Garmadon

A very nice and not very often used type of ship here, Bregir, the shaping is quite neat (and what exactly are those brown knob pieces [as eyes?] in the bow?), and the rig looks great as well! Excellent posing too, especially with the captain up front! And, somebody has a lot of those pillars!

Wow! Beautiful and tasteful layout here, Elostirion, the idea of a complete island as the plantation was ingenious, and the irrigation system, spring, and transblue water are some of my favorite details about this piece! As others have said, great job making such a large plantation quite interesting, and the inclusion of the boats and dock is an excellent idea! And how much can you build in one month, sir? Colour me impressed!

Excellent ship, Capt Wolf, that color-scheme is still fantastic, and your sails are superb as well! The slopes are somehow just perfect, the whole thing looks epic-ly Eslandolan, and the mostly LEGO rig is very nice as well! - Keep it up! If I had one suggestion it would be that I think the bowsprit could use being a wee little bit longer - but then, I'm actually kind of on the fence about that too, maybe it is better as is. For what ever that's worth!

Quite a nice ship, MKJ, the stern is excellent (and probably my favorite part! ), but the sides and hull are quite neat as well (although I think that the dark orange and gunports of the other version make the side look even better!) The bow does look a tad odd, though, but I think some headrails there would really help the kind of abrupt look of the curve in there My one other piece of advice would be to rig a line from the end of the bowsprit to the top of the foremast and put up another jib there, which I think would make the rig just seem a great deal more complete - but I don't know that there are any LEGO strings that long, and I don't know how much non-LEGO rigging you want to get into Anyhow, I do think you ships-building skills are improving, so do keep it up!

Very nice build, Elostirion - lovely work with those windows, and the pathway down the front, golden statues, and carriage are quite excellent as well! Great to see another council hall as well, and the interior is very neat too! Keep it up!

Thanks a lot, Aanchir! Rigging is thankfully getting easier and easier as I keep it up and I hope it'll keep heading that way, and brick-built hulls are a lot of fun and add so much versatility to ships as well! I do agree about the blue strip up near the bow and that was my one nagging complaint while building it - but the fact is that blue (at least for me! ) is a rather limited color, so I just pretty much had to do the best with the limited slopes I had (otherwise I would likely have continued the smoother slope-based bow from the brown on up, or taken your advice of copying the IFS's design). That is a curious question which I hadn't thought of much while I was building this, but I was somehow under the impression that it belonged to him (he does have a tendency to be able to pull whatever they need out of thin air, and with the way they seemed to leave it stranded, I'd hope it wasn't just rented ). And as to the paddleboat/ferry, yes, I've had my eye on that one too! We'll see if I ever get the chance to build it!

Just a reminder for everyone - the next MRCA deadline is to be February 5th - in short, tomorrow - so weigh your anchors and submit your forms, folks! The new map can be found in this post, and unless I am quite mistaken, all the forms should be ready and up-to-date!

Letter of Marque granted!

Glad you all like it, and I hope that there is something there for everyone! Likely the 'weight' of each category will be tied to the size and effort that an entry to each would require (i.e., an entry to the huge Category E would have a larger say in the individual results than one in the relatively small Category A). EDIT: This particular is being discussed in the leadership at the moment to see whether they'll all have equal weight or based on their size as above. We'll try to get back to you all as soon as possible with the result! They'd be averaged and subject to the multiplier based on the size/effort above. So, it might technically be possible to win if you only entered one category, but it would certainly be singularly improbable Five "very good" entries would certain beat one "very, very, very good" entry - but three or four "very, very, very good" entries would likely beat five "good" or maybe even "very good" ones I.e., missing one or two categories and doing an epic job in the others is not going to kill your chances of an overall win - missing four categories and building an epic entry into one probably will for the overall prize (but then, you'd probably win that category, you know! ) It would likely be something anywhere from 45-55% or 40-60% = no decisive win and a split of the island - but as Bregir said, we're not going to fix a set-in-stone rule here - this is something you guys' builds and stories will decide! In this case, as per the rules, Eslandola is not competing against the other three factions but only against Mardier, so the judging protocol will be slightly different than usual - but in general, the winning faction/side in each category will be decided by something like the the average of the five highest scoring builds from each side, plus one or two points for each entry. The winning side/faction overall would be decided by a similar feature on the overall level (probably with the same percentage allotted to each category as for the individual prizes above). In short, the judging for this particular challenge will have to be somewhat different to that of previous ones due to its rather different nature, but the general gist of it should be what I've stated above Correct - that would be a maximum, and any shape with equal or less studs would be perfectly fine I would think no, micro-licence prizes are not subject to that rule (just like the ones previously handed out). I'll bring it up in the leadership if it hasn't already been though

