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Military activity report - Intelligence Office of Seawatch, to New Haven Military District Strategic Command Confidential report - to the exclusive attention of the General Staff Our operatives in Seawatch report an unexpected movement of Carnite troops (est. strength of two jaeger companies), leaving the settlement southbound. The status of this information is certain, independently reported by two of our informers in the settlement and directly confirmed by our operative Minerva. As it stands, the purpose of the expedition is unknown. No communication was given to the liaison officers of the Oleonese 3rd Division nor, to our knowledge, to the headquarters of other Coalition Forces. On official army reports, the operation is reported as a "recognition mission", but the marching order is not coherent with the declared objectives. Our informers report that the contingent is mostly formed by Essian soldiers from elite units (Jaegers and Totenkopfe infantry), suggesting that military confrontation is expected. Moreover, the expedition is equipped with heavy carriages, not particularly suitable for the bad roads of El Oleonda islands. The expedition seems to need abundant supplies for a prolonged mission, to aim to recover heavy materials, or both. Rumors claim that a group of Namerean coral divers was seen in one of the port taverns, and has recently disappeared. As it stands, it is impossible to verify whether the two events are connected. The commanding officer of the expedition is Major Matthias von Stern, an experienced soldier decorated twice during the Battle for El Oleonda. The choice doesn't seem coherent with the limited purposes declared for the expedition. Considering the inconsistencies and the secretive nature of the mission, a light infantry contingent was ordered to track the Carnite expedition, if possible avoiding any contact. Our forces consist of a company of Eranos Chasseurs and two platoons of Astrapi Colonial Chasseurs, under the command of Regiment General Tristan Rimbaud. One of our assets, with direct access to the Carnite Governor's private correspondence, reported seeing a coded message of unknown content, together with a map of the Southern Coast and a note about a "cipher". The meaning of these reports is elusive, but it's clear that an object, identified as a cipher, is considered of utmost importance by the Carnite high command. Updates will follow in case of further developments or reports from our operatives on the field. With the best regards for Your Excellency, Morpheus -------------------------------------------------------------------- Overall view: The heavy carriage: A view of the muddy road with the carriage tracks: An obvious credit goes to @Khorne, who first invented and developed the Essian culture and units within the NPC nation of Carno.

A little bay East of Jiangkai, El Oleonda, April 624 The little sailboat was dangling slowly, cradled by the gentle waves. That day, the sea was as flat as a table, with a gentle wind barely moving the boat's flag... the red and white flag of the Kingdom of Carno. From a distance, the Caroline would have seemed perfectly still, as idle as a painted boat on a painted ocean. It would have been a terrible day for navigation, slow and boring. For what Albert and his men were doing, however, the weather was just perfect. Fifteen meters below the surface, Konrad and Hans were surely grateful for that calm weather: they had discovered at their expense that rough waves and violent currents could easily appear in that little bay, as soon as the wind started blowing from the wrong direction. The treacherous nature of that inlet, that made every dive dangerous, was probably the very reason of their succes. Many years before, when a terrible storm destroyed the first Lotii expedition on El Oleonda, a ship had likely sought refuge there, just to find its fate against the reef... and, for Poseidon's sake, the shipwreck seemed the one of a Lotii tresure ship! Albert was euphoric. Their expedition was not the first one, but had been by far the most successful. And, even more importantly, he had beaten Professor Hans Schneider, his old rival. That presumptuous man thought to be clever, looking for the Lotii gold among the old ruins of El Oleonda, but Albert had found it first, in the shallow waters of the Southern Coast. As soon as the Carnite High Command had learnt about the shipwrecks, almost four years before, they organized a few small expeditions along the Southern Coast. With the war raging on, however, most of them had turned into a disaster, or had only found the skeletons of small junks, scraped long time before by natives or survivors. Albert's discovery, was going to change everything, and exactly when the Lotii were staying away! The Lotii ship, however, was not the only interesting discovery Albert's expedition had made. The surfacing rocks that had doomed the Lotii ship, indeed, were not a reef, as the cartographers had thought, nor any other natural formation. Incredibly, they were instead the tops of large buildings, similar to the ones forming the Labyrinth... a whole city had sank into the Ocean, in a disaster of proportion that Albert couldn't even imagine. Roads, building, temples... everything was there, down below the surface, frozen in time. The ancient inhabitants were probably still there too, drowned in their own houses, thought Albert with a shiver. The fish had taken the place of the birds, the corals had replaced the luxurious vegetation of El Oleonda, creating an unreal scene... in spite of the terrible fate of the inhabitants, that place was wonderful. The cargo of the Lotii ship laid there, scattered among the ruins and inside the broken keel. Gold and silver ingots, porcelains and statuettes, weapons and utensils emerged from the sand at the minimum movement of the water, much more than three men cold carry with a little boat. It was time to send a messenger pidgeon to Seawatch, to communicate their success and direct a proper expedition to the shipwreck. Writing precise coordinates was out of question: pidgeons were rarely intercepted, but strapping such a precious information to a bird was far too dangerous. Albert didn't want to attract a horde of Lotii warriors to his shipwreck, especially in the moment of his maximum triumph... better to define a rendez-vous point halfway between there and Seawatch. What about the Emperor's Palace, one of the largest ruins in the Labyrinth? It was in a convenient location and, given the discovery of the sunken city, it seemed particularly fitting. Having decided the course of action, Albert brought his attention back to a little object that was puzzling him: a small cilinder, formed by a series of golden discs and completely covered by symbols that Albert couldn't understand... the sun, a large cat, a crocodile, dots and lines... Even if they were still encrusted by sand and salt, it was clear that the discs could rotate, forming a complex mechanism. Did it come from the Lotii ship or from the ruins? And in that case, how advanced had been the inhabitants of El Oleonda, capable of building that amazing trinket? Even more importantly, what was that object? A puzzle box? A clockwork mechanism of some sort? Or maybe... a cipher? -------------------------- Overall view:

The Labyrinth, El Oleonda, May 624 Tristan inhaled deeply and flexed his wrist, loosening his muscles. His sword answered as an extension of his arm, and the blade of Guelphian steel whistled in the air. It would have been a difficult fight, that was clear. The Oleonese and the Lotii were similar in number, but the latter seemed better equipped for a melee fight: the chasseurs would have faced their long swords, spiked clubs, and partial armor with knives and sabers. As usual, however, the men could make the difference, and his chasseurs had proven their worth several times. All of a sudden, a slow clap arrived from the bleachers. A man in red civilian clothes had just appeared on the balcony, surrounded by soldiers in black uniforms. The Carnites, somehow, had found their track... and in the worst possible moment! "What a dramatic show, mein Herren. I would almost be tempted to let you finish... or to order you to do it. As you can see, there are quite a few muskets pointed towards your heads! By the way, I am Frederick von Undingen, Count of Wiesemburg, at your service." The man's voice didn't betray any emotion, but the half smile and the polite nod were absolutely unsettling. For some reason, he reminded Tristan of Slim Bill, a gang leader that during Charlatan's Bay civil war used to collect his enemies' ears... a complete psychopath, that Tristan had personally sent to Hades years before. He went on smiling, as if he hadn't just suggested watching them dying just for fun. "I have to make you my congratulations. We had fallen behind, and we had little hope of finding Professor Wagner, or any of your gracious groups. If it hadn't been for my good friend, Major von Stern, we would still be trudging at the border of these ruins, back North. At last, he convinced me to leave behind carriages and porters, and to precede you on the way to the shipwrecks... so here we are!" They were falling out of the frying pan and straight into the fire. Oleon and Carno were allies, but Tristan didn't think it would have mattered much. He didn't know which shipwrecks von Undingen was talking about, but he seemed to consider them a matter of life or death. By going there, von Undingen had cut them the road towards the sea, where an Oleonese ship was waiting! That wasn't even the worst part... in the distance, a drum had started to play, soon followed by a second and a third one. Konrad widened his eyes, but Tristan gestured for him to remain quiet. At least ten muskets were aimed in their direction, and any sudden movement could trigger a nervous soldier. At the moment, the best strategy was letting the eximious von Undingen talk, hoping to get alive out of that situation. Meanwhile, the man continued, impassive as before: "I'm sorry we meet in this situation, General Rimbaud. You provided great service to my nation, in Seawatch and Neuburg. Unfortunately, the treasures of the lost Lotii fleet are too important for my masters... you meddled in something too big and too dangerous, mein Freund! I don't think I can let you go, I fear." He also added something in Lotii, that Tristan couldn't understand, with the same voice of ice. The Lotii officer stared back with hatred, then spat on the ground. Everything seemed clear now. The Carnites hadn't abandoned the hope of finding the old Lotii fleet, even if their greed had cost way too many lives. The expedition Konrad was part of had finally succeeded, before being slaughtered by the natives. And the Chiffre, probably the most amazing part of their discoveries, was only a fortuitous finding in their insane gold hunt. "Monsieur von Undingen, I have absolutely no idea of what you are talking about." Convincing the man to let them go was impossible, but Tristan could gain some time. Pierre, on his left, was adjusting the grip on his knife. He was on a good angle to hit the man, if things had escalated more... The Carnite acted surprised, even embarrassed... impossible to say whether he was sincere or was only pretending. "Oh, monsieur le General, I'm sincerely sorry. I would have killed those Lotii dogs in any case, but this is an unfortunate accident. I fear I told you too much, and now you have to die. My fault, please forgive me. Let's close it here. Mayor von Stern, please, order your men to open fire!" The officer in black -von Stern, apparently- hesitated. There was a moment of silence, broken only by some native drums... way closer, this time! "Herr, Graf... might I remind you that Carno and Oleon are allies, and that we just fought side by side in Seawatch... the governor would never approve this move. And I can't approve this order, either!" "Ah, von Stern, you are a traitor and a coward! But you know, you can never trust an Essian for something important. Well, let’s make things easier for everyone: if anyone ignores an order again, I’ll have him hanged as soon as we return to Neuburg. Now, where were we? Oh, right! Kurt, would you please oblige? And make General Rimbaud the courtesy of being the first one.” “Yes, sir!” Without other comments, the man lowered his musket and took aim. Time seemed to slow down. For a second, everyone remained still, and only the sound of a drum broke the unreal silence. This time it was close, very close, but nobody seemed to notice. Then the world seemed to run faster and faster. Pierre sprang as a bow, throwing his knife in Kurt’s direction. He missed by a little, but the blade passed close enough to make him lose the aim. The musket fired, but the ball only hit the sand at a half a meter from Tristan’s feet. Then, before anyone could react, the battle cries began. “Idiot, you killed us all!” Yelled in Carnite the Lotii commander. He was probably true, but it was also their best chance to run! The Daca emerged from the bushes, right behind the Carnites. The musket shot had given up their position, and apparently also angered the natives a lot. Von Undingen seemed too busy to notice that is prey was escaping, and seemed in a quiet dire situation. Tristan, however, had the feeling that he would have seen that hideous man again, sooner or later… probably he was so evil that the Boatman would have repelled him! As the Carnite soldiers were fighting for heir lives, the Oleonese and the Lotii started running away under a rain of spears… trying to fight each other didn’t seem particularly important in that moment. With a map to unknown lands and a ship waiting for them along the Southern Coast, a few miles far, Tristan felt almost as when he first sailed to Astrapi, many years before… an unknown world was waiting for him to explore, and a new Era seemed ahead, both for him and for his nation! ———————— Overall view: With this last part, I conclude my storyline about El Oleonda, the Labyrinth and the “cipher”. I hope you enjoyed it, for sure I had fun with the buildings and the story! I will for sure reuse some of the characters: Tristan will remain my main one, and von Undingen will probably be his nemesis in a future story… Note: sorry, I had left the “wip” in the title even if everything was over!

