The fifth turn of my 23 players grand sci fi strategy game Empyrean Dynasty is done! Here is the turn report for interest and posterity!
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Turn 5, 31'000 - 32'000 PE:
And so 1’000 years pass in the universe! This is a record of what happened during that time!
With their industrial capacity returned after the “Great Indolence” of the thousands of years of the Rawaqi Philosophy infestation - a handful of the colony ships of Alburtuqaliu Fylí (@zeruhur) were completed and launched! The ships, accompanied by the greater fleet of the clan, traveled to the abandoned and incomplete Legion Ring, the mega space structure left behind by the now defunct and dead Legion corporation. The clan claimed the ring and established a colony aboard it. The colony grew and sealed and completed the Ring - and it is now a well populated and productive outpost of Alburtuqaliu Fylí population. It is not known what secrets or resources were uncovered from the Legion ring by the Alburtuqaliu Fylí
A large part of the ring was converted to a training school for the Marine Mercenaries - and this became the throne of their ceremonial “War King” leader. The War King Dimitris Taqi al-Azzam established the ring school and created a new regiment within the mercenary army, the Jaraz Commandos. The training that these elite corps of mercenaries go through is so extreme that only a handful ever survive the process - custom built chambers built onboard the ring that simulate the most extreme of deadly environments. Rumours speak of the Jaraz having a psychic link between one another, of knowing each other's thoughts and acting in terrifying unison - but the lack of major conflict over the last 1000 means that the commandos have not been seen in full action as of yet….
The Zhandou Albayanat Clan (@NondairyGiant) continued to grow its considerable wealth over the last 1000 years, their agents working across the universe as computing and data engineers and operators. The clan’s wealth was funneled into the training and creation of a new elite fighting corps. As this group has not been witnessed in any public conflicts, their capabilities and abilities are yet unknown, though their battle dress is reminiscent of the neo-chivalric style - ripped clean of any decorative flourish, favoring pure pragmatic performance …
After the bloodshed of the last 1000 years, the digital and mystic clan of Yishpugnae (@finnice) focused the millennium on the defense of their current planetary holdings. This led to the creation of a massive defense network called “Armatrum’s Shield” consisting of turrets and drone fighters powered by the recovered energy systems of Legion Corporation. This network was enforced by the prowling fleet of sentient shipyards for the sentient Yishpugnaenian spacecraft fleet. While enormous and awe inspiring, the sheer size of the area covered by the shield has resulted in some gaps in its coverage - not providing as perfect a defence as the The Szarstern Union’s (@gran) sphere of stone.
The leaders of Yishpugnae during this time, both digital and mystic, focused on the repopulation of ex Legion and Black Room clan planets, calling on settlers from Yishpugnae homeworlds - as well as recruits from other organization’s throughout the universe. Though this efforts were successful, colonists and immigrants did report harsh and authoritarian conditions enforced by the digital sentient intelligences in rulership of their new homes…Regardless by the end of the millennium all ex Legion planets were well population in the billions.
Overwhelmed by the power of the Yishpugnae settling near their sparse colonies and planets - the Black Room Clan swore fealty and join the clan as the Black Room Yispugnae. The agents and cells of the Black Room Yispugnae were subsumed into the larger organisations - bringing their abilities, expertise and resources with them.
The Worlds of Y, YT1, YT1(1), YT2, and YT3 due to their desolate environments were never able to support populations of much more than a million - though the populations (largely Black Room Yishpugnae) there maintain a sense of pride and loyalty to their harsh homeworlds.
With a 1000 years of planning the Henshin Free State (@sageDaMage) created and launched a modest colony ship to leave behind the known reaches of the universe and to travel out into the dark and unknown regions ever before visited by humans. The Henshin Free State are the remnants of Henshin Labs society living under the military rule over several other organizations - after great The Henshin Surrender of the last millennium. The free state existed peaceful and cooperatively under the rule of other intergalactic organizations, and thus were given the blessing by their rulers for the project to take place. With the colony ship launched, and allowed to enter the dark reaches of unknown space unadulterated - the peoples, infrastructure, planets and equipment left behind were inherited by those organizations who had claimed military of them since the Henshin Surrender (@papyrus1 @Scarius @arkbrik @fjav).
