Dusk Raven
2024-02-29, 09:33 PM
Recruitment thread: https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?663392-It-s-Actually-Our-Galaxy-(Star-Wars-D-amp-D-5e-Custom-Setting-Potentially-Lore-Heavy)
Among the Peacekeepers, the Ranger Corps is the most free-spirited, as well as the least restricted, and the least-visible. To most people, they appear to be bounty hunters, mercenaries, or vigilantes, but this is merely a disguise, for in truth they serve the cause of peace and justice. A combination of plainclothes law officers, reserve military, and secret agents, they are the first line of defense against corruption and tyranny, but they also find themselves busy taking on organized crime or even just helping ordinary people.
And boy, do your characters find themselves busy as Rangers. Your current assignment is on planet Ereshkigal, a mostly-human world known for its manufacturing and shipbuilding capabilities, as well as for political discontent and crime at all levels of organization. Also, the climate's terrible. Things are rough as it is, but there's also rumors of a plague of some sort spreading among the populace, adding fuel to the fire. You're there to put the proverbial fires out before they become an inferno. As Rangers, you are both inside and outside the law, and you've got broad powers when it comes to making a difference in peoples' lives. The Rangers believe in results – and any result that involves people being able to sleep safely in their beds at night, with full stomachs and a roof over their head, is worth the cost.
Ereshkigal was settled by human colonists (and some Nitatiko tagalongs) some 212 Earth years ago (CE 2087 in the Terran calendar). Despite being in its star's habitable zone, it had no life of its own, which meant there was no worry of colonists finding a hostile biome, or of contaminating such a biosphere with Terran invasive species. As such almost all of the life that is there is originally from Earth. Ereshkigal is much drier than Earth, however, so what life is there tends to be adapted to arid or semi-arid climates. To use Earth as a reference point, the better parts of the planet have climates and life like that of the American Great Plains. The capital city of Ganzir is in one such area, next to a relatively freshwater great lake. The worse parts of the planet are deserts of some form or other. While the climate isn't the most hospitable, it does have relatively low gravity compared to Earth, as well as abundant mineral resources, both on the planet itself or in the system's asteroid belt, so industrial manufacturing has long been a staple of the planet's economy.
Ereshkigal was also the last colony established before Earth was invaded by the Kronn, so it would be left to its own devices for two and a half decades, during which it escaped notice by the Kronn. When contact was reestablished, the colonists were mortified by what had happen to Earth in their absence and willing to join the new United Countries and Colonies, but they'd also developed an independent spirit, and lacked the newfound xenophobia of Earth's humans. As such, while they provided manufacturing capability and soldiers to the UCC during its later conflicts with the Gerron, the Ereshkigallans would also criticize the Coalition's treatment of aliens that weren't Gerron - namely, the species of the Corundorian Union.
These criticisms reached a height when the authoritarian Earth Coalition was established 115 years ago, and Ereshkigal declared its refusal to take part in the new nation. The response from Earth was swift and brutal, in the form of a fleet sent to subjugate the colony. The human and Nitatiko defenders, outmatched in equipment and air support, fell in a few days, but not before giving a number of other soldiers and citizens the opportunity to flee the planet entirely (these refugees would soon co-found the Exiled Legion). In the aftermath, the Coalition nationalized the world's industries, including its shipbuilding capabilities, and put its population to work. But while the colonists most passionate about liberty were dead or fled, that didn't mean the remainder were all fans of the Coalition as it was, and there would be simmering resentment all the way to the Coalition's reforms 84 years ago - and beyond.
In truth, the wound left by the Coalition's invasion never healed, and much of the human population today is suspicious of offworld authority. Even the Nitatiko, while willing to cooperate, share the humans' desire for liberty. Of course, their own planetary government has the same checkered history of success and failure as any other. Unfortunately, currently the planet is seeing one of its "low" phases. The planet has lately seen the loss of shipbuilding contracts to rivals at planet Kwenlun, and an accompanying rise in unemployment, crime, and drug use. This wouldn't be as much of a problem on other planets, but Ereshkigal's population has been accustomed to high employment for so long that the safety nets generally aren't there. Some have gone out beyond the capital city and lesser towns to become farmers, but true self-sufficiency is beyond many of them. Far easier, and more lucrative, to do work for the various gangs that reside in the capital city of Ganzir, or the pirates that make the system a clandestine port of call. The latter group might even give them a chance to leave the planet. The pirates for their part sometimes bring in black market goods, or trade goods that otherwise are hard to find at a reasonable price or quantity, but that doesn't mean that dealing with them is all that much better.
On top of all this, there's the rumors of a plague. Details coming out of the planet have been scarce, and response to the disease has been hampered by public distrust of the government, which might not be capable of handling the outbreak any better than it's handled the crime. Indeed, if rumors are true, too much of the government is compromised by corruption or bribery to be reliable. In fairness to the government, the rumors are probably worse than the reality, but no government can function if its people don't trust it. At least the populace isn't at the point of rebellion - they'd rather just stew in mistrust and resentment. That seems to be something of an Ereshkigallan tradition.
Character Sheets, When Available:
The Stat Grid: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19AdoJf1tqCgb62VmiTZK8Rkx-BLIeo5ydDw-3LiUFq0/edit?usp=sharing
Speaking of the grid, since we're about to begin, you may now pick a row, column, or diagonal to take as your stats. Also, re-link your sheets for posterity.
