Mars (Dragonborn, Tiefling, Kobold)

# Overview

**Planet Name:** Mars

**Native Races:** Dragonkin, Kobold, Tiefling,

**Capitols:**

The Talons of Grotaria - Grotarian Dominion

Kag Zanguk - Andrelite Clan Federation

Pheropolis & Xanatros - Infernal Collective

Shengtian - Democratic People’s Republic of Mars (DPRM)

Virtue - United Nations of Mars (UNM)

**Environmental Landscape:** Warm and dry, Mars contains a mixture of barren deserts and arid savannahs with sparse forested regions. Seasonal weather brings volatile stormfronts with particularly dangerous regional sandstorms.

**Political Landscape:** While the Grotarian Dominion is known for its Meritocratic government, the Andrelite Clan Federation is run on a heavily clan-based government whereas the Infernal Collective is run on a Constitutional Monarchy. Regarding the Terran-Martians, the DPRM runs on a Socialistic Democracy whereas the UNM is a more traditional Democratic Republic.

**Leader(s):**

Grymshylinak the Undefeated - Supreme Talon of Grotaria

Council of Clans - Andrelite Clan Unification

Karmeros of the Ashendeep - Flamespeaker of the Infernal Collective

Nethtari the Cunning - Minister of Flame off the Infernal Collective

Song Giuying - President of the DPRM

John Hughes - President of the UNM

**Culture:** Much of the culture across Mars has been shaped by that of the native Martian peoples. While the Grotarians are a fiercely independent people who value deeds and skill above all else, the Andrelite Clan Unification values a strong collective mentality and a clan-first focus. The Infernal Collective contains a rich culture based on a long religious past and a thriving entertainment industry.

**Demography & Population**:

Grotarian Dominion - 450M citizens, 65% Dragonborn, 10% Kobold, 10% Tiefling, 15% other

Andrelite Clan Unification - 1.25B citizens, 85% Kobold, 5% Tiefling, 5% Dragonborn, 5% other

Infernal Collective - 650M citizens, 50% Tiefling, 15% Kobold, 10% Dragonborn, 15% Terran, 10% other

DPRM - 275M citizens, 60% Terran, 25% Martian, 15% other

UNM - 185M citizens, 80% Terran, 5% Martian, 15% other

**Foreign Relations:** While all of the Martian governments enjoy thriving diplomatic relations with the interplanetary community, it is widely understood that the native governments in the Dominion, the Unification, and the Collective are acknowledged as having a significantly stronger say in affairs than the Terran governments. Amongst the Terran governments, the DPRM enjoys a healthy, thriving set of diplomatic relations with the Martian governments while the UNM remains significantly more closed off due to its highly nationalistic roots.

**Military:** While the Unification has the most significant military presence in numbers, the Dominion has easily the most prolific and feared of militaries amongst all of the governments. The DPRM is nearly always strongly backed by the native Martian Powers whereas the UNM relies on corporate backing stemming back to the Lunar Corporate Imperium and other Terran influences for support.

**Religion:**

While the Terran-Martian peoples follow a number of religions based on their Earth heritage, two primary religions exist amongst the native Martian people: The Flame of Bahamut who’s seat of power rests in the Andrelite Clan Unification, and the Temple of the Nine which is based out of the Infernal Collective. Both have significant ties to the Geothermal Vents that are known to give life to the Martian people.

**Agriculture & Industry:** Agriculture is mostly focused on crops that thrive in dry and subterranean weather conditions, though terraforming techniques have seen an increase in Terran crops near DPRM and UNM territories. A wide array of industry is spread across Mars with the Clan Unification being particularly industrious and rivaling even the strength of the Terran-born megacorporations that extend so far across the interplanetary community.

**Trade & Transport:** Variety of roadways across the surface of the planet with ocean shipping, and both atmospheric and low orbital transit as well. Mass transit across the planet exists in magrail and similar technologies.

