Salutations fair Elyrians,
Another month has passed, and we’re that much closer to playing the game of our dreams, Chronicles of Elyria. For now, since the rain has considered a retreat, we peek at Spring and enjoy the fairness of the season.
This month, we've expanded and added a few new sections to the Community Journal. We'll be spotlighting both a Kingdom and an Organization each month, to ensure we can cover all kingdoms before launch. Additionally, we'll include more interesting surnames, talk about entertaining CoE live streams, and cover all aspects of this burgeoning community.
Here’s what happened over the last month:
As you can see, quite a lot happened in April. Now, let's continue with even more updates.
We consistently review surname reservations on a daily basis. Each month we like to share a few from the past period that caught our eye.
The Happiest
Evil
De Money
Ratswallow
Buttswiggle
Copper-Top
Haid D'Salaami
Mubaulzishari
Lebowski
Biás Zukanj
Naulmunnen
Hringhorne
Felesvelamen
Suajött
Songbreeze
Aeducan
Va'ar Lah
As a new feature to our Community Journal, each month we'll spotlight one of our favorite memes that were shared via the forums or Discord.
This month, we share a meme that exemplifies the deep-rooted love that our players have for the various tribes:
We held our first-ever scheduled and live Discord Q&A with a myriad of Soulbound Developers using the ChamberBot.
Have you ever seen so many of us in Discord at once?
Additionally we received a lot of positive and constructive feedback about what we can improve for these Discord Q&A's in the future. Here are just a few of the changes we're considering or want you to be aware of:
We're excited at how these sessions will evolve in the future. If you have further feedback or ideas, let us know!
This month we talk to Kitlandria, who has been a member of our moderator team for about 6 months now.
"Here is a pic of me at work on a regular day"
Q: So, tell me where the name Kitlandria came from?
A: "You're going to love this one, Serpentius. Kitlandria is a name I made up back when I was about thirteen for a Dungeons and Dragons character. She was a Half-Dragon Wizard. What kind of Dragon? Gold! Gold dragons are graceful, wise, and foes of evil, there to do justice. They are well respected for their fairness and knowledge. Kitlandria was a depiction of these things, though she struggled with a dark secret of her past and where she came from, for if she ever revealed who were mother was, she may topple a kingdom!"
Q: Anything you would like to share about growing up?
A: "I wasn't a military kid, but I moved around a lot. I've lived in New York, Maryland, and Tennessee which may not sound like much - but, in actuality I've moved 19 times now. In middle school, I transferred to a very country area and accidentally started a goth/punk fashion trend there because I was the only one dressing in various shades of black, wearing collars, spiked bracelets, and platform boots. Dras trendsetter long before Dras existed, you see. I participated in Model Congress and Model United Nations as I wanted to be a diplomat when I grew up. I competed in about a dozen state competitions and placed in every single one, including the prized "Security Council" First Place! I won a trophy for that and earned a gavel with my name engraved on it. I still have the gavel, but I let my teacher keep the trophy as it was the highest award ever won by our school for MUN."
Q: What can you tell me about where you are currently located?
A: "I live near D.C. these days, and I rather like it. I'm within 1 to 2 hours of SO many cool places. There are tons of museums, great restaurants, theaters, and so on, so I'm absolutely blessed with tons of entertainment options! It's pretty much datetopia."
Q: You are known as a lore master, why do you love lore so much or what got you into it?
A: "How does one summarize this? I've always loved stories and have regularly been deeply ingrained in "fandoms." I started writing at the ripe old age of about 8, inspired by Street Fighter and Sailor Moon. By 10, I was trying to write a book. It was essentially a Dragon Ball Z fan fic. From there, my next book was based roughly on Lord of the Rings, and then there was one inspired by Star Wars, too. I've always loved taking lore that exists and putting a unique spin on it. I have MOSTLY outgrown my fan fiction stages and am now almost done with a legitimate novel... but, my love of lore in RPGs will never die. A game like Chronicles of Elyria offers so much more depth of potential as the existing lore exists as a backdrop. I can make many exciting stories and concepts within it to excite other players and bring communities together. So, to answer the question simple: I love lore and got into it because I enjoy stories and good lore can bring people together."
Q: Pie or Cake?
A: "Mmm... While I do enjoy a good cherry or pumpkin pie, I'm going to go with cake. Why? Because I can make CAKE BOMBS with cake. :D"
Q: It is well known you hail from Bordweall, why did you chose that kingdom as your home?
A: "In the end, the ultimate answer is plain and simple: King/First Warden Dleatherus. I have never had more respect for someone in the Chronicles of Elyria community than that which I feel for Dleatherus. I was in another NA-E Kingdom prior to coming to Bordweall, and I was very dissatisfied there due to some community toxicity. I had talked to D over the course of about two months, got to know him and the Bordweall community, looked at the level of drama/toxicity and how it was handled, and then one day decided to put in my resignation as a leader in the other kingdom. In the end, fancy titles did not mean anything to me (though ironically I am now Lore Mistress which sounds pretty fancy ;) ). Having a "home" in CoE where I felt respected, heard, and valued meant far more. I knew that under D's leadership, my community would thrive, so my people and I immigrated. I've never been happier in a gaming group!"
