Sandbox-Scarcity:Newplayerguide
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| Alien Whitelist Starters | Skrell · Synthetics · Tajara · Dionae · Unathi · Vaurca | |
This is a new player's summary of the totality - or at least, as much as we can summarize quickly - of the Aurora server's most essential lore.
This is the first in a series of multiple guides connected to Guides/Character Creation. Once you're finished reading this, you are more than equipped with the knowledge necessary to create your character using that guide!
Below is recommended reading if you are new to the server!
Welcome to Aurora Lore!
Hello and Welcome! Aurora Lore is vast, and trying to get into it as a new player can feel overwhelming at times. Therefore to try and assist those new to the setting we've developed a series of pages that will assist with that issue, and this is one of them! This page is the shortest possible summary to the setting that still accomplishes the goal mentioned previously of helping new players get acquainted with the server's lore and help them understand the ins and outs of the Orion Spur in the 25th century and its history. After reading this page, and the page for the planet you choose for your characters background from those presented at the bottom, you'll know enough to start playing without issue.
The Aurora Setting
It is 2467 C.E. and much of the Orion Spur has been explored. The spur is our wider setting, encompassing not only the medium of the game but also everything "happening" elsewhere. Our server takes place aboard a spaceship known as the SCCV Horizon which is owned and operated by the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate, an economic cartel made up of eight different megacorporations that combined control a majority of the spur's economic activity. It is not an equal organization, or one that all the megacorporations save for the leader joined willingly; it is dominated and led by the most powerful megacorporation ever known, NanoTrasen. Miranda Trasen is the CEO of NanoTrasen and the woman responsible for forming this cartel she now also leads; it was she who forced the others into line, using whatever coercive means she could as leverage. Luckily for her, the company she inherited came with a monopoly on the single most precious resource in the entire setting; Phoron.
Phoron
Discovered in 2352 by NanoTrasen, Phoron is a typically purple element that is only known to occur naturally (in economically significant quantities, anyway) in a few locations throughout an entire galaxy, either as a crystal or gas, and it is not an overstatement to say it is the most important element in the setting. This is because phoron in its elemental state, as a solid, is a naturally occurring room temperature superconductor and the only room temperature superconductor known to exist. It is a single resource that underpinned an entire century of rapid economic and technological growth, to the extent it's now a necessary material to maintain the economic and technological level of the Spur. Running out would be getting thrown backsliding more than a century.
A good way to visualize what this means for your average resident of the Spur: imagine that in the modern world we only have a few possible sources of silicon, a resource we rely on for the modern world to function, and there is nothing we can substitute it with if we run out. Moreover, if we ran out, we would go back to the technological and economic level of the early 1900s. Ontop of that - 99.9% of all the silicon is owned by a single corporation, which has been unsustainably mining it for over a century so now we're running out - and that's basically the situation of the Spur currently.
The Phoron Scarcity is an ongoing shortage of the precious resource primarily caused by over-consumption and unsustainable mining practices. Again, this is a material that is necessary to maintain the economic and technological level of the Spur, essentially all that growth since it was discovered, and has no replacements. It is a very dire situation, and due to its importance, it is still being actively mined, meaning that as every day passes, there is less phoron to go around, causing the situation to only worsen with time. There have been many attempts to find a solution, the most famous of which being Project Violet Dawn, a project undertaken by the Solarian Government in an attempt to find a synthetic alternative on Mars. Its fame comes from the fact that it failed so catastrophically that it quite literally set most of Mar's atmosphere on fire, burned down half the planet, turned the once red hue of the planet in the night sky to purple, and caused the deaths of billions of Solarian Citizens. There has been some success in terms of finding new deposits, but they are merely bandaids on a bleeding artery, stabilizing the situation for a few months until they eventually run out.
What exactly will happen as a result of this scarcity is currently unknown, as Aurora's setting is a continuous story that develops in real time. For more Information; join the lore discord [link]
The SCCV Horizon
As mentioned previously, the SCCV Horizon is the spaceship that can be found in-game. It is owned and operated by the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate under Miranda Trasen, so all player characters are working for the organization(s) that caused the current catastrophic situation in the first place! Characters can pick to work for any the eight corporations that make up the Conglomerate, however each corporation is restricted to certain departments. For example, characters working for Hephaestus Industries, the Industrial Titan of the Spur, can only be employed in Engineering or Operations (Supply). Similarly those characters working for their rival, the purest representation of the military industrial complex Zavodskoi Interstellar can only be employed in Security, Science, and Engineering. The IC reason you are still working for and wearing the uniform of your parent company despite working on an SCC asset is that you are contracted out.
