Kudos to Irongron - Thank You For Everything!

[Hadals]

In the wake of the announcement, I'd just like to take the time to offer a special thank-you to Irongron for everything he's done to keep all of us occupied and entertained in this ever-evolving story we spend our time on, and I thought others might also like to offer their own.

Thank you for everything Arelith! There's no place quite like it, and I'm not sure what I'd be doing without it. I've made a lot of long-lasting friends through the game, a lot of great memories and will make many more as we move forward, and it wouldn't be possible without you!

As a pillar of the community that we all enjoy, thank you, truly, and I wish you the best on whatever comes next. Hope to see you return!

[Kenji]

Irongron is one of the most memorable leaders I've seen and worked under across a team.

It is hard to imagine someone around our age in the 30s would still hold a grudge on things done to them a decade prior and have made it their mission to try and dissuade people from joining Arelith. But they do exist.

But forget about those losers. The main focus here is on Irongron, the man himself. He made a decision that is better for him and his family. I would have done different, but then again, maybe there is a reason why Arelith after Irongron becoming the server owner is a resounding success.

And by success, yes, the number of players that have increased since he took over is about a hundred fold. There is more active development, more engaging mechanics, we even have a ship module!

Without Irongron's vision, guidance, and patience, not many of us would have been drawn to this hidden gem.

[Cuchilla]

Words aren't enough to praise Irongron. So I shall not type any.

Have a nice break!

[legionetrangere]

Irongron is da MAN!
Arelith is the sole exclusive reason why I still play NWN at all.
Neverwinter and Arelith taught and showed to me how engaging can a game be, i'm forever grateful to this game and specially this server.

i sincerely hope he comes back eventually. He'll surely be missed for the time being

[Peacewhisper]

I remember one time when I was feeling incredibly frustrated with Arelith I received a very encouraging and heartfelt message from Irongron which had a lasting impact on me. If it was not for that message I would have given up then and several cool characters may never have had their stories told. I can't imagine what it must be like to do what he has done for 20 years, hope he enjoys the break because it is well deserved at this point.

[Xerah]

Appreciate all the hard work!

[ThisIsNotADrill]

Thank you for everything you've done to make this space for us.

[Ruzuke]

Thank you for providing a safe place to play, A place where fun stories can be created, and when the real world showed its fangs we could have a virtual world with friends, rivals, and adventure.

[AstralUniverse]

I am genuinely sad.

We cannot thank you enough, and it wont be the same.

[aplethoraof]

I've been playing for around a year and a half, and this environment has been awesome. Thanks for your leadership, and hopefully the organization you've built and the people you've had surrounding you will be able to keep this as business as usual.

Cheers <3

[Choofed]

Gron's been great. You've put a LOT dedication into this community, and I will say one thing: You are a hundred percent suffering from success.

You've done amazing. Gonna be missed.

Cheers for everything.

[ImWithThisGuy]

Thank you Irongron, really.

I have played on Arelith for nearly twenty years. I started when I was 11. Arelith has been a major part of my life and has become part of myself; It's actively help shape my worldviews and connected me to people in a way no other game has. You were there the whole time, and are largely to thank for that; by creating a world where it was safe for me to grow and learn, not just as a player, but as a person.

There are plenty of others who added a great deal of course (Other friends, founders, and developers), and I thank them all as well. But managing it all comes at a cost; A responsibility to maintain a goodwill. A responsibility that becomes ever harder to maintain, if only through sheer numbers, but is always an endless and pervasive, and even thankless task. And one where all the bad happenings just keep getting pushed upward.

I really feel for you. It's hard to see the things you love torn apart, especially from within. You might even watch that love fade, or turn towards misery and hatred.. Hatred of that which was once loved. I myself tend towards recognizing the negative in things, but in this case, where I may never get the chance to say thank you directly again..

Thank you. Despite all the bad actors, despite those that stunted Arelith's potential, and despite those that are predators to the hope, joy, and safety we've managed to make here.. You still succeeded. Right in their face.

