Heroica: Glory Amongst The Stars - Library

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~Note: This topic is meant for players inquiring about the world in character. If you have any out of character questions please ask them in the General Discussion thread~

THE LIBRARY AT HEROICA HALL

The library of Heroica Hall is tucked away behind the Training Center. The warm blue glow of table lamps illuminate the rows upon rows of holoscrolls, holotomes, and even older leather bound paper books. Models, maps, and intricate dioramas interrupt the stacks and small alcoves with tables and chairs provide space for study and research. A small Cricet sits at a reference desk carefully grooming themself, a powered down powersuit sits in the background.

“Quiet please, this is a place of contemplative learning and… Oh you’re new to Heroica? Well excuse my manners. This is the library, and I am Collette head librarian… or only librarian that is. Sorry the collection is quite dusty. It belonged to the hotel’s owner, Laserie Ablis, and I’m still sorting through all of it. I’d be glad to add any contributions you happen to bring from your travels and adventures. Currently you’ll find information on locations throughout the Euripides Arm, technical articles on common technology, excerpts on the varying religions found in the galaxy, and summaries of the major organizations you might have contact with. I’d be glad to answer any questions you might have, though it might take me a moment to get over to you… small legs and all.”

LIBRARY SECTIONS
Planets
Locations of Interest
Religions
Organizations
Technology
National Alliances
Missions

GENERAL TIMELINE
Pre-War History 
Annihilation of Aluriel (War of Mutual Annihilation): Approximately -1000 DA*
Discovery of the Novarii Sector: -650 DA
Fall of Krassar Republic: -600 DA
O'Kor'uk Unification: -575 DA
O'Kor'uk Scattering: -525 DA
First Successful Dwarven NLS Drive: -350 DA
Ornithun conquest of Abrivar: -320 DA
Immigration of the Thudaal: -300 DA
The War of the Six Pretenders (Pluravvian Empire): -296 DA
Calaxxian Reformation (Pluravvian Empire): -280 DA
Restoration of Aluriel: -200 DA
League of Independent Planets Formed: -179 DA
Ætherspace discovered by the Thaumaturgic Society: -110 DA
Creation of the first Adamite: -100 DA
Elevation of the Merchants (Pluravvian Empire): -80 DA 
Project Gaian Initiated (Creation of the Chimeran Species): -70 DA
IRIS Communications Splits from the Thaumaturgic Society: -50 DA
Formal Recognition of Chimeran Sentience: -15 DA

Five-Year War 
War Begins: -4 DA
Nendara Gate Collapse: -2 DA
Pluravvian Civil War Begins: -2 DA
Ceasefire (Drandora Accords) signed official end of the Five-Year War: 0 DA
Founding of the ITA and Space Police: 0 DA
Pluravvian Civil War Ends: 1 DA
Colonial Secession (League of Independent Planets): 6 DA
Heroica Founded: 13 DA
Current: 15 DA

*Drandora Accords
 

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PLANETS

Map of the Euripides Arm

High Resolution - Euripides Arm

Spoiler

Akharif (Makhrian System)
To the inattentive, Akharif may seem an uninspiring ball of rock and sand devoid of life, but this is not the case at all.  Lithomorphic life - a rarity in the Arm - is abundant here.  Massive crystals grow from the desert, glittering in the sun, awe-inspiring electric sandstorms roar across its surface, spewing pillars of lightning as they go. All of these things owe their existence to one source: The planet's massive silicon reserves, which Akharif’s Pluravvian masters value as if it were made of gold. 

Silicon, though a common substance, is still valuable for its use in the making of glass and electronic circuits, and Akharif provides an almost inexhaustible supply.  And it is for this (and immense hazard pay) that extraction crews risk sandstorms, hostile wildlife, electrified crystals, and a myriad of other dangers.  Especially since the signing of the Drandora Accords opened the planet to foreign companies.

But to the scientific community the planet has a different attraction.  Geologists wish to study Akharif's mineral composition, meteorologists are drawn by the planet's superconductive weather, sapiologists desire to learn more about the Stratitarian natives, and druids are fascinated by the native silicon-based life.  But the interests of the scientific community have an uneasy relationship with corporate interests.  On the one hand corporations are the primary source of the grants scientific institutions rely on for funding, but on the other the wish to study the planet often clashes with the desire to maximize yields and meet quotas.  After all, the workers have mouths to feed.

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Aluriel (Khazarak-Ellarial System)
Aluriel, homeworld of the Elves and Dwarves, is a garden beyond compare.  Lush wilderness extends on every side, with the few surface cities and farms seamlessly integrated into the landscape.  The majority of the population, living underground or in space, look upon their world with love and pride.

You wouldn't think it was once a nuclear wasteland, would you?

While historical accounts differ, they all agree on one thing; there was a war, The War of Mutual Annihilation.  An unspeakably terrible conflict that ended with the atomic devastation of the planet, leaving the survivors horrified at what they'd done and cursing the names of those who began the conflict.  With most of the population either trapped underground or forced to eke out what little they could on the surface, the only ones who could be said to be well off were those in the great arcology ships orbiting the planet.  No-one would've blamed them for abandoning the world, the two sides going their separate ways.  But they did not.

Instead the leaders of the fleets met to swear an oath that they would stay and give assistance to those on the ground without reference to side or species.  It was a difficult process, and there were lean years and difficult times, but they persevered.

Eventually the leaders of all the surviving groups came together to swear a second oath, that they would restore what had been destroyed, and that they would safeguard their world so that it would never suffer so again.

It was a long and arduous task, but with druidic magic and arcane technology they took the contents of the arcologies, and the surviving wilderness, and made the world bloom once again.  Those days are long past, but the Union of Aluriel remains as committed to their world as ever. 

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Aquin (Quilarra System)
Aquin is a world of extremes, it’s mountains are high, it’s seas are deep, it’s weather is turbulent, and it’s native life is no exception.  Indeed the planet is famous for its titanic fauna and equally massive flora.  Not all of the planet’s life is on such a massive scale though, certainly not the Ornithun who rule the planet.

The Ornithun’s domination of this world is a relatively recent development, as for most of their history they were confined to a relatively small plateau region in the southern hemisphere.  It was only with the development of industrial manufacturing techniques that they were finally able to develop the weaponry needed to drive back the giants they had once lived in fear of.

The ‘Years of Expansion’ were not solely directed outwards however, as the various petty kingdoms of the Ornithun fought among themselves over who would control the vast resources being made available to them.  These wars would eventually come to an end with the unification of the species by King Yerek Rankari Pasrang into the Kingdom of Aquin.  With the species unified, and the new resources available to them, Ornithun development accelerated immensely, ending with their expansion into space and establishment of a local hegemony that even the Pluravvians were worried by.

It was not to last however, the initial momentum that had spurred the kingdom on soon lost steam, while the steady growth of Pluravvia continued to slowly but surely leave them in the dust.  Soon the Ornithun were obliged to join the League of Independent Planets to retain even a little of their influence.  More recently, the kingdom has come under scrutiny by environmentalist groups worried by the Ornithun’s continuing hostile relationship with their own planet’s ecosystem, especially as several megafauna species were driven to extinction in the kingdom’s early years, and several more are teetering on the brink.

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Cosmpoli
All worlds are unique, but the city-world of Cosmopoli is truly unprecedented.  This urban planetoid has been continuously-inhabited since before the start of recorded history, and it appears that it will stay that way for the foreseeable future.  Despite being a possession of the Pluravvian Empire, this world managed to wrangle the status of a 'Free City' for itself, essentially leaving it free to do as it pleases and placing it outside the caste system.  While the Elevation of the Merchants and the Drandora Accords both stripped it of its uniqueness to some degree, it still remains a hub of commerce and intrigue - As well as organized crime and anti-establishment thought. 

Structurally, Cosmopoli is a city of layers. Starting with orderly and architecturally beautiful city streets at the top, it becomes more and more chaotic and crowded the further down you go, with the surface expanse occasionally broken by spaceports and industrial sectors reaching down to the city's rotten heart.  The lower sectors of the city are poorly maintained, lit by guttering neon lights and built on the bones of older, grander buildings.  A stark contrast to the sunlit boulevards and public parks of the uppermost layer.

Thanks to its age the city is a magnet for urban archeologists seeking to learn all they can about it's past inhabitants.  The lowest layers, inhabited only by a mélange ecosystem of introduced species, hold a special attraction for them due to their immense age.  Possibly as old as the gates themselves. 

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Hi-Pluvvon
For the center of an interstellar empire, Hi-Pluvvon does not seem to be a particularly inspiring planet.  Tidally-locked to its parent star the planet is divided into frozen and sunburnt halves with only a thin band of crepuscular marshland capable of supporting life.  What might have been mountains on other worlds have been worn into low hills by the constant gale-force winds that blow from one half of the planet to the other.  In the absence of days and seasons the native Ytaxxi learned to count the years by the movement of the planet's two moons instead.

But the planet is not without attractions, and the most notable is the city of Strivvec-An - the Empire's capital.  Located in the northern hemisphere, the city is sheltered from the winds by an unusually large granite buff that completely blocks out the daylight and leaves the city in a permanent night.  The 'City of Stars' is considered one of the most beautiful in the Arm, with its canals being a particular attraction.  Sitting in the heart of the city is the Red Palace, a magnificent complex that serves as the Empress's primary residence.

One other notable point is that an unusually high number of those born on the planet are Helioi or Akshai Celestials.  They aren't common by any means, but it's enough to be a statistical anomaly (in fact the Empress herself is an Akshai, and the famous Admiral Hypaxxus VIIIth is a Helioi).  The Ytaxxi certainly take it as a sign that their planet is blessed. 

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Oquim (Riqon System)
Oquim is unusual among gas giants for two inseparable reasons; its native ecosystem, and its mineral wealth.  The semifluid layer around it's core, though inaccessible even to the native quarm, is composed of a ferromagnetic compound with unusual (and valuable) qualities.  Motes of this compound are also common in the (accessible) lower atmosphere where, altered by the gasses in this layer, they begin to grow into crystalline structures.  These Qavoron crystals are pleziogravimetric, altering local gravimetric conditions when under intense pressure. This process occurs naturally on Oquim due to the planet’s high atmospheric pressure, allowing the crystals to levitate in place while growing.

As they grow, getting blown about by the winds, tiny Qavoron-filled polyps anchor themselves to the crystal.  These polyps in turn grow Qavoron-infused coral structures to protect themselves and collect gases for sustenance.  As more attach themselves the coral structures grow along with the underlying crystal, forming massive floating reefs that are the basis for the planetary ecosystem.

As one may guess, Qavoron crystals are extremely valuable, being necessary components in the manufacture of gravity manipulation technology.  And while they are found elsewhere, the highest concentration is on Ocquim.  Naturally, when looking for a valuable commodity to sell to the interstellar community, the Quarm at once turned to the wealth growing in front of them.

Unfortunately, in those early years, the Quarm conveniently ignored that Qavoron was literally the foundation of their ecosystem.  As a result they did immense damage to their environment in the pursuit of wealth, protected by the excuse that 'the planet could take it'.  It took a growing public awareness of the devastation and a subsequent mass movement for the government to pass legislation forcing mining companies to use sustainable farming methods.  But hundreds of species were still irrevocably lost, and many reefs still bear the scars of that time - And some of those scars seem a bit too fresh.

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Phejhar (Valtress System)
An older moon, Phejhar's orbit leaves it perpetually in the shadow of its planet.

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Pixiu (Qilin System)
The jungle world of Pixiu is a monument, both to the greatest triumph of the Institute of Druidic Science, and the greatest failure of the League of Independent Planets.  Formerly an airless ball of rock, Pixiu was selected by the Institute and the League government for the Gaian Project, the largest and most expensive undertaking in their history.  Prior to the Gaian Project, terraforming was a long, arduous process that could take centuries to produce results- and that was assuming preexisting microorganisms to build off of!  The purpose of the project was to attempt to develop a form of terraforming that could produce appreciable results in a shorter timeframe using Elf-developed techniques.  The results exceeded their wildest expectations, and the planet was teeming with life in less than a year.

However there were... complications.

The first (and most famous of these) was the accidental creation of the Chimerans from non-sapient mammals released into the ecosystem.  The project's League overseers, taken aback by this sudden transformation, overreacted drastically.  After a bungled first contact, the attempted detention of the entire Chimeran population ignited a period of violence that only ended with one of the biggest trials in history and the Chimerans receiving full recognition as a sapient species.  Now independent, the planet is the site of the Arm's newest species- and civilization.

The other, less well known, complication was that Pixiu, though barren, was not lifeless, instead being inhabited by those myriad tiny creatures adapted for life in the void.  As a result, when the Gaian Project transformed the planet, they were transformed as well, filling the newborn jungle with species seen nowhere else. 

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Recivic (Vicrar System)
Home to the Cricet species, Recivec is one of the most hostile inhabited worlds in the Arm.  Due to the planet's highly elliptical orbit the planet is icebound for most of its passage, only coming close enough to its parent star to thaw once every thirty standard years.  As a result the native species of this planet have evolved to make the best use of these good times while they last before preparing for the hard times ahead.

Until recently the planet was mostly isolated from the rest of the Arm, with only the occasional scientific expedition or passing trader landing on the surface.  But the situation slowly began to change as foreign governments started trying to bring the planet under their influence, especially following the Five-Year War.  Fearing the loss of their independence (and ironically bolstered by renewed foreign trade) the Cricet rapidly unified into a confederation they hoped would be able to prevent foreign domination.

Initial results have not been promising however as, under pressure from the ITA, they have been obliged to grant foreign megacorporations extensive exploitation rights.  The majority of these grants have gone to the Kristal Ice Mining Company, an outgrowth of an ice-cream chain that decided to break into the water business in a big way.

Worried by these developments, the ruling council of Recivec have realized they need external allies in order to properly project influence in the ITA.  Although the most popular course is to attempt to build a non-aligned bloc with the other smaller powers, many fear they may have to throw in their lot with one of the 'big two' after all.  But from the Cricet's perspective neither choice seems particularly appealing.

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Tehanui (Tehanui-Iyan System)
Tehanui, the World-Ocean, is not actually a single planet.  Rather it is two ocean worlds, Tehanuyan (Righthand-Sea) and Tehanulan (Lefthand-Sea), orbiting the same star in opposite directions.  During the summer and winter periods it’s easy enough to reach the two planets by ship, but twice every year, at the equinoxes, the two planets pass close enough to each other to share an atmosphere.  Closer in fact, close enough to form a massive waterspout connecting the two worlds, making spaceflight near the connection virtually impossible due to the gravitational forces involved.  It is this maelstrom that has allowed the native Menahi to form a shared culture despite being divided between two worlds.

