Lifedragn's page

I am sure many folks already know, as I have made postings in our public organization forums and it has likely been shared in a few meetings, but I have been absent from play for some time and will continue to be for a few more weeks.

A couple months ago, I was diagnosed with bone cancer in my pelvis. Because of this, I have had to focus my priorities away from gaming. I now have a surgery date set for the 13th of this month. It is going to be a fairly major surgery (looking at 8 hours under the knife) but I fully expect to pull through. The doctor has told me to expect two to three months before I should expect to be able to get back to work. Naturally, if I cannot work, I will not be able to play extensively, but I should hopefully be able to resume at least a casual presence after Thanksgiving.

Should I fail to return for any reason, I would like to say it has been quite a ride and a pleasure to be involved in this community. However, focusing on the positive, I look forward to playing with you all again on the other side of this most dangerous quest.

In Character:

An elf, with a small cadre of associates both armed and unarmed surrounding him, steps up onto a crate he has carried with him into the square. "Friends! Allow me to graciously request that you lend your ears and a bit of your time and consideration! I ask that you imagine with me now, close your eyes and envision. In the high hills there stands a city. It bears tall stone walls, providing safety to all who consider it home and all who visit to perform their business functions. These walls, first to be kissed by the rising sun stand protected from the evils of this world by strong folk, good folk. Not the abusive and corrupt soldiers of The Citadel or of Thornkeep, but men and women who treat you as the sentient and independent people we all wish ourselves to be! Imagine a citizenry where your neighbor is more apt to help you repair a storm-damaged roof than they are to sneak through that broken window to steal your valuables. Where people come together not through coercion, but freely and willingly for the mutual benefit of all! Where your fellows know that true strength comes from willing cooperation. They understand that a force working together without oppressive oversight can perform wonders stronger than can be attained by any mighty individual and that the benefits of those wonders last longer than those constructed tyrannical overlord that works slaves into death. Imagine with me, this shining beacon standing tall in the world and proving beyond any doubt that being Goodly folk is not only a feat of moral strength but that it is also the best path for creating a successful, stable, and secure populace. I ask that you consider joining me in this haven of bright futures. This city which will protect the weak. This city which will support anyone of benevolent intentions in growing their ability. This city which will stand as a beacon of freedom and opportunity regardless of social class or history. Together, let us build something that will boldly face the test of time! Now come, and speak to me if you wish to partake in this adventure!"

Out of Character:

Brighthaven is going to be a Neutral Good settlement focused on defending its citizens and its allies from non-consensual PvP while striving to become a large and shining beacon for Good. Whether you wish to benefit from this protection or you love PvP and wish to assist in providing this protection, Brighthaven aims to be the home and support center for you! Though being envisioned and founded by The Empyrean Order, we seek to form a collaborative settlement with any who share in this stated vision. We have planned a merit-based representation system in the governance of the settlement. Though our initial charter proposal is still undergoing some internal review and revision, we will be making its current form available to potential member companies upon request such that interested parties may provide feedback for consideration. You may contact me either in or out of character at your preference. I am amenable to both preferences.

Just for some (hopefully humorous) perspective on the truth behind what these folks at both Goblinworks and Paizo are dealing with. Are there some exaggerations? Sure. But this is not really all that far away from what it is to be a programmer or web developer.

http://stilldrinking.org/programming-sucks?utm_content=buffer03c65&utm_ medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

The Empyrean Order
 
Name: The Empyrean Order 
Alignment: Neutral Good 
Preferred Alignments: LG/NG/CG 
Purpose: Community betterment, protection of the weak, and promotion of justice.
Player Roles Accepted: All
Website: covenantofthepheonix.com
 
History: The Empyrean Order is a group established for the purpose of championing the ideals of positive gameplay in Pathfinder Online. Our early involvement in the community and strong mission statement garnered a wealth of support which has solidified our dedication to the purpose. Because of our identification with this purpose, we have officially become the Pathfinder Online branch of the Covenant of the Pheonix Gaming Community. Joining us will extend to joining them, allowing you to benefit from the opportunities they offer to enjoy other games together during the long wait for Pathfinder Online. Individual chapters still receive a fair amount of autonomy meaning that our leadership and structure which revolves around Pathfinder Online is dedicated to the title.
 
Ideology: The Empyrean Order believes that just because you can do something in a game, that doesn't necessarily mean you should. To that end, we want Pathfinder Online to have a community where -- even though Open World PVP is enabled -- random Player Killers are a fringe element rather than mainstream, and griefers are nearly non-existent. We also believe in helping new players, reaching out to the rest of the community, and generally making Pathfinder Online a better world for people to enjoy together.
 
Who Should Join TEO?: Everyone who agrees with the above ideology and wants to be a part of an organization that puts it into action. Beyond our military and militia, we have five guilds: one focused on combat training and creating combat events, one focused on helping people and community outreach, one focused on scouting and exploration, one focused on crafting and trade, and one focused on knowledge and study.

