WORLD TURN 12: AN AGE WITHOUT FIRE
The next era would be another of great troubles. Legends say that a forbidden monster was awakened by the fools of Oceanus, and that only the intervention of the
God-King of Mana spared the world of certain destruction. On that day the skies became clear like the Ocean of Mana, which would herald a great change in the world order:
the disappearance of Fire.
The Eater of Flames
Roused from its slumber by the settles of Oceanus, the
Lago-Moon woke up prematurely and had set its sights on the Ocean of Mana. But a
God-King ascended from the North, striking
great fear in the beast that had been made a bit more docile by the Blessing of Fire-Eating, such that it decided messing with the Ocean of Mana was too much effort when it could just hunt something closer and conveniently full of fire: THETHIRDSUN.
THETHIRDSUN: the lightless sunAnd so the Moon chased after the Sun like it had done before, but to the surprise and horror of all, the Moon
did manage to catch up to the Sun! And just like Gempria before, a harrowing scream of pain came from the skies as the heavenly snake attempted valiantly to fight off the ravenous monster who was ravaging its flesh and devouring its fire essence. The titanic battle painted the Sky-Veil red with fire blood, and soon the
Great Fire was gone. But even after such a feast, the moon monster was still
hungry. Leaving the now lightless husk of THETHIRDSUN behind, the
Lago-Moon used its newfound powers to suck out all the remaining heavenly fires of the Sky-Veil, and all the earthly fires of the surface, and all the hidden fires of the underworld. So great was the power of the
Eater of Fire that no flame could be lit so long as it waked, and only when did it sleep could fire be meekly called upon.
Sky-Veil: Rain of Mana
With its attempt to slay the
Lago-Moon,
Esugomot released titanic amounts of Mana into the Sky-Veil, inadvertently seeding Mana all over it. The sudden change of Mana balance had many unintended side-effects, the first being the destruction of the
Sacred Domain of Mana which was sucked into the skies, its protective principles melding with the Sky-Veil. Now changed, and awed, and terrified, the Sky-Veil shifted toward
Esugomot as its already vibrant regions became radiant with a new power which rained all over the North, the Vast Fault, and Gempria.
THETHIRDSUN in hidingThanks to the blessing of THESUN, THETHIRDSUN did not perish. But without light, the world forgot about it, and it went into hiding in the darkest reaches of the Sky-Veil. There it licked its wounds, drawing on whatever meager souls were offered to him by the occasional ritual. A very scarce few Star Snakes were born that way, but immediately were snuffed out by the
Lago-Moon. These ephemereal star sightings were rare and short-lived enough that people started thinking anyone who saw a Star-Snake and made a wish before it disappeared was bound to see their wish granted.
The Fire of EsulomWithout the Fires of THETHIRDSUN, the entire world save for Gempria was doomed to once again fall in another
an age of darkness. Indeed this grave era would have come to pass, were it not for the Mana that had spread into the skies: when the world lost its light, the Sky-Veil started emitting a gentle light of pale and blue from the Mana it had become imbued with.
As Fire disappeared, Mana took its place and is called Esulomite Fire to distinguish it from Old Fire.
Mortals are now dependent on mana devices to generate fire, lest they freeze to death as the temperature of the world have greatly dropped now that the inner fire of all things is being stolen. Esulom and the Manafolk nations had no problem adapting to the change, but for those of Gempria, the period of adaptation was a dark one where many died of hunger and cold until Esulomite Fire could be provided to all.
Oceanus: Scattered to the WindsThe explorers of Oceanus saw the Moon become the red beast of legends, and saw many of their kin perish in its awakening. Yet resilient as they were, they survived but were scattered to the winds. They are now a nomadic people with a shared culture whose scarce numbers continue exploring unknown regions.
Mana SupercoresAfter generations of selection, a new variant of Mana Cores have appeared. They are called Mana Supercores by the explorers, and are extremely powerful Mana Cores that hunt other Mana Cores. There is not a single creature in the Sky-Veil that can hold a candle to them, save for the Lago-Moon which they know to avoid.
Gempria: Healing
With the
Lago-Moon busy gorging itself on the world's fire and the occasional Star-Snake, the surface world was left largely spared from its hunger this era. Gempria underwent a slow but sure recovery.
The Holy Draconic EmpireThe Black Devourer, the Moon Monster, and then the Loss of Fire. Those were the three plagues believed to have been sent by the Gods to punish the arrogance and impiety of the Empire of the Fork. Legends say that
two God-Kings were instrumental in saving the world. First was Esugomot, a God-King from the North who gave its Fire to mortals after the First Fire disappeared. Last was Tim who after the Plagues took pity of the Dragons. Then in an act of great selflessness they divested themselves of their divinity to heal Gempria and give another chance to the Dragons.
