Behind the Scenes 2: From the Desk of the Keeper ColdFlare

SuiMei's previous post succinctly sums up the tedious process by which the three Keeper Immortals (that is, myself, Qi Xun Jue, and Sui Mei) and the Administering Immortal and GM (which is GM Asche and the Immortal Zhuan Xu) plough through an event from its conceptualization down to the implementation itself. For today I'll share you some stuff from my own writing desk.

My tasks as a Keeper involve compiling the event stories that we altogether create, revise, and present to the other Immortals. But a Keeper's task doesn't just revolve around event-making and stuff. We also take care of the Perfect World Story, which means that we are responsible for putting flavor and adding spice to the story of the game. You see, canon documents such as this do not have endings revealed. It will depend entirely on how the players build the game for the storyline to be completed, and events aid a little in piecing together the fragments of storyline we make.

Often, my works are always linked somehow with the initial storyline that the Perfect World has (this storyline I refer to is the theatrical play you might have witnessed during the PW Consumer Launch at Megatrade Hall). From there the Keepers take off, and you could note that the stories of the Immortals were all derived from that initial point. Imagination takes over from there and we conceptualize on what an Immortal's personality and past life would fit best.

Now you might notice that several new Immortals have graced the Perfect World. Their storylines, which we are still grilling over and over, are in turn dependent on what we currently have as storyline, which now involves the more senior Immortals, so once we have them up you might notice familiar names already.

Story-building in Perfect World is an everlasting sequence of building upon existing ideas, stories, and documents. The more we write stuff, the more stories we can spawn from these foundations. Maybe if you were to become Keepers like us, you could experience this too!

But of course, even as ordinary Path-seekers, ideas and thoughts are always well-appreciated. Back to my writing desk then, Keep yourselves posted!

Behind the Scenes: The Event-Writing Process

You're probably wondering why there was a huge gap between this post and the last one (one of the last entries for the Immortal Diaries series). Well, for the past few days we were throwing around ideas for events, like the one earlier.

Why does it take days, you may ask, for an event that barely lasted more than a day? Event-planning is a pretty tricky business. You need to know what would click, what's not allowed/possible in-game, and all other sorts of what-ifs. Then you'd have the story writing process itself.

How do we write stories? It's basically a group effort. Either we start from scratch with a really crazy idea (Sana pwede ganito...) or something inspired by real life events (like Chinesse Festivals and mooncakes). Then the draft is written and is passed around through email to the Keepers and the GMs or posted on our messageboards, where it would be edited. This is the long, tedious part, since we don't only look out for grammatical errors. We also try to shoot the story down, trying to poke holes in the plot (like in the case of Qi Xun Jue's story where we had a debate over the social classes and what they consider the legal age of the Wingkin).

At most the editing process will take a couple of days, and once everything's been finalized, it will be sent back to the GM team for approval. Once the story and the mex are approved, a date will be set for the event, and announcements will be posted a few days before the day of the event itself.

So I hope you'd stick around--there will be more events coming up in the near future, and we hope you'd help us make it a success.

The Immortal Diaries: Part Six

I sit here in the pagoda of our gardens, preparing for another story of an Immortal that has been with us since the beginning. Although he did not start off as an Immortal outright, one may consider that he has foreseen the instance of his Immortality.

Readers, I commend to your attention today, the Immortal Keeper QiXunJue.

QiXunJue, the Immortal of the Immeasurable Time

Born without sight, QiXunJue was born in the lowest class of Nanke Village. Even though his parents had enough Yuan to send him to school, they did not; they were afraid that people might make fun of him and lead him into dangerous circumstances. His hearing and his touch compensated for his lack of sight, though—in later years legends would tell about his ability to hear the clashing of swords in towns miles away. And his disability did not stop him from learning. One day, as he was walking home and with only his touch and hearing as his guide, he heard a class conducted in the one-room schoolhouse nearby and began listening to it. Soon it became a daily ritual—sitting at the doorstep for at least a part of the class on the way home from whatever errand it may be. Quickly he learned all the lessons of the teacher and memorized them easily.

