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Starting Blurb

"Succession Crisis of the Arliok Pentarchate": A currently-unfolding political crisis. It's up to you how succession works in this government, and how it's gone wrong. The Pentarchate spans worlds and sub-governments ranging from absolute monarchy to theocratic republics to anarcho-collectivism. Each member of the Pentarchate represents one of the five inhabited planets/stations/moons.

Flow of Play

New players may join in at any time. If you have questions, check the FAQ or ask on the Discord!
The core of the game is based on Neel Krishnaswami's "Lexicon: an RPG".

1. Scholars shall dib (reserve), and then write, one entry per turn. Turns loop through the alphabet in a shuffled order, from A to Z (well, I to S) and then back around. (See Game Rules for the shuffled alphabetical ordering)
2. Entries shall cite two phantom (unwritten) entries and, after the first turn, one existing entry.
3. Scholars shall neither cite themselves, nor write phantoms they were the first to cite.
4. After the first turn, all phantoms for a letter shall be written before new entries are created.
5. The required per-turn citations must not be to entries or phantoms created in the current turn.
6. Rule of X: On turn X (and Q), if no phantoms for those letters remain, scholars may write new entries for *any* letter.

Example of Play (first turn)

1. On the first turn, Sean B. Palmer defines his one entry for the letter A: Andelphracian Lights (Rule 1).
2. In Andelphracian Lights, he creates two phantoms: Bysted Timperton and Quester and Phorrus (Rule 2).
3. Sean B. Palmer may never define Bysted Timperton and Quester and Phorrus now. (Rule 3).
4. On the next turn, all phantoms for the letter B (like Bysted Timperton) must be defined (Rule 4).

Example of Play (all other turns)

1. It's turn 2, letter B, and scholars must first define all phantoms starting with that letter (Rule 4).
2. Sean B. Palmer wants the Bureau of Forgotten Knowledge and commits an edit saying so (Rule 1).
3. He checks "What links here" on the Bureau of Forgotten Knowledge page to see what truths, if any, are known.
4. He also searches for the expression/term in the "search" box to find any unlinked mention of his entry.
5. He writes the entry, and cites two phantoms (existing or not) and one previously written entry. (Rule 2).
6. His citations, however, must not be those he's previously created (Rule 3; see Index and FAQ).
7. His citations must also have been created or defined before the current turn of play. (Rule 5).

How To Participate

You can "go above and beyond" your entries by also updating the Index (and Phantom Index), Timeline, Groups of Interest, Who's Who, and Where's Where based on your turn. If you don't, no worries - it'll get done eventually.

First, read everything you can! Then create an account and log in. Defining a new entry is as simple as going to its URL or clicking any red links (phantoms). For example, to create "Crab apples", go to http://www.synod.us/exterior/lexicon/index.php?title=Crab_apples, click "edit", and begin typing. More information (creating headers, links, bold, italic, etc.) can be found at the Wikimedia User's Guide.

In-game discussion about terms should occur at the bottom of each entry. (Out-of-game comments should appear on the entry's "discussion" page.) Be warned: other scholars may take heated issue with your comments! For an example, see this entry for a fantastic such discussion from another Lexicon.

Finally, consider writing a brief intro about your scholar! You can access your userpage by clicking your username up in the top-right of this or any other page, or you can go to www.synod.us/exterior/lexicon/index.php?title=User:WhateverYourUsernameIs. This is NOT a "turn" - this is just you fleshing out your character, much like you'd do before a new tabletop campaign. You should not reference phantom links in your scholar description - just blurb a bio, and if entries happen to be defined later during play (by yourself or someone else), you can retroactively apply links.

Consult the User's Guide for information on using the wiki software.

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