Barca

[De-Legro]

Springdale was an awfully long time ago, but I am inclined to believe you on that account. In recent times however, that seed has really been watered by Thulsoma's propaganda machine. Hatred of SA has become noticeably more virulent and unrelenting since the beginning of the Thulsoma affair. The ironic part is that those who hate SA have a tendency to be just as fanatical about it as they accuse SA of being, if not more so in fact. Rowan was a pretty moderate character, but Averoth and Caerwyn in the end refused to deal with him and succumbed to paranoid fantasies about non-existent SA plots. Averoth was offered unconditional peace, but never responded. As for Caerwyn, Rowan made several concessions, from peace talks with Averoth to rewriting the Brotherhood of Theocracies treaty. In the end however it turned out that Caerwyn was planning for war the entire time, apparently irregardless of anything Astrum could do to reassure them.

Ah well, I can't complain about how things are working out in the end.

In fact things are working out so well, you have to question the non-existent SA plots. After all how could so many rulers make such poor choices time and time again :)

[songqu88@gmail.com]

For some reason I felt like I was part of some vampire covenant nest thing, like in Underworld, when I was with SA. Now that I'm not, I feel like the Arbiter from Halo as the Heretic. Minus the sword. And the power armor. And...not an alien. Ok, so the only thing I have in common is being labelled "Heretic". I don't even get the brand on the chest. Maybe I could find out that the Bloodstars are only three in a system of weapons designed by long extinct technologically advanced beings that were meant to contain a horror that consumed entire star systems. Activation of the Bloodstar array would eradicate all life in a certain radius, thus containing the plague at the cost of life in this galaxy.

And then I'd gain absolution by vindicating my heresy on the Prophet (of Truth) by deactivating his hover chair and getting the glowing orb that monitors the Bloodstars to admit that the Bloodstars are weapons designed to wipe out all life in this galaxy.

Ahem. Disclaimer: The above might not necessarily reflect the actual plots regarding the Bloodstars, or any opinions possessed by followers of Sanguis Astroism.

[Chenier]

Springdale was an awfully long time ago, but I am inclined to believe you on that account. In recent times however, that seed has really been watered by Thulsoma's propaganda machine. Hatred of SA has become noticeably more virulent and unrelenting since the beginning of the Thulsoma affair. The ironic part is that those who hate SA have a tendency to be just as fanatical about it as they accuse SA of being, if not more so in fact. Rowan was a pretty moderate character, but Averoth and Caerwyn in the end refused to deal with him and succumbed to paranoid fantasies about non-existent SA plots. Averoth was offered unconditional peace, but never responded. As for Caerwyn, Rowan made several concessions, from peace talks with Averoth to rewriting the Brotherhood of Theocracies treaty. In the end however it turned out that Caerwyn was planning for war the entire time, apparently irregardless of anything Astrum could do to reassure them.

Ah well, I can't complain about how things are working out in the end.

Thulsoma might have fueled the fire already there. I honestly was never reached or greatly affected by Thulsoma propaganda, other than the desolating stories of 10 realms ganging up on a 1-duchy realm, which honestly spoke a hell of a lot more than anything the tyrannic Thulsomians ever said.

Not many remain from Springdale, I'd imagine, but they probably did all the groundwork about "See what happens when you let SA get a foothold in your realm: they grow as a cancer and make you fall to your knees from within, the masses of zealots then come in for the killing blow."

[Indirik]

Not many remain from Springdale, I'd imagine, but they probably did all the groundwork about "See what happens when you let SA get a foothold in your realm: they grow as a cancer and make you fall to your knees from within, the masses of zealots then come in for the killing blow."

What killed Springdale was internal dissent and apathy.

[Indirik]

... other than the desolating stories of 10 realms ganging up on a 1-duchy realm, which honestly spoke a hell of a lot more than anything the tyrannic Thulsomians ever said.

You're just jealous that you don't have 10 realms to deal to call on to deal with your enemies. :P

Actually, Thulsoma got exactly what they wanted: A war against Sanguis Astroism. And so did Averoth, too.

Honestly, what do you expect? If you attack someone, they attack back. When that "someone" happens to be a religion that encompasses four or five realms, then you get four or five realms coming back at you. If Thulsoma (or Averoth) had managed to specifically target their war at one individual realm, as opposed to the entire faith, then they would have fought one single realm.

