Unrest indicates a city's tendency to produce Rebels, citizens who generate no 
Food, 
Production, or 
Taxes (like all citizens, they consume 1, and Rebels still generate 
Mana for races that do so. See Citizens for more details). Unless you maintain a tax rate of 0 and have only cities of friendly races, eventually unrest will be a problem your empire will need to deal with.
Sources of Unrest
There are two types of Unrest generation: percentage-based and flat. To determine total Unrest, add up all unrest percentiles, multiply by population, drop all fractions, and then add all flat modifiers. For example, in a Halfling Town with population 9, a Tax Rate of 2, a Barbarian capital city, and Dark Rituals in effect, total unrest would be (0.45 + 0.1)*9 +1, or 5. There are three sources of Unrest: Taxes, Racial Unrest, and Spells.
Unrest from Taxes
The one universal cause of Unrest is Taxes: apparently even in Arcanus, people don't like to pay taxes. Unrest from taxes is a percentile, as follows:
| Unrest from Taxes | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tax Rate | 0
|
½
|
1
|
1½
|
2
|
2½
|
3
| |
| Unrest | 0% | 10% | 20% | 30% | 45% | 60% | 75% | |
Racial Unrest
The town containing the Fortress has an important effect on all other towns in the same empire (including itself) - depending entirely on which Race populates this Fortress town and the other towns.
Relations between the various races is sometimes strained and uncomfortable. When an empire includes towns belonging to two or more races, race-relations can become an important factor in the efficiency of the entire empire. No race likes to be conquered or ordered around by another race, and especially if the dominating race is their mortal enemy.
For example, if the Fortress town belongs to the Klackon race, Unrest in each town in the same empire that is not populated by Klackons will increase by exactly 20% - i.e. turning 20% of the town's citizens into unproductive Rebels who only drain your resources. This is because every race hates the Klackons equally (relations are -20% between the Klackons and all other races), and no one seem to like being part of an empire that is controlled by these insectoids. On the other hand, while the Fortress is in a Klackon town, all Klackon towns in the empire receive an Unrest reduction of 20% - meaning they will have 20% fewer Rebels per citizen than normal (allowing for a higher Tax Rate without negative repercussions).
The Klackons are only the simplest example of this. Race relations are much more complex, with some races reacting more strongly to specific other races. For example, High Elves do not mind being part of an empire run by Halflings (i.e. they get +0% Unrest), but will vehemently oppose being part of an empire run by Dark Elves (+40% Unrest).
Note that relations are completely symmetrical. In the example above, High Elves will resent living under occupation by Dark Elves, but the same is true in reverse: a Dark Elf town in an empire run by High Elves will receive the same +40% Unrest penalty.
Unrest Table
The chart below illustrates the various race relations, as of patch 1.2 to 1.31. The numbers indicate the change in a town's Unrest as a percentage of the town's total population. For example, a value of "+10%" means that 10% of a town's citizens will turn into Rebels - on top of whatever unrest is caused by the current Tax Rate.
| Capital Race | BA | BE | DE | DR | DW | GN | HF | HE | HM | KL | LZ | NO | OC | TR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barbarians | -- | +10% | +10% | +10% | +10% | +10% | +10% | +10% | +10% | +20% | +10% | -- | -- | +10% |
| Beastmen | +10% | -- | +20% | +20% | +20% | -- | +10% | +20% | +10% | +20% | +10% | +10% | +10% | +20% |
| Dark Elves | +10% | +20% | -- | +20% | +30% | +20% | +20% | +40% | +20% | +20% | +20% | +20% | +20% | +30% |
| Draconians | +10% | +20% | +20% | -- | +20% | +10% | +10% | +10% | +10% | +20% | +10% | +10% | +10% | +20% |
| Dwarves | +10% | +20% | +30% | +20% | -- | +10% | -- | +30% | -- | +20% | +10% | -- | +30% | +40% |
| Gnolls | +10% | -- | +20% | +10% | +10% | -- | -- | +10% | +10% | +20% | +10% | +10% | -- | -- |
| Halflings | +10% | +10% | +20% | +10% | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | +20% | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| High Elves | +10% | +20% | +40% | +10% | +30% | +10% | -- | -- | -- | +20% | +10% | -- | +20% | +30% |
| High Men | +10% | +10% | +20% | +10% | -- | +10% | -- | -- | -- | +20% | +10% | -- | -- | +10% |
| Klackons | +20% | +20% | +20% | +20% | +20% | +20% | +20% | +20% | +20% | -20% | +20% | +20% | +20% | +20% |
| Lizardmen | +10% | +10% | +20% | +10% | +10% | +10% | -- | +10% | +10% | +20% | -- | +10% | +10% | +10% |
| Nomads | -- | +10% | +20% | +10% | -- | +10% | -- | -- | -- | +20% | +10% | -- | -- | +10% |
| Orcs | -- | +10% | +20% | +10% | +30% | -- | -- | +20% | -- | +20% | +10% | -- | -- | -- |
| Trolls | +10% | +20% | +30% | +20% | +40% | -- | -- | +30% | +10% | +20% | +10% | +10% | -- | -- |
Sorted Unrest Table
Next table shows racial relations for each capital race as sorted list, going from most loyal to most rebellious. Racial relation unrest is indicated by background colour. Races with equal relations are additionally sorted by pacification effect of their religious buildings (shown below each race) and then by their economical power.
