I got the thinking about something really unique we have as a long-running server--and that thing turned into two things. So I'm interested to hear other people's thoughts on it or if they've ever considered it.



Explorability of the Module:

Are modules are pretty big. Bigger than we often give them credit for. Usually we as players or PCs tend to congregate in one particular place or another when not actively "hunting" or RPing. And that's fine, I'd say; real life group dynamics are reflected in people gathering at crossroads, outside of market places, or places of transportation. But one of the neat things about having such a big in-game world is that there's nothing really stopping anyone from going somewhere in the wilderness or a seldom-explored place and setting up camp to be whatever they want. If you went to the Skull Crags and decided you wanted to build a hunting lodge, get a few PCs backing you, and a DM to oversee it, it can happen in a relatively short time. And the nice thing about Amia is that has happened, many times (but I'll get to that in point 2). Even if you don't feel like making something, there are tons of what I guess you would call dungeons--never got the point of calling something above ground that--and just forgotten things here or there throughout the game. Maybe they're not all equally as engaging or story-based as some of our more recent stuff is, but they're still there to be experienced in a number of ways, if you take the time to RP.

So my first question is, what are some little-known areas of the module that you personally like to hang out in? Either as a specific PC, or you just like the look of it, but you enjoy visiting it every now and again, or trouncing through once in a while for that feel of IC exploration. What makes them special to you? Was it some RP that happened there, or the potential for RP that draws you?

For me, I'd have to say Forstakkr holds a lot of interest for me. I'm not sure how many people actually have explored far, far up into the mountains(it's been forever since I've heard them mentioned by anyone but me). There's a freakin' ninja monastery. Or at least, there was... haven't really been able to find it again, so it might have been taken out with the Thykvybaer stuff. The Thykvybaer Monastery was always nice to hang out in as Zammikyra. While she was fine with the Temple of the Triad, she always enjoyed visiting smaller temples and chapels because they were more like those she grew up in. Random corners of the Underdark are always interesting for my other character. The Engineering School in L'Obsul is a neat place I don't think I've ever seen someone else in. Shame. Other than that, the Thonry Hills outside of Wyrmhold always seemed very nice once I added the tree override... except for the band of orcs always trying to kill you there, I suppose.

Server History:

As I mentioned earlier, a very awesome thing about our server is that player action can influence the world, not just the story. There have been dozens of faction bases on the server, some of which still stand if you look hard enough, and the ruins of others as well. I find it neat how we have this continuous procession of groups, allies, and armies that rise and fall throughout our server's history. It mimics the history of Forgotten Realms itself in that respect. You can basically think up any concept, and there was an ancient civilization that took it to the extreme, rose, ruled the world for a few centuries, then fell back into dust. And those are just the named ones. Who is to say what was not recorded or was wiped from the records?

But here on Amia, we have a record. On the forum, in-game in some cases, and most awesome of all, in living characters. If you look hard enough, you can find a PC that was around for the Wizard's march and saw the rise of mythals. You can find a PC who remembers the actual Cordorian revolutions, the Duke, and tons of earlier things that a newer player might simply take as having always been around. The items we added a while back with Amia-specific descriptions boosted this sense of history, in my opinion, allowing players to begin to trace the events that happened here before their characters, like their PC would be able to. Anyone who I nag talk to IC is familiar with how I compare it to Dark Souls, a game that was really successful in giving that compelling narrative of history and eternal recurrence, as some might call it. FR and D&D as a whole kind of loosely cobble together the narrative of civilizations and such because it allows for the DM to hone on the importance of one over another. But as a persistent server that's lasted over a decade, we naturally have some of that gravitas of by-gone heroes and wars which led to the present, because we either experienced them or know someone who did.

So my second question is what is bygone group, area, or faction that you reminisce about? If you're a newer player, is there a part of Amia's history that you wish you knew more about or could revive into the present?

