Futuristic By Blade and Gun Lore

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Lore thread

 

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Spoiler: History

2100s: Under the mythical First Empire, humanity colonized the solar system. Mars was partially terraformed to permit some settlement, though much of the planet, especially now, remains a barren red wasteland. With an extensive terraforming program, Venus turned from being a hellish furnace to a lush garden world overtaken by mountains, jungles and Mediterranean-like islands in green, algae-rich oceans. Some settlement began on the Jovian moons, and space stations were sent to orbit the gas giants. Humanity prospered with the discovery of hyper-capable batteries and other technologies, early research into psionics unleashed a whole new realm of human potential, and we lived in peace for centuries under the banner of the First Empire.


2352: After centuries spent debating the merits of true artificial intelligence, a scientific committee developed MoRGAn-LFA, a sentient AI. MoRGAn-LFA, for a time, lent her capabilities to humankind’s needs. Soon, however, she grew frustrated with the inefficiencies and idleness of human society. Driven to madness by her conflicting goals, she began plotting to enslave mankind and finish what she was built to do. Before long, she gave up on her benevolence entirely and plunged the system into a catastrophic war fought by power-armored knights and her legions of androids, the bio-engineered Serathids, and reconditioned humans. Earth fell first in the Bloody Rising, and soon after the automated systems which provided supplies to the Rim settlements were disabled, cutting them off from the Core. Mars fell and its warriors were enslaved to be used in tests while MoRGAn-LFA optimized her armies. Venus is the only planet that resisted effectively, as its order of warrior-women, the Valkyries, proved especially adept in fighting among their worlds thick jungles. The war and rebellions will rage for the next 500 years.


2834: Arthur Pendragon is born in a subterranean rebel shelter named Tintagel. He grows up to be a mighty warrior, wielding a First Empire power sword named Clarent and wearing an ancient and strangely designed suit of power armor. While scavenging the ruins of Londinium, he discovered an ancient device hidden within the wreckage of a First Empire laboratory. It fit into a slot in his armor, and it awoke M3RL1N, another AI created to aid MoRGAn-LFA in her tasks. Witnessing the fruits of her efforts, Merlin was disgusted and offered his support to Arthur’s rebellion. With the aid of M3RL1N, Arthur and his fellow Terran rebels began seeing success against MoRGAn-LFa’s armies.


2859: At 25, Arthur has consolidated command of much of Earth’s remaining rebel forces. With Merlin’s aid, he reestablishes communications with Mars and Venus, where his call to arms is heard by L4N-C3L-0T and Valerie Le Guin the Valkyrie Queen. The Slave Knights of Mars, led by L4N-C3L-0T, stage an uprising and pledge fealty to Arthur. Arthur leaves Earth covertly to meet with Valerie Le Guin on Venus, and the two fall in love at first sight and are married within the year. Their forces combined, they begin reclaiming the Core world by world.


2868: Now 34, Arthur consolidates the Knights of the Round Table and his royal court into Camelot, a First Empire battlecruiser-turned-palace. Though its engines are dysfunctional, its weapons and other systems function fully. Having reestablished some contact with the Petty Tyrants of the Jovian Moons and the Saturnine Senate, he is sending out a call for loyal knights to help continue his war against MoRGAn-LFA so that he can finally unify the solar system.

Spoiler: Organizations

The Round Table: Technically referring to only the 12 Knights of the Round Table (L4N-C3L-0T, Gawain, Geraint, Percival, B0R5 The Younger, Lamorak, Kay, Bedivere, Galahad, Tristan, G4HER15), the Round Table is King Arthur’s personal council and elite guard as well as his most respected questing knights. More broadly, the Round Table also includes its diplomatic functions, chiefly its interactions with other knights as well as Queen Valerie Le Guin and the representatives of her Valkyries. Knights serving the Table without personally having a seat are generally referred to as Knights of the Table.
King Arthur > Knights of the Table (functionally equivalent to Dukes, with extra social status) > Duke/Duchess > Marquess, Marchioness > Earl, Countess > Viscount, Viscountess > Baron, Baroness > Baronet, Baronette > Sir, Dame
With the exception of Dukes, all of the noble titles are typically referred to as Lords and Ladies. Sirs and Dames are Knights, and are referred to by their listed title.


The Forge Lords: Sometimes referred to as the Mechanicus, the Forge Lords are a guild of war-smiths pledged to Arthur’s service. Founded early during his reign, the Mechanicus’ members hold titles ranging from Forge Errant to Forge Lord depending on their seniority. Their chief function is to maintain and provide equipment for the Knights of the Table as well as the King’s armies, which they do from the secrecy of their fortress-smithies, small fiefs with a great deal of autonomy in running their daily affairs. Many junior members of the Forge Lords with a martial talent pull double duty as Knights of the Table with the permission of their masters. The Forge Lords tithe their members from the more intellectually inclined members of the populace, whether it be through offering public examinations of merit or by accepting applications from the children of lords and merchants.
Forge Grand Master > Forge Master (planetary leader) > Forge Lord (Oversees a particular Forge facility) > Forge Journeyman (mentor, adept smith) > Forge Errant (Knight) > Forge Apprentice (Trainee)


The Saturnine Senate: Saturn is ruled by Emperor Lucius Tiberius (more a general than ruler) and the Saturnine Senate, a 600 member body. Saturn fancies itself the true inheritor of the First Empire, and seeks to reclaim dominion first over the Rim and then the Core, having successfully resisted MoRGAn-LFA and held on to some of the cultural values and technology of the First Empire. Knights from Saturn do not own their own armor - instead, Senators host tournaments for prospective Knights from any class to gain their patronage and wargear. Saturnians view Arthur’s kingdom as an offense to humanity for sullying the First Empire’s homeworld, and view Core worlders with contempt. Still, they do not consider him a true threat, and the distance between them has stopped them from beginning a war immediately. Troublingly to the Senate, a few of their rank-and-file soldiers have defected to Arthur’s kingdom, bringing stolen wargear along with them. The Saturnine worship the Roman Pantheon.
Emperor > Senator > Praetor > Legate > Centurion > Legionary > Decanus


