Anastasia: "What you will remember, however, is giving complete governorship of Aether Island to Anastasia Gulikovsky. That is also how the general public will see it... and how history will see it."
The gorilla and lioness grip the table (which is nailed to the floor) to prevent from falling down, as if that will prolong their fall into unconsciousness.
Guzma: "I don't... understand! What's your game, Gulikovsky? What are the Saviorites?!"
Anastasia: "Simply look around you, my friends. The Aether Foundation is the Saviorites, and the Saviorites are the Aether Foundation. You are Saviorites... well, honorary members, I suppose.
Lusamine: "That... makes no sense! I created the Aether Foundation, not you! It's a company of scientific pursuits founded in recent years, not some... obscure mercenary organization that's a footnote in the history books!"
Anastasia: "Tsk, tsk. I'm surprised you still don't understand. The Aether Foundation exists because I allowed it to exist. Who do you think were these private donors other than Lysandre? Who do you think was behind the 'Aether fund'? Who do you think were those so-called 'secret police'? It was us, the Saviorites. It was all us. All of this was MY creation, MY bloodline's legacy, but I let you think it was yours."
Lusamine: "No... I WON'T accept this!You will not take credit for my work!!!"
Anastasia crosses her arms and furrows her brow, with her eyes half-closed; a look of pure disappointment.
Anastaia: "After all I've done for this island and for you, thisis how you thank me... Then again, that's how it always is; the Saviorites do so much good for Chima, but are always painted as the villains. Well, no longer!"
Anastasia smiles and claps her hands together even as her two visitors collapse to the floor, unconscious.
Anastasia: "Now, there's much to be done."
The Saviorite leader's "butler" and "maid" arrive, the jingle of chain mail armor slightly audible beneath their outfits as they crouch down. The two bears gently but swiftly drag the unconscious lioness and gorilla out of the room, as Anastasia pulls a piece of paper from a bag strung across her Phoenix armor.
Anastasia: "I had a feeling that would upset you to a great extent, Lusamine. But hey, now you won't remember what I told you here, and can resume you work, minus governing this island, so everybody wins!"
Anastasia looks at the paper in her hand, where a list is written:
Seris Rax Lincoln Bliston Erdrik (Galvanor?)
Anastasia: "Those last two might not work out now... well, we'll see. I'll start with Ms. Rax. She and I are somewhat similar, so perhaps she'll be easy to gain an alliance with."
For now, however, the gorilla prepares her speech for when she "accepts" the title of Governess... while almost the entirety of the main Gorilla Tribe is focused on mainland matters.
Not long afterward, Anastasia makes a speech on a podium. Lusamine and Guzma stand to either side of her, having announced that they've officially transferred governorship of Aether Island to Anastasia Gulikovsky. After a generic but well put-together acceptance speech, the gorilla moves on to the more important part.
Anastasia: "...and it would be a disservice to say you're not all the creators of Aether Paradise, since this glorious city was a joint effort between all of us who call this island our home. However, before this city, or any of us, came to be, my ancestor Aether Gulikovsky colonized this island, and created a new faction here: the Saviorites."
There are murmurs of surprise in the crowd.
Anastasia: "A multi-species faction with the goal of protecting Chima, but very different from the modern day Forgotten, the Saviorites were the unsung heroes during the Age of Warlords. They targeted criminal organizations and up-and-coming terrorist groups before they could become threats to Chima at large... 'preemptive strikes' as they're called, were a subject of moral debate, you see, and so the Saviorites kept their existence secret in order to keep their controversial heroism in the shadows. Saving Chima while keeping themselves out of the tribes' sights, the Saviorites nevertheless planned to reveal themselves to fight the rogue Bears led by Icestrike, and would've likely joined the Leopards in their war against the Vultures and Icebears, had it not been for an unfortunate misunderstanding between the Saviorites and Leopards that made them soft enemies at the time."
The gorilla clears her throat, and gazes at the crowd dramatically.
