I only answered like 2/3 of the questions btw.

• What is your idea of perfect happiness?
  • Being surrounded by the people/animals I care about. Bonus points if it's in a private outdoor area, cause I love being in nature.
• What is your greatest fear?
  • Losing the people that I care about. A secondary one would be not being able to overcome the trauma my parents caused me and becoming like them.
• What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
  • My temper or selfishness at times. But also, I have learned I have a tendency to be very hard on myself at times, so idk if the latter one is accurate or something I think I am because I suck at drawing boundaries with others and then feel selfish when I do.
• What is the trait you most deplore in others?
  • Knowingly using or stepping on others for your personal gain, especially when there are other options available (ex. knowing your actions are going to hurt other people, animals, the environment, etc. and still choosing to move forward despite it). Also, disregarding other people’s emotions/boundaries.
• Which living person do you most admire?
  • I don’t have an answer to this. I don’t really like to put people on a pedestal because humans are fallible and can burn you. Traits that I admire in others though are high empathy, chillness, good sense of humor, loyalty, consistency, open mindedness.
• What is your greatest extravagance?
  • Not having a fixed budget when I travel (outside of hotel/airfare). Other than that I don’t consider myself to be an extravagant person - I save and spend money responsibly so when I do want to splurge, I have the ability to do so.
• What is your current state of mind?
  • Self-growth - I'm working on trying to overcome the wounds my parents gave me during my childhood and figure out which of my traits are me vs coping mechanisms to the environment I grew up in.
• What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
  • Using a list of Aristotle’s virtues (cause I needed a list to come up with ideas) - righteous indignation. Imo, stewing in anger most always only leads to more pain and I feel like righteous indignation is often used by a lot of people as justifications to hurt another person which just creates a cycle of hurt. I wouldn't say all righteous anger is bad though, but it is when it's used to punish/hurt others rather than try to change the situation for the better or come to a mutual understanding.
• On what occasion do you lie?
  • When the details themselves don’t matter and will require more explaining than they're worth. Or any event that triggers fawning tendencies and I feel like my actual reasoning isn’t an acceptable enough one, so I end up stretching the truth to come up with something that'll seem more “valid” (ex. if someone invites me to do something I don’t want to do, I’ll just lie about having something else going on so I don’t hurt their feelings by telling them the truth).
• What is the quality you most like in a man/woman?
  • Loyalty or protectiveness.
• Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
  • ‘Interesting’ in response to things or ‘fuck’ when anything mildly inconvenient happens (I swear a lot when I’m alone, but I’m good at censoring myself when others are around).
• What or who is the greatest love of your life?
  • At the moment, probably my dog since my ‘people’ issues don’t extend to her and I can see how much she implicitly trusts and loves me which I see as a reflection of the love/care I extend to her. Also, we’re lowkey codependent af and I’d fight anyone to protect her.
• When and where were you happiest?
  • I’m not sure I can come up with a specific ‘when’ but most of my fondest memories are all with my closest friends/family members (my pup included) and us just doing random unplanned small stuff.
• Which talent would you most like to have?
  • Learning new languages quickly and retaining them with ease. Otherwise painting or pottery would be cool too.
• If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
  • My relationship with my emotions/self and how I react to things, but this is again tied to childhood trauma rather than cognition and I’m currently in the process of working on it.
• What do you consider your greatest achievement?
  • Not sure, but probably how quickly I get promoted in most of my jobs. I don’t even consider myself to be that hard of a worker, but most every job I’ve ever had has promoted me quickly and/or told me they’re trying to train me to eventually be put into leadership positions.
• If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
  • If we’re talking real life, then probably a panda in one of those panda sanctuaries in China where they don’t have to worry about predators, finding their own food, or anything really. If we’re talking fantasy worlds, then a witch or fantasy protagonist would be cool (think TVD type of witch where you’re a normal person who has earth magic, not one where I have to sell my soul to the devil or anything like that).
• Where would you most like to live?
  • I have a few different places I’d like to live - one would be in the temperate rainforests of the PNW/BC and another would be to retire along the coast of Maine in a lighthouse.
• What is your most treasured possession?
  • I don’t consider her a possession, but my most treasured ‘thing’ right now is my dog. In terms of things that I own, idk. I have stuff that I like and feel sentimental towards, but I don’t really get attached to objects the way that I think ‘treasured’ is being used here.
• What is your favorite occupation?
  • My favorite job I’ve ever worked was as a volunteer ‘cat cuddler’ at an animal shelter. My favorite job that I’ve never worked but I think would be fun would probably be as a park ranger.
• What do you most value in your friends?
  • Idk if I can distill it down to one single thing, but generally they’re good listeners, very easy going, always down whatever whether that be adventure or chill hangouts, and have good senses of humor

On iridescent wings she soared, borne aloft by the wild thermals sweeping up the sides of the valley. To the west the setting suns were orange yolks dipping into the hard, stony crust of the horizon. A sheer thrill ran through Zildiz’s body; it was time once more to fulfill her glorious purpose.
Among the glittering, pebbly shores and hissing reeds of the wetlands far below, prey-forms emerged into the cooling dusk. Thick clouds of winged kester-gnats jostled fiercely for their mating rights, each one as long as her forearm. Meanwhile, tall water dancers rowed across the surface of the placid lakes and estuaries, their oar-like limbs sending them jetting forward, keeping just ahead of the schools of carnivorous nerids which splashed after them, sleek silver bodies flashing through the air.
Zildiz tracked one such school through the bulging set of compound eyes that took up most of her face, tucking her limbs and two pairs of wings and plummeting into a steep dive. Catching this prey-form required absolute precision as she streaked so close to the surface of the water that she felt the tips of her toes getting wet. Pulling up at the last millisecond, Zildiz shot out with her legs and snatched a nerid right at the apex of its leap, her clawed feet piercing through its armored exoskeleton to fix it in place while the other kept its thrashing mandibles from reaching up and disemboweling her. Quick as lightning she reached down with her mouth and bit into the base of its head, wrenching it off in one quick motion and then squeezing the sides of its abdomen so that its guts turned inside out like meat from a sausage casing.
Zildiz gobbled down the juicy morsels and flung the empty casing aside and immediately began casting about for more. Her exomorph’s two pairs of wings were each more than seven meters in length and granted her omnidirectional flight. She flitted back and forth and side to side, snatching nerids wherever she went and strewing their empty shell casings in her wake.
Like most of the aerial caste, hunting took up most of her day. The sheer amount of calories burned per minute of flight meant that she had to feed incessantly throughout the small window of time afforded to her in the hours of dusk. But far from being a nuisance to her, Zildiz exulted in her role in the order of things. What better way to serve the Vitalus than to trim the excess within the system, filling her belly all the while?
It was only these precious moments of opportunity that she felt truly alive, sheer exhilaration accentuating her natural desire to prove herself. For though her adolescent body had yet to grow into its prime, Zildiz did not believe in taking things slowly.
Feeling a sudden hankering for larger prey she zipped after one of the water dancers, darting right between its tall legs and hovering in place right below its abdomen. The beast mooed and lowed like a buffalo and tried to row itself clear. With a flick of her wrist Zildiz unsheathed her mantid limbs, the jointed blades unfolding from her beneath her forearms, serrated teeth sharp as razors.
With a single swipe she severed the water dancer’s twiggy limbs and seized its falling body with her teeth, dragging it ashore on one of the mudbanks surrounded by tall bamboo thickets. Since it was too heavy to carry in the air she folded her wings and climbed up the sturdy grasses, the water dancer clamped firmly in her jaws. Perched on the top of the swaying bamboo, nibbling daintily on the still-twitching carcass, Zildiz watched as the sky turned bronze and then a deep russet, the first evening stars peeking shyly behind the thinning clouds.
She let out a contented belch and reclined among the branches. It felt good to look upon the perfection of the All-In-One and to know she had a place within Its holy design. She was a Gallivant, the apex predator at the very pinnacle of the food chain.
But they were more than just that. Gallivants were the greatest creations of the Vitalus, partners and protégés in the never-ending effort to perfect the living systems of Arachnea. It was the Gallivants who pruned the tree of evolution, shaving off the excess species while shepherding others in their mutual struggle to survive. It was flattering to think how much faith It placed in them and how indispensable they were to the great scheme of things.
She was still musing on this when the All-In-One decided to disabuse her of such delusions.
The first she felt of the attack was a powerful tug on her leg that sent her toppling from her perch. In hindsight, the only thing that saved her was the half-eaten body of her prey which became lodged between the bamboo shoots, and which she held onto for dear life as a barbed tongue covered in adhesive slime wrapped itself around her ankle. Looking over her shoulder in alarm, she saw ferns and fronds on the water’s surface pushed aside to reveal an enormous horka toad, fanged mouth gaping wide to receive her.
Knowing she had only seconds to act before the monster swallowed her whole, Zildiz swung her mantid blade at the grasping tongue, only for the leathery flesh to turn it aside. Feeling the hot flush of terror she sawed at it with the teeth of her blade and was rewarded with a geyser of blood. Croaking in agony, the horker toad gave another terrific yank, wrenching so hard that the carcass she was hanging onto like grim death came apart in her hands. Zildiz fell to earth in an ungainly heap, a startled cry loosed from her lips as the beast bounded in for the kill. At the same moment she sawed through the last of the tongue and ripped herself free, then kicked off the ground with both legs, wings shuttering at blinding speed to enable a vertical takeoff, the toad’s jaws clamping shut inches away from her toes.
“You forget your place within the All-In-One,” Zildiz told it.
“Ribbit-ribbit,” it replied, hopping after her and pawing at the severed stump of its tongue. Recovering her poise, she darted in and to the side of its face, and before the amphibian could turn to face her, rammed her clawed feet into its swollen eye, gouging and tearing. The horka toad flopped back into the shallows, blood and vitreous fluid muddying the waters.
But Zildiz was far from finished. Her blood was up, and she was angered by its impertinence at interrupting her reverie. She hovered in close, baiting the creature to spring for her again, presenting her shimmering wings like a matador spreading his red cape for the bull, her intention being to put out its other eye. Once blinded she could then take the creature apart at her leisure. She would carry home chunks of the quivering flesh for the brood grubs back home—the children were always hungry. Besides, she would be doing the biome a favor by putting it out of its misery. The All-In-One had designated these horka toads an invasive species which had wandered in from the northern flood plain habitats. Their predations threatened to unbalance the delicate equilibrium of the wetlands, and the sooner they were dealt with, the better.
With its one remaining eye the horka toad fixed her in its malevolent glare. She saw its hind legs bunching up for a final spring and smiled, preparing herself for the kill.
Yet for the second time that day came the unexpected. The water all across the wetlands began to quiver and shake, a million tiny ripples radiating outwards to lick at the pebbly shores, the product of an immense ground tremor which flattened the banks and crumbled tons of sediment into the wavelets, clouding the tides with silt. Frightened, the horka toad beat a hasty retreat and dove into the safety of the cloudy waters.
Was it an earthquake? Zildiz wondered. But it couldn’t be. The All-In-One had not made arrangements for seismic activity or volcanic degassing during this cycle. In the rainforest far to the east she could hear the crash of rotten timbers giving way and ripping through the canopy. Turning her gaze to the south towards the karst canyons she heard the awful grinding of rock slipping along fault lines and the thunder of distant avalanches.
To gain a clearer picture she switched from the mosaic-like imagery of her compound vision to her pair of simple eyes. A rising plume of dust obscured much of the region, reaffirming her hunch that a volcano had erupted. Squinting hard, she could just barely make out familiar landscape of the Amit mounds, each one as tall as mountains and crowned with jagged spires, the feeder towers which regulated the atmospheric conditions of the subterranean lairs of the Amits.
Zildiz blinked. Was it her imagination, or had she just seen a shadow moving behind that veil of dust? No, that couldn’t be right. A trick of the light, perhaps? Sure enough, the debris soon settled to reveal the same familiar peaks that she’d looked upon her entire life.
Except there was a new mountain jutting out among the brown crags of the central massif. Grey and glinting in the dying light of day, it was like nothing she had ever seen before. Except, that was not entirely true. It had two arms, two legs and something that vaguely resembled a head, but the absurd immensity of it made her reject outright the possibility that it was humanoid.
Just a trick of the light, Zildiz told herself desperately.
But then before her very eyes the mountain walked, and everything came crashing down.
Link to 1st chapter here: 1st chapter on HFY
Link for all the chapters available here: Engines of Arachnea on Royal Road

Basically as I laid out in this post, in the movie Ferngully : The last rainforest, the main villain is Hexxus, a supernatural being that feeds on the byproducts of environmental destruction either caused by humans like pollution or by nature like volcanoes.
In the movie it's shown that he originally appeared from the below the Earth through some kind of volcanic eruption and thrives by feeding on smoke, sludge and slime made by all that until he was sealed inside a tree by fairy magic.
He was only released later by modern humans who cut the tree that let him enter the vehicle, and then control it to take revenge on the inhabitants of Ferngully who inprisoned him and fed on its smoke.
But when you think about it, this guy is the perfect solution to most of both humanity's and the environment's problems if he only needs to eat released pollutants. Imagine if this guy could be persuaded to live in the human world in factories where he could eat all that stuff forever.
Humans can then then burn fossil fuels in industries without causing environmental damage and Hexxus gets to have an all you can eat buffet without hurting anyone. It could have been a symbiotic relationship.
Honestly Hexxus' existence might have been nature's solution to humanity and by sealing him the fairies might have inadvertently removed the thing that could have prevented the holocene extinction.
In the intro it shows that humans lived alongside fairies until they were forced to leave due to the volcanic eruption scaring them off and making the fairies think they went extinct and vice versa.
Maybe like in the Monsterverse where Godzilla, Mothra and ancient humans were part of a symbiotic relationship maybe in an alternate universe, humans, fairies and Hexxus could have coexisted in a similar way.
Like maybe fairies help nature grow with creation magic, humans destroy parts of nature when there's overgrowth with technology and industry, and Hexxus cleans up after the humans by eating their byproducts resulting in a mutually beneficial symbiotic cycle that helps maintain a healthy planet.

It's absurd, really. Most species in the galactic community are only suited to one or a few kinds of biome and will suffer greatly if forced to live outside of it. Humans do not seem to have any such limitation. I have seen a settlement thriving quite happily on the edge of a glacier, and another going about their business without fuss at the foot of a volcano.
So what earned them the nickname of Deathworlders? Darzhand. A world which I can only assume was designed by cruel ancients to be as deadly and home to as many predators and pathogens as possible. Naturally, the human population is in the millions as of now.
Let me set the scene, this world is mostly rocky. Mountains and canyons galore threaded with thickets of jungle and rainforest. Said canyons are home to roaming packs of bipedal predators who will kill anything that isn't them. Naturally, the humans turned them into cattle. Their meat is a common sight in markets and eateries there. The flying beasts strong enough to snap a human's spine in one motion, and carry them away? Domesticated, and raised as guard animals and even pets. There are videos of children playing with them for Spirits' sake!
So what of the rainforests and swamps inhabited by multi-meter long leech like creatures capable of burrowing into your flesh and eating from the inside out? These riverlurks can be raised and wild ones tamed to act as acquatic herding animals, harrying entire schools of fish into waiting nets, and allowed to keep some. Human fishermen love them, and it seems the feeling is mutual. They can wade into a tangle of riverlurks and be greeted as a friend by them coiling around you.
I really don't understand it. The ability to not only adapt to the environment, but make it adapt to you.

