Of Stones and Sins

This Document Is Under Construction

Statement of Purpose

This is a plot document, intended to provide information on various aspects of the ongoing TP. It will contain a brief summary of what has already transpired, as well as give some info on factions and characters that have been used thus far.

Summary

Part I

It is shortly after the Fifty Years War, the peasants are revolting against the nobility because of receiving no pay for their service in the war and also because of their horrid living conditions. Disease, famine, war, and the greed of the ruling class have driven them to desperation and beyond. The most significant of the Rebel Forces are the Corpse Brigade and the Order of the Ebon Eye. Opposing them are the Knightly Orders of the Northern and Southern Sky. Battles were waged all across Ivalice (some of which Union and Unaffiliated players participated in), both sides vying for supremacy. Though the knightly orders continued to dominate, due to having superior numbers, more resources, and better trained men, they had yet to suppress the rebellion... much to the dismay of the Royal Family.

The Church continues its mission of promoting peace in the region and providing succor to the faithful as well as promoting their faith outside the region (in fact, a cross-factional gala was held for this purpose). In Lionel, territory of the sitting Cardinal Delacroix, an event broke out in which the Marketplace of The Clockwork City was nearly destroyed (several Union members participated). The cause: an outbreak of monsters. An investigation was launched, by the Church's Office of Inquisition, to attempt to discover the cause of the outbreak (several Union members and Unaffiliated participated). The end result of the investigation was yet another investigation... this time into the activities of Baert Company, owned by Lord Ludovich Baert, which was entrusted with many important tasks by the Royal Family - including the operating of Ivalice's mines.

This investigation was lead both by the Royal Investigatory and the Office of Inquisition (Union members again were of help here), in response to the great furor caused by the incident in Goug. Baert was charged with corruption, willing violation of contract, mismanagement of Royal Assets, and criminally negligent manslaughter. During this investigation, suspicious activities (including an attempted assassination, once again stopped by Union members) occurred. Despite evidence supporting the charges, Baert was indemnified by both investigative parties. He would have gotten off with minor fines and reprimands, but he then made the mistake of attempting to end the life of Faruja Senra - who was in charge of the Inquisition's investigation. Due, again, to Union and Unaffiliated efforts... he failed. This time, he was taken into Church custody on separate charges and thrown into its prison.

Yet another great battle between the Order of the Northern Sky and the Corpse Brigade occurred, this time starting in the Fort City Yardrow and ending in the Yuguo Wood north of Ivalice. Unfortunately, both parties ran into a Judge Magister of Archadia who took them into custody for alleged border crossing. When the Royal Family, and the Duke Bestrald Larg, failed to comply with their exact demands - Archadia launched an offensive against the Fort City Yardrow itself with intent to seize it and force a meeting that they could better leverage against the Royal Family and Larg. There, with prisoners held near and the citizenry of the city as hostages, three Judge Magisters declared establishment of Archadian Order and there they remained until an offensive maneuver (by Union and Unaffiliated persons, in conjunction with the Corpse Brigade, Wiegraf Folles, and Zalbaag Beoulve and his men) forced them to return Yardrow to its rightful owners. Judge Magister Bergan of Archadia left with a warning, however... war had begun again.

Part II

Hasn't occurred yet!

Factions

Archadia

One of Ivalice's northern neighbors. It is governed by the reigning House Solidor and the Imperial Senate (actually, a Council) of Archadia. The present, sitting, Emperor is Gramis Gana Solidor - Archadia's 11th Emperor. Despite his being called 'Emperor', Archadia is not a monarchy but an oligarchy. One where House Solidor wields absolute authority over the Imperial Ministry of Law, and the Imperial Senate schemes always to wrest control of Archadia's most powerful ministry from the family and restore it to Senate control. Serving as the ministers of the Ministry of Law, House Solidor's elite guard, AND the commanders of the Imperial Army are the Judge Magisters of Archadia and their Order of Judges. Archadia, as a country, operates as a war machine - every able man, who does not perform some other essential function, must submit to military service - and it seeks to consume all of its neighbors. Archadian quality of life is leagues beyond Ivalice's own, but it is bought at the cost of freedom. House Solidor's near absolute rule is a fairly recent event, with Gramis Gana Solidor being only the fourth emperor from House Solidor. Their technological superiority places them as one of the most powerful forces in the region.

