Setting Expectations

Setting Expectations

You are expected to immerse yourself in a dark, brutal setting where strength and brutality reign supreme over virtue. Modern notions of justice, equality, and morality do not apply here. Instead, callousness, cold indifference, and often outright cruelty are the norm. Your character should be accustomed to this reality unless they are explicitly sheltered. If, out of character, you expect anything else, this is not the server for you.

Do not approach this as a standard Space Station 13 server or a game of Dungeons & Dragons. You are not the hero. This is a medieval dark fantasy world with certain concessions made for gameplay and playability. You are expected to adapt your perspective and your approach to the setting, and to actively contribute to a more immersive and compelling experience, always in service of the Rule of Interesting.

Expected Player Approaches:

• Distrust of outsiders or "otherness" exists organically (e.g., disdain for foreign customs, species-based tensions).
  • Avoid conflating these dynamics with real-world identities, i.e. sexual orientation, skin color, etc.
  • While normally we would be fine with furry vs non-furry species dynamic, it causes too much OOC tension, so it is best to be avoided.
  • Focus instead on in-universe divisions like fantasy race divides (Elf vs Human, Lupian vs Tabaxi, "Axians are criminals", etc.), class divides (Yeoman vs Peasant), regional rivalries (Grenzelhoft vs Otava), clan loyalties, or magical corruption/tendencies (Magic vs Non-Magic).
• Slavery exists commonplace within the setting, and characters should treat it as such. Unless your character is extremely forward-thinking, you should not act be in active opposition. Opposition would require unusual circumstances: religious conviction, firsthand trauma, or strategic advantage. After all, Astrata believes in order and hierarchy.
• Respect the hierarchy. While nobody says you cannot be a disrespectful peasant, those within the established hierarchy from the Church to the Inquisition to the Keep typically have a vested interest in maintaining the hierarchy. It is integral for them to ensure the nobility is respected. Even foreign nobles should have privilege over that of local peasants. However, this may not always hold true depending on the ruler (or the lack of rulers), although it should generally be expected from the setting as a whole.
• Brutality serves atmosphere, not shock value. Cruelty needs purpose: entertainment, intimidation, punishment, or showing factional ruthlessness among other things. It is particularly encouraged in cases where it may make a round more interesting for a captive.
• Likewise, kindness can exist cautiously such as protecting friends and other relations, currying favor, and so forth. However, this should not be handed out willy-nilly. By being more reserved with it, this makes acts of kindness stand out more vividly, especially in dark times like this, and makes it more impactful to the story.
  • For instance, your character should typically care not for what happens to criminals. They should care little for beggars as well. Unless you have a very good IC reason for it beyond just being "good", keep your kindness in reserve as if it's mammons in your pouch. Ultimately, if you're playing a white knight, you're doing it wrong.

Faction Expectations

This is the general expectation, but this will not be rigidly enforced. Do not admin-help, just because you are salty that someone betrayed you. It will solely be applied when the Rule of Interesting is clearly broken or in severe immersion breaks. As long as you work to add to the roleplay of one another, we prefer to be hands-off and will only get involved in extraordinary cases.

The Keep

Internal Politics

The Keep is the most flexible faction when it comes to morality. They may be evil or good. However, they should generally attempt to align with the Duke, at least on the surface. In theory, you were picked by the Duke himself or one of his subordinates to serve him. However, this does not mean you cannot undermine the Duke or scheme against him. Rather, be smart. Be subtle.

For instance, if you are sympathetic to Matthios and want to help said a captured bandit escape, you are allowed to do so. However, suddenly turning around and joining the bandits in the middle of battle for no real reason is frowned upon.

External Politics

The Keep should strive to maintain good relations with the Church in order to preserve its legitimacy. Slaughtering the Church only weakens the Keep’s hold on power, as its authority is derived from the Prelate’s anointment. Eradicating the Church because it has grievances with individual members of the court is an extreme and self-destructive response, akin to resorting to the nuclear option immediately. If relations truly collapse and all other avenues fail, the Inquisition may be persuaded to turn against the Church through bribery or the promise of expanded power.

