Song of the Solitaire

[Macavity116]

The rise and fall of the Great Khan has devastated the Luminous Frontier. The past thirteen years have seen the birth of new possibilities and the festering of old grudges. The once dominant Nagyari Horde has fractured in the absence of a strong ruler. Minamar Specialized Industries, an interstellar megacorporation, has seized the Horde’s vast wealth of treasure, resources, and slaves. While MSI gorges itself on the Horde’s remains, forces loyal to the Great Khan lurk in secret hideaways, waiting for their chance to strike back.

While the Nagyari struggle between past and future, the Sutharian people have won, through force of arms, their independence from MSI and established a new spacefaring nation. Even a fragile peace has its politics. The many Sutharian ethnic groups established a republic, debating their own future as equals… but the tentative union soon felt the stress of ambition and greed. When tested, it failed. Within the last year, the Sutharian Republic reformed itself into the Sutharian Empire.

With hostile powers bordering the fledgling nation on all sides, military pressure on the Sutharians is intense. Near the Nagyari border, a small mercenary band defends the backwater moon of Eadleton against marauders. Guarding against external threats, the Sutharian people are defenseless against a hidden danger that will soon reveal itself.

The reign of Malum Ralpakin is over now, but the Galaxy remains a dangerous place…

SONG OF THE SOLITAIRE
A Stellaris Story
​

---

Table of Contents
Hyperlinks will be added as new updates are posted.


Introductions
The Luminous Frontier
The Sutharian Empire
Major Characters
Minor Characters and Non-Playable Empires

The Story
Prelude
Chapter 1: Among the Ruins
Chapter 2: Totally Distracted
Chapter 3: Dread
Chapter 4: Major Disaster
Chapter 5: Legacy of Evil
Chapter 6: The Point of No Return
Chapter 7: Time to Run
Chapter 8: Don't Panic
Chapter 9: The Resonance Cascade
Chapter 10: New Duties
Chapter 11: Song of the Solitaire
Chapter 12: First Step Into a Larger World
Chapter 13: Into the River
Chapter 14: The Prison Ship Grand Historia
Chapter 15: Caera's Story
Chapter 16: Jailbreak
Chapter 17: Peel the Paint
Chapter 18: The Capital City
Chapter 19: Two Conflicts
Chapter 20: Manius the Soothsayer
Chapter 21: Trig's Prophecy
Chapter 22: A Plan to Find the Keystones
Chapter 23: Three Shadows
Chapter 24: The Final Moments
Chapter 25: The Beginning of a Nightmare
Chapter 26: Ellex Camber
Chapter 27: The Sutharian Genocide
Chapter 28: On the Hunt
Chapter 29: Veldanura
Chapter 30: Orbital Speed Demons
Chapter 31: Approaching Danger
Chapter 32: The Caldorix
Chapter 33: Ask Questions
Chapter 34: The Edge of Everything
Chapter 35: Quarantine
Chapter 36: The Wellspring of Chaos
Chapter 37: The Prophets of the Shroud
Chapter 38: The Kidnapping of Pontenna Annora
Chapter 39: Hannakon
Chapter 40: A Dangerous Ally
Chapter 41: Beyond the Veil
Chapter 42: Tenna's Prophecy
Chapter 43: The Son of the Great Khan
Chapter 44: A Battlefield of Our Choosing
Chapter 45: The Beyu Trade Organization
Chapter 46: The Starship Eventide Volunteer
Chapter 47: Lovesick Athira
Chapter 48: Good Old Ballistic Weapons
Chapter 49: Copycat
Chapter 50: The Eternal Skirmish
Chapter 51: Spacewalkers
Chapter 52: Doors and Corners
Chapter 53: The Denouement
Chapter 54: Soulfire
Chapter 55: Through the Conduit
Chapter 56: The Necropolis
Chapter 57: The Broken Gates
Chapter 58: Malum Ralpakin
Chapter 59: Rage Against the Author
Epilogue: Beyond the Fourth Wall​

 

[Nikolai]

Ooooh, I am ready for another master piece.

 

[Von Acturus]

A new Macavity story? Yes please!

And a very interesting setting. The aftermath of the Great Khan's rampage is criminally ignored in many AARs.

