Dragon War FQ

[Quentin Boone]

So, this has been mentioned a couple of times in the podcast and has been discussed in detail on various occasions in the chat. I think it's time to put the idea to the community more officially.

First, some background: This started as Kroom and Lye discussing a dragon-hunting thread, which piqued my interest in relation to plans for my character; we got a little carried away and the idea grew exponentially.

Here are some of the details that have been discussed:

Nothing here is set in stone yet, so feel free to voice your opinions and ideas. I'll keep updating this post so that things that are agreed on or discussed will be easily accessible for people to see.

Background:
The war in Eiskalt disturbed a 'tribe' of dragons from their slumber and they've woken up extremely pissed off. In their rage, they start a rampage, attacking everything and everyone they can.

Location:
A couple of ideas have been mooted in terms of the location. Either a specific region of Althanas, or Althanas-wide. Personally, I like the idea of these dragons wreaking havok throughout the entire world. It's been suggested that an FQ should really only be in a single region, but who doesn't want to break from convention every now and then?!

The Dragons:
The 'tribe' will be a large one, depending on the scale of the FQ (obviously, if it's Althanas-wide, there'll be a lot more), enough so that they pose a real threat. There will be Ancients (which are basically uber-dragons-of-doom) as well as younger dragons and even a few infants and 'kids'. Rather than solely being the traditional fire-breathing variety, it's been suggested that there are also elemental dragons: ice, poison, etc, in the mix to give a bit of variety.
I also think it would be better to have the dragons be (at least partly) intelligent, which would give people the opportunity to NPC them with a bit more character than just savage uber beasts.

Outcome/End Game:
The instinctual thing is to just kill all the dragons and reap the rewards (dragonscale armour, anyone? :)). But I'd like to suggest another idea: What if the dragons win? Whether the FQ's just a single region or Althanas-wide, I think it would be awesome if there ends up being some kind of dragon-rule; the FQ can still reach a conclusion and we can still get rewards, but it would allow for some really significant long-term effects that can change the landscape of the world and give plenty of post-FQ stuff centred around the dragons. Maybe they even end up being benevolent leaders, rather than the tyrannical overlords I initially envisaged.

FQ Management:
BlackAndBlueEyes suggested in the podcast that the FQ could be community-run. Reasons for this include less 'red tape' and more freedom for those involved. I like this idea and think it will be a great way for members of the community to band together to craft something truly epic.

Other management points:
* Maintenance of an OOC timeline that lets everyone know what's happening in the FQ and where.

Timeline:
While we could easily liquid-time this and get started right away, the general consensus seems to be to wait until the clan war has actually finished before we start this. That makes sense as we don't really want one event killing another.

NB: For those of you who might not know, an FQ (Featured Quest) is an organized quest that incorporates a large number of players across multiple threads.

So, what do people think to the idea? I know there's been a lot of positive feedback in chat, but would also like to hear from those that don't come into chat. Let's get some dialogue going and maybe we can get some concrete plans formulated.

[Ashla]

Cool idea!

[Dein]

Wow, Great idea.

But really, I think this would be a cool way for everyone to work together and have characters to meet under strange circumstance. If this really happens me and my multitude of alts are down to kill some dragons!

[BlackAndBlueEyes]

I've made my opinions on the matter known in the podcast--and since I can't remember what they were, I'll ask everyone to just listen to the last three episodes or something.

But I'd be willing to help co-ordinate efforts in Salvar, as that's where I plan on having Maddy do her thing over the course of the invasion.

[Warpath]

Flint is definitely going to run into some dragons in Salvar if we do the worldwide thing. I'm cool with the Eiskalt idea, too, but I think if we're going to call it an FQ it ought to be a worldwide crisis. Especially if it's going to be all unofficial-like.

[Otto]

We should get Flint's mum to help out. And her dogs, too, obviously.

I'm in! I really like this idea. News of the dragons and their exploits is going to travel pretty far, though, and should have some powerful consequences. Perhaps we'll need an information thread detailing just which parts of the world have been ravaged by the beasts, as it occurs? That way, people can fit relevant effects into canon (example: maybe someone sets out on a ship to reach Ettermire, but finds a dragon's attack has set off a gunpowder store and burnt/exploded the docks to the ground).

