Hi folks!

A new year means we have some room for new Celani in the Garden, so I'm writing to remind everyone that applications are always open and the roles available in HELP CELANI are up to date as of today.

For those who are not aware, Celani is a volunteer position on the Garden team with the opportunity to help shape Achaea's world, story, and content in a myriad of different ways.

Whether you're passionate about building, possessing denizens, or playing a God role in full, there's always a swath of ways to leave a permanent mark on Achaea as one of the squad.

HELP CELANI again has all the relevant details, but in particular at present we are looking for roleplay-focused people with a passion for the story and the setting.

In order to apply, you must meet the following criteria:
- You must be 18 years or older IRL. Sorry, minors!
- You must have, at absolute minimum, at least 500 hours of playing time
- Have read HELP CELANI in full (in particular the FAQ)
- Be in good standing with the Garden and admin team

Now, here's what you must include in your application, in a plain-text, non-formatted email to ictinus@achaea.com:

1. Your real name.

2. Your real age.

3. If you are primarily a student, tell us your school and your course of study. Otherwise: your real occupation and your company's name.

4. Your character(s) in Achaea and what you have accomplished through those characters, especially any leadership positions you have held or other noteworthy achievements.

5. Why you think we should make you a celani (keeping in mind that celanihood normally precedes Godhood, so also why you think you should have the chance to be a God if that's the route you want to take.)

6. Why you want to do this, knowing that you will have to completely cut off ties with other (mortal) players and leave behind all that you accomplished as a mortal player.

The above point is perhaps the most important of all when considering becoming Celani. Potential applicants should seriously consider their ability to detach from existing social networks and establish new ones in a different environment. This is a very important factor and is one of the highest causes for failure in Celani candidates.

7. Two flawless room or denizen descriptions of 80+ words each. Please be sure to have read HELP MORTAL BUILDERS and HELP STYLE before submitting these. Do not skip this!

8. A brief outline for an interesting and original IC event, totalling 100 - 200 words. This should be of the scale that you see in our EVENTS news posts.

9. Any special experience outside of Achaea that you think might help you in Celanihood, such as customer service background, DM roles, or writing experience.

10 - OPTIONAL - If you have been a team member in the past, please explain why it did not work last time and why this will not be the case again.

Strong writing skills are a must, as is the ability to work within an often demanding and perfectionist team environment. Other traits that will help you: consistency, creativity, improvisational skills, storytelling ability, maturity, attention to detail, dependability, and above all, a love of Achaea and the world we co-create here.

If you have any questions, feel free to send me a message or email to ask.

Hi folks!

On Wednesday January 21st at 10PM GMT, Makarios and I will be hosting another Tea Time!

This is an informal meeting to which everyone is welcome to come along and ask questions or chat for a short while.

As is now tradition, I will be capping this at about an hour and a half to prevent it running too long.

But you are always welcome to message or email me with concerns outside of these!

UPCOMING has the exact time.

See you there!

It is Tuesday, the 13th of January, and the following changes have been implemented:

- Puzzling cases of affcount not tracking correctly in tree scenarios should be resolved.

- Clan permissions have been updated to match HELP ORGHELP, namely that "any rank above (i.e. lower P-number) the set position level will be able to access as well" In other words, if a CLHELP scroll has permission P2 set, both P2 and P1 can see it, but not P3.

- Various issues with beacons moving to locations they should not under flux have been patched.

Three men stand at a fire. Around them is a camp, horsemen coming and going as they begin their slow dispersal into hills and plains. Into their home by compact older than the oldest man of adventuring. Archers converse with warriors, messengers come and go, and the far-ranging outriders thunder in the distance to bring and take Noyan words to encampments distant and deep.

"You will not go with the calling, cousin?" One of them is proud, a dark braid tightly severe and his face questioning as he turns to look at the other. "Virrti waits even now with daub blood and heart-flesh, and Thoksikh's riders brought word last morn that there are still dozens more encampments willing to journey under your banner. And that just of what riders reached so far!"

"The thief yielded, cousin Keidou," Noyan Tokhta answers, his silvered mane loosely flowing with the eastern plainswind. "Our land's spirits need not judge and jury the outlanders. Seeking time from their duty to escort the dead would risk final condemnation to the souls of outlander and tribe both."

