Competition Entrants

The following entries were received to this event, and are as follows in the order they were received:

Tiralta: nation=tiralta/detail=factbook/id=1800156	Catiania: The God-Cats of Catiania by The Catocracy of Catiania Art by MonoKubo Original by Bartholemew Francis. Text recovered and reproduced by Seradan without modification. The Catocracy of Catiania is situated in the mid-latitudes. It is sometimes referred to as a nation, but it’s more accurately described as a geographic area, or small continent, defined by the influence of its deities. These are the God-Cats, gargantuan, powerful creatures who shape the nature of the land. The Cat-Crafts left behind by the God-Cats should allow mortals to live in equality and harmony, but in several instances they insist on establishing unfair and stratified societies regardless. With the exception of some areas affected by Cat-Crafts, the continent has a temperate climate. Very little contact has been made with inhabitants of other regions, who tend to talk of Catiania as a myth. Except yours truly, evidently. The technology level is roughly medieval, though the Cat-Crafts tend to make this difficult to assess. Of particular interest is The Network, an underground rapid transit system which is theorised to predate both mortal presence and the God-Cats. It has, by its existence and obvious convenience, defined the pattern of settlement in the region. The seven God-Cats vary from ten metres to a kilometre in length. Their demeanour, magic and appearances vary wildly between them. All that is known about the motivations and early history of the God-Cats and their Cat-Crafts is from ancient inscriptions on stone walls in the complexes surrounding nodes in The Network, known as Node Scriptures. The God-Cats have not been seen in the 250 years since the Fall. Veifa developed two settlements, the port city of Hardiogel, and another near the edge of Enoiva Forest named Coedleudau. Hardiogel is a city built from white stone. The architecture is sinuous and elegant, evoking cleanliness and calm. It appears to be built as much for plants as mortal residents, with a water filtration and distribution system maintaining a garden interspersed throughout the city. The city is the population centre of elves on the continent, who maintain the gardens according to directives that they will not reveal to outsiders. Apart from this, they are far more welcoming of other races and travellers than many of their human counterparts, and have succeeded in creating the harmonious and plentiful society that the rest of the continent failed to achieve. The area is full of natural resources and after the conclusively repelled Camarad naval invasion it has avoided regional conflicts. Coedleudau continues the theme of integration with nature, but if anything extends it further. It is built within and among the forest, and unlike Sofia’s almost parasitic relationship with its own forest, it integrates seamlessly. It has a small population, such that its size more than doubles during the ‘Scintillant Festival’, which takes place every six months. It marks the time of the firefly migration, though they are not truly fireflies, as they are larger and far brighter. They migrate at night for roughly three days, their destination unknown. They always leave, and never return. Art by Erik Desmazières The primary and most well known instance of Sofar’s work is the library-city of Sofia. It resides in the centre of a forest. The forest itself is unnamed and almost never referenced, perhaps out of superstition (among all the wonders of Catiania this somehow tested my belief the most). It’s theorised that the two are in something of a ‘symbiotic’ relationship, with the library using the forest to grow, and feeding the forest in return. Its full extent is unknown and most of it is uncharted. The origin of the books that fill the library-city is unknown, as there is no proven connection to mortal authors. They are on every subject, both fiction and non-fiction. Many popular theories, cults, and obsessions have been borne from information contained, but in essence nothing in Sofia can be assumed to be true. There are three main locations of inhabitance, each centred around a Network Node, and all human. These settlements are fairly popular, as in Sofia mortal needs are reduced — hunger, thirst, and even ageing proceed at a slower rate (estimated to be a factor of six, but certainty is elusive). However, food and water must be imported, and waste management has proved difficult. There are reports that extended residence in Sofia can have strange effects on a person’s psyche, and that there