Celebrating 12 Years of Adventure and Scheming!

Firan was developed in 1997 and has been continuously active since then.

What's Hot?

We're adding content here all the time From time to time, we'll add links to pages that we're working on so you know about something new or special. The newest items appear at the top of the listing.

Calendar

The Current Events link in the Navigation panel at the left of every page now links to the game event calendar.

February

Ellish Abandoned

Although the clans have pledged to support a combined Coalition Army, the fate of Ellish is far from certain. More and more soldiers of the former Republic abandon their posts each day to join the FFI, now led by the iron-fisted Commander Kaliko Jaffus. The civilians of Ellish are caught in the crossfire between the FFI, Griffon Loyalists and Shamibelians. Meanwhile, while the Griffon Clan army swears to defend their city to the last man, the armies of the Chimera Clan and Gold Dragon Clan have refused orders to defend Ellish, tired of giving their lives for another clan's city. A great burden now rests on the shoulders of High General Cortik Junik, for he now has but a few months to prepare the fledgling army before the snow melts and Shamibelian reinforcements arrive. Check out War Season 2010 for all the details.

Death of a Clan Leader

When Lord Banian IstaNydiam journeyed to a deserted field near Unotran, he expected to meet and negotiate with his brother in law, Lord Rikon. Much to his surprise and dismay, the figure who instead came to meet him was his own sister, Clan Leader Diamia of the Cockatrice Clan, seeking to defend her medallion and throne with her life. A terrible battle ensued, brother against sister, and Banian emerged the injured and grieving victor. Clan Leader Diamia passed into Unot's embrace as the sun set over the field.

January

Scirlut Slaughter

With the collapse of the Republic, old grudges have come to the fore. The Griffon Clan has marched on Scirlut, citing it as a Griffon city that was merely policed by the Republic. That would have had more weight if they had not struck first with a vicious 'no prisoners' slaughter. The Gold Dragon Clan has responded to defend 'their' city ... diplomacy has failed, war between Firans rages!

Sarkaran Standoff

At the same time, a tense stand-off occurs outside of Sarkaran, where the Cockatrice Clan has amassed an army to take back the city that holds so much weight in their traditions. Here, diplomacy seems to be faring much better. But perhaps that is simply because ...

Cockatrice Chaos

Lord/Prince Banian Elianik/IstaNydiam (people aren't quite sure which family he is associate with, and how) has called out Clan Leader Diamia and her husband First Proxy Rikon as secret Drikkists! He accuses them of sacrificing the souls of children to the Dark Lord, and calls for the Cockatrice people to rally behind him as a new Clan Leader. Anorna is called out as the High Priestess of Drik, and admits it. Rhetorical salvos are fired on all sides, and it looks like civil war at Unotran, and a religious trial in the Temples.

Senators Step Forth

In the wake of The Kinslayer War, the people have called for the formation of a Senate. Many people of consequence (and otherwise) have brought forth Senate Proposals. It's vitally important that if you care about the future of the Senate (or about preventing the future from going that way) you get out there and RP your support or dissent. The PCs have the lead on this now, in its entirety.

ResDays

Resolution Days have been flying fast and furious. Finally, riots in the districts and particularly the Palace District have been quelled. As of now, RP is open except in reference to Sarkaran, Scirlut, the Cockatrice Clan civil war, and Drikkist influences. Any of those matters must be addressed through normal ResDay requests. Everything else can be roleplayed as usual.

December

RP-Lite

Effective immediately, the game has entered RP-Lite until after the holidays. Read the policies on what can and cannot be done during this time.

The Kinslayer War

The Kinslayer War and the related riots have thrown the Republic into disarray and on the brink of a complete collapse. The Olympics are completely cancelled. Clan Leaders have a tenuous control of their clan armies and the Republic military has broken to pieces. The Elianiks have gone into complete hiding in order to protect themselves from rioters, democracy is making a rise and no one is certain what lays ahead. Those venturing out this winter may find themselves mugged, lynched or worse since the First Division is not around to control the crime wave.

