Mai's Counterattack
Mai's Counterattack is a Lords of Ether OVA focused on Lost Ground produced by Artaria Animation who picked up the IP nine years after Season 7 of the original series was cancelled. Unlike its predecessors, it is originally produced in Japanese. Due to various copyright issues, various aspects of canon including the names of characters and places were changed, alienating many fans of the old series. The retconning of General Kushana into a completely different character and the elimination of Alter Weapons have caused especially great discontent and spawned accusations of catering to the seinen fanservice demographic. Others however, have praised the much higher production quality and modernization of the art style.
Background
Lost Ground is a small gray planet orbiting largely alone around an unremarkable reddish-orange star. Until the reopening of the starways, the population of the world simply referred to their government as "the Empire". Following the return of interplanetary travel, the planet's sole polity gained the name Alter Empire after the advanced technomagical discipline (Advanced Liquid-metal Techno-Enchantment Resonance) that underlies its civilization. Likewise, they are often called "Alters" by foreigners but refer to themselves as "Lost Grounders" instead.
It is unclear what nations existed on Lost Ground during the previous era (when it probably wasn't called Lost Ground) but it was minimally the home of at least one major demihuman race: the aquatic Merai, as well as human populations loyal to the Japanese pantheon and to Greater Atlantis. This put the world directly on the front lines (or at least the front lines of the side lines) of the ensuing Godswar during which the planet was predictably and thoroughly devastated. Even as the violence wound down elsewhere after the collapse of hyperspace, the people of Lost Ground carried on their microcosm of the great war, far transcending the memory of their former affiliations. They were not to cease hostilities until bringing them to their final, genocidal conclusion over eight hundred years later. Throughout and after this period, civilization continued to stagnate or decline and the once green and blue world turned fundamentally hostile to humanity. In the present day, most Lost Grounders live within the confines of Vuwaru and a few other shielded cities on the Northern Continent with most outlying areas abandoned to a deadly mutant biosphere.
Alter Empire
Genre: Dystopian Magitech Dictatorship; the Most Final of Fantasies
Lost Ground's sole viable polity was founded about two hundred years ago following the genocide of the last Merai, a capstone finale to centuries of war which left a few million humans as the last survivors on a depopulated and devastated world. It is a thoroughly molten pot of cultural remnants from the planet's original, far more numerous inhabitants with Japanese being the biggest contributor. Although they have no living memory of the Godswar era, Lost Grounders identify more with Atlantis than anything else and are thought to be Atlantean descendants. This has especially been the case since the immigration of survivors from Mount Olympus who have a continuous Atlantean history following the war on Myrkliea.
For its small population, the Empire's government and social system is considerable in scale and presence but not in complexity. There are no delusions of rule through divine right nor any native sense of democracy (as opposed to rebellions of desperation) except what has been introduced via interplanetary relations. Through their command of power, mages are the gentry and the emperor is the emperor because he is the most powerful mage around. This attitude has put the Empire quite at odds with regional superpower of Sceptre but has lead to surprisingly productive and pragmatic relations with some other powers. While there's no denying that Lost Ground scores quite low on the Cure Joy Index, the Joy Peace State nevertheless sees Lost Ground as a valuable partner in relocation projects for its undesireables while the Papacy has found them to be pragmatic allies on their Crusades with high impact despite the limited numbers of their contributions.
Technology and Magic
Biology: 0
Chemistry: 0
Engineering: 500
Physics: 0
Psychology: 0
Creation: 300
Destruction: 500
Matter: 500
Mental: 500
Movement: 500
Engineering/Matter: 500/500
Engineering/Movement: 200/200
Infrastructure
Wealth: 59
Industry: 63+10
Ether: 55
Research: 198
Stockpiles
WU: 443
Ether: 930
Geodes: 70.5
RP: 51
Magic
Pyrite: 2
Ambrium: 37
Crycium: 15
Ganzite: 12
Silbony: 4
Sildron: 41
Thermidron: 8
Andalium: 10
Insidium: 5
Mindex: 10
Synaptite: 27
Calmstone: 5
Adamantium: 74
Mithril: 6
Marshroot: 11
Irrinium: 10
Korite: 6
~580 ether and 22 geodes sunk into spells, enchantments and summons.
