Riftwake Incursion

Riftwake Incursion is a recurring weekly Alliance-versus-Alliance event in Per Regna. Five ancient Riftwake Scars mark the galaxy; each week one flares. Alliances destroy Siphon Spines (PvE), then fight for a continuous hold on the Wakeheart (PvP). The victor becomes Realmwarden for seven days and holds the Mandate of Regna: discretionary Mandate Caches and server-wide Regnal Honors (buff titles only).

Status: Implemented behind features.riftwakeIncursion (default false). Contagion belts are seeded by migration and stay unconquerable even while the event flag is off. Eligible galaxies: realmLevel ≥ 4 (Realm 4+ only — R2/R3 lack enough alliance density for Contagion-range AvA).

Contents

• Why it exists
• Lore glossary
• Map: scars & contagion
• Event flow
• Access & launch
• Allies, NAP & FCS coalitions
• Phase 1 — Siphon Spines
• Phase 2 — Wakeheart hold
• Astral Siphon (galaxy drain)
• Realmwarden & Mandate of Regna
• Rewards
• Regnal Honors (buffs only)
• Fleet losses
• FCS limits
• Anti-domination
• Edge cases
• Tunables
• Related systems

Why it exists

Uncoordinated moon raids and border scrapes do not create a shared server story. Riftwake Incursion channels conflict into:

1. Spatial pressure — expand or ally toward this week’s Active Scar
2. Hybrid combat — PvE spine clears plus open PvP at the Wakeheart
3. Governance — the Realmwarden manually distributes Mandate Caches and Regnal Honors, driving diplomacy and counter-coalitions

Lore glossary

Term	Meaning
Riftwake	Alien puncture of local space; drains productivity until silenced
Riftwake Scar	One of five fixed systems where a Riftwake can flare
Active Scar	This week’s flared scar (the only attackable site)
Siphon Spine	PvE alien node shielding the Wakeheart (×4 per Active Scar)
Wakeheart	PvP hold target at the scar’s system center
Rift Contagion	Unconquerable blight on the scar + adjacent hexes
Astral Siphon	Galaxy-wide production drain while Riftwake structures live
Realmwarden	Alliance that silenced the Active Scar; rules for 7 days
Mandate of Regna	Realmwarden privileges: caches + title assignment
Mandate Caches	Sealed reward packages distributed by leadership
Regnal Honors	Positive player titles (buffs) assigned by the Realmwarden
Regnal Marks	(Removed from v1 — buffs only; no personal debuff titles)

Map: scars & contagion

Five rotating Riftwake Scars

Rule	Detail
Scars	5 fixed systems on a ring (not galaxy center)
Active	1 scar per week (published rotation)
Dormant	Other 4 visible on the map, not attackable that week
Layout (Active Scar)	1 Wakeheart (center colony) + 4 Siphon Spines (orbital colonies) in the same system — nebula-style, not a normal colonizable system

Scar center layout (nebula pattern)

Scar centers are special systems (not normal habitable colony rings). Structure mirrors nebulas: one center body + orbital targets players attack by planet/colony id.

Slot	Position	Entity	Role
Center	0	Wakeheart colony	Final PvP hold target (FCS / station at system center)
Orbit	1–4	Siphon Spine colonies	PvE raid targets; must all be cleared before Wakeheart is attackable
—	5+	None	No extra planets, asteroids, or player colonies on scar centers

        [Spine 2]     [Spine 3]
              \       /
               \     /
            [Wakeheart]   ← position 0 (system center)
               /     \
              /       \
        [Spine 1]     [Spine 4]

Rule	Detail
Planet types	New types e.g. wakeheart / siphonSpine (or reuse systemCenter + tagged NPC colonies)
Colonizable	false — no player colonies on scar centers
Owner	Shared Riftwake NPC player (like system protector / pirate NPC)
Attack flow	Target a Siphon Spine colony with FCS → clear all 4 → Wakeheart shield drops → target Wakeheart colony to occupy/hold
Contagion neighbors	Stay normal habitable systems (planets OK); only scar centers use this layout
UI	System view like nebula: show Wakeheart + 4 spines only, hide normal planet strip

Conversion (existing maps): for each riftwake_scars.systemId, strip/hide colonizable planets + pirates/asteroids at the scar; ensure position 0 = Wakeheart colony and positions 1–4 = Siphon Spine colonies; wire riftwake_spines rows to those colony/planet ids.