Anastasia: "Aether's plans for stopping the Icebears didn't come to pass, however. For you see, Aether passed away some 126 years ago, exactly 100 years before I was born... and right in the middle of the Bear Civil War. The assassination of Aether Gulikovsky was one of Chima's greatest mysteries for over a century, especially since Leopard King Leodus used a spell to erase the memory of the Fire and Ice tribes from our ancestors' minds. However, through recently summoning Aether's Chi Ghost, I learned the truth from the man himself! It was the Icebears who assassinated Aether Gulikovsky!"
Some in the crowd are surprised, while others aren't.
Anastasia: "Known to the public only as the colonizer and first Governor of Aether Island, my ancestor had been trying to convince the Gorilla King to help the Bears defeat Icestrike and his rogues, so as not to reveal the Saviorites' existence in the middle of a war. Icestrike had his bears infiltrate this island and assassinate Aether, preventing this. With Aether gone, the Saviorites went through a dark era, unfortunately being led by less than heroic leaders for a time. Many, such as my father, Alexander Gulikovsky, unfortunately misunderstood Aether's will. Now though, it's time for the Saviorites to achieve their namesake, without hiding in the shadows!"
Mere minutes after the new Governess' speech, as she's on the stage answering questions from the crowd, there is a sudden earthquake on the island, likely brought on by the continuous Elemental imbalance. Since almost everyone living on Aether Island was outside to attend the ceremony, and the quake wasn't of a high enough magnitude to split much of the ground asunder, very few were injured by falling buildings, as the rescue teams discover an hour later.
Anastasia: "Miraculous timing... but who knows when the next will occur, what with the imbalance? We must be better prepared for more earthquakes. Already on my list of reforms as Gover--"
Rescue team gorilla: "Ma'am, I think you should see this! The quake was particularly damaging over here, and..."
Going to the spot in the very center of the island, near the courtyard where she'd given her speech, Anastasia is shocked by what she's shown: a glowing, bright gold Fire Wing Harness, formerly six or so feet under the earth, and now forcefully revealed to Chima once again, sitting in a shallow crevice.
Anastasia: "Ironic that the Ice Hunters themselves would indirectly cause the discovery of a Fire Wing Harness... Could Aether have buried it here? His ghost didn't mention it, but then again, I didn't ask. Hmph, I suppose I was too busy talking about politics at the time to think of the existential threat of Elemental imbalance."
Anastasia immediately trots down into the crevice, much to her guards' chagrin.
Saviorite bodyguard: "M-ma'am! Should you not exercise caution when approaching that--?"
Anastasia: "Relax my friend, the Fire Wing Harnesses have the same properties as fire chi; they shan't burn anyone of a species that's passed the trials. Besides, I feel a strange... attraction to it."
The gorilla pulls the harness out of what remains of its natural prison, and as her guards run down after her in paranoia, she puts it on. Crimson wings sprout from the armor in a burst of light.
Not long afterward, Anastasia makes a speech on a podium. Lusamine and Guzma stand to either side of her, having announced that they've officially transferred governorship of Aether Island to Anastasia Gulikovsky. After a generic but well put-together acceptance speech, the gorilla moves on to the more important part.
Anastasia: "...and it would be a disservice to say you're not all the creators of Aether Paradise, since this glorious city was a joint effort between all of us who call this island our home. However, before this city, or any of us, came to be, my ancestor Aether Gulikovsky colonized this island, and created a new faction here: the Saviorites."
There are murmurs of surprise in the crowd.
Anastasia: "A multi-species faction with the goal of protecting Chima, but very different from the modern day Forgotten, the Saviorites were the unsung heroes during the Age of Warlords. They targeted criminal organizations and up-and-coming terrorist groups before they could become threats to Chima at large... 'preemptive strikes' as they're called, were a subject of moral debate, you see, and so the Saviorites kept their existence secret in order to keep their controversial heroism in the shadows. Saving Chima while keeping themselves out of the tribes' sights, the Saviorites nevertheless planned to reveal themselves to fight the rogue Bears led by Icestrike, and would've likely joined the Leopards in their war against the Vultures and Icebears, had it not been for an unfortunate misunderstanding between the Saviorites and Leopards that made them soft enemies at the time."
The gorilla clears her throat, and gazes at the crowd dramatically.
