Wander Worlds! (now looking for adventurers of all gender!)

[wander]

An old Empire crumbles and conflicts form to push forward or repel the oncoming wave of Revolution... New prospects have arisen for those brave enough to take up arms and seek their own fortunes in this 'The Age of Sail'; a start of an Era of Romanticism in a science fantasy that stretches across land, ocean, sky... Even as far as outer space.
Adventure across the worlds of the far away Tau Ceti system await, the worlds known as...

Wander Worlds

Lords, Ladies, Lieges, Legates... Whatever your title, you are welcome here! ^^

Welcome to my request thread for RPs based in Wander Worlds, an Age of Sail space-faring science-fantasy setting!

There are three Posts here of setting info, check out Post 4 for the actual request pitch!

Also I'd like it if you could please get in touch with myself in a PM (please don't post here!) and I will for sure discuss things with you!

Contents (click on the title to be taken to the post)

This thread contains a lot, so I've given a basic overview of things in this opening post. When pondering where to start after deciding if this is for you or not, a more in-depth planetary gazetteer is in Post 2, it has much more info on life in this setting. I'll also happily talk about and field any question directed to me in PM about the setting so you don't need to read through every little thing here.

Post 1: General overview and system occupants
Post 2: Life in Tau Ceti (info on the planets and life on them)
Post 3: Taking Up Arms (gear and space travel info)
Post 4: The Pitch! (also a list of available character classes)

Post 5: optional: the secret history of Tau Ceti's origins

Do you like Freeforms or System play? Click here for more info...

Wander Worlds is able to be written as either freeform tales of adventure or used in system play. Originally this setting was built for my home table Traveller games though it eventually moved and evolved past that as I developed more of the lore of the system.
If you enjoy system play or are new to that and would like to try it, I enjoy using the Dungeon World system for rp games in this setting. The public & legal free playkit can be found in the link below from the developer website, detailing all available actions and the playbooks that allow characters to be created for play. All you need to play is to choose one of the included character playbooks, let me know your choices for your character and you're ready to go... I'll take care of the rest in GMing your adventure, simple huh?

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3269630/dwdotcom/Dungeon_World_Play_Sheets.pdf

That said, I also enjoy freeform games in this setting, so if system play turns you off, don't let that you turn you off the setting as a whole!

The Legend of a Time Passed: The prehistory of the Wander Worlds

Far into the future, mankind faced the end of their reign in the solar system... Nations came together for a last ditch plan for humanity to live on, by sending their genetic seed to a new solar system. The system chosen was Tau Ceti, orbiting around 12 light years away. Robots crewed the project and gestated the genetic samples of humanity upon arrival, making The First of Tau Ceti. The First used the databases left to them to become bearers of the Earth's advanced technology and make a new home.

Tens of thousands of years passed...

Via the evolving nanotech of the First that expanded through the system, humans, plants and animals alike over time evolved, devolved, claded and adapted... The populations grew... Grand empires rose and fell. To those who now live across Tau Ceti's worlds, The First are being forgotten... Although they were the common ancestors of the current civilisation now in the system, the passing of aeons have made The First as part of a creation myth that few now hold any faith in.

Whilst the Project's ark of legend (if it was a singular craft) was eventually thrown aside for the far more spacious planets, this cradle of civilisation still exists (and just has to be filled still with advanced technology). To the ones who find it, the technology and relics would bring unimaginable power and coin... The First were masters of Earth's fusion, robotics, genetic engineering, cyberware and nuclear dampening defences...

...The people of Tau Ceti today are somewhat less advanced...

The Age of Sail: Present Era of the Setting, Current Year: 1800!

The current date as Tau Ceti stands now is the start of the 19th century in the latest calendar, 1800 AD (After Downfall).

It is said that one day something known as 'The Tarrasque' awoke from a long sleep of thousands of years and went on a rampage so fierce it was dubbed 'Downfall'... The destruction that The Tarrasque created in Downfall was so legendary that the system marked a new calender to begin with after it was over. The solar system began to take a new form since the final battle against the threat of The Tarrasque and for near two thousand years things fell into a relatively stable status quo...

As the age of empires gives birth to new planetary republics, a grand industrial revolution is on the horizon. In this new age, it may pass that old threats of Tau Ceti and it's inhabitants may appear once again...

Outside of Magik and the space-faring 'Treeships' (see more in below posts), technology has found itself roughly matching the year 1800 CE of Earth history. This tech level is also with a flair more towards to how technology was in Edo Japan, where katanas and bows are used over blackpowder weaponry (more on Weapons in Post 3). With the worlds acting almost as the 'continents' of Tau Ceti, fashion is completely anachronistic and many different styles are abound, including present day Earth and cyberpunk fashion. Currently, leather is most fashionable and garments made of this are worn by near all, with freedom towards wearing less clothing as the worlds get closer to the heat of Tau Ceti. It is often common to see near or full nudity on the two worlds closest to the star.

In regards to unique advances of technology, whilst Earth is advancing exceptionally in regards to communication, Tau Ceti is instead advanced in flight transportation. Because most of Tau Ceti's worlds having little water and monsters roaming wild, transport across dirtside settlements is made by dirigible airships when beast-drawn transport is unviable (See downthread for more on transport).

Thus the setting is a dawn of the 19th century styled Science-fantasy, in a zeppelin flying Age of Sail!

(Listed below are the current occupants of the setting. You can read more on the worlds and life on them in Post 2.)

The Four Playable Species of Homonin
(Pick One for Your Character)

The First have been survived by the Homonin, a clade descended from us and now split between four species; Humans (Homo Ascendit), Elves (who can and do interbreed with humans successfully), Dwarfs and Halflings. Whilst the four species are named after fantasy races, this is for simplicity, as the Homonin have their own names in their own universal tongue.

Picture Below; The Four Species of Homonin

Aging-wise, as each species has claded off of Earth humans, they grow and age at the same rate as us. Many go adventuring in their late teens or twenties and (if they survive) tend to retire around sixty. Few Homonin live past their eighties, though a few may reach a hundred or just over in rare cases. Each species has separate races, just like us too. These are the same races about today as the four species have their genes from every part of Earth. Side-note; This most humble author does have a bit of a preference for dark skinned elf babes!

Thanks to The First's mastery of genetic engineering and cyberware, Homonin have some natural advances. They are born with a bioware brain-computer which negates the language-barrier. Homonin also have accelerated healing; if they bedrest over a day or two their reserved energies will power a natural augment which will completely heal them. Short-term medicine is then basic; treating of 'the humours' with herbs and poultices. Anything deserving of actual surgery is solved by a day or two in bed, nicely handwaving serious injuries taken whilst adventuring!


