Dragon Age Abomination's Origins: Jade Empire
Chapter 1: Summary and Notes
This is a more in depth summary you find on books to hopefully entice new readers as a sequel to Dragon Age Abomination's Origins. If you like it, give it a thumps up, if not, tell me how to improve it. Thanks for reading, RAW666.
Beta Reader: Albert
Last Update: 5/23/2016
After the death of the Archdemon, the darkspawn dispersed from the dog country capital Denerim, saving Ferelden and all of Thedas from the Fifth Blight. However, where the darkspawn should had disappeared back into the Deep Roads, something unexpected happen. They remained on the surface and split into two warring factions: the Architect and the Mother. And these Darkspawn that are not just monsters, but intelligent beings with plans that would mean disaster for not only Thedas but also the mystical land known as the Jade Empire.
Aveline Wolf Oracle, a human turned into a sane abomination that killed the last Archdemon and survived now leads the Grey Wardens to investigate these darkspawn as they discover a plot that threatens the entire world as the Mother tries to corrupt the Water Dragon. A spirit that regulates the flow of water in the world, and she also controls the Cycle of Rebirth of the Jade Empire. A spirit that is missing as someone messed with the order of things, filling the Jade Empire with ghosts.
Now, Aveline must travel into the Jade Empire, where magic is accepted as a part of life and spirits are just part of the land and trees in a forest. All the while saving the Empire from the corruption of men that believe they have the right to usurp Heaven and to discover lost history and her connection to the Eastern order known as the Spirit Monks. The world will change as the West meets the East.
Author Note
1) To fans of the prequel, please note that I made some changes to the mages power section and martial arts of the Jade Empire. The main changes are more styles and got rid of sustain weapon styles for combat powers with some based off Dragon Age II.
2) Below is a comparison of notes between Thedas and the Jade Empire for those who like one.
Comparison
A) Jade Empire Advantages over Thedas
Air Force: the Jade Empire actually has an air force with planes instead of just hot air balloons used for transport, observation and in rare expensive models, bombing. This allows the Empire aerial dominance if they can get there since they need wind maps and are vulnerable to physical attacks and elemental spells.
Balance: there is a strong balance in the land due to interaction between Spirits, making the natural environment safer compare to Thedas.
Beats: there are fewer hostile beasts, making the lands safer for advancement but making the army less experienced in dealing with such creatures.
Essence Gems: special gems that allow control of Chi enhanced by the heaven portion of the Fade.
Ghosts: unlike Thedas, ghosts must be assisted to go to the underworld by Spirit Monks or the Water Dragon otherwise they linger. This allows golems to be made without harvesting people, as well as being able to pass knowledge long after they die. However, it can be a disadvantage as ghosts go insane and harm the living over time. Also, ghosts cannot be killed, just dispersed for a time unless sent to the Fade and the Underworld.
Golems: recent additions to the Imperial Army, golems are mostly clay golems that are mass-produced that could match the armored soldiers in Thedas. They do have iron and jade golems that are just as powerful as the dwarven golems in Thedas.
Heaven Fade: the Jade Empire being closer to the Heaven portion of the Fade allows the lands to have an increased interaction with spirits over demons that benefit the lands. The lands depend more on a balance between all forces or it falls apart as opposed to the harden lands of Thedas. Jade Empire is more familiar with spirits, underworld and the Bureaucracy of Spirits that goes on in the Fade then Thedas is on the spirits/gods.
Individual Equipment: cheap and can be mass-produced since their weapons and armor is bronze with a few legendary or elite weapons made with refined steel.
Imperial Army: the single army is larger than all the armies in Thedas combined and they are completely loyal to the Emperor.
Loyalty: as a whole, the entire population is loyal to the Jade Empire and to the Emperor on a physiological level. It would go so far to say they worship the Empire like a people would worship a god, making any conquest difficult due to people's fierce loyalty to the empire.
Magic: magic is more common in the form of physical and spiritual energy known as Chi. Anyone with the right training can increase their strength and even train to use special martial art styles like transformation and magic. Magic is also used as the basis of most of their technology.
Martial Arts: using Chi, a fully trained martial artist can perform deeds most in Thedas cannot match or beat depending on the field they face, whether it's magic or close quarters combat.
Population: population is larger, allowing a larger work force and army
Resources: larger land mass provides more space for more people, plant life to harvest, and farmland to grow crops, though they are limited by the variety of food and where it can be grown in mass quantity.
Seals: seals are specialized techniques used to enhance mystical tools and can be utilized for almost infinite storage when made with the help of monks or scholars, though at a high cost. Seals are limited by space over number compared to runes.