**Infrastructure:**

The Infrastructure of Mars is separated based on the controlling nation with the Grotarian Dominion’s power dominating a significant portion of the surface and the Clan Unification domination the subterranean areas while the Collective is spread across both. The DPRM and UNM are located geographically separate from the native Martian nations and their territory reflects their Earthborn roots.

**Pictures:**

# Introduction

The origin of life on the Red Planet is thought to be attributed back eons ago to pools of primordial soup nestled near geothermal vents. These life-giving vents are linked to vast networks of magma filled tunnels fed from massive seas of molten rock.  What exactly triggered the initial development of life in these ancient pools is yet unknown and while many theories exist, none are more integrated into Martian culture more than those surrounding the involvement of Dragons of Legend and grand Infernal blessings.

Of all of the forms of life that developed on Mars, three have risen to stand alone in the ranks of higher intelligent life:  **Kobolds, Dragonkin, and Tieflings**.

While a majority of Kobold settlements are subterranean, near great underground rivers and lakes, and the larger Dragonkin have adapted to the harsh life on the planet’s surface, Tieflings have evolved to adapt to both.  Xenobiologists and Xenobotanists agree that a variety of rapid growing edible funguses, tubers, and other crops such as the famous Cradaquat and the infamous Cozzo fruit, also dubbed ‘Demon Durian’ are key components of a typical Martian diet.  All three races supplement their diets with insects, milk from various herd animals, and meats as well.

A great many Martian civilizations have risen, merged, split, and fallen over a long and bloody history riddled with conflict. Prior to the Terran Colonization of the early 25th century, the Martian people were primarily divided into three factions, each of which exists today:

# Nations of Mars

## The Grotarian Dominion

Built around the **Talons of Grotaria,** the three great fortress cities of Xoadranth, Gandeolanth, and Chardryss, “the City Without a Name”, this ancient nation heralds back to Mars’ iron age and was built upon the ashes of countless others.  The Dominion itself has endured three civil wars and has seen countless reforms.  Its government is chosen through a long-standing practice of meritocracy with roots in feats of strength, lists of deeds, and ritual combat.  Though to some, the Grotarian’s practices of ritual combat that endures to this day is considered barbaric and cruel in spite of the banning of fights to the death outside of criminal trials, most citizens of the dominion come to embrace the act as a celebration of their culture.  And while the victors gain glory and honor amongst their people, the defeated are yet still honored in a lesser capacity for their strength of effort.

These long celebrated practices have led to the Dominion earning a reputation for possessing a fearsomely strong army.  Being selected into the ranks of the Dominion Army places a citizen amongst their culture’s most honored individuals and volunteers who seek to be selected are never in short supply.

The Grotarian economy was historically largely based on a meritocratic price preferential system, which saw citizens with a higher meritocratic standing paying less for and receiving higher priority on goods and services.  This system, which has been the cause of no less than two of the Dominion’s three civil wars, has since been replaced with one closer resembling a free market, though remnants of the old system remain despite repeated reforms.

### The Talons of Grotaria

At the heart of the Grotarian Dominion beats the three great fortress cities of Xoadranth, Gandeolanth, and Chardryss, “the City Without a Name”.  During the early days of the Draconic Nations of old, these fortresses were built as the bastions of the three great nations whose namesake lives on in the names of the modern cities themselves.  Now, through a great many centuries of cultural progress, expansion, and technological advancement, the three cities have merged together into one unified megalopolis.  The fortresses themselves that the cities were built around are still functional to this day, though they no longer serve in a direct defensive capacity, but rather as the three most prestigious military academies in the Dominion.

Scattered throughout the Talons, like most Grotarian settlements, are curiously shaped arenas, varying in size from barely big enough for two combatants to those that eclipse all but the most impressive sporting venues in the solar system.  These arenas are referred to by the Grotarian people as **the Scales**, both for their traditional shape reminiscent of a Dragon’s scale and the judgement that is meted out within.  It is in the Scales that Grotarian’s prove their worth through ritual combat and as such, they are considered amongst the most revered of locations in the dominion.  The most iconic Scale in all of the Dominion lies at the very center of all three Talons: the **Platinum Colosseum**.  This towering colossus of an arena has been upgraded over the centuries and can seat an untold amount of spectators.  The seats in the upper decks are so high above the field, that special viewing equipment must be provided to all such guests for them to have any hope of seeing the action on the field aside from watching on the massive viewing screens hanging from the ceilings.