A ChatGPT Story Mouse Capone's Expeditions & Misadventures presents Mouse Capone and The Temple of Time
Chapter 9: The Monkey Business
Inspector Henri Elephant was not a happy pachyderm. He had been chasing Mouse Capone for 2 years, following his trail of clues and chaos across the globe. He had hoped to catch him in Giza, where he had learned that the mouse was after the legendary Temple of Shu, a hidden sanctuary that supposedly held the secrets of time travel. But Mouse had eluded him once again, leaving behind a mess of sand, fire, feathers, and corpse's parts.
Inspector Elephant had managed to salvage a codex from the ruins of the temple, a leather-bound book that contained ancient writings and diagrams. He had hoped that it would reveal Mouse's next destination, but to his dismay, he had discovered that it was a forgery. Someone had gone to great lengths to create a fake codex, and Inspector Elephant had a strong suspicion who that someone was.
He had tracked down the source of the codex to a skyscraper in New York, the headquarters of the Monkey Tycoon, a notorious privateer and adventurer who had a reputation for being involved in shady deals and schemes. Inspector Elephant had arranged a meeting with the tycoon, hoping to get some answers and perhaps a lead on Mouse's whereabouts.
He entered the tycoon's office, a spacious and luxurious room with a panoramic view of the city. He was greeted by a tall and slender monkey, wearing a tailored suit and a monocle. He had a smug smile on his face and a cigar in his hand.
"Inspector Elephant, what a pleasure to meet you," the Monkey Tycoon said, extending his hand. "I've heard about you and your pursuit of Mouse Capone. Please, have a seat."
Inspector Elephant shook his hand and sat down on a leather sofa. He placed the codex on the coffee table and looked at the tycoon with a stern expression.
"Thank you for agreeing to see me, Mr. Tycoon," he said. "I'm sure you know why I'm here."
The Monkey Tycoon chuckled and took a puff of his cigar.
"Of course, of course. You're here to ask me about this codex, aren't you?" he said, pointing at the book. "You think I have something to do with it, don't you?"
Inspector Elephant nodded.
"I do. I have reason to believe that you are the one who commissioned this codex, and that you are working with Mouse Capone in some sort of scheme involving the Temple of Shu and time travel."
The Monkey Tycoon raised his eyebrows and feigned surprise.
"Me? Working with Mouse Capone? That's absurd, Inspector. Why would I do such a thing?"
Inspector Elephant leaned forward and looked at the tycoon in the eye.
"Don't play dumb with me, Mr. Tycoon. I know you have a history with Mouse Capone. I know you have a mutual interest in ancient mysteries and artifacts. I know you have the resources and the connections to create a fake codex and plant it in the archives beneath Paris. And I know you have a motive to do so."
The Monkey Tycoon smiled and shrugged.
"You know a lot of things, Inspector. But do you have any proof?"
Inspector Elephant reached into his coat and pulled out a photograph. He showed it to the tycoon. It was a picture of Mouse Capone and the Monkey Tycoon, taken in the Amazon rainforest. They were standing in front of a large stone statue, holding a map and a compass.
"This is proof enough, Mr. Tycoon. This is you and Mouse Capone, in the Amazon, a few months ago. You were looking for something, weren't you? Something related to the Temple of Shu, perhaps?"
The Monkey Tycoon took the photograph and examined it.
"Ah, yes. This is me and Mouse Capone, indeed. We met in the Amazon, by chance. We were both looking for the same thing, as it happens. A rare orchid, with healing properties. We decided to join forces and share our findings. We found the orchid, and we parted ways. Nothing more, nothing less."
Inspector Elephant snorted.
"An orchid? That's your story? You expect me to believe that?"
The Monkey Tycoon nodded.
"Why not? It's the truth. You can ask Mouse Capone yourself, if you ever catch him."
Inspector Elephant shook his head.
"I don't buy it, Mr. Tycoon. You and Mouse Capone were looking for something else. Something to do with the Temple of Shu. Something that could alter the course of history. And you found it, didn't you? You found the Emberstorm, the device that can control time."
The Monkey Tycoon laughed and shook his head.
"The Emberstorm? What is that, Inspector? Some sort of sci-fi gadget? I've never heard of such a thing."
Inspector Elephant frowned.
"Don't lie to me, Mr. Tycoon. I know what the Emberstorm is. It's a device that was created by the ancient Egyptians, using a combination of magic and technology. It can manipulate time, creating temporal anomalies and paradoxes. It can alter the past, the present, and the future. It's the ultimate weapon, and the ultimate prize. And you have it, don't you?"
The Monkey Tycoon smirked and tapped his monocle.
"Me? Have the Emberstorm? That's ridiculous, Inspector. How could I have such a thing? Where would I keep it? In my pocket? In my eye?"
Inspector Elephant pointed at the tycoon's monocle.
"In your eye, Mr. Tycoon. That's where you keep it. That's not a monocle, is it? It's the Emberstorm, disguised as a monocle. That's how you've been able to evade me and the authorities. That's how you've been able to create the fake codex and plant it in the temple. That's how you've been able to work with Mouse Capone and orchestrate this whole scheme."
The Monkey Tycoon clapped his hands and applauded.
"Bravo, Inspector. Bravo. You are very clever, indeed. You've figured it all out. You've cracked the case. You've solved the mystery. You've exposed me and Mouse Capone. You've won."
Inspector Elephant smiled and stood up.
"Thank you, Mr. Tycoon. Thank you for confessing. Thank you for making my job easier. Now, if you don't mind, I'll take the Emberstorm and the codex, and I'll arrest you for conspiracy, fraud, and attempted temporal terrorism."
The Monkey Tycoon stopped clapping and shook his head.
"I'm afraid you're mistaken, Inspector. I haven't confessed anything. I haven't made your job easier. I haven't given you anything. I've only played along with your wild accusations and fantasies. I've only humored you, Inspector. I've only wasted your time."
Inspector Elephant frowned and reached for the tycoon's monocle.
"Don't play games with me, Mr. Tycoon. I know the truth. I know you have the Emberstorm. Give it to me, now."
The Monkey Tycoon pushed his hand away and backed up.
"Sorry, Inspector. No can do. You see, I don't have the Emberstorm. I never had it. Mouse Capone has it. He always had it. He's the mastermind behind this whole scheme. He's the one who created the fake codex and planted it in the temple. He's the one who's planning to use the Emberstorm to change history. He's the one you should be after, not me."
Inspector Elephant gasped and looked at the codex.
"What? That's impossible. How do you know that? How do you know Mouse Capone has the Emberstorm?"
The Monkey Tycoon smiled and winked.
"Because he told me, Inspector. He told me everything. He told me his plan. He told me his location. He told me his rendezvous point. He told me to tell you, if you ever came looking for me. He told me to tell you that he's waiting for you, Inspector. He's waiting for you at Radio City, at midnight. He's waiting for you to make the exchange. He's waiting for you to give him the codex, and he'll give you the Emberstorm. He's waiting for you to make the final move, Inspector. He's waiting for you to end this game."
Inspector Elephant stared at the tycoon in disbelief.
"He told you that? He told you to tell me that? Why? Why would he do that? What's his angle? What's his motive?"
The Monkey Tycoon shrugged and smiled.
"I don't know, Inspector. I don't know what that mouse wants. I don't know what he thinks. I don't know what he feels. I don't know what he dreams. I don't know what he hopes. I don't know what he fears. I don't know what he loves. I don't know what he hates. I don't know what he is. I don't know what he is, Inspector. But I know what he is not. He is not a mouse. He is not a man. He is not a god. And he certainly is no hero.

Hello all! I'm building a world which has an advanced alien species (kardachev 2 scale) with a Dyson sphere/maytioskha brain, and a united entity that resembles somewhat of a large collective of communes.
My questions mainly relate to how this society would function and how theyre history would affect this, they are: 1. Protective of environments due to their ancient lifestyles involving using the natural environment a lot since they evolved in rainforests originally. 2. Lack of nationalism. There idea of culture is very different from ours and so ideas such as nation states rarely form with most states being formed based on geography, interests, and mutual Beniifit.
How would these 2 factors affect a deboloping society?

It’s been two years since Russia’s full-scale invasion, and the world is heating up.
Last Week in Collapse: February 18-24, 2024
This is Last Week in Collapse, a weekly newsletter compiling some of the most important, timely, useful, soul-crushing, ironic, stunning, or otherwise must-see/can’t-look-away moments in Collapse.
This is the 113th newsletter. You can find the February 11-17 edition here if you missed it last week. You can also receive these posts (with images) every Sunday in your email inbox with Substack.
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Parts of the Amazon rainforest not targeted by loggers are becoming susceptible to wildfires. As the planet warms, melting permafrost is unleashing radon gas into the atmosphere. England had its wettest winter in 25+ years, while Morocco enters a 6th year of Drought.
China experienced its largest temperature gap in recorded history: temperatures hit -52.3 °C (-62 °F) in Xinjiang and 38 °C (100 °F) in southern China. China is also missing all its 2025 climate targets, even as clean energy is seeing an unprecedented boom. The planet also experienced its hottest 12-month period in history, according to data ending last January.
Lake Superior, between Canada and the U.S., is seeing record low amounts of ice since data began being collected 50+ years ago. Ordinarily in late February, the lake is 40% covered by ice. Today: only 2%. The implications for algae blooms and the underwater ecosystems are also serious. Meanwhile, the Colorado River, fed by tributaries across 7 states (plus Mexico), is drying up, and a commission which is supposed to conclude a mutual agreement by March. However, an agreement does not appear forthcoming, signaling years of water conflict ahead. Alberta is also facing encroaching Drought, and some communities have recorded record low groundwater reserves. Months-old wildfires continue burning in western Canada.
Canada’s winters are not what they once were, and long-time residents are concerned. Ice skating outside is just a memory for many, and the premature closure of ice palaces, skiing opportunities, and other winter activities is just the start. In Colombia, sacred glaciers are melting. Ireland’s largest lake, according to some scientists, may be experiencing cascading ecosystem Collapse, triggered partially by a massive algae bloom last year.
Officials are still concerned about a lasting drought in the Mediterranean. A study suggests the Pacific Northwest will see more wildfires burning in the future. Milan is inundated with smog...and drought. Landslides around LA after a storm dumped 10 inches (25 cm) of rain in some places over a couple days.
“Pinning points” (undersea ice formations which anchor large chunks of sea ice in place) are melting faster than expected. More than twice the rate compared to 50 years ago, to be a little more precise. The Nature study attributes this change to warming sea temperatures and rising sea levels. Sea ice around Antarctica remains at dangerously low concentrations.
Switzerland is calling on the UN to explore solar geoengineering solutions. The UN General Assembly will vote next week on the proposal, though the vote is non-binding. A number of mostly European nations are growing more concerned about the impact a potential AMOC Collapse will have on global climate patterns.
A study from January looking into carbon sequestration suggests that the best place to store carbon may be in deep sea basins lacking oxygen.
Record temperatures were recorded in Mexico, and parts of Argentina, and around parts of southern Africa, in Nicaragua, up and down Thailand, February records in part of the Philippines and in Europe, record hot February nights in Indonesia, and several records set in Australia. Kashmir ended its warmest January on record…until next year, that is.
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South Korea issued its highest emergency yet for the healthcare industry because the government wanted to raise the number of trainee doctors. Thousands of doctors walked out in protest.
Some scientists are reportedly concerned that chronic wasting disease, that scary prion disease, might one day make the jump to humans. Recent research into PFAS chemicals found significantly higher than expected concentrations near an airbase in New Mexico.
A Columbia University study determined that our bottled water contains more nanoplastics than previously estimated. A study in Frontiers in Marine Science examined nano/microplastics around the Canary Islands to determine how currents, water depths, the shape of the microplastics, and other factors impact their travel. In Australia, treated wastewater is bringing microplastics into farming fields—and then up the food chain.
Scientists are worried that climate change is amplifying cholera. Last year, an average of about 80,000 cholera cases were recorded every month, resulting in 5,500+ deaths worldwide. There was yet another human case of H5N1 in Cambodia.
Although COVID and RSV cases in the United States appear to be trending downward, flu cases remain very high. Yet another study on Long COVID suggests that its impacts tend to differ based on various health factors. Every new infection of COVID raises the risk of a severe Long COVID diagnosis. Another study suggests that Long COVID’s brain fog may be a symptom of a weakening blood-brain barrier.

“Long Covid can manifest in people across the life span (from children to older adults) and across race and ethnicity, sex, and baseline health status. It is a complex nonmonolithic multisystemic disease with sequelae across almost all organ systems. Long Covid is likely a disease with many subtypes that may have different risk factors (genetic, environmental, etc.) and distinct biologic mechanisms that may respond differently to treatments. For example, the prototypical (classic) form of Long Covid (with brain fog, fatigue, dysautonomia, and postexertional malaise) is more common in younger adults and in females. Other forms of Long Covid, including those with cardiovascular and metabolic sequelae, are manifest more often in older adults and those with comorbidities.”

Lasting droughts in Iraq are increasing pollutant concentrations, pushing a water treatment system to the brink of Collapse. Air pollution is also linked to Alzheimer’s disease...
The World Bank is warning that economies of the world must accelerate their growth in order to repay mounting debts. Personal household debt is rising across the United States, and some economists are warning of a financial crisis in the U.S. ahead.
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“The greatest threat is not from the outside of our country. I really believe it is from within.” So said Donald Trump at a Christian media convention last week. A study from Rice University confirmed that, yes, Americans really are as polarized as they appear to be. However, another study out of Dartmouth claims that 4% of Americans support partisan political violence—although supposedly both Democrats and Republicans estimate that over 40% of the opposing party supports political violence.
The humanitarian emergency in Gaza is growing worse by the day. NGOs report that growing food insecurity is pushing people “to forage for food left by rats.” More than a million children are facing starvation, and most humanitarian aid is being blocked by Israeli forces. Some aid is being looted. The alleged collaboration of a handful of UNRWA’s 30,000 employees with Hamas has propelled some governments to seek to defund the agency at a critical moment. The much-feared Rafah offensive is looming, and set to begin in early March if the remaining hostages are not released. An attack on an oil vessel in the Red Sea has caused a long oil spill. Port logistics are being impacted across the region with economic consequences, and some East African pirates are targeting diverted ships.
Israel’s Prime Minister has outlined his postwar plan for Gaza. It involves Israel maintaining the security of Gaza and the West Bank, with a totally demilitarized Gaza. The Egypt border would be entirely closed, and a pervasive “de-radicalisation” system implemented across society to prevent future Hamas-like groups from forming. It is unclear what role, if any, the Palestinian Authority which governs the West Bank will have in this future Gaza. A number of other states are joining the ICJ case accusing Israel of conducting genocide.
One high school in the U.S. has seen so much violence and drug use that the school committee has suggested bringing in the National Guard to restore order. In Latin America, where prison populations have boomed drastically over the last 20 years, gang activity is intensifying as prisons have become induction centers for more criminal activity—and sometimes Civil War.
Rising M23 gang violence in eastern DRC is approaching Sake (pop: somewhere over 100,000), a town less than 30 km from Goma. Observers believe that a capture of this strategic town would enable M23 to cut off the roads providing food into Goma and worsen an already disastrous humanitarian situation. Allegations that Rwanda is supporting and directing M23 attacks are increasing regional tensions. That the UN peacekeeping mission is leaving soon will probably not improve the situation.
Senegal’s President has announced that he will step down from office in April, after several weeks of protests calling for elections to proceed as planned. However, no new election has been scheduled yet. In neighboring Guinea, the military dissolved the interim government they established almost two years ago, and are planning an institutional reboot. In a remote Chinese province, 2,000 North Korean workers made a factory uprising over unpaid wages—if you believe the accounts.
Sweden looks like it will finally join NATO soon, as Hungary is dropping its last reservations to its admission. Australia is planning to double its navy fleet in the next ten years, a significant investment into their defense. Germany remains reluctant to send long-range Taurus cruise missiles, even as an ammunition shortage threatens Ukraine’s frontline forces. Other arms deliveries consistently arrive late.
Saturday marked two years since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion into Ukraine. The War has left an indelible impression on Ukraine, Russia, and the rest of the globe: roughly 20% of Ukraine’s territory remains under Russian control today, ~20,000 children have been kidnapped and brought to Russia (some estimates surpass 300,000), mass mobilizations are still occurring on both sides, over $150B of money sent in aid and equipment, the global alliance structures are retrenching themselves, huge refugee flows (⅓ of all Ukrainians have been displaced, half of whom left Ukraine), energy supply shakeups, and the specter of a possible Nuclear War floats above all. Many painful lessons have been learned about modern warfare—and many more are still to come. The War is far from over, but many people are starting to think that Ukraine will not be able to win.
Estimates for casualties (dead & wounded) on both sides vary, and nobody can be certain of the real figures. Nevertheless, plausible figures estimate a little over 400,000 casualties for Russia (the Pentagon supposedly estimates 60,000 dead and 300,000 wounded), and over 250,000 for Ukraine, about one third of whom were killed. At least 30,000 civilians have also been slain, and countless traumas inflicted on countless people. The existential struggle continues.
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Things to watch next week include:
↠ On 28 February, Transnistria—an eastern sliver of Moldova occupied by pro-Russians since 1992—will hold a referendum to determine whether Russia should annex Transnistria (pop: between 370,000-470,000). The region is officially part of Moldova (pop: 3.33M) and would mark a new front of Russia’s expanding War.
↠ Iran’s Parliament has an election on March 1, and it’s the first time since the Mahsa Amini protests that Iran will vote.
Select comments/threads from the subreddit last week suggest:
-Heat, pollution, and the cost of living in Milan is unbearable, according to this weekly observation from Italy. It also explains some of the health consequences of a drying, polluted world.
-Homelessness and despair in Vermont is out-of-control, according to this observation from the Green Mountain State. Healthcare Collapse, internet demoralization, hiring freezes, rising suicides, and more. This other thread collects a list of US-specific Collapse threats; did they miss any?
-Thailand is facing an agricultural timebomb, if this comment is indicative of the country at large. Strong fungal infections, growing debt burdens, and the systematic evisceration of wildlands for new plantations are pushing the country to a crisis that might already have arrived.
-The people of the world are waking up—into a nightmare. This summary comment about geopolitics, climate change, and the spread of awareness is worth reading. It has been said that “in a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”
Got any feedback, questions, comments, complaints, upvotes, COVID horror stories, tax planning, bunker schematics, war stories, etc.? Check out the Last Week in Collapse SubStack if you don’t want to check collapse every Sunday, you can receive this newsletter sent to your (or someone else’s) email inbox every weekend. What did I miss this week?

Overview:
"Explorer's Paradise," "Conquistador Kingdom," "Red Gold Plains"... are long-faded names, once belonging to the now war-torn Bolívar—a region in the west of Terra that cannot even be simply referred to as a country. For over three hundred years, perceptions of Bolívar have shifted from symbolizing the wealthy and powerful Bolívar Viceroyalty to representing the chaotic and backward Bolívar Region. For those in safe havens, chaos is another name for opportunity. Established powers like Leithanien and emerging nations like Colombia have both attempted to control Bolívar for their own ends, yet without success. Rich, sprawling Bolívar has been torn apart by aggression and rivalry, but life goes on, even if the haze of turmoil never dissipates.
Official Languages: Iberian, Leithanian, Victorian, Colombian
Primary Ethnic Group: Perros
Official Currency: Ducat, Colombian Gold Certificate, Sol
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History:
Glorious Expedition
Exploration and discovery in geographical terms were the themes of the 8th century. Restless adventurers traversed between the courts of various countries, hoping to encounter royalty and nobility who shared their great ideals and ambitions, in order to obtain the funds and supplies necessary to support their expeditions. The birth of the Bolivarian Viceroyalty under Iberia seemed inevitable in these pioneering and passionate times. It could even be said that even without the Bolívar Governorate, we would have had the Bolívarian Dukedom of Victoria, the Bolívar Padishah Province of Sargon, the Bolívar Province of Gaul, or Bolívars elsewhere. And the story of Bolívar as we know it today began with a man named De Leon.
Francisco De Leon was born in 698 in a poor village in the northner Iberia (back when there were no mobile cities). Francisco de León spent the first decade or so of his life as an anonymous wanderer in the wilderness, in 717 he joined an expedition passing through the village, a small group whose goal was to travel to the eastern part of Iberia and explore unknown lands. Young De Leon demonstrated qualities of an excellent explorer on the journey: strong, active, resourceful, a good planner and ambitious. Over the following years, this impoverished lad from the north not only quickly took over the expedition but also became a guest of honor in the courts of various countries. He provided advice to the Emperor of Gaul on expanding borders and presented treasures from distant lands to the Duke of Victoria. From Yan to Sargon, from Ursus to Iberia, between 717 and 735, De Leon almost traveled across the entire Terra known to mankind at that time. He was determined to achieve something even greater.
In 735, De Leon formally requested the assistance of the King of Iberia to "sponsor one of the most ambitious expeditions in the history of mankind". De Leon explained to the royal court that the goal of this expedition was the unexplored northwest of Terra. If suitable settlements were found, Iberia would take charge of and develop the area, but if not, the expedition's insights and experiences would serve as valuable lessons and evidence of Iberia's greatness and the monarch's enlightened decision-making. After much deliberation among the king and his advisors, they were ultimately swayed by the strength of the explorer and his promise of glory, deciding to gather manpower and resources from across the country to support De Leon. It may be difficult for modern people, who have moved on from the days when nations were scrambling to open up new frontiers, to understand why the head of a nation would go to such lengths to invest in what seemed to be an unreliable endeavor. But in the Eighth Century, the very act of traveling into the unknown was seen as a feat of bravery, with people everywhere honoring the explorers who put their lives on the line, and the patrons behind them promoting their names as if the patrons themselves had opened up a vast new world for all of mankind

"Age of Exploration"
Before the advent of mobile city technology, people living everywhere were forced to move away from their temporary residences from time to time to minimize the damage that could be caused by natural disasters. As a result, many countries were keen to explore uncharted regions of the continent and to find areas rich in resources. The act of exploring uncharted territories was called "exploration", which, on the one hand, undertook the task of searching for resources and settlements, and, on the other hand, reflected the ambition of the Terrans of that period to conquer the unknown nature. That is why expeditions were so prevalent in those times, and some countries and organizations tried to form expeditions to find new territories of their own.

