Serpentine88

Sacrilege War Redux

Second IC post done, Remas is in and I have responded to the Everyren matter.

Also I have officially broken my 1 IC Post Curse! mwuhhahahahahaha.

Sacrilege War Redux

EVERYREN, FORMERLY OF THE SOMNUS IMPERIUM, NORTH AVARA

Moments before the Immolation...

it was an alleyway, a dark one as they always seem to be in Somnus cities. Despite it being a sunny morning, no light passed through into these narrow pathways between buildings. Remas had no idea how he got here, his memory restricted to the moment he saw the women in front of him. The strange white haired and faintly blue skinned women was inspecting a box; his box, looking over small glass vials and metal containers within with scrutiny, trying to keep her obvious fascination at a minimal level of fascination.

“So, is this what you call…. uh, the Grindebault right?” the women said, looking eagerly at a small white root, which when combined with certain ingredients through mortar and pestle and then burned becomes a cloudy dust and smoke which is both irritable to skin and dense enough to become a smokescreen, favourable to all assassins and thieves alike. Just like the woman in front of Remas. He knew what she was, they had been having these little alleyway meetings for some time.

“Indeed. As promised, I have constructed two devices using the Grindebault. I will construct a proper batch the next time we meet. I assume you have it, the item?” Remas inquired cautiously, this individual inspiring Remas to act quiet and restrained unlike his usual bombastic and sarcastic self.

“I have it, but I must say you are a strange man Justinanus. I offer you the death of anyone or any object in the world, and you have me steal… a box filled with a branch from some tree. I figure this is of some great use that you would have me bust into the Alchemical society of the Dominion’s headquarters. So what, does it give immortality or something?” the woman states while taking a small box out from under her cloak.

“I assure you, the Uloyidasi is one of the most valuable alchemical plants in existence” Remas promised.

“Never heard of it”. the woman responded nonchalantly while opening the box, looking at the strange silver-like metallic branch.

“Then how about… The flesheater solution?”

“Uh-huh, some kind of acid then?.” The woman picked up the small branch, waving it around like a twig.

“ Justinian damned Yuwanists… how about…” Remas thought, until realizing that as an assassin from the Dominion, this individual would know the flesheater by another, more colloquial and by a far more infamous name.

“Dread of the Moon” Remas whispered, attempting to scare the woman. It worked. Not in the obvious sense, but the women dropped the plant within less than a heartbeat. Her face was perfectly calm, but Remas knew he had genuinely frightened her. She looked directly at him, her eyes telling him she was in disbelief.

“This… this is seriously Dread of the Moon? Are you insane? Why would you need the Dread?” She was still getting her head around the fact that inside that small box, that something as innocent as that piece of plant was the dread… no wonder the security was so damn high she thought.

Her shock and fear suddenly disappeared when she realized something. This man had not only got her to steal something like the Dread but had it in its apparent original form… meaning this man could make the Dread. Boy did she get lucky four years ago when that target just happened to be attempting to kill some random Somnus plague doctor.

“Well Doctor Justinanus, I think we may have to make a new, better trade off” The women spoke, implying she wanted the Dread,in its weaponized form.

“Well, Morinth, you see I am contact with a certain Drathan that--” Remas stopped. The women wasn’t looking at him anymore, but frantically looking back and forth.

“Remas! Get up! The City is on fire!” She screamed.

Confused, Remas looked around and saw that the city was perfectly fine. “What on Avara are you screaming about you crazy Yuwanist bitc---” Remas was immediately interrupted when she spoke again, yelling instead of screaming… yelling in a very deep, very masculine voice.

“GET UP YOU IDIOT, THE FUCKING CITY IS UNDER ATTACK!” Morinth yelled at him before suddenly her face and then body turned into Phebosius. Oh crap, I’m dreaming he thought with sudden realization.

THE ACTUAL EVERYREN

With a startle he rose out of his horrible tavern bed, Phebosius next to him preparing to pull him out. “Wait, wait, I’m up” Remas barked, looking around to see the group was pacing around frantically. Through the window Remas could see red light and embers, so indeed the city was at least on fire.

“Phebosius, you remember Sistiastium and Septimopolis, the dream cultists, they have finally come!” Bosk yelled from the other side of the tavern. It took a while, but Remas finally put together what this all meant.
“Oh shit” Remas sighed. Where the hell was Morinth when he needed her? Why did the council have to send him to a city about to be destroyed by the plague? He was just supposed to get some Justinian damned Tendrilweed. Remas looked around inside the Tavern. Aurelius was writing on a piece of parchment with a quil, a Somnite Imperial Eagle out of its cage and ready to send a message back to the Council in High Ironmarch. Mananimos was in the middle of the tavern meditating, Saathen was pacing in nothing but a sleeping gown and Phebosius was busy putting the last of his armour on.

Bosk entered the room in full paladin armour, the man looking like a walking hunk of gold. Despite his almost comical appearance, the man was stern and gave off an aura of knowing unlike his usual dimwittedness. Remas knew they had seen this happen before, just like the old days during the Fall. Phebosius went on about it every day after all.

“I will take the gate, Pheb, in case the worse has come to pass and it has already been opened. You know what to do”. Bosk then turned to the kid, Odev, just waking up and walking into the room half asleep. “Boy, we need to warn the city what is really going on. Go and run to the castle immediately” he ordered patiently. The boy simply nodded and walked out of the room again.

“What do we do?” Remas asked now, glad he wore his plague doctor mask even while sleeping, as it hid his almost stupid facial expression.

Phebosius looked around as the room was filling up with the twenty other members of the party, the men being mostly sergeants. They too were gearing up for battle. He looked at Remas with an expression suggesting the answer was obvious.

“Right, right, don’t die. I’ll get ready then” Remas muttered, standing up and beginning to put his plague doctor robes and cloak over his sleeping robes. Phebosius and Bosk left then, rushing off to save the city from certain doom, obviously they thought the rest of the party would take too long to prepare for them to go with them, the cocky bastards. Saathen strangely was very quiet however, having yet yelled or made any remarks concerning his intelligence or manhood. The room became very quiet after Bosk and Pheb’s sudden leave, leaving Aurelius’ scrawling on paper as the primary source of noise.

Remas, after finishing getting dressed begun to walk out of the tavern with the now ready party. He didn’t know if Bosk and Phebosius were alive, but it would be in poor taste to abandon them. His run down the street towards the gate was stop short by the sudden blast of a horn, a horn Remas knew sounded very much like a Charlinite horn…

The ground shook. The rest of the party stopped moving.

Light, blinding light. Remas flinched, putting his hand in front of eyes before turning away from the gate. Justinian save them. The rest of the party was muttering anxiously, backstepping towards the tavern. Remas simply walked, deceptively calm.

Yells, cheers, clangs of steel on steel. Screams. Justinian save them, Everyren was not being overthrown from within by cultists.

“We are being invaded!” Remas yelled back at the others, now running back into the tavern. he rushed up the stairs and into the storage room. His medical box was within, much larger than all those years ago when he spoke to Morinth as in that dream. he opened his box using the key around his neck, revealing potions, smaller boxes and parchment covered in his messy writing. He threw this all on the ground. He took the fake bottom out, and unlocked the second layer. Within was his personal arsenal of alchemical warfare.

The Charlin bastards thought they could just invade Somnus because they were tired of fighting the Moonlanders, or the plague, or the ghuls, or the Drathans or the damn Dominion. Remas wasn’t all too religious, perhaps even a heretic the servitors would say, if they knew about his little dealings with Morinth or his other plans… but Justinian damn it he knew where his loyalties lied in the end. The easterners always thought the north was weak and needed guidance and protection like some child, so damn condescending.

And honestly, he was sick of all these Paladins and Charlinophiles. Orev wouldn’t shut up about honour this and honour that. He was sick of being considered the weaker member of the party, sick of the Jahun-ka and Paladins mistaking his intellectual pursuits for cowardice. Sick of them and their cultural postering. Deep down, perhaps he just wanted to use this invasion as an excuse to show off, but he quickly vanquished this thought with a torrent of forced patriotic fervour and annoyance at Paladins.

He begun by taking out a metal cauldron, running over to set it above the tavern fireplace. Mananimos was still there, sitting and meditating. Such an annoying man Remas thought. The others below had started making loud banging noises. It seemed they were barricading the Tavern door as Charlin soldiers started closing in on the street.

Remas returned to his box, taking out three clay orbs, placing them and a sling next to a window. He then got a row of six wooden pipes, the size of the sticks the old nobles used to beat horses and pages with and placed them next to the orbs. He took out two metal contraptions, like gauntlets but only covering the forearms, leaving the hands covered by leather, chemical coated gloves worn by plague doctors, like the ones Remas wore now. Connected to one of said gauntlet-devices was an interesting mechanism which when a metal trigger is pulled, a flint is struck, causing sparks, functioning much like a match. The other gauntlet is a specialized plague doctors device originally created for medical purposes. A pipe made of leather made of an Otnemarcasan beast and coated in a protective chemical runs across the gauntlet to a glass bottle filled with air and a glass bottle filled with, normally, a herbal mixture, both strapped to the back. Used to spray infected at a distance, alchemists in the north have refitted this device for military purposes.

