Hi folks,

Esterport shops now have a dormancy / low activity check to see if a shop owner is still actively playing the game. If they don't meet the requirements, the shop will either suffer a higher tax rate or be closed until you either sell it off or become active again. If you fall into such a state, the game will message you warnings about it before repossession.

In addition, Esterport now charges a 50,000 gold transfer fee when a shop is sold to another person. You don't need the gold immediately on hand; it is simply added to the taxes the shop owes. This has been put in place to make it more difficult to pass off shops to someone else to hold in your name. Cities can also implement this tax rate if they feel it necessary to do so. Accessible to the Chancellor, the command is CITY TAXRATE TRANSFER <fee>.

Lastly, it is no longer possible to purchase another Esterport shop if you already own one or don't meet the activity requirements. You won't be able to receive the offer.

Quick note:

We understand that some of you keep shops to store your keepsakes that decay, but they are a limited resource in the world, and this is not their intended function. If you need a place to store items, we recommend either treasure chests that can be bought in player houses (HELP CASTLE COMMANDS) or using the bank vaults (HELP VAULT).

Thanks!

Penned by my hand on Kinsday, the 15th of Ivolnos, in the year 3 AC.