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Singleplayer content for the definitive real-time strategy experience.

Retail 1 - Sycora

Symmetry Sickness


Discordant though their very existence may be, the martyrs of the Sycora serve willingly within this unfamiliar dimension, leaving a part of themselves in the realm they call home. Symmetry Sickness is the first proper singleplayer offering, for no punches shall be pulled now and hereafter. Initial missions will provide onboarding time, allowing players to familiarize themselves with the playstyles and attributes of each new regency, and competent AI allies combined with preferable terrain setups will help offset the presumed skill dip that will manifest while first-time players adapt to their new surroundings. In-game dialogue will be entirely bound to the missions at hand, with the storytelling being sourced from environment design and the playstyles of one's opponents.

While the Ansifii tutorial, Follow the Leader, provided competition to even experienced RTS players during its running time, it did so with the understanding that players are still learning the nuances of Cosmonarchy's control scheme and what sets it apart from other games in the genre. Symmetry Sickness is the first look at what defines Cosmonarchy's singleplayer content, and for many, will be the first proper production to challenge them in fair and skill-testing ways.

In-game text: Enter into a new and hostile universe with the Sycora - extra-dimensional entities in search of the lifeblood of their people.

Proper Nouns


The following information is primarily written to inform the writer. Some of the text in this section will never be divulged to players, but is nonetheless paramount to form a consistent presentation of the traits and personalities of characters, strengths and reaches of factions, and the value and status of locations.

Characters


Avisa
Protagonist. Sycora. Chosen as a founder of the Sycarsi Dynasty, in large part due to her impressive displays of leadership in her home realm. Level-headed, as is customary for a Sycoran, but susceptible to the pressure of her new stature. Certainly has something to prove.

Tiriso
Ally. Sycora. Chosen as co-founder by Avisa, courtesy of his consistent success as an aggressive regent. Notably more reckless than his founder, yet respectful of the chain of command. Especially approachable by Avisa, thanks to their history as pupils of the same principal. Dismissed by more veteran Sycora as too impulsive to find long-term success.

Cyro
Advisor. Ally. Sycora. Formerly a regent of the Sycarsi Dynasty who has already served his sentence. Now holds the mantle of elder statesman. Keen to provide direction and assistance to Avisa during her stint as founder. Not as excited to engage with Tiriso.

Satoa
Initial antagonist. Pirilli. Guildmaster of the Daybreak Guild. Primarily motivated by the spoils of the Yiord system. Represents sufficient Embra Cythi member nations to pose a significant threat. Enlists the considerable firepower of Ferrisi as an insurance policy against any would-be contenders.

Ferrisi
Initial antagonist. Ansifii. Commander of the Santis Sons. Frequently disagrees with Satoa in matters of strategy and ethics, but finds it difficult to turn away from such a hearty paycheck. Quick to deploy the many squadrons of the Santis Sons. Believes in fast action to reduce the changes of long, drawn-out wars. Getting on in his years.

Kesalon
Antagonist and ally. Githrovan. Athuzelon of the Clemency Division. Charged with keeping peace within the Yiord system. Naive and young. Equipped with the customary Githrovan belief that all wars are possible to dissolve with minimal violence. Learns the errors embedded in his methods by failing to avoid stellar conflict in the Yiord system.

Ak-torn and Many Eyes
Principal antagonist. Makrelon. Overseer of the neighboring Orrh empire. Quick to establish proper Makrelon rule over all surviving subjects of his many wars, as with most Makrel-Daas regents. Made aware of the Yiord system thanks to Satoa's desperate pleas for assistance.

Kir-adin and Rotten Earth
Supplementary antagonist. Makrelon. Subservient to Ak-torn and Many Eyes.

Sath-kicten and Slaves
Supplementary antagonist. Makrelon. Subservient to Ak-torn and Many Eyes.

Oc-keln and Cut Talons
Supplementary antagonist. Makrelon. Subservient to Ak-torn and Many Eyes.

Factions


Sycarsi Dynasty
Forthcoming.

Daybreak Guild
This profit-driven Embra Cythi organization is a rising economic power, mostly off the back of their dubious discovery of the Yiord system. Now representing a non-trivial amount of the rag-tag regency's member nations, Satoa's Daybreak Guild appear to be here to stay - especially when one considers the firepower that often follows them around!

Santis Sons
It is not uncommon to see entire armadas of Ansifii band together under a mercenary or paramilitary banner. What is uncommon about the Santis Sons, led by the grizzled Commander Ferrisi, is the comparatively-small size of their latest client. Serving as hired guns for the Daybreak Guild, Ferrisi's soldiers are well-trained and well-armed, with engineers prepped and ready to deploy the most formidable components of the Ansifii arsenal. If only the commander and his current employer could get along...

