Play the Demo! (Updated March 29th 2026) (Prologue through Chapter 4)
Kortapolis. The jewel of the Kingdom of Edria. The busiest port in Eastern Lysseta. Your home.
At least, it was your home.
You were born with the sound of the ocean in your ears and the smell of its salt in your nose. Your life revolved around the busy commotion of the port, the fruit stalls that lined the streets downtown, the cafes where people swapped stories and secrets. This was your whole world—until it came crashing down.
When Wastoria invaded, everything changed. Soldiers marched in the streets and reduced neighborhoods to rubble. Civilians were forced out of the city, and close friends, allies, and confidants disappeared under the waves of an invasion so powerful that even now, it visits you in your dreams.
Years later, Edria is in two. The upland region, the mountains, are still part of Edria. But Kortapolis District is occupied by Wastoria, a humiliation so bracing that sometimes it still leaves your heart pounding with rage. The rest of the world calls Kortapolis District a “disputed zone”. You know what it is: yours.
But you won’t let your home vanish behind the pointed guns of the Wastorian military. No: you rise through the ranks in Edria, and soon, you are elected president. A fledgling new democracy, Edria has a litany of problems. But the biggest of all is drawn in careful dashed lines on every world map.
Fixing this may take careful statecraft, a strategic balancing of alliances. It may take cyberwarfare, harnessed by cultivating an ally. It may take economic retaliation, or sanctions. It may take subterfuge, weakening Wastoria from the inside out. It may take war.
But one thing is certain.
You will make Kortapolis yours again.
You will make Edria whole.
Maybe that will heal you, too.
Pro Patria Mori is a sci-fi/fantasy interactive fiction novel where you play as the president of the Republic of Edria, a fledgling democracy emerging from diplomatic isolation.
Content Warnings: depictions of war, discrimination, and torture. Route-specific warnings include past physical, emotional, or sexual abuse (labelled and avoidable)
🌺Customize President Rezanii. Choose your appearance, gender, background, species, personality, and political outlook.
🌺Choose your relationship with your missing parents, the nature of your imprisonment by Wastorian forces, and your attitude towards Edria's future.
🌺Explore a world where magic and technology blend.
🌺Discover Edria, a Caribbean-inspired country on the brink of democracy or dictatorship.
🌺Receive diplomatic and personal messages in your in-game inbox and receive news updates on the consequences of your decisions
🌺Define your term in office. Will you wage war or build peace? Will you push Edria towards democracy or revive the old monarchy?
Yadukari
Yadukari are both the most populous and the most powerful species in Edria and in many neighboring countries. They are born with innate magical abilities. Each subgroup of yadukari has a type of magic they are especially proficient in, though they’re capable of performing magic outside of that specific category.
There are two main components to being a yadukari: one’s phenotype and one’s magical predisposition. Both are inherited and certain phenotypes correlate with certain magical predispositions often but not always. Each subgroup of yadukari has their own culture and norms, though mixing between them is not uncommon.
Yadukari have been the dominant species in most countries for centuries. Recent gains in power by sankara and humans have led to a reactionary surge in yadukari nationalism, especially in Frindria and Wastoria.
Humans
Humans are the second most common group in Edria, though not by much. While they lack the innate magical abilities of the yadukari and sankara, they still have the ability to learn written magic. They are often stereotyped as weaker or otherwise inferior to yadukari due to their lack of magic and beliefs about their mental and physical abilities. In employment, they are often pressured to take on support roles or caregiving positions.
Technological developments have lessened the gap between yadukari and humans in ability, including magical abilities. Humans have taken on increasingly prominent and powerful roles in society, granting them more power than before but also backlash from yadukari.
Sankara
Sankara are not native to the universe Edria is located in. They arrived a few hundred years ago and since then have integrated into some societies while remaining perennial outsiders in others. They are part draconic, part humanoid beings with innate magical abilities that are especially strong when it comes to psychic magic and shapeshifting. This has given them a reputation of being, at best, tricksters, and at worst, deceptive and manipulative.