General Setting Info Dump cause I haven't figured out a title
Andddddd that's basically all you need to know before hopping into a round! It is encouraged that you start by learning through playing rather than reading - doing the latter immediately tends to overwhelm folks. Aurora Lore is the combined work of dozens of people over the course of over a decade, which means it cannot truly be defined in any one category - it is comprised of dozens of themes, narratives, and writing styles - if you can think of an origin that fits within the wide sandbox outlined above, it probably exists somewhere. That said, here are the primary human factions of the spur.
The Solarian Alliance
The Solarian Alliance was once the sole government of humanity, but after a devasting civil war and two centuries of decline, has become a shadow of itself. All human nations are in some way break away states from the Alliance, including the Empire of Dominia which was founded by colonists sent from the Alliance. It is the second richest nation in the Spur, tailing behind it's most recent breakaway state, the Republic of Biesel. It is almost possibly the most populous nation, still holding most of the earliest settled colonies close to the Sol system itself, and therefore also the largest. Most of the planets of the Alliance have long and rich histories, rife with heroism, hope, horror, and tragedy.
The Republic of Biesel
The Republic of BIesel is the most recently founded nation in the spur, only coming into existence in (date). Since then the young Republic has faced crisis after crisis, being beaten back into the dirt (sometimes by their former government) only to get back up again. This spirit of perseverance in the face insurmountable odds, for the lofty goal of keeping the light of liberty shining in a dark galaxy has seen the young republic rapidly evolve in ways very few expected. In recent years after the second invasion of the Republic by a "Rogue" Solarian Admiral, this evolution has begun to solidify into a real culture - one that is still very young - yet exists all the same.
The Coalition of Colonies
The Coalition of Colonies was the second interstellar human "nation" to form, though to call it a nation is a stretch. There is very little centralized authority, and factitious infighting is a staple of Coalition politics. This is a result of it's formation, as a group of disparate frontier rebels fighting against the Alliance's extortion of the colonies to try and soften the blow of a finicial crisis in the core worlds. Governments of all types can be found within the Coalition, from the continual martial law of Gadpathur, the Democracy of Xanu, and the Syndicalism of Himeo; all operate under the umbrella of the Coalition of Colonies but could not be more different from each other.
The Serene Republic of Elyra
The Serene Republic of Elyra came into being in the aftermath of the Interstellar War, as a wounded and battered Alliance continued to face civil unrest in it's southern reaches. After the death of a scholar during a protest - the Elyran Revolution would occur. I literally do not know what else to write for this.
The Empire of Dominia
The Empire of Dominia is the odd nation out here, as it did not come to be through direct revolt, though it's formation still saw plenty of bloodshed. After the disaster of the Interstellar War, Elyran Independence, and a continually worsening economy, the Alliance cut it's losses; ceasing to try and expand into the Southern Spur. However expeditions had already been sent - including the ones that would end up forming the Empire of Dominia. An autocratic, imperialist, theocratic state, the Empire is most well known for it's imperialistic tendencies in the Southern Spur, alongside it's religious hatred for synthetic life. They are easily the strangest of the human nations, having developed in isolation for so long.
Recommended Starter Planets
Callisto - Callisto is a settled moon in orbit of Jupiter, and the most populated of the Jovian moons. It is the Alliance's single largest port, a feat accomplished by the massive Warp Gate Network it has in orbit, which was originally designed back in the late 2300s. Since then Callisto has been a hub of commerce, and is the de-facto port for the entire Sol system, one of the richest and most populated systems in the entire spur. As a result, Callisto is dominated by sprawling urban topography, and is one of the most developed planets in the alliance. The culture of both the planet as a whole and the individual districts is very easy to pick up, and the page as a whole is fairly short. If you want to read the least amount, this is the planet for you.
Biesel - Biesel is a temperate, oxygen-rich planet colonised in the mid-2100s, therefore making it one of the first. It is the capital of the Republic of Biesel and of the Tau Ceti system in general. One of the most populated planets in the Orion Spur, Biesel is one of the economic hearts of the known galaxy and boasts a large amount of urban development and resource richness - primarily in Phoron. It is also where the influence of NanoTrasen and the SCC is at it's strongest. The issue is, as it was also our setting for five-ish years, so alot of development occurred with it. If you're interested in reading a fair amount of lore, love façade democracy, and also spreading the light of liberty, then this is the planet for you.
