- Joined
- Apr 4, 2010
- Messages
- 8,873
Seeing there are already +9 prospective players, I am happy to sign up as a reserve in case a player unexpectedly drops or a major NPC spawns or something.
-
We are currently performing site maintenance, parts of civfanatics are currently offline, but will come back online in the coming days. For more updates please see here.
Fading Suns
- Thread starter Immaculate
- Start date
Immaculate
unerring
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2003
- Messages
- 7,623
Confirming Kyzarc as D'Glace.
Confirming Thomas as Azgheya.
Confirming Jehoshua for Li Halan.
Confirming Seon as Hazat.
Confirming Thomas as Azgheya.
Confirming Jehoshua for Li Halan.
Confirming Seon as Hazat.
Last edited:
Crezth
i knew you were a real man of the left
1. Hawkwood. Just the right amount of romantic and tragic.
2. Al-Malik. The appeal is self-evident.
3. Van Gelder. I love biting off more than I can chew.
2. Al-Malik. The appeal is self-evident.
3. Van Gelder. I love biting off more than I can chew.
Seon
Not An Evil Liar
The Whetstone
The King was dead, and his killer was taking a morning stroll with the heir. The Hazat Aslan had the dark look of his slain brother, and had inherited their mother's terrible beauty. He walked with a swagger, his clasped behind his back just underneath his half-cloak. The Hazat Isan walked a few paces behind, wearing the princely white robe slightly too big for his frame. Behind them both walked their guards, in a respectful distance.
It was a morning at Herbert, and the air was saccharine sickly with the smell of ripening citrus. It would be a good harvest, this year. Up ahead, a watering house, one of many dotted every few kilometers in this endless polar farmland. A guard ran up ahead to check inside.
Clear.
The walk continues.
...........................................................................
Eventually, the Hazat Isan breaks the silence. "You killed my father?" he asks.
"I did," Aslan answers, as if admitting to liking the color blue or making a comment about the weather.
Death held no real meaning for Aslan. All lives ended in it. It happening caused other things to happen. Would you mourn the punctuation at the end of this sentence? This too, is death, and so it went for Aslan with the death of his brother.
Soon, Isan will be brought up as a prince and a knight. He too shall learn this simple truth.
"May I ask why, Uncle Aslan?" Isan asks, frowning. He is brave and quiet, for a child, like his father, Aslan thinks.
"Because he was weak," Aslan answers. "He failed himself and this family. He failed the duty he had to this land."
"And what duty is that, Uncle Aslan?"
Aslan looks down at the boy, full bore glare. "To rule."
......................................................................................
Aslan's eyes drift sideways over the ripening citrus fields. He truly loved this planet. The pungent smell of the fruit. The gold-green glow of the fields in the morning sun.
"Will you kill me too, Uncle Aslan?" the Hazat Isan asks.
"No," the Hazat Aslan says. "Because you will be a blade, where your father proved to be a mere whetstone. You will be strong and sharp, where he was weak and dull. You will be brave, where he was cowardly. You will be wise, where he was foolish. You will rule, Hazat Isan, as the new Novarch of this family, while your father now rots."
The stink of rotting and crushed fruits on the ground. Sickening. Nauseating. Feverish. The Hazat Isan remembers his father's body. It feels like a dream.
......................................................................................
"You have no cause for worry," the Hazat Aslan says to his shrinking cousin. "You are one of the nine kings of the known worlds. Remember your family's creed. Be the blade, and the world will be your whetstone. Be strong and sharp, that is all that this world asks of you."
"Observe, Hazat Isan," the Hazat Aslan snaps his finger towards the pair of guards trailing them. "Tell them to dance. Like an ape."
The Hazat Isan shies away, looking at the guardsman.
"Do it, Hazat Isan. Prove yourself to be sharp."
The Hazat Isan clears his throat, and calls out to the guardsmen. "Dance!" he cries out. "Like an ape!"
The two men look at each other, bewildered, and then begin to dance, hooting and patting the top of their helm.
Their kit--their grenades, swords, rifles, jingled and jangled, rattling like bells.
"See, Hazat Isan," the Hazat Aslan says, a warm smile on his killer's face. "You see how easy it is? This is all I ask you to do. Rule, where your father would not."
He knelt by his cousin. "This world will dance for you, if you will it. All you need to do is speak. Do you see?"
The Hazat Isan smiles back. "I do, Uncle."
"Good, now go tell them to dance some more."
The Hazat Aslan and Isan laughed and the soldiers danced. Isan learned that his will was absolute. Hazat Aslan knew that the boy changed in this moment, as if bitten by a venomous snake.
Hazat Aslan knew he would have to kill another family member soon.
The fate of the whetstone dreaming itself a blade was always a tragic one.
But not yet. For now, these two had Herbert, its gold-green fields, and laughter.
Seon
Not An Evil Liar
The Whetstone Part 2
"So you see, cousin," the Hazat Aslan says, wiping tears from his eyes and chuckling. "Ruling is easy. All you must do is speak."
The Hazat Isan nods. "Guards," he says. "Stop dancing," and they stopped. Hazat Aslan frowns, smile vanishing from his face.
"Mercy is not a good quality in a ruler, cousi-"
The Hazat Isan looks at the Hazat Aslan straight in the eye, and there is nothing there. "They now know me to be the Novarch of the Hazat, do they not? Just as they used to serve my father, the King."
Aslan stands to his full height, steps backward. A bead of sweat rolls down his face. "Isan..."
"Guards," the Hazat Isan says. "This man is a traitor and a heretic in possession of illegal technology. Arrest him and contact the Avestites."
The ring of guardsmen look at each other, perplexed.
The Hazat Isan points at the Hazat Aslan. "Arrest him!"
