Darkest Desolace

[Rosencrat]

A Note From The Management:

Spoiler:

[This is intended as a follow up to the last 'Darkest' event that was held a few months ago. There will be some changes to the rules and layout. The alliteration, however, will remain the same.

Much of the post below is similar to that of the previous one…Mostly because there is no need to fix that which is not broken! Include any questions below.]

THE SHADOW PLANE

Consider the Realm of Shadow as the alternative dimension of Azeroth. In the physical sense, it is a carbon copy of the world we know and love; the Shadow Plane has the same terra-firma as Azeroth. It has the same continents, same regions, same mountains and same caverns. Yet, unlike Azeroth, all signs of life that are present in the normal realm are vacant in the Realm of Shadow. Trees are dead and withered in this dimension and towns that are vibrant and thriving in Azeroth are decaying ruins in the Realm of Shadow. Humans are malevolent shades and animals are vicious undead monsters.

It is the place where Death Knights go to train their horse and is the basis for their teleportation magic. It is where Shadow Priests and Warlocks draw energy for their Shadow School. It is where necromancers study and where the stuff of nightmares is origionated. Many of the abominations and malevolent spirits that we see in Azeroth are drawn from here.

All that makes Azeroth beautiful and vibrant is dead in the Realm of Shadow. Magic that is used is the Realm of Shadow is perverted. Light spells, while still usable, are weak and give off a sickly light that attracts shades. Any food conjured is rotting and inedible. Poor mortals who are trapped in this plane without food, weapon or shelter must struggle to survive.

And that struggle is soon to be yours.

THE STORY

Driven to an even deeper madness by their string of failures, the orcs of the Burning Blade Clan were forced to consider…Even more desperate acts.

The summoning of a powerful demon was considered, but ultimately rejected. The willful demon would serve only to further thin their ranks. The elements were considered as well, but those impassioned spirits were too fickle to be properly directed. Finally, however, the clan seized upon a safe path: The binding of a powerful, shadowy beast.

And so that is where you come in. The clan dispatched agents throughout Azeroth to collected individuals for the ritual. Mages. Warriors. Rich. Poor. The agents, hailing from many different nationalities and encompassing a wide breadth of classes, sought out and detained each of these desirables.

And so that is where this story begins…You, awakening in a dingy cage, bitter dust settled in your lungs and the caustic smell of Fel burning your nostrils. The ritual circle hums before you, the blue lines of energy thrumming and flickering in the dawn light.

What will become of you?

The event is a week-long survival scenario, styled after Kidnapped! and Skin Thieves. You will remain in the Shadow Plane for a week, fighting for survival and struggling to find a way to escape.

There will be a noticeable stress on non-combat problem solving over brute-force fighting. Players will encounter many creatures that, no matter their strength, they will be unable to slay. As such, they will be required to think rather than simply fight.

Yet bravery is not rewarded in the Shadow Plane. The smart, not the strong, will find the most luck in this twisted land. There are beasts in this world that no strength can overcome, and who will devour you with ease if you are so unfortunate to be caught outside during their rampage.

Resources as well will be limited, with individuals forced to hunt down water and food for their survival. Without the means to eat, death will be assured for these rag-tag survivors.

SIGN-UPS

To sign up please PM me with information concerning the character you wish to participate. You will PM Character Name, Character Race/Class, Character's physical strengths/weaknesses and any other relevant information on the character and their past.

There are fifteen survivor spots available for the event itself. Spots are first-come, first-serve.

Deadlines for applications are Friday, August 12th. If there are any open spots after that, we will allow for walk-ins on the day of the event.

It is up to the DM's discretion to turn away some applications.

More information will be sent via PM to those accepted. Reminder PMs will also be sent out to those who have signed up.

Note: By signing up for the event you understand that there is a chance for Character Death. Your characters will be placed in highly dangerous situations where physical harm and injury is very probable. Upon death, resurrections will still be possible.

Note: By signing up for the event you understand that your character will be unable to RP with the rest of the server for the week period. Your character will remain in a phased segment of Desolace, and will be free to RP in the zone as they try to find a way to escape.

