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The Charioteers are nominally part of The Merchant League, but nominally is the best way to describe it. Basically, The Merchant League administers Charioteer Marks, which provides license to trade across the stars. The Charioteers tends to be insignificant to the vast Merchant League fleets, but they serve a useful purpose based around a myriad of activities that tend to involve a mixture of exploration and trade, often at the sector frontiers. The few worlds on the sector frontier often get their trade goods from Charioteers.
The Charioteers are often a locus for independent souls, as they are offered a freedom not experienced by most Imperial citizens, even the members of some Dynastic Families. The more wayward members of Dynastic Families, or those left without purpose, often seek adventure as Charioteers, men of the Church may seek answers at the frontier or engineers risk it for the chance to break out of the Supreme Order of Engineers rigid confines. Indeed, the Empire itself will often use the Charioteers to expand the frontier rather than deal with the politics of getting the various powers to do it.
Built in the mined-out husk of Charon, a large metallic asteroid, Charon Point has been always been a haven for criminals, terrorists, and malcontents. At times the station has lain idle and abandoned for centuries, only to be reactivated by a new group of outlaws seeking a fresh start. The space station's original elegant design has given way to haphazard expansion. There is no central government or unifying authority on Charon Point, and nobody can recall a time there ever was one.
Charon Point is a huge mining station built from the remains of a massive, irregularly shaped asteroid with twisting streets populated with homes, shops and warehouses. Territory is controlled by the strongest faction in that area and frequently changes hands, often after brutal violence. Charon Point is populated by 1,320,933 people.
The heavy-metal-rich core of the original asteroid was mined until the asteroid was almost completely hollow, providing the initial resources used to construct Charon Point's buildings and facilities. Over the years, these have been expanded, the structure now expanding downwards from the 'asteroid head' in a reverse series of towers. This gives Charon Point a the appearance of a giant space jellyfish of rock and metal. The station is protected from other asteroids in the field via a series of forcefields.
While humans refer to it as Charon Point, the Vau name translates to 'the heart of evil'. In a similar way many see it as the dark reflection of The Citadel.
Charon Point also acts as the central administration point for the various mining operations, speculators and merceneries that work within the vast minefield in which Charon Point is situated.
!!Design Notes: Charon Point
Charon Point is obviously inspired by Omega in Mass Effect 2.
Millennia ago, when the Machine Crusade raged across the heavens and mankind faced potential destruction, the vast starships of the machine intelligence didn't have names, but for those humanity gave them. The true horrors of the machine intelligence were the vessels the size of small moons. These vessels are still talked of, like sea monsters of old, as if they still roam the Darkness Beyond the Stars without purpose or lost in madness. They may often be spoke of in sinister fairy tale style stories told to children across the Empire. One such vessel was known as Chimaera's Embrace. It's very presence struck fear into any vessel that thought it might be in the vicinity, for it was all bit invisible against the void of space, until it was too late and the machine reached out and destroyed its opponent in its lethal embrace.
Chimaera's Embrace isn't the subject of superstition, for it was the subject of one of the most destructive battles towards the end of the Machine Crusade at the edge of known space.. Indeed, to this day, the Admiral in charge of the fleet, a man of the Church, is a recognised saint for destroying this beast of the stars. Chimaera's Embrace was irrevocably damaged and sent careering into a moon.
The vast structure of Chimaera's Embrace still exists embedded into the crack in the moon, but now it isn't the name of the nightmare vessel, but of the outpost that sits on the sector frontier. A combination of moon and ancient vessel, sitting in the reflection of the enormous gas giant it orbits, the vessel superstructure has been extended into the moon and wrapped around it as if the ancient vessel now embraces the moon and extends out beyond the other side like some gigantic Void Kraken holding the moon to its vast maw.
Chimaera's Embrace acts as the frontier outpost before the dangers out beyond the sector frontier.
!!Pilgrimage Site
As well as being a frontier station Chimaera's Embrace is also a destination of pilgrimage, for it is recognised as the place at which St Lucius can be venerated, often in the context of repenting for one's hubris or seeking protection from horrors of mankind's vices. The end of the ancient vessel, furthest away from the moon, has been converted into a church and services venerating the saint are often held while looking out at the vastness of space. This was highly contentious, with some regarding it as an abomination, others as sanctifying the great structure.
In a similar way, Chimaera's Embrace is important to Brother Battle, for the legends go that it was the death of many of Brother Battle, fighting within the machine with bolter and blood, that allowed the fleet to destroy it. As a result, Chimaera's Embrace is also one of Brother Battles great sites of battle and the closest thing to a graveyard for the fallen.
The Universal Church of the Celestial Sun is a massive organization that dominates the Known Worlds. The Church touches the lives of each and every sentient. Even pagans and apostates define themselves in terms of their opposition or difference from the Church. Perceptions of the Church obviously vary, but the majority of people in the Known Worlds look to the Church for guidance and attend services at least once a week. They are devout. This then is the source of the Church's enduring power: they hold dominion over one's soul.
The Church is full of the sons and daughters of Dynastic Families. The Dynastic Families and the Church have an implicit understanding: The Nobles support the Church through their tithes and the Church support the Dynastic Families position to rule, which carries immense weight. The combination of their economic and political might, combined with the Church's support is a very powerful combination. The Merchant League also has a contradictory relationship with the Church. The League is a much younger institution than the Church and the relationship is often rocky. Yet many lower level guild members are themselves believers. And the League could not withstand a crusade against it by the Church and allied Dynastic Families. Of course, there is balance, and the Church itself relies on Guild technology, often technology it bans for the rest of the Known Worlds.
The Universal Church, is ironically, not quite Universal. There are other religions, although they are practiced in secret for the Church will stop at nothing to exterminate them. Even within the Church, there are distinct divisions. The basic priesthood is divided into white and red. The White Priesthood is the largest group: its members are permitted much greater social freedoms and are usually parish priests. The Red Priesthood members take vows of chastity, but often reach higher offices.
!!Urth Orthodox
The largest sect, it is the Orthodoxy that most people associate with the Church. Its priests can be found on all worlds, from the ostentatious bishops of the capital cities to the more humble parish priests in the most poverty-stricken areas. While the Orthodoxy has gained a reputation for their cunning political maneuvers, most priests know little of such things, being entirely too busy protecting the souls of the faithful. The Orthodoxy's self-serving machinations during the Emperor Wars disillusioned the flock on many worlds, creating opportunities for other sects to make inroads. Yet when tragedy strikes, it is still to the Orthodoxy that most of the faithful turn for consolation.
!!Brother Battle
The Defenders of the Faith, Protectors of the Faithful. The Brother Battle are Holy Warriors of the Celestial Church and one of the elite fighting orders in the Known Worlds. Brother Battle seek out and defend the holy Empire from threats that would seek to destroy its sanctimony. Most Brother Battle (which is open to either gender) train in their military devotions since before the age of ten, sometimes when left on the doorstep of the monastery. Although the order was initiated to protect pilgrims and pursue heretics, the order is now charted by Dynastic Houses, Church sects and even guilds to perform elite military operations on many worlds. Brother Battle has been taken part in numerous operations in the Hazat / Vorox Clan conflict.
Although an established church, they have the least connection to the populace. Unlike the other churches who depend on tithes for the majority of their income, Brother Battle have incredible investments that ensure they are capable of serving the church. Unfortunately this has led to accusations of corruption of usury and heresy. Despite rumours of heresy and usury within their ranks, everyone wants a Brother Battle monk by their side in times of trouble.
The Brother Battle Order is an official military arm of the Universal Church, and has plenty of weaponry and high tech to back the Church and itself up. The grand master is head of Brother Battle. Brother Battle bishops are called masters, and occasionally they may serve as archbishop of certain star systems or planets. Brother Battle novitiates are callen apprentices, canons are labeled oblates, deacons as acolytes, and priests as adepts.
Brother Battle is organized into monasteries of warrior monks who live austere lifestyles and pray to the Pancreator, the Prophet, and the Church saints. The Brother Battle monks are aided by auxillary troops who are members of the Church laity.
!!Temple Avesti (Avestites)
The Avestites long ago seized most of the seats on the Inquisitorial Synod, but even pilgrims who hold no Inquisition seal have a habit of sticking their noses in other people's business. Avestites consider it their duty to search the Known Worlds for signs of heresy, demonism and any other threats to the faithful, and are not about to let such technicalities as law or status get in the way. Their rejection of learning and dogmatic adherence to certain extreme scriptures makes them the object of fear and hatred for the enlightened, although people might cheer when one of their betters is the target of Avesti ire. Publically, they are obeyed, but Avestites who wander alone into dark alleys are sometimes never seen again. Only the most fanatic and ascetic initiates are admitted to this sect.
!!Sanctuary Aeon
This order of healers and compassionate mystics is as old as the Orthodoxy, although the Amaltheans conceded leadership of the Church long ago, preferring to dedicate themselves to the perfection of their salutory arts. Everybody loves the priests and priestesses of Sanctuary Aeon, followers of Saint Amalthea, for their very touch can effect miraculous cures of injuries and sickness -- at times even when artifact tech of the Second Republic has failed. When an Amalthean comes to town, there is always someone willing to provide hospitality for her. Indeed, so beloved by the commoners are they that when one was once accused of witchcraft by an overzealous Avestite, the Avestite was seized by the populace and burned at the stake instead.
!!Eskatonic Order
Originally a heretical collection of occultist, the Eskatonic Order was admitted into the arms of the Celestial Church on the principle you keep those 'playing with fire' closer to you. While the Eskatonic Order is a valid part of the Celestial Church umbrella, there are those who will never thing their brand of thinking is right.
Married as they are to the ideal of Sacred Wisdom the Eskatonic order seeks out strange and new mysteries of the Pancreator and are often labelled as doomsayers for their vision of the Eskaton, the end of the Universe. Eskatonics are known for being wizards, soothsayers, mystics and madmen. The Eskatonics are prely a monastic order.
The Order's mission is to understand the Darkness Beyond the Stars and the depths of Warp Space. For an Eskatonic, ignorance on these matters is not bliss. Their bold, and some might say dangerous, brand of spiritual contemplation, abstract thought and mental discipline provides them psychic powers, a clear sign of exposure to unfathomable warp for most. This sacred trust is given to the Eskatonics that men of lesser minds may be protected from the terrors that lie hidden. Their journey into the occult is often fraught with supernatural dangers and temptations of forbidden lore.
At times theological debates will flare up between the Order and the Orthodoxy and the Inquisition longs for the day when they are given a freehand to deal with them as they wish.
There are few universal truths about communications in the Empire, as there are always exceptions. While the Gate Systems are likely to enjoy ubiquitous communications on their capital worlds due to satellite networks, and reliable system communications this is certainly not true on the sector frontier. It's also true to say that even some Gate Systems still have damaged satellite and communication relay networks from various wars which can disrupt communications.
!!Planetary Communications
Even planetary communications cannot be taken for granted in the Empire. Once an individual travels beyond the Gate System and moves further into the sector frontier different degrees of planetary communication will be possible. Very few frontier worlds have a comprehensive satellite network allowing or reliable planetary communication, instead opting for communications between societies and outposts.
!!System Communications
System communications are facilitated by the relay network, a network of satellites that allows for instantaneous communication within a star system (the technology does not scale to cover the vast distances in the Darkness Beyond the Stars). The manuscript for these devices is one of the most advanced in the archives of the Supreme Order of Engineers, and as such damaging the relay network is a serious crime under Imperial law. Nevertheless, during periods of war, the network often does suffer damage.
The satellites allow for systems with a network, invariably Gate Systems, to enjoy instantaneous communication often out to the Warp Gate, the network dealing with all issues like interplanetary movements. Starships are also equiped with relay network communication equipment.
The presence of the relay network does not mean that any communication device can communicate with any other communication device across a system. This is possible, but such devices aren't in the hands of the average imperial citizen. The typical communication device may not have access to the gateways that give access to the relay network.
!!Interstellar Communications
The ability to communicate across the vast distances comprising the Darkness Beyond the Stars has not been mastered by any of the interstellar races. It was always one of the holy grails of the Second Republic, a way to use Warp Space or the Warp Gates to beam instantaneous communications between the stars. This lack of interstellar communication means communicating between the stars is essentially like the old postal network on 'The Earth That Was'. Starships have to take the messages across the stars.
