***** UNCANNY SPACE ADVENTURES *****
(Previously "Planets & Perils")
Rev 06-2024
---
THE DARKON ATTACK
When the Darkon fleet attacked Earth, it was swift and without warning. In areas blanketed by night, there was only the briefest glimmer of starlight as the sleek, black ships descended to reign destruction upon the cities. In areas where the sun still shone, the sky darkened as the black ravagers swarmed to attack.
Millions died in the initial assault. If humanity had not recently renewed its interest in space exploration, all would have been lost. A few space vessels were able to escape Earth, even as the deaths of others helped to cover their escape.
The fleeing ships arrived at Lunar Base One, with precious little time to evacuate some of that outpost's residents before the aliens followed. Earth's satellite colony would be quickly obliterated.
Mars and Jupiter Bases had the most warning, and Mars began evacuating just prior to another attack. A stratagem was quickly devised. The fleeing ships would attempt to rendezvous by Jupiter. Once there, they would make use of an experimental star drive system (the Variable Phase Drive, powered by dark matter energy.) From there it seemed all the surviving personnel could hope to do was to attempt to flee the solar system and outrun their pursuers.
But how far could they go? Even though they could survive on stores and hydroponically produced crops, there was no guarantee that they would find a suitable home. There was no returning to Earth. It was as if mankind had packed its bags and loaded the car with no destination in mind.
As remote sensor devices placed in the wake of fleeing ships began to detect what were thought to be more Darkon ships, the Earth fleet prepared to activate their phase drives. It was hoped that jump would bring the survivors a good distance past Earth's solar system, but well within known space. Scout craft would then be deployed to begin scanning for inhabitable worlds or at least worlds that could provide materials for building and sustaining life.
After the fleet made its way past the gravity well of Jupiter, a force of Darkon attacked. It was as if they somehow knew when and where the Earth fleet would arrive and had been waiting to ambush them. How this could be was unknown.
The small number of scout craft, reinforced by an equally small number of fighters, would be no match for the alien ships. All they could do was hope to buy some time for the larger Earth vessels to deploy their drive systems.
The Darkon took little notice of the smaller Earth ships. They seemed to realize what their main targets were and set out to destroy them utterly.
The brave scout pilots made one final attempt to interpose themselves between the Darkon and Earth ships. One scout ship received a direct hit on its propulsion system, a smaller version of the VPD system which had not been fully tested for use by small vessels.
A large, luminous cloud billowed out from the ruptured ship. Immediately afterward, it appeared as if someone had punched a giant hole in space. Gravity akin to a small black hole pulled upon nearby ships, drawing them into a swirling ring of light encircling a giant, gaping maw of nothingness.
This is where one story ends and another begins...
A DISTANT GALAXY
The Dominion of the Imperius (Realmspace, Inner Space)
The Void (Voidspace, Outer Space)
Atmosphere between worlds within Inner Space is generated by ancient alien machines on floating asteroids.
An artificial sun also generates heat. The planetoids spin in much the same way regular planets do to cause periods of day and night. A typical planetoid is far smaller than Earth, yet has an equivalent gravity. Weightlessness does not occur anywhere within Inner Space. Only where it begins to mingle with normal space does breathable air start to vanish and the effects of the vacuum become noticeable.
The inhabitants of the Imperium who do not engage in space travel have little knowledge of it. The forces of the Dominion did not always have ships capable of functioning in normal space. There is now intergalactic trade but travel to and from the Dominion is highly restricted.
Inner Space/Realm Worlds of The Dominion:
- Rexis: (a.k.a. "Homeworld") the capital world and seat of the Empire, home to The Imperious One. It is a sprawling utopia of cities and lush botanical gardens. The subjects of this world have a standard of living undreamt of by those from other worlds. Therefore most inhabitants of Rexis are extremely loyal to the Dominion and regard the Imperius with great adoration.
- Eryllia: A world inhabited by humans with a society resembling that of Medieval or Renaissance Earth. Eryllia maintains a fragile autonomy but pays tribute to the Imperius. It is ruled by a matriarchal noble house after a great war led by a king almost destroyed their world. It is rumored that the Queen Elessa Yidarria has taken ill and has not been seen in almost a year. An acting council led by an appointed regent acts in the Queen's stead. The Queen's husband, Lordman Treywin passed away many years ago.
Elessa's three daughters, from oldest to youngest are: Iliddia, Koraena and Arinetta ('Netta.) Iliddia is said to have run away when her mother became ill, but rumors persist that she fled from an arranged marriage. Her whereabouts are unknown. Koraena has no desire to rule, despite being the most vocal about her kingdom's subservience to the Imperius. Netta, despite being the youngest, has a fiery temperament, a strong will and independent spirit. Both younger daughters are protected by bodyguards after a recent failed kidnapping attempt.
