This is a new player's summary to the totality - or at least, as much as we can summarize quickly - of the Aurora server's most essential lore.
This is the first in a series of multiple guides that are connected to Guides/Character Creation. Once you're finished reading this, you are more than equipped with the knowledge necessary to create your character using that guide!
Below is absolutely recommended reading if you are new to the server!
Overview
The purpose of this page is to get new players acquainted with the lore of the server and help them in understanding the ins and outs of the Orion Spur as it is in the 25th century. Aurora Lore is vast, and trying to get into it as a new player can feel overwhelming at times. This page represents the bare minimum needed to begin playing,
History
The year is 2467 CE (Common Era). Humanity has long since began its trek into space, and explored territory reaches out dozens of lightyears in every direction. It now shares the galaxy with many different species, in addition to be divided itself into many different nation-states formed in the long years since it first began to reach for the stars. However, it can be said that these states are secondary to the true power of the spur, the transtellar megacorporations. At the end of the 22nd century, the power and influence of the Sol Alliance was at its height, but this soon came to an end as an unexpected economic collapse and brutal civil war saw the power of transtellar corporations increase drastically, as the most powerful of them began to conglomerate into the megacorporation's known today. The foremost megacorporations would ultimately end up becoming the following:
NanoTrasen Corporation, the megacorporation which shattered any semblance of equilibrium between the mega-corps following their discovery of the element Phoron in 2417. Phoron is a powerful element that is highly sought after for its untold capabilities and use in the average starship drive. After discovering Phoron, NanoTrasen quickly established a monopoly on it, with themselves sitting on the largest deposits in the known galaxy. The times that followed sent NanoTrasen skyrocketing to unofficially become the foremost power over Humanity. Through its determination and overwhelming wealth, it has become the dominant economic force over the expanse of the Orion Spur.
Hephaestus Industries, the industrial powerhouse of the spur, Hephaestus Industries represents an overwhelming amount of the spurs industrial capacity, from it's factory world of New Hai Phong to the monopolized economy of the Izweski Nation.
Perhaps the most important event in the spur, during late 2462 a massive phoron scarcity began to occur, as Nanotrasen's mines began to run dry. The Solarian Alliance, following the assassination of its prime minister by parties unknown, and the destruction of Mars in addition to the scarcity, began its final collapse. In a desperate move, the Alliance ordered the abandonment of all space outside of the Core Worlds, centered on Sol itself.. Many fleets disobeyed this order, with one notable fleet, the 35th, opting instead to attempt to invade Biesel, during an arc named King of the World, causing the formation of the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate. With help from the rest of the spur, the 35th was eventually beaten back and set up a statelet like so many other Warlords within former Solarian Territory. The territory abandoned by the alliance was labeled the Human Wildlands, home to anarchy and limited governance. In this power vacuum, other nations of the spur took advantage and expanded their borders to include formerly controlled Solarian territory, skirmishing with local warlords for control. Since it's collapse, the Alliance has been slowly restoring its control over the Wildlands, with the recent creation of the Southern and Northern Reconstruction Mandates.
The Stellar Corporate Conglomerate
Perhaps the single most powerful entity in the spur, the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate is, as the name suggests, a conglomerate made up of the megacorporations of the spur, minus Einstein Engines. It's primary goal is the furthering of member interests and the protection of member assets. It is run by Miranda Trasen, CEO of NanoTrasen. The SCC(sometimes called the Chainlink), through its member companies and their cooperation, has domination of several economies within the Orion Spur. From banks to manufacturers, only a sliver of economic productivity in the Spur is controlled by others, the main threat to the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate being Einstein Engines. Despite the power of the Chainlink, Einstein has managed to remain competitive against them through tight ties with the Solarian Alliance and Nrralakk Federation, both the largest economies in the spur to exploit. As one of the eldest megacorporations, Einstein Engines has maintained a constant throughout humanity's journey to the stars and shows no sign of exiting soon.
The Setting, and Workplace
Nearly all Industry in the 25th century is dominated by a megacorporation in one way or another. As a result, a majority of the workforce finds themselves working directly for a megacorporation or one of its subsidiaries. Nowhere is this clearer than the Republic of Biesel, a state founded by NanoTrasen intervention, and despite strong Republican nationalism, exists at the whims of megacorporations. It is the economic heart of the spur, with it's capital system of Tau Ceti hosting the largest GDP per capita of any location in the spur. Still, it is not without its problems. From unrest in the Corporate Reconstruction Zone, to a declining economy due to reliance on Phoron, the Republic never knows true peace. However, due to its ties to all megacorporations, it's capital planet of Biesel is the recommended starting background for new players to get accustomed to the lore of Aurora, with wide variability and simplicity assured. Relevant pages for lore can be found on the Character Creation Guide.
