[center][h1]The Tide of the Apocalypse Will Return[/h1][/center]

The apocalypse has come and gone once before, about two thousand years ago. No one disputes that. The remnants left behind were enough to destroy the doubt of disbelievers. There were zones of space that were designated off-limits due to Scourge presence, and any fools who had dared to disapprove such theories either came back empty-handed or not at all. Some idiot running a live feed put an end to things when both he and his ship were canabalised for parts, live on-air. The only folks daring to go in after that went armed to the teeth.

Some seem to be convinced that the apocalypse will return, but most are short on evidence. Theories vary as to why or how. Whatever the case, life goes on. People of worlds need feeding, pirates in various sectors need shooting, and something stirs from deep within the no-go zone. Old records indicate there used to be a people there, in what was called the badlands, but it would seem they'd been wiped out in the disaster.

Scourge activity has been on the rise, in recent times, especially with hostile ships coming out from the badlands. Some seem to think that the Scourge have gotten bored, but the monsters need to be dealt with. The military has a response on the way, but the Scourge are a fierce foe.


[center][h2] Compiled Lore [/h2]

[img]https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/892447203338108999/892541499298959422/unknown.png[/img]
Maps by Blizz

[hider=Luminium and Scourge maps]
[img]https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/892447203338108999/892541665577930792/unknown.png[/img]

[img]https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/892447203338108999/892541808335282236/unknown.png[/img][/hider]

[h3] Brief History[/h3][/center]

The apocalypse that came, millennia ago, was a horrendous force. Grotesque and with an eye for only efficiency, horrifying abominations of flesh melded with machine washed over the galaxy. The Terran Solidarity was hit hardest, with the scattered remnants of the once mighty nation coalescing at the edges of their now infested space. Though the Scourge disappeared mysteriously at the end of the Black Year, scattered forces remained. Those scattered, lingering horrors either spread their infestation or were wiped out over the next millennia, creating hotspots of hostile activity.

Two millenia have passed. Nearly all civilization has suffered from heavy losses across the board, with production capabilities and technical prowess set back hundreds, in some cases thousands of years, though often with the curious oddity of [i]having[/i] technology beyond their capabilities. It is not difficult to find dynasties, kingdoms, and religions formed around the possession of such technologies and the advantage it would offer.

Spiritualist religions have become particularly prominent, as hauntings, or rumors of hauntings, have become prominent in recent times. Theorists with the knowledge to do so tend to point to the surplus of death from the Black Year as the cause, and the industry surrounding the supernatural - involving things like mediums, psychics, and ghost hunters - has exploded with activity.

Archaeologists inspecting planetside ruins have found strange, new crystal deposits among the ruins. Often, these locations were determined to be laid to ruin by the Scourge, but not always. These crystals deposits ended up being called Luminium, after an old currency that hasn't been seen in a long time that behaved much the same. The crystals can be fed to a reactor, though nobody ever said anything about retrieving the crystal once spent, which can be done. It's still an exotic material, and not many are sure what can be done with it. But it looks pretty, it's useful as reactor fuel, and it's [i]stable[/i], so it sells well.

[h3]State of Technology and Politics[/h3]

Much of what had been developed before the fall has been lost. Many civilizations were brought back to a pre-space state, and had to work their way back to the stars. The race back to space was accelerated by the existence of space-age technology, and as the nations of old reclaimed their seat within the galactic community, new powers also arose from the fractured remains of old.

Nations are just recently developed the capability to make space ships that can even touch the ships of old. Until now, old ships had been vital platforms from which to operate in deep space. New ships are once again capable of independent deep space operation, but their capabilities pale in comparison to what once was.

Technology locked behind technology; ancient and run-down, yet powerful and incredibly advanced machines; primitive civilization with the means and cultural understanding to traverse space. These are some of the hallmarks of the time.

[h3] Political Cosmoscape[/h3]

Previously powerful empires, all but laid to ruin by the apocalypse, have risen again from their shattered remains to put their pieces back together. Some of those pieces, however, have gained a life of their own. Peoples that have been taking care of themselves in the wake of the devastation think of themselves as independent, and seek to remain so. The remains of humanity have eeked out an existence on the fringes of livable space, always under threat from the Scourge and pirates that neighbor them. 

The Shards of the Cosmic Empire continue to rule themselves as the Empire itself pushes to expand it's territory once again. They face resistance wielding what was once their technology, however. Until they can master repairs of the ancient technology, they face attrition as an enemy, as well.

The Teladi have also come to face a schism, a successful surviving colony reemerging as it's own kingdom, with ideologies too different to negotiate a merger.