The current state of Wharftown

[Seven Sons of Sin]

You go, a little fellow.

[Honeybunny]

I think it's laughable that the settlements of Arelith avoided the War for it's entire duration with /Full/ knowledge of the evil going on there, then once Wharftown is gone, they all jump down Cordor's throat for being evil and out of control.

Did Guldorand, Brog, Or Myon steer their boats in front of Wharftown to try and block Cordor/AMn from destroying it? Did the Elves ever answer Armenius when he declared war on them? Or just hide up in Myon? Did the dwarves march down from Brogendenstein to try and force Armenius into a deal? Did Guldorand offer to smuggle Refugees out of Wharftown into their settlement?

No. Everyone was to busy OOCLY, being Forum Warriors and complaining on Discord rather then trying to make an IC impact.

I don't mean to escalate this, but I do find it funny how you display on these forums the exact same ignorance that some of your characters also possess.

You know nothing of the RP that Brogendenstein, Myon, Guldorand or Bendir got from the Cordor/WT conflict and I have proof .. You would not have posted anything in that quote if you /actually/ knew the RP that was generated in those settlements regarding that conflict.

If you are to express anything here, please let it be admiration and respect that these settlements chose a stance on the conflict that wasn't about getting a PvP fix, or acting rashly and unwisely (poor traits for settlement leadership) just so we can be in frame of a major event in Arelith history so it can be trotted out as an IC trump card. Admiration that the RP that you enjoyed so much was given room to breathe, and wasn't clogged down by a horde of Elves, Dwarves, Hin and Mountainmen trying to insert themselves into the equation, and instead debating intensely and emotionally the significance of the moment.

Admiration and respect that whilst the event (which I'm sure was extremely entertaining) was going on, numerous Dwarf players chose instead to RP the defense of their docks (for the events entirety) from any immediate fallout from the catastrophe, which was not nearly as entertaining. Afterwards a gathering of settlements was had in which all were united in staying out of the conflict .. /not/ because we can't be bothered, /not/ because we were too busy ranting on the forums .. But because Cordor was set to obliterate Wharftown, and none of these settlements had IC reason enough to stop it. Not having reason enough to stop it does not mean it is a thing forgotten about for convenience, there is real emotion in these characters we are playing, and opinions ranged from "We could have done something to stop this" to "They deserved what they got".

I can assure you also, as somebody within the loop of these settlements, RP has taken place since that day onwards.




Oh, and I don't think the WT boys should be so close to Lauriks boat.

Yes, thank you.

[Cortex]

Everything a little fellow said is 100% correct.

[Sab1]

One problem is people seem to think there has to be an openly evil settlement. How man times has cordor had an evil/untrustworthy reputation? I can think of a few times, the island hasn't trusted cordor. I think that's how its best done, instead of having a town of bloodthirsty murders allied with the underdark, you have evil people being subtle and manipulating things. So it should never be set that this city has to be evil and this city must be good etc...

[Cerk Evermoore]

Also like, even if Broggenstein and Guldorand allied with Wharftown. I still think Cordor would pretty much obliterate them. It is not like any of those cities are known for having an impressive navy / ground force.

[Mr_Rieper]

Also like, even if Broggenstein and Guldorand allied with Wharftown. I still think Cordor would pretty much obliterate them. It is not like any of those cities are known for having an impressive navy / ground force.

There's a good chance it would have stopped it. You don't need a massive navy to harm Cordor, or cause them to lose something. It would have made the situation unpredictable and uncertain. Cordor is not immune to speculating and worrying.

There was no reason to do it though. If Wharftown's leadership played their hand better and took the angle of "Cordor threatens us all! United we stand, divided we fall!" I can guarantee the situation would have been different. But the attempt was never made and it's not really worth thinking about now.

Just saying to not be too quick to give up in future.

[Durvayas]

As a player in the UD, we were dismayed that there was virtually no time whatsoever to have Andunor get involved. We had a week, one RL week, between the city finding out about the proclamation, and wharftown being razed.

It was impossible to get in contact with any of WT's leaders(since they weren't logging in), and we had no idea when, on an OOC level, the event would happen until literally like a day before, we we couldn't coordinate any even remote semblence of a counterattack or relief force.

