Lore
Welcome to the DieselPunk13 Lore page!
The pages and links within contain in-character content which pertains to the game's universe that may or may not be represented in-game mechanically, and is more meant to provide background information on which to build worlds and characters off of. It is commonly known as "fluff" due to this. Things such as a planet's economics or a species' culture are two such examples of lore that serves as fluff, which can then be used in a character's background to provide more immersive detail. The vast majority of these pages can be read as if your character is reading it unless stated otherwise. Please keep in mind that the content within however can be changed or edited at any time as corrections to help maintain continuity are not unheard of. If you have any questions, comments or concerns about the lore, please contact User:DerFlammenwerfer for more information.
Introduction
In the year of 2920...
What was once a small colony founded by exodites from the Sol Federation has in the span of three hundred years swelled into a great capital city. Following the bluespace cascade of the mid 2600’s which made extradimensional space travel with navigational equipment and bluespace drives of the time impossible, the recent advent of various forms of Metaphysics spawned a golden age of societal, scientific, and economic growth. The population naturally grew as well. As individuals and groups came into conflicts with one another over space and resources, Prospectors, under the leadership of their Foremans, took it upon themselves to strike out into the wilderness in search of locations with resources and land to support new settlements. With this rise of these colonial upstarts, however, a sleeping giant began to stir once more. Federal fleets from the heart of Sol, guided through Bluespace by a cadre of prescient Psions known as Navigators, began to find their way into Coalition space, seeming to assume they once again had the element of surprise. This time, however, Xianjian, Nadezhda, Valkyr, and Krios were, jointly, more than prepared for the return of their old foes .
With the vast bounty of raw materials Nadezhda was able to provide, nearly two millennia of ship-building and aeronautics experience of the Valkyr Republic, the advances of Krios in metallurgy and ballistics, and Xianjian’s expertise in robotics and energistics, the newly founded Coalition Navy was outfitted with fleets of heavily armed, armored, and shielded vessels, capable of turning the tide of the conflict around in the exodites’ favor. Sol’s occupation of most of the rest of the galaxy continues to give it an advantage in terms of sheer numbers and industrial output as any civilization as large and as long-lived should, of course, but the advancements in naval technology by the Coalition as a whole allow it to fight against Solar forces in much the same manner as Russia fought Sweden and later Nazi Germany on Earth; Dragging it into an extended conflict and stretching the opposing forces thin, as well as sending partisans to interfere with supply lines and sow disorder in a nation that relies so heavily on the nearby subjugated worlds to remain competitive in its expansion efforts. Xianese “Marionette” commandos - soulless bodies crafted of synthetic flesh and EMP-shielded augmetics, wired up at the nervous system to a control chip for remote linkage to a positronic brain - ambushed and assassinated ranking Federal officials across many rimworlds to show their citizens that Sol could be beaten if taken off-guard and by storm.
What’s more, the relative rarity of metaphysical operancy was compounded with the further rarity of operancy in the Divination category to the point of making a full-scale invasion of Coalition space unsustainable in the long term, as the Federation would not be able to commit its full resources to the war effort, while the Coalition Navy did not require prescient navigators to fight a defensive war. Xianese Commandos lanced deep into Solar rim territories and began paving the way for open rebellion to disrupt supply lines further, and the Kriosan Kaiserreich and Valkyr Republic seized upon the weaknesses in the Solar front, Valkyrian Argosy fleets blockading worlds used by the Feds as holdout positions while the Imperial Vorhut marines took the battle down to the planetary surface, where they fought at their hardest with rebel support. By the year 2900, all of the pre-subjugation Kriosan and Xianese territories had been freed from Solar rule, and the way had been paved for worlds across the entire Perseus Arm to begin liberating themselves.
TL;DR
Around 250 years after the Bluespace Cascade, a small percentage of almost every intelligent species began to exhibit a number of varying Metaphysical abilities, one example of which being able to glimpse into the future and, with sufficient training, use such prescience to plot a safe and accurate course through bluespace. SolFed invaded the Perseus Arm Coalition, who had since come to a number of agreements detailed in a treaty known as the Nadezhda Accord some time in the mid 2700s.
