Stellarchs of the Tarnished Skies - User contributions [en]

New Colmaris

2023-01-20T19:43:54Z

Zadammac:

'''New Colmaris''' is a loose republic made up of island territories and united skytides that all shared a common ancestry prior to [[the Ancient Breaking]], giving the region a common ancestor, which has reunited itself since the dawn of the age of flight in the aftermath of the [[First Skies War]]. By the time of [[the Age of Rediscovery]], the nation was more or less entirely reunified and had been for some time.

[[The Skies]] and their sailing is deeply central to the lives and culture of the New Colmari people, so much so that their terminology, navigational conventions, techniques, and technologies have more or less become ubiquitous. Their small land mass and the fact that the nation consists of several divergent [[skytides]] has made them adopt sailing to a high standard, relying heavily on [[airships]] even before the proliferation of the [[heartballast]] device.

New Colmaris could be seen as a loose federation of slightly more tight-knit tidal republics, convening its federal offices only when made practical by the tides. While this has hampered them in terms of being a geopolitical power, they are vital to the overall Colmaris economy and their [[Mayors]] and [[Governors]] command high respect wherever they go. The federation has a parliamentary body, the [[Congress of Tollen]], whose [[President in Congress]] could be seen as the head of the New Colmaris state and is certainly the head of government.

==Etymology==
''Colmaris'' is the Colmari word for "the world" or "the lands of the people"; New Colmaris is simply "The New Place We Live" or "The New World".

==History==
''See Also: [[History of New Colmaris]]''
===Pre-Breaking===
{{Missing Data}}

Prior to [[the Ancient Breaking]] the Colmari ancestor culture had a common cultural identity and shared language, and to some limited extent even much of their records have survived the disaster in the form of archeological findings made during the [[Age of Rediscovery]].

===Three Cities===
Within a century after the Ancient Breaking, the three oldest and most sifnificant cities in New Colmaris, being [[Tollen]], [[Valley Bay]] and [[Dewpoint]], had all been established on their respective islands. These early New Colmari communities were supported by primative [[airships]] that relied on the buoyancy of [[irongas]], a flammable gas that could be produced by pouring certain acids onto the shavings of iron metal. It was at about this time that the [[Cartographers' Guild]] was founded in [[Tollen]], in 124 [[YS]].

===Tollen Conference and the Republic of New Colmaris===
In 324 YS, at the outbreak of the [[First Skies War]], representatives of the seperate congresses of the republics of [[Tollen]], [[Valley Bay]], [[Dewpoint]] and [[Pivot]] gathered at Tollen and began a series of conferences that concluded with the [[Fifth of the Crab Declaration]] and the ratification of the constitution of a Federal Republic of New Colmaris, with [[Tollen]] as the seat of that federal government. The main driving factor of the decision to Federate was concern over the warlike nature of the then-kingdom of [[Trevult Imperium | Trevult]] and the [[Feng Empire]].

This was followed by several years of hurried diplomatic activity, during which the New Colmaris quickly ratified trade and neutrality agreements with the two powers, as well as the [[Sultanate of Gerb]].

===Colmari Ubiquity===
Since federation, the New Colmari have actively pursued economic, social, and scholarly cooperation with the other [[nations]] of [[Colmaris]], to such a degree that many of their customs, aeronautical terminology, technologies, and even institutions are ubiquitous on Colmaris. No better example of this exists than the [[Cartographers' Guild]], an independent corporate entity with offices in every noteworthy harbour worldwide, dealing in updated charts and reference materials, the certification of sailors in matters pertaining to navigation and [[astrology]], and trading in information, including lucerative freelance shipping contracts.

==Geography==
New Colmaris controls a reasonably large degree of landmass, but is composed entirely of relatively small islands, which was the impetus behind their early and enthusiastic pursuit of [[airships]] and their ongoing mastery of the trades of sail.

===Skytides===
There are four major [[skytides]] in New Comaris, each representing archipelagos of up to a dozen islands, and each named for their major city: [[Tollen Skytide]], [[Valley Bay Skytide]], [[Dewpoint Skytide]], and [[Pivot Skytide]]. These tides have largely divergent routes and come together roughly every nine months before diverging again.

===Climate===
{{Missing Details}}

===Biodiversity===
{{Missing Details}}

==Government and Politics==
New Colmaris is a republic, which can best be thought of as a federation of smaller, independent republics - those of [[Tollen]], [[Valley Bay]], [[Dewpoint]], and [[Pivot]]. Each of these republics has a lead official known as a [[Governor]]. The republics each have an allotment of representatives for a federal congress that they may elect in the manner that suits them, and all adult persons in New Colmaris have the right to vote on which amongst those representatives becomes the [[President of Congress]], making that individual the head of government and state within the republic. However, the most common political office is that of [[Mayor]].

===Law===
New Colmaris has an elaborate system of precedent-based common law alongside a body of codified laws, all with its founding principle and basic law to be found in the [[Constitution of the Federal Republic of New Colmaris]], a document which is effectively an appendix of the [[Fifth of the Crab Declaration]]. Such laws are enforced by police forces and proved in courts of law.

===Foreign Relations and Military===
{{Missing Details}}

===Administrative Divisions===
{{Missing Details}}

There are four major [[skytides]] in New Comaris, each representing archipelagos of up to a dozen islands, and each named for their major city: [[Tollen Skytide]], [[Valley Bay Skytide]], [[Dewpoint Skytide]], and [[Pivot Skytide]]. In addition to being a skytide, each is also its own Republic with an associated governor and republican government. This gives each Skytide the ability to govern itself when the Federal Government is not in session due to the large spatial separation resulting from divergent skytides.

==Economy==
New Colmaris has a thriving, trade-focused economy. Their principle exports are shipwrighting and sailing expertise and fresh water. One of their largest commercial enterprises is the [[Cartographers Guild]] which has a massive impact on the worldwide network of sailing logistics.

===Science and Technology===
{{Missing Details}}

The Colmari are best known for their sailing technology, which has largely become instrumental globally.

===Use of Magic===
{{Missing Details}}

==Culture==
{{Missing Details}}

Because of their overall ubiquity, in many ways the New Colmari are the most influential culture on [[Colmaris]] and could be thought of as the touchstone culture globally.

===Symbols===
===Cuisine===
===Literature===
===Visual Arts===
===Sports===

== Heritage Traits (Tarnished Tale)) ==
{{Moving Target}}
===Primary Trait===
All Trevultines have the [[Yellow Stars (Heritage Trait)]] property by default.

===Secondary Trait Options===
A Trevultine character may select any one of the following secondary heritage traits:
* [[Lundesite Heart (Heritage Trait)]] - you possess a natural aptitude for modern technologies and have one automatic boon on repair checks made to repair steam-powered or electrical equipment.
* [[Noble Bearing (Heritage Trait)]] - whether legitimate or illegitimate, you cannot deny the noble blood that runs in your veins, and others see this readily in you. You have one automatic boon on social skills checks made outside the heat of battle.
* [[Street Savvy (Heritage Trait)]] - regardless of your upbringing, the ancestral memory of the lowest of the commoner class is imprinted upon you. Based on a permanent selection made when you take this trait, you will recieve a permanent boon to one skill relevant to urban survival in the slums of Trevultum's poorest districts.

Additionally, a Trevultine player character may eschew any of the above heritage-unique traits to take the [[Sign's Minor Blessing (Heritage Trait)]] secondary heritage trait instead. This is a rare property and should not be assigned to NPCs except perhaps major plot-drivers.

Colmaris

2023-01-20T19:24:50Z

Zadammac: Created page with "'''Colmaris''' is the commonly accepted name for ''the world'' in which the game takes place. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it is drawn from a Comari word, and the term has entered wide currency due to the widespread influence of the Cartographers' Guild, which has New Colmaris roots. The word translates roughly to the ''people-living-place''. The world of Colmaris is thought to have been dramatically reshaped by the events of the Ancient Breaking, though the..."

'''Colmaris''' is the commonly accepted name for ''the world'' in which the game takes place. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it is drawn from a [[Comari]] word, and the term has entered wide currency due to the widespread influence of the [[Cartographers' Guild]], which has [[New Colmaris]] roots. The word translates roughly to the ''people-living-place''.

The world of Colmaris is thought to have been dramatically reshaped by the events of [[the Ancient Breaking]], though the swift and global nature of this disaster has meant that there is broad disagreement about the cause and nature of the Breaking itself. What is generally agreed is that at one time, the lands of Colmaris were stationary, and people lived upon them, sailing enormous bodies of water known as oceans to reach each others islands. Since the disaster, this world is fundamentally different; a land of flying islands and bottomless skies.

== Place in the Cosmos ==
{{Missing Details}}

Comaris is an essentially spherical planet of unknown dimensions, orbiting a single yellow star known simply as [[the Sun]]. The visible procession of the sun through the houses of the [[Zodiac]] is a key component of the Colmari understanding of [[magic]] on their world. The planet also has three [[Moons]] which orbit on variable periods.

The Colmaris have lost their pre-Breaking understanding of the size of their world because they have lost any viable stable reference point from which to make the relevant calculations. Some institutions argue less accurate models of the world, with the prevailing belief among the [[Greatwind]], for example, being that the world is, in reality, an infinite, flat plane.

== Geography ==
=== Landmasses ===
''See Also: [[List of Known Landmasses]]''

Colmaris's skies are dotted with landmasses referred to variously as continents, islands, reefs, and bars, the distinctions between which are largely semantic and conventional (rather than precise), and which have been listed here more or less in descending order of mass. These landmasses follow natural routes through the sky that affect both their position in terms of latitude and longitude and their altitude. These routes, known as [[skytides]], are for the most part reliably predictable and can be computed with the use of charts.

=== Nations ===
''See Also: [[Nations]]''

Humanity living in Colmaris has largely organized itself into a small number of nation-states based around common cultures and proximal landmasses. In terms of the overall culture of the world, by far the most influential of these groups are the [[New Colmaris]] republic and the [[Trevult Empire]], but the importance of the other nations cannot be understated.

=== Skytides ===
''Main Article: [[Skytides]]''

Skytides are forceful currents within [[the Skies]] that are primarily noted by the motion of landmasses that are coupled to them; it is possible for several landmasses to become tidally unified and follow the same currents, meaning their positions relative to each other are fairly stable even as their relationships to other landmasses change frequently. These skytides should not be confused for winds and may occasionally travel against the prevailing wind; sailors have to consider both when calculating routes for their [[airships]].

=== The Firmament ===
It is believed by scholars at the [[University of Trevult]] that the sky has a ceiling, known as [[the Firmament]], which is a wall of force upon which the heavens project, allowing for the accurate computation of the [[Zodiac]]. There is also a prevailing believe that this liminal field cannot be sailed past, though the technology to test this limit did not exist by the time of [[the Age of Rediscovery]].

=== The Skyfloor ===
The Skyfloor is a term referring to a planetary layer of cloud cover which has historically obscured the former surface of the world from the view of the humans living in [[the Skies]]. These clouds, due to some storm or climactic pattern that has lasted unbroken since [[the Ancient Breaking]], form a thick nominal barrier that represents the lowest "safely navigable" altitudes on Colmeris. The Skyfloor itself is, by its very nature, uninhabited by humans, though humans do engage in [[Skyfloor Dredging]] to harvest moisture and exotic lifeforms from the clouds. This cloud layer is known to be several miles thick.

=== The Underworld ===
''Main Article: [[the Underworld]]''

The Underworld is the portion of Colmaris that is shrouded in perpetual darkness thanks to the presence of the Skyfloor. It is riven by storms, extreme pressures, and inhabited by horrifying monsters, all according to legend. By the time of [[the Age of Rediscovery]] the Underworld had not been explored by humans in nearly two millenia. In some legends, the Underworld is home to a [[Stellarch]] who survived the Ancient Breaking. In common thinking, it is believed that the Underworld is now a barren, rocky, lifeless wasteland due to the loss of the oceans and the lack of sunlight below the Skyfloor.

== Ecology ==
=== Humans ===
{{Missing Details}}

=== Hydrological Cycle ===
''See Also: [[Water Management]]''

The limited landmass and open nature of the Skyfloor means that water is abundant in vapour forms, but fresh and potable liquid water is orders of magnitude less abundant on Colmaris than players might be used to. Most settlements have one or more preferred technologies for maximizing their ability to obtain, store, use, and even reuse such water, and techniques like [[Deepsky Condensate Harvesting]], [[Skyfloor Dredging]], and [[Wind Farming]] are all considered viable professions throughout much of the world. Only very large landmasses like [[Trevult (continent) | Trevult]] can support large watersheds of natural water.

=== Agriculture ===
''See Also: [[Staple Foodstuffs]]''

The limited availability of water has had an impact on agricultural efforts, and restricted the viability of certain foods that were once staples. Cereals and other staple plant-based foods have increased in importance and been heavily selectively bred to tolerate drought, and diets overall have become far more plant-centric over the years as a result. Some agricultural livestock are kept in artificial conditions, almost entirely limited to various forms of poultry, though small breeds of pig and sheep have been kept over as well, alongside goats. Only the largest landmasses can sustain the grazing necessary for raising beef, rendering it an extreme delecacy.

=== Key Wildlife ===
{{Missing Details}}

New Colmaris

2023-01-18T18:46:34Z

Zadammac: Created page with "'''New Colmaris''' is a loose republic made up of island territories and united skytides that all shared a common ancestry prior to the Ancient Breaking, giving the region a common ancestor, which has reunited itself since the dawn of the age of flight in the aftermath of the First Skies War. By the time of the Age of Rediscovery, the nation was more or less entirely reunified and had been for some time. The Skies and their sailing is deeply central to t..."

'''New Colmaris''' is a loose republic made up of island territories and united skytides that all shared a common ancestry prior to [[the Ancient Breaking]], giving the region a common ancestor, which has reunited itself since the dawn of the age of flight in the aftermath of the [[First Skies War]]. By the time of [[the Age of Rediscovery]], the nation was more or less entirely reunified and had been for some time.

[[The Skies]] and their sailing is deeply central to the lives and culture of the New Colmari people, so much so that their terminology, navigational conventions, techniques, and technologies have more or less become ubiquitous. Their small land mass and the fact that the nation consists of several divergent [[skytides]] has made them adopt sailing to a high standard, relying heavily on [[airships]] even before the proliferation of the [[heartballast]] device.

New Colmaris could be seen as a loose federation of slightly more tight-knit tidal republics, convening its federal offices only when made practical by the tides. While this has hampered them in terms of being a geopolitical power, they are vital to the overall Colmaris economy and their [[Mayors]] and [[Governors]] command high respect wherever they go. The federation has a parliamentary body, the [[Congress of Tollen]], whose [[President in Congress]] could be seen as the head of the New Colmaris state and is certainly the head of government.

==Etymology==
''Colmaris'' is the Colmari word for "the world" or "the lands of the people"; New Colmaris is simply "The New Place We Live" or "The New World".

==History==
''See Also: [[History of New Colmaris]]''
===Pre-Breaking===
{{Missing Data}}

Prior to [[the Ancient Breaking]] the Colmari ancestor culture had a common cultural identity and shared language, and to some limited extent even much of their records have survived the disaster in the form of archeological findings made during the [[Age of Rediscovery]].

===Three Cities===
Within a century after the Ancient Breaking, the three oldest and most sifnificant cities in New Colmaris, being [[Tollen]], [[Valley Bay]] and [[Dewpoint]], had all been established on their respective islands. These early New Colmari communities were supported by primative [[airships]] that relied on the buoyancy of [[irongas]], a flammable gas that could be produced by pouring certain acids onto the shavings of iron metal. It was at about this time that the [[Cartographers' Guild]] was founded in [[Tollen]], in 124 [[YS]].

