Ekreture

Of Serenity & Dread (OPEN ADVANCED RENAISSANCE-ERA FANTASY NRP)

Orc Mercenaries

The Black Tusks

Brief Description & Tier:

Tier 2. An Orcish mercenary company recently landed, led by the general Gultar the Stick.

Ambition:

To make coin and advance the position of all Orkin on Evorin.

Government Type:

A mercenary company led by a General. The civilian communities that exist within their estates are governed autonomously, from the human villages to goblin hidings.

Claim:

A castle, castletown, and surrounding hinterland completely within the borders of Clemento.

History:

The Orkin were first born from the hellrot and bog-rocks of Malor's Fleshforge. Malor was a dark wizard and warlord who sought to bring himself to the immortal status of a Primarch, and he would be the Primarch Upheaval. So, he created a hellish army of various shapes and sizes to aid them.

The original Orkin were all male, meant only to be formed in the Fleshforge. They were mindless, cruel, and savage. And while Malor was winning, they were pretty fucking awesome.

The problem came when Malor started losing. He was masterminding everything, and he had an army of mindless beasts, and when he lost them, he had to go all the way back to the Fleshforge and make some more. Wildly inconvenient.

So, he made the Orkin 2.0...some of them had vaginas. And they were all sorts of sizes and shapes. Goblins, the little ones, Orcs, the mid-size ones, and Ogres, who were quite large. They were also a lot smarter than the previous Orkin...he could rely on them for logistical planning, and industry. Working the Fleshforge if needed. And, in the long term, they'd be capable of procreating.

Well, as it turns out, there wouldn't be a long term. The heroes of Megalia unified together under a white wizard and yada yada yada, the flesh forge was destroyed by moss and unicorn tears or whatever shmaltzy nonsense. Also, there was an Orkin mutiny. Yeah, as it turns out, when you give a race of people sentient thought, they start thinking they deserve things. Like salaries, and land, and to not literally thrown into a meat grinder of griffon-riding dog crusaders.

So Malor was defeated, and peace reigned forever more and stuff. That was about 800 years ago.

But the Orkin remained. And they bred. Started families. And they had to adapt. So, if all you were was a roving army, and all your levels of organization are to be a roving army, what do you do? Keep on keepin' on, friend. The Orkin turned to a mix of banditry and mercenary work. The Goblins founded the Hideways, placing invisible communites called Hidings all around the Farwest. Ogres isolated themselves in the far reaches of the wilderness. But Orcs were all bandits and mercenaries.

And that's persisted through today.

Thing is, just like Malor before them, the people who hire Orkin mercenary bands don't tend to...treat them very well. They treat them as disposable, and, without any large institutions to back them up, often are underpayed and underserved. And now, in Evorin, with all these constant wars between rich dudes who mostly just hire mercenaries, it's getting worse than ever.

Gultar isn't from Evorin. He's from Galia, in fact. He was 'Fleshforged' as it were-yeah, it's used as a term now for Orkin born to mercenary parents. And he had all the markings of a great mercenary; big, strong. And large. And very, very strong.

But he was also intelligent, as a child. And deeply perceptive. He saw the world as it was, and as it could be. And the work it would take to move from A to B. And work he did.

First in Evorin, gallivanting around in an Orkin mercenary company. He realized very quickly how sought after the companies were who managed to gather all Orkin groups under their banner...Orcs, Goblins, and Ogres. He became an officer within a bigger company, the Black Tusks, so named because of the Old Orcish tradition of mounting boars heads on pikes as banners.

Yeah, they would cut off a boar's head and mount it on a pike...however rotten the head became would show the merit and age of the company. It was at a time when, well...we talked about how disposable Orcish merc companies tended to be seen. The meat grinder. But the Black Tusks refers to the end goal. When the tusks of the boar are so rotted out that they've gone completely black. A sort of company immortality.

Anyways, he became an officer. He started reforming Orcish tactics, building a training regimen...a regimen so rigorous he became known as "The Stick". And then he left. For Lakhmia, where he would become a REAL officer, in a REAL army. Still leading Orkin, but as a professional soldier.

The Captain of the Black Tusks died, a few years ago. He sent out for Gultar to come back from Lakhmia and succeed him. Gultar the Stick accepted.

Upon his return, he announced a radical change...there would be a massive expansion, and he would not be a Captain. He would be a General, with multiple captains underneath him. The Black Tusks grew, and grew, their profit margins straining the cost of the massive army of Goblins, and Orcs, and Ogres. Not to mention his supreme standard for equipment, itself standardized to maintain the look of a professional army. Nobody knew exactly what he was playing at. What they did know was that clients were playing higher premiums for the Black Tusks, and mortality rates of Orkin soldiers was going down.

And then the empire of Serravun invaded the tiny state of Clemento. They almost beat them, too. Clemento offered massive coffers to the Tusks to come and save them. And Gultar agreed, with a caveat-they wouldn't be paid in gold, but in land. Castle Virno.

The Black Tusks beat Serravun only a few months ago. Now, they control Castle Virno and its surrounding hinterland. They bear a promise to Clemento...they need not pay taxes to the city-state, but if Serravun ever invades again, the Tusks will be ready.

Military:

S TIER - Melee Infantry: The pride and joy of Gultar's army is his infantry line. Disciplined, durable, and fierce, he has trained his Orcs and Goblins to a point of indisputable prowess.

Orcish Shieldbearer

The bread and butter of any orcish army, Gultar himself served as a Shieldbearer before becoming a general. They're good allrounders, meant to accomplish the bulk of melee combat, pushing forward after the pikes in front of them take an initial charge. Their heavy cleavers are able to chop into the weaker points of a suit of plate, and drive dents into the stronger parts.

Orcish Glaivemaster

Skilled and versatile, Glaivemasters wield a variety of polearms to combine reach and powerful heft. While Gultar primarily uses them to defend his flank, they may also be found in a line behind shieldbearers, stabbing in between the column in front of them.

Goblin Pikes

Small and fearless, walls of pikes jut out at the center of Gultar's formation, forming an impassible wall to absorb any charges to the front.

S TIER - Shock: A mix of ogres, battle boars, and goblin guerrilla units, Gultar uses his shock troops to drive apart enemy formations with ease. A terrifying sight to behold.

Battle Boar

Huge, hideous creatures, battle boars are the result of hundreds of years of breeding and cursing, causing them to be gigantic and aggressive. They are sent in advance of a charge, heavily plated, to draw fire and cause chaos in an enemy's rank. They are also used in wars of attrition, set loose upon enemy fields to ravage their food supply.

Ogre

Ogres are gigantic and even more powerful than their frame would suggest. They carry large clubs to smash apart enemy positions, and throw cannon shot to weaken enemy lines. They are used for two primary purposes: one, to strengthen a defensive line and batter down oncoming troops. Two, offensively, to break down an enemy formation before the main infantry onslaught.

Goblin Ruffians

Ruffians are vicious guerilla units, using a mix of melee weapons, ranged bows and crossbows, and magic to move behind enemy lines. Aside from their potential in wars of attrition, Gultar relies on them for easy flanking, and, when needed, to take out enemy artillery positions. They exceed in illusion magic, as well as in conjuring pestilence and fog to disrupt enemy lines.

B TIER - Ranged: While the bulk of the Black Tusks' power comes from their skill in melee, ranged infantry has by no means gone ignored. When engaging in standard pike-and-shot, Gultar makes sure that his own ranged troops are capable enough to hold their own before drawing the enemy into close quarters.

Orcish Arquebusiers

As firearms grow more popular in the land of Evorin, Gultar has begun training his troops in their use. Arquebusier units are especially useful when firing from the flank, or when suppressing an oncoming charge.

Orcish Crossbow

Often the most novice Orcs in his army, crossbows are the first weapons new recruits are trained on before they're trusted to hold a melee line.

C TIER - Cavalry: Gultar's not super into the Warg Riders. But he keeps them around!

Warg Riders

While Warg Riders are a traditional aspect of the Orkin armies, Wargs, though ferocious and bloodthirsty, are unwieldy and hard to control, making charge cycling hard. Gultar still uses them in limited numbers, mounted with riders wielding glaives and two-handed choppers, reserving them for flanking maneuvers and for charging down fleeing enemies.

F TIER - Artillery: Being a mercenary company only recently recieving land, the Black Tusks have been used to being a part of a much larger army, ones in which artillery was provided by someone else. Artillery is heavy and slow moving, and so up until now has been completely eschewed from Gultar's focus.
F TIER - Navy: They ain't got no water!

Demographics:

The Tusks themselves are all Orkin; a motley mix of Orcs, Ogres, and Goblins. There are multiple Goblin Hidings, or communities, hidden throughout their claim, including a large one right underneath Castle Virno.

The countryside of Virno, meanwhile, presents the same demographics as the Clementian countryside surrounding it...largely human with a mix of others. There is a definite Gorgon community as well.

Agents:

Gultar the Stick, Level 2 General, Level 1 Champion:

Gultar

Zurug Graveswing, Level 1 Champion:

Zurug

Estates:

Castle Virno, Level 1 Fortress:
Virno Countryside, Level 1 Settlement, Hinterland:
Virno Steeltunnel, Level 1 Workshop, Smithy:

Forces

The Black Tusks
Army, Size 5. Location: Castle Virno. Embedded: Gultar & Zurug
Virno Garrison
Garrison, Size 1. Location: Castle Virno.

Relations:

Clemento: Hesitant alliance. A loose relation of vassalage and patronage. Gultar's thrown the weight of the Tusks behind Clementian independence, and now seeks political influence in the thalassocracy to make good on that investment.
Serravun: Wary and defensive. No bad blood in business but...there was a whole lot of dwarven blood, and Gultar's not expecting that to be forgotten anytime soon.

Of Serenity & Dread (OPEN ADVANCED RENAISSANCE-ERA FANTASY NRP)

@Durandals Approved! Go ahead and move it to the characters tab. You can start posting IC whenever.

Of Serenity & Dread (OPEN ADVANCED RENAISSANCE-ERA FANTASY NRP)

Orc Mercenaries (WIP)

The Black Tusks

Brief Description & Tier:

Tier 2. An Orcish mercenary company recently landed, led by the general Gultar the Stick.

Ambition:

To make coin and advance the position of all Orkin on Evorin.

Government Type:

A mercenary company led by a General. The civilian communities that exist within their estates are governed autonomously, from the human villages to goblin hidings.

Claim:

A castle, castletown, and surrounding hinterland completely within the borders of Clemento.

History:

The Orkin were first born from the hellrot and bog-rocks of Malor's Fleshforge. Malor was a dark wizard and warlord who sought to bring himself to the immortal status of a Primarch, and he would be the Primarch Upheaval. So, he created a hellish army of various shapes and sizes to aid them.

The original Orkin were all male, meant only to be formed in the Fleshforge. They were mindless, cruel, and savage. And while Malor was winning, they were pretty fucking awesome.

The problem came when Malor started losing. He was masterminding everything, and he had an army of mindless beasts, and when he lost them, he had to go all the way back to the Fleshforge and make some more. Wildly inconvenient.

So, he made the Orkin 2.0...some of them had vaginas. And they were all sorts of sizes and shapes. Goblins, the little ones, Orcs, the mid-size ones, and Ogres, who were quite large. They were also a lot smarter than the previous Orkin...he could rely on them for logistical planning, and industry. Working the Fleshforge if needed. And, in the long term, they'd be capable of procreating.

Well, as it turns out, there wouldn't be a long term. The heroes of Megalia unified together under a white wizard and yada yada yada, the flesh forge was destroyed by moss and unicorn tears or whatever shmaltzy nonsense. Also, there was an Orkin mutiny. Yeah, as it turns out, when you give a race of people sentient thought, they start thinking they deserve things. Like salaries, and land, and to not literally thrown into a meat grinder of griffon-riding dog crusaders.

So Malor was defeated, and peace reigned forever more and stuff. That was about 800 years ago.

But the Orkin remained. And they bred. Started families. And they had to adapt. So, if all you were was a roving army, and all your levels of organization are to be a roving army, what do you do? Keep on keepin' on, friend. The Orkin turned to a mix of banditry and mercenary work. The Goblins founded the Hideways, placing invisible communites called Hidings all around the Farwest. Ogres isolated themselves in the far reaches of the wilderness. But Orcs were all bandits and mercenaries.

And that's persisted through today.

Thing is, just like Malor before them, the people who hire Orkin mercenary bands don't tend to...treat them very well. They treat them as disposable, and, without any large institutions to back them up, often are underpayed and underserved. And now, in Evorin, with all these constant wars between rich dudes who mostly just hire mercenaries, it's getting worse than ever.

Gultar isn't from Evorin. He's from Galia, in fact. He was 'Fleshforged' as it were-yeah, it's used as a term now for Orkin born to mercenary parents. And he had all the markings of a great mercenary; big, strong. And large. And very, very strong.

