior to the Calamity and the deliberate destruction of many of the house's assets. He had also apparently attempted to frame various former mercenary groups such as Shimmersong, Corvus Cinis, and Everwatch for these atrocities. He had been imprisoned in the Marasaja Pitts since those revelations came to light. Prior to the Calamity, Cartius uncovered that he was in fact a Felstar and not a Mavanix who was switched at birth for unknown reasons. It is believed that this revelation, coupled with other revelations about House Mavanix's own past atrocities caused Cartius to retaliate in the way he did against his own "family." Cartius had two wives over the course of his life. The first was Sophia Nox, who died giving birth to their only child, Kylin Mavanix Felstar. The second was Nephron Mirgolia, who divorced Cartius several years ago and is now residing in Ishgard as a priestess. They did not conceive a child. Cartius was known to have at least two affairs: one with former Ul'dahn socialite Rebecca Winter that gave way to Seraphine Winter, and the second with an unknown woman from Ilsabard that gave way to Elza Ashfen. All three children are currently considered missing and/or believed dead. The death of Cartius marks an unceremonious end of an era. No information about the contents of his will have been released yet, though Kylin was believed to have been the most recent heir to everything. The assets of Houses Mavanix and Felstar have all been in limbo for a number of years now as the small remnants of the two houses continue to attempt coming to mutual agreements. Cartius's funeral will be a strictly private affair, and the location and attendees remain unknown.

