Heirs to the Final Empire: Roleplaying Thread

[Wyrmhero he/him]

Generation 11

Turn 2

 

Marsh drummed his fingers on the table. It was good for that, a solid table made of decent wood that let the sound echo and provide a properly imposing atmosphere., made by one of their own members, who maintained a cover as a skilled but quiet craftsman. Not that the sound was needed for the atmosphere though – Some would say his face was fierce enough alone. Well, it wasn't his fault that he had a terrifying face, as his brother always taunted him about.

 

He sighed. His brother, yes. He was the root cause of all of his problems. The bastard hadn't changed, unfortunately. Ever since their mother had died and they had been forced to flee from the society that the nobility lived in, Kelsier had been going around and thieving to maintain the rich and comfy lifestyle that he was accustomed to. Not Marsh, though. He had turned his mind to greater things. He'd been humbled by his discovery of belonging to the people he thought were worthless, and now he was here to help them. He was even a Seeker, something they could use. He'd saved lives, with his ability.

 

But there was his brother. His brother, who was as much a help in inspiring the skaa as he was a hindrance to their rebellion. His brother, who was the most quick-witted and cunning man he had ever met, and had refused to help the rebellion. Lord Ruler, he hated the man sometimes. And now he'd compromised one of their plans and their safehouses, just for a little taste of the life he had once lived. The bastard.

 

“They're putting feelers out, Marsh,” one of the other skaa at the table said. “There are a couple of Houses looking for us. From what I've heard, not for horrible things.”

 

“And you believe that?” Clubs asked, scowling. “It's clearly a trap. We'd be foolish to even consider meeting with them. And even if we did, what would we become? We'd just be working for them, taking out their enemies and making them stronger. And then, when we've served them enough or outlived our usefulness, they'd just let the Inquisition know. And you want to entertain this idea?”

 

“All I'm saying is that, if the proper precautions are taken, we can use this to fund our other operations.” The man continued. “Let's face it – We need money. The Rebellion will get nowhere if we are always wondering where our funding will next come from.”

 

“Then we steal from them,” Marsh said, holding a hand up to prevent Clubs from responding. “We won't work with them. Clubs is right; it's a terrible idea, and would only lead to us being overtaken by them.”

 

“Then how do you suggest we finance ourselves? We steal from them, you say. But the real targets, the Great Houses, we can't take from them, can we? They'll be too heavily guarded for us to even approach them. What, then, is the point?”

 

Marsh steepled his fingers as he thought. “Then we prepare.”

 

“Prepare? For what? Is there some kind of grand plan that you've kept from us all? If so, I feel we deserve to know.”

 

“I have no plans at this point, and for good reason,” he shrugged. “For now, we simply prepare. We steal what we can, and stockpile all knowledge we come across about The Final Empire, its people, its cities, and the nobility. Anything we can keep for later use, we do. Eventually there will be an opening that the Skaa Rebellion can take. And at that point, we will take it. Even if it's not us, but our children. Or their children.”

 

“And what? In the mean time we just roll over and die?” The man spat. “You might be fine with that, but I am not going to sit here while our people are enslaved and killed.”

 

“Then don't,” Marsh responded. “Quite simply, we do not have the option to pick and choose when we make our move. They have more manpower, are richer, have better weaponry, have more Allomancers and, importantly, have Mistborn. We can't just try to overthrow them without a solid and long-term plan. We can only prepare for the opportunity when it comes. If anyone disagrees with them, then they are welcome to leave our number.”

 

The arguing man hesitated, but as he looked at Marsh, his resolve weakened, and he looked away. “I will accept this then.”

 

“What did they even want us to do, anyway?” Clubs asked.

 

“You're not saying that you're changing your mind now, are you?” Marsh asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

 

“No, not at all,” Clubs clarified. “However, if we knew what they wanted us to do, it would tell us two things: What they want, and what we could do. We can at the very least use it as a idea for future plans. If information is what this war will be won on, then it is crucial that we analyse every bit that they are willing to give us.”

 

“I suppose so. Perhaps it might even be best to carry a few out, to foster a small amount of good will we can cahs in at a later date. All we need to do is to turn on them before they turn on us. So what were they asking for? A simple crew, or something more specialised?”

 

“...They were asking for Kelsier.”

 

Marsh sighed. Of course, it would be his brother causing them problems again. “Well, we will have to disappoint them then. My brother is not the sort of person to perform jobs for the nobility, even if he would approve of parting them from their money. Besides, he has chosen to disassociate himself from us. Put him out of your mind. He is just a petty thief. We, on the other hand, have a goal. We are working for something bigger than ourselves. We should keep that in mind in the future.”

---

 

Generation 11 Turn 2 has begun! The turn will end on Friday 23rd September at 6PM BST.

 

Generation 11 Player List

 

1. little wilson – Dellan Wilson

2. Unodus – Zonia Uethorn

3. OrlokTsubodai – Gaius Tekiel

4. Aonar Faileas – Antimony Izenry

5. Araris Valerian – Allriane Penrod

6. Comatose - Aaron Elariel

 

Edited September 18, 2016 by Wyrmhero

[Unodus he/him]

Action 3
Who?  Zonia Uethorne
What? Try for an Heir [M: Regum, F: Bahlrae]
Why? So that my other actions are private, really V:

[Comatose he/him]

Generation 11 Turn 2

RP - Aaron Elariel

(Bleargh - not great but it'll do.  Really wish I had more time for this.  Wyrm, I tried to leave things vague with Shan in case you have plans for her).  

Spoiler

Lord Aaron Elariel surveyed the new bakery with a discerning eye.  Some might think it risky, launching a new business endeavor at a time when thievery by skaa half breeds was at an all time high.  However, the Lord Ruler's exorbitant Keep taxes weren't going to pay themselves, and the Elariel skaa needed to be fed.  Life had to go on, and it was Aaron's intention to ensure that House Elariel went on with it.  

"It's cute, your new little business endeavor, I'll give you that."  Aaron spun to face the cloaked figure standing in the doorway.  "So why are you brooding, brother?"

Aaron smirked, trying not to let the sight of his younger sister's tattoos unsettle him.  It seemed like they grew every time he saw her, crawling back across her shaved skull, obscuring more and more of the woman she used to be.  "I didn't realize Prelans had time to supervise little Lords brooding over their bakeries."  

