Check this thread for updates or advice on joining and/or succeeding in the Cabals of Thera.

So you want to be a Herald?! Here is a guide to help you succeed!

1) Most people don't know this, but you can and SHOULD pledge to the Inn Guard so that leaders know you want to join. You can do this at level 15 and beyond.

2) Have a talent. Talents are as follows: Taleteller, Scribe, Weaver, Painter, Bartender, Tailor, Performer, Decorator, or Chef. Your talent should be an integral part of your role and a driving factor to wanting to join Herald.

3) Send a note to Herald regarding your desires to join, what your talent is, and why it's important to you. Consider sending a sample piece of your talent via note as well (ie, if you're a painter, send in one of your paintings).

4) Although Herald will accept heroes, it is much more beneficial to pledge/join early. As your talent is such a big driver in your life, it just seems strange to suddenly apply at hero.

5) Herald is not a "business" and as such, you are not an "employee". You are not applying to join the "staff". Heralds are artists, historians, showmen, entertainers, performers, facilitators of merriment. Think of it like an artist who creates art for the love of it, because they must share what is inside their head with others.

6) The Celestial Lyceum is equally as important as the Inn. The tending and sharing of the lore contained within is an integral part of a Herald's duties.

7) Heralds are not allowed to defend or raid cabal headquarters other than the Inn/Lyceum.

8) You can PK outside of the Inn, but bear in mind that whatever you do will reflect on you AS A HERALD and may or may not bring bad blood back on everyone. Choose wisely.

9) Do not expect to be of evil alignment and still be able to do the above well. Likewise, paladins committed to the code, strict as it is, will have a difficult time. If you fall into these categories, you must be inducted by a Herald Immortal.

10) Shamans (of any alignment) by definition are warpriests, keyword being war. Your holy war has no place in the Inn or Lyceum.

Who is the inner? Odin? What is their item? What powers would you lose?

Sorry, lots of questions I've just never known you could.

You can kill the outer guard and that's it.
He's a tough sonovabitch, mind you. Tougher than most inners.

Caveat: I am still rather dormant, and Ithynil may do things a bit different. However, the basics (and if you end up dealing with me) should remain the same.

Alignment: Any (Possible difficulties for good align resolving cabal vs. alignment goals)
Ethos: Any
Classes: Warrior, thief, assassin, ranger, bard (Possibly AP, Paladin, or Raider(?) with severe restrictions).

Philosophy: Magic is bad. Don't be a mage. Don't make friends with mages. Don't learn magic. Don't use it. Don't even play Magic: The Gathering. Magical items: Bad. Magical spells: Super bad. Honestly...spelling in general? Negotiable. Priests that use divine magic? Not really your favorite people, but do you REALLY want to argue with a God? Don't HATE them, but don't let them use their suspicious mumbling and powers on you. You never know, it might actually be magic. (Little known fact: You do NOT actually receive bonus points if your role involves mages, your village/family, and burning.)

Enemy cabals: ENTROPY (Defunct: NEXUS, SCION, MASTER, WARLOCK) (Required). May also war with any or all other cabals as mortal leadership decides.

Additional information: Divided into three subsets. Berserker, Scouts, Defenders. Berserkers are the classic choice, and have a different set of standards that *should* be held to. In general, don't be a putz.

Could you offer any further insight into the 3 'paths' you can go down. You say berserker has higher standards than defender or scout. How so?
Do they each play a slightly different role in what they are allowed to do?
Is it only berserker that have to fight 1v1 for example?.
Just looking to what the rules are. Dos and dont's etc

Thanks

1) Don't be a criminal.
2) Talk to Trib leadership in game to figure out anything/everything else.



If you're let down by how short it is....too bad, welcome to Tribunal.


-Ish

For those who might assume the lack of mention means permission for neutral ethos.

(At least I'm assuming it's still orderly only, and that you either forgot to mention it, or assumed it was so obvious that there was no point in mentioning it.)

Free reign to mortal leadership.