Advantages
Ancient World
Even the briefest rambles through Lost Ground's hinterlands reveals that the world was once far more populated than the present day. The Southern Continent even has a few ruined cities that dwarf Vuwaru. Of more interest to the regime are the caches of weapons that have been lost to time, waiting for rediscovery after the passing eight centuries of war, though sometimes it's hard to be sure whether a given wonder weapon comes out of Lost Ground itself or one of its irrepressible designer laboriums.
Mercenaries
With weapons to be dug up everywhere, oftentimes it isn't the state that gets to them first. Moreover, being as it is at the center of so much conflict and ruled by a state that is utterly amoral whilst still being open to foreigners, Lost Ground tends to be attractive as a gathering place for mercenaries in general.
Exalimphone
Like a Batphone except ours calls up Cuselis. While Exalims generally are not into reducing mountains into enough ash to fit into a thimble, individuals fuck with Atlantis at their own peril.
Disadvantages
No Population Growth
Originally I just didn't want to track fractional changes like population growth...
Angry Population
...or the population industrial bonus... Now I kind of need them!
Barren World
Actually, places that look normal aren't uncommon on Lost Ground, especially on the Northern Continent. However, even those places are never fertile. The Southern Continent wouldn't be considered barren if you enjoy toxic spores and mycelium.
Resource Poor World
Most of the easy stuff has been tapped out.
Disaster Zone (Mutant Biosphere)
The Nanoforest is present on both continents and is composed of nanofungus, a form of life that do not respond normally even to life magick. Although it grows extremely quickly if left unattended, it can also be spread even faster by occasional uprisings of its gigantic, human devouring inhabitants. Fortunately, the Forest does not seem to like all locations and sometimes even retreats from places it has colonized after a while. The last major spread of the Forest occurred shortly after the close of the Myrkliean War and was uniquely catalyzed by the escape of an Atlantean nanological weapon, an event which points to what may have caused the rise of such an unnatural ecology in the first place.
Records and archaeology show that Nanoforest was present either by the end of the Godswar or immediately afterwards. Having long since abandoned any attempts to understand the Forest, responding to the threat with military force is a regular event for Lost Grounders. Presently all but a single area of the Southern Continent is overrun. On the Northern Continent, it mostly exists in the abandoned west but pockets still erupt now and again from other locales.
Lord of All
Lost Ground's top-down, mage driven society requires a strong unifying central authority. The empire has existed for almost two centuries with a single emperor whose position rests on his superiority as the greatest of the mages.
Pariah
But at least we're honest, and that's the most important thing.
Undiplomatic
Probably has to do with corruption and mages.
Climate
Lost Ground has a warm climate and is heavily overcast year round due to the state of the atmosphere which is the colour and consistency of a bad bruise.
Lost Ground
Heartland
The heartland of the empire is home to the vast majority of the Alter and Atlantean populations.
Vuwaru (Super)
Lost Grounders: 4,000,000
Joyish: 4,000,000 (enslaved)
Wealth: 27
Industry: 30
Ether: 25
Research: 150
Connections: Little Atlantis (West/Northwest); Hinata (Southwest); Ariake (South); Windy Mountains (Northeast); Fuuka (Northeast)
The capital's population has doubled in the past few years and the husks of the hemispheric city's central underlevels are now populated again after decades or centuries of disuse. By far the alpha city of the planet, most Lost Grounders live here at some point in their lives, for higher education if nothing else. It is also host to the planet's only spaceport. Damaged by a Samothracian nuclear weapon, it has been repaired and reinforced over the years and now more of the sky is covered up by platforms and spires of dark metal than ever before.
Ariake (Very Difficult - Mountains)
Lost Grounders: 200,000
Joyish: 1,000,000 (enslaved)
Wealth: 1
Industry: 1
Ether: 0
Research: 0
Connections: Vuwaru (North); Ariake (West)
One of Lost Ground's shield cities but built on a small plateau high in the mountains. Don't fall off!
