Part One
1999 - I had an idea to start writing a fantasy story as I already knew I loved to write and I had been reading fantasy/sci-fi novels for years. I drew a small map, researched Old English, and begin to fiddle with creating a language and making biographies for characters. I wrote three chapters between 1999 and 2001 and I carried my blue notebook everywhere, forcing it on my friends to read and always having it with me so that I could jot down ideas and future chapters. I realized that the story was, in a word, pathetic and decided to go on a different path. There came my idea for the 12 Ieldran, the creator Meotod, and his creation Eorđ Foldé and I continued to spin ideas and make pages and pages of notes. Later, this would be expanded ten-fold and make way for the birth of a huge background story.
In early December 2003, Deren Heortearian signed up for the Proboards forum
http://deren.proboards19.com Shortly after, he contacted me to help him with the site. At first it was only a few things, like creating a unique name for the site. At the time, I had been working on my Rurisk story (as it had been known then - now known as the Wealdendun stories) and the beginnings of my elvish language. I gave him the name Wealdendun, meaning "Land of Forest and Mountain". And it stuck with us.
Shortly after, Deren asked me to join the site and help him set it up. I was struggling for a name and he gave me Natulcien. Since then I have created so much around that character that I owe my thanks to Deren for naming me. We worked mainly on getting boards open and recruiting members for the first year. We advertised on lotrplaza and initially got our ideas for rules and regulations from that site. Most of our veteran members came from the lotrplaza, and I owe them thanks for helping make the site what it was.
Deren and I also enlisted a mutual friend, Zhoan (who previously was known simply as Zal), a very creative mind, to help us. It wasn't until after I began molding many of the locations in our new world after my Rurisk story that Zhoan became active. With his help, I began working even harder on my story ideas and elvish language. With the prodding and input of other members, I began creating complex histories behind the races and locations.
2004 brought about the creation of Avstania, almost entirely Zhoan's brain child. I gave him free reign to create the eastern lands, to use his very creative mind in something I had not yet even thought of. North, south, west, and the main land were my original ideas and though he helped me expand on them, more often than not he asked for my approval before making anything canon. It was only proper that I gave him his own area to freely create, though he would ask for my input from time to time.
2005 brought about the complete races of the Western Continent, Southern Wealdendun as well as a revamp of the main continent - the main rp area originally identified as Wealdendun on the whole. Zhoan and I began to create even more races, histories, creatures, lands and expanding those only hinted at - all of this was based on the world I had created for the Rurisk stories. I decided to abandon my novel for a time and focus on the Wealdendun site, as creating histories for the forum was what my stories really needed. Everything I created here is also what powers my novels in the making.
In 2006 I bought Zhoan a large drawing pad, and in response he began working on drawing a map for Avstania and the 12 Ieldran. So far he has finished Genipan, Natulcien, Odnal, Umdol, Sciera, and Dorbrynin. We both worked on maps for the Wealdendun continent as well.
In 2007 the site received a complete makeover. Sub-boards were created for each land, organized threads for new members to easily read about our site were set in place, rule and directions were revamped, completely original images were set in place.
http://wealdendun.com was created, in hopes to shorten our URL length as well as create a place for complete Wealdendun information as our forum covers perhaps 50% of the background stories and information. I continued to work on another novel set in the time of the first battle for Rurisk. Zhoan drew the Dragon birthmarks and I drew the symbols for each Ieldran.
2008 ushered in another site revamp, which is what you'd see today if you visited the old site. I created a livejournal account that I used for announcements for the site. It also marked the sad day Zhoan retired from the site. I then promoted Malluni and Turen to Vigiliant Onracias, Global Moderators and my seconds in command. I created an account with CafePress, to offer T-shirts, button, magnets, etc for Wealdendun fans. I finished drawing the elvish alphabet and Zhoan made the first draft of his wizard alphabet. Eventually I announced that I would be taking a break from my pre-site novels (those novels dealing with events before the year 1783 in our world) and turning a few of our best RP threads into a book. I received the blessings and permissions of many members. I hope to eventually complete the novel as it will contain so much more information than can ever be expressed here on the site. My personal file folder for Wealdendun story materials (drawings, maps, ideas, stories, languages, histories, characters, etc) has reached the 72MB mark. Obviously this RP was an interactive version of the much larger world. But things were tough - trying to keep members active and posting, keeping plots moving, etc. The site showed major changes in activity through the year, waxing and waning as it had since the beginning but it grew in frustration and I could see it though all the members.
On Jun 26, 2009 I made the announcement official - the site had had problems keeping active and I made the hard decision to shut down the site. Here's what I had to say:
Wealdendun has become more of a burden than a joy of late. And actually by "of late" I mean over the last 365 days or longer. Many of you have been around when I have had to send out my monthly "please return to us" emails, urging members to rejoin the current plots. I went so far as to make a monthly newsletter, summarizing events, foreshadowing new ones, asking for help, and adding odd tid-bits - all to keep everyone interested. I created a new area that did not require any time-line events (the Fallen Warriors Tournament) in hopes to grab new and old members into fun RPs that did not require the length of posts or the cohesive not-in-many-places-at-once forum rule. I created Member of the Month awards, hoping to motivate others to be the best forum member possible. In all attempts my effforts have failed.
