Commune

## Mayor

Ebonblade

The **Commune** was a town and social experiment in the Lakelands during Dragonhollow's First Era.

It was intended as a grand utopia without poverty or danger, but collapsed due to infighting, theft, and distrust and eventually fell into ruin.

# Concept and Design

It was the brainchild of Ebonblade, who dreamed of a perfect harmonious utopia safe from the hatred and death he saw as endemic to the rest of the world. The Commune was completely self-sustaining and separated from the outer harshness of Dragonhollow by a barrier wall.

Ebon believed that *trust* was the foundation of any stable community. To that end, abolished the notion of personal property within the Commune. While individuals were permitted to build their own homes, all resources were shared and structures were accessible by everyone. Ender chests were forbidden.

Residents of the Commune were expected to work together as one to achieve their common interests. Decision making was done by consensus achieved through public votes. All commodities were shared through free exchange, but a basic barter economy emerged allowing residents to exchange labor and services.

Anyone was welcome within the Commune and newcomers with few possessions to their name were especially encouraged to join. Violence and incivility were grounds for explusion.

There was a police station, gathering hall, mine, XP grinder, garden, barnyard, and storage warehouse. Further from the center were rows of houses.

# History

### Early Success

In the wake of the devastation wrought by Champ with his Crusade, Ebon sought to establish a haven for newcomers far from the bloodshed near Lakeview Village.

For the first few weeks, the Commune was a complete success. Residents worked the fields, shared supplies, and treated each other with kindness and respect. Deaths from roving killers and the walking dead dropped significantly. The population continued to climb as more new arrivals were invited to build homes within its walls.

In short, the Commune was thriving.

### Sharing is Caring

On 1E:27, Commune resident SirMoosin took second place in the Second Lakeview Derby horse race and received iron horse armor, a nametag, an enchanted golden apple, and a free month's rental of a stall in the horse stables at the Lakeview Horse Track. Many in his community asked that he share the stall and store his prize winnings in the storage warehouse. Moosin objected, arguing that he won it in an event outside the Commune riding a horse he'd tamed before he joined them. Faeblade countered that their rules prohibited hoarding, that his horse was *their* horse, and therefore prizes won with it were *their* prizes as well.

A vote was held on the issue, the result being that Moosin should share the horse and prizes for the good of their community. Moosin rejected the vote and threatened to leave.

Ebon, perhaps sensing that his community was on the verge of becoming unraveled, issued a new edict stating that prizes obtained in events outside of the Commune belong to the individuals who won them and do not have to be shared. Faeblade believed that this would only encourage secret hoarding of valuables rather than promote the values of their village. Others wondered whether or not their votes even counted if Ebon could just overrule them.

### Theft, robbery, and heists

Not long after, items began to disappear from inside homes within the Commune. These small thefts were a delicate subject, as residents were not supposed to have personal possessions and it was difficult to tell if something was truly missing or had just been borrowed or used legitimately by a neighbor.

Eventually, with fingers being pointed all around and civil unrest rising, Ebon decided to establish a police station in the Commune with SirMoosin appointed as sheriff. The decision was fairly unpopular, with Faeblade pointing out that the community was supposed to be a safe haven against both crime *and* authority. To make matters worse, residents felt that Moosin did more harm than good and that he often overstepped his bounds.

On 1E:45, a resident executed a massive heist of most of their valuables, including twin skeleton spawners for their planned XP farm. Order decayed rapidly as everyone blamed each other and Ebon lost control of the situation. Blood was shed. ChickenFrends demanded immediate redress and compensation from Eris, who cackled madly with delight at such a silly idea.

Ebon dismissed Moosin as sheriff and grew increasingly reliant on mercenaries such as Ozven and Tycar.

### Investigation

Seeing that the Commune was in danger of collapse, Ebon moved quickly to find the culprit who had betrayed his or her own neighbors and bring them to justice. He posted a 64 diamond reward on the bounty board in Lakeview Village for anyone who had information that would lead to those responsible.

Tox took on the job after negotiating his own reward—a double chest full of dirt for use in the construction of Blackrose. Ebon provided him with a list of Commune residents with access to chests and a separate list of the most likely suspects. Hoping that his complete lack of associating with the village would aid him in avoiding suspicion, Tox began contacting residents discreetly offering to purchase spawners of any kind for 64 diamonds apiece.

Eventually, L3gitSkullz responded that he could offer two skeleton spawners. Because harvesting spawners required Elite status yet as a non-citizen L3gitSkullz was unable to purchase it, Tox felt reasonably sure that he'd found the guilty party. He paid the man the diamond owed but kept the spawners for use at Blackrose instead of returning them to Ebon and the Commune. Then he followed L3gitSkullz back to his home and sent the coordinates to Ebon after providing photographic proof that he'd possessed two skeleton spawners.

Ebon attempted to lure him out of hiding in order to kill him, but L3gitSkullz suspected trouble and declined. In response, Ebon hired his contract killer Ozven to assassinate the man, who did so several times. Ebon then announced to the Commune who was behind the theft, but it was too late.

### Fall

Their trust shaken and their hard work for naught, many of the Commune left Dragonhollow for good. Others, like Faeblade, moved to Lakeview Village and attempted to start over.

Ebon abandoned the Commune completely once his residents left. The experience changed him, leading him to become lackadaisical and led purely by serendipity, his only joy coming from the discomfort and torment of others.

After the magical protections guaranteed by the golden shovel of Eris finally expired, a raiding party made up of AJ, Azureila, Jack Firebane, Tox and Smitten hit the Commune and took everything of remaining value within its walls.

It fell into ruin completely after being picked over for weeks by scavengers and griefers.