The Elysium

The Elysium is a space station which formerly orbited Tempest before its destruction. It is a sovereign nation, regarded as the native home of the Elysian species.

## Structure

Floating at the lagrange point in orbit around Tempest, with nearly 50 million humans and other sentients the Elysium represents the second largest population center outside of Tempest itself. From the outside and from afar the Elysium appears to be nothing more than a large football shaped asteroid. However as one draws closer they may notice the surface dotted with derelict ships. These ships, largely leftovers from the days of the Celestial Ascendancy, were in such a state of disrepair that they were cobbled together and connected to the Elysium to provide more room for the inhabitants.

There are indications that the Elysium once had greater ornamentation, however all that remains from its days as the Elysian Fields are 4 massive D-rings used for towing the station. That the Elysium started life as an Aesir Foundation Ship has long been a point of contention between these two people. As with any Foundation Ship, life support is provided by an internal ecosystem that takes up most of the inner space of the hollowed out asteroid.

From tip to tip the Elysium is approximately 15 miles long and about 9 miles wide. Because ofits mass, it exerts a minor tidal pull on Tempest. Artificial gravity is created by a magnetic spin plate in the bottom of the asteroid. This gravity field does not extend much beyond the rocky outer hull. As the majority of Elysians live on the outside of the asteroid, this means that gravity is something of a luxury. While most of the scrap station portion of the Elysium does have some form of gravity, it is often inconsistent with reason, logic, or sanity. A single corridor might have one switching from floor to ceiling and back again. There are arrows everywhere to indicate the direction gravity should be going, however as ownership of sections of the Elysium are constantly changing hands, these arrows should be treated as more of a suggestion than the absolute truth.

If one were to take a cross section of the Elysium they would see a thick rocky outer hull extending nearly half a mile in most places. Next we come to the inner hull, this surrounds the interior like an egg. Within the inner hull are the docks, storehouses and most of the transit corridors. After the inner hull the Elysium begins to look more like a layer cake. The topmost layers serve as the homes for the Syndicates and the wealthy elite. The bottommost layers are for engineering, power, command, and control. Dwarfing the other layers, the center section of the Elysium is home to a massive hydroponics jungle. Until 215NA, and the fall of Caduceus, very few were permitted to venture into the oversized heart of the Elysium.

The various sections of the station are color coded. These sections are more often coded by purpose rather than location. This means that within a Gray residential Sector one may find an Orange entertainment Section.

* **Violet Sector**: Command Decks. Most of these exist just beneath the centermost layer of the Elysium. They serve as the headquarters for the Syndicates, as well the primary control systems for the Elysium itself. Even if there are no command and control systems, all Syndicate headquarters are designated as Violet.

* **Green Sector**: Hydroponics. Primary life support. This is the largest section of the station by far, and also the least populated. In theory there is enough space in Green Sector to house the entire population of the Elysium. Until 215NA, few had access to this Sector. Green Sector is a jungle that produces oxygen by natural means. There is also land here for wildlife and farms aplenty. Green Sector itself is layered by the controlled growth of trees so as to provide additional floors for housing. This section of the Elysium was once home to the entropic creature known as the Wurm, as such a significant portion of this Sector is suffering from Blight.

* **Red Sector**: Mid level Syndicate and VIP housing. Primarily located in the topmost layers of the Elysium, Red Sector takes up an inordinate amount of space. There exists within Red Sector more than enough housing for all of those living beyond the outer hull. All of the Red Sector space that isn’t utilized is locked down and heavily monitored, so as to avoid the uppity dregs from squatting or low level Syndicate members thinking themselves above their station.

* **White Sector**: Caduceus holdings. As of 215NA, and the destruction of Caduceus, the status of these sections is currently in limbo, with all of the major Syndicates hoping to claim a piece. Most of White Sector is labs, medical facilities, and cloning bays.

* **Blue Sector**: Docks and Transportation Hubs. The inner hull makes up most of Blue Sector.

* **Black Sector**: Dead sections of the Elysium. This designation most often refers to sections of the Elysium that have been rendered uninhabitable. The Syndicates sometimes use this designation to break up dreg monopolies…in this case uninhabitable meaning, “we will personally kill anyone who lives here”.

* **Gray Sector**: Low level Syndicate and high level non-Syndicate housing. Gray sectors are primarily beyond the outer hull, though there are a few privileged inner sections that are classified as Gray. Gray Sector inhabitants can expect a relatively consistent supply of clean air and somewhat less consistent direction of gravity.