Xanu Prime - The shimmering and vibrant planet of Xanu Prime (pronounced Ksa-noo), is the beating heart of the Coalition of Colonies. In nearly all ways, economic, political, and cultural, Xanu Prime holds almost unmatched influence over the rest of the Coalition. It is a cosmopolitan and multicultural hub where nearly anyone from across the Orion Spur can be found, a cornerstone not just in the Coalition but in the galactic community as a whole, and home to a thriving culture and democratic tradition which, along with the dedication and hard work of its citizens, has cemented its position of leadership and wealth which it currently enjoys. The primary page also tops out as the second longest page on the wiki, and it's one of three. If you're interested in super indepth lore, reading a ton, the frontier spirit, and multiculturalism, pick Xanu Prime.
From this point, you are again encouraged to move onto Guides/Character Creation provided you're at a loss for what to do.
Alien Species of Aurora
These are the non-human species of our setting, and all require a specific species whitelist to play. Species whitelists can be applied for here. Given that these species are behind a whitelist, for the purposes of this summary we will not be going into depth with them.
An amphibian race hailing from Nralakk IV, Qerrbalak.
An amphibious species whose passion mostly lays in the field of the combined sciences, the Skrell are the second oldest and first most advanced known species present on the galactic stage. The Skrell evolved on a planet covered in vast swamps and freshwater seas, also being one of the only species in the Orion Spur to naturally develop psionics. Their history is defined by Glorsh-Omega, a singularity level intelligence that enslaved the Skrell, before eventually being destroyed. As a result, almost all skrell deeply distrust synthetic lifeforms, for unlike humans, skrell live incredibly longer; you may encounter a skrell aboard the Horizon who was born before the terror of Glorsh-Omega, over five centuries ago. Their primary faction is the Nrallak Federation.
A reptilian race hailing from Moghes.
The cold-blooded Unathi are a race of tall humanoid reptiles from their war-torn homeworld of Moghes. The planet’s history can be summarized as being dominated by various Clans of Unathi, with the strongest being the Hegemon of Moghes. Following first contact with Skrell and Humanity, there was a violent outbreak of nuclear war that formed a vast, almost world-dominating desert called the Wasteland. Currently the dominate clan is the Izweski Clan, under Hegemon Not'zar. Grandiose and Space-Operatic, the themes behind Unathi follow the struggle of religion, spirituality, honor, and rigid gender roles. Their primary faction is the Izweski Hegemony.
A feline-like race hailing from Adhomai.
The Tajaran race is a species of feline-like bipeds hailing from the planet of Adhomai in the S'rand'marr system. They have been brought up into the space age by the Humans and Skrell, who alledgedly influenced their eventual revolution that overthrew their ancient monarchies to become a totalitarian - and NanoTrasen friendly - republic. Adhomai is currently under a cold war between three factions in the aftermath of a global conflict, and many Tajara are fleeing their homeworld to seek safety and employment in human space. Their three primary factions are the People's Republic of Adhomai, the Democractic People's Republic of Adhomai, and the New Kingdom of Adhomai.
An insectoid race hailing from Sedantis I.
The mostly bipedal, insectoid creatures hailing from the moon known as Sedantis I, Vaurca (Vaurca singular and Vaurcae multiple), were discovered after the first Hiveship contact in human space, 2456. They once had access to great technology, however they had to flee their doomed homeworld. They have a complex caste system based on three types, and use something known as the Hivenet to communicate in thoughts and feelings near instantly between themselves, and enter a paradisiacal virtual reality. They require phoron to respirate, as well as requiring a unique and dangerous fungus, the k’ois spore, to sustain them. Although barely tolerated in the known galaxy, many have found homes in the more unkempt areas of their host’s society. There are four known Hives, which also act as the races primary factions - Zo’ra, K’lax, C’thur, and Lii’dra. The largest, and most common hive in Tau Ceti is the Zo'ra hive. The Lii’dra, unique in that they are a true hivemind, are known as a powerful and secretive force and are hostile to most other entities known - including the other Hives.
A mysterious fungus-like race hailing from the depths of space.
Dionae (D. Primis) are a rather strange, cryptic species in comparison to the rest found in the Orion Spur. They have various forms comprised of cat-sized caterpillar-like creatures with a curious, childlike disposition - called Dionae Nymphs. Enigmatic witnesses to various events through the centuries, the Dionae are an inquisitive species with a pacifistic disposition after gaining sentience. Their origins, behaviour and functions are never alike - with each being as unique as the next. The Dionae are capable of great intellectual, biological and physical feats going above and beyond what was considered possible for millennia. Dionae are a type of fungus, however, they primarily survive off of the electromagnetic spectrum coinciding with a diet of biological matter to supplement their growth. Their inability to adapt to survive without lack of radiation can lead to death, if not exposed to at least efficient lighting. Dionae have been seen across the Orion Spur, each with a unique history and personality. Their primary faction is The Commonwealth of Hieroaetheria.
