Dragon Share

@3idolon

id like to be on the lore pinglist!

@kmrikkari @Horseleech @TheCell @SashaFiredrake @EssayOfThoughts @reotheleo @Kava

Thank you all for submitting your thoughts and ideas on potential lore for the new eye update! And a special thank you to EssayOfThoughts for your in-depth analysis of interpretations for multi- and primal, and reotheleo for your contributions and the interesting discussion between you two. I read your posts with great attention and enjoyment. Below is a compilation of what I believe to be the salient points brought up by each of you, let me know if I've missed any!

Ideas and Considerations

• Eyes as blessings
• Eyes as curses (i.e. primal for ghouls)
• Eyes indicative of specific abilities
• Eyes indicative of whether hatchlings should attempt the trials
• Implication of dergs born with eyes vs. acquiring them in the trials?
• What about primal eyes of other elements?
• Eyes indicate latent magical bonds to their element of birth and that deity
• Importance of maintaining flexibility in what eyes mean to allow for creativity

In the end, it's that last point that I believe to be the most important. Necromancer lore should serve as a jumping off point, not as a restriction. Given that, I think eye lore should be open wide to all of the potential interpretations above. It will depend on the views/breed/origin of the dragon in question, and the views/circumstances/philosophies of the clans they associate with. Seeing how individual people decide to interpret the eyes will be part of the fun, and a great use for our new lore pinglist. Is there anyone who would prefer a stricter interpretation of eyes for this subspecies? Should more structure be provided?

That being said, I think a major outlier is the glowing eyes. Glowing eyes are not random, they can be controlled, and because of that I think they should have a canonical meaning for Necros, Servus, and Ghouls. They should have a solid interpretation that is recognized as meaning something to others.

Here are some possibilities that I'd love to get feedback on:

1. Glowing eyes as a reward or status symbol within the player community: This would come into play if we organized events or challenges. Winning events or completing challenges would "unlock" a single use of the glowing eyes for one of your Necros/Servus/Ghouls, and the eyes would be a gift from me. These dragons would also get their own section in the registry.
   Pros: Encourage and reward community participation and lore development; give bragging rights
   Cons: Restricts use of glowing eyes; could get expensive for me ;)
2. Glowing eyes indicate a specific attribute, ability, or skill level for the dragon
   Pros: Opens up glowing eyes to all who can afford them; creates another 'type' of Necro
   Cons: Makes lore elements exclusive to players with $$, Too restrictive to creativity?
   Considerations: What would glowing eyes actually mean? Should they be limited to Necros or open to all variants?
3. Glowing eyes indicate another variant entirely
   Pros: More complexity within the subspecies
   Cons: More complexity within the subspecies (could get too confusing)

So, again, I turn to you guys. Do you have further thoughts on eyes in general, and/or how do you feel about glowing eyes meaning something specific? Can you think of another use for glowing eyes not covered above? What should glowing eyes mean???

To @/EssayOfThoughts and @/reotheleo would it be alright to link to your posts on the main page? When I figure out how eyes will come into play I think they'll be great examples of eye lore for those that want more suggestions and structure.

General Interest Pinglist: [size=1]@TheCell @Mnkn10 @Hexingisfun @Lukas1997 @Kava @Shadari @Moonseed @Halua @Agonist @Minona @SashaFiredrake @knockoutbd @Pebz @kmrikkari @Balam @StDuke @Bara2684 @reotheleo @VuittonVampire @foxghosts @EssayOfThoughts @Horseleech[/size] [center][img]https://image.ibb.co/fDUWkd/Spotlight.png[/img][/center] [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&tab=userpage&id=340005][size=6][color=maroon]Bara2684[/url][size=6][color=maroon]'s Blightrose [/color][/size][/center] [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=40441984] [img]http://flightrising.com/rendern/350/404420/40441984_350.png[/img] [/url][/center] [center][color=maroon]Born to a mother Who failed for her name. Born to a father Who's name he laid claim. A sister to one Who was destined to be great But her story's not done The trials await. Her body was resident Her worthiness tested The young mirror presistent As sickness manifested. Her scales grew stronger And her body grew repulsive. Within the cauldron she'd conjure A will to survive that would be compulsive. Both sisters emerge. The trials were over. Sporesong was a the favorite and emotions would surge Emotions and determination that would continue to push her. She earned the name Blightrose. The name once failed. A name everyone knows belongs to one of rot who's strong scaled. Still her future lies ahead Byond the bones in her nest Clans must be lead With a strength fitting the best. She would serve under Sporesong But make no mistake It wouldn't be too long And the land they'll both take. Glory to mother. Let her illness fester. All will know better Than to mess with a sister. By Bara2684[/color][/center] [center][size=4][color=maroon]Appearing in this poem:[/color][/size][/center] [center][url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=28336986]Ichorclaw[/url] | [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=29620597]Mina[/url] | [url=http://flightrising.com/main.php?dragon=40441983]Sporesong[/url][/center]

@3idolon

Of course you can link my posts! That's absolutely fine.

As for Glowing Eyes, I do play with the idea of them in my first post. Specifically, the idea of them (because players can choose to bestow them on dragons) as a reward from their birth deity, as an indication of either acceptance of their path as a Necromancer/Servus/Ghoul or as a reward for some other thing they've done that marks them out. Whether the Glowing eyes then are given by someone else or the player is variable.

I don't think having them as a specific variant would necessarily work. Not only could it get more confusing, as you note with the other two points, it then locks lore off behind money. Further: would that then mean you have regular Necro/Servus/Ghouls and then Glowy-Eyes? I think that would get over the top when something simpler - like it being a direct marker of something - would be easier and more open to interpretation.