This unification led to a golden age for all Coalition member-states, and a humiliating military defeat for Sol-Fed, sending public support in Sol for the continuation of the Third Unification War into decline. Several worlds throughout the Perseus Arm are in open rebellion against Sol, and the decision on whether to be insular and simply keep raiding Solar ships and facilities, to focus on regional stability and bring neighboring systems into the Commonwealth, or even to do nothing beyond the scope of the city rests solely on the shoulders of its citizens.
Standard Information
Here is the basic information that you should look over to get acquainted with the lore, background, and fluff of the Sojourn universe.
The Map
Nadezhda has grown much out onto the surface, and is roughly divided into three distinct districts: The Inner City, the Outer City, and the Lower City. Bordering between the Outer City and the forest are the walls, which house an automated laser defense grid and a gatehouse on the south side as well as a small Rifleman barracks underground with automated hydroponics and other amenities. Beyond the wall is the Forest kept lush by the robust recycling systems of the city, minimal deforestation, and careful tending by the Feyfolken.
The Districts
The Inner City is where the middle and upper class citizens live and most of the permanent businesses and departments are located. It is patrolled and kept orderly by the Provosts; the police branch of the Blackshields, and it is here that all members of the City Council may live and convene to discuss matters of import.
The Outer City, on the other hand, is where most of the working and lower class citizens live. Provosts don’t like patrolling there much, so in many cases it’s up to the locals to police themselves. The silver lining is that, with the violent crime and drug distribution that tends to happen in the area from time to time, the Orden Hospitaller (Knights Hospitaller) have chosen to locate their monastery here, providing emergency treatment, sanctuary, paramedics, and humanitarian aid for the district, free of charge.
The Lower City, encompassing the sewer tunnels of the entire city, is a place of violence and anarchy where those individuals that have been forced into hiding either by the Provosts or by the communities they used to live in now dwell. Gangs, dangerous predators, and roach infestations are frequently found here, and it is seen as either a sign of mental illness or terrifying robustness to enter this godforsaken place by choice. If someone goes missing, the Hospitallers might send an echelon of knights here to search for them. The Catacombs can only be accessed by finding the entrance to them somewhere in the Lower City.
The Forest
The Forest, stretching out across the entire continent of Ysa, is the home of the Seelie courts of Spring and Summer. It is also home to beasts of many kinds, both fey and mundane, hostile and passive. It is a place of great beauty, and assuming one has the know-how and the will to do so, one can survive and even thrive in this vast wilderness on their own. There are even some non-Fey cultures focused on survivalism. One such culture is that of the Jaegers, formed from traditions originating before the rise of the Kriosan Kaiserreich. Another example is the nomadic Saardukar subculture of the Maunkyne, whose origins lie in the deserts of Onkarth and later Amethyn’s desert moon. The best-known survivalist culture to Nadezhda, however, is that of the Prospectors. Their forward operating base is a bunker within the forest, from which a series of tunnels span out to make navigation belowground far easier than it would be on the surface.
The Zones
There are a number of procedurally generated zones, each with different methods of accessing them. Nearly all of these have one form of megafauna or another within them and should only be entered by those who are well-prepared to face these harsh environments. In many cases, each zone will provide rewards that are useful for taking on one or more of the others, and eventually a vote can be called after all zones are cleared to perform the generation again. Currently, the only two zones that are available are the Greyson Positronics compound hidden away in the Forest and the Lower City’s Catacombs.
The Points of Interest
There are also a number of static locations scattered out in the wilderness, some more dangerous than others. Additionally, some enterprising citizens might find their constructions growing in popularity and becoming fixed points of interest as well. At the same time, some structures that get destroyed or fall into disrepair may likewise see that reflected in the map going forward.
The Departments
Throughout the city, there are a number of permanent, large-scale establishments. Most of these are located in the Inner City, with perhaps two or three in the Outer district, and are each important to the city in their own ways. For instance, the Artificer Guild is responsible for providing electricity and manufacturing to the entire city, and Lonestar Shipping Solutions handles imports, exports, sales, and services on a grand scale. With the disbandment of the Soteria Institute’s local academies, bleeding-edge research labs and civilian hospitals have since become government subsidiaries in the form of the Expeditionary Corps and the Nadezhda Medical Service respectively. In the case of the latter, tending to the medical needs of the city is a duty shared with the Orden Hospitaller.
