Archons of Malice Crossroads

[Anglakhel]

Archons,

We have come to a major crossroads a mere one year into our existence.  Aion will launch in the next week and a significant portion of our active guild and alliance, the Iron Council, will be starting up in Aion.

With a new beginning in Aion comes both the need and opportunity to redefine our goals for our guild/legion and our gaming in general.  We need to determine what is most important to us as a legion in Aion and what server is best going to allow us to enjoy our gaming experience.  In my perspective, we have three servers to choose from and we need to determine which makes the most sense for what we want out of the Archons of Malice.

Lumiel
Nezekan
Zikel

It is important we get a sense of what each server has to offer and what we can bring to the table.  We must make a decision about which server to commit ourselves to based upon prerelease organization and some "unofficial" designations by NCSoft.  Had they designated a RP server, the choice would be quite simple, as I think the server would be certain to draw a significant population and still allow competitive PvP to thrive.

However, NCSoft has failed us in this capacity and instead we've been left with community groups attempting to organize.  I, for one, am extremely disappointed with how the communities I've been involved with are prioritizing and voting.  Without an official server, I am concerned about balancing our desire for RP and a mature community with a dynamic and active server to ensure enjoyable and competitive PvP.  However, efforts to merge those two have met with foolish opposition and shortsighted bravado.

Lumiel and Zikel

The RP community looks to be deeply fractured with the Aion RP Community selecting Lumiel for their server and the Phoenix Throne RP community selecting Zikel.  In my opinion, both of these servers look to have anemic populations and look to be in danger of capping populations in favor of the Asmodians early on.  This will make it difficult to get members started while they wait for the Elyos population to catch up.

It does not seem likely that an official Aion poll will be posted in time to coordinate server selection and so it seems most likely that Lumiel will become the Unofficial RP server based upon ARP's endorsement.  If a poll actually materializes, I would like to push to try and have Zikel designated as the "Unoffical RP Server".  This would give us a competitive base for PvP from PT as well as drawing in the mature RP crowd, giving us a chance to play the game and still have a more mature crowd with which to enjoy it.

However, if the community is split between Zikel and Lumiel, I find them both to be undesirable.  Zikel has very little established community outside the newly arriving Phoenix Throne community.  But the forums are alight with the usual trolls from PT beating their chest about how competitive our new server will be.  From the census, PT appeared to be significantly skewed toward Asmodian.  Further, we saw very little RP from the PT community anyway, so we're relying solely on the challenge of the PvP if we stick with this community.

Lumiel has the ARP community.  However, this community has proven to be very RP focused and very Asmodian heavy.  While I am certain there are some PvP hungry individuals there, there is not an organized force that gives me confidence that we will have a healthy level of competition on Lumiel.  Outside the ARP community, there is virtually no organized interest in Lumiel.  So, the PvP looks to be even worse and more unreliable than what the PT community on Zikel has to offer.

So, I find both Lumiel and Zikel to be highly undesirable.  Both gamble that they will draw enough people to maintain a healthy population while picking out of the way servers with little to draw players in.  Could they turn out to be rewarding and highly competitive?  Of course.  I, however, am wary of investing in either server when there is little to recommend them for the long term health of the game.

Nezekan

Nezekan is a west coast server.  It has avoided the biggest of the zerg guilds that seem drawn to Siel and Israphel.  But two organized communities have declared their intent to go to Nezekan: the 6 man Roaming PvP community and the Oceanic community.

The population declaring their intent to go to Nezekan looks much healthier with a lot of competition from the Elyos.  It is however by no mean a RP server.  Nezekan looks to be a very busy community with a lot of highly competitive players.  It appears to be a slightly more mature competitive community, but a pvp community first and foremost.  This is certainly a direction I have toyed with pushing the Archons, but it is important we are certain that is what our Aion playing members want.

The biggest concern I have seen raised about Nezekan is the chance that it would be moved to some sort of Oceanic timetable.  I find this quite unlikely, although there is no way I can dismiss that concern with absolute certainty.  I find it very unlikely that NCSoft would move the timetable and disrupt all the players not in Oceania, but it is within the realm of possibility.

For me, considering that I play a lot very late at night, this is worth the risk for playing on a server that has two primetime peaks.  We can look forward to a very dynamic server community that has action around the clock.  This would come at the cost of the RP aspect of the server, but the two options for a RP server have bigger problems, imo, that seem likely to disrupt enjoyment of the game.


I think my personal preference is pretty clear.  If we could get all the PT and RP community onto one server, I would be fully behind the server choice.  But with a fractured RP community, I think it makes more sense to pick a highly competitive and active server where we know the PvP is going to keep us challenged and engaged in the game.

Please share your thoughts and opinions.  If there is something I've missed, please present it.  Let me know what you think of the options and where you would prefer going.

