BattleMaster Community
BattleMaster => Locals => Beluaterra => Topic started by: Vita` on May 23, 2015, 08:56:35 AM
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Let's make something good out of a bad beginning. Rather than let Trenton fall back into the same situation of IVF surrounded by overly large neighbours, I thought I'd try to promote a smaller conflict of non-annihilation between Trenton and IVF vaguely akin to what Vix & Perdan are doing on EI. I sent an OOC to JeVondair already, but I am on a vacation of sorts this weekend so wont be as talkative until Monday or Tuesday for working out further details.
So far IVF has much fewer regions, but more nobles while Trenton has many more regions with fewer nobles. I don't want to hold every council position, so there's three open council positions, two duchies, and plenty of lordships for the ambitious. My particular character can be rather critical of others too, so there's opportunity for internal conflict and I am open to sharing the cultural setup JeVondair wanted for IVF, via two realms so we can have the occasional battle and looting as part of jockeying. I plan to rename the Vale duchy of Trenton the Ebony Vale as a counterpart to the Ivory Vale.
Hopefully Riombara doesn't crush us. :P Maybe they'll see smaller realms are the happening thing and some duchies will split off. ;)
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The difference being EI was growing stagnant without war while Beluaterra is in a total continental war.
You can't really compare the 2.
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I actually welcome this. It sucks how Trenton got created, bull!@#$ really, but I'm glad a responsible player is trying to make something out of it. In fact, after Rynn died, this is exactly what I needed. And I wonder how your girl is going to respond to Selenia''s ultimatum...
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Vita doesn't play girls. He plays snoo-snoo women!
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The difference being EI was growing stagnant without war while Beluaterra is in a total continental war.
You can't really compare the 2.
Yes, but a large portion of Beluaterra, even the more active participants, have to march much longer to *get* to the war. One thing I've learned with EI and DWI wars is that the enjoyment is much more intense the closer the refits are. The longer you march, the more bored most non-upper-echelon players get and emigrations and autopauses become greater. So yes, the two are comparable.
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More reasons to sink BT.
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More reasons to sink BT.
Sink one of the few islands with large scale war?
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Sink one of the few islands with large scale war?
No. Sinking one of the most crippled islands.
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No. Sinking one of the most crippled islands.
Yet is actually manages to generate fun. It is only "crippled" due to the trend towards massive realms in the south. Some smaller realms down there allows for localised wars. The reality is that Islands can never be "perfect" in design, since the geo-graphical location of realms is fluid.
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It's not that they are massive. It's that ridiculous peninsula that ruins the entire continent.
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It's not that they are massive. It's that ridiculous peninsula that ruins the entire continent.
Yet the continent out performs less "broken" layouts, so perhaps the issue is not really that large.
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Yes, everything north of Trenton is fine.
That peninsula is just cancer though.
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It would be interesting if Riombara would break into 2 more realms.
With it's 6 cities it could easily do that.
The north now is a little more active, but it would be nice to have more realms there too.
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BT is a weird beast. Despite the ridiculously low player count, most of the players there are quite content. And it always seems to generate a lot of war.
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It would be interesting if Riombara would break into 2 more realms.
With it's 6 cities it could easily do that.
The north now is a little more active, but it would be nice to have more realms there too.
The problem is that the geography of Riombara means that one realm in that area will always eventually come out on top over any others and become Riombara shaped. So it's a self perpetuating problem.
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The problem is that the geography of Riombara means that one realm in that area will always eventually come out on top over any others and become Riombara shaped. So it's a self perpetuating problem.
That assumes that the realms as dedicated to reformation. As players we are capable of wars that don't result in creating large blobs of realms. Alluran and Riombara existed for a long time as separate realms, though we have lost some of the land that comprised Alluran. It is a matter of politics and objectives as much as it is a matter of geography.
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It would be interesting if Riombara would break into 2 more realms.
With it's 6 cities it could easily do that.
The north now is a little more active, but it would be nice to have more realms there too.
Well, if Riombara split into two realms it would just make another politically stillborn entity that would only go to other people's wars in order to not die from boredom.
If the two realm swere two fight each other, no one would care and that would indeed soon just end in united Riombara again.
So no, it wouldn't really be interesting whatever you do to that peninsula. It's just badly designed unfortunately.
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It's just badly designed unfortunately.
No, it's not designed at all. It's what's left over after the Blight consumed large portions of the continent after the last invasion.
Beluaterra's map used to be identical to Atamara's.
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No, it's not designed at all. It's what's left over after the Blight consumed large portions of the continent after the last invasion.