* **Brown Sector**: Slums. On the outer outer hull, the Brown Sector is home to one-third of the Elysium. The air is bad, the food is worse, and the inconsistent gravity is vomit inducing. There is constant danger of hull breaches, and of fellow Elysians. The traditional drink of Brown Sector is a thick slurry simply referred to as “Brown”.

* **Orange Sector**: Entertainment Sectors. These are the most widely dispersed sections of the Elysium. Orange Sectors include; shopping, theaters, function spaces, brothels, and simulations…amongst others. A single shop does not generally constitute an Orange Sector, however 2 or 3 together usually does.

* **Yellow Sector**: Engineering and Manufacturing. Most of Yellow Sector is on the bottommost sections of the Elysium, this includes gravity control, power, atmospheric processors, waste treatment, fluid control. Manufacturing sections are primarily located within the inner hull. The Elysium has very little in the way of large scale manufacturing.

## Government

The Syndicates control the Elysium, each one claiming their piece of the station and/or zone of influence. Every citizen of the Elysium is considered to be part the Syndicate system, whether they wish it or not, though only the elite are considered as true Syndicate members. Anyone who dares to think themselves outside the influence of the Syndicates will quickly find themselves breathing the cold vacuum of space. Most of the Syndicates share a similar hierarchy, with one individual as the recognized leader, under which there are any number of sub-bosses, lieutenants, gang leaders, and grunts. Syndicate heads are rarely seen in public.

There are 8 major Syndicates and an uncounted number of minor Syndicates. In order to even exist, these minor Syndicates pledge some degree of fealty to one of the 8 majors. Often these minor Syndicates are set up by the major Syndicates to conduct business that the Syndicate itself would rather not be involved. Though there is little in the way of true government, there is a provisional council of lieutenants from each of the major Syndicates who work in concert to keep the Elysium aloft.

Cooperation aboard the Elysium exists only to secure the safety of the station, and to preserve the status quo. The major Syndicates rarely fight one another directly, relying on skirmishes between minor Syndicates (each backed by one of the Major Syndicates) to decide their squabbles. These Syndicates know that direct conflict is not in their best interest, such a move would likely lead to another inaccurately named war.

### **Major Syndicates**

* **Caduceus**: Until 215NA, Caduceus ruled the Elysium. On the surface they seemed to hold very little physical power. Few ever encountered a member of Caduceus and the occupied a relatively small section of the station. But as it was revealed following a raid on their headquarters in 214NA, they had long provided life extending medical treatments for the Syndicate leaders. This gave them unparalleled control over the Elysium at large. Members of Caduceus were primarily doctors and scientists, specializing in genetics and cloning. The original members of Caduceus were survivors of the Fall of the Celestial Ascendancy. Given their small numbers (only about 20) they were forced to resort to cloning in order to propagate. After a few generations the clones started experiencing generation loss and severe genetic degradation. Through the use of genetic sequencing they were able to remain function, but the process meant that the members of Caduceus all suffered from some severe mental instability. At some point in their history Caduceus came under the control of the entity known as the Wurm. It is unclear whether this happened before or after the founding of the Elysium. Not all of Caduceus was killed during the raid on their headquarters, and it is believed that they yet have holdings throughout the star system. Officially, Caduceus is no longer considered part of the Syndicates.

* **Junkers**: The Junkers’ power is based in keeping the Elysium together. They control most of the repair vessels and workers. As the original founders of the Elysium, the Junkers are by far the largest Syndicate, though in function they are more like a corrupt union. While they control a large fleet, they own only a relatively small section of the Elysium. Members of the Junkers are treated with disdain and contempt by all of the other major Syndicates. The elderly Ellis Camp remains the figurehead leader of the Junkers, but all real power within this Syndicate is wielding by coalition of “Union Leaders” comprised of high ranking members from the 4 Families. These “Union Leaders” keep the Syndicate in a constant state of chaos and confusion so as to avoid the Junkers forming a more cohesive Syndicate and fully utilizing the very real power they wield. While membership into the Junkers is often hereditary, they frequently open the rolls to anyone waiting with a bribe or the right connections.

