Ankalagon_

Jarrack Devereux of the Kingdom of Curon signs at the bottom of the treaty.

Jarrack Devereux of Curon signs with a swift stroke of his pen, followed by the use of the royal imprint ring of Curon, leaving the red wax seal a etching of the roaring bear. “Ave Curon, Ave Imperia.”

Jarrack Devereux places his fist to his heart. “Ave Curon, your legacy will be hard to live up to, father.”

Jarrack puts the letter down on the mantle, looking out the nearby window solemnly. Sunlight streamed through glass and into the living room that looked out upon the streets of Curon, washing over Jarrack’s face. “The father was a great man. His son, might grow to be a greater one. The King is dead, long live the King.”

1 minute ago, Haloreach175 said:

RP Name: Thomas Holt

MC Username: NorthFuze

House (If present): N/A

RP Race: Human

RP Age: 27

Discord (optional): 

Just now, Malinor said:

RP Name: Liam Stafyr

MC Username: Malinor

House (If present): N/A

RP Race: Heartlander

RP Age: 19

Discord (optional): You got it

Accepted and Enlisted. Welcome to the Royal Army.

The snows fall heavier each day, the curse of the Vaeyl has begun to claim its first victims in the cold chills that flow through the Empire and the Southern lands. Crops have begun to freeze, and the world is left with two options. To stay and to die, frozen to the cobblestones beneath our feet. Or leave, and march on to hopefully something beyond that damned wall. 

The entire Curonian navy was summoned in search of a path through the ice, in search of a way to the rumored lands beyond, but they returned having found nothing. We are left with one option. Every man, women, and child shall take all that they can carry. Every horse and every wagon shall be saddled, every blade and every arrow shall be sharpened. The entire Kingdom of Curon shall answer the call of his Imperial Majesty. We march on the wall, be it to victory, or our deaths. We know not if a battle, or a calm walk lays ahead of us. We will not sit back and take no action. 

Curon marches with the Empire. We march through snow, me march through ice. I pray we may find a better place. Despite these dark times, I shall not lose hope or faith. Homes can be rebuilt, lives can be renewed. I swear that as long I draw breath, I shall not give up my fight for Curon. Ave Curon, Ave Imperia. 

Signed, Jarrack Devereux, Prince Regent of the Kingdom of Curon.

“Father, you leave me with big shoes to fill, and an even bigger tin foil hat. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I won’t fail you.” Jarrack Devereux says reading a copy of the document his father just handed to him. 

 ~  Vassalage Agreement of Suffolk and Devereux  ~

Written and confirmed on the 9th of the Grand Harvest, 1703

Edward Suffolk, Patriarch of House of Suffolk and Wilhelm Karl Devereux, Patriarch of House of Devereux, on behalf of their respective houses, vassals and all the  estates they command, have met in Cyrilsburg City, and agreed upon terminating the “Treaty of Pembrokeshire and Order of Ursus” dated 22nd first seed 1680 and upholding the following articles, above all laws, legislations and agreements, on this day and all the days to follow:

Obligations of the Patriarch of the House of Suffolk

ARTICLE I -  The Patriarch of the House of Suffolk recognizes and accepts the Patriarch of the House of Devereux as his overlord and his estates as a part of the federation of estates lorded by the Patriarch of the House of Devereux, providing his eternal fealty to Patriarch of House Devereux and Curonian throne.

ARTICLE II - The House of Suffolk pledges, accepts and ensures to defend the property, rights, subjects, lands, estates, laws and courts of the Patriarch of the House of Devereux against internal and external threats alike, with all the might the House of Suffolk can muster.

ARTICLE III - The House of Suffolk pledges, accepts and ensures to retain armed levies on their expense in their estates befitting their noble status to assist the military campaigns of the House of Devereux or discharge monetary compensation to the House of Devereux to contribute to their retained armed levies.

ARTICLE IV - The House of Suffolk pledges, accepts and ensures to uphold Lex Curonia and take no action with the purpose of violating Lex Curonia or the interest of the House of Devereux.