There are two methods for doing this is by a combination of the relay network and then starship(s) going to the required destination. This slows down communications significantly, as while the message can get to the Warp Gate instantaneously, the travel time to the destination can be gauged less accurately. If the message needs to be tranferred to another vessel for a multi-gate journey, new complications are added.
In short, while interstellar communications work, the time delays are an influence on how the Empire works and manages itself. Obviously, the various powers maintain their own methods of utilising starships to communicate, and the Merchant League does have specialised services to delivery messages across the Empire.
The second method is to secure the services of a courier. This may mean anything from a Charioteer that is willing to transport the message for a fee, or specialised couriers who have starships designed for speed with the express purpose of carrying the lightest of cargoes: communications. Their job is to get to the Warp Gate as fast as possible, utilise the Warp Gate network, and then get to the messages destination as fast as possible. This process tends to be used for sensitive communications as the relay network isn't used. It is also useful in systems that have suffered damage to the relay network or don't have one.
The Dynastic Houses...
!!Hawkwood
Prideful yet honourable, the Hawkwoods have seen one of their own take the Imperial seat. The Emperor however is at this point choosing to distance himself from his family politics to practice a more egalitarian rule. Some of them are thus disgruntled with the new Imperial regime and others support it completely.
While Alexius Hawkwood has since distanced himself from his family to appear more impartial, the Hawkwoods take such political setbacks with stoicism - the same fierce perseverance with which they beat back the Vorox raiders to their worlds. A Hawkwood does not give up. House Hawkwood history has risen and fallen so often as to incite the phrase "The rise of House Hawkwood is like a prostitute in zero-G". It prides itself on its pedigree and its commitment. House Hawkwood bares a hatred of House Decados. From the moment they are born Hawkwoods are taught of their destiny to lead. They never learn to doubt their abilities or their right, those who don't weren't really Hawkwoods anyway.
Hawkwood resources and worlds are significantly more productive and prosperous than those of any other house. This is backed up by stable social infrastructure across the house's resources. Although there is a great deal of feuding between rival family members and a fair degree of chaos in Hawkwood space, the house’s adherence to the precepts of honor and loyalty has enabled it to keep serious social unrest to a minimum, maintain the loyalty of family members and form firm alliances with the Church and Guilds. Hawkood also has a strong military, which itself rests on two central pillars. The first is great champions and military leaders in the family, who are rivalled only by House Hazat Hazat. The second is the Hawkwood space fleet, which is expansive and powerful enough to allow the Hawkwoods to project power deep into hostile territory.
!!!Family Names
Mountbatten, Avery, Darian, Wilde, Fenris, Wessex, Gaunt, Koln: Plantagenet, Rochfort, Adams, Hapsburg, Windsor, Lovel:, Montgomery, Beckett, Garethede, Agrippa, Locksley, Talbot, vonBuellen, Godwin , Poindexter
!!Decados
House Decados is a Machiavellian and devious house, and that exactly the way they like it. Although no-one would ever trust a Decados, none can deny their value. Slimy, cunning and extremely successful, the Decados have risen to power through treachery and an uncanny understanding of their rivals - helped in no small part, no doubt, by their vast, invisible intelligence network. While the other families accuse them of a number of crimes, the Decados are here to stay and thus must be dealt with on their own terms. They were the last House to be invited to join in the Imperial Allaince.
However House Decados has significantly profited from this as it seems that most of their major enemies were wiped out in this. House Decados was one of Alexius I greatest opposition, yet their surrender to Alexius has been met with scepticism they it might be part of some elusive nefarious plot.
Possessing the Jakovian Agency, one of the most accomplished spy networks in history, House Decados trades primarily in information. They use deception and cunning to keep hold of their various resources.
The strengths of House Decados are not immediately apparent, but are no less real for it. Outsiders would consider the chief strength of the house to be its incredible intelligence network, which allows it to use its power most efficiently and bargain from a position of great strength. This is all true, but it is only possible to the extent it exists because of another strength of the house– the uncanny allegiance it can command and the centralization of that allegiance. The weaknesses of House Decados are its poverty of resources, its non-martial orientation, and the lack of trust it inspires in potential allies. The house is fairly isolated, enjoying good if frosty relations with House Hazat, strained toleration by the Church and the Merchant League, and fairly poor relations with everyone else. Indeed, astute students of Known Worlds politics predict its imminent fall from prominence. Of course, they have been predicting this imminent fall for centuries now.
!!!Family Names
Vladislav, Romanov, Malevik, Bogakov, Ivanovich, Sharn, Gurov, Sfilli, Slava, Durneyev, Innokenti, Bratislav, Petrovna, Gagarin, Aleksandrov, Krusczek, Chomolny, Czerny, Turian, Mikoyan, Valushnya, Romany, Tatarin, Sobor, Tchaikof, Strelnikov, Vaclav
!!Al Malik
The exotic and inscrutable al-Malik are often accused of being mere merchants, for their ties to the Merchant League are well known. With close ties to the Merchant League and a deviate love of technology, House Al Malik is certainly the wealthiest of all the Dynastic Houses.
However, they have proven their dynastic legerdemain many times, through the acquisition of land and a unique understanding of human nature and politics. Highly academic and exceedingly well-educated, it is hard to pull one over an Al Malik, but it is likewise hard for them to resist the lure of a good adventure or challenge. The Al Malik's modern attitudes make them suspect of harbouring Republican leanings. Such as evidenced by their almost democratic attitude. This combination of republican leanings and technological device has brought the attentions of the Inquisition more than a few times.
Their culture is one of the most sophisticated of all houses. Al Malik families speak to each other in coded metaphor, known as the Graceful Tongue and nearly all Al Malik dedicate themselves to arts, culture or scholastic interests. House Al Malik nonetheless has a number of significant and practically unique strengths. It enjoys far more political stability than its anarchic organization would lead one to believe, and it enjoys significant prosperity beyond what its resources would indicate. Despite, or perhaps because of, poor relations with the Church, its enjoys a higher level of intellectualism, respected by those throughout the Known Worlds.
!!!Family Names
Raschid, al-Jabr, Abbasah, ibn-Rahiman, Hallaschid, Ahhad, Clinius, Ghanjid, al-Gaib, Ma’haifa, Sinna, Liet, Hejallah, Al-Dona, Comnenus, Mahdin, Daianaid, Had’n
!!Li Halan
House Li Halan has one of the oldest and most prestigious lines. It was at one point the largest owner of galactic resources of any house, but much of that was lost.
The pious and disciplined family was once the worst-behaved of all houses. Their immoral exploits are legendary, as it the tale of their overnight conversion to the Church. House Li Halan now upholds rigid codes of etiquette, tradition and honour. They now pursue the scriptures as fanatically as they once chased pleasure. Now a deeply pious house, have a close connection to the Orthodoxy. This sense of traditionalism and orthodoxy may seem stringent to some of its more rebellious members but House Li Halan feels it has a lot to make up for.
While other dynastic family members may snicker at the faithful, they more often fear the Li Halan, for this family has proved implacable on both the battlefield and at court. To House Li Halan, structure is an imperative. So important is this that they prefer to be address by House name first.
The strengths of House Li Halan mostly stem from its highly faithful populace, who are accustomed to living in a rigid caste system, often in conditions of extreme personal poverty, but with a broader and more thorough centralised social security system. Not only does this allow the Li Halan to support a surprisingly large population, but it cuts down on strife. The house’s ties to the Church give it incredible influence in the Known Worlds at large, while its not-inconsiderable military might means that it is not at the mercy of even the greatest houses. Of course, the downsides to the Li Halan social structure include a deemphasis on technology, which is a major drawback in many ways, and an inflexibility that can lead to poor reactions to unstructured and unusual circumstances.
!!!Family Names
- Kung Zhau. Naganaka, Hidejiri, Han, Lojan, Nijan, Jong, Okemo, Teng, Carnifex, Fung Ma, Wei To, Agichi, Hengeyokai, Ali
!!Hazat
The Hazat are deeply passionate and compelled. They pursue dangerous sports and seek testing duels. Hot-blooded and intense, the martial Hazat know how to field an army but are also no strangers to intrigue. When they can calm the vicious infighting from family to family, they can present a formidable front against rivals from other houses.
The Hazat's largest concern is that of territory, as the Hazat find there is no room for expansion. They are in contention over numerous star systems and they now now pursue a campaign against a Vorox clan in persuite of star systems outside the Empire. Needless to say this war between subsets of Imperial and Vorox elements is a topic of heated debate and real politic. After all, while this war always risks expanding, though it never has, it also keeps the efforts of House Hazat focused away from other endeavours.
The Hazat lead the finest militias of the known universe. Trained from the age of five in weapons and leadership. Originally the Hazat were the military of a now fallen house who they overthrew in a military coup proclaiming their House's hidden noble heritage.
Although currently weaker than House Hawkwood, House Hazat has been a close peer of its rival since its existence and before. Hazat power is maintained, when it is maintained, by a few factors. The most important of these is military might. The strength of the Hazat military rests on three main pillars: the skill and discipline of its men-at-arms, which is unrivaled throughout the Known Worlds; and the extraordinary prowess, both physical and tactical, of its great dynastic leaders and and champions. These elements or also tested continuously against the fearsome Vorox in their on-going war. This war has also meant House Hazat star systems have been on a war footing for some considerable time, thus bringing order to the chaos.
!!!Family Names
Eduardo, Justus, Castenda, Bursandra, Rolas, Moncada, Escovedo, Lafayette, Dulcinea, Mariana, Serra, Tejera, Villegas, Amontillado, Marquez, Fernando, Frigante, Azatlan, Leon, Marcado, Gascon, Colapinto, Montalbano, Dominguez, Contreras, DeBracy, Alençon
The chronicle of humanity’s history among the stars is a long one, stretching over two millennia. It is not a quiet story. From the greedy planet-grabbing of early colonists to the bloody battles of the Emperor Wars, humans have rarely slept peacefully in the void. They have prospered, suffered defeat, and dared to hope again. And they have not traveled down the paths of history alone; aliens walk among them, with long histories and destinies of their own to complete.
!!War in the Heavans (Ancient Times)
Ancient records show that there was once race who traveled the heavens long before humanity ever reached the stars. The Protheans is a term for the alien races of pre-historic times whose technology was incredibly advanced. The Protheans left behind the unfathomable Warp Gates as testaments to their existence. The Protheans have disappeared and their only legacy is in ancient mythologies and allegory in the Omega Gospels, the technology they left behind and the remains and ruins of their greatest relics.
The Protheans were wiped out in the War in the Heavans, an epic conflict across the starts between the Protheans and an unknown race, though The Church of the Celestial Sun has established their war was with the Darkness Beyond the Stars due the hubris of the Protheans.
!!First Republic (2305 to 2500)
Humanity first reached the stars under the auspices of the First Republic, a one-world government run by the “zaibatsu”: greedy mercantile barons whose corporate states replaced the nations of the earth. The zaibatsu colonized the solar system in search of new sources of wealth and mineral resources. At the edge of the solar system they found the Warp Gate.
This ancient artifact of alien manufacture baffled and awed humanity. It took many years of research to unlock even the most basic secrets of its technology, but its main function was clear: it opened portals to distant star systems. Diligent scientists constructed the computers to communicate with the Warp Gate allowing vessels to travel into foreign space light years away. The exodus began. At first, the zaibatsu carefully controlled the manufacture and ownership of vessels capable of using the Warp Gate and reaped the resources of the new worlds and solar systems. But once anarchists leaked the secret of the technology to all, nobody could keep back the vast wave of people seeking to escape corporate tyranny and claim worlds of their own.
The First Republic collapsed in a civil war over ever-expanding territory and diminishing loyalties.
!!Diaspora (2500 to 3260)
The new universe of Human Space was made up of fractured, planetary nations, some democratic, some totalitarian. Many of the original rulers of these worlds created dynasties which would last for millennia: the first Dynastic Families to rule the stars. But years of political and social experiments yielded only chaos and strife between worlds. Into this dangerous universe came the Prophet, a man with a vision of Creation he claimed was gifted to him by God, whom he called the Pancreator. The Prophet gathered disciples and followers about him and performed many miracles. A humanity desperate for unity and hope looked to the Prophet for their answers.