Shan didn't smile as she glided gracefully into the room.  As a young noblewoman, her grace and poise and put even the most practiced socialites to shame, but now her movements had an eerie, unnatural quality to them.  "I wouldn't call you little, Lord Elariel.  Your house is powerful, and has always been highly valued by the ministry."  

Lord Elariel.  Aaron knew that, growing up, he had always been neglectful of his younger sister.  Now he could not help but feel she still held a grudge against him.  "Not as valued as you, obviously.  I see they've promoted you again."  

Shan raised a hand to her head, tracing the dark lines with her fingers, "The Ministry watches closely, Lord Elariel, and knows value when they see it."  

"Is that why you've come, Prelan Shan?  Has something of value caught your notice?"  

Shan smiled, sending shivers down Aaron's spine.  "Perhaps it has, Lord Elariel.  Perhaps it has."

Public Actions:

Action 3: Buy a Bakery (Public):

Who: Aaron Elariel
What: Buy bakery.
When: Gen 11, Turn 2, Action 3.

Where: Luthadel
Why: To gain another financial avenue and provide food for skaa.

[Araris Valerian he/him]

Actions:

Spoiler

Action 1:

Try for an Heir in Luthadel:

Male - Aralis, Female - Arelya

 

Action 2:

What: Hire Lots of Kandra (or less, if there is a limit)

Where: Luthadel

 

Action 3:

Who: All Kandra

What: Pose as skaa and attempt to infiltrate the skaa underground

Why: To see if House Penrod can direct the efforts of the skaa rebellion away from itself

 

[Wyrmhero he/him]

Still waiting on a lot of Actions. Due to the fact this is the last Generation, I will extend the turn by a week. It will end on 30th September.

[little wilson she/her]

Public Action:

Completing the defense fortifications around Luthadel started by House Wilson a few generations ago.

[Aonar he/him]

Public actions:

1: Send out invitations for the demonstration of a new technology.

2: Prepare Keep Izenry for important visitors. 

[Wyrmhero he/him]

Generation 11

Turn 3

 

It was an undeniable fact that Antimony Izenry was nervous. It was not an emotion he was used to, not something he had experienced since he had become Lord of the House after his predecessor's death. His father had, of course, always made him nervous. But then, that was to be expected. The man held the power of life and death over all of his House, in both physical and metaphorical ways, and had impressed upon his son just how far his power had extended; A fact that only now, he was beginning to appreciate in full.

 

But regardless of whether it was a new or almost forgotten emotion, he recalled the feeling well. It had never left him, lying beneath the surface until it was called on again. And now, it seemed, hew as dealing with another father figure – The Lord Ruler. If his own biological father was tough and disciplined, then The Lord Ruler was that to the extreme. His father would allow no mistakes, no blemishes on the Izenry name. No doubt The Lord Ruler would be even more harsh – and his corrective lessons would be of a far more permanent nature.

 

But it was far too late now. The path that his House had been on for centuries would not stop now - he had little to no choice in whether it was pursued. Centuries of development, of wealth and resources poured into this one project. It could be said that it was the only reason the House existed now. If they stopped, well... They probably wouldn't be ruined, but there would be years and years and years of re-purposing and refurbishment. During that time, they would be vulnerable economically and politically. It had to go perfectly. And so much of that was out of his power.

 

He stood behind a thick set of velvety traveller curtains at one end of the hall, pacing up and down. A set of archery butts had been stood to the side, ready for target practice. On a table on the side side of the room rested three muskets, and standing at ease behind them were three Izenry soldiers. Trained marksmen, picked from the best of their archers. They knew the penalty if they failed in their task today.

 

“Are they all there?” He eventually asked his Terrisman servant, who was waiting at the side, directing things when needed. A blessing, these servants. So proper and efficient, practically built for purpose.

 

“The last few of the Lesser House Lords are being seated, Lord Izenry,” he responded with a bow. “We will be ready to begin in approximately one minute.”

 

“Very well. I will speak to them first, briefly. After I have done so, pull the curtains to show what they are here for.”

 

“As you wish, My Lord.”

 

Lord Izenry waited a few moments, and then lifted the edge of the curtain so he could step through. The sight that greeted him was not one that was unexpected, but it was still nerve-wracking and terrifying.

 

His peers sat at the front of the hall, of course. Large, comfortable chairs for Great House Lords and Ladies and their spouses. Behind them, in less luxirious (though still comfortable and expensive) chairs, the Lesser Houses. They would not get as good a view as the rest, for they were by far less important. And then above them all, in the balcony that looked over the entire room, The Lord Ruler, and an Inquisitor. He felt sick, acid rising in his throat. He swallowed the feeling down, however. Now was no time to falter.

 

“My Lord Ruler,” he began, “Ladies and gentlemen. I have asked you all here this evening because I wish to share with you the fruits of my labour, and my father's labour, and his before him. Indeed, I am going to show you the culmination of many, many years of research by my House. I do not do this because I want to intimidate my peers – I hope that after this demonstration, The Cantons will be kind enough to grant my House some kind of exclusivity rights for this, so that I might sell them to you all. I feel it is only fair to ask this after we have put so much effort in. At the very least, we will not share our research with others so easily, even if we cannot be given such rights.”

 

He coughed to clear his throat, feeling The Lord Ruler's eyes burrow in to him. “But regardless. We developed these weapons to advance The Final Empire, and help it face threats – The Skaa Rebellion, and the criminals it supports, for example. The underlying technologies behind them also have other applications – We are quite interested in the use of it with mining, for example. But that is not yet in development.”

 

The curtains started to be pulled aside, revealing the stark background behind him that was to be the makeshift target practice area. The soldiers immediately saluted to him.

 

“Gentlemen,” he said, gesturing at the table. “Take your positions.”

 

As one, they picked up the muskets on the table and lifted them into position. They loaded them in a process which had been drilled into them carefully, and then lifted them up. There was a loud crack that made even Lord Izenry jump, and three puncture-marks in the centre of each target.

