Barons

[Doug R.]

Someone tell me about the Barons. I'm sure there's a thread on it already, but I want to start a new one.

[Armulus Satchula]

Someone tell me about the Barons. I'm sure there's a thread on it already, but I want to start a new one.

An awesome fusion by god where he combined the raw nature power of bears (along with their love of trout, honey, and picnic baskets) with the durability and strength of Iron. An unstoppable beast.

[Cdls]

Which Barons would you be talking about?

[SekoETC]

The ones on Blaman region?

[Doug R.]

The ones on Blaman region?

Those.

[SekoETC]

Fritter was disappointed with something, maybe it was the old people getting all the riches and keeping the young ones down, can't remember when it's been such a long time, but he became Baron F and started taking over places with other Barons. Most of what I know comes from my own character's perspective. She used to work in the mining camp but when she came back, everybody she used to know was gone. She entered one of the buildings, thinking she'd be safe there (she had a key somehow) but first one guy came in, and while I was offline, Fritter also came in and they dragged her to lockup. There were corpses of people she used to work with and some strangers too. The Barons tried to get her to work for them and eventually she did because she was too afraid to die. They never asked her to fight but she was crushing hematite and felt guilty about the thought that the metal it's made into could be used to make them new weapons. The Barons let her keep her crowbar, it was some psychological thing, I heard they did it to others too. The workshop wasn't locked so one time I went outside and found an almost finished lockpicking project on a bike cart. Worked on it but was offline when it finished. One of the Barons came and noticed the lock was gone, so he started building a new one. But then for some reason he stepped off before finishing it, and there was a three-day downtime or so. I was the first to come online after it ended so I checked the bike cart and stole it since the lock was still unfinished. The others were inside so they didn't see which way I left, and didn't realize that there was only one road upgraded enough for a bike cart. They went searching and ran into Baron F on the road, who had been out of town at the time. For some reason they couldn't really afford to chase me. I think I talked with Fritter's player about stuff that happened but I can't remember much. I seem to remember he got killed because he had started playing less and they had stolen a van and drove it into a hostile town while he was sleeping. I think the others weren't so sart and they didn't have a vison like Fritter did, they just killed and stole for the heck of it.

[88302]

I've had two Baronesses on a previous account (not at the same time). Neither of them actually got around to killing anyone- and as far as the Barons go they were incredibly minor characters. Of the original Barons I think Seko's likely right- I think only one of them had a real reason for the lifestyle.

My first one spawned quite impressionable in the town the Barons were using as their headquarters for the time being- and they seemed nice enough- panicky because someone had recently escaped and they thought she would point others in their direction so they were preparing to go offensive rather than have to play defensively. Mine was convinced violence was a way of life and she could half a life with them without violence but that if she left them, everyone would just consider her guilty by association and kill her given the opportunity. She decided to kill rather than be killed. When they rolled out she was supposed to be on a bike, but she'd mentioned she would be asleep a few days (I'd be out of town) and they pulled her into the van instead. The happened to choose the wrong location and landed in the laps of the people out looking for them. I met Baron T again with my later character, but I don't know how many others- if any survived that.

My second one was against violence and forced to act. She did attack people but never killed anyone- nod that it made her feel any better. Baron T treated her a bit like a play thing in my opinion. She grew to resent him and he grew to trust her. One day they'd arrived in town and started a raid. My character found two people who happened to be awake and talking. She told them to get out- she was with the barons and they were attacking. That she should run and seek help and then told them where she thought the barons would be heading next because they needed to be stopped. (Some of the younger ones were sadistic and scared her). Eventually Starlyn's army found them- I don't know whether or not it was helped by one of these tips. After the others were dead my character pled her case and Starlyn said she believed her but she'd hurt people and she was still a Baron, so she died too.

I think that's about all of it- but it really was a long time ago.

[Joshuamonkey]

I've been wondering about the Barons also, so thanks for the info! I had a couple characters in that area during that time. Not long after the Barons, one of my characters came across a mountain town in that area that looked like it was once a big town, and apparently it was, with all of the dead bodies I found..and it sounds like the town I'm talking about may be the same one Seko is. For whatever reason, though, notes about the Barons seem to have been lost in time.

