History Characters / Centaura

* InterServiceRivalry: The difference in reputation and prestige between the Navy and Army is very noticeable, as the navy has way more men than the army does, including a higher level of prestige. The naval command also refused to support the army with actual ground troops (the Exercitus Maris) in the Southern Corvus War and even made them camp around the Western Islands for the whole 4 years of the war, ostensibly to preserve their numbers. It is clear though, that many marines and lower officers did not approve of this and even mutinied to join the army, who happily accepted them despite orders to execute them for treason.

* This is heavily downplayed for the Cetan Army. Although they did end up losing and not be able to fend off the Corvun and Antarean invaders, there wasn't much they could do as they were heavily undermanned and were forced to send all of the soldiers to the northern side, leaving the south vulnerable for the Antareans. The Cetan Army also did quite well despite being smaller than the Corvun Army, as shown when they were able to repel them for 4 years before Antares joined in.

* ThemeNaming: Cetus is named after the constellation of the same name, which has a generally aquatic theme. Interestingly, Cetus was a generally term for a a sea monster in Greek mythology, with both Perseus and Heracles killing on in their own stories. There even is a sea monster in ''Centaura'', with the region where it was sighted named [="Cetus"=].
** It is likely that Cetus' naval power and dominance in ''Centaura'' was because of the overall aquatic aspect the name Cetus gave.

The fall of Centauri marked the end of the Centauran War, which had lasted from 1912 to 1944 and lasted for 32 years.

* ThemeNaming: Centauri is named after the constellation Centaurus, with its genitive being Centauri. Centaurus itself is named after the mythical Centaurs, the half-human half-horse species. Interestingly, Centauri is very similar to the continents name of Centaura and is also the last nation that Antares fights in ''Centaura'', possibly implying that with Centauri's fall, it pretty much doomed Centaura to Antares' fate.

* InterServiceRivalry: The difference in reputation and prestige between the Navy and Army is very noticeable, as the navy has way more men than the army does, including their level of prestige. The naval command also refused to support the army in the Southern Corvus War ostensibly to save their numbers, although it is clear that many enlisted and lower officers did not approve and even mutinied and joined the army, who happily accepted them.

!Kingdom of Aquila
[[folder:General]]
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The Kingdom of Aquila was a constitutional monarchy situated on the eastern part of Centaura. It was well-developed, being a truly democratic country that the populace were content with. Aquila itself is covered in temperate forests and flat grasslands with these areas being mixed with populations of urban dwellers and farmers. Due to the amount of trees, the lumber industry in Aquila is massive, with many houses and buildings made almost entirely of wood.

Aquila is well-known for its military success and the effectiveness of its army, nicknamed the "Iron Army". It had beaten Cetus, Antares, and Grusa in wars throughout a millennium, and had also defeated Antares many times.

However, in 1912, just after Antares conquered Cetus, they immediately turned to invade Aquila. While the Aquilans were very good at the defense and had beaten Antares multiple times, they proved to be a struggle to fight as the Aquilans could not push back the Antarean tanks, armored vehicles, motorized infantry, and Shokk troopers. In 1914, they were totally conquered by Antares as they set their eyes onto Vega and Grusa.

* HeroWithAUniqueNickname: While the "C" in Cassius is a hard K (which would be spelt as a K in Antarean Librae), his parents apparently just named him as such with a C according to Cassius himself.

* Bookworm: She always reads a specific novel throughout the short story, even just before they get into position to await a conflict with Columban soldiers.

!Corvus Confederation (Skorpii Corvus)
[[folder:General]]
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[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/corvus_map.png]]

A developing nation in the western part of Centaura, the Corvus Confederation's (led chiefly by the House of Khorin) territory was a peninsular rump state that was formed after the southern territories were annexed by Cetus. Before the annexations, Corvus' ideals and political beliefs were similar to Antares' and had a de-facto alliance that the Confederation only strengthened when Anna Khorin married the future Antarean Emperor Aran Tau.

Before the union of the Corvuns, the House of Khorin was a federal monarchy as it allowed each lord of a region to act with certain autonomy to govern, although final political decisions were always to be made by the Khorins. It also seemed to have some democratic elements as all of the lords convened bi-annually (but could be called for an emergency session) and could raise any issue/matter they had, which allowed for debating and discussions, the final say being given by the King.

