I haven't had any serious character in last two years, so when I got
some time I decided to roll one. I wanted to try out the "new" cabal
called "Empire", so here goes an imperial duergar warrior. Before the
character creation I chuckled to myself: "All bow to the new Emperor
who is going to be rolled soon". Of course, it was just a joke,
considering my newbiness to imperial RP and the cabal. And I chuckled
again when it actually happened. After all, you can't plan such kind
of things seriously, because it is not only matter of you being "worthy"
to claim the seat, but also you need some luck to be in the right place
in the right time. My emperorship was rather short ( 3+ weeks ) so
I can't say I got tired from it .

My young years were rough. Though Empire had a couple heroes, they
were not very active and we (lowbies) often were without the codex.
Also we didn't have many chances to retrieve against defenders in
the Fortress whom had one or more heroes to sanc/heal/shield them
and the Maran. The same can be said for villagers who were numerous
that time. A single rager at middle ranks can stop a couple imperials
who are trying to slay the giant.

Some imperials got pissed with deaths and deleted but hardcore
players made it to rank 40, I would mention Zhaorayne and Dekyxen.
Suddenly, the whole situation got changed. New promising members
joined the Empire: Keldzak, Zauttevre and Talabrina took the bloodoath.
Also the Village got purged. I would mark that point as the foundation
of Empire domination. Later, the new crew ranked into hero range and
joined the old crew in the short bloody victorious war against other
cabals. However, so called "imperial domination" didn't last very long
and I would not call it total domination as our opposition still was
numerous and any day when all goodies didn't logout in terror ( mostly
when Jaegrudai was around ) they were able to strike back with superior
numbers and other cabals combined.
Eventually imperial heroes deleted/autoed/aged and when I became
the Emperor the Empire could not provide good competition for
the Fortress in hero range.



Immortals

I'm sick to see all these second names with apostrophes so I didn't set
any second name for myself, I was quite comfortable with my first.

Considering raiding stuff, make hideouts nosummon. I believe you
discussed it many times already, but really, I wish to have any
advantage while defending the cabal. It just does not work against
Fortress, most of the time they simply summon defenders out. If you
are not strong enough to fight them in open combat you may not
to bother to come to defend as well.

Another thing. Centurions are completely unfair to ragers. Fix it damnit .

Khasotholas - I allowed you to share my glory by
tattoo'ing me. When it comes to huge emotes' assault or talking
in lyrics I'm certainly not the best, however, I was the sharpest
sting in your hive of Fat Bees, hehe. I apologize for not annoying
you with numerous prays, I'm not one of shrine-sitting kind of players.
I, honestly, didn't know what to do to earn your tattoo aside from
playing an imperial, doing cabal business and becoming the Emperor.
As for my kindness... Well, I just didn't want to demote a blade
for not coming to defend against 3 virtued paladins. Nor I had
enough targets inside the cabal for demotion as I tended to let
the sect leaders to deal with their sects.

Zulghinlour - Big Hovering Silent Ebony Bub of the Empire
Empire miss your random demoting and anathemization. Seriously,
mortal leaders can't see a lot and it is where your intervention
would be handy.

Avram - Who the hell are you?


Empire

From gameplaying point of view I like the cabal structure. It is much
better than waiting a leader to talk for a month or waiting an immortal
for empowerment. I don't really think that a cabal leader has any notable
influence upon the whole cabal aside one thing: he can stop to show and
the cabal will be thin without fresh blood for a while. It is all about
players who decide to join and play in the said cabal at time. We have
numerous examples when a cabal has an excellent leader but still sucks
or the leader is an idiot but average quality of cabal members is high.
And it is another reason why I think that imperial structure is good,
it does not depend on leadership that much at all. So all these bla bla
"about building strong sects" are RP only . For example, you simply
can't build strong divine sect when nobody rolls healers or shamans
for the Empire.

When it comes to cabal wars, damage reduction is a huge factor.
A healer or an invoker adds a lot in raids. Team good usually doesn't
have any problem with it, but it is not so for the Empire. Invokers are
somewhat rare due the lack of the arcane sect and healers usually delete
because playing a healer in the divine sect as a healer is hard.
The current situation with preps for melee classes makes it only worse.
Basically, when you don't have any healer/invoker within Empire it
becomes similar to playing ragers without the head. ( well, almost ).
And guess what? People just don't bother to play in hero range so
they delete or backup their chars until better times, and low-middle
ranks hesitate to rank into hero range. You can blame, demote or
anathemize them for it but it is not the way to change their nature.
They will not suddenly become ballsy skilled players who tool virtued
paladins with their unprepped duergar/fire imperial blades.
Considering politics, I believe something is broken. I don't think
that plotting against Emperor will ever work. I see no reason for sect
leaders to vote for you when they seek the throne themselves.
The pitiful fate of Njaal is the best example of a such situation.

