2024-01-05 - Solhaven - OOC Meeting (log)

Hosted by GM Thandiwe

Recap of 2022 Meeting

Review of Punch list and status of items:

• Contests
  • January Contest - A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
  • January Contest - Great Muffin Bake-off
  • August Contest - In Frame
• Expansion of Lore around the Order of the Swan & Addition of Members
  • Document Pathways of the Orders of the Turamzyrrian Empire was created
  • New Members were added in September
• Better clarity around the requirements of being knighted and consistent timelines could be had.
  • Document Pathways of the Orders of the Turamzyrrian Empire was created
  • There was a knighting in September in Solhaven
  • There were Magister updates
  • Order of the Swan added new members.
• Racial Biases in Solhaven
  • Racial Biases were removed in all towns in February
• Empath Guild Needs a Barrel
  • Added several during 7 Days & Nights of Illumination
• Expanded School Rooms
  • Released as part of 7 Days & Nights of Illumination
• Crooked Way Round times for beatdowns.
  • Resolved in November
• More Tehir shops and updates.
  • Slated for 2024
• Imperial Life and painting a better picture of Imperial Rule.
  • Court Sessions took place throughout the year
  • Tales of a Magister highlighted imperial life
  • Memorial Gardens in Vornavis and visits to Turamzyrr took place
  • Honorary Breakfast & departure with visiting dignitaries
• Addition of Lesser Gods temple/shrines.
  • Kuon's Shrine
  • Leya's Chapel
  • Huntress' Chapel
• Can Vornavian Guards be less caustic:
  • Created Citizen Greetings
  • Opened Vornavis
• Peach muffins be an addition to the Muffin Stall
  • Small Story around Solohmon retiring
  • Several new muffins added
  • Contest was held.
• More children playing in the streets
  • Released as part of 7 Days & Nights of Illumination
• More ambients about trade
  • Slated for 2024
• School for adults
  • Released as part of 7 Days & Nights of Illumination

Additional Releases in 2023

• Babs
• Marshtown Eatery
• Library Addition
  • Several new books
  • Attic
• New Marshtown Sea Critters (Crayfish)
• Haycribs
• Citizenship Titles
• Refuge Shop Additions
• 23 Foraged Items were added to Solhaven
• Embroidery Shop
• Glass Shop
• Bobo's Toy Park
• New Sea Critters
• Adjusted some rooms throughout Solhaven to tidy them up
• Barbican