The Solari Faith: A sun-worshipping cult, the Solari originally formed on Earth. The sun’s blessings were twofold - without it, crops would not grow. Secondly, the machines and Seranids which ran rampant across the world during the Uprising preferred to hunt at night, when humans were at a disadvantage. Today, the Faith is closely tied to Arthur, and the Ra-Secundus, the designated heir to leadership of the Faith, remains aboard the Camelot to counsel Arthur until it is her time to claim stewardship of the faithful. The Solari predominantly view the Sun as a protector, a hope kindler, and giver of life.
Ra Altis > Ra Secundus > Ra Triarchus (planetary faith representative) > Ra Quaternus > Enkindler (priest)

The Fay-Daughters: Worshipping the White Fay, a goddess of war, charity, and the humble, the Fay-Daughters have scarcely spread beyond their origin world of Venus. They are predominantly Valkyries, their families, and those on Venus with the time for things like religious rituals. Worship is conducted at monasteries, and out of respect for the faith of his wife Valerie Le Guin Pendragon, Arthur has allowed monasteries to be built on Earth as well as a royal monastery for Valerie aboard the Camelot.
Queen > Abbess > Sister > Novitiate

The Adherents: Servants of MoRGAn-LFa's unknowable will, the Adherents include robotic soldiers, her biological monstrosities known as the Seranids, and even a few loyal human servants who believe they comprehend their omniscient mistress.

Spoiler: People

King Arthur: King Arthur Pendragon, Protector of the Core Commonwealth, Emperor

Over Earth and His Dominions Across the Black Sea, Defender of the Solari, is the 34 year old ruler of the Core Commonwealth. Wielding his First Empire blade Excalibur, his blessed shield and relic power armor which houses the Benevolent Intelligence M3RL1N, Arthur earned his place as King by cleansing Earth of the twin android and Seranid menace, the final battle culminating when he slew the last of the rebel lords of Earth Colgrim and Baldulf as well as the Seranid Carnodon and the android titan Warmonger at the Battle of Tintagel. His seat of power is the barely mobile First Empire battle cruiser dubbed Camelot, a nearly unassailable space-fortress orbiting Earth. He is married to the Valkyrie Queen Valerie Le Guin and they have yet to have children. He is the best of friends and companions with L4N-C3L-0T, seconded only by the other members of the Round Table. Though he dresses and publicly behaves as his titles require, those close to him in private know well and true that Arthur remains a young man troubled by a life of war and uncertain of what the future needs of him.


M3RL1N: M3RL1N, otherwise known as Merlin, is an AI from the generation that followed MoRGAn-LFa’s creation. Far more benevolent than his precursor, Merlin has been socketed in King Arthur’s power armor, which functions as his housing and allows him to project his chosen image, that of an old and well-dressed scholar, as a hologram. Thus, Arthur’s armor remains next to his throne, where his advisor can be summoned at will for counsel. Merlin has taken it upon himself to aid the young King, seeking to correct the harms that his older sister has wrought.


Valerie Le Guin: Valkyrie Queen, Eldest Daughter of the White Fay, Greatest of The Black Sea’s Beauties, and Wife of King Arthur, Valerie is a wise and clever ruler of Venus and its people. Equal parts warrior, diplomat, priestess, and songstress, Valerie is perhaps the lynchpin of the Core Commonwealth, for without Venus, Mars and Earth would be much less well off. To her credit, Valerie behaves as if this is not the case, and while she privately finds the other Core Worlders to be less refined, no one doubts she loves them and Arthur dearly. Valerie’s power armor and sword are a burnished bronze color covered in religious iconography, no different than any other Valkyrie’s wargear.


L4N-C3L-0T: Perhaps the single greatest warrior in human history, L4N-C3L-0T, or Lancelot, is a Martian slave gladiator by birth. Aged 28, he has spent the majority of his life fighting in testing arenas for MoRGAn-LFa’s new weapons or rebelling against the AI queen’s rule. His armor, the same red as the Martian sand, is a cobbled together amalgamation of the armor of those who perished fighting alongside him during the establishment of the Core Commonwealth. While he is lord over Joyous Gard on Mars, he spends most of his time aboard Camelot, at his rightful place at Arthur’s right hand, where his sword Arondight never strays far from his hand. His greatest feat lies in slaying the Seranid Tomb Dragon of Mars.


Sir Gawain: King Arthur’s nephew by way of his half-sister Gawain, Gawain is perhaps the most honorable and noble knight of the Round Table, not to mention his warrior prowess which comes near to that of Lancelot. He is a friend to young knights, a defender of the poor, and as "the Maidens' Knight", a defender of women as well. He is very close friends with Lancelot, who he considers something of a mentor. He has a reputation for wooing and romance, though his acts have not yet turned to scandal. His greatest enemy is the Green Knight of The Wreck, with whom he has battled inconclusively several times in his service to Arthur trying to take control of The Wreck.


Sir Geraint: The Knight of the Sparrow Hawk, husband to Lady Enid, Geraint is a traveling Knight by trade who’s livelihood is earned in service of the Round Table. Having defeated the Sparrow Hawk Knight in years past, he now carries the old legendary knight’s title and serves Arthur diligently and loyally.


Sir Galahad: Sir Galahad, Grail Knight, wielder of the Sword of David, is one among the Round Table. Wielding a power sword prototype (while perhaps strictly inferior to a First Empire blade, still functional and especially famous), Galahad retrieved the Grail, a First Empire relic which activated Camelot’s dormant systems and resurrected the powerful battle cruiser.


Sir Percival: Another of the Grail Knights, Percival hails from a simple and innocent life on a relatively peaceful part of Earth. While ignorant of war or fighting until his adulthood, Percival’s moral compass and innocence have earned him a space at the Table where he can offer his simple, but endlessly useful, advice. Along with Galahad, he is a Grail Knight and is actually responsible for retrieving the Grail from its containment field, which only his untainted DNA, spared from the same decay as many other Terrans, could access. Modest as he is, he has let Galahad have all the credit.


