Futuristic 〘POLARIS.〙- Lore

Cresion Breezes · Jul 1, 2022

Somewhere, sometime, upon a world where we must live in perpetual daybreak……

BASIC OVERVIEW

PROLOGUE.

Nobody knows what happened to The Planet, nobody knows its name, or who built the 600 kilometer thick artificial shell upon its surface, or why the climate control system failed 700 years ago. All we can do now is survive, upon this mechanical crust, chasing the night.

Welcome to The Planet, as its measly surface residents call it, a desolate world that is covered in a spherical man-made shell filled to the brim with machines, automatons, and structures that humanity cannot comprehend the purpose of. Most believe that the shell was constructed by the true residents of The Planet, those who live on the true crust of the world beneath the enormous construct.

Life on the surface used to be simple, energy and material could be harvested from pipes and linings, resources regularly flowed up from beneath, and a multitude of satellites controlled the climate of the surface. Organic life lived and thrived, until the fateful day The Planet stopped revolving. It happened so suddenly, satellites fell to the ground en masse, the climate became brittle and cold or scorching with radiation, the air thinned, and hostile machines began to attack organic life. Due to the disaster, the majority of The Planet became uninhabitable. Life took refuge underground, huddled away underground in the Daybreak Zones, the small band where the temperature can allow basic survival. It was difficult, but it got worse, as The Planet began to revolve again decades after the disaster. The Daybreak Zones were shifting, slowly, but too quick for life to keep up on foot. Despair was widespread as life inched towards extinction as the scorching day and freezing night inched forwards, until the emergence of the one thing that gave them hope...

The excavation of moving fortresses, large vehicles that gives both protection and travel let humanity migrate from the eternal day or eternal night created new civilizations based on this form of migration. Then came the discovery of God Programs, that allowed humanity to explore deeper into the Shell and survive longer on the outer world. Centuries past as this new form of life settled into the norm, technology progressed as humans inch closer to finding the truth hidden in the core of the planet...

THE WORLD TODAY.

Welcome to the Polaris, one of the last refuges of organic life. Constructed 700 years ago, it is a giant mobile fortress that houses the remnants of humanity & co. Following the Daybreak Zones, it makes laps around The Planet, year after year. Society has stabilized and is functional, despite the dangers of the world.

Sheltering more than 750,000 persons, Polaris boasts a multitude of functions that emulates the lives of surface residents of the bygone past, including seasonal climate control and regulated day-night cycles.

Polaris had developed into a bustling society due to the fact that it houses the last hope for organic life: God Program Operators, or GPOs as they are commonly known as. God Programs are previous relics excavated from The Shell, named for their ability to grant the user control over certain aspects of The Planet, from anything to abandoned satellites to sewage pipes. These Operators do various difficult tasks to ensure the Polaris functions as intended, from defeating hostile automated machinery to resource scouting.

GOD PROGRAMS.

God Programs Operators have various characteristics and abilities, mostly unique to the specific program attuned to, but there are a few shared traits. They become much more sturdy physically, and their metabolism undergoes changes, allowing them to only require a fraction of food, water and oxygen compared to their original bodies. A powerful regenerative ability is also granted, allowing Operators to regenerate almost any injury as long as their vital organs and brain are intact. The rate differs between different types of programs, but all users are capable of fully reconstructing entire limbs and minor organs.

Of course, it is not easy to become a God Program Operator. No one really knows what makes one compatible. Genetics seem to play a role, but even genetically identical clones and twins would often yield different results. There exists preliminary testing for compatibility administered to all residents, only one out of around two hundred individuals can be considered “compatible”, but not all of them can successfully attune. Anyone who yields a compatibility rate above 55% has the option to undergo the conversion process on a volunteer basis, but the higher the compatibility rate, the more they are encouraged to do so.

The process to become a GPO is mysterious and uses equipment found deep underground within the mechanical structures. In order to attune to a God Program, an Operator must be put into an excavated conversion chamber, in which all of their blood will be replaced with a fluid of unknown properties. The entire process can take from anywhere from milliseconds, up to 72 hours, and the sensations felt by the subject also varies greatly from anything to excruciating pain to blissful euphoria. All recorded failures of the process have always resulted in death, where the physical body is completely lost within the chamber.

Becoming a GPO requires a process known as "The Apotheosis Ritual". An Apotheosis Ritual can be evoked by an "Apotheosis Grade Relic Chamber", a type of equipment found deep underground within the mechanical structures. It is the process of being granted superhuman abilities and becoming a "God Program Operator". In order to attune to a God Program, the subject must be put into an excavated conversion chamber, in which all of their blood will be replaced with a (usually brightly colored) fluid of unknown properties. The entire process can take from anywhere from milliseconds, up to 72 hours, and the sensations felt by the subject also varies greatly from anything to excruciating pain to blissful euphoria. All recorded failures of the process have always resulted in death, where the physical body is completely lost within the chamber.