[Marduk the Black]

I would so be in...on the side of the dragons.

[Flames of Hyperion]

I'd throw all of my characters behind this - in fact, I was going to try to build up to it a little in Nanashi's next Clan War thread.

I thoroughly agree with Otto's suggestion of an overall information / timeline thread to keep track of what's happening (what quests are occurring) in what region and when. To elaborate on his example, somebody submits that in the first week of the Dragon War in Alerar an attack burns the Ettermire docks to the ground. Building on this now-established canon, another quest by a different group of players set in the second week of the War might then make reference to frantic efforts to get a makeshift quay built to replace it.

[Hysteria]

This may be a silly question, but what are we doing with said dragons? Capture/Kill/Pacify/Harvest/Train?

[Quentin Boone]

Awesome, folks! Glad for some feedback and show of interest.

Completely agree with a thread that chronicles what's going on, and I'd say it's probably an absolute necessity.

Warpath: Well, according to Sei, FQ's tend to be limited to a single region, with 'Main Quests' being Althanas-wide. Honestly, it just sounds like semantics to me, and if needs be, we can just reterm it a main quest if people really want this to be world-wide.

A few questions for people, though:

-- Should the dragons just be developed as site-wide NPCs? If so, how do we manage that? Make profiles for the different types of dragons? If not, who do we get to write them? How do we decide who?
-- I suppose there should be a poll, so... Do you think the FQ should be limited to a single region or be an Althanas-wide crisis? If a single region, which region?
-- How should we actually manage the FQ? I've never been involved in one, but I've been told it's a bit like a DnD session with a game master 'dictating' the plot. How should this be done? Decide an over-arching plot before we start and let the community manage itself from there, or do we get a 'committee' to oversee things? If a committee, how do we decide on them?
-- I saw that the Xem'Xund (or whatever his name was) FQ had its own sub-forum for its duration, is this something we'll need? If so, can we have one, admins?

Dein: I completely agree about it getting people to work together. Think it should make for some interesting allegiances: The Order and the IK have just waged war with each other and now they're gonna have to (probably) work together to stop the dragon threat. Will definitely be some very interesting dynamics.


I have also updated the first post to make it better presented, and will keep updating it so that it can act as an overview of what's been discussed. I've added the idea that the dragons should be intelligent, and also an idea about the outcome/end game of the FQ. Let me know what you think.

[Ashla]

World wide world be more epic in my opinion.

[Quentin Boone]

Yep, I completely agree.

[Witchblade]

As I mentioned in the podcast I have a dragon Beastiary that I was in the midst of creating for Dheathain. It's obviously no longer going to be used for that region, semantics and all that, but it would be nice if some of my hard work could actually be used on Althanas. If you guys like, I can finish it up and post it up for you guys to take a lot at and then tweak it as you guys would like to better fit this FQ. It has several types of dragons in it, acid spitters, elemental...etc. I can add or subtract as needed.

[Warpath]

Awesome, folks! Glad for some feedback and show of interest.

Completely agree with a thread that chronicles what's going on, and I'd say it's probably an absolute necessity.

Warpath: Well, according to Sei, FQ's tend to be limited to a single region, with 'Main Quests' being Althanas-wide. Honestly, it just sounds like semantics to me, and if needs be, we can just reterm it a main quest if people really want this to be world-wide.

A few questions for people, though:

-- Should the dragons just be developed as site-wide NPCs? If so, how do we manage that? Make profiles for the different types of dragons? If not, who do we get to write them? How do we decide who?
-- I suppose there should be a poll, so... Do you think the FQ should be limited to a single region or be an Althanas-wide crisis? If a single region, which region?
-- How should we actually manage the FQ? I've never been involved in one, but I've been told it's a bit like a DnD session with a game master 'dictating' the plot. How should this be done? Decide an over-arching plot before we start and let the community manage itself from there, or do we get a 'committee' to oversee things? If a committee, how do we decide on them?
-- I saw that the Xem'Xund (or whatever his name was) FQ had its own sub-forum for its duration, is this something we'll need? If so, can we have one, admins?

Dein: I completely agree about it getting people to work together. Think it should make for some interesting allegiances: The Order and the IK have just waged war with each other and now they're gonna have to (probably) work together to stop the dragon threat. Will definitely be some very interesting dynamics.


