Samoblivion

THE AMARANTIC DOMINION 882 - Passive Tech Research (2 Slots) SLOT 1: Trebuchets – STARTED 880, DUE 884. SLOT 2: Poison Barrel Projectiles – Barrels of liquid poison that, open breaking on the ground emit toxic vapours. Launched from ballistae, mangonels or trebuchets. Armour be damned, if it’s alive it needs to breathe! – STARTING. Passive Magic Research (2 Slots) National Idea: Bonus to Spell Research (basically +3 Magic) SLOT 1: Dark Resurrection T3 – STARTED 880, DUE 885. SLOT 2: Leech T3 – STARTED 881, DUE 885. Budget: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1COfBrsJ-HawdzPQRTh1dlPQyJiZz8ctS0_P5xcXs4hY/edit?usp=sharing – Total: 107,825 Actions: 2 x Farm (10,000) 2 x Civ Manufacturing (15,000) 100 T4 Vet. Wraith Warriors (2 AP + 19,000) Mage (35,000) Resilient Stone Walls (Karnast) (25,000) 3825 saved, 58 Steel.

THE AMARANTIC DOMINION 881 After years of hardship, the Dominion sees an economic resurgence. Passive Tech Research (2 Slots) SLOT 1: Trebuchets – STARTED 880, DUE? SLOT 2: Poison Research – The Dominion is no stranger to poisonings, but perhaps its time to put them to military use. STARTING. Passive Magic Research (2 Slots) National Idea: Bonus to Spell Research (basically +3 Magic) SLOT 1: Dark Resurrection T3 – Binds the soul of the deceased back into their dead body, creating a sentient undead. Think Ergul. – STARTED 880, DUE 885. SLOT 2: Leech – The caster drains the vitality from a target in order to heal themselves, including old age with more frequent use on more and more people to maintain the effect. STARTING. Budget: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1COfBrsJ-HawdzPQRTh1dlPQyJiZz8ctS0_P5xcXs4hY/edit?usp=sharing – Total: 109,225 Actions: 4000 T3 Conscript Levy Inf. (16,000) 2000 T3 Reg. Risen Cohorts (14,000) 500 T3 Reg. Med. Cavalry (1 AP + 8500) 500 T4 Reg. Heavy Cavalry (4 AP + 24,000) Commercial District (Karnast) (10,000) Trade Deport (Karnast) (10,000) Resilient Stone Walls (Lacunas) (25,000) 1,725 saved, 53 Steel.

THE AMARANTIC DOMINION 880 Lacunas has been reclaimed, the arrogant Ishikawa put to rout from the Dominion’s shore. Legions of the dead stand with the living, and soon there shall be a new order. Passive Tech Research (2 Slots) SLOT 1: Trebuchets – STARTING. SLOT 2: HEAVY CAVALRY – DUE 881. Passive Magic Research (2 Slots) National Idea: Bonus to Spell Research (basically +3 Magic) SLOT 1: Dark Resurrection – Binds the soul of the deceased back into their dead body, creating a sentient undead. Think Ergul. – STARTING. SLOT 2: Dark Maw – Summons a small wormhole, sucking things into the dark beyond. Indiscriminate carnage. STARTED 879, DUE? Budget: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1COfBrsJ-HawdzPQRTh1dlPQyJiZz8ctS0_P5xcXs4hY/edit?usp=sharing – Total: 86,475 Actions: 5 x Farm (25,000) 1 x Civilian Industry for Crucible. 1000 T4 Reg. Med. Infantry (2 AP + 18,000) Karnast upgraded to City (35,000) 975 saved, 48 Steel.

THE AMARANTIC DOMINION 879 rp tmrrw Passive Tech Research (2 Slots) SLOT 1: T4 Equipment – DUE 880. SLOT 2: HEAVY CAVALRY – DUE 881. Passive Magic Research (2 Slots) National Idea: Bonus to Spell Research (basically +3 Magic) SLOT 1: Ghostbinding – STARTED 876, DUE? SLOT 2: The Maw – Summons a small blackhole into the dark beyond. Indiscriminate carnage. STARTING Budget: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1COfBrsJ-HawdzPQRTh1dlPQyJiZz8ctS0_P5xcXs4hY/edit?usp=sharing – Total: 86,625 Actions: 2 x Farm (10,000) 250 T3 reg. Liche Knights. (2 AP + 12,000) 500 T3 reg. Crossbowmen. (2 AP + 8000) 1500 T3 Reg. Med Inf. (3 AP + 24,000) Resilient Stone Walls for Crucible (25,000) Mistreavers 2: Serial Killer Boogaloo – yet more nightly murders of ordermen by wraith warriors on the island. The Dominion attempts to sell off its steel reserves (46) on the open market to raise war funds. 7,625 saved, 46 Steel.

THE AMARANTIC DOMINION 878 rp tmrrw Passive Tech Research (2 Slots) SLOT 1: T4 Equipment – DUE 880. SLOT 2: HEAVY CAVALRY – DUE 881. Passive Magic Research (2 Slots) National Idea: Bonus to Spell Research (basically +3 Magic) SLOT 1: Ghostbinding – STARTED 876, DUE? SLOT 2: Visions of the Beyond – DUE 879. Budget: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1COfBrsJ-HawdzPQRTh1dlPQyJiZz8ctS0_P5xcXs4hY/edit?usp=sharing – Total: 99,400 Actions: 2 x Farm (10,000) New town – Rathuum (15,000) New town – Greyfork (15,000) 1000 T4 vet1. Medium Infantry, using equipment looted from the Battle of Lacunas. (2 AP + 16,000) 1000 T3 reg. Risen Cohort, risen and re-armed from the enemy dead of the Battle of Lacunas. ((only including equipment cost & reg.)) (3000) 250 T3 reg. Liche Knights. (2 AP + 12,000) 500 T3 reg. Crossbowmen. (2 AP + 8000) 500 corpses from the battle gifted to the various interested denizens of Lacunas. 10,000 T1 Levies. Poooor fuckin’ conscripts. (20,000) Mistreavers. [Mod] Thalassophobia. [Mod] 400 saved, 43 Steel.

