Storytellers
From Mizahar Lore
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This article is about a rule of the game. |
Storytellers are the Moderators of Mizahar. Storytellers act as the main narrators of a story, giving characters involved in that story a chance to react to the situations the storyteller provides them. Storytellers set the scenes, describe the atmosphere, and introduce NPCs into the core of the story. Formal Moderation is when a thread is narrated by an official Storyteller Moderator (RS, DS, or AS). Informal Storyteller Moderation occurs when a Guest Storyteller or Personal Storytelling is used.
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Regional Storytellers (RS)
These storytellers are in charge of one of the six Regions in Mizahar. They handle the coordination of the wildlands, all the spaces in between, and are in direct control of all the domains that fall into their Regions. A domain might consist of a popular IC area such as a city, a camp, a waterway, a mountain range, etc. Regional Storytellers are not expected to storytell full time, but they are encouraged to moderate threads. Instead, they coordinate their regions, develop their regions, and act as a 'go to' for the Domain Storytellers that fall into their jurisdiction. Occasionally Regional Storytellers will act as Domain Storytellers for specific 'pet areas' which might be a city or other type of location within their region. All Watchtowers are controlled by Regional Storytellers, unless a region is without an RS. Regional Storytellers are responsible for attending a RS Meeting once a month and should be positive proactive problem solvers in their regions. Regional Storytellers can approve XP anywhere in their Regions (even if one of their Domains has its own Domain Storyteller), and should act as an adviser for new players starting off. They also approve starting packages and mediate any disputes that might occur between players, between domain storytellers, or both. Regional Storytellers are set into place by the administrators under the advice of the rest of the gamewide storytellers.
Domain Storytellers (DS)
Domain Storytellers are specialists. They oversee smaller more specialized areas located within regions. These areas could consist of a city, an encampment, a valley, an island, a group of people, a mountain range, or even just a fertile arch of land. Domains can consist of almost anything. It is even possible for a Domain Storyteller to be in charge of a large pirate ship and tell stories involving said ship. Domain Storytellers are responsible for developing the areas they oversee, helping players with questions, assigning starting packages, awarding experience, and working with the Region Storytellers that oversee them. Domain storytellers should be positive proactive problem solvers that are primarily focused on storycrafting and creating elaborate rich environments for players to interact with. Domain Storytellers act in close conjunction with their Region Storytellers and should attend a meeting with their Region Storyteller and the other Domain Storytellers once a month. Domain Storytellers are set into place by administrators with the permission of the Regional Storyteller and upon the advice of the rest of the gamewide storytellers.
Assistant Storytellers (AS)
Assistant Storytellers are storytellers that are working under the authority of a Domain Storyteller to help support a single domain that has become too large or popular for a Domain Storyteller to handle singularly. These assistant storytellers are responsible for moderating threads, aiding in the development of a domain, awarding xp, and promoting their domain. They are free to answer questions, assist players in starting out, and support a Domain Storyteller in any way they can. Assistant Storytellers are set into place by the administrators at the request of the Domain Storyteller and upon the advice of the rest of the gamewide storytellers.
Junior Storytellers (JrSt)
Main article: Junior Storytellers & Storyteller Requirements.
These are the teen storytellers that don't qualify for the 18 or older criteria for joining staff as an Assistant Storyteller. They work under a Regional Storyteller and are assigned to a Region doing development therein. For further information, please see the full Junior Storyteller's article.
Other Storytellers ~ Guest Storytelling (GS) and Personal Storytelling (PS)
Players can act as storytellers as well, Guest Storytelling (GS) (Sometimes called Peer) for each other under the supervision of an official storyteller (a Founder, RS, DS, or AS). Guest Storytelling occurs when another player character steps out of their player character role and briefly becomes a narrator for a story involving another player character. This is where player A would like a thread wherein she receives training in say swordsmanship. Player B, who has no swordsmanship skills themselves offers to 'guest storytell' for player A. They ask the permission of either the Founder or DS by filling out Guest Moderating Application. Once they receive an okay on their plotnotes, Player B can then tell the story involved in the thread from an NPCs perspective (a swordsman from a local training facility in Syliras for example). Guest Storytelling (GS) threads must be signed off by a formal moderator to receive experience points. Personal Storytelling is simple enough and perhaps one of the fastest ways for a player character to get training. Personal storytelling is where a player character solo's a thread, playing the part of the swordsmanship professional and themselves. Self storytelling threads must be signed off by a formal storyteller to receive experience points.
