EP11 - "Live how you wanna live..."
The Crew Cracks the Case In Chapter 1's penultimate episode, the crew saves Xalduin, Bjornson, and James in a massive battle with The Sojourn's port authority. As the dust settles, Xalduin uncovers Savannah's secret.
EP10 - Soup For My Family
The Crew Keeps Trying to Solve A Murder Bribes, Lies, Threats, Therapy, A Deli Cart, and more. What more could you ask for? Tune in and follow the crew continue to work on cracking the case of Savannah's mysterious murder.
EP9 - Bury me With Ricky Rat
The Crew Solves a Murder. Arriving on the Sojourn in pursuit of Jaiden's Father's Journals, they find that the upper levels have been closed for some time. They meet "Frankie," a detective on Lodge 18, who agrees to help them get access to Jaiden's mom if they help her crack a case.
EP8 - The Final Omelette
The Crew Gears up and Heads Out. After a less than successful plot against PharmaCore, the crew arms The Hawke using Captain Solomon's bounty payout. Doctor Kellin joins the crew, and they head off to The Sojourn to find Jaiden's father's other journals.
Listen anywhere pods are casted!
EP7 - A Wet Hobgoblin In A Broom Closet
The Crew Hatches a Plot. In a bid to force PharmaCore to back off of Kellin's Cures, the gang attempts to pull off a complex plan to frame them for Solomon's nuke. The plan goes awry when Oliver recognizes a ghost from his past.
Listen anywhere pods are casted!
EP6 - Ol’ Honest Jim’s Used Spaceship Emporium Clearance Yard
The Crew Begins Their Journey. The gang takes to space on their new ship: "The Hawke" and heads for the OHJUSE trading post to turn in their bounty. On the way, they get a strange visitor. Time to buy some weapons, and get back on the road for The Sojourn
RECAP & Lore
Hey gang. As promised, here is the lore that’s been read to date. If you’re into that kind of thing. If I get enough requests for it I will circle back and add anchors and jump links, or maybe a wiki, but for now, grab a cup of coffee and get to reading.
As always - THANK YOU for your support.
Table of Contents
1. The Players
2. (Setting) The Death of the Stars
3. Factions
4. Shipbuilders
The Players
Cody Smith as
Karl Gauss, Interstellar Radio Host, Human Artificer
At an early age Karl proved to be a genius. Born to extremely overbearing parents Karl worked around the clock on his education. Karl showed a lot of interest in the mysteries of the universe but his parents buckled down on hard sciences. While very young Karl was selected for an advanced university. In record time he graduated top of his class and quickly shot to the highest paid engineering position in the OIT. Karl was one of the lead designers of experimental wetware that could be implanted into the brain. One day he realized his pet project and magnum opus (a special A.I.) was going to be weaponized. He escaped with the only copy of his project on a terminal that he had installed in his own head. For years he hid from the OIT. Taking mercenary work and trying his best to lay low, Karl worked as a sniper. Out in the field Karl met all kinds of strange folk with very interesting beliefs. No matter where he went the OIT found him. After watching all his mercenary friends die trying to protect him he did the only thing he could think of to get rid of them once and for all. He deleted his beloved project.
After that he sought refuge with the Artificers Guild. Things were good for a time but eventually the OIT agents caught up with him. Technically still under contract with the OIT he was stuck. Unless he was dead. Karl found a way to fake his own death. Completely erasing any trace of his former identity Karl lives his life on the fringe of society. Since then he has been gathering all the info he can on the stuff the corporations don't want you to know.
