Zenith, capital of the Kingdom of Meridian - a nexus of community/politics/trade
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What is Zenith?
Zenith is the capital city of the Kingdom of Meridian, an ambitious Fractured nation.
We strive to be a nexus of commerce, diplomacy, and politics for Syndesia – as well as the gold standard for what an ambitious community can do by utilizing all of Fractured's sandbox mechanics.
What is Meridian?
Much has been said about Meridian elsewhere, but in a nutshell... Meridian is a nation comprised of solo players, small groups, and client guilds.
Currently, it is comprised of two cities: the capital, Zenith, and an additional planned settlement called Yalahar.
Meridian is less a guild than it is a union of various, disparate parties who share a vision of Fractured as the era's ultimate sandbox MMORPG, harkening back to the days of Ultima Online and Tibia.
How does Zenith work?
Zenith is meant to be a testament to Fractured's potential for player-controlled regions.
Unlike most other MMORPGs that offer player territory control, Zenith is intended to be more than a single guild-aligned city. We want our population to include solo players, small groups, and client guilds who have no desire in trying to claim and manage a city for themselves.
So imagine you're a Fractured solo player who has little interest in spending hours at a time in our Guilded server, chatting away. Perhaps your goal is to quietly live in or just outside the capital, leaving only to gold farm in Goblin Hills or employ the city smelters to transform your ore into precious ingots.
Well, as long as you pay your property taxes and contribute towards the common defense and prosperity, Zenith is the place for you.
Or imagine you're a small guild comprised of ten close friends. You have little interest in expansion and seek only to be a tight fellowship. Rather than attempt to claim and hold an entire city – a daunting task for any guild – you'd like to join a community where your guild mates can purchase residences, run your business, and even conduct your internal guild affairs in your own dedicated guild hall inside the city walls.
This, too, is possible in Zenith – with commitment, again, to common defense and prosperity.
How is Zenith governed?
As detailed in the Meridian recruitment thread, Zenith is governed much like a real-world city/region/territory might be, in a vaguely feudal style:
Because Fractured requires players to actively manage the territory they claim, Meridian is structured like a real-world government. Authority and responsibility are invested in many officers who collaborate to achieve the vision of a single leader: the Meridian King.
As Meridian’s head of state, the king decides our goals, traditions, and values. As head of government, he ratifies, rejects, or repeals our laws and treaties, alliances and war declarations. The king may overrule any officer at will and has the exclusive right to surrender or disband the kingdom.
The king’s agenda is enforced by the royal court. This includes Governors, local executives who each command an assigned region in the king’s name, and the High Council, advisors who draft royal policy and manage unique portfolios. All are appointed by the king and serve at his pleasure.
The court is led by the king’s deputy, the Hand of the Crown. The Hand oversees Governors and general government operations. The Hand also chairs the High Council, organizing meetings, proposals, and updates for the king’s review. Except the king, the Hand may overrule any officer at will.
How does this impact Zenith's citizens and residents?
As of the Spring 2021 Alpha test, Fractured has redefined the relationships between cities and those who engage with them, in ways that broadly support Meridian's vision. The game now distinguishes between citizens, residents, and guild members.
- Citizens are official, registered members of a city.
- Residents have purchased property inside the city walls or in one of the residential districts outside the walls.
- Guild members are official members of a guild, which may or may not be the ruling power behind a city.
It is possible for a person to assume all three of these roles simultaneously. Or only two. Or only one.
Zenith (a city) is the capital of the Kingdom of Meridian (a nation comprised of multiple cities). As stated above, our doors are open to solo players, small groups, and other guilds. Those who would join us would become citizens and residents of Zenith, official members of the city and owners of property within or just outside the city walls.
But the Meridian government's authority pertains only to matters of state, issues pertaining to the city. What you do with your playtime, what monsters you and your friends kill, what internal loot distribution policy your guild mandates for your guild events... have nothing to do with Zenith or the Meridian government as long as it does not undermine our prosperity and security.
In other words, for example: who you kill only matters to us if you kill a designated political ally, trading partner, or a fellow citizen unprovoked.
The Meridian government has no interest in policing your internal guild affairs. All we want to do is provide you a place to reliably and securely conduct those affairs if your guild shares our vision.
What are Zenith's laws?
- Join Meridian’s official Guilded server. Guilded is a promising alternative to Discord currently in development and it is optimized for gaming guilds. Its features include integrated event calendars, a gameplay scheduling tool, document sections, message boards/forums, polls and forms, text and voice channels, and more. It is the hub of Meridian’s community.
- Stay informed. Don’t be lazy – Meridian officials shouldn’t have to track down individual members to give them updates that are easily found on our Guilded server.
- Maintain a healthy sense of humor. Life is hard and Fractured, like all games, is meant to be an escape from your daily troubles. In this community, the ability to be a bit silly and make/receive jokes is vital.
- Keep a good attitude. There’s a difference between smartass and asshole, honest and rude, cracking jokes in good fun and being an intolerable edgelord-memer. Don’t be a Chad: know the differences and behave accordingly.