* **Law**: The philosophy of the Jun-Tao is still alive within Law. This Syndicate of religious zealots of the One Law are in charge of the spiritual growth and well being of their fellow Elysians and beyond. Membership is open to all, and for many dregs Law is the only path for advancement. The trials and examinations required to join Law are brutal, and failure often means exile through the nearest airlock. Law is ruled in an ecclesiastic fashion with a pontiff as the head, followed by the cardinals, bishops, priests, and deacons. The Syndicates consider it an honor to have one of their own join the priesthood, and the upper echelons of Law are packed with low and mid level Syndicate members. High ranking Syndicate members often become deacons, as this position does not require one to go through the harsh trials required of the priesthood. This safer option is not open to the dregs. Membership into Law is a lifetime commitment, and the Syndicate is known to be unkind to those who are no longer able to carry out their priestly duties. The Pontiff of Law is Pope Esmerelda II.

### **The 4 Families**

The next four syndicates are known as the 4 Families. Members are born to the role. Only by marriage or some extraordinary service can an outsider hope to join one of these organizations. The 4 Families are thought of as the core of the Syndicate system, and in effect the heart of the Elysium itself. They are each a power unto themselves, and that power is kept in a state of equilibrium by the other Families.

* **Serpentis**: Arms manufacturers and traders. If you buy, sell, own or use a weapon, they want their cut. They have fashioned themselves after the Asian criminal organizations of Old Earth. Their leader is referred to as the “Serpent’s Head”. Until 215NA that leader was Tomo Ren, the last living human in the Bard System who was alive during the Celestial Ascendancy. With the fall of Caduceus, the treatments they provided to prolong his life were ended and he died within days. Leadership of Serpentis is presently in the hands of Tomo Ayaka and Tomo Shi the identical twin great, great, great granddaughters of Tomo Ren.

* **The Brothers**: Controllers of ports and passages. They receive a cut of every off station trade and collect tolls for movement within the station. These tolls apply unevenly to non-Syndicate members, and are primarily used to keep the dregs from entering the classier sections of the station. Just after the Fall of the Celestial Ascendancy a pair of squabbling brothers fought a mini war that pitted the inhabitants of their Starliner Empress against one another. Though the conflict was quickly settled a strong rivalry remained. The brothers (along with their followers) would each create their own family, though intermarriage and common foes kept them relatively unified. Squabbles are still frequent between the Antoni and Vitorious sides of the Family, but a move against one side of the family is a move against the whole. The leaders of the each side of the Family are Presini Vitorious and Gabriella Antoni.

* **The Copper Guild**: The Copper Guild controls the entertainment and gambling parlors of Orange Sector. They also maintain a sizable hand in the slave trade, and help run the Cymbeline space elevator Amygdala. In the days following the Fall of the Celestial Ascendancy they controlled a large fleet of small versatile ships. They were instrumental in towing the space station into orbit around Tempest. This single act, and the compromises made by the other Syndicates turned the weakest of the 4 Families into a true equal. It is widely believed that the Copper Guild controls a lot more of the Elysium than they are letting on about. After the fall of the Caduceus the leader of the Copper Guild died of extreme old age, he was replaced by Gamerak Padalak. At the same time the headquarters of the Copper Guild was moved to the Amygdala, and they gained exclusive usage rights for the space elevator.

* **Hazon**: The Hazon are not entirely a human family. Their public face is a human one, however it is widely known that they are under the thumb of various alien groups and have been since their refounding. The Hazon handle drug trade, often pushing exotic alien narcotics. Though it has long been suggested that the Hazon are under M’kai control, recent evidence has suggested another hand at work. Most of the Hazon are addicted the same alien narcotics they peddle, because of this they tend to use their scarves in order to cover their gaunt and frightening faces. The public leader of Hazon died shortly after the fall of Caduceus in 214NA. The present spokesman for the Syndicate is Keshal the Squeeler.

* **Outlanders**: The last of the big 8 is by far the weakest and would not even be considered amongst the elite if not for their near monopoly on every trade vessel. They are space truckers and tend to be incredibly loyal to others of their Syndicate, which is perhaps the only thing that has kept the Outlanders from being taken apart by the 4 Families. When new crew is needed, Outlanders tend to recruit from the dregs, rather than pick off low ranking members of the other syndicates. While quick to shoot first, Outlanders are widely considered to be the most honorable of thieves. The Outlanders are headed up by the 2.5 meter tall amazonian Big Brenda Nutcrusher.

