Diaspora: Building a Universe

[Athos]

Hmm, I must have misinterpreted. -shrugs-

[NotoriusBEN]

D. Tomalak, The Umodyne System   Rolls = 1322  =8   = 0
C. NotoriusBEN, Cruscis Prime         Rolls =  1112  =5  = -3
G. Athos, Midgard                            Rolls =  1212 = 6 = -2
E. Polymorph Athena                       Rolls =  1213 = 7 = -1
H. TheDon Chirea                            Rolls =  1112  = 5 =  -3

D---C
..\../
...G---E---H


Sorry about taking so long to line us up. I was waiting for the other two to write up their worlds, but we'll just use what we have.
So this is how we are interconnected. I randomed 4d6 and lined us up from smallest amount to largest amount (not shown). then I took 4d3-8 and this is what came up for rolls and connections. The crude ascii map is the basic starmap of this cluster. Looks like G is our hub world... Our exploitable hub world

[Athos]

Looks like G is our hub world... Our exploitable hub world

Oh noooes!

[Wraith]

Um, I did write up my world. *points at post on previous page* Is it not good enough?

[NotoriusBEN]

goddammit >.<

sorry you two. I'll roll you into the systems soon. certain peep's posts are so long they ran together >.>;;
EDIT** Here is the new line up with everyone involved. Let me know if it's confusing for figuring out who your linked to.
(Figured I'd do an ascii version of the cover art )


A. Tomalak, The Umodyne System   
B. Ironwolf85, Solaris
C. NotoriusBEN, Cruscis Prime       
D. Athos, Midgard                           
E. Wraith, Sheng
F. Polymorph Athena                 
G. TheDon Chirea     

............._________
....____/___           _\______
../        /      \         /    \          \
A ---- B ---- C ---- D ---- E ---- F ---- G
.\____________/          \_______/

A is connected to B, C, and D
B is connected to A, C, and E
C is connected to A, B, and D
D is connected to A, C, E and F
E is connected to B, D, F, and G
F is connected to D, E, and G
G is connected to E and F

Round 2 on it's way.

[DuhMan]

Room for one more? I'm digging this.

[Tomalak]

Works as a diagram and doubles as a logo - if one should become necessary.

[Wraith]

So, the Sheng system's linked up with lesbian Nazis, slave-holding racists and militaristic nomads. My people are doomed. 

How do we go about with the actual linking? What are we going to work on?

[ArtemisHighmore]

If there is desire for more systems, I am game.

[Ironwolf85]

So, the Sheng system's linked up with lesbian Nazis, slave-holding racists and militaristic nomads. My people are doomed. 

How do we go about with the actual linking? What are we going to work on?

Solarus on the other hand is compartively peaceful and willing to sell openly to other worlds...
*wink*

[Polymorph]

Athenian high command, having studied preliminary data from warp capable probes dispatched to connecting systems has set itself the following objectives;

1. In regards to the Chireans. With their superior technology and being warp capable, these are an immediate threat to Athenia. Athenian system defence forces should be on constant high alert to counter any pirate or slaving raids in the home system. Defences at all installations must be upgraded to repel raiders. All exploration vessels must be vigilant to the possibility of encountering Chirean ships whilst in other systems. State media will broadcast propaganda depicting the Chireans as the worst male nightmare from Athenian history portraying them as merciless rapists, murderers and slavers.

2. In regards to Sheng. Ships will be dispatched to the Sheng system with the following mission objectives. Conduct exploration to determine what other systems Sheng is linked to. Survey the uninhabited planets for usable resources, especially HE-3. Make a landing in a remote location of the inhabited planet and abduct a small number of indigenous humans so that their language and culture can be studied. Recruit Athenians of Asian appearance who can pass as indigenous Sheng people for covert operations. The long term goal should be to steer Sheng culture onto the correct path of female dominance and eventual eradication of the masculine gender.

3. In regards to Midguard. Conduct space exploration to determine which systems link to Midguard. Survey uninhabited planets for usable resources. High technology ruins have been detected in system, explore thoroughly for any usable advanced tech. Land on Midguard and abduct a small number of the indigenous aliens to learn their language and culture. Long term goals will be devised when more information is acquired. Commission a new class of ship to harvest HE-3 from the systems gas giant.

4. In all exploration out of system be on the lookout for ships from other systems. Chirean ships should be avoided at all costs. Ships from other systems that appear nonbelligerent should be cautiously contacted with a view to trade, high technology and HE-3 should be acquired if at all possible. 

[DuhMan]

Tabula Rasa

The Tabula Rasa system is comprised of four planets, one of which being capable of supporting life. Due to the systems small size, there is no asteroid belt.

Iros: An Earth sized volcanic planet with a sulfuric atmosphere similar to that of Venus. Iros is the closest planet to the sun.