Stability: the Jade Empire is very stable, allowing for a larger commerce and lasting settlements compared to Thedas.
Technology: military technology is more exotic, with flying machines, rockets, explosives (dragon breath), cannons and golems that give them a distinct advantage on the battlefield if used appropriately. Magic is also used to allow the Empire to use complex tools that they normally cannot make with current knowledge.
Universal Soldiers: their soldiers are highly trained in a single style of martial arts, a sword, a spear and a crossbow, making them perfect in a variety of skills that allow for more universal tactics. However, they only have a few specialized forces and takes years of proper training to be in the army.
Traps: focus more on explosives, especially for containers to prevent theft.
B) Thedas Advantages over the Jade Empire
Apparitions: ghosts do not exist in Thedas since demons weaken the vale, allowing ghost to enter the afterlife or be eaten by spirits if they do linger. Instead, Thedas has apparitions, essence trapped in lyrium or by demons that can play back and a few cases attack people. However, they are rare and besides watching history play are not of much use.
Archers: unheard of in the Jade Empire since they used only spear and crossbow, archers with a bow and arrows give them a range advantage even over Jade Empire crossbows and Thedas crossbows are also designed to be more power, giving it an advantage when it comes to damage and range. Sharpshooters particularly are a dangerous to martial artist.
Beasts: there are far greater varieties of beasts that are intelligent and/or dangerous, making it difficult to develop safely, but making the armies hardier. There is also a variety in food, harvest material with some beast skin making excellent armor.
Domesticated Animals: there are many varieties of animals that can be domesticated for war in Thedas, while in the Jade Empire, domestication is limited to oxen, rare breeds of horses, monkeys, tigers, small dogs and cats, and Jade/cave ogres.
Education: education is more widespread, thanks in a large part to the Chantry, as the populations in several countries are able to read and write with the option to peruse scholarly pursuits, though scholars are mostly reserved to the nobility, priest, serving the Chantry or magister lords, and mages.
Enchantment: runes woven into weapons, armor and robes with lyrium allow for more powerful weapons and armor that seals cannot duplicate.
Hell Fade: due to Thedas being closer to the Hell portion of the Fade allows the lands to have an increased interaction with demons over spirits, making Thedas more independent from sprits and creates a lack of ghosts due to demons weakening the veil. They are more knowledgeable of demons, soul purification, the Maker and the Fade in general compared to the Jade Empire.
Individual Equipment: most armies in Thedas are well equipped with a variety of types of steel weapons, steel armor or tough leather. Wooden weapons are only used for disposable weapons like arrows, or they are made of special wood difficult to break. The most important weapons are the shield, war axe and great sword to give Thedas the advantage in combat.
Individuality: most countries allow more say on a personal level, especially in creativity to create a changing and evolving kingdom as compared to the Jade Empire's stagnated lands.
Lyrium: is a mineral creating magic and is used as the basis for runes.
Naval Fleet: several countries in Thedas have a large naval force to fight off invaders and trade by sea travel as opposed to rivers in the Jade Empire that are rarely used for travel. Their warships are also generally tougher and larger as they are needed to fight qunari fortress ships, giving most countries the naval dominance over the Jade Empire.
Magic: magic is rare and only used in a small population called mages, but the magic is more potent and the mages are able to perform large area spells, healing spells, buffer/hex spells, and more powerful attack spells.
Resources: they have a higher concentration of iron and dense stone (limestone), as well as a larger variety of material (including different types of iron), beasts and foods that can survive in a variety of environments spread throughout the continent instead of localized in certain areas.
Science: more advanced and focused on scientific research over the Jade Empire's philosophy to increases their understanding of the world around them as well as how to better manipulate their world to survive, especially with technology and magic.
Specialized Forces: most divisions within an army have specialized members in their forces such as elite solders (knights), soldiers, archers, assassins, rogues, dogs, bolt masters and etc. giving them a larger variety of tactics and skills. Also, for the most part, they are quicker to train to surpass the common soldier in the Jade Empire.
Technology: military technology is based more on fortification thanks to the abundance of iron and dense stone along with defense mechanisms and locks. However, the biggest technological progress in the strengthening of leather and steel (purifying) to create stronger and more powerful armor and weapons available to the common soldier. In addition, while cannons and golems are rare, they are generally more powerful than those in the Jade Empire are, with qunari cannons having a superior range. Thedas technology is based more on science with magic possibly being used to enhance the specific technology's properties.
Traps: have larger scale booby traps to prevent entry with things such as explosives and bladed traps.
Weapon variety: they also have far more variety in weapons from hand held to long range and defensive weapons like the bow and arrow, boiling tar, booby traps, and magical traps.