In All Things

[RecAgenda]

Information gathered by the Valkyries during their scouting mission as the first earth-born beyond the gate is available in this first post. As the story progresses, I'll add more information learned by our characters during the expedition.


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General Setting


Terra... an earthen world full of intrigue and ancient mysteries beyond comprehension and knowing. It is a vast world of many beasts and creatures, in both air, land, and sea. Creatures of both light and darkness, of life and death; docile and hostile.


What is charted consists of tall mountains, peaked with icy caps of snow, and deserts that stretch far beyond what the eye can see. There are lush forests, both temperate and tropical, that dot the various landscapes of rolling hills, plateaus, tundra, and marshes. Each and every region offers unique and bountiful resources.


Dating


Years are recorded simply using the chosen name of the current emperor/empress, followed by the year of his/her reign. This applies only to the Empire of Arcanaan. Other nations may have their own annual calendar.


i.e. "Zereth II, 5"


Or, more formally:


"The Year of Zereth II, 5"


Or, usually reserved for the most formal correspondence or rhetoric:


"The Fifth Year of His Majesty Zereth II"


A year is divided into months, that follow an astrological pattern (the frequent rotation of divine constellations that interchange every thirty days). Similar to Earth's Julian calendar, there are twelve months to a year and four seasons. The Terran months in chronological order are as follow:


Ariel


Cassiel


Gabriel


Imamiah


Israfil


Kiraman


Maalik


Muriel


Nakir


Pahaliah


Raguel


Ramiel


Political Geography


There are many nations and city-states throughout Terra. The major powers are the Arcanaan Empire, the Kingdom of Zoroaster, and the Freehold Conglomerate.


Arcanaan Empire


Definitely the most technologically advanced nation, Arcanaan also claims the most land compared to her rivalling powers. To say nothing of the uncanny elemental powers of the Knight Protectors of the Sagen Order, their military prowess alone has ensured victory in almost every battle in the empire's recent history.


Angelica, the national religion of the empire, is actually a well-established faith all throughout Terra; however, and though the movement started elsewhere, Arcanaan's capital, Royale, is the seat of the Supreme Pontiff.


The current occupier of the imperial throne is Noel Juvias I.


Kingdom of Zoroaster


The number one rival to Arcanaan and the birthplace of Anglican thought, Zoroaster has always begrudgingly been at the heels of their better. However, the sheer numbers that make up their legions are a threat to be reckoned with. Even the elemental Sagens of Arcanaan take the Zoroastrian threat seriously.


The current occupier of the Zoroastrian throne is Marcus Tiselius of Parthia.


The Freehold Conglomerate


Not exactly a nation, but a network of cooperating city-states, the Conglomerate is a multi-cultural alliance of peoples represented by elected senators. Member states of the Conglomerate must be independent of other nations, meaning they must not be satellites, colonies, slave states, or occupied territories. In order to protect their independence, member states are expected by Conglomerate laws to lend aid, whether in the form of military support or economic assistance, to their fellow states based on geographic proximity. Militaries of the Conglomerate are often in the form of private mercenaries or similar organizations.


Member states boast unparalleled economic stability and growth compared to any other city-state or nation.


The current Chancellor, elected as the representative voice of the multi-state senate, is Regis William Carlisle.

 

[RecAgenda]

Apex


Apex Biomedical was founded in 2008 when a younger Dr. Isaac Evenway noticed the rampant pollution of politics in the world of science (most notably in areas of medical advancement). After the death of his wife later that same year due to cancer, Isaac made it Apex’s sole mission to develop an ultimate cure for the disease. While his efforts inevitably proved futile, his firm did make incredible strides in the field and unleashed a renaissance in the biomedical discipline. Half a decade later, when the gates to Safe Haven – the corporate-run city-state on the border of Maine and Quebec – opened up, Apex dropped “Biomedical” from its name and became a full corporation with ties to all different fields of scientific research.


Today, in 2020, Apex lives up to its very name, pushing humanity to a new era of technological advancement and comfort. In order to protect its many endeavors and highly classified research secrets, it has had to employ its own armed militia, the Apex Security Forces (ASF). This highly trained private army consists mostly of former military veterans from both U.S. and Canadian armed forces.


Aside from developing the Polyphemus gate in 2020; in 2018, Apex successfully created the world’s first self-aware artificial intelligence (codenamed: Prophet). At the same time, the technology corporation narrowly avoided indictment in the development of the highly controversial OCP-7 serum, which aimed to alter a human being’s sexual orientation. The serum’s effects were, luckily, only temporary. When Isaac learned that it was stolen and used on his own son, he asked the Corporate Tasks Initiative (CTI) agent that was sent to investigate him, Cameron DeMarco, to destroy any and all traces of the product including its research material. DeMarco complied with the request. Evenway’s legacy avoided collapse… if only by the skin of its teeth.


Valkyrie Logistics

Not much is known about the legendary private military company, as most of their operations, equipment, and personnel are shrouded in utmost secrecy. What the media is certain of, however, is that the PMC specializes in clandestine operations and is usually hired to carry out tasks that most governments won’t touch for sake of saving face. Valkyrie started their operations in the middle east as just another pro-Western contracted asset to help “fight terrorism”. However, due to scandals akin to Black Water, Valkyrie needed to fade from the limelight and virtually went off the grid for nearly a decade before reemerging in 2016 with a new, straight-forward mission.


Today, VL is the go-to organization when something needs to be done without loose ends, quickly and efficiently. All records of financial supporters are redacted, and it’s unclear whether or not the PMC is actually funded by multiple sponsors or just one. After-action reports are destroyed as quickly as they are created, and the real identities of several members are kept strictly separate from their acting personas, using codenames instead of actual names. These codenames are not entirely random, however. They are, in fact, recorded names of the actual Valkyries from Norse mythology.


The ranking system with in the company is condensed and simplistic, using only three tiers of operational authority, called “classes”: Gram (being the lowest class), Mjolnir, and Gungnir (the highest class). Teams in the field consist of five combatants, plus one communications handler overseeing progress and providing tactical feedback. This equals the standard six Valkyries reported in Norse mythology. Larger operations continue with the myths’ patterns, requiring nine and then thirteen.


In keeping with their elite image, Valkyries will always opt for the most technologically advanced equipment over the more robust and conventional. Dabbling heavily in R&D weaponry and armaments affords them the cutting edge of today’s war tech. This makes their partnership with Apex for the Iliad Program a “no-brainer of an opportunity”, according to Mjolnir Siegrune, the captaining officer of the Valkyrie team assigned to the project.