AndrewTech

THE RESOLUTION OF SAN LUCIANO 12th of Sigismund’s End, 1924 IC | 12th of the Deep Cold, 128 SA It has been eighteen long years since the passage of the Resolution of 1906, nearly a generation since the decision was made to disband the Northern Geographical Society into the Celestial Trust. In the time since then, the Trust has endeavored to support scholastic and cultural endeavors throughout the continent of Almaris. However, the recent victories of the Mori over the descendant races and the latest declaration by the Brotherhood of Brev have given us cause for grave concern. By order of the Grand Trustee, the vast collection which the Celestial Trust has been made guardian over shall be secured for transport and steps shall be undertaken to prepare to arise to the challenge of exploring a New Frontier. It is for these reasons, and in the belief that action is required to rise to the challenge ahead, that we, the Chief of the Wittenbach Clan and the Grand Trustee of the Celestial Trust, have agreed upon the following resolution. RESOLUTION OF THE CELESTIAL TRUST: The decision to restore the Northern Geographical Society is not one that we have taken lightly. Yet, many of the reasons for our dissolution are now null. A new continent ostensibly awaits us beyond the carnage that lies outside of the walls of San Luciano, and we will rise to the challenge of exploring it. We shall therefore travel unto New Frontiers in the pursuit of our Society’s mission, that we might both preserve and expand the knowledge over which we steward. And furthermore, in these dark and trying types, we would offer to any disparate members of either the Society or Trust that are yet to be reunited with us the following words of comfort. For as long as a dream remains in the hearts of those who believe in it, it can never be destroyed. As such, the light of descendant kindness and knowledge shall continue to persevere, should we only continue to have faith in ourselves. Signed, Elizabeth Brae-Wittenbach President of the Northern Geographical Society James Vursur Vice President of the Northern Geographical Society

Though striken by illness, the Baron of Thurant smiled in bed as his children brought news to their family estate from Karosgrad. "I've done it..." He said quietly, gazing up toward the Seven Skies to his ancestors, his tired quill hand removing his spectacles as he coughed. Then he looked to his wife and kids. "...By Saint Godwein, we've done it!" May we never forget the virtues of Licent, Honorem, and Pietas that brought us here."

Honestly, for me it can vary. If it's passive roleplay or slow moving like slice of life stuff, I'll often use past tense when things are boring. However if a lot of action is going on or RP is very fast paced, necessitating that I need to be on my toes, I'll usually use present tense. So in short, for me it's passive = past tense and active = present tense.

I think allowing structures to be built on the road can only help to encourage roleplay. Nation matters aside, which I believe to be something that LotC is WAY too deeply concerned about these days, I think that it's very boring and hopelessly dull to never expect that you'll run across anything at all out of the ordinary along the main road that could block you or hinder your journey. Perhaps a compromise that could be had done is like, if you set up something like a fort or a checkpoint or a settlement you have to create an alternative footpath or road that can still circumvent it to avoid issues of blockading activity or hindering players from moving places. However, generally speaking I believe that such would only encourage RP. The White Rose checkpoint back in Anthos created incredible roleplay, and I'm sure other player groups or guilds could do the same thing if given this sort of freedom. Think about open world video games like Fallout and the Elder Scrolls, or even IRL. The road is prime real estate for roleplay if you allow it to be.

TO ALYSANNE O’ROURKE 18th of Harren’s Folly, 1915 By Connelly Harrison Brae Alysanne, Alysanne, ‘tis most true, I have been beaten in chess by you! Due to your cunning and steely resolve, I have been left with a debt to absolve… Your brilliant eyes of emerald green Have bested me fairly and squarely and clean And that my dignity might be returned You've sent me a-questing, my honor to earn. Your hair flows like honey in bountiful store, Your beauty and grace shaketh me to the core. When I catch a glimpse of your radiant grin I feel my heart floating - and freezing - within. The light in your laughter, your way with your words You are truly a queen, and not just on the board. ✵With Great Thanks to FRIEND and YUUNA KIM for their Assistance and Support ✵

idk but i'm saul goodman ;)

Yoooooo, congrats fellow old person! Got anything to say about the last 10 years? How's the server changed in your opinion and what would you like to see from it moving forward?

