Rebirth Cycle: Arc 722
The Rebirth Cycle has Cylus (30 Trials) and then Ashan (123 Trials) which are open for you to play. All new threads from February 1st 2022 - May 31st 2022 should be timestamped within one of those two seasons.
Please see Timekeeping for more information and reach out to a member of staff if you're confused!
This announcement includes information on:
- Dates & Seasons
- Staff Changes
- Global Event: Ongoing Events.
- Open and Closed Cities.
- Community Updates
We're rolling into the new Cycle. The Rebirth Cycle marks the winter and spring season of the Arc, and begins with the season of Cylus. Long cold days leave the world in a constant state of twilight. Living outdoors becomes extremely difficult due to the icy temperatures and flora and fauna suffer during this time. Grass dies making livestock, who need to eat more to survive the harsh conditions, difficult to feed, and a lot of trees fall into dormancy, slowing down their metabolism and energy consumption in order to survive the season until the sun comes up again.
While the days slowly tick on, the sun begins to sink to the horizon before finally being blocked by one of Idalos' slow orbiting moons. The stationary effect of this moon, however, is partly due to the Ellune and their dormant ruler, Treid. His influence over the moons, and his less than favorable views of Faldrun, prevent the moon from showing any light for 30 trials. A curse he enacted to punish Faldrun for his backhanded and wicked ways, Treid was incapacitated by Audrae before he could remove it. Now the world suffers sunless for 30 trials an Arc, until the light of Ashan touches it once more.
Cylus lasts a total of 30 trials (days). It is the deepest winter on Idalos. However, each region will experience the effects of this seasons differently.
As Cylus closes out, Ashan begins, and slowly, the world begins to see spring. The first few weeks of Ashan are rigidly cold. Though the sun finally makes its appearance from Cylus, it takes many trials before the ice melts away into puddles, blooming flowers and grass. Ashan experiences a cold period, lasting for a quarter of the season before the temperature finally heats up enough to begin sowing crops for the Arc. Ashan is mainly known for it's spring weather, gentle breezes, and the rebirth of plant life. Barren trees slowly sprout buds of leaves and flowers, releasing a green haze of pollen while green grass grows slowly from the wet soil. Dead leaves from the previous season are swallowed up during this cycle, providing nutrients for new life growing from the ground.
Ashan lasts a total of 123 trials (days) while experiencing pretty moderate weather. Later in the season, rain clouds become a common thing, depending on the environment. The temperature begins to heat up while the green haze of pollen dies away and the budding plant life fully sprouts into bushy trees, thick grass, and lively, colorful flowers. As the season closes, the temperature rises, ushering in stronger storms and much hotter weather.
All active threads from the Cold Cycle of 721 are now grandfathered. New threads must be timestamped as Cylus or Ashan 722 or be a Memory thread, if applicable (only playable on a season before you began playing your PC). If your PC lists their age in their CS and has a birthday this cycle, be sure to update their age.
Staff Changes
We are enormously sad to bid farewell to Maltruism as a staff member. He has been on Standing Trials for many years and is an absolute rock when it comes to staff. However, sadly, real life means that he is no longer able to give the time he wants to and, so, he's taken the decision to step away from staffing. It is hard to describe his contribution, it's so vast, and he will be very sorely missed. In typical Malt fashion, he's got Etzos to a point where we can run with it's story and we very much hope to see him have some time to play his pcs. He has our enormous gratitude.
Global Event!! Here There Be Dragons 2: There Are Still Dragons! !!
Following the events of Ruin's Dawn, the return of dragons and death of Immortals are still rumours to the general populace. If there is an IC reason for your PC to know, then they do - but for most it's just growing more and more likely. Specifically, we have:
Immortals There are conflicting reports but it is more and more likely that Immortals died. By the end of this cycle it will be commonly accepted who died and Valtharn becoming an Immortal. Thetros being returned to his Mortalborn state and the existence of the Ascension Fracture in the ruins of Anox's Folly, in eastern Nashaki, are both still very vague rumours and you'd need an IC reason for knowing them.
Dragons Rumours of Dragons are now confirmed.
PCs There were people involved in the waking up of dragons and their names start to be known in relation to this.
- If the PC in question has more than 750 Renown and was in the Global, you can assume that their part in it is Common Knowledge.
- If the PC in question has more than 500 Renown and was in the Global, you can assume that basic details of their involvement is common knowledge.
- If the PC in question has less than 500 renown, then you would need an Intelligence skill of Competent to know names etc of those involved or an Intelligence skill of Expert to know details.
