Ruined Worlds Lore / Characters [closed]

Taken from: The Three Pillars Alliance and Humanity's First Golden Age, Volume One. By Dr. Anderson Castelli. 

The Three Pillars Alliance brought peace to our home planet, established the first Golden Age of the Human Race and catapulted us to the stars. Since its founding Humanity has begun to bend its solar system to its needs, has invented faster than light travel and communications, and has established its first colonies on other worlds. No account of this process, or of the Alliance as a whole, can be complete however without an account of how three States who were bitter rivals and enemies came to be close allies. It was not a quick process, nor an easy one, and it must be understood in its full to understand where we stand today and why there may well be stress fractures at the foundation of our civilization.


Global War 

Before their current iterations the Three Pillars Alliance nations were known as The Russian Federation, the United States of America, and The People's Republic of China. They were rivals, often clashing diplomatically and economically, if not militarily. This ended with a massive aerial assault on Taiwan by the People's Republic of China. The unanticipated attack sparked immediate retaliation from US allies in the region, followed by the United States itself. The, expected to be quick by both sides, dragged out. Initial naval engagements gave China an early advantage but the arrival of more of the US fleet, plus the competency and power of its allied fleets eventually ended this advantage. What had started as an air war remained an air war until North Korea launched an invasion of South Korea.

The plan had been to use the North Koreans to distract allied forces long enough to secure Taiwan with a paratroop invasion. The plan failed miserably. North Korea's military was not capable of a sustained invasion and China was forced to divert its own forces, lest North Korea collapse entirely. From there the war dragged on, quickly gaining comparisons to a World War One but with better technology. The prolonged fighting ruined the global economy, sending China in particular into a massive economic tailspin. 

Desperate to spread allied attention China launched additional land invasions of India and Vietnam. These went well initially, but eventually bogged down as well. Chinese airpower, once dominant in the region, deteriorated with repeated clashes with allied forces and expected help from Russia never materialized. China was forced to stand on its own and thanks to brutal fighting on land, casualties on both sides sky rocketed. Many believed China's vast manpower reserves would be the trump card it needed to bring Vietnam and Korea to heel but they failed to consider the culture of China and it's firm belief in Filial Piety. Worse yet, China' demographics combined with these filial beliefs meant that families of elders had long depended upon young sons to provide for their care, as well as expand the family and improve its economic status. Sons were dying in droves and the family unit cracked, in some cases, it broke entirely. The cracks would take some time to spread and went largely unnoticed by the Chinese government.

As the war with China continued Russia played its hand, relying on NATO's increasing need to pour more forces into the war. NATO armies in Europe were gradually withdrawn and redeployed. Eastern Europe was left open. Russia poured through. 

Allied forces redirected resources once again in an attempt to fend off the Russian invasion as it threatened the doorstep of western Europe. The result was the fall of Taiwan. Vital resources for producing advanced technology fell into Chinese hands. 



America Makes a Choice

Faced with a two front war, a depressed economy and the overwhelming need to save Asia over Europe, the United States made a decision that forever altered the course of events in the Old World. It withdrew. Already furious with European insistence that America foot most of the warfighting bill, most countries in NATO put in far less than they took out, the American government withdrew from Europe altogether. American forces pulled back to England, where some remained, while the rest left entirely. Europe was on its own. 

Observers expected these forces to redeploy to China and the Middle East. They did not and the reasons would not become clear for some months.


Ignoring Russia allowed the United States to re-deploy its Atlantic fleet to the Pacific. There it shored up positions in Japan, secured Vietnam with a massive deployment of troops, and positioned two Aircraft Carrier Taskforces off the coast of North Korea. North Korea fell two days later but allied forces were tied up at the Chinese border, unable to penetrate the defenses there. 

In the west Eastern Europe fell and the Germans, now commanding allied forces in Europe, completely abandoned Scandanavia in favor of re-deploying forces to the new border. This decision allowed Europe to finally stall Russian advances, especially with Russian forces increasingly tied up in a seemingly endless conflict with Finland, where invasion plans had essentially fallen apart the moment Russian forces crossed the border. Fighting on all sides dragged out significantly, casualties rose by the day and the global economy sank into a historic depression. 

