Around the Empire celebrations are held, the goddess of the Capital is crowned in distant cities, the graves of its generals and governors are venerated in the cities of those they spared and ruled and the Emperor himself visits the capital to celebrate the 1000th year since its foundation.
Victorious over the Kings of the Askan! Victorious over the unruly tribes of the dark forests of the north! Victorious in the festivals of piety! Victorious in the hearts of man and woman alike!
The Emperor arrives with the speed of lightning and the blaze of the sun! His companions cross through the heartlands carried on divine winds, his horse carries him down the roads that have not seen the march of soldiers for anything but triumph since the reign of his divine father, the reign of his divine grandfather!
He crosses the bridges to the Capital before the people can gather, he is among them by the time the Senator arrives and he lays down the arms and armor of a commander to grasp them in friendship, trust and love! He moves through the city on foot among the Senators as one of them, he accepts the congratulations and gazes upon the gallery of his dynasty set on each side of the forum, from his divine fathers to his deified mothers and the first Emperors who have placed the burden and duty of rule upon him!
He enters the Curia without his guards and is followed by the prayers of the Flame, the Stars and the Gods that made this city great. He gives reports on his victories and triumph, he counts the riches that will be added to the treasury and he forwards men who had been brave and true on these campaigns and deserve advancement into the trusted circles of his Senators.
The Senate applauds - it applauds and it does not stop as the Emperor stands before them. For this is the 1000th year since the foundation of the city, the Empire has been bowed but not defeated, crisis lays in its past, awaits in the present and lurks for the future yet to come.
… and as the Senate applauds something appears on the sea that they call their own, bringing with it the potential of great changes - and even greater disaster.
=}+{=
Inspiration: Kaiserkrieger/Destroyermen/Republic in Twain Uneven Gameplay: Multiple Senators, a single ISOT Ship Player and one Emperor to start with.
Organized in 5 geographic regions, spanning multiple cultures, climates and cities. Each region has its own stats and values, only seen by the GM, that rise and fall as the game progresses.
Contrary to what those displaced might have thought and been used to, the Empire is by little measure a nation or a centralized state as they know it. In truth the Empire is a tightly woven carpet of connections between cities and families, stretching across the known world in a network of friendships, religious festivals, trade routes, formal embassies, patronage and so on. Some of these connections are century old between cities on completely different ends of the Empire, others are young and shaped by powerful families and individuals who claim the highest offices in their regions and others yet again are short-lived and shaped by a constant jockeying for privileges and rights between cities of a region. These connections existed long before the Republic that preceded the Empire and which simply became the focal point of as many of these connections as it could. When the Republic, generations ago, fell under the sway of the first Emperor after long years of civil war, he united all of these connections in his person, becoming the friend, the priest, the patron and partner of all cities and all families that made up the network that was to be called the Empire.
For millennia the politics of the regions across the shores of the grand sea that connects the Empire has thus been defined by cities and their elites, by their grand leaders, their high priests and their aristocratic families. Through them cities spread their influence and laid claim to distant shores and new resources - through them monumental temples were erected together with titanic walls and new people were integrated into their networks of friendships or into the very halls of their cities. These leading families controlled the mines, put forth the generals and aspired to leadership, tyranny and even kingship. Today many look back at a proud and colorful history - which in the end was superseded by the Empire that affirmed their positions of power for the stability of the Emperor's rule.
While many might look at the marching legions of the empire, clad in iron and bronze as they give battle for the defense and the expansion of the realm, as the source of the Empires security and legitimacy, it is by the virtue of these connections, forged and maintained in perpetuity, that the Emperor reigns and the Empire stands with firm arms and flowing taxes.
The Senate is in many ways the culmination of these connections, Senators represent families, cities and even whole regions over which they hold sway and from which they draw their political power and whose interests align with their own in turn.
Regions
The Provinces are the political, economic and military regions of the Empire. Loosely defined in the past centuries, the reforms after the crisis of the last century have seen them restricted into smaller provinces beneath a larger region. In these regions, defined by their geographical borders, Imperial Authority is held up by governors, generals, mints and cults. On a smaller scale they are the base of senatorial power as well, be it that their home towns or their estates are settled in them.
The Heartlands: The Origin of the Empire, the oldest, most stable provinces, home to the Capital in which the Senate comes together - home to the Imperial Household if it isn't moving through other provinces to tackle local issues. Most of the land belongs to the old Senatorial families and their aristocratic estates, with proud cities and their patrons dominating local politics. What little military presence is present is either en-route to hotspots in other provinces or keeps the pace on the rolling hills of grainfields, olives groves and vineyards that stretch on endlessly.
The North: while popular tales will make you think of forlorn islands, endless woods and strange animals without knees, the truth is far less remote. Much of the northern provinces has been in imperial hands for centuries at this point, leaving a network of urban centers, well maintained streets and sprawling estates that would feel right at home in the heartlands. While there are independent tribes and kingdoms along the borders, most of them have changed with the Empire as trading partner, having formed their own fortified cities - or ever larger seasonal warbands that raid one another or try to cross the Imperial borders. Mostly they form an ever changing network of friends and foes who benefit from the Imperial traders just as much as the Empire does from their connections to ever more remote tribes and people further north.
The East: Most famous for the proud cities that dominate these provinces, interwoven in century old bounds of kinship, religious community and ever newly interpreted history, the eastern provinces had seen centuries of peace since their conquest by the Empire. There were always belligerent tribes in their mountains and hills that had withstood the power of the cities since the dawn of urbanization and which had come down from their villages as raiders or mercenaries, but those had little to offer against organized Imperial military responses. This changed in the last century: at the eastern border a new kingdom had established itself on the bones of the old successor states and harked back to timeless traditions of conquest and great kings. The ambitious Askan had turned a border that had been seen as safe for generations into a hotspot of military activity, with more and more soldiers getting rerouted into these provinces as multiple wars between the Empire and its newly risen rival broke out. With the fortunes of war ever turning each empire had gained and then lost land once more, with the latest truce barely holding as each realm was exchanging annual gifts and words of friendship with one another - even as new armies were raised.
As if that wasn't enough, the northern border of the eastern regions has seen an influx of migrating kingdoms - or rather the remnants of them, who had been fleeing towards the Empire after having lost their holdings at the north-eastern sea to what they describe as a new and unknown foe. Hoping to find shelter and leaning upon centuries of peaceful trade and ties of friendship with Imperial officials, they have set up camps on the other side of the Rhimda, the mighty stream keeping them away from imperial lands - for the moment. But as food stores are starting to thin, singular leaders with sworn warrior companions are raising their voices louder and louder: after all, if their ties of friendship won't get honored, they must secure their livelihood by other means.
The South: is the breadbasket of the Empire, provinces rich in culture, religion and fertile fields, easily the most prosperous and peaceful region of the whole Empire. While its borders are easily secured via small forts along the trade routes leading southwards, each securing another oasis, unrest is spreading through its cities. The Cult of the Light Eternal, tolerated under the Emperor's past, has continued to spread through all urban classes, disrupting ancient orders and draining money away from public works into donations for new temples and fests that are unconnected to the sacred identities of the cities. Even worse: many of the Cults communities are facing internal turmoil as rich and powerful members jockey for leading positions and discussions on matters of both cult practice and theology grow more and more bitter. Between them, many cities resemble powderkegs and their solution of calling upon the Imperial Authority to restore order might do nothing but help fanning the flames of conflict.
The West: The rise of the Empire might never have been possible without the military techniques, the equipment and the rich mineral wealth of the western provinces. With the number of Emperors, Generals and Dynasties hailing from its lands only second to the Heartlands itself, the western provinces pridefully proclaim themselves to be the true heirs of Empire - meaning that more than one of its generals and governors had grasped for the imperial purple based on old dynasties blood running in their families. But recently there have been earthquakes and floods and talks of the silver mines drying up - risking the west's position as premier mint of the Empire. With strong military traditions in many of its less urbanized regions and young and prideful cities whose identity is deeply tied to their major families, they remain a heavy weight in Imperial politics.
The Senators
The Senatorial Class tends to replenish itself from three backgrounds that roughly define the roots of their power and their self-image. Of course it merely forms a basis from which you can work.
The Old Families believe in the strength of blood and tradition. The great deeds of their ancestors both call upon them to match them and qualify them like none other to fulfill their duties to the Empire. While others might prove able by ability and training, theirs is an excellence born from blood and nurtured by tradition, training and ceaseless exercise in the histories of their families. The oldest families trace their lines back to the foundation of the very city and even the 'youngest' of such families are at least one century old, belong to the elites of their home cities and have intermarried with older senatorial lines to ennoble themselves. Their strength rests on the ties of their patronage and the wealth of their estates, sitting on wealth and connections accumulated through generations.
The New Bureaucracy has drawn members from the aristocracy of the Empire, from knights and nobles of any city, that are willing to serve at the behest of the Imperial Household. Their members duties range from overseeing the Imperial mints, to taking control of whole cities and provinces as regular or irregular governors or the ceaseless work in the Imperial household managing taxes, expenses and answering the sheer endless amounts of requests for imperial action be it the military, judicial or religious kind. Senators drawn from the Imperial Bureaucracy are long serving administrators, who have served across the whole wide of the Empire and have enjoyed the trust of the Emperors who raised them into Senatorial honors. In time they might join the old families, but for now they form a prideful group of well connected technocrats.
The Hereditary Military leaders have found their seats in the Senate by Power and Friendship. Power vested in them by their ability to call upon their own troops, be it trusted companies, cities and areas governed by their family as remnants of formerly independent kingdoms or merely an age-old ability to leverage economic power into readily available mercenaries. Standing outside of the regular legions, their backgrounds can vary from Dynasties that control cities and their militaries for generations to kings and vassals of the Empire that are bound to it by friendship and military service. Cladding them in senatorial robes is merely another sign of their integration into the Empire proper and of their close ties to the Emperors that called them friends and showered them in gifts and honors for reliable service on the tenser frontiers. While some might still be seen as semi-barbarian kings, others have long turned into dynasties of imperial generals with their own specialized household troops.
Crisis past, present and future
It was the grandfather of the current Emperor who had led the realm out of a century of crisis. What had started as an dynastic crisis as the last Emperor with a direct bloodline to the (re-)Founder of Empire and City had died without a heir, had quickly turned into a renewed civil war with two distant relatives attempting to buy the loyalty of senate and legions with promises of privileges and silver. The result had been short clashes of open warfare, longer reaching breaks in communication and trade and an utter debasement of the currency as roaming mints printed out lesser and lesser currency for each pretender. When the Senate was unable - or unwilling- to clearly choose either possible successor and the economic crisis worsened, the legions rose up and disposed of both pretenders, only to acclaim their commanders or officers from their midst as claimants.
What followed were decades of fracturing as whole provinces were claimed by pretenders, who allied and fought with one another as they could, before either dying to their rivals or their own man. While some succeeded in establishing themselves for a time - none of them was able to found a dynasty that lasted more than their lifetime, with the woes of the realm only continuing as the Askan Kingdom rose to power in the east and began to lay siege to outlying cities and colonies, strengthening itself on the bloodbaths that were the Imperial Civil Wars of that dark time.
It was the Grandfather of the current Emperor, praised as the Founding Emperor reborn, that turned the tide around. Acclaimed by the legionaries of the eastern provinces and supported by its proud cities, he was not only able to push back the Askan expansion, but also marched his legions into the hearthlands to 'liberate' the Senate and the Capital from the pretenders strangling them. In just two decades he re-united the Empire, reformed the provinces, set new standards for the Imperial mints, restructured the legions and created the first bureaucracy attached to the Imperial Household, calling upon knights and nobles to serve as envoys and overseers for him and the Imperial treasury. He finished the grand temple of Ophes that had lain unfinished for two centuries, restored the bridges leading across the rivers bordering the northern provinces to revitalize trade, put an end to theological disputes of the sun cult in the south and rebuild the western provinces after the devastating earthquakes in the midst of his rule.
