PILLAGE    [flag]                               time: 7 days    priority: 3

Loot and pillage a province or city. If flag is not given, pillaging will not take place if the province is being protected by guards. If flag is 1, the looters will first attack the guards, then proceed with pillaging if the guards are defeated.

At least 10 fighters must be in the pillaging stack. They may be soldiers, pikemen, nobles, or other kinds of fighting units. Only the top most character in a stack may initiate pillaging.

Pillaging will seize 1/3 of the available tax base, which otherwise would have gone to the location owner (if there is one). Another 1/3 of the potential taxes are destroyed.

Pillaging reduces the future tax base for a city or province. Locations take as many months to recover from pillaging as they have been pillaged. A city pillaged at least once per month for three months in a row will take three months to recover its full tax base.

Pillaging can be dangerous. There is a 33% chance that a mob of 12-36 angry peasants will form to resist further pillaging attempts. Angry peasants have a combat rating of (attack-2, defense-1, missile-0). If a mob forms, there is a 33% chance that the mob will immediately attack the pillager in retaliation.