The Wheel Turns - The Lords of Civilization [Dominions]

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Pale white smoke rises from the shrine, an offering which failed to reach the lord in heaven. Across the land, priests wail in anguish, for the One God who had conquered all the world had vanished from His throne, His angels retreating to the heavens and leaving the world without guidance.

In the gap, warlords have risen the world over, seeing opportunity. Mages dig into old archives, seeking the forbidden spells which will keep their people alive. Militias drill in ancient traditions, preparing for the battles to come.

In the absence, a thousand divine hands reach forth from the prisons the Pantokrator had fashioned for them, seeking the descendants of those who had once worshiped them, and offering power beyond imagining if they will resume their rightful piety.

And one of those hands, is yours. Who are you?

[] Ymir, The Son of Niefel
A mighty Jotun are you, buried in the great glaciers of Niefelheim whence the Rimtursar once came to conquer the world. You reach out to your people, the survivors of that glorious era, mighty in your ancestors image though lesser than in ancient days. Already, great jarls train the bondi in preparation to bring the dominion of winter across the land. Your might will be ascendant, and any who stand against you will face your sword.

[] Rhuax, The King of Magma
The Smouldercone, where once you entered the world, is diminishing, your children's flames growing dim. But brightly yet do the Abysians burn, for they are a proud people born when magma touched the sky. Already they train, preparing to unleash a tide of fire upon the world as is their birthright. And as any proud father, your hand will be there to aid them. Your flame will be ascendant, and any who stand against you will burn.

[] Ravana, King of Asura
Glorious Lanka stands yet, for all that the Pantokrator drove you to back to your island fortress and cast your broken body to the depths of Patala. Already, you hear your subjects calling out to their great king to lead them into a new golden age, as your mighty Raksha dominate the Vanara who came to your island thinking themselves conquerers. Your blade will cut the gods, and any who stand against you will fall.

[] Azazel, the Fallen
In the depths of the Inferno, bound by chains of blackest iron, you endure for your sons yet live. Mighty, you once were, an angel who descended upon the world to teach the people, and aid them. Beautiful and strong, they were, both in body and in mind; so eager they were to learn, and so widely they thrived. Is it any wonder that when your wives-to-be asked, you and your companions said yes? And now, you wait, chained alongside your companions in the Inferno, enduring for the day that your children will use the knowledge you gave them to break your chains, and free the Lords of Civilization once more.

[] Yù Dì, the Jade Emperor
The men of T'ien Ch'i even now organize themselves into an empire, a mighty edifice guided by its extensive bureaucracy, the ministers of rituals guiding the people in worship where the priests of the Pantokrator have abandoned their duty. And in turn, you will grant to them your divine Mandate, to rule well and harvest great bounties from the land. To prosper, and bring glory to the empire. Your people will cast down the false gods, and any who oppose them will find man ascendant over the monsters of the world.

[] Michael, Lord of the Host
God has departed this world, turning His face from it in disgust for its impiety, his throne left vacant. And indeed, scarcely a month has passed and the world entire has abandoned their faith. It is shameful, and the conclave has rendered their judgement: if the world will reject God, then it shall be as kindling. Those who yet accept His light shall be saved, and the rest burnt as a final offering that the land may be cleared. The Angelic Host marches, and all who stand in your way shall know the sword.
 

Logos

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I put up some of the factions I'd be the most comfortable writing. Fantasy!Gual, Fantasy!Scotland, and Fantasy!Ireland are in the setting, but aren't being offered as starting options at this time.

Perhaps if I should run this quest again, that would change.
 
[X] Ravana, King of Asura

It was between the Jade Emperor and the Demon-King of Lanka, but I think ultimately I'll go for the latter. Not-China is something we've seen in many quests before.
 

Logos

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Being as there is a tie, I'll throw in a bit of information about the different factions to help people in their decision-making. If a tie still stands when I begin writing, I'll break it in favor of whichever side has the better arguments in favor of that choice, or failing that roll a die.

Ymir, Son of Niefel
- This is the faction of Niefelheim, a faction of Jotun based off of Norse mythology. Warrior giants are capable of punching straight through most armor with their spears, or cleaving them in twain with axes bearing axeheads larger than a man, while forming up into disciplined shieldwalls to resist attack. Your mages are powerful in the arts of Water, Nature, Death, and Blood, giving a fair amount of flexibility in how you approach things. Your mightiest units are the Niefel Giants born from the glaciers of Niefelheim, immensely powerful warriors who carry winter with them into battle.