Once we've settled in, or possibly sooner, I'll post the IC - and give you guys some more info about your mission.
Among the Peacekeepers, the Ranger Corps is the most free-spirited, as well as the least restricted, and the least-visible. To most people, they appear to be bounty hunters, mercenaries, or vigilantes, but this is merely a disguise, for in truth they serve the cause of peace and justice. A combination of plainclothes law officers, reserve military, and secret agents, they are the first line of defense against corruption and tyranny, but they also find themselves busy taking on organized crime or even just helping ordinary people.
And boy, do your characters find themselves busy as Rangers. Your current assignment is on planet Ereshkigal, a mostly-human world known for its manufacturing and shipbuilding capabilities, as well as for political discontent and crime at all levels of organization. Also, the climate's terrible. Things are rough as it is, but there's also rumors of a plague of some sort spreading among the populace, adding fuel to the fire. You're there to put the proverbial fires out before they become an inferno. As Rangers, you are both inside and outside the law, and you've got broad powers when it comes to making a difference in peoples' lives. The Rangers believe in results – and any result that involves people being able to sleep safely in their beds at night, with full stomachs and a roof over their head, is worth the cost.
Ereshkigal was settled by human colonists (and some Nitatiko tagalongs) some 212 Earth years ago (CE 2087 in the Terran calendar). Despite being in its star's habitable zone, it had no life of its own, which meant there was no worry of colonists finding a hostile biome, or of contaminating such a biosphere with Terran invasive species. As such almost all of the life that is there is originally from Earth. Ereshkigal is much drier than Earth, however, so what life is there tends to be adapted to arid or semi-arid climates. To use Earth as a reference point, the better parts of the planet have climates and life like that of the American Great Plains. The capital city of Ganzir is in one such area, next to a relatively freshwater great lake. The worse parts of the planet are deserts of some form or other. While the climate isn't the most hospitable, it does have relatively low gravity compared to Earth, as well as abundant mineral resources, both on the planet itself or in the system's asteroid belt, so industrial manufacturing has long been a staple of the planet's economy.
Ereshkigal was also the last colony established before Earth was invaded by the Kronn, so it would be left to its own devices for two and a half decades, during which it escaped notice by the Kronn. When contact was reestablished, the colonists were mortified by what had happen to Earth in their absence and willing to join the new United Countries and Colonies, but they'd also developed an independent spirit, and lacked the newfound xenophobia of Earth's humans. As such, while they provided manufacturing capability and soldiers to the UCC during its later conflicts with the Gerron, the Ereshkigallans would also criticize the Coalition's treatment of aliens that weren't Gerron - namely, the species of the Corundorian Union.
These criticisms reached a height when the authoritarian Earth Coalition was established 115 years ago, and Ereshkigal declared its refusal to take part in the new nation. The response from Earth was swift and brutal, in the form of a fleet sent to subjugate the colony. The human and Nitatiko defenders, outmatched in equipment and air support, fell in a few days, but not before giving a number of other soldiers and citizens the opportunity to flee the planet entirely (these refugees would soon co-found the Exiled Legion). In the aftermath, the Coalition nationalized the world's industries, including its shipbuilding capabilities, and put its population to work. But while the colonists most passionate about liberty were dead or fled, that didn't mean the remainder were all fans of the Coalition as it was, and there would be simmering resentment all the way to the Coalition's reforms 84 years ago - and beyond.
In truth, the wound left by the Coalition's invasion never healed, and much of the human population today is suspicious of offworld authority. Even the Nitatiko, while willing to cooperate, share the humans' desire for liberty. Of course, their own planetary government has the same checkered history of success and failure as any other. Unfortunately, currently the planet is seeing one of its "low" phases. The planet has lately seen the loss of shipbuilding contracts to rivals at planet Kwenlun, and an accompanying rise in unemployment, crime, and drug use. This wouldn't be as much of a problem on other planets, but Ereshkigal's population has been accustomed to high employment for so long that the safety nets generally aren't there. Some have gone out beyond the capital city and lesser towns to become farmers, but true self-sufficiency is beyond many of them. Far easier, and more lucrative, to do work for the various gangs that reside in the capital city of Ganzir, or the pirates that make the system a clandestine port of call. The latter group might even give them a chance to leave the planet. The pirates for their part sometimes bring in black market goods, or trade goods that otherwise are hard to find at a reasonable price or quantity, but that doesn't mean that dealing with them is all that much better.
On top of all this, there's the rumors of a plague. Details coming out of the planet have been scarce, and response to the disease has been hampered by public distrust of the government, which might not be capable of handling the outbreak any better than it's handled the crime. Indeed, if rumors are true, too much of the government is compromised by corruption or bribery to be reliable. In fairness to the government, the rumors are probably worse than the reality, but no government can function if its people don't trust it. At least the populace isn't at the point of rebellion - they'd rather just stew in mistrust and resentment. That seems to be something of an Ereshkigallan tradition.
Character Sheets, When Available:
The Stat Grid: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19AdoJf1tqCgb62VmiTZK8Rkx-BLIeo5ydDw-3LiUFq0/edit?usp=sharing
Speaking of the grid, since we're about to begin, you may now pick a row, column, or diagonal to take as your stats. Also, re-link your sheets for posterity.
Once we've settled in, or possibly sooner, I'll post the IC - and give you guys some more info about your mission.