But he was also intelligent, as a child. And deeply perceptive. He saw the world as it was, and as it could be. And the work it would take to move from A to B. And work he did.

First in Evorin, gallivanting around in an Orkin mercenary company. He realized very quickly how sought after the companies were who managed to gather all Orkin groups under their banner...Orcs, Goblins, and Ogres. He became an officer within a bigger company, the Black Tusks, so named because of the Old Orcish tradition of mounting boars heads on pikes as banners.

Yeah, they would cut off a boar's head and mount it on a pike...however rotten the head became would show the merit and age of the company. It was at a time when, well...we talked about how disposable Orcish merc companies tended to be seen. The meat grinder. But the Black Tusks refers to the end goal. When the tusks of the boar are so rotted out that they've gone completely black. A sort of company immortality.

Anyways, he became an officer. He started reforming Orcish tactics, building a training regimen...a regimen so rigorous he became known as "The Stick". And then he left. For Lakhmia, where he would become a REAL officer, in a REAL army. Still leading Orkin, but as a professional soldier.

The Captain of the Black Tusks died, a few years ago. He sent out for Gultar to come back from Lakhmia and succeed him. Gultar the Stick accepted.

Upon his return, he announced a radical change...there would be a massive expansion, and he would not be a Captain. He would be a General, with multiple captains underneath him. The Black Tusks grew, and grew, their profit margins straining the cost of the massive army of Goblins, and Orcs, and Ogres. Not to mention his supreme standard for equipment, itself standardized to maintain the look of a professional army. Nobody knew exactly what he was playing at. What they did know was that clients were playing higher premiums for the Black Tusks, and mortality rates of Orkin soldiers was going down.

And then the empire of Serravun invaded the tiny state of Clemento. They almost beat them, too. Clemento offered massive coffers to the Tusks to come and save them. And Gultar agreed, with a caveat-they wouldn't be paid in gold, but in land. Castle Virno.

The Black Tusks beat Serravun only a few months ago. Now, they control Castle Virno and its surrounding hinterland. They bear a promise to Clemento...they need not pay taxes to the city-state, but if Serravun ever invades again, the Tusks will be ready.

Military:

S TIER - Melee Infantry: The pride and joy of Gultar's army is his infantry line. Disciplined, durable, and fierce, he has trained his Orcs and Goblins to a point of indisputable prowess.

Orcish Shieldbearer

The bread and butter of any orcish army, Gultar himself served as a Shieldbearer before becoming a general. They're good allrounders, meant to accomplish the bulk of melee combat, pushing forward after the pikes in front of them take an initial charge. Their heavy cleavers are able to chop into the weaker points of a suit of plate, and drive dents into the stronger parts.

Orcish Glaivemaster

Skilled and versatile, Glaivemasters wield a variety of polearms to combine reach and powerful heft. While Gultar primarily uses them to defend his flank, they may also be found in a line behind shieldbearers, stabbing in between the column in front of them.

Goblin Pikes

Small and fearless, walls of pikes jut out at the center of Gultar's formation, forming an impassible wall to absorb any charges to the front.

S TIER - Shock: A mix of ogres, battle boars, and goblin guerrilla units, Gultar uses his shock troops to drive apart enemy formations with ease. A terrifying sight to behold.

Battle Boar

Huge, hideous creatures, battle boars are the result of hundreds of years of breeding and cursing, causing them to be gigantic and aggressive. They are sent in advance of a charge, heavily plated, to draw fire and cause chaos in an enemy's rank. They are also used in wars of attrition, set loose upon enemy fields to ravage their food supply.

Ogre

Ogres are gigantic and even more powerful than their frame would suggest. They carry large clubs to smash apart enemy positions, and throw cannon shot to weaken enemy lines. They are used for two primary purposes: one, to strengthen a defensive line and batter down oncoming troops. Two, offensively, to break down an enemy formation before the main infantry onslaught.

Goblin Ruffians

Ruffians are vicious guerilla units, using a mix of melee weapons, ranged bows and crossbows, and magic to move behind enemy lines. Aside from their potential in wars of attrition, Gultar relies on them for easy flanking, and, when needed, to take out enemy artillery positions. They exceed in illusion magic, as well as in conjuring pestilence and fog to disrupt enemy lines.

B TIER - Ranged: While the bulk of the Black Tusks' power comes from their skill in melee, ranged infantry has by no means gone ignored. When engaging in standard pike-and-shot, Gultar makes sure that his own ranged troops are capable enough to hold their own before drawing the enemy into close quarters.

Orcish Arquebusiers

As firearms grow more popular in the land of Evorin, Gultar has begun training his troops in their use. Arquebusier units are especially useful when firing from the flank, or when suppressing an oncoming charge.

Orcish Crossbow

Often the most novice Orcs in his army, crossbows are the first weapons new recruits are trained on before they're trusted to hold a melee line.

C TIER - Cavalry: Gultar's not super into the Warg Riders. But he keeps them around!

Warg Riders

While Warg Riders are a traditional aspect of the Orkin armies, Wargs, though ferocious and bloodthirsty, are unwieldy and hard to control, making charge cycling hard. Gultar still uses them in limited numbers, mounted with riders wielding glaives and two-handed choppers, reserving them for flanking maneuvers and for charging down fleeing enemies.

F TIER - Artillery: Being a mercenary company only recently recieving land, the Black Tusks have been used to being a part of a much larger army, ones in which artillery was provided by someone else. Artillery is heavy and slow moving, and so up until now has been completely eschewed from Gultar's focus.
F TIER - Navy: They ain't got no water!

Demographics:

The Tusks themselves are all Orkin; a motley mix of Orcs, Ogres, and Goblins. There are multiple Goblin Hidings, or communities, hidden throughout their claim, including a large one right underneath Castle Virno.

The countryside of Virno, meanwhile, presents the same demographics as the Clementian countryside surrounding it...largely human with a mix of others. There is a definite Gorgon community as well.

Agents:

Gultar the Stick, Level 2 General, Level 1 Champion:
Zurug Graveswing, Level 1 Champion:

Estates:

Castle Virno, Level 1 Fortress:
Virno Countryside, Level 1 Settlement, Hinterland:
Virno Steeltunnel, Level 1 Workshop, Smithy:

Forces

The Black Tusks
Army, Size 5. Location: Castle Virno. Embedded: Gultar & Zurug
Virno Garrison
Garrison, Size 1. Location: Castle Virno.

Relations:

Clemento: Hesitant alliance. A loose relation of vassalage and patronage. Gultar's thrown the weight of the Tusks behind Clementian independence, and now seeks political influence in the thalassocracy to make good on that investment.
Serravun: Wary and defensive. No bad blood in business but...there was a whole lot of dwarven blood, and Gultar's not expecting that to be forgotten anytime soon.

Of Serenity & Dread (OPEN ADVANCED RENAISSANCE-ERA FANTASY NRP)

GM-controlled "NPCs". Note that these sheets are not examples of good nation sheets. They're just functional for in-game use.

Rudel

Rudel

Flag:

Two crimson eagles, talons locked in combat above a black background.

Brief Description & Tier:

Tier 1. Formerly a merchant republic, now ruled by a despotic authoritarian titling himself "Dread Prince". The most powerful of all the Evorinian states.

Ambition:

To unify Evorin and create a powerful state capable of rivaling the Great Empires.

Government Type:

Absolute despotism, ruled by the Dread Prince Vittorio di Piro.

History:

Rudel was once a thriving Merchant republic, governed from its capital city, the massive, island-borne Rudel. Rudel, seeking expansion to the mainland in the past few decades, began to hire Condottieri to conduct their military affairs. One of these Condottieri was Vittorio di Piro.

Vittorio di Piro was a soldier mentored under Istanio Castarlono, former Dictator of Montserri. After Castarlono's assassination, di Piro took a contingent of his loyalists and served Rudel as Condottieri. He eventually began buying out the rest of the mercenary companies until he had a monolopoly, at which point he performed a coup of Rudel and disintigrated the power of its noble families. He took on the title of Dread Prince, and since then, the Dread Prince Vittorio has launched a campaign of conquest around Evorin.

More recently, he was approached by the Heir of Castarlono, who sought aid in claiming their position as Dictator of Montserri. He agreed, and is now waging a war against Montserri, besieging the titular city for the last couple years.

Military:

S-Tier - Artillery: Dread Prince Vittorio is well-known for the use of what he calls the 'Wall of Stone and Iron'...continual volleys of cannonry that prevent the enemy from forming formations. He maintains massive cannon units meant to pummel enemies into submission long before melee is engaged.
A-Tier - Ranged: Despite himself formerly a mercenary, the Dread Prince has instituted a professional army, a staple of which is his arquebusiers. Relying on his cannon to elicit charges out of enemy formations, once they're charging, his arquebuses and crossbows whittle down the enemy line before they can reach his army.
B-Tier - Melee Infantry: For whatever's left of an enemy army after his volleys of cannon and shot, he maintains a standard line of pikes and halberds.
C-Tier - Navy: With their largest and most profitable province being an island, Rudel of course requires a decent army to keep its state in-tact, but the fact is that the Dread Prince is a poor admiral, and relies singularly on land conquest. The Rudelian Navy is maintained to prevent piracy, allow the transport of troops, and protect its mercantile interests, but lacks offensive capability.
D-Tier - Cavalry: Rudel's cavalry, mostly lightly-armed cuirassiers, are primarily used to chase down routing enemies and scouting enemy positions. Aside from that, the Dread Prince doesn't see much use in them.
F-Tier - Shock: Rudel's army is almost entirely composed of human regulars. Barely any magical troops, no beast troops.

Agents:

DYNASTIC AGENTS
Dread Prince Vittorio di Piro - Level 2 General, Level 1 Statesman
STATE AGENTS
Colonnello Bruno Muratore - Level 2 Champion, Level 1 General
Carlo de Colonia - Level 1 Polymath
Elisa de Colonia - Level 1 Statesman

Estates:

DYNASTIC ESTATES:
Ramora, Fortress: Level 1 Stronghold
Locani, Fishing Village: Level 1 Settlement
Art Dealer: Level 1 Shop
Public Arsenal: Level 1 Institution
STATE ESTATES:
The Palace of Mirrors: Level 2 Palace
Porto Rudel: Level 1 Port
Gunsmith: Level 2 Workshop
Old Rudel, City Center: Level 1 Settlement

Forces:

Grand Army de Rudel
Army, Size 7. Location: Rudel Embedded: Dread Prince
Garrison of Ramora
Garrison, Size 1. Location: Ramora
Garrison of Old Rudel
Garrison, Size 1. Location: Rudel
Garrison Fleet of Porto Rudel:
Garrison Fleet, Size 1. Location: Porto Rudel
Grand Armada de Rudel
Fleet, Size 4. Location: Porto Rudel
Montserri Liberatory Expedition
Army, Size 4. Location: Montserri
Siege Preparations: 5
Muratore Brigade
Army, Size 2. Location: Rudel Mainland Holdings. Embedded: Colonello Muratore

Relations:

Montserri: Rudel is at war with Montserri, having invaded and is currently besieging the city.
Galia: Rudel has cold, tense relations with Galia, as well as all her associated vassals and allies, both of them representing the other's greatest threat regionally.
Castarlono Family: Rudel is a patron of the Castarlonos, offering them support in their struggle against Montserri.

Montserri

Montserri

Flag:

Gold and Aquamarine. Four squares, alternating each color in the foreground and background. Two squares, diagonal from each other, have the image of a rearing stallion. Two others, also diagonal, bear a city on a hill.

Brief Description:

An oligarchic republic on the precipice of losing everything.

Ambition:

To survive and preserve the "Liberty Aquamarine".

Government Type:

Oligarchic Republic, wherein every noble family has land equally proportional and equal powers shared between them. The Consul is selected yearly by a random rotation, and no one family may be selected for consul twice in a decade.

History:

Montserri is ruled under what they call the "Liberty Aquamarine"-all nobles are considered equal, and every family owns equal land with equal right to rule. That said, being a commoner in Montserri...sucks. Hard.

The Castarlono family was well aware of that. A bit over a decade ago, Istanio Castarlono declares himself Tribune, granting himself immeasurable power. He emancipates the commoners and is killed for it, the Castarlonos expelled and their lands split among the noble families.

Now, they've returned, along with a Rudelian invasion. Though Montserri weathers the siege thus far, it's only a matter of time before they crack...or is it?