His son continued his work, fighting two wars against the Askan and winning the friendship of the barbaric tribes in the north and east by his strength and generosity both. He empowered the Senate once more and made them an ever present support for his policies, acclaiming him five times consul and six times tribune, acclaiming his policies whenever presented to them and filled their ranks with both his loyal servants and his trusted friends. He accepted their accolades and embassies in each encampment he was in with great warmth and as an equal in spirit and education. He furthered the legacy of his father and educated a son for the duties to come, just like he had been prepared for the weight of the Empire and the expectation of the gods.
Cults and Gods
The Cult of the Sun God started as a Mystery Cult from the south, spreading among the rich estate owners and descending from there into the remaining population. While the populous still beliefs in the myriad of gods of their ancestors and the Elites of their cities listen to new philosophies espousing a single divine power behind countless faces and slivers of truth, the Cult of the Sun God claimed the existence of a single divine being that created the world and preach that it will end it in flames and drought should its rituals not be observed to judge the upstanding and the wicked. Belief in a bright and paradisiacal afterlife combined with tightly woven and supportive communities, lead to the cults spread over the centuries since the founding of the Empire and was at times persecuted by officials and governours who saw in it a destructive force that endangered the peace between the gods and the city-communities.
This changed with the tolerance edicts of the Emperor's Grandfather, which placed him on top of the cults hierarchy as both source of funding, power and theological authority. While some sects have forsaken such Imperial Privilege, the true and approved communities are growing in spiritual belief and wealthy power as they pray and sacrifice for Emperor, Empire and Sun. Centuries of defensive thinking and martyrdom have made them eager to take a more prominent stance in the Empire and freed from public scrutiny to a degree they are engaging in ever more heated discussions both with one another and with those holding true to the old faiths.
Hard to tell apart from the rapidly spreading and often quarreling Sun Cults are the people of the Celestial Flames, a formerly regional cult that has spread from a small kingdom in the eastern provinces to other major cities and which is often in bitter conflicts with the followers of the Sun. Theirs is a religion far older than the Sun Cults, for which their history and tradition has formed the basis from which they split. For those of the old-faith it's hard to tell apart if someone is following the Sun or the Celestial Flames, but their heavy rivalry for newly converted souls to their belief has led to more than a few riots that legionaries with wooden training weapons had to beat down.
Magic and Mysteries
Magic in the Empire might not be potent, but it is ever present: from the household gods that protect home and heard from fire and hail to the curses buried deep in swamps that affect their victims with rotting teeth and fallen hair. There's no doubt that magic exists and that the gods might turn their eyes upon mortal lives for good or bad.
The Empire itself recognizes the importance of ritual and of reading signs and omens. Its generals, senators and administrators are authorized to call upon their own training or that of priests to read the possibilities of the future in the flight of birds, the entrails of animals or the scattering of flowers and vegetables across an altar. Loved by the gods are those that call upon greater omina, but woe befalls those who ignore the gods that made this city great and break their promises to them. Such divination is seen as civilized, as proper and respectful to the gods, interweaving learned arts with piety and worship. To see the signs and to call upon the protection of the gods of the city, the gods of places and the spirits of the ancestors has been what made this city great.
But even inside of its borders other traditions exist, cults both small and large, regional or constricted to a single city, they bring forth priesthoods often specialized on finding water, securing safe winds or making sure that the gods watch over houses built in regions known for their earthquakes. The only exception to this splintering of faith, cults and magic is the Imperial Cult. Established and grown alongside the Empire, it venerates the Emperor and the deification of his ancestors, establishing a long line of family and dynasty to the very beginning of the empire and to the gods themselves. The statues of the Emperor's past can be beseeched to protect their works and sacrifices have held together ancient walls in face of barbarians just as festivals have made water lines function once again by veneration of their creator. All across the realm each citizen is called upon to pray for divine benevolence upon the Emperor and the divine benevolence of the Emperor himself. Nowhere is this observed as stringent as in the Legions, where even those of the Sun and the Celestial Cult sacrifice and say their vows for their supreme commander, in whose presence they feel the strings of loyalty tugging them both ways.
Of course talks of what is present beyond the borders of the Empire are manifold: talks of griffins nesting next to rivers of gold, of strange creatures stalking the dark forests of the north and of short and tiny humans fighting for their survival against flocks of murderous cranes. Sure is that the veterans of the Legions can tell of the druids of the north, able to shelter and hide their tribes in mist and undergrowth; the priests of the Askan who can set fire to a whole century if not interrupted and the mage-navigators of the rich kingdoms to the south that make their ships reach safe harbors no matter how long the journey takes.
While the lands of the Empire have been settled for long enough that the grand monsters of the past are merely history or had been forced into bondage for service as auxiliaries or entertainment in the arenas, the barbarians beyond its borders still life in conflict with wild drakes and giant wolves, fighting for their survival beyond their fortified settlements and more than one patrol of the Empires river fleet has fallen victim to the giant snakes of the northern rivers swallowing them whole.
Species and Culture
What is the difference between a being with the divine breath in its lungs and a bovine? The great Republican Writers answered this question by claiming that unlike the bovine that was unable to connect past and future and act upon this understanding, those beings empowered by a breath of divinity were able to understand and to plan, showing their wisdom and mind. And what other measure is there of wisdom than the ability to learn and the ability to grasp the existence of the divine and worship it in turn?
Wise beings populate the Empire, some of them shorter, some of them taller, some of them longer lived and some marked by the favor of their gods and all to the last: sapient.
There are the Therianthropes, their bodies marked by their ancestors encounters with wild gods or the bestial protectors of the southern pyramids. They have feet to stand upon, tools to work, but otherwise might resemble powerful predators or proud livestock. Some might share merely singular features such as toughened skin and vulnerable gills; others might go as far as having the tails of the sea god or looking like the great protectors of the pyramids. Their presence is felt all across the Empire and that they breed with one another and those unmarked with their offspring sharing their marks or not, is seen as a sign of divine attention more than anything else.
The West but also the rich islands of the east have brought forth a strain of sapients that is shorter, stockier and sturdier than their peers: signs and marks of lives and communities centered around the mining of ore, its smelting and the production of highly sought after products. Some see it as a sign of the gods of craftsman and smith, others explain it as the result of generations of work in mines and underground cities, others explain it by myth or poetry. Nowadays a sapiens montis is as likely to be met in a forge as one might meet them as a trader or soldier in the legion.
Especially in the eastern provinces, but also scattered around the other regions are the Gilded with great beauty and longevity - but a certain detachment from the world around them, that has often been explained as them being the remnants of a prior age of sapients. Be it that they are the progeny of those few that survived the Age of Iron; the last slivers of divine blood or just about any other explanation: their numbers are few and their families small, but a long life has led to them bringing forth many philosophers, artists and statesmen.
With various sub-sapiens and variants, the Empire is a vibrant and ever changing collection of sapients that marry, live next to one another and raise new generations that might share some of their parents' marks - or none at all. Some cities see those marked as blessed, others as remnants and some simply do not care as long as they are citizens. The Empire in the end, tries its best to make no difference for it needs the support of all cities.
There are of course outsiders, those who are not fully accepted as sapiens: the Cyclops, the Kentaurs, the Harpies and others who are capable of speech, of song and worship - but are seen as remnants of an older heroic age, too close to the monsters that roam the world to be part of civilized society. In some regions they are accepted at the edges of the cities zones, in others they are livestock and in many they are merely tolerated as long as they serve in the case of war or when it comes to grand constructions. While there are many philosophers and priests who argue that they could be integrated into civilized society - old prejudice and myths hold true as they are seen as cursed or created by the gods to be wild and uncivilized in their tempers and actions.
But as always the world is wide and talks of spirit-blooded fires in human shape in the east are just as prevalent as the rumors of giant sea monsters under the control of monstrous beasts in human shape out on the oceans to the west. After all, if the Empire is the world, how can you understand what is beyond it?
The Game itself is organized in turns, each turn equalling the quarter of a year. For both Senate and Emperor, the core pieces of the Empire are Senate Sessions. While the Emperor is in theory more than able to rule without asking the Senate for Input, the rituals of tradition and the power the senators wield make sure that such sessions are mere play and make belief. Imperial politics find their support in such sessions and senators are able to bring forward their own proposals and laws that can range from foreign policy to religious bans and practices. Such Legislation might be fought and wrangled over, but will change the fate of the Empire.
Legislation: is the core of senatorial activity, while it might take the form of petitions to the Emperor, of appeals to older texts or sharp notes pointed against friends or foes, the intent of all legislation is to find the support in the senate to be turned into an Imperial Edict. They tend to have a sponsor who gives the initial text, scope and influence to get it started - and signatories who can add further details and additional influence to increase its weight in the Senate.
Edicts are empowered by the authority of the Emperor, backed by the Imperial Household and enforced by the Imperial Authorities ranging from governors, to courts and even the legions themselves. Each turn the Emperor is required to turn at least one piece of legislation into an Imperial Edict. While the natural choice would be the one with the most influence behind it, the Emperor can choose any Edict currently on the Senate floor.
If the Emperor chooses to turn the most influential Edict on the senate floor into an Edict, he gains a Grace with the sponsor and the signatories of the Bill.
If the Emperor chooses any other Edict he gains a Grace on their Sponsor.
If the Emperor chooses an Edict that has less Political Influence behind it than any other Bill, he gains a Disgrace by each Sponsor and Signatory from the Bill(s) he overstepped to turn his chosen Legislature into an Edict.
Political Influence: is the measure of your wealth, your power and your sway among your fellow Senators. It's the basic resource by which the amount of weight you put behind any of your resources is measured. In many ways it's a way to simplify quite a lot of things. Influence can either be put into the Legislature on the Senate floor to push it through - or be put on other activities you are trying to run beyond it. This can go into trying to sabotage your political rivals, improve things for your own power base or follow a variety of other projects that do not fit neatly into the public arena.
Each Senator - and Emperor - has a Political Influence assigned at the beginning of the game, known only to them, while a more general approximation is known to everyone else. Political Influence forms your budget per turn, meaning that it can't be stocked - only spent. In general it's connected to your home province and background, meaning that events, actions and edicts that impact either might in turn impact the amount of Political Influence you wield.
While the Emperor might start out with the most Influence of all players, their attention is also split between all provinces and their issues and adherence to Imperial authority, while singular senators draw from far more concentrated sources of power.
Assets: are a little more specialized than Political Influence. It's a catch all term for various little perks and boni you squirrel away to your side as the game progresses - ranging from connections to the Imperial bloodline, to spies, trade networks and your own military forces. If you gain them you can use them on various actions beyond the confines of the Senate - boosting your success in such missions. On the other hand they can also be targeted by other players and dismantled.
Grace and Disgrace: is the ennobled version of debts and while their names are different as are the ways they are gained, their function is quite similar. At the heart it is about being able to compel someone based on prior debts. Senators can accumulate Graces between one another for public and binding support on one party's Bill in return for a promise of future help by the other. Disgrace can be found either by sabotage actions going wrong and being exposed - or succeeding and gaining dirt on the other party.
Grace and Disgrace can be used once - then the other party has the chance to either follow those demands or face the consequences if they deny their debt. When denying a Grace it turns into a Disgrace for the one who denied it. When denying a Disgrace, the GM decides on consequences that beset the player who did not stand to their debts and dishonored themselves. They might lose PW, might face issues at home or maybe even kickstart completely new issues for the Empire or province.
Graces and Disgraces can also be used to cancel each other out. If both players have a grace towards one another, a player can decide not to honor it and use up their own grace to show that equal deeds have already been undertaken. If a party has disgraced itself and another calls upon this debt, they can cite a Grace they have towards the slight party to annul the disgrace.
Grace and Disgraces only happen in the public eye. Should Senators or even Emperors decide to deal in the private background, this method of public assurance and discipline does not activate.
Your ship had been on the way to a distant war, its guns ready to lay waste to other behemoths of steel and its holds filled with troops, supplies and ammunition stockpiled for a conflict that was just one step away from setting the world on fire - or maybe it already was there. But instead of arriving at the faraway place chosen by your superiors, your ship made its way into a rolling bank of fog or maybe a storm. Either way you found yourself quite lost when the weather cleared up and instead of facing the foe you had been prepared for, you found yourself looking down at rowing galleys and small ancient ports instead of modern harbors. This is the wrong place - this is the wrong time - but somehow it rhymes and here you are now. In a time of crisis - a time of opportunities and with tools and weapons that none around you could possibly match.
