Realm

Realms are a type of claimed land, similar to a Village, which collect Authority, provide stat bonuses, and enable the use of special authority skills. However, a Realm does not protect things beneath it in any way, and crimes committed in a Realm leave no scent.

To establish a Realm, one must be wearing a Royal Crown and construct a Coronation Stone. Realms are expanded by constructing inexpensive Border Cairns, which serve as banners for the realm.

Realm authority is collected when inhabitants of the Realm gain experience points. Note that these experience points are not 'taxed' from the player, but rather added to the Realm additionally, as a bonus. Living in a realm does not reduce the amount of experience points earned by your character.

Authority is collected whenever characters inside the realm collect experience points and whenever a character collects experience points whose hearth fire is inside the realm. This means characters contribute double authority when both their character and hearth fire are in a realm.

Challenging Realms

Border Cairns can be 'challenged' by other Realms, for an initial cost of 2,500 authority. The cost increases for each additional, simultaneous challenge your Realm places. Challenging a Realm places a special type of crime called an "Ominous Smoke of War" which can be used to track the challenger's Realm.

After a Border Cairn has been challenged for two real-life hours, it can be attacked and destroyed. Destroying another Realm's Border Cairn awards your own Realm 5,000 authority.

Note that only one person at a time can attack a Border Cairn. It usually takes ~30 minutes to destroy a Border Cairn, so plan accordingly.

All Realm objects can be attacked without challenge for two real-life hours after first being built. Realm members are messaged on log-in when their Realm is challenged. They may also toggle indication arrows that show them challenged Cairns.

Realm Objects

Realm Object		Authority Cost (per real-life day)	Purpose
	Coronation Stone	500	Establishes and maintains the Realm. See page for more details.
	Border Cairn	10	Expands Realm territory.
	Menhir	500	Used to enact realm blessings.
	Grotesque Idol	500	Increases Perception, Unarmed Combat, and Survival by 3 points, for every character in Realm [Verify]. Bonuses diminish as you increase the number of Grotesque Idols in your realm.

Realm Bonuses

Realm Bonus		Bonuses	Cost	Flavor Text
Backwater		Lettuce, Onion growth bonus Badger, Mole, Squirrel quality bonus Strength, Survival Bonus	?	The Realm is a bit of a Backwater, but your people take pride in that, and the wilderness breeds a hardy folk. Lettuce and onions grow faster; badgers, moles, and squirrels occur at higher qualities; and you also receive bonuses to your Strength and Survival values.
Center of Learning		Learning ability Lore, Intelligence bonus	?	This Realm has become a center of learning, increasing the amount of Learning Points earned for studied curiosities within it, and also providing bonuses to Lore and Intelligence.
Fecund Earth		Wheat, Grape, Flax, Pumpkin growth bonus Farming bonus	?	Your Menhirs have been bloodied by many sacrifices to the Old Gods, and rich are in turn your rewards each harvest season. Wheat, Grapes, Flax, and Pumpkins all grow faster, and the populace also receives a bonus to their Farming Abilities.
Founding Mythos		Hearth magic bonus Lore, Intelligence, Psyche bonus	1 Menhir 1 Grotesque Idol	Over the ages your people have woven an intricate fabric of lore and myth, placing your Realm and its destinies front and center of the ordered universe. The continued and firm belief in this Founding Mythos ensures that your people always enjoy ready access to the Deep Magics of the Hearth. Hearth Magics are cheaper in your Realm, and the populace receives bonuses to Lore, Intelligence, and Psyche.
Game Keeping		Boar, Deer, Moose quality bonus Survival bonus	?	With the institution of Gamekeeping, herd management and yearly culls, your Realm significantly improves the quality of its hunted game. Boars, Deer, and Moose all occur at higher qualities, and the populace also receives a small bonus to their Survival abilities.
Guarded Marches		Border Cairn challenge cost increased	?	The edges and hinterlands of your Realm are always under careful observation by an organized levy of rangers and outriders. Challenges against your Border Cairns are more expensive.
Heraldic Swan		Swan Quality bonus	?	The icon of the Swan Majestic features often and prominently within the heraldic tradition of your Realm, and the spirit of the bird has taken well to it. Wherever one wanders in your Realm, the most beautiful, noumenous, Swans, can be seen flocking.
Local Cuisine		FEP bonus Cooking, Perception bonus	?	Your Realm has acheived some renown for its Local Cuisine, and the quality of its chefs. Food eaten within your realm gives additional Food Event Points, and the populace receive bonuses to their Cooking and Perception values.
Marriage of the Sea		Fish, Ship quality bonus Will, Exploration bonus	?	Your people's Marriage of the Sea is an ancient bond between your Realm and the elements. You have braved the blue beyonds, and plowed deep furrows along the lakes and rivers of the Hearthlands, ever chasing the next horizon. Fish are caught at higher qualities within your Realm, Ships are constructed at higher qualities, and your people receive bonuses to their Exploration, Will, and Swimming values.
Mountain Tradition		Stone, Ore quality bonus Smithing, Masonry bonus	?	Your people have lived near the roots of the mountains since the first settling, and heard the whispers of the Deep Things. Stone and Ore mined within your Realm is of increased qualities, and the populace also receive bonuses to their Smithing and Masonry abilities. Remember that the Realm must be extended to the cave levels to apply there.
Myth of the Bull		Pig, Sheep, Horse, Cow birth rate bonus	?	Your people's conception of the origin of all things includes tales of the Starry Bull, thundering the Wild Hunt across the firmament of the Hearth, and livestock rearing has always been an important staple of your industries. Pigs, Sheep, Horses and Cows all have shorter gestation periods within your Realm.
Woodland Realm		Tree, bush growth rate bonus Forageable, Woodland animal quality bonus	?	Your realm, under the careful guidance and attention of a people attuned to its needs and seasons, has become one of mighty oaks and deep forests. Trees and bushes grow faster in your realm, and plants and wildlife in your forests occur at higher qualities.

Realm Authority Skills

Skill	Authority Cost	Effect
From the Public Coffer	2000 (increases with use)	Gives you 1000 experience points.
State Funeral	50000	Grants a fallen Hearthling a state funeral, which grants full 45% of LP and FEP back to the character without burying the body
Last-minute Diplomacy	5000 (per challenged Border Cairn)	Stalls all active challenges on Border Cairns by 1 real-life hour.

Claims, Villages, and Realms
Personal Claims: Personal Claim - Yeomanry - A Bond of Blood & Soil Village Claims: Village Claim - Lawspeaking - Lawspeaker - Authority - Field Cairn - Statue of the Chieftain - Village Banner - Charter Stone Kingdoms and Realms: Realm - Coronation Stone - Thingwall - Province - Menhir - Grotesque Idol - Realm Bonuses - Realm Skills - King