Cresion Breezes · Jul 1, 2022

Somewhere, sometime, upon a world where we must live in perpetual daybreak……

EVERYTHING ABOUT CHARACTER CREATION (I HOPE)

RACES.

There are five branches of humans on The Planet, two types of organic people who has lived since before recorded history, two types of artificial humans that were created and integrated, and one type of "human" that is born out of technology from the Shell:
- [Organic]
  
  Polaris Population Ratio: ~50% of all Residents
  GPO Population Ratio: ~45% of all GPOs
  Average Natural Lifespan: 120-140 Years
  
  Sometimes called the “Carbonites" as they are mainly comprised of carbon, is believed to be what humans originally are like before the species branched out. All types of humans are a subspecies of these, which is why the term “human” most commonly refers to this group. Biologically, humans have not undergone any major changes in recorded history, and are highly versatile in what they can do.
  
  Humans benefit from having the ability to reproduce very easily and reliably, pre-birth modifications to human infants is a very established process and can eliminate nearly all natural diseases and deformities. In every major population demolishing disaster, the human population was always the first to bounce back.
  
  While being versatile and vast in numbers, humans are also very needy in order to survive and have high maintenance bodies. They have a tendency to reject more invasive prosthetic implants, some humans accept artificial prosthetics, but most require custom grown biological parts to replace injured body functions.
- [Organic]
  
  Polaris Population Ratio: ~35% of all Residents + ~5% Sife-Human Hybrid
  GPO Population Ratio: ~15% of all GPOs + 5% Sife-Human Hybrid
  Average Natural Lifespan: ~150 Years
  
  Short for “Silicon Life”, they are functionally similar to the original humans both by interior and outwardly, but with varying color palettes and some physical properties. Unlike the beige to brown, warmer skin tones of humans, sifes tend to lean to cooler colors such as grey to steel blue, often with more saturated hair colors. Most sifes also possess longer hair, as their hair is made from an elastic, fiber-like material that is very strong and difficult to cut. Biologically, they are on average taller and heavier than their carbon-based counterparts. Silicon and carbon-based humans can easily interbreed and have been doing so for an extended amount of time, it is random what traits hybrid children will inherit.
  
  As their name implies, sifes are life forms mostly made out of silicon, in place of carbon in original humans. They have been present for all of recorded history and have largely coexisted with carbon-based humans peacefully. Their compatibility rate with God Programs is usually on the extreme ends: either little to no compatibility or very high compatibility.
- [Artificial]
  
  Polaris Population Ratio: ~5% of all Residents
  GPO Population Ratio: ~25% of all GPOs
  Average Natural Lifespan: 70 Years
  
  Purely artificial humans created from scratch, they are a somewhat controversial group that is made in bulk for the sole purpose of operating God Programs. Series are usually created in groups of 6, 12, or 24 genetically identical sets, after a God Program and its former users were extensively studied. With compressed mental training and grown acceleration, series age at twice the speed of carbon based humans, a unfortunately only has half their life span as well. Series boast very high mortality rates in both the attunement processes and in combat; it is not uncommon for more than half of a group to fail and die before a member successfully attunes.
  
  Biologically, series are very similar to humans and sifes, although they are created with no reproductive abilities due to concerns in regards to purely artificial genes. Many series are biologically genderless, but some choose to adopt one aesthetically. Even those from the same group, can end up with different appearances and often adopt a sibling-like relationship with their genetic copies.
  
  In the past Series were not considered truly human and completely disposable, however, since "The Great Øth Raid" around 250 years ago they have gained recognition as people under the leadership of Polaris' 9th Captain. They are considered invaluable to humanity's survival today and treated well...well as possible for their given role at least. It is possible for a series to opt out of the life of a combatant and live peacefully. Most series today grow up in orphanage-like facilities that provide and educate them as a group, although series who have made deep relationships outside of their group can be adopted into regular families if all parties involved agree to the arrangement.
- [Artificial]
  
  Polaris Population Ratio: ~5% of all Residents
  GPO Population Ratio: ~5% of all GPOs
  Average Lifespan: Based on Original Genetic Provider
  
  Clones are artificial humans made from a genetic template of a natural-born person, it is usually required for the original template provider to have passed or expressed explicit consent or request in order for a clone to be produced. Clones can be of a human, sife, or hybrid. It is a fairly rare occasion for someone to be cloned, both consent wise and approval wise.
  
