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My Fellow Mysties, Brethren and Sistren Explorers,
I actually forgot that I had this user name. My only point of pride is that I've completed Riven and Exile and I've followed the URU narrative since I joined the Mudpie beta. Good times.
Anyway, my name is Matt Waller, and that's enough about me.
I have thought about incorporating a certain guild. Basically it would be something like the knights/samurai/warriors-with-a-code-of-honor (aren't a few of you glad I didn't say Jedi?) guild. Let's call them clans.
Originally the clans were just a couple of strong guys with weapons who wanted to take care of their families/village. As D'ni grew however, and as power became more concentrated, the clans became united, especially under the leadership of the Great King. Those were the days, eh?
But then power, rusting the soul as it does, made those in charge waive aside their military might and the warriors' code of honor. The only ones who did care were those who paid off corrupt officers until most of the fighters became little more than stooges of whomever had the most money.
Hence the classic corruption tale of so many feudal systems. Yet there is hope that a feudal class needn't be a futile endeavor.
So, is it possible to raise an army from such a valley of dry bones? Can we yet raise the troops of the Great King, though they be buried in the lake-glass sepulcher of D'ni? (Shout out to Miguel de Unamuno)
We can!
I call them Freelees. Think freelancer/mercenary/freebie, or something; I don't know how to write that down in D'ni, but it's a guy or gal with all the frills. A Freelee.
But we should proceed cautiously. We must establish a code of honor.
So here's the fun part. I've thought of a bunch of cool rules to keep it so that there is, essentially, no player-on-player violence.
For instance:
- The sword/weapon must always be sheaved in public ages.
- The sword must be partly visible when worn.
- The sword can only be drawn in a private age to which the Freelee has been invited, or which the Freelee privately administers. (The primary four ages, for instance).
-And Freelees can only fight/fence/engage in swordplay in their neighborhood, on special occasions in certain ages decided upon by the Freelee clans. (Basically, on a holiday, or in the neighborhood).
- As for programming, the swordplay itself needn't be anything complicated. Maybe just four buttons (like the four arrows on a keyboard). One offense, one defense, one toward the player, and one away from the player. Leave it to an honor system for the players to call "touche!" But throw in the sidestep buttons and pretty soon you've got yourself some pretty sweet swordplay. (I vote for all sword-play to be two-handed!)
So, with all of those cool features, we should include some downsides:
-A Freelee wearing their weapon cannot enter non-canonical content. All swords at the door before entering, please.
-One must have completed the Complete Chronicles to be a Freelee (so I don't even qualify right now).
That's all I've got for now. I could speak more about potential history, and loads more on how Freelees could figure into future canonical material, but I won't. Let's enjoy what we've got!
Yours Truly,
Matt Waller
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