Czernobog's General Universe Ideas Thread

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Re: Czernobog's General Universe Ideas Thread

Post by Czernobog »

Oh, where to begin?

After struggling and failing to come up with new ideas for my latest 'verse, I decided to come up with another space opera, inspired by, of all things, a 40K fanfic of mine (don't ask). But whereas 40K with all its grimdark is a deconstruction of the space opera, I consider this (as yet unnamed) setting a reconstruction. There may be darkness, but there is light too.

Alright, let the introduction begin:

It is the year 50847, the five-thousandth year of the Second Empire. For twenty years the Most Ever-August Emperor of Terra Alexandros XXIII has reigned. Great fleets sail forth between distant stars in his name, and countless armies advance ever deeper into Wild Space beyond Terra's guiding light of galactic civilisation. At the frontier, the Star-Marshalls of the Ever-August Emperor advance, adventurers, scouts, lawbringers and soldiers all-in-one.There are treasures to be had in the Frontier, where the laws of Terra are unknown, and the Star-Marshalls seek it. Yet there are more powerful states than petty-empires in Wild Space. The faith-strengthened legions of the Ophelian Imperiate, the mighty sorcerers of Nova Prospero and the pitiful, vestigial remnants of the once-mighty First Empire, among others.

The First Empire was the mightiest state in the galaxy, lasting for 30,000 years. Its sorcerers and scientists brought forth many wonders unsurpassed in the 51st millennium, yet it fell to the assaults of the alien Horde from beyond the Milky Way and worse, civil strife. The Horde themselves collapsed into a number of tribal confederacies shortly after their triumph, yet they caused the demise of galactic civilisation and are still a major threat to mankind. Several other alien races exist and are major players, the shadowy Icon, the hyper-powerful Star-Phoenixes, the menacing Vangethi and the mysterious Ophilim among many others.

Faster-Than-Light travel is achieved through several means, through sorcery or science. It is the lifeblood of the galaxy, for human civilisation could not meaningfully exist without it. Sorcery is too important, for sorcerers, with their ability to warp reality, communicate telepathically across interstellar distances, and create powerful effects with will alone, are highly valued. The technology of the Second Empire is great, its mightiest warships can cross the galaxy in mere weeks and reduce planetary surfaces to molten slag in a matter of hours.

Yet the galaxy is not at peace. For many wars are thought amongst the stars, in the name of religion, in the name of the nation, and in the name of sheer, naked power. For despite all the millennia, Man himself has not changed an iota..


(Notes to come)
You have ruled this galaxy for ten thousand years.
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Order. Unity. Obedience.
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Re: Czernobog's General Universe Ideas Thread

Post by Czernobog »

Taking a major dose of inspiration from Warhammer 40,000 and some other things...

~*~

INFINITE POWERS 2.0

The Age of Battle is Begun.

It is the year 3886, the 39th Century A.D. Man has never been more powerful or more terrible. His weapons and technology have reached an apex of power. Worlds burn and moons explode in the awesome space battles of the raging Galactic War, as far below the duelling fleets of mighty starships, tanks the size of houses crush everything in their path underneath their iron treads as they do battle, squads of power-armoured soldiers battle hordes and mobs of enemy warriors, swarms and armies of infantry advance into certain death under the cover of a steel rain of artillery shells, as a thousand feats of courage and arms that would earn fame forever in the modern day are forgotten under the sheer weight of corpses. It is a universe you can live today - but beware, there is little comfort or hope in the galaxy, this future, only a war that makes all wars fought up until today combined look like a schoolyard quarrel in comparison.

So, forget the promise of peace. Forget the appeal of common humanity. Forget hope, forget freedom, for in the Age of Battle such things are delusions at best. Enter into this nightmare world, and appreciate how good your own is in comparison. That is all you can do to survive in the storm.

The Age of Battle is Begun!


~*~

REPORT: STATUS OF GALACTIC MAJOR POWERS, 3886

----

MAJOR GALACTIC POWERS


STAR REPUBLIC OF COLUMBIA

CURRENT POPULATION: 760 trillion (projected to increase by 1-2% per decade with current maternity incentive programs).
PERCENTAGE OF POP. IN ARMED FORCES: 12%
INTERNAL STABILITY: 97%
NOTES: Currently heavily engaged in Avalon, Sebasteia, Bezant Clusters and others. Follows ideology of 'Manifest Exceptionalism'. Capital world, Columbia Prime, most defended planet in known galaxy. Exceptionalist Republic. Primary Ethnic Groups: American.