  There are most commonly two reasons why an individual is cloned officially: some aspect of their talent, or their God Program compatibility. The former does not always succeed in recreating and achievements of the original, while the second is reserved for those with both high compatibility and natural talent in operating God Programs, and has become less common since the creation of Series.
  
  Clones have the same civil rights as their organic counterparts and are treated as individual people just genetically identical to another person. They usually grow up in foster families or with the descendants of their original genetic provider's family. Most clones have knowledge that they are a clone, due to it being legally required for them to be informed during their upbringing, and make different choices with that information. Some choose to pursue the continuation of their original's achievements, while others choose to live in ways they prefer. It is very possible for a clone to live a vastly different life than their original, some clones even go on to successfully become God Program Operators when their originals failed or opted out of the option.
- [▇▇▇▇▇▇]
  
  Polaris Population Ratio: ~1% of all Residents
  GPO Population Ratio: ~5% of all GPOs
  Average Natural Lifespan: 250 Years (Hardware)
  
  Auxiliaries are an enigmatic type of "human". Although they seem to be mechanical or digital in nature, they way they act is all too human. Auxiliaries are created from "Blackboxes": theorized to be the personality matrix of an existing person...or a person that once existed. They are not the digital version of an organic person, instead, they are a unique entity born of the digital world. The synthesizing of auxiliaries is a process that was recovered from deep within the shell, and similar to the God Program attunement process, it is not fully understood. Many Auxiliaries are created as an attempt to gain information about The Planet's past or in regards to what's within The Shell, but all newly created Auxiliaries are just like newborns - without memoires or prior knowledge of the world.
  
  They have no organic bodies like the other types of humans, but the Blackbox, the hardware that Auxiliaries store their digital consciousness in, serves as a physical body. Blackboxes are a type of relic excavated from the mechanical shell and are limited in number. Auxiliaries are free to roam electronic devices that they have access to in a certain distance surrounding their Blackbox, different individuals have different preferences to what type of device they like to “reside” within.
  
  Auxiliaries can attune to God Programs that do not contain functions pertaining to an organic body, they cannot be tested for preliminary compatibility, but they also do not die if they fail to attune. After the attunement ritual, regardless of whether it is successful or not, something will happen to the auxiliary’s Blackbox that makes accessing its data impossible. Unfortunately, no one currently knows how to properly maintain Blackboxes, and an auxiliary will “die” after their hardware wears out.
SECTORS.

The Polaris consists of the ENGINE SECTOR, NEAR-ENGINE RESIDENTIAL SECTOR, STANDARD RESIDENTIAL SECTOR, RESIDENTIAL TOWERS, and the TOP SECTOR. There also exists a SISTER SHIP and numerous OUTPOSTS on the vast mechanical landscape. Access to the outside world is severely limited for the average resident due to how hostile the environment is, and residents are usually divided by how qualified they are to traverse the outside world.
- Access to the outside world is severely limited for the average resident due to how hostile the environment is, and residents are usually divided by how qualified they are to traverse the outside world. The bottom third of the fortress is largely devoid of life, as the engines and other internal mechanisms that keep the Polaris’ system functioning are placed here. This is the ENGINE SECTOR. The only time that people traverse through this area is during times of urgent repair or investigation, only qualified engineers and technicians, as well as combatants who follow to serve as protection. Due to how much time has passed since its creation and its sheer size, traversing the engines is quite challenging of a feat in itself, as small hostile machinery that has slipped in and the inner mechanisms themselves can all be life-threatening.
- The midsections of the Polaris are the most heavily reinforced due to the fact they are also the most heavily populated, it houses the bulk of RESIDENTIAL SECTORS with an extremely high ceiling that emulates a natural sky. Life for organic life here is usually calm and idyllic in peace times, there is various infrastructure such as schools, hospitals, and some commercial services. There are great towers that connect this section to the top sectors, the bottom of these towers also serves as the emergency lockdown shelters for the population in case of outer wall breechings or other extreme circumstances. The NEAR-ENGINE RESIDENTIAL SECTOR is largely considered more run-down in terms of infrastructure, but much safer from the outside world and breeches in the Polaris' protective shell. While high up in the RESIDENTIAL TOWERS that are a part of the elevator system to the top sector can enjoy more high end technology and lifestyles, but life can be unstable when the top sector is in combat mode.
- After scaling the miles of the tower, one can find themselves in the TOP SECTOR. In some accordance with its name, those in the top sector enjoy the highest quality of life that is possible onboard the Polaris, along with the newest most cutting edge technology excavated from the Shell. Despite this, the top sector also contains the highest resident mortality rates, as its residential sectors are the most likely to be breached during hostile encounters. Most GPOs and military personals reside in this sector during their time of service, though regular residents like their family or those who provide certain services can still choose to reside here if they are willing to give up safety for the benefits.
  
