Multiple Settings BoN Act 3: Modern Age

[Trektek]

BoN Act 3: Modern Age

Time continues to move forward on the world that is known as Eldwaldeon. Nations continue to fall and rise. Many that had existed for many millennia are but fragments of what they once were such as the Western Alliance, Toulais, The Fafrium Empire and even Greater Titania. In their time, they had each formed large Empires that conquered continents and spread themselves far and wide.

But all things come to an end. And while they each exist in some form or another, it is very unlikely that they shall once again rise to those great heights.

In the modern age, nations can communicate with each other on a greater scale and it drives forward trade and peaceful solutions to what would have been normally violent problems. Though not all nations see things with just words. And not all nations are even willing to let peace reign under anything else other than their own terms.

The clock on this world ticks ever more forward and only the actions of those nations that exist within this realm of time will determine how they leave their mark on the future and how they shall be remembered by those that descend from them.

Will this be an age of strife? One of Alliances of Common Causes? Or one of peaceful cooperation towards dealing with world wide issues on their way towards the stars as a collective.

The first bloom of the new year follows……

Turn 0, Spring, Year 2300

World Tree

The elven forests that surround Halamshiral were all a flutter with animals at the season of renewal that moved to and fro with the winds and breeze that blew through the very forests of the ancient ways.

The people that lived in these lands were respectful of the ways of the Great World Tree. After all, their very nation was named after it. It was important to their quest to protect the world from Demons.

The tree itself was holy, as were its defenders. This has been passed down since ancient times. And thankfully for the safety and the sanctity of their tree, the world is currently in a time of peace, though one never knew for how long it would remain so.

Reports from the further south believe that Fafrium and Greater Titania might wage another war or shadow proxy war in a power grab to rekindle the fires that light their nations.

But their closest neighbor are the peace loving turtlemen of the League Peace, ones who stayed turtled up within their capital, away from the world.

—----------------------------

Event:

A heavily scarred Sea Elf arrived at the capital with a small entourage of ragged, but muscular elves both men and women. Tales travel out of a local bar that he is spouting off nonsense of a mythical treasure somewhere in the waters between Namara and Yeouiju. He is attempting to get together a larger crew for the haul as he lost his ship and most of his crew to a large sea monster that was guarding the treasure.

This is Captain R’ath Whirlstream and he has sometimes been known to exaggerate and lie about situations. However, it has been many, many moons since he last strolled into the capital. (Respond in Discord Chat)

Cyberlink Solutions

The Cold Hard cityscape of Gaalvax was far less affected by the warmness of the spring months than most any other nation. No matter the time of year, it was cold, dark, damp, and uncomfortable. At least to those that didn’t live at the top.

At the top, it was fine parties and comfort based on the back breaking living of those at the bottom. But those at the bottom either had no where to go or were locked up in contracts so ironclad that they were trapped in several lifetimes of servitude.

But they grinned and bore it for their masters. Many of them turned to what pleasures they could to get through the day. Drugs, Flesh, Dangerous Sports, Virtual Reality. Anything to focus on escapism in its many, many forms. And that was something that the company often provided, usually putting these same bottom feeders into even greater debt in the process.

But so was the way of things.

—----------------------------

Event:

The Religion of The Ascendant was always one of acceptance and caring. And their great mission of providing humanitarian aid to war zones and reconstructions continued on to these very days.

A small church has set up shop within the slums district, professing love and caring to all who approach it. As historically placed, they preach sundering the veil to reach a new and better world. Of which theologians both of The Ascendant and other religions have announced this as a symbolic veil that represents the blockage within the nature of those that horde what they do not need for from those that need it to survive.

Father Perlig, an orc wearing the holy red and gold robe vestments of the religion with a golden eye on the chest, wishes to purchase additional land in the city to construct a larger church. They offer up 20 Resources for this endeavor.

Upon closer investigation, those who have begun to follow this religion have been working harder. However on the other side, it might make them more likely to take a stand on some business practices down the line (Company Business Acumen)
(Respond in Discord Chat)

Forgotten of Ulbricht

The continent is still wracked with the damages of the years of the Great Wars between The Ragnar Republic and The Collective. Not much remains in the immediate surrounding area except the signs of destruction and chaos of the time.

Even though time has passed, these scars still remain in the surrounding lands and would for many years to come. Both the ecological damage as well as the physical scarring of the land would not go away any time soon and would require additional care to improve and repair.

The spring brings a little lightness to the area, but to some, it is only a reminder of what they had lost to the fighting.

Rumors to the south are of a large Cult of Excess that has set up shop on the other end of the continent. Hedonistic parties to their deity seem to be a constant affair and all their people partake in these acts.

—------------------------

Event:

A small horde of large creatures is congregating near the edge of the city limits. The scouts have informed that they seem to be carnivorous mutations of lizard-like animals that had previously roamed the land before the war and its magical chemicals. A pecking order seems to be forming with the largest one winning leadership over the smaller ones.

If left alone, they might become a danger to the city. Especially as their numbers seem to be increasing in size. It could be possible to tame the beasts or failing that, drive them away from these lands. And of course there is always the old standby or just attacking and killing them as a option. (Respond in Discord Chat)

6th Legion

The Base Camp was finished being assembled as the seasons changed to the springtime. Their time in the vaults kept them away from the world and any news of the outside world as the various millennia passed them by.

When they had emerged, the land was filled with all the greens, reds and yellows of foliage. Unpolluted and unspoiled lands that had not been touched by technology or people in who knows how long.

This means that the surrounding verdant landscape would almost certainly be rich in vast resources that they could exploit if they search for them. AT least at the cost of the beautiful landscaping that they now currently provide.

Time will tell what route the 6th legion will go down. But one thing is certain, their possibilities are endless now that the aggressors of the past have been removed.

Scouts report that a nation to the West of Base Camp is called Toulais. A nation of artists, free thinkers and a powerful navy.

—-----------------

Event:

Scouts report that there is a battle between two mercenary groups just twenty miles south of Base Camp. It seems that there is a lull in the fighting and they can be approached either together or separately.

One of them consists of a group of 20 humans wielding rifles and a single small Tank. They are wearing Red Banners with the image of a Flaming Cross.

The Second Group is made up of 5 Ogres, 1 Troll and 1 Goblin Woman in Power Armor. Their symbol is a Yellow Skull.

(Respond in Discord Chat)

The Autonomous Collective of Melka

The darkness raged all around the capital of the Collective. They thrived in it as they were created in it. They were a strange and unique people, but to themselves, they just were. Others that would look upon them might be confused or scared, but not those races of the Collective that have helped cultivate these creatures of the dark.

They would help expand the darkness and further cultivate this life. They would travel into the light and see the world in order to better expand their own. The people that worshiped these new forms were themselves changed and made different, if not through physical shape, than by mental upbringing and social customs.

They do not know how to survive in the light, but they wish to try to move about it and discover the way to cover the lands in darkness so that they might spread out among it.

A tall task to accomplish, but one that is possible.

—------------------------

Event:

In the distance, a group of human explorers seem to be investigating something. Scouts have alerted you that they seem to be tracking down the ancient Straed Collective cityship based on the ancient texts. (Respond in Discord)

Amnonicus

All will become their kind. This world is wrong. It is not abstract enough. It is not of their abstractions artistic sensibility.

Everything is wrong. From the Grass to the Trees. To the Very Air that They Breath. ALL WRONG.

It is the goal of the Konomi to breath new life into this imperfect world and to transform it into something new and better, something grander.

Those who live here have no vision and no purpose for their thoughts and lives.

But WE will bring it to them by wiping the slate clean and starting over once again.

And once we do that, the world shall be populated by our kind and everything shall be perfect by our hands.

The Mercenary Army lies to the Northeast, The Fafrium Empire lies to the South and the the League Peace lies to the West.

—------------------

EVENT:

A singular Horse stands on a hill near the capital. It appears to be watching the Konomi with a purpose. Is it a scout of some other people? Is it serving some sort of nefarious purpose? Is it even filled with intelligence? Or is it just a normal horse? (Respond on Discord)

The Order of Lepolia

The protectors of a nation travel the high waters on their powerful citadel as proof of their power, skill, and destiny to protect the weak from those that would abuse or misuse them. As the spring comes about, the waters seem to come to even more life.

The Order lies near two Empires of Old, The Fafrium Empire and Greater Titania. Both at one point had holdings all across the known world, but now have lost everything except their homelands.

Even now, there is an uneasy peace between the two. If something brews, The Order might end up caught in the middle of things.

But whether or not they will assist one side or the other, or even do nothing, is another matter entirely.

They protect and keep the people safe. But would they be able to keep the people safe from a near constant war between two rival nations?
Only time will tell how these situations develop.

—-------------------------------------

EVENT:

A scouting party has discovered undersea ruins of an ancient civilization. Cursory examination leads the scouts to believe that the place has been abandoned and the inside through a docking ring seems to be filled with breathable air.

The ruins that are intact seem to be built into the very side of a large fissure in the water. It appears to be very ancient, possibly even OLD WORLD technology. Which could be a big boon or even a big danger depending on what is discovered inside. (Respond in Discord)

Empire of Hate

The Great White City of The Empire of Hate stood all alone. Well away from any other major nations. Originally made up of three small nations that were overthrown by the cult and its Great Leader, It was allowed to flourish and thrive, stealing others to its cause with its valuable and dangerous abilities of hypnosis and cult of personality.

Luring many people from all across the world. Luring them to the Empire of Hate. They wish to create an entire world order based on the Cult of Hatred. The followers of Hate do not like those that are not a part of their cause. But to all those that convert, whether willingly or unwillingly (Most are the latter), they are welcomed in with open arms to the cause.

Their biggest weapon is their broadcasts which can cause others from around the world to their cause. Even now, it works wonders. Some scouts arrived from the Followers of Hel’Copin, a secretive underwater cult to become a part of the Cult of Hatred.

Gains 1 The Scouts
Keywords: Robust (10), Light (5), Amphibious
Type: Troop
Tier: 1
M: 2 (4)
HP: 2
Attacks: 1
Off: 0
Def: 0

—----------------------------

Event:

A mining expedition beneath the city discovered a strange large transport vehicle. The machine seemed very much intact and even seemed to have power. But the miners had no idea how to open it. Or even what it contained.

If it is something from The Old World, it could be something very valuable or even powerful inside. If there was anything inside at all. (Respond in Discord)

The Eternal Legion

The Eternal Legion was currently the largest Mercenary Military Force in the entire world. They had people and consisted of races from all over. From nations that still existed and from those that have fallen into nothingness.

But that was something that was great about them. They took all kinds as long as they could fight. And one day, they would become the most dominant military in the world to belli their size.

Their last contact had just recently expired as of the Spring and now they were once again free agents. Communication lines were of course open and they would be able to try to get other nations to hire them as they would need be. The state of the world, it might just be necessary soon enough for their services.

But they shall grow and find more contracts. Perhaps soon enough, they will become rich enough that they can wield the largest and strongest army in the entire world.

—--------------------------------

Event:

A merchant caravan made up of a large amount of vehicles and people on foot arrives at the city limits. They call themselves the Traveling market and wish to be able to set up shop for the next 2 months in your fair city.

Your economists let you know that this would result in a most likely positive gain of 20 Resources for those 2 months, but that it will increase the chance of a negative event to occur.
(Respond in Discord)

The Bloodbrood Swarm

The Fleshlands bubbled and boiled as the spring was now upon them. It is a place that is a living and growing land. The creatures that grew without restraint have come and passed through history with the newest arrivals of The Bloodbrood Swarm.

They had taken complete control of the lands and mentally neutered the hive mind so that they could be the sole race that inhabits this land.So it has been now for many an age.

They are a fierce people that love a good fight and in some cases, it is all that they know. They even constantly fight in arenas to settle disputes, decide positions of power and even allow rulings of law.

Above all, the strongest decided everything and the weak, if they are not killed, sit at the bottom of the pecking order.

New Yong lies to the North, a nation of artists and musicians that crave for the attention that they so rightfully deserve. To the West lies The Conglomerate, a nation of shrewd businessmen who are always on the lookout for a good deal.

—-------------------------------

Event:

A man of metal has traveled from across the waters of the East to test its fighting prowess in the arena. Will it be allowed to participate in the fighting? Or will it be turned away as it is unfairly made of metal and not of flesh? (Respond in Discord)

Followers of Hel’Copin

Strangers in a strange land in a strange ocean, in a strange world. The followers of Hel’Copin were a cult heard the call of the Leviathan and answered it with gusto. They were to give in to the creature’s whims, feeding it a constant stream of offerings every month in order to satiate its endless appetite.

Their home was the remains of a ship, sunken during transit from one realm to the next. And now, they would have to begin again, in this new world. But here, they could acquire new followers and strike up new alliances.

The nearby land is filled with untouched resources, but their biggest obstacle there is acquiring them without building upon the land, something that goes against their very teachings.

But the oceans are a full bounty as well. If they could acquire control of them, it would give them an advantage over the land.

—---------------------

Event:

A large sunken vessel made of metal lies nestled into an underwater box canyon. It seems littered with battle damage. Possibly from explosions or monsters. It’ll take closer inspection to find out for sure. But perhaps it is filled with things that can be useful to the cause? (Respond in Discord)

The Consecrated Socialist Republic of Arrana

Spring affected the desert in ways that most people didn’t even realize. It was still a time that flowers and plants bloomed, though mostly at night when it was cooler. During the day was still the blistering heat as was to be expected, but the nights could and would be substantially colder.

But the springtime was a still a time for renewal. The living airships of the Consecrated Republic received the most amount of care and affection during this time, finally being flown out and about with the better weather.

The areas surrounding the desert were in fact littered with forests and to the Northeast, the Elven nation of The World Tree lived among some of the densest forests in the entire world.

The turtle people of the League Peace existed in their shielded city to the east and South across the sea lay the nation of New Yong, a nation of artists and singers.

—-----------------------------

Event:

A group of lizardfolk calling themselves the Peace Movement have begun holding rallies to allow goblin rights rather than having them shot on sight. These rallies have begun to increase in size, though so far it has only attracted lizardfolk and dragonborn to the cause. If not addressed in some manner, it is theorized that this will cause a destabilization of Order within the nation.

The most outspoken of this group is a Lizardfolk called Sslizk. (Respond in Discord)

New Avalon

Haven is situated in a secure location of their continent, away from intruders and those that might wish the fae true harm. This is important as the mercurial nature of those of the Fae disposition causes constant infighting and arguments. Best to be kept away from others that might exacerbate the situation.

At least that is what some among them think. Others wish to spread that sort of discord among the others races of the world. The chaos of the Fae and their changeling spies are ready to spread their metaphorical and literal wings and take their place among the stage of the world.

They will ensure that they have a strong foothold and do not have to leave this place for their home realm.

After all, this place is far more fun.

—---------------------------

Event:

An adventuring party seems to have gotten lost in the wilderness that makes up their terrifying lands. The party seems to be made up of a Human female warrior, a male Goblin wizard, a Male Elven Ranger and a female Orc War Cleric. They seem to be wandering around in circles due to the confusing nature of the terrain. (Respond in Discord)

New Yong

New Yong was a place of extreme music. They were all about delivering songs to the people. Their music was legendary and has been listened to in many nations across all the realm.

Music is who they are and it will continue to be such. Singers, song writers, rappers, dancers. These are not only their enjoyment, but also what makes up their ability to fight back in the world. Their music which brings happiness and joy to the people are also what they use to defend themselves, not only against their enemies (Of which very few at current would count themselves as such) and as a defense against THE SONG. Something which is said to take control of ones mind and destroy everything about them and their people.

Already, Fafrium and Toulais, two nations that have been around for countless millennia have formed a permanent bond of trade with the nation, eagerly partaking in the music of New Yong.

The popularity of this music can only spring more forward as time goes on.

—----------------------

Event:

An influx of goblin refugees from the Southlands has led them to forming a tent city on the outskirts of Yeouiju. It seems to be a disruptive influence to the surrounding districts and is forming a bit of an eyesore near the city.

The one saving grace is that a new form of music seems to be forming, Goblin Grunge Rock. If this situation of a tent city is not dealt with in some manner, it will eventually ebb away at the nation’s Order. (Respond in Discord)

Magistrati

The Lesson that the Magistrati learned from their ancestors of the Cogs was one of peaceful relations with others. They wish to continue that goodwill and make alliances that are mutually beneficial to all among them. Just like in the ancient tales of the Glorious Coghaven.

Becoming more inclined towards magic, they made sure that they used it to help people and ot harm them in the manner that Greater Titania had done. The lesson there was that they would be better than the lands that even Coghaven had emerged from. And by doing so they would help their own allies by better as well.

They can command the skies with their mighty air force, but choose to use it to defend others as they spread their enclaves around the world to those who wish to partake in an exchange of knowledge, ideas, and ideological cultures.

—--------------------------

Event:

On the surface below, a small village is under attack by a group of bandits wielding automatic rifles and a singular light tank. The villagers are attempting to fight back, but they are very clearly outgunned and if left alone will be overrun.

Tactical analysis of the situation shows that the tank and automatic weapons are at least a few decades out of date. They can be deadly, sure. But they are not at the same level as your military might.

(Respond in Discord)

The Sunset Kingdom

The Sunset Kingdom owes its very creation to the Fafrium Empire and Greater Titania. In ages past, when both nations were titans among men and had conquered most of the known world, they had both claimed parts of the islands for themselves until their yoke of rule was pushed off from the now united force that existed among these lands.

It forged them a very identity and Monarchy that lasted for many, many generations until its power was limited by the people after a brief civil war.

Now the nation is ready to expand their power, in this new springtime. They will bring the value of peace to their neighbors and beyond.

—----------------------

Event:

A ship graveyard has been discovered. At first glance, they seem to be from back during the original occupation of the Fafrium Empire and Greater Titania era. It would take a closer inspection to not only see what else is there, but also if there was anything that was useable within the hulking wrecks.

(Respond in Discord)​

 

[Scatterbrain]

Empire of Hate

Units

1x Black Spectre Agent
(Type: Troop, Tier: 1, M: 1, HP: 1, Attack: 1, Off: 0, Def: 0, Keywords: Graceful (Heavy) (5) [9+ Save])
1x Femforce Wasp
(Type: Troop, Tier: 1, M: 1, HP: 1, Attack: 1, Off: 0, Def: 0, Keywords: Specialist- Pile On (5) [For every 4 of this unit type, Damage increases by 1 to a max of +3])
1x SJ-110
(Type: Aircraft, Tier: 1, Mt: 1, HP: 1, Attack: 1, Off: 0, Def: -2, Keywords: Small (Light) (5) [+1 Movement], Transport (5) [May give 2/3/4 infantry units its movement (dependent on tier of transport)], Poor Armour (-5) [-1 Defence])
1x The Scouts
(Type: Troop, Tier: 1, M: 2 (4), HP: 2, Attacks: 1, Off: 0, Def: 0, Keywords: Robust (10)[+1 HP], Light (5) [+1 Movement], Amphibious)
1x Overseer 225
(Type: Hero, Tier: 1, M: 1 (4), HP: 3, Attacks: 3, Off: 3, Def: 3, Keywords: (Heavy) (5) [9+ Save], (Ranger) (0) [Ignore Negative Terrain], (Mining Overseer) (0) [When placed on the same tile as mining units, Gains an additional 5 resources per unit])

Upkeep

1x Black Spectre Agent (-8)
1x Femforce Wasp (-8)
1x SJ-110 (-8)
1x The Scouts (-13)

​

President Fargus played with the straps of his ill fitting bright yellow safety helmet, adjusting than readjusting them over and over again as he desperately searched for at least a modicum of comfort for his noggin, while Lem Stover attempted to regale him with the exciting new developments at his diamond mine, or maybe more accurately, shouted at him as the sound of heavy machinery threatened to drown him out completely. Stover was one of the men who supported Fargus in his initial rise to power so when he asked him to come and see him at the mine, Fargus felt an obligation to do so. Fargus could hardly hear a word the aging diamond merchant said but could see him gesturing and motioning to various things in the area. As the primate president watched Stover's pantomime, he could see the mine's gorilla workers labouring away in the open pit.

The brutish things did not look like any apes he had ever seen, closer to a human in height and mass than a gorilla. They had malformed skulls with exaggerated facial features and sunken yellow eyes. Fargus noticed that although they all looked fairly similar, they seemed to come in three distinct subsets and from what he could tell each apparently had its own role in the operation of the mine. The dark haired ones used the tools and machinery, the grey ones handled blasting charges and dynamite and the huge, pale, red faced ones appeared to act as foremen, dishing out harsh discipline to those who got out of line with their bone crushing clubs. Fargus' attention was caught by a strange glow coming from the entrance of the deep mine and could see gorilla miners entering and exiting the cavern seemingly guided through the darkness solely by the light of their luminescent fangs.

There was a sudden lull in the intense racket of the mine and so Fargus could actually begin to make out what Stover was saying. "So as you can see, Mr. President, we are all hard at work here and thanks to the information provided by our new friend, Overseer 225, we have manged to uncover several new deposits of diamonds." The diamond dealer put his hand into his pocket and pulled out a small bag full of diamonds before pouring some of them into his hand. "These are some we extracted just recently and I can assure you they are of the highest quality. Would you like to see for yourself?" Fargus nodded his hairy head, carefully balancing his helmet as he did so, and plucked one of the larger ones from Stover's palm. The colourful cambion swirled it around between his clawed fingers as he carefully inspected it but, not knowing the first thing about diamonds or precious gemstones, quite frankly had no idea what he was looking for. Fargus could see Stover's bespectacled face looking at him in the corner of his eye, eagerly awaiting his response and so he gave him one, albeit a simple and vague answer.

"Yes... Quite..." Fargus turned to the fire haired elven beauty standing at his right. "What do you think Ms. Matthers?" he asked, holding the diamond towards her. Deathjump seemed almost oblivious to everything that was going on around her. Fargus suspected that the repeated indoctrination sessions had left her mind little more than mush but she still retained her formidable fighting skills through muscle memory. She was like a loaded gun just waiting for him give the command and pull the trigger so he had brought her with him for a bit of security. He grabbed her left hand and held the diamond just above the knuckle of her ring finger. "Does the sight of a diamond like that on your finger set your heart a flutter, my dear?" There was no response but the abhorrent ape man continued anyway. "Well, maybe, if you're lucky, one day I might grace you with such a gem... perhaps even take you as my wife. Would you like that?" Still no response. "Answer me, my dear." Fargus commanded, a note of irritation in his voice.