- Demarkus: Also semi-autonomous and possessing many old-Earth similarities, this planetoid is ruled by a Prince Adon Gavendar of House Gavendar. He was promised to be betrothed to a princess of Eryllia but this wedding has not come to pass. He is impetuous and bold, but dares not oppose the Imperius.
- Wildworld: A world of dense jungles and exotic lifeforms. The proud Panthren, believed to be genetically bred by powerful ancient beings in the distant past, originate here. Although they possess feral instincts and feel uneasy on civilized worlds, many of them are curious to explore new places and crave adventure.
- Hellforge: A fiery, rocky world also plagued by frequent lightning storms. Tribes of humans that take great pride in weaponcrafting manufacture arms for the Dominion. Their culture is also fascinated with the principles of magnetism and harnessing electrical energy. Although savage by some standards, many great scientists hail from this world.
- Granidon: A harsh, barren world. Home to few lifeforms, with the genetically engineered Grakken foremost among them.
- Crystanium: A Planetoid of ice, rock and crystals, with lava veins and caverns deep beneath the surface that contain even more unusual crystals. Home to the crystal humanoids, the "Shardün." These beings seem to predate human life in this region of space, but offer little insight into what existed ages ago. They are a reclusive race, with little interest in venturing outside their world. They allow harvesting and mining of crystals (also called "Crystanium") under threat of extinction by the forces of the Imperius.
- Zoril: A (mostly) uninhabited planetoid of varying climate and terrain. It is dotted with ancient ruins and networks of caverns. The psychoreactive metal known as psi-steel is rumored to be found here.
- Voidspace (Outer Space) :
The Space beyond the Dominion requires ships capable of operating in a zero gravity vacuum. This is what we would normally classify as space. Ships capable of this travel are strictly regulated by The Dominion. However, there are a number of Free Traders (smugglers), fugitives and alien races that employ such vessels. The Darkon obviously possess such capability, although few within the the Dominion have ever encountered such life forms, with the notable exception of the Imperius himself.
- Kriegan: Home planet of the warlike but honorable Kriegor. These tall, fierce humanoids pride themselves on their battle prowess and are fond of sturdy melee weapons, especially knives and battle axes. Kriegor begin their warrior path with one blade and collect many more over the years. They are led by Krigvan Lohr, their thane/Warlord.
- Outhaven: An artificially constructed world of interconnected space stations that lies within the Void. It is from here that many smugglers, adventurers, traders and all manner of alien species gather to conduct business far from the control of the Imperius.
- Nar Tanja: A fabled planet of ancient mysteries that is said to change location amongst various star systems. It is the subject of many legends and tall tales.
THE FORBIDDEN ZONE:
- Lazriss: (see below)
- Cryon (short for 'Cryonic Stasis Planetoid'): Origin point of the Sindikar.
CHARACTER CREATION
Players can choose to be Earthers/Terrans who came to this region by accident, or indigenous to this part of space. Earth characters were members of the UEF (United Expeditionary Force.)
Races:
KRIEGOR
Kriegan: Home planet of the warlike but honorable Kriegor. These tall, fierce humanoids pride themselves on their battle prowess and are fond of sturdy melee weapons, especially knives and battle axes. Kriegor begin their warrior path with one blade and collect many more over the years. They are led by Krigvan Lohr, their Thane/Warlord.
GRAKKEN
Granidon: A harsh, barren world. Home to few lifeforms, with the genetically engineered Grakken foremost among them.
PANTHREN
Wildworld: A world of dense jungles and exotic lifeforms. The proud Panthren, believed to be genetically bred in the distant past, originate here. Although they possess feral instincts and feel uneasy on civilized worlds, many of them are curious to explore new places and crave adventure.
HUMANOID
The Dominion/Inner Space/Realm Worlds
Rexis, capital and seat of the empire known as the Dominion. Home to the Imperius One.
Eryllia: A world inhabited by humans with a society resembling that of Medieval or Renaissance Earth. Eryllia maintains a fragile autonomy but pays tribute to the Imperius. It is ruled by a matriarchal noble house after a great war led by a king almost destroyed their world. It is rumored that the Queen Elessa Yidarria has taken ill and has not been seen in almost a year. An acting council led by an appointed regent acts in the Queen's stead. The Queen's husband, Lordman Treywin passed away many years ago.
Elessa's three daughters, from oldest to youngest are: Iliddia, Koraena and Arinetta ('Netta.) Iliddia is said to have run away when her mother became ill, but rumors persist that she fled from an arranged marriage. Her whereabouts are unknown. Koraena has no desire to rule, despite being the most vocal about her kingdom's subservience to the Imperius. Netta, despite being the youngest, has a fiery temperament, a strong will and independent spirit. Both younger daughters are protected by bodyguards after a recent failed kidnapping attempt.