Challenge V has been posted, go check it out, folks! @KB,

Challenge V: Princes of Garvey - Results! It is the end of an era – one which began with the discovery of a few islands and rapidly transformed many of the old regimes into colonizing powers. It has seen the birth of new rivalries and the rekindling of old, and the world of the Brick Seas has forever been changed… As the waves of the new seas grow more contested every day, the smaller nations look on greedily to get a piece of the pie. The valiant (or belligerent) Duke of Prio - depending on who you ask - has become a figurehead for a new movement, a movement of resistance. Now the King of Garvey, Leopaldis IV has begun to stir the pot. He has entered into the Mardier Civil War by declaring a state of war, snatching Mardierian ships, and signing a treaty with Eslandola against that unruly power. Openly taking the side of the Duke of Prio and Eslandola in that conflict, he has now begun to strike at Mardier’s settlements in the Far Islands. A declaration of war from the Mardierians was quick to follow. With Carno between the two nations on the mainland, however, this war, for the most part, will be fought in the far of Prio Seas. There is an old adage in Garvey, “He who rules the waves for his king, the same shall be made prince of the people” - and now the word has come to the far islands that Leopaldis will grant a new Prince title to the person, of whatever nation, who brings him the greatest victories in the Far Seas. Eslandola, too, has declared that it will grant special trading benefits to whoever will own its fight against Mardier, and a particular bonus to the one privateer who surpasses all the rest. But the Mardierians will not be deterred. King Alphonse XIII has finally taken the throne, and has the villainous rebels (more politely known as the “United Provinces’ forces”) on the run. It looks like without further intervention from the other countries, the Mardier Civil War may come to a quick close with Mardier on top. After that, only Terraversa lies between the King and absolute rule. Alphonse has declared that any privateer who defeats a Garvey or Eslandolan force in battle shall be given special trading rights with Mardier, and the greatest privateer of all at the end of the war will be named ambassador to his or her faction with special privileges. (Mardierian High Command - MOCed by our very own, illustrious, Bregir) (Prizes for Overall Individual Winners: Anyone who enters at least once for Eslandola and Garvey's side will get the prize of a 20% greater gain in the MRCA whenever visiting an ESL port for the next three months after the results of the challenge are posted or a 15% greater gain on any landbased properties placed in either Garvey or Eslandolan settlements built in the same time period (but the bonus would stay in place for those properties for all the foreseeable future), and the one overall winner for this side [determined by their average of entries from all categories] will receive the honorary title of Prince of Garvey, and will get a 40% greater gain when trading in any GAR or ESL ports during the next four months or a 30% bonus on all landbased properties in ESL or GAR settlements built during the same period (again, the bonuses would not go away afterwards - just any new builds would not be eligible for the bonus). Everyone who enters at least once for Mardier, on the other hand, will get a 25% greater gain whenever visiting MAR ports for the next three months after the results for the challenge are published or a 20% greater gain on any landbased properties placed in Mardierian settlements which are built in the same time period (but the bonus would likewise stay in place after that), and the overall winner for this side will receive the honorary title of Mardierian Ambassador, and a 50% trading bonus in MAR ports for four months/MRCAs or a 40% bonus on all landbased properties MAR settlements built during the same period (same bonus provisions as before). But we digress...) But what is at stake for the nations, you ask? The future of Mardier, Garvey, and Eslandola all hang in the balance! Will Mardier crush its opponents and regain its old position as the greatest empire of the world, or will Eslandola and Garvey be dictating its terms? Find out and tell us! (OOC: Another digression, I'm afraid! Overall Faction Winners: MAR, if the winning side, would win: The war... Isla de Many Names, an extra settlement on said island a royal fort license to be placed in any of its territories a monthly stipend of 300DBs to be paid by Eslandola as rent for the land on which Fuerte Unido is situated (the settlement, however, would continue to belong to ESL) ESL, if the winning side, would win: The