Humans (Homo Ascendit)

The Homo Ascendit are the closest to real-life humanity due to evolving in circumstances close to present day Earth. However these 'humans' differ from us today in an expanded range of eye and hair coloration and other mild adaptations to their new environment (such as slightly less body hair and larger eyes with cat-like inner eyelids that offer slight low light vision and protect from solar rays). Tau Ceti Humans also differ from the other species as they have an expanded number of human-owned Guilds and so hold a more varied mastery of nanotech Magik. Homo Ascendit also are the most varied people in regards to religion, culture and physique, so no pursuit is closed off to these varied people who come in all shapes and sizes... There is an equal variety of humans that live in more rural farming settings as those who were raised in urban locales and have knowledge of those. They're the jack of all trades species.

Elves

It is thought that the word 'Elf' comes from The First word for 'High', which is the ideal elves hold to. They are more varied in their pursuits than dwarfs and halflings, though tend to specialise in one single element. Elves have no secular religions, believing in no gods like humans and dwarves do. Instead they hold a link to 'the spirits of the great forest' for guidance. Elven Druids as part of their 'gift' for being part-monster, become wild shamans for these 'spirits'.
Elves are thought to be skilled with bows; archery tourneys and wild hunts are their most favourite pasttimes. Elves that are not gifted in archery may specialize in magikcraft (many tomes on magik are passed down through Elf bloodlines). This is either between spell study or musical application of Magik (consider the clapping lights we have today, to an elf mage this is a simple Magik cantrip). Others instead become melee specialists, to take part in melee tourneys. Elven duels, whether by weapon, spell or bardic performance are often used with tourneys as a method of courting or entered with the motivation to impress a specific paramore.

Dwarfs

The first speciation from The First, Dwarfs are smiths and slayers. In dwarf culture the young are taught not to trust other people but instead coin and payment, to master their chosen craft and slay their enemies. They are not known for taking jokes and if they think they're wronged, they will hold a legendary Grudge until it's settled... If the wrongdoer dies before, their family inherits the debt. As such, Grudges can last for generations. Many a dwarf youngster gets wanderlust and a taste for drink and carousing. It's not recommended to try outdrinking a Dwarf, due to their stout compact builds and nutrient-filled diet, they find it harder to get drunk... Most dwarves show inebriation by becoming more socially open rather than any other symptom. Thus 'the only happy dwarf is a drunk dwarf' cliche about the usually dour stoutfolk. Dwarves follow two crafts, magik following teachings from their skyfather gods (Clerics) and the melee Fighter. Often clerics smith family heirloom weapons for fighters which are used in 'Slaying', killing those who wrong the Dwarves. There are also dwarven clerics that will Slay for their god also, depending on the one they pledge to.

Halflings

The last speciation from The First, the light-fingered wanderers. Lack of education and being left to their own devices, they are the only species that has no real grip on magik... However a fair number are born as Druids, gaining a connection to magik within their bodies. These Druids commonly have a carefree nature and soothing singing voice. Many people have been saved in the wilderness by a beautiful curvaceous female halfling druid. However, these Druids also made a stereotype that Halflings are laid-back to the point of lazy and that they're soft and fat, though many are not. Culturally, halfling communities borrow items when needed in a form of anarchism. Some halflings take this habit on their travels and so halflings can get a reputation of being thieves; not all are though. Non-Druid halflings are either agile fighters who challenge the stereotype ('Stronghearts') and those who turn 'borrowing' into an art, with a side in assassination ('Lightfoots').

The Wildlife of Tau Ceti

The Fauna are the descendants of plants and animals found on Earth today. Fauna came to be from a mix of a few million years of evolution, the odd planetary extinction event and clades being knocked back and rediverged. Couple that with the air-based nanos used in terraforming causing adaptive mutations and there is now a mix of both basic wildlife and that which look like creatures both legendary and monstrous across the system.

Fauna are not civilized like the Homonin, most are unable to communicate with words and live on instinct alone, being wild, base and often sexual creatures. They are not playable races and are representative of the animals and plants of the solar system.

The sexuality of some Fauna has led to the birth of Druids; half-breeds or monsterkin. Despite looking like monstergirl/boy examples of the main Hominin species, they are as social, communicative and intelligent as any elf, human or halfling and so are treated and raised as such (few have a tell worse than animal ears and/or tail or birthmarks of scales etc). Druids are RARE, please ask for my permission to play as this class. Power-gamers need not apply.

More malignant Fauna are named Monsters due to predatory actions. Few Fauna need to actually eat as they are sustained by their nanomachines though this will not curtail any 'evil' or antagonistic behaviour and so Monsters will attack or cause trouble to Homonin. Often then a Monster becomes a target of a Bounty, a paid hunt and a fairly common way for Adventurers to gain Coin. Many Inns have Bounty Boards hung on a wall where patrons offer Coin for a specific Monster's head, so they're easy jobs to find and take on. It is common for Adventurers to cut their teeth after forming a party taking on a job as Monster Hunters. For some it becomes a full profession and leads to bigger and more ferocious monsters (like Dragons)...

A list of certain monsters you can expect to see.

There are Fauna linked to the Fae-like (faerie-kin), Orcs, goblins and other greenskins, Kobolds (lizard-ratfolk), Gnolls (hyenafolk) and other Beastpeople (some examples; Centaurs and Minotaurs), Undead (living dead girls!), Lizard/Snakepeople (the odd tentacled people too), Lycanthropes (there are more than just werewolves in Tau Ceti!), Medusae, Slimepeople, Treants, Yeti, even the odd (rare) sighting of Dragons! These being just some of the Fauna who are more human-like (not including those that look more like wild animals), with more varieties discovered every day. Each planet also have their own unique types thanks to the different biomes each world has.

[wander]

Part 2: Life in Tau Ceti

There are five planets that orbit the star called Tau Ceti, each with it's own flavour and stories to tell... Further on you can find a gazetteer with descriptions of each world, from the one closest to the star (the lava world Balrog), moving outwards to the system's cold edge (the aptly named Frozen).

Planetary Issues in each world's profile are stated in red and make good sample adventure and plot hooks for games outside of the bunch of hooks I've seeded through the entire thread.

Tau Ceti Vehicles for Dirtside Transport:

Airships aka Dirigibles: With hydrogen as a ready supply (see Frozen below), every world uses these blimps, built with birdlike wing-fins to aid flight.

Sailboats: Nano-enforced wooden sailboats can be found on the outer three worlds to travel their waters. Of course there are many tales of pirates that sail these seas... (There is also the small single person submersible craft, called a Nautilus, used mostly for short stealth episodes due to lack of speed. It's a small windsail and hand crank-powered propeller vehicle.)

Cart: Commonly pulled by hoofed beasts called Equus, the cart is the common land transportion. People also ride Equus as they are, they are a common steed and pack animal for Adventurers to this day.

On Decadent, some experimentation is being undertaken using steampower to create smaller scaled combustion engines. Some prototype trains exist on that planet, though for now people enjoy the Romanticist Age with sail and steed.