The original Mystran Tower, the one before the Monolith, is what I often think about. Evolution and procession of the people that ran it is always neat to consider as well. I often wonder if anyone has ever attempted to make an academic genealogy of all the archmagi that came through there, who they mentored and interacted with, and how that ties into the new Tower in Kholingen. It seems like the perfect IC task for a scholar of Azuth or Oghma. There are a few players still around that would be able to lend their help to such a thing. A bygone group/area that I wish I could have interacted with more was Benwick and their knights. There's a genealogy to be had their too I suppose, of the Benwick Knights, the Defenders who broke from them, the Triadic Knights, the Platinum Knights, and so on.

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I got the impression that recently, Amia has been "cleaning up" these areas that may seem nestled and cool to some but for the most part are never used so they try to cut down on lag/space/make room for new stuff... is this true? I still don't fully understand why the Triumvur was taken out, I saw it only briefly when I joined, it was the and still is the coolest area/concept I had seen, but I'm sure I'm opening a big old can of worms bringing that up.

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Whoa, the Triumvir is gone? Dang.

Edit: The joke is because I wanna gonna say my favorit elittle known spot to chill in was the Traveller's Hall in the Triumvir....

As for the second...

This is more Arelith than Amia, really, but I always enjoyed being part of, and one of the founding members of, the Silent Hand assassin's guild. It was a powerful and formative part of my original character, Nathan, and we were never near as secretive as we ever thought we were. Nor did we ever really assassinate very many people, to my memory! Our front being the Perfectly Legitimate Gentleman's Social Club (a direct quote) probably didn't help. But it was the first faction I was ever a part of on Arelith/Amia, and though my character ended up leaving (and taking one of the women assassins with him - a Drow named Aluaniira), it will always be a part of my memories here. Apparently the Silent Hand did quite well for itself after the Amian/Arelith split, or so I heard! A couplre of the players went on to become DMs there too, if I recall.

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Davion Telemos - Monk of the Four Winds
Korthan Isharnos - Dragon Shaman of Thunder Spirit Zamasham

This is far from being realistic.

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Login: Narkudauman

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ╬ Join the Magisterium Mortis ╬

Super, super ditto about the "short time" bit and the implication this would be easy. It's not easy or immediate by any stretch of immagination.

Source: Past three years experience. It's still somewhat hanging.

Ralten's Six Month Band Tour!

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The Benwick and Kohl split is also more Arelith story than Amian story and from what I've heard it was more OOC than IC at some point, esspecially because the player of King Galahald was the server host of Arelith . The story had a different outcome on Arelith though, because the undead of Earl Manfried were able to destroy Kohl, while Benwick is still standing over there.

I'll admit that when I was still playing, I missed the Monolith and second-guessed myself about advocating its destruction (as awesome as the story behind that was.) The place had a certain charm and mystique to it. It was huge, and had this intimidating feel almost - it was bigger than you. There were little nooks and crannies you could hide yourself in, little back rooms and offices where mysteries could be discussed (or overheard). There's a lot of server history wrapped up in that place, and a lot of it is not widely known due to IC circumstances.

I have also considered writing Ulrik's memoirs, which may go well with preserving "server history." I think if there was an actual effort to record history and events surrounding the Arcanum war or doing an "academic genealogy," I'd consider helping out ICly by dusting off the old wizard maybe. It'd be pretty neat. A lot of PCs were involved in that, spanning a decade almost.

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Playing:
Marcus Valis

All Ulrik would have to do to write a memoir is open a page a sketch his mustache. Game, set, and match.

There are just a ton of areas I've explored over the years that I just adored. When the Glade first came around, Caraigh was just so unbelievably cool. Every area had something interesting hiding in it.

That little glen just west of the Nexus Falls. So great. Plus the dolphin shrine.

The Tropical Island. Is that still there? I had a ton of fun there.

And the Monolith....I do miss the Monolith. I remember the first time I walked in there. Nivo's right. It did make you feel small, and part of something. It was a really well made place.

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There are some really cool places in the Underdark that inspire me to do so much role-play that there's not enough time in life to do all my ideas! I like the illithid area the best, though, probably because I like illithids, and I also like the cool "computer terminal" type things everywhere. Most of my rp there gets ignored, but w/e. Still fun! lol.

The hostile drow area is pretty awesome, too. It's really too bad the mobs are not worth killing, but the area is definitely worth exploring for me. There's all kinds of buildings to hang out in and do fun rituals in.