 

They reloaded, and Lord Izenry looked up, up at his god, hoping to see some kind of praise in his look. But he wasn't looking at the demonstration, but muttering something to the Inquisitor. He seemed annoyed, but not necessarily with him. The Inquisitor certainly looked apologetic.

 

They fired another few salvos, and stepped back, placing the muskets down again. Lord Izenry waved some of the smoke away. The hall would smell of gunpowder for weeks now. The curtains behind him closed, and he took a bow.

 

“Thank you,” he said to the audience. “My hope is to start selling these soon to you all for the purposes of defending yourselves and your Keeps against intruders. Prices have not yet been decided on.”

 

He was going to continue on, but The Lord Ruler had risen to his feet. The hall slowly went silent as they all realised he was staring up, and they turned to look at him, craning their necks as they did.

 

“Lord Izenry,” he said, his voice reaching everyone in the hall as though he were addressing them personally. It was measured, clearly being very carefully controlled as though he would be given over to anger if he did not. “You have two weeks to destroy every last one of those things and burn your research.” Then he left without another word, the Inquisitor following on his heels.

---

 

Generation 11 Turn 3 has begun! The turn will end on Friday 14th October at 6PM BST.

 

Generation 11 Player List

 

1. little wilson – Dellan Wilson

2. Unodus – Zonia Uethorn

3. OrlokTsubodai – Gaius Tekiel

4. Aonar Faileas – Antimony Izenry Aurum Izenry

5. Araris Valerian – Allriane Penrod

6. Comatose - Aaron Elariel

Edited October 23, 2016 by Wyrmhero

[Araris Valerian he/him]

Um. Are we ending the turn on the 14th of October, so in 2 weeks?

[Wyrmhero he/him]

13 hours ago, Araris Valerian said:

Um. Are we ending the turn on the 14th of October, so in 2 weeks?

Yeah, fixed. I'm away in London next weekend, so the Turn will be 2 weeks.

Edited October 3, 2016 by Wyrmhero

[Araris Valerian he/him]

Actions:

Who: House Penrod

What: Construct a Ministry Outpost

Where: Wherever the Inquisition wanted them too, back when they got upset with House Penrod

Why: To get the Inquisitors off of House Penrod's back a bit

[Unodus he/him]

Action 1
Who?  Zonia Uethorne
What? Arranging a marriage for Regum
When? First action 
Why? Because I haven't really got any exciting actions to make x.x

[Wyrmhero he/him]

I have only received 3 sets of actions, guys, even after two full weeks. I don't particularly want to, but I will extend one more week. You have until 21st.

[Comatose he/him]

Gen 11, Turn 3, Actions

Action 3: Host Ball (Public):

Who: Aaron Elariel
What: Host a ball
When: Gen 11, Turn 3, Action 3.

Where: Luthadel
Why: To gain respect. 

[Aonar he/him]

Public Action: 

Action 3: Set a guard around Aurum and other key members of my House.

[little wilson she/her]

Action 1: using my house's army and TLR's army to put down some skaa uprisings in some of the outer dominances.

[Wyrmhero he/him]

Generation 11

Turn 4

 

Antimony Izenry was nervous. Far more so than he was just a scant week ago when he had shown off the firearms he had made. And could he be blamed for such a thing? The Lord Ruler was furious when he had left, and while He seemed to be calmer today, who knew how much fury was bubbling away beneath the carefully constructed surface?

 

But that was not all of it. He fully expected that he would die today. Whether by The Lord Ruler's hand or his own, today was the day when he stepped out of the present and into history. Perhaps, even, into legend. After today, his House's place at the top of the world would be secured, unshakeable. They would displace God, and in turn, they would become him.

 

“This is all of them?” The Lord Ruler asked, his voice measured and level. He stood next to Antimony, the other source of Antimony's nerves. “All of the compounds you made? There are quite a number. Interesting that you could get away with it for so long. But I suppose that is the price I pay for letting you all run around on your own, without a firm hand to guide you.”

 

“...Yes, My Lord,” Antimony nodded, dabbing at his forehead with a handkerchief. His vision swayed. Was that blood on the cloth? No, he was imagining things. He stowed it away quickly before the imagined sight returned. “We felt that it would be useful for our mining operations. And as it was still an emerging technology, we needed to produce large quantities of it to test it. We had hoped that we could increase the efficiency and decrease the size in time.”

 

“Perhaps if you had kept to using it for extraction purposes, this could have been avoided,” The Lord Ruler said, shaking his head. “It is a shame you had to turn your head towards weaponry. What need have we for it? All it would do is give power to the skaa. Swords, spears and bows... All of these need years of training. Imagine the difficult that my army would be having at the moment if the criminals they fought also wielded these firearms...” He trailed off, either pensive or no longer caring to continue the conversation.

 

Either way, Lord Izenry knew what He meant. And to be honest, he agreed. The idea of a disloyal skaa with a firearm was rather a terrifying one. True, they would be unable to kill a Mistborn or several types of Misting, but they would still be far more dangerous than was good for the Empire. Even in his darkest, most treacherous moments, he had never considered gifting his firearms to the skaa rebellion.

 

There was a signal from one of his men. He stood some distance away, a barrel of burning pitch by his side and a bow in his hand. They would detonate the explosive material remotely, so as to give the suggestion of avoiding any danger. None of his own men would be close enough to be badly hurt. None of them, that is, except one.

 

“My Lord, we are ready to begin,” Antimony said, turning and gesturing behind them. “If you and your men would care to retreat, we are not at present at a safe distance.”

 

The Lord Ruler nodded to the soldier behind him, the captain of his Imperial Guard. The man gave a signal to retreat. Antimony had always wondered what the point of these men was; The Lord Ruler was far more deadly than even the most skilled and trained of skaa, so why bother with them? Perhaps it was a sign that He was in fact not all-powerful, and was actually rather vulnerable. Regardless, Antimony would take it as a sign. He had to stop himself from cracking a sort of manic smile. Signs? He was about to kill God! What use was mysticism here?

 

He walked back with The Lord Ruler and his Imperial Guard, taking them back to what he was claiming was a safe distance. The fact that he too would remain would hopefully lend some credibility to this.

