NOVA MUNDI
Synopsis[]
Story takes place in 529 NE (2542 AD), on the continent of Vespia (heavily alter North and South America), and largely takes place within the megacity of Oxida Nova (located over OTL Chicago and spanning the Midwest). There are three major factions: the United Nyr Federation, the Auroran Empire, and the Xai Ascendancy. The rest of the world is largely destroyed, and except for the occassional refugee ship coming out of former Japan, there is little else going on in the world. Mutants are a major issue the world around. Nearly every major population center has a mutant problem, humans from behind the arrival of the Vespians that were altered by the destruction of nuclear waste containment sites.
Major factions[]
- United Nyr Federation (Kaldheim)
- Overview: The United Nyr Federation, or Kaldheim (Norse for "cold home"), is one of the three major governments on Vespia. Established in 252 NE, the UNF was the first of the three governments founded following the creation of the Vespian people. Its capital is located in the city of Oxida Nova, where more than half of the Nyr population is located. The UNF spans the former United States and parts of old Canada and Mexico, and has a population of 108.5 million people, of which 51.7 million reside within the massive walls of Oxida Nova. Those tens of millions Nyr outside of the walls are charged with growing food, mining for raw minerals, and supporting the numerous military bases that protect the dozens of Nyr cities and fortifications that dot the wastelands of UNF territory. The UNF is ruled by a military government, which declared a state of martial law within its territories more than 150 years ago. Vast swathes of the Federation are decaying as it faces an unending onslaught from the Xai and the Aurorans, and its forces are stretched thin as it battles mutants from the distant lands of Europa and illegal immigration into Oxida Nova from Old Asia.
- Military Info: The Federal Armed Forces are the official military forces of the UNF. The FAF is tasked with staffing the military bases and the walls of Oxida Nova. It has a total force of 11,570,000 personnel, which is often stretched thin in the government's wars against the Xai to the north and west and the Aurorans to the south and east. The forces of the Federation are well-equipped and trained, and though it is not as numerous as the Aurorans or as advanced as the Xai, it is a dependable and flexible force that has proven its capabilities many times in the past. Given the difficulties of fighting a two-front conflict against the advanced forces of the Xai and the zealous and militaristic forces of the Aurorans, the FAF enforces martial law in most parts of Nyr territory, and has a no tolerance policy within the walls of Oxida Nova.
- Cultural Info: Easily the cultural center of the new world, Kaldheim is the melding pot for all sorts of cultural changes and shifts that reflect that nation's status as the most open of the three nations on the continent. Media and art are wide spread within Kaldheim, and the redevelopment of the old workds internet connects Nyr throughout the nation to one another and allow them to access plentiful amounts of information. However, Kaldheim often suffers from this luxury, as the numerous cultures and traditions also bring about intolerance and disagreement, which in turn leds to violence and sometimes even rebellion. Also, new ideas can spread quickly and threaten to challenge the old ideas which in turn lead to revolutions. Widespread discontent with the current military government and its harsh but often necessary martial law have seen many Nyr communicating secretly so as to defeat the government, often through hacking and misinformation campaigns.
- Auroran Empire (Aurora)
- Overview: The Auroran Empire, or simply Aurora, is one of the three major powers of the Vespian continent. The Auroran Empire was established in 571 NE after a falling out between members of the Church of Vespia and the Nyr government, over the proper canonization and santification of Othello Morgan, creator of the new world and the Vespian race. Taking over what was originally Latin America, the Aurorans grew to become one the foremost military powers in the world, if not the greatest military power. They are ruled by a theocratic autocracy, in which the Emperor of Aurora is the Pontifex Maximus of the Auroran branch of the Church of Vespia. With a population of more than 315 million subjects, the empire is the largest of the three empires, and in fact, the largest nation in the world. Though it is massive, Aurora suffers from lack of technological development due to the Church's strict belief of faith over material gain. However, a strong desire to establish the Aurorans' interpretation of the All-Father has resulted in a warrior mentality developing over the last seven hundred years since the empire's formation.
- Military Info: The Auroran Imperial Guard is the main military force of the Auroran Empire. With more than 23,625,000 active personnel, the AIG is the largest military force in the world. However, despite it sheer size and force of numbers, its soldiers are not a techologically fearsome military force. Most Auroran soldiers use kinetic weapons or older thermal weapons instead of the more advanced and modern maser and plasma weapons of the north. Thus, the Imperial Guard draws upon its weight of numbers rather than its technological power, of which it is greatly lacking. Another issue with the Imperial Guard is its preference of melee fighting over long-range combat. Most of its soldiers possess swords and energy shields as well as guns, though most Aurorans prefer to fight hand-to-hand rather than with combat rifles.