- Get involved. We don’t (and refuse) to have a hard quota for participation and we don’t expect you to live in-game or on Guilded. But Meridian is a community: don’t be a stranger. Members who don’t engage at all and simply take up space in our server and towns will be removed.
- Show common courtesy. Going on an extended vacation? Give us a heads up. Taking a much-deserved break from Fractured? Give us a shout. Don’t be inconsiderate – it takes all of 30 seconds to fire up your mobile Guilded app and notify a Meridian officer of your absence or departure.
- Respect the chain of command. In Fractured, there are dire consequences for a community in chaos. The chain of command is essential for structure and long-term success. Obey accordingly.
Nope. Thanks, but no thanks!
Fair enough.
We completely understand and would prefer not to waste your time or ours with an obvious mismatch.
The good news is, even this early in Fractured’s development cycle, there already are great guilds out there you may prefer….
- Vandiir is a prominent gaming community that’s found its way to Fractured. If you’re seeking strong fellowship but aren’t enticed by Meridian’s flavor, Vandiir’s lively and supportive culture may be just for you.
- But perhaps you favor more imperialization and conquest than Meridian intends to offer. In which case, we recommend taking a gander at Fractured’s most ambitious enterprise: The Shadow Empire, led by Vyr Vandalous.
- Or maybe you’re seeking a cerebral, actively roleplaying guild and have no idea where to start looking? Consider stately House Pythias, led by Tirinith Uundol Pythias.
- Additionally, you may consider the rapacious Horde of Tartaros, led by the blunt and uncompromising Rekington, if you seek to commit your prodigious bloodlust to an ambitious cause.
Hell yes! Where do I sign up?
Meridian prefers a more personal approach: Apply on our Guilded server or hit myself or @Bardikens up via direct message here on the Fractured forums and let’s chat one-on-one.
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As the King and ruler of Meridian, I approve this message.
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Sounds very ambitious, should be cool.
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@Bardikens said in Meridian's capital - a nexus of community, diplomacy & trade:
As the Prince and ruler of Meridian, I approve this message.
It has the official Seal of Approval? xD
@Jimbolini said in Meridian's capital - a nexus of community, diplomacy & trade:
Sounds very ambitious, should be cool.
Thanks for the kind words and vote of confidence, Jim!
Please feel free to ask any questions or offer any insight, and please take a peek at our official guild thread for additional information.
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Sounds like the Beastling Pack will want to have a shop set up there to connect off-world folk looking to travel to Arborea with our 'Happy Trails Crew'
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@PeachMcD said in Meridian's capital - a nexus of community, diplomacy & trade:
Sounds like the Beastling Pack will want to have a shop set up there to connect off-world folk looking to travel to Arborea with our 'Happy Trails Crew'
Meridian looks forward to engaging with the Beastling Pack in both the Syndesian capital and @LilCassiopeia’s Arboreus settlement.
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@Alexian & @LilCassiopeia - WOW! So funny to have zero time ingame and already clients at the door. Really looking forward to getting to know my neighborhood mobs once the beta is open lol
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@PeachMcD said in Meridian's capital - a nexus of community, diplomacy & trade:
@Alexian & @LilCassiopeia - WOW! So funny to have zero time ingame and already clients at the door. Really looking forward to getting to know my neighborhood mobs once the beta is open lol
Haha, yeah we can't wait either!
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Update: in light of the upcoming Alpha 2 - Test 3, we're blowing the dust off this old thread.
Zenith, Meridian's capital, will make its debut in this new test. If you're interested in becoming a citizen of Zenith, please sign up:
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@Alexian I've signed up to help with Duath, and look forward to visiting Zenith!
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I wonder if they have any holding cells there that I can lock pick my way out of
(Plays the song for "The day the squirrel went berserk")
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Im interested in joining the city if thats ok?
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@Ostaff omg WHO LET YOU OUT OF YOUR CELL AGAIN
We'll have to double security.
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Zenith is still recruiting residents, including other guilds who don't yet have a city of their own!
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Interested in absolutely joining the town or guild or both. Experience in story telling/roleplaying [not saying I am the best story teller but I have great experience and I tend to be detail oriented on the lore I participate in/create so its packed tight.] Beginning to gather everything I need as well to start creating content centered around player created stories in mmos in general.---
As a traveling Arcane Scholar I am looking to plant my roots and grow while building a library.
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Hi @slumwav! Check your private messages.
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Proud to be a citizen of Meridian and looking forward to moving into Zenith in the upcoming test. I believe in what we're trying to accomplish here. Anyone needing a Fractured home should look no further.
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Seems like we keep on growing - hope to see more new faces soon. If you're looking to be part of something great, you should definitely find a home in Zenith!
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@Bardikens King? nice... self proclaimed or chosen?
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@Dordolio His Majesty was either willingly crowned by his loyal subjects... or he proclaimed himself King and we live in constant fear of his most tyrannical wrath.
We haven't decided what the official story is yet.