Your crew looks to you for answers - your ship demands maintenance, supply and fuels and the locals have no idea just what is moving towards them from beyond their time and what they could have imagined possible.
Time Period: All futures are futures to the locals - but some are more futuristic than others. Just where does your ship come from?
A War of Empires: You hail from a time when armies march to the ideas of their grandfathers, when giant titans of steel and guns bristle as they steam over the world's oceans and when the Empires of the World are moving to face each other with bayonet and machine gun. You hail from one of the great Empires that carved up the world between one another, hierarchies are set in stone and the belief in your own superiority is the foundation of your place in this world. Your ship is powered by coal, its guns are trained to duel the enemy and lay waste to their harbors, with radios spreading rapidly across the military and the first naval aviators seeking targets for your ship. TL: 4
Supplies: 20 [TL4]
Assets: 12
A War of Ideologies: There's a great war between all that is good and all that is evil, you are fighting an Axis of Evil that opposes all that is right and good by your homeland - for your beliefs and for your leaders. Your ship runs on oil, your ranks might be looser or tighter depending on where you hail from and automatic fire lights up the night when bombers aim for you. Airplanes are more widespread, not merely for reconnaissance but also for both attack and defense. Submarines stalk the sea and your guns are supported by various secondary armaments trying to protect you from these new dangers. You are fast - you are swift and you are dangerous. TL: 5
Supplies: 15 [TL5]
Assets: 8
A War from beyond the end of History: the great superpowers have collapsed, the great conflicts of the cold war have come to an end and you are facing a future set in freedom, prosperity and the continued demands to defend those against anyone who hasn't been allowed to partake in this shared dream. Your ship is small, it is swift and it is equipped with various tools ranging from smart missiles, to highly trained specialists and helicopters. Your sensors oversee whole areas of the sea and your usual enemy are desperate fishermen in boats who have armed themselves so they do not starve. Hierarchies on your ship are more in the flux, opinions can be louder but are held back - the crew not merely obeys the rank but has to be led. You stand here with the shiniest toys money can buy - and where has this taken you? TL: 6
Supplies: 10 [TL6]
Assets: 6
Outsider Assets: Assets are the systems of your ship, they can range from artillery guns, to secondary machine guns, a helicopter, a naval aviation plane, a company of infantry or a highly trained spec-ops unit. Basic things like engines, the bridge, the galley or the medical station are taken care of: assets are intended for you to specialize the capabilities and capacities of your ship.
Outsider Tech: The game functions on a basis of tech levels ranging from 0 to 5.
The Empire's technology is around 1. The introduction of further processes like early firearms and refined production would push it to 2. Refining such processes into more reliable technologies and the start of mass production would be at TL3. Afterwards come WW1: TL4, WW2, TL5 and modern technology at TL6.
Both Assets and Supplies that come with you into this strangely alien but familiar past are rated in accordance with your starting tech level. Each action such an asset undertakes has the chance of using up one precious unit of supplies, meaning that irreplaceable spare parts, munitions and other supplies are getting used up. Sure you can turn so many of the port towns and naval patrols into rubble - but what will you do when your ammunition runs out?
Actions: While you are an Outsider that starts with 0 influence in the Empire, you have your assets and can use them to perform various actions you come up with. Should you accumulate influence with the locals or - somehow - even make it into the Imperial Senate, you can begin to play the political game everyone else is up to. Only that you have completely different priorities, beliefs and tools at hand.
Name, Sapient Subspecies, Gender and Age should not have much effect to begin with, the Empire does not judge based on brown or black hair and neither does it on what kind of Sapient you are. While female Senators are not strictly possible, there's always the option of propping up a sibling, a cousin or an underage son to make sure your influence is heard.
Senatorial Class, Home Region and Faith form your power bases, the former two more than the later at the start of the game. When Edicts pass and turns progresses, your Political Influence will wax or wane depending on how your actions benefit or your inaction damages your three power bases. Keep in mind that faiths, even if they claim the existence of just one god, are not mutually exclusive to you - even if the hardliners in your community might have other thoughts.
At the start of the Game you start out with one Asset, this is to sharpen your profile a little. Choose something beyond the general wealth and influence that is gathered under Political Influence. This can be a merchant fleet, a spy network in a certain province, a priesthood, familiar ties to the dynasty, your own gladiatorial school etc.
Character Creation: Emperor
Name:
Sapient:
Gender:
Age:
Home Region:
Faith(s):
Bio:
Assets:
1.
2.
3.
Name, Sapient Subspecies, Gender and Age should not have much effect to begin with, the Empire does not judge based on brown or black hair and neither does it on what kind of Sapient you are. Female Emperors are unheard off, but it isn't uncommon for Females to take over as Regents if the heirs are too young or to rule jointly with their husbands, with their names on coins and monuments.
The Home Region of the Emperor gains a little boost in Imperial Authority at the start of the game, while Faith proves more troublesome later down the line. Don't be afraid to mix and match faiths, who is to say what is true or not?
Assets: you start with three Assets beyond what Imperial Authority, Legions and Taxes you already get in the background. These can be your current Residence; Family ties; bodyguards, secret envoys etc. It needs to be defined, useful and vulnerable to the actions of others in a way.
Character Creation: Captain
Name:
Sapient:
Gender:
Age:
Time Period:
Nationality:
Faith:
Bio:
The Ship
Name:
Tech Level:
Service History:
Assets:
Supplies:
The basics of what makes your captain are yours to decide. Maybe you come from our time and adhere to the historical circumstances. Maybe you are from the future of the Empire and bring with you all the marked that this time already knows. You are given quite broad freedoms, but keep in mind that your role is a disruptive one: you are not of this empire, your ways and weapons are foreign to it and who knows what this will lead to.
You are equally welcome to put some thought into your ship, it not only carries the assets that allow you to change this weird old world, but it's a home away from home. For however long you let it be at least.
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Senator - Swordswain - Aeril 'Two-Cloak' Eiriksson
Name: Senator Aeril 'Two-Cloak' Eiriksson, Warden of the North, Rex Kaledonii Sapient: Human Gender: Male Age: 25
Senatorial Class: Hereditary Military leader Home Region: The North Faith(s): Andraste
Aeril recognizes many gods, and will pray to them at the appropriate time for the appropriate purposes, but as his personal patron he has taken Andraste, an ancient godess of war and victory native to the north.
Bio: How can one know a man but by his circumstances? How can one know his circumstances, save through the history that lead there? To understand the warden of the north, one must first understand where he came from.
Turn back the sundial three centuries, when the empire is beginning to feel the strain of it's ever expanding borders. The frontier is vaster than any could have imagined, the world seems to stretch on with no end in sight, only endless hordes of barbarians, each tribe and confederation more warlike and stubborn than the last. The military expenses involved in maintaining the push become more and more untenable.
Enter: The Kaledonii. A large and powerful tribe that had managed to carve themselves out a significant kingdom far to the northeast, They presented the perfect answer to the empire's problems. As they had done many times before, the Empire made an offer to the Kaledonii king at the time, convincing him that, rather than being enemies, the two parties would benefit most as allies. Seeing the wisdom in the decision, he agreed.
The Kaledonii kingdom was folded into the empire as foederati, subject to it's laws and strictures. In exchange, the Kaledonii monarchs became hereditary military governors of the region, charged with protecting the northeastern imperial border against the threats that lay beyond, and preventing any incursion passing them by to the interior.
So it has been for generations now, with the descendants of that king acting as the empire's border guards and watchmen. No skirmish or war happens in the north without them being deeply involved. In time, this service also earned them a seat as senators, and it became tradition for the heir to be sent to foster in the empire proper, to learn important skills and form connections.
Aeril was raised in the north for most of his childhood, but was sent south during his adolescence and teenage years to grow up as a ward of the prestigious Amelianus family, whose patriarch had saved the empire, and thereafter been acclaimed as it's ruler. There, Aeril became fast friends with his foster-brother Marcus (who was to be the future emperor), and the two of them grew into young men together. During his stay, Aeril was given a classical imperial education, and studied under the legionary officers of the east. Eventually, he even marched to fight with them.
He wasn't even present when his father was slain in a border raid, leaving him to take up the mantle.
Now, Aeril is the lord of the northern border. He must balance his duties to the empire against the interests of his people, and liason between the two. This is where his nickname comes from. When in the capital, he wears the purple robes of a senator. But when he returns home, he exchanges it for the plaid patterns and furs of his ancestors.
All of this would be a heavy enough burden to bear, if the Druids had not begun having visions foretelling prophecies of Doom and destruction and a new age to come.
Aeril is a man torn between two worlds, standing at the crossroads of history, burdened by legacy. The druids say that fate tends to grow thick around such figures, and it is certain he will have a role in things to come.
Assets: Northern Auxilia
As protector of the north, Aeril has command over the auxiliary forces that guard the border. Not quite the disciplined phalanxes of the legions, not quite the berzerk warbands of true barbarians, the Auxilia is something in between. It's ranks include tribal aristocrats in their swift chariots, Bare-chested Ulfhednar and Woad-Warriors, but also armored cohorts in imitation of southern armies.
Name: Iolis Manlius; Scion of the Manlius Bloodline
Sapient: Therianthropes
Gender: Male
Age: 33
Senatorial Class: The New Bureaucracy
Home Region: South
Faith(s): Cult of the Sun God, Sect of the Unconquered Sun;
Former Militant Sect intigrated into the Cult of the Sun God and Pro Imperial Advance by Military Might; at odds with the The Cult of the Light Eternal
"Every Fool can raise an army. But they will run into trouble at Lunchtime."
Bio:
Iolis of the Manlius Bloodline is blessed with the horns of a goat, sign of an ancient far-back encounter with a wild god of revelry; Set as overseers into the south for generations, their advance was slow and steady. It was Iolis father who was made senator first about a decade back. Once he retired four years ago Iolis was sent to the Capital to serve as Senator. He has a few things going for him; While an expert at logistics, the handling of numbers and timelines, he is an adequate speaker, an entertainer of artistry and a lover of the art of the Capital, making some connections there.
After a wilder youth he is now married with 3 children and has settled as a local representative of the South, traveling when it is necessary and gathering reports directly from his family.
His initial focus is on the Harvest, distribution of food across the empire, a strong military presence on sea and to quash any uprisings in the south.
Assets:
Keeper of the Granaries of Sabratha
-Every sack of grain is weighted, reported, made ready for transport and the South feeds much of the Empire. Sabratha is the main place for this and as Keepers of the Granaries the Manlius Bloodline has a reputation as the honorable sheriffs to distribute, keep and report any incoming and outgoing grainsack. While they do not set the grainprices themselves (that would be the Emperors job), their reports do influence much of where and when a potential famine will be avoided.
Name: Yamato McDonnell Sapient: Human, originally Gender: Female Age: 27
Time Period: WW2/Modern Nationality: Japanese-Canadian Faith: Agnostic, following a few Shinto beliefs.
Bio:
Yamato McDonnell, originally Eirene McDonnell, was quite happy living a comfortable life on the coasts of British Columbia. There was little that she really desired despite the world, at the time, teetering towards some sort of dark new depth. She was happily employed with the RCN and on her steady way to captaincy of a ship. She was happily married with a husband who was everything she could want, supporting her choices in life as she supported him. And she was happily stable with nothing looking to threaten her arguably simple life. Truly, a pleasant life.
Reality had other plans though which culminated in the arrival of some weird ghostly entities from somewhere no one was able to identify. This
new threat started to assault the various regions all over the world simultaneously. The few conflicts and wars that had been ongoing spontaneously got worse when the world had a new threat facing everyone. No one side was safe, and no one side was proven right. If anything it seemed like the entire world was somehow wrong and humanity had just failed. The world was plunged into a whole new war that was the countries of earth against this strange and silent newcomer.
With this new World War man of the previous conflicts simply ceased to be, with the guns and bombs and missiles once shooting at humanity now shooting at this new threat. A threat that, on the surface, defied logic and defied an easy solution. The modern electronically controlled weapons that were used seemed to be ineffective, or so the news said, and things were not looking good for humanity. They weren't even looking good for Eirene and her husband as they prepared to evacuate further inland. Whatever was going on over the world would, hopefully, leave Canada alone as most things had done in the past. But there was always the chance that these new monsters would turn their attention to one of the few countries that they hadn't immediately targeted.
