World Turn:
The Crash of the Citadel
As soon as
Alice finished her words, she noticed an abnormal behaviour within the systems of the Citadel. With her wits and knowledge, she detected the interference of another Host, the
Sp(fl)y. It was however too late to prevent the inevitable, and the Citadel crashed on the surface of the Bounteous Dome. And miraculously, there was not a single casualty and no vital system was damaged by the crash. Instead, the Citadel had crashed in such a way the it had pierced through the shell of the Dome, causing it to end up connected to the Inner World in the middle of the Insect Wastes.
After a quick analysis,
Alice determined the lack of casualties and damage to the Citadel were all due to the
Sp(fl)y, who had perfectly calculated its move so that no harm would befall the Citadel and its inhabitants. Unfortunately the Citadel was now stranded and unable to take off due to being perfectly lodged in the shell of the Bounteous Dome: any attempt to move the Citadel would cause untold structural damage to it.
The Citadel has crashed on the Bounteous Dome.Interactions: AliceDespite the rather new chaotic situation,
Alice managed to calm the Engineers with her boundless wisdom and knowledge of the universe. She taught them everything about the universe and its Hosts, quelling the impending crisis as foretold by the Prophetess, which allowed the whole of the Companions to remain cohesive and united. Now Companion herself, Alice continued her works to forge an ideal future for the Companions.
Alice noticed the dangerous potential of the Sweet Revelation and created a medecine that would allow anyone visited by the Sweet Revelation to resist its influence so long as they took the medicine. This disease was called by the Companions the "Fey Mood", which althoug beneficial, could also have dangerous effects. No one was really sure on how to deal with it, and depending on the settlement the "Fey Mood" was left to act or treated at the first symptoms.
Alice has met several notable Engineers who she trusts.
Amon-00001 the first of the 10000 Engineers to first awaken, and the one to have led the Companions as one. A great leader who would trust Alice with his life.
Emi-00002 the second Engineer to awaken, and the chief mechanic of the Citadel. If it weren't for Alice, she would be the one with the most knowledge on the Citadel.
Bob-A0046, an A-Engineer of 2nd generation. The leader of the Scouts, the soldiers who venture into the Inner World. He is the most talented soldier and strategist of the Citadel. His Shell-Cracker is custom made, heavier and hard to use, but much more powerful.
Sunflower
Countless events changed the order of the Bounteous Dome. The arrival of the Engineers. The disappearance of the warring hives. The apparition of many powerful beings. The rise of mortal civilizations. First, it must be said that with the disappearance of the most powerful and aggressive hives, the balance of the Garden was restored according to the vision of
Bartatam. The Insect Wastes are being reclaimed by Buttercup and the lesser species, and the Domain of the Caretakers has greatly increased. The Blind Hmmmsters did die out, except for a lone individual.
Interest: The EngineersUsing the Quantum Computer as a base, the Companions replicated the incredible device and made it ubiquitous. Now, although the Companions were unified and mostly lacking in internal conflicts, three groups started to form over time.
First were the Companions of the Sunflower Root, who had continued studying the SUNflower and mining for more minerals. Their once budding colony had become an industrial supercomplex known for its great factories and extractors, drilling further and further into the crust of the Bounteous Dome. The supercomplex became soon known as the Complex, the current biggest and most populated Engineer settlement numbering several millions. Companions from the Complex are called C-Engineers, or C's.
Second were the Companions of the Citadel, at the crossroad between the inside and outside of the Bounteous Dome. First contacts with the inside of the Bounteous Dome resulted in several missing teams, as even the sturdy Engineers were unable to survive the assault of thousands of ravenous Insects. For the first time ever, the Companions thus had a need to defend themselves and developped weapons. Repurposing their mining tools which as effective at cracking open chitin as they were for rock, the Companions exploring the inside of the Bounteous Dome wore Armoured Environmental Suits and wielded "Shell-Crackers", the name given to the weapons used to kill Insects. Inhabitants of the Citadel are called A-Engineers for Alice, or the A's. The A's number near a hundred thousand.
A few armed research outposts were created to study the wildlife, but Companions generally didn't venture too far into Insect territories. It was also near impossible for them to reach the SUNflower as any ship attempting so would be attacked by swarms of territorial Waswasps and dismantled in a matter of seconds along with their crew. A strange signal was detected emanating from the Antenna, but it was in a territory entirely controlled by the Insects.
