Today we announce an improved mark (champion/assassin) system!

This update to the mark system includes several interesting aspects:

- contract durations are measured in Achaean days.
- new contracts will last 240 Achaean days.
- contracts don't move toward expiration unless the victim/target is on
the prime material plane and is also outside of his own city's
defendable area (city proper, plus one step outside), and outside of
all allied cities' defendable areas.
- a successful private contract (mark kills target) will result in
experience gained by the hirer!
- marks that fulfill targets will also get a much smaller gain in
experience.
- marks that kill any adventurer, with or without contract, will also
gain a nice chunk of essence for their patron Deity, if any.
- marks gain no bonus for killing denizens.
- marks gain a 20% bonus for non-contract killing of adventurers.
- marks gain a 20% reduction in experience loss for death at the hands
of any adventurer. Neither bleeding to death nor death to misadventure
is the same thing as dying to any adventurer.

Special thanks and a debt of gratitude to Batista and several others
for their tireless work in creating and refining proposals like this
for the benefit of us all.

There will probably be changes as this new system settles in. Please be
patient with us as we move to squash any little inconsistencies, make
needed adjustments, and otherwise move ahead with needed improvements
in life for everybody in Achaea.

Penned by my hand on the 24th of Sarapin, in the year 448 AF.