@Willy Vereb It's a can of worms and I'm not entirely against it but maybe we could use volume or tonnage instead of size? My ships are rarely of the long cigar shapes so that wouldn't really be fair.
Alternatively, if nobody specifies the sizes then we can just adhere to the hierarchy and people whose ships are "treaty breaking" would have to specify so. (Or, when skirting, say what they skirt.) That way we can leave the technicallities behind while maintaining a semblance of powerlevels. As I assume most ships would also have a specified weakness.
I explicitly stated that non-longitudal ship designs or similar shapes can work with smaller dimensions. I would rather not specify volume because that's on the "too thinky" side. I can go into *WAY* more detail but I feel anything but a simplistic list would be counter-intuitive. I CAN give you a diameter list for saucer and spheroid/cube ships which follows this scheme if you want, though. Would that suffice?
Spherical/Cuboid Ship Chart: - Hyperdread: >2000m - Dreadnought: 800-2000m - Battleship/Battlecruiser: 400-1000m - Cruiser: <500m Others should follow a roughly similar scheme of decrease. In case of strike craft you just have to be conscious of making your fighters noticeably smaller than the average.
Saucer/Plateoid Ship Chart: - Hyperdread: >2500m - Dreadnought: 1000-2500m - Battleship/Battlecruiser: 400-1000m - Cruiser: <500m Again, you can figure out the rest according to this. As for strike craft you don't even neccessarily need to reduce their dimensions. You still use the base plane form for both, in case of flying saucers the "wings" are just circular.
Hope this could help.
EDIT: If you plan to use Star Trek Federation style saucer-longitudal mix kind of warships then those could be either follow the saucer or the longitudal ship size limits. Either works, really. At times there are as much as two orders of magnitude difference between ships in the same class here in terms of volume and that's fine. Good enough for what is a space opera here.
I know I might be opening a potential can of worms but how should we settle on ship sizes? We have actual treaties limiting them so I believe there are some sorts of standards the entire galaxy agrees on to classify them. I am partially ask this since one of the White Corps' military shtick is to skirt around these rules and field ships that might appear to be in a certain class but in effect they are more powerful.
Since without an opening argument this would take an eternity here's my potential list on starship sizes, using the largest dimension (usually length) to measure:
This is merely a suggestion of mine and mostly used for standardish shape ships. For example if you have spherical or flying saucer shaped vessels this number might get lower to compensate. It depends on you, of course. Furthermore as you can see I included a fair bit of size variance so people have decent freedom to pick what they feel the best. Overlaps are also a thing since reasonably thinking the heaviest destroyer and the lightest cruiser shouldn't be that far apart (and might even be switched as far as relative powers concerned). Battlecruisers have almost the same size limits as battleships because historically BCs are basically BBs with lighter loads and different roles. The difference between a BC and BB is more in terms of tonnage and armor/weaponry than anything else. Lastly I split "strike craft" category in two to account for gunships/bombers that are less maneuverable and the true starfighters. This way it's even less likely one would have "starfighter corvettes" which the GM was apparently fearing. That being said this is just a list of values I put together in like 10 minutes. Feel free to criticize it.
EDIT: I am also not claiming that the treaty only limits the size of vessels. If anything that's just the start. As the GM implied with the description of capital ships there's a fair amount of minmaxing going on with Detente era warships so likely the power generation/consumption is another key element they limit. But I leave that to you, the size chart above is only there for aesthetic purposes. So we don't get things like 500m long hyperdreads while the other side has kilometer long corvettes.
EDIT2: Spellchecker trolled me (see the last bold) so I went to fix that.
Interconnected world, long history of space travel, everyone knows each other. Hmm.. yeah, I guess it's time to revive White Corps. For those unfamiliar, White Interstellar Corporations is basically a megacorp like civ. In terms of plot relevance they engage in a lot of trade and they like to deal in high tech, as well as exploiting stuff to earn more profit. White Security Services is their mercenary/PMC branch which can and frequently does lend assistance to outsiders even if their primary function is to provide security for White Corps. As a multi-national megacorp their employees come from a myriad of backrounds and races, pretty much a corporate meritocracy.
White Interstellar Corporations
Name: White Interstellar Corporations (WIC), also referred as White Corps Chief Director: Keith White, the third Headquarters: Cygnus System, Hydea Prime Government: Interstellar Conglomerate Status: "Neutral" (see below)
Overview/History
White Corps is a powerful galaxy wide corporation that came to be around the same time as Pax Ashtari, the "peace" established by the might of the Ashtar. Before the first contact with Earth, White Corps was a multinational conglomerate evolved from a spacelift company. Keith White (the first) was a brilliant businessman who basically made his empire from scratch. White International Corporations was among the top 100 greatest human companies yet compared to their future heights their position was almost mediocre. The grand change arrived alongside with the Ashtar whose galaxy spanning communication and transportation measures enabled unimaginable possibilities. Aging yet still in full capacity of his wits, Keith White risked everything to set foot in unfamiliar regions, racing to beat his competition. During his life White Corps went from an averagish international enterprise into a conglomerate with interstellar reach, as well as undoubtedly the most powerful corporation on Earth, rivaling nations. His dream continued under the guidance of Keith White (the second) whose youthful energy and desire for growth made White Corps into a galaxy wide entity. The second Keith White put down the lion's share of what provides the face of White Interstellar Corporations nowadays. The third Keith White thus seemingly landed a cushy office job with very little to do. The irony of this statement becomes obvious when you realize he took office only a few years prior to the Great War. The loss of Ashtar oversight and the embroiling chaos initially troubled the company but soon they turned things around, responding well to the galactic demand for conflict. In short they turned wars into profit, and keep doing it even now. White Corps' influence is on the constant rise and while materially speaking they are far from a powerhouse, they keep growing. White Corps built a reputation for high quality and extremely dependable services, something in dire demand during such chaotic times. In a sense this makes them neutral, they do not have any dreams of galactic conquest nor offering more support to any particular faction. In practice they are very much self-serving and given their high profile technological leaning they maintain a veiled yet keen interest in the Ashtar homeworld and its ongoings.
Holdings/Government
White Corps is a galaxy-spanning conglomerate with some degree of involvement in nearly every nation. While interstellar logistics is still their main profile they are present in a myriad of fields. White Mining and Industries (WMI) is steadily growing since the chaos of war, meeting the increasing demand for resources. White Research Fund has presence in countless places of learning, providing support and scholarship programs (as well as receiving up to date information on scientific finds). White Interstellar Innovation Initiative is a giant R&D powerhouse not only gathering technology from distant regions but also developing technology unique to White Corps. White Galactic Credit is a galaxy-wide bank and stock exchange which also invests in foreign companies. Overall the White Interstellar Corporations is a gigantic conglomerate with equally huge and complex leadership to govern it. There are several levels going from the daughter firms to constituent corporations all up to the main branches each lead by an Archon. These Archons have sweeping influence over their set field in the conglomerate and arguably even galaxy-wide. There are overall 11 Archons who also attend regular board meetings in presence of the chief director of White Corps, Keith White himself. These meetings are typically held in Hydea Prime, the planet-wide headquarters of the company but since Archons are constantly busy they can still remotely attend through highly encrypted quantum comms.
White Corps originated from Earth yet as the enterprise grew to encroach the galaxy the rock planet shared with billions of outside the company's payroll became inconvenient. Its location closer to the edge of the galaxy also caused logistical troubles. This inadequacy remained even after several moves of the company's headquarters until Keith White the second bought an entire star system for White Corps' exclusive use. Cygnus is an unique trinary star system ruled by the stars of Cygnus A, Cygnus B and Cygnus B*. As a hiearchical star system Cygnus A is much larger and situated at the center while the pairs of Cygnus B and B* orbit it from a further distance. Cygnus has 4 planets, 1 rock and 3 gas giants. With the rock planet orbiting between Cygnus A and Cygnus B+B* it surprisingly remained of habitable quality, dubbed Hydea Prime.
As a headquarters of White Corps and later an important trade hub the Cygnus system has a massive influx of starships coming and going outside the system. The stars are surrounded by dyson swarms and stellar mining units while the gas giants became industrial districts and hydroponics. Deneb Shipyards, a White Corps subsidiary, has their most prestigious production complex set up in Cygnus. Hydea Prime itself rapidly grew into an ecumenopolis, a planet-wide city. Used to be home tens of billions of employees with the Great War and unpredictable interstellar transports it became unsustainable. Along with a cost cutting and rationalizing measure Hydea Prime now sports extreme degree of automation with the living population reduced that to 400 million. Hydea Prime became a "ghost city" or as some call it a "planet wide computer". In spite of the dramatic cut on staff the productivity only escalated further while Hydea went from borderline ghetto to one of the best places to live in.
White Corps is a company and while some tend to joke about them becoming a "corporate nation", they are unable to practice direct political power. While technically owned by White Corps, Hydea Prime or even the remainder of Cygnus has no national rights. Instead each inhabitant are the citizen of their respective nations with laws applying to them accordingly. To avoid some of the confusion the interstellar community agreed to form the Cygnus Autonomous Government, a state supervised by major powers which can practice national rights. At least that's what the public believes. In practice CAG is of course a puppet of White Corps, a necessary extra step to have their way.
As a major trade hub and the heart of the galaxy's most prominent megacorp Cygnus is of course possesses their own defenses. Lent by White Corps but officially under the authority of the Cygnus government the Cygnus Defense Force (CDF) acts both as security and self-defense. About a million WSS employees are participating in CDF for this purpose, including 4 WSF battlegroups in space. Furthermore Cygnus has the unique Jaivardhan Network, a meticulous system of space defense platforms, capable of even repelling a few dreadnoughts. That being said the primary purpose of CDF is security and to stop the rare rouge actors from ruining operations. They aren't meant nor capable of stopping a major power from invading Cygnus. But why would they? Cygnus is important because White Corps is operating there. Invading the headquarters can be a major financial blow to not just the megacorp but the galactic community at large. The ultimate protection of White Corps is money and the key role they have in the modern interconnected interstellar economy.
Present CDO of White Corps, the grandson of the second Keith White. Original name Jason, he freshly earned his business degree in the University of Corinthene when the news of his grandfather's death reached him. As a tradition his father Kayne White was to be nominated as the next CDO, a motion everyone expected. Yet in a surprising twist the third Keith White was to be Jason, a person with practically no fame. Naturally this sent the entire Council of Archons into an uproar yet mysteriously Kayne expressed his support. As soon as they rose the waves of outrage had calmed down, perhaps begrudgingly accepting the fresh director. Rumors spread about the second Keith White growing emotional senile to name such a successor. Others calmly accepted this, thinking the third Keith White would be nothing but a handsome figurehead. With the sheer robustness of the company and the galaxy at peace it was beleived that White Corps could last another hundred years without a change. They were wrong. A few years later the Ashtar resigned their position as world police, going into hiding. Soon after the Great War broke out and conflict ruled the space. White Corps' businesses were collapsing in the waves of destruction yet the unthinkable happened. Keith White reorganized the conglomerate, changed focus and opened new markets. For every lost business they soon began gaining four or five. Conflict was a detriment to the old structure since it fed on stability. The new face of White Corps was different, it abused the inequalities of conflict. Need for some quick cash? Sell that resource asteroid to us. Need for some war resources? Here, freshly mined. Weapons? We have them. Men? Can do. Anything else? Can be arranged for. White Corps began to grow once again, turning from one of many intergalactic names to the top business in the galaxy. Logistics and high technology were still their main profile yet the way they approached things changed. After few years into the War nobody had any doubts about the young Keith's business sense. With hostilities reigniting in the race for Agdemnar it's expected that White Corps will flourish even more.