After two long years of preparation, De Leon set out for northwestern Terra in 737 with a large amount of supplies. In order to obtain more resources, De Leon provided the king with a detailed route plan - he would follow the trade routes of the countries in the Core Circle, which would be the most costly but safest way to go. In reality, however, De Leon never intended to return to Iberia, and he staked the rest of his life on this expedition, hoping to take enough resources to carve out a territory of his own. In order to reach his destination in the shortest amount of time and with the least amount of supplies, the explorer decided to take the shortest path to his destination by way of Sargon with all his people and supplies. In this way, De Leon got twice as many supplies as he actually needed from the king based on a false plan. Only after the expedition left Iberia did De Leon, who held absolute power, revealed the real plan to the team and order the people to carry it out.
At that time, although there was some commercial exchange between Iberia and Sargon, it was limited to small-scale localized trade, with almost no national-level interaction. Upon arriving in Sargon, De Leon, as the expedition plenipotentiary, approached the local highest authority, the Beyadé Padishah. During their communication, De Leon proposed various possibilities for cooperation, inviting the Padishah to establish friendly relations with Iberia and jointly develop trade routes. The Padishah admired the adventurer's reckless spirit and his various wild ideas, so he negotiated a series of cooperative plans with the expedition. After carefully checking that the expedition was carrying ordinary supplies, the Padishah agreed to let them pass and sent out his own army to blaze the trail. De Leon's gamble proved to win untold bounty. He found a large open plain with abundant resources in the northwestern part of the Terra continent, and decided to stop here and start building, while simultaneously sending envoys back to Iberia to discuss the establishment of a new territory.
In the same year, while De Leon and the members of the expedition were in full swing perfecting the construction of the first settlement and monastery, an envoy sent by the Iberian Crown followed in the footsteps of De Leon's emissaries to the new territory. The envoy announced to all present the order of the Iberian Crown - the land discovered by the expedition belonged to Iberia from now on, it was named "Bolivar", and a colonial governorate was established, with De Leon the explorer as the governor to administer all affairs. The Governorate was to be used for agricultural construction, mining and colonization activities, with a portion of the yearly economic proceeds being paid to the Sargon trade route, a portion being retained locally to maintain normal production, and the rest being shipped back to Iberia
De Leon the Explorer became De Leon the Governor, and to publicize his exploits and highlight Iberia's ambition and boldness in conquering nature and the wilderness, the Crown bestowed upon him the title of "Conqueror". Towns and smoke from cooking fires began to appear on the plains named "Bolivar", the trade routes in Sargon witnessed the rise of Bolivar, and Iberia reaped the fruits of its success. At that time, no one could have foreseen the long years of suffering and war that awaited this new region.
All Hell Breaks Loose
The Bolivarian Viceroyalty entered a golden age of rapid development under De Leon rule, with people seeing it as a place to realize their dreams, and with people from Sargon, Leithanien and Victoria moving to this vibrant and promising land. 759 saw the death of De Leon, and Iberia appointed another governor to take over Bolivar. The new governor was not as capable or as highly regarded as De Leon, but he was nonetheless a competent man. Bolivar remained active for the next few years.
Everything began to change in 767. That year, the Beyade Padishah, responsible for developing the trade route between Iberia, Sargon, and Bolívar, passed away. His successor, in an attempt to diminish Beyade's achievements and accumulate prestige for himself, forcibly closed this prosperous and vital trade route between Bolívar and mainland Iberia. Meanwhile, the Emperor of Victoria grew concerned that the rapid development of Bolívar, an Iberian enclave, might threaten the future security of his own country. Therefore, he attempted to unite other nations to disrupt Bolívar's situation. Coincidentally, Gaul and Leithanien were also contemplating similar plans. After exchanging views, the three countries quickly reached an agreement and jointly pressured Iberia. They tried various means to sever the connections between Iberia, located on the southern coast, and Bolívar, situated inland to the northwest. Under simultaneous pressure from multiple sides, the Governor of Bolívar was forced to declare Bolívar's decision to declare independence. Thus, the Bolívar Governorate, formerly under the rule of Iberia, transformed into the Bolívar Autonomous Territory, no longer subject to any authority.
At this point, Bolívar began a gradual descent into chaos. The powers of the inner circle, led by Victoria, were only interested in weakening Iberia's power, and cared nothing for the inhabitants living in Bolivar. These old empires had to guard against threats from other powers, while at the same time trying to extract as much resources as possible from Bolivar. After weighing their options, giving up their plans to monopolize Bolivar turned out to be the most cost-effective option, so none of the inner-circle countries helped the new autonomous territories, and instead they secretly sabotaged other countries' trade and political dealings with the area. Sargon, to the south of Bolivar, claimed to be able to help the Bolivarian Autonomous Dominion, but required the region to bow down to the Sargon King of Kings and be governed by a Padishah, like the region of Vouivre. At a time when Bolivar was still confident in its future after thirty years of vigorous growth, Sargon's arrogant and slightly humiliating attitude caused the governor to reject the King of Kings' emissary outright. At the time, the Bolivarians thought that the difficulties they were experiencing were only temporary, not realizing that this level of difficulty would be considered as relatively fortunate in retrospect years later.
The Bolívar Autonomous Territory lasted for about a hundred and thirty years, during which it experienced over forty rulers, with each ruler averaging less than three years in power. The Bolivarian Republic was completely overwhelmed by internal and external problems. Internally, the collapse of the autonomous territory's government, economic paralysis, and rampant plagues led to the rise of various warlord regimes, resulting in complete chaos throughout the country. The first wave of immigrants from Iberia struggled to survive amidst poverty, disease, and atrocities, with only a few settlements retaining their faith and longing to reconnect with their homeland. Externally, society underwent severe upheaval, with the emergence of mobile cities completely altering the international situation. Major powers that had previously refrained from sending troops to Bolívar due to concerns about unexpected situations during long-distance military operations now reconsidered their plans to control Bolívar.
Quagmire of War
In the second half of the ninth century, countries like Gaul, Victoria, and Leithanien, having acquired their own mobile cities, attempted to intervene in the affairs of Bolívar. The chaotic diplomatic tug-of-war lasted from 885 to 897, with Leithanien emerging as the ultimate victor. Kurfürst Schtone mobilized a large army from various districts under the pretext of "assisting the new government." In that year, they dispatched troops into the Bolívar Autonomous Territory and, after a series of wars under the guise of "suppressing rebellion," essentially reunited the entire territory of Bolívar. The "new government" assisted by the Duke was know as the "Singas Dynasty," essentially a puppet regime in the pure Leithanian style. The leader of the Singas Dynasty claimed the title of "king" and established his capital at Gran Sindicato in Bolívar, thus ushering in the era of the Kingdom of Bolívar.
After the withdrawal of the Elector's army, the Singas government ruled Bolívar on the model of the regions of Leithanien, However, this rule was more nominal than actual, as various regions adopted a policy of outward compliance while secretly resisting the Singas government's directives. The Singas government provided Leithanien with originium mines, food, manpower, and large amounts of cash every year, and Bolivar became the preferred destination for Leithanien travelers, where Lethanian speakers were able to enjoy the convenience of the language, aristocratic sojourn, and unique exotic landscapes all at the same time - however, all of this was based on the suffering of the people of Bolivar. Although the Singas dynasty was not effective in rapidly developing Bolivar due to its oversized administrative system and mediocre governance, life for the people of Bolívar saw a slight, albeit somewhat shameful, improvement compared to the period of autonomy.
However, this false tranquility did not last long. The emergence of the new power of Colombia in the 1019 completely disrupted the core countries' diplomatic strategies regarding Bolívar. Although Colombia had not yet cut off Leithania-Bolívar trade route, it significantly impacted the efficiency of passage between the two regions. Moreover, the Colombian Federal government attempted to influence internal affairs in Bolívar by supporting politically influential businesses and merchants. Colombia's actions became increasingly bold from 1020 to 1047, with some areas of Bolívar falling under Colombia's influence, effectively breaking away from the control of the Singas Dynasty and seeking refuge under Colombia's protection. The Colombian authorities judged that Leithanien no longer had the actual capability to control Bolívar, so Colombia should invest resources as much as possible to join the struggle for Bolívar.
During this period, the true ruler of Bolívar was a figure known as the "Witch-King" Herkunftshorn . By the late period of his rule in 1048, this almost-mad emperor dispatched a large army to Bolívar, targeting all the "traitors" colluding with Colombia. At the same time, Herkunftshorn hoped to use Bolivar to stir up civil strife in Colombia. Leithanien itself was in disarray at this time, so the army the Witch-King called in from the regions consisted mainly of stragglers and bandits, The commanders of the Golden Rule Law Guard, under the pretext of fighting only for the nine districts protected by the "Golden Law Symphony," refused to be dispatched by Herkunftshorn orders. This semi-professional army—or rather, these professional bandits—lacked discipline and combat effectiveness. Their journey to Bolívar was likely more to escape the Witch-King's rule than to confront Colombia.
As Leithania's army slowly marched on, Colombia took the opportunity to put together a Bolivarian coalition government led by a plutocratic parliament in La Unidad, led by big businessmen and local governments in Bolivar who had long ago fornicated with Colombia, with the intention of in turn subverting Leithanien's control and squeezing more resources out of the country. Colombia kept sending arms, army instructors and staff officers to the areas controlled by the Bolivarian coalition government, trying in this way to help its propped-up puppets control Bolivar. But Colombia clearly underestimated the extent of Bolivar's chaos, and the long-term investment did not allow Colombia to quickly seize the area, but instead dragged it into a quagmire. From then on, Bolivar was plunged into a prolonged civil war, and Colombia, in an attempt to weaken Leithanien influence in Bolivar, took the opportunity to rename the area under the control of the Bolivarian Consolidated Government from the Kingdom of Bolivar to the "Independent State of Bolivar".
In the years leading up to the war between the Coalition Government and the Singas government, a large number of military organizations emerged in Bolívar, each with different goals such as ending the civil war or eliminating foreign interference. These included the Bolívar Salvation Front, which aimed to end the civil war and expel the puppet governments, Coalition of Bolivarian Struggle for Liberation, which embraced Rusthammer ideology and opposed all forms of government, and the Bolívar Youth Party, which sought to establish a new parliamentary system. These military organizations merged in 1050, calling themselves the "True Bolívarian Liberation Movement" and acting together. Both the Singas government and the Coalition Government referred to the True Bolivarians as "terrorists," and most True Bolivarians also used this term to refer to the Singas and Coalition Governments.
The emergence of the new power did not fundamentally change Bolívar's shattered and divided state. To this day, Bolívar remains in a state of intense civil war. Over three hundred years have passed, and the countries closely linked to the fate of Bolívar have transformed into different entities: Iberia has faced turmoil and is on the verge of collapse, Gaul has been defeated on the battlefield and completely destroyed, Leithanien has entered a period of recovery after regime change, Victoria is on the brink of internal division and is in a state of royal decline, while the newly emerged Colombia has begun its own era of prosperity. However, since its inception, Bolívar has never escaped the control of others. As one warlord of the True Bolívar Liberation Movement said, "My life and I seem to be two separate entities—while I want to control my life, my life doesn't seem to care about my opinion."
​
Geography
Generally speaking, the Bolivarian region is characterized by a high north and a low south, with the Bolivarian Plain in the center being the heart of the region, and the southern and northern regions being known as the "borders" to the people who live here. The northern part, near the north sea, is known as the "Bolivarian Border Plateau", which occupies about 20% of the country's surface area, and which is not well suited for survival due to its scarce resources, with large annual temperature differences and minimal precipitation, making it unsuitable for habitation, and thus sparsely populated.
Most of Bolivar is located in the plains, where the endless wilderness and rich flora and fauna were decisive factors in the explorers' decision to put down roots here. At the same time, the Bolivarian Plains are rich in mineral resources, with the main Kolossal vein, one of the three major originium veins of Terra, running southwest to northeast through the center of the Plains. More than ninety percent of the sixteen million Bolivarians live on this huge plain.
The landscape in the southernmost part of Bolivar, bordering the Huayhuán Confederation, is characterized by extremely distinctive jungle features - luxuriant rainforests that cover the sky, intense rainfall that falls almost punctually every afternoon, and fast-flowing rivers that meander for hundreds of kilometers, among other things. Similar to the north, these uninhabitable parts of the south are sparsely populated.
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Politics and Military
The three regimes within the Bolívar borders have completely different names and adopt three distinct forms of government and governance logic. Here, I will introduce the characteristics of the Bolívar Kingdom (Singas government), the Bolívar Independent State (Coalition government), and the True Bolívar Liberation Movement. Finally, there is a special place—Dossoles, where the governance logic is completely different from the rest of Bolívar.
Singas Dynasty
As the longest-lasting Bolivarian regime in existence, the Singas dynasty has shown few Bolivarian regional qualities. Or perhaps its mediocre nature is the fundamental factor that has allowed it to continue to this day.
The Bolívar Kingdom ruled by the Singas Dynasty is a typical monarchy, where the king theoretically controls all resources within the realm. As a government supported by Leithanien, the Singas government initially attempted to learn from or emulate Leithanian governmental institutions as much as possible. The king (Kurfürst) determined by bloodline inheritance, the so-called courtiers, the six-tier nobility derived from the seven-tier nobility, and the perpetually suffering commoners—all of it was the familiar Leithanian style, but lacked the core compromise and mutual assistance found in Leithanian governance. Everything in Leithanian governance is built on the mutual aid of the nine major regions, even though they often have conflicts with each other, they all recognize themselves as part of the same collective. This is also the fundamental reason why the Witch-King was able to consolidate the nine districts of Leithanien by exiling the Syracusan Autonomous Region. However, the Singas dynasty, never had, nor needed to have, such a perception, and so applied Leithanien polity with the same futility as someone without the aptitude for Arts attempting to cast a spell with a staff. This futility becomes more apparent the farther one gets from the capital, Gran Sindicato, where people living in remote villages under Singas government control may not even care about the theoretical existence of six tiers of nobility, let alone the one hundred different noble titles here. On the other hand, people living in other typical monarchies, such as the Ursus, under similar living conditions, have acquired the ability to accurately address nobles of all levels from their living environment during their growth. This phenomenon suggests that the Singas government's cultural influence on the people living here may not be as strong as that of their suzerain state, Leithanien—at least the common people there all speak Lethanian. Corruption and injustice are commonplace in the Bolívar Kingdom, and they are expected to persist for a long time in the foreseeable future.
In stark contrast to the chaotic governmental system, the Singas Dynasty boasts a relatively excellent military system. Conscription regardless of gender is enforced throughout the Bolívar Kingdom, and everyone, including nobles, is required to spend at least three years in the military. Instructors and students from various military academies in Leithanien appear in every corner of the Singas military, most of whom are excellent future commanders. Leithanien sent them to Bolívar not only to help the Singas Dynasty train its military but also to allow these individuals to experience the frontline of war and accumulate command experience for possible future conflicts. The Witch-King ceased assisting the Singas Dynasty in military command actions once the Bolívar Civil War officially broke out, but this tradition was restored after the Twin Empresses ascended the throne. Areas controlled by the Singas Dynasty mostly retain intact industrial and infrastructure facilities, so they can adequately supply military weapons and provisions within their territories. In comparison, the Singas military has good discipline and ample supplies, which is also the foundation for this regime to maintain its rule in Bolívar for more than two hundred years.
Bolivarian Coalition Government
During my travels in the Bolivarian Independent State, a number of residents have complained to me about the chaos of government and the stress of life. I was struck by the statement of one of them, "Even though it's called a coalition government here, we who live here don't know what they're coalition of nor do we know where our government is."
The political system of the Bolivarian coalition government is so unique, so different from all the other places in Terra, that I have even coined the name "oligarchic parliamentary system" to better explain how it works. The highest decision-making authority in the Coalition Government is the Supreme Parliament, composed of 15 individuals who decide on the most important affairs of the country through voting. These are, without exception, the richest, most powerful and most resourceful people in the Bolivarian Independent State. They are usually the leaders of monopolistic financial conglomerates or military groups, commonly known as "oligarchs". Seats in the Supreme Council are for life, and only when a member resigns or dies can he or she be replaced, a rule that has led to a great deal of dishonorable blackmail and assassination.
Locals in La Unidad like to tell tourists that every member of the Supreme Parliament has tried to rule the country and failed because of the obstructionism of other members and Colombia. I won't fully believe this tidbit of information until I see enough evidence, but I can very well understand how it can spread so widely. Each congressman is an opportunist who has seized the opportunity to change their fate in turbulent times, and when a dozen or so of these "successful people" get together, everyone knows what they want to do - they all want to be more successful than the others! Although Colombia has always supported and nurtured them, it absolutely cannot tolerate these individuals realizing their dreams or allowing them to escape control. Generally speaking, in order for a country's political situation to remain stable, there needs to be one strong political force in the country to keep the other strong political force in check, such as Kazimiers General Chember of Comerce and the Supervisory Council, or Victoria's emperor and the dukes. But the Bolivarian coalition government is stabilized by Colombia from the outside, a dangerous balance that is even more fragile than the corrupted kingship of the Singas dynasty. But considering that the coalition government has been in existence for only fifty years or so, all I can say here is that the stability of this system remains to be examined.
The Bolívar Independent State implements conscription, essentially having oligarchs pay to hire residents within their territories as professional soldiers. The military instructors are retired soldiers from various countries hired at high salaries by the major oligarchs, and these instructors bring with them seven or eight completely different training methods and military theories. Therefore, the discipline and combat effectiveness of the Coalition Government's army vary. In addition to specialized soldiers, there is also a force within the Coalition Government called the "Bolívar National Guard," a military police force trained separately from the military system. The Coalition Government spends a huge amount of money every year to purchase new military equipment from other countries to arm its soldiers.
The True Bolivarian Liberation Movement
Most non-state military organizations I've encountered in my life are highly professional groups that operate solely for profit, but there are also a few, like the "True Bolívarians," who claim righteousness yet are disorganized and chaotic. What exactly are their goals, and what are they trying to liberate? Among the members I've spoken to, no two Bolívarians have given the same answer.
The True Bolívarian Liberation Movement is a loosely united mega-junta, with over a dozen completely different armies fighting side by side— their only commonality being opposition to the Singas government and the Coalition Government. Officers at all levels are also policymakers and enforcers, and the strict hierarchical relationships within the military greatly enhance the efficiency of policy implementation. The areas they control are essentially under constant martial law throughout the year, with only slight relaxation during holidays.
Many people living in peaceful areas often call for support from the True Bolívarians, as when they hear this name, scenes of oppressed people rising up against inhumane oppressors naturally come to mind. I won't judge this approach or fantasy as wrong, but I'd like to add a part of this scenario that foreigners may not know. The True Bolívarians' resistance against oppressors does not have a unified agenda or vision, nor is their purpose simply to expel the Singas government and the Coalition Government. Most of them are also keen on destroying anyone with even the slightest affiliation with the enemy— and most of these people are just ordinary folks struggling to survive in turbulent times. The True Bolívarians implement a scorched-earth policy in territories under enemy control, which involves annihilating everyone and plundering all resources before completely destroying settlements. In the eyes of the True Bolívarians, they are not killing the common people tortured by nobles or oligarchs, but traitors who provide food or clothing to the enemy. From 1050 to 1060, settlements thoroughly destroyed by the rapidly growing military organization of the True Bolívarians accounted for at least three hundred thousand people's livelihoods. Although in the past decade or so, the relatively moderate Bolívar Youth Party has gained dominance within the True Bolívarians, reducing the occurrence of such atrocities, the True Bolívarians have never abandoned the use of extreme violence.
Dossoles
It is always said that the center of a storm is the calmest, and Dossoles is the center of Bolivar's great and unruly storm. The bustling marketplace, busy streets and foreign travelers make this place seem full of harmony and seemingly alien to Bolivar, but underneath this appearance of peace lies the very essence of what Bolivar is all about.
Dossoles is the only neutral mobile city in Bolivar, and it belongs not to any government, but only to the mayor personally. Located in the northwestern part of the Bolivarian Plain, it has unique waterways, with seawater from the north sea brought in annually to replenish the artificial sea within the city. Dossoles is known as the "Entertainment Capital" and has a strong tourism, commerce, entertainment, brewing and coffee growing and processing industries. The city's various stores generate a large amount of tax revenue for the city government. Dossoles is also one of the few cities in the Bolivarian region that does not persecute infected people as a matter of policy, and infected people are allowed to enter downtown Dossoles, but only to spend time in official infected bars and casinos and other entertainment venues.
Dossoles is so bustling that it hardlys looks like a Bolivarian city, and at night, the lights on the tall buildings are bright enough to light up the horizon. For people struggling to survive in other parts of Bolivar, the only time they see this much light is when the Coalition government shells the True Bolivarian front.
The predecessor of the city of Dossoles, Solé, was founded in 1007, and at the time of its creation, Solé was just an ordinary mobile city with little to offer. In the 1940s of this century, the rulers of the Singas Dynasty wanted to have a mobile city with tourism and entertainment as its main industries, so they planned to remodel Sole, but encountered a series of events including Colombian support for the Bolívar Union government, resulting in the renovation project being put on hold, turning the entire city into a massive unfinished building. It was not until the previous mayor, Elder Sanchez, purchased Sore in the 2070s and began to continue the renovation. The biggest change came when Candela Sanchez took office as mayor in 1083, and Solé entered a period of rapid growth. It became an important neutral city and economic center in Bolivarian territory. The city was renamed "Dossoles" in 1086, after the construction of the artificial sea was completed.
Mayor Candela Sánchez, who rules as a dictator in Dossoles, is a strong and politically powerful woman who maneuvered with various powers to ensure Dossoles' neutrality. The city, which now has a population of over one million, has become the economic center of Bolivar under her rule. Life in Dossoles may seem good, but it is built on the center of Bolivar's suffering.
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Economy and Socio-Cultural Aspects
Despite being in a state of constant warfare, Bolívar has maintained stable economic development, with agriculture and mining industries being particularly prosperous. The rich and flat plains of Bolívar are a blessing for agriculture, and De León once remarked that a handful of seeds could be sown here to produce crops without labor, and that most of the disputes of later times were due to these plains. The agriculture of Bolivar shows a great difference between the north and the south: the south focuses on coffee and sugarcane cultivation, while the north is dominated by fruits and sugar beet cultivation. There are plantations of all sizes on the Bolivarian plains, and plantation owners employ workers at very low prices for their labor. The vast majority of the produce is plundered by large countries such as Leithanien and Colombia, and the consumer goods are very expensive for the native Bolivarians. In addition, rich originium mines, iron, copper and other precious stones are also resources that the various powers competed for.
Dried cactus is a common food in Bolivar. With its low price and easy preservation, it has become a primary staple for workers and farmers. Although refined dried cactus has a taste similar to candied fruits in the high-end market, the taste of cheap bulk rough-cut products is like dry wood. Lower-class workers may choose it as their staple food simply because they have no other choice.
Mercenaries are a popular industry in Bolivar, and soldiers employed by any side can be paid handsomely. These mercenaries, roaming within Bolívar, are neutral military units from all over Terra. They spend their war earnings in Bolívar, splurging and purchasing vast quantities of supplies and products wherever they go, greatly boosting the speed and vitality of the local economic cycle.
The opposite of a thriving economy was a vibrant culture. Unlike the image of Bolivar as a backward and barbaric colony, the culture here is very strong. Although the literacy rate is low, many people speak two to three languages fluently. Bolívar produces various literary and musical works. Over the centuries, people from Iberia, Gaul, Sargon, Leithanien, Colombia and Victoria have lived together here, bringing with them their languages and arts, and works from different countries have collided and then mingled, a unique culture that has influenced generations of Bolivarians.
In addition to the broad exposure of Bolivians to various cultures, the dangerous life and turbulent political situation have also given rise to a large number of artistic works, through which people express the ugliness and injustices of the real world.

