The Ascension - RP project from The Order of Illumination. *Finished*

((This has been an ongoing project for us for a while now. it reached it's climax last week and it was so successful that I wanted to share it with you guys.

It is long, I mean REALY long, so I apologise in advance, however it is worth it.

I'll have to break it up a bit into IC/OOC info but I hope I don’t ramble too much, apologies if I do!))

OOC- We wanted to do something that really captured the feel of the new expansion. From the Order's point of view, it really dose seem as if the end of times is coming, what with the DK's being allowed to join the alliance, everyone jumping on the bandwagon to take the fight to Northrend, collaboration with the horde etc. A lot of Brothers and Sisters have died or gone 'missing' recently so were becoming more and more withdrawn from, the Alliance as a whole. We tried a guild alliance but that didn't work out as our style of RP doesn’t blend well with anyone else’s it seems. We have a rather unique view of what a Paladin should be staying well clear of the more Vanilla paladins you get in D&D or the Undead sympathising- horde loving Paladins that seem to fill WoW. I'm rambling already... crap.

IC- Many of our brothers are missing in Northrend, despite many searches, we can find no trace of them.

OOC- some of our guild members have been away from the game for a while for whatever reasons, so we have came up with various reasons why this would be. Some of my guys, wanted to 'kill off' there characters to take advantage of the character customisation option.

IC - We recruit new Brothers and Sisters to take the place of the fallen. promote new officers to replace the dead.

OOC - at this point one of my longest standing members comes up with a story for how his character dies. Cartheron, had a dark past. Ex Scarlet crusader, he had killed more than his fair share of innocent people, including his young sister in an attempt to save her from corruption. He wanted the past to catch up with Cartheron, and have his sister come back from the dead to take revenge.

IC - Melysa, Cartheron’s sister is raised as a DK in the service of the Lich King, and put under the tutelage of one of his Captains, An ancient Eleven Lich named Heriath (I've probably spelt the names wrong, but bite me) Heriath teaches Melysa the ware of the DK, sword, and corruption and all that stuff. eventually the catch up with Carth, in Northrend and capture him. Cartheron is tortured and crucified and eventually beheaded by Melysa.
his body is burnt and the two DK's make there way back to the eastern kingdoms with Cartheron's head, and his broken sword.

Here is a link to Cartheron's story.
http://orderofillumination.darkbb.com/tales-from-the-order-f1/endings-and-beginnings-t309.htm

OOC - We start dropping hints to the guild members, messages and dark rumours, about the coming of a dark force of vengeance who will take our brothers from us. I log on as an alt, and find one of my members and tell him I'm a seer and I've had a vision about what has happened to Cartheron. I describe the scene, and the Paladin in the vision, and tell him to speak to his wisest brother. i.e. Vaknor.

IC - Vaknor receives the news and immediately sets to work researching the vision and trying to piece together who this lost brother is. In the mean time Heriath and Melysa arrive in the area and start doing naughty things to get the Order's attention. they kill villagers, and generally make a nuisance of themselves. In a last attempt to get the Order to come to them, they butcher a small hamlet in Darkshire, and send the only survivor to SW cathedral to find the Order.

OOC - the survivor is one of Cartheron's alts, (a level 15 female human Paladin called Tattersail) who shows up during a guild meeting all covered in blood, ranting and raving calling fro help etc. we go to her aid, and while some of the lower level members, take her to Northshire abbey to be looked after, while rest of us charge of to Darkshire to confront the evil Lich. We just used raven hill as the ravaged Hamlet as it has the right feel about it. There is a confrontation, where Heriath gives Macloren his 'gifts' and legs it through a portal to safety.

IC - Grief stricken. The Templars of the Order of Illumination take the remains of there dead brother back to Northshire to consecrate and lay them to rest. Macloren commands the monks of the Abby to look after the girl and see that she is healed. she shows some promise as a paladin so she is marked for a place within the Order once she is ready.

OOC - Some background info would be useful at this point. Vaknor has been experimenting for some time now, trying to create a being infused with the light, an Avatar of the light if you will. these experiments have met with varying degrees of success, from a celestial being trapped in a human host, to a stark raving mad prophet locked away for her own safety.

IC – The Order meet at the cathedral for an initiation ceremony. While they are about there business, a member of an other faction intrudes upon there solemnity.

OOC – another guild had arranged to have a meeting at the same time, <SM Militia> I think, but the players who came into our meeting were in the Guild <Lights Inquisition> so it must have been something to do with the Stormwind Council. Anyway, they didn’t disrupt our ceremony, but it was a little annoying when one of them said in character.

‘These people seem to have taken quite a liking to our home’

I mean come on!!! Don’t you know who I am!!!!!! I’m Macloren! Lord Militant of the most holy Order of Illumination Matha-Faka!!! Ahem… sorry…

Anyway. We decided to leave them to it, as our business was more or less done, so we all walked down to the Abbey, at this point I wanted to instigate the culmination of the past months RP. So I got Carth to meet us at the abbey with his alt.