 

The cloth-clad arrow was dipped in the burning pitch. The archer raised his bow and fired. The arrow arced over their heads, streaking fire across the ashen sky. Then it started to descend, burying itself in the mound of nitroglycerin, gunpowder and soaked cotton. Antimony braced himself and closed his eyes. But he didn't turn from it. That would give everything away at the end, make everything worthless. And to be honest, this would probably be a quicker, less painful death than being given to the Inquisition and made to endure imprisonment.

 

There was a loud explosion, heat and light bursting outwards in all directions. Shrapnel flew out haphazardly, though it was not obvious to see when all onlookers were temporarily blinded. Pain assaulted Antimony as he felt his flesh cook and his ears bleed. The shockwave pushed him backwards towards the ground, but he blacked out before he finished his fall.

 

 

---

 

Antimony opened his eyes, which was a shock in and of itself. He had hoped to survive, of course, but not expected it. But then, he didn't expect to survive much longer. The only thing he could feel was the pain and ache that wracked his entire body. He was still burning all over, and even moving his arm proved to be too much for him to be able to do. To top it off, he'd been pierced by shrapnel, if the sharp stabbing pain in his chest was anything to go by.

 

He tilted his head, ignoring the hurt as much as he could. There were bodies everywhere; the livery of the Royal Guard littered the grounds of Keep Izenry. He could just about see the body of his archer as well, the man must have been hit by shrapnel, even at such a distance. He turned the other way, to see the results of this assassination.

 

The Lord Ruler was alive. Hopefully not for long. Certainly without medical attention. Even a pewterarm would die from these wounds, they simply couldn't burn the metal long enough to recover from them in time. But his eyes opened wide in disbelief, even though it pained him to do so, at the sight he saw.

 

The burn marks on his skin were fading away, slowly. The arm that was hanging loosely by His side was regaining some strength, the fingers twitching as life returned to them. The Lord Ruler sat up slowly, clearly also in pain. Then, suddenly, there was no pain, as though the sense had become dulled. It took some effort, but He moved to a sitting position. Then, after a stumble, to standing. He adjusted a silver ring on his finger, knocked askew by the fall.

 

He hobbled over to Antimony, uncaring of His newfound nudity, as the remains of the clothes He wore slid off His body. All that remained on Him were his rings, bracelets, and other bits of jewellery. Once opulent and gaudy, now they were charred, damaged, twisted and bent, while others had simply rusted in the heat. Nasty great welts covered his body where the metal made contact with His body, but even those marks were slowly healing.

 

There was a scraping noise, metal on the dirt, as the groaning, still-living body of an Imperial Guardsman was dragged along by His Ironpull. The Lord Ruler called the sword into His hand with another Ironpull. He gripped it with newfound strength. The body landed on Antimony's chest, and he let out a wordless grunt of pain; he did not have the strength to yell it.

 

“These swords...” The Lord Ruler muttered. “They are made of iron.” He lined the sword up carefully, body swaying gently, and then with a Steelpush, thrust the sword through both bodies.

 

This time, Antimony found the strength to scream. He felt the sword pierce his ribcage, slipping between the bones, and stabbing through his heart. The Lord Ruler gave him a small smile. The guard no longer moaned, or even breathed.

 

The corpse was pushed off Antimony with another Steelpush, and the brittle iron blade of the sword snapped, a jagged edge now protruding slightly from Antimony's chest. The Lord Ruler made his way to a small rock that had been thrown by the explosion and sat on it. He was breathing heavily, despite the lack of actual physical exertion on his part.

 

The world started to swim back into focus for Antimony. The pain remained, but he was able to bear it slightly better. It was not a recovery, but a sense of fortitude he didn't have previously.

 

God stared down at him, as if wondering what to do with him. Antimony knew that He had done something to him, something that kept him alive for now. He dreaded to think what it was and why. A voice whispered to him, telling him to finish the job, that he had wounded The Lord Ruler and that He was vulnerable. But he couldn't manage it. Even attempting that final act would kill him.

 

“You are... surprised,” The Lord Ruler said to him, his voice raspy. Everything about it said that He should have been in massive pain, and yet He was not. Was this the extent that His Allomancy had reached? That His pewter allowed Him to shrug off pain that mortals could not withstand? “You should know it is... not easy to kill a God. I should know; I have tried before.”

 

“H-How?” Antimony managed to splutter, strength in him enough to speak, though every word was agony.

 

“Gold,” The Lord Ruler said. “You have, no doubt, heard the story of when I was burned down to a skeleton, yet survived?” He chuckled a little, but stopped quickly when it became a hacking cough. “It is an embellishment, but mostly true. Do not feel so upset at your failure to achieve your objective. Against anyone else, this would have worked. You are simply working with incomplete information. You see, if I were to put it succinctly, as long as I am not killed, I will not die.”

 

Antimony's brow furrowed as he tried to understand what He meant. How did gold help him? It had no restorative properties, and he couldn't even begin to parse that last sentence.

 

“My brain,” He clarified eventually. “As long as my brain is still intact, and that I do not die quicker than I can heal, then I am functionally immortal.” Now His face frowned down at him. “Though you have wasted almost all of my charges, since I needed such extensive and speedy healing. I hope you are happy,” he ran a hand over his head. “It will take me some time to regain my hair.”

 

“I must admit though, I am surprised by the blast radius of your explosives. I have seen them before, many, many centuries ago in the world that was, and they were not this powerful. For that matter, I did not expect you to try and sacrifice yourself for this. Perhaps I was simply hoping that I was informed wrong about you and your plans.”

 

“Yes,” he added, smiling cruelly at Antimony's surprise. “I have known about your plots against me for some time. One of your so-called friends is not actually a friend. I knew this was a trap for me, and I walked in willingly.” He spread his arms out. “I must thank you for improving my reputation. You've also exposed a threat to me. They were getting rather cocky as of late, and their delaying of informing me of your plans must be punished.” He didn't elaborate on whom he referred to.

 

“Now, the question of what to do with you arises. I suspect that your people will be here very shortly to dispatch any remaining witnesses. I am also unable to easily remove you from here. So I think that, now you have understood the depths of your failure, I will let you pass from this Realm to the next, with that in mind. Ah, but I am monologuing,” He said, chuckling again. This time, it was not raspy. “Perhaps I should do as he did, and write this down rather than speak it at people.” He stood up from the rock.