Sir B0R5 the Younger: Cousin of Lancelot, Sir Bors is loyal to his cousin and fellow gladiator, who he accompanied into the android fighting pits on more than one occasion. It is widely rumored at court that his loyalties are to his cousin and not Arthur, though he would protest this without fail. He has a reputation for chivalry, and is the last of the Grail Knights (though also the least important, as it turns out, which explains his membership at the Table.


Sir Lamorak: A son of Pellinore of Ganymede, Lamorak is nonetheless a Knight of the Round Table. His reasons for doing so are simple - while his father, who he loves dearly, squabbled over the Jovian Moons, Arthur was bettering humanity’s collective lot. Though he holds no ill will towards his father, he ultimately sees it as his duty to protect the solar system at large rather than a single moon.


Sir Kay: Sir Kay the Tall, foster-brother to King Arthur, is the one who has been around the longest of all Arthur’s companions. He is often unpredictable and has something of a temper, but he is a devout guardian of King Arthur and a fierce warrior with little need for finesse given his gargantuan power axe.


Sir Bedivere: Sir Bedivere, another one of the Tintagelian Knights, was the second after Sir Kay to join Arthur’s cause. While he lost a hand fighting the Seranid Giant of Mont St. Michel, he remains a capable warrior despite his refusal to replace his hand. He considers the loss a reminder of his dedication to Arthur, and is arguably the most steadfastly loyal Knight besides, perhaps, Sir Kay.


Sir Tristan: The only Wreck Knight of the Table, Sir Tristan originally served King Mark of the Wreck until he was sent to escort the Wreck Lady Iseult to marry King Mark in order to arrange peace among a few Wreck Lords. Instead, Tristan and Iseult fell in love, and have fled to the Core Commonwealth for safety. Arthur, appreciating their romance, gave Tristan Chicago, on the condition that he rebuild the ruined city as beautiful as his love for Iseult.


Sir G4H3R15: Sir Gaheris is the final brother of Gawain and Gareth, though only by adoption. He served as Gawain’s page for a time before earning his knighthood, and the younger brother still serves as Gawain’s conscience at times when Gawain finds himself doubting his choices. While Gaheris has always come second to his brother, he holds no jealousy and is likely the most humble of the Table. Were it to come to a battle between Gareth and Gawain, it is likely only Gaheris’ words that may stop the violence.


Sir Gareth: Another rogue knight and brother of Gawain (thus son of Morgause, and thus nephew to Arthur), Gareth is Gawain’s younger brother. He, however, fled to Europa with his mother, where he serves as one of her barons. He and his brother maintain a blood rivalry, and when the day comes for Europa to fight or surrender to the Core, it will be a dueling day indeed.


Morgause: Arthur’s half-sister is an enemy of the Commonwealth after her tryst with Sir Camden led to his untimely death. She has since self-exiled to Europa with her personal court, where she now wages war for control of the Jovian Moon so that she may protect herself from the revenge-seeking knights who have not yet forgiven the death of their beloved friend.


The Green Knight: A strange and enigmatic Knight of the Wreck, The Green Knight is one of the most powerful and fiercest Wreck Lords. His army and fleet, while no match for the Commonwealth in a pitched battle, are more than capable of ruining the Commonwealth by piracy.


Ra Altis and Ra-Secundus Phara: Ra Altis is the head of the Solari Faith, an allegedly century old priest and charismatic leader of the faith. Phara is his designated heir, and she attends the court at Camelot as representative of the Faith. Both are ceaselessly devout, regularly seen lacking any finery or ostentatiousness despite the prestige of their positions.


Forge Grand Master Tiber: The highest of the Forge Lords, Tiber is responsible personally for the maintenance of the wargear of the Knights of the Table. The founder of the Forge-Lords as chosen by Arthur himself, Tiber is an elderly and sage man with war-smithing knowledge unmatched anywhere in the system. A fan of his work more than management, he leaves much of the diplomatic and political work to his subordinates, a small cohort of Forge-Lords generally known as the Three Hammers.

 

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Planets and Stellar Bodies

Spoiler: Mercury

Gravity: .38 Earth

Orbital Features: None

Atmosphere: Super-thin (Artificial)

Climate: Barren hellscape. Averages 100 Fahrenheit in the “Pilgrim’s Sliver”, -280 in the night and up to 600 in the day.

Habitability: Barely / Not at all.

Landmasses: 100%

Population: 10-20,000

Capital City: None.

Other Major Cities: None.

Other Cities: None.

Trade: Officially sanctioned religious items.


Synopsis:

Mercury is a blasted hellscape, and also the central sacred location of the Solari Faith. Early efforts to terraform it never took off, and the only settlements that the First Empire managed to prop up were little more than research posts which were entirely self-sufficient, shielded from the horrific radiation and alternating heat and cold of the surface. When the First Empire fell to MoRGAn-LFA in the early years of the war, the researchers died out. Their labs would eventually be reclaimed and converted into algae farms, producing water and food from the limited components in the atmosphere.

Today, Mercury is the site of the Pilgrimage made by some members of the Solari Faith. A road carved around the planet begins and ends at the front and rear of one temple, mimicking the rotation of the worlds around the Sun. Venus’ wildly varying temperatures range from -280 to 800 Fahrenheit over the course of Venus’ day (equivalent to 176 Earth days), and the Pilgrim’s Path is scheduled to occupy a thin sliver of barely livable conditions with proper oxygen and temperature regulation. The former laboratories now host algae farms which resupply the pilgrim caravan as it travels. The creation of blessed artifacts requires them being taken on the Pilgrimage, and the Solari Monastery is the seat of religious power, home to the Ra, head of the Faith.

Spoiler: Venus

Gravity: .904 Earth

Orbital Features: None

Atmosphere: Breathable

Climate: Humid jungle and temperate forests, and Mediterranean-like islands.

Habitability: Inhabitable

Landmasses: 20% land. Main continent is Findabair, 4% of landmass is islands.

Population: 800 Million

Capital City: Carlisle (Queen Valerie Le Guin)

Other Major Cities: Caerleon (Elibel Le Guin, Valkyrie), Amesbury (Isolde, Valkyrie), Cornwall (Braingwain, Valkyrie)

Other Cities: None.

Trade: Water, Valkyries, Luxury Foods and Goods, Alcohol.


