Rise of the Dominion

A long-belated plot arc on Alter-Mana, which began with the "Second Chance" post series, and focuses on the slow rise to prominence of Forthena on the Fringe. With the powers of the Core slugging it out with each other in the name of their withering empires, nations in Alter and Merge (such as Forthena, the Merge League and the Combine) are beginning to (finally) stand on their own two feet.

When reading the Dominion arc (and also when reading Knightfall, or when reading Nick's "Havoc's Cry"), one should keep in mind the one thing that Rhodes warned Kenny about when he first took office:

"Well, there are three main things that you as Prime Minister need to work at all times to prevent. If the Guardians get into Pandora, if the Esper Union falls, or the Fringe becomes strong and united, you will have failed as Tasnican Prime Minister."

The first one is not likely to happen ever thanks to the events of Knightfall, the second looks more and more likely every time Gabe adds to his rather ominous new plot arc... and the third...?

Second Chance

In this arc, Guardian diplomat Janville Dussert (the architect of the first Medinan Republic's constitution) is given a second chance at a lasting legacy by being sent to Forthena to help Duran Ferrant settle the matter of his succession, on the pretense of being the new Guardian Ambassador to Forthena. When he arrives, he learns that the situation is more pressing than he realized: Duran, it turns out, was attacked by an assassin not long before Dussert was called for, and a poison that seems to have no cure is working its way through his system. He suspects one of the members of his court is responsible, and wants Dussert to find out who.

What follows then is a poorly-crafted mystery story, which devolves into a Shyamalan-esque lame twist at the end. Duran, it turns out, was not poisoned, had staged the assassination and was conspiring with two other members of the court to kill off all the old king's sons-in-law, believing each and every one of them was either crooked, or beholden to a foreign power, or both. In the end, the only courtier his conspiracy managed to kill off was an elderly Wendelian priest. Duran had planned for Dussert to find out and indict his co-conspirators (one of whom was a Merge League Seeder agent, and the other was a Tyranid), allowing him to be completely rid of all his greedy, traitorous courtiers and allow Forthena to be entirely independent. Irzoile Ricrot, the leader of Forthena's Knights of Gold, betrayed Duran's plot, however, and clued Dussert into the scheme. Irzoile then joined with the Beast King Larc Dervish and his sister, Sierra, and killed Duran and the remaining conspirators. With Duran dead, Irzoile inherited both the Mana Sword and the Throne of Forthena.

Irzoile's Court/Altenan Succession

This especially dry, cumbersome arc deals with the immediate aftermath of the events in Second Chance. Irzoile, as King, sets out the agenda before his remaining courtiers: he has his sights set on expansion of Forthena's borders, allied closely with the Beast Kingdom. Though Irzoile desperately wants to fulfill his own religious delusions by capturing the Holy City of Wendel, he first decides he must deal with Altena so that he doesn't have an enemy at his back. It is then that Irzoile and his court learn that Altena's Witch Queen has entered into the sleep of death (from the shock of learning of Duran's assassination), and is to be entombed with the other sleeping Witch Monarchs. Sensing an opportunity to create a vassal-state in Altena, Irzoile sends Sierra, with a regiment of Forthenan troops, to sieze the capital while Altena's noble aristocracy are seeing to the entombment of their queen. Sierra establishes herself as a moderator in the matter of the Altenan succession, and attempts to pit the Nobility against the Four Masters of Altena's Arcane Academy, to stall a decision on the succession and leave Altena leaderless and under Forthena's influence for years to come.

The Four Masters are wise enough to see through the ploy, however, and they manage to agree on something for the first time in ages. They agree to elevate Irwin Haer'Dalis, the half-demon, half-human son of Master Mephianse, as Witch King. Once enthroned, he first surprises, then dismisses (and, in so doing, insults) Sierra.

Forthenan Dominion

In this arc so far, Irzoile attempts to calm Larc and Sierra and maybe sieze an opportunity to ally with Irwin's Altena. He and Irwin learn that they have something in common: Irwin being the half-breed spawn of Mephianse (a demonic sorcerer and one of the Four Masters) and a human woman, and Irzoile reveals that he is half-Mavole -- the half-human son of Darklord Jagan, no less -- a secret that he has closely guarded for years. Feeling a strange kinship with Irzoile, Irwin agrees to become an equal partner in Forthena's new alliance, yet to be formally named in-story as the Forthenan Dominion.

Meanwhile, in Naba'al, the Great Khan Hawkeye Navarre has not failed to notice the events unfolding in Forthena. Falcon Lyver, Naba'al's chief MAC, is engaged in an affair with one of Forthena's MACs, and through her is able to feed Hawkeye information about the Forthenan inner circle. Through Falcon's espionage, Hawkeye learns that Irzoile's eventual goal is to sieze the Holy City of Wendel. After consulting Reisz Rolante of Laurent (with whom he is having an affair), Hawkeye decides to engage Irzoile diplomatically to throw him offguard.

Meanwhile, Irzoile arranges a meeting with the Darklord of the Mavoles, Dovula. Irzoile, being the son of Jagan, presses for the restitution of his birthright: control over Mindas. Dovula asks for time to think over Irzoile's offer. Upon returning home to Forthena, Irzoile receives a chilly reception when he brings up the idea of invading Mindas: none of his Dominion allies are with him (as none of them know the truth of Irzoile's heritage except for Mephianse and Irwin). Dovula and his first concubine, Carmilla, send Carmilla's sister Elysia as an emissary to Irzoile, though her true objective is to kill him. Instead, she is drawn to Irzoile and colludes with him: they murder Irzoile's lawfully wedded Queen and blame the deed on Elysia's servant. Irzoile then uses the assassination of a Forthenan royal at the hands of a Mindan servant as pretense for going to war with his Dominion council.