Conquest of an opposing city is one of the singlemost important and significant achievements in Avalon and is an endeavour typically undertaken, after careful planning, by entire armies led by groups of players - usually representing a city and/or a collection of guilds in alliance. HELP BATTLEFIELD documents the specifics of combat on the battlefield and if you read through to section three, you will find details of 'the final occupation' where a victorious invader can pursue their conquest through to the denouement of total, permanent change to the Avalon landscape. Where the third section in HELP BATTLEFIELD deals with conquest where the opponent refuses to surrender and the invader must push victory to the point of comprehensive, absolute superiority, below you will find info about measures to avoid that outcome: the surrender, the ceasefire, the armistice and the long-term consequences of negotiated peace.
ONE: SURRENDER
The scenario is thus: an invasion has taken place and the conquerer has pushed their military superiority to the point where the defending city decides there is no more point continuing to resist; that the war is lost and they desire to sue for peace. Any member of high government (baron or minister) or the Field Marshall may type CONQUEST SURRENDER to make the public, globally acknowledged statement on behalf of their homeland. Immediately following the surrender declaration there will be a few minutes opportunity for any other member of high government to CONQUEST GAINSAY. If the GAINSAY is made, the surrender is annulled and the war continues. If, as is more likely, none gainsay the surrender then a ceasefire is declared and all hostilities on the soil of the supplicant-for-peace will halt.
This first surrender and the ensuing ceasefire will hold for one Avalon month (a real-life day) and during this period negotiations will likely take place regarding conditions for peace, etc. By the end of the ceasefire period the surrender will need to be made formal by a declaration by the Prince or Princess of the defending city, typing CONQUEST SURRENDER PERMANENT. If the Prince does not appear in the land for the ceasefire period it will be extend over two further Avalon months, after which time the permanent surrender can be declared by ANY member of high government; again with the option for CONQUEST GAINSAY if another of similar rank disputes the decisions. If the Prince does appear but does not respond to the ceasefire terms, hostilities will be allowed to resume once the ceasefire period is complete.
TWO: APPOINTING THE VICE REGENT
The Prince or Princess of the occupying city, the victorious conquerer, will need to respond to the surrender quickly by appointing a member of his/her government or military as de facto overlord of the supplicant territory. This is done by typing CONQUEST VICEROY followed by the name of the individual chosen to take the position of Vice Regent of the conquered city. The proposed Vice Regent will accept via CONQUEST ACCEPT or decline via CONQUEST DECLINE. It is a hugely significant role and this is one of the most important delegations a Prince/ss will ever make. It is advised that the wishes of the supplicants be taken into consideration, as well as the merits of the person eventually chosen for this short-term autocracy.
The Vice Regent will, in most cases, seek to gain the support of the conquered city and this is obtained by each citizen having the ability to VICEROY SUPPORT or VICEROY REJECT. If, at the end of each regency period (see below) the Vice Regent has a majority of support from the citizenry he/she will be able to extend the length of the regency. If the majority of citizens log a rejection the regency will be governed by predetermined limits - one to three Avalon years - as described in the following sections. Only citizens active at the time of the regency's commencement (or when it is extended) are able to register their support/rejection and any citizen thrown out of the city involuntarily will automatically become a permanent 'rejection' whenever the citizens' opinions are tallied up.
THREE: POWERS OF THE VICE REGENCY
Following the appointment of the Vice Regent of the conquered city, it will cease to have a Prince or Princess. The Vice Regent will occupy this role. This state of affairs will last for one Avalon year, during which time the affairs of the conquered and the conquerer should be set in order with a view to reaching consensus for a lasting peace. The armistice will continue throughout this period. Appointments can be made by the Vice Regent, elections may be held with the Vice Regent holding power to call early results; in short there can be anything from a quick negotiated peace with little change or a complete changing of the guard across the whole top tier of the conquered city's society (new barons, new ministers, etc).
The Vice Regent will have a variety of powers beyond the ability to select ministers and affect election lengths. He/she will be able to alter the designation of the soil of the conquered city, giving it over to the conquerer or howsoever he pleases. He/she will determine whether the academies remain closed or can open again, schools and guild recruitments likewise. The full powers available to the Vice Regent are to be a found in a special helpfile whose access details will be made available to the individual selected for this all-important role.
FOUR: FINAL DECLARATION OF THE VICE REGENT
The Vice Regency period will end after the Avalon year has passed, with the chosen individual standing at the founding stone of the conquered territory - ideally in company of the Prince or Princess of the conquering city - and making one final public declaration: CONQUEST RESCIND REGENCY to voluntarily give up the regency status and restore full independence, leaving the conquered city free once again and able to select a new Prince/Princess from among its altered barony; or CONQUEST ASSUME MONARCHY to announce the intention to take on permanent citizenship of the conquered city, losing prior citizenship, and thereby altering the position of Vice Regency directly into that of Prince. Independence, to the extent determined by the new Prince, will be restored to the conquered city and normality will be allowed to return to the academy, school, guilds, military, etc.
The Vice Regent-turned-Prince will have all the powers typically associated with the rank, but will not require the oathing of the barony for two Avalon years. Thus he/she will enjoy two years of unchallenged, absolute power (if that is desired) but will be required to consider the longer-term will of the nobles and the citizenry. Once the two year period has elapsed, the absolute Prince will be returned to normal, requiring baronial oaths and subject to deposition and/or challenge. Where the history of the city and the Vice Regent-turned-Prince lead following this point is open-ended and no longer affected by the conquest and its aftermath.