The City Council
Composed primarily of each department’s Head of Staff (or in the absence of a staff officer, their respective lieutenant), the City Council also includes lawyers and litigators who are responsible for interpreting the law, judging whether or not a violation of a department’s Standard Operating Procedure constitutes a violation of the laws, and whether or not it warrants permanent recording in the case that it is. In the event that one person or party wishes to take another to court, it is also the City Council’s duty to glance over requests for arbitration, both criminal and civil, and decide if there is enough evidence to warrant litigation, and to provide legal counsel for any criminals that successfully petition for trial. Depending on the circumstances, this may either be one of the public defenders, a lawyer the defendant can afford, or the defendant’s Head of Staff. The Premier is responsible for acting as an impartial judge in such proceedings, while the Steward safeguards the financial security of the city and the departments, protecting them from defraudation.
The Artificer Guild
At the head of Nadezhda’s manufacturing sector sits the Artificer Guild. Guild Adepts are some of the finest machinists and engineers in the Perseus Arm, and it is they who are chiefly responsible for maintaining the city’s power grid and ventilation systems in the event they become damaged. They possess full manufacturing rights to a number of unique technologies, ranging from armored environment suits to powerful man-portable railguns, and they also have specialized machinery with which to manufacture boxes of ammunition, which they subsequently tend to sell in bulk. Additionally, they also sell all manner of other devices and technology they manage to acquire templates for, as well as tool and armor upgrades. They are not permitted to manufacture firearms for the purpose of sale within the city, except via a valid contract with a licensed arms dealer, such as technicians working for Nadezhda Shipping and Salvage or the Blackshields’ Armorer. The Artificer Guild as a department is run by its Guild Master, while the Grandmaster represents it on the High Council.
The Nadezhda State Research Academy
At the head of Nadezhda’s manufacturing sector sits the Artificer Guild. Guild Adepts are some of the finest machinists and engineers in the Perseus Arm, and it is they who are chiefly responsible for maintaining the city’s power grid and ventilation systems in the event they become damaged. They possess full manufacturing rights to a number of unique technologies, ranging from armored environment suits to powerful man-portable railguns, and they also have specialized machinery with which to manufacture boxes of ammunition, which they subsequently tend to sell in bulk. Additionally, they also sell all manner of other devices and technology they manage to acquire templates for, as well as tool and armor upgrades. They are not permitted to manufacture firearms for the purpose of sale within the city, except via a valid contract with a licensed arms dealer, such as technicians working for Nadezhda Shipping and Salvage or the Blackshields’ Armorer. The Artificer Guild as a department is run by its Guild Master, while the Grandmaster represents it on the High Council.
Cybernetics Division
Responsible for maintaining and improving the integrity and capabilities of the city’s robots, exosuits, drones, and the Master Control Mainframe. More broadly, anything falling within the category of ‘robotics’ is the responsibility of this division.
Biology Division
Responsible for studying flora and fauna both familiar and foreign, as well as research involving Genetics and Virology, which are the most steeply regulated fields of science within the Commonwealth. As an aside, some medical doctors are trained in this division of the Academy.
Archaeology Divison
Responsible for studying alien technology, fossilized remains, and ruins. This division also excavates and studies artifacts and anomalies, and determines how best to apply what they’ve learned to create new cutting-edge technology.
The Nadezhda Black Guard
Archaically named for their distinctive dark, shield-shaped badge, the Nadezhda 1st Infantry Regiment, a.k.a the “Black Guard,” is the official name of Nadezhda’s standing army. It is organized into three companies; The mechanized infantry referred to as “Blackshield_Troopers,” the militarized police force referred to as “Provosts,” and the Honor Guard referred to as “Guardsmen.” Each of them serves a different role in protecting the city, but they also each share a common chain of command, each being led on the operational level by a mid-grade commissioned and a senior noncommissioned officer, who in turn all answer to the leadership of a common senior officer. The entire regiment is led at the top level by the Colonel, who holds a seat on the High Council.
Mechanized Infantry
Colloquially referred to as ‘the military’ by Nadezhda’s civilians, the Mechanized Infantry company is responsible for ensuring the security of the city from external threats, namely pirates, the Solar Federation, Excelsior, and any hostile Greyson control mainframes. They are so-named for their use of exosuits, powered armor, and supporting vehicles such as MBTs and IFVs in conjunction with versatile infantry tactics and quickly adapting strategies to the forces they are embattled with. As a detachment, the Mechanized Infantry is led by the Major and seconded by the Sergeant Major, and in times of emergency or on matters of military operations, both have the sworn duty and highest authority to protect Nadezhda and its citizens from external threats.
