Post by odin on May 15, 2010 0:46:50 GMT 1
Flavor text:
The Pankrator, over-deity, master of the eight winds, watcher beforehand, keeper of the crossroads, first among firsts, he who reigns over the just and the unjust alike is dead.
The Pankrator has stopped listening to the prayers of his people, no longer communes with his priests and has yet to unleash his wrath on the newest crop of heretics and false gods.
The Pankrator is gone and the position of Over-deity master of all creation is now vacant. Dozens of Pretender Gods rise in his absence ready to take his place but to do so they must first deal with the other pretenders to the throne.
Do you have what it takes to lead your faction to supremacy? To lead your Pretender to godhood?
Wall of text! (Bear with me, there's a significant amount of background material to cover. Unlike other TotalWar games I can't just send you to Wikipedia.)
Life under the Pankrator:
Cosmology:
Stats:
Old Stats
Morale: Same
Economy: Same
Military: Stat will include not only your factions military but also your Pretenders combat prowess.
Espionage: Includes normal spy networks along with any magical means of gathering or protecting information.
New/Altered Stats
Magic: Represents the relative magical power a faction can bring to bear. Reminiscent of Tech in other games. Like Military this will include not only the magical abilities of mages in your faction but also the magical abilities of your Pretender. It also includes the clerical powers granted to the priests of you cult.
Mass Appeal: This stat represents how attractive your faction/cult is to potential worshipers. The Baby eating Bishop has a Mass Appeal of + whereas Hortas the Pretender god of sexual liberation and free ice cream has a Mass Appeal of +++++. A low stat means that you will only be able to keep worshipers with some form of coercion, and a high stat means you don't have trouble recruiting new followers.
Misc:
Pretenders are intimately tide into the faction they are leading. To eliminate a Pretender you must not only destroy their body but dismantle their cult, lest a faithful worshiper recreates or re-summons their body to the material realm. Pretenders left without worshipers loose their Pretender-hood but are not eliminated. A physically or magically powerful pretender may still be a threat even without their semi-divine status.
Each turn will take 3 months, or 1 season. The seasons will have a significant impact on gameplay. For example, keeping an army in the field in winter is difficult to impossible. Agricultural based economies will have penalties if something interferes with the planting or harvest seasons, but will gain significant economic boosts for a successful harvest.
Please avoid Tolkenesque races. While I love fantasy, I'd like to create something that is far from the standard cookie cutter.
Recruitment may reopen if I think that the game would benefit from additional factions. New NPC factions may be added as well to represent new Pretenders throwing their hat into the ring or elder things waking up o escaping imprisonment.
If you have any questions please post them, there's a good chance that someone else will have the same or a similar question.
If you want to keep something secret or shadowy, pm it to me.
Here where you can put your write ups. Please include the stat's I gave you in the recruitment thread.
NPC Factions (More may be added later):
Grand Marshal Umberto, right hand of the Pankrator, General of the Imperial Armies, Living Martyr
Strengths: Massive highly trained and disciplined army. Tactical acumen. Wide base of support. Charismatic leader.
Weaknesses: Military is spread throughout the world. Less then spectacular magical, economic and espionage prospects.
History:
Grand Marshal Umberto leads the armies of the Pankrator. Until recently their job has been limited to ceremonial duties and keeping the peace.
Umberto is unique in that in some ways he was a Pretender even before the vanishing of the Pankrator. While putting down a small riot in the far north a well aimed sling stone impacted Umberto's head. The Pankrator not wanting to loose a valuable follower bestowed upon Umberto a divine spark to ensure that Umberto would be able to lead the Imperal legions for decades to come.
Umberto claims that the Pankrator foresaw his own disappearance and elevated him so that he could protect the Empire in his absence. Umberto claims to want nothing more then to restore the Pankrator and the Empire so that he can return to a quite life as a mere general.
Umberto's military is stressed to the breaking point trying to put out all the myriad insurrections and Pretender Cults.
While Umberto still has close ties to the Imperial Cult, many of the Pankrator's priests eye him with suspicion, unsure that he'll be willing to give up his elevated position.
VIPs:
Umberto: The Grand Marshal and Pretender. Umberto is a handsome and charismatic man, the divine spark given him by the Pankrator has given him increased vigor and resilience, but Umberto is not much stronger or tougher then a normal man. Umberto's greatest asset is his tactical acumen. Decades at the head of his army have given him more battle experience then any normal man. He's usually clad in a highly decorated but functional set of plate.
Paymaster O'Brien- An army marches on it's stomach, and it's O'Brien's job to make sure the stomach is full. A master logistician he's often able to keep armies in the field much longer then anyone, sometimes even Umberto, thought possible. With the fall of the Pankrator and the crumbling of the Imperial Bureaucracy he has also been given the task of insuring that the governors still loyal to the Pankrator keep up with their tithes.
Morale:++++ (While not fanatical, the soldiers of the Empire still have faith in their general. Entire legions would be willing to march into the Infernal Realm if Umberto leads them.)