Anastasia: "Aether's plans for stopping the Icebears didn't come to pass, however. For you see, Aether passed away some 126 years ago, exactly 100 years before I was born... and right in the middle of the Bear Civil War. The assassination of Aether Gulikovsky was one of Chima's greatest mysteries for over a century, especially since Leopard King Leodus used a spell to erase the memory of the Fire and Ice tribes from our ancestors' minds. However, through recently summoning Aether's Chi Ghost, I learned the truth from the man himself! It was the Icebears who assassinated Aether Gulikovsky!"
Some in the crowd are surprised, while others aren't.
Anastasia: "Known to the public only as the colonizer and first Governor of Aether Island, my ancestor had been trying to convince the Gorilla King to help the Bears defeat Icestrike and his rogues, so as not to reveal the Saviorites' existence in the middle of a war. Icestrike had his bears infiltrate this island and assassinate Aether, preventing this. With Aether gone, the Saviorites went through a dark era, unfortunately being led by less than heroic leaders for a time. Many, such as my father, Alexander Gulikovsky, unfortunately misunderstood Aether's will. Now though, it's time for the Saviorites to achieve their namesake, without hiding in the shadows!"
Mere minutes after the new Governess' speech, as she's on the stage answering questions from the crowd, there is a sudden earthquake on the island, likely brought on by the continuous Elemental imbalance. Since almost everyone living on Aether Island was outside to attend the ceremony, and the quake wasn't of a high enough magnitude to split much of the ground asunder, very few were injured by falling buildings, as the rescue teams discover an hour later.
Anastasia: "Miraculous timing... but who knows when the next will occur, what with the imbalance? We must be better prepared for more earthquakes. Already on my list of reforms as Gover--"
Rescue team gorilla: "Ma'am, I think you should see this! The quake was particularly damaging over here, and..."
Going to the spot in the very center of the island, near the courtyard where she'd given her speech, Anastasia is shocked by what she's shown: a glowing, bright gold Fire Wing Harness, formerly six or so feet under the earth, and now forcefully revealed to Chima once again, sitting in a shallow crevice.
Anastasia: "Ironic that the Ice Hunters themselves would indirectly cause the discovery of a Fire Wing Harness... Could Aether have buried it here? His ghost didn't mention it, but then again, I didn't ask. Hmph, I suppose I was too busy talking about politics at the time to think of the existential threat of Elemental imbalance."
Anastasia immediately trots down into the crevice, much to her guards' chagrin.
Saviorite bodyguard: "M-ma'am! Should you not exercise caution when approaching that--?"
Anastasia: "Relax my friend, the Fire Wing Harnesses have the same properties as fire chi; they shan't burn anyone of a species that's passed the trials. Besides, I feel a strange... attraction to it."
The gorilla pulls the harness out of what remains of its natural prison, and as her guards run down after her in paranoia, she puts it on. Crimson wings sprout from the armor in a burst of light.
Anastasia: "...Oh, look at that."
Not long afterward, the Governess flies with her new wings to Scordon Island (much to the chagrin of her bodyguards, who hastily follow in a helicopter), and meets with "Governess" (though she's really been evolving more and more into the island's Queen) Seris Rax. The two exchange pleasantries, and then talk alliances.
Seris: "I have kept my island isolated for a long time, and with this apparent foreign threat now known to us, I suppose it would be in my best interest to ally. It might be alarming to the Bats, though, who live much closer to me, if I allied with a different island."
Anastasia: "That's the thing; I want to create a united front of us islanders. Those on the mainland have their big alliances, but we're more vulnerable to the Rays. A federation uniting the colonies, controlled equally by each island's leaders, would be greatly beneficial to all of us, even outside of war matters. I've already spoken to Lincoln of the Isle of Neutrality over the radio, and he agreed, under the condition that I added at least one more island to the alliance."
Seris: "Hmm, yes. I agree. I like the way you Saviorites operate as well. It reminds me of how I saw the Forgotten, before I became... disillusioned with them, at least under their original leader. Yes, I will join this... 'Federation of United Colonies.'"