- Xai Ascendancy (Xyon)
- Overview: The Xai Ascendancy, better known as Xyon, is one of the three major powers on the continent of Vespia. It was founded in 718 NE after one of the foremost scientists of Oxida Nova grew weary of watching his work go to waste in the endless fighting between the Nyr and the Aurorans. Considered the most advanced force on the planet, though one of the smallest. Within a meager population of 45.2 million citizens, the Xai are the smallest major faction on the continent. However, this is made up by the sheer technological superiority the Xai hold over their cousins. Located in what was once western Canada and Alaska, the Ascendancy is located far from the fighting to the south of it. The military might of the Aurorans and the Nyr are considered limited threats as far as ability to execute a major invasion of its territory are concerned. The Ascendancy is governed by a technocracy, in which the thinkers and problem solvers of the Ascendancy rule the nation and its people.
- Military Info: The Obsidian Guard is the official military of the Ascendancy, with a total force of 2,260,000 active personnel. It is the most advanced military force on the planet, but the smallest military force of a major power in the world. The Obsidian Guard's ability to fight the 11 million Nyr soldiers and 23 million Auroran soldiers comes from its superior weaponry, shielding, and training, which has permitted it to gain a number of major victories over by the Federation and the Empire in the past. Practically all soldiers possess personal shielding devices, and a slew of weapons that can tackle anything from a heavily-armed opponent to a tank if need be.
Minor factions[]
- Kingdom of Ix
- Serene Republic of Metia
- Izanagi Empire
- Havasu Republic
The xanith are the third gender of the Nyr; a female Nyr with male reproductive organs. They inhabit the city of Oxida Nova in the barren lands of Kaldheim. They were created as a popular bodymod for women seeking to defend their person before the advent of the Venus Protection System for women. The first xanith appeared in 472 NE as the brainchild of Kiman Madora, the infamous ganglord of Oxida Nova's criminal underground. Her terrible experiences with her mother caused Kiman to developed a strong hatred of women, and led to her desire to be more like her father whom she loved emmensely. This combination mixed with her cynical and often times sadistic thoughts and ideas, saw Kiman develop her brainchild. The xanith today form the core of nearly all criminal activity in Oxida Nova, though others have found promising careers as soldiers and industrialists.
History[]
The xanith were created by Kiman Madora in 481 NE, using her biological experience and previous work as a body mod engineer. This resulted in Kiman developing the formula to successfully create the xanith. This was accomplished in 472 NE, when Kiman tested her work on herself, becoming the first xanith in the world. Later on in 473 NE, Kiman gave birth to five daughters; Ursula and Naomi; a feat she accomplished by extracting and fertilizing her eggs. They were later followed by three other xanith daughters; Ursa, Maxine, and Sierra; though their status as xanith had remained a family secret until later on. This would remain the case until 481 NE, when a series of rapes in the Kordan district. Kiman, not moved by a genuine desire to help women, saw the perfect business opprotunity to promote his idea, and market her work in Kordan. She eagerly await her potential customers, and was ready to administer the drugs and adjustments needed for her clients.
She established her first body mod ship in central Kordan, and patented her work to prevent potential competition, afterwhich she began her work promoting the xanith mod to the local female population in Kordan. Kiman advertised the idea as a way to "get even with the rapists", and even went so far as to match the mod up with a another one which would increase the physical strength of the customer, making her considerably stronger than the average man. Her project became a huge success, with numerous women lining up for the mod. Within five years, some 150,000 women had signed up to become xanith. As the years passed, however, many women were no longer interested in becoming xanith simply to get even with their rapist, but instead actively sought to surpass them. It would soon be revealed that as this happened, a dangerous flaw would present itself in the times to come.
Many newly-converted xanith had become fascinated with their newfound strength and duress, and more so with the new male member they were sporting. No longer would they be the victims, or as their human predecessors called them, "survivors". They were awe-struck with the sexual arousal they had as well, but the flaw in Kiman's work was that they had little way of controlling that desire. Power-hungry and sexually-frustrated, the xanith were willing to give into their primal urges, and as a result, most turned to rape and murder as an outline for their sexual urges. Many rape victims who had once turned to Kiman's xanith process as a protection, had now become the rapists they had despised. In turn, as the number of rapes increased, so far as to happen to one in five women in Oxida Nova, so to did the number of xanith, who were the offspring of these crimes.