I got ####ed by this once playing a villager and it was ####ing dumb. Hated it. One of my worst cf experiences.

I defended the village against a mage trib coming for a criminal and got made wanted. No immortal leadership would do anything about it. Stupidest #### I ever saw.

nt

I appreciate so many of us want to be heard and what not, but endless blabbering at what you want for the game isn't super helpful on a thread like this, should have started your own. This thread is a good idea, but it's already a mess. Clean it up!

This should be posted on the Q&A for new players, posted at the top and I believe all IMM's should contribute to this post and pinned.

It's only good for as long as this current crop of Imms runs this version of these cabals. All of which can change. One of them states how it doesn't work like it did earlier this year when someone else ran it.

None of this is a knock on these people or to say I don't appreciate the writing of it down and making it explicit. I very much do, even where I disagree with the interpretation. But it shouldn't be stickied any more than Ignolmeer's on how Fort promotions work should have been.

Clean up is also silly. If they didn't want to get any feedback or debate, why post it on the forums instead of just making a helpfile or something else where direct responses aren't allowed or possible?

Yeah, not a bad idea. I think we'll create a clean, new, sticky, and probably locked version of this thread sometime in the next few days.

Some of these conversations I hope will be productive for everyone, so if you have a serious question or comment, please use this opportunity to fire away.

Entropy is kind of the un-cabal. There are no rules, really, except that you shouldn't mindlessly follow rules.

Basic philosophy:
Entropy strives to bring Thera to its natural state of disorder, free from civilization, which is inherently dedicated to the manipulation of its members.

Organized society, law, and order are meaningless constructs that force others to act against their better judgments and instincts. A Baron of Chaos recognizes no authority besides himself or herself and the gods. In recognizing that order is futile and life is inherently unpredictable, Entropists embrace Chaos and randomness as means to achieve their goals and fulfill their desires. Within the maelstrom of Chaos swirls beauty and horror -- what we cherish above all and what we fear the most.

Though seemingly similar to Outlanders on the surface, this philosophy contrasts sharply with the Outlander cabal's in several ways. Outlanders, though free and chaotic-leaning, are the enforcers of natural laws and are bound to follow the commandments of the Ancients. Outlanders also embrace some basic social structures; they embrace leaders and recognize "alphas" in packs.

Entropists, meanwhile, are pure individualists and anarchists who are loosely affiliated through the Equation and a common study of Chaos Magic. They hold no reverence for nature or natural law and have no objections to extraplanar sorcery, magical mutations, or undeath. They do, however, reject the art of conjuration -- not because of the breaking of planar boundaries, but because the binding into servitude of extraplanar beings conflicts with their commitment to absolute freedom.

Hard requirements for joining:
- Must have chaotic ethos
- Must be an anti-paladin, invoker, necromancer, shapeshifter, or transmuter.

Highly recommended:
- Have a role.
- The role should make sense.
- This is a cabal of Chaos Mages, who approach life from an intelligent but non-orderly, anarchistic point of view. Yes, they sometimes rely on random chance and wild magic to achieve their goals. So do not be Chaotic Stupid (See: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ChaoticStupid).

How to apply:
- Pledge to the Beer Elemental.
- Write a note to Entropy.
- Having a role addressing your reasons for wishing to join will go a very long way.
- Currently, only immortals can induct into this cabal. It is possible this will change in the future.

Cabal goals:
- Down with The Man!
- Whatever you want.
- Also, thin or break the Veil and let magic run wild!

Cabal enemies:
Because of the unique nature of the cabal, there are no leaders and there are no official enemies. However, you can expect problems with Battle, Tribunal, and Empire, and possibly anyone else who decides they have a problem with Entropy on any given day.

Other notes:
The Entropy cabal has a few powers now, but will receive more as more players join and participate in quests. Stay tuned for exciting changes.

Could you please tone down the duration of confuse at the Cabal?

It's so debilitating it basically forces you sit somewhere safe till it wears off, I know it won't kill you but its really, really annoying. I understand that its part of the defence and a deterant to raiding, but does it really need to be 50 hours?