However there are differences, Tehanuyan is a shallower, rockier sea, full of small islands and atolls.  Due to this, it has become an agricultural centre, with a patchwork of kelp farms, free range fisheries, and shellfish beds.  Of the two planets, Tehanuyan has the more devout, conservative population- 'a monastery for every dozen towns' is a common exaggeration.

Tehanulan, by contrast, is a deeper ocean more famed for mineral wealth than agrarian bounty.  It has always been the more cosmopolitan of the two, it's relatively few shallows becoming the sites of the largest cities in Tehanui.  Tehanulan has always had more contact with other planets than its twin, and has developed a more free and easy attitude as a result.  Due to this it is far more accepting of so-called 'heathens and apostates' than its sibling might be.

But despite their differences the two worlds are still family, and have stuck together through thick and thin.  Siblings may quarrel, but they don't abandon each other. 

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Locations of Interest

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Ebria Station
Although built in a system consisting of one hot giant, two ice giants, and a bunch of rocks, Ebria Station is the centre of Arm travel and commerce.  The reason is simple; the system's Æthergate has both the shortest recharge time and the largest number of connections of any in known space.  Want to get somewhere fast? go through Ebria.  Need something? you'll find it on Ebria.  Hear the latest news? it's delivered from Ebria.

Due to the station's importance to interstellar trade not even the most expansionistic nations have dared the wrath of the rest of the Arm by seizing it (the O’Kor’uk being the exception).  Thanks to this the station has remained independent for most of its history, a point of pride for its citizens.  It was due to the above factors that the station was chosen as the headquarters of the ITA and the Space Police.  After all, what better place is there for a financial regulatory body than the hub of finance?

Culturally the station is a melting pot (indeed, a seething cauldron) of peoples and nations, the station's constant expansion and permissive tax codes making it an attractive prospect for settlement.  The streets are crowded with shops, vendors, street performers, and advertisements and the air is filled with the sounds of every language in the Arm.

Maps of Ebria Station

High Resolution - Control Level

High Resolution - Main Level

High Resolution - Docking Level

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The Nendaran Desolation
Located in the middle of a stellar nursery, the Nendara System is a quinary star-system with dozens of planets and hundreds of moons, many of which were ripe for terraforming and exploitation.  Unsurprisingly, this made it one of the most valuable systems in the Arm.  And of course, it’s located right on the borders of League and Imperial space.

While at first no official attempts were made to colonize the territory, bit by bit, unofficial attempts from both sides began to encroach on the system, dragging their respective governments after them.  Eventually, in order to deal with the issue, the League and the Empire came together to form the Nendaran Co-Dominion.

The Co-Dominion was a solution satisfactory to neither party however, and while not the official cause of the Five-Year War, the tension over the system’s ownership was certainly a major factor in the war’s outbreak.  Ironically, for the first three years of the War, no fighting actually occurred in the Nendara system itself. Rather, it remained more-or-less neutral territory, and the Co-Dominion was maintained.

In the war’s fourth year however, disaster struck.  For reasons that are still unknown, the two fleets assigned to guard the system’s Æthergate - one from each nation - opened fire upon each other.  The exact details of what occurred are uncertain, but it is believed that the gate was struck by weapons fire while actively in-transit.  Why the Gate was in transit at all remains undetermined, but what happened next, the Nendara Gate Collapse, was horrific: The Gate detonated with shocking force, instantly annihilating the two fleets and scouring the entire system with destructive magical energies.  The three closest planets - Verdion, Corvanis, and Karannak - were hit the hardest; instantly their surfaces were scoured as with a steel brush, their inhabitants either turned undead or killed outright, while their oceans were blasted from their surfaces and now hang in the skies as clouds that constantly thunder yet somehow never rain.  The rest of the system fared little better - the waves of radiation either horribly damaging interplanetary infrastructure or destroying it outright, while planetside environs were irreversibly shattered.

The sheer speed with which the League and Pluravvia abandoned the Nendara system after years of glowering at each other over it would be humorous were it not for the circumstances, and would inaugurate the current state of chaos.

In the absence of governmental oversight, and with the system almost completely cut off from communication with the outside world, a coalition of major corporations instantly saw an opportunity.  Presenting themselves as saviors, they swept into the system and immediately established the subtly-named Savior City on Corvanis to act as their center of operations.  However, scattered reports from the system indicate - in direct contradiction of the official press releases - that far from helping the locals, the coalition has instead taken the opportunity to pillage the system for everything they can lay their hands on.  With the local Space Police detachment firmly on the side of the corporations, it is unlikely that these charges will ever be investigated.

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Port Drandora
Port Drandora has a long and convoluted history.  Beginning its life as an asteroid mine whose owners abandoned it once it ran dry, the port is formed from the ad-hoc collection of rest stops, salvage yards, and seedy entertainments that've grown like mushrooms in and around the old buildings.  Although long used as a resupply station by legitimate traders, Drandora is most famous as a haunt of pirates and smugglers, and has a buzzing trade in contraband and stolen goods.

Things seem to be changing though after the (frankly bizarre) decision to use the station as the host of the talks that would end the Five-Year War.  As the site of the Drandora Accords, the ITA believes it has a duty to safeguard the place and keep it free of crime - to the locals’ chagrin.  Although the local Space Police commander hasn't done anything to upset the status quo yet, their presence is still resented as an implicit challenge to the locals' way of life.

Another effect has been the sudden influx of tourists, and while the locals initially profited from this they soon found themselves losing ground to foreign megacorporations in the same business.  Similarly the local pirates and smugglers are being put under pressure from organized crime to either sign on or be pushed out.

Not all the natives view this as necessarily a bad thing though, some welcome the transformation from an unimportant backwater into a centre of commerce.  A few of them even think that the place seems a bit too dingy for an important part of Arm history.  Perhaps some urban development could properly emphasize its importance to the outsiders?

 

 

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Religions of the Arm

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Boundless Sky
The worship of Ar’Kon’il (whose name in Standard is also the name of the religion) is the ancestral faith of the O’Kor’uk.  Due to long proximity it has become inextricably entwined with Cladrasith spirituality, but retains many elements from prior to this time.  Its central text is The Book of the Sky, a compilation of the oral traditions of the O’Kor’uk that also acts as their historical epic.

Beginning with their creation myth, the text recounts Ar’Kon’il’s battle with the great dragon Kor’Ak’ann, and his subsequent creation of the universe from the dragon’s body parts, ending with the O’Kor’uk’s birth from the dragon’s teeth.  The story continues with an extensive account of O’Kor’uk history, including their enslavement under a race of false gods known as the Vol’Kor’iin and their liberation by Ar’Kon’il’s chosen warriors, and the subsequent scattering of their people.

The last part of the epic is a recounting of their reunification under the First-and-Last King, the rise of his empire, and his betrayal and death at the hands of his son.  The text’s last words are a prophecy that he will one day rise from the dead and unify the scattered O’Kor’uk once again, creating a kingdom that will last forever.

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The Cult of Artaan
The Cult of Artaan is often referred to (somewhat oxymoronically) as a ‘secular religion’.  While this is not quite accurate, it does reflect its relationship with ‘temple’ religion in the Empire.  The origins of Artaan (‘excellence’) lie in the Empire’s early history, when it was thought of as a thing that could be attained by anyone who performed the duties of their caste to the best of their ability, and those who demonstrated that their Artaan was aligned with another caste could be moved to a position that better suited them.

However as the Empire has grown more strictly hierarchical the concept has become more and more associated with the aristocracy, and with the aristocracy’s particular virtues (administrative prowess, artistic skill, and martial valor).  In addition it has gained many mystical elements over time, such as the belief in Artaan as a spiritual quality of leadership, and a generalized belief in reincarnation.  ‘The union of Arvvir and Calaxxis’ is a well known metaphor for possessing both supreme martial and administrative skill, and for the hypothetical pinnacle of Artaan itself.  It has also been used as a jab at the modern conception of Artaan, as the two monarchs lived centuries apart and were both famously celibate.

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Living World
Not a religion as such, the philosophy generally called ‘Living World’ is more a way of conceiving of religion.  To adherents of this idea, the entire universe is alive and conscious, each thing having its particular spirit that perceives the universe in its own way.  Each of these spirits is capable of affecting the universe- each in different ways- and by learning to communicate with them we can increase our understanding of existence.

To followers of the Living World, all religions are equal.  No one being can know the full truth in this life, and all paths to it are equally legitimate.  As for gods, they are merely a type of spirit.  One to be acknowledged and even respected, but not the be-all and end-all of existence.  Only the pure, universal truth is worth unwavering devotion.  The origins of this philosophy lie in many strains of thought that have come together through the years, from Quo’ri meditative practices to druidic traditions, and its appeal is universal throughout the Arm.

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The Sovereign Pantheon
Descended from the native polytheism of the Krassar, the Pantheon was codified by the Imperial Republic to act as a state religion.  Unlike most state religions, the Pantheon was inclusive- to a degree.  While the Republic’s subjects were obliged to follow the faith by law, they were permitted to keep worshipping their old gods- as the Republic viewed all foreign deities as being the same gods under different names.  Due to this the religious structures set up by the Krassar remained in place in most of their conquered territories even after the Republic collapsed.

However due to the requirement that worship conform to the standards set by the Republic many old traditions and forms of worship disappeared under the Krassar’s rule.  This has been a source of resentment for those who feel the Republic-derived versions of their faiths are illegitimate successors to the original rites, and has caused several ‘revivalist’ sects to split away from the Pantheon’s various descendants.  Defenders of the Krassar-influenced versions will often point to the stability granted by the changes the Republic made, the unpleasant nature of several of these traditions, and the tendency of several of these faiths to claim ‘ancient’ origins for relatively new elements of their faiths.

Example Deities:
Lorgothol, the Kindly Plague - God of Suffering, the Grave, and Twilight
Irvator, Light of Civilization - Goddess of the Arcane, Light, and Order
Tiig, Mother of Invention - Goddess of Invention, Protection, and Unity
Varuth, the Joyful Hotelier - God of Travel, Hospitality, and Wisdom
Buloros, Lord of Wildfires - God of Passion, Nature, and Tempests
Drivito, Bringer of Death - Goddess of Trickery, Knowledge, and War

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Telahnisim
Originating on the twin planets of Tehanui, Telahnisim is the native faith of the Menahi- though it’s not exclusive to the species.  The central article of faith is the belief that, before entropic time began, all things existed in a state of perfection known as Telahn.  At some point this harmony was disturbed, resulting in the division of three qualities- Lauryan (‘spirit’), Iani (‘forcefulness’), and Tyana (‘inertia’).  It was the interaction between these qualities that gave rise to the universe of suffering and impermanence, and all existence is considered to be a quest to return to Telahn via a long cycle of reincarnation.  This quest is symbolized by a spiraling three-sided labyrinth within a circle representing the oneness of being.

The origin of this faith, and its introduction to the Menahi, is attributed to five great Ranagapari (‘teachers’) who were enlightened to the nature of the universe after long study and meditation.  Modern Telahnisism associates each of these Ranagapari with one of five virtues necessary to attain Telahn, and eschews anthropomorphic depictions in favor of showing each as a specific animal that represents their particular virtue.

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Organizations of the Arm

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Blackguard Security:
Formed roughly five years prior to the War by an unlikely partnership between former Nendaran defence pilot Katiyah Vishyana and the notorious Valtar marauder Yasha Rehji, Blackguard Security has since risen to become one of the top mercenary companies in the Euripides Arm.  Following the outbreak of the War, the company quickly gained prominence; the need for private security skyrocketed, as both the League and the Empire withdrew their forces from less strategically-important locations, leaving more and more systems unprotected.  Initially operating in the outlying territories of the Arm, Blackguard's scope soon expanded, capitalizing on the various internal conflicts and reallocation of resources towards the war-effort.  After the signing of the Drandora Accords, Blackguard Security's influence continued to rise.  The depletion of formal military forces, as well as the inefficiency and limited scope of the newly-formed Space Police, left a permanent void in the security industry - A void that Blackguard was more than willing to fill.  Now at the point of ubiquity, Blackguard Security is known as a private defense force for virtually anyone willing to pay their fees. 

As one might expect, the company has not been without its share of controversy - A collaboration between a weapons-smuggler and a Nendaran Ranger seemed doomed to fail from the start, and the inevitable falling-out of the two co-founders indeed occurred shortly after the start of the War.  With her ship destroyed by Blackguard Security's own Defense Wing, Rehji was presumed dead, and Vishyana took full control over the company.  Further details of precisely what led to this are unknown, as now-CEO Vishyana refuses to speak publicly regarding the incident.  More significantly, however, have been the allegations of criminal activity and dealings with organized crime syndicates on the part of the company - With no jurisdictional restrictions, Blackguard has been able to operate throughout League, Imperial, and neutral territories for over two decades, leading many to suspect that Blackguard plays all sides of any given conflict.  Despite this, multiple investigations into Blackguard's conduct have yet to uncover any explicit impropriety. 

Furthermore, Blackguard's commitment never to work for radical militant groups such as New Force and its splinter-cells, as well as the company's guarantee to always fulfil a contract regardless of counter-offers made on the part of opposing groups, has resulted in Blackguard Security netting an overall positive sentiment among the citizens of the Arm.

Many even hold the company in high regard, in light of Blackguard frequently being the only organization to operate in remote or independent systems - Regions where the ITA and its Space Police either cannot or will not. 

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Haast Aerospace Consolidated
If any company can be said to be the premiere shipbuilder in the Arm, it’s Haast.  Founded on Tehanuyan around -287 DA, it’s founder, Tekarani Haast, was inspired by a native species of bird that could fly immense distances without landing.  Seeking to emulate this, they sought to create a company that would make the best aerospace vessels in the Arm.

Initially a local company specializing in civilian vessels, it would be Tekarani’s daughter Sayarana who would expand the company not only to other star systems, but also into the military market.  It is directly to her that the company owes its current prosperity, as they soon became famed throughout local space for their high-quality designs.  The advent of the League only strengthened their position, as they swiftly became the premier shipbuilder for most League navies.  It seems that this upward path will continue for the foreseeable future, as the signing of the Accords has allowed them to expand their civilian operations into the Empire, to the chagrin of many major Raikaan.