We cater to every play-style; from people wanting to be part of an elite military to pacifists; from people looking for a heavy role-play experience to those who'd prefer to avoid it; from Americans and Europeans to Australians and more.
 
Our Rules:
1. No killing without just cause. One of the main ways we distinguish ourselves is by only killing when we have good reason to do so. More details on what constitutes good reason will be given as we get more details on the game, but for the most part this constitutes enemies of The Empyrean Order and those who are a threat to the general public.
2. Do not make agreements you do not intend to keep. Nobody in The Empyrean order will demand you make promises or enter into contracts, but if you do, then you should honor your word.
3. Respect other members of our order, and try to respect those outside of it as well. I know this rule is very difficult and can rarely be followed perfectly, but know where to draw the line, especially in a public setting. This one will be enforced the hardest on inter-guild drama, any rivalry between members should be friendly. This does not always mean that all members are expected to think alike or see eye-to-eye all of the time or even most of the time. It does mean that these disagreements are expected to remain civil even if you have to agree to disagree.
 
Joining The Empyrean Order:
1. Register on the CotP boards. 
2. Apply for CotP membership. 
3. Introduce yourself in the Pathfinder Online section.
4. Join into our ongoing discussions on our policies in the upcoming PFO title, and check out the other titles our community have to offer.
 
Mumble Usage: CotP has a dedicated 24/7 Mumble server. Mumble usage is a requirement for all TEO members, but a microphone is not required unless you are part of the military. This is because Mumble is where most of our conversations happen, and if you aren't in there, you really will not get integrated into the community as much as we would like. Mumble does offer text chat options and if everyone in-game is using the Mumble then you can likely reply to comments on the Mumble via our in-game chat as well.
 
The Mumble setup guide for our server can be found here.
 
Guilds of the Order
The Seraphic Commission (White Staves):  This group is a community-oriented division of The Empyrean Order. Also known as the White Staves, this group focuses on engaging The Empyrean Order with the larger community through positive relations. The mission of The Seraphic Commission includes but are not limited to furthering the following aims:

Brighthaven is the name of the settlement The Empyrean Order will be using our landrush votes to establish. Brighthaven will be a neutral good settlement established with two main purposes in mind. First, to offer the absolute best training and services for good-aligned players to be found in any settlement. Second, to be one of the safest and most vibrant places in all of Golarion for players to trade and conduct business.

There are some things about Brighthaven that may surprise you:

1. We are not looking to build a TEO settlement. We are looking to establish a settlement founded on the principles of equality, justice, and a desire to improve the community which TEO can call home.
2. You do not need to be a TEO member or subordinate to TEO in order to live here.
3. We will be running a merit based system where representation is based on your group's contributions, and TEO's contributions will be measured on the same metric as everyone else's.
4. At the moment, Andius has no intent to run for the executive role of this settlement. He feels his talents and temperament are much better suited for a military position.

There are a lot of great reasons to join Brighthaven but let me outline a few:

• Brighthaven aims to have the best training and facilities offered by any good aligned group.
• Brighthaven is backed by a major company, but all member groups enjoy equal treatment under it's laws.
• Brighthaven's pro-entrepreneurship, pro-trade atmosphere makes it a great place to call home for crafters, traders, and PVEers.
• Brighthaven has PvP oriented members willing to offer training to any group pursuing a protector type role.
• Brighthaven will not allow it's members to kill or rob without just cause. This is a city whose ideals you can take pride in.
• You can rise to power within Brighthaven and even aspire to the office of governor.

We'd really love to hear from other groups interested in joining up with us in the formation of Brighthaven, so they can be part of the process of creating it. While we already have a lot of great ideas on how to run things, none are set in cement. Feel free to PM us here, register on our boards, or post here in this topic.

Commonly Asked Questions

Q: Can our group maintain our own points of interest outside Brighthaven and remain members of the settlement?
A: As the plan stands so far, territory taken by a member group of Brighthaven belongs to the group who claims it unless they claim it in Brighthaven's name.

Q: How will we be equal to TEO?
A: While we can't give the exact details this early, the intent is to run Brighthaven as a republic. Each group will be given representatives on a basis of how many members they have, and how actively those members are contributing to Brighthaven. TEO will be measured by the same standard as everyone else when determining how many representatives we have. If your group grows larger and more active than TEO, you could actually wield more power than us within this settlement.

Q: If I join Brighthaven, will I be forced into wars against it's enemies?
A: Brighthaven's central government will operate on a policy to avoid declaring aggressive wars unless faced with either an imminent threat or a persistent menace that is unable to be resolved without settlement-level action. Brighthaven's mission is to provide a safe and positive environment for its members. As such, opening members to assault from enemy factions should be considered a very serious matter. Participation in defensive measures will be voluntary for members of Brighthaven, though highly encouraged. It is our hope to be strong enough to fend off such attacks only through willing volunteers. The loss of points of interest, access to resources in neighboring hexes, or even the sacking of the settlement proper will have negative repercussions across the entirety of the population. We will not require you to march to war. But your participation or lack thereof could be the tipping point in an otherwise close battle.

