Lasanar/Mentor Lessons/Kestrelle/Lesson 2

Lesson Two: The Liege System

NOTE: This system is in the process of changing to the new Oath system right now. If you're a brand-new player with your first character, your liege will be chosen for you by the game. You'll have noticed already that you're part of so-and-so's duchy and your liege is such-and-such. However, if this is your second or third character, you will have to make use of this system. So even if you're reading this and your liege has been chosen for you, take the time to read it. Your next couple of characters will thank you.

Once you have a liege, you are automatically part of an army, and each army has its chosen Marshal. Each Marshal gets orders from the army's sponsor (usually a Duke) and the General. Each Marshal posts those orders in the Standing Orders that can be clearly seen right on top of all the daily messages for everyone in that army. You also get paid by your liege for your services.

So that means, if you haven't found a liege lord yet, you aren't getting much income, you aren't part of an army, you don't have a Marshal, you aren't seeing any Standing Orders, you might not know what the General said, and chances are you missed what you and your troops should be doing. Which is generally known as A Bad Thing.

That is why you require a liege. This explains how it works.

The actual method of finding a liege isn't very hard, but you might run into some confusion because it's a new system that was just put in place. As a new noble to the realm, you'll find that you'll be receiving messages from various region lords asking you to accept their Oaths. There will be numbers attached, as these lords will be offering you a certain percentage of the income they make off their regions for your fealty. They're offering you a job and competing with each other to attain your services. Make the most of it!

Once you have decided to whom you want to swear fealty, just hit “accept” to their offer. You don't have to do anything with the others – they'll automatically see that their oath offers were rejected. It's a good idea to learn a little bit about the lords who will be offering you money, as ideally you should be able to get along with your liege and be able to trust them to protect you.

However, the world won't really end if you choose a liege that isn't your perfect match. Most people you choose will be just fine. It's not like you have to pick your soulmate. You aren't getting married, and your liege lord can't actually force you to go kill the Prime Minister or anything. Really. I do know what I'm talking about here. Once, my character's liege committed treason and was declared an enemy of the realm, and I was able to dissolve her oath. I even switched liege lords when I had to. So believe me, it's possible.

Having said that, you shouldn't just jump in and accept the oath of the first person who sends you a message. When you start out, you're bascially a bottom-of-the-food-chain noble. Anyone who holds a piece of land can be your liege. Lasanar is a pretty big realm, so you have a lot of people to choose from. You might as well take some time and get to know them before you commit. So anyone who's a Count, Countess, Baron, Baroness, Duke, or Duchess – pay attention to their messages, get to know them, and message them privately with a roleplay. Be polite of course!

Once you have chosen your liege, you will be part of whatever duchy your liege is in. That means you will be taking orders from the Marshal, and you'll get to see all the Standing Orders appear in a pretty red colour on top of the daily messages, so you'll always know what the General wants you to do. You'll be placed in an army, and be in the official military hierarchy.

To see your place in the military hierarchy, go to Information --> Realm Hierarchy or Feudal Hierarchy. (You might not be able to see these pages until after you have been in the realm a few days.)