The ancient Star Empire has fallen, and the galaxy has now been thrown into a dark age of ignorance, fear, and hate.
Monuments have been toppled, knowledge forever lost, grand fleets destroyed entire worlds caught in the crossfire between rival bickering nobles.
1,000 years of darkness. Until at last, the Eternal War has ended, simply because there was noone left to fight.
The period of recovery was long and atrocious, until at last one cluster of colonies regained interstellar spaceflight, an oasis of civilization in a sea of barbarianism. You are that cluster. A few billion survivors of a empire once measured in quadrillions. Born in the ruins of a long dead empire, the path you chose to the future will be decided by the remains of the past.
After falling so far from grace, the only way to go now is up.
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Nation Sheet:
Spoiler
Faction Overview
Faction Name:
Faction Core World Name:
Core World Description:
Dominant Economic Activity: (What the majority of your planet's resources and infrastructure is rigged towards)
Secondary DEA: (Your second-best planetary activity. Usually located on moon or asteroid bases)
Nation Perks: (2 perks)
Nation Flaws: (2 flaws)
Short History:
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Outposts:
Outposts are lifeblood of the factions. Critical sources of resources, archeotech, manpower, trade, and military bases
Each faction starts with four outposts, each of which contributes a unique asset to a faction. This could be a major industrial site, a key military base, ancient ruins, a local ship junkyard, or simply a very large population base. Losing these outposts is a major blow to a faction, and establishing new outposts takes time and resources.
Outpost Name:
Planet Summary:
Asset:
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Majority Species: (Majority here meaning 60+% of your faction)
Minority Species: (You can take any number of minor species.)
Species Description: (Include as much detail as possible on all included species in your nation. Appearance, biology, society, etc)
Majority Species Traits: (2 positive perks, 2 negative flaws)
Minor Species Traits: (1 positive perk, 1 negative flaw)
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Social Values (Social engineering of your nation. Go into detail about it.)
Government: (What type of government do you have? Monarchy? Autocracy? Democratic?)
Economy: (What kind of economy do you have? Free market? Planned? Communist? Green?)
Religion: (What, if any, religious beliefs does your nation hold?)
Military: (What is the predominant method of military thinking of your nation? Carriers and fighters? Skirmishers? Line-combat?)
Ideology: (What, if any, ideology do your people hold above all else? Power? Wealth? Honor? Labor?)
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Starships (15 points to spend on starships, each ship has a perk and a flaw)
Transport- Large cargo hauling starships. Fragile and weakly gunned compared to warships, they are a necessary cog in an interstellar nation in hauling bulk cargoes beyond sublight haulers and to exploit outpost colonies. 1 pt. (Receive 1 free)
Corvette- Hybrid destroyer/frigates. Simple, basic, but rugged and easy to produce and maintain even with only minor civilian shipyards. Fragile though. 1 pt.
Destroyer- Glass cannons. Typically armed with heavy prow-facing weaponry like torpedo tubes or heavy beam cannons at expense to armor. Dedicated ship-killers. 2 pts.
Frigate- All rounder starships. Versatile and typically able to fulfill multiple roles within a fleet with a good mix of armor, weapons, troop-barracks, and engines. Demands significant shipbuilding skill though, and industrial support. 3 pts.
Heavy Frigate- Heavily armored and armed frigates, slower but meant for stand-up fights at expense to their flexibility. 3 pts.
Light Cruiser- First form of capital craft available, they are like frigates in being all-rounder craft, simply scaled up much greater. They are at the extreme limit of colonial shipbuilding capability however, and "construction" is far more likely refitting an existing hull and engine. But they can carry small amounts of capital-grade weapon batteries. 8 pts.
Cruiser- Powerful capital craft, carrying mighty broadsides of weaponry, legions of soldiers in their holds, armor and shields that can fight squadrons toe to toe, a cruiser is nothing less than a flagship symbol of power made manifest. They are far beyond the capability of the colonies to build, and can only be obtained through salvage and intensive refitting. (None available at start of game, can only obtain through RP)
Battlecruiser- "True" capital ships meant to lead fleet formations. They have improved capabilities over cruisers in every area save engine power, which is diverted to power battleship-grade supercapital weaponry, and armor as they are no better than cruisers in terms of plating. None have survived intact to the post-Empire era, with the secrets behind many of their complex systems lost in the new dark age. The rare battlecruiser wreck found is usually good only for salvage, and would take the effort of many nations working together to restore a hull if and only if its reactor can be reignited, but even a wreck can attract unsavory attention by barbarians or other jealous eyes. (Can only be obtained through plot progression)
Name:
Class:
Weapons: (Work in Progress, still trying to calc weapon levels. Leave ready to change on notice.)
Captain:
Perk:
Flaw:
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Major Characters: (For major leaders or heroes in your nation)
Name:
Species:
Skills:
Personality:
Short History:
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Concepts
Archeotech
Spoiler
Archaeologically recovered technology consists of relics and surviving examples of Golden Empire technology that have survived to present day. While most surviving samples come from the late-war period and the Golden Empire's final collapse, they are still markedly superior to anything the Sector Factions can produce today. Even broken technology is a valuable source of ultrarare minerals and insight for faction-R&D efforts. Active technology can markedly improve industry, starship capabilities, or even individual persons depending on what is recovered.
Most valuable of all however is early-war or even pre-war Archeotech. Hypertech-level nanotechnology, super-intelligent dynamic AI's, massive-scale terraforming, construction of mighty battleships and star-dreadnoughts, supercapital level weaponry capable of scouring continents, planetary libraries filled with an entire galaxies' worth of knowledge and culture. Even the slightest hint or shard of such archeotech is worth much to every nation, and even worth waging war over.
He who controls the shards of the Past controls the Future.
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The Neobarbarian Hordes
Spoiler
Surrounding the sector are the uncivilized neobarbarian hordes. Warbands and despotic states abound in the regions surrounding the home sector, waging endless war over fragments of old Golden Empire technology and culture while slipping ever onwards to further decay and destruction.
Despite their uncivilized state, they are heavily armed and have a large number of very skilled and bloodthirsty soldiers. And while one barbarian warband may be nothing, several dozen at once is a problem that could take the entire sector's unified forces to beat back. Provoking outside invasions should be something every nation would want to avoid.
Travel outside of the sector is also made extremely dangerous by the barbarians and pirates, but expeditions sent to recover archeotech from beyond the borders of the home sector may uncover great treasures comparable to their risk. Such ventures should not be undertaken by solo ships, and they may be gone for upwards of months or years in their search, far from any friendly port or ally.
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Codex: Ground Warfare in the Post-Empire era
Spoiler
Ground warfare is difficult, to say the least. The logistics of interstellar invasions means that every military unit needs to carry its own support units and supplies because it cannot count on living off the land, even if they do land, or being able to even eat the same food as their enemies.
Further complicating the matter is both limited transport space due to the shortage of starships and a usual standard operating procedure of not bombarding targets from orbit in order to take critical assets intact. These factors usually result in most ground warfare being conducted by infantry units with some air support by armed dropships, with some dedicated invasion ships carrying heavier units.
While specific troop numbers vary per species, the average transport or light cruiser can carry about a battalion of soldiers, with frigates able to carry a company (Heavy Frigates half that), and corvettes a single platoon. Heavy Cruisers can carry a battalion plus two-three support companies. These numbers can be bolstered by overcrowding, cryostasis, or other methods, but increased troop sizes also reduce available campaign supplies (Only so much stowage space). Dedicated invasion ships can usually cram in more supplies and troops than average spacecraft.
Such troop limitations usually make directly attacking core worlds extremely difficult, given the large number of local planetary militia and defense forces, and should only be considered with very large forces with orbital and air superiority. Hit and run raids against outposts and colonies are more common tactics for ground-strike warfare.
(OOC: On ground warfare- If you want power armored elites trained in hell and bred to be perfect soldiers, go ahead. Just remember the logistical costs. How many spare power armor suits do you have? How much spare ammo? How much food to feed these elites? Who will support them? Sometimes the best troops arn't the most expensive ones.
Every species may have a different interpretation of how many soldiers go into a battalion or a company, so I won't enforce arbitrary numbers or organization. I will however keep tabs on how many troops you are using relative to number of transport ships to keep you from going overboard.)
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Codex: Polis
Spoiler
Polis was the former capital of the sector, although humbled after the Great Sack some two centuries prior. While far from the golden capital planet of grand palaces and warfleets of old, Polis retains a large fleet of system monitor light cruisers and frigates to protect its remaining riches and glory as it slowly recovers and rebuilds, including one of the few intact Galactic Libraries of the Golden Empire.
Because of its high, but solely defensive, military strength, Polis is near universally accepted by the independent worlds as a neutral ground for negotiation and discussion, with multiple diplomatic stations on Polis's moon and asteroid belt with order enforced by Polis system monitors, as well as several freeport trade stations that have not yet fallen into disrepair. Here lies the last bastion of communication and trade among the nations during this Dark Age, and a beacon of hope that one day better times will fall upon us all.
Profile: Polis System Monitor
Class: Light Cruiser
Weapons: Spinal "Sunwraith" energy lance cannon, heavy laser turret broadsides.
Perk: Built for War- Polis System Monitors trade their FTL drives for the space and power to mount extended batteries of energy weaponry and shields, turning them into mighty glaciers to protect Polis.
Perk: Rugged- Polis System Monitors are simple and rugged craft for light cruisers, making them easy to repair and maintain even with only onboard repair facilities. Useful for the infrastructure-strapped Polis.
Flaw: System Ship- Polis System Monitors are not equipped with FTL drives. While this saves on power and space and reduces operational costs, it means their monitor fleet must remain in-system.
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Codex: The Freelancers
Spoiler
The Freelancers are a ad-hoc organization of independent tramp transports and starships that ply the stars, bound by no nation or ideology. While unbound, their neutrality is respected by most of the nations simply because without them there would be no trade, no communication, and no way to acquire the rare goods they have a talent for acquiring on a semi-regular basis.
Freelancers provide all nations with a way to acquire basic trade routes and awareness of other nations, as well as a source of unique opportunities and events.
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Codex: The Minor States
Spoiler
The minor states and nations of the sector were slower to redevelop spaceflight and FTL drives than the major factions of the sector, and are currently only the size of city-states. But given time, they too can become interstellar powers built on the ruins of the fallen Golden Empire.
Despite their small size and lack of interstellar influence, minor states have their own assets and fleets, and must be won over in order for the primary factions to expand and grow, whether by force, trade, diplomacy, or trickery.
On average, each NPC system can maintain a half-dozen PDF gunboats and transports.
Sample Ships-
Profile: PDF Gunboat
Class: Corvette
Weapons: Autocannon battery, prow laser cannon
Trait: Formation Fighter (PDF)- PDF Gunboats are designed and trained for formation combat, working together with other PDF-type craft to defeat larger enemies. While one PDF ship isn't much of a threat, three or four at once turn them into formidable enemies.
Flaw: PDF Ship- Gunboats lack FTL drives ad are restricted to their home system. They are also rather fragile due to the corvette hulls.
Profile: Minor Merchant
Class: Transort
Weapons: Light autocannon battery
Trait: Reliable- Merchant ship desgins favored and used by minor nations emphasize ease of maintenance and simplicity of equipment rather than any flashy features. They lack top-end capabilities, but are easy to maintain and build even with a minimum of shipbuilding skill or infrastructure.
Flaw: Green Crew- Merchants are meant for trade, no combat. They have inexperienced and unhardened crews that are likely to panic and flee in a fight.
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Codex: Starships and Shipbuilding
Spoiler
Shipbuilding is a complex and difficult affair even for the largest of sector nations. Even nations with major orbital industry and technological know-how are unlikely to produce large navies due to the resources required.
The primary costs of shipbuilding lie in a starships main reactor and FTL drive. Both of which are expensive, complex, and must be built to the highest possible standards. Whether fusion, fission, plasma, or built around some other form of power, starship reactors are one system that no nation can produce in bulk, as the energies required to run a starship's engines and FTL drive are immense and usually eclipse any power costs of all other systems combined.
For these reasons, sector factions will near always turn towards salvage as the first option when it comes to shipbuilding. Refitting even a badly wrecked and mangled hull is near always preferable to building a ship from the keel up if its reactor and engines are still intact or repairable. In addition, old ships were often built to higher specifications and with better technology than modern craft, so salvage can often yield unique advantages, or flaws.
Failing salvage, nations that decide to build from the keel up will find that shipbuilding is not just about guns and engines, but of all the spaces inbetween. Life support, crew quarters, shield arrays, internal structural ribbing and bracing, sensors, and command and control systems. Shipbuilding is nothing less than the synthesis of hundreds of fields of science, and inevitably something must be left out to make room for priority systems. (Hence why most ships have flaws as well as traits)
Every starship is unique, even if they are a series of ships of the same class, as accumulated experience, battle damage, crew turnover, repairs away from friendly ports, field jury-rigging, and ship-specific refits gradually turn every ship into its own individual entity over time.
Nations can refit their ships to install new systems and capabilities. Alternatively, they can install recovered archeotech modules which usually take up less space than modern technology and systems.
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GM NOTE: Shipbuilding takes place as a sector event every 10-15 pages, where every player receives ship points based on their roleplay activities, DEA's, outposts, and traits, which they can then spend to earn and build new ships, or upgrade their preexisting starships.
Install- 1 pt: Install a recovered module or equipment into a starship. (Obtained via roleplay)
Refit Starship- 2 pts: Add a second trait to a starship.
Extended Refits- 3 pts: Add a third trait to a starship.
Overhaul- 3 pts: Remove a negative flaw from a starship.
Salvage- (-1pt, min of 1): By seeking out salvage instead of building from the ground-up, shipbuilding costs can be reduced. This leaves the choice of trait and flaw out of the hands of the builder however. (GM decides. Heavy Cruisers can only be obtained by salvage, so discount is not applicable)
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GM nation. This will be the nation I'll be using to move the loose plot of the game forward and interact with other nations. Join up in the plot arcs as they come up for bonuses and benefits if you want them.
Faction Overview
Spoiler
Faction Name: The Clockwork State
Faction Core World Name: Partius, Burren System
Core World Description: Partius is an Earth-sized planet, once a desert world but terraformed thousands of years ago into a lush ocean world. The planet is ridiculously fertile and comfortable for humans to live on, as benefitting a Golden Empire Gem-type world. However several islands and the ocean floor are littered with remnants of old Golden Empire warmachines and archeotech, more than a few still active. Most habitation is on artificial islands and dormant terraformer stations.
Dominant Economic Activity: Archeotech Recovery/Restoration
Secondary DEA: Industry (Orbital foundries and moon-based factories)
Nation Perks: (2 perks)
* Send in the Clones!- Access to basic Golden Empire genehack and cloning facilities grants the nation a population growth boost and the ability to genehack new sub-species as needed. It is not instantaneous and new biosynths and genejacks need time to design and be produced, but it creates quite able and loyal working class.
* Archeotech Lode- Partius was once the center of a massive conflict between two factions of the Golden Empire, known to modern observers as “The Colonial Union” and “ The Virtuals”.The exact reasons behind the conflict over Partius remain a mystery, but it has littered the planet with an abundance of archeotech in addition to the remaining automated “Engine-city” terraformer stations which were miraculously untouched during the war. While very little of it is actually intact or usable or even understood by the people today, what is active or can be salvaged is of great worth to Clockwork, usually ship subsystems or parts.
Nation Flaws: (2 flaws)
* Sins of Slavery- For all the benefits of genejack labor, it degrades both master and slave fundamentally due to the social duality of slavery. Other nations may find their use of space-age slavery to be abhorrent, even if its confined to purpose-made species.
* Dangerous Planet- Partius is littered with old Golden Empire warmachines, with some of them still remaining active or dormant. Sometimes one of these old machines wakes up and decides to go on a rampage. While damage has been contained so far, there are notes that only frigate and torpedo boat-class warmachines have reactivated, and that other larger warmachines may still remain hidden under the water.
Short History:
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Outposts:
Spoiler
Outpost Name: Engine-City Delta
Outpost Summary: A large artificial island several miles wide, Engine-city Delta is centered around a large dormant terraformer machine which created the entire island and the large city on top of it. While the terraformer and most of the city’s systems are dormant, the facilities for the creation of genejacks and biosynths are active, if heavily restricted.
Asset: Cloning and Genehack facilities for creation of Gremlins and biosynths.
Outpost Name: Crucible
Outpost Summary: A large space elevator platform from Partius’s primary spaceport of Starfall, surrounded by a vast array of space stations and orbital complexes. Crucible is the crown jewel of Clockwork industry, as with it they can relocate most polluting industries into high orbit while also being able to maintain factories too large for any planetside islands. Shipyards for the maintenance and repair of Clockwork’s fleet also exist and are currently being expanded.
Asset: Industry and shipbuilding facilities.
Outpost Name: Kian
Outpost Summary: An arctic planet several lightyears from Partius, it was once a former pirate base until the Freelancer Gabriel took the Icarus and forced them out. Since then, the raider base has been used as a hidden center of operations for scientists and engineers for reverse-engineering and research of archeotech away from population centers. The planet itself holds its share of archeotech, thanks to pirate stockpiling.
Asset: Hidden Archeotech Research Base
Outpost Name: The Land of Fallen Dreams
Outpost Summary: A large area of the habitable moon of Partius still scarred by conflicts thousands of years old. The moon is heavily scarred by the long-dead conflict, and is littered with wrecks and ruins of the Golden Empire’s divided factions. At the center of this battlefield however are ruined starships, some of them with their engines still intact. A great deal of industry and resources and recovered archeotech have been funneled into the shipyard complexes in an effort to resurrect these fallen starships and grant them new life. While the battlecruiser at their center remains untouchable, the time taken to repair the destroyers and frigates have begun to yield fruit, such as the destroyer Thunderchild.
Asset: Ship graveyard/ salvage site
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Species Notes
Spoiler
Majority Species: Humans
Minority Species: Biosynths/genejack artificial species
Species Description:
Clockwork Humans are still human, albeit with some inherited genetics for longer life spans, healthier lives, and greater variety in looks and hairstyles. Derivative products of old Golden Empire genetic engineering from the original colonists.
