Shattered Gods

[SirSpangler]

Since time immemorial, the realms of Heaven and Hell has been locked in an ever-escalating war for supremacy.

The initial cause of this conflict are unknown to all but the gods and Demons themselves. What is known however, is that after millennia of conflict the Hells gradually gained the upper hand, and, emerging victorious in string of engagements, pushing the Heavens back to their inner planes. And yet, despite innumerable attempts, the Demons could not breach the inner plane's defenses. In an effort to bypass these obstacles, they created the mortal realm, planning to use it as a shortcut into Heaven, (like a tunnel under a wall). The original mortals that formed in this new realm were unforeseen byproducts, pale imitations of the Demons themselves. Unfortunately for the demons, the gods spotted this tunnel before its completion, and likewise spotted the mortals.

The gods projected themselves onto the mortals, and by rousing fears that the demons would attempt to enslave them, convinced them to attack and cast out their creators. The demons, in an instant, lost everything they had built up, sending them back to the same stalemate they had been locked in for so long.

In blinding fury, they swore to destroy the mortals that had enabled such a catastrophic setback. However, they found this difficult to accomplish, as once the demons were driven out, the gods had claimed the mortal realm and added it to their domain.

Realizing that a full attack would by just as fruitless as their assaults on the Heavens, the Demons decided to beat the gods at their own game. Using energy previously set aside for what was going to be their final attack, they instead -this time purposely- created several mortal species of their own and set them loose in the mortal Realm. These new species were completely dedicated to their masters, and in their name have waged an endless war against the "first" mortals ever since.

But that is not your concern, for you care not for the demons and their futile flailing. You targets are those who dared cast you out, disregarding your ceasless service in fear of the truth you revealed, of the punishment you invoced, and of the judgement you bestowed.

And judgement? Judgement is eternal

Greetings! My name's SirSpangler. I've been lurking in SV for a while now and figured it was time to contribute something of my own.
Now, I already have a quest on SB, and this one is likely going to be fairly similar in function to that one (plus some additions thanks to lessons learned in said quest). Essentially, you are Julith, god of Judgement. In a fit of telling cowardice, the gods have cast you out from your Heavenly domain. Now you must seek to grow your strength and that of your followers, with the ultimate goal of punishing the Gods who dared betray you. How you do this is up to you.

With that out of the way, you may begin post once turn 1 is up! Please don't post anything yet. I still have some things to sort out.

Click to shrink...

 

[SirSpangler]

Alignment: Judgment

Patron Deity: Julith, The Silent Queen

History- Julith is known as many things- the Forsaken god, the Architect, the Lady of Judgment, -however, by far her most common alias is simply, 'The Silent Queen'. She was once part of the heavenly pantheon, serving as the lord of judgment for thousands of years, however, a great cataclysm- the details of which have been lost to time- eventually columnated in her "death".​

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But gods cannot die. This is a fundamental fact of the universe. Instead she was… changed, for lack of a better term. ​

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As the god of Judgment, her duty was to hunt and destroy those the heavens deemed unworthy, be they mortal or demon. But whatever happened to her in those fateful days caused her enact judgment on the very gods themselves. This was unprecedented, and the effects this would bring was unknown even to the most powerful of Heavens. Fearful of this impossibility, the gods banished her from their realm, "killing" her, and with the Demons hating her almost as much as they fear her -thus barring her way to the Hells, the mortal plains have effectively been turned into her prison.​

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Cast out from Heaven and barred from the Hells, she now exists as morbid reminder that even the gods are not infallible. Yet even isolated as she is, her powers have by no means deserted her, and indeed, many fear she has actually grown stronger from her exile.​

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She has judged the Heavens themselves unfit for existence, and using her new-found connection with the mortal plains, she will turn the god's own tools against them. By bloody blade, scarred steel, or blackest rune, the sentence will be carried out. Not matter the cost.​

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After all…​

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Judgment is Eternal​

Unique aspects:

Runecraft: With their patron goddess barred from both major ethereal realms, any forces pledged to Julith are unable to access the more traditional schools of magic. However, Julith recognized this vulnerability early in her exile, and using her new-found connection with the mortal realms created the skill that would become known as runecraft.​