Sankara are a minority in Edria and have been historically marginalized. They are often a scapegoat for political ills and there are increasing concerns of more and more violent repression in yadukari nationalist countries like Wastoria and Frindria. Sankara have made strides in representation in recent years, though they have an uphill battle to secure equality.
Vice President Faustino Marellii
Romanceable? Yes
Faustino grew up alongside you; it was only natural he’d be your vice president. Before joining your campaign, Faustino was the popular mayor of Alzome, Edria’s capital. He has a reputation for being surprisingly gentle despite the cutthroat nature of Edrian politics. At least, for all issues except Edria’s relationship with Wastoria. He took care of you after you were freed from Wastorian prison and he still worries over your wellbeing.
Appearance: tall and toned with bronze skin and soft freckles. He has bright violet eyes and wavy, vibrant blue hair, indicative of him being an innate magic user (yadukari) that specializes in controlling ice and water.
Advisor Michi Dandleton
Romanceable? Yes
Michi is well known in political circles for their workaholic behavior and their remarkable ability to uncover the secrets of their candidate’s opponents. They immigrated to Edria from Adranga shortly after the end of the Edrian civil war, and have never told you why they chose to leave home. They masterminded the campaign that secured you the presidency, and remain a vital part of your staff.
Appearance: average height, lithe build with rosy skin. They have electric blue eyes and short pink hair, indicative of them being a yadukari that specializes in controlling and reading emotions.
Officer Nura Alonar
Romanceable? Yes
Nura was identified as a particularly powerful magic user when she was young, and the Edrian royal guard offered her parents a stipend in exchange for her being sent away and trained. Her parents accepted and Nura left her home for the capital, where she was raised to one day serve the royal family. But when the civil war reached the palace, she and a few other trainees defected to assist the pro-democracy forces. Now she serves as the last line of defense between you and the people who want to kill you.
Appearance: short and very muscular with dark brown skin with significant scarring. She has red eyes and hair, which she keeps in long braids with decorative beads she uses as magic amplifiers. While she’s a yadukari, her training means she can control fire as well as use telekinesis.
Ambassador Junius Felice
Romanceable? Yes, either as a fling or a romance
Rich, arrogant, and almost always jovial, Junius is known in diplomatic circles for his lavish parties and condescending attitude towards democracies and countries poorer than his own. He was born and raised in Langostia, the wealthy and powerful monarchy to Edria’s north. He’s been tasked with rebuilding Langostia’s relationship with their former ally Edria through whatever means necessary—and, ideally, steering Edria away from democracy.
Appearance: tall with an average build and tawny skin. He has dark brown eyes and long brown, almost black hair. He has no innate magic, but that’s no reason to underestimate him.
Consul Priyanshi Areshka
Romanceable? Yes
Priyanshi represents Kalendra, a country Edria has yet to recognize. She was born in Langostia as a vatilti–a class of genetically engineered and cybernetically enhanced people used as spies and soldiers by the Langostian royal family and classified as property under Langostian law. Kalendra was founded by escaped vatilti, and its continued existence and growing prosperity is a long-standing annoyance to Langostia. Priyanshi is still adjusting to life with recognized personhood and is utterly fascinated by the ability to sleep in, eat interesting foods, and insult people without getting shocked by an implant.
Appearance: very tall and toned with warm brown skin and significant cybernetic modifications. She has golden, pupil-less eyes and golden, coily hair. Priyanshi is a sankara, a species of being with innate magic and the ability to easily shapeshift.
Former President Garzi
Romanceable? No
The father of the Edrian Republic and, depending on your choices, a father figure or mentor to you as well. Garzi was an admiral dating back to the Kingdom of Edria and he helped start the civil war after refusing an order to fire on unarmed pro-democracy protestors. He was elected the first president of Edria, largely because he was the only figure voters could rally around. He’s always had a soft spot for you, which you can choose to reciprocate or not.
Appearance: late 70s, stocky build with dark tan skin and deep brown hair that is now going gray after years serving a hostile royal family and then trying to guide Edria into being a new democracy. His eyes are kind, but tired. His appearance makes it clear he has no innate magic, though that hasn’t stopped him from being one of the most popular—and divisive—figures in Edria.