The Labyrinth, El Oleonda, May 624 The Carnite guy, Konrad, spent two days between life and death. He didn't seem to have eaten or drunk anything in several days, and was feverish from an infected wound. Tristan had little hope for recovery, but the young man surprised everyone: his fever decreased, and he soon regained consciousness. After a few more days, he could even walk with a little help. Despite the gratitude, Konrad remained extremely vague about the original purpose of his expedition. In return, he talked widely about the mysterious Chiffre: at first, the Carnites had mistaken it for a Lotii military cipher, but it was soon clear that the object was far more ancient and fascinating. Despite the appearance, that little gold cylinder was a sort of map of the New Haven Seas and beyond. The first and last disc seemed to represent the start and destination points; the ones in the middle indicated the relative distance and direction of the two points. Tristan was utterly impressed by the complexity of the mechanism, and even more by the level of knowledge owned by its mysterious builders. Whoever had lived on El Oleonda, whoever had built the Labyrinth, had also traveled across the whole archipelago before disappearing from history: Tristan recognized clear references to Cascadia (the little jaguar) and Ile Dyonisus (the crocodile), but completely deciphering the object would have taken weeks. It was clear, however, that the cipher exceeded the Madrician knowledge of New Haven Seas, with several symbols falling East or South of Noveau Oleandia, far out of the most recent maps! Before trying to sail towards the Rising Sun, the Flower, or the Idol's Mask, however, Tristan and his men still had a little priority: leaving those damned ruins. Alive, if possible. The last point, at the moment, didn't seem particularly easy: heading towards the Southern Coast, Tristan's unit had to cross a dangerous choke point between some cliffs and a large Daca village. One wrong move, and dozens of warriors would have soon come for their heads. The soldiers marched forward as quietly as they could, sometimes mumbling swift prayers to Artemis or Poseidon. None of the gods seemed particularly inclined to oblige, however, since a twice damned Lotii patrol suddenly appeared among the ruins. The Lotii seemed as surprised as the Oleonese soldiers. For a moment, everybody froze. Tristan could almost hear the thoughts of the enemy commander: he knew, or imagined that the blue barbarians were probably in the Labyrinth for his same reason; he had met them as they were trying to leave the ruins, meaning that they had found what they were looking for; he knew he had to stop them, at any cost. But he also knew how close the Daca village was, and how bad could be facing dozens of their warriors. Indeed, nobody had shot his musket... not yet. Tristan brought a finger to his lips, gesturing for silence. Then, he slowly put his pistol on the ground and unsheathed his sword. The Lotii commander nodded and did the same, soon imitated by the soldiers of both sides. It would have ended that way, then. No muskets, cannons, or ordered formations: only sword against sword, warrior against warrior, as in the legends about the heroes of the past. Seen in that way, it didn't seem a bad conclusion for his story, if things had gone wrong. Tristan looked around. If they had been in the Old World, that place could have been one of the ancient arenas, where prisoners were forced to fight for the amusement of the noblemen. Maybe it was something similar, or maybe not... but in a few steps, the Oleonese and the Lotii would have been at a sword distance, and the fight to the death would have begun. At this point, the ancient gladiators would have yelled "morituri te salutant" to the Emperor, right before trying to butcher one another. That day there wouldn't have been any salute... but if the ancient inhabitants were still watching from the other side, they would have surely seen one last, glorious show. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note: As my story gets closer and closer to its conclusion, also the time to the deadline is starting to run short. I hope you'll enjoy this part and the next one (that hopefully will be out tomorrow), even if I had to overpack them with way too much story for such small builds. Just to clarify, "morituri te salutant" (meaning "those about to salute you) was the classic salute of gladiators to the organizer of their "games", even if it's more a historical fiction trope than a real thing. The idea of the silent fight that is going to happen here, instead, is a sort of reference to a similar scene of the movie Kingsmen: the Origins (where the problem is represented by WWI machine guns, and not by angry natives).

Neuburg, El Oleonda, March 624 The longboat was crawling forward in the muddy water. Almost no sound broke the unreal silence, apart from the regular paddle of the oars. One of the soldiers moved slightly, making his bench creak. Another man coughed. Nobody talked. What they had in front of their eyes was too much to accept, even for war-hardened veterans: you can face an enemy line, musket in hand. You can even brace for a cavalry charge, shoulder to shoulder with your comrades, as the world itself seems to crumble. But what can you do, strong or weak, brave or cowardly, when the End of the Days is upon you? When the gods abandon their mercy, and the works of men disappear below the waters? The boat proceeded along the streets of Neuburg, as far as possible from the original riverbed and its unbearable current. Everybody was on edge: the submerged buildings shielded them from the violence of the water, but also hid many threats: a submerged canopy, a tree in a backyard, or even just a floating barrel could represent a trap... and with the alligators lurking in the water, it could have easily become a deadly one! In the distance, the men could constantly hear the distant rumble of the once calm and harmless creek, which had almost swallowed the settlement in just a few hours. The sudden disaster had claimed a heavy toll of lives, and dozens of citizens were still missing... drowned or safe on the nearby hills, nobody could know yet. However, most of the settlers had found shelter on the upper floors of the most robust buildings, or even on their roofs. Safe, for the moment, but at the same time trapped on their tiny islands, with little food or -almost ironically- water. Fortunately for them, help was on the way. Only a few days after the disaster, indeed, ships with the blue flag of Oleon* had appeared in the bay, and the first rescue teams had reached Neuburg with their longboats. At the town hall, General Tristan Rimbaud was facing some unexpected complications. Despite the dire situation, the Burgmeister was reluctant to accept foreign help, and several minutes were needed to convince him that the sovereignty of the Empire of Carno was not being questioned or violated. While looking for his best translation of "sign of friendship between our Empires", Tristan was almost surprised that the other survivors hadn't thrown that arrogant man out of the window... at least not yet! At the end of the useless and extenuating negotiation, the rescue team was allowed inside. The longboat was moored at the first-floor balcony, and the first soldiers ventured inside. If the gods decided to finally show some mercy, all the survivors would soon be provided with food and evacuated to safety. Standing on the roof of a flooded house, however, Tristan was not particularly hopeful about the gods' benevolence. Was there somewhere safe, after all? Concerning tales were arriving from all over the New Haven Region, where wild storms raged and the sea itself had started to boil. Maybe the Finis Dierum had finally come, as some preachers claimed... in that case, kings and queens would have been just as ridiculous as that Carnite mayor, clinging to their power as the World itself was flooded! Tristan didn't know but, at the moment, he couldn't even care. His loyal Raiders had followed him once more, almost literally to Hell, and they still had a mission to complete: people were in danger, and, at least for that day, they could still be saved. Screw the preachers! If the End of the Days was upon them, they would have faced it head-on, not crying and kneeling in some temple! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The rescue team inside the building: A soldier looking for survivors on the first floor... a dangerous task, as the floor could collapse at any moment! Looking for a mooring point. Will that piece of furniture be heavy enough? A soldier with a battlefield stretcher: lightweight and easy to carry, but robust enough to carry a man out of harm's way! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Additional angles: Neuburg mayor at the window, with a lantern signaling the presence of survivors. A Carnite soldier inside the building. Waiting for help, but also ready to repel possible looters. The longboat, with the soldiers ready to divert floating objects or fend off alligators. An overall view, from a bird's eye perspective..