Krock: The second planet from the sun. Slightly larger that Earth and having the same level of gravitational pull. The planet Krock is the only habitual planet in the system and sports an oxygen enriched atmosphere with a wide array of exotic life.

Zanatos: A gray inhospitable planet similar to Mars in size and nature. Has one small moon made of ice. Third planet from the sun.

Archos: A Neptune sized, blood red gas giant with massive golden rings and twelve moons.

Krock

Technology: T1
Environment: E-1
Resources: R4
Map: http://planetkrock.deviantart.com/art/Krock-Map-194914582?q=gallery%3Aplanetkrock&qo=0

Physiology

Although descended from human colonists, Krock's inhabitants have evolved and adapted to it's oxygen enriched air. The average human grows over a foot taller, possessing immense strength and living three times longer. But these perks come at a cost as their bodies are now dependent on Krock's unique atmosphere.

If a Krock born human were to set foot on a 'normal' planet without any form of environmental protection, they would quickly suffer symptoms comparable to altitude sickness.

Terrain

The continents of Alzer, Yavin and Giath mainly feature dense jungle terrain. The trees grow as tall as skyscrapers and completely block out the sun. All light at the jungle floor being provided by reminiscent plants and fungus's. Tropical storms are frequent and often last for days on end, usually flooding the lower terrain with rainwater. This is also the deadliest terrain on the planet. A normal unprepared human would quickly fall prey to one of the many super predators. Even well equipped the fatality rates would be high.

Because of the shore line mountains cutting off most weather activity, the continents of Rokh and Amazah feature rocky, outback and desert like terrain. Although less dangerous, many of the predators have adapted to the uneven terrain and are able to ambush their prey. Human or otherwise.

The other three continents New Ziggurat , Bellious and Issalah feature much more normal terrain. Forests, plains, deserts (in the case of Issalah), swampland and tundra near the poles.

Major Faction (The Three Powers)

The Three Powers are a secret alliance recently formed for mutual safety, mutual benefit and most importantly; to protect their homeland from invaders looking to pillage it's resources.

Bladerunners Clan

A hardcore military society comparable to the Spartans of ancient Greece. Unlike the other factions, this one has been around since the beginning and like the great white shark, has never really had to change in terms of culture. Although not advanced enough to field anti gravity technology or build robots like the Yavins, the Bladerunners have access to highly sophisticated military technology and make use of cybernetics. They are also the only faction on the planet to effectively make use of power armor in the jungle terrain.

Each member of the Bladerunnres clan is trained from birth in the art of hunting and fighting. Then at the age of 14 they are sent into the jungle with nothing but their wits and the cloths on their back. To complete the rite or passage and become a full member of their society, they must not only survive but kill a dangerous predator to prove their worth. Those who fail the test often die. Luckily this is a rare occurrence.

Most of the physical labor is handled by slaves, intruders from non allied factions who have been captured alive and put to work. Because of this, the majority of the population is made up of military personnel.

Their cities bear a resemblance to industrial fortresses with buildings that look more like bunkers than anything else. Their society is led by a small council made up of the most senior of their military leaders.

In the alliance the Bladerunners take the role of elite fighting forces and military leadership. They often find themselves leading the "lesser but numerous" Alzerian troops.

Yavin Scientific Order

A technologically advanced and rational civilization made up of scientists, philosophers, artists and intellectuals. By far the most advanced of the three, they were the ones to develop interstellar travel and propose the alliance to the other two factions.

Raised in a society of flying cars and robots, the average Yavin citizen has very little to do in terms of physical labor thanks to just about everything being automated. They also have the benefit of not having to pay for an education. Their society looks like something out of a science fiction novel with tall sleek towers and gleaming high tech industrial facilities. The Yavin people are led by a senate of elected representatives from different walks of life.

In the alliance the Yavins fill the role of all forms of technical expertise and serve as diplomats. This has put them at odds with the Bladerunners who prefer to kill everything first and ask questions later. It also doesn't help peace talks when their public image borders on Satanic in some countries.

Alzerian Kingdom

A monarchy socialist order currently led by King Johnathin. The Alzerian people lack the advanced technology of the Yavins and one of their soldiers can't hold a candle to a Bladerunner. But what they lack, they more than make up for in sheer numbers (more than the other two factions put together) and their ability to extract resources in massive quantities. Over half the raw materials used by the Alliance in ship construction to be exact.

The general population of the Alzerian Kingdom is made up of middle class citizens who work long hours to make pay and their society bears a resemblance to early 20th century England.

The Alzerian Kingdom mainly contributes physical labor and raw materials. Tensions are also high between them and their two allies. The Alzerian people haven't forgotten the atrocities committed against their kind by the Bladeruners and the Yavins are viewed as strange and alien in comparison to their kind.

Minor Factions

(still under construction, but tell me what you think.)