This didn’t go unnoticed by the teacher, who noticed the young boy sitting at the doorstep every session. Seeing the young boy’s enthusiasm for knowledge, he gave extra lessons to QiXunJue for free. However, on his 18^th summer, tragedy struck. Both his parents died when the Village was ambushed by the Soulless. His teacher then adopted him, raised him and included him in his class lectures. QiXunJue would then always come out as top of his class. At 21, he finally earned the right to be called a Yu Ling.

One night, he began to have dreams. Being ignorant and not really knowing whether these dreams meant anything, he pushed them deep into his subconscious. He never really gave them much attention because after all, he was blind and cannot see. These dreams, he thought, weren’t visions because visions of the future were only for those who have eyes.

Great news arrived one day when his teacher came home, bringing a bottle to the hands of QiXunJue. In this hand, he said, was the potion that restores eyesight. This struck the young Yu Ling for these words had been part of his dream, a part of his vision. As he took the potion, events he never saw unraveled in front of his blurry vision.

He then knew what he will see next.

It was his teacher, lying down beside him. Though heavily wounded, the old man carried a huge smile on his face. He chuckled a bit and said to his student, “Finally you can see,”. In vain, the young Yu Ling tried to heal him and resurrect him, but failed for the teacher was fatally wounded by the Soulless who, again, attacked the town.

QiXunJue then devoted the rest of his time enhancing his gift of prophecy. His gift was a rare kind for not too many can possess it and not one, save QiXunJue, succeeded in maintaining it. He was the first to see visions more clearly and can warn villages of the impending Soulless invasions. There were many attempts on his life but his gift of vision has helped him thwart it all.

At the age of 101, QiXunJue was still a well-known prophet. However, he knew that soon his time to leave the mortal body will come, and with this the last vision was revealed. This was his last vision: the Path to Immortality.

~~~

That closes the book on the first six Immortals to grace the Perfect Land. Starting tomorrow, we shall try to attempt to share the origins of the new Immortals that have attained the same path we are traversing now :)

The Immortal Diaries: Part Five

The Path to Immortality was never meant to be easy. Along the Path, pain will be your constant companion; sacrifice the only solution. And among our stories, happy endings are rare, for the river of Time never ceases to flow for those whose days never end.

Here, then, is ColdFlare's story; one of the darkest among our pasts.

ColdFlare, the Immortal of the Merciless Steel

No one knows of his real identity save for that name – ColdFlare. Born in the midst of strife after the demise of the great Emperor ZhuanXu, ColdFlare learned to handle the sword at the tender age of six, having to learn the craft to defend himself after being abandoned by his parents. This was a time of war; everyday literally becoming a dance with death, the citizens of the once peaceful empire now living in fear and chaos. The fighting grew so bad that on certain occasions, the air smelled of rotting corpses and burial grounds grew scarce.

When ColdFlare was drafted as a soldier for the war, he was given special education by a master Fa Shi in the way of handling the elements. There he learned to integrate the power of magic in his sword and thus established the use of the Magic Sword in combat, giving him an extra advantage against his enemies. With his newfound abilities he charged into the battlefield, slaying countless demons and enemy soldiers mercilessly. Later on he became known as the Merciless Steel Mage.

But on one campaign, ColdFlare met his match – a soldier with equal cunning and abilities as he is, but with the dark aura of the Soulless surrounding him. He fought with the best of all the abilities he had learned, fought with so much skill and power that his fellow comrades were in awe for they were the only ones left fighting after the rest had been slain. The two fought with all their might, but the Soulless got ColdFlare first, with a fatal thrust to the chest.

Left for dead by his scared comrades, who all took off when the Soulless soldier lunged for them, ColdFlare, with his dying breath, drew several symbols on his arm with his blood. He then called out to the Ten-Veiled King of the Underworld, offering his soul to his servitude. Black flames then engulfed ColdFlare’s body and he disappeared in an instant.

Taken in by the Ten-Veiled King, ColdFlare was subjected to a tedious cultivation path, almost tearing apart both his soul and emotions in sheer frustration. He emerged several years later as an Immortal, with a black blindfold over his eyes, seeking the Soulless that had cost him his mortal life.

The Immortal Diaries: Part Four

A pleasant morning to everyone! Thank you to SuiMei for handling this weekend's portion of the Diaries :)

Since it would appear too indecent for myself to be posting my own origins, I would just in turn, place the intricate storyline of the Senior Editor of the Keeper Immortals for the fourth edition of the Immortal Diaries. Path-seekers, I commend to your attention, Lady SuiMei's story herself.

SuiMei, the Immortal of the Pristine Woods

Considered the youngest among the Immortals, SuiMei was named after the delicate white flowers blooming near the glade where she was found the son of one of the leaders of one of the great clans allied with the great General Xia. Being but a child then, the beastly features of a Yao Jing still had not manifested themselves--at first glance she looked human, except for her eyes, which had tints of yellow common only to those of the beast. The clan who took her in disregarded it, however, and attributed it only to just a quirk. So she grew up in the grand house of the clan, surrounded by all the comforts humans regard necessary.

But the beast within can never be silenced, and on her tenth year in the house, the first signs appeared. Her ears slowly morphed to that of a fox, and sometimes in the dead of the night she would be found unconscious in the courtyard, half-covered in fox fur. Soon the clan council noticed the changes and summoned her to appear before the council.

Since her foster father was now head of the council, having assumed leadership after the death of his father, he persuaded the council to let SuiMei stay, and hopefully still be treated as an equal. But behind his back, however, they discriminated against SuiMei, especially the Fragrant Masters who were jealous of her new powers.

Deciding she had enough, on the last night of a full moon she headed out from the city of humans, hoping to reach the city of beasts to find any clue to her past and lineage. But at her crossing of Dragon Valley, her path was blocked by a veiled man, his Soulless being poorly masked by the mortal body that he controlled. He challenged SuiMei to a duel of words, and only if she won can she continue her journey.

And so they started, shooting terms at each other like the fire-arrows of the Wingkin. It was only after the third day that the Soulless was silenced, and let her pass to the city of beasts, but not after revealing that her Soul was slowly being eaten away as a result of the duel. Only by seeking the other Soulless shall her soul be truly redeemed.

This led her to journey to the corners of the World, to seek redemption for her soul. And on these journeys she found the Path to Immortality.