Overview
Minos, the land of heroes surrounded by mountains. The steep mountain peaks and wide and beautiful lakes outline the city-states. The patchwork mountain landscape, the mobile city full of characteristics, the colorful buildings guarding the tall temple of heroes, the passionate Minoans drank wine and sang songs from ancient times in the huge amphitheater. People followed the heroic way to fight against the brutal and bloodthirsty invaders, and through the experience, they tempered their sculpture-like bodies and honed their perseverance. This country full of legends and myths once fell into the Dark Ages of complete destruction. Now it is gradually recovering from Sargon's century-long occupation, but the danger has never disappeared.
Official language: Minoan
Main ethnic group: multiracial
Official currency: Stater
History
Under the mountain top
In the existing Minoan founding myth, everything about this country began with the establishment of the city of Athenus. This oldest city-state is located at the foot of Mount Hymnoi, the second highest peak in Minoan territory. It was originally built by refugees of various races fleeing the war. The ancient Minoan epic "Chrysla" records the wandering journey of the founder of the city of Athenus: "(Crysla) finally came to the top of Mount Hymnoi. Because of the sad times , people killed and attacked each other. The stoic Cressla, she broke thirty pairs of shoes on the land road, and also experienced many hardships on the waterway. She suffered from wars and plagues along the way, but finally established a city-state , She placed her followers in gardens surrounded by mountains, so that there were Minoans, the wisdom of Athenus, the prosperity of Corinia, and the immortal temple of Lakedaímōn. "
What is a hero?
The word "hero" has similar meanings in various cultures, referring to people who have accomplished great feats and possess extraordinary abilities. In the modern cross-cultural communication, the so-called "hero" also has many more specific connotations. When most people see this word, they will subconsciously think that a hero must not only have outstanding strength, but also have outstanding strength . They must also have a very high moral level. These characters should have relatively perfect personality qualities and perseverance and self-control. But Minos' heroes are not like this at all. Judging from the current perspective, most of Minos' heroes have committed some morally corrupt behaviors. Traditional Minoan culture believed that people's flaws and advantages are born with them rather than acquired. This is also the reason why people are human . So people should be brave enough to accept their own shortcomings, and people who can do this have some qualifications as heroes. Heroes can stick to themselves and implement the logic of their actions. This is considered by the Minoans to be an extremely noble virtue.
This area of Minoan is indeed blessed with a unique natural environment, especially the one near Mount Hymnoi. The permanent snow and glaciers covering the top of the mountain reflect a faint light under the sunlight, and the melted snow water from the glaciers gathers into an endless flow of water and washes out the flat land below the mountain. Plants with different flowering periods grow freely on the fertile soil, and the sea of flowers, which are different throughout the year, are swayed by the gentle wind. It is not difficult to imagine what kind of blissful scene the first people who arrived here saw.
After the establishment of Yasenus, the people living here used it as a base to open up the Minoan region. The people who subsequently migrated here explored and developed the entire Minos together with the colonists, and new city-states were established one after another . In this process, those who have made great contributions to the city-state - whether they are leaders or civilians - will be named "heroes" by people, and a series of idol worship activities to commemorate heroes have also begun to appear: People wrote hymns for heroes, compiled their deeds into epics, and created various dramas based on the heroes' lives. They even worshiped idols as a public activity and built their own temples for the heroes in the center of the city-state. After a period of steady development, each city-state developed its own unique culture and preferences. Naturally, the heroes they worshiped were also different, and conflicts ensued.
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A popular Minoan shirt featuring one of Minoan's most beloved ancient heroes. Legend has it that this person has no surname, no origin, and no whereabouts. He spends most of his time living in a large wine barrel in the temple. He scorned social order and legal rules. Although he was in Athenus, he seemed to be completely outside of civilized society. But when Athenus was attacked, he took the lead and rolled down the high hill on which the temple was located, knocking down countless enemy soldiers along the way. There are rumors that bowling was invented based on this prototype. The three holes on the bowling ball correspond to the opening of the barrel itself and the two holes punched in the wall of the barrel by its horns.
City-states abound
The mutual attacks between the city-states lasted for a long time, and finally three alliances with the three city-states of Athenus, Corinnia and Lakedaímōn as the core were formed among more than a dozen large city-states. Athenus was the center of culture and knowledge of the Minoans, and the heroes worshiped by the Athenus were mostly wise men and poets; Corinnia was the capital of commerce and transportation, and the heroes worshiped by the locals were the patrons of commerce. ; Lakedaímōn is the hometown of warriors, with the most temples built for warriors and generals. At this time, Minoan hero worship developed into a form similar to religion. Residents of various city-states went to temples dedicated to heroes with different wishes, offered sacrifices to the sculptures of heroes, and hoped to receive blessings. This kind of worship is very different from the worship of the law in the Lateran churches everywhere : People who live according to Lateran rules hope to transform their living environment to be as harmonious as Lateran - at least it seems so ; For the Minoans, legends about heroes were part of their cognitive history. Although most of the heroes worshiped by the Minoans have long since passed away, the heroes were indeed people who once actually lived on this land. .
Apples of colinia
Nowadays, when people mention Corinnia’s worship of business, they seem to unconsciously feel contempt, as if the pursuit of profit has some natural unfairness . But in fact, the three major Minoan city-states were not just template cities with only one side. Science, art, and war research were equally developed in Corinnia. Take apples, for example. This crop, now widely used in Terra to describe a good harvest, was originally domesticated by the city-state of Corinnia. Corinnia may be the first place in Terra to implement and systematically study and promote the technology of domesticating wild plants. The prosperous trade attracts caravans from all over the world to bring seeds and scientists to every corner of Terra.
The three major alliances often formed alliances and betrayed each other. Although there were a lot of wars, there was never a situation where one party completely defeated the other two. Frequent interactions also gave rise to channels of communication outside of war, of which Minoan-style sports were the most prominent features. Competitors from different city-states gather every year in grand sporting events to showcase their bodybuilding postures and outstanding skills . Each city-state takes turns hosting these competitions, and people travel across the country to support the contestants in their hometowns. This kind of activity greatly satisfies people's desire to compete in peaceful times. Unfortunately, many of the previous competitive events have been lost, and it is difficult for us to restore the way people at that time prepared for competitions and exercised in their daily lives. The direct cause of the loss was Sargon's century-long occupation, which was also the darkest period in Minoan history.
Sargon's invasion
The Agnes River, which originates from Mount Heria, separates the Minoan region from Sargon. Both sides of the river bank have completely different natural scenery - the side close to the mountains has abundant rain and fertile land . On the Sargon side, the further south you go, the more desolate and barren the Gobi desert becomes. This vast desert served as a geographical barrier between the Minos and Sargonian empires for a long time . But the ever-expanding Sargon would eventually extend his claws to Minos, which was across the river from them.
Ever since Sargon discovered this fertile land, it has been the coveted target of Sargon's chiefs, especially the several chiefs whose fiefdoms are located in the border areas. In 915, they jointly met with the King of Kings, hoping that the King of Kings would support them in taking Minos into his hands. The king of Sargon at that time was the famous "White-maned Aslan" (also known as "White-maned King") Pahiritu, Sargon's longest-reigning monarch. At that time, Pahritu had also reached the end of his royal reign. He spent most of his life and exhausted all means to maintain the stability and prosperity of Sargon . Although palace conflicts, local conflicts, and social conflicts have been alleviated, the empire still has hidden crises. Perhaps in order to pass on the conflicts within the empire, perhaps to pave the way for Sargon to move towards the inner circle, perhaps simply because he smelled the imminent end of his life, the White-maned King decided to launch the last war in his life - —Conquest of Minos.
In the early spring of 917, a huge army began to gather toward the northeast of Sargon. Hundreds of thousands of war beasts set out from various parts of Sargon accompanied by the sound of advancing drums. Soldiers from deserts and rainforests wandered beyond the valleys of Minos in chaotic arrangements. The Minoans did not close their eyes and ears. They discovered suspicious characters appearing in the streets of major city-states a few years ago. There were fewer envoys and visitors on the other side of the river, and instead they were quietly built fortifications—— There is no doubt that the White-maned King has already cast his gaze from the mysterious Shar-Agad to the pleasant mountains of Minos . Greedy Aslan is waiting for an opportunity to catch his coveted prey.
Such large-scale military activities were immediately noticed by the Minoans, and the leaders of all city-states immediately formed an alliance to prepare for the upcoming war. When the armies of both sides faced each other for the first time on both sides of the Agnes River, the Minoan coalition discovered that the size of the army on the other side was far beyond their imagination. The Minoans did not expect that Sargon would use all his strength to attack the small Minos with nearly a million troops. The huge disparity in military strength seemed to determine the outcome of the war from the beginning.
However, Minos' generals showed amazing calmness when facing Sargon's army that was several times or even dozens of times larger than his own . For the first time, the whole Minos united to fight against foreign enemies, and they had no reason to retreat on the front line. They decided to take advantage of the terrain of their home battle to defend their homeland behind them. According to Minos' new heroic epic "Agamemen", Sargon's army crossed the Agnes River on the last night of spring and took the lead in launching an attack. The Minoan generals arranged the main force to fight against the invasion in the complex mountainous area tens of kilometers long between the plain of Agnes and the Agamen Pass . Relying on their familiarity with the terrain, Sargon's vanguard army paid a heavy price in the early stages of the war. The original goal of Sargon's army was to capture Athenus before autumn, but throughout the summer, they failed to reach the Agamen Pass, the final pass leading to the core of the Minoans.
However, the strength gap between the two sides in the war soon became apparent. Sargon's army adjusted its tactics to adapt to the complex operations in the mountains. At the same time, it continued to invest troops in Minos, trying to suppress Minos with absolute numerical superiority. The effective forces on the Minos side were continuously consumed in high-intensity continuous battles, and they were forced to retreat to the core area. In the autumn, the remaining main force of Minos was discovered by Sargon's army in the Aegean Plain on its way back to the Agamen Pass, where the two sides launched a final decisive battle. Although the main Minoan army fought with all their strength, they were ultimately defeated and were wiped out along with the pass defenders. Subsequently, Athenus and Corinnia fell one after another until the winter, when the last city-state, Lakedaímōn, surrendered, avoiding more massacres. A small number of Minoans who refused to surrender hid in the mountains and forests and began a protracted guerrilla career.
Although Sargon finally conquered the Minoan city-states, the price was still extremely high. The death rate of the soldiers participating in this war was as high as 50% to 60%. Moreover, just seven days before Lakedaímōn surrendered, the eighty-one-year-old King of Kings Pahritu passed away suddenly, ending his sixty-seven-year rule. The longest-serving king of Sargon failed to take Minos as his own as expected and obtained the last martial arts in his life. In the end, it was his son Shasulum who succeeded to the throne and declared victory in the war.
volunteer front
When the Minos rulers first saw Sargon's army, they realized the gap in strength between the two sides. They also realized that if they wanted to resist Sargon's invasion, Minos alone would never be able to resist it. Do it. They sent a large number of messengers to the countries in the core circle to request assistance from the two great powers of Victoria and Gaul. The rulers of Victoria and Gaul were hesitant and could not give an answer for a long time, but many volunteers did go to Minos without official consent and participated in the Minos' war against Sargon. After the war, Sargon threatened the two countries with prisoners and made them pay a large amount of compensation. Later, most of these indemnities were used in Sargon's construction of Minos.
Darkest time
After conquering all the city-states, Shasulum, the king of kings, sent his sister Mara from Shar-Agad to Minos to serve as a pasha in charge of all affairs . This direct member of Aslan's royal family was later privately called the "Queen of the Other Shore" by Sargon's other nobles because of her all-round control over Minos. Mara was Shasulum's right-hand man when he was young and made many plans for Shasulum. There were even rumors that Mara's assistance was the reason why Shasulum was chosen as the heir by the White-maned King. When Shasurum asked his most trusted Mara to serve as Minos Pasha, Mara was faced with a major problem - how to govern such a difficult occupied territory? Minos had a splendid culture that the locals were proud of, and it was completely different from Sargon. The newly arrived conqueror Sargon was incompatible with the place. The Minoans were in a high mood of resistance. Many of their decrees were strongly resisted, making it difficult to rule . Such a Minos not only cannot bring any benefits to the empire, but may become a stubborn disease that intensifies the conflicts in the empire.
However, Mara obviously has a deep understanding of Minoan culture and is also quite bold in governance methods. She implemented a thorough policy of assimilation in Minos, the homeland of her heroes. She first moved all the population of each city-state to Athenus, Corinnia and Lakedaímōn, and then completely burned the remaining city-states, and countless buildings and works of art were completely destroyed. Then, she fulfilled the promise made by King Whitemane to the chiefs at the beginning of the war, and asked them to move a large number of their subjects into Minos. Next, most dramas, sports and ritual activities were directly banned. In those parts that remain, rites dedicated to the hero were required to be performed in the Sargonian language. The major temples of heroes that used to be crowded with people in the past have also been closed. Each city-state is only allowed to open the most important temple for the most basic cultural activities . Any introduction and praise of the heroes in the temple were of course replaced by poetry written in Sargon. The royal chiefs directly appointed by her often went to villages everywhere to plunder ancient poems and works of art that people carried when they fled, but she never interfered with this barbaric behavior, let alone punished it. The originally independent citizen political activities of each city-state were also completely controlled by Sargon. Every political turmoil in Sargon would lead to the replacement of politicians active in each city-state.
Sargon and Gaul
News of Sargon's conquest of Minos spread to Victoria, Gaul and other countries. Mara's method of ruling Minos not only won the approval of the King of Kings, but also shocked the inner circle. In the past, when the core circle countries conquered new territories, they often applied relatively mild systems.
The most representative one is the vassal state system created by Gaul, which turns the conquered party into its own vassal state instead of being directly governed by officials sent by the country. In this way, Lingones conquered large areas of surrounding land without spending too much energy on the empire, but this method is only suitable for regions with similar cultures. Moreover, the suzerain country's governance efficiency over the vassal country is relatively low, so it takes a long time to achieve assimilation. Mara's tough policy towards Minos and its visible results deeply shocked the politicians in the inner circle. Since then, governance methods introduced in imitation of her have emerged one after another, and they have been constantly innovated and carried forward. At the end of the Four Kingdoms War more than a hundred years later, Victoria and Letania's methods of dealing with Gaul were more radical than Sargon's methods of Minos, and Gaul's ending was more tragic than Minos.
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During Sargon's reign, in order to strengthen cultural control, officials in some areas required local Minoans to also wear Sargon's traditional costumes. There was no sand in the land of Minos, and people hated these useless turbans and robes. A Minoan animal trainer accidentally discovered the wonderful use of Sargon's turban: putting the turban on the face of a beast of burden can effectively control the beast's vision and stabilize its mood. Local officials thought this was a sign of the Minoan people's gradual \"civilization\", so they supported it and ordered all beasts of burden to wear turbans. After the Sargonians were expelled from the Minoans, the habit of using Sargonian turbans to make pack animal masks was retained and became a classic cultural symbol used by the Minoans to ridicule Sargon.
Additionally, Mara showed incredible devotion to Minos. She almost never left Minos, except for occasionally returning to Shar-Agard to meet her brother and ask for more resources for Minos . Her brother's trust and her effective methods allowed her petition to be answered every time. She vigorously promoted the Sargonized "Minoan art", sponsored local Minoan officials and scholars to go to Sargon, and also encouraged other Sargonians to flock to Minoan. She even personally participated in the life of the Minoans, often attending and hosting various performances and celebrations, and often appearing among the Minoans . Mara's strong governance gave Minos a new look in less than two generations. Relying on the favorable natural conditions , Coupled with the unification of the city-states, the massive resources poured into it by the Sargonian Empire, and the large influx of Sargonian immigrants, unprecedented vitality and productivity emerged in the Minoan region . Almost overnight, it became the most important economic production area of the Sargon Empire . The rapid development of Minos' Pasha province continued until 950, when Mara was recalled to Shal-Agad by the new King of Kings.
Minos' moving city
Although Mara implemented an extremely strict rule, on the other hand, she also brought some positive changes to the life of the Minoans. From 920 to 950, under the leadership of Mara, the Aslan royal family did not hesitate to empty out the entire treasury and spent huge sums of money to transform the three Minoan city-states into mobile cities. At that time, Sargon had less than ten medium-sized mobile cities in total, and the three newly built Minoan mobile cities were each larger than Sargon's own. Shasulum hoped to make Minos an outpost to the inner circle of Terra . So much so that the design, construction and later maintenance of these three mobile cities were all built by Shar-Aghad directly funding the recruitment of engineers and Sargonian labor force. The latest research data shows that the Minoans were actually hardly forced to perform heavy manual labor during construction, and most of them participated in the construction as urban planners and consultants.
Although Minos briefly revitalized Sargon's empire, most Minoans did not share this prosperity with Sargon. The resources produced on Minoan lands were either returned to Sargon or were given priority to the local Sargonians. The Minoans watched their history and culture being rewritten, destroyed, and destroyed. They watched their children, under the education of the conquerors, increasingly run counter to the culture and ideals they once knew. Anyone who dared to educate their children according to tradition or promote Minoan traditional culture in public would be severely tortured or even killed. The huge palaces and beautiful gardens in the mobile city were only accessible to people who spoke Sargon, and the Minoan language was once close to being lost. The Minoans who had participated in the war against Sargon were punished as slaves for generations. Most of them were sold to Sargon's slave traders, while those who did not leave worked as coolies locally. Few of the new generation know the glorious past of their ancestors, and they can only be forced to accept the Minoan culture transformed by Sargon.
Risorgimento
In 1038, Shasurum's grandson, the then King of Kings Sargon, was poisoned by his own queen, and his successors began to compete for the throne . The relative stability that Sargon had maintained for more than a hundred years was once again broken. At that time, Minos Pasha was also a strong contender for the throne. He almost never presided over government affairs in Minos, and did not even live in Minos for more than a month . Instead, he focused his energy on Sargon's country and lingered in palace struggles. The death of the King of Kings left him no time to take care of Minos. The Minoan Zionists who had been operating secretly finally had their chance.
In 1039, guerrillas hiding in the mountains and forests and spies in the city of Athenus launched an assassination operation against Sargon officials. Although this operation ultimately failed, it ignited the long-suppressed resistance of the Minoans living in Athenus . The uprising broke out and quickly spread to the other two mobile cities, followed by a massive liberation movement throughout Minoan. During the Restoration War, twelve heroic leaders emerged, the most prestigious of whom were Asucles, the temple priest who planned the assassination, and Paradulis, a descendant of the Lakedaímōn royal family.
and Promethion, the stonemason. For Minos Pasha, who had neglected his rule, the outbreak of this uprising was undoubtedly sudden. He panicked and tried to recruit Sargon's army to put down the rebellion, but he could not get any support, because at this time other powerful chiefs were competing for the throne, and no one was willing to help him solve Minos' problem. He could only return to Minos and lead the local garrison alone to suppress the intensifying restoration movement. In 1041, Corinia was the first to be liberated. After discussing with other heroes, Asucles decided to pursue the victory, expand the results, and launch an attack on the remaining two mobile cities, thus starting the most critical moment in the Minoan Restoration War. In the battle of "Recapture the Temples", he killed Minos Pasha in this battle, recaptured all the major temples that had been closed for a long time, and achieved a major victory. By this time Minos had achieved de facto independence.
In 1042, the new King of Kings came to the throne. At this time, Minos had become a complete mess for him, and the domestic situation was still chaotic, so he had no choice but to give up Minos. The King of Kings stopped sending additional troops to Minos and ordered the remaining Sargonians to withdraw from Minos. After one hundred and twenty-five years of foreign rule, Minos was finally free again.
After liberation, the first thing the Twelve Heroes led the Minoan people to do was to salvage the remaining cultural traditions as much as possible . The descendants of the Minoans who entered the mountains and forests to engage in guerrilla warfare a hundred years ago were welcomed back to the mobile cities belonging to the Minoans. Everyone hopes to find fragments of Minoan traditional culture from these people. The priests began to relearn the ancient language Minoan. Unfortunately, the traditional Minoan language was no longer able to meet the needs of contemporary use after more than a hundred years of abolition. In desperation, priests and intellectuals had to use existing resources to reinvent a modern Minoan language. In the same situation, there are Minoan traditional cultures such as rituals and sports competitions. To this day, the Minoans are still looking for surviving physical evidence to prove and restore their traditional culture.
Geography
The geographical area in which Minos was located was known as the "Minoan Mountains" and, like the Kjerag Mountains, was considered part of the main mountain range of central Terra. The Minoan Mountains are located at the southernmost end of the central main mountain system. They have a suitable altitude and are therefore more livable than the plateau. However, they still have many steep peaks. The three most important peaks in order of height are Mount Helia , Mount Hymnoi and Mount Assus. The relatively suitable altitude also made it easier for snowmelt rivers to form in the high mountains of Minoan. Several major rivers, represented by the Delphi River, the Agnes River, and the Aracone River, and their tributaries passed through the plains between the mountains. Among them, the Delphi River originates from Mount Hymnoi and flows through the ancient cities of Athenus and Corinnia. It is the most important river . In Minoan culture, it also has a lofty status similar to the three main peaks. In addition to the rivers that flow all year round, the city-states at the foot of the mountains are often moistened by rainfall. More importantly, natural disasters rarely occurred in the Minoan mountains, and the original sites of Jacenus, Corinnea, and Lakedaímōn were almost never attacked by natural disasters. Such superior natural conditions are quite rare in the whole of Terra.
Politics and military
Government
The current political system of Minoans is a city-state federation system based on an improvement of the ancient system. At present, the actual governing body of the three mobile cities is the council hall with the temple as the core, among which the priests among the clergy hold the main power . They will hold and preside over meetings regularly, inviting representatives from all walks of life and groups to participate, to discuss matters of concern to all parties during this period, and to jointly complete decisions. The Minoans deliberately restored ancient citizen political activities so that citizens could participate in political life. Trivial but important political issues were a topic that the Minoans were keen to discuss.
Minoan divisions are currently based on three mobile cities as the core according to ancient customs. These three cities are Athenus, Corinnea and Lakedaímōn . Outside each city there are also towns and villages that fall under the jurisdiction of that city. The temple in the city does not directly govern the mobile city where it is located. The Minoans divided the city into dozens of areas . Residents in each area will elect their own Sheriffs. Sheriffs need to go to nearby temples to seek blessings and guidance. They are responsible to the temples and maintain order within their jurisdiction.
Military
The Minoan army was recruited and maintained by the temple, and its commanders were clergy such as priests. At the same time, there were a large number of self-organized defensive semi-military organizations in Minoan, such as city guards or village militias. The Minoan army organization was basically inherited from the organization during the occupation. Many military positions just changed their Minoan names, but their responsibilities were exactly the same as those in Sargon's army. Today, most countries except Minos and Sargon maintain friendly relations and often conduct international exchanges through various competitions. Sargon's border chiefs still miss the land of Minos, and Minos' regular troops are also waiting on the banks of the Agnes River. Small-scale conflicts often break out between the two sides.
Economy
Thanks to the excellent natural conditions, Minos has always had developed agriculture, which is one of the important reasons why Minos was listed as a target of conquest by Sargon. During the more than a hundred years that Sargon occupied Minos, Minos had always been the most productive and stable grain-producing area in Sargon, delivering a large amount of grain to the empire every year. Other industries born based on agriculture, such as brewing and textiles, also developed rapidly in Minoan and profoundly affected Minoan culture and beliefs. After Minos regained its independent status, he directly inherited many industrial facilities built by Sargon. Today, its industrial structure is restricted by geographical factors and is relatively scattered, but the quality is very high and the total volume cannot be underestimated. In addition, with the vigorous promotion of many hero temples, Minos often held various intercity and even international competitions. The emerging tourism industry associated with these competitive events was also very developed.
Culture and society
Hero worship is the most significant cultural feature of the Minoans. Minoan society and culture can be said to be shaped by hero worship, or at least have a close connection with hero worship. The vast majority of Minoans believed that their lives followed the path guided by heroes. The flourishing poetry, theater culture and sculpture culture of Minoans also developed around the worship of heroes.
Minos held a relatively mild attitude towards those infected with Oripathy . Those infected would not be subject to systematic discrimination and restrictions, and could also receive proper treatment and aftermath. Infected people could engage in most jobs in Minoan, except for clergy - local traditional belief was that being infected with Originium might isolate a person from his heroic temperament, making him unable to perform the work of a priest.
Minoan sculpture
Of all the art forms that celebrated heroes, the Minoans were most fond of sculpture. The art of sculpture may have been born together with hero worship - the word "idol" originally referred to sculpture. The Minoans would use various materials to create statues in the image of heroes. The grade of the material reflected the degree of worship of the hero. The more precious the material, the more reverence the statuer had for the hero. The most noble statue material is considered to be marble collected from the three main peaks . The Minoans believed that people and stones came from the earth, and there was a certain similarity between people and stones. The purer the stone, the purer the origin of the hero . This coincides with the Sargonian view of life and death to some extent.
Before Sargon occupied Minos, when hero worship was at its most prosperous, the city-states regarded statues as a competition to see who could build the tallest and largest statue of the hero. For a time, there were many giant statues in the Minos area. Tarasis, an Iberian explorer and writer, wrote a novel about his experiences in Minoan, the best-selling book "Travel to the Kingdom of the Colossus", which was later adapted into other works. During Sargon's occupation, these huge statues were destroyed one by one and can no longer be found. However, with the revival of Minoan culture, maybe we can one day see the wonders described in the book again.
​
The magnificent heroic colossi were all demolished during Sargon's reign, but the Minoans never gave up their love for the art of statues. People did not dare to directly carve images of heroes, so they could only make street signs, benches, drainage outlets and other facilities into abstract human shapes. Only the Minoans knew that these strange street facilities actually symbolized their heroes.
Conclusion: A new legend
The Minoans took back their hometown from the greedy and cruel lions. Now that the powerful enemy has been driven out, how can the Minoan heroes rebuild their palace in the devastated land?

