Xarkly

How come that's contingent on it though? Being able to turn people with ease is one of the few current vindicators for Corc being a threat to RP communities in that they work more like an infectious disease. I think it's somewhat self-regulating since Corcs are very actively hunted both passively (i.e. aurum tests in cities) and actively (i.e. anti Darkspawn factions). So, if you comply with the terms of the CA and feed regularly, it's a fairly impressive feat to survive over 3 months so I think passing that milestone and becoming incurable is a good junction to upgrade from pest to threat. Granted, the above is assuming Corc PK if killed if they are caught and refuse a cure, but people not PKing is always an occupational hazard. Unless we did a Corc PK clause .....

It's an interesting contrast for me in that a CA shouldn't NEED powers or progression to make a good character -- like Unwillingly points out, it's a curse/infection and pretty easy to get cured. The contrast comes in that while Corcs aren't personally impeded by a lack of power, they can't readily fill the role of a threatening CA to the community at large because they don't have any tools to be a threat with. When you break it down, Vampires are really more of a pest than ... Well, Vampires in the more traditional narrative sense. I agree it would work a lot better for Corcs beyond 3 months of infection to get some kind of enhancement so they can better fill antagonistic roles. For context, I play a Corc and he's really fun. However, I can never really be a threat to other players with him - I can only ever be somewhat vampiric via socially engineering in RP get a character in a disadvantageous situation, which is obviously very hard to do in the current climate where everyone is on high alert for Darkspawn. So, it's moreso a question for ST -- do they want this CA to fulfill a more traditional Vampire niche, or remain as a pest? If they do want to make it more threatening, though, I think a few more comprehensive changes than the ones here ought to be proposed. I just don't really think what's set out in the OP actually does a whole lot to realize a threat. I would be pretty opposed to this though, narratively this makes it pretty hard to justify your character being a Corc at all. It really renders the point of the CA null if the curse can be undone with a widespread cure.

LETTER TO THE HOLY SEE: THE KUSORAEV REPENTANCE TO HIS HOLINESS HIGH PONTIFF SIXTUS VI Dated this 10th day of Haren's Folly of 1962 Your Holiness, Holy Light preserve you and prevail. Since our last meeting in the Holy See shortly prior to the final battle between the Grand Covenant and the Duchy of Adria upon Euler’s Steppe, I have returned to the highlands to assume my post as Bishop of Westerwald by your holy writ. You had duly charged me with raising new clerics from the Haeseni populace, and restoring the radiance of the Light. In the chaos of war, the Shadow easily manifests unnoticed in the hearts of man. It was therefore of only mild surprise that I returned to find the Royal Court of Hanseti-Ruska marked by sin, for the Grand Prince of Kusoraev - Ivan var Aleksandr Bihar - had sired a bastard during his campaign in the Heartlands against the Anathema, thereby desecrating the sanctity of his marriage to the lady Nataliya Leopoldina. That a Voidal Horror laid siege to the city of Valdev days later is a clear testament to the Light’s displeasure. I called upon the Grand Prince to seek repentance - so that his sin might be forgiven by the Skies, and he might reign true as a shepherd of men - and he and his lady wife thus sought me out in the abode of my lord brother at Vidaus. It was here he proclaimed his intent to be forgiven before the Light, and I decreed that he must face me in battle. Should he triumph, the Light would surely have willed it so by way of forgiveness; elsewise, the Light would surely bid his fall. Bathed in the warmthless mountain light, we clashed under the vigil of the Skies. It was a match closely-fought; I was struck upon the shoulder, and now sport a deep scar upon my cheek. Yet I landed successive blows on the Prince until I struck his blade from his hand. Injured, he yielded before me, and I thought to strike his left-eye as penance for his son, but I was given pause when his lady wife intervened on his behalf, and forced my own blade from my grasp. Verily, the Princess Nataliya’s faith and honour is injured most egregiously by her husband’s sin, and so her intervention spelled clear that the Prince duly felt the weight of his sins. As proclaimed in the Scroll of Gospel, the Light of the Seventh Sky is merciful -- in that moment, as the Prince lay wounded and defeated and his lady wife intervened to save him from further harm, I felt the measure of his intent to be forgiven. It is my view that the Princess Nataliya acted as agent for the Light’s mercy, and bid me do no further harm. I readily believe that the Grand Prince understands the weight of his sins, and while its scar will mark he and the Royal Court forevermore, I submit my satisfaction to your Holiness that the Holy Light has duly punished the Grand Prince with his loss in battle. Hereafter, may he walk the road of virtue. Working his Eminence of Jorenus, we shall see that the Royal Court and all of Jorenus walk in the Light, and abhor the Shadow. LIGHT PRESERVE AND PREVAIL Villorik Bishop Westerwald

The Bishop of Westerwald drew his blade that evening, and prayed for the solace of he who was lost.

For the same reason I dislike CRP lock, I'm reluctant to nerf anti-CA testing. That reason is strategy. As a CA (I play a Corictura myself), there should be some natural aversion to large cities whose culture is stepped in religious dogma. This just naturally computes, so - as part of the CA experience, which should fundamentally shape your RP - trying to infiltrate these locations should be fairly daunting, given the consequences. That said, I do think there's an issue in the en masse testing, and the fact the tests are so generic. I'd much rather see each CA have their own specific weaknesses and vulnerabilities rather than a one-size-fits-all, which is definitely where a part of this issue comes from. I'd also love to see more disinformation about CA races -- vampires being weak to garlic is an example of what I mean. It's a cute cultural flair that reflects the religious paranoia of these zealous human cities, but it's probably a long-shot in this age of easy information access. Whenever I'm playing a Corcitura, my character makes the conscious decision to stay away from these problem cities because of how quick they are on the trigger to test potential Darkspawn. Irrespective of the mass-testing issue, I think this RP approach makes perfect sense. For my character, there's very little that could be worth visiting these cities for because of the threat they pose to him. Instead, touring smaller settlements and roads is a much more sensible source of blood, and much more fitting for a character. This isn't to say that CA should avoid these cities completely, only that the religious culture and the danger of discovery should form part of the CA experience and the character's development. I think it would be cool to see infiltrations of these cities as more of a 'long-con', such as setting up some kind of faction within the city as a cover for themselves, rather than a travelling stranger showing up, for whom it may sometimes make sense to be regarded with suspicion. Either way, that's my experience with CAs -- while I won't claim to speak for the majority, I've definitely found the approach enjoyable. I do wish CA-testing was varied, rather than nerfed.

The warpriest Villorik meditated upon the news. He knelt before a crude stone icon of Saint Daniel the Reader, erected on the roadside just outside Minitz's newly-consecrated chapel. In accordance with the old Jorenic customs of Edel, his Ruskan sabre lay bared on his lap, and the dawning sun cast deep, burnished light across the Reinmaren pastures. He had stopped in the town overnight on his return to Haense from the Holy See, and he had risen this morning to pray at sunrise. But the news of the Grand Prince's infidelity, overheard in the tavern just last night, intruded on his prayer. As the wind gusted, stirring the amber fields of wheat all around him, his hard stare was fixed on the rising sun. Where the Holy Light did not enlighten, it must burn. ((Exceptionally well-written post.))