The company’s success does not have the most scrupulous basis however, as the company has gained a reputation for taking advantage of conflict in and between minor nations.  Many smaller nations throughout the Arm have navies and air forces built by Haast, and many minor conflicts have been fought where both sides used the same aerospace-craft - something Haast seems all too willing to sweep under the rug.  Notably, both the defense forces of the Cricet Confederation and the commercial spacefleet of Krystal Ice are built by Haast.

Another issue that has reared its head inside the company is the question of its founder’s vision.  While the company has made most of its money from military contracts, Tekarani himself always wanted his company to be purely focused on civilian enterprise.  There are those who feel that his daughter’s decision to pivot the company towards lucrative military contracts was an insult to his memory.  This is not helped at all by the company’s current scion Ylani Haast, a brash, erratic fish who seems more interested in spending exorbitant sums on grandiose and poorly-conceived projects than in building a stable business.

Regardless, Haast is still one of the largest, richest, and most powerful companies in the League.  And considering how many ships they’ve built for the League Navy, that’s likely to stay true.

Spoiler

Hart Logistics
A shipping and transportation guild composed of a number of caravan outfits contracted out by a central office, Hart Logistics is one of the more... questionable shipping companies, but also one of the largest.  The enterprise is exclusively run by Jefferson Hart ‘Hart-breaker’ Mortizar, a flamboyant and charismatic individual who’s made something of a celebrity of himself.  Thanks to his famous casino-resort station ‘The Ace of Harts’ he was already rich even before setting up his company.  These days he normally leaves the establishment in the capable hands of Roxanne Sabbathorn, a former vaudeville singer (and rumored information broker) known as ‘The Queen of Hearts’.  

While Hart Logistics has many lucrative contracts across the major galactic shipping routes, they're best known for accepting the more... ‘unique’ transportation contracts with a ‘no questions asked’ policy.  While this has run them afoul of the Space Police on occasion, the charismatic Mortizar has managed to keep his company out of major trouble, mostly through goodwill charitable contributions to the struggling Nendara system and expertly applied PR campaigns which keep him in the good graces of public opinion.

However he may have bitten off a little more than he can chew thanks to his newfound rivalry with Oc|Tan.  While Oc|Tan is obliged to make use of his services, and he is obliged to use Oc|Tan fuel, the two companies have had a clear falling-out for reasons that are not quite clear to the public.  Several times, incidents have been reported of deliveries for Oc|Tan that were lost during transport, or that arrived damaged or with items missing.  No one is quite sure of what is going on, but Mortizar may need to reconsider this course if he wishes to remain in the public's good graces - And, more importantly, Oc|Tan’s.

Spoiler

Heroica
Heroica is a dream given life, specifically the dream of one Laserie Ablis.  Known for most of her life as something of an eccentric, to most Ms. Ablis was simply a wealthy financier from Ebria.  But her friends knew Laserie as someone fascinated by old stories of heroism and adventure, and who often wished for such a life herself.  Unfortunately, she would never have the opportunity, dying only two years ago.

But although she could not have such a life for herself, she would not let her dream die with her.  In her will she ordered the sale of all her assets and for the money to be placed in the hands of a board of trustees comprising her closest friends.  This money would be used to buy and refurbish an abandoned hotel on Ebria Station, purchase several ships, provide salaries for a few staff members, and pay the licencing fees for a new guild - Heroica.

As stated in the guild’s charter, the purpose of Heroica is to provide acts of heroism to anyone who asks for help, no matter how little they have to give in return.  Anyone can join Heroica - in fact, it is designed to be a place where those who have nowhere else to go can start a new life.

The future of Heroica is uncertain - It is a guild in a world becoming increasingly corporate; it is neutral in the face of expanding statism; it is idealistic in an environment of realpolitik and self-interest; it is transparent in an age of secrecy.  But despite all of this - or perhaps because of it - the organization is starting to grow in popularity, and it looks to be the dawn of a bright future.  Ultimately, however, only time will tell.

Spoiler

Interstellar Trade Authority
Formed by the Drandora Accords, the ITA is an international commercial regulatory body intended to ensure the free flow of trade and people across international borders, as well as provide security for ships in neutral space.  To ensure this end, the ITA operate the Space Police, an international law enforcement and peacekeeping organisation dedicated to combating piracy and international crime - at least, within the bounds of their jurisdiction (which is limited to neutral space and certain international ports), and in situations which do not run afoul of their corporate backers.

Ultimately, the fact that the ITA is an international organization operating via treaty with sovereign worlds means that no state cedes any more power to them then is absolutely needed for their own prosperity.  Due to this rampant self-interest, the ITA and their Space Police remain chronically underfunded, understaffed, and largely lacking in local support.  To add to this, despite the organisation having been founded relatively recently, the roots of corruption are already beginning to take hold, with relatives of wealthy business-owners and financiers taking positions within the Space Police.  Moreover, in order to gain the funding that they need, the ITA is often obligated to take official actions that favour their most powerful backers, such as forcing Recivec’s opening to foreign companies and ignoring the corporate scavenging of the already-ravaged Nendara system.  Indeed, the Space Police and the ITA above them are far more limited in their powers than their supporters wish them to be.

The ITA’s situation is not all bad, however, as they already have a strong presence on the upper levels of Cosmopoli, Port Drandora, and Ebria Station (which is also the site of their headquarters).  Additionally, despite the understaffed and frequently nepotistic nature of the Space Police, many of those who join are truly dedicated to the ITA’s loftier goals.  Despite their considerable flaws and limitations, many see the ITA and Space Police as emblems of a brighter future.  Perhaps they’re right.

Spoiler

Magni-Tec Heavy Industries
Founded approximately Three-Hundred years ago, Magni-Tec is an industrial manufacturing company specializing in civilian construction and terraforming.  When they were first formed, they were simply manufacturers of various magnet-based technologies, but they would soon expand into the sectors that would come to define the company.  Leveraging the advantage of their highly-advanced technology, they soon became the premier company in their sector.

Their lead could not last forever though, and slowly, by degrees, they began to fall behind their competitors.  Their technologies were first copied, then surpassed, while they themselves stagnated and began to fall behind.  Eventually they fell behind to such an extent that it became popular to predict they would soon declare bankruptcy or be bought out by their competitors.

Magni-Tec would not give in so easily though, and with the catastrophic collapse of the Nendara system’s Æthergate in the fourth year of the War, M-Tec saw an unorthodox opportunity to win back both the public’s and their investor's good graces.

Promising purpose and full-time employment for the newly turned undead of three of the Nendara system's planets, M-Tec has reinvented itself as a purveyor of hope, and is currently one of the major organizations focused on rebuilding the gate (though many dispute the possibility of this).  All is not honey and clover however, and concerns have been raised about the quality of life the undead receive upon M-Tec's massive construction ships deployed throughout the Arm, but few give it serious consideration.

As a side effect of its interest in the Gates, Magni-Tec has developed a somewhat odd relationship with the enigmatic Thaumaturgic Society.  While both wish to discover the secrets of the Æthergates, and have embraced a degree of cooperation to that end, M-Tec has a somewhat more materialistic rationale for this.  Unlike the Society's esoteric quest for knowledge, M-Tec is driven by the idea that, if they can discover and patent the secrets of the Æthergate’s function, they’ll not only fully reverse their downward trend, but instantly become the most powerful corporation in the Arm.  If they can pull it off, that is.

Spoiler

Ochram-Tanaxxis Consortium (Oc|Tan) 
Before the Drandora Accords no-one would've believed it possible, and even afterwards the announcement of the alliance between mountainholme Ochram and the Tanaxxis Raikaan was initially believed to be a hoax by many.  Yet today Oc|Tan seems a simple fact of life, and no one can imagine life without them.

The origins of Oc|Tan lie in the years immediately following the war.  In the Empire, the Tanaxxis Raikaan, who had long been entrenched into the government-protected monopoly system, suddenly found themselves coming into increased competition with foreign companies from outside their sphere of influence.  Faced with a loss of power and prestige, the company began looking for ways to expand their influence beyond the Pluravvian borders in order to stave off ruin.

Meanwhile, in the League, mountainholme Ochram and the clans associated with it were in dire straits.  Once the preeminent extractors and refiners of fusible fuel for NLS drive systems, they found themselves increasingly being undercut by international corporations.  It was this mutual need for support that drove these two disparate groups into each other's arms.

Now called the Ochram-Tanaxxis Consortium, often stylised as 'Oc|Tan', they are known as a powerful energy conglomerate that holds many of the fuel production and distribution stakes throughout the Euripides Arm. With the explosion in popularity of the Dwarven NLS drive, and the growing energy needs of quasi-ecumenopoli and forge worlds, acquisitions of fusible material such as isotopic Luminium have become more critical, and Oc|Tan is the premier provider.

Yet while the company is running smoothly on the surface, internally it’s quite a different matter.  Oc|Tan’s highly-democratic Dwarven half is often in conflict with the loyalty-based family-run business practices of Raikaan culture, and particularly with the pseudo-legal (in the Empire) criminal half of Tanaxxis’ operations.  Furthermore, both halves have found themselves at the center of multiple ITA inquiries regarding market abuse and manipulation, and potential exploitation of undeveloped planets - for which each half unofficially blames the other.  Even more worryingly, Oc|Tan has a contentious relationship with Hart Logistics, a major freight-transportation guild that holds sway over a large number of the Arm’s shipping routes. 

Yet despite all this, both sides have remained firmly allied.  Partly due to sheer necessity, and partly because both view honoring their contracts as a matter of duty.

Spoiler

Sovereign Interstellar Bank
Of all the things expected to survive the Krassar’s fall, their financial institutions were not one of them.  During the initial twenty-five year period following the Krassar’s de facto collapse they still maintained de jure control over much of their old territories, which by this point were essentially autonomous states.  During this period the currency of the Republic suffered from severe depreciation due to the lapse in Krassar authority, leading to many of the aforementioned autonomies minting their own versions without reference to the official mint.  This caused an issue where different parts of the Republic essentially used different currencies with uncertain exchange rates.  This was exacerbated by a separate but related issue; the stores of hard currency possessed by the Sovereign Republican Bank (the primary medium of exchange) had been so badly depleted during this period that the Bank couldn't repay its customers.

In order to solve these issues, the Patricians that controlled the Bank decided on a radical solution without the input of the increasingly impotent Senate.  Leveraging the Bank’s authority to issue banknotes and grant loans, they embarked on the creation of a new currency - Credits - that acted as notes with a set exchange rate.  When someone placed money in the bank, instead of it being listed in whatever currency it had originally been, the customer was given a set number of Credits in exchange.  This actually worked extremely well- since the Bank was one of the few institutions still functional throughout the Republic, and the Credit was accepted at every branch, it soon became the main currency of every part of the Krassar’s former dominion.

The next major development in the Bank’s history came when the First-and-Last King’s conquering army swept through former Krassar space.  The King, as much a statesman as a conqueror, realized the usefulness of this system as a way of easing the administrative challenges he faced.  With this in mind, he offered the essentially-independent Bank a deal: To come over to his side and become his national bank, and in exchange he’d expand their reach throughout his empire.  The Bank, no longer feeling any loyalty to the moribund Krassar state, agreed readily.  While the O’Kor’uk empire barely outlasted its founder’s death, the Bank once again was able to retain its influence.  Indeed the Bank had grown immensely rich due to its expanded reach, and soon decided to end all pretense of being a national institution, renaming itself the Sovereign Interstellar Bank.

This was followed by a brief period of stagnation, as the two main powers of the period following the First-and-Last King’s rule - the Pluravvian Empire and the Kingdom of Aquin - prefered to use their own currencies and were intensely suspicious of a privately-owned bank minting its own currency, and their tributaries followed their lead.  While the end of Aquinian hegemony allowed the Bank to expand into its former sphere of influence, and eventually into the nascent League, they were never able to expand into the Empire beyond Cosmopoli.  This would finally change following the Drandora Accords, where it was stipulated that ITA membership had to include acceptance of the Credit and the Bank.

However there are many who object to this, feeling that allowing a private institution to have total control of the only internationally-accepted currency is essentially asking for massive fraud, something that the Bank’s history is not entirely devoid of.  Furthermore, due to the way this had to be set up, the Bank is essentially a signatory of the Drandora Accords despite not actually being a sovereign nation- something many feel indicates that the Bank has far too much power.  However due to their deep entrenchment in Arm society, and their relationship with the ITA, it doesn’t seem that these objections will bear much fruit.

Spoiler

The Thaumaturgic Society
Beginning its existence as a Human shipwrights guild, and then continuing as an esoteric Telahnic brotherhood, the Society (as it’s referred to colloquially) is currently the most prominent magical research organization in the Arm.  Their discoveries, particularly Ætherspace, have made them famous across the stars.

However actually getting them to divulge their discoveries is a titanic effort, as the organization is also one of the most viciously secretive in the Arm.  To the Society, the search for truth is a task of almost religious importance, and they do not disperse knowledge - particularly knowledge that they feel is dangerous - lightly.  Due to this, they have gained a reputation as keepers of dangerous occult secrets, though it is unknown exactly how true this is. 

However they do not simply collect knowledge, and if they believe someone is in need of their services they are quite willing to offer it - usually on their own initiative.  Their most famous method of doing this, and of finding those who need such assistance, is via the Society’s Investigators.  These semi-official agents are dispatched by the Society either to deal with suspected occult issues, or to hunt them on their own initiative.  The Investigators are the most well-regarded members of the Society, and they serve as popular protagonists in occult detective stories.

Following the discovery of Ætherspace and the potential of livecode, a branch of the society embarked on one of the largest data gathering projects ever undertaken.  To this end, a select group of members launched I.R.I.S. (Interstellar Routing and Information Services) a pseudo-independent group overseeing the replacement of deadcoded systems throughout the Arm and providing nonpartisan public access to the newly discovered Ætherspace.  For the first time, people throughout the Arm could instantly interact, sharing ideas, knowledge, and their lives with each other - all through the use of livecode enabled devices.  General society has prospered through unrestrained and unlimited communication, and the Thaumaturgic Society has obtained insight into the thoughts of the galaxy.