[Doug R.]

Interesting that they were less interesting than they seemed to have been (to me). Didn't they murder a High Priest of Donii, or of the Kept? Not sure which.

[Marian]

Back when I first started playing, I had a character spawn in the mountains with a couple of sleepers. There was an abandoned town with a few resources and machines lying around the next mountain over, and she decided she'd stay and make it hers. Eventually she was joined by another newspawn, and thanks to a drying rack they were scraping along okay, when one day a stranger rolls up on a bike. He drags an older sleeper with a bow off into a locked building he apparently had the keys too, and at this my char and the other newspawn take off running. (after a valiant attempt to defend the town with bone bagh-nakhs failed...)

We wind up in a forest where a bunch of drama about these Barons I'd never heard of unfold, several people go up in vehicles and are slaughtered and then everyone is told to evacuate. There was a priestess, named Samantha I think who stayed behind to defend the temple there.

My clueless little evacuee winds up...in Sjoftich, I think? A place ruled by a man so incompetent even my dumb newbie self realized we were screwed. His name was Black Knight I think, spoke all in lower case with typos, and didn't seem to have the first clue what to do to organize the newcomers. First he leaves the factory where emergency iron and weapons are being made wide open so that a pirate can just waltz in and make off with a ton of iron and steel and whatever else was stored there. Then he overcompensates and accidentally and leaves my char and a few other volunteer workers (the only ones really being proactive about the situation) locked up inside for days.

Later my character brought it to his attention that there was an unlocked raker just sitting in the harbor, and since he didn't seem to think it was an important issue she went about 'securing' it with her own iron. At some point she realized she was sitting in doomed city, but had access to a free raker, and did the obvious.

...she always felt sort of bad about it, but rationalized that realistically there was nothing she could have changed by staying. She changed her name, wound up in a quiet little town on the other side of the continent, took up cooking and would have happily spent the rest of her life as a gourmet chef if the big green X hadn't finally interfered. (the raker was stolen pretty early on since she couldn't actually dock it to the town she'd wound up in, but she was perfectly content with her dinghy)

Another character was briefly kidnapped by Roo Avery when he dabbled with being a pirate, and after he and his buddy gave up he was eventually released to go off and help fight the Barons. She sent him a few supplies once in answer to a letter, and apparently he eventually became some kind of war hero, but the town was so far removed from everything that was the only impact the war ever had. (except for the fact that the main town vehicle was the Alenz Hills Sheriff Van, though she and I both were originally oblivious to the connection...)

[SekoETC]

Wow, cool stories coming up.

[etece]

Ah the Barons, those were the days My character was Roo Avery, the one Marian mentiosn, so I'll try and fill in a few gaps... Though it was a while ago so forgive any inaccuracies.

He spawned in Sjoftich just just as the first Hunt was being organised, and in the excitment was quickly recruited, kitted out and sent off to fight... I don't think he was more than a few days old when the army set out. I don't remember much about that first war, though as 88302 says I do remember they suddenly came upon us as we were securing a location in readiness to make our attack. The fighting was very sudden and didn't last long, though I remember a key turing point being that the Barons for some reason didn't have their van locked, and by dropping all his equipment Roo was able to lighten up enough to slip aboard and steal all their healing food.

After the battle Roo was sent with an older man, I think it was Black Knight, to try and hunt down the Barons that had fled. After some argument whilst on the road, Black, if it was indeed him, decided that the Barons were well and truly defeated and following them was pointless, and that we should return to Sjoftich to celebrate. I'm not sure what happened with the Barons over the next years, but they obviously regrouped very quickly.