ARTICLE V - The House of Suffolk and their vassals accepts and acknowledges that any treaties they may execute outside of Curon, concerning war or military alliances, requires the prior ratification of the Patriarch of the House of Devereux to become effective.

ARTICLE VI - The Patriarch of the House of Suffolk accepts to take the Curonic oath of fealty to the Patriarch of the House of Devereux. Upon the death of either the Patriarch of the House of Suffolk or the Patriarch of the House of Devereux, the new Patriarch will appear in court at the first opportunity to reaffirm the oath. The oath is defined as:

“I, [Name and title], swear fealty to Curonia, House Devereux, and the Ducal Throne of Curon. I shall serve as a loyal vassal to the patriarch of House Devereux and Duke of Curon, from this moment until death. My house shall be bound to House Devereux as its vassal for all of posterity. My sword is his to command. My house is his to protect, and my banners are his to summon. I shall uphold the Virtues of Curonia, and live beneath the eternal guidance of our Paragons and the light of our God. The Green Tide Rises, for we stand as one. Ave Curonia.”

ARTICLE VII - The House of Suffolk and their vassals accepts and acknowledges that they may not declare war or raids or participate to wars or raids without the permission of the Patriarch of the House of Devereux.

ARTICLE VIII - The House of Suffolk pledges, accepts and ensures that, no member of the House of Devereux and the Curonian Council will be arrested without the orders of the Patriarch of the House of Suffolk, and the Patriarch of the House of Suffolk will give this order only if the member in question presents danger and needs to be restrained before appearing before the Patriarch of the House of Devereux. If the above situation occurs and the Patriarch of the House of Suffolk is not present to give a written arrest order, members of the Suffonian Privy Council may ask the related party to leave the demesne of the Patriarch of the House of Suffolk until such a time the situation can be brought to the attention of the Patriarch of the House of Devereux. If the said related party refuses to leave and poses an immediate threat to lives of those around him, that related party may be detained befitting his status to be immediately presented to the Patriarch of the House of Devereux.

Obligations of the Patriarch of the House of Devereux
 

ARTICLE IX - The House Devereux recognizes, accepts and ensures that Pembroke City and all other estates of the House of Suffolk are property of the Patriarch of the House of Suffolk, without prejudice to land ownership legislations under Lex Curonia for the lands to be acquired in Curon.
ARTICLE X - If the House of Suffolk loses their land for any reason, if asked for, the Patriarch of House Devereux shall host the House of Suffolk and their levies until sufficient land ((75x75 blocks))  becomes available to be gifted to the House of Suffolk.
ARTICLE XI - The House of Devereux recognizes, accepts and ensures that, including and not being limited to the lands and estates of the House Suffolk, outside of the personal demesne of the Patriarch of the House Devereux, including the estates of his vassals, all servants, subjects, members and vassals of the House Suffolk are strictly subject to Suffonian Law, as resolved by the Patriarch of the House of Suffolk, above all other laws.
ARTICLE XII - The House of Devereux recognizes, accepts and ensures that, every person, entity or creature who can demonstrate that they are a personal subject of the House of Devereux on the personal lands and estates of the House of Suffolk and their vassals, will be tried by tribunals or judges as appointed by the Patriarch of the House of Suffolk, under Curonian Law, except for the members of the House of Devereux and their titled lord vassals, who are to be presented to Curonian courts for judgement.

ARTICLE XIII - Without prejudice to Article XII above, the House of Devereux recognizes, accepts and ensures that, every person, entity or creature on the personal lands and estates of the House of Suffolk and their vassals, are strictly subject to Suffonian Law, as resolved by the Patriarch of the House of Suffolk, above all other laws.

