Jorost

Just to reiterate, "Regnum Invictorum" is the [i]full, official[/i] name. "Invicta" is still the standard short-form name and is wholly appropriate to use. [OOC]Many RL nations do this... "La Republique Francaise" for "France" "Bundesrepublik Deutschland" for "Germany" "Rossiskaya Federatsiya" for "Russia" "Confoederatio Helvetica" for "Switzerland" ...and so on.[/OOC] It would be rare to see those long forms used except in official diplomatic documents, etc. I don't expect people to use our full name in normal conversation. We will use it in official statements, documents, etc., of course. And for RP purposes we will mix it up with "Invicta" and "the Realm."

It's not meant to be pretentious. It's meant to add some RP character, that's all.

Er, Timtacious, we [i]did[/i] withdraw from Poseidon! It's PEACE that we're still in. /me sighs. Heh. Also, just to be clear, "Regnum Invictorum" is the full, official name. "Invicta" is still the standard short-form name. It's like the difference between "La Republique Francaise" and "France."

This is quite serious. It is intended to be a kind of "rebranding" (as much as I hate marketing-speak like that!), as well as to inject a bit more character into our alliance. More of a "theme," if you will. Inasmuch as we were co-founded by a Brit, and have strong roots in Kent, England, we felt it was appropriate to model our institutions, etc., on a British theme. We went with "Lord Protector" rather than "King" because, well, I just liked the sound of it. Our foreign relations will not be adversely affected, as I said.

Nomadd, why didn't you use the BIG flag? o/ Iunctus!

The people of the New Sith Order and Invicta do hereby announce the following treaty... [center][size=7][b]Horses With Lightsabers[/b][/size][/center] [center][size=6]New Sith Order - Invicta MDP[/size][/center] [center][img]http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/cybernations/images/thumb/c/c8/NSOwavy2.png/250px-NSOwavy2.png[/img] [img]http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/cybernations/images/thumb/5/5e/Flag_of_Invicta.svg/200px-Flag_of_Invicta.svg.png[/img][/center] [quote][b]Article I – Sovereignty[/b] Both signatories shall retain their sovereignty and shall not take any action, directly or indirectly, that would threaten the sovereignty or security of the other. [b]Article II – Non-aggression[/b] Both signatories pledge to refrain from any attacks, military or otherwise, upon the other. Both signatories shall not condone any acts of aggression toward the other nor use sanctions upon the other. Both signatories also pledge that diplomacy shall be the first action taken in any incident. [b]Article III - Mutual Defense[/b] An act of war upon one signatory is to be considered an act of war upon the other and will be responded to with all available force. Each signatory agrees to provide any and all information pertinent to the defense of the other. Neither signatory is obligated to defend the other through actions as a result of other treaties. [b]Article IV – Termination[/b] If either signatory wishes to withdraw from this treaty for any reason, they must inform the other 72 hours in advance where all articles of the treaty shall still remain active until the closure of the aforementioned period. Signed, [i]For the New Sith Order[/i] Lintwad, Emperor of the New Sith Order Doppelganger, Dark Lord of the Sith Anthony, Sith Lord Heggo, Sith Lord Lennox, Sith Lord Stonewall Jaxon, Master of Lies CodyHaner, Marauder of Lies Dilber, Marauder of Lies Lord Fingolfin, Marauder of Lies [i]For Invicta[/i] Jorost of the Triune Republic, President Learz, Vice President of Invicta, I Can't Think Of A Cool Title So Bite Me King Hobbs, Minister of Internal Affairs, Zombie Sniper President Gunn of Acturea, Minister of Internal Affairs (ret.) & Earl of Earnhardt Sir Glen of Noumenonopolis, Minister of Finance, Webmaster, and his August Majesty's Air Chief Marshall Buddyboyrollin of US2000, Minister of War Timitz, Director of Reconstruction and Rearmament Haflinger of Llonach, Dean of the Diplomatic Corps Dan2680 of Red Army, Minister of Foreign Affairs Thrash, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs[/quote]

There's an alliance called Fallen Knights? Congrats on the milestones! o/ FK!

Mmm... wine! Well, that was one hell of a war. I hope that, if nothing else, it laid to rest some of the ill will that has been festering for a while. Now we hug it out, !@#$%*es. o/ Peace!

o/ BAPS! Welcome to the party! Just throw your coats on the bed; beer's in the fridge! Later we're doing Jaeger shots!

[quote]Jorost: Going the wrong way since 2007[/quote] Hey hey hey! I went the right way for MANY months!

