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  1. The Rosecoast Welcome to the land of Rosecoast, a homebrewed fantasy faction’s RP run through Discord. The year is 1716 of the Baron’s Flower or the several other calendars that are used all throughout Rosecoast. Rosecoast is a shattered land, and despite their advances in firearms, having quickly invented the Matchlock in record speed within the last decade and its very quick adoption, around half of the land is uncolonized, or in other words, controlled by Inferior savages. Yet still, innovation in anything, from Firearms to potentially later the steam engine can be done. You can do about anything, although let’s say that not all ideas are good, but there’s nothing stopping you from doing it. OOC: Well this is my first time attempting something like this, but I have complete faith in myself that I can make my best attempt. If anyone is interested in joining, all it takes is by adding me on discord or using the server invite. I have all the mechanics written out, and all of the lore is on there too. If you have never tried a Forum Roleplay, it doesn't matter. I was just like you, and me and others will be more than glad to help you. My Discord: Peralien#8586 Server Invite: https://discord.gg/pFZZJuWNRB
  2. The Annals of Anduvia “When the gods deem it so, the world turns. Spiraling deeper into the Ocean of Truth, its waves crash violently against us, bringing terrible disasters that mark the end of ages.” [ The Anduvian Empire, Circa 181 A.S. ] [ The Continent of Ilhder, as rendered by Imperial Historian, Prescil] Music One hundred and seventy-five years ago, St. Ralek, The Blessed, Phalanx of Sendil, Toppler of the White Tower, and First King of Anduvia landed upon the shores of Ilhder, beginning a series of conquests that would last for the next hundred years - propelling his new realm into the preeminent power of the continent, but now the dawn of the Anduvian Empire has undoubtedly passed, and the sun now rises on the state which conquered all who stood before it. Yet still, the times are precarious and there are many who believe that Anduvia’s fate lies on a knife’s edge. The Hero-Emperor, St. Ralek Sedorva, has not left the royal capital in the better part of a decade, overcome with grief following the loss of three of his five Blades, his wife, and most recently his sons Orbek and Tellos. Without his watchful eye and commanding presence the realm has suffered greatly, greed, instability, and corruption begin to gnaw on the corners of the young empire. Many lords and generals have grown wary and unruly. Others plan for the worst, speaking in hushed tones that the Emperor has lost his mind. Even as the last of the Emperor’s Blades, Ruul, attempts to stabilize the realm, acting in Ralek’s stead, the path ahead is uncertain.. Of major note is the widespread talk of succession within the Sedorvan line. For well over a hundred and fifty years, St. Ralek has ruled Anduvia - never doubting the strength of his divinity nor bothering to name an heir. With his absence being considered a real possibility for the first time since his canonization in the year 95, many of the Emperor’s relatives have begun to jockey for power and position - setting up a political situation that will not so easily be diffused. Chief amongst these headaches is Tellos Sedorva, son of Tellos Sedorva, of Ralek’s Vindaric line. In an effort to eventually claim his grandfather’s crown, the young prince has traveled to the northern frontiers to win glory and prestige through conquest. Gathering up the local garrisons from the Surkhish Marches and the Burning Coast as he traveled, the prince began the first Anduvian war in half a century - invading the neighboring realm of Estria alongside a coalition of like-minded lords. But he is not the only vulture to flock to the grieving Emperor’s reign. Outside Anduvia’s borders, the continent of Ilhder has steadily destabilized, and threats to Anduvia’s hegemony grow with every passing moon. To the west, in the Sea of Fire, piracy has increased dramatically with the emergence of the self proclaimed “Thunder King” a pirate lord who is said to wield the power of lightning itself. Less than a year ago, his fleet clashed with Carathar VI, the imperial admiral sent to contest the pirates - and descendant of one of the original Blades. Carathar’s fleet was smashed in the battle, and the pirates have only grown more bold in the wake of his defeat, going so far as to land on the coast of Galaran to raid and plunder. Within the interior of the Empire, the ever defiant Cloudmurk deepens. The few roads through the ominous forest have grown unsafe and treacherous in recent years, with many caravans and merchants avoiding the area entirely. From settlements along its borders comes word of strange dancing lights spotted deep past the treeline, and thunderous booms that wake whole villages. In the north, past prince Tellos’ personal quest for glory, the Dwarven Realm of Akizbuzal has begun to splinter and collapse in the face of a resurgent Dahgaan. While not yet a direct threat to Anduvia, the lost holds have become overrun with Goblin hordes who routinely spill out into the plains of Northreach, Galrun, and Torbak. To make matters worse, long “inactive” tribes of Orcs and Gnolls have begun to reorganize, their warbands more frequently crossing the border into Anduvia. Words on the wind speak of gray omens, and flocks of midnight crows circling above the plains of the lands of Dohrak. The only true threat to Anduvia’s domination, though, is the Golden Empire of Sudryal, who’s reign (nor ego) know no end beneath the burning sun. It has been over 50 years since the end of the Second Golden War, during which Anduvian armies very nearly captured the Golden City itself, a fact which the Elven Emperor has not forgotten. Ever since, his Empire has been steadily consolidating its eastern territories, and marshaling its forces for the seemingly inevitable third conflict - so say the Crown’s spies, at least. It is in these most pivotal of times that the Consul and Sorcerer Ruul, one of the two remaining Blades, has, in light of the Emperor’s prolonged grief, summoned all the major lords, generals, and vassals of the realm to the Holy Capital of Sendil for the purpose of reforming and reorganizing the Empire’s administration. To defy these summons would be unwise.. A timeline, describes the glorious conquests of St. Ralek Sedorva. THE NATIONS & ORGANIZATIONS OF ILHDER The Red Legion It was not long before the cataclysmic Shearing that the General Opret saw the vision of a child, wreathed in the flames of heaven - of a promised emperor, of Paradise, Eternal - of impending doom.. Opret took whomever he could and vanished into the Great Sea, his fleet’s sails dipping beneath the horizon as the first shards of earth began to wretch themselves into the sky. Only through the blessing of heaven did Opret survive the cataclysm.. For a hundred years, the Red Legion trawled the Great Sea, constantly blown about by the relentless storms, constantly pushed to the brink of starvation. A dozen times, the men recount, Opret’s fleet was thrown against the scattered islands and archipelagos, and a dozen times they rebuilt and set sail once more. Only through the blessing of heaven did Opret find the way to Ilhder. When the Red Legion finally landed upon the shores of the Dreaming Sea, Opret, having finished his duty, collapsed. Since then, his men have embarked on a steady string of conquests eastwards, absorbing countless tribes and petty kingdoms as they go. Culminating in a brief confrontation with the Anduvians during the Second Golden War, the Red Legion is a force to be reckoned with, to be sure. The Legion is a festering pit of religious fanatics, drawn to the flame of the Child’s Adventism, one that cannot be allowed to spread further, in the words of the Golden Tongue.. The Goldwood Princes For many thousands of years now, the Elves have lived within the Goldwoods. Before the arrival of St. Ralek and his armies, though, their princedoms were fragmented and always warring, forever locked in an endless struggle for domination of the realm, deep in their self-induced delusions of grandeur. It was only when Enalidus’ armies marched through the lands of Rzhekia, cutting a bloody swathe as they went, did the Princes of the Goldwood begin to think they might be forced to avert their focus beyond their treelines. Whatever it was - they did not move soon enough, and swathes of the forest’s borderlands fell to the Anduvian invaders. Today, the Goldwoods are united into a very loose confederation around a council of the elder princes. While they continue to squabble amongst themselves, as they have for generations, they are at least united in their hatred for their Anduvian neighbors - a fact which they are not afraid of making known. The Golden Empire of Sudryal An age ago, when the Elves arrived in Ilhder - their fondness and aptitude for war and bloodshed was quickly made known across all the lands. The Elven empires quickly took root across much of the continent, and the greatest of these empires was that of Sudryal’s, the mightiest of the Elven Princes. While the other Elven states have since collapsed and faded away generations ago, disappearing with their rulers, Sudryal has endured.. The Golden Empire’s history is long and storied, apparently tracing its origins far across the sea, to the Elven Homelands. In the modern era, though, it remains one of if not the greatest states in the whole of the continent- stretching from the league of the five cities all the way to the Red Mountains, and from the Inner sea to the heart of the Surraq badlands. The Empire itself adheres to a strict religious code, paying homage to the Sun, as well as the chief among its avatars, Sudryal. Within Sudryal’s domain, Anduvia is seen as an antithetical force to that of the Empire - a machine that will only plunge the world further into darkness and disorder, bringing it further from the righteous order that the Prince of Princes has worked so tirelessly to create. Dwermark One of the first Dwarven Colonies established during the zenith of their Empire. Before Anduvia, the rulers of Dwermark held control over many of the shards, as well as scattered ports across the eastern coast of the Inner Sea. Well past their prime, the Dwarves of the Island were conquered by the Anduvian nobleman Kras Botin, who absorbed the remnants of their once sprawling empire into his own. The hold itself has been allowed to retain a precious little amount of autonomy, and is essentially a vassal to the Anduvian Crown. Splintering Akizbuzal Once the mightiest and most illustrious of the Dwarven Realms, now laid low. The works of the ancient dwarves of Akizbuzal were without equal - but their descendants have long since fallen from their former glory. Over the past centuries, Akizbuzal has been in a steady state of decline, enduring numerous goblinoid and kobold incursions from the north and west, as well as several periods of brutal civil war. The state that the realm now finds itself in is one of near collapse. The regency council, which has reigned since the death of the last king, has not convened in several years. Many of the dwarven armies which still remain active are without reinforcement, critically low on supplies, or without proper leadership. Communication between the different holds have begun to break down with deeper goblin incursions becoming more common, and even the long traveled underways are no longer safe. Some even say a long dormant dragon has since emerged far to the north, sensing the weakness of the Dwarves.. The Kingdom of Estria The Kingdom of Estria is one of the few remaining human realms to escape Anduvia’s all powerful influence. Positioned on the western coast of the continent, the realm was originally formed directly in response to the aggressive Anduvian expansion to the south. As such, they have long since been considered a natural enemy to the Anduvians. In terms of the realm itself, Estria is known to have a very large knightley caste, far surpassing that of Anduvia’s (proportionally speaking). Their heavy cavalry and foot-knights are of great-renown throughout the continent, known for their resilience and ferocity in combat. In recent years Estria has been subject to Anduvian invasion, and while the young prince Tellos’ army has captured a significant portion of the realm, it would be untrue to say that his war there has been anything but a cakewalk. There has not yet been any large, pitched battle as of yet, but the few skirmishes and sieges the Anduvians have endured have not been the cleanest of victories. The Black Army of Galrun When the cataclysmic Shearing sank the human homelands, the Lord of Night, Derathas, fell with it, sunk beneath the waves. His vast legions which once threatened to overcome the whole of the continent, though, managed to escape - at least fragments of them. One of these such groups is the Black Army, led by one of Derathas’ lieutenants, Aramath. Following their journey across the Great Sea, the remnants of the once mighty Black Army landed in the northern reaches of Ilhder, where Aramath would begin the process of establishing his own domain. The Black Army frequently wars with the Orcish, Kobold, and Gigantic peoples of the north. Though its landing in Ilhder was considerably delayed, the Black Army has already made significant progress. The Blackwing Company Named after the distinct flights of black scavengers which follow the group on campaign, The Blackwing Company is perhaps the most experienced and sought after mercenary group in all of Ilhder. Led by Sigismund Geld, a disgraced nobleman who would later take on the name of the group after its notoriety became widespread. Blackwing is mostly active throughout the Western Realms. Well trained and led, the Blackwing Company numbers roughly 10,000 men strong, battle hardened through and through. Perhaps the best known unit of their ranks are the Blackwing Knights, a core of Heavy Cavalry whose helms are adorned with decorative black wings that sprout from either side. Praised for their skill and bravery in battle, the Blackwing Knights have shattered many a battle-line, their charge alone winning countless victories. The Company is composed mainly of human units, but it is not uncommon for Geld to take on other races into his ranks, assuming they share the ferocity and skill of the organization as a whole. Examples of this include a number of Giants who are currently employed by the company, as well as groups of Orcish and Dwarven Infantry. Though not known to break agreements, any lord who purchases the company’s service would be well advised to make sure payment is arranged in a timely fashion. Sigismund, on more occasions than one, has been known to turn on the lands of his host, extracting what has not been paid, one way or another. The Sacred Order of the Golden Tongue The Knights of the Golden Tongue are a sacred order on an endless crusade against those who would blaspheme against the Marble Court. Enormous by human standards, they wield the blessed armaments and relics of the holiest power. Being an ordained Sacred Order brings with it a series of protections in the way of custom and tradition. To uproot an Order or take hold of its property is considered a grave sin, and as such, the Golden Tongue is allowed to spread relatively unimpaired across the whole of the continent, where they hold a number of stout castles and monasteries. Originally, The Golden Tongue was created by the Consul Ruul to regulate the spread of blasphemies throughout the Empire. Since his death, the Order has slowly grown into something more of an inquisition, persecuting wildly at even a mere whiff of sacrilege. None are safe from their accusations nor their prosecutions, which they carry out violently. The Old Empire of Dahgaan Founded in the age of the Dwarven Empire, Dahgaan was once a mighty Goblinoid Realm carried to the zenith of their power by the Emperor Sharaat, a Hobgoblin Warlord. Since its collapse many thousands of years ago, the Dahgaani tribes of the western forests and warrens have been routinely culled and stamped out by the Dwarves of Akizbuzal. For the first time in millennia, though, a Dwarven Emperor has not campaigned into Dahgaan, and the goblins here have been allowed to marshal their strength relatively unopposed. Now, the Empire has reemerged, launching a massive invasion of western Akizbuzal as it does. THE THUNDER KING A side effect of the mismanaged Anduvian Realm, the self proclaimed “Thunder King” is an upstart pirate-lord based within the Sea of Fire. Having emerged only recently, he has wrecked havoc on Anduvian Shipping up and down the coast, and even smashed the Imperial Fleet off the coast of the Cloudmurk. Apart from his large collection of ships, and apparent skill at