Aeternum

The mountains of Flagisatan have stood between Aeternum and the Empire of Great Britain for generations: imposing, inhospitable, and, until rather recently, covered in enough ice to make anyone sensible think twice before attempting to cross them.

But the ice is beginning to melt.

With the retreat of the glacial ice and snowpack, previously inaccessible routes into the mountains have begun to open. For the first time in generations, expeditions can venture deep into the region, and both Aeternum and the Empire of Great Britain have wasted little time in taking an interest.

The region itself takes its name from the legendary Sir Flagistan, who is said to have established a monastery high in the mountains centuries ago.

Why was he called Flagistan?Well, the records are rather unclear.

Some historians insist it was an ancient family name. Others claim it was bestowed upon him after a particularly heroic display of a ceremonial banner. A few, less academically inclined historians, have simply pointed out that someone had to be named after a flag eventually.

Whatever the truth may be, Sir Flagistan's monastery remains somewhere amongst the mountains, and its discovery is only one of the many objectives awaiting those brave enough to enter the region.

Now, the rulers of Aeternum and the Empire of Great Britain have called upon their nations.

Their citizens have been conscripted for the expedition, and the two sides now find themselves facing one another amongst the mountains of Flagisatan.

All nations from Aeternum and the Empire of Great Britain are welcome to participate.

Whether you arrive as a soldier, explorer, historian, adventurer, monk, cartographer, or simply someone who has made the questionable decision to climb a mountain in October, there is a place for you in Capture the Flag(istan).

Starting Score

Aeternum — 0
Empire of Great Britain — 0

Where to Play

All event posts must be made on the Regional Message Board (RMB) of Flagistan.

Who Can Participate?

All nations belonging to Aeternum or the Empire of Great Britain are welcome to participate.

The Mod Team exists of all the Regional Officers roled as Moderator which are visible on the World Factbook Entry of Flagistan.

They are allowed to participate but are not above the law.

Rules

Read the lunes at the end of this Dispatch!

The event is based upon the ancient and highly sophisticated game of Capture the Flag(istan): a counting game with one important addition: roleplay.

The objective is simple. Nations from Aeternum and the Empire of Great Britain compete to be the first to reach 500 points.

Every valid post adds +1 point to the score of the poster's home region.

Every post must contain two things:

• The current score of both regions.

• A roleplay message responding to the previous player's contribution.
  

The score should be presented in the following format:

The Count

Aeternum - [SCORE]

Empire of Great Britain - [SCORE]

The roleplay portion then follows beneath the count.

For example:

The Count

Aeternum - 3

Empire of Great Britain - 1

The soldier climbed higher into the mountains, his boots sinking into the rapidly melting snow. At the crest of the ridge, he spotted a British banner fluttering in the wind.

“That’s ours,” he muttered, before beginning the climb.

A nation from Aeternum therefore adds +1 to Aeternum's score, while a nation from the Empire of Great Britain adds +1 to the Empire's score.

The count continues from post to post until one region reaches 500 points.

If neither region reaches 500 points before the event concludes, the region with the highest valid score at the time of conclusion shall be declared the winner.

It is, of course, possible to exploit a counting game.

Fortunately, the monks of Flagistan foresaw this problem centuries ago.

The ancient Rules of the Monastery of Flagistan have therefore been adopted to ensure that the contest remains fair, competitive, and, most importantly, fun.

I. The Law of the Open Gates

Only nations belonging to Aeternum or the Empire of Great Britain may participate.

II. The Law of the No-Puppet

No puppets may participate in the event.

Each participant may only contribute using their legitimate participating nation. Creating, controlling, or using additional nations for the purpose of gaining additional points for either region is prohibited.

III. The Law of Alternation

A nation may not make two consecutive posts.

After posting, it must wait for another nation to contribute before posting again.

IV. The Law of the Three Posts

A single nation may not make more than three posts within any ten consecutive valid posts.

This is intended to prevent one particularly enthusiastic expedition from dominating the count.

V. The Law of One

Every valid post awards exactly +1 point to the poster’s home region.

No post may award additional points, remove points from the opposing region, or otherwise alter the score.

VI. The Law of the Chronicle

Every post must contain a roleplay contribution which responds to, continues, or meaningfully interacts with the previous roleplay entry.

A post containing only a count does not qualify as a valid contribution.

VII. The Law of the Correct Count

Participants must reproduce the current score of both regions and add their point to the appropriate region.

If a participant posts an incorrect count, the Event Moderator may correct or invalidate the post as appropriate.

VIII. The Law of the Same Number

The count must always continue from the most recent valid post.

Participants are responsible for checking the RMB and ensuring that their post reflects the most recent valid count.

RMB Moderators may remove duplicate or incorrect counting posts where necessary to keep the official game thread clear and the count comprehensible.

IX. The Law of the Duplicate

Duplicate posts, accidental double-posts, and posts made in error do not award points.

If a participant accidentally posts twice, the duplicate should be deleted as soon as possible.

RMB Moderators may remove duplicate or invalid posts where necessary to preserve the clarity of the event thread.

X. The Law of the Good Story

Roleplay should remain reasonably relevant to the expedition and the setting of Flagisatan.

Participants may portray battles, exploration, disasters, discoveries, heroic deeds, questionable decisions, encounters with monks, and other events suitable to the setting.

Participants may not unilaterally determine the actions, thoughts, victories, defeats, or deaths of another player’s nation or character without that player’s consent.

XI. The Law of the Single Nation

Each participant must post as their own nation.

A player may not operate multiple nations in order to artificially increase their region’s score.

XII. The Law of the Moderator

The Event Moderators have final authority over the validity of posts, disputed counts, and the official score.

Their decision regarding the event’s mechanics shall be considered final.

XIII. The Law of the Winning Post

The first valid post which brings a region’s score to 500 points is the winning post.

The Event Moderator will verify the post and announce the victorious region on the RMB.

XIV. The Law of the Closing Bell

The event concludes at 10:00 PM BST on 11 October, unless a region reaches 500 points beforehand.

Once the event has concluded, no further points may be added to the official score.

If neither region reaches 500 points, the region with the higher valid score at the time of conclusion wins.

The Event Moderators will announce the final result and victorious region on the RMB.