Gremlins are the primary, and only, type of genejack currently in use by Clockwork. They are short furry creatures standing 4”1, with natural genetically-engineered inclination for tackling industrial problems while also conditioned and designed to live in cramped industrial living conditions without complaint. They do have one exception from their austere living: alcohol. Gremlins love booze, and refuse to live without it. The average Gremlin is an industrial worker or engineer,
Biosynths are artificial humans born from genetic engineering and cybernetic implants. Designed to be a servant class for skilled labor.
Majority Species Traits: Humans
Perk: Clockwork Upgrades- Clockwork Humans have a slight edge over norms with inherited genetic traits from the original colonists of Partius granting an edge to intelligence, looks, health, and lifespan, supplemented by the limited cybernetics Clockwork is capable of producing or recovering from ruins.
Flaw: Golden Hubris- Outsiders may perceive Clockwork Human’s obsession with rediscovering the past and restoring Golden Empire technology as a desire to reforge the Golden Empire in their own image, and they often receive much flak for attempting to imitate the Golden Empire and not move on.
Minor Species Traits:
Gremlin Perk: Hard Workers- Gremlins are natural-born industrial workers, engineers, technicians, and assembly line laborers, working tirelessly to serve the Clockwork’s growing industry and maintain its ships.
Gremlin Flaw: Lack of Initiative- Gremlins are meant to be industrial workers, and are thus lack independent initiative without oversight and specially bred “foremen” class Gremlins and biosynths. Even then, they are reactive, not proactive people, and usually defer any kind of judgement to Humans and biosynths.
Biosynth Perk: Adaptive Talents- Biosynths have a knack for adapting to different roles, able to rapidly learn new skills and jobs within a specific framework. This makes them ideal aides, secretaries, administrators, and subordinants to humans.
Biosynth Flaw: Limited Production- Biosynths are few in number and only slowly growing due to the time required for gestation and upbringing, as well as limited specialized facilities for their production. The issue is further complicated by quality control issues, on average about 20-30% of a growth batch of biosynths end up flawed and rejected.
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Social Values
Spoiler
Government: Parliamentary Monarchy. The Clockwork State is run by the hereditary Royal Family descended from the first colonial imperial rule alongside a council of elected officals representing different departments and divisions of government. On average, the council runs day to day governing affairs while the King/Queen possesses overriding executive power as well as control over the military.
Economy: The Clockwork economy is primarily semi-regulated free market capitalism. Free market affairs are permitted to operate with minimal government interference or oversight so long as they pay their taxes and follow loose guidelines of fair business. However, most Golden-era factories and advanced spaceship manufacturing are nationalized and under direct government control to supply the military, and most space-based facilities and stations have ownership clauses for temporary nationalization during times of war or crisis. For the most part, nobody really complains about that.
Religion: Clockwork has no state religion, and permits freedom of religion so long as its non-violent and kept apart from state governing affairs. Machine spirit worship is the most common faith, owing to the abundance of archeotech on Partius.
Military: The Clockwork Security Fleet primarily emphasizes individual ship action and initiative. With such a small fleet, every ship must be able to stand on its own. With that in mind, Clockwork ships have more space given over to spare part reserves and onboard repair systems, as well as heavier armor. Stand-up fighting capability is valued more than mobility or creature comforts for the crew.
More recently however, Captain Styker and a growing faction of naval officers are calling for a shift towards squadron-level actions. Pairing up each frigate with a destroyer for mutual support, and compensating for reduced coverage with more archeotech systems. For the moment they are making headway as new archeotech is uncovered and restored to action, but require more ship hulls before it can be implemented wholescale.
Ideology: Renaissance. The Clockwork State want to bring about a new Golden Empire through rediscovering their secrets and making them anew through any means necessary.
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Starships
Spoiler
Name: Haven
Class: "Super Chartist"-class transport
Weapons: 1 point defense laser battery
Captain: CEO Thorne
Trait: Stowed and Secured- Haven is built with a main cargo hold twice as large as a standard Chartist transport, allowing Haven to haul massive bulk cargoes as well as some passengers in luxury cabins, ensuring massive profits through bulk alone.
Flaw: Fragile Engines- Haven's drive systems are not as robust as other ships, and can't take much damage before shutting down or overloading. They also require careful maintenance.
Name: Icarus
Class: Modified Chartist-class transport
Weapons: Improvised Cargo hangar (2 strike-fighter squadrons), light autocannon battery
Captain: Captain Gabriel
Trait: Trickster- Icarus's crew and captain are a wily bunch, always with tricks and deception up their sleeves to make up for their lack of standing combat ability. Decoys, ECM, misdirection, signals tapping, there is no depth to which they will not sink to survive.
Flaw: Jury-rigged Hanger- The hanger bay of the Icarus was a repurposed cargo hold, and it shows. It is dangerous for combat landings and has limited ability to repair combat damage or replace losses.
Name: Severe Lack of Gravitas
Class: Chartist-class Transport
Weapon: Laser battery
Captain: Captain Claus Tanner
Trait: Robot Crew- Gravitas possesses an onboard archeotech variable robotics factory. Limited by available power and materials, it is capable of manufacturing a range of robots. Tanner uses robots to stand in for most of the crew. Tireless, with no need for air, water, food, or comfort, they are very hardy crew, and make for a useful sellable commodity on their own.
Flaw: Robot Crew- However, the robotic crew are unimaginative and most of the lower deck drones cannot deviate from their preprogrammed routines. The limited command flexibility of the crew isn't helped by Tanner putting gynoids built more for form over function in command positions.
Name: Bright Dawn
Class: Galaxy-class Troop Transport
Weapon: Invasion hangar (2 wings of atmospheric strike-fighters, 2 wings of dropships and heavy lifters), Light autocannon battery
Captain: Captain Ethan Swift/ Colonel Miles Powers
Trait: Invasion Ship(Armor)- The Bright Dawn possesses a expanded hanger and cargo bay dedicated towards hauling and deploying armored tank units. With heavy tank lifters and strike-fighter carrying capability, it can carry a significant amount of heavy metal for a planetary attack.
Flaw: Dedicated Invasion Ship- The Bright Dawn was meant to haul troops and mechs and support them with air support. Between the large amount of stowage space needed to supply ground troops and maintain its invasion hangar, the Bright Dawn is useless as a conventional cargo transport and is still very fragile in a direct fight.
Name: Lancer
Class: Corvette
Weapons: 40-cell missile battery.
Captain: Captain Victoria Halsey
Trait: Stealth Mode- between "cold" ECM pods, hull refrigeration heat sinks and a series of engine baffles, the Lancer is capable of stealth for limited durations, depending on how heavily their engines are used.
Flaw: Flicker shields- Lancer's shield arrays are built along power and space conserving "flicker" shields. While easy to maintain, they are unreliable under sustained fire and can easily overload. This leaves Lancer heavily dependant on its missile battery for both point defense and protection.
Name: Thunderchild
Class: Destroyer
Weapons: 4 prow heavy torpedo tubes (Loadout: 20 plasma torpedoes, 8 melta torpedoes, 4 graviton corrosion torpedoes), 1 autocannon battery
Captain: Captain Miran Federer
Trait: Torpedo Marksman- Thunderchild's torpedo gunnery crews have unnaturally crack aim, able to predict and maneuver its torpedoes to achieve maximum destruction and make each heavy anti-ship warhead count.
Flaw: Relic of the Golden Age- Most of Thunderchild’s systems, including its engines, torpedo launch systems, and command deck, are archeotech or heavily infused with it. While it lets them pull off miracles with torpedoes, it also heavily complicates repairs and maintenance as well as resupply. Melta and graviton torpedoes are hard to produce, and only the Crucible can build more of them in small amounts.
Name: Sword of the Stars
Class: Destroyer
Weapon: 1 dorsal mass driver battery, spinal Starbeaker-class light energy lance cannon.
Captain: Captain Scorsha Pravada
Trait: Extended Supply Vaults- The SotS possesses extensive stowage bays and supply vaults for extended journeys far from friendly stars. The well-stocked destroyer has a larger supply of spare parts and can still grant slightly larger rations to its crew as well, improving morale.
Flaw: Albionev FTL drive- Sword of the Star’s FTL drive is slow compared to other starships, and built more for reliability and warp stability rather than speed.
Name: Victus
Class: Frigate
Weapons: 2 heavy laser batteries, flak point-defense grid
Captain: Captain Elena Tayber
Trait: Elite Crew- From the captain to the lowest deck hand, the crew of the Victus are a close-knit elite force to be reckoned with. While the Victus lacks any advanced or ancient technology, they would rather die to the last man rather than break.
Flaw: Martial Hubris- Victus and its captain are extremely aggressive, and will often charge the enemy head on, or buck orders if not used in an aggressive or front-line role.
Name: Valkyrie
Class: Heavy Frigate, war frigate variant
Weapons: 2 dorsal plasma-pulse batteries, 1 prow 30-cell missile battery, micro-laser point defense grid
Captain: Captain Robert Styker
Trait: Warfrigate- Valkyrie is a newly built war-frigate, an attempt to shoehorn even more firepower into a heavy frigate hull. Its primary plasma pulse cannons are highly charged long-range weapons, and additional missile tubes installed. It makes things slightly more cramped for the crew and reduces speed, but provides a great deal of firepower while not compromising armor.
Flaw: War-frigate glitches- Feeding the expanded pulse-laser batteries has forced the use of heavy plasma conduits, which with the decay of knowledge of plasma-tech has rendered them short-life and in need of constant replacement. This cuts onboard supply stores in half and tethers Valkyrie to supply ships or planets for a steady supply of replacement parts.
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Major Characters: (For major leaders or heroes in your nation)
Spoiler
Name: Ishmael
Species: Human(?)
Skills: Master corporate leader, Information Broker, Administrator.
Personality: Calm, analytical,
Short History: The mysterious old woman known simply as Ishmael is a legend in the Clockwork State. Trillionaire, owning stocks in a dozen primary megacorps of Clockwork, even holding sway over the Freelancers when she wants transportation. Her base of operations is on Ark-01, one of the artificial islands on Partius designated as a resort island, although over time she has turned it into a mobile base for archeotech scavenging and light industry.
Name: Captain Robert Styker
Species: Human
Skills: Crack ship captain, charismatic leader, strike-force leader
Personality: Aggressive, gutsy, confident.
Short History: Styker is captain of the Clockwork State's warfrigate "Valkyrie". Despite the heavy frigate's shortcomings, he appreciates its heavy firepower and uses it as a hammer against any enemy of the State. He advocates squadron-level tactics instead of Clockwork’s usual stance of
Name: Weaponsmith Stygies
Species: Gremlin
Skills: Weapons design, military engineering
Personality: Deadpan snarker, blunt, analytical. Tag-teams with Marza.
Short History: One of the chief weaponsmiths of the Clockwork State, Stygies actively works to advance Clockwork weapons technology and industrial-military complex. He is the most rational and grounded of the "Clockwork Think Tank". His designs are crude, and favor brute force solutions, but are also easy to build and maintain with colonial industry.
Name: Weaponsmith Marza
Species: Gremlin
Skills: Ship architect, ship engineering,
Personality: Deadpan snarker, inventive, creative. Tag-teams with Stygies.
Short History: One of the chief weaponsmiths of the Clockwork State, Marza focuses on ship design and repair. He is the most inventive of the "Clockwork Think Tank", an unusual trait for a Gremlin, willing to press for new tech and new designs either of his own make or from reverse-engineered archeotech, with cost no object, even if its in lives.
Name: Weaponsmith Seerus
Species: Gremlin
Skills: Archeotech analyst, logistics master,
Personality: Moderate, diplomatic, deadpan snarker.
Short History: One of the chief weaponsmiths of the Clockwork State, Seerus is a recent addition to the "Think Tank", but lends considerable skill in logistics as well as a moderate view to round out the Think Tank and keep Stygies and Marza from killing eachother. Is chief executive foreman of the Grand Arsenal, a major military foundry of the Crucible.
Name: Captain Scorsha Pravada
Species: Human
Skills: Veteran ship commander, defensive systems specialist, independent field commander.
Personality: Cold, harsh, zealously loyal to the ideals of the State.
Short History: Scorsha is captain of the Sword of the Stars, a long-range destroyer meant for deep runs far from the homeworld. While it puts her out of her usual comfort zone of command, she recognizes the need for deep-void patrols and why she is considered a reliable enough captain for the job for she would never question orders from high command. She is a dedicated woman, loyal to the State above her own life.
Name: Freelancer Gabriel
Species: Human(?)
Skills: Merchant captain, trickster, Golden Empire historian
Personality: Silent, strange, enigmatic.
Short History: Gabriel commands the transport ship Icarus. Where other transports haul between outposts or chartist trade routes, the Icarus makes its own routes towards distant stars. There are questions of if he really is human, with unnatural reflexes and an incredible talent for logical analysis of a situation. For that matter, he is also possesses an understanding of the Golden Empire beyond most living souls today. A very strange person.
Name: Melete
Species: Biosynth human
Skills: Living library, hyperspace mathematics master, trickster, ship avatar
Personality: Robotic, emotionless
Short History: Melete is a custom-ordered and modified biosynth by Gabriel. Through the use of a archeotech spinal cortex implant, Melete is now the physical avatar of the Icarus and Gabriel’s personal aide.
Name: Freelancer Claus Tanner
Species: Human
Skills: Ship captain, master hacker,
Personality: Hedonistic, thrill-seeking, cheerful
Short History: Claus is young for a captain, but ended up in command of the ancient starship Gravitas due to cracking its command codes by fluke accident. With a transport beholden to him and him alone, he seeks to make his fortune among the stars. He prefers his robotic and biosynth crew to dealing with normal organics.
Name: Silvia Lenneth
Species: Human- biosynth
Skills: Merchant aide, administrator, corporate
Personality: Subservient, obedient, quiet
Short History: A synthetically grown human, less than five years old, Silvia is Tanner's personal aide and XO. She is an archtypical biosynth, obedient and subservient, as well as a very efficient administrator. Telltale signs of her synthetic origins are her cybernetic red eyes and cyber-tattoos on her shoulders and back.
Name: Colonel Miles Powers
Species: Human
Skills: Ground Forces commander, charismatic, adaptive tactics.
Personality: Aggressive, cool under fire, deadpan snarker
Short History: Power’s commands the 1st “Ironsides” spaceborne armor battalion, stationed aboard the invasion ship Bright Dawn. 20 tanks and tank destroyers and 500 crack mechanized soldiers are under his command, and he wields them like a hammer against the enemies of the State.
I'll be keeping mine constantly updated, in case Trent is unable to update the one in the first post. By the by Trent, it may be a good idea to edit out my little note I left in that post when I updated it, makes it seem like you want everyone to play peace with the Clockwork
Faction Name: The Nerai Remnancy
Faction Core World Name: The Heart of Darkness/Solexus-IV
Core World Description:
The center of the Nerai Remnancy lies with the dead-world of Solexus-IV, the planet which has died twice. The first time the planet died was when the system's star went supernova and ripped away the atmospheres of the inner four planets, and eradicated the gas planets in the outer orbits. Solexus emerged from the violence of it's death as a highly active Pulsar, bathing the dead worlds of it's system with lethal doses of electromagnetic radiation. When the Nerai came to the system over 1000 years ago, they came to a system favorable to their extra-galactic technology. They had not been in system long when the Golden Empire came in-system with such fury that had seen the death of Solexus-IV once again. In the middle of the battle the Heart of Darkness, a titan ship of immense proportion crashed into Solexus-IV rending it's surface apart as it's engines still fired despite it's end. The three-thousand kilometer long ship dug a rift into the planet, and eventually halted when it pierced the core of the dead world and finally still its heart. A thousand years later, Solexus-IV still orbits Solexus in its altered orbit, and where once it only had its three planet siblings, it now has hundreds of thousands of wrecked ships orbiting the Pulsar to serve as its company for eternity. Though the Nerai work tirelessly on both the Heart of Darkness and the ship graveyards, it is unlikely they will ever return to the glory of their past.
Dominant Economic Activity: Mass Collectors orbit the star collecting radiation from the Quasar distribute energy among relays throughout the system. The Nerai do not actually operate these collectors, having been awakened without knowledge of their own technology. All they know is that the collectors have been functioning for as long as they have been in-system and that slowly they gain enough power to reactivate their ships.
Secondary DEA: The Nerai have no need for Economic Activities beyond supplying their own needs.
Nation Perks:
Aetheric Communications: The Nerai communicate through a form of wireless communications similar to Telepathy but is actually an implant in the body of the Nerai. This Aetheric Communication allows them to instantly share information as it's developed, as well as to higher capabilities control Aethericly modified machines.
Construct: The Nerai are constructs built with the purpose of preserving a sentience, though few among the Nerai are actually sure as to why they were created, or why they are capable of emotions and sensory perceptions. The latter is the most baffling, as the Nerai do not have the functions required to breathe or ingest nutrients, nor do they procreate in any sense. This leads to awkward moments among the work-groups where teams pass about a discovered ration pack and debate as to what it's supposed to. The work teams of Mondus-Epsilon maintain fervently that the taste is Chicken.
Extra-Galactic: The Nerai also hail from another galaxy, and as such their bodies and machines obey different laws unto themselves. They tend to thrive in areas of high radiation of varied types, and are able to utilize the radiation as power sources for many of their needs such as powering their vessels and their own bodies. An example of this would be their cold-reactors, reactors capable of operating at or below zero degrees celsius, leaving their ships to be devoid of heat and immune to heat-seeking technologies.
Nation Flaws:
Aetheric Communications: Due to the nature of their communications, the Nerai have eliminated the need to communicate in any way other than the Aether. This can obviously produce problems when the Nerai end up needing to communicate with another Civilization.
There is only One: The Nerai hold their faith very close, and feel there is no room for any other deities. Not to say that they feel no other deities can exist, but that no other deity is allowed to exist beyond their own faith.
Remnancy: All Nerai are merely shells of what they once were, minds within a constructed body. Who they were, or even what they were is merely myth and supposition, but the secret lies within the Shroud of Dreams. This Remnancy has also lead the Nerai to develop quirks amongst the sub-species, such as the belligerent nature of the Nerakai, and the aloofness of the Nuvanai.