~~~

There's still several Immortals that have their origins surrounded with mystery. Until tomorrow then :D

The Immortal Diaries: Part Three

Since my fellow Keeper ColdFlare is out over the weekend, I am posting the third part of the Immortal Diaries instead. I'm sure you, dear readers, don't want to wait any longer.

The third part of the Immortal Diaries revolves around the life of ZhuRong, the fieriest of all Immortals, whether in matters of business or, well, love. So read on and get to know the Immortal of the Sacred Flame.


ZhuRong, the Immortal of the Sacred Flame

ZhuRong was originally one of the gods of the Celestial Monarch of the Heavens that assisted in keeping the Heavens and the Earth apart from one another. He held his post at the Vault of the Heavens and helped banish or tame Banes as well, using the Sacred Flame entrusted to him by the Celestial Monarch.

As he was meditating, his visions chanced him to peer into the realm below and in his vision he saw a woman of extreme beauty, seated amongst the flowers like a goddess that has been trapped in a mortal’s body. In an instant his heart was struck with love and conceived thoughts on how he could reach out to her. Going in his form as a god was definitely out of the question and as such he concluded that he would visit her every evening in the guise of a mortal form.

Every evening then ZhuRong paid a visit to the lovely woman and offered her gifts that he took from his own treasury from the heavens, intending to impress the lady to the fullest. From enchanted jewelry made out of white jade to the finest yellow silk, he offered everything save for the items that could grant Immortality. The lady, impressed at his character and standing, also fell in love but alas, she was already engaged to another nobleman.

One evening, as he was hurrying back to the heavens, he met the nobleman to whom the lady was already engaged to and threatened him to leave the woman alone. ZhuRong resisted and several nights later he was ambushed outside the lady’s residence and was left for dead. It was fortunate for him that another god had learned of his nightly secret activities and kept a close watch on him, also saving him from certain death by transmuting some of ZhuRong’s divine powers to keep his mortal body alive.