Beluaterra's map used to be identical to Atamara's.
Indeed, Alluran was one of the first realms to feel the brunt of the invasion, and as a relatively small realm we were overrun quickly. Many of us travelled to Riombara where we were able to assist in holding the line against the Monsters until such time as an effective weapon against them was revealed, but still the damage was done. The South back then was vibrant, Alluran was one of the most fun realms I have played in, and a large part of that was the extremely active politics between Enweil, Alluran, Riombara and Irombrozia
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It's the law of preferential attraction, or the rich get richer. In the case of Battlemaster, realms that get big become more powerful, allowing them to get even bigger, and so on. In the beginning, when every realm is small, multiple small realms could exist on that peninsula. But sooner or later one realm among them would begin to snowball and gobble the others up. Sooner or later there wouldn't be any realms to challenge it, it would just be one big realm isolated from the rest of the continent.
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It's the law of preferential attraction, or the rich get richer. In the case of Battlemaster, realms that get big become more powerful, allowing them to get even bigger, and so on. In the beginning, when every realm is small, multiple small realms could exist on that peninsula. But sooner or later one realm among them would begin to snowball and gobble the others up. Sooner or later there wouldn't be any realms to challenge it, it would just be one big realm isolated from the rest of the continent.
Rio is large, has plenty of gold yet can not even attract enough nobles to have a Lord for every region they control. They are ripe for someone else to actually challenge them. People need to stop simplifying human/player behaviour into one absolute. It takes but 5 minutes of looking across the continents to see that such things are simply not true.
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I was wondering why my General Trent suddenly paused, so this is why. A realm created on Belu and caused some issues at the beginning :o
What happened till this realm is created by the way?
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Rio is large, has plenty of gold yet can not even attract enough nobles to have a Lord for every region they control. They are ripe for someone else to actually challenge them. People need to stop simplifying human/player behaviour into one absolute. It takes but 5 minutes of looking across the continents to see that such things are simply not true.
Looking across the continents you see a steady trend of small realms coalescing into larger ones over time.
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To bring the thread back onto topic, Raziella was protested out and recently-protested nobles can't run for office. However, she controls the only vote for ruler at the moment and is highly unlikely to vote for any current members. So, if any characters with at least 10 prestige make it to Trenton in the next 3 turns, they may find themselves a ruler. Even more likely if that player has never played a ruler before. And of course, other council positions and lordships remain for any risk-taking, quick-acting nobles.
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That sounds like an attempt to screw your realm-mates using OOC means.
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Looking across the continents you see a steady trend of small realms coalescing into larger ones over time.
FEI started as two realms, how is that working out for them? If you look at the timeline proper you will see super realms form, then fall apart to be replaced by several small realms to start the cycle again. The problem is assuming that large realms never fall apart. History shows that it can and does happen.
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I appreciate your informed comment about what is actually happening in the realm based purely off an OOC announcement/update in the Locals thread intended for that very purpose.
If you think I did something wrong, file a titan report. I assure you that every member of the realm joined the realm from a foreign realm specifically to influence the realm to their realm. My character is fighting for the realm's survival while the other three characters (two of the same player) are effectively pushing the realm into anarchy and trying to merge it into another realm. The result of that merger being back to the same old realm geographies. My character is also trying to break out of the dichotomous war for a third way, while again, the other three characters/two players are pushing for the same old. And I'm specifically trying to focus on giving power to players who haven't held those roles before. So which realmmates are being screwed here?
Nor is this remotely the first time in BM history an OOC announcement has been made advertising the fact that nobles are needed to fill desirable positions. And though I didn't mention it specifically, I have sent out many IC letters well before this OOC notice. I just believe in not having all eggs in one basket and all and letting more players know of the opportunity.
Note: While I sounded quite down about IVF above, that was not my intent/focus. I do endorse the roleplay project JeVondair is attempting in IVF. I just also firmly believe a realm's enjoyment is best found in wars with quicker refits, not solely roleplay.
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I appreciate your informed comment about what is actually happening in the realm based purely off an OOC announcement/update in the Locals thread intended for that very purpose.
What I saw was an attempt to heavily influence your realm's politics via OOC means. You can go passive aggressive all you want but it is bad practice no matter the context.
So which realmmates are being screwed here?
Those who were pursuing their goals via legit in-game schemes.
And though I didn't mention it specifically, I have sent out many IC letters well before this OOC notice.
I am sorry to sound judgemental, but perhaps you should have confined with IC letters.