Present day... Zacriel smirked to himself as he slipped the vial of liquid into a glass of wine before turning and taking the two glasses to the nearby table, where a similarly aged miqo'te man sat waiting. Sliding the drugged glass to the miqo'te, Zacriel took a seat opposite the man. The midlander's red shirt was partially open at the top center of the chest, teasingly revealing part of a black tattoo across the top of his tanned skin. He brushed his crimson bangs away from his emerald eyes, another tattoo on the left side of his face in the shape of a fancy lightning bolt. The miqo'te smiled in turn, quickly sipping from the wine glass. The midlander's date had short brown hair and a fairly pale complexion, his designer coatee a signal of his wealth. Even more a signal than the groomed hair and clothing was the house itself though, the manor's marbled floors and wallpapered walls a bastion for the Ul'dahn elite. Zacriel watched as the miqo'te drank the wine, taking a sip from his own as well. "This would be the third glass now," the midlander stated rather casually. "I say we move this party to a more comfortable atmosphere. Would you be opposed to...your bedroom?" The miqo'te smiled widely at the suggestion and nodded eagerly, taking another sip from the wine. "You don't play games. Just how I prefer it. Shall we then?" ==================== The miqo'te's bedchambers were just as exquisite as the dining chamber, the royal looking bed fit for a prince. Zacriel smirked as he glanced around the room, wasting zero time in removing his shirt and revealing the fairly chiseled and tattooed flesh beneath. The miqo'te noble quickly followed suit before taking his date's hand and moving toward the bed. Zacriel moved his lips up to the miqo'te's ear and simply whispered a single word. "Somnus..." The miqo'te man would instantly succumb to slumber, the drugged drinks making him incredibly susceptible to the simple spell. Zacriel carefully laid the man across the bed and then moved across the room toward the balcony, undressing himself the rest of the way as he did so. Once at the balcony, he made a quick whistle. From the roof above, a large bag dropped down toward the balcony. The midlander caught it and rapidly removed the outfit stashed inside. The blue leather was skin tight as he put it on, leaving little to the imagination to those who would see it. He then placed a mask over his face, obscuring all but his eyes from sight and moved back toward the bedroom door. The sleep spell wouldn't last long, and the midlander had to act quickly. Slipping into the well lit hall, Zacriel quietly moved in the direction of his destination: the vault in the basement. As previous intel had already established, there were no guards in the path since all but three were almost entirely focused on guarding the exterior of the building moreso than the interior. Arriving at the vault door, Zacriel gently placed a palm of his leather clad hand on the door, uttering a spell and channeling aether as ice began to spread slowly across the door. Once enough of the door was covered, the mage uttered another spell that caused a small portion of the ice to shatter. After crawling through the hole and almost awkwardly falling in the process, the hyur looked around the small vault for his prize. The boxes of gil were of no importance to him, nor were some of the other irrelevant trinkets. After what seemed like forever, the hyur finally saw his target: a bejeweled crimson egg no larger than a large wine glass. He quickly grabbed the prize and returned through the hole from which he entered, this time a bit more gracefully, thankfully since there was an unexpected audience on the other side this time around. The two roegadyn guards had approached the vault with lightning speed, hollering as they moved to grab the intruder. Zacriel barely had time to react and shot off a quick blizzard spell to knock them both back. Knowing they'd be back up in the blink of an eye, he wasted no time in another more powerful blizzard spell and knocked both guards back down a second time before dashing down the hall. The two guards rebounded easily and gave chase. Knowing they were close behind, Zacriel began chanting a spell as he continued running. Aether continued to gather at his fingertips as the two guards began to catch up. When it almost seemed like they would catch the intruder, the mage finished the spell and let the ice spell fly. A massive wall of ice rose from the floor to the ceiling, blocking the path of the guards as Zacriel continued dashing through the mansion. He could hear the guards yelling for backup and hacking away at the ice wall with their blades. As time began to run out, the midlander dashed back into his date's bedchambers and quickly began to strip down once again. Rushing to the balcony, he placed his outfit and mask in the bag along with the stolen artifact. Glancing up, he whistled once more and tossed the bag up with all of his strength. A gloved hand on the roof managed to catch the bag and disappear. Zacriel returned to the inside of the bedroom, kicking his original outfit closer to the bed and running over to his date. With lightning speed, he finished undressing his date the rest of the way as the miqo'te continued sleeping. Nearly out of breath, Zacriel quickly got into the bed and under the covers just as the two guards loudly entered the room. "M'lord! Apologies for interrupting, but a criminal is in the house!" The miqo'te lord slowly rose up in the bed, rubbing his eyes as the clamor broke the sleep spell over him. Zacriel followed suit, though it was very challenging to conceal his heavy breathing from his running. The miqo'te, finally coming fully awake, jumped out of bed and dressed himself while shouting to the guards to go find the thief. Apologizing to Zacriel for the intrusion, the miqo'te told his date to wait in the room where it was safe before rushing out to join the guards in finding the ice mage. Zacriel let out a sigh of relief and fell back on the bed with a wide smirk, feeling exhilarated. He ran a hand through his dark red hair and chuckled aloud to himself. His alibi was air tight and there was zero evidence left to point toward him. When his date would return moments later, the miqo'te would apologize for passing out from drinking too much. Zacriel would feign anger and humiliation over the miqo'te 'falling asleep mid deed' and storm out. Neither the miqo'te nor his guards ever suspected Zacriel as the thief. And thus another relic lost to House Mavanix years ago was reclaimed. The family would survive, no matter the cost...

