Estellan

Yeh, these guys are amazing. Couldn't have done it without them. Jacihead is a living legend as far as building huge, amazing, detailed buildings in a short space of time goes and the rest of the crew each have their own brilliant traits they bring to the table. Fantastic lot. I have a laptop o'er here in Canada, but it can't run MC :( So no MC for me. Still forums though ^_^

Awesome. Unfortunately, I am leaving the country at 2pm today and will not have access to a computer. Mr Luke Smith (Game_Reaper)is acting in my stead so if you could talk to him and direct him to our conversation here that'd be very helpful! :)

Thanks! Would you believe this is the "slimmed down" version? Haha. It would maybe be helpful to talk to your Guild leader about that, aye :) We could even arrange a Guild-Hall for your use within the city, free of charge.

I will be leaving England to live in Canada for 6 months this Sunday, and will not be taking very many possessions with me. This includes my computer. I will buy a new one over there, but that could take anything from a few days until after Christmas. Luke Smith (Game_Reaper) is Steward in my absence and has all the powers of Kingship. Just an fyi

Hi Rp Lover! We recently moved to a new thread here: http://www.lordofthecraft.net/forum/index.php?/topic/28771-the-kingdom-of-sjalfvili/ If you want to re-post your app there that'd be great just so we have it on record. You'll get a free house in our city for use during your employment :) You have an open villain app and an unanswered app to become an undead minion, but since neither of these has yet been accepted we expect you to inform us if you wish to pursue these avenues instead of with us. However, I am going out on a limb and accepting your application and i'll mail you directions on how to find us now

This looks like an amazing idea! Can the ladder systems be published here on a regular basis? Might be helpful for hiring bodyguards, or knowing who to be wary of!

