Frequently Asked Questions

Disclaimer: Please accept the answers to these questions as absolutes and not as a challenge to find loopholes!

A lot of thought has been put into shaping this world into an RPG, and some limitations have to be set in order to make a written story work as functional gameplay. I am not willing to ignore canon worldbuilding and lore in order to make an RPG-concept work, nor will I spoil my story in order to explain the reasons behind specific limitations.

— Lilafly

Index

General

Why do you want us to take these questions as absolutes and not find loopholes?

While this might sound like a harsh disclaimer, the reasoning is in the storytelling itself. There are many plot points I need to keep secret to not spoil things, which also includes some magic mechanics, creature origins and of course general lore. Therefore, when a boundary of "you can't do that" is set, then that usually translates to "I have created extensive lore that I cannot spoil to you but trust me, there's a reason why I can't allow you to do this."

So when I, for example, say that you cannot have a dragon character and that Noveins are only possible to obtain through a certain event, then don't go ahead and create a winged chimera with a lizard as a base, which will essentially look like a dragon. Why is that not possible? I can't tell you because of spoilers!

This is as frustrating for me as it is to you, since I really hate to restrict creative freedom. However, I'm giving you a big pasture to sandbox in, so there's no need for you to try climbing the fence.

— Lilafly

Does that mean we are not allowed to create deviations from the rules?

No, that's not what this means. You are allowed to create characters that are oddballs in their faction, as long as you keep things logically sound and in-tune with the worldbuilding. Of course, you cannot let your character deviate too far from the required faction criteria since that would defeat the purpose.

Example: You want your Koruna character to not be religious? Alright, how would that come to be when they have grown up in a highly-religious society where religious influence is in the very currency, language (expressions), and everyday life? Maybe they're in a position where their line of work clashes with religious fundamentals so it hinders rather than helps them? Maybe they have grown resentful for not having been granted something they desperately prayed for once? Or maybe they have a friend or family member who grew up with different beliefs that made them question the Book of Prayer.

Instead of trying to find a way to defy the rule, be creative and work with it as much as you can.

So what exactly is restricted and what is open for sandboxing?

The vast majority of Mereldia is free for you to mold to your liking as long as you keep to the established rules. It's only once you start to move outside of these boundaries that clarification becomes necessary. But even then, a discussion with Lilafly about the matter is usually enough to find a viable solution and usually make the idea work. Seriously, don't be shy to ask! I love helping people with worldbuilding! —Lilafly

Full freedom

Establishments (hotels, shops, taverns, bath houses, etc.)
Settlements (villages everywhere except for Koruna and the wildlands)
Character designs in accordance to the approved features
Character writing in accoradance to established lore
Creating an own dish, song, folktale, etc.

Partial freedom

These things might require permission/clarification from Lilafly.

Character designs toeing on the line of the approved features
Character writing toeing on the line of established lore
Creating your own organisation/cult/etc.

Restricted

These things always require permission/clarification from Lilafly.

Currency & culture outside of established countries
Character designs outside of the approved features (includes rare & mythical)
Designing your own Mereldia-exclusive fantasy species
Inventing spells

Forbidden

These things are only to be created by Lilafly.

Royal families
Gods & religion (on a wide scale)
Mythical designs & species (unless you have a mythical character slot)
Artifical species originating from necromancy (i.e. velociraptors)
Palaces & castles

Question?

Answer

Revamp 2026

All these questions are about the changes made in the 2026 revamp and concern those that have been a member of the group before that point.

What happened to Gold Shards and Vend? Are my old trackers still valid?

Gold Shards became Stage Points and Vend became Coins. That means only the names for the in-game point and currency mechanics changed, not the value itself. You will be able to transfer over all your old GS and Vend one-to-one into SP and Coins.

Will I have to re-earn character slots for all of my characters?

No, all characters that have already been approved to the group retain their approved status. There is no need for you to re-apply for them.

I don't connect with an old character of mine anymore and want to retire them. Can I do this?

Yes, that is possible. All old characters that have previously been approved can be sent into retirement by either turning them into NPCs, gifting them to another person, or pulling them out of the group entirely. You will receive 50 Coins per character to make up for the character slot. The Coins can be assigned to another character of yours or be gifted to someone else.

Do characters age differently now?

Yes. Characters age in human years now.

The lore changed, so do I have to rewrite my character's backstory?

Yes, but only the parts that do not follow current lore anymore. Anything that would still be accepted under the new lore can stay the way it is.

I still have an unused character slot. Am I allowed to use it or is it invalid now?

All previously earned/purchased items are retained, including character slot items. So yes, you can still use your character slot.

What about the magic keys? Where did they go?

Since magic is now a default, there is no reason to purchase an item to unlock it. If you have previously purchased a magic key for your character, you will be refunded 25 Coins for it.

I'm not on deviantArt anymore. Is there another way to participate in group activities?

Yes. In fact, most activities take place on the discord and Fluxer servers these days, so you just need to join either one, or both, of them. The Proboards forum is also still available as a roleplaying platform.

I have a god character slot from donating to the group back in 2015, but now it's set as the Stage 15 reward for one character per person. Does that mean I already used that slot and cannot earn it anymore?

You are in a unique position where you have purchased a character slot with real money, and this will not be taken away from you. You are allowed to keep your god character (mythical character) slot that you already have and also will be able to earn the Stage 15 reward slot once you reach it. This makes you one of the few people who are allowed to own two mythical characters.