Instead of her followers drawing large reserves of magic directly from an otherworldly plain (usually the heavens or hells), altering the magic to suit their current needs, and then directing it onto the mortal plain (a powerful, though inefficient process) as other factions do; a mere drop of Julith's own magic is taken, and then placed into an object with various focusing and altercation "runes", which will build up in strength over time. Various runes can also alter the effect of the magic inside, allowing her followers to relatively even the playing field against the other forces of the world. Likewise, the longer a runic object is unused, the more powerful the effect will be, limited only by the quality of the material containing the magic, and/or the rune(s) inscribed.​

The major limits of this system are that, by its very nature, learning the art of runecrafting is dangerous. Runes are quite literally the language of the gods, and as of such were never meant to be beholden by mortals. The more knowledge is accrued, the more fragile the link to one's sanity becomes. The chance of a rune master going insane is worryingly high.​

Additionally, more powerful runes effects may require more…personal sacrifices.​

Avatar: With the mortal realms now serving as her "home", Julith is the only divine being theoretically capable of being physically summoned. How this would be accomplished however, would need to be the subject of decades, if not centuries, of intense study in runecraft.​

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Playstyle:

=influence based​

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=defensive​

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=slow expansion​

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=only faction capable of incorporating other mortal species​

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=(relatively) quick technological advancement​

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=little to no allies​

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=lots of enemies​

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=everyone hates you​

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=seriously they really hate you​

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=by god they hate you​

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Time to be brutally honest. Julith doesn't care about mortals. Not really. Nor does she really care about demons. Or the massive war between the Heavens and Hells. She just doesn't care. Her only concern is getting back at the gods. As a deity up in heaven, that'd be fine. As the patron god of a mortal city-state, and one that's bound to the mortal realms, that's a problem.​

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Basically, you don't get to do diplomacy. Your foreign affairs with another nation can always be summarized as "actively fighting" or "not actively fighting". The Heavens obviously don't want you gaining any power, while the demons have a pretty big bone to pick with you now that you're vulnerable (you were really good at your old job as heaven's enforcer). Meaning that all other nations are automatically at war with you.​

Now, firstly- most don't know where you are, and secondly- many have their own problems to deal with, so you're not going to get immediately swarmed by nations 10x your power. But make no mistake, if they get the chance to attack you, and they feel that doing so doesn't pose a significant risk to themselves? They will attack.​

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As a result, your nation is vary defensive in nature, and isn't well suited for offensive actions.​

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Now, as this is a quest, you are fully allowed to go "fuck you GM, we're conquering the world city by bloody city!" I won't actively go out of my way to penalize you. But at the same time, well... just ask history how well fighting everyone usually goes for the aggressors.​

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Instead, Julith is very big on influence and subversion. Why have a long-drawn out siege when you can just put a few key individuals in the right place at the right time and just have your army walk in? Additionally, Julith doesn't really care about mortal nations, (apart from your own. you're her only major group of followers, so she'll help out if it looks like you're about to be destroyed) and as a result won't interfere with what she believes are "mortal affairs". The only times she'll ever really pay attention is if the defeat of the opposing force will somehow harm another god. So she won't care if you're fighting generic army #5 from nation whatever, but she will care if your army is fighting the Holy Order of the Golden Chalices led by saint Herodude the magnificent.​

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[SirSpangler]

Generals Your army is still new. Unsurprisingly this means you have no generals

Runemasters No has delved deep enough in the study of runes to call themselves a master. No on sane at least...

Champions No one has proven themselves worthy of your notice

 

[SirSpangler]

Cursed/Forsaken:

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-Culture: Criminals, sinners, outcasts, hopefuls, and fanatics constitute the majority of the Forsaken population. These are people who either hope to absolve themselves of past transgressions, or who have lost faith in the other divine lords and wish to see Heavens and Hells pay for all the suffering their war has caused. Julith's smallest, but undoubtedly most powerful followers are the former members of the Order of the Burgundy Rose, who once served as her church when she still walked among the Heavens. Once she fell, her church was swiftly disbanded. However, many of her devotees continued to follow their patron, leaving their past lives to join in her unending crusade.​

Alone in a world possessing no allies, the Forsaken have become intensely defensive in their mindset. Preferring to slowly expand their power over the course of years, rather than risk annihilation in a rushed conquest. The Forsaken prize technology and advancement, seeking to reach a point that enable them to stand a chance against the far larger and more powerful nations of the mortal realms.​

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-Location: The Forsaken start in the city/fortress of Silver Keep, located in the isolated bogs of the Dead marshes.​

