It's just turning into a group of disenchanted EQ2 players, isn't it?
I got a DM last night, saying the server is starting as a group of EQ2 players who are disenchanted with the game. I am cool with that, and in fact, the server lore is written in a way you do not have to throw out the EQ2 characters you have worked on for years (or decades), and come play with them here.
In a way, the whole point of the server is to come and explore your EQ2 characters in an entirely new light. So the comment is very insightful, and actually, what I intended when I started this project.
Yes, this server is for disenchanted EQ2 players, but it is also a whole lot more.
Player Options
We don't have every EQ2 model, so some races are missing (Ratonga, Frogloks, Dwarves, and a few others). This is a limitation of the game and what mods I can find. I have to handwave this off and say "some races fled the world or went into hiding" until this can be fixed, if it can be fixed. But we have a great selection of heads and bodies, and we can do Humans, Elves, Dark Elves, Kerrans, sort of Iskars/Sarnaks, Orcs, sort-of Ogres, and whatever you can dream up in the editor. We can come up with new races like Demons, Sand Elves, Angels, Void Elves, or other cool things that the editor can help us imagine. Hopefully, the loss is offset by all the new things you can build.
Lore
The fact that "the Conan World" replaced "EQ2," and that EQ2 is now the "lost world of ancient times," is a cool world story. We can treat all Conan gods and lore as "new world lore," and EQ2 lore as "lost and forgotten." This gives your characters the "link to the past" where you can reference Innoruuk, Druzzil Ro, or the other gods. You can draw power from their fading influence, build temples to them, or abandon them and worship the new gods. It is your choice.
If you want to be "from the Conan World" - that is fine too! EQ2 is just one of the "lost empires" that was "relegated to the past," and the lore meshes in nicely. Ignore the EQ2 lore and just play Conan as a new worlder if that is what your heart wants. You will see "old worlders" running around, and you can react to them however you wish.
You will also see "strange people" that are not in either lore, like a Succubus, Void Elf, or whatever you dream up. This is a figment of a destroyed reality, so others could be pulled into it.
This is a destroyed world 500 years into the future, after EQ2 and Norrath become another "lost empire" in the ashes of history and creation. Yes, I went there, welcome Ashes players. It is a mix of Conan and EQ2 lore and allows people to still play the people they love and grew close to.
Who are you? Well, whoever you want to be. But you live in this world now, either pulled here, born here, or somehow fell into this madness. If you are a disenchanted EQ2 player and want to see your character in acomplete new light, you are welcome. If you love the Conan lore, you are welcome here, too.
Freebloods not Thralls
Also, Funcom was kind enough to add a "rescue system" for captured prisoners (the ones in cages in the camps), giving us an option instead of taking thralls. So you can play guilt-free and never condone or support slavery, and you can fight back against the evil slavers and their camps. You can be a freedom fighter, and have people join your town as freeblood citizens. The original game never had this, but now we do, and you can play as the good side. Or you can choose not to.
Like GTA, your morals and how you walk through this world are completely up to you.
But, if you want to play a faction of Dark Elf slavers, please talk to the Server Goddess first. We are still in beta and "all one guild," so that may be if we adopt a good-vs-evil model. It is up to the players, and right now we're in "family guild mode" as we go through the beta and introduce people to the game and its world. If we have a rip-roaring beta and want to adopt faction-vs-faction, that will be a decision of all of us later.
Limits and Future Plans
What are the limitations? Well, technically a 64-player server, and I would need to upgrade the hosted system's RAM. Right now, we are at 24 people max, and that is a good number while I monitor, make sure things are stable, and play the PVE game well. We already have five dedicated players, and we are expecting a few more to join us.
Also, please limit your alts to a maximum of two to four! For now, this is beta, not a full release. The only one who can break this rule is the Server Goddess with her army of alts, but all of them are beloved and so fun to be with. My alts will likely be spread around the world to help people play and explore different areas, and I will not multibox here. Multi-character RP among my alts will be in Discord.
Donations
I have cut down on my subscriptions to pay for hosting, and this will ultimately be cheaper than maintaining that many EQ2 subscriptions, especially with expansions. I have also added a donation link for those who want to throw something in the tip jar, and this ONLY goes to the hosting company for payment; I never see a dime or touch the money, nor can I "withdraw it," it just offsets the hosting charges. If you drop your EQ2 sub and want to tip me regularly for my work and love, thank you, though it is never expected, and I am always humbled.
Is This Part of the "Magic" Storyline in EQ2?
Yes, it is. The Server Goddess Mysti is Mystaria of Magic. The Seraphs Silver, Seralune, and Ivory are her daughters and members of Magic. You may see a few other familiar faces involved with that storyline, too. Some of my alts will stay with EQ2, while others closer to the plot will arrive here. All of them will play by the rules and alongside others, and they won't use "admin powers" to cheat.
Server Goddess Mysti will be the only exception, since she will need to summon admin-only items for quest rewards, and walk around the world giving people epic Illiad Quests and adventure alongside them to see if they are worthy. She will be an active character in the world, and if you know Mysti, she will be very fun to adventure alongside.
But why? How is this happening?
Part of the current Antonia Bayle lore is that the band "Magic" helped return the Goddess of Music, Ayonae Ro, to the world. As a reward for this act, the Goddess of Magic, Druzzil Ro, gave the girls a figment of reality to save, since it would die if left to be. If Norrath were ever lost or ends its existence, the girls will always have a home of their own to escape to. This is a dying shard of a future reality the gods have given up on and left to die.
The mission? Save the world and make it thrive.
This story mirrors my efforts to create a stable and fun server that allows EQ2 lore to be pulled in, pruning mods, checking server crashes with AI, and carefully maintaining the software and hardware we run on. Mysti is, in essence, me doing my server work daily. Her Seraphs are also me, but in the world, adventuring with others, and looking for problems for Mysti to fix.
None of them is an omnipotent god, just caretakers who want to heal a world and see it survive and thrive as a home. They are still neutrals, so all are welcome here. Everything else is left a mystery with them, and you can "know them" or "not know them" and be completely fine. You can see them as "crazy Seraphs" on some "incomprehensible mission" and be fine.
A Beautiful World
But when you are here, take a few moments to enjoy this special place. Look up at the stars at night and watch them twinkle. See the moon roll across the sky. Watch for shooting stars. Walk through a thunderstorm at night. Trudge through a blinding snowstorm. Watch the rain wet your clothing. Listen to the roar of a river, or the noise of a jungle. Watch the shadows of mountains creep across the terrain as the sun slips into the night. Read the runes on the walls of ruins. Take cover as a wall-like sandstorm rips across the desert. Stare at a sunrise. Start a campfire somewhere and enjoy the moment. There is a beautiful world out there to enjoy and make your own.
And beware of the demons.
They come out at night.
Mostly.
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