Characters / Equestria At War Northern Griffonia

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Northern Griffonia

Sunstriker Clan

^{Flag of the Brantbeak Federation} 

^{Flag of the Brantbeak Socialist Republic} 

Full Name: Sunstriker Clan, Brantbeak Federation, Brantbeak Socialist Republic

Ruling Party: Sunstriker's Loyalists

Ideology: Kleptocracy^note Supremacy

A clan of bandits led by "King" Eriviar Sunstriker who have been terrorizing Northern Griffonia, Grover V inducted them into the Empire with a generous deal, offering them sovereignty in exchange for loyalty to the empire. Eriviar has ruled the Whitetail Mountains without opposition since. However, when the life of Grover V ends, so does the deal the bandits made with the Empire. With imperial support gone, it would be a great opportunity for Eriviar's many political opponents to once again come out of hiding and challenge his rule...

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• Bandit Clan: The Sunstriker Clan is a clan of bandits ruled by Eriviar Sunstriker. They terrorize the locals and launch raids to gather loot for Eriviar.
• Exact Words: The Sunstriker Clan didn't make a pact with the Empire; they made it with the Emperor, Grover V. When Grover V dies, the Sunstriker Clan breaks away instantly.

Eriviar Sunstriker

Role: Monarch^note Head of State

Party: Sunstriker's Loyalists (Maarite cultist path), The Mountain Clans (King route)

Ideology: Kleptocracy^note Supremacy, Maar Worship^note Supremacy (Maarite cultist path), Despotism^note Non-Aligned (King route)

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• Heel–Face Turn: One of the two possibilities after Eriviar awakens from his coma is that he suddenly becomes far more rational. Though still an ambitious autocrat, his newly-found mental clarity leads him to reform his country, improving infrastructure, reducing banditry, and improving industry, becoming a more proper and responsible king.
• Human Sacrifice: After Eriviar becomes a disciple of Maar, he can make mass griffon sacrifices to Maar in exchange for grand rewards.
• Journey to the Center of the Mind: The key moment that defines Eriviar's path is his sudden and unexpected coma into the middle of the path. Eriviar can come out of the coma either as a more rational king, or a howling mad servant of Maar.
• King of Thieves: Eriviar is the king of the Sunstriker clan of bandits, though he is also treated as the actual king of the land.
• Unholy Matrimony: If the Reformisten win the Longswordian Civil War and Rosa Heidenreich takes over, a series of events can fire (via a line of focuses in Rosa's Longsword) where Rosa and Eriviar fall in love with each other and eventually marry.

Runa Teafeather

Role: Head of State (Power struggle Republican victory)

Party: Social-Democratic Brantbeak Party

Ideology: Harmonic Socialism^note Harmony

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Guntbert Greyfeather

Role: Head of State (Power struggle Communist victory)

Party: Brantbeak Workers' Party

Ideology: Equestrian Socialism^note Communism

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Griffonian Republic

^{Flag of the Griffonian National Republic} 

^{Flag of the Duchy of Cloudbury} 

Full Name: Griffonian Republic, Griffonian National Republic (Suntail), Duchy of Cloudbury (Monarchy restored), Kingdom of Cloudbury-Herzland (Monarchy, conquered Herzland)

Ruling Party: National Republican Party - Right Wing

Ideology: Republicanism^note Non-Aligned

In 978, built-up social tensions within the Griffonian Empire exploded into a republican revolution. Common griffons and revolutionary officers overthrew the Griffon monarchy and proclaimed in its wake the Griffonian Republic, a democratic republic led by officer-turned-president Alexander Kemerskai. But soon after its creation, reactionary aristocratic forces launched a counterrevolution, forcing the republicans to flee north and reorganize in the former Duchy of Cloudbury. The republicans stood here to this day, waiting for another opportunity to retake the empire and finish the revolution.

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• Allohistorical Allusion:
  • The Griffonian Republic's "Three Principles of the Griffon" (Liberty, Democracy, Prosperity) are based on Chinese revolutionary Sun Yat-sen's "Three Principles of the People".
  • Two of the three choices of an anthem for the Republic are Griffon versions of the anthems of the DDR (which also gets a nod in the name of the final focus of the economic tree) and the BRD (complete with it being specifically the third stanza of an older song). The third choice is to use the anthem of Kemerskai's party, akin to the Republic of China under Chiang Kai-Shek.
  • If the Republic is defeated, they will flee to Haukland and can form a remnant government there. This is an exact mirror of how the KMT fled to Taiwan.
• Artistic License: The flag of the Griffonian Republic is actually a two-color triband, but the game consistently refers to it as a tricolor.
• Civil War: Two generals in the National Republican Army, Reinhard Suntail and Claus Rosewing, were exiled north due to their conflicts with Kemerskai, and have been planning to rise up against Kemerskai, starting a civil war.
• The Famine: Due to the complete chaos the Republic currently faces, they are sitting on the edge of a major famine.
• Fantasy Counterpart Culture: The Duchy of Cloudbury is loosely based on Denmark, with the Cloudburian language being a clear stand-in for Danish.
• Foreign Ruling Class: The NRP, which is mostly made up of Herzlanders, has a major linguistic and cultural divide with the native Cloudburians, many of whom consider the NRP to be unlawful occupants of their rightful territory. Most government positions are held by non-natives, with Kemerskai himself being a Herzlander. Some Republican tax collectors and officials cannot even speak the Cloudburian language.
• Government in Exile: After the Griffonian Republic got overthrown in a counter-revolution which restored the Griffonian Empire, the Republicans fled the Empire's forces by escaping north and establishing a new power base in what was once the Duchy of Cloudbury, a failing vassal of the Empire.
• Historical In-Joke: The three paths available to the Republic-in-exile-on-Haukland are Military Unification, Political Tutelage, and Constitutional Government. They each correspond to one of the three stages of revolution outlined by Sun Yat-sen.
• The Republic: The Griffonian Republic is much more morally uptight than the Empire, and can easily pursue democratic and harmonious policies.
• Ruling Family Massacre: When the Republicans fled Griffenheim for Cloudbury, they hanged Duke Otto II for treason, and incited the mob to lynch his son and heir Karl, his brother Kristoffer, and most of the Plumenjar dynasty's closest members. Only his nephew Oskar, after begging for his life in front of Kemerskai, was allowed to live alongside his sister and her son.
• We ARE Struggling Together: The Republican front was once united against the Empire, but has since fallen hard. The communists led by Asper Sickleclaw were the first to split off from Kemerskai's leadership, after seeing Kemerskai's authoritarianism. Sections of the army are the next to split off, due to Suntail and Rosewing's conflict with Kemerskai and the generally unruly state of the army. Within the big tent ruling party itself, there are left wingers and right wingers who really struggle to get along with each other.

Alexander Kemerskai

Role: Field Marshal, President^note Head of State

Party: National Republican Party - Right Wing, National Republican Party - Center Wing (Sunglider cabinet)

Ideology: Republicanism^note Non-Aligned, Harmonic Republicanism^note Harmony (Sunglider cabinet)

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show} Alexander Kemerskai was born in Vinnin, the third son of Baron Aldus Kemerskai. With too late a place in succession and too insignificant a griffon to truly become one of the nobility, Kemerskai tried many odd jobs - he played cornet in the Vinnin Orchestra and was a constant guest at every event in town - eventually, however, he joined the Imperial military. He rose to the ranks of Artillerieoffizier in the Imperial Army, and was set to have a promising career in the armed forces as a Marshal. But fate had different ideas for Griffonia.