China Breaks

Stressed from increasing protests and citizen uprisings the Chinese military became increasingly ineffective, forced to put down riots as often as it fought the enemy. Moral sank in the army to an all time low. China didn't crack, it imploded. Driven by the intense pressures of the war and global depression a Chinese general by the name of Tsu Shin engaged in open rebellion. Tsu Shin seized North Korea and Taiwan from the government in a master stroke and had launched attacks across the Yalu River before the central government understood what was happening.

Military divisions from across the region abandoned their posts, either refusing to fight fellow Chinese or simply joining the General's cause. Suddenly faced with rebellion China shifted forces out of Vietnam and India to deal with this new threat, and immediately lost all territory it had gained in those regions after years of conflict. A surge led by American forces crossed into China from India and Indian forces swiftly overran poorly defended positions all across the border. An already bad war turned catastrophic for the People's Republic, which found itself in full retreat at every turn. Tsu Shin's rebellion found aide in the form of American military equipment and Japanese special forces. Cities fell, Chinese forces collapsed and the Bejing Riots began. 

Despite these dramatic collapses, the Chinese government still held significant resources, one of those was a massive tank force it had held in reserve, unwilling to engage in open conflict with the infamous Abrams and Challenger battle tanks (though Challengers were increasingly deployed to Europe) when it could hold the allies at bay with the forces it had already deployed. These reserves were now put into the field against general Tsu Shin and for a time they rolled back much of the rebel's gains. When loyalists forces rolled into Hong Kong to secure the city from the rebellion, they changed the course of Chinese history forever. 

Furious, exhausted, and of low morale the loyalist forces responded poorly when citizens of Hong Kong showed up to protest their arrival. Someone opened fire. The Massacre of Hong Kong began. The murder of uncounted thousands sparked the flames of rebellion into a raging inferno. More than half the remaining generals loyal to the central government defected to Tsu Shin. The only thing that saved the government of China from total and immediate collapse on all fronts was the sudden collapse of the allied front. 

America Breaks
Tired of war and depression the civilian populace of the United States had begun protesting the war nearly from the outset. The question raised by protestors was a simple one. Why are we dying for an island? Though the news was flooded with good war reports as China began to collapse, the damage had long been done. The election of 2052, held after decades of conflict and more than twenty years of global depression, was extremely contentious. For the first time in American history the Electoral College, bribed, coerced, and threatened by the sitting President, voted against the will of a population that had voted for a pacifist candidate. America exploded. 

Riots unlike anything seen in decades swept across the United States and stressed American forces were deployed to quell the potential uprising. They refused. Whole regions of the country pulled their representatives from Congress and the country fractured into three warring factions. Washington recalled all forces from its campaign against China in a desperate bid to hold onto power. Upon their return, many of those forces defected to the other factions. Three way civil war ensued. With the withdrawal of American forces and support Tsu Shin's rebellion ground to a halt, unable to sustain prolonged campaigns without significant material support.

Russia and Europe Break

Encouraged by the success of civilian uprisings elsewhere, Russia  and Europe were lit aflame as well. Already stressed beyond their ability to continue, the European governments collapsed. Civil wars, riots, and anarchy spread across the continent until every European nation dissolved into chaos. Russia was not positioned to take advantage of the situation, suddenly faced with their own similar uprisings. The President of Russia withdrew his forces from Europe and, in a desperate bid to preserve the nation, announced special elections. He was assassinated two days later by Alexandria Valach who seized power in a brilliant, if short lived, coupe. 

In the following weeks and months Russia fractured along regional lines and Alexandria, operating from the Kremlin, was unable to secure the nation. She did, however, keep it from falling into total anarchy the way neighboring Europe had. Civil war ensued. 


The Time of Chaos. Two Hundred Years of War

It was a miracle nuclear weapons never came into play, but perhaps limited use might have spared the world what happened instead. Engulfed in endless internal strife the world was swept into conflict for the next two hundred years. Alliances and governments changed, uprisings came and went, nation states were born and died. Famine, plague, and endless global depression pushed Humanity to its breaking point. The exact death toll of this time period is difficult to establish, so many records were lost, so much information and technology destroyed. 

What we do know is an estimate. Nearly twenty percent of the global population died. This was a catastrophe unlike anything seen in Human history, indeed for many, it seemed like the end of Human history. It was not. While governments and economies collapsed, war, ever the natural ability of Humanity, was perfected. War cannot last forever, it must always end, eventually. Either people run out of the desire to fight, or resources run out, or military forces align themselves and secure enough territory to end a conflict. 