Thanks.

Do not be chaotic stupid. Step one pledge to beer elemental. Beer elemental is chaotic stupid concept. Classic entropy.

NT

It's like you get these moods every so often for a PERIOD of time where you're overly bitter and criticize people for having fun.

How do you just know the beer elemental is chaotic stupid? Did you do any research? Is there no benefit to making a beer over a water elemental? Can you prove that there isn't?

Merry Christmas!

EDIT: Was supposed to be reply to jalim's post not murphy's. Sorry murph.

Why only mages? I think the concept of Entropy supersedes a characters ability to cast spells. As is there are three classes which can join that don’t require you to be evil, which I find extremely limiting. I don’t see why any class that doesn’t infringe upon free will couldn’t join. It will help numbers, which seems to be a focus from the staff. It will also heighten the rivalries between tribunal and battle vs Entropy by virtue of more access. I see the restriction of magic users to be holding back the potential of this cabal. To me it seems like Entropy is supposed to fill the void left by nexus in the war over the veil and magic, so like martial nexuns why can’t a warrior or assassin or ranger have the same outlook where magic and the veil are concerned?

But those that bring demons now are not welcome. Seems weird. Current Staff seems to dislike conjies though, so they get the shaft.

nt

At least not satisfactorily. I generally believe forums are terrible for debate, but I'll give it a try anyway:

Here is the line in question:

They hold no reverence for nature or natural law and have no objections to extraplanar sorcery, magical mutations, or undeath. They do, however, reject the art of conjuration -- not because of the breaking of planar boundaries, but because the binding into servitude of extraplanar beings conflicts with their commitment to absolute freedom.

There are sentient undead in the form of wights, mummies, and liches. There are also mummy undead (and possibly wights, I'm not intimately familiar with greater undead) that a necromancer can summon and control. Are we to believe they are mere constructs? Or, based on race, are they semi-sentient, but clearly bound to servitude? Are Entropy necro's not allowed to raise undead? Are they only allowed lesser undead?

An Entropy AP is clearly binding pieces of other people's soul to servitude in his axe. I'm not sure how you would make any other argument about what is happening there... Is an Entropy AP not to make an unholy weapon as it conflicts with the abosolute freedom doctrine?

The lore of CF says Chaos Mages made deals with demons, and called them to serve them in the war with the Order mages. Are Entropists, who study Chaos magic, just ignoring that piece of CF Lore?

There are writing in Khardath's planar sanctum on conjurations and bindings. Specifically that the bindings are not subversion of will, which fits with the mechanics since forcing a servitor to do things they don't like causes them to turn, but rather to assuage the pain of being off their home plane (or something similar). Is that ####? If it is, where is the authoritative version of what is going on? Outlanders have their beliefs on the matter, and Fort has a slightly different but very similar view which is why you can't hardly play a Fort conjie without getting #### about it, and yet another cabal echoing those same beliefs seems like it is somehow given and not up for debate IC. At that point, why even have conjurers?

Finally, if Entropy has this as their "guiding" principle, what is the difference, especially for evil characters, between playing Entropy and Outlander? I could easily see, say evil invoker, making a strong case to be in both cabals. It isn't like they couldn't attack other Entropist's for breaking Outlander dogma and vice versa. Why have two cabals fill essentially the same niche with the only real difference being the inclusion or exclusion of certain classes based on nature vs. magic?

n/t

I totally get that you want all philosophies to be airtight, but none are. You could do this to literally ANY CF cabal or religion, or any real-life religion. None of these supposed logical holes, even if they all are correct, bother me to the point that I think the Entropy cabal's dogma is bunk.

Besides, who's to say the Khardrath's writings are correct? Maybe it's fake news.

Anyway, if you want to influence and define the Entropy cabal, play an Entropist. Nobody has played THE definitive neo-Entropist yet. Maybe you could address some of these things IC.

I've no desire to waste my time like that awesome goblin only to be told the totally debatable and not airtight philosophy of Outlander isn't changeable... cause the fake new on the bark is correct.

