Blackthorn

[quote name='Liberty4life' post='19214' date='Oct 30 2008, 04:21 PM']ah i wonder is that aql's halberd? [/quote] Yes. And Nelya's Ring and Sword

[quote name='Tremir' post='18114' date='Oct 9 2008, 01:54 AM']Mur, your point about avatar cost just makes me think that my earlier idea was a good one. If it costs you 3$ for each avatar, why not pass the cost to those of us who want something specific? keep the generic avatars as they are, but allow us to ask for specific avatars, make those avatars ours without having to be lucky enough to be online when they are uploaded, and let us pay the 3$. I'd gladly pay that amount for an avatar that was created for my role.[/quote] I have to agree with Tremir... :drinks: Also I have opted to take only credits not cash so there is no real loss to the game financially. And it takes me on average about 2 hrs./avatar, some much, much longer. having 2 hrs to myself is not always easy. So I work on them when I have the time. Also, if you are having to wait for an avatar, be patient, it takes some time and my list is very long. 20 mins. Amorte...Wow...sometimes it takes me weeks to get the design right...you are too talented. stop it at once. :rofl: There are other possible systems that can incorporate many of the great ideas posted here. leave the level 1 avatars as they are, first come first served only with an age requirement of say 100 days, and- if and when the player has been offline for more than 6 months, then retire that player and reset the avatar. make lvl 2 avatars a higher price; they are lvl 2 because they are better than average, so pay 2 credits for it and set an age of 180 days. Make another lvl. "Custom Level" and charge 3 credits, no age requirement. Have the design contracted, directly with the artist you want, and when it is done then it is placed in the custom gallery under that players name. I would suggest that no other programming be needed here. We can use the honor system...When it shows the players name for which it was created then only that person (who also payed 2 credits for it in advance) can buy it for the remaining 1 credit. If some one takes anothers Custom...then they will lose it and the credit they spent. As for colored avatars this should also remain as it currently is...a reward for some at Manu's discretion and a 10 credit purchase for the fat cats among us. The pics are just for fun. :yahoo: BlackThorn

some others you should be seeing soon...If you have requested a custom avatar from me and have not seen it here yet, I am still working on my punch list...please be patient and I will get to it...you can always drop me a line and see where I am in it's creation...thanks for your understanding. BlackThorn

[quote name='King Manu' post='17384' date='Sep 26 2008, 10:43 PM']i am a bit confused, dojo is part of the university, its the university itself? lets talk a bit about this. To have a university in game with teachers on all kind of matters is something i will fully support, but this university should not be about game related matters. I think dojo should be training school for game related matters and the university should be about more real matters. I plan to add a personal doc special or the university that will allow teachers to prepare their lessons. Also the university should be located in MDA but with offices in other lands too. I think shifting the lessons place or organizing conferences on different matters in different locations is a good ideea. A special set of powers could be creted for university members to allow them better organizing of such events. Dojo on the other hand should be like second level LHO and help players learn how to fight but also prepare them for the role playing. The interface support for such a thing (both university and dojo in an organised way) involve a lot of changes and finalization of the archives doc system. I am willing to focus on that because i think that if this game evolves towards this university thing it will be simply amazing. However, university should remain an isolated group of schools. players shold want to get into the university and not find it everywhere like a group of fanatics trying to teach things to people that do not want to. Entrance to the university should be sort of a quest and target, in that way players will fight their way in and have a lot more respect to the teachers. The new voting system i finished recently could be used to mark the teachers and not the student. the students should not get marks, but the teachers should.[/quote] When we were first discussing the idea of having a university in Loreroot (the Arcanum), we realized it needed to be linked to the Dojo so that theory could be put into practice (like lab work in RL). We had intended to offer different schools of study, different degrees. The Idea was to offer classes in many subjects that were MD game related. (No offense, but I already have my degrees from RL universities, and I am not interested in studying more along those lines. I play this game to get away from RL, not to drag RL into the game. Besides, how would such a class be beneficial to the advancement of the game?) I would be very interested in earning an in-game degree in wizardry, or Alchemy, druidism, or perhaps in combat tactics. The number of degrees and subjects that could be studied are as diverse as MD itself and could contain the classes for the creation of new quests, creatures, inner and outer magic spells, armor, weapons, magically imbued items, and even exploring (beyond current map borders) by the students in attendance. In order to be given a license to begin a new alliance or guild, a player would need a specific degree (i.e. for a religious order; a theology degree). For a player to be allowed to create magic spells (written on scrolls so that anyone with high enough principle stats could purchase from the MD shop and use a limited number of times), would also require a particular degree. The classes themselves would be in written form, prepared and edited prior to it being offered. That way the students could read the class while waiting for the clock in Wind Sanc, or while hanging out in front of Willows, instead of being forced to be online while a live lecture was being delivered (not very practical). Each of the classes could be sold in a special section in the MD shop, and then the instructor/ instructors could be found when online and summond to the dojo for the practical side of the lesson. The live portion of the class would then take place in the dojo, where the students could put into practice what they had studied and /or ask the instructor questions. Upon the successful completion of a degree program and before graduation, a thesis written by each student would be required, as is done in all RL university graduate programs, and those thesis statements would then create a library for future generations of students. At graduation, we had hoped Manu would bestow MP7 status along with spells and additional stat bonuses. The idea of the university was to create another system to advance all areas of the game by the players themselves' by their own efforts and merits. That way the game will grow exponentially, and not by the effort of only a few. A $1 per class fee could be charged as tuition in the MD shop when the classes are purchased, that way instructors could be hired from among the players to create the courses, so that they are rewarded for their efforts as well. The tuition would hopefully insure a serious attitude but allow for each student to advance at their own speed, and also allow for it to remain free (voting credits). I still hope these ideas could be put into practice. I would be very interested in hearing what you all think about this kind of university.

