Rule of Two
Tion has fallen. But out of the ashes of it's destruction an Empire was found.
This thread will be a long one but will concisely put forward the themes and ideas that I have presented in our Discord server over the past week which- if it is accepted by our staff- will revamp the faction and give us momentum for the rest of the year.
I present: The Tionic Empire.
Synopsis
In the wake of the Second Great Hyperspace War the Imperial Remnant surrounding the Lianna system were banded together by Aculia Voland. Through clever politicking these remnants were banded together to form the Empire of the Lost. In these formative years this 'lost' Empire had no Emperor and was instead led by a ruling Moff Council made up of former Warlords and high ranking Admirals of the same Imperial Remnant that were banded together by Voland sometime before the turn of the century. Mysteriously, without warning, Voland disappeared and left in her wake a faction that was lost.
In 902 ABY Velran Kilran conspired to usurp the ruling Moff Council. Cloning technology, combined with his own clever politicking, and ruthless aggression would lead to the Eggman becoming the most powerful Imperial in the Galaxy. On Lianna Kilran gathered the Voland Administration to meet in secret, and with his allies in tow, Kilran assassinated the entire council and replaced them with new prospects to join him as he was coronated as the Emperor of the Lost. Adopting an expansionist policy upon being crowned Emperor Kilran invaded neutral star systems across the Galaxy as he sets his eyes upon the acquisition of Kessel and it's spice trade.
As the Empire begun it's expansion to the south the newly anointed 'lost' Emperor set his gaze to the northern borders and reached out his fist to snatch out Felucia! Unbeknownst to the Emperor this tropical jungle world held with it the influence and resources of the Sith Order: a galactic power based out of Jutrand comprised of several different sects led by the Lords of the Sith under the reign of the Corpse Emperor, Darth Empyrean. As Kilran prepared to take Felucia into his Imperium, in the shadows, one of his newly appointed officers conspired to spark a war.
Staff Director Alicia Drey, of the New Imperial Security Bureau- aware of Kilran's plans- moved to begin hostilities with the Sith which led to the Battle of Felucia. In secret, while both the Sith and 'lost' Imperials fought one another, Drey met with Darth Malum: the leader of the Tsis'Kaar- a mysterious sect of Sith who too operate in the shadows. As Felucia fell to the Empire and into the hands of Kilran it was revealed to Malum that the Staff Director was in fact Darth Ayra: a Sith Lord. Joining the Tsis'Kaar in secret Ayra begun to conspire with Malum against the Sith and Imperial leadership.
With Felucia conquered by the Empire of the Lost a war council was convened aboard by the Mors Mon by the Worm Darth Empyrean. As the various Sith sects gathered to discuss the impending threat of the Empire to the Sith Holy Worlds found within the clutches of the Stygian Caldera Darth Ayra made her next move. Infiltrating the council under the disguise of a Tsis'Kaar operative Ayra manipulated the Sith into invasion by cleverly deceiving the Corpse Emperor into retaliation against the Imperials who now sat dangerously close to the borders of his vassal state.
The result was the Siege of Tion: a battle which saw the fall of the Tion Hegemony and the destruction of the Tionese homeworld at the hands of Butcher King Darth Carnifex. In the wake of the battle and the subsequent fall of Tion the Tionese spread throughout the Empire of the Lost leading to a crisis set to change the Imperium forever.
Out of the ashes of destruction the Empire- once lost- has now been found.
Through the crucible of war and carnage the Tionic Empire shall rise.
The Story
The Story
The story I wish to tell with you all is a realistic fallout of the Siege of Tion which leads to the Empire of the Lost reformed into the Tionic Empire.
If this is accepted the Tionic Empire will be split into two in character. To the north, near the Sith vassal state, are the Liannian Loyalists. These are comprised of star systems and worlds who are fanatical in their loyalty to Velran Kilran, the Tionic Emperor. To the south is Tion Superior: the bulk of the Empire that is largely comprised of the Tion Cluster. Naturally, Tionese influence is palpable in this region of the Empire, and after the fall of Tion, the call for reform and war with the Sith is strong.
By dividing the Empire into two halves (in character) we can create a tense atmosphere as characters within the faction are drawn into picking a side. Do you side with the Liannan Loyalists, who are fiercely loyal to Emperor Kilran? Or are you with the Tionese, who are looking to takeover the Empire? Perhaps you are a clever schemer looking to use both sides for political and personal gain? The stories that can be told with this dynamic are numerous, and advantageous for story telling.
The Tionic Empire itself, on the galactic map, will not be split into two. Rather, the 'split' described in this thread is a cultural, and political, rather than a strategic one. That is to say that if the Sith Order were to invade again, and selected a world on either side, the outcome would be the same as it was before.
As the Empire itself remains threatened by the Sith the playable characters of the faction must traverse this new landscape and deal with the difficult challenges that they must now face as the Tionese look for revenge against the Sith Order. Throughout the month of June we will write our farewell to the era of the Empire of the Lost as we enter this brand new one as the faction itself changes to become the Tionic Empire.
Naturally, this will be accomplished through roleplay. Here is my outline for threads that I would like to write:-
The Prelude to War - This Populate, now posted over a month ago, was set in a timeline before the Siege of Tion. It was, however, unfinished by the time that the invasion begun. I propose that we finish the Populate by writing posts set in the aftermath of the attack. Before Director Drey could finish debriefing the Moff Council about the impending attack on Tion the Sith Order invaded, and so the meeting was abandoned as our characters headed to the Tion system to defend it.
Now that Tion has fallen our characters reconvene to meet about the fallout of Tion, and the subsequent crisis that is now unfolding in the Empire. The Tionese are up in arms regarding the destruction of their ancestral homeworld, and we now have to deal with that. In the thread I will be introducing a new character that I will write for the purposes of telling this story who will be introduced as the leader of the Tionese and representative of their interests.
By finishing this Populate we also acquire Kessel which was an on-going storyline we were writing in our formative time as the EotL.
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The Tionic Reformation - This Faction thread will see the coronation of Velran Kilran as the Tionic Emperor on our Capital of Lianna. Off-camera the Eggman has made arrangements with just enough Tionese nobles to avoid being usurped and joining Aculia Voland as an afterthought. The Imperial Moff Council remain united under his leadership but the political influence of the Tionese are causing factions to form among the Moffs.
Meanwhile, in the streets of Lianna City, a procession of military might and strength sends a clear message to the Empire and it's enemies that it remains strong even in the aftermath of Tion's destruction. The Emperor hosts a speech declaring war upon the Sith Order and swearing to eradicate the Sith Holy Worlds in retaliation for what happened to Tion. Among these declarations the Eggman vows to reclaim Tion and build a new homeworld for the Tionese.
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Raxus Secundus - This Dominion thread will see Raxus and Abraxin come into the Empire. The thread will be set on Raxus Secundus, but will also see Abraxin conquered too as they are within the same hex. Historically a member of the Tion Hegemony many of the refugees who fled the Siege of Tion settled on Raxus and so the reasoning behind the planet being brought into the Empire are obvious. With it's proximity to Makem Te (now in the hands of the Sith Order) makes it a beachhead for invasion of this planet.
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The Invasion of Makem Te - With Raxus Secundus now within the territories of the Tionic Empire our attention turns to the invasion of Makem Te. This planet served as the beachhead to the Sith Order's invasion of Tion and subsequently must be taken from them as revenge against their incursion into our space. Victory will result in a cloud break and Tion will no longer be a Sith occupied hex. Terms and details to be negotiated by us and the SO staff team.