Nightmare Compact (CCW Alliance)

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When a disgruntled Nobleman, a restless Privateer, a usurper, and a political revolutionary all gathered beneath the smoking ruins of Basabrac, Teggio Samarius called their meeting a nightmare come true, and the name stuck. The four unlikely allies pledged their unconditional opposition to Samarius that day, but as some unlucky envoys from the Uniters soon learned, they were opposed to anyone who deigned to rule Celtheste. Soon they attracted all manner of unsavory friends and formed a loose coalition: anarchists, minority separatists, fringe religions, urban uprisings, and criminal organizations—all opposed to a united Celtheste. Chief among them, the Onosh Kingdoms of the south, occupied and invaded by Celthestans throughout history. Yes, the Compact is as rowdy and dangerous as it sounds, but for its many factions, it is their last chance to stave off impending oppression, and perhaps for their misunderstood ideas to finally gain traction.

Notes: 10 factions. Politics and approval heavy. Often guerrilla warfare. Less contact with other factions than other alliances.

Gameplay
''The Nightmare Compact is as messy as it is diverse. With no clear leadership, you will have to fight tooth and nail to dominate the alliance. And to survive.''

This is the most diverse and arguably the most difficult alliance to play. Depending on which faction you choose, gameplay will be radically different, but there are some commonalities. All-faction meetings will be less frequent and more informal. You will mostly act as your own cell and work towards your own interests, occasionally teaming up with one or two other factions at a time. Progress will generally follow this arc: you begin by seeking control of your local area, then move towards gaining in influence and popularity across states and regions. Finally, you will absorb or eliminate the other factions while facing the other alliances. A lot of gameplay will revolve around discerning who to trust and win over and who to eliminate or incapacitate. You will also often have less control over how to move forward, because as underdogs, you’ll mostly be reacting and responding to larger forces. Of course there are other paths towards victory, and ultimately victory will be defined how you want it to be, but be prepared to face obstacles at every juncture. It won’t be simple. It won’t be easy. But it will be one wild adventure of a ride.

Celthestan Legion
The great military alliance of Celthestan nobility that came together to protect Celtheste against the invasion of the Capalesian Empire.

Eleven years ago, before the invasion of the Capalesian Empire, these knights and nobles were seen by many as passé, idealistic—even traitorous for their belief in the common good, chivalry, and peace that transcends borders. They were sensible lords and ladies from all over the land, who tired of the constant warfare between their respective Celthestan states. Some even met secretly, against the direct orders of their superiors, to hold peace talks and sow seeds for a united military and free trade. But it was the war with Capaliso that organized them and made them overnight heroes. For even though they only arrived on the front lines at the last minute, they arrived with their colorful banners and battle-tested soldiers, providing the morale and firepower that was needed to turn the tides and win the war.

The Legion has since become one of the most influential groups in Celtheste, controlling the bulk of Celtheste’s allied military, thus far the only officially unified institution in the land. It is widely accepted that anyone who wishes to unite Celtheste must gain their support. For a time they remained neutral, refusing to endorse neither the Uniters nor Samarius. But when Samarius burned Basabrac to the ground, the Legion finally took a side: their own. For while Celtheste’s finest have great love for peace, it seems they despise tyranny even more.

Sons of Venture
''Younger recruits to the Capalesian War that organized just as the main conflict ended. They continued to sabotage Capalesians (and others) through raids and privateering to the disdain of the Legion.''

Originally the reserve forces of the Celthestan Legion, these young fighters were just teenagers when the Capalesian War came to a close. But the war never ended for them. Many of them came from the border states and counties, where the Capalesians had done their worst, or were the children of exiles from Capalesian occupied lands. Bitter and restless for never having the chance to fight, they rejected the Peace of Kambrast and continued to fight and sabotage the Capalesians, and anyone remotely related to them, mostly through guerrilla raids and privateering. This, of course, led to considerable tension between Capaliso and an Allied Celtheste. In fact, the Sons were a large factor in the ultimate failure of ARC.

The public image of the Sons is mixed. At first many cheered them on as heroes and liberators, but in recent years they have been increasingly seen as reckless, or worse, senselessly violent. Indeed, as even younger recruits joined the ranks, often with no connection to the war, the activities of the Sons became less and less distinguishable from banditry and piracy. Two years ago, a Sons of Venture regiment gained international notoriety for sacking an innocent village in Kattaborros. The leadership disavowed them and claims they never sent such an order, and indeed it is likely they didn’t, but this only revealed that the original Sons were losing control over their new blood. Since then, they’ve severely dialed back their activities, mainly to sabotage and spying. But everyone knows the Sons are still restless. A war against the most powerful forces in Celtheste was just the kind of fight they were looking for.

Dahaender Nationalists
''Independence for Dahanaem! Or Death! Recently ousted their Uniters-sympathizing Duchess and took control of the state.''