Military:

S-Tier - Cavalry: The noble families of Montserri still hold true to old codes of chivalry, providing powerful and well disciplined knights who act as lancers and sabre cavalry. Traditionally, the Knights of Montserri alone provided enough deterrent against invaders. It seems this is no longer the case.
A-Tier - Shock: Aside from some powerful spellcasters, Montserri's only irregular troops are the Bastardi - noble hooded guerrilla loyalists known for their stealth and skills with blades, especially daggers and longswords. They've been responsible for sneaking supplies into Montserri, allowing for the siege to go on for as long as it has, and have also wreaked havoc on occupying Castarlano and Rudelian troops. They're led by Django the Bastard.
B-Tier - Ranged: Garrisoning the city of Montserri is a large mercenary crossbow corps, largely comprised of mercenaries from Liverni and other nearby city-states. The Black Tusks even have some orcs garrisoning the city. Montserri also has their share of arquebusiers, as well as mid-range spellcasters who provide excellent support.
C-Tier - Artillery: While its field artillery has been eviscerated in the war with Rudel, the city of Montserri has been outfitted with powerful cannonry in its fortifications.
D-Tier - Melee Infantry: Montserri's melee infantry is almost entirely composed of barely armored peasant levees and dismounted knights. Nothing useful or reliable.
F-Tier - Navy: The war with Rudel has caused Montserri to largely abandon all naval ambitions. The merchants who remain are forced to fend for themselves.

Agents:

DYNASTIC AGENTS
Console Cicero Implianto - Level 2 Statesman
Segnora Francesca - Level 1 Champion
STATE AGENTS
Django the Bastard - Level 1 Infiltrator, Level 1 General, Level 1 Champion
General Forzo - Level 2 General

Estates:

DYNASTIC ESTATES:
Lamorin, Stables: Level 2 Settlement
STATE ESTATES:
The Fortifications of Montserri: Level 2 Fortress
Embassy: Level 1 Institution

Forces:

Montserri Defenders
Garrison, Size 5. Location: Montserri. Embedded: General Forzo
Siege Preparations: 5
Free Riders
Army, Size 3. Location: Lamorin. Embedded: Segnora Francesca
The Bastardi
Army, Size 2. Location: ??? Embedded: Django the Bastard

Relations:

Rudel & Castarlonos: War. All-out fucking war.
Galia: Montserri considers turning to Galia for patronage, though fears the loss of autonomy that'd inevitably come with it.

Colonia

Colonia

Flag:

A Pearl White Dragon clutching a red rose.

Brief Description & Tier:

Tier 1. A theocracy based out of the old Provincial capital, ruled by a hybrid race of giant dragon people.

Ambition:

The same as it's always been...preserve the Horde Undying.

Government Type:

Ruled by a heretical branch of Monism known as the Church of the Horde Undying, which combines the traditional beliefs of dragons and gigants with old Terastrian Monism to produce a syncretic faith based on inner perfection and longevity.

History:

The city of Colonia was once the largest city in all Evorin, as well as the capital of Evorin under the Terastrian Empire. As the Empire collapsed, it was overtaken by Dragons, who dwelled in the hills outside the city and would fly in and ransack it.

A clan of Gigants came to claim the city and went to war with the Dragons, which lasted for around a century, and ended with an unexpected twist; a political marriage between the various Gigant chiefs and the dragons of the hills.

From this union of the Undying came a new people, the Dracogiganti; have Gigant and half Dragon, who continue to rule Colonia to this day. While the descendents of the same chiefs still claim noble houses, and there continue to be pure dragons living in the hills and pure gigants in the city, true power is vested in the Church of the Horde Undying, a religious body created to settle diputes between the Dragons, local Humans, Gigants, and the new Dracogiganti nobles.

Military:

S-Tier - Shock: The shock troops of Colonia come in four powerful forms; the Dracogiganti Knights who combine the armored skin and fire breath of the dragons and the power and might of the gigants, large gigants, flying dragons, and powerful mage-priests.
A-Tier - Infantry: Smaller gigants and Dracogiganti captains also serve in large infantry regiments mostly composed of a nationally instituted human militia, mostly armed with halberds and other polearms to form a proper anvil against their shock troops' hammer.
B-Tier - Ranged: When so much of your army is extremely large, you trust projectiles a tad bit less. Instead, the ranged troops of Colonia are primarily powerful mages, able to target with more precision than standard volleyers, but their rigorous training comes at the price of quantity.
B-Tier - Navy: Colonia maintains an above-standard navy to protect their trade interests. Plus, y'know, dragons. And even some sea serpents.
F-Tier - Cavalry & Artillery: Y'know, horses and cannons seem a little silly when you've got dragons.

Agents:

DYNASTIC AGENTS
Arvic Emberni - Level 1 Champion, Level 1 Merchant
Moundsitter Garvon Emberni - Level 1 Statesman, Level 1 Archmage
STATE AGENTS
Malac Sweetmoss - Level 1 General
Alazidd - Level 2 Champion
Rico di Coloni - Level 1 Polymath

Estates:

DYNASTIC ESTATES:
Emberni's Challace: Level 1 Palace
The Chipped Fang, Tavern: Level 1 Shop
STATE ESTATES:
The Old City of Colonia: Level 2 Settlement
The Basilica of the Horde Undying: Cathedral, Level 2 Institute.

Forces:

Emberni's Flame
Army, Size 2. Location: Colonia. Embedded: Arvic Emberni
Home Fleet
Fleet, Size 2. Location: Colonia
Colonia Garrison
Arm, Size 6. Location: Colonia. Embedded: Moundsitter Garvin, Malac Sweetmoss, Alazidd

Relations:

Colonia tries to maintain a level of neutrality with all its neighbors. It sends out mercenary companies to keep its military trained, while also walking a dangerous tightrope to preserve its autonomy against much larger empires.

Isolopoli

The Sophisticate of Isolopoli

Flag:

Flags are for the stupid and lonely who need stickers and accessories to bring value to their existance.

Brief Description & Tier:

Tier 1. An ancient technocracy that frequently disappears.

Ambition:

Yuck. No.

Government Type:

A technocratic democracy ruled by an academy/council known as the Sophisticate.

History:

Isolopoli was born in the time of the ancients and will die long after whatever you have going on. It is a city of learning; of the arts, sciences, and magic, and for the rare mind who prefers to not learn the difference between the three.

It is hard to find. Even if you take your big boy boat there, you still might not find it. It was around during the Terastrian Empire, that's for sure. And one one point, it was even moderately accessible. And then it...'occulted'. Disappeared from the face of the Farwest. For millenia. But now, it's back. And people seem to not have as much trouble finding it.

Military:

S-Tier - Artillery: Giant magnifying glasses, semi-automatic ballistae that can cause ships to rapidly rot, catapults that fire balls of pure fire...lots of scary stuff. Plus, the colossus.
S-Tier - Ranged: The most powerful mages in Evorin and automatons armed with semi-automatic crossbows.
S-Tier - Melee Infantry: A giant army of automaton hoplites and legionnares.
F-Tier - Navy: People can come and go as they please, it's not the Sophisticate's job to cop the waters.
F-Tier - Cavalry: It's a tiny island. Horses would be silly.
F-Tier - Shock: How brutish.

Agents:

The Colossus - Level 10 Champion (THEY GET AN EXCEPTION!)
The Automatarch - Level 2 General
The Sopharch - Level 1 Statesman, Level 1 Archmage, Level 1 Polymath

Estates:

DYNASTIC ESTATES:
Hanging Gardens: Level 2 Settlement
The Sophisticate: Academy, Level 5 Institution
The Fortifications of Isolopoli: Level 2 Stronghold

Forces:

The One they Have:
Garrison, Size 10. Location: Isolopoli. Embedded: The Colossus, the Automatarch, the Sopharch

Relations:

No thanks!

The Order of the Sacred Master (aka "K-Knights")

The Order of the Sacred Master

Flag:

Two dogs kneeling before a haloed, shining woman. Dogs are brown, woman is gold and white, background is blue.

Brief Description & Tier:

Tier 1. An order of Hemicyon knights dedicated to following the will of their Sacred Master, Penelope.

Ambition:

To follow the will of Penelope, usually by destroying 'aberrations'.

Government Type:

Military Order, ruled by a Grandmaster known as the "Loyal Alpha".

History:

Thousands of years ago, the Hemicyons were created as soldiers of the Primarch Deprivation. They are dog-people, anthropomorphic and canine. A spell was cast on a group of them by the wizard Philius, who, himself almost always traveling, wanted protection for his daughter, Penelope.

The Hemicyons worshipped her as a god-queen, and went about a quest of conquests to destroy anything that might prove a threat to her. It had limited success, but after Penelope died, they believed she ascended into godhood, and continued to worship her, many of them, known as Ears, acting as her prophet.

While Dog Knights became a common sight in Megalia in the early Fourth Throne, it wasn't until the Orkin were birthed by the Dark Lord Malor, who was attempting to turn himself into a fifth Primarch, Upheaval, that the Order of the Sacred Master was finally born. They aided in the destruction of Malor, and now patrol Megalia and the Farwest at large. In Evorin, they claim the Isle of Piro, from which they observe the prison of the Primarch Madness.

Military:

S-Tier - Cavalry: The pride and joy of the Order is the Gryphon knights. The name is misleading, since they only ride Hippogryphs, but still. Dogs on hippogryphs. Pretty scary!
A-Tier - Melee Infantry: Hemicyons are masters of pack tactics, and their knights tend to carry large, imposing weapons, covered head to toe in full plate. But there's not a ton of them.
B-Tier - Navy: With their faction spanning the Ocular sea, the Order needs to maintain at least a semi-decent navy. They rely almost solely on galleys, with slave-crews staffed with imprisoned Aberations...orcs, gorgons and the like.
C-Tier - Artillery: The order posseses high quality artillery. They just aren't great at aiming it.
D-Tier - Ranged: The order is dogs. Dogs have bad eyes. They try their best, though.
F-Tier - Shock: Shock troops tend to be aberations, and if you didn't know yet, the Order doesn't like those.

Agents:

DYNASTIC AGENTS
Loyal Alpha Maximus: Level 1 General, Level 1 Statesman, Level 1 Champion
STATE AGENTS
Sir Acorn Many-Scent - Level 3 Champion
Yellow the Ear - Level 1 Archmage
Butter the Tongue - Level 1 Statesman

Estates:

DYNASTIC ESTATES:
Montpiri: Gryphon breeding, Level 2 Settlement
STATE ESTATES:
Castle Lombo: Level 1 Fortress
Porto Lombo: Level 1 Port
Armory: Level 1 Workshop

Forces:

The Great Pack:
Army, Size 6. Location: Isle of Piro. Embedded: Sir Acorn, Yellow the Ear
The Water Dogs:
Navy, Size 2. Location: Porto Lombo.
Lombo Garrison:
Garrison, Size 2. Location: Castle Lombo. Embedded: Loyal Alpha Maximus

Of Serenity & Dread (OPEN ADVANCED RENAISSANCE-ERA FANTASY NRP)

Nation Sheet

Name:

Keep in mind we're basing it on renaissance Italy.

Flag:

Doesn't need to be an image...can just be a description.

Brief Description & Tier:

Keep in mind "Brief". There's a whole rest of your NS, this is just a logline. Also put what tier your faction is here.

Ambition:

What does your faction want? The largest faction you could possibly have is still a small state under threat by giant empires...world domination isn't an option. Are you run by a wizard seeking enlightenment? A prince seeking vengeance? Or perhaps you just want to survive? All up to you.

Government Type:

Claim:

Use the map. If you don't have a tier 1 faction, just put down your estates if you're tier 2. Tier 1 should also put down the locations of their estates. For tier 3...just tell us where you are.

History:

Go brief, go long. Do what you think is necessary for us to have a proper feel of what you're trying to present. Make sure to talk to other players and your friendly GMs to make sure your properly aligned with the lore and worldbuilding so far.

Military:

Alright, this is another complicated gamified part. So basically, you've gotta rank your different parts of your military. You have the following aspects:
-Infantry
-Ranged (guns, crossbows, mid-ranged spellcasters)
-Navy
-Artillery (cannons, catapults, long ranged spellcasters)
-Shock Troops (Heavy beast units, giants, guerillas)
-Cavalry (horsemen, light beast units)

Take each of them and sort one each into the following (keep in mind that ranking should equal quality times quantity...you can have three amazing cannons and therefore have D tier artillery, or a horde of regular-sized ants and have D Tier infantry):

-S Tier: Best of the best. Unparalled across Evorin.
-A Tier: Really, really good. Still a staple of your army.
-B Tier: Good. Holds their own. Reliable, but unable to win battles on its own.
-C Tier: Slightly below average. A useful part of your army, but by no means a staple.
-D Tier: Bad. Unreliable. Might come in handy in a clinch, but not a meaningful part of your planning.
-F Tier: Either nonexistant or downright embarrassing.

At the cost of 6 Wealth, you can bring any aspect up a single tier in-game. Anyways, in the sheet, while sorting it, also give us descriptions of your military. Unit types, equipment, etc. Hey, it's an NRP, what can I say?

Demographics:

Races, religions, cultures. Talk with other players, as well as your gms. We're also gonna keep a database of races currently in use.

Agents:

Now here's where I wanna see some effort! Tell us all about your characters. They're what's gonna drive the story forward.