When he had sufficiently recovered, ZhuRong was brought to the judgement of the Celestial Monarch of the Heavens, on the counts of being in direct contact with the mortals and risking corruption of his divine self with the mixed auras of the Yin and the Yang for his own selfish desires. As punishment for his actions, his status as a god was removed and he was placed in a much lower stature, serving as an Immortal.

Thus ZhuRong lived by the punishment of the Celestial Monarch, who only gave his word that the punishment would be lifted if he manages to endure the tough cultivation of an Immortal and help save the land from the ravages of the Soulless.

The Immortal Diaries: Part Two

And a fine morning yet again! I am taking some time off the Message Boards just to make this entry in our Gardens. I see a lot of people had followed the story of Antares and has been enlightened as to his life before he became an Immortal.

Well, then, for the second part of the Immortal Diaries, allow me to present the earlier life of the highest Immortal among our ranks, the noble Immortal ZhuanXu, head of the Perfect World Immortals.

It starts thus:

ZhuanXu, the Immortal of the Calm Moon

Descending from a pure and delicate line of royalty, ZhuanXu was the grandson of the great emperor well beyond the time of the quarreling nations and of General Kuan and Jade-Eyed Zhao’s war. This was a time when there was still peace and prosperity in the land, way before the burning brightness even annihilated the presence of the gods and demons.

Trained by the best scholars and the most talented pharmacists, ZhuanXu became a well-renowned healer and teacher in the empire, even opening the doors of the palace for those who wished to learn from his teachings and to those who seek his skills in curing illnesses or formulating medicinal potions. Truly his benevolence and wisdom was well appreciated until the time he ascended to the throne as Emperor and became renowned as a godly monarch. The time of his reign was believed to be one of the Golden Ages of the empire; a time where the arts of healing reached their peak.

For seventy-eight years he served the empire until his death at a hundred years old. It was said in several historical books that his death marked the start of the unrest that sparked the conflict between General Kuan and the Jade-Eyed Zhao. However, upon ZhuanXu’s death, his soul was taken in by the Celestial Monarch of the Heavens, after the passing of the burning brightness, and asked him to bring forth the legacy of the Immortals as well with his wisdom and skill.

~~~

Two down, and yet more to go. I hope you all stay tuned ^_^

The Immortal Diaries: Part One

Good Morning to everyone! This is ColdFlare greeting you all once again!

We have been with the community for quite some time already but not many have known how our identities came into being, why we act in differing moods ingame and in the Message Boards, and what our life was like before we started on the Path to Immortality. Allow me, then, and my fellow Immortals, to enlighten you all on this series of posts that we will dub as The Immortal Diaries.

Our Immortal to introduce for today is none other than the charismatic Immortal Antares. He has gained quite a lot of followers in the game and pretty soon I am sure he is bound to have a fans club put up just for him!

As it is, here we are:

Antares, the Immortal of the Tranquil Waters

Antares was a fisherman living a quiet life in Square Village. His passion had been for fishing and uses his knowledge of the element of Water as a Fa Shih to catch fish without harming them. Not that he wanted to cook it, but it was his dream to find the rumored legendary golden fish that was said to be living in the waters beside Desolate Mountain.

One day, as he was fishing, the waters around his fishing line glowed bright yellow. Shaken from his trance, he kept a firm grip on his fishing pole and stared at the light emanating from the waters. As he did, the waters burst; the stream of golden light flooding the lake area half-blinding him.

When Antares had the courage to open his eyes, he was astonished – the droplets of water that splashed have mysteriously stopped in mid-air, like as if they had been frozen. As he looked around, the playful waters of the lake have lost movement and the grass had stopped swaying. It was like the flow of time had stopped. Then his gaze turned to the source of the golden light, and his jaw literally dropped at what he saw.

An immaculate woman hovered above the time-stopped waters, with beauty beyond words. With hair like the sun and eyes of the stars, she smiled back at Antares. She then told him that she had seen his efforts to find the fabled golden fish of the lake for a very long time, and she revealed that it was she who is the golden fish, protecting the purity and tranquility of the lake. Antares was stricken dumb. It was her...it was her that he had searched for all his life.

Since then, every morning as Antares' tackle sank into the clear waters, she would come. And the two have always spoken, meeting at every possible moment, their relationship slowly blooming into love.

It was, however, broken up when Soulless demons descended from the harsh regions of the Desolate Mountain and defiled the pure waters of the lake. Within an instant the clear waters went murky. Fish that were moments ago were swimming in the depths floated to the surface, and even the wildflowers on the riverbank withered away. Overcome by his concern for the lake and his love, Antares rushed to the lakeside with several villagers to stop the Soulless, but only to find out that the demons had fled.

As the villagers scattered to look for them, Antares saw a woman lying unconscious on the lakeshore. It was his love, the goddess that guarded the Revenant Water Lake. Her once golden hair was dulled, her eyes bereft of the spark that had once played within. In her dying breath she spoke that they will meet again, before she faded into golden wisps of light that struck the lake and slightly alleviated its dreadful condition.

Fueled by the desire to meet his love once again and to avenge the defilement of the lake, Antares left his quiet life for one of adventure, hunting the Soulless. It was on his journeys that he discovered the Way of the Immortals, and little did he know that it was a destiny preordained--for it was Pangu’s will that spawned the goddess of the lake and called him to the Path to Immortality.

