Bugman
Ladypug
VampiretwilightEchoes of An Empire Without Name
Introduction
"Another scholar? How many more of you foolish humans will come searching for tales of the Empire-Without-Name? That chaotic millennium holds nothing but sorrow and darkness, memories that will only steal away a tranquil mind and send you searching the endless corridors of space for answers that no creature may answer...Alas, very well-I shall tell you stories..."
-Mother Gildanian, Last of Her Kind
It is a dark era in the galaxy. A millennium or more has passed since the Empire-Without-Name collapsed for reasons unknown. What remains are grim reminders of the nature of destruction that befell the great civilizations that have come before. Glassed worlds. Darkened stars. Megastructures adrift in the void of space, stripped for resources and archaic technologies. Orphaned species on the verge of extinction. Feudal kingdoms in space vie for supremacy, utilizing the arcane and unknown technologies of past eras to further their cause. On the edge of space lingers a great evil, a watcher from afar...
Humanity
"He who can destroy a thing,
can control a thing..."
-Frank Herbert
can control a thing..."
-Frank Herbert
"Might I recount the tragedy that befell Jax-no-Sun, who held at ransom an entire planet for the love of an android; Or horrify you with images of the ten-thousand appendages of the bio-terror known as MERCI; Would you care to hear the last verses of the epic poem Sharndolin? It is a pithy thing, coded in the dead language of the Zossobarians. Hmm..I can see you favor the macabre. Here, listen to the final shrieking pleas for help from Outpost 99...!"
The billion billions of eons past are greatly diminished in the twilight eons of the universe. Humanity has evolved beyond the ancient kin of long dead Earth, instead awakening to the cosmic fabric that courses through all things. That is not to say all men are sorcerers-in lieu of arcane talent come men with armor, sword and axe or any assortment of feudal device. Called powerful by the weak, barbarian by the wary, null-men and neutrals by learned scholar... There is more than one path to carve out a kingdom however...
The once sprawling galactic empires of decadence and indulgence are no more, destroyed from within by vainglorious and scheming men...or the simple taxing of time. In the wake of the great collapse come feudal kingdoms-planet sized bastions of civilization ruled by very powerful men, or alliances of men that hold power over the subjugated races-mutants, demi-humans, aliens and semi-humans, half-breeds, vat-readied, engineered and artificed-the list is endless; but it is mankind that is the dominant species.
The once sprawling galactic empires of decadence and indulgence are no more, destroyed from within by vainglorious and scheming men...or the simple taxing of time. In the wake of the great collapse come feudal kingdoms-planet sized bastions of civilization ruled by very powerful men, or alliances of men that hold power over the subjugated races-mutants, demi-humans, aliens and semi-humans, half-breeds, vat-readied, engineered and artificed-the list is endless; but it is mankind that is the dominant species.
The Galaxy
The Scream
The dozen systems that make up the darkened part of space known as The Scream was very probably the heart of the Empire-Without-Name. Evidence of a great disaster, or series of disasters is apparent. From the bleach-colored moons of Rakas V, to the glassed surfaces of the hollow planet Kada II. The Scream holds dozens of systems with secrets to be uncovered. Warlords and marauders plague the old core worlds and as such have made it difficult for any kingdom to gain a foothold here.
The Chrystar
A unique crystalline object drifting through space and home to the Gildanian Motherhood, an alien race that has transcended mortality with artificial implants, gene therapy and molecular reconfiguration. Their sorcery harkens back to the era of the Empire-Without-Name and has rendered them seemingly immortal. They are completely neutral in the politics of the land and act as mentor, guide and seer for many feudal lords, who seek out the Chrystar for advice. To take a Gildanian into custody, or gods forbid, kill one would ignite an outrage across the galaxy that has not been seen since the Fall.
The Dinstar
The Black Heart of Moebius. The Watcher From Afar. The Dinstar is a massive object the size of a planet, lurking on the edge of civil space. From the black, spiked spires that line its mercurial surface spew legions of enemies, heralds of destruction. The Dinstar has been known to bring about the utter destruction of a planet simply by careening into it, emerging unscathed and wandering off into the darkness of space...
The Kingdoms
The Kingdoms are bastions of society and order in an otherwise chaotic universe, violent as they may be. Here in 'protected' space are the fiefdoms of warlords, noble rulers and powerful sorcerers. Here we have trade and commerce, art and entertainment, justice and law. A dozen stars make up the kingdoms.
Other Races & Gods
Moebius
"All things end."
The Gildanians
"You seek knowledge, but do you know what to do with it?"
Achaendorf
"Do not drink the blood of false gods."
Bilgest Vitae
"Semgat bethra, caetha! CAETHA!"
Your Kingdom
Kingdom Name
-Leadership
List and briefly describe your nations rulers/governing bodies.
Your Planets
-Territory Description
List the planets you control (maximum of 3 to start) with the capital planet at the top. Include a brief description of each (climate, habitability, resources, etc. briefly) Many planets in the kingdoms have sp
Your People
-Society
Include sentient races, attitudes, social structure etc. Who is important in your society? No society is perfect, include those disillusioned with the establishment. Note that while present, aliens are minorities in The Kingdoms and more often than not non-humanoid.
Your Power
-Tech Overview
Although it is a feudal society, certain advances in technology are present. Many (ok all) consider things like bio-engineering or energy weapons to be some form of dark sorcery, a relic from the old empire, so tech should be treated that way.
Your Weapons
-Military
Briefly describe your offensive and defensive capabilities. Note that spaceships are expensive and unique. There are no endless armadas of the same type of ship, but rather very personal, important tools of war*.
*Space combat is a short dirty affair, with much posturing and maneuvering into position, or utter surprise. Because of the incredible drain of resources and cost of building ships, the goal of combat is often to disable or otherwise incapacitate enemy ships in order to take control of it after battle. Only in extreme
Inspired By: The Art of Paul Lehr, Moebius, Phillipe Caza. The novel Santiago, by Mike Resnik, What Entropy Means to Me, by George Alec Effinger, others. The music of John Carpenter & NIN. Films such as DUNE, Flash Gordon, Prometheus & Alien, Heavy Metal, others. Metroid, Magic:The Gathering etc. Bastardized from a handful of ideas I've had over the years and Thanks for reading.
