Silvanus Cleric in the Grove?

[Tamha]

I don't expect this would be likely to happen anytime soon (and definitely not before Second Sundering), but I thought I'd suggest it anyway. I think it would be nice if a cleric of Silvanus could be added to the NPC's in the Grove so that if a member of the Grove is slain, they can be revived in the wood.

Yeah, I know raises aren't all that natural, but people are going to do it anyway, so it would be nice if we could have an option there for it. It would also make for a nice faction spawn point nearby. This would also help with those few non-evil orcs not being brought into cities for raises (should someone actually want to raise them), or for characters that would never go there by choice anyway, so we don't always have to use the Temple of Chauntea in Sestra. (The fact my Wild Elf isn't welcome in Sestra is only part of my reasoning for posting this. )

[Snowmane]

Sounds reasonable to me.

[Doubtful]

Clerics in the Grove eh?

*spawns some Kossuthians*

"And it burns, burns, burns. The grove's on fire. The grove's on fire..."

Oh! Wait. Silvanus.

Just having the existing Keeper being able to raise people would probably be enough. No need for additional NPCs.

[Tamha]

That was my original thought, though I figured he was a druid and wouldn't have that ability. Maybe I'm wrong and he's a shaman, going to lure back your spirit!

[[DM] Grinning Death]

Heck, I don't even know what half of the NPC's are in there for. Do we even have druids?

[Doubtful]

There's the chap with a beard (the old Keeper) plus a few others that he's sired over the years, they live right near Gnoll Central and Goblin HQ.

All the cool kids either hang out at the Docks or in the Mountains.

[Satoshi]

Back before the Great Retcon, when the Elven Retreat still existed and we had a small-yet-dedicated community - there was quite a few druids, rangers, and elves that frequented that general area. But Sundren seems to hate elves and druids, and as ever they are doomed to a slow retreat into memory.

[Snowmane]

The Singles group is 3 elves and our pet orc and we are working for the Wardens, so the area is not completely unused! (though none of our party is a druid). Anyway, I seem to run into a lot of elves in Sundren.

[Doubtful]

I like druids but I dislike the Viridale Grove, it feels tacked on and severely lacking in justification.

Lore wise the Viridale has always been supremely hostile and not that wild, back when Mundus first sundered the mountains the gnolls of the valley slaughtered Mundus's allies before being forced back into the woods. The scary, horribly scarred gnolls of hard to determine gender (Field guide to Gnolls 101: The biggest, most aggressive, nastiest ones with what looks like an exploded penis and balls are the mature females.) use the forest to worship their demon god and do all sorts of unpleasant stuff with the orcs.

But twee central is somehow slap bang in the middle of all this, just chock full of beardy soap dodgers, dog muck, theiving scum and crusty jugglers who spend most of their lives ignoring the growing demonic worship of the gnoll clans, turning a blind eye to the goblin, orc and ogre hordes and only jump to action when a few Exigo commoners dare to try and cut some wood or mine some ore. Only then do we see the wrath of the grove as they butcher level 1 common folk mercilessly while touching themselves inappropriately and murmuring about balance.

I say let the creatures of the Viridale over-run the Grove and defile it. Currently it's like finding a Holiday Inn in the middle of the Evil Woods.

Build in a few druidic holy spots in a few places around the world, maybe an old stone circle on a coast road near Sestra, a quiet pool near the Sunderers Gate, an Oak, Ash and Hawthorn growing together in a clearing in the Mountains, hells, maybe some tumbledown old yard in the middle of Sundren City where nature's reclaimed the land as it's own.

But let's do away with the fixed cliche'd woodland grove. There's a lot more to nature than woods, let's make the natural world as a whole a place for druids, not just one zone.


[/overly dramatic]

[Cornuto]

I say let the creatures of the Viridale over-run the Grove and defile it. Currently it's like finding a Holiday Inn in the middle of the Evil Woods.

Rgr, killing off the Keeper in 3-2-1...

[Kitsunestume]

Clerics in the Grove eh?

*spawns some Kossuthians*

"And it burns, burns, burns. The grove's on fire. The grove's on fire..."
.

I say let the creatures of the Viridale over-run the Grove and defile it. Currently it's like finding a Holiday Inn in the middle of the Evil Woods.

This can be arranged.

[Satoshi]

Again, before the Great Retcon - the elven forces inhabiting the Viridale, and the druid circle, were working together to combat the Mossclaw Alliance and make the forest a safe place for their kind (coincidentally, also the only place for their kind since the humans don't like sharing their land). It wasn't easy, either - back then, there were also Drow striking from the Upperdark trying to kill all of the elves as well.

Then Ash left the team, her maps got replaced or forgotten, few people agreed that elves and druids had a place in Sundren, and we are left with druids that seem to do nothing but pick on commoner woodcutters because they are poorly represented. Much like the Legionnaires in the prison who can never seem to hold anyone of evil alignment for more than a few days.

The Mossclaw goblins, the Grimaxe orcs and the Stonegarb Ogres used to be the endgame content of launch Sundren, and were the 'big bad' of Sundren. Ogres coming out of the forest to support golbin and orc warbands were serious threats. However, now they are just a level 6-10 leveling zone quickly forgotten by the players and neglected in favour of the fourteen other evil cults and factions of the higher level zones threatening the world.

[Cornuto]

Was Ashe the one who mapped the Exarch's keep in Sestra with the giant elevator sitting behind the throne?

I want to know who to blame that on.

[Doubtful]

I can't really judge on stuff that happened before the Great Retcon, it was before my time as a player and a DM.

However, we can look forward. The grove as and where it is does stick out as a bit out of place and despite Maevan's frankly awesome mapping I've got to say the whole Viridale Grove thing is a bit tired.

I'd personally be so, so, so in favour of shifting the nature factions main HQ to a proper wilderness rather than a battlefield and give them something of the wildness, rather than their current tame and tired aspect. Their stores and joining stuff can be handled through npcs in existing areas.

I want druids to be a bit scary, very strange and fuggin cool. Less tree hugging and faff, more Bean Kings and bizarro stuff.

And hats.

[Chiangtao]

Again, before the Great Retcon - the elven forces inhabiting the Viridale, and the druid circle, were working together to combat the Mossclaw Alliance and make the forest a safe place for their kind (coincidentally, also the only place for their kind since the humans don't like sharing their land). It wasn't easy, either - back then, there were also Drow striking from the Upperdark trying to kill all of the elves as well.

Then Ash left the team, her maps got replaced or forgotten, few people agreed that elves and druids had a place in Sundren, and we are left with druids that seem to do nothing but pick on commoner woodcutters because they are poorly represented. Much like the Legionnaires in the prison who can never seem to hold anyone of evil alignment for more than a few days.

The Mossclaw goblins, the Grimaxe orcs and the Stonegarb Ogres used to be the endgame content of launch Sundren, and were the 'big bad' of Sundren. Ogres coming out of the forest to support golbin and orc warbands were serious threats. However, now they are just a level 6-10 leveling zone quickly forgotten by the players and neglected in favour of the fourteen other evil cults and factions of the higher level zones threatening the world.

Zoiks. Make lemonade bro.