A Common Life

Life in Tau Ceti seems like medieval fantasy, though is set in a post-neoclassical 'Age of Sail' Romanticism (think the era of Lord Byron) similar to early 19th century Earth. However slavery is replaced on the whole by serfdom, a feudal lifestyle common in the system.

Bartering is in effect through the system, though a Currency called simply Coin (small pieces of gold) give goods a 'coin value', used as a measuring stick for fair trade and can be traded for goods as is too. There is currently a strong tobacco trade where this 'brown gold' is grown in plantations on Excess and is in demand in places like Decadant to be a currency in it's own right currently.

Most people live as Serfs, earning a single 'coin's worth' a day for working the owned land (covering a serf's food and board) of the Lord it falls under. Part of the profit made hires Fighters, to protect the serfs from bandits and traffickers whilst keeping the land worked. Many serfs will live their whole lives in their ancestor's family hovels with no chance to advance. However, at times a mix of hope and wanderlust lead some to become Adventurers, stepping out for a much more grander life... Often risking their lives against Monsters for more Coin in a day than they would see all their life... Some Adventurers even survive their folly and find their fortune...
(Note; A serf is not quite a legalized slave as they are afforded many freedoms as long as the work is done... As such 'slave raiders/traders' either capture freefolk and sell them into serfdom, or more often into the darker 'debauched luxuries'. The latter get it way worse than a serf, these are actual sex slaves often thrown away (read: killed or left for dead) after their use is up for zero pay or upkeep once bought).

Day to day
Whilst work is hard, those who can afford it still have luxuries... The printing press exists and people can buy daily gazettes which are basically newspapers. Even serfs can get homeschooled to be literate and write letters using ink-pots and quills. Outside of mail courier, settlements on a planet communicate with each other using large semaphore line signal towers to spread important news quickly.

At home, mechanical alarm clocks wake people for work (wristwatches are about too) and people cook food on brickwork fire stoves with stove-top kettles for coffee/tea. Even toast (no pre-sliced bread though!) can be made with special wireframe tongs heated using their stove. Continued refridgeration is still a mystery yet to practically implemented in mass production; so food cannot be refridgerated or frozen long-term. Food when frozen uses actual ice, -ice cream is a popular desert of the rich- though unless burying food on Frozen, it melts. Most kept food not immediately eaten from street vendors is often sold cured with salt or dried, though sugared fruits and jars of pickled foods such as onions and gherkins exist. Bakers also happen to do good business selling loaves and other bread-based knick-knacks.

Indoor lighting is achieved through a coal fireplace, oil lamps or by candle, with places like inns having simple candle chandeliers hung from the ceilings. Bathrooms have washstands, pull-chain flush toilets and bathtubs with showers. Deodorant and shampoo do not exist, however soap bars are available and shavings of these help wash hair. Alum powder deodorizes for the day and is also used to brush teeth. Plumbing is in it's infancy, pumps move waste-water through wooden pipes that flow into nearby rivers or seas. On the desert worlds where liquid water is in short supply and mainly drank, cleanliness is achieved near completely with alum powder applied to the hair and body (Thus the rich have a 'powdered wig' look to them).

Lawbreakers and Gaols
For those who break the law of a planet (outside of Balrog, which has no laws to enforce), there are Prison Hulks, beached or afloat ships (on Crusade these are often Treeship wrecks in the middle of the sand dunes) that function mostly like the old Gaols of the 18th century Earth. Often corrupt, they're kept running via the prisoner's own pocket; hard labour each day outside their assigned Prison. Hulks have low security as they are often stuck in the middle of the nastiest monster infested places of a planet. For those who manage to escape, without defence it's a tough walk to get back to civilization.

Standard Tau Ceti Years

Because each planet orbits Tau Ceti at different speeds, each planet has different year lengths. As such, time is measured a little differently for what the people call Tau Ceti's System Standard Year. The year is split amongst the old Earth term known as 'fortnights' (14 Earth days, each 24 hours in length). Whilst every planet has a different orbit, it has been agreed since ancient times that 26 fortnights (364 days) make up one Standard Tau Ceti Year, when it comes to a person's age and measuring historical timelines.

Planetary Gazetteer

For quick one sentence briefs on each world, check the sentence in bold at the bottom of each planet's description.

Balrog
For those who like: Dying Earth genre, Dark Sun, Bioshock Infinite crossed with Mad Max

Faction: Degenerate Anarchist Society.
Designated Trade Codes: Desert, Nonindustrial.
Planetary Issues: Planar Force: A Force of Chaos, A growing Horde by breeding and conquest, Arcane Enemy: Dragon demanding Sacrifice
Unique Goods: Crystals & gems, Oil, Pharmaceuticals and Drugs, Radioactives, Spices, Textiles, Rare Elements (gold, silver etc).
The closest planet to Tau Ceti. Only 0.1 AU from the star, it's a roasting world temperature-wise, whose year equals a fortnight. Liquid water is a rarity. The atmosphere is incredibly dense and inhospitable closer to the hellish surface, so the Homonin here live on vast floating settlements supported by nano-enforced balloons. These 'sky-villages' centre around where they can mine water, valuable elements and the squat spice-cobs from the surface. Originally a penal world, Balrogians live without written law. The world is often seen as a wondrously chaotic hive filled by what Balrogians proudly call their 'Scum culture'. Domestic animals tend to be small due to sky-village size and kept for distinct purposes. The most popular are the pair of carnivores known as Felis and Canis; both are good at killing pests and can make excellent companions on the harsh world. Monsters here tend to be those suited to tropical and arid locales, though more can be found in the deserted warm subterranean places within a sky-village's bowels. These vast dungeon-like places can act as breeding pits for some unique beasts with more than rats or bugs dwelling in the depths!
Population numbers are unknown; Decadent estimates them to be tens of thousands though not so numerous to be near a million. Notably none of the locals outside of militia (known mainly as warbands, raiders or reavers) wish to go to nearby Crusade, instead doing grey market business (scandalous crystal art and drugs being main exports) on other planets. Maybe Crusade's goods are far more controlled and regulated due to war rationing compared to what Balrog can muster. Balrog is pretty plentiful, despite it's more chaotic people, though there are rumours of a Demon Royalty located in a larger floating town-settlement. The existence of such has so far gone unproven, however the ongoing raiders that sail to Crusade must come from somewhere... Balrog is a boiling lava world with large balloon supported floating villages, known for a more extrovert and lawless populace.

Crusade
For those who like: Sky-Pirates, The Crusades, Exploration of Dark Locales, Sword and Sorcery tales like Conan.

