EaW - Changeling Lands

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1. #1Loreselective

   Keys: Changeling Lands, History, The Hive, Lore, Changeling Empire

   == Lore == Aggressive, deceptive, and loyal to their hive, changelings are insectoid pony-like creatures.

   All changelings possess unique shape-shifting magic. It enables them to shift form, voice, and even size with stunning rapidity and accuracy. They use this ability to fool their victims and drain their love, which is essential for their survival.

   Recent pony scholars have discovered that changelings are more insectoid than mammalian due to hatching from eggs as larvae in collective hives. But beyond that - how their hives work, the role of queens in their society, how they acquire love, and how they think are up to the imagination as any travel to their territory will meet an almost certain demise.

   Fortunately for their neighbors, their militarism and aggression caused them to spend far more time fighting each other than outsiders, allowing Olenia and Equestria to outmatch isolated incursions.

   But all of that changed in 982 ALB, when the ambitious Queen Chrysalis of Vesalipolis united the Changeling Hives under one banner, the first time in history for a Queen to do so. And in 1002, she led the hives on a bold mission into the heart of Equestria.

   === The Siege of Canterlot === In 1002 ALB Queen Chrysalis kidnapped and took the form of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, gaining access to the highest levels of government, and using her status as the fiance of Equestria's Captain of Guard, Shining Armor to drain his love. Only the last-minute discovery by Twilight Sparkle (also Shining Armor's sister) compromised the plan.

   Despite being discovered, Chrysalis had been able to feast on so much love that she used her overflowing magic to defeat Princess Celestia and prevent the Elements of Harmony from wielding their power, summoning her hive to occupy Canterlot and feast.

   What followed was one of the most chaotic battles the ponies of Equestria had ever experienced as the changeling swarm descended upon the ancient city. The vastly outgunned and outnumbered Equestrian Royal Guard units mounted a desperate resistance on the streets. It seemed that all hope was lost.

   It was only when the real Cadance, freed by Twilight, turned the love collected on her behalf against Chrysalis, and freed Captain Shining Armor. He was able to quickly repower Canterlot's powerful magical shielding. In one fell swoop, the Changelings were repulsed from the pony capital.

   This battle was the first true wake-up call for Equestria, and would begin to spark tentative interest in military preparedness and practice. Even the Elements of Harmony were forced to engage in combat to succeed.

   === The New Hive === This defeat brought Chrysalis to the brink of a breakdown. With this failure, the hives once again fractured and split. But instead of giving up, she nursed this grudge into a relentless drive to take revenge against Equestria. And in 1006, she finally reunited the hives under her banner.

   Olenian scouts and seers begin to report strange sightings - changeling hives that had ceased their internal squabbles, instead building and working together. More organised, more numerous border raids led by increasingly professional forces. The changelings had always been an industrial, technological race, but recent weaponry showed unprecedented advances over their southern neighbours. The modern Changeling Military now features the most developed Army and Air Force in the world.

   With these tools at her disposal, the Changelings hope to overcome their enemies with ease, so long as they can keep this technological advantage.

   === Dissenting Voices === Chrysalis' attack on Canterlot cost the changelings heavily. The defeat was quickly followed by dissatisfaction with her standing as leader. A strong Queen brought food and victory to the Hive. Chrysalis had proven herself weak. Acting promptly, Chrysalis moved quickly to purge high ranking dissenters, especially amongst her powerful generals. However, Chrysalis cannot be everywhere, and the whispers continue. One such changeling has begun to spoke beyond a whisper. Thorax, a dissenting drone, has been suggesting a new possibility for this industrial world - why not trade with willing Olenians for love and sign a non-aggression pact with Equestria? This would guarantee both food and safety for the hives.

   === A Second War === The Queen knows that her young, unified Nation is not yet ready to take on the ponies, though. She must bide her time and focus on further development and expansion before she can truly grasp for revenge.

   Luckily, opportunity presents itself with a valid and easy target for conquest. The Kingdom of Olenia to the south is in political turmoil and is militarily weak. In such a crippled state, it would be more than easy to walk in and seize the land for themselves. The deer might just be the first ones to feel the combined might and fury of the Changelings.

   Soon, the ponies shall tremble, and the Changelings will reign supreme!

2. #2Partiesselective

   Keys: Chrysalis, Thorax, Party, Parties

   Parties of Changeling Lands:

   1. Queen's Leadership - Ruled by Queen Chrysalis - Ideology: Autocracy - Popularity: 74%. Description: Ruler and despot of the Changeling Hives, Queen Chrysalis was the first of her race to unite them under one banner. From her hatching in 930, she has proven to be an exceptional individual. Being the only child of the dead Queen of Vesalipolis, she was raised with extreme care and given best possible education, which made her spoiled and arrogant, but also intelligent, determined and firm. She was crowned in 945 and fended off an attack from Vraks with her army. Soon after, the Vesalipolis-Ditrysium axis was formed, and it would be the embryo for united Changeling Lands.