The Hazat Aslan pulls out a gun and a strange device.
The guards do not arrest Aslan. They open fire.
.......................................................................................................
The Hazat Aslan's device casts a brilliant light upon the field. The guards open fire wildly and the Hazat Aslan sidesteps their fire. His own gun's linac beam traces a cherenkov blue across the field, and a guardsman turns to ash.
The other guard throws down his rifle, and charges forward with a sword, throwing the Hazat Isan aside in the process.
Aslan sidestepped, drew his blade, and then up. The guardsman all but burst open, steaming and scattering across the ground.
It was done.
The Hazat Isan stood and drew his knife. A fancy penknife. Enough to cut. Maybe enough to kill.
The Hazat Aslan rounds upon him, blade steaming, humming, and ticking.
The Hazat Isan crouches low into a stance. Braces for the charge.
Aslan never charges. Instead, he sheathes his gun and sword. "Very good, cousin!" he says, panting, groaning as he sat. He waves his cousin closer.
Isan shuffles over, his penknife aimed directly at his uncle. "I forgot," Aslan says. "How much of a bloody bastard your father was. And the apple didn't drop far from the tree. It looks like I was worried for no reason. Come, I am not going to kill you!"
Isan sits some distance away, knife still aimed at his uncle. Aslan grins at him. "This world will be in good hands without me, would it?"
Isan nods.
"Good, good," Aslan says. "I am glad you are a Hazat, Isan."
.....................................................................................................................
"You plan on leaving?" Isan asks.
"The stars beckon, cousin," the Hazat Aslan says. "I am thinking of visiting Memoriam for a few years. Maybe Assimov, after that."
"I remember what my clerks told of me about your interests," Isan says. "Heresy. Forbidden knowledge. You plan on continuing your dark deeds?"
Aslan offers Isan a slow smile. A hideous grin, when finished, and short lived. "Concern yourself with only the Hazat, cousin," Aslan says. "Only your duty to rule. Leave my work. Never question or attempt to stop it. And I will never attempt to challenge your rule."
................................................................................................................
"Do we have a deal?" Aslan asks.
The Hazat Isan slips his knife back down his sleeve. "Fine, depart when we return back to the palace. Never return to Herbert."
Aslan bow deep, one arm out to the side, another across his stomach. "As you bid, Novarch."
Aslan was happy, to not have to kill another family member. Happy to have his work ahead of him. Happy, for the first time since he killed his brother.
Terrible thing, to see a Hazat happy.
"So you see, cousin," the Hazat Aslan says, wiping tears from his eyes and chuckling. "Ruling is easy. All you must do is speak."
The Hazat Isan nods. "Guards," he says. "Stop dancing," and they stopped. Hazat Aslan frowns, smile vanishing from his face.
"Mercy is not a good quality in a ruler, cousi-"
The Hazat Isan looks at the Hazat Aslan straight in the eye, and there is nothing there. "They now know me to be the Novarch of the Hazat, do they not? Just as they used to serve my father, the King."
Aslan stands to his full height, steps backward. A bead of sweat rolls down his face. "Isan..."
"Guards," the Hazat Isan says. "This man is a traitor and a heretic in possession of illegal technology. Arrest him and contact the Avestites."
The ring of guardsmen look at each other, perplexed.
The Hazat Isan points at the Hazat Aslan. "Arrest him!"
The Hazat Aslan pulls out a gun and a strange device.
The guards do not arrest Aslan. They open fire.
.......................................................................................................
The Hazat Aslan's device casts a brilliant light upon the field. The guards open fire wildly and the Hazat Aslan sidesteps their fire. His own gun's linac beam traces a cherenkov blue across the field, and a guardsman turns to ash.
The other guard throws down his rifle, and charges forward with a sword, throwing the Hazat Isan aside in the process.
Aslan sidestepped, drew his blade, and then up. The guardsman all but burst open, steaming and scattering across the ground.
It was done.
The Hazat Isan stood and drew his knife. A fancy penknife. Enough to cut. Maybe enough to kill.
The Hazat Aslan rounds upon him, blade steaming, humming, and ticking.
The Hazat Isan crouches low into a stance. Braces for the charge.
Aslan never charges. Instead, he sheathes his gun and sword. "Very good, cousin!" he says, panting, groaning as he sat. He waves his cousin closer.
Isan shuffles over, his penknife aimed directly at his uncle. "I forgot," Aslan says. "How much of a bloody bastard your father was. And the apple didn't drop far from the tree. It looks like I was worried for no reason. Come, I am not going to kill you!"
Isan sits some distance away, knife still aimed at his uncle. Aslan grins at him. "This world will be in good hands without me, would it?"
Isan nods.
"Good, good," Aslan says. "I am glad you are a Hazat, Isan."
.....................................................................................................................
"You plan on leaving?" Isan asks.
"The stars beckon, cousin," the Hazat Aslan says. "I am thinking of visiting Memoriam for a few years. Maybe Assimov, after that."
"I remember what my clerks told of me about your interests," Isan says. "Heresy. Forbidden knowledge. You plan on continuing your dark deeds?"
Aslan offers Isan a slow smile. A hideous grin, when finished, and short lived. "Concern yourself with only the Hazat, cousin," Aslan says. "Only your duty to rule. Leave my work. Never question or attempt to stop it. And I will never attempt to challenge your rule."
................................................................................................................
"Do we have a deal?" Aslan asks.
The Hazat Isan slips his knife back down his sleeve. "Fine, depart when we return back to the palace. Never return to Herbert."
Aslan bow deep, one arm out to the side, another across his stomach. "As you bid, Novarch."