The feeling of powerlessness was not restricted to the players in WT. It felt like there was nothing we could do, period, especially not with Cordor pulling out Amn's navy, and especially with the debacle that had happened the last time WT and cordor had had a war with NPCs involved, where WT was railroaded into a defeat(Partly due apparently to a DM disconnecting mid-event, an immortal creature, and NPC mishaps which allowed the cordoran team to enter WT itself and claim victory as a result. All factors that WT was basically told, "oops, sorry, suck it up and roll with it" before). Cordor having NPC-ex-machina as a shoe-in for victory was already a precedent before this conflict, and I know for a fact that the reason a good many WT players just gave up as soon as the event was announced was because they expected a repeat of what happened last time.

The arguement of 'why bother ever starting conflict with cordor' is a very valid one. This is not the first time Cordor has been handed victory on a silver platter due to module design and DM assistance. The city itself is impregnable, it ostensibly has more NPC population than every single other settlement on the island(aside andunor) combined. It has more wealth than every other settlement on the server by virtue of being designed as a trade city. It can call Amn for any conflict and, 2 for 2, apparently rely on them to come to its aid at any time based on precedent.

It has been attacked successfully before, with no visible damage(UD forces have managed to get inside the city and burn it at least once with no lasting impact) sustained. The giant seems to shrug off any conflict that comes its way. You could kill its outlying farmers, burn its crops, infiltrate its sewers and detonate bombs, and the prevailing impression is that all of this will have ZERO effect, because its all been done before. Cordor appears, for all intents and purposes, completely plot armored by virtue of being the starter city, and designed to be undefeatable.

You claim that cordor as a superpower is counterbalanced by Andunor, but no settlement can ally with Andunor and not suffer the same fate as WT except maybe Sencliff, but only because Sencliff can also use NPC-Ex-Machina(pirates) to prevent its destruction. If Andunor enters the political arena ALL the surface settlements are allied by default. Therefor Andunor cannot win any sustained conflict offensively. It can only defend, and is, for the same reasons Cordor is, ostensibly heavily defended. Cordor can declare offensive wars and win, but also cannot lose. Andunor cannot win, it can only not lose. This is the dichotomy between the two.

[Cybernet21]

The problem with dealing with more FR countries and powers on Arelith, in a regular sense, is that players will become frustrated if,

a) they're not interacted with by said powers
b) the DMs uphold interactions players do not believe to be "canon"
c) foreign power is used in a weird, or unconvincing way

For example, I'd argue why on earth does Thay have any interest in some far off backwater island? There were even Red Wizards here, but those efforts, to some, might have seen much a return. Other players would disagree. But who would be right? I don't know.

Amn has always appeared logical because 1) it's a stepping stone to their colonies in Maztica and 2) they are geographically the closest continental power.

It'd be hard to believe anyone else would care, when continental Faerun is filled with strife and protecting one's borders.

For example, there's no reason why we needed Amn involved in the war. Arelith has a history of DM events where corsair kings, and fleets, have been used as enemies, and enemies of enemies. We could have just as easily relied on something that has occurred in Arelith's past, as a way of tying things together thematically on the server. I know we've also used Amn, but never in an involved way - almost always as "don't do this or you piss off Amn."

Why is there no reason for Amn to be involved in a Arelith war if it's as you stated a stepping stone to their colonies and are getting good commerce,why wouldn't they want to help the isle's greatest trading opportunity they have?

Also as i said,Thay could become interested if they see how much profit Amn is doing by having a foot there.

(Similar to how Cuba was important in the Cold War,a "small" island that is by USA's door,so both US and the USSR want to have a foothold there) Just a example,no direct comparisons aside from two big powers wanting a foothold on a smaller power

[Lorkas]

It has been attacked successfully before, with no visible damage(UD forces have managed to get inside the city and burn it at least once with no lasting impact) sustained. The giant seems to shrug off any conflict that comes its way. You could kill its outlying farmers, burn its crops, infiltrate its sewers and detonate bombs, and the prevailing impression is that all of this will have ZERO effect, because its all been done before. Cordor appears, for all intents and purposes, completely plot armored by virtue of being the starter city, and designed to be undefeatable.

This isn't just true for Cordor, but for essentially any settlement on the island except in very rare cases of island-wide involvement. Suppose the dwarves and gnomes decide they've had enough of the underdark and build a drill to drill a hole in Lake Minmir, which lies nearly directly above Andunor. That would wipe out the underdark. Should such a plot line be allowed to have a serious lasting impact on Andunor? I think that would have a detrimental effect on the server, but the dwarves could very well make the same complaint that you're making here about your detonated bombs and crop-burnings not destroying parts of Cordor (which would be bad for the server).

