Czar Alexei Korolev

[Elimdur]

Overview:
Astral Rift leads to one of the following 1 leader recruitment / 2 gaining relic sword / 3 scientist death / 4 Escape

Flavor Events once leader is employed
Goal to make him galactic emperor

[Elimdur]

Stage 1
Rift Hub
We have arrived in orbit of a habitable world. There are no apparent signs of civilization, but the surface is teeming with life.\nBesides the rift through which we arrived here, there are numerous others in different states of activity. Some of them are open, allowing for objects to pass through, while others appear to be inert.\nOur sensors are picking up a signal - possibly from a distress beacon - broadcasting a repeated message containing its location on the surface of the planet's northern hemisphere.\n\nHow do we proceed?
Scan and catalogue the other rifts for later investigation. -> Go to stage 1.5
Head for the broadcasted location immediatly. -> Go to stage 2

Stage 1.5
Mysterious Foes
Preliminary results of our scans indicate these rift to connect this place with different parallel realites, each seperate from oneanother. This observation sparked lively discussion between our crew as no such place has ever been discovered within our own galaxy. Debates regarding this topic were cut short, however, when another object - apparently a rift-traversing vessel not unlike our own - emerged from a rift and immediatly opened fire upon us. Quite unlike our own - this rift sphere appears heavily armed and already critically damaged our sublight engines and severed our tether.\n\nOur pilot while performing a controlled ditch does his best to bring us as close as possible to the beacon we located earlier in the hope for us to find some kind of help there.
Brace for impact! -> Go to stage 2

Stage 2
Crashlanding
V1 coming from stage 1.5
After a violent touch down and our crew tensely awaiting a finishing blow, nothing happened. According to our sensors the attackers just passed over our crashsite and left the immediate area.\nA superficial assessment of the sustained damage leaves little doubt that the needed repairs if will be extensive if at all possible. With our tether gone, letting ourselves get dragged back is out of the question.\n\nWe are close enough to make our way to the signal beacon in the hope of finding help or usable materials there. Alternatively we can take a detour to another crashsite our scanners have located during our controlled ditch roughly half way in the signal's direction. Lastly we could focus our efforts to repair our sphere with what we have at hand.
V2 coming from stage 1
Our descent into the athmosphere was suddenly interrupted by weapon's fire damaging our sublight engines and severing our tether. The attacker - apparently a rift sphere similar to our own, but unmistakenly more heavily armed - must have shadowed us for the duration of our stay, waiting for the moment to strike.\n\n+ V1 text
Head for the signal. -> Go to stage 3 OR stage 3 (meeting)
Head for the crashsite. -> Go to stage 3 OR stage 3 (meeting)
Stay and do repairs. -> Go to stage 2.5 OR stage 3 (meeting)

Stage 2.5
Repairs are Futile
Part 1 of text (also used for one of the meeting alternatives)
A closer inspection of the damage sustained by our rift sphere made it clear that there is little hope of restoring it to a flightworthy state given the limited resources at our disposal.
+
With the futility of our repair efforts having become apparent, their are still teo other options left for us to pursue.\n\nWe are close enough to make our way to the signal beacon in the hope of finding help or usable materials there. Alternatively we can take a detour to another crashsite our scanners have located during our controlled ditch roughly half way in the signal's direction.
Head for the signal. -> Go to stage 3 OR stage 3 (meeting)
Head for the crashsite. -> Go to stage 3 OR stage 3 (meeting)

Stage 3
Meeting
Textblock 1
At our sphere (repair option)
A closer inspection of the damage sustained by our rift sphere made it clear that there is little hope of restoring it to a flightworthy state given the limited resources at our disposal.
+
\n\nWith the reality of our situation slowly settling in and our team debating our options, it came as a big surprise when a humanoid alien made himself known, requesting an audience.\n\n
At Signal
Our team arrived at the source of the broadcasted signal. Before them lay the wreckage of a crashlanded rift sphere. Judging by the rather fresh damage to surrounding vegetation, it hasn't been here for very long. Despite there being clear signs of recent habitation, it appears deserted.\n\nThe exploration of its interior offered little clues as to the whereabouts of its crew. The ship itself is beyond repair, just as our own.\n\n
+
While our team was still assessing the remaining systems in workable condition, they were approached by a humanoid alien, apparently the owner of this ship, requesting an audience.\n\n
At Crashsite
Our team arrived at the site of a crash that must have taken place years ago. Foliage covered half of this rift sphere's wreckage. There were no signs of its former owners to be found. A quick inspection revealed apparently irreparable damage to the craft, which likely led to its abandonment. Its technology, however, appeared more advanced than our own.\n\n
+
While a few of our scientists accessed its data core in order to extract the sphere's schematics for later study, the others were suddenly greeted by a humanoid alien, requesting an audience.\n\n
Textblock 2 (same for all three)
According to him, he originates from another reality, having come here through one of the rifts, just as us. The specific circumstances of his presence here are kept purposefully ambiguous, though.\n\nDuring prior explorations his peers had allegedly already come into contact with our attackers. He describes them as a tribalistic society of hunters, who claim this place as their personal hunting ground. It is apparent they are not here to hunt wild animals, though, instead their chosen targets are rift explorers from all over the multiverse.\n\nOur new acquaintance suggests working together in order to claim our foe's rift sphere in order to leave this place.

