Perhaps 60 days ago, I emailed Immortals with the questionnaire posted on the Carrion Wiki.

http://wiki.qhcf.net/index.php?title=EmpowermentFAQ

I did not receive a response. I post here in a final effort with the hopes of a few members of the IMM staff participating.

Thanks!

Dear Immortal:

I send this note to you, and your fellow empowering immortals, with the express purpose of collecting information regarding your empowerment process for the CarrionFields Wiki.

The purpose of this data collection is to arm players - old and new - who would seek empowerment, but perhaps do not know the practices of a particular immortal. Answers like, "it depends" are to be expected, as each interaction is unique, but a general answer would be helpful. Please feel free to answer as many questions as you'd like, or even a partial answer to a question. Really, any participation would be wonderful.

Perhaps the most important question (IMHO) is leveling past level 20 - as this is an objective criteria that can easily get mucked up if a player simply doesn't know that you (and your religion) aren't cool with a character continuing to play past 20.

This data can be found published at the following web address:

http://wiki.qhcf.net/index.php?title=EmpowermentFAQ

The questions posted are as follows:

1) What is your opinion of leveling past 20? Does this hamstring the character?

1a) If yes, what type of login activity do you expect, beyond praying and RP'ing in the shrine for empowerment and logging out?

2) What is your general empowerment process?

3) Do you permit your followers to choose their first specialization?

4) Do you permit your followers to choose their second specialization?

5) Is there anything else a potential follower should know about your process?

Again, this is to assist the player base. I'm sure the hundreds of folks who play this game you so carefully tend to would appreciate your thoughtful response.

For a mortal there is a lot to do in CF. rank, gear, spam skills, get resources, and chat with other players.

For a religion imm all they can do is watch and talk.

If you are interesting to watch you will get more attention and flexibility. Power ranking and gearing/prepping is boring to watch. If you have done it 100 times they have seen it 1,000.

If you have been playing a while you can just feel it while interacting with other players that they are someone who interests you to be around, if you can replicate that then you will have an easy time with priests.

If you are like me and just kind of suck at showmanship then it is still fine. The admin are exceedingly accommodating, you just need to be patient and show you are trying and it will come. The difference is that it will take longer.

Whatever you do, don't get righteous. If you are top grade material and they are around it will happen fast. If you are average or below and they are around it will still happen within a week or two. If you go full spaz it's not likely to happen regardless of quality.

For my own example I did a scarab shaman. My first shrine moment came relatively quickly and it was clear that I just didn't get it. I plugged away another 2 weeks and I basically got a pity empowerment and induct and a few more weeks I got a second path. Mostly I got those things for not being terrible and sticking with it and showing an attempt to be better. Scarab is amongst the toughest nuts so if I can manage to be passable than anyone can. Just don't explode, avoid power ranking until you got juice or accept the fact that your level doesn't really change your progression. It's not bad as an empowerment class because they are all fine at basically all levels.

>1) What is your opinion of leveling past 20? Does this
>hamstring the character?

Generally, I don't care about levelling specifically. I do, however, generally expect to get some sort of prayer from a hopeful priest before they need me for empowerment. You can't be bothered to come worship me until you need something from me? Bleh! I try to make empowerment itself easy enough for people, and reserve the real work for shaman paths, virtues, etc as long as you're not doing anything really WRONG religion-wise. That said, I also put forth more effort on a player's behalf when the hours are there. If you power-levelled to hero because of double-exp bonus in 10 hours and don't have empowerment, that's on you.

>1a) If yes, what type of login activity do you expect, beyond
>praying and RP'ing in the shrine for empowerment and logging
>out?

In *ANY* case of someone seeking empowerment, you really only need about 5min hanging out in my shrine if you've prayed. If we're both online, and I know you've been trying to find me, you can pretty much guarantee I'm watching you to some degree. It's simple enough for me to find a place/means to interact when I'm ready, and I'd much prefer to see your character in action rather than waiting aimlessly at a shrine.

>2) What is your general empowerment process?

Usually involves intimidation, some platitudes, telling people they're not good enough for my power, etc. I am evil, after all. Generally, I try to get some details on a character & their goals, give them some tasks I want them to accomplish. Depending on how well they grasp the religion, I may give them slightly more or less empowerment.

>3) Do you permit your followers to choose their first
>specialization?

Jormyr is exceedingly chaotic, so it very much depends on how he (and I) feel at the moment. It also depends on how well they've accomplished whatever I've tasked them to do. Generally you should assume I'm going to pick, unless you've made Jormyr really happy.

>4) Do you permit your followers to choose their second
>specialization?

Similar to above - it depends, though if you got to pick your first, you'd best have done REALLY well to pick your second.

>5) Is there anything else a potential follower should know
>about your process?

Jormyr's evil. He's also VERY chaotic, and more prone to "Jormyr smash" than lots of thinking. On top of that, he's got a certain Nordic "Everything's going to be destroyed in the end" perspective, so overall Jormyr doesn't give a bit of d@mn about you as a mortal. On the bright side, he's a God of simple pleasures. Praise him as the best thing in the world, break a few things for him, and he's pretty easy to keep happy.

>Again, this is to assist the player base. I'm sure the
>hundreds of folks who play this game you so carefully tend to
>would appreciate your thoughtful response.

I realize I'm dormant, but I'll answer anyway since I'm an immortal and you seem to be lacking response(s).

