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Velathaen Amaris:

Like the naked leads the blind
I know I'm selfish, I'm unkind
Sucker love I always find
Someone to bruise and leave behind

All alone in space and time
There's nothing here but what here's mine
Something borrowed, something blue
Every me and every you

Thank you so much to Fox², Xeneize, and modronlove for accompanying Nola on her quest yesterday. I really enjoyed getting to know Rose, and getting to have Nola ride with a fellow Helmite in Katarina. I also really enjoyed the slight tension with Sir Javen; Paladins are basically jocks, so some minor, enjoyable headbutting tends to be inevitable!

A massive thanks to realityjumper for Nola's personal quest yesterday! It was pitch perfect for her, and will do a lot to help build her story going forward. Couldn't be happier with it!

There's a thread like this for Players and DMs, but not one specifically for the Admins, so I figured I'd make one. There should be a place for us to post the positive feedback we have when it comes to the server in general. While the Bug Report, Support, and Update Request channels on Discord are nice, they're kind of inherently places to complain, and I think that might lend itself to a sense that there is only complaint for the Admins.

Personal Bit:

I mentioned in Discord the other day about how I've used RP as a means of therapy for my various mental health issues. That's been true in some form or another since I was about 14-15 or so (I'm now 33), but a few years back I had an unfortunate incident in ESO that kinda killed my video-game-based RP vibe. It sucked, and while it led to me fixing some things that needed to be fixed, it also created this barrier of anxiety that left me unable to get back into it. I tried on ESO, I tried on SWTOR, I even tried on Champions Online for some reason, but I couldn't get over that hump.

I used to RP on some NWN servers back in the day, like back when the game first came out. NWN was in fact the first game I ended up getting a video card specifically for, which necessitated me building my first machine. I won't get into that in-depth, but suffice to say it's responsible for a lot of my computer literacy.

I don't precisely recall what prompted me to pick up EE, but it was after getting it that I learned that it had sorta re-implemented the multiplayer infrastructure. On a whim, I looked into PW stuff, like hak packs and all that.

I would never have guessed that it would be Neverwinter Nights, of all things, that would help me get over that hurdle. It almost wasn't, in fact, as the first server I'd tried was PotM. Don't get me wrong, it's a nice server and all, but it was brutal, especially if you're not big on playing in groups. It was after spending weeks trying to get to level 4 and dying to a crag cat (again) that I decided to stop playing. I didn't know anything about Ravenloft anyway, and I wanted to try something that was a little more in my lore wheelhouse, so I decided to try an FR server.

I don't exactly know why I picked CD, either, but I'm very happy that I did. I have met a number of people here who've become real friends, people I care about a great deal. It's been a great boon to be able to RP like again, especially at a time where I'm achieving certain states of wellness that I hadn't really believed possible. I've made characters here that I absolutely love, and they've helped me explore so much of what I'm working through. The real benefit can't be overstated; RP helps me understand myself like nothing else ever has.

None of that would be possible without Vincent07  , @belladonna  , Fire Wraith  , Edge  , and whatever various Admins were around in the past. You all clearly put a lot of effort and love into this server, keeping it alive all these years and tangling with the horrid mess that is early 00's game development. You've helped build a community that's remarkably friendly, all things considered, and you've provided a place where I've felt safe enough to express myself, and I cannot thank you all enough for it. You are all wonderful, lovely people in my eyes, and I'm certain I'm not the only one who thinks so.

Thank you <3

Just Rhoz:

Ana de Armas as Nola Vale. She'd need to put on some beef and wear contacts, but she's a pretty solid match otherwise.

Thanks and congratulations to Darkfangs for their first-ever quest! The party was left uncertain and terrified, which is indicative of solid DMness!

1 & 2. My schedule's weird as fuck. I'm disabled, so I don't work, but I've kind of signed up for a random mish-mash of social activities that sees me occupied at differing times. As a result, I'll just list my availability by day:

- Monday: Any time after 1pm/3pm
- Tuesday: Any time before 4pm/6pm
- Wednesday: Not available
- Thursday: Any time after 1pm/3pm
- Friday: Any time before 5pm/7pm
- Saturday: Any time before 6pm/8pm
- Sunday: Wide open

Notes:
-All times in PT/CT. (Pedantic Note: XST/XDT are not actually the same thing! XDT is used while Daylight Savings is active, and XST is used while it is not. So, until November 3rd, the correct notation would be PDT/CDT. Not saying this for everyone to change how they've been writing it, just saying in cast you've ever seen XDT used and wondered what that was about.)
-Availability varies wildly due to mental health.
3. Nola: Themes of social justice or moral quandary, or just straight up going ham on clearly evil things.
Galena: Thievery, irreverence, and redemption.
Willow: Other people's personal stories.
Sid'Aniel: Mercenary work, or anything to keep her from thinking too much.
(Will update as more characters come into play)

A massive thank you to realityjumper for running my first personal quest tonight! It was pitch perfect and gave everyone spots to shine and room to express their characters. I couldn't have asked for better!

Yes, thank you all for coming along once again!

[Nola Vale:]

Nola Vale: In the Backseat - Arcade Fire

Nola's story at the moment is centered around her not feeling like she can depend on herself. She's felt lost ever since her father died, and she's struggling to accept that she's in charge of her own life (Paladin oaths included).

Galena: This Fire Burns - Killswitch Engage

When life punches you in the face, you punch that shit right back.

Desna Lethariel: Take It - Staind

I. Live. Through. This.
I. Still. Feel. This.
I. Just. Live. For.
My. To-mor-row...

A belated thanks to Nokteronoth for the excellent Maraan questline, which packed plenty of emotional hooks for all the characters involved, as well as just a hint of otherworldly legend to make us feel appropriately awed. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience all around!

10/10 would get ass kicked again.

What times do you typically RP, and do you have an idea how many times per week you'd like to RP this apprenticeship?