Humanity marched across new worlds unopposed: until the Vorox.
The following Vorox War united humanity against another star-faring race: The Vorox Clans, a race of war-like Lizard humanoids tougher, stronger and bread for war. The war was hard on humanity and the uniting of humanity was essential otherwise the Vorox would have over ran them. Finally, Palamedes Alecto, follower of the Prophet, led the newly formed Universal Church of the Celestial Sun against the Vorox and humanity started to hold its ground.
Still, the war was not won, the Vorox were prepared to fight until their last man and had a passion for conflict even hunamity couldn't match. The war only came to an end with the intervention of a second interstellar species: The Vau. The interventionn of another species, unknown to both Humanity and the Vorox, managed to bring peace under the Vau Accords. Luckily, The Vau wre non-expansionist as they arrived in vastly superior starships with devastating energy weapons.
!!Second Republic (3260 to 4000)
Eventually, with the unity provided by the Church and economic interests heralded by mercantile leaders, the Second Republic was born, a democratic government which eventually spanned all the worlds of Human Space. Under its auspices, an unprecedented era of prosperity and high technology was initiated. It seemed that there were no limits to human development, no secrets which could not be unlocked by the power of the human mind, along with a little ingenuity and grit.
Now, this period of 'enlightenment' and 'progress' is a now a period of much historical, theological and political debate as to whether it was a time of enlightenment or not. The Universal Church of the Celestial Sun has written the period as a time of great hubris, in which humanities creations nearly destroyed them just like the Protheans nearly fell to their 'mysterious' enemy.
!!The Machine Crusade (4000 to 4130)
Inevitably, as the nature of life itself changed in human culture, with genetics enhancing longevity, cloning, rejuvination and human consciousness moving to 'machines' power eventually seemed to coalesce into the hands of a few, especially when the people are no longer vigilant. The Dynastic Familes of the Diaspora, still rich but now relegated to meaningless roles, hungered for the vast power they once had and plotted against the Republic.
This plot was delayed when humanities creations rebelled against them and a machine intelligence decided to destroy humanity as a pre-emptive strike. The Machine Crusade had begun.
The Machine Crusade raged across human space, humanity facing off against vast machine controlled starships, artificially intelligent robot armies and the cold, calculating nature of the machine intelligence. It was not hindered by emotion and had decided the complete destruction of it or humanity was the natural outcome of its sentience. During this war the Vorox came to the aid of humanity, recognising a great war when they saw it, and acknowledging machine intelligence would not stop with humanity. Appeals were made to The Vaue, but they chose to stand aside. In desperation the grand technology of the Second Republic altered the Vorox to vastly increase their prodigious birth rates to ridiculous levels so they could revel in the glory in the great victory against the machine intelligence. The Vorox became part of a strategy to beat the vast manufacturing ability of the machines. Ultimately the war was won and the AI behind the Machine Intelligence just disappeared.
As humanity celebrated scientists discovered a dread phenomenon: the suns were fading.
The government still in the shadow of the Machine Crusade, could not calm the fears of all the worlds, and the crash of major computer systems in the aftermath of the war caused riots in every major city on every planet. Rebels rose up and with lightning speed, claimed the central government. The Dynastic Families joined together (justified by their belief their wealth had enabled the war with the machines) with the Church to free the capital. Victorious, they refused to return power to the senators and instead seized power for themselves.
This ushered in a new age for humanity.
!!New Dark Age (4130 - Present)
The Dynastic Families of the Known Worlds quickly began to war upon one another, with only the largest, most cunning or richest Dynastic Families rising to prominence, while many others were destroyed. In this chaos, the mass of the population were left defenseless. In desperation, many signed generational contracts with Dynastic Families due to their vast economic, political and military power. At first, the Church fought such indenture, but it eventually adopted such contracts itself when they proved the only reliable means to raise armies against rivals — and the Church was just as combative and martial as the Dynastic Families.
Powerful individuals with critical knowledge in the corporations of the Second Republic, those not of Dynastic Family heritage, were left with little of the spoils. With their holdings seized or signed over forcefully, they had little overt power. But a conglomeration of these corporate individuals and their kowledge and assets banded together to form the Merchant League, and rewrote their charters to form guilds rather than corporations. Guilds could more easily control membership and advancement within their ranks. In addition, the League too an opportunity provided by the technological fall during the Machine Crusade to consolidate technological knowledge. They used the after shock of the Machine Crusade, technological assets and many agents charged with wiping such data from computers the universe over, to secure pre-eminence in the technology spehre.
Without the means to repair their starships and hightech weaponry, the Dynastic Families and the Church could not long stand. After a vicious campaign against the guilds failed to free the secrets, the Dynastic Families had little choice but to admit the guilds into the halls of power. Even the Church was forced to concede their power, and issued a Patriarchal Bull allowing only them (along with the Dynastic Families and the Curch) to use certain proscribed high-technologies. Once these scientific secrets were kept from the people, the Known Worlds’ descent into a 'feudal society' was complete: the vast populace of the remaining Known Worlds lived and died on one planet, often working and living under the vast political, military and economic might of the Dynastic Families, Church and Merchant League.
But the Known Worlds were not the only words of Human Space. During the Fall of the Second Republic, many planets were lost, their jump coordinates stolen or the jumpgates sealed. After centuries of absence, some of these worlds reappeared, heralded by barbarian hordes who swept into the Known Worlds, wreaking havoc and destruction.
!!The Emperorr Wars (4974 - 5005)
Only a powerful coalition of Dynastic Families could defend against the scattered barbarian clans, and only a master tactician could form such a coalition. This man was Vladimir, whose campaign against the barbarians propelled him to power. After his victory against the raiders, he declared himself the first Emperor of the Known Worlds. A campaign of pacification convinced the noble houses to accept his rule. But upon his coronation day, when he placed the crown upon his head, he mysteriously died in a sudden conflagration. His coalition fell apart, and house fell upon house, each blaming the others for the death of Vladimir. Eventually, peace was secured again, sealed with Vladimir's reforms: all the houses, sects and guilds would vote equally to choose a noble to become Regent, to rule until a new Emperor could be decided upon. It would be nearly half a millennium before an Emperor was again chosen, and only after nearly 40 years of violent war.
The Emperor Wars lasted for two generations, and saw a greater rise in technology than any time since the Second Republic. But it was war tech. Finally, one man was victorious: Alexius Hawkwood, the new Emperor of the Fading Suns. In his newly forged reign -- now but three years old -- peace has finally come. The jumproutes are open again, and pilgrims can travel safely to other worlds. Merchants can once more ply the starlanes, selling exotic goods to people who have not seen them within their grandfather's lifetimes.
And adventure awaits, for Alexius has called for a great quest: to explore the stars, discover the lost worlds of the Second Republic, and solve the mystery of the fading suns.
It is the year of our lord 5005...
The guilds are vast and small organisations that organise themselves around specific trades and the knowledge associated with them. The largest, and most dominant guilds, hold key knowledge and dominion over all that supports it, like training, skills, connections, etc. The best known example is The Supreme Order of Engineers home to the largest body of minds that can still go someway to understanding the technology that exists within the Known Worlds.
!!Supreme Order of Engineers
High technology is rare (robotics, artificial intelligence, robots, genetics, etc), and most people fear it, for as the Church teaches, it is the symbol of human hubris which brought upon mankind The Machine Crusade, the fall of the Republic and some say the fading suns. Few dare to delve into its secrets anymore, and those that do are considered mad -- like the Engineers. These strange technicians often modify their bodies with cybertech, becoming more machine than human. While they creep out the commoners and disgust the priests, everyone knows just how valuable their lore is in maintaining intergalactic power and communication.
It must be remembered in many cases science and engineering isn't the same as it once was - even many of the order scorn 'pure science' as foolish. Engineers redeem technology by consulting steps set down in ancient manuals rather than by trying to discover the logical relationship between part. As such technical manuals have similarities to religious scripture. These manuals can be said to form templates, even the vast shipyards producing new starships for the various fleets are built using these arcane templates.
Like the church, the Supreme Order of Engineers is a complicated beast, consisting of numerous groups and agendas. A core of them are just looking to alleviate humanity from the current dark age and find a solution to the apparent end of times. Then others are die-hard republicans, looking to bring about a Third Republic and 'get it right this time'. Then there are the rumoured extreme sects that don't follow Church Doctrine at all and supposedly worship some sort of Machine God, this puts the Order at odds with the Church Inquisition.
!!The Merchant League
While the majority of people living in the Known Worlds rarely travel between the stars, the trade in goods does. The life blood of trade is the Merchant League, consisting of their vast merchant fleets, and Charioteers. These two elements represent two very different sides of the organisation.
In the main, The Merchant League dominates trade. It has the infrastructure and the vessels to move goods between the star systems. The Merchant League is actually split up into numerous fleets, each of which is actually in competition, but more often than not concentrates on specific regions. These vast fleets consist of starships both large and small designed for specific purposes. Interplanetary vessels will carry and trade goods within star systems and vessels capable of travelling the Warp Gate network take goods between Gate Systems. The vessels travelling between Gate Systems can be of considerable size, in some instant large vessels have internal and external docking mechanisms to allow multiple interplanetary vessels to be taken through the Warp Gates. The fleets then have vessels with Warp Drives to travel the well known routes in the sectors. In many cases extending out beyond the Gate System is left to the Charioteers.
!!Reeves
If The Merchant League controls the flow of goods, then the Reeves, also known as The Banking Clan, controls the flow of money. Money isn't their only remit, another is legal and contractual work related to commercial endeavours. It is through the Reeves one can find the ways to move, invest and lend money as well as the necessary legal advice to conduct such business. This is a critical task and is essential to the operations of the Dynastic Houses, Guilds and Church.
The Reeves have a strange place in society for they don't have any military power of their own and invariably the people who represent the guild aren't overly confrontational or likely to attract attention like an engineer or a flamboyant Rogue Trader. At the same time, they control the money and the legal contracts. It is often said the power of the Reeves isn't much spoken off, but is a quite power often manifest with just a hand on the shoulder.
!!The Muster
During the Dark Ages it became common for individuals to find one way to carve out their own existence during the periods of war: become a mecenary. This lead to mercenary outfits and this in turn lead to The Muster. The Muster is essential a guild of mercenary organisations providing security and military services to the highest bidder. As an example, many mercenary outfits find work in the localised war between House Hazat and certain Vorox Clans. They can also be found providing security services for The Merchant League.
The organisations that form and are represented by The Muster are large and small, but some are well known throughout the various parts of the Known Worlds. Individual Bounty Hunters can be the subject of much talk and chatter, the stories of their actions taking on ridiculous proportions. Mercenary outfits like the Blue Suns are also respected and hold significant contracts and form important connections as a result.
Holy Terra sits at the 'center' of the Imperium. The planet is named after 'The Earth That Was', the mythical birthplace of humanity. Holy Terra holds itself to be the centre of power, religion and knowledge held together by technology devised during the Second Republic.
Interstellar travel is facilitated by accessing Warp Space. Warp Space is another dimension through which a conduit is formed and the starship navigates the warp streams to cross vast distances. A starship must be shielded from Warp Space otherwise the minds of organic species are rendered insane, some even exhibit symptoms similar to 'possession' or gain dangerous 'psychic' powers. Theology says that daemons and things Man Was Not Meant To Know exist within Warp Space and can break free into the Darkness Beyond the Stars.
The heliopause of a star system inhibits access to Warp Space, a scientic reason for this has not been found, but theologians believe it is the suns holy light offering protection from the darkness of Warp Space. This means starships must travel to the outer reaches of a star system to enter Warp Space. All Warp Gates are on the outer reaches of star systems. It is feared, as the suns fade, this protection will whither and the Darkness Beyond the Stars will get ever closer.
Travel through Warp Space is facilitated by two methods: Warp Gates and Warp Drives.
