I should have posted this the other day when I put it in the IRC topic, but I didn't think about it.

Application Workshop III : Seekers Where: #EFUApps on darkmyst in IRC When: 2 pm CST Saturday March 18 What: Information about the seekers, as well as recommendations on applications for the faction. This will be followed by a Q&A session both on seekers, and on applications in general.

For those that missed it, here is the outline of the discussion.

I. What are the seekers?

The seekers are a faction devoted to freedom above all else. They see reaching the surface as the ultimate form of freedom, but they also promote freedom in other ways. They are the most anti-slavery group in sanctuary, and would even be against laws and groups that limit personal freedoms of others.

II. What do the seekers do?

A) Explorers One of the main functions (and the most obvious) of the seekers is exploration and scouting. This serves a great number of purposes.

1- They obviously want to find a way to the surface, and will follow any leads that seem like they will get them there. They look for new areas that may one day reveal a way out.

2- They look for threats against sanctuary. They are funded by the council exactly for this purpose. They should scout known enemies and seek out new ones. They should lead covert operations to weaken enemies that become too much of a threat, and report to the city about those who are growing stronger.

3- They should give freedom to others. When they have opportunities to hit slaver caravans or camps, they should do so. The seekers hate to see others in bondage, and do what they can to free others.

B) The Harpers of the Deep As protectors of freedom, seekers often find themselves having to go outside the law for internal threats too. It may be collecting information to reveal a corrupt councilor, or it could be having to go vigilante on a mass murderer, but the seekers work towards the greater good.

C) Surface Cult The surface is almost a religion to the seekers. Many of the members are obsessed with it. As a result, some dieties would be very popular among the members. A cleric of Lanthander (hint, hint) who preached of the sun would do very well in the group for example.

This aspect really hasn't showed up much in game, but it's a side of the seekers meant to be there. A portion of the seekers would be more like a cult of surface worshippers than explorers and such. Non-seekers would likely go to the seeker hall to hear preaching of how the surface is a better place, or to see a bard tell stories of the surface. This is the face of the seekers the common people would know best.

D) Politics One of the greatest threats to freedom in sanctuary isn't some external threat, it's the laws and groups within the city. As different groups try to pass more laws limitiing the freedom of the citizens, the seekers will be likely to oppose it. Less law means more freedom.

This doesn't mean just evil laws. A lot of laws that are "good" laws still reduce personal freedoms. Think of the seekers as Chaotic good as an organization. This gives them two points to look at. They work towards the greater good, and they oppose oppressive laws. (And any law is likely oppressive until proved otherwise.)

III. Connection to the Sanctuary Government The Seekers are on the payroll of the Council, just like the Watch, Spellguard, and Tigereyes. This does put them somewhat at the control with the city, which is a difficult balance with some of the organization's objectives.

To earn their pay, the seekers should be reporting regularly on threats coming from outside the city. Traensyr, Chabzash, Ysinode, dangerous underdark beasts, orog tribes, chosen under the city, undead... all of these fall within things the seekers should be submitting reports about. The council needs to know about likely threats before they can harm the city, so that the watch, tigers, and spellguard can be properly prepared.

IV. Goals for Seeker Apps The previous sections are full of goals for the organization. I gave 4 main catagorites, with lots of subgoals underneath. However, when looking at player apps for the seekers, we aren't looking for you to recite back this lecture to us.

WHAT, HOW, and WHY? There are 3 parts to a good goal write-up. WHAT is the goal? HOW will you accomplish it? WHY is this important to you?

A) WHAT Picking a what is the easy part. You can start with a couple of the above goals. However, it's even better if you have goals that are not the doctrine of the organization, or that at least differ in some way. Not all seekers are the same. Some don't care about some of the organization goals, instead focusing on others. Some have personal agendas that they can use the organization for.

B) HOW If you are focusing on organization goals, this part is really important. What are you going to do to succeed where others have failed? Almost all seekers what to reach the surface. What steps will you take to make sure you are the one who actually does? What plan do you have to release more slaves above and beyond the normal patrols? How will you keep the council from oppressing the populace?

The specific actions you want to take towards the goals tell us more of whether your goal is attainable. If you have big goals, have steps and subgoals you can reach on your way to the big goal. This is the stuff that makes a great app.

C) WHY The third part of a good goal is why something is important to you. Why are you obsessed with freedom? Why do you hate slavers? Just because we tell you those are qualities seekers often possess, doesn't mean they all possess them for the same reasons. Even if it's not in your app, knowing why you are working towards certain goals really will help you play a consistant character.