PANSLAVIC HEGEMONY

CURRENT POPULATION: 1.06 quadrillion (increase rate: UNKNOWN)
PERCENTAGE OF POP. IN ARMED FORCES: 10%
INTERNAL STABILITY: 21%
NOTES: Losing on all fronts. Currently engaged in desperate defensive operations - probability of success 45%. Likely to be defeated and occupied. Rumours of internal rebellions: UNCONFIRMED. Reactionary-Absolute Monarchy. Primary Ethnic Groups: Russian, Ukrainian, Byelorussian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Pole.

HEILIGES KAISERREICH DER DEUTSCHER NATION

CURRENT POPULATION: 650 trillion (increase rate: UNKNOWN)
PERCENTAGE OF POP. IN ARMED FORCES: 9%
INTERNAL STABILITY: 75%
NOTES: Engaging Panslav forces in Romanovsk, Rodinagrad, Murometsk and other Clusters. Chances of success: 55%. HIGH-THREAT. Reactionary-Authoritarian Monarchy. Primary Ethnic Groups: German.

NEW ANGLIA WORKERS' REPUBLIC

CURRENT POPULATION: 550 trillion (increase rate: UNKNOWN)
PERCENTAGE OF POP. IN ARMED FORCES: 15%
INTERNAL STABILITY: 99%
NOTES: IDEOLOGICAL ENEMIES - Treat without mercy. Communist Dictatorship. Primary Ethnic Groups: New British.

STAR EMPIRE OF NEW BYZANT

CURRENT POPULATION: 454 trillion (increase rate: UNKNOWN)
PERCENTAGE OF POP. IN ARMED FORCES: 17%
INTERNAL STABILITY: 56%
NOTES: ALLIES. Support with all measures necessary. Reactionary-Absolute Monarchy. Primary Ethnic Groups: Greek, Turkish, Italian, Arab (Egyptian and Levantine).

----

OSS Agent Stefani Kyleson.

HAIL COLUMBIA!
Last edited by Czernobog on Fri Sep 23, 2011 6:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Czernobog's General Universe Ideas Thread

Post by Czernobog »

Flaggity-flag:
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Re: Czernobog's General Universe Ideas Thread

Post by Czernobog »

Columbian Military Armed Forces

The Planetary Army

The Planetary Army is the swift and brutal hammer of the Columbian Military Armed Forces. Ranging from elite HALO Orbital Strike Troopers to the innumerable conscript-hosts of the Patriot Brigades, the Planetary Army has a tool for every occasion.

The HALO Troopers

The HALO (High Altitude Low Orbit) Troopers are used in occasions calling for direct and brutal orbital assault. Using grav-chutes to jump to the ground from strike-craft in the very fringes of a planet's atmosphere unharmed, their modus operandi is to tear the very heart out of an enemy. Too small and fast for AA fire to intercept, they also make good work of tearing down fortresses owing to their power-armour, which, while inferior to that of the Eagle Guard, is still enough for the task at hand.

The Patriot Brigades

The Patriot Brigades are cannon fodder. Their role in the vast, pitiless machine of Columbia's army is simple - to die to buy time or choke the enemy's guns with their dead. They are usually the first to make planetfall on some God-forsaken rock, to clear the way, for other, better units. Some Patriot units are militia raised temporarily - yet others are penal units, raised so that in death they might find redemption. It matters not - to serve in them brings absolutely certain death. They are given intentionally inferior weapons and equipment, so that producing more for the next batch is cheaper, and very little training, to make it cheaper and easier to raise them. One fact remains - casualty rates in the Patriot Brigades are usually 95% or higher per engagement.