Demographics/Society
As a galaxy-spanning interstellar enterprise the White Corps has employees from a myriad of nations and races. [to be continued...]
Economy/Technology
Conservative estimates put White Corps' contribution to around 1% of the galaxy's entire GDP. Over the century the megacorp enjoyed a meteoric growth and its presence is now felt in every corner of the galaxy. That being said they are still just an interstellar company, perhaps the largest and most extensive the galaxy had ever known but regardless they aren't a nation state. Their assets are compartmentalized and dispersed through the galaxy. Like any other company they can be victims of the whims of local governments and while influential they only possess soft power. Similarly their industrial power is hanging on a myriad of interstellar agreements. And to re-iterate: White Corps might be the single greatest company in the galaxy but when compared to the gross national product of major powers they are still underwhelming. That being said, having a profit oriented galaxy-spanning enterprise does mean they could focus on projects much easier and could weigh countless alternatives. This sorts of freedom can also explain their reputation of high tech. While still nowhere to the point of Ashtar it's often beleived that White Corps owns the best technology money could buy. Their research programs penetrate every nation, their development teams "appropriate" patents through the galaxy and their seemingly unending funds can finance technological inventions most nations could never even dream of.
Nanolathes: The 3D printing of the future. It sorays layers of nanopractices on a "frame" made of forcefields it is possible to create objects or even fine devices with extreme precision. With centuries of development this technology is now widespread in White Corps facilities, allowing versatility and customization like never before. A qualitative improvement over this technology were the Q-fabs (quantum fabricators), allowing to interact with matter and change its structure. While transmuting lead to gold is still an economical dead end the range of customization options grew exponentially.
Metamaterials: Matter made, not extracted. Metamaterials is an attractive field which allows one to design matter with the exact properties they desire. While this process is costly it has several means of payoff. MSIM (meta-stable intermediary matter) is one common product, a family of designer composites ideal to rearrange via Q-Fabs for more specific uses. Durametals are the other end of the spectrum, ultradense metal-derived matrixes making them way more durable than normal. Durachrome is a fine example. Even the more modern brands of nanomesh use metamaterials and dura technology. Duramesh in particular is a spongy nano-webbed derivative of durachrome, making it excellent lightweight construction material.
Conversion Reactor: As a result of White Corps trying to deliver plentiful amount of energy conveniently to its clients its R&D team made many breakthroughs in energy generation, storage and transfer. One of these is the conversion reactor advertised as the ultimate evolution of nuclear energy. Using field generators, Q-Fabs and other devices it became plausible to turn any regular matter into a source of energy. Do you wish to run your reactor by throwing rocks into it? Sure, though far from ideal. Nuclear energy from air? Absolutely! Conversion reactors went through multiple generations and since the 5th gen era it's possible to make them even on the micro scale. Wrist watches and phones powered by air-derived nuclear energy is a matter of course now. While convenience is important White Corps also considered high performance users. Starships and certain military equipment can now use "ultra conversion reactors" which consume ultradense metastable matter to achieve high performance and at compact volume. Long story short this technology enables further miniaturization attempts from White Corps, enabling the rest of their tech.
Impeller/Impulse Technology: Unified force theory is partially unraveled by White Corps, allowing them to create a new kind of propulsion based on forcefields. This meant a fundamental change to White Corps technology yet functionally it has little effect. Impeller technology can be used in moving parts in place of electromagnetics, further improving efficiency. Similarly mass accelerators with impeller technology can be made more compact and reliable yet outwardly the effects are rather similar. A more apparent difference happened with the spread of impulse drives/engines. Using pure force instead of reaction mediums resulted in monumental fuel savings and environmentally safe method. Forcefields themselves are an ubiquitous standard feature of all White Corps technology.
Elektrokinetics: With the atomic age conventional explosives appeared to be on their way out yet thermonuclear weapons had their own issues. Elektrokinetics are using the coulombic force, induced by charge difference. Using sophisticated devices it's plausible to artificially create charge differences in matter to generate force. It can be used for mechanical power akin to the cylinders of a combustion engine, providing motive force. More importantly this charge difference can result in massively energetic bursts which can be utilized for explosives. Military applications for example include turning inert projectiles into improvised explosives, furthering the versatility of accelerator weaponry. It can be even used as rocket propulsion by turning a small portion of the object into reactive matter and expelling it in sequence. While electrokinetics have a narrow niche it still finds surpriringly frequent applications by White Corps.
Farcasters: As a galaxy wide conglomerate White Corps has experience with a myriad of faster than light travel mechanisms. To avoid the logistical nightmare of managing many dozens of different FTL drives, White Corps settled down on two. One of them are the farcasters, derivative of the ubiquitous hyperdrive. Some may go as far as White Corps invented Farcasters just for the patent money. Farcasters open a portal to hyperspace, an eldritch region commonly used for FTL travel. The actual process of "Farcasting" occours after entry where the ship establishes a safe corridor anchored to the exit point. This process makes hyperspace travel both safer and free of the random time variance regular hyperdrives experience. As such Farcasting vessels are always on time, a valuable asset for a corporation mainlining in logistics.
Fold Drive: While Farcasters offer reliable interstellar travel the corporation was also fascinated by the potential of a radically different approach. Foldspace technology warps space-time around the vessel, achieving superluminal apparent velocities without the ship actually moving faster. It works very similar to that of a multiplier, if an object moves at 0.1c then at warp factor 100 it effectively would travel at 10c. Some derivative of this technology was long used by civilizations galaxywide to speed up sublight cruise times but breaking the light barrier was a challenging task. White Corps achieved that breakthrough, giving them a fairly economical and reliable travel measure. Unlike most FTL types Foldspace travel occours in realspace. The upside is that it increases precision and allows continuous observation of the sorroundings. The drawbacks are that collosion with realspace objects is a strong risk. Plotting courses to avoid obstacles is essential, especially since with increased speed the turning circle of ships expand accordingly. A ship which had a 200km turning circle may require 200,000 km in high-warp, a monumental difference. Regardless fold drives are fairly useful in the right hands, even if they have a specific niche. In addition fold technology can be used for the so-called "hypersensors". Foldwave radars can get reflections at superluminal rates, hypercameras can visually observe objects in real time rate from astronomical units away. Hypercomms allow sending signals for interplanetary distances without the light-lag. Fold technology is even utilized in weaponry. Although unlike electromagnetic waves these objects require what is called a "fold sustainer", a device derived from the fold drives but way simpler. It cannot generate fold distortion but maintain it around the vessel. Such "fold accelerated weapons" have a rising niche in the White Security Starforce.
Armor: White Corps relies on armor as the primary passive protection. Nanomesh and duramesh are adequate structural materials and can provide sufficient protection against infantry weapons. Durachrome is used as the most common "true" armor material, albeit its weigh (40-80g/cm^3) makes it awkward at times. More sophisticated armor schemes make use of duracomposites which is an extremely large family of varying setups, effectively unique to each type of hardware. More advanced armor schemes are also reinforced by integrity field, which is a small matrix of forcefields.
Higgs-Shielding: Derived from the impeller technology, a skin-tight energy barrier forming a protective layer over the user. Its self-focusing technology concentrates shield strength proportional to the punishment received, making it fairly economical in terms of energy consumption. Higgs-shielding is normally invisible, only flares up when receiving a sufficiently strong attack to trigger its self-focusing effect.
Deflector Screens:Multi-layered impeller shielding mostly exclusive to spacecraft. A form of standoff protection it forms several layers up to miles from the vessel. Deflector screens are the first line of defense for ships, but far from the last. They are intended to weaken, deflect or pre-detonate attacks rather than straight blocking them. Distance is equally important as their forcefield strength. Due to its standoff nature these shields are much more rare for ground units since shield-to-ground contact could weaken them unless adjusted correctly.
Accelerator Guns:Impeller Acceleration Arms technology allows using forcefields to propel a variety of different projectiles. This technology is commonly utilized in White Corps small arms, cannons, artillery or even missile weaponry. In a more narrow sense accelerator guns are a family of impeller acceleration arms that fire interactive multi-purpose projectiles (IMPP) at hypervelocity. Accelerator Guns have integrated nanolathes or even Q-Fabs to modify their projectiles prior to fire, allowing an extreme range of customization. The most expensive accelerator guns outright create their projectiles using metamatter (MSIM, to be precise).
Interactive Multi-Purpose Projectiles: IMPP are cylindrical inert projectiles specially engineered to be easily modifiable. Using nanolathes and Q-Fabs it's possible to shape the projectile, add special properties or even give it simple programming. Thanks to this accelerator guns no longer need to carry specialized ammunition, they create them from IMPP on demand. The first shot might be a dart-like extremely hard penetrator while the next round would be functioning like an airburst grenade. Depending on sophistication IMPP can be also adjusted for specialized roles like incendiaries, anti-electronics, anti-shield or even non-lethal purposes. Larger accelerator guns could even fire nuclear shells. Thanks to this versatility White Corps almost entirely abolished their use of energy weapons.
Sublight Accelerator Guns:A variant of accelerator guns utilizing a degree of foldspace technology. It allows firing up to near lightspeed projectiles in a fairly compact package. Most commonly found in starship use, this is the standard for most WSF weaponry.
Missiles: Aside from IMPP the most popular weaponry in White Corps' arsenal are various missiles. The simplest forms are actually IMPP, only of larger diameter and designed to be propelled by electrokinetic jets or rocketry. These light missiles usually rely on the combination of speed and electrokinetic warheads. More sophisticated missiles are mostly for space and anti-orbital use. These rely on their own impulse engines to achieve great performance and often have sublight speed capability built into them. Such missiles can have a myriad of different warhead options which deserves its own section. Modern space missiles like 200mm and VLS capable ones are wildly customizable not just in their warheads but in practically all their characteristics, specialized for the situation at hand. Speed boosters, Fold Sustainers (for limited FTL) and maneuverability packages are among the most popular mods to equip but far from an exhaustive list. Missiles of such sophistication are usually made via Q-Fabs and further modified prior to launch to meet the exactly required specifics.
The warheads below are the most typical for 200mm and VLS type missiles, though in different distribution. 200mm missiles are generally considered medium range and for defensive purposes. VLS are long to extremely long range missiles with at least as much offensive as defensive uses. Also while many of these missile types are easy to fabricate, some require either special materials or contain classified technology not authorized to be constructed by frontline Q-Fabs.
