> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.ashenmarch.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Game Reference — The Numbers

> Every player-facing number in Ashenmarch: claim minimums, effort curve, tier thresholds, decay timers, walls, invasion math, rank ladder, upkeep, and sellsword costs.

All values below are the **live game settings** as of this page's last update. They are server-tunable, so the team can adjust them without an app update — treat them as current, not eternal.

## Claiming minimums (per activity)

A loop must meet both minimums to claim territory:

| Activity           | Min distance | Min enclosed area |
| ------------------ | ------------ | ----------------- |
| On foot (run/walk) | 500 m        | 5,000 m²          |
| Cavalry (cycling)  | 1,000 m      | 10,000 m²         |
| Naval (water)      | 500 m        | 2,500 m²          |

A linear route needs **500 m** to build a Wall.

## Track validation (anti-cheat)

Your track is always saved; these checks only decide whether it can claim:

| Check                         | Limit                           |
| ----------------------------- | ------------------------------- |
| Max sustained speed — foot    | 30 km/h (for 60 s continuously) |
| Max sustained speed — cavalry | 60 km/h (for 60 s)              |
| Max sustained speed — naval   | 25 km/h (for 60 s)              |
| Max gap between GPS points    | 500 m                           |
| Naval water coverage          | ≥ 60% of points on water        |

Exceeding a limit sends the march to **review** — nothing is deleted, and genuine routes clear review.

## Effort curve

Effort compares your pace to your **own 30-day average** for that activity:

| Your pace vs. your average | Effort modifier                          |
| -------------------------- | ---------------------------------------- |
| Well below average         | 0.5× (floor — recovery days still count) |
| At your average            | 1.0×                                     |
| 50% faster                 | 2.0× (ceiling)                           |

The curve scales linearly between those points. Everything effort touches — fortification, rank points, invasion damage and defence — uses this same modifier.

## Territory tiers

Fortification accumulates from every campaign through a territory (**effort × km**). Tier thresholds:

| Tier       | Fortification required |
| ---------- | ---------------------- |
| Outpost    | 0 (a new claim)        |
| Village    | 2                      |
| Keep       | 6                      |
| Stronghold | 14                     |
| Citadel    | 30                     |

## Decay timers

A territory drops one tier if you don't campaign through it within its window. Higher tiers hold out longer:

| Tier       | Days before it drops                        |
| ---------- | ------------------------------------------- |
| Citadel    | 14                                          |
| Stronghold | 12                                          |
| Keep       | 10                                          |
| Village    | 8                                           |
| Outpost    | 21 → becomes **Unprotected** (zero defence) |

## Walls

| Property                 | Wall           | Reinforced Wall               |
| ------------------------ | -------------- | ----------------------------- |
| Grace period (no decay)  | 14 days        | 21 days                       |
| Decay phase after grace  | 14 days        | 21 days (drops to plain Wall) |
| Invader crossing penalty | 20% resistance | 50% resistance                |

* Re-running within \~50 m of a wall's route counts as maintaining it.
* Upgrade to Reinforced: run the route twice within the window, **or** once at ≥1.5× effort.
* Consistent maintenance extends a wall's grace period (up to a 30-day ceiling).

## Invasions

* Your loop must overlap a rival's territory by at least **\~50 m of route** to start a siege.
* Damage per invading run: **effort × distance through the overlap** (defenders rebuild by the same formula).
* Defence at zero → the land transfers automatically.
* A capture that would leave the defender a sliver keeps remainders of at least **1,000 m²**; smaller fragments transfer whole.

## Rank ladder

Rank points = effort × km, accumulated **permanently**:

| Rank      | Points to reach it                               |
| --------- | ------------------------------------------------ |
| Wayfarer  | — (starting rank)                                |
| Freeman   | 50                                               |
| Squire    | 150                                              |
| Knight    | 400                                              |
| Baron     | 1,000 **+ 500,000 m² total ground ever claimed** |
| Count     | 2,500                                            |
| Duke      | 6,000                                            |
| Sovereign | 15,000                                           |

Baron and above are **milestone-gated** — the point thresholds apply, and Baron additionally requires the lifetime-area feat above.

## The Treasury — upkeep & looting

| Item                          | Value |
| ----------------------------- | ----- |
| Upkeep — Keep (tier 3)        | ◉ 50  |
| Upkeep — Stronghold (tier 4)  | ◉ 100 |
| Upkeep — Citadel (tier 5)     | ◉ 150 |
| Loot cooldown after a capture | 24 h  |

Unpaid upkeep never charges you twice — the holding simply decays faster. When a holding is captured, only its **uncollected** tribute can be looted; banked coffers are untouchable.

## Sellswords (mercenaries)

Hired steel, paid in Gold — always capped below what earned effort can do:

| Item                      | Value      |
| ------------------------- | ---------- |
| Defensive garrison (hire) | ◉ 500      |
| Offensive company (hire)  | ◉ 750      |
| Upkeep                    | ◉ 50 / day |
| Contract length           | 7 days     |
| Max active per house      | 3          |

Hiring **any** sellsword raises the **Sellsword's Mark** on your house — a visible flag on your holdings and a Herald announcement that you've taken foreign steel. While marked, your holdings are a slightly richer target (a bounty of up to **+15%** loot for rivals who strike you, scaled by how contested your ground already is). The Mark clears **24 h** after your last contract ends. Garrisons *can* be hired for a holding already under siege — reinforcing a siege is what they're for — but their strength is always capped below your weakest earned wall: effort remains the real defence.