  The very top platform of the Polaris is perhaps the most dangerous place one can be. Being completely exposed to the outside world, non-GPOs require specialized gear just to survive. But the dangers don’t end there, as the top platform is equipped with an electronic signal emitter that draws all hostile machinery in a certain radius to the top, where GPOs and regular military engage and exterminate them.
- Far far away on the other side of The Planet, there lies another band of space where the temperature is suitable for life to exist, and another vessel that also traverses the world, in perpetual sunset. In the Sunset Zone, Polaris' sister ship Solaris also houses humanity. Historically, the two both originated in The Daybreak Zone, and traversed side by side in certain eras. Until Solaris suffered a catastrophic breakdown due to large hostile machinery around 100 years after The Planet began to spin again, losing 95% of its population and over half of its GPOs in the grand raid. This incident forced the great vessel to lockdown in place, in the next four decades, Polaris initiated repairs on its sister vessel every year it passes by. After some system functionality was recovered, a small group of people and GPOs stayed behind in order to further repair progress, surviving the eternal day by shutting themselves deep into the structure and going into cryogenic sleep. Eventually, though it took decades, Solaris was restored and started its engines in the area now known as The Sunset Zone.
  
  Systemically and culturally Polaris and Solaris are very similar, they try very hard to keep communication, though that is not always possible. Only simple communication such as radio waves can be used between the two due to numerous sources of interference on the Shell, but established underground bunkers called Outposts take up the role of storage unit used to exchange supply and personnel between the two vessels.
  
  Outposts are small underground bunkers suitable for at least 3/5 planet revolution time of survival, but for non-GPOs, transferring between vessels is still considered a great risk. Hostile machinery attacks, Shell layer shifting, electromagnetic waves, and other dangers constantly threaten Outposts. Due to this, every Outpost as a number of GPOs stationed in order to guard against these threats, usually in event of the Outpost being destroyed, these are the only survivors. But even with their enhanced abilities, there are still many GPOs who die in the eternal day or night, as it is easy to be worn out or caught off guard without the proper abilities to combat situations encountered.
APOTHEOSIS FLUID.

Apotheosis Fluid is the name given to the unknown liquid that GPOs have in place of blood, it can be nearly any color depending on the individual. Apotheosis Fluid runs through a GPO’s body exactly like how blood does, but in most GPOs, the moment it enters the vicinity of the brain, it will revert back to normal blood. While the outer layer of a GPO stays visually the same, sometimes the color of their Apotheosis Fluid can show on some body parts, such as the tongue/inside of the mouth, flesh underneath nails, pupils/sclera of eyes. It behaves like a non-Newtonian fluid, which hardens automatically with strong impact. It is theorized that this automated property is what grants GPOs their high physical resistance.

Any microscopic observations or attempts to decipher its chemical properties resulted in damage to either the equipment used or data collected. Despite this, Apotheosis Fluid can be easily observed to be the source of GPO abilities and theorized to be the energy source of many infrastructures found in the shell, as the mysterious liquid has been found in many excavated devices and even hostile machinery themselves.
COMPATABILITY RATE.

God Program compatibility rates are something that is easy, but also quite difficult to understand. Before attunement, it represents a rough estimate of one's success rate of attuning, but even high rates have routine failures. After the attunement, it becomes something more nuanced. Intuitively, it is the amount of innate "talent" an Operator has in using their abilities, this is largely true at low to medium levels. A higher compatibility is not always better or stronger, as with training and creativity, even those with lower numbers can become very adapt at using their abilities.

Sometimes having higher compatibility can even be an unstable factor. At a high rates, one seems to change more than just on a physical level, there have been reports of shifts in personality, periodic memory loss, and other psychological changes in GPOs with 95%+ compatibility. Due to the small sample size of 95%+ Operators, this phenomenon is difficult to study.
GPO GENERATIONS.

A GPO's generation number represents the amount of Operators who has previously attuned to a specific God Program. This number can have some meaning, a higher number could mean a specific God Program's Operators have a high mortality rate, or it could have just been around for a long time. While a low number could mean low mortality rate, but also could just be a newly excavated item, or that it has been laying unused for extended amount of times. A God Program with many generations of users are more likely to have Series batches created for operating them, and usually have higher accuracy with their compatibility testings. First generation Operators are awarded a special badge and family benefits, due to the high mortality rates and unstable compatibility testing when attuning to newly excavated God Programs. (edited)
GENERAL GPO ABILITIES.

