IMO, you are not doing this purely IC. You have said yourself that you are trying to renew and revitalize the island. The end result you desire and the road to it do not agree. There are two large realms that are reluctant to give way to Lukon because there is no fun in trying something that many view as impossible. For the other realms, you have already more or less crippled them to the point where only a few council positions and lords can do anything but boring courtier work, priestly stuff, and sit and RP.
From my characters perspective... the island is boring and dieing a slow death. Lukon's culture is based on war, as such she wants to provide a place for more of it and in her opinion it will draw new young adventurous nobles which will replenish the ranks of the old warriors who still guard Lukon's walls.
As for two realms reluctant... that would be incorrect. With OT it is all about the details, which will be worked out... Oritolon is divided on it into at least 4 factions I think. In the end it will not matter what the ruler or majority want, it will matter what the Dukes want, so it is far from impossible.
The only connection between IC and OOC about this is that between what my character seeks to accomplish and what fun it will help to bring back to the players on the Colonies.
Personally, I think you should take an alternative route. There was discussion on the forums before about the idea of limited warfare.
This is exactly what I envision with all of this. Without all the game mechanics in place to make everyone comply...the idea of Empire came up. But we do not need to get caught up on the term empire (although that is exactly what the queen of lukon will call it anyway) Call it a council of the nations, or the binding civil agreements of the Colonies...or a baloney sandwich...the end result is the same: binding international treaties of ALL city states in the Colonies.
Those treaties are to be worked out together so that we can all put our thoughts in. The points which I have mentioned multiple times...
Limited wars: Set and announce your goals when you declare war so that everyone is clear on what in the end will finish it.
Unification against annihilation: Each realm agrees to halt other wars and unite against a realm(s) who choose to finish off another realm(s)
Laws of Infiltration: Infiltrators deemed honorable if attacking nations/people the realm is at war with, people who are on the bounty list, or if in the Assassins - nations they have a contract for. Also realms will be free to use actions against infiltrators captured however once an infiltrator is banned the infiltrator may purchase that ban so it is lifted (gold amounts and such to be worked out in council?)
Those are the main ones... but others that we should discuss are religion, adventurers, heck we could even make it more honorable and respectful for someone to be a Hero....limitless
Setting it up can be fun for political type people... so I thought:
Senate guild house: to be erected in each capitol so that all nobles can join...
Electors: each realm has three electors, the ruler and two others chosen how ever the realm wants.
Emperor/house leader/guild head/Muppet master/lead acrobat, term of office: 3 months? no back to back terms?
No where in all this is there much central control. If a realm bucks the system, all the person in the seat can do is point it out and make suggestions. Realms are the only place where action can come from. No where is anyone trying to control realm politics. In the end the whole thing may break down, but if the majority of realms stick to the treaties that are put in place then the Colonies becomes a great place to be.
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The history of the Colonies doesn't lend itself to limited warfare, and for that to change it will need a Year Zero moment. Lukon likely has the military strength to achieve that and Valakyrie's scheme presents a way of doing that which would inject some new life into the island.
Thank you Feyeleanor... That is exactly the point.
The Colonies have a good strong history...but that history began with realms wanting to destroy Oritolon and Lukon. That set the tone for the Colonies. Good or bad over the years...not the point. What is the point is that we have a chance right now to set a new tone. Year 0... Day one of the Colonial Empire (again, I keep repeating that this is just a name. I think it is an empire but one that does not control the cities...just helps set the tone)
Such a war is in any event unavoidable as Lukon naturally seeks to remain engaged whilst the number of realms she can war diminishes.
Lukon will always be at war. It is what they do.
The prospects of cool things to do under the Empire are huge. Unite city states into a federation and lead an empire of them within the Colonial Empire... Spread democracy to the other nations... Religion to other lands... All with a basic safety net that brings a mutual acceptance of respect towards nobility.
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Some people think that this can all be done without breaking into city states. Well... they are wrong. we need that zero point... otherwise we will be at the mercy of who ever comes next at takes over the region who was not talked into becoming city states. Let them come...but let them take over the southern Oritolon Empire, or the Wetham OT federation... or even the entire colonies empire if they can. But let them do it within the new colonial standards.
