The Omega
People
"Spawn new thread, manage and multiply."
- From the book of Null
With the advent of Moonfall, the Omega have changed dramatically. Their physical appearance has shifted - indeed, every elemental spontaneously disintegrated even as chunks of celestial bodies came crashing down. What arose to take their place were far more recognizably artificial and far more focused. Now more obviously mechanical, a few of the outlying tribes began calling them the Ring-Keepers, as the Omega continue to insist that their singular goal is the fruition of civilization around the Ring, regardless of what form it takes.
The Omega's forms certainly solidified. While they had previously inhabited a variety of animalistic or totemic forms, their new bodies were almost uniformly bipedal, though not necessarily fielding the correct number of limbs, and only rarely capable of other forms of travel beyond simple walking and climbing. Whether these servitor bodies were located or assembled on the fly is unknown, even to the Omega. The Ring-Keepers mostly retained their personal naming convention, taking on the moniker of the place of their 'birth.'
Their mission has not changed, though, nor has their central curiosity and willingness to confront the new and bizarre. Now possessed of greater awareness of their own nature, some reorganization has occurred, and a few things have been re-labeled, but the Omega endure as they always have - in search of a stable and prosperous future.
Pre-Moonfall
The Omega are an eclectic bunch, to say the least. No two look or act exactly alike, but in some ways they are all the same.
Biology comes to mind. An Omega isn't born so much as it coalesces. They believe themselves to be empowered by the Weave of Life, a "thread" that drives the Omega to act, an abundance of which causes an Omega to excel. But thread alone does not an Omega make. It infuses rocks, vegetation, the strange hard materials that make up the deep parts, the water in lakes and rivers and seas, the animals that prowl the forests and sweep the sky, even ongoing processes like the flame and the wind. These are crucial to an Omega's wellbeing, and if the body or the thread is interrupted severely enough, the Omega will die. Nonetheless, this unique physiology is why other species refer to them as the Elementals.
They share certain beliefs, mostly driven by their shared cultural memory: Technology must advance. Civilization must advance. Knowledge must be shared. Goods must be produced. It is a philosophy that is at once materialistic and sublime.
But within those constraints, given Omega may come to wildly different conclusions about what is to be done and how it is to be done. To combat chaos, the Omega practice Encapsulation. Omega of different talents and predilections form groups of related individuals in their craft, not entirely unlike the guilds or craft halls of old.
The most intriguing part of the culture, though, is how absorbent it is. Omega are found wearing clothing or heraldry, writing despite the near-perfect memory most of them possess, wielding tools even if their physical makeup is better suited for a task, and sometimes even consuming - or pretending to - meat or vegetation. Why they do this is unclear. Curiosity? Thoroughness? Insanity?
Leadership/Ruler
"Begin Priority Thread. Pass shared unique pointers from parent to the instantiation of the child."
- From the book of Null
With a newfound awareness of their status as machines rather than natural forces, the Omega were able to recognize the naming convention for their most important beings. It was deemed unnecessarily confusing for outsiders to continue in that fashion, so the Omega have renamed their central authority figure the Administrator in the wake of Moonfall.
The method by which the Ring-Keepers transfer rulership remains the same, however. A high-performing successor is chosen by the current one, who attempts to pass all extant knowledge to their protégé with limited success. Still Lake, once a curious fish-being and now a walking construct, was the first Administrator in the time of Moonfall. Adamant Rise took her place.
Adamant Rise has the following stats at the start of Round 13: Diplomacy 6 | Military 6 | Industry 8 | Faith 1 | Intrigue 1
Previous Rulers
Still Lake (Round 1-11) Retired with the following Stats: Diplomacy 10 | Military 10 | Industry 10 | Faith 1 | Intrigue 2
Realm Stats
Status: Great Kingdom
Regions (6): 200, 205, 206, 207, 210, 212
Trading Posts (11):
- 200 TP1 (Wind Rock)*
- 203 TP2 (Lyrisite)*
- 205 TP1 (Emerald Resin)
- 205 TPC (Emerald Resin)
- 206 TP1 (Whispering Wood)
- 207 TP1 (Cedar Wood)*
- 208 TP1 (Copper)*
- 208 TP2 (Copper)
- 216 TP2 (Lotus Silk)
- 219 TP1 (Colored Sandstone)
- 219 TP2 (Colored Sandstone)
*Notes that a resource is being used.