naval warfare, the most concerning aspect surrounding the mysterious pirate is his domain within the Sea of Fire. Prior to his emergence, several expeditions had been launched into the islands that reside there, none of which have been anything but failures. The region had been deemed unnavigable and too dangerous for travel - an assumption which has apparently been proven wrong. The League of the Five Cities The five ancient cities of Shejar, Chimuz, Sumar, Hrashaan, Reijuz. The League originated from a consortium of merchant guilds within the warlike Hobgoblin realms of the deep south, the League gradually grew in strength in influence until it came to dominate all of the region, including the cities themselves. The League now exists as a major economic region, exporting many rare minerals and wares, such as wellstones and glasteel, despite its disconnection from the rest of the continent. While not a militaristic bunch at heart, the league has been forced into armed conflict several times in recent years against the Golden Empire to their north. Recruiting mercenaries from across the region, they were narrowly defeated in the ensuing Dust War, which resulted in a humiliating treaty and a loss of two of the original seven cities. APPLICATION You will be taking the role of an Anduvian vassal, sworn to the Anduvian Crown, and the Emperor who bears it. Whether that be a King, Governor, General, or anything in between, the choice is yours. Inside the Anduvian realm is a myriad of peoples and client kingdoms, from warlike princedoms of the Elves to the stout holds of the Dwarves and festering mires that the Lizardfolk call home. No race has escaped from the Anduvian yolk. Each race possesses unique strengths, the list of playable races is as follows: --- Humans: Humans are the most prolific of Ilhder’s races. They arrived from across the Great Sea in huge waves after a cataclysmic event known as the Shearing sank their homelands. Since their arrival, humans have proven to be a hardy and versatile folk, thriving in a vast range of environments. They are known for their predisposition to warfare, which they excel at, but also great works of art and magical feats. The average man stands around 5’11”, both their strength and senses are very run of the mill. There is a wide variation of hair and skin tones found. Their affinity for magic is notable, but not comparable to that of the Elves. Elves: The first Elven settlers arrived in Ilhder an age ago, sent from their Empire across the Silver Sea. Noble as they were, they would put tens of thousands to the sword in the wars that the Elven Princes and Prophets would wage to carve out their princedoms from the local peoples. Though they have since grown into a slightly more insular people, especially since word from their homelands mysteriously stopped arriving. The Elves are not a race adverse to warfare, and they are among the most warlike on the continent. They are a disciplined, xenophobic people, known for their powerful magics. There are two distinct types of Elves, the Lunaerin, and Sulaerin Lunaerin share many similarities with their Sulaerin cousins, but yet possess unique features. They stand around 7’4” on average, and are as strong as three men. All their senses are far more honed than that of a human’s. Their skin is pale white to silver in color, with hair of comparable colors. Lunaerin have an immense affinity for all magic and magical knowledge, being considered the greatest wielders of it. They live as old as 800 or so years. Sulaerin share many similarities with their Lunaerin cousins, but yet possess unique features. They stand around 7’6” on average, and are as strong as three men. All their senses are far more honed than that of a human’s. Their skin ranges from tans to deep oranges, with blonde or red hair. Sulaerin have a great affinity for war, being considered among the best makers of it. They live as old as 800 or so years. Dwarves: Legendary craftsmen and architects, the Dwarves are famed for their enormous holds, built deep into the heart of Ilhder’s mountains, and the fabulous works they adorn them with. The Dwarves are a proud and ancient race, being known for their stoic (or grumpy) demeanor, which is often taken as cold by many races. They are known for their adherence and honoring of tradition as well as their long, multi-generational grudges. Well past the heyday of the Dwarves, their race is still a major force in Ilhder. The average dwarf reaches heights between 4’10” and 5’5”. Their strength is akin to that of a humans, and their senses are also comparable with the exception of eyesight, which is notably more suited to dark environments. All Dwarves have an abundance of facial hair. Goblinoids: The family of Goblinoid races is extensive and diverse. Traces of these beings are among the first of the non-Giant races to appear in the Dwarven histories, marking them as some of the oldest races on Ilhder. The Goblinoid races are synonymous with warfare, brutality, and plentiful numbers. Their histories are marred by an almost constant series of conquests and battles. While certainly not true of all of their people, to say that Goblinoids were not predisposed to violence would be a blatant lie. Even so, there are rare examples of great feats of Goblin architecture and metalworking that rival even the work of the Dwarves. Among the Goblin clans are the many who wish to see a revival of their grand empires of old. There are three distinct types of Goblinoids: Goblins, Bugbear, and Hobgoblins. Goblins are the most abundant and oldest. They stand between 4’ and 4’6” typically, and have lighter builds, being weaker than an average human. Their hearing and sight is surprisingly acute, and their skin ranges in color from greens to blacks and browns. They are known for plentiful numbers, greed, and cowardice. Bugbears A large and hairy variant of the goblin. They stand around 6’0” on average, and are covered in brown or black fur. Bugbears are far less intelligent, and much more violent than the rest of their kin. For all their brawn though they are, however, surprisingly nimble and stealthy when they chose to be. They are almost totally incapable of magic. Hobgoblins, also called High Goblins, have a strange combination of features from Elves, Goblins, and Humans. They stand around 6’2” on average, with greater strength than a human and their skin ranges in color between pale reds to deep crimson. They are known to be much more intelligent and more disciplined than other goblinoids. They are, however, totally incapable of magic. Orcs: Orcs are a mysterious bunch, spawned from unknown sources, and found even on the Human homelands. Like humans, they are a versatile people, found in all sorts of environments, from plains, to highlands, to even the underdark. They are known for their ferocity in battle, stubbornness, powerful builds, and raging temper. Apart from short, mostly incomplete tribal histories, very precious little is known about these creatures. Most orcs stand roughly 6'0 tall, and are stronger than a man, with senses of comparable level too. Orc skin ranges in color from shades of green to gray. Lizardfolk: The Lizardfolk are the easily the strangest and most alien of all the sapient races in Ilhder. Coldblooded and feeling, they lack most things one might think of as 'human' as far as emotions go, thinking only as far as their next meal in many cases. Still, the Lizardfolk are an ancient race said to have served the ancient Dragonlords in a time before time. Covered in a thick coat of protective scales, they prefer to dwell within the fetid swamps and mires amidst their crumbling ziggurats and sunken cities where they are said to perform ancient rituals - long since forgotten. Most Lizarfolk stand around 6'0" tall, with similar senses to that of a human. Their scales can posses a wide variety of colors, from vibrant yellows and reds to dull greens and browns. --- At the heart of every civilization in Ilhder is faith. On the continent, a number of important cults and pantheons have developed from which powerful magi and their adepts draw magical power. Away from this long trod path are the sorcerous arts - foul blasphemes in the eyes of some - the way to true power in the eyes of other. Choose a faith: Not pictured is the sorcerous arts, which march in defiance of the divines. NATION NAME: RACE: MAGIC / SORCERY: BRIEF DESCRIPTION / HISTORY: LEADER / NOTABLE CHARACTERS: MAP LOCATION (ONLY WITHIN OR NEAR TO ANDUVIA): UNIQUE UNIT: POINT OF INTEREST: this can be a place or a thing, such as an ancestral sword, for example This rp will take place exclusively on discord, if I do not have you and you apply, leave discord. thanks everyone! :)
  3. Adon’s Comet rules their sky, a fiery red orb dominating the heavens. A herald for what we know now, but the rulers of that time could only guess. Some think the end of days still continue, while others hope the first spring blooms bring the life of a new age…… -Excerpt from legends and facts of the third age The First Year of the Third Age Music From The 1st Age [Ambiance] Across the lands collectively known as Illesia, fragments of once great lands persist. Humanity may have proven they’re their own greatest threat, their own folly. The shattering of the second age was proof enough of that to most. But one thing no one could predict is just how strong they are.. The Holy Adonian Order, though secluded, remains busy year round in Illesia. Expeditions heading from their fabled city go far and wide. It’s not uncommon to see their priest in villages, towns, cities, preaching the good word of Adon, their fabled profit from the 2nd age. Adon was a legend of old, a “President” which was a title of great power in the 2nd age. A man whose ideals were so powerful they echo through time itself. Far more deadly parties roam the wastes, seeking out the words and creations of Adon… The Bak-nari Republic ships can be seen by any nation on the oceanic coast. The Republic is sealed shut, never admitting or sending diplomatic and trade missions. Little is known of them, and it’s the same for them of Illesia. Their sleek and agile ships prowl the coast, whilst strangely garbed women are seen onboard, observing.. Nothing good comes from those near the Ill Horde. Already rumors are spreading across the locale. Tales of enslaved merchants, adventurers, even farmers on the frontiers of some lands. This quiet horde has been slowly expanding for centuries from a central point, eating up the leagues in precise moves orchestrated with expert effect. Primarily men on horse make up their army, always seen patrolling their borders and beyond. Now touching even the great river, raids on boats are not unheard of either, with the kidnapping of sailors becoming a common theme. The Kingdom of Camadacia, with competitors on all sides, has been remarkably tight-lipped about events within their realm. Their infamous King Odilon Langlois Descoteaux has reportedly been touring his lands, visiting each of his Great Lords in turn. Ever since losing close to half the realm’s size to a peasant’s revolt, the Kingdom has suffered a severe loss of prestige. It does not change the fact they remain Illesia’s strongest Kingdom. The Kingdom of Hausenberg, always the bitter #2 in the region, and Camadacia’s rival, has been hard at work improving their land for decades. The highly militarized and hostile society stands in stark contrast to the Camadacians. These crude, and brutal men seek only power in the new age. Anything in their way is trampled, and all within are subjugated. The Rurviche Syndicate has long prospered off this rivalry. This oligarchy of rich merchants dominates coastal trade in the areas, and is known to lend heavily to both Kingdoms. These no nonsense businessmen forsake war like the Ideals of old. But the corrupting influence their gold has, and drives men to do, is nearly as bad. Akim’s Freehold is the last true bastion of the second age. A massive complex wall dominates the majority of the island, made out of a reinforced material none can identify. A small but thriving harbor lays on the island just outside the wall's protection, where all can come to trade. Within the walls are various compounds, divided by more curtain walls with various buildings and farms. A central complex the size of some cities is condensed in dozens of layers of boxes. Known now for its original purpose, but it’s now regarded as the safest spot in Illesia. The Freehold itself is a multi-ethic society of priests, scholars, healers, and all the other professions idealized in the 2nd age. Any are allowed to enter, though under the knowledge they may never leave without strict permission. One can only imagine the troves of 2nd Age relics and knowledge these clever humans must be hoarding. More recently the Freehold has become a prison for some of Illesia’s worst criminals. Mad men who wielded relics to cause mass destruction, evil king’s shipped off by their realm, murderers who roamed city streets for years, the list goes on…. The Kingdom of Zorncost was founded as Adon’s Comet entered the starry skies for it’s first time in the third age. The Lords all agreed it was the mark of their King’s true power. Power they in reality wield, they all agree, as they place the crown on his head. He’s swiftly shooed away as the powerful Lords convene to discuss the impact of their new Realm on this age. Rich river lords, who had squabbled for centuries. But with such dire odds on all sides, they had slowly been growing tighter knit over the years. With reports of Adon’s Comet pouring in, it was seen as the perfect time to coronate the weakest of them. Zorncost’s foreing policy has yet to be announced, as the Kingdom binds itself together. The Amichai are a recently established horde, intent on nothing less than world dominance. Descending from the brutal northern wastes, they emerged poor in men, but rich in power. This exhausted Kingdom has stumbled out of the wastes, to find Adon’s Comet greeting them. Deciding right then and there to set roots, the Amichai was formed. A title given to their leader, and Kingdom. One symbolizing the power in them all, and in their influence. They openly flaunt 2nd Age relics discovered in the northern wastes, perhaps as a distraction from how little of them remain. The Ka’Goran Trade Confederation announces they have a big shipment coming from further north the great river. They invite any who can to sail or march north to attend one of their infamous auctions in a grand bazaar. They are unsure what’s arriving, nations from further afield usually sending the leavings of their scavenging missions. The peaceful Ambrosian Republic enters the 3rd age in a way that could make many jealous. Their grand bombard keeps the waterways safe, and their people grow fat and rich in safety. The governments well oiled administration ensures taxes are collected, and placed back to grow the Realm. Slightly worrying is the myriad of reports, all claiming Bak-nari ships spotted observing them in turn. The Spirit-Seekers are perhaps the only Gorans who’s name will strike immediate fear into the hearts of mankind. These pernicious and crafty smaller humans retain the savage tradition like the Gorans of old. A tribe to make Shermani himself proud, they lay at the very gates to the Northern wastes. The Great Hierophant of the Spirit-Seekers, Utu Gruug, is visited by two hermit Gorans still holding to the olden ways. One claims riches of the mind lay to their north, while other promises material riches to their south. The Pilgrimage has at long last arrived in the fabled lands of Illesia. Was Adon’s Comet not a sign their cause was not only righteous, but inevitable? The Ka’Gorans nervously let them through their land, citizens ahead of the army running indoors and shuttering the windows. But silence does not march with the Pilgrims, as they sing hymns and chants. Upon reaching unclaimed lands, the host sets camp to appraise their situation. Scouts soon report two potential threats nearby. The recently established Amichai are already sending contingents closer and closer to the river, eager to stake their claims. Secondly, a horde seems to be paralleling their advance, on the other side of the River Ynn. They offer no diplomacy or word, and indeed have already enslaved a few Pilgrim outriders. Those that survived claim it to be a splinter group from the Ill Horde. A horde whose reputation precedes them, no doubt. Refugees flood into the interior of the Black Camadacian’s freeland. Shattered hamlets, holdfasts, and farmsteads, all burned to crisps. A single name is on everyone’s lips. Adrian De Grempesh, a notorious Camadacian general. It would seem the Camadacian crown was too honorable to simply march their army out and crush the Black Army. Or so they claim. Instead they have opted for the usual way of conflict nowadays. Careful border raids