[NEEDS UPDATING]

## History

During the Celestial Ascendancy Era, the Bard System served as a major hub for transportation, communications, and entertainment. With nearly 30 billion humans, it was the third largest population center of the Ascendancy. Nearly half of these humans lived above space stations and other vessels. As all of these ships were built by the hands of the Machine Mother, her swift and sudden exit that brought an end to the Ascendancy, also left billions drifting through space in vessels that were now little better than coffins. With little to no knowledge of the spacecraft they were now trapped in, the spacefaring population quickly dwindled to a few million.

A few cunning humans, with the acumen to grasp the advanced technology, managed to keep their ships aloft. These ships soon discovered and converge upon The Globe, a moon sized space station perched atop an inactive space elevator connected to the planet Tempest. The Globe had depressurized shortly after the Fall of the Celestial Ascendancy. 5 groups of proto-Elysians [For the ease of the reader, going forward we will refer to the proto-Elysians as just Elysians, even if the name would not be valid until after the discovery of the Elysian Fields.] banded together to repair the station, these became the 5 Families, the first true Syndicates; The Brothers, Jun-Tao, Serpentis, the Pikies, and the Caps (later known as Hazon).

These Syndicates along with the other space bound Elysians scoured the system for the scrap and resources needed to keep their shifts aloft. It was during this time that the One Law was created, “To Hold is to Own”. Early on the One Law was simply a way of claiming choice salvage under the idea of “first come, first serve”. During the Crystellium Wars this would gain its more modern interpretation, “whoever has the strength and cunning to hold on to something is the owner.”

### **The Crystellium Wars**

Around 90NA Crystellium supplies began to dwindle. Crystellium served as the primary catalyst for all Ascendancy Era life support systems. The substance could only be created artificially, and had a half-life of a mere 50 years. With no reliable way to replace the life support systems, Crystellium had long been the most precious of all salvage. By the time of the first Crystellium war, the Syndicates held a near monopoly on the supply. In 98NA, Caduceus, a small Syndicate with relatively little power, forged a desperate alliance with many of those who had long harbored resentment against the 5 Families. Together they stormed the Globe and captured the heads of 3 of the 5 families, holding them hostage for the remainder of the war. At the same time they managed to secure a massive supply of Crystellium, enough to keep the flotilla breathing for at least the next century. Though the alliance broke the near absolute power of the 5 families, it also allowed for the rise of Caduceus. Soon the allies of Caduceus realized that this small syndicate was far worse than any of the 5 families. After declaring all Crystellium to be the property of Caduceus, a small band of Elysians stormed Caduceus HQ and killed the Syndicate Boss. The hostages were freed, and the first Crystellium war came to an end. In the wake of the first Crystellium war, many smaller Syndicates were formed, including the Outlanders.

In 103 NA, the Globe was destroyed after the Crystellium stores ignited (it has never been clear if this was by accident or sabotage). The explosion killed 25% of the Elysian population, most of whom were living on the Globe when it exploded. The Globe and the attached space elevator crashed in Sycorax on Tempest, killing nearly a million Terrans upon impact. The massive dust cloud created by the crash would cause a decade long ice-age, and lead to the deaths of millions more. With the primary stores of Crystellium gone, the Second Crystellium war began.

#### **The Globe Mystery:**

> While history reports that the Globe crashed into Tempest, this cannot be entirely true. It is clear that the attached space elevator hit but there is almost no debris from the Globe itself. At nearly 5 times the size of the Elysium, had the Globe crashed it would have ended all life on the planet. So we are left to wonder; what truly happened to the Globe?
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Much to the frustration of historians, this second war, is often referred to as just “the Crystellium War”. Unlike the war that came before and the one that would come after, this war involved a great deal of actual conflict, and was fought primarily over Crystellium. Also unlike the other wars, this would be a war for survival.

In 105 NA, with their Crystellium supply running dry, the Mutants of Cymbeline would inadvertently involve themselves in the war. After repairing their space elevator Cymbeline sent what few vessels they had to collect salvage in hopes of recovering Crystellium. Knowing nothing of the war, and little of the Elysians, the Cymbeline ships were quickly destroyed. After uncovering the location, several Syndicates joined forces to assault the space elevator. The Elysians did not know the horrors that awaited them, and nearly all of those who took part in the assault were killed, enslaved, or driven mad. With neither party looking to gain anything from continued conflict a deal was quickly drafted to allow the Syndicates access to the elevator for trade purposes. This deal remains to this day, and the space elevator has long served as the primary hub for slave trade in the star system.

