Meranthe 1.9 - Introducing factions

[Chance]

First, let's begin with some important belated celebrations: Meranthe hit its one year anniversary a few weeks back (August the 5th)! A big thank you to everyone that's been on board with the ride, and to many more years of fleshing out the rich history of our shared world. In Eternia's 11 year long past, we've experienced unprecedented amounts of activity & an impressive development schedule that's continuously added mechanical depth and the empowerment of the average player's ability to tell great stories. 

Now, together, we move on to the next chapter! The focus of 1.9 will be the ambitious factions system, & some other goodies.

With the fall of great empires, many small nations have risen.

Factions: Making Organizing Easy & Enhancing Politics

It begins with the introduction of a new stat: influence. A form of currency that you gain whenever EXP is earned within a 100 tile radius of your faction's settlement (including interiors), among other progression methods. 

To begin, what is a faction? The current system is being expanded to allow the staff to spawn 'faction' NPCs, that they set the name of, the guild, and which settlement its linked to. Once the faction NPC is set up, then any character can interact with it to join the guild as the lowest level (rank 1). 

As a member of the faction, they now gain influence at the base rate. By being promoted, this rate is increased. Citizen being level 1, soldier/apprentice level 2, experienced authority level 3, etc. Up to 7 levels to set, though there are limits on the higher ones that vary depending on the activity of your faction.

You can only be in one faction at a time. If you speak to another NPC, you'll be asked if you want to leave your current faction, which wipes your influence. You can still be in multiple guilds of course, just one of choice is marked as your 'faction'.

Multiple faction NPCs can be set to the same settlement, if a nation wishes to have official guilds, multiple branches, etc. It's all purposely flexible to the desired structure!

So you gain influence by being active within your settlement. What do you do spend your influence on?

Many things! The primary investment are the customizable uniforms that faction leaders can set up. They can add uniform of the chest and cloak slot, set the name, description, and even apply a custom sprite. Additionally, they can add cosmetic alternatives with no real limits on that.

So the first thing you'll do is purchase your faction's uniform for the small cost of 1000 coin. You need to be an 'official' member (rank 2+) rather than a citizen. This uniform is then soulbound to your character. You can upgrade it by spending influence, which works similar to the pristine stat (lasting for up to 5 years and needing to be renewed).

Faction gear is especially generous stat wise with adequate influence investment. While wearing the uniform, you also get a bonus of +20% influence gains, & some influence on the victory of an aggressive+ battle.

Along with faction gear, there will also be a store where influence can be spent. What this might entail I'm not sure yet, but I'm sure we can add it to over time. 

& thirdly, the most beneficial aspect of influence: role commands. These are spells that cost 500 influence to cast, and will be used to empower characters focused on a particular role; whether it's a devoted, proactive commander, a religious leader, or an engineer pioneering artificing.

But first, the basic spell, and maybe the most important one that every character has access to. Effectively, this another way to support others, adding more weight and influence to the social dynamics of the game:

Commend - Political Support
This does not cost 500 influence to cast, unlike the others.
Default basic spell. Transfers selected amount of influence to the target. If they're not in the same faction: at a reduction of 50%.
This spell can only be cast once per year.
'You lend your support to target, granting them X influence!
If 1000+ influence, guild announce (can choose public or private): name has lent their support to target name! +[custom msg]'


The other commands cost 500 Influence to cast. They are purposely strong and impactful; coordination is key to success.
Commander: Grant the target +50% EXP for 1 year
Master of Coin: Grant the target +50% coin for 1 year
Head of Research: Improved anvil rolls (doubled!) on target for 1 year
Faith Leader: Exchange 200 influence for 1 faith (can be used in multitudes ofc). Exchange 1 faith for 50 influence. Something like this will exist for other classes (witchcraft/necromancy) but not advertised so openly.


So the overall goal of this is to:
Empower support roles, character coordination, politics and organizing.
Give people more reason to get involved in guilds, military, etc! Strong, cool looking custom uniform at the click of a button. Powerful supporting perks.

That's the gist of factions. It's something we also want to build on over time, as shown by the NPC feature brainstorming in the #patron chat!

Now to talk about some other very cool features coming to you in the 1.9 update:

PRIVATE BATTLES
Ever attack someone inside a building and then have to go in LOOC 'uhh let's move outside' only for a massive crowd to form? Want to stealthily strike and not be witnessed by 15 people passing by? Well, do we have news for you.