Approximately 10 years ago... "Mommy, I want my fortune told!" The hyuran child tugged at her mother's hand anxiously, her little blonde pigtails bouncing to and fro as she did. The mother gave a soft haughty laugh as she gently tugged her hand back, adjusting the azure colored brooch fastened to her lower sleeve. "There's plenty of time for that darling. But first, I thought you'd want to see the magic show!" The girl made an audible gasp in surprise and nodded in further excitement before following her mother through the crowd toward a large stage. It was rare for the tiny Silver Bazaar village to be as bustling as it was. Many from Ul'dah had traveled there today after seeing the flyers for the traveling circus known as Decretum Umbra. Various tents, stages, and performers lined the tiny village and even the outskirts. A beast tamer wowed a crowd on the outskirts of the settlement while a duo of jugglers amazed another group nearby. Toward the entrance of the town were a trio of gypsies, each giving a glimpse into a person's past, present, or future, depending on which gypsy was spoken to. Further into the town was a man performing daring feats with fire, while a hilarious mime performed just a bit further on. A couple of clowns took to the docks while a trio of acrobats took over the opposite side of town. But the attraction getting the biggest crowd was the center of town's stage, where the young Marvani the Great performed. No older than 20 years old, the dark haired youth was already gaining a name for himself. The woman and child found a good spot to watch just as a black raven took to the sky. As everyone's eyes went skyward, the raven appeared to quadruple in size. Its black wings appeared to darken the sun's relentless rays and cast a massive shadow below . Awes and gasps echoed through the crowd as the raven suddenly poofed without warning, as if it were never there to begin with. A few more theatrical illusions later, the magician took a bow and exited the stage toward a tent in the back of town. Cheers and claps were the only thing heard as the woman took her daughter's hand to head to the fortune tellers, only to notice her blue brooch was missing. "My brooch! Where is it?! That's a priceless relic I acquired at an auction for a hefty price! Darling, help me find it! Let us retrace our steps!" The daughter nodded absently at her mother's panic, though she couldn't help but keep an almost mesmerized gaze on the departing magician... ==================== Marvani entered the tent, where a group of three awaited inside. Sitting in a cozy chair on one side was a young white-haired hyuran woman dressed in gypsy-like attire, likely no older than Marvani himself. As she sorted through her tarot cards quietly, the other two figures approached the magician. "Well?" The older man spoke first, definitely the oldest of the group by perhaps double Marvani's age. His crimson hair was shoulder length and the twin tattoos on his face were an equally crimson hue. Next to him stood another red-haired hyur, seemingly no older than sixteen or so. Marvani withdrew a beautiful blue colored brooch from his satchel with a smirk. "Did you honestly expect anything less, Father?" Barbas smiled as he gently took the brooch from his son. "Excellent job, my boy. A fine addition to our collection. Take note, Zacriel. Your first mission is three suns from now, after all." Barbas turned to take the brooch somewhere secure, ruffling a hand through the young Zacriel's hair as he passed by. The youth flinched away from it slightly, frowning as he quickly took to a nearby mirror to fix his hair. The elder hyur carefully placed the brooch in a gold lock box and placed it next to a group of other similar lock boxes. "Our family will survive the coming crisis, no matter the cost..."