Spoiler

White Knight Surveillance
Following the discovery of Ætherspace, and the subsequent explosion of livecoded devices available to the general public, the need for some sort of security for the new frontier quickly became evident.  Companies wishing to take advantage of the unlimited storage offered by this new domain swiftly discovered how easily their data could be compromised by competitors with enough time on their hands to search the boundless realm.  Into this space stepped White Knight Surveillance, an organization of freelance Ætherdiving contractors who specialized in Ætherspace security, stepping up to protect the virtual assets of their loyal customers.

While numerous other security groups have come and gone; Sysmatic, SecNet, Travast, White Knight has maintained the top spot among small businesses and corporations lacking the budget to fund an inhouse team.  Headquartered in the ‘Little Aluriel’ block of Ebria’s Platinum way, the company was founded by Wranqen Rainlight, a famously eccentric elven tech entrepreneur.  Something of a romantic, he deliberately modeled the company on a somewhat anachronistic ‘military brotherhood’ structure - complete with personnel swearing oaths of fealty to one another and to the fulfillment of their contracts.

Indeed, despite being an officially secular organization the company has become known for having an intensely religious character, with particular emphasis placed on Valaran, an elven god of chivalry.  This is largely due to the company’s structure acting as a lure to those who idolize the orders it was based on - including their more problematic elements that Wranquen hadn’t considered when he founded the company.

In addition to the slow collapse of his rosy view of the organization, Wranquen had another issue - despite being a technical genius, he had no head for business.  Having taken several loans from major financiers to get off the ground, he soon found it more and more difficult to repay his debts.  As time went on he found himself outmaneuvered by his erstwhile partners until he found himself locked out of primary decision making.  Finally, after a series of arguments with the major shareholders about the company’s direction, he quit as CEO and cut all ties to it.

Now White Knight is run by an odd mix of profit-oriented businessmen and religious romanticists, an arrangement that has proven surprisingly functional over the years simply by the two groups tacitly agreeing not to impinge on each other's areas of expertise.  The biggest question facing the company now is whether the ideals it was founded on will win out in the end, or if it’ll end up just another corporation in a faceless morass.

Spoiler

Wyvern Armaments Guild
One of the oldest guilds in the Arm, Wyvern Armaments is considered the premier manufacturer of military equipment.  Founded on the planet Oquim by a group of Quarm merchants, the most famous products of this guild are the ‘grav guns’, a type of ship-to-ship weaponry that takes the pleziogravimetric properties of the native qavoron crystals and uses them to fling kinetic projectiles with immense force.  While similar to magnetically powered railguns, these weapons are uninhibited by the dangers of explosive compounds, radioactive energy sources, or magically challenging spellcraft weapons.  These grav guns saw extensive use by both sides of the Five-Year War, with Wyvern profiting immensely from their contracts spread out across the galaxy.

It wasn’t until after the war that the environmental impact of mass quavoron crystal harvesting on Ocquim would come to light, and with the end of the conflict the Wyvern Armements Guild would quickly pivot many of its military grade factories to civilian and hobbyist production, and focus its research arm on to more sustainable harvesting solutions and the other applications of the quavoron crystals.  The majority of these applications lie in the field of structural engineering, and Wyvern has entered into several partnerships with both Haast Aerospace and Magni-Tec to fully exploit the possibilities.

However this is only part of Wyvern’s operations, and they have separate divisions engaged in the manufacture of ground vehicles, ætherwarfare and electronic warfare systems, and personal equipment.  The last of these is famous for being the manufacturers of the D-KA series of automatic rifles.  Invented by the O’Kor’uk engineer D’Kon’ik, these weapons are famous for being both inexpensive and nigh-indestructible.  Currently, most of the guild’s contracts are with various police forces (Space-or-otherwise) but they do still manufacture weapons systems for military forces, and occasionally for private ones as well.

[Waterbrick Down]

Technology

Spoiler

Magic, or the manipulation of reality has a multitude of histories depending upon the star system.  While sensitivity to magic differs from species to species and certain cultures have emphasized its use over others in daily living, the fact remains that magic is integrated into the very weave of reality and its impacts range from nearly imperceptible to world changing.  The use of magic is typically divided into four major systems; Esoteric, Substantive, Theurgical, and Phantasmagoric, though other less prominent systems exist in niche cultures and species.

Esoteric or “Arcane” magic is a system often predicated upon a logical understanding of the metaphysical relationship between the Ætherial and terrestrial spheres and the ways it may be exacted upon to evoke differing responses.  It is often the more scholastic of the systems and many mage schools are founded on the tutelage of Esoteric principles. Esoteric spells often exhibit the creation or translation of a phenomenon, whether it be energy or matter.

Substantive or “Natural” magic systems focus upon the intrinsic influences upon biological systems, this is in turn manipulated to more naturally enhance or detract from aspects of the terrestrial sphere.  One major outlet of the Substantive system is the Druidic Sciences and their melding certain aspects of spirituality with the arcane.  Spells of the Natural variety typically focus upon the enhancement of an existing phenomenon or the manipulation of the natural world. 

The Theurgical or “Divine” system of magic has a strong association with priests and clergy of the star systems.  Unlike the scholastic approach of the Esoteric system or the meditative of the Substantive system, Theurgical magic finds its source in the mystic connection of devotion to the outpouring of divine power, whether that devotion be to a deity, creed, or ideal.  Divine spells are often concerned with the manipulation of magic upon the soul or individual being of an individual.

The Phantasmagoric or “Occult” system of magic is actually sustained by the interactions between other spheres of reality and the terrestrial sphere.  These interactions may range from the influence of actual otherworldly beings to twisting of the material verse via an influx of malevolent power from the associated sphere, but often require a conduit by an actual individual upon the terrestrial sphere.  Often associated with forbidden knowledge and the dark secrets, many practitioners of Phantasmagoric magic can acquire vast amounts of power, though typically at some sort of price.

Spoiler

The history of startravel is irrevocably tied to the history of magic and Æther.  While the use of magic was developed independently on many different planets, most agree that the Humans and Cladrasith (and by extension the O’Kor’Uk) were among the first still surviving species to utilize it for startravel.  The elder Cladrasith, having a deep connection with the Æther and knowledge from times long before they can even remember, revealed to the O’Kor’Uk how to access the strands of Æther and shape the terrestrial sphere with its power.

Humans have been traveling the stars from before recorded history in search of their lost homeworld Arcadia, with their use of Æther stemming from their oral tradition.  Through magic, came the ability to propel oneself through the air, then eventually to protect oneself from the harsh conditions of space, and finally the ability to access the Æthergates leading to the interactions between differing species and systems.

From the beginning, stellar craft were helmed by starwrights, trained mages who oversaw the propulsion and protection of the vessels.  Eventually guilds arose to support these mages and the industries they served leading to a boom of interstellar trade and prosperity.  Overtime, the dependency upon Æther fueled starcraft became pronounced leading to near economic and influential abandonment of those cultures/species with little to no connection to the Æther.  To that end, species such as the Dwarves of Aluriel focused their efforts on development of technologies capable of rivaling the Æther.  Around the year -350 DA, the Dwarven clan Brothvim discovered that a compound of Radium and enriched Luminium, called Radon Triluminite, was fusible under relatively low pressures - This discovery would forever change the trajectory of stellar travel within the Arm. With a viable source of non-Ætheric power, the Dwarves were able to construct the first successful near-light-speed (NLS) drive - A feat previously thought impossible, due to the energies necessary to achieve such speeds.

During the initial development of the NLS drive, clan Brothvim encountered a serious issue.  Any attempt to maneuver a vessel even slightly at NLS would tear the ship apart due to the immense torque applied.  It was soon discovered, however, that by mixing a naturally-occurring metallic compound known as Hydrocobalt with the metals that comprised their ships’ outer hulls, and then passing an electric current through the resulting alloy, they could generate a ‘cohesion field’ that allowed the ships to maneuver safely at NLS.

Hydrocobalt, as the name suggests, is primarily found on the seabeds of particularly deep oceans, being formed from the effects of the water’s immense pressure on naturally-occurring minerals and metals.  While it is relatively common throughout the Arm, it is primarily found on the planets Tehanulan, Recivec, and Corvanis.  The latter of these has the most easily accessible deposits, due to the destruction of its native oceans. 

Since that time, star vessels have been outfitted with a number of differing propulsion systems, and the merger of magic and technology has furthered development allowing access to star systems once believed inaccessible for all time. 

Spoiler

Built by an ancient civilization (unimaginatively known as the ‘Gate Builders’) Æthergates have been the main form of interstellar transportation and communication for centuries.

Connected into a vast and tangled network, each massive gate is connected to a set number of other gates via a register (seemingly encoded in it’s æther ansible).  To activate a gate one must select one of the other gates in it’s register and enter the associated ‘livecode’ sequence.  The two gates will then open, allowing instantaneous transportation between them. Afterwards the gate that was activated will need to recharge for a set period before being used again while the other remains unaffected.

In addition to this, the Gates are the only known objects capable of FTL communication, being capable of instantly contacting any other known gate even when deactivated.  For the longest time this function was believed to be limited to basic radio signals, somehow separate from the ‘gate’ aspects of their function.  It was investigations by the Thaumaturgic Society that discovered the æther ansibles integrated into the gate’s design and - more importantly - how to interface with them.  What they found was an integrated network - Ætherspace - that could be used not only to transit, but also store data with seemingly no limit.  There was a catch however, as data could only be stored in Ætherspace if it was encoded in the same magical language - livecode - used to open the gates.  Similarly, any device that wanted to interface with the ansibles had to be ‘programmed’ in this same language, as the ‘deadcode’ used in normal programming proved totally incompatible.  Nowadays deadcode is only used in systems that, for whatever reason, are disconnected from the æther.

As to Ætherspace itself, once it was discovered and opened to the public it quickly became the main form of long-distance communication.  Despite their best efforts, the authorities have only nominal control of the æther, allowing for an explosion of both free speech and criminal dealings across international boundaries.  Another development from it’s adoption was the discovery and subsequent popularity of Ætherdiving, whereby a person with a physical connection to a livecode device can partially disconnect their spirit from their body, allowing them to roam Ætherspace in a manner impossible in normal computer systems.

The reach of the gates is not universal however, as not all systems possess a gate to begin with - either from the local gate being destroyed, or from simply not having one to begin with. These systems are isolated from the rest of the Arm, relying on NLS couriers for trade and news of the outside world.  As one might expect, these systems are often major targets for piracy, criminal dealings, and unscrupulous corporate behavior.  Of course, many such locations on the outskirts of the Arm remain unexplored, while still more lie behind gates that have yet to be opened in spite of vigorous attempts.

Spoiler

 

To explain Adamites, one must first explain Artificial Intelligence.  As far as anyone knows, it’s impossible to make a truly sentient being via normal computer programming (‘deadcode’), though extremely complex mimicry has proven achievable.  A hundred years ago however, a member of the Thaumaturgic Society, Periklis Prometheoi, discovered a method whereby one could use the magical language called ‘livecode’ to implant a soul into an artificial chassis.  Unfortunately, Periklis was a deeply unscrupulous person, and used his discovery to enrich himself by selling the resulting beings as merely well-programmed robots.  It wasn’t until some time later when the truth was revealed, whereupon Periklis took his own life rather than stand trial for trafficking sapients.  The resulting artificial beings, Adamites, then took steps to secure the secret of their own creation, though a few members of other species have also learned the method by various means.

Homunculi, on the other hand, is a catch-all term denoting artificial lifeforms created by biological means.  The exact methods of creation vary from cloning to in vitro gestation, but they don’t seem to suffer from the same issue as A.I. in that they seem to be born with souls automatically.  This may have something to do with the fact that they are generally grown rather than assembled.  Homunculi are somewhat common throughout the Arm, though the technology to create them is highly expensive and unevenly distributed.

In general, creating artificial sapient beings for commercial or government purposes is illegal throughout the Arm as a form of slavery (though a few planets do not have such laws).  Some planets also ban the creation of even sentient or sessile beings, though their is rarer.  Most, ‘robots’ ‘droids’ or ‘automatons’ are programmed in deadcode, and as such are more limited than their living counterparts.

 

[Waterbrick Down]

National Alliances

Liberty Begets Prosperity

General Overview

Spoiler

  Rather than being a single nation, the League of Independent Planets is a loose confederation of smaller nations joined in a 'free association'.  Formed primarily from various Republics, Democracies, and Constitutional Monarchies, the League has been pervaded since its founding by an ethos of individual liberty, and seeks to spread that ethos throughout known space by whatsoever means necessary.  How free the nation truly is is a matter for debate however, as the largest founding nations and powerful multinational corporations hold outsize influence in the Grand Assembly.
  It was just two decades ago the League and its allies fought a major war against it's largest rival, the Pluravvian Empire.  The Five-Year War, as it would later be known, would become the defining event in modern astropolitics.  From the first many members of the League were against the war- sentiments that only grew as the tide turned against them.  But, unexpectedly, a reprieve came when the Pluravvian advance suddenly ground to a halt.  While there were those who wished to press this sudden advantage, the anti-war faction finally won out- especially once the Empire offered to sign a treaty with the League and end the war.  This treaty would become known as the Drandora Accords, and it soon grew from a treaty to end the war to a document to permanently secure peace in the Arm.  Following these negotiations however, over a third of the League's members chose to withdraw from the body, stating that the League's pursuit of such a violent, destructive conflict was unacceptable and that they no longer wished to remain associated with it.
  Now, with the League's Bicentennial fast approaching, they find themselves in an uncertain position.  The League is economically prosperous but politically divided, it's armies humiliated but still influential, it's members united even though many seats in the Chamber of the Grand Assembly remain unoccupied.  The League is in an era of growth, but many wonder how long the good times can last.