war... Isla de Many Names, microbuild licenses (5 small, 3 medium, 2 large - free choice of category) to be placed in an extra settlement (if possible use one of the existing MAR locations) on the island, a royal fort license (to be placed anywhere on the island, three microbuilds required, showing different parts of the fort, or one large microbuild, license doesn't count against the fort limit of the corresponding settlement) In the case of no decisive win, one way or the other, the island would be peacefully (well, not really... but the war would be ended) split in half between MAR and ESL. first ranking faction among COR/OL/SR: microbuild licenses (5 small, 3 medium, 2 large - free choice of category) to be placed anywhere, which are the results of the efforts of those trying to escape the Mardierian war to settle in other nations' territory, a royal fort license (to be placed anywhere, three microbuilds required, showing different parts of the fort, or one large microbuild, license doesn't count against the fort limit of the corresponding settlement), 3000 FIPs second place: microbuild licenses (3 small, 2 medium, 1 large - free choice of category) to be placed anywhere, with the same reasoning as above, two large fort licenses (not upgradable, to be placed anywhere, one microbuild required per license, license don't count against the fort limit of the corresponding settlements), 2000 FIPs third place: microbuild licenses (2 small, 1 medium - free choice of category) to be placed anywhere, one large fort license (not upgradable, to be placed anywhere, microbuild required, license doesn't count against the fort limit of the corresponding settlement) 1000 FIPs End of prize info). This is the last challenge in Era I, The Discovery, and any member may build for either side – and it doesn’t necessarily have to be the side you think is best or right! There is not even any need to build for the same side in each category, and each member may build a maximum of one entry per side for each category – that is, you can have a total of 10 entries, max. Besides the usual category winners (one from each side [MAR or ESL + GAR], best build on the winning side being the winner and the best on the other the runner up of the category), there will be one overall winner for each team (the number of categories entered coming into play here), who will win the top individual prizes mentioned above. As per the usual, other factions will still compete against one another for the faction prizes as well (whichever side you build for, it will still help your own faction here - and note that, as there is already very much at stake for ESL, they won't be contending for this particular prize, see the faction prize info above), and the overall winning side (ESL and GAR or MAR and its allies) will end up being the winning side of the war. [Credit to the GoH leaders for many of the ideas above!] Category A: The Assassin's Creep Setting: The streets of Kings Port. Love and death are in the air. Panic has come over the island due to rumors that Alphonse has silenced the opposition back on the mainland. With their own leader in pseudo-rebellion, the Terraversans worry that Alphonse’s Death Guard will make their way to the island to reclaim it once and for all. Now is the time to make alliances and break previous partnerships. The best way to form an alliance is through marriage; the best way to break one is through bloodshed. Depict a romantic outing or a tragic end of life scene (or maybe both?) which affects the relationship between Terraversa and Mardier or some other nation. The MOC may be no larger than 16 x 16, and minifigure posing will be taken into account when judging. Due Date: February 28th, anywhere in the world Category Prize – 1st place - A battalion of Terraversan mercenaries, free of charge and upkeep - and 41149 Moana's Island Adventure Runner-up - A company of Terraversan troops, free of charge and upkeep - Results - Category B: ‘Till my dying breath… Setting: Skaford Heights. Mardier’s secret colony has been discovered by Eslandolan forces, and now there is a plan for a joint all-out assault! Builders need to pick a side and depict the Garvey and Eslandolan assault on the island. Your character does not have to be physically involved in the attack, but your sig fig has funded this expedition to defend or attack Skaford Heights (your sig-fig does not necessarily have to be involved with or funding the same side as the one you are building for). The MOC must depict a beach landing, a defense mounted by the Mardierians, and the death of a hero, and may be up to 48x48 studs. At least one picture must be a close up of the Hero’s death scene (artistic license for posing allowed, of course – see Death