* ArmyOfThievesAndWhores: Considering the state of Corvus in the 2 decades between the annexation of southern Corvus and the start of the Southern Corvus War, it is no wonder the army has a bunch of criminals and poor men in their ranks. In fact, when the army was sent in to police the cities during chaos, they themselves could not stop the criminals and other illegal activities as the army men also suffered under poverty and the effects of criminal activity and lifestyles. On the other hand, their motivation and hatred towards the Cetans for their presumption that they caused them to be under poverty and be a criminal means they're pretty good soldiers in the Southern Corvus War.
* BirdPeople: Surprisingly literal, at least religiously, as Corvuns consider themselves to be the descendants of the god Corvus who took on the form of a large raven. Crows are also naturally a part of the Corvun astranist religion, being considered messengers of Corvus.
* HumanSacrifice: According to Corvun religion, Corvuns had to conduct a ritual known as "Pascation". The god Corvus needed live sacrifices to eat in order to know that their descendants (the Corvuns) still appreciated and cared for them, hence why this was done. The ones who would eat the corpses -- the crows -- were considered messengers of Corvus and directly connected to them spiritually. Interestingly, Corvuns could only sacrifice those who were of honor; that is, someone who had fulfilled their goals and role while living. While this was loosely interpreted by the Corvuns, it eventually came to mean solely military personnel, as this role was seen as honorable since they defended those who could not fight for themselves. Due to the fact that only soldiers could be sacrificed, it was illegal in Corvun cities and was only practiced by Corvun military personnel during war. The victim was required to be alive during this painful act and cut in a manner so that the crows could eat the softer inner organs or flesh, which was easily done with a blade. In a symbolic manner, the crows were transferring the spirit of honor to Corvus.
** While Corvuns could generally sacrifice any soldier, especially [=POWs=], some [=POWs=] needed for intel gathering or hard labour were given armbands known as "pascation marks".
* PuppetState: Before Antares attacked Cetus, Corvus asked Antares to help with their war by defeating and invading Cetus in exchanged for being assimilated peacefully into Antares, which they accepted, likely due to their similar ideas and political ideologies. As Skorpii Corvus, Antares significantly improved Corvun livelihoods and helped trained the Corvun Army, causing the Corvun population to receive Antares very positively and even consider them as a sibling nation. They also played a major part in Antares' wars, helping Antares by invading and attacking both Columba and Riaa.
* TheFederation: Corvus is actually a bunch of regions led by individual lords, all united under the dominant royal family, the Khorins.
* ThemeNaming: Corvus is named after the constellation of the same name, with it's flag being a silhouette of a crow. Notably, crows can represent many things symbolically, from positive things like joy, harmony, and rebirth to negative things like death, bad luck, and danger, sort of like what Corvus was before and after southern Corvus was annexed, as well as after Corvus was assimilated under Antares (improved lives).
* TheSavageSouth: After the Cetans annexed southern Corvus in 1886, which resulted in the lost of multiple farms supplying food and tons of coal supplying the electricity and power grids, the remaining cities in the southern areas essentially turned into a violent and crime-filled hell that even the army could not manage to restore order to when they were sent there. People were known to be killed by family gangs for no reason and food was worth as much as money.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Needless to say, when the Corvun soldiers invaded Cetus and retook southern Corvus in 1908, they were ''VERY'' motivated to take revenge against the Cetans whom they all agreed ruined their lives and caused the 22 year old hardship. They showed no mercy as shown in the Battle of Blackton where they're implied to have killed unarmed civilians they saw in the town.

[[folder:Anna Tau, née Khorin]]
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A woman of the Khorin royalty, there isn't much known about her, but she was married off and paired with the Crown Prince of Antares, Aran Tau, in order to strengthen relations between Antares and Corvus (the two of which were already increasingly close). Her marriage did eventually lead to Corvus asking Antares to be annexed peacefully though. She shared the duties of the throne with Aran and was considered on par with him socially.
----
* RoyalBlood: Given she's in the House of Khorin, this is to be expected. As she is a member of the highest family in Corvus, she was picked to be married off to Aran Tau.
* RulingCouple: Anna shared her monarchal duties with Aran, and was even on par with him in terms of social status.

!Empire of Cetus

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cetus_flag.png]]
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The Empire of Cetus was a developing maritime nation that had a sole objective which was to explore the Inanis Ocean, which never came to fruition due to their defeat in the Southern Corvus War and subsequent annexation by Antares. Cetus was one of the larger remnants of the dissolved Libran Empire, where they were mostly a neutral fishing nation for most of their existence. During an age of conquest and industrialization, they allied with Antares to conquer countries eastward, before being stopped by Aquila. After the Persean treaty and some parts of southern Cetus bought off by Antares, the territories remained much the same for a while.

In 1886, seeking to expand their naval capabilities but finding it to costly to trade with the neighbor Corvus for materials needed for massive naval ships, they decided to annex the prosperous southern Corvus. This would anger Corvus, culminating in the Southern Corvus War in 1908. While initially Corvus was dominating Cetus, in 1909, a stalemate occurred between the two nations due to trenches and other massive defenses. Corvus eventually requested Antares to attack Cetus from the unprotected south side in exchange for being peacefully annexed to become a puppet state. Cetus lost the war and was soon conquered by Antares.