Faction: Austere Merchant Society.
Designated Trade Codes: Desert, Nonindustrial.
Planetary Issues: A Demon Prince waits for when The Stars are Right, Slaver Guild kidnappings, The Misguided War over A Special Resource.
Unique Goods: Same as Balrog, though different types of the items are available. However there are in some locations drug laws and smugglers, if found, can be punished.
A hot world, where temps are around 30+C, so cooler than Balrog, though still very much an arid desert world. It is home to rolling sand dunes, steppes and the odd jungle serving as an oasis filled with tall growing reeds and spice-fungi. It is 0.2 AU from the star and has a year of just over two fortnights. Here the atmosphere is too dry and short in the rocky hills that dot the landscape, so the population (which numbers just under a million) keep to the more humid sandpits and craters. Crusade has a 'Silk Road' of villages and towns mapping the planet's craters that allows for a minimal economy for the locals. No real central authority currently exists, it's towns and villages being a Balkanisation and it has no planetary Navy... However it's orbit is also home to the Corsairs, the main space pirates of the system, who are aesthetically similar to the Barbary Corsairs of the 19th century.
Crusade is currently fought over by Balrogian Reavers and Decadent's Paladins, in a series of continual conflicts known as The Crusade Wars (aka The Coalition Wars). The war seems to be territorial, though many theories are abound, including the goal to quash the Corsairs or due to Decadent's recent Revolution forming invasive extremist planetary forces to be pushed back.
Monsters that are common here are those of warm plain, tropical jungle and desert varieties. Some locals venture to visit Balrog, due to the latter's lax (read: nonexistent) contraband laws, though it's a lesser number than those who venture to Frozen for coin and many more wish to find work on Decadent. Unfortunately as Crusade is caught as the battleground for two other worlds, only certain fearless Free Traders will venture here (outside of Militia forces) to pick these locals up. This also means that some Space Pirates will dock at Crusade to pose as passenger ships to profit in people-trafficking, making living on Crusade a daily adventure. Crusade has a vibe of both Africa and the Middle East, it is a battleground styled most around Crusaders fighting Sumerian demons along a crime-filled Silk Road.

Decadent
For those who like: Napoleonic era stories, Shadowrun, Exploring crumbling ruins.

Faction: Underhanded Industrious Consortium.
Designated Trade Codes: High Population, Industrial.
Planetary Issues: Hordes of Vermin Monsters breeding in dark alleys, The Secret against Chaos in the Supercities, Corporate Intrigue of Arcane Enemies and Cabals
Unique Goods: Advanced Nanotech, Technological advances, Manufactured Goods, Weapons and Vehicles, Luxury Goods, Medical Supplies, Drugs & Pharmaceuticals, Polymers.
Another hot world, this time with a Napoleonic Industrial Revolution clockpunk feel. Orbiting 0.38 AU from the star, it's year equals about six fortnights. Decadent brims with ancient sealed cities constructed by The First for their original settlements here. They can be as large as supercities, though no skyscrapers exist. The tech behind these sealed cities is now lost, classed by the people as some kind of 'warding magik'. Because of this belief, as thousands of years passed it has become impossible to maintain them, though luckily few breakdowns have occurred... yet. There are small oceans of water that dot the surface and many sealed cities are coastal or on riverway edges, having expansive (and always hiring) docks for water trade. However, for those who would venture outside the domes, a filtermask is required as the extreme wastelands (that veer between subtropical to subarctic; seasons last around three weeks) hold a tainted atmosphere that is filled with damaging levels of carbon dioxide.
Monsters in the wastelands (which are dotted with ruins of the past) have adapted to the atmosphere and so come in a wide variety of types. Though it's uncommon, some land monsters will gain access to the domed cities the Homonin dwell in, forming gangs or swarms that eventually need to be quelled. Decadent has long been one of the great powers of the system, an industrial revolution is starting and masses of Homonin itch to come to the planet to find fortune... However, they soon learn it is also a smog-filled hive-world, overpopulated by billions in gas-lit undercities and with a large class divide.
The Sealed Kingdoms are currently changing, from Fuedal Empire to a Coalition of settlements (whilst moving from the War of Crusade to the Coalition Wars to contain the threat of widespread revolutionary chaos). While it is the home of nanoproduction and innovation, general tech is still low on this planet, likely due to corporate sabotage that is widespread (many an Adventurer take freelance jobs from some Draconian industrialist...) Decadent's Kingdoms are similar to Napeleonic-era London and Western Europe in the Industrial Revolution, mixed with a cyberpunk feel of megacities and outer wastelands.

Excess
For those who like: Edo-era Japan and The Frontier Old West, more traditional D&D/Pathfinder

Faction: Secretive Trade Federation.
Designated Trade Codes: Agricultural, Garden, Rich.
Planetary Issues: Cults and Cabal of Dark Edo, Planar Force: The Emperor is Coming, Dark Elf Hordes inbound.
Unique Goods: Gas, Live Animals, Luxury Foods, Spices, Textiles, Rare Elements (gold, silver), Wood, Poison, Debauched Luxuries.
Excess is sat at just about 0.55 AU, at the lip of the hot end of the habitable zone and has a year of about 11 fortnights. Whilst still near as tropical as Crusade and Decadent, Excess is a world where a resident does not need a filtermask or sealed-city to survive. The lands are verdant with all kinds of plant ecosystems (southern jungles and northern plains are common) and the cavern mines on this lush world are also built to be more temperate for it's settlers. As such, a huge variety of Monsters come from this world. A success of terraforming in the past, Excess is a wet world and has large oceans, not as much as Earth, though easily half the world's surface holds water now. Excess holds a law, 'Sakoku' which kept the planet secluded outside of it's trade, however since claiming independance this has grown incredibly lax... Drinking chocolate exports is a huge economy and serfs are always needed to work the cocoa plantations to produce it for the rich folk of Decadent.
Interest in non-Excess culture and literature has grown into fashion and is known as 'Rangaku' to locals. With a population measured in the tens of thousands, Excess holds small feudal villages mixed with a few larger towns, ran by the competing Daimyo Houses. A line of oligarchical rulers known as Shogun (stemming back from a single bloodline) seems to rule over each continent, though it is rumoured that Excess' central authority is actually a captive government... Hushed rumours may be heard of a dark Empire of Elves from the deep space of the system, holding sway over how the world is run, though most fob this off as a wild conspiracy.
What is known is that Excess was formerly held under the Decadent Empire's flag for some time, until recently when they decolonized and now many areas are fully independant (some Kingdoms still hold some Southern Ports, such as Nu'Span & Brazzerl in these ongoing War times). This is (in part) thanks to Excess having it's main exports in the stable farms and plantations. Veins filled with gold have also recently been discovered in recent years, so more people are coming in to take advantage of this still ongoing 'Gold Rush'.
Excess has two main seperate cultures from two very different continents; one is similar the latter days of Edo period Japan, whilst the other holds the early 'myth of the Old West' and the Lewis & Clark expedition era Napoleonic Americas.