The Planetary Siege Units

The Planetary Siege Units are the most powerful units Columbia can unleash. Each is singular, each is capable of breaking an army or shattering a fortress the size of a small country. The iconic Planetary Siege Unit is the superheavy tank called the LK-10, a land battleship the size of a small mountain, covered in guns and carrying a small army of tanks in its underbelly. Then there are the Aquila Dropships, massive flying vehicles capable of easily reaching orbit under their own power, each containing a suite of fighters, powerful weapons and up to 5,000 men. The Aquila Dropships are commonly used as infantry landers, and Columbia has even larger variants that require special spaceports to be built to even land.

The Shock Divisions

The Shock Divisions are terrible in action. They are the primary fighting force of the Planetary Army, moreso than even the Patriot Brigades. Each man is clad in a carapace of thick hyper-polymer armour, which changes camoflague patterns to reflect its environment and is easily capable of stopping bullets such as those used on 21st-century Earth, and is also armed with a weapon (the K-76 plasma rifle) capable of blowing an unarmoured man to shreds. Massive amounts of medium tanks, each dwarfing the 21st-Century Abrams, advance to spearhead the assault while barrages of tactical thermonuclear artillery rain down atomic death. Arrestor-fields and fortress walls can only slow down the inevitable defeat - the Shock Divisions only retreat if they are to face a force of similar reputation, equipment, and training, and that is a rare sight indeed when they do not face another major power's forces.

The Stellar Fleet

The Stellar Fleet is no less terrible than the Planetary Army. Immense dreadnought-carriers each two hundred miles long and with the power to break moons, boil oceans, shatter mountain-ranges and reduce plains to fields of molten slag make up its core. There are currently 567 such behemoths in operation, and there are almost limitless numbers of lesser ships. The only thing stopping them from overrunning the galaxy is that the other major powers have similar fleets in operation - but that does not stop them from crushing secessionists and lesser powers with pathetic ease.

The Eagle Guard

The Eagle Guard are the unsurpassed elite of the Columbian military, its mailed fist, and yet they do not answer to Strategic Command - they answer solely to the Party that runs Columbia. Chosen from especially loyal families and raised from early childhood to fight, they are rebuilt with high-quality cybernetics at the age of 18, vastly enhancing strength, speed, durability yet appearing totally human from a cursory glance. The Eagle Guard have high-quality weapons and power armour, their own ships to bring them to battle, their own tanks and infantry, and some Planetary Siege Units. A few hundred of them could easily bring a world to its knees. There is another (unenhanced by cybernetics) branch they maintain among the common soldiers - the dreaded Political Officer Unit, designed to help morale by the simple yet brutal expedient of summarily executing cowards. Many commanders have noted a distrust of the Eagle Guard - most of those that have done so have quietly vanished, never to be seen again.

The Columbian Air Force


The CAF, the Columbian Air Force, is misnamed. Despite its name, it commands assets in both air and space - all military aerospace craft, no matter if they are assisting the Army or the Navy, are part of it. Because of this, all its craft and pilots function equally well in space as in the air, a fact of simple design. The use of tactical fusion weapons is especially common amongstb the Air Force, as they are often used (along with singularity and other warheads) to hammer enemy staging posts well before battle is commenced. In most cases, ground-based arrestor-fields manage to defeat the atomics, but are weakened heavily nevertheless. The CAF is also rarely equipped for surgical attacks with guided munitions, and as such atomics are used to saturate the enemy and make absolutely sure that the target, whatever it may be, is utterly destroyed.
Last edited by Czernobog on Fri Oct 07, 2011 7:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Czernobog's General Universe Ideas Thread

Post by Czernobog »

More stuff.

Commonly-Used Naval Weapons

Naval combat in the 39th Century is built around the power of weapons. As such, there is an ongoing arms race between the strength of naval weapons and the power of arrestor fields. This article catalogues the types of naval weapon in use by the major powers of the galaxy.

Hellguns

Hellguns are the bread and butter of naval engagements. They function by tapping into a tiny portion of the immense amounts of energy to be found in the quantum foam that underpins the structure of the universe, and then directing it at a target at a high fraction of light-speed, causing mass devastation to anything not equipped with arrestor fields, which they are relatively poor at punching through. Hellguns range wildly in scale, from turreted point-defence weapons used to vapourise fighters to immense spinal lances used by battleships and capable of shattering and melting the crusts of entire worlds.