Aslan was happy, to not have to kill another family member. Happy to have his work ahead of him. Happy, for the first time since he killed his brother.
Terrible thing, to see a Hazat happy.
Immaculate
unerring
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2003
- Messages
- 7,623
Player Assignments:
First round picks
In case of ties, I resolved by RNG.
I am also considering providing a venue for participation via a character (like a freighter or mercenary captain) or alternatively as a smaller minor house. What are your thoughts regarding these ideas (@Zappericus , @LordArgon, @SouthernKing)?
All your stats will be sent as an excel sheet either via discord, PM, or e-mail.
Update zero is purposefully meant to be rather slim. The story is designed to be player driven and I look forward to the diplomacy, plotting, and role-playing that you will generate to drive future updates.
Emperor of the Fading Suns- Turn 0
Byzantium Secondus
Incarnate Preachers
In times past, a liberal sect of the Church called the Eurygnostics taught that that Church laity as well as clergy could study and interpret the Omega Gospels for themselves. The sect was popular, especially on Leagueheim and Byzantium Secondus but was ultimately declared heretical sixteen hundred years ago during a dispute between the Orthodoxy and the Eurygnostics over the political leadership of the Planetary See of Herbert. Many abandoned the sect and were absorbed by the Orthodoxy or the Blossoms of Mercy. Others left the clergy completely. And some felt the cleansing fire of the Avestite inquisitors.
In the last sixteen hundred years the Incarnates have seceded from the Universal Church and, though many have suffered for their faith, they continue to preach, their numbers growing and ebbing with the tides of time. Now it seems that a particularly charismatic leader has arisen, leading the Incarnates as the head of an egalitarian ‘Council of Bishops’. Needless to say the Orthodox archbishop of Byzantium Secondus, Quelus Haventi, is none-too-pleased with this charismatic leader and her devoted following.
For the Church, the danger is very real. In the past Incarnate uprisings have upended entire fiefdoms, seized great cathedrals, and even made an attempt on the Planetary See of Watts (where many incarnates continue their heresy in secret today).
Archbishop Haventi has asked for the support of the Avestite to deal with the matter and very recently, these red-robed inquisitors have been seen in increasing numbers on the labyrinthine streets of the planetary metropolis. The locals, always eager to see a heretic burn, have been eager to cooperate with the inquisitors, and if their competitor in love or business feels the purging fires of the red-robes, its only because they were secret Incarnates.
Meanwhile, the population of May, long-suffering Avestite attention, breaths a little easier to see fewer inquisitors asking questions and preaching of Purification.
Proscription Flaunted
To serfs and freemen, lasguns and blasters are strictly proscribed by the church and nobility; possession of one of these deadly weapons by any other than the nobility or senior clergy is cause for execution. The vast masses of the nobles’ feudal levies are armed with swords or at most slug-guns and even the vast majority of the Noble House’s professional standing soldiers are armed with slug-guns. Lasguns and blasters are limited to royal elite infantry, drop infantry, and the nobility itself.
Increasingly however, these weapons have been making their ways into the hands of various classes of criminals across Byzantium Secondus. The weapons themselves are of cheap manufacture and the Supreme Order of Engineers, who’s technological monopoly includes these weapons, scoffs at the idea of anything of such poor manufacture being associated with their Guild.
Those caught with the weapons have been executed by nobles, church, and guild alike but that doesn't seem to have slowed their proliferation, only made any smugglers more cautious.
Why any organization or individual would risk the ire of the nobles, church and the Authority to supply high-tech weaponry to the people of this planet, and why demand for energy weapons is suddenly growing, is yet unclear. Regardless, it bodes ill in a time of religious strife and ongoing food insecurity.
May
The Flames of Jeraha la Kuoga
The great scar that bisects the continent of Chimonem is home to a small monastery of Eskatonic monks and associated laity who support them. They call this place Jeraha la Kuoga and here they spend their time in meditation, pseudo-religious hallucinogenic trance, and intertwined bathing in alkaline hot springs. They make their lives by expertly cutting crystal from volcanic glass. The resulting crystalware is famously beautiful, dark, delicate, ringing with clear tones and is highly sought after across the Known Worlds. Its value is so great that few can afford its beauty; the monks in turn use these funds to keep themselves in a steady supply of hallucinogens and beautiful, devoted, new acolytes.
In the last few months many monks of Jeraha la Kuoga have made their way to the neighboring fiefdoms of the noble house of Setthede, vassals to House Hawkwood. They bring news of horror and fire. They claim that raiders descended upon their monastery using high-technology airships. As the survivors watched from behind boulders in the fields of ash and geyser pools they had fled to, the raiders slew the monks they could find, stole their glassware and drugs, and set the monastery to the torch.
The survivors of Jeraha la Kuoga are looking to escape from the horrors of Chimonem and the cinders that falls upon all here. They have some funds held offworld by Reeve bankers but need help in contacting the guild and accessing the funds so they can hire passage and leave May and the horrors of Jeraha la Kuoga forever. The surviving monks have asked for the support of House Setthede, vassals of House Hawkwood or Mikoyan, vassals of house Decados, or even the Van Gelder in the affair.
Assimov
Xyall Beast Raids
Asimov is not only well-known for its exotic wilderness and beautiful jungles but for its deadly animals and venomous plants. Life here is exceedingly dangerous for human colonists. Among these dangers, creatures known as xyall beasts are perhaps the most symbolic of Asimov’s deadly reputation.