Courtiers

Lore Considerations: The Duke or one of his subordinates has chosen you to serve him directly. He is what gives your realm and your own position legitimacy. Other neighboring nations may see your ruler as illegitimate and may invade if you are too overt. Furthermore, it may encourage peasants to become uppity which puts your own power in jeopardy

• Courtiers may initially oppose the Duke through subterfuge and intrigue, using overt action or outside alliances only as a last resort—ideally eliminating him quietly through stealth or poisoning, and resorting to bargaining with other factions or a coup only if subtler means fail.
• Ultimately, Courtiers are encouraged to scheme, but you should also avoid being a constant nuisance. You should at least maintain a facade of loyalty.

Knights

Lore Considerations: The Duke has chosen you to serve him directly, and you have been in his service for a long time. You derive your honor, your legitimacy, and your wealth from him. Without him, no other lord will entrust you to them. Betraying him will make you an outcast among the nobility, even if he was hated, making you a "disgraced" knight. Only betray him if you think you must.

• Knights should remain relatively steadfast to the Duke. You are not a templar or a mercenary, therefore your main loyalty should lay with the Duke. This does not mean you must be his lapdog, rather you should be less keen on betraying him outright.
• You should be more loyal than your average courtier or retinue member, but that does not mean you are fully infallible. Full betrayal is only encouraged if the Duke's actions directly affects you to an extraordinary degree or in a highly personal way. This should only be done in extreme instances. However, this does not mean you need to always work to the Duke's benefit.
• This does not mean you cannot join in on schemes, given that you work to be discreet. However, you should be risk-adverse, as being labeled for dishonor can be worse than death as a knight. You and your family would be marked for shame and shunning forever, leaving banditry your only option.
• You must actively participate in service of the Duke.

Retinue

• Regular Garrison members should generally be loyal to each other over outsiders. This does not mean they cannot treat each other poorly, but should be more likely to believe each other over an outsider.
• They should follow the chain of command, i.e. generally respect the members of court and their superiors on the surface, however, their loyalty is not expected to be as strong as the knights who have sworn oaths.
• Sustained failure to be paid for time worked is sufficient reason to desert or to betray. They may also abandon their duties for any other serious reasons.

Dungeoneers

• The Dungeoneer is not an adventurer and should not be treated as one. Their primary responsibility is the care (or torment) of prisoners, which must take precedence over all other activities. They should make a consistent effort to interact with all prisoners, not only personal “favorites.” If prisoner numbers become unmanageable, interesting steps should be taken to address it to avoid neglect.
• In exchange for these responsibilities, the Dungeoneer is granted wide discretion and leeway in how prisoners are treated, with the expectation that prisoners remain actively roleplayed with. This means that white knighting is discouraged, unless you have a deep personal connection with the prisoner, i.e. see On Avoiding Unnecessary Intrusion.
• Once custody of a prisoner is granted, all authority lies with the Dungeoneer. Do not interfere or attempt to claim a prisoner without permission. Members of the Keep, aside from the Duke, Hand, or Marshal, should not involve themselves in the Dungeoneer’s duties. The Dungeoneer is paid to torture prisoners, and criminals are given little consideration.
• The Dungeoneer must avoid low quality interactions, see "On Boring Mechanics Spam" in the Rules.

Inquisition

Internal Politics

The Inquisition is a flexible faction in terms of how it can be played, but it should always be portrayed as dangerous and intimidating. Its members can, and should, act corrupt and cruel beneath the banner of fanaticism, especially when doing so advances their cause or expands their power. They are not above making false accusations or conveniently overlooking heresy when it serves their interests. Sympathy toward perceived heretics should be rare to nonexistent. Above all else, the Inquisition should strive to be feared, fully willing to commit heinous acts in the name of the so-called “Greater Good” or simply their own self-interest.