The SCCV Horizon
With the unveiling of the SCCV Horizon, the setting to which players have access stretches across the entirety of the Orion Spur. The SCCV Horizon is under the joint control of the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate, a holdings corporation that has significant influence over the direction of the setting. You, among others, have been assigned to work aboard the SCCV Horizon, a state-of-the-art general-purpose vessel that travels across the Orion Spur with the primary objective to uncover Phoron, however, secondary objectives exist at the whim of the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate. Due to the SCC operating the Horizon, they have the final say on Occupation Qualifications. While many jobs will have specific qualifications that can be found on their job pages, the baseline qualifications to work aboard the Horizon can be found here: Stellar Corporate Conglomerate Occupation Qualifications.
In recent times (2462 and beyond) the setting has taken a turn for the worst as phoron scarcity threatens to drive the galaxy into the ground. While phoron remains in steady supply, its finite sources grow thinner by the day - soon enough, civilization will suffer the consequences.
Your Place in the Workplace
All players including staff are subject to the believable character rule. More details on that rule can be found in the server rules, found here.
With this said, your place in the workplace is extremely flexible. It would not be a stretch to say you can be whatever you want on the Aurora server, within reason. Get creative! The possibilities are endless, and storied lore backgrounds are always here to help guide character creation.
Ultimately, in the grand scheme of things, your binding rules are generally things such as being related to the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate and being aboard the SCCV Horizon legally. Opportunities to subvert even these rules are available but are not the same as player characters made from character setup unless exclusively permitted by staff. More details on these exceptions can be found on the Guide to Ghost Roles page!
The vast majority of characters on the server are employees of the corporations beneath the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate. These individuals come in all shapes and sizes, with all of them sharing similar and quite low ranks in the megacorporate hierarchy. Certain ranks are afforded different privileges, such as medical practitioners and corporate security. Playing an official of higher rank is barred behind a whitelist to ensure quality control. Independent individuals or unaffiliated individuals are accessible as well through character setup. These roles include megacorporate-unaffiliated journalists, passengers, and third-party vessel teams who have found their way to the setting somehow.
The Economy
The Biesel Standard Credit (电/CR) is one of the dominating currencies that exist within the Orion Spur and was created shortly after the Republic of Biesel’s declaration of independence in 2452. It sees usage outside of the Republic, within the Izweski Hegemony, who adopted it as their official currency following the collapse of the Solarian Alliance, and some sections of the Coalition of Colonies near the shared border, as well as the People’s Republic of Adhomai. The BSC is available in electronic, bankcard and traditional notes forms that have the symbol of a lit torch on them. Responsibility for the currency falls to the Central Biesel Banking Authority, which is located in District One of Mendell City, the capital of the Republic of Biesel. It oversees monetary policy and the supply of the Biesel Standard Credit, with assistance from Idris Incorporated. Similarly to the Solarian Standard Credit, the BSC is able to function as a fiat currency.
Your Place in the Economy
The financial status of your character varies on a character-by-character and player-by-player basis. To reiterate, the believable character rule must be taken into account here - a security officer very simply has no excuse to be a billionaire, nor does a cargo technician have the ability to be an Interstellar War veteran. However, the pedantics of the extent of one’s wallet is in player control, barring mechanically of course. With this said, the cost of living is clarified or can be gleaned by context virtually anywhere set in lore - questions surrounding this can be directed to lore developers of the respective topic.
The setting is based in the majority of the Orion Spur, the part of the Milky Way in which the Sol System - and its surrounding hundred lightyears, roughly - resides. It is very open-ended and diverse in its nature, and not wholly charted yet - the deep Frontier hardly scratches the surface of the unknowable depths of the galaxy.
More details on the expanse of the mapped galaxy can be found here.
The expansion of Humanity has reached out in every direction, only stopping in the galactic west as they border the Nralakk Federation. Otherwise, their all-encompassing exploration has given them free reign to conquer the untouched - or abandoned - regions of the galaxy.
The major Human factions of the Orion Spur are numerous, but share a common theme in that they are universally affected by a catastrophe known as the Interstellar War. From this disastrous conflict, many new factions cropped up, with most opposed to the rule of the Sol Alliance.
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Major Factions
These are the dominant political players in the Orion Spur that are relevant to you, the player. Any of these factions can be utilized in backstories or as origins for characters - go crazy!
Important note : These factions are only the key players in the setting. Nothing stops you from making up your own origin wherever you'd like, so long as it does not contest standing lore's canon. When in doubt, ask a lore writer!
The core location of the setting itself. A bastion of prosperity amidst chaos.