The Rise of the American Federation

Two hundred years after its collapse, the United States was conquered by George Alexander Washington (most Historians contest this name as concocted to give him legitimacy). He established a Federal government in charge of a militarized State. He established a clear mission, the unity not of the United States, but of every American, under a single government. He started with a two front war, launching an invasion into what had once been Canada and Mexico simultaneously. Both nations were just as fractured as anywhere else and quickly succumbed to coordinated attack and the deployment of a new technology, the MW 1. Walking tanks made their first entry into war. The age of the Mech had begun.

Armed with new technology and a populace grimly determined to end war as a concept by conquering everyone who might fight back, the American Federation secured victory after victory. American forces swept through central America and launched an amphibious invasion of Chile and Peru. Both nations had been targeted as early sources of vital resources and were swiftly put to work mining these resources. Within five years of securing the former United States, President George Alexander Washington dominated the entire Western Hemisphere and declared the founding the American Federation. Each former nation was given representation in a Congressional body that could advise the President and pass laws, but could not interfere with military affairs and did not have the power of the budget. 

Elected governors were given semi-autonomy over former nations and at long last peace and security descended on the Western Hemisphere. 


The Romanovs Return


Who exactly Katarine Romanov was in reality no one can say. She claimed to be a direct descendent of the Romanov line, the last royal family of Russia. She was also the woman in charge of Moscow and a significant military force. From the onset of taking power in Moscow she declared herself Tzarina of Russia and engaged in a series of prolonged but well run military campaigns against former Russian territories. Encouraged by the success of the American Federation she took the unprecedented step of reaching out to the Americans. She made a deal with the American Federation, promising exclusive trade deals in exchange for one hundred Patton Class Mechs. Deployment the advanced machines and the equally advanced weapons on them changed the war for Russia entirely.

Katarine's Tzarist forces secured the Ukraine and plunged into Europe to secure Russia's border. Once Europe was secure she re-deployed her forces against the other Russian States and conquered each in turn. Katarine took direct command of her forces and won swift victories with brilliant strategic ability. Less than ten years after her rise to power Katarine secured the former Russian states and declared the Russian Empire. She met with the Americans again, establishing her promised trade deals and signing a Non-Aggression Pact, which was eventually replaced with a Pact of Friendship. The first two pillars were raised. 


The Dragon Wakes

Desperate for an advantage, any advantage to bring peace to China, Tsu Tien, a descendent of General Tsu Shin, contacted Russia. Over a series of talks, which eventually included the American Federation, Tsu Tien secured the new weapons system that had brought peace to three continents. Following the example of Katarine Romanov, Tsu Tien declared himself Emperor, the Son of Heaven, the Ruler of Ten Thousand Years. His campaigns were less decisive and militarily brilliant as Katarine's, and less crushing than the wars that united the Americas, but they worked. 

What the new Emperor lacked in military acumen, he made up for in administrative skill. He swiftly established one of the most potent governments in the world, smoothing the transition from war to peace time with an ability that more than bordered on brilliance. His administrative ability ensured a well run civilian infrastructure, an efficient military machine, and eventually the rise of the Empire of China as the most powerful economy in the world. He didn't stop with China. Encouraged by the successes of others he made contact again with the Russians and the Americans and proposed a new system, called the Three Pillars Alliance. They would divide the world, secure peace, and return prosperity to Humanity. All he asked for was most of the Pacific. 

The Americans remained hesitant for several years but eventually relented and agreed to allow China's planned invasion of Australia. Finally, the war, or wars, were over. 

All that remained was Africa. When no one could come to an agreement, rather than risk further conflict between the tentative allies, the Three Pillar Alliance agreed to leave Africa alone. This has had a significant impact on the development of global politics, especially in recent years, as powerful African nations arose and eventually joined the Three Pillar Alliance in space. 

Though peace was established, and remains, tensions also remain. The Three Pillar Alliance is ultimately not a united front and arguments over mining rights are common. There are even skirmishes on moons and in mining regions, but these are ignored by the governments in exchange for maintaining peace. How long this alliance can last is anyone's guess, but if Human history is anything to go by, not forever. 

Name: Dorothy Emerson
Gender: Female (she/her)
Age: 43
Nationality: Australian

Appearance: Dorothy is a solidly built woman, with broad shoulders and rough hands from years of heavy labor. She has short, light brown hair that she keeps out of her face with a tied headband. She favors function over fashion, and can frequently be found wearing a vest and cargo pants with plentiful pockets.