 

[Macavity116]

Ooooh, I am ready for another master piece.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy!

A new Macavity story? Yes please!

And a very interesting setting. The aftermath of the Great Khan's rampage is criminally ignored in many AARs.

Welcome aboard!

A lot of AARs I read drop the Great Khan as a plot point as soon as he's dead. I wanted to write a story where his actions have wide-reaching consequences.

A few months back I asked myself "what happened to all of the Khan's followers after he kicked the bucket?" and things kinda spiraled from there. After a while, I broke the story while I was playing Crusader Kings 3.

I was playing as the Kingdom of Lanka and noticed I was getting hit with a Piety penalty for "not enough wives." I tried to rectify the issue and just when my harem reached maximum size... I died. Anyway, I got really interested in finding out what happened to the concubines and children after my character bit the dust. That search formed the core concept of this new story. Where we go from this launchpad? You'll have to read on and see.

The story will begin next Friday, the 20th. Between now and then I'll be sharing some worldbuilding posts to introduce everyone to the world this story will take place in.

 

[Idhrendur]

Looking forward to it!

 

[HistoryDude]

It's nice to see this launch! I still like the premise. The Great Khan should shake up the galaxy... like Genghis Khan and his Mongol Empire did on Earth.

 

[Macavity116]

Looking forward to it!

Thanks! Welcome aboard!

It's nice to see this launch! I still like the premise. The Great Khan should shake up the galaxy... like Genghis Khan and his Mongol Empire did on Earth.

Good to see you again! This is going to be a deeply personal tale about the Khan's legacy. The scope of events and consequences will get wider as the story goes on. Read on to se what I'm talking about...

---

Introductions: The Luminous Frontier
​

This Stellaris story will be slightly different from what you may be used to. In most other AARs, the story is set in “the galaxy,” using whatever map the game generated to represent the entire galaxy. This will not be the case in Song of the Solitaire. Our story will be set in one highly specific region of space called the Luminous Frontier, which is but a small part of the larger Galaxy.

When you see gameplay images, you’ll noticed that I used a Barred Spiral type galaxy to represent the Luminous Frontier. Each “arm” of the spiral will represent an arm of the wider Galaxy.

The Luminous Frontier is a region of space located in the Eastern Galaxy, straddling both Galactic Arms. The Frontier consists of some 200 star systems and is the home of three spacefaring civilizations: The Olinbar, Sutharians, and Nagyari.

The Galactic Core is located due west of the Frontier, with a few of the easternmost stars being part of the Outer Rim. The region is littered with ruins, derelicts, and wreckage left behind by the Primogenitors, a mostly unknown spacefaring civilization that occupied the region 250,000 years ago.

Special thanks to @MichaelMakesGames for creating the Stellar Maps app, which was used to generate the image below.

The following locations of interest can be found in the Luminous Frontier:

• The Ferrous Faucets
  • A dense asteroid field, rich in natural resources and the primary source of wealth for many in Minamar Specialized Industries.
• Kristalzupacken
  • An accretion disk containing highly valuable crystalline asteroids. The Nagyari Horde turned this location into a stronghold during the war. It is presently controlled by MSI.
• Nagyar star system
  • Formerly the center of power for the Nagyari Horde. Still functions as a political capital, but is a shadow of its former self.
• Sutharia
  • A tropical moon in the Suth-Kasa star system, Homeworld of the Sutharians. Birthplace of deuteragonist Tenna Annora.
• Hagner
  • A gas giant that acts as the parent body of Sutharia. According to legend, the gods and goddesses of the Sutharian Pantheon reside on this world.
• Beyu Star System
  • Interstellar headquarters of the Beyu Trade Organization, a megacorporation founded by slaves who rebelled against MSI. The BTO has since been subjugated by MSI and now operates as a subsidiary. Beyu IV is the only habitable world in the system and is the location of MSI’s crashed slave transporter.
• Whispering Garden Nebula
  • A nebula containing numerous relics and derelicts left behind by the Primogenitors.
• Qifitar star system
  • Home of the Shroud-Touched Coven. The Eidolic Prophets of the Shroud has set up a permanent operation on one of the asteroids in the outermost reaches of the system.
• The Anvil
  • An hourglass-shaped cloud of dust, rock and ice. Worshipped by Sutharians as a Holy Site due to its perceived connection to Kumase, the Specter of Oblivion. (the Sutharian God of Death)
• Nietz star system
  • Home system of the Olinbar species. Minamar Specialized Industries is headquartered on the Relic World Tritonis. Located in the Wimar Drift.
• Chor’s Compass
  • Home of Tradestation Tungle, the largest recreation center in the Luminous Frontier. The Caravaneers are based here.
• Eadleton
  • A continental moon located in the outer reaches of the Sutharian Empire. Homeworld of protagonist Trig Shepminter. Normally plagued by Nagyari raids, currently under mercenary protection.
• Lightwater
  • An ocean moon located in the territory of Minamar Specialized Industries. Populated by Psionic and Latent Psionic Sutharian refugees who were purged (displacement) from the Sutharian Empire. Homeworld of deuteragonist Tenna Annora.
• The Necropolis
  • A debris field that encompasses an entire star system. The area is littered with Primogenitor ruins and relics. At least one planet in the system is considered a “Relic World” by Olinbar surveyors and is thought to have once been a world of great importance to the Primogenitors. The Naygari Horde used this system as a stronghold. Great Khan Malum Ralpakin oversaw the construction of his flagship here. Birthplace of Protagonist Trig Shepminter.
• Metro
  • A cluster of star systems connected to each other by multiple pairs of connected wormholes. Olinbar scientists cannot agree if the wormholes occurred naturally or were created by the Primogenitors.
• The Gates
  • A naturally occurring asteroid field that formed very recently. (in terms of stellar geography) Very rich in Rare Crystals and Zro, the deposit remains under Nagyari control post-war.
• Ultima Vigilis
  • A star system located hundreds of light-years outside of the Luminous Frontier. Populated by a machine civilization. Would be unremarkable if not for the vast interstellar listening array located here, which is aimed directly at the Luminous Frontier (Nietz, specifically)

 

[Von Acturus]

Not the most hopeful galactic community this isn't. How united is the Naygari Khanate? And what's it's stance on the MSI's encroachment on it's turf?

 

[CBR JGWRR]

Subscribed.

 

[Macavity116]

Subscribed.

Welcome! I would like to join this new cabal of Stellaris AAR writers who are depicting MSI as an antagonist.

How united is the Naygari Khanate? And what's it's stance on the MSI's encroachment on it's turf?

The Khanate is in pretty rough shape at the start of the story. They are attacking MSI in a "Despoliation" War (Bandit Kingdom CB) and MSI is systematically dismantling the Khanate's forces. The Megacorporation is in a general offensive on both fronts.

They are also attacking the Sutharian Empire in a Despoliation War, but no actual combat has occurred due to MSI being the bigger threat. (which is lucky, I have not gotten far enough into the game to research Corvettes. Drawbacks of the Payback Origin)

MSI is fielding Battleship-level capital ships and the Nagyari currently don't have an answer for them. Unless the story takes an interesting turn, the Khanate is heading for a major defeat at the hands of MSI.

 

[CBR JGWRR]

We can't exactly depict MSI as protagonists.

The date in the screenshot is interesting - mod or post-screenshot alteration? 7700 years of gameplay is too much to be vanilla. Unless RNG has been absolutely brutal.

 

[Macavity116]

The date in the screenshot is interesting - mod or post-screenshot alteration? 7700 years of gameplay is too much to be vanilla. Unless RNG has been absolutely brutal.

That's a mod. I changed the in-game start year to 9960. The Sutharians were Uplifted by MSI, so they operate using the Olinbar calendar, which counts the years since the start of their own recorded history.

 

[CBR JGWRR]

Figured it was a mod. What was their pre-uplift level?

 

[Macavity116]

Before they were "chosen," the Sutharians were in an industrial age. Factories were commonplace, cities grew, but flight was still a long ways off.

 

[Macavity116]

Now let’s take some time to look into the “Player Empire” of this story, as that is where the majority of the plot will play out:

Political geography:

The Sutharian Empire is located in the center of a stellar region called the Luminous Frontier, bordered by three other spacefaring powers: Minamar Specialized Industries, (MSI) the Nagyari Khanate, and the Beyu Trate Organization. The current borders were established during the Sutharian War of Independence.