THE REVELATION ON EULER’S STEPPE Bishop Villorik’s vision swam as he half-collapsed against a tree. The clamour of battle sounded far behind the warpriest, but he could not tell if his hearing failed in his disoriented state, or whether he truly was far from the epicentre. The leather of his gloves creaked as he gripped the bark for support, and sucked in quick breaths through his teeth. He could only dimly feel the stinging pain in his right thigh where an Adrian axe had bit deep, but a glance down at the blood seeping darkly through his greaves told him the wound was grave. Grave, the warpriest thought as he grit his teeth, if not mortal. For a moment, he simply stared at the wound as the blood oozed and dripped down his leg. Is this … how I die? The thought did not instil fear in him as much as it did confusion. This can’t be my purpose. God … is this truly all you need me for? Even with his mind still rocking from when he had been struck, he knew that thought was childish; did he truly expect that the Holy Light would have some special purpose, some divine mission, for him to accomplish during his time on the mortal world? He knew it was foolish, but bitterness still welled in him at the thought that his journey was to end here and now, on the fringe of one of the many battlefields between the Covenant and Veletz. In that foolish, bitter moment, he lay his sweat-slicked head against the trunk and squeezed his eyes shut on warm tears. He did not know how long he wallowed, but eventually he realised that the sound of battle seemed to have drifted further north, and he became gradually aware of his other wounds, from the dull pain in his shoulder from when he had fallen from his horse, to the scrapes on his left forearm from when the splinters of his lance had ricocheted after skewering an Adrian rider. But his senses did not fade, and his consciousness did not leave him yet. Keep moving until you can’t, he urged himself as scrubbed the tears from his eyes. Though no living soul was there to witness his self-pity, that did not mean he was alone. The Skies still watch. Gripping his broken lance - the splintered top of which was still caked in the blood of the Adrian rider he had struck - he began to limp through the trees again. If he could just get out of the forest … if he could just staunch the bleeding … His vision continued to swirl as he limped through the trees. Several times, he thought he heard boots stomping through the foliage - or even a charging horse - but when he whirled around, his blade brandished, he saw no one. On he limped, hissing through his teeth as each movement sent pain jolting through his body. Despite that pain, the spot where the axe cleaved his leg felt numb -- that was what truly worried him. Finally, the trees thinned, and the morning - was it still morning? - sunlight lit the slopes of Euler’s Steppe beyond. Although there were no canopies of leaves to blot out that sun, the view before Villorik felt … darker. The autumn sun lit the field of fallen horses and slain riders from where the Covenant and Adria had first clashed, before the battle had pushed deep into the woods, and the grass was dappled with a glistening crimson glaze. For a moment, Villorik could only watch. He had fought many battles in this war already, from Breakwater to Westmark, where men had died screaming beneath collapsing towers and the hooves of thousands of horses, and so the carnage before Villorik now paled in comparison to the war’s maiden clashes. Yet, as he watched a burgundy standard stream from the end of a lance jutting from the earth, he knew it was not the bodies before him right now that made his skin crawl. It was the repetition. Breakwater. Brasca. Westmark. Hippo’s Gorge. Stassion. Drusco. Over the din of battle - distant in the trees, now - he could hear a few wounded groans, coughs, and even hoarse pleas from where some of the fallen lay. … and now Euler’s Steppe. Villorik swallowed the lump in his throat, and forced himself to forward once more through the red-stained field. He had to keep going; he had to staunch the bleeding in his leg. The repetition - this cycle - went beyond the war between the Covenant and Adria, Villorik knew. Before he had been ordained, he had studied more than the Holy Scrolls; he knew the Tapestry of Man, and the last one-hundred and fifty years of weaves. The Covenant war was not a new war, but a new name. The Covenant was but the child of the Eastern Almaris Treaty, just as that had been the child of the Tripartite Accord, fought between a new generation of the same foe, time and time again. Villorik came to an abrupt pause as he felt something grasp his uninjured leg. Slowly, the Bishop lowered his gaze, and found a mailed gripping his ankle. It was no surprise that Villorik had not seen the woman to whom the hand belonged to before now; she was pinned to the ground by a horse that had been skewered by a lance, and the horse’s blood was drenched the woman beneath it so thoroughly that she almost blended into the battlefield. The horse’s caparison, the woman’s tabard -- it was all so red that Villorik could not make out for which army she had fought. “C … can …” came a wheeze from beneath the woman’s helm, so quiet that Villorik could barely hear her only word. At first, Villorik gave no answer. He looked down at her, and the patches of pale skin that had not been drenched in her horse’s blood, before he slid his gaze to the horse itself, and the lance buried in it. Based on the depth of the lance’s strike, and the angle of the woman lying beneath it, it was clear that the lance had impaled her midsection, too. The sun glimmered on the edge of Villorik’s sabre as he raised it. Through her misty eyes, the woman’s expression shifted to a brief reprieve of gratitude. “Light, revere this woman,” he began. His own voice was shaky, and meek. “Revere this woman, whose body is now broken, and whose thread on the Tapestry is dutifully woven.” She closed her eyes, and Villorik thrust his blade down. “ … and cradle her closely in the Skies.” As her corpse fell lifeless and what little blood she had left pooled with her horse’s, Villorik just watched her. “What purpose did this one fill, Holy Light?” he asked her body. “Mortally wounded, in the first strike of the battle. Left to bleed and die beneath her mount, so soaked in blood that no one could tell for which side she even fought.” The fear that Villorik had not felt earlier surged in him now. The Light gave him no answer as Villorik shakily set off across the battlefield once more. His entire right leg was slick with the blood seeping from his axe-wound, and his vision felt edged with the sickly cold sensation of blood-loss. His lance-turned-walking-stick creaked as he continued. “KRESA!” echoed a panicked peel across the field, and Villorik squinted to make out a man, his helmet shed, limp between fallen horses and riders. He roughly turned them over by the shoulders until he could see their faces, at which point he unceremoniously dropped them as he moved to the next corpse. “KRESA! WHERE ARE YOU?! CAN YOU HEAR ME!? KRESA!” For him, Villorik only muttered another prayer. Two minutes or two hours, Villorik could not say how much longer he limped through the field of sunlit corpses. He could not say how many dead or dying soldiers he passed, nor how many useless prayers he muttered. The only thing he did know was that his chances of limping all the way back to the Covenant war camp were slim. And so, he finally lowered himself down beside a horse peppered with arrows, and whose rider was nowhere to be seen. Clumsily, he set his sabre to sawing off a length of its Adrian caparison, and then cut away the bloodsoaked fabric of his own greaves until the wound on his thigh was laid bare. The sight of the bloody gorge in his flesh almost made his vision swim again, but he forced his shaking hands on. He poured what water remained in his canteen on the wound, and then bound the torn caparison around it as tightly as he could. When it was down, he simply leaned back and rested his head on the horse’s torso, between the shafts of arrows jutting from its body. All he could do now was wait for the battle to end. End? No, he corrected himself as he stared up in the cloud-streaked sky. Simply lull, until the next battle. Until the next war. Until the cycle repeats. The battle being fought on Euler’s Steppe was small compared to the clashes at Hippo’s Gorge or Brasca, which themselves were mere blips in the eternal war. “The Cycle,” he whispered to himself as he watched a bird glide overhead. “The Cycle.” From the Sinners’ War, to the Successors’ War, to this fight - throughout it all, humanity had refused to change. After each victory and defeat, the rulers of mankind returned to their scattered holds, squabbling over divisions and ruling over petty realms that required the aid of half a dozen other armies to quell any threat. It will come again. The women trapped under the horse; the man searching for ‘Kresa’; all the dead on the field around him. Villorik had seen that scene tenfold at each of the other battles, but it was knowing that it had happened through those wars time and time again that threatened to make him sick-up. It will come again. The war and the warriors - reincarnated … so long as man does not change. He did not realise he had gripped his fist around the hilt of his sabre until he heard his gloves creak. So long as man does not change … Blinking away his fatigue, he looked at the sun flash against the sabre’s length, except for where the woman’s blood coated the tip. He was not sure where his sudden energy had come from as he pressed the blade into the mud, and used it to climb to his feet again. He regarded the battlefield not with pity anymore, but with rage. If man will not change, then they need to be made to change. He ignored the white-hot pain in his bound wound as he began to limp across the battlefield again. As the sun shone on the field of death, Villorik thought that perhaps the Light might yet have a purpose for him. The Cycle will be broken.