permeate the border, as the Camadacians test the Black Armies defenses and resolve. It was not outright war, or a declaration of one. No it was far more subtle, men garbed as bandits, enacting wanton destruction. Of course both sides know what’s happening, but this delicate balance of power, honor, and ambition swirls deeper and deeper. Word soon reaches the Don of Serra’s ears, of egregious wrongs done against him. It would seem a particular capone in his chief maritime port was holding back on something. Be it gold or knowledge, it was clear he was outright refusing orders by now. The rest of Don Corrado’s flock are hanging back, eager to see how their leader handles the situation. Rumors indicate none other than the Rurviche Syndicate is backing him, perhaps an explanation for why he’s so bold. The Kingdom of Albarias has boldly planted their new Kingdom in the harsh wastes. A settled kingdom, they represent an entirely unique way of life to most others in Illesia. Little of value or sustenance is found in their land, a dirt poor place. But the spirits of the humans living here are the deepest of vibrant colors. They bear the righteous fury of god in their hearts, and eye the Wastes as their own. It would seem they had contenders for their own version of paradise, as a Holy Adonian reclamation party has reportedly entered their southern lands without permission. Herzogtum Greifenburg experienced their entrance to the new age with a stability lasting decades. King Albert in his steadfast way has ensured the Realm prospers, and thrives with every passing year. This year is marked with the arrival of several caravans, all eager to trade in the stable land. [+5k C] Lanta perhaps did not truly know how powerful a color could be, but Purple has ascended them almost overnight into an important trade stop. Already some of the richest merchants from Realms far and wide have sent envoys, all clamoring for their dyed clothes. It’s quickly becoming a fad among Nobility, and they’re willing to pay large amounts for it. [+7k C] The House of Vrizia has experienced perhaps the most tumultuous and thrilling saga for adventurers. Their constant rises and falls have led to an experienced and savvy band. Illesia perhaps doesn't know what it’s in for, as these Knights and their retinue flood into greener land. They find themselves with rich and open land on all sides, little of note transpiring to them. Troubling reports from the east however indicate many Realms are under threat to the Ill Horde. THE GREAT CACIQUEDOM OF CANEY experiences a taste of their own medicine on the coasts as Adon's Comet enters the sky. A ruthless war party of Bak-nari descend on one of their more far flung western hamlets. The entire settlement is razed to the ground, and not a single male Caney makes it out alive. None truly know what this Republic intends, but it's clear they view the Caneymen with hostility, being so close to their lands. Curiously, all the Caney women are allowed to live. None actually make it back though, the women being carried off into the ships reportedly. The River Kings of Korynn have experienced decades of peace, prosperity, and growth. Various Kings and their retinues dot the river in populated groups, engaging in fishing and their games of war. But darker undertones have begun to wrap around this people's lands. Like hidden currents in a river, trouble is knocking on their door. It was first noticed perhaps a few weeks ago, as the sky was growing red from Adon's Comets inevitable return. The water level of the river itself was lowering. The bottom begging to silt up, the banks becoming further and further away from the actual river. At this rather they were under threat of losing it entirely, the land being reclaimed by the northern wastes. It would seem the very source of their River was drying up, deep in the Davor mountain range. Worse yet, nothing but fell rumors circulate about the mountains, a place any river fearing King would not dare tred. The Diusi have emerged from the wastes hardened and ruthless. One does not last long in their ranks, unless they wield true power. Their current leader is one such man, and perhaps he realizes the massive nature of the task at hand. Their promised land could be over the next rise, or a world away. Though they reside in the northern wastes for now, there seemed to be promise of greater lands to the south. All agreed the north was inhospitable, but surprisingly, many argued they should continue roving the northern wastes for now. Some argue they should acquire wonders of the 2nd age to combat the settled Greenlands, while others want to set out immediately for the promised land. High Chief Tao has a difficult balancing act ahead, the paths both alluring, and dangerous..... The Tarnished are used to being the watchers, the shadows on the wall. But one of their newest initiates, bathing in the toxic waters, and emerging alive, comes running with a bold tale. They claim while they were swimming, they stumbled into a party of ungarbed women also swimming. They were clearly suffering, but powering through the pain, had attacked the initiate. Only through their training did they survive to report the incident, the women having swum away after being bested. Just days later, Bak-nari sails are reported, sleek scouting ships heading upstream. Women with rudimentary surveying gear are seen along the banks, taking notes, as others collect bottles of the mist, bringing them back to ship. They are gone almost as quickly as they come. But for the rest of the spring, their ships remain ever present, observing, ready to flee at the first sign of sails. The Republic of Lena's bustling trade capital is by and large noted as the first major stop going upstream, and the last down. Though some other small nations occupy the Ynn as they do, none have the utility and prestige of the Lenan port. For decades the merchants have ruled a stable insular realm, growing fat of tariffs collected on trade. Various pirates, foreign merchants, local war ships, and independent ships dot the large dockside, sailors pouring in and out. This porous Port is known with affection across all of Ilesia. However the 'golden age' of the Lenan merchant class is possibly under threat. Radical Captains of the Guard have been building on the militarist support that's been growing for years. They clamor for war, seeking to expand the Nation's power beyond trade. Perhaps even more concerning is the Ill horde just over the river Ynn to their east. Already reports of raided ships, and disrupted trade have begun to filter in. With potential threats on all sides, will this Mercantile republic hold true to their ideals, and keep the flame alive? [+4k C] Osberht awakens for the first time in this new Age, the Third Age. For now memories of his past life are uncertain, shrouded in blood and misery during the final collapse of the Second Age. He finds himself in a strange land, once fertile. But the river he wakes nearby is a shadow of it's former self, and villagers are seen grimly fishing what's left. Few catch anything, and soon to be starving children run over to him, curious. Osberht soon realizes he's in the River Kingdom of Korynn, but darkness has it's grip on this once stable realm. [+4 Prestige]
  4. I write to you in the year 1090, in what some may call the fourth age. An age that has already come, one that has already passed, and is one I find myself in now. My university has always been intrigued by Adon’s Comet, and the time spent under its bloody gaze. Over one thousand years ago and still its history haunts my pages. I endeavored to document the world as they knew it. A book for people of our age to get a feel for just how grim the Third Age had been for humanity. Below is an excerpt from the first few chapters, detailing some of what’s known; -Jerrah Barak, scholar at Tzon University. A CD is attached to the book [Ambiance] The world as we know it in the years leading to the third age; All can agree the end of times was marked by the first appearance of Adon’s Comet. Humanity had been thriving in the second age, building wonders we can barely comprehend. Buildings clawed their way to the sky, and carriages flitted amongst them, unshackled to the land. War as we know it was a foreign concept, ruled out as an outdated way of accomplishing things, and long forgotten. Ambassadors and Government officials ruled, beholden to their people.Trade, migration, innovation, tenets that dominated their philosophy. For centuries the cities and rural tracts of humanity thrived, grew, and merged under this system. This ‘Age of Peace’ as scholars now label it, is in stark contrast to the time this book addresses. However it’s an important part of the history leading up to what we have come to discover. As the years passed by in their hundreds, things eventually began to reach a state of stagnation, even regression. This unrivaled era of peace was beginning to show cracks. No single event can be labeled as the true reason the age ended, and Adon’s Comet is only credited as the herald. But upon close inspection one can see a variety of reasons festering for centuries has slowly knocked out the foundations of society, bit by bit. Global trade networks began to shatter after plague on a scale never seen before ravage the world. Corrupt and autocratic politicians seized power, wielding massive nations who previously never even had an army. The world itself was changing, tectonic plates shifting at unprecedented levels, seas rising to flood entire continents. As the world itself and the nations began to break down, war was reintroduced to the world, in small increments. At first it was only militias, and insurgents, wielding whatever they could scrap together. But as more and more battles happened, deadlier inventions meant to kill were being churned out. It wasn't long before entire armies were pitched against one another, fighting across massive cities spanning entire countries. The scale of destruction outpaced anything the citizens of this time could conceive. Their technologies were beyond that of our modern era, surpassing the need for ballistics by the end. So though all can agree Adon’s Comet marks the end of the second age, in truth, it was dying for a long time. For a full year the red comet blazed in the sky, and under it, the world crumbled. The foundations of society had been corrupted to the point of blowing away as dust. Morals and Reasoning abandoned for profit and power. Nations of innovation and prestige traded for dying states, squabbling over everything. By the time Adon’s Comet departed back to the void, the Great Nations of the second age had ceased to exist. Their successor states, though vast and powerful, were temporary things, lacking the prestige gained from centuries of rule and tradition. Powerful minds sculpted these new nations, molding them to their fleeting images and ambitions. Hundreds of years have passed since that glorious time in humanity’s chapter, and much has been lost on the way. For war has never truly stopped ever since the shattering of the second age. The bloated successor states of old fought and died, and fought again. Over and over, year after year, piece by piece they lost the very things they were fighting to preserve. Armies marching over entire countries, leaving a wake of destruction. None other than the infamous Warlord Shermani himself was the prime purveyor of this inane and wanton slaughter. His infamous march shattered an entire continent, in his quest to scavenge and preserve technology from the second age. Billions owe their deaths to him and his army, and the dozens like him over these years. The world as we know it in the first year of the Third Age [FRP Start]; With such a heavy burden to bear, we now look even further ahead to the start of the third age. Ominously marked by the return of Adon’s Comet, people at that time didn’t even know what it was, or that it had a name. We look at a world so completely different, it seems unrecognizable. In terms of actual geography, and humanity as a whole. Entire nations, concepts, peoples, lost to the passage of history, and the fiery destruction of human war. Technology burnt up in the fires of mass extinction, architecture swallowed to the changing of the world. History for the people of this time is tenuous at best, the bold ones claiming to be successor states to the ancient empires, having no idea their autocratic rule is a vicious mockery of the old ideals. Human loss up to this date can’t be stressed enough, an extinction event worse than even the archaic dinosaurs of the first age. What remains are not even worthy of titles like ‘Nations’ or ‘Governments’. Petty Kings by and large rule in the husks of once great empires. Monarchs descended from families who gained power under a variety of circumstances. Some were just raised this day as the Comet appears, Warlords leading bands of entrepreneuring mercenaries and Lords. Others descend from somewhat ancient blood lines, Kings of old who held their people together through the ruining of an age and came through to see the third. Perhaps others even hold the republic ideals of old, forming small pockets of idealism in an otherwise grim world. For this was not a world anymore where peace and prosperity acted as a rocket for humanity to soar. In fact those very same humans can be blamed for the state it’s now in. Resources were depleted, especially for the primitive extraction methods of this third age. Rivers and lakes dried up into flatbeds, oceans offering a daunting challenge to any on its coast, and no promise of land beyond. Populations scattered across the entire landmass, eking out an existence in the few verdant spots, or perhaps even adapting to survive in this new age of scarcity and inhospitable environs. And of course all these reasons bred far more reason and justification for war. However this was far different to the second age, which rapidly experienced the height of artificial destruction before flatlining again. Humans of the third age could rarely pick up the pieces, or even comprehend them. Instead we find something far more organic, and naturally evolving over time. By now states were no longer reduced to fighting with bronze and stone weapons, after the technology of old had been exhausted and lost to knowledge. Steel and Flesh rule this time, organized and orientated to the feudal societies growing in the wastes. Gallant knights riding expensive horses thunder over the beaten dust of the continent, men-at-arms following behind in blocks of sword and spear. Prized archers string their bows and unleash volleys of arrows into ranks. Far more crazy or perhaps inventive kingdoms use unorthodox methods, primarily those adapted to the harsh realities of the world. Whilst more developed Kingdoms tend to rely on the levy system. Armies as they knew them were mostly very small, cores of veterans, knights, and unique units relying on larger levys to augment them. Perhaps a few thousand could be mustered by a single Kingdom, and would be considered a large army for this time. Gone were the days where millions clashed over massive targets spanning for leagues. Now war was much smaller, based on careful skirmishing, positioning, and of course decisive battles. Kings generally oversaw a variety of powerful and influential vassals under their throne. The Kingdoms were so small, struggling so hard to survive, that they were usually all a tight knit and intricate system. All this leads to a delicate power play for monarchs, trying to survive, even prosper, in this new age. There are few if any “Empires” or powerful Monarchs. Most find themselves just emerging from centuries of horrible endurance. Suffering war, famine, disease, infighting, disasters of unknown proportions. Smaller Kingdoms, petty states, and tribes of people generally dominate the makeup of the continent’s humans. The people as we know them in the first year of the Third Age; By and large a far more unintelligent and debased lot then we’ve ever seen in history before. Their ancestors reportedly surpassed the limits of the planet itself in the search for knowledge. But these people stare up at Adon’s Comet, scratching their heads and squinting in confusion. Literacy was few and far between, knowledge a rare commodity. Though it’s true some fragments of history have come with them into this age, most of what these people know is fire and blood. However scholars of their time were able to piece together some knowledge of the past. Though looking at it through the lens of study, we can see most of it is highly mythicised. In particular the ‘Empire of Illian’, a republic of massive proportions in the second age. One of the biggest supporters of the age’s ideals, they spread peace and stability throughout the entire world. At their height ambassadors could travel with impunity, considered a worthy addition to