Somewhere in the jungle, El Oleonda, May 624 They had snatched the prize out of his hands! But it was not over, not yet. He would have put his hands on that treasure, in one way or another. A warrior appeared in front of him, the face horribly painted. The Daca raised his wooden spear, but he was a second too slow: Frederick von Undingen cut him down with his sword, without even slowing down. He would have returned, he swore. He would have returned with more men and some good cannons, maybe a company of Namerian mercenaries... and he would have wiped out those savages from El Oleonda, he would have killed them all! Then, the treasure of the Lotii fleet would have become the key to a new life of wealth and, even more importantly, power! Frederick only needed to reach Seawatch alive, and the cards would have turned in his favor again. Some would have been angered with him for his failures, but nothing he couldn't handle. Professor Wagner's group had been massacred, leaving no useful notes behind. In their abandoned camp, however, Frederick had found a little booty of Lotii gold: not much, but enough to convince his friends in Aden to forget some little things and support his future endeavors. They had little time to lose, however, since the Oleonese seemed to have captured a survivor of Wagner's expedition... if he only had ordered Kurt to shoot that man first, he would have felt safer about his plans. The bushes in front of Frederick disappeared, suddenly replaced by a small clearing. Somehow, he managed to stop his run, just a few steps before a cliff and the violent rapids below. Frederick realized immediately that he was in deadly danger: his little group had been cut out from von Stern's column, which was now on the opposite side of the stream. The Daca, instead, were all around them again. The Essians jaegers were fighting fiercely -they were excellent soldiers, he had to recognize that- but the warriors seemed just too many. His loyal Kurt shot a warrior at point blank, killing him on the spot. A second and a third one were already running towards him, spear in hand... with no time to reload, his musket was now nothing more than a robust club. Two warriors were almost upon him. There were no battle cries, as usual... only the low, menacing hiss anticipated the attack of the Daca, together with their hellish drums. Frederick raised his sword in a high guard, bracing for their attack. He deflected a spear lunge directed at his face, then turned to his right, aiming for the chest of the incoming warrior... but his right foot found nothing but air. Before he could even realize it, Frederick was falling. Frederick tried desperately to recover his balance, but the dirt at the edge of the cliff was too slippery. For a moment he remained almost still over the roaring water, staring at the triumph on his enemies' face. Then, the bag with the gold dragged him behind, towards the rapids and a watery grave. He was still holding it, he realized. His ticket towards wealth and power. Ironic. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This MOC, as you can see, represents the aftermath of my TC2 storyline, from the Carno point of view. I plan to publish a conclusion scene also for the other parties involved, that is the Lotii and Oleon, before moving to my future plans. Since I really liked this storyline, the setting, and the characters I had created, I thought they deserved a proper conclusion for their journeys. I hope you liked my storyline and these conclusive scenes too! For possible newcomers, Frederick von Undingen, graf von (Count of) Wiesemberg, is a borderline psychopath, a villain in my storylines, and probably a sort of loose cannon also for his nation. This should explain his very questionable points about massacring all the natives of El Oleonda, the complete disinterest in his comrades dying, and similar amenities. Here he receives what he deserves, but there will be no body available for burial... if this is really von Undingen's end, or if you'll see this character again, remains to be seen! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Lotii gold falling into the river from a different angle. A better angle, in my opinion, but the MOC was too small to show the scene from this point of view. Since I like the result, I'll attempt something similar in the future. Overall view:

Fort Arltrees, El Oleonda, November 623 War was still raging on El Oleonda, somewhere in the East, but the inhabitants of Fort Arltrees weren't particularly concerned. The enemy army was reorganizing around Oryant and Luyang, and the only immediate threat to the Fort was represented by bands of Lotii stragglers and Carnite deserters: they still created some troubles for the most isolated farms... but, after all, that was the New World, and always keeping the musket at hand didn't seem something particularly unusual. Therefore, during the previous months, the settlement kept growing steadily: the arrival of the allied contingent required more warehouses for the supplies, more workshops to fix the carriages, more blacksmiths, more stables, and obviously houses and taverns for all the workers. The gold mine and the farms also contributed to attracting a third wave of colonists, ready to seek their fortune in this remote corner of the Empire. With the allied fleet securing the main trade routes, and the safety offered by the imposing fortifications, the wealth of El Oleonda started attracting enterprising men from all over the Empire, but also from abroad. In Fort Arltrees, merchants from foreign nations were encouraged to settle and start their businesses in a dedicated district, close to the commercial port. In the plans of the local authorities, the presence of foreign merchants in the settlement will further boost the economy of the settlement, encouraging more regular visits from the Madrician commercial fleets. On the other hand, Oleon doesn't want to repeat the mistakes made by Mardier with Terraversa: closing the port to the other nations would only encourage them to try establishing their own footholds in the New Haven Seas, with no control or advantage for the Empire of Light. Several nations established a commercial emporium in the settlement: these little buildings represented at the same time warehouses, offices of the commercial delegation, and informal embassies. To avoid crossing too much one another's path, each trading company specialized in a few specific wares: trading from and to the very corner of the map is already complicated enough, and nobody wants to start pointless concurrencies! In the Foreign Merchants' District, hundreds of doubloons change hands every day: a single ship loaded with spices, dyes, or sugar may be worth a real fortune back in the Madrician nations, while some relatively common goods produced in the motherland or in the Western Islands might be rare and expensive in the New Haven region. In the District, it is also possible to hire captains, ships, and crews of almost any nationality, to circumvent the current political complications: for a fair price, you could get a shipment of Lotii porcelains, or even get a passage to the Southern Kingdoms on a neutral ship; needless to say, this is also of great interest for the secret services, and the "Altonian salesman" who just embarked for the Lotus Empire could easily be an agent of Corrington or Oleon, an ambassador involved in secret talks, or even a Lotii spy! Sailing under a foreign flag can also allow a safer journey to Fort Arltrees for rich passengers, valuable objects... or both, as in the case of the famous painter who has just been hired by the Garvian delegation! A real army of porters works in the district and in the nearby port: hundreds of crates, barrels, and bags have to be moved every day from the ships to the warehouses, or vice versa. Not everything, however, is worth its weight in gold, as in the case of the shipment of fruit and vegetables just delivered to the Mardierian delegation. Even if Fort Arltrees looked very different from the small hamlet of wooden shacks of only a couple of years before, the settlement was still very different from the most civilized cities of the Western Islands. Despite the fancy buildings of the District, trappers and boucaniers are still a common sight in the settlement, and the inhabitants are not particularly picky about the possible meanings of "roasted venison"... differently from that Altonian officer, who would probably think twice before visiting a local tavern! Unfortunately, the development of Fort Arltrees also started to attract a few scoundrels and petty criminals... apparently an unavoidable price of progress and prosperity, in the New World exactly as in the Old one. This officer from East Terraversa should have been a little more watchful while telling tall tales about the Glorious Revolution of 616... Citizens of Southern descent represent a relevant minority, as some inhabitants of Jiangkai resettled in Fort Arltrees after the destruction of the settlement. Some Monomonto swordsmen, abandoned by their own comrades and simply left behind, asked to serve in the Grande Armèe of Oleon: most of them were enlisted in the King's Musketeers, a unit already well-known for the swashbuckling skills of its members... if with a rapier or a katana, apparently, makes little difference for the recruiting officers. ------------------------------ A list of foreign commercial missions: The Essener New World Trading Company The Ferrer Family Commercial Enterprise The Altonian Commercial Mission Miroslav Dobric's Trading Emporium Garvian League Guildhouse Terraversan Commonwealth Rum-Runners ----------------------------- OOC: This diorama includes several little details, including a full interior for most of the builds. Therefore, apart from text completion, expect it to remain “alive” For the next few days, as I figure out the best way to assemble/move/reorganize the different parts! In particular, I plan to add individual posts for each building in this thread, so stay tuned!