Frozen
For those who like: Debauchery in a snowy locale, East Asian stylings, At the Mountains of Madness by HP Lovecraft

Faction: Secretive Merchant Society.
Designated Trade Codes: Fluid Oceans, Low Population, Water World.
Planetary Issues: Corrupt Spice claiming the Planet, Let Dead Gods Sleep, Cursed Mountains of Madness
Unique Goods: Gas, Luxury Foods, Oil, Pharmaceuticals, Precious Metals (gold, silver), Radioactives, Spices, Poison, Drugs, Debauched Luxuries.
The fifth and final planet of Tau Ceti, a Mini-Neptune water world. It's orbit has it flit in and out of the cold lip of the habitable zone at 1.35 AU from the star. It has a much more sweeping orbital period than the other worlds, so a year here takes roughly 1.75 Earth years. It's subarctic surface holds a community of a few thousand who mainly work as hydrogen skimmers, others are alchemist-dealers of the various flora and compounds found here. These alchemists can be found in rare 'wizard towers' out in the tundras. As expected, monsters here are of subarctic or arctic variety. Frozen's waters when exposed are actually temperate, so plying the waters is a common pasttime. However the welcoming waters means more monsters will be found there too.
Due to the small number of people and how the planet is, only a few skim-villages can be found across it's landscape. Vast untouched vistas are bordered by mysterious mountains of madness and just as many seas and rivers bridge the gaps between settlements. The skim-villages are survivalist by nature, governments are localized to them and exist as tribal/collective sorts, many wizards act almost like barons to these groups. Locals here that are bound for other worlds only wish to venture to the richer comfortable worlds of Decadent and Excess, whether for warmer working conditions or to live pleasureably on a warmer and more habitable planet, safety being another reason to not bother with the pair of amber inner planets.
Being the final planet before the length of the Sunless Sea, it is a secretive place where not too many eyes watch. Trade does occur with anyone who would venture out this far, the food is seen as a rare delicacy and the best tastiest meat you can get, such as the Gigantic Cetacea and Cephalopod meat, along with that of the blind man-sized albino Aptenodytes birds that walk the ice.
However, Frozen is far more well know for buying and selling various other things that can be found by the right buyer. It's an open secret that trade is maintained with the other worlds by the sale of illicit drugs, which have as much value to a skim-villager as coin itself. This keeps trade up with Frozen's high quality consumables and makes sure other planets get their share of them. Law is a bare minimum when enforced here, village guards do exist, though a 'don't tell' mentality pervades (making the world a great playground for those who don't mind the chill). Culture varies from skim-village to skim-village, though an Eastern flair meets 1930s antarctic pioneering is felt fairly strongly, with many expeditions taking place here.

The Sunless Sea; everything past Frozen
The area of space past Frozen is known as the Sunless Sea, a vast amount of barren cold space that leads outward to a vast Debris Disk ('The Diamond Belt', 30-50 AU) filled with asteroids that marks the very edge of the system. Any ships attempting to find anything past this disk have either come back empty-handed (save for finding prior hulks of ships that tried before) or have not returned at all.
Because the warring planets pay well for ore that they may use it in their war economy (more so than what would be paid for raw materials taken from Excess), there is a small trade for asteroid miners that venture into the far off Disk to earn their fortune. These ventures are more long-term affairs due to the time and distance (a journey into the disk takes years from Frozen) needed to reach these asteroids, laying out farther than any of the interplanetary distances in the system. It is also not without risk; due to gravitational forces it is known for asteroids to get pulled from the Disk and flung into the system. The risk is somewhat offset thankfully by the exceptionally good pay for those Treejammers who'd work a full term as miners.



Also past Frozen, in specially known deep places in the system there are specially crafted Crystalline Moons which act as pit-stops for Disk Miners. It is thought behind closed doors that the elves here lead in a feudal capacity and halfling servants tend to the hydroponic fields, forests and gardens on these advanced nano-crafted wet worlds. Whilst this was assuredly true in Tau Ceti's distant past (the Halfling's first real homeworlds were the crystal moons), the elves and halflings of the crystal moons both seem fairly timid and reserved, and somewhat uniform...

Planetary Gazetteer Epilogue

The system of Tau Ceti has moved on a long way from their origins of a feudal based colony looking to make a new home for themselves... Whilst the various locations have all become quite unique, rumour spreads of occasional strange sightings of overtechnology, where science and Magik seem to mingle into the truly strange, which occasionally in the form of treasures can be discovered by adventurers.

The appearance of unique enchanted items that show no signs of age may be actual proof of the legendary High Elven Empire... An old and ancient myth mixed in with those of the skyfathers known as The First, the Elven Empire are the only ones that could hold such vast technological power. And if such an empire exists and has plans for the system, then what would happen if it were to be discovered or make itself known? What may befall if the bravest of Tau Ceti's adventurers dared to venture that far out into the Sunless Sea and ran into or sought to challenge such a well-armed Empire kept secret for years uncounted?

[wander]

Taking Up Arms

Due to roving monster attacks, the law is lax on carrying weapons throughout the system. Because of the need for self defence, everyone in Tau Ceti will have at least one type of weapon...

Any old weapon beats a Flintlock...

Weapons-wise, whilst there are black powder flintlock rifles (sans percussion caps) about and 'one shot and dispose' zip-guns, they are more trophies to be sold to collectors than a useful weapon.

Due to terrible reload times and incredibly common jamming and misfires, Bows and Crossbows (the latter for those who need to pull triggers), are the weapons of choice for those who are trained in ranged combat. Bows are tried and tested, with little found to work better so far until flintlock technology is perfected.
Not everyone is an archer though and even one skilled in the art carries a melee weapon; arrows can run out and monsters moving in hordes is a common threat. As few Monsters tend to have ranged natural attacks and tourney-fencing is the newest pasttime, using a sword or other bladed weapon rather than a bow has become a big trend to show off one's martial skill... This also means that fewer people actually bother to learn the less fashionable archery as they grow up. Laws on carrying weapons aren't enforced so much due to Monster attacks, so near everyone carries at least a blade tucked in their person somewhere.


Magik (or sufficiently advanced science)

Instruction manuals on the nanotech of The First, now millennia in age, slowly became ancient religious and occult texts down the ages. Thus, Guilds formed that were specialised around specific uses of this asset. As these uses became ritualised, now a select few can tap into the invisible nano-clouds rife across the system to perform feats that are dubbed Magik. There is nothing one can't do with Magik given the right formulas, though due to the complex formulae that make up these 'spells', it is an ability hard mastered and only few can achieve. Thus Magik users usually are members of specific Guilds where they can be taught and learn it's uses.