any Government. Their technology, libraries, and impact are what led to their name being unforgettable as it echos down the tracts of time. Illian is almost like a new ideal, that people clung to as the world tore itself apart. An ideal some may aspire to now, as the dream of brighter days, while surrounded by inhospitable wastes. Though we could dive further into this illustrious Nation, it can’t be said any of the Third Age truly know much about Illian. One faction we do know much about however is the ‘Gorans’ , a relatively new faction with ancient roots. They entered the scene some hundred years before the beginning of the Third Age. They were a people of ruthless and blood thirsty dominance in the days of old. A nation of warmongers who helped hasten the demise of the Second Age. A group so terrible they are partially responsible for the breaking of the world. Shermani himself hailed from this nation. Ironically, they have no records or knowledge of this grim past in their current state. After so long losing so much, their people had regressed to the point of a migratory tribe. With little knowledge of their past, and uncertainty in the future, these people renounced violence, and most civilization. Most had been scarred by the centuries of war, genetically as well as mentally/physically. There were people suited to the harsh realities of the wastes in between pockets of life. They grew smaller, far more skinny and agile, relying on very little water to keep them going. They grew into tribes, and continued the policy of migration. However they soon learned to pick up the tactic of trade caravans, heading from city to city. Few dare to brave the wastes, and these mercantile peoples were eager to seize that opportunity. The Gorans are now synonymous with wealth and trade. They can be found most anywhere, and one can consider himself lucky if one of their caravans finds them on the wastes. Pacifist in nature, they don’t carry weapons, or much in the way of defense. Their wagons are all brightly painted, led along by some of the finest horses the wastes has to offer. The people themselves dress in a panoply of bright colors, in a variety of intricate or simple designs. Most carry an instrument or good walking stick, and any are invited to their camps to sing and dance. The Ka'Goran Trade Confederation is their most famous achievement, a vastly rich amalgamation of Goran tribes dominating trade heading beyond and to their region of the continent. The Kingdom of Camadacia is what all regard as the bastion of Chivalry, Knightls, and Lords. A veritable paradise of densely populated land, thriving on one of the last true pockets of paradise on this barren world. Their King, Odilon Langlois Descoteaux, is a man of unrivalled prestige. At just the age of fourteen he bested the regency dominating his Kingdom, uplifting his citizens based off merit to form an effective administration of the realm. With such massive populations centers to rely on, this Kingdom has little to worry in the way of survival. This has led to a flurry of innovations, expeditions for lost knowledge, and powerful martial might. The Bak-nari Republic is a land and people of mystery. They have only arrived in the past century, considered new blood among the established petty Kings. Their ideals certainly aren't new, as the Republic preaches the ideals of Illian itself. They have engaged in no diplomacy, or trade. Any on the coast can see their scout ships however, always observing, always where they don't think to look. The HOLY Adonian Order is similarity shrouded in mystery. Their entire city is built around a relic of the second age. A massive building with a long funnel like contraption pointing to the heavens, on their highest peak. The Order has sects all around the continent, praising their messiah, Adon of Illian. A mythical deity like figure, Adon is worshipped as the best leader of men to have ever lived. His tenants are adhered to without exception, and the Order is always looking to expand, and collect relics. They almost live in a different age, secluded in their oasis lake...... Technology as we know it in the first year of the Third Age; By and large the majority of Kingdom’s in this time rely on very primitive forging and mining techniques. A mine for instance relies almost entirely on human power, with pickaxe and shovel. A forge could range from a backyard urn, to a more refined armorer with all the tools of his trade in a city. What this means is almost all armies are equipped with the simple tools of war. Sword, Lance, Spear, Bow, Crossbow, Javelin, Shield, Leather, Chain, Plate armor. The standard array of war in what we record as the ‘feudal’ times in the mysterious first age. Architecture and domestic society follow the same feudal lines, castles usually being pure utility. Towns popping up mostly are made of wood, and very rarely more than two stories. Horses, Oxen, and Mules are still the primary method of transportation, hauling wagons and rickshaws with them. Currency is by and large coin based, relying on gold and other rare metals. Bartering is not uncommon however, a valuable tool in the wastes. Though most of the world follows this lack of knowledge from the past, there are still relics of Power within this new world. Hidden away, jealously guarded, or for a number of reasons they still persist. Objects of intense power and human innovation that most of this Age can hardly comprehend. But occasionally they will figure out how to work it, and the benefits are vast. Most famously known is the HOLY SUIT which lies within the Adonian Order’s grasp. A set of armor similar to plate, however it fully encompasses its user, lending them superb strength and unrivaled protection. The suit however swiftly kills most wearers, the Order deeming them unworthy of its power. They seek a champion who can wield the suit without suffering it’s effects. Though Relics of Power are highly sought after, perhaps equally as important is the Architecture of the second age. The world had swallowed most of it, humanity destroying the majority of the rest. But every once in a while the stars aligned to preserve a piece of the past. Perhaps an old skyscraper, now a massive insular Kingdom. Or a decaying dam, holding an oasis for any bold enough to find. ----------------------------------------------------- APPLICATIONS Discord Name (If I don't already have it): Nation Name: Nation Government/Leader Rank: Description of National/Provincial History & Culture: Notable Characters; [VERY Important to have flushed out RP for vassals, politicians, w.e your government type is. Due to small scale of nations, characters with RP and Lore behind them will have much more impactful actions, will get events, boons, etc: Unique Military Units (One): National Idea (nothing strictly mechanical): Player POI;
  5. SHATTERED SUNS The year is 10,420 AE - The Empire Burns ==-----<>-----== "When Empires fall, they fall in fire, and in blood, but, while the Sun may set on a civilisation's greatness, an Empire’s legacy will live on, in the shadows of its dusk. Although the Third Empire, the absolute pinnacle of human might and society, crumbled into nothingness, in the hidden corners of that ruination, lingered the beliefs and convictions that had served as its foundations. Though the Empire's territories have devolved into a teeming mass of Stellarchs and warlords, there remains a single, all encompassing belief - the supremacy of mankind. Man is the Master of the Galaxy, and though we have suffered through the Second Schism, Man will inevitably rise once more, to vanquish our foes, and to reclaim our rightful place amongst the stars." -The last public speech of the Tanu Kavan, Panayiotou The Fall of the Third Empire was the tragedy of a generation - a collapse brought about by the vicious infighting of the Republicans and the Loyalists, perpetrated by the ambitions of the Emperor, Rän-ji XVI, his loyal hound, Lord Teniert of Orteau, and the resistance of the Republican Tanu Kavan, Lord Panayiotou, along with the treacherous sedition planned by the likes of the Stellarch Tuakeo, who plotted to seize the Starcast Throne for himself. In the ensuing Civil War, the Galaxy was ripped asunder, divided between the two Imperial camps, or among the various rebels and traitors scattered mostly throughout the western portions of space. As the Third Empire found itself crushed beneath the weight of a war that pitted brother against brother, the age-old enemy struck. Erasmis, the Mind-Bender, a fearsome Irik Warlord, sallied forth from the Irearchy, laying waste to all before him. Moving decisively, he captured Kaumai and, with his own hand, ended the lives of the Emperor and his direct heir. From this onslaught Lord Matareka, the infirm Lord Teniert’s replacement, and the only leadership remaining to the Loyalist government - whose name has become forever synonymous with treachery - abandoned his post in that dark hour, to save his own hide, condemning the Empire to its miserable fate. After millenia of waiting, time has finally come full circle - the Empire is dead, and in its place dwells a thousand bickering Warlords, squabbling over the remains of their once mighty nation. The Second Schism has come, and former Imperial territories must now contend not only with their own infighting, but also with the constant and savage raids of Irik Warchiefs, and all the while Erasmis, the Mind-Bender, rules the Core with his ironclad fist, from atop the Starcast Throne in the Imperial Observatory. But though the Third Empire has shattered, the might of mankind has not faded - while the great military hardware of the Old Empire is rare now, broken, lost or abandoned over the five, bitter decades since the Fall, mankind still possesses the means to protect himself and his remaining territories. For all the squabbling of the Warlords, they still share one, common foe, one focus of their unified hatred - the Irik - and all remember the values and ideals upon which the Empire was constructed. For the Third Empire fell by fire, by greed, by treachery - but just as the Third Empire fell, so too will mankind rise once more to domination of the Universe - By the sword. ==---<>---== NPCs Emperor Ran-ji XVI -- Murdered by Erasmis, The Mindbender on Kaumai Crown Prince, Ran-lir XII -- Murdered by Erasmis, The Mindbender, on Kaumai Empress Raa -- Presumed Dead, at the hands of Erasmis, The Mindbender. Grand Admiral Roko -- Murdered by Erasmis, The Mindbender, above Buath. Grand Admiral Nalani -- Killed in heroic action during the defense of Kaumai. Arero Rumari -- Murdered by Irik under the command of Erasmis, The Mindbender, during the sack of Kaumai. Grand Admiral Sorin -- Active Warlord in the Inner Rim Grand Admiral Rakena -- Active Warlord in the Inner Rim Admiral Otikoro -- Active Warlord in Deep Space Admiral Rata -- Killed in action against Republican forces. Admiral Kawhena -- Active Warlord in the Inner Rim Grand Admiral Pepe -- Active Republican Governor Grand Admiral Manhuera -- Active Republican Governor Grand Admiral Rahn -- Killed in action against Loyalist forces. Stellarch U’ilanni -- Succumbed to age. Tanu Kavan Panayiotou -- Assassinated leaving the Republican Senate. Admiral Rona -- Killed in action against Irik forces above The Ring. Arakatera -- Killed in action during the First Siege of Orteau. General Corvin – Killed in action during the First Siege of Orteau. Admiral Avivira -- Killed in action against FWA forces. Admiral Netana -- Committed suicide shortly after surrendering his armies to FWA forces. Emperor Tuakeo I -- Succumbed to age Kauri Arapai -- Leads the PLF on Kaumai and in the Core. Star Marshal Radavan Jelavic -- Defected to the USSC following the downfall of the FWA. OWTC CEO, Tamatoa -- Murdered under mysterious circumstances. ==---<>---== “The Emperor is dead. The Palace-Moon burns. I send now this final message unto the Void. The Imperial Guard will follow the Emperor on his path with all the honor and glory it can muster. Glory to the Emperor! Glory to the Empire!” -Unknown Officer of the Imperial Guard, on open channels, following the Sack of Kaumai The State of the Northern Marches “Have them dig a pit, then line them up on the edge of it.” -Colonel Ikaika, in the aftermath of an Irik raid The Northern Sectors of the Galaxy, the old Imperial Marches, have all but fallen to the might of the Irik foe. Though Badab, Tso and a smattering of fractured Loyalist Warlords continue to bitterly resist the march of Irik warbands, the North is a bitter wasteland, fallen almost completely to the enemy. The silver lining, however, is the enemy is now as bitterly divided as the many states of man, as Irik Warlords now savagely turn upon each other, seeking to avenge age-old slights, to seize slaves, resources and territories, or to prove to all the might and honour of their Houses. This constant infighting is all that has prevented the last bastions of Imperial space in the North from being overrun, and it is all that has allowed the shattered remnants of House Matareka, led by the last of that line, Mohiki, to persist in these troubled times. Though Matareka is ostracised and hated still, the shattered remnants of Lord Roko’s fleet had no option but to flee to their space, and House Matareka represents one of the most significant resistances to Irik domination. Erasmis, threatened north and south, savagely continues to defend his territory from would-be challengers to his legendary status, dividing his attention, and ultimately keeping many territories in the Core and the Republic safe from his brutality. The State of the Western Galaxy “It seems that the Lord of a Thousand Stars is as weak as the masters of the Old Empire….” -Unknown Altairean Officer Peace is a rare commodity in this new Galaxy, and this is no less true in the vast tracts of Western Space, where the traitor Tuakeo birthed his Fourth Empire. Though the Fourth Empire lives on, its founder has long since perished, after a short, age-related illness. While his son, Tuakeo II now rules this state, he is weak and this new Empire has quickly become underrun with sedition and treachery. Politics are dominated by the abnormal men of Matene, led by Tanalar the Glorious, Tuakeo’s uncle. The weakness of the Fourth Empire’s government has become all too apparent in recent years. Many of the great Stellarchies that flocked to Tuakeo’s cause when he began his sedition have abandoned the crumbling Empire, as Tanalar indulges in extreme hedonism and endorses his personal sycophants. In the southern stretches of the Fourth Empire, almost all of the old territory is gone, divided now between bickering Warlords, whose only difference from the Warlords of the East is a significantly more self-serving character. Most notable of these warlords is the province of Altaire, which has achieved great relevance through the nearly wholesale destruction of the Free Workers’ Alliance, leading them to status as a regional power. Altaire betrayed Tuakeo even more swiftly than it betrayed Ran-ji, and now it enjoys the fruits of its treasons. In the Northern areas of Western space, Hyperboreia, triumphant over Irik invasion, continues to build its might in preparation for the coming Great Crusade. Meanwhile, the Interplanetary Defensive Initiative consolidates their hold over their space, and continues to expand their industry and military power, in a bid to defend their own peculiar brand of liberal rule. Also hidden away, with little territory but carefully consolidated military might, is Lord Otikoro. Otikoro’s Imperial Reclamation Fleet is ever prepared to do what is necessary to revitalise the failing Empire, and return a rightful heir to the Starcast Throne. The State of the Free Colonies "All we've built... gone.." The period of independence, stability, and prosperity enjoyed by the Free Colonies proved to be fleeting. The tide of war and chaos which would engulf the whole of the galaxy did not spare the isolated state beyond the Empire’s western borders. As Erasmis sacked the Palace-Moon of Kaumai, the Colonies’ Penal Worlds rose up in glorious revolution. This would only trigger a downward spiral as the Empire’s chaos overflowed into Colonial space. Altairean battlefleets pursuing FWA forces would come to blows with the Colonials countless times - only further toppling the power of the already scrambling government. The northern sectors of Colonial space is now dominated by the Directorate, a super conglomeration of industrialists and other corporate interests seeking to protect their own interests which separated from the Colonial government when it became apparent that they would be unable to control the situation. To their east lies the Tarvek Confederacy, a collection of mining worlds where the Colonial Government employed Kall slaves in vast quantities. Since triggering the events which would collapse their