Spellcasters: Magic in the Shadow Plane functions along the same lines as magic in Azeroth. The only difference is that there is natural dampening of Light magic and boosting of Shadow magic. Mage spells of conjuration and teleportation are also dampened, yielding in corrupted food and failed portals.

TIME & PLACE

Event Listing
Sunday, August 14th
Where our survivalists wake up to find themselves weaponless and in a cage in Desolace. They will realize they are to be sacrificed, take appropriate measures and prepare. Once through, they will encounter their first true physical and mental challenge.

Monday, August 15th – Friday, August 19th
Where our survivalists must endure evil traps and trials in their fight for survival.

Saturday, August 20st
Where our survivalists must escape Desolace or be faced with utter death.

All events shall be at...
Time:2:00 pm Server Time
(Use http://www.worldtimezone.com/ to match this with your own time-zone.)

Current Survivalists:
Paleran of the Artificers (Rosencrat - Does not count towards the twelve maximum.)
Salsh'alei Silverstring (FlyingSquirrel)
Garrius Blackstone (aroes)
Varn (Karunzo)
Alsatia Crescentend (Delta)
Halon Salomere (Aphetoros)
Elle
Armath Allan (Muhaha8)
Lily Thayne (Errata)
Linus van Pelt (Nexi)
Navren Windstrider (Anski)
Richtnel Bloodwing (Reese77)
Renius Gale (LostStranger)
Shiana Lifewind (Reigen)
Astia Shadesong (Holycowman)
Mayla Dreamsong (Dilly)

Welcome to...

THE SHADOW PLANE

A Guide to the Customs, Fauna, People and Places of the Desolace Shadow Plane

Spoiler:

Editor’s Note
This is not an IC guide to the Shadow Plane. If you have your character go into a book store and ask for this guide, you will not find one. This is just my way of imparting valuable information for the event in a friendly, slightly-sarcastic and pleasant to read fashion.

This guide is intended for OOC use, to allow you to role-play without GM or DM consultation in the Shadow Plane. It is encouraged for you to fight monsters, eat food, drink water, practice magic and explore the lands in between the major events. This is the guide that will allow you to do so.

Much of this information is based on speculation and non-canon sources. Sources of WoW information are vague on the specifics of the Shadow Plane. Many of the food, creatures, characters and spell effects that you will see in this event are not tested to CotH lore and are designed solely to enhance the storyline and the pleasure of the participants.

The Shadow Plane is not an ICly well-known place. Few (besides Death Knights) venture there and even fewer survive. Very little is known of the dimension. Almost nothing is known of its food, creatures and effects on magic. Much of the information contained in this guide, if any, will not be known by your character when they first enter the void.

During the event, through a process of trial, error and experience, your character will learn many of these things. But you will have to have a very good reason to have your character know this information IC.

INTRO

The Realm of Shadow shows many different faces: pulsing city life and lonely landscapes, old-fashioned customs and avant-garde culture, lovely waters and rough mountains. For cultural sightseeing as for nightlife, the Realm of Shadow is ceaselessly thriving, and inevitably, it is the one place that features on everyone's itinerary.

The Shadow Realm’s Desolace offers a fantastic survivalist experience with many popular classic dangers and demons for tourists to die from.

The desert in particular is a fine location. In the real world, the desert is a hell hole where few survive. We in the Shadow Realm appreciate the effort put into such a place, but we think it could be just a little bit more deadly. The desert of the Desolace is filled with evils and insanities that few can easily comprehend!

We know you had a choice in where you would be sacrificed, and we thank you for being forced to choose Desolace. We hope we can keep you entertained.

Sincerely,
Beck Beck, Burning Blade High Evoker

COLD NEIGHBORS: DENIZENS OF THE PLANE

With its skeletal jungles, bone pits and putrefied lakes, Deadwind Pass have a wonderful collection of exotic fauna. The people of Deadwind are also eager to meet new tourists and visitors. The undead are also of particular interest, providing a veritable case-study in the creativity that undeath can offer.