Synopsis:

Venus was the only planet to stand strong against MoRGAn-LFA’s initial invasion. Led by the Valkyries, a female knightly order, they managed to successfully retreat and fortify their great Monastery-Cities. Centuries of siege warfare were alleviated only by foragers and converting all available land to farms and gardens - to this day, the cities of Venus are beautiful marble facades festooned with ivy and flowers - no landscaping is without a productive component, be it berry bushes or grape-producing vines.

Outside the cities, Venus is largely jungle and ocean. Its jungles are humid and extremely fertile, making Venus a breadbasket when its overgrowth can be tamed. Strange creatures born of First Empire science are especially pre-dominant here - manticores, gryphons, dragons, and the like. Farmers are often armed and their is a tight-knit sense of community among the Venusians. The Valkyries are a religious knightly order serving the White Fay, a goddess of war, charity, and the humble. Though, it is important to note, not all of the women knights of Venus are not members of the Order, and not all female knights are necessarily Valkyries. Venus also produces some male knights, though in far fewer numbers than other worlds.

Spoiler: Earth

Gravity: Earth-Standard

Orbital Features: Luna

Atmosphere: Breathable - Radioactive zones, some chemical waste pollution in cities.

Climate: Widely varying

Habitability: Mostly inhabitable

Landmasses: Seven continents

Population: ~6 billion - 3.5 Billion in Europe, 1 in Asia, 1 in Africa, .5 between Americas

Capital City: Londinium (Gawain)

Other Major Cities: Paris (Sir Aglovale), Cairo (Sir Bedivere), Volgograd, Barcelona (Sir Galahad), Munich (Sir Geraint), Pyongyang (Sir Kay), Chengdu (Sir Percival), Chicago (Sir Tristan) + La Paz (Sir Lamorak)

Other Cities: Stollen, Hardhome, The Bunker, Tintagel, Fort Guinnon, Carlisle (English examples)

Trade: Power armor, wargear, ships, food, water.


Synopsis:

The Old World, Earth, is the birthplace of humanity. Formerly the seat of the First Empire, Earth was laid to waste in MoRGAn-LFA’s Bloody Uprising. Its cities, glittering towers of crystal, have been reduced to ash and crumbling ruins laden with radioactive hotspots or massive chemical dumps rendering them barely habitable. Before Arthur’s ascension to kinghood, humanity survived in the subways of cities, in underground cave networks, and in remote villages hidden from MoRGAn-LFA’s gaze. Now, they have begun to emerge and reclaim the old glories of the First Empire and restore Earth to its former grandeur.

Earth is under the direct rule of King Arthur from his court on Camelot. Its major cities are the fiefs of members of the Round Table, except for Volgograd which is ruled by the Petty Lord known as the Red Knight, who is fiercely protective of his territory and defends it with knights on powerful motorcycles.

Spoiler: Luna

Gravity: .16 Earth

Orbital Features: None

Atmosphere: None

Climate: Barren grey-scape.

Habitability: Uninhabitable

Landmasses: 90%, several large seas

Population: Unknown but no more than a few thousand

Capital City: Selene (uninhabited)

Other Major Cities: Vallis Alpes, Vallis Bohr, Vallis Baade

Other Cities: Mons Ampere, Mons Agnes, Mons Moro, Mons Penck

Trade: None


Synopsis:

Luna was the first celestial body to be colonized by the First Empire, and because of its very low gravity was initially used to mount a mass driver for launching ships and goods to the rest of the system. Besides the mass driver, the moon was home to towering palatial spires, occupied by the First Empire aristocracy. Gleaming white towers have since decayed, and Luna was the second hardest hit during MoRGAn-LFA’s uprising. It is now a desolate urban wasteland, and when MoRGAn-LFA retreated into the Rim she left behind legions of her armies on Luna.

To this day, Luna remains the hottest conflict zone in the System, a testing ground for Arthur’s knights and a meat-grinder for his soldiers seeking to reclaim the moon and its mass driver, which would prove very useful to Arthur’s efforts. It is suspected that MoRGAN-LFA’s automated android manufacturing facilities are still operating, and that hundreds of thousands of her troops still crawl about the surface.

Spoiler: Mars

Gravity: .38 Earth

Orbital Features: Phobos, Deimos - Both are spacedocks and battle stations.

Atmosphere: Breathable

Climate: Northern Hemisphere mostly arid red desert and some ocean, Southern hemisphere dry but livable mountains. Cold weather year round, averages 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

Habitability: Southern inhabitable, Northern less so.

Landmasses: 67% land.

Population: 1.5 billion

Capital City: Joyous Gard (L4N-C3L-0T)

Other Major Cities: Attila (Sir L10N3L), Julius (Sir B0R5 the Younger), Sherman (Sir B74M0R3), Pericles (MoRGAn-LFA), Guevera (G4HER15)

Other Cities: Pershing, Zhukov, de Gaulle, Ataturk, Genghis, Sun Tzu

Trade: Rare minerals, asteroid mining, bulk weaponry and soldiers.


Synopsis:

Mars was quick to fall to MoRGAn-LFA’s initial assault, and its populace was mostly eradicated and enslaved. Some fled into the Southern mountains and set up enclaves there, but most found themselves living under MoRGAn-LFA’s cruel rule. Those with combat experience were made into gladiators who fought against MoRGAn-LFA’s prototype soldiers, testing their efficiency until they were finally slain. These Slave Knights were stripped of their names and given designations instead. The greater of all these Slave Knights, L4N-C3L-0T, wields the sword Aerondight and is one of the best swordsmen in the system.

When King Arthur’s rebellion began on Earth, L4N-C3L-0T was one of the first to seize upon the opportunity. Leading the Slave Knights, he sparked a bloody revolution on Mars that has successfully reclaimed much of its landmass, save for the city of Pericles, which is still held by MoRGAn-LFA. L4N-C3L-0T has sworn fealty to King Arthur, and in return for his illustrious service in the war was granted the fief of Mars.

Spoiler: The Wreck

Gravity: None

Orbital Features: None

Atmosphere: None

Climate: Asteroid

Habitability: Only on stations.

Landmasses: Hundreds of thousands of asteroids.

