Gaiaterra: Elysea's Conflict/The Black Banner Conglomerate

"The Black Banner Rises!"

- The voice when the Conglomerate is selected in the Conquest mode.

The Black Banner Conglomerate are one of the twenty-one core factions in Gaiaterra: Elysea's Conflict.

Description
"We are not puppets, to be deceived or enslaved."

-A motto of The Black Banner Conglomerate

To an average citizen within the Guardian or Destroyer territory. The Conglomerate was once people on the Lombardia Atoll, a small island, who became a superpower due to, depending on which side you ask, the Guardian or Destroyer giving the natives their technology, saving them from the other, only for the islanders to betray them, having modified the technology given, and refusing to join them. Thus they are seen as enemies to both sides, their Black Banner showing their desire to destroy all. But for those who know, the truth is a lot more complicated.

In truth, Lombardia was an island in which the Guardians and the Destroyers tested prototypes at some point, before abandoning them when they proved too impractical, such as the precursor of SKYNET which soon became a deserted island where these prototypes were left to rust. But soon these prototypes would gain new life as four armies, whose leaders eventually formed the council, washed upon its shores.

The first was Rashidi, his righthand man Malver, and the remnant of his armies and Collective prisoners he freed. Who at first worked for the Collective but eventually becomes distraught after learning that the Alliance have unleashed a gargantuan secret weapon and started to lose his faith in Yuri's ideals, especially after seeing how far he was willing to go to mind-control the world. He secretly made a plan to escape with his forces and as many prisoners as he could take. Eventually, Yuri became aware of Rashidi's actions, which he instantly declares as treachery, and sent Libra to punish the Scorpion Cell for their transgressions. While the Collective believes that Rashidi was killed when his palace was destroyed, he had already escaped by an unknown vehicle and possibly learned that Malver and the remaining Scorpion Cell forces loyal to him managed to recover the Cell's neurotoxin supplies during his absence, meeting up with him as they journey to Lombardia, as Rashidi had saw potential in the abandonded prototypes.

Next was Farsight, who witnessed his homeland destroyed twice. First reduced to ruin by the Coalition in the Damocles War, and then by the Syndicate who restored their homes at the cost of massive debts, essentially making them the Syndicate slaves, and soon rebelled upon discovering the Dawn Blade, an artifact of the Khal Dynasty, with most of the Tau people, and a few people of the Sprawls, and forced to retreat to Lombardia as his forces were outnumbered and underequipped to face the full might of the Syndicate. Though his desire to free his people from the Syndicate's grip remains unbroken.

Then there's Isara Gunther, the adopted sister of Welkin and the older twin sister of Emily, who was once a proud soldier of the Alliance. But as the war dragged on she began to doubt her nation's ideals, if they were meant for peace, why were they using unethical weapons like the Pion Array? Her doubts all culminated when she accidentally came across an ACIN report, and witness the true nature of the Andoran Cryoprisons. Such was the action of the Alliance spy reports filled with the assassination of those even holding a shred of Garlean ideals, secret police and psychics (codenamed Lensman) silencing dissenters, and the borders slowly disintegrating that the Alliance would eventually become a super-state, all approved by Alliance high command, was what finally shattered her faith in the Alliance, as she realized that her nation was becoming an entity no different from the Voshkod, with the only difference being that they say they are working for the betterment of their people, like a true autocrat. And, still thinking her nation could be saved, began using her status to ask the High Command to change these rules, citing that they are becoming no better than the Voshkods, and for months she tried to have them see reason, to stop trying to force their ideals onto others. Eventually, the Alliance had considered her too unstable to be of service and sent an ACIN assassination team to silence her, but by some miracle, she survived the attempt. The assassination, all for protesting against their rules, had finally shattered her faith in her nation and staged a massive coup so that she, her division, and a few prisoners she freed, fleeing to Lombardia, hoping that someday she could return and restore her nation. The Alliance themselves had managed to spun the event as her getting assassinated by the Voshkod, with only the higher-ups knowing what truly happened, including Welkin, who Isara had informed him about the Alliance dark side yet chose stayed on their side.