Escape the fatigue and gloom. But don't forget the good you've helped enable.

[Second Breakfast]

Irongron heard about what I was doing on my old character Vierna Melezzir/Xun'viir, heard that I had written a play about Izlude's Folly, and approached me about wanting to have it streamed. I thought this was extremely thoughtful and kind, and I think about it often.

Enjoy your time away, do something fun, and don't worry too much about this place.

[Darkstorn42]

My heart genuinely hurts to have read Irongon's words. To have been beleaguered by such hate for so long and still have created something so beautiful is astounding. Get rest. Take time. There will always be room for you here and hopefully, when the time comes we, the community will deserve to have you back.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

[D4wN]

You are kind, patient and have so many good insights that have personally helped me through some tough times. It pains me every time to hear toxicity would extend to death threats and such, it just absolutely baffles me anyone could do that. I know it does happen however. You nor anyone else deserves that. I know a lot of criticism goes around, be it to DMs, Admins or fellow players. Sometimes people need to remember we're here to play a fun silly old game. Arelith has done more for me than I could possibly express, the friends I've made are countless and priceless. And I have much of that to thank to you for keeping this place up and running and your team for keeping it fresh and exciting. I hope you enjoy this well deserved (mental) break and that when you come back, you know that many people appreciate everything you've done and do.

[Apothys]

You know what... i was just about to start a similar Kudos, after reading Irongrons post yesterday i just felt absolutely gutted for you.

You Mr Irongron and all the active crew for arelith are simply amazing! The work, the love, the energy poured into all this is overwhelming and I've always appreciated and been thankful for what you've done. This world you've created and allowed us to come into and be a part of is the greatest places I've ever found to play within and meet other people. You maybe think we don't appreciate it but we really do, maybe we are not as vocal as we should be about the love we have for arelith and the work you do here, but that's usually because were spinning tales within and who can blame us, this place is amazing and we get lost in it for more hours than i like to admit.

As to the darker side of the server, i too have encountered it and I've always tried to understand why they react or play a certain way even in the face of rationality and attempted open dialogue. Truth is i don't think we will ever know but i always stand with the arelith team and do so vocally when negative concerns are ever raised about you bunch of heroes.

Always remember you are amazing and we are in awe of what you have all accomplished so far.

[perseid]

Just wanted to pile on and add my own kudos. I don't think Arelith would be remotely the same without IG nor would it have been better off. I've always enjoyed the degree of insight behind IG's changes including the ones I disagreed with and for me that insight is a hallmark of why Arelith needs figures like Irongron at the helm. Even in scenarios where I didn't agree with a particular design choice I've found that very rarely was it the philosophy behind a particular change I had issues with so much as the implementation details around it. All of this is to say, I really appreciate everything Irongron has done for the server and whether he returns or not I hope he knows there's a lot of people in the community who are deeply grateful for all the work he's put in and flak he's taken throughout the years for the server.

[Seekeepeek]

Some people will never truly grow up, Irongron. It's in the nature of the stubborn to shift blame onto others when things don’t go their way. They see the world through a rose-tinted filter, where nothing is ever their fault. Even age doesn’t always bring wisdom—some older individuals fall into the same habit. Thankfully, they make up only a small fraction of people, but their presence is constant, and many find an outlet online, where their actions come with little consequence.

I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes, Irongron. But I have nothing but admiration for what you’ve done for this server—your hard work and good intentions have shaped something meaningful. I wish you and your family the very best. While a few loud and unpleasant voices may weigh on your heart right now, remember that you’ve brought joy to hundreds more, even if their appreciation is quietly felt rather than loudly spoken.

[Gin Eschatonic]

What shocked me more than the fact that we won't have Irongron leading this project and community anymore is the spirit of his message.

Irongron was always very enthusiastic about Arelith, NWN, the communities, the servers. At least to me, there was something extremely genuine and even inspiring in how much he seemed to love the way we can come together and share this game and the way he dedicated time and effort to all this.
His work wasn't just for Arelith, but for NWN with all its servers, its future as a game and roleplaying communities for D&D.
He retained that passion through all the backlash of the "EE = shill money" crowd, through hacking and blackmailing attempts and Arelith community management.
It's honestly heartbreaking to see all of that outstanding dedication and enthusiasm fall apart. The entire platform is losing a lighthouse.

