From The Embers

We thought we had reached the end of history. We thought we were ready for anything. We were wrong.

A world that rose from the ashes of Cablefall and the Collapse faced a near-apocalypse. What began with the Bug War turned into the largest war in modern history. The debris fields around what once were called the Jewel Worlds provide mute testimony to its savagery. The old system of alliance was nearly broken in the aftermath, and the political landscape is still in upheaval. With the development of the Riftgates, new horizons were opened, and the forces of humanity and its allies began to rebuild and expand in four sectors. Only time would tell if life could rise from the embers.

Concept

This is a distant continuation of FTA2, using modified versions of Silence's Imperial Stars rules. The goal is to accommodate differing playstyles in the same game universe, and to incorporate the full craziness of the FTA world into the game system. You can play aliens or AIs or whatever fits your traits. The goal of the game is interesting posts and an intriguing story - writing experience

Economy

Nations have two main economic factors - Funds / $$$ and Industrial Production

Funds grows slowly with your national economy - it's how much money your government has available for discretionary spending. Almost every nation is a mature economy, so growth is fairly limited. You can increase your nation's growth by not using all of your industrial production for military purposes. This will increase the growth slightly.

Industrial Production is your nation's maximum industrial capacity. To build things with Industrial Production requires Common Metals, unless you are in a heavily developed sector like Sol or Corona. Many other forms of resources are available - see the page on Embers Resources

Upkeep is paid in Funds and fuel - fuel is usually Helium, sometime Radioactives or Antimatter. Upkeep is paid annually.

Prestige

The secondary economy, representing your general reputation. Prestige is awarded annually for achieving national goals and being active - interesting posts and storylines are worth

Colonization

Anyone can setup an outpost. An outpost is a small base for supporting resource extraction, military bases, scientific research, etc. They require minimal support aside from the upkeep for the military garrison. Actually building a colony and settling it is a vastly more expensive proposition. Colonies take several years before they begin to give benefits to your economy.

Sectors

The world of this future is quite varied. Choosing where your nation will exist will literally change your game experience. Different sectors are linked by massive Riftgates, which are incredibly expensive (each one contains a mature Helix entity and a captive stellar object) megastructures that allow extreme-range travel. Most Riftgates

Sol Sector

The Last, Best Hope
The old human sphere is still among the richest and most advanced regions of space. That was what attracted the Dahaki, after all, and has made it the crossroads of numerous attempted conquests. Here, resources are plentiful, but so are the enemies. When it isn't the Dahak, it is the Tharngolst or the Lucent Imperium. (Moderators will generally lead invasions into this space or have friendly NPCs run counter-expeditions)

• Limited Colonization - all the best worlds were snapped up or have been destroyed.
• Organized Sector
• PVE Focus - Cloudy with a chance of battlemoons. Expect to be involved in conflicts with huge NPCs with numerous allies.

Major NPCs

The Solar Defense Force

• Starfleet turned Starfire
• The largest single force of human warships, the SDF has gradually overshadowed the rest of the Solar Federation to the point of being viewed as the actual government. They have fortified the Sol system, and regularly work to disrupt enemy forces with deep strikes. Several other Jewels are also massively fortified, and with that comes control. SolForce is the biggest single power in human / allied space. They are approaching technology out of the golden age of the Xan, with a planned society that would be utopian, aside from the occasional horrendous invasion.

Majestic 12

• The (mostly) Benevolent Conspiracy
• Not everyone signed on with SolFed. Majestic 12 had its own agenda, and its own infrastructure - which was the reason they were not as active in the Great War. MJ-12 has discovered technology beyond that of the SDF, including superweapons to rival the Asterix.

The League of Free Stars

• Allies against many common foes
• The League were the people who did not sign up with the Solar Federation, but aided the SDF in the Dahaki war. This notably included most of the old Liberty Commonwealth and the United States, along with the Holy League. Most of the states are happy to be free of the increasing centralization / social engineering of SolFed, but there is not much unity currently. There is some degree of diplomatic intrigue, but it is tame compared to the Corona Sector. They keep the SDF from monopolizing the Sol Riftgate, and have observers from the Asterix

The Asterix

• Federation in Flames
• The Asterix have been seeking human aid for some time, as they are still in active warfare despite the Dahaki now aiming at Sol as well. The Asterix have asked for a Riftgate to be constructed in their home system, which is a hotly debated topic in Sol sector. Can the nations of the Human Sphere provide enough assistance to aid the Asterix without compromising their own interests?

The Son of Heaven

• Battlemoons
• The Dahaki still threaten Sol, and they would long for the ability to build riftgates.

