Tani Coyote
Son of Huehuecoyotl
- Joined
- May 28, 2007
- Messages
- 15,195
@ Arakhor: My VMs are being wonky, but to answer your question - Salt Empire has lost about 20-30 provinces as I recall.
===
Link to video.
Returning home from battle, the seemingly invincible Enerjak collapsed into his room, not out of exhaustion, but out of tears. Why had Horus dared to disobey?! He had followed his father into combat... and the blue echidna had paid for it. His other sons, Set, Osiris, Anubis, Amun, all named after Egyptian Gods and his closest companions over the years, had not gotten a response upon welcoming their father home.
"Horus, why... why..?!" His anger and sorrow mixed, anger at Horus' disobedience as much as the fact the would-be God had been unable to save him. Many an expensive furnishing was destroyed by his fists or his chaos energy.
...it then hit him.
He removed his helmet, looking at those empty, menacing sockets where his amethyst eyes would be.
"How could I hope to protect a planet, no, a multiverse... if I cannot protect but one person..."
But that just led into another epiphany. He grasped his head as a horrible emotional pain struck him like a dagger, deep into his strongly-beating heart...
All the pain he had caused. How had he turn a desire to protect the world and all within into such a dark nightmare? Sonic? How did he do that to such a cheerful, kind person... Shadow? Not as cheerful, but fundamentally good... the list went on.
But it didn't end with the heroes. What about the villains? One could argue for such cruel justice, but now that the dreadlocked dictator thought about it... it felt... wrong.
And... he had done that horrible process to his own love, Julie-Su. What kind of monster would...?
Well, Knuckles answered his own question, cursing. His tears were copious. At that moment, he stood up, and began to viciously rip his armor and suit off.
"It was a beautiful design, so unfortunate..."
He pointed both his palms at it, together...
"..that I have to destroy it!" The energy blast incinerated the blue and gold suit that was associated with Enerjak, and his entire wardrobe would soon be purged as well.
Completely naked, he donned the outfit his father, Locke, had worn. He had been posing as the Avatar "Locke" for quite some time now, the Grandmaster of the Palatinate that ruled over this vast nation, with his sons as the Paladins. Their charade as mortals would end here and now.
===
The crowd of reporters and various foreign dignitaries was quite eager upon seeing the white-robed, goateed Avatar make his way to the podium. True to the idea of simple living for the religiously inclined, the one known as Locke didn't have the most exorbiant outfit by far despite his role as head of state and head of government.
"People of the Palatinate... no, the entire world... we have not been entirely truthful to you. While the power of the unified Southwestern continent is all too well known and very real, the facade we have propped up is not."
He took a deep breath... he hoped this was the right move.
With a snap of his fingers, the shape of Locke had contorted into the visage of Enerjak... it was surreal; Enerjak was the God of both the Auroran Caliphate and the Palatinate of Enerjak, two superpowers with global reach.
"A brief history lesson. As you know, 'Enerjak' is the God of two great nations, with additional influence in the Salt Empire. Millennia ago, the Echidna Empire was formed, led by the Avatar as head of state, while an individual would don the title of Enerjak and be head of government. This whole time, I have masqueraded as the Avatar until the nation fell to the Ottomans. My vanity shows - I myself have considered Enerjak my true name for quite some time, hence where the idea for the title came from. Using that visage, I convinced the people of the Nile I was a God, and they all bowed to me."
The crowd was silent... they'd question such rubbish normally, but then again, he had just spawned armor out of nowhere...
Enerjak removed his helmet, revealing a youthful echidna with a robotic right eye.
"I have used various complex stories to obscure the supernatural nature of myself and my children, who often took turns posing as Enerjak. I have masked that we are ageless, out of fear this world would foil plans of world domination..."
The crowd booed... had he really just said that?! Knuckles cringed, but making the room shake a bit with a wave of his hand, they were silent.
"Those plans, I am announcing, are hereby discarded. I lost my son Horus to the Floridians, and it has triggered a chain of revelations from the deepest reaches of my heart. My home world - I forcefully took over the entire thing in the belief I could protect it through unquestioned power. But now I realise that such reliance on power will only lead to ruin for one's moral fiber as much as the planet around you. I did horrible things in the name of the greater good, and only now understand just how in the wrong I was..."
The crowd did show some pity... others questioned why this lunatic was in power. With a bit of concentration, the robes had vanished, the simplistic outfit Knuckles had once worn - gloves and shoes - now all he possessed.
"I am no longer Enerjak, Locke, or any other title or pseudonym. I proudly embrace my birth name, Knuckles. I shall do my best to guard this planet, and welcome any and all assistance... I cannot protect everyone by lording over them, for what shall protect them from me? I shall protect this planet... by protecting every person's divinely-given right to be free, to control their lives, free from interference by any and all.
I hope that this was not too much to swallow... and that you accept my good intentions. I will do everything in my power to make this world better and better, until we can safely say we have achieved perfection... and I am eager to hear your thoughts, and your nations'. May we work together, to create a world superior to the one we inherited.
Thank you."
Some booed, some applauded, but Knuckles smiled as he left the podium. He had contemplated suicide to make amends, but that'd be cowardly. In the midst of battle, Silver had said he should help fix the mess he created. He could not do that on this world he had travelled to with the intention of conquering... but he could still work to improve it until the day he could return home and face the justice that awaited him for his crimes.
===
The Palatinate of Enerjak is now Haven. It is colored white.
Knuckles' peaceful stance shall be realised - it presses for the Echidna Empire and Salt Empire to reach a peace accord.
