Normalspace Variant 1

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A variant of the normalspace universe in which the events of the original classic OtherSpace story arcs never transpired.

This realm can only be reached via riftdrive, assuming an intrepid explorer finds the proper rift to reach it. Until then, Variant 1 is isolated and will continue evolving on its own.

All the known worlds are divided into three regions: the Stellar Consortium, The Fringe, and the Parallax. Since these worlds never experienced the upheavals of the Kretonian Invasion and the Sanctuary era, many of them may seem almost unrecognizable to players who played in Normalspace between the Sanctuary Arcs and the Rift Crisis.

The Stellar Consortium

The Stellar Consortium is a confederation of planets that extends through much of known space. Its capital is on Earth, and it is governed by a council of representatives from its member planets. It is diverse, including a wide variety of alien races, and is economically prosperous and politically stable. The Consortium's military force is called the Vanguard, whose headquarters is the Citadel, a space station in Sol System located between Earth and Mars. The member planets of the Consortium have no independent military forces apart from the Vanguard. Genetic engineering of sentient species is outlawed under the Genetic Engineering Limitations Treaty (GELT), signed in the aftermath of the Specialist Uprising on Luna in the 2100s. The Consortium is heavily dependent on the Otherspace Drive for travel, which cannot function without the aid of the Il'Ri'Kamm hive mind, located on the planet Sagittarius. While the Hivers are nominally allied to the Consortium, no vessels are permitted to approach Sagittarius. Those that do are quickly destroyed by the planet's immense defense network.

Castor

World Info

Home of the bear-like Castori, Castor is a member of the Stellar Consortium. The planet is entirely covered by a dense forest, and the inhabitants live in cities built among the treetops.

Race Info and RP Hooks

The Castori resemble small bears, about three to four feet tall. They have some psionic abilities, and they are renowned throughout the galaxy for their skill with machines. Castori engineers are some of the best in the galaxy, and their technological contributions to the Consortium are considerable.

Centauri

World Info

A crystaline planet with an atmosphere that is toxic to most non-native lifeforms. Most races require protective breathing gear to visit Centauri. It is the homeworld of the Centauran race.

Race Info and RP Hooks

Centaurans resemble giant crystal jellyfish. They are psionic and communicate exclusively through telepathy. They are pacifists and are technologically quite advanced. They are among the finest scientists in the Consortium, and have a deep respect for all forms of life. Centuarans are asexual and reproduce through a kind of crystaline fission.

Demaria

World Info

Homeworld of the felinoid Demarians. Demaria is a bustling commercial center. It is a very hot, arid planet, with twin suns that blaze overhead. Much of the main continent is taken up by a vast desert the Demarians call the Sand Mother; conditions there are inhospitable to most life forms. The desert plays a major role in Demarian culture. The Nall once invaded Demaria, centuries ago, but were repelled by the almost mythical Demarian hero known as Altheor, who sacrificed his own ship to destroy the invading fleet in the Battle of Twin Suns. Today Demaria is a valued member of the Stellar Consortium.

Race Info and RP Hooks

Demarians resemble large bipedal cats. They have thick fur and sharp claws; they are larger and stronger than most humanoids and can vary as widely in appearance as different breeds of cats can. Demarian society is broken into two classes: nobles, who live lives of comfort and hold all positions of political and economic power, and underclassers, who are servants and manual laborers.

Earth

World Info

Homeworld of humanity, capital and founding world of the Stellar Consortium. Earth is densely populated, and many cities are overcrowded and dirty. There are a number of regions on the planet that are too radioactive for people to visit, the result of nuclear devices set off during the Earth-Zangali war in the 2100s. Washington, D.C. is one example of such an area; nothing remains of this city but radioactive ruins.

Race Info and RP Hooks

Humans are perhaps the most common race in the Stellar Consortium. They are generally tolerant and accepting of alien races, though there are exceptions to that rule. In the 2100s, to fight the war with the Zangali, humans mass produced specialist clones to serve as soldiers. The descendants of these specialists are modern Lunites, who are largely indistinguishable from ordinary humans, but for many years they were discriminated against and mistreated. Today most humans are embarrassed by this history. Humans make up the majority of the membership of the Vanguard.

