Dead Horse

History

During Session 1 of Trial 1 , a group of players rallied behind player 802, who claimed to be guided by the great blue sky, on the first day of the Session. After surviving the night together, they made their way south from the spawn area along a river until they reached a wide and flat plains biome situated at the foot of a small mountain range. Their organization was initially poor and progress was slow, since mobs spawning in the nearby caves frequently killed those trying to grind their skills. This issue reached its peak when a horde of mobs dug up from under the base and destroyed the communal bed, sending almost every member back to spawn, with some players migrating east to berry farming societies. 802 returned after their death during session I, but due to timezone issues, was unable to attend session II, therefore making the nation leaderless.

Some of the original members returned to the remains of the settlement and were taken in by a hermit and former member living in a nearby skybase, Player 593. Following this, they returned to the original settlement only to find a skeleton horse trap. After dealing with the riders, a single skeleton horse remained – thus, the nation became called "Dead Horse."

As more old members returned and new wanderers joined, reconstruction rapidly ensued. Stone walls were raised, and the community spawn was moved to the security of a treehouse sky base (a practice imitating the wood-bridge society to the immediate north of Dead Horse). The surrounding area and the cave under the former bed location were lit up with torches, allowing Dead Horse to withstand mob attacks that had destroyed multiple other nations.

By the second session, the Great Southern Cavern beneath Dead Horse was slowly lit and made safer for mining, making copper, iron, and amethyst readily available. Healers like 410 also decreased the fatality rate by providing healthcare.

Sadly, in the third session, the sacred Dead Horse was killed by the Jester. A new, living horse was declared to be the reincarnation of the Dead Horse, and this horse was moved into the Stable of the Dead Horse. A copper statue of the Dead Horse was also added to the stable.

In Session 4, the community continued its hunt for Player 267, who repeatedly griefed structures and generally made himself a nuisance. He executed this campaign using an extensive tunnel network, which was accidentally discovered by Participant 294, who alerted others to its existence. The communal farms have been greatly expanded, and a plan for making the farms more efficient via terracing and strategic water placement has been implemented by Player 864. This session also saw the creation of an immigrant community within Dead Horse, known as "Little Berrywood," whose inhabitants are all ex-members of the former Berrywood Commune.

During Session 5 the community continued to expand despite repeated terrorist attacks by Player 267. Player 802 called all members to a constitutional convention, during which a constitution was ratified. This formalized the nation's political structure and injected public life with an increased sense of order. The Constitution also formalized the roles of guilds, recognition of the Cult of the Sky as the only state recognized faith, and the rights of citizens.

Session 7 - Age of Crisis

Multiple major attacks were carried out on Dead Horse in Session 7. The first was an attack by griefers who created lavacasts above the city. This had been attempted before, but was far less successful than in the Session 7 attack. However, Dead Horse members were able to pillar up to fight off the griefers and quickly removed all lava, with the only lasting damage being massive amounts of cobblestone in the sky. In response to the lavacasts, Dead Horse was put on high alert, desperately seeking to take measures to prevent any further griefing, so the Council and citizens convened to decide their course of action. Dead Horse members at first wanted to go to war with the Jestocracy terrorists, who were responsible for the attack, and many suggested putting the Jester and Player 814 (who was suspected of assisting the terrorists) on trial for their possible involvement. Eventually, it became known to Dead Horse that the Jestocracy terrorists had abandoned their former home to create a new base in an unknown location, meaning that a war could not yet be carried out. The suggested trials of 814 and the Jester were also shot down, as they were deemed to be less important than creating a general defense plan. After these decisions were made, a suggestion was made by a Council member to give the Head Blacksmith, Player 698, emergency powers in order to deal with the crisis, and the majority of Council members agreed (though a minority strongly objected). However, 698 refused the proposed emergency dictatorship, and suggested immediate construction on a stone "sky dome" and large towers, which she considered to be sufficient for repelling griefers. The Council and citizens agreed to this, to the great relief of the many players who wanted to preserve Dead Horse's democratic system. Construction began on the new building projects, and armor and weapons were distributed to Dead Horse citizens in order to fight against future raiders.

However, not long after, another attack was carried out on Dead Horse, this time as direct violence rather than griefing. Two rogue players, 904 and 261, from the recently destroyed Marinas brought two known terrorists into Dead Horse claiming to have arrested them and brought them to Dead Horse for trial. The terrorists were brought into the town hall, where it was requested they surrender their weapons and armor for the trial's duration. However, the terrorists refused and ran away, causing Dead Horse players to attack. At this point, the rogue Marina citizens turned on Dead Horse, as they had actually allied themselves with the terrorists in order to carry out a raid on Dead Horse. Player 261 claimed that this was motivated by the Marinas' destruction at the hands of raiders. 261 wanted to vent their anger over the fall of the Marinas by attacking Dead Horse, whose prosperity 261 was apparently jealous of. It was difficult for Dead Horse to repel this attack, as the raiders' high guardsman level and large stockpile of blessed food made them nearly unkillable. However, they were eventually driven away with assistance from members of Fort Red Berry, as the raiders' armor had begun to break from constant fighting.

