A Short Treatise on the Early History of Illyriad

Not sure how but I seemed to have missed this whole thread till now. 

• Shade has made little attempt to color their actions as anything but a power grab.  They are a military alliance with a moral code quite different from ours, and they're simply following that code to its obvious conclusion of eliminating competitors.  Their placement in Harmless strongholds suggests they've been positioning themselves for this war for a very long time, even though we've been very peaceful, cooperative, and courteous with them.  Right up until the war started The Duke held a neutral position and responded to open dialog on any issues of interest to him.  The reason was obvious - he only had beef with us if he had a strong chance to take us down.

1. I mostly dont speak publicly about the war because the mudslinging back and forth proves fruitless between both sides and I grow tired of such banter. That being said Shade was designed to be a veteran military alliance to compete favorably in the server tourneys. As such we value peace and diplomacy over war. Prior to this war who was the longest standing peaceful alliance that was ranked in the top 10? The Crows. It seemed to me The Crows and Pending were to be the best choice as an ally for me based on alliance makeup and playing style. I approached each and secured confeds in both. I did so discreetly knowing how Consone had unfolded just months before. In exchange My right hand in Shade- Bittu- Moved for a short time to Pending. I had someone move over to Crows. They eventually left illy and Sadlyput came to Shade sealing bonds with both alliances. 
2. Our placement? Harmless has always been a southern based alliance until the fall of the Freeman Society/Empire. They attempted a merger with Curse which was a collapse and H? capitalized in making a quick northern Hub. The only cities that we in Shade gained to the south happened during the Consone war where we were able to pick up some seasoned vets and old friends from WE and other warring alliances as they made their exit. 
3. Shades Moral compass and yours is very different indeed. I believe in the golden rule. I think that might isnt always right and being merciful is always better than being forceful. Harmless hasnt always shared this view. Case in point - Shade had a city that needed exodused 1 square over, but was within Honored Mules 10 squares, we asked and negotiated for this exodus for the better part of a month, to no avail. Same situation Shade had with a player named Krisp who settles a city within a Shade members 10 squares. When confronted about said situation Krisp leaves T? and joins H?. I will say Starry handled the affair well however Krisp kept his settlement, and we basically gave up negotiating. Example 2- Hannibal foul wind gets sieged because his antics in GC, yet H? claims its war spoils since he never paid a 2nd city- when I know- he knows- and you know he did, but you needed a reason to let loose on him. 
4. Its kinda funny looking back- I fully expected to lose the war- and I felt I had let a good friend down in Jasche by not fighting beside him during Consone, so I marched with my allies with a pre-conceived notion that we had already lost. It would seem that I was as far off as your assumption to Shades motives above

Mr Damage wrote: Reparations are a load of crap but the precedence has been set by yourselves.

Ahh - but we are the evil empire while you are the good guys - so you should be able to do things "better" rather than just copy all the things that were complained about our behavior previously.

If not then you are just as bad as you claim we are and your justification for war went out the window...

Merlinus, may I take it you're liking Illyriad?  

Reparations are a load of crap but the precedence has been set by yourselves.

Hi! I'm new here. I just became a player to this game. (I mean, like a week's worth! You know? n00b, right here, comin' atcha.)

Also, for purposes of clarity and fair play, I hope my posting info will also inform that I am one of the newest members of the Toothless(?) Alliance. Make of that what you will. What I make of it is that I am entirely too new to this game, and these lands to have what is generally referred to as "standing" in this discussion, or in these wars.

As a new player, whose ink is not yet dry on his forum registration here, I also stand as witness. I come to this game from LoU, an online game which is going dark shortly. As you may have noticed, there are just a whole bunch of players from that game investigating (as am I) this one. The potential for new players in this world is palpable, as many, many thousands of comrades, allies, aliances and yes, even adversaries look to Elgea to begin again, or to continue in many cases, their gaming personas.

I am neither their spokesman nor their Ambassador. I do not speak for them, for LoU, for EA (or for EA's heirs and/or assigns). I do not speak for Illyriad, or for Toothless(?). I merely choose to initiate my right as a player (no matter how new and completely ignorant) of this game.

It is not now, and has never been the case that "moral high ground" in any endeavor, much less an online, web based, free-to-play browser game is of equal interest to every  player of that game. It should be understood and expected that some playing this (or any other game) do so for their own (different) reasons.

I have played games with internet "friends" who set out to create a negative persona for themselves, an alliance, a sphere or realm--with no intent other than to dominate it. (A ton of those players are in LoU, btw.)That is their goal--their only goal, and they do not shy away from that goal due to some fear of insulting someone else's altruistic morality. Some do, in fact,develop their personas in such a way as to feed on just such a notion.

So far as I have seen, that is not now, nor has never been (to my reading of history here, anyway) an acceptable standard of gameplay here. Frankly, I have been that player. I have been the victim of that player. I do not like that player. I do, however, understand and accept that player's existence.

I do not want that player and their poison to infect this world. I want a community unified against them, and a force capable of dealing with them to the point of their elimination from this land. It would seem as though this game has one such entity with a consistent history of living up to those standards this community has established for itself. It's quite strange, indeed from my spectator's pov that they should be pilloried because of such a reality.