Dead-Empire: The Nerai are also few in number, being only a few thousand active, and relatively few among their number being capable of awakening others. This leads them to be in a very vulnerable position, and makes them very wary of contact with the native civilization of this galaxy.
Extra-Galactic: Being from another Galaxy is also a major downfall, in that the Nerai begin to undergo decay in environments heavy with Nitrogen Gas, and are uncomfortable when the gas is present in an atmosphere.
Construct: Being a construct is also a liability, in that they are incapable of furthering their race. One a sentience is lost, it is lost forever, and the Nerai only barely understand the rituals of Remnancy.
Short History:
Nearly a thousand years ago the Nerai came into this galaxy in a blaze of zealous fury, their fleet carving a path through system after system. The Golden Empire reacted swiftly, and began a series of running battles across the core of the galaxy, corralling the Nerai Fleet into the system they now inhabit. In a single action the Nerai fleet was all but destroyed, leaving thousands of crippled vessels to bleed out in the void and their Titan ship embedded in the dead-world Solexus IV. The crippling of their Titan ship, and the annihilation of their fleet forced the Nerai to undergo a stasis-sleep to recover their losses and return the lost to the Shroud.
Now the Nerai begin to awaken, their memories gone, and their technology foreign to them. The only thing the few Nerai left have now is the Shroud of Dreams and their Prophet, along with thousands of dead vessels the Golden Empire left to rot in the system. Their Prophet leads them to recover their lost knowledge and restore their memories, though the journey will be a long one, and the end to their civilization can come at any time.
* * * * * *
Outpost Name: The Heart of Darkness
Planet Summary:
The Heart of Darkness was once the core of the Nerai fleets, a super-massive Titan ship capable of taking on entire fleets in it's own right. During the Battle of Solexus it took severe damage across the entire vessel, including the rupturing of eight of it's nine gravity wells. The vessel now lies embedded within Solexus IV, it's prow having long ago halted the movements of the planet's core. Many sections of the vessel are unpowered, many outright dangerous to navigate, and a vast majority of it unreachable. The only areas of the ship accessible to the general population of the Nerai is the Remnancy chamber, what is believed to have been one of the many armories of the ship before it's crippling. While much of the Heart of Darkness remains locked to the Nerai as a whole, the Prophet regularly walks the halls without problems.
Asset: The Heart of Darkness represents all of what the Nerai lost, and what they stand to gain. Crews work without cessation on the outer areas of the vessel, and a vast amount of power from the relays is routed there at all times. The Prophet believes that with sustained work, and power, the Heart of Darkness will be able to dislodge itself within 500 years. The Heart of Darkness also contains another very valuable asset, the Shroud of Dreams.
Outpost Name: The Shroud of Dreams
Planet Summary:
The Shroud of Dreams lies in the core of the Heart of Darkness, within the ruptured halls of the reactor complexes. What may have once been home to the super-massive reactor which powered the ship is now the home of the Remnants of the Nerai's past, the sentient consciousnesses of the forms the Nerai took before Remnancy. Only the Prophet walks these halls, not even his body-guard accompany him as he makes his journey through the living dreams of their dead empire.
Asset: Contains the sentience of every Nerai before Remnancy, and so is the most vital asset the Nerai. Should the Nerai lose the Shroud then there will never be a new Nerai created again, and the Nerai will slowly cease to exist. It is also said to be the home of their goddess, Selena, though only the Prophet knows the truth of the matter.
Outpost Name: Nerakati
Planet Summary:
Nerakati is the inner-most ring of dead vessels and as such is the primary focus of the Nerai's reactivation teams. Many of these vessels are severely damaged and some are beyond the Nerai's ability to repair, most notably the Capital ships orbiting the Heart of Darkness and the Titan ship itself.
Asset: Wreckage mostly, few vessels capable of functioning. The inhabited portion of the belt consists entirely of repair stations and collector relays.
Outpost: Nuvanis
Planet Summary:
The outermost belt of wreckage is home to the vessels which had caught the full-force of the Golden Empire's wrath and as such are little more than masses of fused metal and floating skeletons. This latter fact is of curiosity to the Nerai, as none remember what they were before Remnancy.
Asset: Nuvanis holds only the wreckage of dead vessels.
The enigmatic Nerai are a mystery in many ways, from where they came from to what they are. They range from the roughly humanoid Nuvanai who have a natural affinity for Aetheric manipulation, to the lumbering Nerakai who form the backbone of their ground military. Regardless of their sub-species, all Nerai are made of the same strange metalloid that their ships and weapons are made of. The Metalloid resembles that of the earth mineral Obsidian, mostly for it's inability to maintain a symmetrical form, as well as the razored edges of their forms. Where the Metalloid departs from the Obsidian comparison is the durability of it reaching that of solid steel, and able to survive excessive temperatures without degrading.
Remnants are the disconnected consciousnesses of the Nerai's previous form, they have no memories and only carry a vague semblence of who and what they are. They are capable of emotions, and cognitive functions to a degree, but most Remnants found outside the Shroud are used as an AI analogue for their larger vessels.
The Isoterix-Vaermani are by and large a myth to the majority of the Nerai, but the few who know of them speak little of them, and only in hushed whispers. Some feel that the Isoterix are the ones who drove them from their home galaxy, while others believe that there is something far more sinister to them.
Majority Species Traits:
Both Sub-Species:
Extra-Galactic/Construct: (See above)
Nuvanai:
++Aetheric Mastery: Nuvanai are masters of the Aether, and are capable of operating machines at peak efficiency without difficulty. This also has placed them as chief communications officers among the Solexus system, keeping the entirety of the system in contact.
--The drawback to this comes at the expense of their physicality, in that they are slighter than the Nerakai and less durable as well as physically weaker. This is made up by increased Aetheric abilities, as well as a higher agility.
Nerakai:
++Shock-Troops: Nerakai are nearly twice the size of their Nuvanai cousins, and as such serve as Shock-Troops in ground operations. Their increased size comes with increased strength as well as durability, enabling them to also act as heavy-lifters.
--Belligerence: The Nerakai are, to say the least, very belligerent and blunt when it comes to communications, and all but incapable of more than rudimentary Aetherics. This leads them to be kept back from interacting in situations where a diplomat is needed.
Minor Species Traits:
Remnants: The Remnants have very little in terms of positive traits, being as they are little more than data ghosts within the Shroud. The Remnants that do exist outside the Shroud have a wide range of personalities which manifest, each Remnant being unique to the others. In truth, the Remnants could be said to be the only ones capable of individuality, yet are by far the most vulnerable.
* * * * * *
Society:
The Nerai Remnancy is the last bastion of a once mighty empire from another galaxy, rendered into near stone-age technological levels. Their society is entirely bent towards reactivating the fleet which orbits Solexus, and leave very little room for anything else. There is no economy, for the Nerai have no need for personal resources, and all power is shared throughout the Remnancy. The only exceptions to this is when it comes to the specialized structures of the Remnancy's leadership. The Remnancy is ruled singularly by the Prophet, the oldest Nerai in existence, who guides them in all efforts to restore their empire. The Nerai, while having little to do with unproductive activities, are extremely religious, and many times schedule work activities around communion.
The Remnancy's religion could be seen as a slightly complicated affair, in that at no point will they state that no other deities exist, yet state that their own are the only ones allowed to exist. The gods of the Progenitus are few in number and occupy strange spheres of influence, considering the status of the Nerai's empire. For example, the god whose name is borne by their creed is Progenitus, a so-called lesser god of balance and unity, but also occupies the sphere of affluence and love. Also, while not being worshiped as much as Progenitus, Selena is held to a higher regard, and is seen as more powerful in the cosmos. Furthermore, differing work-groups worship other minor gods in favor of the more known and supposedly powerful gods. This paints a convoluted and often times strained religious community, that many times worships a god's minor spheres yet remains largely aloof of the higher spheres. The only part of the Remnancy to maintain consistency is that of the Cataphract and the Remnancers.
Of the work-groups the Nerai organize themselves into the two most important to their empire is those of the Remnancers and the Cataphract. The Remnancers are the smallest group, being only a few dozen, but are by far the most important. Their sole duty is to attend to the Remnants that linger upon the edges of the Shroud and to bind them into a Nerai shell. Should a Remnancer be unable to attend their duty, it would set back the Remnancy severely, as they are nigh irreplaceable. The Cataphract stand as nearly the exact opposite of the Remnancers, in that where the Remnancers preserve life, the Cataphract destroy it. They are a relatively large contingent of mixed Nerai forms, all trained in the arts of war and ready to engage an enemy at the single command of their Praetorian. The Cataphract acts largely independent of the Remnancy, though always stand ready to act at the Prophet's command.
Though the Nerai seem single-minded in their attempts to resurrect the shattered war-fleet of their predecessors, none except the Prophet are entirely sure as to why. The Nerai have no need of wealth, or of well-being, and seem content enough with their own religion to convert others to their ways. As more and more Nerai come back from Remnancy, there is a growing feeling of apprehension among the Nerai as a whole, and some feel that the time when the Prophet reveals the truth of Remnancy is soon. Until then, the Nerai do not waver from their tasks, they remain within their own sector, and the Prophet remains silent about the truth behind Remnancy.
* * * * * *
Fleet Assets:
Name: Absolution
Class: Transport vessel
Perks/Flaws:
+ Diplomat: The Absolution carries the ruling class of the Nerai to and from points in system, and as such has advanced Aetherics. These Aetherics allow it to communicate across the system with little trouble.
- Non-Combat: The Absolution is nigh incapable of holding it's own in a combat situation, leading it to rely heavily on other vessels to protect it.
Weapons: Defensive plasma batteries mounted to the flanks of the vessel.
Captain: Derzerog
The Absolution is a relatively unremarkable vessel, save for the passengers it carries. Most often seen escorting the Prophet across Solexus space, the Absolution is nearly incapable of combat, and instead functions more as a diplomatic vessel.
Name: Alexia
Class: Unique (Light Cruiser would be the closest comparison)
Weapons: Only defensive plasma-batteries are currently active, vessel does have a lance system incorporated into the spine, but is currently inactive.
Perks/Flaws:
+/- Remnant: The Alexia is both a ship, and the Remnant who controls it. Being controlled by a Remnant, the vessel is capable of executing manuevers that would be all but impossible for a crew to duplicate. This does, however, leave the crew and passengers at her mercy.
-- Functional?: The Alexia is the first warship to actually leave the ressurection yards, and as such is the first chance for the Nerai to see their progress. Needless to say, they are not impressed.
Captain: Alexia Gallisarius/Azuriah Medan
The Alexia is the most recent vessel to come out of the resurrection yards of Nerakai, and suffers from many technical errors that the engineers were unable to repair. Chief amongst these are "Ghost" returns on the sensors, ranging from light returns to massed formations of warships. The Remnant controlling the vessel is known for her unwillingness to compromise, bordering on belligerence and frequently subverts the control of the bridge to her own desires. While these problems exist the Nerai have little choice but to attempt to appease the Remnant and make do with whatever she allows them. When functional, the shields array is capable of protecting the vessel from concentrated volleys of high-impact laser weaponry, but the chief perk of the vessel is the cold-reactor which renders the vessel completely immune to heat-seekers.
* * * * * *
Major Characters: (For major leaders or heroes in your nation)
Name: Azuriah Medan(The Silent Prophet/The Prophet-Warrior/Lord of the Twin Empires/Guardian of the Shroud)
Species: Undetermined, believed to be Nuvanai but may be yet another sub-species.
Azuriah Medan was the first to awaken from Remnancy, though only he knows for exactly how long that has been. He carries himself with a pride that speaks of his dedication to the entire race, but something dwells behind his calm and measured demeanor. It is believed that he holds the secret to Remnancy, and why the Nerai have taken the form they are in, but when asked of Remnancy, he remains silent. This silence in regards to the truth of the Nerai has led many to call him the Silent Prophet. Despite the unwillingness to disclose the truth, the Nerai still see him as not only their Prophet, but also their lord and master. He is not just a simple prophet though, nor a meek dignitary, but the premier warrior of the Cataphract order. He spends whatever time not among his people either honing his martial skills, or in meditation with Selena.
Name: Asioki(Lord Apophis/Remnancer of Progenitus)
Species: Nuvanai
Asioki stands as one of Azuriah's bodyguards, as well as chief Remnancer of the Nerai. He spends most of his time at Azuriah's side, directing the Remnancers and organizing the Nerai work-groups to maximum efficiency. He also serves as Lord Apophis, a title given to the master of the Nuvanai Aetherics, all of this playing into his rather aloof nature. He can be seen to drift off in deep thought, and is given to a kinder hand when dealing with serious issues, leaving the theatrics to Azuriah and Ixion.
Name: Ixion(Lord Praetorian of the Cataphract/Remnancer of Progenitus)
Species: Nerakai
Ixion is Azuriah's other bodyguard, and is seen as the very epitome of the Nerakai way of life. He generally spends most of his time overseeing the Cataphract's training regimens, as well as the restorations of the vessels of the Nerakati belt. He maintains all the hallmarks of his sub-species, most particularly the rather bellicose nature of the Nerakai and unflinching resolve once committed to a project. Unfortunately for many of the higher classes of Nerai society, he also maintains the Nerakai subtlety when it comes to negotiations.
The Metal.
Wherever you look when among the Nerai, you will see the Metal. This metal is what comprises everything the Nerai use, and everything they are. Brought with them from their home galaxy, the Metal is unique to the Nerai and cannot be found anywhere within the galaxy. Its composition is an oddity, in that no scientist has ever been able to discern it's exact structure, but it is believed to be a sentient form of metalloid from Dark Space, the void between the galaxies. Wherever the origin of the Metal, or the actual composition of the Metal, it is the very lifeblood of the Nerai. It holds much in common with naturally occurring Obsidian, in that it is incapable of holding a perfect form, instead forming hard angles and irregularities. Nothing made of the Metal is ever identical to another, and no piece is ever symmetrical, but despite these flaws, the Metal is incredibly strong. Boasting a tensile strength similar to steel, and a heat resistance of titanium, the Metal is able to endure extreme temperatures and stresses without failing. The Metal is, however, useless at conducting electricity, but will instead conduct radioactivity in the form of micro-resonance. This Micro-resonance is able to build and store massive amounts of power and discharge it into whatever applications the Nerai need it for. Because of this micro-resonance associated with radioactivity, the Nerai are often seen to be in the vicinity of dead stars, as well as sites of nuclear holocaust.
Despite the outstanding properties of the Metal, the Nerai only have what they brought with them, and are incapable of utilizing other minerals to the same task. This leads them to guard every piece of Metal with the passion of a zealot, and no matter the gains to any negotiation will refuse to part with even a sliver.
Graviton Technology
Due to the uniqueness of the Metal, the Nerai are able to utilize a unique form of projectile weapon, the Graviton weapon. The Graviton weapon manifests itself in different ways depending on the situation, but is most often seen in a rifle form held by a Nuvanai of the Cataphract. The way the Graviton Rifle works is not widely understood, but it is believed to carry a large supply of mass-less particles, that when they leave the barrel at near light-speed, become dense enough to pierce plate armour as if it wasn't there. Because the graviton round is mass-less, the weapon is able to exert more force on it, to project it further, as such the Graviton Rifle has a much larger lethal range than conventional or energy firearms. Graviton Pistols work in a similar way, but smaller, and usually in the hands of Cataphract officers. The larger weapon-forms manifest as cannons, and blasters, utilized almost exclusively by the Nerakai of the Cataphract. All Graviton weapons have zero-recoil, but are faced with the problem of inducing massive stresses on the barrels of the weapons they are fired from. These stress can accumulate quickly in high-combat situations and lead to the explosive destabilization of the weapon, sometimes so violent that it rends the user apart in a micro-second.
Last edited by Shimmerene; 03-07-2013 at 12:10 PM.
Texas, where the men are men and the cattle know it.
Posts
601
Let me know if anything needs changing. I may have forgotten a note or two.
Faction Overview
Faction Name: The T'Tiri
Faction Core World Name: Ferros Prime
Core World Description: This is a hot, mineral-rich world of Earth-like proportions. Volcanic eruptions are common, though they are not normally very massive and are typically restricted to a long border along the planet's two largest tectonic plates. There is some scarce plant-life, and the terrain can best be described as rocky, craggy, and inhospitable to oxygen-breathing organisms. It also happens to be the site of an old Star Empire mining and research facility.
Dominant Economic Activity: Mining and mineral processing
Secondary DEA: Art and Culture (particularly music)
Nation Perks: Song of Unity - The T'Tiri may be free-thinking individuals, but they are unified in purpose. For them, that purpose brings clarity and truth; their path is clear, and united, the T'Tiri can spread the message of peace. Curious - Discovery is something the T'Tiri nation thrills in. When they are able to interact peacefully with another species, they are eager to ask questions and learn all they can. Trade and peaceful interactions tend to result in the T'Tiri learning more about their new friends and their technology than their friends learn about them. The T'Tiri also make good explorers.
Nation Flaws: Naivety - The T'Tiri always see the best in others. It takes terrible betrayal against them to convince the T'Tiri that another species has cruel intentions. Pseudo-Pacifism - The T'Tiri do not refrain from violence, but they do try to avoid killing unless absolutely necessary. As a result, even if they utterly defeat their opponents in combat, their enemies tend to suffer minimal casualties. Those that survive are made prisoners, instead.
Short History: The T'Tiri are a synthetic species of living mineral. They were created during the Empire's peak by a scientist who sought to create what he believed was "Purity given life." The resulting "firstborn" of the T'Tiri were able to exist without consuming biological matter, and they were able to quickly spread across the surface of Ferros. When the Empire discovered what the scientist had done, the T'Tiri were immediately forced into what was effectively forced labor, and were spread throughout the local mineral-rich system to harvest the raw materials.
The slavery of the T'Tiri was short-lived, however, as the Empire fell apart and shattered. They were free to develop their own culture, to explore, to develop, and most importantly, to Sing.