Essener New World Trading Company Part of the Foreign Merchants' Trading District of Fort Arltrees Located in a strategic position between Neustadt and Seawatch, Fort Arltrees always represented a fundamental waypoint for the ships of Carno. The first presence of Carnites in the settlement was established as early as the summer of 620, during the battle of El Oleonda: a company of Essian infantry was hired in the garrison of Fort Arltrees, soon reached by a squadron of the hussars from the same city. Treesborg -the Carnite name given to Fort Arltrees- also had a crucial role during the siege of Seawatch: brave captains from Carno, Garvey, or Oleon left the settlement during nights of storm, defying the Lotii ships to provide the defenders with gunpowder and supplies. Most of the Carnite activities in Fort Arltrees were linked to the Free City of Essen, which traders didn't dislike a little more autonomy from the Grand Merchant Council of Aden and its representatives in Neustadt. The security of the commercial delegation is ensured by a small contingent of marines of the Essener New World Trading Company. On paper, these guards are employees of a private commercial entity, but their uniforms and equipment show a clear connection with the regular armed forces. During the previous two years, organizing the smuggling runs to the besieged settlement of Seawatch was one of the main activities of the Essian merchants in Treesborg. A noble mission, but also a quite profitable activity, as each cargo was generously paid in emergency certificates by the local governor. This represented quite a gamble for the Company: the hired captains demanded payments in doubloons or silver thalers, not in promises, and a Lotii victory would have turned all the "siege money" accumulated by the Essian merchants into wastepaper. On the ground floor, clerks and secretaries write and organize the huge pile of contracts, certificates, reports, and other documents that any trading company produces daily. People from Essen are known to be honest, precise and methodical, therefore any comma in the registers could be expected to be in order. In the near future, the Essener New World Trading Company planned to expand its activity on the island. The discovery of rich gold and silver ores on El Oleonda suscitated a particular interest in the Essians, well aware that the experience in metalworking of their countrymen could be put to good use there in the New World, where most of the smelting facilities were still rudimentary. Many Essians see in the New World the opportunity for a new dawn of prosperity for their city: for this reason, the sea flag of the Company includes the golden yellow of the historical flag, a symbol of greatness and power rarely used by the city in the current times... who knows, possibly the sacred Oak of Wotan could find a fertile soil on El Oleonda, so far from its homeland! ------------------------------- I hope you enjoy the first building of the trading district, belonging to the Free City of Essen. Obvious credit goes to @Khorne, who invented it and established most of the lore... for this reason, it was also the most complicated in terms of text writing, as I wanted to be as coherent as possible with what was previously established. The reason behind the black and yellow flag is that while building I realized (to my surprise) that I don't own a white one, required for the more canonical Essen City Banner... my soldiers never felt the need to surrender, apparently!

Seawatch, El Oleonda, February 622 After days of heavy tropical rain, the sun was finally high in the sky. With the warm weather, the luxuriant vegetation, and the parrots singing, the day seemed perfect for a picnic outside the town, apart from a little detail... the Lotii army besieging Seawatch! The enemies were less than a mile far, but everything was weirdly calm. The attack, however, could begin at any moment... in an hour or in a week, the enemy troops could have been right there, trying to storm the outer defenses of Seawatch. The defenders of Seawatch were ready to face them, musket in hand. They would have held that advanced position as long as they could, then they would have retreated to the second defensive line: those positions outside the city were precarious, but still allowed to keep the enemy cannons far enough from the city. Carnite soldiers and civilian volunteers were fortifying a small abandoned farm outside Seawatch: placing a few wooden spikes in a choke point required minutes, but could stop the charge of a whole cavalry company. Reinforcing the small garrison with conscripted civilians, however, had some downsides: some were undisciplined but brave, while others had clearly never held a musket before. A small group of Oleonese "merchants", coming from Fort Arltrees, had reached Seawatch right before the siege and was coordinating the defenders in the outer positions. Curiously, their leader seemed strangely expert about urban fights and irregular warfare. When asked, he always mumbled something about having fought in Charlatan Bay and quickly changed the topic. This was likely false, but the Carnite officers didn't actually care, since his suggestions were helping to keep the Lotii out of Seawatch. At that very moment, the "leader of the merchants" was discussing with a Carnite officer where to bury some gunpowder barrels to create a fougasse, using those very barrels as an improvised tactical table. His real name was Emmanuel Perrault, and he was an officer of the Oleonese military intelligence... but, there in Seawatch, he was Luc Delacroix, an Oleonese merchant trapped with his partners by the Lotii siege. He had had worse aliases, but it was still strange thinking that he would have received a medal -or he would have been buried- with a false name. He rolled the map and walked to another position, yelling orders to the militiamen... there was no time for sentimentalisms, as Emmanuel Perrault or as Luc Delacroix, he still had a siege to win! Overall view I hope you like my build! As a side note, I'm using it to introduce a secondary character, Emmanuel Perrault... I don't know when I'll use him again, but I wanted to have someone (more sacrificable than my main characters) in the besieged Carnite city. PS: After taking the photos and dismantling the build I realized that one of the muskets was chewed by one of my cats... nice!

After two days of travel, Major Brickleton and his party of cavalrymen approached the Carnite settlement of Seawatch. Reports suggested the town was under siege by Lotii forces and Brickleton had orders to confirm the veracity of those reports. Brickleton had the company of 18th Hussars dismount as they approached a low hill. Not far off they could hear the sounds of men at arms. Removing his bicorn hat, Brickleton crouched low and crawled to the top of the hill. He peered toward Seawatch with his spyglass. Kneeling to keep below the ridgeline, the troopers accompanying Brickleton took his lead and removed their bicorn hats as well. The trooper tasked with watching their horses wondered to himself what Brickleton was he seeing beyond the hill. Upon hearing a toucan in the tree above him, he mused to himself, "I bet that bird knows where the Lotii generals are". -------------------- OOC: Continuation of the recon mission to see the status of Seawatch.

With the Lotii threat causing the entire Carnite settlement the be on edge, Captain Esposito comes out of retirement to lead the local Neustadt militia on patrol around the outskirts of the town. ------------------------- OOC: A chance to play with yellowish green and make a barrel tree.

Inside the hold of the Meduse, South of El Oleonda, May 624 Tristan walked into the cargo hold of the Meduse. He had little time, and a fundamental decision to take. After days of exhausting marching in the jungle and a few skirmishes with the Daca warriors, Tristan and his men had finally reached the Southern Coast of El Oleonda, where the Meduse was waiting for them. For some reason, the natives seemed to be afraid of the Ocean: the sight of the sea put an end to their chase, allowing the Oleonese to safely board the rescue ship. Now that the danger had ended, the captain would soon have asked where to set sail... and Tristan's answer could have changed the future of El Oleonda. Konrad, the only survivor of the Carnite expedition, was waiting for him... and basically represented the source of Tristan's problems. The young Carnite explorer, together with the maps and diaries from his unfortunate adventure, could lead to a fabulous treasure: gold and silver, jade and other gems, sunk with the old Lotii fleet and dozens of its sailors... a treasure worth thousands and thousands of doubloons, enough to make an empire move. At this point, Tristan could order the captain to sail west, to Neuburg, and return Konrad to his nation. This, however, would have surely renewed the interest of Carno for El Oleonda, inducing them to organize a new expedition to the shipwrecks... in other words, Tristan would have thrown a huge pile of hay on the embers of the war. On the other hand, he could order him to sail east, to Jiangkai. The military intelligence would have acquired the documents, and Tristan would have likely received a medal. Then, Oleon would have tried its luck with those cursed shipwrecks, angering both Carno and the Lotii. The war would have likely started again, and many more would have died. There was, however, a third possibility. The mysterious Cypher could open the route to unknown islands, to the discovery of a mint-new part of the World and its wonders... even if the very existence of that object proved that "discovery" was not the right word at all! Before the unfortunate expedition, Konrad had spent years studying the artifacts of the ancient civilization of El Oleonda, and could represent a valuable help to decode that unusual, ancient map. Moreover, that task would have kept him safely far from both the Carnite and the Oleonese authorities... definitely better than "just shooting that Carnite dude and throwing him in a pond", as one of the scouts had suggested! Many questions remained, and the answer was probably out there, somewhere in the Southern New Haven Seas. Who had built the Labyrinth? What had caused their end? Did something survive of them, apart from old ruins and a few tribes of barbarized descendants? Well, someone might have complained, and he might have received an angry letter from a ministry or two... but the decision was taken. The Meduse would have sailed neither to Neuburg nor to Jiangkai, but southbound, towards the unknown! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unfortunately, I will be away from most of my bricks for a while, but I wanted to provide a proper conclusion also for my main character arc in this long storyline! There is not much to say about the MOC itself. The shiphold comes from another storyline (the Tale of the Charon), even if I refurnished it. Chronologically, this part comes before "Aftermath", and is still set in May, immediately after the escape from von Undingen's ambush.