Q: You run the BWC, can you tell me one of your favorite stories you shared there?
A: "Oh man! Issue 10 was one of my favorite issues for obvious reasons; but in terms of individual articles/stories, the Pay2Bulge initiative, written by a guest author who goes by "Harold Rivieu" is one of my absolute top three. That was a part of Issue 12 which was a special holiday edition. I do hope to see the Pay 2 Bulge resurface at some point down the line."
Q: Instagram or Snapchat?
A: "NEITHER! Fun fact: I'm like a Scrooge of new social media platforms. I barely use Facebook. I don't text message, save for on platforms like Google Hangouts and Discord. I tried Instagram for about 3 days and Snapchat for less than 3 minutes. So, I guess by default, Instagram wins."
Q: Kardashians or Malala Yousafzai?
A: "Not going to lie - it depresses me that some people might pick the Kardashians or not know who Malala is. Malala is an absolute inspiration to the world. She is the definition of power, poise, and light in the world. Her books are incredibly valuable, her ideals worthy of any award the world can throw at her, and her actions shall speak through a great deal of our future, I hope."
Q: Do you have pets? If so, what kind?
A: "I have a crested gecko. Sadly, living with severe pet allergies, I cannot have any pets with fur (or I would have a rabbit). I do hope to get a pig one day, but I know that the whole "mini pig" thing is basically a farce, so I need to have some land for my pink friend to run around on."
Q: Do you like Roleplaying? I heard you are quite the avid participant?
A: "Ahahaaa... Serpentius - let me tell you... Remember when I said I started writing at about 8? That's because I was also doing RP in AOL chatrooms. Boy, was it terrible. But, even bigger BOY, did I have a blast. I started doing table top RP at 12, but my true love has always been RP online. I've run heavy RP guilds in about ten different MMORPGs, done forum, IM, and Discord RP. When I'm not RPing, I'm thinking about RPing. I love to do deep character building and have my character change according to circumstances over time. I love looking back at how much they've grown, so the concept of CoE is fascinating because now my character will develop across lifetimes - different bodies and personalities sharing experiences and memories of the soul housed within each new vessel... It's going to be awesome. I'm always looking for a solid RP partner to write stories with - so hit me up, Elyrians."
Q: What is your favorite thing about being a mod?
A: "The TEAM! <3 I love all of the mod team so much! They're so respectful, thoughtful, diverse, and hard working!"
Q: Least favorite thing?
A: "Not having enough time to do more modding! Honestly, I'm always thinking about being in the community, chatting, reading posts, offering feedback, etc, but I have a very busy professional life and don't get to be around as frequently as I'd like."
Q: What book are you reading right now?
A: "Three books at the moment, actually! My Friend Fear, The 57 Bus, and Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone (re-reading at the moment with my partner)."
Q: If you could say one thing to the community, what would it be?
A: "This is the hardest question yet. All that power... Ahhhh!!! I guess I'd say: Enjoy what this game will be and respect the people trying to make it awesome. I think there is great potential for people to work together through all that Soulbound Studios is offering, and I hope to never have that squandered. Also, please come visit Ah'wena in game and eat some delicious Elyrian cuisine!"
Thanks Kit, we really appreciated getting to know you more.
Each month we spotlight an organization from our community. Previously we alternated each month between a kingdom and a guild or association. With only so many of these Journals remaining, we decided to double down and now we’ll be covering both a Kingdom and an Organization each month.
We have many creative members who are building amazing groups in Elyria, and this is one way we can make sure you know about them.
This month the organization we take a look at is one of the emergent religious orders of Elyria.
Church leader Flawliss provided us with these details:
Official name: Grand Church of the Virtori Faithful
Server location: Luna, NA-East
Kingdom affiliation: “Our first affiliation is to the Faithful and Virtues of the Virtori Faith”.
When was it founded? “The exact formation of what today is called the Grand Church of the Virtori Faithful is difficult to pin down, as its faithful and the acts of virtue they enacted were done in secret during the reign of the Mad King. Not until years after did the Grand Church of the Virtori Faithful, around 710 [4th age], established themselves publicly. Although some scholars contest that the formation of this particular brand of Virtori Church can be traced back as far as the Drought and Famine of 582-586”
Who leads the organization? “Administering the Faith is Flawliss Rothgard, a descendant of one of the the original families seeking a place to worship the light of Virtori and assisted the faithful in finding safe lands to settle.”
What are the goals or purpose of the group? “Some of our actives missions include, as a Virtori based religious organization, dedicated to the uplifting of the Virtori Faith. The Church works actively to facilitate emergency aid of all possible types through the Church, to ensure the strength, health, and stability of the faithful and their neighbors. We are also a narrative building organization with practical, actionable missions based on the faith and the the Virtues. We also facilitate networking and other interests of its members via the three sects of the Church who enact the active mission of aid and faith.”