!!Warp Gates
The vast distances between sectors (star clusters, nebula, etc) is traversed by the Warp Gate network. The Warp Gates were created by the Protheans a race that travelled between the stars long before the current races of the galaxy reached the stars. The Warp Gates are giant, hoop-shaped artefacts, as large as a moon. A jump through a Warp Gate is made on the sun side and utilises the Warp Gate and an astrogation computer. A vessel can dock within a starship and warp with it. A few starships can extend their warp shield so a vessel docked with it can travel through the Warp Gate with it, a few merchant guilds have specialised vessels for this. Traversing the Warp Gate network does not demand a Warp Engine, just a sublight drive. This frees up space and allows for inter-planetary vessels to travel between gate systems.
The Warp Gate network is not perfect. It is theorised by the Supreme Order of Engineers that all Warp Gates connect to all other Warp Gates, but this isn't currently the case. As a result, there is routes through the Warp Gate network, though multi-gate routes don't involve the vessel exiting Warp Space. The discovery of new Warp Gate routes is a significant find.
The Warp Gates are not even understood by the Supreme Order of Engineers, only their best understand the communication protocols demanded by the warp engines to initiate the gate. The War Gates are religious artefacts to certain heretical cults.
!!Warp Engines
A Warp Drive, in conjunction with an astrogation computer, allows a vessel to enter Warp Space. The vast distances between sectors cannot be traversed by Warp Drives, but the star systems within these areas of space can be. The common routes are organised into Warp Lanes, which are well travelled routes between stars where the Warp Space streams and currents are well known (Warp Storms aside). Not all star systems are equal, and some are difficult to travel due to turbulent Warp Space routes or lack of navigational research.
The sectors can contain one star or many, but few reach double figures. The sectors have their own core and fringe worlds based on populace, distance and resources. The Gate System in any sector is always critical even if it isn't the most populace, due to the hub and spoke trade system utilising vessels without Warp Drives. While the War Gates make traversing the sectors one of set routes, exploration takes place in the sectors. Indeed, activity in the sectors isn't held in high regard by theology, as starships can drop out of Warp Space into the Darkness Beyond the Stars and while the Warp Gates are blessed, War Drives are not and many a debate exists as to whether they are a return to mankind's hubris.
!!Warp Storms
Little is known about Warp Space and its nature is as much an issue of theological debate as it is science. The astrogation computers and sensors on Warp Drive capable starships allow for the ebb and flow of the warp stream to be navigated, in stable Warp Space such routes can be learned and mastered resulting in Warp Space Lanes. Warp Space is not viewed as trivial and vastly different accident rates occur between Warp Drive travel and travel through the Warp Gate network. The Warp Gate network is seen as an almost preternatural set of Warp Space Lanes.
Warp Storms can occur in whatever constitutes Warp Space, ripping apart the established ebbs and flow and creating a totally knew navigational challenge. This can cause problems for star systems, rendering them 'alone' for significant periods. This is why Gate Systems are so important as they are never at risk of Warp Storms (though to be fair well navigated Warp Space Lanes aren't disrupted on a regular basis, but it is a problem for worlds on the fringe of sectors).
!!Design Notes
Space is meant to be big, mysterious, dark and empty, the idea being that star systems and their suns are points of light in the vast void. The purpose behind interstellar travel being a function of Warp Gates and Warp Drives is to allow for a compromise between the flexibility and pioneering spirit of the Warp Drives and the unfathomable nature of the technology of the Warp Gates. It also allows for the dichotomy between the two, with Warp Gates being blessed, mysterious yet functional while Warp Drives is more dangerous, pioneering and even queried as to whether it is dangerous. It also has interesting colour elements like the hub and spoke trade set-up and fringe worlds on less understood routes on the 'edge' of sectors.
Since it is space opera that means the usual tropes will be present with respect to space travel, the specifics about interstellar travel aside. This means it doesn't really work like it should in real life and is more like a mixture of the 'age of sail' and 'modern sumbarines'. Things get lost to sensors, ships get chased and shot at from short range, etc, etc.
This is the wiki of a personal mash-up of ideas for a Space Fantasy campaign based primarily on Fading Suns, with influenced from Warhammer 40K , Dune, Mass Effect and Babylon 5.
Please use the menu to navigate the wilki.
Copyright: This is no way an original work, it is not a commercial endeavour and ideas have been taken totally from other sources. It is purely intended for the personal use at the gaming table.
/***
|''Name:''|LoadRemoteFileThroughProxy (previous LoadRemoteFileHijack)|
|''Description:''|When the TiddlyWiki file is located on the web (view over http) the content of [[SiteProxy]] tiddler is added in front of the file url. If [[SiteProxy]] does not exist "/proxy/" is added. |
|''Version:''|1.1.0|
|''Date:''|mar 17, 2007|
|''Source:''|http://tiddlywiki.bidix.info/#LoadRemoteFileHijack|
|''Author:''|BidiX (BidiX (at) bidix (dot) info)|
|''License:''|[[BSD open source license|http://tiddlywiki.bidix.info/#%5B%5BBSD%20open%20source%20license%5D%5D ]]|
|''~CoreVersion:''|2.2.0|
***/
//{{{
version.extensions.LoadRemoteFileThroughProxy = {
major: 1, minor: 1, revision: 0,
date: new Date("mar 17, 2007"),
source: "http://tiddlywiki.bidix.info/#LoadRemoteFileThroughProxy"};
if (!window.bidix) window.bidix = {}; // bidix namespace
if (!bidix.core) bidix.core = {};
bidix.core.loadRemoteFile = loadRemoteFile;
loadRemoteFile = function(url,callback,params)
{
if ((document.location.toString().substr(0,4) == "http") && (url.substr(0,4) == "http")){
url = store.getTiddlerText("SiteProxy", "/proxy/") + url;
}
return bidix.core.loadRemoteFile(url,callback,params);
}
//}}}
!!!Fadings Suns
[[Introduction]]
[[Premise]]
!!History
[[Galactic History]]
[[Stellar Cartography]]
!!The Imperium
[[Dynastic Houses]]
[[Guilds]]
[[Church]]
[[Religious Theology]]
[[Scum Barges]]
!!Organisations
[[Charioteers]]
[[Pheonix Knights & Legion]]
[[Rangers]]
!!Locations
[[Holy Terra]]
[[Charon Point]]
[[Chimaera's Embrace]]
!!Technology
[[Communications]]
[[Interstellar Travel]]
[[Starships]]
[[Weapons]]
!!Aliens
[[Vau]]
[[Vorox]]
/***
|''Name:''|PasswordOptionPlugin|
|''Description:''|Extends TiddlyWiki options with non encrypted password option.|
|''Version:''|1.0.2|
|''Date:''|Apr 19, 2007|
|''Source:''|http://tiddlywiki.bidix.info/#PasswordOptionPlugin|
|''Author:''|BidiX (BidiX (at) bidix (dot) info)|
|''License:''|[[BSD open source license|http://tiddlywiki.bidix.info/#%5B%5BBSD%20open%20source%20license%5D%5D ]]|
|''~CoreVersion:''|2.2.0 (Beta 5)|
***/
//{{{
version.extensions.PasswordOptionPlugin = {
major: 1, minor: 0, revision: 2,
date: new Date("Apr 19, 2007"),
source: 'http://tiddlywiki.bidix.info/#PasswordOptionPlugin',
author: 'BidiX (BidiX (at) bidix (dot) info',
license: '[[BSD open source license|http://tiddlywiki.bidix.info/#%5B%5BBSD%20open%20source%20license%5D%5D]]',
coreVersion: '2.2.0 (Beta 5)'
};
config.macros.option.passwordCheckboxLabel = "Save this password on this computer";
config.macros.option.passwordInputType = "password"; // password | text
setStylesheet(".pasOptionInput {width: 11em;}\n","passwordInputTypeStyle");
merge(config.macros.option.types, {
'pas': {
elementType: "input",
valueField: "value",
eventName: "onkeyup",
className: "pasOptionInput",
typeValue: config.macros.option.passwordInputType,
create: function(place,type,opt,className,desc) {
// password field
config.macros.option.genericCreate(place,'pas',opt,className,desc);
// checkbox linked with this password "save this password on this computer"
config.macros.option.genericCreate(place,'chk','chk'+opt,className,desc);
// text savePasswordCheckboxLabel
place.appendChild(document.createTextNode(config.macros.option.passwordCheckboxLabel));
},
onChange: config.macros.option.genericOnChange
}
});
merge(config.optionHandlers['chk'], {
get: function(name) {
// is there an option linked with this chk ?
var opt = name.substr(3);
if (config.options[opt])
saveOptionCookie(opt);
return config.options[name] ? "true" : "false";
}
});
merge(config.optionHandlers, {
'pas': {
get: function(name) {
if (config.options["chk"+name]) {
return encodeCookie(config.options[name].toString());
} else {
return "";
}
},
set: function(name,value) {config.options[name] = decodeCookie(value);}
}
});
// need to reload options to load passwordOptions
loadOptionsCookie();
/*
if (!config.options['pasPassword'])
config.options['pasPassword'] = '';
merge(config.optionsDesc,{
pasPassword: "Test password"
});
*/
//}}}
The Pheonix Knights are an order sworn solely and foremostly to the service of the Emperor. The establishment of the Pheonix Knights was a stroke of genius by the Emperor, recognising that the turmoil and aftermath of the Emperor Wars left many a young dynastic family member without function he accepted them into his ranks giving them purpose. Accepting the mantle of the Pheonix means disregarding all Dynastic Family affaliations.
Despite protestations to the contrary by many, the Pheonix Knights aren't being used as a military arm energised by zealotry, instead the basic tennant of the Pheonix Knights is to become Questing Knights like the ancient stories from 'The Earth That Was' and set off amongst the stars to try and forge a new destiny for mankind.
The Pheonix Knights have been complemented by the Pheonix Legion. It has been recognised that the Pheonix Knights do not conduct their work alone, and are reliant on a multitude of individuals such as pilots, engineers, diplomats, etc. As such Pheonix Knights often travel the galaxy with permanent friends and comrades - these individuals are the Pheonix Legion, which has become as popular and is renowned as the orgiginal Knights.
Once the suns shone brightly, beacons in the vast night of space, calling humanity onward. The stars were symbols of humanity’s vast potential, a purpose and destiny revealed in progress, inciting an exodus of unlimited growth to the distant stars. Once people looked to the heavens with hope and longing in their eyes.
Then the suns — and the hope — began to fade. It is the beginning of the sixth millennium after Christ and history has come to an end. Humanity’s greatest civilization has fallen, leaving ignorance and fear scattered among the ruins of many worlds. A new Dark Age is upon humanity and few believe in renewal and progress anymore. Now there is only waiting. Waiting for a slow death as the ageold stars fade to cinders and the souls of the sinful are called to Final Judgment.
But not all believe in this destiny. A leader has arisen, an emperor sworn to unite the worlds of Human Space together again under one banner. To ignite hope once more in people’s hearts. It is a monumental task. What is hope to them now but a falsehood which leads to pain? Better to leave the hard decisions to their masters and let the Church console their souls.
There are enemies everywhere, those who seek to selfishly profit from humanity’s demise: vast dynastic houses holding onto power across the stars, power-hungry priests who seek dominion over the lives of men, the greedy merchant guilds growing rich from bartering humanity’s needs and wants. They are not alone. Others are out there among the darkening stars, alien races angry with humankind for age-old slavery, and enigmatic alien empires with agendas too paradoxical to fathom.
It is in such a universe that individual men and women must live. Only a few of them will question. Fewer still will act on their questions and quest to seek answers, ways to break the grip of custom and law. Even less will have freedom to act.
To seize the stars, to seize their destiny!
!!In Practice
Fading Suns follows the route of many a space opera, by combining blasters, starships and, to some extent aliens, with a more conventional 'genre'. As an example, both Star Wars and Firefly merged space opera with the concept of a western, though it was more literal in Firefly's case.
Fading Suns takes space opera and views it through the lens of a dark fantasy, one might suggest a medieval dark fantasy. Scientific progress has stopped in the face of the dimming of the stars, what appears to be the literal end of times. The vast majority of people are subject to the effective rule of the dynastic houses, guilds or the Church and superstition and fear hold sway over what exists in the darkness beyond the stars and the protection of the stars is now fading.