Goal List for 2024

• Wizard's Guild
  • Will be completed by the Spring and ready for release
  • The grounds of the Wizard Guild will be open to all.
  • The portions of the Wizard Guild Tower will be open to the public.
  • Two contests will be held for the Wizard's Guild; one starting in January and one in February.
• Fishing Pier
  • There are several tables, carts, etc., on the South Haven Fishing Pier, that are missing any kind of items, despite the room description stating that items are for sale.  These items will become available very soon.
• Solhaven Bay Fishing
  • Fishing from boats will become available as soon as they clear QC.
  • Additional Fishing Docks will be created as soon as these fish clear.  They will be housed in the following rooms:
    • Abandoned Dock
    • Market Bridge
    • North 'Haven Quay
    • Charl's Quay
    • Fisherman's Quay
    • Fishmarket Pier
    • Bobo's Toy Park
  • These will all access the same pool of fish.
• Trade Row
  • Pasha's Pavilion will be moving her tent to Trade Row, which will be getting an update.  Currently, there is nothing that takes place on Trade Row and it will start to see some changes to show it as a thriving trade community.
    • A contest will be run to get additional trading flavor added to the area.  The goal is to have ships unload in South Haven and deliveries to travel north.
  • Expect to see construction and work happening around that area in the near future.
• Vornavis Caravansary
  • This area is getting an overhaul.
  • The mapping can be confusing.
  • As a way-station between the Sea of Fire Transport & Vornavis, it feels like it should have more Tehir influences to it, specifically those of the Shakat.
  • There will be a contest for Tehir-themed items in the near future.
• Vornavis Proper Expansion
  • Now that Vornavis is open, a new area of it will be opened to allow for continued RP and to show imperial offerings.
  • It will include a few more shops, a new fountain, and connections to other areas within Vornavis.
  • While this is the Citizenship perk for those who have citizenship in Vornavis, once a month it will be opened to the public.  See below for details.
• Farmer's Markets
  • Goal: To highlight locations where players can come sell their wares.
  • Stock: Small Carts in a specific area that are open only during the days of the market.  Each cart will have nothing more than 5-10 items for sale.  There will be automated openings in each market: (ie: They will open on a Thursday night and close Sunday night.)
  • Ideology:
    • Marshtown Market - 3-4 stalls centered around items that the Marshfolk have to offer.  It will be a platform pier of 6-rooms that will allow players to place their stalls.
    • The Tehir Traders - 3-4 stalls centered around offerings of the Shakat.  This will be located in the Vornavian Caravansary and be a crescent-shaped market.
    • Fisherman's Faire - 3-4 stalls centered around the offerings of both fisherman and fish wives.  This will be located in South Haven on Trader's Row.  Unlike the other areas, this will be a series of carts that appear during the open market (along with a billboard at the top of the street) that create the market.
    • Vornavian Street Faire - 3-4 stalls centered around artwork and crafting.  These carts will be in the new Vornavis neighborhood.  During the 4-days of its opening, the guards will allow anyone to travel into the area.
• Storylines
  • We will be continuing the Observations of a Magister umbrella storyline.  These will continue to be the small interactions with Odelgarde where she appraises the masses of what's taking place in the Empire, how things are going in Vornavis Keep, and any other small updates.
    • Example: Added Library books, Classes in the School, etc.
  • Order of the Swan - Space and opportunities for RP will be introduced utilizing the Order of the Swan platform.  Starting in 2024, once a month, members of the Order of the Swan may request a Calendar Item be added to the calendar for an event and/or function that they wish to run.  This will boost the Order to the same functionality that the Legion has in the East.
  • Bayou Blues is, at the moment, on a hiatus, though I do anticipate having more stories of the people come out of here in the future.
  • Sou' o' the Bridges will be stories that feature items happening in South Haven.  They will be small stories, one-night peeks into the life of South Haveners.  Not all of them are crooks and scoundrels, though many of them are and you may find yourself tangled in some of their skullduggery.
  • Sands of Remembrance, slated to begin in February, will close out Grenhal's portion of the Nations on the Brink storyline and will start with representatives of the Tehir Tribe she belonged to coming to court, continue with her official burial ceremony, and then launch into mystery with her journal finally being able to be unlocked.
  • Shadowy Aybss is a storyline slated to start in April.
  • Emancipation of the Wyrdeep - Official Event - We have a lot planned for this event and as such we need time with our other duties to get this accomplished.  While this is not specifically a Solhaven Event, it is something that Vornavis will be asking to have representation for out that way, especially since Salnim is now the Sentinel of that area.
  • Storyline Clean-up in Solhaven that will take place in 2024:
    • Willhard - what is the final punishment of Willhard & his place in Vornavis now?
    • Burial of Grenhal - This was noted above in Sands of Remembrance
    • Jairnsaxa's duties and continued life.
    • Malwind's health
  • Global Storyline for 2024 - While I realize that the Global Storyline department is not centered out of Solhaven, I did figure I'd make a mention of it here since I am the one who is in charge of that.  This year's Global Storyline is the Chronicles of Norallen.  It started at the Kindred Games Festival and will continue once a month going forward.  The goal is to introduce the players to one-time locations and areas that will help paint a better picture of the world at large.  The planned method, though there may be changes to this as we develop, is to have the following:
    • Even-numbered Month
      • Vignette introducing the month's theme
      • 2-3 RP interactions in a specified area
      • Vignette closing the month's theme
      • Introduction of a new "lore" snippet regarding a "race-specific relic."
    • Odd-numbered Month
      • Vignette introducing the month's theme
      • NPC invitation to players to join the theme area for a weekend of "light" RP
      • Vignette closing the month's theme
    • The Chronicles Wiki Page and Discord Forum will be updated as we go
    • Next Goal in the Storyline: Visit the Northern Fastness of the Wsalmir Clan
  • The Clockwerke Devices Theme of the Year
    • Will Solhaven see something for this theme? The short answer is yes.
  • The Year of the Rolton Theme
    • Solhaven didn't see much of an update in this area, what can we expect?
      • Petting Zoo will return, this will allow you to milk various animals in the petting zoo.
• Stretch Goal for Solhaven
  • It really struck a discordant note with me during the various storylines that criticism was leveled at Vornavis for having "fallowed" fields.  The short answer to this is, yes, you are correct, the fields of Vornavis have been fallow for a long time.  Why?  While I realize this is a low-level hunting ground for daggerbeaks, it doesn't mean that we can't accomplish two things at once here.  So, my stretch goal for Solhaven – and I've no idea if I can accomplish it this year – will be to create a barn, clean up the fields, and have some seasonally changed room descriptions and activities for this area.