Government

Spoiler

  The central legislature of the League is a unicameral parliamentary body known as the Grand Assembly.  Directly elected from League member states in proportion to population, the Assembly is supposedly the highest level of League government.  They are responsible for managing foreign relations and drafting inter-member legislation that does not fall under the purview of more specialized bodies- which is very little in practice.  They also maintain the 'power of the purse', the legal authority to regulate League finance, which they have often used as leverage over other bodies in the League even when denied more explicit means of regulation or oversight.  The Leader of the Assembly, known as the Prime Minister, is selected from its members via sortition- a process some claim is designed to undermine the power of the Assembly, while others say it preserves the equality of its members.
  The next two bodies of the League government are the Unified High Command (UHC) and the Economic Oversight Committee (EOC).  Both share the same structure- members are appointed directly by sub-League governments to a fixed number of seats divided equally between those permanently assigned to the main founding nations and seats that cycle between the other League members every five years.  It is these bodies that possess the most power in League government, though they still require the Assembly's approval to enact any legislation.  They do however have the power of veto over any legislation that impinges their respective areas of concern.
 The UHC is responsible for coordinating between the various national militaries and intelligence agencies of the League, as well as operating a small fleet of warships donated by member states- in practice most of those warships are unofficially commissioned by the UHC beforehand- and the so-called 'New Model Army' comprised of volunteers from across the League.  Their duties normally consist of border patrols and pirate hunting, but in times of war they become the logistical center of one of the most diverse militaries in the Arm.
  The EOC on the other hand are responsible for the League's internal commercial activity.  In charge of the regulations on corporations, labor unions, customs, and civilian transportation throughout the League, the EOC is the beating heart of the bloodstream of League commerce.  They work closely with sub-League governments to ensure economic prosperity, and operate a number of think-tanks to devise more efficient methods of securing economic growth.
  In recent years both of these bodies have come under fire- the UHC for it's mishandling of the Five-Year War and perceived jingoism, the EOC for being overly favorable to rich corporate lobbies, and both for being effectively dominated by the interests of the founding nations- with their detractors wishing to devolve more power to the elected legislature.
 There have been occasional attempts to establish similar bodies to coordinate police forces and scientific research, but with the former now covered by the ITA and the latter not being very popular to begin with this is not likely to occur.

Society

Spoiler

  Most people would say that the League is a pretty good place to live.  While this is true, it's not all there is to the story.  The League has no single official language, no proscribed cultures, and no overarching structure enforcing cultural conformity.  As a result, while there has been a degree of homogenization through sheer proximity, most League members have maintained their individual customs without much difficulty.  The largest cities and space-habitats of the League, on the other hand, are true melting pots.  The streets are lined with signs in hundreds of languages, and the sounds of hundreds more fills the air- whether they originated in the League or not.  Legally speaking citizens are guaranteed the rights of freedom of speech, of worship, of equality before the law, and of private ownership.  This is not to say that the League is a utopia- far from it.  Access to health services, anti-poverty measures, and the sanctity of personal privacy are all things that vary wildly across the League's members, something the richest members of society have been known to abuse to their advantage.
  Indeed the richest members of League society have an undue influence on League politics, with the pride of place going to the largest international corporations.  Their influence is felt in government policy, their presence reflected by the many advertisements lining the city streets.  Many times have high-ranking members of these organizations been accused of major financial crimes, only for the charges to be quietly dropped, or investigation stymied by the lack of large-scale coordination between the various national police forces.  The latter issue is only just beginning to be rectified by the existence of the Space Police, though time will tell how effective they really are.
  One enduring stain upon the League's history is that, although accession to the League has always been a voluntary process, in the period prior to it's foundation many of the states that would go on to join it engaged in what can only be described as imperialism, on their own planet or others.  The forcible subjugation of other peoples has ended since the founding of the League, and many of the formerly-conquered have gained independence, but not all have.  There are still those who feel they are in a state of subjugation - despite League-wide laws against discrimination.  After all, just because laws exist to ban something does not prevent it from happening, or change the fact that it has happened in the past.
  Politically the League's population is divided between several major factions.  Firstly there are the Prosperatists, an anti-war, pro-trade faction that currently forms the majority in the Assembly.  They believe wholeheartedly that peaceful interactions, cultural and political, between different peoples inevitably leads to economic growth and the creation of a peaceful consensus between rival groups, pointing to the League as an example.  They also believe that the role of the League is simply to maintain it's current structure and allow it's members to govern themselves as they see fit, though they also believe in maintaining individual rights.  However they have been criticized by their opponents for having an overly romantic view of the League's 'consensus' that doesn't match with reality, and for promoting policies favorable to large corporations instead of smaller businesses or individual workers.
  Next largest are the Consolidationists, who share their anti-war stance the Prosperatists but are otherwise very different. For one thing they are much more firmly anti-UHC and EOC, arguing that they have far too much power that should be devolved to the Assembly.  Another talking point of theirs is the goal of peacefully readmitting former League members who seceded following the war.  They're also distinctly against the current structure of the League, arguing for a more centralized, 'federal' model with proper departments and government services.  This is not so popular amongst people who take the founding myth of the League to heart, or amongst people who like how their particular nation is being run and worry that a federalized League will actually be less responsive to their needs.  It doesn't help that the Consolidationists seem to be more than a little enamored of the government structure of the Pluravvian Empire, particularly it's more technocratic elements.
  The third largest faction in the Assembly are less of a single party and more of a coalition of smaller parties with broadly similar goals.  A generally anti-corporate pro-worker faction divided on the issue of League centralization and exactly which branch of the economy is the most important.  There are the Statists who comprise the 'intellectual' faction who are in favor of centralization, the Unionists who represent industrial workers and wish for decentralization along 'cooperative' lines, and the Agrarians who represent agricultural workers and are more concerned with reforming the existing League than making sweeping changes.  The lack of internal cohesion has lead to a new divide forming between those who sympathize with the Pluravvian rebels and those who found the bloodshed impossible to support, with only the Agrarians being firmly in the latter camp.  The rest of the parties in the Assembly are minor interest groups (regional, cultural, and religious).
  One political faction that has no major party to represent them are those who feel betrayed by the secessionists, those who feel robbed of victory against the Empire, and who wish to reunite the League into a single unitary body.  This 'New Force' as they call themselves are starkly militaristic and believe in the idea of the League as a single state, a concept without historical basis.  Devoid of any clear policies they only seem unified by a desire to 'punish the traitors and smash the Empire'.
 Thankfully this brand of militaristic insanity is not very popular among the League's citizens.
 May it stay that way.

History

Spoiler

 The modern League had its beginnings in two very disparate organizations.  One was the Hesperian Pact, a military alliance comprised the victors of the short but destructive War of the Seven Colonies.  The other was the Demosthenes Customs Union, a loosely associated trading bloc that straggled across it's namesake star-cluster.  Whilst these organizations were founded separately, they shared many members between them, and the external allies of one were often also the economic partners of the other.  Over the years of their separate existence the two organizations grew both in size and their entanglement with one another.  Thus it was that when, approximately two-hundred years ago, they and their external partners decided to unify their various agreements and compacts into a single structure it was less a sudden development and more an official acknowledgement of this process.  The date of this agreement would later become celebrated throughout the League as 'Foundation Day', a symbol of unity for all it's members.
  There was a reason for this unification besides simple convenience though, or even a desire to project influence.  For on the horizon, just beyond the edge of the League's influence, lay the mighty Pluravvian Empire.  For centuries the Empire had been slowly but steadily expanding in both territory and influence, and it was thought by the League's founders that the unification would allow them to better resist Imperial influence than if they stayed apart.  This worked better than expected, as the newly founded League proved highly appealing to star-nations that wished to avoid falling into the Empire's sphere.  As more and more of these nations joined, the League slowly became more hostile towards Pluravvia, all while slowly growing until they had become the Empire's greatest rival.
  This state of tension came to a head twenty years ago, when a small League flotilla on pirate-hunting operations in neutral territory was accused of violating Pluravvian space.  The League naturally responded with the assertion that no such violation had occurred, with the discussions grinding to a halt as both sides refused to give an inch.  The situation deteriorated further when the League flotilla in question were fired on by an Imperial squadron sent to 'escort' them from the area.  This would ultimately prove the final straw, with the Empire officially declaring war two days later.
  The Five-Year War, as it would later be known, would prove to be the most destructive war in League history.  Although the first year of the conflict went well for the League, with the aging Imperial fleets pushed back across all fronts, they soon found themselves overextended and boxed in by the Empire's superior strategic capabilities.  Slowly but certainly the League's offensive collapsed in on itself, until it became a rout following the disastrous Battle of Van Ferde when the center of the League's line, led by Admiral Enwillion Calferion, was outmaneuvered and destroyed by a much smaller force.  By the fourth year of the war the League had not only been pushed out of Imperial space, but significant portions of the League were occupied by invading Pluravvian forces.  By this point the constant string of defeats had soured much of the population's opinions towards the war, and already there were calls to end it not only from the electorate, but also significant portions of the Assembly.
  Towards the end of the war's fourth year however the Pluravvian advance began to slow, with several ships being recalled to Imperial space throughout to deal with internal unrest.  It was early in the fifth and final year of the conflict that the Imperial advance not only stopped, but their forces began a rapid withdrawal.  The reason for this soon became apparent, as news reached the League that a major rebellion had erupted in the Empire.  While there were those who advocated striking back while the Empire was distracted it was clear by this point that the League was in no shape to continue the fight.  When Pluravvia offered not only a ceasefire, but an opportunity to come to terms and end the war once and for all, the Assembly ultimately leapt at the chance.  The negotiations to outline the treaty were held at Port Drandora, a neutral space-station well away from the territory of either nation, and would eventually result in the creation of the Drandora Accords.  The terms of the treaty were defined both by the Empire's need to secure military assistance to defeat the revolution, the League's need to secure economic aid to rebuild, and their various allies' and trading partners' desires for a more stable and prosperous Arm.  By the time the Accords were signed, both major combatants had committed to mutual military assistance and membership in the newly-formed ITA.
 Though the war was over, the political turmoil it engendered continued to persist in the Assembly.  Some of the League's members had felt little enthusiasm for the war even before it began to turn against them, with this number only growing as it dragged on.  Others found themselves objecting to the fact that they were now obliged to assist the Empire in crushing the revolution, feeling a greater degree of solidarity with the republican rebels than with the empire they'd just been fighting.  And of course there were those who simply resented having to shoulder an oversized (to them) part of the burden of paying for reconstruction efforts.
  When the first one of these states succeeded the immediate response was sheer confusion.  When the second followed them the reaction was more subdued.  By the time the seventh left the announcement was greeted with an air of resignation.  While nearly all of these newly re-independent states willingly and rapidly reaffirmed their commitment to -and continued membership of- the ITA, they made it clear that they no longer felt like the League was looking out for their best interests.  This left a feeling of resentment in the minds of those who remained, who felt that the secessionists wished to reap all the benefits of the Drandora Accords while shirking the costs of remaining with the League.  Indeed, the sudden withdrawal of over a third of the League's members seriously hampered reconstruction efforts in damaged territories, leaving the people there especially hostile to the secessionists.  Unfortunately for the League the right of any member to withdraw was enshrined in it's founding documents, meaning they had no legal recourse to prevent it save bureaucratic delaying actions.  There were a few who suggested leveraging military force to make them reconsider, but at this point the remaining leadership was unwilling to risk another war so soon.  And so they were left with no recourse but to sit back and watch as the League was diminished.
  As an unexpected consequence of this, the League was forced to seek greater cooperation with the Empire in rebuilding the territories they had damaged in the first place.  This, along with the pivotal role played by League Expeditionary Forces in defeating the rebellion, proved only the first step towards even closer cooperation between the two powers.  By the time reconstruction was completed and the rebellion was destroyed the two had become firm partners, to the point that the League's recently-established 'New Model Army' is modeled heavily on the Imperial Armed Forces- to the point of possessing near identical officer training programs.
 Nowadays the League is richer and more influential than ever before, though at a terrible cost.  Whether this can last however, remains to be seen.

The Stars are our Birthright

General Overview

Spoiler

  Ruled from the planet Hi-Pluvvon, from the Imperial capitol of Strivvec-An, The Empire of Pluravvia and Her Most Loyal Protectorates is the largest (and some would say most prestigious) contiguous nation in known space, it's influence and power only rivaled by the League of Independent Planets.  For centuries the various castes that make up the Empire have been lead by the guiding hand of a procession of divinely-mandated Empresses and Emperors - with only the occasional disasters and wars to disrupt things.  Not all citizens were satisfied with this arrangement however, and over time discontent would slowly grow amongst the lower castes.
  Twenty years ago, Pluravvia and her client states were driven to defend themselves against League aggression in what would become known as the Five-Year War.  It was partway through this war that the tensions boiling beneath the surface of Pluravvian society would erupt in revolution.  No longer capable of fighting a major war, Pluravvia made peace with the League at the now-famous Drandora Accords, turning the full might of it's armies to crush the uprising.
 Today the Empire is at peace. The economy is strong, the rebels are (mostly) pacified, and their former enemies -the League- are now firm allies.  Still, issues persist.  Underground societies plot against the throne, criminal elements are on the rise, and the Margraves have become dangerously independent. Still, Pluravvia has faced worse before, and the Empire, like a phoenix, has always been born anew.

