Post:The Death of Maelshyve - 05/29/2019 - 09:26

The Death of Maelshyve · on 05/29/2019 09:26	1650
Well! Now that that is all over, and Droughtman's has had a chance to run, I wanted to post about the event. Some background - The first Maelshyve raid was the product of numerous character driven events, and began a series of Maelshyvean events regarding her increased efforts to enter the Plane of Abiding. Maelshyve secured a vessel, a woman named Ciriasa, and was attempting to use her as a means to further enter the Plane of Abiding. A Philosopher, the Demon Hunter Osven, who through various means, provided necromantic alchemical vials, similar to the necromantic alchemical solution used against Lyras. These vials when used against Ciriasa damaged Maelshyve's hold over her, and eventually allowed Ciriasa to be restored to human form, preventing Maelshyve from strengthening her position. In the fight, Ciriasa was slain, her soul lost, and Osven absconded with the corpse of Ciriasa, neither being seen again for some time. Maelshyve began to regroup, and as she was courted by some and challenged by others, Osven returned with news that through collaboration with other magical scholars, and through study of Ciriasa's remains, he had improved upon the designs of the vials, and created a device which he believed was capable of harming Maelshyve and forcing her out of the Plane of Abiding. Osven began to recruit people to his cause. Maelshyve began to once again reach for a foothold in the Plane of Abiding. The device was revealed to actually be a pair, and they are handed off to adventurers who lead two parties, one heading into Maelshyve's Fortress and the other to the Abyssal Seed. Once implanted, both devices require a large effort to activate, and adventurers quite impressively finish the task in relatively short order. The devices activate, and tunnel into the Soul of Maelshyve, eventually finding their way to the core of her psyche, her purpose. At their final activation, the devices begin to do their work, and Maelshyve reaches out with one last effort to destroy them, trapping every one present in her domain. At the zero hour, Osven sacrifices himself, using his own life force to force Maelshyve back and empower the devices, which shackles and reduces her. This open a final area, the Pith, in which the last of her dying essence can be battled in the form of ur-maeldryths. ... Whew! So what does this mean? Take it all in - yes, Maelshyve is "dead", and you helped it happen! Sort of. You see, death as it turns out is a somewhat nebulous concept for beings of Maelshyve's magnitude. Yes, she is for all intents and purposes dead, but given what she was, her death will take some time. The remnants of her influence will recede, likely slowly. The ur-maeldryths are an automatic response to her defeat, a sort of fail safe state securing her essence against the encroaching forces of the Plane of Exile as her long death rattle continues. What is left of Maelshyve can no longer touch the Plane of Abiding. Her minions will remain, for now. The ur-maeldryth are most certainly demonic, and their demonbones and scales are safe to handle, indeed, regarded as heroic trophies even by the Temple's strict eye. While wandering her Soul, and especially in the Pith, you may notice some strange(r) things, things lurking, waiting, things that no longer fear Maelshyve and have been waiting for a very long time. Some housekeeping stuff - We understand that elements of this event were frustrating and long. While our aim was not to hand you tedium, we did want to emphasize group activity, open participation, and the magnitude of what was occurring. We know the charging element was not for everyone, and yes, we also have jobs outside of DR. The decision to make the rooms no-combat was not an easy choice, and one we recognize would upset about as many people as if combat was allowed. Ultimately, we decided that ensuring participation for everyone was the way to go for this event. Like many other long-term events of the past where the ultimate end was a set point, there were many alternative routes to get there, and many that fed into the ultimate story direction, and even nudged it in different directions! We hope you enjoyed the process, because we have really enjoyed watching and reacting to your characters. A number of players reactions and player run events influenced the path we took to get to the conclusion. Also note, if players had decided to not charge the devices, or had the discharging force prolonged the event beyond a certain point, we had additional sub-events and even alternative outcomes in mind. This whole enterprise was the result of numerous player driven events, greater story arc direction, and a lot of collaboration across staff. While Grejuva and myself led this particular event, most of staff helped with most things. How your character would respond to an event like this is for you to decide. Many took a hard line stance against involvement with Necromantic devices. Some professed to having to reconsider their view of Necromancers given the actions of Osven and other participants. Some sought to defend Maelshyve. Some waited for the Baron to tell them what to do. Some decided these events were not for them to participate in. These are all valid and understandable reactions to what transpired. Finally, a moment of silence for Osven, a man with dirty boots, calloused palms and a brilliant mind, long may his arrogance and accomplishments be remembered. And Maelshyve, Demon Goddess of the Void, Nameless Evil of Zaulfung, Challenger of Urrem'tier, She-Who-Would-Be-Queen. Her flight across the cosmos has ended, and Her reign of terror concluded. While it is sad to see Her no longer capable of horrifying Elanthians, we hope... ahem... Never mind.
This message was originally posted in Events and Happenings in DragonRealms' Elanthia/Paid Events / Quests, by DR-KOROR on the play.net forums.