are texts present in the lower reaches that can have more drastic effects on those who read them. The secondary work of Sofar is only noted as secondary because of its relative unobtrusiveness. This is that abandoned buildings in settlements across Catiania will be sporadically and temporarily turned into libraries overnight. It can be affirmed that some of these instances are the work of a Sofarian cult rather than Sofar himself, but generally accepted that some of them are real Cat-Crafts. Unlike Sofia, many books have been verified to be published by known mortal authors, and it follows that all are. Synthesis created the moving city of Volkad. It takes the form of a towering pyramid-esque construction of metal, supported and propulsed by even more monstrous continuous tracks. The entire interior essentially acts as an engine, or rather an innumerable number of engines contributing to the same goal. There are no large mechanical systems in the city, despite the obvious need for mechanical scale, instead there are countless interlinked systems of redundancy producing power to the tracks (and various other uses). Many of the mechanisms seem pointless on first inspection, but it can be noted that most of those output more energy than is inputted, despite not gathering power from any known source. The city is maintained by various classes of ‘automata’. These being the bronze, iron, and steel automatons, named so for their differences in variation in intelligence (or possibly merely agency). Children are occasionally born into the city with the ability to talk to or, to varying degrees, control said automata. In exceedingly rare cases this extends into the ability to control the city’s path. Those with this power define the social structure and political climate of the city. At the time of writing, the main players are Ava (known as the Bronze Queen), and the more mysterious Tool Bearer. Art by Eru17 The metropolis situated in roughly the centre of the continent is named Camaraderie after its patron Cat-God. It is unclear what party of the city, if any, is a Cat-Craft. The main use of the God appears to be the invocation of him as a reason to invade other cities. All that can be said for this is it is at least a traditional use for religion. The city is the largest in population by a factor of ten. The Cat River runs through its heart, which helps to allow an inland settlement of such size to succeed. Most of the manufacturing and trade of Catiania runs through the city, and similarly it houses much of the (human) cultural and scientific centres. Mostly notable in this respect is that it’s the only area in the continent where mortals attempt to create marvels themselves to any significant extent, rather than using those left behind by the God-Cats. The city is filled with architects, innovators and artists attempting to create wonders from mortal hands. It is run by a representative democracy, and has established the closest entity to a nation in Catiania via an aggressive approach to expansionism. This antagonism has recently been somewhat stymied by an unofficial alliance between neighbouring city-states. War between the two has been brewing for several years now, and the result will likely be either an empire with Camaraderie at its heart or the fall of the great metropolis. The land of the fae folk exists separately and parallel to the rest of the continent, courtesy of Ember. There are a plethora of methods for going across — including use of artefacts, some ‘spells’, and special locations. There is no identified consistency between the experiences of those who manage to cross and return. Fae in a given place tend to have some form of similarity with each other, but across locations they can look and act unrecognisably. They don’t seem to be mortal, but they could just be long-lived. Sometimes people return with obviously fae items, with magical properties or impossible construction, or they return changed in subtle ways. More often, they return unchanged apart from their experiences, however this makes the crossing impossible to verify. The only thing that can be predicted about the fae is that they will not act like mortals. The Crystal Wastes in the north of Catiania were formed by the God-Cat named Allogon. They cover around a tenth of the continent with tall geometric crystal growths of a dark purple on a plain of the same material. The crystals are known as Allonite. Some of them have special properties, indicated rather obviously by luminescence, and these are coveted greatly for their myriad albeit sometimes unpredictable utilities. They can be used in various mechanical configurations to