Rules
001. TREAT OTHERS HOW YOU WANT TO BE TREATED
We will not tolerate hate speech and bigotry, racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, or any talk or sharing of content in any format that puts down or disparages minorities based on gender, appearance, religious belief, ethnicity, and sexuality. We also do not tolerate harassment and bullying.If you are caught doing any of the above here or in other Discords (even if we do not moderate them), you will be removed immediately. Being an Ul'dah based server with many of us /w OCs from Ul'dah, a person can unknowingly slip into orientalist or Islamic stereotypes. If someone points out Orientalism or Islamophobia and you double down, you will be rule zero'd. At the end of the day lets try to be respectful of the culture this cool setting is based off of.And while I shouldn't have to say it (cause I mean look at the Brass Blades) ACAB. If you don't agree please feel free to walk away!002. THIS IS A 21+ SERVER All members must be 21 years old or older out of character and their characters must be 18+. This is non-negotiable. If you are found in violation of this rule you will be removed from the Discord immediately.However, just because we are a 21+ community does not mean we do not monitor content. If you are going to post sensitive or triggering content to please put it behind spoiler tags and tag it appropriately so people know. This also applies to Gposes as well. Members of the community may also ask for content to be spoiled based on this rule.If you are seen promoting the following you will be banned immediately: jokes about rape/suicide/slavery, underage (including lalafell and other comparable species) NSFW, incest, or beastiality/zoophilia.
003. NSFW Policy
No pornography or hard (explicit) NSFW is allowed in any part of our community; this includes writing, screenshots, RP, artwork, or any other medium. You may not solicit ERP in this server.
SUGGESTIVE NSFW CONTENT (tasteful pinups, covered nipnops) and discussions are allowed so long as the content is A) character or story related and B) appropriately marked and hidden behind spoiler tags.004. The following is considered spoilers and should be posted in the spoiler channel
- Current Patch (including side stories like raids) Content until the next patch. ie. x.0 is spoilers until x.1 comes out, etc.
- Live Letters leading up to next patch or expansion.
- Any Datamined items like gear through third party tools.Items such as furnishings are not spoilers UNLESS it spoils stuff in story/side story content. (ie EX trophies)When it comes to spoilers I would always err on the side of caution. Spoiler tag anything you think would be a spoiler. And while it is posted in the spoiler channel I would still encourage spoiler tagging it just in case. People play the game at their own pace and sometimes they come into the spoiler channel before they finish. It would suck if they got spoiled on something down the line because they wanted to talk about something at the point they're at.When it comes to other media, if you're talking about major plotpoints of a piece of media, it would be best to spoiler tag it.
005. Profiles
When setting your Nickname for the server Please include your OOC preferred and your character's name. If you like to be preferred by your character's name then just the IC name is fine. This is so we know who you are in game. DO NOT include your World server in your nickname. It just adds a lot of clutter.Server profiles are subject to all the rules listed here.006. No AI
Under no circumstances is anything generated with AI allowed in our server. This includes AI-generated images, AI-generated writing like ChatGPT and CharacterAI bots etc.007. Blocking Moderators
It makes our jobs harder if you do, so if we find you have more than one mod/admin blocked you'll be removed.XXX. Rules are Fluid
Rules will be added as needed. Don't be the reason that a new rule has to be implemented.
RP Ettiquette
AKA the RP guidelines
001. Tone & Lore compliance
In order to facilitate a unified narrative framework within our community, it is necessary to ensure that everyone is operating on the same page. Jewel of the Desert is a lore-abiding/lore-compliant, low-powered RP community.Keep in mind that we are all background characters in a bigger story. We approach play in a realistic manner so that challenges faced are handled through lore-abiding means. This allows characters the chance to grow without having experiences negated by characters who push the suspension of disbelief beyond maintainable boundaries due to their abilities, what they are, or where they come from.> Extraordinary characters, including but not limited to fantastical or supernatural beings (such as voidsent, sin eaters, nightkin/vampires, and fae) and those with significant ties to them, Warriors of Light, androids and other constructs, and characters with notable ties to other worlds or Shards are not allowed.Player Characters who participate in human trafficking/slave trade are not welcome in our space.002. Consent, Assent, & YouRoleplay is a collaborative hobby, and in the spirit of collaboration all writers utilizing this space should treat each other respectfully and as equals. Try to keep IC and OOC separate. Our characters are not us, and we are not our characters. Things said and done IC must never be taken as OOC fact and vice versa. Should you feel that you are being unfairly retaliated against due to OOC sentiments over something your character has done you can reach out to the moderation team.> On Assent In-character actions can and will lead to consequences. By participating in this space, you acknowledge that your character may have proportional consequences leveraged against them by other characters and/or the environment in a scenario controlled by one or more DMs. This may include violence depending on the circumstances, though extreme instances should still be cleared with involved players; your character can throw a punch at another for mouthing off at a bar, but you should still ask the other player if it’s okay to break their character’s arm during an interrogation.> On Consent We will not discourage dark and heavy themes in this server. Heavy themes in the course of our RP including but not limited to systemic violence, drug/alcohol use and abuse, and other themes consistent with organized crime & capitalism. However, not all writers always have the energy or desire to engage with these themes or topics which may come up in RP or through character backstories. If you would put a content warning on something before posting it in the server, you should ask other players involved in a scene permission before including it in a scene.
