|
|
Worlds
Avon
A world which only made the transition to a space-based economy in the past fifty years. Avon was the home to British-, Scandinavian- and Swiss-ethnic colonists. The original founders of Avon hoped the world would serve as a repository of humanity's knowledge and would be known primarily for its schools, libraries and museums.
As the colony grew, this ambition slowly changed. Many institutes of higher learning were built here, but one of the most influential of these was the Military Space Academy, which originally taught most of Govcentral's fleet officers and eventually become one of the primary places to learn about the tactics of space combat. While many terrorists and other groups began to use antimatter weapons, Govcentral placed a significant number of ships in Avon's system to protect the Academy.
When several governments met to deal with the antimatter threat, they came to Avon, which was the only neutral world with significant military protection. The Treaty of Avon created the Human Confederation, and named the world as the center of the Confederation Navy. Several diplomats from representative governments have set up residence in the capital of Regina.
Avon's government is a parliamentary democracy, with a prime minister who has found herself in the position of leading a world which has catapulted from relative obscurity to being one of the most important planets in the galaxy.
The Confederation Navy has based its operations from the asteroid of Trafalgar in orbit around Avon.
Earth
To many human cultures, Earth is the center of the universe. There are about 24 billion people living on Earth, which is more than twice than the population of all other humans on colonies or in space. Fusion power has met all of Earth's energy needs, advanced bitek food generation keep everyone fed at a minimal level, and medical technology allows people to live longer, fuller lives.
The ecological impact of this population and industry is massive and widespread. Despite concerted efforts to deal with greenhouse gasses, to remove pollution and to maintain the atmosphere's oxygen/carbon dioxide balance, the planet groans under the strain of humanity. The average temperature of the planet has risen by ten degrees Celsius, and the ice caps are less than 25% the size they were in the 20th century. Some areas of Antarctica are even home to farms to help feed the world.
This has changed Earth's weather, leading to the rise of "armada storms," so called because if the ancient cliche is true that a single butterfly can create a hurricane, then an armada of butterflies would be needed to generate one armada storm. Some of these storm systems now remain year-round, even if they only reach armada strength once every three years. This is coupled with turbulent ocean currents and heightened vulcanism to make wide open spaces dangerous to live in.
By the end of the 21st century, several of the world's largest cities had begun to develop into arcologies, contained areas designed to resist the environment and house hundreds of thousands under domes and inside superstructure buildings. Every major city now has an arcology, and several agricultural areas are being placed under domes. Perhaps 60% of Earth's population now lives within such protective areas, and it's estimated that 25% of Earth's people have never been outside in their lives.
Orbital towers dot the equator. They were first built in an effort to avoid yet more atmospheric disruption from hundreds of spacecraft shedding heat from take-offs and landings every day, but now are ends into themselves. Stretching up dozens of kilometers, these towers are the main source of Earth's economic might; every item imported or exported passes through an orbital tower.
Earth's population and dependence on arcologies is starting to lead to an unusual sociological phenomenon. Earthlings are starting to prize privacy above all other things. Ironically, with the need for AIs to maintain arcologies and the world's high incidence of crime, there is little real privacy to be had. Many lifelong arcology-dwellers have started to learn to avoid each other even in cramped quarters and maintain an air of isolation even when in the midst of a crowd.
Felicity
The first terracompatible world discovered by humans, orbiting the star Ross 154. Felicity had relatively few heavy metals and mineral wealth, but extremely rich soils, fertile oceans, and temperate climates have made this an inviting world to settle. Felicity has three small moons, two of which are merely captured asteroids. All of these moons have been occupied by various companies, and are the main centers of industry for the planet.
Felicity faced several struggles in its early years between its various countries, but in the past twenty years has found relative stability. The Confederation has helped provide a source of external arbitration for the world's disputes, and Felicity's governments are behind a push to expand the charter of the Confederation.
The world is a mix of United States-ethnic, Western European-ethnic, Slavic-ethnic, and Japanese-ethnic communities. There is a smaller, South-American-ethnic country which is experimenting with bitek pharmaceuticals.
Jupiter
The largest planet in the solar system, and one of the largest worlds known to humanity. Jupiter is valuable not only for its resources and scientific mysteries, but as the center of the Edenist culture. Fully half of the bitek habitats in existence are found in the orbit of Jupiter. The moons and small asteroids caught in Jupiter's influence provide the basis of the second-most-prolific industrial complex in human space.
Jupiter is dominated by Edenists, but there are many Adamist stations and bases on the moons. The great Jovian He(3) refineries are the center of the Edenist culture's great wealth.
Jupiter's sole "government" is the mass consciousness of Consensus, formed by the Edenists, their habitats, and recently, the voidhawks. Consensus is not formed very often, but when it does, it makes decisions quickly and wisely. Few Adamists truly understand Consensus, and believe Edenism is based around a variant of socialist or communist principles. This is true in a sense, but not terribly accurate.
Eden -- The first bitek habitat, Eden is the smallest established habitat and is relatively unsophisticated. However, Eden has tremendous historical and social worth. Even though Edenists are not spiritual by nature, almost every one of their kind has visited Eden once in their lives. The personality and memories of Wing-Tsit Chong, the founder of the Edenist culture, reside in the neural strata of Eden, and he still adds his wisdom to the great Jovian Consensus.
Most of Eden's industry is devoted to agriculture and other pastoral work, and is usually seen as a restful place to visit.
Kulu
Discovered by the Nova Kong corporation and settled by Richard Saldana in 2210. Kulu closely resembles Earth of several thousand years ago, with a bit more landmass and more water distributed through rivers and lakes rather than oceans. The entire world's development has been planned with aesthetics and ecological matters in mind. While there is industry, especially in the capital of Nova Kong, it incorporates all the hard lessons learned on Earth and has minimal impact on Kulu's natural beauty. Entire continents have been left unsettled by order of King Gerrald Saldana.