Demarkus: Also semi-autonomous and possessing many old-Earth similarities, this planetoid is ruled by a Prince Adon Gavendar of House Gavendar. He was promised to be betrothed to a princess of Eryllia but this wedding has not come to pass. He is impetuous and bold, but dares not oppose the Imperius.
Hellforge: A fiery, rocky world also plagued by frequent lightning storms. Tribes of humans that take great pride in weaponcrafting manufacture arms for the Dominion. Their culture is also fascinated with the principles of magnetism and harnessing electrical energy. Although savage by some standards, many great scientists hail from this world.
The Void (Outer Space)
Outhaven: An artificially constructed world of interconnected space stations that lies within the Void. It is from here that many smugglers, adventurers, traders and all manner of alien species gather to conduct business far from the control of the Imperius.
WARP POINTS
Starfaring species using fusion and ion drives have discovered the existence of these "holes in space." A ship enters at one end and is deposited many hundreds of thousands of miles away. It is generally believed to be a safe form of travel, although it does put stress on starships and their occupants. No means of FTL travel has been discovered that would traverse such distances so quickly. There have tales of unstable warp points that have collapsed, depositing travelers elsewhere or causing their apparent demise. Dominion forces will occassionally monitor known warp points.
Episode One: A Long Way from Home
Earth characters find themselves in uncharted space and awaken to find themselves imprisoned on a spaceship. The Independence is a medium-sized vessel captained by the very young Janaia (jə-NAI-ya) [pink-skinned humanoid with blue hair and blue eyes.] She is both suspicious of and curious about the newcomers but doesn't believe them to be spies.
After the Earth PCs explain themselves and are given limited freedom to roam the ship and meet other PCs, the Independent is attacked by the Dominion's starfaring ships. After a successful boarding action or similar events, Janaia and the PCs are taken to Rexis as prisoners.
"You're lucky to be alive. When we found you, your ship was adrift and the life support was failing. Your navcom and propulsion systems were unfamiliar to us. Your codex was unknown."
(Subordinate: "Mistress! Look at their strange uniforms and skin color! They must have been sent by the Dominion!")
"Of course I speak your language. It's Commonspeak. Do I look like I grew up on a lactis farm pumping bovines?"
"You hail from Rexis or somewhere else? I've only seen highborns and mutants with skintones like that."
"We're freetraders. We answer to no one. The Dominion would call us smugglers and pirates. I prefer to think of us as unregulated distributors. We were scavenging scrap in the sector where we found you. Rescuing you cost us time and funds. We'll have to sell your ship for the metal. You cog me?"
"Most of my crew are refugees or criminals. We take in all sorts. But anyone who can't earn their way gets to try breathing outside."
"I've heard stories of 'Terrans' and 'Earthers.' But I never believed them. Not sure I do now."
"Those insignias look familiar. I can't remember where I saw something like that before.. maybe a museum?"
"We're being attacked! So this is a trick? You delayed me and must be agents of the Dominion!"
06/21/16, Tue AM
The Imperial Bodyguards
Thought by most citizens to be robotic servants of some kind, the bodyguards of the Imperius are actually ancient cyborgs called the Sindakar.
Long ago, when the Imperius and his people were at war with the Darkon, the Imperius discovered dormant cocoons on a distant planet. These were ancient stasis pods numbering in the thousands, each one housing a cybernetically enhanced warrior. The Imperius activated the pods and discovered that the cyborgs were once proud warriors. He beseeched their aid in fighting the Darkon. Many of them perished in the battles, but they were instrumental in achieving a final victory over the invaders. When the war was over, the remaining warriors pledged their undying loyalty and service to the Imperius.
Today, only seven remain. Although the Imperius is formidable in his own right, he usually has two of these warriors by his side. The remaining five remain in stasis until needed.
The Sindikar retain very little of their original organic material. Their armor is thousands of years old, and it is maintained by nanotech service robots housed in the armor pods. These service robots are in turn maintained by the Sindakar.
One of their number, the only remaining officer to survive the Darkon Wars, was badly damaged. The Imperius saw to getting his own scientists to attempt repairs, but the technology was beyond them. Being one of the first Sindakar the Imperius had activated, the Imperius activates him only in dire circumstances or to advise him on matters of military strategy. Doing so will hasten the end of this noble warrior.
The Sindakar units differ only slightly in appearance and have different weapons which are usually stored in the pod-like shoulder pads of their armor.
*** WHO IS THE IMPERIUS? ***
10/02/15, Sun
It is said that the Imperius has lived for a thousand years, and has ruled for all that time. On Rexis, the seat of his power, he is revered almost as a living god.