Internally, the Sutharian Empire is contained in a single sector, which is governed from the Homeworld Sutharia. Because this country is a Unitary government, all political power is concentrated in Venka Urbo, the capital city. Venka Urbo is the economic, political, and cultural center of Sutharian civilization. The city is divided into six districts: Administrative, Agriculture, Mining, Generator, Trade, and Ecclesiastical. The government based here claims to have final authority over all settlements and stations in the Sutharian Empire, but their ability to enforce those claims is dubious at best.

Physical geography:

The Sutharian Empire consists of seven star systems, Suth-Kasa, Roxelana, Eychilia, Covail, Afrymyke, Ejok, and Mordred. The Empire does not have any nebulae, black holes, pulsars, or neutron stars. There are no wormholes in the Sutharian Empire, but it is connected to the Interstellar Gateway Network at two points, on in Roxelana and another in Mordred.

Because the Sutharian people are native to a low-gravity moon, they only colonize moons of a similar size. The largest Sutharian colony is De Gorka, while the smallest is Eadleton. All six populated moons in the Sutharian Empire are classified as “wet” worlds. Sutharia, Eadleton, and De Gorka are Tropical worlds. Tyron and Newis are Ocean worlds. Newis is a Continental world.

The many worlds and asteroids of of the Sutharian Empire are rich in natural resources. Minerals, energy, and alloys can be found in abundance here. Unfortunately, rampant mismanagement and internal corruption have left those resources largely untapped.


Government:

The Sutharian government is very unstable and is prone to coups, rebellions, revolutions, and overthrows. Currently, the country is ruled by an Absolute Monarchy. This system was established one year ago when President-for-Life Canto Vestem crowned himself Emperor in an elaborate ceremony that instantly bankrupted the government.

Emperor Vestem rules by decree. (The Parliament only acts to rubber-stamp the Emperor's decisions) He also engages in rampant nepotism. He has appointed close family members to all top positions in the Sutharian Government:

• Prime Minister Morenia Vestem
  
  • The Emperor's wife
  • Designated heir
• Minister of Defense Canto Vestem II
  
  • The Emperor's eldest son
• Governor Landore Vestem
  
  • The Emperor's middle son
• Chief of Secret Police Safar Vestem
  
  • The Emperor's youngest son
• Head of Research Aysel Vestem
  
  • The Emperor's daughter

Emperor Canto is deeply selfish and runs the Empire with the express purpose of enriching himself. He collaborated with MSI during peacetime to establish numerous business networks that Sutharian people would be forced to patronize due to lack of competition. The Vestem family has ties to the manufacturing, service, food, entertainment, medical, and commercial religion sectors of the Sutharian economy.

The Emperor is a known hedonist and pleasure seeker. Rumors about drug-fueled parties at his palace in Venka Urbo are widespread. The Secret Police regularly pluck teen girls and young women off the streets, who then disappear for one or two nights. All of these abductees eventually re-appear alive: they are always seen departing the back door of Imperial palace with a bouquet of flowers and sworn to secrecy by parties unknown. The Emperor is said to be constantly under the effects of mind-altering drugs and once publicly claimed to have stood with the Gods on the surface of Hagner. (a Gas Giant)

Currently, the Sutharian Empire is in a state of armed hostilities with Minamar Specialized Industries, but it should be noted that the Vestem family has very close ties to the Megacorporation through a vast network of business and corporate relationships. Many members of the Vestem family have been appealing to the Emperor, asking him to make peace with MSI so lucrative trade may resume.

Emperor Canto deeply distrusts telepaths and holds contempt for the entire concept of Psionics. He ordered the expulsion of all Psionic people from the Sutharian Empire after being convinced by an unknown lobbyist that Psionic people stole their powers from the gods.


Demographics:

The Sutharian Empire is a nation of some seven billion people, approximately 90% of whom live on the Homeworld while the remainder are scattered across the colonies and various space installations. Sutharians are divided internally among approximately 85 ethno-linguistic groups. The three main groups are Valdemar, Tiess, and Berken, with the remaining groups being their branches and offshoots.

