Warlike and brutish they came unto this land, until - freed of their bounds - they learned pride.
But pride without purpose goes blindly, and now their time is coming to a close.
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EXPLANATION:
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EXPLANATION:
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Evening again, ladies and gents.
So if you hadn't already noticed my bumbling around the forums posting all sorts of threads to the lore forum this evening, I suspect that (given that you are reading this) this particular thread did not fail to catch your attention. Straight to the point: below, I have summarised the decision taken by myself and other members of the Lore Department regarding the future of the Earthspawn.
Please read this in its entirety before asking any questions.
What is happening to the Earthspawn?
Much like the Nakam and the Greylings before them, the Earthspawn have now been classified as a race on the verge of extinction. In accordance with Legacy Race procedures, this means that:
1) No new characters of this race can be created, with one exception: if two physically compatible existing characters of the race decide to create offspring, it is possible. However, owing to changes in Earthspawn fertility (explained below), there will be a rolls process to determine whether this is successful.
2) Existing characters of this race are free to complete their story arcs provided that they have been played within the last 6 months.
NOTE: To 'check in' to keep your Earthspawn character, just send me a brief forum conversation with a link to a character profile with evidence of creation/activity/updates within this time OR just let me know your in-game name so that I can find confirming logs. This will go towards keeping a record of Legacy Earthspawn characters so that you can provide proof if you are questioned about it by new players.
What is happening to the Earthspawn IC?
The low numbers of Earthspawn (and particularly Earthspawn females) in the whole of Altera, not just the Kingdoms on the map, has resulted in the race becoming critically endangered.
While numbers have been low for some time, more recently there has been an undetectable illness on the rise in adult female Earthspawn which has led to high levels of infertility. As a result, the natality (birth) rate has lowered.
In an instance where two characters have, um, taken measures to produce offspring, I should be contacted via a forum message so that I can conduct rolls that will determine success. A 1d5 will determine how much (if at all) the female Earthspawn in question has been affected by the illness. A 1 indicates no illness, a 2 or 3 indicates total infertility, and a 4 or 5 would indicate only early stages of the illness, meaning that a single birth may be successful before the effects of the illness take hold.
Why has this decision been made?
The reasons behind this decision are twofold. The first being why we chose to remove a race, the second being why we chose to remove the Earthspawn.
Why remove a race? There have been six core races in Altera for some time now, most highly regarded by a good portion of the playerbase for the fantasy aspects they bring. However, for almost as long as this number of races have existed, at least two or three have been massively underplayed. At the heart of it, we hope that this decision will help on the way to restoring more sustainable populations throughout the remaining five races.
Why Earthspawn? While, yes, Halflings most likely have fewer players and Dwarves have seen some particularly rough patches, Earthspawn have always caused a bit of a Lore conundrum. This is due to their rather niche natures making their behaviour generally harder to draw a line with, and though plenty of players have handled Earthspawn characters perfectly fine, for others the 'monster archetype' has not been easily shaken off. We hope that by reducing numbers to the small pool of existing players, it will be easier to ensure that they are played fairly and in accordance with the lore.
A final note:
Lastly, as with all changes, I ask that this decision be understood with a bigger picture in mind - this may not be the end of changes.
To those favouring a cut of fantasy races: I hope this helps to condense populations and narrow down the field a bit. To those favouring more races: if populations can be evened out, the addition of a new race is not beyond the realms of possibility. To both - please don't hound us: I will be releasing a survey to take note of opinions on the subject soon, and I will consider all responses in deciding whether to take further action.
As ever, thank you very much for your patience and your cooperation.