of General Wolfe for an example of artistic license.) Due Date: March 31st, anywhere in the world Category Prize – 1st place - 500 PIPs and a free medium fort (activated by a micro-build) to be placed anywhere - and 31063 Beachside Vacation Runner-up - 300 PIPs and a free small fortress (activated, likewise, by a micro-build) - Results - Category C: On Stranger Tentacles Setting: The Sea of Prio. Did you hear that Garvey has harnessed the power of the Kracken? Or perhaps you have heard about how King Alphonse rides on a giant Narwhal, destroying ships at his leisure? Terrible things lay in the depths of the Far Seas, and you will be depicting one of them. There are no size limits, but there must be a terrible sea creature, and it must be destroying a vessel or terrorizing a camp on shore from the side you are not supporting in the war. The monster must be natively aquatic (no jungle beasts, please). Due Date: March 31st, anywhere in the world Category Prize – 1st place - Cooperate with with the gamemasters in moving the Kraken in the upcoming quest! - and 70623 Destiny's Shadow Runner-up - Learn ahead of time the location of the Kraken (either to chase it or to run away!) for the first two MRCAs - Results - Category D: Yum Yum, Bumbel Tuna Setting: The far seas. The Mardierian fleet in the far seas has made their latest fortune in the fishing industry. Tuna has become the latest craze among the elite of the mainland. Mardier’s sailors have developed trade secrets and hidden away the best fishing spots to create a near monopoly on this most sought after fish, as the Eastern Bumbel Tuna Trading Company reaps massive profits! The Garvian privateers seek to hit Mardier where it hurts, their wallet. Builders depict either Garvian privateers intercepting a Mardier fishing vessel or show Mardier troops outwitting the Garvian privateers. This MOC may be up to 48x48 studs. The MOC must include TWO vessels, fish (brick built are fine!), and waves. Due Date: April 15th, anywhere in the world Category Prize – 1st place - A life-time supply of Bumbel Tuna!!! Reap a 300% profit next time you go on a Bounty Run (you'll have to let the automaters know after the KPA is published to triple the amount, or make sure they have already done so) - and 41150 Moana's Ocean Voyage Runner-up - Reap a 200% profit on your next bounty run - Results - Category E: The Treasure Trove Setting: The New World It is said that Mardier has been building up a massive fleet and army, which have been amassing at their ports to crush the rebels and Eslandola once and for all. There is only one wee little problem – Mardier is, essentially, broke. But rumor has it that somewhere in the newly discovered islands there is a fabled kingdom of gold, where the natives of the place have far more of the shiny metal than they know what to do with – and rumor has it, too, that the East Bumbel Tuna Company has found a map leading to this kingdom, and that they mean to use all means, fair and foul, to get this gold to support the Mardierian war endeavor and finish off the rebels once and for all! Such a sum of money could be the making or breaking of the struggling empire, but the news seems to have escaped and it is more than only the Mardierian who search for that lost treasure now! Show either one of your characters hearing about, discovering and/or carrying off this treasure, and dealing with the natives (and it doesn’t necessarily have to be for Eslandola! – as long as Mardier doesn’t get it, that is good enough for them!), or tell us how Mardier and the East Bumbel Tuna Company managed to thwart the treasure hunters and securely carry off this store of doubloons! But it is said that Mardier is not a nation with a track record of getting along very well with the native peoples… This is a story category, and you are allowed a maximum of three builds to portray this, the sizes being no greater than one 16x16, one 32x32, and one unlimited build respectively. There are no restrictions as to how you find the treasure or where this kingdom is located except that it is on one of the newly discovered islands of the Prio seas or the new Haven Seas region. Are the natives there friendly, or are they fiercely protective of their gold? Do pirates make off with the doubloons, do they fall into the hands of the rebels or Eslandolans, or is Mardier able to carry out their villainous masterplan? You decide! Due Date: May 15th, anywhere in the world Category Prize – 1st place - A new island (of the Prio seas, though your build could be in the new Haven seas) of your choice for your faction and 600 DBs - and 31065 Park Street Townhouse Runner-up - 500 DBs - Results - And now get to building those MOCs! The fate of the Brick Seas rests in your hands!