The Republic of Biesel is an independent system within the core of Human space. It is heavily tied to the NanoTrasen corporation at every level of government, and may as well be considered as governed by it to begin with. The Republic of Biesel is the government of the Tau Ceti System, exercising authority over Biesel, New Gibson and all other settlements and installations within Tau Ceti's gravity well. It is one of the most populated systems in human space, a financial center, industrial powerhouse and one of the most prestigious systems in the galaxy. However, unrest and gridlock undermine the government, and the aggressive attitude of the Sol Alliance against its former system has made many worried of the future of the Republic. Tau Ceti is far from the limit of the Republic's boundaries, as the recent addition (post-2462) of the Corporate Reconstruction Zone have led to its size growing immensely. The CRZ, or the Zone, consists of hundreds of once-Solarian worlds which have had no choice but to fall under the Republic's banner, after their supply lines and defenses were cut off by the collapsing or defecting military.
A crumbling giant whose golden age has long passed.
Formerly the most populated singular government entity in known space, the Solarian Alliance is the first and one of the most politically powerful trans-stellar Human factions. While its reign formerly consisted of nearly a quarter of charted space in a growing sphere around Earth, it has now diminished significantly in size. Its loyal forces have recently retreated to the "Jewel Worlds," a region of space where its most treasured assets lay, not to mention its throne upon the home world. The Alliance is strangled by its long-standing reliance on Einstein Engines, a corporation that has survived almost total nationalization to become the foremost employer in Solarian space. The government and the corporation now stand as fierce opposition to the growing Stellar Corporate Conglomerate whose power contests them. Sol's jewel worlds and secure borders are surrounded by the Human Wildlands, dominated by warlord admirals who formerly served the Alliance' tremendously bloated military.
Freedom and independence embodied on an interstellar scale.
This loosely confederated Coalition is the largest power in the frontier, and possibly the most populous entity in the Orion Spur. It is the largest fracture from the Sol Alliance after the Interstellar War, and covers several regions with its utterly tremendous borders. The systems of the Coalition greatly value their independence and freedom. A few powerful systems dominate the politics of the Frontier, headed by the Xanu Free League - the capital of it all. Many of those in the Coalition of Colonies harbor distrust of the Sol Alliance even after the end of the Interstellar War. Humans and aliens from any and all ethnicities, as well as any combination of them, can be found in the Coalition of Colonies. In recent times, the Coalition has conquered a huge amount of territories where the Alliance formerly stood guard. For example, the tremendous Alliance Neutral Zone - a place where both sides were forbidden from entering - no longer exists, and has since been deemed Coalition territory after the Solarian withdrawal.
Glistening utopian city-scapes and technological might.
The Republic of Elyra, or its more official name, The Serene Republic of Elyra, is a bustling, benevolent independent power in the Badlands. It is made up of multiple star systems, with its capital in the highly developed technological utopia of Perispolis. Its national motto is "For Greatness We Strive". It is known for its exotic culture, highly progressive - if Pro-Human nature, and advanced industrial wonders. Elyra is one of the only three factions in the Orion Spur which innately possess phoron deposits of any sort, something they have exploited to their fullest potential in recent years.
A heavily religious absolute monarchy with its capital, Nova Luxembourg, on the planet of Moroz in the Mira Sancta system. This autocratic state is ruled by His Imperial Majesty Boleslaw Keeser. The Empire of Dominia was proclaimed in 2385 by then-Emperor Godwin Keeser, unifying a colony which had been isolated for hundreds of years. Imperial society is dominated by the Great and Minor Houses under the Emperor and is very socio-economically stratified due to the so-called blood debt, known as the Mor’iz’al.
Corporation-dominated hell, personified through a terrible societal split.
Eridani, or the Eridani Corporate Federation, is an oligarchic republic in the Epsilon Eridani system dominated entirely by a council of mega-corporations that seek profit and expansion at any cost. It has no official capital - government authority is exercised digitally. The Corporate Federation is known as one of the core economic powers of Solarian space, and is technically under Solarian supervision - though the true extent of this is up for debate. Corporations, in reality, rule the gloomy landscapes of the Corporate Federation’s worlds. Its citizens are called Eridanians. Eridanians are famed for their vicious treatment of one another, distinguishing between two primary classes ; Dregs, and Suits - who in effect represent a fine line between poverty and wealth.
Common Sentient Species
These are common sentient species found throughout known space.
An amphibian race hailing from Nralakk IV, Qerrbalak.
An amphibious species whose passion mostly lays in the field of the combined sciences, the Skrell are the second oldest and first most advanced known species present on the galactic stage. The Skrell evolved on a planet covered in vast swamps and freshwater seas, also being one of the only species in the Orion Spur to naturally develop psionics.