Approximately 160 years ago, somewhere beyond Aldenard. A hyur man, dressed in fine white velvet clothing and appearing in his late thirties, sat on the edge of a luxurious bed in the massive bed chamber. He was quietly reading from a tome titled "Basic Properties of Magic." An elegant feathered beret covered his neatly groomed brown hair. The room around him was mostly dark, save for a few lit candles and the moonlight shining in through the large open balcony window where the breeze gently blew the expensive looking curtains to and fro. The sound of a door opening snapped the man to attention as he looked over to the other side of the room. Coming out of a side room was a beautifully dressed hyur noblewoman. Her long jet black hair was mostly tied up behind her, save for some locks purposely left undone to give a more seductive impression. Her fair olive skin seemed radiant when complimented with her near skintight raven black dress that fit her slender figure almost perfectly. Her silver earrings gave off a slight shimmer in the moonlight, as did her radiant red jeweled necklace. “You look marvelous,” the hyur man said with widened eyes. “You take my breath away. And you know… we still have about half a bell left before the party begins. I know how time management is so very important to you." The woman smiled faintly as her lover put down the tome and made his way toward her, his boyish snicker all too blatant. He kissed her softly on the neck, his hand reaching behind the woman in an attempt to undo her dress. The woman quickly grabbed the man’s hand and shoved it away somewhat fiercely. The unlucky sap frowned and backed away a bit. “I’m sorry love,” he said with a quiet sigh. “I know you want to wait until the time is right. But it’s starting to get to me. Your fear of getting pregnant with my child isn’t exactly flattering…” “You know full well why I wish to wait,” the woman said matter-of-factly before walking toward a large body-sized mirror on the other side of the room, her black dress gliding gently across the marble floor behind her. She stopped in front of the mirror, carefully inspecting her hair. The man’s gaze followed her. “I don’t know why you’re so obsessed with your children being born from two powerful mages. Does it really matter? As I've said time and again, there is no credible research to indicate a child's magical aptitude is inherited. It's nothing but posturing from wannabe scholars!” “Credible or no, it still matters,” the woman snapped as she continued making further minor adjustments to her hair. “The legacy I leave behind means everything to me, and I will not take chances. My children must be magically gifted just as I am. Speaking of which, how is your studying coming along?” The man frowned. “Not well. My dear, I’m just not cut out as a magic user. It’s not my specialty. I’ve been practicing far too long now and my progress is hardly significant. With all due respect, we’re not getting any younger. I want to start a family with you before it’s too late…” The woman remained quiet for a long moment, staring at herself in the mirror. A look of pain slowly crossed her face as she realized the words he spoke were true. A long moment of silence ensued as the woman continued to stare into the mirror. "Ever astute, as always. It's why I fell for you to begin with. But time is not on my side..." The man couldn’t help but smile slightly, assuming he had finally gotten through to her after all these moons. He took off his hat and slowly started to unbutton his shirt. The woman turned to him and walked toward her lover with refined grace and confidence. Her smile had a hint of sadness to it, as if slightly disappointed. The man wasted no time, meeting his love halfway as to not give her a second chance to rethink this. The two embraced each other in a passionate kiss. After the kiss, the woman met her lover's gaze with a smile and gently placed a hand on his cheek. The light from the moon hit her ruby pendant as the two slowly positioned themselves closer to the bed. Stopping suddenly, the woman simply uttered one word; "Defloresco." A black aura began to dance around the woman, causing the man’s skin to quickly tighten. He tried to pull away from her with a startled scream but the woman held on fiercely, digging her nails into his arms with intense force. The dark energy danced between her and the man, seeming to suck out his life energy bit by bit as his muscles deteriorated and his skin tightened against his bones. His complexion turned a deathly pale color and it clearly became more difficult to struggle against the deadly spell as each second passed. Within seconds, his struggle ended and he dropped to the floor in a withered heap of flesh and bone. After taking a moment to look at the gruesome sight with what appeared slight sadness, the woman recomposed herself and walked back to the mirror. She opened a drawer in the stand near the mirror and took out some lipstick, reapplying it to her luscious lips. The horrid prophecy of her family's eventual downfall was always at the front of her mind, and she would make her lineage strong enough to survive no matter the cost. And so Carmilla Mavanix, firstborn daughter of the great Joachim Mavanix and founder of Decretum Umbra, casually strode out the room toward the evening party in search of a more suitable mate, leaving behind the withered and soulless corpse of her former love.

Stormguard will be temporarily opening recruitment on a selective basis. Feel free to submit an application on the site and/or contact us for further information if you're at all interested. By "selective basis," we basically mean we'll be a bit cautious with who we let in. It's preferred that you know someone in the group or they know of you, but this isn't an absolute requirement.

While we are still not officially 'off the ground' yet, I decided to at least reveal the forums for potential interested parties to glance over. Please feel free to look at the "About Us" tab, the first couple pieces of lore, register, and so on! Please keep in mind that some glitches/bugs may still exist (particularly in the user profiles...). (Re)Launch date is currently set at an ETA of 6/22. Please feel free to reach out with any questions in the meantime! URL to the site is below. https://stormguard-rp.com/