Remas placed both next to the other pieces of equipment and begun placing numerous boxes and vials by the window as well. He took out his mortar and pestle and carefully took a bunch of spiky, vibrantly coloured, rainbow-like Sybasus flowers and placed them within the mortar. He begun grinding them into a toxic and lethal poisonous mush, before mixing it with water and filling the empty glass bottle connected to the gauntlet.

He took the wooden pipes and placed them in knots on his outer robe. He tied two of the clay orbs on wraps around him waist. He strapped the gauntlets onto his arms. Two boxes remained of the ones he decided to use for this event. One contained his guns. All single shot pistols, four Somnus Blackstone matchlocks and a single Dominion doglock, a piece of art and gun he acquired from Morinth in exchange for a single drop of Dread of the Moon.

Speaking of the Dread, Remas opened the second box, holding within a single silver twig of the abominable Uloyidasi tree, a metallic and extremely magical flora only found in secret oasis’ and underground jungle-caverns in the Union. As Remas carefully took the plant out and moved towards the cauldron, the old Dryadicist sage finally made an expression beyond smiling, and it, like Morinth before him, was shock and fear.

“The Uloyidasi is it? A frightful weapon to be using. You would use it against your fellow Justinians?” The old man asked, narrowing his eyes. Remas dropped the twig into the cauldron, watching it wither and begin to glow in the heat.

“I need to test my theories one way or another old man, and the Charlinites have revealed themselves as willing test subjects” Remas replied, watching as the twig deformed into a puddle of glowing, clumpy silver liquid. Dread of the Moon while a colloquial term used by assassins and rogue’s was once a far more refined term restricted to the highest and most secret circles of Drathan wizards. A concoction invented by a wizard commonly rumoured to be in direct communication with Yuwan herself, the substance was devised as a torture device. Due to the extreme danger in its handling, and the incredible longevity of the substance on all other physical elements, the Dread was banned by a council and henceforth only became used by certain wizards to guard their tombs, coating the near everlasting Dread on surfaces for unwitting victims to touch. Later, after war-orientated alchemy became a mainstream concept, the Dread of the Moon was rediscovered and used in high profile and incredibly brutal assassinations since then, prized as an extremely rare and valuable death dealer.

As legend has it, the Dread of the Moon has not yet be refined to its final form. As an advocate of this theory, Remas originally had Morinth acquire the Dread so he could experiment with it in an attempt at refining it to this mythic final form. While talking with the Drathan defector, Dosazes daz Vosazastivis he discovered that the current refined form may in fact be its penultimate state. This final form may in fact actually exist. The final form, dubbed the “Sword of Yuwan” by Dosazes is believed to be alchemy’s most diabolical, if theoretical, invention. A weapon of unprecedented scale and destructive power, the final form would be a gaseous, air-borne Dread, capable of decimating an entire country and eradicating millions of people and billions to trillions of living things down to the maggots within Avara’s soil within but days. Remas’ mission was simple. Create the ultimate weapon known to all mankind and bring an end to the Plague once and for all, by eradicating all life within the afflicted area of the world.

“Perhaps Morinth was right, perhaps I am insane” Remas whispered to himself before grinning maliciously, watching as the clumpy silver liquid refined into a perfectly smooth, shiny metallic liquid as he added other ingredients to the mix in perfect pre-set quantities and with absolute precision and timing. If he one day succeeded, he figured the irony of a Justinian using the Sword of Yuwan to obliterate the dreaming plague might cause the world to stop functioning correctly. Still, today was not that day and instead he would be using the dread for, though innovative, far more mundane purposes.

He took the completed “Flesheater Solution” and with utmost care, slowly moved it onto a table. He took a single bullet and with tweezers dipped it into the solution, giving the bullet a shining, chrome like coating. He carefully placed the bullet inside one of the matchlock pistols, he dared not use the doglock for this, as the pistol would have to be discarded carefully after use. He then put the tweezers inside a vial, filling it with a few drops and then throwing it inside a box filled with various objects, some years old, that still had older forms of the solution coating them. The box would need to be bury deep, or thrown into the ocean soon. It might even be wiser to go to Karkarth and throw it into one of the volcanos there.

Remas begun entering a state of total focus as he took great care to place the pistol back onto his coat and vial alongside the other vials inside his cloak. Mananimos voice faded away as did the Charlinites attempts at bashing down the taverns door. he took one last object out of the box, a Grindebault grenade, lit it with a few cracks of the automatic flint and threw it out the window.

As the small object fell down with a tail of smoke behind it, Remas walked down the stairs, directly towards the door being knocked down by angry Charlinites. Saathen yelled at him, but her voice was muffled and distant, even as she tried to grab his shoulder.

The door fell, and Remas walked directly towards the Charlinites rushing in. Raising one arm, he sprayed a torrent of toxic mist at them, the soldiers within the mist slowing down as the poison begun slowing down their hearts and dulling their minds as the throbbing pain locked their muscles down. Casually walking through the door and into the cloud of skin-irritating smoke, Remas took one of the clay orbs out of the band around his waist and put it into a sling he was holding. Lighting the fuse on the clay bomb he charged out of the cloud of smoke, appearing before a cluster of around thirty Charlin soldiers. Swinging the sling around, Remas released the clay bomb, flinging it directly into a cart next to the Charlinites, causing a great explosive eruption, launching metal, piece’s of wood and body parts into the air and across the street. The explosion despite its fury too was muffled and distant, Remas ignoring everything as he took a second clay bomb and lighting the fuse. He flung this bomb at a building, the explosion launching stones and wood across the street and obstructing access for the Charlinites horses. after a full minute after the building fell and the Charlinites reforming, they crossed on foot, climbing over the debris and charging forward.

No long standing alone, the Charlinite knights clashed with the twenty odd companions of the Ironmarch. Remas stepped back, allowing Saathen to charge forward and bash a Charlinite knight aside with her kite shield. Using the Ironmarcher Jahun-ka as a wall, Remas loaded the third and final clay bomb into the sling, aiming behind them and throwing down debris on the other side of the street. The battlefield was successfully enclosed, sealing it off from cavalry charges and mass human waves. A fight worthy of a last stand.

Saathen of No House was shaking things up for the Charlinites it seemed, clearly, the were not prepared to face a Jahun-ka in the Somnus Imperium. After cleaving her sword through a fifth mans helmet, the Charlinites begun to take the fight more seriously, waiting until more of them climbed over the debris until charging into the fray again. Aurelius too, was doing surprisingly well, holding his own despite being significantly smaller than his opponents, mostly through parrying blows and sidestepping them. So long as the debris obstructed access to the battlefield and the party kept up its efforts, they should be able to hold off a superior force for some, if short, time.

Sadly, this did not last as the Charlinites seemed to have quickly adapted by placing a wooden ramp over the debris allowing numerous knights to run up in rapid succession. They were being surrounded now, the Charlinites encircling them and cutting them off from the tavern. Mananimos was still within, likely having already surrendered due to being a pacifist. Another wave of Charlinites crossed over the ramp, pushing back the party further away from the tavern, the first of their number now dying. Shocking Remas and temporarily taking him out of him battle trance, a Karkarthian Jahun-ka warrior appeared leading the force. So that explains the Charlinites surprise with fighting Saathen Remas thought, realizing that the Karkarthian’s were also in on this little excursion into Somnus. The Jahun-ka was a huge man, even compared to Saathen. He possessed horns, and a huge tower shield. He was probably of someone of note, though it wasn’t like Remas had any knowledge of Karkarthian culture or standards.

Remas took one of the wooden pipes out of the knots and lit its fuse. Throwing it at the Jahun-ka, the explosive fell short of its target and landed in front of the Charlinite charge, causing them to vacant the area and brace for an explosion… that never came. The explosive fizzled out without any reaction. A Justinian damned dud. The Charlin knights rushed past the stick and engaged the remaining party. Remas took out the first pistol and lit its match. firing, he completely missed his target and hit nothing. Cursing, he had to remind himself that he was did have an appalling aim with guns. He looked to his right to see Saathen fighting five men at once, to his right Aurelius was duelling, badly, against three Charlins at once. He drew out his second pistol, crossing over the bodies of dead party members and Charlin knights alike, firing again and missing.

The party was now back to back, twelve of them left. Remas was waiting for the Jahun-Ka, who was now walking towards them. Firing his third pistol at the Jahun-ka and missing completely, Remas succeeded in drawing his attention. Walking back now, as the Jahun-ka slowly walked towards him, Remas drew Morinth’s gifted doglock and fired it randomly to the side, unknown to him hitting a Charlinite knight in the head. There were now over one hundred enemies in the street, circling the party of eight, mostly being held together by Saathen’s indomitable defence, now surrounded by a small pile of corpses. Aurelius was kneeling on the ground, gash through his thigh and six swords aimed at his throat and chest.

