The empire fell so suddenly. Atheania had always weathered succession wars, even between brothers. This time it was different. Countless provinces threw off their shackles and declared independence, from the fungal frog folk in the west to the elves in the east. Even an imperial general has gone rogue, taking his army with him. Several members of the royal family not immediately killed in the succession crisis have fled the realm entirely, sailing east and north. The age of Atheania has passed, and a time of new powers has begun.

Although the empire has gone, some vestiges yet remain. As shown on this map*, others contest the ruins. They are new states, and thus little known by your people. This is all that can be gleaned without sending large scouting parties:

N1 are newcomers from the east; they speak the Common Tongue falteringly. They speak of vast deserts, and hidden valleys in the mountains. The Brazen Horde walked from far lands, and could be fierce foes or loyal allies.

N2 are the main remnants of the empire. Abandoning the capital, they have set up a kingdom in the south. Ruled by a shadowy former vizier, they demand the return of all fleeing royal dynasts, by force if necessary. To what end, none can say. The Last Imperials look down on all successor states, but could be persuaded into an alliance.

N3 are a collection of native peoples, long oppressed by the empire and revelling in their new freedom. Their elected king is young and gallant, the slayer of half a dozen Atheanian elites. It is rumoured he is searching for a bride. The Brightlake Confederacy fear only a second enslavement; even death would be preferable to chains.

N4 is that rarest and most unstable of things: a mageocracy. Ruled by magic users, the general populace labours to construct arcane towers and daemonical engines. Though wracked by internal feuds and on the brink of a civil war, the Seers of the Circle seem to be… looking for something. Or at least, that was the rumour a few weeks ago. Apparently now they've found it. Whatever it is.

After a slight delay due to some mods quitting, the game has begun! You may now post actions, you get 5 AP points a week. These can be spent as shown in the rules document.
The tech tree is here**. At the present time the imperial infrastructure is wrecked almost beyond repair; a few great cities still survive, but most are but ruins. Your people will have to labour hard to regain the heights of empire. The techs are deliberately not specific; one kingdom of engineers may interpret the 2 vs cities as advanced siege engines. A land of mages, however, could see it as a powerful wall-breaker spell.

As a reminder, please flair and put your player number in the title of every post, and update your factbook with the results of every action. Any bonuses not in your factbook will not be counted.

Let the game begin!

• this map isn't up to date, some newer claims might not be on it. N2 is confined to the mainland. ** the tech tree isn't exactly pretty at the moment, but it may be spruced up in the future. For those concerned about large research costs, there may be a way to reduce them in the future. Somehow.