double post for forum autism THE AMARANTIC DOMINION 876 Passive Tech Research (2 Slots) SLOT 1: T4 Equipment – DUE 880. SLOT 2: HEAVY CAVALRY – STARTING. Passive Magic Research (2 Slots) National Idea: Bonus to Spell Research (basically +3 Magic) SLOT 1: Ghostbinding – Transforms lingering souls into semi-corporeal and angry ghosts under the command of the caster. More difficult than simply animating the dead. Doesn’t last as long. STARTING. SLOT 2: Visions of the Beyond – DUE 879. Budget: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1COfBrsJ-HawdzPQRTh1dlPQyJiZz8ctS0_P5xcXs4hY/edit?usp=sharing – Total: 88,725 Actions: 4 x Civilian Manufacturing (30,000) 2 x Farm (10,000) Castle on Amarant river PoC (5 AP + 20,000) Adept (8000) 500 T3 Regular Medium Cavalry (1 AP + 8500) 1000 x T3 Regular Risen Cohort (0 AP + 7000) 5225 saved, 36 Steel. 877 Passive Tech Research (2 Slots) SLOT 1: T4 Equipment – DUE 880. SLOT 2: HEAVY CAVALRY – STARTED 876, DUE? Passive Magic Research (2 Slots) National Idea: Bonus to Spell Research (basically +3 Magic) SLOT 1: Ghostbinding – STARTED 876, DUE? SLOT 2: Visions of the Beyond – DUE 879. Budget: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1COfBrsJ-HawdzPQRTh1dlPQyJiZz8ctS0_P5xcXs4hY/edit?usp=sharing – Total: 96,900 Actions: 5 x Civilian Manufacturing (37,500) 2 x Farm (10,000) 1 x Heavy Manufacturing (7500) Adept (8000) 500 T3 Regular Medium Cavalry (1 AP + 8500) 1000 T3 Regular Crossbowmen (4 AP + 16,000) 10 Scorpions (1 AP + 5000) SECRET. You know what it is, Sup, you just haven’t replied yet! :alexrage: Payment for the Ring of Blood. (2000) Elyic Chapters approached for trade. 2,400 saved, 40 Steel.

THE AMARANTIC DOMINION 875 more actions to come Passive Tech Research (2 Slots) SLOT 1: T4 Equipment – STARTED 874. DUE ??? SLOT 2: Crossbows – DUE 876. Passive Magic Research (2 Slots) National Idea: Bonus to Spell Research (basically +3 Magic) SLOT 1: Curse of Weakness – DUE 876. SLOT 2: Terror and Madness – Momentarily expose someone’s mind and soul to the Dark Beyond. “Where we’re going we won’t need eyes to see.” – STARTING. Budget: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1COfBrsJ-HawdzPQRTh1dlPQyJiZz8ctS0_P5xcXs4hY/edit?usp=sharing – Total: 83,100 Actions: 4 x Civilian Manufacturing (30,000) 1 x Heavy Manufacturing (7500) 2 x Farm (10,000) 250 T3 Regular Liche Knights (2 AP + 12,000) 500 x T3 Regular Archers (1 AP + 5000) 1000 x T3 Medium Cavalry (2 AP + 17,000) 1600 saved, 32 Steel.

THE AMARANTIC DOMINION 874 stuff Passive Tech Research (2 Slots) SLOT 1: T4 Equipment – STARTING. SLOT 2: Crossbows – DUE 876. Passive Magic Research (2 Slots) National Idea: Bonus to Spell Research (basically +3 Magic) SLOT 1: Curse of Weakness – STARTED 873 DUE ??? SLOT 2: Minor Summoning – DUE 875. Budget: There is no sheet but Sheet and Alex is his prophet. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1COfBrsJ-HawdzPQRTh1dlPQyJiZz8ctS0_P5xcXs4hY/edit?usp=sharing – Total: 77,575 Actions: 3 x Civilian Manufacturing (22,500) 1 x Farm (5000) Low Stone Walls added to Ossus and Umbras. (20,000) 1 x Cog (1 SP + 3000) 1 x Adept (8000) 250 T3 Regular Liche Knights (2 AP + 12,000) 500 x T3 Regular Archers (1 AP + 5000) 2,075 saved, 27 Steel.