Then one day they finally made a move against Canada. Before Eirene and her husband Toki managed to evacuate, these impossible ghastly monsters sailed down the Canadian BC coastline from the North in the dead of night. Guns used by the monsters were fired indiscriminately towards buildings on the coast and the home that Eirene and Toki had lived in for a decade. Large caliber artillery shells rained down upon Canada for the first time in decades with the death toll starting to raise before many even left their beds.
Eirene woke with the sounds of the first shells exploding and immediately she was lost. Does she help, does she run, does she make a valiant last stand with whoever wants to man the few ships the Canadian Navy still had? As her husband stumbled out of bed and blearily looked to her for something, some sign of a plan, Eirene decided. There's no way they'll make it out of the city so they'll make a stand. If it fails then it fails, but at least she'll die on her feet on her own terms. Plans made Eirene herself faster than ever before then made for the door. Only, she didn't really make it there. As she finally approached the front door of her home a weird light started to glow from within her, and then fell straight onto her face.
When she woke up again, Eirene felt different. Something was off and that something was that she'd became more. How and why? She didn't know and nothing was immediately forthcoming with an answer. Well, aside from the screams of her husband from the bathroom coupled with the sounds of shattered glass. By the time that Eirene finally entered the bathroom the screams had went from being those of her husband to those belonging to someone else. Or, hopefully, her husband finally unlocked a few higher octaves. Instead of the relatively short Japanese man she'd been married to occupying the bathroom there was a tall blonde who was, well, definitely not her husband. Oddly, though, the ring this blonde wore on her finger perfectly matched the ring Eirene was certain she'd slipped onto Toki's finger. Even more oddly, whoever this blonde was knew exactly who she was and started to babble just like her husband did when he got overwhelmed.
Assuming, and hoping, that this blonde was somehow her husband Eirene resumed their efforts towards getting to the navy harbor. Traffic laws were ignored and safety was pushed to the side in an effort to quickly get to the naval base and quickly try to help however she could. The sight that greeted her once she'd finally arrived was something out of a nightmare as the ships that she was hoping to take advantage of were burning pyres sinking into the shallows. And just beyond the furthest piers stood the culprit who'd sunk her hope. Some strange pale woman with glowing red eyes stood upon the water with guns firing far overhead.
Normally Eirene likes to consider herself a relatively calm woman. She's hardly ever raised her voice in anger beyond the moments the military forced her to. And she's never considered harming another human simply because the mere thought repulses her. But in that moment as she stared down the monster on the water? Eirene finally felt like she'd found someone she harm. It was an odd feeling that steadily grew within her until it was all she could feel. And all she could really think of. And as she smashed her fist into the monstrous woman's face she didn't immediately question how she was standing on the water. Nor did she immediately question the blonde's hand gently resting upon her back in support. Because beyond the one Eirene had just brutally beaten beneath the waves were a handful more of those ghastly mockeries of life who all needed to be taught a lesson.
The Ship
Name: JMSDF Yamato Tech Level: 5 Supplies: 15 [TL5] Service History:
JMSDF Yamato was launched on May 21st 2024 off the coast of Canada alongside her partner USN Iowa. Immediately the Japanese battleship was called to service to defend the country that she'd called her homeland. The day of Yamato's launched was marked by an attack by Abyssal Forces on the coastal city of Vancouver, with the city suffering significant losses initially. Due to Iowa and Yamato's timely arrival on the scene the Abyssal Forces were neutralized rather quickly and further losses were prevented. Immediately following that both ships were self-deployed to help in the search and rescue efforts going on in the city while friendly KANSEN arrived to secure the area and offer help as well.
Following the Destruction of Vancouver the friendly KANSEN and married ships sailed to Naval Base Kitsap to resupply before departing to Japan. Attempts were made to separate Iowa from Yamato but pressing upon the 'Natural Born's proved to be as ineffective as usual, their bonds to each other were stronger than any bonds to foreign navies. Iowa was notably using Yamato for significant amounts of support due to the recent events that affected his, now her, current state. Upon arrival in Japan a deal was struck between Yamato and the Japanese navy ensuring that Yamato would serve in the JMSDF temporarily. Yamato's husband, Iowa, agreed to similar terms and the two were immediately put to work.
After initial training with the JMSDF and USN through Yokosuka Naval Base both warships were put to work immediately dealing with the Abyssal Forces threatening the Pacific. Most of Yamato's engagements can be considered relatively minor with little threatening her initially. However, highlights exist such as the assault on Midway and the assault on the Northern Princess who took over the Bering Strait. Both engagements proved to be challenging, not just for Yamato but for the fleets that she was a part of during these engagements. At one point Yamato was significantly damaged during the assault on the Northern Princess and nearly sunk. Perseverance and a desire to return to her wife was enough to keep Yamato above water until she finally made it back to port.
Nearly sinking was finally enough for Yamato to be put in for extensive repairs and modernization. Coupled with a short period of rest Yamato was finally allowed a prolonged period to decompress, finally, and reignite her relationship with Iowa in a flashy manner. It was on November 19th 2025 that Iowa and Yamato renewed their vows to moderate fanfare.
Two weeks later Yamato was once more sent out to engage Abyssal Forces in minor skirmishes. Though this time these skirmishes were a leadup towards an assault planned against an Abyssal Princess that had created a beachhead on New Zealand and was pushing inland. After a month of lesser engagements Yamato was finally dispatched as the force transport for the Assault on Darwin. Her hull was finally fully manifested for the first time and Yamato was notably uncomfortable. Her holds were stocked with actual food and her quarters packed with soldiers and gear designed to participate in a ground assault, and she was fully able to feel both. The odd sensation of having 'things' inside of her was offset by the fact that Iowa was accompanying her but it wasn't enough, according to Yamato.
Unfortunately before Yamato was able to reach the shores of New Zealand to offload her cargo she fell prey to some new weapon by the Abyssal Forces. A hurricane unlike anything ever seen before spawned around the Japanese battleship and her escorting ships and the entire fleet was considered lost. No signs of the fleet's demise were able to be located after the hurricane passed and initial scans of the ocean floor showed nothing present down below. Wherever Yamato went and wherever her escorts went is unknown and at the present moment the Japanese-Canadian warships JMSDF Yamato and USN Iowa are considered lost with all hands. Their final reported coordinates are 18°26'02.8"S 172°49'17.0"E .
Assets: 8
Large Caliber (46cm) Main Battery
Small Caliber (15.5cm + 12.7cm) Secondary Battery
Amassed 25mm Autocannons
7 x Reconnaissance Floatplanes
1 x Japanese Marine Battalion with light vehicles
1 x SEAL Team 9 with RHIBs in stern launching ramps.
1 x Wife
The ability, once empty, to assume human or KANSEN form.
-Marcus has never considered himself overly religious, but cannot help but be influenced by the lands of his youth. The East, as ever, is a stronghold of the Celestial Flames. He follows no one particular deity, but rather attempts to appear pious before his subordinates and servants.
Bio: Were one to listen to Marcus' grandfather, the Amelianus family was once the righteous pillar upon which all of Imperial civilization rested. Their peerless statecraft, honor and compassion had seen them entrusted with the highest office in the known world, crowned as Emperors following the end of the Founding Dynasty, which had guided the Empire during it's transitionary period from the Old Republic. Of course, this aggrandizing set of speeches made in the comfort of a modest family estate many miles outside the Heartland reveals the anemic strength of such claims. The truth is the Amelianus family did indeed once rule, but they were only the first of many would-be usurpers who would seize the throne and then be deposed in turn a few generations later. This was many generations before the Great Crisis wrought chaos and destruction across the length and breadth of the world, and now, so many years after it's end, there is little serious hope for the Amelianus family to push a claim for the throne. They lack public support, the funds or the armies to see such an endeavor through, and unlike his grandsire and father, Marcus knows this.
It is why he is now here, in the Imperial City, garbed in the traditional robes of a mere Senator, representing The East, it's interests, and the interests of his family, the last remnants of a once-powerful dynasty. For the moment, he seeks not to chase the futile dream which his forebears once sought, aiming instead to simply ensure the continued comfort of his family in their new homeland.
Assets:
+Classis Amelianus+
-Following their exile from the Heartlands, the Amelianus family rose to prominence once more via their economic dealings in the Inlet Sea, trading goods in bulk across the calm waters of this narrow ocean with an ever-growing armada of triremes and galleys. While these days the glory days of the Amelian Fleet is long past, it still serves as a valuable nest-egg from which the family draws much of it's finances from.
Name: Paul Yamamoto Sapient: Human Gender: Male Age: 47
Time Period: 1949
Nationality: Japanese
Faith: Kristian
Bio:
Peace, and Harmony. The age of the old empires has long since passed. Yamamoto is perhaps one of the last vestiges of the old Japan, not a relic but an icon, one of a less ideologically driven era when it was Empires, not their ideals that drove the world mad. Born in the Japanese Empire to an American staff officer and a relative of the Japanese Imperial family he grew up idolizing the navy. A storied and prestigious military career led to him becoming a leading political figure in the PPP working to bridge foreign relations between the East and West.
His love of the sea, of the thrum of his ships mighty engines beneath his feet contrast strikingly against his hatred of death and violence. As Christ taught to love all men so to does Yamamoto contemplate as he sails to war. Yet does he not sail in the defense of his people, of his faith, of his country?
Does his duty wash away the depth of his sins.
The Ship: Leviathan class super heavy amphibious assault ship.
Name: The Leviathan
Type: Leviathan Class Super Heavy Amphibious Assault Ship Dimensions: length: 450m, beam: 140m, draft: 11m Displacement (standard): 140,000 tones Displacement (full load): 200,000 tonnes Powerplant: 15 x Bacock & Wilcox Boilers
7 x Parsons Geared Turbines
7 x shaft motors Total Output: ~ 180,000 kW Top Speed: 30 knots Crew: 2000 Aircraft Carried: 12 Helicopters 1 modified PBY Catalina Armaments: 4 x127mm Mark 16 anti-aircraft guns, 8x quad 40mm Bofors Anti-Aircraft Guns, 6 x type 89 anti-aircraft guns, 7 x 5-inch dual Anti-Aircraft Guns, and 20 x 22mm Type 96 Anti-Aircraft Guns.
The leviathan is a catamaran like vessel with a hollow front from which to deploy its 6 landing craft which hang from the top deck. The bridge and funnels are situated on the right side of the vessel as are its 6 16 inch main guns. There are 6 unloading cranes and a large flat deck with 5 loading bays from which to load and unload cargo. The 12 helicopters are stored below deck and are deployed from a deck elevator.
Tech Level: 5
Service History
The Leviathan from which its class namesake is derived was born of the need for the Pan Pacific Pact to quickly move forces and support contested landings across the South China Sea. It is a testament to the pride and industrial power of the PPP. She was built primarily in American Californian Shipyards and Japanese shipyards in Kyushu. She was assembled in Nagasaki in 1940 in time for the planned invasion of Unionist Australia.
The Leviathan first served in the battle of Iwo Jima against Unionists and the Catholic league forces stationed on the Island. It then participated in four campaigns, The Liberation of CL-controlled Philippines, The Unionist Austrialian Campaign, the invasion of Unionist South China, and the Siege of Unionist Singapore. The Leviathan was steaming toward Unionist India to relieve PPP-aligned rebel forces in Bangladesh carrying with it the 1st Pan Pacific Pact Combined Marine Division.
Assets
Main Guns
6 16-inch guns separated between two forward and one rear turret.
Anti Aircraft Guns
4 127mm Mark 16 anti-aircraft guns, 8, quad 40mm Bofors Anti-Aircraft Guns, 6 type 89 anti-aircraft guns, 7 5-inch dual Anti-Aircraft Guns, and 20 22mm Type 96 Anti-Aircraft Guns.
These guns are arranged primarily around the perimeter of the vessel and around the bridge.
1 fully equipped Combined Pan Pacific Pact Marine Division.
The Pan Pacific Pact Marine Division doctrinally is built upon the foundational work of the American Marine Division.
