Arkadian Dynasty

The events surrounding the rebellion have weighed heavily on Seidrik's heart. He has labored his whole life in the mold of his family as they have in countless previous generations. His family has lived in their country estate for the last 2 millenia, content to enjoy life and to support fellow Aretans. Politics was something they had long abandonned after the first great ellection. It was something that they had suddenly become reinterested in though, once other civilizations had been discovered and new people had brought wonderous knowledge to Arete. Now, with two additional cities, the population of Aretania was booming. Commerce...once based on fish markets and local horses and pigs was now burgeoning with gold prospecting, ivory, and coastal trade with their neighbors. Times were changing quickly, and the recent rebellion had been a serious wake up call.

Seidrik drafted the correct documents of hides he would need early in the morning and stuffed them neatly in his saddle pack. He put on his finest clothes, made of supple black leather with subtle accents to befit his nobility. Thanks to the Bronze they had found, he was shaven, and his barbor had neatly trimmed his hair, which many men had taken to the military fashion of the Warlord faction. His horsehair cape was black and designed to also appeal to the Philosophers and Faith factions, while he also wore a bronze hammer on his hip as a tip to the Tribal faction. Finally, his shirt was threaded just so with gold and ivory accents to befit his mercantile upbringing in his country estate.

Seidrik had spent a week after the rebellion trying to think of a way to unify his people. Could he really bring something so different? The real issue was a matter of being benevolent and inclusive enough toward all factions, those in power and those on the outside, while also catering to those who cared only for the strategy of things and those who were more interested in the story being written by the people. Finally there were those, who just wanted to feel that they were heard and not ignored. That rebellion was a shock to Aretania and a wake up call to everyone.

Urged on by the need to get involved as he always was, Seidrik saddled his Chestnut Mare, Brunor, and road at an even gallop so he could think while his horse took him into Arete. "Will they listen to me, Brunor? Who will join me, and what will it mean to those to whom I have remained so loyal in the past?"

He had one letter that he had to deliver in person to the house of the Tribal Council faction. Several others he wanted to deliver to certain individuals whom he knew would be key to any successful move, and he held a massive parchement that he planned to post in the town square announcing his plans for the future of Aretania and her people.

After the demise of Antimidius, chaos reigned in Aretania. The Philosophers of Arete managed to hold onto power, as the other factions became embroiled in their own affairs and the political struggle to rule. During these times, the Aretanians turned to their gods, some to the gods of Ibbensian Hinduism, and others to the older gods of nature and the sea. These centuries, now known as the Interregnum oversaw a time of peace, and very little of historical significance.
The people began to yearn for more direction, and many began seaking devine inspiration to appoint to them a new ruler. Into this time at the end of the Interregnum, an old man began travelling from city to city, leading massive sermons and proclaiming that one among them was already proclaimed to rule. Thousands began to follow him and to believe in his message of hope. This prophet's name was Turik. His name is ancient, and one not heard of for thousands of years, and indeed, he did claim to be the reincarnation of the original prophet that helped lead the Protectors of Faith to found their city in Paradise Hills.
Finally, one fateful morning in Arete, after touring the other cities, Turik returned with the faithful, the numbers doubling the population of Arete. There, in the Palace square, Turik lead his most motivation sermon, and called on the people to throw out those who were "...only holding onto the past with no plan for the future..." and Turik finally identified the man, who would be their devinely appointed ruler...their King. "On this day, the gods will lift up from among you all, one who has been devinely appointed to rule over you all, and his name is Seidrik!"
The crowd went cravingly mad, and threw out the people, who were keeping Aretania running...her stewards and stoned them in the square. Then, the mob stormed looted Arete, and in their passion marched to Arkadia, the home of Seidrik's family, and the people, who had come to him, those who had flocked to his banner of purple and white. Once in Arkadia, Seidrik strode out to meat them on his horse, behind a cadre of his best body guards, and with 100 archers in sniper positions to cover the crowd. The mob demanded that Seidrik rule over Aretania, as it had been devined by Turik, the speaker of the Gods. With a wary look toward his closest advisors, Seidrik humbly accepted and pledged to do his best in the eyes of the gods for the people of Aretania. Hence forth, are known as the times of the Arkadian Dynasty, and Seidrik became the first King of Aretania.

** Core values are organization, open communications, power sharing/delegation, and inclusion
** I envision the future city of Arkadia being one that will eventually become a center for art and commerce.
** RP is encouraged, but not to the extent that gameplay is pushed aside nor to the extent that potentially harmful long term decisions are made.
**17) I don't make this last one here at the end because it is the least important...but because it is the most important! In fact, I am putting this one at the top too!