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China

Unique Abilities

Dynastic Cycle

• Eurekas and Inspirations provide an extra 10% Science and Culture towards their respective Tech or Civic
• Completing a Wonder grants a Eureka and Inspiration from that Wonder's era

Starting Bias: none

Unique Unit

Crouching Tiger

• Basic Attributes
  • Unit type: Ranged
  • Requirement: Machinery tech
  • Replaces: none
• Cost
  • 140 Production cost (Standard Speed)
• Maintenance
  • 3 Gold per turn
• Base Stats
  • 30 Combat Strength
  • 50 Ranged Strength
  • 1 Attack Range
  • 2 Movement
  • 2 Sight Range
• Bonus Stats
  • -17 Ranged Strength against District defenses and naval units

Unique Infrastructure

Great Wall

• Basic Attributes
  • Infrastructure type: Improvement
  • Requirement: Masonry tech
• Base Effects
  • (GS) +2 Gold
  • +4 Defensive Strength for units on the tile
  • Automatically provides 2 turns of fortification to fortified units
• Adjacency Bonuses
  • (Base Game, R&F) +1 Gold for each adjacent Great Wall tile
  • (Base Game, R&F) +1 Culture for each adjacent Great Wall tile upon researching Castles tech
  • (GS) +2 Gold for each adjacent Great Wall tile
  • (GS) +2 Culture for each adjacent Great Wall tile upon researching Castles tech
• Miscellaneous
  • (GS) Can only be pillaged but not removed by disasters
• Restrictions
  • Must be built on tiles without Woods, Rainforests, or Marsh features
  • Must be built on friendly territory adjacent to a neutral or enemy territory
  • Cannot be built on an adjacent tile that is mutually adjacent to a third Great Wall tile (e.g. forming a triangle)

Leader: Qin Shi Huang (Mandate of Heaven)

Leader Ability

The First Emperor

• Builders receive an additional builder charge
• Builders can use a charge to complete 15% Production to an Ancient-era or Classica-era Wonder
• (GS) Canals are unlocked upon researching Masonry tech

Agenda

Wall of 10,000 Li

• Attempts to build as many world wonders as possible
• Likes civilizations who have fewer world wonders than him
• Dislikes civilizations who have more world wonders than him

Leader: Qin Shi Huang (Unifier)

• Required DLC: Rulers of China Pack or Leader Pass

Leader Ability

Thirty-Six Stratagems

• All land melee units gain the Convert Barbarians action:
  • Converts adjacent Barbarian units into Chinese units
  • Consumes the unit upon use

Agenda

Sihai

• Wants to convert as many Barbarians units as he can
• Likes civilizations who leave Barbarian Outposts alone
• Dislikes civilizations who destroy Barbarian Outposts

Leader: Kublai Khan

• Required DLC: New Frontier Pass or Vietnam & Kublai Khan Pack

Leader Ability

Gerege

• Gain an additional Economic Policy slot in all forms of governments
• Gain a random Eureka and Inspiration bonus upon first establishing a Trading Post in another major civilization's city

Agenda

Pax Mongolica

• Likes civilizations with a strong military and high Gold output
• Dislikes civilizations who have a weak military or low Gold income

Leader: Wu Zetian

• Required DLC: Rulers of China Pack or Leader Pass

Leader Ability

Manual of Entrapment

• Gain a free spy upon researching Defensive Tactics civic
• Spies can be purchased with Faith
• Spies operate as if 1 level more experience
• Upon completing an espionage mission, gain 100% of the foreign city's Science, Faith, and Culture produced that turn

Agenda

Court Intrigue

• Likes civilizations who pose no threats to her
• Dislikes civilizations who have a strong military or have nearby cities

Leader: Yongle

• Required DLC: Rulers of China Pack or Leader Pass

Leader Ability

Lijia

• Gain three unique Lijia projects:
  • Lijia (Food): Convert 50% of Production into Food
  • Lijia (Faith): Convert 50% of Production into Faith
  • Lijia (Gold): Convert 100% of Production into Gold
• (R&F) Cities with 10 or more Population gain the following yields for every Citizen:
  • 2 Gold
  • 1 Science
  • 1 Culture

Agenda

Yinding

• Likes civilizations with a postitive Gold income per turn
• Dislikes civilizations with a negative Gold income per turn

Civilization-related Achievements

• Elixir of Immortality — Win a regular game as Qin Shi Huang
• For he on honey-dew hath fed — Win a regular game as Kublai Khan
• Mother's Day — Win a regular game as Wu Zetian
• Live Yongle Reaction — Win a regular game as Yongle
• Crouching Tiger Hidden Cannon — As China, end a turn with 5 Crouching Tigers on Great Wall tiles

Useful Topics for Discussion

• What do you like or dislike about this civilization?
• How easy or difficult is this civ to use for new players?
• What are the victory paths you can go for with this civ?
• What are your assessments regarding the civ's abilities?
  • How well do they synergize with each other?
  • How well do they compare to other similar civ abilities, if any?
  • Do you often use their unique units and infrastructure?
• Can this civ be played tall or should it always go wide?
• What map types, game mode, or setting does this civ shine in?
• What synergizes well with this civ? You may include the following:
  • Terrain, resources and natural wonders
  • World wonders
  • Government type, legacy bonuses and policies
  • City-state type and suzerain bonuses
  • Governors
  • Great people
  • Secret societies
  • Heroes & legends
  • Corporations
• Have the civ's general strategy changed since the latest update(s)?
• How do you deal against this civ if controlled by the player or the AI?
• Are there any mods that can make playing this civ more interesting?
• Do you have any stories regarding this civ that you would like to share?