The miqo'te man entered the small hay-filled barn and closed the door behind him before casually removing the turban and mask that hid his face. He had a tan complexion, much moreso than most Keepers of the Moon. His forest green eyes almost matched his outfit perfectly, a green colored Ala Mhigan outfit. His short white hair was kept nicely and his myriad of facial tattoos only seemed to compliment his features further rather than distract from them. The man smiled warmly at the single yellow chocobo in the barn, walking up to it and scratching the tamed beast under the chin. The chocobo let out a single loving wark with a quick flap of its wings to indicate joy. "Such jovial creatures," the male voice sounded from seemingly nowhere, causing the miqo'te to quickly turn around and draw the sheathed blade at his side. From the shadows in the back of the barn, a single hooded figure emerged, his features nearly impossible to discern aside from the hyur like shape of the body. "No need to be defensive. I mean no harm to you or your newfound friend. I've come to simply talk, Malik Ishvari." Knowing the miqo'te's name only seemed to heighten the man's defenses as he gritted his teeth. "Who are you and how do you know who I am?" "I know a bit more than that," the figure stated as he strode a bit closer, keeping his hands visible as if to put Malik's mind at ease. "We have been watching you, and others, for moons now. I know that you just assaulted a merchant who was illegally selling poached goods. I know that you covertly belong to an eco-terrorist group. I know that your love for nature is beyond your love for near anything else. I know that you never learned to read and write, that you live in a small cottage in the Lavender Beds technically owned by one Razaya Raza, that you..." "Enough!" Malik was clearly agitated now. "My apologies," the hooded figure gave a half bow. "I did not mean to alarm you. I assure you that your personal life is of no consequence to me. We all have our own sins that we carry. I am here because of your passion, your ability to lead, your skill on the field, and your unrivaled desire to maintain balance at all costs. I am here on behalf of the Order of the Stormguard." Malik finally sheathed his blade, seeming content that the figure was no immediate threat to him or the also seemingly content chocobo. "Never heard of ya." "Of course not," the figure said with a faint smile showing under the hood. "We exist to protect in the same way that you do, to ensue balance remains in tact and that certain relics of power never reach the wrong hands. I am here to extend an invitation. To allow you the honor of further protecting the world that you care so deeply for. All you need to do is come to a single meeting and see for yourself what we do..." The figure slowly reached into his robe and withdrew a parchment, walking it over to Malik and handing it to him. "Come to marked location on the 22nd sun, at the sixteenth bell. All shall be revealed then. That is, if your desire to protect is as strong as you outwardly claim." Malik unrolled the parchment, glancing at the sketched map and narrowing his eyes slightly. Thankfully, it was a map he could at least understand with no written words. He looked back up from the map and then quickly glanced all around the barn. The hooded figure was gone, just like that. The miqo'te grimaced and looked back to the still unruffled chocobo. "What do you think? Should I go? Even if he's full of it, he does know way too much about me it seems. I may not have much of a choice..." The chocobo let out another quick wark as Malik was left to contemplate his next move.

The light and sound of the outside world were drowned out by the thick stone walls, no window in sight. Only a handful of candles adorning the massive ornamental table in the center of the chamber barely lit the immediate area. From the shadowy edges of the room, several hooded figures quietly made their way to the table, each taking a seat without a single word. Silence remained the game for several minutes, until the hooded figure sitting at the end of the table finally spoke up, his male voice echoing off the seemingly impenetrable walls. "It has been too long. If one were to tell me I'd be here again, I'd have laughed them off." "We have much work to do in a short period of time," another male voice responded. "Let us save the pleasantries for the tavern." "The leadership has time and again failed the cause in recent years," a feminine voice said in quick response. "We all long for what's best, but we are all clearly incapable of providing that. The old guard is unfit. -We- are unfit." "Part of being a leader is knowing when to let go and let the next generation take the reins," responded the first voice. "It seems we are agreed that the time for that is now." "Our secrets shall we pass," sounded a fourth voice. "Our memories shall they inherit. We've all observed potential candidates from afar for some time now. Are we agreed on the initial points of contact then?" There was momentary silence again before several 'ayes' were uttered in quick succession. The figure at the end of the table rose, taking one of the candles in hand with him and turning several steps to the wall behind his chair. Raising the candle up, a massive painted sigil became visible on the stone wall. It was a knotted circle with a lightning bolt down the center of it. The man spoke softly. "Until Halone returns, or until Rhalgr's destruction consumes us all..." In perfect unison, the voices resounded in harmony. "Long live the Order of the Stormguard!"

