We Got Blogged!!

So the new Draconis quest, The Mystery of Lord Edmund, seems to be a resounding success! AND i'm very pleased to share that we've been blogged about! Go to the following link and read what the lovely people at LnL Square had to say: We Dare You!

Another quick tidbit - the quest has its own blog now as well (thanks Talya!), complete with hints, and a page dedicated to those who have finished it. Please, do let us know if you've been a successful participant so that we can add your name.

Mystery of Lord Edmund

Marva Constantine Shares Her Vision At The Castle

Just a head's up ppl - we have a very hot new exhibit up at the castle this month. And it's a little bit .... hawt! *smiles*

Marva Constantine has been tantilizing viewers with her steamy portrayal of erotic art for nearly 2 years. Her work is consistently brilliant and always very provocative and controversial. You will NOT want to miss this exhibit!

Click here - your taxi to Teista awaits

Dark Draconis Quest is Launched!

We are pleased to announce that a new quest has been launched at Dark Draconis on Teista! Here is an exerpt from the story:

The Mystery of Lord Edmund

"Greetings traveller. Please, have a seat, and allow me to share with you a tale of great sorrow.

You are in the gardens that belong to Castle Dark Draconis. Many years ago, the Castle was brimming with light and laughter – and the King and Queen were considered to be kindly, wise and generous. Citizens of Draconis freely roamed about in these gardens and the market, enjoying all that the royal pair offered and because of that, they were very loved.

The King and Queen had a distant cousin in common, whom everyone knew as Lord Edmund. He lived in another land, far enough away that it took weeks of travel in order to visit the King and Queen, but Edmund adored them and would make a trip to visit several times a year. These trips remained a great adventure for him - until his last ill-fated journey."

Come find out what happened to Edmund on that journey. Follow the clues and win the most amazing gifts along the way. Bring a friend, a wife, a partner - heck bring your pet cat - and work together to unravel the mystery!

Click here. Your taxi to Teista awaits.

IZZY COLE Photography Exhibit

Dark Draconis Castle is pleased to showcase the photography of Izzy Cole at the castle. Izzy is an award winning artist who's been exploring photography and it's potential in Second Life for five years. He has brought his skills as a professionally trained RL photographer into SL and has embraced all the beauty that is unique to Second Life.

Izzy's artwork, which ranges from magazine cover shots, to print work, to covering the SL concerts of RL band Spacejunky, is vibrant and kinetic.

Here's a taste of his artwork: http://picasaweb.google.com/izzyatthecreek.

Stop by the castle and allow your eyes and mind to be dazzled. You might want to wear sunglasses.

Diago Naidoo Photography Exhibit

Dark Draconis Castle is pleased to showcase, once again, the amazing photography of Diago Naidoo. But this time, Diago has embraced his dark side and is exploring the erotic possibilities of Second Life.

Diago continues to use the power of light and shadow that is unmatched. Each picture tells a story and sets a mood.

So sit a spell, if you dare, in the exhibit room and allow Diago to entrance, delight and maybe startle you with his stories.

Every month the castle will feature the artwork of one of Second Life's amazing artists. There is such an abundance of talented people in Second Life and we are excited to be able to help them exhibit their work.

No Longer MIA

Just an update to let everyone know that Kreamy is back and biting!!!! It is good to have her back and know she is well!!!

HUGS!!!!!!

Missing in action

It's been a week since we have seen our beloved Elder Kreamy, and everyone in the clan is worried about her, especially her new hubby Yanos. Our number one rule at Dark Draconis is that Real Life comes first, and we all understand that, but you are still missed by many!

Here is hoping that whatever is keeping you from your second life is trivial, and that you are well and happy!!!!

We all hope to see you soon.

Monk and the rest of the clan.

BloodLines War

For those of you interested in other avenues of fun with vampires and lycans, there is the add on called Bloodlines War. Bloodlines war is a simple, easy-to-use combat system for Second Life®. With Bloodlines War, you can stake out your territory and gather an army to defend it. You can get all the gear you need at the vendor in the Dark Draconis dungeon. If you have the Bloodlines Vampire system, you can use War to wage clan wars. If not, you can still choose a team, stake a territory, and defend your dominion!