Austin Brady as
Xalduin, the Lost Astronaut, Tiefling Swashbuckler
7 years ago, the luxury vessel, The Oasis, set out to be the premiere star cruiser for the wealthy looking to escape the pollution and chaos of their respective planets. Armed with a state-of-the-art AI, they were able to experience all the pleasures of a lush planetside from the comfort of their decks, serving a large variety of planet species. The ship included a vast botanical garden for rainforest esque walks through misty greens, casinos, walks along artificial beaches, theaters, brothels, amusement parks, anything the elite class could dream of. On her maiden voyage, The Oasis disappeared. No distress signal, no wreckage, no signs at all as they were pulled into a fleeting wormhole barreling through space. Though the Oasis has been gone for 7 years Common Era, The Oasis herself has experienced something very different…
Thousands of years have passed in the deep unreachable future, drifting into the unimaginable, and the crew and passengers of The Oasis have lived and died aboard the ship for generations with the frantic and calculated work of the on-board AI “Calypso”. Calypso must ensure the survival of her crew by sustaining The Oasis as an ecosystem, destroying the idea of “elite class” 400 years into her disappearance, even resorting to selective sterilization to manage the population of 12691 and their resources. A careful balance in all things. Nothing is wasted and everything is recycled, cultivating a way of society on board that is mismatched and reappropriated. Broken prosthetic legs become levers, levers become table legs, table legs become gun barrels, and guns become prosthetic legs. The the on-board rainforest park has become a sustainable food forest, the artificial beach is teeming with genetically printed fish (originally used to make designer sushi, the printer has been out of commission for over 1000 years, but the “native” population still continues) , amusement rides are modified into recon and scrapper pods. Even the dead become fertilizer to ensure the next generation. Calypso has also learned that, to survive and continue a system of balance, she must go through a deification, constructing an origin myth of her crew, to teach them lessons, to help them feel unity through her grace, and to maintain The Oasis.
In this future, Calypso has never once landed on a planet and has steered The Oasis away from most unknown beings, occasionally forced into interaction with merchants, galactic aid ships, warships, and unfathomable species, making the Oasis a mess hodgepodge of incompatible ship parts frankensteining its way through space. It has been a few hundred years since the last interaction with another sentient species, and none of the current crew has ever experienced anything outside of the Oasis.
The crew themselves have not only cultivated new cultures and civilizations aboard the ship over thousands of years, but deep space radiation and a defunct gravity system has altered their biology, causing decreased muscle mass, increased joint range, and other physiological discrepancies from ancestor holotypes. Calypso’s plan has also minimized the risk of inbreeding by selective breeding rituals (basically arranged marriages determined my the AI) and gene editing hardware in the “Cradle” (former medical bay and cryo-chambers)
Xalduin’s ancestors were tieflings primarily, though his insectoid and tentacular mandible is a clear marker of difference to Common Era Tieflings. He grew up a happy life, with gardener parents, a few close friends, fair grades in spite of his mischief, “worked” as a pizza delivery boy and a junker through his teenage years (there is no economy, just an exchange of services for services. All goods are considered the grace of Calypso) where he learned to deal with folks and scavenge ships. He has cherished hanging from hammocks made of solar sails and refashioned billboards, tinkering with small robots, and spending his nights reckless and romantic around campfires with friends.But all things change. Calypso, this whole time intent on returning The Oasis and her crew, has found a wormhole back to Common Era as close as she could find: Present day, 7 years from her christening. She now entangled with the political, moral, and economic turmoil of The Oasis’s return. She sends out pilgrims, diplomats, and adventurers to ease her crews reintegration to the society they have been removed from, and Xaldui’s world is about to get much much bigger…
Tyrell Nye as
“Heavy Arms” Oliver, Pit Fighter, Minotaur Fighter
Oliver had a good life, He grew up moving from planet to planet station to station helping to heal the sick and bring hope to those who had none. Oliver’s father was a very famous Doctor who had dedicated his entire life to curing the unwell and charging nothing for his services. Oliver showed great promise at a young age and it seemed he would surpass even his father in the medical field someday. This all came to a crashing halt at the age of 12. Big Pharma interests wanted to turn the good doctors' work for a profit and gain access to his research. They tried to bribe the doctor and bring him into the money making medical field but he had no interest in their greed and had no intention of charging the sick. When it became clear he would not be bought they sent a “Closer” and his team to bring the good doctor in for a “meeting”
The closer was known for being particularly sadistic and was normally hired to send a very specific message. So it went that Oliver was tortured in front of his father who was helpless to save him. When it was all over the closer leaned in and said “They said I can’t kill you but I can’t have you seeking revenge HA!” He then laser cut Oliver’s arms off and dumped him in the gutter. Oliver laid for what seemed to be an eternity in that stinking alley in shock and slowly bleeding out but refusing to die. He was discovered by the mad Artificer “Lucky” Lucio who promptly offered the dying boy a deal “I'll give you your life in exchange for your life” blind with pain and terrified of death Oliver screamed “Anything you want” and so it was that Oliver became the legal property of “Lucky” Lucio.