[Wraith]

To His Exalted Majesty

The Master of the World

The Succour of the Weak

The Despair of the Wicked

The Scion of Heaven

I, Xan Guo, the Minister for Heavenly Workings and Fate-Mastery, pay you obeisance.

It is with a troubled heart that I write you now, my Emperor. The astronomers at the Sanxin Mountains have captured distressing fate-marks in the skies. A cold, black orb has moved in front of the magnificent face of Prince Zhuo and has since not moved. This blemish in the Heavens feels me with great dread.

Upn receiving this grievous news, I immediately consulted the Grand Priest at the Xugoboku Monastery. His reaction has done little to placate me.

The Scriptures speak of the time when the Mother's death brought our world into being. What the Grand Priest has told me is that such black orbs were prominent in the Heavens at that time. Indeed, it is believed, that they were the manifestation of the evil that caused the Mother's death.

From anyone else's lips, I would term this the greatest heresy. But from the Grand Priest, I can only accept this as a hidden truth, whose significance we were not meant to know.

It fills me with dread to imagine what this heinous portent might convey. I have already convened an assembly of the greatest sages and priests in the Empire. We shall speak on this matter at length and decide what can be done to avert whatever evil this orb portends and return the Heavens to sanctity.

I inform you of all this, my Emperor, as is my duty. I shall reach you in person, perhaps, a week after this letter arrives. We shall discuss further.

May the reign of Heaven last for eternity.

[Tomalak]

We have a latecomer or two.  BEN, do you want to cap the size of your cluster, or keep adding more?  If the latter, how do you want them connected?

[Ironwolf85]

hmm I might want to add more details to mine

[TheDon]

The Chirean Response

Lacking any kind of central government, the Chirean war-fleets, pirates and mercenaries cannot be said to speak with one voice on their neighbours. However, within each of the armed camps in the system, certain policies have developed.

The Chatthairath Estate

This body of deuens, and the piratic war-fleets they support, has just won a lengthy battle with the Kingdom of Caslan for control of the homeworld, Chirea. As such, they are primarily interested in consolidating their power within the system; some fleets, however, have set out to the neighouring systems of Shenn and Athena.

Clashes with Athenan vessels both within their own system and in the Shenn region have led to the Chatthairath viewing the Athenians as an exapansionist threat to their own stability. However, the relatively low technology level of the alien culture means that the Chatthairath feel fairly confident of ultimate victory, with their pirates instead concentrating on disrupting Athenian communciations, trade and supplies, a task they are admirably suited to. A few pirates hover on the fringes of the Athenian system; the strong defences erected by Athenian Command, however, mean that at present, the Chatthairath are content to watch, wait, and starve the Athenians out from their fortress.

The Bahsen

Deep below the surface of the death-world of Larnharni, the entrepreneurial people of the Bahsen look to exploit the galaxy around them. Raiding fleets have already proved the bane of Solarian and Cruscian shipping, whilst slave-raids have begun to trouble the people of Shenn. The Tabula Rasa system is of particular interest to many Bahsen pirates, and there are talks of the largest deuens assembling grand fleets to claim the system for the tunnel-dwellers of Lardharni.

What the natives might think of that is scarcely of interest to any Chirean.

The Brechtian Marshalship

Whether they are camped on the lake-beds, perched on the mountain tops or held high in the floating cloud-fortresses of Arla, the Brechtian peoples are ready to expand. More centrally controlled than any other faction, the Marshalship is already engaged in a running battle with the Bahsen for control of the Taula Rasa system. In a potentially unstable alliance with Chatthairath raiders, the Brechtians are also interested in developments in the Athena region. Ultimately, however, it is the Midguard system that attracts their attention. Already suited to extremes of weather and altitude, Brechtian fleets have begun pillaging the system for slaves and resources. In time, enough deuens may set out to colonise the new territory.

The Kingdom of Caslan

Forced from Chirea by the ascendant Chatthairath, the deuens of Caslan have scattered across the cluster. Besieging Soliarian and Cruscian shipping here, raiding Athena and Krock there, they are a scattered people, each deuen interested primarily in staying alive. However, the King of Caslan, as the most powerful deuen-Marshal is known, has greater plans. He wants a home for his people, a base of operations out of which Caslanian brigands can strike, and in that mind has sent out emissaries and scouts to other systems, in search of either a people needing a vassal-protector, or a habitable world lacking a population.

[DuhMan]

Can someone post a list of the planets along with basic details of all the factions so we don't have to scroll up and down the screen all the time?

[Athos]

It started strangely enough, with lights in the sky.

Some took it as a sign from the Gods, so the seers were consulted and the runes were cast. The messages returned from beyond the veil of life and death were conflicted and difficult to interpret.