I honestly couldn't have said it better myself. I think all FAs and MAs currently self teachable through OOC oversight should be allowed to be grandfathered by the TA holder in this way. However, I do think that it should still be overseen by the ST, as there are practitioners with infractions and a very bad track record who shouldn't be allowed to do this so easily. Perhaps in the form of "Grandfathering Applications" (GAs), where you link an accepted TA in the past and request to relearn the magic on another character? It'd be super easy to create on the forums and would as manageable as handling an MA bureaucracy wise. On top of that, it would encourage magic and alchemy usage among shorter lived races such as humans, who primarily don't learn it because of the huge investment and certain loss at the end of it all.

The current activity system is terrible for roleplay. It was even worse in Arcas, where nations couldn't purchase additional land tiles and you had to keep at least 0.1% activity on a fief every week outside of the capital tile to keep from losing it. My IRP family, the Stafyrs, and I literally resorted to doing praying RP and AFK squatting in addition to weekly events just to make ends meet. Allowing additional tiles to be purchased again is great and honestly the system's only saving grace, but people still feel compelled to RP in one place lest their home community get gacked. It wastes so much potential creative energy that could otherwise be spent elsewhere. Axios and Atlas weren't perfect, but people at least felt compelled to explore new places. Isolationism hurts the server narrative and creates artificial competitions that aren't driven by roleplay at all. I'd prefer just relaxing the war rules to greatly reduce the mina cost of conflict and remove capital tile protections to allow players to naturally deal with abandoned settlements that can't hold their own. Or alternatively, if anything is to be done for gauging activity, we should instead do MODEST mina or resource maintenance costs (the latter being afforded for orcs, wood elves, or other niche currency free societies) for settlements and nations per tile each week. This would create a mina sink that would reduce inflation and a resource sink that would bolster the IG economy, shifting the burden from the players to the leadership of these places to make ends meet. Otherwise they should start to suffer consequences from failures to pay such as overgrown roads, nasty ST events, etc before finally resulting in a compelling RP reason behind region loss. This rant aside, my heart goes out to the halfling community and I hope you're able to have your own settlement someday. I'm a big believer in the idea that every core race should have a place of its own, and the halflings have sadly been out in the cold for years because of their niche roleplay. Best wishes and good luck.

You already have to have the limb itself signed by the ST (because ALL cores must already be ST signed, they're just usually included in a limb / contruct) and an atronarch proper needs a CA approved on the forums, both of which are already an incredibly tedious process that requires a copious amount of screenshot evidence and such. Getting a core signed separately before would be a huge headache and honestly prove to be an unnecessary hurdle since 99% of the time it's just going into something thereafter anyway. Practicality wise, that would just seem like an extra line of red tape that other equivalent FAs aren't held to, such as golemancy and animii. If you do it for atronarch forging, you gotta do it for them as well, and suddenly the ST's work load is quadrupled at a time when it already takes 3-4 days in many cases to get a req done. Thus, I would strongly recommend against.

[!] A letter is left at Danzen's shop, expressing interest in either or both the Thanhic mace and the Ironwood Longsword pending the negotiation of a deal.

"When I informed the world that my late husband had committed enough infidelity to have sired three bastards in secrecy, the silence was deafening..." Catherine rasped to her elven attendant, the gravely injured woman reading the missive in her nightgown as she lay in bed at the Phoenixspire. "...Yet had I done the same, I would have lost everything. Men, and women, must be held to the same standard. Equality, for the sexes. Regardless of one's alignment in this war, we must seek to overcome the ignorance of our ancestors. For we are smarter, and wiser, as a race than we once were."