It was a different mantra Villorik hummed among the Covenant ranks - an old one of Dwarven origin. "This changes nothing."

"Upon the walls of Breakwater to Drusco, Adria stood. They cannot hide behind the ruins now." At that moment, the Holy Light never felt clearer to Villorik.

ROLL OF BANNERS OF THE GRAND COVENANT Iudicem Accedit. This phrase - ‘judgement comes’ - was the founding maxim of the Grand Covenant, an international military alliance whose formation marked the beginning of the War for the Heartlands in the year 155 of the Second Age. Firstly comprised of the kingdoms of Haense, Urguan, Balian, Petra, and Hyspia - who found common cause in response to the perceived acts of war committed by the League of Veletz - their banners were later joined by those of Aaun, Norland and Numendil after reports surfaced of Darkspawn sanctuaries within Veletz. The Grand Covenant’s chief strength naturally came in the form of the colossal army from various national militias, which numbered in excess of 20,000 at its height, and culminated in the conquest of the Veletzian forts of Breakwater, Brasca, Stassion, and Drusco to date. Despite often outnumbering Veletzian forces two-to-one, the Covenant still had to contend with elite Veletzian skirmishers - who outclassed the Covenant militiamen many times over - and sluggish pace at which its forces could be mobilised, which enabled the domination of Veletzian raiding forces and the Covenant defeat at Westmark. In ensuring Covenant tactical victories, the distribution of its international troops to various battalions - dubbed ‘Banners’ - within the overall Covenant army was of paramount importance. Herein is the official codification of these Banners, and the sacrosanct commemoration of their patriotism. HEAVY INFANTRY BATTALION THE MITHRIL BANNER GENERALS: KING ALEKSANDR OF HAENSE, BANJO MARENO LIEUTENANTS: SER RICKARD OF VALDEV, SER GAREN BARUCH, PERCY DE LYONS, VICEROY CESAR DE PELEAR The heavy infantry core of the Grand Covenant. Characterised for its daemonsteel mail, bucklers, and pikes, the Mithril Banner is the central component of the Grand Covenant’s forces, whose charge typically signals the climax of battles. The Banner is composed of assorted soldiers from all Covenant nations, usually arrayed in formations whereby amateur levies are reinforced by veterans from standing national armies, such as the Brotherhood of Saint Karl or the Balianese Armada. The Mithril Banner traditionally comprises the vast majority of the Covenant’s forces; however, evolving strategies throughout the War for the Heartlands led to the variation of Covenant tactics and the development of new Banners. During the Siege of Breakwater, the Mithril Banner made their famous charge over the earthen bulwarks of the Covenant siege encampment to storm the shattered walls of the Ferryman keep in the first victory of the war. The Mithril Banner likewise led the Covenant to triumph in tandem with the Northern Banner and the Yachtsmen - the Covenant’s siege engineers and elite reserves, respectively - at the Siege of Brasca. The Covenant, overly-confident in the strength of its heavy infantry, deployed the majority of its forces as part of the Mithril Banner during the Battle of Westmark, supported only by a modest squadron of horsemen under the Gryphon Banner, against an entirely-mounted Veletzian-Orcish army. Unable to match the mobility of enemy cavalry on open terrain, and after King Aleksandr was unexpectedly incapacitated early in the battle, the Mithril Banner - and therefore the Covenant as a whole - suffered a monumental upset that forced their retreat, and allowed the Veletzian forces to re-route to attack the southern Balian frontier. Adapting from Westmark, the Mithril Banner’s weakness on the open field was realised, and many infantrymen were instead deployed on horseback under the Gryphon Banner at the subsequent Battle of Hippo’s Gorge, where the Covenant handily repelled the Veletzian advance into Balian, once again regaining dominant momentum in the war. The Mithril Banner returned in all its glory at the Siege of Stassion, where it once again proved its mastery of heavy melee combat by storming the Stassionite keep in the wake of the destruction wrought by the Northern Thunder Banner and the Yachtsmen. Similarly, the Mithril Banner was instrumental at the Siege of Drusco, where they forded a river and stormed up the clifftop upon which the Veletzian castle was built to intercept a short-lived charge of the Veletzian cavalry, which heralded the fall of the keep mere hours later. To date, the Mithril Banner has distinguished itself as the weight of the Grand Covenant’s blows and a natural foil to the elite cadres of Veletz and Krugmar. Despite a crushing defeat at Westmark due to their inability to engage horsemen on an open field, this loss was a crucial lesson for the Covenant and a lynchpin in its future conquests. GLORY TO THE MITHRIL BANNER GLORY TO ITS FEARLESS DEAD ARTILLERY BRIGADE NORTHERN THUNDER GENERALS: PATRIARCH JOSEF, HIGH KEEPER ELLENORE LIEUTENANTS: DANTE DENUREM, SER FLEMIUS, VIKTOR ‘DAEMONSTEEL’, WYLEIN ALPYNE, ENRICO AMADEUS, OFFICER GRUDGEBEARD The siege engineers, and pride of the Covenant forces. The outbreak of the War for the Heartlands brought with it significant uncertainty in the context of sieges - humanity had seen no true siege since the Siege of Haverlock, fought between the Holy Orenian Empire and the Tripartite Accord, almost a century earlier. Since then, the advancement of siegework technology had led to not only enhanced trebuchet, but the potential for the widespread use of blackpowder cannons on the battlefield. The engineers and builders of Northern Thunder led that leap into the next unknown age of siegecraft. While the Mithril Banner was unmatched as a heavy infantry force, their numbers and heavy mail were of little use against Veletzian castles and curtain walls. Therefore, it was the role of Northern Thunder to operate Covenant trebuchets and cannons in order to create breaches in enemy fortifications for the Mithril Banner to charge. To this end, the brigade was regimented in crews for each weapon, and each of these crews consisted of three roles: one was the loading of the cannonballs and setting of the blackpowder fuse; the second was the aiming and firing; while the third was watching the cannonball trajectory and adjusting aim. This rigorous division became a cornerstone of Northern Thunder’s success. While its primary objective was the obliteration of enemy fortifications, in order to do so Northern Thunder first had to engage in a bombardment duel with Veletzian artillery at each battle. These tense periods were marked with pinpoint aiming by both sides as they raced to eliminate the opposing cannons, but the superior numbers, training, and expertise of Northern Thunder have left them undefeated thus far. Northern Thunder’s debut at the Siege of Breakwater spelled out the integral role of artillery in the battles to come, while the Siege of Brasca formed the first formiddable challenge to Northern Thunder due to the enemy castle’s height advantage. If not for the fact that the Veletzian cannons ran out of rounds during bombardment, it was likely that Northern Thunder may have been defeated. As it was, however, Brasca fell akin to Breakwater. After being drafted into the Mithril Banner for the disastrous Battle of Westmark and the subsequent redemption at the Battle of Hippo’s Gorge, Northern Thunder returned to glory at the Siege of Stassion and the Siege of Drusco, where it once again prevailed over Veletzian cannoneers and gored significant breaches in the enemy castles, which led to decisive Covenant victories. Integral to Northern Thunder’s triumphs was not merely its siege engineers, but also its siege encampments. The stationary nature of siege engines rendered them inherently vulnerable to the blitzkrieg tactics of the fast-moving Veletzian elites, and so mitigating this weakness was the quest of Wylein Alpyne, a masterwork architect who designed Covenant siege encampments that were not only easy to erect on the battlefield, but capable of withstanding attacks from Veletzian skirmishers. Furthermore, the expense of cannons and manpower was offset by the addition of Hokhmat Mages - vassals to the Petrine Queen - throughout the sieges, who provided additional arcane firepower that enhanced the devastating power of Northern Thunder. In a new age of warfare, Northern Thunder carved itself a place in history as an elite military unit not through skill with lance or bow, but with blackpowder and smoke. GLORY TO NORTHERN THUNDER GLORY TO ITS VALIANT DEAD ELITE RESERVE UNIT THE YACHTSMEN GENERAL: BANJO MARENO LIEUTENANT: SIGMAR BARUCH By all accounts, the warriors of Veletz outskilled those of the Covenant. For over a century, national militaries had fallen into decline and obscurity due to the prevalence of mercenary warfare amidst the Descendant realms which nations greatly struggled to deal with from war to war. The incorporation of many of these mercenaries, namely the Ferrymen and Blackvale, into the ranks of Veletz over the past generation therefore presented what many thought with be an insurmountable threat, as these elite cadres had excelled over more numerous enemies many times before, such as the Battle of the Lower Petra during the Sinners’ War decades prior. If not for a certain factor, it may well have been the case that the superior tactics and blitzkrieg warfare adopted by the Veletzian elites may have steered the War for the Heartlands towards a very different outcome. That factor was, of course, Banjo Mareno -- a wayward ally of the Royal House of Barbanov of Haense, and the most prestigious and capable military general of the modern day. Formerly the leader of the Ferrymen mercenaries, it was Captain Banjo’s prerogative to schism from the mercenary group due to misgivings about the band’s allegiances, which led to the