Story:Twilight Crystal 2

Twilight Crystal 2 is set 18 years after the ending of Twilight Crystal. In the absence of the suffocating struggle between Asteria and Zirconia that had long consumed the continent, new countries have etched out their territorial claims. The heroes that brought about the cessation of violence and downfall of a would-be Oracle usurper have gone their separate ways. Some seek seclusion, others use their prestige to rebuild and influence, and some have departed for another life. Yet as the ashen prairies bloom anew in trade and diplomacy, something far more sinister is being sown...

Returning

 * Cynthia Leighson
 * User:Krystal Tomlin/Character List/TC2 Character List
 * Avec Quartz
 * Ivy Atlas
 * Dante Atlas

New

 * Mother
 * Pride
 * Wrath
 * Greed
 * Envy
 * Sloth
 * Lust

Basilica



 * Capital: Fontis
 * Leaders: The Senate, operating out of a newly constructed Basilica that stands in sharp contrast to the squalor of the rest of Fontis. It is still led by High Senator Miranda Ciminix, who has remained in power since before the Ultima Weapon laid siege to the city.
 * Territory: The area immediately surrounding Fontis and most land north of it, including Coral Beach and Kirdine but excluding Neona, which remains a ruin. This faction's territory extends westward almost until the borders of the old nation of Zirconia, but contests land rights over Thunder Valley with Ashland.
 * Government: Parliamentary democracy in name, bordering on autocracy
 * Diplomacy: This faction views itself as the "true" successor state to the former Zirconia, and maintains poor relations with the other two factions outstripped only for its hostility towards Asteria. Most survivors of the Ultima Weapon incident hold a burning grudge against Queen Eva and King Ethan, as well as Ivy Atlas, for their role in piloting the machine that destroyed Fontis near 20 years past. Relationships between this faction and the Oracle are complicated. While Cynthia's presence (and that of the former Zirconia shard) near Kilika provides a sense of security, there are those that would have the Oracle play a larger and closer role in the Senate's campaign to expand its influence.

Ashland



 * Capital: Voskres
 * Leaders: Talinn Fauske, a former Canidine soldier of Zirconia who left her position after the Endless War for the life she found in Voskres. She keeps in confidence other military types, including Crystal Martinez, who are fiercely protective of their homelands on the western frontier of what used to be Zirconia.
 * Territory: Much of the border between the former Zirconia and neutral land, running from the southern coast up until the contested region of Thunder Valley. This faction also has respectable influence in Besaid, a city on the periphery of Cerul's territory.
 * Government: Military junta
 * Diplomacy: Ashland occupies a delicate position between the overreaching Senate of Fontis and the turbulent "neutral" lands of the Bloodied Prairie. Many inhabitants of this region regard the leaders of the other factions as weak and susceptible to folding under a potential Asterian attack. Their opinion of the Oracle is mostly positive: though she resides outside their territory, they regard her protection and distance from Asteria as highly important. A good deal of people in this area endured the tragedies fought over many years in the Endless War, and are grateful to Cynthia for her role in ending the thousand year conflict.

Cerul



 * Capital: Tuval
 * Leaders: The merchant families of Hujan, Raiatea, and Samarind, led by the latter's patriarch, Paschal Samarind. Formely (and in many cases, still) economic rivals, the clans of southeastern Zirconia have banded together to preserve their region's wealth against the begging coffers of Fontis and territorial unrest of Voskres. Many are related, however distantly, to Alexandra on her mother's side.
 * Territory: The southeastern coast of the continent, including Mobliz, Luca, and tenuously Besaid.
 * Government: Oligarchy
 * Diplomacy: The lands of Cerul were largely left unscathed by the most recent events of the Endless War, and broke away from Fontis as a man washes his hands of some disease. Now confronted with a drastically altered political landscape, its leaders pursue a policy of isolation, preferring to internalize their relatively abundant resources. The Augustus line married liberally into families from this area, and there is a rising movement to place Alexandra back into power, despite her own misgivings. Cerul's people also have a generally negative opinion of the Oracle for what they believe is the marginalization of the former Zirconian states in contrast with Asteria's waxing of power.