WE GOT TO HAVE FUN IN THIS GAME TOO!!!!

My outline of a platform is to:
1) Be more open
2) Be more inclusive
3) More active polling
4) More friendly toward non-PF members
5) Elect non-PF members to seats of responsability within the PF, and invite members outside of our faction to advise our decision making bodies.
6) Instruction threads (I think NZL's new format is very good actually, and don't personally see the need o change that, pending comments and future developments.)
7) Clearer goals and long term planning. (Read as Organization)
8) I like the land-ownership ideas of the Triad, I must admit...there must be rewards for loyalty after all, and I also like the RP-based stories and rewards setup by Provo and the Church.
9) Community events, RP contests with rewards like the ability to control an exploratory unit or a unit in combat and write a story based on the events of the turn from that unit's perspective.
10) TRADE FEDERATION/Guild (Money is the life blood of any civilization)
The trade and commerce of civ4 is being vastly ignored, but that is somewhat due to where we are in the game atm. However, they should be a much more active guild with active inclusion in our decisions.
11) City Governors...institute a responsability for a given city and its BFC to an ellected official for the city. This in turn would meen that our citizens would only have voting rights in their registered city for any given turn. However, all citizens would naturally maintain the right to vote on national issues. We would need a thread to illustrate who was registered where, one of the key posts will be book keeper, who may in turn need his/her own staff. (see below)
12) A Designated Book Keeper: Who is registered where, who controls what resource, who is in what guild, what faction, activity status, etc...

13) I foresee a ruling body that delegates many areas to what we now call guilds. Factions would be the ruling body, but it is the guilds that should be setting up long term goals and requests to the Factions, who then moderate discussion and debate and then make the final decision. Information and analysis should be encouraged and should flow up from the guilds.

14) Get organized and be charismatic about being open and including the citizenry so they stay interested.

15) This faction will not be selective of its membership nor to whom it accepts feedback or communication with, however, insolence and intollerance will not be tolerated in private or public life. After all PR and a unified front are essential to the longevity of any faction.

16) Come one, come all, old player, new player, grizzled veteran and fresh fish, you are all valuable, and you are all trusted until you prove otherwise, and loyalty, rp, gameplay, motivation, and citizenship are all rewarded!

17) I don't make this last one here at the end because it is the least important...but because it is the most important! In fact, I am putting this one at the top too!

WE GOT TO HAVE FUN IN THIS GAME TOO!!!!

Agenda is driven by what we feel is most important to Arkadia and Aretania both near term and longterm and will be organized based on the leader's priority. All members are asked to devote most of their energy on the highest priority items first. Unless special instruction is given, please discuss freely in this thread or via PM. However, all final resolutions will be posted and an archive kept at the bottom of the agenda list.
All citizens are welcome to lobby either myself or a member via PM to get agenda items added. You are also all welcome to lobby either myself or a member to attempt to sway the decision, but final decisions will be the leader's responsability, as this is still a despotic regime...it's just one that aims to be more responsive, open, and inclusive.

• Long term planning, xx turn outlook, tech path, trading, internal and external affairs, etcMembers via PM, others may post in thread. Tech Path is decided, some tech trade desires also listed, see archives. My thoughts on Internal affairs: allow ellected governors from each city to represent the requests of their respective faction-dominated cities, however, allow the ruling PF to have the final say, based on national security or more pressing national interests, but internal laws of the cities and internal events at the cities, shall be the purvue of the cities' governors. This faction's goal will be to allow the maximum ammount of autonomy that the national needs and priorities can permit. For example, if there is a resource that we desperately need or if allowing a city to max out their scientists may cause detriment to the greater good of the nation of Aretania, then we, as the ruler would reserve the right to intervene in local affairs. These Governors would coordinate their citizens in generating requests to be sent to the PF ruler for execution, however, the PF ruler can choose when or if to implement/execute per national priorities. My thoughts on External affairs: 1) Following the discussion on adopting Hinduism (Ibbesian Polytheism) this faction supports the plan to complete Alphabet, gain all techs possible from trades with Spain, then adopt Hinduism just before DOW on Spain, when our forces are ready and sufficient. 2) Do everything possible to gain and maintain friendly relations with Lincoln. 3) Eventually either send a galley to discover the civ to our west or build a city there or station a unit in hopes that their culture is enough to bridge the ocean soon. Bottom line, discover everyone who is out there.
  • Need instructions done ASAP for session 8, our first turn session as PF, to be played on Friday.
  • Need input on ideas for organizing session 9, to be played on Monday.