ARTICLE XIV - The House of Devereux recognizes, accepts and ensures that, all servants, subjects, members and vassals of the House of Suffolk are strictly under the command of the Patriarch of House of Suffolk and his appointed legates, regardless of the services they might provide to the House of Devereux.
ARTICLE XV - The House of Devereux recognizes, accepts and ensures that, all servants, subjects, members and vassals of the House of Suffolk will follow the Suffonian dressing and behavior etiquettes, as resolved by the Patriarch of the House Suffolk, regardless of the services they might provide to the House of Devereux.
ARTICLE XVI - The House of Devereux pledges, accepts and ensures to defend the property, rights, subjects, lands and estates of the Patriarch of House of Suffolk against internal and external threats alike, with all the might the House of Devereux can muster.

ARTICLE XVII - The House of Devereux pledges, accepts and ensures that, no member of the House of Suffolk will be arrested without the written orders of the Patriarch of the House of Devereux, and the Patriarch of the House Devereux will give this order only if the member in question presents danger and needs to be restrained before appearing before a court headed by the Patriarch of the House of Devereux. If the above situation occurs and the Patriarch of the House of Devereux is not present to give a written arrest order, members of the Curonic Council may ask the related member of the House of Suffolk to leave the demesne of the Patriarch of the House of Devereux until such a time the situation can be brought to the attention of the Patriarch of the House of Devereux. If the said member of the House of Suffolk refuses to leave and poses an immediate threat to lives of those around him, that member of the House  of Suffolk may be detained befitting his noble status to be immediately presented to the Patriarch of the House of Devereux.
 

~ Signed and Sealed by ~
 

Wilhelm Karl Devereux, Patriarch of the House of Devereux,

Edward Suffolk, Patriarch of the House of Suffolk,

Witnessed by Signatures and Seals of

Jarrack Devereux, heir of the House of Devereux,

Lord James George Suffolk,

Jarrack reads over the letter and scoffs, throwing the parchment in the flames of a fireplace. Even in his young age, the lad is shocked. “The Adrians were once a strong people. They once knew honor. Now under a new leader who is old, and a coward, they seem to have forgotten. We thought they were our allies. Shame. Adrians attack Curonians during the peaceful day of our Emperor’s wargames, and then try to cover it up. The agressors are so desperate, they try to make us seem like those without honor. A sad display. No matter, we will make quick work of these idiots. We outnumber them three to one. They have no defenses, and don’t have the backing of any other group. This will be good practice for our army. We will remind them what happens to those who betray the integrity of the Empire of Man. The way I see it, it seems like Adria is trying to rebel from the Empire...” The young heir stands, walking out of the hall. “It is time to remind Adria what it means to poke the bear.”

Hands in shadow hold firmly a copy of the document. The parchment of the paper suddenly ignites, and the figure drops the document. The burning paper falls slowly down, into the dark abyss of a chasm bellow. The parchment and the flame it carries illuminate the black rock of the chasm sides, finally burnt up, the ashes float down, never to be seen again. 

Why are Charters not allowed to take land in the freebuild wilds? I have no stake in this, but it peaked my curiosity.

“I’m weak.” Said a man.

Hey guys, it is I, the magic plugin topic bringer upper. 

So, to beat this dead horse once again; Will we be getting a magic plugin? Will LOTC ever be getting a magic plugin, even an incredibly basic one? If no to either of those questions, why not? What are the obstacles preventing a magic plugin?

plez don’t @ me. 

One of the best posts in LOTC history?

Maybe?

Probably?

Placeholder for the Yatl and the Ice Wall

High cost is a good idea. The big nations are the groups that are the primary catalyst for waging wars on the server anyway. Without strict CB’s, there needs to be a check so that blatant throwing around of war declarations by big nations doesn't happen. The reason CB’s were thought of in the first place was because the community hated random warclaim threats. So making the price steep will force nations to really consider if a war is worth it at all. This is how it should be. Even the biggest nations would want to way the cost vs the benefit of going to battle. 

That being said, we don’t want to make it a pain in the ass to declare the war in the first place. It just ruins the fun on both sides. So the solution is to loosen restrictions on declaring war, but make the cost high. Simple.