Over the course of the next three years Oliver became the test Rat for illegal stims reporting the effects to his master and explaining in detail the varying levels of withdrawal. As Oliver turned 16 his former life was nothing more than a hazy dream as his body adjusted over and over to the many drugs Lucio developed. Then something changed. Lucio came to the lab more manic than usual screaming and mumbling about his greatest invention and how with the creds he had acquired he would show all those fools how wrong they were. He then approached Oliver and said “Oliver my faithful assistant it is time for you to serve your true purpose, you shall become my magnum opus!” Soon after Oliver woke up on a surgery table Lucio was standing over him “Now you must be fully awake and aware my good boy or the “Gear” won’t take so this is going to be one hell of a ride, but if on the off chance you survive we will be one step closer to greatness.”
The surgery took 27 hours and to this day Oliver has never known pain worse then what he endured on the table, but he survived as he always does and when he came to next he felt a sensation he had not felt since he was 12 years old. His fingers. But something was different and as his vision he saw the monstrous “Heavy Arms” he now possessed. “You boys are my finest achievement. Now let us show those meatheads what real innovation looks like.” and so Oliver began his third life. Lucio needed to test Oliver’s capabilities so he threw the 16 year old boy into the underground fighting pits to his “Heavy Arms” and stims at work. He was not disappointed. Fear and Pain were close friends of Oliver and as he entered the pit facing murderers and thugs he felt a sense of calm. He was home. With a record of 63-0 “Heavy Arms” Oliver became the most infamous fight the pit had ever seen. Of those fights only 2 ever entered the ring again thus making it more and more difficult for Lucio to line up fights for Oliver seeing as no one in their right mind wanted to square up against the kid.
Around the same time “Lucky” Lucio’s luck began to run out as his debts to the mob started to catch up with him. In a desperate attempt to turn a profit and save himself from becoming a mark he decided to fix Lucio’s next fight. Everything seemed like it would work out great as Oliver was fighting a massive behemoth of a man who was an ex champion of the higher end fighting arenas. No one would suspect a thing. Unfortunately the crime bosses had a lot of money riding on Oliver and so when Oliver went down in the second round Lucio had unknowingly signed his death warrant. When the hit man arrived at the lab a few days later “Lucky” Lucio attempted to turn his perfect weapon on him but the experimental drugs Lucio had used on Oliver to weaken him for the fight had some unforeseen side effects making Oliver nearly unresponsive and zombie-like. So Lucio was killed and Oliver was dumped along with all of Lucios lab equipment research and stims into the scrap heap surviving once again as he does. So at 19 Oliver began his fourth life when a young genius/radio host found him amongst the scrap and decided to bring him back to his hideout.
John Caley as
Nivitz Pozu, Eccentric Researcher, Gnome Wizard
The hopeful caster- 35 years ago a younger Nivitz wanting to leave his mark left his friends and joined the righteous Papal Knights. He loved the sense of purpose there thinking he would rise through the ranks and some day become a general. At first life in the Knights brought him adventure traveling and bringing order as they fought raiders and bandits. Time went by and seven years had flown by while he slowly rose in rank. Yet it seemed their number of raids kept increasing at an alarming rate. Those they captured would babble on about "the Entropy" and "how they should just take anything they wanted while there was still life left". These ramblings started to naw at the minds of his fellow knights. Nivitz himself started to wonder about the death of the stars and what we could do to reverse this "inevitable" end that’s driving men to do such evil acts, and where are the gods and why are they not fixing the problem. They sought answers from the Church but were silenced and sent back out on patrol. The Church shushing them left Nivitz with an empty feeling inside which just grew bigger as time went on. This feeling lasted for almost 3 more years.
Budding researcher- That’s when the AA split and seeing that as a sign he resigned to join his people. There he would find answers and try to stop this coming doom. By chance he joined a transport with some fellow users of the arcane on their journey to join the AA. They debated and swapped theories about "the Entropy'' or "abyss". This went on and on as they slowly made their way to Dasaki hoping to join others there seeking to reverse this impending doom. Once there Nivitz met with many organisations researching the death of the stars. That was until PotA and their claim that the death of the stars is related to the misuse of technology and AA's immediate funding. As a fellow researcher he wanted to review the study, but was unable to even see a rough outline. This led Nivitz to begin his own personal journey and studies of the death of stars.