There are 3 riffle regiments an artillery regiment a HQ battalion a tank battalion a pioneer battalion a service regiment and an engineer battalion.
Due to the nature of the war Pan Pacific Pact Marine divisions were multi national divisions drawing men from Japan, the Americas and across Asia such as Indonesia, Korea, the Philippines and the Japanese northern Chinese territories.
These divisions served as the backbone of the PPP and the tip of the spear thrust into the Catholic league and Unionist forces.
Fully Equipped Maitnence repair and Machine Shop
Built in anticipation of the invasion of India the leviathan was built not only to support landing operations but to facilitate long term servicing of vehicles and amphibious operations away from the factories back at home. As such the Leviathan has extensive macitence and repair shops below deck.
1 Modified PBY Catalina seaplane
The PBY Catalina has been modified to fold its wings inwards allowing it to be stored inside the leviathan being deployed on the water by use of a large loading crane.
6 stored Landing Craft
The six stored landing craft analogous to the LCT Mk. 6 capable of landing 4 Sherman tanks or 50 men. These landing craft are stored hanging from the central open are of the catamaran design.
12 Experimental early (1948) transport helicopters
These early Turbine engine helicopters are capable of transporting 12 men including pilots. Closely resembling the H-34 Chocktaw in both appearance and capability.
1 Elite Shock Battalion, Japanese infantry
specifically trained and equipped for urban combat and taking fortified positions. Squads are made up of 10 men, one squad leader with a battle rifle, 1 light machine gunner with a Japanese-made MG42, 1 Assistant carrier and radio operator carrying two ammo boxes and a submachine gun, and 7 riflemen with Japanese-made STG-44s two riflemen are armed with bazookas. Support weapons are organized at the battalion level into 8 mortar squads, 8 light howitzers 4 rocket artillery trucks, 12 heavy machine guns, and 4 flame thrower squads. 32 LVT-1 transports serve to mechanize the battalion.
These are some of the most elite and fanatical soldiers fielded by the Japanese and the PPP as a whole.
Supplies:15
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Senator - Eyeless Wannabe - Cato Secundus Antonius
Name: Senator Cato Secundus Antonius Sapient: Human Gender: Male Age: 28 Appearance:
Senatorial Class: Old Families Home Region: Heartland Faith(s): Imperial Cult, Fortuna (God of fortune and luck)
Bio: The House of Antonius has stood by the Emperors since time immemorial. Their senate seats is one of the oldest, having stood through time of peace and war alike. Their vineyards are considered some of the finest in the Empire, and their home villa walks the line between a palace and a museum to the family's history.
Two generations ago, the senate seat was held by Rufus Antonius. Twice he was called on to look after the imperial lands while the Emperor was away dealing with crisis & twice did he return them more bountiful than when he had received them. Rufus was respected and admired.
One generation ago, the senate seat was held by Paulus Antonius. He was a stern military man, a leader of men. He lead legions to victory at Tarsus and his timely intervention prevented disaster at Damavand. He brooked no compromise or betrayal. Paulus was feared and obeyed.
Now the senate seat falls to a new generation. And Cato… Cato is none of those things.
Cato prefers to party. Hard. Born the second son and thrust into the seat of power when his older brother disgraced himself, Cato's leadership style can only be described as… lacking. The wild parties he throws are expensive, the friends and hangers-on he accrues are fickle, and the stories afterward are embarrassing. The old guard scoff when he sits on the seat of his ancestors. And yet, many of them secretly jostle for an invitation to the gala he is throwing next week…
Cato is a habitual drunk, arrogant, entitled, and short sighted. Yet he has a knack of making friends with anyone. And he has an excellent memory. Should someone make an embarrassing blunder at a party or be found to have a taste best not spoken of in public… well… Cato will keep it silent. For a price. Some call it blackmail. Some attempt to retaliate. But what story or secret about Cato could be more scandalous than the truth he already lives?
Assets: Merchant Contacts - Cato is one of the biggest spenders in the Capital. A contract with him can set up a savvy merchant for life. Traders fall over themselves to gain and keep his capricious good graces. They are happy to tell him everything they know, rumors from the far east, an upcoming shift in the price of ore, another houses scandal… And sometimes, Cato even listens!
Name: Vettorio da Vigo Rank: Contrammiraglio (rear admiral) Gender: Male Race: Solgenito (sun elf) Age: 41
Vettorio da Vigo was born as a son of a Fenizian merchant. His older brother inherited the Vigo Enterprises so from youth Vettorio's primary career choice was with the military. In 1917 he enrolled in the Dominion Fleet Academy of Viroviacco. During the brief war against the Kingdom of Akiya in 1921 he was the captain of the destroyer DN Calabria and participated in the ambush which sunk the enemy flagship Karasa. As a full captain he supported naval operations during the opening stages of the Fenizo-Palao war, a conflict raging on for a decade and eventually resulting in Palao's seccession from the Dominion's rule. In the 1930s tensions between Fenice and Castille were reaching the boiling point and Vettorio aboard his cruiser DN Giorgios conducted numerous patrols opposing the Castillian Republican Navy. Fueled by fears of the Aelban maritime dominance and past obligations the Dominion joined the Great War on the side of the Nilfen Reich. His 17th flotilla conducted convoy escort missions during which they frequently fought ships belonging to Aelban and Longguo. In March of 1942 his ship was struck by Nilfen dive bombers while in port. He survived and in the resulting leadership vacuum he was promoted to rear admiral. He proved his worth in the following year during the Battle of Alta Archipelago. He became especially renown for hybrid operations involving naval ships and amphibious commando units. In 1945 he was chosen to command the Dominion Navy's aviation battlecruiser DN Doxe di Montefeltro. He undertook a special mission aimed to strike deep behind enemy lines yet during the ocean route he alongside his entire ship was transported to another world.
Cultural Background
The Dominion of Fenice was a moderate maritime power with history dating back thousands of years. They were once part of an elf-dominated Yllvenyr Empire. After its collapse the region of Fenice emerged as a city state and one of the first republics. Over the time the maritime realm of Fenice grew and ultimately it became the Dominion. The turbulent environment of the Yllven subcontinent prevented any major power to emerge and Fenice was no exception. Even by the 20th century the Fenizian Dominion could barely be considered a major power. Their entry into the Great War was incidental, built on their strong relationship with the Nilfen Reich. Yet mid-war it became apparent that Nilfen plans of world domination had to stop and Fenice chose to align with the Coalition to defeat the Nilfen War Machine.
Fenice is very similar to Italy, particularly the Venetian Republic. While their names and language strongly reference them, it should be noted this isn't intended to be a one to one match. The majority of their population are Solgeniti AKA the sun elves. They are joyous and spirited folk who have the blessing and curse of only living at best for 70 years. They tend to have great health and be full of youthful energy even during their twillight years, only to age rapidly catch up to them in the years approaching their death. No one knows the cause as other elven species can live up to 300 years. Many religious text cite events from the long past during the age of gods when people had access unfathomable magic powers. Fringe scientists suggest that Solgeniti and elves are different species shaped by convergent evolution, a theory heavily censured in fears of harming pan-elvish brotherhood. Either way their unique biology shaped Fenizian society and outlook on the world in a grand way.
The major faith of Fenice, and Solgeniti in general, is a religious system called Dionism. They revere the Sun both literally and in an abstract sense. Sun elves feel blessed during the day and have various wild supersitions about the night. Modern religion though emphatizes believers to foster their "inner sun" within their metaphysical bodies. This effectively translates to a doctrine of self-betterment and making the best of oneself. This largely supplanted the old traditions which placed heavier emphasis on the physical phenomena of the Sun. The idea of spreading Dionism to other cultures also sprung a number of crusades, the last one concluded somewhere in the 19th century. Due to severe pushback the idea of declaring a crusade on infidels gained some well-deserved notoriety and nowadays only demented fundamentalists still support such a cause. On a more positive note Dionists founded the predecessor of their world's equivalent to the Red Cross and caring for the weak and wounded regardless of their status or nationality been a core value for Dionist priesthood or those who consider themselves true believers. Of course this is contrasted with Dionism fueling Fenizian military's unhealthy obsession with fire which they apply with almost a religious fervor.
Solgeniti in general are joyous and energetic folk. They are often considered friendly by an almost uncomfortable degree. Their temperamental nature and willingness to sacrifice themselves for a higher cause can also come off as extreme. At the same time Fenizians are very accepting of other cultures, even if they tend to get a bit too curious. It should be noted though that the Fenizian Dominion was a falling colonial empire. Fenizians often have this sense of superiority and exceptionalism where they believe their values hold truer than others'. There's also a so far subtle but growing divide between citizens who support colonialism and those who abhor it.
Capital Ship - DN Doxe di Montefeltro
Name: DN Doxe di Montefeltro Type: Dulio-class Aviation Battlecruiser Dimensions: length: 206m, beam: 52m, draft: 7.75m Displacement (standard): 75,800 tonni (38,810 metric tons) Displacement (full load): 90,119 tonni (46,140 metric tons) Powerplant: 12 x Caledoni C721 superheated water-tube boilers
12 x Stabilimento Meccanico di Spezia TDV-200/37 high-speed steam turbines
2 x Turbo-electric generators
2 x Central shaft electric motors (42,568 kW each, potentially can be pushed till 56,000 kW)
2 x Outrigger shaft electric motors (normally: 10,642 kW each, emergency: 21,000kW) Total Output: ~ 142,700 shaft horsepower (106,420 kW) Top Speed: 33 knots Crew: 1900
~ 900 soldiers Aircraft Carried: 32 Armaments:
Cannone da D10/55 Ardizzone Mod. 1934 (357mm) 3 x 2
Cannone da D3/45 Bruscone Mod. 1936 (107mm) 10 x 3
Cannone Automatico P10 Brixia Mod. 1942 (36mm) 20 x 4
Cannone-Mitragliera P6 Brixia Mod. 1939 (20mm) 39 x 2
Fenizian hybrid battlecruiser designed to fulfill auxiliary aircraft carrier roles alongside her ability to enter surface combat. The ship has a trimaran plan with the central demihull housing the main guns and most of the machinery. This is done to avoid requiring secondary funnels to the sides. Since the ship has turbo-electric drive this wouldn't hinder her performance, even add to redundancy as reaching the turbo generators and the electric bus is practically impossible. If it happens that means a traditional vessel would be long disabled. The outrigger demihulls are shorter and the bridge deck narrows into a kite-like shape. Each outrigger houses a single screw with their own rudder while the center has two. Due to the relative narrowness of the central demihull (by battleship standards) the ship uses two-gun 357mm turrets. Three of these turrets are mounted in a centerline superfiring configuration, facing fore. The bridge deck suspended between the demihulls is utilized for carrying various aircraft and the ship has arrestor cables and even steam catapults installed on the flush sections.
Laid down in 1937 the Doxe di Montefeltro entered active service for the Dominia Marina in early 1941. Its main purpose was commerce raiding and various special missions. Due to its unique hybrid of roles it's been mandated that only captains with rear admiral rank or above can command the vessel. The current captain, Vettorio da Vigo, took over the ship in late 1942 and by that point Fenice long switched sides for the Coalition. In 1943 the ship suffered multiple torpedo hits and was sent for drydock for repairs. Repairs and refitting finished by early 1945 and the ship set forth to support a major landing operation on the Sueben continent. Yet midway on route they were caught in a mysterious fog which transported them to another world...
Assets List Tech Level: TL-5 (alternate World War 2 era) Supplies: 15
357mm Battleship Guns:
As a battlecruiser the ship has six barrels that can lay down significant firepower out to 50km away. AP shells are good at penetrating lots of material, they are also "dive shells" that are less unstable than the norm when splashing water. High-capacity shells contain lots of explosives. And anti-air shells are... weird. It has a bunch of sub-munitions filled with incendiary containers which launches tongues of flammable liquid (think of the Type-3 San-shiki shell). It also got a proximity fuse. In practical sense the shell was useless against aircraft but it may be improvised as an incendiary cluster shell to burn down everything in a wide area.
