Gaiaterra: Elysea's Conflict/The Community of Cantha

"In The Name Of Our Clans!"

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

The Community of Cantha are one of the twenty-one core factions in Gaiaterra: Elysea's Conflict. This faction focuses on hold the line tactics and suppression, before they bring in their high-tech Maser weaponry, Gravity manipulation weaponry, and the Varls to face any foes.

Description
Like many stories, the Community of Cantha beginnings are in a far off land; Cantha. Although part of the Guardians, the continent-countries was not as affected as other countries were by the Red Menace, thus Guardian Command's plans and campaigns were more focused towards Hawke and the Aquilan States in order to prevent invasions. Cantha, relatively far from Eorzea, was mostly left alone.

Despite this, the Canthans were a vital source of manpower to the Feraldan military, since Cantha is even today technically part of the Commonwealth of Nations, meaning that it often fights alongside them. Vital to the Alliance North (African) and (Middle East) campaigns, the Canthan troops were the men fighting on the front in the Sahara and Empty Quarter. The Australian military learned how to fight against the Voshkod in harsh and unforgiving terrain, and gained many new veteran officers capable of leading the next generation of soldiers and sailors.

Post-War, the Canthans focused on their economic and social improvements. Though lacking the sheer industrial scale of Hawke, Cantha did have such immense raw mineral reserves that the people prospered and advanced. Canthan cities began to rival and even equal those in Hawke, as the people were continually given greater comforts and benefits. Ignored for the most part as the Guardians began to solidify, the Canthan people and government had little issue. To them, Hawke was still a far away land filled with thinkers and politicians. With the world secure in the knowledge that Cantha and the surrounding nations were solidly anti-communist, the local region enjoyed relative prosperity post-war.

That peacetime period would end when Cherdenko's forces marched into Europe, kick-starting WWIII.

Again, Clan forces were mobilized and mustered to be sent to Hawke to support the Alliance. Predicting another long grinding struggle, Canthan forces were moved primarily to Central Hawke. Divisions were, of course, placed in the Middle East, but ACIN figured out that Cherdenko would try to crush Hawke before the Aliance could solidify against him. What they couldn't have predicted was the Red Army deflecting the enemy's counterattacks and enveloping their defenses too well. Clan forces were rapidly swept up in retreats and rear-guards, as garrisons in the Middle East faced down Iranian and Voshkod armor sweeping across the desert. Commanders desperately tried to lick the wounds, losing men so fast that the ships from back home could barely arrive in time to bring in reinforcements.

By the Battle of Brighton, the Clan forces still operating were battered to near-exhaustion. Fortunately, they were able to take a breath after the Soviets were repulsed. But when Hawke was starting to push back, the Storm Clan revolted, now the Encantadian, and attacked Cantha with their massive floating fortresses. Any chance the Clan forces in Hawke had to get back home was dashed, and so they decided to fight on. Meanwhile, the Clan civil governments were essentially left on their own with only sparse communications between Dragon, Serpent, Wolf, and Lotus. As the Encantadian rapidly constructed a naval blockade, there needed to be a new plan to stand their ground against Izaline's dreams of conquest.

The solution was simple; it is, in fact, surprising that it was not done before. The four remaining great Clans banded together and pledged to support each other militarily. The Wolf Clan had long been a testing ground for Allied vehicles, abandoned designs left in Outback storage huts. Plans were immediately made to turn these prototypes into serviceable weapons capable of standing against the Encantadian. However, multiple mecha divisions landed in Oceania to supplement Encantadian soldiers, and in spite of fighting to the last man, many Clan divisions were crushed, with many more forced to flee southward. (Indonesia) and (New Guinea) fell to the Encantadian earlier, too.

Knowing that Encantadia, and Eorzea, is truly after their vast mineral resources, and would slaughter thousands to capture a single mine, the Clans enacted the (Brisbane) Line Plan. Although a few towns and cities in the north have been occupied by the Encantadian after the bombing of (Darwin), this painful decision to concede swathes of Australian territory north of Brisbane to the enemy was done. Civilians living there evacuated the safer areas in the south such as Melbourne, and the remaining Clan forces were ordered to stubbornly hold the lines to prevent the Imperials from taking more land.