"Cousin!" Noyan Keidou's tone is offended, disgusted. "That was not the yield rightfully ours, and it was to a worthless stone-sitter's opinion! They openly defy you, refuse and reject what is holy! The outlanders don't respect you. They obviously never did. They respect only strength. They even boasted to each other that they could just kill you when you demanded what is ours of them! We should have shown strength. Taken their tongues for such insolence! Not loosed peace-loving horse. And your prophecy says-"

"Keidou." Noyan Tokhta's voice is a quiet interruption as he watches the flames. "I know you would still ride for my honour, would lead battle yourself. I know that is why you still pressure me so. But we - I - can say we preserved the compact we swore to the Yekes Ghoum in the first years of our roaming. None in hill or plain can deny that. I would not trouble the holy for what I think settled in profane."

"And the outlanders?"

"Let stone-sitters blather, begrudge, and bitter. True face is seen and my prophecy is not incumbent. That is enough to content me."

Noyan Tokhta's cousin frowns at the words. For something is not quite true in Noyan Keidou's face, some unseen disagreement or difference, but his cousin does not notice. Fixated upon the fire and his own thought does his attention remain.

"He is right though, uncle," the voice of a third rings out from behind the two. Female, insouciant, and swaggering comes the calescent hair and bright eyes of Tokhta's niece. One of Khutan's hands rests upon the Pyramid's blade hilt at her side. "A sword of treachery," she quotes. "And from the west," she continues, "a great scaled besides, hiding face beneath flesh soft and flesh hard."

A wave of the hand dismisses the youngest Noyan. "The Yekes Ghoum give much meaning in their cryptic," Tokhta says. "You have prophecy your own, Khutan. Should you consider yours, and not mine?"

With a roll of the eyes, Noyan Khutan offers an exaggerated bow. "Suit yourself, uncle," she laughs. "I only asked to hear the meeting."

"Be welcome to it," Noyan Tokhta dismisses again with distraction. "My need is to where my encampment will next travel. And on renewing oath and bond. In new-come wilder days it is not just the twelve and thrice twelve at this convocation that concern me, or just the three who went forth. I must ride twice the hard to constrain what outlanders broke."

But he is unsure. He worries his feet follow still the footsteps of destiny laid out since the first silvering. Is prophecy soon incumbent after all? Will renewing encampment ties in blood-oath risk unleashing them for true? Should he instead loose the reins and let steeds ride where they will? These questions and more weigh heavy, and the Noyan has no certain answer to give. It is long years since he felt the battle thirst of youth, let the wildness race free. Longer still since he first heard Doom and foretelling to herald it.

"At least take the thief's hands-"

"No, cousin!" Tokhta's voice is firm now. Much firmer than before, ringing with the unmistakable. "Noyan Isha tells us Scar-southward is in new chaos. If your blood still ups and you would raid in your encampment's roaming, then take the quiet ways to strike long-traitors and sea-striders for riches. If the lands west beyond great rocks are as barren broken and absent compact to Yekes Ghoum as outlander thieves claim, then they will all be dead in a generation anyway and we need not them. Be silent."

Noyan Keidou flinches and words die upon his tongue, no matter his attempt to hide it. Noyan Khutan withdraws quickly and quietly. And upon the flame's other side, the cruelly monstrous features of Noyan Kuhl twist to begrudging quiescence atop the towering muscle of giants. He will slay no stone-sitter today, nor glory in the spilled vitae of wife and child. Meropis will not drown in blood.

As the Qaghan commands.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Summary: An era of peace erodes.

Hey all,

We (I) made a slight error during December and didn't turn off raffle tickets on stocking prizes, but of course... there was no raffle this December. As a result several of you find yourself with a large number of raffle tickets that are currently not serving a purpose.

We considered just converting these to bound credits as with a failed ticket draw, but have decided instead we will run a raffle in February (you can expect tickets to be available if you missed out in December), at the end of which we will draw the raffle. All tickets will carry over from December and you will receive 2 bound credits per ticket as normal, but also have a chance at one of the larger prizes as is typical (these prizes TBD, stay tuned!).

Thank you for your understanding!

Happy New Year, everyone!

As we kick off 2026, we'd love your help shaping what comes next for Iron Realms and helping us bring more new adventurers into the realms.

If you have a few minutes, please take our short player survey and share your thoughts. Your feedback helps us prioritise updates, events, and improvements, and it also helps us understand how to better introduce the games to new players.

Survey link: https://forms.gle/43Nz5kByngHfsGNJ9

Thanks for being part of the community and for helping us make the worlds even stronger this year!