Welcome!
Empty Horizons is a sci-fi RP that takes place in Sol and three nearby star systems. It is set in the year 2700, and in the previous centuries humans soared to the stars, but collapsed to unparalleled lows and only in recent times have begun to recover from the devastation of the conflict known as the Solar War. The RP sets its level at “advanced” so expect to post a bit, but remember: quality is more important than quantity!
One more important thing before you dive in and see if this is your jig:
This RP will be character focused, you will be telling the story of your nation, organization (or person) through the perspective of characters and not through “RTS action”- see more in the guidelines section.
Common History
It was the year 2224. Terraforming efforts were slowly beginning to progress in turning lifeless worlds into gardens like earth. Colonization of space had become the norm and countless worlds beyond Sol, some only a few light years away have been discovered by tireless efforts to map the stars. Brimming with hope and ambition, the Solar system was rapidly settled and exploited for the benefit of Humanity. For the first time in history of mankind resources seemed to be unlimited, flowing from the asteroid belt like a wellspring that fed the industry of the Human race. Even more previous advancements in fusion technology, automation, 3D printing, genetic modification, terraforming and countless other technologies had paved the way to a boundless future.
Yet even in that age of prosperity and imagination the Earth remained divided between dissident factions that had only grown increasingly powerful and wealthy in those golden years. Alone they were capable of feats like interplanetary colonization on a day to day basis, and the development of increasingly advanced technologies made them look further than ever before. As the golden age of man progressed and settlements founded by all manner of nations clustered across the Solar system it would be that the conflicts between the foremost powers of the world, The North Atlantic Union, the Chinese Cooperative Zone, and the Greater State of India, deepened. Beyond even that the seeds of revolution had been planted in the colonies of dozens of nations by unfair taxation and an increasingly large culture gap that served to make some colonies indistinguishable from their so called home states.
Still the bubble had not burst by 2296, the hopeful fever that took over the human race led to the foremost powers of Terra, that blue dot in the vastness of space, dispatching interstellar expeditions with recently developed fast as light engines. Dozens of colony ships were set out in the name of various ideologies, but it was luck and not ideals that allowed a mere three of the colony ships to find their destinations. From the North Atlantic Union Alpha Centauri was taken in the name of democracy and the free market. From the Chinese Cooperative Zone Luhman 16 was brought into the fold of the state and the people. Finally the expedition from the Greater State of India would find a habitable planet within the Epsilon Eridani system. Further than any other system that was colonised Epsilon Eridani was well out of the way, but perhaps possessed the greatest prize.
(GM Note: We are debating if intelligent or otherwise aliens are on the habitable, or some other uninhabitable to humans planet. Please add your opinion!)
Yet at the dawn of the new century, instead of the gleaming brightness and profound hope of the centuries before, the darkness that was eventually, inevitably, coming finally reared its ugly head in the form of the Solar War. The Solar War began when the various colonial holdings in the asteroid belt banded together and declared themselves the Independent Belt State. With the very source of human industry and prosperity at stake most powers declared war immediately. But, officials in the North Atlantic Union seeking a way to pull ahead of their rivals opted for a deal to defend the new state in exchange for sole foreign mining rights.
This decision would come to be known as the greatest mistake in all of human history.
Now alone in the expanse of space as an alliance with military capacity Venus managed to fight off the straggling ships sent by the now defunct GIS trying hopelessly to recover their colonies. Seeing the ruin of the Solar System the Venusian colonies banded together in a show of solidarity, the Venus Republic was born. Its first act was to bar itself from the rest of the Solar system. The destruction wrought by the war had led to many technologies being lost, the colonies were forgotten and instead of trying to achieve greatness every faction, Venus included, focused on staying alive. The Belt state reformed not long after, a shadow of its former self and yearning for revenge it silently rebuilt in anticipation for the day Mars would suffer for its actions. Mars proper blamed the Belt State for the war in entirety, and followed a course that was almost the equal and opposite of the Belt state.
As for Earth itself even the madness of the solar war was not enough for the various people of the world to put aside their differences. When the super states fell in their wake rose a multitude of squabbling warlords fighting for what arable land was left on the burned world. While recovery happened in time there was no singular effort, and the plagues, lack of resources from the strip mining and warring between despots and warlords would keep earth’s development more stunted than the unified worlds outside of Terra. Even today the population of earth numbers less than 2 billion; most of which do not have the life their ancestors once had and some lack literacy itself. Perpetually divided, Earth, the birthplace and home of humanity was lost to man.
In four hundred long years Venus would manage to become a world of water and green as Earth once was using the terraforming tech that was spared the fires of war plagued the outer worlds. Prosperous and happy the Venus republic had maintained an internal peace disconnected with the political struggles of the solar system in the aftermath of that terrible war. Still Venus was not isolationist, for by the time it became habitable as Earth once had been it had become the focal point of solar trade and solar immigration, it was nearly equal to the former Earth. However in recent times due to the increased role Venus has played in the solar system there has been great internal debate among the philosophers and people on how they should run their world and if they should use their new found authority in the realm of Human space.