I want to revamp my old character from scratch. Is that allowed?

Yes, you can do that. This group revamp is a chance to completely revamp your character in whatever aspect you wish, consequences-free! You can even change their faction, as long as the faction you move them to fits them (e.g. the Heranor Family has certain restrictions and is therefore tricky to move to). You are also not allowed to move a Caspanas character outside of Derenta, as a rare character slot would be required for it. Other than that, you are free to change what you want.

Old art and literature may still be counted with Stage Points and Coins, but they do not have to if you'd rather start with a blank slate.

What is this "kindred" thing?

It is the new in-story system to distinguish between mortals and immortals on a power-scale level concerning magic. Most characters will be either rootkin (regular mortal) or chimera (pegasi, gryphons, raccardi, etc.), but any demon character will be demonkin, and any fae character will be faekin. Here is an easy conversion overview:

rootkin - any sentient mortal without additional physical features
chimera - any sentient mortal with additional and/or chimeric physical features
demonkin - anyone with demon traits (can stem from origin or curses)
faekin - anyone with fey traits (can stem from origin or Caspanas curse)

How do old character sheets count when I want to draw a new one for my character?

The SP and Coin value for a reference sheet only counts once per character, so if you want to draw a new one, the old art will be calculated like regular character art.

Why isn't the Verensa Herd mentioned anywhere?

I decided that an area the size of a county with thousands of inhabitants can hardly count as a herd, so I decided that it is only referred to by the land's name Derenta from now on. If I decide to give an area within Derenta the name "Verensa" to sort of keep it remains to be seen. Until I decide that, consider the name term "Verensa Herd" nonexistent.

Characters

How many characters are we allowed to have?

There is no limit to how many characters you can have overall. You have to purchase a character slot at the shop though, win it or get it gifted by an admin to be able to make another character.

What species is my character not allowed to be?

Humans, apes and monkeys do not exist in Mereldia, so your character can't be any of those. Also insects and spiders are not available as a sentient species, as well as any creatures that physically do not have brains, like jellyfish.

Small creatures like amphibians (frogs, newts, etc.) or very small mammals (mice, bats, etc.) are difficult to roleplay in places where most characters are at least the size of a mink and at most the size of a moose, so we strongly discourage the use of such species.

Rule of thumb: If your character is too small to even handle a coin purse, they won't be able to live independently in a city.

What is an NPC?

NPC stands for "Non Playable Character" and it describes a kind of character that cannot be played alone.

For example, if your character lives together with a sister, then this sister might appear at your character's side in stories, roleplays, etc. This sister would be an NPC. As such, she wouldn't be able to earn SP or Coins for herself, and anything earned through art/writing of her would go to the character she is connected to. You can also not fill out memes with an NPC.

You are allowed to convert an NPC into a playable character by using a character slot for them.

Can my character be a dragon?

No. Dragons are a special species in Mereldia that is both too powerful, secluded and rare to be suitable as a roleplay character. The closest thing you can get are large reptiles like komodo dragons.

How can my character get a Novein? (small dragon-looking sentient creature)

Noveins are available each year at the egg hunt event, which is a group roleplay taking place around Easter time, that ends with your character receiving a mysterious egg as a price. This egg is an in-game item that your character will need to hatch. There is no guarantee that a Novein will hatch from it, the chance of that happening is decided at random by admins by dice throws. But the more often you participate, the higher your chances will become.

Am I allowed to change my character's design?

Small design changes, like a simplification of markings or a slight colour hue change, are no problem at all. However, if you want to change your character's design completely to the point where they wouldn't be recognisable anymore, you would need to purchase a high-level glamour from the shop.

What accessoires are we allowed to start out with?

That completely depends on your character's social and financial status. Your character would own what they can afford. The minimum would be a bag and maybe a few earrings (material also depends on what they can afford). If they're rich, you can deck them out in whatever fancy things you wish.

Enchantments on starter items that your character is not able to canonically do themselves are off-limits! They need to be purchased from the item shop later on.

If your character is from Derenta and requires an item to put a strong glamour spell on, then those will be loaned to them from the Storage facility. They are not personally owned items! Exceptions are permanent installments like earrings and other piercings.

My character has [insert feature here], can they be [insert kindred here]?

A chart with design features for each kindred can be found here. Please keep in mind that rare and mythical are off-limit design characteristics unless you have a rare or mythical character slot.

Why do our characters have to hold certain values when they're in certain factions?

The short answer is cultural differences. An upbringing in a certain cultural envrionment will mean assimilation into that culture. It doesn't necessarily mean that free thinking or personal opinions are restricted, but it means knowing that certain opinions are better kept to themselves if they exist. And how would these opinions form? If you're brought up regarding something as normal, what would change your worldview to suddenly regard it as weird and thus oppose it?

Lore

Why are humans, apes and monkeys non-existent in Mereldia?

The First Folk (humans) drove themselves to extinction and almost destroyed Mereldia as a whole in the first big War of Magic, dozens of millenia ago. The Tuatha Dé Danann took measurements to ensure that this tragedy would never happen again by erasing every single trace of the human form from Mereldia. They also cut Tír na nÓg off from Mereldia by felling the world tree, thus cutting off new magic flow from it and making sure such a catastrophe would not spread to the Otherworld.

Question?

Answer