Anastasia: "A great name for it! Thank you, Ms. Seris Rax."
The two shake hands.
Seris: "Oh, and those Fire Wings you're wearing... the Forgotten's leaders, Spalyx Vance and Scordon Freeman, wear them as well. Thought I should let you know, if you want to... use them, or something. I'm a bit unclear on the details of how that Illumination thing works."
Anastasia: "Oh, thanks for telling me. I'd heard rumors that they were Harness-bearers, but I didn't know for sure. Where are they now?"
Seris: "Lion City, I've heard."
Anastasia: "Thanks again, my friend. Well, I'm off!"
Anastasia flies off, the airborne Saviorites hastily following her again.
The Saviorite helicopter that'd been at Lion City arrives above the Isle of Neutrality. It's cleared for landing, and Anastasia Gulikovsky and Lyrix step out. The former is accompanied by bodyguards to the central governmental building on the isle, while the latter goes off to meet with someone or other.
The leader of the neutral Lions greets Anastasia as she arrives in his office.
Lincoln: "Governess Gulikovsky. It's a pleasure to meet you in person."
Anastasia: "Likewise, Governor Lincoln."
The gorilla takes a seat at his behest, and they discuss the slowly but surely forming alliance between Chima's island colonies.
Lincoln: "...Now when it comes to your island, I must ask whether this is an alliance with the Saviorites, or with the Gorilla Tribe. Seris Rax has long since declared her colony independent of the Forgotten, and those who remained with her after that announcement have made their allegiance clear. The same can't be said about the Saviorites and Aether Island, though. Am I correct?"
Anastasia: "Yes. To be clear, you're allying with the Saviorites, not with the Gorilla Tribe. At the moment, that does translate to being allied with Aether Island, but that may not be permanent. Though I'm both the island's Governess and the leader of the Saviorites, who've made Aether Island our base, I do not wish to contest the Gorilla Republic's ownership of the island, nor do I intend to go to war with the Gorillas over it. If the Gorilla Tribe distrusts us or doesn't approve of Aether Island being shared between them and the Saviorites, we will willingly relocate ourselves."
Lincoln: "I see..."
The lion rubs his forehead.
Anastasia: "Apologies, am I confusing you with the complexities of this arrangement? I too, had to wrap my head around this when my advisors explained it to me."
Lincoln: "No, no, I understand it well enough. I admit, though, that I wish my mentor was still around to guide me through these things."
Anastasia: "Who was your mentor, if you don't mind me asking?"
Lincoln: "A lion named Ludwig Luggington. You've probably heard his name by now, since his books incidentally allowed the Outland tribes to quickly educate themselves on Chima's history, after their evolution."
Anastasia: "The historian who'd put all his books in Corvidholme's library?"
Lincoln: "That's him. At least fifteen years ago, we met in Lion City, finding that we shared a common dissatisfaction with aspects of our tribe, and the old man began mentoring me in matters of politics and leadership. That's why this group made me their de-facto leader, after all, so I have Mr. Luggington to thank for many things."
Anastasia: "What happened to him?"
Lincoln: "Your guess is as good as mine. A few years ago, he began acting strangely... erratic. I thought the old man was just growing senile, but then he dissappeared. Erased himself without a trace. Until, of course, he reappeared briefly to drop his books in Corvidholme, but no one has seen him since."
The Saviorite helicopter that'd been at Lion City arrives above the Isle of Neutrality. It's cleared for landing, and Anastasia Gulikovsky and Lyrix step out. The former is accompanied by bodyguards to the central governmental building on the isle, while the latter goes off to meet with someone or other.
The leader of the neutral Lions greets Anastasia as she arrives in his office.
Lincoln: "Governess Gulikovsky. It's a pleasure to meet you in person."
Anastasia: "Likewise, Governor Lincoln."
The gorilla takes a seat at his behest, and they discuss the slowly but surely forming alliance between Chima's island colonies.
Lincoln: "...Now when it comes to your island, I must ask whether this is an alliance with the Saviorites, or with the Gorilla Tribe. Seris Rax has long since declared her colony independent of the Forgotten, and those who remained with her after that announcement have made their allegiance clear. The same can't be said about the Saviorites and Aether Island, though. Am I correct?"