Mananimos was walking out of the tavern with swords pointing at him in all directions. The fighting stopped briefly as the party members realized there was only three of them left standing. Remas, facing off against the Jahun-ka now standing in front of him glaring, Saathen, ready to collapse with fatigue and numerous wounds and an apparently random sergeant named the unsightly yet oddly common Gregory, the man refusing to die, clubbing an already dead knights head in repeatedly with a polearm.

Remas pulled out the pistol with the Flesheater round, knowing now was the moment he was waiting for. He only knew the theoretical effects of the Dread on a person, and could only hypothesize the effectiveness of a bullet dumped in the Dread of the Moon, but he knew this was going to work on all matters concerning alchemy, preparation and mechanical, the problem was delivery. He was truly a horrible aim. The Jahun-ka, understanding Remas’ desire for a duel continued moving forward. Saathen fell over then, exhausted. Gregory was now punching the dead mans helmet with bloodied hands. The battle was over now, and so the experiment would begin.

The Jahun-ka wasn’t a fool, and even watching Remas’ horrible aim knew to defend himself, placing his shield in front of him. Remas knew he had to get rid of that shield, so took out another of the wooden pipes, hoping beyond hope that they were not all duds. Remas struggling the light the fuse with the automatic flint, the Jahun-ka drew closer, now flourishing his sword.

After successfully lighting the shorter fuse of this explosive, Remas chucked it into the general direction of the Jahun-ka, his incredible throwing accuracy hitting the shield perfectly, the explosive detonating and sending shards of molten copper, shrapnel and burning oil across the shield. The Jahun-ka threw the shield away and shouted out, sadly, in battle rage and excitement as he now sprinted head on towards Remas.

Almost in slow motion, Remas watched as the huge warrior charged, raising the pistol up in the general direction of the charging giant, Remas fired his pistol, not even bothering to aim. The pistol flashed a bright shining light and spat out a shower of silver sparks and almost glittering smoke. Remas looked at his pistol almost absently then looking at the Janhun-Ka who had stopped and looking at him questioningly and back at the pistol.

The Jahun-ka begun laughing, barking at him in his foreign tongue. Remas was about to explode into a ranting tirade when the Jahun-ka stopped laughing and looked at one his finger, which had been shot off.

Where the missing finger once was, now was a stump of flesh with molten silver sparks dripping off it.

“It worked…” was all Remas was able to say as the Jahun-ka watched in horror as his hand begun to heat and steam, his gauntlet turning red hot. Remas couldn’t see what was going on underneath the red-hot gauntlet, but the Jahun-ka was now screaming, genuinely screaming. Skin and flesh, now mushy and glue-like was falling between the armour plates of his gauntlet, blood now lighting on fire. Remas walked towards to warrior, now kneeling on the ground frantically grasping his arm as it begun falling apart, the armour platings lighting on fire now too.

In a futile attempt to stop the caustic Dread, the Jahun-ka chopped off his own arm, however by this point his entire body was now melting and imitating a dying candle, his flesh melting into wax-like glue as his upper torso was lit on fire. As his eyeballs begun melting into liquid and flowing down his face and his screams died out in a bubbling gurgle, the small army of Charlinite and Karkarthian knights surrounded Remas, the sole fighter still standing. A wall of shields gradually and very, very cautiously marched towards Remas, stopping just in front of the flaming, melting pile of semi-metallic, semi-flesh like wax, which was now melting an already dead corpse next to the once-Jahun-ka.

Remas looked around, still too focused on the results of his experiment to care about the army surrounding him.

“Haha, so, uh, I surrender?” Remas joked. Before he could say any more, a strong sensation of pain struck through the back of his head, and there was darkness.

Orion: New Beginning

The United Supranational Union of Humanity

(U.S.U.H)

“Those of us who advocate the Exodus have not betrayed the USC. The USC has betrayed itself.”– Mohandas Singh

Anthem: (Ode To Earth)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6qi393Z7L8

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Comprising Nation-states:

-The Federation of New Earth
-The Republic of Exodus
-The Republic of Fu Lu Shou
-The Federated Republic of Eden
-The Republic of Péngyǒu
-The Republic of Sīmānta
-The Republic of Amani
-The Republic of Ncchi Mpya
-The United Federal Republic of Heinlein
-The Republic of Pobedonosnyy Sud’ba
-The Second Republic of Halcyon
-The Republic of Acchī phasala
-The Republic of Sputnik
-The United Colonial States of Jefferson
-The United Colonial Republic of Xīwàng
-The United Colonial Republics of the Galileo Starzone
-The Colonial Confederation of Eureakan Settlements

Observer States In The Powderkeg Stars Region

(Measured in relevance to the Union)
--The Republic of Autumn (Republic formed by U.S.U.H occupation of Empire border principality that was in a state of civil war between nobles, currently has active U.S.U.H peacekeepers in the area)
--The Weinzenberan Principality (Rogue border state of the Terranis Empire backed by the U.S.U.H)
--The Revolutionary Commune of Robespierre (Independent state, conquered by Terranis Empire, revolted 30 years ago and was backed by U.S.U.H peacekeepers who blockaded the planet and created a planet wide no-fly-zone)
--The Revolutionary World Government-In-Exile of Eisenhower (Currently given sanctuary in the Republic of Jefferson. Actually from the world of Cantu, pro-Union rebels attempted to form the new state of "Eisenhower" but failed. The rebellions remnants have diplomatic and partial military support from the Union, in particular the Republic of Jefferson)
--The Empire of Lao's Planet (A tiny single-world "Empire" that is between the Union and Terranis Empire, backed by the U.S.U.H to act as a buffer zone)
--The Revolutionary Miners Republic of Neo-Eureka (revolting against Terranis-based company)
--The Autonomous Republic of Benjamin's World (In civil war with Aurolian federals)
--The People's Commune of George-Robertville (Minor communist state which has a semi-functional military shipyard from the old Empire days in the region)
--The Revolutionary World Government of New Maplewood (Revolted against warlord empire, resource region trade hub)
--The Revolutionary World Republic of Arcadia (Privately funded colony, declared independence from Aurolian-based Corporation, backed by U.S.U.H volunteers)
--The Samuel Commune (Rebelling against Terranis border nobility)
--The Revolutionary Thirteenth Colonial Republic of New Johnsonland (Declared independence from the Federation a century ago, was recaptured by the Federation however has led periodic rebellions ever since. Currently rebelling again for the thirteenth time and has captured a continent)
--The Glorious Empire of Dacyira (Rebel movement on Aurolian-backed independent colony, supported by U.H.U.S despite autocratic ruler due to it combating Aurolian alien settlers in the region)
--The Sovereign Colony of Bob's World (A puny colony of only 3200 people, the U.S.U.H officially backed their bid for independence following the discovery of an old human sleeper ship from the Solar Union days)

(awaiting recognition by the Union)
-The Empire of Ezra's World(Formerly the independent colony of Copenhagen V. became a proxy war battlefield between the Union, Federation and Empire for 70 years until eventually Ezra Northgate, a local declared the colony independent and using an army of disgruntled locals attacked all three sides, amazingly winning with a combination of surprise attacks and sheer luck. Ezra declared himself Emperor of his new rogue tinpot state and renamed Copenhagen V "Ezra's World". Since then the tiny single world 'empire' has been trying to desperately hold off three superpowers at once. Emperor Ezra has begun desperate attempts to achieve recognition from the Union, currently trying to apply for Observer status)

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National:

Government Type: Supranational Union (Economic, military and political bloc comprising mostly of representative and direct democracies, over the last century has been slowly centralizing into a federation)
Political Identity Populist and highly politically active population. Views themselves as inheritors of Earth and the sole legitimate government of humanity. See's both the Terranis Empire's slavery of biosynths and autocratic rule as evil and the Federation's alien ruling elite as an affront to humanity. Extremely inclusive and multicultural to all humans but highly xenophobic and human supremacist to aliens. Highly militaristic population however see's wars as wars of liberation, intervention or unification. Primary pluralistic issue in politics and ethics is a cultural battle between Humanists and Transhumanists.
Society Value's Democracy, Egalitarianism, Utilitarianism, Secularism, Humanism, Progression, Liberty, Equity, Galactic Manifest Destiny, Human Supremacy(Colloquially referred to as "Humanity, fck yeah")
Capital System: Copernicus System
Capital World: New Earth (Individual nation-states have their own local capitals, New Earth is the headquarters for the U.S.U.H)
Capital City: New Geneva
Currency: Sol Credits (SC)
Demonym: Unionites
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Demographics:

Dominant Species: Humanity and A-class Transhumans
Demographics: (Overall: Humanity 96%)
--Natural and A-Class Transhuman Humans: 47%
--B and C-Class Transhumans: 41%
--Abhumanity and Biosynths: 7%
--Alien life: 4%
--D-Class Transhumans 0.1-1%

Religious Demographics:
-Non-Religious (Atheists, Humanists, Agnostics, etc): 66%
-Gaia (Worship of Earth): 18%
-Old Earth Faith (Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc): 14%
-Alien Faiths (Restricted to alien minority): 2%

Concerning Transhumanism

The U.S.U.H recognizes the existence of Transhumans and recognizes their membership in the larger family of humanity. Many forms of transhuman augmentation is legal both for military and civilian use to variable degree's depending on the augmentation in question. The U.S.U.H rejects the Terranis Empire's concept of "Subhumans" and legally recognizes transhumans and humans as equal beings in the eyes of the law.