* ArchaicWeaponForAnAdvancedAge: Compared to the Corvun T05 and the Antarean E/VIII bolt action rifles, the Cetans use the M1889 LA (''lever action'') rifle when they first fight the Corvuns in 1908. For balance purposes, it has the exact same stats as both bolt-action rifles so the only differences are visual ones. However, in the lore, it is said that it had superior firepower than the T05 (only when it was in perfect condition though) and a simpler reloading mechanism, making it easy to fire. The M1889 LA being in perfect condition was of course impossible as mud and dirt frequently broke the rifle's lever mechanisms which made it difficult to cycle and caused it to jam.
* EmbarrassingNickname: Soldiers of the Cetan Army are referred as "tortoisemen" due to their helmet's shape and their nature of being on land compared to the navy. While this does sound neat, tortoises are also sluggish and placid, which is not exactly something an army should be known for, on top of the Cetan Army already being overshadowed by the Cetan Navy in popularity and reputation.
* GratuitousLatin: The Cetan Marines are officially called the "Exercitus Maris", meaning "Army of the Sea", likely highlighting that the marines are more important and vast in Cetus than in other nations because of how big the Cetan Navy is (and how small the Cetan Army is).
* InterServiceRivalry: The difference in reputation and prestige between the Navy and Army is very noticeable, as the navy has way more men than the army does, including their level of prestige. The naval command also refused to support the army in the Southern Corvus War ostensibly to save their numbers, although it is clear that many enlisted and lower officers did not approve and even mutinied and joined the army, who happily accepted them.
* MilitariesAreUseless: Despite the Exercitus Maris being a part of the esteemed Cetan Navy and being slightly lower in size to the Cetan Army (if not equal or bigger), it was not as skilled or effective as the Army, likely due to their lack of experience and the fact that they were facing against the much larger and prepared Antarean Army. Their loss at the Whitemouth Estuary proves that as well.
* TheEnemyWeaponsAreBetter: In the lore, it is said that many Cetan soldiers dropped their unreliable M1889 LA's for the more reliable and accurate Corvun T05 rifles from dead Corvun soldiers. Picking up weapons (presumably enemy weapons as well) is slated in the "Uncategorized Content" in ''Centaura's'' Trello.
* ThemeNaming: Cetus is named after the constellation of the same name, which has a generally aquatic theme. Interestingly, Cetus was a generally term for a a sea monster in Greek mythology, with both Perseus and Heracles killing on in their own stories. There even is a sea monster in ''Centaura'', with the region where it was sighted named [="Cetus"=].
** It is likely that Cetus' naval power and dominance in ''Centaura'' was because of the overall aquatic aspect the name Cetus gave.
* SuspiciouslySmallArmy: Cetus' army is ''very'' small, so much so that Aquila, which has an all-volunteer army, has ''more'' men than the Cetan army.
** This is explained in the lore by Cetus focusing much onto it's navy due to it's goal to explore the Inanis Ocean which is pretty much empty and unexplore. Cetus also cutback it's army due to perceived safety from it's neighbors, not realizing that it's trading relations with nations were crumbling. This of course meant Cetus' Army was massively undermanned (although not underequipped due to an abundance of iron and other materials), as many recruits joined the more popular and comfortable Navy instead of the Army, and there are even signs of interservice rivalry and stigmatizing of the army in the lore.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Their annexation of southern Corvus in 1886 which caused the Corvuns to attack them in 1908 essentially doomed Centaura as the Southern Corvus War prompted Antares to join in and begin their plans for world domination.

!Kingdom of Aquila
[[folder:General]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aquila_flag.png]]
[[quoteright:325:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aquila_map.png]]

The Kingdom of Aquila was a constitutional monarchy situated on the eastern part of Centaura. It was well-developed, being a truly democratic country that the populace were content with. Aquila itself is covered in temperate forests and flat grasslands with these areas being mixed with populations of urban dwellers and farmers. Due to the amount of trees, the lumber industry in Aquila is massive, with many houses and buildings made almost entirely of wood.

Aquila is well-known for its military success and the effectiveness of its army, nicknamed the "Iron Army". It had beaten Cetus, Antares, and Grusa in wars throughout a millennium, and had also defeated Antares many times.

However, in 1912, just after Antares conquered Cetus, they immediately turned to invade Aquila. While the Aquilans were very good at the defense and had beaten Antares multiple times, they proved to be a struggle to fight as the Aquilans could not push back the Antarean tanks, armored vehicles, motorized infantry, and Shokk troopers. In 1914, they were totally conquered by Antares as they set their eyes onto Vega and Grusa.