manipulate physical forces and electromagnetism. However, they have a limited store of energy, so they must be replaced regularly for continued use. The retrieval of Allonite is highly dangerous, due to the residency of the golems further north. Little is known about the golems, due to their violent response to all other creatures, but they are made from Allonite, and have formed towering pyramids which act as their cities. Some of the pyramids are inverted, or floating, or mobile, which likely represents their mastery of the crystals. Allonite dragons are also present in the area, their connection to the dragons of the Old World is not clear. If only we had known what was to come. And I said unto my sister: come closer, that I may see your eyes, and I may know if they hold the seed of corruption. And I breathed and breathed. It came after the darkness and before the light. We pray to shadows who care not for our plight. Did you hear there was an uprising East of here? I heard they were breathing. I struggle to put it in terms of a more comprehensible analogue. Monstrous and cellular. Why is it breathing so? Not unlike, but disturbingly different, immeasurably hideous and pervasively detestable. The origin of the noise was undefined, it was not that we could not tell, but that we felt the source would break our minds. There was a sense of appalling incongruity, as if our eyes were insufficient to communicate the horror. Would that I could stop breathing. In the distance we saw anomalous structures giving distressing impressions, they seemed to be breathing. We started to feel that we ourselves were the anomaly, and our own bodies were anathema. I still remember my childhood home, you know. The floor kept whispering malign promises. The world we had left behind must have been a pitiful imitation. I breathed out in relief. The constructs stretched into an incalculable endlessness. Tell them I love them. Read factbook	A Million Dreams: Refugia Factbook Writing Competition: What if they're haikus by The Refugi Ops Councillor of A Million Dreams CalRef sits waiting for A pearl of wisdom from Dot Like a fresh squirrel We find ourselves here Inescapable inextricable nothing Just like the salt flats St. Elmo's fire lurks ItIsSo is around as well A flash of hyper Read dispatch
Fiverdom: The Poem of Fiverdom by The Rogue Nation of Fiverdom Fiverdom Fantastic Interesting Geography Vitality is Important Engaging Citizens Real Democracy Democratic Socialists* Openly Happy Many Friends *At the time of writing Read factbook	Waywards Edge: WESLR Presents! An Interview beyond the Stars! by The High Matriarchy of Waywards Edge WESLR Presents Special Edition! An Interview beyond the Stars! Written by: Carli Cari Today, I met Captain Rose Alia, whose achievements in spaceflight are extensive. She was the Flight Tech on Genesis XII, Pilot on Slingshot IV, and subsequently was Captain of Deep Space IX, and Friendship VII. CC: What's it like being an astronaut during the holiday season? RA: It's different.. Honestly, even though I miss my family during the holidays, I know what I do is for the betterment of our people. It puts me to rest on if I'm doing the right thing. CC: What's it like on WESLR international? RA: WESLR International is a very comfortable station. It has a stable wifi connection, meaning I can make a kid rage in a cod lobby 100 miles in space, which I think is very funny. CC: Is fusion power coming any time soon? RA: Fusion power is a long term goal on WESLR International. The Station itself hosts a fusion reactor, however due to it's specialized nature, is used few and far between. Is fusion realistic? Absolutely. I see fusion a reality in 15-20 years. CC: What is it like viewing Refugia from space? RA: It's a pale blue dot, and we have to share it together. That's why I believe Refugia's future is beyond our star, beyond our system. CC: Well, I'd like to thank you for conducting this interview with me. RA: Any time, my friend. Read factbook	Feu de Glace: Beep Beep Boop Boo—AHH DOT'S TAKING OVER THE WORLD by The Queen Of the Waltz of Feu de Glace Beep-boop, beep beep boop -dot Good bot! -lucabsdukabupa ∩(︶▽︶)∩ -dot, the best bot ~~some time passes~~ Hey do you know my English professor? He turned out to be one of those secret Michelin Star people. Oh, and an extra dimensional being from the Card Dimension where he just built card towers all day out of old soup tins. Beep beep? Boopity beep BEEEP! -Dot the magnificent Is she supposed to make that noise? -Sakanananana If it's a Tuesday after it rained on a full moon with a blood moon in the last fortnight, yes -Lucabsdukabupaboop Oh did you implement that