100,000 DBs and it's yours, sir! No, I don't mean to sell it (unless you've got those spare hundred thousand DBs lying around... ) It is, in fact, for a collab with another member of Eslandola - ETWC rules, you know! I shan't name any names yet, however...

Yep, saw that - looking great! That guy on the mizzen's fighting top looks like he likes living it dangerous, though! Really, awesome color-scheme and shape, looking forward to seeing it finished!

Hmm, I do wonder what's up with Mr. Fontanajo there. He hasn't become a royalist, has he? On another note, though it's (unfortunately) not for BoBS, I just recently finished my third ship, and since this is where I really started to get into ship building and where most of my techniques come from, I thought I might drop a pic of it here: Any of the rest of you (besides Elostirion ) building anything for BoBS these days? I've got a plantation (or half of one) calling my name from my desk...

Great to see that you might finally bit the bullet and join! The others' advice is quite excellent - really, I wouldn't read all the rules just now, just skim the land rules and maybe read the MRCA ones a bit more carefully (both linked by Ayrlego above), and you'll really have everything you need to give it a go! The Master Index is a great place to find pretty much all the information that exists. And yep, please don't try to wade your way through the previous 80 pages before joining! As to which faction to join - I know we'd love to have you in Eslandola (which is by far the coolest and best one out there, by the bye! ), but just join whichever appeals to you most and where you'd most like to be!

Very nice build, Bregir, loving that gateway (as others have said, those turrets are great!), and the water is quite nice as well (although I do think that the water itself looks better without the ship than with it, and agree with Elos that a bit of foam around the yacht would make it better)! Great job with the story too, looking forward to more on Montoya's expedition (and on that native! ) As to the ship - neat work with that as well, the rigging is excellent (though I still think a more subdued colour like black would generally look better and more realistic - but really, the white does tie in pretty nicely in this case), and clever idea for not having to bother getting the gaffs backstays taut I also particularly like the curve at the front of the bow, but I think that as far as the rest goes, it would look better if you could try to combine your two techniques more fluidly - the all-studs hull just clashes a little to much with the very smooth upper section for me. I would suggest covering the hull in tiles and cheese as a good way to combine them, as well as trying to more gradually build up to the straighter edge of the railing above (the excellent curves of the hull just make the top seem a bit block-y as is). Nevertheless, an excellent build - it's always great to see ships surrounded by the scenery they fit with, and this is no exception! Keep it up, mate!

100 on the Wolf (sorry, Capt... ) By the bye, no rule about when the ship has to be MOCed by this time around? (I'm not against it, and probably wouldn't have currently bid if I had to compromise to build the ship within the month - just curious about the omission.)

Only beneath the mainmast where there's a bit of an interior - under the bow is essentially solid, but the stern is about half and half, but too messy for an interior, unfortunately. Thanks! Thanks, I really like that water technique as well! Thank you, it was a lot of fun to build! Thanks a lot, Exetrius, glad you like it! Yes, I do agree that Ninjago has a lot of potential for some awesome builds, but unfortunately it's a rather under-MOCed theme, if quite popular generally. That dragon spine was one of my favorite details about the original as well! Thanks mate!