Fold Accelerator Guns: A new type of weaponry mostly in prototype phase. Their mechanism is in theory simple: equip a projectile with fold sustainer and ramp up the foldspace boost sufficiently to reach superluminal apparent velocities. In reality this is a demanding and very delicate process which is often accomplished only by linking the weapon to the ship's fold drive. This is generally not a concern for White Corps as they intend to combine this technology with spinal mount mass accelerator weaponry. Spinal mounts were not encouraged by White Corps due to their awkwardness and inferiority compared to their own VLS systems. Fold Accelerator Guns changed this, making such mounts actually viable as specialist anti capital ship or anti-fortrification purposes.
Mass Lance Projectors:The closest White Corps ever gets to utilizing energy weapons as shipborne weapons. It compresses matter to the extreme and unleashes it as a needle thin stream at extreme velocities it could very efficiently punch through hardened targets. Yet matter stream also expands, only slowed down by relativistic effects. Once the stream slows down it explodes, preferably inside the target. Mass Lance Projectors are extremely potent but only at short ranges. Its penetration characteristics degrade with range. Fold acceleration variants were also invented but those are telegraphed (they need to erect a fold corridor for the stream to travel through) and even more easier to disrupt. Standoff protection schemes might also detonate the stream prematurely, nullifying their threat. As such careful considerations must be taken to properly use this weapon. Yet this "instability" can be also exploited. Modern fold lance projectors are known to be "dual purpose", capable of punching through heavy defenses at short range or to be used as futuristic flak cannons which detonate their content at a set distance. Mass lance projection technology has a lot of potential and White Corps very much intends to eventually turn these to their standard arms. Yet that would likely take at least a few more decades, even optimistically speaking. Regardless lance projectors are getting increasingly more widespread, no longer limited to spacecraft. Mass lance projectors in ground usage are fairly popular against enemy armor.
Military Overview
White Security Services (WSS) is the conglomerate's official security branch which eventually grew into a private military corporation of its own. The primary goal of WSS is to secure White Corps' interests but they soon began offering their services to foreign companies and even nations, effectively turning into a mercenary force. WSS is known for their high quality equipment and overall decent service, just as White Corps as a whole. The pool of staff is of course limited as White Corps has no legal grounds to aggressively recruit people, much less to do conscription. Yet given the conglomerate's high tech profile this happened to coincide just nicely. As previously said WSS contractors use high tech gear which combiend with their small numbers means they will not rely on brute force but rather make effective use of their mobility and precision to destablize their opposition. WSS troops are meant for small skirmishes, special operations and low intensity conflicts. They don't do open warfare. This philosophy in some sense is also reflected in their space forces, although combined with a lot of other aspects.
As their name implies White Security Services is primarily for providing security. Most of their employees are the equivalent of mall cops or civilian contractors. While their job is far from risk free the most "action" they tend to get is on the firing ranges and maybe catch purse snatcher. Actually, with the spread of robotic security it seems both sides are doing mostly the same. Staffers handle equipment and perform routine maintenance while security personnel oversees robots and keep them in top condition. The real difference is just that security tends to interact with people more.
As dictated by the worker laws of most nations White Corps provides uniforms for their employees. In case of WSS contractors they go for an extra mile, designing something that not only looks good but fitted with features to make their job easier. WSS uniforms are woven of nanomesh fabric which makes it stab proof, fire proof and absorbs impacts. The adoptive nanolayers can also protect against chemical spills and manage temperature. In-built sensors also watch for the wearer's vitals and might inject drugs in emergencies. The suit also comes commonly equipped with a low powered energy shield against radiation, vacuum and other environmental effects for short periods. If necessary wearers can also equip a shield booster which is the size of a cigarette box and can be fixed on the belt. It includes early warning sensors and a computer alongside the micro conversion reactor and shielding tech to erect a short lasting barrier against small arms and shrapnel. It only has enough to stop a few shots but it could mean the difference between life and death. On the other hand studies showed that the shield booster has long term health effects thus it's only issued on order. WSS contractors have relative freedom at choosing their weaponry yet by far the most common sidearm is the GOG-17C pistol. Like all White Corps firearms it uses mass accelerator technology and it fires 2.4mm projectiles at hypervelocity. These pre-fab bullets can customized to extreme variety so they could become stun shots of wide variety, AP, explosive or even more types. In spite of its size it's possible to charge up these bullets sufficiently to blow a human target to mincemeat (although at considerably power drain). The weapon is fairly accurate, can support HUD or direct link targeting displays, thought based controls and of course all pistols come standard with ID lock and similar security features. Overall it's a good gun although it requires relatively frequent maintenance and the White Corps supplied 2.4mm ammo (100 per magazine) is rather expensive.
Alternatively called SDS (spherical drone systems) are a large family of ball-shaped drones of various size and functions. In spite of that their overall role is relatively similar as they are meant for scouting, surveying and scanning. They are either rolling on the ground or fly using anti-gravity mechanisms (often both) and their focus is on sensors instead of anything else. Battle variants can exist with shields and heavier weaponry, so are hunter killer drones using powerful weaponry like warheads or mass lances. They are the most common type independent robotics utilized by White Corps.
Field Robotics and public Interface Enabled Normal Drone (F.R.I.E.N.D.) is a type of robotic infantry that can be seen everywhere in White Corps' premises. Their shape imitates humanoids (or aliens native to that region) and their form design is intended to make them look approachable rather than threatening. PR image is big with them and most FRIENDs are loaded with myriad of entertainment and public service features. That being said their primary purpose is to secure the area as well as lessen the workload of security personnel. As for combat capability they are no match for trained infantry. While possessing exceptional aim their responses are predictable and their agility is kind of laughable by expert eyes. They are designed to be relatively cheap and expendable, afterall. Most of their parts are second grade or lower by White Corps standards although they gave exceptional care to their computer core. Situated within the central portion of the machine's chest its housing is surrounded by composite armor which survives even if the rest of the robot is blown up. As such it's common for FRIENDs to have exchanged bodies dozens of times through their lifetime, occasionally retaining "bugs" related to the trauma. As walking gun turrets the most important combat asset of a FRIEND is their GCC-38/40 battle carbine firing 3.6mm programmable rounds with extreme variety. Thanks to the direct link to the AI it could dynamically determine the kind of ammo settings required to solve a specific situation. The combination of larger munitions, massively expanded versatility and huge power pack makes these carbines potentially way more destructive than GOG-17 pistols or even the rifles of standard infantry. Some prototypes also carry mini mass lances for even more massive firepower but those never seen out in the public.
WSS Expeditionaries are a mix of marines and standard infantry utilizing high-tech equipment. They wear sealed suit made of nanomesh composites which is resistant to shock and shrapnel and integrated with an exoskeletal system to lessen their load. In addition they wear composite armor plates to resist small arms and dramatically increase their survival. Using data-link and their vast array of built-in tiny sensors they view everything through a computer generated augmented reality interface. Some troops even agree to link their senses, achieving teamwork akin to the precise directions of a hive mind. For additional mobility the combat suit of the Expeditionaries often has micro fusion thrusters for jet assisted jumps and maneuvering. All these gadgets of course have a hefty price and could not be used by just anyone. WSS Expeditionaries were often members of foreign militaries for years and scouted by WSS for their skills. Following that they undergo intense VR training and field practices before becoming a fully fledged member. Alternatively WSS can ask promising security staff to advance, accept the courses and training and similarly become an Expeditionary who earns a much more respectable wage. As actual combat troops life as an expeditionary is not simple. You have to travel a lot, train constantly and occasionally even fight. In spite of their incomparably greater potential the Expeditionaries still mostly do what the standard infantry does, earning the nickname of "level 2 security".
- GAR-15A: Advanced accelerator rifle nominally firing 4.2mm projectiles. Unlike less advanced models it has a much more powerful and sophisticated nanolathe to alter projectile characteristics including feats like splitting one 4.2mm type to six 2.5mm munitions for salvo fire. The larger projectile is intended to carry more explosives and more sophisticated tools, as well as increase the maximum firepower. That being said full powered shots consume too much energy to be sustainable, often considered akin to using a grenade launcher. Speaking of which the GAR-15 has room for a GAG-203 12mm short accelerator to further increase its firepower or seldom mount a MLPA-025 micro mass lance for anti-armor roles. The "A" in the GAR-15A means "anthropoid-type", used by human mercs and those of similar build.
- MMS-148: The current type of micro missile systems (MMS) in use by the Expeditionaries. Fire and forget system which is not that dissimilar to accelerator rifles in function. It uses a sophisticated nanolathe fabricator to customize the 30mm missile bodies after which an accelerator ring gives them a starter velocity. The missiles use electrokinetic rocket propulsion which converts some of their own mass into propellant. Their size allows them to house decent guidance without making it too complex and their warheads can vary immensely. While generally slower than the hypervelocity projectiles these missiles still have enough velocity to use that as a weapon. Submunition spreads in a frontal cone is a common killing method with them. micro missiles are filling in a niche between infantry rifles and dedicated anti-armor weapons. Their price is still not significant enough to make missiles uneconomical and their tiny size gives them surprising magazine capacity. In addition they are the Expeditionaries' preferred weapon of choice when encountering aircraft.
- MLP-99: Man portable mass lance projector which focuses hyperdense matter to a nanometer thin beam at speeds approaching the light. This concentration of momentum allows extremely energy efficient anti-armor function although at a price of reduced range. That being said in terrestrial warfare the said "limited" range barely applies which makes MLP like a laserbeam. More care has to be taken for the target as the weapon needs precise adjustments to become lethal. A nanometer thin beam passing through does practically no damage. Yet slow it down sufficiently and it will practically explode (preferably post-penetration). Make the beam too wide and it wouldn't pierce the barrier or fail due to the standoff plates "pre-detonating" the shot. Consequently MLP-99 requires specialists to handle. Although White Corps has future plans of fielding "mass lance rifles" as their next gen infantry weapon.
These three weapon types dominate the Expeditionaries' arsenal. In addition they use drones for hauling supplies and munitions or to carry larger weapon systems which less advanced militaries would consider as crew served weapons. This includes mortars, AA missile batteries, field artillery and even more.
The elite force of WSS and their primary offensive response. Mobile Infantry have the best equipment and many has special forces background. They currently wear the ARS-011 powersuit which has the best materials and technology that money could buy. Actually, calling them mere infantry is a misinformer. They are effectively a one man fighting vehicle with durable armor, shielding, enhanced agility, micro impulse thrusters and extensive sensory and battlefield management setup. While they can equip a lot of different gadgets the Mobile Infantry prefers to be loaded light and to answer this White Corps invented the VARIS (Versatile Accelerator Rifle-Integrated System) which is currently at ver.437. Unlike standard White Corps guns that use pre-fabricated projectiles the VARIS uses compressed metastable matter and creates new projectiles before firing which can range anywhere from 1 to 15mm diameter. In addition the VARIS can also work as a mass lance or energy weapon by just a quick computer directed adjustment of the accelerator rings. This allows them to effectively engage anything ranging from infantry to even tanks or aircraft. Yet their greatest asset is their sheer agility and speed which they can accomplish their objectives.