oppressing governments, the Kall have seized a frightening amount of space. Little is known of what lies beyond their borders, but rumors spread of human slavery. In the south a near constant state of warfare is present, facilitated by the rapidly expanding Heavenly Kingdom of Atu-an, who wages war on all fronts against the remnants of the Colonial Government, The Colonial Reorganisation Authority, and the newly established United Socialist Star Communes. The State of the Eastern Galaxy “Keep firing! Keep those guns firing! Fire until the barrels melt in your very hands! Fire until every one of them is dead! Fire! Fire! Fire! But do NOT let them leave this field alive!” -Kauri Arapai, the third year of the Siege of Kaumai For fifty years, the Eastern Sectors of the Galaxy have burned, saddled beneath the enormous weight of a hundred squabbling states, across a thousand squabbling systems. Peace is an alien concept here, where warfleets have freely roamed, and countless worlds have fallen victim to the horrors of planetary siege. In the Mid Rim the Republic, the last unified authority from the days of the Third Empire, rules over a vast (though massively reduced) territory that grows more unruly with each passing year. The Senate finds itself as divided as ever, between Constitutionalists and Republicans, and a rapidly growing faction of Separationists - military governors who look ever more fondly to the possibility of military control of the State. The Republic increasingly relies on the strength of Grand Admirals Pepe and Manhuera to prop up the central government, as the peripheries continue to push towards their own destinies. Further, the Republic finds itself ever more in debt to the many mercantile factions that always held influence over the affairs of the Imperial State. The Eastern Rim Trading Company holds up the Republican treasury, supplying seemingly endless credit for the fading state. The ERTC is not without their own goals, however, and their representatives are hard at work securing rights amongst the many fractured Loyalist remnants, who now control the space lanes in the sectors south of the Core. Although the Republic is becoming increasingly split by ideological differences, and the realities of mercantilist influence, at least they have survived as a united state. In the South, the Admirals of the Imperial Navy took full advantage of the chaos resulting in the Fall of the Third Empire, and seized much territory for themselves, by means of their fleets. The Southern Sectors of the Eastern Galaxy are particularly divided, as dozens of formerly Loyalist officers bicker and squabble over whatever shreds of territory are left to claim. Only the ever present eye of the Star-Breaker, Erasmis, and the careful diplomacy of the major warlords have prevented the region from descending into total chaos. Peace in the south has been maintained by the plotting of Grand Admiral Sorin - who occupied much of Orteau, following the Fall - and his allies, Grand Admiral Rakena and Admiral Kawhena. This triple agreement has convinced the other, more bellicose, warlords - Lords Taanga, Keretene and Rata - to reign in their horns, and to bide their time. Perhaps it is well that it is so, for bordering both the weakened Republic and the fractured Loyalists are the hyper-nationalists of the Eastern Galactic Provisional Authority, who seek to extend their influence across the entire Empire, and to reunify the shattered Empire in the image of their own brutal military dictatorship. And finally, the Core…. The Core burns, under the fire of war. Planets lie ruined, beneath the smouldering bodies of billions. Irik warfleets, under the rule of Erasmis and his minions, patrol the inky void. On planetary surfaces, tens of millions of bold Planetary Liberation Front volunteers battle viciously to repulse the Braves of the Mind-Bender. Worlds crack under the savagery of Irik orbital bombardment. Erasmis glasses what he cannot hold, with the exception of one point, the Center of the Universe. Kaumai. Against the hordes of Erasmis, Kaumai stands. Against the atrocities of Irik Braves, Kaumai holds. For fifty years, the PLF have fought on the surface of the industrialised city-world capital of the Third Empire, fighting by day and night under the very eyes of the Star-Breaker himself, who watches the explosions from atop the Starcast Throne in the Imperial Observatory, drinking from the skull of the Emperor, with the bones of the Empire’s heir lying, forgotten and shattered, at the base of the steps. Every day, he watches with impotent fury as mankind continues to resist the might of his Warriors. He watches in desperation, eager to finally end the siege, and gain control of the planet’s vast resources. But the Siege of Kaumai can only end when the last bullet is fired. When every drop of water and every morsel of food is gone. When the last battlecry is screamed, When the last man is dead. Only then will Kaumai fall. ==---<>---== "Thick, inky darkness hung over our lines, almost as if we crouched in a trench in the Void, far far above our heads. It was hard to see, but we knew they were out there. We could hear them. You learned to hear Irik when they tried to creep. They're quiet, despite their size, but it's the soft jingling of the armour that gives it away. Their War-Chief, some savage creature that called itself 'Vrallok' had overrun a position a month before with this kind of night attack, crawling up to our trenches and slaughtering all within. But that company had only been boys, barely off of the Crucible. We were a different kettle of fish - most of us had seen at least one tour on Vaka or Buath, some of the older NCOs had seen tours on Vaka and Buath, and our Colonel, Iron Hohepa, had served a dozen tours between the two. We waited as they crept close. We had no heavy artillery, but we didn't need it. They got closer and closer. Well within our theoretical effective range, though any veteran will tell you the rounds simply ricochet off if that's when you open fire. Finally, they were where we wanted them. Our lines lit up, waves upon waves of golden traces splitting the air with an ear splitting roar. Nothing could have lived on that field, once we opened up on it. In the morning, when the darkness finally lifted, we walked across that field, covered in groaning, twitching, screaming Irik carcasses, and we sent every one of the reeking bastards straight to hell." -Officer of the 72nd Legion, Accounts of the Outer Core Campaigns The Factions The IX Chapter Based in the Core, the 9th Chapter are the fruits of a Hyperborean plot to infiltrate the Loyalist Systems during the Civil War. Arriving too late to participate in the fighting itself, these extremists were isolated by the onset of Erasmis’ campaign and the Imperial collapse that followed. Capitalizing off public hysteria and general pandemonium following the Collapse the chapter performed mass conversions across a handful of Core Worlds. Now firmly in power, the Chapter continues its ideological crusade against the Xeno menace, purging frequently and where it can. The Chapter likewise harbors an intense dislike of the Loyalists for their alliance with the Irik during the war, which they believe led to the Empire’s Collapse. The Chapter’s military is constructed largely of retrofitted Civilian ships, and outdated or salvaged Imperial hardware. Despite lacking high-tier equipment and training, the Chapter’s soldiers are fanatically loyal to the cause, fighting to the last without question. Life on Chapter Worlds is highly structured, adhering to a strict religious code imported from Hyperborea. The Chapter lacks any grand ambitions of statehood, instead seeking only to eradicate Xenos and Xeno Sympathizers wherever they are. These actions are often carried out in irregular or undercover manners whenever possible. Terrorism is frequently employed by the Chapter. The VII Chapter Holed up in former Kiritauan space, the 7th Chapter are the remnants of a Hyperborean Crusade originally bound for Buath, but trapped in Kiritau due to the outbreak of the Civil War. When the Empire began to undergo its collapse, these religious extremists became truly lost. However the invading alien hordes provided ample opportunity to carry out their mission. In the 50 years since the Collapse these Ordermen have taken full advantage of the situation, establishing a sizable dominion over a number of worlds in Kiritau space. Life on Chapter Worlds are highly structured, adhering to a strict religious code imported from Hyperborea. The 7th Chapter is much more organized then their Core based counterparts. Their dominion is a full fledged state, one which frequently wars with neighboring bodies, notably the Red-Gold Concordat, The House of Bones, and the 4th Empire. The 7th’s Chapter military is composed of a healthy mix of retrofitted Civilian ships, domestically produced warships, and salvaged Imperial hardware. Like all Chapter personnel, their fighters are fanatically loyal and will obey orders or fight to the last without question. Order of the Crescent The Order of the Crescent is a mysterious religious order present within the Outer Rim. After the Empire’s collapse, the Order’s home system was abandoned or forgotten about Republican and Loyalist forces. In the power vacuum, the Order assumed the role of the system’s military arm, pressing a number of civilian vessels into service. Since the Order began policing the system, and those nearby, piracy in the area has rapidly fallen off. The skirmishes that do erupt usually end badly for the aggressors. The secret to the Order’s success is not exactly known, but the most outrageous of sailor’s rumors speak of psychic warriors capable of obscenely powerful feats. The Order has no official foreign policy, or even government, but typically it remains removed from the affairs of the rest of the galaxy. Simply protecting its pocket of space. The Reef A short lived, yet ambitious, criminal enterprise turned sprawling empire. The infamous Bichir’s original offensive during the closing days of the Civil War captured huge swathes of Republican Space and essentially wiped out the OWTC, his largest rival. Unfortunately, Bichir’s newly won space was space that the Syndicate could never feasibly govern, let alone hold against even weary and battered Imperial forces. Ransoms and treaties were quickly arranged between the Crimelord and the Republic, and much of the Shore was ceded back into Republican hands. The act served to remind the Imperials what lurked beneath, and that the Syndicate was ever present and ever willing to throw its weight where it needed to be. Nonetheless, Bichir was now master of a comfortable chunk of space, wholly independent. In the years after the Collapse the Shore has continued to exist as it always has, just now much less in the shadows. The Syndicate directs smuggling and piracy all across the southeastern galaxy, employing The House of Ghosts as its primary muscle as well as a substantial number of other aliens and human mercenaries. No Rivals exist for the Syndicate to best, but it has become apparently clear that the legendary Bichir is aging. It is no secret that the infamous Crimelord will soon pass, no doubt leaving a shattered empire in his wake. The Red-Gold Concordat Inhabiting the Border Regions of the former Imperial domain, The Concordat is a union of the Irik House of Blood and an Imperial Star-Garrison. Originally brokered by a particularly greedy and corrupt Commander, the tenuous alliance has gradually shifted into a unified force in the years since the Empire’s collapse. The Concordat rules it’s worlds with an iron fist through a muddled and almost feudal bureaucracy of military command meshed with Irik honour-structure. Far from the most organized of the galaxy’s factions, much of the Concordat’s local rulers pursue a policy of absolute profit, sucking as much money and resources as possible from the populace, most of who live in absolute poverty or slavery-like conditions. The Concordat’s culture is equally harsh. Punishments are cruel and handed out leniently. Populations are routinely culled of members viewed to be unfit for labor or duty. Talk of rebellion, or anything against the Concordat’s ideals for that matter is usually met with lethal force. During its founding, The Imperial Commander Lar-si had nearly half a world glassed for an attempted uprising, and whole cities frequently obliterated at little more than a drop of a pen. In terms of geopolitical goals, the Concordat leadership has become enthralled with Irik culture. Simply put, they seek to gain martial dominance over as many “Houses” Irik or otherwise as possible, ideally building Baron Korvak’s (The House of Blood’s Leader) prophized Empire of the Strong from the carcass of Human space. Eastern Rim Trading Company Originally specializing in shipping and industrial production during the days of the empire the ERTC was forced to rapidly adapt as the Imperial Government collapsed around it. Initially, a healthy agreement was struck with the burgeoning Republic, but the discovery of Far Rim hyper lanes quickly and exponentially grew the power, influence, and wealth of the Company beyond that which could be provided by the Republic. The ERTC has since grown to administer a plethora of worlds and facilities across the Far Rim, pioneering the exploration and colonization of this new frontier. In this sense, they essentially hold a monopoly on travel and trade to this new sector of space, eagerly policing and taxing the long hyperlanes which run into them. This profit alone has allowed the ERTC to become one of the richest and most influential entities in the post-Imperial Galaxy. Without the protection and stability afforded by the Empire, the company has been forced to militarize. The Imperial Collapse left more than a few unemployed soldiers and officers, all of which were eagerly snapped up and signed onto the Company’s payroll. This, along with the “consolidation” (annexation) of Kohatu Driveyard’s largest installations has led to the Company becoming one of the most professional, well equipped, and largest militaries in the Galaxy. Despite the immense power wielded by the Company, it is spread thin and without direct connection. Even with its newfound status, the ERTC still finds itself heavily involved with business in the rest of the galaxy, taking on arms contracts with constantly feuding warlords, and supplying large quantities of food and material wherever it is needed. For the most part, the ERTC acts impartially, and strictly in its own self interest, which is obviously to increase profits. Universal Security Originally owner of an Imperial-granted monopoly of the shipping industry, Universal Shipping’s business model soon began to break down as Imperial infrastructure crumbled around it and the demand for its services likewise plummeted. In need of cash flow to maintain their operations, Universal has since rebranded itself, converting a large portion of its gigantic merchant fleet into full fledged warships. In a galaxy full of war and turmoil, Universal Security now operates in a niche of its own - guns for hire! Any ambitious Warlord or pirate with enough coin or credit to his name can have his own private fleet, and with it, carve out his kingdom. Universal Security’s fleet personnel is largely sourced from the Outer Rim and trained by a cadre of ex-republican officers. Universal specializes in ships of the Cruiser designation and lower, lacking any significant amount of sufficiently sized hulls or frames to mount dreadnought equivalent armament. In addition to mercenary work, Universal still maintains a strong grip on the shipping and transport industry, and is capable of moving goods or people across the galaxy quickly and efficiently. The Interplanetary Defense Initiative (IDI) Occupying the northern mid-rim, the IDI is a coalition of former Imperial Worlds either abandoned by the Loyalists or too far flung to be assisted by the Republic. The IDI in practice is a federal government which has the primary goal of maintaining the security and prosperity of its member worlds. Surprisingly, it is one of the most coordinated and centralized bodies in the Post-Imperial galaxy. IDI worlds are largely spared from the rampant chaos, warlordism, and violence prevalent throughout much of the rest of the galaxy and as such are some of the galaxy’s most developed. On these worlds the IDI’s rule is ever-present, but far less intrusive than in its contemporaries. Compared to the rule of the Old Empire, it is vastly more liberal. The core of the IDI Battlefleet, also known as the IDF (Interplanetary Defense Fleet), is composed of ancient Imperial Battleships brought up from deep storage and a pair of barely-serviceable dreadnoughts salvaged from a Civil War battlefield. The rest of IDI ships are lighter vessels saved or captured