Reserved for News and Updates

The Kingdom of Sjalfvili Introduction: "Wait, Kingdom?" I hear you ask. Well, yes. Our old colony made ourselves a city and since we were under no-one rule crowned our own King. We contacted the leading GMs about what requirements there were to start a small, fledgeling nation of our own where we are and the reply was basically "you've already fulfilled them". So we did just that, as the previous Colony Master the people I lead decided I had done a good enough job to continue in the role but as a King instead. Since we had developed our own culture, lore, rp customs and such we felt our little Kingdom could greatly add to the lore of Aegis. We were already an independant town trading with many parts of Aegis primarily in raw materials and precious ores, so the only real difference is in the official naming. From Freedom Ridge to Kingdom of Sjalfvili. The most common question asked of us is if we are a Guild and if we are recruiting. The answer is no and yes. You can be a member of our city and be in Shad'rin, the Black Hand or the Templars to name a few or any other guild. We don't really care what you do in your own time. As long as you obey our laws we let you get on with it. But we ARE a guild in the sense we are a bunch of players playing this server together for the mutual enjoyment of RPing together and exploring Aegis, along with adding our own little extra bit to the already expansion lore of this fine server. We do also recruit, but that is primarily to guard the city, and for engineering works or material gathering. Since the Colony structure, we overhauled the ranking system to fit the lore (we are based in the far north of Aegis, and studied irl northern cultures to see what similarities we can draw and fit into the Aegis lore) and also added many other things as you can see. What follows is the OOC and IC parts of our culture. I really hope you enjoy reading it as much as we did creating it through roleplay, historical research irl and the research into the Lore of Aegis. OOC: Sjalfvili is the ancient Norse word for "Free Will" and I feel it describes very well the people in my group. I lead an ever-growing group of people in Aegis which started as a colony and is now growing into a small nation! Although I am in charge as Konungr (meaning "Warlord" or "King") and they often address me as "M'lord" or "Sire" my people are free to do what they want. They cannot be conscripted, and I cannot take their land from them without proving they have committed a criminal act worthy of such a harsh punishment. As we have developed our own unique style and culture the more we have RPd together, we decided that we wished to make our little group an "official thing" for a greater sense of unity. We saw many guilds that were basically copying the same style, so wanted to do something wholly different but still using a similar structure and building style to what we used to use. Our current building style is based on Norse, Viking and Saxon architecture for most buildings, with strong Norman influences in our military fortifications. Our smaller settlements will be 100% Nordic (so the walls would have a stone base, but mainly be wooden) and their fortifications would be motte-and-bailey style; whereas the cities would be influenced by Norman fortifications meaning "real" stone keeps, full stone walls, crenellations etc but still with Nordic-style buildings. This reflects the mixture of Norman and Nordic architecture present in Britain during the 11th Century AD. This fits almost perfectly into the time period in which Aegis is set (in terms of law, ethnography and technology). The gods and goddesses worshipped in the Kingdom all have factual bases in Ancient Northern European, Asian and American religion, although we do put a great deal of personal spin on them so they fit the lore. For example we took the idea of pantheons, deities and speciality gods/godesses and implemented them into our lore. A great deal of effort and thought went into this. For the moment we have published a few paragraphs below detailing a simple RP history, but are compiling all the rest of the RP info to make sure they are free from loopholes or incorrect lore conflicting with Aegis history and this will be published in the coming days. RP Lore: The Kingdom of Sjalfvili began as a hideaway for various criminals, escapees and vagabonds. As is usual and sensible, many of the "unacceptables" in society who were deemed too unfit to stay such as criminals, political opponents, the disfigured or the religious/ethnic minorities fled into the cold, unforgiving wastes of Northern Aegis where they could not be traced. At first a colony for runaway slaves, criminals and the "unacceptables" the settlement expanded into a burgeoning town as more and more people traveled north searching for a better life. The resulting tight-knit community meant that community efforts such as building larger-scale housing and also increased skillsets meant the colony continued to grow and grow. Underground for stealth and protection, soon the space ran out as the whole mountain was riddled with houses, shops, manors, passages and mineshafts. Sooner or later, the leading members decided, a town would have to be built above ground. Work started with just several dedicated colonists and a crate upon crate of stone - cobbled, bricked and smooth. A large fort was built atop a hill, as a fall-back place incase the town was attacked while under construction. A small village was then added outside the fort, and a slightly smaller wall encompassed it. A whole tier had to be built from ground up, hundreds of feet high, for protection and aesthetics. This pattern continued until there were four tiers, each higher up and better defended than the last. The tiered fortress contained an ever-growing city of dedicated, hard-working individuals. It became known as Gofannae (Goff-an-ay), from