Seawatch, El Oleonda, June 624 Matthias walked into his room, staggering a little. At that hour of the night, it was hard to remember that he was Major von Stern, the Stonewall, the Hero of Seawatch. It was hard shutting down the voices of the men he had killed and of the ones who had died under his command, mercilessly accusing him… only whisky seemed to work. He threw his black officer coat on a chair, stumbling against the low table. He was pathetic, but he didn’t care much: that night, he was alone with his ghosts… many more than the previous time. He poured himself a glass, then he immediately gulped it. That awful man had deceived them all, and many good soldiers had died for nothing… for nothing but his greed, and Matthias’ own foolishness! He poured a second glass, but this time he only took a short sip… he had planned to get terribly drunk, but that excellent Essian whisky deserved some more attention! The audacity of von Undingen’s plan amazed and disgusted him. That man had fooled everyone: the Governor’s orders had been forged, and nobody in Neustadt seemed to know anything about their expedition, nor about Professor Wagner’s one; the Perseus, who should have collected the salvaged treasures, didn’t exist in any register, and was probably nothing but a Garvyan privateer. The whole expedition, prepared in plain sight, was only an elaborate ruse: von Undingen had planned to use the Essians for his own purposes, just to abandon them and disappear with the gold. Now Matthias was back in Seawatch, along with his personal ghosts. They had given him a medal for bringing part of his men back “despite continuous attacks from overwhelming enemy forces”… something he couldn’t accept. Too many of his jaegers had fallen for nothing, and now were looking at him from the corners of the room. Von Undingen had also died: Matthias had seen him falling, surrounded by the Daca warriors. That scoundrel had received what he deserved, at last. Matthias raised his glass in a spiteful toast: “May you burn in the Tartarus, miserable bastard!” In that moment, the shadows in a distant corner of the room seemed to take form. A man in a black cloak, who until then had remained still, was lighting an oil lamp. “Always a nice thought for an old friend, I hear. But I fear you’ll be there before me.” Said the man, with a creepily friendly voice. It was impossible! Matthias rushed for his pistol, but suddenly he felt terribly tired, and fell heavily back on his chair. “Oh, don’t bother to try.” The man continued, friendly as before. “It was in your whisky. One part of stramonium, two of foxglove, and one of belladonna. I’m surprised your heart is still working, but it won’t last long.” Matthias looked with hatred at the man who had just killed him, then at his pistol again… it was on the other side of the table, but it seemed miles away. “Scourge! My men were killed because of you!” He whispered. If only he could have reached his pistol… “Yes, and you left me behind to die. We are even then. Or maybe not, I don’t care much!” Matthias would have loved to remove that hateful smile with a cobblestone, a sharp detail in a face that was starting to fade. “But you also did me a favor, in a certain sense. Now that I’m dead, nobody will look for me. There’s a little island where I had started some fruitful activities, during the war… but before that, you are not the only friend I plan to visit. My best regards, Major von Stern! I hope to see you again as late as possible!” With these words, von Undingen left the room, two fingers raised to the brim of an imaginary hat in a last, mocking salute. ------------------------------------------------------------ Overall view: Details of the furniture: -------------------------------------------------------------------- This will probably be the penultimate part of my storyline, with the last one focusing on my main character. I hadn't planned it, but I didn't want to leave von Undingen "dead" for too long, and I still have to think a little more about where Tristan will be sailing to next. The story is dark, way darker than usual... I hope you still like it!

The history of the colonisation of Terra Nova has so far been dominated by nations of the Madrice Peninsular who sail southeast from their homelands into the resource rich archipelagos of the new world. As the Mardician nations push ever eastward into the New Haven Sea, however; it has become clear that they are not the only the only nations to be exploring and colonising the new world. The nation of Carno was a latecomer to colonisation and Carnite planners felt they missed the prime locations in both the Sea of Thieves and Prio Sea. Thus Carno has pioneered Mardician exploration of the New Haven Sea area. From the first Carnite settlement of Neustadt on the island known to colonial planners as number eleven, Carnite presence has expanded onto the large island known as El Oleonda on which it is rumoured huge riches can be found. It wasn't long before Carnite pioneers realised they weren't the only ones with their eyes on El Oleondas wealth. Skirmishes broke out in the jungles between Carnite settlers and a strange people who appeared to be southern Halosian in appearance. Large ocean-going junks began to raid Carnite shipping and settlements. It was soon revealed these newcomers were from the Kingdom of the Lotus. Not much is known about the large southern Halosian empire and it is thought that Lotii explorers discovered the New Haven sea area by travelling northeast of their homelands. Soon El Oleonda and its surrounds were in a state of all out war. Even the nearby Corlander settlement of Spudkirk was raided by the Lotii! The hard pressed Carnites have called for their Madrician neighbours to assist them in their struggle driving the southerners out of the New Haven Sea. Will you answer their call? Political Map of the New Haven Sea: It is rumoured that Carno has at least two settlements on the western side of El Oleonda and the Lotii have at least three; one quite large, on the Eastern side of the island. This challenge consists of 5 categories: A. The Kingdom of the Lotus B. The Mysteries of El Oleonda C. First Encounter with the Tyree’De D. Action on the High Seas E. Mercenaries Needed Note that category D has an optional t-MRCA component, resulting in twice as many prizes. See below for category descriptions and deadlines. All entries must be linked in this thread. Clearly identify what category an entry is for. Scoring Criteria: Judges will score each entry on the following criteria: Build (score out of 10) - emphasis on quality. Doesn't necessary have to be complex, but higher scoring builds will show obvious effort. Story (score out of 5) - does the build fit the challenge story requirements? High scoring builds will have a well written and interesting story. Presentation (score out of 5) - Considerations include: photography, colour palette, base/borders Individual prizes awarded for each category as follows: - 1st Place individual: x1 free large property license (micro build required for activation, usable only in New Haven Sea) OR x1 free Class 5 ship license (micro build required for activation) - 2nd Place individual: x1 free medium property license (micro build required for activation, usable only in New Haven Sea) OR x1 free Class 4 ship license (micro build required for activation) - 3rd Place individual: x1 free small property license (micro build required for activation, usable only in New Haven Sea) OR x1 free Class 3 ship license (micro build required for activation) Faction prizes will be based on a calculation that includes participation and quality of builds from each category and individual category wins: - 1st Place faction: First choice of a New Haven Sea island for a settlement. (at the end of the challenge, a choice of islands will be set by the court). The settlement will start with the following properties: x3 small residences, x3 small artisans, x3 small commerce and x3 small factories (microbuilds needed to activate each). - 2nd Place faction: Second choice of a New Haven Sea island for a settlement. The settlement will start with the following properties: x2 small residences, x2 small artisans, x2 small commerce and x2 small factories (microbuilds needed to activate each). - 3rd Place faction: Third choice of a New Haven Sea island for a settlement. The settlement will start with the following properties: x1 small residence, x1 small artisan, x1 small commerce and x1 small factory (microbuilds needed to activate each). - 4th Place faction: Fourth choice of a New Haven Sea island for a settlement. The settlement will start with 1 small property (microbuild needed to activate). FINAL RESULTS HERE Category A: The Kingdom of the Lotus Not much is known in Northern Halos of the Kingdom of the Lotus, but they are one of the major empires of Southern Halos. By land, one must pass through the Mokolei Empire and the Forbidden Kingdoms. By sea, not only does the great expanse of the Drolitic Ocean separate the nations of Northern Halos from the southern part of the continent, but one must travel around the horn to the great Southern Ocean before encountering their kingdom. So what is the Kingdom of the Lotus like? Builders should show a scene depicting some aspect of Lotii culture (architecture, dress, customs, social interaction, etc.). Builds should be located within the Kingdom of the Lotus and may be based on rumours your characters in the Brick Seas have heard. The Kingdom of the Lotus is roughly based on real-word East Asian cultures and previous depictions have taken inspiration from both China and Japan. Size: 32 x 32 max Due Date: Sunday 22nd March 2020 Cat A Results Category B: The Mysteries of El Oleonda The New Haven Sea has not revealed many of her secrets yet. With four large islands and 17 smaller ones, there is much to explore. But what have Carno and Lotus found on El Oleonda that is worth fighting for? The fountain of youth? Gold or other mineral wealth? Gardens resplendent with fruit and other foodstuffs? Perhaps knowledge left behind by a lost civilization? Myths of a once great native civilization ruling over multiple islands are common amongst natives in the Brick Seas, and indeed ruins have been found in many locations hinting at some truth to these legends. Or is El Oleonda’s value in something else entirely? Builders should show a feature of the island worth fighting for by the combatants. Size: 32x32 max Due Date: Sunday 12th April Tuesday 14th April Friday 17 April 2020 Index of Cat B Builds Category C: First Encounter with the Tyree’De Ever since the Halosian nations began to explore the seas, they have encountered many indigenous peoples, and similar encounters have occurred in the New Haven Sea. Reports from both Carno and The Kingdom of the Lotus describe visitors in large canoes and even ships of curious design arriving at El Oleonda to trade with the Carnovians and the Lotii. These native traders are not Halosian of origin and, although they share similarities with some of the native peoples known so far, their culture appears very different. They trade in many exotic goods and wares, seemingly flush with silver and unwilling to part with their wares for mere trinkets. Instead, they are showing interest in manufactured goods, including milling equipment, metalworking and production tooling, and weapons. While they seem keen to learn Halosian ways and customs, they are much more circumspect when speaking about themselves. They refer to themselves as the Tyree’De and, when pushed about where they come from, they reply with vague answers “to the south.” Builders should show their faction’s peaceful first encounter with the Tyree’De, either in the form of Tyree’De people visiting a settlement on El Oleonda or another island in the New Haven Sea, or as an encounter with a Tyree’De vessel on the water in the New Haven Sea. Size: 24x24 max Due Date: Sunday 26th April 2020 Index of Cat C Builds Category D: Action on the High Seas With open warfare between Carno and the Kingdom of the Lotus, there is plenty of opportunity for normally law-abiding sailors to turn to privateering as a means of legal piracy to earn a handsome payday. Carno is practically giving away Letters of Marque to anyone who will help them combat the Kingdom of the Lotus in the New Haven Sea and protect their supply lines. Rumor has it the Lotii are also willing, if you can make contact with them, to authorize privateers to harass Carno shipping. Builders should show some aspect of a naval encounter in the New Haven Sea. There are two different types of entries for this category: Cat D(1) MOC only, and Cat D(2) t-MRCA result builds. 'MOC Only' entries should depict a naval encounter between Carnite and Lotii forces or their allies. 'tMRCA' entries. A tMRCA will be run in which players may accept a letter of Marque from Carno to hunt Lotii vessels. So that players may get their ships into the action quickly, ships will be allowed to be moved from their most recent destination to a new starting point in the New Haven Sea for free. Players wishing to enter in the category should submit a PM to the MRCA officials declaring their intention of entering this category and nominating their starting point. A tMRCA (potentially two) will then be run and players should MOC their tMRCA results as their entry. Rewards will be handed out for both types of entries and players may enter both sub-categories Size: unlimited (mirco builds also allowed) Due Date: Sunday 31st May 2020 28 June 2020 Note: Individual 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes awarded in both the “MOC only” and “t-MRCA result” classes. Category E: Mercenaries Needed Carno isn't just calling for help on the high seas; they also need troops on the ground on El Oleonda. Thus Carno is hiring Madrician mercenary units to help them on El Oleonda. The battlegrounds on El Oleonda cover a vast array of environments from thick verdant jungle to rolling plains and mountain highlands. Builders should depict a land battle/skirmish on the island or El Oleonda between Carno and/or their mercenary units and Lotii forces. Due Date: Sunday 31st May 2020 Size: 32x32 max

