Lore Announcement - Escalation

It had been little more than three days since the Symposium in Felidae had come to a conclusion that none had expected. Now, on this cold winter day, it was still early morning when the courier carrying the telegram arrived on the steps of the Holy Palace of Arcanos in Memoria, the sun not yet visible on the horizon. The man had traveled through the night to make it here from the border outpost where he had been stationed as fast as possible, and even then, when finally brought before Grand Cardinal Soteris Leptis, he remained panting furiously, desperately trying to draw breath into his tired lungs. His muscles ached, his hands shaking as he opened the large envelope of stacked papers, the collection more akin to a small book bound by gold thread. The soreness, however, was nothing compared to the sheer shock he still felt rippling through his body, handing the papers to a white-robed attendant before finally being led away to his quarters, sent off to some well-deserved rest. He doubted that he could get much sleep tonight, for he knew exactly the thing he had just delivered to the government of Bellum.

The attendant did not hesitate, then, to begin reading what was apparently a message of the highest importance.

"People of Bellum, Grand Cardinal Soteris Leptis", the address began simply, the words undoubtedly thrown onto the page with the utmost of condescension.

"You have overstepped reasonable boundaries and trampled on our good will one too many times.

We were willing to look past our differences and let the past remain as such. Pergrande wished only to be left in peace, but it has become clear to our nation that you are exceedingly interested in continued conflict between our states. Not only did you invade our lands, had your dirty feet trample Pergrandian soil, but you have possessed the sheer boldness and audacity to have one of your nobles attempt to assassinate the Imperial Envoy I personally sent to make peace with you".

The words were harsh and without room for compromise, the attendant reading them aloud gulping as realization dawned on his expression, the color draining from his face.

"It has become clear that Bellum is not interested in peace, only offering lies and deceit to the noble people of Pergrande, who have so generously extended their hands. As such, I see myself left with no other option. Thus, I declare that, in accordance with our traditions, the sword must right the wrongs that words cannot".

The man tried to remain calm, and though he kept his composure, the voice leaving his lips was shaky.

"In the name of the Empire of Pergrande and by the power bestowed upon me by its imperial throne, I hereby declare a state of total war between the Empire of Pergrande and the people of Bellum. May your god have mercy on your souls as you face the unleashed might of Pergrande.

Her Imperial Majesty,

Empress Xenia Polyakov".

With wide eyes, the man turned the page, making visible the symbol stamped into burgundy-hued wax at the bottom of the parchment. The seal of the Imperial House of Pergrande. It confirmed the message's authenticity, for there was one singular person in Earthland, Leptis knew, who possessed this seal.

This could only mean one thing: War had been declared.

The Grand Cardinal rose from his seat, slowly, still working through the contents of the message in his mind when he spoke aloud, his voice serenely calm, collected, but carrying a sense of unerring urgency. "Our lord, Arcanos, is testing us. Get the Cardinal of Peace from her chambers. We have work to do".

The sun now peeking above the horizon, dawn was nearly upon Ishgar anew, announcing the beginning of a fateful day. Within the hour a reply had been issued to Pergrande, delivered across the border via arcane means with the full knowledge that this would cause considerable displeasure among Pergrandians learning of this fact. Soteris Leptis had written the reply himself, by hand, the parchment possessing his own pontifical seal.

"The Holy Council of Bellum and its followers stand united in the rejection of the accusations you personally level against us. We have had no other interest than peace in our time, and any other implication is simply ridiculous, so I swear in the name of Arcanos. If, however, her Imperial Majesty longs to meet Bellum on the field of battle, then by the merciful god of magic, she shall have her desire.

It is with a heavy heart that I must announce a holy war between the blessed land of Bellum and the heretics of Pergrande. May Arcanos forgive you for what you have done.

Grand Cardinal Soteris Leptis".

With this, it was official. War had once more broken out between Pergrande and Bellum.

Over the course of this day, a chain of events was set in motion that would change Ishgar forever. Several nations came forward, addressing the true conflict on the horizon in their own way. Most remained neutral, but some, as it would be reported, seemed to take sides in the upcoming war, their statements being widely broadcast across available media in Ishgar.