Provosts
The Provost company serves as the Military Police force for Nadezhda. Provosts are responsible for law enforcement within the city as well as investigating crimes and apprehending internal threats. All Provosts have basic forensics training, but in cases where a corpse is discovered and the cause of death is unknown, they typically rely on the aid of State-trained medical doctors or Corpsmen from the Mechanized Infantry to perform autopsies. Provost Officers also hold the rank of Master-At-Arms, meaning that they have the authority to detain almost any enlisted military personnel for questioning pursuant to an investigation, or order said personnel to assist them in an arrest if their own equipment is insufficient, though the orders of the Major overrule this, and the Sergeant Major can overrule this in a code red emergency. Provosts are commanded by their Marshal (a Major) first, and their Warrant Officer second.
Honor Guard
The Honor Guard fulfills a mostly ceremonial, but important duty to the Commonwealth. They are responsible for protecting members of the City Council during emergencies, and protecting the government’s civic structures from terrorist groups, enemy military forces, and petty criminals. Guardsmen are commissioned officers holding the rank of 1st Lieutenant, and are led by a Watch Captain. The Watch Captain is not a member of the Council and holds a lower office than the Majors of the other companies, but answers only to the Colonel, the law, and his own standing orders. They use shoulder-mounted shock lances, and wear atomically-powered RIG suits whilst on active duty.
Nadezhda Shipping and Salvage
A private enterprise originally founded by the Volkov family, it has risen to the role of state-sponsored distributor following the death of Lonestar Shipping Solutions’ CEO during a business negotiation gone wrong with an as-yet unidentified group of Void Wolves. Lonestar was then purchased by the family, and the Prospectors merged under the new leadership with the promise of lucrative pay for their consistently lucrative work. Much like their predecessors, NSS is responsible for pretty much all shipping and trade into and out of the Commonwealth. Additionally, NSS is also the holding company for the Inner City’s bar, nightclub, cafeteria, and hydroponic farms, and thus pays the wages of the employees there. The company is overseen at the High Council level by its current CEO, Dimitri Volkov, but the department level management is performed by a Resource Officer, who keeps track of the company finances and sales. The Resource Officer has two middle-management positions that directly oversee the two largest functions, shipping and salvaging. Respectively, these are the Warehouse Manager, and the Prospector Foreman, either of which can represent the interests of the company to the City Council in the absence of the Resource Officer.
Warehouse
Located mostly in the sublevels of the Inner City, the Warehouse is practically a miniature city in and of itself, encompassing the largest portion of the lower sublevels. Reasons for this are a subject of debate, but the commonly accepted one is that the Prospectors typically scavenged in the old tunnels and opted to fix up some of the facilities that had been either abandoned or simply never completed as the colony grew into a City and out onto the surface. It also facilitates easy trade with the Academy and the Guild, and with other locations in the Commonwealth that are connected to Nadezhda via the railway.
Mining Base
Deep down into the Caverns, a mining base was constructed to allow Nadezhda to take advantage of the rich mineral content beneath the surface of Ysa.
Timeline
For a general overview of when the Big Things happened, check here.
Laws
These are the rules of Nadezhda, and should be followed during your stay on the colony. This is not only for your fellow colonists safety, but for your own as well.
Nearby Factions
Background groups and forces you should probably be aware of.
Colony Factions
Eight major groups have come together to form the different departments located within Nadezhda. The Soteria Institute, Artificers Guild, Prospectors, Marshals, Lonestar Shipping Solutions, the Church of Absolute, and the Blackshield. Each are equally as important as the other, and have their roles to play to further the survival of the colony.
Occupations
Each department has its own occupations located within, each handling the different aspects of the department to make sure it runs smoothly. It is good advice to listen to each faction leader while within their department, and while under their employ.
Guides
Each occupation has different tasks that must be completed within the day. Startup procedures are critical tasks while others are of less priority, but each help make sure that the colony is in perfect working order.
Species
On your time aboard, you will notice that Nadezhda is a rather inclusive colony and welcomes those from a wide variety of backgrounds and even species. When a people is referred to as a "core species", this is referring to registered species that represent a large portion of the colonist demographics and generally hail from their own culture and empire. Non-core species are recognized members of the colony but make up a much smaller demographic than within the general population.
