Gaiaterra: Elysea's Conflict/The Calamitious Carnival

"Welcome to the Carnival."

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

The Calamitious Carnival are one of the fifty DLC factions added in Gaiaterra: Elysea's Conflict.

The Greatest Show
The origins of the Calamitous Carnival date back to April 8th, 1891, a day after the death of P.T. Barnum on Earth. Various mysterious fellows vowed on that day to uphold the hilarious showmanship that the man had brought to the world. These people, known only today as the Comical Consortium, then decreed that the world shall all experience amazing feats and hilarious antics.

The first actions of the young power were slow, since if the Calamitous Carnival was to gain any ground, it needed to absorb its competitors, such as The Barnum and Bailey Circus and the Ringling Brothers Circus. So, for the first few years, the Comical Consortium, through still unknown means, started building up the funds to buy these other circuses out. It finally succeeded in 1903, and the colossal mega-circus company that exists today was born.

With the Calamitous Carnival fully entrenched in its industry of choice, the Comical Consortium started looking outwards on how to expand its entertainment empire. There was a whole world out there to entertain, and, influential as they were with two of the largest circus groups under their wing, they were still but an entertainment group. So, in order to encourage expansion, the Calamitous Carnival started looking towards other forms of entertainment to continue funding their work, while the majority focus of the Carnival itself was setting up circuses throughout Europe and Africa.

This slow progression for the Carnival was smooth until the eruption of the first Great World War. Due to the battle in that war, all funds towards making C.C's were, for all practical intents and purposes, frozen. Nobody was interested in the Carnival when the "War to End All Wars" was going on! However, this did not worry the Comical Consortium one bit. According to the journals of Pierre Desrosiers, an accountant who personally dealt with the Comical Consortium, "(they) knew that after the War was over, people throughout the world would be more desperate than ever for entertainment, to drown the sorrows of the past away."

And so they did. Once the War ended on November 11th, 1918, the Calamitous Carnival made its move and started their swift expansion, offering their services to the war-torn areas of Europe. People flocked to the Circuses and profits went higher than ever. This remained for quite a few years; by the time the Second Great World War started in 1945, the Calamitous Carnival had become fully entrenched throughout all of Europe, the Americas, parts of Northern Africa, and the Middle East.

Gloom & Bloom
In spite of their best efforts in turning people's frowns upside-down, smiles tend to evaporate during and after wars. Ratatatats of rifles hushed the laughter of the audience, tank cannons drowned out the applause of the entertained, sound offs and orders displaced cries of awe for the performers. WW2, whether on earth or Gaiaterra, was exemplary in proving how war can drain a populace of its joy and delight, placing fear and uncertainty in their place as people began to be pessimistic of their conditions, causing all other sorts of unpleasantness to blossom on the ruins left by the great conflict. Ten years after the war ended, The Conflict and the Cold War broke out. Misery reigned yet again, exacerbated by the deaths of further millions as homes and town were leveled, economies were irreparably damaged, and widespread sorrow dominated each and every amygdalae of those caught in the crossfire.

Even so, the Carnival persevered, its acts still providing escape hatches from the problems of the world. Illusionists had everybody wondering how they managed to perform feats not thought plausible, comic acts had the audience raising chortles and chuckle with their antics, fire eaters and tightrope walkers had everyone's breath held with their death-defying stunts. Although the attendees' enjoyment was temporary, the impact of the performances they witnessed was far from temporary, as the viewers spread the word that the Calamitous Carnival was in a current town, leading many to flock to their big tents to get a glimpse of their whimsy. Tickets were sold out, no seat was left untaken with spectators literally lining up from the other end of the neighborhood to pay.

Clown Fiesta
At first glance, the Carnival acts and appears like a typical circus. Although noticeably larger than its competitors, it dispenses humor and entertainment not unlike the others. But that is the extent of their similarities.

While stringent policies are in place to ensure no one in the audience gives away the surprises, those who manage to spill the beans tell of the grandiose stunts executed inside the tents, yet genuine at the same time. Case in point: among other tricks, magicians under the Carnival's payroll catch bullets with their teeth 100% of the time, with minimal need for smoke and mirrors. Trained men scarf down on as many swords as they please like snacks, without showing signs of injury and fatigue. Contortionists twist their bodies into near-impossible shapes and stunts, and acrobats and tightrope walkers do their respective stunts as carefree as possible without fear of accidents. Even the special effects used for performances look literally out of this world, giving on the impression that they have just stepped foot in another universe entirely.

That is because those special effects are actually energies gathered from another universe, applied throughout the tent and the performers in a controlled manner. Colloquially referred to as "C-space" by those in the know, this dimension is accessible through a pocket wormhole, which location is something that Barnum took with him to the grave. Two weeks after World War II, a high-ranking member of the Consortium received a parcel from "P. T. Barnum" detailing a marvelous contraption located in the Gadianton Canyon that would 'render grief obsolete' - at least, according to his words.

Sending envoys to the coordinates found in the letter, they discovered, to their shock, the long-dead showman in the flesh and the device he spoke of! Admitting his last will to have his corpse thrown into the Gadianton portal after his death, he recounted how he could feel the twisting energies of the C-space enveloping his cadaver, giving him (if limited) control over the very fabric of reality. But having learned from the accident from Hartford, he told the Consortium at his arrival that C-energy is a terrible thing if left riotous, how stunts and tents must be imbued with only minuscule amounts of it.

He had an idea that was yet more outrageous than powering a circus with another dimension. Performances can now be paid for by commanders, extended in the middle of the battlefield in an attempt to minimize the misery and maximize the mirth of the combatants. Wielding the unpredictable forces of C-energy, an anonymous general has reported that the opposite side is rendered speechless by the nature of the acts, actually being amused by them!

Lore Articles

 * The "Fourth Wall"
 * Clown Power

Relations

 * The Great Horde: The Audience
 * Minutemen Survivors: The Audience
 * Federation of Aquila: The Audience

Legendary Generals
TBA

Commandos

 * The Joker: ??? Commando

Sub-factions
TBA

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

Game Of Chance
Unique to the Carnival is that all of their abilities have multiple effects and large variables that randomly switch once used, like the Jokesters ability either causing the enemies to laugh (stun with damage), fall asleep (longer stun), or chase them with torch and pitchfork (taunts the enemy) with the outcome almost never being the same. Most of them are beneficial (if used properly) but few are duds/negative. And adapting to the abilities used is necessary for victory

Structures
Basic Structures Defense and Support structures