---

The temporary Administrator of the Magic Council, former member Arthur Dalakar, gave the following statement:

"The circumstances that have led us to this scenario are most regrettable and tragic, and albeit it is with expressed reluctance, Fiore does not intend to betray its agreement with the people of Bellum. As such, the Magic Council of Fiore is at the disposal of its comrades-in-arms in Bellum. The Rune Knights are being mobilized as we speak. We pray that we can settle our differences in a manner that preserves all of us".

---

Ca-Elum's Queen, Maria Rose II. of Robinshire, issued the following statement in response to the news of Fiore's and Bellum's involvement in armed conflict:

"Let me first emphasize that this conflict is not ours to begin or to finish. In light of changes to the economical system in Ishgar, however, I, as the sovereign of Ca-Elum, see myself forced to intervene on behalf of the people of not only this land, but further, our friends in Fiore, as well. Let it be clear that Ca-Elum is prepared to, for the duration of this conflict, defend its interest on sea and land alike".

---

In response to this announcement, the Gran Almirante of Enca, Andrés Castillo, has delivered a now widely publicized speech to the citizens of Enca from the Palace of the People in the nation's capital:

"The world is in turmoil. Enca will not stand idly by while Ca-Elum claims the seas that are rightfully ours! My fellow comrades, it has become time to prove that, while no longer bound by the shackles of monarchy, Enca still holds its place on the world stage! To War!".

---

Geignir Drengarson, The Speaker of the Ting, shared the message the tribes of Icerberg had agreed on:

"We will not forget the ancient vow our people have given to the eagle-winged emperor. Iser ships will once again leave their harbors. Vikings of Iserheim stand with their brothers and sisters in arms in Pergrande. The moment to revive the ancient sagas has come".

---

A representative of the 3 Desert Sultans of Desierto, Adil Faez of Alwarda, Falak al Hadid of Aljana, and Hashid Nabih of Qafas, has delivered the following statement to international media when prompted with the question regarding Desierto's stance on the looming conflict:

"It is, of course, with great concern that we watch these developments unfold, as they spell a true disaster for Ishgar, indeed. The accusations, however, that people of our nation have already begun "raids" on neighboring nations is, frankly, ridiculous. The noblest and most wise Desert Sultans, naturally, would never begin military action without an official declaration of war, which you shall duly be provided with. The Alliance of the 3 Kings has agreed to support its most trusted and loyal friend, Bellum, in their operations against those who seek to so unjustly harm its innocent and peaceful populace".

---

The last shock of this day came in the early hours of the evening in the form of an address delivered to the Imperial Chamber of Minstrel by Empress Jeanne Louise du Rouge, her passionate speech decrying the injustices of alleged actions made by Desierto beyond the borders of Minstrel and Joya for a time before finally arriving on this last point to the thunderous applause of the noble delegates present:

"I say, my fellow members of the noble Houses of Minstrel, we cannot stand by and watch as our mighty nation is eroded by savages, its people taken as slaves to be sold on Desierto slave markets! Despicable! And what of the other once-great nations? They turn a blind eye, pretend that this is a myth perpetuated by our very Houses! I will have no more of this! If they wish to take up arms against us, against our families, against our Houses, and against our great Empire, then they shall know that Minstrel is, by no means, as defenseless as they believe it to be! Come what may, Minstrel declares war on the savages in the East, and if we shall find support or opposition among the nations of Ishgar, then by the gods, so be it. Minstrel is at war!".

---

The following information will describe future changes to the site based on the events that have transpired at the Ishgar Symposium in Felidae City, as open conflict has broken among the nations of Ishgar. A system of alliances, sympathies, and national ambitions has led to a series of official declarations of war that divide the continent of Ishgar, besides the neutral nations abstaining from these hostilities officially, into two distinct factions.