"Yes... Master..." Deathjump murmured in an almost robotic tone.

"I thought you would." Fargus said, before bursting into maniacal laughter. "HAHAHA!!!"

Actions

1. Build Diamond Mine (provides additional resources) in the Great White City for 20 resources.
2. Craft new template Gorilla Miner (Type: Troop, Tier: 1, Movement: 1, HP: 1, Attack: 1, Off: 0, Def: 0, Keywords: Civilian (0) [Non-Combatant, No Upkeep]).
3. Upgrade the Great White City (1/3)

Free Actions

1. Move 1x The Scouts and 1x SJ-110 to explore the coast to the East.
2. Set 1x Black Spectre Agent and 1x Femforce Wasp to overwatch inside the Great White City.

	Began this turn	Spent this turn	Gained this turn	End this turn
Resources	100(+20)	57	20	83

​

 

[Twist]

New Yong

Settlements
Yeojiu (Capital Level 1)

Total Troops
Green/Gold Hero
1 Trainee Vocalist Troop
1 Trainee Dancer Troop
1 Trainee Rapper Troop

Order/Happiness
0/1

Population
3

Trade Routes
Faifrum Empire
Toulais

Orders
Paid Actions:
Instil Policy Management Contract

Spoiler: Policy

Troop Units can no longer succumb to Banditry if Upkeep is not paid but instead receive -1/-1 to max of -2/-2 for every turn Upkeep is not paid

Craft New Template Party Boat

Spoiler: Unit

Name: Party Boat
Type: Naval
Tier: 1
M: 1
HP: 1 (+1)
Attacks: 1
Off: (-1)
Def: (0)
Keywords: Robust (10)/ Transport (0)/ Aged Weaponry (-5)

Upgrade Capital Settlement Yeojiu (20 resources) (1/3)

Free Actions:
Trainees (Vocalist/Dancer/Rapper) will explore the Tent City (Current Tile)

Resources

Start: 120
Income: 70
Expenditure: 61
End: 129

There was an array of light and sound, as thousands flocked to the the city centre in their droves, with all manner of booklets, smart phones and colourful signs in hand, though that number paled in comparison to the many millions that were undoubtedly watching the announcement on TV or streaming it on various devices.

Amidst a wall of rock and muscle that was the security personnel, a stage had been set up, a massive screen at it's back that almost eclipsed the glorious water feature that was the Dragon Gate Fountain at the heart of the city. Carved in the finest Jade, it was a fitting tribute to their nations past, the leaping Koi and Dragon water feature as relevant today as it ever was as New Yong honoured their history and their ancestors, crafting the people of this great nation into shining stars to battle the enigmatic enemy that was the SONG. With generations of music, dance and song behind them, it was now time for the newest generation to take up the fight.

On stage was Goo Seouji, New Yong's head of state and premier star maker. Dressed in a matching short skirt and jacket blouse combo of the most brilliant blue, she looked out from her horned rimmed glasses as she spoke to the crowd through her microphone. "Thank you one and all for coming out on this very special day! As your President, and humble Head of State, I have the great honour and privilege today, of announcing to you all, the premier of New Yong's most influential Idol group on the world stage!"

There was a sea of flashing lights as news cameras snapped away, a tremendous cheer erupting from the crowd. "That's right! In only a matter of months New Yong's favourite daughter's will be travelling the globe bringing their ground-breaking music and phenomenal style to fans all across the world."

"Though it breaks my heart to have them leave us, I know they go to make world a better place." Goo held her wrist to her forehead in mock distress "So what better day to celebrate then on the anniversary of our Great Songstress's return to us with her beloved husband so many centuries ago. Without her, we would not be the innovative world leader in music and dance that we are today."

Another cheer rang out. "But I've taken enough of your time up, so without further ado, I give you..."

Goo reached her hand back in welcome "GREEN/GOLD!!!"

The cries were deafening as the all star girl group took to the stage, in an explosion of pyrotechnics and stagecraft.

--------------------

Dre watched from behind his long fringe, as the video peeled back to the corner, as the news presenter came back to the fore. Droning on from behind his desk, the Trainee Vocalist switched off as the man moved on to the latest news on the Tent City outside Yeojiu.

With legs wide and resting his elbows on his knees, the young star moved his gaze towards the other idling idols to be. A pretty girl with tan skin practiced her dance moves in a baggy jumper and denim shorts, flashing him an innocent smile as she caught his gaze, before stumbling over her feet. Rolling his eyes to the other side of the room, Dre cast his attention to a large lad in a basketball vest and low trousers, working away at a piece of paper. Pink dust peeked out from behind his bandanna, as the rock man scratched the side of his head with his ebbing pencil, muttering away to himself.

Dre closed his eyes as he rolled his head across his shoulders. All around them Trainees like him were being swarmed by their new agents, each of them trapped in the little white studio as the vultures circled.

"Mr Gon..?"

Dre opened his eyes lazily.

"I'm Mr. Seiko, a representative of Tigress Records..."

Dre pushed his hand out towards the agent, motioning at him with two of his fingers. "Just give me a pen so we can get this over with."

Smiling like a shark, the man gladly obliged Dre, handing him a pen and his a contract. The young star quickly signed his life away without hesitation, knowing full well he was not like the rest of the trainees.

He actually had what it took to be big, and this was just the first step.

[/font]

 

[Auriel Maza]

[Post Theme] - Spring, 2300 - [Pictured above, the lobby of the Upside Down, The Cascade of Mirrors.] - [Upside Down Theme] - Location: Dexrus
{See New keywords tab for new keywords I've come up with}
Soft allusion to LadyOfStars (See section after Upper Bar Spoiler) - (No action needed, just a soft dimension allusion for your use if you wish)

The Great White Flowers of Shkirea - [History]

After the dawn, after the beginning, after the first; one white lotus fell from the heavens each year. A flow of heat baked the summit. Shifting winds clash and throw pebbles and faint plants. Rushes of strings like fiddles and guitars buzzing in place of the shrieks of wind. The smell of passionfruit, rose, and mint dancing a waltz to and fro as Wife to a contrast of dried leather, pine needles, and sea salt. As they moved their presence from one corner to another, the white lotus fluttered, carving out a path in the air above the cold granite and slate. Distorting and contorting in the air yet not changing at all as it appeared normal from time to time. The petals twitching and commanding a distortion in the light. To the keen and wise eye, the pure lotus plunged into dimensions and forbeared from them. Not allowing them to stain it in both appearance and physics.

In this dance of familiar came the delphic, a rush of leaves that leaves one covered in newspapers. Those that gaze upon them learn of events and opinions of far away dimensions. Spoken rarely that these newspapers foretell the future. Read for the one that speaks the fewest words yet in the feverish of dreams. The one that speaks beyond the grounded, and you will carry its insight. The pages flutter down the mountain towards modern day Dexrus, the plains of Konjesh. Many do not survive, but it is custom to read a newspaper should it arrive at one's residence or person. A blaze upon its top, the newspapers wield the name, The Clothes of the Drama Supermarket. Speculation, prophecy, and gossip rummage through all the wonders of that name.

Next, oranges peel on the back of the heads into a salad of homework. From history to math to language arts, these papers and flickers of electronic screens falsify beyond measure. Not a single question is right, but knowing what is false births the truth. The handwriting and names upon them cross all languages and cultures. Eitanou in his first year of timeless life folded the homework precisely eight times before dropping the paper onto the summit's nadir. An explosion of bath bombs sundered the scene. Rumor has it that the entire mountain range smelled of Japanese Wisteria for a week. One of those bath bombs remain on display as a holy relic, yet its scent is of coconut with a whisper of strawberry lip gloss. Shachar swears that the orb appeared in his hand that day, and since then, he has been chosen as Expressionist Maven. Outside Amnonicus, this position could be equated to the Secretary of State or the Secretary of the Interior. Though, the workings and inner politics of Amnonicus would be for another day.

After the oranges comes one final event, the sky trembles as tongues quiver and sway down to the summit. Silence reigns. Should it be challenged, a tongue shall utter a debt to them. Cursed to pay it at some point, yet it is not known how this consequence is known. Some murmur that Amno learned this and defied the tongue's command. Nothing more than rumor...

For the year 2300, the twenty-first white lotus have fallen. They are stored in the Upside Down, a twist in the plane of space within of Dexrus that serves as offices for the ranking members of the government. At its entrance stands Sariel, Amno's faithful secretary. Her voice silent to the grounded. Sariel calls the faithful and spreads announcements around Dexrus. As the twenty-first arrives, Sariel sings her call and the faithful arrive at the mirror ocean to hear Amno's Address.

The Secretary's Call

Spoiler: The Heaven Consulate

Spoiler: Xata, the Blue Demi-Plane

Spoiler: The Upside Down, The Spires of Self-Awareness

Spoiler: Oytho Appearance

For the Konomi, the changing of leaves, the warming of the air is simply a consequence of the greater astronomical forces. Buds of flowers simply a reminder that this reality is a beauty within itself. Only its bindings upon the sentients of the land and the suffering it brings taint its beauty. That will change as peacefully and humanely as possible. Though many of those of power feared that would not be feasible for most.

Tender grasses, the smell of lemons in the air, leaves of all pastels; the border of the bleeding Konomi space and the world. Inching forward as an idea, the coming days will see tremendous change to the landscape not easily reversed. Atop the oak of the small hill, Eitanou hang as a bat letting the breeze create shimmers across his body. Ancient glasses and windows scattered from an ancient home. Wood and other degrading materials scattered in moss and water. Birds and squirrels murmured about. Peace, tranquility... Then a rizz sound, then Ouaah's. Sariel's call in the spectrum for which most could hear. To the right ears, her call span dimensions in multiple keys and rifts. Her voice rang with the ring of an angel's bell. She reverberated across the material plane, she surfaced from the Upside Down. A new lotus, the gates have opened. Eitanou floated, letting his body form like water until his feet reformed on the ground. A breeze blew through his human visage's blackish-red hair.

"By my father's grace, it is time. A year of Xata."

Xata, a small demiplane full of blues and cerulean skies, flows rarely yet fully. This year, the dimensional clocks carry its beautiful color divining a year of will within oneself and freedom against controllers. Eitanou's skin frilled as he spoke celestial words of creation with breaths of static smoothing syllables and unheard sounds.

"Jyr hayul ir gifig, myrikir Yoisn I" A ring of stars occupied the ravine between Eitanou's arms. In the distance, a faint shadow of charcoal sands bordering fathomless seas. The Prelate meandered over to the sands, phasing from the material plane into the Upside Down. Warmth and light faded into empty and temperaturelessness, leaving Eitanou abating in the entrance of the Spire of Self-Awareness. What appeared to the grounded eye as a star spoke in only artifacts of an unprepared mind. Filling in the gaps for what one could not understand. There was no light, no solid ground. Nothing as it seemed.

---

Spoiler: Upper Bar of The Heaven Consulate, Xata Form

---
​

Each step formed solid upon itself, one stepping upon themselves to rise above. It felt of minutes, days, years? Then as sudden as he entered, Eitanou arrived within The Heaven Consulate, the place for important gatherings, forums, and meetings with foreign powers. Five stories in the air seemingly supported by light and ribbons of leaves. A crowd had already formed around the the shallow pool of "water" with a tree of blossoms covering the area. Painting, pottery, and small plays rang through the crowd as the annual Master's Fair ended. While the Heaven Consulate retains a clean disposition due to its low traffic in day-to-day life, the reception before Amno's Address and the Coronation of the Lotus being the main event for most of the year since the Konomi have yet to communicate with foreign powers.

"Eitanou! Salutations Prelate of mine, pleased I am with your arrival. Shall we observe across the planes of Askir?" Oytho approached Eithanou from above, descending from the upper bar area. The shimmering dimensional lines fade with faint glimpses. With a year of Xata, a host of butterflies dazzled out with a flowing ground like water spilling out in small amounts. It spread across the consulate's pool causing the view of the ocean and mountains to be replaced by sine waves of rising light and clouds. A spectral tree made of butterflies and pottery towers in the center with the upper bar appearing as a waterfall above the crowd.

"Oytho, with Xata, they are unviewable. Tell me, what has transpired today?" Eitanou and Oytho ascended across an once invisible staircase, past the water elemental appearing guards. Then as Oytho began devising dimensional permutations with a shadow of a sparrow in hand, he flapped his wings.

"Oh my prelate, dear friend. I must confess. The Clothes of the Drama Supermarket has spawned a craze among the crowds. They say that a dark voice has arrived in a far away world. Spreading suffering and forced employment across some far away plane. Then, Hallowuy came forward today prophesizing this being has begun spreading across the dimensions and that we are its heralds. A strange position."

Eitanou's silhouette spurred with television static at the phrasing, "Oytho, I have not heard of that one of our kin. How inconsiderate he would be to simply take The Clothes of the Drama Supermarket so bluntly. What issue did he examine?"

"The 47BP issue."

"Unrecognized as I see. I'll see if Hallowuy may substantiate his preachings. Has the Waters probed his positions on the matter?" Eitanou lifted a sphere of clay from a portal flowing through the concourse.

"Personally undetermined."

"Hmm, an issue of little value of concern. Do you have an dimensional rift imprint that provides his exact statements?"

Oytho nods, "Yes, I was in space near his. Provide moment." Oytho formed a square in front of him from various lights across his skin. Then, a recording began to play.

---
(Modified version of Trektek 's original prompt)

All will become our kind. This world is wrong. They lack color, authencity, and expression. Blandless lives.

Everything is wrong. From the small plant knives to the titanic vegetables with bark. To the tiny particles they ingest to speak.

Our goal is to end this affront to creation. Nothing here is clean.

Those who live here have no vision and no purpose for their thoughts and lives.

But WE will bring it to them by wiping the slate clean and removing their filth.

And once we do that, we shall inherit all of this gravity well and make a true treasure for all to see.
---

Spoiler: Dimensional Centerpoint

Spoiler: Hallowuy

In the background of the recording, Hallowuy stood among the exterior waves of the Upside Down's fathomless ocean, on the northern outskirts of Dexrus's dimensional centerpoint. He hovered above the "wooden" outcropping where dimensional rifts are deposited to be painted into Esher's endless mural in her office.
---

Eitanou's body darkened as tendrils of honey-like shadow sprouted and rose to the heavens, "How... inconsiderate of him. So few in experiences of this world... Not that much of us have that. The outside world is part of reality. Beautiful within itself as time permits, though it seems from the small grounded ones that it can be needlessly cruel. Though, I understand not how or why."

Oytho rummaged around his painting, "Where stands your father on this?"

Eitanou's body calmed, with the tendrils disappearing, "His mind remains silent. Though, I suspect that he will not allow the chains of this reality to imprison those of the outside. How he might free them is within many circles of consideration."

Before another word, Amno folded together: orb descending, wings folding in, robe rising from the deep, a faint mist of starlight emanating from him ascending from the heavens.


"My industrious, valorous, kin. Upon the years, time lays twenty-first upon it. Progress steady, results within grasp. Yet, opportunity continues to pass. Pounce upon opportunity we must. Succeed we shall my kin. As I gazed upon the shattered sky, I foresaw our destiny. For, it may not be pre-determined. Not be designed. But, inevitable by our nature and place upon creation. For among the creation of old, we renew. I devised the grand design for which the new creation shall take its hold. Marks made and treasured as each who hears my voice. Bound by none than amongst ourselves, paintings of our lives foil the many accounts of beyond. The old lay insufficient from decay of abilities. Foils they shall be no longer, by the means of which the end is feasible. For the end of their suffering we shall prevail, we shall move.

I shall stall no longer your expressions which improve us all. Enjoy thyselves, and allow the glow of the lotus to embrace."

Amno swiftly dispersed back into the crowd of the upper bar and the Heaven Consulate returned to normal.

A year of Xata commences.

• Paid Actions
• Free Actions

• 
  1. Construct Structure - The Clouds of Bridged Reality: An inverted spire attached to an exposed part of the Upside Down that sports multiple bridges leading outside of Dexrus. Civilians and other Konomi may come and deposit materials of this world to be converted into usable resources for Konomi use. Its reverberations slowly add additional energy into the surrounding environment allowing sustainability minded gathering to slowly add resources over time. This structure generates X resources per turn. As a free action, this income can be forgone. After taking this free action over 4 turns, an additional Y resources are added to its generation per turn. Needs to be crewed by a civilian unit.
  2. Construct Structure - Prophetic Prism: An aerial construction of three equilateral triangles where air units dock and recharge their dimensional energies. The prism hangs in the air seemingly supported by nothing. Though, that is hardly the case. The prism removes the upkeep of air units stationed at the settlement built upon with a limit of 10.
  3. Create Template: Oracles of Dust: Konomi learned in the ways of transposing material from one reality to another through the shunting and shifting of dimensions. These workers use various analog computers made from the fibers and folds of dimensions to convert mandane material into usable material for Konomi use. Their role as a supplement to the notion rain produced by the dimensional wrappings for supplies will prove invaluable. Keywords: Civilian (0) [Non-Combatant, No Upkeep], Interdimensional Initiate.
  
• 
  1. Move 1 Blackwing Conclave to the southwest 1 tile as per its movement.
  2. Both Polygons will overwatch over Dexrus and cover their long range for attack. They are ordered to fire warning shots and signal a representative to meet the army. If warning is not heeded, they have permission to fire.
  3. Eitanou and Nomicus will travel Northwest, then around the mountain pass before arriving to the southeast of League Peace.
  

• Unit Roster
• Hero Roster
• Inventory As of Turn (before actions)
• Unique Keywords
• New Keywords (For approval)

• 
  2 Polygons
  1 Blackwing Conclave
  
  
• 
  Nomicus the Risen
  
  HP 3 Movement 3 Attack 3 Offense 3 Defense 0
  (Armor Piercing)(Hatred-Infantry)(Ranger)
  
  Eitanou Boryeal, The Enigma Prelate [Level 1] {Human Visage}
  
  Spoiler

  
  HP 3 Movement 3 Attack 2 Offense 7 Defense 1 (Includes bonuses from keywords)
  (Swift) (Creation's Whisperer)
  
• 
  100 Resources
  
• 
  Konomi - As related to relevant policy. Winds of Creation
  -
  Swift - Unit attacks an additional time. Attacks may choose a different target. Declared at once.
  -
  Insanity Payload: The Climax comes with its own payload that loads the Winds of Creation in a condensed container with intent on causing massive insanity in targeted populace. Climax comes with two payload types. Normal and Insanity. On hit of army, settlement etc. and roll of 7+, the effected entity goes insane and begins to revel (riots, the purge, etc.). The insanity payload itself causes minimal damage physically. Mentally... up to GM.
  -
  Creation's Whisperer: A scarce ability among Konomi, it uses the Winds of Creation to gather information about the world in unnatural ways. Cannot be blinded or surprised. Gain the ability to see through illusions and see a short distance through obstacles. (Useable during events/adventures. During Battle, gains a 0/+1 and immune to abilities that cause attack last)
  -
  Interdimensional Initiate - A starting specialist civilian unit that understands the inner workings of the Konomi dimensional phasing to improve fueling of various air units and reduces the energy required to keep air units refueled. When stationed in a structure that reduces/removes the upkeep of air units, this civilian grants a save for up to three aircraft.
  
• 
  This tab is for keywords that I have come up with that I am thinking about using at some point.
  
  Interdimensional Initiate - A starting specialist civilian unit that understands the inner workings of the Konomi dimensional phasing to improve fueling of various air units and reduces the energy required to keep air units refueled. When stationed in a structure that reduces/removes the upkeep of air units, this civilian grants a save for up to three aircraft.
  

 

[General Deth Glitch]

The Sunset Kingdom wakes

Another Day in the small Kingdom of the Sunset. A Kingdom behind the times in many ways but not for long. Its old and outdated industry is slowly being swept away and its cities slowly being cleaned, no more the lingering feudal state, now a modern nation. Or, atleast hopefully, soon a modern nation. While an army of workers roll up their sleeves and get to work in the multitude of factories that have been popping up throughout its cities in recent years the House of the Lords was packed. A rare sight for the house to have more then a token showing, a sign of recent times, things were happening and no one, especially not the rich and influential lords of the Sunset Kingdom, wanted to fall behind.

"His Honourable Lordship of Frillbury is somewhat delusional I think" Spoke the Prime Minster to a round of jeers and heckles "Frillbury, claims that the this proposed alliance and, I wish to remind everyone, trade agreement, we are ratifying with the government in Namara is going to, and while I am sure none of us have forgotten his words mere moments ago, I think it worthy of quoting 'will ruin our history with all their newfangled ideas and beliefs', newfangled? The Honourable Gentlemen forgets that he was in support of our decision to open our nation up to trade and yet the first opportunity we find he calls the idea 'Newfangled'! Our alliance with this nation has been agreed by the house and our queen. These are, to let me quote again 'newfangled' times. You can get on the train with us or fall behind! And forget not that with this alliance and our proposed new trade agreements, the money WILL FLOW and we shall all benefit! Let us not become dinosaurs!" As he finished the house erupted into cheers.
It was after this that the leader of the opposition party, Lady Alexandria Montgomery of Wicksted stood up to address the house "The Honourable Lord of Kingburton forgets that it was our historic, closed border policies, that have kept us safe and ensured our sovereignty from the myriad of outside threats." At this house erupted in boo's as she raised her voice over the clamor "This is not to say I disagree with the change in course!" while the crowd began to quieten "However, we are taking a risk and we cannot" once again came boos "We CANNOT pretend that there are no threats out there! We know an empire calls themselves Hate. They are an Empire of Hate! Let us not abandon our determination to strength. We will ensure the flames burn eternal but let us not abandon our ambition to achieve it!"
The debates continued all day as traditionalists desperately tried to stop the progressive, industrialists from opening their borders to outsiders while new international markets were being built throughout the city, with a grand Stock Exchange being built on the coast. The new Stock Exchange and trade deals already being ironed out with the Forgotten, not to mentioned this new 'Treaty Organization' the Kingdom finds itself in, are signs of the times, they are indeed changing and only those willing to adapt will keep up.