Xyall beasts strike from the jungle canopy in small packs suddenly and without warning and have carried off tens if not hundreds of thousands of colonists over the short centuries of Asimov colonization. Physically, they appear somewhat as earth centipedes but are much larger, from twelve to eighteen feet in length. They are based on a radially symmetric design with no dorsal or ventral components, instead having 5, 7, 11, or 13 identical segments covered in neurotoxic spines and long legs they use to traverse the three-dimensional space of Asimov’s jungles with ease. They are experts in camouflage, each skin cell a chromatophore like that of a terran octopus, and they use shifting skin patterns to communicate with each other. And finally, like most of Assimov’s native biology, they heal extremely quickly.
Historically the xyall-beasts have been content to ambush those venturing too close to the jungles but of late, they have begun to enter into the urbanized environments of the towns and villages that dot the shores of the great inland sea, making use of taller buildings therein to ambush colonists as if from the canopies.
The dangers posed by xyall beasts, and other Asimov biology, to planetary colonization, are significant and, unexpectedly, growing.
Clarke
Grey Manta Pirates of the Typhoon Seas
Clarke is a harsh planet, its lands unyielding, its seas and storms deadly. Its people are just as harsh. It’s a land where people do what they must to survive, and for some, that means piracy. The Pirates of the Typhoon Seas are freemen and slaves who sail between the islands in the southern tropical regions of Clarke preying on the inter-island shipping of the Gwung-Lou, Garetheade, Eahibera, and even the Orthodox fiefdoms. Perhaps fearful of the Decados, they have largely left the shipping of this Royal House untouched.
Their success has made them the enemies of the nobility, the demons of the preachers’ sermons, and for some, a symbol of freedom and rebellion against their noble masters.
Beyond the symbolism of their attacks, the ‘Grey Manta’, as they call themselves, have been materially successful, intercepting shipments meant for both domestic use and off-world export.
Herbert
Tales of Buried Artifacts
Traveling preachers and guilders are spreading tales of an ancient republican artifact found deep in the scorching desert by freemen nomads, the ‘Riah Hariqa’ (scorching wind) tribe.
The tale has been told and retold so many times, exaggerated as these are by the teller each time, that it is unclear what the artifact might be, with some saying a fallen spaceship and others a secret city and others that there is no artifact at all. The Riah Hariqa, who share ancient blood with the Azghezi but distance themselves from that House, are either seeking help to recover, sell, or rebuild the artifact depending on who tells the tale.
The Riah Hariqa themselves are difficult to find, at one with the desert as they move frequently from one hidden valley pasture to another- always following their herds to the next pasture.
Watts
Dreams of Imcinkyl Return
Army command from house Rémillard’s fief on Eastern Veflyn are reporting that their soldiers have been indiscreetly approached by individuals probing their loyalty.
Based on multiple military debriefings and tavern gossip, these individuals are claiming to belong to the lost line of House Imcinkyl, who were defeated centuries ago by a Hawkwood-Rémillard alliance, and are seeking a return to prominence and glory. Their plan includes, at least in part, to turn Rémillard soldiers. How they hope to gain that loyalty is unclear and at present their efforts seem ill-considered and ineffective What other efforts they have made is not yet clear.
To date no action has been taken by the House military commander, Maurice Rémillard; it remains to be determined if the agitators are truly of the long-lost noble line or if they are simply disaffected youth seeking thrills and danger.
Memorium
Brass Guardians of Old Necropolis
The city once known as Rudra, commonly known today to historians as Necropolis is unique among the ruins of Memorium for two reasons. The first is its towering and ancient statues. Sculpted from a hardy copper alloy during the early days of the diaspora, only a few short centuries after the founding of Byzantium Secondus, these giant sculptures are some of the earliest examples of human artistry outside of Holy Terra. The second reason Necropolis is unique is that while the other cities of Memorium were clearly built for the living, Rudra was built for the dead. Its tunnels and catacombs, ruined towers and monasteries were ossuaries for the entire planet. At one time, Rudra was the burial ground for an entire thriving planet and its ruins reflect a more symbolic construction meant to last.
Today, after the glassing and radiation, the poisons and the scorching sands, the Guardians still command the landscape though they are toppled and half-melted, their once fine features melted like wax before a flame. Beneath them, the sturdy construction of the ossuaries defy the ages, ancient stone crumbling slowly in the long shadows even as the steel and glass of the great cities lie buried in sand.
Stories of the ancient technologies and secrets hidden beneath these giants continue to circulate, legends told to curious children or adventurers, brave enough to face the radiation and toxins to seek wealth and glory. For others, the wealth lies in the history itself, in the preserved evidence of a time before the Great Houses and the diaspora of humanity.
First round picks
In case of ties, I resolved by RNG.
- Hawkwood: Crezth (sorry LordArgon)
- Decados: no one picked one of my favorite houses... no one likes spies?
- D'Glace: Kyzarc (uncontested for first choice)
- Li Halan: Jehoshua (uncontested for first choice)
- Hazat: Seon (uncontested for first choice)
- Al Malik: Ork75 (uncontested for first choice)
- Remillard: Ailedhoo (uncontested for first choice)
- Azgheya: Thomas B (sorry SouthernKing)
- Van Gelder: Orklad (sorry Zapp)
- Decados: Spryllino (no one else wanted them and you said anything)
I am also considering providing a venue for participation via a character (like a freighter or mercenary captain) or alternatively as a smaller minor house. What are your thoughts regarding these ideas (@Zappericus , @LordArgon, @SouthernKing)?
All your stats will be sent as an excel sheet either via discord, PM, or e-mail.
Update zero is purposefully meant to be rather slim. The story is designed to be player driven and I look forward to the diplomacy, plotting, and role-playing that you will generate to drive future updates.
