Our May Face of the Month 2001 is a well-known character and player. She is the former First Knight of the Rol Na Feinne, and the former Tari of the Elves. Welcome Graelynia Antaeus to be the second honored personality for this month! If you want to know more about the Elves and what they do, head down to the Elf Nation Website. Links can be found in the Links section.
RPC : What/Who got you started in roleplaying?
Graelynia : I never roleplayed (tabletop, mud, anything) until I RL dated a guy known as Paxon a few years back… he used to tell me mudstories over dinner. He wasn't sure I'd enjoy the game… but when he introduced me to it, it didn't take long to get hooked. It did take me a while to get into RP, but when I did… I think I forgot how to do anything else. ;) .
RPC : What's your preferred style of roleplay?
Graelynia : Mm, well… I like a sketchy plan of where a scene is going, with room for some spontaneity. My emotes tend to be full-buffer-length and sometimes stacked two at a time.
RPC : What are your latest plans for roleplaying?
Graelynia : Graely's found a god, so I intend to explore that. I have some plans for new things with the elven nation.
RPC : When do you usually roleplay, and for how long?
Graelynia : You're joking right? When do I not?
RPC : What is the main thing you look for in what you consider a good rp plot?
Graelynia : Mm, a lot of things. Ability to include a variety of players/characters. A unique story line. Ability to tie into several other plots.
RPC : What's your favorite scene/s you have ever participated in, or not participated in but watched or seen a log/s of? Why?
Graelynia : Mm, that's a tough question! I thought about this one a long time, and I think I have to say the first scene where Graelynia and Khare, on the way to recover Verthandi, went to the temple of Amaunator. Why? Well, we'd decided to play, and got no further plotting than "we'll do a picnic and see what happens." What happened changed Graely's life, gave her faith and direction, and saved her from insanity later on.
RPC : What current plots are you working on, how can people join in if they want to?
Graelynia : The "Dead Druid" is about to be resurrected, and I hope to find the killer. The Elf Nation is currently trying to institute a new system of government, in which different interest groups will be represented. Interested elves should send me a tell, and check out the site.
Other than that… Andry is exploring a new life as a "fence". I'd love to hook up with anyone in uh.. shadier occupations on that front. RPC : What do you think is the most important element of a good character, a good story?
Graelynia : Internal conflict. I am the angstmeister. .
RPC : What does 'Emote the World' mean to you?
Graelynia : Imagination. I first experienced it during a scene in the "Dead Druid" plot, when we emoted part of Ellcrys Forest (elf hometown) that doesn't actually exist. When we finished, I had the strangest sensation of realizing which room of the realms we were –actually- in. The illusion created by the RP had been so complete that I was –there-. It's happened many times since. There are parts of RoD that are crystal clear in my imagination, and just as many parts that exist nowhere, that have grown out of imagination, that are just as clear. I love the spellcasting that takes you somewhere… somewhere you can share with someone else, and –be- there.
RPC : Which RP character was your first character, and why did you choose such a race and such a class?
Graelynia : I created Graelynia and Faendyll (sea-elf cleric) at the same time. At the time, there was excellent sea-elf plot going on, so I made Faen to get in on that. But I was in love with the idea of a female paladin… a really strong person on the outside, but inside full of doubts and conflicted (see Question on 'Important Elements of a story').
RPC : Of all the characters you play, who do you enjoy most? Why?
Graelynia : Ugh. I don't know! I play a lot of characters. They tend to just be born, fairly well fleshed out, in my head, and I get as attached to them as I am to my pets. I couldn't possibly pick one, although at the moment I am enjoying Grae, Andry and Pony the most. Grae, because she lets me explore RL issues. Andry, because she's extremely emotional for a drow. Pony's, well… a refreshing change. Innocent, full of hope, and low-angst despite a horrible history.
RPC : Do you think real props (not emoted ones) are a necessary part of roleplay?
Graelynia : No. In fact, when I do get real props, most of the time I don't use them. Exceptions have been for the occasional RnF induction quest assignment.
RPC : Tell us a bit about Graelynia, her history and what she is up to now.
Graelynia : Wow. How to make this brief.
The history she was "born" with: She came from a hometown far to the west called Silmataurea (meaning silver-forested). There, when she came of age, her intended came to claim her, drunk, and found her missing. Grae returned home to find him raping her mother, attacked him, managed to take off a hand, but he escaped, with Verthandi, a sword enchanted for her at her birth. Her hunt for him brought her to Arborlon.
The hunt came to a head when she found he was south, and her pursuit of him led her to the lair of the dragon Ithiloki. The dragon ended up with the sword, and Nimmloth unexpectedly saved her life, later to come to Arborlon.
She recovered the sword, and discovered a forgotten god named Amaunator on the trip, and when she returned, found that Nimmloth had apparently murdered an elf. So she exacted justice on him, only to find that he was innocent. Adonia, to whom Nimmloth had devoted in an attempt to turn over a new leaf, appeared and cursed her and Verthandi, and Grishnakh followed soon after, to taunt her with the same things that haunted her thoughts. She went mad, but Khare had a plan to take her to the temple of Amaunator again, and there she found her faith and thereby her sanity. She's now charged with finding the Tome of Law .. Amaunator's book .. and rebuilding faith in the lost god. She's also busy trying to locate the eight Treasures of Silmataurea, of which Verthandi is one. Lot going on in her life… I tried to keep it short ;)
RPC : Does the name Graelynia hold any special meaning?
Graelynia : *laugh* Yeah. G = str+1 R = wis+1 A = con+1 … you get the idea.
Glad you couldn't tell, though. *wink
RPC : If you are given a chance to roleplay one character all over again, who would you choose and why?
Graelynia : Hmm. Are you asking if I would change anything? I wouldn't change any of my characters, their histories (personal or played). As for more characters… well you never know.