The Lucent Imperium

• Serve the True Light or Die
• When an entire warfleet of advanced capital ships stormed out of the Tau Ceti anomaly, most people were hopeful they were reinforcements. They were actually an invasion. The Holy League of the Prime Manifold was now composed of glowing energy beings in mechanical shells. They proclaimed themselves the heir of all Earth religion, and servants of Sophia, but they regularly enslave the minds and bodies of their enemies. They are bitter foes of this universe's Vatican, and reports from their universe of origin state that they abandoned the human sphere to its fate.

The Tharngolst Remnants

• Unrestrained smatter is bad
• There are still revenants out there. Some of them wander from other galactic arms.

Black Root Kabal

• HAIL SATAN
• The remnants of the utterly depraved servants of the Kabal managed to escape, and fight an on-going guerilla war with the Church, and engage in general piracy on the side

Res Publica / Corpus

• Bugstantinople
• The TKK survived, and mostly have focused on surviving. Their merchants have gained in prominence.

Corona Sector

The New Jewels
The richest sector to be surveyed, and the most heavily developed, Corona was meant to be a fallback position in case the defense at Sol fell. Nations uninterested in fighting in the Great War, or just hedging their bets, rapidly colonized the systems. The major factions rapidly formed two opposed alliances, with the two major powers staring each other down. Having secured their independence from the growing SolFed, the two powers continually attempt to struggle for dominance. (Moderators will run two opposing alliances, players choose a side. There will be NPCs added if necessary to ensure the sides are mostly balanced at the start)

• No Colonization - highly developed systems
• Organized / Cold War (with PCs being the brushfire wars)
• PVP Focus - There will be war!

Major NPCs

The Empire (name pending)

• One side of the Cold War
• Info TBA

The Mandate (name pending)

• One side of the Cold War
• Info TBA

Corona Gate Authority

• The Neutral Party
• The Corona Riftgate is run by a bureaucracy that is amply funded by both factions. It provides a supply of vital resources to SolFed for not interfering in the sector, polices the gate system, and also handles general matters of trade and standardization. They are scrupulously neutral to ensure that they maintain their position on power under the Corona Accords.

Terminus Sector

No Laws, No Masters! No Guts, No Galaxy!
There were great plans for the largely deserted stars of the Terminus Sector. They all came to naught. The other sectors were preoccupied, and that meant Thalassa could take over the Riftgate, locking out the more established factions. (Mods will only enforce game rules)

• Open Colonization, but starting systems are the most valuable to maximize bloodshed
• No organization or mod interference or international law. (However, no one is going to trade with you if it means getting robbed or eaten)
• PVP Focus - Free Fire Zone

Major NPCs

Thalassa

• Golgotha-esque freeport
• Several pirate and criminal cartels managed to build up a citadel near the Riftgate, and hack its systems. Now, the Admiral rules the city with a straightforward command - do not inconvenience Thalassa, and do not interfere with trade. Anything can be bought here, and interference from outsiders is not tolerated - though their business is extremely welcome. They possess a potent fleet, and salvaged Dahaki defenses systems, giving their non-interference policy teeth.

The Reach

Here be Dragons
The Reach is the wildest of the sectors, chosen more for its scientific value rather pure exploitation. It is largely unexplored, but there are regions near Riftgate that have been settled. Out here, there is more cooperation, as the biggest threats might be in the next system over. If people playing in other sectors want to set up a remote colony, they have to follow Reach nation generation, as Northpoint limits the forces available.

• Open Colonization, but be wary of over-extension
• Limited Organization
• PVE Focus - It's a Dungeon out there. Lots of exploration.

Major NPCs

Northpoint

• The Edge of Civilization
• Northpoint survived the wars, but they were not interested in obtained sticking around Sol sector with the Lucent hunting them. They obtained their Riftgate in the simplest manner - they bought it. More precisely, they surveyed the Corona sector, and sold the rights for the cost of a Riftgate. They keep a close watch on the gate, and generally try to broker disputes and help those in need. Other nations still have them do exploration, which remains a profitable line of business.

Pharos

• The meeting-ground
• Much like the old black hole system, the pulsar known as Pharos has attracted considerable interest. There are trading and diplomatic delegations from all over space.

Admiral Darlan

• Magnificent Bastard
• The Goetias and other Darlan vessels distinguished themselves in the Great War, though they did not act in coordination with the other forces. It is rumored that he captured a war moon. He vanished into the Reach, where he is believed to remain to this day.

The Light of Sophia

• Wardens of Her Rest
• Sophia saved her most faithful followers from the Lucent Imperium before she left human space. Her portal is still here, but she speaks rarely if at all.