I have also updated the first post to make it better presented, and will keep updating it so that it can act as an overview of what's been discussed. I've added the idea that the dragons should be intelligent, and also an idea about the outcome/end game of the FQ. Let me know what you think.

Yeah, I forgot about MQ's. Let's just call it something like a Community Run Event. Or something.

I think something worldwide would be better. I don't really see a downside to it since this'll be community-run and we shouldn't need any mods to keep everything organized. Everyone writes at different paces, too, so it'd be nice to let everyone have their own slice of the event without having to worry about anybody else waiting on them, unless they want that. I mean, I also don't see a problem with it being a little bit of both. Maybe the dragons awoke in Eiskalt and most of them are still there, but others have spread out to test the rest of the world.

I do like the idea of there being an over-arching plot, but I vote it remain somewhat basic and we let the community fill in the blanks. Say the dragons are based in Eiskalt, but they have branched out across Althanas as well. I think we ought to have someone overseeing the event and deciding what the dragons are doing and why in Eiskalt, but anyone can start a thread in the event in any other region, and as long as it follows the established canon it will itself be canonized once finished. So the ultimate battle for the whole thing will be in Eiskalt, but somebody like Marduk could have a thread in Fallien wherein he establishes some kind of following revolving around a dragon that has traveled there. I imagine it ought to be structured, too, so maybe in phase one everyone gets chased out of Eiskalt and dragons begin appearing across the world, in phase two there's some concentrated attack on a major city, and then in phase three everyone comes together for a series of massive battles in Eiskalt that are decided upon based on the canonized threads. So if Marduk's following really takes off, maybe the rest of us have to deal with a huge dragon cult in Eiskalt before we can even think about taking on Big Mama Boss Dragon.

Hell, if we DO decide to end it with the dragons having their own established rule, maybe one set of threads will involve a faction within the dragon tribe that doesn't want to necessarily wipe out the rest of the world, and we have to work with them to overthrow the dragons that want to wipe us out. It'd be pretty cool if that's the only way we could possibly win, which would raise the stakes: it would mean the unified dragons are an overwhelming force and we'd otherwise be screwed.

Since Quentin already stepped up to get the ball rolling, I'm just going to go ahead and nominate him to be the one to organize this thing and keep it going. If he wants to appoint a little committee to help him out, cool, if not, whatever. I think he's got the community's best interest in mind here. If we do decide to create a few major NPC accounts, I vote they remain in the control of whoever we decide on to lead this thing, and maybe his or her committee. They should exist to unify and canonize things. And it'd be neat to have something that fights back in the final epic battle.

Final thought: I'm okay with the main bulk of this thing to wait until after the Clan War, but unless anybody has any major objections I don't intend to wait to start a small or solo venture. I'm already eliminated from the war, so my thinking is that my participation in this now isn't really going to impact the war itself, especially because only one judge is handling the war. If we decide to break this thing into phases, we could start phase one as soon as we're ready and leave it low-key and low-obligation. I think that's a good idea, if only to ride the wave of interest we've got going here.

[Philomel]

Hmmm just a general thing - I am in. I have a character I am currently in the process of creating who is of dragon-kind... you'll see *winky face*
But I want to be a dragon please :(

[Warpath]

Hmmm just a general thing - I am in. I have a character I am currently in the process of creating who is of dragon-kind... you'll see *winky face*
But I want to be a dragon please :(

Personally, I'm 100% for people being dragons, drakes, dragon-people, whatever, and siding with the dragons. I hate stories where the enemy is just an unknown evil without sense or motivation, so having the flipside of what the dragons are doing would be nice.

[Flames of Hyperion]

I think Warpath covered my thoughts amongst the many points he raised - kudos to him for the post! And before I forget, kudos to Quentin as well for floating this idea here.

I would support the idea of factions amongst the dragons, as well as allowing player characters and player-designed NPCs amongst the dragon hierarchy. Having the entire site defend Althanas against a faceless menace is cool and all, and I think we'll be able to milk this aspect of the war for the first couple of phases at least, but I agree with Warpath that the above suggestions give the 'enemy' a lot more depth.

My only real concern would be to ensure that phase one (call it the preliminary stage, the silence before the storm, the portents of doom, whatever you might) extends for a couple of weeks after the war as well, to give characters the time to 'catch up' in their involvement.