I wouldn't say Haense's system is a good example of a constitutional monarchy. The Duma doesn't really have the power to set policy and the government's appointed exclusively by the Crown. Most of it also consists of unelected lords. The best example of true constitutional monarchy was probably when the Oren had elected archchancellors and a parliamentary majority in the Diet would give you the keys to power. But I get what you're saying. That also isn't really true "democracy", per say, where PRO is handed over after the result of an election. This is because doing so requires a lot of institutional trust not only in the government, but in the player base of a community itself. It's often a lot simpler to just designate your successor through IRP inheritance to avoid the risk of having your nation hijacked. Urguan's a decent example of electoral monarchy, but wouldn't really count as a democracy because the senators / clan leaders aren't elected. Then again I may be mistaken as I don't know a ton about dwarven politics. I believe closest example of real democracy in LotC would've been the Republic of Gallmore back in 3.0, where senators were regularly elected by the people and voted on everything as a collective body. Even still though, the system it operated under was highly flawed and we never got to see leadership be passed to a second generation after the project lost steam.

A newly minted Jovenaar, having once been an esteemed defense lawyer himself, let out a tired sigh as he read over the open letter. Despite her criticism of the Haeseni justice system, he admired her willingness to speak up rather than wallow in silence. He decided that he would reach out to speak with her soon.

RESOLUTION OF THE NORTHERN GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY 9th of Sun’s Smile, 1906 IC | 9th of Tov and Yermey, 459 SC | 9th of Sun’s Smile, 110 SA The Great Crest of the Northern Geographical Society Est. 1762 ✵ To Our Loyal Patrons: ✵ With those members of the Society’s Circle, known to be living, having met our flagship museum in Karosgrad, we have been convened to decide the fate of our beloved Northern Geographical Society as we are faced with a new and evolving era. Unfortunately, various complications arising from a cave in at our central vaults in Karosgrad some years back during the construction of the new Royal Palace of Haense have set our administrative, intellectual, and expeditionary operations back. Our manpower and resources have since been significantly depleted. Furthermore, our organization was founded nearly 150 years ago in a very different era. The public interest in anthropological, scientific, and historical fields upon which our organization has always thrived has significantly diminished as the world has changed. Therefore, we the Circle of the Northern Geographical Society have unanimously decided upon the following resolution. My mother, our founder and first president, could never have imagined that our Society would have become as successful as it became, and we are proud to have made the world a better place. It is our wish that the Celestial Trust continue to carry on that mission into a new and rapidly changing world. We thank the patronage of our museums profusely for over 150 years of long standing support, but all good things must eventually be put to rest, at least for a time. It is our hope to one day return to the pursuit of our mission, but until then, it is my wish that the members of our Society strive to seek out our own New Frontiers. May the light of all Descendant knowledge never cease to shine. Signed, Elizabeth Brae-Wittenbach President of the Northern Geographical Society

[!] An additional letter is sent out, reading the following: "ADDENDUM: Due to the Tuvmas / Krugsmas season and subsequent holiday festivities, we will be delaying for a period of exactly SIX SAINT'S DAYS."

SUMMONS OF THE SOCIETY'S CIRCLE 7th of Godfrey’s Triumph, 1905 | 7th of Vzmey and Hyff, 458 | 7th of the First Seed, 109 SA The Great Crest of the Northern Geographical Society Est. 1762 ✵ To Whom it May Concern: ✵ For nearly two decades, a nasty cave-in at our headquarters in Karosgrad, wrought by complications during the renovation of the nearby royal palace of Haense, has hindered and stalled our ongoing operations and across the continent. Although our vaults were recently able to be excavated and these critical artifacts and archives were able to be recovered, the damage done by this occurrence has been significant. Only now have the physical, administrative, and intellectual repercussions suffered begun to be truly rectified. As such, I have chosen to invoke my powers as President of the Northern Geographical Society to summon the Society’s Circle for an emergency meeting to discuss the future of the NGS. It is my hope that we might decide amongst ourselves how we might best move forward with our mission in an era of a declining public interest in scholasticism, cultural exchange, and exploration. Signed, Elizabeth Brae-Wittenbach President of the Northern Geographical Society

Dame Catherine smiled as she enjoyed her Gull's Eggs for that morning's breakfast, deliciously anticipating the savory flavor as she reflected upon how delicious Petran cuisine is!