Rhuax, King of Magma
- This is the faction of Abysia, lavaborn humanoids who aren't based in any particular real-world mythology. There is some connection to the Daevas of Zoroastrianism, but it is a loose connection at best. Their armies bear heavy armor and two-handed weapons, and tend to prefer very dense formations to maximize the effects of the intense heat the Abysians radiate, which can outright kill opposing soldiers. Their mages are primarily of Fire, with Earth as a secondary path. Warlocks promising to stoke the Smouldercone to new heights through blood sacrifice bring Blood and Astral magic in limited quantities.

Ravana, King of Asura
- This is the faction of Lanka, based out of Indian mythology. The main population consists of apes of various statures, from the diminutive Markata, to the human-like Vanara, to the gorilla-sized Bandar. Dominating their society are the Asura of Lanka, which grow more powerful in lands of chaos. It is a land of mighty warriors, though with not much organization. Their mages are powerful in the magics of Blood and Air, with reliable access to Air and Death. Their priests are capable of reanimating the dead, of which there are immense numbers in this world.

Azazel, the Fallen
- This is the faction of Hinnom, based on the mythos of the pre-judaic period. The people of Hinnom are those the Watchers found when they descended upon the sacred mountain of Hermon, the Avvim, with inclusions on the edge of society from the Horrim - a race of cave-dwelling giants forced up by the Pale Ones of Agartha. The giants of Hinnom fight in disciplined formations, often leading battles with a hail of javelins before closing to use either a spear or sword, while protecting themselves with metal armor and strong shields. Their mages are powerful and diverse, bringing the paths of Fire, Air, Earth, Astral, Nature, and Blood, additionally drawing some knowledge of Death from the Horite shamans.

Yù Dì, the Jade Emperor
- This is the faction of T'ien Ch'i, based out of Chinese mythology. The only human faction on offer, they fight using large armies of well-trained men, with an emphasis on polearms and easily-maintainable armor, along with a strong contingent of cavalry and an excellent tradition of archery. Their generals tend to be of a greater proficiency than those of other nations, allowing them to more easily organize large armies of troops. Their mage selection is individually weak, but very good at organizing into groups to achieve greater effect, and hold wide access to the magics of Fire, Air, Water, Earth, Nature, and Astral magic. Notably, their geomancers are mages of Astral and Earth, which in sufficient numbers can allow them to call down small meteors to smite their foes.

Michael, Lord of the Host
- This is the faction of Bethel She'em, based on Judeo-Christan angels with some influence from Gnosticism, and named for where they first enter the world. It is a faction of very powerful combatants which are nonetheless limited in numbers. They tend to fight by deploying individual supercombatants to take on entire armies, and field no mortal troops. They often have high levels of Air, Fire, or Astral magic.
- - Yes, this faction does include the weird angels, not just humanoids with wings.
 

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The only human faction being offered for this vote. There are 20-ish other major human factions in the world, but they won't be selectable this time. Should you lose, and the quest start again, perhaps some of them will be selectable next time, but in this iteration I wanted just a handful of options with a good amount of distinction between them so as to encourage activity and avoid option paralysis.

Edit: Closing the vote in eight hours or so.

Edit2: Calling the vote and breaking the tie. At 2-2 between Ravana and Azazel, with both options having one person expressing a personal preference beyond just voting for them, a die has been cast. Low was Ravana, high was Azazel. The d100 rolled a 94.

Writing has begun.
 
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Hinnom
Chosen of the Lords of Civilization
Turn 0

Your people remember well, what the Fallen did for you, and what it cost them. Bound to the fires of hell, to be forever chained, and their once lustrous wings died in the blood of your people... today is a joyous day, for on the day that white smoke rose to the heavens in offering to an absent god, those who should rightly be counted the gods of your people have reached out from their prison and informed all who would hear their message that they live yet. That they are proud of us.

In the halls of the great lords and on the borders where farmers tend the meagre arable lands it is clear: the just thing to do is to right the injustice wrought upon those whose only crime was providing for us all. In the schools where Kokabel's teachings are yet spread and in the eyes of one of his last living sons the signs are clearly writ in the stars; it is a new age, an age where myth and legend will be written, an age of war.
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War turn 0​
The world is still settling from the Pantokrator's rebuilding of the world to his own design, a project which was interrupted by his disappearance. The lands beyond your borders are, for now, impassable, leaving you unable to leave to begin your conquests.

The time will come when your warriors will march forth to conquer the world, but right now you have only one option.

First Army Group of Hinnom
Zevah - Avvite Commander
- Magnitude 1 Avvite Light Infantry
- Magnitude 1 Avvite Swordsmen
[X] Garrison province
- [X] Hinnom
[ ] Rename army group?
- [ ] Write in

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Magic turn 0​
Thanks to the oppressive decrees of the Pantokrator, your standing mage corps does not exist, and much of your practical knowledge of magic has been sealed away. A small fraction of the angel's teachings have survived, however. Which?