The interstellar colonies have continued to exist, but over the centuries the alien conditions of the star systems the three colony ships arrived in would shape their cultures and force them to develop in ways different from what their ancestors intended, for better or for worse. Due to having to adapt to alien worlds and conditions, they have technologically developed beyond the solar system in the field of space travel and all three of these colonies managed to independently develop a warp gate device to bridge the stars. Each of these colonies, though they were blind to the others, made their first target when their respective gate projects finally finished the home of their ancestors, Earth.
In last five decades, at differing times the colonies arrived and established instantaneous travel gates between the fringes of the Sol system and the fringes of their own star systems making a the solar system into a nexus for all human space. While the gateways would come at a massive cost that would not be feasible again for decades they opened a new universe and a new age. This new universe has in turn opened up the first communication between the colonies, and between them and the Solar system. While the Solar war is four hundred years gone, the horrors of the Solar War and the Collapse of Terran Civilization continue to haunt humanity to this day.
And there is no new golden age in sight.
FAQ:
Q: Can i ask if we can change something?
A: This is an interest check, and it is very rough, so PLEASE give your feedback and input! On that same subject we ask you to please help us elaborate on the planets of the other systems, we want to give you a chance to really shape the setting.
Q: How advanced is tech?
A: A bit more advanced than before the Solar war for Solar factions, Interstellar factions are variable depending on the player, but generally it is best to stay within an amount of realism.
Q:Can I be Venus?
A: No, Venus represents our “special case” while you can be an organization on Venus, and influence its government and public that way, total command of it as a faction is currently not allowed
Q: The History seems a bit complete, what can i even do?
A: As of now, the only (playable) factions with clear (but vague) history in the last 400 years are Mars, and The Belt, that means all the Earth factions, all the trans-belt colonies, and all interstellar colonies are open for whatever modifications you want to make in the 400 years after the Solar War perhaps save the creation of the gates (since this is for convenience), and often you can say what they did during the war too. So most of the factions permit 100% creative freedom.
Q: Do we have FTL?
A: At the moment all Solar factions have fast as light drives, but those are expensive so 50-80% speed of light drives are used for the majority of every factions space fleet. As for the interstellar colonies, as the need clearly existed they developed wormhole technology independently of the Solar system or each other, however it required massive amount of resources and was limited between pre-established gates. As a result each colony has recently established a small gate on the outskirts of the Solar System connected to a similar gate on the outskirts of their home system, so instantaneous travel between the colonies and the Solar system is possible now, but since the gates are on the solar outskirts a trip still takes time.
Q: So can i just build gates everywhere if i am a colony?
A: No, above all the gates are objects of convenience so that colony/solar system contact in the RP isn’t impossible. The IC reason is that the gates cost decades of resources to make, and there simply is not a reason to make more currently.
Q: Why did the colonies never expand or go back to Earth until now?
A: The colonies were established with at max a million people, and these people ended up with an entire system to themselves. Until now they simply lacked the population or infrastructure to go home, let alone to go elsewhere considering that fast as light travel itself is extremely expensive.
Q: Does the Belt State control the entire asteroid belt?
A: No, after the war they simply lacked the population to reestablish control that fast. Currently they do control the largest fraction of the asteroid belt, but various smaller fractions have been occupied by other factions.
Q: Do i have to be a nation?
A: No, individuals and organizations are completely acceptable.
Q: Many of your worlds for extrasolar planets are blank besides Hell. Will you fill them out?
A:The extrasolar worlds are mostly blank beyond their basic classification intentionally. This is to allow for player freedom in world making. I placed a base classification for each world as a base template for you, the player, to expand on. Note that some worlds have a couple "special" modifications. For instance the desert-like worlds in Epsilon Eridani are actually desolate. If you want to change the type of a planet, please discuss it with me or iso.
As for "hell", that world actually exists. It is a real exoplanet in the centauri multi-star system.
Due to incomplete data on exoplanets, creative liberties were taken in adding exoplanets that may or may not exist. However, exoplanets that are known to exist or speculated to exist in the star systems selected for use are there. For instance the gas giants orbiting Epsilion Eridani or the aforementioned "hell" world.
Q: Can I make alien species? Perhaps even intelligent ones?
A: Alien fauna is likely to exist, and mind you don't just have to restrict alien life to earth-likes. For instance a titan-like world may have very exotic forms of life and a gas giant may have floaters. The worlds, being player defined means that what worlds have life will be figured out as the RP develops. For this RP is in part a collaborative world building RP; the setting is built with multiple players together off the template given by us.
As for intelligent life keep in mind the following: There is only four star systems overall in this RP, and one already has intelligent life [sol]. However, if there is to be any intelligent life [expect a long debate] I and Iso would prefer it if they are alien from a cultural, physiological, biological, and psychological standpoint. I personally also would prefer it if you made them primitive; in that they are to be no more advanced than per say the greeks or sumerians.
If you intend to make a human-like race, be a human civ instead. If you wanna be a primitive human race, be a Terran civ.'
Q: Fast as light engines?
A: Basically warp drives, but more balanced as they are incredibly expensive to use to the point where using them for interstellar travel is incredibly hard to do; very few, select times in four hundred years of human history has this drive been used for interstellar travel. They're great for rapid interplanetary travel for those specialized ships however.
This RP is made in collaboration between me and Isotope.
Here, have a chatzy
Who is interested?