Open Cities & Areas, both Modded and Unmodded.
Cities & Areas Open and Supported by City Mods
The following Cities are Open and have City Moderators presiding over them. This means they will have active Calendars, Events, and will moderate threads for players. These city moderators are on hand to provide active support for their cities.
North
Viden - Is still closed - we didn't get to it, sorry! Will be reopening next cycle with Avalon and Pegasus as mods.
East
Scalvoris - Pegasus, Avalon & Vulpes~ Please note this is the city we advise new players to begin
The Eternal Empire ~ this will be opening this Cycle (we're aiming for March) under the auspices of Basilisk and Vulpes. Watch for announcements!
Central
Rharne - Pig Boy, Tempest and Basilisk
West
South
Cities Under Active Development
The following cities are under active development, with the intention of opening in the future.
Viden is getting a facelift
Cities & Areas Closed
The following cities are closed. PCs are not allowed to play here.
Northern
Rynmere (including Andaris and the Eastern Territories)
Eastern
Yaralon
If a city or area is not on the above lists, it is currently not moderated and/or not being actively developed. However, you may still post in that city by posting in the regional wilderness, adding the [City Name] at the front of the post title.
Unmoderated Cities
We are aware that people may want to write in currently unmoderated cities for all sorts of reasons. Therefore, we've made it easier for you to do so.
- The Unmoderated Area NPC Tracker - if you need / want more than a faceless NPC, this is the go-to place to create NPCs in unmoderated areas. Please note the rules regarding this in the thread itself.
- The Unmoderated Area Impact Tracker - when threads are completed / reviewed, any which might have an impact on an area (large or small) should go here. This means that the ongoing story of the area itself can change.
- Cycle Updates! We got great feedback regarding the overview of areas we gave last cycle, where we outlined what had happened in the areas where the Global had taken place. After some discussion, we've decided to expand that and so, in this announcement each Cycle, there will be an overview of the story of unmoderated cities. Player actions - or inaction - can change those stories, and we'll be using the Impact Tracker for that purpose.
- Lore Updates: This Cycle, I'm not going to be actively City Modding in Scalv (though I'm around) - instead I'm going to be focusing on two things. Firstly, I'm going to work on Viden, but I'm also going to be looking at our open and unmodded areas and making sure that each of them have a "basic lore thread" with rules for unmodded cities, links to the threads for NPCs, and basic information.
- Desnind: : Desnind has rumours of a disease which is impacting the trees and woods - a slow rot which will have major repercussions if true, but will require exploration.
- Melrath: In Melrath, it's rumored that the Induks gathered together at Flayer's End to defeat the union of a wandering Creep Heart from Quacia and an evil Spirit that had arisen from the ashes of that crater. Info here
- Ne'haer: The Council of Ne'haer have mostly recovered from the famine of prior cycles. With the help of local fisherman, they've rebuilt their industry to that effect, and branched out into whaling. Rumor has it, they're seeking an alliance with Ivorian to secure the Sev'ryn Main of Orm'dell Sea for their prospective alliance. Meanwhile, the All-Temple is rumoured to be undergoing some kind of political shake-up. There are openings for priests of many of the Immortals and some kind of in-fighting seems to be causing major issues.
- Nashaki: In the Hotlands, Anox's Folly has become the site of a major fracture in the wake of Ruin's Dawn. There, it's said that the faithful of the fallen Immortals can hear the voice of their patron. None who have ventured into the Fracture have yet returned.
- Viden: With Treid's return, Yvithia reshuffles the government and disbands the FRA. Many opportunities will be forthcoming.
- Etzos : Following Sintra's defeat, Etzos is largely a ghost town. Rebuilding will be necessary and infighting is rife. Rival gangs and conspiracy theorists abound and the day-to-day life of the people of Etzos grows more and more dire. In the aftermath of Sintra's expulsion from Etzos, and the distance of Lord Vuda from Etzos proper, there has arisen a power vacuum in The Big Rock. Cultists of both Lisirra and Sintra still stalk the wilderness of their various areas, clashing with each other as well as locals. It's a time of strife and also recovery, as the people of Etzos build back from the devastation of the Rhakros war and the Webspinner plots. There are rumors of an organization operating from the depths of the Underground. The Cult of the Underground Bastion Ecumenical (C U B E) who are plotting to turn Etzos over to one Immortal or another.