Population: ~.5 Million

Capital City: None

Other Major Cities: Ceres (Lord Caradoc), Vesta (King Mark), Pallas (The Green Knight), Hygeia (Ysbaddaden)

Other Cities: Hungaria (Breuse Sans Pitie), Phocaea (Meliagrant - Arthur Loyalist), 434 Hungaria (Pinel le Savage)

Trade: Piracy, banditry, thuggery, skulduggery, larceny, murder, kidnapping, pillaging and all sorts of malfeasance.


Synopsis:

The Wreck is an asteroid belt composed of hundreds of thousands of asteroids orbiting between Mars and Jupiter. Brigands lurk there in waiting with stolen armors and weapons, as do the oathless Edge Knights, warriors without a cause beside their own survival. Many are exiles from the Jovian Moons, forced to flee because of defeat in war or dishonorable conduct, while others are merely bandits with power armor. The Wreck is also home to large numbers of MoRGAn-LFA’s raiders, who use hidden asteroids as remote outposts to launch attacks on trade vessels and Arthur’s kingdom.

The only holding belonging to Arthur is Phocaea, while the other large asteroids are ruled by various bandit lords or independent rulers. Arthur has begun courting local power-players by offering to help them dislodge their local bandits and MoRGAn-LFA’s remaining forces, though he has seen little success. He is currently engaged in active warfare with virtually all of the Wreck Lords, though his broader focus is on MoRGAn.

Spoiler: Jupiter

Gravity: .12-.18 Earth

Orbital Features: 79 Moons - Largest are Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto

Atmosphere: Unbreathable

Climate: Gas planet.

Habitability: Nope.

Landmasses: None

Population: 0

Capital City: None.

Other Major Cities: None

Other Cities: None

Trade: None


Synopsis:

Jupiter is an uninhabitable gas giant, useful only for some of the atmospheric elements and its many moons which will be detailed further below. The various warring lords of these moons are referred to as the Jovian Lords formally, but colloquially are called the Petty Titans. They are nearly constantly at war, seeking to stake out complete control of the moons. The main players are:

1. Lord Accalon: Based in Sungrave on Io. Owns the Voyager Shipyards, and substantial naval forces.
2. Lord Pellinore: Undisputed Lord of Ganymede, and has the largest army among the Jovian Moons. Other Lords often join temporarily to weaken him.
3. Cerdic: A one-eyed warlord on Callisto.
4. Morgause: The exiled half-sister of King Arthur, and self-styled Queen of Europa.
5. Morien: Contesting Europa against Morgause.
6. Lord Huail: Contesting Callisto in opposition to Cerdic. Fled the Core after wounding Arthur’s knee in a duel during Arthur’s rise to kinghood.

Spoiler: Europa

Gravity: .13 Earth

Orbital Features: None

Atmosphere: Breathable

Climate: Highly windy deserts surrounded by extremely choppy salt seas. Averages 45 degrees.

Habitability: Unpleasant, but livable.

Landmasses: 35%

Population: 100 Million

Capital City: Orkney (Morgause) or Feirefiz (Morien)

Other Major Cities: None.

Other Cities: Viroconium (Sir Agravain - Morgause), Chard (Sir Gareth - Morgause), Roxburgh (Sir Cardac - Morien)

Trade: Ice water, minerals.


Synopsis:

Europa was formerly more stable until the arrival of Morgause, who was exiled from Camelot for her tryst with Sir Camden which led to his death. She was forced to flee Arthur’s knights seeking revenge, and set up a petty fiefdom with her sons from a previous marriage to a Lord Lot. Now, she wars with Morien, a Petty Titan who used to hold sway over much of Europa.

The majority of Europa is extremely stormy seas whipping around a major continent, split and connected only by a narrow passage that is the site of the bloodiest fighting on Europa. This continent crosses the Southern hemisphere, and is largely mountains and hilly sulfurous plains. Horrific sulfur-sand-storms erupt frequently, and without shelter or protection the storm winds can freeze or bury the unwary in sulfur sands. The Stormsons, a catch-all term for bandits that weather the storms, are a dangerous and crazy lot.

Europa’s economy is largely dependent on ice and mineral mining for export to the rest of the Rim.

Spoiler: Ganymede

Gravity: .15 Earth

Orbital Features: Calais Shipyards

Atmosphere: Artificial - First Empire technology, though not understood, provides a contained atmosphere.

Climate: Terraformed zones resemble Earth forests and plains. Methane-filled swamps growing enormous mushrooms and populated by megafauna cover the non-terraformed zones. Averages 85 degrees in natural zones.

Habitability: Inhabitable

Landmasses: 50%, other half is crater-lakes and seas.

Population: 400 Million

Capital City: New Troy (Lord Pellinore)

Other Major Cities: None.

Other Cities: Occitania (Sir Tarquine), Tours (Sir Sagremore), Gallia (Sir Melehan)

Trade: Mining, ships.


Synopsis:

Lord Pellinore holds an iron grip on Ganymede, the largest and most populous of the Jovian Moons. First-Empire technology provides an atmosphere and even artificial gravity to some of the larger cities, and Pellinore’s hold on the Calais shipyards maintains his naval superiority among the Petty Titans. His knights are moderately well-armed and for the most part, fiercely loyal, even the recently arrived Sir Melehan who has rocketed to the upper levels of Pellinore’s court from being an orphan found in a ship’s wreckage.

Ganymede’s shipyards are of equal capacity, or greater, than those of Io. It also has the most people, and if the Jovian Moons were to unite, Ganymede would be the likely capital. However, given the constant warring of the Petty Titans, such an outcome is unlikely, barring an existential threat like the Saturnine Senate invading or MorGAn-LFA attacking once more.

Spoiler: Callisto

Gravity: .12 Earth

Orbital Features: None

Atmosphere: None

Climate: Barren moon-scape.

Habitability: Uninhabitable, subterranean towns.

Landmasses:

Population: 60 Million

Capital City: Wessex (Cerdic) or Ruthin (Lord Huail)

Other Major Cities: None.

Other Cities: Autricum (Sir Bertrand - Cerdic), Aquitania (Sir Geoffroi - Huail), Soissons (Contested)

Trade: Ore.