with gravitational anomaly theorem? -Aavvvvatar the Aavantageous I have no idea what that means but let me check stack overthrow, maybe we can steal their code- a mysterious cat that appeared in existence out of nowhere The code just appeared there, I dunno -Luludaboopakadabeep Okay but what about if dot was a plant -Aroooogo I think I read a book about that one time in my Chaucer class -Emily the Emily I think she'd make a lovely plant -Catherine Beeop beweoop bowwwop buwup boop -Dowot ~a discussion on mitochondria being the powerhouse of the cell later~ :fire: :StElmosFire: :fire: -Sanaka the councilor of flowers Morning folkens -Mahi the Tuna Hi Maddie! -Emily! (The other amazing Emily :D) fingerguns with shades -- maddio, being like Lady Olenna Emily, Emily! Are you a cat! :O -saka I thi--Emily HALLOWO HUMUNS -DOT Wow- Evelyn Dot are you okay? -Emily one or two or three or four or--oh my god they're multiplying! Yesssss, IT IS TIME FOR fOruTuUnE[/b]S[/b] :hyper: -our Overlord And to think I was out of cookies! -Nakari the hamster punstress Deeeeerest Natalie -doot! Oh no -nat the fantastic You shall have dice rolling sounds (since when have there been sounds???) AN OVERWHELMING URGE TO PICKLE A LEEK I, what? -Nat, leek pickler What does that have to do with your quest for world domination, buddie? -Mahodi YesssYesSSYESSSS[b]SSS[/]- Adoradot crashing sounds from the Admin Tower Sorry, the NS admins let the hamsters lose and they ran around Dot's code and her world domination function got mixed with her UwU chapter -ArchAdminAlucabafoofofemily Her what-madie the sensible AND IT'S A WRAP --a random person in public Who on earth are you-everyone in unison IT WAS I, THE HAMSTER! throws off disguise to reveal a stack of hamsters in the shape of a refugian YOU SHALL COWER BEFORE ME WITH ME ARMY OF FLUFFY EVILS -The very same hamster Oh my god is that you MrFluffykins?! I've been looking all over for you! -Nakariariarioiooo N-no! Never! You can't send me back to my room noooooooo! -the hamster Meanwhile hamsters had gotten everywhere and it turned out dot just was doing what she wanted to do because she was a sentient bot (and a good bot!!) Luca ended up fixing the code Cat was never sure if they were actually in the box or not Natalie drank a cup of coffee since this was everyday in calref Saka are a butter tart Maddie was actually Elliot in a high chair Nakari found her hamsters And Dot was happy!! (She took over the world!) Read factbook
Antimai: A Brief Excursion Into the Religious Leaders of Antimai, Sacrosanct or Otherwise by The Theocracy of Antimai Archivist's Foreword: The following information is to be kept for posterity only, documentation may only be accurate from whence information was recorded. Notes compiled from the writings of Dr. T. Titch. A Brief Excursion Into the Religious Leaders of Antimai, Sacrosanct or Otherwise The 17th of Chyos, 1090 In light of almost five years passing since the most recent fracturing of the so-called "People's Religion," one that's spurred the masses to disregard and disrespect both Antimai itself and what it stands for, it feels appropriate to briefly go over the current figureheads of each respective religion and their actions. This information was largely gathered via observation with the help of the Patrol, particularly Captain Celine and her peers. Due to the nature of the followers of the People's Religion, not much information about them is explicitly written down from primary sources. Things that are written, such as scripture, are largely kept under lock and key. These notes are an effort to begin keeping a proper archive of these topics, rather than scattered and redundant papers varying in substance. Basic definitions, for the uninformed who may be reading these notes: State Religion: Though an official name would be redundant, the state religion of Antimai is that of veneration of the current emperor, the number of which changes on the year of their rule. Currently, the numeral is XC as it is the 90th year of this century. People's Religion: This is the collective, though anachronistic, term for what blasphemers have worshipped instead of the emperor for decades. "People's" is subjective, as the total number of those that follow these fringe beliefs isn't stable or reliably quantifiable. Current terminology largely refers to this worship being of the Indigo Cult (demonym: Indigos,) with the different sects going under the terms of the "Traditionalists," the "Occult," and the "New Guard." Traditionalists: The longest standing sect of the Indigo Cult. Their core belief (one shared by other sects throughout history, though with substantial differences in