As for how we handle issuing/use of glowing eyes, to try to even out the money balance a few thoughts:

• Maybe we could have a fund for those people who do want Glowing eyes that willing players could contribute to and then Glows can be distributed on a request basis with one free per person, but everyone in on the lore pinglist (where the eye lore really comes into play) contributes?
• Perhaps it could be a gift for people who contribute to the group in particular ways and have expressed an interest in the Glowing eyes, and that those who agree could then contribute treasure or gems towards?
• Reward from you as you suggested, but as you point out, that could become costly for you.
• Maybe we could have Glowing eyes as a reward in this thread for something we could do at the Riot of Rot? Maybe a competition of some description or a raffle and certain winners get Glow eyes? If they don't want them they can pass them to someone who does and if they do: wahey! It could also be a specific reward so people entering are those who want glowy eyes.

Edit: I do think a stricter lore interpretation for the eyes may be necessary. The idea of them as specifically given blessings and curses when a) they're from a Random Number Generator, barring Glow and b) a natural mutation aspect of what any hatchling may be and lore wise for the site, to do with magical upheaval, the idea of them as definitively blessings or curses is both something that I don't think gels well with what we know and also just unwieldy for many. This isn't to say, though, that they aren't interpreted as blessings or curses by some. But I think to say that they are definitely a blessing or a curse from the respective deity misses both existing site lore and the random nature of how they come about.

@hellfirewalking I see you got yourself a Necro! Congrats! Would you still like to be on the breeding pinglist or are you good for now? :)

@SassmasterMaxie @Laluzi I'm so glad you like our Necros! Would you be interested in being added to the General Interest or Breeding Pinglists? No worries if not!

@WolfandCrow Rook has been registered! He's a lovely, lovely boi <3

@Horseleech Oh wow what a great find! When/if you add Iri please let me know and I'll add Typhus to the registry!

@EssayOfThoughts I like the idea of glowing eyes as being given for something that marks them out. I think being a sign of acceptance is too general, as what does it then mean for a Necro who doesn't have glowing eyes, or a ghoul that does? Personally I think glowing eyes could be a physical manifestation of something specific that happens during the trials. What that specific thing is I am not sure yet.

I also agree that having them as another variant would be unwieldy. Mostly I just needed a third point to round out the list, haha.

I'll wait to see what other people have to say about Glowing eyes as a player reward, but I like the idea that getting one is a 'perk' of participating in this subspecies community. It's generous and also fun! Doing something with RoR is a great idea and definitely something I'll think more about.

As for the stricter interpretation, i.e. blessings vs curses, I'm not saying that it would be canonical for eyes to be a literal blessing or curse, more that it would be up to individual player interpretation, so much more along the lines of them being "interpreted as blessings or curses by some."

@3idolon I would still like to be on the breeding pinglist, I'm specifically looking for female mirrors now though

Add me to the general pinglist -- I want to get one of them eventually but my lair needs more space!

@3idolon Thanks so much for typing this up!


Support
- I would love them as prizes for some type of community event/challenge. The challenge could potentially be written into the lore as some sort of another trial or task the winning Necro had completed, perhaps? This way the eyes are still definitely held in esteem among our ranks (as the Necro did something extra), but don't dictate the Necro's innate ability in any way.

- Those who like to write lore could volunteer to host a challenge and write up a snippet of lore for the winning Necro. This lore would be a description of the task the winning Necro completed. This could add a flavor-of-the-week element to the eye prize challenge and create some fun, individualistic lore.

- I like the other eyes meaning certain things like the Necromantic Symbols do, and in the same fashion in that there's still plenty of freedom in how those things are individually interpreted.

Against
- I would be against any of the eyes denoting a certain skill level beyond or beneath other Necros. I think that would be a little restrictive on lore/customization and should be left to an individual's lore. Maybe to an extent, but not like a strict ranking system if that makes sense haha

@3idolon

Re: blessings and curses, aah ok.

As for the glowing... well I mean, I do kind of like the idea of some deities seeing dragons born to their element and becoming carriers of plague (in the case of Servi and Ghouls) and accepting them. But then, I like stories of capricious gods who help one day and hurt the next.

As for acceptance... I was thinking along the lines of the deities are ok with dragons changing flight. They're ok with them choosing their own path, whatever it may be. But those granted glowing eyes are ones who caught their birth-deity's attention in some way, and earned their approval in some regard. It's not a put down for those who lack the Glow, its simply a piece of proof that they've gained a deity's notice at least once (and as gods can live so very long, it does not mean that they hold their attention, or that all that they do is approved of).

However, if you don't like this... I do have another idea (sue me, this thread and the fun lore for eyes is giving me plotbunnies all over the place and worldbuilding is my favourite thing to do. You've let loose a demon, 3idolon, in prompting so many things about the eyes).

What if it's an indication that (in dragons born to another flight) in their becoming a Necromancer, or in something they did as a Necromancer, they pulled more on their bonds to their birth element in such a way as to cause a physical manifestation of it? A Windborn pulled on wind in order to heal a dragon, an Iceborn pulled on ice to curse a clan with disease - they worked magics unique to their role as a Necro/Servus/Ghoul and went above and beyond by calling on their birth element as well as their new skills in Plague?

And then, for Plagueborn Necromancers, it's a sign of those who have wholly sunk into the Plague magics. They've worked with Plague for so long and in such depth it's had a permanent effect and altered them physically beyond even what the trials does - a sign of experience or of doing something truly phenomenal, above and beyond.

Basically glowing eyes as an extension of the idea of eyes indicating latent bonds to magic, but this is a bond which they developed themselves as opposed to one that they were born with, which is why it manifests so differently.