Player Comment, Questions, and/or Concerns

Avrey recites:

    "First, thank you for all of this!  Second, can we get something on the whiteboard about a cobbling place for Solhaven.  Third, you mentioned petting zoo coming back, is that permanently."

• Cobbling Warehouse will likely be a 2025 Goal
• Petting Zoo will be permanently open

Alastir recites:

    "Hi, long time listener, first time caller.  Can you help me understand why the bank is anti-magic/no-casting-allowed?  I think the Adventurer's Guild is the same."

• A list of anti-magic rooms was provided and Thandiwe said she'd investigate the reasonings behind them.

• Bank, Adv. Guild, Library, and Communitea

Bristenn asks, "We have very few supernodes, and most are either camped by bots, covered in litter, or both.  If at all possible, could we see more in the town?"

Bristenn says, "The area in the barbican is nice.  Vornavis Proper supernode would be fantastic."

• Thandiwe said she'd look into it

Perigourd says, "The first question was going to be about fishing, but you answered that and then some with far more than I hoped for, so thank you for that."

Perigourd asks, "The second question is in relation to the Vornavis proper expansion and if it would be possible to get a tournament field added to that with an archery range, jousting list, and melee ring?"

• This will be investigated and added to the desired list

Perigourd says, "My final request is a habitual consideration for swan boats down the canal, for those midnight rendezvous."

• This will be investigated and added to the desired list

Speaking to you, Raelee asks, "When we say the new Wizard Guild is a satellite of the Hall... are we viewing this on the same level of the colleges in Tamzyrr, Nydds, Elstreth, Swale, etc... or is it a smaller Hall establishment?"

• Small Establishment when compared to what the Hall of Mages has in the aforementioned areas.
• Decent sized Guild for a Town

Speaking to you, Raelee says, "And I guess I have a hope for storylines.  I'm really excited about what you've laid out, but the one thing I'd like to see is some emphasis on common goals and community building.  I think 2022 and 2023 have been really full of stories that were about conflict between groups of people, and it would be nice to take some of those groups and bring them back together."

• It was commented that this is the goal for many of the towns this coming year and that many have already started to work towards that.

Speaking to you, Raelee says, "Ultimately, everything sounds so great.  I really love that all of these new updates have really made this town feel *lived in".  Thus, all I have left is low-stakes requests: amongst the expansions in Vornavis... can we have a bench?  Some place to sit would be nice."

• It was pointed out that you can seat/lean on the edge of the fountain.
• The new neighborhood will have a bench.

Yukito says, "My question is, for the new Clinic in South Haven, can we get a storage bin, please? My personal vote, also, is to remove the chalkboard and just keep the message board. I hate to bring in a rsour note, but already, we cannot post positive messages there without it being overwritten, so it's more of a bother than fun to interact with."

• A storage bin for herbs will be added to the Free Clinic
• A request is being submitted to the owner of the Chalkboard Script to see if permanent ones can be updated with various information.
• It was suggested that the chalkboard in the Imperial Outpost be looked at as a possible option.

Guarrin asks, "First off, thank you for the wonderful year and the fantastic outlook for next year. I have a few comments though. Earlier you mentioned that the goal for storylines was to have less conflict, does that cover all storylines? Just those within solhaven?"

• Reiterated that many communities were currently handling cooperative RP

Speaking to you, Guarrin says, "'Second, I'm glad Kenstrom is back because I am curious about the approach to aligning imperials between you both given the vast difference in how they are depicted depending on which town you are in."

• It was mentioned that Kenstrom, Auchand, and Thandiwe speak frequently about matters of the Human Empire
• It was also mentioned that a specific Human Empire meeting should be set up so as not to derail any of the Town Meetings.

