[b]Dream[/b], about those characters concepts ...

- [i]The Stoic Sarifen Spy.[/i] - Despicable ... [i][b]But I love it!!![/i][/b] (I hope you got the reference ;) Just be sure to heavily develop his motivations and be mindful of the surrounding political landscape. Intelligence gathering is as dangerous as it is nefarious and to excel may require more than simply selling out or outright murdering your closest partners or childhood friends. Sometimes the lines of justice are skewed in regards to preserving the state as opposed to performing for the greater good. Can spooks achieve both? Only the best know this answer ;)

- [i]The Swashbuckling Valanian Aristocrat[/i] - An excellent character concept that fits well with the current plot! A few things I wanted to mention. Prior to the Kingdom's demise, most Valanian Aristocrats were indifferent to Prince Lucius' ascension despite signs of his promising leadership traits. After the Sarifens utterly crushed Valania's armies, most were ruthlessly hunted and executed to a man and only those forced into marriage, whom fled into the hills to join the resistance, held extremely viable financial leverage, secretly pledged fealty to Sarife prior to the invasion and/or fell into Marquis Richter Von Conqvist's favor survived the savage purges that followed Valania's annexation. Aside from this, I hope he's ready to face Carcassonne's coming storm!

- [i]The Merchant's daughter turned Order of St. Melita[/i] - Huge potential for character growth and development! It's plausible that she may likely haven fallen under Knightess Captain Lionheart's mentorship as a [i]shield maiden[/i] as well as accompanied the varying aristocrats to police Voltas' post annexation streets and surrounding towns where ever the locally stationed Nezām-e Jadīd cannot patrol due to manpower shortages. I also encourage and approve of the in-field perspective from the varying politics and orders of the upper classes/former kingdom magistrates. 

You are way off mark in the fact that I approve of [i]all[/i] character concepts so roll with one or write them all!

[b]Fern[/b], you are most welcome about the information and your continued interest brings tears to my eyes, hehehe :'). Don't worry about replying; we're all either breathing life into Altaea or clarifying the unfilled blind spots so no worries if you're feeling content. Speaking from experience, I am quite horrible at being the hermit and will admit to a storied history of silence during intense roleplaying discussions. My friends and story writing partners aren't here to vouch for me, but I speak the truth! So ... with that said; dun worrrrrrrry 'bout eet! 

Regarding the OOC, it will be up by late Wednesday or Thursday. The reason being that I am slowly drafting the OOC as we speak, waiting for other invitations from writers, and am caught in the middle of a project fire storm.

[b]Ivory[/b], keep your swords ready and stay tuned for another exciting episode of Altaea: [i]The Age of Revolution[/i].

[b]Konica[/b], again welcome, welcome 8). The Printing Press has certainly [i]not[/i] been invented yet! Paper and ink have already existed for eons, however, mass production has not yet arrived so news is spread through oration and word of mouth. To further emphasize, hired news readers are the only form of mass media as shown in [url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIMGmbbx37A]this video[/url] so information is understandably censored; quite heavily if I may add! ([i]Ivory[/i], you asked about Vectis resembling the Western Roman Empire. There you are ... *nudge* *nudge*.)

Technology wise, Carcassonne is still barely scraping past the Late Middle Ages and [url= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medieval_technology]this link[/url] should provide an insight into the current technological developments. I will, of course, quote a line in this article that perfectly sums the technological progress levels, [i]"...the adoption of gunpowder, the invention of vertical windmills, spectacles, mechanical clocks, and greatly improved water mills, building techniques (Gothic architecture, medieval castles), and agriculture in general (three-field crop rotation)."[/i]