I've been on the server, on and off for over 20 years and, during that time have seen the server change dramatically, always improving and getting more and more complex and immersive.
The roleplay has sort of taken a similar curve. Back in the day we thought nothing of Drow, Banites and worse all standing shoulder to shoulder in Cordor shooting the breeze. (I kid you not). Much has changed since then and the quality has improved alongside the server.
We used to rely heavily on DM run story lines and quests but, as time has passed, it's gotten more and more into the hands of the players to come up with innovative and immersive stories.
Today, my character, Molly, stepped out as a Cordor guard on her first day. Now, I've played a Cordor guard a long, long time ago, so I thought I'd have a similar experience. Boy was I wrong.
I'd barely stepped into the main square of the government district than she met Luzius Mercer & Jonathon Bleakhart. Hellos said and discussions of a patrol were made when Reinhardt appeared and spoke with both of them in private.
Once he'd departed, We set off on our patrol of the outskirts, farmlands etc, Luzius & Jonathon running through things with Molly as we went. When we reached the Culture district, Molly stopped in her tracks at the sight of a "Sickly knave" who seemed to be doing something to the water in the well. She challenged him, backed up by the two guards who let her take the lead.
An argument ensued between Molly and the Knave before he ran. We gave chase but he eluded us. Cue roleplay around cordoning the well off and getting So-Kehur to come and check the water for signs of poisoning. Molly prepared a sign to warn people off of drinking out of the well and then continued to search for the man, but to no avail.
After what seemed ages to me, it was revealed that the man was Reindhardt, in disguise, and this had all been a training exercise to test Molly's initiative and how she would handle the situation and herself.
Molly was blown away, and so was I.
What a wonderful RP scenario created, on the spur of the moment it seemed, by the three of them to test their new recruit and flesh out the gritty realism of life as a guard.
This wasn't a DM sorting this out. It was three players who decided to generate roleplay and a little mystery for their new recruit.
If I had a hat I'd take it off to them. They are a shining example of what Arelith is all about and a demonstration of how the roleplay here is getting better every day thanks to selfless people who want their fellow players to enjoy themselves here.
Thank you.