Military:++++++++ (Spread out throughout the known world.)
Economy:++(Unless some semblance of order is restored soon, the Imperial legions will have to begin "living off the land")
Espionage:++
Magic:++ (A few well trained battle mages.)
Mass Appeal:+++ (Many people would follow Umberto if they believed he could deliver on his promises of restoring the empire.)
Imports: Food, arms and armor
Exports: Military training, Brutality.
The Shona Hag. Witch of the Dark woods, mother of the Pankrator, prophetess of the wild.
Strengths: The magical abilities of the hags of the Shona woods along with several druids, fae creatures and the Great Hag herself make the Dark Woods of Shona a very magical faction. The hags are also adept at scrying and prophecy increasing the factions espionage rating. The dense dark nature of the Shona woods also make maneuvering a large army almost impossible within their confines.
Weaknesses: The Hag's influence is largely limited to the Shona woods.
History: As far back as the memory of any living being can remember there have always been the Shona woods and with them the hags. They live in the dark woods away from prying eyes. Some people whisper that they preform unholy acts, but if they did wouldn't they have been struck down by the Pankrator?
The hags are lead by the oldest and wisest of their number, the Great Hag or the Shona Hag. The Hag claims to have planted the very first trees of the Shona wood, and more aggrandizingly given birth to the Pankrator in an age beyond reckoning. Many, most prominently the Imperial Cult, dispute the Hags' claim.
The Hag is attempting to step into her son's shoes, and rule as the new Pankrator. She warns that with the Pankrator's disappearance the powers of old will return. Voices whisper of the rise of the Jotun and the return of the Neifel giants.
VIPs:
The Great Hag- The Pretender of and leader of Shona Woods. She's an incredibly old being, some claim even older then the Pankrator. Normally she has the form of a shriveled woman, but for a short period of time during the fertility festivals of spring, her body undergoes a transformation. She sheds the years like a normal person sheds clothing and for a few weeks has the form of a beautiful young maden. During the fertility festival she often takes a suitor, this suitor is rarely seen again once the festival is over.
Sufe the Hag- Sufe is the youngest of the hags. She's a young woman still in the prime of her life, many comment on her resemblance to The Hag during the spring festival. Unlike the other hags who spend most of their time in the darkest corners of the Shona wood, Sufe has been tasked with bringing their prophecies to the people. She travels from city to city trying to bring warnings of the forces and dangers that have yet to awaken with the Pankrator's absence. A witch of no mean talent herself she is also capable of channeling the Great Hag when necessary.
Gedrhart the Ferocious- Gedrhart is one of the firbolgs, a group of ancient warriors that were put to sleep in great burial mounds scattered throughout the world. It's said that they will wake to do battle in the end times. Gedrhart has recently awoken and pledged his allegiance to the Hag. He's a towering ogre of a man who fights with two axes and no protection other then a few furs.
Moral:+++
Military:++
Economy:+++
Espionage:+++++
Magic:++++
Mass Appeal:+++
Imports: Metal ore, manufactured goods
Exports: Furs, Timber
The Behemoth of Hoburg, the stone that weeps, love of the Pankrator
Strengths: Giant 400ft tall stone statue. Hoburg also has a fairly decent economy given it's fertile soil and industrious farmers.
Weaknesses: Other then the Pretender Hoburg has no military, other then a few farmers armed with pitchforks. Besides a few hedge wizards, Hoburg has no magic to speak of either. The honest folk of Hoburg wouldn't know how to spy even if they wanted to.
Hoberg is a small province near the heart of the Empire. Comprised of mostly small farming communities it's a quite peaceful place. Prior to the vanishing of the Pankrator nothing worth mentioning happened there. The Capital of the province, also named Hoburg, is a small city where farmers bring their crops to market and from where large quantities of food are shipped down river to the capital.
Mere hours after the first reports of the Pankrator's vanishing, something amazing happened in Hoburg. The giant stone statue at the center of town came to life. Hoburgers claim that when the Pankrator ascended to a higher realm the portion of him that still loved and cared for his people took possession of the statue to help protect the citizens of Hoberg.
Priests of the Imperial Cult dismiss this claim. Afterall there are older more revered statues in the capital, why wouldn't the Pankrator choose one of those?
Umberto has also had his eyes on this faction, but as yet has no effective means of countering their pretender to reclaim the province.
Moral:++++
Military:++++ (Almost entirely the Pretender)
Economy:++++
Espionage:
Magic:+
Mass Appeal:++++
Imports: Manufactured goods, lumber,
Exports: Food, flax, cotton
The Imperial Cult
Strengths: Swarms of fanatics and flagellants willing to die to restore the Pankrator.
Strong clerical magic which is quickly diminishing.
Centuries of supremacy have resulted in large amounts of wealth, along with a repository of magical and divine paraphernalia.
Weaknesses: The Imperial Cult is quickly on it's way out. Every day more and more of the faithful loose hope and turn to worshiping one of the Pretenders.
