Shattered Kingdoms

As we all know, Vorak has disbanded the Adepts and has had himself removed from the cabal. So they are a defunct failed group. Eventually someone will try to ressurect them and do something with them in a few months but before that happens I wanted to see what people think of the Adepts.

Personally, I don't like them. The concept is dull and predictable and while I have met many worthwhile characters who are from the adepts I quickly loose interest in the let's hurt everyone, let's destroy everything, we hate, we kill kittens, we make you hurt RP. It gets old fast. Even when it's deep and intense the results are always the same.

What I would like to see is the removal of the Adepts as a group. This is a group that just doesn't fit in SK the way it is now. SK has changed alot since the adepts were created. Since the game itself was created, and after ten years I don't really think there is a place on SK for a cabal that is almost universally hated because that is the concept of the cabal. With CRS in place, and the tribunals active members in it, I think it's time to drop a cabal that doesn't fit in with SK's current play style.

The game has moved into a place where a cabal like the Adepts doesn't fit at all. I mean getting 50 obsidian 2 years ago was nothing. Nothing at all if you had a sorc you could delete with like 1000 obsidian if you really wanted to. But getting money is harder, not to hard but it's not 20 obsid in 20 minutes.

And since a rudementary economy is in place that means cabals have to pay upkeep on several things it's just pointless to play a cabal that can't survive in what SK has become. Sure the adepts were great before all these changes but I think the game has turned away from being a place where this type of organization can survive.

Since I never cared much for the adepts anyway, I'd like to suggest that now while it's dormant it gets replaced. Since SK doesn't really have enough players to properly man all it's groups anyway I'm willing to wait years to see a replacement for the adepts. The game will only get better since maybe someone might actually play a talon or something.

So, I'm putting out a poll. Should the Adepts be replaced and if they should be what should they be replaced with?

I picked a deep-realms cabal or faction to give people a reason to play crappy races like deep-elves and dwarves.

Edit:Typo

I voted to keep them, the adepts as they are now are capable of being lead in different ways, according to the whims of the leader. The concept is not as shallow as you put it and they have interesting possibilities - not to mention that they are one of the most historic cabals of the entire mud and that most of their actions are fun to be a part of, even when they are directed towards you.

In summarization, SK needs the adepts as a boogeyman and I hope someone will take the initiative to get them back on footing soon. I would do it myself but I have taken it onto myself to actually have a long-lived character for once.

I'd love see the Adepts come back, as well as another faction appear. I would be down for a Alchemists delf-city faction... Perhaps even a delf-city tribunal...

sleeper

Not an alchemist deep-elf faction, an assassin faction.

Your thinking add another neautral party, I want another full on everybodies-enemy diabolic evil party.

Adepts are fine the way they are.

Stop trying to turn the whole mud grey.

Edit: I'd vote 1 and 6

As I pointed out in a private forum the other day the scales are tipped to the light sides favor.

Cabal wise concepts are still balanced...

Adepts vs Druids (corruption of balance vs maintaining the balance (read. balance as nature world)

Fists vs Harliequins (Order vs Chaos)

Hammer vs MC (paladins vs hellions)

For tribunals....

MC vs Taslamar (ex-slavers vs ex-slaves)

Ayamao vs CoN (natury tree huggers vs barbaric necromancers)

Talons (supposed to be the utterly enemy free, decidedly lighty)

Now dispute the natural enemies, but thats from an IC perspective. Of course Harlies and Druids are both supposed to be "grey" cabals. Hammer should be versus Adepts you say? No... it's not about alignment so much with cabals.

This is the way I see SKs general alignment intentions for groups...

Principled -- good -- Fist
Scrupulous -- good -- Hammer
Unprincipled -- selfish -- Peacekeepers/Guardians/Talons
Anarchist -- selfish -- Harlies
Aberrant -- evil -- MC
Miscreant -- evil -- CoN
Diabolic -- evil -- Adepts

...the three unprincipled ones are always highly lighty saturated though. If you say that is because unprincipled is more lighty than darky, then cut the sides in half at the harlies on chaotic, the mid-point, and see who has more groups.

Another diabolic-evil assassin/ninja cabal would help balance it.

For those of you that say we don't have enough players to fill another cabal, I disagree. Players will rotate in and out of cabals and have just as much fun. There may not be a single Adept but honostly a quarter of the who-list is MC on days. I'm sure that will change and there may not be three MC and fifty Adepts.

It shifts.

Ah, how much wronger could you be? How is this balanced and how is this right?

Hammer VS. MC but not the most evil of all groups the Adepts? Talons a lighty trib named for a Light aured Dragon against no one? You've got alot of misconceptions about pretty much everything.

Show me up then. I didn't want to take up alot of space but here it goes.

Hammer vs MC:

Two sets of Knights that are both honourable and miltaristic. The Taslamaran Army (read HAMMER) defends a nation of escaped slaves of the Empire of the Bright Star (read MC). They have military actions and are less secretive or magic oriented as others.

Adepts vs Druids:

This is undeniable, if you have every played a Druid or an Adept you know this. Adepts are there to corrupt/destroy the world. Druids are there to maintain the balance of nature, and to ensure that no one destroys the world. Both factions use deep arcane magic rather than military force. They ae much more secretive.

Fists vs Harliequins

Order vs Chaos, it can't be any simpler. You can't wage war with a group that is supposed to be complete chaos, and you can't wage war with a group of pacifistic monks. Traditionally that is the way they were. Neigther group actually warred with each other, but they were enemies none the less. Just as the Zavija and Mira religions had the Wixlax would these two factions fight.

And by the way, Hammer are not the most lighty cabal. They would torture someone for information while the Fist would not.

If you want to line up MAIN enemies than go ahead. I said the Talon are lighty. If you want to start a fight over how it's more unbalanced...alright, lets [REDACTED] throw down.

MC vs Hammer, Talon, Peacekeeper, Fist, Guardians (and then the wild cards Harlies, Adepts, CoN, and Druids)

Adepts vs Hammer, Talon, Peacekeeper, Fist, Guardians, Druids (and then the wild cards Harlies and MC)

CoN vs Hammer, Talon, Peacekeepers, Fist, Guardians, Druids (and wild cards Harlies and MC)

Harlies vs everyones wild card with chaos

Druids vs Adepts, CoN (with wild cards the rest of the way around)

Hammer vs MC, Adepts, CoN

Fist vs MC, Adepts, CoN

Guardians vs MC, Adepts, CoN

Peacekeepers vs MC, Adepts, CoN

Talon vs MC, Adepts, CoN

Basically 6 vs 3

Eh....show your opinion now.

OVT wins SK!

I never came up with an idea for alchemists. Dalamar did, however.

Adepts AND Assassins, kthx.