## The Andrelite Clan Unification

Existing primarily in Mars’ vast underground caverns, the founding of the Andrelite Clan Unification was originally created from an alliance of Kobold tribes during the Miadronic war during Mars’ early modern era.  Over time, particularly since the Terran Colonization,  the Andrelites have become a veritable melting pot of peoples, particularly those who prefer life amongst the nation’s subterranean domain.

Andrelite Government consists primarily of a council of clan leaders who are chosen by a semi-electoral process in which clans themselves are voted into a spot of council leadership status for a specified term.  The clan leader from a council clan may change several times during a clan’s term, and as such, clan volatility is heavily scrutinized in elections along with depth of the candidate pool.  Today, Andrelite clans resemble little of the tribal nature the term stems from and are more akin to provinces, with each separate one often having a council of their own, split amongst leaders of select smaller districts as voted upon by the province.

The Andrelite Clan Unification has a long history of socially driven policy which focuses on units of citizens from clans, to provinces, to districts, and as far down as families, but policies which apply to individuals are rare outside of at the district level and below.  As this contrasts with the Grotarian focus on individual deeds, the two nations have a long history of disagreement, though their relatively separate domains has somewhat limited the number of outright conflicts.

Andrelite industry is particularly cutthroat in nature and mirrors the rest of the society’s focus on clan rather than individual.  Jobs are usually assigned to family groups, but can be assigned to districts, or clans themselves.  The ACU’s military operates with its own clan type units and Andrelites quickly adapt to this type of environment which is similar to those in civilian life.  This natural adaptation to such life makes Andrelites particularly adept at unit tactics.  There is a saying amongst Martians that has stemmed from this:  “If you face a single Andrelite in (ritual) combat, expect three more at your back.”  The end result of this focus on family, unit, and clan collectives leads to the stigmatization of movements focused on individual rights and independence in favor of social policy.

### Kag Zanguk

The great city of Kag Zanguk is built around the **Draconic Vents**, what are thought to be the ancient birthplace of the shared ancestors of both the Kobolds, and the Dragonkin.  The city itself, like many Kobold settlements, is carved partially into the wall of a great cavern, its halls reminiscent of more advanced versions of their cave systems of old.  The portion of the city outside the cavern wall lies on the banks of two rivers: one of lava, and the other, fresh water. A near permanent field of acidic mist hangs in the air over the section of land where the two meet, and it is only due to their flowing back outward from there, that it has not crept further toward the settlement.  Still, Unification scientists and engineers are ever watchful of the field of laze and have implemented a number of precautionary measures to prevent its spread in the future.  Near each of the rivers grow a variety of fungi, tubers, and other subterranean crops, tended in vast fields that are traditionally fertilized using raw materials gathered from the banks of the lava overflow.

Kag Zanguk is divided into a great many districts, and is the only city in the Unification to make up two entire provinces of its own.  At its beating center is the **Heart of Flame**, the great ancient fortress built around the Draconic Vents to protect them from invaders.  Though it has long since served its original purpose, the Heart is yet still a spiritual nexus for the Kobold people and the Dragonkin alike.  It serves as the seat of power for the **Flame of Bahamut**, the religion, birthed from the days of the Draconic Empire of old, is based around the myth that the original Dragonkin and Kobolds were birthed by a great Dragon made of Platinum and as powerful as the sun itself.  Today, the followers of the Flame number a great many amongst not only Kag Zanguk, but amongst the Unification as a whole and the Dominion as well.

