The Legend

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In The Beginning: Tales of Lok-ri and his Heirs

An Adaptation, Originally by Hoth Lok-ri

"It was said that she gave birth to the world and that she went insane over the love and loss of her creations. She no longer spoke nor cared but she could often be found by the sea."

"It was also said that he too was father to the world but having never conceived life he cared little for it, or her."

"One day their arose a storm, and from the froth of the storm surge he arouse, and took her. It was no lovers sweet embrace and from that moment as the seas crashed on them she felt a new being come into existence."

"She swam often and thought of this new creation. Intermixed with her pain and loss a spark of life grew within her. Interwoven with her thoughts of death, destruction and suffering a new mind was learning, absorbing all that was her knowledge through the countless eons."

"Then as is often the case in this windswept land came another storm to the seacoast on the seas of fate. And in the eye of that raging fury she cried out with the anguish of the ages and into the sea was born he fully formed, fully sentient, fully aware of who he was and what he might be in this young world of twilight and storm. Tall he was and well built, athletic and spry he took to the waters as a fish, and to the land as a lion. His light olive skin glistened in the sea and was the color of the sea foam itself. His eyes young to this world, but old in spirit and knowledge of the ways of it … and other worlds gazed out into the blue blackness of the turbulent ocean as his hair blown with the motion of the sea itself. He glanced but once back at his mother but she had already retreated into her minds eye of pain and suffering, oblivious now of his existence as the angry seas crashed onto her and washed away any sign of his coming."

"He then turned back to his true mother, the sea itself, the sea that would embraced him and take care of him as no other ever would ... The one place he would find solace ... He would model his life after her ... As the Sea."

"And that little ones is the story of how he came to be the first of his kind, our forefather, Lok-ri"
...the old Lok-ri lay his head in his arms and seemed to fall asleep. The young maids smiled at the story and the story teller. After setting the fire for the night they also rested their eyes and thought about their long ago past and he who was Lok-ri.
...As the Sea!

The Fact

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House Lok-ri began in July of 2000 as merely a vision. Since then it has become a gaming guild to outsiders and a virtual family to the insiders. We began with one person. His name is Vorgen Lok-ri. He was looking at a game called Shadowbane and decided to take on the insane challenge of forming a guild built around the incredible lore Shadowbane brought about.

Slowly House Lok-ri grew. Only a handful at first, then quickly we became 20 strong, then 30 strong. Before we entered Shadowbane 3 years later we were about 100 strong with three Banner Guilds as support. Since then we have downsized and absorbed our Banner guilds, had mergers, then had a few splits here and there, but quantity never equals quality.

Before entering Shadowbane, we played a year in Dark Ages of Camelot where we challenge the Midgard and Albions, lead alliances, and learned about each other. We were very successful in Dark Ages of Camelot especially surprising for never really having more than 30 members active and we knew very little stood in our way for Shadowbane.

In March 2003, after 3 long years, Shadowbane's release finally happened. On the server of Death, we and our allied guilds built the first City on the map, and called it Alu'Dar-Gallinon, under the Lok-ri flag. We helped build our allied cities, and create a massive alliance in the northern part of the world. We were the first to tear down the "Tree of Life" and walls of an unruly neighboring village, and we were the first to Challenge the Lords of Chaos. We fought to control our lands, and preserve our resources. Our trade helped build the economy and our name was either hated or honored and revered...well probably mostly hated! One thing that did stand true and no one can deny us the honor, House Lok-ri stuck to its role-playing roots. We never waivered...no matter what the odds were.

As time passed by, the land of Aerynth (in Shadowbane) did not hold to its promises. Slowly the Elven population grew tired of not only fighting its enemies, but fighting against the uncontrollable issues of the world (game mechanics and bugs). The elven people can influence Gods, it can demolish enemies, persuade the lessers, enslave wild beasts, and they can hold back Terror. What they could not defeat was the never-ending weakness the realm provided.

So in August 2003 without true defeat, but much sadness, the Lok-ri people packed their bags and left the world of Aerynth and Shadowbane. They held great hopes that Shadowbane would mend the weaknesses for the guild that loved their lands and built a dream. The ideal in Shadowbane never formed. House Lok-ri had to move on.

In November 2004, House Lok-ri joined the realm of World of Warcraft on the Stormreaver server. We had all types of players, hard core hunters for experience, casual story tellers, and some out for blood of our enemies... the Horde. We were feared and taunted in the public arenas (forums), and made ourselves quite a nuisance to the treacherous opposition.

We were very successful in World of Warcraft for a year until the World went against us. It made it less enticing to hunt and capture our opposition (PVP), and it became more important to hunt the same lands over and over until most of our eyes bled (PVE).

The once peaceful house turned against one another due to the stress of differing desires. The majority of the World of Warcraft gained members and the elder core members of House Lok-ri split apart. This is where House Lok-ri decided to never again waiver from their core beliefs and values...Never to compromise its founding intentions to cater to those who don't value the history and traditions of what made Lok-ri special. We will miss some of those people, but alas, House Lok-ri has encountered many obstacles and naysayers and as always House Lok-ri will endure, As the Sea.

On January 26th, 2007, House Lok-ri packed their bags and made sail for far off lands of Telon in "Vanguard: Saga of Heros". Over the past year and half, the bloodkin and bloodless alike tended to what was important...their family and each other. The down time between adventures was good for them. They got to know one another again and found more appreciation for what House Lok-ri was designed for and that is family. They are only a shadow of what they were in some past times, yet, they have gained strength in many, many ways. House Lok-ri continues, as the sea.

Vanguard Saga of Heros was an interesting quest, but the Lok-ri family became stagnant and bored without much conflict to quench their thirst. Though it was a brief adventure, we found old friends and made new ones to help us on our future endeavors. For many months, we poured over the maps in search for a new place to call home. We had many conversations around warm fires, and continued our existence in peace, but something was always calling our name.

With the help of the entire guild, an official decree was issued by Aramina Lok-ri in January 2008. (To be continued)

What lands are we to conquer next? Only time will tell.