===Tollen Conference and the Republic of New Colmaris===
In 324 YS, at the outbreak of the [[First Skies War]], representatives of the seperate congresses of the republics of [[Tollen]], [[Valley Bay]], [[Dewpoint]] and [[Pivot]] gathered at Tollen and began a series of conferences that concluded with the [[Fifth of the Crab Declaration]] and the ratification of the constitution of a Federal Republic of New Colmaris, with [[Tollen]] as the seat of that federal government. The main driving factor of the decision to Federate was concern over the warlike nature of the then-kingdom of [[Trevult Imperium | Trevult]] and the [[Feng Empire]].

This was followed by several years of hurried diplomatic activity, during which the New Colmaris quickly ratified trade and neutrality agreements with the two powers, as well as the [[Sultanate of Gerb]].

===Colmari Ubiquity===
Since federation, the New Colmari have actively pursued economic, social, and scholarly cooperation with the other [[nations]] of [[Colmaris]], to such a degree that many of their customs, aeronautical terminology, technologies, and even institutions are ubiquitous on Colmaris. No better example of this exists than the [[Cartographers' Guild]], an independent corporate entity with offices in every noteworthy harbour worldwide, dealing in updated charts and reference materials, the certification of sailors in matters pertaining to navigation and [[astrology]], and trading in information, including lucerative freelance shipping contracts.

==Geography==
New Colmaris controls a reasonably large degree of landmass, but is composed entirely of relatively small islands, which was the impetus behind their early and enthusiastic pursuit of [[airships]] and their ongoing mastery of the trades of sail.

===Skytides===
There are four major [[skytides]] in New Comaris, each representing archipelagos of up to a dozen islands, and each named for their major city: [[Tollen Skytide]], [[Valley Bay Skytide]], [[Dewpoint Skytide]], and [[Pivot Skytide]]. These tides have largely divergent routes and come together roughly every nine months before diverging again.

===Climate===
===Biodiversity===

==Government and Politics==
===Law===
===Foreign Relations and Military===
===Provinces and Territories===
==Economy==
===Science and Technology===
===Use of Magic===

==Culture==
===Symbols===
===Cuisine===
===Literature===
===Visual Arts===
===Sports===

== Heritage Traits (Tarnished Tale)) ==
{{Moving Target}}
===Primary Trait===
All Trevultines have the [[Yellow Stars (Heritage Trait)]] property by default.

===Secondary Trait Options===
A Trevultine character may select any one of the following secondary heritage traits:
* [[Lundesite Heart (Heritage Trait)]] - you possess a natural aptitude for modern technologies and have one automatic boon on repair checks made to repair steam-powered or electrical equipment.
* [[Noble Bearing (Heritage Trait)]] - whether legitimate or illegitimate, you cannot deny the noble blood that runs in your veins, and others see this readily in you. You have one automatic boon on social skills checks made outside the heat of battle.
* [[Street Savvy (Heritage Trait)]] - regardless of your upbringing, the ancestral memory of the lowest of the commoner class is imprinted upon you. Based on a permanent selection made when you take this trait, you will recieve a permanent boon to one skill relevant to urban survival in the slums of Trevultum's poorest districts.

Additionally, a Trevultine player character may eschew any of the above heritage-unique traits to take the [[Sign's Minor Blessing (Heritage Trait)]] secondary heritage trait instead. This is a rare property and should not be assigned to NPCs except perhaps major plot-drivers.

The Ancient Breaking

2023-01-18T18:00:58Z

Zadammac: Created page with "{{Moving Target}} '''The Ancient Breaking''', also known as '''The Cataclysm''' or to the Greatwind as the '''Age of the Scorpion''', marked a turning point in the history of Colmaris and acts as the rough period of the epoch shift between the old and new eras - the Years Before and Years In Skies, respectively. The term refers to a relatively rapid (but poorly documented) event which reshaped Colmaris from a world of land and seas to a world of land..."

{{Moving Target}}

'''The Ancient Breaking''', also known as '''The Cataclysm''' or to the [[Greatwind]] as the '''Age of the Scorpion''', marked a turning point in the history of [[Colmaris]] and acts as the rough period of the epoch shift between the old and new eras - the [[Years Before]] and [[Years In Skies]], respectively. The term refers to a relatively rapid (but poorly documented) event which reshaped [[Colmaris]] from a world of land and seas to a world of lands in [[the Skies]], setting the continents and islands adrift on [[the Skytides]] and causing a great collapse of the pre-Breaking cultures, setting humanity and civilization back by millennia in the process.

== Historical Records ==
While none of the [[nations]] of Colmaris dispute that the Breaking occurred or even roughly when it occurred, all of them are working backward from different historical records, owing to the relatively long time of the [[Age of Clipped Wings]], which lasted from the immediate period of the breaking up until roughly the [[First Skies War]].

=== Trevultine Accounts ===
Trevultine accounts of the Ancient Breaking are thought to be fairly thorough by their own scholars and questioned seriously by scholars from outside the [[Trevult Imperium]]. While a great many [[pre-Breaking Trevultines]] survived the cataclysm by taking refuge in the [[Three Strongholds of Trevultum]], by most accounts very little pre-Breaking documentation was kept in the strongholds, and Trevultine accounts of the Ancient Breaking are based upon the accounts of those survivors, held up in their stronghold, almost entirely. Further, critics allege that these records are being very selectively interpreted, since the "vaulted Trevultines" later established themselves as the [[Trevult Imperium]]'s ruling class. The [[University of Trevultum]] and the Trevultine Government promulgate the Colmaris Lodestone Hypothesis as a probable cause for the destruction. Many commoner Trevultines reject this hypothesis and believe in the Stellarchiac War Hypothesis instead.

=== Fengjin Accounts ===
The Fengjin have written accounts they claim to be transcriptions of the lectures of contemporary, surviving scholars of the cataclysm, which are known collectively as the [[Red Cliff Records]]. These documents promulgate a version of the Stellarchiac War Hypotheses that allege a [[Stellarch]] of unknown affiliation, the [[King of Yupedir]], abused the powers of several [[Stellarchiac Jewels]] in order to attempt to conquer the world, and that in retaliation the other Stellarchs used the Jewels still in their control, causing a war which destroyed the world. However, these records were made almost two centuries after the events in question, and contain references to places and people not otherwise attested in other records; outside of the [[Feng Empire]] their authenticity is disputed.

=== The Lucille Codexes ===
The [[Lucille Codexes]] are a collection of written documents kept under conservation by the [[Cartographers' Guild]] of [[New Colmeris]], which are pre-Breaking artefacts discovered throughout New Colmeris, the [[Sultanate of Gerb]], and the [[Greatwind]]'s islands. The collection contains little by way of historical narrative but is rich in astrological and magical data which support either the Astrological Disaster Hypotheses or the Colmaris Lodestone Hypothesis according to the scholars that have studied the data.

=== Greatwind Oral Legends ===
The [[Greatwind]] peoples have an oral legend that supports a version of the Astrological Disaster Hypothesis, though some speculate that the legends interpreted only slightly differently would also support a Stellarchic War Hypothesis. This legend tells of a period of history in which the [[Zodiac]] had become unpredictable, and in which, instead of attempting to kill the Sun, [[the Scorpion]] attempted to destroy the whole of [[Colmeris]]. It was stopped by the actions of, among others, [[the Maiden]], who was able to prevent the whole world from being killed, and only the oceans died.

== Hypothetical Causes ==
=== Astrological Disaster Hypothesis ===
Some scholars propose that the Ancient Breaking was bound to happen; that the weight of "that much water" (being the supposed ancient seas) on the surface of Colmeris was unsustainable, or that the clockwork of the [[Zodiac]] was bound to eventually cause disaster. Those who take this hypothesis because of the legends of the Greatwind see the [[Zodiac]] as actual, intentional beings capable of conscious action and blame the malice of [[the Scorpion]]. Scholarship in this area within [[New Colmaris]] or the [[Sultanate of Gerb]] tends to point instead toward the records of the Lucille Codexes and suggest the possibility of a rogue, unmarked Moon or a great conjunction or change in the heavens as the more likely cause. Many find little comfort in either theory as it implies a repeat of such a disaster is possible at any time.

=== Stellarchiac War Hypothesis ===
Alleged by the [[Feng Empire]], the common mythology of the lower-class of the [[Trevult Imperium]], and by some modernist/literalist interpretations of the [[Greatwind]] legends, it is possible that The Ancient Breaking was in fact a war waged by the use of extreme technological and magical forces between the [[Stellarchs]] of the Old World, likely involving the use of the [[Stellarchiac Jewels]]. Supposedly, one or more rogue Stellarchs went to war with the others, and the resulting conflict became so embroiled that the world was literally torn apart over their conflict. Some find this theory comforting; it gives them someone to blame for the hardships of life in [[the Skies]], and with most of the Stellarchiac Jewels lost it is believed to be impossible for a disaster of this scale to ever again occur.

=== Colmaris Lodestone Hypothesis ===
Promulgated largely by the ruling classes of the [[Trevultine Empire]] and by many in [[New Colmaris]], the Colmaris Lodestone Hypothesis refers to any of a series of theories alleging that [[Colmaris Lodestone]] itself is responsible for the disaster. Most landmasses and most airships in the world contain [[Colmaris Lodestone]], which has peculiar properties that make it useful for generating the illusion of lift by causing an object to be bouyant to some degree in air. Many scholars posit different theories for an event at the time of the breaking that "excited" the lodestone and caused it to change state, tearing the planet apart with the resulting forces and leaving landmasses drifing along with the [[skytides]].

While this theory is plausable in some respects, others (including many prominent New Colmaris scholars and engineers) believe it to be impossible, as the natural state of [[Colmaris Lodestone]] is actually negatively bouyant in air, meaning even if it was responsible for the current state of affairs (and hadn't simply torn itself free of the ground it is to be found in), it's certainly not what's keeping land aloft now. Some reject the theory on more emotional grounds; a few have used it to posit that eventually even the land itself will [[sinking | sink]], and what is to become of humanity then?

Airships

2023-01-17T19:41:35Z

Zadammac: Created page with "{{Moving Target}} '''Airships''' are a broad classification of sky-fairing vessel common in Colmaris in the Age of Rediscovery, by then centuries in common use after the First Skies War saw their overall introduction. The term equally refers to small civilian aircraft as it does to military vehicles ("warships"). Sufficiently small airships may occasionally be referred to as "boats". While some early designs used more exotic methods, most airships rely on va..."

{{Moving Target}}

'''Airships''' are a broad classification of sky-fairing vessel common in [[Colmaris]] in [[the Age of Rediscovery]], by then centuries in common use after the [[First Skies War]] saw their overall introduction. The term equally refers to small civilian aircraft as it does to military vehicles ("warships"). Sufficiently small airships may occasionally be referred to as "boats". While some early designs used more exotic methods, most airships rely on various forms of thrust production while getting their bouyancy from a device called [[heartballast]], which is crafted from [[Colmaris Lodestone]]. Modern airships are capable of greatly exploring much of [[the Skies]] when appropriately operated.

== History ==
The concept of the heartballasted airship originates with the [[Feng Empire]], who first discovered the material of [[Colmaris Lodestone]] after [[the Ancient Breaking]]. The Empire built its own navy of such ships and used them for a time for exploratory and commercial purposes, before attempting an invasion of [[Trevultum]] when the [[skytides]] were favourable - an event known as the [[First Skies War]]. After the repulsion of this invasion, the Trevultines were able to reverse engineer the basic principles of the heartballast and built their own counter-invasion force, which became the earliest traditions of the [[Grand Navy of the Trevult Imperium]].

However, these simple vehicles lacked many of the modern conveniences and equipment of modern airship designs, which were advanced in large part due to the efforts of the [[New Coldmaris]]'s [[Cartographers' Guild]] and sailors who operated such vessels under guild supervision, so much so that the conventions and equipment thus developed are in more or less universal use by the time of [[the Age of Rediscovery]].

== Common Varieties ==
{{Missing Details}}

== Equipment ==
As a [[vehicle]], an airship can more or less be thought of as a collection of equipment sharing a common pool of hit points.

=== Lift Generation ===
An airship requires lift in order to function, without which it will begin to [[sinking | sink]]. This can be generated by one or more pieces of equipment designed for the purpose, by far the most common of which is a [[heartballast]] unit. Heartballast has the major advantages of passively generating lift and being location-independant, allowing shipbuilders to put it near the center of the ship's mass, where it would be the most protected and have the minimum limiting factor on ship maneuverability.

Ancient airships, some [[Greatwind]] designs, and some small pleasurecraft or special-purpose vehicles may generate their lift in other ways, such as through the use of gas bladders.

=== Thrust Generation ===
Regardless of how you get yourself into [[the Skies]], you will be hard pressed to traverse them without some means of generating thrust. Traditionally, this has been through the use of [[sails]], but more recently [[propeller]] systems powered by [[lundesite boilers]] have become the preferred "drive" system. These more modern systems provide serious advantages, like better handling regardless of the wind, fine positioning during precision maneuvers, and the ability to derive mechanical power for other systems aboard the ship, but in general can only be fit to some larger craft with a few exceptions, and in general are far more expensive than older methods.

=== Cladding ===
For the most part, the vast majority of civilian ships are wooden-hulled. While wood is not especially abundant on [[Colmaris]], it remains lighter and therefore preferable to metal for non-military applications.

Military, and even some pirate ships, tend to use armoured hulls to better withstand the attacks of other vessels or crews on the ground.

=== Armaments ===
{{Moving Target}}

Armaments for ships can by and large be divided into three categories: [[guns]], [[torpedos]], and [[special weapons]]. Most ships have no special weapons and rely entirely on guns to function. Torpedos are a more modern weapon type, typically only seen in use by militaries or especially well-equipped pirates. In addition, a variety of consumable items function similar to weapons, most notably [[mines]].

Additionally many ships are equipped with [[metamagic amplifiers]] which can be used to amplify [[Sorcery]] to the extent it can be used as a shipboard weapon.

=== Special and Miscellaneous Equipment ===
{{Missing Details}}

A variety of other special equipment for ships exist. Some larger vessels carry lifeboats. Many have onboard water and sewage handling, galleys, and other life and comfort systems. Some ships are equipped specially for specific tasks, such as fishing, [[condensate collection]], or other exotic purposes.

== Gameplay Mechanics ==
{{Missing Details}}

Zodiac

2023-01-17T19:00:42Z

Zadammac: Created page with "The '''Zodiac''' are the driving astrological force impacting the forces of magic on Colmaris, and play a major role in the societies and religions of the people living in the world. Originally codified either by the pre-Breaking Trevultines or by the modern Trevultines, all societies known on Colmaris recognize the same twelve-house Zodiac, though in many cases they are given different significance. The Zodiac consists of twelve major..."

The '''Zodiac''' are the driving astrological force impacting the forces of [[magic]] on [[Colmaris]], and play a major role in the societies and religions of the people living in the world. Originally codified either by the [[pre-Breaking Trevultines]] or by the [[Trevult Imperium | modern Trevultines]], all societies known on Colmaris recognize the same twelve-house Zodiac, though in many cases they are given different significance.

The Zodiac consists of twelve major constellations of stars which are more or less equally spaced around the circumference of the night sky. Each such Zodiac Sign is said to be the ruler of a house, which is an arc of the sky roughly 30 degrees wide centered on that sign; the movement of the [[Moons]] through these houses is used by magical practitioners of various kinds as a bellwether for their efforts.

The position of the sun relative to the zodiac is used as a measure of the passage of time and repeats itself roughly once a year. Some devotees of [[divination]] rely on the sun's position in this way at the time of a person's birth as an indicator of their personal qualities. Additionally each sign has a '''crowning star''' whose color determines the effective magical color for the entire sign, which has relevance in determining the impacts of the sign on [[Sorcery]].