Q: What would I be giving up to join?
A: Though the precise tax rate will depend on both the game mechanics and community feedback, there are plans for a very modest tax on property owners and harvesting operations. Additionally, as a good-aligned settlement, there will likely be restrictions on who members can kill, and who member groups can go to war with.

My current intentions for my primary character is an elf hailing from Kyonin (with Regional trait KS option). I intend to have personal character story surround this background and hope to drive some broader story plots for others through said character.

Any others still hanging around intending to be elves from Kyonin? Interested in seeing if there is anyone with shared background elements, even if that simple. If you are, do you still have attachment to that homeland, or are you actively fleeing it for some reason?

If I were you, my whole approach now would be to create a community not to set policies. Gather together a large number of people who share common objectives and create a shared sense of purpose.

Worrying about alignments, reputation, and security policies is not going to have much effect on your long term success at this juncture. Those are things that are still going to undergo a tremendous amount of crowdforging and will almost certainly change many times in Early Enrollment as we all seek good compromises.

In response to this notion, I would like to see those interested in playing a more cooperative and benevolent character establish a loose community around defending the ideals of being able to successfully play Good characters with the intent of affecting positive change in our server. This is not speaking to a Good-alignment as defined by whatever the game mechanics end up being, but as the Good alignment described by the tabletop version. Guardians, Builder, Healers, Mediators, Vigilantes and all of the other good archetypes listed.

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/alignment-description/additional-rules

Wolf or Lamb, which will you be? There is no Sheepdog in PvP (no offense).

I am also speaking to those who would vehemently disagree with this statement. If there are no sheepdogs, then we shall create them. We shall work to provide an encouraging environment for the lambs to do their play and work. It shall not be an easy endeavor, and there will be losses along the way. But if we stand together and stand strong, we can create a place for lambs and sheepdogs in this realm of wolves.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livestock_guardian_dog

Anyone else wishing to strive for this mission? Anyone willing to help provide a foothold for benevolence to blossom? Naysayers need not speak up. I am not interested in attempts to sabotage the endeavor. It shall succeed or fail through strength or lack of supporters.

There has been a lot of discussion aimed around bandits and how flags should be affecting given mechanics or who they expect to fly flags and when. And a lot of us folks who disfavor PvP crying back against them. This topic is aimed at my fellow PvP-adverse players.

In order to foster better relations between ourselves and those of us who would engage us in PvP despite our lack of desire, it would benefit us to form a code of ethics that we adhere to in relation to flying or not flying flags. If we can act reliably within game terms and not abuse the system then bandits are likely to treat us better, regardless of whether we give into SADs or fight to defend ourselves. If we try to game the system and use delay tactics, they will learn to kill us quickly and move on because they will assume we have some dirty tricks up our sleeves.

I would propose the following to be included.

1) Expect somebody to engage you in PvP regardless of your flags. The further you become from town, the more you should expect this.

2) If you were not flagged and were not issued a SAD, bounties and death curses are encouraged. This is the lowest form of behavior and we do not wish to promote it.

3) If you were not flagged and were issued a SAD but rejected it, then expect a fight to ensue. We should agree to what we consider a reasonable SAD. Reasonable is a personal decision that should not be made en masse. Only the victim of the SAD can define reasonable for themselves. For me, reasonable is 0% so I expect to be fought. But I will reject swiftly. Make your decision or counter-offer quickly. If you fight and lose, bounties may be placed at your discretion. Bounties are effectively player-generated quests and adds to content. Avoid excessively renewing the bounty. Death curses should be avoided. The bandits were kind enough to SAD you first. Unless the request was extraordinarily high as a way to game the rep system then this courtesy should be respected by not placing death curses.

4) If you were flagged and were either SAD'd or Directly Attacked, please limit bounties to zero or one time. One time is acceptable to generate content for other players. However, it is inappropriate to repeatedly punish a bandit for PvPing you when you asked for it by flying the flag. Death curses should be abhorred in this scenario. Using them is highly discouraged.

5) Advertising yourself as a non-PvPer by not flying a flag in order to coerce bandits to SAD you, so that they can avoid a reputation hit, to give you time for backup to arrive is low. This should be considered abuse of the flagging system. If non-PvP flagged players repeatedly abuse the advance notice a SAD grants, then the bandits will stop offering them to us, kill us, and take everything. If you are non-PvP and issued a SAD then Accept it, Counter-Offer, or Reject it swiftly.

6) If you are baiting bandits, serving decoy, or otherwise assisting a current bandit-hunting operation in some way please flag yourself. Issuing bounties or death curses in this situation is fairly poor sportsmanship. Avoid doing so.