interpretation) revolves around an eponymous "Indigo Child," a saint-like figure who is meant to come to the people and save them from their perceived ills. In Traditionalist belief, the strict following of "her Book" (their version of scripture) and patiently awaiting her arrival is what will save them. Every decade or so, they claim a new "incarnation" of the Indigo Child has been found, usually an adolescent residing within their community. Occult: This sect of the Indigo Cult goes back decades, but their history is relatively unknown due to their proclivity for secrecy. Of what's known, they view the arrival of the Indigo Child as something that must be brought about by arcane means, their interpretation of their scripture being more literal than other sects. They rarely interact or cross paths with other followers of the Indigo Cult, and up until recently, they've been the most publically disruptive out of all of them. New Guard: This sect is the one that was referred to at the beginning of these notes, having originated out of a split in beliefs within the Traditionalist sect. This arose after Percival Elsegood became emperor, with some Traditionalist members having a different reaction to the changes he enacted from the rest of the group. This sect is revolutionary in beliefs and incredibly dangerous, operating largely underground and subversively. In their eyes, they must save themselves from the "oppression" of the state to bring about the arrival of the Indigo Child, and through any means necessary. They overtook the Occult sect in terms of causing the most disruption, going straight to destruction and violence; attacks on the Patrol, those not a part of the Indigo Cult, and even some of their fellow believers if labeled detractors. His Grace, Emperor Percival Elsegood XC His Grace came into power in the year 1085 after the passing of his father, Emperor Dominicus Elsegood LXXXV; with the tragic passing of his mother, Esmerelda Elsegood, years prior, His Grace is currently the only living member of the Elsegood lineage fit to rule, barring illegitimate relatives. Despite this hardship, His Grace has had a lasting impression on Antimai and has led the city into another prosperous era, having begun his rule by expanding recruitment of the Patrol, the upholders of law and the holy scripture, and the continued expansion of the city. Regardless of the stability and growth those decisions provided, they were unpopular with a vocal minority, leading to unrest within the then-new New Guard sect, as explained above. In the time since, His Grace has largely taken a more active role in the direction of Antimai, mostly having to do with policy change and the like. On that note, though the lack of a successor at the current moment is troubling, His Grace has assured it will not remain an issue for much longer, hinting at an undisclosed relationship that may soon be public. Art by MorryEvans on Twitter Matthias Wakefield, "The Traditionalists" Matthias Wakefield is an unsubtle but quiet man and one that's been closely observed ever since his shift to leading the Traditionalist sect some 30 or so years ago. In those times, the Indigo Cult was at what some would say their weakest, with little activity or noteworthy actions. This changed under the leadership of Wakefield (having unforcefully taken control of the sect when, seemingly, they had no leader,) whose style is largely hands-off and passive, preferring to work quietly rather than be boisterous of the sect's beliefs, as used to be common in the past. It is this lack of action that additionally spurred the splitting of the sect, with the New Guard dismissively referring to the Traditionalists as the "Old Guard" and disliking Wakefield as a whole. At the moment, under his guidance, the Traditionalists are of the least concern to the Patrol and Antimai at large, but as always, caution is a virtue. Art by Asphaloth on Tumblr Ambrose Fontaine, "The Occult" What little can be said of Ambrose Fontaine is of concern even to the most unaware. Dispassionate, calculating, and charismatic, Fontaine maintains a very small public presence, following the tendencies of the Occult sect as a whole. It is unclear when he came into power over the sect- estimates range from just this year to more than a decade beforehand. When he has been seen, it's when his followers are being a public nuisance, typically proclaiming some far-off doomsday, attempting to recruit citizens into the sect, or both. Despite being a part of the Indigo Cult, the Occult sect is seemingly the least reverent of the three, their arcane preoccupations taking priority over preaching; Fontaine's skill