In 1993, the American Public Health Association (APHA) held its annual meeting in San Francisco. I was particularly eager to go to the Bay Area because I had learned that a network of contactees known as Mission Rama had an active working group there. Rama was at that time an international organization of contact workers that was established in Lima, Peru in 1974. Rama’s initial activities involved the ET contacts of a young man by the name of Sixto Paz Wells.

When I first spoke to Rama activists in 1993 I was told that their group had facilitated at total of over 25,000 individual human encounters with non-human intelligence of a presumed extraterrestrial nature, the type of experience that Dr. Greer decades later designated as “CE-5s,” Close Encounter of the Fifth Kind.
SIXTO PAZ WELLS WAS ONE OF MANY PROMINENT CONTACT ACTIVISTS
Prior to traveling to the APHA meeting in San Francisco, I had read several magazine articles outlining the exploits of Rama. Although the stories focused on Sixto Paz Wells’ leadership role, I was soon to learn that Rama’s continuing success relied on the efforts of scores of talented Latin American contactees from many countries. Most of them were recruited into the Rama contact network as young people in their 20s and early 30s. Rama leaders were not only well versed in advanced meditation techniques, but also possessed impressive psychic abilities.
THOUSANDS OF HUMAN INITIATED CONTACT EXPERIENCES
During the mid 1970s many published accounts in the Spanish language media served to promote Mission Rama’s campaign across Latin America. Through emigration of Rama activists to Europe and North America, their project spread around the world. Given this international dimension to their work going on for many decades, I strongly suspect that the 1993 figure of 25,000 encounters would now be a gross underestimate of their track record. A more accurate current figure would be in the hundreds of thousands of individual human encounters with extraterrestrial intelligence.
BACKGROUND IN SOLIDARITY WORK IN LATIN AMERICA
Throughout my youth I had an interest in Latin American affairs. I grew up in a Puerto Rican neighborhood in Manhattan and learned Spanish in high school. Later in no small part due to the influence of my leftist mother, I did international solidarity work with Latin American peace and social justice movements during the 1960s and 1970s.
When I was 19 years old I spent 2 months in Mexico and Guatemala. During that year the Mexican student movement was on the defensive and was still reeling from the massacre in Mexico City that occurred during the 1968 Olympics. In one bloody encounter, hundreds of anti-government demonstrators were gunned down by the Mexican military at Tlaltelolco, in the Plaza of the Three Cultures. Given my participation in the civil rights and anti-Vietnam War student movements back at home, I was very sympathetic to the leftwing sentiments of Latin American youth.
My background in Latin American solidarity activities and contact work made me eager to meet a Peruvian leader of Rama while visiting in San Francisco. For 20 years I called him Dr. Ricardo, a pseudonym. In 2014 he gave me permission to finally use his true name, Dr. Fernando Limaco. He is a retired dental surgeon and back in 1993 he agreed to stop by the CSETI booth that I had rented at the American Public Health Association’s annual meeting. Given the audacity of setting up a UFO table at a large health professional meeting, I anticipated that he might decline the offer. I was pleasantly surprised when Dr. Limaco agreed to join me.
MY COLLEAGUE’S STRIKING PHYSICAL APPEARANCE.
I shall never forget meeting Fernando for the first time. Short, robust, with copper colored skin, he was the very image of the indigenous people of the Andes. His dark eyes were set deep into his face. When he spoke his eyes shinned with a passionate intensity. I had no doubt that the individual standing before me possessed enormous physical strength and personal determination. We spent the afternoon at the booth chatting in Spanish and English. My new friend witnessed me “working the crowd,” drawing health professionals over to see UFO videos and passing out CSETI literature. I also met with several other members of RAMA that impressed me with their idealism and dedication to the cause of peaceful contacts with non-human intelligence of a presumed ET nature.
INTERNATIONAL UFO LIBRARY MAGAZINE ARTICLE CHRONICLED RAMA’S BEGINNING
I gave Fernando and his friends a photocopy of an article about Mission Rama that was published in a past issue of the “International UFO Library Magazine.” The journal ceased started publishing in 1992. I did not have the original magazine in which article had been appeared. The account that follows is based on that printed material. It displayed no author or publication date on title page. My new Rama friends told me after reading the article that the author was Yolanda Marcino, who according to them at one time was the “United States Rama President.” In addition, they vouched for the narrative’s accuracy. It corresponded to other written accounts about Sixto Paz Wells and correctly reflected the early history of their contact network.
Dr. Limaco was not in Rama during the early years but became more active after he emigrated to the US during the late 1980s. He was forced to do so after armed guerrillas attempted to kidnap his daughter from their home. This reportedly was done to many middle-class families, not for necessarily political purposes but merely to raise money for a violent campaign against the Peruvian government. Dr. Fernando Limaco had accompanied Sixto Paz Wells on an arduous journey deep into the Andes jungle in 1990. There they reportedly met with the ETs in a remote district called Paititi.
The following account of how Rama contact network was established is based on an International UFO Library Magazine article that I received from a friend. The magazine was a low circulation publication that printed a small number of issues around 1990 to 1992. The Mission Rama article did not have a publication date or an author under the title. Internet searches that I conducted over the years failed locate a copy of the magazine that contains the article about Mission Rama. Raphael Zurita, a Rama friend of Dr Limaco told me that the author was …. She was a president of the Rama organization in the USA during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Several Mission Rama activists told me that the article was an accurate portrayal of the history of Rama group.
My aim is to inform readers about a little known but important piece of contact network history. Few articles and even fewer books have been published in English describing the important activities of Mission Rama. In my opinion, their decades of dedicated work have had a on major impact in Spanish speaking countries when it comes to human initiated contact with UAP intelligence. Their activists in the USA continue to lead groups of contact workers with an annual fieldwork investigation at Mount Shasta every August.
LIMA PERU JANUARY 1974
In 1974 Sixto Paz Wells was a first-year university student in Lima. His father Carlos Paz Garcia had a long-standing interest in the paranormal and metaphysics and was a participant at meetings where the possibility of telepathic communication with extraterrestrials was discussed. His son Sixto was also interested in this subject and was an avid practitioner of Yoga. He attended a conference with his father where telepathic exercises designed to contact ETs were described. After the meeting, Sixto meditated, attempting to serve as a kind of human “antenna” hoping to receive a telepathic message from “los extraterrestres” (ETs).
FIRST COMMUNICATIONS VIA AUTOMATIC WRITING
On January 22, 1974, while at home with his mother and sister, Sixto attempted the technique of automatic writing. First, he meditated. Holding a pen, his hand moved across a piece of paper. It was just scribbling at first. According to Sixto, his hand then moved by a consciousness other than his own. The message identified its source as an “extraterrestrial.” That being reportedly called himself “Oxalc.” Furthermore, this “ET” claimed that he was communicating from distant extraterrestrial base located on “Morlen,” a moon of Jupiter that we know as Ganymede. Sixto reported that in his mind’s eye he saw a middle-aged man sitting at a white desk with his hands on his temples.
Had Sixto really made contact by just asking for it? He reportedly was full of doubts. Sixto’s mother and sister called some friends and set up a meeting for the following night. Confused and dubious about his capacity to establish contact, Sixto again carried out relaxation exercises to prepare himself for possible communications with extraterrestrials.
THE CHANNELED ENTITY WAS PUT TO A TEST
The following night with mostly young people present, Sixto’s automatic writing (aka psychography) spelled out another message from Oxalc. The alleged ET proposed to prove that the automatic writing was not just a product of Sixto’s imagination. Oxalc reportedly suggested that he be given a series of questions from the audience. At first Sixto’s friends asked them verbally, with Sixto giving the answers via automatic writing. Later the questions were reportedly posed to Oxalc via telepathy. As the UFO Library account stated, to everyone’s amazement each question was answered correctly! One skeptic even reportedly asked Oxalc, via Sixto, to name the author and title of the book that she was reading. In addition, she requested that Oxalt reveal the page that she was currently on. The alleged extraterrestrial, communicating through Sixto, not only replied correctly, but also accurately described what her opinion was of the book.
To prove that the source of communication was indeed extraterrestrial, it was suggested that Oxalc should give them a time and place where a physical group encounter might take place. The channeled reply set the time as 9 p.m. February 7, 1974. The location was out in the desert, some 60 km south of Lima. It was a place known as Chilca. On the appointed night, a silvery light appeared over a nearby hill. At first, the group of young people reportedly thought it the moon. By 9 p.m., it became apparent that this was a disc shaped UFO. The object flew towards them. Then a shaft of light shot out from the craft illuminating the ground where the witnesses stood.
FLYING SAUCER OVERHEAD
According to the account in the UFO Library Magazine, the UFO appeared to be shaped like a hamburger with a metallic skin. It silently hovered 80 feet overhead. On the upper section of the craft the young people reportedly could see six windows. Sixto’s friends were hardly prepared for this momentous occasion. They completely panicked. Sixto, via automatic writing, was told that they would have to learn to control their emotions before further contact could be achieved. The UFO hovered over them for 15 minutes and then started to spin. It suddenly flew away to the west towards the Pacific Ocean and was gone. Thus began the initial encounters of what would soon become an international network of contactees. Although the initial interactions took place in Peru, their network spread throughout Latin America, and via emigration of Rama activists, to far flung corners of the world.
INTERNATIONAL CONTACT NETWORK
Learning these details, I was immediately struck by the similarities between CE-5 Initiative and Rama. They both took an overwhelming positive view of human-ET interactions. It was and still is their collective hope that peaceful contact will issue forth a new era of enlightened human development. For both groups the principal mode of communication between humans and the alleged ETs is consciousness/mind, i.e., telepathy. Both groups use meditation or relaxation techniques to enhance a consciousness link during attempts at making contact. And most importantly the networks were primarily founded on the contact experiences of one young contactee. For Rama it was Sixto Paz Wells, for CSETI, Dr. Steven Greer. There were many philosophical, cultural and organizational differences between the two groups, but their shared features in my opinion reveal the handiwork of an advanced non-human intelligence that is determined to interact with humanity.
INTENSE MENTAL PREPARATION FOR CONTACT
Following that poorly prepared first encounter in the Peruvian desert, Sixto and his supporters intensively practiced meditation to overcome their fears. According to the magazine narrative, thy approached contact work in a serious, almost reverent style. The next psychographic (automatic writing) communication contained an important warning. Sixto was told that he should not try to convince others outside of his small team, of the reality of their experience. This prohibition was applied especially to family members. Apparently Sixto chose to ignore the warning and insisted that his father Paz Garcia should be allowed to participate in an upcoming planned or programed encounter (encuentro programado in Spanish). In consultation with the alleged ETs, it was agreed that only Sixto’s father, along with the original group of young people would be permitted to have contact during the next outing.
IN CHLCA, A PARTY TURNS INTO PANIC
On February 14, 1974 at 6:45 PM, Sixto and his young supporters eagerly awaited contact on a mountaintop in the Chilca region near Lima. His father had told them that he would meet up with the group later. Soon a large 150-meter craft approached in the sky, but instead of just their father being present, several vehicles appeared moving down a mountain road near their site. Sixto and his brother, Carlos rushed to investigate. To their dismay and in violation of the agreed plan, they discovered that their father had invited some of his friends to join them in the desert. These individuals were now actively conducting their own contact efforts in a party like atmosphere. Some individuals were clearly intoxicated having brought several cases of beer. Others were reportedly attempting to make contact by holding hands and using a trance medium approach. Soon two small UFOs descended upon the group of partiers. Once again panic ensued. This time the terrified merrymakers knocked over tables and chairs while charging into their tents and cars to hide. Reportedly for Sixto, it was a humiliating disaster. The huge craft that they had first sighted in the distance slowly flew over the group at a height of less than 50 meters. After this incident, Paz Garcia’s friends were allegedly in a state of shock.
IMPOSING HUMAN PRIORITIES NOT A SUCCESSFUL STRATEGY
The fiasco however was highly instructive for the young Peruvian contact workers. Instead of blaming Sixto’s father, they looked into themselves. Sixto’s group attempted to understand how perhaps their own faults had contributed to the chaos at Chilca. They had attempted to impose on the ETs their human priorities, their need to convince others, despite being cautioned against such a course by their alleged extraterrestrial contact. Sixto’s team continued their spiritual work and chose to consider the ETs as friends and even called them “hermanos mayores,”(elder brothers) or guides. In preparation for more contact, Sixto’s team was instructed to modify their diet with an emphasis on fruits and vegetables, eliminating all meat. The contact team was to be limited to no more than seven individuals, the original group. On a cloudless night during the first week of July 1974, they again drove out into the Chilca desert. Their destination was a place called “La Mina,” (the mine). It was some twenty minutes walking distance from their jumping off point.
While slowly trudging along in the sand, Sixto somehow became separated from his companions in the darkness. After what seemed like only a few minutes, he suddenly found himself at La Mina. He reportedly coldn’t understand how he had arrived so quickly. Sixto saw a strange luminescence in the distance. Thinking that it might be his friends’ lantern, he walked towards it. As he approached, the eerie light took the form of a half moon. As he closed in, suddenly the figure of a man with his arm raised came out of the light. Frightened and confused Sixto tried to run, but a strange paralysis overtook him.
INTER-DIMENSIONAL PORTAL AWAITED SIXTO
Telepathically he received the simple command, “Come!” Controlling his fear, he stepped into the light. Sixto reportedly experienced vertigo and nausea. His forehead and neck were gripped by a strong pressure. Heat flowed through his entire body that suddenly felt much lighter. Engulfed in brilliant light he was however able to see before him the very extraterrestrial being that he had envisioned the previous January.
According to Sixto, Oxalc was tall, about 6 feet 2 inches in height, with oriental features. He had whitish-blond thin hair, which reportedly flowed down to his broad shoulders. The ET explained to him that they had entered an inter-dimensional portal where their atomic structure was converted to light energy and thereby could be transported rapidly over enormous distances.
A UTOPIA IN AN ET BASE ON A MOON OF JUPITER
Sixto reportedly emerged from the portal and found that he was no longer in the Peruvian desert. Instead he could see mountains in the distance that cradled a city composed of transparent domes and igloo like structures. They were on “Morlen”, allegedly the ET name for Ganymede, a moon of Jupiter. Oxalc oriented his visitor to the situation. Sixto was told that this base had been established as a mining colony thousands of years ago. Their civilization allegedly hailed from the star systems known to us as Betelgeuse and Rigel of the constellation Orion. The atmosphere had been supposedly modified to allow them to move around without space suits. A type of solar energy was supplied as well to allow trees and vegetables to grow in the many valleys that were colonized.
A council of respected elders working for “The Great Confederation of Stars” ruled Morlen. Their goal was to give generous assistance to all worlds in evolution. In this idyllic setting, Sixto was told that individual colonists could experience personal growth without “prejudice or vice.” This ET civilization was not only technologically advanced, but according to Oxalc had achieved an advanced state of spiritual development.
Sixto was reportedly given a description of life on Morlen. The colonists all worked about 4 hours per day. Supply houses allegedly took the place of stores. People simply took what they wanted. There was no mention of money. Sixto was told that their food was composed of plant extracts that had little taste but met all bodily needs. Reportedly there were close to a million people living there dispersed into a few cities.
SIXTO WAS SHOWN IMAGES FROM HIS PAST AND FUTURE
At the end of his tour, Sixto was taken to a place where he allegedly was able to view images from his past drawn from his own memory. He witnessed a very special event that had occurred in 1966. While walking to school, he had seen a circular shadow on the ground, presumably made by an ET craft. A wave of heat and a strange sound frightened him; instead of fleeing he had suddenly become paralyzed.
Sixto recalled being shown images that were supposed to reflect his future as well. In these, he allegedly played a leadership role in a worldwide contact movement. He saw himself appearing on television, giving newspaper interviews and experiencing the emotional turmoil that comes from being a leader. In that future he allegedly would face heavy responsibilities, and experience great fellowship as well as betrayal.
In parting Oxalc reassured Sixto that he would only retain those memories that would support him in his future mission. With tears in his eyes, Sixto envisioned a bright and positive future for humanity. Feeling exhausted and peaceful at the same time, Sixto reentered the inter-dimensional portal and found himself back in the Peruvian desert at La Mina. He reported to his companions not knowing how long he had been on Morlen, and it seemed much longer than the fifteen minutes that had elapsed on Earth.
VEGETARIANISM AND MENTAL EXERCISES PREPARED THEM FOR MORE CONTACT
His friends questioned him about the strange light that they had seen; they wanted to know where he had been. Sixto told them that they too would have a similar experience in 2 weeks and that they must prepare themselves by meditating, eating a vegetarian diet and by doing certain prescribed “concentration” exercises. Two weeks later, Sixto and his team returned to the designated contact site at La Mina. A banana shaped UFO was seen and seven youths entered the inter-dimensional portal. They felt a kind of weightlessness and found themselves in an enormous auditorium. They were led to believe that this was the meeting place of an interstellar council known as “the Twenty-four Elders.” The ceiling reportedly was a colossal cupola covered with symbols that included the Star of David and an image of a trident. On both sides of the hall were ideograms that appeared similar to Chinese writing. Seated in the council chairs were an assortment of beings, many of who appeared to be non-human.
The Elders stood one by one and reportedly communicated to Sixto’s group telepathically on philosophical themes. These included the “ETs’” concept of God, what death is and their unfolding plan to create a “new humanity” on Earth. Sixto and his followers were instructed to carry out a mission under the title of “Rama”, meaning Sun on Earth. They were supposed to be teachers, who if sufficiently dedicated, would help prepare humanity for a dramatic spiritual transformation. The ongoing communication with the extraterrestrials was to continue as it had started via automatic writing. With this description the UFO Library Magazine’s article ended.
The initial Peruvian group expanded its numbers in order to meet the enormous challenge of their “mission.” Latin American and European press coverage served to attract new activists that created an international network of contactees. During the initial years Sixto Paz Wells was the most prominent participant. As the years passed, Rama was rife with internal battles, but despite these challenges the contact work has continued.
SIXTO PAZ WELLS’ ROLE DIMINISHED
During the 1990s, New Age media coverage continued to focus on Sixto. However according Rama activists, who quietly were organizing at the grassroots level, his importance diminished. For a number of years he reportedly ceased being a “good antennae” in terms of receiving accurate messages. Other leaders, who operated outside of the media glare, continued to attract ET craft to the joy and wonderment of new followers. As a North American representative of the network that I like call somewhat whimsically “the contact underground”, I have been privileged to do fieldwork with Rama on a handful of occasions. For twenty years starting in the 1990s, I kept Rama informed of the ongoing efforts of our North American contact teams. I have encouraged the next generation of English speaking contact workers to do fieldwork with Rama, now called Rahma. This is now a regular occurrence. I feel gratitude for having been given the opportunity to have serve in liaison with the Latin American Rama network.
To learn more about Mission Rama click on the links below.
In 1990, leaders of the Peruvian contact network Mission Rama travelled deep into the Peruvian Jungle where a historic encounter occurred at a remote location called “Paititi.” The journey involved considerable danger. The Rama contact workers hiked through jungle full of poisonous plants, snakes and insects. They crossed alligator infested rivers and finally arrived at an alien base where they reportedly were taken aboard an ET craft via a blue tractor beam.
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2022/01/21/ramas-mission-to-paititi/?fbclid=IwAR2nD4_3Aej297gspmb6rWrvkWyFwQP_zFc2KwhKg26EiiG8F6ryK1rIpEQ
In the article linked below I describe how United Airlines 747 pilot Captain Joe Vallejo served as liaison between Mission Rama and our CE-5 contact team. I discuss security issues in the context of Rama's profoundly spiritual approach to contact.
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2022/06/02/the-north-and-south-american-contact-networks-meet/
I describe Joe Vallejo's amazing encounter in August of 1994 when a Rama team opened a dimensional portal in Northern California called a Xendra.
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2022/02/25/xendra-inter-dimensional-portal-opened-at-rama-contact-site-called-shasta/
About the author: Joseph Burkes MD is a board-certified internal medicine physician and is licensed to practice in California. He retired from the Southern California Permanente Medical Group after thirty years of service in 2008.
Dr. Burkes volunteered as a Working Group Coordinator for the Close Encounters of the Fifth Kind-5 Initiative from 1992 till 1998. He has continued to study the flying saucer phenomenon working with the Mutual UFO Network, MUFON, the Peruvian based contact network now called Rahma, and as a medical consultant for the Foundation for Research into ET & Extraordinary Experiences, (FREE).
Joseph Burkes MD is co-author of the book “Paths to Contact” edited by Jeff Becker. With researcher Preston Dennett he co-authored a chapter on UAP associated medical healings in FREE’s compendium “Beyond UFOs” edited by Reinerio Hernandez. In Volume 2 of Rey Hernandez’ most recent anthology “A Greater Reality” , he is the author of the chapter titled “Human Initiated Contact: the Consciousness Connection and the Virtual Experience Model.”
Comments:
On a social media page, a commenter asked about the Rama practice of vegetarianism with the understanding that contact networks from other parts of the world might have similar successes by adopting Rama’s protocols. Here is my response:
“Thank you for the question concerning the role of vegetarianism as practiced by Rama and the value of channeled material. Rama now called Rahma was, and still is a project between advanced non-human intelligences and spiritually oriented contact activists from primarily Latin America. The methods used to set up this kind of programed long-term liaison don't necessarily apply to other contact networks within different cultures.
Another question was how to make sense out of channeled material.
Joseph Burkes MD: I suggest that you look at the work of John Keel with a critical eye when it comes to flying saucer cults. UAP intelligences and other NHI from what we might call "other dimensions" or "non-material realms" often don't make sense because they are not always meant to make sense. Some accurate predictions about the future can entice experiencers. Following this "the others" sometimes receive a blank check from UFO groups that become cults. Then the "fun" begins, and they put into the mix of accurate information that we receive, the most outrageous baloney, and unfortunately many people eagerly gobble up this tainted material as if it were the “truth." With this caution, I should add there is a substantial number of channeled communications that warrant serious consideration. I am impressed with “A Primer of the Zeta Race” by William Treurniet and Paul Hamden as well the “Ra” material.
Keel was an atheist. He had little use for the spiritual development that is associated with contact. The FREE data shows that for many experiencers, contact involves a radical transformation of consciousness. Contact as described by over 4000 responders often triggers a change in world view that supports environmental protection, altruism, less materialistic attitudes and behaviors. The role of flying saucers may not be to teach us merely the existence of extraterrestrials, but instead to facilitate an expansion of consciousness that will allow us to avoid the destruction of Earth civilization.
John Mack MD chose this as one of the central themes of his analysis of so-called "abductees." Although I don’t particularly like my former colleague’s methods involving hypnosis, I admire his courage to delve into this subject with compassion and social responsibility. In my judgment, this approach has allowed him to reveal a central truth about our interactions with UAP intelligences. Unless humanity experiences a radical expansion of its collective consciousness, one which increases our sense of protectiveness for the planet that sustains us, humanity will not take the necessary steps to control global warming.
Nothing short of such a radical spiritual change will prevent the unnecessary deaths of hundreds of millions of people from starvation and wars that will be fought over dwindling material resources. In my opinion, only a social movement, linking contact with the need for world peace based on social and environmental justice, will humanity take the necessary steps to avoid a kind of barbarism that will result from billions of us starving and senselessly fighting among ourselves because we were so stupid and selfish to see a better path.
Another commenter asked, “Did Dr Greer get much of his contact protocol from Rama? It has a lot of similarities.”
Joseph Burkes MD: As far as I know during the five years 1992 to 97, when I worked closely with him, Dr. Greer never mentioned Rama, with one exception. This was when Rama’s approach to fieldwork was described he stated, “If they knew what they were doing they would not have to eat vegetarian food and meditate for several days before going to the field."
Once a high-level Rama leader was in the audience of one of Dr. Greer's talks. His name is Dr. Fernando Limaco. He is a retired oral surgeon who in 1990 had accompanied Sixto Paz Wells to Paititi, a location deep in the remote rainforest. With Sixto and several others, they reportedly had an onboard experience. After his lecture, the CSETI Director politely greeted Dr. Limaco but expressed no interest in the Rama mission.
In my opinion “UFO Intel” brought Dr. Greer to his assignment along parallel lines to what Rama was tasked to accomplish. So, in conclusion, Dr. Greer did not get his contact protocol from Rama. I suspect that someday there will be thousands of Prime Contactees all over the planet that will receive similar guidance from UFO Intel and will build contact networks of contact workers. Some of these independent activists have been told not to associate with Dr. Greer for security purposes I assume. Dr. Greer's association with the CIA and Naval Intelligence is frightening to people from Latin America I suspect. In third world countries both the US and the former USSR's intelligence services and those of their allies have been responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocents
Joseph Burkes MD: The entire Rama (now Rahma) cosmology has a kind of certainty in terms of what is going on that can be very attractive. I think of it more as a brilliantly created cover story that UFO intelligences push forward when dealing with a violent and self-destructive race of beings. It is a message of hope and ultimately might result in the liberation of humanity. In my judgment this can only occur if choose to follow their advice and spiritually evolve.
There are terrible times coming to this planet and I am convinced that we are getting limited assistance from NHI (non-human intelligence). It seems likely that the rise of authoritarian regimes around the world, and the strengthening of existing ones serving the needs of oligarchs, makes any responsible action to blunt global warming impossible. The scientists with each passing decade have been underestimating the destructiveness of global warming. The positive feedback loops are manifesting in ways that the conservative scientific establishment has had difficulty predicting. And those few that do are being ignored as “alarmists.” In my judgment there is likely going to be a major die-out in the next 100 years. Rising oceans, desertification, floods, and other results of human induced global warming will likely cause famine, more wars and even nuclear ones as starving nations fight over limited resources.
So, if the so-called ETs have access to non-polluting energy sources, then why not give them to us? The obvious answer for me is that we would immediately use such awesome power to slaughter one another more efficiently. Following this rather unpopular form of logic, only a world peace based on social justice and promoting strict environmental policies would induce a "higher intelligence agency" to download into our technological culture this propulsion secret of the saucers.
Champion remote viewer Joe McMoneagle in his "Ultimate Time Machine" foresaw an Earth in the year 3000 with only about 700 hundred million living on her. They had world peace, strict environmental controls and limited cultural and economic exchange with several ETs civilizations. It is a beautifully hopeful vision that our civilization will not only survive the dark days before us, but we might even thrive.