[Max Dirks]

I think you guys should talk with Sei before this gets too involved!

[Warpath]

I think Warpath covered my thoughts amongst the many points he raised - kudos to him for the post! And before I forget, kudos to Quentin as well for floating this idea here.

I would support the idea of factions amongst the dragons, as well as allowing player characters and player-designed NPCs amongst the dragon hierarchy. Having the entire site defend Althanas against a faceless menace is cool and all, and I think we'll be able to milk this aspect of the war for the first couple of phases at least, but I agree with Warpath that the above suggestions give the 'enemy' a lot more depth.

My only real concern would be to ensure that phase one (call it the preliminary stage, the silence before the storm, the portents of doom, whatever you might) extends for a couple of weeks after the war as well, to give characters the time to 'catch up' in their involvement.

Yeah, agreed. I don't want people who are out of the war to be left with nothing to do, but I also don't want people IN the war to feel left out. Phase One would become something of an activity net, yeah? As people let out of the war (either due to elimination or the completion of the war), they have Phase One to drop into.

EDIT: Dirks, what's up? I know there were rumblings about doing another tournament after the Eiskalt war, but I haven't personally heard of anything beyond that. I don't think anybody is trying to step on the toes of the staff or anything if you guys had something planned.

[Witchblade]

Althanas is run by players, I see nothing wrong with us organizing our own event away from the staff,

[Ashla]

Althanas is run by players, I see nothing wrong with us organizing our own event away from the staff,

Exactly.

[Witchblade]

Dragon Bestiary


Ceannsal Cul (Sway Back) - One of the most docile dragons known in existence. When dragons existed in the world long ago, these were often tamed and used for menial chores around farmsteads. They are small, the largest perhaps being twice the size of a horse, but rather fat looking. They have small, stunted wings they can no longer use to fly and fat, stubby tails. They scales are extremely tough though, and can withstand some of the strongest metals known on Althanas, making them durable creatures.

Liath Feusag (Greybeard) – These dragons are roughly twice the size of a horse, they stand on their hind legs only, their front legs being rather short and ending in long, curved claws. Named for the thick main of grey fur that grows around their necks, they are fast runners and can easily outstrip the fastest breed of horse on Althanas. Though their front legs are quite stunted, they posses long claws that can easily render many a man or beast through and through in the matter of a second or two.

Teine Anail (Fire Breather) – One of the largest breeds of Dragons known (the largest can easily grow to be bigger than a large, cargo vessel), Fire Breathers have thick necks and large chest cavities that expand, allowing them to breathe in huge volumes of air and expel it to create a stream of fire. They almost always have red scales, though they can be accentuated with different colours. Huge, tough ruffs made of hard scales form over the backs of their heads, protecting their necks from attack. They are the main power behind the military force in Dheathain often supported by several other kinds of dragons in their formation. It takes a strong, dominant hand to control a Fire Breather and they oddly prefer female riders to males.

Searbhag Smugaid (Acid Spitter) - the second largest dragon to inhabit the region of Dheathain, Acid Spitters are similar to the Fire Breathers in bulk and stature, however, they spurt out acid from two tubes that run along the sides of their mouth and down their throats. Their scales are considerably tougher than most of the other breeds to protect themselves from their own venom, which can easily--on the weaker breeds--and slowly over time on others, eat through the scale to the sensitive skin and organ below.

Airgid Cul (Silver Back) - These Dragons are aptly named for the streak of silver scales that run down their backs as well as their stomachs. They posses long, razor sharp claws and a spiked tail often used like a whip. Long faces with pointed snouts and a row of huge, sharp teeth within. Unlike most other dragons, they are mainly herbavors. Their wingspan is twice that of their body. Silver Back's are very fast, sleek and lean creatures and are amongst some of the most prized dragon races.

Samhach Oidhche (Silent Night) - This breed is the smallest of the flying class of dragons. Their scales are always black, dark blue or purple. Their eyes are large, with huge pupils that allow them to see extremely well at night, but with intense difficulty during the day. They are a rarer sub-form of the Silver Back's and only a handful have ever been known to exist. They are sleek and fast, but they're scales are softer making them more vulnerable.