The tumultuous years that preceded 978 have disillusioned Kemerskai of his loyalty to the Emperor. He could not stand seeing the decadent nobility leech of others' hard work, nor did he approve of the awful conditions the commonfolk were subjected towards. Thus, he began plotting with like-minded officers and made use of the brewing peasants' insurrection. After a particularly crass display of authority abuse from the Regency Council, the people had enough and stormed the Imperial Palace. In the confusion that followed, Kemerskai found his way as the leader of the newly proclaimed Griffonian Republic.

But this success was not meant to last. Although Kemerskai was popular and commanded respect, he could not control everygriff, and ruling the already weakened country became impossible. It did not take long for a reactionary movement to rise up and banish the republican supporters from the Heartlands. The long march began towards the northern reaches of the fractured Empire, where they have taken control of the region from nobles attempting to start their own independent nation.

Many years have passed since those events, and yet Marshal Kemerskai's devotion to the republican cause has not wavered. Although even now he has to deal with unruly subordinates, he still holds all the cards in his claws. He is also a prolific author, and his many writings inspire republican movements across the entire Griffonia to follow his cause.

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• Action Politician: Kemerskai is both a military leader and a political leader, befitting his "President-Marshal" title.
• Blue Blood: Kemerskai is actually from a minor noble house, and during the Republican Revolution, directly fought against his family and executed his father.
• Cincinnatus: Once the Republic is rebuilt, and the Empire is defeated, Kemerskai will step down and let the Republic's democracy lead the country.
• Emergency Authority: To rebuild the Republic, Kemerskai can declare a state of martial law, aiming to clean up the country and industrialize it so they can fight the Empire.
• Everyone Has Standards: If Dawnclaw's coup succeeds and kills Grover VI, Kemerskai will denounce him an event despite being anti-monarchist himself. It is unclear if he is actually sincere in what he said as he used the child's death to rally his country.
• Face–Heel Turn: The Permanent Emergency path (unlocked by going down Martial Law in the first political tree and choosing the defensive plan against the Empire and selecting the eponymous focus in the new unlocked focus tree) sees Kemerskai becoming a dictator that still nominally believes in the Republican dream.
• Heel Realization: Kemerskai quickly falls ill and dies at the end of the Permanent Emergency tree. On his deathbed, he weeps at the shame of his descent into dictatorship, and begs his son to restore democracy as his dying wish.
• Hereditary Republic: In the Permanent Emergency path, Kemerskai passes down the President-Marshal position to his son, Alexander Kemerskai Jr, while on his deathbed. Alexander Jr can either choose to fulfil his father's dying wish by restoring democracy, or go down the hereditary republic path further by continuing the dictatorship and preparing his own son as the next President-Marshal.
• The Hero Dies: In the normal paths, Kemerskai dies after the Republic conquers the Empire and begins new elections. His nation mourns him, and the player can rename Kemerskai's home town Vinnin to Kemerskaistadt in order to honor him.
• No Historical Figures Were Harmed: President-Marshal Kemerskai is a Composite Character of Dr. Sun Yat-sen and Chiang Kai-shek, being the leader of a Republican rebellion (that is currently in chaos, like real life China after the Xinhai revolution) against an ailing monarchy like Sun, and also ruling as a rather authoritarian figure, similar to Dr. Sun's controversial concept of vanguardist-style political tutelage. Kemerskai can also declare martial law and turn himself into a military dictator in the name of pursuing an eventual Republic, just like Chiang. His name is based on Alexander Kerensky, the first and only President of the Russian Republic.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Normally full of passion and energy, Kemerskai sounds oddly mechanical and cold in the Permanent Emergency path, especially when interacting with an increasingly frustrated Sunglider. It's implied that it's a facade he's deliberately putting on to hide his emotional turmoil at his actions.
• Patricide: Alexander Kemerskai is the third son of Baron Aldus Kemerskai in Vinnin, and was born too late to possibly become a nobleman. During the Republican Revolution, his forces clashed with his father's, ending with his victory and Aldus getting captured. In the aftermath of the battle, Alexander ordered his father to be executed.
• President for Life: In the Permanent Emergency path, Kemerskai declares indefinite martial law to purge the socialists from the Republic. He greatly expands his own powers and becomes an actual dictator.
• Protagonist Journey to Villain: If Kemerskai goes down the Permanent Emergency path, then his entire career is a story of a Griffon's fall from an idealistic social democratic revolutionary to an oppressive dictator.
• Unscrupulous Hero: Even if he honors his promises, Kemerskai has ruthless authoritarian tendencies within his rule. He can pursue more dictatorial policies (such as enacting long periods of martial law) to strengthen the Griffonian Republic so they can eventually take on the Griffonian Empire. He is even OK with executing his own father during the Revolution for being a counterrevolutionary, and when he reconquers the Empire, he can decide to execute his nephew as well for being a defiant noblegriff.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: While Kemerskai is a largely heroic figure and is an Unscrupulous Hero most of the time, in the Permanent Emergency path his authoritarianism overtakes him and he becomes an outright dictator. He still believes in the dreams of the Republic, but he is no longer a heroic figure.

Reinhard Suntail

Role: General, Political Advisor, Head of State (Post-Kemerskai power struggle victory)

Party: Griffonian National Revolutionary Front

Ideology: Ultranationalism^note Supremacy

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show} Reinhard Suntail was born in Crona, a province in the heart of the Griffonian Empire. His family was poor, and lived on scraps. Suntail, wanting to escape the dreary farmlands of Crona, joined the Imperial Army at the age of 15, and journeyed to the city of Griffenheim, where he was placed into the brigade of Alexander Kemerskai, a renowned Artillerieoffizier in the Griffonian Empire and one of Grover's most promising generals.

Suntail joined Kemerskai's plot to overthrow the empire, believing the monarchy of Griffonia was decadent, oligarchic, and drew upon the worst conditions of Griffonkind - greed and lust for power. Suntail participated in the battle for the Imperial Palace, and eventually found his way in command of an entire Republican batallion. With it, he went to his old hometown of Crona and engaged in a brutal looting campaign in an event which would be recalled as "The Rape of Crona" years later.

When the revolutionaries began the long march north, Suntail began to doubt the harmonist values that Kemerskai was so dedicated to, and joined a new party - The Griffonian National Revolutionary Front, an ultranationalist organization dedicated to populism, republicanism, and fanatic devotion to the nation state and people. While Kemerskai did not trust Suntail, he was forced to make him the second most powerful griffon in the republic, and he became Kemerskai's top general.

When the National Revolutionary Front was banned after a terrorist attack in Cloudbury in 1003, Suntail sent his army North, and began to loot, plunder, and sack both Republican and foreign strongholds for weapons and loot. He became a vicious bandit warlord, known for his sheer brutality against both harmonist and monarchist insitutions.

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• Expy: Suntail is basically Chiang Kai-shek with all his worst traits escalated and with no redeeming qualities. Suntail can go further than Chiang did and destroy his mentor's legacy altogether, proclaiming that the true republican cause lay with him and his new government all along.
• Fantastic Racism: Suntail does not like the Diamond Dogs because of their loyalty to the monarchy, so he segregates them after conquering the Empire, and deports many.
• Internal Retcon: After conquering the Empire, Suntail announces that the Republic will embrace the Three Principles it was founded upon, namely Security, Nationalism, and Prosperity. These are clearly not Kemerskai's original Three Principles (Liberty, Democracy, Prosperity), which were modified by Suntail to suit his vision.
• The Revolution Will Not Be Civilized: Suntail exemplifies the most brutal aspects of the Republican Revolution, and his path to take revenge on the Empire involves a lot of bloodshed.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Suntail actually has the same populist welfare policies like Kemerskai, but he is outright brutal in his methods to achieve this goal. After he suffers a fatal stroke, he can choose to restore democracy and stage elections he lies dying. Unfortunately, all the candidates are fascists of various stripes.
• Would Hurt a Child: Suntail sees no problem with publicly beheading the child emperor Grover VI, simply because he is the Emperor.