Well, we have our own Commander of the Dark Draconis Army, BeoWulf Foxtrot, Lycan of Horde Dark Draconis. We have established our territory on the mountainside across the water from the castle. General Foxtrot is recruiting memebers for the army, so, if you are interested in playing, let him know!

Impromptu Weddings

Last saturday morning rolled around and there were rumors something big was going to happen at Dark Draconis. It seemed that Kreamy and Yanos were inviting a few friends over to join them. One could only wonder what she had in mind, but as the folks started arriving we could hear the tremor in Kreamy's voice. Damn, she sounded afraid. Not like her at all. It must be, it must be, SHE WAS GETTING MARRIED!

I have know Kreamy about two month's and this was the last thing I expected, but it was easy to see how she was when he was around. He treats her as she deserves, and she loves him for it. Everything about her is unconventional, including the wedding ceremony, but it was grand. She was surrounded by her good friends and they made such a happy couple.

Cheers to Kreamy and Yanos, and best wishes for a long and happy relationship!!!

Poaching

I find it interesting that lately we have had a few unscrupulous individuals from other clans poaching at Dark Draconis. Do I mean that no one is allowed to hunt there? No, what I mean is that if someone from another clan is going to visit our home, that they first respect our clan, and second respect our rules.

And our rules are that the castle is BloodLines friendly, the garden, the market and the docks are off limits to biting. That means that someone from another clan who camps at our landing spot in the garden, waiting to pounce on visitors is subject to being banned an ejected. That is just not in the spirit of Dark Draconis. Our clan members know that visitors are to be respected, and they will offer help, answer questions, and, leave people alone if they so desire.

But, when I get a complaint from a visitor that a supposed King of another clan is harassing her, and that person has a minion with him telling visitors untruth's about people, in an effort to poach, then yes, I call that poaching, not hunting.

My only conclusion is that these people have no personal skills, no abilities to make friends, no knowledge of how to befriend people and introduce them to vampirism, and above all no ethics. We don't come to your clan home and do this, so don't do it at Dark Draconis.

Visitors are welcomed and we look forward to making new friends, new acquaintances and of course new vampires. But, if you are a vampire and choose not to respect our visitors and our rules, don't whine and cry because you get banned.

Supporting your Clan

Have you visited the market place at Dark Draconis recently? Hopefully you have! The rent from the vendors helps to offset the cost of tier a little bit. We do Dark Draconis for fun, but the lindens we get from rentals and donations helps us bring in the live entertainment too!

Here is an ad we are taking out to bring folks in for shopping, and of course potential clan members as well! The ad reads "Take a walk on the dark side. Indulge your hidden desires and uncover the dark recesses of your mind. Dark Draconis Castle Market showcases some of SL's best Gothic, Vampire, Medieval creators and has both an Open Collar and a Bloodlines vendors."

So, what can you do to help out??? There are some simple things that you can do that take no money and little time. In no particular order of importance they are:

1. Shop the Dark Draconis Market first. If you see a vendor out in the world, and you know they are in our market, make the purchase in our market. That keeps the vendors coming back.
2. Add Dark Draconis to your Profile Picks. That helps getting us higher in search results.
3. If you see a vendor you think would fit in the mall, tell them about us. Keeping the stalls full helps!
4. Tell your friends about the Market Place and the 7Seas Fishing. When people are fishing, it increases the traffic count, which in turn gives us better positions in search results.
5. Tell your friends about the live entertainers we have, and try to come out for them. This not only helps our traffic, but supports the live performers in Second Life, something we believe in.

And remember our rules! #1 RL is more important and #2 Have fun!!!!

Humans, Revenants and Souls

A question came up about a Revenant and holding souls. I thought about it, checked on some BloodLines information, and did some soul counting (as opposed to soul searching!).

