cHello Lhavit
I am certain most of you are aware who I am, but for those who are new or who don't know me I am Mirage, Regional Storyteller of Kalea, and the person who is overseeing the updating and revision of your fair city. It is a bumpy ride with a lot of ups and downs, and for some of you players I know that the ride has mostly been a lot of downs. Back when I first took over as RS of the region I decided that Lhavit needed a gutting and reworking, the vast majority of which consisted of tearing out magic by the roots from every part of the city that I could find. For many I know that it might have been devistating, and some may have lost their story lines due to my efforts. For cases such as this I am truly sorry, but I want you to know that I truly do feel that the direction we are still starting toward will be the best for Lhavit.
Up until now I have done things behind closed doors. Neo knows my plans, as do other staff who I work with on it. Up until now I thought that was how it should be. The players, I thought, will appreciate the work once it is finished. Recently I took a little vacation from Mizahar, and in that time I have come to find I have developed a different kind of mindset. Lhavit is more than anything a home to the players who play here. Dedicated players who have stuck it out even as I was snatching the carped right from under them. You guys, the Lhavit player base, are more stubborn and insightful than I realized, and it seems to me that it is unfair to keep you all in the dark as to what I have going on in my head. Thus I am adapting an open door policy. I want to share with you my vision of Lhavit, where I want to go, and I would like everyone to comment here or, if you prefer, PM me and Neo directly with your thoughts and concerns. Most of what I write here I am fairly certain will work and be good for the city, but I will listen to any and all opinions on the matters.
Lhavit right now has no obvious central theme. I want to change that. This his how I envision Lhavit:
What I envision Lhavit to be1. A City with a 24 hour day. A City that never sleeps, and there is always something to do.
2. A City that loves festivals in all their forms. A City that finds any reason they can to enjoy life with festivities (official and within social groups and families)
3. A City known for its Architecture and its architects. The city of Skyglass that sparkles day or night.
4. A city and it's people in love with the sky and stars, to the point that both are common topics of conversation over tea
5. A City that is difficult to Traverse for those who are not used to it. Steep stairways leading to most places, and the people themselves have grown used to climbing or riding Okomo to get to different parts of the city (Okomo riding should become more common place)
6. A City that mainly exports tea, and love to indulge in the drink as well. (More tea houses are welcome haha)
7. A City with little crime, and what does exist is high class and almost invisible to the common populace. The Shinya do their job well, but for the intelligent there is always a way
8. A City who potentially deals with different types of drugs behind the scenes. Hallucinogens, and other types of psychiatric drugs are a possibility (This is something I would like to develop ICly, but the thought is that it is not uncommon for nearly everyone to indulge, however, no one will ever openly admit to it)
9. A City that was built by magic, holds a deep respect and understanding of it and its users, but does not run on magic
10. Social standing is something one can gain through their own hard work and effort, but because all are equally able to gain standing there is no large divide between upper and lower classes as is sometimes seen in other cities (Which is why even the highest officials will still have tea with their staff, and treat them as equals)
These are the main points of my vision as I see it right now, and this is what I want to see highlighted more and more going forward. What comes next are a few other points that I want to work on as well, and I want to hear thoughts from others about these as well.
Law EnforcementNeo is almost done with the Constellations, and it will be revealed very soon. For a long time however we were having trouble figuring out how exactly the laws and such were enforced. There are no jail cells for confining criminals, and execution does not really fit with Lhavit culture. Instead I am thinking of something a lot simpler. There is a court system of sorts, which we are working on slowly, but that means the severity of a crime can be judged through due process. We played around with the idea of community services for some of the less serious crimes, and just slaps on the wrist and a warning for the smaller things. But what about the biggies? Well in the case of serious crimes, or multiple crimes, the Shinya will simply walk the person out of the city and put them in the wilds. Banishment from the city would be the price you pay for serious offenses, which is more or less a death sentences but without the actual act of killing. The ONLY exception right now would be the killing of an Okomo, which would result in execution. Kill another person though? You take a stroll through the wilderness and never come back.