[center][img]http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss9/Invicta_Alliance/invicta1small.png[/img][/center] [center][size=7][b]Invicta Passes Two Million![/b][/size][/center] [center][i]Going The Wrong Way[/i][/center] Today the Invicta alliance crossed the two million barrier in combined nation strength. But not in the way that would usually result in a public announcement. We passed it going down. A quick look at our [url=http://www.cybernations.net/stats_alliance_stats_custom.asp?Alliance=Invicta]statistics[/url] will show that Invicta has been reduced by some 55% in size and strength. Three-quarters of our nations are in anarchy, and many are at or approaching ZI and bill lock. I have never been prouder of my alliance. We wear these numbers, these battle scars, as a badge of honor. We wear them as a sign of our commitment to our allies. We wear them as proof that while our nations can be beaten down, our spirit cannot be defeated. We will not surrender. We will fight until an honorable peace can be achieved. We will fight until Hell freezes over. And then we will fight on the ice. [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8ACCgIfxAI&aia=true#]Today is a good day to die.[/url]

We have been having trouble with our forum host, and we wondered if anyone had any suggestions for a new one? I should state upfront that I am pretty ignorant about the details of these matters, but my webmaster tells me that what we would need is the following: [list] [*] CPanel access [*] Static IP Address [*] 4+ MySQL Databases [*] 5GB/month transfer [*] php 5.0+ [*] 5+ GB storage (ideally) [*] Good, easily accessible support [*] Separate DNS support would be ideal, but barring that we need at least 5 email addresses [/list] Any suggestions or feedback on hosts is much appreciated!

Be careful where you step, Hydra, there's a lot of blood and guts on the floor! o/ Jacapo! o/ Hydra! o/ PurplebutnotStickmen!

They can't have you, Cora. You're mine! MINE! o/ Cora! o/ USN!

Welcome to the party, Stetson & Co! Throw your coats on the bed and grab a beer! o/ SNAFU! o/ Purple

Cry havoc, my lupine friends. o/ Gimlimonkey! o/ Wolfpack!

I don't know how all this Purple hatred started. I have heard stories, of course. But I wasn't an active player on the international front when it all started, so it's all secondhand to me. What I [i]do[/i] know is that it's ridiculous. Whatever it's based on is old stuff, 2007-2008 or so, which is an eternity in Bob-time. But the hatreds and prejudices get passed on to the newbies, who in turn pass it on when they are the settled, established players. The next thing you know people are throwing around lolpurples without ever having stopped to ask why. Whatever perceived "offenses" my alliance may have committed in that distant past, they were not under my watch. I have been the leader of Invicta for one year. And in that time I have seen almost all of my government members turn over. In fact, many of my members -- including most of my current government officers -- have never even met the founders of Invicta. We are not the same Invicta we were in 2008. I am tired of bearing the stigma for things I had nothing to do with. Then there's the "NPO lapdog" thing. Whatever. I get that there are NPO haters out there. I do. But once again, it's got nothing to do with me or Invicta under my rule. In my dealings with NPO they have been good and loyal friends. And, just to play devil's advocate, isn't it a little hypocritical to label us as stooges for NPO when there is an alliance on the other side -- iFOK -- who use another, larger alliance's name, imagery, and IRC channel yet still maintain that they are an independent, sovereign entity? And since I am on the topic, it seems appropriate to say a few words about iFOK and the Stickmen. I have admitted that I behaved poorly when iFOK came to Purple. I admit that again. We all make mistakes. I was angry at what I saw at the time as little more than an attempt to destabilize the Purple sphere for no other reason than lols. Frankly, I have seen little since then to change that opinion. And I was hardly the only one to behave poorly. There has been asshattery enough on both sides to go around. But that's all behind us now. Whatever it is that some of you think Invicta has done, however you think we have wronged you, we are paying for it now. You have your pound of flesh, and more. We are fighting fourteen separate alliances. We have lost over 1.5 million combined nation strength, over a third of our total. Most of our nations are now turtling, not by choice but by necessity. And all around me, Invicta burns. But I am not afraid. Because the fire that burns can also purify. It can temper. I am confident that we will emerge from this trial better than we were. And, if we are lucky, maybe -- finally -- cleansed of past sins, both real and perceived. If an honorable peace for us and our allies can be obtained, then I will welcome it. But we cannot surrender.

What, 13 alliances on us wasn't enough? OK, let's do this.

Congratulations! A horse-based theme, eh? Now where I have I seen that before...?