Robotic entities making use of Positronic brains to match sentience, to a degree.
An Integrated Positronic Chassis, or IPC, is an artificial intelligence inside of a bipedal, humanoid frame. IPCs are primarily characterized by their autonomy, not being bound to a master AI or set of laws. Often built to carry out a single, career-related purpose, they come in many different chassis, with varying degrees of intelligence. Within known space, their existence is a contentious topic with IPCs being seen as property or second-class citizens, undeserving of the rights other species possess. Due to the nature of how they came into existence, IPCs don't really have a primary faction(s); however in recent times, the closest is the nation of Pactolus,
Synthetics, more generally
Robots in the galaxy, endlessly diverse.
The term “synthetic” refers to a broad range of autonomous machinery. Dabbled with, first by the ancient skrell, and now humanity, synthetics can be classified primarily by the method of their intelligence. Onboard the Horizon, most synthetics that are not IPCs - with the exception of the AI - are run off of an MMI. MMI's were created in the late twenty-second century, a way to accomplish full body prosthesis and originally used as a method of punishment for hard criminals. Labelled “Cyborgification” in a corporate environment, the act of full body prosthesis is generally avoided by NT with exceptions of the previously mentioned hard criminals. It is not in good practice to borgify someone simply because they lack a Do Not Borgify in their records, and such could be considered neglect of duty and malpractice. Cyborgification is by no means revival - the majority of cultures see it as destroying what little identity an individual may have had in death, turning their brain merely into processing power. As such, the act is heavily frowned upon outside of dire circumstances - such as those in the crew found guilty of extreme crimes such as terrorism, murder, and mutiny.
Major Factions
These are the dominant political players in the Orion Spur that are relevant to you, the player. Any of these factions can be utilized in backstories or as origins for characters - go crazy!
Important note : These factions are only the key players in the setting. Nothing stops you from making up your own origin wherever you'd like, so long as it does not contest standing lore's canon. When in doubt, ask a lore writer!
The core location of the setting itself. A bastion of prosperity amidst chaos.
The Republic of Biesel is an independent system within the core of Human space. It is heavily tied to the NanoTrasen corporation at every level of government, and may as well be considered as governed by it to begin with. The Republic of Biesel is the government of the Tau Ceti System, exercising authority over Biesel, New Gibson and all other settlements and installations within Tau Ceti's gravity well. It is one of the most populated systems in human space, a financial center, industrial powerhouse and one of the most prestigious systems in the galaxy. However, unrest and gridlock undermine the government, and the aggressive attitude of the Sol Alliance against its former system has made many worried of the future of the Republic. Tau Ceti is far from the limit of the Republic's boundaries, as the recent addition (post-2462) of the Corporate Reconstruction Zone have led to its size growing immensely. The CRZ, or the Zone, consists of hundreds of once-Solarian worlds which had no choice but to fall under the Republic's banner - or face the horrors of the galaxy alone - after their supply lines and defenses were cut off by the collapsing or defecting military.
A crumbling giant whose golden age has long passed.
Formerly the most populated singular government entity in known space, the Solarian Alliance was the first trans-stellar Human factions, though in recent years it has fallen on hard times. While its reign formerly consisted of nearly a quarter of charted space in a growing sphere around Earth, it has now diminished significantly in size. Those forces still loyal to the Alliance recently retreated to the "Jewel Worlds," a region of space where its most strategically vital assets lay, not to mention it's capital in orbit above Earth. As the Alliance has already been discussed in depth in the above summary, we will not be going into it here again. Suffice to say, the government and Einstein Engines now stand as fierce opposition to the growing Stellar Corporate Conglomerate whose power contests them.
Freedom and independence embodied on an interstellar scale.
The loosely confederated Coalition of Colonies is the largest power in the frontier, and possibly the most populous entity in the Orion Spur. Splitting off from the Solarian Alliance after the Interstellar War, and covers several regions with its utterly tremendous borders. The systems of the Coalition, as a collective, greatly value their independence and freedom; however sometimes that freedom means, in the case of a planet like Gadpathur, being a fully militarized state. A few powerful systems dominate the politics of the Frontier, primarily Xanu Prime - the official capital of it all. Many of those in the Coalition of Colonies harbor distrust of the Sol Alliance even after the end of the Interstellar War. In recent times, the Coalition has conquered a huge amount of territories, the tremendous Alliance Neutral Zone - a DMZ established after the Interstellar War - no longer exists, and has since been deemed Coalition territory.