Hinata (Difficult - Karst and Canyons)
Lost Grounders: 200,000
Joyish: 1,000,000 (enslaved)
Wealth: 1
Industry: 1
Ether: 0
Research: 0
Connections: Little Atlantis (North); Ariake (East); Vuwaru (Northeast)
A shield city built in a relatively remote area dotted with rivers, caves and underground water.
Little Atlantis (Difficult - Temperate Forest)
Lost Grounders: 400,000
Atlanteans: 400,000
Joyish: 2,500,000 (enslaved)
Wealth: 6
Industry: 7
Ether: 5
Research: 10
Connections: Seize (West); Hinata (South); Vuwaru (East/Southeast)
A formerly unimportant city that was settled by surviving Atlanteans from Mount Olympus, leading to the area gaining the name "Little Atlantis" (Petite Atlantide) via an unknown Joy immigrant. A few Atlanteans seem to not like the name those others find it ruefully appropriate.
Seize (Difficult - Wastelands)
Lost Grounders: 900,000
Joyish: 2,500,000 (enslaved)
Wealth: 4
Industry: 8 (5 owned by Church of Nyrethen)
Ether: 5
Research: 0
Connections: Little Atlantis (East)
Seize is the launching ground of expeditions to burn away Nanoforest uprisings in the west in order to keep the land clear for future resettlement. Ever since Tolas was leveled and the western portion of the continent essentially abandoned, this city has become the new western frontier of the empire and also swollen in size due to refugees from that region. It is also where the Church of Nyrethen is most active on Lost Ground with some of the infrastructure owned by them.
The East
Long ago called the Country of Wind and Flowers, history and archaeology reveals this as an area where believers in the Japanese gods once dwelt. Yet, though the land here is as picturesque as it gets on Lost Ground, the original civilization here did not survive and the area has been lightly inhabited for centuries as surviving humans gravitated towards the state's core. With Joyish migrant labour now available, some recolonization has occurred.
Fuuka (Open)
Lost Grounders: 300,000
Joyish: 2,000,000 (enslaved)
Wealth: 2
Industry: 1
Ether: 5
Research: 0
Connections: Vuwaru (Southwest); Windy Mountains (South); Hakurei (East)
Fuuka is the gateway to the East and was once almost entirely free of habitation. Today, Joyish labourers work in the once almost abandoned corridors of Fuuka City and the walls themselves are surrounded by a vast field of plantations.
Windy Mountains (Very Difficult - Mountains)
Lost Grounders: 10,000
Joyish: 300,000 (enslaved)
Wealth: 0
Industry: 0
Ether: 0
Research: 0
Connections: Vuwaru (West); Fuuka (North); Hakurei (East)
A mountain range that is, overall, fairly aptly named. Includes the highest mountains on the Northern Continent.
Hakurei (Open)
Lost Grounders: 600,000
Joyish: 1,000,000 (enslaved)
Wealth: 6
Industry: 6
Ether: 4
Research: 5
Connections: Fuuka (West); Windy Mountains (Southwest)
A large city on the eastern end of the Northern Continent. It is surrounded by ruins of a somewhat different variety than elsewhere.
Belka Island
The large volcanic island of Belka lies north of the Northern Continent and is the only part of the planet that has cold winters and sees snow. It is also probably the cleanest part of the world, sees the sun a great deal more than anywhere else and even has hot springs to boot. As such, it is about as resorty as you can get on a dystopian planet like Lost Ground.
Belka (Very Difficult - Island; Intervening Ocean)
Lost Grounders: 250,000
Atlanteans: 100,000
Wealth: 1
Industry: 0
Ether: 1
Research: 8
Southern Continent
The Southern Continent is a much larger place than the north but has been lightly inhabited during the past few centuries. Recently, most of the remaining inhabited areas were overrun all at once by the Forest in a disaster catalyzed by an Atlantean weapon. Since then, the influx of Joyish migrant labour has enabled the empire to stage a reclamation and recolonization effort.