The eccentric researcher- He has spent most of the next 20ish years traveling alone researching Entropy. PotA's influence is ever growing with the backing of the AA feeling more and more like a cult of researchers. He sought out those less convinced and shared his findings with those back home. Strangely afterwards there was a failed attempt on his life as well a sabotage attempt that left his ship partially crippled in a region near a dead star. This led him to believe PotA wanted him silenced. That led him to speak out on a different platform. Nivitz started to call a particular radio host. That led to the mutually beneficial relationship they shared today. A radio host and an eccentric wizard determined to create a new magic to stop the death of stars or perhaps create one...
The Death of the Stars
The Darkness, The Entropy, The Abyss. It goes by many names, but whatever you call it, the end is coming. In the observable universe, millions of stars are born and die each day. Scholars, Arcanists, and Scientists began to record a new, disturbing trend about 1,100 years ago - There were no new stars being born, and stars were dying at an alarming and increasing rate.
This continued for generations, but little was done or changed outside of the academic community, and the responses from official governments were anywhere from straight denial to conciliatory action. It was not until tragedy struck that The Darkness began to be taken seriously. The Terran homeworld’s sun suddenly died, without warning, and seemingly without cause. Within 9 minutes Terra was in complete darkness, plantlife began to die in days, animals soon after that. Those that could not get off the planet starved or froze as the surface of the planet reached deadly levels of cold over the course of the next year. Hundreds of millions of lives were lost in the desperate evacuation attempt. No one was prepared.
Scientific expeditions to dead stars yield no clues. The gods are silent on the issue. No progress has been made on any front, magical or otherwise. As the rate of star death increases, most models show a completely dark universe within 600-1000 years. With no realistic solutions in sight, life for many has simply started to adapt to a new, darker, normal.
The Church calls it The Darkness. Some among their ranks believe it is a test, while others believe they are being punished for their complacency. The Artificer’s Guild calls it “The Entropy” and believes the universe is simply winding down. They seek answers to survival in ancient technology. Some looked into the abyss and lost their souls, roaming an absurd world with a death wish, killing and plundering without remorse.
The rich seek to buy a ticket to survival. These corporate owned “arks” promise ways to survive the coming extinction event through things like cryonics, digitization, DNA preservation, and even closed sustainable systems that can drift through space without a sun indefinitely.
Those without the resources to buy hope, are left to face a reality where their planet could die at any time, and even if their luck holds, only a bleak nothingingness awaits them.
The dynamics created by this impending doom are massive rifts between noble and worker, rich and middle class, and so on. Races with less of a lifespan live under a constant threat of extinction (Their star dying) whereas the threat to, say, an Elf would be imminent.
Factions
Terran Command
Terran Command is the largest military force in the galaxy, and operates primarily to protect the Human race and its space stations and settlements. It is, however, perpetually involved in an innumerable number of smaller conflicts and peacekeeping arrangements. It is led by a council of twenty 5-star generals who serve until death or retirement. 5-Star’s anonymously vote on an outgoing General’s replacement. The council also oversees the administrative and civilian offices of the Terran Command. Terran cities, ports, and space stations generally answer to a manager, who in turn answers to a council-appointed regional manager. Terran civilians are assigned their job role at birth, but can appeal that decision upon completing state-mandated education. Most of a Terran’s life is very strictly guided. Their friendship and dating pools are regulated, permits must be acquired for any sort of small or large life event such as Moving, Having a Family, Taking a Vacation, adopting a pet. Terran Command has no currency and no market whatsoever. All needs are provided for by the state.
Leaving the Terran Command voluntarily is allowed, however all benefits of housing, travel, rations, fuel, so on, are frozen permanently, and re-entry into the system is not permissible. As of the death of the Terran homeworld 500 years ago, extreme measures to preserve humanity went into immediate effect, and as such no one of any race that is not born to two Terran Command members can ever truly become part of Terran Command, making nonhuman members an extreme rarity. This has inflamed a long scrubbed & rewritten history of Terran xenophobia, leading to an influx of young humans exiting Terran protection in protest.
Terran Command entities lean toward lawful alignments, although certainly not always, or even usually good alignments. A Terran soldier could be part of a mercenary protectorate assigned to a new settlement on the frontier of space. A Terran civilian could be an uncompromising lawyer living in an embassy that defends Terran interests. A Terran Cleric or Paladin would swear fealty to the State.