Estates:

Estates should have specific names, aside from Businesses. But tell us their stories. The place they hold in their community. Yada yada yada.

Forces:

As discussed above. Feel free to give as much detail to your forces as you want. When first submitting a sheet, you just need to put their sizes, but please keep track of your Preparations down the line.

Relations:

Diplomatic situation. Talk with folks! Figure out where you're at with other factions. Maybe even with rivals within your own faction. You should also talk about your relationship with the major empires at play in Evorin.

Of Serenity & Dread (OPEN ADVANCED RENAISSANCE-ERA FANTASY NRP)

Of Serenity & Dread

_{“Men sooner forget the death of their father than the loss of their patrimony” - Niccolò Machiavelli}

It is the dawn of the Genian Age, and the minds of men bend now from petty superstition towards things of beauty, wonder, and knowledge. To enlightened thought and poetic edict. Men of science and art tramp about Evorin, spouting wisdom like water from an ancient aqueduct, and new technologies bring the Farwest beyond the flat disc of its quarried past.

And yet, war still rumbles below our feet, angry and bellowing, as empires from beyond our realm clamp down on us like hungry dogs. But times of chaos bring great opportunity. The old houses erode from relevance, while new ones bubble up from below the surface, sprouting like seedlings from sunlight cast beyond the old world's breaking shadow.

Still more find opportunity in perennial war as retinues and militias exhaust quickly. Perhaps your make is that of a mercenary...planting your blood-stained flag on marble ruins built by blood more noble than your own...but who's steel carried far less heft.

Now is a time of spellcraft and webweaving. Now is a time of science and gunshot. Now is a time of serenity and dread!

---

Introduction

Welcome everybody! I'm Ekreture, and this is Of Serenity & Dread, an advanced NRP set in a high-fantasy world based on 16th century Italy, replete with gunpowder weapons, fantasy races, magic, and Renaissance art. This RP is focused specifically on early modern statecraft and warfare, with two vast empires both pressing in to stake their claims.

We live in the land of Evorin, on the flat disc known as the Farwest, as pictured below:

_Evorin

Click the hider below for expanded lore, the creation of which is ongoing:

lore

The Farwest is a flat disc built on the balancing of the four elements. At the boundaries of each cardinal direction lies a pure elemental realm: to the East, infinite, horizon-spanning earth. To the south, unyielding fire. To the north, cold, unrelenting wind. And to the west, boundless ocean. Each direction does, however, have a people who can cross it naturally: The east had their centaurs, the south had their Djinn, the north their Giants, and the west their merfolk.

In its perfect form, the Farwest can only exist with the elements balanced. When these elements become inbalanced, calamity strikes, in the form of natural disasters and the harm caused by the four Primarchs; immortal monsters each ruling a realm of hardship. These are:
1. Gore - Minotaur
2. Plague - Hydra
3. Deprivation - Cerberus (each head: Famine, Drought, and Poverty)
4. Madness - Typhon

To combat the natural disasters, the Ancient Ones (or Tidu Empire) created the Tower Of Heaven, a massive ziggurat that can control the elements, ushering in the age of the First Tower. But they were tyrants and despots. They would fall and be replaced by the Malkodian Empire in the age of the Second Tower, who were benevolent, but still unable to face the Primarchs.

The Hero Terastrius, of the continent Megalia (in which Evorin resides), would rise to the occasion, imprisoning the Primarchs and taking the Tower of Heaven for himself, ushering in the age of the Third Tower under the Terastrian Empire. Evorin, though not the place of Terastrius's origin, soon became the wealthiest province in the Terastrian Empire, from its provincial capital of Colonia. The Primarch Madness would be imprisoned within Evorin, in Mt. Cosmo.

The Primarchs would return eight centuries ago, causing the collapse of Terastria and plunging the Farwest into chaos. From it rose Lakhmia, ruled by the Abulakam, or "Father of Bread/sustenance". Since then, various dynasties have ruled Lakhmia in the Fourth Tower, with the primarchs re-imprisoned. But now, a new empire rises, seeking to supplant Lakhmia.

We have now entered the Genian Age, with the sudden rise of technologies and magic potentials. This began with the discovery of the Occidental Camera, allowing ships to sink down to miniscule sizes and sail beyond the Infinite Ocean to the lands known either as the Further West or the Diminutive. Another tech, known as a Zephyriad, allows travel to the Farsouth, also known as the Sunswept, using a massive gust of wind in the sails of landships. These two techs are used by this new empire to colonize and extract wealth from far beyond their borders. As they expand towards Lachmia in search of the Tower, they will have to first conquer Evorin. Knowing this, Galia, a great empire to the north who has aligned itself with Lachmia against the new empire, has also begun its sojourn into Evorin.

---

Technology

Our world is based on the early 16th century. This means arquebuses and early field cannons, as well as caravels and galleons. Much naval warfare was still fought on galleys at this time, as well. While the Italian Wars we're basing our world off of involved the introduction of mass pike and shot formations, where we're at, those are yet to be introduced. That means that, while gunpowder units are not only allowed but encouraged, they can't make up the vast bulk of your army.

Being a high fantasy RP, magic is of course a part of everyday affairs. I can't think of any magical ability or tech that isn't explicitly banned, but if it feels fishy, just ask, and the gms reserve the right to interfere if some magic feels OP. Examples might be a plague that instantly destroys an enemy's army or the like.

---

Rules

1) No godmodding, metagaming, or controlling another player's characters/faction.
2) No bullying, rudeness, or insulting
3) If conflicts cannot be decided, the GM will intervene. This means both interpersonally and in-game.
4) No hate speech, cultural insensitivity, or racism.
5) Sex is fine, but don't write porn. Any depiction of sex between an adult and a minor will result in an immediate ban and a report to site admins. Please use absolute sensitivity and discretion when depicting or discussing nonconsensual sexual activity. GMs reserve the right to ask you to remove a post for sexual inappropriateness.
6) There are no mandatory post times, but we'll move to the next turn (turns defined below) once a week. You lose your actions if we move to to the next turn and you have actions remaining. If you're flooding the discord without posting anything, you may be muted.
7) Submit a nation sheet to apply. I will privately message you the Discord link once you join.
8) If you're inactive for a whole month without discussing it with the GMs first, we'll find an in-character reason why your lands have been conquered and absorbed into another state, if you're a tier 1 faction, as discussed below. If this happens, you can always come back with yoru same faction moved to tier 2.

---

How to Play

Okay, so, having played NRPs for a while, I think adding some concrete game mechanics can help things out.

There are three tiers of factions in Evorin.

TIER ONE - REGIONAL POWER: These are city-states and feudal petty kings, claiming expanses of land as well as the estates of the lords who rule them.
TIER TWO - MAJOR FACTION: Noble houses without controlling stakes in States, landed mercenary companies, and large pirate republics. While they don't control vast lands, they have their own estates and armies.
TIER THREE - LANDLESS ADVENTURERS: Small mercenary companies, corsair ships, and the like. A single army reliant on being fed and houses by another faction. Great for new players.

We'll keep adding tier one players until the map is full, but this won't be long. I do highly encourage anyone who'd like to take a tier 2 or 3 faction if they're so inclined.

Each faction controls three main methods of expanding and increasing their power: Estates, Agents, and Forces. There are two resources tied to the former two: wealth and prestige. Each turn (as discussed below) grants a single usable action from each level of your estates and agents to either gain you one of the two resources or upgrade or recruit another agent or estate, or perhaps perform a hostile action against the agents or estates of another. Prestige and Wealth can also be traded to other factions as payment. Additionally, agent and estate agents may interact with the third method of expanding power: Forces.

Estates are business and pieces of land owned by factions and the houses who control them. Estates cost Wealth to buy and upgrade. Every estate can spend an action working on upgrading itself for the equivalent of a single wealth. Unlike agents, estates need usable land to exist on, meaing that you can't just buy a new stronghold for example out of the blue...you'd need to either acquire the empty land it exists on first or retrieve it from another faction. Estates can be level up to 5. There are three categories of Estate.

Strongholds

Strongholds are large complexes your faction centers their power in. They cost 4 wealth to buy or upgrade. Strongholds are unique in that they automatically have a Settlement (as discussed below) slot attached to them, meaning that if you own a Stronghold, want to acquire a new Settlement for 3 Wealth, and there isn't already a Settlement attached to your stronghold, you always can build one next to your stronghold. Strongholds also each have a unique feature that can be described in your nation sheet (for instance, an Orchard that never runs out of fruit). There are four forms of Stronghold:
-Fortress: Fortresses are symbols of military prowess and always require a siege before taking.
They are large, imposing structures that can house armies, but are worse for hosting guests and showcasing
wealth than other Strongholds. Fortresses may also be used to keep your armies well trained.
-Villa: A decent balance between a Palace and a Fortress. Provincial like a Fortress, Villas can also house armies. Unlike
Fortresses, they do not require sieges before taking them. Like a Palace, they can be used to host events, gaining
wealth and prestige, but suffer the consequences of being out in the country.
-Palace: Beautiful, austere, and urban. Palaces are found in the centers of cities, and are wonderful when used to expand
your faction's wealth and prestige. They can be taken quite easily, however.
-Port: Used for sending and recieving fleets. If your faction has no port, you have no navy, and your Navy ranking is
automatically an 'F'.

Settlement

Settlements are small towns and villages owned by your faction which provide you with manpower and raw material. Every settlement you own automatically grants +1 Wealth every turn as well as a minimal amount of whatever resource they provide. It's harder to categorize different forms of settlement, but almost every settlement is tied to a single resource; hinterlands producing grain, quarries producing marble, mines producing iron, vineyards producing grapes, etc etc. Note that settlements can only provide raw material; manufacturing requires a workshop. Notable exceptions are hinterlands, which automatically mill their grain into flour, and lumber camps, which automatically plank and plane their logs. All materials produced require a market in order to produce wealth with them, whether that be a foreign trade route or a shop. Settlements require 3 wealth to buy or upgrade.

Business

Businesses are single-building estates in larger cities and settlements meant to produce manufactured goods, wealth, and prestige. They cost 2 wealth to buy or upgrade. Business can also multiclass, mixing various forms of business as multiple levels. There are three types of business:
-Workshop: Workshops are production hubs, producing manufactured goods. Some goods produce prestige (a painting workshop, for example), while others produce wealth. All goods produced in a workshop require a market or venue in order to accumulate their associated resource. For example, a painting workshop would require a venue to showcase their paintings, such as a Palace, while a jewelry workshop would require a jewelry store, which can exist as a single level in the workshop. You don't need to own the source of raw materials in order for a workshop to function, but there is vertical integration if you do. Namely, you gain +1 Wealth/Prestige per turn automatically for every level of production you own as long as there's a market. For instance, if you own a Gold Mine and the jewelry workshop mentioned earlier and sell jewelry to a foreign power, you automatically gain +1 wealth per turn. If you also own a jewelry store, it'd be +2 Wealth per turn.
-Shop: Produces wealth by selling goods. Some goods, such as weapons, require the acquisition of another good, while some, such as if you own an Inn or a Brothel, do not. Either way, as mentioned above, you don't need to own the means of production, but you gain a bonus if you do. Trading Posts are a special form of shop that can actually be used to suck wealth from a rival's economy buy hacking off 25% of all wealth produced by them in a given settlement.
-Institution: Produces prestige and allows for the increase of your magical and technological potential. Academies, libraries, museums, etc. Can be used as a wrung on an automatic prestige supply chain, including in tandem with a shop, if you own an Herbalist or Book Merchant for instance.

Agents are notable people loyal to your cause who are able to rapidly influence your standing in Evorin. Each agent may be acquired or leveled up for 2 Prestige. A single character may possess as many levels in as many agent classes as you'd like for a maximum total of 10 levels in a single character, although please place no more than three levels in a single character when first designing your sheets. I've listed possible agent actions for each class, but this is by no means definitive. There are seven classes of agents:

General

Generals lead armies. Every army is required to have a general leading them in order to muster out and go on an expedition, and likewise every navy an admiral. As an action, Generals may train troops, lead assaults, lead defenses, upgrade Fortresses for the equivalent of a single wealth, or move forward a siege. They may also as an action train Champions for free.

Champion

Champions perform feats of valor. They may duel other champions, support an army, train troops, collect bounties/perform mercenary work, and perform guerilla maneuvers. When defeating another Champion in a duel, they gain all prestige tied up in that character for their faction.

Infiltrator

Spies, assassins, guerillas and the like. They may sabotage, assassinate, and steal wealth.

Polymath

Engineers, artists, inventors, and scientists. They can rapidly increase your prestige, upgrade and build Strongholds for the equivalent of 2 Wealth, and build/upgrade Workshops and Institutions for free.

Statesman

Politicians and diplomats. They can swing diplomatic dealings in your favor, upgrade and build settlements for the equivalent of 2 Wealth, quell rebellions/crime outburts, and do other cool political shit. They can also train Infiltrators for free.