As a result of this set-up, in a similar way to many a space opera technology is just present as backdrop and is rarely the focus of the narrative or the solution to a problem. In the case of Fading Suns most technology is based of commonly known scripture, very little new innovation takes place beyond what some suggest goes on in the deepest guild halls. In a similar way, an attempt will be made to fantasize everything rather than it be scientific. Possibly a danger unfathomable Space Kraken does exist in space. Robots are used as Golems and the era of the Machine Crusade strikes fear into all men. Prophecies of prophets may prove true. Places have weird names suggesting the mysterious.
The mood of the game is termed dark, but it isn't oppressively so, and it's certainly in the vein of the game that the new emperor represents optimism and the protagonists of the campaign should be individuals capable of freeing themselves of normal society to seize the stars, and their destiny!
One way or another, this should mean big things happen.
In the new dark age that has beset the Fading Suns universe, religion plays a vital role. The Universal Church of the Celestial Sun is a vast and powerful organization, dedicated to spreading their doctrine across the stars. The Universal Church has a story all its own that has contributed to its wide spread influence and its domination as the only "acceptable" faith.
!!Origins - Zebulon the Prophet
In the time of the First Republic, space exploration was paramount among the interests of mankind. The Warp Gates were new discoveries that demanded investigation. One such traveler was a man named Zebulon, traversing the Warp Gate Network seeking answers to the greater mysteries of existence. His quest was answered by the revelation he received on Yathrib - a gift, perhaps, from one of the Empyrean guides. Zebulon was blessed with a vision of the Holy Flame at the heart of all things, gaining insight thereby to the process of creation itself. It was revealed to him that salvation for sentients lay in reaching that realm of Light. He also saw images of the cold, dark realms where demons rule - a warning to beware those insidious entities bent on seizing control of the universe and perverting it toward their own ends.
The Prophet left Yathrib with the knowledge that there was far more to existence than the life and death of the physical body, so dependent on material things for its survival. Passage through life was but one step in the journey. Zebulon saw that Earth's previous religions had all glimpsed portions of this truth, and surmised that humanity had simply not evolved far enough to comprehend more. Until now. Having reached the stars, humankind had arrived at a critical juncture in their evolution. Zebulon shared his message of hope with the rest of humanity, and thereby made it possible for many of those who heard, and believed, to begin their spiritual journey toward the Light that holds salvation.
!!The Empyreans
The Empyreans are two other dimensions in which unfathomable beings exist. These realms are opposite in nature and are the two final 'resting' places of the souls of mortals and are at the heart of the theology of the Universal Church of the Celestial Sun.
!!!The Empyrean
The Empyrean is a realm of light, warmth, order and purity; at its core is the Holy Flame. The light of the Holy Flame, the grace of the Pancreator, is sent out to all souls through the the Empyreans reflections in the world: the stars. The Empyrean Guides, also known as Angels, exist within the Empyrean. The Empyrean is a source of great mystery in the Universe. There are stories of great miracles, as saints and mortals channel the grace of the Pancreator. In a similar vein fables exist of mortals receiving guidance or visitations from the Empyrean Guides.
!!!The Shadow Empyrean
The Shadow Empyrean is a reflection of the Empyrean. It is darkness rather than light. Cold rather than warmth. Chaos rather than Order. Corruption rather than purity. It's the Darkness Beyond the Stars rather than the glorious light of the Empyrean pouring from the Suns. While the stars are the Empyrean manifest, the cold, dark depths of space is the reflection of the Shadow Empyrean. It is believed by some the depths of space are so close a reflection that the denizens of the Shadow Empyrean can break through. A few even believe the Darkness Beyond the Stars is the Shadow Empyrean.
The occupants of the Shadow Empyrean are known as demons, their aim being to bring darkness to all and mire the universe in perpetual darkness. Their goal is said to be the corruption of all souls in order to bring an end to the Luminous Return and they believe the ultimate darkening of the Empyrean.
!!Luminous Return and Internal Flame
The Pancreator's divine light shines from the Empyrean into universe via the stars. A soul gathers this light and, if not tarnished by sin and the corrupting touch of the Shadow Empyrean, reflects it in all directions and back at its source. This is known as the Liminous Return of the Soul. This return creates a relationship with the Pancreator, brightening the cycle of successive returns and grace.
While all of the faith agree on this in principle, the details can be different.
The Doctrine of Directed Grace believes the divine light of the Pancreator does not shine directly onto every soul. It instead sends its light to a selected few, the consecrated folk, such as saints and priests. These chosen few perform the Luminous Return of the Soul for the remaining faithful. The consecrated have this as a sacred duty. The Doctrine of Directed Grace is currently the more populist view amongst the clergy, and has always been the view of Avestites.
The Doctrine of Universal Grace believes the Pancreator shines upon all and all individuals perform the Luminous Return of Souls. It is the responsibility of the individual to ensure their souls are in good order to reflect the light back at the Pancreator. The duty of the consecrated is to guide individual from the darkness to the light. Universal Grace is currently the minority view amongst the clergy, but is the view of the Amaltheans.
The Doctrine of the Inherent Flame is the philosophy of the Eskatonics. They believe that individuals can cultivate their own internal flame, projecting it outwards to meet the Pancreators light. They believe in Universal Grace, but those cultivating their own internal flame can receive even more. The bright flame burns and with proper techniques and feeding the excess energy is given to the body, leading to good health and long life. The Eskatonics even believe one can cultivate the internal flame to the extent it burns so brightly it not longer needs the physical body.
!!Antinomy and The Cold, Dark Soul
Antinomy is the dark occult, involving direct appeals to the demons of the Shadow Empyrean in exchange for occult powers. Not all Antinomists start with direct appeals utilising sacrilegious texts, most set off on their journey through petty sins, like lust or pride, or one of the many other failings of humanity.
Antinomy corrupts and burns up the soul of the antinomist. This is the concept of the ever-burning, cold dark soul, it becoming a reflection of the Shadow Empyrean rather than a reflector of the Empyrean's light. It becomes akin to the Darkness Beyond the Stars and, like it, is beyond their light. The Dark Light. This ever-burning cold flame can supposedly sustain a sentient forever, if appropriately supplemented.
Antimonists can find demons in other locations than the Shadow Empyrean, some are said to wonder the depths of space, vast creatures that moral man cannot fathom, or in the dark shadows and corners of the worlds in the Empire.
!!The Fading Suns Phenomenon
Everyone is aware of the fading suns phenomenon: the stars themselves are growing dimmer. The Church believes this is the end of times brought on by mankind's hubris which resulted in The Machine Crusade. The warmth and light provided by the celestial suns is waning and the cold, dark void of space will encroach upon humanity along with the Darkness Beyond the Stars. One's soul must be placed in order and through doctrine, enlightenment can be attained. By believing in the Light of the Pancreator and acting with just cause, one can be saved from the darkness that will follow the fading suns.
!!The Religious Mentality
The presence of the Pancreator, His Prophet and the Saints in daily life is uncontested. Individuals toil under fading suns in their daily roles and attend regular services. When their luck is good, it is because the Pancreator has blessed them, and when life is unkind it is because they are being tested or because of the work of demons and evil spirits. The supernatural has always provided a causal explanation for the things outside of science's grasp, and in the New Dark Ages the dearth of science means that much of human knowledge no longer lies within its purview. Additionally, the fundamental unexplainability of key phenomena - antinomy, the Warp Gates, Warp Space, the darkness beyond the stars and the Fading Suns themselves - mean that the promise of science no longer holds the appeal it once did.
In ages past, it was believed that a sufficiently advanced science could explain all natural phenomena, and it was this underlying philosophy that drove continued research and exploration. That belief is no longer held. Even the Guilds - as much as anything the last bastion of that earlier ideal - scorn 'pure science' as foolish. Engineers redeem technology by following steps set down in ancient manuals rather than by trying to discover the logical relationship between part and the Apothecaries study tomes depicting every part of the human body instead of seeking to understand the way it functions. Learning is now by rote rather than inquiry, and in place of the scientific method a shrine to tradition has been raised - and in many ways, that shrine is embodied in the Church.
Perhaps harder to understand is the way that religion defines morality. To the modern eye, compassion is valued because it is some way virtuous - it has some rational value to society. In the New Dark Ages, compassion is valued because it is Saint Amalthea's virtue. The Prophet preached compassion; therefore, it is good. The difference is subtle, but important, for in the first case the value of compassion comes from some inner understanding, and in the second it is derived by an outside authority - and this metaphor applies to the New Dark Ages in general. For most people, faith is not a matter of inner spirituality, but is instead an external truth - the presence of the Church in the lives of the people is a matter of immutable natural law and not the consequence of some personal choice that everyone happens to make.
The effect of this culture on people's lives is sometimes subtle and sometimes substantial. Oaths sworn before the Pancreator carry great weight before courts of law, and tithes are settled before tax, charity and even food. When a problem arises in the order of things, the instinctual response is not to look for its causes, but to seek out means to cope with its consequences. If the people are unsettled, the noble responds with more restriction to keep them down, rather than by trying to assuage the source of their troubles. If a terraforming engine begins to fail, men of learning will - on the whole - seek to prepare the people for a post-apocalyptic world rather than attempt to repair the flagging machine. Indeed, certain radical theologians suggest that attempts to treat the causes of problems are the height of hubris, for (they say) all trials and tribulations come from the Divine, and to contest them is to contest the Pancreator's will. It is instead the lot of mankind to abide, and like Job keep his faith despite trouble.
!!Light and Darkness, Stars and Space
Religion plays into interstellar travel and space. The Pancreator is associated with light, life, warmth and the Empyrean Guides and in contrast darkness, death, the cold and the vast void of space is associated with daemons and is the Darkness Beyond the Stars, some even go as far to say the vast void of space is a reflection of the dark realm of the daemons.
The motifs adopted by the Church also feature the Warp Gates, due to Zebulon blessing them as a safe form of travel offering a channel through the Darkness Beyond the Stars and safety from Warp Space. This means religious iconography and clothing will not only feature representations of the holy flame but also the Warp Gates, sometimes the holy flame within a Warp Gate.
At the height of the Second Republic genetic science reached its peak. Humanity no longer needed to be satisfied with what nature provided. It was possible to make minor and major changes to ones genetic structure, to even sculpt the body into radically different shapes and looks. This technology reached a point, just like AI, at which it started to cause as much harm as good, with some elements of society sculpting and modifying their bodies so much their very DNA fabric began to break down, their psychology was damaged and new diseases arose to prey on the modified.
The wholesale panic and reaction against these cults, organisations and individuals choosing this lifestyle choice was lost in the chaos of the Machine Crusade.
!!The Scum Barge Fleet
The legacy of those Second Republic days now exists within the Scum Barge Fleet. The descendants of those who sculpted their bodies find no place in society due to fear of disease, the breading of genetic mutations through humanity and the fact they sport the visible signs of mankind's hubris. The Church even preaches that they are being punished across the generations for daring to alter life itself for the purposes of vanity and personal obsession. The way Scum society is run also makes the Dynastic Houses wary of them. Rumours of the Scum consorting with daemons and performing perverse rituals in the Darkness Beyond the Stars abound. The secretive nature of the Scum, through choice and necessity, further empowers the rumours.
The Scum Barges represent some of the largest collection of vessels seen in the Known Worlds outside of war. Indeed, the Scum Barge Fleet 'flagships' are also some of the largest vessels in the Known Worlds. They are ancient and have been built, modified and adapted over many years in whatever way their occupants can personally or barter to achieve. In turn, the Scum Barges are surrounded by a smaller flotilla of vessels, most notably for protection. The Scum Barge Fleets are rarely welcome in a star system, so they invariably stay away from planets and remain in space. They interface with the rest of society through established 'diplomatic' vessels and individuals.
The Scum Barge Fleets are the most extensively travelled fleet of vessels in the Known Worlds, travelling the length and breadth of the Warp Gate network. Since the fleets ensure the whole fleet can travel via Warp Drive they also travel out to the fringes of sectors and some say beyond. It is rumoured this has given them knowledge that others would highly prize.