Here is a collection of the minor denizens and animals that players can encounter in-between major events. Most can be killed by a single player of good health and combat experience.

Animals
There are many animals in Desolace. What little remain have been twisted by Shadows and contagions.

The most prolific animals are kodos, basilisks and birds. These carrion creatures are just shadows of their living counterparts, animal-shaped shades made of a solid, oily black substance. They eat rotting meat and fungus . When killed, their black meat is moderately poisonous and causes stomach cramps, vomiting and fever. Their meat can be cleansed with Holy Magic and Nature Magic and rendered edible and non-poisonous. It will always taste of decayed meat.

There are other, mysterious creatures lurking in the Shadow Realm as well.

Denizens
Very few humanoids from the Plane of Reality survive in the Realm of Shadows. A lack of food, water and shelter are not conducive towards a long, happy life. Yet humanoids still do endure. Most have been driven half-starved or mad from consuming tainted meat or dabbling in Shadow magic. They have been reduced to crazed shells of their former selves.

All of them hide from strangers in the land, preferring to stay in a pack in a hidden location. They cannot be found unless they wish to be.


Undead and Mutants
Most of the denizens of the Realm of Shadow are undead creatures of varying forms and strength. They are single-minded in their hatred of the living, and they delight in slaying and torturing mortals.

Wraiths are by far the most frequent. Dark, translucent shadow creatures, these shades prefer spellcasting over physical strength. They fire potent shadow bolts, use Death Grip spells and are masters of curses. When in close combat, they lay their hands on opponents and siphon life from them. When they die, they fade into nothingness. They are weak to Light and have decent resistance against Shadow. They are drawn to those who cast Shadow spells or hold items enchanted with Shadow magic.

Zombies and skeletons are common sights in the Shadow Realm. They are mindless drudgers, preferring to run at their foes and tear them limb from limb. They work in small packs. They are weak against Light. When they die they drop whatever weapons, clothing and equipment they were holding.

Ghosts are infrequent but, when found, are found in large numbers. These harmless denizens of the Shadow Plane do not seek out mortals to kill. But when a mortal uses a Shadow spell in their presence they are drawn to them magnetically. When they touch a mortal they siphon away their life slowly for the duration of the touch. They are banished almost instantly when they come in contact with the Light. They dissolve into nothingness upon death.

Other evil creatures and macabre beasts may be encountered.


MAGIC & YOU: A PRACTICAL GUIDE

Magic in the Shadow Realm is different than magic in the Plane of Existence. It strengthens some schools and weakens others. It leaves some schools, moreover, untouched.

The Magic Schools that are left untouched are: Divine Magic (Priest, not paladin, healing), Runic Magic, Ice, Fire and Fel.

Holy Magic
Holy Magic is the magic priests and paladins use in their attacks. While in the Shadow Plane, Holy Magic practitioners will have their casting abilities halved in strength. This is equaled out by the natural weakness of all people in the Shadow Plane toward the Holy Light, making any damaging spells inflict double damage upon native denizens of the Shadow Realm. As such, any attacks against non-shadow enemies will be weaker, while damage will be done normally against shadow denizens.

Casters will also be unable to cast resurrection spells or other high-power Light spells, due to the natural dampening of Shadow Realm magic.

Holy Magic can cleanse food of their natural corruptions in the Shadow Realm and render them edible.

Shadow Magic
All practitioners of Shadow Magic (Death Knights, Warlocks, Shadow Priests and Necromancers) gain significant power boosts to their spellcasting while in the Shadow Plane. They naturally draw strength from the ambient Shadow, allowing them to cast higher level spells and medium level spells more frequently.

This power does pose dangers to the caster. The ambient power that courses through them can create the illusion of godly power. The more the caster uses Shadow-based spells the faster they begin to succumb to corruption. They will begin to become paranoid and more and more reliant on Shadow. Their normal human emotions of apathy will become deadened. Severe signs of Shadow Corruption will cause physical sings of decay.

The speed of Shadow Corruption varies on the frequency of use and the level of use. The higher the level spell and the more frequently the spell is used, the faster the corruption.