In the South, Prophecies of doom and famine rang and the city of Horogar, under Roghan the Hammerfist, mobilized its garrison and called the levies into service believing that the city of Lotherin, to the west, meant to make war.

In the East, a prophecy of great change was spoken. In the months that followed Simion Boriksson, chieftain of the Bjorings, and Gagnar the Clever, chieftain of the Bgorings, broke the bread of peace. In so doing, they ended a thousand years of bloodshed begun by the brothers Bjor and Bgor over the throne of Or, once the most majestic of cities and now only ruins.

In the West, Corbogarth, known as the coastal gem proclaimed a sign of favour from Odin himself for their triumph over the pirate fleets of Normos. Yvang the Feared, leader of that city, ordered the beheading of eleven thousand slaves captured in the great battle of Uos Bay believing that his show of strength would bring further boons from Odin, King of the Gods.

It is in the North, near the city of Umas, the northern stronghold, that the strange coloured spawn of Ragnarok were first spotted. It started as mere rumours of creatures skulking around farmsteads on two feet, armoured in strange material and carrying weapons that seemed to spit fire. Then the village of Mayas was destroyed, its warriors slaughtered and its women and children taken in chains.

In response Ares Mogarsson, barely sixteen and the newly-made King of Umas, sent a force of 50 warriors equipped with rifles and 300 men-at-arms into the jungle after the invaders. After three days with no word, a single man returned with news. Engaged by a mere 25 invaders, the entire force was wiped out to a man.

- Excerpt taken from the Chronicle of Ares Mogarsson, found in the ruins of Umas

[Ironwolf85]

http://suspensiontheory.webs.com/Diaspora%20Cluster.png
approved worlds so far.
so where do we go from here?

[Tomalak]

BEN's original post stated a desire for a setting, with the knowledge that he hadn't the time to run anything - he just wanted to build a cluster.  According to the book, I think there's one last step, where we go through and discuss each player's system, and the group adds one last tagline to it.  BEN's been incommunicado for a little while, so we could start that ourselves, or wait for him.

I figure we could just start on the end, with the Chirea system.  Could everbody with an approved system post their thoughts and impressions of that system?

EDIT: A quick comparison of systems;
Cruscis Prime has the most technology in the cluster at a 3, with Chirea's 2 being the only other system capable of building it's own slipships.  Each other system with intersteller capability must buy/lease/steal etc. from one of these.

Athena has the most habitable territory, coupled with just barely enough technology to take full advantage of their system.  Umodyne is the only system with a premium on free space.

Midgard is the biggest source of wealth in the cluster, with a resource score of 2.  Aside from Cruscis Prime's 1, it's the only score above -1 in the cluster.

Just some things to keep in mind when considering how systems interact.

[NotoriusBEN]

yea, i've been meaning to reply back. give me a few to read up on everything. Good work from everyone btw.

[Ironwolf85]

the orignal image i had for Solarius military was a humanoid shark (the Solarius military uses preditory GM's and the shark is the most effecent killing machine on their world) in Exo armor, boarding some pirate vessel, Flecchete shotgun in one hand, his other hand outstreched shooting lighting thanks to the genetics of an electric eel.
The standard Civilans are a lot like modern Humans, but with genetic engineering so fully embraced it's down to a commercial level.
These are people who think nothing of modifying their genetic structure becoming smarter and stronger, but one cannot splice in a gene for improving the character of man.

it's kind of... Gene-punk instead of Cyber-punk.

[TheDon]

(assuming that this is still running, but off the burner...)

Cruscis seems like the strongest overall power in the system, with a small amount of wealth and the highest level of technology. Due to Chirea's disunited nature, the pirate-tribes could not hope to challenge Cruscis in any meaningful way. Two possible ways I could see interactions occurring:

a) A Cruscis-led Federation, with Cruscian and Chirean ships trading between Athena, Tabula Rasa, and Cruscia. Chireans would fit a niche as pirates and mercenaries, providing much-needed slipshipping to the Federation whilst also being its greatest bane. How the other, more primitive systems are to survive is unclear; some may exist as regulated reserves, perhaps, or be brought under the tyranny of Chirean invasion fleets (or even the rule of Cruscian armies if federation becomes empire). I see Midguard as a potential victim of the second option.

b) A much more anarchical result could occur. If the Athenians or Midguardians manage to negotiate with the Chirean Kingdom of Caslan, a more powerful contender to Cruscis could develop as Chirean ships act out of the security of Athena/with the wealth of Midguard, challenging Cruscis. Similarly, if the Solarians and Chireans ally they could create a lethal challenge to Cruscis.

The way I see it, (b) skews the system to the kind of setting where a large-scale war is conducted, whilst (a) would be closer to one large country but with lawless fringes, the equivalent of Wild West America but with a bit of Star Wars thrown in.

What do you guys think?

What do you guys think?

[Ironwolf85]

either sounds good to me