Beside people worry too much about how monsters would treat surface races. What about surfacers who dont treat monsters as monsters?
We often get talk how monsters RP and handle other races wrong, but not much about the side. We worry too much about ”Cuddlebolds” while we already got halflings and humans who would give us monsters pies or give speech how we’re just misunderstood and need power of friendship.
Why monster players need to be limited or punished if surfacer has roleplayed wrong? Why not take attention on surfacer for once how they RP with monsters?
Our monster community of Scourge have sometimes talked OOC how awesome it would be to settle monster races into the camp with halfbreed and the RP it would grow. Monsters are already limited compared to other races.
Worry about raids? Same rules would apply like on any settlement or district. Worry about PvP? We already got Black Archer elves hunting nearby Andunor or drow slavers near Cordor.
Opening camp for monsters would serve the RP of many.
In a funny way, you've kinda hit the nail on the head here with this point.
Warning - Incoming Long Post about monster races, surface/underdark interaction and so on.
So as we all know, The Surface is mostly made up of Good Guys and the Underdark is almost Entirely made up of Evil guys.
This point pretty inarguable.
The problem that comes to monsters on the surface honestly comes less from the monsterous side, and more from the surfacer side.
Because 'Evil' (at least in our modern conception, and speaking only in the loosest terms) is generally equated with hatred, rage, intolerance, bigotry, cruelty, paranoia, averice, ect.
Good is generally equated with kindness, tolerance, understanding, mercy, trust, generocity - ect.
If a surface elf walks, uncollared, into Andunor claiming that they are actually on the side of the Drow that I guarantee you that the underdakers are going to give them a VERY hard time (At least unless they have some powerful friends, and maybe not even then.)
If a drow walks into a surface settlment and claims that they're actually a Paladin of Torm, then I guarantee you that at least a few fools will immedatly go 'OK I trust you, you can be my friend!' and they will have a much easier time of it because as a good guy they equivilate that with mercy, tolerance ect.
Now this isn't to throw all surface players (or even all monster players!) Under the metaphysical buss! There's plenty of surfacers who would react in a far more realistic manner. But I think the proportion of surfacers who'd be, 'Aww, just because he's a monster doesn't mean he's a /monster!/' is much higher than the proportion of underdarkers who'd go 'Aww, why not live and let live, and just let the surface elf come down and snuggle with us here.'
And yes, monster settlments do exist in lore, on the surface. Sure. But just because it exists in Lore, does not mean that it should exist In Arelith. Because Arelith is NOT tabletop. It cannot work in the same way. We don't have a team of DMs overseeing small groups of players constantly, who can constatly shift the environemnt in perminent fashions to their desire.
The following may sound really cynical, and I do apologise for this - but honestly i can only see a 'monster settlment' on the surface going one of two ways, in the majority.
Way No. 1)
A place of love and harmony, where Kobolds snuffle and cuddle next to halflings, where Humans laugh and trade jokes with Ogres, where drow and elves enter long, loving trysts. Monster? No such thing! They're just loving and misunderstood and it's one giant cuddle fest of tea and crumpets!'
Way No. 2)
A constant cycle of attacks and murders continues. Surfacers raid the Settlment, the settlment raids back - or more likely picks off unhappy travelers on the road. The monster settlment kicks and kicks and kicks and kicks at the surface settlments, murdering, torturing, killing and dispite being three dirt huts and a small shop gets absolutly no retaliation. Meanwhile the pcs smash against the gates day *sIgh* after day, after day, after day, after day....
Now there is of course a happy medium between these two aspects - Andunor (sometimes) reaches it. But Andunor has the benefit of distance and difficulty of getting to and size, which mean that raids- (at least from the surface) are very rare. And whilst underdark attacks are more common, they still arn't exactly every day. Nor should they be.
The first way makes no bloody sense and is a blatent break of setting.
The second way is less of a break, but pretty miserable for players all around. And also makes little sense - I mean Wharftown was destroyed for basicaly this reason.
'But GrumpyCat! Someone already pointed out that there's already monster settlments on the surface - like the hobgoblin fort.'
Yes but they're dungeons.
'So? Why should we treat the two as different?'
Honestly for meta reasons. At some point you have to susspend your disbelief over certain mechanics and aspects of the server, that exist for the ease and enjoyment of gameplay.
I mean, if you want to play on a server where there are 0 monster dungeons, but all settlments can be attacked at will, and all xp is earned via tick and via killing other PCs (monsterious or otherwise) and where everyone only has one life - Well i mean... that's a gameplay choice. Not sure if it's for me personally. Not sure if it's for a lot of people, to be honest.
'So you're saying that there'll never be a surface monster settlment?'
Never is a strong word, but at the very least I do not see it happening any time soon. I think if it were to be implemented, it would be a big project and would have to be planned extremely carefully.
This too shall pass.
(I now have a DM Discord (I hope) It's DM GrumpyCat#7185 but please keep in mind I'm very busy IRL so I can't promise how quick I'll get back to you.)