The U.S.U.H does however categorize transhumans into subfamilies, from which they determine the legality of their modifications. A-Class transhumans are normal humans that have been modified through cybernetics or have had DNA scrubbing to remove harmful genetic disorders or diseases. A-Class transhumans also include those with minor after-birth genetic modifications. B-Class transhumans include designer babies and clones which are generally custom tailored humans born from a origin human. Most designer babies are allowed to have cosmetic and some physical and mental changes however remain within the realm of physically appearing 'human'. C-class transhumans include major body augmentation cyborgs and full-body conversion cyborgs, with the exception of the brain. While legal, C-Class transhumans are generally restricted to the military and heavy industry and typically are excluded from civilian life. D-class transhumans are uplifted humans turned into AI, this procedure is expensive and not available to the public, being monopolized by the government and military.

Abhumans include all natural humans or A/B class transhumans that have gone through environmental based mutation, usually from living in habitats with excessively high or low gravity. The most common abhuman include "Spacers", being humans that only live in space (Essentially Human Quarians). Abhumans also include humans that have been mutated by exotic radiation or from consuming mutative biological substances (Particularly alien parasites and other things) and also includes the theoretical concept of a human-alien hybrid, which while never found and highly improbable, has been considered legally.

Bio-synths are a legally controversial issue. Being custom tailored beings with no original human source, their inherent humanity is debated. Despite this controversy, the U.S.U.H usually recognizes as some form of 'kind of human' or at the very least an intelligence of human origin mostly to spite the Terranis Empire, which they see as practicing human slavery with said justification.

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Leadership:

-Incumbent Head of State: Secretary-General of the Assembly, Mr.Kwang-Seon Sagong
-Incumbent Head of Government: Deputy Secretary-General of the Assembly, Kagiso Nwosu
-Speaker For The Assembly: Councillor-General, Imari Gueye

SECRETARIAT CABINET
-Secretary of Defence: John Wallace Cartwright
-Secretary of Commerce and Industry: Zhao Yang
-Secretary of Foreign Affairs: Elizabeth Kozlowski
-Secretary of the Interior: Klaus Jun Akiyama
-Secretary of Health and Education: Kirill Qing Fyodorov
-Secretary of Colonization and Pan-Human Affairs: Reinhard Auttenberg
-Secretary of Media and Technology: Bernard Afolayan
-Secretary-General of the International Space Authority: Andrew Hobbes
-President of the International Galactic Bank: Daniel James Cross
-Secretary-General of the International Board on Weapons of Mass Destruction: Hope Fairchild
-Secretary-General of the International Association of Foreign Aid: Sibylle Delacroix

OTHER
-Chairman of the Council of Chiefs of Staff: General Amar Chowdhury
-Chairwoman of the Galactic Human Rights Council: Hope Fairchild
-Director-General of the Office of Counter-Intelligence (O.C.I): Yuri Volkov
-Director-General of the Office of Foreign Intelligence (O.F.I): Mosi Ihekirika
-Director-General of the Office of the Comprehension and Study of Supernatural and Psionic Forces (O.C.S.S.P.F):
-Ambassador to the Terranis Empire:
-Ambassador to the Aurolian Federation:
-Ambassador to the Valyncian Commonwealth:
-Ambassador to the The Confederated States of Arnost:

||=============================================================||

Political Affiliation within the Union:

THE HUMAN COALITION(Ruling Party)
(Major Parties: The Humanist Party, the Conservative Party, the Reformed Purity Party, the Human Defence League, the Earth Party, the Revivalist Party, the Revivalism movement)

THE PAN-HUMAN CONSENSUS FOR UNITY(In Opposition, significant presence in the assembly)
(Major Parties: The Transhumanist Party, the Human Progression Party, the Consensus Party, the Alliance for Transhuman Rights and Cooperation, the Pan-Human Council, the Singularity Party, the Human empowerment movement)

THE ALLIANCE FOR MANIFEST DESTINY (In Opposition)
(Major Parties: Manifest Destiny, Victory Party, Voice for Terranis-Union Military Cooperation, the Purity Party, Victory Now!, Second Solar Party, pan-human nationalism movement)
||=============================================================||

Persons of Importance:

Political Government

Kwang-Seon Sagong

(Secretary-General of the U.S.U.H and leader of the Human Coalition political faction. retired Fleet Admiral of the Union Peacekeeper Fleet, has past experience as a diplomat and linguist before his navy career. Was able to establish a post-retirement political career based on his military and diplomatic exploits along with his reputation as a warhero. Is well known to be a strict but reasonable man.

His vessel, the U.H.S Einstein is now captained by Fleet Admiral Houstin. His eldest son is a notable member of the navy, following in his footsteps, despite their opposing political beliefs. Besides Seung, Kwang's eldest son, the other membres of the Sagong family are listed below:)

The Sagong Family

Note: This was added so that Terminal's intelligence agency can actually do things, for other players this is mostly just fluff information, unless you want to get involved in the intelligence game too.

Kyung-gu Sagong

Son of Seung Sagong and Grandson of the Secretary-General, was a member of the Peacekeeper navy and reached the rank of captain before his sudden resignation caused by being selected by the Office of Foreign Intelligence and accepting a mission which included training volunteers in space and orbital tactics so they could better fight the Federation and Empire's naval forces. Currently in the Powderkeg Observer Systems as a Union strategic adviser.

Yo-Han Sagong

Younger Son of Seung Sagong and Grandson of the Secretary-General, did not enter the navy and instead graduated from business school. Currently director of human resources for ARIES INTERNATIONAL, a heavy industry and arms manufacturing corporation. Is in active contact with the Office of Counter-Intelligence due to the corporation being a sponsor of Battle Arena Extreme, a killnet gameshow that publicly advertises military hardware. Realizes the funny coincidence of both him and his brother ending up working for Union intelligence agencies.

Lieutenant Young-ae Sagong

Daughter and youngest child of Seung Sagong and Granddaughter of the Secretary-General, currently Lieutenant and Chief Engineer on the Epicurus-Class Battecruiser, the U.H.S Plato. Knows how to pilot strikecraft and is also an ace mecha pilot. Was involved in the Autumn Intervention Campaign and briefly piloted a mecha in active combat against Imperial forces.

Shirley Mi-Ran Sagong

Daughter of Kyung-gu, Granddaughter of Seung and Great-granddaughter of the Secretary-General, born in the Powderkeg and has duel citizenship. Fiery revolutionary and idealist with dreams of contributing to the liberation of humanity. Currently a volunteer fighter in the Observer states as part of the Union-based International Legions. Due to the more public reputation of the International Legions, Shirley Mi-Ran Sagong is a relatively public figure, though her exact location is incredibly hard to find. Is a very charismatic individual who gives off an aura of determination and purpose.
------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------

Kagiso Nwosu

Imari Gueye

(Councillor-General and Speaker of the Assembly, member of the Pan-Human Consensus and regular agitator for human rights to include bio-synths. A secular-humanist writer and philosopher)

John Wallace Cartwright

Zhao Yang

Elizabeth Kozlowski

Klaus Jun Akiyama

Kirill Qing Fyodorov

Reinhard Auttenberg

Bernard Afolayan

Andrew Hobbes

Daniel James Cross

Hope Fairchild

Sibylle Delacroix

(Former Secretary-General of the Assembly, Sibylle Delacroix is a party oldguard that rather than retire has take command of the I.A.F.A. A highly competent politician and realpolitik manipulator, Delacroix simultaneously gives out foreign aid to poverty stricken and war-ridden lands and, under the table, arms and volunteer fighters towards the observer states).

General Amar Chowdhury

Political Other

Mohandas Singh

(Founder of the United Supranational Union of Humanity, former professor of political science's on Earth, former ambassador to the USC, first secretary-general of the U.S.U.H, immortal transhuman. Currently retired and part time diplomat, explorer, inventor, author, artist and teacher)

Robert Greenfield

(President-In-Exile of the failed Revolutionary World Government of Eisenhower, current leader of the Eisenhower Government-In-Exile taking sanctuary in the Union. Former Vice-President of the rebel government, now taken reins of what is left. Very bitter and seeks revenge on the Aurolian Federation. Currently seeking Union support and funding to pass along to separatists in the Aurolian Federation).