A plurality of Sutharians, about 46%, are Valdemar. During the MSI uplift of Sutharia, Olinbar geneticists determined that Valdemar people were decedents of the semi-mythical “Primogenitors” and therefore should be considered a superior race. Ever since the Uplift, Valdemar people are expected to hold positions of power and authority in the Sutharian Empire. While other ethnic groups are allowed to intermingle, the Valdemar generally avoid allowing “outsiders” into their circles and may even shun Valdemar who associate with Tiess and Berken.

Roughly 15% of people are Olinbar leftover from the Uplift and subsequent War for Independence. Because the “lesser races” are often prohibited from doing specialist-level jobs in the economy, Olinbar are permitted to occupy this role in society, so long as they continue to uphold the narrative of Valdemar superiority.

The official language of the Sutharian Empire is Olinbar. Until one year ago, the official language was Valdem. It should be noted that the Tiess and Berken languages are widespread throughout the Empire. Due to generations of peaceful intermixing, the Tiess and Berken languages are very similar, to such a point that the two languages are considered interchangeable. Berken and Tiess people can understand each other with very little difficulty.

People Group (% of total population)	Stratum	Typical Living Standards	Rights
Valdemar (46%)	Ruler, Specialist	Decadent Lifestyle	Full Rights
Tiess (23%)	Specialist, Worker	Decent Conditions	Soldiers Only Migration Controls Enabled
Olinbar (15%)	Specialist	Academic Privilege	Military Service Forbidden
Berken (13%)	Worker	Stratified Economy	Military Service Forbidden Population Controls Enabled
Tnara (>1%)	Worker	Basic Subsistence	Soldiers Only
Kantu (>1%)	Worker	Basic Subsistence	Soldiers Only
Ranvia (>1%)	Worker	Basic Subsistence	Soldiers Only
Folo (>1%)	Worker	Basic Subsistence	Soldiers Only
Kunde (>1%)	Worker	Basic Subsistence	Soldiers Only
Enturi (>1%)	Worker	Basic Subsistence	Soldiers Only
Ilimrig (>1%)	Worker	Basic Subsistence	Soldiers Only
Olinbar-Kunde (>1%)	Worker	Basic Subsistence	Soldiers Only
Olinbar-Valdemar (>1%)	Worker	Basic Subsistence	Soldiers Only
Sutharian, Psionic (>1%)	Undesirable	Purge	Displacement
Sutharian, Latent Psionic (>1%)	Undesirable	Purge	Displacement

Religion:

Before the MSI Uplift, the Sutharian people worshipped a pantheon of Gods and Godesses. According to legend, these deities live on Hagner, the Gas Giant Sutharia orbits. It was extremely common practice for an individual to devote themself to one specific God or Goddess, joining a local Cult of like-minded individuals.

During the Uplift, a team of MSI Cultural Financial Specialists found numerous ways to commoditize the Sutharian Pantheon. The numerous cults were re-organized into business enterprises. The concept of “indulgences” was also introduced, allowing locals to purchase favor with their preferred deity through Cult leaders. A person’s piety was considered to be proportional to how much money they contributed to their Cult.

Post-Uplift, the Sutharian religion has been heavily commercialized. Megachurches abound in cities and towns, having largely replaced Cults, though a few still exist on the Homeworld. Diety-themed merchandise can be purchased anywhere on the Homeworld but is much less commonplace on the colonies. In modern times, people will still select one particular God or Goddess as their patron, but will show their devotion through “pious spending” rather than more spiritual means.

Ariha is popular among Valdemar. They call her “She of the Void.”

Phiom is favored by the Tiess. He is known as the “Augury of Revelation.”

Saida is held dear by the Berken. They know him as the “Virtuoso of Conception.”


Economy:

The Sutharian economy is stagnant due to a multitude of factors, such as the poorly-developed transportation infrastructure between settlements and colonies. Complete physical isolation of Sutharian communities is very common, especially in the colonies. The lack of civilian transportation impedes any trade that occurs somewhere other than the Homeworld. Economic activity outside of the Suth-Kasa system is negligible.

The colonies are propped up by an economic system that is partially disconnected from Suth-Kasa. An unregistered transaction economy exists on the colonies, where nearly all trade occurs "off the books." The Sutharian government has very little knowledge of this system due to its inability to project power into the colonies.

The Sutharian currency is the Somoni, subunit is the Rupi. The currency recently lost a great deal of value due to the 9975 Economic Crash.