Secondary Battery:
107mm dual-purpose guns that can fire various shells. Good for shoreline bombardment where a higher volume of fire can be achieved but has less range and is less reliable at indirect fire. Its has proximity fuse shells against flying targets or it can be used functionally as a more reliable airburst function during bombardment.
Close-in Weapons:
20mm and 36mm autocannons placed all around the ship. They are mostly useful for direct fire purposes but they can more reliable engage anything that is up close.
Radar and comms:
The ship was equipped with a radar for gunnery assistance and to detect ships and aircraft. Its radio can also be used to contact the crew from relatively far away. Though technologically not as sophisticated these elements can still greatly benefit the ship's crew, even in a fantasy world.
Airplane Escort:
The bridge decks also double as a pair of flight decks. Steam catapults enable launching a variety of aircraft and the internal hangar has room for 36 planes total.
Dive bombers are covered bellow. The Icaro A.F 07/L is a heavily modified fighter converted for jet power. It can reach subsonic speeds and aside from its wingroot mounted autocannons it can also equip rockets. The Augustini C.D. 03/B is a tilt-prop VTOL aircraft for anti submarine warfare. It has a small dipping sonar and can drop mines or depth charges.
Dive Bombers:
The ship also has a squadronsof dive bombers, meant to engage in raids against enemy supply ships and similar roles where their small numbers wasn't a detriment. Here, they could be one of the most precise weapons of the captain to strike far away targets. Albacciara G.M. 21/D is a tandem-wing pusher propeller aircraft powered by a turboprop engine. They have the bomb payload of 800kg, sufficient to carry a heavy armor-piercing bomb or an aerial torpedo. As an alternative they can also drop a trio of incendiary cluster bombs. A total of sixteen such dive bombers are used.
Amphibious Assault Battalion Cortellazzo:
The separation between the demihulls allows the ship to lower small transport boats to conduct amphibious invasions. For this purpose the DN Doxe di Montefeltro has the 121st Marine Assault Battalion known as Cortellazzo. They carry semi-automatic rifles with support troops using lightweight carbines in intermediate cartridges. Each squad has a machinegunner, a designated marksman and even a flamethrower troop. A platoon also has a team of 71mm recoilless rifles to provide fire support against both tanks and act as a "micro artillery". Weapons platoons use 88mm mortars and also consist of the 20mm AA machineguns present against strafing aircraft. The battalion also has a battery of lightweight artillery firing 88mm hi-low pressure shells (effectively, modified mortar rounds). Lastly they have a special operations platoon that has elite training to conduct infiltration and clandestine missions with more precision. Overall the unit has 838 members but almost no heavy equipment. Their only vehicles are some motorbikes used for messaging and occasional recon roles. Fenizian marine assault battalions were highly trained and the 121st, as one appointed for the multirole had special courses to act as a combat force all on their own.
121/A Command Company "Romagna"
A/1 Command Platoon
A/2 Signals and communications Platoon
A/3 Special Operations Platoon
A/4 Lightweight Artillery Battery
121/B Rifle Company "Garda"
B/1 Rifle Platoon
B/2 Rifle Platoon
B/3 Rifle Platoon
B/4 Weapons Platoon
121/C Rilfe Company "Arda"
C/1 Rifle Platoon
C/2 Rifle Platoon
C/3 Rifle Platoon
C/4 Weapons Platoon
Phoenix Knights:
Fenice heavily experimented with the concept of single man tanks and ultimately developed the first mechs. The OTO FV/43 Lancia is a 3.5m tall steel soldier controlled by a single man inside a cylindrical cockpit. They have various vision devices and novel control setup to enable decent situational awareness. Radio sets normally reserved for fighter aircraft are utilized to coordinate entire units together. Their armor is made from mithril, a material significantly lighter than steel yet just as strong. In tank terms the FV/43 Lancia equals only a light tank or even a tankette. Its running speed is inferior to that of most tanks but can take inclines and vertical surfaces significantly better. Its cannon is shaped like an oversized rifle and chambered for 36mm shells. It can fire explosive, canister, APHE and APDS rounds. The top cupola also has a machinegun that can be used as required. These walking tankettes are used as skirmishers instead of frontline combatants. Of course in a world without tanks their shock value will increase massively. The 552th Armored Cavalry, also known as the "Phoenix Knights" are stationed aboard the ship. They maintain a force of 17 Lancia mechs.
Name: Valery Mikhailovich Sablin Sapient: Human Gender: Male Age: 36
Time Period: 1975 Nationality: Soviet Faith: The Immortal Science of Marxism-Leninism
Bio: Valey Sablin is a man of intense principals. The son of a naval officer and a true believer in the Russian Revolution, as he grew older Sablin was forced to reckon with how far the USSR had fallen from the idealistic dreams of its founders. Corrupt, authoritarian and hidebound, the Soviet Union of the present looked increasingly different from the worker's utopia Lenin had promised. Early on Valery had attempted to combat this by writing to Kruschev but was reprimanded for his attempt. Then Kruschev fell and Brezhnev took over, further miring the Soviet Union in the muck of venal bureaucratism. In late 1975 Sablin meet his breaking point.
As a political officer aboard the frigate Storozhevoy, Sablin had managed to gain the trust and loyalty of most of the crew and a great deal of the other officers. A powerful speaker posessed with a burning passion, when Valery proposed the unthinkable many agreed. His mutiny took the more conservative officers by surprise, the ship suddenly turning against them before they were locked in their quarters. Sailing through the Gulf of Riga they almost made it to Leningrad, where Sablin planned to broadcast his message of a renewed Leninist revolution, before a junior officer broke free and radioed the goverment. The ensusing chase by aircraft should have stopped Sablin's mutiny in its tracks. However a great storm suddenly swept the Gulf of Finland, swallowing up the ship and Sablin. When it passed the crew found that they were nowhere near Leningrad....
The Storozhevoy
Tech Level: TL5 Service History: An anti-submarine frigate in a time of tense peace, the Storozhevoy has seen little in the way of combat or conflict until the mutiny. Out of the original 15 officers only 7 remain free. 7 voted not to mutiny and were locked below decks with the ship's actual captain, one fled the ship and attempted to alert the authorities to Sablin's mutiny. Most of the 145 crew still remain loyal to their new captain, though morale has been rattled by both the attack on the ship and the strange storm.
Child's Name: Septimius Vaballathus Sapient: Half-Gilded Gender: Male Age: 14
If a Senator? Senatorial Class: The Old Families - Hereditary Petty Kingdom Ruler Home Region: The East Faith(s): Mixed Paganism, Zenobia and her sons adhere to a mixed faith consisting of their region's original gods with the Empire's cults being entered into the mix in a secondary manner. Zenobia and her sons represent their city so it would be ill-fitting for them to not be aware and at least partially adherent to all faiths present in their city.
Bio:
Before the Empire's subjugation of the East in entirety there existed a culture in the region that was far removed from Imperial life. It was a culture devoted to free flowing trade, the idea that state lines were merely suggestions, and a pantheon of gods looking down upon the sands of the lands and aiding life. Existence in these areas wasn't always forgiving and all were expected to play a part in the survival of everyone else. But as times progressed and advances in agriculture and pastoralism were achieved life became steadily more stable. Though the roots of it all were still something far removed from Imperial culture. Men would be expected to fight and bleed while women would maintain the cities and towns, to treat each other not necessarily as equals but as something close, and beneath the eyes of the gods all would be made even in the afterlife. These roles in life were not concrete as legends and myths existed telling of women who waged war until they ascended into the heavens as gods, and both legends and myths existed of men who became compassionate nurturers and healers and ascended into the heavens as gods for their actions.
But these stories and traditions were gradually forced to fit Imperial ideals as the spread of the Empire gradually approached the lands of t he East. Until finally the Eastern lands were swallowed up by the unforgiving nature of the Empire. It wasn't a rapid assumption of control that occurred, instead it was gradual was lands were merely consumed via trade and threats of violence by the legions. Among the places the Empire gradually consumed was a city, barely more than a town, called Palmirah. Well over three centuries ago when the Empire was at the peak of their wars against the Askans the city state of Palmirah was brought into Empire control, only to immediately start serving as a frontier outpost for the Empire as a whole. For fights against the Askans in the northern area of The East Palmirah was a critical resupply point and staging area used by the Empire and gradually grew. With Palmirah's growth fueled by the money funneled into the city by the Empire the thousands of tribes from the region gathered and consolidated their power within the city. This sparked further growth that would last for centuries which was carefully curated by a mere handful of powerful Eastern tribes, the ones that had gotten in first and forced their way to the top fastest.
Amongst these tribes taking over Palmirah were the ancestors of Zenobia, or Bat-Zabbai in her mother tongue, who had already inhabited the region on-and-off already for millennia. This tribe, Bene Ma'zin, was a group of wealthy Bedouins who normally made their wealth via trade and pastoral activities though upon settling in the city of Palmirah the tribe changed direction. Their stored wealth became a key element in propelling them into the ranks of the aristocracy of the city, coupled with the relations they'd built up prior to settling. And, a century after settling, Zenobia was born. Her formative years were filled with the threats of war hanging over the region which that didn't stop her from being taught as per a Palmirene aristocrat. Additionally, it even let her have childhood hobbies many considered beyond the reach of most such as hunting on horseback for sport and learning about the logistics for large scale warfare.
After the great Emperor who reunited the entirety of the Empire passed through the region, still using Palmirah as a partial frontier outpost, he weighed the benefits of Palmirah's support against the freedoms they might be rewarded with in his wake. He enjoyed the growing trade city on the banks of the inland sea, enjoyed the varied cultures and religions present, and enjoyed the efforts towards the war against the Askans the Palmirenes put forth. So when he finally marched on the Empire's Heartlands he let Palmirah maintain their King provided they swore themselves into subservience to the Empire. When the current rulers of Palmirah did just that they cemented the city's place in the Empire and were in turn allowed to maintain some of their traditions.
These traditions are what allowed Zenobia to eventually assume a position within the city as one of the chief administrators. A position that her efforts when it came to business and management allowed her to obtain, though money obviously greased the wheels that brought her to such an appointment. Her area of responsibility typically was trade and tariffs, something her heritage prepared her for, that was leveraged into extensive efforts to modernize trade practices. Challenges abounded as others holding high ranks in Palmirah fought her privately wherever they could. Often such conflict occurred in the deserts and plains between cities, a caravan of Zenobia's might come under a raid by some vandals seeking to ruin her. Or, perhaps, Zenobia would do the same to others using the small number of cataphracts she had started to employ. Her efforts would ultimately not be in vain as the final step towards ensuring her power remained high in the city was her funding and initiating the construction of a massive temple compound. It was to be a monument to her prowess as a leader and offered as thanks to the god she favored first.
This massive compound had walls easily fifty meters tall protecting a compound two hundred meters by two hundred meters. With a towering temple to a pagan god, one held in high esteem by the Bedouin people that started Palmirah, placed squarely in the center. Within the courtyard of the compound was to be places of rest for pilgrims of this god and places where those who worshipped him could find sanctuary. Though none could deny it was Zenobia's efforts that made it possible and Zenobia's efforts that ensured the massive temple took less than a year to complete. And when the Uniting Emperor's son arrived in Palmirah to face the Askan attackers many years later the Young Emperor walked beneath the shade granted by Zenobia's newest project. To say he was impressed at the meteoric rise of Palmirah would have been an understatement, one he had time to contemplate beneath the shade of Zenobia's colonnade as it was being built. Unfortunately he didn't stay long, what with the campaign against Askan as his reason to be in The East in the first place. He had come to recruit those in Palmirah who would answer call to war and once again use Palmirah as something of a frontier outpost.
In the years following the construction of her temple and before Odaenathus visited Palmirah to fight Askan, Zenobia struggled to seriously progress. Projects that were started and funded by her helped her public image but her actual status in politics was mostly stagnant. The older men, and very few women, who held positions within Palmirah's government were resistant against letting Zenobia continue to rise. They'd been there first and the upstart Gilded woman was a threat that they felt must be stifled. So stifle her is what they did, regardless of some of them dying due to their more normal lifespans. Though she need not truly worry as the current Emperor arrived in Palmirah, he began to give her gifts in between campaigns against Askan. With Emperor Odaenathus showing her favor the legitimacy she was chasing in the eyes of the public was finally granted. Of course it also meant that the celibate life that she'd lived was potentially about to come to an end. Denying the advances of men who were beneath her in Palmirah's status was fine, denying an Emperor was most likely not.
