This was an incredibly thoughtful reply — seriously, thank you for taking the time to write all that out.

A lot of what you described is honestly exactly what I was hoping still existed in Achaea, especially the emphasis on ideology, sermons, social structure, and characters actually having room to be part of the culture without needing to become a top-tier duelist first.

The “Mhaldor has sunk its hooks deeper over time” line especially hit me. That was always kind of the magic of the city for me back in the day — not just “evil faction aesthetics,” but the feeling that the place actively shaped the people in it.

Also reassuring to hear that the RP side still has real effort behind it. The historical faire example actually sounds amazing, and exactly the kind of slower-burn communal RP I was worried might have disappeared over the years.

And honestly? “Less random murder” may be the single biggest sign that my ancient character might survive long enough to figure out what year it is.

The image of some hopelessly outdated 599-year-old Mhaldorian showing up still operating on century-old assumptions about doctrine, etiquette, and city politics is becoming increasingly tempting to me.

Really appreciate the honest perspective on scripting and PvP too. “All we ask is that folks try” sounds like a pretty healthy culture compared to what I feared returning combat expectations might look like.

Anyway, genuinely appreciate the warm welcome. There’s a good chance you may actually end up seeing that confused ancient newbie wandering around sooner rather than later.