The Fleet Returns
As workers continued to work on an endless supply of fishing boats, merchant ships and other smaller craft and kept up the endless drudgery of hauling crates from place to place, the Crimson Fleet slowly limped into port. The grand and imposing fleets returned, with another ship in tow. While the work didn't stop people were quick to begin talking. Some maybe even recognized the ship being toed as that of one of their historic foes but for most the telling fact was the black flag being flown above the national flag, though both were at half mast, on one of the ships. They all knew that meant souls lost. Work continued still, though it was obvious to any observer that work had slowed, until the ships turned to face the port with their broadside. Work stopped. The people of the Sunset Kingdom could be generally described as fairly self important in all levels of society, but when a ship returned with souls lost there was one selfless tradition followed by all. The ships guns all fired into the sea as various speakers throughout the town announced "Please respectfully follow a minutes silence in remembrance of Souls recently lost at Sea." as a hush flowed out through the city, starting at the port and radiating out.

Meanwhile soldiers aboard the ship marched to the edge with empty coffins decorated with the Sunset Kingdom flag, one by one the coffins were slid down a short ramp into the sea for the tide to take them out of the bay and into the open ocean. The First Lady of the Sea stood and watched in poised silence as the crew stood to attention and watched the figurative symbols of their crew mates float off into the distance. A flag was then taken silently and with unprecedented precision marched to the center of the ship and placed on a small fire in the center of the deck, as it slowly burned, Alice gave a nod to the ships commander and swiftly after another volley sounded off into the boundless ocean. Slowly, the cacophony of the city slowly built back up into full force, aided by whispers and conspiracies as to what happened, even though they all knew they would hear it on the news soon enough. The crew, of all the ships, however, stayed silent as they continued on with their ceremony. The burned ashes of the flag, as with their uniforms were then taken, respectfully, to the ships furnace. Nothing would be wasted, and their lost crew would soon be one with the Sea and the Flame and live on eternally with the reflections on the waves.

Imperial Dreams
The Queens Own Caledonian Light Infantry accompanied Princess Evelyn as she marched them north to begin the settling of a new city. While it was the long term ambition of the Sunset Government to establish colonies far and wide in the hopes of consolidating a variety of minerals and resources. Their immediate worry was an attack from the North East, the Juckyard Dogs and their not too distant northern neighbor, the self styled 'Empire of Hate' were seen as the largest immediate threats and so the establishment of a new port, and a consolidation of power on their neighboring islands were seen as their best method to deter such possible attacks. To this end a Military port would be established with a city to help sustain it in the north, later followed by one in the south, to ensure that the regions seen as likely landing regions of opposition land forces could be more effectively defended by the Crimson Navy and its future fleets, as well as, of course, expanding ship building facilities. Once they crossed to the large island to the north west, they began the long march from the southern tip, where they landed, to the northern edge where the port was chartered to be.

Marching with purpose, lead by their beloved and loyal Princess, they quickly made their way to their camp for the evening. As she dismounted her horse, she addressed the nearby officer, "Time to establish new traditions I think?" She then looked around as work was already underway in establishing a simple fort to house the battalion and the princess. "As is custom, I think we'll need a fire and, perhaps, something from home. Let us ensure before the foundations are laid we bury something important from home in them.". Dream of a new, global empire was with them as they camped that night, the knowledge that they would soon be a founding part of the Sunset Kingdoms Modern history was not lost on many of them.​

---

Actions​

Paid Building the Caledon Stock Exchange (Trade Building) In Caledon -20 Spending an Action developing the capital city (1/3) Repairing and refitting the recovered ship -20

Free Light Infantry March one tile north, lead by Princess Evelyn Paid Upkeep (-48) Sold Equipment salvaged on the expedition (20) Capital Generates Resources (Lvl 1 20 + Neptunes Bounty 20, [40]) Agreed a Trade Agreement with the Forgotten of Ultricht

Spoiler: Unit Movements

Resources
Start: 100 | Income: 60 | Expenditure: -88 | Change -28 | New Total: 72​

 

[LadyOfStars]

World Tree

​

Hold The line: Ground Based Units get 0/+2 in Rough Terrain tiles
Ration Hoarding: Ground Units cost half resource upkeep
Federation - Not affected by Order Penalties. Cities have 1 extra Building Slot. Spies are more likely to succeed in their tasks within.

The World Tree. From a single seed this gargantuan marvel sprouted and at its roots the elven people made their home; the city of Halamshiral. The city was beautiful and the surrounding area full of vibrant life thanks to the elves' use of solar energy to power their city. The lived in harmony with nature here and nature lived in every aspect of their daily lives. As a people they had come so far from being the broken factions that they were to the united front that they are, but that's not to say everything was perfect. Far from it actually. The differing ideologies of the many factions clashed with one another regularly and there was no shortage of disputes for the King to oversee and solve. Luckily he had a small break from such petty bickering for the moment.

"Great tree please hear me." The King's soft voice would fill the empty room and resound off of the sterile white walls. "I do not know where to go from here. The world has changed so dramatically since the last time our people had a King and I fear with each passing day we draw closer to slipping into the history books." Ellario's palms were pressed firmly against the trunk of the tree as if he could will himself to combine their existences. The Tree had been his only confidant since the fall of the old capital and the loss of his family. In a way he viewed the tree as his new family, his only family. "I must devise a way to protect you...to protect us all."

"I fear no one loves our great tree more than you, my King." Oreon entered the King's grotto, a place where he could be cloistered away with only the tree for company. But every now and then someone sought him out and found him here. "Each of us understands its importance and that is all that matters." Ellario pushed up off the floor an turned to look at the Warden. "But you didn't come here to discuss elven loyalty." The King teased as he started towards the exit. Communion with the World Tree was one of the only things to bring Ellario any sense of peace in the past few years and he found himself having less and less alone time. The world was a large place and full of people beyond counting and yet technology had made it feel so small and so fragile. It seemed that everyday something new arose o threaten the stability of their small nation.

As they entered the more populated part of the palace, voices could be heard right away. Nobles, although now they went by World Tree Elves, something Ellario did not fully understand but also didn't bother to. They were all gathered in the great hall, dressed in their finest garments and preening around like a bunch of peacocks. "You agreed to this party, Your Grace." Oreon reminded him. It seemed like it was centuries ago that he agreed to Oreon and the nobility's pestering and suggestions that he find a spouse. They blabbed on about succession and stability, but it was only the idea of unity that actually got him to agree. If he married someone from one the other factions then that would strengthen the bonds between them all.

Yet as he looked out over the crowd he saw only the familiar faces of his noble peers. "Oreon there are no elves from the other factions here." Ellario protested while his arrival was being announced and everyone bowed their heads. "I thought it would be best if you met with each faction separately. There has been some infighting amongst the Wardens lately and we do not want that to spill out into such an event." Oreon looked to the King and shrugged his shoulders, unable to provide an excuse for the behavior of his colleagues.

Ellario knew he wouldn't be picking a spouse and this was all just a show and dance for the factions. If he died then the World Tree would choose their next ruler, not bloodlines. Unless the nobility were trying to usurp the great tree. The King's eyes narrowed as he moved to join the crowd and mingle. It seemed that a dangerous game was about to begin.

Free Actions:

1. Army 1 (2x Crawlers) go into Overwatch in the Capital​
2. Move Army 2 (2x Exemplar Sentinel) South 1 Tile South from Capital, Explore Tile​

Paid Actions:

1. Ellario Activates Growth Policy.​

Treasury​

Income	Expenses	Next Turn
+ 20 (Capital)	- 12 (Armies)	8

Military
​

Armies	Location
1. Crawlers (Ranged) x2	Halamshiral, Overwatch
2. Exemplar Sentinel x2	South of Halamshiral, Explore

Infrastructure​

Buildings	Effects	Happiness	Order

Trektek

 

[CaptainSully]

The Forgotten of Ulbricht

Jan Schweinsteiger

Construction Foreman

Personal Log #247

For years artificial illumination was all that I had experienced, the coldness of concrete and metal as familiar as the faces of my family. It was a strange experience to take those first steps out into the fresh air, the same air that over a decade ago would melt the flesh and bone that make up our fragile existence.First there was that fear, that trepidation that maybe the scanners were wrong, but when I inhaled that freshness after being subjected to years of recycling and purifiers, it was unlike anything I had experienced before. Feeling the sun on my skin for the first time felt familiar, like a hug from a loved one, only on experiencing it did I realise exactly what I had been missing.

The joy and warmth of the sunlight soon waned as I laid eyes on the ruins of Koenig. The buildings and landscape were pockmarked from artillery blasts but that was all. There were no skeletal remains, no signs of those who had previously inhabited the city, such was the ferocity of the Life Eater Virus that not even bones were safe from consumption. What should have been a graveyard was just a shell of a city. It seems strange to me that I feel the way that I do, it is not some sort of morbid curiosity to have wanted to see corpses everywhere, but more that those who perished deserved to be buried, to have been mourned…instead they are now dust on the wind.

The work to rebuild will be long and from early scouting reports…dangerous. However, Autarch Ulbricht has announced a new alliance with a nation from across the water. I only have confidence that it will help us to return to our former glory.

Actions

➤See below

Details

Code by Serobliss

 

[LucasGhost]

LOG# A001

LOG OF: HEITRIS, FOLMAR
POSITION: HEAD TECHNICIAN AND RESEARCHER ABOARD THE S.S. DAVISII
DATE: 7 DAYS SINCE THE SINKING OF THE S.S. DAVISII

LOG START...

​

Heitris rubs his eyes with his free hand as he finishes taping at the projection on his desk, giving the new log a location within the massive databanks to live. During his time as a researcher in Toomes Technologies, he had gotten so used to making logs of all his actions that he can easily do so now with his eyes closed. A gift, truly, as now the scarred elf is running on far too little sleep that even shutting his eyes for this brief moment is a relief. That does nothing to stop the barrage of information being sent his way, of course. The last few days would have proven maddening for anyone not attuned to having their line of sight and inner thoughts invaded by the unceasing computer keeping the S.S. Davisii in tune, fortunately Heitris is used to the flood of information. The formatting is off, sure, and the occasional notification is incomprehensible, but that’s only to be expected when exchanging the luxury of a megacorp for what is essentially a homemade system.

​

Heitris leans back in his chair, blinking his eyes back open to look at the dozen projections floating around his desk, grimacing slightly as he hears his back crack and pop. He straightens back up and continues taping at the projection in front of him. Their landing was surprisingly smooth, in that very little had gone according to plan leading up to the main event, and somehow all the systems he spent decades perfecting kicked in right when they were supposed to, and they hadn’t all died in a smoldering heap at the bottom of the ocean. Yay. That, of course, meant that now he had far too much work ahead of him, figuring out how to adjust and compensate the structure for the minor imperfections in their landing that was keeping several halls in the east wing from extending. Dying a gruesome death crushed by his own life’s work would have been the easy way out, he supposes. Now, he has notifications in his periphery every moment of his day, and people asking him if he’s really “okay,” and to let them know if he “needs anything.” Bah.

In an easy, fluid motion he shifts the hourly report to the center, glancing through for any signs of yellow or red, pausing midway down when he finds one. A request from Elza for enough equipment to scan and categorize a mile of the sea floor, sent through just a few seconds ago. Without a moment’s hesitation he sends her an inquiry about it. Dimly, he notes the response as being nothing of concern as he continues his bleary eyed search through the report. Nothing else surprises the grouchy elf, but it does disappoint him.

​

LOCATION OF SCOUT TEAM A: UNKNOWN

SCOUT TEAM B DEPARTURE TIME: 3:50:32

SCOUT TEAM B DESTINATION: LAND MASS TO THE SOUTH EAST

With a flick of his wrist he clears the offending update from his view, and brings up the progress report on the I.S.I.N.A.P.S. Unit #1. All of the I.S.I.N.A.P.S. units had sustained intense damage during the events before their landing, but Unit #1 was spared from the worst of it thanks to its location on the end of the line. Still, its shell was severely weakened and it was missing most of an arm. Tragically, every other piloted vehicle onboard was either in a drastically worse state, or was currently being assembled from the ground up. He already had volunteers scavenge what they could from the other units to repair Unit #1, they were just lacking in raw materials to finalize the repairs. A moment later and the latest copy of a scan of the minerals in their immediate area joins the report on Unit #1 in front of him. A cross-reference scan of the two lists is started, and the results are set to be forwarded to Elza, for whenever she returns from… wherever she went with that equipment. Right. With that project out of his way, he turns back to the issue of the expansion of the ship, and it is with dull ceremony that he eventually nods off an hour later, still sat rigid at his desk.

​

Heitris awakens with a start, the ghost of saltwater on his tongue and lungs gasping for air he doesn’t need to fight for. Immediately he’s flooded with the past two hour’s worth of missed notifications, and the hourly reports. The barrage is so instantaneous, and the jump from his visions to his office so jarring that it takes him a full several seconds to notice that someone had taken care to wrap an orange and white blanket around his shoulders as he slept. Even more humiliating, it takes him nearly half a minute to glance around and see that the culprit is still around, seated several feet away, a human woman taping at the data pad in her hands.

“Whelan,” he notes, grimacing at the roughness and exhaustion in his own voice.

“Heitris,” she matches his tone, taking a moment longer to look up, seizing the opportunity to tease her old friend.

“Correct me if I’m mistaken, Anna, but are you not due someplace right about now. That is, not here?” With a few quick motions he brings his projections back up and jumps to the most recent hourly report to find the departure time for the scouts. Finding it, of course, right as she gives her reply.

​

“I have twenty odd minutes still, Heitris, and Elza asked for someone to make sure you were still breathing. I figured I had ought to do it on account I’m fairly certain you’d rather do the irrigation calculations for the greenhouses by hand than let someone catch you resting, or Hel’copin forbid, collapsed under your own workload,” her tone is joking but Heitris catches the serious look on her face, usually reserved for when she’s trying to get some sort of answer out of him.

“And yet, you stayed. Ever the watchful guardian of wretched elves, I see,” a pause in the snarky reply, and then a far softer, “Thank you. For the blanket, and for checking on me too, I suppose.”

“Yeah, well. You gave me a bit of a scare, giving your assistants the past few days off. I just heard about it this morning. Had to make sure that you were still…” she trails off, for once in her life at a loss for words.

​

“They’re grieving, Anna, as is to be expected considering the rapid major life changes everyone here has gone through. I’m not a monster. Well, no, yes, I’m not a monster,” Heitris allows himself to cross his arms, the corner of his mouth fighting against being pulled into a smile at Anna’s chuckle at his fake postulating on his own morality. It’s in this moment that he realizes just how tired she looks. He suspects that even without the sudden leaving of the rest of the scouts, she’d be exhausted from demands of being a member of the inner circle, but now… “We’ll find them. I- I’m going to make sure we find them,” like a nervous habit, he taps at his own short spike of metal jutting out from his chest.

If Anna is shocked by the sudden change in topic and intensity of Heitris’ voice she doesn’t show it, she just stands and says, “I know. I just wish it could have been me searching for them. I should have been there,” and taps her own spike under her clavicle, as if in response.

They still don’t know what caused the original scout team to destroy the radio equipment and race off without a word, striking at anyone who had tried to stop them. They tried following them, but the backup equipment wasn’t ready then, they only had a general direction that they had left in. North. Magic ended up being the best guess they could come up with, given all of the readings at the time of the incident. It was clear they hadn’t been in their right minds, but if the change was temporary, or had been intended, they were uncertain.

​

“You will be there, once we bring them back. Unit number one isn’t quite as fast as your equipment,” here he allows himself a hint of pride, he did design it after all, “but the pilot and the suit will be ready to begin searching up north within the next few days.”

Anna shoots Heitris a careful look as he rises to his feet to meet her, careful to still keep the blanket wrapped around his shoulders. “I thought Unit One was barely operational.”

“I-,” and here the elf holds a hand to his chest in overly exaggerated pride, “have been putting in the time, and effort, I should point out. There’s an entire world out there, it would be a shame to only let Annabelle Whelan see it,” Heitris is cut off from further remarks by the sound of a notification chiming on Anna’s wrist, a correlating one appearing in his periphery. The scouts leave soon.

“Think you can fit it in your schedule to see us off?” It’s worded as a question, but it’s clear Anna already knows the answer.

“Yes, but there’s little point in it, so no. I’m going to be with you most of the way. And when I’m not I will be summoned should anything arise,” he doesn’t bring up that even if there is the chance this is the last time he sees her in the flesh, he won’t accept that possibility. Not even the ever pessimistic Folmar Heitris would consider such a thing out loud.

​

And as such they part ways with a quick embrace, and she’s halfway out his door when he hears, “By the way, not sure if you’ve seen yet, but there’s a giant crab living here now. Think he’s a sea lord or something like that. I’d recommend being nice if he comes around, on account that he’s massive. Alright, bye!”

“I’m sorry, there’s a wh-AT?” Heitris’ shrill voice chases Annabelle Whelan halfway down the hall as she makes way to lead her scouts into waters unknown. Heitris, on the other hand, whips back to his desk, searching for any logs of what he missed during his nap, finally tapping to end the current log in the process.

END LOG

Paid Actions	Free Actions
1) Repair the S.S. Davisii (Upgrade the capital city (1/3))	The Shiver searches for resources, 3 resources found.
2) Repair the S.S. Davisii (Upgrade the capital city (2/3))	10 Resources are sacrificed to Hel'copin, an aura covers the S.S. Davisii, capital is now immune to espionage for 3 turns.
3) Repair the S.S. Davisii (Upgrade the capital city (3/3)), Complete, 20 Resource Cost	Ship salvaged for 15 resources per event.
	The Scouts collect themselves and travel 4 tiles out, landing on the northeast coast of Arguseed, seeking people to parley with.
	I.S.I.N.A.P.S. Unit #1 Travels north then northwest, to investigate the volcano.

​

 

[Spacekitty]

The Order of Lepolia
Office of the Civil Rights Council​

January 22nd, 2300Official Statement - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Office of the Civil Rights Council, in conjunction with partnered Civil Rights Watchdogs, has been monitoring the evolving situation of the "Peace Movement" protests within the Consecrated Socialist Republic of Arrana. Our own watchdogs, and out partners, within the CSRA have monitored both the government and media response, and the movement itself.

According to our analysis, the protests were, generally, not unlawfully hindered nor were protestors generally unlawfully detained or charged. However. our watchdogs report some instances of protestors being unlawfully detained and protestors supplies being confiscated and destroyed. Attorneys have been offered to all protestors still in detainment or facing criminal charge that meet our Right to Peaceful Assembly standards and have been unlawfully detained and/or charged.

Our Watchdogs report a heavy media bias against the Peace Movement among mainstream media sources within the CSRA, and multiple conservative action committees and think-tanks are actively working to discredit and misrepresent the Peace Movement in an attempt to turn the public against the movement. These attempts have been largey successful in painting the movement as dangerous and eroding mainstream support for the movement. The Order's Civil Rights Council sees this activity as the main force pushing the peace movement to become more militarized. The Council is asking all anti-Peace Movement activists to temper their speech and stick strictly to the facts regarding the movement to avoid further agitation. In addition, the Council will release a fact sheet regarding the movement to dispel commonly espoused falsehoods regarding the movement in our attempt to descelate the situation and move the conservation back into productive territory.

The Council would like to speak to the Peace Movement directly, and asks them to maintain civility and to demilitarize to avoid an escalation into violence.

However, The Order of Lopolia would like to official announce its support for the goals of the Peace Movement. The CSRA's laws stripping Goblins of not only citizenship, but personhood and the right to life violate commonly held international ideas of civil rights, as well as the Council's Civil Rights Declaration. The Council is greatly concerned by the claims that Goblins constitute a holy plague sent to destroy the world, as this has contributed greatly to the anti goblin sentiment and policies within the republic, and fear that this could lead to mass killings or genocide.
The Order urges the citizens and legislators of the CSRA to reconsider their currently held beliefs regarding goblin kind. In this day of instant communication and social media, one does not need to look far to discover that Goblin creatures exist in this modern world, constitute a normal part of many societies, and are not the destructive plague that many within the CSRA believe. Goblins carry propensity for good, and for evil, that all races of the world do, and the vast majority of Goblins, as with all races, are peaceful, moral and equally deserving of life and respect.

As part of our mission to protect and spread Civil Rights, the Order will begin a campaign within the CSRA, with the assistance of local activists, to advocate for the rights of Goblin kind. In this modern day, no peoples should be the targets of a nation's ire.

Sti dýnami kai tin eiríni
The Order of Lepolia


ACTIONS
Free
1. Xenophon moves to the X and it’s associated fleet explores the tile!
2. 1 Trireme-Class Frigate forms Arm 1 and transports the Off-shore Drilling Technicians to location "A1".



Paid
1. (20 resources) Construct Advanced Training Barracks - At the start of each turn, roll a d10. On a 10+ a hero is gained. Cannot go past cap.
2. (20 Resources) Advanced Recycling Facilities - By implementing renewable energy and recycling programs, the upkeep for troops stationed at bases can be greatly reduced. When no more than 10 troops units are in Xenophon, their upkeep is 0. (if this is deemed OP, call it half upkeep?)
3. Upgrade Captiol 1/3.

tr] [/tr]

Unit Name	Unit Cost	Upkeep	Location	Number
Order Marine Combat Detachment	25	13	Xenophon	1
Trireme-class Frigate	15	8	Xenophon	1
Trireme-class Frigate	15	8	Army 1	1
Off-Shore Drilling Technicians	10	0	Army 1	2

Spoiler: Troop info

Name: Trireme-class Frigate

Type: Naval
Cost: 15
Upkeep: 7.5
Tier: 1
M: 3
HP: 1
A: 1
O: 1
D: -1
Keywords:
Advanced Weaponry, Transport, Poor Armor

Name: Order Marine Combat Detachment
Type: Troop
Cost: 25
Upkeep: 12.5
Tier: 1
M: 1
HP: 1
Attacks: 1
Off: 0
Def: 0
Keywords:
Specialist (5) - Boarding Party: So long as an Order Marine is accompanied by a Naval unit, in naval battles roll a d10 for every Order Marine. On a 8+ a random enemy naval vessel takes 1 DMG. On a 1 the Order Marine is killed in action.