Shot

Shot is a general-purpose term for manifold types of atomic-explosive kinetic projectiles fired at near-relativistic speeds. In earlier times, these were fired using coil-weapons but recent advances in technology have allowed the creation of gravitic launchers, which are less likely to break down although they lack some of the punch of the old coil-guns. In any case, shot is typically fired en masse, hundreds of thousands of kinetic projectiles per full battleship broadside. Such a barrage is terrifying to any unshielded thing in its path.

Space-Time Lance


The Space-Time Lance is a close-range (tens of thousands of kilometers) weapon, but it is no less feared. It is essentially an area of warped space-time projected in a beam and propagating at lightspeed. It rips right through all known defence technologies like they're nonexistent, and literally rips areas of ships apart from inside. A Lance, mercifully, can only be projected a short distance due to power limitations, but when unleashed, no ship can withstand it.

Suncannons

Suncannons function by detonating a typically 600-gigaton (standards vary of course) thermonuclear device, then using containment fields to pocket the explosion and hurling the mix of plasma and radiation at the enemy ship as a beam of gamma radiation and super-heated plasma. Suncannon barrages (each equalling thousands of shots) are commonly used to break arrestors, as the ubiquitous shields can be overwhelmed by enough force.
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Re: Czernobog's General Universe Ideas Thread

Post by Czernobog »

Modes of FTL Travel

Hyperspace

Hyperspace is a higher dimension in which the standard mode of travel is tachyonic - i.e faster than the speed of light. Entry to hyperspace is much more easy in a zone in the vicinity of a massive body, e.g a sun or black hole, because the fabric of space is already stretched thin there by gravity. Even so, it requires stellar levels of energy to punch a hole into hyperspace, and as a result only ships with singularity or Coronium reactors can breach a way into hyperspace.

The Adlerssohn Drive

The Adlerssohn Drive was the first hyperdrive, developed in 2086. It was slow, incapable of anything other than forward movement, and somewhat unreliable. Eventually, in 2123, a much improved new type of drive was developed based on the findings of Alessandra Castellucio just before the Supremacy Wars left Earth a barren wasteland - the Castellucio Drive.

The Castellucio Drive

The drive that bears Castellucio's name was not the product of her sole genius, but also the skill of the engineer Felix Leitner. It is far faster than the Adlerssohn Drive (able to go 100 light years an hour, in comparison with Adlerssohn's 18) and is still used today, with Adlerssohn's creation relegated to the role of back-up hyperdrive.

Holtzmann Bridges

The Holtzmann Bridge is a strange form of wormhole, developed by a Thaddeus Holtzmann in 3174. It essentially, using a star cluster's worth of energy, forces two points in space to touch. There are various things stopping it from being commonly used - it requires an immense, extensive apparatus on at least one end, and the smaller the portal, the more immense the forces needed. For example, a portal fit to send a fleet through requires much less energy than one for an army. Individual-scale Holtzmann Bridges have never been built.

Vac-Space

Vac-Space is a void. Access to it, due to the strange way it interacts with normal time, allows instant space travel from the perspective of the outside universe, but the human psyche was never meant to handle it. As a result, crews of ships travelling through Vac-Space are placed in suspended animation and navigation placed in the hands of a low-level non-sentient artificial intelligence, lest they be driven mad. Also, sometimes ships never come back from Vac-Space - speculation on what happened is rife, but chances are, it wasn't pleasant. Rumours of ships changed by exposure to Vac-Space, or inhabited by malevolent entities dwelling inside it, are rife but unconfirmed.
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Re: Czernobog's General Universe Ideas Thread

Post by Czernobog »

Columbia Prime

Columbia Prime is the beating heart of the Star Republic that bears its name. With a population of 15 trillion, it is the most populous world in Columbia by far. This article describes the major features and closest planetary neighbours of Columbia Prime.

The Presidential City

The Presidential City is a massive, wondrous thing, a city the size of a continent in which much of Columbia Prime's populace is suituated. There are three areas of the city that are important - the poverty-stricken Outer Wards, the Centre, and the gleaming, brilliant Acropolis at the city's heart. The Outer Wards stretch for thousands of miles, masses of concrete buildings and factories. The Centre stands in contrast to the Outer Wards, made of gleaming skyscrapers, designed in a neo-deco style. But the Acropolis dwarfs both in sheer grand scale and vision. Built on a 100-mile wide artificial mountain approximately one and a half miles high, the Acropolis is large enough to contain the immensity that is the Presidential Palace of Columbia, as well as the Statue of Columbia and the National Cathedral - it is a place of wide boulevards and concourses and parade-grounds. The Presidential Palace is designed to overwhelm with austere, neo-Classical shapes and lines, in contrast to the Gothic overwroughtness of the National Cathedral.