* * * * * *
Outposts:
Outposts are lifeblood of the factions. Critical sources of resources, archeotech, manpower, trade, and military bases
Each faction starts with four outposts, each of which contributes a unique asset to a faction. This could be a major industrial site, a key military base, ancient ruins, a local ship junkyard, or simply a very large population base. Losing these outposts is a major blow to a faction, and establishing new outposts takes time and resources.
Outpost Name: Ferros Three
Planet Summary: Similar to Ferros Prime, this planet is extremely hot, and is the third planet away from the sun. Unlike Ferros Prime, it is not a developing planet, but a dying one; arid, barren, and having only very minor traces of water deep below the surface. It has only an average amount of minerals for harvesting, as well, and most of those have to be mined out from below the surface. However, it also moves at a pace very similar to Ferros Prime, and its arid and typically unchanging atmosphere make it a perfect place for construction. As such, it was turned into a defensive outpost during the Star Empire's reign, and the T'Tiri use it for the same purpose this day.
Asset: Ferros Three currently functions as a military outpost for the T'Tiri and is equipped with all the basics necessary to construct small ships. It also is outfitted with somewhat more advanced colony defenses, and it travels close enough to Ferros Prime to protect that planet.
Outpost Name: Ferros Five
Planet Summary: This planet is the last planet in the Ferros System and is separated from the others by a thin asteroid belt. It is similar to Ferros Prime in that it is mineral rich, but it is extremely cold (to the point of being able to snap even the T'Tiri from the sheer temperature) and rife with snowstorms. A few mining facilities have been constructed on the planet, but as lucrative as this is for the T'Tiri, there is always a risk of machinery breaking down.
Asset: Ferros Five is a rich mining colony. However, it is also a dangerous one. (Mr. GM, feel free to use this against me once roleplay begins.)
Outpost Name: F.E.R.F. (Ferros Extraplanetary Research Facility)
Planet Summary: The F.E.R.F. is not actually a planet, but a science station orbiting Ferros Prime. During the peak of the Empire's power, it was a highly advanced research facility; the war since then has damaged it, but now it is under T'Tiri control, and they have managed to reconstruct it sufficiently to conduct their own experiments.
Asset: The F.E.R.F. provides the T'Tiri with the perfect facility from which to conduct research.
Outpost Name: Ylidana
Planet Summary: Ylidana is the only T'Tiri planet not inside the Ferros system. It is the sole planet within the system closest to it (likewise named the Ylidana system), and where the Ferros system is rife with conditions unsuitable to holding organic life, Ylidana is perfect for it. It ranges from cold to temperate to tropical paradise, and is home to flora, fauna, mammals, reptiles, insects, amphibians, and more. Like Earth, it is cold at the polar caps and warm around the equator, but it has far less valuable minerals available for harvesting. It is very fertile, however, and perfect for colonization.
Since the T'Tiri have no use for organic materials, this planet is simply used as a prisoner camp. Its idyllic nature and lack of mineral resources make it a perfect place to leave prisoners of war until peace terms can be reached.
Asset: Prison World, potential bartering chip
* * * * * *
Majority Species: T'Tiri
Species Description: The T'Tiri are a multi-colored crystalline species that is capable of melding flawlessly with technology. They interact with the world around them mostly by emitting specialized sound waves that allow them to to "feel" nearby objects (much how a bat does) and to communicate verbally. In fact, they are capable of manipulating the world around them with these sonic projections.
It is hard to define exactly where one T'Tiri begins and where it ends. They vary greatly in size, anywhere from a few inches tall to several feet, and individuals may consist of a whole crystal formation or only a single shard. To make matters more complicated, the T'Tiri seem to be universally connected to each other on a level only insect swarms could understand; they can sense each other many miles away and can communicate through solid metal without any apparent difficulty. The T'Tiri constantly emit different sounds, and even when they are "silent," they make a soft, gentle hum.
Young T'Tiri tend to be bright and vibrant, while older T'Tiri grow duller and darker in hue. Once they reach about twenty years of age, old T'Tiri crack and split into several smaller shards, which then become new, younger T'Tiri. This process can be quickly sped up to facilitate the rapid growth of the species, though rich deposits of minerals are required for this to work.
While the T'Tiri are genderless, they have a distinct feminine quality in their voice. Their tone is soft, and they speak in a sing-song fashion. Indeed, to most species, their voice has a mysterious and beautiful quality, and when the T'Tiri sing, they can bring the most hardened of organic beings to tears. When they sing as a group, the effect is simply captivating.
While they are crystalline in appearance, the T'Tiri are by no means fragile, and since they are essentially living minerals, they are capable of surviving in environments that would destroy organic life.
Majority Species Traits:
Positive The Song - The T'Tiri possess the unique ability to Sing. By producing a perfect pitch, they can temporarily paralyze, sleep, or otherwise incapacitate organic lifeforms. However, this does not work over radio communications, nor does it work across the vacuum of space (because there is no sound in space). However, it is effective in ship-to-ship boarding attempts and in land battles.
Technological Affinity - The T'Tiri are naturally skilled at the manipulation of technology and are better at using advanced technology than other races. When using any complex machine, they form a natural mind-machine interlink with the device. They can potentially interact with any technology, but the more foreign it is to the T'Tiri, the more difficult it is for them to manipulate it. Keen understanding of any given technology allows them to rapidly hack through any defenses the machine might have.
Living Mineral As living minerals, the T'Tiri cannot die from the lack of oxygen, and they do not require the same sustenance living entities do. They are hard to destroy, not because they are sturdy, but because they can spread along any mineral-rich surface with ease.
Negative Empathic - The T'Tiri are innately connected to each other, and to a lesser extent, to other sentient lifeforms. They can feel the pain of other entities very vividly. Thus, when one T'Tiri is enduring great physical pain (such as torture or a violent death), all the T'Tiri feel it at once. This can be abused in negotiations with the T'Tiri.
Limited Senses - While the T'Tiri have an amazing sense of hearing and touch, they lack the senses of smell, sight, and taste. In situations where it would hinder them, they cannot use these senses to discover duplicity. For instance, if a vessel is invisible to sensors available to the T'Tiri, they will find it very difficult to detect the vessel.
Honest - The T'Tiri are incapable of lying. They may refuse to give answers or may only give vague ones, but they will not tell a lie.
* * * * * *
Social Values
Government: Representative Unification - Given the T'Tiri's ability to communicate easily with each other over long distances, it is perhaps unsurprising that they make decisions as a nation. Their decisions are made via rapid discussion involving as many of their species as are available in the given T'Tiri network. They do elect officials to positions of power, but these officials are only in power so long as they have the support of the rest of the T'Tiri in their network; thus, a quickly expanding network may see its leadership change several times as new members of the network cast new votes. Those in positions of power form the government of the T'Tiri, whose primary purpose is to manage the military, the economy, and the network's diplomacy. They are also in charge of making decisions in high-pressure situations, such as in combat, as reaching consensus within the T'Tiri network would take too much time to allow swift response.
Economy: Communist - All economic assets of the T'Tiri are owned by the T'Tiri government and are spent on protecting the T'Tiri and improving their quality of life.
Religion: The T'Tiri do not have religions so much as they have philosophies. The most prevalent of these is the Song, which is a philosophy based upon the establishment of universal peace and the spread of the Song. The Song also encourages the embracing of other cultures and the development of new methods of thought, so long as the Song's integral message (peace) has room in that culture.
Military: The first and foremost belief of the T'Tiri military is that all life is precious. While some death may be necessary to save more lives, the T'Tiri will still try to minimize the casualties of war, even at the cost of their own lives.
With that in mind, T'Tiri tactics are focused on preserving as many lives - both their own and the enemy's - as possible. They utilize standard weaponry, but focus on disabling the combat systems and engines of their enemies. When the opportunity presents itself, they will attempt to make hard-entry boarding attacks using modified escape pods. The pods forcefully break into the given vessel, and the boarding team inside them takes over as many of the ship's system as possible while simultaneously using their sonic frequencies to disable as many of the opposing force as they can. If the boarding attempt is successful, the dispatched enemy crew is disarmed, put in secure cargo holds, and detained until further notice.
If the T'Tiri are forced to use more drastic measures, their tactics will be very similar, except that the boarding parties will focus on finding a way to destroy the ship from the inside. If they are destroyed doing so, so be it; it is a sacrifice they are willing to make. They will, however, leave the enemy ship's escape pods relatively untouched so that the enemy can retreat if they choose to do so.
Ideology: Peace, Discovery, and Song are the three tenets of the chief T'Tiri philosophy. Life is precious, knowledge is precious, and art is precious; and thus, the preservation of these things drive the actions of the T'Tiri nation.
* * * * * *
Transport- Large cargo hauling starships. Fragile and weakly gunned compared to warships, they are a necessary cog in an interstellar nation in hauling bulk cargoes beyond sublight haulers and to exploit outpost colonies. 1 pt. (Receive 1 free)
Corvette- Hybrid destroyer/frigates. Simple, basic, but rugged and easy to produce and maintain even with only minor civilian shipyards. Fragile though. 1 pt.
Destroyer- Glass cannons. Typically armed with heavy prow-facing weaponry like torpedo tubes or heavy beam cannons at expense to armor. Dedicated ship-killers. 2 pts.
Frigate- All rounder starships. Versatile and typically able to fulfill multiple roles within a fleet with a good mix of armor, weapons, troop-barracks, and engines. Demands significant shipbuilding skill though, and industrial support. 3 pts.
Heavy Frigate- Heavily armored and armed frigates, slower but meant for stand-up fights at expense to their flexibility. 3 pts.
Light Cruiser- First form of capital craft available, they are like frigates in being all-rounder craft, simply scaled up much greater. They are at the extreme limit of colonial shipbuilding capability however, and "construction" is far more likely refitting an existing hull and engine. But they can carry small amounts of capital-grade weapon batteries. 8 pts.
Cruiser- Powerful capital craft, carrying mighty broadsides of weaponry, legions of soldiers in their holds, armor and shields that can fight squadrons toe to toe, a cruiser is nothing less than a flagship symbol of power made manifest. They are far beyond the capability of the colonies to build, and can only be obtained through salvage and intensive refitting. (None available at start of game, can only obtain through RP)
Name: The Childbearer
Class: Transport
Weapons: While the Childbearer lacks any 'real' weaponry, it comes equipped with a fair number of typical T'Tiri boarding pods. (Ready to change on notice.)
Captain: Zy'zana
Perk: The Childbearer is effectively a miniature colony ship. It comes with all the population and supplies necessary to create a small T'Tiri outpost.
Flaw: The Childbearer lacks any conventional weaponry, meaning that a failed boarding attempt makes it a sitting duck.
Name: The Drumbeat
Class: Transport
Weapons: The Drumbeat is a repaired Empire vessel and has basic weapons systems of an old Empire transport (in this case, a short-range beam weapon and two fast-firing heavy machine guns). It lacks the boarding pods most T'Tiri vessels come with. (Ready to change on notice.)
Captain: Vi'vea
Perk: The Drumbeat is a basic transport ship. Nothing about it really stands out.
Flaw: The Drumbeat is a basic transport ship. Nothing about it really stands out.
Name: The Dancer
Class: Transport
Weapons: This transport comes equipped with some basic weapons and boarding pods. (Ready to change on notice.)
Captain: Xi'irii
Perk: The Dancer is a fast, mobile transport.
Flaw: However, it is also lightly armored compared to other transports.
Name: The Blossom
Class: Transport
Weapons: This transport vessel, like most T'Tiri vessels, sacrifices some raw firepower for a number of T'Tiri boarding pods. Its remaining weapons are medium-ranged, beam-based armaments. (Ready to change on notice.)
Captain: Na'la
Perk: The Blossom is perfectly suited to carry lifeforms of all kinds rather than mineral cargo. It makes the perfect refugee vessel or prison ship.
Flaw: The Blossom is ill-suited to carry minerals and other supplies.
Name: The Hymn
Class: Corvette
Weapons: This experimental corvette was created after the destruction of two T'Tiri scout vessels to an unknown foe. It is equipped with sonic-based weaponry augmented by the T'Tiri's own affinity for sound. It is, of course, also equipped with a pair of T'Tiri boarding pods. (Ready to change on notice.)
Captain: Im'i
Perk: The sonic-based weaponry on the Hymn is something most vessels aren't used to dealing with. There are few defenses against it because it has never been faced before. It is especially useful against lighter or damaged hulls.
Flaw: The sonic-based weaponry of the Hymn is less effective against heavily armored hulls, though it is still effective if fired at weak points.
Name: The Elegy
Class: Destroyer
Weapons: The Elegy is outfitted with standard, high power long-range beam weaponry and a series of heat-seeking E.M.P. missiles. The beam weapons are used first to weaken and overheat the areas the Elegy wishes to target, and then the missiles are launched, and hopefully land the final blow. (Ready to change on notice.)
Captain: Zii'niia
Perk: Zii'niia is one of the few combat veterans among the T'Tiri. She is cool-headed and makes her decisions quickly and pragmatically. Unlike every other current T'Tiri starship captain, she is difficult to negotiate with and focuses on defending her fellow T'Tiri by unloading payload upon payload upon enemy vessels. Her aim is true, and her efficiency renowned. Like all T'Tiri, she prefers disabling her opponents to destroying them, but unlike the rest of her species is willing to execute a kill command if it will save her compatriots.
Flaw: Zii'niia is difficult to negotiate with. Period.
Name: The Chorus (twin vessel to the Spirit)
Class: Frigate
Weapons: The Chorus is equipped with minimal ballistics weaponry, and at first glance seems more like a chunk of armor than a battleship at all. However, it is equipped with a large number of repurposed escape pods that are used as boarding vessels in combat. This is where its true firepower lies. (Ready to change on notice.)
Captain: Vor'maia
Perk: Like its sister vessel, the Spirit, the Chorus is perfectly outfitted for boarding enemy vessels and is designed with that in mind. This allows it to focus more on armoring and shielding itself than on overpowering its enemy with superior firepower. Thus, it is a hard to crack ship, and is often deployed in front of more fragile vessels. (Ready to change on notice.)
Flaw: This vessel has a serious lack of real firepower. If its boarding attempts fail, it is practically harmless.
Name: The Spirit (twin vessel to the Chorus)
Class: Frigate
Weapons: The Spirit is equipped with minimal ballistics weaponry, and at first glance seems more like a chunk of armor than a battleship at all. However, it is equipped with a large number of repurposed escape pods that are used as boarding vessels in combat. This is where its true firepower lies. (Ready to change on notice.)
Captain: Mei'ee
Perk: Like its sister vessel, the Chorus, the Spirit is perfectly outfitted for boarding enemy vessels and is designed with that in mind. This allows it to focus more on armoring and shielding itself than on overpowering its enemy with superior firepower. Thus, it is a hard to crack ship, and is often deployed in front of more fragile vessels.
Flaw: This vessel has a serious lack of real firepower. If its boarding attempts fail, it is practically harmless.
Name: The Etude
Class: Frigate
Weapons: The Etude is equipped with basic Frigate weaponry, a mixture of ballistics, beam weapons, and a few missiles. It is slightly lacking in each of these regards because more room was made for some boarding pods. Thus, in the end, its weaponry averages out to be on par with typical ships of its size. (Ready to change on notice.)
Captain: A'Rana
Perk: The Etude is considered the pride of the T'Tiri fleet, not because it is a strong combat vessel, but because it is the perfect explorer's ship. It comes equipped with its own science lab, and its maneuverability is magnificent. Mobility was obviously the engineer's focus when this explorer's vessel was designed.
Flaw: Simply put, the Etude's current offensive and defensive systems are decidedly average for a Frigate. The Etude may be fast and piloted by a very capable captain, but it could use some upgrades.
* * * * * *
Major Characters:
Name: A'Rana
Species: T'Tiri
Skills: Although she is only a year old, A'Rana is skilled. She is very smart, and she has an amazing grasp of intuition for a creature limited to two senses. She pilots ships perfectly, makes calculations faster than a computer can, and is just plain lucky. She has effectively mastered her vessel and can put longer-lived star captains of other races to shame.
Personality: Young A'Rana is every bit the explorer: Affable, curious, plucky, and perhaps a touch over-eager. She yearns for adventure and discovery, and she is completely ready to fly boldly into dangerous situations if it means finding some scrap of forgotten knowledge or finding something no other T'Tiri before her has found. Though impulsive, she is widely known among the T'Tiri as the best starship captain around.
Short History: A'Rana was born only shortly before the previous captain of the Etude splintered and died of old age, and her intellect was immediately evident to the rest of the crew. While the ship was patrolling the Ylidana system, the network debated who would be the next captain. In the end, A'Rana was elected unanimously by her crew to command the starship Etude, and she feels perfectly confident in her ability to do just that.
Name: V'vi
Species: T'Tiri
Skills: V'vi is the best researcher the T'Tiri have. She is a student of all sciences, and a master of several of them, and she revels in any small discovery she can make concerning archeotech. As the head of the Ferros Extraplanetary Research Facility (F.E.R.F.), she heads the study of the facility itself and any materials brought to it. She is also in charge of the development of experimental technologies, but she truly shines in the study of foreign or forgotten technologies.
Personality: Foreign technology is a puzzlebox waiting to be unlocked. At least, that's how V'vi views archeotech and foreign technology. She thrills in the study of these subjects, eager to unravel whatever secrets they may have hidden away, and every rediscovery makes her elated. V'vi is, perhaps, inappropriately bipolar; serious and calm when idle, yet giddy to the point of being unhinged when conducting experiments.
Short History: V'vi is an aging T'Tiri, and has a memory going back twelve years. Her first three years of life were spent in indecision and in self-discovery; she practiced recreational use of the Song, studied history, went aboard the starship Spirit for a brief time, and even dedicated herself to the Martyr's Mantra. However, at the end of her third year, she discovered that her true talent lied in science. She quickly mastered the studies engineering, physics, chemistry, and archeotechnology, and was quickly made a member of F.E.R.F. She has been in charge of the facility for two years now.
Name: The T'Tiri Council
Species: T'Tiri
Skills: The Council consists of the wisest, most intelligent T'Tiri in the Ferros system. At all times are they hidden in an underground bunker on Ferros Prime, and at all times do they communicate with the rest of their species, guiding their societal development and providing for their needs.
