Settlements

Settlements

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Settlements are communities of characters on Arelith. Several settlements exist ranging from enormous underdark cities to simple wilderness camps. Arelith offers extensive mechanics to supplement roleplay in settlements as outlined below.

Outcasts are only able to get citizenship in Andunor districts.

Introduction

Adjutant Winterfoot is Registrar for Bendir Dale.

Characters become members of settlements by becoming citizens. This registers the character as a resident and gives additional options with local NPCs. To become a citizen, find the Registrar NPC in town. Their titles vary per settlement but they are usually located in the town hall or similar structure. This registration costs 10,000 gold and expires if the character does not log in for 13 in-game months or around 37 real-life days.

Most surface and underdark settlements function in this way, but Andunor is large enough that individual districts are considered separate settlements. The Sharps, Greyport and Devil's Table districts have their own settlement systems open to players.

All districts and settlements have some kind of NPC oversight, though the primary focus, rules, and decisions are in the hands of the players elected and empowered by those chosen leaders.

If you are interested in the settlements and their flavors, see this getting started guide that explains the settlements and their roleplay elements. The guide was written for the release of Guldorand settlement, but the information is still relevant.

Elections

Any citizen may run for leadership of the settlement in an election if they have been a citizen for at least one election cycle length to running. To challenge the current leadership speak with the Registrar NPC. If the last election was more than 1 in-game quarter (28 RL days) ago then another election can be called. Once begun an election runs for two in-game weeks or exactly 4 real-life days and 16 hours. Citizens may vote by speaking to the Registrar or may even join the election themselves as an additional candidate. Characters can also register for elections early, putting their name in the next election whenever it is called.

When an election is active, all citizens will be notified in the combat log upon login.

Various settlements can handle leadership differently using player made systems (via Roleplay). Some are ruled by a mayor, a king or even a council. Regardless these positions are elected through this same election system. It should be stated, though, that only player citizens get a vote in these elections. The NPC residents and merchants get no say. Also, there is no reason elections need to be fair. It is possible to use bribes, intimidation or even assassination to defeat opponents in elections. Although they systems are not controlled mechanically by the game engine nor by the DM team, if they overstep into the bounds of the NPC power structure or violate the rules in some capacity the DM Team may step in and work with the leadership team to correct any issues.

Voting Rules

Each character may vote only once, and it is against rules to vote for your own character on another of your characters. It is also against the rules to vote with characters who have not been active in roleplay in the settlement prior to the election. A warning is displayed with the registration NPC. And those who violate this rule can see their ability to both run for election or vote in elections suspended by the DM Team.

If a character changes citizenship from another settlement, they are not allowed to vote in elections for one in-game quarter year.

Election Interference

In Character Interference Harpers and Assassins have additional ways to interact with settlement elections.

Assassins:

• If an elected leader is assassinated via an assassination contract, an election cycle is started.
• If a registered election candidate is assassinated via an assassination contract, they are removed as a candidate

Out of Character Interference

Elections are an important part of the in-game social experience. Out of character (OOC) interference of an Election process can result in a punishment. This includes, but is not limited to, using out-of-game methods to coordinate voting activity..

Taxes

Settlements can collect income by charging taxes on services. This includes the purchase price when buying a quarter or shop in a settlement, and the registration fee for new citizens. Leaders can also charge a percentage tax on items sold in player owned shops. By default this is 10%, meaning 10% of every sale goes to the settlement's account. The rate may be altered by settlement leaders by speaking to the Registrar.

Any community leader can withdraw or deposit funds in the settlement account. If the balance reaches zero then salaries (if any) will stop being paid, the exile list will be cleared (see below) and the current leaders are removed from office.

Trade

Settlements have quarterly requirements of resources and so maintain supplies. The settlement Quartermaster NPC lets citizens and leaders interact with these things. Quarterly required items include food, wood, cloth, metal, and stone and how much is needed depends on the number of registered citizens and exiles. Larger settlements will need substantially more resources each year. Settlements that fall below these requirements will suffer reduced tax income and salaries. All trade is managed by the community leader(s). They can arrange contracts with dockmaster NPCs which will import goods from the wider world at cost. Contracts with legitimate nations will have a lower cost than 'pirate' Contracts.