Emperor of the Fading Suns- Turn 0
Byzantium Secondus
Incarnate Preachers
In times past, a liberal sect of the Church called the Eurygnostics taught that that Church laity as well as clergy could study and interpret the Omega Gospels for themselves. The sect was popular, especially on Leagueheim and Byzantium Secondus but was ultimately declared heretical sixteen hundred years ago during a dispute between the Orthodoxy and the Eurygnostics over the political leadership of the Planetary See of Herbert. Many abandoned the sect and were absorbed by the Orthodoxy or the Blossoms of Mercy. Others left the clergy completely. And some felt the cleansing fire of the Avestite inquisitors.
In the last sixteen hundred years the Incarnates have seceded from the Universal Church and, though many have suffered for their faith, they continue to preach, their numbers growing and ebbing with the tides of time. Now it seems that a particularly charismatic leader has arisen, leading the Incarnates as the head of an egalitarian ‘Council of Bishops’. Needless to say the Orthodox archbishop of Byzantium Secondus, Quelus Haventi, is none-too-pleased with this charismatic leader and her devoted following.
For the Church, the danger is very real. In the past Incarnate uprisings have upended entire fiefdoms, seized great cathedrals, and even made an attempt on the Planetary See of Watts (where many incarnates continue their heresy in secret today).
Archbishop Haventi has asked for the support of the Avestite to deal with the matter and very recently, these red-robed inquisitors have been seen in increasing numbers on the labyrinthine streets of the planetary metropolis. The locals, always eager to see a heretic burn, have been eager to cooperate with the inquisitors, and if their competitor in love or business feels the purging fires of the red-robes, its only because they were secret Incarnates.
Meanwhile, the population of May, long-suffering Avestite attention, breaths a little easier to see fewer inquisitors asking questions and preaching of Purification.
Proscription Flaunted
To serfs and freemen, lasguns and blasters are strictly proscribed by the church and nobility; possession of one of these deadly weapons by any other than the nobility or senior clergy is cause for execution. The vast masses of the nobles’ feudal levies are armed with swords or at most slug-guns and even the vast majority of the Noble House’s professional standing soldiers are armed with slug-guns. Lasguns and blasters are limited to royal elite infantry, drop infantry, and the nobility itself.
Increasingly however, these weapons have been making their ways into the hands of various classes of criminals across Byzantium Secondus. The weapons themselves are of cheap manufacture and the Supreme Order of Engineers, who’s technological monopoly includes these weapons, scoffs at the idea of anything of such poor manufacture being associated with their Guild.
Those caught with the weapons have been executed by nobles, church, and guild alike but that doesn't seem to have slowed their proliferation, only made any smugglers more cautious.
Why any organization or individual would risk the ire of the nobles, church and the Authority to supply high-tech weaponry to the people of this planet, and why demand for energy weapons is suddenly growing, is yet unclear. Regardless, it bodes ill in a time of religious strife and ongoing food insecurity.
May
The Flames of Jeraha la Kuoga
The great scar that bisects the continent of Chimonem is home to a small monastery of Eskatonic monks and associated laity who support them. They call this place Jeraha la Kuoga and here they spend their time in meditation, pseudo-religious hallucinogenic trance, and intertwined bathing in alkaline hot springs. They make their lives by expertly cutting crystal from volcanic glass. The resulting crystalware is famously beautiful, dark, delicate, ringing with clear tones and is highly sought after across the Known Worlds. Its value is so great that few can afford its beauty; the monks in turn use these funds to keep themselves in a steady supply of hallucinogens and beautiful, devoted, new acolytes.
In the last few months many monks of Jeraha la Kuoga have made their way to the neighboring fiefdoms of the noble house of Setthede, vassals to House Hawkwood. They bring news of horror and fire. They claim that raiders descended upon their monastery using high-technology airships. As the survivors watched from behind boulders in the fields of ash and geyser pools they had fled to, the raiders slew the monks they could find, stole their glassware and drugs, and set the monastery to the torch.
The survivors of Jeraha la Kuoga are looking to escape from the horrors of Chimonem and the cinders that falls upon all here. They have some funds held offworld by Reeve bankers but need help in contacting the guild and accessing the funds so they can hire passage and leave May and the horrors of Jeraha la Kuoga forever. The surviving monks have asked for the support of House Setthede, vassals of House Hawkwood or Mikoyan, vassals of house Decados, or even the Van Gelder in the affair.
Assimov
Xyall Beast Raids
Asimov is not only well-known for its exotic wilderness and beautiful jungles but for its deadly animals and venomous plants. Life here is exceedingly dangerous for human colonists. Among these dangers, creatures known as xyall beasts are perhaps the most symbolic of Asimov’s deadly reputation.
Xyall beasts strike from the jungle canopy in small packs suddenly and without warning and have carried off tens if not hundreds of thousands of colonists over the short centuries of Asimov colonization. Physically, they appear somewhat as earth centipedes but are much larger, from twelve to eighteen feet in length. They are based on a radially symmetric design with no dorsal or ventral components, instead having 5, 7, 11, or 13 identical segments covered in neurotoxic spines and long legs they use to traverse the three-dimensional space of Asimov’s jungles with ease. They are experts in camouflage, each skin cell a chromatophore like that of a terran octopus, and they use shifting skin patterns to communicate with each other. And finally, like most of Assimov’s native biology, they heal extremely quickly.
Historically the xyall-beasts have been content to ambush those venturing too close to the jungles but of late, they have begun to enter into the urbanized environments of the towns and villages that dot the shores of the great inland sea, making use of taller buildings therein to ambush colonists as if from the canopies.
The dangers posed by xyall beasts, and other Asimov biology, to planetary colonization, are significant and, unexpectedly, growing.