Glistening utopian city-scapes and technological might.
The Republic of Elyra, or its more official name, The Serene Republic of Elyra, is a bustling, somewhat isolationist independent power in the Badlands. It is made up of multiple star systems, with its capital in the highly developed technological planet of Perispolis. It is known for its blending of traditional culture with contemporary technologies, creating a unique society where one can witness the use of cutting edge technology, while the expectation of conforming to societal expectations ever present. For those who go against the grain, social ostracization the result. Given that Elyra is one of the only three factions in the Orion Spur which innately possess phoron deposits of any sort, in the midsts of the scarcity they have become even further isolationist.
Religious pride in the Emperor and country.
A heavily religious absolute monarchy, the Empire of Dominia hails from the planet of Moroz in the Mira Sancta system, where the capital of the empire, Nova Luxemburg can be found. It is an autocratic state is ruled by His Imperial Majesty Boleslaw Keeser. The Empire of Dominia was proclaimed in 2385 by then-Emperor Godwin Keeser, unifying a colony which had been isolated for hundreds of years. Now almost a century later, Imperial society is dominated by the Imperial Nobility under the Emperor and is very socio-economically stratified due to the so-called blood debt, known as the Mor’iz’al.
Corporation-dominated hell, personified through a terrible societal split.
Eridani, or the Eridani Corporate Federation, is an oligarchic republic in the Epsilon Eridani system dominated entirely by a council of mega-corporations that seek profit and expansion at any cost. The Corporate Federation is known as one of the core economic powers of Solarian space, and is technically under Solarian supervision - though the true extent of this is up for debate. Corporations, in reality, rule the gloomy landscapes of the Corporate Federation’s worlds. Its citizens are called Eridanians. Eridanians are famed for their vicious treatment of one another, distinguishing between two primary classes ; Dregs, and Suits - who in effect represent a fine line between poverty and wealth.
The Free Frontier
Whatever you want. Really.
The frontier consists of all space unclaimed by one of the major interstellar powers. The population of the frontier is difficult to estimate, but conservative guesses place it between 25 and 50 billion. The government, technological development, economy, and social systems of these independent systems vary wildly. Piracy, corporate exploitation, and smuggling are commonplace throughout the frontier. People hailing from these areas, known as frontiersmen, are known for their rugged independence and distrust of megacorporations and government alike.
An higher-up galactic player, authoritarian in its nature.
The Nralakk Federation is a centralized union of systems, ran by councilors representing Skrell interests in a clear hierarchy. Although humans have fractured heavily in their expansion, Skrell have remained in largely a singular government through strict reinforcement of education and laws, working as a democratic meritocracy. Social media is maintained by the Federation government, who gag unacceptable discussions or thoughts and instead encourage people to be like the Idols that they reward with credits, high quality housing, and fine living.
The proud Unathi Hegemony in all its glory.
The Izweski Hegemony, is the primary Unathi nation of the Orion Spur - a feudal empire in the Badlands ruled by a monarch known as the Hegemon, currently Hegemon Not'zar, of the Izweski Clan. The nation is made up of hundreds of land-owning noble clans and their vassals, of which a few dozen are major influencers in the Hegemon's politics; moreover, any could take the Hegemon's seat at any time, for the Hegemony is founded on the principal that might makes right. The Hegemony is new to the interstellar stage, and has suffered from various growing pains as it attempts to expand into a Spur dominated by humans and Skrell while attempting to resolve the ongoing ecological collapse of their homeworld caused by the devastation of the contact war.
The most powerful and first space-faring state in Adhomai.
Led by President Njadrasanukii Hadii, the People’s Republic of Adhomai are considered the 'loyalist' faction on Adhomai and once enjoyed galactic recognition as the government of Adhomai. It claims to be the true keeper of Al’mari’s legacy. However, the PRA can be described as a Hadiist branch of Al’marii’s revolutionary ideology - that means putting the State at the top of a hierarchy of power. The PRA is a very centralized state, but in recent years has slowly been able to start making true its promises to bring revolution to the masses. With land reform, enfranchisement of women and peasantry, literacy initiatives, and the collectivization of farms and the means of production, the PRA is struggling to hold true to its radical ideals while an entrenched upper party stubbornly tries to hold onto power.