THE AMARANTIC DOMINION 873 There are other ways out of the nightmarish existence of Crucible’s slums than a likely death, or being taken for training by the Orders. Some particularly brutal and savage killers with little scholarly aptitude and often sponsored out of the hellish mire by one of the many gladiator colleges that provide entertainment and manpower to the citizens of the upper terraces of the city. For most, it’s a much better life than they had. Regular food, a safe place to sleep, travel to new places, adoring fans, women and men as they desire them. But now gladiators fight and die in much higher numbers in the colleges sponsored by the Order of the Unfathomable, as Antathek Ra demands more brutal training regimes and duels. He demands that the Order’s sponsored fighters be “worthy” when their end comes. Many are brought into the Temple of the Unfathomable for private duels and melees, personally attended by Ra. Few emerge from these ceremonies, but those that do speak in hushed tones of an icy pull on their very being and a sense of being scrutinised in agonising detail by things beyond the comprehension of mere mortals. Those few that speak are soon invited back to the Temple. Elsewhere, with no reprisals (yet) from the Dol Varuk on the island the Dominion took from them, scholars and assorted magisters arrive to investigate the misty ruins. A paltry stipend of what’s left in the budget for this year is expended on provisioning the researchers, and the are defended by the garrison of the castle built there some years ago. As well as private individuals and minor cabals, the three Orders have their own expedition camps. The castellan of the castle has the unenviable job of keeping some semblance of peace between the squabbling rivals, and hopefully ensuring that the good of the Amarantic Dominion is placed above internal power struggles. Abroad, emmisaries are sent with the latest trade ships to Perasmani and Ishikawa, offering to join in the fight against the Dol Varuk. These hated pirates have encroached on the Dominion before, and an opportunity to cause them pain and aid Amarant’s trade partners is not one to be passed up. The emissaries say that the Dominion’s navy is lacking, so transports may need protection from either of the island nations to the frontline. Passive Tech Research (2 Slots) SLOT 1: Heavy Infantry – DUE 874. SLOT 2: Crossbows – DUE 876. Passive Magic Research (2 Slots) National Idea: Bonus to Spell Research (basically +3 Magic) SLOT 1: Chaos Fire – The caster summons unnatural flames to use as he wills. STARTING. SLOT 2: Minor Summoning – DUE 875. Budget: There is no sheet but Sheet and Alex is his prophet. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1COfBrsJ-HawdzPQRTh1dlPQyJiZz8ctS0_P5xcXs4hY/edit?usp=sharing – Total: 74,140 Actions: 3 x Civilian Manufacturing (22,500) 1 x Farm (5000) Low Stone Walls added to Lacunas. (10,000) 2000 x T3 Regular Risen Cohorts (14,000) 85 x Wraith Warriors upgraded to T3 Regular (3000) 2 x Cogs (2 SP + 6000) 1 x Adept (8000) 500 x T3 Regular Archers (1 AP + 5000) Emissaries to Ishikawa and Perasmani. [See Above] Island ruins POI exploration. (640) Gladiators fight and die to prove their worth. (-500 pop/manpower) [SECRET] Dark Scrying is invoked by Antathek Ra and an Adept of the Unfathomable concerning a “servant” mentioned to them previously. What secrets do the whispers in shadow bring them? [SECRET] 0 saved, 22 Steel.

THE AMARANTIC DOMINION 872 FAMINE! Passive Tech Research (2 Slots) SLOT 1: Heavy Infantry – DUE 874. SLOT 2: Crossbows – STARTING. Passive Magic Research (2 Slots) National Idea: Bonus to Spell Research (basically +3 Magic) SLOT 1: Dark Scrying – DUE 873 SLOT 2: Minor Summoning – The caster summons a minor horror from the Dark Beyond. STARTING. Budget: There is no sheet but Sheet and Alex is his prophet. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1COfBrsJ-HawdzPQRTh1dlPQyJiZz8ctS0_P5xcXs4hY/edit?usp=sharing – Total: 87,940 Actions: New Town, Karnast. Same place as before. (15,000) 7 x Farms (35,000) 500 Archers upgraded to T3 Regular (3000) 245 Liche Knights upgraded to T3 Regular (3000) 100 T3 Regular Wraith Warriors (2 AP + 15,000) 2 x Civilian Manufacturing (15,000) 1940 saved, 17 Steel.

THE AMARANTIC DOMINION 871 Belioc Thal, underscribe second-class in the Office of Corporeal Auditing, was having a perplexing week. Dregs from Crucible’s slums have been going missing at an unusual rate. Not simply dying, for the corpses are always accounted for. Bringing a body to the servants of the orders is rewarded with food, no questions asked. Few cadavers last long in the streets before being hastily dragged off to the brokers. The desperate aspirants and wretched failures are kept alive in sacred despair another sorry day, and the material for works above remains in good supply. But the meticulous bureaucrat of the Guild of Morticians – the (allegedly) neutral body responsible for distributing bodies to the various orders, lesser cults and private ritualists of the upper city – had noticed a distinct discrepancy in the recorded number of entries to the slums (those damned by birth and poor fools who come willingly) and fresh bodies acquired by their agents! Some loss is to be expected, naturally. There are so many ways to die down below that a body may go undiscovered till it has decayed to the point of worthless bone scraps. Not to mention the scourge of cannibalism. Oh, some of the orders may see it as indicative of the mindset they wish to create in the Crucible, but not Belioc, and not Guild! Bodies are revenue! But no, the grisly arithmetic of the Guild accounts for all manner of mutilatory mishaps with corpses. No. This is something new. Perhaps an unusually active class of the Order of Shadows fresh aspirants? The Wraith Warriors have been known to stalk prey among the poor masses, spreading terror and dread. All in the name of heightening despair, apparently. The Orders were deeply concerned with inculcating such states of mind in their recruiting pool. But such concerns were not Belioc Thal’s. The Shadows, and all the other Orders, are well entitled to their sport as masters of the Dominion. Still... if that were the case, the Guild would have received word of above average mutilations and flayings. Though subtle in most aspects, the Shadows truly let off steam in slums. Give in to the baser urges long suppressed, as it were. This was more calculated than student “pranks”. There was a new drain on the hopeless throng in the slums... one that must be accounted for.* Quite the conundrum! But one for another day. His shift was over, and there would be many more deaths to account for tomorrow. Passive Tech Research (2 Slots) SLOT 1: Heavy Infantry – DUE 874. SLOT 2: Medical Research – Fewer casualties in battle or from any other harmful event. DUE 872. Passive Magic Research (2 Slots) National Idea: Bonus to Spell Research SLOT 1: Dark Scrying – DUE 873 SLOT 2: Invisibility – DUE 872 Budget: Capital: 3000 Base: 10,000 Population: 21,000 Trade Partners: 7000 Trade Depots: 7000 Commercial Districts: 16,000 Civilian Manufacturing: 4000 Saved: 4150 – Upkeep: -2350 (-10% = -2115) – Total: 69,565 Actions: 2 x Trade Depots (20,000) Civilian Manufacturing (7500) Shipyard (10,000) 1000 T3 Regular Medium Infantry (2AP + 16,000) Trade established with Crimson Order. SECRET. *Antathek Ra continues to feed the Gift, in hope of some sort of new occurence. 16,065 saved, 12 Steel.