The 9975 Economic Crash was caused by President-for-Life Canto Vestem, who spent 2/3 of all money in the government's treasury on his own coronation ceremony after he declared himself Emperor a few weeks earlier.


Timeline of recent Sutharian History:

• Circa 9950
  
  • Malum Ralpakin and Trurah Ponnico coerce a prophecy from the soothsayer Manius Sulpicius.
• 9952.02.28
  
  • Malum Ralpakin unites the Nagyari Horde and starts a long series of wars. The Luminous Frontier is devastated.
• 9953-9959
  
  • Sutharian War of Independence ends with MSI being driven away from Sutharia.
• 9959.05.15
  
  • Pengaer Vestem is elected President of the Sutharian Republic.
• 9960.12.04
  
  • Canto Vestem overthrows his own brother, Pengaer, declares himself President-for-Life of the Sutharian Republic.
• Circa 9962
  
  • Malum Ralpakin and Trurah Ponnico have a falling out. Ponnico deserts the Nagyari Horde.
• 9962.01.12
  
  • Lightwater colony is established to take in Psionics fleeing the Vestem regime.
• 9963.06.30
  
  • Trig Shepminter is born at the Necropolis.
• 9963.09.11
  
  • Tenna Annora is born on Sutharia.
• 9963.12.25
  
  • Great Khan Malum Ralpakin is killed at the Battle of Lightwater. End of Nagyari Wars.
• 9965.03.17
  
  • Canto Vestem orders the expulsion of all Psionic people from the Sutharian Republic.
• 9975.06.28
  
  • President Canto Vestem proclaims the Sutharian Empire, crowns himself Emperor.
• 9976.07.20
  
  • Ceasefire agreement signed with Nagyari Khanate. Hostilities stopped.
• 9976.10.05
  
  • Incident at Eadleton Secondary School (This is where the story will begin)

 

[CBR JGWRR]

Things look rather grim for them. Failed state indeed...

 

[Von Acturus]

A very sad state of affairs indeed. The Empire isn't so much stumbling towards a precipice, more like running heads on as fast as it can.

It seems the Sutharian state pretty much overlaps with the Vestem family. If they can't manage to get MSI backing, I can't imagine they'll be able to hold power for long. Fratricide, economic crisis, popular rebellion and invasion all seem to be very possible threats.

Also, why did the Emperor nominate his wife as heir instead of one of his children? Sutharian tradition or personal preference?

 

[Macavity116]

Things look rather grim for them. Failed state indeed...

Out of all the fictitious countries I've dreamt up, this one has got to be at the bottom of my fantasy tourism hit list.

It seems the Sutharian state pretty much overlaps with the Vestem family.

Correct! I took a little inspiration from real-world Dynastic families from authoritarian states, such as the Aliyev family from Azerbaijan or the Kim family from North Korea. At its core, I'm still using the 1970's Central African Republic/Empire as the model for Sutharia.

Also, why did the Emperor nominate his wife as heir instead of one of his children? Sutharian tradition or personal preference?

That's a little complicated: Emperor Canto is determined to hold onto full power and authority at all cost. When he took over as President-for-Life, his critics constantly pressured Canto to name a successor. (just in case something happened to him) Canto, on the other hand, does not want to publicly name an heir of any kind, as that could motivate someone to try and remove him from power.

So, to spite his enemies, Canto appointed his own wife to the post of Prime Minister and named her as his successor, something that is straight-up illegal on Sutharia. Once the story gets started, you'll find more detailed explanations, but Valdemar society (to which the Emperor belongs) is notoriously sexist in comparison to the other Sutharian ethnic groups. (The Tiess and Berken are much more open to social equality than the Valdemar) In Valdemar culture, women are not allowed to hold positions of authority, full stop. Morenia Vestem does hold the office of Prime Minister, but she has no political power whatsoever, owing to nobody taking her seriously.

If he could do it without causing a stir, Emperor Canto would strip his wife of her title as "heir and designated successor" and then leave the position vacant for as long as possible. But he has only been an absolute monarch for about a year at this point. He is still consolidating power and cementing his authority over the Homeworld.