The Imperial Cult has long been the voice of the Pankrator on the material realm. With his disappearance, the cult has been thrown into disarray. Suddenly the healers and shepherds of the Pankrator's flock found themselves without their divine connection.
Despite the Pankrator's disappearance a handful of prominent archbishops, along with the Primate, are still able to wield divine magic, but the magic seems to be fading as time passes. Some philosophers speculate that the power comes from the people's faith in their priests, but as more people loose hope their powers wain. Those philosophers are careful to keep their postulations quiet, lest a follower of the Imperial Cult end their philosophizing permanently.
The Cult has been devoting all it's resources to restoring the Pankrator. The Council Theologica has been debating nonstop since the Pankrator disappeared as to the wisest course of action. So far no prayer or ritual has yet succeeded. As time progresses desperation leads to more and more bizarre and outlandish attempts.
Many local priests through out the empire have been preaching that the Pankrator left because of the impiety of this flock. Millions attempt to prove their devotion by any means necessary. Flagellants and angry mobs hunting the impious are commonplace. The Imperial City has become a pilgrimage destination for millions of flagellants. Most starve, die of exhaustion or freeze well before making it to the capital. Despite this fact thousands of poor, disheveled masses make their way to the Imperial City every day.
VIPs:
Primate Tetra- The human leader of the Imperial Cult. Prior to the Pankrator's disappearance he was the only human to have more direct dealings with the Pankrator then the Grand Marshal Umberto. He's an elderly man, frail of body but still strong in spirit. He still wields considerable divine magic and spends most of his time with the Counsel Theologica.
The Counsel Theologica- The Counsel isn't a ruling body but a group of learned theologians who convene to discuss dogma along with philosophical and theological truths. With the fall of the Pankrator they have devoted their efforts to unraveling the mystery of the Pankrator's disappearance and how to correct it.
Archbishop Rowe- A prominent member of the Counsel Theologica, he is often advocates the more extreme rituals that might restore the Pankrator. He is also the Grand Marshal's personal confessor and theological adviser. His closeness with Umberto has earned him no points with those who fear that Umberto will not give up his Pretendership. In addition to his divine powers he is a mage of no small renown.
Moral:+
Economy:++++++
Military:++++++
Espionage:+++
Magic: +++++
Mass Appeal:+
Koushou, Oni King, Lord of Jouppon, Devourer of the innocent
Strengths: An army of large brutish Oni and small cunning bakemono. The secrets of Oni fire.
Weaknesses: Prone to infighting. Economy is based entirely on plunder. Low Mass Appeal.
History: Jouppon is a string of large islands to the far east, (some claim that since it is so far distant from the capital it might also be called the far west). The veil between worlds is thinner in Juppon then in most places. It's a dangerous land full of spirits, demons and celestial beings.
Jouppon is populated primarily but the Oni and their bakemono servants. The Oni are offspring of humans and demons that manged to make their way through to the material realm. Although they vary wildly in appearance they are universally large greedy and aggressive. They tend to wear little of no armor and wield kanabō or clubs.
The bakemono are small cunning creatures similar to the goblins sometimes found on the main land. It is believed that they are the offspring of unfortunate women and imps that followed more powerful demons through the veil.
The Oni are organized into warring clans, fighting constantly for dominance. They also make frequent raids on the mainland where they carry off supplies and loot. Occasionally humans are carried off for sex, food, labor or some combination of all three.
Several years ago, Koushou, the lord of a prominent Oni clan began a quest to unite the Oni clans under his leadership. He has come very close to completing his task, due in large part to Oni fire. Somehow Koushou has gain the the power to create a foul smelling powder with powerful properties. With it Koushou clan can create dragon cannons capable of belching fire and destruction upon their enemies. Oni fire seems to be a double edged sword, it often misfires slaying or maiming the Oni wielding the device.
In recent months with the disappearance of the Pankrator, Koushou has begun forcing his subjects to worship him as a god.
VIPs:
Koushou: Large even for an Oni he stands at 12 feet tall, years at the head of the Koushou clan have also added a corpulence to his frame making him more massive. He is usually dressed in tengu pelts to emphasize his marshal prowess and the dominance of his infernal heritage over celestial power.
Moral:+++
Economy:+
Military:++++++
Espionage:+++
Magic:++
Mass Appeal:+
Imports: Food, weapons
Exports: none
Sithiuss lord of the C'tis, he who overcomes, slayer of men, the white leviathan.
Strengths: Legions of loyal Low C'tis. High C'tis priests and mages talented in astrology and astronomy. A powerful Pretender. Natural resistance to disease and poison.
Weaknesses: Mild xenophobia. Low C'tis are dimwitted and act instinctively if not guided by High C'tis leaders. Intense dislike of cold. Large scaly C'tis make poor spies.
History: In ancient times, when the Shona woods were young, the C'tis civilization had already reached it's apex.