* ArchEnemy: Antares. Aquila had fought with Antares multiple times, winning pretty much every war against them. Unfortunately, the Aquilan Campaign from 1912-1914 had Antares get the last laugh and not only defeat them, but entirely conquer their lands.
* ChameleonCamouflage: The Aquilan uniforms have the same color as the Aquilan grass, meaning it allows them to camouflage and blend in with it nearly seamlessly, likely due to their defensive nature.
* EliteArmy: They certainly live up to their nickname. While the Aquilan army was small (although bigger than the Cetan army) due to it relying solely on volunteers, this was made up by the fact that all recruits had to go through tough training cycles intended to make them efficient soldiers and make them adapt to environments that they will be in during war. Recruits were also expected to operate in fields without food or water for multiple hours, which would be useful in the plains and grasslands that did not have much water. Seeing as it is an all-volunteer army, it is likely Aquilan soldiers were more motivated as well.
** Indeed, while Antares did eventually conquer Aquila through new innovative tactics with tanks, it is said that the Aquilan infantry were mostly able to overpower the Antarean ones (and the fact that the Antareans actually suffered ''heavy'' casualties which caused them to commit "The Scorch"), proving that they could have defeat Antares had they not faced such large amounts of armored vehicles and lagged behind in innovating new methods of war.
* FantasyCounterpartCulture: Technology wise, they're based on France-Poland. However, their helmet is based on the Swedish M21 helmet and the M99 rifle looks similar to the British Lee-Metford, which are rather interesting choices for a French-Polish based Aquila.
** Their defense against the Antareans is very similar to France defending itself against Germany in [=WW2=] (and [=WW1=] to some degree), relying on the Ring of Fire that seems similar to the Maginot Line and also struggling to defend against new Antarean tactics like how France struggled against the German combined arms tactics and Blitzkrieg. This is not mentioning that Antares itself is based on Japan-Germany, two Axis factions in [=WW2=].
* HoldTheLine: The sole strategy for Aquila when fighting Antares in 1912 is to rely on the "Ring of Fire", a line full of forts, artillery batteries and field guns to prevent the Antares from advancing too far. Of course, Antares' armored vehicles, aircraft, and tactics eventually break through the Ring of Fire, although it is worth noting that Antareans had attempted to break through the Battery Liberius of the Ring of Fire two times, failing both attempts before being presumably victorious in the third attempt, meaning that it seemed to be quite effective at what it was intended to do, just that it could not sustain multiple direct attacks.
* HomeGuard: Aquila had a special formation known as the "Civil Guard". This was essentially a militia intended to complement the Aquilan Army in wartime. When Antares invaded Aquila in 1912, they had some successful in defending farmlands and fields, although their lack of explosives meant the armored vehicles soon pushed them back. They were generally more effective when fighting alongside the Aquilan Army and especially in urban warfare, as materials in homes were used to create makeshift bombs and incendiary explosives to use against the Antareans and specifically their armored elements. Unfortunately, as all of the Civil Guardsmen fought in their normal civilian clothes, it caused Antareans to become more hostile to Aquilan citizens and even shoot them on sight in some cases.
* StoneWall: In contrast to Antares' aggressive and fast-paced nature, Aquila is more focused on defending its lands, clearly represented by its Ring of Fire, a massive line of field guns, fortifications, trenches, and bunkers. Interestingly, Aquila wasn't as defensive and conquered many smaller nations in its younger days. Unfortunately, Aquila's defensive strategies don't go anywhere as Antares' tanks and tactics prove too much for Aquilan defenses to handle.
* ThemeNaming: Aquila is named after the constellation of the same name. Aquila in Latin means "eagle" and is the bird carrying Zeus and Jupiter's thunderbolts in Greek mythology. Due to the fact that real eagles are quite tenacious and fearless, it is likely that Aquila's stubbornness derives from the eagles' own traits. Also, most of Aquilan territory would be suitable habitats for eagles to live in.
* TheGreatFire: Due to heavy losses the Aquilans were inflicting, Kalvin's military advisors convinced him to allow the Aquilan grasslands and forests to to be burnt in order to demoralize and weaken the Aquilan army. While Kalvin strictly ordered it to not continue over a week, it instead kept burning for more than half a year. This burning was known simply as "The Scorch" which devastated the Aquilan countryside by ''40%'', something that affected the Aquilan economy and industry for a while even with Orionite aid. Ironically, the Scorch did not demoralize the Aquilan soldiers, instead doing the opposite and causing them to fight harder for land that was not already taken and burnt by the Antareans. It also meant the Antareans couldn't forage food from farms as they were burnt, on top of supply lines being stretched, which proved to be more of hindrance than the forests themselves.
* UrbanWarfare: In 1914, Antares pushes deeper into Aquila, with troops managing to attack Talona, an Aquilan city. This battle appears in ''Centaura'' as the last battle where Antares fights Aquila, and it will see Antarean trucks with machine guns on the back, the Aquilan Civil Guard, and flamethrower tanks.
* VelvetRevolution: In the 1800s, Aquila had a mostly peaceful revolution that took away political power from the monarchy and gave it to the people, turning it in a democracy. However, because the Royal Family had a mostly positive past associated with them, they were allowed to stay in power, albeit only to serve a ceremonial role as the nation's representatives.
* WeHaveBecomeComplacent: Unfortunately, due to the Aquilan Army not launching many offensives and instead mastering in defensive warfare, this caused them to not innovate as much into warfare compared to their rival Antares. Indeed, Antares was invading with a fleet of tanks and armored vehicles while Aquila had ''nothing'' to speak of, developing such things too late in the war to have much effect.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: The Aquilan Army is nicknamed the "Iron Army" due to their stubbornness and having multiple military successes while defending.