I value consistency, and I'm not the only one. As I told Istirith on discord... even government is consistent, not because it doesn't flip flop constantly, but because the process of passing laws means that the changes to how things are done are written an recorded. Consistently inconsistent, but also documented.

Thank you for the response.

Play something that can get into Entropy but RP that youre a conjurer. Make use of the various call a pet objects that exist in the game. Always walk around with a random animal and call it your familiar. Who knows, if you do it well enough then a real conjurer might actually be possible after.

It would be a feat comparable to, say, making ragers accept communers. Super unlikely.

You said: "... even government is consistent, not because it doesn't flip flop constantly, but because the process of passing laws means that the changes to how things are done are written an recorded. Consistently inconsistent, but also documented."

That's what we're trying to do in this thread!

Re Outlander goblins and Entropy conjurers, it really depends on the character. When a great character comes along and tries to break a mold, it will start a debate among the imms. Sometimes the majority (or the IMMs who matter) side with making an exception to the rule, or doing away with the rule altogether. Other times, we decide it's a rule that just shouldn't be broken at all. After a heated discussion, the latter is what happened with the wannabe Outlander goblin.

HOWEVER...

Typically, if we think the outside-the-box character is really cool, there will almost certainly be a consolation prize. Sometimes, the "consolation prize" ends up being really cool. However, a lot of people end up deleting as soon as they hear they aren't getting exactly what they set out for. That's such a waste.

If someone took Dest's suggestion below, or rolled an amazing conjurer who really understood Entropy and wrote a smart argument showing that binding isn't really enslavement in some cases, citing Chaos Mages' history of demon summoning, etc., I honestly don't know how that would play out.

But I will tell you this -- we can't consider a case that isn't before us.

On how to answer posts.

Thanks.

Documenting is good. Thank you for doing so. Truly and honestly.

Re: Considering a case that isn't before you... That is exactly what I'm doing, putting the case before you. I'm not going to spend what little time I have for CF playing a character to "break the mold" I don't think should exist. I'm certainly not going to invest 200 hours into that. That's 5 full work weeks. For that kind of investment I'd expect a lot better than a consolation prize.

I have learned over the years that having a character that requires someone else to be invested in my success to reach it is a recipe for disappointment, which is why I don't play empowerment characters or try for "out of the box" builds or "break the mold" stuff.

I'll continue to make the case I can in the ways I'm willing, but asking me, or anyone, to put tens to hundreds of hours into a character to "consider the case" is beyond crazy. No one wants to put that kind of time and effort into something only to be told it will never happen and/or get a consolation prize.

>There are sentient undead in the form of wights, mummies, and
>liches. There are also mummy undead (and possibly wights, I'm
>not intimately familiar with greater undead) that a
>necromancer can summon and control. Are we to believe they
>are mere constructs? Or, based on race, are they
>semi-sentient, but clearly bound to servitude? Are Entropy
>necro's not allowed to raise undead? Are they only allowed
>lesser undead?

Perhaps greater undead serve willingly. As far as I know, they never attack the necromancer. Beastmasters call wolves, bears, and snakes to aid them but I don't consider it enslavement.


>An Entropy AP is clearly binding pieces of other people's soul
>to servitude in his axe. I'm not sure how you would make any
>other argument about what is happening there... Is an Entropy
>AP not to make an unholy weapon as it conflicts with the
>abosolute freedom doctrine?

Stealing of someone's power isn't the same as robbing someone of their free will. Their will remains their own. If their dogma prevented them from doing this, then it could also be argued that they don't have the right to kill and loot their opponents without their express permission.


>The lore of CF says Chaos Mages made deals with demons, and
>called them to serve them in the war with the Order mages.
>Are Entropists, who study Chaos magic, just ignoring that
>piece of CF Lore?

The Chaos Mages may have made deals with demons and called them to serve, but that doesn't necessarily mean Entropy condones it now. Chaos is not worship of freedom, the Chaos Mages of old were not Entropy and clearly the two would have disagreed on this subject.