The Kulu Kingdom has colonized six other star systems, and two of these are moving quickly into late-stage development and will begin supporting themselves soon.
The Kulu Kingdom is a so-called "enlightened aristocracy," with democratic representation which advises the Saldana family. All executive and legislative power resides in the Saldanas, who themselves all answer to King Gerrald. The family can hold a vote to remove any one of their number from a current position, although removal of the King would require a unanimous vote. The Saldanas are strictly religious and do not approve of bitek or Edenism, although the entire family line benefits from extensive geneering which includes enhanced intelligence, longevity, and freedom from inheritable mental disorders.
The Kulu Corporation is the successor to Nova Kong, and holds all of its patents. The most important of these patents is the design of the ZTT energy-patterning nodes. All interstellar travel incorporates Kulu designs and adds to the Saldanas' wealth. In addition to this, Kulu gathers and refines its own He(3), which makes it the only source of the substance not owned by Edenists.
Kulu is the second-richest government in existence, and is already quite important in interstellar affairs. Their military might does not yet rival that of even the Edenists, but their vessels are considered the most advanced examples of Adamist technology.
Mars
The greatest terraforming project in the history of humanity. Mars is owned by the Lunar State Industrial Institute, the only pure Communist government in the known galaxy. In 2091, the Lunar State agreed to make Mars into a home for all of its peoples. There have been programmed asteroid collisions to put heavy metals near likely settlements and the seeding of the atmosphere with bacteria and other organisms to alter the oxygen/carbon dioxide balance. Several bases are helping generate heat on the planet while building settlements, as well as bringing water up from under the world's surface. Plans are underway to adding to the world's water content by directing ice asteroids to fall to Mars by 2310.
While the Lunar State still exists on the Moon, the majority of its population spend at least some time on Mars aiding the terraforming effort. Several of the most dedicated citizens have volunteered for extensive environmental geneering to adapt to their new world.
The sheer amount of innovation and effort required for the terraforming project has given SII products a reputation for reliability and quality. SII vacsuits and environmental-survival gear in particular are highly valued.
The Lunar State participates openly in the interstellar free market, but all income and goods belongs to the state. The communist society relies heavily on AIs to avoid the pitfalls of communist governments in history. It is open to debate whether they have succeeded in this goal.
Nyvan
The second terracompatible world settled by humanity. Nyvan's promising mix of mineral resources and arable land made it a more attractive location for settlement than Felicity, and so the colony grew rapidly. Many of its first cities were founded by corporations, who were less concerned with equitable government than a quick return on their investment.
Several colonial governments were founded in various regions of Nyvan, most of them mere puppets serving the needs of the corporations. Nyvan's booming growth was marred by sharp divisions in economic classes. After sixty years of this treatment, Nyvan's ghettoized worker classes rebelled against their employers. Riots and armed conflicts disrupted the commerce of the world and also led to battles based in religious, cultural or racial ethnic backgrounds.
Nyvan's corporations tried to maintain their hold on the world for another ten years, until Govcentral responded to repeated pleas for assistance and intervened. The governments were divorced from their corporate ties and the companies were forced to improve social conditions on the world. This solution worked for a few decades, but now Nyvan's governments of Tonala, New Dominica, New Georgia, Quebec, and the Islamic Texas Republic have their own disputes, some of which are threatening to lead to warfare.
Nyvan has a population of 1.3 billion people, making it the second-largest world in known space.
New California
The first of the ethnic-streaming colonies, populated only by natives of the state of California on Earth. New California has great mineral wealth and many ore-rich asteroids near the planet. It is located between many systems in the Confederation, and has become a natural base of operations for many industrial companies. Govcentral moved several shipyards into this system early in the 23rd Century, and the formation of the Confederation has trebled the number of these factories.
New California's government follows the representative democratic model, but has strong social programs, many of them based on trying not to repeat the mistakes of Nyvan's governments. There are many reports of large criminal syndicates operating in New California's asteroid settlements, but their activities on the planet are subdued.
New California's population has recently surpassed 500 million, putting it in the top ten largest worlds in the Confederation.
Oshanko
Home of the Japanese Imperium. Oshanko was an early ethnic-streaming colony, originally meant to be a "vacation world" for the Japanese royal family. Its initial development was meant to resemble the height of feudal Japan. However, as tsunamis and armada storms devastated the islands of Japan on Earth, the government chose to move to Oshanko.
Japan was long a constitutional monarchy, but the rise of the Oshanko Dynasty saw a return to stronger aristocratic influence by the Emperor. The Oshankos invested in many visionary projects, including widespread geneering, nanonics, and the creation of reliable fusion technology. The Oshanko family is second only to the Saldanas in terms of personal wealth.
Oshanko is Japanese-ethnic and quite traditional in appearance, but is also the home of many research companies. Scientists and teachers are given positions of great respect in the Imperium. There is deep-seated disputes between the Japanese Imperium and the Kulu Kingdom, based in the Oshanko family's belief that it was one of their citizens who invented the ZTT jump, even though the Kulu Corporation owns the patents.
The Japanese Imperium rules four worlds, has a respectable space fleet, and is on friendly terms with the Edenists.
|
The Night's Dawn Trilogy (The Reality Dysfunction, The Neutronium Alchemist, and The Naked God) are all Copyright Peter F. Hamilton. Game concepts herein are based on the Buffy: The Vampire Slayer Roleplaying Game and Angel: The Roleplaying Game, Copyright Eden Studios. No use of terms from the Night's Dawn Trilogy or from any Eden Studios game is a claim of ownership over these properties. Please don't sue me. |