It is so very frustrating to have to pull at hair and teeth to keep this site alive. It becomes, quite literally, a burden and zaps all of my creative energy. When I only have so much time, being a college student or a full-time employee, and with most of my time devoted to Admin duties, it leaves very little for me to actually write. I have Moderators to help me, but they have lives as well - I understand this fully and do not blame you, who I love. But as a collective, we must be honest with each other - when we aren't around the site gathers dust.
In the beginning, Zal/Zhoan and I quite literally ran everything. To keep members interested, we introduced minor characters hoping to spur creativity, keep people interested, motivate them to continue to return. Plus, with Wealdendun as complex as it is, when a new Bard joins, Natulcien can't always be there to RP - when there are no bards, that poor new member needs a place to RP. But our ideas failed - in the sense that the new members weren't able to go off on their own as we had planned. In fact, they depended on our posts, using our creativity as the corner stone for the RPs. Then what happened? It would have been nice to say that the RPs continued beautifully, but more often than not they fizzled out and died without conclusion. I am speaking of the earlier days, when Zal/Zhoan was a super active member. We, in the end, quite literally RPed with ourselves. More to be revealed in a moment.
Lately, I tried to join a few RPs with my alternate characters, but in a manner to spark interest rather than control. But again, I wound up leading the RP - with all RPs depending on me, can you image the amount of effort, time, and stress this involves? I can, without a doubt, say that in the past 9 months no more than three threads did not depend on me. I am sorry I let you down. But I tried to fizzle some out - but people need other people to RP with! And it is sad to see a new faery all alone, or a new dragon with no one to chase.
In the beginning was Natulcien. Shortly after I realized I needed to add another character that has some influence in the world. So came Morgensweg - Morgensweg is me. I had only planned on having those two characters, creating a sub one here and there for fun. But supply and demand - we ran out of members to RP with the new ones and I jumped in (the ever-helpful writer and admin). Zal/Zhoan did as well. Some of my characters evolved into more-complex and stepped into higher roles than perhaps I should have let them. But I was urged by fellow Rpers in many instances, and I could not back away from the ideas that flowed.
I will now list nearly every character that is controlled by me. My apologies if I ever deceived you, and specifically for letting down the Tir Rathon thread of Revolts and Revolutions. Some of these characters were odd for me to play, but it helped me write from different perspectives - please understand I never meant any ill.
Natulcien IS: Morgensweg Formihtig
Natulcien IS: Deirdré Niht
Natulcien IS: Maléfactora
Natulcien IS: Liegesa
Natulcien IS: Nihtleođ
Natulcien IS: Adrielle
Natulcien IS: Gwendolyn Rathon
Natulcien IS: Mulrennan Polgarie
Natulcien IS: Talias Voyle
Natulcien IS: Willind Tulgate
Natulcien took control of: Terevas
Natulcien IS: Ministra Kah'kel Dregan
Natulcien IS: Waverly Foremihtig
Natulcien IS: Dark Army
Natulcien IS: Sina Garland
And Natulcien is retiring from Wealdendun. There comes a time when things must be put to rest, especially if they cause more pain than joy. Know this - Wealdendun will never die. As I shut down the site, I will open a creative path to FINALLY finish all the books I have been working on. You must keep watch on the shelves of the bookstores, for one day a Wealdendun novel will be there, maybe even three or four.
I thank you for participating, especially the long-term members. I have so many great memories of the awesome time I have spent here. I love the people and the stories - and thank you for letting me spin them with you and share all of the different creative ideas I had swirling around.
It makes me very, very sad to have it come to this. But I can't do it any more. Zal/Zhoan realized this a whole year before me. And life moves on. I have so many things I want to do with these characters for a REAL REAL book. The motivation for RPing is no longer with me - at least for now. And as I look for more employment and events of the near future, I need less stress and more time to do the things that truly bring me joy. And I must say goodbye to the place that has been my home since 2003. I will stay in touch with all of my Wealdendun friends, certainly, and keep you posted on progress on the novels, etc.
Forđgewel, min freondes, ediri eow som nnMeotod olan.
Faretheewell, my friends, I bless you in Meotod's name.
And so the RP site was shut down and
http://wealdendun.com became the sole area for anything related to my writings. I opened this forum as a place for the old members to come rejoin and interact with everyone that had become friends while RPing. This forum is to be a place for news on how my stories are coming along and also an avenue for creativity and release from stress for me and all of the other members. It isn't going to be the Role-playing site that it used to be, as I certainly cannot push the plots like I was able to in the past, but there will be the opportunity to RP in the world I have created as well as anything else the members can dream about. I miss the ability to have a place like this and it is time to have it once again.
Thank you to everyone who has helped me gain ideas in the past, and as always thank you to Zhoan who constantly poked me for more creations and histories and helped me when I forgot ideas I had or helped me spin new ones. Thank you to Deren, who started it all by signing up for a Proboards site and giving me the reigns to make the site my own. Thank you to Malluni and Turen, for without their help the site would have fall into ruins like Paraděs long before it did. And thank you to my members, who - by just belonging there- have made me create so many places, people, things, and histories for my stories. And thank you to all who have RP'd with me, as your interactions give me even greater ideas for present, future, and past events. You will always receive my thanks.[/list]
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