In the far south between two rivers, the C'tis kingdoms thrived. Despite being surrounded by desert the annual river floods brought life to the sun baked region.
The C'tis worshiped the Pankrator, putting emphasis on the creation aspects referring to the Pankrator as "the layer of the cosmic egg." Powerful mages called priest kings led the C'tis.
As the C'tis grew in power and strength so did the priest kings grow in importance. Many where venerated as saints after death. Soon it became common practice to begin the construction of a Priest King's tomb before they we're even dead. Towering structures of stone made to last for ages.
One particularly powerful priest king Sithiuss the pale, an albino C'tis, wasn't satisfied with being the mere ruler of a city state. Sithiuss believed that he read his fortune in the stars and that he was destined to be a god.
He led many of the other city states astray and the Pankrator punished all of the C'tis for their sins of their brothers. The rivers flooded, and kept flooding. The deltas were subsumed replaced with a massive stagnate swamp. The mighty cities of the C'tis, and the tombs of the priests kings sank into the mire lost forever.
Sithiuss was turned into a tiny infant crocodile and thrown into the depths of the swamp. There as an albino he would have to struggle constantly for his very survival like the C'tis he let astray.
Without the ebb and flow of the yearly tides the C'tis were incapable of growing the crops they needed to survive. Brother turned on brother and thousands died of starvation petty wars.
In this new environment brute strength and brutality often beat intelligence and sophistication. The majority of C'tis regressed into the Low C'tis growing in size and toughness with larger claws and teeth. These changes came at the cost of intelligence, most Low C'tis have little more intellectual capacity then apes.
When life in the swamps of C'tis stabilized the remaining normal C'tis or High C'tis began conquering the Low C'tis using careful planning and magic. The swamps became home to hundreds of competing C'tis tribes led by High C'tis shamans.
With the disappearance of the Pankrator, Sithiuss has returned from exile to uniting the scattered tribes in an attempt to fulfill his destiny. In the centuries since his exile Sithiuss has grown from tiny to massive, equal in size with even the largest dragons. His body is covered in scars from his many battles for survival, and his eyes cataracted with age. Despite his advanced age Sithiuss is a potent physical opponent and has relearned the magical abilities of his youth.
In recent days Sithiuss and the C'tis have begun attempts to unearth the ancient tombs of the priest kings, constructing levies to hold back the rivers. In need of cheap labor the C'tis have been buying and capturing human slaves. The heat of the south combined with the malaria of the swamps means that slaves tend to have very short lives. Sithiuss often consumes the dead slaves or they are fed to Low C'tis workers.
Moral:++++
Economy:++++
Military:++++
Espionage:+
Magic:++++
Mass Appeal:++
Imports: Slaves
Exports: Gold, spices, exotic animals
The Pankrator, over-deity, master of the eight winds, watcher beforehand, keeper of the crossroads, first among firsts, he who reigns over the just and the unjust alike is dead.
The Pankrator has stopped listening to the prayers of his people, no longer communes with his priests and has yet to unleash his wrath on the newest crop of heretics and false gods.
The Pankrator is gone and the position of Over-deity master of all creation is now vacant. Dozens of Pretender Gods rise in his absence ready to take his place but to do so they must first deal with the other pretenders to the throne.
Do you have what it takes to lead your faction to supremacy? To lead your Pretender to godhood?
Wall of text! (Bear with me, there's a significant amount of background material to cover. Unlike other TotalWar games I can't just send you to Wikipedia.)
Life under the Pankrator:
The Pankrator was more then just a god to his people, he took an active role in his creation. The Pankrator actively ran his empire, administering justice and ensuring that the peace was kept.
Although the Imperial Cult was law throughout the world, the Pankrator was lenient, allowing many to worship as they saw fit. The farther from the Imperial City and the center of the Empire the more bizarre and outlandish the various rituals and houses of worship become. Worship of any variety is accepted so long as the Pankrator is the center of that worship. Those who begin to worship idols and deities other then the Pankrator are quickly exposed to the Pankrator's wrath.
Governance also becomes more lax the farther from the Pankrator's temporal seat of power one travels. As long as appropriate tithes and taxes are presented outlying provinces are allowed to govern themselves.
Revolt and insurrection are met with the swift and decisive action at the hands of the Imperial military.
With the disappearance of the Pankrator bizarre cults are springing up throughout the empire. Rebellious provinces eager to rid themselves of the yoke of Imperial tithes take up arms. The Imperial military is stretched to the breaking point trying to keep the empire together. Without the watchful eyes of the Pankrator many would be gods are staking their claims to the Empire. Primordial powers long kept in check, fettered by the will of the Pankrator are beginning to awaken.
Although the Imperial Cult was law throughout the world, the Pankrator was lenient, allowing many to worship as they saw fit. The farther from the Imperial City and the center of the Empire the more bizarre and outlandish the various rituals and houses of worship become. Worship of any variety is accepted so long as the Pankrator is the center of that worship. Those who begin to worship idols and deities other then the Pankrator are quickly exposed to the Pankrator's wrath.
