North By Northwest Mayhem

I really liked this story its true true true

Now that you have heard the official report from Hi5, lets get to the officially unofficial account of what really happened between Heroes, NwM, and MNU.

As all should know by now, the northwest region is enjoying in a tense cease-fire, with the war between the late Heroes and NwM coming to an abrupt end with the absorption of Heroes into the MNU fold.

The battle began after the disintegration of PNS-NW. Most of the members left to become =HOPE= and join the Heroes meta, others left to create their own small alliance called NwM. These elite players posed a threat to Heroes leadership and were personally given that oldest of travian ultimatums, from the queen of Heroes no less, join or die. Little did Girasoul know that this threat would only serve to strengthen the resolve of the rebels. This was NwM’s defining moment, as they held council and decided to take on what at that point, was the overwhelming Heroes Meta. First, they only defended themselves, and ignored Heroes attacks. Heroes continued to attack and probe NwM for 2 weeks without receiving a response. During this period NwM decided to quietly absorb and deflect these attacks while they went about filling their ranks and recruiting other high level players who refused to cower under the shadow of Heroes, till they felt they had a reasonable fighting force. Although it may not seem very long, this was a critical moment, when members put their trust in leadership and all lied low until given the signal for the time to strike. After expanding itself to 2 wings, NwM went on the offensive against the group with 4 top 20 ranked alliances, and an even larger entourage. Heroes was taken by surprise by the ferocity, and coordination of the attacks. Even Girasoul herself was not immune from harassment. Although the early victories were sweet, the true toll was the destruction of the Heroes aura of invincibility and inevitability. Heroes members began to question their leadership . . . blame needed to be assigned. One of the hardest hit wings was =HG=. Heroes leadership blamed the wing leaders for the losses and accepted none of the blame for the lackluster coordination among Heroes wings. To satisfy the restless masses, Girasoul decided to divest =HG= leadership who she pronounced was the source of their failures. Again, she miscalculated, as she forgot that the long knives must be drawn in the dark and from behind. HG leaders could clearly see the games she was playing and her intention to “steal” their wing. So before she could act, HG did the unthinkable, they threw in with the enemy, NwM. This was a crippling blow, one that could not be hidden, or explained away. As the war wore on, refugee camps within MNU were set up to protect the Heroes war weary, with SU–MNU being the first, though not the last, of such refugee wings.

Slowly but surely, Heroes leadership began to lose legitimacy. Heroes had started the server with grand dreams and a premium stable of talented players, only to see themselves humbled by an upstart. Again, it was time to lay blame. Heroes looked to their allies of servers past, MNU, and demanded assistance. They would watch in astonishment as their “allies” and cousins from servers past granted NwM a NAP in the midst of its war with Heroes. Perhaps Heroes were too stubborn or too proud to realize that their loud demands for support had the opposite effect in entrenching MNU neutrality. MNU would not aid Heroes…. they would merely watch and wait, as they profited from Heroes misfortunes and bolstered their ranks with stronger Heroes players who had voted no confidence in their leadership. The trajectory of the Heroes war-effort was grim. In a bit of bitterweet irony, it was now armymen of NwM that had given Girasoul the same ultimatum she had given him at the start of the conflict. (Edit) Girasoul had a choice to make, admit defeat, go down with the sinking ship, or parlay what cachet remained in the title of leader of Heroes into a seat at the MNU table. She chose the latter.

The future is unclear for the Northwest but a few things can be gleaned…. 1) NwM is a terrible enemy, one that cannot be intimidated by dint of size alone, 2) Running a Meta based on intimidation and size works only so long until someone actually challenges you, 3) MNU expertly and placidly watched NwM burn down the Heroes house, only to later magnanimously offer their home as shelter. Well Played. MNU will not be the strategic pushover that Heroes was. I look forward to more action in the Northwest.