 

“Your... Your army is gone,” Antimony said, as He drew closer. “And it is ours. The skaa will rebel against you. They know you're weak. They know you can be hurt. My people... They will have seen it. You have lost, even if you can't die.”

 

“Perhaps,” The Lord Ruler said, stopping as he reached Antimony. “But all I need to do is survive a few more years, and then I can return this world to the perfect state it was in before your treachery.” His face twisted into a snarl and his hands clenched into fists. “You fools don't know what I do for mankind. Even if you refuse to see it, I am your God. By deposing me, you will doom yourselves to despair, destruction and death at his hand.” He took a breath, followed by another. Then, when he spoke again, it was with a more level tone. “You should realise that your options are that either I rule this world, or that the world withers and dies.”

 

“Now, goodbye, Izenry. Give my regards to that senile fool on the other side.” He Ironpulled on the broken blade, and it flew out of Antimony's body. Antimony felt the new strength leave his body. He looked up at his God, and saw the man already walking away. His eyes closed, and then Antimony Izenry finally passed away.

 

---

 

Generation 11 Turn 4 has begun! The Turn, Generation and Game will end on Friday 4th November at 6PM BST.

Lord Antimony Izenry is dead!

House Tekiel has moved troops into the city of Luthadel!

The skaa in Luthadel are rebelling!

 

Generation 11 Player List

 

1. little wilson – Dellan Wilson

2. Unodus – Zonia Uethorn

3. OrlokTsubodai – Gaius Tekiel

4. Aonar Faileas – Antimony Izenry

5. Araris Valerian – Allriane Penrod

6. Comatose - Aaron Elariel

Edited October 23, 2016 by Wyrmhero

[Aonar he/him]

Aurum Izenry sat in a dark room deep beneath the streets of Luthadel, waiting for the news of her father's death. Not in vain hope that he had survived. Rather, vain hope that he had accomplished something with his sacrifice.

She didn't have to wait long.

"Ignis purgationem." A quiet voice at the door spoke her father's agreed upon watchword. Despite herself, Aurum felt hope flickered to life in her chest.

The sober expression on her fath- no, her- servingman's face as he entered informed her feelings of their folly. "We failed." Hope died.

He slumped against the wall, not even bothering to close the door behind him. "The explosion went off as planned. It was..." He coughed, bloody spittle spattering against the floor. "...I did not realize how powerful our Lord's alchemists had made him. I was standing well clear of the building, and it was still a miracle I survived."

"We felt the explosion from here." Bismuth, her uncle, was quiet. Equal parts in awe of what his brother had done, hating him for it; for the curse it would inflict on their family.

"It wasn't enough. The Lord Ruler.... I saw him... he left. Unharmed. Antimony failed. We failed."

Something wasn't right. Aurum saw as her father had trained her to see. There was more this man could say, but choose not to. He thought it unimportant, meaningless. The man probably didn't even realize it, but he was holding something back.

"But?" If anyone heard her, they gave no sign.

"We should run. Flee to one of the far Dominances. I have some contacts in Terris. We could find shelter there, those who would sympathize with traitors to God." Bismuth always was the conservative brother.

"But?" Aurum spoke louder, yet still no one responded.

"Do you think that will be far enough? Will anywhere be far enough? We tried to kill God! We might as well kill ourselves now."

Bismuth's face turned in disgust. "I don't care where you go, but Aurum and I are leaving. Now."

"No." Something kindled in that place where hope had been. Resolve like cold steel. Anger hotter than alchemist's fire.

"Aurum, -"

"No!" Although she was a head shorter than the next shortest person in the room, several flinched as she rose. "You," she said, pointing to the man who had brought news of their failure, "what is your name?"

"Balt, miss. Cobalt. Your grandparents started something of a trend."

"Balt, what exactly did you see when the Lord Ruler left?"

"He walked free of the rubble. The explosion destroyed his clothes, but he seemed unharmed."

"There's something more."

"A childish fancy, my lady. Nothing more. My hopes betrayed my eyes." He twitched nervously, uncomfortable.

"What?"

"I... When I first saw him, I thought I saw him limp. It was as if he was favouring his right side. It was only for a moment. I didn't see it again."

Aurum turned away from him, snapping her fingers. "I need paper! And pens and inks!" The few remaining servants scrambled to fulfill her command, raiding the supplies the alchemists had used to painstakingly reproduce their firearm designs.

"Aurum, niece, what are you doing?"

"Being my father's daughter." Snatching the materials from her servants, she began to write furiously.

“Aurum, stop this. We have to leave, and every minute wasted makes it more likely we will be found by the Lord Ruler.”

“No Uncle,” she said, pen scratching even as she spoke, filled with energy bordering on mania. “Don’t you understand? What Balt saw wasn’t an illusion. It was the realization of my father’s vision.” Subtly, she burned brass, Soothing the remainder of her House. Soothing away sadness, hopelessness, and fear. Leaving room for old anger to grow, and new conviction to flourish. “We may not have killed him, but we hurt him. We dealt our God a blow the likes of which he has not seen in centuries, if not millennia. He. Is. Mortal. Even if we do not have the strength to deliver the final blow, it can be done.”

Blowing softly on her paper to dry the ink, she handed it back to her servants. “Have copies of this made. Give it to every Noble House that will accept an Izenry Courier. Give copies too to every Skaa crime lord; most should, if not respect us, at least be willing to hear what we say by now. And they will like what they hear.”

Aurum hesitated. Something weighed on her, a decision she had not realized she had made until this moment. “Have copies made as well of our alchemist’s designs, and their formulae for explosives. Not our latest prototypes or most powerful compounds, but serviceable weapons nonetheless. Give them to everyone you give my missive to, Noble and Skaa alike.”

A collective gasp came from her assembled family. “Aurum!” Bismuth half shouted to be heard above the muted conversations that had broken out. “I cannot allow this!”

“You cannot deny it. I am the Head of House Izenry, even if I am yet little more than a child. If you try to stop me you will simply prove yourself a coward and a traitor to our name.” Even as she spoke, she flared her brass, focusing her Soothing into a scalpel, cutting the roots from her uncle’s anger; targeting his pride, his fear, his ambition.