Name: Off-Shore Drilling Technicians
Type: Troop (Civilian)
Cost: 10
Tier: 1
M: 1
HP: 1
A: N/A
O: N/A
D: N/A
Keywords: Civilian
Ability: May be moved to a Sea tile. May then, as a free action, construct an off-shore drilling rig, taking 1 full turn (move, then construct on next turn). This action temporarily consumes the unit. While in this state, it generates 10 resources every turn. As a free action, the off-shore drilling rig may be deconstructed. The unit may be moved as normal on the next turn.

Starting Resources	Gains	Expenses	Change	End of Turn
100	40 (Income) + 10 (Policy)	69 (upkeep)	-19	81

​

 

[Wew the Polymath]

The CSRA



If you want the exciting war documentary stuff, skip to 6:35. If you're a nerd and like political systems, stick around the whole video.


Crunch!

Actions:
1.) Construct a trading post (20).
2.) Construct a genesis chamber (Genesis Chamber Alpha). This holy summoning circle (it's scientific bro) causes a heroic warplane to generate on a d10 roll of 10 (20).
3.) Recruit a steelworker

Army:
3x X250R heavy bombers
2x -> 3x steelworkers
2x Peace Movement Milita

Economy:
Starting: 100
Generated: 20 (steelworkers), 20 (capital)
Expenditures: (15 * 3) X250Rs + (5 * 2) steelworkers + 20 genesis chamber + 20 Trading Postl = 95
Remaining: 5

Structures:
ETO: (Sunset Kingdoms, Forgotten, Us)
Namara: (Trading Post, Genesis Chamber Alpha)

Free Actions:
A heavy bomber is going to move two tiles to the east and explore the tile.

 

[Cosmo]

CyberLink Solutions Turn 1

≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡

A young man walks through a dark graveyard illuminated in changing neon lights. Each grave the man walks past has a name and a number slowly ticking down in a bright holographic display as towering mausoleums frame the edges with various names displayed proudly to make it separately from the rest. Small, worn cobblestone walkways snake through the rows upon rows of grave that are currently being used by the man.

"Hello there!" the man said as he smiled to the screen as he offered it a small wave, "And welcome to Soylent Meadows! The site of your premium afterlife retirement dwellings!"

The screen pulled back as the man walked closer and closer, revealing a pale middle aged man with graying hair, "I'm Adrian Myers, and I am the owner and manager of our lovely little haven here at Soylent Meadows. I've been keeping the remains of loved ones safe and untouched for decades and I can do the same for you and your loved ones because no one should have to sleep knowing their loved ones are working to the bone for eternity."

The man continues to speak as the image shifts to a mausoleum, to a grave, to an urn, "At Soylent Meadows, we believe that everyone has the right to eternal slumber after a productive life and we have a plan and price point for any prospective members to our lovely retirement dwelling. For a small fee, you, or your loved ones, will be kept here, safe and allowed to finally rest where the grave can be visited by friends and family at any time. Call now and you will even get an exclusive discount for our special Pay-By-Life rates, what better way to pay for the future then a bit of a time while you are alive now? This way, you don't need to worry about burdening the loves ones in your life when eternity finally comes knocking."

The video pans away to a desk where the middle age man is already there and sitting, "But what if your loved ones are already under contract for post-life employment? Well, my team of lawyers will fight for you to get you out of any outstanding contracts or return your loved ones back to the rest they so dearly deserve. Please call now or visit our website for information, don't wait till the last minute, call now and be prepared for your afterlife retirement."

≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡

The beautiful woman was bathed in an artificial blue light, her long hair was tied into twin tails that fell behind her chair. Behind her stood numerous shelves lined with various trinkets and knickknacks from various games, movies and odds and ends she seemed to have collected at a thrift store. The artificial light was just bright enough to illuminate part of the room behind her, the rug on the ground, the couch against the wall, but not enough to truly reveal enough, but it didn't stop the millions of eyes staring at her from trying. To find even a peek at what lay beyond that could give them more insight into the personal life of the woman or her location. Across her eyes was a pair of dark glasses that had lights flashing across them, and suddenly, she let out a terrified shriek before breaking into a delighted giggle, "Oh! I didn't see him there at all! Wait, wait, no! When did I sa-No!" she let out a dismayed cry and let her head fall back against the chair.

Various pops and pings filled the air as donations from around the city, and the globe, began to pour in, "Ohh thank you, Maddox_420, that's sweet," she said as her eyes drifted to the side to see the endless wave of chats flooding in.

"MistahPurple! You're always so bad," the woman said with a wink.

"That's nice, InYourCloset90210, but careful~ The moderators are feeling frisky tonight," she said as she leaned forward to give a small kiss to the camera. Almost on que, the chat she had read vanished as a moderator quickly removed it.

The woman her lush red lips came together as she pouted, "Well, stars, my save was a little far back, so that might be it for today, but before I go, did you hear about that 'Church of Ascendancy' that is supposed to be opening down in central? Sounds freaky, right? 'Break through your inner barriers', maybe they'll teach you psychic powers," she said as her fingers made little waves, before another giggle fit exploded from her, "But it kinda sounds cool. How many of you stars out there also need a bit of push to really shine on? It is opening on the 12th of next month and I think I'm going to go, so if you're there, be sure to stop and say hi~"

The chats continued to flood in, but she was already in the middle of her sign off speech, "And please be sure to like the video, subscribe if you haven't, you can't believe how many of you stars I see that watch my videos but aren't following! And if you can, every little bit helps me get by. I love each and every one of you, you are the stars that light up my night. Goodnight~"

The artificial light flicked off as the room brightened as lamps began to glow. The woman almost seemed to deflate now that she was no longer being watched, she gently tugged off the glasses and stood up from her chair, her hips swaying to the side as she moved to the couch and picked up a small package that was hidden on the side. She dug into it until she pulled out a small inhaler, stuck it between her lips and breathed in.

A shudder ripped through her body, and she let out a content sigh, her eyes half-lidden as she collapsed onto the coach behind her before laying out, drawing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. As her mind drifted onto a new adventure, far, far from here, she let out little giggles.

≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡

​

Agitator Found: Sector C32-2B
Crimes: Larceny, Assault [See note]
- Assault on Exec e3984001*

... Deploy Local Authorities?
Negative. Rapid Response Required.

... Deploy CSL Sec?
Negative. Rapid Response Required.

... Deploy Contractors?
Negative. Collateral Damage Inadvisable.

... Awaiting Input.
e3984001: Run The Numbers. Authorization Granted

... Confirmed. Running The Numbers

...
...
...

... Deploying 003

The alley was dark and damp, like so much of the accursed city. The darkness did not come from the lack of a sun, but from the tall concrete buildings that pierced the sky, blocking out every ray it had to spare and denying those that walked the streets its warmth. The alley stank of garbage long forgotten, still water and the acidic stench of metal slowly rusting away, but it was not a scent any in the city would pick out as the scent marked so much of the city, it clung to their clothes, their hair, their very being, it was the sickly aroma of home. Flicking lights that have long since fought past their expiration were all that kept the alley lit and played tricks on the eyes as every object created a shadow that seemed to lurk within the concrete valley. At the center of the desolate alleyway was a single soul, a man in a worn coat that kept looking over his shoulder as he made his way down the road. The coat was held tightly around himself, his right arm within it holding something that bulged the front as his left held the coat closed. His dark hair was messily cropped and seemed to constantly trap moisture as beads of liquid rolled down his pale flesh to disappear down his neck. His steps were short and quick as he scampered down it, his breath coming in short, desperate gasps as his lungs struggled to draw in the damp air.

There was a slight shift in the air, an unseen thrum that caught the man's attention. He turned on his heel, his right handing coming out to reveal a large handgun that shook as it jumped around the alley looking for whatever it was he felt, "W-Whos there!?" he said to the alley shadows, "Just leave me alone!"

His head turned to look behind him and he took a few shaky steps back down the alley, his gaze locked on a door on the side. The promise of salvation lay just behind. His head slowly turned back to the alley giving it a final look before he took another step and began to turn to make a dash for the door when there was a heavy thud that echoed down the alley.

The man nearly tumbled to the ground as he lost his balance, but on shaky legs, he swung back around, the handgun raised as it bucked in his hand with an echoing boom. Bits and pieces of concrete were sent scattering in all directions as the bullet slammed into a building.. Far wide of the woman that now crouched at the center of the alley.

The gun continued to shake as the man backed up further away, "I-I It was an accident, I just needed.." the words seemed to almost blur together as the words came out in a single stream as he vomited word after word.

The woman slowly rose, her body making strange metallic whirls and whines as she did so. Her long black hair fell in waves around her. Her arms hung loosely at her side, and from behind the veil of black heir, two crimson eyes flashed in the dark.

​

Target Acquired.

... Terminate Agitator.

Confirmed.

There was tense moment in the air before the woman moved, her body a blur as the pistol barked in his hand, over and over again. Each flash of the muzzle illuminating the darkness for a single moment, a still frame of life, and each was more horrid then the last. The woman's movements were unnatural, her body seemed to 'snap' and 'break' in places that should not break, her body contorting even as she sprinted at him. The man let out a scream of rage that died as a click echoed in the alley and his soul as the gun ran dry.

"W-Wai-" he said, the gun falling to his feet, but the woman closed the distance, her hand folding into itself as a large blade emerged glowing red as a soft buzzing filled the air as it vibrated, her eyes did look at him, so much as through him, and before he could scream, before he could turn, the blade lashed out and his body collasped in a crumbled heap, his head landing a moment later to bounce and roll a few feet away before coming to a stop, his lifeless eyes gazing at the door that was to be his salvation.

A scream pierced the air as the now opened door revealed a small child, a boy, with dark hair and clothing that had seen better days. The child stared into the alley, stared at the head that stared back, "D-"​

Accessing Identification.
... Offspring of Agitator, Simon Tilly

Terminate?

... Negative.

Ignore?

... Negative.

Advise.

... Agitator Defaults Possessions. Acquire Product.

Confirmed.

Another scream pierced the alley as her hand shot out to the child.

And then all was quiet.

≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡

Brand New U

The building's interior was startling white with silver trimmings that ran along the edges to meet at the corners. Along this silver trim, soft halogen lights bathed the room in a rough illusion of natural light. The room was filled with chairs nearly as white as the walls and floor, made of a hard plastic that curved inward as if determined to make anyone foolish enough to rest their rears in them suffer from a constant minor case of vertigo. Across the front, a large sparking white counter stretched with holographic screens displaying the current running price of the most common of operations, new deals and the current inventory of newest 'product', fresh and otherwise. Lines of people waited at these counters, most simply nodding and returning from whence they came, but a few would speak to the clean faced representatives before moving to sit in one of the curved chairs to wait.

Working at one of the counters stood a tall, pretty, blond half-elven woman of indiscriminate age. Her hair was tied up into a simple bun, her pointed ears on display. A large smile sat on her face, the smille warmed her face and made her, oh so approachable, but the smile went no further. Her eyes were blank, dead, someone going through a motion she had done a million times before and would likely do a million times after. Her white jack stood on stark contrast to her warm complexion, "Thank you so much for shopping at Brand New U, the best place to find the real you."

Her emerald eyes followed the old man as he turned and walked back out the front doors before they snapped to her next customer. An older goblin woman, a fellow blond with an inverted bob haircut, walked up to the counter. The small goblin woman was wearing a cream colored cardigan over a simple white blouse over a pencil skirt, "Hi, dear," the goblin woman said with a smile that vanished the lines of age that hung on her face.

"Hi! Welcome to Brand New U, I'm Christie, how can I help you today?" The half-elf said with just enough false enthusiasm inserted to almost sound genuine.

"Yes, I'd like to speak to the manager," the goblin said, her voice still deathly sweet.

"Oh!" The half-elf woman said, her eyes blinking in surprise as some focus started to worm their way into them, "If you tell me what's wrong, maybe I can try to help?"

"No," the smile on the goblin's face faded so quickly it was hard to believe it was ever there, "Under City Code: J4391 and Consumer Rights, if a consumer asks for a manager you are obligated to bring them."

"I-" the half-elf hesitated, clearly caught off guard by the sudden aggression in the small goblin. Her head turned to the left and right looking for some kind of help, but both her coworkers simply kept their heads down and kept talking to their own customer, clearly happy they hadn't gotten the green landmine.

"Why are you looking to them? Are you just incapable of getting them? Is that the quality of staff this establishment employs?" The goblin said, like a wolf sensing hesitation in her prey and wasting no time going in for the kill.

"N-No, I didn'-" The half elf started, her arms naturally coming around to wrap around herself

"No, you didn't. Because the manager still isn't here," the goblin all but hissed as she reached up to slap the desk, "Are you just stupid? Do you not understand what I'm saying?"

"N-" The half-elf started, her eyes starting to mist as she frantically looked around for help, at a complete loss of what to do or why the woman was being this abrasive.

"Saelnys, is there a problem?" A large orc said, his natural large physique pushing against his suit to make it bulge with the rippling muscles under it. Small glasses perched on his large nose for his tiny red eyes to peek through.

The half-woman visibly sags, a breath coming out as she lets out a sigh of relief, "Mr. Rukson! Yes! This customer wants to speak to you."

The orc's small eyes narrowed behind his glasses, his large tusk poking out of his bottom lips as he glanced between his employee and the small woman, "I see, thank you, I will handle it from here. Go take your five minutes."

The half elf gave an ethusistic nod, her bundle of hair nearly coming free with the shake.

"So you're the manager?" The goblin said as she looked the orc up and down, disapproval clear in her eyes.

"I am," the orc said as he put his hands on the counter and leaned down, "How may I help you today?"

"Your employees mess up," the goblin woman pulled out a receipt from her Taur-Ahe skin purse and slapped it on the counter... after rising to her tip toes to reach.

"My son was supposed," she stretched out the word and rolled her eyes as if to shout to the world on how anyone could be so dumb as to mess that up, "A one hundred percent locally sourced organic liver. Instead, we got a synthetic knock-off."

The large orc lifted the receipt and read it, "It says here that that we were out of stock," he raised his brow before lowing it back to the counter top, "company policy is to replace the out of stock product with a equal, or superior, replacement."

"But that's not what I ordered, is it?" the small goblin said with a loud huff, "When I order a real liver for my son, I want a real liver. Not some mechanical knock off."

"Every synthetic liver that comes from our factories are of the highest grand and a synth-liver filters out far more then any organic liver could," the large orc said, "And often come with a price of often double that of their 'real' counterpart."

"But that isn't what I ordered," the goblin said as she rolled her eyes, "Is there something wrong with your ears or is every employee of this place so slow?"

"Ma'am," the large orc said as he pushed back the receipt, "If the operation has happened within ninety days, we will be happy to remove the liver, but you will not insult me or my staff."

"What is he supposed to do without a liver?" the goblin snapped, "Live without one until I find a place that actually knows what they're doing?"

"That is your concern, ma'am," the orc said as he tapped the receipt again for her to pick it up, "But we are happy to help up as the company guidelines permits."

The goblin woman raised her nose to try and gaze at the orc down it, which.. did not work as well as she likely believed, "Ugh! Incompetent. Worthless," she snatched the receipt off the counter and turned on her heel to step away, "I'm sending a email to your regional manager, and trust me, he'll read it. He goes virtual golfing with my husband!"

"I look forward to hearing about it, have a nice day ma'am," the orc said, his face unperturbed as the woman left the building and slammed the door behind her. Silence reigned for a second before the Orc looked around, "Next."

≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡

Capital
Gaalvax

City Districts
Central [1/3]
- Church of the Ascendancy

Red Light District [0/0]
[Under Construction]

Armies
Taskforce Alpha
- AST (1)
- CLS Sec. (1)
- 1 HR-CV (1)

Total Units
1 AST
1 CLS Sec.
1 HR-CV

Happiness/Order
0/0

Trade Routes [1/2]
The Eternal Legion

≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡​

Start of Turn	Income	Expenditure	Upkeep	Treasury
100	60*	-50	-22	88

*40 From Event

Free Actions
Taskforce Alpha will move one tile to the NW [Marked on map below]
Taskforce Alpha will explore tile

Actions​

1. Build Red Light District [Settlement] at Taskforce Alpha's location. [1/3]​
2. Continue construction of Red Light District [2/3]​
3. Finish construction of Red Light District [3/3]​

Spoiler: Movement Map

 

[LecternOfJasper]

THE AUTONOMOUS COLLECTIVE OF MELKAChapter One: Dwarf Fortress New Beginnings

In twin powers, some will find
PROVIDENCE for all in kind


​

The days (as much as one can call them such) were getting more and more eventful.

Dagwyr lounged on the Bright Academy stairs watching the emerald light shimmer on the pools towards the lower end of the Downside. The Princeps had asked him to come in to talk to the students in the upper classes about the Sun and the place they will take in this prodigious city. The young triton man thought this was a bit silly, of course, as his job was chosen for him by the Sun in Glass itself, and even more unusually has not been done in hundreds of years. Most of these ones will be free to choose their own paths; only those with greater aptitudes will have some additional choices presented to them.

That's what the bulk of his presentation boiled down to. Choices. It didn't matter what creed you follow, what path you trod, for in all directions lie the opportunity to change it. To travel onwards, and try to do right by yourself and your fellows, despite and because of the obstacles that get thrown in your way.

He hadn't quite gotten to the end when a Stage 2 warning sounded throughout the borough, shortly after a crack that rattled the windows, and everyone was shifted to to lower levels until the breach was patched, effectively ending any useful learning for the next hour or two. He did get to riff a bit on the "Choices" speech to a few worried faces, pointing out that there were brave men and women out there right now working to mend and brace the shell that surrounded their shining star. PROVIDENCE is no easy goal, it is said, and those that seek to touch the Sun must risk its harsh light.

Flashing a grin, he pulled up his left sleeve to let the class see the mementos the Sun gave him throughout his time: patches of skin made transparent under the Light Above, exposing the musculature of his forearm and hand in vivid detail. A few edges were readily visible in the cracked façade, but his time with the Sunseed has allowed him a greater degree of flexibility than most.

"I really am lucky," he had told them. "If I had kept my hand in front of that light any longer I likely wouldn't be able to use it at this point. 'Course, I chose to stick my hand out, and if I didn't, this city would be a much different place. A man was in need, and I accepted the chance of losing my arm if it meant even a chance of saving his life. I didn't know if it would work, and I didn't know how I would fare afterwards. All I knew was that I was standing on the edge, and a choice had to be made. This time, it seems it was the right one. I hope, for both your sakes and mine, that the choices we all make will continue to be the best ones we can."

Of course, he mused later under the light of the Sun, at this point few know of the Half Glass (as the man had come to be called) and his deeds, and even fewer think to bug him about it after so many years. He was a talented mathematician, to be sure, and had revolutionized the methods used to predict and track the Sun's stress points and breaches. After the incident, and once the damage was assessed, he was given a chance at a quiet life and never looked back.

I'll have to visit him again. Someday soon.

But not now. The envoys of the nations that had answered their call would be here soon. There was much to do.

​

Crunch

• Turn 1 Actions
• Strengths, Policies, Advancements
• Resources and Armies
• Cities and Buildings

• 
  
  
  

  Paid Actions	Free Actions
  Building: Trade Hub (-20 Resources)	Move Army 1 - Outreach Consignment northwest and explore the Lone Mountain
  Upgrade Capital (1/3)	Initiate Trade with Titania
  Upgrade Capital (2/3)	Propose Trade with Magistrati

  
  
• 
  Policy: Written in Correspondence: Providence
  As the world begins to turn once more, the mountain people have treasures to share. While the beauty of their works seems to fade by the light of the True Sun, the foreign markets are open, and there are plenty who dwell in the dark that may take advantage of this surge.
  (Benefit: Improves Trade (+10 resources to each nation). May utilize special resources of any trading partner.
  Drawback: Must accept trade routes from other Nations. Other Nations trading with the Collective also have access to special resources available due to Providence.)
  
  
  Strengths: (What three things is your nation good at? We will create in game buffs to match your choices.)
  
  Things that Go Bump in the Night:
  "Those starving fools cry Saxon ghouls, in the darkness we run free."
  Between the science that brought about the Sun in Glass and the Midnight Tree freeing people of their mortal inhibitions (and forms), in many cases, monsters both mechanical and true may be found or brought into being quite easily in the Light and Dark.
  (+1 HP and +1 attack to monsters in Darkness)
  
  The Midnight Tree:
  In order to protect Arguseed from the trials of the True Sun, a being antithetical to light itself has been made to grow over the great city. The lands around the Midnight Tree and its offshoots is an anarchic place where laws both mundane and natural are suspect at best.
  (Every settlement has a field of darkness expanding to a radius of 1 around it. All those who are not explicit allies of the Collective have a chance of suffering attrition on a roll of 10 for every turn they dwell in the darkness. This radius increases by 1 at settlement levels 3 and 5. Guests and ambassadors are brought to the Downside, and do not suffer this fate.)
  
  Light is Law:
  The natural laws are different for those who dwell under the light of Arguseed. People do not die until the time is right, hunger and loss are reserved for research, and natural laws one would consider inscrutable are laid bare to be twisted into whatever shape is needed. While such conditions may be broken quite easily, the light of the Sun in Glass and the malleability of the real under its gaze will make all things right in time.
  (May spend 2 actions to increase Happiness or Order by 1. Happiness and Order may only be brought up to 1 using this ability alone, though other projects that add to Happiness or Order improve them further as usual.)
  
  
  Weaknesses: (What two things is your nation weak at? We will create in game debuffs to match your choices.)
  
  The New Sequence:
  Living and growing in the light of the Sun in Glass proves to be hazardous to those who later walk in the sun's rays. The unprotected cannot venture forth at all, while even hardened Collective science tends to go wrong in the light.
  (You cannot make military troop units. All other units take -2/-2 and lose a beneficial keyword when in a tile not covered in darkness. These penalties does not apply underground (if that ever happens, for some reason). Any settlements out of the darkness are unable to build military units until they are in darkness.)
  