First, lets look at BloodLines rules. I know a human or Revenant can actually bite and hold a soul, but as far as I can tell, that soul does not count towards rank, status or the clan. So, a Revenant can collect and hold souls, but, will never get a new rank until they first become vampire. Same with humans.

Now, lets look at how that plays into the clan. I think all the Elders will agree, that when we bite someone and take their soul, that they deserve a good roleplay along with the bite! So, that is important! The Elders, as well as many of our vampires have experience in this and will be more than willing to teach/demonstrate a good biting.

So, what if a Revenant wants to take a soul? Here is what I suggest. If the Revenant is learned int he way of RP'ing a good bite, then why not? And that new person should liege to them and become their minion, but I think the Revenant should then have an upstream Vampire or Elder who has a Forever Amulet hold the soul until the Revenant becomes a vampire and is ready to protect it themselves.

This serves several purposes. First, the souls will count towards the clans total souls. Second, the soul will be protected during the Revenants learning period. And third, it will give motivation to the Revenant to become full Vampire and hold and protect the souls themselves!

As to humans holding souls, even though the game allows it, I don't think it is within the realm of Vampire roleplay.

Just my opinion!

A new Elder - Kreamy

When Kreamy Ganache first approached me about her small clan merging with ours, I was initially hesitant. We aren't out to have the biggest clan or the highest stats, you can read previous blogs about us to see that. But then I got to talk to her, and found out she had been out looking for a place to call home, a place that wasn't rife with rules and drama. OK, I thought, that fits, but what about Kreamy.

Well, one of the first things I noticed is that she is different than most I have met in Second Life. She lays her agenda out there first, nothing hidden, no secret agendas, plus she is a unique personality, wild and free. And fun!! So, I decided, with some trepidation to recommend to the elders that we accept her and her folks. And we did, unanimously. That was a few weeks ago. So, I held my breath and waited to see was it the right decision.

Now it's a few weeks later, and guess what. Not only was it the right one, but Kreamy has become a trusted member and one of the clan's biggest supporters, with a heart of gold, and willing to help anyone that is willing to help themselves.

Welcome to Kreamy and all her minions and vampires!!! It is a pleasure having you as members of the clan!

Live Singer Grace McDunnough!

We are pleased to announce that GRACE MCDUNNOUGH will be at Dark Draconis on Wednesday, January 20 at 6PM PST.

Grace is the creator and producer of Musimmersion, founder of the Mill Pond Folk Festival, and a virtual world touring singer-songwriter. She has performed on stages large and small across the Second Life grid since 2006; she was the first live musician to perform in Metaplace, and is a member of the ground breaking live music tour called Rocking The Metaverse presented by Koinup - bringing live music into several virtual worlds including Second Life, Reaction Grid, Metaplace, Twinity and Active Worlds - Europe.

Visit Grace McDunnough's website at: http://grace.weebly.com/

And see Grace Live at Draconis!

Dark Draconis Market and Castle, Teista (21, 129, 45)

Dark Draconis Never Sleeps!

There are lots of fun things happening at the castle these days!

A lovely soul came wandering through the castle a few days ago, looking for a new home. She was wearing the most beautiful white gown when i met her and, as it turns out, also had a family to care for. Okay the gown has nothing to do with this, but d*mn she looked great! She was very thorough in her questioning, and i'm pleased to say that she found us to be as welcoming and friendly as we say we are. So, welcome Kreamy Ganache; we welcome you and your family to ours. We embrace you as our own.

But there's more! As it turns out, Kreamy is also a DJ, and this Saturday, January 16, 6 pm SL time, she will be spinning the tunes for the very first Dark Draconis Vampire Mixer! Mark it in your calendars as i'm positive it's going to be a great time.

In need of a new obsession?

What's a vampire to do when the hunt is over, the feasting is done and they just crave some quiet time? Why, fish, of course. If you've never fished using the 7 Seas Fishing game, then be prepared to become obsessed. I know I did. So where do vampires fish? Why, from a dead ship, of course. Just walk through the marketplace and continue past the Flea Market and walk down the ramps to the dock area. Here's the SLUrl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Teista/99/119/23

If you don't already have a fishing rod, then get one from the 7 Seas vendor. You can get a demo rod, which expires after 5 casts, and can only catch common fish, or the occasional spare tire. It's good for getting an idea of how fishing works. Casual rods cannot be baited or earn XP (experience points), but can catch common through rare fish and never expire. Good for casual fishing, since you never need to buy bait. Pro rods are fully featured rods. Can take bait or fish without, earn XP, catch anything, and will never expire.