Clarke
Grey Manta Pirates of the Typhoon Seas
Clarke is a harsh planet, its lands unyielding, its seas and storms deadly. Its people are just as harsh. It’s a land where people do what they must to survive, and for some, that means piracy. The Pirates of the Typhoon Seas are freemen and slaves who sail between the islands in the southern tropical regions of Clarke preying on the inter-island shipping of the Gwung-Lou, Garetheade, Eahibera, and even the Orthodox fiefdoms. Perhaps fearful of the Decados, they have largely left the shipping of this Royal House untouched.
Their success has made them the enemies of the nobility, the demons of the preachers’ sermons, and for some, a symbol of freedom and rebellion against their noble masters.
Beyond the symbolism of their attacks, the ‘Grey Manta’, as they call themselves, have been materially successful, intercepting shipments meant for both domestic use and off-world export.
Herbert
Tales of Buried Artifacts
Traveling preachers and guilders are spreading tales of an ancient republican artifact found deep in the scorching desert by freemen nomads, the ‘Riah Hariqa’ (scorching wind) tribe.
The tale has been told and retold so many times, exaggerated as these are by the teller each time, that it is unclear what the artifact might be, with some saying a fallen spaceship and others a secret city and others that there is no artifact at all. The Riah Hariqa, who share ancient blood with the Azghezi but distance themselves from that House, are either seeking help to recover, sell, or rebuild the artifact depending on who tells the tale.
The Riah Hariqa themselves are difficult to find, at one with the desert as they move frequently from one hidden valley pasture to another- always following their herds to the next pasture.
Watts
Dreams of Imcinkyl Return
Army command from house Rémillard’s fief on Eastern Veflyn are reporting that their soldiers have been indiscreetly approached by individuals probing their loyalty.
Based on multiple military debriefings and tavern gossip, these individuals are claiming to belong to the lost line of House Imcinkyl, who were defeated centuries ago by a Hawkwood-Rémillard alliance, and are seeking a return to prominence and glory. Their plan includes, at least in part, to turn Rémillard soldiers. How they hope to gain that loyalty is unclear and at present their efforts seem ill-considered and ineffective What other efforts they have made is not yet clear.
To date no action has been taken by the House military commander, Maurice Rémillard; it remains to be determined if the agitators are truly of the long-lost noble line or if they are simply disaffected youth seeking thrills and danger.
Memorium
Brass Guardians of Old Necropolis
The city once known as Rudra, commonly known today to historians as Necropolis is unique among the ruins of Memorium for two reasons. The first is its towering and ancient statues. Sculpted from a hardy copper alloy during the early days of the diaspora, only a few short centuries after the founding of Byzantium Secondus, these giant sculptures are some of the earliest examples of human artistry outside of Holy Terra. The second reason Necropolis is unique is that while the other cities of Memorium were clearly built for the living, Rudra was built for the dead. Its tunnels and catacombs, ruined towers and monasteries were ossuaries for the entire planet. At one time, Rudra was the burial ground for an entire thriving planet and its ruins reflect a more symbolic construction meant to last.
Today, after the glassing and radiation, the poisons and the scorching sands, the Guardians still command the landscape though they are toppled and half-melted, their once fine features melted like wax before a flame. Beneath them, the sturdy construction of the ossuaries defy the ages, ancient stone crumbling slowly in the long shadows even as the steel and glass of the great cities lie buried in sand.
Stories of the ancient technologies and secrets hidden beneath these giants continue to circulate, legends told to curious children or adventurers, brave enough to face the radiation and toxins to seek wealth and glory. For others, the wealth lies in the history itself, in the preserved evidence of a time before the Great Houses and the diaspora of humanity.
Immaculate
unerring
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2003
- Messages
- 7,623
You should all have your stats now. Everyone should have received via Discord except for Spryllino and Ork75. I'm not sure i have your discord IDs.
That seems reasonable. Are you okay waiting until after turn 1 update then i'll throw you in the mix?
That seems reasonable. Are you okay waiting until after turn 1 update then i'll throw you in the mix?
Orders are due Tuesday, August 11th at 6pm EST.
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LordArgon
King
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2019
- Messages
- 850
Sure I am okay with that.
SouthernKing
crickety cricket
Sounds good- pirates or spacers sound interesting.
Zappericus
Euro scumbag
Looking good!
Edit:
I'd be cool with running a merchant marine faction as captain
Edit:
I'd be cool with running a merchant marine faction as captain
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- Joined
- Apr 4, 2010
- Messages
- 8,873
@Immaculate I would also be interested in playing a minor faction. Preferably a mercenary captain. Perhaps I could bust out Sobol Solutions again...
Zappericus
Euro scumbag
Here's some quickie propaganda I made poorly edited in paint for fun:
Edit:
* Read the wiki and apparently the Hazat are stylized after WW1 Germany ;^)))
Spoiler Coachmen :
Spoiler League of Merchants :
Spoiler Legions :
Edit:
* Read the wiki and apparently the Hazat are stylized after WW1 Germany ;^)))
Spoiler The Hazat :
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Immaculate
unerring
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2003
- Messages
- 7,623
I love it ZAP!
So I'm trying to put together a FAQ.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DSa5XC0vgba56FhOVxRQXd7yfmvjdEEru1kewBCcEFA/edit?usp=sharing
I encourage everyone to populate it with both questions and answers. You may have asked a question and gotten an answer that can be shared with others. Or you may just know how things operate from playing these games with me for a long time. Share that wisdom please.
So I'm trying to put together a FAQ.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DSa5XC0vgba56FhOVxRQXd7yfmvjdEEru1kewBCcEFA/edit?usp=sharing
I encourage everyone to populate it with both questions and answers. You may have asked a question and gotten an answer that can be shared with others. Or you may just know how things operate from playing these games with me for a long time. Share that wisdom please.