Rich with planets and resources the Sigmaites Clan (@Scarius) spent 1000 years preparing defenses to protect what is good and what is theirs! Spiked, hardened, living Neo Coral defencive structures were built across the planets of the Sigmaites. In space, surrounding their planets, a sea of spiked, Neo Coral sensor satellites were put in installed to give advanced warning of any interlopers to Sigmaite space…
The grand leader of the The Liliang Entomo clan (@papyrus) Odigos Loudong harshly pushed their people out into the stars at the start of the millennium - forcing colonies to settle on planets of severe and dangerous conditions. Many millions of Liliang Entomo perished during the period known as the “Odigos Exile”, but eventually 8 harsh and dangerous worlds were settled by the Liliang Entomo - only through sheer perseverance and swift genetic mutations whipped into the colonists by the conditions around them.
The genetic coding from the mutated successful colonists was shipped across the worlds of the Liliang Entomo and forcible injected into all members of the clan, changings their forms dramatically over the millennium. At the end of a 1000 years of this program the antmen of the Liliang Entomo had warped into even larger, flatter, spiked species - resembling a giant warped amalgamation of an ant, spider and cockroach.
The harsh worlds now also inhabited by the new, hardier versions of the Liliang Entomo were:
PL5: A rocky planet of purple mountains and stones.
PL6: A boiling planet of blue sanded deserts.
PL7: A planet of irradiated red oceans.
PL8: A frozen planet of green quartz.
PL9: A world of rocky snowfields.
PL10: A pink and red poisonous gas giant.
PL11: A grassy planet of endless brush fires.
PL12: A world of deep, dark indigo forest, teeming with deadly predators.
A holy school was established within the space sea of Lail by House von Sacher Sariyah (@fjav), here the most psychically gifted of the clan were given guidance in their abilities by the immortal mother herself, Duchess Lail! After a 1000 years the school was responsible for producing a cohort of elite psychic pilots who were given specially modified ships from the Bahamut fleet. This group of superhuman psychic space pilots was known as "Ifrit Squadron". Though their numbers were small they were considered the best organic pilots in the universe - not only having superhuman reflexes, but able to read the mind’s of their opponents or simply collapse an enemies brain, rendering them useless and defenseless.
An important graduate from the holy school of Lail, was one known as The Rippling Prophet. This prophet's faith, passion and psychic powers was able to convince any one they encountered that immortal Duchess Lail was in truth the reincarnation of Holy Mother Olympe. House von Sacher Sariyah employed the cloning chambers of the Great Heavenly Reef to mass produce the Rippling Prophet and send him out across the stars! At the end of the millennium the doctrinal disputes regarding the Duchess Lail had been resolved and she was accepted as the reincarnation of Olympe in both The Church of the Immortal Resurrected Olympe and the Orthodox church of Olympe! The two once disparate groups merged together once again in rippling harmony.
With the glorious re-unification of The Church of the Immortal Resurrected Olympe and the Orthodox church of Olympe brought on by the Rippling Prophet (@fjav) the Heavenly Reef continued to grow in both size and glory! Devoted Jamaexina (@xaosseed) neo-coral architects pushed the boundaries of space structure construction even further than thought possible - making the enormous holy structure of the reef a true wonder of the universe! Cathedral craft were also assembled and sent across the universe, preaching to and inspiring the faithful all across the void (apart from those within the moss besieged STARF cluster).
Of minor historical note during this time was the emergence of the genetic trait known as the “Beam of Olympe” occurring in the faithful in The Orthodox Church of the Immortal Resurrected Olympe. The “Beam” was an eruption of fangs replacing the normal blunt human teeth - in some cases the fangs so long as to overhang the chin. Additionally, many of those with the “Beam” were alleged to have retractable claws on their hands and feet. Those humans with the “Beam” were always too devoted to the worship of Olympe to allow their genetic information to be studied in detail.
Built from the holy ore of Oide d'Olympe, The Chatikrate dynasty (@arkbrik) created and put to work a massive population of labour androids. Already bestowed with massive industrial capacity from the wonders of The Holy Oneiros Cylinder of Olympe, the clan’s productivity for industrial work became ferocious and the envy of the universe. The androids were deployed on Shinka-9, where they were put to work in the inherited facilities of Henshin Labs.
