Town raids

The players concerned are told which town is threatened and from which side - ten minutes before, again at five minutes and at one, and as each wave arrives. They are: every player within 750 m of the town, the online members of the faction that holds it, and its law (the City Guard, the lordship's sworn Constables, the town court's watch). Everyone else learns of it from the town clerk, the bailiff or the herald (their News of banditry: the raid, its side, when it strikes or how long it has been fighting, and how far away it is), from /banditry, from F2 > The realm > A town raided (or /warband), which marks where they are coming from, and from the live map. The outcome - the town saved or plundered - is still announced to the whole realm.

The first wave comes from the side the crier announced; later waves often come from another side, and sometimes split between two or three sides at once (each marked on your map). They head for the market square and attack anyone within twenty-five paces - and, if no defender is at hand, the town's own people: its townsfolk and its guards. The guards near the fighting take on the raiders by themselves, and most of the town's guards come out after them (below). After dark, one raider in three carries a torch. Each wave has a difficulty, like the brigands' camps (real gear and harder blows - see Brigands): 2, 4 and 7 for the three waves, one more with six defenders around and two more with twelve; their captain is one level above. Each wave brings one raider for every defender in and around the town (28 alive at most). The raiders spread out over the defenders - one each while there are enough defenders, two at most - and keep a pace or two apart. The next wave comes when the current one is nearly beaten, or after four minutes whatever happens.

When the first wave comes, about two thirds of the town's guards leave their posts on foot and go after the raiders anywhere in the town and up to 150 m around it - first any raider setting a fire, then the raiders fighting players, then the nearest. The other third keep their posts. When the raid ends - beaten, lost or called off - they all walk back to their posts.

A raider left alone inside the town for thirty seconds - no defender on him, not struck, no guard fighting him - walks to the nearest stall, shop, tavern or house and sets it on fire: flames, smoke and the crackle of burning wood, a mark on the map of everyone around, and the crier's call. A raid sets four fires at most. After a minute a fire grows bigger and takes half as long again to put out; after three and a half minutes it burns itself out.

Walk up to the fire (3 m) with your weapon away and use E on Put out the fire: the ring shows how far along you are. It takes 10 seconds bare-handed, 4 with a bucket of water in your pack, and everyone at it adds up. Stepping away, taking or dealing a blow, or drawing a weapon stops you; the work done is kept for a few seconds. An idle guard nearby comes to help. Whoever puts a fire out gains a little renown and their faction a little influence in the town, and the crier names them when the raid ends.

Nothing burns down - no stall, house or stock is touched. But the faction that holds the town loses some influence there for each fire that burns out, and the crier names the fires nobody put out.

When the raid ends, everyone who struck a blow shares the head prices. Beat all three waves and the bailiff adds a 150-groschen defenders' purse; each defender gains renown and earns their faction influence in the town.

If the raid is not beaten within twenty minutes of the first wave, the raiders plunder the town and melt away into the woods: the faction that holds the town loses a fifth of its coffers (2,000 groschen at most). The heads already taken are still paid.