from the empire, or even retrofitted civilian ships, notably the IDS Crater, a civilian super-freighter turned carrier. Though the IDI’s hardware is exceptionally lacking compared to their imperial predecessors, the professionalism and coordination of the organization is its primary strength and has been the primary reason for the IDI’s success against all manners of threats. Many IDI circles see themselves as the most worthy successor to both the Republic and Empire. In recent years, the Initiative has made a number of strides to secure more worlds, and more importantly, more ships. Ever expanding, there are many who would like to see the IDI rebuild the Empire in its own image. The Eastern Galactic Provisional Authority Originally born from fractured Republican states and deserting Republican and Loyalist admirals alike in the southern Outer Rim, the Eastern Galactic Provisional Authority is a Military Junta dedicated to the restoration of Man’s former dominion over the stars. Rule over their current domain is carried out by military Despots, usually high ranking or influential members of the various officer cliques, appointed by the Provisional Government. The central government itself is dominated by a single party, the Galactic Restoration Movement, a hyper-nationalist organization of ex-imperial officers. Since the establishment of the Provisional Authority, massive drives have been undertaken to increase Industrial output, and in recent years ship-building efforts have grown thrice fold. Life on Provisional worlds is civilized, but notably more rigid and intrusive than the far off rule of Kaumai. The Eastern Galactic Provisional Authority presents a unique challenge for the many squabbling warlords and divided interests of the Outer Rim, being one of the only large, industrial, and unified states in possession of a capable fleet. Though largely untested in battle apart from minor border clashes with the Republic and Imperial Warlords, the resolve of the EGPA has never been stronger, and they boast one of the strongest militaries on paper. Rumors spread of preparations for the Authority’s campaigns to restore Order to Man’s divided domain. The Union of Socialist Star Communes (USSC) A scattered cluster of rebellious Industrial, Mining, and Refinery worlds which broke away from the Free Colonies not long after the Imperial Collapse. The amalgamation of uprisings which would lead to the USSC was initially organized and launched by Communists fleeing from the FWA in the wake of Altaire’s invasion of their space. Since their revolution, USSC worlds have been pressured hard by their neighbors, and many of their movements have been successfully snuffed out. The remaining coalition of USSC planets, though, have undergone almost suicidally destructive wartime measures to ensure their survival. At present, the USSC is embroiled in an undeclared conflict against its neighbors. No major engagements have yet occurred in space, but several Atuan legions are actively involved in a number of ground-invasions against exposed Communist worlds. The geopolitical aim of the USSC is to secure the rights of the Proletariat across the galaxy, and destroy the long since ingrained institutions of capitalism and the nobility. The Free Workers’ Assembly (FWA) The FWA has existed for some 70 years now, splitting from the Free Colonies only a short time before the beginning of the Civil War. During this period, the FWA had experienced a great string of successes, repelling Imperial efforts to retake their provinces and expanding their influence into the neighboring K-Land. After the outbreak of the Civil War and the formation of the Fourth Empire, the FWA was forced into its first major conflict with the Altairean battlefleet, which launched a punitive campaign to wipe out the state before it could spread further. The war against Altaire proved to be disastrous for the FWA, which suffered defeat after defeat, losing world after world to the Imperial menace, even as emergency wartime measures were implemented. (The letter is the first letter of your first name). The only saving grace proved to be the overextension of Altairean fleets and armies, which were eventually forced to withdraw from FWA held deep space, scorching everything they could not carry as they left. The war against Altaire left the FWA hideously weak, exposed, and without much of its former industrial or agricultural capabilities. Into the modern era, the FWA is but a shell of its former self, what remains of the state having been slowly picked away by its neighbors while its internal politics stagnate due to political infighting. The Planetary Liberation Front Originally founded by the late populist Senator, Arapai, as a militant workers’ rights movement, the PLF has since evolved into a fearsome band of Imperial Resurrectionist Freedom Fighters. The PLF operates throughout all of the Irik-occupied Core Worlds, and savagely resists Irik rule, by means of open confrontation or terrorism. Though they are forced, on many worlds, to resort to guerilla warfare, on the Old Capital of Kaumai - a massively industrial city planet, where once the very air was choked with toxic smog - the PLF stands in open warfare against the Irik, Erasmis. While the PLF have no military fleets, the territories they hold on Kaumai are capable of immense military production, and their operatives across the Core are incredibly well equipped with armor, small arms and artillery, making them an incredibly potent force in the battles for control of surface worlds. With hundreds of millions of members, the PLF is a terrifyingly powerful thorn in the side of Irik rule, and their resistance continues to spread throughout the Core. Aokigahara Though the galaxy has undergone a period of intense instability and change, one thing remains constant, The Pirate King. Since his meteoric rise during the decline of the Third Empire, Aokigahara has only found more and more success as the political state continued to deteriorate. As Aokigahara’s power has grown, so too has the severity of his insanity. The now aged Pirate King is a far cry from the discharged officer seeking to take his revenge. Aokigahara now views himself as a harbinger of the Apocalypse itself. From his infamous flagship, the Horseman, the Pirate King sows death and destruction wherever he sails. No mercy is shown to those who resist. Though Aokigahara’s fleet has experienced a substantial amount of defections since the collapse of the Third Empire, it still remains widespread and active, preying on whatever lanes lack adequate security or patrols. Colonial Reorganization Authority In the days leading up to the Collapse, much of the Free Colonies corporate allies began to desert in droves as both the Empire and the Colonial regime to its west began to break down. In the days that followed, the Colonial government was forced to flee from the capital and retreat into the mining and industrial systems which make up the bulk of the country’s interior. Since then, the remnants of the Colonial government have waged a scattered war on all fronts against the successor states which litter the region. Though in possession of a sizable portion of the fleet, they have been pressed hard on all fronts and steadily lost ground. The most fearsome of the Authority’s numerous foes is the newly spawned Heavenly Kingdom of Atu-an, which, in a surprising turn of events, has managed to capture vast swathes of Colonial space, with their warfleets showing no signs of stopping anytime soon. The Directorate After the collapse of the Third Empire, and later the Free Colonies, much of the galaxy’s merchant and industrial operations were placed into an extremely precarious situation. In danger of being destroyed or otherwise subjugated by the nearest warlord with a fleet, the galaxy's largest corporations formed the Directorate, a massive conglomeration of corporate interests and facilities which spans much of the galaxy. The Directorate is helmed by a single Director, who is elected by the board of CEOs and serves for a period of 5 years. The galaxy’s markets and trade lanes are dominated by the Directorate’s presence, and all of its business and interests are fiercely guarded by its own private military force. Any Warlord foolish enough to cross or otherwise scorn the Directorate is often completely shut out from galactic trade and marketplaces, making it an exceedingly rare occurrence at best. The only other corporate body powerful enough to challenge the Directorate is the Easter Rim Trading Company, which has grown hideously rich in the last thirty years of its exploitation and monopolization of the newly discovered Far Rim. The Heavenly Kingdom of Atu-an Throughout much of the galaxy, a strong belief regarding the strength and divinity of the Imperial Line exists. There are many of those who revere those of Imperial blood as mortal incarnations of gods, the emperor even more so. It is not uncommon to find a temple or cult dedicated to the worship of a long dead emperor deep in the Outer Rim. Though this sentiment has largely receded in the last millenia, especially within the Core and Inner Rim, it remains prevalent across the galaxy, even in sectors of space not directly controlled by the Empire. While the Free Colonies crumbled and burned, The Emperor Rūr-vai appeared to Hau-ti, a simple spice farmer, in a dream. Rūr-vai ordered the man to discard his belongings and flee to the nearest spaceport. A command which the poor farmer obediently complied with. Miraculously, Hau-ti fled as a Colonial dropship descended on his village, slaughtering it to a man and torching the rest. Since that day, Hau-ti obeyed the Emperor Rūr-vai’s spirit to the letter, a decision which quickly catapulted him into command of a militia, then a garrison, then a whole planet. Before long, whole systems flocked to the Heavenly banner of Hau-ti. Throughout his meteoric rise, Hau-ti’s claims have only become more and more outrageous. As of the current date, he claims to be a long lost direct descendant of the Emperor Rūr-vai and the one true heir to the Starcast Throne. These claims are validated, he says, by the spirit of Rūr-vai, who appears to him frequently. As outlandish as his rule might be, the Heavenly Emperor Hau-ti offers security and relative freedom in a galaxy filled with chaos and strife, thus, his domain has grown to encompass a large part of the former Free Colonies. Despite this, it is racked with corruption and deceit - for the Emperor is far to focused on his divine purpose to stoop to the commoners' level. While the Emperor himself may not rule particularly harshly, the local commanders and magistrates of his Heavenly Kingdom certainly do. In possession of formerly colonial Driveyards, the Heavenly Kingdom’s fleet is composed of top of the line warships. This is only offset by the fact that the fleet lacks any professional training of any sort. The Oil Barons A collective of the former Empire’s largest and most influential fuel producers. During the Lawlessness of the Collapse and the instability of the Republic that these businessmen had sided with, the various Barons took it upon themselves to claim direct control of the vast Fuel Belt. In command of a significant portion of the Galaxy’s fuel production, these men have grown exorbitantly more wealthy than they already were during the days of the Empire. They maintain a tenuous agreement with the Republic - which ensures that their vast amount of worlds are well supplied on the stipulation that these Barons remain independent - and that the Republic pays their rates. Though these Baronies have a significant fleet in their possession, mostly supplied by Universal Security and the ERTC, their position becomes more precarious with every passing year as many within the Republic become more and more disgruntled at bowing to the Barons beyond the Border. ----ALIEN FACTIONS----- The House of Bones Following the splintering of the Irearchy, the Irik House of Bones began an invasion of the Empire’s western territories. Initially overrunning The Ring and its defenders, the House of Bones burned deep into the fertile territories of Kiritau, as well as across the eastern borders of Tuakeo’s Fourth Empire. Initially catching the dominions of Man off-balance, the House of Bones experienced great success, and pillaged and laid waste to many worlds. Combined efforts from Fourth Empire Fleets and Loyalist Remnants based from Kiritau would see the Empire of Bones recede massively, but not before it had scarred a significant portion of the former Empire’s breadbasket. The name of the House itself is derived from the gruesome slaughter they left in their wake. The Irik Braves of this House were diabolical enough to adorn their weapons, armor, and ships with skulls and bones of their countless human victims. In the modern Galaxy, the House of Bones continues its frequent and sporadic warfare against both its human neighbors to the South and West, as well as their alien neighbors to the north. The Irik chiefs which rule over this domain have little in the way of lofty ambitions. They fight only to enrich themselves further - or when honor compels them too. The House of Summer Perhaps the least warlike of all the Irik Houses, the House of Summer initially entered the Empire’s borders like many other Irik houses, by accompanying the legendary Erasmis during his Great Crusade against Man. Soon after the sack of Kaumai, however,The House would abandon the Crusade and instead push west from the Core, seeking greener pastures. The large and nomadic Home-Fleets of this particular House would come to blows with Republic forces more than a few times during the course of their migration, but passage into the Outer Rim was eventually brokered nonetheless. (Mainly due to the exhaustion and depletion of Republican Fleets rather than any willingness to work with Irik). Since their migration, the House of Summer has further dispersed into the Outer Rim, aligning themselves with the few willing entities that would even consider such a prospect, Including the notorious Bichir and his Shore. These Irik have since become influential and far traveling traders in these regions. When not in their primary line of work, they often work as miners, scavengers, explorers, or mercenaries. In this regard, the House has taken a notable interest in the newly discovered Far Rim Hyperlanes. Yet still, the House of Summer possesses a considerable War Fleet, one which would prove to be a powerful force to anyone rich enough to buy their loyalty. The House of Summer adheres to a notably different Honor-structure than the rest of the Irik houses, viewing uncontested combat such as raiding and piracy as inherently dishonorable and unfair. The House of Summer disregards all subtly in declaring who it will attack and when. It holds a significant dislike for the other Irik houses, which they believe tarnish their own upstanding reputation. The House seeks co-existence with Humanity, much preferring to trade and work within its borders. The House of Suns Fearsome and Bloodthirsty, the House of Suns initially entered the Empire’s borders like so many Irik, by riding the coattails of the Mindbender’s Crusade against Man. Composing the Fleet’s rear guard, however, the House of Suns would never reach the Palace-Moon and its untold riches. Soon after crossing the border, the Suns would desert the Warfleet, instead falling upon the Realm of the Stellarch Nalani. Here the House of Suns would fight several long campaigns against Loyalist forces ultimately resulting in them winning dominion over a significant chunk of the Stellarchy. Since their victory, the House of Suns has ruled their conquered human worlds benevolently, by Irik standards. Real governance of the world is mostly non-existent, and those who dwell on the surface are expected to pay hefty tithes to the House of Suns which rules from their Starships in the skies above. When unrest does arise, the point of interest is either glassed from orbit or descended upon by an array of Braves - whichever the local Irik leader is more in the mood for. Beyond their own borders, the House of Suns harbors an intense rivalry and hatred for the now Legendary House of Winds. They oppose them at every opportunity, and warfare between the two houses is frequent to state it lightly. The House of Suns’ Baron, Eraxis, once a loyal lieutenant of the Mindbender, desires nothing more than to destroy Erasmis and assume his House’s position of the most powerful of the Irik, a feat which they are not far from achieving. Though - as is known to every Irik, while the Mindbender lives, the dominance of the House of Winds is absolute, and none can stand before Erasmis. The House of Void The western most of the Irik House, the House of Void dwells just on the edge of the formerly Imperial Space, its western expansion halted by the Hyperborean