I realise this is in equal part praise and whine, so all I'm left with is saying THANK YOU for all those years of hard work you held out for so many people. You tried to create a wonderful environment for people to share stories in. And even if harmful elements you were probably confronted with most of the time persist - The things that make Arelith and NWN great are where they are now thanks to your contributions.

[Grunf]

Dear Irongron,

I played for dunno 14y on this server? As one that got old along the server and felt challenges as a player in only fragments what You did as ArchDev i wish to say that your Work and taking over Arelith as a whole made the community LESS TOXIC by several times then what was before, and i always pointed out THAT is your highest contribution along the server development.

Funny (but also reasonable) is, that You take the break coz of it...but, we all age (pardon me haha) so do You even as being a Palemaster, and i truly with my 42 end up being lost sometimes with "New Kids", but also surprised by them too...thank You for hauling this duergar work....refresh yourself, and return...as we all do.

P.S.
Maybe is finally time to play....dunno, some kind od svirfneblin. Cheers!

[Sandrow]

What irongron and other contributors have achieved in Arelith is wonderful to me. When someone dissuade people from joining Arelith for something a decade ago, I personally tried to invite every qualified friends to join in Arelith. And now we've grown from a small group of 5 into a large family of 32. That's beyond my former imagination since I live in a desert of D&D.

Although some of us leave Arelith for real life from time to time, we always come back and enjoy our stories again and again. The experience of Arelith is unmatched and I sincerely which we could continue in the future.

[Salasker]

I have met some of the best friends and kindest people here. I have friends that are mothers in Europe, youngsters in Australia, kind folks in the US, some in my own city in Canada. I have been moved to near tears by the writing in game, and been continually stunned at the art that has come out of Arelith; be it drawing, stories, music.

I still meet new people every week, finding this place for the first time. It has been a background source of joy for me for over 15 years now. Breaks are necessary, of course; I've always maintained that the Zeroth Rule of Arelith is Real Life before Game.

I hope Irongron will return refreshed and with the joy I still feel playing this silly 20 year old game that still captivates me. Whether they do or not, though, my heartfelt thanks for your work in giving me such wonderful friends, memories, and happy times.

[vaclavc]

Dear Irongron,

I started playing back in 2010 or 2011 and since then, Arelith has become a part of my life. I cannot afford playing as much as I used to, but anytime I wish, I can log in and immerse myself in the world you helped create. All because of you and the Team.

Thank you.

Vaclav

[clam chowda]

The post was quite negative, unfortunately. Is there nothing positive about Arelith, then? If I had only ever read that post, that's what I would assume. I know that's false; the server is wonderful and filled with great people with a friendly and evenhanded team. I had no idea all that garbage stuff was happening underneath. When dealing with it yourself, it'll turn good days into bad days and bad days into worse days, so I do understand the frustrated tone of the post. What's the solution? The community should be more aware that this stuff goes on so we can do our best to eliminate it where we find it and then reflect on if we're doing enough. The efforts of the team are appreciated, and the server is a beautiful thing. From what I've seen, Arelith has a strong community, and there needs to be some serious planning going forward to combat these ugly things going on behind the scenes. There have to be solutions.

[Edens_Fall]

Thank you for Everything Irongron. Thank you for years of dedication, server vision, content design, and administration. I truly believe Arelith is what it is today thanks mostly to your guiding hand. Far to often human nature sabotages our own success and be they player, staff, admin, or DMs issues have arisen over the years that could have ended badly. . . . but didn't thanks to your level headed approach and fair judgement of situations.

I cannot speak for everyone, but for myself I an eternally greatful. I wouldn't still be with Arelith or enjoying my time here with friends if it wasn't for you and all that you have sacrificed for this community.

Again, Thank you for everything and enjoy your time away with family and friends.