Anastasia: "Yes. To be clear, you're allying with the Saviorites, not with the Gorilla Tribe. At the moment, that does translate to being allied with Aether Island, but that may not be permanent. Though I'm both the island's Governess and the leader of the Saviorites, who've made Aether Island our base, I do not wish to contest the Gorilla Republic's ownership of the island, nor do I intend to go to war with the Gorillas over it. If the Gorilla Tribe distrusts us or doesn't approve of Aether Island being shared between them and the Saviorites, we will willingly relocate ourselves."
Lincoln: "I see..."
The lion rubs his forehead.
Anastasia: "Apologies, am I confusing you with the complexities of this arrangement? I too, had to wrap my head around this when my advisors explained it to me."
Lincoln: "No, no, I understand it well enough. I admit, though, that I wish my mentor was still around to guide me through these things."
Anastasia: "Who was your mentor, if you don't mind me asking?"
Lincoln: "A lion named Ludwig Luggington. You've probably heard his name by now, since his books incidentally allowed the Outland tribes to quickly educate themselves on Chima's history, after their evolution."
Anastasia: "The historian who'd put all his books in Corvidholme's library?"
Lincoln: "That's him. At least fifteen years ago, we met in Lion City, finding that we shared a common dissatisfaction with aspects of our tribe, and the old man began mentoring me in matters of politics and leadership. That's why this group made me their de-facto leader, after all, so I have Mr. Luggington to thank for many things."
Anastasia: "What happened to him?"
Lincoln: "Your guess is as good as mine. A few years ago, he began acting strangely... erratic. I thought the old man was just growing senile, but then he dissappeared. Erased himself without a trace. Until, of course, he reappeared briefly to drop his books in Corvidholme, but no one has seen him since."
Anastasia: "Did-- Does he have any children?"
Lincoln: "Yes, a son and a daughter. The latter is part of our group here. Neither of them have seen him."
Anastasia: "Well, I'm sorry to hear that. I hope Ludwig Luggington is found, and that he is alive and well."
Lincoln: "Thank you."
The Saviorites depart from the Isle of Neutrality soon after, and Lyrix returns from the jungle, hopping back on the helicopter to leave with them.
In the northern reaches of the waters that surround Chima, where the West Sea meets the Arctic Ocean, a huge fleet sails into the south. A towering dreadnought, surrounded by dozens of ironclads and still more older wooden vessels, flies the banner of the Sabretooth Tribe, leaving no doubt as to its allegiance. The ships from the north loop around the north-western tip of the northern coast and head south-east, making for the lands occupied by the Minor Tribes.
The northernmore coastline in South Chima, the land where the West Sea meets the Grassy Plains has long been a peaceful region. Minor skirnmishes have taken place in one war or another, but its peripheral location has shielded this area from major battles in the conflicts that regularly rage across Chima.
No more.
On the seashore, mayhem reigns. Sabretooth gunboats bombard towns and villages, pelting them with an icy barrage that freezes people where they stand and envelopes buildings with a thick layer of ice. Dense fogbanks lie over the water for miles in every direction, obscuring the movements of the Hunter ships. The mist regularly moves over the shore, hiding entire villages for days at a time. When the mist recedes, the towns stand empty, their buildings coated in ice. Their populations vanish, presumably taken as prisoners. The raiders do not move against the larger settlements with armed garrisons and defended walls, nor do they stray into the more southerly waters where tribal navies are anchored, but raid all along the edge of the Grassy Plains in small groups. They rely on their unnatural fog, and frequently the cover of night, to hide their comings and goings.
The northernmore coastline in South Chima, the land where the West Sea meets the Grassy Plains has long been a peaceful region. Minor skirnmishes have taken place in one war or another, but its peripheral location has shielded this area from major battles in the conflicts that regularly rage across Chima.
No more.