creation of the Yachtsmen. While only a modest number of Ferrymen chose to follow Captain Banjo and abandon Veletz, the ranks of the Yachtsmen were instead comprised of warriors of particular renown from the Covenant nations. With a corps of warriors capable of matching Veletzian elites and a genius martial mind to steer them, the Yachtsmen quickly distinguished themselves as the celebrated backbone of the Grand Covenant, and the ace up its sleeve. As a reserve unit, the Yachtsmen primarily operated by riding around the fringes of the battlefield and harassing enemy skirmishers and executing rival commanders, who would otherwise proven to be an immense thorn to the regular Covenant forces. In the Banner’s debut at the Siege of Brasca, Captain Banjo and his troop did battle with many of his former comrades, and soundly bested them. The Yachtsmen complimented for the Covenant’s lack of organised elite troops, which was its glaring weakness and had led to Veletz’s domination of raiding throughout the war. With the Yachtsmen at their side in battle, that threat was removed from the throat of the Covenant’s other Banners, and was integral in the victories that ensued. GLORY TO THE YACHTSMEN GLORY TO ITS HONOURABLE DEAD SHOCK CAVALRY BRIGADE THE GRYPHON BANNER GENERAL: GRAND KING SIGRUN IREHEART LIEUTENANTS: SER GAREN BARUCH In a new age of tactical warfare, cavalry remained far from outmatched. At the outbreak of the War for the Heartlands, the Grand Covenant mistakenly disregarded cavalry from its tactical makeup, and surmised that a massive heavy infantry armoured with daemonsteel in the form of the Mithril Banner would prevail in any scenario. This was initially the case at the Sieges of Breakwater and Brasca, where the combination of Northern Thunder’s bombardment, the Yachtmen’s strikes, and the Mithril Banner’s numbers led to victory, but the Battle of Westmark would serve as a brutal reminder to the Covenant of their foe’s tenacity. As the first open-field battle of the War, the Covenant deployed the vast majority of their forces in the Mithril Banner with pikes, and supported only by a modest battalion of horsemen led by King Aleksandr, who left the Mithril Banner in the rear of the battlefield - this was the debut of the Gryphon Banner, which the Covenant had initially foresaw only as a support force to the Mithril Banner. However, in failing to anticipate that the hugely-outnumbered enemy Veletzians would be entirely mounted, the Gryphon Banner was overwhelmed and defeated, and the slow-moving Mithril Banner were eventually whittled down by rapid passes of the Veletzian cavalry. Following that upset, the Covenant developed the Gryphon Banner into its dedicated army for field battles under the command of the Dwarven King Sigrun Ireheart, while King Aleksandr returned to leading the Mithril Banner. While many Covenant levies lacked horseback training, this was offset by reinforcing squadrons of amateur cavalrymen with seasoned riders who comprised the Gryphon Banner at its maiden battle at Westmark - this was the same tactic used in the Mithril Banner formations. This adaptation was put to the test at the Battle of Hippo’s Gorge - where Veletz attempted to annex a region of Balian after their victory at Westmark - and the Gryphon Banner, supported by Yachtsmen skirmishers, successfully defeated Veletz in a fully-mounted battle. Thereafter, the Gryphon Banner became an integral support Banner in the Sieges of Stassion and Drusco. While most of their numbers were drafted back into the Mithril Banner for the storming of keeps, the Gryphon Banner remained as a corps of fast moving-lancers whose role was to occupy and defeat Veletzian horsemen on the battlefield, which largely comprised the main tool remaining to Veletz. The Gryphon Banner is a cautionary tale of the tactical depths of warfare on Aevos. Despite numerical advantages, the Covenant’s failure to anticipate enemy strategies led to a major defeat that may have led to the collapse of the Covenant had it not adapted and developed a dedicated cavalry unit. GLORY TO THE GRYPHON BANNER GLORY TO ITS HEROIC DEAD COURT AUXILLIARIES THE ROSEN BANNER GENERAL: QUEEN AMAYA ‘THE WHITE FLAME’ LIEUTENANTS: DAME ROSALIND VALKONEN, RONJA KORT Never before has there existed a military force akin to the Rosen Banner. The idea of women - from peasants to court maidens - fighting on the battlefield was popularised by Queen Emma of Haense during the Sinners’ War, when the then-Queen’s Court insisted on taking up arms in honour of their homeland. This notion has since developed as a hallmark of Haeseni patriotism championed by various Queens coronated since Queen Emma, though none more so than Queen Amaya, who earned the moniker of ‘the White Flame’ for her purity as a monarch and her ferocity as a warrior. Queen Amaya, like her predecessors in the Sinners’ War and the Successors’ War, enlisted many of her court ladies as her personal retinue as she joined her husband on the battlefield. Such did this retinue grow that it assumed its own identity and standard -- it became the Rosen Banner, characterised by their rose colours and female combatants. While the Rosen Banner filled no particular niche - unlike the other Banners within the Covenant - it was recognised as a distinct entity due to its efforts in providing additional soldiers through militarised courts. Though the prospect was initially ridiculed by the Banner’s opponents, that came to a swift end with the marked participation of the Rosen Banner in the Sieges of Breakwater and Brasca, where the comedic battlecry of “the maidens are shelling Veletz!” originated from. The Rosen Banner was likewise a noted participant in the field battles at Westmark and Hippo’s Gorge, in the latter of which Dame Rosalind of the Rosen Banner slew a Veletzian champion. The Rosen Banner stood out amongst its peers for their remarkable morale and spirit, even in the face of constant Veletzian raids in the aftermath of the Covenant defeat at Westmark. In turn, the presence of a charismatic figurehead in the form of the White Flame, together with her retinue, served as a backbone for the Covenant’s perseverance and fighting spirit. GLORY TO THE ROSEN BANNER GLORY TO ITS VENERABLE DEAD DEFENSIVE GARRISON UNIT THE PALISADE BANNER GENERAL: PERCY DE LYONS LIEUTENANTS: KING ADRIAN OF BALIAN If the Mithril Banner is the Covenant’s blade, the Palisade Banner is its shield. An extension of the Mithril Banner, the Palisade Banner was a force deployed early in the War for the Heartlands as a dedicated defensive garrison for the Covenant siege encampments designed by Wylein Alpyne. Rather than any particular design by the Covenant, the Palisade Banner developed as a necessity during the Siege of Breakwater in order to defend the encampment’s bulwarks from the rear while the Mithril Banner was locked in an exchange of arrow-fire with the Breakwater garrison. Unlike most of the Covenant’s other units, the Palisade Banner was specifically composed by Balianese and Petrine troops and operated as a heavy infantry garrison equipped with daemonsteel. Despite the fact that most of the Covenant’s campaign against Veletz was offensive, the Palisade Banner fulfilled a uniquely defensive function in order to foil blitzkrieg Veletzian attacks on the Covenant’s vulnerable. It largely served as a deterrent against Veletzian incursions, as most Veletzian skirmishers operated in small cadres who would not risk engaging the large Palisade force on standby in the encampment’s rear. The Palisade Banner was utilised to similar effect at the Siege of Brasca. After the field battles of Westmark and Hippo’s Gorge, the Palisade Banner largely became reincorporated into the Mithril Banner. This was chiefly because Veletzian attempts to strike Covenant siege encampments from the rear were frustrated both by the prevalence of the Yachtsmen and the Gryphon Banner on the battlefield, which occupied the entirety of Veletz’s harrier forces. Despite its eventual redundancy, the Palisade Banner was an important defensive limb of the Covenant’s forces that provided stability and security during battles in the initial phase of the War. From the outset, it represented the Covenant’s preparedness to ward off Veletzian rear-attacks, and a clear indicator that the Covenant would not be struck with impunity. GLORY TO THE PALISADE BANNER GLORY TO ITS STALWART DEAD While each of the Banners of the Grand Covenant played a distinct purpose throughout the course of the War for the Heartlands, its font of military strength was its collective unity. No grand charge of the Mithril Banner could have happened without swathes of levies from each of the Covenant nations; no Gryphon Banner would have redeemed the Covenant on the field of battle had the soldiery not steeled their will to triumph in the wake of their loss at Westmark; and Northern Thunder would never have felled the walls of Breakwater, Brasca, Stassion, and Drusco, were it not for the unfaltering dedication of its crews to see it done. While the Covenant’s victories are owed to its champions and commanders, so too are they owed to each and every common soldier -- from Aaun, driven to avenge their murdered King; to Balian, spurred by the capture of their now-Queen; to Petra, defiant against the threat of tyranny; to Hyspia, scorched by the flames of Krugmar; to Haense, sworn nemesis of the Renatian dynasts; to Urguan, ever eager to crush a daunting foe; to Norland and Numendil, compelled to bring the light of virtue to dark creatures. The formation and subsequent victories - and defeat - of the Grand Covenant are historic for many reasons, but chief among them shall always be the union of these nations - who at times throughout history had been adversaries - under a common cause, the likes of which no known army could surmount. GLORY TO THE GRAND COVENANT GLORY TO ITS UNBROKEN DEAD Big thanks to @ContestedSnow & @FloralHedgehog for image help