~~~

That's it for today. Tomorrow another of our fellow Immortals will be introduced!

Patches of Patience: Part Two

ColdFlare's Version: The Item Mall's Misfortunes

I place this entry upon request since this IS a widespread cry of anguish that has gripped the whole of Perfect World, rendering players screaming their hearts out in the Message Boards and ever-continuing to give us things to worry and follow up about from time to time.

We are all aware that Perfect World is a Free-to-Play game, that is to say, it doesn't require players to purchase game time just to be able to play. They can log in whenever they want, wherever they want, without fear of not gaining access to the server because of an inability to purchase game time. Lately the trend of all games follow that framework, and PW is no exception to this. Consequently, though, these games make use of "premium service" systems and methods such as employing the feature of an Item Mall or Privileges that one could only avail of by means of loading up game credits instead of game time and using those credits as "currency" to gain access to these premium features.

Of course, PW has an Item Mall to complement the F2P Framework, and many players, even as early as its tender Closed Beta days, had all liked - no, that is an understatement, perhaps loved - the items stocked in the Item Mall. It offered things from Fashion Equipments, Amulets, Hierograms, Premium-grade Mounts, and various other things that can enhance the gaming experience.

Open Beta came, however, and the Item Mall was temporarily taken down of some items following technical issues regarding the use of a new, better-translated client, and to signify the start of PW as well, having only few items and adding more as the game progresses. However, the general feedback seemed to be that players liked the old stock of the item mall and while they bought items there to sustain their needs, eventually it had to cease, especially when the items said were no longer providing any good use for them, or is being consumed in a flash.

Unable to vent their frustrations ingame due to the ever-active Wardens, they turned to the boards, giving us problems in turn. SuiMei has already placed her views regarding ranting in the Message Boards, and I will share her side in this - ranting is allowed for as long as it is constructive and civil enough to be called. Many even flame us in turn for snapping up at some points, but what are we to do? We can't just let these kinds of things go astray lest people would abuse our leniency.

The Item Mall's stock slowly gets new items from time to time, as signified by the previous update, although players are still complaining that some items are overpriced and some much awaited others are still hanging somewhere, unavailable for them to purchase and use. There are reasons for such delays and pricings, and everyone should understand that. Speculation on such matters is decent for as long as the train of reasoning is valid and orderly.

If the former Moderator Horonaim of the Perfect World Message Boards put up the cliche "Gamers need to Read", then we'd probably put up a counterpart: "Gamers need to Wait". I know the word is so severe an indictment and has an indefinite duration, but eventually it will come, just be patient and enjoy the game.

Back to my work for me. I still have an event story to peruse.