Use of Shadow Magic and shadow enhancements will draw the denizens of the Shadow Realm.

Nature Magic
Nature magic is fundamentally altered while in the Shadow Realm. Anything summoned or conjured forth will be decayed and tainted. Vines are prickly and poisonous. Water elementals are made from the oily, black poisoned water of the plane. Fire elementals and fire balls burn with a blue light.

The corrupted aspects of nature are stronger and more chaotic then their normal counterparts.

Only Earth and Lightning aspects are left unchanged.

All casted spells are tainted partially with Shadow magic. While not in enough quantities to corrupt the Druids and Shamans, the spells will still attract denizens of the Shadow Plane.

Nature Magic can cleanse food of their natural corruptions in the Shadow Realm and render them edible.

Arcane Magic
Arcane magic is relatively untouched by the influence of Shadow. The only two fields that it affects are Portals and Food Summoning.

Portals summoned in the Shadow Plane will teleport you to Shadow plane areas only. If you try to make a portal to teleport you from Shadow Plane Desolace to Azeroth’s Dalaran, you will instead create a portal to Shadow Plane Desolace.

Food summoned in the Shadow Plane will be corrupted with Shadow. Apples will appear rotten and cake oily and black. Water will be summoned oily and black. The food, while still edible, will cause shadow poisoning. Food summoned in this way can be purified with the Holy Light or Nature Magic.


GETTIN' GRUB: FOOD IN THE SHADOW PLANE

Survival is, after all, the name of the game while in the Shadow Plane. Finding food, water and shelter is pivotal if you are to enjoy your stay in our wonderful tourist destination.

Food

Meat and Fungus are the only natural foods that can be found in the Shadow Plane.

Meat is the most common form of food in the shadow plane. Meat is divided into three categories: Animal Meat, Undead Meat and Human Flesh.

Animal Meat is the most common. Rats, dogs, birds and other beasts provide uncooked meat. This meat is corrupted with the natural Shadow energy of the plane and provides moderate to severe poisoning if not purified. The meat can be purified using Holy or Nature Magic and, if cooked correctly, can be eaten without ill effects.

Undead Meat is a morally ambiguous dish. The flesh of zombies can be eaten if the person desires it. The meat is often rotting and imbibed with Shadow Energy. The Shadow Energy in this meat is always fatal. If the meat is purified with Holy or Nature Magic, and if cooked correctly, the consumer will suffer a few days of diarrhea and vomiting caused by food poisoning. Food poisoning can be cured with Holy or Nature magic.

Human meat is, if you are so inclined, the meat of living humanoids. This is often your fellow survivors. Fresh and un-corrupted, Human Meat, if cooked correctly, can be eaten without ill effects. Congratulations! You are a true survivor. How would you like to star in a Silence of the Lambs remake?

Fungus is another common delicacy for survivors to enjoy. But be careful! Of the five types of fungus, not all are edible.

• Round Cap Mushrooms are smooth, white-capped mushrooms with no blemishes. They are found in man-made ruins and on the sides of roads. They are foul-tasting but non-poisonous.
  
• Bog Lights are smooth, fist-sized yellow bulbs on black stems. They grow besides open water sources. They are sweet-tasting and moderately poisonous. Will cause fever, vomiting and delirium. Is not fatal and lasts for two days.
  
• Madman Skull Mushrooms are rigged, red-capped and covered in blisters. They grow out of all corpses. They are foul-tasting but edible. When eaten, they cause delirium, feelings of ecstasy and hallucinations for three hours.
  
• Dead Fingers are smooth, finger-like white protrusions. They grow out the sides of logs and rotting wood. They are highly poisonous when tipped on weapons. When eaten, they cause instant vomiting that negates any poisonous effects.
  
• Crypt Moss is a thick black moss that grows on the sides of rocks and gravestones. It is sweet-tasting and edible.

Water

Water in the Shadow Plane is black and has the texture and appearance of oil. It flows as easily as normal water and retains all of the normal abilities of water. The water is always cold and tastes sweeter then normal.