option 1
cooperate
option 2
betray him

Stage 3
Signal
Our team arrived at the source of the broadcasted signal. Before them lay the wreckage of a crashlanded rift sphere. Judging by the rather fresh damage to surrounding vegetation, it hasn't been here for very long. Despite there being clear signs of recent habitation, it appears deserted.\n\nThe exploration of its interior offered little clues as to the whereabouts of its crew. The ship itself is beyond repair, just as our own.\n\n
+
The only systems still functioning are its communications array and scanners. The latter alerted us of a group of lifesigns surrounding our position just in time to prepare for a course of action.\n\nShould we stay and fight, barricade ourselves and wait for them to storm in or attempt a breakthrough and flee?
option 1
Attempt a breakthrough and flee.
option 2
Stand and fight.
option 3
Barricade and let them come inside.

Stage 3
Crashsite
Our team arrived at the site of a crash that must have taken place years ago. Foliage covered half of this rift sphere's wreckage. There were no signs of its former owners to be found. A quick inspection revealed apparently irreparable damage to the craft, which likely led to its abandonment. Its technology, however, appeared more advanced than our own.\n\n
+
While a few of our scientists accessed its data core in order to extract the sphere's schematics for later study, a few others tried to activate the sphere's scanners. Their attempt was successful and provided us with another possible way to go forward. Besides the signal site we are already aware of, it detected another rift sphere - likely the one which attacked us before - landed relatively closely nearby.\n\nA group of lifesigns is making their way from that landing site towards the signal's location where one other lifesign, different from the others, has been found. It is likely, that individual has been shot down by them, just like us.\n\nWe could try to reach them in time, before the attackers arrive there. Alternatively we could use this situation to our advantage and try to highjack the landed ship to get out of here.
option 1
Try to steal the attacker's ship
option 2
Go to the signal and prepare for a fight

Stage 4 from Meeting
Death
As planned out with the stranger, an ambush was set up to surprise the hunting party. However, when the fighting began it quickly became clear that they were aware of our plans. Our firing position were quickly outflanked and the battle turned into a one-sided slaughter.\n\nThose who did not get killed during the fight were likely taken captive and are assumed missing in action. This marks the end of this ill-fated adventure.

TERRIBLE

Win 1 Cooperation
Text part 1 also used in betrayal
As planned out with the stranger, an ambush was set up to surprise the hunting party. However, when the fighting began it quickly became clear that they were aware of our plans. Noticing the threat of us being outflanked, our ally retook the offense charging straight at the closest hunter while shrugging off several hits with his shield. A few precise cuts with his sword, which we prior to that mistook for a purely ceremonial item, took down the two attackers threatening our flank.\n\nWhile the rest of them dumbfoundedly focussed their fire on him, our team was able to neutralize them one by one.\n\n
+
With the hunters dealt with, their ship was seized and our expedition and their newfound ally, who decided to accompany them back to our universe, returned through the rift.

EXCELLENT

Win 2 Betrayal
As planned out with the stranger, an ambush was set up to surprise the hunting party. However, when the fighting began it quickly became clear that they were aware of our plans. Noticing the threat of us being outflanked, our ally retook the offense charging straight at the closest hunter while shrugging off several hits with his shield. A few precise cuts with his sword, which we prior to that mistook for a purely ceremonial item, took down the two attackers threatening our flank.\n\nWhile the rest of them dumbfoundedly focussed their fire on him, our team was able to neutralize them one by one.\n\n
+
With the last of the hunters dealt with, they aimed at the by then exhausted stranger, overwhelmed his shield with a salvo and tied up that loose end as well. Our expedition leader took his sword as a trophy to bring back with them.\n\nAfter that the only thing left to do, was seizing the now ownerless sphere the hunters arrived with and returning back through the rift.