Odaenathus and Zenobia's courtship was a drawn out affair, spanning a few years, with Zenobia being excessively reluctant to abide by the Empire's social standards. Her prospective husband wasn't wholly against this, with the fact she treated money as an Imperial male was even something he respected. Zenobia even managed to accompany Odaenathus during some of his campaigns which was an enlightening experience for the both of them. For him it was interesting to see a woman actually comprehend the logistics and tactics required to wage war, and for her it was interesting to see what she'd been taught actually put into practice. Though this only furthered Odaenathus's interest in Zenobia until he absolutely had to have her hand in marriage. For he had stumbled upon a woman that was almost entirely removed from Imperial culture and had proven her worth as a person, and he simply must have her.
Their wedding was a grand affair that was a two part thing. The first part happened in Palmirah itself with the crowning of Odaenathus and Zenobia as the new rulers of Palmirah. Their wedding event in Palmirah was a sprawling thing that started on one side of the city. It then progressed into a parade that ended at the mighty temple compound owned by Zenobia where the two were bound by the rites of the old gods. It was this day that Zenobia also expects to be her eldest son's conception date. The second part of Odaenathus and Zenobia's wedding occurred within the Empire's capital as the two were paraded through the city once more. This time the parade ended before a temple dedicated to the Empire's gods and they were once more bound together by Imperial traditions. Thus firmly joined as husband and wife Zenobia obtained all the benefits thereof as Odaenathus gained a woman who could, in his own eyes, be someone he considered almost equal to himself.
Some within the Imperial capital viewed their union as something to be scorned, because why would the Emperor lower himself to marrying a woman of obviously not Imperial blood? Her features were all dark and the golden color of her eyes was clearly foreign. Zenobia obviously disagreed because to her who the Emperor married was his own choice, and if the marriage benefitted her who was she to argue in the end? The complaints about Zenobia only ceased when her first son was born and his features, unfortunately in her own opinion, clearly matched those of her husband more than herself. Her son's hair was light brown, his eyes a soft green, and his skin more tan than brown. The clearest sign that he was hers was the ears her son had which ended at a very noticeable point. Though she didn't stop with just one, not when Zenobia was fully aware the risks involved with children. And so shortly after her first son, Hairan, was born she pressured Odaenathus into conceiving a second child with her.
Vaballathus was born during Odaenathus and Zenobia's third campaign against Askan, within a military tent on the edge of a battlefield. It was a bloody affair, but not one that slowed the Palmirene woman down. She was even rather elated when Vaballathus had features that matched her own, with eyes as bright as freshly poured gold. With a babe in her arms and another hugging her skirts Zenobia maintained the support network of the campaign. Meanwhile her husband fought atop a horse she'd gifted him ensuring victory in the Empire's name. This wasn't exactly going to last long though because as soon as Hairan was old enough to fight himself Odaenathus ensured that he was taught everything about war. Hairan learned about morale, siege tactics, troop compositions, and warfare as a whole to prepare him to follow in Odaenathus's footsteps. Vaballathus, on the other hand, took after his mother learning civil administration skills, finances, and logistics so that one day he could rule Palmirah should Zenobia one day perish.
Life continued in this way for quite some time with Zenobia eventually having a third child, a daughter she named Saloma. Things were, in Zenobia's opinion, rather good. Life had stabilized and things for her family were never truly better. Trips were made between her city of Palmirah and the heartlands of the Empire to keep up appearances, and to keep the Imperials appropriately appeased. Odaenathus even brought her with him as he led armies all over the Empire, enjoying the fact that she was more than happy to stand on the battlefield with him. His efforts gradually bettered the opinions the Imperials had upon her as well which would prove critical in a very short period of time.
During the final campaign against the Askan nation Odaenathus and Hairan were riding out to lead the charge upon an Askan army. The campaign had been going good for quite some time, though Odaenathus and Zenobia had long suspected that this fight would go in a surprising direction before it was over. And they were proven right as the Askan army performed a surprise pincer maneuver that captured Odaenathus and Hairan. With everything that had happened through the war against them the Askan people were not forgiving to the captured Emperor and his son, killing both before the campaign was over. In response Vaballathus continued the campaign and, with extensive guidance from his mother, payed the Askans back for what they'd done. Driving them back well beyond their borders before forcing them to accept peace. Zenobia was understandably against this, since her husband and son were killed by them, but Vaballathus strove to remind his mother of exactly what was at stake. She could pursue her war but it would be at the cost of the Empire as a whole.
With victory over the Askan kings assured and peace brought forth Vaballathus gained the support of the generals that he had fought with. And these generals were a key element in him seeking the throne that normally his coloration would have barred him from. While his father was a pure Imperial Emperor his mother was only granted citizenship through marriage. And, while he had gained the support of the Empire's generals in the East his focus was going to remain on what his mother taught him about. With him constantly seeking her guidance as Regent even after his coronation and placement upon the throne. Warfare was never something Vaballathus enjoyed and he never considered himself to be suited for it. He was slight, slim, and found a writing utensil to fit better in his hand than any blade. Zenobia accepted her position as her son's Regent happily and aimed to guide him in ways she felt fitting.
Together the two would guide the Empire into a new direction that would continue Odaenathus's desires and mix in the desires Vaballathus and Zenobia had. War would be avoided if possible and the Empire would be pushed more towards religion and trade, things that were hopefully able to be maintained without bloodshed. Vaballathus and Zenobia was never people to enjoy warfare, they was merely good at supporting such a thing. Both are painfully aware that war will arrive regardless and their lack of skill with it may prove to be their own downfall and be the cause of a significant dark age in the Empire's history.
Assets: (If picked as a Senator then first will become the only asset)
Ruler of Palmirah, a City of Trade
While the heart of the Empire maintains certain views on culture, religion, and women, though the ancient lands to the East that have existed for just as long have differing opinions on those very same things. So when the Empire came and claimed The East as part of their Empire certain things were very hard to let go of, with the small kingdoms that were absorbed by the Empire keeping some of their traditions alive. This has allowed Zenobia to maintain her grasp on the city she calls her own with co-rulership of it only existing during the time she was married to her late husband. And, through Zenobia's leadership, the city has sprouted malnourished seed on the banks of the northeastern sea and bloomed into a desert flower enjoyed by all who travel for trade. Many that travel the routes between the Far East and Far Northeast to the Heartlands will pass through Palmirah on their way, paying small tariffs as they go and leaving Palmirah very wealthy in return.
Custos Cataphracts
The great plains and fertile lands surrounding Palmirah and spread throughout The East around the various waterways has allowed the trade city to establish a force primarily made up of armored cavalry. These men on horseback are not held to the same standard as most within the Empire, with them holding elevated status positions, but they're considered employed soldiers. Thus allowing Palmirah with their Eastern traditions to establish such a large substantial group of heavy shock troops to protect themselves and the caravans that pass through Palmirene territory.
Religious Melting Pot
Palmirah contains an excessively large variety of faiths and religions within itself. The Empire itself has made some moves to welcome a wider variety of religions into the fold, though Palmirah has been doing such a thing for millennia already. Churches, mosques, synagogues, and temples can be found throughout the trade city for a variety of faiths with each faith generally holding Zenobia in high regard. They all enjoy equal status within the city and careful work by the city's council keeps the balance stable. This allows Zenobia and the city as a whole to enjoy the supernatural benefits of each faith they provide.
Name:Rameses
Sapient:God-Blooded of the Holy Sands
Gender:Male
Age:19
Senatorial Class: Old Families
Home Region: South
Faith(s):Kemetic
Bio:
Kingdom's Backstory:
There was once a Kingdom thought to have been as old as the land it stood atop, a land of greenery and sand. The histories say that this land stretched from sea to mountains, following the greatest river in the world. With this river came yearly floods of gentle water, making the land around it fertile beyond compare.
This fertility caught the attention of the very gods themselves, who looked upon the land and found it a suitable home for themselves. They settled along a large lake directly in the middle of the river's path, this lake becoming known as the Divine Pearl both due to its residents and how its waters brought forth life for miles around. Upon and around this lake the gods raised a city of white stone, where they resided with their many children and creations.
While the gods eventually went on to create another home in the heavens, another tale for another time, their children and creations remained upon the world as inheritors of the Divine Peral and the river that flowed through it. It would only be after the departure that the city of the gods would take on another name, Mephos. Without the gods, the city found itself under the rule of their descendants, specifically the children of the King of the Gods and Goddess of the Sun. These rulers were dubbed Pharaos and their lineage forever enshrined upon the Ivory Throne of Mephos.
From this divine lineage spawned a dynasty to match any other, as without the gods to keep their mortal followers content Mephos began to expand from the lake and down the river, eventually growing from the city of Mephos to the Kingdom of Kemet—a land of gold, fertile soil, and faith.
Time passed, the kingdom grew and shrunk, and had golden ages and dark times. Quite often following how the river acted, seasons of low water bring in grim times, and when the river flowed high, the kingdom soared.
But even divinity, a storied legacy, and gold can only do so much when a younger empire arrives during times of trouble. The death of an old Pharao and the ascension of an underage heir gave the watching empire a chance to force vassalage upon the kingdom of Kemet, curtailing the lord's influence to the city of Mephos and splitting their other lands to previous vassals. Creating a patchwork of vassal cities following the mighty river, with Mephos at the heart.
Character History:
Rameses was a man of divine heritage and a storied title, but outside of the land of his ancestors that meant little. For many years the empire has controlled the ancient lands of Kemet, and he was but the newest in the line that ruled in Mephos.
His people might have kept their faith in both their gods and in their rulers even through the long years of vassalage but the recent troubles with the empire's stability has brought forth new ideas. What these ideas might come to is will have to be seen…
Assets: Divine Blood: The Pharao has divine blood flowing through his veins, this gives him an incredible legitimacy, religious importance, and the features common to his line. With this blood also comes the rulership of the grand city of Mephos, the richest city along the mighty river that used to be the Kingdom of Kemet's territory.
Name: Vilkas Rhynebornn, chieftan of the Riverfolk Clan, Minister to the North, and Praetor of the Northern Imperial Guard
Sapient: Therianthropes
Gender: Male
Age: 57
Senatorial Class: Old Families
Home Region: The North
Faith(s): Imperial Cult (Semi-Privately druidic)
Vilkas was born to assist and serve the emperor. The man must be divine, his will becomes truth, and his word is law. Yet the spirits of nature work in mysterious and mighty ways. The wisdom of his kinsmen Druids should not be doubted. These forces work in harmony much as the force of the wind blows the trees carrying their leaves off to fertilize the ground.
Bio:
A man born in the tides, raised by the rivers, and chosen to follow the current where it takes him. One can never know why the flow of the river goes one way, or why the storms strike when it does. One may only react to these forces and be nimble enough to bend with the wind and follow where it blows.
The line of Rhynebornn has gone back centuries. A Riverfolk clan, who tales say mated with mermaids and were given their unique blessing; two sets of gills along their ribs and webbed toes. With the strength of the hands of men, yet the swiftness of the feet of the sea and the ability to breathe and thrive in both, the Riverfolk became powerful and fierce. The Rhynebornn being some of their most skilled ravagers. The heart of the Rhynebornn was never to conquest or conquer, for the forest belongs to the forest, and the hills to the hills. Instead they simply took what they could, and left what they couldn't. They saw themselves as just another earthquake, harsh storm, or severe wind. Neither good nor bad, simply the way it is.
For many generations the Rhynebornn acted as many northern tribesman, joining this coalition or that. Squabbling amongst themselves and living amongst their plentiful woods. Then a god appeared in flesh. A new wind blew through their forest and the Empire claimed their lands for themsevles, extending citizenship to those who sought to find a place amongst their ranks. Many northernors spat on the offer and died to the blade, but the Druids of the Riverfolk told their people of the Emperor's strength. That if his will becomes law, he must be a great spirit and a true force of nature. The Riverfolk met the 16th Legion on the field of battle and fell to one knee. Axes, Spears, Blades all held aloft crying "The Emperor's Wind comes! With it we will go!" From that point forward the Riverfolk have been trusting loyalists of the imperial throne. Impressed by Emperors of action and those who command their sprawling lands.