!!Political Structure
The number of Scum Barge Fleets isn't fully known, the secretive nature of the Scum, the modification of their vessels, and their status in society makes it easy for them to avoid being tracked. It is rumoured there are three major Scum Barge Fleets and a number of smaller fleets that haven't been counted. It's also rumoured fleets occasionally conglomerate or split up changing the distribution. No one has seen more than one Scum Barge Fleet assemble, of if they have they haven't realised that's what is happening.
The daily running of the fleet is managed by the vessel captains who respond to the Fleet Admiral. This has taken on a military structure, since some of the vessels are combat vessels and orders are often critical in the fleet.
A fleet is essentially a nation with its own resources, people and needs. The 'nation' is run by an elected council, the council represents sections of the fleet. Usually the fleet is organised into groups which then elect someone to the council. This democratic structure also makes other Imperial institutions ware of the Scum.
!!Culture
Everyone has a place in Scum society as they can't afford waste due to their way of life. The weak are not suffered as space is at a premium as are resources. The Scum also don't tolerate the weak due to the need to not let their DNA pool degenerate. On this basis Scum society does have a policy of euthanasia which is largely supported by its society. A few exceptions have occurred, but Scum fleeing the fleets find little solace in wider society. Counter to this, he Scum that inherit firm, stable and prime genes rarely have a free life either, being good breeding stock and fairing better in liaison positions with the other cultures.
!!Scum Markets
The Scum must interface with the societies of the Known Worlds at some point in order to trade resources. This would be difficult if not for the fact each Scum Barge Fleet also acts as a substantial Bazaar and Market which is of interest to both legal and illegal trade. It is rumoured trade in ancient artefacts is largely conducted through Scum Barge Fleet markets. If you want to obtain or get rid of something and you don't want many people to know, there are numerous locations for that purpose, but a Scum Barge Fleet market is said to be one of the best.
Starships exist in many shapes and sizes throughout the Empire. The majority of starships in the Empire are based on ancient manuscripts and none of them rival the vessels of the Second Republic. Each Starship is valuable. Each is a resource that is valued, often maintained over many, many years. This is especially true of large vessels such as Command Cruisers and Fleet Carriers.
Suffice to say Starships come in many shapes and sizes and they differ across Dynastic Houses and species.
[img[http://www.fandomlife.net/wiki/decados1.jpg]]
!!A Three Tier System
Not all vessels travelling through space are capable of interstellar travel, indeed, the majority are not. The nature of Warp Drives and Warp Shielding means it is cost-effective to have ships designed completely for interplanetary operations within a Star System. In turn, the complexity, theological position on Warp Drives and the reliability of the Warp Gate network means vessels without Warp Drives are also sensible.
This creates a tier of vessels with interplanetary vessels being used within systems, vessels existing that are restricted to Gate Systems (through the Warp Gate network) and then Warp Drive vessels taking trade to the outer systems in a sector (the non-gate worlds, though 'outer' is relative). This increases the prominence of Gate Worlds, some Warp Gates still have space stations near them acting as trade hubs. Large merchant fleets operate a hub-and-spoke system of interplanetary vessels, Warp Drive ships and, usually significantly larger, merchant vessels for travelling the Warp Gate network. This can also leave smaller traders with War Drive capable vessels free to earn a living around the edges, especially to outer sector worlds. Indeed, small, entrepreneurial, pioneering operators are often the vital life blood of outer sector worlds.
!!Starship Sensors
While smaller vessels or space liners may have 'windows' that allow the occupants to view the darkness of space, the magnificence of the suns and the bueaty of the stars larger vessels view space through their flat sensor screens. During the Emperor Wars thousands of lives could be wiped out without one person actually seeing the other with human eyes. There are many similarities with contemporary submarines.
!!Weapon and Defence Systems
Starship weapon and defence systems come in a number of forms, but generally focus on whether the systems are projective or energy based.
Imperial and Vorox vessels tend to less technologically complex and rugged, which in turn means systems concentrate on projective weapons of various types, ablative and reflective armour. The use of energy-based weapons and shielding is rare with the exception of some House Hazat and Supreme Order of Engineer vessels. The opposite is true of the Vua, who tend to be more focused on beam weapons and energy shields, this gives Vau vessels a significant advantage, especially defensively. A few larger Vau vessels even have the much feared Plasma Weapon, never witnessed but rumoured to spread across a vessel's infrastructure and eat it.
Fading Suns takes place within a fantasised version of the Milky Way. It's fantasised in the sense the 'Earth That Was' is the birth place of humanity, but anything else can be ignored beyond imagining it as a spiral galaxy if so desired. Stellar Cartography is largely defined by the existence of the Warp Gates which effectively makes a Gate Systems location within the Galaxy irrelavent as the travel through the Warp Gate network isn't majorly affected by distance. A Gate System could be a neighbour, in a different arm of the galaxy or even at opposide 'sides'. The need to undertake stellar cartography of the Known Worlds has waned due to a lack of scientific interest, the fall of scientific inquiry and method and the nature of Warp Gate travel.
The focus of stellar cartography tends to be within the sectors and the star systems that can be reached by Warp Drives.
!!The Outer Frontier
The Outer Frontier, also simply known as The Frontier, is similarly affected by the Warp Gates. There is no galactic frontier per se, as each Warp Gate provides an isolated island connected via the Warp Gate network. Each sector has its own frontier which represents the outer edge of explored space within the sector. This may be not much further out than the Gate System or the frontier may be light years away reached by a sequence of travelled Warp Space Lanes connected star systems further outward from the Gate System.
The frontier is essentially many frontiers.
!!Design Notes: The Nature of Space
Space in Fading Suns is similar to how space is depicted in Firefly and Battlestar Galactica, it's big, it's dark (other than when nebulas feature) and its silent. Well, it's silent but for the explosions and the muffled sound everything seems to make. Everything is big. Even the largest space vessels are an infinitesimal pinprick when put against planets, the vast distances between planets and even against a Warp Gate which is larger than a lot of moons.
This is reinforced by the fact that space outside the domain of a star system is very scary, it's the Darkness Beyond the Stars. No vessel really goes beyond the Warp Gate in a star system, it being recognised as a sort of barrier and going beyond it could endanger your soul. This is why utilising Warp Drives doesn't have universal approval as it involves the risk of traversing across the Darkness Beyond the Stars without the blessed protection of the Warp Gates.
While travelling between the Known Worlds will be a feature of Fading Suns the intent is to have planets and star systems matter more than being basic stepping off points for a scene or two (in star Wars sense).
/***
Description: Contains the stuff you need to use Tiddlyspot
Note, you also need UploadPlugin, PasswordOptionPlugin and LoadRemoteFileThroughProxy
from http://tiddlywiki.bidix.info for a complete working Tiddlyspot site.
***/
//{{{
// edit this if you are migrating sites or retrofitting an existing TW
config.tiddlyspotSiteId = 'fadingsuns';
// make it so you can by default see edit controls via http
config.options.chkHttpReadOnly = false;
window.readOnly = false; // make sure of it (for tw 2.2)
window.showBackstage = true; // show backstage too
// disable autosave in d3
if (window.location.protocol != "file:")
config.options.chkGTDLazyAutoSave = false;
// tweak shadow tiddlers to add upload button, password entry box etc
with (config.shadowTiddlers) {
SiteUrl = 'http://'+config.tiddlyspotSiteId+'.tiddlyspot.com';
SideBarOptions = SideBarOptions.replace(/(<<saveChanges>>)/,"$1<<tiddler TspotSidebar>>");
OptionsPanel = OptionsPanel.replace(/^/,"<<tiddler TspotOptions>>");
DefaultTiddlers = DefaultTiddlers.replace(/^/,"[[WelcomeToTiddlyspot]] ");
MainMenu = MainMenu.replace(/^/,"[[WelcomeToTiddlyspot]] ");
}
// create some shadow tiddler content
merge(config.shadowTiddlers,{
'TspotOptions':[
"tiddlyspot password:",
"<<option pasUploadPassword>>",
""
].join("\n"),
'TspotControls':[
"| tiddlyspot password:|<<option pasUploadPassword>>|",
"| site management:|<<upload http://" + config.tiddlyspotSiteId + ".tiddlyspot.com/store.cgi index.html . . " + config.tiddlyspotSiteId + ">>//(requires tiddlyspot password)//<br>[[control panel|http://" + config.tiddlyspotSiteId + ".tiddlyspot.com/controlpanel]], [[download (go offline)|http://" + config.tiddlyspotSiteId + ".tiddlyspot.com/download]]|",
"| links:|[[tiddlyspot.com|http://tiddlyspot.com/]], [[FAQs|http://faq.tiddlyspot.com/]], [[blog|http://tiddlyspot.blogspot.com/]], email [[support|mailto:support@tiddlyspot.com]] & [[feedback|mailto:feedback@tiddlyspot.com]], [[donate|http://tiddlyspot.com/?page=donate]]|"
].join("\n"),
'WelcomeToTiddlyspot':[
"This document is a ~TiddlyWiki from tiddlyspot.com. A ~TiddlyWiki is an electronic notebook that is great for managing todo lists, personal information, and all sorts of things.",
"",
"@@font-weight:bold;font-size:1.3em;color:#444; //What now?// @@ Before you can save any changes, you need to enter your password in the form below. Then configure privacy and other site settings at your [[control panel|http://" + config.tiddlyspotSiteId + ".tiddlyspot.com/controlpanel]] (your control panel username is //" + config.tiddlyspotSiteId + "//).",
"<<tiddler TspotControls>>",
"See also GettingStarted.",
"",
"@@font-weight:bold;font-size:1.3em;color:#444; //Working online// @@ You can edit this ~TiddlyWiki right now, and save your changes using the \"save to web\" button in the column on the right.",
"",
"@@font-weight:bold;font-size:1.3em;color:#444; //Working offline// @@ A fully functioning copy of this ~TiddlyWiki can be saved onto your hard drive or USB stick. You can make changes and save them locally without being connected to the Internet. When you're ready to sync up again, just click \"upload\" and your ~TiddlyWiki will be saved back to tiddlyspot.com.",
"",
"@@font-weight:bold;font-size:1.3em;color:#444; //Help!// @@ Find out more about ~TiddlyWiki at [[TiddlyWiki.com|http://tiddlywiki.com]]. Also visit [[TiddlyWiki.org|http://tiddlywiki.org]] for documentation on learning and using ~TiddlyWiki. New users are especially welcome on the [[TiddlyWiki mailing list|http://groups.google.com/group/TiddlyWiki]], which is an excellent place to ask questions and get help. If you have a tiddlyspot related problem email [[tiddlyspot support|mailto:support@tiddlyspot.com]].",
"",
"@@font-weight:bold;font-size:1.3em;color:#444; //Enjoy :)// @@ We hope you like using your tiddlyspot.com site. Please email [[feedback@tiddlyspot.com|mailto:feedback@tiddlyspot.com]] with any comments or suggestions."
