Characters

Chiki-Kah

Color: Orange

Philosophy: Polemics (“Honor through Conflict”)

Opposite Philosophy: Politics

Children of the Orange sun, the Chiki-Kah are a race of warriors, who above all appreciate prowess in combat. Every Chiki-Kah adult must participate, in the course of his lifetime, in at least two or three battles. For it is the only way in which a person can fulfill himself, according to their belief. They practice mostly with melee weapons, preferring to meet their opponents face-to-face, the more to prove their courage. Loyalty is important to the Chiki-Kah, as is honor, which serves as the measure of any man. Success in combat brings honor, while failure brings dishonor. And for a Chiki-Kah, dishonor is often worse than death. They consider the Nee, their hated enemies, to be untrustworthy.

Because of the Chiki-Kah's love of combat, they enjoy being at the front lines of a battle. Their Skills have been perfected over many, many years to provide them with the advantage they need to come out victorious. An Avatar that manages his Chiki-Kah well, will discover that a squad of Weapon Master's will cut a path thru any opposing frontline with ease.

Ealthai

Color: Purple

Philosophy: Enlightment (“Light over Matter”)

Opposite Philosophy: Materialism

Children of the Purple sun, the Ealthai are a short, slender, gentle folk, who love to explore, play and learn. They believe that spirit is more important than matter, and that mind rules over body. The Ealthai are expert in manipulating and using light - they can create illusions and images with it, and can even harness its power in combat. Always optimistic, they love practical jokes, telling stories and exploring new places. When they speak, it sounds almost as if they are in fact singing, or laughing, or both - their voices are high and rolling, and they like to speak a lot, usually very fast. It is always difficult to tell whether an Ealthai is being serious or not. Of course, the Konkrateeka say that since they never say anything serious anyway, and even if they did, it would be foolish and unimportant.

The Ealthai prefer to keep their fragile bodies away from direct harm as much as possible. For this reason, they tend to fight with ranged weapons. They might not dish out a lot of normal damage, but run into an army backed up with Attackers and Defenders, and you'll be in for a tough time during all but the Ealthai's adverse Sun. The Ealthai shine as support units for some of the tougher races.

Groguan

Color: Green

Philosophy: Environmentalism (“All Things are One and the Same in Nature”)

Opposite Philosophy: Industrialism

Children of the Green sun, the Groguans like to think of themselves as being one with nature. They believe that all races should live in harmony with the nature around them, and that plant and animal life should be respected, sometimes even worshiped. That is why they have developed a dislike of the Olligars - the Olligars build all the time, changing and manipulating nature. They see the Olligars with their zeal for industry as defilers of the land, and themselves as its defenders nature's champions. The Groguans believe that all things are linked to each other, and that together these links create nature, which is everything.

The Groguans, respecting life as they do, are very adept at restoring life points to those around them. They are the premier healers of Ballerium. A few Shaman and Healers can effectively keep a squad alive long enough to accomplish their goals, be it destroy an enemy, or capture a city's control point.

Kablaz

Color: None and All

Philosophy: Existentialism (“The Secrets of Life and Death are Ours”)

Opposite Philosophy: None

Children of the void, the Kablaz are the most ancient of the Ballerian races. They are different than the others, as they are older and wiser, and enjoy a much greater lifespan. During their ages of development, the Kablaz have discovered many of the secrets of life and death, which they call "Existence." They consider the other races to be too young to understand these secrets, and so do not share them with anyone else. Consequently, they would rarely be found to join other armies, but would in most cases stay almost uninvolved. Kablaz units know how to suck and transfer life, and have access to other skills as well.

Subscribers to Ballerium receive one Kablaz unit with their starting army. This follower can become a powerful force for the Avatar if promoted to a Hero. Since the colors of the Sun don't have any adverse effect on his life or sunpower regeneration, his skills can be used no matter the time of day. Just don't let this Kablaz perish before promotion, you'll have to reset your army to receive another.

Konkrateeka

Color: Yellow

Philosophy: Materialism (“Nothing but the Physical is Real”)

Opposite Philosophy: Enlightment

Children of the Yellow sun, the short and stocky Konkrateeka believe that physical matter is the essence of the universe. Thus they reject all notions of spirituality or mysticism, regarding all those who believe there is anything beyond the material to be deluded fools. Always serious, somber some may say, they prefer to follow vocations which reflect this philosophy, and are thus usually concerned with the accumulation and management of Fuzzz (Ballerian currency) for it represents the interest in the material and practical, the real. They have a tendency to sometimes complain of the hardships of life and the inevitability of physical existence. In fact, many adopt a rather fatalistic view of life, in exact opposition to the cheerful Ealthai, whom they consider to be extremely annoying. They see them as little more than foolish children, who have not yet learned what is truly important in life.

The Konkrateeka mainly prefer to fight hand-to-hand, even though they aren't well suited as frontline units. They are better used to guard trade routes and for combat-support roles. Their one ranged unit, Thrower, can be deadly in combination with any good melee units, with the Konkrateeka Solidifier unit being able to Solidify any front line units for additional support. Konkrateeka Fuzzifiers can be good for emergency substitution of a dead caravan unit, as it can immediately turn raw resources into cash.

Nee

Color: Blue

Philosophy: Politics(“Progress through Compromise”)

Opposite Philosophy: Polemics

Children of the Blue sun, the Nee are natural-born leaders. Though their bodies are not particularly fitted for combat, the Nee are excellent warriors, owing among other things, to their ability to strike from a distance with deadly accuracy, and more importantly to their ability to influence (the Chiki-Kah would say manipulate) others into following them. Experts in understanding the motivations of others, and knowing how to use that understanding, some say a Nee could talk anyone into doing anything. They easily become leaders, and know when and how to "pull the strings." They consider the Chiki-Kah to be brutish warmongers.

The Nee, attributing to their mastery of Politics, have become exceptional leaders. A Nee hero, taught in the art of Politics, will embolden all fellow units in their immediate area. They'll convince city inhabitants that their Avatar is the best choice for Patron of the city, hastening capture of control points.

Olligar

Color: Red

Philosophy: Industrialism (“Build and Improve”)

Opposite Philosophy: Environmentalism

Children of the Red sun, the Olligars are the most common of all Ballerian races. They like, above all, to build - they are hard working and diligent, and serve as the world's leading builders and manufacturers of goods. Their works, though crude and lacking in aesthetic refinement, are strong and durable. Their houses, their weapons, and their armor are all of the best quality. Olligars are big and strong, and have long purple snouts, and while a single Olligar tends to be slow and passive, a nest of them, led by a hive queen, can accomplish amazing feats of engineering, and can also defend itself ferociously. They sneer at the Groguans' obsession with the preservation of nature, and often come to conflict with them over patches of wild country which the Olligars wish to develop.

The Olligar Mine Skill is the foundation of the Ballerian economy, enabling Avatars to amass great wealth and resources through its judicious use. Cities under seige will be better equipped to fend off attackers, with a squad of Builders within its walls, to repair any damage. The Olligar race is put to the task by almost every Avatar, considering they have a unit or Skill adept at defending, attacking or supplying a city.