Whatever the truth behind these mysterious events, the Draconic Empire of the Fork reformed into the
Holy Draconic Empire a theocratic state worshipping the
Tim one true dragon god and
Esugomot the bringer of fire, as well as the lesser known
Keseem the all-knowing. This enforcement of belief caused all the Gemprian Cotton Shrubs who had somehow survived to
explode as their beliefs in Omnipotence shattered.
The Third Plague: the Loss of FireWith fire stolen from them, all Dragons who were not under the blessed protection of Gempria
perished as their fire heart stopped beating. As most civilized Dragons lived in Gempria, the plague wasn't overtly catastrophic to the Empire. But for the savage dragons of the skies, this plague wiped out their species.
The Schism and the Four NationsThe Holy Draconic Empire was short-lived, however. It knew an era of peace and stability as reconstruction united the Dragons, but soon turmoil caused its fragile foundations to crumble. More and more heresies appeared among the religious people of the empire, and beliefs in old forgotten God-Kings resurfaced and waned. The attempts of the
Imperial Church to consolidate all beliefs would cause a strong adverse reaction from the major cults whose influence would disappear, culminating into them splitting from the
Imperial Church during the Council of Wyrmscalon. Ambitious Dragons civilized and less civilized took advantage of this occasion to rally support behind new banners, causing the Empire to devolve into a civil war from which broke off three new states.
- Draconis, the Country of True Dragons. They worship Tim and Keseem, and essentially follow the same traditions as the old Draconic Empire of the Fork. They are led by the High Council of the Upper Gentry.
- Esulon, the Mana Monarchy. An absolute monarchy where belief in Mana is very strong. They modeled their country after ancient texts about the Kingdom of Mana.
- Dayderim, the Dragon Democracy. A democratic country manipulated from the shadows by the Mirrored Glories of whom there were only 2 left, the others having perished in the civil wars. They are a carbon copy of the Democracy of Days, with Dragons instead.
Although weakened,
the Holy Draconic Empire remains the strongest contender of Gempria. An uneasy peace was recently signed but who knows how long it will last.
The Snake TribesOnce again, a new race of feathered snakes has appeared in Gempria. For Dragons, this is a regular documented occurence and they presume they will disappear as quickly as the previous iterations. These snakes live in nature as small tribes far from the civilized world. They have managed to discover a way to create Esulomite Fire from mana infused stones, without which they would have quickly died. They have two gods, Ferina the Creator Goddess, and Esugomot the Fire Bringer.
Vast Fault: Rise of Borgoth and the Void Sea
In its first act of rebellion against Omnipotence, the Great Sentry refused to head North for Sarbreris. Now healed in body and spirit, the Great Sentry thought long over the new purpose that would drive it. Once it simply accepted what was ordered to it by
Omnipotence, and now it was free thanks to another
God-King... The Great Sentry was grateful, but did not think much of Tim. No out of all the God-Kings it knew of, Esugomot was the most worthy of awe. But then again, why worship, when it could be the worshipped?
Struck with this realization, the Great Sentry took upon a new name:
Borgoth the Protector, the one who would defend civilization against doom. And so it set its eyes upon the Black Hole, which one day would threaten all of mortal civilizations if left unchecked. Using up the worship it had stored, Borgoth wounded the Black Hole with a laser blade - causing it to spill the contents of its belly, a slurry of dark energy that flooded the Vast Fault.
But the
Black Hole was a powerful creation and did not completely end. It remained mangled and weak, unable to grow due to its bleeding wound. The strange energy coalesced into a free flowing substance, forming the
Void Sea which separated North from South.
North: a New War
With the disappearance of the
God-King of Esulom and the destabilization of the Sacred Ward, the Shadowfolks of Raktor expected the war to tip into their favor. That would have been true had unexpected events not occured at the worst possible times: the loss of the tactician genius and
Supreme Commander Ulkor during the battle of Noridia-Agame, and the
Great Treachery of Sarbreris.
The Great Treachery of Sarbreris and Fall of RaktorEsulomite military historians are still greatly puzzled by the infamous Battle of Noridia-Agame which caused the collapse of the strongest military of the North in a matter of days.