].join("\n"),
'TspotSidebar':[
"<<upload http://" + config.tiddlyspotSiteId + ".tiddlyspot.com/store.cgi index.html . . " + config.tiddlyspotSiteId + ">><html><a href='http://" + config.tiddlyspotSiteId + ".tiddlyspot.com/download' class='button'>download</a></html>"
].join("\n")
});
//}}}
| !date | !user | !location | !storeUrl | !uploadDir | !toFilename | !backupdir | !origin |
| 25/04/2010 16:11:01 | IanOR | [[/|http://fadingsuns.tiddlyspot.com/]] | [[store.cgi|http://fadingsuns.tiddlyspot.com/store.cgi]] | . | [[index.html | http://fadingsuns.tiddlyspot.com/index.html]] | . | ok |
| 25/04/2010 16:11:25 | IanOR | [[/|http://fadingsuns.tiddlyspot.com/]] | [[store.cgi|http://fadingsuns.tiddlyspot.com/store.cgi]] | . | [[index.html | http://fadingsuns.tiddlyspot.com/index.html]] | . | ok |
| 25/04/2010 16:15:14 | IanOR | [[/|http://fadingsuns.tiddlyspot.com/]] | [[store.cgi|http://fadingsuns.tiddlyspot.com/store.cgi]] | . | [[index.html | http://fadingsuns.tiddlyspot.com/index.html]] | . |
| 01/05/2010 20:56:15 | IanOR | [[/|http://fadingsuns.tiddlyspot.com/]] | [[store.cgi|http://fadingsuns.tiddlyspot.com/store.cgi]] | . | [[index.html | http://fadingsuns.tiddlyspot.com/index.html]] | . |
| 09/05/2010 17:58:47 | IanOR | [[/|http://fadingsuns.tiddlyspot.com/]] | [[store.cgi|http://fadingsuns.tiddlyspot.com/store.cgi]] | . | [[index.html | http://fadingsuns.tiddlyspot.com/index.html]] | . |
| 13/05/2010 17:32:26 | IanOR | [[/|http://fadingsuns.tiddlyspot.com/]] | [[store.cgi|http://fadingsuns.tiddlyspot.com/store.cgi]] | . | [[index.html | http://fadingsuns.tiddlyspot.com/index.html]] | . | ok |
| 13/05/2010 17:34:30 | IanOR | [[/|http://fadingsuns.tiddlyspot.com/]] | [[store.cgi|http://fadingsuns.tiddlyspot.com/store.cgi]] | . | [[index.html | http://fadingsuns.tiddlyspot.com/index.html]] | . | ok |
| 13/05/2010 17:35:09 | IanOR | [[/|http://fadingsuns.tiddlyspot.com/]] | [[store.cgi|http://fadingsuns.tiddlyspot.com/store.cgi]] | . | [[index.html | http://fadingsuns.tiddlyspot.com/index.html]] | . | ok |
| 13/05/2010 17:38:05 | IanOR | [[/|http://fadingsuns.tiddlyspot.com/]] | [[store.cgi|http://fadingsuns.tiddlyspot.com/store.cgi]] | . | [[index.html | http://fadingsuns.tiddlyspot.com/index.html]] | . |
| 22/05/2010 20:45:21 | IanOR | [[/|http://fadingsuns.tiddlyspot.com/]] | [[store.cgi|http://fadingsuns.tiddlyspot.com/store.cgi]] | . | [[index.html | http://fadingsuns.tiddlyspot.com/index.html]] | . |
/***
|''Name:''|UploadPlugin|
|''Description:''|Save to web a TiddlyWiki|
|''Version:''|4.1.3|
|''Date:''|Feb 24, 2008|
|''Source:''|http://tiddlywiki.bidix.info/#UploadPlugin|
|''Documentation:''|http://tiddlywiki.bidix.info/#UploadPluginDoc|
|''Author:''|BidiX (BidiX (at) bidix (dot) info)|
|''License:''|[[BSD open source license|http://tiddlywiki.bidix.info/#%5B%5BBSD%20open%20source%20license%5D%5D ]]|
|''~CoreVersion:''|2.2.0|
|''Requires:''|PasswordOptionPlugin|
***/
//{{{
version.extensions.UploadPlugin = {
major: 4, minor: 1, revision: 3,
date: new Date("Feb 24, 2008"),
source: 'http://tiddlywiki.bidix.info/#UploadPlugin',
author: 'BidiX (BidiX (at) bidix (dot) info',
coreVersion: '2.2.0'
};
//
// Environment
//
if (!window.bidix) window.bidix = {}; // bidix namespace
bidix.debugMode = false; // true to activate both in Plugin and UploadService
//
// Upload Macro
//
config.macros.upload = {
// default values
defaultBackupDir: '', //no backup
defaultStoreScript: "store.php",
defaultToFilename: "index.html",
defaultUploadDir: ".",
authenticateUser: true // UploadService Authenticate User
};
config.macros.upload.label = {
promptOption: "Save and Upload this TiddlyWiki with UploadOptions",
promptParamMacro: "Save and Upload this TiddlyWiki in %0",
saveLabel: "save to web",
saveToDisk: "save to disk",
uploadLabel: "upload"
};
config.macros.upload.messages = {
noStoreUrl: "No store URL in parmeters or options",
usernameOrPasswordMissing: "Username or password missing"
};
config.macros.upload.handler = function(place,macroName,params) {
if (readOnly)
return;
var label;
if (document.location.toString().substr(0,4) == "http")
label = this.label.saveLabel;
else
label = this.label.uploadLabel;
var prompt;
if (params[0]) {
prompt = this.label.promptParamMacro.toString().format([this.destFile(params[0],
(params[1] ? params[1]:bidix.basename(window.location.toString())), params[3])]);
} else {
prompt = this.label.promptOption;
}
createTiddlyButton(place, label, prompt, function() {config.macros.upload.action(params);}, null, null, this.accessKey);
};
config.macros.upload.action = function(params)
{
// for missing macro parameter set value from options
if (!params) params = {};
var storeUrl = params[0] ? params[0] : config.options.txtUploadStoreUrl;
var toFilename = params[1] ? params[1] : config.options.txtUploadFilename;
var backupDir = params[2] ? params[2] : config.options.txtUploadBackupDir;
var uploadDir = params[3] ? params[3] : config.options.txtUploadDir;
var username = params[4] ? params[4] : config.options.txtUploadUserName;
var password = config.options.pasUploadPassword; // for security reason no password as macro parameter
// for still missing parameter set default value
if ((!storeUrl) && (document.location.toString().substr(0,4) == "http"))
storeUrl = bidix.dirname(document.location.toString())+'/'+config.macros.upload.defaultStoreScript;
if (storeUrl.substr(0,4) != "http")
storeUrl = bidix.dirname(document.location.toString()) +'/'+ storeUrl;
if (!toFilename)
toFilename = bidix.basename(window.location.toString());
if (!toFilename)
toFilename = config.macros.upload.defaultToFilename;
if (!uploadDir)
uploadDir = config.macros.upload.defaultUploadDir;
if (!backupDir)
backupDir = config.macros.upload.defaultBackupDir;
// report error if still missing
if (!storeUrl) {
alert(config.macros.upload.messages.noStoreUrl);
clearMessage();
return false;
}
if (config.macros.upload.authenticateUser && (!username || !password)) {
alert(config.macros.upload.messages.usernameOrPasswordMissing);
clearMessage();
return false;
}
bidix.upload.uploadChanges(false,null,storeUrl, toFilename, uploadDir, backupDir, username, password);
return false;
};
config.macros.upload.destFile = function(storeUrl, toFilename, uploadDir)
{
if (!storeUrl)
return null;
var dest = bidix.dirname(storeUrl);
if (uploadDir && uploadDir != '.')
dest = dest + '/' + uploadDir;
dest = dest + '/' + toFilename;
return dest;
};
//
// uploadOptions Macro
//
config.macros.uploadOptions = {
handler: function(place,macroName,params) {
var wizard = new Wizard();
wizard.createWizard(place,this.wizardTitle);
wizard.addStep(this.step1Title,this.step1Html);
var markList = wizard.getElement("markList");
var listWrapper = document.createElement("div");
markList.parentNode.insertBefore(listWrapper,markList);
wizard.setValue("listWrapper",listWrapper);
this.refreshOptions(listWrapper,false);
var uploadCaption;
if (document.location.toString().substr(0,4) == "http")
uploadCaption = config.macros.upload.label.saveLabel;
else
uploadCaption = config.macros.upload.label.uploadLabel;
wizard.setButtons([
{caption: uploadCaption, tooltip: config.macros.upload.label.promptOption,
onClick: config.macros.upload.action},
{caption: this.cancelButton, tooltip: this.cancelButtonPrompt, onClick: this.onCancel}
]);
},
options: [
"txtUploadUserName",
"pasUploadPassword",
"txtUploadStoreUrl",
"txtUploadDir",
"txtUploadFilename",
"txtUploadBackupDir",
"chkUploadLog",
"txtUploadLogMaxLine"
],
refreshOptions: function(listWrapper) {
var opts = [];
for(i=0; i<this.options.length; i++) {
var opt = {};
opts.push();
opt.option = "";
n = this.options[i];
opt.name = n;
opt.lowlight = !config.optionsDesc[n];
opt.description = opt.lowlight ? this.unknownDescription : config.optionsDesc[n];
opts.push(opt);
}
var listview = ListView.create(listWrapper,opts,this.listViewTemplate);
for(n=0; n<opts.length; n++) {
var type = opts[n].name.substr(0,3);
var h = config.macros.option.types[type];
if (h && h.create) {
h.create(opts[n].colElements['option'],type,opts[n].name,opts[n].name,"no");
}
}
},
onCancel: function(e)
{
backstage.switchTab(null);
return false;
},
wizardTitle: "Upload with options",
step1Title: "These options are saved in cookies in your browser",
step1Html: "<input type='hidden' name='markList'></input><br>",
cancelButton: "Cancel",
cancelButtonPrompt: "Cancel prompt",
listViewTemplate: {
columns: [
{name: 'Description', field: 'description', title: "Description", type: 'WikiText'},
{name: 'Option', field: 'option', title: "Option", type: 'String'},
{name: 'Name', field: 'name', title: "Name", type: 'String'}
],
rowClasses: [
{className: 'lowlight', field: 'lowlight'}
]}
};
//
// upload functions
//
if (!bidix.upload) bidix.upload = {};
if (!bidix.upload.messages) bidix.upload.messages = {
//from saving
invalidFileError: "The original file '%0' does not appear to be a valid TiddlyWiki",
backupSaved: "Backup saved",
backupFailed: "Failed to upload backup file",
rssSaved: "RSS feed uploaded",
rssFailed: "Failed to upload RSS feed file",
emptySaved: "Empty template uploaded",
emptyFailed: "Failed to upload empty template file",
mainSaved: "Main TiddlyWiki file uploaded",
mainFailed: "Failed to upload main TiddlyWiki file. Your changes have not been saved",
//specific upload
loadOriginalHttpPostError: "Can't get original file",
aboutToSaveOnHttpPost: 'About to upload on %0 ...',
storePhpNotFound: "The store script '%0' was not found."
};
bidix.upload.uploadChanges = function(onlyIfDirty,tiddlers,storeUrl,toFilename,uploadDir,backupDir,username,password)
{
var callback = function(status,uploadParams,original,url,xhr) {
if (!status) {
displayMessage(bidix.upload.messages.loadOriginalHttpPostError);
return;
}
if (bidix.debugMode)
alert(original.substr(0,500)+"\n...");
// Locate the storeArea div's
var posDiv = locateStoreArea(original);
if((posDiv[0] == -1) || (posDiv[1] == -1)) {
alert(config.messages.invalidFileError.format([localPath]));
return;
}
bidix.upload.uploadRss(uploadParams,original,posDiv);
};
if(onlyIfDirty && !store.isDirty())
return;
clearMessage();
// save on localdisk ?
if (document.location.toString().substr(0,4) == "file") {
var path = document.location.toString();
var localPath = getLocalPath(path);
saveChanges();
}
// get original
var uploadParams = new Array(storeUrl,toFilename,uploadDir,backupDir,username,password);
var originalPath = document.location.toString();
// If url is a directory : add index.html
if (originalPath.charAt(originalPath.length-1) == "/")
originalPath = originalPath + "index.html";
var dest = config.macros.upload.destFile(storeUrl,toFilename,uploadDir);
var log = new bidix.UploadLog();
log.startUpload(storeUrl, dest, uploadDir, backupDir);
displayMessage(bidix.upload.messages.aboutToSaveOnHttpPost.format([dest]));
if (bidix.debugMode)
alert("about to execute Http - GET on "+originalPath);
var r = doHttp("GET",originalPath,null,null,username,password,callback,uploadParams,null);
if (typeof r == "string")
displayMessage(r);
return r;
};
bidix.upload.uploadRss = function(uploadParams,original,posDiv)
{
var callback = function(status,params,responseText,url,xhr) {
if(status) {
var destfile = responseText.substring(responseText.indexOf("destfile:")+9,responseText.indexOf("\n", responseText.indexOf("destfile:")));
displayMessage(bidix.upload.messages.rssSaved,bidix.dirname(url)+'/'+destfile);
bidix.upload.uploadMain(params[0],params[1],params[2]);
} else {
displayMessage(bidix.upload.messages.rssFailed);
}
};
// do uploadRss
if(config.options.chkGenerateAnRssFeed) {
var rssPath = uploadParams[1].substr(0,uploadParams[1].lastIndexOf(".")) + ".xml";
var rssUploadParams = new Array(uploadParams[0],rssPath,uploadParams[2],'',uploadParams[4],uploadParams[5]);
var rssString = generateRss();
// no UnicodeToUTF8 conversion needed when location is "file" !!!
