Just in case you haven't seen it, I have done some of this here: http://www.hermertia.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=58. I can definitely see how some 'things to avoid' could be a good idea; who don't we include them in that post once we have it ironed out?

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Wysterian Labourer's Council
Currently Holding Stewardship of Wysteria
Minister for Applications and Settlement
Forums Administrator

Here is what I have so far. Let me know if you think I should add/change any questions.

Basic questions to be answered in a lore backstory:
1. What is your name?
2. Where are you from? What is that place like?
3. What has brought you to Hermertia?
4. Do you have a profession? If so, what?
5. How old are you?
6. Do you have a family?
7. What is your race (human, dwarf, etc.)?
8. Do you come representing one person or many?

Extra fluff questions:
1. Are you a religious person? If so, what is your religion like?
2. What are your personality traits (e.g. curious, short-tempered, fearless)?
3. Have you traveled far to get here? If so, what are the details of your travels?
4. Are you a scholar? A warrior? What defines you other than your profession and homeland?
5. What is your familial lineage? Is that important where you come from?
6. What is your culture like?
7. Are your people nomadic or sedentary?
8. Are there any distinct traits associated with your people as a whole (e.g. long-lived, prefers mountainous areas, etc.)?

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Guardian of Casadia
Master of the Slayers Guild
Minister of Hermertian History

Those look pretty good Aurennis.

You guys are right, I did write a post like that, but I lost a lot of my old files a while back I tried looking for that one specifically the other day.
I do remember how most of it went though so I could re-write it or contribute to one written?
We totally need the library up and running so we can collaborate on ideas!

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"Not all those who wander are lost."

*Nudges Atryl*

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Joren

of River's End

Holy $%^&, I just found my old backups of my lore and stuff. omgomgomg. Stay Tuned!

Edit: couldn't find that forum post in it, but hooray for recovering some lore.

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"Not all those who wander are lost."

This is my updated advice for "What makes a good application?", as copied from the FAQ. If this gets community approval I'll go ahead and update the current sticky.

What makes a good application?
A good application includes four main elements:

1. Tell us a bit about yourself. There’s no need to go into personal specifics, but we would like to get an idea of why you want to join Hermertia. What was it about us that first interested you? Why would you like to be a part of our unique style of gameplay, and what do you hope to take out of it? Where did you hear about us? This helps to give us a bit of background on you, and to let us see if you’ve found what you’re looking for in Hermertia.

2. Tell us a bit about your goals in Hermertia. Once you are accepted into Hermertia, what is your plan? Would you want to work under a liege, or set off on your own? Would you be interested in pursuing work as a trader, or an explorer, or a historian? The options in our world our vast; tell us which ones you would like to take advantage of.

3. Tell us about any skills or talents that you would like to employ in Hermertia. Are you skilled in redstone engineering? Do you like to farm? Do you have an eye for building? Let us know about anything you want to mention but haven’t yet; it will help us – and especially prospective lieges - learn more about you. Including any past pictures of builds here is helpful too.

4. Tell us your thoughts on some early lore. Your lore is, in effect, your backstory: when your character arrives in Hermertia, he or she will need a past. This doesen’t need to be perfect or complete by any means, but sharing with us the beginnings of some lore that is both interesting and compatible with our own lore is a sure way to round out an impressive application.

Not sure where to start with crafting some lore? Try using these questions as jumping-off points:

Where are you from? How did you find yourself at the gates of Hermertia?
What is your race?
How old are you? Do you have a family?
Do you have a profession?
What is you and/or your peoples’ culture?
Are you religious?
And many more.

Things to avoid in creating your lore:

Don’t copy or slightly alter the plot from a well-known movie, TV show, videogame, etc. These are predictable and repetitive, and are less interesting by far than an original lore you create.

Don’t create a race, a character, or a history that is incompatible with or actively contradicts our lore. These are disruptive and just don’t mesh with the word and the lore we have created; past examples have included immortal characters, god-like races, and living trees. If you’re not sure about whether something is compatible with our lore or not, write it down anyway; as your application progresses, the community works together to ‘massage’ every applicant’s lore into our pre-existing history.

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Wysterian Labourer's Council
Currently Holding Stewardship of Wysteria
Minister for Applications and Settlement
Forums Administrator

I really like that Nicholas, it is pretty thorough!

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"Not all those who wander are lost."

*bleat of approbation*

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Ulrik Gunnarson
Duke of the Gathered Races of Hermertia Homeland (GRHH)
The Chairman of the GRHH Co.

*war drum of mild arousal*

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By the will of Azarn
-Erastil
-King of Pyrencia
-The Hydra
For a full list of titles, please see enclosed document.
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=741

*boob squeeze of... Nothing. Just boob squeeze cause I can*

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Duchess Celestine of Reinen
-Marshall of the Scrubby Scrubby task force.


"Music in the soul can be heard by the universe" ~Lao Tzu