In 1.9, there is a private battle option you can trigger after sending a battle request. It asks your opponent if they wish to make this battle private, and then you choose an arena currently not in use from many available themes; you can see Valterak and Bolonga working on these in the Discord publicly viewable map channel.

Anyone that's nearby/already there are also asked if they want to watch. Once the battle concludes, all are sent back to the original spot on the overworld from the arena.

OFFLINE MESSAGING
Wanted to get in contact with someone but timezones are making it tough? Now you can send a letter to them and they'll be alerted on log in! A small mail icon with 'you have mail!' pops up whenever there's a letter waiting for them & they can retrieve the letter on click. This makes IC organizing even easier. 

TRAINING DUMMIES
A craftable object that has three training dummies spawned in a chest. You can drag one out at any time to test your spells! Very clean and easy to use.

FORTUNA - FAITH CLASS
While the four Fortuna spells - hope, death, space, and the aura - aren't new, they'll be rolled out into a special foreteller class. Since these abilities have only seen a little use, they'll be much more thematic in their own unique class, the first mechanical 'sub-class' of faith.

The class comes with reflavored versions of: Prayer, Oath, Festival, Channel Faith.
But you can also spend Faith to unlock one of the four Fortuna spells (10 Faith & 15 Spell points per).

Additionally, you can cast 'foresight' to tell someone's fortune and bless their fate, granting a small, randomized buff for the year at the cost of 500 energy and 5 faith. It's pretty fun and silly (you will be expected to roleplay it, of course, & expanded lore will be released along with the faith!).

SPELL CHANGES, NEW SPELLS, ETC...

What's a major update without shaking up the meta? As always, expect some new public spells, tweaks & balance!

[Chance]

PROGRESS UPDATE!

PRIVATE BATTLES: 100% Complete

OFFLINE MESSAGING: 100% Complete

TRAINING DUMMIES: 100% Complete

FACTIONS: 60% Complete 

FORTUNA CLASS: 70% Complete

SPELL CONTENT: ??

ETA: Sometime later this month. A week's notice will be given with some role hook options!

[Chance]

RELEASE DATE: 6th of October

➤FACTIONS
Influence system
Supporting actions
Custom, upgradeable faction gear

➤PRIVATE BATTLES
Choice of arena theme. Takes into account nearby spectators.

➤TRAINING DUMMIES
New 'general' craftable.

➤OFFLINE MESSAGING
If your target recipient of a letter is offline, now they'll receive it on their next log in.

➤AUTOMATED DISGUISES
Disguise item gained @ Level 150. No apps required. Customizable and character bound, adjusted with automation in mind. (Must be a mask or hood)

➤TREASURE DETECTOR
A new artificer craftable. Use this to detect buries items: gives you a very hot to ice cold signal depending on the tile distance of a chest.

➤FORTUNA CLASS
Unlock the Fortuna class spells by foretelling the many threads of fate.

➤DESCENDANT RACE
See post.

➤SPELLS ??
Public and otherwise. Sweeping balance patch as well.

MISC
➤Obelisk turrets now automatically destroy after a round.
➤Interact range of descriptors increased (no longer need to be beside one).
➤Cannot see say/RP while being grabbed fixed.
➤Medic is once again mentorable with the spell.
➤Various other fixes/changes. Will be noted in the full change log release post-update.

[Chance]

Meranthe 1.9 Role Hooks
Applications will open sometime on Wednesday, with an @ everyone in the Discord server. Official release of 1.9 is 6th of October.

These are the available roles. Characters spawn at a minimum of Level 150.


➤The Descendants and Spirit-Wards
Pale, ghastly skin, veins almost visible beyond their glassy complexions, the blood flowing a cold blue rather than hot red. More spirit than man; their upbringings were spent in the outer worlds, afar from Eternia, until this day. They wear azure masks with a single soul crystal present at the temple, linked to the mind, sustaining themselves within the world. The color of the gem reflecting their spirit.

There are only just a few 'descendants', their ancestors those who built the Tower of Aetius. They are naturals with riftmancy. Centuries of dwelling beyond the confines of Eternia have altered their physiology. 

Spirit-Wards are effectively homunculi, clones of the archmages that explored the cosmos, and clones of those clones. They were present in the hundreds during the Grand Tournament. All Spirit-Wards must wear their soul gems/mask when in the presence of a Descendant; in fact they rarely take it off in general, only to eat and drink (usually in private), or while on a mission that requires anonymity.