Order during the Collapse. The House of Void is strange, even by Irik customs. An intense fascination with psykers, deep space, and religion dwells in the mind of every Void Irik, and they stop at nothing to pursue their morbid curiosities about the secrets of reality. Despite being conventionally stone-walled by the Order’s mighty defenses, the House of Void has been able raid and plunder Hyperborean space and beyond through the frequent use of Stealth Drives, a nasty signature of this particular Irik house. Word has spread of these most curious aliens experimenting with alternate FTL methods - allegedly, Void psykics have unlocked the potential to bend the Universe itself, allowing instant travel between two points. The House of Storms The Irik’s crimes against humanity and numerous and despicable; the House of Storms embodies them all. Among the most powerful of the lesser Irik Houses still aligned with the Mindbender’s House of Winds, the House of Storms are Erasmis’ favored and most trusted lieutenant. Their Warfleet is significant, and their warriors are powerful and without mercy. Where the House of Storms goes, only destruction and devastation follows. Of the raiding, warring, and pirating carried out in the Core and Inner Rim, the House of Storms facilitates a vast majority of it. No other Irik house is quite as bloodthirsty, nor hates Humanity quite as much. Unlike other Irik houses, the House of Storms cares little for treasure; they seek only the glory of their enemies' destruction, and their own triumphs. Worlds unfortunate enough to come under House of Storms rule are often enslaved, slaughtered, or outright glassed by long and withering orbital bombardments. The House of Storms’ Baron, Ilikis, is fiercely loyal to who he views as the true Ruler of all Irik, Erasmis, The Mindbender. He, and by extension, his house, is ready and willing to obey every one of the mighty Star-Breakers commands at a moment's notice. The House of Winds When the brigades of the War-Chief sallied forth unto war, the great Irik war-hosts were unified in purpose, and under the command of Erasmis, the Irik sacked the Capital Moon of Kaumai, and tore a bloody swathe across the northern regions of the shattered Galaxy. This unity did not last long, for Irik are divisive creatures, and many tribes swiftly sought their own personal glory, breaking away with their warriors in an attempt to carve out their own territories amidst the stars. Still, the Mind-Bender, the Star-Breaker, the Monarch-Slayer, is the greatest of the Irik warlords, and still rules from high upon the Starcast Throne, gazing upon his handiwork from the Imperial Observatory. The House of Winds remains the most powerful of the Irik territories established throughout the Galaxy - with his fleets and warriors, Erasmis has enslaved much of the Old Imperial Core, and continues to launch raids and offensives into Imperial-held territories. His control of the Starcast Throne denies any would-be unifier any real sense of legitimacy, and it is his ever present presence that forces many of the Southern Warlords to maintain a vague, uneasy kind of truce, maintained only by their hatred of the Star-Breaker. Still, for all of this Irik’s power - and he shows yet no sign of succumbing to old age - his territories are undermined by the constant interference of the Planetary Liberation Front, which has devolved somewhat from its working class, populist and socialist roots, and presents more of a unified resistance to continued Irik occupation. For fifty years of brutal, ceaseless conflict, Erasmis has unsuccessfully thrown his Braves into the Siege of Kaumai, which has become a battle of absolutely cataclysmic proportions. The House of Ghosts A small and relatively minor house composed of exiled Iriks. The House of Ghosts seeks refuge with the Crimelord, Bichir, whom they serve faithfully as his syndicate’s enforcers. The House of Ghosts is much smaller compared to their Irik contemporaries, and lack any sort of fleet to speak of. Most of the House of Ghost’s members are permanently damaged in some way or another, this encompasses anything from birth defects to lost limbs, or psychological damage. Most of these injuries originate from lost duels or challenges, which compel the Irik into exile to begin with. Though the House’s loyalty lies with Bichir, it is technically controlled by the Warchief Varix, an exile from the House of Winds who once attempted to unseat Erasmis from his rule. For his failure, Varix was deprived of three of his arms and cast into Exile, never to lead again. Luckily, Varix was taken in by Bichir, who had limbs restored with cybernetic replacements in exchange for he and his followers' loyalty. The House of Banners Similar to the House of Summer, the House of Banners began a long migration through the territories of the former eastern empire and into the Outer Rim following the sacking of Kaumai. Unlike the House of Summer, though, The House of Banner’s warfleets tore a bloody swathe through the galaxy, raiding and pillaging as they went. A decade after the Empire’s collapse, upon the discovery of new Hyperlanes into the Far Rim, the House of Banners began yet another migration into these new and uncharted sectors of space. Since then, they have established a budding kingdom on the very edge of known space. Unlike other Irik Houses, the House of Banners prioritizes order and hierarchy above all else. They are not as prejudiced against Human or other aliens either. This has led to Banner Worlds being ruled by a rigid and orderly feudal structure which has integrated existing Human elements. The upper echelons of this structure are dominated by the Irik Warchiefs and their lieutenants, followed by a mix of integrated Human officials and Irik braves. The lower classes are composed of the numerous human lower-classes, and the dregs of Irik society. The Urh-Tûn Confederacy Though a cataclysmic event for humanity, the Collapse of the Empire has presented many long-oppressed Alien races a chance for independence, and the Kall are no exception. As the Irik war-fleets flooded from the cramped worlds of the Irearchy into the Realms of Man, the Kall assembled their remaining worlds into the Urh-Tûn Confederacy, or literally “The Free Kall Confederacy.” Kall worlds are heavily industrialized monoliths spewing out great quantities of Raw Material and Alloys. Furthermore, the Kall are noted to be masters of defense, and planets typically host an array of defensive stations in orbit, planetary shields, and an incredibly complex network of defenses on the surface. There is little contact between the Confederacy and Imperial Successor states, due to not only the plentiful Irik which make travel into Irearchy space troublesome, but also because of the resentment the Kall hold against man for his millenia of oppression and genocide. Still, many of the Human states which inhabit the border regions consider the confederacy to the a circumstantial ally at worst because of its frequent warring with the Irik. Geopolitically, the Confederacy is an expansionist machine, currently embroiled in a now decades long series of conflicts to absorb more of Irearchy space into its domain. Expansion is its foremost concern, and it will pursue any measures necessary to secure the continued independence and longevity of the Kall’s Homeworlds. The Târvek Confederacy The Târvek Confederacy occupies the eastern reaches of the Former Free Colonies. During the Collapse, which inevitably spilled over from the Empire, sizable populations of Kall slave-miners launched a revolt against their human masters. Racked by too much chaos to properly respond, the uprising was able to capture more than a handful of military hardware along with half a dozen Kall penal-worlds. Since then, the confederacy has been in a hard fought struggle to retain its independence, staving off more than a few attempts by Colonial forces to recapture the worlds. The rulers of the confederacy are exceptionally cruel. Since winning their freedom, the Human population has been enslaved and forced to work in the very same mining operations that they had thrust upon the Kall. Obviously, they hold a strong dislike for humanity, and no typically quarter is given to human foes. Geopolitically, the Confederacy has a single goal: Survive. ----IMPERIAL REMNANTS---- The Imperial Reclamation Fleet With the large-scale collapse of the Loyalist war effort in the face of Erasmis’ sacking of Kaumai Lord Otikoro, unable to confront the Irik Warlord himself, was forced to withdraw from the Core and into Deep Space with what men and material he could salvage in an effort to preserve the remnants of his forces, A substantial fleet and a single, shattered legion. Though technically a deserter, Otikoro vowed to avenge the fallen Empire, a sentiment shared by many of his subordinates. Following the Collapse, the Fleet captured a large former Imperial driveyard in addition to several nearby facilities. From this base of operations Otikoro has coordinated several sustained Loyalist operations against both the Republic and Aliens alike. Though his power and influence has grown in the last decades, Otikoro’s fleet still pales before anything of the old empire, both in terms of training and hardware. Despite his men’s motivation, much of their equipment is seriously outdated or damaged, and their training is lackluster on account of the Warlord being forced to supplement his ranks with Outer Rim recruits. Otikoro is nominally in control of several planets, but little official government actually exists. The Warlord runs a strictly military operation, overseeing only necessary operations on the surface such as resource extraction and recruiting. Military presence on these planets is light, as the Reclamation Fleet’s manpower is stretched dangerously thin already. Little is spared for common policing. As such, these planets have become a hive of black market activity where a select few of Otikoro’s more corrupt officers are brave enough to sell off additional ammunition, fuel, and weaponry stores. Despite the Fleet’s many issues, it remains one of the more potent military forces in the post-empire galaxy, and its commander, the now aged Otikoro, yearns to launch his Great Reclamation. The Vaka Star-Garrison When the Third Empire collapsed and the Irik fleets descended on the Empire, Loyalists and Republicans alike were too embroiled in the fighting to pay much mind to the far flung salt world of Vaka and its garrison. With no fleets and no psykics, they were stranded, forced to cling to their wind-blasted fortifications and hope that relief would eventually arrive. It never did. and the Vaka Star-Garrison remained. When Erasmis, the Mindbender, ordered the world, which is Holy to all Irik, retaken he sent countless waves of his Braves against the now stranded defenders, only to be repulsed one after another and sent limping back to their wretched master. The Vaka legions were subject to an onslaught that would last twenty years as first the House of Winds would attempt to seize their Holy World, and then the House of Storms, and finally the House of Suns. Each siege more terrible than the last, the Vakan Legions held their ground, fighting to the last for an Empire that no longer existed despite horrific casualties and brutal conditions. What remains are probably the most veteran and battle hardened Legions in the galaxy, still stranded on their rock, the Vaka Star-Garrison holds its ground without fail, unyielding. The only information available to the Garrison is learned through interrogation of the Irik prisoners they managed to capture. The Vaka system is wholly out of the way and Solar anomalies make space-travel in the system highly dangerous. The Garrison is commanded by General Maitai, a now ancient commander who has been stationed on Vaka without ever leaving the planet for the last 100 years. The Republic Since its victory over the Loyalist war effort in the Civil War, the new galactic republic has stagnated at best, or begun to recede at worst. Occupying a significant portion of the Eastern Outer and Mid Rims, it boasts one of the galaxy’s most competent and numerous militaries - assuming it could ever be spurred into action against its enemies. In the years following the Civil War, Panayiotou continued his leadership of the Republic, introducing economic and military reforms that rebuilt the crippled state’s power base. However, in his tenth year of power, rising factionalism and ever increasing Irik militarism caused the beginnings of major political divisions in the Senate. Ultimately, this resulted in Panayiotou being assassinated, when he was shot leaving the Senate. This vacuum of power resulted in the election of the Stellarch U’Iliani as Tanu Kavan. For U’Iliani’s short term, which lasted until the end of his life, he began a series of military reforms that would see devolved, regional authority being given to military governors on the Republic’s peripheries, in an attempt to create a more fluid and dynamic response, with which to react against would-be invaders. U’Iliani’s death triggered the first of many crises - specifically on how succession to the post of Stellarch functioned. The Senate ratified that the post of Stellarch was appointed by the Senate, and held for a term of no more than 6 years. Following this legislation, the Senate began an evaluation of Stellarchies, converting many found at the heart of the Republic into regions under the direct authority of the Senate itself. As more and more distance began to separate military governors on the Republic’s peripheries and the heart of the Republic, at Kior-an, these local officials began to become more and more disenfranchised with the central authorities of the Republic, and have slowly begun to resemble the warlords found in the southern or western stretches of the Galaxy. As these warlords continue to rise on the Republic’s fringes, increasingly ignoring the Senate’s decrees, the Senate increasingly looks towards Grand Admiral Pepe and Grand Admiral Manhuera (raised from Admiral to Grand Admiral following his victory at the Battle of ____) to uphold their power and prop up the failing state. In more recent years, Pepe and Manhuera both have been forced to personally lead expeditions to the outer reaches of Republican space, to arrest and remove from power the most uppity of these divided, would-be dictators. But, despite the many differences of each individual Warlord, many still uphold true Imperial values, and a unifier is likely to find much traction amongst these bitter old soldiers… The Republic’s politics are divided into three main camps, - The Constitutionalists: Want to see the Emperor restored as a constitutional Monarch, whose power is granted by the Senate. Composed of the more “moderate” Republicans, or those who are so often accused of being ‘Imperial Sympathizers’ by their peers. (~20%) (I) - The Republicans: Want to see the Senate’s rule restored to the whole of the galaxy, but without the reinstatement of the Emperor. The bulk of the Republic’s governors and admiralty fall into this category. (~50%) (II) - The Separationists: Would rather develop their own Republic in the Far and Outer Rims, avoiding the chaos and constant warfare of the Core and Inner Rim. This party is largely made up of the military governors on the edges of republic space and their various cliques. Despite their name, the Separationists' ideal state is far more centralized and authoritarian than the current version of the Republic. (~30%) (III) Republic territories are divided into two main categories, Provinces and Territories. Provinces are under the direct control of what remains of the Republic’s federal government. Territories are military zones typically ruled by generals or admirals appointed by the central government. Republican Provinces --Pepe (II) (7 votes) The most influential man in the Republic’s politics, an immensely popular war hero, and the commander of the Republic’s largest warfleet - including his own personal flagship, one of the galaxy’s last Super Dreadnoughts. --Manhuera (II) (5 votes) Pepe’s second in command, Manhuera achieved widespread popularity after his fleet successfully defeated Battlefleet Reclamation during the Civil War. Manhuera is one of the leading figures of the Republican movement. --Kahurangi (I) (2 votes) An avid Constitutionalist, Kahurangi yearns for the glory days of the Empire - and its many luxuries. --Iolana (I) (4 votes) A man of his word, Iolana joined the republican movement out of his respect for the late stellarch U’ilanni, despite his many loyalist connections and sympathies. --Fetu (II) (2 votes) A newcomer to the political scene, Fetu is an ambitious, thought slightly incompetent politican. --Keuta (II) (1 votes) A true waste of oxygen elevated to his status through his father’s influence in the Republican war