Hello everyone. I am Mnoric, the count of Darkforest Edge, a triple county located on the east coast of the Duchy of Acrium, part of the Solaris Confederation. The capital city of Darkforest Edge, Caern (link to be inserted when post is completed), is a stronghold, and will serve as both a military base and a research hub for the county.

In addition to the capital, there are five coastal settlements to include two towns (one of which starts out with a port), a village, and three hamlets. There are also two inland hamlets and an inland village. The county’s road and trail network is already in good shape, and I will work to improve and, where necessary, add roads so that both traders and troops cam move quickly throughout the county. After all, two of the keys to the success of the Roman Empire were their incredible aqueduct system and their excellent system of roads which allowed both troops and supplies for those troops to travel quickly throughout the Empire.

Darkforest Edge has both mountainous regions with mineral deposits and flat ground which would be excellent for animal husbandry. The variety of professions already present vary from tanners and furriers to a spicer and even a priest. There will be a place for everyone here, and we will need players of all types from craftsmen to explorers to traveling merchants.

The entire duchy places a high priority on naval research and exploration, and Darkforest Edge is no exception. The large number of seaside settlements will position us to take advantage of naval trade and exploration. During times of peace, the wide variety of resources and primary industries will enable our crafters to produce a large array of goods for trade over both land and sea. During times of war, our abundant resources and large coastline will allow us to have a robust navy.

I understand that technological advancements are not just to put yourself ahead of your adversaries, but also to keep your adversaries from passing you. When I say adversary, I don’t just mean enemies in a military conflict, but also other craftsmen, merchants, gatherers, and practitioners of almost all professions. After all, if your competitor can produce goods cheaper, faster, or of better quality than yours, he is a formidable adversary in the war to make other peoples’ money your own (legally, anyway). Because of this, Darkforest Edge will sponsor research into several areas. While any individual is of course encouraged to research whatever he or she wants, the county will specifically focus on and subsidize research into certain areas listed below:

• Naval research – Research will focus on anything that will aid the navy from more effective hull designs and sail patterns to better open-water navigation techniques and ways to keep food fresh during long voyages. • Arms research – Research will focus on methods to improve both the effectiveness and production speed of weapons and armor. • Infrastructure improvement – Research will focus on methods to help exploit the natural resources of the county (from improved mining and logging techniques to better ways to move goods from one place to another).

Research that isn’t applied is obviously worthless, so the county will also emphasize naval and arms production. During times of peace, this will allow us to stockpile weapons and armor for use when needed. It will also give our merchants a valuable trade commodity for selling to our allies and trusted neighbors.

As Napoleon learned, armies march on their stomachs, and the abundance of game in Darkforest Edge will allow us to produce enough food to feed our citizens while still enabling us to stockpile food for use in emergencies or times of war.

I’ve talked a lot about preparing for warfare if necessary, so I’d like to take a moment to talk about my philosophy on warfare. In the words of Theodore Roosevelt, “It is best if possible, not to hit at all, but if you must hit, hit hard.” I have no desire to engage in sabre rattling or pointless offensive wars, but if I firmly believe that, if you are forced to resort to violence, you shouldn’t hold back. Too many times, a country responds to being threatened weakly or not at all. This just encourages the attacker to become more bold and attack more often and harder. There have been a number of times in history when a defender was fighting a battle they couldn’t hope to win, but they fought so hard that the attacker realized that their losses, even if they won, wouldn’t justify the gains their victory would achieve. In the words of Machiavelli, “If you must injure a man, the injury should be so severe that you need never fear his retribution.”

Mayors and citizens

I plan to support all my mayors in achieving both their goals and the goals of the county and the duchy. I have already said how I plan to improve the road network. I also intend to work to form trade agreements, provide access to food and weapons, and do my best to establish a community where everyone can prosper.

All mayors will, of course, be free to run their settlements however they desire and will be able to count on the support of the county during emergencies. All mayors will, however, be expected to maintain a town militia for the purposes of defending against bandits or supporting the county in a time of war. This will be supplemental to the county’s actual army, which will of course help any town that is faced with an issue their militia can’t handle on its own.

Of course, the support will not just be for mayors. The improvements to infrastructure and technology as well as the county’s police force will be help to ensure the safety and prosperity of any citizen who is willing to do his or her part to become successful. All citizens will be welcome to come to me with any issues they have. I don’t promise to resolve every issue in a way that satisfies all parties involved, but I will at least listen and, if necessary, intervene to help solve issues that merit it (no, I’m not going to make a decision about which person has the greener trees in his backyard).

I also believe in rewarding people who go above and beyond to help the county. I don’t want to reveal all my plans on a public forum, but I have several plans for things within the county that will afford me opportunities to reward people who have done a lot to help the county or its citizens or to mayors who do an excellent job running their settlements.

Most of all, this is a game, so I believe in letting people play their way. The developers have already said they will be putting in mechanics to limit or punish legitimately toxic gameplay like griefing, but when it comes to the grayer areas like banditry, every citizen will be free to play however they wish without me trying to tell you not to. After all, any merchant who takes a wagon loaded with expensive goods down a jungle road at night with no guards is asking for trouble. Of course, actions do have consequences, so if you decide to engage in risky behavior like banditry, burglary, etc then don’t complain or be surprised when you are arrested by town constables or killed by a merchant’s guards.

If you aren’t interested in any of the things I mentioned above, it doesn’t mean you have no place here. The county still needs people to take care of the day to day needs of the citizens. My wife, for example, wants to play a tavern keeper. I have a friend who wants to be a traveling merchant. The wife of my first mayor wants to be a farmer. All these jobs help Darkforest Edge, whether by feeding the citizens, providing them with goods they would otherwise not be able to acquire, or in any number of other ways. When I am not performing management functions, I am leaning towards animal husbandry and architecture myself.

There you have it. If you are interested in a county with specific goals and an amazing duke, and you like to make things better for yourself and the other members of your county, check our discord.

I also invite you to join the duchy discord.