"The will of God achieved, not through prayer and preaching, but smoke and fire," Friar Villorik mused to himself as he meditated upon the role of priests in battle.

*smiles, knowing usurpation of barclay titles is close at hand

AN UNMARKED MAP OF AEVOS Cartographed by Villorik var Ruthern, Warpriest of the Church of the Canon [For full 3k resolution, click here]

nottingham

Specifically re nations not being proactive, I agree, and this is something boomers have been signing about for a while. I guess the point I'm moreso coming from is that I doubt anyone willing to break that mould is forthcoming -- from mina costs to resources to ooc headaches, its easy to see how a lot of NLs wouldn't bother. In a game of chicken between staff and players over who should fix the problem, I just think it makes a lot more sense for staff to take a better stance on realm creation now rather than waiting on a change of player culture that may not come for a long time if ever.

Public activity is a wild idea. I think I remember this was a thing back on Axios, and I think it would actually work better than activity checks. I think we'd see a return of nations trying to dunk on each other because one of them has more people at X time, but there's no flawless solution either. Not a bad idea at all.

On phone now so I'll be a bit more to the point - Like Evil mentioned, this isn't wrong necessarily but I do think it ties back into what Nect is saying about isolationism. I theory a NL can let a vassal sit off on its own forever, but I dont think that would play out exactly like that and that being part of a wider entity would require more interaction than an isolationist realm.

Yeah, this is all pretty fair to say. Enforcement would have done a lot to make activity checks actually useful when they were more of a thing in the past. One of the main reasons that system was discredited is because they were frequently just not acted on by Admins (there were obviously a couple of other issues with activity checks, mainly NLs getting hyper-focused on trying to keep players in their nation and discouraging travelling outside of it to get their number bigger, but that's moreso an issue with NLs and not the actual system). Staff have traditionally struggled with this enforcement aspect no matter what the regulation system is. When it comes to nations being forced to accept groups, the idea in theory is that nations will be inclined to take in groups to boost their own strength, and those that wouldn't would be at a disadvantage. Obviously this is in theory and in practice there is the limitation of certain relationships between playerbases -- i.e., certain nations would never want to give land to certain groups because of past altercations, and other nations who might be more inclined could be discouraged by those other nations. This is sort of an occupational hazard with anything on LotC, but it's definitely a particular issue here especially when there's a central power/alliance on the server. I'm not sure what the best approach to dealing with this aspect of it would be, to be honest.

I'm genuinely just lost at this point James, and you don't seem to be following what I'm saying either. I'm saying if you want to bring up the 2 Emperors and Telanir's shield to dismiss what I've written on this post as bullshit, then okay, whatever, but I don't understand at all what you want me to say about that because that's your own uncertified belief and I don't see how I can argue with that except schizo back at you. I haven't a clue about where you're getting an idea about someone trying to call you a traitor. I don't know what point you're asking from me because your comments are getting increasingly nonsensical - you started saying my post is disengenous because of who I am (haensa), then throwing in Sinners' War without clarifying how this ties into the debate at all, to then saying you're being called a traitor, to then asking me what I'm trying to say. This is a pretty interesting point actually, but I don't agree that vassals and independent Realms are entirely the same. I'd say that they definitely can be the same, but the benefit (overall) is that vassals usually require a level of interaction with the nation as a whole that we don't really get from a lot of the newer Realms, some of which specifically outline isolation neutrality as their niche. You're right in saying that the process is the same (and I think this feeds a bit back into what Spurf was saying about how the economy/resource system encourages less condensed placements and more wayward expansions) but I think the way it plays out in terms of vassal interaction is different.

