Popular Post Prefonteen Posted November 3, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted November 3, 2018 (edited) Both the $yndicate under previous administrations and I personally have a longstanding history of accompanying any declaration of war with an outlined justification. We believe that -whether our counterparts and the community as a whole agree with our reasoning or not-, the provision of a reason beyond just shedding pixels is always preferred above wars for war’ sake. Over the past two weeks, I have received various requests for a presentation of our reason or war. When I posted the Syndicate’s placeholder declaration of war, I intended to uphold that ideological tenet by eventually circling back to it to properly outline our Casus Belli. Unfortunately, RL circumstances (OOC: I am currently in the middle of finals) led to a lack of time, and a long delay. You have my apologies for that. So… Strap in. Wall of text inbound! 1. Prewar leadup. A year ago, the idea of a $yndicate alignment with the New Pacific Order in opposition to our old allies in The Knights Radiant would have been viewed as unfathomable. When the $yndicate went paperless, some hoped but I daresay few believed that this was done in any other way than amicably. $yndicate government at the time sought a change of dynamic which I believe has already been documented by my predecessors. I will therefore move on. Following t$’ paperless decision, EMC-t$ relations remained more than cordial. Although t$’ self-imposed political removal from EMC significantly altered the internal dynamics of that sphere, the EMC vs IQ dynamic remained unchanged. During this period, the tier disparity rose to unprecedented levels, with IQ claiming absolute domination over the lower tier and EMC consolidating the top tier. Many have lamented this, recognizing that (from a gaming perspective) this cold war of tiers is harmful to Orbis’ overall environment. Both spheres entrenched themselves in their view that the other side was the existential threat to this world, and the fear of that threat would often be cited as the primary roadblock to any significant political movement. Stagnation followed. Until recently, the $yndicate found itself locked in this political dynamic. The cold war of tiers had a suffocating impact on political innovation: After all, any prospective move would have to be weighed against its viability in a bipolar environment which -broadly speaking- would not tolerate destabilizing elements. In our view, this assertion is supported by a variety of minor skirmishes and rollings (Nuke bloc and KT-TGH come to mind for example). With the major players accounted for by other spheres until relatively recently, t$ found itself in a situation where it was forced to either pick a side or remain passively sidelined with the understanding that its paperless security would likely only be safeguarded until the bipolar dynamic would end and one side or the other would assert its dominance. At that point, t$ -for sitting out of the remainder of the rivalry- would find itself isolated and forced to return to the political arena under potentially dangerous circumstances. Historical EMC relations remained amicable to a point where cooperation was on the table. Toward the end of our paperless period, unofficial agreements existed with regards to defense obligations. IQ has often pointed at the continuation of informal relations between The $yndicate and EMC as an absolute confirmation that t$’ paperless was little more than a PR gimmick, and that EMC never broke up, thus justifying their consolidation against a perceived existential threat. Though not entirely unfounded, it can be viewed differently. I pose that the $yndicates alignment to EMC throughout its paperless era has been a sliding scale, directly influenced by the actions of both IQ and EMC within their rivalry. The long-term outlook however saw us gradually gravitating back to EMC alignment over time. So we found ourselves in an odd scenario: Political considerations saw us headed towards re-entering the bipolar dynamic as a full-fledged EMC party. This caused a degree of dissonance as accepting this role would mean forfeiting the desires which caused us to move to paperless in the first place. Our shift to paperless after all, was never ideologically motivated (like it is for alliances such as TEst). It was viewed as a means to an end, with an expiration date. The alternative of directly affiliating with IQ was undesirable to us for similar reasons. With the above in mind, The $yndicate decided a pivot was in order. I think it’s a known secret at this point that a few months ago, we terminated the previously mentioned informal agreements with certain EMC parties. Following that termination, we signed new ties with our new running partners to form the chassis of a sphere. Edited November 3, 2018 by Prefonteen 4 32 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Prefonteen Posted November 3, 2018 Author Popular Post Share Posted November 3, 2018 (edited) 770 words in, it’s finally time to delve into the Casus Belli aspect of this wall of text. To all those who will !