Crisis Cycles

(Nishikoon is smaller than it looks like, this map is zoomed in)

200 years pass. The Republic is no more. In its place, we see the Commonwealth: a loose coalition of states, led by the elected High Consul, with each state having their own autonomy. The High Consul has been an orc about 80% of the time in the last centuries. And recently, things have been shaken up: the current High Consul of the Commonwealth has married a Shamir Worm Knight. Who knows what this strange love will lead to? And people are inspired by this wedding, and the number of cross species pairings increase (of course, they have always existed, but now there is a higher approval of free LOVE). Could this lead to the expansion of the Commonwealth, or perhaps, an invigoration of diplomacy?

There has been leaks about the joint project of The Bastion and the shamir. Rumor has it, they have found out that if you dig in certain parts of the Deep Red under the Deep Red, and you use certain techniques, you can go deeper still, and end up on a secret place on the very Moon itself. The world, like space, is BOTTOMLESS.

The friendship of the Tugad and the Khallow Remnants, have resurrected, and in fact, improved the art of flying machines! Having a secret moon cache helped in this a lot. Now flying ships roam the skies, out of the reach of Yxlan's sea monster constructs... Not everyone has access to these, but there are plans for ensuring that conquering the SKY is not just the dream of a select few.

Inheritable Cultures:

Elven
    Sogosha elves
    The various deep koon ghoul elves
    Wights

Orcs
    Windrose (mainly orcs, but many other folks present from all over the realm)
    Herder orcs

Desolate Coast
    Copper Khanate
    Khallow Remnants
    Orokkon Alliance

Other
    Shamir worm-paladins, full of malice
    Krokar Esklin
    Tugad Lizards
    The alliance of Terrestrial Bastion Of Vallis Marginis, Druzhul peaks dwarves and Shamir worm paladins


Established Species:
Dwarves
Elves
Lizardfolk
Orcs
Half-men
Shamir
The Moon
Frog people
Sad birds
Copper Men
Horrible Animal People
Ghouls
Wights

Only new species allowed:
The horrible animal people of the northern jungles

Plothooks:
Penumbra Pact: the seven power of the moon reached a tentative peace. It is now the hub of extreme espionage, and weapon building. There are many new craters.

Culture Name: What is the name of your culture? During the first era, this is also the name of your city state.
Banner Colour: What colour represents your city state?
Government and Leader: Who leads this place? Tell us about the system, and this person.
Society: What can you tell about your culture?
Species: What is your species? This is especially important choice, as creating new species will be rarer in later ages. You may have mixed City States of course.
Stances on the three changes: Tell us how your culture handles the changes: do they embrace them, or deny them? If you embrace a change, you will divert resources towards it, if you deny it, you will divert resources away from it. If you embrace everything, you are a generalist, if you deny all of them, you are a subversive element.
Major cultural influence: Pick one of the previous cultures to be a major influence on your new culture! You can even pick someone else’s culture.  You may also replace an en existing culture. Perhaps you represent a new Dynasty, or maybe a new people who absorbed a previous culture. Or you can be a culture that seceded from their parent culture.

Culture Name: The Khallow Ascendancy

Banner Colour: Onyx (#353839)

Government and Leader: The Master of Ceremonies (Emcee) leads the Khallow Ascendancy, a collective society of the ACROBATS who survived the downfall of their civilization. The Emcee is a rotating title, being drawn by lot whenever the circus decides that they want someone else to lead them. Other than that, Khallow society is very loosely organized, with each settlement mostly doing its own thing. After meeting the Tugad lizards, however, the various groups have become more closely interlinked, and they've taken some ideas from Tuvarii Republicanism.

Society: The Khallow were once a people laid low by disaster, and they had fallen into the depths of despair. Then, they were visited by a people from the East - the Tugad lizards. They set off on an expedition through the ruined lands, and found two wondrous artifacts - the moon cache, and the remnants of the Khallow's ancient flying machines.

Invigorated by these discoveries, the Khallow threw themselves into rebuilding their ancient machine and their society. Inspired by Tugad, they built not only flying machines, but ships! Air-ships! The Khallow, before confined to a few tents in the wastes, took to the air in a colorful fleet of balloons, airplanes, and zeppelins.

Now, the Khallow's sky-cities drift over their former lands, sometimes visiting their neighbors and traveling across the ocean as well. Using the technological expertise from studying the mooncache, they've begun cleaning up the wastes, and endeavor to bring joy and happiness to everyone.

