Territory Control

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

In the supernatural frontier of Aeternum, control of territory is not merely about land—it is about survival, prosperity, and power. The island's mysterious forces and hostile creatures make settlement a constant struggle, but the greatest threat often comes from rival companies seeking to expand their influence. Territory Wars are the ultimate expression of this conflict, where up to 50 players per side clash in epic battles to decide who holds the keys to a region's forts, towns, and resources. Victory brings not only prestige but the ability to shape the region's development and collect taxes from its inhabitants.

In Their Own Story

The Falkland Islands is a British Overseas Territory that is claimed by Argentina. Gibraltar is largely a self-governing British territory on the tip of the Iberian Peninsula with a population of about 30,000 people, whose territory is claimed by Spain. It continues to be listed as an NSGT though its residents expressed a preference in two referendums to retain the status quo. In 1967, they were asked whether to retain their current status or to become part of Spain. The status quo was favoured by 12,138 votes to 44. In 2002, a proposal for a joint British–Spanish administration of the territory was voted down by 17,900 votes to 187. (The "no" vote accounted for more than 85% of Gibraltar's entire electorate). The United Nations did not recognise either referendum, with the 1967 referendum being declared in contravention of previous UN resolutions. The Spanish government does not recognize any right of the current Gibraltar inhabitants to self-determination, on the grounds that they are not the original population of the territory, but residents transferred by the colonial power, the United Kingdom. The territory of Tokelau divides political opinion in New Zealand. In response to attempts at decolonizing Tokelau, New Zealand journalist Michael Field wrote in 2004: "The UN ... is anxious to rid the world of the last remaining vestiges of colonialism by the end of the decade. It has a list of 16 territories around the world, virtually none of which wants to be independent to any degree." Field further notes that Patuki Isaako, who was head of Tokelau's government at the time of a UN seminar on decolonization in 2004, informed the United Nations that his country had no wish to be decolonized, and that Tokelauans had opposed the idea of decolonization ever since the first visit by UN officials in 1976. In 2006, a UN-supervised referendum on decolonization was held in Tokelau, where 60.07% of voters supported the offer of self-government. However, the terms of the referendum required a two-thirds majority to vote in favor of self-government.

Reader's Guide

The list currently includes 17 territories. It draws its origins from the period of colonialism and the Charter's concept of non-self-governing territories. From initial reports provided by eight member states (Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States), a list was compiled in 1946 listing 72 NSGTs. In several instances, administering powers were later allowed to remove dependent territories from the list, either unilaterally (as in the case of French overseas territories such as French Polynesia), or by a vote of the General Assembly (as in the cases of Puerto Rico, Greenland, the Netherlands Antilles and Suriname). A set of criteria for determining whether a territory is to be considered "non-self-governing" was established in General Assembly Resolution 1541 (XV) of 1960. Also in 1960, the General Assembly adopted Resolution 1514 (XV), promulgating the "Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples," which declared that all remaining non-self-governing territories and trust territories were entitled to self-determination and independence. The following year, the General Assembly established the Special Committee on the Situation with Regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples (sometimes referred to as the Special Committee on Decolonization, or the "Committee of 24" because for much of its history the committee was composed of 24 members), which reviews the situation in non-self-governing territories each year and reports to the General Assembly. A revised list in 1963 listed 64 NSGTs. The list remains controversial in some countries for various reasons, including that it includes some dependencies that have democratically chosen to maintain their current status, or have had a referendum in which local government requirements were not met regarding the number of votes required to support a change of status or the number of voters participating (e.g., in the United States Virgin Islands).

Did You Know?

• A company must declare war by accumulating enough Influence in a territory through PvP missions, PvE quests, and faction activities.
• Territory Wars are 50v50 battles that take place in a instanced version of the territory's fort, with attackers and defenders fighting over capture points.
• The winning company's Governor can set tax rates on trading, property, and crafting, directly affecting the server's economy.
• Governors can use the territory's treasury to upgrade forts and build defenses, while fast travel points are unlocked through the territory's upgrade system.
• If a company fails to defend its territory in a war, it loses control and the attacking company takes over governance.