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Background
This contains what I feel is important background information for the Errant Venture. More will be added as the comic progresses. It is likely that this will be divided up if it gets too big. Enjoy.
Topics: Aasimar, Biots,
Caster Weapons,
Humans, Sessra,
Shay-An, Tieflings
Aasimar:
The aasimar are similar to the shay-an in that their government
is also a religion. But that is where the similarity ends. The Aasimar are
extremely arrogant and self-righteous, unafraid of contesting anything they
perceive to be an injustice or evil. They hold no regard for the culture
and ways of other species; their way is the one true way. They believe
they have been tasked with a holy mission to cleanse the universe of heretics,
unbelievers, and the wicked. They believe they are descended from angelic
beings who were tasked with the holy mission and passed the mission onto their
offspring. And perhaps there is some truth to this claim. There are
things about the aasimar that genetic science and evolution cannot explain.
An aasimar cannot be mistaken for anything other than what he really is.
The skin of an aasimar is literally metallic colored, coming in various shades
of precious metals. Their eyes are as dark as cold space, with barely
visible motes of stars in them. They radiate a majestic aura about them.
Though they are largely humanoid in appearance, they possess eight bird-like
wings on their back, though they can only glide without mechanical assistance.
The aasimar prefer the thrill of close combat, relying on their natural
toughness and resistances more than powered armor, fighting with swords made
from a single crystal of artificial diamond. They hold a few systems
bordering the Shay-An Empire, and frequently clash with the shay-an over
territory. Aasimar know that they are vastly outnumbered by other species
in their holy crusade, and aren't as aggressive as they would be otherwise.
Instead, they are quietly converting others to their religion and crusade.
In time, they may pose a threat even to the ancient shay-an race.
"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but
because of those who look on and do nothing."
-Albert Einstein
Biots:
Biots are a species that has been created entirely through artificial means by humans, and are unable to reproduce on their own.
The word 'biot' is short for biological robot. This is misleading, since the only biological component in a biot is the nervous system.
Technically, a biot is actually a cybernetic organism, utilizing robotic technologies that are capable of interacting with biological nerve tissue, and animated by magic-based technologies gleaned from the study of alien technology such as that belonging to the Shay-An.
They are virtually indestructible except for anti-magic and vaporization, the magic animating them rebuilding grievous damage over time.
They do not sleep, eat, tire, breathe, or suffer from toxins.
Biots were engineered to be mass-produced pilots during the devastating Human-Elf War, and saw action in the last ten years of the war.
They were originally considered to be property of the Terran Alliance, but since the war ended, the issue of whether a biot is a sentient entity has been left up to the stellar states of the Terran Alliance.
Even in stellar states where biots were granted the same rights as a human, many humans treat them as second-class citizens.
Like humans, biots don't get along well with the shay-an.
Both species had to fight each other in the war, and harbor deep resentments.
Although biots were originally manufactured with no gender and all with a
standardized appearance, variations have appeared over time. The older a
biot is, the more it will deviate from the factory model. A biot's
infrastructure and body armor can be made of manufactured carbides (generally
referred to as crystal carbon), plasteel (a sonically manipulated lightweight
metal), or vulcanium (A tough ceramic composite). Biots acquire gender and
personality through their interaction with other species. It is thought
that the same property that allows a biot to regenerate damage allows for the
subconscious mind of the biot to alter its body over time.
"
I've seen things you people wouldn't believe.
Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion.
I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate.
All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.
Time to die.
"
- Roy Batty, Bladerunner
Caster Weapons:
Used nearly exclusively by the shay-an, caster weapons are a category of
weaponry that is capable of channeling arcane magic. This is at a price:
the more powerful the magic, the larger the cost to the wielder. The most
common form of caster weaponry is a caster pistol, though more exotic forms exist; such as caster staffs or caster axes.
They allow the shay-an who can't use magic for one reason or another to wield
the awesome power of arcane might.
- A caster pistol fired without any caster shells will fire a number of
energy projectiles that will unerringly hit whatever the wielder wants to
aim at. When using caster shells, spent shells must be ejected and a
new shell inserted.
- A caster staff does not require caster shells like most caster weaponry.
It is built with a set of spells already, and they cannot be modified to
channel other spells.