On the seashore, mayhem reigns. Sabretooth gunboats bombard towns and villages, pelting them with an icy barrage that freezes people where they stand and envelopes buildings with a thick layer of ice. Dense fogbanks lie over the water for miles in every direction, obscuring the movements of the Hunter ships. The mist regularly moves over the shore, hiding entire villages for days at a time. When the mist recedes, the towns stand empty, their buildings coated in ice. Their populations vanish, presumably taken as prisoners. The raiders do not move against the larger settlements with armed garrisons and defended walls, nor do they stray into the more southerly waters where tribal navies are anchored, but raid all along the edge of the Grassy Plains in small groups. They rely on their unnatural fog, and frequently the cover of night, to hide their comings and goings.
OOC: Looking back through the Grassy Plains and West Sea topics, I discovered six settlements that had been forgotten (and hadn't already been frozen by the Hunters, like the Crawler Empire city):
Remaining half of the TI/Raven missile base | Current owners: Lions
The Lion Pastures | Current owners: Lions
A large Bear military base | Current owners: Chima Alliance tribes
The city of Casablanche (which was frozen before but reclaimed by the Gorillas) | Current owners: Unichi tribes
The Wolf city of Wargrimmar | Current owners: Unichi tribes
The small town of Ravenport (founded by WRM-aligned Ravens, abandoned and claimed by the Wolves) | Current owners: Unichi tribes
The former two were literally never used again after some posts from FelipeDutra in mid 2017, and I honestly think it's really strange for them to still exist for a long time after the First Chima Civil War era, so since I'm now leading the Lions I'll say that they're abandoned and in ruins, unless there are any objections.
The Bear military base (last mentioned by Dr. Matthews in mid 2018), Casablanche, and Wargrimmar definitely fall into the "big, beefed-up, heavily defended" category, especially Wargrimmar, which was essentially a "Unichi HQ" along with Black Fang Mountain, and is now returned to that status after having been Primordium-controlled by proxy for a time.
Ravenport, on the other hand, was only mentioned by Egorsmirnov in a few posts, all of which described it as a small town rather than something that was expanded upon like Casablanche and Wargrimmar, so it's probably among the frozen.
The northernmore coastline in South Chima, the land where the West Sea meets the Grassy Plains has long been a peaceful region. Minor skirnmishes have taken place in one war or another, but its peripheral location has shielded this area from major battles in the conflicts that regularly rage across Chima.
No more.
On the seashore, mayhem reigns. Sabretooth gunboats bombard towns and villages, pelting them with an icy barrage that freezes people where they stand and envelopes buildings with a thick layer of ice. Dense fogbanks lie over the water for miles in every direction, obscuring the movements of the Hunter ships. The mist regularly moves over the shore, hiding entire villages for days at a time. When the mist recedes, the towns stand empty, their buildings coated in ice. Their populations vanish, presumably taken as prisoners. The raiders do not move against the larger settlements with armed garrisons and defended walls, nor do they stray into the more southerly waters where tribal navies are anchored, but raid all along the edge of the Grassy Plains in small groups. They rely on their unnatural fog, and frequently the cover of night, to hide their comings and goings.
-Forgotten Lighthouse Point and Forgotten New Little Edessa were on active alert, patrolling their territories around their sea and landspaces, looking vigilant for any Ice Hunters coming to their outposts.-
-Armed to the teeth with any fiery weaponry, powered mostly by fire chi, the clutched their superheated rebar crossbows tightly against them, ready to send molten hot steel through any ice hunter they see.-
-No rest for the wicked i suppose, that fog was beginning to creep towards one of the outposts...-
The northernmore coastline in South Chima, the land where the West Sea meets the Grassy Plains has long been a peaceful region. Minor skirnmishes have taken place in one war or another, but its peripheral location has shielded this area from major battles in the conflicts that regularly rage across Chima.
No more.
On the seashore, mayhem reigns. Sabretooth gunboats bombard towns and villages, pelting them with an icy barrage that freezes people where they stand and envelopes buildings with a thick layer of ice. Dense fogbanks lie over the water for miles in every direction, obscuring the movements of the Hunter ships. The mist regularly moves over the shore, hiding entire villages for days at a time. When the mist recedes, the towns stand empty, their buildings coated in ice. Their populations vanish, presumably taken as prisoners. The raiders do not move against the larger settlements with armed garrisons and defended walls, nor do they stray into the more southerly waters where tribal navies are anchored, but raid all along the edge of the Grassy Plains in small groups. They rely on their unnatural fog, and frequently the cover of night, to hide their comings and goings.