Each sign is also associated with a powerful artefact known as the [[Stellarchiac Jewels]].

The twelve Zodiac Signs are as follows:
* [[The Ram]], which rules the [[First House]]. It is an [[Orange Magic | orange]] constellation whose crown is referred to as "Ramshead". It is not especially bright but is implicated most observations of the [[Spring Equinox]] and is thus associated strongly with the beginning of springtime and the breaking of disasters.
* [[The Bull]] rules the [[Second House]] and is considered a [[Red Magic | red]] constellation, and its crown, "Disciple", is the fifteenth brightest object in the night sky. The ruler of mid-spring, the bull is considered to be symbolic of strife and warfare as many military campaigns are launched while the sun is in its house.
* [[The Twins]] rule the [[Third House]]. The twins wear two crowns and are therefore associated with two colors of magic: [[Yellow Magic]] and [[Blue Magic]] named for "Brother" and "Sister" respectively. In addition to being the only sign ruled by two colors, the Twins are strongly associated with the [[Feng Empire]] due to an ancient tradition that suggests that before [[the Ancient Breaking]], [[Feng]] lay far to the east of [[Trevultum]].
* [[The Crab]] rules over the [[Fourth House]] and is considered to be the first sign of astrological summer. It is an [[Orange Magic | orange]] constellation thanks to its dim crown-star, Ovus. Its placement at the "birth" of summer gives it twin associations with rest and action.
* [[The Lion]] rules over the [[Fifth House]] and therefore midsummer - some call it the King of Signs as a result. It is among the brightest of all the signs and is considered a [[White Magic | white]] sign due to its crowning star, "Kinglight". The sign is mostly associated with pre-Breaking cultures now lost.
* [[The Maiden]] rules over the [[Sixth House]]. It is crowned by a [[Blue Magic | blue]] star, "the Grape", and is associated strongly with times of rest in most lands. The Greatwinds consider The Maiden a protector diety and reverence her sign greatly.
* [[The Scales]] rules over the [[Seventh House]] and is the final sign of the long summer, though sometimes it is associated with autumn. It is a fairly faint, but [[white magic | white]] constellation ruled by the crowning star "Judgement". The sign is strongly associated with life and death and with rulership, and also with the [[Trevult Imperium]], especially through its association with the Trevaltine Royal Family, [[House Volta]].
* [[The Scorpion]] rules the [[Eighth House]] and has a strong association with autumn - in fact, the [[Greatwind]] believe that autumn begins because the Scorpion has killed the sun, which spends the rest of the year dying as a result. It is a [[Red Magic | Red]] sign, crowned by "Scorpion's Heart". Many mythologies place figures associated closely with the scorpion as their antagonist, including some accounts of [[the Ancient Breaking]].
* [[The Archer]] rules the [[Ninth House]] and is the final sign before the commencement of astrological winter. It's crowned by a star known as "the Nock" which is a somwhat dim [[Red Magic | red]] star. It has a strong association with ends, especially of eras, such as the deaths of rulers or the occurrence of disasters.
* [[The Goat]] rules in the [[Tenth House]] and is crowned by "The Goat's Tail", a [[White magic | White]] sign. It's associated strongly with astrological winter (which it is said to begin). [[Greatwind]] legends associate the Goat with protection and sacrifice; it is said to give itself to mankind each year to ensure their survival of the winter-that-has-come.
* [[The School]] is the ruling sign of the [[Eleventh House]]. Perhaps strangely for a sign associated with the imagery of fish, they are crowned by "the crests", the four largest stars of the formation, giving it a [[Yellow Magic | yellow]] coloration. Greatwind legends favour the School heavily, because the school feeds and supports the sun as it passes through them following the [[winter solstice]], which they associate with the sun's apparant revival and the "beginning of the end of winter".
* [[The Waters]] is the ruling sign of the [[Twelfth House]], strongly associated with [[Blue Magic]] due to its crowning star, "the Seastar". The precious nature of water since [[the Ancient Breaking]], which has placed most if not all water on [[Colmaris]] out of human reach, is said to have strongly diminished its influence.

Magic

2023-01-16T19:52:45Z

Zadammac: /* Discipline of the Sorcerer */

'''Magic''' in the world of ''Stellarchs of the Tarnished Skies'' is a reliable and predictable force of nature deeply tied to the [[Zodiac]], a set of primary constellations that divide up colmaris's night sky, along with the [[Moons]], a collection of natural satellites that orbit Colmeris and whose location relative to the Zodiac produces different effects. The use of magic typically requires intensive study and specialization in one or more skillsets, most of which are discussed below as "disciplines". In this way, magic tends to touch the lives of every person living in Colmaris. Most magical disciplines and terminology originate with the [[[pre-Break Trevultines]].

=== Role of the Zodiac and Moons ===
The [[Zodiac]] and the current position of the [[Moons]] within the houses of the Zodiac have a powerful influence on the abilities of spellcasters and the strength of existing magical effects. During certain astrological and astronomical events, for example, a spellcaster born under the sign of the Crab may suddenly find themselves extremely constrained in their ability to work Blue Magic effects or perhaps at great advantage in Red Magic spellcasting. This effect can be more or less pronounced and modified by other factors, such as the relative positions of the moons toward each other.

{{Moving Target}}
These influences need to be computed and tracked by the Gamemaster, who is ultimately responsible for making sure the mages know the state of the cosmos.

=== Discipline of the Sorcerer ===
''See also: [[List of Stock Spells]], [[Spellcasting]]''

The [[Sorcery]] Skill determines the proficiency a magic user has in learning and casting spells that have direct and material effects - usually subdivided into damage, healing, buff, and debuff spells.

These spells are best thought of as being coloured, divided up into one of five colors based on the types of stars in the sky which most strongly influence their effects. These colors are:
* [[Blue Magic]], governed by stars of the same color, which is most strongly associated with effects of wind or air, feelings of wakefulness or drowsiness, and physical or mental agility.
* [[White Magic]], governed by stars of the same color, which concerns itself chiefly with life and death effects.
* [[Yellow Magic]], governed by stars of the same color (not to include the [[Sun]]), which deals with the manipulation of electricity, alacrity, and combat prowess.
* [[Orange Magic]], governed by stars of the same color, which deals with the manipulation of sand, stone, and mud, and with concepts like stamina and endurance.
* [[Red Magic]], governed by stars of the same color, which deals with the manipulation of fire, of passions, emotions, and hostility.

While a single skill, Sorcery, governs all spellcasting of these kinds, many mages choose to specialize in just a few colors of magic based on what resources are available to them.

=== Discipline of the Astrologer ===
The [[Astrology]] skill governs both the use of the appropriate instruments and references to compute or interpret [[Horoscopic Graphs]], useful for historical purposes or for understanding the current conditions effecting other efforts, such as [[Sorcery]] or [[Magical Artifice]]. While not quite as glamorous a form of magic as those enacted by sorcerers, Astrologers of reasonable proficiency are valued experts, welcome on just about any ship (and, by some captains, considered downright essential to have around). Astrology can also use such disciplines to perform [[Divination]], a special kind of forecasting.

The [[Cartographers Guild]], the [[Unversity of Trevultum]], and [[Shui School]] all grant certifications of proficiency for Astrologers, and these credentials are highly respected.

=== Discipline of Artifice ===
Artifice involves the synthesis of the [[Magical Artifice]] skill with another crafting skill in order to create an item with a permanent magical effect. This can largely be reduced to two main areas of study:
* [[Enchanting]], which is the discipline of coupling Magical Artifice with the craft of permanent or transitive objects, such as [[weapons]], [[armour]], [[pyxes]], [[ammunition]], or even entire [[airships]], or;
* [[Alchemical Pharmacology]], which is the discipline of coupling Magical Artifice with [[pharmacology]] and [[herbalism]] skills in order to create single-use magical concoctions, usually for medical purposes.

Such magical endeavours are much more stable than Sorcery in terms of the impact of astrology on the created products, usually fixing the magical potency of the item to the moment of its creation. When done appropriately with attention paid to Astrology, this can potentially turn short-lived moments of advantage into long-term benefits. The downside, of course, is that such artifice is necessarily expensive: while alchemical pharmacology only requires relatively readily-available alchemical ingredients, enchanting almost always incurs a high material cost due to the indispensability of certain valuable materials - cheifly various forms of [[phosphorite]] - in the creative process.

Magic

2023-01-16T19:52:15Z

Zadammac: /* Discipline of the Astrologer */

'''Magic''' in the world of ''Stellarchs of the Tarnished Skies'' is a reliable and predictable force of nature deeply tied to the [[Zodiac]], a set of primary constellations that divide up colmaris's night sky, along with the [[Moons]], a collection of natural satellites that orbit Colmeris and whose location relative to the Zodiac produces different effects. The use of magic typically requires intensive study and specialization in one or more skillsets, most of which are discussed below as "disciplines". In this way, magic tends to touch the lives of every person living in Colmaris. Most magical disciplines and terminology originate with the [[[pre-Break Trevultines]].

=== Role of the Zodiac and Moons ===
The [[Zodiac]] and the current position of the [[Moons]] within the houses of the Zodiac have a powerful influence on the abilities of spellcasters and the strength of existing magical effects. During certain astrological and astronomical events, for example, a spellcaster born under the sign of the Crab may suddenly find themselves extremely constrained in their ability to work Blue Magic effects or perhaps at great advantage in Red Magic spellcasting. This effect can be more or less pronounced and modified by other factors, such as the relative positions of the moons toward each other.

{{Moving Target}}
These influences need to be computed and tracked by the Gamemaster, who is ultimately responsible for making sure the mages know the state of the cosmos.

=== Discipline of the Sorcerer ===
See also: [[List of Stock Spells]], [[Spellcasting]]
The [[Sorcery]] Skill determines the proficiency a magic user has in learning and casting spells that have direct and material effects - usually subdivided into damage, healing, buff, and debuff spells.

These spells are best thought of as being coloured, divided up into one of five colors based on the types of stars in the sky which most strongly influence their effects. These colors are:
* [[Blue Magic]], governed by stars of the same color, which is most strongly associated with effects of wind or air, feelings of wakefulness or drowsiness, and physical or mental agility.
* [[White Magic]], governed by stars of the same color, which concerns itself chiefly with life and death effects.
* [[Yellow Magic]], governed by stars of the same color (not to include the [[Sun]]), which deals with the manipulation of electricity, alacrity, and combat prowess.
* [[Orange Magic]], governed by stars of the same color, which deals with the manipulation of sand, stone, and mud, and with concepts like stamina and endurance.
* [[Red Magic]], governed by stars of the same color, which deals with the manipulation of fire, of passions, emotions, and hostility.

While a single skill, Sorcery, governs all spellcasting of these kinds, many mages choose to specialize in just a few colors of magic based on what resources are available to them.

=== Discipline of the Astrologer ===
The [[Astrology]] skill governs both the use of the appropriate instruments and references to compute or interpret [[Horoscopic Graphs]], useful for historical purposes or for understanding the current conditions effecting other efforts, such as [[Sorcery]] or [[Magical Artifice]]. While not quite as glamorous a form of magic as those enacted by sorcerers, Astrologers of reasonable proficiency are valued experts, welcome on just about any ship (and, by some captains, considered downright essential to have around). Astrology can also use such disciplines to perform [[Divination]], a special kind of forecasting.

The [[Cartographers Guild]], the [[Unversity of Trevultum]], and [[Shui School]] all grant certifications of proficiency for Astrologers, and these credentials are highly respected.

=== Discipline of Artifice ===
Artifice involves the synthesis of the [[Magical Artifice]] skill with another crafting skill in order to create an item with a permanent magical effect. This can largely be reduced to two main areas of study:
* [[Enchanting]], which is the discipline of coupling Magical Artifice with the craft of permanent or transitive objects, such as [[weapons]], [[armour]], [[pyxes]], [[ammunition]], or even entire [[airships]], or;
* [[Alchemical Pharmacology]], which is the discipline of coupling Magical Artifice with [[pharmacology]] and [[herbalism]] skills in order to create single-use magical concoctions, usually for medical purposes.

Such magical endeavours are much more stable than Sorcery in terms of the impact of astrology on the created products, usually fixing the magical potency of the item to the moment of its creation. When done appropriately with attention paid to Astrology, this can potentially turn short-lived moments of advantage into long-term benefits. The downside, of course, is that such artifice is necessarily expensive: while alchemical pharmacology only requires relatively readily-available alchemical ingredients, enchanting almost always incurs a high material cost due to the indispensability of certain valuable materials - cheifly various forms of [[phosphorite]] - in the creative process.

Magic

2023-01-16T19:52:03Z

Zadammac: Created page with "'''Magic''' in the world of ''Stellarchs of the Tarnished Skies'' is a reliable and predictable force of nature deeply tied to the Zodiac, a set of primary constellations that divide up colmaris's night sky, along with the Moons, a collection of natural satellites that orbit Colmeris and whose location relative to the Zodiac produces different effects. The use of magic typically requires intensive study and specialization in one or more skillsets, most of which a..."

'''Magic''' in the world of ''Stellarchs of the Tarnished Skies'' is a reliable and predictable force of nature deeply tied to the [[Zodiac]], a set of primary constellations that divide up colmaris's night sky, along with the [[Moons]], a collection of natural satellites that orbit Colmeris and whose location relative to the Zodiac produces different effects. The use of magic typically requires intensive study and specialization in one or more skillsets, most of which are discussed below as "disciplines". In this way, magic tends to touch the lives of every person living in Colmaris. Most magical disciplines and terminology originate with the [[[pre-Break Trevultines]].

=== Role of the Zodiac and Moons ===
The [[Zodiac]] and the current position of the [[Moons]] within the houses of the Zodiac have a powerful influence on the abilities of spellcasters and the strength of existing magical effects. During certain astrological and astronomical events, for example, a spellcaster born under the sign of the Crab may suddenly find themselves extremely constrained in their ability to work Blue Magic effects or perhaps at great advantage in Red Magic spellcasting. This effect can be more or less pronounced and modified by other factors, such as the relative positions of the moons toward each other.

{{Moving Target}}
These influences need to be computed and tracked by the Gamemaster, who is ultimately responsible for making sure the mages know the state of the cosmos.

=== Discipline of the Sorcerer ===
See also: [[List of Stock Spells]], [[Spellcasting]]
The [[Sorcery]] Skill determines the proficiency a magic user has in learning and casting spells that have direct and material effects - usually subdivided into damage, healing, buff, and debuff spells.

These spells are best thought of as being coloured, divided up into one of five colors based on the types of stars in the sky which most strongly influence their effects. These colors are:
* [[Blue Magic]], governed by stars of the same color, which is most strongly associated with effects of wind or air, feelings of wakefulness or drowsiness, and physical or mental agility.
* [[White Magic]], governed by stars of the same color, which concerns itself chiefly with life and death effects.
* [[Yellow Magic]], governed by stars of the same color (not to include the [[Sun]]), which deals with the manipulation of electricity, alacrity, and combat prowess.
* [[Orange Magic]], governed by stars of the same color, which deals with the manipulation of sand, stone, and mud, and with concepts like stamina and endurance.
* [[Red Magic]], governed by stars of the same color, which deals with the manipulation of fire, of passions, emotions, and hostility.

While a single skill, Sorcery, governs all spellcasting of these kinds, many mages choose to specialize in just a few colors of magic based on what resources are available to them.

=== Discipline of the Astrologer ===
The [[Astrology]] skill governs both the use of the appropriate instruments and references to compute or interpret [[Horoscopic Graphs]], useful for historical purposes or for understanding the current conditions effecting other efforts, such as [[Sorcery]] or [[Magical Artifice]]. While not quite as glamorous a form of magic as those enacted by sorcerers, Astrologers of reasonable proficiency are valued experts, welcome on just about any ship (and, by some captains, considered downright essential to have around). Astrology can also use such disciplines to perform [[Divination]], a special kind of forecasting.

