One thing I've noticed in Lusternia that I've not really seen much in the other IRE muds is the racism. Guild specializations are there to encourage the cities fill themself with one specific race. And there's alot of racism built into the game.

Celest for instance has a seperate Merian/non-Merian graveyard and has a non-Merian district. From what I've seen alot of the mobs in Celest follow this trend too.

Magnagora has the same thing, very pro-Viscanti and anti-elves/merians.

The dracnari, trill, and lucidians are also set up to be against each other. You can be sure when their respective cities come out they're follow the same pattern.

I'm just wondering what everybody's views on IC racism is. For me I think it's wonderful RP, but it really hits too close to home for me to really be comfortable with.

I find that racism provides a lot of real emotion behind it. Real emotions guide the basis of roleplay. The characters are facticious, but the feelings are real. If you are surrounded by a group of people who hate you so much they will kill you simply because of how you look, where you live, or what you do as a job, it tends to create the same kind of feelings that exist with real racism. Celestians need to go Malcom X on us Magnagorans...heh.

ICly, Akraasiel is a rabidly xenophobic human, who despises himself as well because his body is not taking to the taint. He is radically opposed to those who trust Air or Water (though hallifax isnt open yet) and trusts only three types of people, those tied to the taint, to fire, or to the earth. I got into quite an argument with my guildmates earlier about saying that I would slay a Merian if they were before me, even if they were a guildmate. I believe that racism and fanaticsm give a sense of the rougher edges of humanity that have faded in the Political Correctness of modern games.

Additionally OOC, I am a very accepting person, I have no issues with people over issues of skin color, nationality or sexual orientation. I find that playing Akraasiel lets me play out a darker side, it gives an emotionality to normal events that aren't usually found in other games or in life.

My character is not racist, which often makes me feel like some kind of lone radical in Magnagora.

I think that adding this in is a splended idea. It adds more importance into your decision of a race. People will not just be choosing for stats, but how the race would be treted, depending on where they seek to go.

All very splendid setting up for us to use as great RP!

If you play a taurian and observe the text for casting their enrage ability and when they lash out at other races from the rage, you will find that they were intended to be a racist race. Something like, "Yoy raise your fist and march around in an attempt to exert your superiority." And then when you lash out at other races, it refers to them as the "inferior elfen" or "inferior viscanti", etc. So if you want to RP that way, taurian is the most appropriate. Viscantis are in some ways more elitist because they think that their house is superior to all others, so it is more of a family elitism than a racial one. I get images of rival mafia families with their own godfathers running things, etc. An all-Viscanti Great House family would be fun to see!

I am very slowly trying to found an all Viscanti great house.

Racism is cool.

I never thought I'd say that.

Cronus, of course, doesn't like Viscanti, but he tries to be a nice person, and he will try and overlook it. They always remind him of the mutation of Night, Crow, and Gloriana.

Another reason for the racism introduction was to, literally, discourage people from being Merian or Elfen and living in Magnagora (or the opposite). First off, both of these races have been and are against the Taint. Secondly, these races were created gamewise as "alignment" based races. Merians are naturally "good" (though I don't like to put it into these terms) Elfen are naturally "neutral" and Viscanti are naturally "bad". Now obviously we can all debate the good/neutral/bad thing forever, and some people have.. the point is we really wanted to seperate these races as best as we could, and the racism seemed like the best way to do it... for the most part it seems to be working well, I haven't seen many Merian living in Magnagora, or Viscanti in Celest. What do you all think about that?

I personally see myself and the Viscanti race superior to all others. The Taint specifically "chose" us to be borne from it and in Felemar's mind, that equal superiority.....so that's his opinion.

It rawks . It pulls people away from the "What's the best race for this guild?" kinda thing and encourages racial RP, plus it adds a nice touch of realism to Lusternia's history.

Fixed for Vis

Though, a Viscanti in Celest might make sense, if he was one who hated himself and moved to Celest seeking a cure (a cure beyond mere reincarnation.. which could happen once he was able to RP a cure?) and that would be sort of cool.