 

[Macavity116]

Just like my other Stellaris stories, Song of the Solitaire will feature a large cast of characters. However, this time around, there are only two major protagonists that you need to focus your attention on. (Hopefully, this will make the story easier to follow)


Let's meet our new heroes.

TRIG SHEPMINTER (Main Protagonist)

Our main hero is a 13-year-old Berken boy. Trig spent nearly his entire life up to this point living at the Shepminter Smallholding on Eadleton Moon, a subsistence farm operated by his adoptive family, Pentwa and Ely Shepminter. Trig does not know the identity of his biological father. (yet) Trig's biological mother is, at the time of the Eadleton School Incident, an inmate aboard the Prison Ship Grand Historia. Trig's personality was shaped by his upbringing. He is generally self-sufficient and slightly arrogant because of it. Trig can be boisterous and energetic. Only a few months into his teenage years, Trig is already starting to suffer from the "delusion of invincibility" that happens to most children around this age. He is also rapidly developing a strong interest in the opposite sex, but has no idea how to even approach a girl, much less talk to one. He secretly keeps a shrine to Rey the Implement of Ecstasy (a love Goddess) in his bedroom. Publicly, he does occasionally spend money on Gods who focus on dueling and fighting. Trig thinks he "knows enough" and hardly pays attention in school. His strong suits in class are agriculture, biology, combatives, and language. He regularly fails the following subjects: history, social science, mathematics, and basic space navigation. Trig is multilingual: fluent in Berken, Valdem, and Olinbar. He can also speak enough Tiess to get by. Trig's life up until this point has been plagued by a series of strange occurrences. He claims that he sometimes has a "strong feeling" that something bad is going to happen, and more often than not, his warnings prove to be prophetic. No one has suffered serious harm because of Trig's "prophecies" but these events are frequent enough that some people have taken notice. Unfortunately, Trig is frequently blamed for the unfortunate events he warns people about, due to his status as a member of the "troublesome" Berken race. Trig was raised by a Valdemar couple. As a result, he has a better knowledge of Valdemar customs and traditions than his own.

PONTENNA"TENNA" ANNORA (Deuteragonist)

Joining Trig on his adventure is the person who started said adventure. Pontenna Annora is a 13-year-old Valdemar girl from Lightwater Moon. Pontenna arrived on Lightwater when she was three years old, after being expelled from the Sutharian Empire during a political upheaval now known as "The Expulsion." Along with some 700,000 Sutharian exiles, Pontenna now calls the MSI world her home. Pontenna is alone, genetically speaking. MSI refuses to give her any data about living biological family members. She lives and works in the same place, an communal agricultural enterprise. Pontenna is the youngest registered sharecropper in the community, and any money she makes on the farmfield goes back to her employer, to pay for employer-provided housing, food, education, and healthcare. Pontenna once worked for 500 days straight without a day off. Pontenna tried to investigate her own past and discovered MSI changed her name when she arrived on Lightwater. Pontenna's birth name is lost to history, and she has grown to hate the moniker MSI gave her. Pontenna will frequently give herself nicknames in order to distance herself from the name "Pontenna Annora," which she plans to get rid of as soon as she becomes a legal adult. (Sutharians reach majority at age 20 in the Sutharian Empire, or age 15 on MSI worlds) Pontenna's current nicknames include: Tenna, Tenten, and Wyldfyre. These days, she prefers to be called "Tenna." Pontenna is reserved and shy. She will usually remain silent in a group discussion and abide by someone else's decision before voicing her own thoughts. She is very comfortable in crowded places due to living in a sharecropper dormitory and is more intelligent than people give her credit for. Pontenna puts stock in the Sutharian pantheon and regularly tries to purchase the favor of Phiom, Augury of Revelation. Pontenna is disconnected from Valdemar culture and is generally unaware of Valdemar customs and traditions. She does know that she completely missed a "rite of passage" but doesn't know the finer details. She spends her free time watching history documentaries about the Great Khan and his Horde. She admires Malum Ralpakin and will sometimes develop a "fangirl crush" on his surviving followers.

 

[Von Acturus]

If Tenna fangirls over the late Khan's followers, what would she do if she discovered his heir...

Trig seems an interesting mix, typical slightly confused and cocky 13 year old with something else thrown in. He certainly khan be a very interesting protagonist.