Any number of plots could threaten any of the settlements on the isle: bombs planted on the cliffs either above or below Guldorand could destroy it, poisoning the river flowing into Bendir would be devastating to their NPC population, a number of high level casters chain-casting earthquake (or performing a ritual for a particularly powerful earthquake) could take out Brog and the Grotto together, potentially... yet I suspect none of these plots, put forward by a faction, would succeed unless the devs thought it was for the best of the module.

Cordor isn't special in having plot armor. In fact, it's a little more accurate perhaps to say that all settlements on the island have an insane amount of DR that can only be overcome by weapons with the plot descriptor.

[Queen Titania]

It's also worth noting that Wharftown did not have to choose to be destroyed during the time of the plot. Different actions would have left Wharftown standing.

[Mr_Rieper]

On the Andunor vs Surface thing, it actually makes a lot of sense. The surfacers are forced to tolerate the nest of drow and monsters beneath them, who raid them constantly and are constant threats to them, because they know that they don't have the resources to wipe out Andunor. They probably never will.

In the meantime, the Andunorians can't invade and settle on the surface because they know the Surfacers are all pretty much united against them, all the time. But nobody can contest their dominion over the Underdark.

So it makes sense. Andunor exists because the Surfacers can't get rid of it, and the Andunorians stay in the Underdark because they can't fight off the entirety of the Surfacers. This is why we can have both an Underdark city and Surface cities on the server, and have them co-exist. It's because they are locked in a stalemate.

[The GrumpyCat]

To adress some of Durvyas's points

As others have now brought up, all settlments have an amount of this 'Invulnerability' spoken of, and for very good reasons.

Let me give you all a peek behind the curtain.

Here's something you need to know. As DMs, we cannot make any changes to the server, unless it is agreed to or brought in by the Admin team.

So let's say that the entirity of Andunor, Cordor, Bendir, Brogendenstien, Myon, and Guldorand went after:

Daisy the Cow.

It doesn't matter how many pcs you have, how good your pvp builds, or even how many DMs you have on side- if Irongron, Dunshine and Scholar Midnight don't want that cow gone? It won't be gone.

But when deciding if your efforts are worthy of Removing Daisy the Cow, they have to consider some aspects.

a) What impact the removal of Daisy will have on the server?
- Well, it'll mess up milk production. There are other cows, but they're on the surface server. Still.. not a huge problem. There's nothing about the change that would cause huge imablence, or is entirely against the credibility of the setting.

b) How much work will it take to make the change? (in this case, removing Daisy).
- In this case very little effort is needed. Even just replacing it with a different Cow, - Buttercup, would not be too much work.

c) Has enough effort, and interesting roleplay been put into this effort? Could the removal of Daisy be seen as a very biased change?
- If it's just say, a few people every day killing Daisy with their AMAZING BUILDS! then it's not really much effort. This is a roleplay server, not a 'I made an awsome build' server. Sure builds help, but really what will tip this is work made to bind together the inter-settlment agreement on the complete and utter Destruction of The Bovine Menace!

So in this case? Yeah sure, it could be done.

But now replace 'Kill Daisy' with 'Destroy Cordor.'
Point 1) Cordor, and indeed Andunor, and Brogendenstein are Starter cities. Indeed Cordor is probably THE starter city. Removing it would cause huge ripples all around the server, from the sheer amount of shops, quarters and such lost, to the simple amenities of having a healer ect. Simply 'removing' it without making any changes would leave a massive gap in the isle.

Point 2) Cordor took Irongron Months to make. And that was with help. One can only presume making up for the loss of the city would also require months of work. That's months that could be used making dungeons, improving other cities, adding more nifty features, and who knows what else!

Point 3) For making a change that will rock the dynamics of the server to it's very core, for making a change that will take months to balence everything out on - an effort would have to be bloody monumental, if even possible.

'Ok,' You say 'But I'm not talking about destroying Cordor, I'm talking about just messing it up a bit!'

Fair enough I say, and as a DM I'm happy, if I have the time and energy (I don't right now, but I have at other times in the past) to run an event for you where you explode a bit of cordor. But you must understand that yes, next reset it will go back to normal. Now many dependent on how much effort and rp you put behind it, and how much time I have, I can do something more. I bring up, as an example, Poe's Negative Energy Elemental, where I had about a week of after effects. But if you want much more, you're probably going to be dissapointed.