Rift Contagion (unconquerable belt)

Alien influence bleeds into neighboring stars. Empires cannot permanently claim those systems.

Scope	Count
Per scar	Scar + 6 adjacent hexes = 7 systems
All scars	5 × 7 = 35 systems
Rules	No system conquering, no alliance territory nodes
Allowed	Travel, station for the event, harvest/PvE as configured
Lore	Rift Contagion has spread; those stars reject permanent control

~35 locked systems out of ~7500 is negligible for colonization and prevents a single alliance from owning every approach hex.

Event flow

Weekly rotation picks Active Scar (realmLevel ≥ 4 galaxies)
        │
        ▼
Launch from Contagion-range origin (own / alliance / diplomatic-ally station)
        │
        ▼
Phase 1 — Destroy all 4 Siphon Spines (PvE + PvP perimeter)
        │  Wakeheart invulnerable while any spine stands
        │  Each clear: −1% Astral Siphon + hold bonus for clearing alliance
        ▼
Phase 2 — Occupy Wakeheart; hold continuously (default 3h, shortened by hold bonus)
        │  Displacement resets that alliance’s hold timer
        │  Diplomatic allies cannot displace each other (NAP still can)
        │  Spines may respawn (±jitter) for bonus contests (Wakeheart stays vulnerable)
        ▼
Winner — Realmwarden (7 days)
        Mandate Caches + Regnal Honors + Mandate fatigue if they win again next week
        Auto participation packs for 2nd / 3rd / spine-clear fighters

Access & launch

Rule	Detail
Eligibility	Launch origin (from-colony or warp-hop exit) must sit within 2 hexes of the active Contagion belt. Distant ally presence does not unlock global launches.
Origin ownership	Own colony, same-alliance colony, or diplomatic ally station
Warp hop	Warp exit must still be an own-alliance hop target (unchanged warp rules). Ally stations help as launch/station origins, not as free warp exits for other alliances.
Solo	No Realmwarden path without an alliance
Launch	FCS / station missions from eligible origins
Ownership	Active Scar system is never permanently conquered

Allies, NAP & FCS coalitions

Diplomatic treaties do not merge alliances for Riftwake scoring or win conditions. Each alliance remains a separate competitor.

Topic	Locked rule
Scoring / win	Spine credit, hold ownership, and Realmwarden are always one alliance id — never shared across allies
Inter-alliance FCS	Allowed only when the rally lead opts in (Allow inter-alliance participation). NAP-only / strangers cannot join
Credit on joint FCS	Lead’s alliance gets spine clear / Wakeheart occupy / hold. Allied joiners help damage and share spine loot, but do not share hold-bonus ownership or Realmwarden
Own rallies	Allies may still run their own FCS and compete against each other
Wakeheart displace	Diplomatic ally cannot kick / replace the occupying partner (must break ally first)
NAP on Wakeheart	Still contestable — NAP does not protect the holder
Allied launch	May launch Riftwake attacks from an ally station in Contagion range; does not grant map-wide unlock

Phase 1 — Siphon Spines

Four high-tier Siphon Spines protect the Wakeheart.

Mechanic	Detail
Wakeheart shield	Invulnerable while any spine is alive
Combat	Hybrid: damage the spine (PvE) while rival fleets contest the system (PvP)
Clear credit	Alliance that destroys the spine gets credit
Hold bonus	+5% Wakeheart hold rate per credited spine (max +20%)
Concurrent FCS	Max 2 active Riftwake FCS rallies per alliance
Fleet / loot	1.5× high Boss (boss tier) fleet + resource/item pool; FCS-only; loot share uses the same boss participation curves (more joiners → more pool access)
Target	Players pick one Siphon Spine colony (positions 1–4) as mission target
Debris	Softer PvE (~15% debris / graveyard split) on spine PvE losses

Spine respawn (Wakeheart phase)

After all four spines fall and the Wakeheart is vulnerable:

Rule	Detail
Respawn	Every 90 ± 15 minutes at 50% HP (jitter anti-timer-snipe)
Shield	Does not re-lock the Wakeheart
Credit	Re-clear can grant or steal hold-bonus credit for that spine slot
Cap	Hold bonus still capped at +20%

Phase 2 — Wakeheart hold

Mechanic	Detail
Mission	FCS attack (no new mission type). On attacker victory, survivors auto-station and occupation starts
Initial NPC garrison	2× high Boss fleet — no resource stockpile / no combat loot (fight is for the hold only)
Capture	Win at Wakeheart colony (pos 0) → your alliance occupies
Win condition	Continuous occupation until required hold time elapses
Base hold	3 hours wall-clock at +0% bonus
Hold bonus	requiredHold = 3h / (1 + bonus); e.g. +20% → ~2h 30m
Displacement	Rival FCS victory vs occupying fleets → timer resets to 0; winners auto-station. Diplomatic allies cannot displace each other (must break ally first). NAP remains contestable.
Neutral Wakeheart	No alliance left stationed → timer does not tick
Gating	Wakeheart attacks refused while any Siphon Spine still has NPC ships
Loot on kick/win	None — no RSS moved to the next winner; spine loot + Mandate Caches are the payouts
Window	Default 8 hour active event window

Example hold times

Spines credited	Hold bonus	Approx. continuous hold needed
0	+0%	3h 00m
1	+5%	~2h 51m
2	+10%	~2h 43m
3	+15%	~2h 36m
4	+20%	~2h 30m

Tiebreakers (window ends, no full hold)

1. Longest continuous hold in the last 2 hours
2. Else most spine clears credited
3. Else no Realmwarden — Mandate Cache pool rolls to next week (+10%)

Astral Siphon (galaxy drain)

While Riftwake structures remain, they drain galaxy productivity.

drain = 5% base + (1% × remaining alive spines/Wakeheart)

With 1 Wakeheart + 4 Siphon Spines (5 structures):

State	Approx. drain
Event start (all alive)	10%
Each spine cleared	−1%
All spines cleared, Wakeheart still contested	6% (Wakeheart)
Realmwarden claimed / Wakeheart silenced	0%

Applies to production income, not warehouse stock. Global UI should show current Astral Siphon and recent clear attribution.

Realmwarden & Mandate of Regna

Privilege	Duration
Realmwarden status	7 days (until next Incursion)
Mandate Caches	Manual distribution by leadership
Regnal Honors	Up to 8 buff titles, any player on the server
Alliance perk	+5% resource production for Realmwarden members while Mandate lasts
Mandate fatigue	−5% battle stats per consecutive week retained (cap −15%); resets when another alliance wins

Rewards

Mandate Caches (manual)

Delivered once per win to the Realmwarden alliance leadership vault. Leader / Deputy gift to players. Contents use existing quest / weekly-event item types (realm-scaled resource packs).

Prime Mandate Cache × 3 (high)

Content	Spec
Resources	resourcePack: large × 1
Monument	monument_piece / monument_mythical × 3
Relic	relic_piece / relic_piece_mythical × 2
Speed	nano_boost / nano_boost_building_epic × 5
Combat prep	boost_box / boost_box_epic × 3
Tech	tech_boost / tech_boost_mythical × 3
Flex	artifact_box / artifact_box_standard × 2

Spinebreaker Cache × 8 (medium)

Content	Spec
Resources	resourcePack: medium × 1
Monument	monument_piece / monument_mythical × 1
Relic	relic_piece / relic_piece_legendary × 2
Speed	nano_boost / nano_boost_building_epic × 3
Combat prep	boost_box / boost_box_epic × 2
Tech	tech_boost / tech_boost_epic × 2

Accord Cache × 15 (standard)

Content	Spec
Resources	resourcePack: small × 1
Combat prep	boost_box / boost_box_rare × 2
Speed	nano_boost / nano_boost_building_epic × 1
Tech	tech_boost / tech_boost_epic × 1

Vault rules

Rule	Value
Who can send	Leader + Deputy
Audit	Alliance-visible gift log
Expiry	End of Realmwarden week
Undistributed	50% auto-split by contribution score among members who fought; 50% void
Stockpile	Current week’s grant only

Participation (non-winners)

Automatic at window end (not manual):

Place	Reward
2nd by contribution	Per active fighter: resourcePack: medium + boost_box_epic × 1
3rd	Per active fighter: resourcePack: small + boost_box_rare × 1
Spine clear (≥1 credited)	Fighters with spine-clear contribution: resourcePack: tiny + boost_box_common × 1

Contribution score (board + place ranking) ≈ spine damage + Wakeheart PvP damage + hold seconds + spines cleared × heavy weight.