| Unrest produced by racial relations: | ||||||
|
| Capital Race | Sorted Racial Loyalty | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barbarians | NO (7) |
OC (7) |
BA (3) |
DR (7) |
BE (7) |
HM (7) |
DE (6) |
TR (5) |
HF (4) |
HE (3) |
DW (2) |
LZ (2) |
GN (2) |
KL (1) |
| Gnolls | BE (7) |
OC (7) |
TR (5) |
HF (4) |
GN (2) |
DR (7) |
NO (7) |
HM (7) |
HE (3) |
BA (3) |
DW (2) |
LZ (2) |
DE (6) |
KL (1) |
| Halflings | NO (7) |
HM (7) |
OC (7) |
TR (5) |
HF (4) |
HE (3) |
DW (2) |
GN (2) |
LZ (2) |
DR (7) |
BE (7) |
BA (3) |
DE (6) |
KL (1) |
| High Elves | NO (7) |
HM (7) |
HF (4) |
HE (3) |
DR (7) |
BA (3) |
GN (2) |
LZ (2) |
BE (7) |
OC (7) |
KL (1) |
TR (5) |
DW (2) |
DE (6) |
| High Men | NO (7) |
HM (7) |
OC (7) |
HF (4) |
HE (3) |
DW (2) |
DR (7) |
BE (7) |
TR (5) |
BA (3) |
GN (2) |
LZ (2) |
DE (6) |
KL (1) |
| Klackons | KL (1) |
DR (7) |
BE (7) |
NO (7) |
HM (7) |
OC (7) |
DE (6) |
TR (5) |
HF (4) |
HE (3) |
BA (3) |
DW (2) |
GN (2) |
LZ (2) |
| Lizardmen | HF (4) |
LZ (2) |
DR (7) |
BE (7) |
NO (7) |
HM (7) |
OC (7) |
TR (5) |
HE (3) |
BA (3) |
DW (2) |
GN (2) |
DE (6) |
KL (1) |
| Nomads | NO (7) |
HM (7) |
OC (7) |
HF (4) |
HE (3) |
BA (3) |
DW (2) |
DR (7) |
BE (7) |
TR (5) |
GN (2) |
LZ (2) |
DE (6) |
KL (1) |
| Orcs | NO (7) |
HM (7) |
OC (7) |
TR (5) |
HF (4) |
BA (3) |
GN (2) |
DR (7) |
BE (7) |
LZ (2) |
DE (6) |
HE (3) |
KL (1) |
DW (2) |
| Beastmen | BE (7) |
GN (2) |
NO (7) |
HM (7) |
OC (7) |
HF (4) |
BA (3) |
LZ (2) |
DR (7) |
DE (6) |
TR (5) |
HE (3) |
DW (2) |
KL (1) |
| Dark Elves | DE (6) |
BA (3) |
DR (7) |
BE (7) |
NO (7) |
HM (7) |
OC (7) |
HF (4) |
GN (2) |
LZ (2) |
KL (1) |
TR (5) |
DW (2) |
HE (3) |
| Draconians | DR (7) |
NO (7) |
HM (7) |
OC (7) |
HF (4) |
HE (3) |
BA (3) |
GN (2) |
LZ (2) |
DE (6) |
BE (7) |
TR (5) |
DW (2) |
KL (1) |
| Dwarves | NO (7) |
HM (7) |
HF (4) |
DW (2) |
BA (3) |
GN (2) |
LZ (2) |
DR (7) |
BE (7) |
KL (1) |
DE (6) |
HE (3) |
OC (7) |
TR (5) |
| Trolls | OC (7) |
TR (5) |
HF (4) |
GN (2) |
NO (7) |
HM (7) |
BA (3) |
LZ (2) |
DR (7) |
BE (7) |
KL (1) |
DE (6) |
HE (3) |
DW (2) |
Unrest from Spells
While the majority of Unrest comes from the above factors, there are also a few spells that can increase Unrest:
| Spell | Casting Cost |
Upkeep Cost |
Effects |
 Dark Rituals |
30 |
-- | +1 |
| Cursed Lands |
150 |
2 |
+1 |
| Pestilence |
350 |
5 |
+2 |
| Famine |
200 |
5 |
+25% |
| Evil Presence |
100 |
4 |
Negates pacifying effects of the city's religious institutions (if owner of the city has no Death spell books).
|
 Great Wasting |
1,000 |
20 |
+1*, and due to a bug it negates pacifying effects of all buildings in all enemy cities. |
| Armageddon |
1,250 |
40 |
+2*, and due to a bug it negates pacifying effects of all buildings in all enemy cities. |
* not cumulative with each other (also due to the bug).
Note. See below for buildings definition.