Government

Spoiler

  The highest authority in the Empire, the Anointed Absolute Ruler of all Pluravvia, is of course Empress Zimaar herself.  Ascending to the throne less than a month after the end of the Five-Year War she has yet to face any major challenges in her reign, and after the chaos of the war it is hoped this peaceful course will continue.  According to Imperial doctrine the Empress (or Emperor as the case my be) rules on behalf of the gods by divine mandate, and the monarch is merely an interpreter of their will.  In practice the gods aren't very communicative and the Imperial Throne is left to rule as it sees fit.  The succession is determined by appointment, with the appointee usually being chosen either by the monarch or someone with influence over them.  The succession is so important to the Empire that civil wars have occasionally been fought over it.
  Under the Empress's direct authority are the Imperial Censors.  Led by an appointed Seneschal (who is also the designated regent) the Censors are charged with rooting out corruption in government. They possess absolute authority to dismiss, arrest, or execute officials they find guilty of abusing their position.  Although officially they are only answerable to the Empress many of the more unscrupulous members take bribes either to ignore corruption or find it where it does not exist.  Also under the Empress's command are the Imperial Guard, who are separate from the national armed forces and posses their own versions of its many branches.  Their most infamous soldiers are the Resplendent Guard, the Empress's personal bodyguard and (occasional) secret police.
  The Empire's executive branch is the Imperial Chancellery.  Led by a Chancellor appointed by the throne, the Chancellery is divided into six ministries whose leading ministers are also appointed by the Empress.  These appointed officials together form the Cabinet, which administrates the ministries and proposes legislation to the Convocation.  The ministries and their responsibilities are:
  The Ministry of Personnel - In charge of promotions, demotions, and appointments of Chancellery officials, as well as the granting of titles.  They also direct the Imperial Education Service and the Propaganda Bureau.
  The Ministry of Revenue - Responsible for collecting taxes, minting money, conducting the census, and overseeing agriculture, customs and tariffs, the Border Security Bureau, and the Revenue Crime Investigation Bureau.
  The Ministry of Ceremonies - Oversees the official religious rites of the nation, maintains a register of licensed priests, monitors protectorates, and conducts foreign relations.
  The Ministry of War - Controls the national armed forces.  This includes army, navy, aerospace, intelligence, and gendarmerie branches - as well as the postal service.  They are also responsible for the appointment of Margraves.
  The Ministry of Justice - Administers the judiciary and the penal system.  They also run the Public Force - the national police - and the Public Safety Bureau - the Chancellery's secret police.
  The Ministry of Works - Maintains public infrastructure - public transportation, hospitals, orphanages, firefighters, waste disposal - as well as the official weights and measures.
 The national legislature of the Empire is the Convocation, a unicameral body divided between a small number of appointed seats representing the Margrave-ruled military districts and the feudal sub-kingdoms of the Empire, and a larger number of elected members representing the Departments that form the Empire's main administrative divisions.  In addition to passing legislature and possessing power of the purse, the Convocation also holds some power over the Chancellery.  They can recommend appointments to the Empress, conduct interpellations of officials, and force members to resign via votes of confidence.  The General Secretary, an official selected by the Convocation to act as it's head, is responsible for maintaining order in it's proceedings.
  Following the recent war and subsequent rebellion the number of Margraves - appointed rulers of special 'Military Districts' deemed too unruly or depopulated to be governed normally - has risen following the creation of new military districts in areas that rose in rebellion against the Throne.  This has caused the number of Convocation seats held by Margraves to rise proportionately, while diminishing the number assigned to elected officials.  While not enough to form a majority, this expansion to their numbers has turned them from a archaic oddity into a faction that must be appeased - to the chagrin of many.
  It is important to note that, although officially possessing absolute power, the Throne's actual authority is often more dependent on the cooperation of the Convocation and the Chancellery than anyone would like to admit.  Indeed throughout the Empire's history the are many examples of Empresses and Emperors who were effectively held hostage to the whims of one or more powerful figures in either body due to either personal obligation, emotional manipulation, the threat of force, or the ruler simply lacking political clout or a desire to rule.

Society

Spoiler

  Caste is everything in Pluravvia, it determines what work can you do, what education you receive, where you can live and even who you can marry.  Founded along with the Empire, the system supposedly divides society based on the necessity and moral value of each occupation.  In practice, while it once allowed much more social mobility, the system has solidified into an extremely rigid hierarchy based mainly on ancestral decent.
  The pinnacle of this hierarchy is the Throne and the Empress (or Emperor) who occupies it.  A being without equal (even should they choose to marry their consort remains a lower caste), their role as intermediary of the gods gives them absolute authority over the Empire and its inhabitants.
  Immediately beneath Her is the Priesthood, a category that includes everyone from the poorest mendicant to the richest pontiff.  While the Empire has no state religion, all members of this caste are required to profess the Throne's divine mandate.  However despite their pride of place the priests do not rule the Empire (though some may dabble via proxy), indeed they're barred from worldly politics altogether.  Government instead falls to the next lowest castes, who are commonly believed to possess the training and education needed for the task.
  These castes are the Aristocracy (ranging from high nobility to the servants of other aristocrats) and the Merchants (who can be anyone from shopkeepers to the heads of powerful family businesses).  These two castes have the right to vote, to hold government office, and to assume commissioned rank in the military.  However there are some differences between them.
  Aristocrats are the old blood nobility of the state, a warrior-scholar-bureaucrat class where each individual is expected to be able to command troops, administer territory, and be skilled in the arts.  Not all attain this height, but this cult of Artaan, 'excellence', is the defining feature of the caste.  The merchants were, by contrast, once the lowest caste. Concerned with the buying and selling goods other people had made, they were once held as little better than criminals.  However the total monopoly on the filthy business of commerce granted to them eventually allowed many merchants to acquire immense power and wealth.  Most of this wealth is concentrated in the Raikaan, massive family-owned cartels each controlling their own banks, trading companies, and criminal organizations.  The power the merchants had amassed threatened to destabilize the system, and they were eventually raised to the same status as the aristocrats- creating a cultural divide in the upper class that still persists to this day.
  The lowest castes are, in descending order, the Peasants and the Artisans.  The peasants are the agricultural laborers and resource extractors of the Empire, granted marginally higher status due to their role in providing the nation with the raw material it needs to survive.  Socially the peasants themselves range all the way from rich landlord farmers to poor migrant workers, with many stages of wealth in between.  Artisans are the lower of the two, tasked with turning the raw produce of the peasants into finished goods.  While many are still self-employed most nowadays are factory workers with little hope of advancement.
  It is these two castes, the most populous in the Empire, that formed the main body of the rebellion.  Though minor uprisings against unjust local nobles have occurred in the past, and every caste has fought in wars to overthrow one Emperor for another, fears of damnation for going against the true divinely-appointed monarch and centuries of cultural conditioning saying that the aristocrats are indeed superior had previously stymied any thought of removing the Emperors entirely.  However extended contact with the League, and events such as the Elevation, have somewhat undermined the legitimacy of those ideas.  They have prompted such questions as 'Why are things this way? Is this really the best way of running things? Is the Emperor really appointed by the gods?'.  Although the rebellion is crushed, these ideas remain.
  In the Convocation there are two major factions, which do not necessarily fall along the Merchant-Aristocrat divide.  The first, who were in power before the war, are the Reformists.  While they share some of the populist ideals of the peasant revolutionaries they are considerably more moderate, wishing to gradually abolish the caste system, extend the franchise to the lower castes, and grant language and cultural rights to suppressed national identities while keeping the same economic structure.  They are also extremely militaristic and pro-Empress in their ideals, wishing to preserve the power of the throne and establish a Pluravvian hegemony in the Arm.  Following the war they have largely been abandoned by their supporters due to the perception that they are responsible for a pointless, bloody war and subsequent rebellion.  The other faction, the one currently in power, are the Rationalists.  A distinctly anti-war, pro-commercial faction, they swept into power on their promises to reform the caste system to ensure there would never be another rebellion.  How exactly they plan to accomplish this is uncertain, but the lower castes are not particularly enthusiastic about these promises.
  While not an official policy of theirs, it's a well-circulated rumor that they wish to establish a written constitution and restrict the powers of the Empress- and placing most of it in their hands.  These rumors obviously have no substance to them though, the Empire just fought a civil war to maintain Imperial authority, and it's not like they'd be able to go against the Empress so blatantly.
  Right?

History

Spoiler

  Prior to the founding of the Empire, the planet of Hi-Pluvvon was occupied solely by scattered polities of the Ytaxxi, a species that was notable for it's degree of sexual dimorphism and little else.  Divided as they were, they proved unable to form any lasting alliance on even a near-planetary scale.  Unlike some of their closest neighbors, who took advantage of this situation to prey on the relatively weak Ytaxxi.  This state of affairs remained unchanged until the arrival of an alien species known as 'The Benefactors'.
  These Benefactors, as they called themselves, possessed technologies and magics far beyond anything the Ytaxxi had encountered before.  The official histories state that, upon first encountering the Ytaxxi and seeing their sorry state, the Benefactors took pity on them and came to their aid.  They taught them their science and magic, they built new infrastructure on a planetary scale, they brought an end to the thousands of years of division that had plagued the Ytaxxi, they created the cultural institutions that would maintain stability in the new state, and - finally - they genetically modified the leaders of the Ytaxxi to enhance their 'superiority'.
  Having completed their work, the Benefactors informed the Ytaxxi that they were no longer needed and, with a final blessing, left for parts unknown.  Whereupon the Ytaxxi, armed now with the gifts of the Benefactors, turned upon the neighboring species that had once exploited them, subjugating them under the rule of Arvvir, the first Empress.
  Following its initial expansion, the Empire would enter into an extended period of 'organic' growth, more focused on the cultivation of tributary states than on military conquest (though they were never afraid to dabble in that area too).  Most of the Empire's accessions during this period were nominally peaceful, with local aristocratic traditions being fairly easily absorbed into the Empire's feudal structure.  Indeed, aside from the occasional campaign to 'pacify' the neighboring O'Kor'uk, most of the armed conflicts the Empire suffered during this period were internal in origin.  This was a side effect of the aforesaid feudal structure, as while the reliance on local leadership made the administration of such a large swathe of space that much easier, the private armies raised and the bureaucrats appointed by these local rulers were often more loyal to them than to the Throne.  The most disastrous of these internecine conflicts were the succession wars, fought whenever the heir to the Throne had a claim weak enough that someone else could challenge it.
  Two-Hundred years ago one such war, known as The War of the Six Pretenders, would bring an end to the feudal system following the ascension of its victor - Emperor Calaxxis - to the throne.  Seeing the destruction wreaked upon the Empire and wishing to prevent anyone from challenging his rule or that of his successors he set about dismantling the feudal fiefs and replacing them with the Convocation, the Chancellery, and the Departments - with only his most important supporters being spared the loss of power and territory.
 However not all was well, as at the same time in a different part of the Arm a group of disparate states, fearing the continued growth of the Empire's power, united to form what would become Pluravvia's greatest rival - The League of Independent Planets.  At first the Empire was not particularly concerned with the existence of this upstart coalition somewhere far from their borders, but as the League grew in members and economic clout the Empire was increasingly forced to treat it as an equal.  This proved rather contentious within Pluravvia itself, as it implied that Imperial society wasn't the supreme form of civilization.  But not all Pluravvia's troubles were external.
  Since the Empire's founding the merchants had been considered the lowest caste, known for consorting with criminals and being little better than thieves themselves.  But as time went on more and more wealth became concentrated in the merchant caste, especially in the hereditary Raikaan cartels.  By the time of the League's founding the merchants were so wealthy that they surpassed many aristocrats, who often found themselves in dire need of loans only the merchants could provide.  It was a hundred-and-twenty-four years ago that Emperor Tharvirmontilasis, having suppressed any dissenting voices in the Convocation, decided to 'solve' this problem by granting the entire Merchant caste a status equal to the aristocracy.  This 'Elevation of the Merchants' was the defining event of its generation, overturning the existing political establishment of the Empire and leaving aftershocks still felt today.
  Externally however the relations between Pluravvia and the League only continued to worsen, until - inevitably - they reached the breaking point.  The event that set off what would become known as the Five-Year War happened just twenty years ago when a League flotilla on pirate hunting operations became suspected of violating Pluravvian territorial void.  The League was quick to deny any such violation had occurred, but refused to order their ships to withdraw and soon discussions ground to a halt.  The situation would only deteriorate further when the League flotilla fired upon the squadron sent to escort them away from Imperial space.  This would prove the final straw, with the Convocation voting unanimously to declare war with the blessing of Emperor Haltaarzim.  Two days later, the most violent war in living memory began.
  At first things did not go well for the Empire, despite having more materiel and troops at their disposal the severely outdated Imperial Navy and Aerospace forces were decisively trounced by the League's modern navy at every turn.  However even as the League's fleets penetrated further into Pluravvian territory they found themselves unprepared for an extended campaign.  Undersupplied and outnumbered, the war's fortunes began to turn against them, while the Empire's destroyed ships were replaced by new, modern ones that could fight their enemies on an equal footing.  Finally, in the war's second year, things would turn fully in the Empire's favor following the victorious Battle of Van Ferde when a squadron led by Commodore Hypaxxus VIIIth outmaneuvered and destroyed the fleet spearheading the League advance.  By the end of the fourth year of fighting not only had the League been pushed out of Imperial space, but the Empire had occupied many of the League's planets.
  It was then, however, that disaster struck.  For years discontent had been growing amongst the lower castes and ethnic minorities of the Empire, with the Elevation only serving to make them more aware of how few rights they had.  Now, with the war claiming more lives every day and the peasants and artisans forced to take ever more of the burden of fueling the Imperial war machine, they had had enough.
 The first riots had occurred the previous year and had been subsequently crushed with little effort.  The rulers of the Empire were not particularly concerned, such events had occurred throughout the Empire's history and had usually come to nought.  However as the months dragged on and the riots became larger and more frequent they began to fear for their safety, even withdrawing troops from the frontlines to protect centers of the Imperial war effort.  Finally, near the end of the fourth year of the war, an uprising occurred on Hi-Pluvvon itself.  Though it was swiftly put down, news of it spread throughout the Empire in spite of the Chancellery's best attempts to prevent it.  Soon the Empire was up in arms and local garrisons were swiftly overwhelmed throughout it's territories.
  Almost at once the Imperial advance ground to a halt, entire fleets and planetary garrisons were recalled to the Empire to put down the revolt, and by the third month the League had regained all their lost planets without firing a single shot.  The rebels had not been idle in the meantime either.  Though many isolated uprisings were quickly snuffed out, the largest groups had been able to consolidate control over vast swathes of territory and had built up a sizable arsenal.  The loyalist forces were in desperate need of allies and- in an ironic twist- decided to petition their former enemies, the League of Independent Planets.
 To their shock the League proved more than willing to meet with them to discuss terms, and after a short period of deliberations they chose Port Drandora to be the site of negotiations.  In what would become known as the Drandora Accords, the League committed itself to providing mutual military aid in return for the creation of a unified international body for economic regulation and policing unclaimed space - the ITA.  With their former enemies now on their side the Empire possessed an advantage that it proceeded to leverage with ruthless efficiency.  Within a year of the signing of the Drandora Accords the rebellion was decisively crushed.
  Emperor Haltaarzim would not live to see this however, dying of a stroke shortly after the Drandora Accords were signed.  It would be his niece - his chosen successor - who would oversee the end of the rebellion and the reconstruction of the Empire.  Under her rule the Empire has strengthened ties with the League and the ITA, creating the most formidable power bloc in known space.  The economic recovery programs pursued under her rule have played a major role in the Empire's rebuilding - and allowed them to aid the League with their own reconstruction.
 How much of this is actually attributable to her though is a matter of debate, as many of these programs were devised by General Secretary Haskarinvospertensis with no input from her.  As to the former rebels, despite being pacified and divided their initial grievances have not been addressed.  Instead they are now ruled over by a series of new Margraves with essentially unchallenged power over their districts.
  The Empire's future, once so bright, is now uncertain - one can only hope the shades of night do not close on it forever.

For the Senate and the People

This entry is currently incomplete. We thank you for your patience.