Draoidh Rian (Magic Wielder) - These are the rarest breed of dragon known to man. Created by experimental breeding through the other types, Magic Wielders are of a medium size and bulk. They look similar to the Silver Back's only these dragons are often born albino's. Originally this was thought to be bad luck, as most of these dragons never reached maturity. However, the ones that did began showing extreme prowess in the art of magic casting.

Uisge Nathair (Water Snake) – As their name indicates, these dragons mainly live in the water. They have short legs but long, thin bodies that resemble a snakes. They are extremely fast in the water, but slow out of it. Their toes have webbing between them, allowing them to move with great speed and they have large, rounded fins that protrude off their back and one at the end of their tail to help guide them through the currents. Their colours vary greatly, allowing them to blend in with the different kinds of waters. These dragons can start off small and grow to massive sizes, the kinds sailors tell drunken stories of, the kind that ravage even the largest of vessels.


As I mentioned in chat, I can create more dragons if you guys would like a wider variety to work with. This is a very basic Bestiary, allowing players to be creative with the dragons. I can get more indepth on their looks and abilities if there is anything you want me to clarify.

[Max Dirks]

You can write whatever you want, but it might have more appeal if it becomes canon and you can advertise on Althanas social media. For that, you'll need Sei. And no rumblings, Gisela is next!

[Christoph]

I had plans for this sort of FQ a few years ago, but then Skyrim came along and stole my thunder. Still, I think this is an excellent idea, and I'll be on hand to answer setting-related questions and feedback when desired.

[Ozoric]

Stay away from the Drakengard :rolleyes:

[Zook Murnig]

I've been thinking a lot about this today, and I think a good way to not only distance this from Skyrim, but also to make it more interesting and variable in storylines, is for the events to be part of a massive migration of dragons, rather than an all out war to kill all the mortal insects. Specifically, a territorial issue amongst the dragons themselves, where old hunting and nesting ranges are disputed amongst individuals. This would result in many dragons becoming displaced and needing new homes and hunting grounds, often coming into conflict with mortal settlements all over Althanas. This would allow for a number of quests investigating the cause of all this activity, as well as providing a means for more than a few dragons to take common cause with humanoid cities, nations, or organizations - either to strike against other dragons or come to agreements on land allotment and other issues.

[Marduk the Black]

I've been thinking a lot about this today, and I think a good way to not only distance this from Skyrim, but also to make it more interesting and variable in storylines, is for the events to be part of a massive migration of dragons, rather than an all out war to kill all the mortal insects. Specifically, a territorial issue amongst the dragons themselves, where old hunting and nesting ranges are disputed amongst individuals. This would result in many dragons becoming displaced and needing new homes and hunting grounds, often coming into conflict with mortal settlements all over Althanas. This would allow for a number of quests investigating the cause of all this activity, as well as providing a means for more than a few dragons to take common cause with humanoid cities, nations, or organizations - either to strike against other dragons or come to agreements on land allotment and other issues.

Do you really think though that most people would care enough to figure that out. You might get the odd group here or there, but most of them are going to hunt the dragons into the dirt.

[Zook Murnig]

Then they can do that. There are a fair few people on this site, though, who I imagine would love to do a plotline like that. It doesn't keep you from hunting them down and fighting them. It just adds depth. Essentially, you can still do a variety of stories, with a variety of depths. For example: "Something has been killing all the livestock and blocking the trade routes south of town, find out what it is and kill it." "A dragon has landed in the middle of town and is demanding virgin sacrifices and tributes of food and valuables. What do?" "Dragons in the west-country are disturbing mining operations. Investigate the dispute and settle it, by word or by sword."

My only issue with the All Out War idea is the simple question of "why." Why do they want to wage war? Why now? What end do they seek? Eradication or conquest? Why are they working together, especially across species?

[Hysteria]

A mass migration sounds better. Let the RPers choose how to interact with them. I'd be up for catching, but only killing if they are mindless beasts. I think the days of hunt and kill the dragon are behind me :p

[Ashla]

I agree. Migration would be much more reasonable and realistic. Just charging in wanting nothing but to "KEEL! KEEL! KEEL!!" makes no sense at all.

... And I'm thinking of making a greybeard Dragon character...