Joseph built the Tower of Aetius to explore the outer worlds, after a lifetime of struggle to both complete the project and bring together a capable council. During their voyage, what they lacked in population they made up for using their advanced homunculi technology, and over the years different outposts formed.

The original council, including Joseph, survived for just over a few decades as Aetius travelled the reaches of space. Their efforts were eventually put to a stop by the enforcers of the Pantheon, given that humans travelling into their realm is a breach of the cosmic laws that maintain balance in nature. However, there were survivors, and the living Descendants are led by the revolutionary Ealdin, the 'host' during the Grand Tournament, who is on a journey to unseal his people (as seen during that event).

Other goals, and particularly their presence on Meranthe now, will be revealed in time. You are also likely responsible for this.

(Spirit-wards begin at Level 180, The Descendants have an enhanced Level & Riftmancy. Minimum age of 21 for the latter. Both have access to the Descendant Racial tree & the 10 discount on affinities. Cannot purchase Cosmic, Occult, or Holy.)

(No limit on Spirit-ward approval. Descendant is limited/leadership role.)

(All begin with an azure mask/hood; this is your 'disguise', and what other Spirit-Wards will know you by.)

➤Seers of Memoria

Fortuna can be considered a subset of Faith, though it has no intrinsic link to the pantheon. Instead it is the gift to not only divine a person's future or specific events, but empower the path they walk and, as the name implies, bring them fortune, or doom.

When they channel their gift and look at the sky, they can see the flow of the cosmos and its grand design, in unspeakable ways. Or by peering at a person of their own admission, truths might be revealed. Many people fear the foretellers and put them in the same category as witches, as their prophecies can bring about catastrophe. They see the golden threads of fate, and can easily divine particular outcomes.

Often a foreteller might be equipped with a particular tool to enhance their gift, such as tarot cards, or a seering orb (crystal ball).  

Wanderers, advisors on courts, their role throughout the world is far from set, just like the threads of fate that they diivine. But they all share something in common: they were born on the exact same day and year, 2065 Geist the 1st, and with the same gift: Visions of the future, and a pivotal role to play in certain unfolding events. You were born with the power of foresight, rather than learned.

(Begins with Fortuna Class, Level 150. Minimum starting age of 18.)

➤Synthetics of Final Frontier (Level 150, minimum age 18)
➤Faceless of Aphros (Level 150, minimum age 13)
➤Nephilim: Enarr, Chireus, Mestra (Level 150, minimum age 13)

[Chance]

The above has been edited with more information & role applications are now open! You will be sent a DM by the 6th of October following your submission.

Apply here: https://forms.gle/rhs1R94ysnhGhihXA

[Chance]

Meranthe 1.9 is scheduled for roughly 3PM EST, Friday.

[Chance]

Addition of Arcane Magic, several new public spells, & more...

[Chance]

Pre-1.9 Notes/FAQ

Are role applications still being reviewed post-update?
Maybe for a day or so. The form will close when it's over, and responses might be slow.

Update Notes
Type /privatebattle after starting a battle and it'll ask your opponent if they want to make the battle private, as well as all nearby spectators.

To send a message to an offline character, you just send a message normally, inputting their name. They'll receive a 'you've got mail!' message when logging in. Later on we'll improve this so it has a dedicated UI that tracks outgoing mail etc.

To throw an item, just drag and drop it onto your screen, as if dropping it normally. If it's out of throw range, it'll drop beneath you; if it's within range it'll be thrown.

Disguises are gained at Level 150 or higher. You do gain an automated disguise if you spawned in prior to the update, as this would mean characters with multiple disguises. The item description notes it, but disguises should always involve a hood or mask; something that obscures the person's identity. Anyone seen doing otherwise will be penalized harshly. 

The Fortuna class, while a Faith sub-class, has no restrictions and can be intermixed with any other class (including the darker ones). It has no links to the pantheon, but rather fate itself, which can of course be good and bad. 

On Descendants/Spirit-Wards
Neither are immortal, and age normally, though at a delayed rate flavor wise, similar to Faeborne.

On Factions
You can ticket to set up your Faction NPC if you're the leader or co-leader of a settlement. You'll want to provide chest/hood sprites, but we can likely help with this.