Port Authority
The Port Authority and its Dock Worker’s Union are an OITIE (See Below) and recognized as an autonomous government. They have a presence on most worlds. Surprisingly, among it’s numbers are some of the hardiest and most talented mechanics, pilots, and spacefarers around. Often the first ones in to a hazardous environment to build and maintain the systems needed to keep everyone’s ships moving.
They are not, however, all good eggs. The Port Authority, airtight and untouchable by most legal measures, has become a haven for rogues, muscle, smugglers, pirates, gangs, and all sorts of questionable folk. It’s nearly impossible to find a civilized planet where you can land your ship and NOT have to deal with the Port Authority in some capacity, so it’s a good idea to always have a few extra credits on hand to grease palms if need be.
The Dock Worker’s union “elect” representatives, who in turn elect a “Steward” who appoints the other administrative positions. Stewards serve 5 year terms, and reps serve until retirement or removal. These positions are often bought, traded, or filled by puppets.
The Church
In the current world (universe?) state, millions of years of history have been lost to time or rewritten, and thousands of cultures, religions, and races have risen and fallen. The Church believes this ideal as a core tenant, and is at the same time a homogenous embodiment of that truth. The Church follows the “Ever and All Host” which is a pantheon of all known and unknown Gods. They believe that all beliefs demand equal study and worship, and that every tenant of every faith deserves reverence. Even evil and chaotic gods and beliefs are accepted as ideas that demand attention and worship, even if they cannot be followed. They teach a general good and general spirituality. The Church is by far the majority religion on all settled planets. A paladin of the church would -violently- defend equality. A cleric or Monk might make a pilgrimage to a newly discovered, non space-faring planet to learn as much as he could about their religions and ways. A Church wizard would likely be an archivist, seeking ancient truths in abandoned ruins.
The Church claims autonomous rule over it’s properties and presences, whether that is in a space station or planetside. It uses Knight protection and Trade Union services, which are vital to the survival of many settlements, as leverage to establish colonies and presences.
The Papacy
The Papacy is the administrative office of the Church. They oversee the Knights, Trade Union, and all Church settlements. The Church believes its Pope is decided by divine appointment from the Ever and All Host, which is communicated by Cardinals during a Conclave. Cardinals are in turn appointed by the Pope from ordained bishops across the universe. The Vatican is a massive mobile space station that houses the papal offices, the Pope themselves, the Church College which trains the Church clerics, paladins, bards, wizards, and the like, and the Church Museum which houses all known ancient artifacts that have been claimed by the Church.
Papal Knights
The Knights are the military arm of The Church. They defend Church territory against any and all bandit or raider. They have their own leadership structure and answer only to the Pope themself. Recent events have led to accusations that the Knights are abandoning Church Principles by singling out Enders for military action, instead of seeking to understand and convert them, and taking more of an offensive role rather than providing protection. Adversely, many within the Knights believe the Darkness is a punishment and warning from the Ever and All Host for the Church’s complacency. The rift between the Church and the Knights teachings has largely been ignored by Pope Cumberbatch IX which has many rumors abounding that the Knights are speaking and acting out of turn.
Trade Union
The Trade Union is an AI led, completely fair and open trade system that transports goods between worlds. It allows settlements and private ventures to succeed in new way: Providing a consistent form of export income, and the necessities for survival in harsh climates. It is staffed primarily by robots, but there are penitent in the ranks. Prices are set via AI and are completely transparent, any and all transactions are recorded and publicly available. On occasion the complex AI will cause a warforged to gain sentience, at which point they are compensated for all past services and welcomed to the Church. There is no marketing, competition, promotions, and nothing sold that is not deemed essential: Food, Fuel, Toiletries, Etc. The Trade Union takes 10% of all transactions, which makes the Church the largest reservoir of wealth known to mortals.
OIT - Offices of Intergalactic Treaties
The OIT is a jointly created organization that supports the innumerable treaties between civilized spacefaring entities. They rule on settlements, terraforming, claims, trade routes, war crimes, and any number of issues that arise in disagreements between members. There are thousands of members of OIT, including all entities listed in this document, barring the Ender and The Rook (Not to be confused with The Rock, a OIT member), but also OITIE (OIT Independent Entities) which may be a corporation or noble house. They have no standing army, however generally this alliance’s recommendations are held in high regard, generally, by most members. The Summit is a space station located in the neutral Solace System where OIT member’s ambassadors and their cohorts live. There is a strong and permanent Terran Command and Papal Knight presence defending The Summit.