[Lye]

As my input, my idea was the plague which was released in Eiskalt infected said dragons. This disease was not enough to kill them, but instead affected higher brain function. Essentially this will make them rabid. The quest arc can take the form of killing said dragons or seeking a cure. Their origin nest could also prove a final loot point once the story arc concludes.

[Flames of Hyperion]

Isn't there scope for both ideas here? I like the idea of the war driving the dragons out to begin with, that the selfish actions of the players caused problems that they couldn't foresee. Those dragons with some form of immunity to the disease begin migrations in search of refuge from their rabid counterparts (the territorial issues Zook's raised) and/or a cure.

Of course, this ties in with the factions within the dragon ranks that Warpath was alluding to earlier...

[Rayse Valentino]

My character Dorian's canon is that at some point in Salvar's history, it was ruled by a breed of Black Dragons, headed by the great dragon Malanthar. Eventually, a wizard rose up and drove the dragons away and magically imprisoned Malanthar in an underground castle, where he sits to this day.

Dorian found this castle and was bound to Malanthar's son, Fallow, who is confined to a small form when with Dorian until Ozoric breaks him out (get on that, Duffy!).

Anyway, I had an idea a while back that the black dragons, upon hearing that Malanthar lives, return to reclaim Salvar, and Dorian is conflicted between having to fight the family of his friend and protecting the people.

I think that element is important. There's no real dilemma in opposing a bunch of bona fide monsters. The dragons should be intelligent, determined, and they should have a reason people can empathize with. The thing about an FQ is you need multiple sides, because the conflict between characters is what drives interest. You could say all the clan wars are mini-FQs, except they're disjoint because there's little cohesiveness between all the threads. They're sort of just vignettes in a greater story.

If the dragons have a good enough reason for what they're doing, Dorian would likely join them in order to try to stop them from within with reason. Maybe even drive a faction away from the main pack and join the humanoids.

[Hysteria]

I agree with Rayse. The moral ambiguity really peaks my interest, it could be a mixture of being driven from their new home and deciding to reclaim their old. You could also have factions within the spreading dragons. So one group decides now is right to reclaim salvar and find their king. Another just wants to punish humans. Another is driven crazy by the disease (Which I know nothing about >.>) and spreads out killing and eating anything they can find, and so on. One of the reasons I like that approach is because it generates collective chaos in how to respond. Some people will hunt the dragons, others empathize and some just avoid. Characters are therefore free to interact as they want.

Would it be useful to have a starting point thread, which has general numbers and the faction descriptions, and then record all the changes for completed threads? So 10 dragons head south in search of people to kill. 15 go to salvar to find their king, etc and then we record the RPers actions on the story as it unfolds?

[Zook Murnig]

Honestly, hard numbers would probably stifle creativity a little too much, especially if we're talking 10 and 15 to an area. Keep in mind that we're talking about dragons from all over the world being affected by this, across an unknown number of species. I say we come up with as general of figures as possible, and make it clear that those numbers are based on surveillance and scouting reports, and not definitive.

[Hysteria]

I raised it more in terms of the method of keeping track and
giving everyone the ability to input. I take your point about the numbers. A more general statement would allow more freedom. What si you think about having community organizer or some such who will keep track of the changes and update a 'current status' thread? He/she wouldn't be making decisions as such about the changes, that would be community decided. They would be more like a a dragon war admin.

[Quentin Boone]

Okay, sorry for the delay on getting on this, but I've had a busy last few weeks, between parents being here and it being my birthday. Some good suggestions so far; I'll get compiled in the first post some time this evening.

In terms of the migration vs rampage idea... I actually like it, but I saw in the Eiskalt War that an ancient dragon was killed in one of the Gisela matches. To me that would give sufficient motivation for the dragons to actually go out to exact revenge.

What do other folks think, considering that update?

[Mordelain]

The Valakut? The dragons of the Drakengard wouldn't rampage (is a possessive lore whore), but it would definitely rile any of the wild dragons elsewhere in Althanas. They are the first sons of Chalazae and Fafnir (the progenitor dragons, one of four dragons that remain Althanas that saw the world before the War of the Tap). So, it'd piss some people off for sure!

[hoytti]

What if the observation of the dragons swarming the skies above all the lands of Althanas is the intro to a new era where dragons can be found all over the world and can be interacted with all characters? Also, what if there are civilized dragon communities as well as Rogue Dragons in every land?