Maiden's Rest
A town-based RP FC and cross-world linkshell.
Welcome to Maiden's Rest
Happy to have you.
A small border town perfectly placed between three citystates, Maiden's Rest is a quaint little village unlike any other. A common supply stop for travel in and out of Coerthas, Mor Dhona, and the Black Shroud, Maiden's Rest is the perfect place to lay down your burdens from the long road behind, and rejuvinate yourself for the travel ahead.Of course, our utility is far from all we offer. We have homes that date back multiple eras, gorgeous, lush mountains lining our landscape, and a shore where the sea changes hue every time you see it. Not only that, but we have the finest inns and entertainment you'll find this side of the coast of Merlthor, a small but bustling market, and a population more welcoming than anywhere else in Aldenard.In our town, everyones at home. Why wouldn't they be, when everything they need is right here?Why wouldn't you be, when everything there is is right here?So come visit Maiden's Rest, soothe your weary soul in our waters, and make a few memories that last forever. Because once you do...
...you'll never leave.
Our Home
Both old and new.
Resting at the mouth of the White Maiden river and letting into the Straight of Merlthor, Maiden's Rest stands alone for miles, and is an essential stop for countless travelers and caravans through the regions surrounding it. Specializing as a location to relax and restock during long journies elsewhere, despite being a small, sleepy town, it's carved a niche for itself over centuries of trade and travel between the citystates. It's history is long, and something it's residents are quite proud of.Although, should you ask around town what the origin of Maiden's Rest is, or even it's history of the last few centuries, you'll hear as many stories as there are faces. Even stranger, the disparate elements to their stories seem incongruent at best - though the one thing they all seem to be able to agree on is it's age. Going back centuries, the town seems to stretch back further than memory itself. It's ruins are perhaps the area's most defining trait, some dating far back as the Sixth Umbral Era.Of course, such a discovery and the village's proximity to the Yafaem Saltmoor means the town is rather infamous for scholars of Mhach. However, anything sinister lingering from such a place has long since gone, and any attempts to tarnish our beautiful town will not be taken lightly.So step gently, lest you uncover something you shouldn't.
Maiden's Rest is a horror and slice of life themed RP FC focused on creating and emulating day to day life in a very small town with an inherent spookiness to it. Think Animal Crossing meets Silent Hill, Pathologic, or a Lovecraft town that isn't horribly racist.We focus less on the grandiose and more on the intimate horrors, but with every bit of dread that lingers here, there's warmth to match. We strongly believe in contrast, as without the mundane and comforting, the weird simply becomes the new normal. This goes for the contrast between adventurers and townfolk, witches and farmers, and everything else in between.If you're only interested in one side or the other, that's great. There's plenty of room for all kinds of different characters here, be they spooky, gritty, cheerful, down to earth - we're down to hear out most concepts and believe that we're able to accomidate both sides of the proverbial coin here. As long as you can believably emulate the genre with us, we'd love to help you find you place in town.
Faces About Town
They don't often bite.
Here are a few of our townfolk who make Maiden's Rest all that it is, be it by calling the town home, or simply by being frequent visitor. We take in all walks of life, so who knows - maybe you'll end up here, too.
Iefyr Dzekh'aiirn
The unmoving fixture of town, Iefyr Dzekh’aiirn is apart of the local guard with impassive cadence and plenty of deference towards the people of Maiden’s Rest. Acquiescent and obstinate, they’re ready to do all that’s asked of them, even when they know better.
Weeping Meadow
Not much is known about the self proclaimed Witch of the Waves, but she's certainly made a name for herself since moving into town. It's funny, really - no one can even remember a time without seeing her house on the hill.
Rakta Morkhoth
One of the Witch's. Considered aloof and a bit eccentric, Rakta often busies themselves in places less traveled. However, if a matter regarding spirits arise, they won't be far behind. Do not take from their greenhouse.
Vivace Cadenza
A ray of sunshine through the gloom, to Vivace every day is wonderful, and everyone is his friend. Don’t worry about where he’s from, what he’s doing here, or how he keeps getting into your locked room; he certainly doesn’t.
Placeholder
You'll never leave.
Our Approach
You have the stage.