Navy High Command

Fleet Admiral Gunther -Gus- Houston

(Admiral of the Peacekeeper 1st Fleet, flagship is the Einstein-Class Super-Battleship, the U.H.S Einstein)

Admiral Ming Sun

(Admiral of the Peacekeeper 2nd Fleet, Flagship is the Oppenheimer-Class Super-Battleship Interdictor, the U.H.S Oppenheimer)

Admiral Roman Yugantsev

(Admiral of the Peacekeeper 3rd Fleet, Flagship is the Einstein Class Super-Battleship, the U.H.S Mendeleev)

Admiral Ralph Wilson Irving

(Admiral of the Peacekeeper 4th Fleet, Flagship is the Einstein Class Super-Battleship, the U.H.S Newton)

Admiral Anton -Hammer- Sayansky

(Admiral of the Peacekeeper 5th Fleet, Flagship is the Einstein Class Super-Battleship, the U.H.S Archimedes)

Navy Other

Commodore Seung Sagong

Eldest son of General-Secretary Kwang-Seon Sagong and Commodore in the Union Peacekeeper Fleet, his flagship is the Rousseau-Class Battleship, the U.H.S Kant. Seung Sagong and Kwang-Seon have a tense relationship as Seung is a transhumanist who actually backs the opposing party to his father, though privately they are capable of tolerating each other. Seung Sagong is much like his father personality wise during his navy days, being strict but reasonable.

Captain Xavier Patrick Segal

(Captain of the Rousseau-Class Battleship, the U.H.S Rousseau. Famous explorer and first contact specialist, internet celebrity famous for his charismatic speeches. Considered the poster boy for the Peacekeeper Navy and was given the famous Rousseau for this reason)

Lieutenant-Commander Abigail Atsuko Houston-Yamakawa

(Daughter of both the famous Fleet Admiral Houston and scientist Haruka Yamakawa and most likely successor to the Houston military families long line of navy commanders following her father. Seemingly disciplined and strict and inheriting both her fathers strategic brilliance and mothers perceptiveness, she is secretly an incredibly rebellious military maverick (Much like her father was at her age) and dreams of one day being a privateer. Is about to gain her own ship to command following recommendations from her captain. Thinks Terranis culture is exciting and cosplay's as a Terranis admiral when no one is looking).
Alter Ego:

||=============================================================||

Armed Forces of Humanity:

"Intervention. Liberation. Unification."

The Navy

Summary:

Ship classes

SUPERHEAVY CAPITAL
-Super-Battleship (Roughly equal to Dreadnought, Einstein-Class)
-Super-Battleship Interdictor (Orbital bombardment/Blockade Super-Battleship, Oppenheimer-Class)
-Super-Carrier (Darwin-Class)

HEAVY CAPITAL
-Battleship (Rousseau-Class)
-Battleship Interdictor (Nietzsche-Class)
-Fast Battleship (Hobbes-Class)
-Battlecrusier (Epicurus-Class)
-Carrier (Locke-Class)

LIGHT CAPITAL
-Heavy Cruiser (Armstrong-Class)
-Cruiser-Carrier Hybrid (Columbus-Class)
-Flak Cruiser (Polo-Class)
-Light Cruiser (Aldrin-Class)

ESCORT
-Frigate (Annan-Class)
-Flak Frigate (Ki-Moon-Class)
-Missile Frigate (Temple-Class)
-Transport Frigate (Roosevelt-Class)
-Escort Carrier (Franklin-Class)
-Destroyer (AKA: Missile Boat, Kissinger-Class)
-Raider Destroyer/Q-Ship (Machiavelli-Class)
-Corvette (Adams-Class)

STRIKECRAFT
-Gunship (Also Transport, Normandy-Class)
-Boarding Strikecraft (Iwo Jima-Class)
-Earth Superfighter (One pilot gunship/super-heavy fighter, Thermopylae-Class)
-Interceptor (Drone fighters, Austerlitz-Class)
-Bomber (Drone bombers, Tet-Class)

Ship details

super-heavy capitals

heavy capitals

light capitals

Polo-Class Flak Cruiser

Armaments:
-Numerous dual medium Flak/Explosive Shell Railgun turrets
-Numerous Point Defence Gasers and particle-pulse turrets
-Numerous Anti-Strikecraft Missile Pods

escorts

Franklin-Class Escort Carrier

Armaments:
-12 dual light Particle-Pulse turrets
-13 graser point-defence guns
-External flight deck
-Internal hanger bay
Strikecraft capacity:
-50 interceptor drones
-50 bomber drones
-10 super-fighters
-2 gunships

Adams-Class Corvette

Armaments:
-8 dual point-defence Particle-Pulse turrets

strikecraft

The Navy Marines

Summary:

Marines Details

Power Armoured Combat Marines

Orbital Drop Pods

Marine Anti Ship-TBF

The Army

Summary:

Army details

Infantry

Power Armoured Combat Infantry

Light Skirmisher Infantry

Armour

Armoured Car

Armoured Personnel Carrier

Urban-Warfare Tankette

Light Tank - Railgun Variant

Heavy Tank - Railgun Variant

Light Tank - Particle Variant

Heavy Tank - Particle Variant

Tactical Biped Frames

Urban-TBF

Versatile-TBF

Missile Artillery/AA-TBF

Artillery-TBF

||=============================================================||

The Culture and Society of the Union:

"The Union is coming, the Union is coming!" -Federation Comedian Jimmy Bobson, referring to the Union boy-band Cold Way following release of their interstellar hit, "Once Again"

Music

The Union Invasion: When the Union isn't dropping bombs of democracy or waging proxy wars with the Empire and Federation, it is pushing a far more passionate invasion: The Union lyrical invasion. The Union's cultural imperialism is of the annoyingly popular and addictive kind, the kind that spreads among the billions of human and even alien youth and young adults of the galaxy. This is not the first Union Invasion, as the Union's cultural imperialism usually comes in 20-30 year waves and is likely to continue for many more. Ranging from Neo-Rap; to Retro-Electrodub-Soft-Radical-Rock; to proper Earth classical orchestra all the way up to the all pervasive U-Pop, the Union is well on its way to dominating the galactic music industry and the hearts and minds of young and impressionable adolescent minds.

Whats Big In The Music World:
-U-Pop: The current undisputed ruler of the music genre's, U-Pop is the megalithic giant entirely dominated by young, impossibly beautiful pop idols singing with squeaky voices to ridiculously saccharine songs for the entertainment of hundreds of billions. Due to its insane popularity and the sheer soft-power the Union pop-idols possess, U-Pop has become the most iconic symbol of Union cultural imperialism.
-Earth Classical & Humanist: Ranging from the most highly regarded works of the Solar Union days to the ancient masterpiece's of Earth's greatest, Earth classical remains as humanities ultimate symbol of culture and refinement taken seriously. Despite U-Pop's real power over the masses, the Union Government publicly backs the spreading of Earth Classical as propaganda music and is well known for playing Beethoven's Fifth and Ninth Symphony during parades and other public events. Despite its great cultural value, Earth classical also has a shady reputation for being the music of choice for human supremacist rebel groups and far-right human fascist organizations. Humanist music is much like Classical but is more modern music and came into being during the late UN and early USC days, music typically about the unification and brotherhood of mankind, typically sung in numerous languages.
-Synth-Drone & Synth-Pop: The new night club music of choice, Synth-Drone and Synth-Pop is as the name suggests droning synth music with industrial and dark ambient themes. Synth-Pop is essentially a light-hearted variant, fusing electronic/trance/techno in with the base drone.
-Neo-Rap: Colloquially referred to as "The songs about butts", Neo-Rap is an old competitor of U-pop, however its inability to gather the fanatical cults of personality that U-Pop idols gather has stunted its growth.
-Transsynth/"Android Drone/Binary Drone": The strangest musical invention of mankind yet, Transsynth is music exclusively listened to by transhumans of C and D class, known as "Cyborg", "Cyber", "Binary" or, more derogative "Dial-up", Transsynth is a fusion of 'perfect' lyrical notes and sounds played at frequencies that either can't be heard by humans or sound like insane incomprehensible nonsense that physically hurts. Transsynth has a strange position in the Union culture where it is hated by the common people but praised by the intellectual community. Of particular note, Transsynth was created by one of the earlier D-Class Transhumans (Uplifted Human-To-AI's) to prove that artificial intelligence had creativity and original thought.
-Retro-Electrodub-Soft-Radical-Rock: The third competitor with U-Pop and Neo-Rap, R.E.S.R.R is the genre of music that essentially includes all the contemporary bands, led by adolescent boy-bands that are catered towards teenage girls. While R.E.S.R.R has a great following, ironically in foreign countries like the Federation, the Pop-Idol's cults of personality are still more powerful.
-Classical/Old Rock: The ye'olde music nearly entirely restricted to the old guard military elite in the army
-Orchestral Epic: The ye'olde music nearly entirely restricted to the old guard military elite in the navy.

The Pop Idols of the Union:
"OMG I LUV U MARRY ME NYAN!" - Common extranet post directed towards Miss NyanxNyantyNine
The Union pop-idols are one of the most powerful harbingers of the Union Invasion, these pop-idols have become galactic icons of the Union's culture with cults of personality and galactic followings so large they even have their own religious cults and their popularity so great that even the Union government has occasionally used the more insanely popular ones as goodwill ambassadors for nigh fanatical foreigners or angry colonists.