[Geronus]

In fact things are working out so well, you have to question the non-existent SA plots. After all how could so many rulers make such poor choices time and time again :)

I know, it's like a gift that keeps on giving. I will say this though - this whole affair has kept Dwilight fresh and interesting for months and months now.

[Galvez]

I am happy as long as you do not spread your heretical ways to Barca.  ;)

[De-Legro]

I am happy as long as you do not spread your heretical ways to Barca.  ;)

You cannot control where the seed of truth will spread. And once there are those that believe it is the duty of the priest to ensure they are properly instructed. If that instruction just happens to convert the thinking of their neighbours as well, thems the breaks

[Chenier]

What killed Springdale was internal dissent and apathy.

I would disagree and rather say a foolish ruler who let himself be manipulated against his council's explicit wishes.

You're just jealous that you don't have 10 realms to deal to call on to deal with your enemies. :P

Actually, Thulsoma got exactly what they wanted: A war against Sanguis Astroism. And so did Averoth, too.

Honestly, what do you expect? If you attack someone, they attack back. When that "someone" happens to be a religion that encompasses four or five realms, then you get four or five realms coming back at you. If Thulsoma (or Averoth) had managed to specifically target their war at one individual realm, as opposed to the entire faith, then they would have fought one single realm.

If a kid goes and shoves around a bully and gets a beating for it, you kinda feel pity for him but feel he deserved it in a way. When a kid shoves around a bunch of bullies and all of them give him the beating of his life, you'd judge the gang of bullies a lot harsher than you would have a lone bully. Imo, at least. This is what the Thulsoma story felt like. Sure, they kinda asked for it. But ganging up so badly on such a tiny realm? I can't see how anyone would not shake their heads at this.

As I don't have any military ambitions for Dwilight, I really couldn't care less about having 10 brutes behind me or not.

[Bedwyr]

I can't see how anyone would not shake their heads at this.

The abuse they pulled removed all sympathy I felt.  It took that many realms to crack the bogus armies they managed to build.

[Chenier]

The abuse they pulled removed all sympathy I felt.  It took that many realms to crack the bogus armies they managed to build.

Which honestly says more on the bunch of bullies than on them. Anyone with the least bit of pride would not have participated in this gang bang...

[songqu88@gmail.com]

If the bullied one had any pride, it wouldn't have resorted to cheap exploits just to hold out. They'd die with proper grace fitting for nobility.

[Bedwyr]

Which honestly says more on the bunch of bullies than on them. Anyone with the least bit of pride would not have participated in this gang bang...

Are you unaware of the blatant and ridiculous ways they abused the family gold system and new characters to get several thousand (I believe in the tens of thousands) gold?

[Chenier]

Are you unaware of the blatant and ridiculous ways they abused the family gold system and new characters to get several thousand (I believe in the tens of thousands) gold?

Yes. So? Gold alone doesn't recruit an army, soldiers don't pop out of thin air. And family coffers eventually deplete themselves. As long as there weren't any multies involved (which honestly would seem doubtful to me, but I don't know much of the situation), I don't really have a problem with families massively funding realms. It's not a limitless supply, after all, and someone somewhere is paying for that support.

[Bedwyr]

Yes. So? Gold alone doesn't recruit an army, soldiers don't pop out of thin air. And family coffers eventually deplete themselves. As long as there weren't any multies involved (which honestly would seem doubtful to me, but I don't know much of the situation), I don't really have a problem with families massively funding realms. It's not a limitless supply, after all, and someone somewhere is paying for that support.

You are unaware then.  They discovered an exploit where they could raid their family gold via visiting the aunt and sending the gold away or into a guild/temple and drop it to incredibly low levels.  The game then immediately began auto-replenishing the family gold to get in the neighborhood of a thousand gold.  How many of them were multis is unclear, as the situation was and is quite tangled, but the system only worked because they had a /lot/ of new families starting with their family home in Thulsoma, so make of that what you will.

In other words, using brand new families they managed to scam several thousand gold out of the game and didn't even lose any honour because they went through the visit the aunt feature.  The exploit was closed, but that got them a lot of gold to play with, and combined with various other schemes (starting a new character to get the starter troops, then pause/delete and start a new character to get starter troops as an example) got them an army several orders of magnitude larger than they could have had otherwise.