Is there a group motto/mantra/value proposition? “From official Church writings: ‘To inspire the strength within Mann to look beyond the self destruction of vice and embrace the Virtuous light of Virtori. To stand as a courageous seeker of ever waking virtue and thus spread Virtori's light by the brilliant example of such a search.
To render Aid and facilitate mutual defense among the Faithful and their neighbors throughout their reach for the health, safety and stability in the virtuous light of Virtori. To render defense to the innocent and the protection of their kin from jaws feed by vice and misfortune.’
‘Walk in the virtuous light of Virtori’ Would be our standard blessing”.
Can you share a fun fact about your organization? “The working title of the head of the church was once Horse Pope during the Free Kingdom Campaign, but that title has been long put to pasture.”
Thanks for sharing Flawliss, it was great to learn about the Church!
Sev Kimura, the leader of this Angelica kingdom provided us these details:
Official name of Kingdom: Ashland
Server: NA-W Angelica
Leader: Sev Kimura
Kingdom Colors: Black, Gold, and Red (Subject to change)
Kingdom Crest:
Goals of Kingdom: "We maintain our community by the standards set forth in the Kingdom's Code of Honor, and we will carry it forward at all level of gameplay: from ruler to soldier, from crafter to adventurer. We want to make Ashland a place truly special in the world of CoE--a place we would be proud to call home regardless of title or social status."
Link to Recruitment thread
Link to Discord
Fun Fact: Kingdom of Ashland is actually not made of Ashes.
For more info, reach out to this community via their links above, thanks Sev!
If you'd like a chance to get your community content featured, submit your original creations here.
We get so many submissions, it is hard to show you all of them, but here's a sampling. If your submission wasn't featured this month, we may still use it in the future!
Elsy has submitted her realization of the Neran/To'resk halfbreed, Countess Gorawyn from Two Moons County, in this captivating drawing. The work was based off of a text description given to her by the Countess.
(Editor's note: This was initially published with an incorrect artist credit, our apologies to Elsy)
CoE's resident fashionista Liva provided these lovely concept pieces. Liva says "Realistic high fashion for the To'resk, and what they as a culture would wear (with religious, social and cultural aspects thrown into the fray) BEDAZZLE"
Countess Aileron (Scribbles) from Bordweall created this drawing, here's what she had to say about it: "This was a portrait I did of my husband's character. (Drax Baxton - he's quite a "popular" character, so I figured I'd share his portrait thing. :3)"
Baron Crux from the Duchy of Xeilias, known in CoE as Noctis Crux, submitted this beautiful dark art. He says "This is my idea of what I could make my forts crest look like, Kaer Nef'hen is a corrupt version of Welsh for "Old Heavens Keep". Since I want to focus on siege, I gave it stone look that shows its ancient years but also its strength."
Did you know we have a burgeoning Reddit community? Hellmoon, Mickdude and Jester help keep it accurate and reasonable, yet engaging and entertaining. So if that's your cup of tea, get to it here
The BBC (Bordweall Broadcasting Company) livestream deep dives into the latest developments from Soulbound Studios. Watch and discover what has them so excited about CoE, then join them and their guests in the CoE Discord voice afterparty and find out why they believe CoE is going to define a whole new genre in online gaming! They stream live every other Thursday at 8pm Eastern/5pm Pacific. Watch the CoE forums for their announcements!
Link to livestream channel: https://www.twitch.tv/bordweall
The Town Crier is a live informational show/podcast featuring Morbis (Duke of Vornair), Adam (King of Vornair) and Mickdude (Count from Alésia). The topic is typically the latest goings on with the game or in the CoE community, theorycrafting about things Caspian says, or watching them blunder around with recurring technical difficulties with all the grace of a three legged giraffe. Super entertainment!
You can catch them live every Wednesday at 3PM (PT)/6 PM (ET)/10 PM (UTC) on https://youtube.com/c/MorbisMIA
We love running contests and promotions for our players, but it turns out our players love running them as well!
To aid you in keeping track of all of the different contests at any given time, we've summarized them into one directory and stickied it in our General Discussion forum.
Thanks to Hellmoon for keeping it up to date!
Subject Matter Experts. We've hinted at them, talked about the program, and now we're ready to push it live for your consumption and potential participation.
Be on the lookout next week for the announcement, but also be aware we are rolling the program out in stages. This means we will initially detail how it works and start accepting applications, but we won't start engaging with our SMEs until later in the month or in early June.
This gives us time to evaluate the applications and vet those we feel would make great SMEs. We're excited to share the SME program with you and look forward to collaborating with our future experts to make Chronicles of Elyria the best it can be!
As you know, we had an ambassador nominee this month that you voted and provided feedback on.
We're pleased to announce that after the results came in and our team finalized our decisions, TheConcierge was accepted as our newest Ambassador!
Congratulations Duffy, and thank you for your contributions and ongoing support of the Chronicles of Elyria Community.
Whew! That was a lot to cover that happened this month!
And we're not slowing down either, there are so many activities planned in the coming months, we couldn't possibly list them all here.
So with that said, I'll say thank you for reading and close out this April Community Journal.
I bid you all a good week, and as always, more to come...