IC – When the members of the Order arrive at the abbey, they find the young girl who brought them the news of Cartheron’s death sat outside in the afternoon sun. Macloren tells his templars to go in and start without him and that he would follow shortly. The girl seems much better, she is still in grieving for her slain kin and she asks Macloren to help her gain vengeance on there killers. She tells him that she feels such pity for the Lich that id needs the mercy of final death. Macloren decides that there is something special about this girl and tells her to follow him.

Macloren takes the girl into the meeting and addresses the order. He tells Vaknor that she will be his new apprentice and that he has to see to her training and tutelage. Vaknor is unhappy about this as he has not had an apprentice in fact since Cartheron, but he accedes to the Lord Militant’s will.

The immediately begin the initiation ceremony. During which Vaknor is visited by a divine vision, he takes over the proceedings and begins a rite of binding, if this girl is to be come Cartherons replacement then they should mark the occasion by presenting her with Cartheron’s broken sword, Hate’s edge. The other Templar’s are unsure about the rite, as all other such ceremony’s had ended badly. Vaknor however is convinced that with the sword as a focus and anchor the cerimoney will be a success. Macloren allows the old fool one last attempt at the rite of binding.

They begin by encircling the girl and each of the Brothers and sisters bless her. Vaknor leads them in poring holy power into the girl through the broken sword. She begins to shimmer, then glow until a pillar of light erupts from her into the ceiling of the meeting hall and she vanishes in a blaze of Holly light.

OOC – We all stood around her doing the whole RP thing, spouting holy verse, and on Vaknors command, we all cast Flash of Light on her until we where almost out of manna, at which point, I cast a Lunar moonstone thingy on her, which made the pillar of light, Cartheron made one last emote which said

/em shimmers and fades into the pillar of light.

He then logged off his character.

IC - There is some concern about the girl until Vaknor tells everyone that she is within the pillar of light.
The assembly disperses for the time being to allow Vaknor to continue the ceremony alone.

Exactly one hour later, the Brothers and Sisters of the Order are called back to continue the ceremony. Vaknor leads them in focusing on the pillar of light in front of them to call the girl back to the material realm. They focuss there collective will and pour more holy power into the pillar, calling to the girl to return to them. Nothing happens for a while, until with a flash, the girl returns to them, steping lightly clear of the pillar of light dressed in a robe of pure white, carried on wings of light. In her hand she caries the sword Hate’s edge now re-forged. And there was an aura of power surrounding her.

OOC – When Carth loged out as his alt, he immediately deleted her, and put a character customisation request through for his paladin Cartheron. This takes up to ah hour so that’s why we waited that long. When it had completed, he changed the gender making him female, gave her the same name, hair and face as his alt. he aleady had his mane paladin in place in RP gear so once the Guild had been assembled for the second part of the ceremony he just logged on in exactly the same place he had logged off his alt. making it appear as if he had gone from level 15 to 70 in the space of an hour. Poor old Louise was rather confused by this.
‘Wait, how did she get to 70 so quick?’ hehe bless her.

IC - All the assembled Templars, from the lowest Neophyte to the Lord Militant himself fall to the floor praising the light. And an Avatar of the Holy Light is born into the world.

((Thank you for persevering with this post, it is very long I know. Here is a link to some screen shots of the event. I wanted to share this with you all because I couldn’t believe how well it went.

http://orderofillumination.darkbb.com/tales-from-the-order-f1/the-ascension-t360.htm

http://orderofillumination.darkbb.com/tales-from-the-order-f1/the-ascension-pt-2-t361.htm

As I say, sorry it’s so long, I didn’t realise how much info there was to pass on when I started this))

Thats a pretty awesome looking event. Makes me want to reactivate my ally account and try and join you on my pally^^!

Any time you wanna come play bro, we'd be happy to have you.

Tldr

:p

Nice recounting of the event mate.

Excellent write up. Great to see a slice of Alli-side rp in this way

Vaknor wrote:

Tldr

:p

Nice recounting of the event mate.

3:07 am? Go to bed Vaknor!

I can't sleep anymore the things you did to me haunt my dreams :'(

Vaknor wrote:

I can't sleep anymore the things you did to me haunt my dreams :'(

You just have to bring the tone down don't you!

It's a gift. I'd also argue that Vex's presence brings the tone down :p <3

Vaknor wrote:

I can't sleep anymore the things you did to me haunt my dreams :'(

What happend Vaknor? Can't be any wurse then me trying to tank in heroics al the time?

You do fine in the heroics Kayla, as long as Evanglist can stop getting himself killed we'll be great!!!

As Archnazg said, sounds as a awesome event! Indeed nice to see such things

Well organised project and awesome idea man, one I would expect from you

Nice to see Order still relies on its own foundation for every step taken, especially that Order events dont involve that teletubbies council, altough I quited wow a long time ago its still refreshing to hear that. My Order was clearly the best thing I came across to in this game.