First of all, thanks to everyone who has said supportive things to us and our good friends at UPN. Yes, good friends. Despite the fact that one of our n00blets took the word of a certain wily Dutchmen when he should not have done, and declared on UPN! Heh. Like my parents always said, "Don't take candy from strangers, don't cross the street without looking both ways, and never, NEVER, trust a Dutchman!" Second, I know Rest & Recreation is not a bloc. That was a slip of the mind when I was writing it. I was counting on my co-writer, President Altheus of the United Purple Nations, to catch that in editing. Sadly, his English skills proved to be no better than my own. I am beginning to suspect he may even be part Dutch. Finally, let me state our determination to bring this to a swift and just conclusion. My people tell me that R&R are (or should that have been "R&R R?") an honorable alliance, and we are looking forward to a good fight. Now excuse me while I kiss the sky.

Invicta wishes Polaris success in her \m/arch to war. Let the \m/iscreants receive their comeuppance. Let the \m/ight of Polaris bring a swift and decisive victory. How are we liking these \m/ puns? o/ Polaris!

I think there are several reasons why the game is shrinking. Tournament Edition. Let's face it, SE can be pretty boring. It's a lot of talking and not a lot of doing. I think a lot of people sign up thinking that they are going to be playing some kind of large-scale, online version of "Risk." Instead what they find is an online version of the Model UN. What action there was has been co-opted by the existence of the much faster-paced TE. Large Nations. The more time passes, the more large nations there are. The "old school" nations who have been around for a long time. Like all established power structures, they are inherently conservative. The powers that be never want to rock the boat. And who can blame them? When you have spent a tremendous amount of time, energy, and sometimes even RL money in building something, then the sense of emotional ownership is bound to be strong. You don't want to throw away everything you have worked for. Not only that, but at some point a nation becomes so big that it is effectively isolated by it's very size. Who can Moto-Maniac go to war with, for example? Not too many people. And while most of us are nowhere near his level, the problem remains, on a lesser scale, for any large nation. Admin Apathy. There are any number of suggestions that could spice up the game and make it more interesting. But, as we have all seen, Admin is glacially slow to adopt changes. Hell, even something as simple as enabling nations to upload their own flags would probably be an incentive (if *removed* can do it there is no good reason why CN cannot). How about increasing the aid limit, maybe in relation to a nation's size? Or maybe introducing some kind of alliance banking? Or any number of the many other good ideas people have brought up? The whole game is stagnating. My alliance is feeling it, I assume others are too. It's getting harder and harder to find new members, and with more alliances than ever it's like having more and more seagulls fighting over fewer and fewer chicken legs.

Regarding: Don't be fooled by their cuteness. Smurfs are nothing bit tiny blue Nazis: Smurfs killed my father. No, my friends, there can be no peace while the Smurf Reich endures. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in Smurfland, We shall fight on the seas and oceans, We shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Alliance, whatever the cost may be, We shall fight on the beaches, We shall fight in the shadow of Gargamel's castle, We shall fight in the fields and in the tiny mushroom villages, We shall fight in the Candy Mountains; We shall never surrender!

Declaration of War Those of us who have lived in the World of Bob for some time know that ours is not a world without tyranny, or evil, or any of the petty infamies that plague our species. It will ever be the duty of honorable men to strive against such oppressions. Though some have questioned whether Invicta could be classified as being among "honorable men," we have always struggled to be so. As in any struggle, we have not always been victorious. But we believe that there is honor in the struggle itself. And so it may be again. On December 27th our friends and allies at The Phoenix Federation were attacked by a Coalition of Cowardice made up of Ragnarok, Athens, \m/, and G.O.D. It saddened me to see this. It further saddened me to see that in the days that followed no diplomatic resolution was forthcoming. Invicta does not seek out war. But neither are we unwilling to take arms in defense of our friends. And so, in the spirit of friendship and solidarity with our brothers at TPF, I do hereby declare that a state of war now exists between Invicta and Athens, \m/, and G.O.D. I make this declaration in conjunction with those other Alliances of Honor who refuse to allow oppression and cruelty to triumph. We have differed and quarreled in the past; but now one bond unites us all – to wage war until victory is won, and never surrender ourselves to servitude and shame, whatever the cost and agony may be... Upon all of whom a long night of barbarism will descend unbroken even by a star of hope, unless we conquer, as conquer we must; as conquer we shall. Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that if the Invicta Alliance and its Purple Sphere last for a thousand years, Men will say: "This was their finest hour." /s/ Jorost of the Triune Republic, President of Invicta