G'ahnlo

World Info

A planet covered by one giant ocean, this Consortium planet is home to the fishlike G'ahnli. While there are no substantial landmasses, the G'ahnli have built a few sea platforms to accomodate the needs of outworlders.

Race Info and RP Hooks

The G'ahnli resemble large dolphins. They are psionic and communicate telepathically. They cannot breathe air or exist on land, and when they travel away from their homeworld they remain in large water-filled hovertanks. G'ahnli tend to be merchants and traders, and place a great deal of importance on the accumulation of wealth. They are known to drive a hard bargain, and have often been accused of taking advantage of other races in economic transactions.

Ganymede

World Info

A moon of Jupiter in Sol System, location of a small terran colony and military base. Ganymede is believed to be the headquarters of the Consortium Intelligence Service. In this timeline, Jupiter remains a gas giant, and was never converted to a dwarf star.

Race Info and RP Hooks

There is no race native to Ganymede. Most of those who live and work here are human.

The Fringe

The Fringe is a poorly defined region of space between the Stellar Consortium and the Parallax. It consists of a number of planets, all of which either rejected membership in the Consortium or were established by settlers looking to escape the influence of Earth. Whereas the Consortium is a stable, law-and-order society, the Fringe is an anarchic, frontier society where individualism and independence are highly valued. The worlds of the Fringe are all under the domination of Lord Fagin, the Pirate King, whose vast criminal organization, Fagin's Riches, reaches out from Fagin's world of Tomin Kora to exert his will on the region. None of the worlds of the Fringe are strong enough to resist Fagin, so they have all reached an accomodation with him; he will leave them to govern their internal affairs mostly unhindered, if they agree to acknowledge his sway over their worlds, allow his criminal enterprises to operate unmolested in their territory, and provide support and shelter for members of his organization when they are in need. Most commerce in the region flows through Tomin Kora, where Fagin's powerful Guilds, the Smugglers' Guild and the Pirates' Guild, have their headquarters. The Guilds operate with impunity throughout the Fringe; they also are known to operate within the Consortium, though the Vanguard does its best to stop them there. Fagin has a vast network of informants, spies and servants on his payroll throughout the Fringe and on many worlds of the Consortium as well, though there they operate strictly underground. Fagin also employs an unknown number of highly skilled assassins. But the ultimate instrument of Lord Fagin's will is the highly feared Elite Guard, Fagin's personal bodyguard and private mercenary army. The Guard is ruthless, brutal and powerful, and fanatically loyal to Fagin himself. Its members are feared throughout the Fringe. Fagin himself is never seen publicly; he remains in his secret, legendary palace on Tomin Kora, and conducts business with outsiders through a majordomo.

The Parallax

Beyond the Fringe lies the vast and powerful empire of the reptiloid Nall, known as the Parallax. As one approaches Parallax space, one encounters a vast floating graveyard of derelict vessels. This is the Line of Pain, the shattered remnants of ships that attempted to enter the Parallax without permission. The capital of the Parallax is Nalhom, and most other worlds under Parallax control are little more than slave planets. The will of the Nall is carried out by the immensely powerful Clawed Fist Fleet, and no opposition to Nall rule is tolerated. The Consortium has had limited contact with the Parallax, and most of what is known of the Nall empire there is just rumor. It is widely speculated that Fagin's Riches may have more extensive dealings with the Parallax, but that again is only rumor.

Undiscovered Worlds

These are planets that existed in the main timeline of Normalspace, but in Variant 1 they have not been, and may never be, discovered. In many cases, these worlds were discovered and named by PCs during the course of the original Otherspace story arcs, and so if they are discovered again, they may be given different names and evolve quite differently.

Waldheim

Race Info and RP Hooks

Back to Multiverse Canon and RP Hooks.