This is my personal opinion and not any kind of rule, official policy, etc. It's really only relevant to Umiron's religion when it's open.

>The questions posted are as follows:
>
>1) What is your opinion of leveling past 20? Does this
>hamstring the character?

Sometimes. The "don't level (much) past 20" rule is there to protect the player. If I see someone past that level range doing all the right things over a period of days/weeks and we just haven't connected, fine. If they've been generally power-ranking/power-gaming things and not interacting, representing the faith, etc., then screw that guy. It's subjective and situational, which is why the guideline exists (again, to protect the player from that fact).

>1a) If yes, what type of login activity do you expect, beyond
>praying and RP'ing in the shrine for empowerment and logging
>out?

No specific login activity. In my opinion that's over-thinking it.

>2) What is your general empowerment process?

Once I learn someone is a follower (prays, role, etc.) I do my best to observe them so I can get a sense of whether they're doing a good job outside of the few scenarios where they're obviously going to put their best foot forward. Then it's just the usual shrine interactions. I don't have hard and fast rules about numbers of talks for xyz or at certain level/hours/etc.

>3) Do you permit your followers to choose their first
>specialization?

I assume you specifically mean shaman, and no not really, though I only have two. Umiron has never had a paladin follower long enough to worry about virtues, but I wouldn't let someone pick.

>4) Do you permit your followers to choose their second
>specialization?

No, but again I only have the two, so there you go.

>5) Is there anything else a potential follower should know
>about your process?

Process, no. Umiron cares about people keeping promises and honoring commitments. If someone says they care about X and mean to be a really good Y in life, he expects them to make good on those statements. In that sense, he dislikes quitters and people who 'phone it in'. He'll try to figure out what's important to a character and help them develop some goals related to that and then judge them based on how well they do in meeting those goals.

I'll add that Umiron is not very dogmatic. There are certain types of characters he's simply not going to embrace (e.g., he's not fond of chaotic/evil mages), but beyond that he's generally happy to be a benefactor to any mortal he finds to be interesting, classy, and earnestly dedicated to something that isn't directly at odds with the things he cares about. One does not need to "get" his religion in the typical sense, which may make things easier or harder depending on one's personal preference.

I can see why you got no responses. I also seriously doubt any Imm cares if you rank past 20 before empowerment.

Probably no Imm wants anyone road mapping their religion or empowerment process, for reasons Drehir noted. You're going to get way more power gaming from it than you will meaningful interactions with dedicated followers. You'll also get a lot more players bitching when an Imm changes how he does things.

Read a helpfile, make some prayers, RP in and outside the shrine.
That's generally all it takes to get empowered.
Empowerment is a journey unique to individual characters that both the Imm and the character have the opportunity to drive and shape.
That's how it should be.

If you don't like the process, well, there's a ton of other classes to play.

>I can see why you got no responses. I also seriously doubt
>any Imm cares if you rank past 20 before empowerment.

You'd think that, but clearly, Destuvius certainly does. http://wiki.qhcf.net/index.php?title=EmpowermentFAQ

If I was a newb, and I wanted to "try out" some of the CF religions, I'd like to know which religions are not cool with leveling up past 20. How would I know that otherwise?

As for the powergamey aspect of choosing your paths. If I've had 4 fortitude paladins, and really wanted to try charity, I'd perhaps pick an IMM that let me choose charity, so I could experience that flavor of a paladin. If an IMM didn't let me choose, I would likely not go to that IMM for that particular character.

Lots of reasons why this is a good question that don't involve being a powergamer. However, I also see your point, and can see why a IMM might choose not to answer that question.

As for Shrine RP and non-Shrine RP, I thought this was completely obvious; I guess not. At a certain point logins will get shorter, and there is only so much Shrine/Inn sitting/PK'ing you can do before you roll an alt. After another certain point, your alt becomes your main. Then you auto/delete or for a new player, get frustrated and never come back.

The point of this question was to limit frustration, and specifically identify what minimum benchmark and/or process a follower must attain before gaining empowerment. That way, the player can play their alt, and still seek empowerment without the IMM thinking you aren't serious about the character.

Additionally, I'd like to add that as with all questions presented here, the IMM may choose not to answer it.

I'd appreciate it if you removed that stuff from your wiki. Especially since you are taking the email exchange we had about your specific character and choosing bits and pieces of it to add in as general statements that aren't going to be factual for all situations.

Not to mention you never once asked if it would be cool to share the insights with the masses.

I was wondering where I got that info from. You are totally right - sorry bout that.

Deleted.

Let me assist you with this from an ex-imm.

1. If you think it might be questionable do not do it.
1a. You should be roleplaying all the time, not just in the shrine. But praying really increases your chances of being empowered, unless you are praying stupid junk or not roleplaying/following that imm.
2. I cannot imagine an imm actually answering this. Roll one, find out.
3. See above. Powergamey.
4. See above.
5. Praying pretty much covers this. Even a cryptic imm you can usually coax the answers out of. Empowerment is a dialogue with an imm's persona. That conversation and expectation are not something I think any imm would want in a wiki.

I hope this was helpful.

-D

It be nice to understand better how imm's like to be contacted. How often they like or don't like to be contacted. I think that is where some people who try the empowerment route struggle with is an Imm may knock them down a peg or just give up on them.