'Why?' you say 'Why not just have us say, a hunk damaged wall?'

To answer this, I'll switch it around.
Let's say that one day you log on to hear that Surfacers have come down to Andunor, and they've set off a bomb in the Hub. There's some rubble there and a cracked wall.
Is it reasonable to presume that some people in Andunor would attempt to fix this issue?
Yes?
Alright then. So then Irongron or whoever reverts back to old.
'But Wahh!' go the surfacers, 'We wanted to cause more damage! We shall do this again!'
So next day they come down and they blow something else up, maybe the same thing, maybe something different. And of course, a few days after that, with some time and effort you apply to 'fix' the damage, and the devs port over the fix, only for the surfacers to come back down and...

*sigh* You see the problem? It turns into an endless cycle of 'we broke this!' 'yeah but we fix it!' 'Ok we break something else!' that could possibly just prove very wearying to everyone involved and achieves the same effect as if everything went back to normal at the end of a reset.

Is that to say an amount of the above won't/doesn't happen? No. No sometimes again it does, sometimes changes are made by the devs, that can be fixed later. That's fine. But it's not something that they can say 'Yes' to too often, or too easily. Because if you say 'Yes' to destroying something then, unless there is a larger server issue, there is unspoken expection you should say 'yes' to fixing something. See Benwick.

And all of this doesn't even touch onto the issue of accusations of Dev Bias/Favourtism that would come being too free and easy with changes.

'So,' you may go 'What is the point of asking or trying for any perminent change at all?'

I'd say this: Never aim for a goal where getting a huge Server Change is the soul reason it'd be fun. If you're aiming to Fix Cordor/Andunor/Daisy The Cow, thinking, 'Ugh, this will be a hard, miserable slog. But if I succeed then I do something awsome!' Then think again. Aim so that the -Journey- is fun! Aim there so that the individual moments are fun!

Yes, maybe you didn't blow up Cordor. But you scared the pcs, you got them talking, people will whisper of the danger of Andunor for months to come. You reminded them that the Drow are dangerous. You made story! YES! That is the fun of it! And who knows? Do it enough, do it well, bring people in? You may end up getting your goal anyway. But if the journey is as much fun, if not more fun, as the Victory, then no matter what you've won.

[Sab1]

As a player in the UD, we were dismayed that there was virtually no time whatsoever to have Andunor get involved. We had a week, one RL week, between the city finding out about the proclamation, and wharftown being razed.

It was impossible to get in contact with any of WT's leaders(since they weren't logging in), and we had no idea when, on an OOC level, the event would happen until literally like a day before, we we couldn't coordinate any even remote semblence of a counterattack or relief force.

The feeling of powerlessness was not restricted to the players in WT. It felt like there was nothing we could do, period, especially not with Cordor pulling out Amn's navy, and especially with the debacle that had happened the last time WT and cordor had had a war with NPCs involved, where WT was railroaded into a defeat(Partly due apparently to a DM disconnecting mid-event, an immortal creature, and NPC mishaps which allowed the cordoran team to enter WT itself and claim victory as a result. All factors that WT was basically told, "oops, sorry, suck it up and roll with it" before). Cordor having NPC-ex-machina as a shoe-in for victory was already a precedent before this conflict, and I know for a fact that the reason a good many WT players just gave up as soon as the event was announced was because they expected a repeat of what happened last time.

The arguement of 'why bother ever starting conflict with cordor' is a very valid one. This is not the first time Cordor has been handed victory on a silver platter due to module design and DM assistance. The city itself is impregnable, it ostensibly has more NPC population than every single other settlement on the island(aside andunor) combined. It has more wealth than every other settlement on the server by virtue of being designed as a trade city. It can call Amn for any conflict and, 2 for 2, apparently rely on them to come to its aid at any time based on precedent.

It has been attacked successfully before, with no visible damage(UD forces have managed to get inside the city and burn it at least once with no lasting impact) sustained. The giant seems to shrug off any conflict that comes its way. You could kill its outlying farmers, burn its crops, infiltrate its sewers and detonate bombs, and the prevailing impression is that all of this will have ZERO effect, because its all been done before. Cordor appears, for all intents and purposes, completely plot armored by virtue of being the starter city, and designed to be undefeatable.

