Artillery. This early world held an abundance of life, though now harbors death. Forests of life became wastelands of death. Jungles of trees became jungles of twisted husks. Everything good became warped, destroyed. What was once a precious utopia now sends its inhabitants screaming away, fleeing into the stars. This is Artillery, the Fourth World, the oldest place of death.

 

Races: Artilleons/Various Others

Category: Old World

Number: The Fourth World

History

Artillery was home to the Artilleons. Though the Artilleons claimed the world as their own, they did not dominate it. Other species, most notably the Ulyt and Eolloe, fought fierce battles on the world’s surface, and showed hostility toward the Artilleons. The Artilleons fled into the cavernous tunnel system beneath Artillery’s surface, hiding themselves away. The Artilleons thrived underground, and centuries later, when they were ready, they retook the surface.

The Artilleons claimed 100,000 square miles of the surface. This area, called the ‘Clare, became the center of Artilleon activity as they sought to establish themselves as the new dominant power of the planet. The Eolloe (EE-oh-low) did something of an act of mercy, and ceased attacking the Artilleons, ending an age old hostility. The Eolloe didn’t resist the Artilleons, and the Artilleons wouldn’t hunt them down. The Ulyt, however, were much more vicious, and repeatedly attacked the ‘Clare. The Artilleons defended their ground, and the Ulyt were taught to respect them. Over the course of centuries the Ulyt decided to fight other species, and the Eolloe became known to be a relatively peaceful kin, though they would attack mercilessly should a foe stand against them.

Solar flares ravaged Artillery, and the world became hot and arid. The Artilleons dealt with this in their own way, but the planet suffered. Rivers dried up and thousands of Ulyt died. The Quapt and Tartearian species went extinct. The solar flares were relentless, and though the jungles, hardened and resilient, survived, Artillery as a whole was changed.

The Artilleons eventually adapted to this cataclysm, and once again dominated the planet. The Eolloe faded into little more than historical legend, and the Ulyt nearly drove themselves into extinction with their mindless, warring ways.

Millenia passed, and the sky darkened. The Chirotonians, an alien race from another solar system, had come to conquer. They focused attacking the ‘Clare, and the Artilleons were forced to defend their world alone. The Artilleons evolved quickly, and after surviving the initial onslaught they developed weapons and defenses. They saw the war as something to drive their evolution forward, and though they cherished this forced evolution they understood that the Chirotonians had to be defeated. The Artilleons forced the Chirotonians off-world, and, for a time, they had victory.

The Artilleons harvested Artillery’s resources ruthlessly for survival, but though their intentions were good the planet couldn’t recover. Artillery began dying. The Artilleons built an armada of ships to carry their race to the stars. They harvested resources from their moon before sending a section of their fleet to search for a new world. The Eolloe came out of hiding and asked for passage, begging the Artilleons to save them as well. The Artilleons found mercy in their hearts and allowed the Eolloe to come with them to the stars. The Ulyt died out, foolishly driving themselves into wars they couldn’t possibly win. The Artilleons grieved for their home.

The clouds became filled with ash. The trees became rotten husks. The ‘Clare’s walls became rusted monuments in memoriam to a time now forever lost. Artillery floats in space, refused by life, inhabited by death. The shadows crawl along the deserted ground, lamenting. The winds echo throughout the empty caverns sorrowfully. Artillery is dead.

 

Related Pages: Andromeda/Artilleons /Chirotonians