Starting Locations

[Blitz]

TL;DR: When selecting a starting location, I anticipated being a passer-by, but instead became a citizen. The rest of this post is a very wordy version of why this citizenship came as a surprise to me, and the roleplay repercussions this may have.

Dear all,

I've unchained a (mostly) civil discussion on OOC the other day by expressing my surprise regarding the impact of a character's starting location. Before cutting to the chase, a short version of Blitz' background. (Skip the next paragraph if you don't care much for context!)

My character is a gigan, born and raised in Sirak Drauth. A compelling sensation (which he nowadays attributes to the gaea calling out to him) caused him to move east out of his homeland, leading him through Faedh Vil, where he got in touch with Dwaedn Wyr and the Tse Gaiyan. He learned about druidry, resen, taint and more, and concluded furthering these studies would be imperative to understand the geas gaea called to him for. He continued his journey southbound, into the Lost Lands. Having set up camp in the Corvus Outpost for the time being, he studies the dangers gaea faces in the outpost itself, and the nearby remains of Dusklamp. Future plans include re-establishing contact with local representatives of the Dwaedn Wyr and the Tse Gaiyan, and speaking with members of the Rook Parlour about their views regarding the gaea and its threats. Besides that, he's looking to join an expedition into Tarueka for the purpose of his research, and he intends to discover what exactly the gaea wants or needs him for.

What confused me, is that by choosing to start my journey in the Corvus Outpost, I joined it as a citizen. I might have read over the bit where this consequence of my choice of starting location was explained, in which case I apologize for raising this issue. Nonetheless, citizenship came as a surprise to me, and has reasonable repercussions on my character.

For example, I'm denied entry into Shadgard because of my affiliation with the outpost, I think I got on Serafina's bad side, and devout members of the Church of Light don't want anything to do with me. I get the impression I've had "evil", or at the very least "zombie lover" stamped on my forehead, solely because of the point in my character's life where his history ended and his PC time began -- even though I had expected (erroneously?) my starting location would be just that: one of many waypoints on my character's journey from Sirak Drauth to understanding and completing gaea's geas.

Was I silly for expecting not to be a citizen of my starting location? Is there a way to remedy my current predicament? Does any of the above even make sense? Feedback would be most appreciated. Solutions even more so.

EDIT: I just noticed I posted this in General Announcements, instead of General Discussion. Mea culpa... Could a moderator perhaps move this thread, please?

[Rias]

From the tutorial:

[Crossroads of Life] (OOC)
You find yourself standing in gray swirling mists of unnatural fog. To the west you see a dark outpost, and to the east a small frontier mining town and to the north a quiet fog-shrouded town built on a lake platform. You should choose wisely the path you take, for there is no turning back once you make your choice and enter a portal. You may choose a direction to learn more about your options in life, and going through the portal will make your decision permanent.
There is a cloud of fog here. The area is completely silent.
Obvious exits: west, north, east.

[The Corvus Outpost] (OOC)
Originally a fortress for a particularly powerful warlock infamous for a lack of sense of morality and ethics, many individuals of a like mind now call the Corvus Outpost their home. Sorcerers and necromancers in particular seek out the Outpost, and as a result the place is swarming with nethrim and demons. Citizens of this controversial outpost may find themselves shunned or even targeted by others in the Lost Lands who despise their twisted ways and lack of concern for the lives of others. Go through the crimson portal if you wish to cast your lot with the Corvus Outpost. (The Corvus Outpost would be a good choice for characters who wish to portray themselves as "evil", or lacking in conscience or morality. Examples would be an evil sorcerer, a ruthless bloodthirsty mercenary, a cold assassin, or a murderous thief.)
The area is completely silent.
Obvious exits: east.

True, nothing here specifically says "you will be considered affiliated with whichever place you start in" but there is a good bit about the permanence and finality of your decision there, and the Corvus Outpost one specifically says you'll be casting your lot with them if you got through the portal.

Regarding the Corvus Outpost, it's not a place where anyone can stop by and take a breather on their journey. They're very selective of who they allow in. If you're not with them, you're against them. Consequently, if you find yourself into their good graces, the factions the Corvus Outpost has gone out of its way to oppose and harm on multiple occasions (Shadgard, the Church of Light (completely separate factions from one another, mind)) are going to consider you having thrown your lot in with the Outpost, and you are now a threat.

Sorry for the trouble and confusion you've experienced, but these systems are all intentional. We promote the faction system and the resulting conflicts to keep things interesting and give people supported options for conflict. We generally don't allow anyone to be the ultimate neutral diplomat and peaceful with every faction.

[Blitz]

[quote=Rias]
From the tutorial: ... Go through the crimson portal if you wish to cast your lot with the Corvus Outpost.
[/quote]

Well there you have it... The 16 words which would've prevented a lot of rambling, had I been more focused. =P

[quote=Blitz]
I might have read over the bit where this consequence of my choice of starting location was explained, in which case I apologize for raising this issue.
[/quote]

However,

[quote=Rias]
True, nothing here specifically says "you will be considered affiliated with whichever place you start in" ...
[/quote]

May I be so bold as to suggest the above be rectified, to prevent future confusion? I can probably play my way around this by claiming (regardless of whether or not I'm believed) I'm not a citizen when a templar's about to shieldcharge me, or a monk refuses to treat my wounds, but it would've been nicer to know what I was getting myself into beforehand. =P

[Rias]

You'll probably be surprised how many monks and templar are more than willing to be civil with, and even assist, members of the Outpost, as long as said Outpostian hasn't gone out of their way to be horrible and offensive and oppositional. In my experience it's usually the Corvites who lash out at Shadgardians and Church members with extreme zeal and prejudice, following a certain warlock's example.

Your mileage may vary, naturally. Just sharing an observation.

[Jaster]

Heathens

[Makkah]

Is there a way to offer an "other" location to start? Just dumps you into the wilderness for characters that truly want zero mechanical affiliation with any faction? I guess Mistral would effectively do the same thing... still might be nice to offer.

[Blitz]

Is there a way to offer an "other" location to start? Just dumps you into the wilderness for characters that truly want zero mechanical affiliation with any faction? I guess Mistral would effectively do the same thing... still might be nice to offer.

This would've been very sensible for my own character, and I suspect many others as well.

[Rias]

For now, you can just choose to start in either Shadgard or Mistral. Choosing a starting town doesn't make you affiliated with that town, it just starts you out there. Corvus was a little different with their "you're either with us or against us" mentality, but it's not a starting option anymore.

A wilderness start option would require a slightly different starting setup. Maybe start you with no riln, a knife, and some extra firestones and trail food.