The Rhynebornn clan fought side by side with the 16th legion and helped conquest most of the North. At the tip of the Northern Provinces, the Imperial majesty kindly created the Northern Imperial Guard to defend his lands and a Rhynebornn chief was honored by being placed second in command.
Flashing forward to Vilkas' father Jothurn. Amongst the succession crisis of the Empire, the Rhynebornn and the Imperial Northern Guard retreated to the forests. Awaiting the day when the true Emperor would return. Vikas was raised away from urban centers, in the woods of his ancestors. Every day being told of the Emperor's return and how he would one day become chief and serve the Empire as it should be. He learned the ways of the land and the ways of statecraft among the now disputing tribes. At the young age of 9, the whispers became truth. The glorious Emperor returned to the North and met with many Northern nobles. When this meeting was spoken of; Jothurn, his commanders, and his son, all went immediately and pledged the Northern Guards fealty once more to the empire.
Vilkas was forged into a mighty ravager whipping his northern kinsmen back into line, and was soon dispatched to the East, and the South with a small contingent of Riverfolk to shore up those borders as well. He has watched as the Empire has expanded, and at the age of 35 was granted his father's Senate seat and a command post as a form of retirement. Vilkas does not fear the plots or tongues of men and found his skills as a battlefield insurgent quite useful in the Senate chambers. He has served with distinction often arguing for the continued expansion of the Empire and for the preservation of trade and the unique way of life of his people. He serves as one of the chief ministers of the North to not just the Emperor, but to most of the other imperial lands.
Now an older man of 57, a Praetor, a grandfather, a chief, and a senator. Maybe he is slipping? Maybe the Great Rhynebornn is not the mighty diplomat he once was, or... perhaps he would like the world to think that.
Assets: The Northern Imperial Guard.
As Praetor of the Guard he has dominance over their forces. Beginning as a marauding warband this group has shifted into far more of an intelligence gathering group for the Emperor's Northern Interests. However these skilled spies are not merely in the North. Vilkas has been known to travel with them all over the world. Sometimes one may happen to retire in a foreign land, or seek a business opportunity in a hot bed of political conflict. Their primary objective is to defend the Imperial North, but Praetor Vilkas has always taken a broad interpretation of that mandate. They however are a small force of no more than 100-200 specialists.
Name: Quintus Argentius Konius Sapient: Homo Sapiens Gender: Male Age: 56
Senatorial Class: The New Bueracracy Home Region: The West Faiths: The Old Faiths
Bio: Hailing from a long line of silver miners and more recently mine owners, Quintus Konius is the first of his wealthy and locally influential family to actually join the Imperial bureaucracy proper, earning his Senatorship in the process as a reward for decades of loyal service. Ending up as a regional governor, Quintus cultivated decades of investments and contacts, growing into a respectable political force despite his family's newness to the political sphere and lack of any singularly great personal accomplishments.
While once a rather striking man, these days he's the very picture of Imperial decadence: Heavily overweight, balding, near-permanently rooted to the halls of power regardless of his actual home and responsibilities, hedonistic, and somewhat prone to napping. While all of this is true, it's equally true that this is in part a carefully cultivated ruse, as Quintus has yet to lose an ounce of his sharpness, but believes that the guise of an easily distracted old man makes it more likely for him to be underestimated by his opponents, and less likely to be the target of assassins, although fortunately he hasn't had to put the latter belief to the test yet.
In the halls of the Senate, Quintus is highly focused on legislature that will, in order, improve his family's political influence, improve the situation of his western homelands, and improve the power and stability of the Empire as a whole, with few other priorities. He's a genuinely loyal son of the Empire, seeing it as the key to prosperity for him and his, and has no desire to unsettle things by making a bid for Emperor... at least not while a measure of stability and prosperity remains.
Personally, he's jovial and friendly almost to a fault, surprisingly generous, and believes in the values of family and equity; after all, even those coming from the humblest of beginnings may serve the Empire as well as anyone else. Pointless cruelty, in his eyes, is worse than a vice; it's a sin.
He has a sizable family, and increasingly entrusts his business endeavors to his eldest daughter, Sexta Argentius Konius. The Argentius family isn't very good at naming their children, as it turns out. As his focus on politics increases, his most recent initiative is to look into the dangers and possibilities of the rumored demise of the western silver mines, but recent events may provide him with far more pressing concerns...
Assets:Western Silver
The Argentius family has long held ownership over swathes of the western silver mines, something that has only expanded under Quintus' careful stewardship. While only a small fraction of the west's vast total output, combined with wise investments into local businesses and properties it's sufficient to make the Senator very, very wealthy, enough that it's notable even compared to his peers, for all that it's a drop in the bucket of the Imperial coffers overall.
Emperor - Namaroff - Valerius Fabius Maximus Beluoso
Name: Valerius Fabius Maximus Beluoso (personal nickname) Carcanum (cognomen) Sapient: Human (1/4th deer therianthrope) Gender: Male Age: 30
Home Region: East Faith(s): Sun Cult-Imperial Cult (he mostly does believe his grandfather was a god but otherwise...?)
Bio:
Emperor Valerius Maximus "Beluoso" Carcanum, grandson of the great Fabius Maximus Carcanum, is a failure. Everyone knows his grandfather's unbelievable life story - rising from the first families of the Eastern city of Teros, as a mere youth he was kidnapped at sea by pirates and held ransom, only to break free of his chains and kill his captors - returning victorious while still wearing the iron collar that would become his nickname. And that's just the backstory of leading the legions of the East against their Askan foe and then returning victoriously to purify the heartland of corruption. Having a stillborn son and a much beloved daughter from his late first wife, a fellow Easterner, as Emperor Fabius Maximus found a new wife while bringing order to the South - a Sun Cultist and a Therianthrope at that. Gaius Maximus was the product of their union, the union of Eastern aristocracy and Southern mysticism, bearing the antlers of his maternal lineage and in all other aspects the nearly spitting image of the Refounder.
Valerius Maximus on the other hand, is like the copy of a copy. He looks much like his father, and a fair bit like his grandfather, but in a diminished way. His chin weak, his stature shorter, his horns mere nubs, his stomach already growing the beginning of a paunch at thirty that his father didn't have until forty five. His mother, a fearsome Northerner that Gaius Maximus met while on campaign, gave him her red hair but he was much closer with his grandmother before her passing. Despite her best efforts to make him wise and pious, just as his father trained him to be strong and decisive, he was as mediocre a student of cult mysteries as he was of legion drill.
His sole achievements in life beyond merely filling the role, sitting at the top of the masterful machine his grandfather created and his father maintained, is in his easy geniality; which perhaps better suits a strong Senate and relative peace at the borders than an iron-necked dictator would. His nickname Beluoso, the Beast, is merely a reference to the influence his therianthrope grandmother had upon him but is enough to fool from a vast distance those who might think a great warrior once again sits the throne of Caere.
Assets:
1. Teros, the stereotypical Eastern city state and ancestral seat of the family. On the coast, not an island, remote to the other city states and thus with a history of mountain banditry and pirate attacks that led to an adventurous aristocracy even if now security is greater. The vineyards provide the wine that the imperial family drinks and serves to honored guests.
2. Ildiblis, Westerner from a wealthy but not Senatorial family, and the Emperor's bodyguard (and childhood friend after meeting while traveling with his father the Emperor). Her rich father hired tutors to teach her anything she wanted to know, and what she wanted to know was how to wield many different weapons from different parts of the Empire. Could have been an imperial knight based on athletics and skill with the sword, but spends her life at the Emperor's side jumping in the way of daggers and holding his cup.
3. The Combrogii. Emperor's grandmother may have left him her religion but his mother's tribe is still active among the loyalists in the Northern frontier. Redhaired barbarians, raise cattle, quick to fight and quick to make friends.
Name: Valash Baharam
Sapient: Human/Gilded
Gender: Male
Age: 27
Senatorial Class: Hereditary Military
Home Region: South East
Faith(s): Faith of The Eternal Shepard
Bio: The Horselords of the Sassan once ruled a vast and mighty kingdom, incorporating tribes from across the steppes, to the settled peoples of the various rich river cities of the east. Valash was born the last of the Sassan kings, his kingdom conquered by the Empire, its cities razed to the ground its armies impotent to the sheer inertia of its legions. Yet even a conquered king the Sassan still held Valash in reverence, being as young as he was Valash was adopted into a prestigious imperial family sent to govern the region.
Valash was brought from his childhood upwards as an Imperial citizen, as soon as he was able he joined the Legions, serving for seven years, he led multiple military campaigns eastwards expanding the Empire's borders into the vast frontier. Yet even as he came home to govern the people who once named him king, his discontent grew. The Sassan people still are widely without citizenship, her many tribes once united now scattered across the east while her cities still cower underneath the foot of imperial occupation.
While Valash may be an Imperial senator within his heart he is the one.
King of the Sassan.
Assets: The Sassan Horse Tribes
Said to be born in the saddle the Sassan are perhaps arguably the best horse riders in the known world. Their mounted Calvary is second to none. Armored Cataphracts capable of crashing through even the densest formation, horse archers capable of putting an arrow through the slit of a helm while charging full speed on horseback.
The Sassan are masters of the horse and are fiercely devoted to the house of Baharam, to its last heir Valash.
Name: Barogus
Sapient: Harpy
Gender: Female
Age: 25
Home Region: Heartlands
Faith(s): Animism
Bio: Born as the inheriting child of the old matron of the Iyeskander tribe, Barogus was born under an auspicious star that granted her the gift of divination, able to see portions of all possible realities. As a youth, her once vague understanding of this gift grew and grew with the passing seasons, eventually, she witnessed a future that was different from the typically simple visions she had been accustomed to. She saw her people, slaughtered and in bondage, the empire that had usually allowed her people some sort of privacy now turning on them as an age of chaos engulfed the land. Terrified, Barogus sought out a way to protect not only herself but her people as a whole, eventually finding this in the form of an old and corrupt senator whose future she regaled to him. Manipulating this cheap vessel, she placated him with false realities that he could achieve if he allowed the two to work together. Barogus can only hope that her charade can keep her people from suffering that grim future she foresaw.
Assets: With a hidden hand in the senate, Barogus suspects that her goals will prove far less troublesome to accomplish than she imagined.
Name: Parpadua
Sapient: Harpy
Gender: Male
Age: 24
Home Region: Heartlands
Faith(s): Animism
Bio: The younger brother of Barogus, Parpadua is more martially inclined than his elder sibling, seeing that the time to strike is now and that the empire of man must be pushed out from their homeland of Iyeskander. While he may currently grumble along with his sister's plans, he yearns for the taste of human blood in his beak.
Name: Carvanio Sumdas
Sapient: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 42
Senatorial Class: The Military
Home Region: Heartlands
Faith(s): Sun Cult
Bio: An old and corrupt man of the Sumdas bloodline, he discovered for himself a boon worth keeping. A runaway slave by the name of Barogus, or so she claims, has fallen under his control. While her harpy nature would have demanded that he simply slay the foul thing, the creature charmed him with clear visions of the future that proved more than correct, ones which he could manipulate to further reach his own goals.
Assets: Backed by a barbarous and bestial seer, Carvanio hopes this will give him an edge above his rivals.
After much deliberation (and rolling some dice because I couldn't decide) I have decided on: @Hydrokinesis as Emperor (Regent)
and @willyvereb as ISOT
I would be happy to see everyone else as Senator. @LurkingWreck and @Namaroff are hopefully willing to stop their Imperial ambition (or nurture them from seats in Senat).
@Punch Paladin - it would be great if you could join the discord (sorry if you did and I missed it now) @mcclay - while the Immortal Science of Marxism-Leninism hasn't taken the direct path, I would be happy to see you take a new place in the slaveholder societies upper ranks. Who knows what path history will take from there.
I am currently preparing the Influence values, imperial Assets and maybe some more map markers. Hopefully I will be able to get everything ready by tomorrow and as soon as people finalized their Senator Sheets, we can start.
Name:Rameses
Character Creation: Senators