Dryzzel - Believe or not, I approached you to swear the
bloodoath because I found it is fitting for a young "Emperor" to have
the War Master himself for that task. Overall I think you were
a decent War Master and I didn't want to plot against you. Also I had
no problem with your ragerish style of playing. But at some point
you stopped to show up. You were War Master for 5+ months and deleted
having only 300 hours. With the same rate you were going to last for
another 5 months and I haven't had so much time so I agreed to
replace you. After all, I became the War Master when I already had almost
300 hours on Grottimgesh. I think it is just fair considering the fact
I was better fighter than you. Muhahaha.

Zhaorayne, Dekyxen - rock solid blades with whom I spent
my young years. Enjoyed your company. Zhaorayne even deserved a personal
macros for my mud client to rescue him. I got dissapointed when
you deleted.

Njaal - The Tormentor of the Oasis. Very solid divine. You were
the only sect leader whom I saw around often. And I think you deserved
emperorship but voting ruined it all. We were on the distance because
I didn't like the fact you act like you are already the Emperor but I
didn't ignore your orders because they were reasonable most of the time.
Shorty after I became the War Master you deleted.

Yanacek, Gulthruck - Both very solid imperials and deadly
players. During my lifespan you both were already inactive and that is
the only concern I had with you. I planned to replace the DreadLord at
one point but nobody managed to reach your attitude until I age died.

Laes - I rarely saw you in my young years but later I started
to see you more often and enjoyed your company. I wonder why players
do not play in the shadow sect, it is so cheap when the most of your
enemies can't see you. Remember to prep when you try to assassinate
rager berserkers. Muhahaha.

Zauttevre - It is always nice to have competent healer in the
cabal, as I said before your presence doubled the imperial strength.
Also any kind of exploration or slaughter of big fargin mobs is not
possible without a healer. When you were promoted to the High Priest
(well deserved) things changed. You became twice as arrogant as you
were before, perhaps not the wisest decision when you gather votes
for the empty throne, but I still respected you.

Talabrina - Another decent and competent healer in Empire.
Keep it high as the High Priestess. Shoot your boss and come to play
more often.

Blitzenturt - One of the best of imperial blades and your
position as the War Master was well deserved. Heh, though as soon
I was made Emperor you approached me and strongly suggested to promote
you, and I decided to make some fun of you . Your specs are dumb,
but what you else you would expect from a fire giant? With nerfed cranial
there is no point to be a mace spec when you may be an axe spec,
you can do with axes whatever you are able to do with mace plus weaponbreak
and disembowel, that is why everyone and his mother are axe specs now.
I knew, one day I will see my War Master wearing earrings.
When I got you and Ferezno killed in one breath by the Feanwyyd dragon
I felt bad as a player but I laughed hard at the same time. You don't
need any armor because you hit as hard being naked as I do being well
dressed. Grab two trunks and crash them, don't forget earrings.

Drudental - Another worthy blade. I simply didn't care about
your nifty titles. When it comes to elite blades I considered fighting
abilities and dedication. If you ganged a couple heralds why the farg
should I care? I believe now I have an ability to spot every your char
from first interaction .

Cassio - a lame name but you were a dedicated blade, that was
a reason you stayed among elite blades. Too bad you didn't stick out.

Keldszak, Vivinxa - You two are worthy to mention among
mage dogs in the Palace .

Dandern - When I bloodoathed you I wasn't impressed at first
but you grew on me. One of memorable moments it was time when
four ragers + Yanomami sat in the Palace and me, Blitz and you
were at inner guardians, you said something like "I'm going to sleep
them all", went down and slept four of five of them.

Wojif - When I bloodoathed you, you were a promising blade.
I age died and you are still promising. You are a solid and worthy
blade but stop that levelsitting damnit.

Nubli, Yanine, Zyverin, Sinnria -
freash meat of the Empire. Prove that you can be better than we were. Yo.


Fortress

For my class/race/specs combo paladins and invokers are the worst enemies.
Every invoker with a clue or every clueless but virtued paladin can tool me.
With the purged village I was left to fight my worst enemies most of the
time. Yay. Virtues are broken. A class with summon, sanc, heal, word,
good melee/spell damage, good defences can do well without any virtues.
With virtues it becomes just cheap. I hesitate to listen all bla bla about
how hard are vitrues to obtain because I have seen so many paladins
at hero and all of them but one (Deohrel) were virtued. Temperance just
disables melee classes. Hiltsmash is way too cheap for a such reliable,
long duration, one round lag skill. I had to prepare my azz every time
I had to face virtued paladins while they usually wear newbie gear and
didn't even bother to prepare at all, not even to quaff fly. The day all
these paladins will gain some skill and start to use preps will be the
last day of the Empire.