  The Strength and Certainty of Glass:
  While the Sun in Glass is powerful, it is an intricate, complicated piece of glass and fire, the combination of which (and the inherent issues with creating an artificial sun) causes... Instability.
  (Every turn, make a d10 roll. On an 1, lose one happiness. On a 2, lose one order.)
  
• 
  
  Starting Resources: 100
  Income: +20 (Melka Level 1)
  Upkeep: -20
  Expenses: -20
  Ending Resources: 80
  
  Army 1: Outreach Consignment
  2x Correspondents
  1x Grue
  
  
• 
  
  Arguseed, Progenitor: Level 1 Capital
  Buildings (1/2):
  Trade Hub (the Night Market): 2 trade routes (1 with Greater Titania)
  
  

 

[Dest]

The Eternal Legion​

---

Colonel Gripus 'Iceheart' Congrio​

---

"Attention!"

At the call the room settled into a flurry of motion as the dozen men and women within shot to their feet and stood at attention, facing the doorway through which Colonel Congrio had just entered. The man stalked the rows and inspected each soldier in turn, looking to pick out the smallest of mistakes that they had made on their uniform. Upon reaching the end of this inspection, and being apparently satisfied, the old soldier stalked to the front of the room, the injury that had temporarily taken him out of active service not slowing him down in the slightest.

"At rest! Get back to work people, I want reports on my desk by 1400 hours at the latest!" The colonel watched impassively as the intelligence unit returned to work looking through any and all information they could find in search of anything which could affect the legion. Nodding he left the room and returned to his rounds, looking briefly into several of the other specialized units and repeating the process with each of them. With his rounds complete the leader of the Legion returned to his office and was pleasantly surprised to already find a report on top of his desk.

I truly shouldn't be surprised, that damn slavedriver is always getting his reports in as early as he can after all. Gives him more time to 'train' the new recruits after all. Gripus picked the folder of paper up and began to flip through it, taking note of the individual reports of how their newest recruits were faring. Snorting the man picked a red pen off his desk and began to mark several of them, continuing his long running game of guessing which recruits would be dead before their basic training was over. Pausing at the last sheet within the folder he cocked his head slightly. Odd, I had thought that Gamma Squad had another month of training before they entered active duty? Finding a note at the bottom of the page shed a bit more light upon the sudden rapid deployment of the group. They petitioned the old sadist to let them take their final test early, eh? Ballsy bunch I'll give em that, even better that they actually succeeded. Well then, I suppose it's time to introduce them to their new commander.​

---

Lieutenant Colonel Carsten 'Hurricane' Hornberger​

---

The Legion's infirmary sat mostly empty, the only bed that was occupied being covered by a white sheet which denoted that the person under it was already dead. The sounds of various pieces of medical equipment and computers on idle filled the room as a duo of soldiers sat waiting.

"It's been thirty minutes man, I think the Lieutenant Colonel told us the wrong day or place!" one of the duo finally shot up off his chair, frustration evident on his face. "I swear, everything I've heard about him is that he is always late, always telling people wrong information, or always screwing up with patients!"

"Cool it Daniels, you know that shit comes from the dropouts of the course. And we both know that half those guys don't even bother to listen when a CO speaks," the other soldier waved his friend back into his seat, staying much more relaxed about the long wait. "I'm sure this is just a test of some kind, ya know, to make sure we are actually serious about wanting to be medics."

Sighing, the now identified Daniels sat back down in his seat. "Maybe so, but I hate having to wait when it comes to crap like this. Especially after that crazy bastard Sunset drilled punctuality into our heads during basic."

"They say that you should never piss off two kinds of men, those who handle your food and those who save your life. Today you begin your training to do the second, welcome to your medical training course," the body on the bed sat up, revealing the grinning face of Carsten Hornberger and causing the two new trainees to shout in fear. "And I do thank you for the entertainment!"​

---

Private Andrea Bielsa​

---

"You sorry sacks of maggots are among the worst group of recruits that I have ever had the misfortune of training! I have seen piles of shit that had a better chance of making it through basic than any of you!" First Seargent Sunset stood in front of the six privates, the Taur-Ahe's face remaining in the same stern expression that he was well known for. 'Yet you have done what I thought would be impossible and have actually managed to graduate your training early! I am almost proud!"

"Thank you Drill Seargent!" Andrea yelled the words out alongside the rest of the group, doing her best to keep a grin off her face. She knew that if she smiled then she would be running till she collapsed, and that would be a nightmare after the hell that was the test. Two weeks deep in the wilderness with half a day's worth of rations and only their basic equipment had nearly killed them more than once, but they had managed it! And now they were going to be proper soldier in The Eternal Legion!

"As a surprise for you lot, Colonel Gripus himself has decided that he will be the one to give you the immediate promotions that some of you earned during the test as well as assigning you to your command officers!" As he spoke the Seargent stepped to the side and gestured to the man behind him, revealing the Colonel in question.

"Welcome to the Legion Privates, or at least most of you are Privates. Private Shelby! Step Forward!" The colonel called out, the man stepping forward quickly. "For your quick actions and leadership during your final test, as well as your impressive results throughout your training, you are being promoted directly to Corporal! Privates! Congratulate the Corporal!"

"Congratulations Corporal Shelby!" Once more Andrea's voice once more echoed alongside her squad's as she internally grinned at her best friend getting the most impressive promotion so quickly.

"Next! Step forward Private Home! You are receiving a promotion to Private First Class! Gamma Squad! Congratulate Private Home!" As the group once more shouted out their congratulations a trio of soldiers approached the group, the insignia on their arms denoting them as two Seargents and a staff Seargent. "Right on time, Gamma Squad! These are your new commanders! Red Team! You will be led by Seargent Swiftrest!" The Elf among the trip stepped forwards and saluted the Colonel before turning to face the new soldiers. "Blue Team! You are to be led by Seargent Brent!" This time it was a human woman who stepped forwards and did the same. "And finally, the squad will be lead by Staff Seargent Stonearm!" The final member of the trio stepped forwards, the dwarf inspecting his new squad carefully. "I shall be taking my leave now, serve the Legion well!"

"Yes Colonel!" This time the entirety of the squad shouted at once.​

---

Actions​

---

Paid Actions
1. Construct Building in Rupes - Radio Tower
"We want to get some contracts, we're going to need some way for folks to contact us easier!"

2. Construct Building in Rupes - Scrapyard
"Finally you listen to me Colonel! We need to start turning these broken weapons and vehicles we recover into profit!"

3. Upgrade Settlement Rupes - 1/3 (Unpaid thus far)

Free Actions
Explore Current Location with Army 1

Cities:

Spoiler: Rupes

Level 1 Capitol
Building Slots - 3/3 Open (2 in progress of being used)

Happiness/Order
0/0
​

		RESOURCES
Start of Turn	Gain	Expenditure	Upkeep	Remaining
100	10	40	23	47

Spoiler: Military

Army 1
1x General Use Squad -

Spoiler: Gamma Squad

Staff Seargent Omern Stonearm
Seargent Alath Swiftrest
PFC Celestino Home
Private Anoapo Sharptalon
Private Andrea Bielsa
Seargent Fayanna Brent
Corporal Desmond Shelby
Private Kayden Prescott
Private Archard Royal

1x L1097A5 Crusader Howitzer

Spoiler: Angel Squad

Staff Seargent Craig Shelby
Seargent Jacobus Shearman
Corporal Humfrey Barrie
Corporal Gisselle Foy
PFC Rille Thorp
PFC Whitby Thorpe

1x EL-60 Grayhawk Transport Copter

Spoiler: 1st Air Transport Squad

Lieutenant Colonel Lex Benson
First Lieutenant Helga Hildom
First Seargent Theodore Bristol
Major Abel Clinton
Second Lieutenant Elmore Outerbridge
Technical Seargent Silvia Notley

 

[Huntertabbysandshark3]

6th Legion
​

the long sleep over the legion emerged form its bunker.. they where the 6th coms traffic was at 0 their where no others.. this worried most their where supposed to be another 10 legions awakening yet they had been the only ones the other bunkers seemingly having fallen slient prehaps cut off prehaps ripped open by the ravages of time whatever the case was the legion was alone. for now hurried worker mechs trundles towards the treeline around them slicing them down to contruct processing plant to harvest and refine the local resource as much as they all found joy in the landscape such devices where needed as where the parts for the Radar array ripped form storage to be assembled they needed to know the lay of the land in truth.. but there was commision nearby sending some units to investigate already they vangaurd forces awated the awkaening of the more prominate leaders of their legion.. hopefully they'd survived..


Actions
1) Construct a processing plant (eco building)
2) construct a radar array
3) upgrade capital 1/3

Free; move army 1 (gunner) south 1 tile

units being constructed	military
	1X gunner 1X Grimold 1X ranger

current	income	expenses	upkeep	turn final
100	20	-60	-21	39

 

[Crocodile]

Magistrati Turn 01​

---

Praetor Darkfeather stood in the Panopticon, looking out over the vast floating city that was the home of some of the most studied and powerful magic users on the planet. This place could have the potential to become many things. If they had been foolish, they'd have become like Greater Titanita where magic was wielding in the name of the Crown and nobility. It had been so brutal that rebellion had been the only answer and Coghaven was born. Yet Coghaven was gone, slaughtered by the fickle forces of fate. All that was left was the legacy of ideals that Magistrata had built itself upon as a moral foundation. The world needed guidance and they could help there. The world needed unity as well if the dark secrets uncovered by Coghaven years ago were true. The Demons and the Song were still out there.

With that thought, the Praetor turns to sit at round table, his chair higher than others to denote his postion as the ruler of the Magistrati until such a time as the Council opted to challenge him. It would take the Council to back a challenger, he was a formidable combat mage and his suit while tailored showed the muscled physique of a man who'd embraced his orcish blood as much as his elven. He'd spent years preparing for the challenge and knew he had to produce results to sustain his continued control of the nation. Their Magocracy was effective usually, but it had its downsides. They still favored some level of firm control over the vagaries of democracy. There was nothing wrong with the system from their academic viewpoint, but magic focused in so many individuals in one place meant it was best that skill and cunning reign so long as they remember the teachings of Coghaven. They could not let their egos reign when the world needed them. When there were allies to be made.

"What do we have today?" Praetor Darkfeather asked as he looked around the table as the various Magisters of the Colleges took their seats. Some had papers or tablets with them, some simply came with their staves or canes which they set in the special hollow in the floor to stand upright but neutralized. Magic was only used to conduct business in the Council Chamber and provided defenses. All other uses were aggressively negated by powerful abjuration put in place half a century ago due to a coup attempt.

"Well, Praetor, my reports indicate various incidents playing out. However I support our intentions to establish a large initial cluster of Diplomatic Enclaves. We need allies at this time and the resources they will provide in our ongoing efforts to make Magistrata a potential center of the world," Magister Orisini said with a coy smile as she lights a black cigarette with gold filter. The purple smoke rises to disperse as she regards the table. "My agents are ready for our needs. And I have to applaud the recruitment of the Marauders. We need more ground assets to explore the surface or do our work."

"I admit its useful even if their gear is crude. Perhaps mercenary grounds forces is a suitable option to support the Skyfleet," Magister Starsoul said thoughtfully as he gestures and makes the force appear at the table center in an illusion. "We need these sort of forces and we need to outfit them better. Perhaps improve their supplies we've promised them. It should cement their loyalty as well, knowing we're their only viable source for superior gear even if we send them into dangerous situations. I advise building housing of high quality for them here in Magistrata as a reward and incentive."

"We got enough on our plates with all these Enclaves needin' built. Now ya want to go invitin' those thugs into our home!" Magister Stoneforge of the College of Artifice growled. He was a broad, muscular dwarf that favored overalls and smithy apron with its various pockes full of tools. He was the undisputed master of his arts and a bit sour but loyal to the cause. He could be trusted to voice objections others wouldn't even if not the most diplomatically.

"Would you suggest we not give them something to fight for?" Magister Starsoul countered with a raised brow. "Soldiers are only as loyal as their employers are to them."

"This is true, my agents find many assets in foreign lands due to poor treatment," Magister Orsini admitted after exhaling a puff of purple smoke.

"Sure, but we're talkin' about serious thugs here. They're only takin' the offer 'cause we're givin' shinies. What's to keep the next highest bidder from stealin' those lot away, eh?" Magister Stoneforge snorted as he thumps his fist on the table.

"The incentives, hopefully. If not, my people are prepared to deal with it, "Magister Orsini admits with a sigh. "We were who orchestrated the recruitment. The College of Intrigue will fix the mess. Until then, we support the College of War's proposal on enhancing and incentivizing. We could develop quite the reputation as generous employers which helps my operations along with the development of this Auxiliary Army that Starsoul seems eager to build for us."

"Fine, I'll make their toys and gear, but I damn well hope the Skyfleet get expanded to pound them into dust if they try to turn. We need more Bonded as well if we're gonna house hooligans," Magister Stoneforge noted as his final protest before leaning back to show he was done with his usual picking apart of issues.

"Legitimate concerns. I agree we should expand the Skyfleet, but this Auxiliary Army intrigues me. Neither will truly be possible without our Enclaves though. I am going to move forwards with build the inital ones with the World Tree and Melka. I propose a third for New Avalon so long as we recall the Fae bans requested. Are there objections?" Praetor Darkfeather said as he peered around the table. No voice dissented.

"Excellent, I'll expect a candidate list from each College of our elven mages. Prince Ellario was very clear on the stipulations for even allowing us into their lands. The Elves of the World Tree need to be shored up if anything else for a stronger response to potential future demonic activity. Coghaven was lost because of the last one over that vile war of ideas. Let us prevent that from playing out again," Darkfeather said and stood, showing the Council was over for now. The various Magisters stood, some starting to chatter as they moved to leave or find a spot to talk. Council Meetings always proved a good time for the Colleges to coordinate or discuss issues.​

---

Resources	Income	Upkeep	Expenses	Treasury
100	20	-44	-60	16

Unit	Quantity	Upkeep
Bonded	1	0
Centurion Golems	1	15
Legatus Airships	1	17
Magda's Mauraders: Vehicle, Aged Weaponry, Poor Armor, Old World Blues- Deals an extra 1 damage to NPCs	1	12

---

Free Actions
-Magistrata and forces moves North 1 tile.
-Initiate Diplomacy with Minza

Actions
-Build Diplomatic Enclave in Arguseed (Melka)
-Build Diplomatic Enclave in Halamshiral (World Tree)
-Build Diplomatic Enclave in Haven (New Avalon)

 

[Trektek]

BoN Act 3: Modern Age

The birth of dual alliances has begun to spring out from from the Order of Lepolia and the Consecrated Socialist Republic of Arrana.

Each has already set out to make their pleas and strike claimants on many of the nations that exist around the world in hopes of bringing forth their own peace and order. But will this actually bring about the peace and order that they desire? Or will it only lock the two groups into a cold war state that could heat up at any moment as soon as one side does something that the other deems “wrong” to their very way of life.

Already, the corporations of Cyberlink Solutions seems to be waiting in the wings with new products, eager to peddle them in active warzones, or even as preventatives.

While the Eternal Legion makes plans to be hired by any number of nations as they strike out, whether part of these new national alliances or not.

Others such as the Empire of Hate seems to have made themselves a target of many other nations just by their very existence as one of brainwashing people to its cause.

Turn 1, Month 2, Spring, Year 2300

Empire of Hate

The New Mines were built and would soon enough be filled to the brim with these new Gorilla Miners that specializes in getting the job done. Especially when being led by their new mechanical foreman who seemed to make sure that he got the most out of each individual worker, to an almost dangerous degree.

But that was not important. What was was that soon enough, there would be an influx of diamonds to fund the Empire of Hate, allowing them to more greatly expand their city and to eventually expand across the globe.

The transmissions filled with Hate continued to be strong. Stronger than they would have thought possible. It managed this time to gain a squad of troops from The Forgotten of Ulbricht.

Gain 1 Infantrymen
HP 1
Movement 1
Attack 2
Offense -1
Defense 0
(5)Laser Carbine

The group that went to explore in the east, came across a most unusual thing. It seemed to be an Old World Port with attached naval factory. If it could be brought up to operational status, this could be the find of the century.

(Quest Chain Unlocked)

Quest 1: “The Ancient Word tells that in that Ancient Old World, factories were not just automated, but fully staffed by thought capable mechanical machines.”- Historian

Spend 50 Resources to fully excavate the shipyard.

New Yong

New Yong continued to grow with its ample supply of music and sound. It was a wonderful time, especially since Goo discovered the lantana sound of Goblin Rock. It could help begin a new era as their sound would hit the airwaves, even making splashes in Goblin Hating areas such as the CSRA.

Music had a way of uniting people across all races, colors, creeds and genders. It was not only the way that they could hope to defeat The SONG, but also a way to eventually help to end all wars and help people celebrate their differences rather than let them become divisive.

(Unlock Quest)

Talking with goblins from the Tent City, legends were spoken of great music that came from the Giant Forests to the East. Legends say that there are tribal Orcs, Trolls and Goblins and that if one brings many gifts (100 Resources), they might hear the music and learn their secrets.

Quest: Bring 100 Resources to the Forest to at the NE section of the continent.

Amnonicus

The city continues to grow, filled with strange and new buildings that greatly benefited not only the city, but the very cause of its people. The Clouds of Bridged Reality brought forth greater use of the world’s resources to ones that they could more greatly use and provided more “jobs” for its people.


The Prophetic Prism allowed more aircraft to be held within the city for dealing with the enemies of the air and flames to those among the ground.

But it was the Oracles of Dust, those workers that would become the heart and soul of the city, as much as one can claim that those living forms such as theirs could have hearts. They would breath that life into The Clouds of Bridged REality, making that reality the one of truth and bring forth its greatness to this realm.

(Gain Hero)- Since you are at the hero cap, you may design a new template as a free action!

Eitanou and Nomicus come across new creatures to bend into the fold

The Sunset Kingdom

The Caledon Stock exchange was up and booming, ready to be the center of trade for the Empire as it begins its flow of expansion throughout the high seas with its allies while preparing for an influx of extra special revenue from their lessers.

It was all a part of helping the city to grow, to become the splendid jewel of the sea and the heart of their new beating empire that will spread throughout all the sea routes and beyond.

The Old Fafrium Empire ship was in surprisingly good condition. With some more modern additions to the surprises that they had, it became even better of a warship than it must have been at the height of power of the Fafrium Empire.

Gain Hero unit:
Fafrium Dreadnought
HP 4
Movement 3
Attack 3
Offense 3
Defense 3
(Robust)(Coastal Bombardment)(Armor Piercing)

(Logistical Error-No gain but the stack gets -1/-1 until the end of the next turn)

The troops moved out, but due to some logistical error, some necessary combat supplies were displaced during the transit from one location to the next and have left them currently off kilter for the next month until new supplies can be sent to the group.





World Tree

Growth of great bounty had filled the forest as the farms were filled with great crops, the trees produced more powerful iron bark than before and even the mines more ore than was thought possible. All due to the majesty and greatness that was the wisdom of the World Tree itself.

The great being enacted one of its powers to help the elves that kept it safe and protected from the world at large. Ones would would continue to do so until their dying breaths.


Bountiful Loot- Gain 26 Resources. Free Upkeep for stack this turn

Group 2 explored and came a long abandoned caravan filled with a large amount of supplies. Most of the trucks and other vehicles seemed to be empty of gas and oil, but full of food, weapons and other useful things to the elves of the World Tree.

+1 Order Gained from the Enclave Built in the Capital

Forgotten of Ulbricht

It was time.

Now that they were once again in the clear open skies, they would begin training their paratroopers, their airborne infantry for action once more. It would not be easy and would cause them to neglect their land vehicles and naval craft in the future, but for now, this seemed the best course of action.

Joining the burgeoning ETO has allowed the creation of the Banshee aircraft as a transport for their army troops, for quick deployment on the battlefield.

In the past, aircraft was a field that they lacked in and these new concepts might just help them win future wars.

In addition, the soldiers and people watched as the engineers began to fortify their city in hopes of becoming a better location to defend against any enemies that might try to take advantage of their rebuilding of their military.

(Quagmire-Something happened to stall the stack, they cannot move this turn)

The troops, even though they were on the homefront, had difficulty navigating the disaster that was their original home. It was damaged during the original war. The massive shelling and blockaded streets caused a slowdown of the troops and would prevent them from traveling elsewhere for this month until they could clear up the issue.

Followers of Hel’Copin

This new land was strange to them, but the waters were still what they called home. The ship they arrived in was damaged heavily by the transport between realms. As such, they devoted all available resources and time to improving it to a fraction of what it had been. Soon enough, the glory of their home would be achieved as they would expand and search the seas to improve their god’s will.

The sacrifices of Meat to Heli’Copin seemed to displease their god this month. While accepted, their wish to rebuff non followers has been reversed. Instead, any and all interlopers will actually have an easier time to sneak inside their home.

(Quagmire-Something happened to stall the stack, they cannot move this turn)

The group that had been heading to the Volcano was not expecting the level of lava around and the magma inside. It caught them up and they would be distracted trying to navigate their current surroundings for the month.

The Order of Lepolia

The Order knew that it had to expand. It was the only way for them to become better at not only policing the seas, but also to help protect the world as they form their own series of alliances to balance against the ETO. That was why they had begun to actively increase the size of the floating capital.

The Advanced Training Barracks would allow the cream of the crop to pull forward to greatness at a much higher degree than normal training. However, it would still take time and effort to do so.

The advanced recycling facilities would make sure that troops on the home front would have an easier time being maintained which would bring about much greater morale for the troops.

Scouts out with the drilling team came across a wreck at the bottom of the ocean. It contained supplies that were easy to claim. Gain 27 Resources

The Consecrated Socialist Republic of Arrana

The trading post would help bring in greater supplies, especially with collecting allies for the ETO. The additional supplies will help them to maintain the burgeoning airforce that they wish to assemble in the future.

For now, it is important that they constructed a Genesis Circle as an attempt to summon more powerful living airplanes than the ones that their nation regularly possesses.

Another legion of Steelworkers were brought into the fold in order to continue the work of bringing in greater resources for their great nation. They will form the backbone of the nation and they follow the will of the people.


(Nothing)-The Heavy Bomber uncovers nothing unusual or even useful in its exploration.