TBA
White Security Services is a PMC providing the public face of their military. Yet there are times White Corps has to secure their interest with less savory means. H.Y.D.R.A. (actual meaning classified, possibly just a backronym) is effectively a black organization doing exactly that. They operate independently from White Corps and technically have no ties to each other. In a sense HYDRA doesn't even exist. There are little of any records mentioning them and most sources tend to be contradictory. Those who are aware of HYDRA tend to think it's a codename covering multiple organizations and on the surface level it might be even true. Yet the actual HYDRA is a secret agency led by the Shadow Council, an independent group supposedly hand picked by Keith White himself. Rather than directed by White Corps, HYDRA acts entirely on their own with their only contact being periodical reports and seldom communicating with Keith White. They are distanced from White Corps as much as possible to maintain plausible deniability. As for members the core staff of HYDRA are select individuals who officially shouldn't even exist. They are either declared dead, missing or otherwise no longer being on records. The exact size and capabilities of HYDRA are uncertain but it's beleived they even have their own R&D units. Given the sheer amount of White Corps tech they possess it's likely they have backdoors to many White Corps complexes both to gather information and support them without officially endorsing it. Some even suggests that experimental technologies of more secretive nature might be tested by HYDRA, especially when it involves unethical or morally questionable purposes. Aside from its solid core unit HYDRA actually has contact with the underworld network and often uses criminals, pirates and terrorists to do the grunt work for them. Many supposed "HYDRA" organizations were actually criminal group propped up by the Shadow Council to act as their proxy.
Space Forces
For a long time White Corps didn't own a real space force. The interstellar conglomerate was still growing and they only required to ward off the occasional pirate. Escort vessels commanded by White Security Services were sufficient. Regardless this lead to them gaining some experience in building warships, particularly corvettes and frigates. As the enterprise grew, so did the amount of potential threats. Furthermore their shipbuilding grew into a fruitious business and thus the demand for an independent space force became apparent. White Security Starforce (WSF) became their official name. Technically still answering to WSS yet given massive amount of autonomy. Just as before White Corps focuses on smaller vessels yet size could be deceiving. Although compact the amount of technology and power hidden within these ships should not be underestimated. Indeed while technically the main purpose of WSF is still "security" they grew into a full blown space force. The shipbuilding rush of course effected White Corps, too. The end result were quirky compact warships punching way above their weight class, although with some drawbacks. Strike frigates that really should be deserving to be called cruisers. Then let's not talk about their so-called "expeditionary combat vessels", White Corps' own take to sidestep the Treaty of Detente. Consequently the WSF has a dearth of any large combat vessels. White Security Starforce does not appear to own any battleships, mind dreadnoughts. Some say this is a ruse and White Corps is hiding a force of very much treaty violating dreadnoughts until the opportunity arrives. While such rumors likely have no basis it's well-known that White Corps has fair bit of knowledge in dreadnought technology, even offering technical support in their upgrades and maintenance. Though secretive about it but intelligence reports also claim White Corps is likely to possess a prototype hyper-dreadnought, kept only for research and experimentation. This could explain the recent spike of high-powered anti-dreadnought weapons mounted on their newest vessels.
Small vessels exist for local patrol, support and screening purposes. By galactic standards these all would be classified as Corvettes of some type and they are indeed marketed as such.
- Blockade Runners: FTL capable shuttlecraft made with recon roles in mind rather than outright combat.
- Gunboat/Torpedo Boat/Missile Boat: Weapons corvettes on the smaller end of the spectrum focusing on firepower.
- Schooner/Snauw/Corvette/Patrol Ship: Generalist corvettes of various sizes. Schooner/Snauw are on the smaller scale and tend to be old models while patrol boats are more advanced vessels following modular design. Corvette is a generic term which can mean anything, of course.
- Mine Layer/Minesweeper/Minehunter/ Mine Warfare Ship: All of these are referring to escorts specialized to mine warfare, either to counter them or to deploy them (often both).
WSH-F09221A7 Raleigh-class Recon Corvette: Tiny 40m long blockade runner outfitted with SEWERS (Space Electronic Warfare and Enhanced Recon System) to act as a flying sensor, providing intelligence, early warning, targeting information and could even attempt to jam enemy sensors. Instead of weapons it has probe launcher tubes for further information gathering capabilities. Because of its overall importance it's referred as a recon corvette or RC rather than a blockade runner like its parent hull.
WSH-F07317A27 Calico-class Missile Boat:64m long vessel equipped with no less than forty 200mm missile tubes. Its main role is to act as screening vessel against starfighters and incoming missiles. The newest variant also replaced its old gun mount with a modular weapon station which can use either twin AG-30, SAG-57 or the new LPA-28 type armaments for self defense and close range interception.
WSH-E02148A11 Stargazer-class Corvette: Classic escort ship with length of 90m and versatile loadout. Also considered pocket warships these pack 16 VLS cells, pair of SAG-76 guns, assorted self-defense weaponry and a hangar module alongside three S-scale modules for mission customization. They are in the process of being replaced by the new Patrol Ship class due to their limited flexibility in comparison.
WSH-E00981A52 Ton-class Mine Warfare Ship: 100m long escort ship originally designed for minelaying. After scrapping its guns and antiquated missile pods they filled it with probe launchers for counter mine warfare. It became a specialist vessel responsible for carrying, deploying and controlling mines. It is also the vessel type used to combat mines by using various probes for detection, analysis and neutralization of space mines. Consequently the ship went through more variations than any other hull in order to be kept up to date. Regardless a replacement is in order, some even suggest that its duties should be taken over by the Delta-class patrol ships.
WSH-E17216A1 Delta-class Patrol Ship: The newest escort ship class freshly out of prototype stage. Unlike previous vessels that a rigid layout the Delta-class is entirely modular, can be fully customized for any role. Optimistic projections say these ships would replace nearly all escort vessels and the "Micro Delta" class intended to do the same with mini warships like blockade runners is already in development.
WSH-E10096A7 Hydra-class Missile Destroyer: 142m long vessel originally envisioned as a full scale warship. With the radical improvement in missile technology White Corps intended to have a craft fully exploiting them. Designed to be compact yet powerful the vessel ultimately failed to live up to the expectations. Demoted as an escort the Hydra is an incredible force multiplier equipped with no less than 160 VLS cells. Although initially these were meant to be filled with strike warheads the modern variants fill out an almost entirely defensive role with lot of their cells converted into 16-pack 200mm loadouts. The newest retrofit also saw the change from the outdated gun systems to 3 modular weapon systems most commonly occupied with LPA-55 mass lances for close-in defense.
WSH-E11017A2 Armstrong-class Gun Destroyer: Less of an escort ship and more like a 160m long flying cannon the Armstrong-class was designed entirely around its ridiculous SFAS-475 Fold Accelerator Cannon. They have limited room for defensive armaments or almost anything else yet their capability to threaten even battleships can make them a worthwhile addition.
WSH-E01390A21 Armadillo-class Monitor: 148m long ship which can be classified as either escort or warship. It has heavy armor and powerful guns for its size but it comes at the cost of endurance and FTL performance. Armadillo-class is intended for regional defense and considered a rather old ship design. Yet when it comes to cost effectiveness it has only a few equals which makes it a popular choice for small nations. The current retrofit is equipped with four SAG-205 guns, 16 defensive guns and eighty tubes for 200mm missiles. It also comes with two modular hangars and 6 S-scale modules for customization. When nations want a compact brawler they think of the Armadillo-class.
Warships are the mainline combat vessels utilized by White Corps. In a sense they could be called as capital vessels but WSF explicitly lacks such vessels. If anything in other doctrines ships of such size are the escort vessels instead.
Do you have a discord channel? I know there's a stigma attached to it and I can get it but it does spice up activity a lot and allows brainstorming like never before.
That being said, I have several possible ideas in my head. Will re-read the plot and read over other player sheets to see if there's a particular niche which needs to be filled.
The lands colloquially referred as the Sundwald region.
|Cities| - Drachenstadt --- Capital of the Dominion. Originally the castle of the Grandmaster (Drachburg) built atop Mount Drake. It soon grew into the Order's headquarters, then administrative center. Eventually they created an entire metropolis surrounding the mountain. Drachenstadt is the Dominion's largest and most important city, enough thatnits 21 districts have rights akin to an individual city each.
|Natural Resources| True to its name the Sundwaldian region is rich in evergreen forests, counting as much as over a hundred different species. The harsh winters are demanding to the nature and only the toughest specimens can survive. Aside from its unique flora Sundwald is overall reasonably abundant in resources like stone, iron and have plausible deposits for materials only discovered in the last century. Mining towns that were founded hundreds of years ago are now industrial cities. Recently though Sundwald became a source of envy for its neighbors due to its huge deposits of oil. While only providing a small percentage for the world's oil Corax is a well-known exporter with an oil industry that is over 70 years old.
People & Culture
Official Name:Dominius Coracis de Gladisylvus Alternative Names: Corax Dominion, Chivalric Dominion of Schwerternwalde, Dragonlands, Sundwaldian Commonwealth Government: Feudal Constitutional Stratocracy Ruler: Current leader of your country, or leadership in the case of a senate/group of people. Population: 27,541,056 (according to the last census)
|Volksgeist| TBA
|Demographics| Located at the edges of the Norden Region the majority of Sundwald's population are of various Norgeling cultures. While roughly similar in culture their historical roots tie them together in a complex web and there are probably three dozen different Norgelingian dialects in Corax alone. To ease this to a degree Corax along with its neighbors introduced Hauptnorglich, allowing relative standardization and overall modernization of the tongue. That being said a century passed and the regional dialects are still very much alive. Hauptnorglich is currently taught in every school alongside with courses in the regional tongues. Prior to that Corax used a variation of the liturgic Orthodoxic language, usually referred as Lingua Dominian.
|Social Structure| The Dominion is effectively a militaristic federation of multitudes of small states called Cantons. These cantons are rooted in historical countries but various reforms shifted, split and combined Cantons to facilitate more efficient governance. As a side effect Cantons also have smaller autonomous regions called Freibezirk, which are special regions with partial self-governance usually formed around a distinct culture. Land ownership is not universal in Corax and limited to a pseudo-nobility called the knight (Ritter). Knights are members of the Draconic Order which provides them support and certain political sway alongside with the above discussed right of landownership. Being a knight though also has certain responsibilities, including largely increased taxes and active support of the military effort. Unlike nobles of the modern times, Unlike classic nobility, knighthood is a title which can be easily granted by the reigning knight masters so long it's approved by the Grandmaster. Becoming a knight usually requires outstanding military service but merchants and factory owners also received knighthood. Consequently there are set standards which have to be met otherwise one could also be stripped of their title. While losing knighthood entirely is rare the Dominion has numerous examples of stripping aristocrats of their status and lands due to incompetence. As a matter of course knights have a wide range of ranks which also represents the Coracian social ladder. Junkers sit on the very bottom, they are demoted or landless knights who aren't significantly different from the average citizen. They often become small scale enterpreteurs or low ranking government or military officials thanks to their upbringing. Lords (Meier) are land owning knights with some affiliation to governance. Freiherr are small land owners or town mayors. Graf is a semi-militaristic title for those who own Dampffestung (steam castles, a type of armored train/fortress hybrid) to patrol the lands. Graf are involved with both the military and law enforcement. Margraves (Markgraf) are moderately large landowners who usually oversee multiple knights with the title of Meier and Graf altogether. Next step is the Princeps (Fürst) who rule over multiple manors. The Princeps in turn serve the Masters (Meistern) who have the right to self-govern their assigned Cantons. Lastly the supreme ruler of the Dominion is the Grandmaster (Hochmeister), effectively the emperor of the entire nation.