@#$ over the length of this post: frick you. You wanted content, here you go. 2. Why we went to war. Ultimately, our severance from EMC can be summed up as ideologically (and a bit OOC) motivated. The problem with EMC/old Syndisphere was that in reflection, the sphere was too good/close: Little to no tension existed. Parties within it were and are solid allies with a pragmatic attitude towards prioritization of the sphere over individual grudges. That is rare, and neither t$’ decision to go paperless nor our more recent decision to sever ties was made lightly. But it was made nonetheless, and it caused a ripple effect of rumors. Following our sphere formation, the following rumors swirled at one point or another: - IQ would hit t$ - t$ would hit IQ - IQ would hit TKR - TKR would hit IQ - T$ would hit TKR - IQ and TKR would hit t$ - T$ and TKR would hit IQ And so forth. Many of these rumors were based on speculation, or on wishful thinking. Others were rooted in minor spats which arose: over the past months we have clashed with both IQ and EMC over protectorates and allies. Initially, I do not believe any of the mentioned parties put too much stock in the rumors. Shifty’s leaks while alarming in principle, were also from a messenger with questionable credibility. Particularly his tendency to position logs out of context or alter logs lowered the impact of his revelations. They did however contribute to an environment in which it became increasingly difficult to discern between legitimate intel and misdirection. The turning point from broad suspicion towards both IQ and EMC towards actively viewing EMC as a threat came when I was provided with two pieces of intelligence from two credible sources (who are both prominent community figures whom I trust, and who have yet to betray that trust). The two pieces boiled down to the following: - TKR/tCW approached certain paperless parties about a defensive agreement, specifically mentioning The $yndicate as a threat. (This approach was wholly defensive in nature) - TKR/tCW approached certain IQ-affiliated parties with ambiguous feelers about mutual threats and unspecified cooperation in the near-medium term future. Both of these pieces of information were individually cross-checked and confirmed. EMC leadership was also notified of our receipt of this information at the time, and there was a discrepancy in the respective narratives of TKR and EMC leadership, with one party (initially) categorically denying any approaches, and the other party confirming that approaches were made but that they were entirely defensive in nature. $yndicate government drew the following conclusions from this information: - Considering the above, we could reasonably assert that feelers were put out about fighting us, be it defensively or offensively, as indicated by the approach to the paperless party. - Keeping in mind that we were specifically mentioned in the first piece of intel, it’s not unreasonable to presume that the unnamed “threat” referred to during the approach to the IQ-related party coincides. Ergo: The $yndicate. - Either one of the confronted parties lied to us about approaches to external parties, or the confronted parties are not working in concert. The former can not be proven however. - Consequently, we concluded that EMC felt threatened by our new sphere, and that it was at the very least taking defensive measures and at worst, putting out feelers for an offensive maneuver. Before moving on, I want to note that we are understanding of EMC feeling threatened. I believe my personal reputation and relations with TKR (from Hogwarts times) played a role in the development of a perception of t$ as a hostile entity. For TKR/EMC looking in, I imagine it looks as if I came in, took over and immediately shifted FA direction from alliance to opposition. T$’ current FA is a continuation of broad strategic plans and objectives set in motion by my predecessors Zed and Chaunce, as can be attested both by them and by our allies in House Stark. With that said, it would be understandable if mistrust was generated during our transitionary period. Between personal mistrust, our movements and shifty, there is definite justification for EMC to be gearing defensively. The problem with these matters is that they tend to become self-fulfilling prophecy. There are fine lines to walk with regards to being prudent about guarding against perceived (potential) threats to one’s security and inciting action against oneself. It’s a grey area with too many nuances, he-said she-said’s and what-if’s to count. Which brings us to our reason for entering in a coalition of convenience with the inquisition and various third (paperless) parties against EMC: 1. Recognizing that there is a historical precedent of EMC willingness to pre-emptively engage perceived threats, and recognizing that (even if it can be justified) EMC views t$ as a threat, t$ has cause to view EMC as a threat to its security. 