Surrounded to the north and west by towering mountains, the east by the burning fields, and the south by the Gasping Sea, the Dead Marshes got its name due to how often necromancers would raise their undead armies in these swamps. Unsurprising, the truly staggering amount of corpses in the marshes plus the periodic mana storms routinely sweeping across the marshes (curtesy of the burning fields), means that the area is home to hundreds of wandering hordes of undead. These dangers, plus a complete lack of an incentive for anyone (save aspiring necromancers) to travel here means that the Dead Marshes is one of the least populated areas on this entire plane. Yet this is not without advantage, for should the Forsaken manage to secure the marches and the surrounding mountains, they would hold one of the most defensible locations in all the realm.​

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Cities

• Silver Keep - Capital
  
  -basic mines​
  -alter of confession​
  -mustering grounds​

 

[SirSpangler]

Military:

Battle Cry: Judgment is eternal​

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Pros-​

+defensively focused: If they wish to destroy us, they will have to bleed for every inch!​

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+adaptable: Willing to try and do anything to gain an edge.​

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+technologically progressive: Always willing to accept new ideas and technology to assist in their eternal struggle.​

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+fanatical: Defeat is not an option!​

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+militia troops are of higher quality than most nations: With so few true followers, every man counts.​

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+can incorporate both heavenly and demonic species into ranks: Unlike other nations who only field species that share their alignment (and sometimes not even then) the Forsaken army is accepts individuals of all species, so long as they swear themselves to Judgement.​

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+runecraft: The words of our god is our greatest weapon!​

Cons-​

-low manpower at start: So few true believers​

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-weak magic at start: What do you mean the language of gods is hard to translate?​

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-volatile magic-users: Knowledge comes at a price​

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-almost no professional troops at start: Brand new nation. What'd you expect?​

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-extremely limited selection of cavalry: marshes aren't good for horses, shocker.​

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-weak offensive capabilities: We're meant to hold cities, not take them dammit!​

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Current Roster

T1-Forsaken Hopefuls: Basic engineers of the Forsaken, armed with one-handed war hammers and small shields
T1-Forsaken Pilgrims: They've come far and wide to serve Judgement, baring whatever weapons they could bring.
T1-City Pikes: Pikemen charged with protecting Forsaken cities
T1-City Crossbows: Crossbowmen charged with protecting Forsaken cities

Current Army

x2 Forsaken Pilgrims
x1 City Pikes
x2 City Crossbows

 

[SirSpangler]

Time to begin!

(Silver City) -Chance of attack by undead horde {moderate 26-50%}
(Silver City) -Chance of group of Pilgrims arrival {Extremely High 76-100%}

Treasury: 25,000 minos

Nation:

[ ] Upgrade Mines (Silver Keep) (Basic Mines -> Medium Mines) -cost 25,000 coins -15 weeks to build​

[ ] Upgrade Church (Silver Keep) (Alter of Confession -> Alter of Silence) -cost 20,000 coins -12 weeks to build​

[ ] upgrade Barracks (Silver Keep) (Mustering Grounds -> Militia Training Grounds) -cost 30,000 coins -12 weeks to build Not enough minos
[ ] create new city -cost 500,000 coins Not enough coins​

[ ] On northern mountain pass​

[ ] On western mountain pass​

[ ] On shore of Gasping Sea​

[ ] create fort -75,000 coins Not enough coins​

[ ] On northern mountain pass​

[ ] On western mountain pass​

[ ] On shore of Gasping Sea​

Military:

[ ] recruit new unit (Silver Keep manpower- 2 units available)​

-6,000 coins per Frosaken Hopefuls (amount) -6 weeks to complete​

-8,000 coins per City Pikes (amount) -4 weeks to complete​

-5,000 coins per City Crossbows (amount) -4 weeks to complete​

[ ] Recruit new general -10 weeks to complete​

[ ] fortify city (Silver Keep) -3 weeks to complete​

Actions:

[ ] Send out a force to clear out some undead​

[ ] send Forsaken Pligrims (amount) {2 available}​

[ ] send City Pikes (amount) {1 available}​

[ ] send City Crossbows (amount) {2 available}​

[ ] Send out force to find and explore ruins​

[ ] send Forsaken Pligrims (amount) {2 available}​

[ ] send City Pikes (amount) {1 available}​

[ ] send City Crossbows (amount) {2 available}​

Influence:

[ ] Recruit basic Runecrafter- 3 weeks to complete​

[ ] Search for champion -unknown time to complete​

[ ] Send out call of Judgement​

-Calls for Pilgrims​

[ ] Locate nearby city/nation​