As the Crystellium War raged on several smaller Syndicates were wiped out entirely. Others sold themselves into slavery on Cymbeline for the simple privilege of breathing. Still others took their chances and attempted to land on Tempest (while most burned up in the atmosphere or crashed, there were a few ships that did land. Most of the survivors of these landings were eventually absorbed into Terran tribes and clans. Notably one ship landed near the ruins ofCaliban. The Elysians from this ship would soon form a tribe called the Technos and revive the city. The Technos would eventually become one of the core groups around which the Terran Concordia was formed after the War of Extinction). To make matters worse, the dwindling supplies of Crystellium were growing more and more unstable, which lead to more accidents, and made sabotage so simple that just ramming a ship was usually enough to set off the stores. By 108NA two-thirds of the flotilla was lost, and those that remained were on their last legs.

It was also around this time that the Caps made a breakthrough and discovered a way to synthesize Crystellium. This was a far more stable version of the substance with a long half life, though it was not nearly as effective as Crystellium, and life-support systems required vast amounts in order to operate (1 Pound of pure Crystellium = 500 of synthetic Crystellium). The upside was that it was incredibly cheap and easy to produce. Be that as it may, the Caps used the secret of synthetic Crystellium to take the upper hand and all but controlled the flotilla for a short time. Gladys Magdalene Nightingale, the second in command of the Caps, secretly sold the recipe to all the major Syndicates at the same time, with each Syndicates believing they were receiving exclusive rights. After news of her betrayal was made public, she broadcast the recipe on an open channel for all to hear. A massive bounty was soon placed on her head. It was this betrayal along with the discovery of the synthetic that lead to the end of the Second Crystellium war. Miss Nightingale was never captured.

#### **The Mysterious Miss Nightingale:**

> How the Caps discovered synthetic Crystellium in the first place has always been something of a mystery (Crystellium was already a synthetic substance, so you can’t really create a synthetic version of something that is already synthetic, but that is a matter of complicated semantics that I am not going to delve into further). At that time the Syndicate had few scientists, and was not considered one of the more technologically savvy organizations. Syndicate history says that it was discovered by accident when a frantic scientist aboard a failing ship just started shoving stuff into the life support system. While this is possible, the Caps later connection with alien races suggests that early contact may have been made around this time, and that it was these alien benefactors who provided the technical know how. This second story offers a possible explanation for what happened to Miss Nightingale following her defection. Some believe she made the initial deal with the aliens, and once she had wrung the Syndicates dry with her deception, left with those same aliens. This story is somewhat supported by the fact that aliens, most likely the M’kai, were involved with the later destruction of the Caps and the formation of Hazon, and that the last reported sightings of Miss Nightingale came from around the time of this upheaval. Some suggest that Miss Nightingale went on to rule Hazon for her alien benefactors… or that Miss Nightingale was an alien herself.
>
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The war officially ended in 109NA with the signing of the “Treaty of Fences” where the Syndicates officially recognized each other’s right to exist. This treaty also served to carve up the empire and allow each Syndicate a point of focus for their dealings (such as arms, or drugs). The Syndicates use the signing of this treaty as their official founding date. With this signing Caduceus, who were all but absent during the war, started to gain a position of dominance. Jun-Tao was the only major Syndicate not to sign the treaty. They believed that the rule of One Law “To Hold is to Own” should be enough. They did not recognize the war as a war, but rather as a facet of the One Law in action. The peace too was part of the One Law. Many of the precepts that would come to inform the religious Syndicate “Law” were a creation of the Jun-Tao.

In 120NA the Third Crystellium War (which was not fought over Crystellium at all) erupted whenthe Jun-Tao attempted to destroy Caduceus. The war lasted only 8 months and lead to the complete annihilation of the Jun-Tao. Though rumors have long persisted that not all of the Jun- Tao were killed in the purges that followed. This war had been brewing since the Jun-Tao failed to sign the “Treaty of Fences”. The spark came when the leader of the Jun-Tao, David Lo, was assassinated by Caduceus (this was always speculated but following the raid on Caduceus HQ in November of 214NA, many documents regarding Caduceus were leaked to the general public). In the aftermath Caduceus rose to a position of supreme power among the Syndicates. In the years between the Second and Third Crystellium war, Caduceus used their advanced knowledge of medicine and genetics to offer effective immortality to most of the Syndicate leaders, this combined with a number of dirtier tricks left even the Syndicates that rejected the offer to concede to the rule of Caduceus (as above this information was not publicly known until after the 214NA raid).