Third were the bold explorers of the Formless who piloted flying ships in order to explore the new worlds. These adventurers were named O-Engineers, or O's. A few of them managed to land on the Acropolis, and their tales are sure to generate interest among their fellows. There are less than a thousand O's.
Region: The Complex
A-Engineers, C-Engineers, O-Engineers...NihiloAnswering the wishes of its maker, Nihilo made its way to the Citadel and attacked the A-Engineers. In its rampage it destroyed a few outposts, but was ultimately repelled when it reached the heavily defended Citadel. It is said Alice personally stepped out to vanquish Nihilo, who none could match as she was a Host. According to Companion records, Alice said to the near dead Nihilo:
"Evil triumphs when good men do nothing. When will you learn a new trick, my friend?"Defeated and humiliated, Nihilo retreated to the land of the Cherub, swearing revenge and realizing it would have to work in the shadows to further the goals of its master.
Nihilo has been defeated by the EngineersInterest: SeraphimMeanwhile, Seraphim had gathered the Cherubs to the Fields of Gold where it had organized them into a sprucing society. Seraphim had managed to convince the Primordial Caretakers that it was a servant of Order whose goals would not interfere with the Garden. Thus the Cherubs and Seraphim were left alone and protected by the Caretakers. With time passing, the Cherub society turned into a theocratic one entirely dedicated to TOAA with Seraphim as their leader. They now live all across the Domain of the Caretakers, from the Fields of Gold to its outer rings.
Now the Cherubs are no longer mere creatures, and dress and craft like the civilized do. They have turned the Fields of Gold into their home, with temples and statues dedicated to the One Above All, and the sweet words of Seraphim keep convincing the Primordial Caretakers. Seraphim has also warned of a threat it foresaw, that of the Engineers whose coming will destroy the balance of the Garden.
Nihilo and Seraphim are in conflict over where to direct the Cherubs. Nihilo wishes to turn them into an army to destroy the Engineers, whereas Seraphim wishes to make them spread and worship TOAA.
The Cherub civilization is budding, but not particularly impressiveThe CarniesThe Carnies were content on gathering as many of themselves a possible in a confined space, to the confusion of the no-longer blind Hmmmster. Their bizarre minds made them impervious to the actions of Seraphim and the Cherubs, and they live leisurely lives in the Domain of the Caretakers. Several Carnie Huts can be found there, and none dare disturb them while they develop strange rituals. The Luckening Rod has been seized by the Carniest of the Carnies, who is called the Carny. It is not known what is the function of the Carny.
The Carnie civilization is budding, but not particularly impressiveThe SegmentiumThe Segmentium were placed near Antenna Alpha, and they heard the cryptic message of TOAA toward the Engineers. None of the individual Segmentium understood the words, and even their combined form failed to. Part due to instinct and purpose, the Segmentium assembled into several rudimentary butterfly -the first moving lifeform they witnessed-, and one of them took off with the Antenna Alpha to gather information. The rest just flew away in some random direction, imitating the life they crossed path with.
The Segmentium are doing random stuffThe Hmmming CaretakerWhile the Primordial Caretakers pursued their tasks of tending to the Bounteous Dome, the Hmmming Caretaker disappeared to a distant land far from the Cherubs, far from the Engineers, and far from the Insects. There the Hmmming Caretaker planted Sunflowers and other bountiful plants, and gently placed the dancing Hmmmsters here for them to live happily.
HmmmsterlandThe Coming of Butterfly Buttercup and the rise of the IdasThe order inside the Bounteous Dome was greatly disturbed by the arrival of
Butterfly Buttercup, the Coincidental Cause, the Sending Storm, the Disordered Disaster, whose actions wrought untold chaos below.
First there was the seeding of the Idas into two colonies, one of the Antants, and one of the Waswasps. Had the Insects been burdened with the weight of sapience, it is likely their minds would have collapsed under the sheer terror and carnage caused by the passage of the Yellow Storm, an innate terror that would become engraved within the collective memories of all Antants and Waswasps. The subversion of the two colonies went smoothly, and the Idas controlling each Queen manipulated their host to force the insects of the colonies to recognize the Idas as beneficial plant-attachments.
A few wary and more intelligent than usual Insects detected the danger of the Idas and attempted to uproot the parasitic plants from their kins. They failed to kill the Queen-controlling Idas, and were eliminated by Soldier-controlled Idas. Now unopposed within their new homes, the Idas started to spread slowly and leisurely, using their new hosts to spread and remodel their homes to their liking.