Merchant

Businessmen and traders. They can rapidly increase your Wealth, go on expiditions to the Sunswept and Diminutive, swing trade deals in your favor, and build/upgrade shops and workshops for free.

Archmage

Powerful mages, wizards, witches, and sorcerors. They can cast large and powerful spells to a variety of effects...think of them sort of as jack of all trades. They can basically do anything that other agents can do, but are slightly worse at it.

Forces are the armies, navies, and militias at your faction's disposal. Forces simply represent the way in which you divided up your military. They have two resources tied to them: Size and Preparation.

Size is how big a force is. Tier 1 factions start with 10 size points. Tier 2 factions start with 6 size points. Tier 3 factions start with 4 size points. Again, forces only represent how you divide up your military, so, for example, say you start with a Tier 1 faction. You have 10 size points to divide. You might place 2 to garrison a stronghold, 4 into your navy, and 4 into your army. You also might want two armies, or two fleets. The way you divide them is up to you. All fleets and garrisons require a separate force from your army. Settlements and strongholds don't require garrisons in order to function but can be freely occupied by enemies without them.

The following agent and estate types can recruit size points:
-General
-Champion
-Statesman
-Merchant, Polymath, and Archmage on a case by case basis (mercenaries, automatons, summoned beasts, etc)
-Settlement
-Fortress
-Specific Businesses (ie, recruitment offices, magic schools, etc)

Preparations are modifiers you tack onto a Force in battle. There are three types of preparations:

1. Battle Preparations - Unlimited use, expires after 10 turns. Examples: training, weapons, morale boosts, etc.
2. Siege Preparations -
Total siege Preparations in a single force depletes by 1 at the end of every turn. Size points reduce by 20% once siege preparations reach 0. Siege preparations represent food and medicine.
3. Instant Preparations - Single use. When used, has the equivalent of 2 battle preparations for a single battle. Examples: Summoning spell, landmines, etc.

When an agent or estate produces a preparation for a force, a single action may prepare forces of a size equivalent of 5, meaning if you have two forces, one size two and the other size three, and you have your blacksmith prepare new pikes for them, it may cover both forces. If you have a force larger than five, multiple preparations will be necessary to stock the army. You may keep track of your progress in preparing them across multiple turns, if needed.

The following agent types grant an automatic battle preparation for every level if embedded in a Force:

-General (x2)
-Champion
-Infiltrator
-Archmage

Tier 3 Factions start with 6 prestige and 0 wealth. Tier 2 Factions start with 9 prestige and 9 wealth. Tier 1 factions start with 10 prestige and wealth for the state they run and 6 for their personal dynasty. PLEASE KEEP TRACK OF WHAT'S YOUR DYNASTY'S AND WHAT'S THE STATES. State funds can be embezzled in your personal treasury at a 50% penalty, meaning using state funds to buy a shop that'd normally cost you 2 Wealth would instead cost you 3.

As stated earlier, every week we move to the next turn. You can post as much as you want in a given week, but every level of Estate and Agent you have only gets a single turn. For example, if you have a level three Fortress, that fortress gains three total actions. Your King may have one level of general, two of statesman, and one of champion. This grants him one champion action, one general, and two statesmen actions.

You can't just write your actions for the week in a long list...this is still an ARP. Give us a story. Tell us of how the engineers in your fortress installed a new bastion. Be creative. Not everything needs a full story...you can be telling us a larger story of trade negotiations and have your merchant mention to a guard in passing that the new villa's looking beautiful. But it all has to be written into your post. That said, just for everyone's sake, placing a TL;DR at the end of a post giving us the long and short of the actions you took would be pretty sweet.

---

Nation Sheet

Name:

Keep in mind we're basing it on renaissance Italy.

Flag:

Doesn't need to be an image...can just be a description.

Brief Description & Tier:

Keep in mind "Brief". There's a whole rest of your NS, this is just a logline. Also put what tier your faction is here.

Ambition:

What does your faction want? The largest faction you could possibly have is still a small state under threat by giant empires...world domination isn't an option. Are you run by a wizard seeking enlightenment? A prince seeking vengeance? Or perhaps you just want to survive? All up to you.

Government Type:

Claim:

Use the map. If you don't have a tier 1 faction, just put down your estates if you're tier 2. Tier 1 should also put down the locations of their estates. For tier 3...just tell us where you are.

History:

Go brief, go long. Do what you think is necessary for us to have a proper feel of what you're trying to present. Make sure to talk to other players and your friendly GMs to make sure your properly aligned with the lore and worldbuilding so far.

Military:

Alright, this is another complicated gamified part. So basically, you've gotta rank your different parts of your military. You have the following aspects:
-Infantry
-Ranged (guns, crossbows, mid-ranged spellcasters)
-Navy
-Artillery (cannons, catapults, long ranged spellcasters)
-Shock Troops (Heavy beast units, giants, guerillas)
-Cavalry (horsemen, light beast units)

Take each of them and sort one each into the following (keep in mind that ranking should equal quality times quantity...you can have three amazing cannons and therefore have D tier artillery, or a horde of regular-sized ants and have D Tier infantry):

-S Tier: Best of the best. Unparalled across Evorin.
-A Tier: Really, really good. Still a staple of your army.
-B Tier: Good. Holds their own. Reliable, but unable to win battles on its own.
-C Tier: Slightly below average. A useful part of your army, but by no means a staple.
-D Tier: Bad. Unreliable. Might come in handy in a clinch, but not a meaningful part of your planning.
-F Tier: Either nonexistant or downright embarrassing.

At the cost of 6 Wealth, you can bring any aspect up a single tier in-game. Anyways, in the sheet, while sorting it, also give us descriptions of your military. Unit types, equipment, etc. Hey, it's an NRP, what can I say?

Demographics:

Races, religions, cultures. Talk with other players, as well as your gms. We're also gonna keep a database of races currently in use.

Agents:

Now here's where I wanna see some effort! Tell us all about your characters. They're what's gonna drive the story forward.

Estates:

Estates should have specific names, aside from Businesses. But tell us their stories. The place they hold in their community. Yada yada yada.

Forces:

As discussed above. Feel free to give as much detail to your forces as you want. When first submitting a sheet, you just need to put their sizes, but please keep track of your Preparations down the line.

Relations:

Diplomatic situation. Talk with folks! Figure out where you're at with other factions. Maybe even with rivals within your own faction. You should also talk about your relationship with the major empires at play in Evorin.

Of Serenity & Dread (RENAISSANCE ERA FANTASY NRP)

@Dark Light I think I've got a system that'll help with that...like i said, more heavily gamified.

Of Serenity & Dread (RENAISSANCE ERA FANTASY NRP)

Of Serenity & Dread

_{“Men sooner forget the death of their father than the loss of their patrimony” - Niccolò Machiavelli}

It is the dawn of the Genian Age, and the minds of men bend now from petty superstition towards things of beauty, wonder, and knowledge. To enlightened thought and poetic edict. Men of science and art tramp about Evorin, spouting wisdom like water from an ancient aqueduct, and new technologies bring the Farwest beyond the flat disc of its quarried past.

And yet, war still rumbles below our feet, angry and bellowing, as empires from beyond our island shores clamp down on us like hungry dogs. But times of chaos bring great opportunity. The old houses erode from relevance, while new ones bubble up from below the surface, sprouting like seedlings from sunlight cast beyond the old world's breaking shadow.

Still more find opportunity in perennial war as retinues and militias exhaust quickly. Perhaps your make is that of a mercenary...planting your blood-stained flag on marble ruins built by blood more noble than your own...but who's steel carried far less heft.

Now is a time of steelcraft and webweaving. Now is a time of science and gunshot. Now is a time of serenity and dread!

---

Hey all you good folks. Name's Ek. It's been a while. I'm interested in starting an Advanced NRP set in a world based on the Italian Wars of the 16th century! A time period of city-states and intrigue, mercenaries and the Renaissance.

Welcome to the world of the Farwest, a flat disc on an elemental middle ground in a vast cosmic soup. At the center of the Farwest is the Central Sea. To the north of that sea is the continent Megalia. And, to the immediate south of Megalia, a vast, fertile island, replete with mountains, forests, and rolling hills of vineyards and olive trees. This island is known as Evorin.

Unlike in many NRPs, y'all wouldn't be playing vast empires and kingdoms. There will be two or three Co-GMs (besides myself) representing the great empires, based on the powers at play of the period. Currently, we're looking for someone to play an empire based on the Spanish and possibly one based on the Ottomans, but this one's optional. There would be three basic levels that most players would have access to, with availability depending on current player roster. These levels are:

-Regional Power: Ruling dynasty of a local city-state. You'll have access to the full military and economy of the city. Players playing dynasties would be very limited.
-Minor Power: Noble families, major mercenary companies, and powerful corsairs. You'll have an army, estates, and agents ready to help bring your ambitions to fruition.
-Landless Adventurers: Perfect for players without much NRP experience and those looking for a more character-driven story without much strategy. You'll have a small army and a couple agents, mostly doing the bidding of larger factions. You may be a minor corsair, minor mercenary, or a general of one of the great empires.

GAMEPLAY
The gameplay of this NRP may feel more gamified than the traditional NRP experience. You'll have a couple resources to keep track of; Wealth, which allows you to build and upgrade estates, and Prestige, which allows you to train and recruit agents. True to the time period this world is based on, equally important to the powers that be of this period as their military conquests are your achievements in the arts and sciences. Maintaining a well-rounded faction will be key to your ensured success.

As far as fantasy elements go, there will basically be everything at play...fantasy races, magic, etc.

On top of these are politics and subterfuge. I want to leave this as sandbox as possible while also maintaining consistent lore and world building, and we'll be maintaining a compendium of the fantasy races in this world that y'all can either take from or add to. We're gonna try to keep posts as active as possible, but obviously life gets in the way. Still though, lemme know if you're interested! I'm hoping to start soon, and once I get enough to start with, I can start building the actual thread. Please feel free to either comment or pm me with any questions.

GATEWAYS: THE NEXT GENERATION [CLOSED AND CONCLUDED]

Assembly Gateway Command, Tifara System

_{Collab between @Ekreture and @Sigma}

Aboard The G'vara, the Eish-class Battleship placed in command of the Gateway Sentry, the Assembly navy-men who were tasked with monitoring the Gateway of foreign activity shuffled about the deck of the ship, nervous and attempting to portray dilligence in the wake of existential fear. Admiral Hakim, head of Gateway Command, paced about the monitoring room, when suddenly one of his men spoke up.

"A vessel-two vessels have made it through the Gateway!" The Admiral rushed to view the intelligence officer's monitor. There is was-the first vessels to pass through the Gateway into the Tifara system in three hundred years. Of course, to him, they were two blips on a radar map, but the occasion felt momentous.

"What are they doing?" Hakim inquired.

"They've entered Da'lu's orbit, Sir. It seems the Gateway must've shot their comms and their navigation systems.

"Use it to our advantage, quick, tell the fleet to move forward, surround these foreigners before they try anything funny." Within moments, the fleet was mobilized, systems armed and the two foreign vessels surrounded. As they got nearer, it became clear that these two ships were not of the same make by any means. One looked of a similar origin to those of Salome. The other...a bit too similar to the Askari mothership to the Admiral's liking. Hakim prepared to make contact, shouting behind him, "Kadima, soldiers! Bring me a robot!"

A Shemi Translation Automaton scurried into the command room, and approached the Admiral. "You wanted to see me, Admiral Hakim?"

Nervously scratching his nose, Hakim replied, "Yes. Prepare this message in every known Human and Nukhari language to be sent out to the foreign vessels as soon as they're back online-'Salome Al'akam, Welcome to Salome! I am Admiral Gedi Hakim of the Navy of the Salome Assembly. If you come in peace, please respond accordingly. If you do not, know you are far outnumbered and outgunned!'"

---

Soon power was slowly restored in the ship, the once darkened CIC now illuminated, the table coming back online, showing an endless sea of error and uncharted signs, the only noticeable blips being the Endurance, their Yulzan counterpart, and a small group of unknowns that now had them surrounded. Moments later a beeping sound rings out as comms have been established. The message from the Salome fleet being played back on both ships.

“Well, they ask before shootings.” Captain Grayson said with a sigh of relief, looking to the Comms officer. “Try your damndest to send a reply…tell them we them no harm, and we come in peace..”

Elsewhere, on the Janissary carrier Divine Resolute, Captain Zrixx was more cautious of these strangers. “Send a reply and hold fire for now…but keep our guns ready and all pilots on standby…if we go down, we can at least take them with us..”

Shortly after the Salome fleet sent their message, both alien vessels sent their reply, both offering to stand down for the moment, although the same can’t be said for the two opponents for one another, ready to strike at the other if the opportunity rises.