Game-wide Poll

Three new ballots are available for voting. Vote to express your opinions! See December 2009 Ballot for further details.

Forum Topic

This month we talked on the wiki about advice for entering Firan politics. Now, we're looking to hear from you and what advice you have for others on the forums: What political advice do you have for new players?

December Roleplay Contest

Want a fun way to earn yourself some CP and XP for Christmas? Take part in the Winter Solstice Competition! Just log your greatest example of roleplaying out the Winter Solstice - the Firan midwinter celebration. Send in your logs to firan-logs@yahoogroups.com with an accompanying @request before midnight on New Year's Eve, and you could win big!

December Art Contest

The December Art contest is to portray the fight in the old city over the rat corpse floating in the canal. From Resolution Day, this is what the Old City seemed to be doing while the rest of the city was worried about possible interclan conflict. Please post submissions somewhere accessible from the internet and then @request a link. Submissions are due by December 31, 2009 with a CP prize!

Dear Leia

Have a question? Want it answered? Want a few CP for being inquisitive? Check out Dear Leia. Today, you can read about some advice on entering the political arena.

Rissik Family Tug O' War

The history of the once-royal Rissik family is a checkered one - and a new chapter has just begun. Clan Leader Ania has announced that the Rissiks, many of whom have Eagle blood, are now members of her clan. But this is complicated by Ania's missing medallion; without it, her decisions are subject to extra scrutiny, and Chimera Clan Leader Torianos has declared her ruling illegal. With the two clans at odds with each other, the Clan Council is set to make a decision on the matter. What will become of the once-great Rissiks? Is a Clan Leader without a medallion still considered a Clan Leader in the eyes of her peers?

Want More? Check out our What Was Hot - The Archive Edition

Palace District Weekend

At times, we often hold Palace District weekend over the first weekend of the month. Due to the The Kinslayer War, we will instead be encouraging players to meet in their clan gathering centers for roleplay. If you hold an RP session over the weekend of 01/02/09-01/03/09 or 01/08/09-01/10/09, please send in to firan-logs@yahoogroups.com and @request so staff can consider it. Thanks! For more information, please see On My Way to the Forum.

Featured Article: War Season 2010

Overview

The streets of Ellish are increasingly violent.

The Fall of the Republic and the death of Elianos' dream has put the Firan realm into a state of chaos. While people are struggling to return their life to a matter of normalcy and stability, they likewise dread the coming of spring. The Shamibelians have always seized the opportunity to strike when the Republic lay bare, proven by the invasion during the Eagle Rebellion. While the efforts of Operation Trident held them at bay for now, it is certain they will push into Firan territory while its people are at their weakest. Many soldiers of the third division have abandoned their posts in Ellish. And while there is a Coalition Army emerging from the remains of what was once the proud Republic Military, who knows if their efforts can save the Firans from being overrun?

Current Situation in Ellish

Ellish has never been a truly liberated city. It is a melting pot of factions and cultures. Shamibelian forces still occupy parts of the city. The Griffon loyalist make up a seizable part of the population. The Eesani gangs prowl the streets. The FFI still holds a claim, but their interests have changed over the course of years. Many halfbreeds live in and around the broken city. There are Ticanee, Bonduin and Vrelander slaves.

Emits from February 19th 2010

Even in the best of times, news from Ellish is slow to travel. When the Republic collapsed, all official channels broke down. There were more than thirty thousand soldiers in and around that city who suddenly had no orders. Slowly, the Third Division began to dissolve. It started with the Gold Dragons' withdrawal, but others soon followed. Orders were all that were keeping these mostly disillusioned soldiers at their posts. For forty years they and their families had fought for this city, and what did they have to show for it? A decimated army. A city filled with people that hated them. They hadn't been greeted as liberators. They were a hostile force occupying a city that didn't want them. A city that wasn't even theirs, as they had been reminded so many times.