Glossary

Fifty Years War

A literal fifty year conflict between the nations of Ordallia and Ivalice, in which the result was Ordallian victory and Ivalice's falling into the state of poverty and civil war it is in now. To understand the depths of the depravity of this war, one must first understand that not only were Ordallia and Ivalice on peaceful and mutually beneficial terms - but also, their respective Royal Families were tied by blood at the time of the conflict. Before the war, Ordallia was ruled by King Devanne III and Ivalice by King Denamda II... Devanne's uncle by blood. Conflict arose in Zelmonia, a territory between the two nations which some time ago Ordallia had acquired, and up until the war Ivalice had provided indirect support to Zelmonia for the sake of its liberation. Zelmonia, at the height of this conflict, decided to petition King Denamda for direct aid. Before that could transpire, King Devanne III passed away - leaving a power vacuum in Ordallia. Devanne's cousin, Varoi VI was to be named the new King, but Denamda declared his own right to rule the throne of Ordallia by virtue of being Devanne's uncle. This was refused, and Denamda declared war against Ordallia.

Shortly after the war began, and as King Denamda II marched on the Ordallian capital of Viura with his men, the King fell ill short of the border and swiftly died. With their commander and King missing, Ivalice's forces were swiftly driven away from the land by Ordallian forces and the battle was once again even. Denamda IV, son of Denamda II, was quickly ushered to the throne of Ivalice shortly after. Sometime during this stalemate, one of Ivalice's northern neighbors Romanda (a military state like Archades, ruled by a relative of Varoi VI) decided to attempt to invade Ivalice as well. They were not strong enough to overcome the might of King Denamda IV and his armies, however, and after only three years were forced to retreat.

At this time, all three sides were suffering also from plagues, droughts, and extreme civil unrest wrought by the war. All three of these forces ensured no power had an easy road to victory. King Denamda IV died shortly after his victory against Romanda, due to being assassinated, and he was then replaced by King Ondoria Atkascha III. The new King was both sickly and weak-willed however, making him effectively a puppet figurehead for his domineering and scheming wife Queen Louveria. This was much to the Ivalician nobility's displeasure, and remains a cause of internal strife to this day.

King Varoi VI, of Ordallia, also died shortly afterward and was replaced by his son Prince Lennard Varoi. Due to the weakness of Ivalice's King, Ordallia soon forced Ivalice to sign peace treaty by invading Zeltennia - capital of the Order of the Southern Sky - even though the invaders were soundly repelled by the might of its general Cidolfus Orlandeau. It was this battle which officially earned him the name of 'Thunder God Cid'.

After the war, Ivalice plunged into such a state of weakness that it had not even the money to pay many of its own soldiers their dues and let them go. Angered beyond reasoning, the disaffected peasant soldiers who fought in the war formed the beginnings of what are now known as the Corpse Brigade (also the 'Dead Men') and the Order of the Ebon Eye.

Notable fighters in this war were: T.G. Cid, Barbaneth Beoulve, Zalbaag Beoulve, Wiegraf Folles, Duke Garrif Barrington, Goffard Gaffgarion, Gustav Margriff, Elidibus, and Cardinal Alphonse Delacroix.

Royal Family

Ivalice's current Royal Family is composed of King Ondoria Atkascha, his wife Louveria, and his two child Ovelia and Orinus. Atkascha's rule came to pass at the end of the Fifty Years War. It is not a favorable one amongst his country men, and is a source of internal strife, due to him being perceived as a weak King who is ruled himself by his even more unpopular wife. The Dukes beneath him wish, even now, to see him replaced. And this is not unknown to anyone, much less Louveria.

Rebel Forces

There are two peasant armies which make up the bulk of the civil uprising after the Fifty Years War: the Corpse Brigade, and the Order of the Ebon Eye. Both are composed largely of disaffected soldiers who were denied benefits after the War and sent away. But both have rallied many generally irate peasants not satisfied with their lot in life to the cause. The Corpse Brigade is lead by Wiegraf Folles, a passionate idealist and charismatic man who is as dangerous with a sword as he is with words. The Ebon Eye, meanwhile, lacks a significant unifying leader - which not only makes them less dangerous to the nobility in the long run but also much more volatile as well.

Knightly Orders

There are two major orders in Ivalice (a smaller one, called the Order of the Eastern Sky exists but is not significant in the context of the story): The Order of the Northern Sky, which is conscripted into the service of the Duke Bestrald Larg who is related to the Atkascha family by blood, and the Order of the Southern Sky which is in the service of Duke Druksmald Goltanna. The commanders of these forces, respectively, are Zalbaag Beoulve of Gallione and the man known as T.G. Cidolfus Orlandeau from Zeltennia. Each oversees their own respective territory of Gallione and Zeltennia, while the rest of the nation is owned primarily by its Royal Family, the Church, and the Duke Garrif Barrington and the Marquis Messam Elmdore.