Governance also becomes more lax the farther from the Pankrator's temporal seat of power one travels. As long as appropriate tithes and taxes are presented outlying provinces are allowed to govern themselves.
Revolt and insurrection are met with the swift and decisive action at the hands of the Imperial military.
With the disappearance of the Pankrator bizarre cults are springing up throughout the empire. Rebellious provinces eager to rid themselves of the yoke of Imperial tithes take up arms. The Imperial military is stretched to the breaking point trying to keep the empire together. Without the watchful eyes of the Pankrator many would be gods are staking their claims to the Empire. Primordial powers long kept in check, fettered by the will of the Pankrator are beginning to awaken.
Cosmology:
The entirety of existence is divided into four realms. The Material, the Infernal, the Celestial and the Shade Lands.
The Material is the physical universe (and where the game takes place). If you travel far enough to the east or west you'll eventually end up where you started. As one travels north the weather becomes increasingly colder. Philosophers claim that if one could travel far enough north even the intangible, like thought would freeze and become solid. The inverse is true of the south where the heat increases. Intrepid explorers have traveled so far south that the wood of their ships began to smolder and the seas began to steam and boil. There are some wizards that claim to have gone farther but no one is sure weather their tales are truth or outlandish fiction.
The Infernal realm is home to demons, damned souls and primeval beings that have been banished by the Pankrator. Daring and foolhardy mages can call forth demons from the Infernal realm but such summonings rarely go well for the wizard.
The Celstial realm is the home of divine beings, the souls of those who died in the Pankrators favor and formerly the Pankrator himself.
The Shade lands are the veiled lands of the dead. The souls of the departed travel though the Shade Lands before reaching the Celestial or Infernal Realms. Those who have neither angered or pleased the Pankrator wander the Shade lands for eons before finding a final resting place. Interrupting a souls transition to the Shade Lands usually results in the creation of some manner or the undead.
The Material is the physical universe (and where the game takes place). If you travel far enough to the east or west you'll eventually end up where you started. As one travels north the weather becomes increasingly colder. Philosophers claim that if one could travel far enough north even the intangible, like thought would freeze and become solid. The inverse is true of the south where the heat increases. Intrepid explorers have traveled so far south that the wood of their ships began to smolder and the seas began to steam and boil. There are some wizards that claim to have gone farther but no one is sure weather their tales are truth or outlandish fiction.
The Infernal realm is home to demons, damned souls and primeval beings that have been banished by the Pankrator. Daring and foolhardy mages can call forth demons from the Infernal realm but such summonings rarely go well for the wizard.
The Celstial realm is the home of divine beings, the souls of those who died in the Pankrators favor and formerly the Pankrator himself.
The Shade lands are the veiled lands of the dead. The souls of the departed travel though the Shade Lands before reaching the Celestial or Infernal Realms. Those who have neither angered or pleased the Pankrator wander the Shade lands for eons before finding a final resting place. Interrupting a souls transition to the Shade Lands usually results in the creation of some manner or the undead.
Stats:
Old Stats
Morale: Same
Economy: Same
Military: Stat will include not only your factions military but also your Pretenders combat prowess.
Espionage: Includes normal spy networks along with any magical means of gathering or protecting information.
New/Altered Stats
Magic: Represents the relative magical power a faction can bring to bear. Reminiscent of Tech in other games. Like Military this will include not only the magical abilities of mages in your faction but also the magical abilities of your Pretender. It also includes the clerical powers granted to the priests of you cult.
Mass Appeal: This stat represents how attractive your faction/cult is to potential worshipers. The Baby eating Bishop has a Mass Appeal of + whereas Hortas the Pretender god of sexual liberation and free ice cream has a Mass Appeal of +++++. A low stat means that you will only be able to keep worshipers with some form of coercion, and a high stat means you don't have trouble recruiting new followers.
Misc:
Pretenders are intimately tide into the faction they are leading. To eliminate a Pretender you must not only destroy their body but dismantle their cult, lest a faithful worshiper recreates or re-summons their body to the material realm. Pretenders left without worshipers loose their Pretender-hood but are not eliminated. A physically or magically powerful pretender may still be a threat even without their semi-divine status.
Each turn will take 3 months, or 1 season. The seasons will have a significant impact on gameplay. For example, keeping an army in the field in winter is difficult to impossible. Agricultural based economies will have penalties if something interferes with the planting or harvest seasons, but will gain significant economic boosts for a successful harvest.
Please avoid Tolkenesque races. While I love fantasy, I'd like to create something that is far from the standard cookie cutter.
Recruitment may reopen if I think that the game would benefit from additional factions. New NPC factions may be added as well to represent new Pretenders throwing their hat into the ring or elder things waking up o escaping imprisonment.
If you have any questions please post them, there's a good chance that someone else will have the same or a similar question.
If you want to keep something secret or shadowy, pm it to me.