Aside from knight-titles the status of commoners also varies. Gemeinen are the lowest class of the Dominion, they are peasants and poor workers whose life could be compared to serfdom. Gemeinen are not free (often even prohibited to leave their Canton) and generally they aren't a very active part of economy. What they provide is cheap workforce. If one was lucky or amassed sufficient wealth they could become a freeman or Landsmann (also used as a general term for fellow countrymen). They form the middle class of society and unlike lowly folk they have to pay regular taxes. Failure to pay could lead to them and their entire family becoming Gemeinen. Aside from these there existed a third status called stewards (Knecht) who swore their services directly to a knight. They live with or close to their lord and could be considered another layer of the middle class. Voting rights are not universal in Corax. Rather it's limited to knights and freemen who were provided citizenship. Being a citizen (Burger) requires one to either complete a length of government or (more often) military service and be evaluated satisfyingly. Failing to pass one could take extra service up to three times. Failing evaluation for the fourth time permanently bars one from citizen rights. Stewards/Knecht are not freemen and normally cannot become citizens to avoid voting fraud. One could effectively become a freeman by filling the paperwork and willing to pay the regular taxes (actually more, because stewards pay extra) then either receive evaluation for its deeds or volunteer for service to earn citizenship. Such stewards often aim even higher, dream of becoming knights themselves. In general Coracian social structure is explicitly built to reward the achievers and those who work for the good of the state. |Religion| TBA
History
Chapter I - Pre-Dominion [to be continued...]
Armed Forces
Overview: While conscription is plausible Corax almost entirely relies on a volunteer military force. All landowners have the responsibility to maintain a military along with sufficient logistics to operate them (including steam castles, see later). The term used for these is Landwehr, they are professional soldiers who patrol their territory and help solidifying order as necessary. Above them exist the Reichswehr which includes central command, trainers, specialists and other duties that need to be organized on a realm-wide manner. During war the Reichswehr also calls upon the Landwehr, borrowing said troops as an unified force. To establish decent cooperation the various Landwehr conduct numerous military exercises.
Land Forces: Corax is landlocked and cornered by several nations. It is no surprise their focus is on standard warfare on land. The cornerstone of modern Coracian warfare are the Dampffestungen, armored trains provide more than just safe transport. Replacing stationary castles the steely behemoths serve as mobile fortresses that house the Lord, station the troops, carry essential equipment and basically handle the majority of war logistics. Corax might be not the most developed nation but they sport the highest rail density in the world. Just like medieval castles their steam equivalents add protection while deploying cavalry to rapidly respond to threats. Of course in the modern times horsemen were replaced by motorized forces and especially mechs. While defensive in nature the Coracian doctrine effectively focuses on quick response and rapid offenses, overwhelming their opponent before they could mount up a decent attack. They also excel at railworks, capable of laying down massive amount of railways within a day thanks to their utilization of mech labor. That being said during peacetime they still prefer traditional rail building both for its long term endurance and because operating diesel consuming mechs is a costly affair even to Corax. While named after steam, many steam castles are actually diesel powered nowadays. In addition certain steam castles are actually river barges and there are ongoing plans to introduce "airship castles", too.
Coracian infantry is equipped with armor providing defense against pistols, antiquated muskets or distant rifle round impacts. This aspect is not different from Norden standards as armored infantry are fairly common on the North. Yet Coracian doctrine goes even further, with civilians prohibited to use high powered rifles or anything that can reasonable threaten this armor. Even the infantry usually carries carbines loaded with light munition. Ritter (knights) and assault troops go even further and equip full plate harness to the field of battle. Of course carrying armor has drawbacks like impacting endurance or be unwieldy in heat. This is partially compensated by the fact Corax has very high degree of mechanization thus the troops usually don't need long marches.
Corax has a rather active firearms industry with ancestry dating back to hundreds of years. That being said with the country's relative isolation, unique laws and already strong traditions their weaponry can be considered weird to other nations. The Coracian standard unit of measure is the unicia, equaling 3cm (~1.18 inches). This is also used to measure their calibers, thus a 9mm round would be considered .30 caliber by Coracian standards. The amount of decimals after the point also tells whether the cartridge is intended as a rifle (ie.: .55 Jaeger) or as a "pistol" (.233 Vex). Another strange fact is their preference for fast yet light bullets, specifically hollow projectiles (also called ring/tubular projectiles). Unlike hollow points which only have an indentation at their front a hollow projectile is basically an overly thick tube with ballistic shape. Betraying expectations this feature actually aids in aerodynamics and shaves off weight for even more velocity. That being said hollow projectiles have plenty of unique issues and as such most nations don't bother with them. Corax kinda went in the other direction. Common Cartridges:
- .233 Vex: A lightweight 7x28mm cartridge commonly found in pistols. It fires fairly light projectiles but at very high velocity, often exceeding 1000 k/s (kubits/second,~600m/s). This results in a relatively flat trajectory, better effective range and more manageable recoil. Most bullets are also designed to practically burst into tiny pieces upon entering the body and can do damage comparable to 9mm hollowpoints. That being said .233 rounds have occasional issues with accuracy and have excessive muzzle blast. Furthermore since they depend on velocity their wounding capacity is less reliable than more conventional pistol cartridges like the 9x19mm. Their low penetration and degrading performance at range are also issues though it depends on application. This is perhaps the most popular commercial cartridge from Corax, often used by sport shooters. Outside Corax though the .233 Vex is very unpopular for self defense as the combination of stumpy barrel and extreme short distances (<2m) can result in the round penetrating without any expansion, doing minimal damage in the process.
- .215 Carbine: 6.45x38mm cartridge which evolved from pistol munitions. Widespread with hunters and as self-defense weapon the cartridge requires a relatively long barrel to be effective thus not advised for pistols. The standard military load fires a 3.2-gram tubular projectile at over 1550k/s (930+ m/s) thus providing decent lethality even at 500 kubits (300m ~ 1000 feet, provided there are no obstacles or armor involved).
- .32 Schwer: 9.6x54mm cartridge originating from black powder rifles. During its modernization the cartridge got lengthened and introduced a neck as well as most loads became hollow projectiles. The standard munition weighs 6g and has muzzle velocity in excess of 1700k/s (surpassing 1020m/s ~ 3350 fps). Unlike the carbine and pistol rounds which break apart upon entry the .30 Schwer tends to go straight through which actually makes it less damaging against infantry. Development is underway to solve this but so far it only resulted in expensive composite bullets that are unfit for wide scale adoption. On the other hand its extreme velocity makes it a decent AA round.
- .50 Gross: Heavy caliber used against tanks and in anti-aircraft roles. 15x120mm cartridge is known to have great power, even surpassing standard 14.5mm anti-tank rifle rounds thanks to its velocity which surpasses 2000k/s (1200m/s).
Standard Infantry Gear: - Brumbara A89D: Fairly popular revolver rechambered for the now commonplace .233 Vex cartridge. Its medium-short barrel also received a flash hider to partially mitigate the side effects of the hot cartridge. It has a revolving 10-round chamber and known to be highly reliable.
- Brumbara SL12: Self-loading pistol designed with military contracts in mind. Based after the SL9, an already unique pistol which manages to squish a decently long barrel into a compact frame thanks to its weird off-axis action. Basically the action slides 90 degrees downwards into the pistol grip portion, freeing up space at the back of the gun. SL12 improved this system and instead of a rotary magazine at the end it uses either tube or (more commonly) helical magazines of various length inserted under the barrel. This also fixes the old issue considering the sights thus making the gun easier to handle. Sl12 has long entered the civilian market and has many customization options. The typical military pistol has a 5-unicia (150mm) barrel including a flash hider and usually supplied with a 24-round helical magazine. The pistol has a decent performance and very high ammo capacity yet it tends to not handle adverse conditions very well. Unclean or poorly maintained SL12s tend to malfunction a lot.
Bold move to ping me considering how scarce on RPG I've been ... but I eventually saw it so I'd say that strategy panned out well.
Now remind me, which game archetype (or typically combination thereof) best describes this? Writing game, Stats game, or Dice game? Is it masterful prose, meticulously kept stat sheets, or Lord RNGesus who will be deciding the fates of nations?
Wonderful prose, though us narrative based roleplaying folks prefer to say the aim is to write an engaging collective story.
Stats in the form of tech tree exist but may even disappear if it gets in the way of writing. It is more meant to display specializations and to give people a good idea where things are. Plus tech tree should add a sense of progression since the game ambitiously aims to stretch from interwar to early cold war era in terms of development.
I am interested as semi nomadic techno barbarians aping ancient cultures from eastern europe. Actually I feel that's thmain appeeal of playing as an East European faction.
I also wish there would be an Enclave expy with EU origins instead of USA. Should be amusing. EDIT: Oops, GB only. Well, I managed to sneak a Hungarian expy to Yellowstone Fucking Park in a previous RP like this. Don't underestimate me.
Fenizia, the radiant capital of the Fenician Dominion. Built on the ishtmus connecting Falcola and Albator. It's a maritime megalopolis where waterway transport through intricate channels is considered a regular form to commute. As a maritime trade and overall economical powerhouse Fenizia is the thriving place. Skyscrapers and similar giants are a rare sight, though. Most places lack solid foundation, restricting buildings to light construction. As a consequence population density is relatively low, mostly offering homes for the rich and influential. In contrast Fenizia has twelve "slum cities" right at their borders, offering homes for workers, secondary docks and of course the warehouse space for storing goods. Not including them would be unfair thus the so-called "Greater Fenizia" has the total population exceeding 10 million. A galaxy of shining stars during the night, the city of Fenizia often felt like a gigantic lighthouse for sailors. Yet today the radiant capital is covered in near complete darkness.
Fenizia was far from empty, not yet anyways. While the eruption of Monte Vesvia lead to the rapid evacuation of the entire Falcola Island it was determined that the capital situated at a safe enough distance. Being the commercial and economical keystone of the entire Dominion the city could not stop either way. Normally Fenizia would shine in the radiant light of millions of solarite bulbs yet at the present time such feat is beyond them. Unlike electric lightbulb, solarite based light works through re-emitting the sunrays absorbed during the day. With dense volcanic ash covering the skies solarite bulbs are practically useless, only a limited number of them are maintained through alternative means like direct mana transfer. It's been exactly a month since the catastrophe. Thousands of miners died within an instant, entire settlements flooded in lava. Without the slightest warning Vesvius blew its mountaintop into the stratosphere. Thanks to its odd vertical pattern the collateral damage was minimal yet the gigantic mountain threatens the entirety of Falcola. Furthermore the explosion sent many million tons of dust and volcanic rubble into the high atmosphere, throwing a literal shade over the glorious Sunrealm. Experts say the dust should eventually disperse, slightly weakening its effect yet also covering most of the globe. If it's true this might effect not just Fenice but the entire world. Fenizia was considered a frail city made secure through the naval superiority of Fenice. It would not fall to any invasion. Yet it appears the city might just fold under nature's might.
