Middle EarthBoard

Greetings and welcome to our newest resident: The nation of Pan-apache. I hope you are well after your travels.

Please rest and relax, and take a look at all of the Tolkien-related resources on the region's page.

Feel free to telegram me if you have any questions about our region - I will try to answer them or direct you to someone who can.

Welcome!

Greeting to all folks across Arda,

The season is upon us, and as in years past, October 31 will bring another assault by
the Necromancer upon our fair lands. This yearly event is called "Z-Day" by some - it is
when the restless dead arise, and assault the living. The Necromancer is gathering a great
army of undead with foul witchcraft. It shall be defeated if we cooperate to defend the
region of Middle Earth from this rising menace.

The assault typically lasts between a day and 36 hours - on Halloween day. Nations can either do
nothing, relying upon their neighbors to defend the region of Middle Earth, or, with will of
iron and steadfast resolve, they can take an active role in throwing back this menace - defending
all we hold dear. Anyone can do the former - you will find your nation very nearly unchanged
afterwards. However, those with the bravery to choose the later will set their wisest peoples to
research a cure for the curse of undeath, and then spread that cure over their neighbors within
Middle Earth - with missiles. Yes, you launch these "cure missiles" to lovingly strike fellow
nations in Middle Earth, releasing the cure and restoring a percentage of the undead into normal
living beings once more. One sets one's nation to research the cure at the very start of the assault
by the undead (the earlier the better). These Cure Missiles must be launched interactively however.
The best case is if the leaders of a nation are available for many hours of the assault - but even
a short period of activity helps Middle Earth greatly. Note that Middle Earth - as a region - is
opposed to the Necromancer and their undead horde. Thus, we kindly request that any residents who
wish to aid the horde do so from within a different region. More information will be made
available as October 31 draws further nigh.

This year, those brave souls who rise to the occasion and stand bravely at the vanguard of the
defenses - giving their time and resources to help safeguard all of us - will receive a special
badge to acknowledge their contribution to the region. The Badge of the Barrow-Wight Slayer of 2020
shall be granted to all nations of Middle Earth who launch at least one Cure Missile, and also do
not attack others with undead hordes. This badge can be displayed by a nation in two ways. First,
a regional dispatch will list those valiant members who participated, how many barrow-wights they
cured, and officially grant them this badge and the right to display it. The dispatch will be
signed by the relevant regional officers, and be permanently publicly displayed on the region's
page. Secondly, an actual image of this badge will be provided to nations so awarded, so that they
may display it on their flag or on custom national banners.

Thus, many years from now when the younger nations of Middle Earth ask "Where were you on Z-Day 2020?",
you can proudly point to this badge, proclaiming "I was on the front lines, defending all of Middle Earth
from the foul Necromancer's army of undead! Indeed, nations that shall survive this day, and see old age,
will yearly on the vigil entertain their neighbors, and say 'Tomorrow is Z-Day anniversary.'
Then will strip their sleeve and show their scars, and say 'These wounds I had on Z-Day 2020.'
The old forget: yet all shall be forgot, but the peoples of Middle Earth will remember what feats
were done upon that day. Then shall names of those nations who stood to defend Middle Earth be
familiar to all as household words, and be in their flowing cups freshly remembered.

This story shall the good nation teach the younger; And Z-Day shall never go by, from this time to
the ending of the world, but we in it shall be remembered. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers!
For the nations that shed their blood with one another to hold the line shall be as brothers - be
they newly founded or founder of Middle Earth, this day forward shall noble be their condition,
and gentlefolk then at home a-bed shall think themselves accursed they were not here, and hold their
nationhoods cheap whiles any speaks that fought with us upon 2020's Z-Day !

Tatarica wrote:

Middle Earth has a fair number of high-population nations and many new nations and thus I am not 100% certain, but I believe that the fight against the dark forces also has something to do with your nation having more population? ie, you can cure more people if you have a higher population but you also fall easier as prey to the zombies? Or population has nothing to do with it?

I think population plays a large role. I recall that, last year, the very old nations in my other region were able to spread the zombies with ease, while us younger nations were basically helpless against their onslaught :P

What about N-Day? I believe that's coming first, but might be wrong...

Tatarica wrote:

Is N-Day another variant of Z-Day, but on an other day? All of these one-letter days! ...

I agree, it is confusing. N-Day is the one with nukes. Regions can either form their own factions or join another, then build and launch nukes at other regional factions, while building shields to block incoming ones.

I, personally, like that one more than the zombie one. But, that's just my preference. I think I like it because it involves lots of interaction with the the wider community, whereas Z-Day is more internally focused within regions.

Noldoria wrote:

snip

Little zombies, burarum.

This region has been created in antiquity, right with the other regions of the game that were created in the first 6 months since the game launched.

This is somewhat natural, considering that at that time the Lord of the Rings movies just came out and many were hyped.

During that time there was no concept of "founder"; later on, it was offered by the game administrators, and many such ancient regions took advantage of the offer and installed a founder. However, there have been some regions that wanted to preserve that historic status and remained founderless; Middle Earth is one of that select few.

To directly answer your question, Grrorg the Orc, Middle Earth is NOT a game-created region, it was created by a player around the time when the game first launched and there was no concept of Founder (it was added around one year later, I believe).

Obviously, any region is to cease to exist at update intervals (each 12 hours roughly) if there are no nations residing in it; although that does raise an interesting question - would also game created regions cease to exist? Hard to check, since most of those are highly populated and most likely never going to be devoid of nations.

Tatarica, thank you. After reading your answer I realize that I have heard that (maybe even asked that myself) before.

Before I came to ask this question here yesterday, I was told that GCR won't cease. (I was also wondering). It is programmed like that. There are game created 'warzones' that are much less populated. Even those are permanently integrated and will not disappear even if abandoned.

Bombadil wrote:

Or as i would put it.. Eldest, that's what we are...Middle Earth remembers the first raindrop and the first acorn...we knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless — before the Dark Lord came from Outside..

And corrupted us poor little pretty elves. :X

The Morgoth wrote:

Success! The Morgoth is now located in Middle Earth.

Ooh.. umm.. sorry peeps, I seem to have literally brought the dark lord from the outside.. my bad.. *whistles*

Oops, I have clicked on a recruitment telegram and accidentally moved out of our region. Should be careful of any clicky buttons in telegrams, NationStates does not offer a "Are you sure you want to do this?" prompt.

Tatarica wrote:

I do remember reading in the books that Morgoth will, at one point in time, escape from the Void.

I just didn't think that it would happen because of NationStates :p

2020 seems like a good year for Morgoth's return.

Luinil wrote:

2020 seems like a good year for Morgoth's return.

Considering all that happened in 2020, this is golden commentary!

I'm still slightly lost when it comes to this N-day.

From what I understand - if I want to participate I have to join a faction, else I am not in the event.

So its different from the Z-Day event, where you participate in it even if you want or not;