Well, I'm gone. I'll tell you why, there were a number of reasons. First being the odds, I simply couldn't take it anymore, I do not like to hide and I am sick of a range where it would be 8 Scions, 2 Neutrals, and little old me the Maran initiate. Of course, then there is the full looting, which sucks.

Missing a strangle on a giant after missing one on Ritrav was annoying, considering at 100% it should strike a lot more then it did (about 1 out of 4), balance or not that was the only thing that stood for making even a somewhat fair fight. Shokai, I've had two Marans in the past, first one took me a week, second about 3, this one took me 200 hours, and yes, that is fucking ridiculous. I admit, I got pissed at around 180, and MAYBE it was wrong for me to vent a bit, even if it was a toned down version of what I really wanted to say, it still got me smited. Um, so, let's see, Maran are no fools and they are no braggarts, uh, I didn't brag, and I wasn't so much foolish as embittered. What Valguarnera might have left out is that I spoke with him because I was pissed about waiting 80 hours at that time to speak with you with no reply and no sight of Garenth or Leika, and frankly I was dying to speak with someone, and Valg *usually* provides entertaining roleplay, which was lacking in our talk. Then, of course I got married, which I usually don't, but was open for the roleplay. Then, after another 20 or so hours of "proving" myself, I was told to speak with other Marans, which I did, frequently, and of course, then Leika tells me you would be the next person to talk to under the circumstances, course then you decided to either watch me more or blow me off. Well either way, ##### you heartily, because I've played the Marans before, I knew the RP, my RP from my eyes was perfectly fine and if you limited your "viewing" to the few instances you pointed out then you missed about 99% of my roleplaying. Of course after your rebuttal the first time I turned into the "cookie-cutter" Maran, which worked fine from when I actually spoke with you, of course that wasn't good enough though, suppose I should've put another 100 hours outnumbered, without any groups, and bored off my ass.

To all the people who I knew well, Taichiyr, Pheauscuewe, Warborf, Kamba, Weyum, Nehydeus, Irequn, Kethryllia, Linnislyn, Pohanad, it was fun for a while.

***Yes, I missed people, but considering I am late for work already I am sorry and please post a reply***

To my enemies, Landruum, Relixez, Zheesus, Tohcharr, all the nameless bashing scions who tried desparately to put me down, it was fun too, just ease up on the full looting, and considering the circumstances it just makes me dislike you as players.

That is the last Maran I will bother with, it is too tedious to waste my time on that crap. Yes too, it was wasting time, the watching thing might keep some people on their toes, but frankly that was just fucked up amount of time for a cabal, which in itself isn't worth the hassle of getting in. Trust me when I say that I could give a ##### less about new areas and changes to the economy if it means I'm going to miss out on good roleplaying and getting into cabals.

I think I'll take a break from CF, the roleplay has been going down, the Imms have been dicks lately, and it just isn't worth the heinous amount of time I would put into it to make an enjoyable character.

If anyone would like to email me about my character or about me feel free to, or you can contact me on ICQ # 10019883, and it's been fun.

Death_Claw

1) If a Maran applicant approaches me to brag (falsely) about how he trampled over Scion foes like blades of grass, and pointlessly taunt me, yes, I will be hostile. I have a role, just as you do. Given who you were (a Maran applicant, a non-mage, from a race that does not even produce magi, someone who accused me of lying, and an overconfident braggart of little repute), you were pretty much only going to get disdain from me. I can't think of a character that approached Valguarnera less appropriately (and more persistently) in any of his mortal or immrortal hours. I'm not going to break role to be nice.

2) Regardless of how many Maran you've played in the past, I was present for enough of your roleplay to say that Arenthiolo was a poor match for the Brigade. While there are good-aligned roles that could include Arenthiolo's beliefs (and you certainly acted more neutral than good in my opinion), your roleplay directly contradicts several sacred tenets of the Maran faith. Step back, take a second look, and you'll see. A few examples:

- Maran do not take pleasure in their war against evil. It is a task that they are duty-bound to pursue, but the act of murder should be seen as a horrible necessity.
- Humility is a virtue. Exaggerating your own accomplishments (for example, telling me of the "many" Scions you slew), threatening immortal beings with violence, and the like are all poor roleplay.
- Rage is bad. Anger is bad.
- Don't bitch out deities over pray. Shokai, Leika, and Garenth deserve your respect under all circumstances, even when they disagree with you. Maran don't complain. I've seen Shokai induct a number of Maran who botched the first interview, and calmly went back and got things together for the second one. Several excellent Maran bombed multiple interviews.
- Don't pray from commonplace locations. As a start, leave Galadon's assassin's bar. Prayer should have a certain sanctity.

3) I know that Shokai watched you often. He knew your roleplay well. Unfortunately, you often did things that made you a poor applicant (see above). Thus, no induction. He was also present for at least one of your conversations with me. Suffice to say I think you are vastly overestimating your grasp of Shokai's religion. If you choose to play another Maran at some point, review the holy texts, and speak at length with senior mortals in the cabal about their beliefs. It should help get you back on track.

4) I agree that you should take a break from CF. It's very clear you take matters far too seriously, and should learn to more objectively view your own virtues and vices as a player.