THE AMARANTIC DOMINION 870 stat post for now Passive Tech Research (2 Slots) SLOT 1: Heavy Infantry – STARTING. SLOT 2: Medical Research – Fewer casualties in battle or from any other harmful event. DUE 872. Passive Magic Research (2 Slots) National Idea: Bonus to Spell Research SLOT 1: Dark Scrying – DUE 873 SLOT 2: Invisibility – DUE 872 Budget: Capital: 3000 Base: 10,000 Population: 21,000 Trade Partners: 6000 Commercial Districts: 16,000 Civilian Manufacturing: 2000 Saved: 1500 – Upkeep: 350 – Total: 59,150 Actions: 2 x Civilian Manufacturing (15,000) 2 x Trade Depot (20,000) Castle built on the island. (5AP + 20,000) 4,150 saved, 6 Steel.

THE AMARANTIC DOMINION 869 After a year of embarassing setbacks, the Dominion asserts its will on the ruined, foggy isle off its coast. With the monstrous interlopers vanquished, Sothal Za, Lord of the Shadows, declares its annexation. In the coming years this place will be adequately garrisoned and fortified, but for now a token guard force remains. In an unusual display of good will, Za – whose expedition consisted of forces of Shadow and Divide – extends an invitation for scholars from the nearby Unfathomable city of Lacunas to aid in the investigation of these strange ruins. The victorious Lord of the Shadows returns to his temple in Crucible. The joint investigative forces of the Orders descend upon the strange island. Who knows what they will discover. Meanwhile, Antathek Ra and his disciples continue to ponder and feed their gift from the Beyond. Passive Tech Research (2 Slots) SLOT 1: Restless Miners – Bonus to Steel Production. DUE 870. SLOT 2: Medical Research – Fewer casualties in battle or from any other harmful event. DUE 872. Passive Magic Research (2 Slots) National Idea: Bonus to Spell Research SLOT 1: Dark Scrying – DUE 873 SLOT 2: Invisibility – DUE 872 Budget: Capital: 3000 Base: 10,000 Population: 21,000 Trade Partners: 6000 Commercial Districts: 16,000 Civilian Manufacturing: 1000 Saved: 5250 – Upkeep: 250 – Total: 62,000 Actions: 4 x Mines (20,000) 4 x Heavy Manufacturing (30,000) 1 x Civilian Manufacturing (7500) 1 x Cog (1SP + 3000) The 32 corpses of the strange enemies on the island are given to the Order of the Divide for study. The masters of necromancy and the study of the body find these suitable recompense for the discorporation of their Liche Knights. The Dominion’s orders jointly investigate the island. 1,500 saved.

THE AMARANTIC DOMINION 868 With the new year comes news of failure. A surveying expedition sent to the island off the east coast of Amarant is wiped out, save for one man. The loss is unacceptable, but the Conclave – the ruling council of the Dominion, comprised of dozens of magi who adjudicate in the name of the Ascendant on national matters, and keep the uneasy peace between factions – is not inclined to pursue hasty vengeance on what was responsible. Instead, they plan accordingly... and individual factions begin maneuverings to try and benefit their own agendas. A cohort of Wraith Warriors, the scything blades of the Order of the Shadows, arrive at the coastal city of Lacunas and encamp at their Order’s enclave there. As a city primarily under the auspices of the Order of the Unfathomable, this causes some consternation, but the proper pleasantries are observed... and hurried messages dispatched to the Master in Crucible. Lacunas is the closest city to the island that currently enraptures high society, and the elite killers’ presence could mean that Sothal Za is making a move on the ruins there without the consent of the Conclave. Antathek Ra has other things on his mind, however. After recieving an extraordinary visitation, and an extraordinary gift, the Master of the Unfathomable devotes his time to consolidating existing power. Nonetheless, the viziers at Lacunas are advised to make moves toward establishing the Dominion’s power along its coasts. He orders the construction of a new shipyard for larger vessels than the fishing sloops that currently slip out of the city’s bay. Soon, hordes of the indentured dead endeavour ceaselessly to dredge out new berths for a future fleet. The Order of the Divide, arguably the most powerful political faction in the Dominion, is apparently content to rest on its laurels and not interfere too directly in the possible power struggle for the mysterious island – despite the adept sent there being one of their disciples. Shalara Valkoren and her allies in the Conclave adopt the role of peacemaker, soothing tensions and counselling a united response. To the other leaders, this regal aloofness is galling. The only signs of concern on her part are sponsoring the construction of a new mine in the hinterlands, and a manufactory for weapons in Crucible, in the name of the Dominion. Transparently self-serving philanthropy that recieves praise from her sycophants in the Conclave. Passive Tech Research (2 Slots) SLOT 1: Restless Miners – Bonus to Steel Production. DUE 870. SLOT 2: Medical Research – Fewer casualties in battle or from any other harmful event. DUE 872. Passive Magic Research (2 Slots) National Idea: Bonus to Spell Research SLOT 1: Dark Scrying – DUE 873 SLOT 2: Invisibility – DUE 872 Budget: Capital: 3000 Base: 10,000 Population: 20,000 Trade Partners: 3000 Commercial Districts: 12,000 Saved: 3000 – Upkeep: 750 – Total: 50,250 Actions: 1 x Commercial District. (10,000) 1 x Civilian Manufacturing. (7500) 2 x Mines. (10,000) 1 x Heavy Manufacturing. (7500) 1 x Shipyard. (10,000) The Dominion seeks to establish trade and diplomatic relations with the following: Ishikawa Shogunate Pachaqui Kingdom Kingdom of Krolestwo Khrav Arnun 5,250 saved.