Jaegrudai - True captain of Marans. Every time you were around
meant the raid is coming. Your combo with Sgralnaoc were quite deadly.
An ability to permalag and to do sick damage forced me to plan carefully
every fight with you two. Luckly, I discovered one thing, when somebody
kills and loots you, I would have a week to lick my wounds because you
would not show for a while.

Nhiala - Another decent paladin within the Fortress. I hope now
you understand how useless are shield dedicated paladins. Muahahaha.
As as said to you IC, your tactic was simply but effective.
I had some fun shoving you around. I wonder why I always lose my link
while fighting you.

Rouchevien - Certainly is not a newbie. Sadly for me. Props to
you for not bringing the whole Fortress to kill me, though your small
gangs still had potential to permalag and finish me off. Would it be
you+entwine or you+neuro or you+lion/porcupine. Luckly for me your
partners always were going to screw something With defiance you can
actually lag me for many rounds alone. In most of our fights it was me
who was a victim and you were a hunter. With the lack of numbers in Empire
at hero I don't think I ever had a fight with you where there was any
danger for you to die.

Other numerous wrath/hiltsmash happy paladins, screw you

Hykroln - We fought often in my young years, despite of your
newbiness you still were able to hit me for demolishes with wrath
weapons, quite painful at middle ranks.

Tulvaluthian, Vahletharien - Invokers are pain in the azz.
I hate stoneshatter, I hate immolation, I hate grease and web and I hate
invokers in general. All you need to do to kill me is to dispel my fly
and cast quicksand. Some of my armor and tricks were devoted to fighting
you specifically.

Thalric - I wonder why every single of your communes worked on
me every time while Gremnosh's didn't. In general, shamans were
not very dangerous for me as I had enough +str gear.

Lekerjey, Gradaelus - Well, hasted paladins with a trannie
behind them are sick. You forced me to have about -60 saves vs. paralysis
when I was geared properly. I hate to be frozen and hopeless .
Gradaelus, would you have more balls I would die twice as often as I did.
My primary plan against gangs with you was to scare you off so you wouldn't
not spam neuro on me but hide instead.



Village

In my early years I had some good fights with you but after the purge
you did not provide any competition. The purge was wrong. It is not the
first and perhaps is not the last purge. Previous purges didn't made
the village better, the last one did not as well. It is time to realize
that purges change nothing in a long run and in a short run they just
destroy the cabal for a couple weeks/months. Just because of a purge
the playbase will not change. Eventually you will induct the very
same players. I miss to see the Village as a force to worry about.
Where are raids upon the Palace to mass kill all poor imperials. Make
me finally shiver every time you login. Or at least come and gang me
damnit, because after the purge I usually see only one tactic from
villagers "stun & run".
Honestly, I miss times where I was concerned with how to get out alive
from fighting a rager rather then thinking how to keep him in combat.
Lately, I often didn't bother to fight ragers because they were going
to stun me anyway and I didn't want to spend my preps for nothing.

Jinroh - Good commander and ballsy player. Though the village
still sucked, it is not your fault. It is because of Ordasen's purge.
I didn't want truce with the village because it is fun to kill ragers
With your spec combo you had not many chances against me though I
could not finish you off because of stun.

Ranak - Overall you were a decent rager, though we both know
you were not as ballsy as everybody thinks *wink*.

Hrejial, Jarsharlax, Betraal - Gave me some
headache in my young years. I hate weaponbreak, it is so annoying
to lose primary weapon every time. Though later the problem was solved.



Scions

I didn't really seek any confrontation with you.
You were not allies for the Palace but you were not primary enemies as well.

Jyslin - You shall take the bloodoath next time.

Nazzryn - Thieves in general are very annoying. Their class design
forces most of them to knockout people and call gangs. You, at least,
didn't do it all the time. In general, I usually didn't hunt thieves.
My inventory was more important for me than a newbie junk I could grab
from their corpses . Though it must be said, thief+ap or thief+shaman
is very deadly combo for melee classes. Summon/blackjack, steal potions,
blind, spell up, get all corpse.

Dregvoshan, Zavin, Diiafd - had some fights with
you but actually I didn't put much of efforts to find or hunt you down.
As I said I was more concerned with the Fortress people.


Outlanders

Mass logigging, cowardly campers . Well, not all of you, but mostly
it was so. I can't say a lot about new crew though.
Anyway, I didn't consider you as a force, you were just an obstacle
when I go to woods to gather preps, for example.
Irked me that you would group with paladins every time to raid the Palace.