From the pen of:
valguarnera@carrionfields.com">Valguarnera Trisseptia

valguarnera@carrionfields.com

Actually, I will explain in fully here why I had approached you...and you will probably laugh because it wound up screwing me royally...I had had a rather bad day that day, and was hoping to fit in an interview with a Maran God that night, saw Leika on, and asked to be seen, which she replied with a "I will try" (don't quote me, it was a damn long time ago and I don't have logs to back it up), and I busted my ass to stay around for the hours even though I had to get up early for a grueling day the next day, only to see that she had either forgotten or had something come up and left without seeing me. I admittedly got angry, perhaps wrongly so, and decided foolishly to bitch at you, at which you in the nature of your role gave a snide remark to. Again foolishly, I felt as if I had to defend myself, and insulted your scions, since at that point they weren't fairing too well. Of course, my facts turned out to be skewed, as I only went from memory, and you called me a lyer, and so the argument continued, yada yada yada, you know the rest. I felt bad about it in the end, but didn't get the hint, as you know, and tried to open a RP angle with you because a friend of mine was thinking about playing the role of a spy for the goodies, and that was the second talk we had, which resulted in a plagueing.

As for your list of virtues, I had broken them not once prior to my speaking with you, and obviously I did not stick out in your mind to look over me prior to that first talk, I did not brag, but I was too defensive, anger is true, however if you will watch other marans you will note that other marans can get enraged and angry and use it as "holy zeal" showing through or what have you. I have never seen a person remain totally cool at all times, Maran or no.

Don't pray from a Galadon bar? Would you suggest every time out of the hundreds over the last month and more have gone to the shrine, knowing fully well that it was unlikely that I would be spoken with? Also I have learned from previous chars that Shokai does not want his followers to be shrine sitters, so I would pray while stalking, or perhaps interacting, or thinking up strategies to fight different opponents.

As for neutrality, I would be curious as to how I showed this? My angle, when I started the char originally, was to be the cunning assassin that was mysterious ally of the light, that had a keen knowledge of his foes, his allies knew his intentions, but his foes knew little about him. That is what was intended, and obviously would not show through RP. Though I wouldn't call myself a neutral since I did things to benefit others instead of myself, and obviously wasn't evil because my fighting had nothing to do with gaining something.

Lastly, I have read all of the materials about the Maran, my previous two marans have spoken with all the other marans, I know the "cookie-cutter" Maran, and I know that it was said that you did not need to be a "cookie-cutter" to be a Maran, so I tried a role which I personally did not see anything wrong with via the Maran virtues. I will tell you something, no I did not scream out "Die evil scum" and run into the fray, but I wasn't that kind of character, I was an assassin, and I for one believe that not only race and religion determine your roleplay, I think as an assassin it would have been more odd to be the typical Maran, rather cunning, stealth, and knowledge would be my tactics, advantage of surprise, and preach after the act had been done. Later, after the talk with Shokai, I reformed more into a Maran, I spoke with my foes long before fighting them ,even wished my sworn enemies to walk well, being that I was not a vengeful char, I often didn't attack another after I had sent them fleeing or slain them, with few exceptions of those I thought "too stubborn to be converted with words", this did get me a bit, though either way it doesn't matter, I'm not going to make a "cookie-cutter", and I do like the Maran cabal and roleplay, but it isn't worth the constant annoyances of having to worry about if I talk this way will it be viewed as arrogant, if I don't attack this evil because I think they are newbies will I be viewed as a coward, etc. I prefer to speak a bit, rather then be watched, because often times I was trying to be cunning, and perhaps so far so as to con even the Imms watching me. Those who traveled with me a lot, Kamba, Warborf, Nehydeus, knew who I was really, my foes I tried to keep as little in the know for the element of surprise, though I never lied about my religion or my intentions. As for those sarcastic restores, thanks, I did get a chuckle or two off those whoever was responsible.

I really don't expect any reply for this, but I prefer not to be remembered as a bitcher and whiner, rather an angle of RP that didn't quite show up as I had hoped it would, I'm sure if you (the general Imm staff) had stood over my shoulder throughout the whole thing, things would have gone a lot differently, but that just isn't the way things work, and ##### happens.

Someone's obsessed with Maran.

I remember your previous two Maran, and I think it's likely that
you're a good player who somewhere along the way got burned out
or forgot what he found fun about CF in the first place. Time
off will probably do you good.

The sheer volume of your complaining about even non-Maran-related
matters via pray was nothing short of staggering. You know that
story about the boy who cried wolf, wherein by the third time the
boy cried wolf no one was answering him? I wish I could say you
had prayed only that many times about something that wasn't a
bug, demanding it be changed and that we reimburse your con,
experience, and gear, but I can't. If we, as an immortal staff,
were less than patient by the nth time you were feeling bitchy
and wanted to complain about something, this probably should not
be a very big surprise. There were some days in which your
complaints literally outnumbered those from all other sources
combined.

I don't remember anything like that from your two previous Maran,
to say nothing of your relative problems "walking the path."
That has to be burnout. Good luck on your next, which hopefully
will be after a short break.

I think you're right Nepenthe, I got some burnout, I will mention however...that A) A lot of it was bad luck, the losing several nice items to a crash, the client/ISP error that allowed me to stay connected long enough to starve to death in Galadon from a laggout, and generally a lot of other things. B) I had successfully reported a series of bugs, : The more then one merchant in a room thing, the level 25 invoker nova'ing, the Sho killing ghosts, the fact that you can be hidden in a no hide area as long as you don't actively step out of the shadows ie: Caravan Road or desert or outskirts of Hamsah. And to be honest, a lot of the things I had concluded as a bug (like the level 30- yeti ice-blasting away 40+ level gear, same with the draconian king, which I had thought an error due to the gear's saving throws) perhaps I was off on. You're right, I usually don't pray with other characters I've had in the past, and to be honest, I really won't in the future, because I've learned that you start getting looked at through a jaded glass if you mispray on something, just as you put it. But no, I didn't actively try to piss anyone off, bad luck and little free time coupled with extended work hours and tests in school have gotten me a rather bit burnt, and I apologize for any annoyance I may have caused.