The [[Cartographers Guild]], the [[Unvercity of Trevultum]], and [[Shui School]] all grant certifications of proficiency for Astrologers, and these credentials are highly respected.

=== Discipline of Artifice ===
Artifice involves the synthesis of the [[Magical Artifice]] skill with another crafting skill in order to create an item with a permanent magical effect. This can largely be reduced to two main areas of study:
* [[Enchanting]], which is the discipline of coupling Magical Artifice with the craft of permanent or transitive objects, such as [[weapons]], [[armour]], [[pyxes]], [[ammunition]], or even entire [[airships]], or;
* [[Alchemical Pharmacology]], which is the discipline of coupling Magical Artifice with [[pharmacology]] and [[herbalism]] skills in order to create single-use magical concoctions, usually for medical purposes.

Such magical endeavours are much more stable than Sorcery in terms of the impact of astrology on the created products, usually fixing the magical potency of the item to the moment of its creation. When done appropriately with attention paid to Astrology, this can potentially turn short-lived moments of advantage into long-term benefits. The downside, of course, is that such artifice is necessarily expensive: while alchemical pharmacology only requires relatively readily-available alchemical ingredients, enchanting almost always incurs a high material cost due to the indispensability of certain valuable materials - cheifly various forms of [[phosphorite]] - in the creative process.

Stellarchiac Jewels

2023-01-16T19:10:33Z

Zadammac: Created page with "The '''Stellarchiac Jewels''' were twelve pre-Break magical artefacts believed to have been created by the pre-Breaking Trevultines as signs of temporal authority and focuses for astrological energy necessary for working the highest levels of magic possible. For the most part, they are considered to be legendary items only, in that most of them have not been located since the Ancient Breaking, though the few that continue to..."

The '''Stellarchiac Jewels''' were twelve [[the Ancient Breaking | pre-Break]] [[magic | magical]] artefacts believed to have been created by the [[pre-Breaking Trevultines]] as signs of temporal authority and focuses for astrological energy necessary for working the highest levels of magic possible. For the most part, they are considered to be legendary items only, in that most of them have not been located since [[the Ancient Breaking]], though the few that continue to exist lend credence to the supposed existence of the others. Like much of magic, the power of the Stellarchiac Jewels is tied deeply to the [[Zodiac]] and other astrological forces on [[Colmaris]]. The name is a reference to the [[Stellarchs]], ancient heirophant-monarchs believed to have been world leaders before the Breaking.

Artefacts the like of the Stellarchiac Jewels are considered impossible to reproduce by even the most learned of modern scholars. Though the materials of their craft are known, almost all contain either impossibly large quantities of those materials or were worked by crafts whose secrets have since been lost. All of them are primarily composed of some form of processed or artificially-created [[Stellated Phosphorite]].

In addition to their own immediate powers, legend holds that the Stellarchiac Jewels have powerful effects that can control the fates of entire nations at once. It is believed, for example, that the [[Trevult Empire]] owes its military primacy to [[Emperor Joachim]] both pocessing and being the rightful master of the [[Cabochon of the Judge]].

=== Known-Extant Stellarchiac Jewels ===

The following Stellarchiac Jewels are known to have survived [[the Ancient Breaking]] and remain in the custody of a known party:
* The [[Cabochon of the Judge]], which is tied to the sign of [[The Scales]] and other yellow stars, is known to have survived the break and is considered the most precious of all the crown jewels of the [[Trevult Empire]]. To that end it is considered a personal posession of [[Emperor Joachim]] through his position as the monarch, and through him is an heirloom of [[House Volta]]. It is a large cabochon of blue mineral shot through with an impossibly fine tracery of gold wire.
* The [[Carsine Ascelpius]] is a staff of blue mineral which is wound around with a snake wrought from electrum. Some three and a half feet long, it is an ancient symbol of authority now held by the government of the [[New Colmaris]] republic, and is considered a badge of office of their [[President in Congress]]. It is closely associated with [[the Crab]].
* The [[Twinned Mirror]] is a polished mirror made from a rich, ultramarine form of stellated phosphorite, held in a bronze body. Under normal use it shows no reflection save for the glare of nearby light, but it is said a user proficient in its use can exploit it to a variety of divinatory effects. The mirror is an ancient relic held within the [[Feng Empire]] by religious officials and used in several state empires including the coronation of their own emperor. Unsurprisingly, this is associated with [[The Twins]].
* The [[Heart of the Ocean]] is a large and perfectly trapezohedral figure made from Stellated Phosphorite - a mode in which the crystal does not naturally occur. It is known to slowly pulse with its own light, visible only in otherwise perfect darkness. The stone is held as a sign of of the authority of the [[Sultanate of Gerb]], where it was found during [[Deepsky Condensate Harvesting]] early in [[the Age of Rediscovery]]. This is most strongly associated with the sign of [[the Waters]].
* The [[Virginal Crown]] is a religious artefact and headdress maintained by the [[Greatwinds]] and their religious leaders at the [[Temple of the Innocent]] in [[Lisan]], the largest of the Greatwinds settlements. Usually kept hidden under lock and key, the crown is only brought out of its reliquary when the Greatwinds feel the need to appoint a [[Marshal of Wars]], at which point it becomes that figure's badge of office. By all accounts ancient and modern it is the "smallest" of all the jewels, as the portion made of Stellated Phosphorite is no more than a fair-sized emerald-cut piece that rests at the center of the forehead of the wearer. The artefact is strongly associated with [[the Maiden]], though the exact provinence is split depending on the source.

=== The Lost Stellarchiac Jewels ===
There are five additional Stellarchiac Jewels that are both well-attested to exist and of unknown resting place. It is possible they were destroyed in [[the Ancient Breaking]] or remain irretrievable in [[the Underworld]].
* The [[Cabochon of the Bull]], which is tied to [[the Bull]], was a shield with a large cabochon at its center which was once associated with the Trevultine noble house [[House Bergeron]]. The metal of the shield itself was unknown, documented only to be "light as wood and stronger than steel" and "of shining iridescence". The artefact appears several times in the histories of [[House Bergeron]] and is occasionally referenced in other house histories but disappears from the historical record some time before the [[First Skies War]].
* The [[Baguette of Forces]] is another gem-cut example of a Stellarchiac Jewel, associated with [[the Ram]], bloodshed, and warfare. The jewel is referenced in various historical treatments, usually as one of the earliest Stellarchiac Jewels created (or, according to some scholars, discovered). Various weapons are attested to have been created with the Baguette at its center, acting as a source of magical energy for the weapons thus designed. No example of it nor a machine made to utilize it has been recorded since [[the Ancient Breaking]].
* The [[Celestial Arrowhead]] is unsurprisingly associated with [[the Archer]], and much like the Baguette of Forces, it is strongly associated with warfare. Unlike the Baguette of Forces, whose mythology surrounds weapons capable of destroying whole cities at once, the Celestial Arrowhead is associated with individual combatants, usually as a token of divine favour or as a weapon used to fell a single, otherwise invincible foe. According to legend it was used to assassinate the [[Last Ground King]] and presumably is still to be found in [[the Underworld]].
* The [[Net of the Fishermen]] is associated with [[the School]], and features heavily in the religious mythology and symbolism of the [[Greatwinds]], though they believe the artefact to have been lost. It supposedly took the form of a great net with beads of mineral around its edge, which could be used in manner alike to a casting net. According to the Greatwinds, [[the School]] granted the use of the net to [[the Maiden]], who used the artefact to entrap [[the Scorpion]] before it could finish destroying [[Colmaris]].
* The [[Broach of the Immovable]] is a large, baguette-cut Stellarchiac Jewel supposedly to be worn as a broach or cloakpin, which is strongly associated with [[the Goat]]. The legendarium posits it as the magical antidote to both the [[Baguette of Forces]] and the [[Celestial Arrowhead]] in that it can confer strong protective effects to either a single wearer or, if used correctly, entire kingdoms. Its whereabouts at the time of [[the Ancient Breaking]], and therefore its ultimate fate, are entirely unknown.

=== The Supposed Stellarchiac Jewels ===
There are two Stellarchiac Jewels without sufficient evidence to confirm the reality of having ever existed as they appear only in one ancient treatise on the subject of the jewels.
* The [[Mantel of God-Kings]] is a jewel deeply associated with [[the Lion]], the exact form of which is unknown. Given its name, it is probable that the object has been worked into a headdress or badge of office similar to the [[Virginal Crown]]. According to the texts, the Mantel of God-Kings was created by an unknown [[Stellarch]] to confer ultimate authority to themselves or another, in order to place them above the influence of (or perhaps even in command of) the other Stellarchiac Jewels.
* The [[Seal of the Great Lie]] is another jewel, this one deeply associated with [[the Scorpion]]. It is believed to have been a loose gem cut and difficult to work with as it contained a flaw rendering it so dark as to appear to be a flat, black tile when viewed from any angle, meaning you could only infer the shape from turning it over in your hands and making observations about the way the shape changed. If it ever existed, it supposedly only did so in order to entirely subvert the authority of the [[Mantel of the God King]].

Trevult Imperium

2023-01-16T14:36:38Z

Zadammac: /* Skytides */

The '''Trevult Imperium''' is a country in [[Colmaris]]. Its primary formation is the large continent of [[Trevult (Continent) | Trevult]] and a small collection of a dozen sizable accessory islands, all of which are strongly [[tidally united]]. By total land mass as well as viable land surface area, it is the geographically largest of all the countries of [[Colmaris]].

The primary culture within Trevult is that of the Trevultine peoples, who are effectively native to the continent of Trevult and have lived on that continent since [[the Ancient Breaking]]. They've embraced this heritage readily, and though significant time has passed since the Breaking (along with all the cultural evolution that implies), they attribute their oldest traditions to "before the skies were tarnished". This ancient heritage is a source of pride for both the ruling and working classes, between which there is a strong divide. Trevult has a proud military history as well, and by the time of [[The Age of Rediscovery]] they were considered the pre-emanant naval force on Colmaris; among their most famous victories is the [[First Skies War]], during which they repulsed an invasion by the [[Feng Empire]] then imposed peace terms upon them by means of counter-invasion.

The Trevult Imperium is a constitutional monarchy backed by a strong military governorship; in practice the political power of the parliament is so limited that the Throne's power is more or less absolute. The head of government, the [[Prime Minister (Trevult Imperium)]], is therefore seen as something of a figurehead, and most authority seems to remain with the head of state, the [[Trevultine Emperor]], [[Emperor Joachim | Joachim of House Volta]].

Trevult can be considered a highly developed country in terms of its economic and industrial capacity, having fully embraced an industrial revolution made possible through the exploitation of [[Lundesite]] and the colonization of unaffiliated lands, as well as lands held by the [[Greatwind]], a culture which most Trevultines do not consider to be a nation. The benefits of this economic explosion have only served to widen the gap between the noble and common classes in terms of wealth, comfort, safety, and general satisfaction with life. In [[The Age of Rediscovery]], much of the benefit of this economic prowess had been heavily diverted into the [[Grand Navy of the Trevult Imperium]].

==Etymology==
The term "Trevult" is a temporal corruption of the pre-Breaking Trevultine phrase "treya voltar", literally "three vaults". This term refers to the [[Three Strongholds of Trevultum]], ancient structures in which ancestors of many noble class families in Trevult survived [[the Ancient Breaking]], long since re-excavated and used for various purposes.

==History==
''See Also: [[History of Trevult]]''
===Pre-Breaking===
The [[pre-Breaking Trevultines]] were a culture famous for their exploratory and scientific prowess, and most scholars agree based on their writings that the ancestral Trevultines had come up with a unified theory of science and [[magic]], with some even ascribing the creation of the legendary [[Stellarchiac Jewels]] to these people. It is also believed by many that the ancestral Trevultines had foreknowledge of [[the Ancient Breaking]] given the construction of the [[Three Strongholds of Trevultum]] which allowed some portion of their population to escape the chaos of the event mostly unscathed; in point of fact some within the [[Feng Empire]] accuse the ancestral Trevultines of having ''caused'' the disaster.

Most solid records and true historical sources of the pre-Breaking Trevultines are considered to be lost. The government of the Imperium hold that the [[Three Strongholds of Trevultum]] were used for safeguarding lives rather than knowledge, and in the absence of anything other than those occupants' own accounts and writings and centuries of scholarship built upon that information, historical knowledge of the ancestral Trevultines is largely lost, including the original name of the people.

===Trevultum===
Post-breaking, the earliest history of the Trevult Imperium can be traced back to the emergence and resettlement of the city of [[Trevultum]], a central valley city proximal to the [[Three Strongholds of Trevultum]] on the continent of the same name. The city was established at a coordinated rendevous point of the survivors in the Three Strongholds, with the legendary history of the foundation of the city placing [[Zodiac]] significance on both the location and the date of foundation - this foundation date can be observed in various [[Horoscopic Graphs]] embedded in city public works.

Originally, Trevultum was a city founded by what eventually became the [[Noble Class (Trevultine)]]. Eventually, as an exploration and recharting of the continent of Trevult continued, the city began to welcome a [[Commoner Class (Trevultine)]] contingent into their ranks.

===Kingdom of Trevult===
As the civilization developing on [[Trevult (Continent) | Trevult]] grew, so to did its needs in terms of government, which eventually lead to the foundation of a Kingdom with its seat in [[Trevultum]]. This kingdom was ruled through a succession of adequate and inadequate markers, with the crown changing hands between the noble houses through a series of rebellions, wars of succession, and intreagues; this is largely credited with having both stimied the evolution of equality between the noble and commoner classes as well as with enforcing the military traditions of Trevult.

This kingdom lasted from mere decades after the breaking all the way through to [[the Age of Rediscovery]], ending on the day of the coronation of [[Emperor Joachim | Joachim of House Volta]]. Three centuries prior to the era of the Age of Rediscovery, an abortive revolution by the commoner class ended with the [[Certora Magnifica]] being signed, creating constitutional limits on the powers of the Throne and placing a proverbial sword of damocles above the monarch in the form of a parliament and a military council. However, these institutions were so stacked with members drawn from the noble class that the improvement in quality of life for the commoner class was marginal at best.

===Imperialism===
With the support of the [[Military Council (Trevult)]], [[Emperor Joachim]] conspired to enact changes to the coronation ceremony that finalized his accession to the crown, coordinating to have the church annoint him as "Emperor of the Trevultines" instead of "King in Trevultum". This was matched with twin promulgations on the same day, shortly after the ceremony, which removed the authority to enforce laws and oversee military affairs from the civilian parliament, handing those powers instead to the Military Council. This was largely seen by historians as the "death" of the Kingdom of Trevult and the birth of the Trevult Imperium, but in truth, the Kingdom had been dying for as much as a century prior.

Trevultum has always had an imperialist history; having been founded by a small handful of surviving pre-Breaking families, the city then proceeded to pacify, even by conquest, the rest of the continent [[Trevult (Continent) | Trevult]]. Following the events of the [[First Skies War]], Trevult's use of naval power has been as much about economics, trade, and dialogue as it has been about conquest.

Joachim's best supporters say that history will remember him as the man who brought Trevult into its full glory. His detractors argue that he was simply the final nail in a coffin long forming around Trevult; a manifestation of the actual reality of Trevult as it had existed since the dawn of the [[Age of Rediscovery]].

==Geography==
Whether computing by land mass or by viable land surface area, Trevult is the largest geographic entity on [[Colmaris]]. The country itself is comprised largely of the [[Trevult (Continent) | Trevult]] and a dozen or so small islands, all of which are locked into one [[skytide formation]] through [[tidal locking]]. The Trevult Imperium also claims dominion over dozens of additional overskies territories, usually in the form of large reefs or islands, many of which have been carved away from [[Greatwinds]] control.