Cyberlink Solutions

The Red Light District was to be the crowning new achievement of the Company. Finally a place where all of the certain needs of people were able to be met and with mostly high levels of discretion. Though of course that would vary with the location and the clinentelle of the individual businesses.

But it was the thought that counted. And that was what the people were going to latch on to. That was what the people wanted. And the company would give the people what they wanted or at least what they thought they wanted.

(Unlock Quest Chain)

Taskforce Alpha uncovered something strange and buried during the construction of the Red Light District. It was an Old World Facility. One that was long since covered up. The first step would be to fully uncover the ancient structure to gain access to the entrance

Quest 1: “The Past Can Bring About Greater Profits In The Future”- Ancient corporation slogan.

Spend 100 Resources to properly and safely dig out an entrance to the Old World Facility.

The Autonomous Collective of Melka

Building a trade hub was an important step considering now suddenly they had other nations to actually trade with. It was a surprise, but not an unwelcome one. Other people wished to get to know them or at the very least, trade supplies and goods with them. Which was still good.

It was important that they began to improve their capital as soon their newfound growth might hit a roof, especially with many other nations wanting to come in contact with them now that they have emerged on the grand scale of the world stage.

(Unlock Quest)

Inside the Lone Mountain, they found something. It hungered. It hungered for living flesh. A large amount of flesh. It cared not where it came from. But it needed its meal to come to them. It would reward those greatly whom fed it. It would serve them and become one with them.

Quest- “Feed the beast and you will see in it yourself or kill the Beast to become it.”- Proverb of Darkness

Sacrifice 5 units to the beast of the Lone Mountain or Kill the Beast in a Discord Battle.

+1 Order Gained from The Enclave built in the Capital

The Eternal Legion

The Eternal Legion knew that it needed to grow in this day and age if it was to compete in the mercenary market. It was in this line of thought that they decided to begin a series of constructions starting with the beginnings of upgrading the capital itself for the hopefully further influx of more cannon fodder to be sent into battles and wars.

Then a scrapyard was constructed to collect the leftovers of the battlefield for extra resources. As everyone there knew, they were not the best at gathering resources in general. They were fighters and not book keepers, miners, or laborers. Their skills resided in fighting and killing.

Every unit killed (Enemy and Legion will be collected in the scrapyard for 10 resources each

The construction of a Radio Tower not only allows complete communication with each and every nation on the planet, but it also allows a level of coordination which provides a +1/0 while fighting on the Capital Tile.



(Logistical Error-No gain but the stack gets -1/-1 until the end of the next turn)

Gamma Squad suffered a Logistical error while reading for deployment and will be slightly weaker for the month as it gets sorted out.




6th Legion

It was slow going to upgrade their burgeoning capital. They had emerged from the ground and it would still need further work. But construction on upgrading had begun towards improving it for building better equipment to survive this strange, new world.

The Processing Plant was certainly believed to be a wonderful start in processing plants to gain resources. Once it is stocked with workers, it will help generate much needed resources for the effort of constructing mechs that will enrich their own landscape and protect them from any raiders or other nations.

The Radar Array will help keep the enemy on their toes and give an them a +1/0 against enemies while fighting in their Capital Tile

(Logistical Error-No gain but the stack gets -1/-1 until the end of the next turn)

The Gunner group made an issue with supplies during the trip and sustained a Logistical Error. It’ll take until the end of the month to sort this issue out.

Magistrati

The Enclaves were constructed in Arguseed, Halamshiral, and Haven. Already it seems that the mage collective is making progress on their goals to help spread education and order throughout the world at large.

They are able to find many such people that wish to be enlightened and helped to see the way of things so that they can help create a world government.

(Gain a Hero)

A student has recently risen through the ranks to show that he is a powerful spellcaster. A half goblin that has been especially studious and well read. And it seems that he even has a high profile name. Galvingar. We will expect great things from him. Word has even spread that he has some sort of guardian angel that looks out for him whenever danger lurks its nasty head.

Perhaps we can figure out what this sort of “Angel” is.

Zurx Galvingar
Hero
HP 3
Movement 1
Attack 3
Offense 4
Defense 2
(Armor Piercing)(Ranger)(Guardian Angel- When this unit would be killed, enemy unit takes 1d3+1 Damage. If that kills the enemy unit, this unit remains at 1 HP. (Triggers once per battle))



The Bloodbrood Swarm

(Gain a Quest Chain)-

A strange cavern in the Growth lands led to an even stranger metal Cube on a pedestal that was glowing in the light. It spoke to the one who picked it up, bring me to New Yong and you will be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams.

“Sometimes words can mean more things than you think”- Bloodbrood Thinker

Quest 1: Bring The Strange Metal Cube to New Yong


New Avalon

(Logistical Error-No gain but the stack gets -1/-1 until the end of the next turn)

There was an issue with one of the squads who had a logistical error due to improper paperwork, most likely misplaced by a mischievous imp carrying out mass confusion.




+1 Order gained from the Enclave built in the Capital




Auction House

The thin and tall gaunt man with the bony fingers wore a nice suit as he always had. The Auction Keeper always looked his best and carried with him an elasticate collection.

Skeletal Hand

It feels cold to the touch, far too cold as normal.

Mini Cannon

A cannon that seems almost far too small to actually use.

Deed to The Marvelous Concerto Hotel

A strange deed to a place that no one recognizes


Mercenary House

The Missing Corp
Troop
HP 1
Movement 2
Attack 1
Offense 1
Defense -1
(Light)(Advanced Weapons)(Antique Armor)
Steampunk machines that look as though they came from a previous age, perhaps even from CogHaven.
Available(2)

Cost 20

Legion of the Deep
Troop
HP 1
Movement 1
Attack 1
Offense 0
Defense 0
(Heavy)(Hatred-Naval)
Strange Masked Men that come from deep under the waves. They seem to hate naval units with a burning passion.
Avilable(2)

Cost 25

Miss Information
Hero
HP 3
Movement 1
Attack 3
Offense 6
Defense 0
(Meatshield)(Anti-Air)(Calling Card- At the beginning of battle choose a unit. If she kills that unit by the end of the battle, she generates 20 resources)
Avilable (1)

Cost 40​

 

[Scatterbrain]

Empire of Hate

Units

1x Black Spectre Agent
(Type: Troop, Tier: 1, M: 1, HP: 1, Attack: 1, Off: 0, Def: 0, Keywords: Graceful (Heavy) (5) [9+ Save])
1x Femforce Wasp
(Type: Troop, Tier: 1, M: 1, HP: 1, Attack: 1, Off: 0, Def: 0, Keywords: Specialist- Pile On (5) [For every 4 of this unit type, Damage increases by 1 to a max of +3])
1x SJ-110
(Type: Aircraft, Tier: 1, Mt: 1, HP: 1, Attack: 1, Off: 0, Def: -2, Keywords: Small (Light) (5) [+1 Movement], Transport (5) [May give 2/3/4 infantry units its movement (dependent on tier of transport)], Poor Armour (-5) [-1 Defence])
1x The Scouts
(Type: Troop, Tier: 1, M: 2 (4), HP: 2, Attack: 1, Off: 0, Def: 0, Keywords: Robust (10) [+1 HP], Light (5) [+1 Movement], Amphibious (0) [May attack over, and from, water tiles as if they were plains])
1x Overseer 225
(Type: Hero, Tier: 1, M: 1 (4), HP: 3, Attack: 3, Off: 3, Def: 3, Keywords: (Heavy) (5) [9+ Save], (Ranger) (0) [Ignore Negative Terrain], (Mining Overseer) (0) [When placed on the same tile as mining units, Gains an additional 5 resources per unit])
1x Infantrymen
(Type: Troop, Tier: 1, M: 1, HP: 1, Attack: 2, Off: -1: Def: 0, Keywords: Laser Carbine (5) [-1/0 and +1 attack])

Buildings

The Great White City
Diamond Mine: Provides additional resources.

Upkeep

1x Black Spectre Agent (-8)
1x Femforce Wasp (-8)
1x SJ-110 (-8)
1x The Scouts (-13)
1x Infantrymen (-8)

​

Ishiro slid open the shoji paper sliding door before stepping inside the room and closing it again behind him. It was a simple room with a chabudai table and tatami floor mat in the centre and several calligraphy scrolls hanging from the walls. Making his way towards an ornate wooden cabinet in the corner of the room, he opened it, revealing it to be a Butsudan or Buddhist altar containing a number of religious items.

There were two paper lanterns hanging from the top of the cabinet, one on either side, and below them were three shelves. On the highest shelf of the shrine, right in the centre, was a mandala scroll. On the shelf underneath were a number of small wooden tablets bearing the names of some of Ishiro's ancestors and on the lowest shelf was a censer, a container of incense sticks, and a small metal bowl sitting on a cushion.

Ishiro knelt down on the floor and sat in a seiza position in front of the shrine. He removed the kabuto and mempo that adorned his head and placed them on the floor. He reached for his katana in its sheath at his side and unfastened it from his belt. Holding it up in front of the shrine, he bowed his head before placing the sword down in front of him.

He sat there momentarily before sitting up slightly as he stretched out towards a matchbox on the lower shelf. Striking a match, he placed the matchbox back, took an incense stick and then lit it. He waved the matchstick around in his hand to snuff out the flame and then gently blew on the incense stick until only glowing embers and a wisp of smoke remained. He placed the smouldering stick into the censer, pressing it upright inside the ash and the fragrance slowly began to fill the room. From the same shelf, Ishiro then picked up a small wooden hammer that sat to the right of the metal bowl. Using the hammer, he struck the bowl, causing it to reverberate like a bell. Returning the hammer to its original position, he placed his palms together in front of chest and closed his eyes. The samurai sat there for a time as he made a silent prayer before opening his eyes again.

"I will restore our family's honour." Ishiro said, quietly.

With that, Ishiro touched his tongue with a thumb and index finger and then pinched the incense stick to put it out. He returned his katana to his side and helmet to his head and climbed to his feet once more. Reaching for the cabinet doors, he closed them gently and exited the room.

It was time for battle.

Actions

1. Recruit 1x SJ-110 for 15 resources.
2. Upgrade the Great White City (2/3).
3. Implement new policy: All You Need Is Hate.
All native "Hate" units no longer require upkeep (or upkeep cost is reduced) but -1 to Order until the turn original upkeep value is paid.

Free Actions

1. Move 1x Black Spectre Agent and 1x Femforce Wasp to rendezvous with 1x SJ-110 at the coast to the Northeast.
2. SJ-110 will move and transport Black Spectre Agent and Femforce Wasp 4 hexes to attack Gaalvax to the Southeast.
3. 1x Black Spectre Agent, 1x Femforce Wasp (and 1x SJ-110 if able) will attack Gaalvax.
4. Move 1x The Scouts to the Great White City.
5. Set 1x The Scouts and 1x Infantryman to overwatch inside the Great White City.

	Began this turn	Spent this turn	Gained this turn	End this turn
Resources	83	60	20	43

​

 

[Cosmo]

CyberLink Solutions Turn 2

≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡

Buildings burned, although it was hard to tell if the fire was from the inside or the outside, started by the invaders, panicked people seeking to leave the city before things got worse or by the opportunistic souls seeking to loot and pillage while everyone was too busy to notice them. Noise filled the streets of Gaalvax, which was common enough, but this noise was different. Usually the sounds of the city was that of the never ending march of capitalism, the constant buzz of the day to day grind of the people. Occasional shouts and threats that echoed up the streets and alleys to people threatening to throw their shoe at their neighbor's cyberfeline for making a racket because the firmware update was paywalled. But it was not the noise of the day. This noise was different. It was the noise of panics, screams and shouts, of thousands of people fleeing out of the city or to the new Red Light District, cars clogged and jammed the roadways making travel almost impossible and some had long since abandoned their vehicles to attempt to make the journey on foot where they were often mugged and run afoul by gangs, thieves and opportunistic fellow citizens who realized their personal firearms made them king of the moment.

The world slowly pans to a large building with the world G. A. L emblazed on the building in large, neon letters and an older lady standing before the large red doors, flanked by two beautiful women, "Hi, dearies, I am Granny Esma, and this is my humble abode. I know the world feels a bit chaotic right now, and Granny knows you're worried," the elder lady spoke, her voice soft and her eyes kind.

"But you're safe here at the Red Light's District until our brave soldiers of unlife reclaim your homes and businesses. So why don't you stop by and see my G.A.Ls? They are the pinnicale of robotic technology and are ready to serve you. We also just got a new shipment in of Handymen if you want to give that a try, whatever your taste, I love you just the way you are, because here, we're all family," Granny Esma said with a soft smile as the world went black.

≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡

≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡



≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡

Capital
Gaalvax

City Districts
Central [1/3]
- Church of the Ascendancy

Red Light District [1/2]
- G.A.L Gentlemen's Club [Constructing]

Armies
Taskforce Alpha
- AST (1)
- CLS Sec. (1)
- 1 HR-CV (1)
- Miss Information

Total Units
1 AST
1 CLS Sec.
1 HR-CV
Miss Information

Happiness/Order
0/0

Trade Routes [1/2]
The Eternal Legion

≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡​

Start of Turn	Income	Expenditure	Upkeep	Treasury
88	50	-60	-42	36

Free Actions
Taskforce Alpha will move back to Gaalvax and attack The Empire of Hate army located there.
Miss Information will select SJ-110 as her target [gain 20 resources if she kills it]

Actions​

1. Hire Miss Information​
2. Build the G.A.L Gentlemen's Club in Red Light District​
3. Create unit Template: GPD Unit​

Name: GPD Unit
Type: Troop [Basic]
Tier: 1
M: 1 (3)
HP: 1
Attacks:1
Off: 0
Def: 0
Keywords: Militia (0), Mindless Undead

 

[Auriel Maza]

[Post Theme Pending] - Spring, 2300 - [Pictured above describes Konomi descent]​

The Echoes of the Heavens - [Konomi "Biology"]

The heavens, the new creation bore the hundred. Amno, firstborn and only witness to the Shattered Sky, stood alone amongst the snow, the pines, and blizzard wind. The first lotus fell and landed within his hand. There was a calm, a moment of clarity. For an hour, Amno pondered upon it. The ice reflecting the cracks and flows of energy within the sky. Ninety-nine additional lights twirled and landed upon the summit of Shkirea. Whiffs of sage and sounds of a calm fire announced each of their arrivals. There they stood, gazing upon one another in newfound kinship and lost to communicate their souls to one another. There, Amno opened his wings for the first time and uttered the Konomi alphabet where Ester produced their fifteen dimensional appearance for all to see. Amno bowed her wings to Ester as she completed the sixty-first letter. Together, Amno and Ester formed the first word of the Konomi language, Torovi. The word they made translates loosely to compassion and heard by the grounded ear as Isjthazr. The main dimension used in Torovi is Ris. Ris is a vast dimension described as being surrounded by deep fog no matter how far traveled.

Spoiler: Aside

In modern usage, Torovi is formed on plates called Jio plates, which are made from the Upside Down's "waters" solidified by mixing the energies of Xata with it. Eventually, the Konomi would discover to use the energies of Durin would allow the plates to act as storage for audio and video storage. The Durin energies would be shaped to create an energy flow that the Jio plates would freeze in time, allowing the Djo plate to be made. For the grounded races of the world, a Djo holds around 500 gigabits of data on the size of a US dollar coin. An extremely effective store for data that can be scaled up/down and shaped for applications in various areas. It also was relatively stable and insulated, allowing data to be stored for long periods of time with significantly reduced risk of data error. One downside to the Djo plate was its inability to separate files until Shachar and his trusted friend, Kjzin, discovered that by using Ris's fog clouds as dividers and clings allowed the Djo plate to resemble modern computing capabilities. However, there were two downsides as compared to conventional computing. Firstly, the dimensional energies require much more precision than their conventional counterparts, meaning that additional units equal to RAM would be needed to compensate. Secondly, the various different dimensional energies require much more methodical and intense approach to powering the data storage and the rest of the components itself.

A revolution that spurred previously underused products of Konomi reproduction to be placed into the forefront for future development. This product was early on, formed just after Rivage. These small, box like entities called Unz carry machine-like intelligence with limited emotional capabilities. Scatter brained and unmotivated beyond redemption, they were thought unworthy of focus, mainly as artistic pieces for "Poszi" artists. Then, an important trait rose to the surface. Unz follow instructions incredibly well. But, they don't remember for shit. Here, the Djo plate allowed the storage of instructions and sensory input. Together with other technologies, the Konomi were able to build their first fully autonomous platform that can be given instructions over distances and make sound judgements without Konomi input. A true dream A.I. This platform became the thinking "brain" for the Polygon, among others.

After developing the alphabet and forming the first word, the first one hundred searched the surrounding area for clues. None were found, dismayed they huddled together, forming a plan. There they decided to descend the mountain with the first lotus and travel down to the plains of Konjesh. They traveled for many years, examining and building temporary shelter. At the beginning of the fourth year, one month after the fall of the lotus, Amno began his first and only so far Onyi. Onyi is the name for the Konomi replication process that can be done sexually or asexually. Onyi comes in eight stages and can be ended early after the first stage on the end of the second stage. The outcome of the replication depends on three main factors: the number of stages completed before ending, if the process is sexual or asexual, and if any additional products are added to the process. The Konomi have not attempted any significant additions to Onyi though it is theorized that vastly different products would be born from the process. A lack of interest seems to prevent any research into the area, though, it has not been apparent why. Maybe, the Konomi have more interest in their computer technology.

Each product of Onyi produces either a new Konomi or a sub-species of the Konomi. However, none of the sub-species are sentient, and none are confirmed to be capable of reproduction themselves. Of course, with some research and experimentation, the Konomi could unlock these capabilities and experience in almost uncontrollable burst in population as their sub-species are timeless like themselves. Meaning exponential population growth as capable individuals can continually reproduce as there is no age where infertility occurs. Compounding, Onyi produces adult individuals of all varieties, meaning that children of this process may immediately reproduce themselves provided all necessary reactants are available. Though, it seems that this will be unlikely to occur on the mental and social levels.

Unlike more natural cultures, Konomi culture has little concept of child-care or life stages. They often mistake small children of other races as sub-servant forms or simply tiny versions of adults. They also have hazy concepts of babies, comparing them usually to the Unz which can be quite insulting to parents.

The six sub-products of Onyi are:

1. Unz
2. Lorenyi
3. Xeres
4. Rexsi
5. Rio
6. Maczen

Esther's Design, Shachar's Thesis - Post Main.

The Darkness of the Unknown, a great wonder in the minds of other races, a great terror in others. To Shachar, it simply was the nothingness of The End. A pocket of the Upside Down that laid bare of anything. Substance, energy, dimensions; a place void of reality itself where nothing exists and the most hostile to the grounded one. They shall fray and cease to exist in mere minutes, like ravioli made of ice. The Konomi visit this place from time to time in wonder, in inquiry. Yet as they speak into the void, it does not speak back. Or perhaps it has, and its voice, like Sariel's, cannot yet be heard.

Spoiler: Shachar's Office

Spoiler: The Border of The End

A portal opens from Shachar's pastel office, where floating masks of familiar faces and foreign ebb and flow. Where lights of unknown dimensions cast the office in different lights, fabricating tuffs of mist, windows, walls, and more on a whim. Shachar slid through the portal and it collapsed with a crescendo of static. There, he stood alone in silence, in darkness... if they existed at all in such a place. Which did not. Shachar carefully opened his face, letting a vast swirl of leaves examine The End. Quickly, he discovered the formless, black sea that borders The End. A nameless place and best not to gain one. Its distant slopping of water rings in Shachar's mind, but soon, everything returns to silence. Shachar folded back together, gazing out into the formless black. Then, he lifted his hand and the nothing became something in the briefest of spaces. New dimensions, new matter, new energy; nothing for which grounded or Konomi mind had seen before. Yet, it was familiar to Shachar. His lights brightened at the sight. His ten-fold mind began to build a thesis, one he long stowed away. Here, at The End, Shachar began mumbling, twisting hands and visualling the space. A foundry, a laboratory, a whatever to call manifested in his mind. A quite unusual one, but a useful construction nevertheless.

Yet, Shachar knew that Amno had made plans years in advance. Variables, fallbacks, forethoughts; the Shattered Sky must have illuminated many things to him. Things to come, but none could convince Amno easily to divulge what exactly. Or what to do with the outside world. No one knew, not even Amno's only son, Eitanou. But, that does not mean Shachar could not provide the thought for consideration.
----

Spoiler: The Midnight Stairs

Spoiler: Amno's Office

It was several hours later. Ester, Shachar, Evron climbed the midnight stairs with Sariel at the top awaiting them. Below them appeared an endless expanse, it would deposit those who fall at the Dimensional Centerpoint. At least in theory. No one had actually fallen off. So hopefully, it would all work out. But... who knows. (shrugs). Sparkles of all colors float towards the heavens.

"Ester, Shachar, Evorn; my Mavens, please come in. Our hierarch seeks you in his office. He elected for you to move to his office. A meeting unregular and unannounced. Our faithful map-path requests your expertise and dispensing of ideas for coming events. Our Prelate will in short time make direct exchange of ideas with grounded ones, intelligent ones outside of our purview swiftly. His detailed description and insights provide possibilities that additional creatures chained to this reality are seeking refuge in our liberation. Concurrently or afterward, he wishes to revisit foresight on future developments." Sariel floats backwards, "Please, accommodate your presence in his sacred office."

Ester, Shachar, and Evorn silently transposed into Amno's office, directly in the center. Amno stood before them with a shelf of Djo plates. Some with dimensional rift imprints, others with written documents as per they were written on Jio plates. A Djo plate exited the shelf, laid parallel to the floor and melded into a screen at chest level. There displayed on that screen laid a blueprint for the layout of Dexrus with many annotations. Details from new taps for dimensional energies, to stronger and deeper bonds with less attuned dimensions to our world. Attentive and almost needlessly detailed.