Artificer’s Guild
While all members of the Church worship Gond to some degree, a large faction of the ancient Artificer’s Guild never truly integrated and remains a haven for craftsmen and arcanists across the known worlds. Their followers not only create and invent, but also staunchly oppose corporate interests, and seek out and protect technology and knowledge lost to the ages. Beyond the obvious Artificer class, a cleric of the Artificer’s guild may be a treasure hunter that delves into ancient ruins in search of lost technology. Some extreme members of the Guild have sworn the Oath of the Watcher have dedicated themselves against “The Entropy” whilst others in the guild believe the Entropy is simply the natural order of things. The Artificer’s Guild and Paladins of the Ancients are in direct opposition. The PotA believe the AG hold technology above magic, and the misuse of essence is what fuels the Darkness.
The Rooks
The Rooks are a complicated bunch to understand and to deal with, and often their alignment is the subject of heated debate in any given pub, at any given time. The Rooks were founded by Ura Kneebreaker during the Freedom Wars of The Rock. (The name, in fact, lovingly comes from a parting gift of Ura’s grandmother, who unfamiliar with Common, misspelled a painting of “The Rock’s” on Ura’s spaceship in a show of solidarity during Ura’s trial) The Rooks defeated the now defunct “House Bezos” and freed billions of Orcs, Kobolds, Bugbears, Goblins, Kobolds, and the like from millennia of slavery on The Rock, a supermassive mining planet. However, Ura and her Lieutenants were sentenced to death for war crimes by the OIT. Many argue that her Legacy is a free Rock, where those cultures and peoples have rebuilt, and now thrive. However The Rooks are a name now claimed by many raiders and pirates. The message now is mixed. While having since apologized for it’s past complacency in The Rock’s history, the Church’s official stance is that Ura’s methods did not justify her quest, and though her mission was pure, that against the scales, she was an agent of evil. The Rock, now a free state and autonomous collective, claims Ura as their founder and patron deity, however have disowned The Rooks. Some claim The Rooks are an idea, a movement, and not an organization. Yet others claim The Rooks proper are very much alive and still operate against slavers and evil across the universe. Thirdly, many pirates, raiders, and bandits claim justification for their acts under the guise of being Rooks, where many, perhaps even Ura herself, would disown their motivations for wealth and power. Acts of evil and terrorism are often quickly and publicly simultaneously claimed and disowned by “The Rooks.”
It is not known if Ura’s dream survived her sentence. However a Rook is just as likely to be a young and idealistic rogue seeking the attention of The Rooks proper, a “robin hood” type pirate who “flies the flag” of Ura and carries on her memories, or even an Oath of Vengeance paladin.
Enders
Quickly rising to infamy after the death of the Terran homeworld, It can be said, simply, that Enders are the chaotic evil in the world. Full stop. They have stared into the abyss and they have lost their souls. They kill, they raid, they take. A closer examination, if one dared, would show a perhaps even more horrifying structure to the madness. The Enders worship a duality of indulgence and destruction. They have no regard for life and believe in subjugating anyone who can not or will not kill you, while teaching “the weak” to constantly plot to kill their betters and take their place. An Ender never delays gratification, for instance an Ender would always stop to attack and utterly destroy a small trade convoy, even if it meant their larger, planned mark would escape, because tomorrow is never expected. An Ender will always take any risk, assuming some chance of survival. They seek death, but seek it in an earned way, and desire to take as much life and property with them when they go. An Ender commits ritualistic suicide at the age of 30, regardless of race.
Ender Captains never assault or interfere with each other, unless one of the above tenants is proven to be broken, and no one in the Captain’s tribe is powerful enough to do the job themselves. There are little to no recorded conversations with or study of The Enders due to the nature of the cult, but it is rumored Ender Captains claim to answer to “The End,” which some say is The Ender name for The Darkness. There is one chilling viral vid however of an Ender captain, screaming “THE END IS COMING” whilst being dragged to the gallows by the Church. When asked “What is The End” he answered simply “I am the End.”