The war rules should just be rewritten on this simple principle: loosen restrictions on declaring war, but make wars cost more. Everyone will be happy with that. Big nations get insane amounts of mina quickly anyway. Get rid of all this bureaucratic stuff that everyone hates. A war rules page should ideally be only a couple paragraphs long.

With all due respect to the guy as an individual, I do not think he should be a GM. I had more negative interactions with him than good. Several of those bad instances occurred simply because he was not paying attention while handling something or moderating. It will have to be a firm -1 from me.

Ronin, who was in the hallway of the palace, overheard Duke Will’s statement. He smirks and shouts at the door of the Duke’s room as he passes by. “No need to tell us again m’lord! We all were already well aware of your love of balls!” He suppresses his laugh to limited success as he scurries away quickly before Will could come out to see it was him. 

37 minutes ago, Juststan147 said:

I always knew Curon was weak,

but this even suprises me. Go grow some balls and continue the fight or else you are as worthless as those vaeyl we are fighting “ty replies” 

Ronin raises a brow at the man’s foul comment after such a battle. 

“It is not I who lacks balls, but you who lacks a brain my friend. I would tell you to go grow one, but I fear that is not possible for you. One thing you should try to do is amass a bigger rally for yourself, since yours is rather pitiful I must say. Learn to think before you speak, especially when you speak to men smarter than yourself.”

Ronin nods to his friend Lord Rhys before snapping the reigns of his horse and trotting off to see to the wounded men of the alliance, leaving that one boy behind to ice his newly inflicted burn.

“At what cost?” Ronin says as the wounded are wheeled past in rickety carts by the hundreds. “We lost half our men, and our fields continue to freeze over, all for what? To obtain a useless keep?” He sighs, his breath visible in the winter chill as he trots beside fellow Curonians. “My friends I fear we have played right into the hands of the Red Vaeyl. I fear we are already too late...” 

When it comes to building this guy is a machine. He pumps out builds left and right all the time just for kicks and they are always great. Definitely a wise addition to the team. +1

Finally. This will put a real motivator on groups to actually try and promote activity. @SeventhCircle What about small freebuilds that tended to pop up this map and then just go empty, leaving bad builds all over the place with no one playing in them? Will the regions that don’t outright ask for a activity checker get one anyway?

Username L0rdT0mas

Discord L0rdT0mas#2391

Timezone EST

What group/playerbase are you most involved with? (was) Arbor and The Empire

Staff History

I was on the Event Team as an actor almost two years ago. I was on for about two or three months, if my memory serves me correctly. I was a lot younger at the time however, both in age and in mind, and made a couple small mistakes. Despite this I absolutely loved being on the team, and I wrote and created many different events and event lines.

Ban History 

Yes. I will do my best to recall my history, a lot of it is very old. I searched for a really long time through my forum activity, so hopefully I've got everything. If I am missing something, it is not intentional.
This summer I was banned for asking a GM (who I talked with regularly) on their opinion of another GM's ruling. The other GM found out, and declared it modshopping, and I was banned for 3 days.
A long time ago I was banned for a couple days for taking a couple blocks of coal from a cart build, thus griefing it. I was much younger then, and it was pretty stupid of me.

Blacklist History:

None

Why should we accept you onto the Team?

Firstly I'd like to think of myself as a good team player. I always do my best to make sure that whatever part I am assigned to play, is played well. I work hard, and I don't make excuses. If something is assigned to me, or needs done, it gets done. I'm good at taking critique and I listen when shown where I need to improve, something I worked hard to develop. I communicate, and I'm always up for providing my input or constructive critique. At the same time, I have learned the value of holding such constructive critique back when it isn't asked for. Especially among creatives, I believe it is important that when one is not leading a creative project, they are attentively following.