Cattle die Walls crumble Crops wither same as with Men but I know of something that is eternal and that is the glory of the Raven City Table of content I. Overview II. A Look at the Armed Forces III. The People and Politics Raise the Raven Banner - A Guide to the Free City of Essen Description The Free City of Essen - the Raven City, the Black City and home of the Ever-Oak - is nested in the upper bend of the mighty river Karn, near the Iron Hills. Once a powerful and high-standing duchy, it lost most of its might and territory during the Dance of Dukes: a dynastic dispute with its rival Aden that saw the death of all of Essen’s von Helborg rulers and thus their claim to the Carnite throne. Despite its historical misfortunes and loss of the ducal titles and territories, Essen still remains one of the strongest city-states of Carno, backed by a powerful economy that thrives on metalworking, forging and arms manufacturing, which have earned the city the title of Carno’s Armory. Nickname Essen has several monikers, but the most common ones are the Raven City or Carno’s Armory. Colors Predominantly black, accompanied by shades of dark grey and odd traces of white. Flag The historic flag of Essen was yellow and black (figure I). However this flag is rarely used nowadays and is known as die Fahne der Grossmachtzeit, or the Flag of Great Power (Times). It was the flag flown during the heyday of the city, when its was part, and capital, of the duchy ruled by the von Helborg dynasty - before it was defeated during the Dance of Dukes. As a sign of the great wealth they lost and the ushering into a new era, the Essians since decided to discard the yellow-gold from their flag and now fly a stark solemn black and white banner instead (figure II). Iconography Der Rabe, or the Raven (figure III) - the Raven is the symbol of Wotan, chief god of the Essian pantheon. Legend says Hraban the Founder settled his people after following a raven to the location of what was to be Essen. Essen's riches are said to have been a gift from the gods themselves. Der Totenkopf, or the Skull (figure IV) - the Skull was added to Essian uniforms and general iconography after the Dance of Dukes. It is the symbol of the nation's perpetual mourning for the loss of their dukes and the city's prestige and stands as a reminder of what once was and should be re-won. It was also chosen as a means to strike fear in the hearts of opponents. It has since become ubiquitous throughout Essian society, so much that it is now as much synonymous with the city as the iconic Raven. The Skull reminds the Essians of "memento mori", or "keep Death in mind" and thus make most of every day and make your name and city proud. Die Eiche, or the Oak Tree (figure V) - while not as often used as the Raven and Skull, Oak iconography still forms a major part of Essian symbolism. The oak is the tree to which Wotan speared himself in search of greater understanding of the world. As such a great oak tree was planted at the city's founding in his honor. The tree was later burned down with the rest of the city in the aftermath of the civil war, but has since slowly started to regrow. Many Essians see this as the symbol for things to come and believe one day, they will be the ruling city-state of Carno once more. Oaks and oak leaves also form an integral part of Essian religion and places for contemplation are often centered around ancient oaks. Laurels made of oak leaves are bestowed upon those who have performed great features or deeds for the city. A DETAILED LOOK at the FREE CITY OF ESSEN Leadership Stadtrat or Senate The Free City is governed by the Stadtrat, literally 'city council' but in essence a Senate populated by a number of representatives elected from the burghers of the city. These comprise of mostly wealthy merchants and bankers, those chosen to voice the woes of Essen’s dependencies and ranking figures of the military. While anyone holding citizenship in Essen can be elected to the Stadtrat, a number of seats are always reserved for members of the First Families: Grand Burghers of immeasurable wealth and influence who can trace their lineage back to the early days of the city's founding. Burgomaster and Stadtholder The Senate is presided by the Burgomaster, who is also the ruler of the city. In the aftermath of the civil war, royal forces in Aden also demanded a symbolic seat for the King in the Senate in order to show royal power and keep an eye on things. The Carnite King is thus represented by the Stadtholder or Steward, from outside of Essen. In the wake of the war the office of Steward held much power and often vetoed decisions of the Senate in spite, but over time it has faded to irrelevancy and is now simply a glorified title, bribed to turn a blind eye in favor of Essen's interests. Location The Free City of Essen and its surrounding territories are located in the upper bend of the river Karn. Upstream to the west of its rival - and the nation’s capital - of Aden. In the past, the great power and western location of its ruling ducal dynasty gave rise to the nickname 'Grand Duchy of the West', with the von Helborg dukes referred to as 'Grand Dukes of the West'. Open spoiler to see map: Fiefs and dependencies The dominion of Essen not only controls the Free City itself, but also holds sway over vast farmlands and smaller villages and hamlets outside of the city’s walls. Collectively this area is called the Black Country, literally referring to its coal-rich dark soil, many iron ore deposits and smoking chimneys of manufactories and in a symbolic sense referencing the land's ties to the city of Essen. The original territory owned by the von Helborg Duchy was once much larger, stretching even further west, and consisted of a patchwork of lands and cities gained by conquering or marriage politics. Despite the loss of the duchy and the greatly diminished size of Essen’s territory since its heyday, it is still large enough to make Essen one of Carno’s powerhouse city-states. Points of interest: In the Old World: Drakenberg - A small mining village in the Iron Hills, mostly known as the place of origin of the Karsten family. Karlsbad - A spa town founded on natural springs in the Iron Hills. A luxurious place where many of Essen's elite come to relax and spend their weekends. Kärnitz - A rural village located on the fertile plains around Essen. A farming and husbandry community, Kärnitz supplies Essen army with a unit of Kärnitzer Ulanen. Wiesenborg Karnemünde - An exclave of the Free City situated at the mouth of the river Karn, on the Carnite coast. It was acquired by Essen via marriage politics and was once the capital of a larger strip of land along the coast. After the war Aden gifted most of Karnemünde's territory to its own allies, leaving only the city in Essen's control. In the New World: Treesborg - The Carnite name for 'Fort Arltrees'. It is not truly a proper colony, but rather a joint settlement with Oléon on El Oleonda. It has grown out of a regiment of soldiers stationed there in the aftermath of the Lotti conflict. History To be updated, currently a copy-paste from Flickr. Updated 03.05.'25 Essen was founded a long time ago by Hraban the Founder. Legend has it he followed a couple of ravens who led him to a bend of the great river Karn. There they nested upon black rock, which Hraban took as a sign of Wotan, the All-Father. Thus he settled his people - descendants of Garveyan stock, migrating northwards - there. In honor of the gods, Hraban planted a mighty oak, a holy tree that would become a symbol for Essen. Over time the city grew, thanks to its ideal trading position. Originally a commercial center for textile trade and manufacturing, Essen was granted city and market rights, further stimulating the growth of its economic base. It was during this time the city started to exploit the natural resources of its region and lay the foundation for Essen's future and started to shift from mostly a trade hub into a manufacturing center. Hraban's black rock turned out to be only the tip of large stretches of seams of coal and coupled with an abundance of metal ore in the surroundings hills Essen's economy was propelled forward in unprecedented ways, transforming it into the metalworking and arms forging capital of Carno. How or when the Free City was acquired by the von Helborg dukes is vague, but its inclusion into their territories and subsequently becoming the very capital of the Duchy proved a further catalyst for the power of Essen and the Duchy as a whole, which came to dominate the southern banks of the Karn - rivaling and perhaps even outshining Aden. Under the guidance of the von Helborg dukes, first Wilhelm and then his son Karl, Essen clashed with Aden over control of the Kingdom of Carno after a supposed dispute during the new King's election. The clashed turned into a bitter-fought civil war that ravaged the country and saw both von Helborg dukes killed, with Essen and its allies on the losing side. The end of the war saw the Raven City razed and its mighty oak put to the torch. In revenge, royalist forces put many of Essen's ancient and noble families to the sword, with only a few making it out alive. Thus, Aden remained the prime city state of Carno. In order to further secure its power, a royal decree was drafted up abolishing the Helborg Duchy, recanting its ducal titles and partitioning most of its territories to either the King or his allies. However, Essen and its people are resilient and just like the oak started to regrow over time, so did the city and its people spring back up with an iron resolve. Some of the Grand Burghers that had been able to escape the war - some abroad - with most of their fortune returned to the city, investing heavily and rekindling the fire of Essen's economical might which once again started to flourish. Not looking for another war, the King compromised and restored some of Essen's privileges making it a Free City in the Kingdom, ruled by a Stadtholder appointed by the King. Essen begrudgingly accepted the terms. In an act of defiance, however, they decided to change their uniforms to black in honor of their late rebellious dukes and added the skull and crossbones to their caps, so their deaths and the once great power of the Duchy would never be forgotten. Society and Culture A Mercantile Nature The Essians are very mercantile in nature and belief that hard work pays off eventually. Unlike most other great city-states, duchies or fiefs in Carno, Essen does not have a noble landed class of Junkers in the strict sense of the notion. Founded and expanded as a Free City, Essians have always been proud of their independence and have held