===Skytides===
The Imperium claims dominion over one major [[skytide]], the [[Trevult (Continent) | Trevultine Skytide]], which links the continent of Trevult to its accessory islands. They also divide their empire into "resonant territories" based on proximity to the mainland and similarity in the relevant Skytide.

===Climate===
With a broad geographic spread, the weather of the Trevultine Empire is diverse. For the most part, in the common eye, thunderstorms and thick fogs are associated with Trevult due to their tendency to bedevil the continent.

===Biodiversity===
{{Missing Details}}

==Government and Politics==
Under the [[Certora Magnifica]], authority in Trevult flows to the [[Parliament in Trevultum]] and the [[Military Council]] through the Throne, which itself is granted authority and legitimacy "by the Stars since times forgotten", symbolized by the [[Cabochon of the Judge]], one of the [[Stellarchiac Jewels]], which was kept in the [[Three Strongholds of Trevultum]] and has become part of the imperial regalia, now held by [[House Volta]].

Throughout much of the time since the signing of the Certora Magnifica, the Military Council and the Throne have worked together to undermine the authority of Parliament, so much so that the institution is now seen as a vestigial state organ even by those who serve within it.

===Law===
Laws are introduced to Parliament at the request of the Throne, after which they are debated by the legislative assembly and amended in terms of their exact legal language, prior to being passed. Such passed laws are then promulgated and given the force of law by Royal (and later, Imperial) decree.

The Enforcement of laws has been stripped away from Parliament in recent years. While the existing local police organizations remain in force, they now report through the Military Council. For the most part, the constabulary have actually welcomed this change, as being attached to the more powerful Military Council has solved many of their financial concerns and given them greater latitude in terms of the acceptable means by which they can conduct the business of keeping the peace.

===Foreign Relations and Military===
Foreign relations within the Imperium are fraught. On the one hand, the Imperium by and large brings a reliable partner in terms of honouring its trade commitments and providing military support in wartime. In practice, however, with so few nations on Colmaris, no shortage of wars are instigated by the militaristic Trevultines, and the Trevultines at one time or another have warred with all the other [[nations]] in Colmaris.

By the time of [[the Age of Rediscovery]], the Trevultines are thought to be at peace with the [[Feng Empire]], the [[Sultanate of Gerb]], and the [[New Coldmaris]] republics, and can be seen as at war with the [[Greatwinds]], though this matter is somewhat more complicated as the Imperium does not see the [[Greatwinds]] as a united nation at all, but as renegades, outlaws, and uncivilized colonies on individual islands not claimed by most of the other nations. However, military tensions remain high; the industrial and military machines of Trevultum must be fed, and there are limits to what trade will support.

The largest organ of the Trevultine Military is the [[Grand Navy of the Trevult Imperium]], and all but two members of the [[Military Council]] during the reign of [[Emperor Joachim]] were [[Grand Admiral (Trevultine)| Grand Admirals]]; the others being the [[Captain General of the Trevultine Marine]] and the head of [[Naval Intelligence (Trevultine) | Naval Intelligence]]. Trevultines in general were extremely proud of their military, which was considered to be the most technically advanced, best equipped, and well-funded navy in the world during most eras of world history, and the proud naval traditions of the Grand Navy were thought to go back to before [[the Ancient Breaking]], in the days when ships went by sea. A career within the military was seen by noble and commoner alike as a path toward personal advancement and the betterment of ones circumstances, and was the primary mode of social and economic mobility available during [[the Age of Rediscovery]].

===Provinces and Territories===
{{Missing Details}}

==Economy==
In spite of their extensive use of both, [[Trevult (Continent) | Trevult]] was not to be considered materially rich in either [[Lundesite]] nor [[Colmaris Lodestone]], both vital mineral resources. Though they do have some native production capacity for these materials through their colonial holdings, the Trevultines are also heavily dependant on trade, especially for the former, in particular through the [[Sultanate of Gerb]].

Additionally, the harsh environment and geography of the Trevultine continent makes food shortages common beyond the bare caloric essentials. Most of the "best" foods used by the Trevultine are imported from other lands.

Fortunately for the Trevultines, however, they are materially rich in a variety of precious and nonprecious minerals and metals. They are the world's leading exporter of a number of technological and arcane artifices.

===Science and Technology===
The Trevultines have ample and ready access to both examples of pre-Breaking technologies and to mineral resources, both of which together have by and large spearheaded their economic and technological advancement. Since the invention of the [[Lundesite Pile]] early in [[the Age of Rediscovery]], they have been able to produce [[electricity]] and steam power to degrees orders of magnitude higher than any other nation, and rely heavily on both for their industry. They routinely make use of machinery decades ahead of their competitor powers, both militarily and economically.

===Use of Magic===
The Trevultines are thought to have codified the [[Zodiac]] and most other systems of [[magic]] in Colmaris, either through their own discovery or, as seems more likely, through direct survival of the relevant knowledge during [[the Ancient Breaking]]. The trappings of this magic feature heavily in state functions and rituals, and the [[University of Trevultum]] teaches on such matters. However, the influence of magic as anything more than a trapping for state religion within the Trevultine Imperium is on the wane. The influence of the [[Lundesite Pile]] is such that magic has become deeply unreliable in the city of [[Trevultum]] and many other major population centers in the empire. Many mages, facing the potential loss of the power they have worked their whole lives to establish, take roles within the [[Grand Navy of the Trevult Imperium]] or travel to the colonies to continue their work. A few have become prominent voices for the abandonment of the Lundesite Pile technology, proposing instead the use of a greater number of [[Lundesite Boilers]] or even magical solutions to the same problem. Among such voices during the reign of [[Emperor Joachim]] was [[Grand Admiral (Trevultine) | Grand Admiral]] [[Juan Louis Esparza]], a prominent member of the [[Military Council]] who was both a practicing mage himself and a proponent of the use of mages during shipboard operations.

==Culture==
The Trevultine culture is rooted in the traditions preserved from the pre-Breaking era by its nobility, most of whom trace their ancestry back to families that survived [[the Ancient Breaking]] by being resident in the [[Three Strongholds of Trevultum]]. This culture places a premium on chivalry, upright conduct, and service to "king and country". Emotional restraint is praised to a degree that more open cultures would consider unhealthy, with public displays of anger, sorrow, and fear largely out of fashion. What this means differs strongly between the noble and commoner classes - the primary economic and social divide in the country. Nobility exhibiting the best understanding of the Trevultine way of life see themselves as selfless, noble, and all-bearing - capable of stoicism under great pressure. Commoners, on the other hand, live the nobility's example by keeping their mouths shut when they aught to, and constantly working to climb over each other and the upper classes to better themselves, personally, whenever at all possible.

Trevultine culture has come to embrace a number of activities intended largely to act as pressure relief for the social pressures of the commoner class, and keep them just far enough on the complacent (if not truly content) side of the line to prevent a second revolution, which the Throne and the nobility suspect they would not necessarily survive. This has come in the form of circuses and games meant to divert the attention of the working class, a powerful state propaganda arm, and social mobility through military service. It is possible, to a somewhat limited extent, for a commoner to achieve nobility through a battlefield commission, but even more routine service is usually highly beneficial for the commoner-enlistee, who almost always comes out of the military wealthier to one degree or another than they went in, often with friends "on the other side" of the social divide.

===Symbols===
The scales of justice is a common Trevultine symbol representing the authority of the Throne as a vague approximation of the [[Cabochon of the Judge]]. Bulls are another common symbol, associated in particular with the Navy specifically or the military in general. The [[First Lord of the Skies]] has been, throughout the entire history of the [[Grand Navy of the Trevult Imperium]], a member of [[House Bergeron]], which is strongly associated with [[The Bull]].

===Cuisine===
There are effectively two Trevultine Cuisines, referred to as High and Low Trevultine cuisine. In general, the first is the sort which has become popular abroad.

High Trevultine Cuisine is the cuisine of the Trevultine noble classes and is usually rich in flavor. In addition to gamebirds and [[skyfish]], the cuisine tends to be rich in pork and seafoods, which are extremely rare. Olive oil is the primary cooking fat and the usual seasons are salt, black pepper, garlic, parsley, thyme, and oregano. Flavour profiles are rich, but considered mild so as not to overpower the delicate nuances of the high-quality protiens. Among the most iconic of all such dishes is [[Skyfish Paella]].

Low Trevultine, on the other hand, is the food of the commoner class and the workers. For many, this consists of little more than bread and whatever beverages are available. For the working class who can afford to get their hands on a more rounded diet, it is common to heavily spice the meats and for food to be portable and easily eaten with the fewest additional tools. Since having made contact with the [[Greatwinds]], Low Trevultine cuisine has become inundated with exotic spices like cumin, chili peppers, and cilantro. Most meats, when available, are usually heavily cured or the ground meats of less desirable cuts. The most iconic of all Low Trevultine dishes is the [[Trevultine Bocadillo]], an entire subvariety of sandwhiches that can be thought of as a sub-cuisine in their own right.

===Literature===
Among the few powers left to the [[Parliament in Trevultum]] is the Imprimatur, and they therefore have censorship and approval of all literature published and printed within the Empire. For the most part, it is illegal to import any document without Imprimatur into the Empire, however this law has so many carveouts that it seems to apply only to mass media, and most nobles and even some wealthier commoner merchants have collections of "unapproved" literature, usually legally obtained under the exemption for "historical literary artefacts".

Most approved literature is relatively content-free; writings of the penny-dreadful variety consumed as a temporary escape from reality, without providing any motivations "too subversive".

===Visual Arts===
{{Missing Details}}
===Sports===
{{Missing Details}}

Several bloodsports are known to be legal (when conducted through the relevant bodies) in Trevult, by far the most popular of which is gladiatorial combat against captured monsters.

== Heritage Traits (Tarnished Tale)) ==
{{Moving Target}}
===Primary Trait===
All Trevultines have the [[Yellow Stars (Heritage Trait)]] property by default.

===Secondary Trait Options===
A Trevultine character may select any one of the following secondary heritage traits:
* [[Lundesite Heart (Heritage Trait)]] - you possess a natural aptitude for modern technologies and have one automatic boon on repair checks made to repair steam-powered or electrical equipment.
* [[Noble Bearing (Heritage Trait)]] - whether legitimate or illegitimate, you cannot deny the noble blood that runs in your veins, and others see this readily in you. You have one automatic boon on social skills checks made outside the heat of battle.
* [[Street Savvy (Heritage Trait)]] - regardless of your upbringing, the ancestral memory of the lowest of the commoner class is imprinted upon you. Based on a permanent selection made when you take this trait, you will recieve a permanent boon to one skill relevant to urban survival in the slums of Trevultum's poorest districts.

Additionally, a Trevultine player character may eschew any of the above heritage-unique traits to take the [[Sign's Minor Blessing (Heritage Trait)]] secondary heritage trait instead. This is a rare property and should not be assigned to NPCs except perhaps major plot-drivers.

Trevult Imperium

2023-01-16T14:34:27Z

Zadammac: /* Etymology */

The '''Trevult Imperium''' is a country in [[Colmaris]]. Its primary formation is the large continent of [[Trevult (Continent) | Trevult]] and a small collection of a dozen sizable accessory islands, all of which are strongly [[tidally united]]. By total land mass as well as viable land surface area, it is the geographically largest of all the countries of [[Colmaris]].

The primary culture within Trevult is that of the Trevultine peoples, who are effectively native to the continent of Trevult and have lived on that continent since [[the Ancient Breaking]]. They've embraced this heritage readily, and though significant time has passed since the Breaking (along with all the cultural evolution that implies), they attribute their oldest traditions to "before the skies were tarnished". This ancient heritage is a source of pride for both the ruling and working classes, between which there is a strong divide. Trevult has a proud military history as well, and by the time of [[The Age of Rediscovery]] they were considered the pre-emanant naval force on Colmaris; among their most famous victories is the [[First Skies War]], during which they repulsed an invasion by the [[Feng Empire]] then imposed peace terms upon them by means of counter-invasion.

The Trevult Imperium is a constitutional monarchy backed by a strong military governorship; in practice the political power of the parliament is so limited that the Throne's power is more or less absolute. The head of government, the [[Prime Minister (Trevult Imperium)]], is therefore seen as something of a figurehead, and most authority seems to remain with the head of state, the [[Trevultine Emperor]], [[Emperor Joachim | Joachim of House Volta]].

Trevult can be considered a highly developed country in terms of its economic and industrial capacity, having fully embraced an industrial revolution made possible through the exploitation of [[Lundesite]] and the colonization of unaffiliated lands, as well as lands held by the [[Greatwind]], a culture which most Trevultines do not consider to be a nation. The benefits of this economic explosion have only served to widen the gap between the noble and common classes in terms of wealth, comfort, safety, and general satisfaction with life. In [[The Age of Rediscovery]], much of the benefit of this economic prowess had been heavily diverted into the [[Grand Navy of the Trevult Imperium]].

==Etymology==
The term "Trevult" is a temporal corruption of the pre-Breaking Trevultine phrase "treya voltar", literally "three vaults". This term refers to the [[Three Strongholds of Trevultum]], ancient structures in which ancestors of many noble class families in Trevult survived [[the Ancient Breaking]], long since re-excavated and used for various purposes.

==History==
''See Also: [[History of Trevult]]''
===Pre-Breaking===
The [[pre-Breaking Trevultines]] were a culture famous for their exploratory and scientific prowess, and most scholars agree based on their writings that the ancestral Trevultines had come up with a unified theory of science and [[magic]], with some even ascribing the creation of the legendary [[Stellarchiac Jewels]] to these people. It is also believed by many that the ancestral Trevultines had foreknowledge of [[the Ancient Breaking]] given the construction of the [[Three Strongholds of Trevultum]] which allowed some portion of their population to escape the chaos of the event mostly unscathed; in point of fact some within the [[Feng Empire]] accuse the ancestral Trevultines of having ''caused'' the disaster.

Most solid records and true historical sources of the pre-Breaking Trevultines are considered to be lost. The government of the Imperium hold that the [[Three Strongholds of Trevultum]] were used for safeguarding lives rather than knowledge, and in the absence of anything other than those occupants' own accounts and writings and centuries of scholarship built upon that information, historical knowledge of the ancestral Trevultines is largely lost, including the original name of the people.

===Trevultum===
Post-breaking, the earliest history of the Trevult Imperium can be traced back to the emergence and resettlement of the city of [[Trevultum]], a central valley city proximal to the [[Three Strongholds of Trevultum]] on the continent of the same name. The city was established at a coordinated rendevous point of the survivors in the Three Strongholds, with the legendary history of the foundation of the city placing [[Zodiac]] significance on both the location and the date of foundation - this foundation date can be observed in various [[Horoscopic Graphs]] embedded in city public works.

Originally, Trevultum was a city founded by what eventually became the [[Noble Class (Trevultine)]]. Eventually, as an exploration and recharting of the continent of Trevult continued, the city began to welcome a [[Commoner Class (Trevultine)]] contingent into their ranks.

===Kingdom of Trevult===
As the civilization developing on [[Trevult (Continent) | Trevult]] grew, so to did its needs in terms of government, which eventually lead to the foundation of a Kingdom with its seat in [[Trevultum]]. This kingdom was ruled through a succession of adequate and inadequate markers, with the crown changing hands between the noble houses through a series of rebellions, wars of succession, and intreagues; this is largely credited with having both stimied the evolution of equality between the noble and commoner classes as well as with enforcing the military traditions of Trevult.