Ambassador Arlo Iltik
Romanceable? No
A patriotic Wastorian and yadukari nationalist, Arlo has been sent to Edria to try and convince the Edrian government to recognize Kortapolis as Wastorian territory through negotiation, coercion, violence, or all of the above. He doesn’t particularly respect you or your country.
Appearance: soft lilac hair indicating mental powers and fair skin. Arlo is average height, but the way he carries himself makes him seem to loom over other people. Deep purple eyes that almost seem to glow. Very fashionable and favors Wastorian styles, which tend to be flowing and dramatic, with bold colors.
Edria
A small country located on the continent of Lysettia and sandwiched between an aggressive neighbor to the north and a friendly but weak neighbor to the south. For most of its existence, Edria has been a monarchy closely allied with others in the region. A recent civil war led to the collapse of the monarchy and the establishment of a fragile democracy as well as the loss of the country’s coastline and second most populous city to an invasion by northern neighbor Wastoria.
Wastoria
Edria’s northern neighbor and the cause of many of its recent troubles. After a revolution of its own, Wastoria has been ruled by a yadukari supremacist and authoritarian regime. Rumors have circulated that the leader intends to invade Edria once more but that has not been substantiated.
Langostia
Langostia was once Edria’s closest ally until the civil war led to a break in their relationship and an abandonment of Edria to handle Wastoria’s invasion alone. The country is ruled by an absolute monarchy and is one of the major powers in the region. Its influence has diminished in recent years due to the loss of two of its major client states but it remains formidable, especially thanks to its large military and prodigious intelligence agencies.
Kalendra
A partially recognized country, Kalendra was formed by escaped vatilti–highly trained living weapons created and enslaved by the Langostian state–and poorer Langostians. Langostia has fought recognition of Kalendra but the tide has recently turned due to Kalendra’s scientific achievements and support from its close ally Rom. Kalendrian democracy is known for its high number of referendums and focus on direct, rather than representative, democracy.
Rom
Rom is a constitutional monarchy with most power vested in an elected parliament and a strong welfare state. It is the only human monarchy and boasts near equality between its human, sankara, and yadukari citizens. Rom is one of the wealthiest countries in the world and has been historically isolationist until recently.
Estance
Edria’s southern neighbor, Estance is a stable but poor democracy with close ties to the large democracy across the sea: Adranga. Estance took in a sizable number of Edrian refugees during the civil war and treated them well. Estance has long hoped for better relations with Edria but has been held at arms length by the monarchy and those that think the country might be a better target than friend.
Adranga
Adranga is located on another continent but its influence is felt globally. It is one of the oldest democracies and tensions between it and fellow global power Frindria have grown worse year by year. Adranga has a longstanding alliance with Estance and a conflicted and tumultuous partnership with Langostia. The Adrangan government has swung between pragmatism and idealism in its dealings with the world and the newest president has vowed to prioritize sapient rights and democracy over realpolitik. Time will tell if she will remain true to this promise.
Frindria
Similarly to Adranga, Frindria is located on another continent but its actions ripple throughout the global political arena. It became closely allied with Wastoria after the Wastorian revolution and seeks to promote the interests of yadukari globally. At least, that is what Frindrian leaders say. Observers have warned for years about the threat of violence against Frindria’s minority species, warnings that have only increased in volume recently.
Magic is present throughout the world, in the air, in the plants, and in the bodies of those lucky enough to be born with innate magical abilities. Yadukari and sankara are able to wield magic without intermediary to do everything from control fire and water to shapeshift or read minds. This sort of magical ability takes extended training and it is often difficult for one person to master multiple kinds of magic. Magic can also be wielded through infusing it into objects using inscriptions or combining plants with magical properties.
@interact-if
Credit to the amazing Rosia for the cover banner and delightful profile picture!
Thanks for answering my previous questions, I found it really interesting to read your answers!
I have a few more questions if ok?
I know a lot of other countries in the world have a space program and Langostia is one of them, which others? I’m guessing Adranga and Frindria both have one, is there a space race similar to our history?
interacting with Priyanshi’s drone and seeing how they react to being petted, what level of intelligence do they and similar robots have? (Incidentally their reaction to being petted is why I can’t bring myself to punch the drone as it feels like kicking a puppy lol)
Last question for now, what are the names and family name of the members of the old royal family? They’re only referred to as the king, the queen etc and that makes sense for Edrians as they know who is being referred to but just wondered if they have canon names?