It is in the Presidential Palace that Columbia's government is situated, and the heart of that government is the President, who holds supreme legislative, executive and judicial power. His deputy, also dwelling in the Palace, is Head of the Administration, the gargantuan machine of Columbian governance and oppression.

In geostationary orbit over the Acropolis is Starport Alpha, the military headquarters, from which fleets set sail and campaigns and wars are planned. Also in orbit are innumerable defence stations, capable of holding off a fleet of thousands of enemy vessels. Not for nothing is Columbia Prime the most well-defended world in the galaxy.

Superbia

Superbia (the name coming from the Latin for 'pride') is a garden moon about the size of Luna in the Sol System, its gravity rendered earthlike by the expedient of replacing the core with ultra-dense metal. It is a garden reserved for the elite of Columbia, and the pleasures it offers are multitudinous in nature, from young, beautiful maidens to fine wines and everything in between.

Sturm and Drang

Sturm and Drang are moons each about half the size of old Luna, orbiting Columbia further away from the pleasure-gardens of Superbia. They orbit each other closely, and have thus been entirely converted into fortresses, marking the beginning of the Omega Line, the final line of defence around Columbia Prime itself. Each moon is in possession of a single Spacetime Lance, firing a ray of distorted space much further than any normal vessel can due to increased reactor size. No known ship can survive such an attack.

Alexia


Alexia (named after the first President, Alexis Valentine) is a factory world, fourth from the star Corona (around which Columbia Prime orbits in third posituion), entirely mechanised with a tiny population of supervisors, ceaselessly pumping out war materiel. However, even this world represents just a drop in the bucket of Columbian war production, and its loss to an enemy would not achieve much.
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Re: Czernobog's General Universe Ideas Thread

Post by Czernobog »

Yes, I've raised the dreaded spectre of psionics. I won't hesitate to retcon this if it proves inappropriate or people don't like it.

Psionics

Psionics are very rare in the galazy. Strong psionics are literally one in a billion. Before the Supremacy Wars and related military research programs, no psionics of appreciable power existed in the human sphere at all. Most self-proclaimed wielders of 'ESP' or 'telekinesis' before the Supremacy Wars were frauds, however the honour of first scientific recognition of the reality of psionics belongs to a certain Maria Germanotta of the old United States - as a result, the Columbian psionic academies are referred to as Germanotta Institutes. The Supremacy Wars saw the creation of the first appreciable psionics in genetic engineering programs, as during the fighting the superpowers of that age were scrambling to get an edge over their opponents.


It is unknown where psionics get the energy for their powers. Some (ignoring the fact that the human frame would literally burn up) claim it is generated in the body - others posit an extra-dimensional source. Nevertheless, how psionics are treated differs among societies. In Columbia, psionics are registered and trained how to use and control their powers, while in the Hegemony, the dreaded Witch Hunters (a sub-division of the Okhrana) have control over all psionics. Below are listed various types of psionic individuals, as divided by Columbia (note that this is a continuum, and different individuals have different levels of capability in each discipline).

Sorcerers

Sorcerers are the most flashy. They possess considerable skill in ekectrokinesis, telekinesis, and pyrokinesis among other powers. This translates into direct battlefield prowess - a skilled Sorcerer is worth hundreds of men on any battlefield.

Magi


Magi possess the gift of great skill in telepathy. A Magus can literally read and control minds, or even use his powers to burn them out. They can also influence the perceptions of others to hide themselves or other people, and many other useful things.

Chronomancers

Chronomancers have power over space and time themselves. They can slow down the flow of time, creating time dilation fields to appear to move so fast as to be little more than blurs. They can do something impossible for machines to copy as of yet, the power of teleportation. They can also catch glimpsesv of possible futures, making them always alert and ready.