Despite this, the Clans had to fight what essentially became a two-front war. While the line was held in Brisbane (or what's left of it), the remaining forces stubbornly hunkered down, refusing to further give up a single inch of land. Perth became the sole point of connection to the outside, and the Canthans were losing options on how to beat the Encantadia back. By '65, Dr. Ruby Payne-Scott had made a vital discovery. Seconded to work on a means to turn what was abandoned by the Alliance in terms of the theoretical, Payne-Scott discovered that through manipulation of what she called 'gravitons', the Canthans was able to create and even cancel out gravity. The discovery had profound implications. Quickly the Clans started using this new technology to sink enemy shipping off the coast, to flatten tanks in seconds. Only the fact that the equipment tended to quickly burn out prevented them from marching back against the Encantadia.

They then ran into the Thais, which served as a very effective roadblock. The Encantadian advance stalled, and the war became a grinding attrition battle. Despite their best efforts, the Thais could never hope to match the manufacturing output of the Encantadian, and tanks were ill-suited to deal with the fast moving, highly agile mecha that dominated the jungles of Southeast Cantha. Thailand took 1 year and 8 months to fall, and the remnants of the Thai forces fell back into Myanmar. By now, Myanmar had repaired and brought its old defensive line back into action, and had upgraded it to modern standards. The retreating Thais also brought along their own equipment, further reinforcing the line. The Indians, now having some troops freed up from the inability of the Empire to secure Bengal due to the stubborn resistance in Southeast Cantha, were now finally able to send reinforcements after fighting for their lives against the Encantadian war machine.

When the Encantadian finally hit the Myanmar border, they broke like waves against the shore. Already weary from the attrition warfare against the Thais, they were not prepared to fight another siege WWI style battle. Lacking heavy equipment and artillery (due to the difficulty of moving them through the jungle), the Encantadian failed to break the Myanmar defensive line. Eventually, the last of the prototypes were sent into the frontlines, and from below the Brisbane Line, the Clans finally began to press the invaders back. Anticipating an Alliance counter-offensive in Australia, it took months until peacekeepers have arrived and when they did, only few of them even helped out the Clan forces. As the rest of the Peacekeeping Divisions were preparing to invade Encantadia, along with Canthan soldiers who stayed behind in Hawke, the defenders south of Brisbane felt that they were essentially hung out to dry. Even when because of them, the Encantadian were starting to pull back due to heavy casualties, drawn-out fighting, and bee stings they've sustained during their stay.

As WWIII concluded, the governments of the Clans had an epiphany. The Guardians, which should have assisted them from the very start, have essentially thrown them under the bus. While relief aid did come, it was minimal compared to the resources sent to Hawke during the war or to Alliance forces in Aquila. It was decided that to truly heal the wounds inflicted by the Encantadian on their lands, they would gather who and what's left of Cantha to rebuild it with their own two hands. Cities such as Darwin and Auckland were rebuilt, but the Encantadian who preferred to live in Cantha rather than to leave were permitted to, although with distrust. And now with the Elsword Civil War collapsing in the north, and the emergence of the Corona, as well as the return of the prior communist and MLA insurgencies, the Guild presence in the south and the hyperexpansion Regal Sultanate of Elona in the west, it was clear to the leaders of the region that their survival was at stake. On March 4, 1969 the leaders of the Dragon, Wolf, Serpent, and Lotus Clans gathered together for a meeting that would reshape the face of the region forever. When they left the meeting room, it was official, the Community was born. The Initiative was an endeavor to create an overarching military power that served to protect the entire region from outside threats. It would serve as the first line of defense, and be able to move freely between borders.