The new Ida-infested colonies were blooming and sun-catching nests made to make life for the Idas as ideal as possible. The controlled Queens now mostly created lowly drones to be controlled by the Ida-infested "officers" which would be implanted with an Ida from birth. But unfortunately for the Ida, they couldn't control the body of their Hosts as well as their owners, which made them weaker in confrontations against the ruthless hives. There was also no way for the Idas to subvert a hive by themselves, as reaching the Queen of a colony was a rare feat even for the warring Antants and Waswasps.
Location: Strongbud, the Blooming Ida-Ant Nest.
Location: Cloudpetal, the Blooming Flying Ida-Wasp Nest.The Perturbs, Agents of the StormNext the impact each Perturbs had on the world must be stated.
True to its purpose, Daisy-Chain identified the weakest nest of Antants and felt an urge to make them the dominant group of the region. Quickly infecting them and assimilating them in the Daisy-Chain, it made them fiercer, meaner, and less picky about what to eat, transforming them into fearsome killing machines that eliminated the hives that once oppressed them. And once this goal was done, Daisy-Chain came across farm Hmmmsters and saw them as quite oppressed indeed. Electing them as the new group to raise, the Daisy-Chain attempted to make them more intelligent and agile, although to no avail so far. An intelligent and smart Hmmmster is still a tasty Hmmmster to an Antant. The Daisy-Chain has yet to make a hmmming breakthrough.
The Levelling Storm was placed in close proximity of one of the most dangerous Waswasp hive of the Bounteous Dome, whose hive was humongous and visually quite offensive. With a flap, the Storm greatly damaged the home of the Waswasps, who were then sent into a destructive fury by the shadow-styria. Were it not for the action of the Gardener, it is likely the Levelling Storm would have been killed by the berserking Waswasps. Dissatisfied with what happened, the Levelling Storm went into an angry fit and levelled the Buttercup savannah below, turning it into a flattened wasteland. Now, the Levelling Storm sleeps in the middle of it.
The Plotweaver has a sudden idea of pure genius, entirely of their own making. It chose among the Ida the one individual that seemed the most talented, and made it the ruler of the hive through subtle "accidents" involving the sudden death of the Ida infecting the Queen. This Ida was Purple-Crooked-Root, and it became the lord of Cloudpetal.
The Historian at first tried to record the history of the surrounding Insect Nests, but their lack of interest in becoming friends with a charismatic cicada turned out to be quite an obstacle. Dejected, the Historian spent its time recording the history of Strongbud, and its influence caused the Idas of Strongbud to develop writing in order to record and exchange information.
Interest: The Sweet RevelationFinally, was the Sweet Revelation, the Perturb whose actions truly caused the greatest changes. The Perturb sensed something far above the inside of the Bounteous Domes, a host of minds of incredible richness and potential. Sneering at the other Perturbs who meddled with creatures it perceived as lowly, such as the Insects and the Idas, the Sweet Revelation teleported beyond the Dome, to the mining colony of the Engineers.
Three Engineers made a contract with the Sweet Revelation, and these three engineers were chosen for a very specific purpose.
The first was named Sam-310. He was an Engineer with perfect memory and a weak spirit, causing him to suffer from his own painful memories. With the help of the Sweet Revelation, he created a serum of amnesia to completely wipe parts of his memories.
The second was named Marc-001210. He was a biologist of the inner world forward scouting team who developped a fascination for the savage and dangerous Antants, and wished to incorporate their superior abilities into himself and share them to other Engineers. With the knowledge imparted to him by the Sweet Revelation, Marc-0020 managed to create a method of biomanipulation that allowed him to turn into an Antant-Waswasp-Engineer hybrid. He underestimated the instincts of the Insects, and developped an incredible hunger and lust for battle. He killed all the members of his crew who refused the bioenhancement, and fled with his hybrid Companions into the Buttercup jungles, carrying several doses of the serum of amnesia.
The third was named Amy-995006, an artist who had a Fated connection to the Sweet Revelation. The Perturb appeared before her, and she immediately gave her entire life to draw a picture of static representing the Sweet Revelation. This masterpiece was such a perfect representation it held the essence of the Sweet Revelation, causing anyone to look at the original picture to be visited by the Sweet Revelation. The artist was found dead in her room with this picture, which acquired the reputation of being cursed. Yet no one seems able to willingly destroy it.
The Sweet Revelation is running amok
On Middengard
Interest: The Insects of MiddengardSent to Middengard, the strongest hives of Insects fought for the scarce useable resources available and warred with even more intensity than before. The hostle environment and the constant warring decimated the hives, with only a few remaining. Of those few, the majority was wiped out by starvation and disease. The survivors managed to adapt and overcome Middengard.