!Dominion of Vega (Domínio de Vega) (part of Skorpii Grusii)

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vega_map.png]]

The Dominion of Vega is a monarchical country located in the eastern part of Centaura. It is neighbors with Aquila and Grusa and is quite close to Columba geographically. In between Aquila's forests and the Grusan deserts, Vega's environment consist of chaparrals (warm and dry but rather grassy). Vega and Grusa in particular are traditional rivals, as they were originally a part of one kingdom before splitting into two due to disagreements between the two royal families. Unlike the other Centauran countries, they primarily speak Vego (''Centaura's'' version of European Portuguese). This language was created out of spite against the Grusan language (that being Grusi; European Spanish), although Vegans can speak Grusi due to the languages being similar and likely because of years of being with the Grusans.

Vega's main industries are the food and mining industries. Food was an important cultural part of Vega before they had ever separate from Grusa; in fact, most pastries in southern Centaura were from Vega. As for the mining industry, Vega had tons of ores and minerals located at the edges of the Murus Plateau, an area of land in southern Vega that protected against invaders coming from Aquila, and the rocky northern border with Columba. As Iron was the most abundant ore for Vega, it was incorporated widely into the Vegan Army, such as steel plates for infantrymen and thicker armor for tanks leading up to 1914.

After seeing Aquila fall to Antares in 1914, Vega prepared to defend against Antares, which was a good move as the Antareans did invade Vega. However, they were overrun rather quickly in just a year as a weak point in the eastern coastal regions was exploited and invaded by the Antareans since it was not defended. After Grusa was defeated by Antares later, Antares combined Vega and Grusa into the puppet state Skorpii Grusii.

* ArchEnemy: Vega's arch-enemy is Grusa, having a hostile relationship since the 1600s. Despite that, they have apparently never engaged in open conflict, and the fact that many Grusans seem to actually like Vega (as there were multiple pleas for reunification and multiple protests in Grusa about them not supporting Vega, not to mention multiple Grusans volunteering into the Vegan Army) seems to show that only the government and royal families dislike each other.
* InherentlyFunnyWords: The demonym for Vega is "Vegan", which is... unique to say the least.
* FantasyCounterpartCulture: As mentioned above, Vego is just European Portuguese in the ''Centaura'' universe. They're also geographically and culturally close to Grusa, a country that speaks Grusi or European Spanish, in a similar situation to how Portugal and Spain are.
* OvernightConquest: While a year is not particularly fast, the fact that Aquila took 2 years to be taken down by Antares and Grusa in 4 shows that Vega was conquered comparatively easier and quicker.
* ThemeNaming: Vega is the brightest star in the Lyra constellation. While the reason for this naming in a [[Main/WatsonianVersusDoylist Doylist]] view is not particularly clear, Vega is believed to have come from an Arabic term (Al Nesr al Waki) that was translated into Latin as Vultur Cadens, or the "Fallen Eagle/Vulture", which could perhaps show that Vega is the opposite of Aquila that is also an eagle but fell a bit slower than Vega.

!Kingdom of Grusa (Reino de Grusa) (a part of Skorpii Grusii)

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/grusa_map.png]]

The Kingdom of Grusa is a monarchical country in the east of Centaura. They border Vega to the southwest and Columba to the west, but they also share a sort of maritime border with Centauri via the Sagittarius Strait. Most of Grusa is comprised of a barren desert, so it seems many people live in the coast lines and in the Murus Plateau that is compromised of savannahs. Grusans speak Grusi, ''Centaura's'' European Spanish, which is derived from Librae (which is English and that is derived from Old Librae which is Latin) and similar to Vego and Aurigan (which is Italian). Vega and Grusa have been rivals since the 1600s after an event that split Vega and Grusa into two different kingdoms.

In 1915, after Vega was invaded and conquered by Antares, they attempted to do so for Grusa. Unlike Aquila, Cetus, and Vega, they managed to hold off the Antareans in the southern deserts for 3 years until 1917. The year after, Antares changed their strategy and invaded Grusa through the coastlines, using naval ships to bombard targets on the shore. Despite their resistance, they ironically fell like Vega as they too were overrun via the coastlines. Grusa and Vega were later combined to form Skorpii Grusii and act as a puppet state, helping out Antares with reinforcements in later wars, including their invasion into Hydrus. Grusans were considered expert shots and were equal to Aurigan shooters and snipers.

* ArchEnemy: Grusa's arch-enemy is Vega, having a hostile relationship since the 1600s. Despite that, they have apparently never engaged in open conflict, and the fact that many Grusans seem to actually like Vega (as there were multiple pleas for reunification and multiple protests in Grusa about them not supporting Vega, not to mention multiple Grusans volunteering into the Vegan Army) seems to show that only the government and royal families dislike each other.
* DesertWarfare: As Grusa mostly consists of deserts, Antareans had to fight in desert warfare a lot of the time, and a desert map is planned to be one of the maps Antares will fight in against Grusa.
* ThemeNaming: Grusa is based on the Grus constellation, meaning Crane (the bird species) in Latin. This could be a contrast to Vega which is a fallen Eagle instead of a Crane.

