[ArcaneStomper]

The New Mole Empire

History

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In the times of industry the great mole empire lay beneath the surface. Even As the nations of man waged their petty conflicts the and spread industry across the globe the great Diggers plowed through rock and stone. Lava lakes were tapped and drained to fuel the might the Mole Factories. And in deep caverns massive fungus farms spread farther than the eye could see* to feed the subterranean cities that sprawled underneath the earth. In their warrens the teeming masses of mole men worked around the clock, for they had no concept of night and day as the surface dwellers did. They crafted marvelous inventions and great works to praise their Mighty Mole Monarchs.

And when the overgrowth of nature grew without bounds over the surface world they laughed, for what could surface plants do to them. And when the surface dwellers fled from the unstoppable predators the mole men scoffed, what weaklings the surface dwellers were. And then the tectonic plates began shifting.

At that point the mole men stopped laughing and a bit of worry filled their milky white eyes. As their depest cities began to crumble, crushed by unimaginable forces, the Mole Men dug as fast as they had ever dug, but in a direction they had never gone before. Up to the surface they went. Their great machines burst forth into the harsh white light of the surface which blinded the deep dwelling race. A million Mole Men died to cut down the overgrowth and clear a launching space. A million Mole Men died to sate the unstoppable predators. A million Mole Men died in tests and failures as the science of flight was reinvented from scratch.

And when the first and only Mole Ark was launched a mere thousand survivors watched as their great machines were crushed by the wild vines, demolished by the menacing monsters, and finally pulled back into the deeps by rolling waves of the no longer solid earth.

The first order of business for the lumbering Ark was clear. Find a suitable mountain and get back solid ground. The air was no place for mole men. Not with its treachorous winds, harsh lights, and unseemly clouds. And so they did. They founded the city of OGDLD** around the peaks of mount Sorrow, stringing walkways between floating platforms anchored to the mountain and drilling deep shafts into the mountain. And for centuries the Mole Monarchs*** have reigned over their woeful subjects ever trying, and failing badly, to reclaim the deeps that were once theirs.

*About 100 meters, mole men don't have good eyesight
** "Oh God Don't Look Down"
*** Not so Mighty these days.

Government

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Mole Men tend to live and work in small communal groups reffered to as burrows. Burrows tend to be organized along hierarchal lines with one head of the BUrrow and the rest being subordinate. However this is more a means of communicating with outsiders and between burrows rather than a form of leadership, with the leader serving as more of a spokesmole for the group rather than the prime descision maker. Instead within the burrow Mole Men have a very democratic process, and it is not uncommon for the leader position to switch between moles frequently.

This extends further up the hierarchry as each burrow forms effectively one entity within a warren, of which their are currently only two. Each Warren is headed in turn by a Mole Foreman, which rather than referring to an individual refers to a particular burrow. Although outsiders will more likely than not mistakenly bestow the Foreman title on the leader of the burrow as an individual. Ultimately however this causes little confusion as actually recognizing a specific mole man is difficult to say the least. And more often than not outsiders don't even realize they are adressing a different mole man than previously when they talk to the "Foreman"

At the top of the hiearchy is the Mighty Mole Monarch. Although the title is bestowed on a royal burrow rather than a single individual. This MMM coordinates the warrens and ensures the Mole Empire runs smoothly even when subjected to such hideous torments as open air, and sunlight.

Culture

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As a culture the Mole men appear to be almost universally bipolar. This is caused by a combination of characteristics particular to the Mole Men. The first is that Mole Men are very cheerful as a default state of being. Even in modern times with the Subterranean Depths lost to them Mole Men will tend to be cheerful so long as they have something to keep their minds off things. Thus when Mole Men are working or socialing inside their burrows they tend to be a rather jovial group. However Mole Men are also universally agoraphobes. Open spaces, such as any air ship and most floating cities, tend to frighten them severly. At best Mole Men exposed to such areas are morose and sorrowful as they are reminded of what they have lost as a race. At worst they will be nearly incapable of action, nearly paralysed by fear until they can return to at least the semblance of cavern life by going inside. The transition when going from inside to open air can be jarring to anyone talking with them at the time. One moment they will be telling a joke and laughing, the next they will be doing their best to hide behind themselves to escape the sun. Notably Mole Men do considerably better at night, and it is their preferred time to sail. Although a clear night sky full of stars can still shake even the most hardened Mole Sailors.

