AEGIS Lore Bombs: Setting the Stage

The following was originally posted as a Kickstarter update.

The world of Sigaea is vast and diverse, and we thought you’d like to learn a little bit about it. Sigaea has five nations, locked in an arms race after the recent re-awakening of the mysterious robots that once laid dormant across the landscape.

Each nation comes with their own distinct personality and commander, adding another layer to game-play if you love a good story! You may also notice some other patterns here, there are no coincidences.

The **Allied Provinces** recently gained independence from the Empyreal Realm, largely in part due to their local reluctant hero, Ainer. Ainer was the first to awaken the robots now commonly used for battle in Sigaea, and he’s not quite sure if he regrets it. Largely self-sustaining due to their mining abilities, the Allied Provinces is situated in the cold, northern, mountainous region of the main continent. Luckily, the Allied Provinces receive support from the Great States due to their common enemy: the Empyreal Realm.

The **Empyreal Realm** is the largest and oldest nation in Sigaea. A warped, wasteful society, they are in continuous conflict with each of the other major nations. With a loyal populace and a tradition of military might, the Empyre’s chief commander and Third Heir to the throne, Etwal, is hailed as a hero across the land. Not only does the Empyre feel enraged by the secession of the Allied Provinces, they must constantly defend against espionage from the Iris Dominion, border movements from the Great States, and goody-two-shoes defense in any fight from the Sector Authority.

The **Great States** is another nation that was once part of the Empyreal Realm. A seed of dissent planted by the Iris Dominion soon turned into a full-blown revolution, creating this Southern vast desert country. Serving as a sort of buffer between the Empyre and the Dominion, the Great States and its borderlands commander, Gamound, must defend against both physical attacks and espionage. Gamound, promoted by clerical error, serves as a thorn in Etwal’s side through making him fight two fronts. A proud nation, loyal to no one, the Great States’s unending bureaucracy can sometimes get in the way of it’s strong, “free” government and allow the Dominion to corrupt it.

The **Iris Dominion** is known for their lack of an army. Their "Prime Possessor" commander, ixa, is both everywhere and nowhere, stealing technology and information in order to gain the upper hand. The Dominion is the second-oldest nation of the five. Powerful and isolationist, the Dominion’s substitute for a military is made up of small infiltration units led by "Possessors" as well as a large network of spies. When it seemed like they were losing the war against the Empyre, the Dominion created the Great States as a buffer between them. No one knows how far their infiltration has gone.

The **Sector Authority** serves as a sort of police force for the world of Sigaea. The smallest, yet most technically advanced nation, they have control of the only space elevator on the planet. With control of the upper atmosphere and space resources, the Sector Authority prefers to observe from afar and defend only when necessary. Led by a nearly incorruptible Tribunal of the Peace, they send Mediation Officers towards conflicts across the globe. One such officer, Stell, has dedicated herself to preventing a full-on world war in Sigaea. Unfortunately, Stell sometimes seems to make problems worse in her efforts to mediate.