if (document.location.toString().substr(0,4) != "file")
rssString = convertUnicodeToUTF8(rssString);
bidix.upload.httpUpload(rssUploadParams,rssString,callback,Array(uploadParams,original,posDiv));
} else {
bidix.upload.uploadMain(uploadParams,original,posDiv);
}
};
bidix.upload.uploadMain = function(uploadParams,original,posDiv)
{
var callback = function(status,params,responseText,url,xhr) {
var log = new bidix.UploadLog();
if(status) {
// if backupDir specified
if ((params[3]) && (responseText.indexOf("backupfile:") > -1)) {
var backupfile = responseText.substring(responseText.indexOf("backupfile:")+11,responseText.indexOf("\n", responseText.indexOf("backupfile:")));
displayMessage(bidix.upload.messages.backupSaved,bidix.dirname(url)+'/'+backupfile);
}
var destfile = responseText.substring(responseText.indexOf("destfile:")+9,responseText.indexOf("\n", responseText.indexOf("destfile:")));
displayMessage(bidix.upload.messages.mainSaved,bidix.dirname(url)+'/'+destfile);
store.setDirty(false);
log.endUpload("ok");
} else {
alert(bidix.upload.messages.mainFailed);
displayMessage(bidix.upload.messages.mainFailed);
log.endUpload("failed");
}
};
// do uploadMain
var revised = bidix.upload.updateOriginal(original,posDiv);
bidix.upload.httpUpload(uploadParams,revised,callback,uploadParams);
};
bidix.upload.httpUpload = function(uploadParams,data,callback,params)
{
var localCallback = function(status,params,responseText,url,xhr) {
url = (url.indexOf("nocache=") < 0 ? url : url.substring(0,url.indexOf("nocache=")-1));
if (xhr.status == 404)
alert(bidix.upload.messages.storePhpNotFound.format([url]));
if ((bidix.debugMode) || (responseText.indexOf("Debug mode") >= 0 )) {
alert(responseText);
if (responseText.indexOf("Debug mode") >= 0 )
responseText = responseText.substring(responseText.indexOf("\n\n")+2);
} else if (responseText.charAt(0) != '0')
alert(responseText);
if (responseText.charAt(0) != '0')
status = null;
callback(status,params,responseText,url,xhr);
};
// do httpUpload
var boundary = "---------------------------"+"AaB03x";
var uploadFormName = "UploadPlugin";
// compose headers data
var sheader = "";
sheader += "--" + boundary + "\r\nContent-disposition: form-data; name=\"";
sheader += uploadFormName +"\"\r\n\r\n";
sheader += "backupDir="+uploadParams[3] +
";user=" + uploadParams[4] +
";password=" + uploadParams[5] +
";uploaddir=" + uploadParams[2];
if (bidix.debugMode)
sheader += ";debug=1";
sheader += ";;\r\n";
sheader += "\r\n" + "--" + boundary + "\r\n";
sheader += "Content-disposition: form-data; name=\"userfile\"; filename=\""+uploadParams[1]+"\"\r\n";
sheader += "Content-Type: text/html;charset=UTF-8" + "\r\n";
sheader += "Content-Length: " + data.length + "\r\n\r\n";
// compose trailer data
var strailer = new String();
strailer = "\r\n--" + boundary + "--\r\n";
data = sheader + data + strailer;
if (bidix.debugMode) alert("about to execute Http - POST on "+uploadParams[0]+"\n with \n"+data.substr(0,500)+ " ... ");
var r = doHttp("POST",uploadParams[0],data,"multipart/form-data; ;charset=UTF-8; boundary="+boundary,uploadParams[4],uploadParams[5],localCallback,params,null);
if (typeof r == "string")
displayMessage(r);
return r;
};
// same as Saving's updateOriginal but without convertUnicodeToUTF8 calls
bidix.upload.updateOriginal = function(original, posDiv)
{
if (!posDiv)
posDiv = locateStoreArea(original);
if((posDiv[0] == -1) || (posDiv[1] == -1)) {
alert(config.messages.invalidFileError.format([localPath]));
return;
}
var revised = original.substr(0,posDiv[0] + startSaveArea.length) + "\n" +
store.allTiddlersAsHtml() + "\n" +
original.substr(posDiv[1]);
var newSiteTitle = getPageTitle().htmlEncode();
revised = revised.replaceChunk("<title"+">","</title"+">"," " + newSiteTitle + " ");
revised = updateMarkupBlock(revised,"PRE-HEAD","MarkupPreHead");
revised = updateMarkupBlock(revised,"POST-HEAD","MarkupPostHead");
revised = updateMarkupBlock(revised,"PRE-BODY","MarkupPreBody");
revised = updateMarkupBlock(revised,"POST-SCRIPT","MarkupPostBody");
return revised;
};
//
// UploadLog
//
// config.options.chkUploadLog :
// false : no logging
// true : logging
// config.options.txtUploadLogMaxLine :
// -1 : no limit
// 0 : no Log lines but UploadLog is still in place
// n : the last n lines are only kept
// NaN : no limit (-1)
bidix.UploadLog = function() {
if (!config.options.chkUploadLog)
return; // this.tiddler = null
this.tiddler = store.getTiddler("UploadLog");
if (!this.tiddler) {
this.tiddler = new Tiddler();
this.tiddler.title = "UploadLog";
this.tiddler.text = "| !date | !user | !location | !storeUrl | !uploadDir | !toFilename | !backupdir | !origin |";
this.tiddler.created = new Date();
this.tiddler.modifier = config.options.txtUserName;
this.tiddler.modified = new Date();
store.addTiddler(this.tiddler);
}
return this;
};
bidix.UploadLog.prototype.addText = function(text) {
if (!this.tiddler)
return;
// retrieve maxLine when we need it
var maxLine = parseInt(config.options.txtUploadLogMaxLine,10);
if (isNaN(maxLine))
maxLine = -1;
// add text
if (maxLine != 0)
this.tiddler.text = this.tiddler.text + text;
// Trunck to maxLine
if (maxLine >= 0) {
var textArray = this.tiddler.text.split('\n');
if (textArray.length > maxLine + 1)
textArray.splice(1,textArray.length-1-maxLine);
this.tiddler.text = textArray.join('\n');
}
// update tiddler fields
this.tiddler.modifier = config.options.txtUserName;
this.tiddler.modified = new Date();
store.addTiddler(this.tiddler);
// refresh and notifiy for immediate update
story.refreshTiddler(this.tiddler.title);
store.notify(this.tiddler.title, true);
};
bidix.UploadLog.prototype.startUpload = function(storeUrl, toFilename, uploadDir, backupDir) {
if (!this.tiddler)
return;
var now = new Date();
var text = "\n| ";
var filename = bidix.basename(document.location.toString());
if (!filename) filename = '/';
text += now.formatString("0DD/0MM/YYYY 0hh:0mm:0ss") +" | ";
text += config.options.txtUserName + " | ";
text += "[["+filename+"|"+location + "]] |";
text += " [[" + bidix.basename(storeUrl) + "|" + storeUrl + "]] | ";
text += uploadDir + " | ";
text += "[[" + bidix.basename(toFilename) + " | " +toFilename + "]] | ";
text += backupDir + " |";
this.addText(text);
};
bidix.UploadLog.prototype.endUpload = function(status) {
if (!this.tiddler)
return;
this.addText(" "+status+" |");
};
//
// Utilities
//
bidix.checkPlugin = function(plugin, major, minor, revision) {
var ext = version.extensions[plugin];
if (!
(ext &&
((ext.major > major) ||
((ext.major == major) && (ext.minor > minor)) ||
((ext.major == major) && (ext.minor == minor) && (ext.revision >= revision))))) {
// write error in PluginManager
if (pluginInfo)
pluginInfo.log.push("Requires " + plugin + " " + major + "." + minor + "." + revision);
eval(plugin); // generate an error : "Error: ReferenceError: xxxx is not defined"
}
};
bidix.dirname = function(filePath) {
if (!filePath)
return;
var lastpos;
if ((lastpos = filePath.lastIndexOf("/")) != -1) {
return filePath.substring(0, lastpos);
} else {
return filePath.substring(0, filePath.lastIndexOf("\\"));
}
};
bidix.basename = function(filePath) {
if (!filePath)
return;
var lastpos;
if ((lastpos = filePath.lastIndexOf("#")) != -1)
filePath = filePath.substring(0, lastpos);
if ((lastpos = filePath.lastIndexOf("/")) != -1) {
return filePath.substring(lastpos + 1);
} else
return filePath.substring(filePath.lastIndexOf("\\")+1);
};
bidix.initOption = function(name,value) {
if (!config.options[name])
config.options[name] = value;
};
//
// Initializations
//
// require PasswordOptionPlugin 1.0.1 or better
bidix.checkPlugin("PasswordOptionPlugin", 1, 0, 1);
// styleSheet
setStylesheet('.txtUploadStoreUrl, .txtUploadBackupDir, .txtUploadDir {width: 22em;}',"uploadPluginStyles");
//optionsDesc
merge(config.optionsDesc,{
txtUploadStoreUrl: "Url of the UploadService script (default: store.php)",
txtUploadFilename: "Filename of the uploaded file (default: in index.html)",
txtUploadDir: "Relative Directory where to store the file (default: . (downloadService directory))",
txtUploadBackupDir: "Relative Directory where to backup the file. If empty no backup. (default: ''(empty))",
txtUploadUserName: "Upload Username",
pasUploadPassword: "Upload Password",
chkUploadLog: "do Logging in UploadLog (default: true)",
txtUploadLogMaxLine: "Maximum of lines in UploadLog (default: 10)"
});
// Options Initializations
bidix.initOption('txtUploadStoreUrl','');
bidix.initOption('txtUploadFilename','');
bidix.initOption('txtUploadDir','');
bidix.initOption('txtUploadBackupDir','');
bidix.initOption('txtUploadUserName','');
bidix.initOption('pasUploadPassword','');
bidix.initOption('chkUploadLog',true);
bidix.initOption('txtUploadLogMaxLine','10');
// Backstage
merge(config.tasks,{
uploadOptions: {text: "upload", tooltip: "Change UploadOptions and Upload", content: '<<uploadOptions>>'}
});
config.backstageTasks.push("uploadOptions");
//}}}
Weapons fall into four categories: blasters, slug-throwers, bolters and plasma weapons. The Empire uses a range of blasters, slug-throwers and bolters, while the plasma weapons are extremely rare in the Empire and are largely the province of the Vau.
!!Blasters
Blasters are produced in countless factories and are very popular in the Known Worlds. The technical manuscript is well known and they are extremely rugged. The other advantage is ammunition. The blaster packs store enough energy for plenty of blasts and can be charged from a myriad of outlets in the field. They can even be charged in many unofficial ways, but this can result in the packs being damaged reducing their capacity.
!!Slug Throwers
Slug-throwers are a range of weapons that fire case-less projectiles. This makes them incredibly easy to manufacture in terms of their ammunition and easy to maintain. They also pack as much punch as Blasters, albeit not being as efficient in terms of ammunition. If the typical Imperial citizen has a weapon for self-protection then it'll no doubt be a slug-thrower. It's also the weapon of choice for lower order personal security, etc.
!!Bolters
The premier weapon within the Empire is the bolter, often a sign of status and respect. The majority of models are designed for the Empire's elite military forces. They fire highly expensive and technical ammunition, consisting of stored energy, within a metal casing, that explodes on impact. The trouble with bolters is they are highly advanced, demand a lot of maintenance, have expensive ammunition and they are very, very loud. In some cases an ancient bolter can be more a sign of status, an heirloom passed down through the generations than a practical weapon. The impact and explosive nature of the ammunition tends to make using bolters on starships very risky.