!United Columban Territories

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The United Columban Territories is a mountainous country whose mountains serve as a natural barrier against invaders. They border various countries, which includes Aquila, Cetus, Riaa, and Grusa. Due to the amount of mountains, there are only 2 major cities near the Annulus Sea, while villages are spread throughout the mountains. To help with traveling and access, railways and travel routes were built to help Columbans do so. A Columban engineer in 1846 invented a telegraph system that not only made communications easier for Columban towns but revolutionized long-distance communications across Forma.

In 1915, while simultaneously attacking Grusa, Antares attacked Columba through various points from Cetus, Aquila, and Vega. Although Corvus in 1917 attempted to aid Antares from the west, they were stopped by the Columbans and thus were unable to do so. Throughout the fighting in Columba in 1923, the Antarean army suffered enormous casualties as the Columbans skillfully used the mountain terrain to their advantage, putting machinegun nests in unexpected areas and creating easy spots to ambush Antarean soldiers along the main trails. The high mountains also impeded the Antarean advances as well. In 1924, the Antarean high command ordered mass production of medium bombers to bomb positions.

After more than a decade of fighting in 1931, the Antareans managed to push through the east coast of Columba that bordered Grusa. Antares would then send forces to march through the Corvun-Riaan border and attack from the west in the same year. In 1932, Columban forces in the mountains were cut off from the northern areas and surrounded as Antares continued their march to northern Columba, ignoring the trapped enemies. By 1933, the Columban capital was sieged and taken in weeks. The remaining soldiers would be cleared as the war progressed.

* CapitalOffensive: In 1933, the Antareans manage to siege and take the Columban capital city after 18 years of pretty much no progress. The fact that the capital was taken in weeks compared to almost 20 years of fighting to get to there is worth mentioning.
* ForeverWar: For the Antareans, it seemed like the war with Columba was this, given that it was nearing 2 decades of warfare in Columba and yet had only made substantial progress in 1931.
* HomeFieldAdvantage: The Columbans used the mountains to their advantage as much as they could, which had already impeded Antarean advances and caused them to move quite slowly, by creating ambush spots and putting machine guns in areas Antareans would not expect. The effects of the Columban mountains are shown when you compare Grusa, Aquila, and Vega falling in 7 years combined, with Columba taking ''18'' years to be taken down.
* MountainWarfare: Considering that Columba is full of mountains, this was to be expected when Antares and Corvus attacked Columba. It seemed to have been extremely arduous, as compared to Aquila falling in 2 years and Vega & Grusa falling in a combined 5 years, Columba fell in ''18'' years.
* ThemeNaming: Columba is named after the constellation of the same name. In Latin, Columba means "dove". Since the dove usually represents peace and love, it can be an ironic name as the Columban War saw 18 years of violence and destruction as well as the deaths of numerous Columban, Antarean, Riaan, and Corvun soldiers.

!Riaan Republic (Skorpii Riaa)

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The Riaan Republic is an old and aging republic that has existed for centuries, with a government similar to Antares. They ruled over the northern parts of Centaura through long-lasting traditions. Although not quite as fanatical as Antares is, the government still rules the country with absolute power and Riaa is plagued by inner turmoil and protests over its outdated class system and unfair wealth distribution. Due to their old school beliefs and laws, they're technologically outmatched by Antares but compensate for it by being the largest country in Centaura both in terms of population and territory size as well as friendly relations with neighboring countries.

To explain how Riaa got into its democratic form, the Riaan Civil War has to be discussed. It occurred in 1888 as the Nationalists revolt against the Imperialist government. The Nationalists quickly gain support from Riaa's neighbor Tucana, who help push out the Imperialists. They eventually fled into the Vulpan Islands, declaring independence from the Riaan mainland and naming themselves Vulpa.

Although Riaans can speak Librae, they're bilingual, as they primarily speak Rodinese (Russian), now called Ursan, which is a language that their continental neighbor Ursa speaks and the language of the Rodinese Mandate that had conquered and influenced Riaa.

After Antares conquered them, they turned it into a puppet state, likely due to Riaa's territorial and population size making it impossible for Antares to manage directly.

* BilingualBonus: Riaans speak Ursan as their first language and Librae as second, the former being because of their close relationship to Ursa and them being under the Rodinese Mandate.
* DemocracyIsFlawed: Despite them being a republic, they're pretty much corrupted with an outdated class system and there being a strong difference between the wealthy and poor. Additionally and ironically, they have very traditional views and ideals as a republic.
* GrimUpNorth: For the Antareans invading Riaa. In fact, Kaden Tau's first time commanding a company ''and'' going into combat is in Riaa, where we hear that his entire company was nearly wiped out by Riaan guerillas.
* NorthIsColdSouthIsHot: While its not explicitly said for Riaa, the fact that Tucana, a country that is to right of Riaa, is covered in snow and ice implies that it is the same for Riaa as well.
* PuppetState: After Riaa lost to Antares, they turned it into a puppet state to make it easier to manage as its size would be impossible for them to do so directly, installing governors to help with this endeavor.
* {{Ruritania}}: Riaans speak the in-universe version of Russian and are located very much up north like Russia. The Riaan Civil War also bares a remarkable resemblance to the Russian Civil War, with the Imperialists (Russian Republic) fighting against the Nationalists (Bolsheviks) and losing to the Nationalists, leading them to take over Riaa like how the Soviets took over Russia after they were victorious.
** Interestingly, while the northern Riaans write in traditional Ursan cyrillic, the southern Riaans write in romanized Ursan. The government also embraces and supports romanized Ursan in the modern age.
* ThemeNaming: Unlike the other nations, it is {{averted|trope}} for Riaa, as its name is not based on a constellation or star since it resisted Libran influences effectively. In fact, even its name under the Rodinese Mandate is unknown, although the Libran Empire called it "Riaa" based on the war cry of its native warriors.