Dahanaem has always been the most fiercely independent state in Celtheste. Their borders and cultural values remain virtually unchanged from their time as a First Kingdom Duchy, almost one thousand years ago. Their sovereign even retains the title of Duchess/Duke—which is not to say they want a King, or have ever needed one, but that they have never aspired to be anything other than what they are. Which is why it was deeply shocking when Duchess Nerys welcomed thousands of Sayrhoul and Oinosi refugees into Dahanaem’s proudly homogenous society. A new generation of Dahaender youth, and many open minded older citizens as well, experienced a new, multicultural Dahanaem.

Some were unnerved by these changes, but most were at least tolerant. The outrage really began when Nerys announced that she would be joining with the Celthestan Legion to fight the Capalesians, at a border hundreds of miles away. This happened, apparently, at the insistence of her new Oinosi subjects. This was where the Dahaender Nationalist party was born, in opposition to the war and towards the seemingly disproportionate sympathy Nerys had for the new minorities. The last straw fell when Nerys left for Castra, supposedly to resolve a conflict. But rumors flew that Nerys wanted to join Dahanaem to a Union ruled by the Uniters. The Nationalists stormed the Ducal Palace while she was away and installed her grandson, Iuwaen (Ewan) as their puppet Duke. Within a month the Nationalists leveraged their new found power to join the Nightmare Compact, declaring war on the Uniters once and for all.

Darumel Syndicate
An uprising in the City of Dar Nal Emal that successfully took control of several important industrial and trade districts and set up a radical commune.

In the 7th century Kq, Dar Nal Emal is still as bustling and chaotic as ever, playing its role as Celtheste’s cultural, industrial, and financial powerhouse. The city predates Celtheste itself by several hundred years, and in this long history its people, known as Darumels, have had many rulers. But as the saying goes, they’ve never bothered following any rules. Darumels are proud and defiant, famous for greeting each other by drawing their weapons, and for protesting and rioting at every attempt to control them. Conquerors who seek to transform the city and its people find themselves transformed instead, pulled in by the bazaar of clashing cultures, the labyrinth of interlocking customs. Yet for all their strength and will, the Darumels have never sought to rule themselves. Until now.

During the Capalesian War, the Maslan regime feared losing the city to secession or defection, so they sent troops to enforce martial law. The occupation continued after the war, which of course infuriated the Darumels. After a course of events that involved the murder of two Masslean soldiers, one Heres succeeding another, and the public execution of six dissidents, the most revolutionary of the Darumels seized control of several important financial and trade districts and set up a syndicate of workers. Property was abolished, factory owners were ousted, a central committee was popularly elected. With the eyes of not just Celtheste, but the whole world upon them, the Darumel Syndicate has miraculously managed to survive for a year and a half. Its days are numbered, though, as the Uniters pledge to back Maslan and Samarius marches towards them. Only their own strange alliance will give them a fighting chance.

Anacosmacs
''Radical, anarchist, infamous. Also based in Dar Nal Emal.''

Amid the chaos of the Darumel uprising in 619, a number of dangerous elements escaped from prisons and slipped back into the waking world. The Anacosmacs were among these individuals. But instead of going into hiding, they had the audacity to set themselves up in Dar Nal Emal and begin to pressure the Syndicate to take up their ideas. And despite their past reputation, they seem to really be gaining in popularity.

Whether or not the Anacosmacs are truly dangerous is up for debate. They've been a target and scapegoat ever since a bomb killed ten people outside the Grand Palace of Carvenac. And they do make easy scapegoats: they believe all states are tyranny, along with any kind of hierarchy. They've been known to burn government buildings and steal symbols of royalty and nobility. And though they are few, they are terribly tenacious, vocal, and well organized. Perhaps most alarming, however, is that they reject both the gods and the spiritual-philosophical institutions of the mages. This lack of religion makes them uniquely mistrusted throughout the land, even if their moral fervor is equal to that of any saint. And it is with this fervor that they enter the fray, knowing that in the chaos of war, any future is possible, and even a tiny group of radicals can succeed in freeing Celtheste from itself.

Nalhallem
Main Article: Nalhallem (CCW Faction)

''Minority ethnicity separatists. Mostly desert-dwelling Sayrhoul, but recently joined by the long-suffering Oinosi Celthestans, the original inhabitants of these lands.''

Opposing Alliances didn't quite know how to respond when they heard that Nalhallem had joined the Nightmare Compact, perhaps because they weren't certain what that meant. Nalhallem, after all, could mean several things. It could refer to the very remote regions of the Mahdrad Desert, where Sayrhoul have long hid in cave fortresses and oasis towns to escape Mage rule. It could also mean the hostile, free-spirited people of this region, with their peculiar customs and no discernable government. Or it could mean the middle segment of Celtheste's lucrative Eastern Trade Corridor, running through that land and controlled by those people.

