Ryzom

I started out by creating a matis character... Somehow the atysian races come to reflect our inner selves, our personalities, and it turned out I really was matis through and through...

I came to Yrk as a newb and immediately found myself among people (hi lvls all) who were very nice to me, they treated me as a friend, as an equal, I never felt small or unworthy among them, no, I felt one with them and gladly joined the guild which became my dearest kin, my family, my life , my everything on Atys - my beloved OOTN.

All my playtime (almost 2years now) I have never ever regretted that decision... My guild was karavan and matis are mostly karavan aligned so naturally I became a karavaneer. I worked with determination for the glory of my guild.

When the faction division and the outposts arrived and the Karavan alliance was formed and we became part of it... well... I felt that my guild has multiplied in size ten times over! Same friendly people, industrious and determined, resolute and well-organised, disagreeing but always coming to a consensus with infinite respect for each other. They always lend a helping hand, always come to aid, even when it's an another 11th our attack or when they have tro wake up at 6am to be there. They are there for me and I am there for them. We stand shoulder to shoulder, well organised, determined , a true brotherhood in arms. Now not only OOTN but the whole Karavan Alliance is my large family and I keep working with fervor for it's ideals.

That is why I am a karavaneer.

P/S/ Quite a few kami players join our ranks every day but a thought of going kami has never even crossed my mind.

Loracas came to Atys with a large group of friends from another game almost 3 years ago during the open beta days. We as a group decided to play as a Matis based guild. Out of Cavern guild was formed the first week of retail. OOC was a very large guild in the early days, but I managed to work my way to HO.
When the first talks of faction were heard on Atys (long before any fame patches) it was clear to several of us in OOC that a side should be chosen and the guild should work in that direction. Many members disagreed.
The current leader of OOC (Thanakar), myself and others decided at that time that we would leave OOC and start Cara Via (actually called Karavia in those days...but thats a whole nother story).
Cara Via was designed by us to be a Matis based Karavan guild from the very beginning, long before any fame patches.

I was always Matis in the betas, even when we all started in Fyros. I've always created a tall, skinny dude with long green hair and I'm not even sure why.

....and thats why I am Karavan!

Before playing, I read up on lore somewhat intesively, and after some debate rolled with a Matis character, which I feel best represented my own personality. (Interestingly, my other choice was a Zoraï, as both of these races are closely tied to their natural environment and I grew up in the middle of nowhere; however, I've always had my faith in science, not religion, so associated much more with the Matis botanical work and support of the technologically advanced Karavan.)

My adventures started in Borea, on the old Matis training island. For the most part, I forged my own way on the island, but received help from two certain homins, who instructed me on crafting and even outfitted my person with the best pike and armor that could be made in the place. We soon became friends, and when they left for the mainland they invited me to let them know when I myself came over.

So one day I, overwhelmed with the vastness of the city Yrkanis, finally stepped foot into the mainland. I got in touch with my old island friends, and was ushered almost immediately into a team with several other homins unknown to me, and we headed South. We started hunting some of the biggest Kipees I had ever seen, and even though I would die in one or two hits, no one complained that I was using such a low a melee skill. As of that day, most of that team would become my guildmates, and I joined the Reapers of the Dark without hesitation. From my first days on Atys these homins showed me nothing but kindness, and I stood behind them as we became a Karavan guild, to my own Matisian liking.

As the "Why I Choose..." threads could prove useful lto newer players I'm going to Sticky them. Try and keep the comments and posts in these constructive and at the least non abusive. Go on, I know you can do it.

I started this game while I was trying a string of really bad MMOs.

I really figured this one would just be the next brief stop in my tour of the MMO slums.

I made a matis character simply because I liked how the female toons looked.
Then I found that the game was pretty fun, and I just stayed with the Matis. I read the lore, came up with a fun, but evil character for my little toon, and I kept playing.

Sadly, my character didn't fit right with the goals of my guild, who at the time wanted peace between facitons and harmony between races; but that was way back before any of it made any difference to the game. I liked my guild more than I liked my RP, so I changed my ways and became a uniter, not a divider.

Then the events started happening. Little things at first, but they still forced the players to choose a side. It was becoming evident that "Neutral" would have no meaningful role in the Saga of Ryzom. The guild still wanted the pretense of moral supieriority that not aligning with either of the flawed factions would have given us. After all, OOC you really can't trust either of them. But, we also wanted a meaninful hand in shaping the way the story worked out.

