Xarkly

THE SUN OVER YATL Serris of Deep Harbour blinked up at the deep, blue sky. There was not a cloud in sight. The sun hung suspended as its apex, a blazing ball of gold that bathed in the world in light and sharp shadows. Yet it was warmthless, and mocking as it shone down on the rolling white plains of the Yatl Wasteland. Serris was clad in a suit of bronze platemail, painted black with white margins, with the white eye of the Vaeyl Order painted across her chest. The armour was fur-lined on the inside, yet the Yatl cold gnawed and cut at her flesh even as she squinted up at the bright noontime sun. As she stood there, on a small mound of snow somewhere in the middle of the Wastes, it almost felt as if the world was divided into two halves; the stretching vastness of the blue sky, crowned with the blazing sun, and the rolling white sea of Yatl’s snow. “Do you see something, Bannerlord?” The bright glare of the sun stung in Serris’ eyes as she finally looked away from the sun, and to the man that had joined her on the mound. He was shorter than her – almost by a full foot – and unlike most Vaeyl Ordermen, he was clad in a robe of black wool sewn with bronze plates painted black and white. His cowl, black wool trimmed wool and lined with white fur, was pulled up to obscure most of his face. “Peace and Fire, Haevolt of Yrodholm,” she murmured. She distrusted the man, even though he was one of the fabled Stormsinger Mages, and not just because he was the only Orderman she knew that had to gall to dispense with the traditional Rite of Greeting. “I see nothing.” “No?” the mage mused, and Serris’ twitched her fingers irritably. Something about his tone – always so calm and laden with a subtle sense of knowing – never ceased to agitate her. “You look as if you are mesmerized.” “It’s nothing,” she told him firmly. “It … it’s just … I wanted to see it. One last time, before … it’s gone.” ”You speak as if you will never see it again. Do you intend to die here today?” “It’s not an unlikely outcome,” she grunted as she narrowed her eyes at the sun once more. “We go to fight the same creature that has lain waste to all Atlas. Sevenna, Riurnor, even Yrodholm.” She frowned beneath her helmet, and tilted her head at Haevolt. “You seem oddly calm, Stormsinger.” “Well, why should I not be? We have an excellent plan, and soon enough Atlas will be ours again. You shouldn’t stress so much, Bannerlord.” He produced a tin flask from beneath his robe. “Tea?” Her nostrils flared. “Tea?! We’re about go into battle against a bloody nature daemon, and you’re drinking tea?” If Haevolt was offended by her raised voice, his round, bearded face, shadowed by his cowl, betrayed no trace of it. “It is Jyyng tea. I thought it might bring back memories of home.” Serris balled a gauntleted fist at that; Jyyng had been a popular trading good back in her home of Deep Harbour, long before it was given to the Orcs. Even the memory of it prompted her to clench her jaw furiously, and she had no doubt that Haevolt knew that full well. “No? Very well,” Haevolt conceded with a sad sigh as the flask vanished beneath his robe. “Suit yourself.” She squeezed her eyes shut, and took a moment to compose herself. “Are your Stormsingers ready?” “We are at your command, Bannerlord,” Haevolt said with a gracious dip of his head. Serris doubted that very much; mage, especially Stormsingers, shrouded themselves in secrets, conspiracies and mysteries, and Haevolt was the worst of them all. Finally, she turned to look back down the mound. Behind her, the endless snow plains were dappled with black-clad Ordermen, cloaked in white-fur cloaks. They stood in ordered lines, with the first three columns consisting of Vaeyl sitting atop hulking white-skinned bears and clutching long, bronze-tipped lances, while rows of warriors blanketed the plains behind the riders, white-painted tower-shields and thick-bladed bronze swords at hand. Three thousand warriors – half of the Vaeyl Order’s entire strength while the Lord-General marshaled the rest of their number at Lasthope. Flagpoles rose from the lines of warriors at intervals, flying white canvas emblazoned with the White Eye of the Vaeyl Order. Despite Haevolt’s annoyances, she could not help but swell with pride at the sight of the warriors, waiting expectantly for her orders. Even with helmets obscuring their faces, Serris felt like she could name each of them: the rider who constantly scratched the ears of his bear with his free-hand could only be Herrynd of Caer Baddyn, one of the Order’s most skilled riders and a warrior who had once saved Serris during a battle against Morghuul back on Aegis; the warrior who slightly twisted the point