Sandbox-Scarcity:SettingSummary
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 devastating civil war and two centuries of decline, it has become a shadow of what it once was. All human nations are in some way breakaway states from the Alliance, including the Empire of Dominia which was founded by colonists sent from the Alliance before being cut off. Most of the planets of the Alliance have long and rich histories, rife with heroism, treachery, hope, horror, corruption, and tragedy. It is possibly the most populous nation, still holding most of the earliest human colonies close to the Sol system itself, and therefore also the largest.
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 into the dirt only to get back up over and over. This perseverance in the face of overwhelming odds has seen the Republic through most crises, but it remains uncertain if it will see them through the Phoron Scarcity, given that the Republic's wealth, prosperity, and very existence are thanks to this rare element. Still, while they continue to hang on, ideals such as freedom, inclusivity, and a duty to protect those first two values from outside sources have all become tenets for the young republic's emerging 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 its 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 financial 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 Coalition prioritizes freedom of above all - but the freedom of states and planets to choose as they see fit - rather than individual freedoms.
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 its southern reaches. After the death of a scholar during a protest - the Elyran Revolution would occur, and the new nation would be formed. Isolationist in nature, it has maintained an ethnically homogeneous population and culture throughout its history, and it is next to impossible for outsiders to be granted Elyran Citizenship. As such, it people and culture are extremely similar to those peoples and cultures that can be found in the Modern Day Middle East, North Africa, Anatolia, and Persia regions.
The Empire of Dominia
The Empire of Dominia is an odd nation out when it comes to humanity, as it did not come to be through direct revolt against the Alliance, though its formation still saw plenty of bloodshed. After the disaster of the Interstellar War, Elyran Independence, and a continually worsening economy, the Alliance cut its losses, ceasing to try and expand into the Southern Spur. However, expeditions had already been sent, and would now receive no assistance from the wider alliance. It would not be until the 2300s that the planet Moroz would be united through a brutal series of wars (Known as the War of Moroz), under an autocratic, imperialist, and theocratic state, known as the Empire of Dominia. They are easily the strangest of the human nations, having very different cultures, religions, and similar due to developing in isolation for so long.
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.