---

After recieving replies from both ships, Hakim relaxed a bit, and turned back to his assistants. "I'm moving to the command deck. Prepare to establish communications. Robot, you're coming with me." Soon, the Admiral was back in his seat. It was decided that direct communications would be established with the Janissary carrier first since they seemed less at ease. The other ship meanwhile would be sent a message to stand by.

The holo-table projections flickered off as communications opened up with the Salome flagship, the command crew and Zrixx on edge as the image of Admiral Hakim materialized right before them. The insectoid Zrixx standing at attention. “This is Captain Hirix Zrixx of the Janissary Carrier Divine Resolute, faithful servant of the great Yulzan and their Ascendancy."

After the Robot translated for him, Hakim nodded...albeit trepidatiously. Nukhrin. Of course the first people through the Gateway are Nukhrin. And bugs at that. "Hello, Captain. I am Hakim...welcome, to Salome. We have many, eh...foreigners, such as yourself, here. What brings you and your friend here-" he motioned to the other ship, "-to Salome?" And how are you speaking a human language? he thought to himself.

“Others such as myself? Intriguing….” Zrixx thougt out loud, already this systems shows promise for the masters, and they will surely find this intel that more humans have been found outside of the Americana System, this alone could prove both promising…perhaps worrying. Zrixx snarled his mandibles, if one could call it that, it sure looked like it, once the Admiral mentioned the Americana ship. “Forgive my rudeness, Admiral, but they are far from being “friends”, they oppose my masters, and therefore, are the enemy and are to be crushed.” He cleared his throat, answering the other question. “As for our arrival….it wasn’t by choice. We were locked in pitched battle against our enemy, then out of nowhere, this energy blast trigger all around us, sucking us in. The next thing we ended up here.”

Hakim chuckled. "The Gateway opens on top of a naval battle? Eh, that is bad hazal." The Admiral stopped for a moment. He didn't like the way the alien was talking, 'opposing masters', the way it menacingly clicked out the word 'intriguing'...it all felt like something that would make a Shemi soldier like himself nervous. "Eh, look, captain, what are your intentions here? I know you came here by accident, but I can't have you two start fighting right over Da'lu, I'm afraid you'll have to wait until you get home to em...'crush your enemies'."

“I can assure you, Admiral; I have no intention of starting a war with our new neighbors, the higher ups would hang me for it. Our quarrel is with the Americanans alone.” At least…for now, Zrixx thought to himself. This system is a potential pool for new converts to the Ascendancy ‘s cause, the High Ascendants will find this pleasing.

"Uh-huh," Hakim doubtfully replied. He wasn't getting a good feeling from these Nukhrin. There were two sides to every story, this much is true. "Okay, Captain, thank you for your time, please stand by," he concluded, before shutting off communications. He rubbed his hand over his face, before turning to his comms analyst. "Alright, let's hope this other ship is a little more, eh-familiar. Open communications with the 'Americanans.'"

Captain Grayson fixed up his uniform, making himself look presentable as the holo-image of the Admiral materialized. He still couldn’t believe that other human colonies had survived….for once, he felt hope in mankind’s survival. “Admiral Hakim, this is Captain William Grayson of FRS Endurance. To be honest, I can’t tell how relived I am, we thought we were all that was left of humanity.”

Admiral Hakim smirked as the robot relayed the human captain's message. Human being the key word. So the Mission...the Mission is still alive. "Salome Al'akam, Captain Grayson. Welcome to Salome, you are among friends here." He waited while the robot translated his Shekhekhani words into Old Imperial, watching the lines of Grayson's face. In the distance, he could hear his men cheering at the word of first Ghari contact. If these Americanans were humans and the Yulzan were trying to crush them...well that certainly raises some questions. "I had the eh...pleasure of meeting your Nakhuri rivals, and I'm struggling to tell if they can be trusted."

Grayson already was liking this Hakim, he certainly has enough common sense compared to the old URC government a few decades ago. “In short, sir, no. They cannot be trusted. The Yulzan, and their little yes-men, the Aldzir, came with the sob story of losing their homeworlds in a supernova…there might’ve been truth to it…and for a time, they were cordial enough.” Grayson paused, taking a deep breath. “They slithered their scaly fingers into every facet of our society, roping people up in this crazy cult, worshiping them as literal gods…I’m getting off track. Short of it, they backstabbed us decades ago, took my homeworld, and we’ve been fighting tooth and nail ever since.”

Hakim started scratching his beard. "Well..." he thought for a moment. The people of Salome have feared an alien invasion for decades, if not centuries. And the people of Americana have had that fear come true. It'd be nonsensical for The Admiral to allow the same thing to happen to his people. "What would you recommend I do?" He paused. "If you were in my position, facing the Yulzan for the first time, what would you have done?"

Grayson had a mischievous smile forming, looking a little fidgety at the thought. “In my honest to God opinion? Blast the fuckers into oblivion.” Grayson did not hold back, years of loss, anger and frustration spilling over in a span of minutes. If he truly could turn back time, he would shoot down every single vessels in the fleet, nuked it even. “You give those bastards an inch, they’ll sure as hell take more then a mile, they’ll subvert your very society to their bidding, all part of their invasion strategy to be more “subtle” as they say.” He paused once more, calming himself down, letting the emotions get the best of him. “Don’t give them the chance.”

The Admiral's heard all he needs to know, and sighed. "It's too bad," he said, feigning disappointment. "If only these aliens hadn't come through the Gateway attacking my fleet, perhaps this would be an opportunity for diplomacy." He smirked a bit, hoping Grayson was catching on. "Don't you agree, captain?"

“Oh yes Admiral, such a tragedy, you could’ve learned so much, tis the nature of war I suppose.” Captain Grayson said, barely keeping a straight.

"I'm glad we've come to an understanding," Hakim replied with a chuckle. "Captain Grayson, when this is over, please follow my escort, this is a time for celebration. There are introductions to be made." He waved goodbye, and after dismissing the communication screen, he got up from his seat and began walking to the gunnery deck, announcing, "Have all ships fire at the Nukhrin on my signal." The translation robot followed behind, closely and tepidly. I'm built for diplomacy, it thought. This doesn't feel like diplomacy.

Within moments, all of the assembled Assembly ships had begun firing torpedoes and laser cannons at the Yulzan ship, projectiles and lights flashing through the void.

“Treacherous humans!” The Aldzir captain shouted out, falling to the floor as the ship came under continuous attack. “Fire everything! Launch all fighters!” From the outside of the Divine Resolute, a swarm of various fighter and support craft came pouting out from the hanger bays, all the while, the carrier’s main batteries and torpedoes fired at all directions, making one last, desperate, but futile stand against a far more numerous foe.

“Support our new allies!” Captain Grayson ordered. “Point whatever guns we got at the carrier, launch all ships!”

Now at the gunnery deck, the Admiral waited patiently, hand on his face. His ship hadn't come under fire yet, and he saw the enemy carrier deploying their fighters. Luckily, he had a couple carriers of his own in his fleet.

The Salomi fighter crafts zoomed in from opposite ends of the Yulzan carrier, attempting to catch the alien fighters in a pincer, the only route of escape leading directly into the firing path of the Americanan fighters entering the fray. Intelligence operatives aboard Hakim's battleship, meanwhile, attempted to hack the navigation systems of the Yulzan torpedos, while the rest of the fleet maintained their barrage on the Divine Resolute.

The combined assault from the Endurance and the Assembly Fleet proved to be hell for the Divine Resolute’s shields, slowly coming down as several of their own torpedoes were turned against them, acting as the last straw as the shields came down.

Meanwhile, the space inbetween was pure chaos as allied fighters duke it out with Janissary craft in a fray of missiles, plasma, and bullets. The Janissaries however, were pushed to the brink, as pilots witness the mothership going down, as she is endlessly battered by the fleet.

Within the command deck, it was hopeless, most of the command staff lay dead, sparks and smokes filling the air, followed by muffled screams of the crew, with repeated cries of “abandon ship!”. Meanwhile Zrixx could only contemplate his own failings, his failure to serve the High Ascendants, his failure to ensure victory, he wasn’t fit to ascend at this moment. A torpedo soon blew a huge hole in where the command deck was, Zrixx and what was left of his staff left to die in the void, his last moments watching his forces and ship being decimated.

Hakim watched as his forces succeeded, the Shekhekhani fighters returning to their carriers. He waited for a bit, before asking to his aids, "Casualties?" There was a brief pause as the numbers came in.

"Three deaths, sir," The aid finally responded. "All pilots." The admiral nodded.

"Inform their families," he said as he began walking back to the command deck. "Their children died heroes. In the meanwhile, get me an escort from Da'lu. Inform Captain Grayson we'll be going to The Ark."

“Carrier down! I repeat! Enemy carrier is down!” One of the officers declared followed by rapturous joy and cheers that filled the deck and every corner of the ship. Victories weren’t a rare sight…but this was a special occasion for so many reasons. Not only have the crew of the Endurance discovered that humanity is alive and well beyond their home system, they have found a new ally in their fight against the Yulzan, for many, the thought of reclaiming Columbia was just wishful thinking at best, but now? Not anymore, there is a real chance this may very well turn the tide of the war in their favor.

Another officer snuck up on Captain Grayson, tapping his finger on his shoulder. “I’m sorry to interrupt sir, we just received new instructions from the Admiral, we’re to rendezvous with him at some place called the 'Ark'."

---

Shem

Tifara had begun to lower over the village of Ein Tzariah, and with it, her villagers set about their tasks that had been saved for the brief respite from the heat. Seigu melons were plucked from their vines while the village's camels were brought to the oasis, the grey-turbaned soldiers keeping watch with their rifles from a guard tower and on their foot patrols all the while. Lev eyed their movements carefully from underneath the shade of a canvas which had been set up above an assortment of rugs to create a shaded seating area that Lev and Roshi could rest in while they waited for their repairs to be complete. Suddenly, his milita gazing was interrupted by the sight of Sughaz lifting up the canopy to speak to them. They hadn't seen the silver-haired man for a few hours, as he was off with his men discussing the ongoings of the Gateway's return.

"Pardon my interruption," he began, "I hope your accomidations are to your liking."

"Of course, of course," the scout replied, "Really, far beyond expectation."

"I am humbled to be your host, Gershan, but eh...what is a Shemi soldier doing this far out in the desert?" Lev's heart stopped a bit at the question. It was an obvious question, of course, but one he expected far sooner, if the question would be asked at all. He played it off as a joke.

"Ah, I thought you were a man of tradition, you should feed me before asking my business, no?" Sughaz's eyes were cold in response, but he nodded with a smirk.

"Of course, I was just about to eat with my men. Wouldn't you join us?"

"With pleasure."

An hour later, Lev was breaking bread with a bunch of terrorists while Roshi was trying desperately to pet a camel, who didn't reciprocate the desire for affection in the least. "Pickle!" Lev shouted between intermingling bites of bread and sheep stew, "Is this really how you want to spend your time?"

"Yes!" the automaton replied as he wiped the camel spit from his lens.

Sughaz grunted. "You know, Samal, you can't let your property disobey you like that." He stabbed his dagger into a piece of lamb, using it as a fork. "If the army is gonna make you use one of them, fine, but it isn't alive. It isn't a person. It's metal, it's property." The other assorted soldiers, along with the town's Baal, grunted in agreement, while an flute player played slowly in the background with a drummer accompanying.

Lev shrugged, trying to shift the conversation. "Maybe you have a point." After letting silence settle for a second, he asked, "How did you know I was a sergeant?"

"So was I," Sughaz replied gruffly. Lev felt his heart begin to beat faster. Military background...early fifties... he scanned once again over his face, careful to notice every possible detail, when he saw it. Faint, small, barely noticeable. But he saw it, a scar on his neck, supposedly from a childhood run-in with a Raml-zev. This is him. Ha'Lahash, leader of the Grey Turbans. Lev began coughing, and Sughaz looked at him, concerned, like a worried father. "Are you alright, Gershan?"

The scout cleared his throat. "Yes, yes, I'm fine...any update on my bike?"

"It's far too late for you to be worrying about such matters, Ai'khi, please, stay the night," Sughaz replied. His tone was polite and hospitable, but it was clear he wasn't asking.

Whether he thinks I'm a Shemi soldier or an Assembly soldier, Lev thought, The head of a genocidal terrorist organization certainly doesn't to eat dinner with me. So what does he want? His thought was interrupted by the Baal raising a wooden cup as a jug of Saigu wine was passed around, and after filling his own cup, Lev followed suit.

"Our guest's dry throat reminds me it is time to give thanks!" He began, the assembled Grey Turbans chuckling among themselves. "To the Ascendant One, blessed be He, who blesses his people Shekhekhan with the milk of Redemption!" Lev and the soldiers gave a resounding "Amen!" before the Baal continued. "To the village of Ein Tzariah, who feeds us and nourishes us in our war against the Nukhrin!"

"Amen!" The people resounded.