It was a clear day illuminated by the Mana currents of the Sky-Veil which was a radiant convergence. From the North and the West, 13 of the
Raktor Fleets were advancing to break the defensive line of Esulom, their
Mana Shields having shut down due to the destabilization of all Mana based shielding technologies based on the
Sacred Ward. The Royal Navy of Esulom only had 4 equivalent fleets, which despite a home advantage had lost half their combat potential due to mana disruption. To make matters worst, the Esulom council was still trying to organize Esulom after Esugomot had departed for the skies. Unbeknowst to them, the Raktor had completed a prototype of the
Black Bomb with the help of
a genius scientist from Sarbreris.
At the start of the seventh time quadrant, Raktor commences the assault by bombarding the Esulom artillery positions, allowing their amphibious troops to land and assault the sea fortresses. Then right as the
Raktor Heavy Battlecrafts engages the enemy
Mana Vessels, the throne upon which the Supreme Overlord sits starts growing uncontrollably,
crushing Ulkor in an instant. As the Generals scrambles to restore the chain of command, at the very same time an uncontrollable nationalistic urge rose from within the loyal Sarbrerians and all contacts are lost with the Raktor capital. None can ignore the black tear splitting the horizon. The prototype
black bomb has been detonated by the traitorous Sarbrerians in the Raktor Capital, High Malatima. The situation devolves further as once loyal Sarbreris crews and officers mutiny against their superiors in an act that no one can comprehend to this day. Despite having being conquered, the Sarbreris were welcomed to take part in the war effort regardless of their origin if they had the skills and desire to prove themselves on the battlefield. And although their resources had been requisitioned, the population did not suffer and wasn't mistreated by their overlords. Whatever was behind this sudden coordinated, near fanatical rebellion could only have been divine malice.
Using this miracle to their advantage, the
Royal Navy of Esulom turned the tables on the Raktor Fleets, annihilating them and launching a great counteroffensive. Having lost their leader, most of their forces, and their capital, the Raktor remnants capitulated quickly and their remaining territories were forcefully seized by the newly formed
Sarbreris Popular Revolutionary Republic.
The Sarbreris Popular Revolutionary RepublicThe treachery of Sarbreris, as well as the ignoble detonation of a weapon of untold destruction amidst the civilian capital of Raktor completely alienated the Sarbreris Popular Revolutionary Republic from Esulom. Esulom closed their borders with Sarbreris but kept an eye on them.
Unlike Raktor and Esulom, the Revolutionary Republic sought to abolish all barriers between people. They would create a state without castes, without oppressors. They would welcome the
Cotton Shrubs who had been planted by Omnipotence, and any refugee of Esulom or Gempria. Blessed by a great power, their nation knew such providence that they embodied their ideal of a nation without oppressors, where all had their needs were catered too. The majority of Sarbrerians live peaceful lives, but the fires of revolution could return anytime if anything were to threaten their utopia.
Their beliefs are varied, but they do not take well to those who attempt to enforce their beliefs upon themselves. This has caused them to be conflicted about how to deal with the Cotton Shrubs, who are unable to worship anything else than Omnipotence, and who are actively trying to subvert the population to the cult of Omnipotence. So far, the balance holds, but it is a precarious one. Esugomot, Tim, and Omnipotence are equally worshipped in Sarbreris, while Monarch is feared.
There is no ruler in Sarbreris. The nation is "ruled" by common sense and compassion as they call it, and it has worked well so far for them. In more practical terms, each small communities are independent and self-sufficient, and share the same sets of values which cause them bond together near telepathically when they perceive the threat of oppression.
Esulom and the Colours of ManaBy reverse-engineering the Raktor shadow mana machines, Esulom made new breakthrough in the field of mana. They discovered that Mana could have colours, and that
Blue Mana was simply all colours of Mana combined together. Each colours had specific properties but were highly unstable: extracting and stabilizing them was highly difficult, but might lead to incredible or dreadful discoveries.
Shadow Mana, which was now called
Black Mana, was a proof that extraction and stabilization was possible. However the way Black Mana was isolated and made stable remained a mystery to Esulom scientists, and the intellectual minds of Raktor had been lost in the revolution of Sarbreris.
The scientists of Esulom are currently working on a process that will help them identify, and then isolate and exploit the
colours of Mana.
Raktor RemnantsThe Raktor survivors have fled to the northernmost parts of the Ocean.
Minor Events
Nothing much. The throne made from the Gratis tree was lost in the war. It is probably sitting at the bottom of the Ocean of Mana now.
INTERLOPERS TURN
The Eye leaves very annoyed, calling everyone eyesores.