Personal Storytelling is often referred to as self-mod or self-moderating.
Activity
There are no set 'hours of operation' on Mizahar. Nevertheless, Storytellers must be active in their areas of expertise. Domain Storytellers must respond to PMs and questions on their OOC threads, post in the threads they are moderating, etc, all in a timely manner. They must show an active positive presence on the game (logging in frequently, responding quickly, etc) for the duration of their volunteerism. This is a serious commitment. Absences are fine as long as storyteller's let folks know (Ie. "Hey everyone, it is finals time for me. I'll be gone for two weeks to get through these.: Or perhaps "I'm leaving for my Christmas Break. I'll be gone from Dec 20 - Jan2. Sorry for the delays!") if they are going to be gone for extended periods of time.
Any group projects/discussions set up by Founders should be attempted to be participated in or a note sent why someone is too busy to do so. We are very understanding people on Mizahar about staff commitments. However, if you volunteer to staff a domain in any capacity, then you need to follow through with your commitment and honor your word to be here.
Inactivity
Storytellers who have not displayed activity after thirty days (posting) will be deactivated and their storytelling privileges will be revoked. They will not be allowed to re-apply for storytelling until a full in-game season has occurred (three months) and they've demonstrated active play with a player character for the whole of that in-game season. If a Storyteller is deactivated during the middle of Summer, their 'full season of play' period does not begin until they season of Fall. They then must be able to play through the entirety of Fall in order to be eligible to become staff members again. Their domains will not be held in reserve for their return. While a domain has no storyteller, anyone has the right to apply to become the DS of that domain.
Mizahar understands about situations in real life that demand time away from the internet. If one of these situations occurs (we've had two folks with wrist injuries just this year!), simply drop a note to the rest of the staff and let your domain know you're indisposed. This does not count as inactivity because it is 'forewarned'. We know family, holidays, jobs, and school always come first.
Inappropriate Behavior
Along with a volunteer commitment of activity, staff accounts are held to a high standard of behavior. Staff members must be courteous, uphold and adhere to the rules, and show equal treatment towards all players in their area. Being a staff member takes patience and dedication, and sometimes it can be a frustrating job! Remember, Mizahar is supposed to be fun. Try to keep it that way by having a professional courteous attitude.
If you are a player experiencing issues or difficulty with a storyteller, please don't hesitate to post a Help Desk ticket to seek some help. Help Desk tickets are confidential. Only Founders and Regional Storytellers can read them, and we can do a lot to smooth over disputes with professionalism and tact.
Storyteller Application
If you'd like to contribute to Mizahar via Storytelling, please feel free to fill out this application and post it in its entirety in the Help Desk. We are actively looking for dedicated storytellers that have creativity, flexibility and a good sense of fair and balanced moderation. To qualify for a storyteller position, you must have been active on Mizahar for more than 60 days and demonstrate a good writing style with spelling, and grammar. If you are not a native speaker you must have a firm grasp of English. You must consistently demonstrate well-written posts that display an ability to interact with other players and mods. And, you must have an excellent grasp of Mizahar's game world and its rules. In addition, you must have an excellent set of people skills and be able to handle conflict.
You must be at least 18 years of age to become a Domain or an Assistant Storyteller. Those ages 13-17 may apply for a Junior Storyteller position. If you are younger than that we will occasionally grant storyteller status but only with very special HD permission.
- What is your name?
- What is your age?
- Please list any characters you might play.
- Please list the position you are applying for (RS, DS, AS).
- Please give a detailed accounting of why you want to apply for this position and how you want to improve this area. What drew you to this region? What is special about it? Please be specific.
- Please list your favorite aspects of Mizahar and why.
- Please list the aspects of Mizahar you feel need improvement and why.
- Please list any applicable experience you might have with storytelling (can be off site).
- Please list any development projects you might have been involved with. Why did you get involved? What drew you to this sort of development. What made you enthusiastic about these projects?
- Please provide a recommendation from an existing storyteller.