As you begin to fish you start to collect different kinds of fish. And THAT's when you become obsessed. You can get flying fish in the shape of Hot Air Balloons, or catfish that look like a cat doing a back swim. Shrimp cocktails, Ninja Ducks, Mermaids and more. They are all transferable, so you can send fish to your friends. Wear them and they swim around your head. Wear several at a time and surprise your friends. You can even catch bathing suits and hats and boots. And then there are the quests. Collect all the items in a single quest and build a boat or other prizes. How many different fishes are there? I'm not sure, but I know I have each and every one. Because I became obsessed. My favorite is the Ninja Duck.

The dead ship has several pose balls tossed around and more are coming. Check out the skeleton ship in the water and be mesmerized by the crashing waves on the rocks ahead.

Anyone for a flying Tuna Roll?

Dark Draconis Clan - Hunting Tips

The gathering of souls, blood-dolls and feeders is a major part of the Bloodlines role play. Here I will offer a few tips on how to increase your success when hunting, but from a Dark Draconis point of view. What I mean is that we aren't in the game to just increase our numbers, rather, we are building a clan where people can feel as if they are part of a family, that they can belong, be protected and protect others.First, understand what the status of other players means. You discover their status by scanning them using your HUD.

There are several results you will see. From the game guide:

Limbo
Your soul is in limbo when you've been attacked by a bloodlines vampire or lycan, but you haven't joined Bloodlines yet. If you join, your soul will go to the first person who attacked you. If you'd like it to go to someone else, then you would need to drink The Wormwood Potion, and then your soul will be transferred to the next person to bite you, instead of the first.

Abyss
When the avatar who previously held your soul becomes destroyed, your soul is lost to the abyss. If you drink The Hemlock Potion, then your soul can become rescued, and the next person to bite you will receive your soul.

Possessed
by another avatar If your soul is possessed by another avatar, the best way to move it is to make a deal with that avatar, and have the person who you wish to hold your soul retrieve it using The Soul Reaper. If the soul possessor is unwilling to bargain with you, you can retrieve it by force using The Electrum Potion. However, in order to use the Electrum potion, the avatar that you choose to receive your soul must ransom a soul in return for yours. Also, the Electrum potion may be used only once by each avatar, so choose your soul keeper wisely.by another avatar If your soul is possessed by another avatar, the best way to move it is to make a deal with that avatar, and have the person who you wish to hold your soul retrieve it using The Soul Reaper. If the soul possessor is unwilling to bargain with you, you can retrieve it by force using The Electrum Potion. However, in order to use the Electrum potion, the avatar that you choose to receive your soul must ransom a soul in return for yours. Also, the Electrum potion may be used only once by each avatar, so choose your soul keeper wisely.

What does all this actually mean to the hunter. Lets talk about Limbo first. Most likely the person with a soul in lymbo doesn't remember getting bit, or may have been a victim of a bite spammer. In order to bring this person into the game, they will need both the Wormwood Potion and the Thirst (game HUD). A person who has their soul in the Abyss has played the game at one point, and the keeper of their soul became destroyed, casting the soul into the abyss. This person only needs the Hemlock potion and your bite. The third, possessed, is someone who is an active player most likely, and the least likely to join you, unless to develop a friendship with them. But, getting their soul to you can be challenging to say the least.

Then there is Fresh Victim, someone who has never played nor ever been bitten. If you bite them, you will get some blood and send their soul to Limbo until they get a HUD. When they get a HUD the soul comes to you.Next, decide where you will hunt. Bloodlines got itself a bad name at one time when it encouraged mass spam biting. That is no longer encouraged, but the bad taste remains (pun intended) in may sims. So, you may want to restrict your activities to know vampire friendly places. A good place to start is at Liquid, in and around the maze. There are many non-vampires that go there to explore, and are open minded, since they know they are in a vampire sim. If you go elsewhere, be discreet and determine if they are vampire friendly or not.