Species:The Khallow

Stances on the three changes:

SKY: 100% positive
LOVE: The Khallow's best friends are lizards! Yes!
BOTTOMLESS: Negative. As inhabitants of the Middle Sky, the Khallow see no need to go down to go up. They could probably reach the moon by flying if they wanted.

Major cultural influence: The Khallow-Tugad Alliance

Culture Name: The High Autarchy of Mare Fulmina

Banner Colour: A faded blue.

Government and Leader: Autarch Syla is a vrond scientist, military officer, and lately politician. Like most successful Fulminans she rose to prominence through a healthy mix of opportunism and backstabbing in the secretive and dangerous climate of the Penumbra Pact. The Autarchy itself is an eclectic mix of military hierarchy and spy ring, with many Fulminans scheming against their equals and superiors to constantly seek a way to rise in the ranks.

Society: Mare Fulmina was one of factions that fought the war on the moon for centuries after the collapse of the majority of the Seven Empyreal Monarchies, and that war has finally ended. After generations of bloody, ceaseless conflict, the population centers have been mostly evacuated and flattened, with the population living in a mix of domed fortress cities, dilapidated bunkers and scrap-walled shanty towns.

Mare Fulmina in particular was known for its control over ancient airfields and spacecraft yards, and has tried to bring many of these inventions back into working order. Though their flying machines are ramshackle and unreliable compared to the graceful old starships of centuries past, they get the job done and are surprisingly resilient. Those that could not be made functional ended up being salvaged and converted into land vehicles - Fulmina is always bristling, ready for anyone to wrong them and breach the Penumbra Pact.

Species: Low Selenians - specifically, the vrond, who are quick, furry and weasel-like. The Lunar Wars have finally ended in stalemate and cold war, but not before the centuries of ceaseless conflict left deep scars on lunar society and destroyed almost all the old governments. The seven species of the moon eventually formed seven factions during the wars, with the vrond confined mostly to the region of Mare Fulmina, the Lightning Sea (which in fact is more of a giant lava field). After so much war and scheming, Selenians are always on the lookout for spies and infiltrators, and often make good spies themselves. The vrond are no different from the rest in this regard.

Stances on the three changes:
LOVE: Reject. The moon has seen an inverse path to the planet in this regard, with the eventual separation into the racially-distinct factions of the Penumbra Pact as a basis for a tenuous peace. That kind of blind affection is weakness that can be exploited in a society scarred by unceasing war, sapped of compassion and driven to distrust and paranoia.
BOTTOMLESS: Accept. The moon is scarred and broken, and the planet is prosperous and bounteous. We must use this new discovery to expand into these peace-softened lands and provide for ourselves.
SKY: Accept. There is more than one way to reach the planet. Lunar skyships have plied the heavens since before the wars, and Mare Fulmina has always been strong in the skies compared to the other surviving factions of the Penumbra Pact.

Major cultural influence: The Mountain Alliance of the High Selenians, dwarves and Shamir - they formed the basis of recontact, and they are the basis of the disgust (and, in private, hateful envy) felt by the Autarchy towards how the High Selenians had fallen.

Culture Name: Transorcvania

Banner Colour: Green despite Aculadray insisting it is black and red.

Government and Leader: High King Warlord Aculadray, our favorite pseudo-vampiric asshole! He "lawfully" achieved rulership these past couple of centuries by the "persuasions of the innermost mind" (i.e. wightish hypnotism). There is some sort of neo-monarchy thing going on with the government, where Aculadray is the rule-for-life (or dare I say, RULER OF THE NIGHT???). Democractic vote still exists but it tends to be for governmental roles that Aculadray finds personally unpleasant to deal with, such as water utilities, taxes, and what not.

Society: Ever since Aculadray converted a not-so-petty span of land into his metaphorical Personal Minecraft/RP Forum, he decided to cherrypick the best parts of the Orcgarchy for his own needs. Good hair can stay. The Listeners can not. He tried banning voting but partially relented after a bunch of stake-wielding football hooligans clustered up at his official residence. He is still absolute ruler though.

Species: Ghouls! Self-explanatory!
Orcs! Self-explanatory! Also from Windrose! They absolutely don't like Aculardray's social reorganization!
Wights! Pretty people with scary magic!
Half-men! Eldritch ghosty lads!
Horrible animal men! Recent arrivals -- they like to don on canine-themed attire. You can call them "wear-wolves."