Secondly, I'm a good writer and story teller. I don't mean specifically in terms of my grammar and spelling, though that is important. I'm referring to creative writing, visionary writing. I've always been a creator at heart, a reader and writer. This was the case even when I was on the team those years ago, the difference now is that I've certainly improved. When I was last on the team, perhaps I was not that much younger in age, but I was definitely much younger in my ability to develop ideas and execute them. Despite that, I loved being on the team, and put a lot of time into it. During my short time as an ET, I wrote several separate and rather long event lines, and implemented them successfully. I wrote many 'one off' events, and implemented those. If I wasn't doing one of those two things, I was constantly asking around to see if other ET wanted help in their events.

Thirdly, I've quit all my major rp leadership positions, and I don't plan on taking up new ones. Mainly because I find that when I am too heavily invested in a major leadership position (such as a duke, lord, etc.) I begin to become increasingly frustrated with the server due to stress. I was able to reflect on the reality of this during my hiatus, and it was very liberating. The other reason for not taking up new positions is because I would like to dedicate most if not all of my time to being on the Event Team. I'm sure that this is something a lot of applicants like to say, but I'm quite serious. My biggest inspiration for actually returning to LOTC, is the idea that I could be on the Event Team again. That I can have an outlet for all the fantastical ideas and creative concepts that float in my head. My biggest inspiration to return to LOTC, is that I could perhaps once again make events that are so critical to enhancing a player's experience on the server. With the announcement of the new 7.0 map, and the big increase in daily players, my interest in getting started has only expanded.

What kind of events do you aspire to create?:

Events using soft magic systems - Events often go beyond or are outside the typical realm of LOTC lore which players must normally abide by. Doesn't mean events should be breaking lore left and right, but events often do go beyond what we can call "known lore," in fact most events seem to. That's often what makes events exciting, they are new, never seen before. I want to explore the use of soft magic systems in an event. For clarification, soft magic is magic in fiction that is often left unexplained or mostly mysterious. (Example: Gandalf's powers in The Lord of the Rings. As opposed to a hard magic system which can be understood in great depth like in The Inheritance Cycle) I want to explore an event line that perhaps gives someone a magical item that grants them powers that are hard to understand, or create bizarre results. As time goes on, perhaps the player(s) begin to develop an understanding of the power of the object, and they use it to solve puzzles or obstacles they were not able to before. An event that genuinely stumps the players at first, begins to unveil itself as the players take time to investigate and experiment.

Quests - In my view, these are the classic tales of epic fantasy that we all know and love. A band of unlikely (or maybe likely) heroes that set out when fate forces their hand. I always love participating in events where there are only around 5 to 10 people, where a dangerous quest must be undertaken to prevent darkness. A quest where the heroes set out, gain early victories and confidence, only to falter and fail when it matters most. They recover, and perhaps a mentor steps forth, or a weapon is uncovered, giving them just enough of an edge to emerge victorious. I've been in many events like this, and they are always very satisfying when done well, balancing difficulty and reward.

High Fantasy - These have always sparked my imagination a little bit more than low fantasy, though that's not to say that low fantasy lacks opportunity. Yet massive Dragons, corrupted wizards, black knights, these are the stories I find myself imagining in my head from day to day.

Low Fantasy - Despite what I said above, I am also deeply interested in creating more personal stories. Stories that are involve a smaller number of players, but strike deeper chords in those players. Events that force players to make decisions that can impact familial rp, sew the seeds of mistrust, etc.

Underdog - There are lots of players who actively seek to participate in events, or go out of their way to engage in them when announced. But there are also a lot of players, either newer or who play characters that would normally not seek adventure, that don't go seek events. I believe that finding and providing these players with more "low key" events, can create some of the most interesting stories. For example; a couple of characters are walking down the road (perhaps players that just play ordinary citizens) and they find there on the side of the road a man unconscious. A deep wound in his side, and a few feet away lays a violin looking instrument, snapped at the neck. The players would likely aid the man, taking him to their home to tend to him. Unbeknownst to them however, they would be getting themselves involved in a much deeper and more dangerous story. But perhaps by befriending the man, they would be compelled to help. Much like a heroes journey, characters who normally would not seek adventure are pulled out into the world to do something they may not think they are capable of doing, but are compelled to help. Such a story is very satisfying for the player to participate in, because they feel a true sense of accomplishment, and they feel their characters are stronger in the end, if they succeeded.