"My compassionate and attentive Mavens, I initiated calls to you to speak in regards to a change of plans. I have been monitoring the channels of data and insight. I suspect that our shallow bowl of experience will prove disheartening. For we of new creation must first understand within the mirrors of ourselves. My child confirms what we all have suspected. The grounded ones process intelligence. They shall come, for our nature shall provide a bounty of intellectual curiosity. In the Shattered Sky, I foresaw that the chains of old creation shall agitate, they shall drive grounded ones. As the small tailed ones forever strive for nuts and other sources of energy. These processors of intelligence amongst the grounded ones shall strive for additional strands of old creation. Yet, self-assessment of their prison creates modified motivations, ones that our guests have yet to satisfy our baselines for sound information. That will come."

"Prepare we must, my Mavens, my devoted. Please, return to your work. Dimensional rifts await you. Unstable rifts await us with them. Bold we go, bold we stand upon the stones we traverse. None else comprehends it, none else traverses it. The grounded one's path variably encounters our own. Vision of mine divulges where they lay, and what behooves us to intercede. To you, my devouted, I speak upon you to continue plans for additional spaces for we to develop. Until our meetings entwine, adieu."

Amno stood by for comments. Each Maven approached him and quietly spoke. Nods, flutters of wings, and flashes of lights (among others) trickled among their conversations until eventually each Maven left and fog cleansed all light into unison.

• Paid Actions
• Free Actions

• 
  1. Upgrade Capital: (1/3)
  2. Upgrade Capital: (2/3)
  3. Upgrade Capital: (3/3)
  4. [Free As Per Trek Response] Create Template: Shadowed Maczan. A maczan is the last option in the Konomi reproduction process before a Konomi replicates one of their own kind. A Maczan requires two Konomi in the process to form. After being born, dimensional energies and components are grafted onto them to give them their combat prowess. They are often formed with solidified plates of the Upside Down, giving them rising flames of shadow and iridescent glows of the dimensional energies that invigorate them.
  
  Type: Ground / Vehicle
  Tier: 1
  M: 1
  HP: 1
  THP: 1
  Attacks: 1
  Off: 1
  Def: 2
  
  Keywords: Konomi, Fortifying (10), Advanced Weaponry (5), Shield of Durin (10), Hulking (-10)
  
  Spoiler: Shadowed Maczan Appearance

  
• 
  1. Man Clouds of Bridged Realities with two Oracles of Dust, uncover ability/bonus as per Pellucid Construction.
  2. Blackwing Conclave explores tile presently on before movement.
  3. Blackwing Conclave moves 1 tile to the southwest.
  4. Nomicus and Eithanou attempt to enter League Peace and speak with the leadership. Explore the city to understand the layout, etc.
  5. Both Polygons will overwatch over Dexrus and cover their long range for attack. They are ordered to fire warning shots and signal a representative to meet the army. If warning is not heeded, they have permission to fire.
  6. Amno will overwatch as well. Since the polygons have range, he will immediately engage any army that does not comply with the Polygon's instructions.
  

• New Keywords
• Unit Roster
• Hero Roster
• Inventory
• Dexrus, Advancements - Structures (2/3)
• Unique / Created Keywords
• Income Statement
• Effect Triggers from Previous Actions

• 
  Fortifying: Unit's presence on the battlefield inspires resolve within allies. This unit, to reason, removes defense penalties of all ground/air/naval (depending on unit type) units and grants them a defense bonus equal to this unit's tier, including itself.
  
  Shield of Durin: Unit gains a shield of energy made from Durin and Nosecin energies that provides them replenishing health. Unit gains temporary hitpoints equal to its tier. These hitpoints are restored like health. The Shield of Durin also for land, it gives an attack bonus to the unit. For air, it would give them +1 attack range. For Naval, it would grant an additional hitpoint, non-scaling.
  
  Displacer (15): Unit creates mirror images of itself to deflect attacks away from itself. Unit gains a diminishing save of 8+. Each attack that is prevented this way reduces the save by one until it is depleted. (8+, 9+, 10, nothing). Unit cannot benefit from other types of saves.
  
  Tenebrous (15): The small grey particles of the Upside Down coat the unit, causing light to distort. Units with this keyword gains the benefits of the Guerilla keyword and have the ability to ambush enemy forces at the beginning of battle on 9+.
  
  Hulking (-10): Unit goes last in initiative, even with other units that go last.
  
  Fragile (-10): On 8+ on die roll, unit takes an additional point of damage from an attack that already damages them.
  
  Like Glass (-15): On a 7+ on a die roll, unit takes an additional point of damage from an attack that already damages them.
  
  Bulky (-5): Consumes two transport slots over one. Only applicable to land and naval units.
  
  Cumbersome (-10): Cannot be transported whatsoever. Only applicable to land and naval units.
  
  Lacks Weaponry (-20): Cannot Attack.
  
  Fuel Guzzler (-25): Reduces Fuel range by 2. Only applicable to air units.
  
  Inaccurate (-5): Attacks randomly.
  
  Limited range (-5): Cannot attack air units.
  
  Sitting Duck (-10): Air units gain attack bonus against this unit.
  
• 
  2 Polygons
  1 Blackwing Conclave
  2 Oracles of Dust
  
• 
  Nomicus the Risen
  
  HP 3 Movement 3 Attack 3 Offense 3 Defense 0
  (Armor Piercing)(Hatred-Infantry)(Ranger)
  
  Eitanou Boryeal, The Enigma Prelate [Level 1] {Human Visage}
  
  HP 3 Movement 3 Attack 2 Offense 7 Defense 1 (Includes bonuses from keywords)
  (Swift) (Creation's Whisperer)
  
• 
  24 Resources
  
• 
  The Clouds of Bridged Reality: An inverted spire attached to an exposed part of the Upside Down that sports multiple bridges leading outside of Dexrus. Civilians and other Konomi may come and deposit materials of this world to be converted into usable resources for Konomi use. Its reverberations slowly add additional energy into the surrounding environment allowing sustainability minded gathering to slowly add resources over time. This structure generates X resources per turn. As a free action, this income can be forgone. After taking this free action over 4 turns, an additional Y resources are added to its generation per turn. Needs to be crewed by a civilian unit.
  -
  Manned by 2 Oracles of Dust.
  
  Prophetic Prism: An aerial construction of three equilateral triangles where air units dock and recharge their dimensional energies. The prism hangs in the air seemingly supported by nothing. Though, that is hardly the case. The prism removes the upkeep of air units stationed at the settlement built upon with a limit of 10.
  
• 
  Konomi - As related to relevant policy. Winds of Creation
  -
  Swift - Unit attacks an additional time. Attacks may choose a different target. Declared at once.
  -
  Insanity Payload: The Climax comes with its own payload that loads the Winds of Creation in a condensed container with intent on causing massive insanity in targeted populace. Climax comes with two payload types. Normal and Insanity. On hit of army, settlement etc. and roll of 7+, the effected entity goes insane and begins to revel (riots, the purge, etc.). The insanity payload itself causes minimal damage physically. Mentally... up to GM.
  -
  Creation's Whisperer: A scarce ability among Konomi, it uses the Winds of Creation to gather information about the world in unnatural ways. Cannot be blinded or surprised. Gain the ability to see through illusions and see a short distance through obstacles. (Useable during events/adventures. During Battle, gains a 0/+1 and immune to abilities that cause attack last)
  -
  Interdimensional Initiate - A starting specialist civilian unit that understands the inner workings of the Konomi dimensional phasing to improve fueling of various air units and reduces the energy required to keep air units refueled. When stationed in a structure that reduces/removes the upkeep of air units, this civilian grants a save for up to three aircraft.
  -
  Hulking (-10): Unit goes last in initiative, even with other units that go last.
  
• 
  Settlement Income: 20
  Structure Income: X
  Exploration Income: X (If applicable)
  Upkeep Blackwing Conclave: -10 (20 divided by 2)
  Upkeep Polygons: 0 (25 Divided by 2 = 13) (Negated)
  Action Expenses: 20
  Net Income: X
  New Balance: 24 + X
  
• 
  Pellucid Construction:
  Two Free Oracles of Dust Units generated from constructing buildings.
  

 

[General Deth Glitch]

Troubled Horizons
Turn 1, Month 2, Spring, Year 2300
The PM sits across from the Queen at his weekly meeting. The ornately decorated room he finds himself in week after week was built for the sole purpose of hosting these meetings once a week. He often sat here and pondered if royals used it anyway, for parties or suchlike throughout the rest of the week, as he waited for the Queen. This week, there was no waiting, she was waiting for him. "Maxiboy, what are we doing about this situation?" she asked, and she knew that he was well aware of what she was referring too without extra context.
"Don't. I've just had the fight of my life in parliament, Lady Alexandria wants us to ignore it, focus on situations at home and, I suppose, put our fingers in ears and pretend its not happening, many agree though the house is still in support of potential intervention, though some work is needed to win them over to any form of escalation, at least for the moment... although I feel confident we can." he said in response. While he wasn't a fan of the Queens little nicknames he was also more then used to them and, after all, if his monarch wanted to call him by a nickname, who was he to argue. He'd been warned about it by his predecessor anyway.
"Understandable. I also read your request..." she said as Lord Maxwell visibly swallowed some saliva, he was a little nervous about it but he also expected it, he had, after all, requested her transfer some crown land to the government "and I am assuming, that some of our new land to the north will be given over to the crown estate as a gift in return for me allowing you your little land for construction"
He smiled and nodded "Ofcourse, all in the name of progress you understand. This city is growing by the day and, as the state of your current treasury shows, it's of benefit to us both." He felt he hid his nerves well as it was important to his manifesto that he got that land to grow the cities industry and commerce.
"Very well, you may have the right to construction and use of some of the royal gardens, however, I reserve the choice of which, I get a share of any income produced on them, beyond the normal share of tax and so forth, and they are to still be under my ownership. I'll let McAllister iron out the details with you later. I will also be, gifted, if you wish to spin it that way, some lands to the north and, later, south when such plans are enacted." He nodded, he knew who held the power, she could call for a new government and replace the cabinet in an hour if she wanted. This was, however, the deal he was expecting and one he could easily pass by the house.
"Regarding the global situation and our new ties, our government have proposed that we send the bulk of the fleet closer to the Northern Ocean as a preliminary measure to allow us to be more flexible in adapting to the ongoing situation and enter talks with 'Hard Wires' so that we can ensure their protection. We will leave our newest acquisition of those intriguing new tanks in Caledon to ensure our protection and the Light's arn't too far to the north and I am sure they can be summoned to return should we suddenly find ourselves threatened." he calmly replied as he watched her reaction and felt emboldened by her demeanor.
"A wise reaction, I will send a letter of approval to Alice and let her know the crown gives you assent to manage the navy during these times to allow you flexibility. Keep up the good work Maxwell, your doing a fine job!" she said as she got up and left. He quickly copied her and let her leave, he knew the meeting was now over, whether he wanted to accept it or not.


Trade, glorious trade!
With the completion of the new Caledon Stock Exchange the city was booming as money flowed like water around the upper classes and the city was booming. Thanks to the CSX Caledon was burgeoning at the seems, never had the city felt so alive. New cars were everywhere. Everyone seemed to have the latest gizmo or gadget and a new route up the ladder of wealth and success seemed to be open for the lower classes further growing the Kingdoms large middle class. The only sound that wasn't drowned out by the huge increase in construction work throughout the city was the screaming and shouting of the CSX as stocks in 'A', were bought by 'B' for 'C' to sell to 'D' so they could hold on to them to later sell to 'E' so they could invest in 'F'. New government buildings were being established to help manage the growth as buildings seemed to grow inexplicably taller and the city seemed to sprawl ever wider.
Watching over this all, from the glass lined upper floor of the Admiralty building were Sir William and Lady Alice.
"They are calling it a new Era" Sir William said to the First Lady of the Sea.
"Indeed, quite the contrast" she said in response to the Minister of Sea and Sky, "All this luxury, truly a sign of good fortune for us, whilst warmongers in far away places are smashing cities like this to dust. Stealing wealth from those that earned it and destroying what they built."
"Yes, however, while the city continues onto its bright future we must watch the dark, I assume you've been given your new orders, are you leading this action yourself, Albagate?" He asked as they looked out into the city, watching the people, small in the distance below rushing about the city and observed the cranes going back and forth growing the city further.
"You know I'm not an armchair admiral. I have my office, my secretaries and all those in this building, they keep the admin on track, its my job to lead the navy and I can't well send them into potential danger whilst I enjoy the luxuries of home. Tell Kingburton I will be setting off in the morning, if he wants it filmed for the politics then its on him to get the SBC to show up."
William quietly nods as he turns to actually face her for the first time in their informal meeting "Very well, I will inform the Prime Minister, keep our ships above water and ensure that trade is protected, thats the subtext here. We cannot keep up this meteoric growth if the empires willing to trade with us are wiped from the map. These are indeed interesting times"
She turns to face him in return "Interesting times indeed, lets see if we regret opening our doors, time will tell..."


More Land, More Security
Princess Evelyn and her loyal soldiers finally made their way to the north of the Island of Alba. A new city was going to rise here, all in the name of security. As Evelyn and her immediate guard began taking stock of the area and marking regions of interest, the soldiers and workers that had adjoined them, after overcoming the aggravating clerical error that lead to many resources they were missing having to be quickly shipped to their camp that they set up in the north. While it was a far cry from the immense scale of construction in the capital, the work that swiftly began in this new city site was almost as impressive, perhaps more so considering the logistical challenges and lack of infrastructure in the region. Resources needed in the work were being shipped all the way from Caledon and further afield and yet the city was rising, it was growing, gaining size and before long permanent structures were in place to allow the work and rest of everyone involved, freeing them from their tents and protecting them from the elements.​

---

Actions​

Paid Spending an Action developing the capital city (2/3) Spending an Action developing the capital city (3/3) - 20 Resources Spending an Action constructing a new city (1/3)

Free Light Infantry March one tile north, lead by Princess Evelyn Ancient Tanks enter Overwatch Initiate Diplomacy with Hard Wires Initiate Trade with the collective Paid Upkeep (-48) Capital Generates Resources (Lvl 1 20 + Neptunes Bounty 20, [40]) The Crimson Navy Force Marches (Sails?) North (5 titles total, 3 Normal Movement (1M+2TWTWTU) + 2 Force Marched Additional)

Spoiler: Unit Movements

Economy Breakdown​

Income​ Caledon 40 (Capital 20+Neptunes Bounty 20) ETO 30 Ulbrecht TA 15 Total 85

Expenditure​ Construction: 1x Capital Upgrade (1>2) 20 Upkeep: 1x Cloud Class 13 (25 to construct) 1x Rain Class 15 (30 to construct) 1x Light Infantry 10 (20 to construct) 1x Ancient Tank 10 (20 to construct) Upkeep Subtotal 48 (85-48 is under current cap of 40 at 37) Total 68

Resources
Start: 72 | Income: 85 | Expenditure: -68 | Change +17 | New Total: 89​

 

[CaptainSully]

The Forgotten of Ulbricht

The Grand Council

Council Chambers

Personal Log #247

"Our scientists are reporting a potential breakthrough that may be of great interest to you sir," said Chancellor Bernard Hacker, his voice filled with hope. Next to him Grand Marshal Heinrich Vetter grunted at the news, he had his own important information to share but unfortunately found himself at the back of the queue.

The Autarch however looked at the chancellor inquisitively, while Victor Ulbricht was a military man in a past life, he had evolved to appreciate the wider picture for building and sustaining a successful nation.

"What do you have for me Bernard?" He asked.

The chancellor tapped at a touchscreen before him, the soft beeps of keypresses leading to a large hologram appearing in the centre of the table. The long, tubular structure looked much like a version of their long range tickets, but scaled up massively.

"What is this Bernard? A new weapon?" Victor enquired.

The chancellor smirked as he continued to press at the console.

"What you see is a digital proof of concept for a rocket powerful enough to pass the outer atmosphere and reach into space." As he continued to tap away, the hologram showed the rocket launching.

The other two sat silent, even Heinrich was now giving his full attention.

"If the calculations are accurate and the test model correct, then we may very well be on the cusp of space travel," Bernard said excitedly.

"How far away are we from a real test flight?" Asked the Autarch.

Bernard's excitement seemed to fade slightly at the question.

"Well…" he said, pausing briefly. "It'll likely be months before they have a working test model but they envision a quick turn around from unmanned test to crewed flight."

There was a moment of silence as the Autarch thought, considering his next option. Opposite him, Heinrich thought solely of the military applications but he would keep them to himself for now. The Autarch was more focussed on civilian improvement than militaristic.

"Chancellor…build the scientists a purpose built facility and I'll provide them with what resources we can spare each month."

The Autarch's words were met with a smile across the chancellor's face. It was the start of a momentous project, one that could change the future if the nation forever.

Actions

➤See below

Details

Code by Serobliss

 

[LucasGhost]

LOG# A002

LOG OF: MARKEP, VENIR
POSITION: HEAD DIPLOMAT ABOARD THE S.S. DAVISII
DATE: 41 DAYS SINCE THE SINKING OF THE S.S. DAVISII

LOG START...

​

Venir sits down gingerly on the worn metal bench in the greenhouse and breathes in deeply, letting his eyes drift shut. The deep scent of the soil, the soft hum of the lights overhead, the pressure of the bench beneath him, the weight of his clothes on his chest and shoulders. The old orc lets his breath out slowly and opens his eyes again, the familiar greenery looking softer around him than before he sat down. He sits and enjoys the stillness for a few moments longer, before pulling himself to his feet and gingerly walking among the rows and towers of plants, until he arrives to a large tank near the back of the room. With practiced ease, he takes the P.D.A. out of his pocket, and taps it to life as he presses it against the glass, the plants floating peacefully within granting the hologram a green tinge. He hums softly in thought as he reads through the information, noting that the scattered plants inside seem to be doing far better than the last time he was around to check.

“Good, good, you might make it aboard the new ship after all, my green friends,” Venir’s voice rumbles out, slow and deep, and a little broken, like old stones rolling down a hill, clashing together on occasion. “To tell you the truth,” the old orc sighs, “I’m just a touch envious. Bouncing back like that and getting to see a new patch of soil for it,” he removes his P.D.A. from against the glass and replaces it with his hand, hearing the metal chink softly in its contact with the glass.

“Chattin’ with the plants again, Venir?” someone’s voice shouts out suddenly across the previously peaceful greenhouse, “Or did Heitris finally go too far and turn some poor soul bright green?”

“Elza! Consider me pleasantly surprised to see you up here,” Venir turns, removing his hand from the glass, with a genuine smile on his face, teeth sticking out at odd angles, to see the dwarf woman squeezing through the rows of plants to come towards him.

“Yeah, well. Would have been remiss of me not to come see this place before it got packed up onto the new ship. Also this is the easiest place to find you at outside of the meeting room,” finally catching up with Venir, she stops and squints into the tank.

“Hmm, I thought we picked another name for that room,” Venir turns back towards the tank and points at what Elza’s looking for, the new addition, a semi-translucent membrane sphere hovering near the back. It uses osmosis to slowly add much needed nutrients into the water around it, an idea Venir had after remembering some old commercials from their home world.

“I am not calling it the ‘Think Tank,’ no matter how much Anders complains,” Elza bitterly remarks, then after catching sight of the new addition, brightens considerably, “When’s the new ship sent to launch? The S.S….Bronsky?”

Venir’s laughter barks out through the greenhouse, “No, not even close, the S.S. Bessonowi, and it’s launching tomorrow, if Heitris can be persuaded that he’s ran enough tests already.”

Elza shakes her head, and turns away from looking into the tank to rest her shoulder against the glass, “He’s spent decades working for that shitty company launching hunks of metal into space and he still freaks out every time a ship launches. Most people would physically collapse under the amount of stress he puts himself through, I bet. How he keeps at it is a mystery to me and everyone else on this ship.”

Venir hums thoughtfully for a moment before turning away from the tank and making his way back to the bench, motioning for Elza to follow, “I spoke with him the other day over my concern for his health, and he informed me he’s taking a break from the stimulants he’s been taking and now has his system set to shock him should he doze off.”

Elza sputters for a moment before replying, “You’re joking, right?” She can’t see Venir’s face but his voice is neutral enough, and Heitris is, in her opinion, batshit enough that he might just be telling the truth.

Venir waits until he sits back down at the bench before answering, his expression one of grave seriousness, “If the circumstances were different I would guess he was pulling my leg, but he’s on call every moment Miss Whelan and The Scouts spend awake, and has been keeping in near constant contact with Mr. Genetas in Unit One. Not to mention, he’s been micromanaging every aspect of the construction and launch of the Bessonowi. I’ve caught him in the construction bay working on the vessel with his own hands. Said some parts were too delicate to risk someone else breaking. It’s been an all hands on deck sort of past few weeks to get the Bessonowi put together, but I can’t deny that Heitris’ hands have been holding up more than his fair share of the weight,” he looks off to the middle distance as Elza takes a seat next to him, looking downtrodden, “I know he says that he’s used to the strain from his time at T. Tech, but I can’t help but worry for him, Elza.”

Elza grimaces at Venir’s words, placing a hand on his shoulder in comfort, “I’ll see if I can’t get Anna to talk some sense into him once the Bessonowi lands. Quite frankly, I don’t think the bastard will take any advice from me after our first meeting being an hour long argument over the new cyberware,” she pauses then removes her hand from Venir’s unnaturally cold shoulder. “He might relax a bit more after we get the images from Unit One’s satellite too.”

Venir nods and adjusts his gaze to focus on Elza, the mismatched eyes creating an odd effect on his face when he’s serious like this, “Mr. Genetas hasn’t found any signs of life on that island yet, wherever the first Scouts went it has to be further still to the north. We won’t be able to see what’s up there until it lands again at the end of the month, though. I trust The Shiver will be able to recover it?”

“Yeah, or it’ll land right in Unit One’s return path, either way we’ll get a good look at whoever or whatever is up thataways. Still images, and all that, but still. One step closer to finding out what happened in the radio room when we landed,” Elza’s reviewed the footage they were able to recover a dozen times by now. They’re still at a loss as to what exactly happened. Heitris suggested magic, and with what the Scouts have been finding it looks closer and closer to being a correct guess. One minute the scouts had been listening in to the radio waves and watching the static on the screens for any hint of other civilizations, and then suddenly they froze, mid conversation. Then one of them picked up one of the chairs and swung it at the camera in the room with a look of pure rage on his face and the footage cut out. Elza pauses for a moment, and then, “What’s this room going to be used for once the new ship gets loaded up?”