The cold-blooded Unathi are a race of tall humanoid reptiles from their war-torn homeworld of Moghes. The planet’s history can be summarized as being dominated by various Clans of Unathi, with the strongest being the Hegemon of Moghes. Following first contact with Skrell and Humanity, there was a violent outbreak of nuclear war that formed a vast world-dominating desert called the Wasteland which has made life difficult for the Unathi. The surviving side of this war, the Izweski Hegemony, has struggled to bring a balance between expanding their empire off-world, or reconstructing their ancestral planet. Grandiose and Space-Operatic, the themes behind Unathi follow the struggle of religion, spirituality, honor, and rigid gender roles.
The Tajaran race is a species of feline-like bipeds hailing from the planet of Adhomai in the S'rand'marr system. They have been brought up into the space age by the Humans and Skrell, who alledgedly influenced their eventual revolution that overthrew their ancient monarchies to become a totalitarian - and NanoTrasen friendly - republic. Adhomai is currently under a cold war between three factions in the aftermath of a global conflict, and many Tajara are fleeing their homeworld to seek safety and employment in human space.
The mostly bipedal, insectoid creatures hailing from the moon known as Sedantis I, Vaurca (Vaurca in singular term and Vaurcae in multiple), were discovered after the first Hiveship contact in human space, 2456. They once had access to great technology, however they had to flee their doomed homeworld. They have a complex caste system based on three types, and use something known as the Hivenet to communicate in thoughts and feelings near instantly between themselves, and enter a paradisiacal virtual reality. They require phoron to respirate, as well as requiring a unique and dangerous fungus, the k’ois spore, to sustain them. Although barely tolerated in the known galaxy, many have found homes in the more unkempt areas of their host’s society. There are four known Hives - Zo’ra, K’lax, C’thur, and Lii’dra. The largest, and most common hive in Tau Ceti is the Zo'ra hive. The Lii’dra, unique in that they are a true hivemind, are known as a powerful and secretive force and are hostile to most other entities known - including the other Hives.
A mysterious plant-like race hailing from the depths of space.
Dionae (D. Primis) are a rather strange, cryptic species in comparison to the rest found in the Orion Spur. They have various forms comprised of cat-sized caterpillar-like creatures with a curious, childlike disposition - called Dionae Nymphs.
Enigmatic witnesses to various events through the centuries, the Dionae are an inquisitive species with a pacifistic disposition after gaining sentience. Their origins, behaviour and functions are never alike - with each being as unique as the next. The Dionae are capable of great intellectual, biological and physical feats going above and beyond what was considered possible for millennia. Dionae are similar to both plant and animal, however, they primarily survive off of the electromagnetic spectrum coinciding with a diet of biological matter to supplement their growth. Their inability to adapt to survive without lack of radiation can lead to death, if not exposed to at least efficient lighting. Dionae have been seen across the Orion Spur, each with a unique history and personality.
Robotic entities making use of Positronic brains to match sentience, to a degree.
An Integrated Positronic Chassis, or IPC, is an artificial intelligence inside of a bipedal, humanoid frame. IPCs are primarily characterized by their autonomy, not being bound to a master AI or set of laws. Often built to carry out a single, career-related purpose, they come in many different chassis, with varying degrees of intelligence. Within known space, their existence is a contentious topic with IPCs being seen as property or second-class citizens, undeserving of the rights other species possess.
The term “synthetic” refers to a broad range of autonomous machinery. Dabbled with, first by the ancient skrell, and now humanity, synthetics can be classified primarily by the method of their intelligence. They include simple machinery not out of place in the 21st century, cyborgs, autonomous robots on circuitry, and now, advanced sentient artificial intelligences stored on positronic brains.
From this point, you are again encouraged to move onto Guides/Character Creation provided you're at a loss for what to do.
NanoTrasen Corporation, the megacorporation which shattered any semblance of equilibrium between the mega-corps following their discovery of the element Phoron in 2417. Phoron is a powerful element that is highly sought after for its untold capabilities and use in the average starship drive. After discovering Phoron, NanoTrasen quickly established a monopoly on it, with themselves sitting on the largest deposits in the known galaxy. The times that followed sent NanoTrasen skyrocketing to unofficially become the foremost power over Humanity. Through its determination and overwhelming wealth, it has become the dominant economic force over the expanse of the Orion Spur.
Einstein Engines, IDK what to put here.
Hephaestus Industries, the industrial powerhouse of the spur, Hephaestus Industries represents an overwhelming amount of the spurs industrial capacity, from it's factory world of New Hai Phong to the monopolized economy of the Izweski Nation.
Idris Incorporated, a shady banking magnate, which controls IDK.
Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals, a Medical Company
Zavodskoi Interstellar, the American MIC on steroids.