Hi!! I hope you're well as well!! And thank you so much for the questions, we love answering them! :D Sorry for taking so long to reply, life got chaotic.
Langostia, Adranga, Frindria, Kalendra and Rom together, and a couple of countries in the other hemisphere all have manned space programs! More have unmanned programs and there are other, more limited partnerships between countries without manned programs and those with them. Estanci and Yeongi astronauts have flown on Adrangan missions, for example, and Wastorians have flown on Frindrian ones. There is absolutely an ongoing space race with ever-changing goals.
The drones appreciate you not punching them!!! There's a variety of intelligence levels for robots. Most are non-intelligent, some (like Priyanshi's drones) have decently intelligent animal level intelligences, and very rarely some with sapient level intelligences. Each country has different laws and norms about how they treat constructed beings, especially since magic and programming both can be used to create beings that seem to have intelligence. Priyanshi's drones (and similar security drones) are designed to be very loyal and overall friendly, kind of like dogs. When they're not on duty they like to bounce balls between each other in the air.
The queen does have a canon name!! Adora Yalenii. The others will have names... eventually. But they all share the surname Yalenii!
Is it possible to add a light mode (some cream/light beige background similar to sepia in cogdemos.ink)? It's hard to read white text on a black background for more than a few minutes.
Yes!! I'm so sorry for the delay. It should be updated now to have the picture background, a simple dark mode, and a simple light mode!
I realized that our CSS was... spaghetti code. As was the JavaScript. Lots of hard coded colors, duplicated code when I forgot that I'd coded something before, and things like that. So I overhauled the CSS and JavaScript into something that should make it easier for us to update in the future!!
If I broke anything in the process and anyone notices, please let me know! I tried annotating it as best I could. There was an issue for a while during my testing with the light/dark/picture mode saving between sessions and passages so if anyone runs into that, please let me know as well!!!!
Also, shoutout to the people of r/twinegames for the code they've shared over the years and everyone on itch.io who makes templates!
If anyone has other requests for formatting/accessibility please feel free to ask!!! Everything is much more modifiable now.
Regarding Edria’s armed forces, how big/effective is its navy since the loss of Kortapolis, its largest port? And does Edria have an air force and if so how large/effective is that?
The Edrian Navy is struggling now that Kortapolis is occupied but it's still considered the most prestigious portion of the armed forces. Downsizing it feels like admitting that Kortapolis won't be reclaimed any time soon and so it remains the largest portion of Edria's military. Those in the navy have always been trained to some degree for lang operations so they've expanded those programs with the loss of Kortapolis. There's been consternation from the army and some tension between the two branches because of it, with the army feeling they should get more funding and attention and the navy having greater political power and cultural importance.
While the Edrian navy is still the most powerful branch, it's taken heavy losses since the war and the loss of Kortapolis. The army was caught up fighting itself during the civil war (as was much of the navy) so the navy took the brunt of casualties against Wastoria. The loss of Kortapolis also meant the loss of the naval academy, many, many ships, and a lot of other resources.
Edria does have an air force! It's relatively small compared to the rest of the continent and the planes are in need of an upgrade. The members of the air force have become very adept at improvising and modifying old machinery and so the air force is struggling but those within it are loyal.
For fun, here are the ranks of the continent's (plus Adranga and Frindria) militaries by branch. Edria's position on the rankings is affected by the post-war chaos:
Edria is mostly prone to hurricanes and flooding. Kortapolis District lies on a low coastal plain, with the Mirriquibo River running from the highlands in the west down past Alzome and through the city of Kortapolis before emptying out into the sea. Although inner Edria—the region that does not include Kortapolis District—lies inland, it is still very low in elevation and vulnerable to riverine flooding from the Mirriquibo River.
In the mountains, landslides may occur, but these are rare. Edria is not on a fault line, so it is not particularly vulnerable to earthquakes. Some wildfires may occur west of the mountains, but this is considered unusual.