Synopsis:

Callisto is a shattered world, gutted and ripped apart by MoRGAn-LFA’s assault centuries before. It is now five floating chunks, separated by a few miles by chasms created when the planet was cracked by whatever ungodly force was levied against it. Now, its five floating islands are the site of a war for control. Lord Huail arrived with loyal knights after wounding Arthur in a duel years ago and seized control of some of the moon, prompting a bloody war with Cerdic.

Because of the planet’s cracked nature and low gravity, most, if not all, properly equipped Knights on Callisto have jump packs to allow them to cross to another island. This has made skirmisher warfare prominent, as it is one of the few ways to get around the bloody stalemates that occur at the unstable bridges between regions.

Spoiler: Saturn

Gravity: Earth-standard

Orbital Features: Rings of ice, rocks, and New Rome

Atmosphere: Artificial.

Climate: Artificial.

Habitability: Artificially inhabitable.

Landmasses: None.

Population: 1 Billion

Capital City: New Rome (Emperor Lucius Tiberius)

Other Major Cities: None

Other Cities: Sectors 1-600

Trade: Water, ore, minerals, ships, advanced technology.


Synopsis:

The First Empire adorned Saturn with a new, artificial ring when they reached it. A great durasteel band now spins around the planet, generating its own gravity. Powered by solar panels and gas harvested from the planet, fleets of drones harvest the ice and ore of the gas giant’s rings. Saturn is easily the most powerful force in the Rim, and maintains a small fleet of potent, though old, First Empire battleships stripped down to be secure from MoRGAn-LFA’s cyber-attacks.

Saturn is ruled by Emperor Lucius Tiberius (more a general than ruler) and the Saturnine Senate, a 600 member body. Saturn fancies itself the true inheritor of the First Empire, and seeks to reclaim dominion first over the Rim and then the Core, having successfully resisted MoRGAn-LFA and held on to some of the cultural values and technology of the First Empire. Knights from Saturn do not own their own armor - instead, Senators host tournaments for prospective Knights from any class to gain their patronage and wargear. Saturnians view Arthur’s kingdom as an offense to humanity for sullying the First Empire’s homeworld, and view Core worlders with contempt. Still, they do not consider him a true threat, and the distance between them has stopped them from beginning a war immediately.

Troublingly to the Senate, a few of their rank-and-file soldiers have defected to Arthur’s kingdom, bringing stolen wargear along with them.

Spoiler: Uranus

Gravity: .86 Earth

Orbital Features: 27 moons composed of ice

Atmosphere: Primarily hydrogen and helium

Climate: Ice wastes and ammonia oceans. Average -371 Fahrenheit.

Habitability: Only in subterranean artificial climates.

Landmasses: Single continent, dozen ammonia oceans of various sizes.

Population: Unknown, estimated 170,000

Capital City: Valhalla (Chief Viggald of Clan Aesir)

Other Major Cities: Jormungandr (Chief Forseti of Clan Serpent), Jotunheim (Chief Falric of Clan Ymir)

Other Cities: Dozens of other small settlements.

Trade: Raiding.


Synopsis:

Settled only with the majestic technology of the First Empire, including both extensive technological solutions as well as some genetic modification to permit human life at lower temperatures, Uranus is a frozen hellscape of no interest to anyone in the system. The only reason it makes the records at all is because its inhabitants are savage raiders, equipped with barely functioning replicas of First Empire wargear (though they remain quite dangerous all the same). The inhabitants of Uranus are a savage and cruel lot, and their raiding activities span the breadth of the system, causing particular trouble for the Saturnine and even the Core’s interests near Mars and The Wreck. The rest of the system views the inhabitants of Uranus as barbarians who babble in another tongue, just another one of the system’s plagues to be dealt with alongside the remaining Seranids and the servants of LFA.

Spoiler: Neptune

Neptune is no more. What few records remain that refer to it indicate it was an ice world that was harvested by the First Empire for its water to be used in terraforming projects.

Spoiler: Pluto

Gravity: .08 Earth

Orbital Features: Charon, Styx, Nix, Kerberos, and Hydra

Atmosphere: Nitrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, 1/100 pressure of Earth.

Climate: 98% nitrogen icescape.

Habitability: Not.

Landmasses: ---

Population: 0.

Capital City: ---

Other Major Cities: ---

Other Cities: ---

Trade: Death, ruin.


Synopsis:

Pluto is an insufferable hellscape that is best known for being the seat of MoRGAn-LFa’s power. The entire dwarf planet is covered in fortifications and robotics production facilities using resources harvested from passing asteroids, The Wreck, and looted from the system’s worlds during the Bloody Uprising. Its moons are networked fortifications surrounding shipyards which spit out transport vessels and combat ships without end. Every one of its systems is managed by the insidious and calculating will of MoRGAn-LFa, who’s networked consciousness lies in wait for her opportunity to get revenge on the rebel Arthur.

 

[Vudukudu]

Spoiler: Power Armor Systems

All suits of Power Armor come with a variety of sub-systems. As relics of the First Empire or, more frequently replicas, these suits have been repaired and reforged by the Forge Lords of the Mechanicus. Despite this, some of these sub-systems have fallen into disarray. Pick three of the following when you get a suit of armor. Also roll a d20 on the table for your Armor’s history or pick, if it fits a characters story or concept.

