I thought that the launch of a new and focused fansite was an interesting opportunity to dig into the mind of the man behind the Iksar, and see what brought the site to life. After a quick exchange of information I was able to secure a quick interview with Dreyco and explore his hopes for the new site.
Grimwell:Why don't we start with you telling me what got you to build the site? What was the moment where you went from "Wouldn't it be cool if?" to "I'm going to do this!"
Dreyco:
Back when I first started playing EverQuest II, I led an Iksar Role-playing guild on the Antonia Bayle server. The goal was to create an Iksar Community, and bring the Racially Proud Iksar above and beyond the stereotypes that might be painted within Freeport. It was not just to be a guild, but an inspiration to others to role-play the Iksar as they were depicted through lore: Getting others to participate from many guilds/servers in gatherings and other community events.
Needless to say, when Shadowclan dissolved back in summer of last year, the spark came to mind that.... well, "Wouldn't it be neat if I could actually take that another step?" and have a resource that others could access and use, and a resource not being a guild website or forum. So I started putting it together using the information that I had gathered during my time in leadership.
Grimwell:
So your goal with this is not just to create a repository for the lore, but also to build a community of Iskar across the servers and games?
Dreyco:
That is correct. One thing that I noticed was that a lot of people DO play Iksar, and WANT to play the Iksar with the pride (either in-character or out) that was seen back in EverQuest Live. Though many stand alone, and don't have that conduit to do so, or express themselves. So yes, I wanted to offer that conduit to them, and even others who have radically different ideas, but want to participate and enjoy with other players.
Grimwell:
How much, in the way of game lore, do you have at the website? How much is left to gather?
Dreyco:
It's really hard to tell. You guys do a good job of making the players dig sometimes for that lore, so I'm not entirely sure how much I'm missing. I know there are a few articles that are in both games currently that I have yet to put up on the website, but with time, maybe that can be rectified. But hey, maybe someone else has found something that hasn't been posted here quite yet. I have the feeling that the Archive will continue to grow the more that visit and see things, or know of things that might fill in the "gaps" of the Lore Library.
Grimwell:
If someone wants to help fill in those gaps, what should they do?
Dreyco:
There are several methods. They can post on the forum with something they've found, and open it for discussion with their peers. They can Private Message me either on the EverQuest II Forums, or on the Website itself. They can also contact me in game... if they know where to find me!
Grimwell:
Now that the site is launched and public, what are your next steps as things progress?
Dreyco:
Well, mostly community related. I would like to be available to answer questions on the forums, and participate in debates. I would love to add more features, and who knows, that might mean one day branching out to a different platform that would allow me to expand this resource even more.
As we see more in our game worlds, the Lore will continue to grow and change, offering differing viewpoints, and more articles to read and enjoy. I'm hoping that I can take steps to continue to maintain that, and participate with the community here as best as I am able :)
Good Luck!
Iksar everywhere should celebrate the opening of the Archive of Ik as a cultural home for their chosen race! I'd like to offer my congratulations on a successful site launch, and hopes for a bright future adding to the collected lore.Discuss this interview with Dreyco and the community, in the forum announcment.