I used the second method on my first ship as well (though they're not too visible in most of the pictures...), and found that it worked quite well (I had thought it might pull it the lower shrouds out too far or just slide up too). Tying them to the mast instead is an interesting idea which simply hadn't occurred to me How long do they make those technic axles? I've generally used them in my masts, but it takes three or four of my longest to make it all the way up, which unfortunately gives it a couple of weak points... my favorite method so far is to just use a more or less appropriately long flex tube (well, I've only got two identical ones and don't cut them, to tell the truth, so I've just got to hope that they're the right size ). I'd heard of the string trick as well, but it does sound like cheating...

Just brilliant color-scheme and layout here, SK, the roof, Tudor, and stone-work are all superb, and tie in together perfectly as well! Excellent job with the activity and landscape surrounding it - the sign and cart are a couple of really neat details - and the addition of an interior is always a plus! Definitely something a little different from your normal, and definitely one of my favorite of your builds ever too! Those edits are really quite nice as well!

"I spy, something... white." Even though it only appeared in for about one minute in the Ninjago series pilot, I've always thought that this ship was really neat, and it definitely was a lot of fun working on replicating it in the brick! A few close-up shots: A small interior: And the ship by itself: This ship is found at the very beginning of Pilot Episode 3 (or 2, depending on how it is counted), King of Shadows, and the only purposeful deviation I've made from the original ship itself is that the bottom is reddish brown here instead of dark brown, since that was, well, essentially impossible given my bricks! This is also a warm-up to the theme as Kai and I plan to do a large-ish Ninjago collab shortly. Credit goes to Grant Davis and Eli Willsea for the water technique! A last couple of shots: Thanks for viewing, C&C are welcome!

Neat build, Ayrlego - as Kai said, the vegetation looks great as usual, and the boat is quite nice as well! Some of my favorite details are the turtle and seaweed on the beach, however! Great to see some expeditions out to the new islands!

Very nice build, the wall looks great as does that little winged serpent! Interesting use of the green beneath (is that normal green, or some slight variant?), and I do agree that some more texturing or colors on the ground may have helped, but overall a very neat entry! Black builds are notoriously difficult to photograph, but my advice for photography in general would be to just get a good background in the first place (it's far easier and looks better than a cut out build, and a plain sheet of white paper will do for a small build, and a bendable poster board or larger sheet of paper works well for larger ones), and if possible to take pictures outside in the shade or, better yet, in the open on a cloudy day Your lighting and photography itself don't look very bad, though, it's more that you just need a good background and a good photo angle and you'd be pretty much set!

Actually, I do really like this idea and can totally understand your reasoning (especially as to the settlement rule hurting diversity) - I've never had any problem running into the rule myself (since only about half of my builds are licencable, and I only licence something like once every three months! ), but I've always thought that if I had the time it would definitely be an annoying rule (and of course, it probably is for the others of you who do have the time!) The additional percentage of licencing cost should provide a far better limit, I would think, than the current rule, as far as those with a get-rich easy and quick schemes too (I don't think anyone needs to worry about Maxim's hypothetical situation of 30 licences a month anyways, but the 800% licence costs should be a good deterrent for anyone who wanted to try it! - though of course, if they are quality builds and the builder has the time and DBs, I don't think it would be a problem, and such activity should be rewarded!), and should be no problem to automate I'll bring it up more in the leadership, anyways!