Hiii I'm the trauma book and love song anon! (๑>◡<๑) Every few days I come back to look at ya'lls reply and it makes me so giddy, so I bring you more!
Do the RO's have a favorite folk tale or mythology story? Or a story that scared them as a child? ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧
AHHHH thank you so much!!!! We adore your questions (and the legendary emojis!!!!!!)!!!!!
Priyanshi chose her name from a Kalendrian novel that's a retelling of something in Mizari mythology. Priyanshi was the name of a side character she loved and used as an inspiration for a life outside of what she was used to, so she adopted the name as her new one. Priyanshi in that story is a young woman who convinces an angry god to sparing a jungle from their wrath. Priyanshi-the-RO felt so out of step with most other people that the idea of one day not only understanding others but understanding them well enough to save lives without violence was deeply inspirational to her.
The ones that scared her the most were stories the Zimari in Langostia would tell about what happens to those without souls once they die. She spent a lot of time lying in her bunk as a child trying to imagine what the nothingness would feel like. She still thinks about that a lot while lying awake at night.
Michi was terrified by one as a child. It's an Adrangan bedtime story called Patricia the Egg. Theoretically, it's a silly story about an egg that becomes the mayor. But instead of through friendship or heroism, the egg does so by consuming other eggs and growing in size and power until it terrorizes the mayor into ceding power. Michi to this day does not know why this was deemed a good story for children. Their siblings loved it, though, so they heard it far too often for their liking.
They liked stories about tricksters most, anyone who won by outsmarting their opponents instead of outfighting them. There's a set of stories from Yeong about a very clever fox and the situations she gets in and out of that they still enjoy.
Junius has a story his governess used to tell him that he still likes, though he probably wouldn't admit it if you asked him. It's a Zimari legend, slightly modified for children, about the creation of what's now the Langostian national dessert. It involves a quest to please a very pretentious god, a forbidden love, and no less than thirteen peaches. It's a sweet, silly tale and as a little kid he had a peach plushie that he slept with for years thanks to it.
The ones that scared him the most are also Zimari (the Zimari have a lot of stories that haunt children) and about what happens to disobedient people once they die. According to the legends, they pass through the anomalies that connect universes but without a respect for hierarchy or authority, they wander aimlessly until they're destroyed from their own folly.
A lot of Faustino's favorite stories involve the sea since he grew up in Kortapolis. A lot of his favorite stories come from ones passed from mermaids. He's a bit of a romantic so those where love or friendship wins out tend to be his favorites and he doesn't like ones with a lot of sacrifice or sadness (even if there's a happy ending). He has one he really likes that's a cheerful tale about how waves were first made by an ancient mermaid who wanted to send letters from the ocean to a human friend who lived along the beach.
There are also a lot of stories that were passed on as warnings to kids about the dangers of the oceans that caused him a lot of fear. Things like rip currents dragging kids out to the lairs of mermaids who seek to eat them.
There's a legend from western Edria/Rom that terrified Nura as a child that's based off the Guyanese legend of the Ole Higue. The legends involve an old woman who turns into a ball of fire that eats the souls of children and babies and can only be stopped by a few means, one of which is scattering rice around the baby's crib. While she was older when she was taken to be part of the Royal Guard, she was still afraid of getting her soul eaten because she wasn't allowed to scatter rice anymore.
Her favorite stories were legends of magic users from the past who fought creatures that came through the anomalies to wreak havoc upon the world. She loved the whimsy of their adventures.
Is it possible to be allies with both Langostia and Kalendra or are the two mutually exclusive? I imagine even if it is possible, it will take a lot of work as Langostian views of the vatilti aren’t going to change overnight, Kalendrans will understandably not be inclined to be friends with people who viewed and still view them as subhuman and that any initial alliance is going to be born of necessity rather than need
For the most part they're mutually exclusive! The Kalendrians have based a lot of their national identity on breaking free from Langostia and most Kalendrians have family who fled Langostia even if they didn't flee themselves. And the Langostians won't change how they view vatilti quickly (and even if they did, it'd be politically costly to admit it). But there's one specific path where you can get them on the same side (though even then they won't necessarily be friendly with each other). It's very much an enemy of my enemy is my friend situation and requires Rezanii not only to get both sides to feel like there's a need for them to join the fight but resolve a few issues that may arise between the Langostians and Kalendrians. A small preview is that both parties feel a greater risk from Frindria than they do from Wastoria alone, both for ideological and practical reasons, so a larger scale conflict is more likely to get them both pulled in (though it's also more risky).