Members of the Inquisition must try to at least follow in the direction that the Head Inquisitor sets. While some dissent is appropriate, you should not be openly working against them as you have been working with them for years now. In only very rare instances where you are personally affected significantly, should you be rebelling and betraying the Head Inquisitor. Simply disagreeing with their methods towards heretic is not sufficient, as one is expected to be horrendously cruel to heretics. You are the Inquisition after all.

External Politics

Unlike other factions, the Inquisition is not primarily concerned with maintaining the status quo. This makes them the most flexible and sometimes, the most dangerous. However, they should remember that they are outsiders in a foreign land and should conduct themselves accordingly. The Inquisition may ally with any faction that aligns with their interests, but they should act independently and avoid becoming easily entangled with any one group. Their primary goal is to side with whichever faction offers them the greatest advantage.

Church

Internal Politics

The Church may serve as a cornerstone of morality within the realm, but this is not always guaranteed. It does not mean its members are incapable of corruption or wrongdoing. For example, turning a blind eye to events at the Keep might be justified in the name of the “Greater Good,” particularly with a goddess like Astrata that values order. This is not a world of black-and-white morality where no faction, not even the Church, is uniformly good. Like any other group, the Church is malleable and susceptible to corruption.

Members should hold at least some loyalty to the Prelate with devotion generally increasing with rank. While dissent is allowed, openly opposing an institution central to your life should be approached with caution and strong cause. That said, loyalty does not require blind obedience. For instance, if the Prelate forbids healing without collecting mammons, quietly aiding those in need in accordance with your character’s religious teachings is entirely acceptable. Direct rebellion or betrayal of the Prelate should be reserved for only the most extraordinary circumstances.

Note: Templars and Martyrs are devoted to the protection of the Church. Unless given other orders, they should prioritize defending the Church and remain nearby whenever possible.

External Politics

The Church should strive to maintain strong relations with the Keep, even amid disagreements or unfortunate circumstances. After all, it was the Church that anointed the Duke. For instance, the treatment of criminals or accused heretics may not arouse concern on its own, but the mistreatment of true followers, possibly even foreigners, is another matter entirely and can justifiably strain relations if left unaddressed. This holds particularly true if it diminishes the influence of the Church.

The Church may work alongside the Inquisition and even align with them against the Keep when pursuing a shared objective, but such arrangements should be approached with extreme caution. They may serve a common cause, yet they remain rivals to the Church’s authority and influence.

Others

Again, whether you are a Bandit, Wretch, or a Migrant group, you should typically be loyal as described above to your faction, especially the officially marked leader of said faction if one exists. This does not mean you cannot be cruel to one another, but you should not readily backstab each other either or go out of your way to kill each other or get in each other's way, especially for an outsider.

On Heresy

• Not every heinous act is heresy. To be a heresy, it needs to be sacrilegious or be done on behalf of the Ascendant. Not every theft is an act of "Matthios". Not every act of cannibalism is an act of "Graggar" either. Severity is not what determines heresy.
• Neither is every degenerate act an act of heresy. For instance, having an orgy alone at the brothel is not "Baothan", however, having a drug-induced orgy on the Church altar and committing sacrilege is. Context matters, although that is not to say things could not be twisted to get rid of say a political rival. Rule of Interesting applies.
  • While we want to reflect dark medieval times, we also want people to have fun, so being a homosexual does not make you a heretic, neither is being intersex.
• This is what the Inquisition is for: to figure out if a criminal given to them is a heretic or not. Again, not every murderer or rapist is a heretic. They are to look into the context of the situation, derive information they can from the one they're interrogating, and to figure out whom they worship. Although again, that is not to say they could not be corrupt or needlessly cruel, given it adds to the roleplay, i.e. Rule of Interesting. After all, false accusations can be part of roleplay if it leads to an interesting storyline and is not abused. Same goes with overlooking heresy.