Clemency Division
Forthcoming.

Orrh Empire
Forthcoming.

Places


Yiord IV
A temperate world with thick jungles and a dearth of barren landscapes, Yiord IV is quite possibly the single greatest consolidation of resources in the entire Yiord system - quite the statement, when you consider the asteroid belt of the outer bound and the various collections on neighboring worlds.

Faithkeeper Stronghold
Forthcoming.

Chapters

Chapter 1 - Hot Prospects

Stake your claim, Sycoran!
  • Size: 192x192
  • Setting: Yiord IV
  • Biome: Thicket
  • Average time: 40 minutes
  • Composition: Avisa & Tiriso (SYC, SYC) vs Satoa & Ferrisi (EMB, ANS)
  • Upstarts: Ansifii mercenaries (allied to Daybreak)

The newly-decreed Founder Avisa stands prepared in the launch room, and is soon joined by her selected co-founder, Tiriso. The two nascent regents are about to take their first steps into a painful and hostile universe, to serve their purpose as sowers of another dynasty. Among the Sycarsi Dynasty, the Arteries are abuzz with talks of a newfound heartworld - one so abundant in resources that it must be secured. Such is the duty of this promising team.

After a terse exchange between the young founders, Avisa and Tiriso take the plunge, immersing themselves in the tear between realities. A piece of each remains behind, to be rebound upon their return. The sense of hollowness seeps in quickly, but a purpose is soon revealed - the Sycora have emerged upon the fourth planet in the Yiord system, a territory currently being exploited by Guildmaster Satoa and his Embra Cythi combine known as the Daybreak Guild. Avisa and Tiriso quickly throw themselves at the challenge, lest their minds atrophy in this hostile realm.

As the Pirilli guildmaster takes control of the most promising resource nodes, their mercenaries - an Ansifii military called Santis Sons, lead by Commander Ferrisi - make their presence known with countless squadrons of infantry. Tiriso quickly pivots to a severed army in order to retaliate, leaving Avisa to contend with the heavier threats. The two Sycoran regents progress through the thick forests of Yiord IV, liberating as many nodes from the Daybreak Guild as possible.

Despite their looming success on Yiord IV, Tiriso is adamant that their battle cannot end on this planet. As far as he is concerned, the Sycarsin quest is not complete with a singular conflict on the verdant world's surface - even after their eventual victory over the Daybreak Guild and their Ansifii mercenaries, Tiriso implores that Avisa regroup with him and pursue their aggressors to their next destination. The founder obliges, seeing wisdom in putting an end to a nascent rivalry before it can blossom into greater conflict, and the two regents return to the ready room.

Chapter 2 - Silver Linings

Out from the crust and into the coffers.
  • Size: 224x192
  • Setting: Daybreak HQ - moon of Yiord IV
  • Biome: Satura
  • Average time: 50 minutes
  • Composition: Avisa & Tiriso (SYC, SYC) vs Satoa & Ferrisi (EMB, EMB, ANS) vs Kesalon (GIT)
  • Upstarts: Ansifii mercenaries (allied to Daybreak)

With their first decisive victory in this new reality under their belts, Avisa and Tiriso reconvene to plan their pursuit of the Daybreak Guild. The Embra Cythi faction's nearest base of operations is embedded in the crust of Yiord IV's largest moon, a pale and pock-marked planetoid where resource harvesting is in full swing. A successful skirmish would secure the satellite and its remaining resources, while also denying a foothold of great importance to Satoa and his henchmen.

Though the founders' foes holding a home-field advantage is without question, the battlefield of Daybreak's lunar base only exacerbates this reality. The terrain has been shaped to be in favor of the defenders, and of the few high-yield nodes left on the moon, many of them lie in cratered meadows with next to no cliff coverage. Despite the treacherous landscape and the lack of advance scouting, the Sycarsi founders make ready to press their attacks into enemy territory.

As the battle for Daybreak's local base of operations rages on, the stars open up to behold a new foe for all - the Clemency Division. The Githrovan pillar, lead by the young Kesalon, has been charged with preserving the sanctity of the Yiord system. Unfortunately for the well-intentioned sunspawn, diplomacy does not win the day, and they are soon forced to bring their fearsome technology to bear.

Having brought the esteemed Githrovan down to their level, the belligerents of Yiord IV's greatest satellite are eventually able to dismantle these mighty interlopers, calling their bluff and forcing Kesalon to reconsider his approach. The Santis Sons prove to be a worthwhile opponent, but the battalions led by veteran Commander Ferrisi ultimately fall short of quelling the Sycarsin uprising, and the founders eventually dispatch Satoa's forces, as well. Broken for the second time, the Daybreak Guild must flee the verdant world and its massive moon, leaving untold riches in the hands of Avisa and her budding dynasty.