[Waterbrick Down]

Missions

Mission #1: Mercenaries on the Boreal Express

Mission Master: Waterbrick Down
Assignment: A new source of energy is rumored to be being smuggled by Magni-Tec Heavy Industries on the gas giant planet of Oquim. The item is being transported on the Boreal Express hover train from the metropolis of Parous to the refinery center of Con’stap. Sources claim Magni-Tec mined to the core of a moon to obtain it. Passage upon the train will be paid for by Oc|Tan. ~ Leopold Irgonstead Middle Management at Oc|Tan Consortium
Reward: Pay is 50 credits each and a word in with Oc|Tan Consortium Leadership. Bring back the source itself and the pay will boost to 100 credits each.
Chosen Team:
-Soren (Legonater)
-Zaria (Kintober)
-Yelana (Classic_Spaceman)

Mission #2: Deep Dive

Assignment: One of our agents is missing within the Ætherspace and for some reason his consciousness can’t be retrieved. We need a group of heroes to try and track him down before something awful happens. ~Agent Oddsphere of White Knight Surveillance
Reward: Pay is 60 credits each and proficiency in Ætherdiving (+1 Coding)
Chosen Team:
-Varen (KotZ)
-Polaris (samurai-turtle)
-Felix (Khorne)

Mission 3: Rat Catchers

Mission Master: Kintobor
Assignment: This isn’t the most glamorous job on the station, but Heroica Hall needs a bit of severe tender, loving care. I’m looking for a crew to help unclog the hotel's garbage chute. You will be rewarded for your time. ~ Rachel Sprocketson, Maintenance and Repairs Office
Reward: How does 60 credits and a Nanite Elixir per person sound for cleaning up the place?
Team Requirements: I’ll take just about anybody, and I’m looking for anywhere between three to five heroes.
Chosen Team:
-Enson (Duvors)
-Valesia (Waterbrick Down)
-Aysu (Peppermint_M)

Mission 4: Dude, Where's My Space Speeder?

Mission Master: Kintober
Description: "So, uh, I need a bit of help. My space speeder has gone missing. Like, voom, volt, gone. I have no idea where to start looking, but I figured hey, you guys look reasonable. If you guys can get back my space speeder, I'd appreciate it. Oh, and, uh, let's keep this between us, yeah? -Antony" 
Party Requirements: "Looking for three to four people willing to help. If you've got experiencing investigating, persuading, or piloting, that would be preferable." 
Reward: "How does 50 credits sound? I’ll up the credits to 80 if you can ensure the car comes back in good condition."
Chosen Team:
-Kirwin (karmajay)
-Bers (Dutch Thriceman)
-Yissam♥ (CMP)
-Merei Teo (Zepher)

Mission #5: Slay Ride

Mission Master: Waterbrick Down
Assignment: "We've had an influx of predatory scavengers lately and our town is preparing for Recivic's famous tricennial 2000 mile sled-wyrm race, the Ivishin. We need help clearing some of the trails to keep the racers safe." - Mervin Softpaw, Ivishin Directors Board Member.
Party Requirements: 3-6 well equipped hunters that don't mind the cold.
Reward: 50 credits each and a calibrated weapon.
Chosen Team:
Aysu (Peppermint M)
Ronin (Yzalirk)
Decker DaCabe (Endgame)
Polaris (samurai-turtle)
Enson (Duvors)

Mission #6: We Now Interrupt This Broadcast

Mission Master: Endgame
Assignment: "Testing, testing, is this thing on? Right. A concerning matter has come to our attention. There is a strange broadcast emanating from the wastelands that has us worried. It's interfering with signals from transport ships, hijacking the occasional display, and has... generally ominous contents, to be frank. I can say no more here. I require specialists to investigate." -Glenn Harmondron, Communications Expert on Corvanis
Party Requirements: "Two to four agents who can exercise some discretion would be ideal."
Reward: "80 credits for each agent who can reveal the nature of this signal."
Chosen Team:
Felix (Khorne)
Valesia (WBD)
Maximilian (Alix)
Soren Aeolus (The Legonater)

Mission #7: My Bleeding Hart

Mission Master: Legonater
Assignment: “Greetings, Heroica; the name is Jace Orion, and I’m an associate of Mr. Jefferson Mortizar, from Hart Logistics. In the past month, one of our shipping assets vanished without a signal, and I was put on the case of retrieving it. Despite the best efforts of myself and my fellow agents, we’ve been unable to recover the lost shipment, & Mr. Mortizar fears the freighter has fallen to the expanse of dark space. Since this particular shipment was of some… personal value to him, heat has picked up from on top to get it back. I have one final lead, and I’m hoping you at Heroica might help give the final push we need to track it down.” – Hart Logistics
Party Requirements: “About 3-5 heroes with a keen head on their shoulders.”
Reward: “How does 50 Credits each and a personal word to Mr. Mortizar sound? I’m sure we could talk about further bonuses depending on the state of his shipment.”
Chosen Team:
Varen (KotZ)
Zaria (Kintober)
Merei (Zepher)
Kirwin (karmajay)

Mission #8: The Enigmatic Mr. Fix-It

Mission Master: Kintobor
Description: "Heroes, I have a peculiar case at hand. In a small village on Aluriel, my sources have picked up a notorious criminal. However, the locals seem to have embraced this figure, referring to him as Mr. Fix-It. I need to know if this is a ruse or not, if "Mr. Fix-It" is merely an act or if something of interest has happened. Your assistance in the matter would be appreciated. - Free Captain Ezra Nezzar of Ark Victoire"
Party Requirements: "Three to four heroes who can investigate and throw down in a fight are preferred."
Reward: "75 gold for dealing with this issue and reporting back to me on your findings."
Chosen Team:
Bers (Dutch-Thriceman)
Yelana Fennix (Classic_Spaceman)
Polaris Ursaring (samuraiturtle)

Mission #9: He's Dead, Jim

Mission Master: Duvors
Description: "Listen, one of my workers went missing a couple of days back inspecting the waste pipes under Blackcoin Arc, and I've got no idea what happened to him. I've tried to get the police to deal with it, but they're being no help at all, and those ITA goons just jabber on about 'jurisdiction', so it's kinda down to you. You think you can handle this?" - Arno Milver, Head of Level Three Maintenance.
Party Requirements: "I guess I need a buncha detectives? Tough ones though, if one of our guys is missing there's probably something nasty down there."
Reward: "60 credits each, and I'll see about getting you some spare tools if you bring the guy back alive."
Chosen Team:
Ronin (Yzalirk)
Decker DaCabe (Endgame)

Mission #10: Pins & Needles

Mission Master: Waterbrick Down
Description: “So I'm in a bit of a bind, a friend of mine got on the wrong side of one of the local mob bosses you see, totally my fault. Now they've got him trussed up in some sort of maximum security torture vault. I've got to break him out of there, but I can't do it alone. You help me spring him and I'll make sure it's worth your trouble.” – Bertram Ozzorli 
Party Requirements: “About 3-5 heroes, someone good with either locks or explosives would be helpful.”
Reward: "How about we say 60 Credits each and anything you can nab from the vault while we're busting my friend free."
Chosen Team:
Enson (Duvors)
Jonk (Scubacarrot)
Billeck (Wolfpackfan99)
Aysu (Peppermint_M)

 

[Classic_Spaceman]

Yelana entered the Library, searching for the Cricet that Thorvald told her about. Walking up to the desk, she looked at the tiny creature in front of her. 
"Hello? Collette, right? I'm Yelana Fennix - I'm prepping for a mission, and Thorvald said you could help me." 
As she stood at the desk, Yelana looked around at the clutter that surrounded her - Even with her visor, Yelana wondered how she would be able to find the information that she needed. 
"I need you to pull everything Heroica has on-file about the Boreal Express on Oquim - Ownership, routes, stops, schematics and composition, standard security protocols, and anything else I might need." 
 

[Waterbrick Down]

3 hours ago, Classic_Spaceman said:

Yelana entered the Library, searching for the Cricet that Thorvald told her about. Walking up to the desk, she looked at the tiny creature in front of her. 
"Hello? Collette, right? I'm Yelana Fennix - I'm prepping for a mission, and Thorvald said you could help me." 
As she stood at the desk, Yelana looked around at the clutter that surrounded her - Even with her visor, Yelana wondered how she would be able to find the information that she needed. 
"I need you to pull everything Heroica has on-file about the Boreal Express on Oquim - Ownership, routes, stops, schematics and composition, standard security protocols, and anything else I might need." 
 

"Oh a visitor, yes yes yes, I'm Collette. The Boreal Express eh? Let me see... do note while this is a library it is not exhaustive mind you." The Cricet does some quick searching on a near by tablet before scurrying into the stacks, returning several minutes later with a few small holo-tomes and news-scrolls. "Now then, it seems the Boreal Express is owned by LRTS, a company specializing in luxury hover-trains. It looks like it was originally designed for a non-stop route for wealthy mining executives from the main city hub of Parous to the corporate refineries in Con'stap. The majority of the time the train seems to run with six cars, an engine, a power generator, two passenger cabins, a dining car, and a baggage car. I can't seem to find any publicly available schematics nor anything on their security protocols. As for what you need, wouldn't whoever hired you be the best judge of that?"

[Classic_Spaceman]

2 hours ago, Waterbrick Down said:

"Oh a visitor, yes yes yes, I'm Collette. The Boreal Express eh? Let me see... do note while this is a library it is not exhaustive mind you." The Cricet does some quick searching on a near by tablet before scurrying into the stacks, returning several minutes later with a few small holo-tomes and news-scrolls. "Now then, it seems the Boreal Express is owned by LRTS, a company specializing in luxury hover-trains. It looks like it was originally designed for a non-stop route for wealthy mining executives from the main city hub of Parous to the corporate refineries in Con'stap. The majority of the time the train seems to run with six cars, an engine, a power generator, two passenger cabins, a dining car, and a baggage car. I can't seem to find any publicly available schematics nor anything on their security protocols. As for what you need, wouldn't whoever hired you be the best judge of that?"

Yelana leaned against the desk as Collette scurried about. 
"Thanks - Okay. . . Can you see if there are any known connections between LRTS and Hart Logistics? And what do you have on Con'stap? Baggage claim at the station, security, corporations that operate the refineries - And does Oc|Tan have any facilities there?" 
Yelana adjusted her hair while thinking out-loud. 
"Let's see . . Luxury rail means suits, and only two cars means a handful of them, so we won't be able blend in with a crowd - We'll need a cover story. Baggage car's the most likely place for the package to be, but considering its value, it may be on someone's person. Depends on the size, though. . . Um. . . Do you know where I can access the passenger and cargo manifests? And what safety features the train's equipped with? You know, in case of an emergency stop?" 
Yelana paused. 
"Oh! - Do you know if Heroica has any empty, lockable, shipping containers lying around? Rachel. . . Sprocketson? . . might know, but I don't know where she works. I think I've got a plan - Or, well, part of one anyway. . ." 
 

Edited June 20, 2021 by Classic_Spaceman

[Waterbrick Down]

2 hours ago, Classic_Spaceman said:

Yelana leaned against the desk as Collette scurried about. 
"Thanks - Okay. . . Can you see if there are any known connections between LRTS and Hart Logistics? And what do you have on Con'stap? Baggage claim at the station, security, corporations that operate the refineries - And does Oc|Tan have any facilities there?" 
 

"No public connections to Hart Logistics, sorry Miss Fennix we aren't a spy organization. Con'stap as I stated is a refinery center for the Qavoron crystals a fairly industrial settlement. As I shared, our records are not exhaustive, we do not carry specific information like you're seeking on individual hover train stations. Oc|Tan being a very large corporation, it would not surprise me to learn that they have facilities on Oquim even if they are simply refueling stations. We'd be glad to add any information you discover on your missions however to our records."

3 hours ago, Classic_Spaceman said:

"Let's see . . Luxury rail means suits, and only two cars means a handful of them, so we won't be able blend in with a crowd - We'll need a cover story. Baggage car's the most likely place for the package to be, but considering its value, it may be on someone's person. Depends on the size, though. . . Um. . . Do you know where I can access the passenger and cargo manifests? And what safety features the train's equipped with? You know, in case of an emergency stop?" 

"Miss you seem interested in some very specific information. While the collection of Ms. Laserie Ablis was quite broad, the subject matter was more general in nature and is a little dated. I'd recommend you inquire with your employer regarding the finer details of your mission. Of course feel free to document your travels and submit logs to the library and perhaps future heroes like yourself will benefit from your discoveries."

3 hours ago, Classic_Spaceman said:

"Oh! - Do you know if Heroica has any empty, lockable, shipping containers lying around? Rachel. . . Sprocketson? . . might know, but I don't know where she works. I think I've got a plan - Or, well, part of one anyway. . ." 

"That is quite outside my purview, though considering the history of this establishment, I highly doubt it. Though I'd encourage you to work with your employer before delving too much into any sort of plans, initiative is admirable, but without direction it may soon become an impediment."

[Classic_Spaceman]

21 hours ago, Waterbrick Down said:

"Miss you seem interested in some very specific information. While the collection of Ms. Laserie Ablis was quite broad, the subject matter was more general in nature and is a little dated. I'd recommend you inquire with your employer regarding the finer details of your mission. Of course feel free to document your travels and submit logs to the library and perhaps future heroes like yourself will benefit from your discoveries."

"That is quite outside my purview, though considering the history of this establishment, I highly doubt it. Though I'd encourage you to work with your employer before delving too much into any sort of plans, initiative is admirable, but without direction it may soon become an impediment."

"Right, okay - I'm just used to having more resources when I prep for field work. Also, the last time I tried to just wing an op, we were kind of an absolute mess." 
Suddenly, Yelana head an alert chime in her ear. 
"<Display notifications>" 

18 hours ago, Waterbrick Down said:

"Alright I got a message for the elf, the bub in shades, and the girl with chopsticks. You're to report to the Oc|Tan refuel Depot on the docking level in 24hrs."

Yelana turned back to Collette for a moment. 
"Sorry; I have to go - Thanks for your help." 
 

[Waterbrick Down]

On 6/21/2021 at 8:11 PM, Classic_Spaceman said:

"Right, okay - I'm just used to having more resources when I prep for field work. Also, the last time I tried to just wing an op, we were kind of an absolute mess." 
Suddenly, Yelana head an alert chime in her ear. 
"<Display notifications>" 

Yelana turned back to Collette for a moment. 
"Sorry; I have to go - Thanks for your help." 
 

"How did she do..." Collette's mutters to herself before turning back to the collection.