As the seat of power for the ACU, Kag Zanguk embodies its focus on clan versus self.  Its districts are fiercely competitive with one another, constantly vying for economic advantage, public recognition, and political boons.  Amongst these boons, there is perhaps no greater than being granted the right to stand vigil over a portion of the **Breath of Bahamut**, the ceremonial blue fire granted by the **Grand Council of Clans** to districts who have made exceptional contribution to the Andrelite cause.

## The Infernal Collective

The third of the most prolific Martian nations prior to Terran colonization is the Infernal Collective, built upon the framework of the **Temple of the Nine**: a unified religious power of the planet’s renaissance era that garnered significant influence on both the surface and below. To say the Infernal Collective is a polarizing, if oft misunderstood entity is an understatement to say the least.  To some, including many tieflings in particular, the name is a reference to the shared heritage owed to many Martians due to the infernal vents scattered below the surface of Mars, most of which now are either enshrined, or subject to scientific study under strict regulation by the Collective.  To others, the Collective represents the continued glorification of a history riddled with centuries of strife and built upon strict adherence to religious texts formed from false pretenses.  Yet over the centuries, after the significant reforms of Flamespeaker Casadius IV, and as both social and technological progress has been made, the Collective has emerged as perhaps the most moderate of the three Pre-Colonial Martian Superpowers.

The Collective’s current government is closely representative of many of Earth’s constitutional Monarchies.  Sitting at the head of the Collective is the **Flamespeaker** who possesses both powers ceremonial in nature, and practical alike.  The monarch sits as head of the **Infernal Court**, an equal collection of heads of house of powerful noble families and those who represent significant deeds and advancement of the Collective alike.  Sitting opposite of the Flamespeaker, is the **Minister of Flame**, an official elected by the **Grand Collective**: a group of representatives elected by the people of the collective itself on a district basis.  This balance of noble tradition and power granted to the people, though not always effective, has achieved the effect of winning over both the hearts and minds of those deeply rooted in the tradition of the Collective of old as well as those who see it as a leader in reason-based reform alike.

Life in the Collective is as varied as its economic extremes, seeing great opportunity extended to some and impossible odds imposed on others due to any number of factors. While life exists in a variety of areas, most citizens live in or near one of the Collective’s major metropolitan areas.  Amongst these areas, the most iconic cities that these metropolises are built around are the twin capitals of **Pheropolis**, the Capital Above, and **Xanatros**, the Capital Below.

### Pheropolis

Dubbed the Capital Above, Pheropolis is a teeming center of trade, culture, entertainment, and industry.  Built around Pheropolis’ storied **Cinder Stage** is the heart of the Collective’s entertainment industry that has taken Mars by storm and has evolved into the leading global superpower in viewing entertainment.   The city’s eastern sectors are almost entirely dominated by a series of massive industrial complexes while its western reaches are mainly residential.  As such, rush hour in Pheropolis is said to be the worst in all of Mars, despite numerous enhancements to the city’s transportation system.

Amongst the most iconic sites to see is **the Basilica of Flame**, a grand accomplishment of architecture with a striking resemblance to an exaggerated form of Terran Gothic architecture. Having long served as the seat of power of the Collective’s monarchy, the Basilica remains today the residence of the Flamespeaker and is located near the Infernal Court building.  Inside the Basilica, at the summit of the pathway of fire, resting above the Flamespeaker’s throne are the **Infernal Doors**.  These great stained glass windows stand as incredible works of art built with time lost construction techniques.  The ‘Doors’ are each depictions of the first encounters with the nine infernal ambassadors of old, each ambassador the subject of a separate religious text forming the **Tome of the Nine**.   Having long served as the seat of power of the Collective’s monarchy, the Basilica remains today as both a frequent destination for tourism as well as the residence of the Flamespeaker and is located near the Infernal Court building.