All GPOs are granted three types of special abilities that pushes them beyond the limitations of humanity...or even organic life itself:

Physical Enhancements: The ability to be stronger, more durable, faster, etc. Being able to survive intensive impacts is crucial for traversing the Shell. Defensive capabilities are granted largely by the non-Newtonian properties of Apotheosis Fluid while the enhancements are granted by its energy density. Although these enhancements are powerful on a living being, the majority of them cannot match the might of machinery and specialized devices.

Metabolic Efficiency: The ability to function for prolong periods of time without sustenance such as food, water, or even oxygen. It is what allow GPOs to traverse the outside world without bulky survival gear. Those with a high metabolic efficiency can match the survival stamina of those in cryogenic sleep while being active.

Regeneration Factor: The ability to innately regenerate body parts that normal people can't, such as entire limbs or minor organs. All GPOs have the ability to do so, but the time it takes varies from hours to days. A GPO with a high regeneration factor (above 8.5) can even survive injuries such as being beheaded if their pieces are put together again quickly enough.

The potency of these abilities loosely correlates to one's unique power. For example a more combat orientated ability would grant a higher regeneration factor, while a scouting orientated ability would have higher metabolic efficiency.

(These ensure the anime physics will be sufficiently in place for everyone.)
UNIQUE GPO ABILITIES.

There are many types of unique abilities that each individual operator has.

[Self-Augmentation] - The most common type of GPO ability, where the user’s Apotheosis Fluid grants them special abilities pertaining to their own body. (Become a Pokemon and wield the elements or enhance your physical abilities even further, it's all about you. Probably the closest to traditional superpowers like MHA stuff.)

[Systemic Control (Common Models)] - The second most common type of GPO ability, which allows manipulation of common systems found throughout the shell, such as electrical wiring and automated pipelines. The GPOs who use these abilities share the same color Apotheosis Fluid as the system they are able to control. (These are basically sci-fi druids, instead of being one with nature, these characters are attuned with the "nature" of the mechanical ruins, controlling satellites and pipelines rather than clouds and trees.)

[Systemic Control (Unique Models)] - Very similar to the common model variant, but with a singular, more powerful device, essentially granting the user a hyper-personalized weapon or utility. These devices are considered Shell Relics themselves that are excavated with the God Program itself. The most common form unique systems take on is satellites and vehicles. (This is where you can pull out a RWBY style anime mega weapon or a mech, or a robot, or a cool car, or a weird puddle of nanoslime or whatever.)

[Systemic Detection] - Extrasensory ability that pertains to detecting specific types of infrastructure within the shell, unlike their manipulation based counterparts, these GPOs’ Apotheosis Fluid does not ever revert back to their original blood, not even within the brain. (This is basically enhanced perception with a sci-fi flare, technopathy or having built in wi-fi.)

[Simulation] - Sometimes considered a subcategory of Systemic Detection, simulation-based GPOs have the ability to create vivid and extremely accurate simulations of certain aspects of the world with clairvoyance like accuracy. (This is the sci-fi equivalent of prophecy or divination abilities, let's not make it too OP now since this is an RP just try to stick with the spidy sense type of thing.)

[Organic Based] - In a world filled to the brim with machinery, these GPOs are quite rare and have niche yet important abilities that relate to organic matter. While most Apotheosis Fluid is fatal to normal organic life, theirs are harmless or even can be beneficial to them. (You wanna be a healer/druid/cleric of the powerless normal people, be Jesus or the Messiah or something like that? This is the closest you'll get.)

[God Program Related] - Undoubtedly the rarest form of God Program ability: ones that seem to be tailored to supporting other God Programs. They possess Apotheosis Fluid that emits resonance signals with the fluid of others. (Baric inspiration/buffer class.)

Cresion Breezes · Jul 1, 2022

Somewhere, sometime, upon a world where we must live in perpetual daybreak……

FLUFF LORE ON DAILY LIFE

Family
Familial Units are the official recognized way of forming a family, it encompasses everything related to forming a family from marriages to adoptions. Created around 250 years ago by the reformed government, it was made as a way for artificial humans to be more easily integrated into society despite their lack of genetic relations, and sometimes biological sex. Much of the natural born population still utilizes the old family structure, uniting for emotional, reproductive or financial reasons.

Food
Food items are functionally the same as our world’s, but they come from different sources. Farming is quite common and a mature technology, providing much of the same grains and vegetables of the old days. Animals do not exist as we know it, although meat does, as it is grown in bulk from genetic material archives. One major difference is the existence of editable machinery that exists on the shell. Usually these are hunted by GPOs and other staff that go on away missions. These machines are similar to crustaceans, they have silicon based flesh that is digestible by people.