Given this Mole Men prefer the vast majority of their time inside and working, and Mole Men warrens or even areas with large Mole Men populations are invaribly full of industry as the Mole Men busy themselves in their work.

Physiology

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Being somewhat shorter than most races Mole Men are a squat hardy folk, and while not given to climbing are quite capable of surviving in conditions that would kill a lesser being. Their temperature range also seems to be centered at a somewhat higher level than the average human, and so Mole Men will actually prefer to work in the boiler rooms and industrial forges that would be barely tolerable for others.

Besides their height and environmental preferences Mole Men also have an additional finger on each hand. In addition their hands themselves are wider than their proportions would indicate giving them a larger surface area with which to dig. This is something of a hold over from the precivilized days however, as while still capable of digging by hand, even the most traditional Mole Miner will prefer to use an industrial steam drill over their bare hands.

However while these differences serve to tell the race as a whole apart from others, as individuals they are nearly indinstinguishable. Even telling the male and females apart is usually an exercise in futility. Recognizing this most Mole Men who deal with outsiders tend to wear some form of distinguishing apparel, such as a scarf or hat. Although even then that does not guarantee recognition as the entire burrow will usually wear the same type of scarf or hat since Mole Men in the same burrow tend to think of themselves almost as the same individual. Which leads some confused outsiders to wonder how the Mole Man they were just talking to in the engine room managed to get up to the bridge so fast.

Architecture

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Mole Men architecture tends to have a rather distinctive jumbled style. This is because they tend not to have a particular form in mind when they build. Instead the Mole Men will usually start with a basic floating platform, often reinforced with far more float plates than necessary for redundancy, and then simply built it up as they need it. This often results in buildings where it is necessary to cross several levels, and go up or down several ladders to get into what you thought was the next room over. Although the Mole Men themselves have little trouble with this, it is recommended that visitors stay with their guides until they become familiar with the area.

In addition to their building style the Mole Men have a definite preference for stone building materials. Wealthy Mole Men will often import stone at great expense to build makeshift replicas of their subterranean burrows. Even Mole Men who can't afford the expense and weight of entire stone dwellings will often line their burrows with ceramic substitutes. Even the poorest Mole Men will have at least their sleeping chambers lined with dirt of some kind. A Mole Man who has no dirt or stone in their dwelling is either insane, or literally dirt poor.

VIPs

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Leader
Remming, the 221st, Mighty Monarch of the Moles, Beholder of the Sky Without Flinching

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Tracing his lineage all the way back through the exodus to the golden age of the Deep Empire, Remming is a solid unflappable leader capable of keeping his empire in line and on track. He is also one of the very few non agoraphobes among the Mole Men, a key advantage that led to his ascension over his brother Hervald when it came time for the last Emperor to name his successor.

Capable of taking the long view Remming is just as dedicated to reclaiming the deeps as any other Mole, but he also sees the need to protect the Empire from Outside forces, especially those looking to take the ever productive Mole Mines.

Persons of Import:
General Hervald, Deep Foreman of the Mole Marines

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Just because he didn't manage to ascend to the throne doesn't make General Hervald any less of a leader than his brother. Indeed without the need to worry about broader political matters Hervald has been able to concentrate on training and equipping the Mole Marines into the best soldiers the New Mole Empire has ever produced.

The General himself is imposingly large for a Mole Man, and inside his Steam Armor presents a powerful display whenever a military presence is needed. One that he is quite capable of backing up with action, even if he personally has never been called to war.

Kolep, Subpreme Foreman of the SteamWorks

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Although technically a monarch there is considerable room for advancement by merit in the Mole Empire. And Kolep is living proof of this. Sheer brilliance has powered her all the way from lowly dock worker to the depths of the Steamworks where her inventions power Mole Industry to ever lower depths.

Short and full of energy Kolep is always eager to show visitors her latest and greatest inventions, and is more than willing to regale hapless visitors with a recital of exactly how they work. Usually in terms that only the most well versed artisan and scholar can comprehend.