Most communities in FFXIV often structure their rp around some central, 'main story' narrative, akin to the JRPG itself. Questing and reward loops, a 'big bad', etc. While there's nothing wrong with such a structure, we've found it lacking as a main focus, and easy to have characters who don't quite fit into that format fall into the cracks. Not only that, but often it can make things feel gamey and static, only fitting within the confines of a prewritten story. So, we don't do that here.Instead of emulating a hero's tale (though there's certainly still space for a few here), we're attempting to emulate a space and a genre - a town and its quiet horror, and the warmth and community found despite it all. To do this, we put the focus on the community's stories over a central storyteller's, using our system as explained here.With this, and an emphasis on our community both in and out of character, we hope to not only create a loop where rp goes on to inspire more, but to also create a living, breathing fictional space within the world of FFXIV. One that feels real and our own, and one we all have a hand in shaping every single time we write together.
Our Systems
Simple but solid.
The town itself is not just a setting, but something responsive. Every time someone in our community plays out a scene - public, private, set up or spontaneous - they have the option of submitting a summary of what happened in it to the group. When done so, what occured in it - through concrete cause and effect or simple tone - will be taken into account by our mods and shape the town and what current ongoings happen in it going forward. This is done publicly, so others can see just what's been happening around town, and how it might effect their own rp.Not only will your rp effect the whole, but if your own character plots become something larger than their own private scenes, or if you simply have an interesting concept, we have an open door policy on member-ran events. Our mod team will assist you in setting it up, advertising to the server, and maybe even running it depending on what's required. We actively encourage the spotlight to be passed around, and try to pass the torch to any engaging stories we see springing up.On top of all this, we heavily encourage town venues, ic gossip and rumors as rp hooks, regular reoccurring town gatherings, a town map where you can claim any building you please, and a housing directory to find and represent those buildings in game. With everything here, we hope to create a space that makes up for the static nature of mmo rp, and helps you to bounce off others and jump in the ring. FFXIV rp can be difficult to get into, to maintain, and to get invested in longterm. Hopefully, we can make it a little bit easier for you.
Our Aim
What this is all about.
This is a space for marginalized people by marginalized people. The community we foster is explicitly anti-racist, anti-colonialist, and queer friendly. Our aim, above all else, is to offer marginalized people a safe space where we can enjoy telling stories and playing this silly little game together. With a proactive approach, we actively try to prevent and quickly weed out any bullshit that most seem to tolerate at best or actively encourage at worst.As such, these rules are to keep the community fun and comfortable, especially for those who might not be able to find that in other corners of the hobby. For a more comprehensive list and further explanation, you're welcome to check out the full list in detail in the discord, or even ask our mods directly. While it's not our job to educate you, we're more than happy to make sure you know what we're about.With all this, we hope to attract other likeminded folk who struggle to find a spot out in most mainstream rp spaces. The FFXIV RP community can be wild and exausting, but it doesn't have to be.
Our Rules
Read carefully.
No hate of any kind. - Racism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, colorism, and any other form of discrimination will not be tolerated.
Be aware of your own blindspots and be mindful of your lane. - People in majority identities (i.e white, cis, straight) should be mindful of the amount of space they take in conversations and ensure they are not pushing marginalized people out.
Show grace, and be open to correction. - If at any point you slip up (saying something unintentionally racist, accidentally misgendering someone or their character, etc), accept correction gracefully and with aplomb.
In-character bigotry is strongly discouraged. - This includes characters who are racist, transphobic, or ableist, even if those things are abstracted by the fantasy setting. There may be times when complicated subjects are explored, but they should be done with tact. Think critically about how your writing may come off to others, and err on the side of caution, especially in large group RP.
Think critically about what you write. - Players are encouraged to think critically about the tropes they are replicating in their writing and to avoid tropes that have racist, transphobic, homophobic, or ableist baggage to them. This is especially important for people who do not face such bigotries in their real life.
Ask for consent. - Make sure to get the out of character consent of a player before doing anything that may affect their character in an important, or unexpected way.
Stay a while
You'll never want to leave.
Interested in joining our little community? We always love new blood - both in and out of character - but there's a few things you might wanna know before you do.Firstly, while we are an FC in game (a few in fact), we don't require people actually join anything other than the CWLS that we use to talk in-game and our discord that we use as our main hub. So if you're already in another fc or in another server, we aren't gonna be weird about it.Second, due to the nature of our group and our goals, we believe in vetting new members before they're allowed in. So, if you'd like to apply, or even have any questions about the process, click the button below to join our discord. There you will find our application process, as well as being able to meet and chat with our mods before you join the server as a whole. We don't bite unless you're fash, so don't be shy to come see what's up.Third, we're currently still very new. While many of us here are old friends and veterans of the rp scene, we're still feeling out everything and trying to get the ball rolling. On one hand, this means if you want to get in from the get go, now's your shot. On the other, this means we're still testing and tweaking things like our rp system, so we'll require a bit of patience, please.Hope to see you there.