Union Pop-Idol's specialize in the all powerful U-Pop genre of music, however some also branch out to other genre's like R.E.S.R.R and Synth-Pop. Others "Sellout" and work in Neo-Rap or "Ascend" and become singers for the governments (or military's) humanist music propaganda. The Union Pop-Idol's also tend to be multi-talented renaissance women, actresses, voice-actresses, artists, reporters, news presenters, supermodels, fashion designers and some are even diplomats and CEO's.

Union Pop-Idol's are not only a cultural icon but a physical class within Union society. A girl does not simply 'become' a Union Pop-Idol, they are essentially born these days. Being transhuman superhuman designer babies with custom tailored appearance, voices, body shape and intellect, detractors essentially note that these idol's are 'fakes' given hourglass figures and stupid voices. Because of the previously said insane popularity and cults of personality however, these voices are smothered by the billions of fanboys/fangirls/fanaliens/fanbots.

Entertainment

The Galactic Stars and Celebs

Virtual Reality

Holographic Simulation

Media

The Union on the Extranet

Union National Broadcasting

The Killnet: Built from the infamous 21st century invention that has only grown stronger and stronger with time, live-streaming warfare in real time by combatants has become the new and believed greatest form of blood sports, both presenting real-life combat, death and military affairs with real emotions and risks in an easy and accessible means to billions of viewers. The Killnet is the semi-organized, semi-autonomous part of the extra-net where these war live-streams are broadcast. Within the union, national laws are dependent on the member-state within, so some locations it is illegal and as such viewed in the dark net or via pirate broadcasts... however in states where it is legal killnet viewing has become a new national past-time, large corporations with huge fanbases present the blood sports as a kind of game show reality tv.

In the most insane fusion of the Entertainment, Mass Media and Military-Industrial-Complex ever, the Killnet has "War Sport News" and "Battle Games" and other real war-orientated game shows, where certain Private Military Contractors, volunteers and occasionally even mercenaries and privateers semi-organize their real combat into an almost game like system with kill-counts, leaderboards and mid-battle commentary. Numerous paramilitary organizations have even been formed SIMPLY BECAUSE of killnet, essentially being mercenary gameshow organizations killing people and waging war for ratings. Many of the larger killnet gameshows and associated corporations also act as the advertisement wing for both the gun and military-industrial-complex lobbies, presenting military hardware for review for potential national and corporate buyers, these corporations also showing off equipment in arms fairs. It should be noted that the Union's actual military and intelligence probe these activities to prevent military secret leaks or enemies gathering information on hardware actively used by the actual military. Funny enough, the Killnet has actually contributed to the Union's (and other foreign viewers) higher than galactic average knowledge of geography and geo-politics events as well as small-scale tactical knowledge and gun maintenance.

Destiny News: The Destiny News Network is the firebrand far-right niche of the Union's mass media saturation, fulfilling the need of the Alliance for Manifest Destiny political bloc's information and propaganda services. Hardcore ultra-nationalists and human supremacists, the D.N.N is heavily militant and advocates direct military action against the Federation, though it is also rebellious against the usual ruling party line and actually speaks kindly of the Empire, giving a romanticized image of chivalry and noblesse oblige to the decadent megalith. On the other hand, the D.N.N is surprisingly concerned with the plight of religious minorities which the secular humanist majority ignore at best, bringing up otherwise ignored social issues concerning the treatment of Christians, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Hindu's and Gaiaists. The D.N.N also has a fanatical journalist branch which is willing to go into hellhole warzones to get a story, although said journalists are also typically ideologically driven conspiracy theorists.

Architecture

Neo-Classical

Post-Post-Post-Post-Modernism

Fashion

Social Norms and Morality

Overview: The Union has a very strange society. Overall, it mostly appears like a socially liberal utopia with its current 'socially accepted' views on race, gender and sexuality being extremely egalitarian and is also a secularists wet dream with its disdain for religious law or morality however simultaneously it practices a form of mild apartheid on alien lifeforms, has harsh immigration laws and has legal capital punishment and made euthanasia illegal. The result of this bizarre social setup is a society where the "left" and the "right" are much different from the 21st centuries notion of left and right, at least concerning modern social issues. The largest social pluralism is caused by the notion of what exactly 'humanity' is, with humanists being the right wing and having a more conservative view on humanity while transhumanists being the left wing and having a more progressive view. Both sides accept transhumans as humans, however transhumans argue that bio-synths, artificial intelligence and androids that consider themselves human are also humans (Basically its genetics vs psychology)
-Capital Punishment: Legal (Was made legal due to demand for executing genocidal war criminals from the Powderkeg Systems and due to its hardliner status on Empire and Federation criminals, particularly aliens)
-Abortion: Legal
-Euthanasia Illegal (Made illegal by transhuman politicians who were able over the course of a century to convince the population that conservation of information and wisdom in humanities oldest members is preferable to suicide, ironically, the humanists who are considered the conservative right-wing are in favour of legal euthanasia who believe only the owner of their body has the right to determine what happens to said body and not the state or society)
-Marriage Laws: Very loose except Xeno-Human marriage (Gay marriage, polygamy, human-AI marriage, and so on are legal)
-Transexuality/Homosexuality/Intersexuality/etc: No longer a social issue (Transhumanism is the new fight, however Xenophilia is considered morally wrong)
-Gender Equality: Galactic benchmark
-Racial Equality(Human only): Galactic benchmark
-Racial Equality(Inter-Species): Ranging from Apartheid to Pre-Civil Rights US
-Gun Laws: Local government determined (One of the few area's the Union does not determine laws on, the member-states of the Union determine the level of freedom of gun ownership. Interestingly, the Union is in general pro gun-control, however pragmatism has convinced the Union that the members-states closest to the Federation and Empire borders require armed populations to better resist foreign occupation. As such, in the Union you can find regions where its impossible to even own a bolt-action rifle but in others its legal to own a military grade space spinal cannon)

||=============================================================||

History:

The Exodus and Formation of the United Supranational Union of Humanity

The Wars of Unification and Ratification of the Union Charter

The First Alien-Human War of Intervention

The Pan-Human Wars of Liberation (Union-Federation Wars/Union-Empire Wars)

The Union Golden Age

||=============================================================||
Other:

Orion: New Beginning

One order of humanocentric nation coming up.

Say hello to the Aurolian Federation's (Alternatively, the Federation of Planets) evil twin brother.

Sacrilege War Redux

@Monkeypants: Since you are against the backstory of my Da vinci character being from the Dominion, I asked a number of other players to be his place of origin. I decided to go with Flagg, so he now has been retconned to be from the Union.

Sorry for that.

---------

Its done. I have been talking with Flagg, and the new Union version may actually be more interesting anyway, so I guess it was worth it.

Sacrilege War Redux

I have posted in the IC.

I also redone the map in photoshop to include all current land claims. Flagg has to still update the OP though.

Sacrilege War Redux

MY HOMETOWN, THE WORLD OF FADED LIGHT

Faded light.

A land of grey and soft sounds in the distance. Buildings, I saw buildings, old and decrepit. Buildings long since destroyed by the war. I saw faces too, the grinning old man by the well; the two boys playing sticks, dreaming of one day being squires; The young woman in the purple dress eager to be married off.

They were all dead.

The smiling man waved to me. I remember him fondly; he once gave me a piece of bread. The dead walked here as I walked but they did not see or feel, for I was not dead. I was dreaming.

It was the world of faded light. Ever since my earliest memories I went here when I slept. They call this dreaming, but I am not sure if that is true. They once said I had the plague of the dreaming, but they were wrong. My mother told me when you dream you go to a world where anything can happen but you have no control. Here, all that happens is what has happened before. I know that I am dreaming, which my mother told me was impossible, but I know.

I know this world cannot be real, because as I watch I see myself. A child, she is only now leaving a sewer drain. It is strange to look upon yourself, but still stranger to see so great a difference. She is filthy and tired. Her eyes are sunken. Her blonde hair is wild and her mind lost. She does not care for her appearance, and walks the street regardless. Looking upon this memory is a reminder of humility, to remember that my place in the world was not determined by blood or wealth, but because I was chosen by that which is far greater than myself.

The younger me walked quietly through the street and into an empty courtyard until she was confronted by the two boys with sticks. They grinned and one pointed with his stick while laughing. I did not like them much. The pointing boy spoke, but his voice was faint and distant. In this world all those of my memories speak like him. He whispered even as his mouth opened and closed as if shouting.

Once I would have moved closer to hear him, but this memory has occurred enough where I no longer need to. The younger me, in spite, yelled back. I was much less patient in those days, before Servitor Velmnus taught me to be so. The boy recoiled in anger at my words, and he held the stick in a high guard, in poor imitation of a true knight.

This memory was not the most important I have seen. No great battle was fought. No terrible enemy defeated, but it meant something to me, for it was the first time the voice came.

My younger self did not bother to move or grab the stick, instead holding out her arm, palm open as if to order him to stop. Her face was now calm when mere moments ago she was shouting. The stick collided with her palm. It did not bruise her hand. The stick did not even break. The boys stick passed through her hand, and fell in half, burned through by fire so bright it was white like pure light.