Suwa (Open; Intervening Ocean)
Lost Grounders: 400,000
Ikarian: 400,000 (unhoused)
Joyish: 5,700,000 (enslaved)
Wealth: 2
Industry: 0
Ether: 5
Research: 0
Suwa was the only city to survive the destruction of the South and was flooded by troops and refugees as other areas of the continent became uninhabitable. With access to the ocean, the city also became the natural rallying point for civilization's inevitable counterattack. Spurred on by the need to exploit the planet's dwindling space and resources wherever possible, Lost Ground imported vast human resources from Joyeux in order to clear away the nanofungus. Two years on, Suwa has expanded grossly beyond its walls and overtaken Vuwaru as the largest city on Lost Ground: a vast wheel of labour camps surrounding a ring of freshly cleared Ikarian fields and olive groves surrounding a central metallic core inhabited by the Lost Grounders.
Keyway
Hourai Island (Very Difficult - Island)
Gorghannians: 20,000
Liolanthe: 10,000 (enslaved)
Pureblood Yuan-Ti: 35,000 (enslaved)
Wealth: 9
Industry: 9
Ether: 5
Research: 25
Lost Ground's sole colony - a small island southeast of the Liolanthe mainland. Probably run by a combination of the Church of Nyrethen and the Gorghannians that have settled there and built up the island out to the shore.
Technomagic
ALTER (Engineering 500/Matter 500)
Advanced Liquid-metal Techno-Enchantment Resonance is a technomagic discipline underlying much of the military power of the Empire.
(+3) Alter Furnace
An Alter furnace is a self-contained, technomagical, liquid-based additive manufacturing plant; essentially an arcane nanolathe that gives a Build Time Multiplier of 1 and avoids the need for intense heat to work even the toughest of magical materials. They are exceedingly robust and maintenance-free once their enchantments are set, requiring only that random gouts of vapour be occasionally emitted and copious amounts of suspect liquids to be piped in. The most sophisticated type are those used to create and maintain marionettes in which case they are supplementarily powered by fanservice via a cover made of clarionite impact glass.
(+3) Crima Claws
The iconic weapon of Lost Ground which makes melee super-effective. They have been the standard arms for infantry and armours for centuries. A Crima claw's active component is a technomagical liquid metal that can change into any shape the wielder desires, from nearly invisible threads and swords to shields or maces. Once solidified, it retains shape and edge as well as any adamantium. They can also fire needles of metal as projectiles through internal pressure or, in newer Alter-Shift versions, through the new liquid metal's inherent motive magic.
Basic weapons issued to front line infantry appear as very bulky gauntlets and are somewhat limited in the precision of manipulation possible with the liquid metal. For the empire's mecha or the elite MAKO Corps, Crima claws are usually linked to the suit's own store of liquid metal, greatly increasing the available mass of metal and allowing weight to be distributed automatically by the AMBAC system. The principle is the same for marionettes who are mostly liquid metal by mass (though not volume). The personal weapon of a mage might appear as a jeweled bracer or armlet and be of high enough quality to coat the arm or hand in a film of liquid metal without hindering dexterity or create wires as thing as spider silk.
(+1) Morphic Armour
Armour crafted from Alter technomagic can dynamically reform without losing its protective qualities. The penalties of heavy armour (size, upkeep and encumberance) accumulate more slowly and even units that normally cannot tolerate armour at all can take at least one level without compromise.
(+1) Liquid Metal Form
Allows full transformation with a single added cap (normally requires two) and the carrying of three externals on aircraft.
(+1) Super Regeneration
Regeneration is super-effective and damage control rolls are much easier.
(+1) Ranged Melee
Lets melee be used out to a greater range than normal.
SHIFT (Engineering 200/Movement 200)
SHIFT is a new and emerging technomagical discipline inspired by Lost Ground's encounter with the teleporting supersoldiers of Samothrace.
(+4) Dimensional Resonance Armour
Causes liquid metal to reflect or shunt incoming energy into another dimension. Each application of Resonant Morphic Armour also acts as a Shield cap.
Future
(+3) QT Effect
The dimensional resonance of Resonant Morphic Armour causes an initially unintended but remarkably useful effect. Instead of shunting incoming damage into another dimension, the unit itself sometimes briefly phases elsewhere instead. To the enemy, it often seems their target is making an uncanny dodge or outright teleport. Humaniform and Fighter Agility are super-effective but requires at least +2 Armour to function on non-mechanical units.