Bismuth’s voice cooled, although the hint of disdain suggested he was aware of what she had done. “There will be chaos. Mere Skaa given weapons the likes of which we developed? We will never keep them in line. The world will change.”

“Ex Ordine, Chaos. Ex Chaos, in Ordinem. That is our motto, is it not? We break the old so the new may thrive. Our world has grown stagnant. It needs to change.”

He turned away from her, considering the frantically writing servants, and the frantically conspiring Nobles. After a moment, it seemed he looked further, as if watching the chaos that was already brewing above.

“Be careful you do not break our world so much it cannot be repaired.”

 

 

Aurum Izenry's Missive:

By now, all must know what my father has done. If somehow you have missed the news, however, I will summarize.

House Izenry has been preparing for this moment for centuries. Preparing for the moment when we could strike a telling blow against our God, the Lord Ruler. He was a man once, and we sought to prove he is a man still. And we have.

We created the greatest weapon seen in centuries, and it caused him fear. We unleashed the raw power of years of research, and caused him pain. We sacrificed our own House Lord, one of the Architects of our Grand Design, and we caused him to take an injury he cannot heal. 

The Inquisition is with us. The most powerful of the Great Houses are with us. The Skaa are with us. We are poised to make the final blow against God, so we may ascend and take his place. I make you an offer, and offer you a gift, given freely.

Contained within are plans to the weapons which made our God know fear. The weapons through which we can break free of his control. They are given to you without cost, as they are the only way you may survive the coming conflict, and I do not consider myself to be a harsh woman, condemning others to death simply because they fear action.

However. Stand with me, and I will offer you glory and power beyond your wildest reckonings. We will be Gods together, rulers in truth after we have struck down our great Oppressor. 

I leave the choice to you.

 

 

Action 1:

 

Send out this missive and the plans for my weapons to all the Houses, and all the leaders among the Skaa.

Edited October 24, 2016 by Aonar Faileas

[Araris Valerian he/him]

Bother. I greatly apologize for not getting actions in; I had a retreat this weekend and it totally left my mind.

Missive to Lord Izenry:

I seriously doubt most of the claims you make. But that is beside the point. What of the oaths the founders of our Houses made, oaths to serve the Lord Ruler in his new world? Despite all the conflicts House Penrod has had with the Lord Ruler, it will not sway from its original purpose. While your mind is clearly made on the issue, I still urge you to abandon this course of action. Even if the Lord Ruler could be killed, how would that make the world a better place? No, it is evident from the histories that House Penrod has kept over the last 1000 years that the nobility will tear each other apart if the Lord Ruler falls. The only "gods" we would have would be those that rule over the dead. Know that you will have no support from us during this time.

Allriane Penrod

Actions:

Spoiler

Action 1:

What: Commit the forces of House Penrod to protect the Lord Ruler's palace from the other nobility

Action 2:

What: Use the influence of House Penrod over the Skaa Rebellion to direct its efforts away from the palace and toward the Ministry and other Great Houses

Action 3:

What: Send out scribes across the Empire in preparation for any large changes in social structure following the current conflict

Why: To create an accurate historical record of events and to give House Penrod a name in the future of the Empire for its histories

 

 

[Unodus he/him]

-sorry this is late x=x-

A public Missive to Lady Izenry:
Too long I have been away from Luthadel, evidently. This is a declaration of War. Let it be known that Lansing fought by God when wicked men corrupted the weak with false promises. The Final Empire stands.

 

Action 1

Who?  Zonia
What? Using her university contacts to develop a counter weapon to Izenrys explosives (In the form of riot shields or some form of liquid that renders the explosive unlightable)
When? First action 
Why? Well, since House Izenry so kindly sent me the plans of the explosive- in turn I can prepare my units with some sort of counter in order to pacify the threat of Izenrys secret weapon

[little wilson she/her]

Dellan,

Who do these fools think they are? I’ve enclosed copies of their missives within, but the gist of it appears to be that both Uethorn and Penrod are throwing in their support with the Lord Ruler. While Uethorn does have some military clout to speak of, Penrod does not to my knowledge, and neither have anything like our combined might. Do they not realize that this is their one opportunity to get out from our “God’s” control? Are they too blind to see that even before the help of the Inquisition and the minor houses, they are outnumbered and outclassed? Even if their contributions ensure the Lord Ruler’s survival, they will be extinguished in the attempt.

And Uethorn! I thought my father was arrogant, but attempting to foil generations worth of toil and research in but a few days? They will be lucky to understand the slightest part of our designs by the end of it. Nonetheless, if by some miracle they come forward with a working prototype, it will be modelled off of less potent, less reliable, less volatile designs, and likely prove useless in actual combat. While admittedly I did not tell them I was giving them inferior specifications, they cannot be so trusting as to assume I did not hold anything back.

If by wild chance they succeed, do they think the Lord Ruler will reward them? Why would he? They saw him brought low; they received copies of the very weapons that put him in that state. He will wipe the slate clean. Exterminate the Nobility in Luthadel, and rebuild with those from the outer Dominances, who would have heard only rumours of the coup, and have no idea how close it came to success.

My plans are unchanged. I hope that those of our allies remain so as well.

~Aurum

 

Dellan Wilson stared at the note from Aurum, momentarily worried. He read through the missives from Penrod and Uethron, and then he chuckled. The chuckle turned into laughter--great heaves of it--and he put his hand on his desk to support him.

 

“My Lord?” Hadal asked, concerned.

 

Dellan didn’t answer the man, just held out the two short missives to him and continued to laugh.

 

Hadal cocked an eyebrow. “I….fail to see what is so funny about this, sir. They create a problem.”

 

Dellan straightened, taking a breath and steadying himself. “Not a very big one. I commend their loyalty, but one must know when a ship is salvageable and when one should bail from it, lest they drown as it goes down. The Final Empire is taking its last breath, and they wish to take their last breaths along with it.” He shook his head and turned to the window, looking out over Luthadel. Flaring Tin, he could hear shouts in the distance as skaa around the city organized themselves for the assault. Nothing could stop it now. Soon, this would all be theirs. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” he asked Hadal.

 

“What, sir?”

 

“Watching an Empire fall.”