The world of Shinka-9 became one of two two realities. Those living under Chatikrate dynasty rule, lived in opulence and productivity. The robotic labour force granting them a glorious and care free life. Those living under the military rule of the Arcturus Bloodline, had a harsher and more spartan existence, the great factories and facilities of Henshin Labs left to rot in an economic wasteland of low productivity, unemployment and poor standards of living - additionally burdened with a drain of any one or anything good or great being sucked into the glorious Chatikrate Dynasty sphere of influence through the offer of a much better life.
Recognising their superior military might, the disparate clans of The Arcturus Bloodline (@ceaselessCarbine) with the guidance and agreement of the council of warlords under the empty throne of The Martyr King, became vassals of The Liliang Entomo (@papyrus1). The warlords and warriors of Arcturus pledged their arms and abilities to the ant man clan - superserviant to their non human overlords.
The Fraterni Renunti, known henceforth as “Balaenis Elasthera” (@wrongtube) ferried their enormous space bound forms to the Zhivos Spawn Mass Celestial River and scooped massive samples into their baleens! Samples acquired, the clan worked in their biological, space based, laboratories (often the work taking place within their own bodies) to create an mutagen inducer to those beings who may find themselves living in the sickly super nutrient rich swamps of planets infected with the Zhivos spawn mass!
The mutagen inducer once applied, would result in populations not being negatively affected by the damp, super nutrient, atmosphere of Zhivos spawn infection! The mutagen would remain in the genetic coding of future generations of any population given the inducer - meaning that population could continue to live and thrive within the conditions of a Zhivos spawn swamp. A proliferation of gills, damp - breathing skin, receptor pustules and other semi aquatic physiological changes would take place in any population given the mutagen inducer - and all of their future offspring (and offspring’s offspring ad infinitum).
The mutagen inducer was produced in great abundance and supplied to any and all interested populations - the decision to administer the mutagen inducer their to take.
The monasteries of the ever maligned and secretive Cult of Qalb Occulta (@symbolic city) were the victim of 5 mysterious and devestating terrorist attacks. Each site was the victim of a “Micro Death Spear” attack, the effects of a putrifying and disease spreading Death Spear strike in a localized area. The negative effects of the Micro Death Spear only lasted about one hundred years before fading, and only affected a several kilometer radius. Regardless, the death toll from these attacks was in the millions due to heavily populated areas in which they occurred:
SS2 (@Scarius)
Phlogeille (@arkbrik)
SY1 (@roshlev)
Magel (@arkbik, @fjav, @xaosseed)
And, the other wise pristine surface of Ognos (@xaosseed)
In response to these attacks, a jellyman spiritual leader within the Qalb Occulta cult, Khadira Fluentia, designed, constructed, and implemented a fleet of massive spider like transport devices that were able to lift existing and surviving monasteries and their accompanying communities and make them mobile - moving around planetary surfaces slowly but surely. Each planet outside of the STARF cluster has at least one of these massive, ponderous, machines now roaming its surface. Within each, a jellyman prelate pilots and provides spiritual guidance to their accompanying community of cultists. Orders of Knights Occulta also take residence aboard each Qalb Occulta spider.
APEX Solutions (@Revenant's Quill) devoted themselves to the creation and production of a new powerful brand of weaponry, the APEX Terra Firmer line. This range of handheld weaponry, powered by a worn backpack like power system that fits most vaguely humanoid body shapes, are able to be fired from within a planetary atmosphere at targets in the void of space. The weapon’s transfer the magnetic, gravitical, electrical power present on the planet directly to the target in space, causing massive damage and dragging them towards the planet’s gravity well. The weapon’s advanced targeting system means that the wielder of the weapon does not need a visual of their target, and can receive data from nearby satellites and friendly space vessels. As the wielder of the weapon is acting as a connecting circuit between the planet’s power systems and the launched magnetic/gravity/electrical energy, they must remain standing on bare earth. A break in this circuit while the weapon is firing causes the Terra Firmer power pack to explode (with a blast radius of about a kilometer) - turning the user of the weapon (and another beings nearby them) into a red (or appropriately coloured) mist.
Additionally, on the planet of immortals MA4, Fax Benec trained a small, but extremely competent cohort of immortal APEX warriors. These warriors devoted their endless lives to fighting and are now the central nuclei of the APEX Solutions military, providing training and spiritual guidance in the way of combat to others. While a small force, the devotion over endless hundreds of years to combat training means that these warriors are extremely powerful, skilled, and feared.