- A caster axe and other melee caster weaponry requires the use of
caster modules: that is, up to ten small enchantment modules that alter the
properties of the weapon.
Humans:
Humans are described as being weeds by the older starfaring species.
Simply put; we're everywhere and not always welcome. Humans vary vastly in appearance because of
cybernetics and cosmetic medicine. Humans possess no innate magical ability, but do possess the
potential for psionic ability. The human star systems are a part of a large confederacy called
the Terran Alliance. It's not terribly powerful politically, but it does manage to get the incredibly
diverse number of societies to work together for a common cause: the survival of humanity. Humans,
being a young and dynamic race, tend to get along well with most species. The elves dislike the
hurried pace of humanity, and the two species fought a bitter war for twenty years, called the
Human-Elf War. It ended ten years ago, and the interaction between elves and humans can be best described as 'thinly-veiled hostility'.
"Deep in the human unconscious
is a pervasive need for a logical universe that makes sense.
But the real universe is always one step beyond logic."
-Princess Irulan from "The Sayings of Muad'dib", Dune
Sessra:
The sessra are small warm-blooded reptilians who evolved from tool
using arboreal lizards. They are well adapted for climbing, since
both their hands and feet feature adaptations for climbing as well as a
prehensile tail. The sessra are characterized by boundless energy
(some compare their attention span to that of a caffeine-drowned
marmoset, though this makes little sense) as well as their endless
fascination with technology in all its forms. That is to say; the
major sessra religions revolve around the worship of technology.
The sessra are governed by megacorporations, and their worlds are often
hellishly polluted and over-populated by human standards. The pace
of their technological growth has far outstripped their society's
ability to use it in a socially responsible manner. Sessra have
skin that acts like a chameleon's in that it changes color in response
to environmental or emotional stimuli. It's rather hard for a
sessra to lie as a result, since their skin is quite likely to betray
them.
"It
is an unfortunate fact that every man who seeks to disseminate knowledge
must contend not only against ignorance itself, but against false
instruction as well.
No sooner do we deem ourselves free from a particularly gross
superstition, than we are confronted by some enemy to learning who would
set aside all the intellectual progress of years, and plunge us back into the darkness of mediaeval disbelief."
-H. P. Lovecraft to
The Providence
Evening News, September 5, 1914
Shay-An:
The Shay-An are a humanoid species that have been named 'elves' by
humanity. So most humans say 'elf' instead of shay-an. The shay-an are among the oldest starfaring
races still active in the Dragoneye Galaxy, and are fairly arrogant and patronizing as a whole.
They have five distinct sub-species serving as caste divisions, including a slave caste (Shay-An-Dro).
They are slightly taller than humans, and their ears are long and pointy (which is why humans call
them elves). Socially, the Shay-An practice a theocracy, known as the Holy Empire of the Shay-An
(humans shorten this to the Elven Empire), ruled over by an immortal God-Emperor. The shay-an are one
of the few races to actually practice magic, and still rarer that they possess both sorcerers and acolytes.
This innate magical capability has given them an edge technologically, as they combine aspects of magic
and technology in their tools and machines. The elves don't really get along with 'lesser' species,
especially the upstart humans.
"The world’s a bubble, and the life of
man, Less than a span.
"
- Sir Francis Bacon
Tieflings:
Tieflings are from a world where two sentient species arose;
themselves and the aasimar. The aasimar state religion proclaims that the
tieflings are descendents of evil fiends, and that they must be exterminated
wherever they are found. Thus, the tieflings have always been hunted by
the aasimar. Being clever and devious, the tieflings developed space
flight years before the aasimar, and fled their homeworld to scatter among the
stars. Although they originally looked very different and obviously alien,
the tieflings have used gene therapy techniques to remold their race to blend in
with other species. When humans arrived on the galactic scene, the
tieflings have found it easier than ever to hide, since the modern tiefling is
hard to distinguish from a human without genetic testing. The tieflings
have no central government or hold any territory, since they would prefer to
simply blend in with other species. Because they were persecuted for so
long and so fiercely, tieflings are typically paranoid and secretive. The
primary means of communications among tieflings is a piggy-backed network
nicknamed TiefNet.
"If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil
deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and
destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of
every human being, and who is willing to destroy his own heart?"
-Alexander Solzhenitsyn
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