Rathnir Today Volume I

SewerMafia v Ardat
On October 29th, war broke out between SewerMafia and Ardat. Greentomato5 declared war on Ardat in order to figure out which town BackToTheHub is from. The next few days, Dalatra and Greentomato5 got into multiple conflicts, unable to negotiate a proper peace until late Nov 1st.

What we see here is Rathnir’s first true conflict, not made out of purposeful cruelty, but genuine disagreement. It is to be admired. And despite rocky negotiations along the way, in the end both parties were willing to sit down, and work out a treaty. Neither wanted to quit the game, but both were decreasing the other’s fun, in what felt like a targeted stream of hate sent towards each other in an unending circle. Neither side is innocent, and yet neither side can really be blamed. Over all, it got a lot of people involved and encouraged a lot of rp, pvp, and player interaction.

In the heat of war, the city of SewerMafia was razed to the ground, completely obliterated. I do not exaggerate. A town that took weeks to build was demolished in under a day. This event leaves a chilling doubt. Walking through the ruins of SewerMafia is a haunting experience. You can see how much detail and effort went into the buildings. You see the great stone brick walls erected as a feeble defense. The truth of the matter is - Not a single nation wanted to come to SewerMafia’s aid. Their enemies were so numerous, so expansive, even enemies of Dalatra flocked to her defense against the ‘bigger threat’ that was SewerMafia. But now the war is over. Leaving only the doubt.

SewerMafia v Ardat sets a bad precedent. It makes you wonder if there will be a day when the great spires of Kaiserslicht. The sacred pyramid at New-Interdam. The intricately decorated cliffs of Aezenfjord. Or even the gleaming city of Sanctuary, nestled in the sky. Will soon come to ruin. Over a war. That the enemy thought worth more than the lives we’ve worked so hard to build for ourselves.

Lumaire
The town of Lumaire used to be a colony under Yimmu-Audal rule. However, they were so small and insignificant, not even Yimmu Audal remembered they existed. Now, they’ve started to make waves, declaring themselves independent and holding their first election. Without enough citizens to vote, they opened up their polls to the rest of Rathnir, holding a debate in their city. Over a dozen people turned up, and out of the three candidates: Blue_Eagle, NightGazer, and AlanTheApostate - AlanTheApostate won in an INCREDIBLY close count.

However, what should’ve been the start of a prosperous leadership, quickly turned into a scramble to keep the country together. Lumaire became divided over religious loyalties. The majority of the newfound citystate were followers of Solaris. It came to light that their Councilor of Faith was revealed to be Hollandist. The followers of Solaris were adamant that Lumaire would have a single, centralized religion, devoted to Solaris. So adamant, they were willing to gather foreign military aid if necessary. So adamant, they were close to banishing their own citizens for their beliefs.

For a brief while, tensions were high. What had the chance to be a new, up and coming town, full of eclectic personalities that had nothing but good to add to the political scene, might’ve fizzled out over miscommunication and harsh attitudes. Some speculated this could’ve turn into an excellent world war, stemming from religious extremism that sparked nations and peoples from all over Rathnir to take sides. They hoped for a truly riveting battle over the gods themselves. But others feared that Lumaire … would die out.

In the end, the fate of Lumaire concluded peacefully - at least for now. A senate meeting was held, ratifying their constitution to enforce their councilor of Faith to hold the same beliefs as the state’s religion. That way, other citizens could follow whichever deity they pleased, but the government would continue to work on behalf of the many.

All in all, we’re glad Lumaire survives to live on for another day.

Coronation
On October 25th, the world witnessed the coronation of a new Emperor to the Yimmu Audal throne. Blue_Marble, the last emperor, handed over his crown to his successor Harbardr. This was held inside The_Last_Bastion, a fortified castle built by O6dity. O6dity was also titled Yimmu Audal’s Chief Diplomat, with TheRealJay2 once again named Supreme Commander, or in other words, the military general of Yimmu Audal. A fitting choice for someone so well versed in pvp.

Yimmu Audal is a nation known for passing down it’s head of leadership to more active players willing to keep the strength and power of its country alive. The recent Rathnir census proves that their tactics work, seeing as Yimmu Audal has the 4th largest player base on the server. They continue to take part in server events, recruit new members, build up their cities, and dominate the Rathnir scene.

Congratulations to the new Emperor and his cabinet.

VIR
The VIR has been silent in the last week, hardly making waves on the Rathnir Server. The recent census proves they are the largest nation with the most players. And yet they’ve been quiet. There was a recent change in leadership among the VIR. Viomelia, their former ruler, stepped down after rumours of a religious coup. She still managed to be murdered and her body looted before the Coronation of the new Yimmu Audal Emperor was crowned. Now, her whereabouts are unknown, but a new God-Empress has been placed on the throne.

Noodles, the VIR president, remains in power however.

The VIR has always had less aggressive foreign policies, setting itself up as a community rather than an empire. But the last week has shown just how rocky that peaceful facade was. Have they recovered in the last week? Have their policies changed? Will they take action to prove their power, or are they ripe for invasion?

Interviews with VIR members seem to point towards the VIR becoming irrelevant and inactive. The coup seems to stem from a restlessness among its citizens. With the construction of the capital finished almost three weeks ago, it's no wonder the VIR moved towards a rebellion. What USED to have the most players seems to have halved its population, with most merely becoming inactive and not logging on.

What VIR is, is a warning. To maintain power, you must maintain fresh ideas, projects, and goals. Do not let purposeless consume you. With the constant influx of new people, and the massive swathes of untouched land, there will never be lacking of new vigor, new troubles, and new activities to take part in. It’s not a matter of ‘what is left to do?’ It’s a matter of ‘where can I find it?’

Escharia is a nation full of eccentric builders. Their capital, Kaiserslicht is proof of that. But there are new rumours of a VIR, Yimmu Audal, and Uldarash alliance. After all Escharia has been through after the Turtlonian Wars, will they finally be overtaken? Will anyone come to their aid? Will this spark a world war? I hear Escharia follows Solaris.

Uldarash and Bardonia are going to war. BackToTheHub went to the mesa this week for terracotta. Uldarash then demanded a fine for illegally mining in their lands. A seemingly reasonable request. Until you take a look at the dynamap. There is only one mesa in Rathnir. It is in the west. And at present, there is a wall of claim, dividing it clean in two. On the eastern most side, is Ardat. On the other - Uldarash. Where is the room for public mining?

This is a topic that’s been brought up before. There was a World Summit on Oct the 13th in Tlahatl, debating this exact question. It coincides with another issue. There are many nations claiming land that they physically cannot claim. There has been a recent increase to the amount of chunks any player adds to a nation. But still, nations state they own land that they cannot physically claim. Smaller towns and individual players find this to be absurd, and yet the powerful empires state it’s perfectly reasonable. It’s a divisive issue.