 

Hadal joined him at the window. “Are we sure it’s going to work?”

 

“Izenry was contacted by an Inquisitor. Our false God has no more healing left and we have the Inquisition’s support in the assault. Yes, I would say it’s rather certain that the Empire will fall.”

 

The four of them--Wilson, Izenry, Tekiel, and Elarial--had worked together for over a hundred years, setting the wheels in motion for this. Dellan’s brother had been given to the Inquisition in hopes that he could help the coup, and Dellan himself had done all he could to make sure the Ministry was aligned with them, at least until the Lord Ruler was dead. Tekiel, Izenry, and Elarial had forces all over the city, ready to take it. The Skaa Rebellion was in Tekiel's pocket. The Lord Ruler's army was in Dellan's. Not to mention that he’d sent them and his own troops to the outer dominances to quell any rebellions that might arise among the nobility in the power transfer. It was a great time to live, Dellan thought.

 

The ‘Final’ Empire would fall. And the false god would die.

 

He glanced at Hadal. “Send a runner to Radyn and the other Inquisitors and another runner to the Ministry. I want to ensure their support under the oligarchy.”
 

Hadal nodded and walked out of the study, Dellan still staring out the window. He chuckled again, thinking of Uethorn and Penrod’s missives. “Fools,” he sighed. He didn’t want to have to destroy the two Great Houses, but if they wanted to fight, so be it. To the mists they would go. To the mists they all would go, eventually. But not Dellan. Not his friends. Not yet, anyway. Change was coming. Hope. He smiled.

[Wyrmhero he/him]

The game is now over! I will be uploading the action spreadsheet later in the week to my Dropbox, which I will link you guys to. I will also post my thoughts at this time. If you have any questions before then, ask away!

 

In the meantime, as there is technically quite a bit left over after this rebellion, I am going to post snippets of the aftermath over time, which will allow you guys to potentially direct some RP if desired.

 

My reasoning for following this story path as an ending is due to the plot of Well of Ascension - The Lord Ruler is dead, yes, but this splinters The Final Empire as the rule of law cannot be applied everywhere at once. Instead of one Empire, we now have two - One loyalist, one revolutionary.

 

As for the 'winning' faction in this war, there are a few reasons. Firstly, the anti-TLR group has been planning this for several Generations, and their actions reflect this. Secondly, the existence of gunpowder weaponry. This tips the balance quite considerably in their favour, even with House Elariel's subsequent betrayal. Thirdly, the fact that they were slightly more successful at bribing the Lesser Houses.

 

In any case, thank you all for playing. It's been an interesting and fun game. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did 

 

---

 

The rebellion was swift and brutal and chaotic. Blood flowed freely through the streets, and disease proliferated through the slums as the bodies piled up. House Tekiel troops were already marching the streets when House Izenry tried to kill The Lord Ruler, and when the explosion rang out through the city, they immediately turned to oppressing dissenters. At that, House Elariel troops suddenly turned on their apparent allies, butchering many of them before they were aware that they had been double-crossed. Ultimately, however, the support of House Izenry's firearms proved to be enough to tip the balance in their faction's favour, and the city became covered in the soot and smoke of gunpowder. By the end, uniforms from all the Great Houses littered the streets, left to rot by the armies while they had more important things to deal with.

 

It was several weeks after the initial rebellion, and there was still an uneasy sense in Luthadel. A number of the Lesser Houses had kept out of the fight, in case they backed the wrong person, but they were slowly coming to the realisation that the fight was now practically over. Those that had fought with House Izenry and used their new ferocious weapons to fight The Final Empire had been exalted, while the rest were diminished in status. But that was a long-term consideration. Now, all the Lesser Houses tightened their security and drew inwards. As for the Skaa, they stayed indoors, and got on with their lives as they had previously done. As far as they were concerned, a change in the administration of The Final Empire did not affect them at all.

 

The Steel Ministry had started making noises about it, of course, demanding that the Great Houses and their troops return home immediately, but they were ignored. Those that did not quietly keep on with their task of making sure the city and Empire ran smoothly were locked away until they changed their minds.

 

The Inquisition, on the other hand, were strangely absent while the coup was occurring. They did not come out to condemn Houses Tekiel, Wilson or Izenry, nor did they help them. There were rumours of them heading East, towards the Outer Dominances where House Wilson's troops were currently, but nothing substantiated.

 

Some other nobles seemed to have the same idea of leaving the city. A mass exodus of Lesser and Greater nobles alike headed out to the 'true' Final Empire – A loose alliance of Dominances held by Houses Elariel, Penrod and Uethorn. Steel Ministry agents too, if they could get away from the city quietly enough. It was said that these three Houses were amassing armies and rallying support, and it was practically an open secret that an all-out war would happen sooner rather than later.

 

The Skaa Rebellion on the other hand had seen its chance after all these years. Both sides had promised them rewards for their aid in this conflict, but considering how they were normally treated by the nobility, they decided to simply use the confusion to be lawless. Violent crime rates increased dramatically, as they thieved, murdered and even kidnapped people from the now vulnerable city.

 

And in the centre of the town, hundreds upon hundreds of guardsmen stood before the twisted, jagged mass of iron that was once a palace, but was now a prison. Each was equipped with an Izenry firearm or a bow with obsidian-tipped arrows. They all had one job – To keep God contained. It was reasoned that if he could be vulnerable, then he could suffer from a siege. Eventually, he would have to leave the palace due to starvation. At that point, they could take him down. And in the mean time, the Imperial Guard were starting to defect. Every day, another starving man would stumble out, begging for food and water.

 

But that had ended now, it seemed. It had been a week, and not a single soul had left the palace. But that did nothing to help the guardsmen feel settled; it only made them feel more disturbed.

 

“You four,” a uniformed officer said to some skaa on duty. Noble, still dismissive towards the skaa no matter what his masters might have claimed was the future for the downtrodden class. “Scout the palace. Report back if you see anything.”

 

They could have complained, but that would only lead to their certain death now instead of potentially later. So they switched their firearms, which would not be useful in the confined corridors, for duelling staves, and entered the mess of metal.