-This next bit doesn't relate to the Barons but I'll include it anyway as for me its part of the story-

As for Roo, after the excitment of war he was completely unable to deal with civilian life and quickly left to find adventure. As Marian mentions he fell in with a bad sort and turned piracy... Very unsuccesfully. Luckily instead of killing him the town spared his life in return for working off his debt and joining the town guard, during which time he was taken under the wing of a man called ?Jeff?, whom if I remember correctly was an ex commander for one of the larger towns on the Island. After assisting defeat a man who called himself the Commador word arrived in town that the Barons had attacked the Forest and killed all but a few refugees who were gathering in Sjoftich. Roo asked permission to leave so he could go and help, and was very kindly sent away with supplies, a ship and a few volunteers.

-Back to Sjotich and the Barons-

When Roo arrived the town was in a bit of a panic, refugees were coming and going, with rumours about what was happening flying everywhere. I remember the death of Samantha was a big blow to a lot of people, though Roo never knew her. There was little to no useful organisation going on so Roo took over somewhat and began securing the town incase of an attack, as well as gathering information and redistributing equipment. Messangers were sent out to local towns to gather support, and as Marian pointed out many responded, either with people or supplies. I remember there was a very large and representative group by the time the last Hunt set off.

During this time Starlyn turned up and Roo and she teamed up in taking charge. When the last Hunt set out it was desided that the better fighters would take the lead on the vehicles, with the less skillful acting as support on foot, and that they would move town by town. As Starlyn was a better fighter than Roo, she took Command of the mounted division, whilst Roo commanded the foot soldiers.

After entering the mountains I seem to remember the army found a few stray Barons who were quickly defeated, and who revealed the location of the Barons base camp. On discovering this Starlyn gathered up the few currently awake members of the army and rushed off, leaving to Roo frantically organise a support group and follow her. Luckily the element of surprise was in their favor, and when Roo and the support arrived the fighting was almost over. The last few Barons were dispatched or captured, with most later executed, after which the army regrouped before returning to Sjoftich to celebrate the victory.

-A few closing pieces of Roo's story, once again this doesn't relate to the Baron's-

During the war Roo fell hopelessly in love with Starlyn, and the built and sailed set off in a raker called the First Star. Despite being cheated on and abandoned repeatedly, Roo spent most of the rest of his life chasing her across the Island. After many long years he finally managed to win her over and the got married... I think there were in the Olipifrovash region by this point. Unfortunately, having won his prize, he then became complacent and sleepy (increased school work meant I couldn't play as much), and he was eventualy murdered by Starlyn and her lover in the hold of their ship.

Sorry if that was a bit long winded, but I really miss that character... He had one of the richest and most interesting lives of any of my characters.

[15454]

I played a Baroness back in the day of the Blaman Barons. I remember spawning, entering a few buildings and taking of down the road without saying one word (Forgive me I was still kinda new then). Sure enough she had a Baron swinging at her down the road, telling her what she had done wrong and to never come back again. After hearing those words she turned around and indeed went back to town and stuck up for herself. Believe it or not she joined them, just to be a part of some group - not caring too much what they're goals were. She helped out where ever she was needed without any dreams of her own. Time passed and as the Baron's conquest continued she gained a lust for blood. Becoming ruthless with the excitement to take life, she lost all feelings for her foe. I remember she died in that van we drove around. I think I logged on after Christmas? and saw my baroness had died in a surprise attack. From the events I remember I had a lot of fun with this character.

[Missy]

She and her husband Maj. Valentine Dangle, along with Maj. Luz Gaxiola, were the ones who built up most of Sjoftich, from the 600's to early 1000's, approx. (originally as an extention of the Alexian Empire). They were murdered while vacationing near Blaman, by the Barons.

Xanth is who the "she" is, mentioned above.
I only remember this, because I remember it was incredibly difficult on the player of Valentine and Xanth to lose their characters, the player of Xanth felt outraged because there was little to no RP when they were killed, just the "in, hit, out" sort of deal. But also I remember her player telling me what they were engaged in when the final blows came. Personally I never encountered them and didn't have characters in that area but I remember all the horror stories and how people expressed, often, their hatred for the Barons.

[Surly]

I lost two characters to the Barons. I never saw any RP. What's more, I don't think the region ever recovered (in part due to the explosion in exploration at that point).

I'll be honest, I don't miss the Barons. Definitely a negative contributor to the game.