NO CLOUD TEMPLE WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! 👏 Monks lose nation status confirmed!! Nah but unironically the inclusion of more jungles and islands, not to mention the condensing, got me excited until I realized this was a troll. I hope we see some of that in the actual 9.0.

Elizabeth Brae-Wittenbach rubs her hands together greedily, the seasoned Adunian wandmaker contemplating the reopening of Wittenbach Wands to fill this rise in demand for magical implements!

"Well deserved!" Arthur Stafyr said as he sorted the daily paperwork for the Palatine's Office, happy for the sake of his his in-laws.

I hugely agree with amending Lesser Enchantments to be activated in as little as one emote, but mages already have significant emote requirements that render most spells as "tank" functionaries in actual combat. Adding an additional two emotes on the simplest of combative spells would be very cumbersome. A simple water jet spell that normally takes 3 emotes would require 5 under these guidelines. Requiring this many emotes would render an enchantment practically useless. Nobody would want to use them anymore. Furthermore, Grand Enchantments, which are mostly used for spells that require a large number of emotes already, would be incredibly infuriating for non-mages to utilize during combat or in anything save for the aesthetic sense. I think the solution to the problem is to include a new amendment which limits non-mages to carrying only three potent enchantments on their person, or alternatively one grand enchantment and one potent enchantment. This would be a justifiable limitation ICly due to the limited amount of passive mana able to be drawn from a non-mage to recharge them. Forgoing this limitation could cause a user to feel extremely fatigued and potentially even faint. Alternatively, reducing the emote requires from 2 to 1 for potent enchantments and from 3 to 2 for grand ones for non-mages might also be a better way to go about it. But even still, the sheer volume of enchantments that would have inaccurate descriptions would be a massive headache for the ST to handle and deal with, so I think I would personally very much prefer a solution that limits the quantity of carriable enchantments rather than the ability / speed of them thereof.

A Blessed Union of Stafyr & Colborn 17th of Jonna and Umund, 447ES It is with utmost joy that the Houses of Stafyr and Colborn do announce the nuptials of the Hon. Arthur Konrad Stafyr and Lady Elia Eryka Colborn. After five holy months of proper betrothal, and a courtship lasting over a four year period, we are content to announce that the pair finally sought to bind their souls in holy union. Inspired by Lady Elia’s great-great grandfather, the couple decided to travel abroad to a locale that was foreign to them, an island off the coast of Hyspia. Only a select few family members were invited alongside four guests, two per partner. Witness to this ceremony was Her Eminence, Cardinal Katerina, who performed the rite. We ask that GOD keep her in good health, and thank her personally. Furthermore, we hope that GOD may guide us to our next chapters in life when we return to the mainland of Haense at the end of this year. The Hon. Arthur Konrad Stafyr Lady Elia Eryka Colborn-Stafyr The abrasive beams of sunlight deadpanned upon the grains of sand below, reflective off of each particle as the specter of aureate glowed above. Upon the bank of the given aisles rested the idle curls of foaming water, each flick of the waves caressing the sandy edges. Further into the center of said land was the collective patches of lush green grass blades, vibrant flowers, and other lively foliage. It was very different from the lands of the north, but guests from both families had come regardless. The couple had wanted the wedding to be a private affair on a small island off the coast of Hyspia, a land with great meaning to the groom. Arthur stared upward at the blistering sun, sweating a little bit. The climate reminded him of that which he had endured whilst he was still studying in the far south. He tugged nervously at his collar, remembering the days in which he practiced under the name of “Raul Freeman,” his beloved attorney persona. There he stood at the altar of the island’s chapel, Cardinal Katerina of the Church of the Canon prepared to administer the couple’s vows. He spared the crowd a nervous gaze, though he did meet the eyes of his Uncle Thondorus. The dyer simply offered him an approving nod, his stoic demeanor almost reassuring. The Stafyr’s siblings were also in attendance. Or, at least, Cedric and Morwenna were. His heart faltered a bit as he saw that Rhosyn was presently missing. But, deep down, he understood that a falcon must fly. At the end of the makeshift aisle decorated with fallen petals stood the beaming bride, lithe digits clasped over the bundled stems of her bouquet. Roses and mullein complimented her abnormal attire; mixed with her heritage and that of Almannir’s. Embraced about her torso was a gorgeous bunad of white colored silk, embroidered with small cross-stitching to reflect not only her heritage but that of her to-be husband’s. The traditional Colborn attire was complimented by a long veil of Almannir origins, flowing against the ground in a careless drag. It was evident the young woman silently wept as she trailed down in careful steps, carrying only herself. A rightward glance was spared to her family, festering only further tears as she choked up, overjoyed. And to her left she spotted her two guests, lips quivering now as she reached the end of her journey to the altar at her front. Cardinal Katerina stood at the altar as she slowly brought the palms of the couple together, beginning to boast the words of GOD as she joined them in Holy matrimony, allowing the pair to bask in the heat of the sun. As prayers were said, vows exchanged, and rings granted the ceremony had started to conclude. As to finalize the wedlock the pair had moved toward one another, sparing the audience a display of a simple kiss. The ceremony had concluded, and the two were now married. LIST OF INVITATIONS The House of Stafyr The House of Colborn Wolfgang de Vilain Viorica Barrow Johanna Barclay Fuyuki Osanawa