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To bring the thread back onto topic, Raziella was protested out and recently-protested nobles can't run for office. However, she controls the only vote for ruler at the moment and is highly unlikely to vote for any current members. So, if any characters with at least 10 prestige make it to Trenton in the next 3 turns, they may find themselves a ruler. Even more likely if that player has never played a ruler before. And of course, other council positions and lordships remain for any risk-taking, quick-acting nobles.
Only nobles within the realm at the time the election announcement was made can run or vote in an election.
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FEI started as two realms, how is that working out for them?
While technically true, this is highly misleading. The breakup of Arcaea and the Svunnetland Empire was planned on the RP list long before the continent actually opened.
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So now anyone who joins the realm is incapable of thinking for themselves and making any decisions for themselves but doing exactly what my character wants? I was unaware she held such persuasiveness.
I made an advertisement on the forums of the fact council positions are available for newer players, as realms have done in BM for years. This does not make it 'heavy OOC influence' or make everything done in-game illegitimate now. I'm far more concerned by someone who moved two characters of his to the same realm in an effort to control it and destroy it from the inside, maintaining the status quo, than myself making an OOC announcement in an effort to keep a realm alive and potentially driving conflict outside the status quo.
I think you're making a mountain out of an anthill here.
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Only nobles within the realm at the time the election announcement was made can run or vote in an election.
Good point. I'd forgotten about that after the anarchy referendum in the capital. It does not have the same limitation, it would seem, as Raziella got there after it had already been running three days, and announced herself, and voted herself in just fine.
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To bring the thread back onto topic, Raziella was protested out and recently-protested nobles can't run for office. However, she controls the only vote for ruler at the moment and is highly unlikely to vote for any current members. So, if any characters with at least 10 prestige make it to Trenton in the next 3 turns, they may find themselves a ruler. Even more likely if that player has never played a ruler before. And of course, other council positions and lordships remain for any risk-taking, quick-acting nobles.
Selenia found out about that and sat on it pretty quickly
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I think you're making a mountain out of an anthill here.
Might be the case. I apologize.
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While technically true, this is highly misleading. The breakup of Arcaea and the Svunnetland Empire was planned on the RP list long before the continent actually opened.
Because smaller/more realms = more fun.
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Because smaller/more realms = more fun.
I don't think that was ever a conscious consideration.
The sizes we're talking about would have been ludicrously impossible. Each realm would literally have controlled half a continent, all by itself.
I wasn't really directly involved at that stage, but my impression was more that people felt like "the breakup of empires and ensuing acrimony == fun".
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Because smaller/more realms = more fun.
Because large/monolithic realms = more fun.
See, I can make witty sardonic generalizations too! How useful!
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Large and small can both be fun, depending on who it is. The problem is when you get one very large realm and a bunch of small ones. The large realm is oppressive to the entire region, and possibly the entire island.
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So an update (this thread sure wanders...)
I decided to vote in one of the other three nobles (Rythan Songslayer) as Khan(ruler), instructing them in various ways. Of course, my character was ignored. There have now been protests against ruler.
Three nobles, 2 from on-island, 1 from distant lands, have come to Trenton's service. Two battles were fought for Iato. Trenton won the first, barely. IVF won the second. Same time they won the second, the city went rogue. I suspect due to another two failed elections. I am celebrating my victory in driving the first region rogue in months. We have freed ourselves from the tyranny of urban living. IVF has initiated a TO of Iato.
Verdomite was also taken by Fronen and Khan Rythan dissolved the duchy of New Maiden River. The ruler of Fronen has stepped down and started demanding a death duel with Raziella over slights to his honour. She has declined on account of the fact he has no honour to redeem.
A duel to surrender was fought between the ruler (Selenia JeVondair) of IVF and the sole duchess (Raziella Himoura, my character) of Trenton (who holds all voting power in government), whereby the duchess suffered a light wound in defeat. As a result, the duchess has finally recognized IVF's ruler as an empress, though she may have snarky moments about being empress of a single city and then merely two cities.
I have more shenanigans planned, if all goes well.
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If I am defeated in a duel to surrender, I shall support and enact your decisions in the councilmembers and lordships of Trenton. You shall instruct the distribution of regions between the two realms to your pleasure. The two realms will perpetually federate in joint-recognition of your imperial authority over the Vale and defend itself from foreign invaders, including Fronen. At your pleasure, Trenton will serve as a buffer state to IVF, gradually returning more southern regions as it moves into IVF's enemies.