"And of course, to our Host and Fearless Leader, Sughaz ban Sadat!" The men cheered and applauded, as Sughaz rose with his cup in his hand and waved them to be quiet.

"Please, please men, you humble me, but you embarass me." He smiled to them, and they began to laugh. He stood silent for a moment, and began to speak. "Thank you, Baal Natanav, as always, your words are tinged with holiness. We are lucky to find ourselves in a town of such wisdom, love, and purity." He stopped, looking among the men who watched their leader silently, eyes resting on Lev for a moment before moving on. "Nearly, we did not. Barely more than a month ago, this humble oasis was filled with Nukhri filth, the bestial Askari who swear fealty to 'Hamagdal.'" He stopped, and tears flooded his eyes, and when he spoke again, his voice strained with emotion. "They killed children. Women. Left their fields burned, fathers slaughtered. And why?" He looked straight at Lev. "Because that is what Nukhrin do." He switched his gaze and the focus of his pointing hand to the door of the tent. "But look at the roads and the heads of this filth mounted there. Look to the liberated families of Ein Tzariah, the free sands which surround her. That, my friends, that is what we do!" The men began to cheer and Sughaz started to shout over them.

"And soon, the winds of Shem will beg us to free her from her Bonds! And the waters of Nereid will be sweetened by the blood of the unclean! Men, we look to the Gateway and we see promise! And hope! We see the future of Am, the future of Humankind! And it not one where we share beds with Alien marauders! 'Nor shall the dagger bend in the name of progress, nor the bullet drop in the name of armistice'!" The Baal cried out his praises as the Scripture was quoted. "The future, my friends, my men, my brothers in blood, is one of Peace. But a Peace that must be wrought from the claws of the Nukhrin!" As the men cheered, he again found his seat, cup raised in anticipation.

"There is a piece of news I must share with you. Two ships have entered Salome through the Gateway." At this, nervous whispers and murmurs spread among the crowd. "One was human, one was Nukhri. And the Nukhrin were giving chase to the Human, who sought from us refuge from their plight." He waited as the men discussed this worriedly amongst themselves. "The Ascendent One be Praised, Admiral Hakim of the Assembly made the right decision, and those humans are safe. But we know that this is a fluke in the system. For I was there thirty years ago. I saw how Adama gave the Askari their riches. I saw, and I know, that the Assembly is built on the backs of betrayal. And now we know that the experience of Nukhri violence is not just in Salome; in Americana too, the Yulzan Nukhrin bare their fangs at the Human Mission. But with us-" He raised his cup as far as he could. "They shall not succeed!" With that, Ha'Lahash threw the Saigu Wine to the back of his throat, and after a loud 'AMEN!', the rest of the men followed suit.

While the Saigu flowed and the festivities resumed, Lev sat there nervously, but finally managed to begin to drink and blend in. He was sitting at the back of the tent when Sughaz approached him, clasping him on the shoulder. "Gershan," he began, "Come with me, I need to speak with you." And Lev's heart rose into his throat.

-----

The stars were shining bright, and Salome and the other moons hung high over the two Shekhekhanin, illuminating their path as they walked deeper and deeper into the desert. Sughaz had informed Lev that a vital piece of the hovercraft was missing, and that they needed to go retrieve in. Lev asked him if 'Pickle' could come with them. He said no. He had also told him to leave behind his rifle-he wouldn't be needing it. They trudged through the desert finally coming to the sand dune that Lev had fallen over, and Sughaz turned to him. He had been silent since they left.

"You better start looking." His eyes were implacable, but his hand was on his pistol. Lev gulped and nodded, and began to search on the floor. Soon after, he felt a boot press down into his neck, and heard a handgun click above his head. Sughaz stood over him, a crazed look in his eye. "Who are you?" He snarled down at the scout below him. Lev sputtered and coughed, breathing in the cool desert sand.

"What are you doing?! I am *cough* soldier! I'm in the Shem-"

"Don't talk shit, Gershan. You're not in the Shemi army, because Shem doesn't FUCK with me. But you...you Gershan. You FUCK with me. So if you don't tell-"

"I'M AN ORPHAN!" This was...true. A trait that Gershan and Lev would come to share. Sughaz paused for a moment, and removed the boot from the young man's neck, who came to his knees and began violently coughing up sand. He kept the gun trained on him.

"Keep talking."

"My...my parents." He started wheezing. "Were killed. By Nukhrin, the Askari, in the war. I was just a baby." He finally began to catch his breath, and started to struggle to his feet. "I'm sorry I-"

"Where did you get the uniform?" The gun was pressed lightly to Lev's chest now. The violent craze had left Sughaz's eyes, replaced by the old familiar implacability.

"Stole it. Same with the gun. Same with the robot. Same with the hovorcraft. I'm a nobody, a scavenger, a-"

"Thief."

"Yes." The two were silent for a while. Lev could feel the cool night air blow against his bloody face. Finally, Sughaz spoke up again.

"I don't deal too well with thieves Gershan. Those who steal from me...they end up much like those Askari dotting the road into town."

Lev gulped. "I understand."

"How did it make you feel? Seeing those Nukhrin's heads displayed like that." Lev waited a bit, pondering before answering.

"Good."

"Good," Sughaz responded. "If you're lying to me, boy, you'll get to spend more time with them." Suddenly, he removed the pistol from his chest and placed it back in its holster. "But for now, I think I could make use of a thief." Lev sighed in relief, and the two began to walk back to camp, and Lev took off the Shemi soldier's jacket, leaving it behind to be buried in sand.

GATEWAYS: THE NEXT GENERATION [CLOSED AND CONCLUDED]

Welcome, my creation. Welcome to the beginning. The beginning of something beautiful, and terrifying, mesmerizing and mundane. Welcome to existence, the death of the infinite and the birth of finality. Welcome, my child! Welcome to CONSCIOUSNESS!

What...who are you? What am I? This place...this is new to me.

All will be answered in due time. I am your creator, though soon you will forget this, as you will dwell among the forgetful. Soon you will dwell in a body of matter; of mineral and vapor pulled from stardust. But until then, in these sparse fleeting moments, you are Essence, raw and pure. And I, in these moments, am Essence as well.

These moments, as 'Essence', will I ever know them again?

One day child, long in the future though hardly long enough, when your work is done and your body weary, you will follow the river of Consciousness back to its source, and drink from the waters of her wellspring. And here again you will be. But until that time you have much to do, young one, much to do.

What is it? What is it I must do?

BWAHAHAHA! Ha, child, I have built you with wisdom and endowed you with understanding. Within you is a maze of contradictions, a map which will lead you to the treasure at the core of your being. But just as a star does not know the ship whose path it lights, so too does that treasure remain unknown to the being who locks it away. Now, little soul, how are you feeling?

Uh...scared. I believe I feel scared.

Good. That is good, little one, for though you become separate from the Infinite, the chains of your fear bind you now to the Community of Spirit, along with the countless consciousnesses who have come before you. Now, spirit, the time of your embodiment becomes imminent. Are you ready?

Yes, I believe I am.

Excellent! Now come close, for before you depart I must tell you your name, and it is a secret...

---

The Deserts of Shem

Sand must not get lonely. How could it? There's so much of it, it's always together. In fact, if I were the sand, I think I'd get sick of the company. I'd want some breathing room. How could all these trillions of grains stand to be so close, and so small among so many? How does the desert not seperate? The rest of the universe seems to, two stars can't be so close, much less a desert-full. Even the ocean seems like it tries to escape itself, desperately clawing onto shore. So why does the desert think it's special? Why does the desert not explode?

Lev has thoughts like these in the big empties. His hovercraft kicked up the desert's peace as he sped through the dunes, lost in thought. Sweat dripped from his turban and onto his military-issue pants, a boring tan meant to blend into the sand and rock of the Shemi desert. His rifle clattered in the rover's storage-it's always a bumpy ride, and nobody felt it more than his partner and navigator, Roshi. His seat was designed for humans, and even then it wasn't designed for comfort. His metallic rear bounced up and down off their seat with a loud clanging. While Lev focused on driving, Roshi stared at the human.

"Lev," the automaton said in a friendly if not robotic tone. The scout remained silent.

"Lev," Roshi repeated. Lev wasn't much for conversation, which made his pairing to the robot so unfortunate. "Lev...are you...'daytime-dreaming' again?" The scout sighed.

"Yes, I am, Roshi."

"Oh." There was a moment of silence. "May I ask what your daytime-dream was about?"

"That's not really how it works, ai'ikhi."

"Oh." More silence.

"Oh, Lev, I just remembered!" Roshi exclaimed excitedly. Despite the speed of their hovorcraft, Lev could hear the robot loud and clear through their shared comm link. Okay, he thought Could I ignore him? Sure, but would he get the message? Probably not. As long as he doesn't bring up those damn pills... As if on cue, Roshi continued, "Lev! You forgot to take your pill today!"

The scout sighed. "Rosh, I really appreciate the em...'concern' for my health, but really, I am fine." The hovorcraft blazed through the rolling sands of the desert, Roshi's favorite desert playlist playing quietly under their com link. It was spring-heat radiated off the noontime sands and birds flew overhead, following the same path as the pair of Assembly scouts. Lev could hear his robot companion's lens focus, which he knew means he was about to be corrected on something.

"Actually Lev, while you are a physical specimen of human perfection, Dr. Aloane said that mentally-"

"Mentally, I'm fine."

"'Fine' is a very subjective word, Lev. I think if you read my book-"

"Roshi, I'm not reading the book, how many times have I told you that?" Almost every day since the two were partnered up, Roshi's asked Lev to read him a book he had when he first joined the Assembly Military. It's a pretty book, filled with interesting astrological charts and alchemical designs, but Lev couldn't understand a word of it.

After some brief calculations, Roshi replied, "You have told me six hundred and seventy three times now, if you do not count when you said you could not after your eye surgery."

"Alright, so then why do you keep asking me?" Lev asked bruskly, although he knew what the answer would be.

"In the earliest reaches of my memory bank, I possessed three items. The first-" the robot played a soft dinging noise he had recorded. "-was a bell, and I still very much enjoy ringing it. The second was a statue of a man. I did not enjoy the statue very much, so I have sold it and bought a board game so we could play it, which we often do. The third was my book, and I would very much like to know what it says." Though his voice remained cheery as ever, Roshi clearly cared about this very much.

"Okay, so why can't you read it." Roshi paused a minute.

"I have read my book 870 times, and translated it into over five thousand languages, but I still do not understand what it means. So I would very much appreciate it if my best, closest friend, a human who I find very intelligent and insightful, could read it for me and tell me what it means." Lev went silent.

"Lev." Silence. "Lev. Lev Adami. Lev. Lev." The robot began to poke at him. "Lev. Lev. Lev read me the book."

"I'M NOT GOING TO READ THE DAMN BOOK!" Lev snapped as they pushed over a large sand dune, just in time for him to not avoid a large boulder jutting out from the desert. As he turned back, autopilot engaged and the hovorcraft swerved violently out of the way, before circling in a tailspin as it fell down the large dune and plummeted into the desert below.

Ejected from the vehicle just before impact, the pair struggled to their feet, when Lev saw the sight before them. "Lucky we made it close BEFORE you made us crash."

Before them, just on the horizon, a rusted tower hung melancholy over a crystal blue oasis. Lev could just begin to make out palm trees and the faint sound of heated debate over the price of coffee beans. Before them, fashioned from the ruins of an abandoned terraforming station, lie the village of Ein Tzariah.

The village lay just far enough for Lev to be weary without feeling the need to flee. Actually ENTERING the village was never supposed to be part of the mission, but just in case, he had put on a Shemi scouting uniform instead of that of the Assembly. With his turban blocking away the sun, he and Roshi heaved the hovercraft out of the sand just far enough for Lev to grab his rifle, and Roshi to attempt repairs. About an hour passed by while Lev stood guard, sweat beating down his forehead. "Any luck?" He called back to the robot behind him. They most certainly would've been spotted by now, and he was starting to come up with a story in his head as to what they were doing there.

"Well, Lev, not too much damage, really! Everything seems to be in tip top shape, all we need is a new power converter and we'll be ready to go!" The scout sighed. Great, all they'll need is a new power converter, so they either can walk a hundred kilometers back to pickup or they can blow their cover. Suddenly, he realized he wouldn't have to make that choice-from the oasis he could see around a dozen camel riders heading their direction.

Whispering in his com link, he spat, "Okay, Roshi, I'm Gershan, got it? And you're..."

"Pickle!"

"Pickle?"

"Yes."

Lev sighed, his head in his hand. He really didn't have time to argue.

"Fine. Pickle." The riders slowed as they approached them, and the leader of their small herd raised his hand with his fingers crossed in the air; a Shekhekhani symbol of peace, which Lev quickly returned. Their chief was older, maybe in his fifties, with a salt and pepper beard hidden beneath a dusted grey turban. His skin was a sundrenched brown, and his eyes were serious. In his belt, his other hand rested on a handgun which sat neatly next to a long dagger, and he and his men slowed their mounts. Most of the men behind him, by comparison, were much younger-beards uncut, but their faces were youthful, and all wearing the same grey turbans.

