u/Arthas_The_HumanKing

I was playing Azjakuma for the fifth time to finish my Haless phase (WHAT? ENDHUVI APPEARED?!), so I've noticed that this is exactly what happens... partially.

The tearing apart IS INEVITABLE. The temples will inevitably cease to function. The released spirits spend their time devastating basically the entire continent, even in the lands that agree to coexistence. In this context, I could basically confirm that the spirit realm is literally the ultimate hell, and that the spirits are inherently evil (it will take a long time for them to calm down and for people to get used to their presence). They are literally on par with the average fey, so nonexistence would be preferable to passing into the spirit realm.

I'm the first to know that not all spirits are evil and all that, but that's because I'm literally an outside observer who can know this, while inside that world, probably no one even knows that the great temples do anything in the first place.

What does bother me is that this religion is vague at best, since it includes everyone other religions have told them not to do, as well as the oni. I could basically separate the nations from it and nothing would change; the only issue is whether they're willing to seize the power of the great spirits or banish them.

But at least the oni have a more focused understanding of what their religion means. It doesn't literally make them worse than anyone else. In theory, they have their reasons for devouring the souls of the dead, and they don't simply purge absolutely everyone. But the true purpose of it all is to dominate everyone. They don't do it out of altruism, but to become more powerful. Besides, a system that promotes acquiring power at virtually any cost doesn't exactly create a welcoming society.

So I want to see if you have other examples of people who might feel altruistic, when we know that's not the case, but that for the people there it could be interpreted as such. A shorter example, the ancient Esthil would fit this definition. (The "unreliable narrator" device worked well... Too well.)

I purge, you purge, they purge, we purge, you all purge... Serpentspine summary.

-Anonymous

All dwarves have at least one narrative about wiping out orcs or goblins, if not their main narrative. I know "I'm not forced to purge," but I'm supposed to, mainly because of the quests that explicitly state it, so much so that it becomes background noise and you don't even notice.

I completely understand the remnants, since there's absolutely nothing you can do but start the process almost from the third expansion of quests. Even though everything is pacified in 1444, those who personally suffered through it all for at least a century or two will still remember it with great emotion.

But with the adventurers, I think they have almost no excuse. It seems they absorb the hatred of the dead, and not just their culture. Ironically, the slave-owning dwarves could end up saving several races from extermination on the Serpentspine. In the best-case scenario, they might end up reforming and assimilating the other races, more or less like the Imperial dwarves do with the orcs, but more likely, they'll face a revolt from 99.99% of their population.

Orcs are basically monsters. Personally, I think they're the wild card in Serpentspine, since the dwarves already have the "we were promised Serpentspine 10,000 years ago" storyline, and the goblins are finally going to become the stereotypical goblin nation (AllClans, what a great nation you are... It's a shame you end up erasing everything the goblin nations once represented). So, we're left with the orcs... At least the established orcs can be considered normal nations... And one of these isn't canon anymore, so we'll just have to see how they handle it. At least the religious fanatic trope is already taken.

As for the rest of the orcs in Serpentspine, I basically hope they use them to terrorize Anbennar or that they dedicate themselves to wiping everyone and everything out. I don't think they'll use them to create nations in the traditional sense.

Finally, the goblins are out there doing their thing, like dying. I partly understand why they're involved in this; it's literally the only way they know how. They hate the orcs for having enslaved them in recent times and the dwarves for being their eternal enemies, but they seem more relaxed about purging everything.

And the kobolds... Their chieftain died, along with any possibility of having a dragon leading a kobold nation and wanting to be that leader (Balris is more of a spiritual guide now that his children survived against all odds). At least they tolerated humans, as far as I know... Unfortunately, that nation has always been cursed, and we may not see them again for a very long time.

I was playing as Jaddari and decided to go for mages and Artificers. I didn't know how the system worked 1000%, but I researched all the unique ones... When I captured all the steppes, I got the quest to integrate the tiger furries... Want to change your administration and culture to royal furries?... Why not?... DECADES later, I checked my "active" inventions... I don't even have the option to research the tiger racial trait XD.

With all this background information, the question popped into my head. It's something that interests me quite a bit because I always play in mixed mode, and I also want to do several different continental conquests.

PS: I play on Bitbucket, so I'm aware of everything related to Insyaa.

Honestly, the nation disappointed me because it didn't follow a storyline. At first, we were focused on being the emperor's bodyguards and strengthening the empire, so there were no reasons to pursue Corinism other than purely mechanical ones (becoming independent). Then they do a complete 180, destroying everything built in previous missions, only to turn us into a fundamentalist, Ravelian blob. Honestly, it's the worst way to introduce a narrative.

I never felt the Empire was against us enough to consider switching sides; in fact, I only felt my loyalty to the Empire strengthened, along with my sense of honor. Basically, at the beginning, I saw it as a story about healing, overcoming past defeats, and letting go of resentment, demonstrating the Order's worth through loyalty and actions. I was looking forward to seeing how the story would encompass the Magisterium... But then a solo crusade against the vampires happens... I think one is supposed to feel "betrayed" for not receiving support, but honestly, I only saw myself protecting the Empire from a threat, essentially becoming its guardian. So when Corin came knocking, I remained loyal to the Emperor... I was supposed to take advantage of the situation to be "free." Then it was waiting for the Ravelian missions... I honestly expected a plot to reform the Order so they could become Emperors, especially considering how the Order gained the Empire's support by being its guardian. But I was intrigued to see how the story would unfold regarding Ravelianism... Purges and hatred out of nowhere. We were supposed to hate the entire Empire for... things... and then we became the Teutonic Order with guns, after receiving a pat on the back from the Ravelian Rectorate... Honestly, this whole thing could have been better constructed, at least to leave it feeling like a pressure cooker, about to explode thanks to Ravelian influence.

But in the end, it was a lot of fun gameplay-wise. Honestly, I've always considered the story and narrative the most important aspects of Anbennar, hence this feeling... In my opinion, the Ravelian part requires too much guesswork. I don't think it should be like that, but it's still a good quest tree and has some great events.