Stances on the three changes:
Sky: Approved. It is nice when more space to conquer is literal space!
Love: Disapproved. Who cares about marriage! WHY AREN'T THEY PAYING ATTENTION TO MMMMMMMMMEEEEEEEE.
Bottomless: Approved. They're mostly ghouls! Of course, they love dirt!

Major cultural influence: Windrose! Wights!

Culture Name: Shangal Union

Banner Colour: Pink Petals and Dark Brown Wood

Government and Leader: Led by the Shangal Council, the Union is a Constitutional Pseudo-Republic, though the Council claims it is acting on behalf of the Trees themselves. The current Council President is Dostanah Chumgarded, Huntress of the Most Reverent and Exalted Wingborn Coven. She first emerged as a leader within the Council Rangers, successfully 'reclaiming' Torarlial and halfling tribal lands on behalf of the 'Mother Jungle' in retaliation for their exploitation and neglect. She wanted to demolish Sogosha but the walls were too strong so she fumed and reluctantly signed a peace treaty with the Wights. Her Coven represents most flying species in the Union and is dominated by the Von Bats, a rather uppity noble house founded by 'Uplifted' ComBats.

There are several other Council factions with a number of Representatives proportional to the number of sentient and non-sentient members. This is calculated by a complicated formula that nobody really likes but one that everyone agrees is better than fighting each other. Each is in charge of both sapient and non-sapient species belonging to their faction.

Most Reverent and Exalted Wingborn Coven  ((flying animals)) - Batkind (exComBats, mostly soldiers and engineers), Sibi (large stork-like bird dudes, in charge of the forest cities) and assorted Lesser Birdfolk
League of Groundlings ((ground-based omnivores & predators)) - Ligars (scary combo of apex predators), Marsupoids (thylacine beafts and dropbears) and Primatids (monkeys and primitive human-like primates)
The Undersoil Collective ((burrowing animals)) - Antmites, Rodoles (moley, mousey peeps)
Coalition of Browsers & Grazers ((ground-based and aboreal herbivores)) - Horbras, Hippofants
Coldblood Conclave ((reptiles)) - Crocogators & Snekards (Half snake, half lizard)
Outsiders ((not really a unified faction but a handful of token representatives)) - Halflings, Spitelings, Elves, Jungle Koon and whomever else ends up in the jungle

All of the factions are bound to follow the commands of 'Mother Jungle', which is either a person that became a tree or a really old tree that grew all the other trees depending on who you ask. Possibly both. Either way they don't talk very often (more than once a year is unusual) so the Council tends to fill in the gaps and has lawyers (mostly Birdfolk) that try to analyse every word for meaning.

Society: The Union is the end result of the emergence of sentience among several species native to the forests where the denizens of the Plateau refused to tread as well as hundreds of years of exiles and refugees hiding within its groves. Eventually, magics within and without transformed some of the so-called 'animal' species. They are highly self-sufficient and conservationist, worshipping the Forest in multiple forms (each species pretends its pantheon is unique to them but most are really just rebranded and renamed analogues). The Laws of the Shangal are written in the Shangal Book - a text written shortly after the various benefactors/victims of Half Star's meddling fled inside the Forest and tried to figure out how they were going to survive and help the other species around them.

Buildings in Shangal are built within, around, below and above the Trees, but without harming them directly; it is forbidden to chop down any of the Elder Trees and there are limitations on what species can be harvested or forested - enforced by Council Rangers. They actively replant trees in places where they have been removed and Torarlial's buildings are now covered in vegetation.

Species: Assorted Shangal species, plus Halflings, Spitelings, Elves and Koon. Maybe humans if they decide to hurry up and evolve.

Stances on the three changes:
LOVE: Strongly Accept. The species of Shanglal are rather amused and haughty about this trend. They were marrying each other and living together before it was cool!
BOTTOMLESS: Neutral. The moon is interesting, but fear of the Moon People above and the Ghouls below mean they are too afraid to explore this revelation.
SKY: Strongly Accept. The bats are really super keen to control the skies and have tried making arcane devices of their own to augment both their own flying and construct skyships of their own.

Major cultural influence: Apart from themselves, Halflings (including the lost Spitelings!), Sogoshanite Elves and Ranitezians are the largest minorities and have significantly influenced its culture and identity. A few Wet Koon also live underneath and have joined the Union. The first of them fled there during the battle with Half Star and disturbances since then led more to join them - becoming 'Jungle Koon'.