Climate
Within the Polaris, the seasons and day/night cycles are regulated to fit recorded descriptions of normal planets. So it is climate as we know it. Although under emergency circumstances, conditions like “indefinite night” and “indefinite winter” could be evoked to save energy. (edited)

Government
Military dictatorship. Though residential areas hold elections for minor positions in management and largely sort themselves out, the sitting Captain can evoke martial law and take complete control at any time. All resources are extracted from the shell by GPOs and the military as well, and distribution is handled by the Captain and their council. The method that the Captain is chosen is unknown to all but the most top rung of Polaris. However, in peacetime there are generally three branches of government: the elected council, the appointed council whose's members have expertise in various fields that are approved by both the Captain and elected council, and the Captain as an individual.

Crime & Law
The most serious crime on Polaris, even above murder, is illegal creation of artificial humans. This is the only crime that can entail exile, which is pretty much certain death. For GPOs, the most serious crime is purposely assaulting or killing another person with GPO abilities. Any authority who orders GPOs under their command to do so will be charged with the same punishment if they are a GPO themselves, or exiled if they are not one. While normal people are exiled, the actual punishment for GPOs is unknown, but they are never seen again.

Extinction Level Threat Alert
Evoked by the Captain whenever an event that could cause total annihilation of the population happens. It can be various events, but most common is the appearance of Ecology Class Hostile Machines, which are aggressive machines that are the same, if not bigger in size than the Polaris.

Holidays
The Excavation Festival, being the Christmas/New Years equivalent. The Excavation Festival includes up to two weeks of pre-event celebrations. Mainly in the form of tournament arcs where various defense staff, from soldiers to engineers to scientists to system operators, and of course GPOs does friendly competition in massive tournaments of great variety, as preparation for the actual event: Going over 200km deep into the shell in the First Excavation Site, a hole that humanity has been digging in for 500 years. It is full of danger and unknown, but every year great new discoveries have been made. Some Excavation Festival discoveries: Various God Programs and attunement chambers, the first Auxiliary Blackboxes, information bits on the world, new materials, new hostile machinery types, and other unknown technology.

Polaris Era Ø
The term given to a historical period that encompasses the great surge of artificial human rights that developed around 250 years ago, in which Polaris' governing council was exposed of attempting to mass produce GPOs through gene editing and batch cloning. After the (at time) Captain's supporters were usurped by the ship's council in a military coup, it was an era where artificial humans were considered wholly expendable, and underwent extensive modifications, drug use and brainwashing in order to attune to God Programs. This period of terror was ended after a mysterious newborn auxiliary, who seemingly possessed lost information and technology, led an uprising against the sitting council. It is rumoured that this individual still resides on Polaris, but their specific identity is still unknown to all other than the sitting Captain. The civil unrest culminated into the vessel being ill prepared for an ecology scaled hostile machinery raid. The “Øth Raid” is widely considered the bloodiest battle in recorded history, it resulted in massive amounts of causalities in which the majority was artificial humans. This was athe first time where natural and artificial humans truly fought side by side for the survival of all, and the barrier between the two began to break down. The "Øth Era” was dubbed as it marked a new period of humanity where natural and artificial people officially joined as one.

Cresion Breezes · Jul 10, 2022

Somewhere, sometime, upon a world where we must live in perpetual daybreak……

MACHINE CATALOGUE

Carriers
Carriers are small all-terrain automatons that are attracted to human life. They are named as such due to their flat backs that are capable of carrying various loads and objects. Carriers often find random parts and objects to carry around for seemingly no reason, although not intentional, some of these items can be used as defensive armor or offensive weapons. A Carrier alone is not very dangerous, however, they can overwhelm their opponents with sheer numbers, and there are a lot of Carriers within the Shell. They have a habit of stealing items from humans, they seem to prefer items that were or are being actively used rather than abandoned ones.

Few Carriers have something similar to a speaker system and are capable of making noise. The rhythm and structure of these sounds are similar to speech and have been hypothesized as such, though no decryption efforts have been too successful yet.

Carriers have some edible parts such as the silicon around their joints and are often stripped for computational parts, the flat back of Carriers are also considered fine building materials.
Wormbus
The Wormbus are mid-sized all-terrain automatons that usually follow a set movement pattern, they are migratory automatons who are capable of traveling vast distances upon many different types of terrains. Although they seem to follow a loose set path, they are also attached to human life and sometimes would veer off of their usual routes towards places where there are more humans. The Wormbus likes to "eat" people by scooping up prey through the transparent openings on their bodies, the interior of a Wormbus has chair-like structures that are described as "comfortable" by many survivors, but the extremely poor ventilation within the Wormbus is usually fatal. Even for GPOs, the level of suffocation within a Wormbus can render them unable to fight. Just like most automatons, the silicon of their joints is also a common food source.

