Cracker

Brother Leon sails west to settle the Prince-Bishopric, seeking holy retribution against the Tarcharmen. (Signed!)

The lone duke lingered in the cool Brelusian shade as he watched the serfs work the fields of Novellen. The Grand Harvest doled Adria a grand bounty this year. The young Rickard Barrow once quipped that loyalist corpses had enriched the Adrian soil, but that quip was in poor taste after the day's recent events. A skirmish gone awry, the victory that the crown so desperately sought; but all in all, it meant little to most Adrians. Fresh recruits piled in droves to enlist among the Greycloaks, new peasants had returned from the year's pilgrimage to provide fodder, and most of all, the Savoyards had finally, after a year of cat-and-mouse, attacked after their stunning losses. Hugues hungered for a fight and, even in defeat, he relished the spirit of war. Yet all those thoughts slipped aside as a man in burlap approached the Duke of Adria. His countenance was pristine, his gait humble and true, and the iron lorraine which dangled from his neck swayed with the breeze. He was no different from Father Branaford, Cordal, or even Theodosius. He was an acolyte sent to minister in Brelus, where its twin priests had taken sabbatical. Named Josef, he brought great company for the young lord. The acolyte's words soothed his doubts and made the war seem so distant and faint. As much as Hugues' claimed to despise priests, they always brought him fond memories; his closest friends forged over men of the cloth. The pair wasted hours together sharing story and saga. But in a flash, the dagger rose, swift and sure, and its steel kissed the Duke's neck. 1495-1519. _______________________________________ In the realms loyal to the crown, common soldiery had celebrated the demise of Hugues Sarkozic with open fanfare. He was dubbed Hugo the Headless, an apt moniker for the the carefree rebel who once ate at the Ashford table only to turn cloak. The lordlings of Savoy breathed a sigh of relief as their reign was left unchallenged, rid of serious opposition. Mourning rang through Adria as its denizens great fear had come true. Countless heroes of the Adrian efforts were slain by Ashford hands; Johann Vladov, Kozlovskii Vladov, Sixtus III, Castor Chivay, and now their own Lord Paramount. Men cried for vengeance, their justice undone. Men cried for peace, seeking solace and mercy. But women wailed loudest, the Duke's own lady wife and his own lady sister, as the church bells tolled and all feared what retribution was to come.

Embarrassing... Good fight though and nice choice of music! Let's get some more in along the week, happy we finally met on the field after far too long of indecisive skirmishes.

Yea Lark!

We were told by staff that that is what it will take for us to get a FT and SS, so it's more a general term for them. I don't think Oren (at least, I hope they don't) have control over who gets FT and SS's or not, so I'll leave that to the staff to decide. I also cleared it up with a GM on the matter of boats, as long as they are rebuilt in time for a WC, then they are operational. Furthermore, the land route to Felsen is still available, and will only take the fording of a small river (think it's like 3-5 blocks). Considering any siege will be determined next weekend (an rp year, plenty of time to both boats in RP and plans in OOC) and not this one, though, it's an argument that'll be dealt for another time. EDIT: I'd also like to bring up that if the current loyalist regime is unable to fight us on any day of the weekend, we should be able to get our FT and SS; if they are unable to defend their mantle and fight us at some point within those three days, as this would be the 2nd time a warclaim was pushed back and demonstrates an inability to quell a rebellious state from an IC perspective. From an OOC perspective, it's lame that we are ready to fight for our perks but are stalled out of them time and perhaps, time again. Just because a leader cannot find a time over a three-day period doesn't mean that it should get pushed back for the 100+ players involved and us forced to wait another week for the perks that we should have, given that smaller and less legitimate RP hubs possess them.

As I mentioned to you in PM, if we can't skirmish + siege this weekend, then we can argue about where to siege after the WC. We'll focus this particular warclaim as solely a skirmish one for this weekend. Winner gets chance to siege and push momentum; if Adria wins, it can get its FT and soulstone pillar sorted. I'll update this post with location.

"But we've never offered them a county..." ponders Hugues.