Culture Name: Gildrak Hold: The Era of Ankh-Tawy.

Government and Leader: King Yaem Atmi. The new leader of the reunited Gildrak Hold, a descendant of King Dagram II who had returned to Gildrak Hold to bring back the united strength of the dwarven people and gather together the culture and history found in the centuries. He rules over a democratic council that can veto him, called "Shai-Consulars." These Shai-Consulars are representatives of seperate holds and communities they are responsible for taking direct care of and speaking of their concerns. King Yaem Atmi.

Society: A hard working and introspective lot. In recent years, the idea of finding a faith or philosophy to follow has taken on hold, leading to philosophical debates and charms and speakers and questers and wise men and trinket-sellers and priests finding room to speak and find patronage or guidance. Maybe it was the appearance of gods and plagues and the deep below that shook the cultures of these dwarves into the pondering mindset about reality, maybe it the mysticism and ways that Yaem Atmi has developed and brought from the Shamir worm culture himself, that let the dwarves of Gildrak begin thinking and discussing things more openly inbetween a days hard work. As it is now, the various faiths and discussions have led many a dwarf to  go questing to find their own way and path, which in turn has led to a more cosmopolitan and less xenophobic and guarded view of strangeness or newness.

Dwarves still prefer their physical constructions and epic works, but are a little more open about creation for the sake of creation and some more art and whimsy in things leading to a sort of renaissance of dwarven infrastructure from their ancient pasts and diverse paths taken up to this point as well as the history of the world afar. 

Species: Dwarves!

Stances on the three changes: Love: Yes. Dwarves setting up shop with other races as partners has been becoming more and more common, as well as the crossing of lines between old clans and bloodlines more freely. PDAs are still considered a bit... much perhaps, intimacy should be intimate, but it's less gossip-worthy or frowned upon as older generations lighten up.
Bottomless: Yes. Rock and stone. If there's one thing that still calls to dwarves, it's to go deep.
Sky: No. Sometimes you need to get somewhere quickly, but even in the youngest and most free-spirited of Gildrak hold dwarves prefer to keep their feet on their ground, even if they can appreciate the craft of the sky ships.

Major cultural influence: Shamir worm something.

SpoilerShow

Notes!!!
In ancient times, there was anchor hold, from where the drazhul dwarves migrated from and founded gildrak hold. Kind durgrim the 1st signed an accord with the elves and lizards, after a hundred years the next guy picked a fight with the shamir wyrm people, who were sending them knives with messages about implications that the dwarves have stolen magical secrets from the shamir. The king remembered a memory of looking under the throne, with a note that said destroy the evidence, and a desecrated hand. He went to the shamir and came back different, making amends with the shamir.

He made a school to study the metal to make magical carvings. This school also tried to make a cure for the plague. Artifacts were found that the orcs stole. His daughter made gildrak hold more insular, to stop the plague spreading, which affected their outrock. Under kind durgram 2 reign, tried to make colonies but they didn't so well. They expanded into the grasslands because of a rumour that the orcs were becoming peaceful, and the orcs then immediately made forts around their border.

King durgram 3 had a grudge against the cool elves for taking over a hold. He made a bunch of deals and double deals to screw people over but kept backfiring. He asked the ancient hold of anchor hold for war machines to suppress his people.  A bunch of his country just rebelled and left to join the republic.

In the next era, gildrak hold turned into multiple holds, each led by a "true" heir. The school joined the moon people, ceding away from the dwarven hold. The Shamir had a secret allience with the science dwarves. This alliance has extended to the moon people, of the science people, shamir people and moon people who figured out the giant worms are what destroyed the shamir heritage. The science dwarves have found out a way to dig to the moon by working with the moon people. The holds have sort of joined back together. The Rotpah holds who like dwarves and hate formal are the sole monarchistic part of the hold.