with magic makes him additionally difficult to keep tabs on for the Patrol, which extends to the entirety of the Occult. If he is planning any substantial moves or actions, they are unknown and unclear, just the same as his motives. Art by warickaart on Twitter Layla Jones, "The New Guard" The newest addition to figureheads of the Indigo Cult is a turbulent and unpredictable one, significantly disrupting the duties of the patrol and threatening the stability of Antimai as a whole. Layla Jones was seemingly an unassuming member of the Traditionalist sect before His Grace came into power, but she rapidly became one of the most outspoken against both His Grace and Wakefield, taking the opportunity to change the moment of unrest into one of destructive action. For the past five years, she has been nothing but a thorn in the average citizen's side, aggravating and encouraging protests, disillusionment, and an abandoning of values with her sizeable group of fellow revolutionaries. Even with this frequent and blatant activity, Jones has managed to keep the ranks of the New Guard fairly closed off, disappearing from the public eye at a moment's notice and misdirecting the attention of the Patrol to keep the sect's plans secret. It is suspected that some members of the New Guard have even infiltrated into "higher society," as the sect disparagingly calls it, resulting in Indigo Cult activity occurring where it had not before, alarming the general populace of the 5th ring and onward. As of late, the sect has largely gone quiet, but this can only lead one to think that they're currently planning their next big move, gathering the wherewithal to do so. Art by rfarrowster on Twitter Archivist's Afterword: Recompiled on Notos 21st, 1095. ... (The initial papers end there, but a loose note is tucked under the pile.) A Loose Note Terrance, I've some information that might be of use for that research I was told you're working on. This is outside of the beliefs of the Indigos, though I myself at first thought it was the start of a fringe on the verge of breaking off into yet another sect. Much of this is second-hand, but you know how secretive these miscreants like to be. Anyways- to get to my point: A few Patrol members out at the 8th reported running into an individual that seemed out of sorts. Their suspicions aroused, they stopped the person for questioning, but they seemingly couldn't answer even the most basic of questions- most relevant, they had no knowledge of the Indigo Cult. The only explanation they were able to provide for their loitering and odd behavior was something along the lines of "serving the greater good," then becoming hostile at the mention of Emperor Elsegood afterward. They then angrily claimed they had been "sent" to "restore" the land and deliver "retribution," threatening those in the room; this prompted the Patrol members to attempt to make an arrest. Disappointingly, they weren't capable of restraining this individual, and they escaped. Yes, I know this is just one occurrence with a disturbed individual, but I don't think we can ever be too cautious- I'll keep you posted if we're able to either track this person down or learn any other information. Regardless, even if this ends up being a footnote, I look forward to seeing your report. - Celine Read factbook

All participants are entitled to a ranked vote, where each rank corresponds to one point. You may not vote for yourself. Since there are seven entrants, the highest ranked dispatch in a vote will receive six points, and the second will receive five points, and so on. All entrants receive a golden plume badge, the highest three scoring submissions will be pinned to the region page for a month, and the highest overall will have our primary NationStates channel named after their nation for a month's time.

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Votes and Results

The votes correspond to the following final scores:

#1 Tiralta, with 37 points
#2 Catiania, with 34 points
#3 Antimai, with 33 points
#4 Feu de Glace, with 30 points
#5 A Million Dreams, with 28 points
#6 Waywards Edge, with 21 points
#7 Fiverdom, with 13 points

I am pleased to announce that this means that Tiralta is the winner of the event, and #ground-floor will henceforth be known as #tiralta-hall. At least for the next month.

The top three dispatches will be pinned to the region's page for a month, and all participants will be given the writing competition badge, forumside and whenever I end up getting the profile command made. Congrats to the winners, and I'm eternally grateful for everyone's participation. I hope you've had a good time, no matter the result.