THE AMARANTIC DOMINION 867 The Dark Beyond grants me visions. I see a power far greater than those around it yet realise. A scream. A dark promise. A wretch in distant shadows. Does this portend doom, I wonder? Snatched motes of whispers of material truths from the infinite tumult of Oblivion. Carried to my soul by chance, or by the hand of fate, or of powers terrible and beyond comprehension? Scant mutterings of a mind maddened, or of genuine provenance? Time shall tell. Time, that dread master that binds all. I awake. Passive Tech Research (2 Slots) SLOT 1: Restless Miners – Mine work is dangerous, best to leave the bulk of it to the dead. After all, they need neither rest nor sustenance. Bonus to Steel Production. SLOT 2: Medical Research – The orders know so much about the body. Why not apply it to aiding the living? Fewer casualties in battle or from any other harmful event. Passive Magic Research (2 Slots) National Idea: Bonus to Spell Research SLOT 1: Dark Scrying – The Order of the Unfathomable continue their meditative pursuit of power in the darkness beyond. Perhaps the signs and echoes there can be interpreted for more practical means? SLOT 2: Invisibility – Examining ancient texts from the recently exhumed tomb of a Shadow Knight (and interrogating his lingering ghost), the Order of the Shadows seeks to steal the power of their more altruistic forerunners. Budget: Capital: 3000 Base: 10,000 Population: 20,000 – Upkeep: 750 (next turn) – Total: 33,000 Actions: 3 x Commercial Districts. (30,000) Scouts are sent to survey the POI on the island east of the Dominion. As part of their tentative opening up to the world, the Dominion seeks to establish trade and diplomatic relations with the following: Rhorric Samalstraza Kastovia Perasmani Ardes Antramar Maeya 3000 saved.