This kingdom lasted from mere decades after the breaking all the way through to [[the Age of Rediscovery]], ending on the day of the coronation of [[Emperor Joachim | Joachim of House Volta]]. Three centuries prior to the era of the Age of Rediscovery, an abortive revolution by the commoner class ended with the [[Certora Magnifica]] being signed, creating constitutional limits on the powers of the Throne and placing a proverbial sword of damocles above the monarch in the form of a parliament and a military council. However, these institutions were so stacked with members drawn from the noble class that the improvement in quality of life for the commoner class was marginal at best.

===Imperialism===
With the support of the [[Military Council (Trevult)]], [[Emperor Joachim]] conspired to enact changes to the coronation ceremony that finalized his accession to the crown, coordinating to have the church annoint him as "Emperor of the Trevultines" instead of "King in Trevultum". This was matched with twin promulgations on the same day, shortly after the ceremony, which removed the authority to enforce laws and oversee military affairs from the civilian parliament, handing those powers instead to the Military Council. This was largely seen by historians as the "death" of the Kingdom of Trevult and the birth of the Trevult Imperium, but in truth, the Kingdom had been dying for as much as a century prior.

Trevultum has always had an imperialist history; having been founded by a small handful of surviving pre-Breaking families, the city then proceeded to pacify, even by conquest, the rest of the continent [[Trevult (Continent) | Trevult]]. Following the events of the [[First Skies War]], Trevult's use of naval power has been as much about economics, trade, and dialogue as it has been about conquest.

Joachim's best supporters say that history will remember him as the man who brought Trevult into its full glory. His detractors argue that he was simply the final nail in a coffin long forming around Trevult; a manifestation of the actual reality of Trevult as it had existed since the dawn of the [[Age of Rediscovery]].

==Geography==
Whether computing by land mass or by viable land surface area, Trevult is the largest geographic entity on [[Colmaris]]. The country itself is comprised largely of the [[Trevult (Continent) | Trevult]] and a dozen or so small islands, all of which are locked into one [[skytide formation]] through [[tidal locking]]. The Trevult Imperium also claims dominion over dozens of additional overskies territories, usually in the form of large reefs or islands, many of which have been carved away from [[Greatwinds]] control.

===Skytides===
The Imperium claims dominion over one major [[skytide]], the [[Trevult (Continent) | Trevultine Skytide]], which links the continent of Trevult to its accessory island. They also divide their empire into "resonant territories" based on proximity to the mainland and similarity in the relevant Skytide.

===Climate===
With a broad geographic spread, the weather of the Trevultine Empire is diverse. For the most part, in the common eye, thunderstorms and thick fogs are associated with Trevult due to their tendency to bedevil the continent.

===Biodiversity===
{{Missing Details}}

==Government and Politics==
Under the [[Certora Magnifica]], authority in Trevult flows to the [[Parliament in Trevultum]] and the [[Military Council]] through the Throne, which itself is granted authority and legitimacy "by the Stars since times forgotten", symbolized by the [[Cabochon of the Judge]], one of the [[Stellarchiac Jewels]], which was kept in the [[Three Strongholds of Trevultum]] and has become part of the imperial regalia, now held by [[House Volta]].

Throughout much of the time since the signing of the Certora Magnifica, the Military Council and the Throne have worked together to undermine the authority of Parliament, so much so that the institution is now seen as a vestigial state organ even by those who serve within it.

===Law===
Laws are introduced to Parliament at the request of the Throne, after which they are debated by the legislative assembly and amended in terms of their exact legal language, prior to being passed. Such passed laws are then promulgated and given the force of law by Royal (and later, Imperial) decree.

The Enforcement of laws has been stripped away from Parliament in recent years. While the existing local police organizations remain in force, they now report through the Military Council. For the most part, the constabulary have actually welcomed this change, as being attached to the more powerful Military Council has solved many of their financial concerns and given them greater latitude in terms of the acceptable means by which they can conduct the business of keeping the peace.

===Foreign Relations and Military===
Foreign relations within the Imperium are fraught. On the one hand, the Imperium by and large brings a reliable partner in terms of honouring its trade commitments and providing military support in wartime. In practice, however, with so few nations on Colmaris, no shortage of wars are instigated by the militaristic Trevultines, and the Trevultines at one time or another have warred with all the other [[nations]] in Colmaris.

By the time of [[the Age of Rediscovery]], the Trevultines are thought to be at peace with the [[Feng Empire]], the [[Sultanate of Gerb]], and the [[New Coldmaris]] republics, and can be seen as at war with the [[Greatwinds]], though this matter is somewhat more complicated as the Imperium does not see the [[Greatwinds]] as a united nation at all, but as renegades, outlaws, and uncivilized colonies on individual islands not claimed by most of the other nations. However, military tensions remain high; the industrial and military machines of Trevultum must be fed, and there are limits to what trade will support.

The largest organ of the Trevultine Military is the [[Grand Navy of the Trevult Imperium]], and all but two members of the [[Military Council]] during the reign of [[Emperor Joachim]] were [[Grand Admiral (Trevultine)| Grand Admirals]]; the others being the [[Captain General of the Trevultine Marine]] and the head of [[Naval Intelligence (Trevultine) | Naval Intelligence]]. Trevultines in general were extremely proud of their military, which was considered to be the most technically advanced, best equipped, and well-funded navy in the world during most eras of world history, and the proud naval traditions of the Grand Navy were thought to go back to before [[the Ancient Breaking]], in the days when ships went by sea. A career within the military was seen by noble and commoner alike as a path toward personal advancement and the betterment of ones circumstances, and was the primary mode of social and economic mobility available during [[the Age of Rediscovery]].

===Provinces and Territories===
{{Missing Details}}

==Economy==
In spite of their extensive use of both, [[Trevult (Continent) | Trevult]] was not to be considered materially rich in either [[Lundesite]] nor [[Colmaris Lodestone]], both vital mineral resources. Though they do have some native production capacity for these materials through their colonial holdings, the Trevultines are also heavily dependant on trade, especially for the former, in particular through the [[Sultanate of Gerb]].

Additionally, the harsh environment and geography of the Trevultine continent makes food shortages common beyond the bare caloric essentials. Most of the "best" foods used by the Trevultine are imported from other lands.

Fortunately for the Trevultines, however, they are materially rich in a variety of precious and nonprecious minerals and metals. They are the world's leading exporter of a number of technological and arcane artifices.

===Science and Technology===
The Trevultines have ample and ready access to both examples of pre-Breaking technologies and to mineral resources, both of which together have by and large spearheaded their economic and technological advancement. Since the invention of the [[Lundesite Pile]] early in [[the Age of Rediscovery]], they have been able to produce [[electricity]] and steam power to degrees orders of magnitude higher than any other nation, and rely heavily on both for their industry. They routinely make use of machinery decades ahead of their competitor powers, both militarily and economically.

===Use of Magic===
The Trevultines are thought to have codified the [[Zodiac]] and most other systems of [[magic]] in Colmaris, either through their own discovery or, as seems more likely, through direct survival of the relevant knowledge during [[the Ancient Breaking]]. The trappings of this magic feature heavily in state functions and rituals, and the [[University of Trevultum]] teaches on such matters. However, the influence of magic as anything more than a trapping for state religion within the Trevultine Imperium is on the wane. The influence of the [[Lundesite Pile]] is such that magic has become deeply unreliable in the city of [[Trevultum]] and many other major population centers in the empire. Many mages, facing the potential loss of the power they have worked their whole lives to establish, take roles within the [[Grand Navy of the Trevult Imperium]] or travel to the colonies to continue their work. A few have become prominent voices for the abandonment of the Lundesite Pile technology, proposing instead the use of a greater number of [[Lundesite Boilers]] or even magical solutions to the same problem. Among such voices during the reign of [[Emperor Joachim]] was [[Grand Admiral (Trevultine) | Grand Admiral]] [[Juan Louis Esparza]], a prominent member of the [[Military Council]] who was both a practicing mage himself and a proponent of the use of mages during shipboard operations.

==Culture==
The Trevultine culture is rooted in the traditions preserved from the pre-Breaking era by its nobility, most of whom trace their ancestry back to families that survived [[the Ancient Breaking]] by being resident in the [[Three Strongholds of Trevultum]]. This culture places a premium on chivalry, upright conduct, and service to "king and country". Emotional restraint is praised to a degree that more open cultures would consider unhealthy, with public displays of anger, sorrow, and fear largely out of fashion. What this means differs strongly between the noble and commoner classes - the primary economic and social divide in the country. Nobility exhibiting the best understanding of the Trevultine way of life see themselves as selfless, noble, and all-bearing - capable of stoicism under great pressure. Commoners, on the other hand, live the nobility's example by keeping their mouths shut when they aught to, and constantly working to climb over each other and the upper classes to better themselves, personally, whenever at all possible.

Trevultine culture has come to embrace a number of activities intended largely to act as pressure relief for the social pressures of the commoner class, and keep them just far enough on the complacent (if not truly content) side of the line to prevent a second revolution, which the Throne and the nobility suspect they would not necessarily survive. This has come in the form of circuses and games meant to divert the attention of the working class, a powerful state propaganda arm, and social mobility through military service. It is possible, to a somewhat limited extent, for a commoner to achieve nobility through a battlefield commission, but even more routine service is usually highly beneficial for the commoner-enlistee, who almost always comes out of the military wealthier to one degree or another than they went in, often with friends "on the other side" of the social divide.

===Symbols===
The scales of justice is a common Trevultine symbol representing the authority of the Throne as a vague approximation of the [[Cabochon of the Judge]]. Bulls are another common symbol, associated in particular with the Navy specifically or the military in general. The [[First Lord of the Skies]] has been, throughout the entire history of the [[Grand Navy of the Trevult Imperium]], a member of [[House Bergeron]], which is strongly associated with [[The Bull]].

===Cuisine===
There are effectively two Trevultine Cuisines, referred to as High and Low Trevultine cuisine. In general, the first is the sort which has become popular abroad.

High Trevultine Cuisine is the cuisine of the Trevultine noble classes and is usually rich in flavor. In addition to gamebirds and [[skyfish]], the cuisine tends to be rich in pork and seafoods, which are extremely rare. Olive oil is the primary cooking fat and the usual seasons are salt, black pepper, garlic, parsley, thyme, and oregano. Flavour profiles are rich, but considered mild so as not to overpower the delicate nuances of the high-quality protiens. Among the most iconic of all such dishes is [[Skyfish Paella]].

Low Trevultine, on the other hand, is the food of the commoner class and the workers. For many, this consists of little more than bread and whatever beverages are available. For the working class who can afford to get their hands on a more rounded diet, it is common to heavily spice the meats and for food to be portable and easily eaten with the fewest additional tools. Since having made contact with the [[Greatwinds]], Low Trevultine cuisine has become inundated with exotic spices like cumin, chili peppers, and cilantro. Most meats, when available, are usually heavily cured or the ground meats of less desirable cuts. The most iconic of all Low Trevultine dishes is the [[Trevultine Bocadillo]], an entire subvariety of sandwhiches that can be thought of as a sub-cuisine in their own right.

===Literature===
Among the few powers left to the [[Parliament in Trevultum]] is the Imprimatur, and they therefore have censorship and approval of all literature published and printed within the Empire. For the most part, it is illegal to import any document without Imprimatur into the Empire, however this law has so many carveouts that it seems to apply only to mass media, and most nobles and even some wealthier commoner merchants have collections of "unapproved" literature, usually legally obtained under the exemption for "historical literary artefacts".

Most approved literature is relatively content-free; writings of the penny-dreadful variety consumed as a temporary escape from reality, without providing any motivations "too subversive".

===Visual Arts===
{{Missing Details}}
===Sports===
{{Missing Details}}

Several bloodsports are known to be legal (when conducted through the relevant bodies) in Trevult, by far the most popular of which is gladiatorial combat against captured monsters.

== Heritage Traits (Tarnished Tale)) ==
{{Moving Target}}
===Primary Trait===
All Trevultines have the [[Yellow Stars (Heritage Trait)]] property by default.

===Secondary Trait Options===
A Trevultine character may select any one of the following secondary heritage traits:
* [[Lundesite Heart (Heritage Trait)]] - you possess a natural aptitude for modern technologies and have one automatic boon on repair checks made to repair steam-powered or electrical equipment.
* [[Noble Bearing (Heritage Trait)]] - whether legitimate or illegitimate, you cannot deny the noble blood that runs in your veins, and others see this readily in you. You have one automatic boon on social skills checks made outside the heat of battle.
* [[Street Savvy (Heritage Trait)]] - regardless of your upbringing, the ancestral memory of the lowest of the commoner class is imprinted upon you. Based on a permanent selection made when you take this trait, you will recieve a permanent boon to one skill relevant to urban survival in the slums of Trevultum's poorest districts.

Additionally, a Trevultine player character may eschew any of the above heritage-unique traits to take the [[Sign's Minor Blessing (Heritage Trait)]] secondary heritage trait instead. This is a rare property and should not be assigned to NPCs except perhaps major plot-drivers.

Template:Moving Target

2023-01-16T14:30:57Z

Zadammac: Created page with "<blockquote>''"Come on, gentlemen, lead your shots, this isn't hard. We have math for this!"'' ''- Almost every Trevultine Gunnery Officer'' This article or section alludes to information that is under active development and subject to change.</blockquote> Category: Moving Target Warning"

<blockquote>''"Come on, gentlemen, lead your shots, this isn't hard. We have math for this!"''
''- Almost every Trevultine Gunnery Officer''
This article or section alludes to information that is under active development and subject to change.</blockquote>

[[Category: Moving Target Warning]]

Template:Missing Details

2023-01-16T14:30:18Z

Zadammac: Created page with "<blockquote>''"It's said the ancients knew a thing or two about this, but I certainly don't."'' ''- Anonymous Guild Cartographer'' This article or section contains information that is not yet fully fleshed out.</blockquote> Category: Missing Details"

<blockquote>''"It's said the ancients knew a thing or two about this, but I certainly don't."''
''- Anonymous Guild Cartographer''
This article or section contains information that is not yet fully fleshed out.</blockquote>

[[Category: Missing Details]]

Trevult Imperium

2023-01-16T14:28:54Z

Zadammac: Created page with "The '''Trevult Imperium''' is a country in Colmaris. Its primary formation is the large continent of Trevult and a small collection of a dozen sizable accessory islands, all of which are strongly tidally united. By total land mass as well as viable land surface area, it is the geographically largest of all the countries of Colmaris. The primary culture within Trevult is that of the Trevultine peoples, who are effectively native to t..."

The '''Trevult Imperium''' is a country in [[Colmaris]]. Its primary formation is the large continent of [[Trevult (Continent) | Trevult]] and a small collection of a dozen sizable accessory islands, all of which are strongly [[tidally united]]. By total land mass as well as viable land surface area, it is the geographically largest of all the countries of [[Colmaris]].

The primary culture within Trevult is that of the Trevultine peoples, who are effectively native to the continent of Trevult and have lived on that continent since [[the Ancient Breaking]]. They've embraced this heritage readily, and though significant time has passed since the Breaking (along with all the cultural evolution that implies), they attribute their oldest traditions to "before the skies were tarnished". This ancient heritage is a source of pride for both the ruling and working classes, between which there is a strong divide. Trevult has a proud military history as well, and by the time of [[The Age of Rediscovery]] they were considered the pre-emanant naval force on Colmaris; among their most famous victories is the [[First Skies War]], during which they repulsed an invasion by the [[Feng Empire]] then imposed peace terms upon them by means of counter-invasion.

The Trevult Imperium is a constitutional monarchy backed by a strong military governorship; in practice the political power of the parliament is so limited that the Throne's power is more or less absolute. The head of government, the [[Prime Minister (Trevult Imperium)]], is therefore seen as something of a figurehead, and most authority seems to remain with the head of state, the [[Trevultine Emperor]], [[Emperor Joachim | Joachim of House Volta]].