!Empire of Tucana (Imperio Tucani)

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The Empire of Tucana is a monarchical country located in the northeast of Centaura. It is allied with its neighbors Centauri and Riaa. Its lands to the north comprise of taiga forests and heavy snow areas, so most of the population of Tucana live near the Tucana-Centauri border. Tucana's main industry is in lumber and ice, with lumber mostly being used by towns in the frozen northern areas.

Tucana was under the reign of the old Grusan Empire before it collapsed, so the Tucanese speak Grusi. However, plenty of Tucanese people speak Ursan due to its proximity to Riaa and Centauri. The Tucanese can also speak Librae due to influences from the Libran Empire. Thus, Tucana is technically trilingual although the languages spoken heavily differ from region to region.

* NorthIsColdSouthIsHot: Indeed, being a northern country, it is filled with taiga forests and areas with heavy amounts of snow, which are common characteristics for countries up north. Ice being a ''main'' industry especially demonstrates the environment in Tucana.
* ThemeNaming: Tucana is named after the constellation of the same, the latter being named after the toucan. It is close with Grus, as those two alongside 2 others are considered the "Southern Birds". The country may be named Tucana in ''Centaura'' because of its in-universe connection with Grusa, having been conquered by the Grusan Empire many years ago, being geographically close to it, and many Tucanese speaking Grusi.

!Kingdom of Centauri (Reino de Centauri)

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The Kingdom of Centauri is a peninsular country located in northeastern Centaura. It is bordered with Tucana and is allied with them and Riaa. It is also surrounded by three bodies of water; the Libran Ocean, the Sagittarius Strait, and the Annulus Sea. Its shores boast the greatest coastal batteries and defenses in Forma, armed with loads of heavy-caliber guns (203mm-356mm) and several concrete fortifications that are reinforceed. These lines of defenses were constructed in 1890 due to tensions with Grusa across the Sagittarius Strait.

Uniquely, Centauri is not motivated by imperialism, but rather protecting its lands and improving its society, the latter through means other than dictatorships or authoritarianism.

After seeing Riaa and Tucana fall to Antares, Centauri prepared to defend against them. Even before Riaa and Tucana had fell, many Centaurian citizens boarded ships and planes to Orion, Ursa, and Libra, with much chaos ensuing when Riaa's capitulation made its way across headlines in 1940. Ships became overcrowded and there were soon not enough liners available to transport those who wanted to flee. The last planes and ships left in 1941, never to return to Centauri. Unfortunately, it was not safe even those who had escaped on ship, as many of them were sunk by Antarean naval ships conducting a blockade, and most passengers drowned or froze in the water, as the lifeboats were insufficient for overcrowded ships. Those stuck on the lifeboats were forced to either go back west to Centauri or simply starve to death, with no way of getting past the Antarean Armada.

Back at Centauri, it was not much better, as when the harbors and airports officially closed down, those inside awaited their fates, as even if it hadn't started, it would soon. Even before the siege had started, many Centaurians committed suicide as they feared living under the Antareans after hearing about the brutal treatment of the Riaan occupation. This greatly impacted the morale of the Centaurian military, who were certain they could defend against Antares.

In 1942, Antares officially sieged Centauri. The Antares Armada began a 2 week bombardment of the southern coastal defenses, following by an amphibious landing. In the north, the army commenced an attack with their new "bunker buster" vehicles.

Much like Aquila, the Centaurian battle doctrine focused very much on defending, with the borders littered with bunkers supporting each other which made it hard for Antareans to capture. Guns and artillery camouflaged in forests and foliage, bunkers and anti-tank obstacles lining the countryside, and the Centaurian armored elements made it quite difficult for the Antareans to get through.

Despite this, in 1943, most of the Centauri's defenses were demolished via a new strategy by the Antareans that used mass artillery barrages to defeat hard points. The southern coastal defenses were destroyed the Centaurian army got encircled. Later in the year, they had been pushed back to the capital, holding on for months before finally being defeated in 1944.

The fall of Centauri marked the end of the Centauran War, which had lasted from 1912 to 1944 and lasted for 32 years.

* {{Conscription}}: Like many other nations in Centaura, Antares practices conscription, taking an extra step by claiming to its citizens that serving and donning a uniform is a huge honor in Antarean society.