1) If the distance between Vanaheim and Adria is too great for Adrians to march north, then it would be equally too great for Vanirs to come south. I'm fine with having the skirmish point be where you have indicated on your map, but there's no reason why everyone has to march south versus north. The terrain is the same whichever direction you traverse, and Dour Watch/Peremont were built to ward attacks from the east, not the north. That's a strategic venue we would like to utilize, and there's no RP reason we couldn't as the path north is all friendly territory. 2) The OP nor the follow-up post have denied the right for an open-field skirmish before any sieges. However, as your diagram showed, we are comfortable doing a skirmish anywhere the Adrian armies would move, such as that point you pointed out, or the point I pointed out. It doesn't make sense for us to just charge west though to face great fortifications when the north is far more exposed and just as difficult to traverse. 3) No one is arguing against improving defenses, but erecting a great wall or citadel in the short time responding to troop movements is unrealistic and unRP. We're mainly asking that citadels or walls don't start popping up every other day to drag this out for as long as possible. 4) Agreed, a dedicated siege system will be necessary for the upcoming war. The rules are fine with me, though I would argue TNT should be allowed as part of the siege system.

This is a 2-part war claim. The first battle on Friday will consist of the typical pitched battle skirmish in a no-man's land that comes before any siege. If it is won, then instead of waiting another week of raid wars and little rp, we can immediately move unto a siege within that weekend. Dour Watch and Peremont are both east of Felsen, not north of it. That is why Taylor posted this warclaim; to denote the march rallying at Vanaheim and going south, versus rallying at Adria and marching west. Here is a map to display tactical movements in RP. Circles would indicate battles. There are no crown loyalist holdfasts in between Adria/Haense/Vanaheim to prevent them from rallying together and executing a strike from the north versus the east, a strategy we figured would be a more decisive method of ending the war. The Coalition army would rally at the North, before plunging itself south into Felsen where it is exposed versus having to grind through 2-3 vassal marches.

EDICT OF MAERSHIP Issued and confirmed by His Grace the Duke of Adria, Hugues At the will of His Grace the Duke of Adria, Hugues I, the Maer has the highest civic authority within the city and acts as chief representative of its common people. SECTION I COMPETENCIES DELEGATED This edict delegates to the Maer of Brelus the following competencies of the Mayoral Government of the City of Brelus; I. The Maer has been given the power to change the laws of the City of Brelus regarding the common man II. The Maer is hereby granted authority to banish any lowborn from the City of Brelus III. The Maer has been given the power to order construction and demolition within the City of Brelus IV. The Maer has been instructed to keep record and overlook progress of construction and taxation within the City of Brelus V. The Maer has been instructed to take the Duke’s place in court for minor cases brought to court by common citizens within the City of Brelus VI. The Maer has been instructed to take note of the containments of the City of Brelus’s storage VII. The Maer has been instructed to pay, supply the goods to, and manage building, construction, and the builders themselves in the City of Brelus VIII. The Maer has been instructed to distribute homes to the individuals within the City of Brelus IX. The Maer has been instructed to distribute food supply to where is necessary in the City of Brelus X. The Maer has been instructed to take the Duke’s place in court for minor cases brought to court by common citizens within the City of Brelus XI. The Maer has been instructed to govern, oversee health, and maintain authority in the City of Brelus __________________________________________________________________ SECTION II OFFICES ESTABLISHED This edict establishes several new offices, intended to speed and enforce the duties of the Maer of Brelus. STEWARD OF CONSTRUCTION I. Granted the authority to designate certain citizens as architects and any other subordinate position under the Stewardship of the City of Brelus II. Granted the authority to contract freelance builders with the use of city coffers in the intent of contributing towards the construction of the city III. Granted the authority to use the allocated resources of the city within the City of Brelus’s Warehouse IV. Granted the authority to create organized donation zones to allow the citizens of Brelus places to contribute to the city’s resources V. Charged with the duty of constructing buildings needed by the City of Brelus VI. Charged with the duty of organizing buildings within the City of Brelus into districts and named streets VII. The Steward of Building answers directly to the Maer of the City of Brelus ​STEWARD OF COMMERCE I. Granted the authority to designate certain citizens as tax collectors and any other subordinate position under the Stewardship of the City of Brelus II. Granted the authority to spend the coffers of the City of Brelus towards paying City officials III. Granted the authority to spend the coffers of the City of Brelus in order to purchase necessary resources IV. Granted the duty to sell and repossess buildings within the City of Brelus V. Granted the duty to issue taxes on citizens within the City of Brelus VI. Charged with the duty of taxing the citizens of the City of Brelus on a regular occasion VII. Charged with the duty to keep a positive income flow into the City of Brelus’s coffers VIII. The Steward of Commerce answers directly to the Maer of the City of Brelus

"They make motley of our cause. What tripe." remarks Hugues.