   Under her leadership, other hive queens either joined her voluntarily or were forced into submission. She became the sole absolute ruler of her species in 988, but her ambitions only continued to grow. She plotted to take over Equestria by infiltrating Canterlot and decapitating the nation with a single strike, and executed her plans in 1002. Chrysalis herself replaced Princess Cadance and had fooled nearly everyone, and had even bested Princess Celestia. It was by mere fluke that her victory was snatched away from her grasp and her people banished to the frozen North. Clearly infiltration alone is not enough to reclaim what is rightfully hers, and Chrysalis recognises the need of a powerful and modern military. Any opposition and protest to her despotic reign is swiftly crushed as she prepares to redeem her honour, or die trying.

   2. Thoraxian Party - Ruled by Thorax - Ideology: Benevolent Absolutism (Harmony) - Popularity: 6% - Description: An outcast among the Hives, Thorax is one of the first supporters of Harmony among the changelings. His belief that love can be obtained with friendship and peaceful trading with their neighbours has been slowly catching on among the despondent drones, who feel their lives are being thrown away in pursuit of militaristic expansion. Nonetheless, Thorax's ideas are a minority in the Hives and he is mostly despised by the Hive Queens, who see his vision as detrimental to the changelings as whole...

   3. Communist Coalition - Ruled by Gold Muffin - Ideology: Equestrian Socialism - Popularity: 15%.

   4. Military Junta - Ruled by Hivesmarschall Synovial - Ideology: Military Government - Popularity: 5%.

3. #3Citiesselective

   Keys: Dytrisiym, Vraks, Capital, Lyctida, Soryth, Vesalipolis

   == Some cities of Changeling Lands== ===Vesalipolis=== The Hauptstadt:

   Enter the gargantuan hive-city from the north and see a city under riveting change, look up to the Royal Spire and the older city core, there, you will see the new eating into the old. Enter the Royal Spire as a visitor and be prepared to be searched in every nook and cranny for the suspicion that you’re a spy or something worse.

   Once you’re finished with being violated in rights and principle by the guards, look closely at the new architecture inside. The columns and the rooms are, despite the aged look from the outside, brand new, and the conversations are not about who to oppress, but rather how to best prepare for the final war. The outskirts of the city reflects this too. While there were once fields, now massive industrial complexes and tenements tower there, all less than a decade old. They are the symbol of what the Changelings can do together, provided they have a common enemy. And yet, problems are teeming in the city. After the unification of the changeling race, the city has perhaps grown too quickly for its own good, becoming one of the largest cities in the world. Many apartment spires and homes are overcrowded and in serious need of new suburbs and satellite towns to offload their excess population to. To make matters worse for Chrysalis, the new course has not been popular with all and hushed voices speak of a resistance to her. But the hypothetical opposition had better be wary. The Queen’s Guard patrol the streets, hunting down any sign of dissent.

   But for a time, take to the skies and look down upon the city. You can clearly distinguish the old from the new, with the old core being slowly ‘eaten’ by the urban renewal taking place. And yet, you can see the march of progress. New machines in the streets and in the fields, new fashions and societal ideas in the halls of power, and new ideas of warfare and destruction in the armed forces. Truly, Vesalipolis is a microcosm of the Changelings.

   ===Dytrisium=== The White Port:

   The Hive of Dytrisium was one of the first to ally with Vesalipolis when the hives were being unified, which paid of immensely for the port city. It is located at the far end of a protective fjord, allowing ships natural shelter from the elements. As one of the major commercial hubs for the changelings, Dytrisium is the link of the Changeling Lands to the outside world. It is also where the changelings are preparing their advancements in naval warfare. Drones buzz endlessly around the dry-docks to manufacture warships for the hives. In heavy concrete bunkers, meanwhile, the U-boot fleet hides in the deepest secrecy. The exact size and scale of the submarine operations are a state-secret of the highest order.

   Surprisingly for a changeling hive, Dytrisium does have some more colourful elements, perhaps the foreign ships coming into port do help spread some cheerful influences. The city is relatively wealthy, courtesy of Queen Helvia and her predecessor lobbying successfully for commercial investments into the hive. Nowadays, most of the changelings in the city work to maintain the Grand Changeling Armada based in Dytrisium’s naval base, a fleet which the changeling admiralty hopes will one day best the Equestrians on the high seas. Thus, although Dytrisium might be the changeling hive benefiting the most from outside contacts, it too is being repurposed towards the all-encompassing war effort of Queen Chrysalis.