the forge-god Gofannon who was often worshipped in the town as it was believed that is was he who bestowed such rich iron mines upon the settlement. With this supply of iron, more trade came to the town and with it more money. Money is power, and soon Gofannae found itself a real city, and with a functioning hierarchy. It was soon decided that an absolute ruler was needed to direct work efforts and planning, and that leader was already present in the Colony Master, Estellan. A meeting was held where anyone who objected could raise their concerns. None were raised, and so a grand coronation was held where many attended. A ceremony took place wherein titles such as Jarl, Holdas and Huscarl were conferred upon the most hard-working and senior of colonists, along with many gifts ranging from golden items to free food given from the new King to his people. Also gaining titles were two Jarls - Jarl Luke and Jarl Stryker. Both of these capable individuals had been with the colony since the beginning, working many days and nights in long shifts to keep everything running and everyone happy. The chief architect Serene was appointed the title of Holdas for her amazing skill with civilian buildings and dedication to the colony of old and the new town. About the Kingdom of Sjalfvili Hierarchy The following list is the ranks from top to bottom in our kingdom: King – Obviously the top boss. This will be me, King Estellan. The King’s word is law, unless 2/3 of his Jarls come to a unanimous vote that the King is unworthy of his title, at which point the King is honour-bound to step down. Whether he actually does or not is up to him. The Jarls can conspire to overthrow the King without this number, but that is likely to result in a civil war. When a King dies, the Jarls meet and vote in a new King. They cannot vote for themselves, in the event of a tied vote, the Freiherr and Freein will be asked to vote aswell. In the event of another tie, the Holdas, Huscarls and Styraesmen will be asked to vote. Jarl (pronounced “Yarl”)– This is very similar to a Lord. Frequently, the Jarl will own a castle or fort, and be responsible for the recruitment, training and equipment of his own person army to defend his interests. They are exempt from the law forbidding someone to own a personal army or armed force greater than 2 bodyguards. In the event of a war or military action, the Jarls will act as generals, commanding the forces they own. They follow the orders of the King as to where and when they attack, but the actual fighting is undertaken by the Jarl and his men. Each Jarl owes his entire loyalty to his King, and they are often in contact with each other. The King frequently holds royal banquets, at which all Jarls must attend who can. It is also frequent that the Jarls all compete with one another as to who has the best army, or who has served the Kingdom the most! The actual title and rank of Jarl is hereditary, although it can be given to a man or woman who has served the Kingdom exceptionally well, and can be taken away from those who harm the Kingdom – either through active means or just by not helping. Freiherr (male) or Freein (female) – These ranks are similar to what we know as “Baron”. While not as powerful as a Jarl, these people have been rewarded for great feats and virtues, having their dedication and loyalty to their King recognized with titles and lands. The Freiherr/Freein will sometimes own small forts or outposts, but may sometimes own only estates or non-military land. Most importantly, the Freiherr/Freein are exempt from the law stating the most armed servants one can have is 2. This means they can keep a personal army just like a Jarl, as long as they have the housing for them. Holdas – These are Hauldr who have performed such a duty to the kingdom, they are granted a special title. Examples of this are renowned Architects, very skilled Merchants and those who bring great wealth to the Kingdom. Huscarl – The Huscarles are bodyguards to the most important men and women of the land. Although sometimes a rank given to very high achieving servants, Huscarles are far more often trained, battle-hardened troops who protect the King, Jarls and sometimes Freiherr/Freein. A Huscarl is most often promoted from a battlefield soldier who has done great deeds for his King and Kingdom. It is a huge honour. Onholdas– This rank is the same as Holdas, carrying the same privaledges, but is bought. The rank Holdas holds a lot more respect as it was earned with skill and dedication. However, one cannot help be be in awe of someone so wealthy and important, they bought a rank from the King himself. Styraesman – An officer of either a ship or land unit. These man may command troops, but not own them. If he is found to have more than 2 armed men serving him without him being attached to a troop regiment, he will be stripped of his titles and land then outcast for treason since owning a personal army is in itself treason. The death penalty is reserved for those who actually plot to overthrow the king. Hauldr – A landowner and full citizen. The Hauldr have their own money, and are not employed by anyone. Frequently employ their own servants and staff to care for themselves and their land. The Hauldr have the right to petition to the King to overturn the decision of a Jarl on a matter. They can also complain to the King of unfair treatment from a Jarl. Karls – Men and Women who are free, and have the ability to hold land within the Kingdom. Frequently peasants and in the employ of someone else, these are the lowest rank of people who can hold official offices such as judge, architect or steward (keeps the castle/fort running while the Jarl is away). Karls typically work as farmers, soldiers, guards or manual laborers. Thrall – Thralls are the lowest class, typically slaves. When a newcomer first arrives in Gofannae penniless and unknown, they are Thralls. When they buy