their republican system in high regard. It is true that its untraditional non-feudal nature with relatively free mobility and entrepreneurial spirit has most likely been a key factor in the resurgence of the city in the aftermath of the civil war. Despite its meritocratic nature, it does however have an upper patrician class of wealthy ancient merchant and banking families called the Grand Burghers. These are burghers of exceptional wealth or contributions to the city, who dominate economical and political life. The pinnacle of these Grand Burghers are a select few families called the First Families of Essen, who have been part of its social and mercantile fabric for ages. Representatives of these families form the nucleas of the Stadtrat. Many of true noble families, or Junkers, of the Helborg duchy were outsiders and not true burghers of the City. Most lost their lives either during the civil war or were put to death afterwards as a reprisal measure to ensure no other claimant could rise up to defy Aden - a fate that also befell several families of the Grand Burghers. As such, the divide between commoners and upper class is less rigid in Essen and a strong mercantile middle class has sprung up. Indeed, the city’s wealth has come from its merchants and artisans for ages. Thus, it is no surprise they hold much of the city’s power. Many powerful merchant families have worked their way up into highest echelons of Essian power over time and large conglomerates control much of Essen’s economic and political life. The merchant families of Essen form the catalyst for its economical power and many outsiders flock to the city looking for work in one of their many workshops, factories or forges or the mines outside the city walls, spread all over the Black Country. One of the most well-known and mightiest of families is that of Karsten. Originally from Drakenberg, they moved to Essen some generations ago and first made their money in the mining business, which later expanded to forging and metalworking, eventually leading to them even opening a banking system and operating a wagonway in the countryside, amassing great wealth and land in the process. Religion As is common amongst the Madrice Peninsula, Essen too knows the Faith. However, only a minority of its subjects follow the Faith in its traditional sense. Carno in general, just as Garvey, mostly has its own unique versions of the Faith, its gods and its customs and Essen is no exception. Slightly deviating from standard Carnite practice, most people of Essen practice a very naturalistic and spiritual approach to the Faith called Wotanism. Wotanism focuses on the purity of the mind, body and the surrounding world through contemplation and finding solace in work and understand one’s surroundings. Wotanism has no real rigid structure and is more of a collection of customs and beliefs than an actual religion as such. Like the Faith, it knows many deities and spirits, but as its name implies Wotan is the chief god: the One-Eyed Allfather who speared himself to the World Tree in search of understanding of the world. It is known some radical Rune priests follow his example and take their eye, hoping to unlock the secrets of the world, just like the All-Father. A key belief of Wotanism is that everything has its own Spirit that can lead to bad things when not properly appeased, which also partly explains the tradition and folklore of maintaining the Great Oak - if it were to die or fall, ill omens will come to the City. Ironically, the Wotanist faith has also led to a slight dichotomy in Essian society, with some wanting to strongly preserve nature in all its aspects and others steadfastly pursuing all means of understanding the world around them and thus furthering the path of scientific and mechanical progress. Fondness of Science Perhaps a combination of the Essian mercantile instincts and an influence of its naturalistic Wotanist ways of finding enlightenment have led to a great scientific interest. Essians are thoroughly intrigued by all things technological and mechanical and have amassed vast knowledge in the field of metallurgy and ballistics over time. Many rich families send their children to famed Corrish universities so they can learn from the best there. Values and Traditions After their defeat at the hands of Aden and its allies, Essen lost most of its power base and prestige and was stripped of virtually all privileges it had obtained over time. Its people were at a loss, the city had lost its leadership and income. However, diligent as any Carnite, the Essians doubled down on their values and traditions and somewhat secluded themselves from the outside world, working on rebuilding their city and recovering its former glory. While most Carnites are know to be disciplined and industrious, the Essians are double so, making them seem detached, overtly serious and distant to many outsiders. The society of Essen became geared towards one purpose: showing their adversaries that despite their defeat during the Dance of Dukes, Essen was and still is the beacon of Carno. Essians are proud of their independence and are known for their austerity, determination, discipline and extreme industriousness and punctuality. A strong sense of loyalty, obedience and respect is instilled from an early age on and one is heavily frowned upon when neglecting these values. The Military The army is the pride of Essen and the reflection of its might. Like all Carnite city-states, Essen controls several of its own units, next to the tithe of men they are obliged to send the crown for the nation’s unified royal army. Essen’s soldiers are famous for they black uniforms and aggressive tactics, whereas many other Carnites prefer to be cautious and tactically defensive. While the infantry forms the largest part of Essen’s army, there are also small yet effective cavalry units, drawn from the surrounding rural villages. Characteristics of the Free City of Essen Overall when part of the Carnite nation proper, Essen will follow Carno's general values. However, in terms of Essen's specific background or for actions concerning Essen specifically, some values differ from those of Carno. Naval Power • • • • • • • • • • As a largely landlocked state, Essen holds little naval power. It upholds a minor fleet of military ocean-going vessels to protect its trade posts, which are mostly stationed in the Essian exclave of Karnemünde. However, as a commercial hub connected to other cities there is always a steady stream of privately-owned commercial ships and barges entering and leaving the city. In extremely dire times, these could be commandeered to build up a fleet. Military Power • • • • • • • • • • Essen is renowned for its disciplined infantry and agile combat doctrines. In the military field, Essians tend to be less conservative than other Carnite states and more easily adopt new strategies and armaments. Essen's combat stratagems emphasize speed, surprise and psychological warfare. Science • • • • • • • • • • Like most Carnites, Essians are quick to accept tried-and-tested advances. However, unlike most other Carnites, Essians themselves also search for scientific insights, especially in the fields of metallurgy and engineering. Diplomacy • • • • • • • • • • Essen lost most of its diplomatic autonomy after the civil war and as such holds little official diplomatic influence outside of Carno. Over the years and with the memories of the war waning, its influence has been on the rise again. Behind the scenes, it still has considerable sway over lesser city-states it once dominated. Inner Stability • • • • • • • • • • The society of Essen runs like a clockwork and is geared towards one purpose: the greater good of the city and restoring the honor and power it lost. Treasury / Coffers • • • • • • • • • • Essen's role as prime metallurgical and arms manufacturing center of Carno have given it considerable wealth, despite having been ravaged in the past. This, coupled with its strategic location perfect for trade with Carnite interior and other Madrician nations, has made the city one of the most wealthy and powerful in Carno, rivaling Aden itself. Exploration • • • • • • • • • • While Essians have always been intrigued by the world surrounding them and try to learn and understand as much about it as possible, state-sponsored exploration and colonization has never been a prime objective. Most explorative enterprises are undertaken by private individuals. Culture • • • • • • • • • • Essians are considered dour by most and their cultural exploits are often put away as "archaic", "gothic" and "passé". It is true that the pragmatic Essians are rather conservative in terms of art, but they still love artistic fields such as architecture, painting, theatre and poetry. They are romanticists at heart somewhat stuck in an idealized past. Known Essians Maximilian Coehoorn, Chief of Essen's military on El Oleonda Helmut Von Braun, Knights Treasurer Chapter Master in Terraversa [OL - @Ross Fisher] Rupprecht Ravenclauwe, head of the Ravenclauwe First Family and key founder of Ravenclaw Company Sources A collection of links and posts containing RP'ed information pertaining to Essen and its background: The results of the Battle for El Oleonda - Here you can find out about Carno and Essen's involvement in the conflict, plus the aftermath. Advent calendar MOC - Here you can find an in-game MOC pertaining to Essen's religious customs. Fort Arltrees Carnite house, by @CapOnBOBS - Following the Essians' footsteps, other Carnites too have come to Fort Arltrees to make a profit off close Carnite-Oléonder relations in the area. You can also check out the post below to find more MOCs with their own topics. Inspiration The Free City of Essen draws inspiration from many sources, both fantasy and real-world. Key elements of its lore can be found in following real-world influences: Brick gothic architecture and art of Northern Germany and the Low Countries Economic and societal aspects found in Hanseatic city-states such as Hamburg, Lübeck, Duisberg, etc. The militaristic traditions of the Kingdom of Prussia An economy of manufacturing and a hotbed for ironworking innovations as in Birmingham (UK), Manchester (UK), Essen (GER) and similar You can view an architectural mood board I put together here. Essians are down-to-earth, pragmatic, militaristic and conservative which is reflected in their sparsely decorated (neo) Gothic brick buildings, the likes of which you would see along the Baltic Sea among various Hanseatic cities. The real-world influences translate into the names of its citizens, which are mostly Low German or Old Dutch (comparable to Afrikaans).