NPC leaders:

Karkosa: Consul Lerem she-who-sorrows-of-dreams
Krokar: Consul Lepin
Tuvarith and Jungle Remnants: Consul Terrans
Gadesu and Ranitezan: Co-consul Aeziel and Co-consul Rez
Tugad: Consul Cap'n Cypr
Nishikoon & Shogosha: The Neo-Board
Herder Orc: Sherriff Ancelotlay (bethrothed to Lady Eze), current high Consul of Commonwealth
Rotpah Hold: Consul-Queen Magadana

The United Koon Pack: Ascended Queen Votu
Copperate Khanate: Cublai, Sky Khan
Shamir: Chief Worm Knight Lady Eze (bethroathed to Sherriff Oodyway)
Yxlan: Empress Yxlan VII of Yxlan
Orokkon: changing too quickly to be worth to write down
The Terrestrial Bastion of Vallis Marginis: Their Exalted and Most Supreme Majesty Synodia I

An unprecedented occurence! Gildrak Hold announces that they want to compete in the Orclympics, and they have already started their training! This really is the start of a new era.

Thankfully, the tradition of Orclympics survived. The only time it was ever cancelled, was during the Half Star incident. As always, it is held in Windrose.

The SPORTS are as always have been: Atheletic performance; Wrestleball tournament; Obstacle course in really stupid costumes; Safe-ish Gladiatorial Combat; and an Assortment Of Less Popular Sports.

By the way, there are weird big changes to the rules of Wrestleball, with regards to magic...

Aculadray arrived to the wedding in a parade of lavish darkness, never seen before! Everyone was crying. This was an impressive parade indeed, and if you have been there, you will never forget it. Sherriff Ancelotlay cried the most, due to being very impressed. And orcs cry STRONGLY.

The wedding was a great success! Long live the Shamir-Orc (Herder) Alliance!
Even the strange animal people arrived, at the very last minute!

Shangal expanded to the north territorywise and the Khallows.



Great Cleanup efforts in the Khallow lands! Through ingenuity and great determination, all the corruption has been ripped out of the land, and dissipated!

Meanwhile, there are news of a Scandalous Wrestleball Match being played in Transorcvania, which ended in humiliation of both parties, but more humiliating for one specific party...

The wights of Sogosha are planning to build their own airships, as pirates, piloting Yxlan sea monster shaped underwater ships, have started to menace their water ships. Meanwhile, it is rumored that Votu is trying to dig sideways in the Deep Red under the Red, to get a shortcut to the desolate coast, and would greatly pay for all kinds of help.

Starting from Deep Koon, a short cut through the Deep Red has been carved. Looks like the Gildrak Hold dwarves and the Ghouls mended their historical differences. The path leads to a basecamp under the desolate coast. Negotiations of creating a tunnel to the Khallow realms are underway.

A great underground highway has opened! With the aid of the dwarves, the ghouls have dug SIDEWAYS through the Deep Red Below The Red, and with the blessings of the Khallow, they opened a gateway near the caverns under their capitals. A good alternatives for the people who don't want to fly!

The Great Copperite Khan invites everyone to Cape Cuau, for the unveiling and testing of a great device! With the aid of Shangal, and the Khallow, they have perfected their mathematical, aeronautical, slightly biological rocket engines, and they are are ready to launch a rocket. To the MOON! Or to orbit at first, rather.

They ask someone from the Khallow and from the Shangal, to join the Copperite Pilot, and form the Crew Of Trio on this magnificent day.

The Khallow send their best Navigator of the Skies, The Incomparable Flit, to join the Crew of Trio!

Kral Bikov Loftsparraevich, pioneering Wingborn pilot, will represent the Shangal!

A mighty air show of Fast Blushes give prelude to the launch.

Soon, the two emissary pilots join the copperite one, named Rezes Bandy. The crowd cheers, as the trio waves on the little Alchemical Cart that brings them to the Mathematical Rocket.

Everyone holds back their breath (figuratively, in some cases) as a giant man of copper, covered in arsenic and cyanide markings, counts down, their voice resonant. 3... 2... 1...

Lift off! The roar of the rocket is a great counterpoint to the silence of the crowd. All watches in awe, as the great machine rises sky high. Soon, one begins to applaud, which grows into a great wave of cheering and adoration.

The brave heroes manage to get into orbit, and after a few hours, turn their engine back to the planet. The crowd once again tenses up, as they get reports of the engine appearing in the sky, red from the heat of re-entry. However, its hull holds. Eventually it safely splashes down on the ocean near Nishikoon, where cheerful elves and wights fish them out.

What a great day in history!

A giant beanstalk, created by nature magic, and aided by mathematical and alchemical sciences has been grown in the Shangal Peaks of the Druzhul Mountains, leading into the very space itself, acting as an elevator!