I have really enjoyed this story so far. I have a question regarding Yeong, how much have you fleshed that country out? I ask about that one specifically because I know Michi is partly of Yeongi descent and wondered if you had developed that, though appreciate that it doesn’t factor into the story as much as other places
Thank you so much!! :D We've fleshed out Yeong to a degree. It's a developed democracy that's largely aligned with Adranga, which is part of why Michi's dad ended up moving there. It's a more temperate country when compared to Edria as well. Michi spent time with their grandparents there growing up so it'll likely be mentioned more later as well! :D
Hello, im currently reading the wip and i really love it, i love political & it is rare to have good wip with that theme. But theres only 1 thing i hope u will add in the future, its the option to have the text letter bigger, cuz i have bad eyes & its kind of small so thx if its possible for the future :D
Thank you so, so much!!! And thank you for letting us know about the text size!!! I just updated the game, it should have a settings button that lets you change text size and font now! :D
This chapter adds another 45k words of content, bringing the grand total to 230k words.
I can’t express how excited I am to be releasing this chapter! Not only does it feel like the culmination of my original concept, but also a brand new beginning. ❤️
As previously mentioned, there’s going to be a longer period between this and chapter 7. The next two months will be a struggle for me, and I’m happy to be able to share this chapter with you now. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
I can finally release all the asks I’ve been holding onto, lol. I won’t discuss big spoilers for a few days, but some of the asks may give hints. Be sure to mute the tag #chapter 6 spoilers if you want absolutely no hints.
🎉 The submissions for the Interact-IF genre lists (May 2026) are in — and now it’s time to vote! 🎉
Over the past week, we've received submissions for an incredible range of games across 5 genres.
We move into the next stage of the Interact-IF Genre List Event: COMMUNITY VOTING!
Vote for your favorite submitted games in each genre category HERE! Whether you’re cheering on longtime classics, hidden gems, or newer projects that deserve more eyes, this is your chance to help spotlight the games that made an impression on you.
Voting will run from now till May 21. Once again, here's the link to the form for voting.
*Note: For the sake of voting fairness, IFs that have been submitted to more than one category have been included in only ONE category. However, in the rec lists, the IF will be included in any/all categories that it appears in. If you think a game should be in a different main category from what it's listed as, you can DM us or leave a comment at the end of this form to let us know.
If you missed out submitting a game to the rec lists, you can use this google form to submit the game, but do note that these would not be eligible for the voting round. This will be open until May 21 as well.
Hiii! I'm new to the blog and I learned there's two writers??? That's pretty cool! How do we differentiate you two or is that not really relevant?
I love the story btw 💕
Thank you so much!!!! :D
We share most brain cells so it's not too important to differentiate us! But Tazzy is the one who usually answers the tumblr asks, so any "I" is Tazzy. But we discuss the answers beforehand so they come from both of us.
Tazzy is the grad student in political science and the one with Guyanese heritage. I've written novels before (including in the same universe as PPM) though I've only published academic articles. Myna is a GIS specialist/environmental scientist and has her YA fiction debut releasing this summer under the name Karen Myna Cantor!
Would we be able to write a book about how our life was while captured by Wastorian forces? How would the public and other countries react to such a book ( ╹ -╹)? Especially if it was VERY detailed, name drops of different soldiers, other victims etc.
For my President I choose to give her ALL the trauma options and injuries, what doesn't kill you make you stronger. ( ◡̀_◡́)ᕤ
I would especially love the reactions from RO's with a President who seems to always be so calm and loving, just dropping that book out of nowhere revealing info they never even let their partner know of before! (❀❛ ֊ ❛„)♡
OOOOH THIS IS FUN! We had to ponder it for a little!!