This means that a few predetermined nations are now canonically in open conflict with one another and that hostilities between nations have broken out. The borders of nations at war are closed to any outsiders trying to enter without official permission of the governments of these nations. Even neutral nations are wary of those trying to enter their countries, this especially applying to nations whose populace was already suspicious of outsiders before.



Nations that have closed their borders cannot be entered legally unless some kind of official business requires it, even with a passport. Please keep this point in mind when roleplaying in other nations and during the creation of threads in said nations to explicitly simulate the state of conflict in Ishgar. Threads that have been started prior to this announcement may take their due course and be finished by their participants without regard for this change. Depending on the plot of the threads in question, the things that members seek to accomplish via plots in these nations may influence site-wide lore and as such be restricted by the Admin Team following all rules as lined out in the Official Nations of Ishgar thread.





Based on the alliances of the nations participating in this conflict two factions will be formed by their respective member states, the Ironheart Pact, lead by Pergrande, and the Luminous Covenant, led by Bellum, these Factions being formed from NPC members of the respective armies and armed forces (as well as Players who wish to participate). The Rune Knights of Fiore will additionally be transformed from a guild into a faction independent from these previous two in the near future, but will initially remain associated with the Luminous Covenant due to Fiore's alliance with Bellum. The Ironheart Pact and the Luminous Covenant stand against each other in open and armed conflict.

Factions are separate from guilds and can be joined by Players. Factions can further control territory on the continent of Ishgar and can conquer territory from other factions. Factions possess a Faction base from which they operate. The exact differences and mechanics for Factions will be outlined when all details about the Factions will be released.

Factions function differently and independently from guilds and are associated with nations rather than alignments. One can be part of a guild and be part of either the Ironheart Pact or the Luminous Covenant. One cannot be part of the Rune Knights and be part of a guild (meaning that, to join the Rune Knights as a faction, a character must be guildless). As opposed to guilds, one may join a faction with more than one of their characters. Faction leaders determine which characters may join their faction (in consideration of alignment and association with the nations in question). Every Faction may possess its own system for progression within the Faction itself up to the leadership of a Faction. Initially, The Ironheart Pact and the Luminous Covenant will be headed by NPCs controlled by the Event Team until viable Player candidates emerge. Factions will be able to engage in pre-made Faction events connected to the war or be able to set up their own Faction events in cooperation with the Event Team, Dev Team, and Admin Team as they fight for control over Ishgar. Faction events will include things like assaults in hostile territory, battles between opposing forces, capturing a city or other territory, etc.




The Ironheart Pact will be the Faction headed by Pergrande, including at its start the armies of Pergrande, Iceberg, Enca, and Minstrel. The aims of the Ironheart Pact are shrouded in mystery and cooperation between the parties that form this pact is tense, but the sheer opportunism of this conflict brings the nations within together to provide mutual aid, even if Pergrande has to compromise with its more arcane-oriented allies. Still, under the leadership and supervision of Pergrande, this Factions tolerates magic and remains heavily meritocratic, albeit with a definitive bias towards technology and other alternatives to the arcane arts. Magic, however, undeniably holds considerable power within Ishgar, and the members of this faction, aside from Pergrande, have no qualms about using it liberally to get an edge over their foes. The Ironheart Pact seems to rely on rather imperialistic and conservative values, the organization as a whole being militarized through and through.




The Luminous Covenant will be the Faction headed by Bellum, including at its start the armies of Bellum, Desierto, and Ca-Elum. Fiore and the Rune Knights are additionally classed as part of this faction, albeit remaining semi-independent from the structure and hierarchy of the Covenant. Ostensibly, the only goal of the Luminous Covenant is to restore peace to Ishgar, but the individual aims of its members vary wildly. Power politics seem to be at play liberally within the workings of this institution. Magic is, without a doubt, the key to power in this Faction, and the views of its members reflect that. Technology and alternatives to magic are, in contrast to the Ironheart Pact, often belittled and ridiculed. The structure of this Faction, compared to their adversaries, also appears more ad-hoc and without the "one-size-fits-all" approach other nations have taken. The Luminous Covenant appears to promote values like freedom and a moral coexistence.