Discord Name: bruh Nation Name: The Amarantic Dominion Government Type: Oligarchy Magic Type: Dark Race: Human Leader: Solias Mar, The Ascendant Culture: Amarant is a nation built on the foundation of survival of the fittest. That the strongest, most cunning, most ambitious, and more ruthless are the most fit to rule and lead for the benefit of all. Amarant is a magocracy. As the masters of powers far beyond the ken of mortal men, the adepts and magisters of the variance orders of darkness rank above the most powerful warriors of the gladiatorial pits, gang bosses, and the lay-bureaucracy. The magi rule through bafflement and mystery, the shock of their occult art and its horrifying reality if necessary. In most settlements of the Dominion, a strict hierarchy of slaves, laymen, middleclass, lay-nobility and magi is observed. Life is tolerable, if not comfortable in these communities. Not so in the “capital” of the Crucible. That city can best be described as an open slum and gang warzone around the soaring, oppressive edifices of the academies and temples of the Amarantic cults. Only the most ruthless, intelligent and desperate are plucked from the hell of Crucible’s slums for training as aspirants and acolytes, and fewer still endure the process to its fruition. Those that do find themselves only limited by their own ambition. As is only proper. History: Centuries ago the Atemic Empire swept to victory across the expanse of the East. Many were the cults and conclaves of death, shadow and darkness. Many of whom were deemed vile, heretical, worthy of extinction. Freedom of thought and action was not tolerated by the western oppressor. And so the Long War was fought by the Shadowkin. As the tales tell, for decades shrouded assassins and defiant sorcerors raised their blades and raised the very dead against the foreign legions. Many of the hated foe fell, their souls fueling the fires of vengeance. But not enough. And so, the children of the dark fled to where the reach of the hated Empire was its weakest. These shadowy defenders smuggled many dissidents away, saved apostate cults and salvaged ancient “heretical” knowledge. For so long did these champions risk their very souls for the good of others, shepherding thousands to a safe haven in the far east, and shielding that location with their concentrated power from prying eyes. But such a burden has a cost. The Shadow Knights, an order of nobility and restraint, were consumed by their power and their burden. Dark magic is among the most potent in this world, but consumes all that it touches. To liberate others, they shackled themselves indelibely to its corruption. So it was that the Dark Saviours became the cruel masters of the new Amarantic Dominion. Those who did not share the ambition of its founders were hunted to extinction, and a new order dominated the refugees. These wretches owed an eternal debt to their protectors, passed down between generations and not vacated in death. Safety was theirs, and all it took was their souls, and the sanctity of the body after death. Many hundreds of years have passed. Today the Amarantic Dominion is a land of competition, hierarchy and naked power. Three prime orders dominate the magi of this cruel country – those enamoured with life and death, those who venerate the shadow and its mysteries, and that order that seeks the dark between things... the true source of their power, that from which their fell magik springs. And from it, the master of those orders seeks dominion over all things. The Ascendant. The Great Unknown, ruling from his great temple of obscurity on the sacred outskirts of crucible. His palace is forbidden, but tales abound that Solias Mar was not the original monarch of the orders, no matter how old he may be. Perhaps one could enter his lair and challenge him. Perhaps. But now a decree comes from that silent edifice, one of few in decades. It demands... revelation. That Amarant at last reveal itself to the outer world. Surely that would be heresy! It would yield destruction? But alas, thralls have already been dispatched on diplomatic missions. Amarant is revealing itself to the world... but who will lead it to glory? Groups or places of interest: Capital: Crucible – A city of extremes. Half a massive edifice of temples, schools, fortresses and academies and half a lawless and wartorn slum. Crucible is the philosophy of the Orders made manifest, from which they draw their most promising recruits. None who enter may leave, dead or alive. Generations are reared from the failed crop of acolytes, and grinding an existence preying off the squalor of new supplicants in the vain hope of a chance of ascension. Perhaps a few may ascend, should their souls burn brightly enough amid the tumult of despair. Order of the Divide – Though all Amarantic Magi possess necromantic abilities, few take it to such an extent as those who inhabit the temple complex of Shalara Valkoren. The Mistress of Undeath is a fanatic, obsessed with removing the boundry between the living and the dead. The tithe of dead bodies paid to the Orders by supplicants and slaves is primarily consumed by her order, for the use of souls and for the undead thralls it can provide. Order of Shadow – Perhaps the oldest of Amarantic traditions, the Order of Shadow cleaves closely to the extinct Shadow Knights. Though enough separates them to deflect accusations of heresy. Both groups value the hidden, the obscure, the unseen blade removing the head of a terrified foe. But the Order of Shadow deeply venerates the corruptive magiks behind such processes, while the Shadow Knights of myth shunned their own darkness and actively guarded members against its influence. Fools. Only in bathing through oneself in the forbidden can one understand that there is no true limitation. Order of the Unfathomable – Perhaps the weakest and most esoteric of orders, devoted to the deepest concepts of darkness. The Black Beyond. The Outer Dark. The Unfathomable. That is what concerns the restless summoners and scryers of this order. Under the new leadership of the ruthless Antathek Ra, perhaps they will finally achieve prominence? Perhaps they will find something in their search in the shadow. Key Figures: Antathek Ra, Master of the Fathomless Void Leadership: 3 Martial: 1 Charisma: 2 Arcane: 7 Agility: 0 Shalara Valkoren, Denier of the Divide Leadership: 3 Martial: 1 Charisma: 4 Arcane: 5 Agility: 0 Sothal Za, Lord of Shadow Leadership: 2 Martial: 3 Charisma: 1 Arcane: 3 Agility: 4 Point Distribution: Race: Human (+1 point) Loyalty: 0 Magical Knowledge 10 Technological Expertise: 6 Size: 10 Economy: 0 Sea-Faring: 0 Military: 5 National Idea: Abyssal Inspiration – Large Bonus to Spell Research. Unique Units: Wraith Warrior – Soldiers of the Order of Shadow. Elite single combat warriors, capable of manifesting utter darkness in an area around their foe and seeing perfectly in said light conditions. Infiltration and assassination troops. Lich Knights – The deathless emissaries of the Order of the Divide. Trapped between life and death, souls bound to heavily armoured, preserved bodies. Extremely potent heavy infantry incapable of feeling pain. Fathomless Horror – An antithesis of life that should never have been wrought in physical form. An horrific, endlessly hungering reaper of souls that slaughters living soldiers without abandon, and without command once unbound from its magikal shackles. A fire and (pray to GOD) forget weapon. Starting Location: Feel free to define my borders according to size 10 within this radius, and not including stuff claimed by Tyras of course. Preference for stuff to the east. What is my Favorite color?: Iowa defined.

Username: Samoblivion Discord: ? Nation Name: The Talarak Clan Race: Alduu’uuranean Background: Few now remember how the Alduu’uuraneans came to the space, and fewer still their world of birth. In their mythology they are those who chased the great star serpent Na-Khadiim as it rested on a high mountain and snuck upon its back. Those hunters sought to best the mighty beast, to prove their courage and their honour, their tact and their ambition. But Na-Khadiim was beyond such concerns, beyond the bite of mortal spears, and the hunters were beyond its attention as it moved to continue its eternal voyage. Those upon its back were carried forth into the Sea of Stars, to voyage there for all eternity, like great Na-Khadiim itself. Such is legend and myth, but the clans of the Alduu’uuraneans have been spacefarers for many generations. They are of no single nation, no great empire enthroned on a mighty homeworld, for none in living memory have been able to bring all to heel under one banner. The clans roam the galaxy, offering their skills as warriors to all who would pay in coin or resources. They are mercenaries, but hold to ancient traditions and codes of honour. Theirs is a society of strictures and hierarchies, where those who disobey or do not conform are shunned and cast out on pain of death. Their word for this state of outlawry is “Talarak”. For generations, this word has been one purely of shame. Those declared Talarak have lived short, lonely lives, far from their birth-clans, on the fringes of society. It is a slow sentence of death, a life bereft of companionship, for their crimes – whatever they may be – are of the kind unforgivable to their kindred. So it was, until the time of Djakai of the Halgai Clan. Djakai’s crime and life before exile are obscured in rumour and time, but what is known is that he has always been a man of singular ambition and ruthless pragmatism. Tradition without reason is useless, a shackle to those with the will to take what should be theirs. Strength was his scripture, not the whims of elders and mystics. He also realised that Hary was a plagiarising wanker. So it was that Halgai Djakai cast off his clan name, as his clan had cast him off. He wore what was meant to be dishonour as an unshakable armour of conviction. He, and his followers, formed the clan of the Talarak, a home for outcasts, and those willing to free themselves from shame and petty moralities. In the decades since, the Talarak have grown strong in the shadows. From materials stolen, bought or mined, they have crafted a mighty vessel – a home from which their clan will range across the universe. They call this mothership “Na-Khadiim”, for like the great serpent, it will carry the ambitious and worthy hunters of the Talarak across the Sea of Stars, to glory and fortune. A year has passed since all of Na-Khadiim’s systems have been brought online. Ships have been constructed, thinkers put to work on shielding their vessels from prying eyes. Such was the necessity of secrecy, that the mothership was constructed far from the space of civilised races, and sensors and comms have long been shut off for fear of attracting unwanted attention before the time was right. Now, with ships capable of putting up a decent fight – of supporting Na-Khadiim in any potential engagement – the piratical Alduu’uuraneans strike forth into the great unknown! Map location: Anywhere, surprise me.