003. God Modding & Metagaming
Do not do either. They can be defined as:Godmodding: The taking control of another person's character(s) with the intent to dictate how the other player's character is to respond and act; being too impervious to damage and attacks made during the course of agreed upon combat or scene; or being powered in a way that is no longer fun and realistic - because "it's just what my character would do" is not acceptable.Metagaming: A player's use of out-of-character knowledge concerning the state of the game / story to determine their character's actions, when said character has no relevant knowledge or awareness under the circumstances.004. Living WorldIn line with the above, interactions that exist in a public space’s public channels, such as /say chat at an event or in the open world, should be considered fair game for other roleplayers to respond to even if they are not directly engaged with your character. If you would like a conversation to remain private, you are encouraged to use private channels such as /party or /tell.However, if you are experiencing a problem with someone overstepping established boundaries repeatedly. Please contact our moderation team for assistance.
About Us
Jewel of the Desert is a Discord/CWLS community in FFXIV's Crystal Datacenter centered around RP within Ul'dah and Thanalan: Navigating through the interesting political and cultural aspects of a place where divinity is the color of gold and coin is power. Recently established, we are a diverse, inclusive, and laid-back community that is focused on RP as a form of collaborative writing.We are both a space for stories that deal with the pomp and circumstance of the aristocracy (Such as: gossip, maintaining appearances, social conduct, social status, scandal, miscommunication & more!), the cutthroat nature of corporate wars, the religious zealotry of a land whose god is that of coin and death, and for those who see the corruption at the foundation of it all and wish to incite change.On top of that, no true noble or mechant would be anywhere without the employees, mercenaries, valets, artisans, and jewelers who support them! Networking opportunities abound for artists looking for a patron; Or perhaps your character thrives in the shadows of the Jewel's underbelly, following the Trader's scripture in your own way.In doing so we have a large emphasis on rumors. After all, information can be just as powerful than coin if you know how to wield it.Which part is yours to play?
To that end we value three core values: characterization, narrative, and player freedom.CHARACTERIZATION ⸻ The holistic creation and exploration of a character, including elements such as their backstory, their motivations, and their ambitions.NARRATIVE ⸻ The manner in which various character threads intersect and interact to create overarching storylines and opportunities to explore specific themes.PLAYER FREEDOM ⸻ The freedom of players to interact with all sorts of other players, characters, and narrative frameworks and bring the whole of their character's experience to the table; freedom from constraining expectations regarding requirements as far as activity or involvement in order to have opportunities to explore their areas of interest.
What you Should Expect
A Heavy focus on Ul'dah & Thanalan based RP
Emphasis and engagement on political and social intrigue in Ul'dah
Themes of social standing and societal expectation / pressure in Ul'dah
Events that cater to lore-adjacent, low level powered characters.
Occasional events, focus, and themes of combat (ie. tournaments, gladiatorial fights, etc.), crime, and revolution.
In-depth, complex connections and storylines with other roleplayers
What you Should Not Expect
Heavy emphasis on sexual / fetish / NSFW themes
Frequent focus on places outside of Ul'dah & Thanalan. ex. Ishgard, Garlemald
Frequent grand-scale combat scenes and events
Focus on modern and sci-fi settings, ex. night clubs
Extremely ‘beginner-friendly’ scenarios that require no knowledge of roleplay
Mentors that will do the ‘heavy-lifting’ for your story (character development, understanding the niche, etc.)
How to get Involved
Monthly Events
The main meat and popoto (ha, get it?) of it all is through events! Planned several months in advance, Jewel of the Desert events are large scale and take place in-game. There is a role to allow you to be pinged and notified for these events (RP Events). Besides stopping by, roles such as IC Host exist for those who would like to have their OC credited with the event and collaborate in its creation, as well as an OOC event planner (Coordinator) if you would simply like to help organize an event behind the scenes!
Rumors
Another important aspect of our server is Rumors, found in our rumors channel! While we don't have any gossip rag (yet), having other people read through rumors of what your character is doing allows them to get a better idea of your character and what they are doing.If you are interested in creating a gossip rag for Jewels of the Desert, come join us! We'd be happy to collaborate with you!
Suggestions
For people who want to see specific variety in our events, and want to have their voice heard, we encourage you to suggest ideas in #questions-and-suggestionsCollaboration with our members is invaluable!
Events
Frequent Events
Open World RP
Taking place within Thanalan, the discord will sponsor an RP out in the open world with a prompted reason for the event. This can be anything from hanging out at the Coffer & Coffin for drinks, to doing charitable acts outside the Gates of Nald.
Social Hour @ The Sunstone Khan
A venue for the wealthy upper class of Ul'dah has opened its doors right outside the Brimming heart, and you're invited! Once a month the Sunstone Khan will have a social event for those who wish to interact with their fellows and discuss business.
The Landama Markets
Ul'dah would not be the merchant capital of the star without their markets, and Landama's Market is the hip new spot! Right outside the Sunstone Khan in the brimming heart, the markets will open for vendors to sell anything from beautiful fabrics and alchemical concoctions to the most delicious food Thanalan has to offer.
Upcoming...
First Annual Trader's Gala
Where: Dynamis DC, Raffelsia, Goblet ward 7 Plot 19
When: Saturday October 26th, 2024 @ 10pm Eastern/7pm pacific
Attire: Formal, Ul'dahn Colors are encouraged
The Fifth Umbral Moon is the moon of Ul'dah's patron deity, Nald'thal. What better way to celebrate the traders and the grand opening of the Khan than to host an elaborate gala! Open to all, the Sunstone khan invites you to join them for a night of socializing and dancing, and maybe even a little business negotiation? Who knows what could happen!We will be raffling off different prizes to win. To be eligible you just need to attend, no purchase necessary.More details on music & syncshell to come.