Espers

Espers are clairvoyants, able to sense things that they could not physically sense. They also use their powers to boost their senses massively, resulting in the fact that it is incredibly hard to catch them off guard.
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Re: Czernobog's General Universe Ideas Thread

Post by Czernobog »

The Star Republic of Columbia


Population: 760 trillion
National Anthem: The Battle-Hymn of the Eagle Guard (an old tune, dating back to the Slaveholders' Revolt in the mid-19th Century)
Current Ruler: President Thaddeus Carter
Currency: Imperial Dollar.

History:


Columbia's history begins with the venerable nation known as the United States of America. Founded in the year 1776, the United States founded many colonies when hyperspace travel was discovered, among them the world that would be known as Columbia Prime. In 2125, the Supremacy Wars began on Earth. They would continue on and off for a century, until in the final exchange of biogenic plagues, atomics, meme-weapons and Archangel Bombs the planet Earth was quite literally scoured clean of all life. With the destruction of the United States, the colonies would, like many others, degenerate into infighting and the formation of petty nations. This lasted for about three centuries, until the birth of Alexis Valentine, first President and founder of Columbia. Valentine led a dictatorship where his word was law, assisted by a junta of generals who led his armies and would become the first leaders of the Administration.

The other states swiftly fell before his armies, and the ethnically American systems were unified. Valentine took as his capital his homeworld, formerly named Corona III after its star - Valentine re-named it Columbia Prime. When Valentine died, a successor was found from among the ranks of the Empire Party that rules Columbia. But a most devastating threat was about to strike, in the 27th Century - the threat of the alien. The inscrutable Ophilim Monarchy gave Columbia a choice - slavery or death. Columbia chose war. The fighting was hard and bitter, and in the war the doctrine of Columbia's military - overwhelming waves of men and steel - was forged.

But nevertheless, every last Ophilim world was eventually put to the torch in revenge for the atrocities they had committed. The Eagle Guard were also formed during this time, the Party's answer to the threat of military coup. The following centuries saw a great colonial revolt, the New Manhattan Secession of 3087, that was put down in blood and fire. Yet Columbia grew strong and more powerful as the years went by. In 3873, the Galactic War began as a result of tensions between the major powers. For 13 years it has continued, but still Columbia remains ready to fight.

Flag:
Columbiaflagsmall.png
Columbiaflagsmall.png (21.7 KiB) Viewed 14853 times

Government:


Columbia is governed by the blandly-named Administration, a branch of the Empire Party. The Administration is byzantine and vast, with absolutely supreme power over the common citizens. It is ruled by four people - the Chief Assessor (whose task it is to assess financial obligations and tax/draft ratios), the President, the Head of Administration and the Commander of the Order Police (who commands all the common police of Columbia, including the Order Police, the Major Crimes Command, and various other groups). There are two other branches of the Party worth noting - the shadowy OSS and the Eagle Guard.

The OSS is Columbia's intelligence agency, it's name standing for 'Office of Strategic Servicesz'. The OSS has agents and covert assassins stationed throughout Columbian space and the wider galaxy. The Eagle Guard is the Party's military wing, numbered in millions (not counting the Political Officer Unit, of course). The fact that it has its own fleet and assault units causes a great deal of costernation in and rivalry with Strategic Command.
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Re: Czernobog's General Universe Ideas Thread

Post by Czernobog »

Common Technologies

This article explains and talks about common technologies in the wider galaxy, whether they are military or civilian in application.

Singularity Reactors


Singularity reactors are the most powerful type of power generation in the galaxy, exceeding even quantum taps in levels of sheer brute power. They function by using hyper-powerful gamma-ray lasers and gravitic fields to force degenerate matter to become a miniature black hole. The black hole thus created is far too small to consume a planet (despite the fears of the scientists who built the first singularity reactor) but are unstable and can dissipate in a flash of lethal radiation, requiring the creation of another.

Coronium


Coronium is a rare element, first discovered on the planet Corona II, Star Republic of Columbia (hence the name). It is a metallic element, about the density of iron, that functions primarily as a room-temperature superconductor. This gives it unparalleled uses in many fields of science, and even more in more practical uses, such as power relays and so forth. Coronium, when put into a liquid state, becomes an extraordinarily dangerous substance, as it becomes dangerously and powerfully explosive (many states have adopted Coronium-based explosives, as they are more suited for certain tasks than conventional explosives).