Magik is considered (falsely) a seperate thing from technology by the Homonin. Whilst Magik is nanomachine based, the general people don't see a person doing the specific commands to activate the nanos in the atmosphere to make combustion and create fire... Instead, they see a person do a spell to throw a fireball. If a relic is discovered that does something unexplainable in the eyes of the early 19th century level of tech that Tau Ceti is accustomed, that artifact is considered 'enchanted' by Magik. Whilst there may be specific clerics or mages that use tech combined with their Magik, they don't call themselves 'Tech Mages' or 'Nano Mages' (Tech and magik mixed is the art of enchantment; 'nanos' are simply unheard of in this era), they'd simply be Magik users that have enchanted items. Whilst mages can use rituals to enchant weapons (experienced Fighters may also graft enchantments to their heirloom weapon), it is a big deal to do so and does not come without some kind of cost, being a sort of technological alchemy.

A brief note on enchanted artifacts, aka 'Can my adventurer have a lasergun?'

You can't have a laser right off the bat! Yes there are Laser Guns buried out there in the system and these would be considered enchanted ranged weapons if found. Like any relic however, these are suitably rare for what they do, if they still even work after the millennia of being left buried... Most are probably found deep inside the mountain of gold a dragon sleeps on, so do not expect to be running around in power armour and firing fusion guns after a single adventure... ^__^'

Protection; Leather, Scale or Plate
Whilst nearly everyone carries a weapon at Tau Ceti to proactively defend themselves, adventurers combine this with their outfit for a more passive way to protect themselves from attack. There are three main levels of armour;

Leather is the most common protective outfit you'll find, effective thanks to the general lack of decent firearms in the system. It also happens to make a very attractive material for clothing, often tailored to be both as fashionable and sexy as much as functional, coming in a whole variety of styles and colours. The one flaw it holds is that items of leather that overtly cover the torso (such as thick jackets) are seen often as common, antagonistic or brutish, so are rarely worn openly in high society. The material that Leather is made from comes from the hide of the cloven-hooved vegetarian Fauna known as Bos, a common farm animal.
Alternatively, Homonin can see combat in places where perhaps they shouldn't and obvious armour may cause suspicion behind someone's intent. Cloth shirts or blouses over a Chainmail vest with usual leather breeches or skirt offers about the same protection as normal leather, but is well concealed. Perfect for assassins in high society!


Those who act as Fighters and Paladins can be found to wear to Scale armour (a Paladin always can be found in this due to them effectively being soldiers and needing something more than leather for protection). Scale often takes the appearance of a thick multilayered fishscale mesh that has a sort of 'Ninja' feel to it, though there is also a biotech styled Scale created from a symbiote lifeform doing the rounds also. Scale offers better protection than leather and costs a fair bit (50 coins) though is slightly unwieldy for those unused to wearing it. When people in Tau Ceti think of and name something as Armour, they're referring to this. It is known that some female Fighters and Paladins employ scale bikinis, using their bodies to distract their opponents whilst offering some protection still. Rumour speaks of a particular gifted red headed woman that does just this...


Then the final type of armour is known as Plate... These suits of armour are rare masterwork treasures and are hard earned, many have some nano augment built into them and are worth a high price if found for sale. Noone starts adventuring in Plate, they're worth a small fortune! Plate can be easily recognized as looking either like a Knight's suit of armour or a particularly heavy looking Samurai armour, often complete with helmet and facemask. Many suits make their wearers look cybernetic or robotic in appearance, so encompassing they are, others look like a suit made completely from bone, as if carved straight from the monster these suits have been won from! Women prefer the knight's look and men prefer the samurai look, though there is some crossover as each is a unique piece of art and worth the attempt in gaining. They make a great treasure at the end of a long and grueling quest.




The Space Byways
The Homonin are able to travel through space, despite the reduced level of technology Tau Ceti has that would otherwise allow them to do so. This is thanks to the crystalline 'Tree-ships'; natural flora biomass that has been infused with the First's nanotech and cultivated to form spacecraft. As Tau Ceti became settled, adventurers began to use treeships to travel the system seeking their fortune. Free-Traders became a popular occupation and other Mercenaries arose from those pioneers.

You can read more about treeships (including system stuff for Dungeon Worlds) by clicking on these blue words!

Today, adventurers still take Tree-ships to venture out to each of the planets. Known as 'Treejammers', they live their lives crossing the spacelanes, living as nomads to pass through the worlds beyond their own. However, treeships are an advanced and expensive vehicle to own, the creation of their inner workings being a well guarded secret of the mysterious 'Treecrafters' of the Space-ports (thus the hydrogen engine is exclusive to the treeship). Those who wish to sail with Treejammers or otherwise venture to other worlds pay a fair amount of coin to a ship owner for offworld passage depending on the route.

Adventurers are well known to make heavy use of treeship travel, with Treejammers making ends meet carrying cargo and the rich between worlds... Thus there is a healthy space economy, with passenger coin helping many a ship owner pay the mortgage taken out to pay The Treecrafters for the ship they've made their home in. For those curious, a single treeship one-man fighter may cost a few hundred coin, the more common larger ships that fit multiple people inside will cost thousands of coin. For those who can't afford to buy a treeship, renting one and working as a Free Trader is a viable occupation... A Treejammer can even find fun and adventure in the jobs a patron may offer so a captain can make his payments...

However, space voyages often aren't simple casual interplanetary hops... Because of the level of coin Treejammers have to deal with, Space Piracy does occur. This means Planetary Defence Forces, Navies, also exist to combat the Pirates. Space Pirates thus shifted to be opportunistic; many hold bases in the vast empty space between Frozen and the Debris Disc, away from any Navy... Others hide in plainer sight among the vast dead trunks and smashed branches of destroyed and long dead Tree-ships that litter the system. Because Space Pirates can attack out of reach of a Navy, Adventurers can gain a decent number of coin working as onboard Guards, in a similar way to mercenaries protecting the Earth caravans of old. Often this is how many adventurers make the shift from wanderers to treejammers themselves.



Specs-wise, Tree-ships are usually equipped to manage thrusts of 2G and hold reaction fuel for an hour accel, same for deccel and a bit over for mid-journey manouvres. Journeys between worlds take time, being modelled around old-time sailing trips, so distances usually take a week or more. The 2G thrust acceleration into a drift and same again to deccelerate is comfortable, thanks to Homonin adaptation to the higher G that the larger sized planets of Tau Ceti have, compared to Earth. Because journeys can take many days to complete, everyone that chooses to venture onto a Treeship tends to have some reason for doing so. Whilst it's not for all, noone sees more of the system than a Treejammer does, making for a very appealing calling to sail aboard one...

The Journey Time Estimates!
The below times are rounded estimates of how long journeys take across the system, give or take a few hours. The actual time a journey can take in a story can be taken from these from these numbers and decided on for narrative purposes. Such a journey may be from the shortest time (when both planets are in alignment on the same side of Tau Ceti's star) or longer journeys (when more of a sling shot manouvre is needed) depending on what is required from the plot. Short journeys are good for when travel is unimportant or may help the plot, longer journeys allow character development scenes on a treeship or can act as a narrative device to increase tension or drama. Often a short route may hold more danger than a longer route...