Cities of the New Mole Empire

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OGDLD

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OGDLD started as a simple berth for the Ark. A mountain which the Mole Men could dig into and settle solid roots. Formally named the Warren of Sorrow it very quickly ran out of room in the precious interior spaces. And even as packed as they could the Mole Men needed to expand. First with a few sky harbors for outsider traders. Then the poor built their ghettos on the edge of the mountain. Then the more respectable Moles began setting up factories on the mountain sides. Then even that room ran out and great floating platforms were built and anchored to the mountain. Now more Moles live outside the mountain than in. They hurry from platform to platform concentrating on their work or their friend's chatter, and trying very very hard not to look down.

The Mole Ark

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For a long time the Ark was abandoned. Moles don't like the sky, and living in something that wasn't even anchored to the ground was just about the worst thing they could think of. But population pressures can drive Moles to live in even the most desperate venues. Now the Ark has been reinforced and expanded with additional floating platforms to house its own workshops and factories. The bravest and most desperate Moles live there, living their lives, and always ready to snag the opportunity to secure another mountain to expand the Mole Empire into.

Desired Reputation: Amusing Sidekicks

Desired Stats

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Military:
-Navy: Nonexistent - The Mole Men hate flying. The only ships they have at all are ones that are so heavily stabilized as to give the illusion of solid ground. Such ships of course handle like drunken cows and are completely unsuitable for warships. And even if that could be overcome the Mole Men fear of open spaces comes into play. What few ships the Mole Men do have are all controlled from inside the ships using ingenious systems of pulleys and levers to make adjustments to any exterior rigging. This solution is cumbersome enough in peace time, and would be completely unusable in any vessel being fired open in war. As such the Mole Men have never bothered building any sort of warship fleet.
-Army: High - The Mole Marines are a substantial force. And their Steam Armor is some of the best in the world. The problem is that even hardened marines retain some fear of the open. Indeed other than acting as honor guards the main function of the Mole Marines is to test the capabilities of the surface predators in a neverending pursuit of the dream of returning to the surface and the deeps.
-Defense: Very High - With no navy and only a middling army the Mole Monarchs recognized that their mines were likely a tempting target for would be raiders. Fortunately if there is one good thing Mole Men are good at it's working with stone and metal. Beneath the veneer of docks and sidings Mount Sorrow is a true fortress of filled with cannons and more exotic clockwork defenses. And even the Ark has a substantial number of steam driven weapons to fend off invaders.

Spyworks: None - Even beyond basic Mole Men fears the simple fact that they look different enough from the average human to instantly mark them as outsiders makes any sort of spying and clandestine activities nearly impossible for them.

Economy: High - The factories and Mines of the Mole Empire are some of the most productive in the world. Expert miners they are said to almost smell out new mineral veins in mines other cities would regard as tapped out. And the very fears that cripple them in other areas drive Mole Men to work harder and longer than any others increasing their productivity greatly.
-Wealth: High (Can this be different from Economy? I would like it to be somewhat lower if possible) - Mole Men might not get out much, but with their factories and mines the merchants of the skies come to them. Mole harbors are among the busiest in the world, enough so that the Moles themselves can afford not work there above the incredibly daunting drops.

Innovation: Very High - The Mole Empire was always a bit of placid one before the Exile. It had its scholars yes, but it was not a focus. That changed however after the survivors were thrust into the sky. Ever since the Moles have worked frantically to discover just what caused the disaster, and how they might potentially fix it.

Reputation: Very Low - The word that sums up the Mole Empire in the eyes of other factions is amusing. The overblown fears, the fumy waddling walk, the colorful clothing. It all adds up to a rather comical whole. Oh no one denies that the Mole Men aren't good at what they do. And merchants who don't take them seriously in negotiations learn to regret it. But the idea of Mole Men as threats is simply ludicrous. The only thing they could possibly threaten is a merchant's profit margin. As an illustration no Mole Man has ever been a tale of swashbuckling adventure or nefarious political intrigue. They do have a firm place in stories as bumbling comedic sidekicks.

Morale: Average - Mole Men love their Monarch. They think he's doing the best he can. They don't think anyone could do better. They just don't think the difficulties the Empire faces can be overcome. At least not in their lifetimes. So while Mole Men are happy enough there isn't the kind of patriotic Zeal seen in the more adventuresome cities. The Mole Men are just happy to keep their head downs and work hard so some day their children's children's children might get to return to the deep caves.

Flair

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Flag of the New Mole Empire

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