Likewise, all states are guaranteed! Knuckles' might shall be used to protect the weak from all who would do them harm!
Wars of aggression will be severely punished in this new world order.
===
Link to video.
Returning home from battle, the seemingly invincible Enerjak collapsed into his room, not out of exhaustion, but out of tears. Why had Horus dared to disobey?! He had followed his father into combat... and the blue echidna had paid for it. His other sons, Set, Osiris, Anubis, Amun, all named after Egyptian Gods and his closest companions over the years, had not gotten a response upon welcoming their father home.
"Horus, why... why..?!" His anger and sorrow mixed, anger at Horus' disobedience as much as the fact the would-be God had been unable to save him. Many an expensive furnishing was destroyed by his fists or his chaos energy.
...it then hit him.
He removed his helmet, looking at those empty, menacing sockets where his amethyst eyes would be.
"How could I hope to protect a planet, no, a multiverse... if I cannot protect but one person..."
But that just led into another epiphany. He grasped his head as a horrible emotional pain struck him like a dagger, deep into his strongly-beating heart...
All the pain he had caused. How had he turn a desire to protect the world and all within into such a dark nightmare? Sonic? How did he do that to such a cheerful, kind person... Shadow? Not as cheerful, but fundamentally good... the list went on.
But it didn't end with the heroes. What about the villains? One could argue for such cruel justice, but now that the dreadlocked dictator thought about it... it felt... wrong.
And... he had done that horrible process to his own love, Julie-Su. What kind of monster would...?
Well, Knuckles answered his own question, cursing. His tears were copious. At that moment, he stood up, and began to viciously rip his armor and suit off.
"It was a beautiful design, so unfortunate..."
He pointed both his palms at it, together...
"..that I have to destroy it!" The energy blast incinerated the blue and gold suit that was associated with Enerjak, and his entire wardrobe would soon be purged as well.
Completely naked, he donned the outfit his father, Locke, had worn. He had been posing as the Avatar "Locke" for quite some time now, the Grandmaster of the Palatinate that ruled over this vast nation, with his sons as the Paladins. Their charade as mortals would end here and now.
===
The crowd of reporters and various foreign dignitaries was quite eager upon seeing the white-robed, goateed Avatar make his way to the podium. True to the idea of simple living for the religiously inclined, the one known as Locke didn't have the most exorbiant outfit by far despite his role as head of state and head of government.
"People of the Palatinate... no, the entire world... we have not been entirely truthful to you. While the power of the unified Southwestern continent is all too well known and very real, the facade we have propped up is not."
He took a deep breath... he hoped this was the right move.
With a snap of his fingers, the shape of Locke had contorted into the visage of Enerjak... it was surreal; Enerjak was the God of both the Auroran Caliphate and the Palatinate of Enerjak, two superpowers with global reach.
"A brief history lesson. As you know, 'Enerjak' is the God of two great nations, with additional influence in the Salt Empire. Millennia ago, the Echidna Empire was formed, led by the Avatar as head of state, while an individual would don the title of Enerjak and be head of government. This whole time, I have masqueraded as the Avatar until the nation fell to the Ottomans. My vanity shows - I myself have considered Enerjak my true name for quite some time, hence where the idea for the title came from. Using that visage, I convinced the people of the Nile I was a God, and they all bowed to me."
The crowd was silent... they'd question such rubbish normally, but then again, he had just spawned armor out of nowhere...
Enerjak removed his helmet, revealing a youthful echidna with a robotic right eye.
"I have used various complex stories to obscure the supernatural nature of myself and my children, who often took turns posing as Enerjak. I have masked that we are ageless, out of fear this world would foil plans of world domination..."
The crowd booed... had he really just said that?! Knuckles cringed, but making the room shake a bit with a wave of his hand, they were silent.
"Those plans, I am announcing, are hereby discarded. I lost my son Horus to the Floridians, and it has triggered a chain of revelations from the deepest reaches of my heart. My home world - I forcefully took over the entire thing in the belief I could protect it through unquestioned power. But now I realise that such reliance on power will only lead to ruin for one's moral fiber as much as the planet around you. I did horrible things in the name of the greater good, and only now understand just how in the wrong I was..."
The crowd did show some pity... others questioned why this lunatic was in power. With a bit of concentration, the robes had vanished, the simplistic outfit Knuckles had once worn - gloves and shoes - now all he possessed.
"I am no longer Enerjak, Locke, or any other title or pseudonym. I proudly embrace my birth name, Knuckles. I shall do my best to guard this planet, and welcome any and all assistance... I cannot protect everyone by lording over them, for what shall protect them from me? I shall protect this planet... by protecting every person's divinely-given right to be free, to control their lives, free from interference by any and all.
I hope that this was not too much to swallow... and that you accept my good intentions. I will do everything in my power to make this world better and better, until we can safely say we have achieved perfection... and I am eager to hear your thoughts, and your nations'. May we work together, to create a world superior to the one we inherited.
Thank you."
Some booed, some applauded, but Knuckles smiled as he left the podium. He had contemplated suicide to make amends, but that'd be cowardly. In the midst of battle, Silver had said he should help fix the mess he created. He could not do that on this world he had travelled to with the intention of conquering... but he could still work to improve it until the day he could return home and face the justice that awaited him for his crimes.
===
The Palatinate of Enerjak is now Haven. It is colored white.
Knuckles' peaceful stance shall be realised - it presses for the Echidna Empire and Salt Empire to reach a peace accord.
Likewise, all states are guaranteed! Knuckles' might shall be used to protect the weak from all who would do them harm!
Wars of aggression will be severely punished in this new world order.