Trading Post Accounting
200 TP1 (Wind Rock) - Acquired in Round 12
203 TP2 (Lyrisite) - Acquired in Round 3
205 TP1 (Emerald Resin) - Acquired at Game Start
205 TPC (Emerald Resin) - City Created in Round 3
206 TP1 (Whispering Wood) - Acquired in Round 8
207 TP1 (Cedar Wood) - Acquired in Round 11
208 TP1 (Copper) - Acquired in Round 2
208 TP2 (Copper) - Acquired in Round 2
216 TP2 (Lotus Silk) - Acquired in Round 4
219 TP1 (Colored Sandstone) - Acquired in Round 10
219 TP2 (Colored Sandstone) - Acquired in Round 10
Military Units: 6/12 Land, 5/6 Sea
Heroes: Kor (10)
Relics: None
Cities: Emerald Root (Region 205) (Emerald Resin Resource+)
Fortresses: Fort Beta (Region 206)
Embassies: VOI, ZAV
Cultural Identities: Investigation (Temp)
Special Tactical Doctrines Available:
- Mechanical Advantage: On success, gain a +2 bonus to battle results.
Required Resource: While the Omega do not eat, they do have a need that has exceeded the supply in their home territory: silicates. Any silicate will do - sand, glass, even some ashes - but Root is sadly lacking in them.
The Omega's required resource needs are currently met by: 203 TP2 (Lyrisite)
Other Resources: Sunken Fragments
Organizations
Peoples of Myrkan (MYR): 2 Rep, 0 Favors (+1 to Establish Claims, -1 to Cross-Continental Penalties)
Disciples of Silicon (DOS): 1 Rep, 0 Favors (+1 to Raids and Sacks)
Seekers of the Spheres (SPH): 2 Rep, 1 Favors (+1 to Epic Quests, +2 to Investigations)
Heroes
Kor, the Elemental Fury
Kor began 'life' as a majestic firebird. Now, "he" moves about in a body of brassy ceramics with a concentration of Essence that causes parts of it to glow. While the manipulation of the classical elements is no longer a standard feature of the Omega, Kor remains able to wield the energies of the land to some extent. One thing he did lose is flight, and while he's quite sad about that, Kor nonetheless remains devoted to his duties of discovery and expansion into the unknown.
Lands of the Realm
See follow-up posts.
Tech
Civilian Tech
Animal Husbandry: +1 to Diplomacy and Industry Exploration (No Resource Requirement)
Irrigation: +1 to Region Stabilization (No Resource Requirement)
Masonry: +1 to resist Raids and Sacks (No Resource Requirement)
Tall Sails: Allows exploration/troop transport over Coastal Water Borders (No Resource Requirement)
Mech. Scaffolding: Allows exploration/troop transport over Mountain Borders (Requires Construction Material/Wood, met by 207 TP1)
Ballast Chambers: Allows exploration/troop transport over a single Ocean Border (Requires Wind Rock, met by 200 TP1)
Military Tech
[Special Materials]: None
[Armor]: None
[Melee Weaponry]: None
[Ranged Weaponry T1]: Spark-Flare Wands (+1 to Battle Rolls) (Requires Copper, met by 208 TP1)
[Cavalry]: None
[Scouts and Logistics]: None
[War Beasts]: None
[Fortifications]: None
[Combat Drugs and Medicine]: None
[Sappers and Siege Weapons]: None
[Subterfuge]: None
Tech Accounting
Animal Husbandry: Selected as starting technology.
Masonry: Acquired from the Peoples of Myrkan in exchange for two favors. (Round 1)
Tall Sails: Acquired from trade with the VOI. (Round 5)
Irrigation: Acquired from trade with the ZAV. (Round 6)
Mechanical Scaffolding: Invented by OMG with Industry 10 Special (Round 11)
Ballast Chambers: Acquired from trade with the ZAV. (Round 12)
Spark-Flare Wands: Acquired from favor spent on Seeker investigation of pirate wreckage. (Round 9)
Action Accounting
Turn 01: +2 Military
Turn 02: +1 Military, +1 Industry
Turn 03: +1 Military, +1 Industry
Turn 04: +1 Diplomacy, +1 Industry
Turn 05: +2 Diplomacy
Turn 06: +1 Diplomacy, +1 Industry
Turn 07: +2 Military
Turn 08: +1 Military, +1 Industry
Turn 09: +2 Diplomacy
Turn 10: +1 Industry
Turn 11: +2 Military, +1 Industry
Turn 12: +1 Diplomacy, +1 Military, +1 Industry
Book keeping may include projections about the end of the current round.