Yet the water is a special form of poison. The water has condensed Shadow energy within it. Anyone who drinks it for extended periods of time will suffer Shadow corruption. Their Shadow casting abilities will be strengthen for one day after drinking the water. After more than two straight days of drinking the tainted water, imbibers will begin to find that the blackened water no longer satisfies their thirst. The more they drink to sate their new thirst the more they will find their thirst growing.

Extended use of Shadow Water will lead to physical weakness, depression, schizophrenia, loss of emotion and eventually death. The only cure is to drink purified water for a day.

NATIONAL PASTIME: SURVIVAL

So you’ve arrived! You must be worried, what with you being stranded in a foreign land with no food, water, armor or weapons. But do not worry! Here are some handy tips to ensure that your miserable existence in this new, Light-forsaken place is as long and insufferable as possible.

What you need to secure first and foremost is weaponry and armor. You will be able to find both on corpses and within the ruined remains of the Burning Blade encampment. Undead creatures, such as skeletons and zombies, also wield weaponry that the survivalist can procure for their use.

Fortified shelter is also another must-have for survival. A location should be found and fortified to give survivors a place to rest, re-arm and store valuables. There are plenty of empty locations in the Shadow Plane Desolace. The only challenge is evicting the undead residents.

Salvaging is also important. The shadowy land of Desolace is full of trash and refuse. Whet stones, blankets, scrap metal and other useful pieces of human survival can be found. But be careful; often locations where salvaging can be done are dangerous and full of beasts. Finding valuables often comes hand-in-hand with finding danger.

Now, with all the dangers present in the Shadow Realm, it will come to no surprise that one or more of the survivors might die! Now, many people would imagine this would really inconvenience your experience in the Shadow Realm.

Not necessarily!

If you die in the Shadow Realm, your spirit will coalesce into a wraith and leave your body as an empty, rotting shell. You will be unable to resurrect during the event. Once your body is returned to the Realm of Existence you will be able to resurrect it normally.

While dead in the Shadow Plane, however, you will still be able to move around, interact and fight as a wraith. Ou will retain your individuality, memories and thoughts. You will only be able to use normal wraith abilities. However, the longer you remain as a wraith the more attached to the Shadow Plane you become. You will begin to gradually learn to hate the survivors, viewing them as weak and imperfect. The Shadow energy will gradually, day by day, increase the chance that you will harm or kill your fellow survivors.

LAST GASPS: COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: Why oh why is this happening to me?
A: Because, silly!

Q: Oh god, these animals are going to kill me…
A: Animals are dangerous! You shouldn’t have petted them.

Q: Please, by the Light I don’t want to die…
A: Don’t worry! You’ll find undeath is super fun!

Q: *Gurgle*
A: Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?

Q: Brains…
A: See? That’s the spirit!

[FlyingSquirrel]

/love

[Rosencrat]

Thread updated to include new sign-ups.

[muhaha8]

You misspelled aroes's name.

...

I no longer love you, Rosencrat. </3

[Rosencrat]

Fixed.

[FlyingSquirrel]

Pssh, y'all using characters that'll be good here. Nuuubs.

[aroes]

Nou imo.

[Rosencrat]

Updated to include more applicants.

Also expanded the limit to twelve survivors.

[Kira13]

FINALLY SOMETHING I WILL BE IN !

[Rosencrat]

List updated.

Two spots left open!

[Kira13]

Have I told you that I love you, Rose?
Yes, I think I did.

[Reese]

ONLY TWO SEVENS IN REESE777?!

Scandalous.

This is why I need to change my forum name to just Reese.

[Rosencrat]

We've bumped the list up to 15, so now there are two spots left open for sign ups.

---

Well that was quick!

We're all filled up.

Also, we will -not- be expanding the pop cap, as this was the last bracket we were willing to reach.

More information will be sent via PM as the date nears.

[Kira13]

Rose, is Claynt in ?
The first post still says Joz. xD

[Reigen]

Saturday, August 21st

But rose...Sunday is the 21st...not Saturday.