Shattered Kingdoms

I've been playing on and off since 2004 and I've never had a problem getting a character into a group. My first character was invited into a cabal. Of course, I think it depends on the way you play and the types of characters you play. My characters have all been very cookie cutter and would fit well in almost any group appropriate to their aura/alignment, which leaves me a lot of options to explore.

I'd like to see some tribunals and cabals just combined into single groups, but I wouldn't be opposed to dual memberships. At least I could see trying it out and seeing how it works for a while. But SK doesn't seem to do that very often.

I like the idea of merging groups as well, a bit more than dual membership. How about something where similar factions are merged into something like Midnight (Hammer/Keepers, Fist/Talons, Druids/Guardians, Harlequins/?)? Though instead of making players belong to the area that the tribunal "controls" to join, allow membership to anyone that fits the group but allow tribunal features/functions to those from the country? Example, Joe is a scout from the North, he seeks out and joins the Druids and only has cabal features, Susie is a priest from Sith'a'niel who also joins the Druids but since she is from the Ayamao she gets the powers that come with being a Guardian as well.

I'm coming in late on another thread but I wanted to field this one. The tribunal system doesn't treat you as a sovereign because you aren't. As a tribunal leader, you hold the positions of city police chief and military commander-in-chief. This is a lot of power, but not nearly sovereign.

You do not control the legislative branch, so you cannot make laws.
You do not control the judicial branch, so you cannot convict criminals.

You have the power to make some executive branch decisions: Although you have the power to pardon, negotiate treaties and make war, this is not an absolute authority. Every kingdom has a higher power, such an Emperor, King or Council that an immortal can use to RP a countermanding order.

To summarize, the primary purpose of tribunals as they stand today are to be police. I'm not prepared to say they will ever be more than that.

Well, the Hammer is tied to Taslamar, unless I read the helpfile wrong. Midnight Council, as you stated, is bound to the Empire. The Harli's, Crucibile, and Druid's might not be tied to thier kingdoms. I'm not certain about the Fist. The helpfile on cabals does say...

Also, up until now as far as I know, you've only been able to join a cabal if you were a member of that kingdom.

Furthermore, what if a Black Hand memeber joined the druids? What if a Guardian joined the Druids at the same time? What if they were at war, at said time.

Hammer is not tied to Taslamar, the help file only says that their headquarters is located there. Quoted below for reference.



As far as the dual membership, read my other post on making cabunals out of all the groups tying together the ones that make the most sense. Of course, this would mean adding in something for the Harlequins. Maybe an actual thieves guild? If this road was taken, that would make the current help file null and void and a new one take its place. Also, this suggestion would make it impossible for linked groups to go to war, so the example that you sighted of Guardians warring with Druids would be a moot point.

And since when does living in one nation give you loyalties to that nation if you are not a member of the tribunal there? Just because I live in the USA does not mean I cannot join Red Cross International or Greenpeace or PETA. When I read the help files on factions, I look at it not so much as conflicts of loyalty (yes, I know this is what is written and I do understand what is meant by it), but that one character only has so much to give and being in more than one faction would stretch the character so far that they would be useless in both time and resources.

If I wanted to read the help files and take them at full face value, any person that holds a HF position in a faith should not even consider being in a faction as long as they hold that position. IMO, this would be a huge conflict of interest because as a HF that character is the closest to the Immortal they represent in the realms and should be doing everything in their power to convert everyone else to their church - so no time for a faction. But this is not how things are done, and I accept that. But this is something that my character does struggle with. If she joins a faction, how will this affect how she devotes herself to her god? Wouldn't she have difficulties if that faction decided to do something that drew her away from something of importance to the church? Couldn't she be punished within the faction for "turning her back on them" because her god told her to do something else?

But I am starting to ramble on things that are slightly off topic and people will complain about the long post.

So, here's the bullets:
1) It should never matter where a character "lives" to join a Cabal - they are international groups.

2) If all factions were combined to cabunals, then inter-faction wars would not be an issue for dual memberships (example: Druids and Guardians).

3) IMO, HF of religions should never be in factions of any sort due to pledging themselves completely to the work of their god and the church.

Edited to take out evil code tag.

So....when are Imms going to police the police then? Cause I can think of many, very public instances, of tribunals doing exactly those two things on a constant basis.

This is how.
You fix.
Code tag.
Please never.
Do this.
Again in.
The future.

If the emperor shows up and starts countering my orders, I'm going to pk him into deletion.

Worked for Slayne.

That's only cause the proper Emperors were pussies.