a few new ones...my hand is doing much better so I will be posting more soon...thank you all for your consern and patience.

a couple more. BlackThorn

2 more or less..less I think..lol.. BlackThorn

Just finnished this one... BlackThorn

one more BlackThorn

2 more...up for grabs BlackThorn

Two of my shades... BlackThorn

The day was hot, but the ale was cold. The bard sat at a table with his back against a wall in a small pub in Wind Sanctuary. All morning he had watched the comings and goings of the people of Marind Bell, listening to their conversations, gossips and complaints. Very few noticed him, as was his want. His friend Raven had stopped by to request more work from him on behalf of the Artisans Guild. They had spoken briefly about the commission, settled on a price, and shared a drink in good humor. He looked up at his new patron, “I could use another.” He said flatly as he carefully removed his Lute from its case and began to minutely adjust its strings. When the newly ordered pint came, he took a long pull. The strong sweet ale steadied him. No one (no not you No One) had ever asked him to tell this story before. His hands started moving across the strings on their own, as usual he had started something before he had meant to. He looked up at Muritus Del Mur and said, ”So you want to know my story? Very well.” And he began to sing: “The Root of Lore lies deep within, Shaded from the light of day, Secrets there in shadows hidden, Known only to the Nymph and Fey.” “The forest is his cradle fair. Family? Home? He has no other. Root and Tree his only care, A Strangle Vine, his Mother.” “Alseydes born and feral raised, No words he has to keep. The wind and rain and tree he praised In languages they speak.” “Blinded hearts, ears like stones, The Others come to kill a tree. The forest screams, sheds tears, and moans, They cannot hear, they do not see.” “He lures them to his mother’s face. Their eyes so full of hate, They fall into her sweet embrace, And there they meet their fate.” “Seeds to seedlings and then to trees, Like them his stature grows, Soon bird and beast and all he sees, His power ere doth know.” “A raven spoke of a Nymph most fair. She dwelt in Raven Hold. At length he went and climbed the stair, To see what he’d been told.” “Oh Lovely nymph, at sight did win, His love, for her gentile grace. A Knator saw, then followed him, Back to his secret place.” “He called to him the wind and rain, Furious power, a tempest blow, The Knator’s smile his only refrain, No fear of him did show.” “He called to him both bird and beast, The Knator they gathered round. Birds snapped at him, beasts bared their teeth, Knator’s smile turned then to frown.” “Enough! said Knator, lute in hand, And then began to play, A musical spell, a tune most grand, It held them all in sway.” “The great and mighty Knator Lord With Music armed, loud as a horn He saw the truth, drew not his sword, “So like the vine, you are: BlackThorn.” The bard stopped then and took another long draught of ale. “That’s not the end of your story?” said Muritas more like a statement than a question. The bard put down his drink and looked again at his patron. “Why am I telling him this?” He thought to himself, then said. “No, it is not.” “The spell of the Knator Lord’s music had caught hold of me; or maybe I just wanted to see NelyaSetesh again. I don’t really know. But I followed him back to Raven Hold. I remained there for many years as he taught me to play, and then to sing with words, and finally to speak like Men. He told me that he believed that I was the child of a human and an Alseydes: a wood Nymph. He did not know why I was abandoned, but he said it explained how I was able to speak the languages of the wind, the trees, the birds and beasts.” BlackThorn stopped then and when Muritas only waited for him to continue, he did, still not knowing why. “At first the thought that I was the half child of a human, those I had called the Others, was detestable to me.” At that Muritas‘s eyes narrowed, only slightly, but BlackThorn had caught it. He was defensive of the humans. Good, they will soon need him. “In time my master showed me that not all men destroy. Some even live to protect Loreroot. He sent me to live and learn from the humans. There are those, I even call friend. Although most I meet are obsessed with fighting and training their creatures. Still they are a good lot.” BlackThorn took the last gulp of his ale. Setting the empty pint down he carefully placed his lute back into it’s case. “It’s beautiful, and you play it well.” Said Muritas; a slight smile on his face. “Thank you. It was the parting gift from my old master; the Knator Commander.” “Tell me about this thorny vine, the one you called your Mother?” said Muritas looking straight into BlackThorns eyes. The bard reached into his belt and pulled out a small pouch. “These are her seeds.” He said handing one to Muritas. “She was my Mother. She protected me, fed me from her fruit, held me close and covered me with her vines when I slept. I would not have survived without her.” Muritas turned the shiny black seed back and forth in his hand as he listened to the bard speak. “They are more than simple strangle vines, They are sentient beings. They use small black poisonous thorns to subdue their enemies. The poison does not kill, it only causes temporary paralysis so that those who fall into their embrace don’t struggle and thrash about. That makes it easier to crush them.” “Why did it let you live?” BlackThorn smilled at Muritas. “So like a human.” he thought. He said, “I was never her enemy, she was, is my family, my kith and kin. Why would she want to hurt me?” Mur found something humorous in that and laughed out loud. “Of course.” He said still laughing. “May I keep this?” he asked. BlackThorn nodded and put the pouch away. “What of you, and NelyaSetesh?” BlackThorn felt the rush of blood to his face. He had rather hoped that Muritas would not ask him about her. “We have never met.” He said looking down at the table. “But I…” BlackThorn paused, he was no longer sure of his true feelings and as a bard, he was unable to speak other than the truth to a patron. Muritas smiled a sympathetic smile and spoke softly, “I understand.” he said, “She is very beautiful.” BlackThorn smiled. “Yes, She is.” “Well I must be off,” Said Muritas Del Mur as he rose from the table. “Thank you for the song and the story, and for this.” He said holding up the strangle vine seed. BlackThorn also rose. He bowed and said, “If I may ever be of service, do not hesitate to call on me.” Mur’s eyes went up slightly at that, only slightly but BlackThorn had seen it. “I may just do that.” He smiled as if to a joke only he was aware of, then left. Again BlackThorn sat down at his table with his back against a wall. “Why did I say that?” he thought to himself while shaking his head. “Oh well.” He said as he ordered yet another ale.