Diagram of the Known Worlds
With Immac's approval, I have made a brief reference diagram of the Known Worlds, to make it easy for everyone to see the known locations and possessions of the various houses, as described in the rules. Please note that this diagram aspires to no cartographic merit, and, in particular, the various continents' shapes and relative locations are not necessarily exactly as shown.
With Immac's approval, I have made a brief reference diagram of the Known Worlds, to make it easy for everyone to see the known locations and possessions of the various houses, as described in the rules. Please note that this diagram aspires to no cartographic merit, and, in particular, the various continents' shapes and relative locations are not necessarily exactly as shown.
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Jehoshua
Catholic
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2009
- Messages
- 7,284
Honourable Lords Decados, Gwung-Lou, Garathede and Eahibera
-
We pray that this transmission finds the honorable Lords well.
The increasing levels of piracy affecting the shipping of fiefs Houses Gwung-Lou, Garathede, Eahibera and even most sacrilegiously of Holy Church itself has increasingly concerned House Li Halan. Not only does this wanton lawlessness bedeviling the Awroth and Uyish archipelagos (and the failure of late to curb it of the Lord's thereof) reflect badly on the houses whose territories have been subject to these incidents but it increasingly disturbs the sentiments of the commons across Clarke, who rightly are aghast not only at the audacity of these vagabonds in their attacks but at the certain truth that supply lines are being disrupted, forcing the less affluent of our subjects into severe hardship. Indeed even in our own fiefs in Wraubica the effects of piracy planet-wide by the so called "Grey Manta" have not gone unnoticed.
In response to this we request sanction from Houses Gwung-Lou, Garathede, Eahibera and Decados for our forces to collaborate in the regions of Awroth and Uyish to the end of expunging this menace and if necessary to conduct autonomous police actions in the noble lords territories in the circumstance that information comes into our possession regarding the "Grey Manta" and the opportunity avails to erase this social menace from the planet. At this time we in particular seek clear sanction for our naval services to escort maritime traffic between Wraubica and the south, as we cannot guarantee the security of our subjects legitimate commercial interests otherwise given the scale of the problem in your territories.
We likewise (particularly in light of recent predations on trade) wish to invest our houses not inconsiderable resources in securing the self-sufficiency of Clarke, particularly in the areas of food and energy security for the sake of our subjects and to fulfil our obligations before the Pancreator as a great house. To this end we inform Lord's Decados and Gwung-Lou that our House shall be sending Naganaka Akari, our own daughter, to discuss in detail Li Halan's investment proposals for Awroth to the above end, in addition to the matter of the "Grey Manta"
We anticipate a favorable dialogue in both matters from the honourable Lords.
The blessings of the Pancreator be upon you.
Tradition, Family, Faith.
~ Duchess Li Halan wi Naganaka Ichika
-
We pray that this transmission finds the honorable Lords well.
The increasing levels of piracy affecting the shipping of fiefs Houses Gwung-Lou, Garathede, Eahibera and even most sacrilegiously of Holy Church itself has increasingly concerned House Li Halan. Not only does this wanton lawlessness bedeviling the Awroth and Uyish archipelagos (and the failure of late to curb it of the Lord's thereof) reflect badly on the houses whose territories have been subject to these incidents but it increasingly disturbs the sentiments of the commons across Clarke, who rightly are aghast not only at the audacity of these vagabonds in their attacks but at the certain truth that supply lines are being disrupted, forcing the less affluent of our subjects into severe hardship. Indeed even in our own fiefs in Wraubica the effects of piracy planet-wide by the so called "Grey Manta" have not gone unnoticed.
In response to this we request sanction from Houses Gwung-Lou, Garathede, Eahibera and Decados for our forces to collaborate in the regions of Awroth and Uyish to the end of expunging this menace and if necessary to conduct autonomous police actions in the noble lords territories in the circumstance that information comes into our possession regarding the "Grey Manta" and the opportunity avails to erase this social menace from the planet. At this time we in particular seek clear sanction for our naval services to escort maritime traffic between Wraubica and the south, as we cannot guarantee the security of our subjects legitimate commercial interests otherwise given the scale of the problem in your territories.
We likewise (particularly in light of recent predations on trade) wish to invest our houses not inconsiderable resources in securing the self-sufficiency of Clarke, particularly in the areas of food and energy security for the sake of our subjects and to fulfil our obligations before the Pancreator as a great house. To this end we inform Lord's Decados and Gwung-Lou that our House shall be sending Naganaka Akari, our own daughter, to discuss in detail Li Halan's investment proposals for Awroth to the above end, in addition to the matter of the "Grey Manta"
We anticipate a favorable dialogue in both matters from the honourable Lords.
The blessings of the Pancreator be upon you.
Tradition, Family, Faith.
~ Duchess Li Halan wi Naganaka Ichika
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House Decados declares that it has agreed with House Li Halan that House Li Halan may escort its merchant marine through the Awroth archipelago, but that House Li Halan will not undertake raids on our coastlines or major operations in our waters.
If any evidence comes before us of piratical operations based in our lands, we will of course take appropriate action.
We are always delighted to discuss questions of trade and investment, especially with such an honoured emissary as Naganaka Akari.
If any evidence comes before us of piratical operations based in our lands, we will of course take appropriate action.
We are always delighted to discuss questions of trade and investment, especially with such an honoured emissary as Naganaka Akari.
Orklad
Chieftain
House Van Gelder Dispatch
Greetings from Lord Joeri Van Gelder of House Van Gelder.