Claus Rosewing

Role: General, Political Advisor, Head of State (Post-Kemerskai power struggle victory), Statsminister^note Head of State (Placate republicans, Keep Rosewing), Prime Minister^note Head of State (Dual Monarchy)

Party: Military Junta, Plumenjar Restorationists (Placate republicans, Keep Rosewing)

Ideology: Fascism^note Supremacy, Despotism^note Non-Aligned (Placate republicans, Keep Rosewing)

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show} Claus Rosewing, once Kemerskai's most trusted friend in the battle against reaction, was born in 941 in the city of Griffing, Angriver.

At the age of 24, he joined the Imperial Army, and soon became a mentor and comrade to Kemerskai when he joined the army soon after. They both were staunch supporters of Grover IV and his new reforms - but they also believed in radical republicanism and democracy. Rosewing, ever the pragmatist, believed that a regime like Grover IV's would make revolution unnecessary - and that the people should only revolt when monarchy becomes oppressive and decadent. When Grover V took power, however, Rosewing became a supporter of revolution, participating in the mutiny of the Imperial Army during the March on the Imperial Palace. Rosewing participated in campaigns in Angriver and Katerin, and was appointed in late 978 as Kemerskai's official vice president.

Rosewing eventually fled north with Kemerskai, but by that point, the two had suffered many disagreements about Republican rhetoric and ideals. In 995, Rosewing was soon removed as Chief of Staff and Vice President - for Vice President, Kemerskai appointed Schnabel Sunglider, a staunch Republican, and for Minister of Defense, Reinhard Suntail, an openly far-right but skilled general.

Rosewing was sent North to keep the peace with a sizable force, but instead of keeping the peace, Rosewing began to undermine it. His warlord band soon built connections with native and monarchist groups, and Rosewing engaged in the looting of Republican armies and stockpiles. However, Rosewing was not fully anti-government, and always made sure never to attack towns - any soldier who did so would receive the death penalty. And there, in the north, Rosewing has stayed, "defending the peace" for 10 years and counting.

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• Anti-Villain: Despite opposing Kemerskai, Claus is actually a fairly decent fellow. During his exile in the north, he raided Republican forces but refused to attack civilians. When he wins the civil war and purges Suntail, he will bring back the Duchy of Cloudbury, and can from there fully embrace constitutional monarchy, restarting the democracy (that Kemerskai kept suspended) and even creating a monarchist variant of Kemerskai's Three Principles.

Oskar I

Role: Monarch^note Head of State

Party: Plumenjar Restorationists

Ideology: Despotism^note Non-Aligned

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show} Oskar Plumenjar was never supposed to be duke of Cloudbury. Oskar was born to the brother of Crown Prince Otto (who would later rule the Duchy), August Plumenjar, in 956 ALB. When Kemerskai's revolution was brought north, and his uncle, Otto II was executed by Kemerskai, the rest of the legitimate Plumenjar line was taken captive and eventually killed.

While this prevented a takeover from monarchist forces, there were still Plumenjars who were alive. The death of August in 975, just before the revolution, pressured Oskar to parley with the Republican government in order to save his own family and line. Oskar's sister, Oskar, and his son, Otto, all were spared by the Republican government - as a tool of propaganda or as a genuine act of mercy nobody is truly certain. While the Republicans allowed Oskar's sister and her son to stay in the Republic, Oskar himself was exiled to the Northern Tribes.

In the tranquil tribes, he has become a quiet, well-mannered griffon, who was until now not interested in pursuing his claim. Oskar preferred to live a peaceful life in the Northern Tribes, developing friendships with the local ponies there and becoming officially bilingual.

Just now, however, Oskar was restored to the throne by warlord Claus Rosewing, who declared him Oskar I of the Duchy of Cloudbury. The line of Plumenjar would continue, and Cloudbury would once again stand under monarchic rule!

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• The Pardon: Oskar has the choice to offer amnesty to former Republican generals and parliamentarians, in order to secure the support of the people and move toward a parliamentary monarchy.
• Rightful King Returns: Oskar is the rightful heir to the Duchy of Cloudbury, which was abolished by the Republic after it fled north following the failed revolution. If Claus Rosewing takes power, he'll invite Oskar back home and restore him to the throne.
• Unexpected Successor: Oskar was never supposed to be duke of Cloudbury until his uncle Otto II's family was exterminated by the Republicans.

Otto Saxhagen-Plumenjar/Otto III

Role: Admiral, Chief of Navy, Statsminister^note Head of State (Placate republicans, A noble statsminister), Monarch^note Head of State (Placate far-right generals, Ducal power curtailed)

Party: Plumenjar Restorationists

Ideology: Despotism^note Non-Aligned

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Tobias Sivenhof

Role: Political Advisor, Statsminister^note Head of State (Placate republicans, A liberal statsminister), Prime Minister^note Head of State (Dual Monarchy)

Party: Plumenjar Restorationists, Liberaltparti^note Liberal Party (Dual Monarchy)

Ideology: Despotism^note Non-Aligned, Harmonic Republicanism^note Harmony (Dual Monarchy)

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show} Tobias Sivenhof was not originally a member of Kemerskai's movement. He was a prominent civil servant in the city of Kloborg during the reign of Otto II. When the Republicans began the long march north, one of the first towns they came upon was Kloborg. Sivenhof persuaded the mayor of the city, Karl Svens-Rinner, to support the Republican movement. Kloborg began to be used as one of the most important Republican strongholds, and for his support in the Long March, Sivenhof became the first senator of Doendejord. Sivenhof's policies were built on compromise, and he became a very popular figurehead in the Republic.

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Ignatius Bronzetail

Role: Prime Minister^note Head of State (Dual Monarchy)

Party: Enhedslisten/Kaiserpartei^note Unity List/Imperial Party

Ideology: Despotism^note Non-Aligned

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show} 

See his entry in the County of Bronzehill folder on the Herzland subpage.

Julius Eagleclaw

Role: Prime Minister^note Head of State (Dual Monarchy)

Party: Reichsliga^note Imperial League

Ideology: Authoritarian Theocracy^note Supremacy

See his entry in the Strawberry Duchy folder on the Herzland subpage.

Heinrich Kingfeather

Role: President^note Head of State (Griffonian Empire conquered, elections or Pan-Griffonian election)

Party: National Republican Party - Right Wing

Ideology: Republicanism^note Non-Aligned

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show} If you asked a Republican citizen what Heinrich Kingfeather, arguably the second most powerful griffon in the Republic, has done in the last 4 years, despite his vast agenda, they would be unable to tell you anything.

Heinrich Kingfeather was born in 949 ALB in Greengate, Yale. Trained in law and economics, the young Kingfeather did not seem like a suitable candidate for a revolutionary leader at all, but his progressive legal precedents led him to become one of Republicanism's staunchest defenders. When the Revolution broke out in 978, Kingfeather was originally skeptical, but eventually joined Kemerskai once Griffenheim had been seized and the regency council driven out. As a lawyer and politician first and revolutionary second, Kingfeather advocated for Republicanism at the international level, attempting numerous deals with both Equestria and the River Coalition - both who largely denied his advances. His legal and political action during Kemerskai's term eased public instability and anger at the Republicans, but it could not save the revolution militarily.

Kingfeather, instead of participating in the Long March, fled to Skyfall and then the newly independent City of Fezera, before finally arriving in the Republic to cheering crowds after its control over Cloudbury was secured. Although his inability to support the Republicans in the Long March was a point of disapproval for many, Kingfeather continued to represent the people of the Republic in their new seat in Cloudbury.