>There are writing in Khardath's planar sanctum on conjurations
>and bindings. Specifically that the bindings are not
>subversion of will, which fits with the mechanics since
>forcing a servitor to do things they don't like causes them to
>turn, but rather to assuage the pain of being off their home
>plane (or something similar). Is that ####? If it is, where
>is the authoritative version of what is going on? Outlanders
>have their beliefs on the matter, and Fort has a slightly
>different but very similar view which is why you can't hardly
>play a Fort conjie without getting #### about it, and yet
>another cabal echoing those same beliefs seems like it is
>somehow given and not up for debate IC. At that point, why
>even have conjurers?

Khardath might have spent time trying to justify his enslavement process due to guilt and delusion. The fact that conjurations sometimes say, "I will not bow down to you, mortal!" somewhat lends to the fact that the Outlanders are right on the matter.


>Finally, if Entropy has this as their "guiding" principle,
>what is the difference, especially for evil characters,
>between playing Entropy and Outlander? I could easily see,
>say evil invoker, making a strong case to be in both cabals.
>It isn't like they couldn't attack other Entropist's for
>breaking Outlander dogma and vice versa. Why have two cabals
>fill essentially the same niche with the only real difference
>being the inclusion or exclusion of certain classes based on
>nature vs. magic?

The Sphere of Magic resides in opposition to Nature at the edges of the World. As the channeling of supernatural forces, the use of (non-divine) Magic can often reverse or upend the course of Nature and often has hidden costs to those that serve as conduit to its power. This seems at least as contrast Tribunal and Empire.

All in all, if you're not willing to RP it in game, then it shouldn't change. If everyone who wanted to change the course of the game could do so with posts, eventually we'd have every race and every class in every cabal. I know you presented a fairly good case for conjurers to get into Entropy and it wasn't nonsense but ^there's my reasoning for conjurers to remain out of Entropy. None of it is nonsense. If you want to change it, bring those arguments in game where. Deed has always had a greater affect than words.

Only mages are able to form a bond with equation through veil affinity. Helpfiles also states that this is "currently", so when the quests are done, it might get changed. The 6th Age has not truly started yet.

Is Entropy opposed to using coins to buy stuff?

What about hiring mercs? Obviously if it's called a "slave" then that would be taboo, but what about mercenaries? They are there by free will. And what about buying a construct? They have no mind of their own anyway. Are they acceptable?

nt

Play a character that uses mercs and coins. Make sure it is exceptional. Feel free to put no less than 200 hours in. Then you'll get to know whether that's acceptable in Entropy or not, but they can't make a decision like that just based on a forum post. That's crazy talk.

Arguing with Kstat has made me annoyed.

There are a number of valid ways to approach this from an Entropic perspective.

COINS:
One way would be to go full Outlander-like and hate on coins, since they're implements of civilization.

Another would be a simple indifference to currency. You know it's socially-constructed #### and would never live your life to amass wealth. Then again, you can use it sometimes to buy cool ####, and that makes life easier.

Yet another way you could approach it still is that you might amass and flaunt wealth as a sort of ironic stunt to drive all of the sheeple crazy. Maybe it's to prove a point and teach a lesson. Maybe it's just for your own amusement, since it means nothing to you and everything to others.

There are probably some other ways you could go that I haven't even thought of yet.

Entropy leaves room for a lot of creativity. There is absolutely nothing that is sacred to Entropy, except for freedom. So you can approach pretty much anything almost any angle.

Want to be a pansexual satirist shapeshifter that gets his kicks from (purposefully) violating all kinds of other societal taboos? Entropy! Want to be an angry, isolated nihilist who wants to open up the Veil and let wild magic ravage the planet? Entropy! Are you a semi-naturalist who wants to burn down cities and tear down the social order -- with her army of zombies? Entropy!

The cabal's goals are +freedom, +thin Veil, and +wild, random magic. There are so many possible roles for this cabal that it makes me uncomfortable just thinking about it.