THE LAKE'S REFLECTION The Petran Lakeside c. 1894 It was a day like any other for Dame Catherine of Furnestock. The middle aged woman, her strawberry hair now graying, found herself out of her armor for once as she sat by the edge of the lake south of Valfleur. She wore a flowing dress of fine gold and scarlett, one which had been gifted to her by the Baroness of Acre some years ago. She had decided to take her wards, the young Archduchess and her brother, out to enjoy a lakeside picnic that day. Her head was uncovered as she laid on her back in the sun, her head uncovered she stared out at the clouds in the skies above. As they played in the waters beyond, she had taken this first slow moment since her retirement as Chancellor to dwell upon the past. It had been nearly twelve years to the day since she had first come to Petra. There had been little to work with at first upon her return from the Furnestock Islands. Indeed, there had been naught but a few derelict buildings and a makeshift senate chamber for meetings during the early days of the Republic. But everything was different now. The Commonwealth of the Petra was now a thriving realm, independent and proud. Its success had surpassed even her wildest expectations, this state founded on the principles of chivalry, liberty, and justice. Truly, she had done well for herself. Catherine bemusedly thought about the old Heartlander wives’ tale regarding “cats” and their nine lives for a moment, before her thoughts were suddenly interrupted. “Cat!” A girl’s voice had cried out in the distance. “CAT, he’s- He’s doing it again!” Immediately sitting upward, her eyebrows knit as she beheld Renilde and Alexander before her. The two were fighting over a rubber ducky of all things, the teenager clinging to it whilst her young brother cried. “I wanna play with Francis!” He cried out mournfully. “But it’s mine!” She retorted. “It’s my ducky, Alex, and I shan’t let you have it!” “Children!” Catherine spoke commandingly, glaring at them with her pale gray eyes. Both of them immediately ceased, turning to face their guardian as she offered them a stern gaze. They grew silent. “Return to shore,” She ordered, gesturing for them to rejoin her. They compiled, Renilde dutifully taking Catherine’s hand as she returned with her brother to the picnic blanket. The eldest orphan looked away for a moment. “Sorry, Cat…” She began. “I-” “-You were arguing with your brother again, weren’t you?” The weathered woman interjected, raising an eyebrow. “You know that I don’t like it when you do that, youngling.” “But why?” The boy suddenly piped up. “Rennie NEVER lets me play with Francis!” “Only because you might lose her!” “STOP!” Catherine suddenly thundered, in a voice which would have eluded her not two decades ago. With her commandment, the children once again went utterly quiet. For a moment, she felt guilty for having spoken to her wards in such a manner. But she knew that Paul, their father, would have wanted her to instill some discipline in them. Finally, she said after a moment’s pause, “Please… Sit down, younglings.” The two looked confused. They might have expected to be punished, but they compiled regardless as Catherine spoke. She passed a pair of towels over to them, so that they might clean their muddy feet and dry themselves off. “That’s better…” She muttered at long last. “Now, allow me to tell you a story. One of the past struggles in our family’s history.” “Our family?” Renilde inquired innocently, blinking as Catherine said this. “Aye,” She said. “Our family.” She and Alexander exchanged blank looks, ones which compelled Catherine herself to raise an eyebrow. “Did you not know?” The aging princess then said to them. “You are my cousins, younglings. We share the same blood.” “I…- We do?” Renilde blinked. “We do,” Catherine replied curtly, retrieving a warm loaf of bread and a small wheel of cheese from her basket as she set them before the children. She began to