I've been a little angry that I missed out on Edonil completely, and when I came back to the server a few years ago after a long absence, I was pretty mad that Ultrinnan was gone.

Don't get me wrong, changes can be great, and on Amia, there have been a LOT of amazing changes and the game is way better than it was when I first started playing.

...but....

Deleting an area can easily deter old players from coming back. The entire reason I was gone so long was, I logged on, saw Ultrinnan was gone, and just logged off again for 3 years. I didn't care why it was gone, I just saw it was gone, so, in my eyes, my old game was gone, so I went on to play another game.

It took me a while to get used to Nec'perya, but once I invested the time and energy it takes to get involved in a completely new storyline, I liked it.

The tropical island blew up and became a volcano.

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Does no one else miss the actual Isle of Lumorier?

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Krimmor Nurad ~ Master of Greed

Dangit.



RIP Lumorier, the island that exploded when an earthquake occured along a city on the south side of a second island a continental plate away

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Davion Telemos - Monk of the Four Winds
Korthan Isharnos - Dragon Shaman of Thunder Spirit Zamasham

I miss the old cities in Khem where I could hang about and smoke a hookah all day.

And I would totally make an academic genealogy of the island, just to make it so that many people have an awkward conversation with Asya while trying not to mention her army of skeletons in closets.

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Player of:
Asya Goodmonsdottir - Knight of Lesser Gods.
-Winner of 2014's "Razored Tongue" Award, and Emcee's pick "Authoritarian of the year".
Jannah Vindle - Mistress of Coin.

So much this, when those old Cities + ruins were removed that was quite painful.

Dang, is Khem gone too? what is my life everything i know and love is gone

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Davion Telemos - Monk of the Four Winds
Korthan Isharnos - Dragon Shaman of Thunder Spirit Zamasham

Actually I miss the Monolith too. I hated it so much when it was still existing because I kinda preferred the old Mystran Grove in the forest.

As for the Triumvir, it was indeed the most awesome place of the server

House Ussen d'Vhid in Nec'perya is by far my favorite place on Amia But I'm biased!

I really like all of Caraigh, though Blackmoor Keep is among my favorite places to hang out!

I miss Cordor Underground, the Temple of Loviatar, The Banite Keep... The old Guldurand, Actand, The Illithid Lair.... list goes on

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a.k.a. Audrey Zinata

My favourite place is probably the illuminated caverns down near L'obsul. Pretty crystals as far as the eye can see and a place my drow loves to go.

The sky forest is a place I love as well, that is barely used (much to my sadness) it's a wonderful place for elves with all the shrines, and even a 'hidden' camp for those silly elves who don't want to be in the city.

I miss the Triumvir and Tropical island too though

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Signature by Maryn! <3 I am also seen as DM Snuffles.

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Xalibossk, Body Tamer & Terror Of The Underdark

I love the Sky Forest and RIP Khem/Tropical Island HARD.

All very interesting stuff, guys. Surprising in some cases, but interesting nonetheless.

I wasn't really aware when exactly the Benwick stuff happened, so that's neat to hear. The way PC's talked about it IC I always thought it had happened during Amia's actual timeline, but I suppose that's because many were former Arelith characters too. It's awesome to think that there are characters that have been around over a decade, on multiple servers but mainly in the same setting. I'm not sure where else you get that experience of creating an idea/concept/character and watching it grow over such a long time except in writing and other media if you're ever lucky enough to get that far.

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The split among the knights that caused the foundation of Kohl occurred during the Arelith timeline. Benwick actually existed on Amia but for only a few months (2004 Dec-2005 April). You can see the letter from Drak'law regarding the destruction here

I never knew about that. Thanks for posting it. With the odd need for a little "historical revisionism" to fill in some gaps, that letter helps a lot and I think I can use it for something.

Omg... there were these two bodaks guarding the entrance to that bar down there that said, "You Disturb!" when you click on them. I would just sit down there clicking on them for hours of drug free fun.

Once is the past I spent days to uncover server role, so I have some stuff bookmarked since then. It was also quite interesting to look back the GD forum because some of the stuff were posted or explained there, until the OOC forum history got wiped due to the forum update in 2009.