Hi all. Some may or may not recognize my name. I've been around since the dawn of FFXIV, and despite my occasional retreat into the shadows, I've actually never left the game (at least not longer than a month at a time). That's right. I've been around, even if on other characters, since 2010. Insanity or just insane dedication? >.> I have, however, become increasingly distant to the RP community at large. I admit, I've been struggling to find an 'in' of any sort and feel a bit displaced. Tis probably a natural thing for someone who is technically considered part of the 'old guard.' This will be the third time in the last few years I've attempted a making connections topic like this, and it will admittedly be my last ditch effort to stay active in XIV's RP community, so I'm really hoping for success this go around. But I simply can't do it alone, and am fully willing to admit that after playing solo for about 1-2 years now. Despite my vast history with the RPC, I'm actually not that big of a socialite >.>;. Most/all of my past connections have moved on in some capacity or another, and I'm unfortunately not so good at moving on myself. I'm the type who typically finds something he likes (people/environment/etc) and want to keep that for as long as possible. I also think the culture of the RP community has changed gradually over the years to something that, for me, is very challenging to engage in. So here I be, asking for help in making new connections that can make me comfortable around people and RP again. I'd greatly appreciate any help that can be given. With that said, here's some things I'm looking for! My old characters (Kylin, Elza, and the entire Felstar/Mavanix clans) have been permanently retired. I have no intention of bringing them back, aside from possible cameos or something akin to that if the need arises (unlikely). I'm starting a new character, from the ground up with zero interactions so far. Details of this character can be found on the wiki here: https://wiki.ffxiv-roleplayers.com/pages/Malik_Ishvari I'm looking for linkshells, possibly a FC, and connections beyond those to create various types of potentially long term stories and relationships. I prefer heavier RP, moderate lore compliant leanings, stable environments (poofing people/characters has been a massive problem for me over the years), and a healthy balance of slice of life RP and big storylines/action/etc. I love IC drama, as long as it's believable and stays IC. My past characters have been known to do all kinds of things that brought various different RPers together across the board for different reasons (usually dramatic IC scheming fit for soap operas >.>; ). While I may have 'dulled' a bit with age, I still crave some level of those types of interactions. Availability is heavy on weekends (Friday/Saturday being the only days I can stay up as late as necessary). I work early mornings M-F, and can be available in the late afternoons for a few hours at a time. I am on Eastern Standard Time. As the character is an eco-terrorist, the easiest means of interacting would be bonding over mutual love of nature, or doing something that may be perceived as a threat to nature and thus becoming a 'target.' I am open to other methods as well of course. With that wall of text done, please feel free to reply, PM, or tell the linked character in game with any story/RP ideas and invites. I really want to stick around this community and game (there really isn't any other MMO that interests me in the slightest...). I just need some meaningful interactions to get my head back in the game is all. If you actually read all of this, thank you for your time and consideration!

The soft crashing of waves against the docks of Vesper Bay didn't slow the large private ship's docking in the slightest. A couple of the dock workers shouted random insults to one another, none the wiser that the gloomy skies above were potentially a sign from the Twelve of bad things to come from the arriving ship. A well dressed elder midlander man waited patiently as the ship finished its final preparations. After several seemingly long moments, a lone passenger descended the ramp of the ship. The feminine figure wore a dazzling white and gold robe, with an equally elegant hood to hide her features. With the refined elegance of a lady, the woman in white approached the manservant and placed a hand outward with palm facing down. The servant quickly and gently took the hand before kissing the ruby colored ring in a clear sign of subservience. "Welcome back, M'lady. It has been years since you've been to Eorzea, yes?" The woman didn't respond, simply taking in the sights of her surroundings in quiet reflection. "Erm," the elder manservant cleared his throat before continuing and held out a folder of various parchments. "As requested, I have status updates of all the individuals you inquired about. Their current relationships, their current jobs, primary residences, and so on. You should be completely free to roam anywhere of your choosing. That being said, I do advise that you stay away from Gridania and the Shroud for the time being. Though the evidence against you is indeed no longer in the picture, it's better to be safe than sorry. Is there anything else you require of me M'lady?" The woman slowly removed her hood, letting her indigo hair flow freely and revealing a faint smile on her lipstick adorned lips. She took the folder offered her, flipping through the parchments therein for a brief moment. The many familiar names served a jab in her heart that brought forth a hint of rage in her eyes. "That will be all. I'll take it from here." The man bowed and excused himself. It had indeed been years since Elza Ashfen Felstar had been in Eorzea. There was much to do. So very much indeed.