And finally was Flayn, or by her original name Cethlean, and her father Seteth/Cichol. Both of whom had witnessed Rhea, Flayn's aunt and Seteth's sister, descend into madness as she joined the Brotherhood for the faint promise of Kane reviving their mother Sothis. And watched as Fodlan, their home, slowly fell into corruption as the Asmodian cult began to influence the people, with only Jeralt and his band resisting their rule, yet still followed in the vain hopes of Kane honoring his end of the deal. All that changed when Flayn and Seteth came across a strange sword, and in a flash, they were hit with a vision of the future, witness their nation plunging into tyranny as Kane began to enslave Fodlan to further his ambition leading to Rhea and Fodlan demise, and soon gathered as many people as they could and staged a coup. But in the end, even with the Militia's aid, they were simply too weak to fight against Kane's cult and were forced to retreat to Lombardia, where Seteth was severely injured in the escape.

Lore Articles

 * The Council and its Founders
 * The Lombardia Atoll
 * The Prototypes
 * The Black Banner of Severance
 * The Conglomerate-Confederation Alliance

Relations

 * Tyrian Confederation: Allied
 * Minutemen Survivors: Allied

Veterancy Levels
The ranks of the Black Banner are the bases of these veterancy ranks.

Notable Characters

 * Kazuhira Miller: Conglomerate EVA
 * Rashidi
 * Seteth/Cichol
 * Algrin "AI" Ironhands
 * Lira
 * Illidan Stormrage
 * Aloise Rangeld
 * Catherine/Cassandra Rubens Charon
 * Yuri Leclerc
 * Balthus von Albrecht
 * Constance von Nuvelle
 * Hapi

Notable Locations

 * Lombardia Atoll

Legendary Generals

 * "The Shadow" Malver: General of the Scorpion Cell
 * "The Dawnbringer" Farsight: General of the Farsight Enclave
 * "The Architect" Isara Gunther: General of Hawke Revolutionaries
 * "The Seer" Flayn/Cethleann: General of Fodlan Revolt

Commandos

 * Malver: Scorpion Cell Commando
 * Farsight: Farsight Enclave Commando
 * Isara Gunther: Hawke Revolutionaries Commando
 * Flayn/Cethleann: Fodlan Revolt Commando

Sub-factions

 * Scorpion Cell
 * Farsight Enclave
 * Hawke Revolutionaries
 * Fodlan Revolt

Arsenal
Main Article: Gaiaterra: Elysea's Conflict/Conglomerate Arsenal

All in One Base
The Conglomerate differs from all others in the fact that all production buildings are already built when a game starts. Powerloader, Exo Scout, Assault Hoverbike, and the Drone Miner are produced from the Command Battle Station. The units in the other buildings must be unlocked by purchasing upgrades. They are significantly tougher compared to other factions, with three times the health and twice the armor, and are protected by Tier IV defenses but they can't build more, and can only repair the ones they have if destroyed. And if the Command Battle Station itself is destroyed, the Conglomerate will cut their losses and retreat.

Leading the front
Unlike other factions, the Conglomerate immediately has their Commando deployed on the field, has double the level when compared to other commandos, two abilities, a passive, and an ultimate they can upgrade per level up, can transform into their epic unit at max level, and have access to special upgrades known as wargear, and are the first unit to be produced when the battle starts and the last unit that needs to be killed for the opponent to win. But in turn, their commandoes are even weaker at their base form, as in they will barely edge out against other faction's basic infantry at level 1. And in the event the commando is knocked out then the commander must either wait for a few minutes before they can be revived or spend resources to instantly bring them back.

Wargear
Wargear are special equipment used by the commando to enhance their combat prowess, from increasing their damage to giving special abilities. Each commando has a list of 10 wargear items they may acquire through tier increase, upgrade, and achieving a special goal. For more information, visit here.

Trivia

 * Like the Collective, Encantadia and Community, the Conglomerate is one of the few factions whose Legendary Generals are also their commandos in battle.
 * The Conglomerate base is based on the US Forces in Company of Heroes 2.