A small number of former Republic soldiers remain at their posts. A few thousand, perhaps. No one knows how many for certain. Some of them are die-hard believers in the cause. Others keep telling themselves that it can't be true: The Republic hasn't /really/ collapsed. It's just a matter of time until new orders come through. They'll just wait it out, and when the new High General sees how loyal they've been, surely they'll be rewarded.

It's hard to remain optimistic when the Shamibelians are constantly coming through the walls to attack, so the soldiers don't blame each other as one by one their friends throw down their Republic greens and abandon the fort. Some make haste to join their clansmen in foreign cities. Others sign up with the FFI, taking as many Republic supplies as they can carry to pay their way into favor.

The remaining Coalition forces, as they're being called, grow more desperate by the day. Stragglers returning to Anarinuell tell stories about how they had to collapse the walls of the fortress in numerous locations to keep the goats out. How they ran out of supplies weeks ago and have resorted to butchering their griffons and horses for meat. How the gangs won't let them out into the streets without paying a "toll" for safe passage. The situation is grim.

The FFI cut off contact with the Republic forces in Ellish months ago. The Republic got their greatest hero, Firgus, killed with piss poor battle tactics. Oh, and by the way, they're sure that was a Griffon plot. If the Republic had listened to the FFI and not trusted those damn Griffons, this never would have happened. They aren't speaking to the Republic, but they've accepted plenty of Republic deserters - and all the free supplies those deserters bring with them.

The FFI knew a Republic that existed 40 years ago. They had very little contact with anyone from the current age before the Liberation. So, when the Republic collapsed, they were not as affected as they might have been. The FFI was originally created as a small group of spies and operatives, but in Ellish they have become their own people. They have families and homes, and many of them only know the old FFI through stories. They have adapted. The Republic soldiers were like foreign dignitaries to them. With the fall of Elianos' dream, these people are taking on an identity of their own. They are calling themselves the Free Firan Initiative.

A new leader has come to power within the FFI, and his name is Kaliko Jaffus. Commander Kaliko has a reputation for being just as merciless as his predecessor, if not more so, but with the foresight to avoid alienating /everyone/. It's a dangerously efficient combination. There have been no more brutal crucifixions. As a matter of fact, there are reports that the FFI have established a number of trade agreements with other factions - including the Ticanee.

This reinvented FFI has quickly gained prominence in Ellish. FFI territory is the safest place in the city, and the people love Commander Kaliko for providing that safety. They're safe because most people are terrified of committing a crime. Armed guards stand on every corner, and people who break laws - be it to commit murder or steal a loaf of bread - are routinely dragged into the street and publicly executed as a warning to others who might do the same. Commander Kaliko does not tolerate crime.

Pagan Reign: Polytheism is in vogue in FFI territory.

Despite their tough laws, it's said that the FFI people enjoy a number of new freedoms that they didn't have under Firgus. Among them is the freedom of religion. It's becoming fashionable to be a polytheist in FFI territory, and several makeshift temples have sprung up - including a prominent one to Drik.

One thing has not changed. The hatred between the FFI and the Griffon Loyalists is stronger than ever. With no Republic to broker a peace agreement, the open killing has recommenced on both sides.

It is said that when Firgus died and the Republic collapsed, Evander Sennet ordered a week-long celebration for all Griffon Loyalists. Firgus was their greatest enemy, and to them the Republic was nothing but a Gold Dragon plot concocted by the spawn of Elianos the Butcher. They celebrated with a glorious set of gladiator games that painted the stones of their coliseum with the blood of hundreds. The cheers could be heard across the entire city. It was a good time to be a Griffon in Ellish.