Kingfeather's work has largely been behind the scenes since he became Kemerskai's second-in-command in 1003, replacing ambitious militarist Schnabel Sunglider with a focus on largely domestic issues. Faced with an unruly military and banditry in the countryside, Kingfeather began to construct a policy that countered Sunglider's beliefs of violent reaction to dissidence. Kingfeather met with hundreds of native leaders in acts that helped mend the complete chaos in the countryside following Rosewing's initial agitation, acts that led him to become one of the most pro-native leaders on the national level. Pragmatism was Kingfeather's main goal, a goal that became more and more difficult with the polarization of the country between political and ethnic lines.

Will he ever succeed? Or will he die with all the cards in his claws and no bravery to use them, as his opposition claims?

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Schnabel Sunglider

Role: Field Marshal, President^note Head of State (Griffonian Empire conquered, elections or Pan-Griffonian election)

Party: National Republican Party - Centre Wing

Ideology: Harmonic Republicanism^note Harmony

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show} Schnabel Sunglider did not lose his eye in the service of his glorious Republic so that he could see it fall to limp-wristed conservatives, Skynavian-sympathizing democratic socialists, and vicious warlords. Vice-President of the Republic from 995 to 1003, and Chief of Staff from 1003 onwards, Schnabel Sunglider has been one of the staunchest supporters of the regime of Alexander Kemerskai and the democratic values that were promised by the revolution of 978.

Ever the idealist, Sunglider has fought for the rights of the people since he joined the National Republican Party in 975 ALB, becoming an unofficial leader of the party during his teenage years. From there, he rose to power in the revolution of 978 ALB, shaking claws with Marshal Kemerskai and together proclaiming the Griffonian Republic, along with generals Claus Rosewing and Reinhard Suntail. Sunglider fought with Reinhard Suntail in the Crona campaign, but took a bullet to the eye during the fighting. Whisked away by medics, Sunglider miraculously survived, but found Crona in ruins - Reinhard Suntail had sacked the city to the ground in vengeance for Imperial crimes and the percieved death of Sunglider.

Although he never fully recovered from the loss of his eye, Sunglider kept fighting, and dissatisfied with Suntail, Sunglider fought with Kemerskai during his campaigns in the North with a fury that two-eyed griffons could barely match. A one-eyed phantom, Sunglider remained a battle-hardened tactician and fearsome general throughout his service in the Republican military.

Now, Sunglider is in a prime position of power, and is ready to protect the Republican dream at any cost.

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• Would Hurt a Child: After the Republicans seize Griffenheim and take the child Emperor Grover VI into custody, Sunglider demands that justice must be exacted upon the boy for 'the unforgivable crimes of his father and the crimes him and his vile regent plotted to commit across all Griffonia', though Kemerskai immediately shuts down the proposal.

Rikard Astler

Role: President^note Head of State (Kemerskai ousted or Griffonian Empire conquered, elections)

Party: National Republican Party - Left Wing

Ideology: Democratic Socialism^note Communism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show} Rikard Astler, founder and leader of the Left-NRP, was born in Cloudbury in 981, when it was under the control of the Republic, one of the only ministers in Kemerskai's government to have not fought in the Long March nor the Revolution. Astler's father, a native Cloudburian, and his mother, a refugee from the Republic's territory in the Heartlands, raised him with a pro-native policy, and Astler would soon begin to idolize the Socialist Republic of Skynavia and its unique system of government.

Participating in numerous socialist and unionist movements, Astler eventually became a City Councilgriff in Cloudbury, under the banner of the Left-NRP, promising a democratic socialist government for the Republic. Although he abandoned many of his pro-Skynavian views during his tenure in the City Council of Cloudbury, many began to distrust him, and he endured slander after attack on his character.

However, against all odds, Astler was elected Mayor of Cloudbury in 1005, in local elections allowed by the Kemerskai government. His opponent, a fierce Republican and anti-communist, was driven out of his seat, and Astler instantly began to further progressive reform efforts in the industrializing city.

His mayoral position has now put him in an interesting situation - as one of the most powerful politicians in the Republic, Astler has the powerful and influence to become the next President of the Republic - if he does not fall to anti-Skynavnian fervour.

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• No Celebrities Were Harmed: Rikard Astler is a riff on Rick Astley.

Alexander Kemerskai Jr.

Role: Field Marshal, Chief of Army, President^note Head of State (Enforce Martial Law, Kemerskai succession or Pan-Griffonian election)

Party: National Republican Party

Ideology: Harmonic Republicanism^note Harmony

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Stefano Ariveli

Role: Political Advisor, President^note Head of State (Democratic Kemerskai Jr., Fresh elections)

Party: National Republican Party

Ideology: Harmonic Republicanism^note Harmony

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show} Stefano Arivelli hails from the city of Karthin, in Wingbardy. After the death of King Gumberto in 972 ALB, his family moved to the Empire, where they were not welcome due to hostile attitudes toward Wingbardians. Stefano joined the army, but was consistently mocked for his Wingbardian upbringing, and found solace in the Republican, pan-griffonian movement developing in the region. Stefano would eventually participate in the Revolution and the Long March. However, he was unable to speak Cloduburian and only knew a small amount of the Herzlander dialect. While a banking expert from his time in the Wingbardian School of Economics, he has begun to drink and waste himself, fed up with his inability to interact with most of the Republic's people.

The only thing keeping him with the Republic is his fanatic loyalty to the revolution and to his greatest friend, Heinrich Kingfeather, a fellow academic. As Kingfeather's de-facto second-in-command, Arivelli has pushed through pragmatic reform and business encouragement in accordance with the principles of Prosperity and Liberty.

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Walter Emerich

Role: General, Military High Command, President^note Head of State (Democratic Kemerskai Jr., Fresh elections)

Party: National Republican Party

Ideology: Harmonic Republicanism^note Harmony

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show} Walter Emerich was born to a family of merchants in Winterbell, Strawberry, and was expected to join the family business at the Griffing river. Emerich, however, had different plans for his destiny, and when he turned 16, he bid his parents farewell and took a steamboat down the Griffing to Griffenheim.

City life, however, was not what Emerich believed it to be - and he soon wished to be back in Strawberry. Disillusioned with the poverty and strife in the capital following the death of the popular Grover IV, Emerich became active in underground republican circles.

When revolution broke out in 978, Emerich rejoiced, and participated in the storming of the Imperial palace along with thousands of commoners. Despite not having a shred of military experience, he was appointed as an officer by the President-Marshal for his actions in the storming of the palace, but most historians attest Kemerskai appointed him to ensure support among fanatic republicans - who still viewed him as an opportunist.

Emerich learned quickly from his fellow officers, participating in the First and Second Interriver Campaigns - but was defeated at the Second Battle of Vinnin by Erich Ebonwing.

Emerich would subsequently participate in the Long March and post-revolutionary politics, being appointed provisional senator of Brenna by Kemerskai, a position he holds to this day - although now he stands as a military governor, fanatically loyal to the Marshal who gave him a new life.

---

Gerben Kogchel

Role: President^note Head of State (Pan-Griffonian election)

Party: Griffonian Socialist Party

Ideology: Democratic Socialism^note Communism

See his entry in the Grand Duchy of Feathisia folder on the Herzland subpage.

Genevieve Guildedwing

Role: President^note Head of State (Pan-Griffonian election)

Party: Social Democratic Party

Ideology: Harmonic Republicanism^note Harmony

See her entry in the Skyfall Trade Federation folder on the Griffonia subpage.