of her shield into the snow must have been Karya of Caer Caedris, a personal friend of Serris who always suffered from fierce anxiety before battle despite knowing full well she was one of the Order’s most capable warriors; Vaeiir of Deep Harbour stood out a mile away by the simple virtue that he polished his armour with a special oil he made himself that made his armour shine like cut onyx. She knew each and every one of them - they were friends and comrades, one and all. And I’ll be damned if I let them down today. Slowly, she turned back to face north, into the rolling, empty Wastes. She shut her eyes, and they waited. They waited there silently as the cold clawed at their skin beneath the distant sun. They waited until the peel of a warhorn drowned out the whisper of the wind as it swept through the snows. It’s time. The looming colossus had already appeared on the horizon when she opened her eyes; a monstrosity of impossible height, his body all vibrant branches cloaked in leaves. Small tremors shook the ground with each step as the titan of nature advanced. Soon other things appeared at his side, from silhoeuttes of gargantuan creatures – though nowhere close to the size of the titan itself – floating in the sky to innumerable animals and Descendants flanking his feet. She could feel plates clank as the warriors behind her shifted at the sight of the titan, yet none of them moved more than that. Serris knew they would not -- they were the Knights of the Vaeyl Order, and they had been tempered by far greater foes than what the northerners called the September Prince. Slowly, Serris raised her blade. She filled her lungs with frigid air that hissed as it passed through the slits of her helmet. “Carai caz Vaeyl!” She called out as the Prince stomped forward. She forced herself to look straight into the titan’s eyes, and after a moment she was not sure if she could look away even if she wanted. “CARAI CAZ ENZOR!” came the answer in the form of three thousand voices intermingled as one solemn, deafening cry. “Now, Haevolt!” she barked as the Prince’s shadow fell over the group. “Karai saar!” The older man boomed out louder than Serris thought he could, and she finally turned away from the Prince to watch as figures, cloaked just like Haevolt, shuffled forward from the line of waiting Vaeyl warriors. They clutched long staves – nearly ten feet in height – that seemed to be made of translucent marble with a small, warped hole at its peak. In unison, they slammed those staves deep into the snow alongside Haevolt, and Serris’ breath caught in her throat as the wind suddenly died. There was silence for a moment but for the deep rumble as the nature titan and his army drew closer. Then there came an odd, sharp whistle as the wind suddenly picked up, and blew through the warped holes at the top of the Stormsingers staves. Damned mages, she thought grimly as she turned away. She did not look at the September Prince now; she looked back to the sun. She could feel the temperature plummet and the wind turn from a whisper to a howl as the Stormsingers worked their magic. She could hear the rumble of thunder behind her as the sky seemed to quake more than the earth did beneath the September Prince’s weight. Unblinking, she watched the sun until it hurt her eyes. She watched the sun as clouds suddenly appeared, beckoned by the Stormsingers; black, menacing clouds that immediately spewed torrents of snow as they were periodically lit by flashes of lightning. She watched the sun as a blizzard wind picked up and sliced along her skin like a knife. She watched the sun as the blizzard smashed into the September Prince and felled his followers from the sky and trapped them in the snow. She watched the sun before the blizzard clouds cloaked it forever. Serris shut her eyes softly as her gauntleted hand traced the Red Eye on her chestplate. She should have long since had her armoured repaired; rimes of frost glazed its seems, and it was still scarred with dents and gashes from her encounter with the Sons of Horen outside Thandvar. Amidst all that had happened, it did not occur to her. She lifted her gaze from her armour, and down to the lines of warriors waiting on the ramparts of Lasthope. There were no three-thousand now; they barely numbered three hundred. Among them she could not see Herrynd comforting his bear, nor Karya twisting her shield in the snow, nor Vaeiir with his gleaming armour. Her friends, her family, reduced to a fraction of what they once were. They stood silently staring out across the battlements to the Wasteland below beneath the eternal blizzard that Haevolt and his Stormsingers had created. Not even Haevolt is with me anymore. The