[Classic_Spaceman]

Sipping her tea, Yelana entered the Library and looked over the stacks of books, papers, and datacubes. 
"Uh, Collette? Helloooo? You here?" 
 

[Waterbrick Down]

1 hour ago, Classic_Spaceman said:

Sipping her tea, Yelana entered the Library and looked over the stacks of books, papers, and datacubes. 
"Uh, Collette? Helloooo? You here?" 
 

The Cricet stirs from a pile of books and a warm pastry.

"Yes, did someone call?”

[Classic_Spaceman]

23 hours ago, Waterbrick Down said:

The Cricet stirs from a pile of books and a warm pastry.

"Yes, did someone call?”

"Oh, hey - There you are! I brought you something." 
Yelana took one of the data drives out of her backpack and tossed it, catching it out of the air with a smirk. 
"Updated intel on the Boreal Express: Schematics, layout, security protocols and vulnerabilities, engine specs - Basically everything I asked for. Just in case anyone ever needs it." 
Yelana looked around the Library, mentally activating her visor's translator, then back to Collette. 
"Is there a console or something where I can upload this? And can you do me a favour - Pull everything you have on-file regarding Lupin Bio-Tech. There's some. . . stuff I want to look into." 
 

[Waterbrick Down]

19 minutes ago, Classic_Spaceman said:

"Oh, hey - There you are! I brought you something." 
Yelana took one of the data drives out of her backpack and tossed it, catching it out of the air with a smirk. 
"Updated intel on the Boreal Express: Schematics, layout, security protocols and vulnerabilities, engine specs - Basically everything I asked for. Just in case anyone ever needs it." 
Yelana looked around the Library, mentally activating her visor's translator, then back to Collette. 
"Is there a console or something where I can upload this? And can you do me a favour - Pull everything you have on-file regarding Lupin Bio-Tech. There's some. . . stuff I want to look into." 
 

"Well thanks! I can make sure it gets ported into the system. As for Lupin, let me see." The Cricet wanders off down the shelves pulling a few holo-pads and holo-cubes. "Ah, alrighty anything in particular you're after? The company was founded in -30 DA. Their founder and first CEO was Rance Lupin a previous manager on the Gaian Project. They acquired a number of smaller bio-tech firms early on and built most of their business on bio-thaumaturgical products and arcane-pharmaceuticals and are one of the largest pharmaceutical suppliers in the Euripides Arm. Their most recent acquisition was 5 years ago when they acquired Æthergait, an up and comer in the Ætherdiving assisted physical therapy space. They are currently headquartered on Phejhar, and their current CEO is Vernard Lupin, son of Rance."

[Classic_Spaceman]

On 10/24/2021 at 12:03 AM, Waterbrick Down said:

"Well thanks! I can make sure it gets ported into the system." 

"Oh, actually, I have to upload the data - The drive's locked, and I can't just leave this kind of tech lying around. I hope that's not a problem." 

On 10/24/2021 at 12:03 AM, Waterbrick Down said:

"Ah, alrighty anything in particular you're after?" 

Yelana thought for a moment. 
"Well, uh. . . I'm not exactly sure." 

On 10/24/2021 at 12:03 AM, Waterbrick Down said:

"Their founder and first CEO was Rance Lupin a previous manager on the Gaian Project."

"Oof! How's their PR department been handling that?" 

On 10/24/2021 at 12:03 AM, Waterbrick Down said:

"They acquired a number of smaller bio-tech firms early on and built most of their business on bio-thaumaturgical products and arcane-pharmaceuticals and are one of the largest pharmaceutical suppliers in the Euripides Arm."

Yelana slipped a chopstick out of her hair and spun it around her fingers as she thought about what Collette was saying. 
"So it sounds like they managed to buy themselves a near-monopoly, which they probably solidified during the War. What's their competition looking like?" 

On 10/24/2021 at 12:03 AM, Waterbrick Down said:

"Their most recent acquisition was 5 years ago when they acquired Æthergait, an up and comer in the Ætherdiving assisted physical therapy space."

"'Æthergait'? Cute." Yelana said dryly. "Tell me more about that - Ætherdiving assisted physical therapy - I'm not really familiar with it." 
 

[Waterbrick Down]

4 hours ago, Classic_Spaceman said:

"Oh, actually, I have to upload the data - The drive's locked, and I can't just leave this kind of tech lying around. I hope that's not a problem." 

"Huh, I wasn't aware we were issuing that sort of tech to heroes? Right this way." Collette over to one of the terminals.

4 hours ago, Classic_Spaceman said:

"Oof! How's their PR department been handling that?" 

"Considering their industry leading position, I'd reckon quite well."

4 hours ago, Classic_Spaceman said:

Yelana slipped a chopstick out of her hair and spun it around her fingers as she thought about what Collette was saying. 
"So it sounds like they managed to buy themselves a near-monopoly, which they probably solidified during the War. What's their competition looking like?" 

"Mostly niche generics industries and region specific. Lupin handles most of the name brands."

5 hours ago, Classic_Spaceman said:

"'Æthergait'? Cute." Yelana said dryly. "Tell me more about that - Ætherdiving assisted physical therapy - I'm not really familiar with it." 

"Well I don't have a lot of details on it, but I believe the idea is centered on the philosophy that Ætherspace is somehow connected to a sphere of absolute consciousness and that if one can repair oneself in that sphere via Ætherdiving, one can actually impact one's physical body on this sphere of reality. Sort of mind over matter stuff as I understand it."

[Classic_Spaceman]

14 hours ago, Waterbrick Down said:

"Huh, I wasn't aware we were issuing that sort of tech to heroes? Right this way." Collette over to one of the terminals.

Yelana just shrugged as she walked over to the terminal. Setting the drive on top of the console, she swiped her finger down one of the sides of the pyramid, causing the it to unfold and display a small hologram reading "Uploading: 1%". Yelana ran her fingers across the terminal's screen, her movements leaving a trail of faint orange holographic circuitry. Unseen to Collette, Yelana's visor displayed a readout: "Copying Data. . . Download In-Progress". 

14 hours ago, Waterbrick Down said:

"Considering their industry leading position, I'd reckon quite well."

Looking up, Yelana continued her conversation over the console. 
"Eh, you'd be surprised - Once a company hits a certain level of market-dominance, public outcry and loss of profits don't really correlate. I was wondering how favourably they're viewed, profit-margin notwithstanding." 

14 hours ago, Waterbrick Down said:

"Mostly niche generics industries and region specific. Lupin handles most of the name brands."

"See, right, yeah; this is what I was talking about - You can try to track down what you want from another company, but if you want convenience and to know what you're getting, you go with the big corps." 

14 hours ago, Waterbrick Down said:

"Well I don't have a lot of details on it, but I believe the idea is centered on the philosophy that Ætherspace is somehow connected to a sphere of absolute consciousness and that if one can repair oneself in that sphere via Ætherdiving, one can actually impact one's physical body on this sphere of reality. Sort of mind over matter stuff as I understand it."

Yelana spun the chopstick around for a moment. 
"Interesting. . . So, using Ætherspace as a conduit between different planes of reality? I always thought the Æther was a plane of reality - Is it. . . How can I describe it? Is it like the sauce in lasagna? Like, it keeps the pasta, vegetables, whatever, separate, but it's, like, a fluid that kind of morphs together into a single. . . thing? And if you can get into the sauce, you can - theoretically - reach any level of the lasagna?" 
Yelana paused. 
"Does that make any sense?" 
 

 

OoC: 

Spoiler

In case it is unclear, Yelana switched to her Hacking Chip to access data from the terminal, then back to her Translator Cube to continue talking to Collette. Also, Yelana actually is uploading the data that she said that she would (that was not a Deception check) - She is just downloading whatever she can in addition. 

 

[Waterbrick Down]

21 minutes ago, Classic_Spaceman said:

Looking up, Yelana continued her conversation over the console. 
"Eh, you'd be surprised - Once a company hits a certain level of market-dominance, public outcry and loss of profits don't really correlate. I was wondering how favourably they're viewed, profit-margin notwithstanding." 

"As one of the leading suppliers of plasma potions they were viewed fairly positively for their humanitarian donations during the Five Year War. As of late, I can't think of any major scandals that would sour public opinion about them."

24 minutes ago, Classic_Spaceman said:

"See, right, yeah; this is what I was talking about - You can try to track down what you want from another company, but if you want convenience and to know what you're getting, you go with the big corps." 

"You are quite correct, that's how most of the major corporations operate, at least within the Empire and League. If you get out of the oft explored systems I'm sure you'd fine more independent firms, but their reach and influence would be limited."

25 minutes ago, Classic_Spaceman said:

Yelana spun the chopstick around for a moment. 
"Interesting. . . So, using Ætherspace as a conduit between different planes of reality? I always thought the Æther was a plane of reality - Is it. . . How can I describe it? Is it like the sauce in lasagna? Like, it keeps the pasta, vegetables, whatever, separate, but it's, like, a fluid that kind of morphs together into a single. . . thing? And if you can get into the sauce, you can - theoretically - reach any level of the lasagna?" 
Yelana paused. 
"Does that make any sense?"

 
"The actual dimensional aspects of the cosmology are hotly debated. Some would liken it to a layered model as you indicated, others more of an overlapping spherical model with orbits and such, still others would doubt the actual interaction of the spheres altogether and would argue that their perception is all delusional based controlled by powers of this world more dreadful and exotic than we can imagine."

30 minutes ago, Classic_Spaceman said:

Yelana just shrugged as she walked over to the terminal. Setting the drive on top of the console, she swiped her finger down one of the sides of the pyramid, causing the it to unfold and display a small hologram reading "Uploading: 1%". Yelana ran her fingers across the terminal's screen, her movements leaving a trail of faint orange holographic circuitry. Unseen to Collette, Yelana's visor displayed a readout: "Copying Data. . . Download In-Progress". 

Yelana Coding Proficiency Check (DC 1,3,5,7) - (5,4,4,2,+1) 4 Successes

Yelana manages to download approximately 33% of the library's files, containing most of the readily available information and a few deep dives.

MM Note: I'm not going to go into everything available in the library as I have neither the time or space.  Suffice it to say, Yelana can access the information that's already published in this Thread and during missions can make a History Check with an appropriate DC to see if she managed to acquire information on anything else she may be seeking.

A voice goes off in Yelana's headset.

"Well this is... interesting... a cozy space..."

[Classic_Spaceman]

1 hour ago, Waterbrick Down said:

A voice goes off in Yelana's headset.

"Well this is... interesting... a cozy space..."

Yelana's left eye twitched briefly as the drive displayed "Uploading: 47%". She mentally addressed the voice; "Who is this? Are you in the data, or are you the data?". After quickly checking to see if the voice had come from files that she had successfully downloaded, Yelana resumed her conversation. 

OoC: 

Spoiler

Actions: Translator Cube to talk to the voice, then Hacking Chip to determine the source of the voice, then back to the Translator Cube for the conversation with Collette. 

1 hour ago, Waterbrick Down said:

"You are quite correct, that's how most of the major corporations operate, at least within the Empire and League. If you get out of the oft explored systems I'm sure you'd fine more independent firms, but their reach and influence would be limited."

"Right, like Pharsus - Their state healthcare system is completely independent of any of the organisations in the Arm." 

1 hour ago, Waterbrick Down said:

"The actual dimensional aspects of the cosmology are hotly debated. Some would liken it to a layered model as you indicated, others more of an overlapping spherical model with orbits and such, still others would doubt the actual interaction of the spheres altogether and would argue that their perception is all delusional based controlled by powers of this world more dreadful and exotic than we can imagine."

"Well, you can't fly a ship through a delusion - I mean, unless all of reality is somehow a delusion - so the different spheres, or planes, or whatever you want to call them, absolutely exist. Which, I'm curious. . . How's Ætherspace-assisted PT working out? How and whether it works could definitely shed some light on the nature of the cosmos." 

 

OoC: 

Spoiler

1 hour ago, Waterbrick Down said:

MM Note: . . .during missions [she] can make a History Check with an appropriate DC to see if she managed to acquire information on anything else she may be seeking. 

How, exactly, would a History check work (as History is not one of the listed proficiencies)? 

 

Edited October 26, 2021 by Classic_Spaceman

[Waterbrick Down]

15 minutes ago, Classic_Spaceman said:

Yelana's left eye twitched briefly as the drive displayed "Uploading: 47%". She mentally addressed the voice; "Who is this? Are you in the data, or are you the data?". After quickly checking to see if the voice had come from files that she had successfully downloaded, Yelana resumed her conversation. 

OoC: 

  Hide contents

Actions: Translator Cube to talk to the voice, then Hacking Chip to determine the source of the voice, then back to the Translator Cube for the conversation with Collette. 

 

Yelana Coding Proficiency Check (DC 3) - (5,6,6,4,+1) 5 Successes

Yelana assesses that the voice is interwoven with the data that she has downloaded.

"Hmmm... well considering you downloaded me... I am data... but perhaps not the data you intended to collect."

 

19 minutes ago, Classic_Spaceman said:

"Right, like Pharsus - Their state healthcare system is completely independent of any of the organisations in the Arm." 

"Correct."

20 minutes ago, Classic_Spaceman said:

"Well, you can't fly a ship through a delusion - I mean, unless all of reality is somehow a delusion - so the different spheres, or planes, or whatever you want to call them, absolutely exist. Which, I'm curious. . . How's Ætherspace-assisted PT working out? How and whether it works could definitely shed some light on the nature of the cosmos."

"They've reported success, but I don't believe there's been any peer reviewed studies on it yet. Still that doesn't stop people from hoping."

[Classic_Spaceman]

12 minutes ago, Waterbrick Down said:

"Hmmm... well considering you downloaded me... I am data... but perhaps not the data you intended to collect."

 

"They've reported success, but I don't believe there's been any peer reviewed studies on it yet. Still that doesn't stop people from hoping."

Yelana tapped the chopstick against her lips nervously, stalling for time. 
"Right, right right right - I get that. Yeah." 
The drive was almost finished uploading the data on the Boreal Express. She addressed the voice again: "Who are you?". 



OoC: 

Spoiler

14 minutes ago, Waterbrick Down said:

Yelana Coding Proficiency Check (DC 3) - (5,6,6,4,+1) 5 Successes

Yelana assesses that the voice is interwoven with the data that she has downloaded.

Just to be clear; does Yelana have a copy of whatever the voice is, or is it something that she can only access when in direct contact with the terminal? Also, if she does have the voice, does she have all of what it belongs to, or only part of it?