The boys froze in disbelief. After nearly a minute of silence, they finally ran, terrified. They never spoke of this again to anyone, not even the clerisy. It would be years until the others knew who I truly was. But after they were gone, I watched myself collapse like a doll, almost dead... like the time with the witch hunters or, many years later, the Battle of the three armies. I entered the world of faded light, and so for the first time it came, the voice said:

“You have but seen little of what is to come, child. Sleep and I shall show you the way”.

And so he did. For many years, I believed the voice to be Justinian himself. In some way, I still hope this to be true. Even if from the temple within Sacrosanct he ignores the plight of my people, I hope desperately that he truly cares. The voice guided me, and showed me through the path that I am now. My powers grew and as it did my purpose came clear. As with the day I defeated the three men who wished to kill Servitor Velmnus. As with the day I stood defiant before an army of Ghuls. I was to be a saviour, and a protector. In the faded world as I lay fallen on the courtyard stones, the voice first guided me to be more than that girl who traveled through sewers and hit tree’s with sticks in anger. I was to be benevolent, to bring back the fire in mankind’s heart like Justinian before me. I was to become hope, the voice told me.

And so I have become hope.
======================================================================================

======================================================================================

VENHOSTEN GRASSLANDS, THE HOLY CRUSADER STATE OF IRONMARCH, SOMNUS IMPERIUM, NORTH AVARA

It was midday, shining light shone through light clouds. The grass here was vibrant green, and the breeze still blew. A land not yet afflicted by the plague. A girl awakened. Her bright green eyes looked at her surroundings, seeing the time of day. “I must stop doing this” she sighed. She had fallen asleep again, resting on a hill whilst leaning against a tree. Much like she used to back in the days of the Peasants crusade.

The world of faded light was a safe haven for her. It was a place to become calm, in harmony with herself and Justinian. Here, in Avara, it was hard to be an Apostle, to be the saviour of all mankind, as proclaimed by the servitors. She had not even yet reached her fifteenth day of birth and millions hailed her as a messiah, an instrument of Justinian’s will. She was but a girl, dwarfed by those who worshiped her, leading men twice, thrice and even four times her age into battle against forces of darkness and corruption.

Now, she could not hide within the world of faded light anymore. She had to confront the people and their reverence of her. The open field of grass would be a scenic view, if it were not for the large war camp built around her sleeping location. It would be foolish to believe she could simply wander off without escort or purpose. She stood up, and begun walking back down the hill back towards the camp.

She marched with the famed rebel leader, once high-servitor and now general, Daelus Omar. “The Conqueror” the peasants started calling him during the rebellion, and now, with the civil war over, he is one of the most powerful men in the Imperium. The man was something she knew she was not, a genius. A controller of men and armies, he led peasants against knights and came through victorious. He had already begun changing the Imperium, and with guilt she admitted she felt envy for his successes that did not rely on unexplained powers or Justinian’s might.

While thinking on Omar’s achievements she re-entered the camp, only briefly noticing that they had already begun packing up the camp to continue marching. The wall of wagons had been moved; reforming the convoy from what was once a circular fort. Most of the tents were being taken down, except one bright red one in the middle. There stood Omar’s tent, her destination. She would talk with Omar now to apologize, assuming she had held back the hosts march towards their mission. A simple mission it was at least, she would not be needed for smiting monsters thankfully. They were to survey the land and the damage done by the civil war, which only ended two years ago. Persistent nobles in the North West calling themselves the “Ten Barons” as well as Ghul marauders made it necessary for this host to be the size it is, at five thousand men strong.

Originally by her own request she went with the host. She wanted to know what her people were like far away from where she lived, if they lived the same lives as she once had. Omar had agreed on the condition that she made public appearances as a way to recover morale among the villagers and new peasant soldiers. It was a fair agreement, but only Velmnus knew besides herself how uncomfortable she felt when so many came to her asking for salvation.

Ever since that old man with the plague somehow overcame his madness simply to ask to be cured, the faithful scared her. The old man was killed before he could come too close, by a paladin no less, but it was enough. While she had known for some time that the world she lived in was a horrible one, from then on however she had difficulty believing that it really could be saved, by her or anyone. The people came to her not only out of hope, as she wished, but out of fear. Out of desperation and because of their suffering. Justinian promised them salvation, a new world order built from the ashes of the wicked. Where was that world? Why has he done nothing? If he is so great, why does he make me suffer so? These are the questions the people asked her, answers she could not answer.

As the camp, once bustling with noise and action fell to near total silence, she knew that it would continue. No matter how dark the world became, no matter how difficult the questions were these people would uphold her as a messiah. The peasant-soldiers kneeled, the knights followed by bowing their heads. A man coughed. These men saw her as something she could never see in herself. Something Velmnus warned would happen if she continued on her path. These men had long lost their faith in Justinian’s benevolence. They held faith in his might, but not his justice. They saw her as their new god, even their new Justinian as heretical as it may be. They pretended she was a servant of Justinian, or an avatar of sorts. But she and the servitors knew that deep down these men followed her, not the Patrimony. She only hoped that when the time came for the final battle, they through her would fight for Justinian once again.

“So you have awakened, dear Cecilia” spoke a soft voice. Very few called her by that name. Servitor Velmnus had arrived, appearing out of the central tent... no doubt alerted of her arrival by the sudden end of all activity and sound. The old man shuffled forwards in his once pure white robes, now dusty and torn. The apostle has had many mentors throughout her short time living, but Velmnus was the one of the most important. What others called a prophet, she saw as a father-figure.

“Master Velmnus, I am very sorry for my laxity. I should not have left before. I have...” her apology was cut off by Velmnus placing his hand on her shoulder.

“All is well Cecilia. Omar is in no hurry to leave; in fact I believe his talks with the Drathan Arcanist Physical will prolong our stay here for an hour at the very least” Velmnus assured her, leading her towards the main tent. Cecilia did not know what a Drathan Arcanist Physical was, but she knew the man was an engineer of some sorts.

“So, then does the Drathan talk much?” Cecilia inquired. She knew little of the Union or the Drathan people, only that they were sorcerers and slavers. Why one would come here and cut all ties with his nation and deity, Yuwan, was beyond her.

“He has much to talk about it seems. Some of it I do not even understand, in fact I do not think even the Union may actually understand, or they would have not allowed him to defect as he has!” Velmnus jested.

Cecilia smiled reluctantly, she was nervous to meet the man who came from such a worrying nation. She had at least heard that the Drathan was a genius of machines and new inventions. The man had supposedly abandoned magic and left the Union to aid them, which was admiring if worrisome, but what he brought with him was... spectacular.

The two entered the tent and found the interior littered with scrolls and parchment. A makeshift table stood in the middle, also littered with scrolls and parchment. There was red everywhere. Omar wore a bright red hat on his head, a red cape around his neck... he even wrote in a strange red book with a quill, his face scrawled up in contemplation. Dosazes daz Vosazastivis, the Drathan engineer stood next to him shaking his head slowly, pointing at a parchment next to the book with one hand while stroking his great tangled beard with the other.

“No no, the device could not be stored there, the weight would be too—“ Vosazastivis looked up and blinked, seeing the new arrivals. His face was grim, so pale he looked dead and hands that appeared skeletal. His pupils were fiery yellow, disturbed and in sharp, angular eyes. He honestly frightened Cecilia.

“Salutations to you apostle of Justinian and Master Servitor, it is a most pleasant day to finally have met you” he greeted. At least he seemed polite, Cecilia was glad for that at least.

“Greetings, Apostle Victorianna. I am currently very busy. Do not fret however, for I will be done within the hour. Vosazastivis, we will continue this discussion on the road north. Velmnus, I require to speak with you immediately” Omar ordered in a strict but quiet voice, not even bothering to take his eyes off his strange red book.

Velmnus and Vosazastivis looked at each other, and quietly nodded. “Cecilia, would you please go with Mr Vosazastivis and help him pack his tools? I must speak with the General” Velmnus stated. The engineer looked at the parchment again and shrugged before walking out of the tent. Cecilia figured Velmnus and Omar wished to discuss something not meant for either of their ears... perhaps they speak of something clerical in nature? Whatever it was, it was not for her to know. She followed the Drathan engineer to his tools.

Vosazastivis' tent was already taken down; however looking around Cecilia saw his many contraptions. Small machines, cogs and boxes filled with tools made of metal. Strange objects of uncertain purpose. The largest of them all was already connected to a cart... Some kind of strange cannon, instead of a barrel it held a strange box of wood, a box with many holes in it.

“Is it not ingenious? It fires arrows launched by gunpowder like its own volley of bowmen! The Hokksulgug have crafted a formidable device, yet this weapon has only now been brought here by me! For shame, the east is backwards compared to the lands of the west, a sad truth”. The Drathan muttered while ordering what looked like a page, a young boy, to move the boxes onto the cart.

