
Pek killin it as a youth!
Ninja: Thanks for some time out and doing this community interview. First question, what brought you to Avlis?
Pekarion: Used to play NWN online with my high school friends. Our friend found a server named "Mythos" and told us to come check it out. Mythos was a High Magic, High Drama RP PW that eventually connected to CoPaP and a celestial dock in Elysia. I brought my character "Pekarion Shadowstep" over and stayed indefinately.
Ninja: Wow. Mythos. I doubt many players have even heard of it, let alone played on it. How long have you been playing on Avlis?
Pekarion: I've played on several defunct CoPaP worlds, but that's where it started yes. That was in 2003, I've been on and off since then.
Ninja: What characters do you play nowadays?
Pekarion: I have a slew of them! At the moment I'm trying to get into my new bard. Casamir. Never played a bard before so I'm taking it slowly. Do you want me to name more?
Ninja: Well which are your favorite PCs over the years?
Pekarion: Pekarion Shadowstep, Kedar, Alden Stonefoot, Redwyn Ironhart and Hiran Ufer'shi are my fondest characters.
Ninja: That's right. You played Kedar as well. What inspires the way you play your characters?
Pekarion: I enjoy underdogs and antagonists, in that regard Kedar is a bit of both. He's my most extreme character, but I also enjoy subtle characters that just "play their part" so to say. I always try to make characters that to me seem original. If you disregard Kedar, who is a supernova of terrible ideas, I like to make characters that fit into different group dynamics and I try to be a teamplayer. Also, many of my characters are somewhat emotionally unavailable, just for the fact that I enjoy being the antagonist and to create clear-cut personas. My characters won't undergo much emotional turmoil or change, I mostly stick to my "path".
Ninja: What would you say your most defining moment as player was?
Pekarion: Well my fondest memories are all the little adventures I've had with my friends, Liters whatup! A proud moment for Alden was when he counterspelled Nixtixu. For Kedar I think it was poisoning the cake at Bedlam's wedding. I also had a multitude of shenanigans with Pekarion. I pickpocketed someone for 10 stacks of timestop scrolls, and used them haphazardly for robbing houses and picking pockets. Pek the Timestopping Thief was classy. Of course this is all in retrospect and flavoured with nostalgia. I also remember trying to pick Melonious' pocket during a trade fair, and probably pissed off the entire playerbase for disrupting the auction and setting a hunt in motion.
Ninja: Everyone loves a good bad guy! Why do you think Avlis has continued to thrive past the prime of NWN?
Pekarion: Well Avlis is so much more than NWN. It's a very rich setting that has endless possibilites, and the game is just the medium really. There's also a great community that pieces it all together and the game has something for everyone. It's the storytelling that's at heart and NWN is so far the best way of portraying this!
Ninja: You recently rejoined the team. What brought you back?
Pekarion: Well I just thought I would be useful and figured I had time to spare. Now that I've started my new studies, it didn't provide as much spare time as I thought it would but I like to help out as much I can, even if it's just the little things. Really it's just a need to give something back. I consider myself a levelheaded, no nonsense guy that might not bring much flare to the team but will be there to give a much-deserved cookie to the guy emoting to himself when there's noone else around. Looking forward to DM'ing more and introducing more stories to the people.
Ninja: What advice would you give to a player thinking about joining the team?
Pekarion: I think that if you feel you have something to offer you should apply. I'd advice against any thinking really, follow your gut!
Ninja: What was your favorite plot that you have been a part of, either as a player or DM?
Pekarion: I have really never been involved in a plot.. From all the years I've been here, all I've done is been partially involved in plots or attended one-offs, the same as a DM. The only plot that I have been involved with with more than 1 "meeting"/event is the TQ Mindflayer Flying Fortress-plot, where Alden was present twice. That was mostly him and Karna stroking eachothers egos IIRC, but I thoroughly enjoyed that!
Ninja: Let's say you have 2 hours to kill on Avlis. What would you do?
Pekarion: For a DM event I need atleast 3-4 hours. For a good dungeonromp with friends I need atleast 2,5. With 2 hours I'm either spying and 111'ing from the client, or IG doing something unremarkable. Chitchatting or killing something easy. In other words, minor tasks with IRC on in the background. I just can't get into it with just 2 hours at hand!
Ninja: What other games do you play besides Avlis?
Pekarion: Sometimes I play Minecraft to relax. Or make silly beats in Reason.
Ninja: What is something about you that isn't gaming related that people would find interesting?
Pekarion: I don't know what people find interesting but I make music, study education and work with youth. Those are the three things that comprise my life at the moment. I have very few(none) talents or hobbies apart from this.
Ninja: Making music is great. Let's talk about that. What kind of music do you make, and how long have you been doing it?
Pekarion: Rap, since I was 15. So 11 years, on and off.
Ninja: Rap is fun. In fact, I teach a rap class in Chicago called MadSkillz, and am using a book named "How to Rap" as the course materials. Do you have any stuff online?
Pekarion: There's stuff on Youtube, iTunes, Spotify. I'm doing a rap class next friday, for a friend of mine who runs a youth centre in another town. I'm apprehensive but think I'll just shoot from the hip. Worst case scenario I'll crush their dreams and head home early.
Ninja: Let the kids realize they can't step to you. What are the songs on your 5 song playlist?
Pekarion: That book looks good. Wow, that's not easy. Let me just say I've been listening to Ed Sheeran - No.5 Collaborations EP a lot lately. All of those!
Ninja: Fair! Okay Pek. That's it for the interview. You got any parting words for all of your fans out there?
Pekarion: Never promise crazy a baby!
Ninja: BOOM
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