Scouting Report From the Northern Reaches

 Following the conclusion of Comalan's first interstellar war, which saw the liberation of the botanical world of Allene and the end of the aggression they faced from the aquatic world of Mennon, a victory celebration in Dalaska was marred by the capture of a suspicious individual lurking in the city's vacant Chaotic temple. The man remains imprisoned in Heron, having refused to answer any questions. Among his personal effects, the authorities found only a wooden token depicting a wolf standing on a mountaintop and a single document, which only raised more questions.

Though we have discovered much of note in this expedition, it seems appropriate to address the phenomenon that launched our expedition. The mystery of the skybound stars took little time to solve after making landfall on the northern continent. Our journey has taken us across three borders and everyone we've spoken to has spoken with mixtures of worry and excitement that the four nations of this continent, and the system of islands to their immediate east have all banded together to make war beyond the confines of our world. They accomplished this with five large vessels that can fly beyond our skies into the reach of the plane of stars. Even now, their cause is difficult to wrap my head around. One thing is clear, however: despite the spider's foolhardy challenge to their lands, the northerners are unconcerned with any threats from our side of the world.

Our tactical assessment remains inconclusive, however. What our people must understand about the northerners is that, while they have developed some interesting technology--particularly in the southern nation, but some notable examples exist along the eastern shores of Resta and among the visitors from the isles of Midania-- the source of their power lies firmly within the free practice of magic. Here, there are no Eye Witches and Shadow Witches. Their disparate cultures hold distinct views on magic, with the northernmost country being the only region to hold anything approaching a realistic attitude towards the gifts of the Judges. The worst offenders lie within the eastern region of the continent, where magic is practiced freely by commoner and noble alike while two armies of spellcasters wield the official sanction of their royalty.

While this land, known as Resta, wields more magical power under its banner than every single banner that stands over our lands combined, what makes them most dangerous is their political ties to the other countries in the North. While the others have conflicts to exploit, the neutrality and wealth of this kingdom make them a friend to all. Any campaign on this continent must not begin here for to attack them is to provoke four other nations as well.

This leaves the other four nations, which are bound with Resta in an accord of convenience against their otherworldly enemies. But beneath this facade of unity sands two essential alliances, from which the strongest threat stands apart entirely. The southland has developed a warm relationship with the woodlands to the west despite the stark social differences in their cultures. These southern nation, which is called Galeon, feels a lot like home in terms of both society and climate, save for their tolerance of the caste system of their strange, long-eared neighbors. Imagine forming an alliance with the Black Crown and you will understand the confusion with which I observed the relationship between these unlikely allies. There is justified unease among the people of Galeon over this association, but a growing alliance among each of the powers who threaten respectively seems to make it necessary.

The other alliance consists of the archipelago to our northeast and the northlands from which I write this report. The Galeans have come to fear the island nation for their powerful navy. and its recent conflicts with Galean fishermen and oceanic research vessels. Here in the northern nation of Heron, the people are forthcoming with discussion of their centuries-old enmity with the woodlanders of Tanis. While their hostilities have been set aside for now, they are half-expected to resume with the defeat of their common foe. Shrewd politicians from the isles have capitalized on this hatred and the friendship between their foes and Galeon--with whom Heron shares a cold, mildly cordial relationship as is-- to form a compact. Similar to the all-encompassing threat I've referred to in Resta, to launch an attack on Heron is to declare war on Midania as well--and vice cersa.

If you're looking for a weakness in this realm, there are a few bright sides to the dark tidings I've reported so far. The first is that, while their technology has taken unexpected leaps, their most advanced weapons may have been a match for ours no less than twenty years ago. The second is the population itself. From what we've been able to tell, our banner alone carries half as many bodies as all of their combined. If we could get enough ships through the storms, we could overwhelm  each country one at a time. If Raven Hills combines their might with ours, we could claim the entire continent before the red banners realize what's happening.

In conclusion, the northern realm carries a lot of power, but it is not untamable. Although it remains the prerogative of his imperial highness and the Senate whether action in the north realm is appropriate, I offer the following actions in my duty as a scout.

