Alliance Tournament V: Competitors' Introduction - Part X

The Fifth Alliance Tournament is now upon us. This year’s entrants include a number of new, smaller and mostly unknown alliances as well as the established tournament veterans.

Next in our series of alliance introductions, we present Ethereal Dawn.

After the first day of matches, tournament viewers still have yet to see a number of alliances fight, as one member of each group received a bye on the first day. Ethereal Dawn was one of these, and looks forward to its first fight on Day Two, against the Mercenary Coalition.

Ethereal Dawn (ED)

Ethereal Dawn is one of many alliances that settled in the newly-populated drone regions. Its home in the region has come to be known appropriately as Etherium Reach, an area which is situated on the edge of Republic space. Though its origins go back considerably further, the current incarnation of the alliance is barely seven months old, reformed after a betrayal by one of its previous members.

Ethereal Dawn began its life in the Curse region, but according to alliance executor Ralian Gelain, "without the ability to claim [sovereignty], many of the plans of the alliance really couldn't happen." As a result, when the areas of space known collectively as "the drone regions" were opened up to capsuleer traffic, the alliance moved its operations to its current home. The alliance devoted itself to the construction of the space platforms necessary to achieve their eventual goal of an an outpost and in June 109, their first one was finally erected.

Unfortunately, not long afterwards the alliance was betrayed by one of its member corporations and through a series of legal maneuvers and embezzlement, was disbanded and its outpost placed in the hands of its betrayers. However, the other members of the alliance were galvanized to action, reuniting under the Ethereal Dawn name and retaking their lost outpost. They have since erected three more in their home region, building them over the next five months in a move that earned them both friends and enemies nearby.

In the tournament, Ethereal Dawn faces possibly one of the hardest groups in the qualifying round; sharing a group with favorites Mercenary Coalition and Pandemic Legion, as well as Brutally Clever Empire and impressive newcomer Cry Havoc. Executor Gelain says "we have been practicing for the tournament at every opportunity," and that "one can never be too ready." This is their first tournament, and the team looks forward to showing what they can do against some of the best pilots in the cluster. Asked about their chances, Thomas said, "I think no matter who we go up against, we will do well."

More coverage will be available live during the tournament. As mentioned above Ethereal Dawn's first bout in this tourney will be on Saturday against the Mercenary Coalition, and is likely to be watched closely as a barometer of both teams' chances.