### Xanatros

Built below ground, both between and around the **Prime Vents**, four of the Nine Vents where the first Infernal Ambassadors visited the Tieflings of old, Xanatros, also known as the Capital Below, is both a Religious Nexus and a center of martian Academia.  Surrounding the city to the south are vast networks of vertical farms while its Northern reaches lie on the banks of the **Infinite Basin**, a particularly deep lake that flows seemingly endlessly into the **Abyssal Gorge**, a nearly ten kilometer chasm that is known for its eerily beautiful red glow.

Located at the heart of the city’s historic religious center is the **Seat of the Nine**.  Built at the site of the **Conclave of the Nine**, where the ancient religions formed around each of the Infernal Ambassadors officially unified to first become the **Temple of the Nine**, the Seat has long been a site for religious pilgrimages.  At its center, buried deep within the **Sanctorium Inferni**, are the enshrined remains of the religion’s most holy over the ages.  The Sanctorium itself is strictly off limits to all but the highest echelons of the religion itself and as such has fueled numerous conspiracy theories of secret organizations operating within the church’s shadows.

In a striking contrast to the Seat of the Nine, **Belsolis University** is a beacon of academia.  Named for the famed scientist **Inrali Belsolis**, who pioneered breakthrough advancements in physics, chemistry, and geology, the University represents the pinnacle of Martian education and it only accepts the most promising of candidates into its fold.  Amongst the university’s most notable fields of research, true to its namesake, are areas of physics, chemistry, and geology as well as anthropology.  The surrounding community has, as such, become home to a great many in the academic community and numerous research firms operate, at least in part, out of the university itself.

## Democratic People's Republic of Mars

Formed from the first wave of Terran colony ships fleeing Earth during the earth 25th century, the DPRM got its start primarily from vessels launching from the East Asian and Oceanian regions of the globe.  Due to the nature of the treaty that allowed the Terrans to settle on Mars, the initial settlement was formed on the Northwestern steppes of Castius along the Arcadian Ocean.  While the early years of the settlement were fraught with a variety of unforeseen challenges ranging from alien contagions to runaway Terran crops, the early Terran-Martians rose to overcome them with the assistance of the collective Martian governments.

Once the original colony of Shengtian achieved a viable level of self sustainment, the collected surrounding colonies formally unified to form the Democratic People’s Republic of Mars.  A study in Democratic Socialism at its roots, the DPRM balances a focus on individual rights and free market economy with robust social programs fueled by a sense of communal responsibility.  Over the centuries, the DPRM has enjoyed consistently positive relations with the major Martian governments due in no small part to this very sense of communal responsibility.  It is the belief of most citizens of the DPRM that while Earth is their heritage, that Mars is their home, and as such, it is important to both take care of the planet as well as to seek cooperation with its native inhabitants.

### Shengtian

Named after the famous half-orc humanitarian entrepreneur of the late 24th century, Drogak Shengtian, the capital of the DPRM stands as a bright beacon of human and martian ingenuity.  The city itself is built around the original colony ship, UTCS Shengtian which has been long since enshrined and repurposed into the DPRM’s **National Museum of Terra**, whose purpose is to both honor the DPRM’s heritage and to help educate the populous on the Earth history while celebrating their accomplishments, and warning of their failures.

As a part of the colony’s original efforts to assist in the enrichment of the harsh, inhospitable soil of Castius’ barren steppes, the **Hanying Center for Terraforming and Agriculture** was founded as a joint coalition of environmental experts with the task of working to both adapt Terran agricultural techniques to the Martian landscape as well as to work to take steps to make the landscape itself more fertile.  Today, the HCTA is the foremost institution in Terraforming and Agricultural research on Mars and has spearheaded a multitude of efforts to enhance the lives of not only citizens of the Terran colonies, but the native Martians as well.

Today, Shengtian is a teeming metropolitan mixture of cultures from eastern asia and oceania alike with districts mirroring a wide variety of architecture from these very same cultures.  In one section of the city, followers of one of any number of religions can honor their heritage at a Neo-Taoist Pagoda, a Buddhist Stupa, or a Shinto Temple while in the next, fans of Martian sports entertainment can watch live games in **Shengtian Colosseum**. Due to this widespread diversity across the Shengtian metropolitan area, the ability to quickly transport commuters to and from districts has not only necessitated the implementation of advanced highway systems, but also of a reliable, fast form of public transportation in the form of Shengtian’s very own **Magrail** system which boasts the ability to move a passenger in a complete circuit of the city in a staggering fifteen minutes for direct trips, or longer for the routine lines due to transferring passengers at stops.