Blast off from Balrog!

Balrog/Crusade = 2.5 days (nearest) to 7.5 days (farthest)
Balrog/Decadant = 4.5 days (nearest) to 12 days (farthest)
Balrog/Excess = 11 days (nearest) to 16 days (farthest)
Balrog/Frozen = 30.5 days (nearest) to 35.5 days (farthest)

Blast off from Crusade!

Crusade/Balrog = (2.5/7.5 days)
Crusade/Decadent = 4.5 days (nearest) to 14 days (farthest)
Crusade/Excess = 8.5 days (nearest) to 18.5 days (farthest)
Crusade/Frozen = 25 days (nearest) to 38 days (farthest)

Blast off from Decadent!

Decadent/Balrog = (4.5/12 days)
Decadent/Crusade =  (4.5/14 days)
Decadent/Excess = 4.5 days (nearest) to 23 days (farthest)
Decadent/Frozen = 24 days (nearest) to 42.5 days (farthest)

Blast off from Excess!

Excess/Balrog = (11/16 days)
Excess/Crusade = (8.5/18.5 days)
Excess/Decadent = (4.5/23 days)
Excess/Frozen = 19.5 days (nearest) to 46.5 days (farthest)

Blast off from Frozen!

Frozen/Balrog = (30.5/35.5 days)
Frozen/Crusade = (25/38 days)
Frozen/Decadent = (24 days/42.5 days)
Frozen/Excess = (19.5 days/46.5 days)

[wander]

So... What am I After?

Firstly congrats if you're reading this!

I am looking for co-writers to explore the setting detailed above and adventure whilst seeing the sights of this solar system. I want people to come and write within it, pose me with questions on the setting that I will freely answer and most of all, to have fun! There's a variety of plot seeds throughout the thread and elements I've mentioned so that we can write around what you found interesting above. If something in particular piqued your interest, tell me what it was and we can write more on it!

Choose one of the four playable species (human, elf, dwarf, halfling) and then a Guild (read: character class) from the list below to make an Adventurer who appeals to you most and through them and the plot hooks I've seeded above I'm hoping for some great RP...

Lastly, My lead characters are male and I like a partner's character to have a feminine face as personal preference (all gender-alignments and sexes are cool, long as they look feminine facially)... So, if you are okay with that and you've got this far in seeking adventure across the worlds of Tau Ceti or even just visiting the one, then please... Pass me a PM and show me your interest!

The Eight Main Guilds of Tau Ceti.

Bard: (Human or Elf) charismatic holders of lore who can cast spells on others from their musical performances, including heals and buffs. They may use bows. Bards choose an area of knowledge they excel in and in speaking frankly to those they meet they can find out a person's desires and allegiances, making them excellent manipulators.

Cleric: (Dwarf or Human) worshipper of a deity, they can petition their deity through a specific action based on the precept of their religion to gain spells and lore based on their deity's domain (tapping a forgotten net-sphere of Magik). They can turn the undead. Their spells include buffs and heals. Some clerics through their power are known to be able to speak to the dead via their net-tapping...

Druid: A halfbreed of Hominin and Monster, they can shift into animals and can speak with them, the Druids are akin to the 'spirits' and augmented via the nanos in their blood to need no food or water to live. They are never dwarfs. If a dwarf lies with a monster, they birth a halfling druid.

Fighter: (all races) wielder of a weapon that has been enchanted, they're adept with armour and can use their strength to great effect.

Paladin: Human Crusaders with auras of command, they can heal others through touch and can detect nearby 'evil' (a sort of monster radar). They gain abilities through dedicating themselves to quests of slaying, defence or discovering truth. Whilst under vows they gain mythic boons, similar in manner to clerics, they have a connection to the nano-netsphere to do this.

Ranger: (Human or Elf) expert hunters and trackers, they are adept with their bow and can paralyse unsuspecting enemies for a short time with a well aimed shot. A Ranger keeps an animal companion which is often trained to help the Ranger's actions. Many Rangers discover at a later time that they are half-elves, a gifted speciation rare in this era, similar to monsterkin.

Thief: (Halfling or Human) Those gifted with sight, can see to disarm traps (and see other hidden things). They can greatly damage targets, create openings or damage enemy armour with a well-placed blade attack on a defenceless foe. Often unpredictable as they can hide their true personality. They are expert poisoners. Thieves have with their melee sidearm either throwing knives or a bow.

Wizard: (Elf or Human) A collector of spells for their own book of collected Magik effects, they can cast or dispel various magiks and are one of the most powerful classes as they can perform rituals that can do whatever effect they please, though for a price... They have either a dagger or staff as their weapon, they can learn the 'Magic missile' magik to do ranged damage, although magik formulae are too complex to be repeated often.

[wander]

Please note!
The information below is long and fairly detailed. It is not needed to be read by those who would like to write stories in this setting. Below is the history from millennia in Tau Ceti's past and the secret origins of most things thousands of years before the era presented in the thread. If you are already writing with myself and are interested, then maybe you'd like to see just how the Project sent from Earth became this science fantasy setting...

The truth of how Tau Ceti came to be as it is today: WARNING: LONG, OPTIONAL READING.

The facts behind Tau Ceti's colonisation are thus; Life changes through the ages, future extinction events and mutation meant already there was some difference to the flora and fauna around today in real-life modern Earth as we know it.
At a point millions of years from real-life today, the humans of this era were facing the end of their reign on Earth and the Sol system. At this time, in secret the super-powers of Sol united for a last-ditch plan to allow some legacy of mankind to continue. Tau Ceti, near 12 light years away, was chosen as the new star to sustain mankind due to it's abundance of liveable exoplanets. Because no spaceship could go faster than light and resources were not so wide to gamble on a generation ship that could potentially fail (as the trip to Tau Ceti would have taken many decades) a plan was put into motion to get around this and to test the waters...

The aligned powers called it Project SEED.

In development over a handful of years and produced in a coordinated effort in Earth orbit, every form of life at the time of launch had it's genetic samples, mostly of sperm and eggs gathered as five large international superpowers worked towards the means to send vast STL travelling space-station sized spacecraft on it's interplanetary trip. From every known nation, five to ten couples were chosen to donate their sperm and eggs, every racial subgroup was collected. At the time of launch, a few thousand genetic samples were collected, representing Earth's peoples.

The project once launched was directed by advanced robotic crew and aided by computerised sensors that allowed optimum power distribution through the decade's long journey to reach it's destination. Once Tau Ceti was reached and prepared for colonization, the robots were to use the samples of sperm and eggs to create the first life in the system. The robots would then raise this first generation of Earth's life, including the first humans born here with the help of vast databases of Earth's collected knowledge. These would be The First, who would learn of Sol's history, people, locales and cultures and so carry on their legacy. Humanity would continue.