You claim that cordor as a superpower is counterbalanced by Andunor, but no settlement can ally with Andunor and not suffer the same fate as WT except maybe Sencliff, but only because Sencliff can also use NPC-Ex-Machina(pirates) to prevent its destruction. If Andunor enters the political arena ALL the surface settlements are allied by default. Therefor Andunor cannot win any sustained conflict offensively. It can only defend, and is, for the same reasons Cordor is, ostensibly heavily defended. Cordor can declare offensive wars and win, but also cannot lose. Andunor cannot win, it can only not lose. This is the dichotomy between the two.

Same could be said about Andunor, how many surface attacks have left a lasting impact on the city? I have also never understood why any surface city would want to openly ally with evil untrustworthy races like drow. Your argument can go both ways.

[Cerk Evermoore]

Because being in direct opposition with another faction usually makes you hate them on a 8-10 on the hate scale. So occasionally it makes sense to group with anyone who will pick up a sword and "Chop that guy's head off because something has to be done about him."

[Ramza]

To Durvayas, on the UD having no time to coordinate. Khabul actually did go down to the UD and informed both of the current faction leaders (Arakh, and Malixtra) of what was going down and when about ten days or so before it went down.
Even gave a couple hints that it would be a perfect time to ambush the king while Khabul distracted them in the town. Buuuut that honor went to Dues Ex MAlarites.

And to the DMs saying that it could have gone any other way? Tell that to the people who despite things clearly going to be a simple bashfest with no fun for them beyond the actual bashing still went. The two who went to the Lighthouse and Khabul who was in the town. The people who stayed for little or no other reason than to give some roleplay and 'something' to the Cordian players who went for the assault. But then again, you all mutually excluding the WTers and the people who were hired by WT, instead bringing in folk who had no part of the leadership to do a counterattack on the Amnish fleet sends a pretty clear message on the stance taken.

[Tyrantos]

You know what would be cool? If there was a small monsterus settlemnt on the surface that was possible to visit for Underdarkers. Maybe uh. Wharftown could be used for that? Just spitballing.

[Mr_Rieper]

You know what would be cool? If there was a small monsterus settlemnt on the surface that was possible to visit for Underdarkers. Maybe uh. Wharftown could be used for that? Just spitballing.

The surfacers would destroy it immediately. By that I mean NPCs, not PCs. What reason would they have to let it exist?

For it to survive, it'd have to be a fort or defensive structure. Which is a lot more than a small monstrous settlement. Or it would have to be very well hidden, or in an area with a lot of natural barriers that can be defended easily.

Cordor has repeatedly demonstrated how easy it is to sweep squatters out of the Wharftown ruins.

Not trying to take a leak on people's parades here, but these are all important factors to consider when inserting new things into the world. The admins don't exist in an IC context. No NPCs will look at something and go "Oh, that's there because the great developers in the sky put it there." No, things have to come about naturally and in a way that makes sense, so all of these factors must be considered.

[Tyrantos]

You know what would be cool? If there was a small monsterus settlemnt on the surface that was possible to visit for Underdarkers. Maybe uh. Wharftown could be used for that? Just spitballing.

The surfacers would destroy it immediately. By that I mean NPCs, not PCs. What reason would they have to let it exist?

For it to survive, it'd have to be a fort or defensive structure. Which is a lot more than a small monstrous settlement. Or it would have to be very well hidden, or in an area with a lot of natural barriers that can be defended easily.

Cordor has repeatedly demonstrated how easy it is to sweep squatters out of the Wharftown ruins.

Not trying to take a leak on people's parades here, but these are all important factors to consider when inserting new things into the world. The admins don't exist in an IC context. No NPCs will look at something and go "Oh, that's there because the great developers in the sky put it there." No, things have to come about naturally and in a way that makes sense, so all of these factors must be considered.

I was thinking something more along the Bugbear fortress in the Bramble woods, it just popped up one day. And I am not a fool, I know that it would be under attack quickly. But stranger things than such have happened.

Did not mean to step on anyone toes! Just want to give some suggstions for what COULD happen with Wharftown.

[Sab1]

Every settlemet would probably band together if an underdark fortress suddenly appeared. Not to mention would this be a good direction for the server where underdarkers have such little fear of the surface they now have a settlement?

For the UD and WT, I don't why the UD even if they felt they had enough notification would of gone running to WT aid, after all its surfacers killing each other so I don't see why they would want to stop it. They should be dancing in joy for all the chaos it caused.