   ===Vraks=== The Old Warrior:

   For the longest time Vraks and Vesalipolis have been rivals on the battlefield. For centuries, the changelings of Vraks have fought against their bigger northern neighbour with all their might. Sensing weakness in Queen Chrysalis, the hive led a full on assault on her home, which was only barely beaten back by the Queen. Years later, Vraks would be humiliated and finally put down and Vesalipolis would become the changeling metropole. The Vrakkians have now accepted the hegemony of Chrysalis, accepting her strength and excited to battle new enemies.

   Under the rule of Queen Argynnis, Vraks has used its martial prowess to become the backbone of the changeling military and the centre of her war production. Black clouds of smoke continuously envelop the city, the result of a massive military industrial complex which covers a good third of the city. In Vraks, the barracks for the soldiers are almost indistinguishable from the houses of the factory workers, a matter of great pride for the city’s inhabitants. All work for the soldiers, who in turn serve the hive. The only truly remarkable structures in the city are monuments to past battles, most of which are concentrated on a massive square called “The Field of Glory”.

   A perceptive observer might note that the Field is not yet completely filled.

   ===Lyctida=== The Silent Hive:

   The Hive of Lyctida lies in the middle of thick forests, and with the smoke from factories and lumber mills, the city is always a bit dark and at night, the moon and stars have difficulty illuminating the Black Hive. Lyctida is a sombre place, but for many changelings, it is still home. The hivelings are bugs of few words, preferring the company of machinery or the solitude of the forests. With the streets silent, the scenery drab and the company stoic, Lyctida receives few visitors.

   Only once has a sizeable group of foreigners visited, but this was with unfriendly intentions. Olenian zealots once tried to assault the city, in the name of their violent gods. Only with the timely intervention of Queen Chrysalis were the deer driven from the forest hive. This incident earned Chrysalis the loyalty of the Silent Hive and its Queen. Now the humming of the factories creates a new melody, the march to war.

   ===Soryth=== The Lady of the Lake:

   Far to the northeast, on the shores of the Key Lake, Soryth stretches out. The sprawling hive is built in what the changelings would consider a non-crowded way, but for other creatures, even Soryth might feel cramped still. Key Lake is the reason why so many changelings endure the cold winters of the north of Equus and it is the city’s most valuable resource. For some unknown reason, the lake exhibits magical properties, making it a valued object for study and a source of clear drinking water.

   The city itself straddles the coast of the lake and is way longer than it is wide, with most changelings preferring to live as close to the waterfront as possible. Luckily, waterborne transportation makes it easy to move from one side of the city to the other and the lake is always filled with boats of all shapes and sizes. Because of the northern climate and the relative lack of industry, the air is clear and the city itself feels clean and tidy, a reprieve from some of the more industrialised hives. The main point of interest is the Soryth University of Magic, an institution devoted to the study of the changelings’ innate magical abilities, as well as the understanding of the properties of Key Lake. With the promise of increased funding and plenty of field testing for her magical research, Queen Yaria of Soryth joined Chrysalis without a fight.

4. #4Brief Infoconstantselective

   [CODE 'INCLUSION - CHANGELING LANDS'] Brief info of Changeling Lands: Five years ago, Queen Chrysalis and her Changelings launched a daring invasion to take over Equestria and its capital of Canterlot. Fortunately for the Equestrians, it was met with disaster. This defeat only intensified the Changelings' hatred of ponies. Using this anger, Chrysalis has successfully gathered near-universal support for her cause, and unified all of the hives to her rule alone. Under her reign, the army has seen radical and rapid modernisation with the introduction of modern firearms, vehicles and tactics. The time is ripe for a new war, and this time the Changelings may finally achieve their ultimate victory over their enemies. They border: Equestria (southeast), Kingdom of Olenia (west, southwest), Polar Bear Communities (northeast), Yakyakistan (east), Crystal Empire (southeast).

5. #5List of Citiesselective

   Keys: Cities, City

   Cities (or places of interest) of Changeling Lands; The countries bordering these cities will be indicated in parentheses: Aglossata, Agonia, Antax (Polar Bear Communities), Apsychos (Olenia), Assyna (Olenia), Crucis, Ditrysium, Formicida, Gardis, Gerridae, Hemelytra (Equestria), Hooorornd (Yakyakistan, but mountains block the entry), Kladisium, Larkorix, Lyctida, Neverwarm Point (Olenia), Pentatoma, Phantine (Olenia), Praeseplis, Purifia (Olenia), Sicarus, Soryth (Polar Bear Communities), Totles, Vesalipolis, Volistad, Vraks.

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