The door of the Council room burst open with a crash, and Captain Whiffo stood before it rapping his huge cutlass pensively on his hook. Then, perceiving that he was the center of all the attention of the room, he paused, coughed, and leapt up onto the podium beside the Admius Legistrad. "Sirs and fellow Captains of Eslandola! "I, Captain Whiffo of the East Trade Wind Company (which you all should have joined) have been requested to give a(nother) short lesson on profit and how it is made - only this time it refers to the profit made by the faction of Eslandola itself, instead of its individual members. "Faction profit is made thusly," and Captain Whiffo lowered his magnificent blade to make a diagram in the ornate wooden floor - but George of Pontelli had thankfully foreseen such a possibility and clicked his fingers for some chalk and a chalkboard, which were brought in just in time to avoid the, uh, yes, you know. "Oh, ah, thank you..." the Captain exclaimed confusedly as the servant handed his load off to him, but then he began to scrawl again rapidly at it. "As you can see - ahem! - the faction of Eslandola receives its finances from, Half of all ship licences, Half of almost all property licences (those built in MCTC settlements excepted - but then, the MCTC instead pays the faction a monthly dividend) And a 20% tax on all of its member's income from properties and the MRCA. ...Plus a very little revenue coming from its forts. "Eslandola as a faction does not own any other properties or any trade ships - and what's more, it shouldn't as long as we believe in free trade without government involvement or interference unlike those bluecoats and others!" and he brought down his hook on the chalkboard with incredible violence, shattering the board to pieces all over the floor. Again George of Pontelli clicked for another board, though, and as he retired the servant attempted to remove the broken pieces of the previous one as inconspicuously as possible... which, since he was right in Captain Whiffo's way, wasn't all that inconspicuous at all, really... "And, here you can see what the faction expenses are: Escorts and warships for the protection of its merchants and the propagation of the war with Mardier, Fortresses for the protection of its settlements and occasionally troops for the same purpose (though unless I misbelieve, no paid troops have been raise thus far), And the timely payment of all prices on the heads of pirates and Mardierian... pirates - and, um, er, pirates sailing under letters from those Mardierian pirates. Oh! And whatever outstanding offers there are for ships built for the crown (also addressed under number 1) and forts built for the crown - ahem! - Council (also covered under number 2), and any other build incentives out there - except, you know, I don't believe that there are any. "Anyways! - The current state of the Royal/Council treasury contains precisely 13,506 Doubloons (way more than my personal treasury, by the way) and Eslandola has some 24,855 FIPs... but yes, that is besides the point... "The faction of Eslandola currently seems to be gaining about 1,500+ DBs a month, and it spends about half of that on ship licences, so the monthly income is somewhere around 700 DBs not including MRCA income, which would likely up it considerably." Captain Whiffo tossed the second chalkboard over his head and looked around. "Well, as you know from the constitution, this Council is authorized to raise troops, licence ships for the navy, and pay for fortresses, among other things, and although all these things require DBs, of course, as our treasury currently stands there is no likelyhood of that getting in the way of the performance of these duties, as well as most other monetary dispensations within reason. "However! - it must be remembered that Eslandola is a nation of free traders and capitalistic merchants, and that it is they who have made Eslandola great, and not the other way about! It is the people, not the government or the treasury, which are the driving force of the nation, and while monetary incentives to some degree may help, and sometimes may be singularly appropriate (for example, when buying a ship for the faction from the builder), we must remember that throwing doubloons at a body (even if we are Eslandolans) will not necessarily make it more productive, better, or give it more time! Unfortunately... "In short, the primary duty of this Council and of the faction of Eslandola is the defense of its members and of free trade, and that ought always to be number one both in the treasury department and everywhere else! Whether these particular ideas in question will promote these and benefit the members and nation of Eslandola in a significant way, however, is what you all are here to decide upon and show by your votes. "And now, I really must be getting back to my ship, sirs, despite the pleasure it is to be here addressing your worthy selves. And thus, if you'll excuse me," exclaimed the Captain, as he leapt back off the podium, "I will wish you all wise decisions and show myself out." And with that he strode quickly down and out the large door, and popping his head back in to exclaim, "And if any more information or suchlike is what you need, just helloa! I'll be somewhere between here and Nova Terelli!"