Trevult can be considered a highly developed country in terms of its economic and industrial capacity, having fully embraced an industrial revolution made possible through the exploitation of [[Lundesite]] and the colonization of unaffiliated lands, as well as lands held by the [[Greatwind]], a culture which most Trevultines do not consider to be a nation. The benefits of this economic explosion have only served to widen the gap between the noble and common classes in terms of wealth, comfort, safety, and general satisfaction with life. In [[The Age of Rediscovery]], much of the benefit of this economic prowess had been heavily diverted into the [[Grand Navy of the Trevult Imperium]].

==Etymology==
The term "Trevult" is a temporal corruption of the pre-Breaking Trevultine phrase "treya voltar", literally "three vaults". This term returns to the [[Three Strongholds of Trevultum]], ancient structures in which ancestors of many noble class families in Trevult survived [[the Ancient Breaking]], long since re-excavated and used for various purposes.

==History==
''See Also: [[History of Trevult]]''
===Pre-Breaking===
The [[pre-Breaking Trevultines]] were a culture famous for their exploratory and scientific prowess, and most scholars agree based on their writings that the ancestral Trevultines had come up with a unified theory of science and [[magic]], with some even ascribing the creation of the legendary [[Stellarchiac Jewels]] to these people. It is also believed by many that the ancestral Trevultines had foreknowledge of [[the Ancient Breaking]] given the construction of the [[Three Strongholds of Trevultum]] which allowed some portion of their population to escape the chaos of the event mostly unscathed; in point of fact some within the [[Feng Empire]] accuse the ancestral Trevultines of having ''caused'' the disaster.

Most solid records and true historical sources of the pre-Breaking Trevultines are considered to be lost. The government of the Imperium hold that the [[Three Strongholds of Trevultum]] were used for safeguarding lives rather than knowledge, and in the absence of anything other than those occupants' own accounts and writings and centuries of scholarship built upon that information, historical knowledge of the ancestral Trevultines is largely lost, including the original name of the people.

===Trevultum===
Post-breaking, the earliest history of the Trevult Imperium can be traced back to the emergence and resettlement of the city of [[Trevultum]], a central valley city proximal to the [[Three Strongholds of Trevultum]] on the continent of the same name. The city was established at a coordinated rendevous point of the survivors in the Three Strongholds, with the legendary history of the foundation of the city placing [[Zodiac]] significance on both the location and the date of foundation - this foundation date can be observed in various [[Horoscopic Graphs]] embedded in city public works.

Originally, Trevultum was a city founded by what eventually became the [[Noble Class (Trevultine)]]. Eventually, as an exploration and recharting of the continent of Trevult continued, the city began to welcome a [[Commoner Class (Trevultine)]] contingent into their ranks.

===Kingdom of Trevult===
As the civilization developing on [[Trevult (Continent) | Trevult]] grew, so to did its needs in terms of government, which eventually lead to the foundation of a Kingdom with its seat in [[Trevultum]]. This kingdom was ruled through a succession of adequate and inadequate markers, with the crown changing hands between the noble houses through a series of rebellions, wars of succession, and intreagues; this is largely credited with having both stimied the evolution of equality between the noble and commoner classes as well as with enforcing the military traditions of Trevult.

This kingdom lasted from mere decades after the breaking all the way through to [[the Age of Rediscovery]], ending on the day of the coronation of [[Emperor Joachim | Joachim of House Volta]]. Three centuries prior to the era of the Age of Rediscovery, an abortive revolution by the commoner class ended with the [[Certora Magnifica]] being signed, creating constitutional limits on the powers of the Throne and placing a proverbial sword of damocles above the monarch in the form of a parliament and a military council. However, these institutions were so stacked with members drawn from the noble class that the improvement in quality of life for the commoner class was marginal at best.

===Imperialism===
With the support of the [[Military Council (Trevult)]], [[Emperor Joachim]] conspired to enact changes to the coronation ceremony that finalized his accession to the crown, coordinating to have the church annoint him as "Emperor of the Trevultines" instead of "King in Trevultum". This was matched with twin promulgations on the same day, shortly after the ceremony, which removed the authority to enforce laws and oversee military affairs from the civilian parliament, handing those powers instead to the Military Council. This was largely seen by historians as the "death" of the Kingdom of Trevult and the birth of the Trevult Imperium, but in truth, the Kingdom had been dying for as much as a century prior.

Trevultum has always had an imperialist history; having been founded by a small handful of surviving pre-Breaking families, the city then proceeded to pacify, even by conquest, the rest of the continent [[Trevult (Continent) | Trevult]]. Following the events of the [[First Skies War]], Trevult's use of naval power has been as much about economics, trade, and dialogue as it has been about conquest.

Joachim's best supporters say that history will remember him as the man who brought Trevult into its full glory. His detractors argue that he was simply the final nail in a coffin long forming around Trevult; a manifestation of the actual reality of Trevult as it had existed since the dawn of the [[Age of Rediscovery]].

==Geography==
Whether computing by land mass or by viable land surface area, Trevult is the largest geographic entity on [[Colmaris]]. The country itself is comprised largely of the [[Trevult (Continent) | Trevult]] and a dozen or so small islands, all of which are locked into one [[skytide formation]] through [[tidal locking]]. The Trevult Imperium also claims dominion over dozens of additional overskies territories, usually in the form of large reefs or islands, many of which have been carved away from [[Greatwinds]] control.

===Skytides===
The Imperium claims dominion over one major [[skytide]], the [[Trevult (Continent) | Trevultine Skytide]], which links the continent of Trevult to its accessory island. They also divide their empire into "resonant territories" based on proximity to the mainland and similarity in the relevant Skytide.

===Climate===
With a broad geographic spread, the weather of the Trevultine Empire is diverse. For the most part, in the common eye, thunderstorms and thick fogs are associated with Trevult due to their tendency to bedevil the continent.

===Biodiversity===
{{Missing Details}}

==Government and Politics==
Under the [[Certora Magnifica]], authority in Trevult flows to the [[Parliament in Trevultum]] and the [[Military Council]] through the Throne, which itself is granted authority and legitimacy "by the Stars since times forgotten", symbolized by the [[Cabochon of the Judge]], one of the [[Stellarchiac Jewels]], which was kept in the [[Three Strongholds of Trevultum]] and has become part of the imperial regalia, now held by [[House Volta]].

Throughout much of the time since the signing of the Certora Magnifica, the Military Council and the Throne have worked together to undermine the authority of Parliament, so much so that the institution is now seen as a vestigial state organ even by those who serve within it.

===Law===
Laws are introduced to Parliament at the request of the Throne, after which they are debated by the legislative assembly and amended in terms of their exact legal language, prior to being passed. Such passed laws are then promulgated and given the force of law by Royal (and later, Imperial) decree.

The Enforcement of laws has been stripped away from Parliament in recent years. While the existing local police organizations remain in force, they now report through the Military Council. For the most part, the constabulary have actually welcomed this change, as being attached to the more powerful Military Council has solved many of their financial concerns and given them greater latitude in terms of the acceptable means by which they can conduct the business of keeping the peace.

===Foreign Relations and Military===
Foreign relations within the Imperium are fraught. On the one hand, the Imperium by and large brings a reliable partner in terms of honouring its trade commitments and providing military support in wartime. In practice, however, with so few nations on Colmaris, no shortage of wars are instigated by the militaristic Trevultines, and the Trevultines at one time or another have warred with all the other [[nations]] in Colmaris.

By the time of [[the Age of Rediscovery]], the Trevultines are thought to be at peace with the [[Feng Empire]], the [[Sultanate of Gerb]], and the [[New Coldmaris]] republics, and can be seen as at war with the [[Greatwinds]], though this matter is somewhat more complicated as the Imperium does not see the [[Greatwinds]] as a united nation at all, but as renegades, outlaws, and uncivilized colonies on individual islands not claimed by most of the other nations. However, military tensions remain high; the industrial and military machines of Trevultum must be fed, and there are limits to what trade will support.

The largest organ of the Trevultine Military is the [[Grand Navy of the Trevult Imperium]], and all but two members of the [[Military Council]] during the reign of [[Emperor Joachim]] were [[Grand Admiral (Trevultine)| Grand Admirals]]; the others being the [[Captain General of the Trevultine Marine]] and the head of [[Naval Intelligence (Trevultine) | Naval Intelligence]]. Trevultines in general were extremely proud of their military, which was considered to be the most technically advanced, best equipped, and well-funded navy in the world during most eras of world history, and the proud naval traditions of the Grand Navy were thought to go back to before [[the Ancient Breaking]], in the days when ships went by sea. A career within the military was seen by noble and commoner alike as a path toward personal advancement and the betterment of ones circumstances, and was the primary mode of social and economic mobility available during [[the Age of Rediscovery]].

===Provinces and Territories===
{{Missing Details}}

==Economy==
In spite of their extensive use of both, [[Trevult (Continent) | Trevult]] was not to be considered materially rich in either [[Lundesite]] nor [[Colmaris Lodestone]], both vital mineral resources. Though they do have some native production capacity for these materials through their colonial holdings, the Trevultines are also heavily dependant on trade, especially for the former, in particular through the [[Sultanate of Gerb]].

Additionally, the harsh environment and geography of the Trevultine continent makes food shortages common beyond the bare caloric essentials. Most of the "best" foods used by the Trevultine are imported from other lands.

Fortunately for the Trevultines, however, they are materially rich in a variety of precious and nonprecious minerals and metals. They are the world's leading exporter of a number of technological and arcane artifices.

===Science and Technology===
The Trevultines have ample and ready access to both examples of pre-Breaking technologies and to mineral resources, both of which together have by and large spearheaded their economic and technological advancement. Since the invention of the [[Lundesite Pile]] early in [[the Age of Rediscovery]], they have been able to produce [[electricity]] and steam power to degrees orders of magnitude higher than any other nation, and rely heavily on both for their industry. They routinely make use of machinery decades ahead of their competitor powers, both militarily and economically.

===Use of Magic===
The Trevultines are thought to have codified the [[Zodiac]] and most other systems of [[magic]] in Colmaris, either through their own discovery or, as seems more likely, through direct survival of the relevant knowledge during [[the Ancient Breaking]]. The trappings of this magic feature heavily in state functions and rituals, and the [[University of Trevultum]] teaches on such matters. However, the influence of magic as anything more than a trapping for state religion within the Trevultine Imperium is on the wane. The influence of the [[Lundesite Pile]] is such that magic has become deeply unreliable in the city of [[Trevultum]] and many other major population centers in the empire. Many mages, facing the potential loss of the power they have worked their whole lives to establish, take roles within the [[Grand Navy of the Trevult Imperium]] or travel to the colonies to continue their work. A few have become prominent voices for the abandonment of the Lundesite Pile technology, proposing instead the use of a greater number of [[Lundesite Boilers]] or even magical solutions to the same problem. Among such voices during the reign of [[Emperor Joachim]] was [[Grand Admiral (Trevultine) | Grand Admiral]] [[Juan Louis Esparza]], a prominent member of the [[Military Council]] who was both a practicing mage himself and a proponent of the use of mages during shipboard operations.

==Culture==
The Trevultine culture is rooted in the traditions preserved from the pre-Breaking era by its nobility, most of whom trace their ancestry back to families that survived [[the Ancient Breaking]] by being resident in the [[Three Strongholds of Trevultum]]. This culture places a premium on chivalry, upright conduct, and service to "king and country". Emotional restraint is praised to a degree that more open cultures would consider unhealthy, with public displays of anger, sorrow, and fear largely out of fashion. What this means differs strongly between the noble and commoner classes - the primary economic and social divide in the country. Nobility exhibiting the best understanding of the Trevultine way of life see themselves as selfless, noble, and all-bearing - capable of stoicism under great pressure. Commoners, on the other hand, live the nobility's example by keeping their mouths shut when they aught to, and constantly working to climb over each other and the upper classes to better themselves, personally, whenever at all possible.

Trevultine culture has come to embrace a number of activities intended largely to act as pressure relief for the social pressures of the commoner class, and keep them just far enough on the complacent (if not truly content) side of the line to prevent a second revolution, which the Throne and the nobility suspect they would not necessarily survive. This has come in the form of circuses and games meant to divert the attention of the working class, a powerful state propaganda arm, and social mobility through military service. It is possible, to a somewhat limited extent, for a commoner to achieve nobility through a battlefield commission, but even more routine service is usually highly beneficial for the commoner-enlistee, who almost always comes out of the military wealthier to one degree or another than they went in, often with friends "on the other side" of the social divide.

===Symbols===
The scales of justice is a common Trevultine symbol representing the authority of the Throne as a vague approximation of the [[Cabochon of the Judge]]. Bulls are another common symbol, associated in particular with the Navy specifically or the military in general. The [[First Lord of the Skies]] has been, throughout the entire history of the [[Grand Navy of the Trevult Imperium]], a member of [[House Bergeron]], which is strongly associated with [[The Bull]].

===Cuisine===
There are effectively two Trevultine Cuisines, referred to as High and Low Trevultine cuisine. In general, the first is the sort which has become popular abroad.

High Trevultine Cuisine is the cuisine of the Trevultine noble classes and is usually rich in flavor. In addition to gamebirds and [[skyfish]], the cuisine tends to be rich in pork and seafoods, which are extremely rare. Olive oil is the primary cooking fat and the usual seasons are salt, black pepper, garlic, parsley, thyme, and oregano. Flavour profiles are rich, but considered mild so as not to overpower the delicate nuances of the high-quality protiens. Among the most iconic of all such dishes is [[Skyfish Paella]].

Low Trevultine, on the other hand, is the food of the commoner class and the workers. For many, this consists of little more than bread and whatever beverages are available. For the working class who can afford to get their hands on a more rounded diet, it is common to heavily spice the meats and for food to be portable and easily eaten with the fewest additional tools. Since having made contact with the [[Greatwinds]], Low Trevultine cuisine has become inundated with exotic spices like cumin, chili peppers, and cilantro. Most meats, when available, are usually heavily cured or the ground meats of less desirable cuts. The most iconic of all Low Trevultine dishes is the [[Trevultine Bocadillo]], an entire subvariety of sandwhiches that can be thought of as a sub-cuisine in their own right.

===Literature===
Among the few powers left to the [[Parliament in Trevultum]] is the Imprimatur, and they therefore have censorship and approval of all literature published and printed within the Empire. For the most part, it is illegal to import any document without Imprimatur into the Empire, however this law has so many carveouts that it seems to apply only to mass media, and most nobles and even some wealthier commoner merchants have collections of "unapproved" literature, usually legally obtained under the exemption for "historical literary artefacts".

Most approved literature is relatively content-free; writings of the penny-dreadful variety consumed as a temporary escape from reality, without providing any motivations "too subversive".

===Visual Arts===
{{Missing Details}}
===Sports===
{{Missing Details}}

Several bloodsports are known to be legal (when conducted through the relevant bodies) in Trevult, by far the most popular of which is gladiatorial combat against captured monsters.

== Heritage Traits (Tarnished Tale)) ==
{{Moving Target}}
===Primary Trait===
All Trevultines have the [[Yellow Stars (Heritage Trait)]] property by default.

===Secondary Trait Options===
A Trevultine character may select any one of the following secondary heritage traits:
* [[Lundesite Heart (Heritage Trait)]] - you possess a natural aptitude for modern technologies and have one automatic boon on repair checks made to repair steam-powered or electrical equipment.
* [[Noble Bearing (Heritage Trait)]] - whether legitimate or illegitimate, you cannot deny the noble blood that runs in your veins, and others see this readily in you. You have one automatic boon on social skills checks made outside the heat of battle.
* [[Street Savvy (Heritage Trait)]] - regardless of your upbringing, the ancestral memory of the lowest of the commoner class is imprinted upon you. Based on a permanent selection made when you take this trait, you will recieve a permanent boon to one skill relevant to urban survival in the slums of Trevultum's poorest districts.

