Roleplay guild

[Lexical]

Send me your back-stories as I would love the input. [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Or we could keep the back-story open and let the forum decide what they think? I am fine for either way and I am sure Aeg will be cool with the idea too.

[Slave]

The anagram of Fellowship of the Black Lotus sounds a lot like a European trying to pronounce Football. So there's that.

[dragonfists]

this guild needs to get going, just imagine the funs already

[Aegnarion]

[[ really sorry for people wanting to just get the guild going, with a funeral to plan, and other things going on in my life atm, this is kind of low on my priority list ]]

[1203jjt]

(I'm interested in joining, for sure. I've never been a part of an official RP guild, but I like to RP on my characters anyways...)

[Lexical]

Okay gang, I have the basics covered with a long established secret order bent on controlling every facet of major Norrathian affairs, but the manifestation of a black lotus into the past is proving difficult. I came up with one idea which I will post below, but I don't quite like it. I strongly encourage people to give me your input or post a story of your own creation.

------My idea for materializing Black Lotus into our guild's past--------

During the Age of Blood when Soulesk Ro was converting the Elddar Forest into what is now the vast desert of Ro, many elven druids fought against the Lord of Flame's curse to keep the lush forest alive. Alas, without the direct aide of Tunare, the elves were fighting an already lost war. After the fall of Takish-Hiz, the elves dispersed throughout Norrath, most taking refuge far away on the continent of Faydwer.

The beginning of our guild starts with a group of once proud elven nobles but now simple gypsies wandering through the seemingly ceaseless desert of Ro. They cursed Soulesk Ro for destroying their empire as well as the lush land that once was around them, but one cursed Tunare more for her absence during the elven plight. As the nobles trudged through the sea of sand dunes, one tripped and fell into a desolate crevice that was once a flowing stream ripe with lily pads and wildlife. As the elven noble picked himself up, he noticed a single flower wading in the sea of sand. It was a lotus flower that was blackened by the curse of Soulesk Ro but surprisingly still alive despite it. The noble quickly scooped up the black lotus and stored it with his belongings.

As days passed, the elven noble's envy of the flower's power to ignore the gods' combined will grew as did the noble's fascination with the flower's success. The elven noble vowed to build a society that was free from the will of the gods much like the flower did. The elven noble kept the flower as well as his animosity towards the gods a secret from the others as it would be looked upon as heresy.

Much of our history is lost past then, but it is rumored amongst our guild that the noble gypsies joined with a group of wandering barbarians in the now Qeynos Hills. Due to their noble upbringing, the elves were able to impart much wisdom and powerful magic to these barbarians. The once noble elves taught many generations of these barbarians as elves live much longer lives than the children of Marr and with each passing generation, the bonds between the two races grew. Eventually crossbreeding occurred and thus humans arrived onto Norrath.

Our founder, the wielder of the black lotus, passed down his wisdom and teachings to each of his children when they were of age while urging his offspring to keep his dream of a resilient society as well as the black lotus a secret. On his deathbed, our founder entrusted the care of the black lotus to his most apt and intelligent child. This secret tutelage was the genesis of our great guild.


-----the end?----

Our leader can then be the wielder of the black lotus or something. Everyone's thoughts? Good? Bad? I suck at writing? Less sand, more elf on barbarian action?

[1203jjt]

(How about more elf on dwarf action? [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.] Overall though, I like the back story for integrating the concept of the "Black Lotus" into the guild's history. After all, Tunare, like most females, is bound to be a fickle goddess [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.] )

[Vellatri]

((Good stuff, Lexical! I like it.

This is loosely based on the colors of Magic: The Gathering and the so-called pentagon of color. Some of you may remember that the Black Lotus in that game provided a sort of power from any of the game's colors. Feel free to improve upon it.))

An old story is told of a lotus blossom with five petals that each had a consciousness of their own. In their individuality, they chose unique colors for themselves - one red, one green, one white, one blue, and one black. Each petal was positioned so that it sat nearest those two that were more like-minded than the two across from it; the fringes of each petal overlapped with its nearest companions in both mind and body.

And so it was that each petal on the blossom was joined in a simple circle consisting of allegiances and oppositions. The red petal was befriended by both the green and black, but opposed the white and blue. And so it was for the others. One could never impose its will upon another, for it would always lose an ally in the effort while provoking another enemy. Despite their differences, a balance and harmony existed.

Over time, unions between the first petals gave birth to the new - an outer ring with unique colors of their own. In this manner, the blossom flowered into a series of beautiful rings consisting of every color imaginable. From a distance the lotus appeared black, as often happens from mixing too many pigments together, for it would absorb all forms of light. However, if one took the time to look more closely, one would observe the beauty of the intricate web of color.

And indeed a web it was. Each strand was connected to many, resulting in a complex network of friends, foes, and everything in between. When one strand would pull too hard, two or three more pulled back against it - threatening to break its support and thus ensuring either its compliance or its death. If the first strand sought to bind more to its cause, its aim would be frustrated by the tangled complexity that eventually bound its potential allies to its opposition.

In Norrath, the wise elves know this game well. The Koada'Dal and Feir'Dal unite against the orcs that threaten their land, who in turn are employed by Neriak. The Teir'Dal Queen's necromancers keep the King and his warriors in check, but are certainly no friends of Felwithe or Kelethin. And, of course, this web envelops all the myriad peoples of the world, as any human or erudite knows all too well.

Such a delicate and yet confusing blossom must continually maintain balance if it is to survive, else one portion will begin to wilt and the corruption will spread to the whole of the flower. It is not by chance that there are so many that thrive in the world, without one or two dominating the others and thus sealing its doom. We have been there before, and we will not suffer a return to such destruction. We will use our varying influences to preserve the powers of Norrath in a prismatic order. We are the thread pullers that direct the tension of each strand, no matter how wayward, toward unity and strength. We are the collective representatives of the petals. We are the webspinners. We are the Order of the Black Lotus.

[1203jjt]

( ^Yes. This one made me want fight and quest alongside fellow guild members for the good of all Norath, even if the masses are unaware of our sacrifices. I'm impressed at the 2 submissions that have been given today. Thanks to both of you for taking the time to get involved! )

[Lexical]

I like it Vellatri, but I especially like...

Originally Posted by Vellatri [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

We are the Order of the Black Lotus.

Order of the Black Lotus rolls off the tongue a bit better than Fellowship of the Black Lotus.

Keep the submissions coming guys and we can get this guild rolling!