Ancient’s Alliance
In an incredible and stunning move 25 years ago, the Elven (Planet Dasaki) Dwarven (Planet Vuno) and Gnome (Gnomerra) homeworlds left the OIT and combined governments under a newly formed Triumvirate made up of the 3 kings of the aforementioned worlds. Believing that their best interests were not being served by the other races of shorter lifespans. This signals the first ever exit from the OIT and rocked the diplomatic landscape of the entire universe in a way never seen before in recorded history. They expelled any official presence of the Church, Knights, Port Authority, Terran Command, and Trade Union from any and all of their claims. The universe sat at the brink of war as skirmishes broke out across space, but a tenuous peace was struck and the aforementioned entities withdrew peacefully.
The AA, overnight, became a massive and threatening force that spans hundreds of settlements and stations beyond the mentioned homeworlds. Those of any Elven, Dwarven, Gnomish, and any other race considered “Ancient” by AA rulings (Such as Oread, Drow, Ifrit, Sylph, etc) were granted immediate AA citizenship, and all races could apply assuming they display academic, arcane, or some related type of competency and a dedicate to solving “The Darkness” and preserving the Universe.
The Triumvirate quickly passed laws that assured freedom for and from religion, free speech and free thought laws, and even some ethics protections (Rather, protection FROM ethics) with the express purpose of coming up with a solution to The Darkness. Nothing is off the table. The AA has tempted many scholars and academics with the promise of free-thinking and problem solving without the boundaries of petty Theism or politics.
An AA scholar may be a magic user who does not follow a deity, or is more chaotic and less moral in their approach to attaining knowledge. Conversely an Ancient Alliance fighter could be a dwarf who left the church’s passivity to lend his shield to the AA’s quest to defeat The Darkness
Paladins of the Ancients
While the AA is not a religious structure, the Triumvirate publicly funds and supports an order, the PotA who swear to the newly “discovered” Ancient Pantheon. The PotA is the only organization to provide any sort of study of The Darknesses chaos, pointing out (Although not making available for peer review) that based on arcane currents, proximities, and age, that stars closer or more aligned to worlds where technology is “misused” are more likely to die. This blame of technology has led to an extreme animosity between the PotA and the Artificer’s Guild. While labeled “ridiculous” by most organizations, the AA immediately funded PotA heavily after reviewing
Not all PotA members are Paladins, in fact there are as many druids as there are paladins. Their ranks include all classes, they need only value nature or magic above technology.
Ancient Pantheon:
Atia, The Elven Goddess of Essence, Magic, the life cycle, and preservation.
Surp, The Gnomish God of Creation, Curiosity, and inventor of stars,
Tiladin, The Dwarven Goddess of Reality, Time, and Matter
Other Notable Factions
Shipbuilder OITIEs
Ol’ Honest Jim’s Used Spaceship Emporium, Horizontek, Moonstriders, Inc, Maxwell Interstellar, Brandybuck Family Customs, & General Knotts Military Surplus are the only 6 currently OIT recognized and protected shipbuilders in the universe.
Those Lost // Wanderers
The colloquial name for a race of extremely technologically advanced aliens who have since gone extinct. Their ruins and ships are marked in magical runes and often deeply dangerous death traps, but contain amazing technology, new life, or riches. Finding new Lost technology is the equivalent of “striking” gold for a treasure hunter. The “Bleeps”, cloning, cyronics, and faster than light engines are all Lost technology
The Arks
The collective colloquial name for the OITIE corporations that market some sort of method of survival from The Darkness. These methods include things like soul digitization, cryonics, AI led DNA preservation, and so on. Specifics & Names of these OITIE will be announced at a later date. These services are extremely expensive and considered a luxury of the rich. Many spend their entire lives saving up enough money to buy passage on one of the Arks.
Spaceship Corporations
Brandybuck Family Customs
“Artisan Products, Family Values”
Brandybuck Family Customs is a family owned, artisanal spaceship manufacturer and nobility OITIE. They hand craft every ship part that they produce and only employ family members (Albeit, the Brandybuck line is massive) they are highly reliable family vehicles. Flying a BFC is a mark of status.
Maxwell Industries
“We Sell Parts for Spaceships.”
Maxwell Interstellar burst onto the shipbuilding scene seemingly out of nowhere, gathering market share at an alarming rate. It's ownership is surrounded by a web of extreme privacy and mystery, although some claim the intrigue is all just a marketing ploy. While not the most sleek and beautiful, and certainly not the most affordable to service, MI's components are known for both their performance and reliability. .