Regnal Honors (buffs only)

No personal debuff titles in v1. Soft power is buffing allies / diplomats and distributing Mandate Caches — not nerfing rivals.

Realmwarden leadership assigns up to 8 unique Honors to any player on the server. Effects last while assigned (up to 7 days). 24h cooldown per slot after reassignment. One player may hold at most one Honor at a time.

ID	Honor	Intent	Modifiers
supreme_marshal	Supreme Marshal	Military lead	fleetAttackPct +12%, unitRepairCostPct −15%
arch_architect	Arch-Architect	Build / infra	constructionSpeedPct +20%, monumentUpgradeCostPct −10%
master_of_trade	Master of Trade	Economy / diplomacy	resourceProductionPct +25%, marketplaceTaxPct −15%
high_inquisitor	High Inquisitor	Ops / PvE	fleetSpeedPct +15%, pveBossDamagePct +10%
veilwarden	Veilwarden	Defense / hold	fleetDefensePct +12%, stationedRepairPct +10%
rift_cartographer	Rift Cartographer	Travel / logistics	fleetSpeedPct +10%, warpFuelCostPct −10%
mandate_quartermaster	Mandate Quartermaster	Industry	shipBuildSpeedPct +15%, defenseBuildSpeedPct +15%
first_speaker	First Speaker	Prestige / diplomacy	Cosmetic nameplate + resourceProductionPct +5%

Honors as reward management

Honors are a prestige + performance lever alongside caches:

• Caches = loot (fungible, many recipients)
• Honors = scarce status + a real buff (8 slots server-wide)

That can create healthy in-alliance competition (“I want Marshal next week”) and unhealthy drama if leadership is opaque. Mitigations:

Practice	Detail
Contribution board	Public Riftwake score per member (spine / hold / PvP) so awards feel earned
Role diversity	Eight different buffs — not one “best” title; Marshal ≠ Architect ≠ Trade
Split policy	Recommend: ~half Honors to own fighters, rest for diplomacy / NAP partners
Rotation norm	Soft expectation to rotate Marshal / Inquisitor across top contributors week to week
Reassign cost	24h slot cooldown + server announcement reduces silent favoritism flips
One Honor / player	Stops stacking all best buffs on one whale

Some rivalry for Marshal / Inquisitor is intended — same as officer roles and FCS lead prestige. Keep it productive by making criteria visible and buffs specialized, not one god-tier title.

Fleet losses

Combat	Loss profile
Siphon Spine (PvE)	Softer (~15% debris); loot = 1.5× boss pool + boss share curves
Wakeheart (NPC then PvP)	2× boss initial garrison, 0 loot; then standard PvP (~30% debris) vs occupying players
Home colony stun	No colony hangar stun from Riftwake battles
Attacker immunity	Riftwake PvP does not strip personal immunity shields

FCS limits

Limit	Value
Concurrent Riftwake FCS rallies per alliance	2
Participants per rally	Boss-tier caps (reuse pirate boss style: high participant / per-alliance soft caps)
Loot / credit curve	Prefer 10–12 participants for strong share access

Anti-domination

Lever	Effect
Hold bonus from spines	Skill / timing can beat pure blob size
Spine respawn	Late alliances can steal bonuses
Coalitions	NAP + allied launch stations
Mandate fatigue	Each consecutive week the same alliance retains Realmwarden: −5% battle stats (cap −15%); resets when another alliance wins
Manual caches / titles	Tyranny invites next-week coalitions

Rotation cartels are a social risk, not a hard technical ban.