In more than ninety years of life, I have rarely seen as pointless an atrocity as the violence that befell the poor monks at Jeraha la Kuoga. Raiders armed with technologically advanced weaponry fell upon these poor souls with a ferocity that staggers the imagination. As humble servants of The Church, we pray that the survivors find the peace they're seeking...but for those of us that must live in the here and now, this cannot stand. House Van Gelder will find those responsible and hold them to account for their actions. This sort of lawlessness only encourages the basest of impulses, and we won't tolerate its spread. They cannot run. They cannot hide. There is no hole deep enough to crawl down, and no rock large enough to obfuscate them from our search.
We've also noted increasing food shortages at a variety of locations. To show that House Van Gelder is a caring and benevolent family, we will expand food production across our fiefdoms and those of our vassals, and will encourage our serfs to work diligently to provide much-needed sustenance to serfs, freemen, nobility, and clergy alike. More work means happier serfs, after all.
We thank you...but I must now take my rest. The stresses of the day weigh heavily, and I am but one old man attempting to endure them.
From the hand of Joeri Van Gelder
We pay our debts
Greetings from Lord Joeri Van Gelder of House Van Gelder.
In more than ninety years of life, I have rarely seen as pointless an atrocity as the violence that befell the poor monks at Jeraha la Kuoga. Raiders armed with technologically advanced weaponry fell upon these poor souls with a ferocity that staggers the imagination. As humble servants of The Church, we pray that the survivors find the peace they're seeking...but for those of us that must live in the here and now, this cannot stand. House Van Gelder will find those responsible and hold them to account for their actions. This sort of lawlessness only encourages the basest of impulses, and we won't tolerate its spread. They cannot run. They cannot hide. There is no hole deep enough to crawl down, and no rock large enough to obfuscate them from our search.
We've also noted increasing food shortages at a variety of locations. To show that House Van Gelder is a caring and benevolent family, we will expand food production across our fiefdoms and those of our vassals, and will encourage our serfs to work diligently to provide much-needed sustenance to serfs, freemen, nobility, and clergy alike. More work means happier serfs, after all.
We thank you...but I must now take my rest. The stresses of the day weigh heavily, and I am but one old man attempting to endure them.
From the hand of Joeri Van Gelder
We pay our debts
Ailedhoo
wonderer
- Joined
- Mar 19, 2012
- Messages
- 7,809
Correspondents between Paul Rémillard and Rogi Rémillard
To my brother Duke Rogi of Byzantium
They who came to Eastern Veflyn have become a subject of gossip among the estates of Ontellia. Whether they are from the lost line of House Imcinkyl or rouges attempting a most deceitful performance matters less then the attempt to mar us. Still the amusement of it ought to reach the ears of Hawkwood. Whether the probing ones are the now lowly remains of the Imcinkyl attempting to reclaim what was lost or young charlatans seeking dangers. Regardless I will be requesting Maurice to monitor these figures; it is necessary we do not allow these figures to spoil the festive but at the same time if they were of House Imcinkyl it would be a good idea to probe them to check if they have any power what to speak or merely hot wind.
Still this amusement potential has given me a idea: what of sending jesters to make mockery of these proclaimed fools of Imcinkyl? Would provide the soldiers entertainment and mar what power these pretenders have. Gossip is a most dangerous weapon and if the mockery of these pretenders came out and wide that would be most dangerous to their project, plus help also us to tame any bores in the air. If all goes well perhaps we ought to invite these heirs of Imcinkyl to a party so they can proclaim their full rights to the orchestra of clowns? Perhaps we could find a suitable duchy for them to rule; perhaps a deserted isle for them to make circus of.
Nevertheless just in case I will have the scholars quietly check their claims just out of curiosity if nothing else. This might be a good opportunity to craft a comedic tale to tell for our next family banquet. Who knows: maybe the Guilds may find something to market from the clowns while the Church will have opportunity to remind the populace on the error that comes from hubris and falsehoods? The opportunities would make for a good comedic play! Mockery can be a most sharp sword.
On more serious matters I will of course hope your matter on the best wines needed for the next banquet and potential suitable dates.
Anyhow: hope you are well
Duke Paul of Watts
To my brother Duke Rogi of Byzantium
They who came to Eastern Veflyn have become a subject of gossip among the estates of Ontellia. Whether they are from the lost line of House Imcinkyl or rouges attempting a most deceitful performance matters less then the attempt to mar us. Still the amusement of it ought to reach the ears of Hawkwood. Whether the probing ones are the now lowly remains of the Imcinkyl attempting to reclaim what was lost or young charlatans seeking dangers. Regardless I will be requesting Maurice to monitor these figures; it is necessary we do not allow these figures to spoil the festive but at the same time if they were of House Imcinkyl it would be a good idea to probe them to check if they have any power what to speak or merely hot wind.
Still this amusement potential has given me a idea: what of sending jesters to make mockery of these proclaimed fools of Imcinkyl? Would provide the soldiers entertainment and mar what power these pretenders have. Gossip is a most dangerous weapon and if the mockery of these pretenders came out and wide that would be most dangerous to their project, plus help also us to tame any bores in the air. If all goes well perhaps we ought to invite these heirs of Imcinkyl to a party so they can proclaim their full rights to the orchestra of clowns? Perhaps we could find a suitable duchy for them to rule; perhaps a deserted isle for them to make circus of.
Nevertheless just in case I will have the scholars quietly check their claims just out of curiosity if nothing else. This might be a good opportunity to craft a comedic tale to tell for our next family banquet. Who knows: maybe the Guilds may find something to market from the clowns while the Church will have opportunity to remind the populace on the error that comes from hubris and falsehoods? The opportunities would make for a good comedic play! Mockery can be a most sharp sword.
On more serious matters I will of course hope your matter on the best wines needed for the next banquet and potential suitable dates.
Anyhow: hope you are well
Duke Paul of Watts