2. Though we can not discern whether EMC approached IQ+third parties with aggressive or defensive intent, we can conclude that approaches were made and that they specifically featured the $yndicate. Politically, this is often a first step toward offensive action. Once a defensive coalition is formed and a prospective opponent is politically isolated, it tends to be a matter of time before feelers are put out to turn defense into offense. This is a process in which both The $yndicate and TKR (as allies at the time) have participated in the past. The approaches are therefore viewed as a threat to The $yndicate’s security, irrespective of whether they were defensive or offensive in nature. These two points sum up our considerations in declaring war on EMC. The decision was not made lightly as we are well aware of the nuances involved with respect to the mutual threat we pose(d) to one another. While we feel that our engagement in this war became a political necessity due to the outlined events, we do believe that deterioration of our relations was -at its core- more the product of a temporary shift from bipolarity to tripolarity in the geopolitical dynamic than any malice on our or EMC’s part. The $yndicate continues to hold The Knights Radiant, The Commonwealth and Guardian in high regard despite our current positioning, and commends them for the manner in which they have handled the conflict so far. It’s been a surprisingly civil ordeal and particularly the upper tier fight has been a fun contest. Edited November 3, 2018 by Prefonteen 3 24 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Darth Revan Posted November 3, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted November 3, 2018 You're just trying to distract us from what The True The Vanguard is doing. 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Hodor Posted November 3, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted November 3, 2018 16 minutes ago, Prefonteen said: Both the $yndicate under previous administrations and I personally have a longstanding history of accompanying any declaration of war with an outlined justification. We believe that -whether our counterparts and the community as a whole agree with our reasoning or not-, Reveal hidden contents A year ago, the idea of a $yndicate alignment with the New Pacific Order in opposition to our old allies in The Knights Radiant would have been viewed as unfathomable. When the $yndicate went paperless, some hoped but I daresay few believed that this was done in any other way than amicably. $yndicate government at the time sought a change of dynamic which I believe has already been documented by my predecessors. I will therefore move on. Following t$’ paperless decision, EMC-t$ relations remained more than cordial. Although t$’ self-imposed political removal from EMC significantly altered the internal dynamics of that sphere, the EMC vs IQ dynamic remained unchanged. During this period, the tier disparity rose to unprecedented levels, with IQ claiming absolute domination over the lower tier and EMC consolidating the top tier. Many have lamented this, recognizing that (from a gaming perspective) this cold war of tiers is harmful to Orbis’ overall environment. Both spheres entrenched themselves in their view that the other side was the existential threat to this world, and the fear of that threat would often be cited as the primary roadblock to any significant political movement. Stagnation followed. Until recently, the $yndicate found itself locked in this political dynamic. The cold war of tiers had a suffocating impact on political innovation: After all, any prospective move would have to be weighed against its viability in a bipolar environment which -broadly speaking- would not tolerate destabilizing elements. In our view, this assertion is supported by a variety of minor skirmishes and rollings (Nuke bloc and KT-TGH come to mind for example). With the major players accounted for by other spheres until relatively recently, t$ found itself in a situation where it was forced to either pick a side or remain passively sidelined with the understanding that its paperless security would likely only be safeguarded until the bipolar dynamic would end and one side or the other would assert its dominance. At that point, t$ -for sitting out of the remainder of the rivalry- would find itself isolated and forced to return to the political arena under potentially dangerous circumstances. Historical EMC relations remained amicable to a point where cooperation was on the table. Toward the end of our paperless period, unofficial agreements existed with regards to defense obligations. IQ has often pointed at the continuation of informal relations between The $yndicate and EMC as an absolute confirmation that t$’ paperless was little more than a PR gimmick, and that EMC never broke up, thus justifying their consolidation against a perceived existential threat. Though not entirely unfounded, it can be viewed differently. I pose that the $yndicates alignment to EMC throughout its paperless era has been a sliding scale, directly influenced by the actions of both IQ and EMC within their rivalry. The long-term outlook however saw us gradually gravitating back