Background: Though she planned on entering the military once she had finished her schooling, Dorothy was released from service before she ever saw combat. Seems that the military doesn’t take kindly to mouthy recruits with more curiosity than sense or respect for authority.

Anomaly 6.1.8.54B*

Anomaly 6.1.8.54B* was originally catalogued by a science vessel operating at the extreme range of then available flight technology. The ship had traveled under light speed (not to be confused with the FTL travel that would become available later) and the crew awoken from cryostasis. The ship had been dispatched from Earth in response to a discovery by an earth orbiting telescope, which had detected a 'shadow' in space through which fractional amounts of starlight emitted. Uncertain of what to expect and unable to identify the anomaly with the equipment on Earth, a ship with representatives from the three major powers was dispatched.

When it arrived the crew discovered a Dyson Shell one AU in diameter around a yellow main sequence star. Had this been the end of it the countless papers written on the subject would have been published in a heartbeat once transmitted back to Earth. This was not the end of it. In examining the Dyson Shell the crew soon discovered the cause of the 'escaping light' detected by the telescope. The Dyson Shell was broken. Not only was it broken, but it was clearly and undeniably broken by immense weapons fire that dwarfed any weaponry created on Earth.

The Anomaly, later to be called "The Shell" was declared top secret and all information later discovered, all papers written, everything detailing the Dyson Shell was locked away by the Three Pillars Alliance. The few species so far encountered by Humanity had no knowledge of war and it had become a common acceptance that in fact war was unique to Humanity. The presence of information clearly contradicting this was alarming and seen as a possible threat to public stability. As such the documents were locked away, the star system scrubbed from the data net and everything 'forgotten' by official record. The scientists involved in the project finished more than a decade of research on the shell and then quietly disappeared. Their ship was reported "tragically lost in transit" by the media. 

Official records state Anomaly 6.1.8.54B* was a software glitch and the solar system declared off limits to further exploration as its star was reclassified into a Black Hole, thus far too dangerous to explore and navigate. The Three Pillars Alliance dispatched picket ships once FTL technology was made available. These ships ensure no outside traffic enters the system. 

[Stargazer]

Polaris was never meant to operate for this long, from when her keel was laid to when she was released from the cradle shipyard that berthed her her destiny was set. Her duty was to sail by starlight until she reached a planet that could sustain her charges, and on that land settle her bones so that she may be used to construct the first city. Much of this could be seen in the sleekness of her design, room for the first settlers to expand into should the process of terraforming the new world be longer than expected, and a ready built ease for Polaris itself to be broken apart so the steel of her skin could be used for homes. She was built with redundancy in mind with an understanding that for the thousands aboard any minor disturbance to the plan, any unexpected variable could bring disaster. So, calculations were made, miles of steel and cables were inspected again and again for flaws, test jumps were made to calibrate her new engine, all to be sure that once Polaris left the Sol system nothing would be unaccounted for.

And, of course, be it due to the cross of American ingenuity, Chinese craftsmanship, and Russian design, or simply the skill of the handpicked crew nothing ill befell Polaris on her maiden voyage into the deep of the beyond. Spirits were high, colonists all dreaming of a new world to call their own, and it seemed fortune favored them as they left Earth behind. It took a month for Polaris to make her jump, and the mood was jubilant once she found herself transitioning back to real space above the world they wished to make a home of.


They weren’t advanced by any means, perhaps half a millennia still from discovering the combustion engine, but this remained an unexpected complication. A debate raged between the crew and colonists, some argued that the plan should be followed with another planet in the system, others that they should return to Earth and wait for the stargazers to find another planet they could one day call home. With consensus being an ever ethereal thing, a line was sent back to Earth explaining the situation, and a response was received.

A world with an atmosphere so conducive to human life would be big enough for one more species, wouldn’t it?

Polaris never responded.

[Adrift]


How many ships now serve the fleet is known only to Polaris, and she has no desire to admit her strength to the universe beyond. Her vassals can be seen often in the docks of the colonies, merchant vessels appearing within colony worlds to sell their wares, or cargo ships fattening themselves on the supplies necessary to keep Polaris operating when she was never meant to be adrift for this long.

[Home]

For those of Polaris home is not land and a sky, nor the stability of the day to day. It flows with the people around you, in the shape of the changing fleet and the place of the individual within. So, for those from Polaris home is often more than simply returning to the fleet for home can be found wherever two might meet. Perhaps it is simply an outcome of their nomadic lifestyle in a place so inhospitable to life, the people of Polaris are generous. Willing to provide aid to stranded ships, or part with supplies to a stranger in need, for home is wherever they find themselves so all are their guests, even if that person will never see Polaris herself.