Edge cases

Case	Resolution
Four alliances clear four spines; fifth takes Wakeheart	Allowed; fifth has no hold bonus unless they steal respawns
Same tick damage on a spine	Higher total damage alliance gets clear credit
Occupier at 2h59m kicked	Timer resets; must complete a full continuous hold again
Alliance disbands mid-hold	Occupation void; Wakeheart goes neutral
Event ends with no full hold	Tiebreakers; else no Realmwarden, Mandate Cache pool rolls over
Caches undistributed	Vault holds them; end-of-week auto-split / decay rules apply
Pre-existing owners in Contagion hexes	Prefer empty rings at seed; live servers need a one-time abandon / relocate path

Tunables

Parameter	Starting value
Riftwake Scars	5
Systems under Rift Contagion	35
Wakeheart + Siphon Spines	1 + 4
Access range	2 hexes
Event window	8 hours
Base continuous hold	3 hours
Hold bonus per spine	+5% (max +20%)
Spine respawn	90 ± 15 min @ 50% HP (Wakeheart phase)
Spine debris	15%
Astral Siphon	5% + 1% per remaining structure
Realmwarden duration	7 days
Regnal Honor slots	8 (buffs only; no debuff Marks)
Title reassignment cooldown	24h / slot
Concurrent FCS / alliance	2
Min galaxy realmLevel	4 (Realm 4+ only)
Realmwarden production perk	+5%
Mandate fatigue	−5% / retained week, max −15%

Implementation notes

Piece	Location
Feature flag	features.riftwakeIncursion (default false)
Config	regna-api/src/config/riftwakeIncursionConfig.ts + riftwake.* game_config rows
Migration	2026-08-26_create_riftwake_incursion.ts — tables, flag, scar seed
Scar picker	riftwakeScarPlacement.ts — skips belts with alliance ownership, territory nodes, or real player colonies (NPC protectors/pirates/trade ignored)
Contagion gate	systemConquestService, systemSiegeService.canStartContest, allianceTerritoryNodeService.upsertOnConquest
Denorm column	systems.isRiftContagion
Scar structures	riftwakeScarStructureService — strips planets/pirates/asteroids/protectors on scar centers; spawns Wakeheart @0 + Spines @1–4
Structure migration	2026-08-26_002_riftwake_scar_structures.ts
Map tint	Contagion purple wash + Scar center magenta stroke in SystemRenderer
Structure overlay	RiftwakeStructureDetailOverlay — access / ally-hold badges + FCS attack CTA
Mandate UI	Alliance modal Riftwake tab — member picker for caches/Honors, contribution board
Access range	assertLaunchAccess — launch origin (colony / warp exit) within accessRangeHexes of Contagion belt
Ally hold lock	assertWakeheartNotHeldByAlly — diplomatic ally cannot displace occupying partner on Wakeheart; NAP can
Concurrent FCS	assertConcurrentFcsLimit — max 2 open Riftwake lead FCS per alliance
Participation rewards	Auto-grant 2nd/3rd + spine-clear packs at window end / Realmwarden declare
Honor / fatigue combat	Applied in combatResearchService + fleet speed via calculateFleetSpeedWithCatalogs; production Honor in resourceService
Client API	riftwakeApiService
Combat	riftwakeCombatService — spine clear credit, Wakeheart auto-station + displace, hold bonus
State machine	riftwakeIncursionService.processTick (1m) — weekly schedule, hold win, spine respawn (±jitter), window end
Astral Siphon	Applied in resourceService.calculateResourceProductionPerHourForColony
Mandate / Honors	POST /api/riftwake/mandate-caches/:id/distribute, POST /api/riftwake/honors/assign
API	GET /api/riftwake/overview (includes contribution board + access badges), GET /api/riftwake/scars
Client flag	RIFTWAKE_INCURSION_FEATURE_KEY in game-core featureFlags.ts

Related systems

• Alliance Territory — connected territory and access
• Territory Siege — hold / debris patterns (inspirational, not the same flow)
• Pirate Bosses — FCS tonnage, participant caps, loot share curves
• Fleet Combat — PvP debris vs Ship Graveyard
• Alliances — leadership ranks for cache / title tools