Additionally, a Trevultine player character may eschew any of the above heritage-unique traits to take the [[Sign's Minor Blessing (Heritage Trait)]] secondary heritage trait instead. This is a rare property and should not be assigned to NPCs except perhaps major plot-drivers.

Nations

2023-01-16T12:45:23Z

Zadammac:

There are five nations in [[Colmaris]] that have territories whose formation is stable enough to be considered true nation-states, and membership in which can be considered a [[Tarnished Tale | heritage]] for the purposes of character creation. In no particular order, they are:
* The [[Trevult Imperium]], a heriditary monarchy and perhaps the pinnacle nation in terms of their use of industrialization and the working of metals, which they have in abundance. They are also known best globally as the nation which first codified the [[Zodiac]] and for being experts in the working of [[magic]] more generally.;
* [[New Colmaris]] is a lose republic of island territories that all shared a common pre-Breaking ancestor culture, and since re-establishing contact with each other have chosen to rekindle their ancestral alliances. They are seen as civilized and hardworking, and are perhaps the pre-eminent culture in terms of sheer [[airships | sailing]] capability. Many New Colmaris standards and institutions underpin the terminology and techniques of sailing; they are most famous, of course, for their ubiquitous [[Cartographers' Guild]].
* The [[Feng Empire]] is a culture that has specialized in adapting to their surroundings and to the constant state of change Coldmaris imposes upon them. Their territory is largely peripheral to that of the Trevult and New Colmaris cultures, but has an ancient history, rooted in a half-legendary and half-historical war fought fairly shortly after [[the Ancient Breaking]]. It's believed that the Feng first discovered [[Colmaris Lodestone]] and developed the earliest post-breaking airships.
* The [[Sultunate of Gerb]] is an additional culture heavily invested in trade, and organized chiefly around their most magnificent holding, the city of [[Gerb]]. They are heavily enriched by having territories rich in the mineral [[Lundesite]], which is a powerful alchemical reagent and power source, essential for many modern technologies. They are frequent trade partners - and equally, frequently at war with - the Trevult Empire.
* The [[Greatwind]] are an allied collection of islander communities, similar to the New Colmaris, but with so great an emphasis on individual freedoms and involvement in the collective efforts of their people that they could almost be considered an anarchic commune. Greatwind's federated islands rarely hold their formation entirely and occasionally spring up in odd places based on the [[Skytides]].

Additionally, there are a few factions that constitute heritages in their own right, even if they aren't seen as a proper nation-state anthropologically.
* [[Guild Lifers]] are persons deeply dedicated, in many cases even born into, the mission and lifestyle of the [[Cartographers Guild]]. While their ultimate heritage may be Trevultine, New Colmari, Fengjin, Gerban, or Greatwindian, they see themselves as members of the guild first and members of their nation second... a phenomenon made all the more strong by the ubiquitous nature of Guild offices and the cosmopolitan vision of the Guild itself.
* [[The Pirate Nation]] is a rarely-unified, hypothetical coalition of all [[pirate]] factions, usually used as a rhetorical instrument by nation-states, but tacitly acknowledged as a common interpretation of the nature of piracy by pirates themselves. Many pirates live by personal codes of honour that make mention of the vision of the pirate nation. Some even actively seek to create it, but the nature of piracy itself seeds enough mutual distrust that so far, no Pirate King has appeared.

Additionally, there are several pre-Breaking cultures that may need to be discussed; these are rarely appropriate to use as player Heritages.

Template:Stub

2023-01-16T01:39:01Z

Zadammac: Created page with "'''This article is a stub''' Category: Stubs"

'''This article is a stub''' [[Category: Stubs]]

Lundesite

2023-01-16T01:38:26Z

Zadammac: Created page with "{{Stub}} '''Lundesite''' is a mineral, typically obtained through discovery of veins of the substance on Land, which can be refined to provide energy needed for Lundesite Boilers and Lundesite Piles, a special type of steam boiler used as the source of power by most technologies found throughout Coldmaris. Lundesite is known to be hazardous to work with. Refined lundesite that is stored in powdered form (the preferred form for use in boilers) is known to be..."

{{Stub}}

'''Lundesite''' is a mineral, typically obtained through discovery of veins of the substance on [[Land]], which can be refined to provide energy needed for [[Lundesite Boilers]] and [[Lundesite Piles]], a special type of steam boiler used as the source of power by most technologies found throughout Coldmaris.

Lundesite is known to be hazardous to work with. Refined lundesite that is stored in powdered form (the preferred form for use in boilers) is known to be explosive. Lundesite itself has a pull on the forces of [[Magic]] that can usually be ignored, but Lundesite Piles concentrate enough of the active portion of the mineral in one place that magic behaves in unexpected ways in their vacinity.

Nations

2023-01-16T01:34:37Z

Zadammac:

There are five nations in [[Coldmaris]] that have territories whose formation is stable enough to be considered true nation-states, and membership in which can be considered a [[Tarnished Tale | heritage]] for the purposes of character creation. In no particular order, they are:
* The [[Trevult Imperium]], a heriditary monarchy and perhaps the pinnacle nation in terms of their use of industrialization and the working of metals, which they have in abundance. They are also known best globally as the nation which first codified the [[Zodiac]] and for being experts in the working of [[magic]] more generally.;
* [[New Coldmaris]] is a lose republic of island territories that all shared a common pre-Breaking ancestor culture, and since re-establishing contact with each other have chosen to rekindle their ancestral alliances. They are seen as civilized and hardworking, and are perhaps the pre-eminent culture in terms of sheer [[airships | sailing]] capability. Many New Coldmaris standards and institutions underpin the terminology and techniques of sailing; they are most famous, of course, for their ubiquitous [[Cartographers' Guild]].
* The [[Feng Empire]] is a culture that has specialized in adapting to their surroundings and to the constant state of change Coldmaris imposes upon them. Their territory is largely peripheral to that of the Trevult and New Coldmaris cultures, but has an ancient history, rooted in a half-legendary and half-historical war fought fairly shortly after [[the Ancient Breaking]]. It's believed that the Feng first discovered [[Coldmaris Lodestone]] and developed the earliest post-breaking airships.
* The [[Sultunate of Gerb]] is an additional culture heavily invested in trade, and organized chiefly around their most magnificent holding, the city of [[Gerb]]. They are heavily enriched by having territories rich in the mineral [[Lundesite]], which is a powerful alchemical reagent and power source, essential for many modern technologies. They are frequent trade partners - and equally, frequently at war with - the Trevult Empire.
* The [[Greatwind]] are an allied collection of islander communities, similar to the New Coldmaris, but with so great an emphasis on individual freedoms and involvement in the collective efforts of their people that they could almost be considered an anarchic commune. Greatwind's federated islands rarely hold their formation entirely and occasionally spring up in odd places based on the [[Skytides]].

Additionally, there are a few factions that constitute heritages in their own right, even if they aren't seen as a proper nation-state anthropologically.
* [[Guild Lifers]] are persons deeply dedicated, in many cases even born into, the mission and lifestyle of the [[Cartographers Guild]]. While their ultimate heritage may be Trevultine, New Coldmari, Fengjin, Gerban, or Greatwindian, they see themselves as members of the guild first and members of their nation second... a phenomenon made all the more strong by the ubiquitous nature of Guild offices and the cosmopolitan vision of the Guild itself.
* [[The Pirate Nation]] is a rarely-unified, hypothetical coalition of all [[pirate]] factions, usually used as a rhetorical instrument by nation-states, but tacitly acknowledged as a common interpretation of the nature of piracy by pirates themselves. Many pirates live by personal codes of honour that make mention of the vision of the pirate nation. Some even actively seek to create it, but the nature of piracy itself seeds enough mutual distrust that so far, no Pirate King has appeared.

Additionally, there are several pre-Breaking cultures that may need to be discussed; these are rarely appropriate to use as player Heritages.

Nations

2023-01-16T01:32:39Z

Zadammac:

There are five nations in [[Coldmaris]] that have territories whose formation is stable enough to be considered true nation-states, and membership in which can be considered a [[Tarnished Tale | heritage]] for the purposes of character creation. In no particular order, they are:
* The [[Trevult Imperium]], a heriditary monarchy and perhaps the pinnacle nation in terms of their use of industrialization and the working of metals, which they have in abundance;
* [[New Coldmaris]] is a lose republic of island territories that all shared a common pre-Breaking ancestor culture, and since re-establishing contact with each other have chosen to rekindle their ancestral alliances. They are seen as civilized and hardworking, and are perhaps the pre-eminent culture in terms of sheer [[airships | sailing]] capability. Many New Coldmaris standards and institutions underpin the terminology and techniques of sailing; they are most famous, of course, for their ubiquitous [[Cartographers' Guild]].
* The [[Feng Empire]] is a culture that has specialized in adapting to their surroundings and to the constant state of change Coldmaris imposes upon them. Their territory is largely peripheral to that of the Trevult and New Coldmaris cultures, but has an ancient history, rooted in a half-legendary and half-historical war fought fairly shortly after [[the Ancient Breaking]]. It's believed that the Feng first discovered [[Coldmaris Lodestone]] and developed the earliest post-breaking airships.
* The [[Sultunate of Gerb]] is an additional culture heavily invested in trade, and organized chiefly around their most magnificent holding, the city of [[Gerb]]. They are heavily enriched by having territories rich in the mineral [[Lundesite]], which is a powerful alchemical reagent and power source, essential for many modern technologies. They are frequent trade partners - and equally, frequently at war with - the Trevult Empire.
* The [[Greatwind]] are an allied collection of islander communities, similar to the New Coldmaris, but with so great an emphasis on individual freedoms and involvement in the collective efforts of their people that they could almost be considered an anarchic commune. Greatwind's federated islands rarely hold their formation entirely and occasionally spring up in odd places based on the [[Skytides]].

Additionally, there are a few factions that constitute heritages in their own right, even if they aren't seen as a proper nation-state anthropologically.
* [[Guild Lifers]] are persons deeply dedicated, in many cases even born into, the mission and lifestyle of the [[Cartographers Guild]]. While their ultimate heritage may be Trevultine, New Coldmari, Fengjin, Gerban, or Greatwindian, they see themselves as members of the guild first and members of their nation second... a phenomenon made all the more strong by the ubiquitous nature of Guild offices and the cosmopolitan vision of the Guild itself.
* [[The Pirate Nation]] is a rarely-unified, hypothetical coalition of all [[pirate]] factions, usually used as a rhetorical instrument by nation-states, but tacitly acknowledged as a common interpretation of the nature of piracy by pirates themselves. Many pirates live by personal codes of honour that make mention of the vision of the pirate nation. Some even actively seek to create it, but the nature of piracy itself seeds enough mutual distrust that so far, no Pirate King has appeared.

Additionally, there are several pre-Breaking cultures that may need to be discussed; these are rarely appropriate to use as player Heritages.

Nations

2023-01-16T01:32:19Z

Zadammac: Created page with "There are five nations in Coldmaris that have territories whose formation is stable enough to be considered true nation-states, and membership in which can be considered a heritage for the purposes of character creation. In no particular order, they are: * The Trevult Empire, a heriditary monarchy and perhaps the pinnacle nation in terms of their use of industrialization and the working of metals, which they have in abundance; * New Coldmar..."

There are five nations in [[Coldmaris]] that have territories whose formation is stable enough to be considered true nation-states, and membership in which can be considered a [[Tarnished Tale | heritage]] for the purposes of character creation. In no particular order, they are:
* The [[Trevult Empire]], a heriditary monarchy and perhaps the pinnacle nation in terms of their use of industrialization and the working of metals, which they have in abundance;
* [[New Coldmaris]] is a lose republic of island territories that all shared a common pre-Breaking ancestor culture, and since re-establishing contact with each other have chosen to rekindle their ancestral alliances. They are seen as civilized and hardworking, and are perhaps the pre-eminent culture in terms of sheer [[airships | sailing]] capability. Many New Coldmaris standards and institutions underpin the terminology and techniques of sailing; they are most famous, of course, for their ubiquitous [[Cartographers' Guild]].
* The [[Feng Empire]] is a culture that has specialized in adapting to their surroundings and to the constant state of change Coldmaris imposes upon them. Their territory is largely peripheral to that of the Trevult and New Coldmaris cultures, but has an ancient history, rooted in a half-legendary and half-historical war fought fairly shortly after [[the Ancient Breaking]]. It's believed that the Feng first discovered [[Coldmaris Lodestone]] and developed the earliest post-breaking airships.
* The [[Sultunate of Gerb]] is an additional culture heavily invested in trade, and organized chiefly around their most magnificent holding, the city of [[Gerb]]. They are heavily enriched by having territories rich in the mineral [[Lundesite]], which is a powerful alchemical reagent and power source, essential for many modern technologies. They are frequent trade partners - and equally, frequently at war with - the Trevult Empire.
* The [[Greatwind]] are an allied collection of islander communities, similar to the New Coldmaris, but with so great an emphasis on individual freedoms and involvement in the collective efforts of their people that they could almost be considered an anarchic commune. Greatwind's federated islands rarely hold their formation entirely and occasionally spring up in odd places based on the [[Skytides]].

Additionally, there are a few factions that constitute heritages in their own right, even if they aren't seen as a proper nation-state anthropologically.
* [[Guild Lifers]] are persons deeply dedicated, in many cases even born into, the mission and lifestyle of the [[Cartographers Guild]]. While their ultimate heritage may be Trevultine, New Coldmari, Fengjin, Gerban, or Greatwindian, they see themselves as members of the guild first and members of their nation second... a phenomenon made all the more strong by the ubiquitous nature of Guild offices and the cosmopolitan vision of the Guild itself.
* [[The Pirate Nation]] is a rarely-unified, hypothetical coalition of all [[pirate]] factions, usually used as a rhetorical instrument by nation-states, but tacitly acknowledged as a common interpretation of the nature of piracy by pirates themselves. Many pirates live by personal codes of honour that make mention of the vision of the pirate nation. Some even actively seek to create it, but the nature of piracy itself seeds enough mutual distrust that so far, no Pirate King has appeared.

Additionally, there are several pre-Breaking cultures that may need to be discussed; these are rarely appropriate to use as player Heritages.

Main Page

2023-01-16T00:55:50Z

Zadammac:

'''Stellarchs of the Tarnished Skies''' is a techno-fantasy campaign setting and prototype environment for the [[TarnishedTale TTRPG engine]]. Envisioning a world of [[airships]], high-handed [[piracy | pirates]], and astrological [[magic]], the setting presents game masters with a backdrop for court intrigue, high militarism, swashbuckling, dungeon delving, and sorcery in the world of Colmeris, a fantastic world ripped asunder by [[The Ancient Breaking]], leaving its continents and islands adrift through seemingly limitless skies.

By the [[The Age of Rediscovery | the present time period]] the setting focuses on, Colmeris has largely been resettled entirely, with its [[Nations | five major cultures]] more or less cooperating economically with one another, and their own long histories leaving the pre-Breaking world a distant memory. This balance of power is due for a shift, as one of the nations of Colmeris, the [[Trevult Imperium]] reveals its true colors under the newly-coronated [[Emperor Joachim]] and begins to take a heavier hand in geopolitics, initially under the guise of trying to stamp out piracy in order to "bring law to [[the Skies]]".

The newfound tension, both in terms of jurisdiction and militarism, only grows tighter as various [[Cartographer's Guild]] offices become flooded with reports that various [[ancient ruins]] may or may not contain the missing [[Stellarchiac Jewels]], ancient relics of [[Zodiac]] significance claimed to add legitimacy and great arcane power to the claims of the [[Noble House]] that possess them. Between treasure hunters, militiary resistance from the other nations, and the risk of the unification of [[the Pirate Nation]] for the first time in centuries, the Imperium has its work cut out for them.