Personality: Varies. Since there are multiple members of the Council and each has their own personality, they cannot be summarized as a single personality.
Short History: The Council has existed since before the T'Tiri were free, and originally consisted of the Firstborn. Since then, the members of the Council have changed more frequently than other species' leaders change, but the Council as a whole has always been around to guide the T'Tiri people.
Name: A'Rana
Species: T'Tiri
Skills: Although she is only a year old, A'Rana is skilled. She is very smart, and she has an amazing grasp of intuition for a creature limited to two senses. She pilots ships perfectly, makes calculations faster than a computer can, and is just plain lucky. She has effectively mastered her vessel and can put longer-lived star captains of other races to shame.
Personality: Young A'Rana is every bit the explorer: Affable, curious, plucky, and perhaps a touch over-eager. She yearns for adventure and discovery, and she is completely ready to fly boldly into dangerous situations if it means finding some scrap of forgotten knowledge or finding something no other T'Tiri before her has found. Though impulsive, she is widely known among the T'Tiri as the best starship captain around.
Short History: A'Rana was born only shortly before the previous captain of the Etude splintered and died of old age, and her intellect was immediately evident to the rest of the crew. While the ship was patrolling the Ylidana system, the network debated who would be the next captain. In the end, A'Rana was elected unanimously by her crew to command the starship Etude, and she feels perfectly confident in her ability to do just that.
Name: Zii'niia
Species: T'Tiri
Skills: Few T'Tiri have the pragmatism of Zii'niia. She must adhere to the same limitations as other T'Tiri (having an inability to lie), but she is direct and quicker to take aggressive action. Her ability to detect falsehoods and ill intent has saved her and her crew on multiple occasions, and she is very skilled at the use and manipulation of weapons technology.
Personality: Zii'niia is, by T'Tiri standards, paranoid. She is cautious and quick to act; and what's more, the captain of the Elegy is quick to power her weapons and start blasting when threatened. She is regarded by other T'Tiri with a mixture of admiration, pity, and the understanding that her willingness to fight is a trait to be respected.
Short History: Zii'niia is an old T'Tiri, and has been a veteran of numerous space conflicts, especially against pirates and Neobarbarians. She was born on Ferros V and suffered a near death experience due to the cold environment. Shortly afterwards, she moved onto the space vessel Chorus; however, her stay there lasted only a year, and she moved onto the destroyer Elegy afterwards. She was soon made the captain, and has proven herself to be the most aggressive captain (and most accurate shot) the Elegy has known in its 105 year lifespan.
Name: Ma'ala
Species: T'Tiri
Skills: Ma'ala is an older, wiser T'Tiri and is assertive in diplomatic situations (or, at least, more assertive than the typical T'Tiri). She is a member of the T'Tiri council, and her greatest skill is in diplomacy.
Personality: Ma'ala is a close friend of Zii'niia's, and the two have similar personalities. Zii'niia is aggressive, as far as T'Tiri go; Ma'ala is likewise a diplomat that is quick to establish what she and her people are capable of and why they should be respected. While Ma'ala abhors violence as much as the next T'Tiri, and will go out of her way to avoid it, she is proud of her people and tries to represent her people with dignity.
Short History: Ma'ala's history is rather uneventful. She was born on Ferros Prime, and within a few years was chosen to join the T'Tiri council. This is how she has spent her life.
The T'Tiri specialize in the close quarters, especially in ship-to-ship boarding attempts, due to their innate ability to manipulate sonic energy. However, when planetary battles are fought across long distances, their ability to fight on land, air, or sea is much more limited.
To counter this, the T'Tiri have developed two basic trains of military thought: The Battle Hymn and the Martyr's Mantra.
The Battle Hymn - Basic T'Tiri planetary warfare consists of getting as close to the enemy as possible and disabling their defenses via the Song. They use whatever method of transportation is most efficient to reach the enemy in close range, then disable them. As the T'Tiri have very few conventional war machines, their method of transportation tends to be a fast-moving, heavily-armored, virtually unarmed hovercraft.
The Martyr's Mantra - "My death preserves life." That is the Martyr's Mantra. When non-lethal and more typical T'Tiri conventions of warfare fail to meet expectations, some T'Tiri are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for their people: They enter a fast-moving means of transportation loaded with volatile chemicals and explosives and ram it right into the face of the enemy. This is not the preferred method of combat for the T'Tiri, but they sing honors of those who die following the Martyr's Mantra.
Last edited by Meeky; 02-28-2013 at 11:08 AM.
Roleplay is a cooperative effort. We're all working together to craft a story here and it's important people remember this even when you are in heated combat with another player.
~An administrator from a NWN2 Persistent World
Current roleplays I'm in (this is more a note to myself than to you, but feel free to take a peek):
Faction Overview
Faction Name: Vharruck Empire
Faction Core World Name: Schri-Resan
Core World Description: Schri-Resan is a world that is heavily industrialized, clouds of thick smog choke pollute the atmosphere and much of the world is at least slightly irradiated by aftermath of the multiple nuclear powered conflicts that have occurred upon the planet throughout its long history. Despite this slight level of irradiation massive cities dot the world, and aproximately half of the total landmass of the planet is covered by urbanization, the rest of it appears to be given over almost entirely to farmland. There is only a single massive continent on Schri-Resan, and there are no true oceans, though several small seas dot the planet and many long rivers trace their way across the surface through canals created long ago. The world on the whole is slightly more arid than earth due to it's significantly lower amount of free water. It is also substantially warmer than earth and possesses no icecaps or true polar regions. It should also be noted that even today the world appears to be divided as there are heavily policed and fortified borders between various swaths of land and military installations are everywhere.
Dominant Economic Activity: Military production. The Empire has long been rocked by internal strife as the various factions upon the planet battle incessantly for the advantage. There are hundreds of thousands of weapons factories on the world. This includes the production of ships now that they are a tool of the military.
Secondary DEA: Cybernetics
Nation Perks:
Nuke Lovers- The Vharruck Empire has long had an infatuation with nuclear power in all it's glorious applications, from bombs to power-plants, and pretty much everything else in between. With this love has come advanced weapons and advanced fusion technology, along with better than most abilities to deal with radiation, ect.
Cybernetic Enhancements- The ruling stratum of the empire have long lusted after the ability to extend their lives and powers and cybernetic augmentation proved to be an effective route for them to take. Extensive modification is possible if expensive and they can use cybernetics/robotics more effectively than most nations.
Nation Flaws: (2 flaws)
Faction happy- The Empire is full of feuding factions and could be considered more of a coalition than an actual organized government. It frequently can take a long time for the entire empire to get behind anything.
War Happy- Wars within the empire have devastated the planet with nuclear fire 36 times. While they have been able to recover each time and the nature of the race that inhabits the empire makes it easier to deal with than most this should show you just how far their internal issues go as open war can break out between groups at the drop of a hat.
Short History: The history of Schri-Resan and the empire that rules over it is long and bloody. For thousands of years the Haradre Ancients have warred against each other and for thousands of years the planet has been abused constantly. In the earliest days many thousands of years ago their wars were primitive, younglings ordered to bash each others heads in with sticks in conflicts over who got the better farmland or over tiny snippets of territory. As with all things, time would inevitably bring advances. But in those days the Ancients were primitive, able to control only a few hundred of their younglings at a time and when alliances formed to facilitate cooperation these alliances were quick to fall apart whenever one of the parties in it sensed a potential advantage to be had in betrayal.
The constant cycles of war and conflict led to rapid developments though for thousands of years there were thousands of small nations spread across the world. While some of the Ancients could manage to defeat their neighbors and expand they would quickly reach the limit of younglings that they could manage and lose much of the territory that had been gained. It was a cycle of rapid growth and recession as nations rose and fell upon the surface and technology steadily marched onward. It was the march of technology that would eventually make changes in the balance of power. While the Ancients had over time become more and more skilled at managing their younglings and had increased their controllable numbers to a few thousand, the new discoveries would allow that number to be expanded immensely. Integration of machines designed to bolster the mental power of the Ancients allowed more psionic links and allowed the control of more younglings. At first this change was slow and the differences were minuscule, but over time it bestowed and ever increasing advantage on those of the Ancients who embraced the new technology to the fullest. Other augmentations followed, to increase intelligence, to postpone the necessity of biological transference, to increase physical aspects. The Haradre had entered a new age, but sadly due to their nature this new age would not be one of prosperity and peace but one of untold destruction.
With armies no longer limited hoards of vast numbers began to be fielded by all the Ancients and wars on a scale previously unknown upon the world began to erupt. With their minds unfettered and enhanced the Ancients made great leaps in other areas of science as well and it was within the first hundred years of the outbreak of their modern war that the first nuclear devices were unleashed upon the world. It did not take long for others to produce similar weapons and like all other weapons they were tools to be used. Schri-Resan was subjected to the first of many episodes of nuclear winter as a result of the conflict. But such meant little to the Haradre, hundreds of thousands of younglings died of radiation poisoning and starvation brought about by the reduced amount of edible produce from farms, but the Ancients endured and few had perished in the conflict. And the wars still raged on. In time the world would heal itself and again the weapons would be unleashed. It was a cycle of death and destruction unbroken as their technology continued it's slow creep onward and the number of Ancients slowly began to dwindle and the power of those who remained grew ever larger. It was during this phase of their existence that they would first begin to build their primitive in system spaceships. In time they would begin to colonize their moon and wars would rage there too for the colonies were merely extensions of the nations upon the surface.
Such was their hubris that the Haradre Ancients could not conceive that sentient life had evolved anywhere else and when evidence that proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that such existed appeared it was a potent shock. While exploring their own system one of the shuttles stumbled upon an inactive ship and inadvertently activated it. This ship was a probe from another civilization and it was a civilization nearly as destructive as the one it had encountered. The robotic ship was far more advanced than the Haradre and it took the combined effort of nearly all the Ancients that remained to destroy the intruder. In the aftermath of this event a coalition, an alliance that did not break apart like all such alliances before it had done, formed and for the first time in millenia the world was not wracked by endless war. As much as the Haradre Ancients hate and despise each other, they despise the idea of aliens more and so for the last few hundred years an uneasy alliance has existed between the Ancients as they work to expand and ensure that they are unassailable.
* * * * * *
Outposts:
Outpost Name: Vi-Diran
Planet Summary: Vi-Driran is the very large moon that orbits the planet Schri-Resan. Large enough that if it was in orbit on it's own it would be considered a planet rather than a moon, it also possesses it's own atmosphere and is capable of sustaining life upon its surface without terraforming. It is a world that is very wet by comparison to the planet that it orbits, with nearly four fifths of Vi-Diran covered by water. Manufactured and mobile islands move across the great freshwater oceans that cover much of the globe, and nearly the entirety of the land mass is covered by urbanization, though as with the homeworld there are clear borders between the territories of the various Ancients, and these borders are heavily fortified. This includes the oceans.
Asset: Vi-Diran has been spared the experience of a true nuclear war as it was colonized shortly before the discovery that unified the Haradre, though a few such weapons have of course been detonated in conflicts upon its surface. It has a much lower degree of irradiation than the Haradre homeworld and as such can provide a significantly higher amount of food crops.
Outpost Name: Vi-Rasan
Planet Summary: This outpost is a large installation constructed around the battered remnants of the ship that the Empire had managed to defeat. This ship, while viewed as abomination due to it's alien nature offers such a wealth of knowledge to the Haradre if they can simply unlock its secrets. It was from this ship that they managed to reverse engineer their first faster than light drives as before this discovery they had not even conceived of the possibility. The installation is heavily militarized like all of the Vharruck empire installations, though there is a notable difference between it and others. This station does not have weapons trained upon itself and is one of the few things in the empire that is not owned piecemeal. Rather it is the by product of the combined efforts of all the Haradre Ancients and as such is jointly owned by them all and a site of truce between them
Asset: Vi-Rasan is a research outpost within the system and it is a source of a great deal of archeotech. Should the ship have been able to activate weapons systems other than point defense it would have decimated the entirety of the Haradre. As it is most of the technology on the ship is advanced enough that the Empire has no idea what to make of it. Still efforts to reverse engineer it continue.
Outpost Name: Vi-Naruk
Planet Summary: A barren world that is significantly closer to the star in the Vharruck Empire's home system. It is a hellish place, with little in the way of a natural atmosphere and it would seem to be a place that no one would have any interest in inhabiting. Despite this appearance the world is literally covered with installations. In particular are the thousands of mining facilities that dot the planet, and the equally massive numbers of facilities that produce nuclear weapons from the mined material. The surface is incredibly battered as some of the fiercest battles of the wars between the Ancients were waged upon this planet.
Asset: The planet Vi-Naruk is heavily geared towards the production of weaponry, in particular the production of nuclear weapons and it has served as such since the Haradre colonized it initially. The abundant metals can also be used for other purposes such as ship building or the production of more conventional weaponry.
Outpost Name: Vi-Visin
Planet Summary: These are a series of interlinking orbital star-ship construction platforms. The Ancients are reluctant to allow such power to be unified and it takes the unification of all of the platforms to be able to produce ships of light cruiser class or higher.
Asset: These are the Vharruck Empire's primary shipyards and while they may appear to be at least slightly dysfunctional they are capable of producing ships up to the light cruiser level without the incorporation of scavenged materials. This does require them to all join together, something that rarely occurs even in the current state of extreme cooperation that exists among them. They also double as orbital missile defense platforms and like all Vharruck Empire establishments are highly prepared for conflicts.
* * * * * *
Majority Species: Haradre
Minority Species: The Haradre loath the very idea of sentient life that is not of their own race, and while they have so far proven willing to 'tolerate' other races that have not attacked them they do not share their worlds.
Species Description:
Appearance- The Haradre are bipedal beings with a single pair of arms and a head, much analogous in that respect to humanity. They also possess a torso that is not that dissimilar to humanity, though the there is no gender in the same sense as humans possess it. The Haradre have skin with a grayish coloration though this can be varied to a small degree, some have been described as looking more silver than gray. A haradre youngling will have a head that is around the same size as a human's, though the brain case is notably larger and the eyes are set significantly deeper within the face. The Haradre younglings also appear to lack noses entirely and apparently have only a single orifice to breath through. Their teeth are slightly pointed but still flat enough to be used for grinding as the Haradre are capable of eating both plants and meat. Their upper and lower limbs are both slightly shorter than a humans and they do ultimately have similar height to that of the average human, the average Haradre youngling standing roughly 6'3. All younglings also have a metallic implant in their skulls that serves as a psionic blocker for all save a specific frequency.
As for the Ancients, their appearance can vary to some degree as none of them have had the exact same modifications done, though their different versions mostly accomplish the same things. Distinct physical differences from younglings include, a significantly larger head, with a brain case that stretches upwards giving them elongated looking heads. From approximately the middle of their backs four new appendages emerge, these appendages are perhaps 8 feet in length and are thin tendrils that have a high tensile strength and which can be used as additional limbs if necessary. Haradre Ancients are roughly a foot taller than their youngling servitors, this height boost is caused largely by the expansion of the brain and the head, but there is a proportional increase in other areas. Their eyes will also be substantially larger. The Ancients are psionic in nature to an extreme degree and use this power to exercise control over their youngling servants.
Reproduction- The Haradre reproduce in a rather unique way, a Haradre Ancient can release a chemical marker that will cause those younglings who are exposed to it to undergo major physical change, these younglings will lose the ability to move and until they expire will continually birth the nascent form of a Haradre. These nascent forms will then proceed to mature into younglings. Making the shift from a youngling into an Ancient is incredibly rare but obviously a natural process, with a prolonged absence of psionic commands and links a youngling will begin to mature, eventually turning into an Ancient. Another means by which a youngling can mature into an Ancient is triggered by a full transfer in which an Ancient fully transfers itself into a new body that rapidly develops to accommodate it. This is rarely done anymore due to advances in enhancements, but they still retain the capacity as it was the way Ancients retained their existence and continuity throughout the ages.
Majority Species Traits:
Positive:
Psionic- The Haradre race is psionic to a remarkable degree, it is the method by which they communicate with each other and it is also the means by which the Ancients maintain their control over the younglings that serve them. The fact that this is an instinctive and integral part of the species means that the Haradre Ancients are extremely capable with it, especially given that nearly all of them can remember their own rise to true sentience. This contributes to the hive-mind like behavior exhibited by the Haradre as well.
One Mind, Many Bodies- The Haradre do not care about the losses of younglings because younglings are merely appendages of whatever Ancient rules over them. They are essentially a race that consists of massive individuals and this gives them strength and an ability to endure things that would cripple other races socially. The Loss of an army merely means that more younglings need to be spawned and is viewed as something to learn from for the next time.
The amount of starvation among younglings during the aftermaths of the frequent nuclear conflicts was regarded as a necessity, and that it did not matter if they died.
Negative:
Fractious- By their very nature Haradre Ancients view each other as rivals for what will ultimately be a limited amount of resources. Hatred of each other is wired into them at a nearly genetic level and this causes them to not get along with each other well at all.
Alien Nature- The idea of sentience that is limited to a single body is one that the Haradre still have great difficulty dealing with. Their inbuilt views on other races also make it difficult at times for them to have productive diplomatic relations with them.
* * * * * *
Social Values
Government: Imagine an unstable coalition of absolute dictators who command their subject peoples with complete control and assurance that there can be no rebellion. With that picture you would not be far off from what the governmental structure of the empire is.
Economy: The quite simply do not possess economics in the way that nations with different structures do, it could be described as the ultimate planned economy.
Religion: There is no religion, the way in which the Haradre work makes belief in a higher power impossible.
Military: The Haradre are fond of large ships that they can mount as many weapons on as possible, and reflecting their fondness for nuclear weapons, nearly all of their space based weapons utilize nuclear energy in some way. They will bring the rain of nuclear missiles with diverted energy functions, shaped charges that release their energy in directed blasts of high intensity radiation. They also favor equipping their ships with the shields to withstand the same kind of punishment they dish out.
Ideology: It could be said that the Haradre subscribe to an ideology of power, but in truth their ultimate goal is survival and expansion. The Haradre Ancients are beings of incredible age and power and each is utterly devoted to ensuring that it does not die off.