As for the other two, it could be a Merian who is partly tainted, but not enough to have mutated into a Viscanti, and is working towards that.

As for an elfen, they might be naturally neutral, but there are always deviants, so, while the racism is good, I would like to see one break the mold and prove himself as a valualbe tool for Magnagora even without power, and is thus allowed to access it... at which point it could always be rped that, maybe through an act of Fain, the Elfen is then turned into a Viscanti.

I mean, we know the Viscanti are mutated from all the races.. so there should be those who are seeking that sort of goal... i mean, not everyone is "lucky" enough to have their current situation = their wants.

I carefully read the histories and racial descriptions before selecting a race and then settled on Elven. I very much express my characters anti-taint and anti-Mag stance based upon my race selection. It has very much annoyed some of the Seren leadership but from my point of view its been great RP wise.

I'm thinking abou tmaking donnar an igasho. He'll die, his body will decay, and his spirit will inhabit a new body to take over the size of his heart. I'm sure igasho's get angry being called shaggy or sasquatch. even if that's are what they are.

edit: What the heck's this crow thing everyone keeps talking about?

Disciples of Crow is a clan of people who want to restore Glomdoring, and strengthen the Tainted Spirits - Brother Crow and Mother Night. Obviously, Serenwilde opposes the strengthening of those two spirits, as the spirits of the Seren - White Hart and Mother Moon, are untainted and enemies of the other two.

This basically covers it, but I'll also note that the clan itself is true neutral. We're not pro-Magnagora, anti-Celest, or even anti-Serenwilde. We're simply pro-Glomdoring. What Crow and Mother Night do once they are brought back to power is their own concern.

I'll be writting up a clanhelp this afternoon.

And as a quick note to the Crows that read it, that document I've been meaning to post will be going up this afternoon as well

Well, the thing about IC racism is that it has a legitimate basis. The word 'race' itself is stretched in its use in most fantasy RPGs. The races are so different that there actually are broad generalizations that can be made. Orclach are just not as intelligent as other races, nor are other races as strong as they. The differences are so extreme that a race can actually come to be known by these traits.

Trying to do the same in real life, however, doesn't work. Race refers only to variations of the same thing: mankind. The only generalization to make is that "all x have y colored skin or z feature" because that's how race is determined. Really, IC racism is a totally different thing because the grand, sweeping differences actually exist. It's a totally different situation than real life.

As for alignment, it's still not entirely accurate to label races as good, evil, or neutral. Regardless of race, that's a choice a person (person used lightly, since all manner of beast and monster make up Lusternia's population) makes on their own. While it may be unlikely that a certain race dominating the population of a certain area, with certain customs, will go against both their anscestors' way and their countrymens' way, it can happen. The internal conflict will be harder to overcome, but if a person is truly good, evil, or nuetral, than it wouldn't matter. This is one correlary between the real world and the IC world. Races are spread throughout the world. One area in which x race may be the majority may have the extreme opposite culture than a different area with the same race, but I'm starting to obfuscate my point.

Long post short, entirely different situation. Racism, as does the word 'race' itself, has a different meaning in the IC world of Lusternia. It's a good, simple way to work color into your character.

Arithax, I beg to differ. While technically racism is different IC and OOC, it is in effect the same thing. It is judgements based on features, such as skin color or having wings.
We could just say that all the races are different races of the main species: sentient lusternians.

Yes, but in the real world there are no definate limitations to the different races. That's on an individual basis. What I was saying is that is why Lusternia is different. You can tell right away that one race will be more/less talented in certain things than another. It's undisputed due to the physical and mental limitations of their race.

When you group Lusternians together, the only thing they have in common is that they live on Lusternia. You couldn't do the same for anyone living on Earth, because they are both all fundamentally the same and so different individually to the last man. I know it's nonsensical to use a generalization to disprove the use of generalizations, but you can't make any of them in the real world, you can in Lusternia.

Bah, sorry. Yeah, in both cases it is just judgement based upon features. But in Lusternia, it is a correct judgement.