The EtG Circle of Power
In this community, there is a secret circle of members. These members pull small strings from behind the scenes. They make decisions, censor and un-censor certain things, rig elections (this is far-fetched and more of a hypothesis than a theory), and decide who leaves the community.
The Origin of the Circle of PowerThere are a couple periods of time for this community. Notably, the disappearance of zanz, pre forums time, and current time. The circle of power was nonexistent before the creation of the forums. Most likely, this circle appeared right before or right after the disappearance of zanz. I will say it was created after. When zanz left, there was some small disarray. With no dev, there was no checks and balance system. Normally, the hierarchy would be zanz as lead, admins beneath him, and council beneath admins. When zanz left, there was no lead to the admins. The game was in a state of controlled anarchy. Thus begins a power struggle between council at that time and admins. There was no winner. Instead, a secret society arose. Not all council at that time joined this society. These 'non conformists' would go ahead and leave the community, or they would nestle in quiet, along with much of the player base. They were basically rooted out. Of course, not all small time members left because of the society; it was more of a ripple effect. Someone sees one of their good friends leave, and they decide they dont want to be here. Its pretty simple.
In these early days of the society, the circle didnt do much. They mostly sat back and watched while the community slimmed down. A small amount of people are easier to control than a large amount. They needed to wait until they would act. During this time, they prepared the tools they would need to secure a dominance over this corner of internet. They set up the tools to read sent forum PMs, Chat PMs, a secret code to live by, and most importantly a cover. This cover is the use of non PvP events. These existed before the circle, but now they would function as a distraction. PvP event would have to continue so that people just passing by see's this as people getting stuck on a dead game with the inability to move on. A good cover if you ask me.
The Role Today of the Circle of PowerToday, the circle is more active than ever. They watch in secret, figuring people out. They dont hack, they dont try to get a personal identity, they dont care about real life. This place is their real life. They control you here and thats all they want. They watch the blab chat, and read the forum PMs. They are just information gatherers. They function similarly to the Watchers of the Marvel Comics. They only act when they need to. They allow some non circle members to join higher up positions on the forums to further solidify their cover. They dont really care. All decisions made would be by their own doing. If the circle wants a reunion day so they can view their old surveillance subjects, they will get that. They dont need an unanimous vote. they dont even need majority vote. You see what they want you to see here on the forums.
Evidence of the Circle of PowerHave you ever looked through all the pages in off topic? Do it. Now, I want you to go back in tomorrow and look though them. You will notice there are things in there you didnt see before. This is not you forgetting about it, this is the circle un-censoring those topics. Now, I urge you to spend a week in the blab chat. There are all sorts of personalities there. One thing might stand out though, there are 2 general personalities. Yes, everyone has their own little niches and stuff, but look at it broader. Anyone who has registered before 2015 has something 'off' about them. They seem mellow, more quiet, and talk their own language of sorts. This is because they dont need to talk, they already know. Anyone registered after 2016 seem 'younger' even though everyone here is literally 22. These "noobs" are like this because this is a fun community they want to explore. There is nothing to explore if you already know it all. Now, I said earlier they rig elections. This is a tough one. I am part of council so I see the applications that come in. They are not deleting any nor are they tossing any off to the side. What they are doing is timing the application process. They time it when the only people that would apply are people they can control. People that wouldnt know whats happening while its happening. Of course there are positions where they dont need too much control, like PvP positions. They dont need to control the press like any other secret society would; no one reads the News Letter.
I have no names to provide as that would compromise myself. If the Circle found out i know their member, you would see my name in the Farewell Thread.