There is nothing anywhere that clearly defines what law enforcement is so Neo and I are defining it ourselves. If you the players have other ideas I am happy to hear them, but there has to be some way that the city keeps its citizens happy and criminal free
MagicIn many ways I feel like I talk about this too much, and Magic in Lhavit is where the biggest changes have happened. To those magic users in the city I want all of you to understand I do not do it because I hate magic. I do it because for the longest time magic was all that defined this city, but there is a lot more there than just magic. I do not want to eliminate magic completely from the city, though that may be what it seems like. I have taken away all magical lessons, there are no magic jobs available right now, and almost all the magical locations have either been destroyed, removed or rewritten. The reasoning behind this was to ring out the over saturation of magic in this city, and in doing so reduce its importance to the city's fundamental structure. Lhavit literally ran on magic for a long long time, and I do not want that for the city. So then, what do I want?
I want magic in Lhavit. I want magic to be accepted as an idea, and even a popular topic of conversation among certain circles. I do not mind magic in Lhavit, but I do not want magic to be a requirement to do well in the city. I want magic to be something that can be openly discussed, and between players freely taught if that is what the players want. For the city, however, I would like magic to stay within the bounds of the Towers. Those who are born in, or marry into, the Towers will have magical lessons available to them because that is their role in the city. Then, most of the magical jobs will be taken by those members of the towers. The typical citizen of Lhavit will not use magic, or have much of a need for it, yet still the thought of it might interest some and so there would be no open hostility to the practice of magic given the history of Lhavit and the fact that the Towers all use magic for the city. Magic shops are not a necessity because most citizens don't use magic. Those that do are typically a part of the Towers, and they have their own resources. The average citizen has no need for magical items or magical services, HOWEVER, that does not mean those things are not allowed.
If players want to learn or teach magic in Lhavit then they are free to within their own homes. It may also become available for certain NPC's to offer magical lessons through IC roleplay, but that is a topic of discussion later. For now though I just want magic's importance to be reduced. After that, I want to put direction of magic into the players hands. By removing the lessons provided by the city, the random magical shops or locations, there now becomes available space for players to potentially fill those spots. They can do this through RP. Anyone can create a business in Lhavit, and you can make whatever kind of business you want. If YOU want to make a magic shop then that is very possible. I just will not be providing magical shops and magical books for players to simply take for a ridiculously low price. If you, the player, want to build a lab then go for it, you are able to. That is the freedom I want to create for Lhavit. An independence that allows Lhavit to run perfectly fine with 0 magic, but the opportunity for players to add more magic to the city if that is what they choose.
In any case if you use magic or if you don't, if you are a mage or not, that does not affect your social standing or your ability to prosper in the city. You can become a successful farmer and grow tea and still potentially take a spot in the political circles of Lhavit. Business owners are welcome, and equally appreciated be they magical or not. That is what I want. A freedom of magic without a reliance on it or a huge importance placed on it. To that end I actually do not think we need to have a Wizard Registry any longer. No matter how I look at it I cannot find any real use for it. If you have magic you are no better or worse than anyone else. You just have a different skill that someone else, like a farmer, does not. There is no need to regulate someone who simply has a different skill, and so there is no real reason to have a Registry specifically for Wizards. If you commit any crime, with or without magic, the severity of the crime not the means by which it was committed will be used to determine the punishment. By removing the registry I believe it will further decrease the importance we put on MAGIC, and instead increase the importance of the individual be they magic or not.
These are my thoughts right now, and if you would like to offer thoughts or opinions please PM me. I will listen to everything said with an open mind and give appropriate consideration where it is needed. I also am open to further concerns that I believe a few of you have. I wan this city to be a city for the players, and not just my construction project.
The importance is on the individual, not what your skill set is. Anyone, no matter what they do can be successful, own a business, start a farm, join the politics or factions, etc. That is where I want us to be.
For those who are concerned, I do in fact have some thoughts and plans for future jobs for those who ARE magically inclined. As to what those will be I will let you know as soon as I work them out more. As I said I want a reduced importance of magic, and for most magic related to the city to be done through the Towers. If anyone has any thoughts on that as well please don't hesitate to ask questions or give your own thoughts. My inbox is always open.
I will end my long post with this. I want everyone to be happy in Lhavit, and to be proud of their city. You guys have stuck through a lot over the seasons, and years in some cases. Now I want to try and give back some, instead of simply taking away.
Sincerely yours,
Mirage
c 
by Fehn on August 11th, 2015, 11:03 am 
I'm guilty for that open crime. Sorry about that. I'll try not to do that from now on. 