Nel and the Loremaster
by Nel
Nel: Hello, Loremaster! What brings you back from your wanderings at this time?
Falerin: I understand that you are working on the Chronicles - a very important task for one so deserving.
Nel: Thank you! Have you the time to answer The Questions?
Falerin: I have made the time for such an essential undertaking... although how that will affect things later I have yet to determine...
1) What do you do for AE? (coder, artist, game staff, forums staff, support staff)
On the forums I head Legends and Lore (and its subforums), Speculations and Theories and Co-Head AQ GGD at the moment. I am the Chat Administrator, which is largely a technical support position, and I am one of two founders/owners of Caelestia.net, our IRC partner. For the game, I work on storyline and plot development primarily and work on developing history for the multiverse of Lore.
2) How did you first find/get involved with AE?
I am among the eldest of the continuous staff members. I joined just shortly after the title change sometime in 2002. I was giving ideas and suggestions and actively talking to developers and also offering my own network as an alternative to the current chat location. I wrote a short entry called War of The Words arguing against linear and one sided elemental wars in favor of more complicated things and fairly quickly was offered the LoreMaster position by Artix. Things sort of progressed from there.
3) What keeps you interested in AQ and DF, all the Ebil Games, and the soon-to-be MechQuest?
The community. The community really drives this entire enterprise, even from a story development perspective.
4) Has your time in school prepared you for what you do with AE, or, if you haven't finished school, will it help you once you're done?
Absolutely it has. I was active in the theatre and some gaming groups and did some programming in college.
5) If you could change anything about one of the games, what would it be and why?
As I have often been quoted as saying, “The answer is Mu.” That is to say, the question is invalid. I mean the game has made some mistakes but the great benefit of AE games is that they are organic. They are constantly growing and changing... so to select one thing is kind of pointless.
6) What is your favorite part about AQ/DF/Ebil Games?
The community. See above. I also share some of my fellow staff's enthusiasm for what's to come. We may not be a graphically stunning MMORPG but I believe we are building a persistent universe that will be here for a good long while.
7) Who is your favorite moglin and why?
Its a tossup.... My current interviewer ranks high because I developed him ;-). But not being narcissistic, probably Dewlok. Little is said about him and he is underutilized but you can just tell he has a real story behind his life. Some of this will be coming out and expanded on as the current cycle progresses.
8) Would you like to see a Sneevil vs. Zard matchup? Who would win?
Zards and Sneevils? Well theirs is an enmity as old as time, isn't it? There never is a winner, just more casualties. It is a battle of attrition, really.
Personal questions:
9) Do you have a favorite style of food? (Southern, Chinese, Italian, etc)
I like all sorts of food and try new things often. I am also a decent cook and enjoy doing that on occasion. I am a foodie in general. At the moment Thai and Indian rank high on my preference list but there are few global cuisines I do not enjoy thoroughly.
10) If you like to read, do you have any favorite genres? What are some of your favorites books from it?
I like reading all sorts of things, both from the more literary to the more speculative. My favorite book is probably “Good Omens” by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett.
11) Do you play any games? Console or computer? And what?
Both and too many to list.
12) What are some of your hobbies? What is it about them that is attractive to you?
Acting, gaming, reading, camping. I like to expand my horizons and have new experiences at every possible opportunity.
13) Have you completed college? What did you study? Why?
I completed my Bachelors degree in biology and chemistry though I studied computer science too, for a while. I enjoy exploration and expanding my horizons. Experimentation fascinates me. I am more than halfway through my Masters in Divinity but I am on indefinite hiatus from study right now.
14) Do you have any favorite sports teams? What and who?
Not particularly. I enjoy the environment of such competitions when at them personally, but do not follow them actively. I find the televised sporting event dull as there is definitely something lost in translation.
15) Do you play any sports? If so, for how long?
I played soccer once a very, very long time ago.
16) What kind of music do you like to listen to?
My musical tastes are diverse and eclectic. It would be easier to list what I do not like to listen to than what I do. There is something I like in pretty much any genre.
17) Do you sing or play any instruments?
I sing and I took piano lessons but I play poorly at the best.
18) Do you have any pets? What?
Well, yes and no. In my own home there aren't any right now but my parents live right around the corner and theirs might as well be mine. There are three cats, a ferret, a saltwater aquarium and a freshwater aquarium.
Random/Fun questions:
19) Do you know what the Burning Daystar is? Do you see it on a regular basis?
Yes and yes in that order, though not much as I am mostly indoors. Its effects are quite apparent, though.
20) Can you tell the difference between Coke and Pepsi?
Absolutely. They taste entirely different.
21) What is your quest?
I could tell you… but that would ruin the fun.
22) What is your opinion of the affect “American Idol” has had on the US media?
It has had an effect? Honestly, I do not think much negatively or positively about American Idol. It has created an enterprise. It has introduced some talented people that might not have otherwise gotten a break (and not the winners, mostly, but runners-up). It has given some no-talents 15 minutes of fame as well (William Hung), but it is largely not a big deal. It’s great effect for good or ill on the media? Nothing. The media is as it has always been.