Quantum Taps

Quantum taps never run out, as a result of how they function. Simply put, they tap the energy of the fabric of space-time itself. However, while the source of energy they tap is infinite, or so close to infinite as to make no difference, quantum taps can only channel a tiny trickle of that energy, so, while they never run out, they can only provide a limited amount of power at a time.

Reactionless Drives

Reactionless drives are a varied suite of technologies, however they all do the same thing, move a ship without any need for reaction mass. The most advanced reactionless drives make use of gravitic manipulation technology to drive the ship forward, however lesser reactionless drives make use of less esoteric techniques. Reactionless drives, due to the fact that they require vast amounts of energy, only exist on the largest starships, such as the Star-Dreadnoughts of interstellar fleets.

Psy-inhibitors

Psy-inhibitors are devices that render psychics impossible to function via using electromagnetic fields to disrupt the part of the brain used to direct psychic powers. Not to be confused with psy-disruptors - which make areas invisible to telepathy or clairvoyance - psy-inhibitors are part of many law enforcement agencies that deal with psionic-capable individuals.
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Re: Czernobog's General Universe Ideas Thread

Post by Heretic »

*inserting my opinion on your work :P*
And of course there is the mandatory reference to Lady Gaga.
That is starting to become a thing. Last time I read about your Gaga reference she was president :D
Star Republic of Columbia
Is this part of the Galaxy Rising collab too?
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Re: Czernobog's General Universe Ideas Thread

Post by Magister Militum »

Jesus, what a fucked up group of lunatics. I'd like to know how badly we screwed up to create those states...
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Germania your game is through, now you're gonna answer to... The Freestates! Fuck Yeah! Now lick my balls and suck on my cock! Freestates, Fuck Yeah! Coming in to save the motherfuckin' day! Rock and roll, fuck yeah! Television, fuck yeah! DVDs, fuck yeah! Militums, fuck yeah! - Shroomy
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Re: Czernobog's General Universe Ideas Thread

Post by Czernobog »

Heretic wrote:*inserting my opinion on your work :P"
You're more than welcome.
And of course there is the mandatory reference to Lady Gaga.
That is starting to become a thing. Last time I read about your Gaga reference she was president :D
I know it's insane, I know, but the music JUST WILL NOT STOP.
Star Republic of Columbia
Is this part of the Galaxy Rising collab too?
Sadly, no. This my own 'verse foremost, though I'd be happy to see others write for it.
Magister Militum wrote:Jesus, what a fucked up group of lunatics. I'd like to know how badly we screwed up to create those states...
Quite, judging by the hints I've given of human history.
You have ruled this galaxy for ten thousand years.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
We taught the galaxy these things.

And we shall do so again.
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Re: Czernobog's General Universe Ideas Thread

Post by Czernobog »

Flag of the Kaiserreich:
LeV4X.png
LeV4X.png (39.67 KiB) Viewed 14774 times
You have ruled this galaxy for ten thousand years.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
We taught the galaxy these things.

And we shall do so again.
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Re: Czernobog's General Universe Ideas Thread

Post by Heretic »

Oh how you love to spite people, Kamin! :P
Computers are like Old Testament gods; lots of rules and no mercy.
-Joseph Campbell
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Re: Czernobog's General Universe Ideas Thread

Post by Magister Militum »

Heretic wrote:Oh how you love to spite people, Kamin! :P
Sigged for accuracy and the sheer hilarity of the statement.
Democratic Socialist | Atheist | Transhumanist | Bright Green Environmentalist | Worldbuilder | IT Professional |


Germania your game is through, now you're gonna answer to... The Freestates! Fuck Yeah! Now lick my balls and suck on my cock! Freestates, Fuck Yeah! Coming in to save the motherfuckin' day! Rock and roll, fuck yeah! Television, fuck yeah! DVDs, fuck yeah! Militums, fuck yeah! - Shroomy
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Re: Czernobog's General Universe Ideas Thread

Post by Czernobog »

Eh, what the Hell...