VENZEATIC LEAGUE 1897 stat post for now RESEARCH: SLOT 1: More Engine Speed – Starting 1897. SLOT 2: Ground-launch AS Rockets – Starting 1897. SLOT 3: Carriers – Started 1896, due 1899. PRODUCTION: 5 x Destroyers (10 ASP + 15,000 G) 1000 T3 Regular Power Armoured Troops (8 AP + 22,000 G) <------ Not my unique mech suits. 100 Field Artillery (2 AP + 6000 G) 1 Monitor (3 NP + 6000 G) Colony Serconno upgraded to city. (12,500 G) 5 x Airshipyards (50,000 G) Land Rejuvenation Program. (See below) (50,000 G) Moha Pacification Program. (See below) (50,000 G) 9,500 G, 29 V, 82 S. ACTIONS: The Signoria announces a revivification of the Land Rejuvenation Program, a scheme launched after the Great War to rebuild the Venzeatic hinterlands and reclaim land from bombed hellscapes and unexploded munitions. Progress has been rather slow, with most of their work in the aftermath focused on clearing and rebuilding key transport links, and making sure enough farmland to feed the populace was viable. With a massive boost in funding, men, and materiel, the LRP is tasked with vastly increasing the rate of reclamation. With new spaces to expand into, industries and families can spread and grow in delightfully UXO-free countryside, and farmers can reap a bumper harvest free of grenades! The Signoria privately hopes this will up their birthrate and immigration potential – they need to compete with those lousy bigger countries after all! A suggested scheme for giving women medals popping out litters was widely ridiculed in the private session as “too on the nose”. Having rather hastily joined in Gallia’s military adventurism in Johwa – to the strong protests of the more moralistically minded Signore e Signori – the League finds itself governing a rather ornery tribal population in a new colony. Unsure how to proceed, the Signoria opts for the time honoured method of “throwing money at the problem”. A vast packet of funds is budgeted for winning the hearts and minds of their new overseas subjects in a tribal land apparently called Moha. The army and colonial government builds dams and bridges, helps old ladies across the street ( “Or whatever muddy trails they have over there...”), provides sanitation and shelter. More pragmatically, a good amount of the budget is spent bribing local headmen into passivity if not outright loyalty ( “If they don’t understand money, give them fancy beads or something. Tell them its magic, ha! More port, Gianni?”). The troops and airships sent to invade Moha are left there to occupy the territory and guard against foreign intervention. Air: 3 BCs, 8 CR. Ground: 20,000 T3 Regular Infantry, 10,000 T3 Regular Light Infantry, 100 Tanks. 40,000 T3 Regular Infantry, 100 Field Artillery, 100 Tanks deployed to garrison the new colony of Serconno. They join the 3 Monitors anchored in the bay.

VENZEATIC LEAGUE 1896 1895! A year that will live in infamy! Double tragedies hit the League this year – the death of Valeryii Zefferelli, and the THEFT of the island of Kiri Kiri and the city of Avanti by an unholy alliance of Cumberland and Sardians. RESEARCH: SLOT 1: AT Rifles – STARTING 1895, due 1897. SLOT 2: Vitramite-powered mech suits – Started 1892, due 1897 SLOT 3: Carriers – Starting 1896. PRODUCTION: 1 x T3 Dreadnought (10 ASP + 36,000 G) 50,000 T3 Regular Infantry (10 AP + 70,000 G) 5 x Civilian Industry (25,000 G) Outpost Serconno upgraded to colony. (7500 G) Stock Exchange (see below). (45,000 G) 3,900 G, 27 V, 64 S. ACTIONS: Three monitors sent to anchor in the bay off the new outpost, deter invaders – communist or otherwise. After witnessing the economic instability caused by the Klendari Default™ on the Volta-Solvan Economy, the Signoria is somewhat wary of seeing their economic future inevitable tied to the VS market centre. Advertising itself as the stock market of eastern anlund, by no means a challenge to Volta-Solvan, the Venzeatic League opens a new stock exchange in order to provide choice, commerce, and competition to what was previously a monopolar economic world. Venzeatic news reels promote this as a boon for the entire economic world, including Volta-Solvan and Valdek (who are also developing a stock exchange), and welcomes investment from that venerable nation as they welcome investment in their own venerable old stock exchange! Long live the free market!