Afterwards, members of Dead Horse celebrated their survival with a town gathering at which the national anthem was played.

Economy

Dead Horse has a communal economic structure. Production and distribution of resources are managed by guilds that loosely guide the efforts of the specialized classes. Jobs are spread fairly evenly, with a sizable pool of members willing to re-specialize should the need arise. An effort to implement a currency economy by explicitly capitalist members of the nation was briefly considered, but was unable to produce a standard currency for Dead Horse and has faded into obscurity.

Government

Dead Horse has a semi-decentralized and participatory governmental structure. Guild heads, which are chosen by the members of said guilds, lead organization and planning in their respective fields. Major decisions are managed through general assemblies in the Town Hall. Although all members are able to call for meetings, the more well known and respected members are more likely to be heard.

Judicial proceedings are also conducted in this manner, with a notable example being the trial of Player 814. They were accused of killing another player, convicted by the assembled citizens of Dead Horse, and ordered to repay the damages caused by their actions. Player 814 was vocally unhappy about this development, although it is generally considered more merciful than being put on their KOS (kill-on-sight) list.

Due to the presence of one of the few librarians in Dead Horse, it is able give out IDs to players, along with write documents down, store them, more easily conduct law, and store information.

Former leader 802 returned to the settlement in Session 3, becoming a miner and prophet alongside taking a role in government as a head of faith. He successfully promulgated a new Constitution, which was ratified during Session 5.

Foreign affairs

Dead Horse was allied to the Skyland before their fall. They have taken in refugees from the Skylands, Berrytown, and the Berrywood Commune.

The nation seeks to secure good alliances with neighbors, harboring refugees from societal collapses, and ensuring it has a good name for itself.

Military

Dead Horse has yet to engage in any major conflicts. They do, however, have multiple guardsmen in iron gear, who protect the town from rogue players. The constitution of the Republic of Dead Horse requires that an army is maintained and reserve equipment stockpiled for the formation of a militia in a defensive war.

Due to excessive mob raiding at night, a group of people have formed who engage in most of the mob hunting, shielding the most experienced players from death.

Dead Horse has also had to deal with griefers and thieves. Enemies of Dead Horse are listed on a community notice board known as the "Opp Board".

Culture

Dead Horse members originally worshiped the Sky Cult of player and former leader/prophet 802. However, after the departure of 802 and the town's conversion into Dead Horse, the titular dead horse itself became the target of worship. Dead Horse members consider living horses gifts from the great blue sky to aid them in their holy tasks.

The Constitution of Dead Horse recognizes the existence of all cultures and people, declaring the nation to be "a mixing pot of cultures" with nobody able to be positively or negatively discriminated against because of any facet of their origin or culture. At the same time, however, the Constitution only officially recognizes "the Cult of the Sky, and the teachings of the Skeleton Horse" per Player 802's religious elucidations as the religion of the state itself.

The sacred skeleton horse was kept in a shrine made of pumpkin and raw copper, the orange colors signifying the paradox of life and prosperity the undead creature brings. Additionally, a small skeleton horse monument, made by Player 12, was created off the side of the western mountains, made with cobblestone and amethyst eyes.

When not engaged in other activities, Player 802 focuses on merging his initial cult with those of Player 25 and the skeleton horse (as mentioned previously). Alongside private conversations with other players, he gave a speech during a meeting in Session 3 in which he spoke of both the history of the settlement and its founding lore: how the Great Blue Sky and her gods gifted them the skeleton horse as a symbol of life, the endurance of their people, and as a second chance for the nation.

Dead Horse culture encourages cooperation and mutual aid. This is reflected by its large intake of refugees from collapsed civilizations, along with itself being a nation of people who were forced to move away due to the mob horde, anti-social behavior is heavily frowned upon.

Banner

The Dead Horse banner depicts the nation's namesake and religious symbol, the Dead Horse

Gallery

The Dead Horse Monument at night in an early session before further development of the region.

A view of Dead Horse in session 2, including the incomplete council hall, fishing shelter, farmland, and Dead Horse Shrine

Session 4

Copper Statue added to the Dead Horse Stable

See also:

• Constitution of the Republic of Dead Horse
• National Story of Dead Horse
• Sky Cult