Ang

[Narthesis]

I have not kept up with the politics and bullshit on this issue.  But my personal desire is to stick with the friends I have made in WAR.  Primarily that means this guild, but my desire is for this guild to also follow some of the others.  In particular Plague, I have been hanging with these guys a fair amount since I quit WAR, and would like if the archons and.. err.. malice =P where on the same server.

That said, I think Zikel would be my choice, solely based on my above desires.

And I of course would just have to hope it turns out to be a strong\balanced server, which I think is part of the concern atm.

Thats my 2 cents.

[Anglakhel]

http://www.aionsource.com/forum/zikel-east/51690-vote-zikel-unofficial-rp-server.html#post1179136

Seems that we can still vote to make Zikel the Unofficial Roleplay Server and try to get both friends from PT and the RP Community into a single competitive server.

[Abraxus]

wouldnt it just make more sense if we get the PT crowd (if they havent already) to make an apparence on ARP forums and post the vote to swing the vote in favor of Zikel? Or, what kind of effort has the two communties taken to come to some other consensus on the matter? Personalyl, I don't want to see an Asmodian heavy server, because we all know how much fun we had in WAR with an Order heavy server(s). Do we want this again? Can we find a  server where race balance exists? Also, no matter where we go, there will be some RPers and many more who aren't not because we made x "the unofficial server" some non-rpers are going to be everywhere, so the real question is, do we tough it out and find a balanced server with less RP centered guilds, or, do we risk hanging with friends and heavy RP where Asmodians just run around and we PvE because PvP is nonexistant... more than RP, i want to have fun.

So, a quick q: why havent we considered rolling Elyos? Do we like being goth emo demons? Whats the difference if we are goth emo angels or demons? Anybody ever read the In Nomine RPG stuff? Angels aren't "those do gooders," they do what has to be done, and if that means destroying a city, thats what it takes.... Demons... yea, they'll just destroy a city for fun... Anyway... this is actually something I have never once heard the Archons discuss. Personally, Asmodians kick ass, I'd rather be a dark brooding emo goth instead of the light bearer perky goth. Im being facetious....

[Narthesis]

I have heard discussion on the matter.  The following is MY POINT OF VIEW ONLY.  As well, though on the surface it may seem angels versus demons, it is nothing like that.  The Elyos and Asmodeans are one race, more like two warring nations, obviously Asmodians have started on a different evolutionary path though.

Personally, I feel that the Asmodians are not as 'dark' as they first appear.  I believe the outer appearance of Elyos versus Asmodians is the complete opposite of their behaviors. 

The Asmodians live on the dark side of the world, they have adapted to it, they have banded together helping one another and have strong morales.  Believing in unity and all that jazz, however, they ARE militant.  Anyone not born of Asmodea is an outsider, and outsiders must yield or be destroyed.  This said, they have a respect for those more powerful then themselves, they revel in fighting the strong so they too may become strong.

The Elyos live on the light side of the world, they have known nothing of hardship or suffering.  They are pampered with their pristene beaches, abundant sources of food, and a downright indulgent way of life.  Most Elyos think only of themselves.  How will this benefit ME?  Why am 'I' doing this?  I fight to defeat the Asmodians to preserver MY way of life.  They typically care little for Elsea as a whole, let alone other creatures.

** I find Elyos sickening though, their lands, their stories, their cities are all just far to bright and cheerie for me.  And this is coming from someone who has played every mmo prior to WAR on the side of good.


Asmodeans = Unity, Strength, Morality
Elyos = Indulgent, Self-Centered, Stuck Up

[Anglakhel]

Overall, the Asmodians had more that was immediately reminiscent of the Druchii in WAR.

They "appear" to be the dark faction and the more extreme faction.  I agree with Narthesis in the sense that the Elyos' personality is a bit more self serving (and thereby Druchii-like) than the Asmodian, while the Asmodians have a more communal culture.

Ultimately, for me, I like the extreme nature of the Asmodians and intend on shaping the Archons of Malice around very similar foundations in Aion as in WAR.

The Archons of Malice are tied to the concept of "Merciless Justice".

In war, the rune Kheyl, the foundation of the concept Archon, means "Merciless Justice".  The Archons of Malice were created to serve the Will of the Witch King and win the war against the Asur.  They were created to have a clear purpose and been uninvolved in the various forces conspiring for control over Druchii society: the noble Houses, the Temple of Khaine, the Six Convents.  Instead, the Archons of Malice are bound by Kheyl.  They serve the principle of Merciless Justice.  The Druchii must be hard and cultivate their hatred for ultimately we are the true servants of Justice.  We are the true protectors of the world.  It is only by shedding all softness, all kindness, all mercy that we will have the strength to prevail against the Ruinous Powers.

In Aion, I saw a lot of similarities between the struggle between the Elyos and Asmodians as between the Asur and Druchii.  Again, a portion of the people become soft and proud and unwilling to pay the price necessary to secure safety and freedom.  The Elyos tried to sue for peace when they feared they could not overcome the Balaur in war.  The Asmodians are those that chose to fight at any cost to defeat their enemy, because it was the right thing to do.