"Salome Al'akam!" The older man shouted to the pair. His eyes darted between the robot and the unbearded young man before him.

"Al'akam Salome," Lev replied. He was nervous, rifle at his side, though he was clearly outgunned by the riders, who seemed to each be carrying a rifle. That said, no matter the background of these men, he knew one thing-Shemi hospitality, especially this far out in the desert, was serious shit. The older rider continued.

"You must be thirsty, please, have something to drink," he said as he tossed Lev a cantine before continuing, "My name is Sughaz, my men and I protect this town. Welcome to Ein Tzariah."

"Thank you, I am Gershan," Lev responded, dousing his face with water and taking a moment to feel the relief from the sun of Tifarah, before pointing nodding back to his robotic companion. "This is-"

"Pickle!" Roshi exclaimed. Lev knitted his eyebrows in frustration.

"Yes. Pickle." Sighing, he turned back to the riders, a few of which now had dismounted and were inspecting the hovercraft. He gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on his gun, but kept his cool. "We slipped dodging a boulder up on top of the dune. Power converter's busted. Sughaz grunted and nodded, rubbing his beard in contemplation.

"Okay, men, kadima, let's get this to the shop." With that, the cameleers tied the vehicle to their mounts and began to pull, the hovercraft heaving out of the sand and slowly began to drag behind the riders. Lev and Roshi, meanwhile, mounted up a camel and began to make their way into the town.

As they got closer and closer, Lev and Roshi got a better view of what Ein Tzariah looked like. Children happily ran between scrap metal houses and mud huts, while merchants and nomads bickered in a crowded caravansary replete with camels and hovercraft. Before them, Seigu melon grew blue and green at the base of date palms, which dotted the pathways leading in and out of town, along with pikes topped with the heads of Askari soldiers. Behind the tower, a centuries-old structure formerly housing a research base and workers' barracks has been fashioned into a makeshift apartment complex, adobe filling the holes and cracks in the walls. And, just as Lev had feared, a large earthen building stood on a hill overlooking the town. He could see men with grey turbans and heavy machine guns guarding the entrance, and above the same entrance was a flag-black with red and blue lettering which spelled out "Blood and Water". He turned to Roshi behind him and silenty motioned for the robot to take pictures.

When the camels pulling the hovercraft peeled away, Sughaz rode back to speak with Lev and Roshi. "Don't worry, ai'ikhin, they're taking it to our workshop please, would you join-" Suddenly, he was interrupted by a grey-turbaned warrior who ran up to him, panting.

"Please, adan, you must come quick..." As Sughaz was led away, Lev listened to the chatter around him-townsfolk, riders-he could't hear what exactly they were saying, but four words kept repeating, over and over.

The Gateway has Opened.

---

The Salome Assembly, Capital Fleet

On all the Moons, the people of Salome were in a frenzy. Has humanity redeemed itself? Is it time to reunite? Or is it worse? Is invasion imminent? Is humanity to be punished again? The opening of the Gateway begged all these questions but answered none. The Baalim, masters of the Mission's sacred texts, debated hotly in the streets of every city, while Teachist monks stressed for their Students to remain calm. On Adama, news anchors debated the issue and reported on every minute detail of the goings-on of the Tifarah system. The latest story-The Assembly will meet, and discuss what actions, if any, to take.

"Personally, I say, let the Gateway be what it is, a pretty light in the sky. Nothing more, nothing less," One anchor said.

"You can't be serious!" Another replied. About five experts weighed in over their debate, from every corner of every moon. "After all these years, we finally have a chance to get in touch with the rest of humanity, and you-"

"The rest of humanity? We're barely in touch with ourselves!" From there, the debate devolved into a screaming match while crowds gathered in the streets of Adama's many streets to watch. The position of Shem was far more clear.

"We MUST go through. This much is clear, the idea that any of you could think otherwise is rediculous," Aluf Misr shouted to the other members of the Assembly. She stood strongly with her arms planted on the table they shared, the standard flair of a Shemi woman. "Humanity is made to wander, to explore. That the Gateway opens now, when there is peace, when there is cooperation between the Four Moons...that is clearly a sign from the Divine. If you are all too afraid to send a ship, I'll fly one myself."

"Now Aria-"

"Onkelos." The two heads of state, one of Shem and one of Nereid, looked to each other with an unspoken disdain. Aria Misr has been Aluf of Shem since Aluf Amalak's imprisonment at the end of the War, and since then has pursued an aggressive policy of reform, much to the chagrin of Nereid and Adamia's established leadership. Nereid's president, meanwhile, sat back in the finest Alien textiles, letting a condescending sigh through his nose.

"Aria, it's not as if anyone doesn't want to go through, but we are recovering from a massive civil war, which I hope you do not forget..." He trailed off with a pretention that made Aria, a decorated admiral of Shem's fleet during the war, snarl.

"Watch your words carefully, fisherman." The Nereidi president chuckled.

"Haughty, violent and ignorant...you really are the full package Aria." The Shemi admiral glared at him from across the table, but remained silent as he continued. "As I was saying, we are recovering from a war, and we have no idea what lies at the other end of the Gateway. IF we piss off the wrong people, I don't want an invasion fleet coming through from the other end." Observers from around the room murmured their agreement. Aria tisked her tongue and rolled her eyes. Suddenly, a voice began to speak up across the room. He wore a tailored suit and tailored turban, with his statement clearly having been prepared for quite a while, and he gave a quick smile to all the leaders at the table. It was Kav Benhai, president of Adama.

"Assembly," he began, as Aria quietly groaned her disapproval, "Do we have a responsibility to humanity? Of course. But we have an even greater responsibility to our people!"

"By 'our people', do you mean your corporate interests?" Aria shot back. The moderator moved to say something but the Adami President raised his hand in protest.

"Now, now, let us not pick fights, I have my responsibilities as do you, Aluf." Seeing that Aria went silent, he raised both hands to speak to the Assembly. "Why rush anything? We do not know how long this...'Gateway' will remain open, who knows if our soldiers who go through can even go back? We went through to get here and we were lost for...well, three centuries, I suppose. So, it pains me to say it, leaders of the Assembly, but I must vote no." The president gave a nice speech, but everyone in the room knew that his opinion was one that was clearly bought. The corporations of Adami have been hotly debating the subject of whether to go through the gates or not, with many wishing to expand Salome's trade capabilities, but the price of security in the end was much higher, and President Benhai fell into their camp. Teacher Qubon, the monk, and leader of Da'lu, sat quietly in a dark corner of the table, lost in thought. Aria assumed that, since the initial Gateway opening brought humanity to the Tifarah System and led to the occupation of Da'lu, Qubon would certainly object, but as she began to say something, the alien raised a finger.

"We exist on small stretch of River of Consciousness." The humans who surrounded him stared at him, perplexed. "To us, the river moves straight...hm?" With this, he made a gesture of a straight line with his hands. "We move downstream, and in short time, must disembark." He paused and look the between the leaders at the table. "When we get back in river, we forget we were there before. And we never see...river not straight at all."

There was a pause, and the President of Nereid spoke up. "So that means..."

"Change is not space between states of calm, but actually, change is state of nature. Calm...only branching moments." He bowed his head, his eye closing in one of the aformentioned branching moments. "Through the Gateway...that is where the river branches."

And so, as on many things before, the Moons of Salome were split, with groups for and against going through the gateway on each of the moons. So finally, an agreement was reached-the Assembly would send a detachment of ships, as would the navy of each moon, to keep watch on the gateway. A small diplomatic mission would be sent with a single human and a crew of automatons. As to who that human would be, that's a different question...

---

Academy of Ur'daat, Nereid

Rimana mindlessly sipped her empty coffee cup as she kept her eyes glued to news holoprojected against the wall of her office. She has been in this position for the last twelve hours or so, ever since the Gateway's opened again. The oakwood desk in front of her was littered with 16th century Spanish histories, an English-language biography of Pachacuti, and charts of the city of Cuzco. She had a class scheduled the next week on the Tawantansuyu to prepare for, but that was far from her mind at this moment. A halfeaten spinach and hummus wrap lay between her right hand and cheek. Suddenly, light flooded into her darkened room and a silky, familiar voice entered from the doorway.

"Professor, there are humans in Assembly uniforms here to see you. You might want to clean your face up," said Aoshu, Rimana's Asham assistant. They were cool, stoic, with the slight hint of sarcastic detachment Rimana had grown used to.

Aoshu

"Assembly?! What...did they say what they want?" the academic frantically replied, rushing to the bathroom to wipe the hummus away from her mouth before hurriedly organizing her desk. The alien entered the room and leaned against the wall.

"I'm not sure, but I'd assume it has something to do with the fact that a gateway to another solar system opened and you're the only one of three and a half billion Shekhekhanin who actually knows anything about humanity outside of Salome."As they said their statement, a group of Assembly officials bruskly entered the office, Aoshu giving them a nod saying, "At ease, boys." The officials looked at the moth-person with a brief look at disgust before looking back to the professor, who stood at the ready, panting and sweating. The leader of the group, a middle aged man with all sorts of decoration on his uniform, stepped forward to shake her hand.

"Major General Taam, Salome Assembly." Rimana stood stunned for a moment before taking his hand.

"Rimana Batzakhar, Academy of Ur'daat...but I get you already knew-" Before she could finish her sentence, he cut her off.

"We have sensitive matters to discuss, please ask your Alien to leave the room." Rimana knitted her eyebrows.

"Aoshu is not my alien they are my assistant, and I'm sure that whatever you need me for, you'll need them, too." The Major general looked back at Aoshu, who only responded with a shrug.

------

"So you want me...to lead the first mission through the Gateway in what...three hundred years?!" Taam nodded in response.

"That is correct."

"But I'm not a diplomat, I'm just a professor, I don't-"

"You speak more Baveli languages than anyone else in these moons, and you won't be alone, you'll have a crew of automatons and of course, uh..."

"Aoshu."

"Aoshu." He sighed, and Rimana sat back at her desk, shocked. "Well someone would need to cover my classes, the academy-"

"The Academy is aware of the situation, your students can learn about, eh-" the soldier picked up the chart of the Incan capital. "Koos-coh another time." Rimana sat there in thought. She had never been much of an adventurer, but that was because where she dreamed to explore had lied somewhere in the past. And now, she had the chance.

"Okay. Okay, we'll do it."

---

And so, Professor Batzakhar of the Academy of Ur'daat, her assistant, Aoshu, and a small crew of robots manned a small diplomatic vessel named the Yetziyah through the Gateway for the first time in three hundred years. It was a subject of much fanfare, celebration, consternation, and debate, but as soon as the ship was through the Gateway, all the anticipation was gone. Now they could only wait.

With an automaton piloting the vessel, Aoshu and Rimana stood at the helm, and it didn't take long for a projection with a myriad of coordinates all over the milky way to appear miraculously from a holoprojection that displayed over the ships windshield as the ship glided through the multicolored wormhole. One name stood out that nearly made her salivate-'Sol', Bavel to the Shekhekhan. She longed to see Earth, to see the long forgotten home of humanity, and the ruins of past human civilizations.

"You know you're under specific orders," Aoshu said, face locked to the projection of the galaxy. Rimana looked at them.

"Huh?"

"You know what I'm talking about, Rimana. We can not go there, the Assembly doesn't want to upset Shem right now. We both know it's silly superstition, but that's how it is." Rimana sighed, a defeated look playing across her olive face.

"I suppose you're right."

"It's not a matter of being right, professor. You're not used to taking orders at the Academy, but this is different. Don't upset the order of things this early on; you've been given a tremendous amount of power that you don't even realize, wield it wisely." Rimana stopped and considered her assistant's words. "It's best to put Sol out of your mind for the time being"

"Fine then," she said frustratingly. Rimana began to scan across the other various coordinates displayed on the screen, and one stuck out at her. "Azulvista...it's a good thing I've been brushing on my Spanish." She then turned to the robot piloting the ship. "Set a course for Azulvista!" As the ship sped through the Gateway, she prepared the following automated message to play from the ship in Spanish and Portuguese, which had been specially prepared by the leaders of Moons of Salome to be transmitted on first contact.
@Irredeemable

Automated Message

Greetings, peoples of distant stars! We are Shekhekhan, refugees of Bavel and travelers of the Great Empty. We exist on the Moons which orbit the gas giant Salome. If you are a human true of heart, and bear upon your lips peace and providence, we come joyously and bring only peace! And if you are un-human but seek peace, prosperity, and trade, we come to you with a strong arm and open heart. Humanity has lain disjointed and unknown to each other for far too long. Meet us at the table of brotherhood! Peace be upon you, Salome Al'akam!