If I am victorious in a duel to surrender, you shall cease your use of imperial titles. We shall unite in alliance against foreign invaders. We shall unite in support of many diverse city-state Vales, with an overarching cultural institution uniting them under your direction. One such being an arrangement for the far eastern regions of Trenton and some far western Riombaran regions to form a new Vale around Ete.
Roleplay from Raziella I Himoura Nifelleisca (12 hours, 27 minutes ago)
Message sent to all nobles in the region Iato (8 recipients)
Raziella had been defending the walls of Iato, but after her defeat and upon the arrival of Ivory's Court, the people of Iato had fled to the city center, occuping the palaces, keep, and city hall. Eventually a district somewhat more appreciative of her was found for the day. Many letters continued flowing to and fro, handling realm business. But also a long-awaited duel challenge.
As the sun set, the fate of the Vale rested in the swordarms of two women with supreme confidence in their ability.
Roleplay from Selenia JeVondair (12 hours ago)
Message sent to all nobles in the region Iato (8 recipients)
The city was hers. Her nascent Empire was growing. Selenia could feel it in her bones, taste it in the burnt smell of the air. With the battle for the walls done and the city occupied and in anarchy, the Empress was about different business today.
Today she wore her dark green dueling leathers, her sun-bleached blond hair braided tightly to her scalp, swirling in the interesting patterns native to the Desert of Silhouettes which she'd adopted from her late husband, Dead some 15 years now. Her tawny arms, more muscled than a pampered lady's should be, were bear to the wind. Her twin kukris were sheathed at her sides and a snowline cloak thrown about her shoulders. The blasted thing was both hot and heavy, but it looked good. And in the Ivory Court, Appearances were important indeed.
She knew the city well, and little had changed. Her men were engaging in freedom celebrations, but she was escorted by the other members of the Ivory Court that wished to witness the event.
She strolled confidently to wear her scouts reported Duchess Raziella had holed herself up...
Roleplay from Raziella I Himoura Nifelleisca (7 hours, 22 minutes ago)
Message sent to all nobles in the region Iato (9 recipients)
Raziella had paid some local street children to watch for the advance of noble retinues. And so it was that Selenia and Raziella met within the ruined gardens of Iato.
Raziella donned her Valiant Helm of Protection, having finished many sacrifices to a variety of gods she had ever come across. Somewhere, a piano played in a distant window, unaware of the ambience he was setting not far away. Perhaps one of the conquering soldiers had picked up the ability and found an abandoned piano? Perhaps a local attempting to ease his neighbours' anxieties?
The two ladies approaching each other, swords drawn. Selenia attacked first, aggressively, with Raziella mostly moving more nimbly around Selenia.
At one point, Raziella attempts to pull something from within her clothing, but cannot find it, even muttering, "Where did my long-lost hammer go?" It had only recently been found and she could've sworn it was upon her as she set out. Fortunately, she noticed it within a flower bed and was able to strike Selenia with the hammer a number of times and with enough consequence to cause painful bruising ranging from knees to shoulders.
In the end, Selenia was able to remove the Valiant Helm of Protection and knock Raziella unconscious with it.
Awakening near a hastily-piled group of human, undead, and monster heads left as ammunition for the Himouran Head Hurling Horde, it was apparent that someone from the Ivory Court had confiscated both Helm and Hammer. Yet again that long-lost hammer was lost again.
As she groaned awake and moved to her feet, her unit returned some men shorter, but overall much healthier than she had left them before the duel. Groaning again, less this time from headache but realization of what was next, she fetched some pens.
Roleplay from Selenia JeVondair (just in)
Message sent to everyone in the region Iato (9 recipients)
It was a very different fight for Empress Selenia.
Sweat began to line her palms, heart fluttering as it always did before a fight. She stepped lightly, using the balls of her toes rather than her heels, as she approached Raziella. The Duchess was resplendent in her Valiant Helm of Protection as she stepped into the impromptu arena. She was a nobly born woman, of that there could be no doubt. Her towering birth was evident in her refined poise, while her relative inexperience as a killer was evident in the weapons she brought...a sword and a rather large hammer.
Vassals took the snowlion cloak from her shoulders, which she loosened and rolled like a languid predator. There were no speeches, no taunting, just the silent ringing of anticipation. It tingled along the hairs of her arms like an electrical current. Selenia brought her Kukri's up and crouched. Even wrapped in protective cloth as they were, they were still dangerously solid in her hands, even as her mind was wrapped in morbid thoughts of aggression. The the rest of the world fell away from her, tunneling to show only Raziella.