Chapter 3 - Objection

Forever hold your peace.
  • Size: 224x192
  • Setting: Yiord II
  • Biome: Ashen
  • Average time: 40 minutes
  • Composition: Avisa & Tiriso (SYC, SYC) vs Satoa & Ferrisi (EMB, ANS) vs Kesalon (GIT)
  • Upstarts: Ansifii mercenaries (allied to Daybreak)

Yiord IV and its rich resources are firmly under Sycarsin control. Cyro is most pleased with the team's performance, with the Githrovans regrouping after their involvement in the recent lunar skirmish, and the Daybreak Guild having withdrawn to the molten world of Yiord II. Tiriso, on the other hand, remains unconvinced, and demonstrates as such with an impassioned argument that eventually convinces Avisa to plot a war course to the second planet in the Yiord system - radiation be damned.

The Sycarsin Dynasty's best and brightest soon find themselves surrounded by the most hostile terrain yet - the imposing lava lakes and spiny mountains set this unstable world apart from the previous battlegrounds. Satoa and Ferrisi are none too happy to see their well-acquainted enemies, and are quick to deploy what paltry troops they could muster during their short moments of respite. And so the war between the prospectors and the founders resumes, with all the trappings of the previous conflicts over an even larger theater.

It is a surprise to all when the Githrovans rear their heads once again, with Kesalon having made an uncharacteristically-wordless entrance to the warzone some time after Avisa and Tiriso's arrival. Once confronted, the athuzelon provides a token offer of surrender to both Daybreak and Sycarsi forces, but is far more prepared for the inevitable denial he receives - twin detachments of Clemency Division forces have already touched down upon the jagged surface of Yiord II, and have no intention of pulling their next set of punches.

While it is not without grievous losses, the drawn-out skirmish on Yiord's most infernal planet is eventually decided, thanks in large part to Avisa's leadership. Daybreak is all but shattered, Ferrisi's Santis Sons have officially withdrawn, and Kesalon's pillars are showing telltale signs of impending collapse. Likewise, the Sycoran numbers remain small, what with the sheer number of martyrs that served the dynasty in this battle. Faced with the destruction he ensured, Tiriso can do little to avoid acknowledging the evident folly of his pursuant policy, and the weary regents return to the command vessel to rest their hollowed minds.


Chapter 4 - Compounding Interests

Consider the cost.
  • Size: 256x256
  • Setting: Yiord II
  • Biome: Ashen
  • Average time: 45 minutes
  • Composition: Avisa & Tiriso (SYC, SYC) vs Satoa & Kir-adin (EMB, MAK) vs Kesalon (GIT)
  • Upstarts: Orrh raiding party (allied to Satoa & Kir-adin)


Chapter 5 - An Empire's Eclipse

Even a sunrise can cast a shadow.
  • Size: 256x224
  • Setting: Yiord III
  • Biome: Sandpit
  • Average time: 45 minutes
  • Composition: Avisa & Tiriso (SYC, SYC) vs Satoa & Orrh Empire (EMB, MAK, MAK)
  • Upstarts: Clemency Division stragglers


Chapter 6 - The Promise of Sunrise

It's us, against the very fabric of creation.
  • Size: 288x256
  • Setting: Yiord IV
  • Biome: Thicket
  • Average time: 60 minutes
  • Composition: Avisa & Tiriso (SYC, SYC) vs Orrh Empire (MAK, MAK, MAK)
  • Upstarts: Clemency Division frontrunners (allied to Avisa & Tiriso), Daybreak (allied to Orrh Empire)


Chapter 7 - Entity Rejection

Stay the course. It shall all be yours.
  • Size: 288x256
  • Setting: Yiord Outer Bound
  • Biome: Orbital
  • Average time: 70 minutes
  • Composition: Avisa, Tiriso, & Kesalon (SYC, SYC, GIT) vs Orrh Empire (MAK, MAK, MAK, MAK)
  • Upstarts: Faithkeeper Stronghold (allied to Avisa, Tiriso, & Kesalon), Daybreak (allied to Orrh Empire)


Chapter 8 - Symmetry Sickness

A very imperfect circle.
  • Size: 320x288
  • Setting: The Sycarsi Triplet
  • Biome: Sunstone
  • Average time: 90 minutes
  • Composition: Avisa, Tiriso, Cyro & Kesalon (SYC, SYC, SYC, GIT) vs Orrh Empire (MAK, MAK, MAK, MAK)
  • Upstarts: Daybreak (allied to Orrh Empire)