If the balance of any of the base resources (cloth/stone/food/etc.) reaches zero a 1% tax will be added to all owned homes and sales tax. This tax is 1% per resource type defaulted on, per budget quarter, and it compounds (default on two resources for two years in a row and the tax will be 4%). The extra tax is not collected by the city nor added to the settlement’s treasury. Ending a budget quarter with a balance above zero on the defaulted resource will remove the tax penalty for that resource.

Settlements also maintain supplies of general items. These extra supplies are referred to as the Expanded Warehouse and can be bought and sold by speaking to the Quartermaster. Unlike other NPC stores, however, the supplies are not unlimited. Once the items sold to the Quartermaster run out, they can no longer be purchased. Prices can be adjusted by settlement leaders to encourage trade in specific items.

If the amount currently stored falls short of the amount needed to pay the quarterly maintenance cost, the settlement will automatically attempt to buy from the surplus generated by other settlements. The cost to import resources from elsewhere will be very high. Settlements can only buy from settlements that have a trade agreement in place with them.

There is a safeguard in place that helps prevent people from buying out a settlement's resource below its quarterly resource needs (This is to help prevent others from quietly sabotaging settlements without any RP/Counterplay).

Other Actions

Once elected, leaders can create divisions and appoint characters to work for the government. These employees can be given salaries and be delegated powers and privileges. Speaking with the Registrar allows leaders these options. Most any combination of titles and groups can be created and edited using these systems.

Other specific actions can be taken by settlement leaders, or characters appointed to these powers by the leader. A writ gives these powers to characters and are required to make these actions. Writs can also be given to whole divisions of employees. Available actions include:

• Exile and revoking exile or pariah status
• Changing tax rates
• Trade agreements
• Setting Quartermaster prices
• Releasing settlement quarters or shops
• Giving salary to employees and divisions
• Removing gold from settlement accounts
• Removing employees or divisions
• Making the settlement a vassal controlled by another settlement
• Set an official faith up to 1 + 1 for every 60 citizens. Characters of matching faiths while within the settlement with have an up tick of .1 piety.
• Giving power to employees or divisions to do the above actions

    Settlement Employees and Citizenship (FROM THE DM TEAM):
Settlement employees, including members of the city guard, should be restricted to citizens of that settlement.  While it is not possible to verify citizenship (nor will we be adding this feature), this means that:
- Settlement employees who recruit other settlement employees should not recruit persons who are OBVIOUSLY ineligible for citizenship (e.g. known pirates, outcasts on the surface)
- Characters should not try to become settlement employees if they are OBVIOUSLY not eligible for citizenship.

Settlement Services

Citizenship Bank Storage

A settlement has the ability to provide citizens with storage space within settlement banks. All settlements will provide each of their citizens with a minimum of 3 slots to store items inside. The size of an object does not matter. Settlement leaders can spend resources (paid every quarter IG year) to expand the storage space for their settlements up to a total capacity of 12. The amounts and costs are listed below.

• 3 Slots (free)
• 6 Slots (5,000 Stone, Metal, Wood)
• 9 Slots (10,000 Stone, Metal, Wood)
• 12 Slots (15,000 Stone, Metal, Wood / 70 X Number of Citizens) or (15,000/70) X Number of Citizens.
• Once citizen population goes below 70 the price defaults to a set 15,000

Settlement leaders can also restrict storage space to individuals based on their race. For example, if Cordor restricted their bank storage to only be used by humans up to 9 slots, and only human nobles could access up to 12 slots. Then all other races could only access 3 slots total.

If settlement leaders decide to revoke or reduce storage, items will still be stored but new items cannot be added. If citizenship is lost due to inactivity, you can purchase it again and all your items will remain safe.

Clean Wells

A settlement can pay 5,000 stone each quarter to maintain clean drinking water within its city. A small price to pay for a healthy population.