Although difficult to deal with when the Wormbus is still active, the chair-like structures in the interior are actually quite delicious. Stripping the outer layer off makes for a very popular roast material. Due to this trait, it is a popular competition for many combatants to attempt to deactivate a Wormbus without damaging its insides.
Rebuilders
Rebuilders are large-sized automatons that can usually be seen attempting to “repair” the Shell, it usually appears in areas where there has been obvious large-scale damage to the Shell. Due to this type of damage being more prevalent in the deeper layers than the surface, Rebuilders are more plentiful the deeper one goes within the Shell. They seem to move only to serve their purpose of repairing, leaving behind a plaster-like substance that can be identified in many places elsewhere in the Shell where obvious replacement of certain parts has happened. Rebuilders are not hostile to humans or any organic life, although at times they may move erratically and cause damage due to their large size. However, if anything attempts to get in the way of its repairing duties, it would be mowed down mercilessly and converted into the plaster used in those repairs. This very rarely happens though, as their movement is slow and relatively predictable.

Rebuilders are difficult to take down due to their size and sturdy build, even those rarely cause damage to those who have a moderate knowledge of how they behave, the fatigue that grinds combatants down is usually want ends the operation. Due to this, any harvesting of Rebuilders is usually done via heavy weaponry support from Polaris or armed caravans. The plaster inside Rebuilders is an all-purpose adhesive and seal agent commonly used by humanity, and its inner rotatory units and blades that can break down nearly any material are also prized in industrial uses.
Floaters
Floaters are drone-like automatons that manipulate air currents in order to fly and propel themselves around, this movement based on air currents is likely why it is a highly energy-efficient machine. However, it seems to function quite well in an environment with thinner air as well. It usually acts quite mildly and does not attack, but their large size and tendency to be stored in large swarms make them threatening for operators that involve the open air. They are capable of flying at high speeds and sometimes cause great damage by crashing into devices or even people.

Floaters contain a large amount of “float substance”, an extremely light yet durable material found in various flying automatons that are used in many surface operations and instruments, especially flying machines of the mobile vessels’ own development. Although these machines are still in the experimental phase and cannot be mass-produced due to how these materials are hard to harvest. They seem to completely disintegrate when met with intense heat and friction, despite being very resilient to the cold. This means that intensive attacks cannot be used against Floaters in order to harvest them, rather more meticulous means to incapacitate or capture them must be used.
Sparkeaters
Sparkeaters are massive automatons that are known for electricity-related abilities. They seem to have the capability to sap electricity from almost any source with their myriad of wires and cords, the amount of electricity they sap is much greater than what is needed to sustain their operations. This is due to the fact that most of the gathered energy is stored in the middle platform of the Sparkeater, the flat middle portion of the machine is actually a hyper-efficient battery that holds a large amount of energy. Although they are quite good at gathering energy, they don’t seem to have very keen senses, as they blindly flail their detection and energy-sapping cords around in order to find electrical channels.

Sparkeaters are difficult to defeat due to the hyper-compact lithium (a rare industrial material in itself) that it is mostly consisted of, hence the usual strategy of defeating these is to lure them into a barren area and stall them out until they are out of energy and become sluggish. However, there exists a faster but riskier way of dealing with them, which is to disconnect all of their cords from energy sources, forcing them to essentially go unconscious. But this is dangerous and difficult for a number of reasons, such as the released energy in the form of EMP pulses when cords are destroyed, and the extra durable and thick “main cord” that stems from behind the machine.
Ecology-Class
Ecology-Class Hostile Machines are the most advanced and dangerous type of machines in the Shell. They are as large as Polaris or even larger, and houses numerous other types of hostile machines, some even have factories where the machines are produced and reproduced. Many Ecology-Classes are not identifiable when they are dormant and will only seem like a normal portion of the Shell, but when they do become activated they become extremely dangerous, being able to create massive seismic events and galvanize nearby machines. It is even possible for them to actively collide with Polaris if enough of the machine is above ground and mobile, which will almost definitely cause an extinction event.

Raids that last 1-2 weeks are launched upon these machines when discovered, sometimes even forcing the Polaris out of the habitable zone for a few days. These raids mobilize all GPOs and other professional personnel in order to deactivate these machines. There are numerous roles that are required to take down an Ecology-Class, but one of the most important is the “Corebreaker”. These machines have a “core” in which commands that govern the entirety of the structure are issued. Although different portions of the machines have their independent control cores, there exists a central core that if destroyed, will eliminate the possibility of a collision event and also throw the functions of the rest of the machine into disarray. Seeking out and destroying this core is the most crucial task in raiding the machine and it must be carried out with the highest priority by any means necessary.