Here where you can put your write ups. Please include the stat's I gave you in the recruitment thread.
NPC Factions (More may be added later):
Grand Marshal Umberto, right hand of the Pankrator, General of the Imperial Armies, Living Martyr
Strengths: Massive highly trained and disciplined army. Tactical acumen. Wide base of support. Charismatic leader.
Weaknesses: Military is spread throughout the world. Less then spectacular magical, economic and espionage prospects.
History:
Grand Marshal Umberto leads the armies of the Pankrator. Until recently their job has been limited to ceremonial duties and keeping the peace.
Umberto is unique in that in some ways he was a Pretender even before the vanishing of the Pankrator. While putting down a small riot in the far north a well aimed sling stone impacted Umberto's head. The Pankrator not wanting to loose a valuable follower bestowed upon Umberto a divine spark to ensure that Umberto would be able to lead the Imperal legions for decades to come.
Umberto claims that the Pankrator foresaw his own disappearance and elevated him so that he could protect the Empire in his absence. Umberto claims to want nothing more then to restore the Pankrator and the Empire so that he can return to a quite life as a mere general.
Umberto's military is stressed to the breaking point trying to put out all the myriad insurrections and Pretender Cults.
While Umberto still has close ties to the Imperial Cult, many of the Pankrator's priests eye him with suspicion, unsure that he'll be willing to give up his elevated position.
VIPs:
Umberto: The Grand Marshal and Pretender. Umberto is a handsome and charismatic man, the divine spark given him by the Pankrator has given him increased vigor and resilience, but Umberto is not much stronger or tougher then a normal man. Umberto's greatest asset is his tactical acumen. Decades at the head of his army have given him more battle experience then any normal man. He's usually clad in a highly decorated but functional set of plate.
Paymaster O'Brien- An army marches on it's stomach, and it's O'Brien's job to make sure the stomach is full. A master logistician he's often able to keep armies in the field much longer then anyone, sometimes even Umberto, thought possible. With the fall of the Pankrator and the crumbling of the Imperial Bureaucracy he has also been given the task of insuring that the governors still loyal to the Pankrator keep up with their tithes.
Morale:++++ (While not fanatical, the soldiers of the Empire still have faith in their general. Entire legions would be willing to march into the Infernal Realm if Umberto leads them.)
Military:++++++++ (Spread out throughout the known world.)
Economy:++(Unless some semblance of order is restored soon, the Imperial legions will have to begin "living off the land")
Espionage:++
Magic:++ (A few well trained battle mages.)
Mass Appeal:+++ (Many people would follow Umberto if they believed he could deliver on his promises of restoring the empire.)
Imports: Food, arms and armor
Exports: Military training, Brutality.
The Shona Hag. Witch of the Dark woods, mother of the Pankrator, prophetess of the wild.
Strengths: The magical abilities of the hags of the Shona woods along with several druids, fae creatures and the Great Hag herself make the Dark Woods of Shona a very magical faction. The hags are also adept at scrying and prophecy increasing the factions espionage rating. The dense dark nature of the Shona woods also make maneuvering a large army almost impossible within their confines.
Weaknesses: The Hag's influence is largely limited to the Shona woods.
History: As far back as the memory of any living being can remember there have always been the Shona woods and with them the hags. They live in the dark woods away from prying eyes. Some people whisper that they preform unholy acts, but if they did wouldn't they have been struck down by the Pankrator?
The hags are lead by the oldest and wisest of their number, the Great Hag or the Shona Hag. The Hag claims to have planted the very first trees of the Shona wood, and more aggrandizingly given birth to the Pankrator in an age beyond reckoning. Many, most prominently the Imperial Cult, dispute the Hags' claim.
The Hag is attempting to step into her son's shoes, and rule as the new Pankrator. She warns that with the Pankrator's disappearance the powers of old will return. Voices whisper of the rise of the Jotun and the return of the Neifel giants.
VIPs:
The Great Hag- The Pretender of and leader of Shona Woods. She's an incredibly old being, some claim even older then the Pankrator. Normally she has the form of a shriveled woman, but for a short period of time during the fertility festivals of spring, her body undergoes a transformation. She sheds the years like a normal person sheds clothing and for a few weeks has the form of a beautiful young maden. During the fertility festival she often takes a suitor, this suitor is rarely seen again once the festival is over.
Sufe the Hag- Sufe is the youngest of the hags. She's a young woman still in the prime of her life, many comment on her resemblance to The Hag during the spring festival. Unlike the other hags who spend most of their time in the darkest corners of the Shona wood, Sufe has been tasked with bringing their prophecies to the people. She travels from city to city trying to bring warnings of the forces and dangers that have yet to awaken with the Pankrator's absence. A witch of no mean talent herself she is also capable of channeling the Great Hag when necessary.