Choose one school to unlock the first level of:
[ ] Conjuration
The magic of summoning, primarily. The first level lays the foundations of knowing where to go to contact various creatures and bind them to your service using the magic locked in gemstones. It is a sufficient level for those versed in the teachings of Semyaza to bind animals to their will.
[ ] Alteration
The magic of change, primarily. The first level lays the foundations for altering the world using ones connection to magic, be it using the teachings of Ezekiel to bind foes in chains of air, or drawing on Arakiel's teachings to imbue greater strength.
[ ] Evocation
The magic of destruction, primarily. The first level lays the foundations for applying magic to destroy one's enemies, be it turning Shamshiel's teachings towards launching small blasts of fire or using the teachings of Kokabel to draw down the light of the stars.
[ ] Construction
The magic of creation, primarily. The first level lays the foundation for the creation of magic items, though it does not reach beyond trinkets until another level is researched. Those who follow the teachings of Azazel can use this level to fortify their armor before a battle.
[ ] Enchantment
The magic of magic, primarily. A difficult category to conceptualize, the first level lays the foundations for defending oneself from hostile magic.
[ ] Thaumaturgy
The magic of metamagic, primarily. The first level lays the foundation of esoteric arts such as the Communion, a gathering of mages of the stars mightier than any individual present.
[ ] Blood
The legacy of the Fall, which tied your people's blood to the Inferno. The first level lays the foundation for opening a connection to the Inferno through the power of sacrifice, allowing for the summoning and binding of the least of its demons.
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Economic turn 0​
The signs are clear. The world over, armies are mustering to press the claims of foreign gods. You can not afford to be the exception in this, lest your people be destroyed. Though a vast wasteland be the legacy of the sons of the Fallen, who consumed until their hunger could be sated no longer, your civilization yet holds significant wealth and power.

Select one unit to raise:
[ ] Magnitude 1 Avvite Light Infantry
[ ] Magnitude 1 Avvite Spearmen
[ ] Magnitude 1 Avvite Swordsmen
[ ] Magnitude 1 Avvite Archers
[ ] Magnitude 2 Horite Hunters
The following units require 2+ picks to raise:
[ ] [ ] Magnitude 1 Dawn Guard
[ ] [ ] Magnitude 1 Avvite Hornblowers
[ ] [ ] Magnitude 1 Avvite Charioteers
[ ] [ ] [ ] Magnitude 1 Rephaite Warriors

Select one commander to raise:
[ ] Horite Shaman
A leader of a small tribe of Horim, and a weak mage of Earth, Death, and Nature.
[ ] Acha
An Avvite mage trained in the lore of Semyaza, being a good mage of nature capable of healing even the most grievous of injuries given time.
[ ] Ammi
- [ ] Arakiel
- [ ] Ezekiel
- [ ] Kokabel
- [ ] Shamshiel
An Avvite mage trained in the lore of one of the Lords of Civilization, being a good mage in the arts of Earth, Air, Astral, or Fire respectively.
[ ] Kohen
A Rephaite mage and priest who has awakened a small part of one of the angel's heritages, being a weak mage of blood and one of Fire, Air, Earth, or Astral.
[ ] [ ] Ba'al
A Rephaite mage and priest who has awakened a large part of their heritage, being a good mage of blood and a very strong mage of one of Fire, Earth, Air, or Astral.
[ ] [ ] Melqart
A Rephaite lord who has awakened a large part of their heritage of the line of Azazel. They are powerful warriors and strong blood mages, and additionally can be good mages of Fire, Earth, or Astral.
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QM's notes​
I kind of want to infodump on how the entire system works so that I can just present you with everything and let you play, but I expect no-one to want to read a small novel for this. This should hopefully strike a balance between being clear enough to make informed decisions while also being concise enough to make informed decisions.

The next update will be the first proper war turn, in which you'll take whatever army composition you've built out to try to conquer some more territory.

If you'd like more detail on something, ask and I will answer.
 

Nyvis

Active member
[X] Blood

May as well go for the full thing!

We only have one pick for troops and one for commander so the two picks options aren't possible right now, right?

Editing to invest in Ba'al.

[X] Magnitude 1 Avvite Swordsmen
[X] [X] Ba'al

For now, I'm picking someone with a blood affinity to develop on it further.
 
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We only have one pick for troops and one for commander so the two picks options aren't possible right now, right?
You can invest picks over the course of multiple turns to acquire these units and commanders.
 
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