Resta-- This nation is not to be trifled with. Its combination of magical power and political connections make a direct assault on their throne the most dangerous proposal one could make to the Senate. However, their flagrant abuse of the Judges' laws makes them a clear target. A campaign against them must be carefully planned, but cannot be executed swiftly enough from what I can see. But if we conquer their allies or cut their diplomatic connections first, we can put an end to their twisted abuse of magic with little trouble.

Galeon- Limited contact is recommended. Given their agreeable culture, pre-emptive aggression towards this country could be detrimental to morale and their strange ethic of nonintervention would make them poor military allies. Attempts to sabotage their diplomacy with Tanis would be simple and worthwhile, but only to deprive a much higher-priority target of a crucial ally. Whatever we do, we can expect contact with their impeccable spy network. But that is all the more reason to avoid making an enemy of them too quickly.

Tanis- The woodlands are a suitable target for our opening move. The oppressive caste system that guides their society is something few would miss and their reliance on magic is second only to Resta's. Fortunately, nonviolence is their way, so if diplomacy fails, there is little to stop us from subduing them with force once we break through their meager defenders.

Midania- Midania is second in two critical ways. Behind Resta, their legendary navy and political savvy makes them our second-largest threat and their geographically scattered population places them behind Tanis when ranking easy targets. It may be necessary to disable their fleet if our entire army is to make it across the sea.

Heron- Opening a campaign that far north would be most difficult for logistical reasons and their average martial skill could make the empress worry. Not to mention the fact that, while their culture is not as similar to ours as Galeon's, their respect for magic makes them among the least troubling force on the continent. An alliance with Raven Hills would make such a prospect even more unattractive for the same reason I wouldn't ask our own people to attack Galeon. If there was any reason to recommend an attack against Heron it would be the cabal of flame casters that seem to be leading a push to accept magic in the same perverted way the rest of the realm has.

Finally, I would recommend caution around those the north realm folk call Avatars. Their renown is high throughout the entire realm and they are spoken of in the same tones as our own Heroes. But since all of them were involved in this otherworldly campaign, any report I could give on them would be inconclusive. They are said to have been given incredible powers by the Judges, who they have dared to assign names to. It is claimed that each wields the power of a Judge, but the truth of that cannot be determined until they return to the realm. My investigation will continue with these individuals. However the Emperor and Senate choose to act on this information, I reaffirm my commitment to expand the reach of our light.

The Vermilion Collective

The many uncharted lands of  Comalan's southeastern hemisphere have long been speculated to be occupied by uncivilized peoples whose development was suppressed by their perpetual struggle against the elements. These ideas are said to be enforced by the cultural exhibitions of the region's few emigrants, which have proven to be far more alien than even the differences between Mortanis and Midania could compare to. It wasn't until the end of the Second Age when this myth would be dispelled by the unexpected appearance of a naval vessel whose technology was significantly advanced even by Galean standards of the time. The ship flew a red flag and carried a hostile crew, who claimed to be from a nation referred to only as the Vermilion collective upon their capture by the Holy Key Knights. This battle resulted in many casualties on both sides, but their technology was only barely eclipsed by the templars' power.

Following the Archknight Rebellion, Kyle Baldus--the newly crowned king of Resta--received a message that was printed on a red scroll. This letter from the Vermilion Collective explained that their emperor, Julius Hartwell, had led his people in conquest of the vast majority of the southeastern hemisphere. With most of Hydrospace conquered, they had sent out exploratory vessels to establish a foothold out in the wider world. It was one of these vessels that had tested its might against the Restans and lost. After acknowledging the strength of the chosen land, Emperor Hartwell declared war on Resta.

Recently crippled by the bloody civil war they fought to restore the Gods to their seats of honor in Mortanis, the new court of Resta appealed to augurs, bishops, and tacticians alike to assess this threat. The clergy said nothing except that their actions against the templars, devoid as it was of the ritual that the Akisian Empire and Blackstone Order were known for, suggested a godless culture. The seers revealed that any attempts to scry into their future have yielded no visions of the Vermilion Collective. The military speculated that with the vast distance between the two countries, Resta's natural superiority at producing resources, and their long list of allies, the kingdom would be perfectly safe if the Collective decided to invade. So, with no clear idea of the threat they faced, Royal Army Intelligence dispatched spies to the region and focused on rebuilding.