But the true Nalhallem is bigger than all that. It is an idea, a movement into the desert, the hills, the bogs, and all the other inhospitable areas of Celtheste to seek freedom from the domineering states in the valleys. The people of Nalhallem are the 'barbarians,' 'renegades,' and 'wilderpeople' of the land, defending their homes and way of life from the rule of the cities and empires. In a divided Celtheste they have held on to their autonomy by carefully manipulating the various warring states against each other. In a united Celtheste, they don't stand a chance. So they will come out of hiding, the hill dwellers, the savages; leaderless, formless, yet acting as one--Sayrhoul in the Mahdrad, Onoisi in the Southron forests, Lottless in the columns and Blindrunes--they will come from the corner of your eye, and you will fear them.

Rokang Kirm
Main Article: Rokang Kirm (CCW Faction)

Mysterious and ancient international smuggling cabal with ties to other worlds.

Few international criminal organizations are held in any esteem by the general populous, but the Rokang Kirm smugglers have a special place in old stories. They famously smuggled an exiled Empress back into her palace and played a critical role in the Second War against the Gods. But that was nearly two thousand years ago and an ocean away from Celtheste. The Rokang Kirm today are neither a crew of scrappy underdogs, nor a sprawling, worldwide transport network. No, after centuries of imperial crackdowns and getting in over their heads, the Red Foxes have become something in between: a middling gang on the global field, with plenty of resources and savvy, but beholden to its domineering and ominous financiers. These days, the Guild operates quietly in a few port of calls, coasting on its ancient reputation, lest people remember that they’re criminals. Oh, and they also specialize in interdimensional travel.

This isn’t new. In fact, it’s part of the old stories; the Rokang Kirm were rumored to have found a way into the realm of the gods. And they didn’t stop there. Why would they, when they could expand business beyond the limits of this very world? Never mind that it could tear spacetime apart. But everyone knows that if you poke at dangerous forces you don’t understand, you’ll eventually be bought out by a very frightening parent company, which will send you to serve its interests in what’s about to be a very bloody civil war.

Singwood Outfit
''Celtheste’s preeminent organized crime family. They’ll snap your fuckin femur.''

The Coloudinos family and their associates have always been at the top of the organized crime game, but these past ten years have been really good for them. Maybe it was the especially ruined condition of Celtheste’s south, or the general incompetence of the post-war Caltanian government. It didn’t hurt that some mob members landed in some pretty high offices. And one little Coloudinos lady numbered among the Stronghold Heroes (though she vehemently denies any connection to that side of the family). Whatever the reason for their ascendance, the mark of their true supremacy came when they knocked the Orugossi Gang off their throne at a “scuffle” in Ducade. Now they control the lion’s share of illicit trade, gambling, loansharking, and extortion from Hypiris to Amethyst Gate. Naturally, they want more.

Has a crime family ever set its sights on the whole of Celtheste? If not, the Coloudinoses will be the first. They’ve always aspired to rise above their humble origins. That’s what the people love about them when they’re not having their faces punched in. They are the glamor, the confidence, and the hope that the demoralized south sorely needed. They rose and kept rising, and they plan to rise until one of their own sits on a real throne, with a palace and everything. Or something very close.

Compassic Church
''A religion from across the ocean that seems to be gaining traction in Celtheste. Turns out, God was within you all along.''

The last thing anyone wants is another foreign religion taking hold in Celtheste, especially one of non-human origin. Most Celthestan regimes are merciless towards any hint of sacrilege; even the formerly faithless mages abandoned tolerance long ago in favor of their own strict moral and spiritual doctrines. And yet, the Compassic Faith has snuck past the censors and into the hearts of many—starting with a few secret meetings and gradually growing into a small, persecuted minority. Their most important adherent, however, is Queen Asha Byruedon IV of Caltania, increasingly beloved as her democratically elected government continues to flail. And while some are skeptical of her dramatic and public conversion in the Forum of Carvenac, many of her subjects followed suit.

All this is worrisome for the elites of Celtheste, even if the movement remains relatively small. It is, after all, a faith that acknowledges neither the gods nor the fundamental forces of the universe. Instead, it draws on the wisdom of the Draede race, passed on to the Compassics of the Potecan and proselytized to the rest of the world. It professes that this life is but one stage in a series of struggles, from which we must learn and prepare for a final reckoning and win godhood for ourselves. This is the premise, but the practice varies. The first Compassics of Celtheste, for instance, were decidedly peace loving. But as the Church of the Potecan turns its eye on this fledgling offshoot…one might say they have different designs for the faithful of Celtheste.

Jade Engrame Congrate
''This cult will only let you know what they’re about after you’re initiated. No one knows how big they are, but we keep finding their creepy underground shrines everywhere.''

It’s just a shanty town in the slums of Ducade, it seems, with sheets stretched over the hive of concrete squares, dug into the ground. But one ladder goes down far deeper than it should. Down to the cooler depths below the city, into a torch-lit haze of colorful murals and painted statues. As you walk, you notice the ground turn from dirt to stone, and then from stone to fur rugs. Beads and discarded pottery shards litter the ground and clink mutely as you walk.

At the end of the corridor you see daylight. You enter the remains of an old water basin. A pile of what you hope are animal bones lies on the ground. Arranged in a semicircle around the floor are a series of beast sculptures wearing human clothing. In the center is an altar.