REPORT: T-O, HEAT Merge To Form “Holy Storm Company;” Fate of DSD Unknown

A tip to the Times indicates that T-O and DSD leader Pellinell has permanently departed both organizations to form a new alliance called the Holy Storm Company [Storm], along with members of The Liberation [HEAT]. The new alliance will purportedly include the largest, most active accounts from both T-O and HEAT in a move that the leaders believe could make it among the largest alliances in the game according to land mass, membership and population.

Details on the founding of the new alliance were posted in the Herald:

Alliance Founded – Holy Storm Company [Storm]	Tue 27 Oct 2015
Headquartered at [630|-110] in Keshalia

While the upstart alliance is still so new that it doesn’t even have a profile page, Storm’s roster is already filling out less than 24 hours since its founding, with top players Pellinell and Madmano filling out its ranks.

The tipster who alerted the Times to this significant political move indicated that the new alliance is being formed to put to rest lingering tensions between the DSD and GA, left over from the contentious “Great War.” Storm will purportedly comport itself as a completely neutral alliance in Illyriad politics.

Pellinell and T-O’s abrupt departure from DSD leaves that confederation’s future in question, given T-O’s leadership role in DSD decision-making as well as its military might, which was likely the DSD’s largest fighting force. While no official statements have been made concerning the end of the Newlands War, early indications are that the DSD forces and SHARK have come to an agreement, with SHARK making peace with RE and TCol, who had reportedly aided DSD South forces in the war. The apparent loss of the Newlands war and departure of Pellinell and T-O leaves the future of DSD in doubt.

ABSA and T-O Declare War; Newlands War Sputters

A new war sparked in Elgea late this week between two well-known alliances Absaroke [ABSA] and DSD leaders The Order [T-O]. The war announcement further clouds the political climate in Illyriad that includes the Newlands War, which at present appears to have stalled.

The ABSA/T-O war posted in the Herald on Thursday:

Absaroke [Absa] and The Order [T-O] enter War

Thu 08 Oct 2015

At present, neither ABSA’s Biff or T-O’s Pellinell have made official public statements, but the Times has learned from several sources that the war appears to stem from personal differences between the two players over a “server war map” squabble in the official Illyriad forums — a joke by Biff (who posts in the forum as invictusa) that the T-O and DSD leader took exception to.

ABSA has purportedly received pledges of support from several alliances, including The Liberation [HEAT] and upstart mercenary military alliance The Unfettered [TUF], with several notices in the Herald’s diplomacy supporting the rumors:

The Unfettered [TUF] offers NAP to Absaroke [Absa]	Fri 09 Oct 2015
No Escrow has been offered.
Deathmongers [Death] and The Unfettered [TUF] enter NAP	Fri 09 Oct 2015
No Escrow was exchanged.
The Unfettered [TUF] withdraws Confederation offer to Absaroke [Absa]	Fri 09 Oct 2015
No Escrow was offered.
The House of Malt [THoM] NAP offer rejected by Insanity Inc [II]	Fri 09 Oct 2015
No Escrow was offered.
Alliance Founded – test! [test]	Fri 09 Oct 2015
Headquartered at [822|660] in Tamarin
The Liberation [HEAT] offers Confederation to Absaroke [Absa]	Thu 08 Oct 2015

However, the Times has learned that, in spite of the posturing, the ABSA/T-O may in fact be more pomp and circumstance than real warring, with both alliances allegedly agreeing to a “limited engagement.” It is still unclear what level of fighting such an engagement will include, however, the Times will withhold the start of a new War Score Card for the ABSA/T-O war until or unless sieges are involved and the conflict becomes a real war with real consequences.

Meanwhile, the Newlands War, which touched off in the Broken Lands between DSD South and SHARK, has come to a standstill, with little siege activity in a week. Unsubstantiated rumors from an anonymous source suggest that Pellinell has been in talks with SHARK on a DSD surrender that would include forcing TVM to allow SHARK to exodus freely into their land claim as an exempted alliance. The Times, however, was unable to confirm that rumor with any supporting evidence.

If proven true, the short-lived Newlands War would have proven to be a resounding victory for the top-ranked alliance in the game, establishing them not only as a powerhouse in Elgea, but also a political and military force to be reckoned with in the Broken Lands.

Newlands War Erupts As DSD BL Alliances TVM, RE, T-SC Declare On SHARK

Recent escalating hostilities throughout Illyriad were capped off by a major, early morning set of war declarations against Shark from three BL-dominant DSD alliances. Precisely at 2:00 ST, TVM, RE, and T-SC declared war on the game’s top alliance in a bid to enforce Trivium’s land claim and control the lower portion of Newlands:

[02:00]<System> ** News flash: TRIVIUM [TVM] declares war on Dark Shade [SHARK] Hostilities may begin immediately…

[02:00]<System> ** News flash: Roman Empire [RE] declares war on Dark Shade [SHARK] Hostilities may begin immediately…

[02:00]<System> ** News flash: The Southern Cross [T-SC] declares war on Dark Shade [SHARK] Hostilities may begin immediately…

In a statement in the forums, DSD leader Pellinell made a statement an hour after the declarations, indicating that diplomatic talks between the DSD and Shark had broken down, leading to the use of force to solve the territorial impasse:

SIN Abruptly Cancels NAPs With RE, T-SC in Wake of Peace deals With Stomp

Less than 24 hours after a whirlwind of diplomatic wrangling that led Stomps to extend peace offerings to T-SC and T-O while also making peace with RE, the Hashashin [SIN] have abruptly cancelled their NAP agreements with both T-SC and T-O in what appears to be a serious rift over the DSD appendages’ unilateral negotiating with Stomp. RE entered the war with no formal diplomatic agreements with SIN.

The schism calls into question SIN’s possible future alignment with the DSD, which would represent a major paradigm shift in Illyriad geopolitics.