MERCS:
This might hinge on your feelings about currency. It also depends on your character and how you decide to roleplay the mercenary dynamic.

Is the mercenary just a kind of slave? Do you view the merc as your property, or some armed guy who's with you for mutual gain?Slaves run counter to the core idea of Entropy. Armed allies? Those're fine.

Mercs from the consortium are non-sentient constructs. That's fine.

ELEMENTALS/DEMONS/DEVILS/ANGELS/ARCHONS
Elementals are a bit tricky. Conjurer-summoned elementals, demons, devils, angels and archons are sentient and can literally tell conjurers "I will not bow down to you, mortal!" No es bueno (unless someone presents a great argument to the contrary).

Object-created elementals might be different. Is there any indication that they're sentient? Or are they just mindless collections of magically animated, elemental material? This is probably something you'd want to consider on a case-by-case basis.

BONUS -- UNDEAD:
In Carrion Fields, undead created by necromancers have generally been considered non-sentient beings. This includes zombies, golems, ghouls and mummies (SOME mummies are sentient, per HELP UNDEATH; not those created with the greater undead spell), along with other special creatures created with the greater undead spell. They're just beings of animated flesh that are mere vessels for negative energy, created by and for a necromancer.

This is in contrast to sentient undead, such as liches, mummies, wights, etc., often created through a Becoming process.

This response was SUPER helpful. It answered even question bouncing around in my head, and several that would have eventually risen had you not been so thorough. Thank you very much for this. Expect to see me in the cabal soon.

So obviously yes.

I'd not use "slave" mercs though.

Is it suppose to be hard to get inducted into the cabal, where say someone has to wait 50+ hours to get inducted or any kind of communication? Or do we need to pray perhaps and get attention of the patron of the Cabal? It's not automated like Empire, and it doesn't have leaders to talk to and converse with. It doesn't feel like a recommendation system as it's more of an association with each other than a unified agenda.

For philosophical reasons, the Barons of Chaos recognize no mortal
leaders. To apply, pledge to the cabal guardian and pray to the gods
of Entropy.

I would presume to approach it as a cabal with only Immduction like the old days of Scarab or Maran.

Got confused as I thought I would get contacted as what a baron said to me. I should have checked the help file more in depth about praying. I was also focusing on the guide here so I was silly not to send out a prey as well as following the instructions from this forum post.

Thanks Jormyr!

NT

I don't think they deal with veil. Much like rangers overall.

NT

Ow

Current Fort standards aren't the same as they were before under Ignolmeerian ideology in regards to Maran and Acolyte promotion. If you're curious or need further clarification, talk to Fort leadership or speak to Korsgaard in game.

For Squire and Scribe induction, refer to this basic guide:

If you're one of the many young hopeful good souls in Thera, and you wish to aim your character at either Squire or Scribe positions within the Fortress, this is the guide for you!


Fortress accepts all good aligned characters.
All ethos are welcome.
All classes are welcome.

Begin your journey for the light by pledging at the Maran Tara'Bal after reaching level 15.

Once pledged, you'll have the moral and ethical dilemma of choosing one of two available cabal pathways.

Option 1:

MARAN BRIGADE 'HOLY BRIGADE OF THE PHOENIX'
In the war against the Darkness it has been said that the Acolytes of the Golden Sun are the Shield of the Light. If so, then the Holy Brigade of the Phoenix is the Sword to complement it.

Spearheaded by the followers of Shokai, who seek the total eradication of all evil, the Holy Brigade is comprised of those Lightwalkers who are willing to embrace the crusade which the Maran have undertaken. The Holy Brigade has joined in vow to never rest and never falter while evil walks the land. The offensive nature of this crusade strongly discourages applications from within the guild of Healers, and others unable to stand alone and strike out against the encroaching tides of darkness.

Those that desire to become Soldiers of the Brigade must be stout of heart, pure of mind, and indomitable of spirit. All, and more, will be stressed to breaking in the endless crusade against Darkness. If you feel worthy, come not unblooded before one of the commanders of the Brigade.