The once pacifist Ounjẹpupọ Olominira Eniyan (@gendernihilist) continued to arm themselves, The Dry River Army, alongside OOE Arms, perfecting the “Halo of Tears” gas defense system to be absolutely deadly to all those not protected by its filtration. The most deadly of gasses now waft ahead of the Dry River Army, making combat almost an impossibility against them. Those without the Halo of Tears breathing apparati have no way of filtering out the deadly nerve agents - the secrets of such a system a very closely guarded secret by the Ounjẹpupọ Olominira Eniyan. If the Dry River Army wills it, you are already dead.
The youth of the universe were indoctrinated into respecting the powers of the movement of astronomical bodies over the last 1000 years, with the meteoric rise of the media sensation “Bobbins”. Bobbins is a seemingly undying presenter of astrological readings and interpretations targeted at the young and impressionable. Their show is produced and broadcast on behalf and with the support of The Szarstern Union (@gran). Though not supplanting any religious systems of the universe, most adults of the present day have an unshakeable and sometimes superstitious belief in the meanings derived from the movements of astronomical bodies. The orthodox and correct astrological readings are of course those with the certification of “Super-Astrology”, provided only by the Szarstern Union.
The space navigators of the Keepers of Magellan (@arkbik, @fjav, @xaosseed), ancient from the constant consumption of the Spice of Magel, installed themselves further within the Orthodox Church of Olympe - becoming the private navigators for all Olympe sponsored space flights. This led to the space travel times outside of the STARF cluster being much swifter than those within the cluster, the believers and associates of the Orthodox Church gaining the boon of much quicker and efficient space routes.
The Naurey (@Altchester) constructed a massive, colony ship sized, vessel known as “The Ark of Pleasure” which floated through the cosmos bringing the pleasure and hedonism of Monteer Apisri Invict directly to the disparate peoples of the universe. Able to comfortable house about millions souls at a time The Ark of Pleasure would remain in a system for several decades, providing the grandest of pleasure and entertainments to those that lived there (unfortunately at great cost to their productivity). Over the 1000 years that the Ark has been slowly floating through space there has been a minor, but noticeable, dip in the universe’s economic productivity…
At the beginning of the millennium, The great military leader and member of the The Knights Zhvos, Yínxhéazhànshìtor (@Trent B) traveled to the upper atmosphere of the planet Shēngluócūs to consort with Shēngvìvìfǐcanzhě the Birther. While Yínxhéazhànshìtor’s goal was to tame and control The Zhivos Spawn Mass Celestial river, and turn into a productive mass for the creation of a bio-hive fleet, he was rebuffed and consumed by Shēngvìvìfǐcanzhě ! His grand genetic material, plans and desires were transmuted into the spawn river - giving the once mindless spores agency and design!
The spawning spores birthed from this point on had the propensity to warp into simulacrum of spacecraft and hunted vessels who strayed too close to the river. The spawn craft would launch kinetic blasts of hardened biomass or infect biological beings on board targeted craft with poisonous spores that were able to creep through other ships shields and hull defenses! Though having the appearance and behavior of intelligent life, the biomass simulacrum craft were simple biological defense mechanisms, mindlessly protecting the ever growing celestial spawn river.
And so the The Zhivos Spawn Mass Celestial river crept on, flooding space, flowing until it reached the great Sphere of Stone protecting the STARF cluster (@NondairyGiant @gran @middlecyclone @Altchester). The spawning mass quickly infected the sphere of stone, making it an absolutely staggeringly sized mass of swamp and fecundity covered stones. Approaching the Moss Sphere would result in mindless attacks by mindless spawn craft. This event has had an enormously negative impact on those living within the STARF cluster - as space shipping and transportation in or out of the Moss/Stone Sphere has diminished to a crawl - with each convey passing through the sphere needing a strong delegation of fighter craft to keep at bay the endless zomboid spawn craft. At the end of the millennium planets within the STARF cluster were rife with poverty - barely able to access trade taking place in the larger universe beyond the Moss/Stone sphere. Because of this, the population of Zhàngtùs Biolōxué / Arcturan Zhivos living on the planet of SH2 within the sphere, have been the victim of hundreds of years of racist terrorist attacks and vilification.