to EMC alignment over time. So we found ourselves in an odd scenario: Political considerations saw us headed towards re-entering the bipolar dynamic as a full-fledged EMC party. This caused a degree of dissonance as accepting this role would mean forfeiting the desires which caused us to move to paperless in the first place. Our shift to paperless after all, was never ideologically motivated (like it is for alliances such as TEst). It was viewed as a means to an end, with an expiration date. The alternative of directly affiliating with IQ was undesirable to us for similar reasons. With the above in mind, The $yndicate decided a pivot was in order. I think it’s a known secret at this point that a few months ago, we terminated the previously mentioned informal agreements with certain EMC parties. Following that termination, we signed new ties with our new running partners to form the chassis of a sphere. A dash and a comma. You lost me there. You are a sick sick bastard. 12 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Sans Posted November 3, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted November 3, 2018 By god, the snek delivered. o7 t$ 7 Quote “ Life before death. Strength before weakness. Journey before destination. †–The First Ideal of the Windrunners, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Prefonteen Posted November 3, 2018 Author Popular Post Share Posted November 3, 2018 10 minutes ago, Hodor said: A dash and a comma. You lost me there. You are a sick sick bastard. I was going to correct it. But now I will leave it there to spite you. 3 10 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Buorhann Posted November 3, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted November 3, 2018 Don’t you dare spite Hodor. 20 26 Quote Warrior of Dio https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfPCFQfOnLg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Spaceman Thrax Posted November 3, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted November 3, 2018 (edited) Thanks Partisan. I always like to see actual political talk in the political forum. ❤️ Edited November 3, 2018 by Spaceman Thrax 1 7 Quote Slaughter the shits of the world. They poison the air you breathe. ~ William S. Burroughs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batavus Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 Well said Partisan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Lucas Posted November 3, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted November 3, 2018 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prefonteen Posted November 3, 2018 Author Share Posted November 3, 2018 19 minutes ago, Buorhann said: Don’t you dare spite Hodor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buorhann Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 Well, I know what I’ll be doing now. Quote Warrior of Dio https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfPCFQfOnLg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leopold von Habsburg Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 He put the brewskies aside and did it, thanks Partisan! Finally something to point people to when asked "why exactly did you go to war" . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hodor Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 3 hours ago, Buorhann said: Don’t you dare spite Hodor. 21 down votes? What did I do to piss y'all off, damn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buorhann Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 1 minute ago, Hodor said: 21 down votes? What did I do to piss y'all off, damn. It’s Rose and Stark being subservient to the Snek’s demands mostly. They’re the ones who hate you. 3 Quote Warrior of Dio https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfPCFQfOnLg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Hodor Posted November 3, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted November 3, 2018 Just now, Buorhann said: It’s Rose and Stark being subservient to the Snek’s demands mostly. They’re the ones who hate you. Typical Starks, cause me mental anguish limiting my vocabulary to a single fake word and then forcing me to give my life for their son, only to be downvoted. Typical Rose, named after a stupid plant. 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Vack Posted November 3, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted November 3, 2018 Don't let this post distract you from the fact that in February 2018, 27 members of Terminal Jest declared war on IQ, and dealt $42.96 billion damage, whilst only taking $19.26 billion in damage. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8mrgrim8 Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 I didn't think anyone cared for CB at this point 6 hours ago, Buorhann said: Don’t you dare spite Hodor. why is this post so downvoted, did some1 get butt hurt? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prefonteen Posted November 3, 2018 Author Share Posted November 3, 2018 10 minutes ago, 8mrgrim8 said: I didn't think anyone cared for CB at this point why is this post so downvoted, did some1 get butt hurt? People asked so here ya go. also: principle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8mrgrim8 Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 5 minutes ago, Prefonteen said: People asked so here ya go. also: principle it's principle to mass downvote? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micchan Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 56 minutes ago, Vack said: Don't let this post distract you from the fact that in February 2018, 27 members of Terminal Jest declared war on IQ, and dealt $42.96 billion damage, whilst only taking $19.26 billion in damage. TJ is glad that you didn't mentioned that $19.26 billion was all they had 1 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sephiroth Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 The downvoting is all part of their evil plan to roll TGH afterwards for the memes! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Adrienne Posted November 3, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted November 3, 2018 In regards to your CB itself, I’ve shared my thoughts with you privately and we’ve already decided to agree to disagree. There was one part, however, I found rather amusing in light of some additional information you decided to exclude from your post. 7 hours ago, Prefonteen said: Until recently, the $yndicate found itself locked in this political dynamic. The cold war of tiers had a suffocating impact on political innovation: After all, any prospective move would have to be weighed against its viability in a bipolar environment which -broadly speaking- would not tolerate destabilizing elements. In our view, this assertion is supported by a variety of minor skirmishes and rollings (Nuke bloc and KT-TGH come to mind for example). Attempting to use these skirmishes as anecdotal evidence of our supposed lack of tolerance of “destabilizing elements” without acknowledging members of your sphere’s role in both hits is entertaining, to say the least. Your own alliance was present and included in the planning of the Nuke Bloc hit and only didn’t join at the last minute due to a miscommunication/lack of slots and Rose approached us specifically to try and involve themselves in the hit on TGH/KT, which we declined. This statement also runs with the assumption that punishing people dissenting from bipolarity was our goal, which, given your alliance’s participation in some of these, you’re fully aware wasn’t the objective. Despite the attempts of others to ascribe their own beliefs and viewpoints to our CBs, we pride ourselves on having remained as transparent and straightforward as we could have in regards to our motivations for the wars we have declared this year. 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Buorhann Posted November 3, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted November 3, 2018 (edited) 56 minutes ago, 8mrgrim8 said: I didn't think anyone cared for CB at this point why is this post so downvoted, did some1 get butt hurt? (Feel free to teach the snek a lesson in his efforts to hate on Hodor, who is nothing but a gentle giant with a big dick) 17 minutes ago, Nizam Adrienne said: Rose approached us specifically to try and involve themselves in the hit on TGH/KT, which we declined. Heh, that's rather amusing. Hey @J.A.Goldington, you wouldn't know anything about this bit, would you? Edited November 3, 2018 by Buorhann 7 Quote Warrior of Dio https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfPCFQfOnLg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buorhann Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 (edited) 23 minutes ago, Nizam Adrienne said: This statement also runs with the assumption that punishing people dissenting from bipolarity was our goal, which, given your alliance’s participation in some of these, you’re fully aware wasn’t the objective. So was @MonkeyDLegend's ghost in TKR an actual ghosting or was he really mad at his situation in e$? 23 minutes ago, Nizam Adrienne said: Despite the attempts of others to ascribe their own beliefs and viewpoints to our CBs, we pride ourselves on having remained as transparent and straightforward as we could have in regards to our motivations for the wars we have declared this year. Ok, I'm calling bullshit on this. Everything leading up to this statement sounded nice, but you were anything BUT transparent to me when I approached TKR leadership about the militarization before your hit on us. In fact, you were the complete opposite of it. Well, ok, maybe you guys being vague was indirectly being transparent, because that tipped me off that the war was going to happen no matter what. Oh, and some other logs came up to surface after the war ended and some jaded people decided to share some interesting information related to the war. Transparency is a odd word to use. Edited November 3, 2018 by Buorhann Quote Warrior of Dio https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfPCFQfOnLg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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