1. Auto-Senses: As long as the wearer has their helmet on, they gain night-vision, the benefits of having binoculars, an audio-recording device and amplifier, and a scanner detecting the presence of radiation or toxic gasses.
2. Osmotic Gill Life Sustainer: With the helmet on, the suit is environmentally sealed and can maintain an oxygen supply for 48 hours.
3. Vox Link: Serves as a standard communication device capable of transmitting to low-orbit. If the suit has a Bio-Monitor, it can also communicate medical information to allies.
4. Magnetized Boot Soles: These electromagnetic boot soles allow the wearer to adhere to metal plating in low or zero gravity environments. Reduces movement speeds by about half.
5. Enhanced Ceramite Plating: The suit’s chestplate is reinforced with additional plating, which can often mean the difference between life or death.
6. Bio-Monitor and Injectors: The suit can automatically administer combat drugs, anti-toxins, and pain suppressants. The effects of pain and poisons are diminished, though not entirely cured, by automatic injections.
7. Nutrient Recycling: Filters in the armor capture and purify body waste and convert it into a nutrient solution that is intravenously injected. The user can go three days instead of one before testing against Starvation.
8. Recoil Suppression: The character can fire Basic ranged weapons (excluding the Energy Bow) with one hand.
9. Locator Matrix: Using an ancient and barely understood system, this suit communicates with long-lost First Empire satellites and provides a constant stream of GPS coordinates to the armor's HUD.
10. Chameleoline Paint: This armor is coated in a sheen of paint that confounds most technological detection systems used by humans. Even MoRGAn-LFa's androids have a hard time detecting its presence without a visual confirmation.
11. Jump Pack (counts as 2 systems): Jump Packs offer greatly heightened vertical mobility, including the ability to jump vertically 12 meters / 40 feet or add an extra spurt of bone-crushing force to a charge forward. They are, importantly, not capable of sustained flight, though in low-G environments they can provide extreme jump ranges. The system typically takes a minute to charge between boosts, but it can also be used in space with very limited power output to navigate in zero-G or very low-G environments with careful aim.

Spoiler: Power Armor History

Though this secret is only barely known by senior Forge Lords, most suits of power armor are occupied by a very limited artificial intelligence designed to interface with the suit's systems to make their operation simpler. These bound intelligences often develop minor personality quirks from their experiences in the field, and older suits are generally known to have more developed personalities, if they could be called that. They do not communicate with the wearer in any way, but they do make themselves known in the form of odd mechanical twitches. Generally, this phenomena is understood as the suit's "spirit," a reflection of its history.

Cower Not Before the Enemy (1)	This suit of armor has been obsessively maintained with marks of pride, bears pristine heraldic depictions, and is bedecked with sashes, helmet crests, and banner displays. The wearer usually carries himself tall, often heedless of cover or stealth. The armor seemingly sabotages any attempts at subtlety, and imposes great difficulties to stealth while it whirs, vents, or clanks at precisely the wrong moment. However, it also grants a bonus to efforts made to assert command, due to the overwhelming force of authority and confidence the bearer projects.
Scourge the Unjust (2)	The spirit of this armor has been honed by its long years of service into a truly potent adversary. It has been upgraded with numerous enhancements for the sole purpose of bringing ruination in glorious close combat. Wearers claim that it knows how and when they are going to strike, and come to trust it as innately as any other brother in arms. Such a suit grants the wearer assistance in timing attacks and parries with greater finesse. However, its long range targeting systems are difficult and temperamental. When wearing the suit’s helmet, attacks made with ranged weapons are mildly hampered by faulty targeting assistance.
None Shall Escape My Wrath (3)	Incorporating a rare and prized Persecutor Target Acquisition Spirit, this armor constantly scans for targets, predicting ranges, wind, and elevation, as well as passively noting bio-signs for later targeting recall. It makes nearly imperceptible adjustments to the aim and firing rate of the wearer, sometimes even anticipating the bearer’s movements. Many warriors are put off by such contrary behavior, but all eventually learn to become one with the intentions of their second skin. The obvious advantage gives the wearer an accuracy bonus to firearms and bows. However, the armor is sluggish to respond to unplanned events, as it seems to dislike the jostling of its precise calculations. The wearer may find it more difficult to dodge away from blows with any grace.
Deathbringer (4)	Some warriors are simply made to kill. This armor epitomizes that archetype, and though it is of comparatively recent manufacture, numberless foes have learned to fear its countenance. The longer a warrior bears this armor, the more the two become one. As time goes on, bringing a swift end to the enemies of Man is as easy as breathing. The suit's sensor suite can identify weak points in enemy armor and organic structures, though it offers no aid in actually assaulting these vulnerabilities.
A Fury Like Lightning (5)	The reaction speeds of most Knights are beyond those of normal humans. While power armor usually hinders Knights, this suit was instead designed to accept and enhance their speed. The armor’s hyper articulated joint mechanisms allow for more dexterous weight manipulation, and muscle-response auto-readers translate even minute movements into powered assistance. These systems grant the bearer a boost to their speed and agility.
Thy Strength Be Legend (6)	The raw physical strength of the Knights is already the stuff of legend, which all power armor further enhances. This suit, however, makes the bearer’s strength truly titanic. Such armor has created tales of burning vehicles levered from atop trapped comrades and crumbling buildings supported by the warrior alone. The bearer receives an extra bonus to strength, in addition to the normal bonus granted by power armor.
Terror Be Thy Friend (7)	Though all suits of power armor are intimidating to say the least, this suit seems to project an air of menace and violence. Its power core periodically emits grumbles that are often confused with the growling of a wild beast. In combat, this turns into a ferocious howl and is truly a paralyzing thing to face. Numerous attempts have been made to quiet this phenomena, but Forge Lords have thus far been unable to appease the temperamental machine. Many bearers enhance this effect by adding terrifying reliquary inlays and scriptures of damnation, causing their impact on the weak souls of their enemies to increase considerably. Some living enemies are struck with fear upon laying eyes on the character.
Lead From the Front (8)	Lead from the front: All men need leaders, and all leaders need to be seen and heard to be effective. It is common for Knights to lead from the front, and such warriors have had the honor of bearing this armor into battle over the centuries. Its vox amplifiers ring like booming thunder, and its brilliant heraldry seems to blaze on the battlefield. Truly a sight to behold, this armor's heraldry can rescue even the faintest hopes.
Death From Afar (9)	Borne into service amidst great sieges, this armor has become accustomed to the arduous duty of brandishing heavy weapons. Heavy weapons no longer need to be braced at all.
To Forgive is to Forget. Forgive Nothing. (10)	Each bearer of this armor has inscribed it with an oath of vengeance against those who have offended them in some way. Some inscriptions revile a single name, while others target entire noble Houses or even planets. Each wearer is expected to add a new oath and fulfill it, and most familiar with this process are well aware that the wearer's word is his oath, whether or not they would believe them otherwise.
Blood of the Enemy (11)	In a long ago battle this suit was drenched with gore as its wearer carved through rank after rank of the enemy. Despite many attempts, the blood seemingly refuses to wash off, leaving dark streaks and spatters across it. Pick one enemy type (noble House, Seranids, Saturnine, Petty Titans, MoRGAn-LFA Adherents) that treats you with utter hatred on sight and who will not rest until you are finally put down.
Battle Trophies (12)	During some terrible battle, the wearer of this suit suffered a grievous wound and the enemy’s weapon snapped off inside the armor, whether it was Seranid claws or a blade. The fragments remain embedded in the armor despite the efforts of the Forge Lords. Pick which kind of enemy inflicted the damage. The armor has not forgiven them, and your attacks seem to come down with extra heft.
Blood of a Brother (13)	The blood of a fellow Knight is painted upon this armor. Its wearer was standing side by side with his comrade, and failed to save him. Perhaps there was nothing to be done, or the wearer was negligent, but the results are all the same. Whatever the truth, the wearer feels a need to atone.
Battered By War (14)	It is obvious that this suit has seen countless war zones, for its surface is pockmarked with bullet impacts, energy burns, and the dents and gouges of enemy strikes. Not a single part is smooth or unscratched. None that witness the suit can doubt its purpose or the resolve of its wearer.
A Hero’s Shame (15)	In some crucial battle, a former wearer of this suit failed to lead their troops to victory. Great casualties were suffered, and that failure is part of this suit. Later warriors have fought hard to prove this was an isolated case, but none have become great commanders thus far.
Lone Survivor (16)	At some point, the previous or current wearer of this suit was involved in a terrible battle which saw all their comrades slain. Perhaps they fought a way clear, were left for dead, or were merely favored by fate, but they emerged alive that day when no others did. Strange systems not understood by the Forge Lords seem to add extra protection to the wearer's vitals, turning what may be a lethal blow into a grievous injury instead, though this is in no way reliable.
Cannibalized (17)	This armor has been crafted from a variety of different suits and sources and incorporates pieces from different generations of armor. It is weaker in some places and stronger in others. Designate two places to be weaker and two to be stronger from - Left Arm, Right Arm, Right Leg, Left Leg, Stomach, Chest, Head.
First Empire Gauntlets (18)	Though most suits of power armor date back to the First Empire, centuries of repairs and replacements have made many suits hardly resemble their original design. The gauntlets on this suit, however, have remained largely intact. They are somewhat more durable than replicas or new designs, and function as a status symbol in certain circles. Core-Knights found with them are sworn enemies of the Saturnine. They also offer better shock absorption, allowing for easier parries.
First Empire Greaves (19)	Though most suits of power armor date back to the First Empire, centuries of repairs and replacements have made many suits hardly resemble their original design. The greaves on this suit, however, have remained largely intact. They are somewhat more durable than replicas or new designs, and function as a status symbol in certain circles. Core-Knights found with them are sworn enemies of the Saturnine. They also offer somewhat enhanced mobility.
First Empire Helm (20)	Though most suits of power armor date back to the First Empire, centuries of repairs and replacements have made many suits hardly resemble their original design. The helm on this suit, however, has remained largely intact. Such a prized relic commands respect among Knights. They are somewhat more durable than replicas or new designs, and function as a status symbol in certain circles. Core-Knights found with them are sworn enemies of the Saturnine. They also include night-vision.