Like a sole star in the vastness of dark space, the royal estate of Albaminissare shines brilliantly, defying all odds. Several tons of magic crystals are consumed for a singular event, a statement of the royalty's excess. Yet today's occasion is a bit special. Instead of the standard niceties the Imperator called upon the royal family to discuss a grave emergency. The crisis of Vesvius' eruption provides a yet unparalleled challenge to Fenice. Depopulating Falcola and persistent night over the homeland obviously hit the economy, changing the value of lands dramatically. Aristocrafts and royalty alike have their very lifeblood put in these lands and as such the catastrophe is risking their financial security. In order to remedy this the Imperator plans to reshuffle holdings and reaffirm the status quo. Discussing frivolities like the fate of commoners is something better left to the Parliament, that's what they're for.
Leonello IX Fontana di Alberinis, reigning Imperator of the Fenician Dominion oversaw this celebration from a distance, sitting solemnly on the throne. A hero for many people, his rule brought forth a golden age of Fenice with territorial expanse unlike any before. Being in his 80s, his magical affliction began to show and his bones creaked with pain and an uncomfortable chill. Rumors say he could barely stand for an hour and even taking a short lap around the palace could drain his stamina. That was his official excuse. In truth he felt no connection to his own lineage anymore. Greedy nobles and spoiled heirs, that's all he saw beneath him. Using the lure of re-allocating mainland ownership he had hoped to gather the once mighty elite of Fenice to discuss grave times. This past month had been the worst of his life. He was an ambitious leader, proud emperor and pious Dionist. All three were squashed by the eruption of Vesvius. Seeing his efforts crumbling by a literal act of God shook his entire existence. It broke him. For all he knew God may had forsaken this entire world. It might not happen today, not even in ten years. In all likelihood he'd die before this divine punishment is fulfilled. He may had officially gathered these people to reassign lands and riches. In reality he was desperately looking for a successor, somebody to lead his people through these desperate times. For this purpose he planted agents everywhere in the palace, acting like his eyes and ears. Nothing. This charade has been going on for all day yet he found nobody to inherit his will. The former giant who carried the entire Dominion on his shoulders realized the harsh truth. In his anguish he silently recited a plea for God.
His prayers seemingly answered the entire palace shook. The sky lit up as Monte Vesvia erupted for a second time. No, calling it an eruption would be inaccurate, it was an explosion. The gigantic mountain held back overwhelming pressure until it reached critical phase and monumental mass of rocks transformed into a pillar of orange fire. That was just the beginning. Masked by the perpetual darkness a wave of rocks and volcanic ash swept over the area, not just the capital but almost the entire mainland of Fenice if not beyond. Unlike the previous eruption this wave propagated horizontally at a more modest velocity. Royalty and the remaining citizens of Fenizia cried in panic yet they barely had a chance. A particular spike of ejecta headed right in their direction, destroying almost all in its path. That was the last day of Fenicia and the day when 80% of mainland Fenice transformed into a realm of ash. Albator, Trieste on route to the Paesedione region ~ 47 hours after the Catastrophe
Endless seas of grey snow. Ashen ruins. Desolated plains. Yet when observed from bird's view one could see a tiny convoy escorted by 8 riders spewing up dust in the distance. Many would doubt their eyes over the unusual sight yet they'd be outright maddened to hear this rundown and shoddy looking vehicle is transporting royalty. Being in the last month of her pregnancy, Princess Celeste Dietto di Alberinis remained in her mansion in Arizia when the volcano had erupted for a second time. Though only hit by rock showers and a seemingly neverending cloud of ash, such environment was unfit for a frail pregnant woman. Grabbing a military halftrack and a small entourage of knights from the Phoenix Order they chose to undertake the risky journey for the health of both mother and the child. This small yet elite team was lead by Vettorio da Vigo Contarini, grandmaster of the Phoenix Knights. How such a prestigious person ended up leading such a small band during grave times is a long story but mostly can be explained by unique circumstances. Vettorio would normally be attending the royal meeting in Fenizia yet excused for personal matters, namely the birth of his daughter. Unfortunately, her wife Isabetta caught a strange affliction related to unrefined solarite and currently she's fighting for her life. With their home situated in Arizia he wanted to do something to draw his attention away. And now they're on the run with two pregnant women. The situation is grave and if telegraph messages were to be beleived, it's far worse than anyone could imagine. Almost the entirety of Fenice is under volcanic ash save for a relatively small portion situated southeast, often referred as Paesedione due to the proximity of the Dionist holy land and the sacred city of Torredios.
The landscape underwent a dramatic change since the last two days and there's no guarantee they could navigate safely to the south. Yet they must, this environment is poisonous and while ordinarily the sun elves were tough enough to survive, they couldn't risk the health of the Princess. Isabetta also needed medical attention and unfortunately the only solution was to travel southward and at least reach the nearest city in Paesedione untouched by this blight. Vettorio could bet it was either Armas or Ostias. On their way, they met numerous refugees who likely had a similar idea to them. Vettorio and his men occasionally requested goods and supplies albeit most often the refugee caravans were stringently packed just as them. By Vettorio's calculations it'd take another day to escape the ashen wastes and his men were exhausted. He ordered them to set up camps and rest. Yet he could've never imagined what happened next.
They woke up to shrieking and thundering noises. Rockets. The impacts were random and inaccurate, meaning whoever was using them either lacked skill or used them from extreme distances, or both. The rattling noise of water cooled machineguns and constant rifle fire could be heard. "Signore Vettorio, it's an ambush!" Shouted one of his paiges. The experienced knight leader tried to supress his shock before turning towards the youth. "Calm down and raise the alarm! Run to the servants and tell them prepare to move!" Only a few words, no encouraging speeches. Nothing to add, just telling him what to do. The enemy were surely inexperienced, unlikely to be regular soldiers. Yet they owned rocket projectors that had yet to be adopted by even the military. Vettorio wished to know more but for the time being he was preoccupied with assessing the situation. His troops of elite knights were already engaging in combat, their experience and skills allowing them to act prior to any orders. That was fine, mere rabble shouldn't even faze the bests of the Fenice. Numbers don't mean anything if they lack discipline and proper direction. On the other hand something just felt off and he didn't like this one bit.
Without a second thought Vettorio ran towards the medical tent. The close noises of gunshots unfortunately confirmed his fears. Without even confirming who's inside the knight leader weaved a wind spell in a hurry, literally blowing the assailant away. With the assassination foiled the figure in back faded into the shadows, unwilling to challenge the seasoned veteran in a single combat. Or just fearing his identity might be discovered? Whoever planned this intended to keep everything under wraps. Vettorio of course had no luxury to linger because one of the servants got grievously wounded. His name was Bonaccorso Albergati. His vigilance, bravery and ultimately sacrifice saved the princess who might be now considered candidate to become the Imperatrix. Listening to his final words the servant Bonaccorso passed away in contentment, immortalized by his deed. Vettorio felt almost envious yet he understood there's something far greater for him to do. Meanwhile the Phoenix Knights were busy halting the enemy forces. They bad no time to waste as the servants resumed the preparations for their escape...
They were no longer safe. Hunted by an unknown group and isolated from the rest of the Order or even the military, Vettorio had to avoid more predictable routes and lose yet another day for it. He originally intended to treat Princess Celeste and his wife at one of the more prestigious hospitals in a big city but the threat of assassins made this impossible on the short term. Yet the clock was tickling and they had to risk a backwater clinic with barely two rooms. On that day two lives were saved and the face of the Dominion irrevocably changed.
1937
The tenth anniversary of the Catastrophe is approaching. Preparations are long underway but currently regent lord Vettorio Da Vigo Contarini spends his well-deserved rest at his personal estate. In spite of effectively becoming the ruler of Fenice the regent's residence is hardly out of the ordinary by the standards of nobility. If anything his preferences may even seem simple or puritan in nature but that came with cultural shift. The glory days of the Dominion are over yet the country still exists. 80% of the mainland are uninhabitable ashlands while the rest struggle with massive overpopulation. Industry consolidated yet their current output is merely 30% of what it's used to be before. Emigration is still an issue, even if the country is no longer bleeding its loyal subjects by the millions. Yet they still hinge on. In spite of all expectations Fenice is far from finished. And thanks to a borderline miracle the last member of the royal family survived. Registered as Bonaccorso Dietto de Alberinis, the youth is less than 10 years old, nearly a decade away from becoming a proper adult. In his stead rules Vettorio Da Vigo Contarini, grandmaster of the Phoenix Order, witness of Princess Celeste's death and last will and practically one of the most powerful aristocrats left after the volcanic disaster. Being a true military man it's a miracle he could adopt to the life of politics.
But matters of the country currently enjoy the backseat as Vettorio spends his free time catching up with his favorite books. This pastime is interrupted by the calm and measured steps of one of the housemaids. Even though she's out in the corridors and at least 30 paces away Vettorio possesses ears and senses honed by decades of training. The next minute is spent by regent guessing exactly which refined lady's steps he's listening to. Turns out to be Stella, a young maiden and one of the more recent hires. She's still learning the ropes and this inexperience shows in the uneven steps she makes. "Stella, come in." Vettorio exclaimed before she even had an opportunity to knock. "Lord Contarini, your daughter Celeste's practice is about to start." "Thank you Stella, I would never miss it." Vettorio said as he jumped off his seat, letting Stella escort him to the courtyard.
Name: Fenizia Dominiqua dell'Dio (Phoenix Dominion of the Sun, often abbreviated as Fenizia/Fenice) Government: Constitutional Monarchy (transforming into a theocratic-military junta) Head of the State: Maestralto Vettorio da Vigo (regent) Dominant Species: Calavenyr (Sun Elves) Population: 55 million
Previously a great power Fenice had significant ambitions with influence in several portions of the Othea. Their momentum came to an abrupt halt when the supervolcano Vesvius erupted, covering most of the main islands in a thick layer of ash. Losing their capital and nearly the entire royal family Fenice is at the brink of collapse yet still intent on retaining their former status.
History
TBA
Territory
WIP
Fenice is an empire with its domain stretching across the globe. Their mainland Fenizia consists of three islands: Albator, Falcola and Yelinor. Used to be an abundant land with nearly 90% of the Dominion's population the supervolcano reduced most of these into borderline unlivable wastelands. Even the neighboring island of Giazol bathed in dense ash, although its inhabitants of hardy trolls managed to survive. Even after the catastrophe Fenice retained considerable control over the Verronto Sea with a couple of territories held near the shores. As far as the Western continent goes Fenice has two major holdings in Firoir (North) and Kazatrea (South), the latter currently being the largest agricultural region of the entire Dominion.