## United Nations of Mars

While the original colonies the United Nations of Mars were founded upon originated at roughly the same time as those from the DPRM, their story is hardly the same.  The original colonies of Virtue, Asteria, and New Terra had the benefit of years worth of intel fed from the original Shengtian colony’s days and as such, they were significantly better prepared.  This combined with their location in the southern reaches of Phoenicis just off the Argyre Basin meant that they did not face the initial level of struggles their predecessors did.  This and their connection to the remnant Terran governments of Western Europe and the promise of periodic supply shipments led to an early boom of sorts for the colonies which many historians believed led to a false sense of self-sufficiency and in turn, a deeply nationalistic trend amongst the colonies.

For years, Virtue in particular made a practice of defying Martian formal requests to avoid expansion and development on lands prohibited in the Terran Rescue Act.  This culminated in the now infamous Outpost Splendid event of 2613 where a disagreement with a formal delegation from the Grotarian Dominion at border Outpost Splendid turned tragically violent.  The outpost itself was found in spite of numerous formal requests against it and a delegation was finally sent after no less than three additional virtual delegations were summarily ignored.  The Virtue Colony based outpost leadership took offense to the Grotarian’s demands to evacuate the colony and when tempers flared, outpost commander Tamlin Garret not only turned down the Grotarian leader’s demand of trial by combat, but took the act as a personal insult and shot the Dragonkin dead on the spot.

What ensued was a swift and crushing response by the Grotarian Dominion, resulting in the total destruction of Outpost Splendid and the loss of Virtue colony mere weeks later.  When the Dominion sent another delegation, it was sent virtually from Virtue’s command center and the result was that a cease-fire was declared until such time as formal peace talks could be conducted in the Talons of Grotaria.  The results of the talks, while crippling for the Terran Colonies, ensured their survival and saw the benefit of the potential for long term trade with the Martian governments in exchange for significant short term reparations.

Additionally, this event was seen as the spark for the three colonies and the others of Southern Phoenicis to officially unify under the banner of the United Nations of Mars.  This move, while controversial to some, led to an increase in tensions with the Grotarians in the short term, but over time, proved to bring much needed stability to the region, effectively ending the colonies’ early maverick days.

Today, the UNM enjoys a position of respect within the Martian diplomatic scene, though some Martians and Terrans both still hang onto old prejudices.

### Virtue, Asterion, and New Terra

The three chiefmost cities of the UNM those geographically separated yet still by significant amount of farmland, are interconnected by high speed trains which provide citizens a quick and economic way to travel between each city.  Ironically, due to the on rails nature of this travel and their direct intercity connection design, it takes significantly less time to travel between cities than it does to travel to the farmland in between or to brave their inner-city daily work commutes.

The economy of these cities is heavily tied to Terran based corporate interests and as such,the free-market based economy is particularly cutthroat.  Still, citizens benefit greatly from a wide variety of goods available to them at any time even though the obscuring veil between the place where an item was manufactured and the counter where it was sold has never been stronger.  This, combined with a vast and continually growing separation of wealth has led to significant unrest amongst lower economic groups of people, and has led to a record amount of citizens leaving the three cities for outlying colonies and for the DPRM in particular every year.

Still, to those loyal to the UNM’s tenets and yet patriotic to their cause, there is much to enjoy in the three cities.  Whether it is Virtue’s **Splendor Sporting Megaplex**, with venues that can support up to a dozen smaller simultaneous events or up to three major events at a time, Asterion’s **Vertisoft Park**, based on the famously named Terran Amusement park of the 24th century, or New Terra’s **Legacy Tower**, the UNM’s center of government sporting a massive mall, casino, and museum alike, there is nearly always something to do for those with money in the Three cities.