Although they remain fully aware of a hostile presence in the world with technology beyond their understanding, the tentative unease over this declared conflict would fade with the ongoing years of the third age. Scholars and news media have taken to jocularly referring to this as the Empty War. But what information the spies have brought back regularly puts the court on edge. Their technology has been reported to be beyond anything ever witnessed on Mortanis. The mixture of fear and loyalty instilled into the various communities under their rule has slowly turned into hatred against the people of what they disparagingly call the "Gentle North." Finally, a spy who was thought to have been dead when she stopped reporting to the kingdom was revealed by another to have defected to the Collective, giving them access to many of Resta's secrets.

The Vermilion Collective continues to lack any presence in the north to this day, but Resta remains on notice--for when the empire finally makes its move, it will bring with it power that has no discernible counter.

Adventures in Comalan: Stormview Peninsula

While the majority of the charted world consists of the continent of Mortanis and the various islands of Midania, these lands only cover Comalan's northern hemisphere. These lands remain the only parts of the known world to the majority of its inhabitants because the southern hemisphere's atmosphere is considered to be hostile even to the most seasoned explorers. The powerful currents that Mariknights have grown accustomed to in the north are gentle compared to the towering, violent waves that compose the seas of the region known as the Hydrospace. These currents, combined with deadly hurricanes and torrential rainstorms that are common to the region, make it seem unlikely that anyone could exist there. Despite this, immigrants still manage to find their way to Mortanis with epic tales of their escape from the Hydrospace. To these weary travelers, the gentle climate of countries such as Galeon and Resta is a heavenly reprieve from the terrifying conditions in which they were born.

Those who hear these tales often consider the immigrants' trials to be a sufficient deterrent from exploring the southern hemisphere. However, Comalan has no shortage of adventurers willing to brave danger for undiscovered treasures and glorious exploration. While it is true that no ship exists that's capable of braving the dangers of Hydrospace, there is a little known land that serves a gateway to the region's continent of Nerastia. This northernmost region, accessible still to only the most skilled of sailors with the most advanced ships, is known as Stormview Peninsula. All paths for those who escape the southern continent pass through this land, and it's only through the details of their journeys that anyone has ever found this two-hundred mile stretch of land.

One who reaches Stormview Peninsula will find a city called Gate City, which is technologically advanced even by Galean standards. Metal spires interconnected by a series of magically reinforced arches were erected here to protect travelers. At the very tip of the peninsula is a massive dome that encloses the city's port. This city stands a testament to the Hydrospace's greatest lure for Mortanisian and Midanian adventurers: despite the extreme weather that batters the lands of Nerastia, the people of this continent have persevered only because of these technological and magical secrets. Expeditions from both Resta and Galeon have made attempts to contact representatives of Gate City to trade engineering and magical knowledge only to find that the port dome is not designed to take incoming ships, but to build new ships to send people north.

To the south of Gate City lies Keystone, a battered village that was built by a joint Galean-Tanisian expedition to provide a safe harbor for Mortanisians. However, this town has long since been abandoned because maintaining a functioning community in the face of hurricanes without a safe way to acquire new resources, especially food, has proven to be a daunting task. Envoys continue to be unsuccessful at making contact with representatives of Gate City to learn how anyone could survive there indefinitely.

Since the beginning of the Third Age, the four countries of Mortanis have joined with Midania to form a coalition to settle Stormview Peninsula once and for all and establish diplomacy with Nerastia, but it is constantly hindered by the unstable relationship between these nations (particularly due to the hatred between Heron and both Galeon and Tanis, as well as the distrust between Resta and Midania). However, the synergy of the newly formed Starlight Crusade has renewed hope that establishing a link with the Hydrospace. Since the Crusade's success on the planet Allene, the coalition to settle Nerastia has reformed to plan another attempt. While they plan to wait for the world's most capable explorers and sailors to return from their war with the sho'kai, they have begun to take applications from those who didn't leave with the Crusade. This provides an opportunity for eager adventurers who missed their chance to fly off into the stars to be a part of history. Though it can't be stressed enough that the dangers of this expedition outweigh the perceived benefits, the Nerastian immigrants have whispered enough of their experiences to stoke the imagination of countless explorers.