 

They saw nothing living inside. Slowly and cautiously they made their way through the chambers and passageways, jumping at every shadow that they saw. Eventually, they found the throne room. It too was empty, the throne itself abandoned and covered in a thin layer of dust. A piece of parchment lay on the floor before it. They took the note and brought it outside to find someone literate to read it.

 

The note was hastily scribbled, and not neat. The hand that wrote it was shaking, and the ink was smudged in places. However, it was still legible.

 

The longer I remain here, the weaker I become. I could leave, but I will not get far, and I would rather die as I choose in my palace as a king than pierced by arrows to collapse on the streets like some vagrant. Who would have thought that it would not be age catching up with me, but food and energy? Something I have never bothered to stockpile. But regardless, I have decided that I will not wait to starve, but to meet my passing with the dignity that befits someone of my stature. I write this cursing the world you wish to create, and I take pleasure in knowing that it will crumble to dust just as I will after I finish this.

 

If you had accepted my rule, there would be more than Ruin in your futures. But alas. The penalty for high treason is that the Empire shall wither and die. Entropy cannot be defeated by mortals, only God, and you have killed Him. You have a few years of this world left to enjoy before it all falls apart; I look forward to watching your despair and suffering from the other side.

 

Rashek,

The Lord Ruler of The Final Empire.

Edited November 6, 2016 by Wyrmhero

[little wilson she/her]

That was amazing, Wyrm. This has been a way fun game to play.

I suppose I might as well reveal the Revolutionaries docs. We talked a lot, though not nearly as much in the last few generations as the first 6/7. Generation 7 was collectively the Gen that a lot of our docs and our spreadsheet fell out of date. Same with the genealogy tree thing that Comatose and I were working on in Family Echo (which I'd share, but....it's not really something you can mass-share all that well). Everything just stopped getting updated sometime between Generations 6 and 7, unfortunately. But they were nice while they lasted.

Wilson/Tekiel/Izenry's Heirs Action and Genealogy Spreadsheet (complete with map and finances stuff (that isn't very complete....))
Wilson-Tekiel Alliance Doc (very early game)
Wilson-Izenry-Tekiel Alliance, Gen 1-3
Wilson-Izenry-Tekiel Alliance, Gen 4-6 (eventually added Heatherlocke for a time, and became the WHIT alliance rather than the WIT alliance)
WIT Alliance Current Discussion
WIT/WHIT Alliance Questions and CP'ed PMs and Stuff
WIT/WHIT Random Discussion

Other interesting docs:
The End of an Empire (Wilson, Tekiel, Izenry, and Elarial)
Wilson-Zerrung
The Impending Destruction of Vinid & Erikell (with Houses Wilson, Tekiel, Izenry, Zerrung, and Jormundgand)
The Wilson-Heatherlocke Diplomatic Channel
The Security Coalition (early game, with Wilson, Izenry, Artorius, Queade, and Zerrung)

Yeah....So total word count of the WIT alliance and the docs regarding the WIT alliance comes out to just under 250k words.
Total count of all of my docs (with players) is about 344k. Wow. 

BTW, I would not really suggest people read most of those docs. I mean, the WIT docs are almost exclusively game-related, since all the non-game-related stuff ended up in the Random Discussion doc, but....unless you want to read over 200k strategy and stuff, I wouldn't recommend it. The first doc for gens 1-3 is over 100k just by itself. It's kind of insane. I suppose reading the first part of that doc to get an idea of our alliance and then the current doc and the End of an Empire doc would probably be the best if you're actually interested in reading anything. That total's only about 20k. Which is much more reasonable. >>

Anyway. Yeah. This game was really fun, and I'm sorry I didn't RP as much towards the end, Wyrm. RL was busy, plus it's a little hard to RP when you're planning a revolution and can't give that away.  But I loved it. It was great.

[Unodus he/him]

huh. So this is what it feels like to be outmaneuvered by the infamous Wilson... 
That business with the spies was pretty trixsy, bro x3

 

Thank you for running this game, Wyrm- it's been very inspiring (sorry that things got a little unravelled near the end...)

Edited November 6, 2016 by Unodus

[little wilson she/her]

Heh. Speaking of, Unodus. Uh. I have a story for you.

In Generation 4, I decided to purge my house of spies. In this purge, I found one spy, and Wyrm asked me what I wanted to do with him. I ultimately decided to let the spy think that he hadn't been found, and start feeding false information through him, as just an addendum to my actions each turn, so it doesn't even have an action cost (which was beautiful). However, there was one problem with this: I didn't know what House the spy worked for.

To discover this, I decide to feed the spy false info about an attack I was planning on House Heron, posing as Izenry troops. Obviously, I was in contact with Izenry, so if Izenry got a tip about it, he'd let me know who it came from, and I had also been in close contact with Heron. I let Heron know what I was doing in case the tip came to him.

Farrsolin contacted Heron almost immediately the following Turn after the information was relayed, warning him of an impending attack. Heron tells me about this, so I am convinced that Farrsolin is responsible for the spy. I decide to troll him. This is what I sent to Wyrm:

I think I'm hilarious and Farrsolin will be completely confused about why he's doing something he had no idea that he's doing. I know it'll blow my whole cover with the spy, but I'm simply out to troll Farrsolin so I don't really care.

Heron is promptly contacted by Uethorn, who begs Heron to tell him who Heron is in contact with, because he's been outmaneuvered by someone, but doesn't know who. Heron and I have a feeling it has something to do with the spy, but we don't know how. Heron continues talking to Uethorn. Eventually, he learns that the spy is Uethorn's, and that Uethorn had used Farrsolin as a proxy to protect his identity, and now is convinced that Farrsolin has betrayed him and is aiding in this attack.

Kas and I are dying at this new, very important bit of information. There I went, trying to troll Farrsolin, and I ended up trolling Uethorn even harder. It could not have worked out better.

I decide to continue the charade, keeping the troll going, because why not? My next information drop:

What was left unsaid: I'm arming them with love (Kas' idea). Yes, at this point, Kas and I are both in full-out troll mode. We'd even talked about me faking an attack on him, so it looked like he'd been attacked to everyone else, but he hadn't actually been attacked. We had Plans.

Unfortunately, I then had some finance issues with my wealth spring up and by the time I got those somewhat sorted, Heron left the game. But it was great fun while it lasted.