But Griffons do not let their guard down while celebrating. There is still work to be done. This city - their city - is still plagued by the presence of people who refuse to recognize Griffon superiority. Before Firgus' pyre was cold, the Loyalists were raiding FFI territory with renewed vigor. They sought to take advantage of the void in leadership. They did not expect Kaliko Jaffus. The result has been an excessively bloody war with neither side able to gain the advantage.

There are many other people in Ellish, but most of them are only peripherally aware of the Republic's collapse. Political matters in a foreign city seem unimportant when you're not sure when you'll eat next. There is sadness for some who saw the Republic as the liberators of their city, but they are in the minority. Most people were either cautiously optimistic or downright distrustful. Had the Republic succeeded in bringing stabilization to Ellish, it would have been celebrated. Instead, there are now hundreds of thousands of people who say grimly to their neighbors, "I told you so."

Clan Leader Torianos attempts a rousing speech and orders several thousand Chimera soldiers from Agadin into Ellish to bolster defenses. His soldiers do not march. The Chimera Clan Leader receives a message from one of his generals: My soldiers and I took a vote. We're tired of dying for a city that isn't ours. Apparently, a few democratic ideas are really catching on in the Chimera clan.

The story of the Chimera army's defiance is told repeatedly in taverns across the land. They were the first to give voice to it, but they are not alone. With the exception of the Griffons, there are very few soldiers who are willing to die for Ellish. The will to fight for that city has been drained from them. They have been shown in these last few weeks that clan loyalties are what truly matter. Scirlut and Sarkaran became more important than Ellish. Lord Marsalos Iberik and Commander Tagda Leafchaser join Torianos' public call for support in Ellish, but it will take more than words to heal this wound.

Lord Sirio and Lord Zayus Firgalik march several thousand Gold Dragon soldiers out of the Griffon city of Scirlut and head south. They make camp near the border of Gold Dragon land, and there they stay. Sirio and Zayus are ordering a march to Ellish, but the soldiers aren't moving. Some of the more experienced officers balk at the order. "That's a Griffon city!" they say. "Enough Dragon blood's been spilt on Griffon streets. If they're so worried about their damn city, let them defend it themselves!" Saying that the Gold Dragons have had the shits of Griffon cities would be an understatement.

Another army leaves Scirlut marching south. Griffons, flying their banners proudly, march right past the stubborn Gold Dragons and head toward Ellish on orders from Lady Srenni. They are stoic. Warriors until the end. They will stand in defense of their city to the last man if that's what it takes. If they must face the entire Shamibelian army on their own, then they will do just that. Come back with your shield, or on it.

The Elianiks were more than a collection of scandalous princes and princesses. Despite their flaws and failures, they managed to give shape to something otherwise intangible. Who can forget the tale of Sadin Elianik's mission to destroy Mount Doom? Who doesn't recall the image of Savaren, Lucas, and Argin riding out in unison to parlay with the Shamibelian warlords of Ellish before that final push to retake the city? These stories and others like them are what made the Republic so great. There is no other family that captures the hearts of the people quite like the Elianiks did. When they fell, something irreplaceable was lost.

Unity is not something that can be resurrected in a speech. If the clans wish to restore the spirit that their soldiers once had, they must do so with action. They must be willing to embrace an idea of unity that is more than just hollow words. They must each sacrifice something personal for the sake of building a thing that is greater than the sum of its parts. If they cannot find a way to do this before Spring thaws the mountain passes south of Ellish, then it won't matter how many soldiers are manning the walls.

Lord Cortik Junik is named High General of the new Coalition Military. Gold Dragons do not rejoice, but they nod in approval. They've lost two cities in the last week and aren't really in the mood to celebrate, but at least the Clan Council had the good sense to put a Gold Dragon in charge of the army. It will take more than Cortik's appointment to get them back into Ellish with a desire to do anything that might help the Griffons, but it is a start.