The Initiative would have its own Taskforce, filled with the best trained soldiers and equipment the Clans could afford to sustain. The Initiative saw a massive change in government expenditure, with military growing to a massive 60% of the region's budget. The economy changed to cope with this sudden rise in demand, as factories sprouted everywhere. The introduction of military service for all citizens, as well as the introduction of 2-week rapid indoctrination courses to train the average civilian on the basics of weapon handling resulted in a heavily militarized population, ready for war.

Then, in May 1969, the Syndicate attempted an economic takeover of the region, buying up huge plots of land in Thailand. This move was quickly spotted by government agents working in Thailand. The Clans enacted emergency laws, giving it the power to nationalize the entire economy of the region to counteract the attempt from the unknown source. Over the next few months, the Clans pruned the economy, streamlining it and readying it for a global war. The cities were turned into fortifications, with new buildings going downwards into the ground rather than upwards. An entirely new code of laws was drafted in response to the increasing threat to their survival. The Intelligence Matrix went online in June 1969, sped up considerably by research into equipment left behind by the Encantadian during their hurried withdrawal from the region.

Despite calls from Guardian Command, the Community has not disbanded. Although they have promised to contribute to Guardian efforts, in reality this is to smoke-screen themselves from suspicion. Some independent battalions have saw fighting in the jungles of Lustria or the lowlands of (Indonesia), although the latter is merely for show, and the Guild manages to win more battles when they're around. They have also graciously opened their doors to Luresian and other refugees, vetting them before offering them citizenship in exchange for valuable expertise. More and more failed Alliance experiments are 'requisitioned' for scientific purposes; a visiting Aselian scientist has described their technology as "ten steps forward, fifteen steps back", noting that their aircraft can only manage to reach the upper atmosphere - the perfect area to stash away their true plans.

As 1969 approaches, the Clans primes itself for a war of epic proportions, a war, it believes, is inevitable. Having only noticed that the world around them gets more insane as time passes. Aircraft factories have been attacked by pointy-eared soldiers who vanish quickly, observatories have reported sightings of strange UFOs, and a scientific expedition sent into the Australian Antarctic Territory has never returned. Adelaide is the epicenter of a religious revival, it's locals seemingly opposed to Clans leadership. All the more reason to leave this planet and head straight for (mars) when their spacecraft technology is sufficient enough to reach it.

Lore Articles

 * The People of Cantha
 * The Katsuragi' Colonization of Cantha
 * The Sylvari
 * The Varls
 * The Horseborn
 * The Serpent Special Military Unit Story
 * Cantha-Elsword Tribute
 * The Clans of Cantha
 * The Encantadia-Canthan Conflict of 1991 V.C.
 * Maser Weaponry
 * Gravity Manipulation Technology
 * Metalstorm Weaponry
 * Depleted Uranium
 * The Javelin Project
 * Community Characters

Relations

 * Andoran Republic: Friendly
 * Elsword Empire: Friendly
 * Katsuragi Protectorate: Hostile (secretly), Friendly (publicly)
 * Great Horde: Hostile
 * Aristocracy of Encantadia: At War

Veterancy Levels
The ranks of the Community are the bases of these veterancy ranks.

Notable Characters

 * Rook
 * Oddleif
 * Egil
 * Eyvind
 * Tryggvi
 * Canary
 * Juno
 * Hakon
 * Ubin
 * Zymeth
 * Greyback
 * Iver
 * Otomo
 * Sargeant Gerald "Rimmy" Downers
 * Sargeant Gareth "GG Man" Liverson

Notable Locations

 * Titan Military Academy

Legendary Generals

 * Shinja: General of the Serpent Clan
 * Nika: General of the Lotus Clan
 * Kenji: General of the Dragon Clan
 * Alette: General of the Wolf Clan

Commandos

 * Shinja: Serpent Clan Commando
 * Nika: Lotus Clan Commando
 * Kenji: Dragon Clan Commando
 * Alette: Wolf Clan Commando

Sub-factions

 * Serpent Clan
 * Lotus Clan
 * Dragon Clan
 * Wolf Clan

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

From Worker to Soldier
Unlike other factions the Community do not train their combat units (with the exception of certain units like Animal scouts, Commandos and Epic Units). Instead, the only production building, the Foward Operating Base, can only produce Peasants at a constant rate over time at no cost, who can construct buildings, gather ore and supplies, and are somewhat decent in battle. But in turn, these Peasants can be upgraded to other units.