solemn thought skittered across her mind, but with a deep breath, she shut it out. There could no distractions now; nothing could endanger her resolve. “We await your command, Bannerlord,” a mild voice muttered uncertainly at her side. Just like it had been so long ago, it was a Stormsinger mage clad in the black-white robes of the Fourth Banner, yet she could not even recall this mage’s name. She stared out across the battlements, where the sharp, frozen cliffs rose. She could see dots of fire dappling the distant darkness, where she knew the Descendant invaders had made their camp in the endless storm. This is their fault. Her armour clanged as she clenched a fist. They took my family away. They woke Avendal and the Prince. They shattered the Order. Her calm shattered, and she raised a fist. ”NOW!” she roared over the wind. Immediately, cloaked Stormsingers along the ramparts raised those same tall staves that had stolen the sun from Yatl, and they slammed them into the frozen stone of Lasthope. For one moment, one blissfully quiet moment, the wind died. The snow seemed to slow as it fell from the sky. Serris shut her eyes again, and remembered the sun, the blinding sun that had once crowned the immaculately white Wasteland, before she felt the wind pick up again with much more vigor than before. She could not feel the cold anymore, but for a moment she thought she did as it intensified. Behind her, the enormity of Krug’s Folley – what the invaders called the ice wall – seemed to let out a loud hiss as the temperatures fell even deeper. The clouds roiled in the sky above as blue lightning lanced through the heavens until snowclouds turned almost pitch black. Kaeth squinted to the south as the echo of thunder reached him The Snow Elf frowned and scratched the back of his neck. Where did that come from? Aside from the constant curtain of snow clouds to the south that marked the border between Snow Elven territory and the icy depths of the Yatl Wasteland, there was no sign of any storm clouds overhead. In fact, the sky was a clear blue, and yet he was almost certain he had heard the rumble of thunder. “Maybe I’m just losing my bloody mind,” he grumbled under his breath. Still, he felt somewhat unnerved. Chewing his lip, he shouldered his longbow, and tied his rabbits – he had caught a total of four today, which meant it would be a big dinner tonight – tightly onto his belt. Giving the towering pine trees, their bark glittering with a sheen of frost, one last wary glance, he began to make his way back to the city. He had barely taken a dozen steps before he heard the quake of thunder once more. He whirled around, eyes narrowed towards the south, and his jaw dropped; as first he thought it must have been his imagination, but he quickly realized otherwise when he felt the hairs stand on edge on his arm and a shiver jolt down his spine, as if the air had suddenly grown colder. The clouds that marked the border of the Yatl Wasteland were moving forward, like a wall rushing towards him, as Kaeth watched. He cried out as a frigid gale suddenly began to toss the pine trees around him as the clouds covered him in shadow. “We need to raise the alarm! Now!” Farald yelled as he leaned out over the battlements of Markev’s south wall and looked to the south with wide eyes. “Good grief, man, would you relax?” Hademar drawled behind him. Farald turned and shot a glare at the other soldier; he had his arms crossed over his gold-black tabard, and the visor of his helmet lifted to expose an unamused frown on a sharp, stubbled face. “So we heard some lightning. So what? Those Vaeyl buggers throw around lightning all the time, what’s the big deal?” Farald had to clench his jaw to restrain himself from launching into a string of curses. Gripping his spear, he jabbed it to towards the south, where the distant storm clouds of the Yatl Wasteland were gradually becoming less distant. The ocean of pine trees that blanketed the Haensetian Sleetfells had began to sway violently, and Farald could already hear echoing snaps as trunks were snapped by the wind. He could have sworn it had grown colder, too; his hairs stood on end, and his nose seemed to already be turning red. Hademar stepped forward slowly, and narrowed his eyes at the south before his face fell. “Now that I think of it,” he began meekly, “raising the alarm might not be the worst idea.” Frost had already accumulated on Serris’ armor as she stood atop Krug’s Folley, staring down on the vastness of the Yatl Wasteland as the clouds pushed forward, advancing past the edge of the Frozenpines that had marked the edge of the Waste for over a thousand years. “We’ll see who breaks first, invaders.”