effort. Keuta is a follower, and lives entirely in Pepe’s shadow. --Oh’ran (5 votes) An industrialist elected to the position of Stellarch through an intense amount of lobbying and back-door deals. Oh’ran represents the interests of both the ERTC and Universal Shipping within the Republican Senate. Republican Territories --Taito (III) (3 votes) A fat and exceptionally greedy and twisted admiral, Taito is a power-hungry warmonger who wishes for nothing more to rule with an iron fist, which he does - when he can get away with it. --Kiri (III) (2 votes) The least influential of the Separationist senators, Kiri is still one of the Republic’s youngest and most capable commanders with a particular reputation for offense. --Akamu (III) (4 votes) The leader of the Separationist movement, ambitious, ruthless, and cunning, Akamu has amassed a huge following among the Territories’ officer cadres, and his fleet’s strength is rivaled only by those of Pepe and Manhuera. The Southern Imperial Warlords The Southern Imperial Warlords refers to all independent Admirals, Generals and Stellarchs in the last truly Imperial stretches of the Galaxy. These are the aristocrats and officers who fought in the civil war, primarily for the Loyalists, who still adhere largely to true Imperial values - hatred for the Alien menace, loyalty to the Emperor and the strict belief in the absolute supremacy of man. Still, without the presence of a unifying figurehead, these warlords have largely resorted to infighting, battling for control of meager territories, resources and infrastructure. Full-scale conflict, however, has largely been prevented by the constant presence of Erasmis, who hungrily awaits further division of the Old Imperials, so that he may complete his victory. Regardless, it is almost certain that these Warlords would gladly throw their lot behind a true successor to the Starcast Throne. Major Warlords: The major Warlords are the Grand Admirals and lesser Admirals who, in the final days of the Third Empire, used their significant military authority to carve out their own successor kingdoms in the untouched regions of Imperial space. Most of these Warlords gained their power by ousting civilian Stellarchs, and seizing control of their regional forces. The major Warlords are, to a man, proud officers of the Old Imperial Navy, and their forces are operated with a degree of skill and professionalism not typically found within the Galaxy today. In the South, peace is largely maintained by careful diplomacy, primarily between the three most powerful of the major Warlords - Lords Sorin, Rakena and Kawhena. --Lord Taanga Bloodthirsty and vengeful, upon hearing of the defeat above Kaumai, Taanga reportedly flew into a fit of rage so violent that he destroyed much of his personal quarters in the process, ranting and raving about what had been stolen from him as he did. In the days following the death of the Emperor, he grew increasingly spiteful of the Empire’s nobility - blaming them and their incompetence for the Empire’s defeats against the Republic and Aliens alike. Since then, he has only become increasingly radical and as some might say - delusional. Lord Taanga is an avid believer of, “All men are equal under the Crown'' and is an enthusiastic supporter of ‘Monarcho-Syndicalism’ a theoretical system of government designed by himself where the galaxy would be organized into a series of Workers’ Unions subject to the authority of an all encompassing Directorate of Elected Magistrates. Outside of this structure would exist the Emperor’s authority, who as the most powerful protector of the people would be authorized to intervene only when the DEM had overstepped its limits while also functioning as a unifying figure for all mankind. All of this stated, Taanga’s ideas have been heavily influenced by the ideology of the Great Purge. He has expanded upon it, believing that Humanity cannot reach its destined and inevitable Golden Age until not only all Xeno-life has been extinguished, but all Xeno collaborators and sympathizers as well as those otherwise ‘influenced’ by Xeno actions have as well. Ideology aside, Taanga commands one of the most powerful fleets in the galaxy - and he is dead set on rebuilding the Empire as he envisions it should be. Only because of Sorin’s politics is he kept in check. Though many of Taanga’s underlings have become more convinced of his ideology - a majority follow the man purely out of respect for his skill, bravery, and honor, qualities he exhibited frequently during the rule of the Empire. --Lord Rata One of the Empire’s finest commanders - Rata was especially caught off balance by the Collapse and forced to retreat into the South Western reaches of space. Initially in a precarious position, Rata was soon able to consolidate much of the smaller and less influential warlords in his general vicinity and catapult himself into being one of the strongest Warlords, militarily speaking. Rata’s immense influence in Imperial politics, though, stems mostly from his control over the sole hyper lanes into the western galaxy, through which significant amounts of the east’s food supply is imported. --Lord Sorin The Imperial Navy, in the days of Rän-ji, was commanded by a legendary collection of Grand Admirals, famed for their talent and skill. Of the Loyalist two who remain, Sorin is the better - a, by now, ancient man whose skill on the field of battle still causes terror amongst his opponents. It was upon Sorin’s flagship, the 6 centuries old Super Dreadnought, Majestic, that the traitor, Lord Matareka, finally found his bitter end. Lord Sorin, a conciliatory man, carefully built his power around reconciling with isolated and deserting Republicans and Loyalists, allowing him access to an enormous degree of military power, founded not upon the undisciplined need for militarism found within the remnants of the Empire, but rather upon the expert professionalism so prized by the Imperial Navy. --Lord Rakena Lord Rakena was the youngest Grand Admiral to be appointed in the history of the Imperial Navy. Though inexperienced at the time, fifty years of conflict have honed his abilities and his talent, leaving him second only to Lord Sorin in skill. With access to considerable forces, and with a huge emphasis on professionalism and proper military hardware, Rakena is a fearsome foe, and one of the cornerstones of the post-Imperial geopolitical landscape. --Lord Kawhena One of the Imperial Navy’s Rear-Admirals during the last days of the Third Empire, Lord Kawhena rose to prominence during the Civil War, where he received extensive honors and promotions after serving with distinction. A calm, cold and considered kind of man, Kawhena has become one of the primary arbitrators of power in the post-Collapse geopolitical landscape of the Loyalist Warlords, and his alliance with Lord Rakena and Sorin continue to serve as the foundation stone of continued peace amongst the warlords. --Lord Keretene A massive and imposing man, Keretene is a fierce loyalist, a die-hard Absolutist, and unwilling to compromise. Since the dissolution of the Empire, he has sought only to violently enforce his will upon the various weaker warlords which surround him. Only through Lord Sorin’s will has Keretene been kept in check, but still he festers, awaiting the proper moment. Keretene is famously savage and brutish, with a great love of extreme violence. Though not unintelligent, many have often wondered why the Admiral did not seek a career amidst the legions, where his size, strength and character would have been well suited. Minor Warlords: Many of the Southern Warlords were simple captains and commodores, in the infancy of their careers, who used their command of their ships or small divisions to gain control of minor territories. With their limited resources and military hardware, most of these minor dictators tend to find themselves within the spheres of the more powerful Warlords, for the purpose of protection. --Ahako (A) An Absolutist, Ahako is one of the few minor warlords in command of a Dreadnought. Ahako rules his worlds benevolently, emulating the former Empire - at least how he pictures it in his head. --Kaili (N) A now ancient commander, during the days of the Empire Kaili served well and honorably, but with little distinction. After the collapse, the man held to his post - assuming temporary authority over the nearby worlds until he was relieved of said post. He has since created several local and democratic bodies which have assumed the role of planetary governance while he oversees the maintenance of his fleet, which continue to defend and police the same tracts of space they did during Imperial rule. Kaili is a traditionalist obsessed with honor, duty, and loyalty, but largely unbothered by the Empire’s overall politics, so long as a man he can respect is running the show. --Taksor (A) A deeply religious and soft spoken man, those who know Taksor will testify that the man “isn’t all quite there” so to speak. During the Battle of Kaumai, when defeat became inevitable, Taksor’s fleet was able to exit the battle, but not before pilfering the Palace moon of any objects “of spiritual significance”. Now, Taksor controls a mere handful of worlds which he rules like a Theocracy centered around the worship of the Crown Prince, Ran-lir, which he claims to have survived the Sack. Taksor is an Absolutist, but is not likely to find common ground with any heir but his fabled Prince. --Eteroa (A) An Absolutist with a massive and all encompassing ego. Those who know the now-Warlord Eteroa claim that he believes he is the Emperor’s gift to all creation - a fact Eteroa himself is not likely to deny. Eteroa sees himself as the most competent and capable of all the Warlords and believes he alone should head efforts to carry out the Imperial Restoration. --Anaru (M) A loyal member of the Imperial before the Collapse, Anaru raced to establish his control over the outer rim soon after the collapse of the Loyalist war effort. Just as greedy as any other warlord, he frequently clashes with Kaili and Torba over control of their worlds. --Kanu (M) Before the Civil War Kanu commanded a small an anti-piracy task force. After the Collapse, the Commodore experienced a change of heart and began to exorbitantly tax and pirate the very same lanes he originally protected. Kanu is a moderate at heart, but has become detached from the concept of Imperial Restoration - more interested in further enriching himself. --Kailani (A) A distant relative of the Grand Admiral Nalani, Kailani was able to withdraw from the Battle of Kaumai with most of his fleet intact. Since then, he has staged his resistance against Erasmis from the nearby sectors, striking at the Irik wherever and whenever possible. Like his much more popular relative, Kailani is a dedicated Absolutist. --Artorian Keretene’s closest ally in the post-Empire political landscape, Artorian commanded a host of Legions engaged in a variety of operations against Republic forces before the Collapse. Since then, he has built a close relationship with the like-minded Keretene. Serving as the Admiral’s right hand man, he has been delegated a number of systems to rule and govern in Keretene’s stead. --Orum (M) An average man, as far as Warlords go. Orum always aspired to be a Stellarch during the days of the Empire, an accomplishment he was easily able to achieve after organizing a mutiny against his commanding officer following the Collapse. Orum styles himself after a Stellarch of old, ruling fair and justly - as if he were appointed by the Emperor. --Veras (A) A relatively minor and insignificant Admiral. Veras only retains his territories because of the close relationship he shares with the Grand Admiral Sorin, who’s own might forces any would-be aggressor to rethink their ambitions. --Mo-ti (N) Originally having defected from the Free Colonies, Mo-ti’s command was separated from his commanding officer, Lord Rata, not long after the Collapse. Since then he has been holding his ground while his troops and fleets slowly deteriorate. Though he cares little for politics, Mo-ti is well known for his loyalty. The Western Imperial Warlords The Western Imperial Warlords refer to all now independent Admirals, Generals, Commanders, and Stellarchs which control tracts of the broken Fourth Empire as well as the stretches of formerly republican western space. Traitors and slimeballs by nature, these Warlords were quick to turn on their Lord of a Thousand Stars as soon as his Empire showed signs of failing. Despite their traitorous tendencies and poor reputations, these men are still Imperials and Monarchists at heart, believing in the infallibility of the Royal Bloodline, of which many are extremely distantly related to. Without any clear unifying figure, these Warlords have been left to their own devices, squabbling and battling among themselves for whatever tracts of space seem most profitable at the time. --Topia A rather boring and uninteresting man, Topia commands respect through his rank alone and mostly seeks power - however possible. Topia views all those who have no connection to the Imperial line as inferior. --Lord Tahiwai A cold and calculated man, Tahiwai is easily the most skilled and powerful of the post-4E warlords. More xenophobic than most, Tahiwai is reported to frequently have Irik prisoners unmasked and starved to death for the mere crime of existing. He seeks only to exterminate as many aliens as possible, and seize as much power for himself as he can in the process. Tahiwai views all those who have no connection to the Imperial line as inferior. --Hakopa A zealous, bitter, and universally despised man, Hakopa would’ve been snuffed out and executed years ago if not for the incredible strength of his worlds’ defenses. Hakopa views all those who have no connection to the Imperial line as inferior. --Ekara As slimy and corrupt as ever, Ekara deserted the Fourth Empire as soon as it became convenient for him. He enjoys a close relationship with the criminal underworld and the Directorate, in which his connections run deep. Ekara is heavily involved in the arms and smuggling businesses, and particular to bribes. --Torba A minor commander who deserted at first opportunity, Torba seeks personal power and has a particular hatred for Ekara. Torba views all those who have no connection to the Imperial Line as inferior. The Fourth Empire In the days following the total collapse of the Empire, Tuakeo’s rogue state to the west would serve as one of the sole bastions of large scale, organized Human might. Perhaps because of its treacherous roots, though, it was not meant to last. Soon after a series of brief campaigns into Kiritau, Communist, and Colonial space, the Empire would find itself wholly overextended. Colonial counter attacks, coupled with the Irik invasion would prove to be more than enough to send the short-lived state down the path of decline. Before long, the Empire’s hold on its outer territories were crumbling at best, and out right destroyed at worst, such as in the case of the Irik invasion of the eastern territories. Desertion and betrayal soon became commonplace as admirals, garrisons, and provincial governments began to defect one by one, motivated by little else besides their ruler’s own sense of self-preservation or greed. While southern sections of the former Empire largely remained intact, staving off communist offensives, the northern territories had begun to rapidly recede.. By the current year, only a small fraction of the Empire remains intact, clinging onto what core territories they can still reasonably defend while attempting limited campaigns to reconquer vital industrial hubs when possible. The current Emperor Tuakeo II, is a cautious and passive ruler and many whisper of his now total abandonment of his father’s ambitions to claim the Starcast Throne, but the Empire’s rhetoric still states otherwise. Strangely, the territories of the Fourth Empire have become wholly distinct from those of the former Empire in their fifty years of separation. Few among their ruling class or even general populace wish for a return of Eastern Rule, and see themselves as citizens of a completely new body, rather than a continuation of an old one. Geopolitically, the Fourth Empire seeks only to retain what control it still has. Its Industrial capabilities are by now crippled, and what remains of its fleets are but a fraction of its former glory - spread thin across the ever encroaching frontier. Despite the Empire’s sorry state, speculation of an Imperial revival is not unheard of, if only a few key areas are recaptured.. Application Discord (If I don't have it already): Nation Name: A brief description of National/Provincial History & Culture: Notable Characters: Unique Military Units (Two): National Idea (nothing strictly mechanical): A letter:
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