the right to purchase land within the city (typically for a small fee paid to the King or their local Jarl) they are upgraded to Karl class. Work for Thralls is usually restricted to manual labour, but if they are skilled in a particular trade they may be permitted to work in that trade. Religion Religion in Sjalfvili is typically a personal affair. No-one is persecuted for their religious belief (or lack thereof), but there are temples built for those who wish to worship. The gods in the deep north are different than the usual ones down in the south of Aegis, and are usually pantheons of gods and goddesses devoted to activities like smithing or attributes like health, prosperity or war. This being said, religion is spreading from the south too and gaining many followers in the north through conversion and immigration. ((We tried to add "heaten" types of religion which would typically be found in areas far from the reach of organised religion in the more "civilised" regions. We saw this in Germanic cultures with the Roman Empire, Saxon religion with the Normans and Native American religion with the invasion of the European Christians - old religions still flourish for time in remote areas, before slowly succumbing to conversion or contraction)) Culture Sjalfvili culture is focused around two core beliefs, named the Two Tenets: Tenet One: A man is only as good as his honour. “An honourable slave is of greater worth than a traitorous Jarl” is a typical saying among Sjalfvili citizens. Being true to your word and acting always with your family name in mind, traitors, cowards, liars and backstabbers will swiftly find themselves outcast. Loyalty to your King comes above all else. Tenet Two: Each man is his own. A man may love another man, or choose not to follow a god or goddess and many other things which seem unpopular in many parts of Aegis – that is his choice and his choice alone. This is why the Kingdom is called “Sjalfvili” – a man or woman has free will at all times. In relation to Tenet One, personal glory is a strong theme in Sjalfvili culture. For this reason, many come here seeking to make a name for themselves in battle or in their particular trade. However, this also has the effect of making battle and war in Sjalfvili a very hectic affair. All unit cohesion falls apart upon contact with the enemy, as each man tries to out-do his other countrymen to be the most valourous or the best warrior. This lack of structure can be both a virtue and a vice. May the gods and goddesses have mercy on those who suffer a Sjalfvili charge, but it is also possible for a smaller, better trained force to overcome them with practiced cohesion and tactics. Men and women, elves, dwarves, humans and orcs along with any other combination you can think of all have equal rights. It is what a person does, not what he IS which is important. A person who is denied an activity based on their race, gender, religion or any other similar factor may petition a complaint to a Jarl, or failing that the King himself. War and Warfare An actual invasion and settlement of another settlement will not be made unless serious provocation is received. The Sjalfvili method of settlement is just building things further and further out from where they were before, not taking over the places of others. The only time they would actually take over an enemy structure for good is if the war was a serious one, for example the enemy had invaded us properly first. Diplomacy The Kingdom of Sjalfvili will be peaceful with other nations. While actively seeking out bandit camps and guilds which they belief to be a danger or threat to them, the Sjalfvili have no need for a major war unless provoked. Even then, war would be very difficult. Goffanae is very, very far north so the remoteness is not just an RP aide but a practical one too. Due to their honour system, once the Sjalfvili make friends with a nation and ally with them it is for good. Backstabbing is just not a word in their dictionary. Laws and Customs The laws depend mostly on a fine system. For example, if a person murders another person in cold blood, they will pay a 5000 minas fine. 2500 minas of that goes to the victim(s), and 2500 goes to the Kingdom in return for lifting the bounty on the murderer’s head. Lawbreakers will only be put to death for attempting to kill the King or Jarls, leading a rebellion or being in charge of an enemy force – any sized force from army, to bandit group, to assassin squads. When a person is put to death, their items are placed in a chest in the Guard Office for their "next of kin" to come back and collect. None of their items are kept. This is to avoid corruption. The Law is enforced by City, Town or Fort Guards who then bring the defendant before their Judge. If none is present or available, the defendant are brought before their local Jarl. Housing in The Kingdom of Sjalfvili Housing within our Kingdom is free for 4 days. Many of you may have seen our thread (http://www.lordofthecraft.net/forum/index.php?/topic/28478-free-accommodation-for-new-folk/) in which we help new folk to the server get on their feet and we foot the bill for a few days. That is actually now open to anyone, since many people who have been here for weeks still are saving for a proper home, and many would write to us asking for help. So if you want to come and live here for a bit, give Estellan, Stryker or Game_Reaper a shout. Buying permanent housing can be done by buying anything from a shack to a mansion within our city walls, even plots of land! The city is built on a "tier" system, so the actual ground gets higher as you go up it and therefore more expensive. Small cottages and shops range from 300-800 minas whereas large mansions or plots of high-tier land can go for 10k-15k! Much of the highest tier mansions are occupied by Jarls or the very rich, so don't worry if you can't afford such a large price. Our signposts show