Free Food Rations

A settlement may choose to ensure their population is health by giving out free food. This will be seen in the battle log as a net gain to food by those citizens in the within settlements boundaries. “How there is no such thing as a free meal” and the settlement must pay a cost in food resources each quarter to offer this service. The calculation for this cost is:

(# of Citizens/3) X (600/Efficiency), efficiency defaults to 3

Landed Nobles

Settlement Leaders can also grant loyal citizens or stanch supporters the status of Landed Nobility. Those granted Noble rights, not by birth but by deed. Often used as a way to reward a settlement leader’s strongest supporters or those citizens viewed as valued members of the community.

• Landed Nobles must be in the settlement faction.
• Can own special noble “estates”
• Granted one (1) extra vote in elections if citizenship count is above fifty (50).
• Cannot be Exiled, Pariah, or Evicted.
• Receive 5% of settlement's tax revenue.
• Settlement can have a maximum of four (4) Nobles, with the Settlement leader able to remove one (1) per quarter.
• Can grant minor forms of Nobility (akin to the award) by owning a special noble property. Four of these minor nobles can be appointed (via faction menu).

Pariah

Settlement leaders can now declare a person a Pariah within their settlement. This replaces the former option of Revoking Citizenship. This REQUIRES prior RP with the would be target person to person, else it is considered a rulebreak.

Pariahs penalties:

• Cannot buy/sell from pc/npc shops.
• Cannot use ship travel TO the settlement, but they can FROM
• Can only donate to the trade czar
• Loses access to settlement services (but may still vote during elections)
• If the character signed up to run for leadership in advance of becoming a Pariah being labelled a Pariah (or Exiled) will not cancel the registration and they can still win the election.

Pariahs can use leadership/intimidate/disguise (DC: 40) bypass the restrictions for all but settlement storage.

Exile

Exiled characters are unable to enter the town and use services unless in successful disguise. They will be thrown out of town upon failing a disguise check. Characters are not allowed to vote in elections in the settlement from which they are exiled. Each settlement can only exile so many people. Cordor's cap is 3 + 1 per every 20 citizens, every other settlement is 3 + 1 per every 10 citizens. Each exile costs 5k of each resource.

Note: If the character signed up in advance to run for leadership, being exiled (or Pariah'd) will not cancel the registration and they can still win the election.

Settlements have a maximum amount of exiles. This rate is 3 exiles plus 1 for every 10 citizens (or for every 20 citizens for Cordor).

Important Exile Notes:

• The Exile must be met with and informed in-person of their exile. Messages sent by Speedy Messenger do not count and the person informing them of exile must have the POWER to exile them as well. (If you believe a player is avoiding RP with settlement leaders OOC to avoid Exile/Eviction please contact the DM team).

• Skilled individuals who can disguise themselves can often sneak back into settlements even if exiled (Must beat a DC 40).

• If you are a settlement leader or have been given mechanical authority to exile and evict, you may find yourself in a position where a character is repeatedly making themselves a nuisance, however you do not know their name or their identity. As a (very, very) last resort, you may be allowed to take the ear from a killed character and present it to the settlement NPC played by a Dungeon Master - it is recommended that you keep screenshots and logs and dates of all of your attempts to interact with the character as proof that it's actually being used as a last resort before getting permission to do this. Once accepted, the 'ear' will suffice as proof of identity for exile/pariah.

Tips from Irongron on being exiled:

• Send a note through a citizen or an unexiled person to the leader of that settlement stating your need for repentance and ask if there is a fine you can pay to allow you 'supervised' movement through his territory.
• Capture a hostage and explain to the leader of this settlement that you will torture/kill/give a comfy pillow to this hostage until he lifts the exile. Then do a prisoner exchange. Or if you are truly devious, tell him you will exchange the character/hostage at the settlement only, giving you access to the areas you can't get to as you give the hostage back and sneak through his/her territory to the 'restricted' areas. Of course, portal lenses might be helpful to get back out of there...
• Approach a disgruntled citizen and sponsor him to become the next leader. Approach the existing leader stating you will withdraw your support for his rival if he/she allows you passage through his/her territory.
• Become the champion of that settlement and fight the settlements' enemies. Commission a bard to sing of your exploits in the settlement on how well you have thoroughly trounced the settlement's enemies and you do all this for redemption.