In 1993, the American Public Health Association (APHA) held its annual meeting in San Francisco. I was particularly eager to go to the Bay Area because I had learned that a network of contactees known as Mission Rama had an active working group there. Rama was at that time an international organization of contact workers that was established in Lima, Peru in 1974. Rama’s initial activities involved the ET contacts of a young man by the name of Sixto Paz Wells.
When I first spoke to Rama activists in 1993 I was told that their group had facilitated at total of over 25,000 individual human encounters with non-human intelligence of a presumed extraterrestrial nature, the type of experience that Dr. Greer decades later designated as “CE-5s,” Close Encounter of the Fifth Kind.
SIXTO PAZ WELLS WAS ONE OF MANY PROMINENT CONTACT ACTIVISTS
Prior to traveling to the APHA meeting in San Francisco, I had read several magazine articles outlining the exploits of Rama. Although the stories focused on Sixto Paz Wells’ leadership role, I was soon to learn that Rama’s continuing success relied on the efforts of scores of talented Latin American contactees from many countries. Most of them were recruited into the Rama contact network as young people in their 20s and early 30s. Rama leaders were not only well versed in advanced meditation techniques, but also possessed impressive psychic abilities.
THOUSANDS OF HUMAN INITIATED CONTACT EXPERIENCES
During the mid 1970s many published accounts in the Spanish language media served to promote Mission Rama’s campaign across Latin America. Through emigration of Rama activists to Europe and North America, their project spread around the world. Given this international dimension to their work going on for many decades, I strongly suspect that the 1993 figure of 25,000 encounters would now be a gross underestimate of their track record. A more accurate current figure would be in the hundreds of thousands of individual human encounters with extraterrestrial intelligence.
BACKGROUND IN SOLIDARITY WORK IN LATIN AMERICA
Throughout my youth I had an interest in Latin American affairs. I grew up in a Puerto Rican neighborhood in Manhattan and learned Spanish in high school. Later in no small part due to the influence of my leftist mother, I did international solidarity work with Latin American peace and social justice movements during the 1960s and 1970s.
When I was 19 years old I spent 2 months in Mexico and Guatemala. During that year the Mexican student movement was on the defensive and was still reeling from the massacre in Mexico City that occurred during the 1968 Olympics. In one bloody encounter, hundreds of anti-government demonstrators were gunned down by the Mexican military at Tlaltelolco, in the Plaza of the Three Cultures. Given my participation in the civil rights and anti-Vietnam War student movements back at home, I was very sympathetic to the leftwing sentiments of Latin American youth.
My background in Latin American solidarity activities and contact work made me eager to meet a Peruvian leader of Rama while visiting in San Francisco. For 20 years I called him Dr. Ricardo, a pseudonym. In 2014 he gave me permission to finally use his true name, Dr. Fernando Limaco. He is a retired dental surgeon and back in 1993 he agreed to stop by the CSETI booth that I had rented at the American Public Health Association’s annual meeting. Given the audacity of setting up a UFO table at a large health professional meeting, I anticipated that he might decline the offer. I was pleasantly surprised when Dr. Limaco agreed to join me.
MY COLLEAGUE’S STRIKING PHYSICAL APPEARANCE.
I shall never forget meeting Fernando for the first time. Short, robust, with copper colored skin, he was the very image of the indigenous people of the Andes. His dark eyes were set deep into his face. When he spoke his eyes shinned with a passionate intensity. I had no doubt that the individual standing before me possessed enormous physical strength and personal determination. We spent the afternoon at the booth chatting in Spanish and English. My new friend witnessed me “working the crowd,” drawing health professionals over to see UFO videos and passing out CSETI literature. I also met with several other members of RAMA that impressed me with their idealism and dedication to the cause of peaceful contacts with non-human intelligence of a presumed ET nature.
INTERNATIONAL UFO LIBRARY MAGAZINE ARTICLE CHRONICLED RAMA’S BEGINNING
I gave Fernando and his friends a photocopy of an article about Mission Rama that was published in a past issue of the “International UFO Library Magazine.” The journal ceased started publishing in 1992. I did not have the original magazine in which article had been appeared. The account that follows is based on that printed material. It displayed no author or publication date on title page. My new Rama friends told me after reading the article that the author was Yolanda Marcino, who according to them at one time was the “United States Rama President.” In addition, they vouched for the narrative’s accuracy. It corresponded to other written accounts about Sixto Paz Wells and correctly reflected the early history of their contact network.
Dr. Limaco was not in Rama during the early years but became more active after he emigrated to the US during the late 1980s. He was forced to do so after armed guerrillas attempted to kidnap his daughter from their home. This reportedly was done to many middle-class families, not for necessarily political purposes but merely to raise money for a violent campaign against the Peruvian government. Dr. Fernando Limaco had accompanied Sixto Paz Wells on an arduous journey deep into the Andes jungle in 1990. There they reportedly met with the ETs in a remote district called Paititi.
The following account of how Rama contact network was established is based on an International UFO Library Magazine article that I received from a friend. The magazine was a low circulation publication that printed a small number of issues around 1990 to 1992. The Mission Rama article did not have a publication date or an author under the title. Internet searches that I conducted over the years failed locate a copy of the magazine that contains the article about Mission Rama. Raphael Zurita, a Rama friend of Dr Limaco told me that the author was …. She was a president of the Rama organization in the USA during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Several Mission Rama activists told me that the article was an accurate portrayal of the history of Rama group.
My aim is to inform readers about a little known but important piece of contact network history. Few articles and even fewer books have been published in English describing the important activities of Mission Rama. In my opinion, their decades of dedicated work have had a on major impact in Spanish speaking countries when it comes to human initiated contact with UAP intelligence. Their activists in the USA continue to lead groups of contact workers with an annual fieldwork investigation at Mount Shasta every August.
LIMA PERU JANUARY 1974
In 1974 Sixto Paz Wells was a first-year university student in Lima. His father Carlos Paz Garcia had a long-standing interest in the paranormal and metaphysics and was a participant at meetings where the possibility of telepathic communication with extraterrestrials was discussed. His son Sixto was also interested in this subject and was an avid practitioner of Yoga. He attended a conference with his father where telepathic exercises designed to contact ETs were described. After the meeting, Sixto meditated, attempting to serve as a kind of human “antenna” hoping to receive a telepathic message from “los extraterrestres” (ETs).
FIRST COMMUNICATIONS VIA AUTOMATIC WRITING
On January 22, 1974, while at home with his mother and sister, Sixto attempted the technique of automatic writing. First, he meditated. Holding a pen, his hand moved across a piece of paper. It was just scribbling at first. According to Sixto, his hand then moved by a consciousness other than his own. The message identified its source as an “extraterrestrial.” That being reportedly called himself “Oxalc.” Furthermore, this “ET” claimed that he was communicating from distant extraterrestrial base located on “Morlen,” a moon of Jupiter that we know as Ganymede. Sixto reported that in his mind’s eye he saw a middle-aged man sitting at a white desk with his hands on his temples.
Had Sixto really made contact by just asking for it? He reportedly was full of doubts. Sixto’s mother and sister called some friends and set up a meeting for the following night. Confused and dubious about his capacity to establish contact, Sixto again carried out relaxation exercises to prepare himself for possible communications with extraterrestrials.
THE CHANNELED ENTITY WAS PUT TO A TEST
The following night with mostly young people present, Sixto’s automatic writing (aka psychography) spelled out another message from Oxalc. The alleged ET proposed to prove that the automatic writing was not just a product of Sixto’s imagination. Oxalc reportedly suggested that he be given a series of questions from the audience. At first Sixto’s friends asked them verbally, with Sixto giving the answers via automatic writing. Later the questions were reportedly posed to Oxalc via telepathy. As the UFO Library account stated, to everyone’s amazement each question was answered correctly! One skeptic even reportedly asked Oxalc, via Sixto, to name the author and title of the book that she was reading. In addition, she requested that Oxalt reveal the page that she was currently on. The alleged extraterrestrial, communicating through Sixto, not only replied correctly, but also accurately described what her opinion was of the book.
To prove that the source of communication was indeed extraterrestrial, it was suggested that Oxalc should give them a time and place where a physical group encounter might take place. The channeled reply set the time as 9 p.m. February 7, 1974. The location was out in the desert, some 60 km south of Lima. It was a place known as Chilca. On the appointed night, a silvery light appeared over a nearby hill. At first, the group of young people reportedly thought it the moon. By 9 p.m., it became apparent that this was a disc shaped UFO. The object flew towards them. Then a shaft of light shot out from the craft illuminating the ground where the witnesses stood.
FLYING SAUCER OVERHEAD
According to the account in the UFO Library Magazine, the UFO appeared to be shaped like a hamburger with a metallic skin. It silently hovered 80 feet overhead. On the upper section of the craft the young people reportedly could see six windows. Sixto’s friends were hardly prepared for this momentous occasion. They completely panicked. Sixto, via automatic writing, was told that they would have to learn to control their emotions before further contact could be achieved. The UFO hovered over them for 15 minutes and then started to spin. It suddenly flew away to the west towards the Pacific Ocean and was gone. Thus began the initial encounters of what would soon become an international network of contactees. Although the initial interactions took place in Peru, their network spread throughout Latin America, and via emigration of Rama activists, to far flung corners of the world.
INTERNATIONAL CONTACT NETWORK
Learning these details, I was immediately struck by the similarities between CE-5 Initiative and Rama. They both took an overwhelming positive view of human-ET interactions. It was and still is their collective hope that peaceful contact will issue forth a new era of enlightened human development. For both groups the principal mode of communication between humans and the alleged ETs is consciousness/mind, i.e., telepathy. Both groups use meditation or relaxation techniques to enhance a consciousness link during attempts at making contact. And most importantly the networks were primarily founded on the contact experiences of one young contactee. For Rama it was Sixto Paz Wells, for CSETI, Dr. Steven Greer. There were many philosophical, cultural and organizational differences between the two groups, but their shared features in my opinion reveal the handiwork of an advanced non-human intelligence that is determined to interact with humanity.
INTENSE MENTAL PREPARATION FOR CONTACT
Following that poorly prepared first encounter in the Peruvian desert, Sixto and his supporters intensively practiced meditation to overcome their fears. According to the magazine narrative, thy approached contact work in a serious, almost reverent style. The next psychographic (automatic writing) communication contained an important warning. Sixto was told that he should not try to convince others outside of his small team, of the reality of their experience. This prohibition was applied especially to family members. Apparently Sixto chose to ignore the warning and insisted that his father Paz Garcia should be allowed to participate in an upcoming planned or programed encounter (encuentro programado in Spanish). In consultation with the alleged ETs, it was agreed that only Sixto’s father, along with the original group of young people would be permitted to have contact during the next outing.
IN CHLCA, A PARTY TURNS INTO PANIC
On February 14, 1974 at 6:45 PM, Sixto and his young supporters eagerly awaited contact on a mountaintop in the Chilca region near Lima. His father had told them that he would meet up with the group later. Soon a large 150-meter craft approached in the sky, but instead of just their father being present, several vehicles appeared moving down a mountain road near their site. Sixto and his brother, Carlos rushed to investigate. To their dismay and in violation of the agreed plan, they discovered that their father had invited some of his friends to join them in the desert. These individuals were now actively conducting their own contact efforts in a party like atmosphere. Some individuals were clearly intoxicated having brought several cases of beer. Others were reportedly attempting to make contact by holding hands and using a trance medium approach. Soon two small UFOs descended upon the group of partiers. Once again panic ensued. This time the terrified merrymakers knocked over tables and chairs while charging into their tents and cars to hide. Reportedly for Sixto, it was a humiliating disaster. The huge craft that they had first sighted in the distance slowly flew over the group at a height of less than 50 meters. After this incident, Paz Garcia’s friends were allegedly in a state of shock.
IMPOSING HUMAN PRIORITIES NOT A SUCCESSFUL STRATEGY
The fiasco however was highly instructive for the young Peruvian contact workers. Instead of blaming Sixto’s father, they looked into themselves. Sixto’s group attempted to understand how perhaps their own faults had contributed to the chaos at Chilca. They had attempted to impose on the ETs their human priorities, their need to convince others, despite being cautioned against such a course by their alleged extraterrestrial contact. Sixto’s team continued their spiritual work and chose to consider the ETs as friends and even called them “hermanos mayores,”(elder brothers) or guides. In preparation for more contact, Sixto’s team was instructed to modify their diet with an emphasis on fruits and vegetables, eliminating all meat. The contact team was to be limited to no more than seven individuals, the original group. On a cloudless night during the first week of July 1974, they again drove out into the Chilca desert. Their destination was a place called “La Mina,” (the mine). It was some twenty minutes walking distance from their jumping off point.
While slowly trudging along in the sand, Sixto somehow became separated from his companions in the darkness. After what seemed like only a few minutes, he suddenly found himself at La Mina. He reportedly coldn’t understand how he had arrived so quickly. Sixto saw a strange luminescence in the distance. Thinking that it might be his friends’ lantern, he walked towards it. As he approached, the eerie light took the form of a half moon. As he closed in, suddenly the figure of a man with his arm raised came out of the light. Frightened and confused Sixto tried to run, but a strange paralysis overtook him.
INTER-DIMENSIONAL PORTAL AWAITED SIXTO