* * * * * *
Starships (15 points to spend on starships, each ship has a perk and a flaw)
Transport- Large cargo hauling starships. Fragile and weakly gunned compared to warships, they are a necessary cog in an interstellar nation in hauling bulk cargoes beyond sublight haulers and to exploit outpost colonies. 1 pt. (Receive 1 free)
Corvette- Hybrid destroyer/frigates. Simple, basic, but rugged and easy to produce and maintain even with only minor civilian shipyards. Fragile though. 1 pt.
Destroyer- Glass cannons. Typically armed with heavy prow-facing weaponry like torpedo tubes or heavy beam cannons at expense to armor. Dedicated ship-killers. 2 pts.
Frigate- All rounder starships. Versatile and typically able to fulfill multiple roles within a fleet with a good mix of armor, weapons, troop-barracks, and engines. Demands significant shipbuilding skill though, and industrial support. 3 pts.
Heavy Frigate- Heavily armored and armed frigates, slower but meant for stand-up fights at expense to their flexibility. 3 pts.
Light Cruiser- First form of capital craft available, they are like frigates in being all-rounder craft, simply scaled up much greater. They are at the extreme limit of colonial shipbuilding capability however, and "construction" is far more likely refitting an existing hull and engine. But they can carry small amounts of capital-grade weapon batteries. 8 pts.
Cruiser- Powerful capital craft, carrying mighty broadsides of weaponry, legions of soldiers in their holds, armor and shields that can fight squadrons toe to toe, a cruiser is nothing less than a flagship symbol of power made manifest. They are far beyond the capability of the colonies to build, and can only be obtained through salvage and intensive refitting. (None available at start of game, can only obtain through RP)
Name: Our Ascension
Class: Light Cruiser
Weapons:
4 Interceptor missile batteries, one at the front, one at the back, and one in the middle on the top and the bottom- These are missiles that are launched to intercept other missiles or fighters/bombers that are closing in on the ship.
10 Front Torpedo tubes- Carries 40 Torpedoes, 30 standard nuclear tipped, 10 diverted function nuclear torpedoes that deliver an ultra hard spear of radiation out from their point of impact and detonation. They are designed to break shields
1 Heavy Missile Battery, Front- These missiles are highly destructive and carry significantly larger payloads than those on lesser ships, they are also versatile in that the ship carries both standard and diverted function missiles of this increased level.
Captain: It is run by all the Ancients at once, which can lead to issues.
Perk: United We Stand- Our Ascension was created in the early days of the alliance and the unified empire as a symbol of the power of the Haradre Ancients and it was designed to be an equal to the ship that they had confronted and defeated within their own system. It is nowhere near as powerful as that ship, but it is still a juggernaut by current standards, an immense ship with a full 10 torpedo tubes, shields strong enough to stand up to it's own bombardment for a significant time and the most up to date nuclear missiles that the Empire has access too. When the Ancients are united in a purpose the ship is used with unparalleled skill as a number of the most powerful minds in the galaxy are directly overseeing it.
Flaw: Divided We Fall- The Our Ascension is plagued by issues as none of the Ancients are willing to let any of the others be the direct controller of the ship, despite the vastly increased consistency of functionality that it would provide. Instead the Ancients are each represented in the younglings on board the ship and the fractious nature of the command system when all the Ancients have a say makes for situations where the vast vessel is unable to be used effectively.
Name: Waning Sun
Class: Corvette
Weapons:
1 Torpedo tube- 10 torpedoes, nuclear tipped
1 Interceptor battery-
1 Beam cannon front- A laser cannon of moderate power
Captain: Waning Sun is controlled by the Ancient who's neural signature has been translated as First Found Light
Perk: Maneuverable Weapons Platform- The Waning Sun is the definition of a glass cannon corvette, it is stuffed with weaponry and retains the rapid movement speed and maneuverability of such vessels.
Flaw: Vulnerable- The Waning sun has weak shields and traded protection for damage and speed.
Name: Ancient
Class: Corvette
Weapons:
1 interceptor battery-
2 light missile batteries- Both diverted and standard nuclear missiles can be fired from this, though they do remain the smaller caliber.
Captain: Ancient is controlled by the Haradre Ancient who's neural signature has been translated as First Nuclear Dawn
Perk: First Nuclear Dawn- Ancient is the oldest ship that the Haradre possess. It was one of those that initially was involved in the fight against the alien menace and it has been upgraded and refined since then. Despite it's corvette status it is controlled by the Haradre Ancient that first discovered Nuclear weapons and who has been at the forefront of the science ever since. This ensures that it has diverted function nuclear weapons in it's arsenal.
Flaw: Age- The Ancient is an old ship and though it has been kept in very good shape things do break down a bit more often on it than on other, newer vessels.
Name:
Class:
Weapons: (Work in Progress, still trying to calc weapon levels. Leave ready to change on notice.)
Captain:
Perk:
Flaw:
* * * * * *
Major Characters: (For major leaders or heroes in your nation)
Name:
Species:
Skills:
Personality:
Short History:
Core World Description:Dom was once a very busy, very old planet, known for a massive web of crevices and rifts thought the surface, forested lightly, with thick marshes and rainforests growing at the base of these cracks. Because of actions taken in the beginning of the Eternal War, the planet's natural ecosystems failed, taking millennia to renew itself. The once smooth surface is now pocked with thousands of impact craters, ghost cities, and fallen ships long past salvage. Most surface oceans have evaporated, the main source of water now being massive aquifers and colossal lakes underground. Cities have rebuilt in the crags of the planet, growing downward into the rock, now naturally defended from outside forces. The surface is now home to endless fields of factories, farms, and solar arrays.
The planet is held primarily in line by the KST, some small regions are still untamed and are home to old tribes and bandit groups. Many of the ancient caves that once sheltered the Kophori are now long forgotten, holding vast secrets.
Capitol: Ziarno Major Cities: 13 Natural Satellites:2, Bóg Deszczu and Bóg Zycia. Artificial Satellites: Many, notable stations include 2 space elevators and the Azyl Citadel, home of the High Council.
Dominant Economic Activity:
Allocation of resources (the Kophori are traders by nature, they make contracts with whatever species they can and manipulate economies for their own purpose. The KST is obtaining massive reserves of resources for an unspecified purpose.)
Secondary DEA:
Dominance (The Kophori are finishing conflicts with two lesser races, many individuals refuse to accept KST control and have taken up arms. Loyalty from client species and colony-born Kophori is questionable. The Kophori also have a great urge to prove their strength, mainly to themselves. Many politicians talk of reviving an old empire, and that is precisely what they intend to do.
-Innovation: The Kophori are masters of the unorthodox, they thrive in unusual circumstances, and their own technology was on a separate plane from the tools of the empire. Their weapons, engines, and armor don't sync with more conventional equipment, this makes the Kophori hardware difficult to work with and understand, but also hard to defend against. Their tactics and philosophy also reflect this, the Kophori are able to think in ways that don't always seem sensible to others but have proven valuable to their species time and time again.
-Smooth Talk: The Kophori are trained diplomats and merchants due to the environment of their society, they know what to say, and how to manipulate people. The race is masterful at bargaining and selling anything, their way with words is considered a necessary skill. They will betray any ally after convincing to help them completely, the species practices persuasion as a form of art. [[LEVEL 4 WARNING]] DO NOT enter into a deal or contract with a Kophorian, you will be betrayed.
-Mutiny: Due to the values listed above, command structure in the KST can be disastrously weak at times. A lieutenant will gladly kill his commanding officer is such an even is plausible and beneficial. The KST offers an extensive rulebook on all military procedures, but most of these are disregarded in times of battle, favoring unorthodox tactics. Many Kophorians given command of an outpost or small craft will instantly turn to piracy, although most defects stay far away from Kophori space. While capture of a prisoner may be difficult, it may be easy to discover Intel by way of bribery.
-Cool-Down: Kophori pulse weapon systems and particle drives, while superior in many ways, require a significant amount of time to warm up and cool down. Such a time period is easy to manipulate if attacking a lone unit. However, Kophori favor strength in numbers and will stagger their firing volleys to make up for such a disadvantage. The Point-Jump systems used by the Kophori are very accurate, but leave a ship without primary power for a short time after a jump, venerable to most attacks.
The Kophori were once a species of skilled traders, bankers, and collectors before the Empire came to dominate the stars. These people would always take a neutral path but seemed to favor relations with the Empire. After centuries of back-room politics, the Kophori systems became a dependent of the Empire. At the outbreak of the Eternal War, the relationship with the Kophori collapsed and the Kophori government joined the fight against an assembled Empire. The response was quick, the Chlonej system was attacked and Dom was bombarded from orbit, very few survived.
After this, many allies of the Kophori, as well as the systems still loyal to them turned against the Empire immediately. The sacking of Dom is considered the first cause for the longevity of the war. The ruined system was promptly forgotten since the event.
As the conflict moved away from the Chlonej system, the Kophori that remained on Dom found themselves trapped within the sanctuaries they made. Forced to dig deep underground, they reverted to an older lifestyle. Villages were eventually formed at the bases of the old ravines, and slowly people moved back to the surface over a long period of suffering. By the time the Eternal War had come to an inconclusive end, the Kophori had regained control of their planet, and Dom was just beginning to return to her natural state.
These new Kophori lived in ignorance of their ancestors; they knew little of their history and instead took once again to the skies in primitive spacecraft. Over these years (The Age of Discovery), the Kophori discovered the Ku' Rau' Mai and promptly made them a slave species. The Kophori then turned to a period of time full of constant war, with many nations rising and falling, the conflict hardening the Kophori people, and tearing them apart.
After many years, a small political group formed that had modeled themselves after the newly re-discovered “Ancient Kophori Empire”. Flying a banner of order and glory, the Kophori System Treaty was forged to unify the nations for a greater destiny. The conversion was not easy, but the KST now holds a bulk of force and are unstoppable when allied with the Ku' Rau' Mai, now liberated from their slave status.
Recently, a Yhfall colonization fleet found itself in KST-Occupied space, this is the beginning of the Re-Awakening War and the inclusion of the Yhfall into the Treaty.
* * * * * *
Planet Summary: The largest of Dom's two moons, this planetoid was once the site of very early Kophori settlements. The moon has now lost any artificial atmospheres it once had and is now a cold, lifeless rock in space. The KST has recently moved here and set up a very large storage facility on the surface, housing the majority of the KST assets as well as the Military Intelligence headquarters and academy. Countless old settlements dot the surface, each appearing to be completely individual to the other; search teams have been scouring the planet for years with little success in finding anything of value some stations are occupied by squatters and pirate clans.
Asset: Resource Storage/Possible Artifacts
Planet Summary: Small planet neighboring Dom that shows signs of former terraforming. The surface is a barren, wasteland, small mountain ranges surrounded by a dried ocean that dominates the planet. In the rock beneath the surface however, there lies a habitable atmosphere and running water. Huge cave systems and underground rivers are now home to many KSU settlements and also hold a few factories responsible for the less glamorous uses. The planet also hosts an advanced communications array that is scanning for any signs of life outside of the system as well as mapping the known galaxy for uses in establishing trade. This is the homeworld of the Ku' Rau' Ma.
Asset: Population Base/Technology
Planet Summary: Formerly a colony ship above Jask, Handel Station has been extensively worked on over the years to turn it into a massive hub for intergalactic trade. This massive complex houses the KST TradeFleet and is home to schools teaching various languages.
Asset: Trade
Planet Summary: Large planet, mostly ice, seems to be untouched by prior civilizations. Currently, this planet is home to 5 budding cities built around hot water springs/heat vents and a work-in-progress space port. The sheer amount of resources on this planet is almost impossible, if only a sustainable method of extracting them can be found. This colony is home to the most diverse population in KSU space.
Asset: Natural Resources/Population Base
* * * * * *
Majority Species:
Kophori Minority Species:
Ku' Rau' Mai and Yhfall
Species Descriptions:
Description: Kophori are blue skinned humanoid figures that stand approximately 4'6" tall. Color pigment on skin changes with age, many individuals will artificially change color. Cranial tufts are found on the top of the head and ears and nose are protected by heavy skin-flaps. The Kophori are able to live in water and most of the body is suited for both land and water movement "excellent swimmers". Females are difficult to differentiate from males, only change in eye coloration and genitalia. They are swift acrobats, built with flexible bones and significantly durable ligaments, neck is weak. The average lifespan is 40 years due to a rapid metabolism.
Gender is of very little concern in society, you are instead judged by your worth to the union. A Hierarchical Meritocracy governs the Kophori, people are placed at an equal rank at birth and must ascend through ranks and levels of citizenship by serving the union. Free trade is restricted; any outside goods are very expensive. Their culture is war-like and violent, a recent trend seeing the species distancing themselves from this practice.
Traits: Positive:
-Amphibious
-Immune to disease Negative:
-High energy requirements
-Short lifespan
Description: Standing from 5' to 7'6", the Ku' Rau' Mai are a reptilian species with four powerful limbs used interchangeably for arms and legs. Usually found with a brown/white/red color scheme, they have large jaws supported by an even larger head and a thick neck. Their skin is naturally plated and most individuals will surgically implant weapons into their powerful tails for melee uses. Originally a tribal people, they are showing signs of success implementing into Kophori society with the creation of clans. The most powerful male rules all others in a clan, females are rare and very sacred, only the worthy may mate. Disagreements are settled with duels, age is respected. The old belief in many gods is waning but still a powerful religion. Rage is common among youths.
Traits: Positive:
-Brute Strength Negative:
-Inability to use most common tools/vehicles.
Description: Colored a light-green, this birdlike species is nearing extinction after a bloody conflict with the Kophori. They are weak when away from their powered armor, and very light. They range in size and have wings that are usually not effective as they are now used as hands (many of the species will undergo surgery to keep both hand usage and effective wings for flying). Society is largely dictated by a single ruler (monarchy) and bonded pairs remain together for life.
The Yhfall originated from an unknown system, during the final stages of the Eternal War, a small faction of the old society crammed into a space station originally intended for colonization and made a blind jump into slip-space. They recently arrived in the Ogień System, set up a monarchy, and attempted to colonize Jask . They met Kophori resistance and have now lost all reaches of the system except for their home station (which falls under constant hit-and-run attacks). Some have defected to the Kophori side, but still face discrimination. Their understanding of technology and language made them effective enemies but they failed due to a lack in numbers. Many terrorist attacks are carried out by Yhfall members in Kophori areas.
Traits: Positive:
-Quick understanding of language Negative:
-Brittle Bones
* * * * * *
Government:
Hierarchical Meritocracy, Rights are given to those who earn it by service to the Union. Over your life you may advance up the 21 castes. Membership is voted on by those in higher castes, all decisions are made by councils of varying importance, the High Council oversees everything and is in direct control of the military, these are the members of the highest class.
Economy:
Limited Market, free trade is authorized but a large degree of economy is dominated by the government. External trade is a key factor in the KST, they buy in bulk from some species and sell specifically to others.
Religion:
Most Kophori are atheist, but a small, old religion reigns strong that worships the sun as a sentient being. Most of these people are anti-military and either take up a life against the KSU or live in fortified cities far beneath the surface of Dom.
The Ku' Rau' Ma have many diverse gods, but more and more are going the way of the Kophori. There are gods for everything, and they now serve more a popular legends than held beliefs.
The Yhfall people are very spiritual; they do not have a set religion but adhere to many strict guidelines involving the treatment of the dead and respect of elders. Any attempt at breaking these values usually leads to violence.
Military:
The KST operates on a policy of large-scale warfare; they prepare extensive battle plans and fleet tactics. Small attacks are usually orchestrated by contracted privateers while the KST BattleFleet prepares for epic engagements. The fleet moves as one organism, they require large amounts of communication officers to keep the flow of battle steady. A hit to the communications array of ship is enough to take it out of service. The KST utilizes very strict infantry regulations but they commonly fall short in favor of improvisation and guerrilla tactics. The Ku' Rau' Mai are simply released upon an enemy to much effect, the allied Yhfall have not yet been tested in combat.
Ideology:
Dominance seems to be the main goal of the KST, they strive to keep a once feuding society together while also converting others to a similar union and manipulating foreign nations to serve their own purposes. The KST does show some negative attitudes to client species, but they are progressing rapidly in many fields and might one day be a power of civil rights. Currently however, the KST is prepared to engage in military crusades to find whatever and whomever they need to make their empire grow.
* * * * * *
Transport Craft- 5
1.
Image Weapons: Two forward-mounted pulse turrets. One auto-turret battery. Captain: (Formerly) Cmdr. Lokuit Qu'torcha Perk: Specially modded transport vessel for docking procedures and an extended cargo bay specific for troop deployment. Flaw: Currently heavily damaged after the recent attack on Yazata station.
2.
Image Weapons: Two forward-mounted pulse turrets. Four missile pods. Captain:Cmdr. Vileil Ightieth'lt Perk: Considerably more reliable and up armored than most ships in the BattleFleet. Flaw: Disabled jump drive.
3.
Image Weapons: N/A Captain: Cmdr. Daydasu Ina'em Perk: Capable of landing and taking off on planets Flaw: Lacks a suitable weapons system, must rely on fighter escort.
4.
Image Weapons: Two forward-mounted pulse turrets. Two missile pods. Captain: Cmdr. I-Kal Madoonavah Perk: Only ship with a Ku’ Rau’ Mai captain Flaw: Main Thrusters have a tendency of shutting off during maneuvers, emergency thrusters are commonly used.
5.
Image Weapons: Two forward-mounted pulse turrets. Four missile pods. Captain: Cmdr. Oeteeti U'certor Perk: Fastest craft in the BattleFleet Flaw: Navigational A.I. inoperable, any maneuvers must be done manually.
Corvettes- 3
1.
Image Weapons: Three Turret Batteries, Mine/missile compliments. Captain: Cpt. Icopho Em'kal'eeb Perk: Only ship in the BattleFleet with a stealth system. Invulnerable to radar scans. Flaw: Large fuel expenses, engine leaks, cause undetermined.
2.