So, based on a few factors, like race, lore, the current members of each faction, and the fact that the Kamis were comitting wholesale slaughter on homin diggers across Atys; we decided to support the Karavan and work to unite the races of Atys in Jena's light. We still debated it from time to time up until EP2.

That is really when the Kami showed themselves for the bloodthirsty, deceitful, hypocritical little fuzzballs they are. Ordering thier minions to attack Karavan diggers while turning off the Kami Tolerance in the battlegrounds were the most lavish displays of Kami decadence, but hardly the only ones.

But, even if my character were lore-neutral, the behavior of some of the kamist players would have turned me off to them. I am not big on PvP. Ganking harvesters in the PR seems a bit dishonorable. So much of that behavior came from the Kamist camp that even had I started with a Ma-Duk loving Zorai, I would have changed factions just to not be associated with it.

Now faction plays a huge role in the game, from which TPs you get to how easily you find support for your OP fights. The KA is a great group of players. We work together to help each other out, and I am proud to be part of them. I don't even like PVP, but I will show up everytime I can in order to support our alliance.

danolt wrote:Ma-duk was not a god but was referred to as the soul stealer, the deceiver. That lore has been removed, I can not find it anywhere.

Such lore never existed. Ma-Duk was not referred to back then at all. What you are talking about is the myth/prophecy about a dragon on your Karavan temple. I'd say you should at least read the Kami sanctuary too a bit.

The religious aspect of either powers do not interest me, but more their ideological points of view and what broader concepts they relate to. This is what made me choose one side over the other.

To me the kami represent a very narrow-minded conservative outlook. Childlike and reactionary. Their end vision of Atys being an unchanging place with little room for homins, save to fight Goo as presumably the Kami cannot. They do not represent peace, nor equality , nor progress. They are a self preservationist tyranny.

The Karavan represent the future, and quite likely the past and creation too. The karavan are rational and progressive, They support rather than punish homins on the whole (killing off the kitins, rescuing homins, no kami-like tolerance). Many believe the Karavan to be some dark force of exploitation, however their action in comparison to the kami show them as far more liberal and open minded. A power of responsibility and reason.

i see no validity in being neutral, for that is the way of letting others decide your fate (kind of like not voting in an election). i also can see it is the homins of the power that wins that will decide the destiny of homins on atys. And in that future i prefer the freedom to progress rather than fight for stagnation under the kami.

tylarth wrote:To me the kami represent a very narrow-minded conservative outlook. Childlike and reactionary. Their end vision of Atys being an unchanging place with little room for homins, save to fight Goo as presumably the Kami cannot. They do not represent peace, nor equality , nor progress. They are a self preservationist tyranny.

Lol.... I didn't want to go in this matters, but I think something alike. The Kami maintain the theory that a ecosystem must be maintained the same, with no changes. This is a old theory, now known as false. The ecosystems are dinamic, always in change, today you have a forest here, in a few years it could change to another ecosystems... that happens, with homin/man or without him.

For me the kami represents an damaging enviromental point of view who try to maintaind the land artifially always the same, like some kind of specimen in a bottle, like a museum, instead of let the natural changes happen and flow.

Maybe this was one of my main motives for not select the Kami.

First post here after 14 months...

My reasons have not much to do with Lore or Karavan/Kami differences. I'm not RP-er (tried, doesn't suit me) and most reasons are practical.
Neutrality suits me most, but they are too many drawbacks (neutrality is not an option, unless you like to hurt yourself).
After TNE had to choose between Karavan, Kami or neutral we voted for Karavan, lost few members but we are still here. I stick with guild decision and never regret it.
I'm proud to be part of Karavan Alliance with great organization and good friendship between each other. It's honor to be among ppl who didn't started to kill harvesters in PR, pulling Yelk's on packers and do other low things like the other side.
As long i walk on Atys I'll be Karavan.

sasaj wrote:It's honor to be among ppl who didn't started to kill harvesters in PR, pulling Yelk's on packers and do other low things like the other side.

LOL! you ever read Rundll's sig?

Rundll is a member of Order of the Nameless. OotN is a member of the KA.

Funny post!