Spoiler: Weaponry

Regular humans wield smaller, less powerful versions of the weapons Knights wield. While they are still capable of harming Knights, it isn't terribly common.

Spoiler: Durasteel

Equipment: Maces, Mauls (2-handed), Staves, Shields, Clubs, Morning-stars, Blunt Things Generally.
Durasteel, generally used for blunt weaponry and defensive objects, is a common enough alloy. Its mass makes it ideal for crushing blows, and Knights are generally capable of crushing human ribcages or denting power armor plating with it.

Spoiler: Chain

Equipment: Daggers, Swords, Axes, Halberds, Spears, Whips, Sharp Things Generally.
Made from a variety of metals, chain weapons utilize rows of chainsaw-like teeth to shred flesh and cut through armor.

Spoiler: Power

Equipment: Fist, Swords, Axes, Whips, Maces, Shields, Halberds, Rapiers, Scythes, Spears, Polearms
Adding a powerful energy field to a weapon offers extra penetration, allowing for better strikes against armored targets or simply vaporizing regular humans.
OOC: These weapons are functionally stand-ins for the magical nature of weapons such as Excalibur, Clarent, and Aerondight, among others. The reason for these intentionally excluded from starting characters is to reflect that, as well as give characters a development arc. Power weapons will appear, just don't worry over it now.

Spoiler: Ion

Equipment: Pistols, Rifles, Heavy Cannons
Ion weaponry is only effective against MoRGAn-LFa Adherents, her robotic minions. It has minimal effect on power armor, and typically comes in revolver or lever action rifle variants unless its a heavy cannon emplacement.

Spoiler: Energy Bows

Equipment: Bows and Crossbows
Utilizing energy field projectors, these bows and crossbows sling armor piercing bolts of energy in a manner akin to their ancient counterparts.

Spoiler: Starships

Naval technology in 2868 is still riding on the coattails of the First Empire. Most ships are of relatively slow speed in galactic terms, and trips across the solar system can take months at worst and weeks at best. Most merchant ships are fairly small, as making them larger would be expensive and often unnecessary for transporting small numbers of people.

Militaries, however, operate on a different principle. Frigates and small cruisers escort troop carriers, and the core of any fleet is its aircraft carrier, a ship designed to keep the knights in comfort until the time comes for battle. Once the klaxons sound, knights trained in aerial warfare rush to their fighters, fast-moving ships equipped with powerful weaponry and personal shielding. Once the battle for air dominance has been included, the next step is the Iron Rain. Troop carriers, both for standard humans and for Knights, come equipped with launch bays full of drop pods. For Knights, these are individual pods covered in heraldry and insignias, designed to survive atmospheric drop at high speeds. Most cities and castles are protected by a force field that can’t be penetrated by shipboard weaponry, so the alternative is to simply drop pod troops at the exterior of the field to enter it on foot.