cut both into slices, their lunch for that afternoon. “Your father did not have time to tell you of our past before he left us, nor did your mother. But it is now my duty as your guardian to do so,” She spoke, before she began her tale. It had been a while since Catherine herself had dwelled upon that which she imparted to her wards, but she liked to think that her time spent in hiding as a bard in the Cragenmarch had well prepared her in the art of storytelling. She began with the conflict between her father and her great-grandfather in which her parents had returned from the Furnestock Islands, the land of her birth, to take the throne. Thereafter, she told them briefly of the war between the Holy Orenian Empire and the Tripartite Alliance, but this was a story with which they were already accustomed. It was the Brother’s War which she focused the most on, a conflict between her two younger siblings which had resulted in the disbandment of the Empire and the deaths of thousands. “...You see, the disparate branches of our family have been fighting for a very long time,” She finally concluded her tale as the children finished their meal. “It is a curse, younglings. One which I would not wish to see manifest in yourselves.” “But…- Are we not from the House of Temesch et Moere?” Renilde tilted her head, Alexander still baffled by the tales which Catherine had to tell. “It is merely a different way of denoting our separate branches. But the Temesch branch of the Novellen family descends from a Prince of the Holy Orenian Empire,” Catherine replied rather simply. “Your father merely adopted a new surname after the Revolution to distance your family from our troubled, troubled history. Yet, we do share the same blood. We are kin, younglings.” “Does that mean that we’re…- Um…” Renilde paused, thinking for a moment. “...Oh! Related to that nice man in Balian?” Catherine thought for a moment, before finally replying with a smile. “Yes, youngling,” She replied. “He is my uncle.” “I know that!” Renilde huffed, crossing her arms indignantly. “Is that then why he said that we would all be ‘living within the same palace, in another life’?” “Aye,” Catherine then nodded curtly. “And at one time, we did. We all did. But then, we began to fight…” “...And- That is why me fighting Renilde is bad?” The young Alexander finally spoke, his mouth stuffed full of cheese. “Quite!” The weathered princess snorted, unable to contain her laughter as she beheld his food-stuffed face. “But it is my hope that one day, the various branches of our family might no longer be so distant. After all, a heart full of love is greater than stronger than one filled with hatred.” “So…-” Renilde thought for a moment, trying to digest everything she had been told. “-...We are not all so different, then? We are all…-” “-...Though disparate, we are all Novellens,” Catherine affirmed. “And I love all of my family, child. And you should as well. Though our name may be cursed, it is who we are. It is where we came from.” “Kitty?” Alexander suddenly spoke up. By now, he and his sister had begun to lace up their shoes again. “Yes, Alex?” The Dame had begun to pack away their things, their lunch having come to an end. “Do you love us?” He asked with wide, hopeful eyes. For a moment, the woman paused. Her hands rested atop the picnic basket as she considered the question posed to her by the younger of the duo. “Yes, child…” She finally answered with a smile, basket now in hand as she moved to pick the six year old up in her other. Slowly, the trio moved along the road to return to Valfleir, Renilde taking Catherine’s hand in her own as they did so. “...I do love both of you, with all of my heart. And I always will.”

Hi Eddy! So I know you've seen a lot of wars. What were some of your favorite battles, and which were some of your least favorite? Additionally, what are some of the fond memories that you've had throughout both Oren and Haense's long histories?