To summarize. My imagination is sparked by anything and everything that I feel creates a compelling story. A story which by the end, those involved end up changed in some way, for that is character growth.

What makes a good event? 

I suspect there may be some parallels between what I say here in this application, and what I said to answer this the last time I applied. However I am purposely not looking at my previous application because I feel like my response to this should be authentic to how I'd answer today. So if there are parallels, or serious differences, that's why.

There are two types of events which I think, when looking at them as a player, are fantastic.
The first are what I'd call World Events. These are events where something on a very large scale, like an invasion, dragon attack, or city defense, is happening. These events are a lot of fun because they make players feel like they are participating in something that might change the course of history, especially for newer players.
The second type of event is what I'd call a Character Event. An event driven not by pre-decided plot points and moments, but by character decision and action. However fun world events are, I believe that it is these events that stand out among the most. An event where players feel like their decisions and actions actually matter, and have consequences. I've been in numerous events where I just felt like I was along for the ride. I felt like it was cool to be fighting these sand spirits or whatever, but I didn't really care. I had not invested in making any decisions in this event, other than tagging along. I believe the best events make players feel a need to make a decision. To provide choices that don't always have clear cut impacts to them. Difficult decisions are difficult because they are shrouded in uncertainty. They are difficult because one doesn't know the repercussions before the decision has been made. I think a great event is an event that confronts players with difficult decisions, but it shouldn't end there. The event should follow up, and make the players doubt their decision. A genuine feeling of "maybe we should turn back?" should be in the air. That's what gives these decisions weight, and if the very first decision of an event has that effect, then it will set a precedent for decisions to come. Decisions should also be rewarding, encouraging players to keep going. By putting decision making in the hands of the players, an ET does another vital thing. They allow for the story to impact the character. If a player feels like their decision played a role in the death of an innocent person, they will question it and themselves. If a player feels like their decision making played a role in outsmarting the dark wizard which led to his downfall, the player will feel pride and accomplishment. Players should feel like they are driving the stories that involve them, and not watching from the back seat.

I also think events should be fun! This is fairly self explanatory, but I think it's really important for events to be a much more 'relaxed' time to rp. Let players pull out their best tricks to fight the foe. I think that these are the things I ask myself when writing an event. Does this event change the player(s) in some way by the end, even if in a small fashion? And if I were a player, would this event seem fun to me?

Create three in-depth event scenarios. I’m not looking for some prelude or whimsical idea here -- we want an indicator as to your talent and potential to be on the ET. You don’t need to write a word-for-word script, but we want a solid structure and plan as to how you’d organize and carry out an event:

A Broken Bard

The Eye of the Beholder

That’s No Ordinary Rash

Without a doubt there is potential here, though younger in experience, gamingfish has always been an exceptionally positive player in the LOTC community. He genuinely does take an interest in helping new players get their feet, and utilizes patience when doing so, a quality I think necessary for all Application Team personal. 

+1

I really like Narthok’s idea for a more dynamic war system, always have. A warclaim where two nation’s territory’s or a significant swath of land with forts and castles to capture, would be way more fun than the “put them in a box and see who wins” battles we have now. Some of my most fond battle memories from my many years of fighting, were when we marched out together. The army rallied in its capital, and then marched to the battlefield location. Both armies knew sort of where the enemy would be headed, but the design and landscape of the battle was never truly known. Your army could arrive only to realize that the enemy set up their position up on a slope, giving them a significant range advantage. Stuff like that happened a lot. We had to worry about being outflanked, out maneuvered, out smarted. Nowadays your army starts in one corner, the enemy in the other. Whichever side can click the fastest during the chugging lag will win the day. We should work on implementing Narthok’s idea of a more dynamic war system.