“So why did you leave the west then mister Vosazastivis?” Cecilia asked, confused why such a man, so unlikely to join Justinian's cause would leave his homeland if he held such thoughts of her people.

“There is opportunity in a land that is backwards. It is an opportunity to change things to how I wish them to be, rather than how they already are. The west is advanced yes, but they do not care for change”. The old engineer was only half talking to Cecilia as he continued looking over the Hokksulgug weapon. “I didn’t like being ignored. I have been ignored too long by the other mages. The world is reaching its final years and we must change if we are to survive. I have come here to bring my mind and my machines to fight the plague and have had enough of the Union's over reliance on blood and magic tricks”. He continued, elaborating.

“My people, they will remember you services to this land. To come here to fight the Plague is not an easy thing to do. Most would rather flee”. Cecilia spoke, somewhat surprised by the man’s answer. She knew that Justinian's and Yuwanist's on occasion had worked together, but someone like this... truly it was the end of days.

“They will likely remember me after what I have in stored for this land. And for what Omar has decided on. It seems Omar is trying to convince Velmnus for you to publicly support my endeavors, claim my devices are from neither Yuwan or my own mind, which is of course nonsense. Only I developed these tools” Vosazastivis absently remarked. It stung somewhat for Cecilia, for the man to so easily trivialize the voice and Justinian, but she knew such an individual, to actually have switched sides so greatly much have had a change of hearts somewhere, if not in faith, perhaps in mind.

“Omar has been trying to make me do many things to gain support from the people. He is well intentioned, I know, but...” Cecilia drifted off, not wanting to speak further of her complaint.

“It is forced. Ah yes, I know the feeling, truly. The Unions great mages and scholars were much the same with I. Go there, do that, be quiet for you know not what you speak. Perhaps then, I will be able to do something of it, Omar’s plans that is” Vosazastivis suggested, turning and finally looking at Cecilia directly.

“There are many devices in my workshop at Blackstone, among the black powder makers and gunsmiths; I have machines like no other. Well, perhaps some more similar to existing designs than others” he glanced at the strange Hokksulgug weapon. “Once I am finished with this survey, I humbly invite the Apostle to my workshop to inspect the magnificent crafts in work there. I will have the workers make great cheer and fanfare of your doings there, and we will have no need of Omar’s engineered public displays” He spoke with certainty and with a hint of rebelliousness, as if he had done actions such as this many times over. Despite his daunting appearance and history, Cecilia found she could actually talk to this man. He was strange yes, but he gave her no great questions concerning the meaning or reasoning behind Justinian’s actions in the world.

Suddenly, before Cecilia could respond to the engineer, the page appeared again to collect more boxes. “Vosazastivis is building a dragon I tell ya! A dragon! I seen it, messiah lady, tis incredible!” The child acclaimed wildly.

“A dragon!?” Cecilia shouted. Despite her position, powers and reputation, she was not much older than the boy. She knew that dragons had gone extinct long ago, but the thought of them coming back was exciting, even if the improbability of Vosazastivis, a mage who had supposedly forsaken the arcane arts of the Union, being able to bring them back had to be ignored to even consider the idea.
“It is no more a dragon than I. This boy is speaking nonsense, I am working with adapting, interestingly, another Hokksulgug device, combined with a Karkarthan weapon which breathes fire—“

“Exactly, a dragon!” The boy shouted before laughing, causing Vosazastivis to sigh and rub the bridge of his nose. Cecilia wondered why the boy had not reacted to her presence like others his age. He must be from Vosazastivis workshop she thought, where foreigners are allowed to work. She decided then and there she would rather go to this workshop than whatever Omar had planned.

“I would like to see this ‘dragon’ and anything else at your workshop mister Vosazastivis. I think it is about time I finally see Blackstone and the work done there” Cecilia stated. She wasn’t just saying it to avoid large crowds, she honestly believed this technology could help defend Somnus. A man who had such great designs of machines and engineering that he abandoned his magical powers to continue in its refinement must have something of use.

She also liked dragons.

“Well then, we best hurry with this survey then. We’ve waffled on and Omar has probably finished explaining what he wants of you to Velmnus. People are waiting for things to happen, uh?” Vosazastivis remarked while placing the last machine on the cart.

“Off to the north then, where all the damn Ghuls are”. Vosazastivis mumbled, and within the next thirty minutes they were off, unaware of the crusade being called against them, unaware of the activity of the Ghuls to the north, unaware of storm approaching.
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EVERYREN, SICARIUS PRETENDER STATE, SOMNUS IMPERIUM, NORTH AVARA

”These are not the herbs we are looking for” Remas stated blankly. He had been searching through the alchemical supplies shop for twenty minutes now and most of it appeared to be junk. Who honestly sells Grobwood these days?

“Idiot, we’ve been here for like an hour now! Just grab it all and we can move on” spat Saathen “Spitfire”, their resident Jahun-ka expert on whacking things with sufficiently large pieces of metal.

“Please Saathen of No House, let me do my work. We will get to the buying of Karkath steel very, very soon” Remas responded, irritated. Where was the Tendrilweed? Lockgrim? Gauntgargast? These people who call themselves alchemists, herbalists, doctors.... ignoramus. Horrible, horrible ignoramus’ they were indeed.

“Right! We’re done here. I cannot take this affront to medical and alchemical knowledge any longer!” Remas shouted, followed by a small group cheer from outside the shop.

“Finally, had you taken any longer, Takataren herself would have fucking returned!” Saathen continued to yell. She did this a lot. Ever since they were formed as a “party”, she was constantly insulting his dignity and honour as a Plague doctor, alchemist and Servitor-healer of the venerable order of the Knights Carrion Song.

Also, it was hard to breath in this beak mask. Lockgrim was a very dense spice to use as a purifier of element Remos thought.

Exiting the horrible building that called itself a alchemical supply shop, Remas Justinus and Saathen of No House were met by their small band of ‘fellow soldiers of Justinian’. It was an extremely diverse bunch in Remos’ opinion, in some circles even heretical. Why it was deemed appropriate to bring them all along together was beyond him.

The merry band of fellows was, as mentally listed by Remos;

-Saathen “Spitfire”of No House, the aforementioned Jahun-ka paladin of whacking things and spitting. Now she was off to the Karkarthian steel merchants, in the wrong direction;

-Bosk Gauldulus, the big guy with his perfectly untrimmed and shaggy beard leaning on the stone wall, who in Remas’ opinion was a heavyset dimwit of a crusader and nothing more;

-Urian Phebosius, standing in the street uncomfortably and hyper-vigilant, who still wouldn’t shut up about surviving the fall and the horrors, don’t even get him started when he is drunk, the man tried to commit suicide once;

-Odev Trenorix, the kid squatting near the door playing around with his sword. A wannabe paladin of Krax who actually changed his name to be more Charlinite, here for no other reason than the Krax paladins convincing those who ordered this mission to bring the tag along to gain 'experience';

-Aurelius Carpathus Wyverncourt, the almost feminine looking man starring off into the sky, day dreaming probably, also the Grandmaster of the Knights Iron Sepulchrave’s Justinian-damned little brother and here as ‘supervision’. Remos hated nepotism, though at least this one wasn’t a total idiot like Odev and Bosk;

-“Mananimos of the Mountain” a Justinian-damned Dryadicist sage, smiling and waving at passersby city goers as if they couldn’t tell he was an obvious heathen. Apparently the probably immortal man was here to find extremely rare alchemical ingredients to try making a potion for keeping plague afflicted asleep.

And a bunch of other nameless meat shield’s the council decided to bring along.

Today, tomorrow, the next month would all be trying times for Remos Justinus. He knew that only he had the sanity in this group to make sure the correct objects were acquired, the correct people talked to and nobody died who wasn't supposed to.

“Perhaps we could talk to the store owners? They may have a private store for more higher grade ingredients” The sage man suggested, with his squinted eyes, wide smile and white beard.

“Let’s move you fool’s, we have Karkathian steel to plunder!” Spitfire yelled impatiently, only now turning around and going in the right direction.

O’lord Justinian, why have ye forsaken thou mind and soul?


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summary

SUMMARY:
-An insight into the mind and thoughts of a 14-year old peasant girl turned messiah

-Introduction to a number of interesting personalities

-A host of soldiers (About 5000 men) under the command of Daelus Omar march across the northern regions of Ironmarch to inspect damage and make notes on repairs. They bring the Union defector and engineer Vosazastivis to take his own notes and thoughts on improvements, as well as the girl messiah herself.

-“Vosazastivis invites the messiah to his workshop in Blackstone, building dragons apparently”

-A small group of interesting individuals attempt and fail to buy some herbs in the city of Everyren. Karkathan steel is the next big buying object on their list, and boy will they be in for a surprise.

Sacrilege War Redux

My redone sheet is up. It is WIP, as I need to talk to Flagg about the redone internal Somnus map.

Sacrilege War Redux

NOTE TO EVERYONE: We are moving Piratepad's to a new location due to Prostagma trolling it. Please write down here for a link and I will PM it to you

Sacrilege War Redux

I will be redoing my faction, may take a day or two to finish edits.