These Antants and Waswasps have heavily mutated under the influence of Middengard, and merged into a single species. A highly venomous species of Insects capable of consuming anything that can fit in their mouths, whether it is organic or inorganic. They have evolved to have a special form of shared immunity to poisons: if an individual ingests something that kills it, its decaying body analyzes the foreign matter and attempts to become immune to the foreign matter and integrate it into the Insect arsenal. The Insects will keep eating their dead until one of them survive, having managed to become immune and integrate the new substance into themselves.
This new breed of insect has yet to be given a name, and they look neither like their parent species. They look like giant cockroaches oozing poisonous substances from every orifices of their bodies. They are extremely aggressive and can and will devour anything they can find. They are no longer an eusocial species, and each individual is able to give birth to more of their own.
New Species: Unnamed Insects
On Acropolis Argyros
On the newly formed metal world, the rare O-Engineers to have made their way here have barely managed to explore each of the regions. There is a single outpost of Companions on this world, located in the Drift. It seems a lot of Engineers are interested in settling on the Acropolis Argyros, but the current ship technology is insufficient to transport a great amount of passengers and resources.
On the Lofty Realms
With the acquisition of a Proof,
Ever Reborn Proof That Gods Are Not Born But Grown Like Rice has acquired a will and inherited the one of its maker. The Law is frustrated over its inability to completely the Lofty Realms carefully constructed by the One Who Gave It A Name. The creation of Ayami was sufficient to populate the strata of Ygdraisl's Branch, but the Demon Isle and the Steel Tower of Monsters remain unpopulated. As a consequence the Law has sealed the Tower and made the waters around Demon Isle too tumultuous to navigate.
Sakuna HitsukiOn the vast and elusive world of the Lofty Realms awoke Sakuna Hitsuki among fields of wheat. She has slept for a long time, the loss of divinity thoroughly affecting her, and the monsters born from Ayami have started making their way outside of Ygdraisl's Branch, although they are still very scarcely seen.
Loss of interest
The Chronicler is losing interest in the Hmmmsters, the Primordial Caretakers, most Lesser Life, and what wasn't mentionned in the turn!
Prophecies
The Prophetess is playing ball with the blood red eye.
"I'm not sure if it's making things clearer, but it won't hurt trying?"The following will happen without intervention from the gods.
The Idas will encounter the runaway hybrid-Engineers. The Engineers will create better hosts for the Idas, and in exchange the Idas will protect and hide the hybrid-Engineers.
Nihilo will ultimately fail to hinder the Engineers, and will hide in a faraway place.
The SUNflower will be damaged by the drilling operations of the Engineers.
The Engineers will become the dominant civilization of the inner world.
The Engineers will capture and study the Segmentium. The Segmentium will learn a lot and develop a grudge against the Engineers.
The Caretakers will split into two groups, with one side loyal to TOAA, and another loyal to Bartatam.
The Historian will forget everything due to drinking the serum of amnesia. Even its purpose.
"As always, do ask if there is something you need to know."
Rights
"Bllmng... That was something."Income:- Ferrous:
1 Right of Protection- Alice:
1 Right of World Lawmaking- the other Hosts have each received
2 Rights of Creation and
1 Right of DestructionThe following Special Rights are available:- 1 Perfect Right of Master Lawmaking: a gift from the Old Host. With the approval of all Hosts and the Three Attendants, the Master Law may be edited.
- 1 Half-Empty Sixfaced Combined Right of Universal Lawmaking: a gift from the Old Host. With the approval of half the current Hosts, a Universal Law may be created. Hosts involved in this Right may not be involved in the Half-Full right.
- 1 Half-Full Sixfaced Combined Right of Universal Lawmaking: a gift from the Old Host. With the approval of half the current Hosts, a Universal Law may be created. Hosts involved in this Right may not be involved in the Half-Empty right.
The following Special Rights may be obtained by fulfilling conditions:
- Specialized Act of Creation of your choosing: obtained everytime 3 or more Rights of Destruction are used at once.
- Specialized Act of Destruction: create something through a Specialized Act of Creation.
Non-incarnated player action slots:
- 2 Creation slots
- 1 Destruction slots
- 1 Special slot
Incarnated player action slots:
- 1 Creation or Destruction slot
- 1 Special slot
- 2 Interaction slots (including for Creation or Destruction that doesn't use Rights)
Any number of Rights may be used per use.
Base Rights can be freely exchanged.