[Cerk Evermoore]

They wanted to kill the king of Cordor who was at the event.

and most of us do dance with joy.

[Black Wendigo]

I doubt very much the UD would have come to WT aide. In fact, I have a gnoll char who wants to "thank" Cordor and Amn for destroying it . The logic? Now WT is a hunting grounds for him and other monster races. So from my point of view a door closed, but another opened.

Rather than second guess and worry about the what when and where that happened, I choose to simply roll with it and see if something good can't come out of it. Wharftown is gone, just like Lightkeep and Stonehold before it. After a while we'll all get over it and something new will replace Wharftown.

[Kizat]

I understand what the DM's mean about the starter city being essential and all the work going into it, but I do have to ask.

What is the point in RP'ing with Cordor in that light?

Right before the RP begins, right before the first plot is thought up or the first plan goes into motion you know what the outcome will be. Cordor triumphs, someone may or may not end up being executed, a rival settlement may or may not be blown to smithereens.

Interacting with Cordor in any way bar reverently seems to be a bad idea (tm), because it will always win. It's like turning to the last page of a thriller, after reading it there's not a fat lot of point reading the rest.

I get that people like the good triumphing over evil narrative etc and that Cordor has been held by evil PC's several times, but I do like a bit of ambiguity in what direction a story might go.

With Cordor, and to a lesser extent Aundor there's no point, because the outcome is known from the start. I don't see what the appeal is in making an RP in which Cordor links in light of that. I don't mind losing or winning, but it would be nice to have the possibility of an outcome rather than having a specific one guaranteed regardless of PC actions in a story telling environment.

[Kirito]

The only limitation is that it can't be razed to the ground...

So you can RP in order to take the city by force...
You can get elected and be the evil dictator you always wanted...
You can add change the player community around it and the tone of the city...(getting rid of the guards, having thugs heavy hand people instead, money with menaces etc...)

Lots of ways to interact... just don't burn the city down.

[Kizat]

The only limitation is that it can't be razed to the ground...

So you can RP in order to take the city by force...
You can get elected and be the evil dictator you always wanted...
You can add change the player community around it and the tone of the city...(getting rid of the guards, having thugs heavy hand people instead, money with menaces etc...)

Lots of ways to interact... just don't burn the city down.

I'm fairly sure when those things happen, Lord Vetinari/King etc call the PC's in question for a "chat" so...It's a little bit more than that.

[Mr_Rieper]

I understand what the DM's mean about the starter city being essential and all the work going into it, but I do have to ask.

What is the point in RP'ing with Cordor in that light?

Right before the RP begins, right before the first plot is thought up or the first plan goes into motion you know what the outcome will be. Cordor triumphs, someone may or may not end up being executed, a rival settlement may or may not be blown to smithereens.

Interacting with Cordor in any way bar reverently seems to be a bad idea (tm), because it will always win. It's like turning to the last page of a thriller, after reading it there's not a fat lot of point reading the rest.

I get that people like the good triumphing over evil narrative etc and that Cordor has been held by evil PC's several times, but I do like a bit of ambiguity in what direction a story might go.

With Cordor, and to a lesser extent Aundor there's no point, because the outcome is known from the start. I don't see what the appeal is in making an RP in which Cordor links in light of that. I don't mind losing or winning, but it would be nice to have the possibility of an outcome rather than having a specific one guaranteed regardless of PC actions in a story telling environment.

Hm. What are you hoping for? The point of settlements being invulnerable has come up before. What is it that you would like to see happen? Don't be vague. By specific. Incredibly specific. Make an example to use.

The way I see it, it's like the alchemist's principle of equivalent exchange. You have to offer something of equal value. It's also like the law of conservation of energy, in that the energy that has gone into a place like Cordor cannot be destroyed, only changed from one form to another.

If you're vague about what the problem is, then you're going to have that problem forever. Nothing can be done or be offered. If you're expecting to invest a small amount of effort into something and have the results be sudden and drastic, you're going to be disappointed, whether it's trying to blow up Cordor or throwing a birthday party.

Cordor does not always win. I don't know why people think that. Confirmation bias maybe.

*EDIT* And no, the King doesn't involve himself very often. Cassius Gallostone was a greedy and ambitious schemer, and the King left him alone as he was trying to conquer the Isle. Give the DMs some credit, they do try their best to let RP breathe. You WANT the King to be a presence in the city, it's definitely not a negative thing. It can empower people as well.