Somewhere in the jungle, March 620, El Oleonda Heading towards these ruins was almost a shot in the dark. During one of the first explorations of the interior, following a little river with no name (by the way, River Rimbaud sounded quite well), Tristan and his men found something quite surprising: a complex system of little canals, clogged by vegetation but still functioning, that brought water towards the inland. That luxuriant jungle, somewhere in time, must have taken over fields and gardens, swallowing any trace of an advanced civilization: no known tribe of the archipelago, not even the Myzec of Cascadia, could have built something similar. The canals, now feeding only bushes and undergrowth, were by sure a sophisticated artefact: they were built with bricks and stones, and their slope had probably been carefully calculated… proof of that, they were still functioning despite the abandonment. Even though that discovery was completely unexpected, Tristan was more interested in something different: far inside the jungle, above the treetops, there was a wisp of smoke… the only trace of human presence they could find. With no other clue, Tristan and his men moved in that direction, following the remains of a paved road… another strange thing to find in the New World, but that made the men save a lot of time and fatigue. Now they were almost there. The scouts had told Tristan that the bivouac was only fifty meters onward, among some ancient ruins, but he couldn't see anything yet… damned jungle! Tristan's only hope was that the men in front of them were Carnite and not Lotii: the orders he had received included exploring the island and trying to discover what the two nations were fighting for, something by far easier if you can understand a word of what the others say. Tristan murmured a short prayer to Poseidon and moved forward… he was going to do something very, very stupid. "You are entering a military site of the Empire of Carno! Don't make a step forward or we'll open fire!" Bingo! They weren't Lotii and they didn't shoot on sight… it was already something. Tristan stopped, trying to appear as calm and relaxed as possible. Entering from the front door was by sure the best way to get quickly a lot of information, but it was also quite risky... now he had to play his cards well if he didn't want a bullet from a nervous Carnite sentinel. "I am Tristan Rimbaud, Regiment General of the Oleander army." -He replied in an acceptable Carnite- "You have at least two good reasons to lower your guns and let me pass. The first, and the best one, is that I come in peace: I don't have any hostility against you. The second one is that I ordered my men to take position in the bushes right behind me... touch the trigger, and you'll receive enough bullets to turn that ruins into a lead mine." Tristan knew very well the rule of thumb of diplomacy: raising a white flag can be a good start a negotiate, but it works by far better if the counterpart knows that you have twice his guns. A moment of tense silence followed, immediately covered by the deafening rumors of the jungle: the chatter of parrots, the rustling of leaves, the sounds of the little streams of water... and the buzzing of bugs, that disgusting horde of tiny vampires. Three more Carnite soldiers emerged from the bushes. They were in a good position, but Tristan was almost sure that his man would have taken them down before they could shoot, if things had gone in the wrong way. "Calm down, Gustav! They are clearly not Lotii cutthroats!" Tristan had barely noticed that man before… a civilian, unarmed, who now seemed to be the leader of the Carnite garrison. "And welcome, Herr Rimbaud, on behalf of myself and of the inhabitants of this place, dust since centuries. I am Hans Schneider, archaeologist, and this is Gustav Weber, head of my guards… forgive him, but we all are a little on edge, given the situation! By the way, aren't you Oleanders a little far from home?" Tristan, relieved, walked into what seemed an ancient city, similar to several ones scattered in the archipelago… also in this case, everything seemed abandoned for decades. "Nice to meet you, Monsieur Schneider" replied Tristan. "You are right, we are quite far from home! The war between your nation and the Lotii has raised some anxiety in our colonial authorities… and has also raised a lot of questions. This island is quite large and rich, but it's not the only one in the archipelago. Why the hell didn't the Lotii colonize another of the large islands? What do they think it's worth dying for?" Tristan didn't really expect an answer: if there actually was something precious enough to start a war, the Carnites wouldn't have revealed it so simply. The archaeologist, however, surprised him again. "Well, Herr Rimbaud, I can be completely frank about that: my nation is here for what always makes the empires move: lands, gold, commercial routes, valuable crops… we were a little late in the run towards East, but now we have our piece of land under the sun. For the Lotii, however, the situation is different: they arrived on El Oleonda without any warning, and they attacked our forces on the Eastern tip of the island. The incredible thing, however, is that probably they don't care at all about conquering the island… they are looking for something." "And... do you know what are looking for?" "I'll tell you a story, Herr Rimbaud. I don't know if it's true or not, but it's all I know. A story that began thirty years ago, in the Lotus Kingdom. You know that after the discovery of the first islands in the Sea of Storms, half a century ago, voices of rich lands East of Terraversa started to spread… rumors about paradise-like islands, possibly even continents, where spices grew everywhere, and gold could be found below any single rock. So, after a lot of hesitation, the Emperor decided to roll the dices and send his ships to the North: also the Lotii had their Armond Basker and their three caravels, actually a fleet of twenty ships and almost two thousand mariners. They left the capital, cheered by the population, and nobody has ever seen them again: two thousand men swallowed by the sea, the whole fleet destroyed… and a considerable amount of gold, silver, and precious gifts for the sovereigns of the mysterious new continent lost with them. It was a real disaster, and somebody says that the old emperor was killed by the sorrow. Here ends what we know for sure, but a few years ago a new trace was discovered by some Lotii fishermen…" "How was it possible? What did they find after so much time?" "A man… even if I'm not sure he still could be defined so. They found him on a little atoll, where apparently he had lived alone for decades. He was completely mad, and could barely mutter a few words. However, before losing his mind, he had carved his memories on a piece of wood. I had a chance to read a copy of it, after our fleet captured a Lotii junk, and I can assure you that I didn't sleep for days. The only reason why that poor soul didn't commit suicide was that he knew something vital for the Kingdom, something he wrote down when he was still sane: the fleet was destroyed by a storm, as everybody supposed, but several ships survived and were stranded on a large island. The admiral decided to try the return voyage with the only ship that could still set sail, promising to the survivors that he would have returned with help. He left on the island hundreds of men, all the treasures and, even more importantly, most of the maps he had drawn up to that moment… maps of this archipelago, and of all the other lands which could exist between the Lowers and the Lotus Empire." "But he wasn't lucky enough." Concluded Tristan. "Indeed. The ship sank, and the only survivor was driven mad by the sun and the loneliness. But his sketches seem to show that the ships were stranded on El Oleonda, and so the Lotii are here. For the treasure of the lost fleet and those old maps, even if I don't know whether the streams of gold and pearls or the blessed lands described did ever exist outside the mind of that unfortunate sailor…" "And so the Lotii are here for some maps that could even not exist at all and for treasures lost decades ago, possibly on this island?" "Exactly. They are convinced that their predecessors may have hidden their gold before hunger, diseases, attacks of the natives or time took them all. Maybe in these very ruins, or in some abandoned temple in the forest, who knows. In that case, it will probably decorate forever the homes of scorpions, spiders, and bats." "And you? Are you hunting the Lotii gold too?" Asked Tristan. "I thought you considered the treasure lost forever, but still you are digging among these ruins..." "We are archaeologists, not treasure hunters!" Replied Herr Schneider, apparently a little offended. "We were studying these ancient ruins, abandoned at least a century ago by a mysterious civilization… but now we are trapped in a damned war theatre!" The archaeologist continued: "I don't know if the treasure exists, or if the survivors decided to throw it in the sea when they realized that nobody would have ever come. What I know for sure is that only their maps and documents, if they still exist, could reveal to us the complete story of the unfortunate expedition and the lands they visited. More probably, however, they will remain forever in some forgotten temple, no matter how much the Lotii will search." An overall view: Without colour adjustment This is my entry for cat B. It required a lot of text, pictures, and time, and I hope you like it. As usual, C&C are welcome. PS Everything I depicted is part of the build: the treasures and the skeleton are in little niches in the two buildings