So, the Elyos allowed the Balaur to destroy the Tower of Eternity.  The Elyos shattered the world and cast the Asmodians into darkness while they became even more proud, lazy and decadent.  Meanwhile, the Asmodians became even harder, realizing now that they not only faced a seemingly invincible enemy in the Balaur, but that they had to worry about their own people betraying them and subverting their strength.

So, the Archons of Malice are the most fanatical of the fanatics.  The Archons believe that they must be hard, strong and cruel because anything less means the ultimate destruction of all.  They embrace Merciless Justice because there is no room in the heart for mercy if we are to do the terrible things necessary to ensure the guilty pay for their crimes and violations.

Ultimately, I just saw too many thematic connections between the Druchii and the Asmodians to ever seriously consider playing the Elyos.  Both the Druchii and the Asmodians lend themselves to a type of "evil" roleplay that intrigues me.  This is not the babbling madman or mad scientist or evil overlord.  These are intelligent and sensible people that believe in something.  They believe in something so strongly that they are willing to justify nearly any action they take because of the belief system they have infused themselves with.  This type of extremism is very rich and interesting to me and the foundation of the roleplaying that I have done in game, on the forums, or in my head in regards to the Archons of Malice.

[Aeternis]

Im not rolling Elyos

[Nemesis]

Im not rolling Elyos

I think that summed up Ang's post perfectly.  :D

[Nemesis]

To add in my own two cents on the faction discussion, I have a slightly different take than Ang.

I'm not looking to play the "bad guy" this time and outside of initial appearences, I've never felt that the Asmodians were designed to play that role in Aion.  It's a classic case of looks can be deceiving and I agree with everyone else in that if you really read the lore, the Elyos tend to come across as far more "evil" in their intentions and ideals than the Asmodians.

To me, the Asmodians resemble a Wolf Pack.  They follow the strongest among them, yet they know that they must count on the everyone in the pack to survive.  They have faced hardship and turmoil and have survived and grown stronger because of it.

"Blood for Blood" isn't just a catch phrase or a saying without meaning to an Asmo.  It is an ingrained belief and a moral obligation to each and every one of them.  They may not agree on everything and even fight amongst themselves, but have an outsider or an enemy attack ANY of them and they will reap the whirlwind from every Asmodian that is able.

To be an Asmodian means you never...ever stand alone.

So I'm not wanting to play my Asmodian from an "evil" perspective and while I understand Ang's thought process and how he links them to the Druchii, for me there is really no comparison outside of one.  Both sides offer no mercy to their enemies.  Outside of that, to me the Druchii are one of the most vile and evil races ever created in a fantasy setting.  (VERY fun to RP from time to time, but you can't spin that they are evil as all get out.) 

The Asmodians aren't evil.  Far from it actually.  I think Narth nailed it in his description which is something that most people don't see and fail to understand. (Not saying that applies to anyone here.)

So how I plan to RP my character within the game and guild is a combination of "Absolutely No Mercy for our Enemies" along with a strong sense of Pack/Family morality and honor.    In that sense I think Ang and I have a similar thought process.  It will be interesting to see how the guild grows and fleshes out its history and path as we move forward.

Honestly, I'm glad we're finally having this discussion as it's been long overdue.   Even if it happened on a thread that was meant to talk about our server choice.    ;)

[Nemesis]

To get this back on topic and since I still can't post on AionSource I'm thinking more and more that I don't want to roll on Zikel.

I've never been overly fond of the PT crowd, especially a good amount of the forum trolls the server seems to have.  Sure, with Ostermark we also had a fair share of jaggoffs, but it just seemed to be much more of a server community instead of so many cliques and sides.

With how the first couple of days of posting has gone on the Zikel forums and how quickly the PT people have unleashed the trolls after minor baiting by TheMercs...  Well it's making me fear for the community as a whole.  The server is already starting to get a bad vibe to people looking for a home server over the flame ware and to be honest, if I didn't know some of those people already, I doubt I would choose Zikel as well just based on the current postings.  So much for a mature start to the community.

Now don't get me wrong, I can enjoy a good flame war.  Some of them on PT have been funny as hell to follow along with.  But I'm also big on first impressions and so far PT has failed in that regard with setting any kind of good tone.

Val has made an awesome attempt to settle things down with her recent thread, but I'm almost thinking it's too little, too late.  

So I dunno, as it stands for me in this moment in time, I'm leaning towards looking elsewhere for our new home.

 :-\

Edit: Just to be clear, if that's where the majority of us wants to go, then I'm all in.  I just wanted to vent some newly discovered reservations after following the server banter the past 2 days.  And this is not an endorsement of the ARP choice in servers.  Those people are almost worse in their arrogance.  The sad part is, they seem to think they've done nothing wrong.   Bleh

[Aeternis]

I know better than to judge PT by the conduct of the Tempest Wolves