Land of the Damned: K123

 A Noob Is a Noob Is a Noob!

My game name was originally Dagore, and for the longest time, I didn’t know we could change our nicknames. Once I found out, I quickly changed mine to Sha, and it stayed that way for a long, long time.

I’ve decided to break down my experience in the Kingdom into different categories to make it easier to follow, rather than writing one endless block of text.

The Clandestine Clans

I started in K123, automatically placed in what was probably a system-generated clan. It felt completely dead—people were constantly joining and leaving. I left too.
But here’s the thing: the game practically forces you to be in a clan. Every time I tried to do something, the game would insist I join a clan first. I had no choice but to comply.

1. RVA: Moral High-Headedness

I don’t remember my very first clan, but the one I consider my true starting point was RVA. Nadain was the leader, with several supervisors (or "sups"). Back then, I had no idea what leaders or sups were supposed to do, but this clan taught me the absolute basics.

We were so proud whenever we earned a badge for our clan, usually through The Great Hunt. Except for one particularly annoying sup, RVA was a fantastic clan. That’s where I learned teamwork—and developed my habit of non-stop chattering. Seriously, we all talked so much. Now you know who to blame! Once you break the "talk barrier," it's hard to stop.

Eventually, something happened—or maybe it was just my curiosity—but I decided it was time to move on.

2. IPL: How the Mighty Fall

My next clan was IPL, led by Miss Witcher, who was known as the queen of K123. She rarely spoke in clan chat because she was extremely busy in real life. And as we all know, being busy in real life = trouble in the Total Battle world.

Soon after I joined, there was a falling out between the sups and the leader, and Miss Witcher eventually quit the game. Back then, the idea of a clan leader leaving their clan was unheard of. I remember a guy named Peaches who used to follow her around like a lost puppy. I’m still not sure if he’s the same Peaches causing trouble in Global these days, but more on him later in the "Characters" post.

3. GER: The King’s Clan

JTAC was the designated king of K123, and everyone loved him. It was the classic "Once upon a time, in a kingdom far away" story. Honestly, we all had a bit of a crush on him—he was the mightiest in the kingdom. Even now, when I see RM's battle reports , I’m reminded of JTAC because he always had so many package purchased mercenaries as well.

GER was where I really started to grow. JTAC would run heroics, and all we had to do was send our armies to his city to earn free VP/XP with no losses. Another player, K9, taught me how to attack outlaws—a valuable PvP lesson, especially in closed kingdoms where outlaws are always in abundance.

That was also the first time I fooled myself into thinking I had made real friends: Sandy and Julia.

The Joys of Closed Kingdoms

A) (CoT)

The pettiness over who should be king in closed kingdoms was next-level drama. Clans would fight over who deserved to be king and who actually had enough votes. That’s when I first encountered Faron. The kingdom’s strongest player, Freyr, believed it was his right to be king. He and his clanmates bought Farons and suddenly, overnight, Freyr was crowned king.

JTAC was actually relieved to be done with the role, but his loyal followers (myself included) couldn’t let it go. We despised Freyr—honestly, I can’t even remember why. Probably because he was a loudmouth. We made his life miserable, constantly whining about why he was king until he eventually hated the role himself.

The Game of Thrones drama consumed us. Attacking other players and clans (while following the 50% might rule) was thrilling, but attacks often felt deeply personal and created long-lasting grudges. Soon, we became obsessed with comparing battle reports, especially those where the underdog won against a stronger opponent. That’s how players began drawing lines between big spenders and “smart players” who truly understood the game.

I wasn’t in either category—I was happily indifferent.

B) The Outlaws:

There were always so many rule-breakers that we often had more outlaws than Royal Guards. The guards were tired of policing the kingdom instead of simply enjoying the game. Outlaw names were posted in the Outlaw chat, and open hunting seasons were declared.

C) Court Drama

Oh, how I miss the court chat! The cases, the verdicts, the hilarious fights that followed—it was the best free entertainment ever.

D) Senate and ROE Wars

There were endless disagreements about the Rules of Engagement (ROE) in K123, so a senate chat was created to propose amendments. No one ever listened to me, no matter how many times I served as a senator. Still, I enjoyed the constant bickering and the high-stakes drama.

Even when JTAC was no longer king, his words could still end a discussion in an instant. People would actually shut up when he spoke.

Betrayal Hits Hard

I never expected to feel true betrayal in an online game, but I did. Imagine being best friends with someone, sharing everything, and then the moment you leave the clan, your supposed friend encourages your worst enemy to attack you before you can teleport.

It was childish, but it really hurt.

It also stung when clanmates who promised to back me up—who I had always supported—simply disappeared when I was attacked. From that moment on, I made myself a promise: true friends leave the clan with you. Otherwise, what kind of friendship is that?

It’s a ridiculous standard, but it’s who I am. I’ve never spoken to those friends again, despite them sending several messages through mutual acquaintances. Fool me twice, shame on me.

Funny thing—I accidentally messaged one of them later in the seasonal kingdom. I only realized who it was when the chat history loaded. I could’ve strangled the developers for not showing past messages fast enough. Needless to say he was quick to respond that there was no spot in his clan. What do they say: Good riddance!

The Kindness of a Few and My Farewell to K123

When I left GER, I decided to leave K123 altogether. I didn’t have a kingdom teleporter at the time. I always saw the one that moves your capital if it’s under level 10 and thought that was the one.

RVA kindly welcomed me back. Miss Witcher even messaged me when she saw I had left GER, and we bonded over our mutual resentment toward some players. She was the one who told me I could buy a kingdom teleporter. She also suggested moving to K116 and helped me join MWP there, despite my might being far below the usual requirements.

We’re still in touch, though she’s as busy as ever and I’m as free as ever. We rarely cross paths but always check in with each other now and then.

K123 After I Left [and Now]

• JTAC eventually quit the game. He didn’t sell his account or pass it on, and I don’t know if he ever came back. He’s still my all-time favorite person in the game.
• Many players left K123 for other kingdoms. It’s practically empty now.
• The GUN clan moved there the last time I checked. They’re bad news.
• I stayed friends with Sky for a while. He moved to K116 with me, later joined GoD in K49 with me as well, and we were also in ZCI at the same time. He changed his nickname, and we eventually lost touch. Last I heard he was in K178 or something like that helping a new clan.
• Miss Witcher still uses a different name that only we know.
• Brian from Freyr’s clan and I occasionally exchange greetings.
• Algo, one of the sups from RVA, later joined me in BAD TANGO—a bit quieter, but still awesome.
• Pasha from GER and I had a chat not too long ago.