Gedrhart the Ferocious- Gedrhart is one of the firbolgs, a group of ancient warriors that were put to sleep in great burial mounds scattered throughout the world. It's said that they will wake to do battle in the end times. Gedrhart has recently awoken and pledged his allegiance to the Hag. He's a towering ogre of a man who fights with two axes and no protection other then a few furs.
Moral:+++
Military:++
Economy:+++
Espionage:+++++
Magic:++++
Mass Appeal:+++
Imports: Metal ore, manufactured goods
Exports: Furs, Timber
The Behemoth of Hoburg, the stone that weeps, love of the Pankrator
Strengths: Giant 400ft tall stone statue. Hoburg also has a fairly decent economy given it's fertile soil and industrious farmers.
Weaknesses: Other then the Pretender Hoburg has no military, other then a few farmers armed with pitchforks. Besides a few hedge wizards, Hoburg has no magic to speak of either. The honest folk of Hoburg wouldn't know how to spy even if they wanted to.
Hoberg is a small province near the heart of the Empire. Comprised of mostly small farming communities it's a quite peaceful place. Prior to the vanishing of the Pankrator nothing worth mentioning happened there. The Capital of the province, also named Hoburg, is a small city where farmers bring their crops to market and from where large quantities of food are shipped down river to the capital.
Mere hours after the first reports of the Pankrator's vanishing, something amazing happened in Hoburg. The giant stone statue at the center of town came to life. Hoburgers claim that when the Pankrator ascended to a higher realm the portion of him that still loved and cared for his people took possession of the statue to help protect the citizens of Hoberg.
Priests of the Imperial Cult dismiss this claim. Afterall there are older more revered statues in the capital, why wouldn't the Pankrator choose one of those?
Umberto has also had his eyes on this faction, but as yet has no effective means of countering their pretender to reclaim the province.
Moral:++++
Military:++++ (Almost entirely the Pretender)
Economy:++++
Espionage:
Magic:+
Mass Appeal:++++
Imports: Manufactured goods, lumber,
Exports: Food, flax, cotton
The Imperial Cult
Strengths: Swarms of fanatics and flagellants willing to die to restore the Pankrator.
Strong clerical magic which is quickly diminishing.
Centuries of supremacy have resulted in large amounts of wealth, along with a repository of magical and divine paraphernalia.
Weaknesses: The Imperial Cult is quickly on it's way out. Every day more and more of the faithful loose hope and turn to worshiping one of the Pretenders.
The Imperial Cult has long been the voice of the Pankrator on the material realm. With his disappearance, the cult has been thrown into disarray. Suddenly the healers and shepherds of the Pankrator's flock found themselves without their divine connection.
Despite the Pankrator's disappearance a handful of prominent archbishops, along with the Primate, are still able to wield divine magic, but the magic seems to be fading as time passes. Some philosophers speculate that the power comes from the people's faith in their priests, but as more people loose hope their powers wain. Those philosophers are careful to keep their postulations quiet, lest a follower of the Imperial Cult end their philosophizing permanently.
The Cult has been devoting all it's resources to restoring the Pankrator. The Council Theologica has been debating nonstop since the Pankrator disappeared as to the wisest course of action. So far no prayer or ritual has yet succeeded. As time progresses desperation leads to more and more bizarre and outlandish attempts.
Many local priests through out the empire have been preaching that the Pankrator left because of the impiety of this flock. Millions attempt to prove their devotion by any means necessary. Flagellants and angry mobs hunting the impious are commonplace. The Imperial City has become a pilgrimage destination for millions of flagellants. Most starve, die of exhaustion or freeze well before making it to the capital. Despite this fact thousands of poor, disheveled masses make their way to the Imperial City every day.
VIPs:
Primate Tetra- The human leader of the Imperial Cult. Prior to the Pankrator's disappearance he was the only human to have more direct dealings with the Pankrator then the Grand Marshal Umberto. He's an elderly man, frail of body but still strong in spirit. He still wields considerable divine magic and spends most of his time with the Counsel Theologica.
The Counsel Theologica- The Counsel isn't a ruling body but a group of learned theologians who convene to discuss dogma along with philosophical and theological truths. With the fall of the Pankrator they have devoted their efforts to unraveling the mystery of the Pankrator's disappearance and how to correct it.
Archbishop Rowe- A prominent member of the Counsel Theologica, he is often advocates the more extreme rituals that might restore the Pankrator. He is also the Grand Marshal's personal confessor and theological adviser. His closeness with Umberto has earned him no points with those who fear that Umberto will not give up his Pretendership. In addition to his divine powers he is a mage of no small renown.
Moral:+
Economy:++++++
Military:++++++
Espionage:+++
Magic: +++++
Mass Appeal:+
Koushou, Oni King, Lord of Jouppon, Devourer of the innocent
Strengths: An army of large brutish Oni and small cunning bakemono. The secrets of Oni fire.
Weaknesses: Prone to infighting. Economy is based entirely on plunder. Low Mass Appeal.