Power: Level: Echelon:
Mantle of the Phoenix 15 Squire
Eyes of Flame 20 Maran
Fiera'Rroga Aegis 22 Transmuter, Conjurer, Invoker Squire
Zeal 22 All other Squire classes
Lightforge 25 Maran
Phoenix Brand 30 Maran
Cry of Deliverance 35 Maran
Leader Weapon -- Marshall & Captain


Option 2:

'ACOLYTES OF THE GOLDEN SUN' 'ACOLYTES' 'GOLDEN SUN' CARDINAL 'ELDER PROPHET'
In the war against the Darkness it has been said that the Holy Brigade of the Phoenix is the Sword of the Light. If so, then the Acolytes of the Golden Sun are the Shield to accompany it.

Lead by those dedicated to the preservation, protection, and spreading of the Light, these noble servants of the Light are honored in their calling. Serving as an aid to those of the Light in danger, as well as keeping the hearts and minds of Lightwalkers focused upon the Light they stand as a bright beacon against the darkness. While their way focuses mostly upon the more peaceful traits of the Light they are not to be overlooked by their foes as they are just as willing to stand against those with evil hearts as the Brigade if it is for the protection of another.

Those who desire to be an Acolyte of the Golden Sun must be stout of heart, pure of mind, unyielding in dedication, and unbreakable of spirit. The trials of an Acolyte are not for the weak. If you feel worthy, humbly present yourself before the Elders of the Acolytes.

Power: Level: Echelon:
Favor of the Sun 10 Scribe
Spiritual Link 18 Acolyte
Spirit Sight 24 Scribe
Altruism 30 Acolyte
Succor 32 Acolyte
Curse of Radiance 35 Acolyte
Bless Water 36 Cardinal & Elder Prophet


Sounds pretty neat, right?

One path appears much more offensive in nature and the other much more defensive. The choice is yours! There is no wrong answer!


Induction as a squire: killing an evil PC will be required along with an interview by cabal mortal and/or immortal leadership.

Induction as a scribe: requires no evil kill, but will still require an interview process by cabal mortal and/or immortal leadership.

On Maran and Acolyte.

Once players have lived as either squire or scribe for enough time to be an impactful character in the cabal dynamic, and has reached a level of pk prowess or altruism to a sufficient enough level depending on if they're in the Brigade or Acolyte, only then will they be considered for promotion.

Things we like to see:
Roleplay. Respectful behavior.
For leader positions: A good amount of playtime, roleplay, good pk numbers for Brigade.


Things we DO NOT like to see that will reduce or remove ability to be promoted:

1.) KILLING ANY NUMBER OF GOODIE NPC IN ANY WAY, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY.

2.) OOC behavior, low playtime, too many alts

So long as you do not fall into area one or two, you are well on your way to promotion. Congratulations!

This has been a basic guide to Fortress.

Am I crazy, or did curse of radiance used to be a leader or quest power?

Followup question: does it prevent WoR?

I distinctly remember having it with my last Acolyte...list eight years ago. I think it's more an issue that Acolytes are so typically "heal-heal-heal!" that no-one ever remembers they actually have an offensive(-ish) power for PK.

Is that a no it wasn't a leader power, or a no it doesn't prevent WoR?

No, it isn't a leader power and no, it doesn't prevent word of recall.

This is just my opinion, of course, so mileage may vary. It really didn’t seem to be very effective in my experience. With my storm pally Sigard I tried it on a few different chars, and it didn’t seem to give very good returns when compared to most other things that you could be doing in a fight. Shaman seemed like one of the best classes to use this against, but the damage didn’t seem to deter the opponent from casting their usual compliment of maledictions. Even the outside chance of maledicting their int/wis with bat seemed to be a better option than curse of radiance. Perhaps other classes that are more traditionally suited to acolyte would find more opportunities for this power to be effective, but generally it seems as though there are almost always better options.

Would the beliefs about conjurers preclude the use of magical items that make a golem like the Staff of elemental earth?

.