I read Constantine latest post and I have some ideas want to throw out.
I have throw out my two cents OOC at a Rulers channel in East Continent.
Constantine, I understand you get that Nivemus and Sirion are unbreakable alliance. Coming from Nivemus, our players there also kept calling Perdan evil for years and this latest war just proved that, not only to Nivemus, Sirion, Eponllyn and Caligus.
Personally I attempted to shake things up. I even appointed new characters as lord in Nivemus. I not sure why I need to provide a book called "How to beat Nivemus in 30 ways and form your own Colony" here. You can take a leaf out of a Perdan character named Zelgius. He should know what are the weaknesses of Nivemus. He was in Nivemus for sometime and he was Duke of Nivemus capital, Banker to boot. If your colony team can go in Nivemus and have enough nobles number to form colony, why not? My character at one point considered two possibilities left: Merger with Eponllyn before your war declaration postponed it indefinitely. And another to give Shadowdale a place to form a colony. Nivemus need noble number, what's better way than to shake the realm from within? Zelgius did rebel against Brock no? He did not have number to form a new colony. Perdan now has.
Also you need to take into consideration. Perdan is fighting as you say IC against the vast resources of Nivemus. How that vast resources come from? From peace time and not fighting. So in some character progragranda you all pointed to wealthy Brock. We do have infiltrator class aye? Why not use infiltrator take Brock out? Brock the so called leader of military cobbled up last minute to fight is out wounded cold. Then nobody can transfer gold. Wait, why am I showing you?
Also have you ever considered breaking down the alliance between Nivemus and Sirion? Influence Nivemus to join your side. Perdan Ruler never talk to Brock, I recall this clearly well. My character Brock word of congratulations is ignored. So how you can convince someone you not talking to abandon Sirion?
Brock had good relations with previous Perdan King Kay, that why Nivemus not join North versus South war at later stage of the war. So why not make full use of this relations and build upon it? Not by saying to Brock Dukes privately that you want their lands straightaway? Then when privately fail, try Brock next 😜
If yes, then we have reached characters relationship. You have to realize by now why Duke Malius of Kalmar duchy stood by Brock all these time in Nivemus. Not because he is current Nivemus Judge. He was not even a Judge in Nivemus when he first joined. He was former Obsidian Islanders Emperor and he chose to join Nivemus. Brock charisma then. Of course Brock charisma could go wrong way as in Zelgius case who was Duke of Nivemus capital.
Also Nivemus alliance is not made with Sirion before Perdan declared War. We did not even discuss this matter within Nivemus. So how your war declaration make this thing happen? Simply put, Perdan has highest nobles count compared to Nivemus. Of course we feel like we are being bully by big kid at school, excuse the pun. So we have to find an almost similar size built kid to balance the scale
All in all. I think we may have to emulate Colonies island example where Colonial Senate had restricted each realm to one city each before the change recently. If one realm hold more than one city, everyone else attack them. We need to do our players reset ourselves.