Your only mention of the Sinners' War was that you fought in it, so I don't see how your comment about that makes any sense. Again, you're bringing up 2 Emperors as a basis to dismiss what I've written here. If you want to disagree with it, that's fine. I can sit here and tell you how I wouldn't have written to Admins appealing to help because Haense got itself in that mess itself or that it wouldn't be all that terrible if it got deleted in the Sinner's War or today because I think it's getting stale, but based on how you're concluding I'd change my mind in a heartbeat in different circumstances with no evidence there's probably not a whole lot of point in that. There's nothing there we can discuss because you're using an uncertified personal belief so I'm not sure why you're even commenting. If you want to point to any parts of what I'm saying in the post and discuss them, that's fine, and I'd be happy to engage, but you've just come on here to dismiss the entirety of it on the basis of who I am, which isn't really something we can discuss? There's no basis to engage on "sounds good but bet you'd change your mind if your side was affected!!!".

I didn't play in Haense during War of the Two Emperors. You're clearly not commenting because of anything to do with the post. You saw someone from Haense making a post about an issue on the server in 2024 and started commenting about Renatus and Telanir in 2019. You've just brought some random bullshit from 5 years ago onto this post to try say "YEAH WELL IF THIS AFFECTED YOU, YOU WOULDN'T BE SAYING THIS", without any basis which is absolutely ill-will. Dm your rant and get off my thread. I actually think Norland is probably the best example of a human group that should be its own Realm just because it is steeped in actual years of history and culture that is pretty distinct from any of the other human groups, which you mention with the whole juxtaposition. I'm not sure how it worked when Norland was a vassal before -- I assume it was entirely autonomous with an oath of fealty?

This is where the balancing act gets kind of tough to manage, but when I saw I think the server as a whole would benefit from would-be Realms being pushed to go under pre-existing Realms, I don't mean a state of affairs where everyone is crammed into a mega-city or beholden to one capital. I'm not sure if some of what I wrote was misunderstood, but I absolutely agree that you should be able to experience multiple groups and multiple niches. Like I say in the post, part of what makes LotC good is that it's got such a diverse range of roleplay to participate in. I'm not saying that these niches should be limited or inhibited. What I'm saying is that identical niches shouldn't exist independently because it usually serves to dilute that niche as a whole. In the same vein, every nation shouldn't have to cater for everyone, but those that do should ideally include would-be Realms that also want to exist within that niche. If there's a group that does genuinely embody a niche that's not encapsulated by any other Realm, then, like I mention in the post, those are an example of a group that probably do deserve to get their own tile to try their niche out. A big cause of stagnation is a lack of internal dynamics and competition, which a lot of the time comes from competing ideals within that Realm, whether that's a vassal trying to get more power for itself or someone trying to push a change for the Realm internally. It's things like this that serve to best drive that conflict and make stakes, though at the cost of stability. The best example that comes to mind here (outside of the context of a war) is Orenian parliament before Haense's independent where you had groups with different agendas competing politically, and it was great because there were real stakes.

From what Staff had said before, Realms were created as an all-encompassing entity because functionally Nations and Settlements from previous maps were effectively identical. I think that's a fair assessment, but I agree with you in the sense that I definitely think it would have been better if Staff had instead tried to develop Settlements as their own distinct thing (as pre-Nation entities) rather than just basically affirm them as Nations while taking no other steps to make barriers for becoming a Nation. Holding a single-tile makes sense (I can't remember if this was a feature of Settlements previously), and there are other Nation perks that could in theory be withheld (treasuries, warclaims?) but I'd cautious about limiting them for limitations sake (i.e., withholding these perks doesn't necessarily help with anything). But yeah, I definitely think the distinction being brought back would be helpful if for no other reason than to allow lower requirements for becoming a Settlement and higher requirements for becoming a Nation. Yeah, though I will say I don't hugely mind the tile-based resource system and the incentive of conquering to gain access to XYZ resource. I think this has only played out to a very marginal degree just because the server's culture still doesn't facilitate easy conquest, but yeah, the system as a whole would work better if you could instead buy something like a 'Resource Outpost' on a node tile that might allow you to harvest the materials without buying the tile and whacking a dead vassal on it just to be in compliance with the rules. It's 2024 and not 2019 or whenever 2emps actually was, so not sure what relevance that has at all to Realm Bloat today. I don't even get the point of this being a jab at someone; I think the only person who played in that period of Haense who actually still plays today is Pureimp. Should probably go back to Inner Sanctum with bad takes instead of lashing out blindly.

Appreciate the insight. One thing I do think is unfortunate is that for some reason Admins don't feel like they can speak freely on the issue? I don't really understand why this is the case at all, and I actually think it's a big contributor to the issue. People are frustrated because they don't actually know what it is Admins are trying to achieve here, and both your input here and 60th's comments in Mod Discord have done the opposite of clarify the state of affairs. Is it a case you're both beholden to dysfunctional senior Admin policies, or something else? At least understanding the basis of the policy (or lack thereof) would be a helpful step towards comprehension.

