I recently saw notice in the Times that the SOA and the Bandit Lords have
ceased hostilities around Port Aurnos. The Jackals have been awful quiet, and
the TIBs are peacemongers, so I suspect that entire end of Provinia is calm,
if not friendly.
On the topic of churn rate, however, I'd have to agree with the general
sentiment -- it seems that Olympia is balanced in favor of early entry and
longevity. There really is no way to "catch up" if you're a latecomer --
simply impossible. Of course, the limiting factor, more than any other, is
NPs. Then again, because of NPs, there should be more chance for new factions
now than if there weren't -- less difference in power, theoretically. The
second largest factor, however, is study time. All those weeks invested in
making powerful mages (yes -- you have to have mages to be a power monger).
At any rate, there's little chance for newbies unless they already know
someone in one of the big alliances, or they happen to find an alliance
willing to take them in, like the Musketteers or TIBs, and the alliance is
willing to help them out significantly.
Larry