* TermsOfEndangerment: Opponents of Antares rudely refer to Antareans as [="Ants"=].

* WeHaveBecomeComplacent: Unfortunately, due to the Aquilan Army not launching many offensives and insteading mastering in defensive warfare, this caused them to not innovate as much into warfare compared to their rival Antares. Indeed, Antares was invading with a fleet of tanks and armored vehicles while Aquila had ''nothing'' to speak of, developing such things too late in the war to have much effect.

* HoldTheLine: The sole strategy for Aquila when fighting Antares in 1912 is to rely on the "Ring of Fire", a line full of forts, artillery batteries and field guns to prevent the Antares from advancing too far. Of course, Antares' armored vehicles and tactics eventually break through the Ring of Fire, although it is worth noting that Antareans had attempted to break through a part of the Ring of Fire in Roland's Prairie two times, failing both attempts before being presumably victorious in the third attempt, meaning that it seemed to be quite effective at what it was intended to do, just that it could not sustain multiple direct attacks.

Tucana was under the reign of the old Grusan Empire before it collapsed, so the Tucanese speak Grusi. However, plenty of Tucanese people speak Ursan due to its proximity to Riaa and Ursa. The Tucanese can also speak Librae due to influences from the Libran Empire. Thus, Tucana is technically trilingual although the languages spoken heavily differ from region to region.

* VelvetRevolution: In the 1800s, Aquila had a mostly peaceful revolution that took away political power from the monarchy and gave it to the people, turning it in a democracy. However, even without power, they had a mostly positive past, and so were allowed to stay but serve a ceremonial role as the nation's representatives.

* BadassArmy: It conquered Aquila, it's traditional enemy, in just 2 years (while having just recently invaded Cetus) during the Centauran Wars and then conquered Vega and Grusa in 5. While they were not as quick during the Columban and Riaan campaigns, they at least had the fortitude and endurance to even go on to defeat them, as they could have easily given up or lost.

* CommonTongue: Librae (English). Every nation in Forma speaks or at least knows Librae. Even Riaa, a Centauran country up north and far away from the influences of Libra, speaks Librae as a second language. A [[https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1146629801864613970/1220731463117312094/875_sin_titulo_20240322144504.png?ex=661001c4&is=65fd8cc4&hm=56b9979d74ef5efc3de59a199eb3a9b4c038dc9dfe2eb6e9767d8476b8aa1437&=&format=webp&quality=lossless&width=1157&height=695 map]] here made by [=utahthebest14=] shows how many people speak Librae.

* ThemeNaming: Centauri is named after the constellation Centaurus, with its genitive being Centauri. Centaurus itself is named after the mythical Centaurs, the half-human half-horse species. Interestingly, Centauri is very similar to the continents name of Centaura and is also the last nation that Antares fights in ''Centaura'', possibly implying that with Centauri's fall, it pretty much doomed Centaura to Antares' fate.

[[/folder]]

* PuppetState: After Riaa lost to Antares, they turned it into a puppet state, likely to make it easier to manage as its size would be impossible for them to do so directly.
* {{Ruritania}}: They speak the in-universe version of Russian and are located very much up north like Russia. The Riaan Civil War also bares a remarkable resemblance to the Russian Civil War, with the Imperialists (Russian Republic) fighting against the Nationalists (Bolsheviks) and losing to the Nationalists, leading them to take over Riaa like how the Soviets took over Russia after they were victorious.

* FantasyCounterpartCulture: Militarily, they're based on France-Poland. However, their helmet is based on the Swedish M21 helmet and the M99 rifle looks similar to the British Lee-Metford, which are rather interesting choices for a French-Polish based Aquila.

The Empire of Tucana is a monarchical country located in the northeast of Centaura. It is allied with its neighbors Centauri and Riaa. Its lands to the north compromise of taiga forests and heavy snow areas, so most of the population of Tucana live near the Tucana-Centauri border. Tucana's main industry is in lumber and ice, with lumber mostly being used by towns in the frozen northern areas.

*

* ThemeNaming: Unlike the other nations, it is {{averted|trope}} for Riaa, as its name is not based on a constellation or star since it resisted Libran influences effectively. In fact, even the government does not know what Riaa was called under the Rodinese Mandate, although the Libran Empire called it "Riaa" based on the cries of the warriors when they were attacked by the Libran Empire.

[[/folder]]

* ThemeNaming: Antares is the brightest star in the Scorpius constellation. Notably, its two puppet states, Skorpii Corvus and Skorpii Grusii, both have "Skorpii" in it, which is almost certainly a reference to the constellation itself.

* FantasyCounterpartCulture: Antares militarily is based upon both Japan and Germany from both World Wars. In fact, the chest rigs on early Antarean uniforms are based on those of the German Schuztruppe (WW1 troops in Africa) and Antares' bolt-action rifle, the E/VIII, looks like and is based on the Type 38 Arisaka rifle used by Imperial Japan in both World Wars.