Demographics
Fenice is an empire ruled by the Sun Elves. Their magical prowess and overall positive attitude defines the nation. Only a decade ago they made up the majority of the Dominion but after the catastrophe they are forced into a minority rule of only 47% of the population. The second most common race are the humans, of course. Forest elves also compose a respectable portion of around 5%. Trolls suffered great loses during the disaster but thanks to their fertility and massive government aid their numbers are steadily growing back, their strength and resilience finds great use within the Ashlands. With colonies nearly everywhere it could be said that Fenice has minorities of nearly every species from Othea.
Distant descendants of the more widespread forest elves (or just elves for short). It is actually uncertain how they came to be and curiously why their populations are exclusive to Fenice. Many creation mythologies exist with the most popular taught by Dionist clergy. According to this the Calavenyr used to be common elves who answered the call of the Phoenix, mythological entities considered the closest to the Sun. Rewarding such devotion these elves underwent a divine transformation, receiving the Sun's blessing. At first glance there are no obvious marks distinguishing a sun elf from their forestry ancestors. Sun elves tend to have brighter eye and hair colors like blonde or various shades of red but this isn't universal. Their tendency for less pale skin is also dependent on lifestyle. Yet interacting with a sun elf the difference is immediately obvious. Most elves are aloof and distant with outsiders. Their pride does not allow them to acknowledge others like equals. While equally prideful a sun elf has no such restrictions and actually are considered quite open and warm personalities around. This is of course cultural and so is their focus on family. While the bloodline is important for all elves only a sun elf could speak hours about their family, at times even when nobody asked them to. They love to talk and curious to meet new people, an elementary part of their culture. Overall sun elves are possessed by a sorts of "energy" none of their other brethren do. Dionism teaches this to be a divine inspiration permeating their race but more rational minds explain it as a side effect of their high magical aptitude. Elves tend to be more magically capable than humans but even among them magical talents are uncommon. For sun elves the ability to use magic is universal and innate, they earn it at birth. Their gift is so abundant it actually turns into a curse. Without proper training sun elves are doomed to be killed by their own errant magical powers. Sun elves are universally adept at casting spells. One would think this naturally mean they became pioneers in magical research yet the reality is slightly different. When everybody is special, nobody is. Calavenyr revel in their talents but also consider them a natural part of their lives. They don't fear magic and don't really seek it, either. It's already there for them. Thus while most nations have tales if not historical documents about mighty wizards abusing their great powers, Fenice consider this idea almost entirely foreign. This is partially because their power is also designed to be a sun elf's downfall. Amassing more power invites the risk of losing control to disastrous results. Even with temperance at average sun elves only live for 70 years compared to the forest elves' 200. They are not long lived like other elves, although they are gifted with eternal youth. No sun elf ever grows old, although strain and magical mishaps can cause effects like whitened hair or health complications. That being said sun elves rarely if ever envious to the longevity of other elves. This is rooted in their faith and the Dionist creation myth. The Mighty Phoenix gave them short lifespans as a mercy, a gift to allow faithful Calavenyr to reunite with the Sun earlier. This also changes their attitude towards death, while they do mourn their loss and protect their families with fervor in the personal sense they view their own death like a glorious event. Fenician philosophy is to live one's life to the fullest and pass away in glory. It goes without saying that sun elves are considered "weird" and unusual to both elves and humans alike.
Trolls are the indigenous life on Giazol, albeit different species of trolls can exist in other parts of the world. Before interacting with Fenice they were tribal hunter gatherers which gradually became a monarchy. Trolls (or Hruogi as Fenicians call them) are massive, at times 3m tall, and possess a weirdly overdeveloped upper body. They are known to be simple and not very dexterous but excellent for physical labor. Even before the catastrophe many trolls wandered out of their island either as mercenaries or laborers and this only intensified since then. After Vesvius' eruption Giazol was covered in thick ash but thankfully their hardy nature saved them to suffer the same massive fatalities as the Calavenyr. Regardless they were left with practically no food and were at the mercy of Fenician aid. This in turn meant them sacrificing even more of their previous independence, giving room for new Fenician industries and agreeing to worker quotas that are constantly being shipped for mainland to do heavy labor. 10 years since the catastrophe and troll workers are a common sight on the ashen wastes. They work in mines and other resource extraction attempts. Their homeworld is also engaged in similar activities. There are also over a million trolls who have effectively became factory slaves. Working 12 hours a day for not even minimal wage. While many trolls are resigned to their fate or even embrace the change there's a rebelious minority which causes unrest, crimes and various other trouble to the government. Given the financial standing of trolls at large it is unknown how they acquire their equipment but their activities are seemingly intensifying.
Fenice has a state religion and it's called Dionism, named after the Sun. It celebrates the Sun and views it as an abstract meaning for all that is good in life. Dionists are taught to revel in the daylight and despise darkness. This of course goes beyond just celebrating the day, to a Dionist the Sun symbolizes enlightenment, revelation, cleanse and purity. They also view fire as an extension of the Sun and respect it accordingly. Although they similarly accept other sources of light. While in theory religious freedom is allowed (since the 18th century) in practice Fenice offers considerable benefits to Dionists and has various restrictions on the temples of other faiths. That being said Dionism is flexible and accepting of other dieties. In order to quickly assimilate other beliefs they allow these religions to be part of Dionism. They retain their traditions while also adopting Dionist system, gradually becoming similar to the main Dionist faith. As such there are dozens of sub-variants to Dionism, even a type that outright denies the existence of god. This so-called Atheist-Dionism is gaining traction among various Fenician thinkers. Altogether it can be said that over 95% of the empire is practicing some form of Dionism. The leader of this faith has the title of Genitrix and always assumed by a woman. As the symbolical Mother of all Dionist she commands considerable influence and growing sway over the politics.
Government
Fenice is technically a Republican Dominion, a form of democratic republic turned constitutional monarchy ruled by the Imperator. While the duty of the Imperator is somewhat ceremonial in effect he or she has almost complete control, only delegating his authority to various ministers and the Senate. The Senate itself is democratically elected although validated by the Imperator. In turn the Senate has the right to accept a new Imperator among the heirs. Unfortunatelly the current Imperator is only 10 years old, born not long before the catastrophe. Until Imperator Bonaccorso Dietto de Alberinis is of age (20 years) he's under the tutelage of Vettorio da Vigo, Maestralto (Grandmaster) of the Phoenix Order of Holy Knights (Ordine Sacro Fenicio). Thanks to that and the dire times the military is gaining steadily in influence, threatening to turn Fenice into a military dictatorship. Since Vettorio is a regent and not the Imperator the Senate is powerless against him.
Magic
Sun elves are gifted with magic from birth and thus magecraft is part of their everyday lives. Neglecting that the errant magic energies are bound to result in health complications and random accidents. Sun elves regularly channel their powers to some purpose and this lead to a fruitous industry of enchanted household items. Fenice used artificial lights run on Solarite centuries before the invention of lightbulbs and if you show them a lighter they might laugh at its flimsy design compared to their magical firestarters. This does not lead to technological leaps but does result in the average Fenician having more conveniences than others.
True to their religion Fenice is almost enamored by the element of fire. Also dubbed as the plasma element they excel in magically producing or controlling heat energy which can be channeled to various utilities, usually with Solarite as the medium. Fenician Blaze Masters are known for their dreadful destructive potential in battle although at home they are more often viewed as weirdos. In truth sun elves view magic as a tool, an utility. They view it as a gift and rejoice in its use yet don't feel particularly empowered by it. Thus Fenice had rather limited emerge of mighty magic users with agendas and delusions of grandeur. It is just not something in their culture.
Economy/Industry
Fenice used to be powerful merchant nation and its wealth lead to early industrialization. Yet unlike elsewhere Fenice approached industry in moderation, unwilling to sacrifice their beautiful landscape for more output. This didn't stop them to create massively successful industries and they certainly had less reservations from exploiting territories outside their mainlands. After light industry flourished Fenice focused their efforts on steel, became known not for the volume but the sheer quality of their production. Fenician metallurgy is still sought after in many parts of Othea. Given their overall obsession with fire and other energetic events they quickly adopted steam and gradually other types of engines. Turbines in particular are Fenician inventions, although the original required the cooperation of fire elementals to function. Of course magical enchantments in both the production and the function of the goods is standard in Fenice. Electricity itself was understood in Fenice but treated like a curiosity rather than something practical. It took decades of rapid development in the field for Fenice finally deciding to adopt electric devices and they only really began using lightbulbs in the last 10 years.
Of course in their recent history the event with the single greatest impact to their economy is the supervolcano catastrophe. Half their entire population dead, 80% of the mainland covered in ash. Even after massive restructuring Fenice only has 40% the industrial capacity compared to 1927. Fenice's once prosperous light industry is in ruins and since the government focuses on rebuilding their heavy industry first it continues to erode. Agriculture is restructuring but still insufficient to sustain as many as 55 million men. The treasury is bleeding away money at record rate and it's unknown if it could be stopped before the Dominion goes bankrupt. Yet outwardly Fenice maintains a strong front, presenting its best side.
Also referred as sun-metal it takes the form of faintly glowing crystal with the ever changing color of fire (when refined). Usually found in areas with volcanic activity Solarite has the capability to store light and heat radiation and also transfer it rapidly given the right impulses. It's a convenient energy medium and modulator material with plethora of potential uses. Fenice of course doesn't have monopoly over Solarite yet given their expertise and already extensive industry they hardly have any competitors in the field.
Technology
As an island nation populated by the eccentric sun elves Fenice took unique approaches to developing their science. For starters magic is part of the common domain and its use is an everyday practice. It comes at no surprise that Fenician inventions very often include magic in their operation. This doesn't make them inherently superior, though. Fenice juat views magical solution the same as you try to choose between different engine types or other mechanism. Speaking of engines Fenice developed blaze turbines that since then spread everywhere in more limited quantities. The obvious advantage for a blaze turbine is their compactness as they are powered by a huge solarite core heating up a steam or occasionally gas turbine. While compact they are also having limited range and outside Fenice they are considered expensive. Various hybrid blaze systems are developed for more economical uses, including the blaze engines where an internal combustion engine's performance is supported by a solarite energy for compact performance. Aside from engines solarite has widespread use in many applications, most notably heaters and light sources. While electric lights are nowadays more affordable solarite lamps are still in use. Aside from solarite Fenice is also known for using elemental devices, an offshoot of golem tech. While golems require the creation of artificial souls Fenice sidesteps this by calling spirits to inhabit their objects. While technically cheaper this method relies on delicate spiritual contracts and personal compatibility, for example inheriting an elemental device could be tricky. Based on this Fenice developed semi-elemental controls but due to its reliability issues everyone else rather uses the more stable pseudo golem system.