History: Jouppon is a string of large islands to the far east, (some claim that since it is so far distant from the capital it might also be called the far west). The veil between worlds is thinner in Juppon then in most places. It's a dangerous land full of spirits, demons and celestial beings.
Jouppon is populated primarily but the Oni and their bakemono servants. The Oni are offspring of humans and demons that manged to make their way through to the material realm. Although they vary wildly in appearance they are universally large greedy and aggressive. They tend to wear little of no armor and wield kanabō or clubs.
The bakemono are small cunning creatures similar to the goblins sometimes found on the main land. It is believed that they are the offspring of unfortunate women and imps that followed more powerful demons through the veil.
The Oni are organized into warring clans, fighting constantly for dominance. They also make frequent raids on the mainland where they carry off supplies and loot. Occasionally humans are carried off for sex, food, labor or some combination of all three.
Several years ago, Koushou, the lord of a prominent Oni clan began a quest to unite the Oni clans under his leadership. He has come very close to completing his task, due in large part to Oni fire. Somehow Koushou has gain the the power to create a foul smelling powder with powerful properties. With it Koushou clan can create dragon cannons capable of belching fire and destruction upon their enemies. Oni fire seems to be a double edged sword, it often misfires slaying or maiming the Oni wielding the device.
In recent months with the disappearance of the Pankrator, Koushou has begun forcing his subjects to worship him as a god.
VIPs:
Koushou: Large even for an Oni he stands at 12 feet tall, years at the head of the Koushou clan have also added a corpulence to his frame making him more massive. He is usually dressed in tengu pelts to emphasize his marshal prowess and the dominance of his infernal heritage over celestial power.
Moral:+++
Economy:+
Military:++++++
Espionage:+++
Magic:++
Mass Appeal:+
Imports: Food, weapons
Exports: none
Sithiuss lord of the C'tis, he who overcomes, slayer of men, the white leviathan.
Strengths: Legions of loyal Low C'tis. High C'tis priests and mages talented in astrology and astronomy. A powerful Pretender. Natural resistance to disease and poison.
Weaknesses: Mild xenophobia. Low C'tis are dimwitted and act instinctively if not guided by High C'tis leaders. Intense dislike of cold. Large scaly C'tis make poor spies.
History: In ancient times, when the Shona woods were young, the C'tis civilization had already reached it's apex.
In the far south between two rivers, the C'tis kingdoms thrived. Despite being surrounded by desert the annual river floods brought life to the sun baked region.
The C'tis worshiped the Pankrator, putting emphasis on the creation aspects referring to the Pankrator as "the layer of the cosmic egg." Powerful mages called priest kings led the C'tis.
As the C'tis grew in power and strength so did the priest kings grow in importance. Many where venerated as saints after death. Soon it became common practice to begin the construction of a Priest King's tomb before they we're even dead. Towering structures of stone made to last for ages.
One particularly powerful priest king Sithiuss the pale, an albino C'tis, wasn't satisfied with being the mere ruler of a city state. Sithiuss believed that he read his fortune in the stars and that he was destined to be a god.
He led many of the other city states astray and the Pankrator punished all of the C'tis for their sins of their brothers. The rivers flooded, and kept flooding. The deltas were subsumed replaced with a massive stagnate swamp. The mighty cities of the C'tis, and the tombs of the priests kings sank into the mire lost forever.
Sithiuss was turned into a tiny infant crocodile and thrown into the depths of the swamp. There as an albino he would have to struggle constantly for his very survival like the C'tis he let astray.
Without the ebb and flow of the yearly tides the C'tis were incapable of growing the crops they needed to survive. Brother turned on brother and thousands died of starvation petty wars.
In this new environment brute strength and brutality often beat intelligence and sophistication. The majority of C'tis regressed into the Low C'tis growing in size and toughness with larger claws and teeth. These changes came at the cost of intelligence, most Low C'tis have little more intellectual capacity then apes.
When life in the swamps of C'tis stabilized the remaining normal C'tis or High C'tis began conquering the Low C'tis using careful planning and magic. The swamps became home to hundreds of competing C'tis tribes led by High C'tis shamans.
With the disappearance of the Pankrator, Sithiuss has returned from exile to uniting the scattered tribes in an attempt to fulfill his destiny. In the centuries since his exile Sithiuss has grown from tiny to massive, equal in size with even the largest dragons. His body is covered in scars from his many battles for survival, and his eyes cataracted with age. Despite his advanced age Sithiuss is a potent physical opponent and has relearned the magical abilities of his youth.
In recent days Sithiuss and the C'tis have begun attempts to unearth the ancient tombs of the priest kings, constructing levies to hold back the rivers. In need of cheap labor the C'tis have been buying and capturing human slaves. The heat of the south combined with the malaria of the swamps means that slaves tend to have very short lives. Sithiuss often consumes the dead slaves or they are fed to Low C'tis workers.
Moral:++++
Economy:++++
Military:++++
Espionage:+
Magic:++++
Mass Appeal:++
Imports: Slaves
Exports: Gold, spices, exotic animals