Image Weapons: Three Turret battries, one missile pod. Captain: Cmdr. Oessyingo Urn'en'eur (Possibly dead) Perk: Possesses experimental burst engine, allowing for fast maneuvers and damage evasion. Flaw: Currently stranded in the Ogień System, systems failing after pursuit of the Ynfall Carrier Adamastor.
3.
Image Weapons: Four turret batteries, three missile pods, one medium Magnetic Accelerator Cannon. Captain: Cmdr. Ardoely Hat'er'ayl Perk: Heavy weapons lead-out. Flaw: Communications damaged in the Battle of Yazata Station.
Destroyers- 1
1.
Image Weapons: Dual Heavy Magnet Accelerator Cannons, three turret batteries, one Orbital Impact Cannon. Captain: Cpt. Synate Pol'ight'eys Perk: Posses anti-fleet and atmosphere piercing weapons. Flaw: Some of the lower decks will randomly ventilate at times, possibly an error in the ship computer. These decks are un-inhabited.
Frigates- 0 Heavy Frigates- 2
1.
Image Weapons: 6 Turret batteries, one heavy Magnetic Accelerator Cannon, 6 missile pods. Captain: Com. Woteb U'certor Perk: Built specifically for long-range operations and can be used to tow a colony-building attachment. Flaw: Point jump system causes the ship to go for 10 hours without power after jump. A secondary generator has been installed.
2.
Image Weapons: 6 Turret batteries, one heavy Magnetic Accelerator Cannon, Pulse Wave System, Large variety of rockets, 4 pods. Captain: Com. Eoseaughy Urn'rak'ier Perk: Largest ship in the fleet, the BattleFleets flagship. Fitted with experimental weapons and a “smart” A.I. Flaw: Engines heavily leak radiation, docking must be done with the docking tube, no external operations done by living personnel.
Light Cruisers- 0
Cruiser- 0
******
The Council's Hand
Collection of highly skilled agents used to oversee all operations for the high council vastly experienced and zealously loyal. Our main character will be a Rekkady.
Many changes done, suggest skimming through it.
Last edited by Cpt Toellner; 02-19-2013 at 02:01 AM.
Species Name: Porosi for individal "Cells", Swarms for sentient groups of Porosi
Species Description: Porosi are small worm-like creatures, ranging from 20 to 60 cm. They have small feet, which they move, as well as push things when they place themselves upright. They are asexual, and reproduce by trading gametes with any available parter, and then laying cocoons full of eggs in a likely looking place. There can be as many as a hundred separate eggs within the same cocoon. They have no sapience whatsoever, though they do each have a microscopic amount of psychic power, which they use to "Link up" with the rest of the Porosi in a given colony. This union, known as a Swarm, is very primitive early on. As a colony grows, however, and more Porosi become associated with the Swarm, it becomes more and more intelligent, and eventually reaches sapiency (The usual minimum number of Porosi for this is at least 50 thousand). Sapient swarms, as opposed to "Wild" swarms, are fully unique individuals, capable of thoughts, emotions, and desires. They dominate their Porosi completely; The relation between the two is similar to that of a human and his cells. Each Porosi is part of the greater Swarm, and each one that dies diminishes the Swarm's strength. It is therefore in the Swarm's interest to expand.
Swarms are capable of using psychic powers, although doing so weakens their hold on the Porosi, making them more vulnerable. In a war between two swarms, they will generally send their hordes of Porosi against each other through tunnels, while they struggle mentally against each other, trying to "steal" Porosi from the other side. These battles can reach epic proportions: Sometimes, when alliances of Swarms get involved, entire sections of the Aggran crust can be devastated by warfare.
Faction Name: The Hosteen Union
Faction Core World Name: Aggra
Core World Description: An inhospitable world with little oxygen, and a tremendous heat. The surface is covered in a gigantic desert.
Dominant Economic Activity: Mining
Secondary DEA: Agriculture
Species Perks: (2 perks)
-Massive manpower supply
-Swarms, particularly large ones, have psychic powers
Species Flaws: (2 flaws)
-Dependance on psychic power
-Swarms are relatively few in number
Short History: In a world where water is scarce, and the heat is merciless, no large creatures could survive, particularly not on the surface, which range from -15 degrees Celsius at the poles to reports of over 100 degrees Celsius at the equator. This might cause the intrepid adventurer to believe that the planet is a barren wasteland, but it is beneath the surface that the Swarms thrive. Created in imperial laboratories during the wars as a weapon, they were imported to Aggra when a science vessel crashed there. Despite the planet's hostile conditions, Porosi were able to thrive. A curious thing happened; With each Porosi possessing an insignificant yet present psychic ability, all the Porosi within any given colony would develop their own telepathic link, which became stronger as the colony grew. These colonies gradually became Swarms, sapient entities which controlled hundreds of thousands of Porosi.
These swarms sought to expand, to increase their power. It came as a shock to them when they discovered other each other, and war inevitably ensued. Deep within the crust of Aggra, a silent, endless war began which is still being fought, in which swarms use waves of Porosi, bombs, psychic powers, and anything they can in order to assimilate more colonies. Eventually, seeing the pointlessness of this fighting, a group of swarms formed a union, a sort of cease-fire in order to concentrate on more important matters than war. Over the centuries, the swarms that weren't in the union either joined or were assimilated. Presently, the union has 214 unique swarms of varying size and power.
* * * * * *
Outpost Name: Lumin Prime Planet Summary: A giant underground facility, Lumin Prime is located deep within the Aggran crust. Asset: Lumin Prime acts as a focus for the Swarms. It greatly enhances their psychic power, although the effect decreases as Swarms distance themselves from Aggra. This enables them to sustain larger amounts of Porosi (And therefore have greater intelligence).
Outpost Name: Firentis Planet Summary: Aggra's sole moon. Barely inhabitable due to terraforming, with meager oxygen, low gravity and large doses of radiation. Asset: Firentis is home to most of the Union's shipyards, with its low gravity and abundance of minerals.
Outpost Name: Haven Planet Summary: The wreck of the science vessel which introduced the Porosi to Aggra. Dragged and reconstructed underground. Asset: Haven is a hopeless wreck. The only thing that the Union was capable of salvaging was the reactor, which now powers most of Aggra. The swarms do not know how it functions, however, and merely maintain it.
Outpost Name: Kraden Station Planet Summary: A small colony on planet Kappa. Asset: Kappa has a great deal of Fluxium, an extremely rare substance which seems to enhance psychic powers. Kraden station is dedicated to its exploitation and refinement.
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Government: Each Swarm rules its own territory, kneeling to no authority but their own. The collection of swarms known as the Hosteen Union resolves conflicts peacefully, as well as dealing with foreign affairs. Economy: Varies wildly. Some swarms are high tech manufactuers, while others are primitive and simply farm. Religion: To put it simply, the Swarms worship themselves. Military: Swarms wage war with their Porosi, as these swarm enemies. Porosi can also be fitted into suits of armor of any shape as shock troops. Ideology: Swarms greatly value the importance of individualism, and follow an "Each to its own" policy.
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Name: HSF-1 Class: Frigate Weapons: (Work in Progress, still trying to calc weapon levels. Leave ready to change on notice.) Captain: Zeus Perk: Flaw:
Name: HSD-1 Class: Destroyer Weapons: (Work in Progress, still trying to calc weapon levels. Leave ready to change on notice.) Captain: Zeus Perk: Flaw:
Name: HSD-2 Class: Destroyer Weapons: (Work in Progress, still trying to calc weapon levels. Leave ready to change on notice.) Captain: Cronos Perk: Flaw:
Name: HSC-1
Class: Corvette
Weapons: (Work in Progress, still trying to calc weapon levels. Leave ready to change on notice.)
Captain: Zeus
Perk:
Flaw:
Name: HSC-2
Class: Corvette
Weapons: (Work in Progress, still trying to calc weapon levels. Leave ready to change on notice.)
Captain: Zeus
Perk:
Flaw:
Name: HSC-3
Class: Cruiser
Weapons: (Work in Progress, still trying to calc weapon levels. Leave ready to change on notice.)
Captain: Corvette
Perk:
Flaw:
Name: HSC-4
Class: Corvette
Weapons: (Work in Progress, still trying to calc weapon levels. Leave ready to change on notice.)
Captain: Atlas
Perk:
Flaw:
Name: HSC-5
Class: Corvette
Weapons: (Work in Progress, still trying to calc weapon levels. Leave ready to change on notice.)
Captain: Oranos
Perk:
Flaw:
Name: HST-1 Class: Transport Weapons: (Work in Progress, still trying to calc weapon levels. Leave ready to change on notice.) Captain: Gaia Perk: Flaw:
Name: HST-2 Class: Transport Weapons: (Work in Progress, still trying to calc weapon levels. Leave ready to change on notice.) Captain: Rheia Perk: Flaw:
Name: HST-3 Class: Transport Weapons: (Work in Progress, still trying to calc weapon levels. Leave ready to change on notice.) Captain: Rheia Perk: Flaw:
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Name: Zeus Species: Swarm Skills: Greatest among the Swarms. Has the most firepower at his disposal. Personality: Patient, cold, and ruthless. He is very proud, and can hold grudges for millenia. Short History:
Name: Rheia Species: Swarm Skills: While Rheia has no true warships, she wields immense influence, as she controls Aggra's moon, Firentis. From there, she extracts vast quantities of minerals, to be shipped off and sold on Aggra. Given that she essentially controls the Union's supply of dozens of important ores, her pressure is strongly felt in Union politics. Personality: Very odd. Rheia might very well be mad; Nevertheless, she is not an idiot, and her out-of-the-box thinking has kept her ahead of her competition. She prefers isolation away from other Swarms, as Prometheus does, which is the basis of their friendship. Short History:
Name: Cronos Species: Swarm Skills: Cronos is best described as a general. Zeus's right hand, he controls both a destroyer and a cruiser, giving him considerable military clout. He has a sound tactical mind, and is skilled at the art of war, but is rather impatient, unable to take the long view required for strategy. Therefore, he is mainly used as Zeus's hammer, controlling the front lines. Personality: Clever and merciless. He sees life as a game, one which needs to be won, one battle at a time. What he lacks in patience he makes up for in nerve. Short History:
Name: Gaia Species: Swarm Skills: Any society requires food; Gaia provides for nearly 65% of the food supply on Aggra, mainly to the powerful swarms who do not wish to devote ressources to agriculture, or those who's territory is unsuitable for it. Cultivating a kind of fungus, she is able to ship it in hours nearly anywhere on aggra thanks to her transport ship, which also enables her to export elsewhere. Personality: Friendly and social, Gaia is a masterful diplomat, prefering to resolve conflicts without bloodshed. Short History:
Name: Oranos Species: Swarm Skills: Oranos is truly ancient, being one of the oldest swarms still alive. Though his hayday has come and gone, he still plays an important part in the union, possesing a cruiser. Personality: Proud and cranky. Oranos dislikes just about everything; It's a matter of what he dislikes the least. Short History:
Name: Atlas Species: Swarm Skills: The only member of the super-swarms who doesn't align himself with Zeus. The two have had a burning rivalry for thousands of years, fighting across hundreds of wars. Currently, he leads the main opposition to Zeus, a coalition of minor swarms. Personality: Short History:
Name: Prometheus Species: Swarm Skills: Prometheus is as close to a scientist as swarms get. Based on Kappa at Kraden Station, he ensures his lifelihood by shipping off fluxium, using his time to analyse the unique element, and its possible applications. Personality: Prometheus's personality is marked by its absence. He is slow to feel just about any emotions. He takes note of everything in a methodical manner. He is quite intelligent, though he dislikes the company of other Swarms, and therefore keeps to Kappa. The only exception to this is his frequent discussions with Rheia, the other "Hermit" swarm. Short History:
Core World Description: Orak is a barely hospitable world about 1.2x the size of earth, covered in arid desert and rocky scarcely populated terrain on the surface, only thirty percent ocean. In stark contrast to this is the rich biodiverse rainforests which exist in the far south. However, the insectoid species which dominates the planet did not originate here; it owes its survival to the fresh water and relatively cool conditions of the massive cave systems underground. They emerged as a fully-fledged race to find much of their world covered in ruins, the powerful empire there before them finding them unworthy of their time and mostly ignoring them as they set in motion what looked to be an incredibly advanced mining operation.
The temperature varies between 5 degrees Celsius at its coldest in the poles and 60 degrees Celsius in the arid deserts devoid of all life. Plant life is only really present in the tropical rain forests, and the atmosphere is high in CO2 concentration as the forests were transplanted as part of a terraforming operation, 02 and Nitrogen concentrations are still low. Sandstorms are frequent as are other devastating storms, unsuited species have an incredibly hard time on the planet.
Underground is where the real story is, massive hives and insectoid cities are present as the Orakian species originated from the deeps. Water is in more significant supply, and conditions are cooler and more hospitable. However, although most children and adolescents including the three queens live underground, many adult males have moved onto the surface to establish colonies. Mining is the most common form of work, from the surface to the deeps, because the planet is rich in Iron and other heavy metals.
The local wildlife is incredibly limited, with a few primitive reptiles existent in the marshy jungles. However underground all manner of insects co-exist with the Orakians, the most prominent are the Rock Worms, massive creatures which have been hunted by Orakian soldier caste for centuries for their high protein and generally delicious flesh. The Orakians farm a form of massive insect underground which secretes a high vitamin substance making up most of their meals. They also farms various forms of fungi underground. They are incredibly efficient farmers, something which has only been strengthened by the acquisition of colonies with more fertile land.
Dominant Economic Activity: Mining
Secondary DEA: Farming
Nation Perks: Unity is key – The Orakian are in relative terms incredibly unified, under a ruling caste of queens which are usually able to agree on the best interests of their people, the hivemind has a part in strengthening this.
Scavenge and adopt – The Sciranti Collective was able to quickly adapt the ruins of a mining corporation on their planet to industrialise rapidly. They can do the same anywhere, and have a knack for adapting any technology to further their interests, even if it be military hardware of other species.
Nation Flaws: Primitives! - The Collective is still based off old principles, and while its technology has rapidly advanced its thinking is still relatively old fashioned, this is reflected on much of its own technology and society as a whole.
Followers – Individuality is a somewhat foreign concept to the Orakians, capitalism for example would never work in their society and it has limited their economic and social development, even if it has somewhat unified them.
Short History: The Orakian species existed in an incredibly primitive form for hundreds of years, even existing during the turbulent times of the Great War when the golden empire still looked to pursue its interests in uncharted worlds. The existence of the mining corporation and the ruins of old transports and merchant ships is mute evidence of that, although most was plundered once the Orakians got over their primitive fears of the metallic and alien structures.
Although only one great queen existed during these times, the futuristic humanoids attempted to make contact with her and passed on knowledge unintentionally. Her three daughters now rule over the many tribes of Orakians that are dotted across the globe, and when the war ravaged the planet and it was near immediately abandoned, the insectoids found themselves dominant. They came to the surface a few hundred years later, the three tribes traversed the wilderness to a huge structure which stretched skyward, and over the great ruins they fought until huge losses forced the ruler’s hands. The queens forged the collective over the space farers ruins, and the Sciranti Collective was formed.
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Outposts:
Outposts are lifeblood of the factions. Critical sources of resources, archeotech, manpower, trade, and military bases
Each faction starts with four outposts, each of which contributes a unique asset to a faction. This could be a major industrial site, a key military base, ancient ruins, a local ship junkyard, or simply a very large population base. Losing these outposts is a major blow to a faction, and establishing new outposts takes time and resources.
Outpost Name: Trom
Planet Summary: Tirin, one of the two moons around Orak, completely inhospitable save for one small base which was found with a half functional atmospheric producer. Incapable of supporting life in great quantity, it was thought that the ruins of the base there were being used as a storage site. It has been adopted as a research station to reduce the damage of moving the significant stockpiled recourses in the base.
Asset: Research base
Outpost Name: Tarank
Planet Summary: The second moon of Orak, similarly inhospitable and mostly covered in oceans, one plateau of rock about ten miles in diameter seemed to be from space scans used as a dry dock in preparation for the mining operation on the planet. The ruins there were scavenged and what the Orakians looked at in awe was believed to be the wreckage of an actual military grade ship. The weapon systems became a template for all similar craft created by the collective, despite their ignorance in the fact that it was barely considered an escort by the empire.
Asset: Drydock, ship tech/repair/construction.
Outpost Name: Filr
Planet Summary: Grassland, amazingly fertile, small rocky world, easily adaptable to.
Asset: Farmland/Agriculture
Outpost Name: Toruaa fandfgh
Planet Summary: Large rocky world roughly 3x the size of Earth with a variety of uncomfortable climes, heavy rain/hail storms and a incredibly hostile environment perfect for training of Praetorians.
Asset: Military base/Special-ops training centre.
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Majority Species: Orakian
Minority Species: Casteless
Species Description: The Orakian are a species of insectoid which share a variety of forms and an ability to adapt like no other. The driving force of evolution has forced the species to the very extremes, creative the perfect colonists and survivors, capable of withstanding near any hostile conditions that are exacted on them given enough time. Biologically they are incredibly impressive, and physically they exhibit human-like capabilities. The exception of this is the soldier castes, being many times stronger than the average human. The Praetorian class is so agile and strong they’ve been known to jump six times their height skyward and throw the weight of an average human ten feet with relative ease. Their blood stimulates cell growth, giving them an unparalleled form of regeneration, and they exhibit a form of ‘hive mind’. Interestingly the lifespan of the average worker is not that different to a healthy human. They’re maximum is around ninety years of age, soldiers live until about fifty, the Praetorians can survive until one hundred but seldom do because they spend most of their lives in conflict. The Queens can live for an incredibly long time, the current eldest is seven hundred years old or so. They have excellent night vision and a form of extra-sensory capability born from their ability to feel vibrations through the earth. All Orakians fit into a variety of ‘castes’
Larval caste, the young of the Orakian, they begin life as small Larvae and metamorphosise depending on what type of mutations they have inherited. 50% of all eggs eventually turn into worker Larvae, 2% soldiers which also include the Praetorian caste. They grow quickly, only relatively helpless for a few weeks, they are able to join the hive at work by the age of two, and can leave the deeps at the age of ten.