Théodore Vérany

Role: President^note Head of State (Pan-Griffonian election)

Party: National Republican Party

Ideology: Harmonic Republicanism^note Harmony

See his entry in the Kingdom of Aquileia folder on the Griffonia subpage.

Gallo Ventriglio

Role: President^note Head of State (Pan-Griffonian election)

Party: Liberal-Democratic Harmonist Party

Ideology: Harmonic Republicanism^note Harmony

See his entry in the Kingdom of Wingbardy folder on the Southern Griffonia subpage.

Socialist Republic of Skynavia

^{Flag of the Griffonian Northern Region} 

Full Name: Socialist Republic of Skynavia, Pan-Griffonian Socialist Commonwealth, Griffonian Northern Region (Griffonian Republic puppet state)

Ruling Party: United Socialist Revolutionary Front

Ideology: Democratic Socialism^note Communism

The Socialist Republic of Skynavia is a republic lying on the Skynavian watershed, at the pony-inhabited Northern edge of Griffonia. Led by a popular front of socialists, anarchists, and communists, the republic formed from the far-left splinter faction of Kemerskai's Republican movement, who saw Kemerskai's authoritarianism as a betrayal of the revolution. Years after the socialists' second long march north of Cloudbury, the Skynavian revolutionaries have gathered their strength and are looking outwards, for their final goal is nothing less than the total liberation of all Griffons.

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• Chummy Commies: The Communists of Skynavia are by far some of the most democratic communists in the world, having a very well developed socialist democratic system (represented as a gameplay mechanic).
• Everyone Has Standards: Skynavia supports and can align with most Communist nations, but they will not work with Abba Povner's Longsword and Lavender Berry's Baltimare.
• Magikarp Power: Skynavia begins as a backwater socialist country even more fringe than the Griffonian Republic and the Prywhenian Liberation Army. Despite this, they also have pan-Griffonian ideals and with some hard work can expand to encompass all of Griffonia.
• No Historical Figures Were Harmed: Political advisors Emma Goldgriff and Mikhail Beakunin are based on famous anarchists Emma Goldman and Mikhail Bakunin respectively.
• Non-Standard Character Design: After Sickleclaw gives up power, Skynavia's leader (for the rest of the game) becomes the General Congress, whose portrait depicts the building where they meet (instead of any individual creature), reflecting how decentralised power is.
• We ARE Struggling Together: Skynavian politics is fiercely divided between Internationalists who are eager to spread the revolution, and Communalists who want to maintain what they have right now.

Asper Sickleclaw

Role: Head of State

Party: United Socialist Revolutionary Front, Sickleclaw's Clique (Military junta path)

Ideology: Democratic Socialism^note Communism, Despotism^note Non-Aligned (Military junta path)

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show} Asper Sickleclaw was a junior lieutenant in the Griffonian army when the First Revolution smashed the Empire to pieces. Marching alongside his fellow revolutionaries, Sickleclaw participated in most of the battles against the monarchist counter-revolution, eventually ending up in Cloudbury along with the remnants of the Republican government.

Having witnessed the despotism and authoritarianism of the Republican generals, Sickleclaw, anticipating the Republic's spiral into warlordism, adopted socialist views and marched onwards north, leading disillusioned socialists and other leftists away from the crumbling Republic into the virgin lands of Skynavia, where they hoped to start anew, free from the baggage of capitalist militarism.

Now a staunch Internationalist, Sickleclaw is the foremost military leader of the Skynavian Socialist Republic, and is looked up to by most as a revered war hero, though some have raised concerns over what they perceive to be autocratic tendencies in his leadership.

---

• Book Burning: Dictator Sickleclaw organizes a massive book burning across Skynavia to destroy subversive socialist literature.
• Cincinnatus: Sickleclaw serves as the authoritarian provisional leader of the Socialist Republic to safeguard the Republic through periods of hardship. Once the hardship is over, he is expected to step down and hand power back to the General Congress. He can decide not to.
• Driven to Suicide: If Sickleclaw's military dictatorship is overthrown, he commits suicide inside his office after his headquarters is stormed by a large group of revolters.
• Drunk with Power: Initially the provisional leader of the Socialist Republic of Skynavia, expected to give up his powers to the General Congress, Sickleclaw can decide that he does not want to give up his powers, and soon turns on his fellow socialists.
• Emergency Authority: When the Socialist Republic is in a losing war, Asper Sickleclaw can be recalled back to the leadership to lead the country through the war, granting several temporary bonuses to the country.
• Face–Heel Turn: Disappointed with socialism, Sickleclaw can decide to make his temporary power permanent and begin a military dictatorship. He will then purge socialist elements from Skynavia and declare an perpetual martial law to keep his power indefinitely.
• Full-Circle Revolution: It is possible for Asper Sickleclaw to seize power and become the military dictator of Skynavia, just like Kemerskai's authoritarian government that originally led to Skynavia's secession. In fact, in many ways, Sickleclaw's dictatorship is worse than Kemerskai ever was or ever could be.
• The Gulag: As a part of his anti-socialism efforts, Sickleclaw sends socialist thinkers (activists, teachers, philosophers, etc.) to work camps to reeducate them.
• Jumping Off the Slippery Slope: Sickleclaw's path to a military dictator begins very mildly, when he simply states that he wants to stay in power for a bit longer. Once the council reacts against him and begins a civil war, Sickleclaw rapidly descents into a total dictator willing to cleanse the entire society to get rid of socialism.
• Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist: In the event where Sickleclaw becomes the dictator of Skynavia, he initially states that he is a Well-Intentioned Extremist that was disillusioned with socialism and its bickering politicians, and thus wanted to give Skynavia a strong leader. However, his subsequent Jumping Off the Slippery Slope and creation of an anti-socialist police state made it unclear as to what does Sickleclaw truly believe anymore.
• Police State: Skynavia under Sickleclaw is a tightly controlled nation that harshly punishes socialism at every level of society, where the secret police watches every citizen and arrests any sign of dissent, where people are incentivized to report on each other for socialist behavior, where the army either actively purges socialism or gets purged themselves. Everyone lives in fear.
• The Purge: Sickleclaw's dictatorship begins an extensive purge on the society and the army to root out socialist elements, where one tenth of the military personnel are liquidated.
• Revolving Door Revolution: In Sickleclaw's dictatorship route, after he deposes the General Congress to create his military dictatorship, if Sickleclaw does not pacify Skynavia within 450 days, a communist revolt happens and deposes him.
• Tyrant Takes the Helm: Under Sickleclaw's military dictatorship, fear, repression, and purges run rampant. In his desire to completely cleanse the country of socialism that he thought had failed them, Sickleclaw had become a complete tyrant.
• Walking Spoiler: While Sickleclaw plays a very minor role for the vast majority of Skynavian playthroughs, the Skynavian route where Sickleclaw plays a major role is spoileriffic.