Studying the evolution of the The Zhivos Spawn Mass Celestial river, particularly the appearance of the mindless spawn craft, the Arcturan Zhivos (@Trent B) weaponized a similar, but more controlled, type of bio mass - allowing their military forces to be supported with vegetiative drones of size both great and small. Enormous mech-like craft were grown in spawning mass vat factories, alongside scouting and spy drones, all created of swirling, hardened vegetative matter. The diamonds of Nebuànshí were used in great abundance in the cladding of these vegetative craft, hardening their chitinous outer frames with sparkling alloys. The grandest vegetative craft were the huge armored, horse-like biosteeds rode by The Knights Zhvos.
Contingents of these militaristic biocraft were shipped to SH2 to help with the defense of the besieged population of Arcturan Zhivos. Massive stomping biobots and manned biomechs, supported by hords of flying biodrones now patrol the borders to any Arcturan Zhivos population center - drawing the further ire of the non Arcturan Zhivos living within the Moss/Stone Sphere.
Mem’proditor, Knight Commander of The Cavalerie Centuriate and The Knights of The Flame of Peace (@middlecyclone) forever changed their people, with the secretive administration of the Balaenis Elasthera (@wrongtube) mutagen inducer to all Cavalerie Centuriate citizens. The Centuriate mutagen inducer was modified by Knight Commander Mem’proditor, with assistance of House von Sacher Sariyah (@fjav) bioscientists sent from Heavenly Reef based Resurrected Olympe's Foundation of Bio-Environmental Research centers.
The people of The Cavalerie Centuriate are now a post human race of frog/squid/fungoid humanoids - their digits webbed, their bulboid heads pulsating with breathing polyps, their finned skinned ever secreting mucus. Not quite bioluxue, but definitely not human. A wide range of sub species has proliferated within Cavalerie Centuriate post-humanhood - a byproduct of the scintillating and strangely interacting mutagen inducers.
The newly mutated Cavalerie Centuriate are the only known group of people in the universe who are not attacked on sight by the automated zomboid spawn craft of the celestial river - allowing them easy traversal of the Moss/Stone Sphere. This has made them somewhat maligned within the populations of the STARF cluster, the glory of their yesteryears and associations with neo-chivalry fading into damp, fungal puddles in non mutated human’s minds. Though not as hated within the STARF cluster as the Arcturan Zhivos, distrust is growing.
Additionally, the newly mutated people of the Cavalerie Centuriate are able to interact with the spawn masses of the celestial river, armouring themselves in elaborate bio organic armour - or forming loyal bioblob servants who assist them in their duties - these masses being similar to the the Arcturan Zhivos (@Trent B) vegetative craft - but smaller and less hardened without that organisation’s diamond alloy chitin plating.
Both groups similarly gifted with vegetative bio-craft armories, The Cavalerie Centuriate, The Knights of The Flame of Peace (@middlecyclone) Arcturan Zhivos (@Trent B) worked together for several hundred years developing biomass focused arts of war. Both groups became well practiced and expertise leaden in their militaristic employment of bio-mass - these teachings and practices becoming known as “The Code of Muscmortem”.
Devoted to protecting their terraforming efforts, Hermeya (@roshlev) developed the “Stegno-Omchi Planetary Protective Sphere” technology. A sphere of ultra desiccant that bubbles around a planet's outer atmosphere. Any particle passing through the sphere will be drained of all moisture. Importantly this has the impact of turning any celestial spawning mass to harmless dust (@middlecyclone @Trent B). Though a long interstellar distance from the ever growing Zhivos Spawn Mass Celestial river - the empire of The Hermeya will none the less be protected against it. A Stegno-Omchi Planetary Protective Sphere has been installed above all Hermeyan planets.
The Hermeyans also opened their newly terraformed heavenly planet of SY11 to all those lost and displaced souls across the universe. Any and all civilians were given safe passage and settlement to this glorious world of green rolling hills. The Hermeyans established a grand base infrastructure across the world - but largely left it uninhabited by their own citizens, allowing more room for any who would like to begin a new life there. Due to the, relatively, peaceful state of the universe the planet currently is somewhat underpopulated - its 1 million souls sparsely spread out across the planet's gloriously calming landscapes.