The common worker class, known as drones or just workers, are of humanoid proportions with an exoskeleton of black colouration. Their height varies between five and six foot, and they are usually moderately agile and strong, of similar specs to the average human. Their defining feature is unparalleled metabolism and the ability to secrete a substance which can be acidic if necessary, but otherwise solidifies with the hardness of concrete. Their outer shell is incredibly hard, and can resist impact to varying degrees. They are all male. (The picture is a general example of workers) They are the dominant caste and do pretty much every kind of job, they vary in intelligence and strength much like humans.
Soldier class, similar to drones but with noticeably bulkier forms, come in around seven foot, average 100kg, even harder carapace with serrated spikes which secrete poison and can be launched with deadly precision. However they, like all the Orakian, have natural immunities to poisons, diseases and the majority of other biological nasties. The poison came in handy during their primitive and tribal years when hunting the massive rock worms that they feed on. They are significantly stronger than the human maximum, but also significantly less agile. They work best as tanks and general shock absorbers on the battlefield. Most are humanoid in shape, but a few metamorphasise to fit certain conditions, and can be expected to grow extra limbs or transform into biological monstrosities. A part of their impressive immune system and metabolism is an impressive form of regeneration, their own blood promotes cell growth, healing wounds in a matter of minutes. They make up about 2% of all eggs which hatch, and 1% of those eggs mutate randomly into Alpha Soldiers, which make up the officer class in the military.
Praetorian, they’re elite, royal guards of the queen. They are fanatic, brave and lethal. Born from the soldier class and adapted to become the best of the best, they are very rarely as bulky as the soldier class but usually stand from 7ft to 8ft in height. They combine the best of both worlds, with unparalleled speed and agility and incredibly dense muscle allowing them to launch lighter opponents skyward in close combat. They live to fight, and their skill with the varied weapons the Orakian use reflects this. They have a form of regeneration unparalleled to any other species, widely considered their greatest asset, regrowing limbs in days, minor wounds healed in minutes, major life threatening damage healed over in hours. Praetorians are hatched from about 0.5% of the soldier eggs, from random mutation. In that there is roughly 1% chance of spawning a Praetorian Alpha, incredibly rare they are the most powerful of all Orakians save the queens.
Royal/Queen, the mothers of all Orakian, they resemble massive humanoids with huge butterfly like wings. Most live underground and they have an incredibly dominant hold over the mental force of the hive mind. The queens are technically capable of bringing low unruly subjects or even foreign invaders with the force of their minds alone. They lay thousands of eggs in cycles, half of which can mature to workers and two percent of which make up soldier and Praetorian classes. There are currently 3 Queens.
Casteless, made up of assorted insectoids creatures which play small yet essential parts and don’t fit into any of the predominant classes. All they have in common is the same heritage, but they are separate sub species of the Orakians.
Majority Species Traits: One mind, many bodies – The Orakians reproduce rapidly and share a hive mind which allows them to pool the recourses and knowledge of each individual in tight nit communities.
Live and let die – Evolution drives what can only be described as biological marvels, they have highly tuned immune systems, metabolisms, and can survive in every environment save the coldest and most inhospitable. They adapt, or die, and it’s usually the former.
WHAT THE HELL IS THAT? – Insectoids are hated for the alien way they look, and the Orakians are no exception, this puts them at a significant disadvantage in any diplomacy.
All for one – Individuals are frowned upon in Orakian culture, unless they provide an impressive service. This means that the people are often sacrificed and morale can be significantly lowered by the lack of heroes.
Minor Species Traits: Adaptability, the casteless feature a huge range of characteristics.
Limited sentience – Casteless are such because they are not part of the hivemind, they are ‘individuals’ and usually dumber because of it.
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Social Values: The needs of the many come before those of an individual, loyalty would be more of an accurate description than honour. However, there is a distinct hierarchy and every member feels no need to be elevated above his status, especially as the clear physical advantage allows them to easily dominate an individual in the caste below. For example, unruly workers can be set in line by soldiers, unruly soldiers can be beaten into place by Praetorians. The Queen is obeyed without question, and can easily crush an individual’s mind should they dare ignore her command.
The application of technology to such aged principles has had relatively little effect; crime is ridiculously low and usually punishable by death. Only certain individuals with a weaker connection to the hive mind become ‘important’ and even they have a hard time breaking away from the ‘communist’ ideology in place within the economy.
Government: Monarchy of three Queens commanding the three major tribes.
Economy: Communist
Religion: Except for the belief that the Queens right to rule is absolute, a form of worship of the queens and her ultimate mother is all that exists of religion. With so much mystery surrounding her stories of encounters with the ancient ones, many believe her to be the creator and her children to be demi-gods.
Skirmishers and shock troops, steamrolling basically.
The Orakian military relies on the physically dominant soldier classes, and the Praetorian elite. Weaponry is limited in scope and power, more often than not simply repaired old world equipment. Expect to see any assortment of custom made weapons on the field, but the three main and most effective weapons used are as followed.
Rok Rifle: The basic all-purpose assault rifle, with densely packed high puncture rounds designed to melt through armour and flesh with efficiency. They’re fairly limited in fire rate, only capable of unloading one power pack in ten seconds, roughly equivalent to fifty shots. However, they come with significant customization options and are fairly reliable for old tech mass produced by the Orakians in the under forges.
Dislordan Boomer: The techy version of a grenade launcher, it fires high explosive charges up to fifty meters away, useful for blowing holes in things. Some of the more experienced grenadiers in the military are given plasma charges found stockpiled in the mining complex for there weapons.
Hammer Drorge: An incredibly terrifying shotgun variant, with three barrels which fire explosive rounds up to twenty meters, blowing through flesh, bone and metal with horrifying ease.
These weapons are by no means mass produced, but accessible for higher ups and Praetorians especially.
Drill Rifle: A more advanced form of the Rok Rifle, it fires twice as fast for twice as many in each clip, melting through enemy forces with ease. It lacks the customizable features of the Rok Rifle however, but can be fitted with a simple scope if so inclined and set to a single fire mode for those inclined to sit back and snipe. They are also incredibly reliable.
Harzelian Cleaver: Despite the name, the Harzelian is not a sword of any kind. It’s actually more like a metallic polearm, with a crescent blade at one end supercharged with plasma energy to cut through armour like butter. It’s only ever wielded by Praetorian Guard, and custom made variants are incredibly rare. The sight of one in use is a terrible and awe inspiring thing to witness.
Armour: Power armour is way beyond what the Orakians are currently capable of producing, but their powerful biological traits allow them to somewhat compensate for that being lacking. What they do have is a form of Kevlar style battle plate which can be mass produced and protects them from the brunt of small arms fire, protecting vital areas especially and making them less prone to collapse under the brunt of assault as they charge down enemy lines.
Tactics and features: The Orakian are very much united as a force, and steam through opponents with either numbers or strength. The soldiers have no families or ideals to live up to, and simply wish to test their skill and serve their queen. More importantly, they want to serve the sole purpose for which they were bred. Soldiers are deployed in squads of fifty, with a commanding officer who maintains a hive-mind link with his war group. Praetorians sometimes join these groups but under looser command, often serving under their own orders. They are a cause for a significant boost in morale however, and seeing Praetorian kill enemies on the field insights Soldiers into a battle craze, likewise should a Praetorian be killed morale drops.
Soldiers are well trained for the most part, and spend their idle time honing their skills by hunting down the massive Rock Worms. This serves a dual purpose because the worms are high in protein and do well to feed the army.
Praetorians are a caste of their own, and most can take down two or three enemies alone with little consequence. However, they are limited and rare, they cannot be used in every skirmish and their training is costly.
Ideology: EXPAND THE HIVE – SERVE THE QUEEN
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Name: SCN Olong
Class: Transport
Weapons: (Work in Progress, still trying to calc weapon levels. Leave ready to change on notice.)
Captain: Rinar
Perk: Burlier than most
Flaw: Slower than most
Name: SCN Roload
Class: Transport
Weapons: (Work in Progress, still trying to calc weapon levels. Leave ready to change on notice.)
Captain: Tolok
Perk: Overload speed
Flaw: Unstable as hell
Name: SCN Wraith
Class: Transport
Weapons: (Work in Progress, still trying to calc weapon levels. Leave ready to change on notice.)
Captain: Orlak
Perk: Stealth
Flaw: Fragile as f***
Skills: Weaponry and general combat. He’s also a fairly competent officer, although many others are more suited as leaders.
Personality: Strong willed and respectable, he is incredibly loyal to the elder Queen, however he is also bold to the extent of being considered reckless. His words insight soldiers into a glorious fury and his actions inspire awe.
Short History: Rakanor was blessed from birth with his status, incredibly rare even among the Praetorian. He was battle tested from a young age as he fought for the elder Queen Elra in the early wars against the other queens. His only real desire is to serve, but he constantly strives to be the best and live up to the expectations of others, which has made him somewhat reckless.
Personality: Wise and benevolent, but strong-willed and just.
Short History: Elra is the oldest of the three queens, and fought in the wars to defend her lands beneath the great structure. She was the one who organised and established the peace treaty ten years ago, however she was prepared to decimate her sisters should they have refused. She is wise, and strong, but not to be trifled with.
Name: Nela
Species: Orakian, Middle Queen
Age: 654
Skills: Divine presence, powerful psychic.
Personality: Somewhat brash and egotistical. She’s narcissistic and jealous of her older sister.
Short History: Nela pressed her forces to the end in the war, and only because she was forced to by a combined attack from both her sisters did she sign the treaty. Should war erupt amongst the Orakian people she would likely be the cause, although she would be reluctant to do so through outside pressures. She regards other races as incredibly inferior and often breaks the minds of those who annoy her.
Name: Shia
Species: Orakian, Youngest Queen
Age: 520
Skills: Psychic, incredibly smart.
Personality: Eccentric and hard to follow at times, her mind is always flitting from one thing to the next and she can be incredibly cold and harsh to those who get in her way, but is otherwise considered benevolent.
Short History: Shia only took part in the war after her sisters prompting, and only as she wished to research the great mining complex for her fascination with the old ones knows no bounds. She drives industry and technological research further than any of the other queens, who still stick to somewhat aged principles. Despite her status she currently resides on the research station jumping to and from the dry dock with the intent to revive what is considered the most advanced ship in their lands. (The escort from the golden empire, which would be considered a light/cruiser.)
How do I get rid of the spoiler text and edit the text on the button to say Nilam Confederacy?
Faction Overview
Faction Name: The Commonwealth (when they come in contact with other factions they will be the Nilam Commonwealth)
Faction Core World Name: Nilam
Core World Description: A temperate, somewhat chilly planet with large icecaps and huge expanses of temperate forests. Salt water oceans make up 65% of the surface area of Nilam. Most population centers are located centrally within the planet's continents, with the forested areas favored for development.
Dominant Economic Activity: Generalist
Nation Perks: (2 perks)
--Because of the nature of Paravi, there is not a lot of internal dissent within the Commonwealth.
--They are very ecologically minded, resulting in not just a clean homeworld, but a second planet on its way to habitability.
Nation Flaws: (2 flaws)
--The Commonwealth is a loose federation of Paravi communities. While this is good for the Paravi, as it prevents a lot of exploitation and other negatives that come with a powerful central government, it does tend to hinder progress in certain areas, as everyone's concerns must be addressed before plans can move forward.
--They have no modern military doctrine to speak of, as the last intra-Paravai war was fought with gunpowder.
Short History: Modern Paravai managed to evolve out of the violent, animalistic tendencies most other sentient species in the galaxy still possess. That is not to say their society if perfect or utterly nonviolent by any means, but they did manage to form a global confederation without massive bloodshed or catastrophe, a unique accomplishment. Their history is a very short one compared to other species because of how fast they progressed technologically. Within 3000 years they went from discovering agriculture to trapping asteroids around another planet for mining and manufacturing.
That Commonwealth is nearly one hundred years old. That century has seen a lot of technological progress from the Paravai, who have mastered inter-planetary travel and are in the process of terraforming the nearest neighboring planet; Kiva. The ecologically-minded Kiva do all of their manufacturing on Kiva, which has the side-effect of slowing building a habitable atmosphere for the planet. Back on Nilam, most Paravai live in compact, vertically-built cities surrounded by thick forests. A number of languages are spoken, but the global auxilary language in which all business is conducted is called Paravik.
Around the time of the Commonwealth's foundation, radio signals from aliens began to wash across Nilam. Though the languages are undecipherable without some sort of clue relating them to one of the various Nilamese languages, the Commonwealth have treated the matter seriously. While they are a generally peaceful people, they know of their more violent early history and so have taken a few steps to protect themselves. A satellite network rings the outer edges of their star's gravitational field, while a more military-minded corvette was also built. Hopefully it will never need to be tested.
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Outposts:
Outpost Name: Kiva
Summary: A cold, desolate world, Kiva is the next farthest planet from the star after Nilam. It is the center of Paravai manufacturing.
Asset: Produces the vast majority of manufactured goods.
Outpost Name: Various asteroids around Kiva
Summary: These asteroids were captured by the Paravai to supply the manufacturing plants with all of the mineral resources they need.
Asset: Supplies all of the mineral resource needs of the manufacturing on Kiva.
Outpost Name: Cantiran
Summary: Nilam's primary moon. Cantiran is the primary source of Helium-3, an element critical in the nuclear fusion process which powers Nilamese ships and the primary powersource planetside in areas not optimized for solar power.
Asset: Supplies
Outpost Name: Katikara
Summary: A network of satellites at the very farthest reaches of the star's gravitational field, watching for signs of approaching aliens.
Asset: Early warning
* * * * * *
Majority Species: Paravi
Species Description: Paravi are an avian species. Long ago they evolved away from flight, though vestigal traits relevant to flying such as spacial perception and orientation are still present, making Paravi natural pilots. To human observers they may resemble reptiles more closely than birds, as they're ancestors' feathers have been replaced by tough scales. From the neck up, however, Paravi are clearly bird-like. Their short, curved bills have a serrated row of teeth at the front which grind food horizontally into manageable chunks, which the strong Paravi stomachs break up. Paravi do not have tongues, however, they have developed a highly complex language based on noised produced in the back of the throat and nasal cavities, along with an intricate series of clicks.
The biological ancestors of modern Paravi were highly social creatures who hunted and migrated in formation and lived their lives in large groups encompassing all members of the species in the area. This sort of inclusive behavior shapes modern Paravi society, making possible the global Commonwealth which governs the entire planet. That is not to say that the Paravi are not a competitive species, or that tensions and rivalries do not exist. However, individuals which place themselves before the group are generally considered to be sick and in need of treatment. This attitude has allowed the Paravi to avoid the devestating national conflicts which wipe out so many species at this stage in their technological development.
Majority Species Traits:
--Perk 1: Natural pilots not just in atmosphere but space also, can almost instictively fly without the normal computer assistance (though flight computers are used).
--Perk 2: Psychological tendency towards cooperation which underlies their peacefulness and their rapid technological advancement.
--Flaw 1: As an avian species, Paravai do not have a strong, physical build.
--Flaw 2: The Paravai body does not regulate its temperature very well, which was not a problem on temperate Nilam but could pose a challenge to Paravai faced with unnaturally hot conditions.
* * * * * *
Social Values
Government: Technocratic Republic.
The government has three branches. The Directorate is the technocratic body composed of the directors of various economic sectors, representatives from the laborers within those sectors, chairman of research institutes, and things of that nature. The Directorate is responsible for creating and eecuting policy in what is known as the broader economic sphere, that is managing all sectors of the economy along with research and development, environmental issues, and "utilities" such as transportation and communication.
The Assembly is the representative body with democratically elected representatives from the various polities which were formerly independent states. Their main function is to ensure that directives issued by the Directorate do not adversly effect their constitutients. They are more of an oversight body then a legislative one, though they do have veto power over the Directorate and can originate legislation on a few "social" issues.
Economy: The economy might be described as a market socialist economy. The commonwealth controls all economic activity offplanet (transportation,mining, manufacturing) and heavily regulates economic activity on Nilam. This is primarily because the Commonwealth captured a number of asteroids into orbit around Kiva, placing almost all of the economy's natural resources under their jurisdiction (minining on the surface of Nilam is banned for ecological reasons).
Religion: There are a number of philosophy/religions of varying degrees of density which fall in and out of vogue regularly, though there is a large segment of the population who don't care about such matters.
Military: Military doctrine and technology has stagnated in the century since planetary unification. An armed corvette was built to assuage the fears of members of the commonwealth over the existence of sentient aliens, but the tiny "Commonwealth Peacekeeping Agency" know their defense is flimsy at best.
Ideology: Paravi hold their own planet and its ecosystems in very high regard. Once technology matured to the point where all metals could be mined from bodies in space, mining activity on the surface ceased. All heavy industry which would pollute the environment is conducted on Kira. This issue is especially important for the Paravai because their physiology is not built to deal with the temperatures even a small amount of industry-driven warming would generate.
* * * * * *
Starships: 1 corvette, 15 transports
Name: Taitan
Class: corvette
Weapons: torpedoes with nuclear warheads, machine guns
Captain: Villi Satnerin
Perk: Small, quick, and nimble.
Flaw: Its armor certainly could not stand up to its armaments. No shields, of course.
Names: Muyarci, Petti, Amaiti, Turuvi, Unmai, Viyapari, Cakaca, Periya, Mika, Anniya, Marra, Pataku, Valintu, Porul, Vinkalam
Class: transport
Captains: large pool of flight-qualified captains on a rotating basis
Perk: Well...they do their job, which is hauling goods and supplies between Nilam and Kiva.
Flaw: They are not intended for military use.
Texas, where the men are men and the cattle know it.
Posts
601
Originally Posted by Cambyses
How do I get rid of the spoiler text and edit the text on the button to say Nilam Confederacy?
Type the following, but with brackets instead of parentheses:
(hider=Nilam Conferederacy) (/hider)
I found this out by quoting people's posts and inspecting them in Go Advanced. Also, don't use apostrophes in the title of your hider, or it won't appear at all.
Roleplay is a cooperative effort. We're all working together to craft a story here and it's important people remember this even when you are in heated combat with another player.
~An administrator from a NWN2 Persistent World
Current roleplays I'm in (this is more a note to myself than to you, but feel free to take a peek):