Kingdom of Vedina

Full Name: Kingdom of Vedina

Ruling Party: Wingstrom Dynasty

Ideology: Benevolent Absolutism^note Harmony

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• The Alliance: To avoid getting annexed later on, Vedina can join various factions after the Vedinian Royal Wedding depending on the outcome.
  • In the Righteous/Harmony path, it can choose between the Republican Pact or the Entente.
  • In the Pragmatic/Non-Aligned path, it can choose between returning back to the Reichspakt or standing alone.
  • In the Corrupted/Supremacy path, it is one of the few nations that can form their own faction like New Mareland or join a Supremacy-headed faction in the continent like the Archon!Reichspakt.
• Can't Catch Up: The nation as a whole is suffering from this when compared to other major powers. It has a very slow research speed and starts with only 2 research slots. Their capitulation quote even lampshades this!
• Civil War: The nation can go through this if the Vedinian Royal Wedding gets bloody. And this is not counting the brewing separatist movement by one of the dukes...
• Multiple Endings: How the Vedinian Royal Wedding goes is decided by the choices you made up until that point.
  • Ondska not chosen and last-minute proposal rejected: If Prince Ondska was not chosen then he will try to convince Princess Sköldsvärd to change her mind and pick him. If she resists then during the ceremony, if not enough quests are completed in a chivalrous way then the nobility will rise up in rebellion to cause a civil war and the Non-Aligned path opens up. If enough quests are completed then Ondska will instead attempt a coup and challenge Princess Sköldsvärd to a duel. If she chooses the sword then the Righteous/Harmony path opens up, otherwise, if the gun is chosen then the Pragmatic/Non-Aligned path opens instead.
  • Ondska not chosen and last-minute proposal accepted: Ondska will plan with Princess Sköldsvärd. He will launch his coup to murder the nobility and become king. After that, a civil war opens up against the Harmonist supporters, leaving Ondska to lead the nation and cause a loss of 15% stability.
  • Ondska chosen and darkness rejected: If Ondska was initially chosen then Princess Sköldsvärd has one last chance to come to her senses and back out of his plan. Doing so will open the sword and gun paths. However in this case, while choosing the sword will still lead her back to the Righteous/Harmony path, choosing the gun will instead will have it jam at a crucial moment and cause her death. This results in the Prince Stridande taking over, who takes the Non-Aligned path while the country plunges into civil war against Ondska.
  • Ondska chosen and darkness embraced: If Princess Sköldsvärd goes with Ondska in the end then they will massacre the nobles at the wedding. The remaining nobles and knights who did not side with the Princess will start a civil war and the Corrupted/Supremacy path will open.
• Our Founder: A figure known as the "Wise Lady" is prominently worshipped in Vedina due to her involvement in helping their first king form the country. It is also known that she had divine or supernatural powers of her own. The fabled sword that is chosen if you go down the Righteous/Harmony path is said to be made or at least blessed by her.
• Shout-Out: The Vedinian Royal Wedding focus is called "The Red Wedding".
• Skill Scores and Perks: In her journey to become the next ruler, Princess Sköldsvärd has to go through various trials that test her skills. If chosen correctly, you get Chivalry points. These are meant to be spent on "Combat", which increases her Field Marshal stats and "Statecraft", which increase her overall ruler buffs. There are 8 levels for both attributes and increasing them also needs 50 political power per level. It is noted that if her "Combat" is at least level 4, her stats would already be at least 5 and above.
• Succession Crisis: While King Wingstrom has a daughter and is making sure that she is the next ruler, Princess Sköldsvärd has yet to prove herself by passing the traditional trials of being a Knight in Shining Armor to earn her right to the throne.

Gustav IV Wingstrom

Role: Monarch^note Head of State

Party: Wingstrom Dynasty

Ideology: Benevolent Absolutism^note Harmony

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show} Born: 3rd October, 941, in Turhamn

Biography: Gustav IV of the House of Wingstrom, commonly referred to as simply "King Wingstrom", has reigned as King of Vedina for decades, maintaining the traditions and values of the chivalrous monarchy before and after the Republican Revolution. Due to Gustav's efforts, the effects of the Revolution on the wayward Kingdom were largely averted, and the nobility continued to support the rule of the Wingstrom dynasty without significant unrest from the commoners.

Eleven years after the Republican Revolution, at the age of 48, the Wise Lady and the gods bestowed upon Gustav his only first and only child, a griffon by the name of Sköldsvärd. Gustav's young wife died soon after, and the King was left with only a female heir to pass the trials of the Vedinaan monarchy. As the remaining members of the Wingstrom dynasty fell out, more and more nobles clamored for his heir's claw in marriage, desiring the throne of Vedina for themselves, but Gustav refused each and every one of them - declaring that when she came of age, his daughter would prove herself alone to be worthy of the trials of Vedina, and the Wingstrom name.

Now, his daughter has come of age, and the old King, although still popular among the nobility, has decided that he will abdicate upon his heir's completion of the trials of Vedina. Due to Gustav's actions, he hopes, the Wingstrom name will live on regardless of whatever cowardly noble is the one to secure his daughter's claw.

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Sköldsvärd

Role: Monarch^note Head of State (Gustav IV succession)

Party: Wingstrom Dynasty

Ideology: Benevolent Absolutism^note Harmony (the Righteous), Non-Aligned (the Pragmatist), Supremacy (the Corrupted)

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Ondska I

Role: Monarch^note Head of State (Coup or Civil war)

Party: Council of Nobles

Ideology: Autocracy^note Supremacy

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show} Born: 24th November, 982, in Halmstad

Biography: It was almost as if Ondska was pre-destined to be a shadowy schemer, dwelling in the courtly intrigues of Vedina with little regard for the outdated morals of the chivalrous Kingdom. Born to the Norén family, Counts of Flodbotten, Ondska was named "Evil" in Vedinan, a testament to his vengeful father's cynical humor. It is perhaps most ironic that Ondska, at least on the interior, appears to embody his name. Ambitious, ruthless, and cunning, he has risen from cousin of the Counts of Flodbotten to one of the most important schemers in all of Vedina.

Handsome and charming, Ondska seems to be a prime candidate for the new Prince of Vedina, should the Princess take what she hears about him at face value. Much-loved by most of the nobility for his facade of courtesy and generosity, Ondska is the prime candidate of the traditionalist faction of Vedina, discontent with Gustav Wingstrom's reforms of the Vedinan monarchy.

However, should the princess find herself looking a little deeper, Ondska's plans surely would be foiled - unless he can convince her of the scheming ways of his family himself.

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Northern Tribes

^{Flag of the Free Northern Communes} 

^{Flag of the Everfrost Republic} 

Full Name: Northern Tribes, Free Northern Communes (Skynavia puppet state), Everfrost Republic (Griffonian Republic puppet state)

Ruling Party: Snowflake Dynasty

Ideology: Tribal Federation^note Harmony

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• General Failure: The Northern Tribes are home to two of the absolute worst generals in the game - Gordon the Archer, who was once a great war hero, but whose blindness more than offsets any skill he may have once had, and Federic Birch, who is an imbecile and exactly as capable as one might expect a drooling idiot to be - no matter what his raw stats are, his Imbecile trait negates all bonuses his stats might offer, and it carriers a significant penalty to division attack and defense.

Princess Fiana II

Role: Monarch^note Head of State

Party: Snowflake Dynasty

Ideology: Tribal Federation^note Harmony

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Dread Peninsula

Arcturian Order

Full Name: Arcturian Order, Arcturian Kingdom (Dread League conquered)

Ruling Party: Progressive Wing of the Council

Ideology: Chivalric Knightly Order^note Harmony

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• Expy:
  • The Arcturian Order is an expy of the Night's Watch, being an ancient and largely forgotten knightly order founded to defend the continent against an army of the dead coming from the far north.
  • One of the Arcturian Order's generals is a pony named Whitemane, who wears the same outfit as High Inquisitor Sally Whitemane from Warcraft.
• Face–Heel Turn: Rosa may attempt a conference with the Arcturian Order with the intention of either corrupting the Order from within or forming a treaty under false pretenses. If her corruption efforts or treaty negotiations go as she intends, the Arcturian Order will immediately disband and be annexed by the Dread League.
• The Good Kingdom: After their victory against the Dread League, the Arcturian Order reforms into the Arcturian Kingdom, and begins to open up to the world. Still led by the Arcturian Order, with the former headmaster being the constitutional or the absolute king, the Kingdom can either enter the world in peace (Harmonic) or be played as a Knight Templar and spread their rule by force (Non-Aligned).
• Hidden Elf Village: The Arcturian Order adopted a policy of isolationism, deliberately turning away all outsiders to focus on defending against the Dread League. Other countries cannot interact with them until they finish off the Dread League and turn into the Arcturian Kingdom.
• Hold the Line: The strategy to fight against the Dread League is to hold the initial reinforced border at all costs. Any breakdown in the frontline will most likely doom the Order to an eventual defeat.
• Instant-Win Condition: If they successfully complete the focus and mission to retrieve the Shield of Hope, they instantly win against the Dread League, no matter how the war is going.
• The Order: The Arcturian Order is an ancient order of holy knights founded to keep the undead up the North of Griffonia under control.
• Sacrificial Lion: If you set the AI to historical while you play an unrelated faction, the Dread League will usually always overrun the Arcturian Order. This is to demonstrate the power of the Dread League before they unleash the Black Crusade.
• Yank the Dog's Chain: After defeating the Dread League, you have the option to release the Arcturian Order as their own nation or as your puppet. If you choose to release the Arcturian Order without making them your puppet, they will be subsequently swept aside by the Northern Storm soon after as a newly liberated nation has practically no divisions.