OOC: Looking back through the Grassy Plains and West Sea topics, I discovered six settlements that had been forgotten (and hadn't already been frozen by the Hunters, like the Crawler Empire city):
Remaining half of the TI/Raven missile base | Current owners: Lions
The Lion Pastures | Current owners: Lions
A large Bear military base | Current owners: Chima Alliance tribes
The city of Casablanche (which was frozen before but reclaimed by the Gorillas) | Current owners: Unichi tribes
The Wolf city of Wargrimmar | Current owners: Unichi tribes
The small town of Ravenport (founded by WRM-aligned Ravens, abandoned and claimed by the Wolves) | Current owners: Unichi tribes
The former two were literally never used again after some posts from FelipeDutra in mid 2017, and I honestly think it's really strange for them to still exist for a long time after the First Chima Civil War era, so since I'm now leading the Lions I'll say that they're abandoned and in ruins, unless there are any objections.
The Bear military base (last mentioned by Dr. Matthews in mid 2018), Casablanche, and Wargrimmar definitely fall into the "big, beefed-up, heavily defended" category, especially Wargrimmar, which was essentially a "Unichi HQ" along with Black Fang Mountain, and is now returned to that status after having been Primordium-controlled by proxy for a time.
Ravenport, on the other hand, was only mentioned by Egorsmirnov in a few posts, all of which described it as a small town rather than something that was expanded upon like Casablanche and Wargrimmar, so it's probably among the frozen.
OOC: Right. It definitely makes sense that the Raven missile base is abandoned, though idk about the Lion Pastures - for geographic reasons I've always assumed the Grassy Plains is the main crop-growing area in Chima (which is why I'm operating on the basis that there are quite a few small, previously unmentioned settlements in this region)
The Lions don't really have any other areas where they could grow food - Lion City is surrounded by the Great Forest, which could provide fruit trees and such but doesn't have any open spaces for growing grain and vegetables. There was also a Lion colony in the Iron Mountains, but not much food would grow there so that would probably consume more food than it produces.
So abandoning the pastures would presumably leave the Lions reliant on buying and importing food from other tribes, which is quite risky given a) Chima's tendency to have civil wars and b) several other tribes (Rhinos, Ravens, Scorpions) are based in areas with limited capacity for growing crops, so would also be importing food and limiting supply. Obviously it's your call, but I think it'd make more sense for the Pastures to still be there, especially as the Grassy Plains have been relatively peaceful compared to some areas of Chima.
Either way, I think the Lion Pastures would be far enough inland not to have been struck in this wave of raids (which are only targeting coastal areas for now) so regardless of whether they're still occupied they're not frozen yet
OOC: Looking back through the Grassy Plains and West Sea topics, I discovered six settlements that had been forgotten (and hadn't already been frozen by the Hunters, like the Crawler Empire city):
Remaining half of the TI/Raven missile base | Current owners: Lions
The Lion Pastures | Current owners: Lions
A large Bear military base | Current owners: Chima Alliance tribes
The city of Casablanche (which was frozen before but reclaimed by the Gorillas) | Current owners: Unichi tribes
The Wolf city of Wargrimmar | Current owners: Unichi tribes
The small town of Ravenport (founded by WRM-aligned Ravens, abandoned and claimed by the Wolves) | Current owners: Unichi tribes
The former two were literally never used again after some posts from FelipeDutra in mid 2017, and I honestly think it's really strange for them to still exist for a long time after the First Chima Civil War era, so since I'm now leading the Lions I'll say that they're abandoned and in ruins, unless there are any objections.
The Bear military base (last mentioned by Dr. Matthews in mid 2018), Casablanche, and Wargrimmar definitely fall into the "big, beefed-up, heavily defended" category, especially Wargrimmar, which was essentially a "Unichi HQ" along with Black Fang Mountain, and is now returned to that status after having been Primordium-controlled by proxy for a time.