TAU CETI: YEAR 1
The Project was a success as decades after launch, Tau Ceti was reached. The samples of human's eggs were fertilized by the sperm samples, through genetic advances in biotech the robotic crew of SEED were the carriers to term of the children and programmed to act as parents and teachers. The First lived at first on Project SEED's vast city-sized craft in orbit at the outer system's Debris Disc. As the Project and wait continued, the humans born in Tau Ceti became parents themselves, the first natural births in a new home system.

The modular living pods of SEED that were available or less packed began to slowly drain as the new births and expanding families reduced available space, as newer generations were born, these pods began to take up extra value on SEED. An economy of landlords and bartering began to take shape... As the idea of trading goods for rent entered the minds of The First, a faction was born with plans to finally venture down to the various more spatious exoplanets of the system. The original SEED robots and nanotechnology were the main technological applications used to help initial terraforming to help colonise these untouched new worlds. As the projects were thought over and planned out, one more faction felt it was easier to create their own Haven in the system and not deal with colonising or tolerating the harsh exoplanets, so projects began to be planned towards this end too.

HIGHBORN AND THE MINERS REVOLT
The faction who supported a Haven outside of the exoplanets were the Highborn, arising from the feudalism taking form on SEED (as The First learned from the SEED databases how to manage such things as larger governing bodies) bringing up differences in class and culture. This gave rise to the schism of those who were 'Highborn' and those who were not. Highborn were effectively those of The First that were born into families that collected enough barter from previous generations to be in a better position than others, even taking it to an artform.

Those who were not Highborn were mostly serfs, who knew only poverty and hard times to have a place to live or a level of comfortable space. Because of this very distinct class difference, eventually a faction of serfs set about a revolution. Due to the Highborn now having a monopoly on SEED's nanotechnology and paying through goods traded the more physically able serfs to act as their knights (called simply 'Fighters' by all), these serfs were defeated. As punishment for damages, they were sent via their modular shuttle living pods to an as yet unnamed tropical garden world, where they were to mine materials for the Highborn's plan of a spacious moon-like space station to live on.

This large yet sweltering world had minimal need of terraforming, so the serfs were able to live as miners there fairly easily. In their work, the miners found a growing biomass that they called Creeping Coral. It was a living moss that had the appearance of crystal and texture of rock, however it softened when heated and gave off a delicious scent. Through battling hunger, the miners discovered this plentiful rocky material was actually edible and incredibly nutritious. Because it was found in abundance throughout the vast amounts of soil on the planet and regrew as much as was mined, it was the perfect resource to send back.

This world of the miners became a Land of Excess, and eventually the miners sent enough Creeping Coral to the Highborn to construct into the first Crystal Moon space station. Due to the higher Gs of Excess as the planet itself was twice the size of Earth, the miners on this world down the years began to speciate from The First. Eventually after 100 thousand years in passing, the miners had become compacted, a short and well muscled, stout people. They were the first Dwarfs.

COLONISATION, BIRTH OF MONSTERS
As the differences between the humans of Excess and those offworld became pronounced, the continued nanotech terraforming and need for hydrogen (found and mined from Frozen, with Excess and Decadent also being mined for it) to fuel freighter cargo of Coral to the Highborn meant that the other worlds were settled, creating the Highborn Empire. Due to the harsh conditions and heat Balrog was settled as a penal world by Decadent, which led to the culture that developed there to thrive less on written law, as many found themselves shunted there due to such things. Flora and fauna from SEED's farms were taken down to the more spacious Excess to farm in better conditions and imported at times to the other worlds for the resources they required from them.

Over time, through mutation and nanotech infusion, new forms of life emerged through the system. Thus the Fauna were created and as unforeseen predator species developed, so were Monsters. In the hydroponic gardens of the Highborn Empire's Crystal Moon, they too took in Fauna to help manage the vast forests that gave them both air and food, along with adding more diversity onto their space station. Due to a difference in gravity and interbreeding with the more sapient Fauna, the Highborn also speciated, generations becoming extraordinarily tall and thin, whilst the Monsterkin they had and the nano-infused genes passing through their blood meant they became the first Elves of the system. The term 'Druid' was formed to take away the stigma of being Monsterkin.

THE GREAT GRUDGE WAR
Time passed until another Dwarf uprising emerged against the Elven Empire. By now tree-ships were being developed from Creeping Coral and space travel was far less restricted numbers-wise than it was in times past. The Dwarfs were now able to face their Elven masters in combat. There were great battles and deaths on many sides. The conflict was resolved by the following convention; that Dwarfs would be free and live where they wished, though a number were ordained to come to the Crystal Moon as crew, this was partly down to losses felt by the Elves and also the genepool was lowering yet again due to Elf inbreeding... Some elves however took advantage of the agreement to defect from the Crystal Moon and finally join back in with the rest of the Homonin. This was the beginning of the end for the High Elven Empire's glory days.

THE HALFLINGS
As for the Dwarves taken in by the Elves, nanotech and breeding between the two species (with a bit of inbreeding due to their small numbers adding to genetic mutation) led to the speciation of the Halflings, who unlike their Dwarf forebears led at first an idyllically clueless life of gardening and self-sufficiency on the Crystal Moon. Eventually these Halflings too gained freedom to venture to the other planets to quell any potential uprising, if they so wished. Many left their Highborn masters, others happy with what they had, stayed on.

It was 50,000 years ago when Halflings gained freedom from the Crystal Moon to venture the system with the other Homonin... Across the system empires rose and fell across the worlds of Tau Ceti, the elves of the old High Elven Empire were reduced to outer system recluses holding near zero power compared to their former glory days... Slowly they became forgotten as Tau Ceti moved forward on it's own path, to where it is today, 1800 years since the massive threat known only as the Tarrasque last awoke to terrify the Hominin of the system. What the Tarrasque is and what happened in Downfall is a mystery, perhaps one that may be uncovered in the dawning of the current era...

EPILOGUE;
The High Elven Empire has not forgotten the history of the system... With potential access to the location of the Arks of The First, with all the information and technology that entails, a dark age may be on the horizon if they moved to reclaim their former place of power...

[wander]

Here's a monthly bump!

Please as always PM me rather than posting here if you are interested in doing something in this setting. I've placed some titbits that rpers might find interesting in the thread to write around, if something caught your eye then let me know in a PM and we can do something with that. I'm looking for some real interesting characters to partner up with, so show me what you got!

I'm looking forward to meeting a new cycle of adventurers and all sorts of characters to explore the new sights in the setting! I'm also wanting to see what works for people and what doesn't so much, so feel free to let me know so I can make Wander Worlds that much better!