Some believe that if he is the original ruler, he has somehow found the means to expand his lifespan. This could be done through genetic modification, molecular regeneration, cloning and transferring his consciousness to a younger body or by perfecting certain mental (psionic) disciplines.
The truth is a secret only he himself and perhaps one or two trusted advisors may know.
In this case, the truth of his longevity is up to the individual Game Master.
Some options include:
[ORIGIN]
- The Imperius is actually a time-tossed pilot from Earth who was sent here many centuries ago via the Variable Phase Drive event.
He helped the indigenous populations fight against the Darkon. He became emperor (Imperius) after finally helping to drive the Darkon host away (hence the statue of him fighting the Darkon on Rexis.)
During a decisive final battle where the Darkon Queen was destroyed, the future Imperius fought his way into an inner chamber. It was guarded by powerful Darkon. When it came down to him alone vs. a wounded Darkon Elite, he realized that they had been guarding a glowing pool wherein a single egg had been placed. The Darkon reached out to his mind, showing him that if the Imperius took his place and safeguarded the egg (a future queen), he could not only rule the Galaxy unopposed but he could also bathe in the rejuvenative waters and enjoy nearly limitless lifespan as well as enhanced abilities.
The future Imperius siezed on this opportunity as a means to secure freedom for these people. However, burdened by this terrible secret, his mind eroded by many centuries of prolonged life, he became an ironfisted despot. He had also been rendered effectively sterile by the change to his physiology, although he maintains hope that someday he will produce an heir.
The pool is located on what is now Lazriss in the Forbidden Zone. Lazriss is of course a bastardization of the name "Lazarus", so named by the Imperius presumably after the man raised from the dead in the Bible.
The Imperius could impart knowledge to the PCs at some point that even if they defeat him, they will have to worry about the imminent hatching of the Queen Egg which will summon the Darkon fleet once again.
Altering this history slightly, perhaps the future Imperius found ancient technology left by the First Race (who are in fact evolved descendants of displaced Earth people who were sent many thousands of years into the past.) This technology allows him to grow enhanced clone bodies into which he eventually transfers his mind.
The cloning chamber would be located on Lazriss in this case.
Another option could be that the current Imperius has an heir secretly replace him upon his impending death. At this time his memories are transferred to the new Imperius, as well as his remaining life force. In this way the new Imperius gains the previous ruler's knowledge and a measure of his strength. This could be another reason why the current Imperius seeks women of a particular genetic makeup to be his bride or concubine. In this instance, Lazriss is the secret place of the "coronation procedure."
Another peculiar twist would be to have the Imperius be a male relative of a PC (as well as being a former Earth Force pilot.)
Stranger still, the Imperius could be revealed to be a version of a PC, meaning the PC is meant to travel back into the past at some point and assume this role. How the PC handles this revelation is obviously up to that player.
*** THE DARKON IMPERATIVE ***
What led the Darkon to attack Earth in the current timeline? The answer lies with the Imperius.
At some point, the Darkon learned that the human who had opposed them hailed from a distant planet and had been sent to their region of space by an incident that occurred after their invasion. Their race thought to destroy Earth before it could send its champion to oppose them. They are now caught in an inescapable loop where their preemptive strike leads to their near extinction.
POSSIBLE END GAME:
Eventually the Imperius will reveal himself to be a person from Earth who arrived here nearly a thousand years ago in the same manner the PCs did. When they arrived, he was unsure if they would hinder or eventually aid him in eliminating the Darkon. Some of his plans would be foiled by the PCs, plans to find weapons powerful enough to defeat the Darkon or keep them in hibernation.
As the new Darkon Queen is about to awaken, he realizes the PCs are his only means to end the cycle, which will almost certainly lead to the end of his preternaturally extended lifespan.
He will encourage PCs to strengthen themselves against psionic attack and engage the Queen and her hiveguards while she is immature and at her weakest. He cannot aid in this battle. His link to the Queen means his life process can be interrupted should he return to the hive chamber to face her.
In reality, destroying the Queen will break the life cycle of the Darkon, but not before they attack Earth's solar system like a nest of angry hornets. The last Queen and subsequently this one were given images of Earth from the mind of the Imperius. They see Earth as a threat they must destroy along with the Imperius before he travels here. Events will unfold as they have, with the same attacks that brought the USEF here at various time intervals. Without a new queen, the Darkon will eventually die out shortly after their last attacks. The PCs will see the remaining portion of the USEF fleet arrive through the dark matter rift in the Dominion region of space as they and the Imperius once did.
The remaining survivors of Earth must now find their place in a galaxy far from home.
Copyright 2018, 2024 Brainstorm Books and Games, Roger C. Jones
