Orion Asunder
The Orion Sphere, home to hundreds of systems, thousands of worlds, and a countless number of various species. For a thousand years the Orion Sphere once was united under the banner of the Orion Federation, a rule that had its share of turmoil, unrest, peace, and eventually would circle back. Regardless of its faults, the Age of the Federation was a Golden Age compared to what was to follow very soon.
From beyond the Periphery, an invading alien horde arrived, attacking worlds at will and without mercy, any and all attempts at communication were met with silence. Once word reached to the Sphere proper, the Federation mounted its defenses, preparing for the coming battle. The resulting war would last decades, a whole generation of Orions growing up knowing nothing but war and loss. The war proved to be the most devastating in the history of the Sphere, as both the invaders and the federation made use of outlandish and outright barbaric tactics to gain victory, entire worlds left in ruin and cinder, billions dying within days. It truly seemed to be the End of Days to some, however, there was a glimmer, as the tide slowly turned.
Eventually, the Federation stood victorious against the invaders, but for many, that victory came at a great cost, as people were scarred and forever changed by the war. Whole worlds were damaged beyond repair, and terrible decisions made by the leadership needed to be met with justice. The post-war period was a bitter one, as bickering and infighting followed. In addition, although the reports in isolation seemed benign at the time, they were a dire foreshadowing of the Federation’s downfall. A Stellar Storm of sorts had been reported in many parts of the Sphere, which would coincide with reports of ships going missing.
Eventually, the Hyper Relays, structures that would greatly assist in hyperspace travel and helped link the hyperlanes, had started to fail. What was lone ships, would soon turn into whole fleets going missing. Hyperspace travel had become increasingly more difficult, ships traveling less known paths, trips that would normally take a day, with stretch out for weeks or months at a time.
One by one, the hyperlanes started to fail, systems becoming more isolated as time went on, left to fend for themselves. Soon chaos and panic was overtaking the populace, the Federation was quickly losing control. Within a few years, it all came crashing down as most of the Orion Sphere’s Hyperlane network had collapsed, eventually leading to a bloody civil war that would serve as the final nail in the coffin. In the aftermath of the war, the Orion Sphere was finally broken, the Federation that once stood for over a thousand years, had fallen.
A century has passed since the civil war, the Federation is no more, seeming more like a mere myth, a distant age long forgotten. In place of the Federation arose numerous new states, some going their own way, others claiming to be the successors of the federation, others seeking a new vision of the future, be it good or ill. Now is the Sundering Age, what path shall your people take in these uncertain times?
Welcome to the Orion Sphere! A bountiful region of space that’s home to not only humanity, but to all sort of alien species as well, both exotic and familiar. For this NRP, I aim to do something different pacing-wise, as in, I’m taking a very relaxed pace for this rp. I don’t expect posts every week, heck months could go by and I would still consider this rp active. We all have IRL stuff to deal with, and I don’t want to add any more pressure in your lives. Consider this rp as a fun side project, you don’t need to post immediately, only when you feel like it.
Nation Sheet
Nation Name/Flag (The usual, provide a name of your nation(long version, short version, or both, you decide) and an option to post your nation’s flag.).
Map Location: (Post your claim on the starmap.)
Government Type: (State government type and provide a small bit of info on how things work, doesn’t need to be super detailed, just paint me a good enough picture)
Demographics: (The people of your nation, human, xeno or both. It could be as simple as a percentage list with pics, a small paragraph or whatever you feel is best)
Military: (The fun part! What’s defending your nation in these uncertain times? You can provide as much or as little detail as you like. Can’t also forget, showing tons of pictures of what their soldiers, vehicles and ships look like :P)
History: (Speaks for itself. It can as brief or detailed as you wish.)
Lore
Core Systems: The beating hearts of Orion civilization, back in the Federation days, the Core Systems once served as the foundation and center of the Sphere political landscape. Worlds within the Core Systems were highly developed, urbanized planets largely populated by the wealthy and privileged, serving as the seats of power for the most influential interstellar governments, corporations, and organizations. Even in the present age, the Core Worlds still maintain some power, although they are being quickly challenged by rising Successor States along the rim.
Inner Systems: The bridge between the Core Systems and Outer Systems. Inner Systems once served as the industrial base of the Sphere, hosting countless top of the line shipyards and foundries. In the civil war’s aftermath, much of that industrial capacity had been severely crippled, various new states within looking towards new means of financial stability.
Outer Systems: The Outer Systems is a wilder and more varied region, plagued with wars and such. The Federation often engaging in peacekeeping operations. Parts of the Outer Systems serving as breadbaskets for the Sphere, hosting many agri-worlds, and to a minor extent, possessed its own industry with minor shipyards and foundry worlds. Now in the present, the Outer Systems are sort of a wild card.
Founder Worlds: The Founders: An elite subclass within the Core Worlds and with a name that speaks for itself. The three Founder Worlds are the homeworlds of the first three founding species of the Federation. The power they once held in the Sphere has been severally diminished, new powers rising to fill the void, and refusing to kneel before their old masters.
Periphery Systems: By and large the least developed worlds in the Sphere, the Periphery was and continues to be infamous for playing host to all manner of criminals, reprobates and other undesirables. It shares many problems of the Outer Systems, the Periphery plagued with conflict, slavery, and warlordism on a wider scale. The Federation no longer present to keep the peace or to present a veil of peace to keep the worst aspects of all species at bay. Some Successor States from the Sphere Proper have taken upon themselves to bring order to the Periphery, for some, by any means necessary.
Hyperdrive: An FTL system that serves as the main means of long-distance transportation for ships within the Sphere.
Hyperlane: Hyperlanes are charted routes in the Sphere and the Periphery in which a starship could safely and quickly travel. In the Age of the Federation, hyperspace travel through the Hyperlanes were said to take mere hours or a day. However, since the Collapse, those golden days are long over, although new and old hyperlanes have been charted once more, travel between systems is not what it used to be and travel times may very now from days to possibly weeks.
Hyper Relays: Hyper Relays are transit superstructures that assist starships in hyperspace travel and providing a sort of “boost” to hyperdrives and assist in linking the hyperlanes between systems. The designs of the Hyper Relays has sadly, been lost with time with the fall of the Orion Federation, many existing Relays in the present day, are leftovers from the Golden Days, still maintained over a century later.
Psionics: A mysterious, paranormal power that had once been described as sorcery for some, powers of the divine for others. During the Age of the Federation, this power became fully understood as a gift that crosses species lines and touches a small group of individuals. Psionics is a power of the mind, granting heightened mental and physical abilities. These powers can range from telekinesis, mind reading, mind control and so forth.