Shattered Kingdoms

1. It's a balance issue for the necromancer class.

2. Felgryfs are another race actually. PCs can only be GOOD griffons.

Actually if you really want to get down to what should be done, various help-culture files for the different clans of griffons should be in place. Much like we have the help culture (clan) files for sprites and centaurs, why can't we put in place the rp cultural files for the griffon clans that exist icly.

One of the imms recently unearthed an email that had the missing griffon culture help files. I don't know why they were never added to the help system. We don't even know who originally wrote them. I'm not sure which immortal is following up on this issue, but I thought I'd just mention their existance.

Not all of the player clans of griffons I've seen in-game over the past several years are represented in those rather ancient Lost Helpfiles, of course, so anyone interested in nominating another for inclusion, feel free...

That sounds like Gnalish's originals. (He's the former player who volunteered the basis for the help files we see today.) But while there's some good stuff there, there's a problem that it sorts griffons into 3 clans.

That doesn't work with Owyran. Nor does it work with what's been established in-game, that any small group of griffons is its own clan. Players have been making up clans as character backstories for years now.

Gnalish was one of the griffon project volunteers. He and the team put together a new griffon-culture help file that took care of these problems. Wert might still have a copy. I'm afraid mine was lost in a computer crash. If anyone else has it, please post.

If that work needs to be redone, it'd be helpful to see the originals. I remember that Imperium remained a historical clan, but the other two became categories that clans could fall into. The Owyran griffons were excluded from the whole system, since they didn't fit any category well. But we also adjusted the categories to fit the game better, and I can't remember those details.

Ah, this is very useful information; thank you.



I think I might have an idea about how to reconcile the two systems of categorization to which you're alluding, but I do want to get "griffon culture as I see it" statements from any griffon enthusiasts still in the playerbase before etching anything in stone.

It would be nice if someone did have this v.2.0 griffon-culture helpfile you're talking about, but if no one else in possession of a copy of or direct knowledge of the original files steps up here in the next few weeks, oh well.

If you can fit in the Owyran griffons, you're doing a better job than version 2.0 did. I wasn't a particular fan of the latter, save that it fixed the big problems.

I would suggest the following, based on my vague memories:

* Please don't require any group of griffons to be intolerant of humans. Since this race dominates the game, this trait leads to very unfun loner characters.

* Please don't give information that'll give problems to newbies. While there are lots of griffon NPCs in Uxmal, it's not a place newbies should start a griffon. Also, newbies trying to roleplay Owyran griffons without having seen the place are likely to err.

* IIRC, there was no category for griffons that currently sought human protection. But we have the Talon griffon bounty-hunters to account for. I've written up a background for this clan, which I used for two griffon characters, now long expired. You're welcome to use/alter/ignore it:

Taloncleft

This militaristic clan has chosen to ally itself closely with Zhenshi, ever since the time of Emperor Tenkawa. All its members are expected to serve at least 10 years in the Talons. None may claim the clan's name until his offer of service is accepted. In return, Zhenshi provides these griffons with a well-guarded home, with all the amenities a griffon could want. This includes not only luxurious chambers and play areas, but grooms and servants.

Of course, such service is not appealing to every hatchling. This clan suffers a goodly number of defections. It is not surprising that it is eager to recruit the unattached. Its numbers have been bolstered by forcibly recovering maimed griffon slaves from deep-elves.

This clan draws from Zhenshi culture, mostly from long contact. But the clan captains are also trying to show doubters that griffons are civilized and valuable. Almost all griffons are devoted to one god or another. In addition to the battle-gods Alshain and Dulrik, Zavijah is a particular favorite, since this clan proclaims him the creator of griffons.

While the Taloncleft griffons have proved invaluable to Zhenshi, especially as scouts and bounty-hunters, their partisan nature has often given headaches to the Council of Blossoms.

Guh. And I wanted the griffon bounty-hunters gone

There is also a small clan that supplies some of the golden griffons: the Skyfire. Adara discovered their secretive eyrie, just before she died.

Yah, the golden griffons already have an area and RPs for themselves.

I played a golden griffon once. His name was Whal.