(+3) Astrally Synchronized Resonating Aerenite
By manipulating the resonance on nanoscale aerenite, it is possible to create solid state gates suitable for civilian use. Freely exchange resources and infrastructure production between different friendly locations that already have the relevant infrastructure. (Magical materials require at least a matter specialist to handle shipping and receiving?) (Might not even apply anymore.) Allows moving between friendly places with gates?
Heroes
Lilim, Alter Emperor (Icon/Officer/Savant/Hero-Warrior)
The Emperor is the most powerful mage on Lost Ground and the only ruler the Alter Empire has ever had. Two centuries ago, he fought through the various wars that founded the empire and as such has an unexpected martial ability. Though not thought of as a particularly good strategist or commander, his specialty was personal combat against mages as powerful and enigmatic as himself. Within a few decades after the final war with the Merai, once it was proven that no other archmage on Lost Ground could challenge him, he retreated into seclusion to manipulate the empire's society from above whilst attempting to allay his boredom with greater secrets. Above all, Lilim hates those who are weak or useless and has an abiding love for war. Around the turn of the millennium, after fostering a nascent ability for the empire to project itself beyond the starways, he became active again. Although he is male and tends to appear as a male teenager, he can switch freely amongst a host of technomagic bodies.
Kasaya Natsuki, High General of Lost Ground (Officer/Official-Tyranny?)
The present coordinator of all of Lost Ground's military forces. The results of the Myrkliean War gave her somewhat more control over Lost Ground's horrid procurement process, leading to better sensibilities in terms of weapons production. As the high general above the empire's other generals, she is certainly the most powerful person in the empire who is not a mage and probably one of the world's more diplomatic faces as a result.
Kasaya Kiriko, the Mercury Light (Officer-Ground-Air/Hero-Warrior)
The High General's adopted daughter, an incredibly talented but inexperienced teenager placed in command of the Mobile Armour Brigade. She pilots Concealed the Conclusion, a Godswar era armour and one of the two most powerful in Lost Ground's arsenal.
Alyssa Aire Altrusia, Western Pirate Queen (Officer-Naval/Hero-Rogue/Warrior?/Official?)
The leader of the Altrusia Fleet which has wandered the stars in exile for many years in the name of their philosophy and not a little resentment of the Sternreich's peace. Her experience as a naval commander is a valuable complement to the Atlanteans' distant memories as the Alter Empire has no real naval tradition of its own.
Avonlea Montgomery, Masked Pilot (Hero-Warrior/Officer-Air/???)
The mysterious masked pilot of the Altrusia Fleet's providentially suspect Newtype-use mobile suit Kriemhild Gretchen.
Mana Mikuhatsu, Magical Idol (Official-Populist?Democracy?/Savant/Agent-Spy?/Officer?)
One of Lost Ground's many prodigal genius children better known offworld by her stage name Yaya-chan. A powerful mage whose magic works through being the center of attention and went overseas for bigger audiences. She has had concerts and scandals as far as Thetis but has gravitated back closer to home, performing in Na-Speza, Sceptre and even before the Joy Peace UG Directory.
Karine (Agent-Spy/Official?/Savant?)
A female archmage spy currently on Myrkliea.
Rabble Rouser
We have a Demagogue in Myrkliea right now.
Asilis, Fuck Off My Planet (Agent-Assassin/Hero-Warrior?) Our way of telling you to fuck your hero off Lost Ground
Archmage (Officer/Savant-Arcana)
Don't have one of these as an actual hero at all. We have like thirty of them so it's kinda hopeless... Would also double as a Nazi dropper - throw fanservice Diamid Otome at anyone beating us on artifacts.
Prospector (Explorer)
We don't have one for hunting magic materials.
Ancient World Bonus
Melana, Neo-Atlantean Princess (Hero-Explorer/Savant-Atlantean)
A determined thirteen years old in 1007, the implied-to-be daughter of Seretor Qaderis is determined to do something meaningful for the future of Neo-Atlantis regardless of the caution of grownups.
Uiharu Chise, Child Genius Artificer (Savant-Technomagic/Hero-Explorer)
A child prodigy and polymath famous on Lost Ground for developing the theory of SHIFT technology practically on her own. Has grand ideas for the empire's future as a progressive interstellar state linking worlds via sustainable and economical solid state gates.