Now for the tough part, how do you actually meet someone to bite them? Well, there are lots of ways, but I will relate what I think works best. Just make friends! If you simply ask them if you can bite them, you won't accomplish much, but if you take an interest in them, well, you might find a great minion and better than that, a good friend too. How do you do that you ask? Well, just strike up a conversation, perhaps a compliment of their avatar or something they are wearing, or something about the surroundings. You can even ask them a question, and see if they offer you help. If you are in a vampire RP area, perhaps an offhand comment about how delicious the fragrance of their blood is intoxicating. Be creative and tie it into the area and surroundings.

If the persons soul is in the Abyss or Limbo, perhaps a comment about the terrible thing that you just learned. That their soul is lost. In essence anything to strike up a conversation. Learn about the game, because at this point there may be lots of questions, for example, why would I let you have my soul. Think of our clan when you are answering, and the answer would be based on protection and caring. You might tell them about Dark Draconis and offer to show the castle, or assist them with the recovery of their soul.

Many people have had a bad experience with BloodLines. This is your opportunity to show them a different side, a way to play that can be fun and enjoyable. The key is that if you jump them and just want to bite, you most likely won't succeed. But, if you take a real interest in the person, find out about them, tell them a bit about you and your experience, you will have success.

Your inner vamp-ness

Say the name "Anne Rice" and many people will smile back at you, responding with "... ahh, vampires!"

What is it about the very concept of vampires that makes us (oh lowly mortals that we be) go weak at the knees? Okay so maybe "us" is mostly women - but there must be a few men out there who embrace the fantasy of never-ending undead-ness and hanging out with all those beautiful vampire-ettes. Can we say "Twilight", anyone?

Vampires have hovered around me for years. Yes, i had to seek them out - in books, in movies, in my unrepeatable dreams *blush*. Each new vampire nudged my imagination - touched my mind with sensation. Each gave me an emotional caress, a nibble of fantasy; fed into warm and sensual longings that made for a lovely repast of desire. i could put myself in the story with them - imagine being held, captivated by their ultimate power. i drift with longing now as i recall them - Lestat, Edward, even Dracula.

Vampires - for me - are sexy. Omniscient. Frightening in their power. The ultimate bad boy. And i'm very sure that should i ever meet one in real, that i will not be able to resist tilting my head ever so slowly to expose the pale, fragile length of my neck and then .....

But i digress.

So, given the fascination with vampires that some people share, perhaps it is easy to see why they like to explore their inner vampire in this lovely virtual world that we play in. You can embrace your hidden demons - or your mischievous self - shed your inhibitions and run around in amazing outfits that only a real life barbie could ever wear. You can be the ultimate demon or the sultry vampette, luring all those daring enough to come near you into the comfort of your wiles. And in all of this, you can find a home to welcome you. Not a bad deal.

Are you ready to explore?

Hearts and Souls

Recently we had an issue where second life romance and vampirism seemed to mix the heart and the soul. In real world love, we hope to find a mate where we can give our heart, mind and soul as an expression of our love. In the world of Bloodlines, that is a bit more complicated. While we still can fall in love as a vampire, and give our mate our mind and body (well, pixels anyway), the soul is changed once you have been bitten.

Take for example how Bloodlines looks at this with the Electrum Potion. This potion can be used to switch your soul from one person to another, albeit with an exchange, one for one. But, they have included a limit to this potion, and say "Each potion can only be used once, so use it wisely."

Then there is the Soul Reaper, the tool that allows you to get a soul from another vampire. The catch to this tool is that you can not use it to possess your own soul. There are cases where two vampires who are in love hold each others souls, but that is rare. The more common theme is that the King Or Queen hold most souls in a clan, since they have the Forever Amulet and can protect them. Why? Because the souls make a clan stronger (higher in ranking) in the Bloodlines system. Right or wrong, it is the value of the soul in Bloodlines, not one of showing your heart and love to a person.