Dying? Not even close. Less accessible? Definitely. More and more RP has withdrawn into player housing and away from the open world. Running across random adventurers IC at camps and whatnot is more challenging than it once was (and 'stalking' people for RP encounters in the wild is just as hard >.>). Looking at all of the scheduled events up on the calendar right now, an alarming amount of them take place in houses. Some players (myself included probably) are just super 'old school' and it's tougher for us to follow suit in walling ourselves up like that. That said, I also don't see housing based RP diminishing anytime soon either. People like showing off their houses and they're considered 'safe zones' for many. Add to the fact that Balmung is a super old community as a whole where some people are more comfortable in certain settings or groups, along with the fact that the server has largely remained closed entirely, and you have a recipe for what it is now. So to answer your question, is it dying? No. The RP population is still extremely massive. Is it changing? Kind of. It's been changing for the last several years though. This is nothing new. The "low quality RP" (public ERP, crazy strong super villains, etc) is just more visible now that the "high quality RP" is largely walled up and increasingly requires making something akin to an OOC appointment to actually RP. For people like me, this is maddening and I can certainly understand frustration of others. I'm still old school and not changing anytime soon sadly >.>;

100% agree with many of the points made already. Mateus, as a community, is (and has for awhile) passing up huge opportunities by neglecting this site almost entirely. When the community was first budding, I tried to push the RPC as much as possible, but just got tired of fighting a seemingly losing battle. To play devil's advocate, they don't really NEED to advertise themselves much these days. Mateus is the de facto secondary NA RP server and it's pretty common knowledge. I think there's also lingering bad feelings toward the vocal minorities that constantly made "jabs" (for lack of a better word) toward Mateus/Gilgamesh/non-Balmung servers. "Jabs" in this sense would probably be best defined as simple statements that led readers to believe Balmung was superior and all other options were inferior for whatever reason. I think this perception, whether a correct one or not, is a big turnoff to some. The discord thing makes no sense to me at all. Maybe I'm just old and archaic, but I fail to see how discord is more convenient than forums aside from general discussion topics. Finding a LS/FC on discord as opposed to a forum is a nightmare for a myriad of reasons. Events are easier to miss as opposed to those posted here. Character sheets/bios are much better laid out on the wiki. But eh, what can you do? I sighed a bit inwardly when I saw a Mateus RPC site sprout up recently as well, knowing full well what the end result will be with that endeavor already. It would be great to see more Mateus people utilize these forums. The community there is large, even equal to Balmung's RP population. It would be nice to see that actually displayed in a more measurable way to give more credit to such claims. I honestly don't see it happening though. Accommodations have been made already, and haven't been enough. If nothing else, it'll be interesting to see the long term results of these decisions from the community...

Isn't the Makai stuff resold by the Calamity Salvager? They did say Armoire items also can't be used in the new system, which makes me think the current isn't going to be going away. ...but a commode can at least hold those items we kept -only- for glamour like dungeon drops for roles/classes we've long out-geared. The ones available from GS cannot be dyed, so I wouldn't want those necessarily. I haven't/hadn't done the PvP to get the fancy ones, but I thought those were the ones in the Salvager since Gold Saucer NPC appears to still be there? Someone with the gear would have to verify. The PVP Makai gear can definitely be repurchased from the Calamity Salvager. Only after you get a full set and achievement though. Once you get the achievement, you can safely toss the gear and then repurchase for like 100 gil a piece any time you want. This applies to each individual set/achievement.

Mateus DOES rival Balmung in RP population. Also, a few people regretting their decision does not equate to "many." Based on my own independent study between RP activity on both servers, Balmung as a whole still has a slightly larger active RP population than Mateus, but not by much. Based on daily glances at all players utilizing the RP tag, along with activity in hot spots like the Quicksand, RP on Mateus is almost equal (and some days greater than) Balmung. Their biggest problem in showcasing that is not utilizing the RPC to show the myriad of events (or really for anything else either if we're being honest) they constantly have on a weekly basis, opting to use solely their own community discord. The passive-aggressive attitude of one server being "superior" to the other is the exact root cause to server conflict and partly to blame for why past attempts like Gilgamesh failed as a secondary main RP hub. It needs to stop. Now. Off-hand comments like the one quoted above literally equate to psychological warfare meant to stray people away from the 'competition' or make them regret being part of it. Such comments are partly the reason so few of them even come to the RPC, because seeing/battling that type of response (even if it is from a tiny vocal minority) gets exhausting after awhile.