Ravenport, on the other hand, was only mentioned by Egorsmirnov in a few posts, all of which described it as a small town rather than something that was expanded upon like Casablanche and Wargrimmar, so it's probably among the frozen.
OOC: Right. It definitely makes sense that the Raven missile base is abandoned, though idk about the Lion Pastures - for geographic reasons I've always assumed the Grassy Plains is the main crop-growing area in Chima (which is why I'm operating on the basis that there are quite a few small, previously unmentioned settlements in this region)
The Lions don't really have any other areas where they could grow food - Lion City is surrounded by the Great Forest, which could provide fruit trees and such but doesn't have any open spaces for growing grain and vegetables. There was also a Lion colony in the Iron Mountains, but not much food would grow there so that would probably consume more food than it produces.
So abandoning the pastures would presumably leave the Lions reliant on buying and importing food from other tribes, which is quite risky given a) Chima's tendency to have civil wars and b) several other tribes (Rhinos, Ravens, Scorpions) are based in areas with limited capacity for growing crops, so would also be importing food and limiting supply. Obviously it's your call, but I think it'd make more sense for the Pastures to still be there, especially as the Grassy Plains have been relatively peaceful compared to some areas of Chima.
Either way, I think the Lion Pastures would be far enough inland not to have been struck in this wave of raids (which are only targeting coastal areas for now) so regardless of whether they're still occupied they're not frozen yet
The northernmore coastline in South Chima, the land where the West Sea meets the Grassy Plains has long been a peaceful region. Minor skirnmishes have taken place in one war or another, but its peripheral location has shielded this area from major battles in the conflicts that regularly rage across Chima.
No more.
On the seashore, mayhem reigns. Sabretooth gunboats bombard towns and villages, pelting them with an icy barrage that freezes people where they stand and envelopes buildings with a thick layer of ice. Dense fogbanks lie over the water for miles in every direction, obscuring the movements of the Hunter ships. The mist regularly moves over the shore, hiding entire villages for days at a time. When the mist recedes, the towns stand empty, their buildings coated in ice. Their populations vanish, presumably taken as prisoners. The raiders do not move against the larger settlements with armed garrisons and defended walls, nor do they stray into the more southerly waters where tribal navies are anchored, but raid all along the edge of the Grassy Plains in small groups. They rely on their unnatural fog, and frequently the cover of night, to hide their comings and goings.
Above the water and on the shore, scouts from the Bat and Wolf tribes (the former always patrolling the known sea, and the latter having been sent out during Wol'jin's recent heavy militarization) each observe the frozen towns after the mist clears, and now return to their respective HQs to report about this.
colony diplomats traveled to aether island and asked an audience about the colony participating in the federation of united colonies
Anastasia's helicopter returns to Aether Island, and she meets with the diplomats in the center of the city.
Anastasia: "Ah, the mysterious colony from farther west. Perfect timing; I was just about to arrange a meeting to see if you'd join the Federation."
the leading diplomat said:”we are willing to participate and strenghthen the united fleet, but we want a full scale offensive or at least the foundation of new bases.with only our head-city and our bases on the stormy seas we can barely defend our self,our forces on the moment aren’t strong enough to hold an attack on chima, and I doubt if your forces could hold a full-scale invasion”
Anastasia's helicopter returns to Aether Island, and she meets with the diplomats in the center of the city.
Anastasia: "Ah, the mysterious colony from farther west. Perfect timing; I was just about to arrange a meeting to see if you'd join the Federation."
the leading diplomat said:”we are willing to participate and strenghthen the united fleet, but we want a full scale offensive or at least the foundation of new bases.with only our head-city and our bases on the stormy seas we can barely defend our self,our forces on the moment aren’t strong enough to hold an attack on chima, and I doubt if your forces could hold a full-scale invasion”
Anastasia: "I see. We should build new bases on as many islands as possible. If you show us to your home islands, we could establish the quickest route between them and this region of the sea, so that we could ferry materials back and forth, and provide reinforcements to one another. As for holding off an invasion...I believe the Bats might be able to help with that."