Kiman's body mod shops, which had come to symbolize the spiraling rape epidemic, were shut down by the government of Oxida Nova in 501 NE, though the damage had already been done. More than two-thirds of the now massive xanith population had been born from xanith-based rapes, leading to painful childhoods which saw the new generation of xanith turning to the streets, drugs, and later, crime. Kiman was elated with the result. Her mother was potentially outraged by the outcome, and given that the highly misogynistic xanith population were targeting the female population, which Kiman could stand to live without, was considered a double-win for Kiman. The government sought to lower the xanith population, but it was later discovered (revealed by Kiman) that the xanith could not be reverted by into women. The damage was now permanent, with a constant xanith population growth rate the government could not realistically stop.
This was worsened by the fact that the xanith were highly fertile, meaning each could produce many children, in which two out of three would be xanith, and the other a highly aggressive female. Only a risky abortion, despised by all sides of the issue (including criminals themselves), could deal with the matter. The xanith population would continue to grow and grow, with no signs of stopping. As of 529 NE, the xanith population has peaked at six million, or approximately one out of every eight Nyr residing in Oxida Nova. Though not all xanith are murderers and rapists, xanith do form the bulk of the city's criminal element, so much so as to hold a virtual monopoly on it. Many criminal organizations even requiring that one be a xanith to join. The xanith process has since been outlawed by the government, though many underground body mod shops sponsored by Kiman herself continue to offer the change to customers.
The Jarra are a diminutive subrace of the Nyr, who appear physically similar to children, but are in fact full-grown adults who never made it past their pre-adolescent growth period. Because of their physical handicap, the Jarra instead make a living as a merchants, engineers, and snipers, are positions that have since come to suit their size. They were created by Felix Juvena in 234 NE, as a result of a failed attempt to resolve the Youth Crisis in the 3rd century NE. They are largely confined to the safety of the Junction and Onyx districts in north Oxida Nova, though many Jarra do live in the violent southern half of the city, making a living as smugglers and blackmarket suppliers. The government's attitude toward them in tolerance, as their role in managing the city's financial district have elevated the Jarra to a position of importance.
History[]
The beginnings of the Jarra can be traced by to the Nyr scientist, Felix Juvena, who sought to develop a way to make Nyr look younger during the Youth Crisis of the Third Century, when there was a malfunction of the Nyr's telomerase genes. Juvena was obsessed with the potential wealth he could acquire from developing a cure to the malfunctioning telomerase gene, and paid little heed to the warnings he was issued by his aides. In 234 NE, Juvena created what he thought was the fix for the genes, and marketed it to the entire city of Oxida Nova without providing any testing results or proof as to its efficiency. He only presented the fact that the genes reversed in age, but did not state whether or not it was for the correct age or sex. Though many bought Juvena's finished product, an overwhelming majority did not, unconvinced of the unusually good results reported by Juvena's lab.
Many Nyr had indeed regained their youth, and no issues with the formula provided by Juvena had been reported. However, Juvena's work was undercut by another more prominent and permanent fix, which solved the issue of the malfunctioning genes, and led to Juvena's products no longer being need. As time passed, many Nyr who had used Juvena's formula had reported in 248 NE, that their newborn children, born during the crisis, where no longer growing. Even worse was the fact that many had gotten even younger. The matter worsened as the Nyr who had purchased Juvena's formula would not stop shrinking in size or youth, until their were in their pre-adolescent years. Juvena was sued in a class-action lawsuit, in which 240,000 Nyr demanded compensation for their resulting outcome.
Juvena lost ∂500,000,000 aurum as a result of the court defeat, with the court stating that he had not thoroughly tested he work and mislead the public for monetary gain. However, the judges criticized the plaintiffs as a well for trusting Juvena's reports. Juvena was ruined, and became a social recluse up until his death in 269 NE. As he lost all of his money, Juvena could not afford life insurance on his meager government pension, meaning he was not resurrected following his death. Despite his folly, Juvena did become the recognized father of the new Jarra subrace of the Nyr, who did credit him with their new status. Though life became much harder for the Jarra and their children, they came to appreciate their abilities, which permitted them to become savvy traders as others were more incline to trust the fact of an innocent child than a scheming adult when it came to money or warfare.