History of Nullpellia

Warning: spoilers ahead!This page contain spoilers. If you have not read the books yet or want to discover the mysteries and secrets of the world of Degenesis by yourself, you should probably close this page now and come back later.
Control of Nullpellia has passed through several hands over its approximately 400 year history.

## Early Era

In the early 23rd century, the enigmatic Mechanist crossed the Black Lung into the Ramein Region. There he unearthed various machines and restored their functions, attracting local Clans desperate for warmth. The Mechanist led these people by example, expanding the facilities and constructing weapon systems. He also engaged in trade with the Phosphorites of this era, exchanging provisions and fuel for Freon. However the Mechanist died under strange circumstances in 2203, his body lost in the new city's underground tidal system.

The Mechanist became a figure of worship for the Mechans, the most merciless of his followers. Since the Cauldron City required perpetual steam and water pressure to maintain operation, they sentenced criminals and blasphemers into Nullpellia's underbelly for life. Still more labor was needed. The Mechans devised weapons from their benefactor's designs, and demanded human tributes from neighboring Clans. These may have included the Gethians, Hungerons, Taunar, Divine Hand, and more who fell under the city's zone of influence.

In the years to come, the Mechan's population would dwindle, until their policies incited violent resistance at their territory's border. Needing a new army, the overlords offered several of their slaves a deal. Food and clothing in exchange for military service, though warning that disobedience meant death. To prevent mutiny, a steam-powered version of the Mechanist's bolt-thrower was crafted and dubbed the Pneumo Hammer. This firepower was instrumental in the rebel's defeat, and earned the new army its name—Pneumancers.

After their victory, the Pneumancers were used to patrol the Ramein Region, denying Scrappers and merchants access. Between their policing and the Mechanist's defenses, Nullpellia's borders remained secure. However the Mechans preferred isolationism, a policy cautiously echoed by all foreign powers.

## Taunar Reign

The city's leaders turned to administrative tasks and scholarly pursuits. Enforcement was left to the Taunar, whose Allfathers conspired to seize control. They reached clandestine agreements with the Hungerons, Gethians, and Divine Hand. They then allied with the Phosphorites, who would lead raids to distract the Pneumancers while the coup occurred. The Pneumancers' strength went unmentioned.

The Taunar succeeded and captured Nullpellia without incident. The Phosphorites were roundly beaten however. Weeks later, the slave army returned and found themselves under the rule of the Allfathers. Although subdued, the Mechans were permitted to continue as administrators.

In 2558, the Protectorate seized Wetzlar from Nullpellia's territory. The angered Allfathers saw this as an act of war and dispatched the Pneumancers. A short, brutal engagement was costly for both sides, forcing Supreme Judge Archot to pursue peace. Wetzlar remained under the Judiciary's control.

Under the Taunar, the Pneumancers were made to fight in arena combat, either against their own or to inflict capital punishment upon prisoners. The Taunar never allowed their gladiators to remain aboveground long, yet tales of the surface sowed seeds of rebellion among the Pneumancers.

The Taunar also opened Nullpellia's markets, welcoming merchants with almost no tariffs. Bronze coins with the faces of the Allfathers were minted. These and emeralds were traded to Siege in exchange for grains and rapeseed.

## Pneumancer Revolt

The object known as the Fallen Star struck the Taunar Palace in 2575. Its impact released a wave of carbonized construct which crystallized and attempted to bond to organics. A fast acting and lethal disease spread among those nearby, including many of the leadership caste. What remained of the expansive weave appeared as a massive, partially collapsed orb of darkness around the building.

The damage cracked open of the underground entryways. Seeing the chance, a Pneumancer war hero named Katechan immediately freed their weapon caches and led his people in rebellion. They targeted both their former and current masters, and coerced the minor Clans into joining the purge. During the bloodbath, numerous Mechans escaped through tunnels leading to the wasteland, stealing several of the Mechanist's blueprints. The Pneumancers hunted them and any surviving Taunar, but old foes interrupted them only days later.

Having witnessed the meteor strike Nullpellia, the Phosphorite Bale Lords called the Clan to war. The Pneumancers quickly armed their city, and turned its artillery installations on the invaders. The brutal siege forced the Nullpellians to innovate unusual war machines of steam and heat. Less than 50% of the Pneumancers remained before the Phosphorites retreated. Though badly burned in the fighting, Katechan led his people to install a statue of the Mechanist over their former master's home.

## Gusev the Guest

Three months later, in January 2576, the Enemoi approached Nullpellia along with several AMSUMOs. They escorted the Marauder Gusev, who sought parlay and was permitted entry into the city after a brief discussion. The Enemoi's convoy, the Orion, dispersed seeds to the population. Many would grow into valuable crops to satiate Nullpellia's food requirements. Others produced brambles to safeguard the area about meteor's impact site. This section of the city would be called "Gusev's Garden."

Gusev left the city emptyhanded two days later. He did not know the Pneumancers had discovered and hidden the Ellipsoids he sought from the wreckage. The artifacts reemerged later, after the Temple of the New Dawn had been completed, to be studied by Steamlord Occaria for their purpose.

**Katharsys.** p. 213. *“Chapter 10 - From Hell: Phosphorites”*
**Pneumancers.** p. 7. *“Kagarast”*
**Pneumancers.** p. 8. *“Rise of the Mechans”*
**Pneumancers.** p. 18. *“Forged of Fire: Predators”*
**Pneumancers.** p. 8. *“Rise of the Mechans: Hail the Taunar”*
**Justitian: The Righteous Fist.** p. 41. *“Year 2558: Archot Becomes Supreme Judge”*
**Pneumancers.** p. 8. *“Rise of the Mechans: Watchdogs”*
**Justitian: The Righteous Fist.** p. 105. *“Siege: Bountiful”*
**Justitian: The Righteous Fist.** p. 42. *“Year 2575”*
**Pneumancers.** p. 11. *“Agathopoiia: Civil War”*
**Pneumancers.** p. 17. *“Agathopoiia: Blueprints of the Mechanist”*
**Pneumancers.** p. 11. *“Agathopoiia: Reckoning”*
**Pneumancers.** p. 11. *“Agathopoiia: The Day After”*
**Pneumancers.** p. 12. *“Agathopoiia: The Plurality”*
**Pneumancers.** p. 13. *“Agathopoiia: Ellipsoids”*