(Yes, this is inspired somewhat by 40K. But only a tiny amount)

Sic Transit Gloria Mundi


It is the year 10,000 AD, 3,000 years after the collapse of the Terran Supremacy. The galaxy of man has just begun to re-emerge from a new dark age, an age of fire and blood which destroyed the Supremacy. From High Merika to the Empire of Aquilium and the Dominion of the Great Khagan, the galaxy is divided into warring states and petty fiefs. The Magister Templi, lord of the Universal Church, attempts to bring peace and order, but his efforts are continually thwarted.

Important Concepts

The Supremacy

The Terran Supremacy was the galaxy-governing government and empire of all mankind. However, 3,000 years ago it fell. The cause of this is unknown - some postulate invasion, others plague or hyperspace-squalls, some the malefic touch of the Animus Ferrata, yet others rebellion and civil war, and the more religious the wrath of Heaven. But one thing is clear. The wars fought in its death-spasms were great and epic, killing stars, devouring systems in black holes and creating supernovae - as a result, its throne-world, Terra the home-world of mankind, has been lost for thousands of years. The Supremacy is commonly understood to have had seven Emperors:
  • Tellurius Maximus
  • Valerius Magnus
  • Regulus Superbus
  • Andreas Stefanius
  • Julianus Numero
  • Alexandros Magnus
  • Marcus Superbus
But these are more figures of folklore than serious historiography. The technology of the Supremacy was vastly superior to what exists presently, and so its old garrisons and arsenals are regularly searched for the slightest traces of old Supremacy technology.

Technocrats

The Technocrats are the remnants of the old scientist-conclaves and manufacturer-combines of the Supremacy, and are much like the guilds of Earth's middle ages. As the Supremacy fell they began to focus on preserving what still existed rather than striving for higher researches, and as a result science and research became forgotten. The Technocrats keep the knowledge of high technology reserved to themselves to enhance their power, and are a powerful force in the galaxy alongside the feudal kingdoms and the Church. Almost all starships and other examples of high technology are built by the Technocrats on their manufactorum-worlds given wholly over to factories.

The Universal Church

The Universal Church is a religion built on the foundations of the Abrahamic faiths, the ancient Catholic sect of Christianity in particular. As key articles of faith it holds the Crucifixion and the Resurrection paramount. It has many quarrels with secular rulers - the Emperors of Aquilium in particular.

States

Empire of Aquilium

The Empire of Aquilium is the most powerful state in the western area of the galaxy. It is divided into four Sectors - Aurelianum, Aquilium, Suessiones and Isaurium, each ruled by a governor firmly in his place. The Emperor claims direct descent from the Supremacy, and has enough clout that many listen to him. However, the Empire borders the chaotic Sword Worlds and the mighty Tsardom of Rus, which results in some of its frontiers being in a nigh-constant state of war.

High Merika

High Merika claims descent from multiple ancient states (Rome, Britannia, North America, the ancient Anglo-American Union) and the Supremacy via the principle of translatio imperii. Merika's throne-world is the city-planet of Columbia Prime, however the authority of its crown is low and the King-President's many vassals are practically autonomous. High Merika is close to and often at war with the Seigneur of Franca.

Seigneury of Franca

Franca is a highly centralised state. The monarch, the Seigneur of Franca, has high authority and his vassals are slaves to his whim. However, Franca is caught between High Merika and the Kingdom of Hochschwaben and is often at war with one or both over some insignificant star system or planet. These wars tend to leave Franca bankrupt and start cycles of instability, and as a result Franca's levels of prestige and fame are low.

(WiP)
You have ruled this galaxy for ten thousand years.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
We taught the galaxy these things.

And we shall do so again.
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Re: Czernobog's General Universe Ideas Thread

Post by Heretic »

Love it. Has the Dune-Foundation-Space Fantasyesque politics to it. Wonder what the aliens are like?
Computers are like Old Testament gods; lots of rules and no mercy.
-Joseph Campbell
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Re: Czernobog's General Universe Ideas Thread

Post by Czernobog »

Heretic wrote:Love it. Has the Dune-Foundation-Space Fantasyesque politics to it. Wonder what the aliens are like?
Eh, I decided not to put in aliens.
You have ruled this galaxy for ten thousand years.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
We taught the galaxy these things.

And we shall do so again.
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