- Athart : The Unfeathered suffering from Aloplumia have been suffering from attacks, rumored to have been perpetrated by the Cult of Valtharn. Their inability to fly has made them easy pickings for the Cult, who have ripped their bald wing limbs and made effigies around the human quarters of that city. Human and Avriel relations are at a fever pitch, as the Aeolian ponders retribution.
- Sirothelle: The political turmoil starts to fall into factional lines. The three dominant groups are all controlled by the Aukari Occult. The first is an extremist, reactionary group that is pushing to attack other cities before other groups can attack them. The second is a more moderate faction controlled by Falkia Brennan that wants to shore up Sirothelle and focus on defending themselves. The third is a heavily religious group that refuses to believe Faldrun is dead and advocates carrying on like normal. Due to Sirothelle's oppressive society, there are currently no progressive or reformist groups.
- Uthaldria: While Drathaidir focuses on clearing a route to her museum, Edasha becomes more active in the city itself. While she is currently making no major moves, she is recruiting people to work in the museum, albeit with high and exacting standards. There is a general sense that the Immortal of Beauty find Uthaldria to be lacking.
- Quacia: Quacia's political turmoil has broke into several major political groups. Some are more progressive and seek social reform or emancipation of slaves. Others are more oppressive and push for the elimination of all outside influence in Quacia. Both the royalists, led by the King, and the cult are currently staying aloof from these groups, as they struggle more directly, and martially, for control of the city.
- Rynmere: Rynmere is mostly quiet as Artere sets about re-organizing what's left of Rynmere for maximum efficiency. Anyone who finds a way to spy on it will note that former nobles, peasants, soldiers, and slaves are all working alongside each other. However, no one speaks to each other, no one seems to have any personal life or even any personal concerns.. After all, there is no need for anything of the sort in the Hive Mind.Please note Rynmere is not open for play, unless via moderated threads with a Prophet. Rumours of this may be heard by those with connections to Ryn.
- Augiery: Between Audrae's death and Kuvarakh's raids, Augiery has mostly turned inward until it can stabilize. This has proven difficult due to the factionalization of the Vice Queens that rule the city, however. Currently, there are two major factions among the Vices. The first is made up of an odd and unsteady alliance of Odessa, Lomela, and Sanja. These three, despite their various negative tendencies, do genuinely care about the city and it's people and look to protect their city by any means necessary. The second is made up of a more logical, but no less unsteady, alliance of Runaash, Casia, and Tanvi. These three consider asserting Augierye's dominance and superiority to be paramount to any other concern. The last Vice Queen, Aurelia, is currently neutral and is waiting to see how things play out between the two factions.
- Yaralon: Yaralon is rebuilding following the destruction of the Ghost Burho. There is debate on whether or not the Ghost Burho itself will be rebuilt, and what to do about Vielkrontier. Most in the city favor just leaving the Dragon be, owing to his habit of casually killing anyone or anything that challenges him, but there are definitely hotheads among the Yari who favor trying to wipe out the Dragon. Meanwhile, Labrae and her kids settle into temporary quarters, and Labrae has made no concrete decision about leaving. Please note Yaralon is not open for play, unless via moderated threads with a Prophet. Rumours of this may be heard by those with connections to Yara.
If you'd like to see more active / open cities - consider applying for staff? There's all sorts of roles and the more of us there are - the more we are able to offer city-specific moderation!
Community Updates!
Rather than something every month, which I realised will overlap with this - I'm going to put the Community Updates here.
Currently, staff are working on the following:
- Giving feedback for Dragon Effigies - they're written, but they're still in the feedback process. This is being headed up by Basilisk and is ongoing.
- Darius is leading on trying to streamline the languages we have on Idalos - on giving them descriptions and so on. This is ongoing.
- We're working on simplifying the Shoppe - on making 1 page per Wealth Tier that gives you an overview of that Tier, and the Shoppe only being for buying things outside your Tier. I'm leading on this but it's kind of stalled a bit. If anyone would like to help, that would be very gratefully received.
- Munchkin is working on Sovereign - this is in the feedback stage and is nearly ready to go! (STILL!)
- The additions to renown got done. Yay!
- Trouble is working on Dreamwalking
- There's a new race (from beyond the Barriers at the edge of the world) and some new magic(s) in the process of being dev'd.
- We're thinking that maybe the whole of creation started when a mouse laughed. Deep lore /ancient history clarification is forthcoming.
- Trouble is working on Mirage / Illusion magic.
- Pig Boy is working on the Tunawa and giving them an "easy facts" section.