I appreciate the sentiment but this 100% does screw over those groups. Many vassal nations - Adria, Haense, etc. - are very active but now you're forcing them to start the next map with significant disadvantages that run the risk of inflicting serious, irreparable damage on their respective communities Haense and Adria are active alongside their overlord in Renatus -- the system WORKS here. Why are you changing it?

I mentioned this to you before obviously Seventh but I'm going to reiterate my stance regarding requirements to receive nation status, notably the fully independent clause. This places a massive OOC factor on RP politics. It's an especially terrible thing to do AFTER a lot of vassalisation occurred this map without even opening it to discussion with the relevant parties. I understand wanting to cull nations but I really think you're going about it the wrong way. Activity checks should be the solution here, not culling perfectly healthy playerbases. This will do a tonne of damage and no good. I agree with Narthok in that certain playerbases are being fucked over big time

Application placed on pending, you will be contacted shortly.

Application placed on pending, you will be contacted shortly.

Application placed on pending, you will be contacted shortly.

Application placed on pending, you will be contacted shortly.

im home

Yikes so I was out for most of today and unfortunately didn't get to this 'till now. That's my fault but in future try to give us a heads up of a day or two if it's something you're planning in advance; that way we can definitely sort some stuff out

EVENT TEAM APPLICATION INFORMATION Think you'd look good in green, huh? Of course you do. The Event Team has been the most respected staff team with a rich history dating all the way back to the Roman Empire. So you want to join these hallowed ranks? You want to assume the venerable duties of an Event Team member? You want to secure your place in history alongside renowned ET members such as William Wallace, JFK and Gandhi? The Event Team differs from the server’s other Staff teams in that it is by far the best outlet for practical creativity. It is the Event Team who are responsible for breathing life into Atlas beyond regular character encounters; it is the Event Team who mould the atmosphere of the world in which our characters inhabit, and it is the Event Team who shape the story of our server. Those who want to join the Event Team as an Actor should have a creative disposition, a engaging and interactive writing style and patience. You’ll need to be able to deal with groups of players without causing or escalating issues and your events should always be entertaining and fair from an OOC standpoint. Once on the Team, you’ll be expected to perform at least four quality events per month and leave your own distinguishable mark on the Team. Event Team Builders are responsible for ensuring that Actors are provided with specific builds they need for events in a timely manner. Interested? Of course you are. Read below for a run-down on the four stages of getting yourself that shiny green tag. PHASE ONE APPLICATION The first step to joining the Event Team is to submit an application here, in the Event Team Sub-Forum. You'll find both applications to be an Event Team Actor, the person who plans and performs events, and an Event Team Builder, who provide builds for events (you can read about Event Team Builders at the bottom of this post; from now on, we'll be talking specifically about Actors). When you open up the Actor Application (https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/forum/885-apply-to-be-an-event-team-actor/) you'll be asked for some basic information about your history on the server and your reasons for joining, but the bulk of the Application is made up of 3 event scenarios which you are required to provide. These event scenarios are the most important part of your application and provide us with an insight as to your potential to make a good Actor. When making your scenarios, we're not looking for a rigid plan or a short-story - we want to see how you envisage and plan your events, from start to finish. It doesn't have to be long, but merely demonstrate to the Event Team Management how you, a hopeful Actor, would carry out your events. There's no particular right way to do these scenarios, but if you want a better idea, you should read some of the Accepted ET Applications. Once you've submitted your application, the Event Team Management will review and score it based on the following criteria: CONCEPT: How good/interesting is the basic event concept? Does it involve the players having a chat on the side of a ride or diving deep into the ocean to find a shipwreck and obtain something from