Unfortunately, while social services exist, they are notoriously insufficient and as such, life can be particularly hard for lower income families and has lead to high levels of unrest and crime in certain areas.

# Storied Places

## The Volcanic Expanse

Located in the Martian underworld beyond the obsidian sea are the **Volcanic Stairs**: a great series of naturally formed spiraling tunnels that lead into a great expanse where magma flows in tunnels of searing rock and drains into a great expanse inhabited by mythical creatures of fire, amongst them Salamanders, Efreeti, and many others.  Access to the stairs is guarded by **the Vigil of Twin Flames**: a rare coalition of the Temple of the Nine and the Flame of Bahamut.  The Vigil allows only those granted permission by elders of both religions access to the Expanse, and even then, under close guard for fear of the consequences.

It is said that deep within the expanse, beyond the great Efreeti fortress of **Tolzorrok**, lurks the great ancient foe of the the Draconic Clans of old and the slayer of **Grotar the Unshakeable** himself:  **Zulgaron the Everburning**, an ancient Dragon of untold power, whose wrath is held at bay only by the collective power of the Efreeti themselves.  Though many now believe Zulgaron to be a creature of myth alone, increased Volcanic activity and a series of steadily growing tremors over recent years have led to alarms within the Vigil.  What do these events tie back to?  Are they the works of Efreeti machinations?  Can they be explained by shifting Martian tectonic plates?  Or is Zulgaron preparing to unleash his wrath on the Martian people once more to the woe of believer and unbeliever alike?

## The Ruins of Elysium

Oft whispered in the wee hours of the Martian night amongst the Terran colonies are stories of the Ruins of Elysium, and of the spirits of the ancient colonists who perished mysteriously seemingly overnight after an untold tragedy occurred during the settlement’s early years.  Rumors abound of enraged spirits trapped in the ruins who are only visible in the darkness of the Martian night.  Others chalk up the strange reports to a curious species of bird that lives solely in the ruins themselves, and whose screams sound frighteningly like the sound of someone crying out in mortal terror.

Regardless of the cause of such reports, one event that occurs yearly on the eve of the tragedy has led to numerous theories, dividing the Martian people even further as to their validity: On the eve of the Fall of Elysium, a transmission is sent out across the surface of mars.   In this transmission, terrified voice of a man claiming to be none other than **Sergei Yelenko**, the colony’s leader at the time, warning surrounding colonies to flee from Elysium, that it was falling, and that all hope was lost.  In the background of this transmission is thought to be a terrifying otherworldly voice, whose cries of rage grow louder and louder until Yelenko lets out a horrible cry- and is suddenly silenced.

Are these strange occurrences the work of online cult enthusiasts?  Can the strange occurrences reported near the ruins be traced back to these avian oddities?  Or is the truth far more sinister, and far more deadly?

## The Abyssal Vent

While most of Mars’ lifegiving Geothermal vents are looked on with reverence, one such vent is widely feared as a place connected to an untold realm of monstrous aberrations: **the Abyssal Vent.**  Glowing in an unearthly purple flame, whispers of madness emanate to all those who approach it, driving even the most strong-willed explorer insane should they remain for too long.  Sentries from amongst the most well-trained joint Martian special forces have traditionally stood watch over the Vent, rotating shifts as often as possible so as to prevent the effect from compromising any of those guarding the location.

Historically speaking, the vent has produced monstrosities which whisper a language unknown to any of the Martian natives, but the sentries have always stood victorious.  Alas, since the emergence of Magic, activity has continually increased on a year by year basis, leading Martian governments to seek aid in these efforts, even leading to a call for more drastic measures to be taken.

What is the link between the emergence of magic and the Vent’s increased activity?  Can the sentries hold out from being overwhelmed before help arrives?  And just how far are the Martian governments willing to go to thwart the unspeakable from happening before it has a chance to begin?  *Invasion.*