That's what I want. Yet, at least for the few days I have been birthing myself in these lands, it has seemed to me as if there is a community standard here that I do find very appealing. In fact, that standard is why I chose to register as a member/player of this game. That standard opposes the player I have described. That standard requires an enforcer of sufficient capacity to withstand the coming assault upon it.

Did I happen to mention how very wearisome it is to begin again...again?

What really did it for me was when I read a sequence of posts by the player/leader of this land, who gave fair warning to every player that inactive gameplay was no longer acceptable, and that inactive players, alts and alliances faced eviction...shortly. Holy meltdown!

That act could have been seen (but I may be naught but a biased software developer) as a server cleanup. That may have been a generating purpose to the act, in fact. However, what I did not  anticipate was the nearly universal appreciation by this community for that action. And that's why I registered.

Perhaps in server time, this is an old game. In reality, it is but a small, wee child. Yet, there are those who have been playing since the original release date who have not only identity but affinity with, and within this community and its standards of fairness, justice, and civility. Those, too are precedents of what most gamers would readily admit to be gigantic proportion. Given the timeline of this game, to have established and fought to defend those standards so consistently says much about the game, and the community which feeds it.

What I choose to do insofar as my gameplay (or not) here has, I would submit, relevance within this community because, as my new alliance has told me, there are standards which do not change here. You may be surprised to learn that I know a few (thousand) gamers. I communicate with them...often.

What shall I say to them?

I've only known one other alliance leader who ever, EVER has done what I have seen done here. I am not yet certain, but I do believe he is actually a player of this game, as well. He would really hate it if I were to mention his name/persona/affiliation in this (or any other) game. We worked together for several years to build an alliance that didn't last, but whose community still does. What shall I say to him?

What questions should I ask of him as I observe this conversation playing out?

As I think of that, and imagine vainly that I know him well enough to anticipate his replies, I believe I can safely surmise what his responses would be. That only matters to me in the fact that his is, at least for me personally, a treasured opinion I would both seek, and respect. I've known him well enough as an online gaming enthusiast to see his consistency across many games, and many years.

All this matters not one iota to any of you. I understand that.

But, I do stand witness to what you say here, and to what you do in this game that I now inhabit, and of which I now share custody . That should matter to you.

It has been said here that "Perspective is framed by motive." I share that view. I'm a big boy, an elder feller in fact. But, I'm sure you know that already. (I may not be the oldest player in this game, but I'll guarantee you I do qualify to fit into the Senior(s) Division.)

If you should feel shame at reading my words, do something about it. Asking anyone to publicly admit allegedly wrongful acts or insincere intentions for the purpose of anything is simply bad form. Piling on is simply bad form. There is no honor in stuggling for seniority atop the moral highground unless that is where you live, and where you belong. You know if you do, and you know if you don't. If you do belong there. live fully and completely there, no matter how unappreciated your toil or the weariness you feel. That's the rent you pay. If you don't belong in such an august address, nothing you say or do will entitle you to it. Leave it. Don't go near to it. Respect is not demanded; it is commanded. It cannot either be purchased or usurped, and remain legitimate. It is earned, daily and cannot be cheapened except by its own. Honor does not wither, and no amount of saying otherwise makes it so.

Just know that potentially hundreds of thousands of completely disenchanted and disenfranchised gamers are actively looking for a new home. Very few of them will believe the standards this community has set for itself, or how vigorously those standards have been, and are today defended.

It's a lot like somebody deciding this would be a persistent game: in-credible. Civility? Fraternity? Loyalty? Generosity? Shared community, and no "win"? Who in their right mind would want any part of that as an online, free-to-play gamer, after all?

Me.

Precedent set.

n00b spouts his pie hole. See? That wasn't such a hard thing to do. Precedents are easy to establish--or even change. It just depends on what your motivation is.

You wanna win? You wanna be right?

Win me.

That's what Elgea looks like. And, yes. I really do know the difference between standing for what you truly and deeply believe to be the right thing, and yet another juvenile attept at a power grab. Count on it. Been there, and bled all over the T Shirt. I gotta tell ya.

Right now I'm really pleased with my alliance decision. Proud, in fact. Button-poppin' proud as a newly plumed peacock, in fact. Not because I agree or disagree across this poison-inducing conflict. I'm a n00b. I've got no dog in this fight.

But, as a n00b it's not this fight I'm interested in. It's the next one. I hope to be counted present, because I really have taken a shine to a lot of new friends, across many alliances here in only a few days, and have seen by direct experience those same community standards lived out personaly. Do I support, endorse or encourage such behavior? How could I?

I'm just the n00b.


Edited by Merlinus - 26 Feb 2014 at 10:17

Angrim wrote: Tamaeon wrote: August 2013 to October 2013 - H? directors go on GC and state repeatedly that large confederations are quote "smothering the game". this is misleading. one director was involved...one, i might add, who has previously retracted things said in gc that got somewhat out of hand. perhaps you mean to give Sir Bradly a directorship in H?? his was the other supporting voice.