21.19 The sphere of influence: occupation and conquest.

The sphere of influence is the area around a city, typically outside its walls - beyond its fortified gates - over which the city has a military dominance. This military dominance can be simple influence as depicted by the city's flag, or passive occupation where the city has raised its standard of conquest over a location, active occupation where the city has not only raised its standard but also maintains a military presence in the locale, and conquest, where the city has actively occupied, raised its standard of conquest and commands dominance in all of the significant locations of the village or town. For those not involved with warfare or global politics the state of occupation for a village or town will be of little moment, but for those of you part of city government or guild leadership the consequences are very significant.

ONE: Sphere of Influence

The sphere of influence for most cities tends to spread across multiple villages, towns and hundreds of individual locations. You will find details of the method of expanding or contracting a city's sphere in HELP INFLUENCE. In short, a city's flag is raised over a location and if unchallenged, and the location is adjacent to pre-existing sphere, it will become part of the city's sphere. All locations provide a basic amount of gold to the dominant city and certain locations - the 'key locations' - provide more: increased amounts of gold, boost to enlistable men, etc.

TWO: Passive Occupation

Many cities are not content with merely a background sphere of influence, a one-off establishment of their flag over a region and thence ongoing but relatively small tribute. Occupation is the next stage of dominance. This requires you first to have the location in your sphere of influence and for the location to be one of the 'key locations'. These are: the central milestone, the town/village council, tavern public rooms, all milestone'd locations, trading centre, constructed buildings or stores, shop or mercantile establishment, or any singular noteworthy spot (shown in SURVEY).

In any of these locations you can type DECLARE OCCUPATION in your marshalled position and providing there is no opposing legions in the location (and the town/village is not conquered by another) the standards of your homeland will begin to raise. You will need to be leading a legion of at least twenty legionnaires - the Company size - to erect the standards of occupation. If your legion banner continues to fly undefeated for a designated period (shown in OCCUPATION or regularly as the flag is raised), the standard will be fully raised and the occupation will be considered complete. There are checks to see whether your flags are being properly supported by homeland legion(s) - or opposed by foreign invaders - and the occupation declare date will be brought forward to current date if occupation criteria is unsatisfied. The OCCUPATION command will keep you abreast of occupation declaration and completion dates.

The passive occupation will then be in place. This will enhance the tribute demanded of the location according to its type, above and beyond merely gold coins. The passive occupation will provide said tribute only for as long as your homeland's standard remains in place and there is no opposing soldiery on soil. In summary, trading centre occupation provides commodities, taverns and milestones provided enlistable men, council chamber and buildings provide resources according to their type and shops provide gold and sometimes artifacts. Special locations can be levied of tribute but the specifics of what is gained can only be determined by experience and/or legend.

THREE: Active Occupation

The difference between passive and active occupation is very simple: passive requires just the flag and standard of your homeland to fly over a location, active means you have legions present to exact the tribute. It is not necessary to do anything pro-active to establish an active over passive occupation. Once the passive occupation is complete and the standard raised, and assuming there are no opposing legions present, the number of soldiers/workers you have in your legions present in the location (to a maximum, depending on the location's type and the town/village size) will determine the size of tribute exacted. More sizeable legions in place, more tribute exacted. The principle is straightforward. Imagine you have a whole brigade occupying a tavern or public central milestone: you can expect more gold and more enlistables to be 'persuaded' into your city coffers/barracks.

Type OCCUPATION while on the soil of any town or village and you will be informed of all the significant locations in an area, and the current state of affairs therein, i.e. if the location is occupied, conquered, what soldiery is present, etc. Typing SURVEY in a location will also give you useful information on a location's status, its potential for tribute. If you are of sufficient rank in your city you can type TRIBUTES and you will receive a run-down of your homeland's sphere, its occupations and its conquests, along with a summary of all tributes exacted based on both passive and active occupation states. Typing TRIBUTES followed by an Avalon year number (e.g. TRIBUTES 1261) will give you a tribute/occupation expectation based on the current New Year sphere assessment; then TRIBUTE on its own for tributes to-be-collected during the year.

FOUR: Conquest

There is a level of dominance above and beyond occupation: conquest. Conquest is an absolute command, gathering locations outside of your city's walls unto the homeland to be treated almost as if part of your own soil. To establish conquest will require you to hold active occupation of ALL significant locations in a village or town. It will require you to have beaten off ALL opposing legions/forces from the soil of the proposed conquest. It will require you to have legions in all those significant locations. It will require your marshall'd legion to be of at least regiment size - one hundred individuals.

You will then be able to type DECLARE CONQUEST and the declaration will ring across Avalon. An Avalon year must pass, of unchallenged occupation, at which point the conquest will be concluded. The glorious standards of your homeland will fly over the whole town or village. All of its resources will be directed, as tribute, to your city's coffers and storehouses. All active occupations will be enhanced in value. Reputation and kudos (city's divine globe, guildhouses within your walls, etc) will benefit.

You can type AFFAIRS at any time, whether part of city government or guild leadership, or just a regular citizen - or indeed city-less - and you will be informed of the state of affairs, politically and militarily, of all four cities and the various towns and villages of the land.

FIVE: Liberation

It is worth noting here that it is possible for a village or town, in the case of those run by players or those with an Avalon-initiated lust for independence, to strike back at occupying forces: to rid their soil of unwanted flags raised over their homeland. To do this requires a legion of a hundred or more troops in the 'occupied' location - whether that be a location taken as part of foreign sphere of influence, or a location labouring under the flag of occupation or conquest. These troops must remain unmolested and unchallenged in the location for up to two Avalon months (you will notice their status, by witnessing the advance of their 'patrol' when you LOOK). If, at the end of the patrol period, the legion remains in tact and unopposed, the flag of occupation or influence will be torn down and the location liberated. If the location being liberated represents the central location of an occupation or conquest, the occupation will be shattered. NOTE: this does not apply to liberating a homeland after a SURRENDER has taken place.

See HELP TRIBUTES and HELP INFLUENCE for related information.