within? More exciting concepts are more appealing, though bear in mind that the applicant might still take a simple concept - like that roadside chat - and execute it in a certain way that makes it stand out. In summary, consider this category as the basic idea for the event. CONTENT: What will players actually end up doing in the event? To refer to our previous example -- will the entire event just be a conversation? Or will they be diving underwater, thinking of ways to avoid drowning, exploring the shipwreck, etc. The more engaging roleplay provided for a player, the better. FEASIBILITY: An applicant can submit the best event plan you’ve ever read, but it doesn’t matter how good it is if we can’t physically do it on the server. For example, we can’t do an event that openly defies lore, several absolutely huge builds that we simply can’t get done. An event needs to be good, but it also needs to be feasibly done. DEVELOPMENT: An event should always leave a lasting impression on a participant, whether the event was sad, funny, scary, etc. There should always be room for character development, so keep an eye out for this in applicants’ events. This is a more fluid concept, but it would include things like morally grey choices, an event with an outcome heavily dictated by player interaction, etc. You'll receive a score out of 10 for each of these criteria. If your overall Application scores over 30, you'll move on to the next phase of the process. If you score over 20 but under 30, you'll be given an interview to assess some of the issues we had in your application and see if you can address them to us. If we're satisfied after your interview, you'll move on to the next phase of the process. If you score under 20, we'll more than likely deny your application. PHASE TWO TEAM REVIEW If you make it past the Application Phase, you'll be put up for a Team Review. What this means is that current ET members will be invited to voice any concerns or vouch for you. This is usually done via a simple Discord poll to gauge whether the Team as a whole thinks it's a good or bad idea to accept a certain process, while we take any significant feedback in private message. Note that if you don't pass Team Review your application might not necessarily be denied (based on circumstances), but it is something the Event Team Management take into account when reviewing you. PHASE THREE EVENT TRIAL In an attempt to try out the Event Team Builder trials, we're now experimenting with an Event Trial for ET Applicants. What this means is that if you successfully pass the Application and Team Review Phases, you'll be asked to submit another event scenario (it can be one of the ones submitted on your Application) to the ET Management. You'll be given a few days to prepare to do this event on the actual server, where a Manager will give you Event Team commands and supervise you as you run your trial event. You'll given free reign and limited direction during this phase. It will be up to you to find your participants for this - whether you want to pounce on some random players or arrange it with your friend - but the point is that it's down to you to carry it out from start to finish. An ET Manager will be on standby to provide some limited guidance and help with any particular issues, but this is where you really need to pull out all the stops. After your trial event, you'll have your commands removed and the ET Management will discuss how you did. Then, based on how you performed during all three phases, your application will be accepted or denied. Though make sure to note the Event Trials are still in test-phase and we might end up removing them depending on how they work out. EVENT TEAM BUILDER PROCESS If you’d rather build the stages for the Event Actors, you can fill out this application format instead: https://www.lordofthecraft.net/forums/forum/884-apply-to-be-an-event-team-builder/ The Event Team Builder Manager will review your Application and get in touch. You will be given a build trial, wherein you build an example of your work in a given time-frame. If the Builder Manager is satisfied with your ability, you will be accepted as an Event Team Builder. If you've got any questions, feel free to message me or any of the Event Team Managers. So you've got all the info, now start writing your application.

yeah solid level headed guy +1

Vaeyl Scouts exchanged confused glances at the developments, unable to grasp the politics of invaders. Still, they seem to take it for good news, before riding back to Lasthope on their Cold Bear mounts.

The Vaeyl Order watches the trespassers assemble their armies patiently.

Edward congratulated his father on the legislation that evening as he drew him a sponge bath.

I'll hit you up