Nation Relations
As a major power with presence all around Othea Fenice often invokes polarizing opinions. Their ideologies are also strong enough to provoke this. Fenice views magic as an absolute good and evaluates others by their capacity to it. Their theocratic stance in the enlightened world is also somewhat controversial. They also used to be opponents to overindustrialization and corporate overreach, although their stance weakened considerably. In addition several countries have territorial claims to the Dominion which of course provides tension if not outright hostilities. On the other hand making enemies also resulted in them making unlikely allies to which Fenice makes full use of.
- Volsinii Empire: Fenice abused the Volsinii civil war for territorial gains while also providing support to the elven side. The occupied territories were put under elven leadership and treated humans like secondary citizen. Both garnered resentment from the now human-dominated Volsinii. Although elvish elements still provide partisan support and many of their important people fled to Fenice.
- Hastur: The great empire shares many ideologies with Fenice yet the two nations focus more on their differences. This is partially thanks to Fenice's approach towards Hastur as a bounty, a land to exploit. After their near-collapse 10 years ago Hastur struck back and now provide non-stop trouble.
[to be continued...]
Military
Fenician military is sworn to protect three things: the emperor, the senate and the Dionist faith. While there's a state army in effect they are often split up between Fenician militant nobles who treat them like retainers. Thus even above these three the soldiers tend to be loyal to their Lord and his/her family. All lords own "castles" that are mobile fortresses while also acting as their living quarters while in action. These "fortresses of war" (rocca di guerra or roguerra in short) can take the shape of armored trains, air cruisers or most commonly giant naval vessels. This keeps Fenician army constantly on the move with a complex yet flexible line of logistics to maintain it. This is the natural evolution of their fighting style adopted for securing territories as the first priority while requiring relatively small active forces. Indeed the Fenician military focuses on quality of soldiers over the numbers, although recent events lead to a rapid expansion of their forces.
Infantry Fenician infantry unites the style of old and new. Their soldiers wear high-quality steel armor to protect the vital areas while altogether adopting modern equipment. This is partially due to their traditions and appearances but also because of the value in each soldier. They consider armoring up troops cheaper than training new ones.
- Carbina Modello 24 "Rombo": Self-loading carbine firing 6x60mm cartridges using a 24 round helical magazine hidden within the stock. The gun is relatively compact yet features a long barrel and has great accuracy thanks to the high velocity projectiles. Rombo carbines need proper care and do not tolerate amateurish handling. Their choice of magazine also forces soldiers to carry spares in "quivers". Although most of the extra ammo is issued in 6-round stripper clips with conversion kits to even feed these into ammo belts. Lastly the rifle is designed with the intention to also fire rifle grenades and can fire up to 200 meters.
- Revelioni Arch.P. 30M "Gigantosso": Large caliber semi-automatic gun originally invented for the police against trolls. It fires 13mm medium velocity smoothbore rounds from a 5 round tube magazine. Essentially an elvish shotgun for riot control but also seen service in the military. People occasionally dub this gun the "trollslayer".
- Franchii 19M "Contesa": The most popular variant of Franchii's series of sporting pistols. It has a relative bullpup design allowing a longer barrel in a more compact package. It can accept various magazines available both in tubular and helical style. It's originally chambered in the long 5x40mm Franchi cartridge but can also accept the newer 5x30mm Auto cartridges more popular for military pistols. Due to its cost the 19M is mostly found with officers.
- Franchii 28M "Fulminare": A simplified and cheaper version of Franchii's sporting pistols, accepted for military service. It fires 5mm Auto rounds that are light but posses great velocity (for a pistol) and its helical magazine can hold 25 rounds.
- Scioppo Modello 29: Submachinegun chambered in 5mm Auto issued for assault troops. It has a top mounted helical magazine available in 50, 100 or even 200-round variants. The reinforced barrel and action allows sustained fire and the heavier variants can be considered ultralight machineguns designated for fire support alone.
- Revelioni L.Mtg.F. 21C: Belt or magazine fed light machinegun which uses helical chambering to allow phenomenal rate of fire. It can fire 1440-1800 rounds per minute but due to safety concerns it's limited to only semi-auto and 6-round burst. The underlying theory is that the rapid spray of 6 rounds allows more likelihood to cause damage but this also limits the gun's usefulness at close range or anti-air.
- Franchii Modelo 11: Medium machinegun chambered in the same 6x60mm round as service rifles. It has a rather standard blowback mechanism and rugged design that allows 600RPM. Like its designation implies the M11 is a bit heavier than more modern machineguns, in the excess of 15kg without the tripod and ammo belts, thus more frequently seen in fortifications or as vehicular mounts.
- Revlioni Ri.P. 33 "Stretta": Compact anti-tank rifle using the same shells as the common 14mm anti-aircraft and tankette cannons. For this purpse it uses a recoilless mechanism and single shot configuration which might sacrifice stealth and second shot accuracy but gives an easily transportable and powerful weapon to the field. In addition since based on the 14mm shells it can fire high explosive warheads or other types of ammunition than just AP. Due to its success even 14mm starshells were invented to shoot inside windows.
- Lancirazzi Modello 32 "Pugilo": Versatile rocket projector used both as mortar and direct artillery. It launches a 60mm rocket that can reach 3km indirect and 400m in direct fire mode (though accurate hits are only guaranteed at 100m). Intended for fire support and to storm bunkers, the latter is accomplished by starshells (thermobarics). The launcher is light enough to be carried by one man and can be broken up into two pieces for easier transportation.
Armor Due to Fenice's history of golem usage they became enamored with walker vehicles rather early. Thus their AFV development quickly shifted for creating legged vehicles, relying on their semi elemental technology and dubbed Camminarmato (abbreviated as CA, roughly translates as "armed walker"). Initial models were slow which was frequently criticized by the cavalry branch. To answer this they created the "rolling legs" concept where the legs housed either wheels or track propulsion along with the capability to shift their posture and lean on said surfaces to behave like conventional vehicles. While added complexity the system ultimately allowed faster and more economical travel while giving it rough terrain capability uncontested by wheeled vehicles. An offshoot of this development are the non-bipedal Passarmati (PA) that are quad-, hexa- or octopod designs made for stability. Passarmati can be also a collective term for all walker machines used for combat, including those used by other nations.
Name: Camminarmato Modello 04 Genera H "Lancaris" In Service: 1913- Height: 3.77m (maximum in walker mode), 2.1m (tracked mode) Length: 1.87m (walker mode), 2.95m (tracked mode) Weight: 4.2 metric tons (older variants are around 3.3-3.8 tons) Top Speed: 16 km/h (walker mode, 12km/h for older variants), 30km/h (tracked mode) Armor: 5-16mm (older variants only have 10mm) Armament Options: Obice da 30/24 M18 (Howitzer, 120 rounds) CC-14/120 M25 (anti-tank gun, 250 rounds) Mortario di 60/13 M21 (light mortar, 60 rounds) Lancifiamma M14/M29 (flamethrower types for special use) Secondary Armament: Franchinii M11 machinegun Crew: 2 (sergeant/commander/knight and assistant/driver/paige)
Golems were a staple of Fenician military but they never became very common. Their magic hungry nature limited their applications so with the advent of motorized vehicles and pseudo golem mechanisms it soon became a race between Fenician companies who could produce the most capable military walker. While initial models were not very successful after studying foreign designs it eventually lead to the Lancaris (archaic Fenician word for lancer), a walker and light tank hybrid intent on becoming the modern cavalry. Initial models had poor reliability and construction, only serving really as a training model rather than a serious vehicle. The B variation continued this trend but introduced a stable and very streamlined design which became the foundation for future upgrades. In 1919 the Generation D introduced cannonry for the first time, its 30mm howitzer was engineered explicitly for vehicular use. During the chaotic year of 1927 Lancaris I Gen. E formed the backbone of the military. The wars exposed the walker's newfound vulnerability to anti-tank rifles, hence first the F model with add-on armor and then by 1930 they introduced the G model with a new chassis and hull structure, although many D, E and F variants were also upgraded to the new standard with varying success. The current variant is the H model with improved powerplant and various other upgrades inspired by the Lancaris II. With the introduction of the new battle walker the Lancaris I of course is being rendered obsolete yet their lightness means they can be useful for second grade military units and local security. Their low fuel consumption makes them viable to run until their expiration.
Name: Cavarmato Modello 14 Genera C "Lancaris II" In Service: 1932 Height: 4.27m (maximum in walker mode), 2.7m (tracked mode) Length: 2.28m (walker mode), 3.75m (tracked mode) Weight: 9.2 metric tons Top Speed: 25 km/h (walker mode), 50km/h (tracked mode) Armor: 12-36mm Armament Options: 14mm Autocannon (fed by 60-round helical magazines, 9 magazines plus 140 loose shells total) CC-30/90 (anti-vehicular gun, 90 ammo) Obice da 60/24 (howitzer, 50 ammo) Secondary Armament: Franchinii M11 or Revelioni L.Mtg.F. 21C Crew: 2 (knight and their paige)
Second generation cavalry walker based on both the lessons of previous theaters and technological advances through the decade. It features a larger turret encompassing half the upper hull to allow greater depression and elevation. This larger turret is driven by a blaze-electric mechanism to make it responsive. Armor wise the Lancaris II received a massive improvement, its pike shaped frontal plate can resist surprising amount of firepower thanks to its metallurgy and steep angling. Overall though the Lancaris II is still a light AFV, not meant to take heavy fire. Some of the components are still vulnerable to machinegun fire, potentially crippling the vehicle without requiring to pierce its armor. Side protection is also weak, still vulnerable to anti-tank rifles. Regardless the vehicle is highly successful with battle proven performance in multiple theaters. While some argue the Lacaris II is inadequate against future threats currently there's a strong opposition to replace these walkers. Given the meager industrial power of Fenice the replacement of thousands of battle walkers would also require considerable time.
Name: Cavarmato Modello 19 "Battiste" In Service: 1936 Height: 5.27m (maximum) Length: 2.98m (for the hull, 5.89m w/ gun forward) Weight: 22.7 metric tons Top Speed: 25 km/h (walker mode) Armor: 15-55mm Main Armament: CC-60/75 (modified 60mm general purpose gun, 80 ammo) Secondary Armaments: Revelioni L.Mtg.F. 21C (top), Franchinii M11 x 2 (one co-axial and one for bottom) Crew: 3 (knight/commander, gunnery sergeant, paige/driver)
Heavy battle walker under testing by Fenice. It features a strong combination of armor and firepower along with a number of revolutionary features. The upper hull disappeared, replaced by a huge turret. Its main cannon is the same 60mm general purpose gun that Fenice adopted widescale). Unfortunatelly the walker is subject of controversies both due to being a heavy battle walker and for the multiple compromises the designers had to do in order to create these. For starters it's heavy and lacks the rolling leg design, limiting its strategic mobility. The three man crew also introduced complications as for decades Fenician knights were used to fight in pairs. The fact the knight could no longer fire the main gun but rely on another assistant is loathed by many, feeling like they had been reduced to supporting roles. Lastly while the 60mm cannon is powerful many blame this weapon for requiring such a huge vehicle and thus many of the inherent faults. A lot of people argue that a hexapod design could've accomplished this far easier. This obviously slows down the adoption of the Battiste.
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Tortoise