LET'S TALK ABOUT REALMS This one’s been cooking over the last few days. The topic of ‘Realms’ (which are now synonymous with Nations) and ‘Realm Bloat’ have recently been in contention ever since players started noticing the exorbitant rate of growing Realms on Aevos, largely thanks to the Admin’s approval of nearly all new Realm Applications. It’s been discussed a lot in Moderation Discord, and Tree made a post on it recently that you should check out here, but the issue boils down to the fact that LotC currently hosts a grand total of 21 unique Realms, with more Applications pending and on the way. This is going to be my own take on the issue, which will try to explain (1) what the current process is, (2) which it’s bad, (3) why players don’t have the current tools to realistically deal with the problem, and (4) what a better solution might be. I: CURRENT REALM APPLICATIONS To understand this issue, it’s important to look at the current process of creating new Realms. If you want to make a new Realm, there’s four components to the process: Submit a Realm Application: You can find the template for these here, but you’ve probably seen them often enough by now. Basically, you answer some straightforward questions about your Realm, its lore, its structure, etc. As we’ll see in a minute, these questions (and ergo the majority of the application) are entirely useless. Collect 15 Signatures: For those of you who played on Axios, you might remember the signature process for applying for old land charters -- this is basically the same thing. 15 people have to comment on your Realm Application as an indicator that “yep, I am going to roleplay in this place”. For the same reason this system was abolished on Axios, this is very one-dimensional and very silly. It’s not at all a difficult thing to get 15 people to comment on anything, and, even if these signatures are given with the best intent of roleplaying there (which all of them won’t be), intention doesn’t always translate into action. Starting activity from scratch is an enormous undertaking and usually requires leaders to be unreasonably active to drive RP until their settlement kicks off, which rarely happens. We’ve known signatures are not an accurate indicator of activity for over seven years since the system failed in Axios. Pay 5,000 Mina: This is simple enough, it’s just a deterrent from spamming Realm Applications (which is undermined by the issues discussed in this post), but, when paired with the costs of buildings etc., this is a reasonable aspect of the application. 5,000 isn’t a small number by any means, but it’s not colossal, either. Soft-Approval: This is one of the bigger problems of the application process, since there is actually no review of the contents of the application. The Admins say as much in the rules: “although all fields [of the application] are required, the application is mostly just for tracking purposes and collecting signatures”. This firstly begs the question of why bother getting people to fill out the application at all if it doesn’t matter, and it’s especially nonsense that the application mandates a 1,000-word minimum submission for your Realm’s lore. In the same vein, there’s evidently no qualitative review of the merits of the application and why, as asked in the application, this applicant can’t fit inside of the many pre-existing Realms. So, long story short, the current Realm Application process will let you make a new nation from scratch by: (1) submitting an application form, the contents of which are not reviewed nor relevant; (2) getting 15 people to comment on your application; and, (3) paying 5,000 mina. Staff do not conduct any kind of review on the content of the application or its impact on the server, which is what gets the problem going. Tldr; Realms are very easy to create. II: WHY THIS IS A PROBLEM Okay, so, Realms can be made with minimal barriers - why is that actually a problem? Like I mentioned earlier, one of the main criticisms this system is getting is enabling Nation/Realm ‘Bloat’ to a far worse degree than in previous maps. Before we talk in detail about what bloat actually is, it’s worth mentioning the two competing ideals when it comes to deciding how Realms should be created. Micro v. Macro: LotC is a server that tries to market itself as a very sandbox experience where you can forge your own story in a world populated by hundreds of other players -- the server’s advertising mantra of “become a king, an emperor, a wizard, or a warrior. Your path is your own; what will you choose?” is on our website’s homepage. While this has been memed on from time to time, it is true that one of LotC’s strengths is player agency. It is a major appeal for the server to say “you can make your own nation and become a king!”, and this is some of the agency that the Realm Applications are (admirably) trying to realize. But, when you’re playing on a server with lots of other people, your agency is naturally limited by the agency of the other players. In a nutshell, it’s a balancing act between letting players pursue their ideal fantasy experience (such as wanting to become a warlord or king), and making sure this pursuit doesn’t harm the experience of other players. So, does being easily able to create a Realm harm the experience of other players? My answer is yes, and this is where we get to unpacking the issue of Realm Bloat. Realm Bloat: So, what exactly does this mean? The term is pretty self-explanatory in that it describes a state of affairs where there’s a lot of Nations/Realms existing at once (like there is right now). But why is this a bad thing? If it lets players pursue their idea of fun and make their own kingdom, what’s the big deal? Like I mentioned earlier, LotC currently has 21 Realms (as of the annexation of Stassion yesterday), which is far higher than it has been in years past (previous maps would usually regard an excess of 10 as too many). Let’s say LotC has a population of 200 on a given night; while some nations will always be hubs with a large activity percentage, the Bloat issue largely comes from the balkanization of the smaller Realms. This could mean that 100~ players are split up and scattered across their various Realms, trying to keep them active and relevant. So, put simply, Realm Bloat represents the dilution of activity. There’s not necessarily less people playing, but it can sometimes feel like that if there’s enclaves of 5~ players spread out across the map. I’ll put it like this, and you can tell which sounds better for the overall health of the server: 50+ players regularly active inside a single Realms; or, 5 players spread out across 10 Realms. When you have a highly-populated Realm, this facilitates stuff like guilds, armies, government, knights, magic, religion, courts, vassals, conflict, and dozens of other niches. These are good, because they, in turn, drive activity within that nation without any particular people having to ‘grind’ activity. Put simply, roleplay breeds more roleplay. In a community limited by tiny numbers, the same isn’t true. Instead, it typically devolves into a few individuals breaking their backs to grind activity, or, as we often see, the Realm falling inactive. It would be a different story if there was potential for these Realms to grow, but in a climate where we have 21 of these Realms and several applications pending & on-the-way, it’s hard to argue that there is room for meaningful growth. Even then, you could set aside all this is not for another problem … Isolation: So much of the server’s history and memorable periods have come from roleplay between nations, whether that’s from fighting wars, building empires, etc. The main boon from Realm-to-Realm interaction is a sense of dynamism and the immersion of a wider world, with a wider story. Conflict is the mother of all stories, but in a server where most communities are conflict-averse, this leads to stagnation. In other words, one of the main issues current Realm Bloat has is that the majority of Realms are isolated and inwards-focus. In other words, there’s a commitment to avoiding other Realms. To be fair, this is a natural instinct while building up a new community, but the consequence is still that a new Realm with this policy (i.e., nearly all of them) don’t drive any Realm-to-Realm roleplay. I don’t bring this point up with a view to identifying a solution per se (since, like I said, preservation is a natural instinct when starting up), but to further highlight that the benefits of Realm Bloat definitely do not outweigh the issues. III: INSUFFICIENT TOOLS A problem might not always be a problem if methods exist to deal with it. In the case of Realm Bloat, Staff have taken the position that the issue is one for players to solve themselves. There are tools to deal with this problem -- chief among them are diplomacy (i.e., convincing a fledgling Realm to vassalize under a stronger, pre-existing Realm), and warclaiming (i.e., conquering a weaker Realm). But, while these tools do exist on paper, in reality they’re not really feasible solutions to Realm Bloat. Part of the problem is the culture that easy Realm creation has made. For lack of a better word, this does feel something like a sense of entitlement to unburdened land. What I mean by this is that it’s not exactly an easy sell for a strong Realm to convince a weaker one to join them, because … well, why would they? As an independent Realm with few barriers to creation, you don’t don’t have to answer to anyone either IRP or OOC. Your culture and niche is unfettered by that wider Realm, and you yourself can do whatever you like. Even if your sandcastle is tiny, you’re still the King of it -- for many of our players (especially younger ones), this is a decisive factor. The most obvious reason why a small Realm would merge with a bigger one is for protection, but, again, the reality is that this is an uncompelling factor. While raids can and do happen outside of war, they don’t happen to the extent where a small Realm feels the need for protection (in fact, even big Realms struggle to fight raids by PvP-centric groups). The end result is that there’s no real reason for a small Realm leader to give up their independence for a diplomatic union. This leaves us with a big Realm warclaiming a small one to take it over. Again, this sounds fine in theory, but it doesn’t compute with the way the server and its culture operate. This simply boils down to a balance of costs -- is it worth a Realm spending the mina to warclaim and annex a smaller one? If we consider that some new Realms do appear to be placing themselves in out-of-the-way tiles, this can make warclaims fairly pricey. For pure example’s sake, if we look at Ravenswood’s Realm Application, it looks as if it would cost close to a minimum for a minimum of 50-mina per player for the nearest Elven tile (I’m not sure if Talarnorr is still a thing, but we’ll use that as an example) to reach Ravenswood for a warclaim, so 500 mina for every 10 players. That cost alone isn’t wild, but this is before accounting for the subsequent Enclave upkeep and the general complications of having new land that can be an enormous distance away from your actual Realm. Paired with the general headaches of organising war, frequent accusations of harassment when targeting a small community, and gear costs, it’s easy to see why most Realm leaders would decide that it’s not worth trying to absorb a small Realm (absent any other factors). Even if they did, the ease with which new Realms can be created again is further undermining -- there is a 2-month cooldown on a group from re-making their Realm if it’s conquered, from the point of view of tackling Realm Bloat as a whole, warclaiming is definitely not worthwhile. IV: TOWARDS A SOLUTION How, then, should this issue be tackled? It’s a difficult problem to solve when we’re in this deep and have 21 Realms and more on the way. You can’t realistically roll-back these newer Realms or create conditions where they’ll be forced to vassalize, so any solution will take time to have an effect, anyway. That said, I think that solution already lies in Realm Applications. While Admins for some reason have taken the stance that the content of these Applications don’t matter (again, all that matters is your 15 buddies and your 5,000 mina), the answers applicants put in these forms is the handle Staff need to judge the actual merits of a Realm Application. The Niche Standard: There’s one particular question on the Realm Application that should serve as the handle on this issue, and it’s this one: “How does your settlement offer a unique niche not already found in an existing polity on the server?”