I agree with all the assertions that the Cay is too powerful an effect. Case in point, Celest puts in an inordinate amount of effort to ensure that it is constantly turned in favor of them.
They aren't going to change avenger. It's come up a billion times and each time it has been shot down. The only way to keep avenger from being a factor is to remove the opportunity for people to abuse the mechanic in the first place.
Really doesn't matter if there is anything in the SoD right now. Cay wasn't always there, it magically appeared one day with suddenly created RP backstory to make it relevant, after centuries of normal sea battles. Happens all the time. A non inner-sea route to the cay really is the easiest solution to that part of the problem, though.
Make a mugwump mariner in the Balach that sails a canoe or a raft to the Cay. Pay 100 gold, move from Balach (non-enemy territory) to the Cay (non-enemy territory) on a raft/boat that is listed as part of Balach, so it remains non-enemy territory. That should solve the enemy-territory-declare part.
Of course, Celestians could still camp Mugwump Mariner and kill him repeatedly, but if Mags also camp Mugwump Mariner, they're bound to catch him alive at one point (since 'give 100 gold to mugwump' usually outpaces 'cosmicfire/point staff/swing/etc mugwump!).
If you have to rely on a delay to arrive you are already at a disadvantage. Just give it a land bridge considered part of balach.
There are enough problems that it would be better to just tone down the effects of cay. % chance to mist dolphins for instance.
We are overcomplicating this, but we can probably do some simpler things that do not require huge sweeping effects. This quest change is definitely biased though, ignoring inner sea was already biased because of dolphin necklaces.
On another note, What would it take to get changes on Avenger? Forum topic? Can we envoy him?
I think a land bridge and making cay a % chance to prevent conversions and have it no longer keep the kelpie woman in the inner sea dead, would go a long way to fixing things.
She could cry out while the thing is up and be in constant pain but having her dead for 15 hours is pretty griefish to celest. As much as I would love to see them burned to the grown and cover the ashes with salt /forum rp, it seems harsh.
It will keep cay important but not crucial and won't require a ton of new coding or back story.
Maybe even work the land bridge into the geomancers' getting their new primary thingy. Have it rattle the basin and oh look, a strip of swamp extends to the cay.
It'd be important, if it doesn't knock out Lanikai, that Lanikai cannot make seashell necklaces or convert seawolves to dolphins while it is up (e.g. the Cay stifles her power) as those are the things that affect the Sea Battle.
Comments
Really doesn't matter if there is anything in the SoD right now. Cay wasn't always there, it magically appeared one day with suddenly created RP backstory to make it relevant, after centuries of normal sea battles. Happens all the time. A non inner-sea route to the cay really is the easiest solution to that part of the problem, though.
There are enough problems that it would be better to just tone down the effects of cay. % chance to mist dolphins for instance.
We are overcomplicating this, but we can probably do some simpler things that do not require huge sweeping effects. This quest change is definitely biased though, ignoring inner sea was already biased because of dolphin necklaces.
On another note, What would it take to get changes on Avenger? Forum topic? Can we envoy him?