In the wake of the Third War the One Law Syndicate was formed. The Jun-Tao were always the most popular (which is to say, the only popular) Syndicate amongst the dregs of pre-Elysian culture. Unlike the other Syndicates, membership in Jun-Tao was open to the entire flotilla. All that was required for one to join was to pass a series of incredibly harsh and often deadly trials. Jun-Tao offered the lowest of the low something to aspire to, and without it the other Syndicates feared a massive popular uprising. The Law Syndicate was created to take the place of the Jun-Tao, this time as something the other Syndicates could control. The One Law was now the official religion of the flotilla, and The Law Syndicate were the appointed priests of this new religion.

In 144NA internal conflicts and alien intervention lead to a massive upheaval amongst the Caps. The Syndicate leaders were all killed and replaced and the Syndicate was renamed Hazon. Since its inception the leaders of Hazon have never been publicly identified, leading many to speculate that Hazon is run be a secret alien cabal.

### **The Elysian Fields**

The next big stage in Elysian history came in 169NA when the asteroid miner and prospector Ellis Camp discovered the Elysian Fields adrift near Midsummer. At first his crew believed it to be nothing more than a particularly large asteroid. After drilling broke through to the inner hull of what turned out to be a massive space station, Ellis Camp formed the Junkers and began building what would become the Elysium. As soon as the other Syndicates caught wind of what was happening they assaulted the Junkers and captured Ellis Camp. In the end it proved far easier to recognize the Junkers as a Syndicate than attempt to drive them from the Elysian Fields. Ellis Camp was allowed to resume leadership of the Junkers with clear understanding that he was a puppet of the Syndicates.

It took 2 years to form a flotilla large enough to tow the Elysian Fields to rest in orbit around Tempest. Once assembled, the more than 1000 ships spent 6 months dragging the mighty space station to its new home. Many of the ships would only barely survive the journey, and were eventually scrapped and converted into pieces of the newly minted Elysium. It is around this time that the moniker “Elysian” came into common use.

In 208NA the Asgard Fleet of the Aesir entered the Bard System and immediately hinted at declaring war against the Elysians for the theft and desecration of their Foundation Ship the Elysian Fields. In an effort to forestall a war they could not hope to win, the Syndicate leaders allowed a small group of Aesir to enter into the heart of the Elysium so as to discover what happened to their lost ship. Most of those that entered did not return and those few who did were driven mad by whatever they discovered within.

Unrest on Tempest lead to all out rebellion in 212NA. A year later a group calling themselves the New Terran Ascendancy broke away from the Concordia. This group was secretly controlled and created by Caduceus, who later forced the entire Elysium to join the war on the side of the NTA (New Terran Ascendancy). After this revelation Caduceus attempted to gas the Elysium to forestall a brewing rebellion, this effort was thwarted. In November of 214NA outsider forces stormed Caduceus HQ. There they discovered that the members of Caduceus were not only clones, but were servants of a dark power known as “the Wurm”. This creature had infected the very core of the Elysium. Due to the efforts of these outside forces, Caduceus was crushed and the Wurm was destroyed. However the Wurm was deeply connected to the Elysium itself, and its death lead to the space station falling slowly out of orbit. As the Elysian fleet was no longer equipped to tow their space station back into orbit, deal was reached with the Aesir and in February 215NA the Elysium returned to stable orbit.

Following the defeat of Caduceus the Syndicates immediately removed themselves from the NTA. Due to the long reliance on the technology of Caduceus several Syndicate leaders died within weeks of the fall, including the leader of Serpentis who was the last living human in the Bard System from the days of the Celestial Ascendancy.

Now the Elysium is in turmoil. With the death of the Wurm, it is as if a spell was broken and Elysians are truly awake for the first time. Daily there is talk of revolution. Some want to overthrow the Syndicates, others seek to carve out a piece for themselves. Though the dark whispers no longer drift through the creaking metal walls of the Elysium, a shadow remains and none may say what the future holds.

[UPDATE: The Wurm, Tanis' Sacrifice, Steele Syndicate, Destruction of Tempest.]