Also I still love the emojis so so much
The book would be an immediate bestseller. Especially a very genuine, detailed one instead of one that feels like something too clean. So many of the people who were held captive are either still under Wastorian control, died, or haven't really gotten the chance to tell their stories in detail. So people would latch on to a book like this, especially coming from the president. It'd also likely lead to other people coming forward with their stories since they'd feel emboldened by Rezanii/a little less afraid of being sidelined or not believed.
It’d also probably be controversial!! Especially internationally where the Wastorian government would have incentives to say it’s fake or sensationalized. Though in the long-run, that would likely bring more attention to the book!
Yessss I love the angst of a max trauma Rezanii!!!!
For ROs, this is how they’d react:
Faustino would be devastated. Both because of what Rezanii experienced and because he’d worry they didn’t trust him enough to tell him about it. He already carries a lot of guilt regarding the war and this would bring it to the surface. But his priority would be making sure Rezanii feels validated and loved through it all! He’d deal with the guilt on his own time.
Michi would try and think about it through the lens of the next campaign to hide that they also worry Rezanii doesn’t trust them. They’d try and broach it a bit, though. Questions like “in the future, you can let me know these things. You know. So we can figure out how to best play it”. But they’d also understand. Sometimes it’s hard to talk about painful things, even to people closest to you, and they’d figure maybe it was just easier for Rezanii to tell Everyone instead of telling one person at a time. There’s an efficiency in that that they respect.
Nura would be extra protective of Rezanii for a while. She’d figure that since the book release would bring a lot of attention and likely leave Rezanii feeling emotionally vulnerable, the least she can do is make sure they feel physically safe. She’d try and broach things that she and Rezanii have in common about their experiences in war to let Rezanii know she’s safe to talk to about it. But her focus would be making sure Rezanii doesn’t need to worry about their safety now while dealing with the past.
Junius would offer to talk about it over drinks. It’s his way of easing into most difficult situations and it’d be his go to for hiding his worry about Rezanii. Does he have good coping mechanisms? No. But does he have *many* coping mechanisms? Absolutely yes. And he’ll offer every single one to Rezanii in the hopes that one of them helps. Keeping things buried beneath the surface is something he’s very, very familiar with. Eventually he’d try to leave hints that he’s there if they want to talk but also there if they very much don’t want to talk and just need someone to be around.
Priyanshi would do a lot of research. She’d spend a lot of time searching increasingly hyper-specific scenarios to try and figure out how not to mess up her reaction to Rezanii. She’d try to show her care in mildly unhinged ways because they’re the best she can come up with, like hacking review sites to delete any mean reviews about the book so that Rezanii never has to see them. She’d also read it thoroughly so Rezanii wouldn’t need to tell her anything and open up old wounds again. She’d probably end up writing a long letter in response about how she’s heartbroken that this happened to Rezanii and is here for them and believes and trusts them, just in case written communication is easier than spoken communication when it comes to Rezanii’s trauma.
And while I can’t promise Rezanii will get to write a book, we’ve been discussing a lot of options for Rezanii to go public with their experiences (including without warning or telling others beforehand) 👀
What is the overall strength of Edria? (For example, is it a regional power, a mid-sized country, or a small country?)
Does Edria possess biological and chemical weapons?
Does Edria possess napalm, cluster bombs, or anti-personnel mines?
It's a mid-sized country!!! But it's tricky since the continent Edria is on is a bit stacked. In terms of military strength, I'd rank the countries on the continent as:
Langostia
Rom
Wastoria
Kalendra
Edria
Estance
Economically, they'd be:
Rom
Langostia
Kalendra
Wastoria
Edria
Estance
But globally, Edria would be in the middle on both of these rankings.
Edria does not have biological or chemical weapons! One of the few international agreements that managed to get established focuses on the control and elimination of weapons of mass destruction (along with other issues regarding laws of war and treatment of enemy combatants). This includes biological and chemical weapons. Currently, Edria is fully in compliance. Napalm, cluster bombs, and anti-personnel mines also full under this treaty as a subsection on the laws of war.
Are the other countries who signed on in compliance? This is a question that Rezanii cannot answer.