One Base, Multiple Modules
Unlike most factions whose buildings can be built by Builders or a Construction Yard. The Base Building of the Community of Cantha is different as instead of building a dedicated structure they call in hubs, ranging from small, medium, and large, which can hold up to 4, 6, and 8 structures. but all structures, save for walls, must be built on a hub.

Bunkering Down
Peasants can garrison in various structures to offer some impromptu defense, increasing their combat capacity depending on the type of building. With the Peasants in particular giving them a large combat capacity.

Alternatively, can build Watchtower, weak building with no base attack but that can be upgraded various times to obtain several improvements up to giving it anti-air capacity.

Yin And Yang
Yin and Yang is a resource used by the Community of Cantha, alongside regular resources. Yin (Black) and Yang (White) is a symbol of balance to the clans in the Community. The four clans of Cantha use the power of Yin and Yang to upgrade their units, strengthen their warriors, summon Zen Masters, or unleash devastating magical powers.

However, Yin and Yang can only be acquired through battle; although the Lotus Clan can gain one free Yin by building the Crypt of the Brothers. In addition, the acquisition of Yin and Yang happens much faster when fighting enemies further away from home. In short, the further away from your base you fight your enemies, the quicker you'll acquire Yin/Yang points. Aggressive behavior is thusly rewarded in each battle.

Zen Masters
Unlike the other factions, and similar to Warcraft 3. The commando comes from a separate building, known as the Heroes Lodge, and also cost Yin/Yang, as well as resources. With their main commando coming out of the Lodge once it's built for free, though the commando must be rebought in the event they die. And each sub-faction also comes with four pseudo-commandoes, known as Zen Masters, who are split into four roles and also cost Yin/Yang, and all five are at their strongest when working with their units:

Each Zen Masters also provides boosts to subsets of your army.
 * Leader: The commando/legendary lord of their sub-faction. The leader is a jack of all trades, with little weaknesses, that transitions to a master of all. Able to handle anything these commandoes 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. With their most unique mechanic is their ability to rally and buff not only their regular forces but also their elite forces. And at max level are able to transform into their factions epic unit
 * Assassin: The scout/hunter of the Zen Masters. The assassin's roles are a scout for their forces, allowing them to see the enemy and plan ahead, take out tough and/or important targets. But many of their weapons are single target, meaning that swarms of cheap infantry can easily overwhelm them, and are extremely fragile, relying on their speed and range to survive a fight
 * Bruiser: The hammer of the Zen Masters. The Bruiser's role is to demolish armies coming towards them, with their weapons having fast rates of fire and/or splash damage, and to be a secondary tank for their forces. But their weapons aren't effective against heavy units, their tactics is rather simple, and is the slowest of the elites
 * Protector: The anvil of the Zen Masters. The Protector's role is to run interference against enemy attacks, using themselves and their equipment to force their enemies to target them and to survive their foes onslaught, while using a myriad of tools to slow, stun, and debuff their enemies before or during the battle. But they deal the lowest damage of the elites
 * Support: The healers of the Zen Masters. The Support's role is to provide a myriad of healing and buffing abilities and tools for their allies, abilities to misdirect their foes, and also providing long-range support that weakens and poisons their foes. But they deal the lowest damage of the elites and are the most fragile.

Structures
Basic Structures

Trivia

 * Like the Collective and Encantadia, the Community is known to have Legendary Generals as Commandos.
 * Their sub-factions are based on what the arsenal used by present-day Asian, Southeast Asian and ANZAC nations, mainly on Tier I-III.
 * Serpent Clan: South Korea, Singapore and Malaysia.
 * Dragon Clan: Philippines and India.
 * Lotus Clan: ARVN, Indonesia and Thailand.
 * Wolf Clan: ANZAC.