VENZEATIC LEAGUE 1895 RESEARCH: SLOT 1: AT Rifles – STARTING 1895. SLOT 2: Vitramite-powered mech suits – Started 1892, due 1897 SLOT 3: Smoke Shells (thick, oily clouds that obscure vast swathes of sky, blinding airships within and clinging to windows) – Starting 1895. PRODUCTION: 1 x T3 Dreadnought (10 ASP + 36,000 G) 2 x Armoured Brigade (6 AP + 20,000 G) 100 x Fighters (2 AP + 6000 G) 1 x Monitor (3 NP + 6000 G) 4 x Steel Mills (10,000 G) 2 x Heavy Industry (15,000 G) SECRET. (20,000 G) AA/AS Defenses for Venza. (20,000 G) Outpost put down right here: 26,100 G, 24 V, 46 S. ACTIONS: The air defence complex at Avanti is still under construction. Ready 1896. (( Good night, sweet prince :’(

VENZEATIC LEAGUE 1894 RESEARCH: SLOT 1: Codes and Encryption Protocols – started 1893, due 1895. SLOT 2: Vitramite-powered mech suits – Started 1892, due 1897 SLOT 3: Engine Speed Research – Started 1892, due 1895 PRODUCTION: 8 x Civilian Industries (40,000 G) Avanti gets a Commercial District. (10,000 G) MOAR investment into the film industry. (10,000 G) SECRET. (20,000 G) Loan. See Below. (50,000 G) 8,300 G, 19 V, 43 S. ACTIONS: The air defence complex at Avanti is still under construction. Ready 1896. A raft of new films are greenlit for production and widely advertised! Gaucho Roja! – A bawdy, swashbuckling comedy! Unable to barter passage home after deserting his humdrum merchant crew, a rough and ready Westfelder embarks on a quest for fame, fortune and senoritas in the wild and wacky tequila drenched land of Tierra Roja! BEN-GAL – An epic (and for the most part outrageously romanticised) 3 hour long production about the life and death of the famed Tsornluft mastermind. Seen from the perspective of a Venzeatic beauty abducted by the tall, dark and brooding sky pirate. Swoon~ On the Kesun Line – A David vs Goliath war drama about brave and tenacious Carnelian soldiers facing down the unstoppable might of Klendar and scoring win after win! The Briar has Thorns – A “public information film” about rampant homosexuality and syphilis in the acting community of Bellica. The Signoria approves a loan out of the public purse to Carnelia. 50,000 G at 10% compound interest per annum.

VENZEATIC LEAGUE 1893 RESEARCH: SLOT 1: Codes and Encryption Protocols – STARTING. SLOT 2: Vitramite-powered mech suits – Started 1892, due 1897 SLOT 3: Engine Speed Research – Started 1892, due 1895 PRODUCTION: 12 x Civilian Industries (60,000 G) Avanti on Kiri-Kiri island upgraded to City. (12,500 G) AA Defensive Emplacement built to defend Avanti. Power proportional to expense. (10,000 G) Massive investment into Venzywood and its thriving film industry. (10,000 G) SECRET. (20,000 G) Integration! See below. (10,000 G) 1,500 G, 16 V, 40 S. ACTIONS: After years of de facto segregation between the Kiri Kiri islanders and the Venzeatic colonists, efforts are made to “uplift” the natives! As Avanti finally expands into a true and prosperous city, the islanders are “invited” to integrate into Venzeatic colonial society! Great monetary and material benefits are offered, as well as advanced farming and crafts techniques – kindly overseen by well meaning charities. And the price of all this? Nothing! Nothing at all (aside from the last pitiful shreds of independence)! The Venzeatic shipbuilding industry is whored out opened to foreign contracts for the year to increase the public purse and profit! 10 ASP worth of shipbuilding sold to the highest bidder, with the exception of communists and (for treaty reasons) the Klendari. The same goes for Heavy Industry! 8 AP up for sale! ^^^

VENZEATIC LEAGUE 1892 RESEARCH: SLOT 1: Gasmasks – Started 1891, due 1893 SLOT 2: Vitramite-powered mech suits – STARTING NOW SLOT 3: Engine Speed Research – STARTING NOW PRODUCTION: 6 x Civilian Industries (30,000 G) 2 x V Mine (10,000 G) 2 x V Refinery (10,000 G) 5000 T3 Light Infantry (1AP + 5000 G) 1 x T3 Armoured Brigade (3 AP + 10,000 G) 2 x T3 Dreadnoughts (10 ASP + 42,000 G) Secret Project (20,000 G) 200 G, 13 V, 37 S. ACTIONS: The flagship of the fleet, the now-obsolete battleship Venza Victoria is mothballed and put on display at the Venzeatic Naval Academy for training and tourism purposes. The ship’s name will be taken up by one of the new dreadnoughts. Three freighters are assigned to explore eastward from Kiri-Kiri, taking care not to cross over the island of Hake-Hake as they go. If the world is round, as most physicists and mathematicians espouse, surely there’s an eastern route to Koibita... and its lucrative markets. And lands.

VENZEATIC LEAGUE 1891 RESEARCH: SLOT 1: Gasmasks – Starting 1891 SLOT 2: Tank/Armoured Brigade – started 1890, due 1892. SLOT 3: Dreadnoughts – started 1887, due 1892. PRODUCTION: 6 x Civilian Industries (30,000 G) 2 x V Mine (10,000 G) 2 x V Refinery (10,000 G) 10,000 T3 Regular Infantry (2 AP + 14,000 G) 100 Field Artillery (2AP + 6000 G) 200 Fighters (4AP + 12,000 G) 20,000 T1 Regular Infantry upgraded to T3 (8000 G) 5 x Destroyers (10 ASP + 15,000 G) 9,400 G, 11 V, 34 S. ACTIONS: The Juverin Chartered Company fails to take up ownership of its land on Kiri-Kiri due to issues back home. Despite the first payment going through, the land is returned to the care of the League. Diplomatic contact and trade requested with the Empire of Syullin. Diplomatic contact and trade requested with the Kingdom of Brennan.