In the Dark Draconis Clan, we view the soul as something that must be protected, cared for and treated with respect. Take Talya for example, who was a Bloodlines player before we met. Her soul had been possessed and lost to the Abyss three times. Devastating to her that someone would not value that gift she gave to keep it and protect it. And she gave it not as a token of love, but as her dedication to her liege and clan. I am the keeper of her soul now, and have vowed to cherish it, protect it and keep it safe forever. To that extent I got the Forever Amulet so there is no risk of me becoming destroyed and sending it back to the Abyss. She recognizes that I value that soul, as I do all the souls I hold, and in exchange is a dedicated and loyal member of our clan.

So, if you are thinking of joining our clan, or already are a member, keep in mind that souls are the strength of the clan, and we will not use them for matters of the heart! But, we will protect them, care for them and respect your decision to join our family.

Dragons and Vampires, Oh My!

What do dragons and vampires have in common other than they are mythical creatures? Well, at Dark Draconis they seem to have the elders in common! Three of the four Elders are Dragon Slayers at the role play sim of Avalon Island. Several of the clan members also work on the quest at Avalon. This got me thinking about the merging of two things you typically don't see in role play and the mythical texts, and why I believe it makes Dark Draconis Clan different.

Sometimes role play is done strictly by the book, whether that be the mythical lore, had sets of rules like Dungeons and Dragons, or rules and regulations created by the "dungeon master" or role play sim owner. Which is best? Well, whatever you enjoy is best, but, at Draconis I prefer to do our role play on a set of rules based on some time honored principals, those of Integrity, Loyalty, Trust and Protection.

You don't see many pale vampires at Draconis, and we don't "require" that you be an accurate depiction of one. Heck, you can just do a Google search and see how many different ideas there are of what a vampire looks like, and we don't purport to be experts. We do expect you to be Loyal to the Clan, have honor in your hunting, your treatment Draconis Clan members and in the way you treat other Bloodlines players.

We also expect you to follow our rules. #1 rule is Real Life is more important. #2 is have fun. #3 is do nothing to harm or hurt the clan or its members. #4 is if you are holding a soul of a player, you must protect it with your best efforts. #5 is to follow Bloodlines game rules. That's about it.

So, you may see vampires, lycans, zombies or dragons at Draconis, and, it's all good!

New Clan Additions!

Good evening everyone, I hope you all had a safe and happy new year! I'd like to take a few minutes and welcome Clan Dark Draconis's newest members. We've had a busy couple of days at the castle and it's been alot of fun meeting and getting to know everyone!



1. RavenShadow Velaystar-1/1
2. Morobereth Mistwood-12/29
3. Chelsea Hilltop-12/26
4. Sardonyx Camino-12/30
5. Shadowed Kenin-1/2
6. Naill Winsmore-1/1
7. Deathgo Sparta-12/30
8. Klepto Blackhart-12/30
9. Zinnia Loire-1/1
10. Teloulah Shippe-1/1
11. Mercedes Sinatra-12/31
12. Trigger MacFanatic- 12/26
13. Claudia Dryke-12/28
14. Bucho Faith- 12/27
15 Adryan Mureaux
16. Ravisher Voom
17.MOOKAR Boa

Once again a huge warm welcome to Clan Dark Draconis! We hope you'll be happy here and truly find a home at our castle. Please feel free to visit us anytime. It's not uncommon to find someone there at all times. Here is our slurl to teleport right in http://slurl.com/secondlife/Teista/28/178/51 Have a wonderful week everyone!

Liz

Clan update

Wow, have we been growing quickly! Check the link to the upper right of this page, under the banner image, to see what i'm talking about.

The castle at Teista is getting well used these days. And we have met so many new and very great people! The dungeon has become a hubbub of activity, with much laughter and well, vampire-ish type activity going on (read biting!). Okay and the occasional whip is seen, with some lovely person sitting in the interrogation chair. Perfect.

Come.