Lachonus asks, "First of all, amazing work!  My question was around the lingering items from the 2022 list on town ambient messaging. I d love to see more of this, especially near the ocean areas so that it feels that much more like a coastal vibe in those areas of town. Is that something we could perhaps squeeze some writing contests in around, if that would help lighten the writing load a bit and move it onto the 2024 list of wonder somehow?"

• Specific request is for a return of the Mist on the Docks as the waves move, gulls and sea birds flying about, trade, idle chatter amid citizens, fog coming in and out of town due to the coastal weather.

Jaysehn asks, "First, can I recommend that GMs do a session zero about their towns?"

• Session Zeros are very complicated for a live game environment.  When you have 6-8 people at a DnD table, you can do that easily because you only have to taper the expectations of 6-8 people, we can have upwards of 50-100 people at our storylines.  It is unreasonable to do that and balance all those people.  However, how do you handle new people entering storylines?  There will be a bias if they weren't allowed to be at session zero for whatever reason and we don't want to exclude people.  I think we come a long way with updating the wiki to have a broad scope of information. There also ends up this issue where if the players do or trigger something that changes the storyline, modifies, it now we've had a session zero that has to be altered.

Jaysehn says, "I'd just like to request, as I did last year, that we not cast players, or the IC institutions they are aligned with, in the role of villains for other players to use as unwilling foils.I'm asking this of the staff in general. And thank you."

Avrey says, "With the new stuff regarding Wyrdeep and its emancipation, how will that effect the borders that are currently mapped out?  I ask because I placed Avrey's village squished just bordering Wyrdeep and Dragach, and now I have no idea where she'd actually say she's from.  For reference, I'm looking at https://gswiki.play.net/images/gswiki/9/92/Tura_map.jpg in particular."

• Avrey, I'm confused by your question -- slightly -- if it is a Human Village on the border of Bourth/Wyrdeep and Dragach then that is rather an anomoly.  The Wyrdeep has always been listed as a hive for elves and other non-human groups.  I would say that you have a lot of role playing opportunities if this was a human village in that area and that you would be considered part of the Wyrdeep nation unless you the border village decided to vote to be Dragach.

Geijon says, "Let me see if I can fit my three. I really like the flavor of activity and the different decision making or locational community hijinks. Thanks."

Geijon says, "Traders row and a lot of merchant stalls were mentioned. I like that. Will there be some mini festivals with those crystals and expanded options? I'm fond of those."

Geijon asks, "Imperial life segway similar to the liveliness of areas. Vornavis as a daily double. The expansion of Vornavis, loved Perigourds comment. More simple or can we get a district name then the double is when will we get to the main gate of Vornavis and is that the wider vision?"

Geijon says, "More simple meaning a general idea for the areas intent."

• The Markets will be automated openings and will have both theme specific and stock items for sale.
• Free Festivals are dropped to 2 a year and these markets will not be part of them.
• The Markets will be:
  • Marshtown Market - 3-4 stalls centered around items that the Marshfolk have to offer.  It will be a platform pier of 6-rooms that will allow players to place their stalls.
  • The Tehir Traders - 3-4 stalls centered around offerings of the Shakat.  This will be located in the Vornavian Caravansary and be a crescent-shaped market.
  • Fisherman's Faire - 3-4 stalls centered around the offerings of both fisherman and fish wives.  This will be located in South Haven on Trader's Row.  Unlike the other areas, this will be a series of carts that appear during the open market (along with a billboard at the top of the street) that create the market.
  • Vornavian Street Faire - 3-4 stalls centered around artwork and crafting.  These carts will be in the new Vornavis neighborhood.  During the 4-days of its opening, the guards will allow anyone to travel into the area.

Yukito says, "I was trying to lighten the mood a bit, but yes! Mollousks. Vornavian mollousks. Can we get seasilk more documented someday in the future? No rush. We already have wonderful Vornavian oranges."

Yukito asks, "A not so serious inquiry. Seasilk! It's supposed to be an export. What is it made of? Is it from mollousks?"

• Seasilk is an RL fabric made from a specific filament of mollusks
• We can look into creating lore regarding the export

Bristenn says, "Shandits."

• There was much explanation about what a Shandit was
• Basically, shan that were bandits
• A request for more shan invasions