Suppression of Unrest
Just as there are effects that increase Unrest, there are also effects that reduce it. There are three methods of reducing unrest:
Garrison Forces
The simplest way of dealing with Rebels is a tried and true method, used by rulers everywhere and everywhen: oppressive police forces. For every 2 Normal Units located in a city, Unrest is reduced by 1. Sadly for the wizard who prefers to do everything with magic, most Fantastic Units are ineffective at this task, though apparently being Chaos Channeled or Undead does not interfere with police work. As you cannot put more than 9 units in a Town, the maximum bonus from a garrison is -4 Unrest.
Religion
The next most common method is religion. There are six buildings that can reduce unrest: four religious institutions (as they are defined per game manual), each one reducing unrest by -1, the Animist's Guild and the Oracle in addition. Effect of institutions is increased by 50% (-1.5 unrest each) when wizard has 
Divine Power or Infernal Power retort. Retort bonus is rounded down, so it has impact only on every even institution. Not all races are capable of building all of these structures, and thus each race has a maximum potential from this source, as follows:
| Unrest Suppression Buildings by Race | ||||||||||||||||
| Building | Cost | 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Shrine | 100
|
-1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 |
|
* Temple * | 200
|
-1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | |
|
Parthenon | 400
|
-1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | |||||
|
* Cathedral * | 800
|
-1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | |||||||
|
Animist's Guild | 300
|
-1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | ||||||
|
Oracle | 500
|
-2 | -2 | -2 | -2 | -2 | -2 | ||||||||
| Total | -3 | -2 | -4 | -3 | -7 | -1 | -2 | -7 | -7 | -7 | -6 | -7 | -2 | -5 | ||
|
|
With retorts | -4 | -3 | -6 | -4 | -9 | -1 | -3 | -9 | -9 | -9 | -7 | -9 | -3 | -7 | |
* Additional -1 unrest with Divine Power or Infernal Power retort.
Spells that Reduce Unrest
There are exactly three spells which can reduce unrest:
| Spell | Casting Cost | Upkeep Cost | Effects |
| Just Cause |
150 |
5 |
-1 Unrest in every city you own. |
| Stream of Life |
300 |
8 |
Eliminates all Unrest in target city. |
 Gaia's Blessing |
300 |
3 |
-2 Unrest in target city. |
Effects of Unrest
There is only one direct effect of Unrest: one citizen per point of Unrest will become a Rebel -- a special type of citizen who pays no Taxes and generates neither Food nor Production, though it will still consume 1. This has two effects:
- Rebels may not be assigned as either Farmers or Workers.
- If it is impossible to assign sufficient Farmers to produce at least
1 per citizen (1,000 people) in the Town, the people will start to starve, resulting in a loss of 50 people per turn per missing unit of Food.
Maximal city size
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Strategy
The cheapest way to suppress unrest is to install two Spearmen in a city. Unfortunately, they consume 2, and so the net effect is to replace one Rebel with a Farmer, for a net gain of ½ and equal to your tax rate. If your city is already producing its maximum Food, you will need 2 Farmers. By comparison, any of the buildings will allow replacing one Rebel with a Worker, for a net gain of 2 and equal to your tax rate, plus any other costs and benefits from the building itself.
It is almost always worth installing a garrison of 2, as you need a garrison of 1 to even try to defend a city, and spearmen are cheap. Beyond that point, it may be better to use other options, though remember that you can always dismiss them later. If you are playing Death, note that Undead Normal Units have no upkeep cost, making them perfect for this purpose; this is an excellent reason to use Ghouls for capturing neutral cities.
Other than this, consider exactly what tax rate you want to have: yes, a higher tax rate earns you more money, but you pay for it by being required to construct more troops and/or buildings, and remember, Rebels don't pay Taxes. If you don't build any Unrest suppressing buildings, just either nothing or a garrison, and only produce required Food, the net benefit per citizen in a city varies with tax rate, as follows (all values are base values, excluding bonuses to production and gold). Note that tax rates of 2½ or 3 are actually impossible, as you cannot maintain sufficient Farmers. If you build garrison forces, you are in effect trading Production for Gold.
| Nominal Tax Rate | 0
|
½
|
1
|
1½
|
2
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonus per Citizen
No Garrison |
1.25 0
|
1.05 0.45
|
0.85 0.80
|
0.65 1.05
|
0.35 1.10
|
| Bonus per Citizen
Max Garrison |
1.25 0
|
1.10 0.5
|
0.95 1.0
|
0.80 1.5
|
0.525 2.0
|
| Production per Gold | n/a | -0.3 | -0.3 | -0.3 | -0.55 |
At the start of the game, pay attention to rounding -- if you keep your two starting units at home you can manage a tax rate of 2 since that only creates 1.8 Unrest, drop fractions, reduce for garrison, 0. Once your starting city reaches population 5,000, you will probably want to either reduces taxes or arrange for unrest suppression. Later in the game, you probably want a constant Tax Rate for your empire. In general, 1½ is somewhat less hassle to deal with, but 2 has marginally superior performance.