The amount of Ecology-Class machine raids carried out after the Great “Øth” Raid is scant and few, with the more recent one being 24 years ago. Newer and better developments in God Programs and strategies have been lowering losses, but the risks are still immense. No one really understands how and why an Ecology-Class machines gets activated, as when dormant they are completely harmless.

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Cresion Breezes · Jul 25, 2022

Somewhere, sometime, upon a world where we must live in perpetual daybreak……

ORGANIZATIONS

Polaris High Council

The main governmental body of Polaris, headed by the vessel’s seemingly introverted and mild-mannered 12th Captain Vinne Valorie. It consists of the Captain as well as 48 who are elected into their position by their sector district’s people. There are also a number of special council members who have positions due to their expertise and authority in certain areas, these individuals are personally chosen and invited by the Captain herself.

Although 300 years ago in the past the Captain and High Council held similar authority, with the Council having veto powers against the Captain’s decision, a coup eventually happened where the Council usurped the at-time Captain and exiled them. This created numerous problems, including the mass, unregulated production of artificial humans by the Council as well as the massive loss of life during the Great Øth Raid. After this era passed and the position of Captain was reinstated, the Council’s access to the military and vessel’s controls, as well as their political power has been greatly diminished.

Today the Polaris High Council only serves as an advising body, as any decision they make can be completely and instantly overturned by the Captain.
Polaris Caravan Teams

Caravans are smaller vessels that are used when traversing the outside world, and hence the management organization of the caravans is the main player in Shell exploration. Headed by the hyper-competent multitasking auxiliary GPO, Commander Halley Edmann, dozens if not hundreds of these small vehicles head out into the perilous Shell every day.

The main duty that the Caravan Teams handle is transportation, whether it’s for the upkeep and delivery of Outposts, ferrying researchers into the Shell, or even heading out to rescue some unfortunate souls stuck in the brittle cold, these brave couriers maintain the thin thread that connects Polaris to the outside world. And due to this extremely general line of duty, almost all individuals who have ventured outside of Polaris would have come into contact with the Caravan Teams at one point or another.

It is known as one of the more easygoing and individualistic organizations within Polaris, largely due to its commander’s GPO power which makes him extremely personable. The more militaristic sects of Polaris sometimes make fun of them for this fact.
Artificial Human Psychological Services Association (AHPAS)

Ever since the creation of various artificial humans, there have been great debates over whether or not this is a...well, a good thing to do. Artificial humans are sentient beings usually created for one highly specific purpose, which has the unfortunate side effect of inducing various types of mental illnesses at some point in life. They were considered unreliable, even GPOs, due to their instability at times.

After The Great Øth Raid, it was proposed that the way to make artificial human GPOs as efficient as natural-born ones, was simply to treat them as natural-born people. This practice was continued and gave birth to the AHPAS, the organization that provides mental health services specialized for artificial humans. Although their methods are not totally efficient, every individual must overcome their problems alone at some point.

The AHPAS provides services such as therapy or companion automatons to Series and Clones who are experiencing existential-type mental illnesses. Colloquially known as “cloning blues” or “bad faith”, any psychological issue that is due to the purpose of one’s birth being for a high specific purpose can be treated.
The Fermiists (The Children of Boundless Stardust)

We are all children of stardust. Long long ago we landed on this planet, carried by the boundless void of the infinite sky, we who are nothing but dust to this universe, grew and prospered in this great emptiness. We are not meant to stay here, we will one day return to the gentle lightless void. Because we are all the children of stardust.

This is what the Fermiists believe, as a somewhat religious group who gained the reputation for being odd due to their beliefs relating to the sky rather than the Shell. They believe that instead of attempting to dig deeper into the planet, humanity should focus on trying to leave its surface via flying into the sky. Its leader, Musica Mir, a GPO that gained control of a climate control satellite claims that her ability had allowed her to understand that humanity was always meant to go to space.
Wormbi’s

Named after the delicacy of Polaris that is Wormbus seats, Wormbi’s is a popular chain restaurant that serves various silicon-based food harvested from the Shell. Although being a restaurant is not its only function, it also holds competitions to find new types of edible resources within the Shell or new ways to cook and prepare known ingredients. It even has its own panel of food-related competitions during the Excavation Festivals.

Other than that Wormbi’s also hosts rudimentary camps/classes for younger residents that teach basic foraging and survival skills in the Shell. Although these civilian classes never wander far from Polaris, the lessons have proved useful time and time again during Polaris’ crises.

Wormbi’s locations are very popular hangout places for young people.

Futuristic 〘POLARIS.〙- Lore

Cresion Breezes

Beta Tester of Life

Cresion Breezes

Beta Tester of Life

Cresion Breezes

Beta Tester of Life

Cresion Breezes

Beta Tester of Life

Cresion Breezes

Beta Tester of Life

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