Someday I'll lean how to use my scanner correctly.
As I tend to refer to campaign specific terms frequently in
my posts, here is what the heck I’m talking about…
The Ancestors:
Refers to the legends and handed-down stories that surround the ancient ancestors
of the current populations of the planet. In the Central Empire (CE) they hold
almost religious connotations, the major factions all can trace their
beginnings back to them. What is not common knowledge, but known to very few
(including some of my current players), these factions were direct descendants
from different corporate and political factions that were able to keep some of
their collective identities after the disaster when the Earth colonists’ fell
under the nightmarish consequences of the Technophage. Separated by the nigh-impassable Dragon-Spine
mountain range, the ancestors are not looked in such an idealistic light in
Anglypur. Where the seminal settlers what would become the Central Empire were
able to exert firm control over those that used ‘magic,’ thanks to the bulk of
the Marine Security Forces-Arland Corporation landing there, the Anglypur
landing sites were not so lucky. The politicos were the first to develop these
new powers, and unbridled, the Mageregime
was formed.
The Predecessors:
The miners know. They whisper about it in a pub, late at night. Too deep into
their cups to care who hears. Every once in a while, deep, deep, down, you see
things. Might be some strange object, something with writing on it that hurts
your eyes. The Guild or the Church takes those. Every time. Don’t matter if you
told anyone or not. They come for it, pretty as you please. Ancestors help you
if you find a room down there. Or tunnels. Heard of entire mines- Their crew-
Damnit. Excuse me. Said too much. Just the drink talkin’… Higher echelons of both the Guild and the Inquisition believe
this to be true: Thousands of years before mankind ever walked this world, the
Predecessors had long left it. What they left behind only sleeps, never dies.
The Ancestors were never able to decide if the Predecessors were in anyway
affiliated with whatever race had manufactured that ancient spacecraft the
Kobayashi Corporation had found so many years ago, giving mankind the gift of
hyperspace travel.
Pure Ones/Soulless:
Every so often, a child is born who is immune to the effects of magic. In the
CE, they are often considered the unlucky ones, often doomed to an early death
from accident or disease, unable to benefit from the miraculous healing
provided by the Guild. Called ‘Pure Ones’ by the eternal foes of the Guild, the
Church, the Inquisition actively recruits them as agents. However, they are
most often prone to joining the Hidden as the skill sets they offer increase
their chance of survival in these troubled times. The ‘Soulless’ is the term
used by the Mageregime to name this tiny minority. Officially sanctioned for immediate
execution when discovered, as they pose a threat to the magic-using elite, they
are more often abducted and trained as assassins to be used in the bloody
infighting of Anglypur’s political arenas.
The Siddich: These
are the personal bodyguards of the Anglypurian Mageregime. Hulking monstrosities
in heavy armor, they often have the heads of animals (though that is not always
the case) despite the fact they all were once normal humans. Magically bonded (1MP
sacrifice per Siddich) to a specific mage, they are known to go into a frenzy
when their master is killed.
Spiders: The
dominant indigenous species of the planet, found in an infinite amount of
varieties. Though not technically arachnids, as the amount of legs can be of
almost any number, and only few strains capable of spinning webs, the name was
thought to have been used as a slang term originally that became common usage.
The Swamplanders:
A community of outsiders that ply the southern rivers and swamps of Anglypur.
Known both for their superior fishing abilities and fantastic seafood recipes.
Rugged and long-lived, those seeking to ally themselves often must do so by
marriage.
The Technophage: In
the short amount of time where technology still worked, but was quickly
degrading, scientists were able to surmise a few theories on what was occurring,
but nothing was ever able to be proven before the end. Arguments that the
nanites the colonists were vaccinated with before their long sleep were
corrupted somehow by either naturally occurring viruses or pre-existing alien
nanites from some previous civilization had been held as the most probable.
Others, of a more spiritual bent, just blamed ‘magic.’ Whatever the cause, the results
are not in doubt. Within one year of induction on to the planet, every
electronic pierce of equipment, even those using light/fiber-optic technology,
was dead. Monks have gathered evidence over time, that when metal has been
struck by lightning, it often is reduced significantly in mass. Whatever this
may signify, the monks keep their theories to themselves.
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