Contested Territory
Those lands not solidly held by any of the three super powers falls under the venue of "Contested Territoriy". These lands are either active battlefields between the great realms or they are held most securely by collections of tribal groups or small nations. Though each of the three powers may have alliances within the Territories that affords them control, these alliances may be fleeting, and so the flag of the power is not raised as the political hold is not sound. Tribes are a blend of Zoidaryan, human and mixed blood.
Leadership
Most of these are tribal groups, such as the Wind, Stonefire, Seastorm or Earthsong. Others are actual nations such as Gershai. Each has its own form of leadership, be it hedgemony, patriarchy, democracy or theocracy, and each will have officials born of the proper titles for their government type.
Territory
Some 40% of Zi falls under the mantle of "contested". Much of this territory is newly uncovered by the disasters of the past, others are wastelands the three great powers have little interest in, and still other land is simply held by forces in an excellent defensive position. The resources of these lands vary from worthless to bountiful, and all manner of terrains are contested from icy glaciers and blasted deserts to lush jungles and jagged mountains.
Forces
There are tribes that exist entirely around one type of Zoid, or, in some cases, around a single powerful machine. There are nations that rely on tanks, light armor, aerial vehicles, and infantry, and others that place their defenses in a handful of Zoids. Still other powers in the Contested Territories posess armies that rival the mainline forces of the great three. Even the smaller nations and larger tribes
Strategy
Any that seek an alliance with Zenevas must reject all humans and hybrids from their ranks. Those wishing to ally with Helic are far more diverse. There have been no alliances sought with Guylos by the tribal states, though some have attempted to raid Nyx for resources, making the terrible mistake of beliving the Dynasty is weak. Most of the Contested Territory forces hole up and attempt to strengthen their defenses so they do not pose a target of opportunity for the greater nations, others are nomadic bands that simply try to avoid landing in the crossfire.
Tribes
Wind Tribe - High above the lands and seas, the remnants of the Wind Tribe are still soaring. Almost never bothering with the wars down below, they are more scholars and observers now. They posess the technology of seemingly limiteless flight, however, and they are always wary of attack or capture by those forces who could benefit most from it.
Afurua (Sea Tribe) - Now isolated to the Deldaros Sea, the tribe retains both undersea and island fortifications. They are not friendly to Helic, who is now growing in their sea power and represents an unwanted challenger to their domain. Afurua also disdains Zenevas, but they are intrigued by some of the acheivements of Guylos' engineering, however, and have opened a dialogue regarding the Angstmorder.
Subterranean Tribe - Spread throughout the lands of both Europa and Ayeri, the lowering of Zi's oceans have expanded their territory and made it more vulnerable. Low places of the world have been opened, and hidden gateways have been left high in the open hills. This tribe has focused on the evolution of the smaller Zoids of the underworld. These now posess superior navigation systems, improved armor, and exceptional speed and agility, able to rapidly thread their way through vast networks of twisting caverns. They have already traded some of their technology to Zenevas, and may well deal with Guylos or Helic, if the rewards warrant it. Just what they have sold and what they have accepted in return only the Emperor knows.
Rihitohohen (Bird Tribe) - named after their ancient patriarch, Khais, the Bird Tribe retains the mountainous Dolpoi lands of their antiquity. They have spread to other mountainous regions but their numbers have never been strong. However, as masters of the skies, they have some of the most effective independant Zoids on Zi. Rihitohochen's favor is best obtained before any powers operate on the lands under its influence, and under the wings of its avian forces.
Ker'Lai (Insect Tribe) - though it considers itself a sovereign nation, Ker'Lai is regarded as merely a large tribe beyond its borders. Located on the rugged and less known southern lands of Europa, the tribe of Kir’Lai maintains lands of jagged deciduous forests, low mountains and trackless swamps. The tribe has harvested the power of the region's insects and features an air force almost exclusively of dragonfly Zoids, most notibly the enormous XZ-311 Hellstorm.
Nations
Rhegeni (Soveriegn Matriarchy) - The island jungle nation of Rhegeni considers itself neutral in the affairs of the world, but they also consider the greater nations quite capable of stomping on their neutrality. The island chain of Ehin Moure offers an attractive outpost to Zenevas or Helic, and a welcome addition to any of their neighboring nations and tribes. The Zoidarians of Rhegani have always relied on lighter armor to maneuver through the twisted terrain of their lands, and the best Zoids for their cause have proven to be insect-based chassis. Now the addition of the Siobhan has introduced a new class of heavy defender; the Lioness Type.
Gershai (Soveriegn Kingdom) - barely 500 square kilometers in size, it is heavily urbanized with a technical and industrial infrastructure. Spurred on by the rise in feral Zoid incidents and seeing the resurgence of the Zenevas-Helic conflict about them, the king knew that his small country would need to defend its resources from the giant nations about them. Long had the region relied on the large tortoise Zoids native to the region, mostly as heavy equipment and labor machines, with a core of less than 50 used for military defense.
The Independent State of Mhurahn - As the Zenevas Empire rebuilt after the last war, Mhurahn retreated for a distant shore. With forces too weak to protect them from the Empire, they entrenched in a place their histories showed was a former military research and testing base uncovered by the Cataclysm’s rearrangement of the ocean levels. The remains of a half-built Seismosaurus was found at the base which cut into an ancient facility with some connection to a mythological power. They spliced together all the tech they had scavenged and powere the beast with the Bluefire technlogy they found to create the massive Hecatomb. With such a massively powerful Zoid at their backs, Mhurahn was able to devolope lighter Zoids and more defenses to protect their fledgling state. Their strength is their greatest vulnerability, however... should the world learn of the beast's destructive power, all nations may well joint together to wipe Mhurahn from the face of Zi.
Rogues
Rogues can be best defined as individual or gangs of pilots with their Zoids that refuse to affiliate with any nation or tribe. Rogues are as often as not mercenaries for hire by any side or those who wish to avoid the seemingly endless and fruitless wars altogether. As their name implies, rogues do not hold specific territories but travel wherever the action is... or isn't. Some rogue units are little more than a pilot directing a 2-ton Zoid conducting scouting or courier missions. Other rogues take the form of the now infamous Thunder God; a revived Mad Thunder corpse manned by fifty men, like a monstrous pirate fortress plying the blasted lands of Europa. At first Zenevas sought to hire or ensnare the band and their machine, but the Empire was forced to obliterate the rogue power; the death of Thunder God was the first official mission of the EZ-501 Fusillade #1.
Tribal Units