No Interloper manifests themselves this turn.
WORSHIP
Regions and WorldGempria does not generate Worship as it is a Vessel.
The Ocean of Mana generates 4 Worship.
The Ocean worships Esugomot (Awe 0) and Monarch (Awe 2).
The Ocean has forgotten about Tim.
Esugomot gains 1 Worship.
Monarch gains 3 Worship.
The Sky-Veil generates 3 Worship.
The Sky-Veil worships Esugomot (Awe 0) and THESUN (Awe 1).
The Sky-Veil has forgotten about Tim.
Esugomot gains 1 Worship.
THESUN gains 2 Worship.
The Void Sea generates 2 Worship.
The Void Sea fears Borgoth (Awe 2).
The Void Sea has forgotten about Omnipotence (Awe 0).
Borgoth gains 2 Worship.
Creatures and EntitiesTHETHIRDSUN generates 2 Worship.
THETHIRDSUN worships THESUN (Awe 1).
THETHIRDSUN has forgotten about Tim.
THESUN gains 2 Worship.
The Mana Cores generate 1 Worship.
The Mana Cores worship Esugomot (Awe 0).
The Mana Cores have forgotten about Tim (Awe 2).
Esugomot gains 1 Worship.
The Mana Supercores generate 1 Worship.
The Mana Supercores worship Esugomot (Awe 0).
Esugomot gains 1 Worship.
The sentient homes generate 1 Worship.
The sentient homes worship Neetocris (Awe 1).
Neetocris gains 1 Worship.
The Mirrored Glories generate 1 Worship.
The Mirrored Glories worship THESUN.
The Mirrored Glories have forgotten about Tim (Awe 2).
THESUN gains 1 Worship.
The Star Reed Spiders generate 2 Worship.
The Star Reed Spiders worship Tim (Awe 4).
Tim gains 2 Worship.
The Great Sentry generate does not generate Worship as it is a Vessel.
CivilisationsEsulom, the Kingdom of Mana generates 5 Worship.
Esulom worships Esugomot (0 Awe) and Monarch (2 Awe) to a lesser extent.
Esugomot gains 2 Worship.
Monarch gains 3 Worship.
Sarbreris generates 2 Worship.
Sarbreris worship Esugomot (0 Awe), Tim (4 Awe), and Omnipotence (0 Awe).
Due to Tim's vastly superior Awe, Tim gains all the Worship!
Tim gains 2 Worship.
The Holy Draconic Empire generates 2 Worship.
The HDE worships Keseem (Awe 2), Neetocris (Awe 1), Tim (Awe 4), and Esugomot (Awe 0).
Neetocris gains 0.5 Worship.
Keseem gains 0.5 Worship.
Tim gains 1 Worship.
Draconis generates 1 Worship.
Draconis worships Tim (Awe 4) and Keseem (Awe 2)
Keseem gains 0.5 Worship
Tim gains 0.5 Worship.
Esulon generates 1 Worship.
Esulon worships Esugomot (Awe 0)
Esugomot gains 1 Worship
Dayderim generates 1 Worship.
Dayderim worships THESUN (Awe 1)
THESUN gains 1 Worship
The Snake Tribes generate 1 Worship.
The Snake Tribes worship Ferina (Awe 1) and Esugomot (Awe 0) to a lesser extent.
Ferina gains 1 Worship.
Oceanus is too weak to generate Worship.
Raktor is too weak to generate Worship.
Coalescing Worship:Previous worship levels have been reset by the WardenTHESUN: 2.5 => 8.5 (+6)
Ferina: 0 => 1 (+1)
Tim: 1.5 => 7 (+5.5)
Neetocris: 2 => 3 (+1)
Omnipotence: 0.5
Esugomot: 1 => 8.5 (+7.5)
Monarch: 1 => 6.5 (+5.5)
Keseem: 2.5 => 3 (+0.5)
Taki: 2 => 2 (+0)
4 Units of Worship will coalesce into a Unit of Major InterventionHave gained a Major Intervention:
THESUN: 8.5 => 0.5 (x2)
Tim: 7 => 3
Esugomot: 8.5 => 0.5 (x2)
Monarch: 7 => 3
THESUN shines DIVINELY AH SO BRIGHT...Tim can feel DIVINE fire in its belly... it has calmed a bit since last time...Esugomot is coursing with DIVINE mana... it feels GREAT!WARDEN TURN
Unauthorized God-King detected...The Warden will take a look at the prison next turn!
Author
Topic: God-Kings! -Turn 12- (Read 13526 times)