Moonstrider, Inc
“Arcane, Never Mundane”
Moonstrider, Inc sells magical, wooden components and spaceships. Their flagship product is their Moonbeam Propulsion System which requires no fuel, and runs entirely on magical powers. Several board seats have been vacated as of the formation of the Ancient’s Alliance, as the decision was made for MI to remain an OITIE and member of the OIT.
While Moonstrider, Inc spaceships are low cost and easy to maintain, they have difficulty standing up against ballistic weapons.
General Knott’s
“Lock and Load”
General Knott retrofits and resells military technology commercially. Their ships are best in class when it comes to durability, however materials for repairs are hard to find. While not feature-rich, per-se, General Knott’s ships are equipped to dogfight, board, defend, and survive. General Knott, himself, is an Orc with a legendary black beard, known for going on bandit and bounty hunts alone, despite his stockholders' protests. He holds a particular disdain and drive for vengeance against those who would do evil under The Rooks, and sully his heroine, Ura Kneebreaker’s name.
Ol’ Honest Jim’s Used Spaceship Emporium
“Bad credit? High Bounty? NO PROBLEM!”
OHJUSE sells recycled, rebuilt, and retrofit spaceship parts. Their parts are the easiest on the wallet, but also the most likely to fall off. Uncle Jim Cackle, OHJUSE’s Spokesperson and CEO, is an absurdly rich Hobgoblin, who lives on his massive starship (Build by BFC, interestingly enough) “Lady Luck” - his estate, House Cackle, is also an OITIE with thousands of family, serfs, servants, and employees.
Horizontek
“Transforming the Horizon”
Horizontek is a high tech, nanotechnology driven, spaceship manufacturer OITIE, and terraforming technology company. Their board and trade secrets are kept in an impenetrable shroud of digitized privacy. While extremely costly, Horizontek parts are feature rich and high performing. Horizontek parts are, however, completely proprietary and must be repaired by a Horizontek registered mechanic, or risk voiding the warranty, which would make parts and repairs even more costly.
EPISODE 5 - Spaceship Aquisition
The Crew Gets a Spaceship. The gang cleans up after a bloody battle with the Enders and goes to work acquiring a spaceship. Next stop: Ol' Honest Jim's Used Spaceship Emporium Clearance Yard.
Check it out everywhere pods are casted!
EPISODE 4 - It’s Never The Green Wire
The Crew Return to Prosperity Bay. For the climax of our first arc, "Foul Play at Prosperity Bay," the gang takes on Captain Solomon on the eve of his 30th birthday.
Listen anywhere pods are casted.
EPISODE 3 - I'll Make You Look Like Your Backside
The Crew Defeats The Ruin's Guardian. Our beloved heroes are able to defeat the guardian of the ruin with their newfound power, and Jaiden finds a clue as to his father's whereabouts. They head back to Prosperity Bay only to find things might have just gotten a tad bit more interesting.
Listen anywhere pods are casted. We love you!
EPISODE 2: This is not your path
The Crew Makes a New Friend. After a run in with a robotic beastmaster, the party continues searching for Jaiden, descends into a lost ruin, disturbs it’s protector, and if Minor Illusion counts: plants a tree.
Find it anywhere podcasts are…podcasted. Big thanks to iHeartRadio and Pandora for approving and listing us this week!
WE NEED YOUR HELP
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EPISODE 1: OUT NOW
The Crew Sails the Sand Sea. Karl and Oliver go to Prosperity Bay so that Nivitz, an eccentric researcher who is a long-time listener of Karl's radio show, can introduce Xalduin, a lost astronaut who claims to be from the lost cruise ship, The Oasis.
Find it anywhere podcasts are…podcasted.
WE NEED YOUR HELP
Leave us a 5-star on iTunes, follow us on social media, and share, share, share!
Session 0 - we’re live!
Strap in kiddos, we’ve got a long ride ahead of us. Session 0 for our first campaign is now LIVE just about everywhere podcasts are found. Send us any feedback to homebrewhomecrew@gmail.com, and of course - Leave us a review on iTunes!
Welcome to the Homebrew!
For those unfamiliar with D&D:
-This is our Session Zero, which mean’s we’re creating characters for our adventure, and introducing the world. It’s perfect for a test launch, but perhaps a little boring compared to a normal session. Episode 1 is where the real fun begins!
-This is a D&D Actual play podcast. Meaning this is sort of a radio drama, but at the same time it is actually happening live, improv, and not scripted.
If you have any questions or comments please don’t hesitate!