And all Polaris will ask is that is that should they ever need the same then the favor be returned to them.

It’s a cold dark place, the universe, and few understand that as fully as the people of Polaris.

Name: Mori
Species: Primordian
Gender: Female appearance
Age: Unknown

Primordians are a species of advanced unicellular organisms that live as part of a massive collective. In their natural state they appear as a gelatinous slime of base origin, much like what one might imagine a primordial ooze to look, hence the name they were given. They were first discovered on what was thought to be an uninhabited planet. Imagine the surprise when pools of translucent slime began moving and communicating.

Before the day humans first set foot on their home, Primordians were in fact simple and primitive. They knew nothing beyond the boundaries of their home, only the mundane tasks of daily life. Human thought and culture opened the Primordians to a whole new realm of possibilities and existence, filling them with a desire to learn and expand, to advance and evolve.

One is all and all are one. Primordians have no personal identity within the collective, so names hold no personal significance in their existence. Mori is a unit, or hive as some choose to call them, set apart to serve as a sort of ambassador of the collective. Humans and other species seem to have difficulty communicating with species that are vastly different, so it was their choice to give the unit an identity. Likewise the collective saw fit to present themselves in a more favorable form, choosing the visage of the fairer sex to make themselves more aesthetically pleasant.

It is taxing to maintain such a form for extended time periods, so to aid in this matter a special suit was designed for Mori. It essentially performs as an exoskeleton, in addition the suit also helps maintain adequate hydration, ideal temperature, and filters out excessive light. Primordians have proven to be very cooperative at allowing their species to be studied, so it is much easier to accommodate their needs.

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Primordian

Xeno species overview

Primordians are unicellular organisms that live together as a collective, their natural form having a translucent to almost transparent slime like appearance. Primordians are highly complex and each one lives approximately 1 Earth year. They thrive on organic matter in hot humid climates, however they are highly adaptable, so given enough time and knowledge it’s possible for them to learn and evolve to live under less than ideal conditions.

Primordians feed by secretion of a highly concentrated acid that swift and efficiently liquefies matter. Though it is possible for them to liquefy inorganic matter, it is of little to no benefit to their survival. When food is abundant they can be voracious, when scarce more conservative, however they tend to only consume what is necessary for normal functions.

Primordians exist as both male and female, reproducing through conjugation once they near the end of their life expectancy. They can and will reproduce out of necessity if required, and can do so at an alarming rate under the right conditions.

Due to their slime like consistency, Primordians can readily shape themselves into various forms and shift from solid to liquid. There are some limitations and drawbacks, since doing so requires energy that is otherwise used to sustain each cells existence and benefits the collective as a whole. This is most apparent in transition to a solid form which requires the sacrifice of many cells. Such losses are deemed acceptable so long as it benefits the collective. Each cell will eventually be replaced.

Primordians can see, hear and speak. They are very sensitive to vibrations, able to distinguish speech patterns and mimic them in turn. Visually they are sensitive to light. In their native habitat before interaction with humans, they only used ocelli to detect light. However having gained knowledge of human anatomy, they have since learned how to synthesize simple eyes, allowing them to see on a level comparable to human vision.

Primordians cannot survive long as individual cells, however they can separate into units. Each unit can operate independently from the collective for an indefinite period. Whether separated into multiple units or united as a massive organism, they continue to behave as a collective, yet they are able to carry out individual tasks. Their ability to absorb and process information is astonishing to say the least. Knowledge is passed throughout the collective through contact. As to if there is a limit to their mental capacity, that has yet to be determined.

Before humans landed on their home world, Primordians had no history, no culture, no identity. They were a primitive organism living in coexistence with their environment. Since the start of human interaction, they have flourished and evolved at a mind boggling pace. Their desire for knowledge seems insatiable, soaking up every bit of information they receive like a sponge. It is quite possible, and to the fear of some, that Primordians may even know us better than we know ourselves in time.

To date, Primordians remain peaceful and cooperative. Still, our presence has no doubt interfered in the course of their natural evolution. One cannot help but wonder what further effects our influence will have on their species into the future. Only time will tell, just as history has recorded our many triumphs, as well as our mistakes and failures.