. When we say “niche”, we normally mean a particular flavour of roleplay that every Realm tends to have as a general guide for their culture and style - this can range from high-fantasy Gondorian-esque (like Numendil), to low-fantasy Slavic mediaeval (like Haense), and everything else in between. These niches shape a nation from its architecture to the different kinds of roleplay you can experience within them, and the diversity of Realms with different niches is a big selling point for LotC -- there’s something for everybody. Multiple Realms inhabiting the same niche, though, is a problem. A Gondor nation is great for attracting like-minded classical fantasy enjoyers to build something together, but if there’s two Realms with that same niche, then surely that only serves to dilute the niche - instead of a large body working together to build that niche, it’s pointlessly divided. When a niche is already occupied, Admins should definitely be denying a Realm Application that wants to fill the same niche and encourage them to go under the existing Realm. But why be a Baron when you can be a King?: Obviously, the issue the above solution would run into is Realm Applicants arguing something along the line of “well, I could do a better job at this niche …”, “I don’t like the Nation Leader of the Realm filling this niche” … etc. While these concerns will sometimes be valid, this ties back into what I mentioned already about a certain entitlement to Realms - since they’re handed out so freely - and there’s no compelling reason to ever go under another Realm. Why would you give up your independence to answer to someone else? This will be a natural and perpetual complaint, and, in dealing with it, we have to remember the balance between the Realm Applicant and the rest of the server. Limiting player agency in this regard is definitely a good thing, and I’ll list a couple of reasons as to why: Making Groups Work Together is Dynamic: A large reason why a lot of Realms feel so internally stale these days is because of a lack of dynamism and conflict. Stable Realms these days so often struggle with stagnation because of this, paired with an apparent void of ambition within its non-leading players, because, again, anyone with ambition can just go create their own Realm with ease. However, in a situation like I mentioned above where a group that would have made their own Gondor realm instead works under an existing Realm, it not only boosts numbers but can create dynamism and competition as the former group might try to work their way to the top of that Realm themselves, so that they can be the big dogs. A system like this is ideal because it allows new ideas to surface, and the best ones to come out on top to keep niches fresh, rather than everyone doing their own thing without any contest and stagnating. Nation Status should be Inherited, not Created: This is a big one in preventing Realm Bloat. In an ideal world, I don’t think there should be Realm Applications at all (though I will list some exceptions a bit later); instead, if you want to be a Realm, then you and your group should have to achieve that status in roleplay. How? Again, this boils down to a product of dynamic interaction. Realms are difficult to run, and so it doesn’t make sense that they’re not difficult to achieve. Having a group work their way up within an existing Realm not only vindicates that group’s activity, but also their ability to run and maintain a Realm to begin with. Whether that’s being affirmed as heir through peaceful means, or usurping a throne in a coup, these are far more organic means of Realm creation and self-regulating means of keeping your nation fresh and active. It is a valid point to make that this may not always lead to OOC good faith, but I think we as a server do need to move more in a direction of dynamism and energy instead of stagnation, towards which something like this is a necessary step. “But I can’t get land :(“: This isn’t a reason for limiting player agency, but it is an important argument to address for this system. It is true that some existing Realms are quite stingy when it comes to giving groups land within their nation, usually from the perspective of stability, but it’s not accurate to say that this is the case for all Realms. Smaller Realms that grow often do so because they let various groups settle in their land and bolster their overall strength, and this remains true to this day. I often find that this argument is better interpreted as “but I can’t get land in the place that I want it”. But even if it was true that no Realm was willing to hand out land from the get-go to an aspiring junior Realm, this shouldn’t be a huge deterrent, either. Particularly in human circles, so many factions (i.e, Noble Houses) have risen to prominence simply by getting a manor in a city and conducting an active family through it. This is another example of a self-affirmation of activity that a group does actually have the tools to grow as an eventual Realm, and, in cases like these, they’ll often be awarded with a keep and tracts of land in time. With the above understanding of niches in mind, let’s look at some Realm Applications currently pending and some accepted over the last few months. I apologise to any Realm leaders if this comes off as criticism; it’s not aimed at you, but the Realm system: - Gotrek Union: A Dwarven industrial settlement with a focus on lore like Golemancy/alchemy. Its only attempt to differentiate its niche from Urguan is “... the settlement offers a more unique style of roleplay - that being one not governed by leaders or kings, but instead one led by its head of operations”. This not only doesn’t make sense (head of operations is a leader), but it’s not a niche. - Ravenmire (not sure if this still exists): A magical settlement that cites the incorporation of alchemy and clockwork as its standout features. Its niche is difficult to define, but it has repeated mentions of “progress” and “evolution”. This is no discernable reason why this niche could not be filled in an existing Realm. - Vikela: This appears to represent the current “Sutica” niche, which is, in essence, the lack of a niche and defines itself as a gathering place for characters that don’t fit in elsewhere. On its merits, it is difficult to see how the Application’s answer it’s niche being populated by tradesmen warrants a new niche (economics is inherent in any city). A self-proclaimed desire for freedom in a monarchy does just seem to be a product of every player wanting their own sandcastle. - Aeltarys: A settlement with extreme Targaryen/Game of Thrones inspirations. The unique class structure cited as its niche isn’t elaborated to feature any practical distinctions from nobility in any existing human nation, and while it’s dragon-based religion is notable, there exists non-religious nations wherein it could be practised, and even then it could be adapted to fit within existing religions (i.e., folklore-based spins and sects). - Vlachia: This one is notable for its actual history on the server, but fails to say why it could not exist within an existing Realm. It’s puzzling why this didn’t vassalize under Veletz, which it lists as a nation in which it previously participated. - Ravenswood: This defines itself as a “true melting pot of people … we welcome everyone and remain neutral”. This appears to mimic the niche of Vikela precisely, while also adhering to the tenets of isolation which this post discusses as problematic. Of the above six Realms examined, there is no identifiable reason why any of them could not exist within a current Realm and serve to bolster that playerbase, create dynamism, and nurture themselves in an environment where there’s not a risk of going inactive and populating the map with dead builds reminiscent of the free-build era. This is not to say that each of these should be doomed to stay as vassals - instead, it should be part of the road to becoming a realm. It would be much healthier, for instance, to see Ravenswood work together with Vikela for their niche, for Veletz to sponsor Vlachia’s conquest of Haense, etc. The point I am trying to make by this is that this is the kind of critical thinking Admins need to engage in for the wellbeing of their own server. With that in mind, I will say I think there’s two instances where Admins should consider approving a Realm Application with the above withstanding: An Actual New Niche: This speaks for itself, but Realm Applications should be a tool for new niches that are actually new and unique. While I will always advocate for new groups to grow themselves within an existing Realm and either take over that Realm or expand from there, I do think there could be a place for some new Realms via Application. An example doesn’t immediately come to mind because I do personally believe most niches can be facilitated in the vast network of existing Realms, but Farfolk cultures is probably a vague indicator. Roleplay Events: What I mean by this is when a roleplay event leads to a new Realm being made. A good example of this is a successful rebellion, or a vassal being granted independence. More loosely, I also think cases where it makes roleplay sense for a Realm to form at alright - think Balian, where a huge chunk of Oren went into exodus after the Brothers’ War. I'll bring this ramble to an end at this point. It's a difficult issue to manage, mainly because of that balance of facilitating players looking for the freedom to do what their want with roleplay and preserving the overall wellbeing of the server. That said, I feel like I've gone into pretty explicit detail as to why the wellbeing of the server isn't served through Realm Bloat. Ultimately, I'd hope that Admins will reflect on their policy and the kind of server they're looking to foster, and change their approach to Realm creation accordingly. Have a good Sunday folks.