The majority of the other clans are fairly horrified that Lord Cortik is now in charge of the Coalition Military. This is the same Cortik that enjoys burning his own name into the fields of his enemies. Without someone to yank his leash, they're pretty sure he's going to pillage their cities and rape their women at the first opportunity. The Griffons in particular are outraged at the idea of simply exchanging one barbaric Dragon High General for another. Cortik probably learned all his brutal ways from Argin.

Griffons are boycotting the new Coalition Military in favor of their own clan militia. They've decided that they can do more for Ellish on their own. (OOC: If you are a Griffon or heavily anti-GD, you should have a very good reason not to abandon the Coalition.)

Lady Taleena Corinala/Oshta is officially confirmed as the High General of the Coalition Guards. She's already been acting in the role throughout the duration of the Republic's collapse, and despite a few setbacks she has managed to restore some semblance of order to the streets. People readily accept her official promotion, especially in light of the fact that no one else wanted the job!

Whether you love him or hate him, Lord Cortik is now all that stands between the people of Ellish and another 40 years of Shamibelian oppression. If Ellish falls, it will be his fault. Every mission that does not succeed will be his to own. Every soldier that dies fighting for the city will be his burden. It is a task that no sane general would ask for. Ellish has broken greater men than Cortik Junik. He has a few short months to master his new responsibility if he thinks to accomplish the impossible.

And so, Ellish lies at a crossroads. In the south, Griffons hold the gates, faced with defending them from both outside and in. In the north where the Republic once held sway, things are uncertain. To the east and west, Shamibelians wait anxiously for their brethren to send an army of reinforcements. In the middle, tens of thousands of citizens are caught in a conflict they want no part of. And in the mountains, the snows are melting. The clock is ticking for Lord Cortik and the Coalition.

OOC: Such is the current situation in Ellish. Dates for War Season have not been set, but I am well into planning. The time between now and then is time to be used for developing a creative solution to the problem of the fragmented armies. This is not the sort of thing that can be fixed with a speech. We are also not in a ResDay situation. You cannot "fix" Ellish with a few requests. There are no missions or battles or orphanage building projects. That is what War Season is for. This is the time to plan and organize. What do you want to accomplish in Ellish and how will you go about it? There will be more details in coming weeks.

Useful Information

Clan Troops

There has been tons of upheaval in terms of soldiers, armies, clan vs. Republic/Coalition forces, and so forth. Combine that with some notable troop losses because of ResDay and other actions and pending large scale military actions in Ellish, and we know that clan leadership figures are going to be very interested in buffing up their armies. So, we are providing an opportunity to do just that.

We are making a ONE TIME ONLY offer to each clan. They have the opportunity to train new soldiers from their population (taken from @clan/info). There are three conditions...

1. Soldiers are not free. Costs for each soldier added to @troops are as follows:

        Army: 2000 stenis
        Navy: 4000 stenis
        Elite/Air Force: 10000 stenis

2. There are no @clan funds that can be used for this.

3. This is probably the most important one: Everyone is in the middle of an economic crisis. If a clan decides to dump all their funds into training new soldiers, they will be setting themselves up for failure in terms of economic rebuilding. We will GM this. There is no hard limit to the number of soldiers you can attempt to train, but consider your situation carefully. Some clans are more militaristic than others, and will be able to get away with having a larger percentage of their population as soldiers. Some clans are better off financially than others. You get the idea. If you train too many soldiers and ignore the current economic situation, your clan might just implode and the economy will get even worse.

When a clan has figured out how many new soldiers they want to train, one (1) proxy/CL/general should @request with details. I'm going to make the deadline for this March 1.

This does not mean that clans will never be allowed to train new soldiers ever again. It just means that we are not ready to turn on all of the features of @clan quite yet. So, this is a special opportunity due to the current IC state of things.

This also does not mean that every clan /has/ to train new soldiers. As a matter of fact, if your #1 concern is the economy, you probably don't want to. This is about finding a balance.

Links & Resources

• The Liberation of Ellish
• Maps of Ellish
• War Season in General