Torygg Brightclaw

Role: Headmaster^note Head of State

Party: Progressive Wing of the Council

Ideology: Chivalric Knightly Order^note Harmony

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show} Headmaster Torygg has led the Arcturian Order for years. Stoic and proud, he has kept a long vigil over the lands to the north. Waiting for the day when the Dread League finally marches south to rid the world of all life. He is a quiet and confident individual. A veteran of the southern wars, he has come to realise his purpose in life is to guard against a greater evil than the world has ever seen.

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• No Mere Windmill: Following their victory on Dread League, the Order can renew their investigation into former Headmaster Torygg's assassination. It is revealed that Torygg was concerned about some other dark force manipulating many events throughout history — and as the investigation draws to a close, he's revealed to have been right, for with the Order on the trail of the Windigos, they reveal themselves, take control of the Dread Peninsula and launch a second war.
• We Hardly Knew Ye: The Arcturian Order's story begins with his assassination.

William Steelbeak

Role: General, Headmaster^note Head of State (Election)

Party: Progressive Wing of the Council

Ideology: Chivalric Knightly Order^note Harmony

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show} William Steel Beak is a reformer and a believer in harmony above all things. He adheres to the code of the Arcturian Order as all knights do, but believes that some of its harsher tenets should be more lax. Primarily this ideological split is based around the whole purpose of the order. William believes that the order can be a force for good in the world, not just a bulwark against the Dread League. He believes everyone can be redeemed and that the Arcturian Order's main focus should be to promote harmony in the wider world and to teach those who have fallen a better way of living. Popular with the soldiers and with those under his command, William is a reluctant leader who is much more comfortable leading his knights to victory than he is sitting in the senate. However, he is more than ready to take up the burden of leadership should it be needed.

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• The Good King: William is the Harmonic option for the Arcturian Order, and becomes a King of Harmony after the defeat of the Dread League and the creation of the Arcturian Kingdom, pursuing more peaceful diplomatic relations with their neighbors.

Østwald Vind

Role: Field Marshal, Headmaster^note Head of State (Election)

Party: Traditional Wing of the Council

Ideology: Knightly Order^note Non-Aligned

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show} Østwald Vind is a stern traditionalist. He upholds the code of the Arcturian Order to the letter, and will do everything he can to protect its values. He has seen many skirmishes with the Dread League's legions, and has seen first claw the terror that wild and uncontrolled magic can bring. Thus, he seeks to end the Dread League threat once and for all and to ensure such a thing can never happen. He seeks greater control on the world at large and believes the code of the Order should be upheld by all. Heretics should not be tolerated. The word of the code is law, and Østwald is its enforcer.

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• Knight Templar: Østwald believes that the code of the Order should be upheld by all. Once the Arcturian Kingdom is created, Østvald pursues more aggressive and expansionist policies.

Dread League

^{Flag of the Scientific Dread Collective} 

Full Name: Dread League, Kingdom Of Dread (Rubra), Scientific Dread Collective (Ascendant puppet state)

Ruling Party: The Necromancer Council

Ideology: Necrocracy^note Supremacy

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• Challenging the Chief: The winner of the Immortal Games is allowed to face off against the incumbent Dread King. Should they succeed, a new monarch would take their rightful place upon the throne.
• Combat by Champion: Contestants in the Immortal Games are not required to directly participate. Instead, they can choose or create a single champion who will fight in their stead.
• Expy: One of the Dread League's generals is a pony named Windrunner, whose name, hood and facial features are a clear reference to Sylvanas Windrunner, a major character in Warcraft who leads the Forsaken undead.
• Hard-Coded Hostility: The Dread League fights two wars: the first one with the Arcturian Order, and the second one with the rest of the world. After taking the focus "Finis Omnium Vitarum", the Dread League will automatically and continuously declare war on all of their neighbouring countries.
• Mechanically Unusual Fighter: The Dread League relies on raising the dead, giving it a near endless stream of bodies and absurd numbers, but its tech is incredibly poor.
• Names To Run Away From Very Fast: A running theme for the country - they're called the Dread League, all of their starting states sound ominous, their leader takes the surname Maledictus (masculine) or Maledicta (feminine), and all of their ships have names like "Corruption", "Desecration", and "Soul Reaver". The theme even extends to some lands once held by the ancient Dread Empire, such as Losthope in Farbrook and Bonedrift in Firtree.
• The Necrocracy: The Dread League is governed by a cabal of necromancers (most of them liches) and a coven of vampire lords.
• Necromancer: The Dread League is a league of necromancers who fight with an army of raised dead.
• Omnicidal Maniac: The Dread League seeks to wipe out all life in Equestria. After defeating the Arcturian Order and taking the Finis Omnium Vitarum focus, they'll automatically declare war on all countries that share a border with them until the Dread League is defeated or successfully conquers the entire world.
• Outside-Context Problem: Semi-omniscience provided by the user interface not withstanding, pretty much nopony outside the Arcturian Order and the Dread League itself is aware they even exist, and in a world preparing for an industrial World War II-like conflict, they're an almost completely magical threat that wouldn't be remotely out of place in a more traditionally fantastic setting.
• Purposely Overpowered: A game set-up option called "Dread Apocalypse", which is designed to make the Black Crusade much more intense, purposefully strengthens an AI Dread League^note The game rule does not apply to a human playing the Dread League by allowing the Dread League to to take both the Coven of Blood and Coven of Bones routes, which are normally mutually-exclusive^note This is done by a hidden event that unlocks a focus from the Coven of Bones tree each time the Dread League unlocks a focus from the Coven of Blood tree, save for the final Quest for the Chalice focus, gaining huge bonuses to division quality, recruitable population and population growth, more free factories, basic fighters and kamikaze tactics, offsetting most of their tech rate penalty, and doing both trees in the time it would take them to complete just one. The game even warns that this option should not be activated by a casual player. This is however very much downplayed by one major factor: It only really makes them overpowered versus the Arcturian Order and maybe the Hillponies. Even with Dread Apocalypse, the Dread League is so thoroughly backwards (not to mention navally non-existent) that they tend to be swiftly defeated once they declare war on any River Coalition state.
• Quantity vs. Quality: The main choice for the Dread League is whether to favor the vampires of the Coven of Blood or the liches of the Coven of Bones. The Coven of Blood is the quality route, trading away most of the Dread League's massive population growth for significant improvements in division attack and speed and offsetting a significant portion of the Dread League's massive tech penalty. The Coven of Bones is the quantity choice, ignoring the Dread League's tech penalty entirely in favor of doubling down on its massive population growth and recruitment rate and favoring attrition tactics in a war of raw numbers with boosted defense and kamikaze tactics.
• Shout-Out: The Communist leader for the Dread League, Comrade Salikov, is the Comrade Skeletal meme. While his canonicity is questionable since the Dread League cannot follow Communism, he's the only human to appear in the game even if he's just a skeleton of one (NCR Expedition April Fools' Day content notwithstanding).
• The Undead: The Dread League's entire army is made up of the reanimated dead. They get a huge portion of recruitable core population, and basically no recruitable non-core population. However, they can "convert" the living non-core population to recruitable population by decisions, and in the Coven of Bones route, they get massive boosts to population growth to represent raising hordes of the undead.
• Vampire Procreation Limit: Since vampires can't convert the living to mostly-mindless thralls as rapidly or endlessly as the lichs and necromancers can raise skeletons and zombies, the Coven of Blood route sacrifices most of the Dread League's massive population growth. Fortunately for the Dread League, thralls are stronger and faster than zombies and skeletons.