Many fear this construction, and it seems to be work really slowly, and the station on top is small, but the Shangal and the Copperite managed to somehow do it together! They broadcast messages to the moon, inviting them to fly over and trade, and they also wish to visit the moon and do the same.

An occurence! Space Aculax, a brand new corporcation has been founded by the majestic Aculadray himself! He promises great things: even better than rockets! Even better than the beanstalk! Great things that he will buy! Like this business center, shaped like the moon! The people of the commonwealth buy into his speeches, and slowly, they become... FANS of these space dreams. Of course all is in the planning phase right now, but one day, eventually, there will be results. For now, there is only increasing fervor.

The Orokkon Alliance was menaced by spaceships from the moon. Their leadership chose a PRAGMATIC, "Yeah sure" and handed over the keys (which were actual keys, dirty from changing hands so often).

To the nations of the Surface & Sky:

The Shangal Skystalk is a Wonder of Arbormancy and Science. It was built to advance world peace, LOVE and unity. Any honourable nations shall be permitted to use it for peaceful purposes, provided that they respect this limitation and pay a fee of 5%. These are levied only to support the Skystalk's upkeep and security, as well as advancing the above stated goals.

Nations MAY NOT use the Skystalk to:
- Move weapons, armour or other forms of military equipment
- Transport spies, operatives, or other covert agents
- Haul dangerous items without adequate protection
- Smuggling or other breaches of the law

Shangal reserves the right to block access to parties that violate these restrictions or otherwise injure Mother Jungle and/or Her Allies.

Their Exalted and Most Supreme Majesty Synodia I announces a decree, that everyone should be prepared, for the wretched moon leaders, no doubt due to the influence of the Usurper, are openly hostile.

The Shamir have barricaded the Vrond Basecamp in the deep red.

Yxlan, once again babbles about "The Stars Are Wrong", and begins building giant cannons to defend their air space (operated by indentured horoscopical servants in threadmills).

The Ghouls bide their time for now.

The High Counsul Sherriff Ancelotlay denounces the capture of the Orokkon, likening it to one of the ancient Tuvarii take overs, but he is at least happy about the lack of bloodshed.

Rummors of a giant magical storm west of the Desolate Coast abound, leaked from the details of the Khallow's world circumnavigating journey.

Cublai the Sky Khan of the Copperites proclaims they have begun the manufacture of Alchemical Light Weapons, to guard against this imminent threat. The Moon people are clearly in no desire for peaceful trade, and the hopes of exploring the wonders of space are jeopardized by these incursions. He also says the only use for this beanstalk is, regrettably, to be a weapon platform or a military dock.

No comment from other moon people at the moment.

The MOON has declared WAR on the SURFACE!

The crisis is beginning! DM/PM me your vote on which change should cause the crisis: Bottomless, Love or Sky. The winner will cause complications in this war, on both sides!

Your MAJOR EDICT is here! It has three parts as all ways, but all three parts will have to relate to your last minute preparations for the oncoming Giga Moon War. You can spend them on FORCES, which would allow you to fight multiple battles (or spy operations) at once, and can give them a unique ability too, but you can also spend on defensive projects too, such as hastily built, but really sturdy bunkers.

Also, everyone hears a great announcement! The Usurper beast proclaims in a worldwide broadcast that it is not too late for Synodia to one again consider going out with them, look, they managed to unite all the people of the moon again! Surely Synodia sees how much better they are than these surface dwellers. The Usurper will also help them get back to the moon, all she has to do is to accept them as Co-emperor, and as humble rulers, they can lead the moon to even greater heights!

Synodia's global broadcast reply is a very firm statement, of where the Usurper can put their boombox (must be the name of the magical device that allows the broadcasting of thoughts worldwide), and that everything was their fault from the beginning.

This is a surprise to Penumbra Pact, because they thought the Usurper Beast was a terrifying force of destruction, and not  a cosmic incel.

Will you show the Moon what LOVE truly is?

As you do your preparation for war, you hit by a blitz. Several countries are attacked by invaders, many who manage to run your blockades. You need to make your fleet fly right NOW!

But horrors of horrors: the Beanstalk is destroyed by a bombing at its base. Its parts plummet from the sky, smashing into Sogosha, Shangal, Karkosa, and in places beyond the mountains.

The Usurper Beast has entered the Bastion. We do not know what is happening there...

Soon a PM for the Alliance, and a PM for the Invader will be sent out, and the war truly begins...