“Oh, I had some ideas. Have to run them by the rest of the circle of course, but I was hoping to keep it as a type of greenhouse,” Venir’s face brightens marginally and he gives a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Plotting, away from the rest of us, I see. Tsk, Mr. Markep, the arrogance of it all,” she elbows Venir’s side lightly, genuinely trying to improve the old orc’s mood.

“No, nothing of the sort, Miss Icemaul, I wouldn’t be able to keep any plots or plans from you very long at any rate. I think, just a small garden, for folks to be able to visit, would be nice. A memorial, for people that folks can’t see again. Might help a bit at least,” he shrugs lightly, hollow smile still on his face as he hoists himself to his feet. “Best be off, I’m not cleared for voyage on the Bessonowi but I can at least help folks pack and load it up.”

Elza rises to join him and pulls the taller orc into a quick half-hug, “Take care old man, I’ll see you at the launch tomorrow. We need to chat more, like the old days, maybe when you get that garden approved, ay?”

“That’d be nice. Might just manage to get time to slow down a bit,” he returns her hug and strides in his slow, measured gait back to the entrance hatch for the greenhouse as Elza sits back down on the bench, raising his P.D.A. to the scanner and ending the log.

END LOG

Paid Actions	Free Actions
1) Constructs the S.S. Bessonowi (Build settlement (1/3)).	The Shiver scrounges for resources, 1 resource found.
2) Launches the S.S. Bessonowi (Build settlement (2/3)).	10 Resources are sacrificed to Hel'copin, an aura covers the S.S. Davisii, capital is now immune to espionage for 3 turns. (Rolled a '7' on backfire chance.)
3) Sinks and transforms the S.S. Bessonowi (Build settlement (3/3) 50 Resource cost.)	The Scouts leave Arguseed and travel back through the ocean, down south, ending to the northeast of Agua. Seeking to engage in diplomacy as they pass by and explore the tile.

Happiness/Order
0/0

Units
The Scouts (1)
I.S.I.N.A.P.S. Unit #1 (1)
The Shiver (1)
Lord Qavor (Hero) (1)

Spoiler: Unit Movements

​

 

[LecternOfJasper]

THE AUTONOMOUS COLLECTIVE OF MELKAChapter Two: The Hateful Menace

In twin powers, some will find
PROVIDENCE for all in kind

​

"ATTENTION, ONE AND ALL!"

Aleksis rolled her eyes. The broadcast was off to a good start.

"We of the Autonomous Collective of Melka welcome you to our newly established Night Market! We have it all! Silks, Steels, Pelts, and more await you at our doorstep! Have anything in particular you desire? Through PROVIDENCE, we can provide! Now offering exclusive dockside access for all your trade and trials! See the mysteries of the Darkness! Try the tea made by our local Yeomen! Get all you desire, for a limited time (keep shadowcraft equipment outside of sunlight at all times. If all you desire shows any signs of fatigue, vomiting, dizziness, or spontaneous transmutation, it will be replaced at no charge, as it is likely a grue. See Aktis for details.)! Our location is..."

Throughout this message the screen displays palettes of many fine things being perused before an indistinct, but decidedly shadowy, background. It appears someone has strung colored paper lanterns between lampposts over the merchandise.

Aleksis made a quick note to let the Trade Council know that silks tend to burn around fire, but decided to otherwise leave it be. After all, she wasn't going to be the one to tell them this is a bad idea.

The broadcast, strangely enough, reaches all corners of the world, in enough formats that someone from each nation receives it.

---

The Midnight Tree creaked.

Talosa looked up, concerned. That is not normal. The Midnight Tree does not creak. Something... new... must have happened.

The monk reached out, took hold of a root of the great being before them, and listened.

The voice of the tree was a gale, borne upon the winds of thousands caught in a bloody battle. Talosa saw grey streets and bright lights, both marred by blood and hate...

The two figures stood there for some time, stock still, taking in the torments these folk invoke upon themselves, watching as a town was picked apart and rebuilt as an altar to a Red God...

Eventually a hand pulled Talosa's arm away. Looking down, the monk found that they had acquired a new one expressly for that purpose.

More creaking could be heard throughout the wood, as if a great wind had been rising this whole time, encircling the Tree, though the air was still. Talosa smiled weakly. They were bound for Interesting Times.

​

Crunch

• Turn 2 Actions
• Strengths, Policies, Advancements
• Resources and Armies
• Cities and Buildings

• 
  
  
  

  Paid Actions	Free Actions
  Upgrade Capital (3/3) (Cost: 20)- Arguseed grows - and is open for business...	One Correspondent team splits off from Army 1. Army 1 returns to Arguseed and stand in Overwatch (up to 1 tile). New Army 2 moves 2 tiles to the tile South of Arguseed.
  New Policy: Bubble and Roil	Army 2 Explores the tile South of Melka.
  Build Civilian: Midnight Leshy (Cost: 20)	Invite everyone to trade.

  
  
• 
  Policy: Bubble and Roil
  The Midnight Tree has heard thousands of voices cry out in anguish and despair, a feat of violence great enough that its affects are felt even here, in this lawless space. The Midnight Tree has looked upon the face of a Red God, and determined that it must be met with overwhelming force.
  (Benefit: May build 2 units of the same kind per action, at full price.
  Drawback: Units are less stable under the ire of the Midnight Tree, and no worldly constructions have alleviated this threat so far. When not covered in Darkness, units suffer attrition on a 9+.)
  
  
  Policy: Written in Correspondence: Providence
  As the world begins to turn once more, the mountain people have treasures to share. While the beauty of their works seems to fade by the light of the True Sun, the foreign markets are open, and there are plenty who dwell in the dark that may take advantage of this surge.
  (Benefit: Improves Trade (+10 resources to each nation). May utilize special resources of any trading partner.
  Drawback: Must accept trade routes from other Nations. Other Nations trading with the Collective also have access to special resources available due to Providence.)
  
  
  Strengths: (What three things is your nation good at? We will create in game buffs to match your choices.)
  
  Things that Go Bump in the Night:
  "Those starving fools cry Saxon ghouls, in the darkness we run free."
  Between the science that brought about the Sun in Glass and the Midnight Tree freeing people of their mortal inhibitions (and forms), in many cases, monsters both mechanical and true may be found or brought into being quite easily in the Light and Dark.
  (+1 HP and +1 attack to monsters in Darkness)
  
  The Midnight Tree:
  In order to protect Arguseed from the trials of the True Sun, a being antithetical to light itself has been made to grow over the great city. The lands around the Midnight Tree and its offshoots is an anarchic place where laws both mundane and natural are suspect at best.
  (Every settlement has a field of darkness expanding to a radius of 1 around it. All those who are not explicit allies of the Collective have a chance of suffering attrition on a roll of 10 for every turn they dwell in the darkness. This radius increases by 1 at settlement levels 3 and 5. Guests and ambassadors are brought to the Downside, and do not suffer this fate.)
  
  Light is Law:
  The natural laws are different for those who dwell under the light of Arguseed. People do not die until the time is right, hunger and loss are reserved for research, and natural laws one would consider inscrutable are laid bare to be twisted into whatever shape is needed. While such conditions may be broken quite easily, the light of the Sun in Glass and the malleability of the real under its gaze will make all things right in time.
  (May spend 2 actions to increase Happiness or Order by 1. Happiness and Order may only be brought up to 1 using this ability alone, though other projects that add to Happiness or Order improve them further as usual.)
  
  
  Weaknesses: (What two things is your nation weak at? We will create in game debuffs to match your choices.)
  
  The New Sequence:
  Living and growing in the light of the Sun in Glass proves to be hazardous to those who later walk in the sun's rays. The unprotected cannot venture forth at all, while even hardened Collective science tends to go wrong in the light.
  (You cannot make military troop units. All other units take -2/-2 and lose a beneficial keyword when in a tile not covered in darkness. These penalties does not apply underground (if that ever happens, for some reason). Any settlements out of the darkness are unable to build military units until they are in darkness.)
  
  The Strength and Certainty of Glass:
  While the Sun in Glass is powerful, it is an intricate, complicated piece of glass and fire, the combination of which (and the inherent issues with creating an artificial sun) causes... Instability.
  (Every turn, make a d10 roll. On an 1, lose one happiness. On a 2, lose one order.) (Current turn roll: 10)
  
• 
  
  Starting Resources: 80
  Income: +70 (Melka Level 1 (20), Trade with Magistrati (15+10), Trade with Titania (15+10))
  Upkeep: -20
  Net with Cap: +40
  
  Expenses: -85 (Upgrade Capital (20), Recruit Midnight Leshy (20), Auction House (45))
  Ending Resources: 35
  
  Army 1: Outreach Consignment
  1x Correspondents
  1x Grue
  0->1x Midnight Leshy
  
  Army 2: Explorer's Brigade
  1x Correspondents
  
  
• 
  
  Arguseed, Progenitor: Level 1->2 Capital
  Buildings (2/2->3):
  Trade Hub (the Night Market): 2 trade routes (1 with Greater Titania)
  Magistrati Enclave: +1 Order
  
  

 

[GrieveWriter]

The Bloodbrood Swarms
​

Their capital was disgusting.

Every day Kels would spend a considerable portion of his morning at the city limits, atop one of the countless congested apartment blocks that made up Burkhenyard. The capital was a nightmarish assortment of red metals and stone mixed and crashed together, so much so that different neighborhoods could look like completely different universes in comparison to each other. The Swarm's capital had once been a large camp constructed by the first High Swarmlord. It was massive, yes, but understandable. As time went on, their numbers grew and new High Swarmlords would continue adding on to the capital with each stunning victory or glorious battle. As a result the structural cohesion of Burkhenyard could've easily been labeled as organized chaos.

Perfect for the Bloodbrood Swarms.

Kels-an-dhul was torn over the capital. It was such a glorious symbol of his people's storied history, yet its nightmarish construction left much to be desired in terms of efficiency. Some areas were absolutely congested while others stood open and bare, one neighborhood could be little more than a trashy slum while another was an orderly chem lab rife with weaponry and drugs for any and all willing to use them.

Kels knew that even suggesting some form of structural unity would be seen as insulting by the masses, those so caught up in their love of violence that such thoughts never even enter their minds, but every morning he spent thinking on it. Thinking of what ifs.

What if they hadn't gone through the recent civil war? Would Burkhenyard's structure still be held in such high regard if it didn't have a massive, recent battle that everyone enjoyed?

What if someone besides High Swarmlord Bledmoore had claimed the title? What if it had been someone who had a keener eye for construction like Kels?

It was all pointless no matter which way he thought on them, but Kels hadn't become Swarmlord of the Apostles for turning away from worthless thoughts. They kept him from seeking out conflict like his peers, kept him focused on the potential their people had.

Most importantly, they kept him from acting like the pair of disorganized whelps killing each other in the nearby apartment. One Bloodbrood runt had managed to get another in a headlock and was trying to force him off the poorly-maintained excuse for a balcony. The other was desperately reaching for a handy knife holding rack nearby laden with rusty, bloodied kitchen appliances just waiting to be used in his defense.

Just another day, indeed.

Kels figured he'd cut his daily musings short and leave the boys to their casual savagery. The fact that they had the decency to try murdering each other in private locale alone was enough to bring a smile to his face as he made his way back into the congested nightmare that was Burkhenyard. Through catwalks and walkways that were scrapped together and torn apart as frequently as a changing streetlights, he made his way towards the nearest train station.

Of course, the hardy iron rails weaving through certain parts of the city were prime real estate for Hookers. Kels saw several on his way to the station, grinding along the rails using wrist-mounted hooks that let them skirt the travelling fees most incurred at the station. They whooped and hollered as they swung from one set of rails to another, with one even tossing a solid chunk of stone through an already shattered window on their way by.

The fun ended when a hurtling metal death machine came screeching along those rails, tearing through the city far faster than any average Hooker could. Several of the Hookers bit the bullet and detached their hooks, while another tried swinging herself faster to get closer to another set of rails.

The resulting cloud of gore that she was turned into was admired gratefully by both Kels and several passerbys.

Soon Kels was aboard one of those death machines, strapped into his seat with a belt that looked completely different from those of the other passengers. Like everything else in Burkhenyard, the train car was a scrapped together nightmare of various red and black metals with seats that had been been ripped from smaller vehicles. It made for an exciting commute at least, and Kels couldn't fault the Molten Hand engineers too much. It had been quite some time since one of their trains had seen technical difficulties.

The eventually decelerated, its Chem-tanks going silent as it came to a stop just down the street from Burkhenyard's heart. It was here that the disorganized mess became more of an orderly mess. Where the disproportionate shanties and wide shipping lanes gave way to pure industry, where factories pumped out the endless stream of smog which kept their skies dark and their innards hardy. In the center of such a conglomeration of factories and warehouses stood the capital building.

A gaping tunnel led inside the capital building, but Kels came to a stop before it due to the two growing gangs of Bloodbrood gathering before it. On one side were a bunch of Burnvein Apostles, the other was made of members of the Loot Brigade led by-


"You ain't keepin' me out glow-boy!" Solfuris raised two massive hammers before smashing them together "Big guy's gettin' my present one way or another."

"This soon after the war and you want to march an entire legion of fully-armed soldiers into the capital?" replied the tallest of the Apostles before hissing "You really mean to meet your father so soon?"

"I'm honoring my father ya filth, keepin' his killer nice and happy!" Solfuris cheered before nodding back to the Brigadiers behind him "Gonna bring him the finest of kit, gonna need these ones here to carry it all!"

"Is that what this unnecessary ruckus is about?" Kels called out as he drew closer "A manner of tribute is what's getting all these brothers and sisters ready to slaughter one another in front of an arena?"

"Ah, Kelly!" Solfuris' grin widened as he pointed towards the group of Apostles "Tell your glowy pals here to move it before they get hurt!"

"If you wish to reward the High Swarm-Lord for his victory, there's no reason to draw so much attention for it." Kels waved a hand around "Do what all others do and submit it through tribute. We wouldn't want the other Swarms to think you're plotting anything, now would we?"

"Bleh." Solfuris' grin dampened at that "But how's he supposed to know how great I think he is if I ain't serving it up with me finest looters 'n shooters?"

"I'm sure if its hefty enough, he'll get the message." Kels continued forward, placing himself between the two groups to say "Now clear out!" before continuing into the capital building.

​

The Capital was a massive version of the numerous arenas scattered throughout the lands of the Swarms, though this one's arena was littered with old housing and debris, perfect for the dozens of warriors fighting for the entertainment of a sea of Bloodbrood. Entire chunks of the surrounding stands had been converted into bars and dancefloors, which also occasionally served as arenas if the numerous black bloodstains were any indication.

Kels had to push his way through many cheering Bloodbrood in order to get to his true goal, the massive booth wedged into one side from which the High Swarmlord could see everything. Upon reaching said booth, built high above the regular stands, Kels briefly pushed against the massive door before a pair of hands wrenched it open from inside.


From within emerged the High Swarm-lord's mate, ratty clothes covered in fresh black blood that swayed with each step she took. Pausing for only a second at the sight of Kels, she cackled loudly as one hand went to a set of fresh claw wound running along her arm.

She briefly hissed behind her before pushing past Kels in another fit of chittering laughter.

"Good, sweetness, many thanks." a rumbling voice from within the booth pulled Kels attention to the massive figure looking down from its edge "Please, friend.... enter."

Kels pulled the door closed behind him before making his way towards the High Swarm-Lord, noticing a number of fresh wounds on him as well.

"Mating so soon?" Kels asked as he came to the High Swarm-Lord's side "Have your prior wounds healed that quickly?"

"Nooo nooo." the droning response came slowly "Sweetness just good talker."

A throaty chuckle rumbled from within the High-Swarmlord's gullet, one thick arm already reaching for a battered tray lined with meats.

"Lets hope she's not up for another chat soon," Kels nodded towards the battle raging below "Wouldn't want her fondness to be what gets you killed down the, Master."

"If it does... it does."

Kels looked up at that. His eyes locked onto the pale gaze of Bledmoore the Ripper, who's chipped claws were already pawing at the meat set out before him. Several full slabs of Circonite steak were raised at once before disappearing down Bledmoore's gullet all at once, the High Swarmlord licking at his hand before waving a slobber-covered finger towards Kels.

"Speak the Request."

"Sir?"

"No minced words." Bledmoore raised a set of Burkosian Ribs "Only minced meat. Make the request.... you came for."

"Very Well." Kels-an-dhul folded his arms behind his back and raised his head "Considering the ravages of the civil war, Burkhenyard and the Bloodbrood around us have come out quite well. We even have some outsiders coming to check things out now that there's less chance of them dying immediately."

"Not a request." Bledmoore noted as the ribs were swallowed bone and all.

"The people will grow bored of it soon enough, even with the constant games and casual violence." Kels explained "They need something more to endeavor towards, something to keep us from falling back into civil war. Which brings me to this."

Kels produced from a slot on his armor a photo of a peculiar metal cube.

"Oh?" Bledmoore examined the photo "Molten toy?"

"No no, one of the Muzzlers found it in old Growth territory." Kels explained "Said it wanted to be taken to New Yong."

"Singers?" Bledmoore's expression immediately fell "No."

"It claimed there would be great rewards for completion of this." Kels pointed out "Though it has been noted such wording could have dual meanings."

"War, then?" Bledmoore asked "Only reward for the Swarms."

"Perhaps, there's no telling whether this thing will be a boon or blemish to them." Kels stated with a shrug "But if this is some ploy, we gain nothing but new enemies from entertaining it."

"Entertain then." Bledmoore raised a massive bone weighted down with meat "Play along, but not forever."

Spoiler: Summary

Nation
Burkhenyard
Slaughter Seekers 1
Tournament Regulars 1
Scuttle Bugs 1

Free Actions
Slaughter Seekers and Scuttle Bugs leave Capital and Form Army 1
Army 1 moves Directly north 4 Hexes
Paid Actions
Upgrade Capital (3/3)

Resources: 100
Gain+40
Expenses
Upgrade Capital-20
Upkeep-15

Ending RES: 105

 

[Spacekitty]

The Order of Lepolia
Office of the Civil Rights Council​

Febuary, 2300

• Actions
• Income/Expenses
• Army
• Settlements

• 
  Free
  1. Xenophon moves to the location shown and it’s associated fleet explores the tile!
  2. 1 Offshore Drilling Technician moves to C1.
  3. Offshore Drilling Technician in A1 sets itself up for drilling!
  4. Begin collaboration with Alpha Underwater Research Center, we desire that energy generation technology they had been studying! More money, more better
  
  
  
  Paid
  1. (20 resources, 2 Actions) Upgrade Capitol
  2. (1 Action) Create Policy "The International Union"
  
  The International Union
  Strengths:
  1. Member nations gain +10 trade income to trade routes established between other member nations
  2. Member nations gain +1 building slots per settlement
  3. Member nations may recruit other member nations templates at their base cost (cost of 20 + keywords. Do not apply the additional modifiers the host nation may apply), so long as the host nation allows this (so nations who are very isolationist can maintain their fluff! Ill keep a list in the policy description)
  
  Weaknesses:
  1. This policy may not be dissolved using the normal rules. As the IU is democratic, only a majority vote cause cancel the policy, even if The Order wants it to be canceled- or doesn't
  2. The Order may be removed from the IU through the democratic process, just like any other member
  3. If a member nation does not follow the terms of the mutual defense treaty/non-aggression treaty/other an embargo will be placed against them by the other member nations until they enter back into agreement with the terms of the IU. While embargo'd, the member nation will gain 0 from trade routes with other nations and may not recruit other member nations templates.
  
• 
  

  Starting Resources	Gains	Expenses	Change	End of Turn
  81	40 (Income)	41 (16 upkeep, 20 construction, 6 policy)	-1	80

• 
  tr] [/tr]

  Unit Name	Unit Cost	Upkeep	Location	Number
  Order Marine Combat Detachment	25	0 while in Xenophon(13)	Xenophon	1
  Trireme-class Frigate	15	8	Xenophon	1
  Trireme-class Frigate	15	8	Army 1	1
  Off-Shore Drilling Technicians	10	0	Army 1	1
  Off-Shore Drilling Technicians	10	0	Civilian Corp 1	1

  Spoiler: Troop info

  Name: Trireme-class Frigate
  

  

  
  
  
  Type: Naval
  Cost: 15
  Upkeep: 7.5
  Tier: 1
  M: 3
  HP: 1
  A: 1
  O: 1
  D: -1
  Keywords:
  Advanced Weaponry, Transport, Poor Armor
  
  Name: Order Marine Combat Detachment
  Type: Troop
  Cost: 25
  Upkeep: 12.5
  Tier: 1
  M: 1
  HP: 1
  Attacks: 1
  Off: 0
  Def: 0
  Keywords:
  Specialist (5) - Boarding Party: So long as an Order Marine is accompanied by a Naval unit, in naval battles roll a d10 for every Order Marine. On a 8+ a random enemy naval vessel takes 1 DMG. On a 1 the Order Marine is killed in action.
  
  Name: Off-Shore Drilling Technicians
  Type: Troop (Civilian)
  Cost: 10
  Tier: 1
  M: 1
  HP: 1
  A: N/A
  O: N/A
  D: N/A
  Keywords: Civilian
  Ability: May be moved to a Sea tile. May then, as a free action, construct an off-shore drilling rig, taking 1 full turn (move, then construct on next turn). This action temporarily consumes the unit. While in this state, it generates 10 resources every turn. As a free action, the off-shore drilling rig may be deconstructed. The unit may be moved as normal on the next turn.
• 
  Xenophon:
  Level 1
  2/2 Building Slots
  - Advanced Training Barracks - At the start of each turn, roll a d10. On a 10+ a hero is gained. Cannot go past cap.
  - Advanced Recycling Facilities - By implementing renewable energy and recycling programs, the upkeep for troops stationed at bases can be greatly reduced. When no more than 10 troops units are in Xenophon, their upkeep is 0.
  Garrison
  - 1 Order Combat Marine
  - 1 Trireme-Class Frigate
  
  Alpha Underwater Research Center:
  As a free action, can roll a 1d10 asking for something from the research center. On a 10, something useful is gained. On a 1, more funding is required and the ability cannot be attempted for 3 turns