And then the Duchess moved.
Selenia would never remember if Raziella has simply been shifting, or trying to speak, or any other of a thousand non-threatening things, but the Empress was upon her like lighting to a tree, dancing about with a strength and agility that surprised the other woman, but Raziella was nothing if not stubborn. Though she lacked Selenia's veracity, she made up for with the curious ability to redirect the energy of Selenia's attacks either to her own advantage, or at least away from her, which slowly frustrated the Empress as precious seconds ticked by.
The parity did not last long. Selenia noticed that Raziella's bag of trick moves was only so deep; she was starting to repeat herself. A twist here, a thrust there, and Selenia manipulated Raziella right where she wanted her. Raziella counterstruck with the her sword to ward off Selenia's Kukris. Instead of stepping back, however, Selenia ducked underneath Raziella swing. Catching her opponents arm safely in the crook of her own, Selenia bashed the pommel of her kukri into the pit of Raziella's elbow, forcing her hand-muscles to spasm and drop her sword. But before Selenia could go for something duel-ending, Raziella spun away, disoriented, cocking her head as though listening to music even as she grouped for her Hammer.
Selenia approached casually, confident now in her approaching victory. That cockiness, however, nearly cost her the match as Raziella surprised her with a swift and powerful swing. At the time, Selenia did not actually feel it connect, but she was flung of balance and fell to the ground hard, forehead popping off the stone...
The forest is dark. The children were screaming, but it is quiet now. Too quiet. death stalks the woods, fat and happy. Supreme in it's mastery of the dark places. She stalked Death itself. The death of innocent children stolen from the northern Morekian village. The Maddening was in the ascendant, driving her forward. desperate to help, but knowing in her soul that it was already much too late...
SNAP! A twig, a branch. To the left, did that shadow just move? No, behind! Something there, watching, hunting...HER. Breath, fetid, blood, congealed. That of Children. But how could she know that for sure? She didn't, and yet she knew.
It's not so big, but strong. It's outline blurred in the dark, always the dark. She's on the ground, her head hurts. She rolls just as it's meaty fist crumbles the ground she had been lying on. She springs up. Dancing to a music only she could here. The Head. Go for the Head. End IT. She does. Grabs the horns. The neck feels weak...good. She twists, a popping sound. Chortled rage and fear. She holds the head in her hands, but the body is still moving, somehow screaming. She's lost her blades, but it doesn't matter. She'll pulverize with it's own evil skull. She'll beat it bloody so that it will never hurt anyone again. Never Again. NEVER AGAIN-
The forest reached out to her, moaning. Roots grab her arms, sholders, wrapping her tight, wrenching the head from her, pulling her from the beast. resolving from roots to hands, from wood to flesh. Night in the woods becomes day in a scarred city. The ruined peace of a crumbling garden. Blurry Vision; tears. Tears ruining the makeup Mavia insisted she wear, even to a fight. Shouting in her Ear.
"YOUR MAJESTY! STOP! STOP! Damn it, you fools, don't just stand there! Help me get her off the Duchess! This fight is OVER!"
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Did I forget to mention that Selenia has PTSD?
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How come the Capital of a realm can go rogue?
Isn't that a bug? The capital and only city of a realm should not be able to go rogue
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Any region can go rogue. It is not a bug.
All regions were in occupied control state since Raziella showed up. Even after the anarchy situation was fixed and government offices filled, causing independence to decrease and control to increase again, they stayed occupied. This indicated to me that they had a lot of independence. I think the secession itself may have caused some issues as well that were only compounded by falling into anarchy and empty government positions later.
The turn it went rogue, two government elections failed. I think thats probably what pushed it over the edge. I'm surprised no other regions had had anything happen (besides Wheling switching to IVF a couple days earlier) before the capital went rogue.
So essentially it can be attributed to possibly the secession itself, followed by sitting in anarchy and a lack of anyone holding office for a week's worth of turns, plus each failed referendum. Then once Raziella got there, some more empty offices after she was protested out or stepped down, and then those final two failed elections.
I had recently doubled the effects of failing a government election in a live update shortly before Trenton happened, as well.
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Hang on Vita - since when have you been the Himoura family?
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Its a roleplayed background. Raziella was discovered, adopted, and raised by Raziel III. This is the purpose of the second names, Himoura, Madigan, and Ardorson in my character names.
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New Ruler Elected (1 hour, 10 minutes ago)
message to Everyone on Beluaterra
The realm of Trenton has elected Syl Marlboro as its new Khatun.
Well, there goes the neighborhood.