The artisans guild is at your service. When you have documented a new Necrovion Crt and have Murs support, PLease contact us and we will work with you in creating Necrovion CRTs. just some Ideas you might consider.... Imp Giant Spiders Tormentors Dark Mages Shadow Warriors BlackThorn

Sorry I've been slacking off...working on some things in other parts of the game...Those still waiting for their requested avatars, please be patient...I am working on them, slowly, but working. here is one I did for .NelyaSetesh. BlackThorn

That is so much better...It really give the Images more depth and definition...Bravo! Now you got it...Do more like this... very good.

If you look closer at the game art...you will see that yes there are areas where there is not alot of detail right next to parts that are detailed...Its why it is so hard to nail down...it is very unusual..Dikra has his own very developed style...with great composition...do what you do best...but try to stick to People for a while...most everyone I have spoken with or whose papers I have read say that they want a warrior or a wizard or some such...

since you asked for my input...I would suggest that you use more detail...just my suggestion..and also try reading players personal pages about themselves...pretty good desriptions to help to know what they want us to draw....I think you are like me and draw better with direction....you are doing fine keep it up... BlackThorn

BlackThorn

one more..... BlackThorn

Ok, PerroBotillo this one is just for you....the other is just for fun :lol: ... BlackThorn

Wow...Really nice..Hey Glor! Cmere. You need to check this one out... around is good...drawing avatars for the guild is better... BlackThorn

Very Good.. .Where have you been? Try to set them in gray scale though.

For Xcercses...didn't turn out so good...maybe Glor or Morrel could give it a try... BlackThorn OK....Hows this?

This one is mine....This is BlackThorn “The Root of Lore lies deep within, Shaded from the light of day, Secrets there in shadows hidden, Known only to the Nymph and Fey.” “The forest is his cradle fair. Family? Home? He has no other. Root and Tree his only care, A Strangle Vine, his Mother.” “Alseydes born and feral raised, No words he has to keep. The wind and rain and tree he praised In languages they speak.” “Blinded hearts, ears like stones, The Others come to kill a tree. The forest screams, sheds tears, and moans, They cannot hear, they do not see.” “He lures them to his mother’s face. Their eyes so full of hate, They run into her sweet embrace, And there they meet their fate.” “Seeds to seedlings and then to trees, Like them his stature grows, Soon bird and beast and all he sees, His power they ere doth know.” “A raven spoke of a Nymph most fair. She dwelt in Raven Hold. At length he went and climbed the stair, To see what he’d been told.” “Oh Lovely nymph, at sight did win, His love, for her gentile grace. A Knator saw, then followed him, Back to his secret place.” “He called to him the wind and rain, Furious power, a tempest blow, The Knator’s smile his only refrain, No fear of him did show.” “He called to him then bird and beast, They came and gathered round. They chirped at him and bared their teeth, Knator’s smile turned then to frown.” “Enough! He said with lute in hand, And then began to play, A musical spell, a tune most grand, It held them all in sway.” “The great and mighty Knator Lord With laughter armed, loud as a horn He saw the truth, drew not his sword, “So like the vine, you are: BlackThorn.”