Just How Dangerous...

[jcljules]

My character is thinking of making a journey from one city to the other. If I have a mount, food and water, how dangerous IS this journey?

[Yam]

This is more of a question to ask in character.

I think help travel is about all you can get without asking someone in your character's city.

[titansfan]

Basically like walking through Oakland with a Denver Broncos shirt on........:p

[Fathi]

As much as people hate it, this really is a "find out IC" question.

If you've never been outside a city's walls, the best way to find out what's out there is to ask someone who's been.

Better yet, turn it into an opportunity for RP: instead of just asking questions, see if you can find a guide or a scout. Maybe see if you can find a group who's planning on heading to your destination for their own reasons, then see if you can tag along. I know the Byn, the Great Merchant Houses, and a few independent groups have parties traveling between locations on pretty much a weekly basis.

It's common wisdom, I'd think, that traveling the Known World alone is a surefire way to death for all but the most seasoned and capable. There are dangerous animals, roving bands of raiders, magickers, and the ever-present background threats of starvation and dehydration to contend with, and regardless of how codedly "dangerous" you find the journey to be in the end, keep in mind that desert travel should never be ICly treated as a risk-free walk in the park.

[titansfan]

I didn't give too much away, atleast i don't think so.....

[NoteworthyFellow]

Your character would assume that any trip outside a city's walls could end in death.  Easily.  Only the most seasoned or stupid should leave without fear.

Other than that, uh... I guess you'll have to find out for yourself, unfortunately.

[jcljules]

Ok I kinda get the message... What I THINK you are hinting at is that IC its supposed to be extremely dangerous, but OOC its not that dangerous unless you leave the road--in which case you are dead meat.

No need to comment--I know it would be unfair for me to expect you to divulge IC things.

[manonfire]

Go with a group, hombre. Strength in numbers.

[JustAnotherGuy]

Ok I kinda get the message... What I THINK you are hinting at is that IC its supposed to be extremely dangerous, but OOC its not that dangerous unless you leave the road--in which case you are dead meat.

No need to comment--I know it would be unfair for me to expect you to divulge IC things.

Assume nothing.  It's common knowledge that outside the walls...  It's not safe.  Though this is Zalanthas, no where is safe.

[Maso]

You can be fooled. 

[Maybe42or54]

If you were born and raised in the city. Here are some things you would know:
Your King protects you from the evils of the wastes. The wastes are where the sorcerers, defilers, and mind benders(If any of these are even real) play. Calm magickers in the city, are out to tie you down in the middle of the desert, skin you, then sacrifice you to their god, or eat your intestines while you are alive to watch it.
Anything and everything you see outside the gate has a chance to kill you.
Raiders love the road. Mean Creatures love.. not the road.
The Bynn will escort you for a fee.
If you run out of water. You are most likely going to die.

[Angela Christine]

Ok I kinda get the message... What I THINK you are hinting at is that IC its supposed to be extremely dangerous, but OOC its not that dangerous unless you leave the road--in which case you are dead meat.

No need to comment--I know it would be unfair for me to expect you to divulge IC things.

Actually, in some places the roads can be more dangerous than the wastes.  Things set up ambushes in the roads.

There are no routes that are total milk runs.  Even if a particular route is normally fairly safe, someone may have encountered a fearsome beastie and run away, with the beastie hot on their heels.  Most dangerous creatures/NPCs are perfectly willing to cross zone boundaries if they are chasing something, so you can find a dangerous thing far away from its normal habitat.  

Even experienced hunters and travellers may be killed taking a trip they've taken dozens of times before.  



In short:  Never assume you are safe.  Assume anything you can see may be dangerous.  If you don't see anything, assume that there are hidden dangerous things just waiting to jump out at you.  Cross-country travel is possible, even as a loner, but it is a very dangerous proposition.

[Lizzie]

Ok I kinda get the message... What I THINK you are hinting at is that IC its supposed to be extremely dangerous, but OOC its not that dangerous unless you leave the road--in which case you are dead meat.

No need to comment--I know it would be unfair for me to expect you to divulge IC things.

OOCly, the coded danger exists. Whether it exists at this very particular moment (9:14 EST) I don't know, because I'm not in the game, riding the road, at this very particular moment.

However some OOCly IC things you, the player would know (not things your character would know, though he might know this too!):

1. There are often storms outside the cities that aren't experienced inside the cities.

ii.  There are aggro mobs that sometimes wander close to, or onto, the road.

c.  There are PC raiders that sometimes wander close to, or onto, the road.

four.  There are times when you might need to veer from the road (running from any of the above), and end up lost. With limited amounts of water and food. Just that, by itself, makes it a risk.

25/5.  Your mount might run out of steam before you reach your destination and you end up stuck outside, a sitting target for anything that happens to come by.

green. Magickers are scary, and aren't only living in Allanak with gems to identify them.

Teh end.

[jcljules]

Thanks! 

[Yam]

SIR YOU ARE NOT WELCOME

[jcljules]

I'm just glad I know whats out there--I'm still going to act in an IC way.

[brytta.leofa]

It's worth noting that you really do need to ask about in-character to get the latest news.  What somebody knows of road conditions from a character played, say, four months ago might not be true today.

The staff adjust NPCs to reflect what's happening in game, and the population of Dangerous PCs fluctuates as well.  The only way to know about that stuff is to talk to someone who is traveling regularly.

[mansa]

Go with a group, hombre. Strength in numbers.

Hire a guide!

[jcljules]

Good idea, but I've asked around and haven't found one.

[Tisiphone]

Good idea, but I've asked around and haven't found one.

Offer 'sid, or opportunity, or opportunity for 'sid.

[Shiroi Tsuki]

Dying on a journey is part of the fun.

... really.  I mean, dying anywhere is part of the fun, but death-en-route has always been something I've wanted but never had the chance to experience 

Anyone want to raid my next character?

[Aruven]

I wouldn't say this is totally IC, unless your looking for specifics. It's well known that your life is already on the line upon setting foot out of your respective city. People make livings being hunters outside because others don't care to risk their lives going outside a city's walls and putting their own neck on the line.

And when you say city to city, its pretty obvious your going a long way, as there's only two cities you can be talking of. That said, your going to be experiencing a large portion of the known world, road or not, so just keep that in mind.

[jcljules]

I think dying at the hands of a PC would definitely be part of the fun--an NPC I'm not SO sure about unless it was IMM animated. But there is a risk of either one, and its not like I can choose!

[Majikal]

help_animals might be useful to get an ideal of the types of mean things in Zalanthas wanting to gobble you up.

Help_pc might be useful to get an idea of the types of mean things in Zalanthas wanting to gobble you up.