Hugues glances over the document. He tosses it aside, muttering "No words but deeds."

7TH OF THE FIRST SEED, 1518 A missive is distributed across the realm by raven. The Ducal Coalition, headed by the Lord Paramount Hugues Sarkozic, comprised of the Duchies of Adria, Haense, and Vanaheim, formally revolts from the Kingdom of Oren, and in doing so declares Olivier de Savoie unfit to rule the realm of man as seen through the evidence of events as of late. Whether tolerating the wanton massacre of Wett, standing idle as Orenian banners fought another across the Driedan, ignoring pleas of justice and peace, blockading Adria from traffic and trade, or abusing the nobility of Vanaheim, the king’s reign is one we cannot abide by. And furthermore, this ducal coalition does firmly declare that the Duchy of Savoy are enemies of justice and the Orenian tradition, and finds it only fitting that a state of WAR be declared upon them, for the crimes of manslaughter, corruption and decrepit tyranny. We demand that XAVIER DE SOLA be executed; a false promise the crown has yet to deliver. We demand that TITUS DE SOLA be executed; a farce that has yet to be undone. We demand that OLIVIER DE SAVOIE abdicate the throne in light of his inability; a king who cannot rise to undo his plate, let alone rise to administer his kingdom. Let all men declare their loyalties.

"Hey, that's me!" Felix is sent a letter.

The Blue Siren has been masterfully captured by a band of Orcs. The Bounty has been completed; Oren rid of its Siren blight.

"The King should have realized that endorsing wanton butchery would lead to further wanton butchery. A slap on the wrist is a poor precedent." Hugues would say upon hearing the news.

Felsen's Siren has met her match. Vanaheim's Siren has yet to be contested.

Felsen's Siren has claimed two victims, prowling at large. Vanaheim's Siren has yet to be contested.

A region grid for warclaim and settlement purposes.

WANTED: Siren THREAT LEVEL: Low-Medium DESCRIPTION OF BEAST: A harlot in shade, the Siren seduces its prey with its song, often sailors by the docks at late hours, before stunning them with a shrill or illusion hex and draining them for sustenance. It's form is light and ethereal; striking it with steel or flesh is akin to punching through a thick fog. Only aurum may bleed the beast, but it bears many hexes and illusion spells in order to elude capture. Most notably, its cloaking technique is the bane of many a-monster hunter. LOCATION: Blue Sirens prowl the bays of Vanaheim. They often can cast water spells to subdue their foes and are far more confrontational, needing flesh and blood to survive. [Medium Threat] Green Sirens are about the rivers cradling Felsen and Adria, weaker than their sisters, but far more illusive as they only need blood as sustenance. [Low-Medium Threat] Three Sirens have been sighted throughout Oren; two Green in Felsen and Adria, and one Blue in Vanhemir. Adria's Siren has been SLAIN. Felsen's Siren has been SLAIN. Vanehmir's Siren has been CAPTURED. REWARDS: A minae sum by the local rivermen/sailors.

A parchment is nailed upon on the Brelus notice board, detailing the following... "To all suitable commons, It is time for all Maer-hopefuls to officially declare their intent to run. Please write below your name, age, criminal record, and occupation in Adria to be considered for the position. Debates began on the saint's day morrow, whilst voting itself will be held in two saint's day time."

What is the most memorable moment you've had on LotC?

In my opinion, the mythos and legend behind them make them a far more fascinating prey to claim than a lifeless ET wraith. Coupled with the fact that it's one of the few player-ran antagonist groups left, with most monster factions played as one-off ET characters, and they are more attractive to interact with. Given that most players first thoughts in interacting with a monster is to slay it, its not hard to believe that Frost Witches would be targeted excessively.