EXCELLENT

Stage 4 Fight at Signal
Death 1 Fleeing
Our team tried to break through the encirclement and get to safety, but was met by fierce resistance. Weapon's fire from multiple directions took them down one by one. We lost contact with our expedition shortly after the fire fight began.\n\nThose who did not get killed during the fight were likely taken captive and are assumed missing in action. This marks the end of this ill-fated adventure.

TERRIBLE

Death 2 Fighting

Death 3 from Crashsite
Our team arrived too late and the battle was already ongoing. The attackers had already encircled their opponent.
Win 1 Leader Fighting
Win 2 Leader Barricade
Win 3 Relic Barricade
Win 4 Leader from Crashsite
Win 5 Relic from Crashsite

Stage 4 Flight
Our expedition decided against stepping into a fight that wasn't theirs and headed for the unprotected ship of the attackers. Getting inside and accessing its systems was quite the task, but our team managed to succeed in their attempts just in time to see the now stranded enemies frantically scrambling and failing to stop them from taking off.

[TreeM4n]

Great Flowchart!

[Elimdur]

Recruitment
Intro text
You have my thanks for your assistence earlier, but I assume first of all an introduction is in order.\n\nI am Czar Alexei Korolev, former ruler of the United Terran Federation, yet unfortunate circumstances have led to my exile on the world we met each other on. As it stands, though, neither my former title nor empire have any significance to you, given that this is a quite different parallel reality from what I can tell so far.

Questions:
What can you tell us about these attackers?
We came into contact with them during an earlier rift exploration. Needless to say, there was no diplomatic exchange. Their society appears to be dominated by an archaic martial philosophy and the act of hunting and defeating strong opponents seems to be held in high regard within it. They regard other species as beneath them.\n\nIt comes with no surprise that they have made this rift nexus their hunting ground. With so many parallel realities connected with oneanother, it is bound to lure in a variety of "prey".

How did you end up on that planet?
In short a coup.\n\nSome of my closest subordinates conspired against myself. Trust and friendship blinded me from seeing their greed and lust for power slowly corrupt them until it was too late. When their true colors were revealed, a choice had to be made: Stay and fight or go into exile.\n\nI chose the latter, as I did not create an empire to then see it consumed by the flames of civil war and the suffering it would entail.\n\nMy intention was to reach one of the other galaxies connected to the rift nexus. The hunters took offense to this, however, and "invited" me for a longer stay. Since then I had a series of skirmishes with their hunting parties.

How did you manage to survive there alone?
Achaeotech. I have always been fascinated by those civilizations which came before us and funded various archaeological excavations within terran space. Some of the findings are now integrated in my armor. A miniature laser cannon in my bracer, a personal shield generator and not to forget this sword, which is more than just a simple piece of metal as you may have noticed.\n\nThese things were quite useful, but the most important augmentation, I was able to attain from my archaeological projects, were nanites from a secluded star cluster located near our galactic rim. Immunity to poison, an increased healing factor and stopped aging - these little machines are beyond useful.\n\nThe hunting parties that came after me, grew progressivly larger, though. I am unsure for how much longer my accessories could have tipped the scales in my favor.

What are you going to do now?

[Elimdur]

After Recruitment

• default ( oligarchic, megacorp, democratic) -> goes away after lost election "no foreseeable future" into own empire, maybe "warning", + ethic shift, player choice

• dictatorial -> 2 houses after influential years of him (influence upkeep), (exile, keep or death penalty via influence cost)

• imperial -> replace heir, adopt him, abdicate, instant dictatorial change, check for immortality: player choice, or just make another 2 houses with coup

• gestalt -> instantly goes away + gift ( z.b tech )

• if he goes: create new empire with own cluster on galactic rim, player choice go with him???

militarist dual?, ruler trait, lvl 6 start
founding his own order/ guild

[Elimdur]

values for the leader trait:
Manifest Destiny
(+) x% diplo weight
(-) x% claim cost
(+) x monthly influence gain
(+) x% fleet size cap

values for the artifact:
passive effect
(+) x% diplo weight
(+) x monthly influence gain
(+) x% fleet size cap

active effect:
end all truces
(-) x% claim cost (10 years)
(-) x% war weariness (10 years)

[TreeM4n]

Hope you don't mind me jumping in. Those are some juicy war centered buffs, but I'm not sure if it fits with his lore. Maybe swap (+) x% fleet size cap (only of his destiny trait) with more alloys (those aren't inherently war related) and add a + archeology/ astral scar skill bonus. (Since he collects weird and ancient stuff)