Telepathically he received the simple command, “Come!” Controlling his fear, he stepped into the light. Sixto reportedly experienced vertigo and nausea. His forehead and neck were gripped by a strong pressure. Heat flowed through his entire body that suddenly felt much lighter. Engulfed in brilliant light he was however able to see before him the very extraterrestrial being that he had envisioned the previous January.
According to Sixto, Oxalc was tall, about 6 feet 2 inches in height, with oriental features. He had whitish-blond thin hair, which reportedly flowed down to his broad shoulders. The ET explained to him that they had entered an inter-dimensional portal where their atomic structure was converted to light energy and thereby could be transported rapidly over enormous distances.
A UTOPIA IN AN ET BASE ON A MOON OF JUPITER
Sixto reportedly emerged from the portal and found that he was no longer in the Peruvian desert. Instead he could see mountains in the distance that cradled a city composed of transparent domes and igloo like structures. They were on “Morlen”, allegedly the ET name for Ganymede, a moon of Jupiter. Oxalc oriented his visitor to the situation. Sixto was told that this base had been established as a mining colony thousands of years ago. Their civilization allegedly hailed from the star systems known to us as Betelgeuse and Rigel of the constellation Orion. The atmosphere had been supposedly modified to allow them to move around without space suits. A type of solar energy was supplied as well to allow trees and vegetables to grow in the many valleys that were colonized.
A council of respected elders working for “The Great Confederation of Stars” ruled Morlen. Their goal was to give generous assistance to all worlds in evolution. In this idyllic setting, Sixto was told that individual colonists could experience personal growth without “prejudice or vice.” This ET civilization was not only technologically advanced, but according to Oxalc had achieved an advanced state of spiritual development.
Sixto was reportedly given a description of life on Morlen. The colonists all worked about 4 hours per day. Supply houses allegedly took the place of stores. People simply took what they wanted. There was no mention of money. Sixto was told that their food was composed of plant extracts that had little taste but met all bodily needs. Reportedly there were close to a million people living there dispersed into a few cities.
SIXTO WAS SHOWN IMAGES FROM HIS PAST AND FUTURE
At the end of his tour, Sixto was taken to a place where he allegedly was able to view images from his past drawn from his own memory. He witnessed a very special event that had occurred in 1966. While walking to school, he had seen a circular shadow on the ground, presumably made by an ET craft. A wave of heat and a strange sound frightened him; instead of fleeing he had suddenly become paralyzed.
Sixto recalled being shown images that were supposed to reflect his future as well. In these, he allegedly played a leadership role in a worldwide contact movement. He saw himself appearing on television, giving newspaper interviews and experiencing the emotional turmoil that comes from being a leader. In that future he allegedly would face heavy responsibilities, and experience great fellowship as well as betrayal.
In parting Oxalc reassured Sixto that he would only retain those memories that would support him in his future mission. With tears in his eyes, Sixto envisioned a bright and positive future for humanity. Feeling exhausted and peaceful at the same time, Sixto reentered the inter-dimensional portal and found himself back in the Peruvian desert at La Mina. He reported to his companions not knowing how long he had been on Morlen, and it seemed much longer than the fifteen minutes that had elapsed on Earth.
VEGETARIANISM AND MENTAL EXERCISES PREPARED THEM FOR MORE CONTACT
His friends questioned him about the strange light that they had seen; they wanted to know where he had been. Sixto told them that they too would have a similar experience in 2 weeks and that they must prepare themselves by meditating, eating a vegetarian diet and by doing certain prescribed “concentration” exercises. Two weeks later, Sixto and his team returned to the designated contact site at La Mina. A banana shaped UFO was seen and seven youths entered the inter-dimensional portal. They felt a kind of weightlessness and found themselves in an enormous auditorium. They were led to believe that this was the meeting place of an interstellar council known as “the Twenty-four Elders.” The ceiling reportedly was a colossal cupola covered with symbols that included the Star of David and an image of a trident. On both sides of the hall were ideograms that appeared similar to Chinese writing. Seated in the council chairs were an assortment of beings, many of who appeared to be non-human.
The Elders stood one by one and reportedly communicated to Sixto’s group telepathically on philosophical themes. These included the “ETs’” concept of God, what death is and their unfolding plan to create a “new humanity” on Earth. Sixto and his followers were instructed to carry out a mission under the title of “Rama”, meaning Sun on Earth. They were supposed to be teachers, who if sufficiently dedicated, would help prepare humanity for a dramatic spiritual transformation. The ongoing communication with the extraterrestrials was to continue as it had started via automatic writing. With this description the UFO Library Magazine’s article ended.
The initial Peruvian group expanded its numbers in order to meet the enormous challenge of their “mission.” Latin American and European press coverage served to attract new activists that created an international network of contactees. During the initial years Sixto Paz Wells was the most prominent participant. As the years passed, Rama was rife with internal battles, but despite these challenges the contact work has continued.
SIXTO PAZ WELLS’ ROLE DIMINISHED
During the 1990s, New Age media coverage continued to focus on Sixto. However according Rama activists, who quietly were organizing at the grassroots level, his importance diminished. For a number of years he reportedly ceased being a “good antennae” in terms of receiving accurate messages. Other leaders, who operated outside of the media glare, continued to attract ET craft to the joy and wonderment of new followers. As a North American representative of the network that I like call somewhat whimsically “the contact underground”, I have been privileged to do fieldwork with Rama on a handful of occasions. For twenty years starting in the 1990s, I kept Rama informed of the ongoing efforts of our North American contact teams. I have encouraged the next generation of English speaking contact workers to do fieldwork with Rama, now called Rahma. This is now a regular occurrence. I feel gratitude for having been given the opportunity to have serve in liaison with the Latin American Rama network.
To learn more about Mission Rama click on the links below.
In 1990, leaders of the Peruvian contact network Mission Rama travelled deep into the Peruvian Jungle where a historic encounter occurred at a remote location called “Paititi.” The journey involved considerable danger. The Rama contact workers hiked through jungle full of poisonous plants, snakes and insects. They crossed alligator infested rivers and finally arrived at an alien base where they reportedly were taken aboard an ET craft via a blue tractor beam.
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2022/01/21/ramas-mission-to-paititi/?fbclid=IwAR2nD4_3Aej297gspmb6rWrvkWyFwQP_zFc2KwhKg26EiiG8F6ryK1rIpEQ
In the article linked below I describe how United Airlines 747 pilot Captain Joe Vallejo served as liaison between Mission Rama and our CE-5 contact team. I discuss security issues in the context of Rama's profoundly spiritual approach to contact.
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2022/06/02/the-north-and-south-american-contact-networks-meet/
I describe Joe Vallejo's amazing encounter in August of 1994 when a Rama team opened a dimensional portal in Northern California called a Xendra.
https://contactunderground.wordpress.com/2022/02/25/xendra-inter-dimensional-portal-opened-at-rama-contact-site-called-shasta/
About the author: Joseph Burkes MD is a board-certified internal medicine physician and is licensed to practice in California. He retired from the Southern California Permanente Medical Group after thirty years of service in 2008.
Dr. Burkes volunteered as a Working Group Coordinator for the Close Encounters of the Fifth Kind-5 Initiative from 1992 till 1998. He has continued to study the flying saucer phenomenon working with the Mutual UFO Network, MUFON, the Peruvian based contact network now called Rahma, and as a medical consultant for the Foundation for Research into ET & Extraordinary Experiences, (FREE).
Joseph Burkes MD is co-author of the book “Paths to Contact” edited by Jeff Becker. With researcher Preston Dennett he co-authored a chapter on UAP associated medical healings in FREE’s compendium “Beyond UFOs” edited by Reinerio Hernandez. In Volume 2 of Rey Hernandez’ most recent anthology “A Greater Reality” , he is the author of the chapter titled “Human Initiated Contact: the Consciousness Connection and the Virtual Experience Model.”
Comments:
On a social media page, a commenter asked about the Rama practice of vegetarianism with the understanding that contact networks from other parts of the world might have similar successes by adopting Rama’s protocols. Here is my response:
“Thank you for the question concerning the role of vegetarianism as practiced by Rama and the value of channeled material. Rama now called Rahma was, and still is a project between advanced non-human intelligences and spiritually oriented contact activists from primarily Latin America. The methods used to set up this kind of programed long-term liaison don't necessarily apply to other contact networks within different cultures.
Another question was how to make sense out of channeled material.
Joseph Burkes MD: I suggest that you look at the work of John Keel with a critical eye when it comes to flying saucer cults. UAP intelligences and other NHI from what we might call "other dimensions" or "non-material realms" often don't make sense because they are not always meant to make sense. Some accurate predictions about the future can entice experiencers. Following this "the others" sometimes receive a blank check from UFO groups that become cults. Then the "fun" begins, and they put into the mix of accurate information that we receive, the most outrageous baloney, and unfortunately many people eagerly gobble up this tainted material as if it were the “truth." With this caution, I should add there is a substantial number of channeled communications that warrant serious consideration. I am impressed with “A Primer of the Zeta Race” by William Treurniet and Paul Hamden as well the “Ra” material.
Keel was an atheist. He had little use for the spiritual development that is associated with contact. The FREE data shows that for many experiencers, contact involves a radical transformation of consciousness. Contact as described by over 4000 responders often triggers a change in world view that supports environmental protection, altruism, less materialistic attitudes and behaviors. The role of flying saucers may not be to teach us merely the existence of extraterrestrials, but instead to facilitate an expansion of consciousness that will allow us to avoid the destruction of Earth civilization.
John Mack MD chose this as one of the central themes of his analysis of so-called "abductees." Although I don’t particularly like my former colleague’s methods involving hypnosis, I admire his courage to delve into this subject with compassion and social responsibility. In my judgment, this approach has allowed him to reveal a central truth about our interactions with UAP intelligences. Unless humanity experiences a radical expansion of its collective consciousness, one which increases our sense of protectiveness for the planet that sustains us, humanity will not take the necessary steps to control global warming.
Nothing short of such a radical spiritual change will prevent the unnecessary deaths of hundreds of millions of people from starvation and wars that will be fought over dwindling material resources. In my opinion, only a social movement, linking contact with the need for world peace based on social and environmental justice, will humanity take the necessary steps to avoid a kind of barbarism that will result from billions of us starving and senselessly fighting among ourselves because we were so stupid and selfish to see a better path.
Another commenter asked, “Did Dr Greer get much of his contact protocol from Rama? It has a lot of similarities.”
Joseph Burkes MD: As far as I know during the five years 1992 to 97, when I worked closely with him, Dr. Greer never mentioned Rama, with one exception. This was when Rama’s approach to fieldwork was described he stated, “If they knew what they were doing they would not have to eat vegetarian food and meditate for several days before going to the field."
Once a high-level Rama leader was in the audience of one of Dr. Greer's talks. His name is Dr. Fernando Limaco. He is a retired oral surgeon who in 1990 had accompanied Sixto Paz Wells to Paititi, a location deep in the remote rainforest. With Sixto and several others, they reportedly had an onboard experience. After his lecture, the CSETI Director politely greeted Dr. Limaco but expressed no interest in the Rama mission.
In my opinion “UFO Intel” brought Dr. Greer to his assignment along parallel lines to what Rama was tasked to accomplish. So, in conclusion, Dr. Greer did not get his contact protocol from Rama. I suspect that someday there will be thousands of Prime Contactees all over the planet that will receive similar guidance from UFO Intel and will build contact networks of contact workers. Some of these independent activists have been told not to associate with Dr. Greer for security purposes I assume. Dr. Greer's association with the CIA and Naval Intelligence is frightening to people from Latin America I suspect. In third world countries both the US and the former USSR's intelligence services and those of their allies have been responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocents
Joseph Burkes MD: The entire Rama (now Rahma) cosmology has a kind of certainty in terms of what is going on that can be very attractive. I think of it more as a brilliantly created cover story that UFO intelligences push forward when dealing with a violent and self-destructive race of beings. It is a message of hope and ultimately might result in the liberation of humanity. In my judgment this can only occur if choose to follow their advice and spiritually evolve.
There are terrible times coming to this planet and I am convinced that we are getting limited assistance from NHI (non-human intelligence). It seems likely that the rise of authoritarian regimes around the world, and the strengthening of existing ones serving the needs of oligarchs, makes any responsible action to blunt global warming impossible. The scientists with each passing decade have been underestimating the destructiveness of global warming. The positive feedback loops are manifesting in ways that the conservative scientific establishment has had difficulty predicting. And those few that do are being ignored as “alarmists.” In my judgment there is likely going to be a major die-out in the next 100 years. Rising oceans, desertification, floods, and other results of human induced global warming will likely cause famine, more wars and even nuclear ones as starving nations fight over limited resources.
So, if the so-called ETs have access to non-polluting energy sources, then why not give them to us? The obvious answer for me is that we would immediately use such awesome power to slaughter one another more efficiently. Following this rather unpopular form of logic, only a world peace based on social justice and promoting strict environmental policies would induce a "higher intelligence agency" to download into our technological culture this propulsion secret of the saucers.
Champion remote viewer Joe McMoneagle in his "Ultimate Time Machine" foresaw an Earth in the year 3000 with only about 700 hundred million living on her. They had world peace, strict environmental controls and limited cultural and economic exchange with several ETs civilizations. It is a beautifully hopeful vision that our civilization will not only survive the dark days before us, but we might even thrive.