what is included in your purchase. For example, you may see a plot of land for sale with a sign on it reading: Open Plot 10a/5b Permits Incl. 5000 minas What that means is: Open Plot - The plot is open land and can be built on with what you desire; a house, shop, inn etc 10a/5b - You can build up to 10 blocks high, and up to 5 blocks below the ground. You can purchase higher caps, and more expensive land comes with higher caps automatically. Permits Incl. - This means shop permits, cellar permits etc are included with the price - you dont need to buy them! 5000 minas - the price We understand that not everyone has the money for this, and some just don't want to spend it. That is fine. Building small cottages and farms in the surrounding area is free and ok, as long as it is infitting with the lore of both Aegis and our Kingdom. FAQ Woah! Can I set up my own Kingdom? A difficult question. It depends. If you have some unique, deep lore and a group of dedicated people, along with some land then my answer is yes. But it is a good idea to do what I did and run it past the GMs and a few unbiased friends first. We improved a lot just through criticism. What I would suggest is seeing if you can join anyone similar to your idea first, and if not then getting a group together and starting small. Isn't this an insult to the other official Kingdoms? I actually get asked that a lot. To be honest we have never given any other kingdoms trouble, and our merchants frequent the main server cities with goods and produce for trade anyway so if anything we've been helping their economies for a while. We're really, really far up north and much too far away from main Kingdoms for them to even bother with us. I doubt they have a problem. And if they do, then they are welcome to mail me about it :) How come you are King? Aren't you relatively new to the server? I am new, yes. A week and a bit I think, maybe more, maybe less. What is important is that I have the drive and determination to take on grand projects. On my second day of the server, I set up a colony for new people like me so they would have somewhere safe to stay and make themselves some money. That grew and grew and developed a permanent player base. Before I knew it I was leading a group! So when we expanded into a planned city I was pretty much voted into Kingship. If my people told me they didn't trust me leadership anymore, I would step down immediately. If my newness bothers you, then you don't have to talk to me :) Is the land protected? Only by steel. No, as a Wilderness City, none of our land is protected. We have guards patrolling, but if someone wants to grief, then they will grief. Doesn't that result in a lot of griefing then? Less than you'd think. The undead and some bandits occasionally attack and do a little damage, but mostly they're good rp-ers and leave the structures either alone or just a little damaged. When people come in hell-for-leather and destroy buildings we just rebuild them. Griefing is actually rare. We have a good RP community up here and when someone does grief, we just fix the harm. If anyone ever griefs on a huge scale then we'll submit a ban report, but only in the most serious circumstances. I'm not here to get people banned. I am offended by this "Kingdom" and don't think you're legimate at all! Okay, this isn't "frequently asked" but just incase someone says something like this I'll pre-answer it. The beauty of our remote location is the only people here are people who came looking for us! If you hate the very idea of us, just don't come to us and I hope you continue to have a lovely server experience. If your hate is so fundamental you feel we are betraying everything Aegis stands for and should be banned, traced, dragged from our homes and beaten with logs then please contact Availer, Shiftnative, Freya etc about seeing us all outlawed and banned. If you want to submit a lore-breaking report against us make sure to list all the things we did wrong so the GM can get into contact with me right away with your (anonymous) concerns. So, basically you played 2 days of Skyrim and copied it? Someone actually said this to me the other day! The answer is no, like I said earlier this lore pre-dates Skyrim and is actually based on the history of my people in real life! The advantage of Skyrim though is people now rarely ask me "What is a Jarl?" whereas before it was a constant query! Eh, I like the concept but not the way it has been carried out. Is there anything similar? The Myrcans have a very interesting and deep lore planned for the new 1.9 map, and you can see it in the "Your Ideas and Lore" section. It has some similar concepts from Germanic/Saxon roots but with a heavy spin on it so it fits very well with the Aegis lore. If we aren't for you, then give them a try! They're a good enough bunch.

Haha, don't worry I do that all the time! I eagerly await reading the finished thing ^^

How many members do you have now Sorrok? Who are on regularly?

We will soon be posting a new thread, as our culture has changed greatly since the original concept :) Thanks Samantha!

We have extended above ground, with a raised hillfort and a walled village around it. So it is currently a two-tier settlement. If all goes well, a third tier will be added in future. Unfortunately, due to the guards (and subsequent wages) necessary to defend such an obvious above-ground wilderness structure no free housing in this area will be available, although the purchase of land, homes shops and even custom guildhalls is still possible.

Errrr, huh?

Just had my consultation with this guild and the consultant was very polite and professional. He came a long, long way to view the site and yet showed no sign of begrudge or fatigue! Would definately use this guild again for work, and would strongly advise others to aswell.

I have sent you a forum message regarding your purchase Strife :) Welcome to the Colony.