Corpus Maledictus

Role: Head of State

Party: The Necromancer Council

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• Narcissist: Known for his extreme narcissism, Corpus only does anything when it benefits him.
• Sore Loser: When the Dread Council declares Wilted Rose's victory over Corpus as legitimate, he refuses to accept and tries to kill her so he wouldn't have to abdicate.
  Dread Council: The rules state that a Contender cannot cast spells during a match. She did not cast the spell. Her champion did. You lost, Corpus.
  Corpus Maledictus: No! I will not accept this, you vile traitors! What she did was not possible! She had to have cheated and you're covering it up! The Circle will have your hides for this! I will not relinquish my authority to a scheming, pathetic mortal!

Rosa Maledicta

^{Rosa Maledicta the Queen of Bones} 

^{Rosa Maledicta the Queen of Blood} 

^{Rosa Maledicta the Redeemed Queen} 

Role: Head of State

Party: The Necromancer Council

Ideology: Necrocracy^note Supremacy

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• Evil Makes You Ugly: As a necromancer of the Dread League, Rosa is visibly gaunt and looks like she's seen better days. If the Arcturian Order redeems her after defeating her, she gets a new portrait with much softer facial features, and perhaps just as a function of the change in the lighting, her mane goes from appearing to be a graying reddish-black to a bright maroon.
• Heel–Face Turn: Zigzagged. After being defeated, the Arcturian Order can try to purge Rosa of evil influences and turn her to the side of the light. If the correct choices (the more compassionate ones) are chosen, Rosa will embrace light and turn to goodness, becoming a member of the Arcturian Order. This makes her a powerful general for the Order, undoes her lich or vampire transformation, and gives her a new portrait. Alternatively, she can attempt to subvert the Arcturian Order via corruption or diplomacy, only to have these backfire and have the Arcturian Order either root out the corruption and convince her to disband the Dread League, or they actually embrace the treaty of peace and friendship and push it hard, which can result in Rosa actually agreeing and giving up the Dread League's goals of wiping out all life.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: Rosa's attempts to subvert the Arcturian Order and eliminate them without a war may instead lead to the Dread League being disbanded and itself eliminated without putting up the fight they had spent years preparing for.
• Murder-Suicide: On the grandest scale possible - if she succeeds in wiping out all life, she tops it off by ending the last (un)life left - her own. She does so to spite the Windigoes and create a truly dead world in which there is no disharmony on which they can feed.
• Redemption Equals Sex: Downplayed. If Rosa Maledicta is redeemed and made a general instead of being executed, she will marry William Steel Beak after defeating the Northern Storm.
• Vampires Are Sex Gods: The flavor text for Rosa as the Queen of Blood describes her as both beautiful and terrifying. To the description's credit, she looks much younger and no longer has the gaunt appearance of her pre-transformation self.

Rubra

Role: Head of State (Defeated by Viira)

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• Dragon Ascendant: If the Dread League is defeated by Viira Lehtola, she makes a pact with House Rubra, elevating them to be the new rulers of the Dread Peninsula.
• Shout-Out: Lady Rubra is based on Lady Alcina Dimitrescu, a villain from Resident Evil Village.

Northern Storm (UNMARKED SPOILERS)

Full Name: Northern Storm

Ideology: Tyrannic Magocracy^note Supremacy

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• Broken Record: When the investigation concludes, the post-Dread-League-War Arcturian Order focus "The Investigation"'s description turns into:
  "They are coming. They are coming. They are coming. They are coming. They are coming. They are coming. They are coming. They are coming. They are coming. They are coming. They are coming. They are coming. They are coming. They are coming. They are coming. They are coming. They are coming. They are coming. They are coming. They are coming."
• Climax Boss: The Windigoes are a major foe in the Arcturian Order's storyline. After the Dread League is defeated, and the investigation is fully complete, the Windigoes reveal themselves with little warning, instantly retaking the entire Dread Peninsula and spawning 40 or so divisions on the spot and declaring war on the Arcturian Order. Only until they are defeated does the Order truly come to peace, and can begin to further expand their Kingdom. They will only capitulate when you seize every tile they own.
• Diabolus ex Machina: There is no hint towards the existence of the Windigoes before the investigation happens. Once the investigation finishes and the Windigoes are revealed, they also instantly reveal themselves physically and declare war on the Arcturian Order, forcing them into a second, much more unexpected war.
• Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: Despite instantly appearing with 40 divisions, the Arcturian Order at this point in time would have developed a very strong army that had already defeated the Dread League before. With a little extra help from other countries, the Arcturian Order can easily crush the Northern Storm.
• Didn't Think This Through: Formed the Dread League to create massive amounts of disharmony to feed off, but they don't prevent it from killing everyone. This results in a lifeless world with nothing to feed off, dooming them to starvation.
• Eldritch Abomination: The Windigoes are nightmarish monsters that feed on disharmony, and have influenced many events that occurred throughout Equus and Griffonia to produce discord so they can feast. They are also extremely powerful magical creatures, and had hid their presence extremely well.
• Evil Is Deathly Cold: The presence of Windigoes is associated with a sudden drop in temperature and lots of ice. This is reflected in gameplay with the Northern Strom inflicting a massive cold attrition.
• Greater-Scope Villain: The Windigoes had a hand in influencing Rosa and causing the Dread League's Black Crusade so they can feed on the disharmony created. According to Torygg, he thinks that they are also responsible for the many, many conflicts happening beyond the Dread Peninsula as well in his investigation notes.
• Leave No Witnesses: Essentially the reason they showed up. They appeared to silence the Arcturian Order/Kingdom, the only people that know of their existence and involvement in generating the world's conflicts. Once they defeated them, the Northern Storm will take it a step further by subsequently destroying everything (population, infrastructure, factories, etc.) in the Dread Peninsula, leaving it a frozen wasteland before hiding once more. After that, one of the neighboring nations will notice this frozen wasteland and annex it in an event, unaware of what happened.
• Satellite Character: The Windigoes are not supposed to be controlled by a human player (they are not a starting country and there's no option to tag-switch to them when they emerge unless via save file); instead, they serve as a major Climax Boss in the Arcturian Order's story. If you do tag switch via save file, their description and focuses lampshade how you shouldn't be able to see this and there is nothing for you to do when playing as this faction.
• Walking Spoiler: Everything about the country is a spoiler, along with the existence of the Windigoes. Even hinting at the existence of the country would hint at a twist ending in the investigation of the assassination of Headmaster Torygg.
• You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: While Northern Storm the nation does not spawn in the event of a Dread League victory, events surrounding Windigoes can still happen, where Rosa learns that Windigoes have been manipulating her to create disharmony to feed them. This eventually drives Rosa to commit suicide to spite her puppeteers.

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