18.7 BECOMING AN IMMORTAL - SPECIFICALLY, AN EPHEMERAL
BECOMING AN ELDER GOD
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Elder Gods play a dual role of both roleplaying their godly persona but
also helping as a volunteer administrator. All Elder Gods start as
Ephemerals.
So you're thinking about applying to be an Ephemeral? Well, before you do,
you need to know what you're getting yourself into.
As an Ephemeral, you actually have less power in a way than a mortal. If
this doesn't sit well with your ego, you probably aren't cut out to be a
God, as the Gods exist, from an out-of-character perspective, to serve
Lusternia as a whole. (Things are very different from an in-character
perspective, of course.) Ephemerals have no role but service, and the
only reward for it, aside from the pleasure you might take in building
areas, taking care of issues, and that sort of thing, is the chance to
play a God later. You can't "play" Lusternia as an Ephemeral, and
you're not even allowed to fraternize with the mortals. Further, once
you're a God you're still expected to keep assisting with out-of-role
things and general administrative tasks.
We don't mean to make it sound as if you're a slave, because some
Ephemerals really enjoy what they do, and work hard to earn the privilege
of Godhood as quickly as possible. Others quickly flake out, discovering
that we weren't lying about the work involved. Still others are asked to
leave due to simply not fitting in with the culture of immortals or for
other reasons.
BECOMING AN EPHEMERAL
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To become an Ephemeral several things are needed:
- There must be an announced call. We will let you know when we're
looking!
- Respond by giving your reasons in writing why you want to be an
Ephemeral, what it means to you, your characters' histories, etc.
- We'll read the applications/stories and consider it. We will consider
lots of other things too, like how long you've been around, your
characters' reputations, positions of leadership and responsibility, etc.
We'll also look for writing - as an immortal you really must be able to
write! Spelling, punctuation, usage, grammar, it's all important to some
degree.
- We'll look deeper into certain candidates, likely with further talks,
interviews, etc. There are ALWAYS more candidates than there are openings,
so don't feel bad if you aren't asked for a further interview. We'll want
to know if you understand exactly what you're getting into. We'll want to
know if you are able to commit the time consistently to keep things going.
We'll want to know if we can trust you.
- Finally, we'll invite a few to become Ephemerals.
NOTE: Applicants who are not invited will not otherwise be notified. They
are free to apply another time.
WHAT HAPPENS RIGHT AWAY
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Your mortal character or characters become unavailable to you. You may not
play a mortal character while you are an immortal of any kind.
For the many who, for one reason or another, do not continue beyond there
to become an Elder God, it is possible to regain access to mortal
characters. This is handled on a case-by-case basis.
You will learn the ways of the Ephemerals, with new commands and
activities and a new way of approaching life in Lusternia.
The most important things:
- To operate as a team with other immortals
- To dissociate from mortals
- To handle teasing from the team with a good attitude
The activities:
- Helping to create and run RP events and plots
- Helping to handle issues
- Helping with the building of new areas
- Helping with writing progs (automation for mobiles and items)
Promotion from Ephemeral to Godhood
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Ephemeral Promotions:
- Must provide regular help to Gods who request it, if able.
- Must complete a small building project, or, if you're just not a
builder, you must do an equivalent amount of work in another area. Talk to
Estarra about this if you can't build for whatever reason. An example of a
small building project would be a village, like Estelbar.
- Must consistently demonstrate maturity, an ability to follow our rules
meticulously, and generally have a good attitude.
- Minimum of 200 hours online. Do not be online hanging out idle please.
Estimated time scale, if you're very motivated: 2 months.
High Ephemeral Promotions: (to a Minor God)
- Same requirements as Ephemerals: Issues, regular help, complete another
small building project, or the equivalent, mature, responsible behavior,
etc.
- Minimum of 400 hours online as an immortal (cumulative, not just as an
Ephemeral). Generally we wouldn't consider someone to be ready after 400
hours, but it depends on the person.
- What we really want to see here is that you've committed yourself to
Lusternia and life as a useful immortal.
Estimated time scale, if you're very motivated: 2-3 months.
