Tempest

Tempest, also known as Terra, is the third planet of the Bard System.

## Etymology

The name Tempest [tem-pist] originates from the Middle English word *tempeste* (1200-1250 AD) out of the Latin *tempesta,* a word which means a violent windstorm, disturbance, or tumult. It is believed that the third planet of the Bard System was originally named Earth [urth] until approximately the formation of the Celestial Ascendency, some 1200 years ago [\*PINPOINT YEAR\*]. Following the catastrophic events that later fell upon the planet and extinguished vast numbers of its native inhabitants, the name Tempest was likely applied in respect to its tumultuous nature.

## Geography

The topical geography of Tempest ranges from large mountain ranges in the north to great desert plains in the south. Centuries of war, waste, destruction, and catastrophic geological events drastically changed the planet's features, more than halving the habitable zones before its end.

[Fill in characteristics, biospheres, abnormalities, Mag Mel.]

## Indigenous Species

#### **Terran Nations**

* Celestial Ascendancy: [Abridged Description]
* Terran Concordia: [Abridged Description]
* New Terran Ascendancy (NTA): [Abridged Description]

#### **The 13 Councils**

The government of Tempest is made up of 13 Councils. At the top of the heap is the Advisory Council. The official duty of the Advisory Council is to oversee and audit the actions of the other Councils. However in practice they are the final say on all policy. Their board is made up of 13 members, 1 each from one other the other Councils and the “token” council member called “The Voice of the People”, who is usually some popular celebrity hired to portray the face of the Terran Concordia (and to take the fall if need be). The members of the other 12 councils are appointed by the Advisory Council from “a selection of learned gentlemen and ladies”. In practice, this means that the councils are made up of whoever has the most money. All appointments are for 5 years, and council members cannot be selected twice.

## History

What happened to Tempest is typical of what happened to the other high population planets of the Celestial Ascendancy. Fully dependent on Machines, humanity did not, and in most cases, could not, take care of itself. A population of 15 billion plummeted to 1 billion with the first month, by the end of the year there were less than 100 million humans remaining on Tempest. People of today are often startled by those numbers, not understanding what it meant to be a Celestial Ascendancy Era human.

Consider that half of the population was completely immobile, hooked into chairs that took care of everything for them, from eating to exercise to waste extraction. What does one do in a world where they don’t know how to chew food, or take a squat. Consider also that half the population was over 150 years old (the average lifespan of humans in this era was 400 years), and that this was accomplished through the power of nano-machines that no longer worked. Of the 14 billion that died within the first month, half of that number was dead within the first hour.

Others died from incidental problems, like not knowing how to manually operate a door (to be fair there was some doors which could not be opened manually), or living in buildings whose strange architecture was maintained so long as there was a steady supply of electricity, or simply being too young to take care of oneself. Millions died from misadventure.

Humans were forced from world of complete dependence to one where they had to learn to grow their own food, hunt animals, start fires, give birth…there was even confusion amongst many on how to conceive a child without mechanical assistance.

Slowly, the people of Tempest learned to be human. They formed tribal communities. Some learned the ways of the land, others sought to understand the technology of the fallen cities.

These were years of scarcity. War followed. Then on the 100th anniversary of the fall of the Celestial Ascendancy (101 NE), tribes declared a month long ceasefire, during which the Tribal Concordia was formed. While the Concordia did not put a stop to the fighting, it put into place rules of conduct, and created a system of checks and balances to keep tribes from destroying one another. It mostly worked.

### **The War of Extinction**

In 186 NE, the Machines returned seeking to wipe out what remained of humanity. The War of Extinction was a brutal and largely one sided conflict. While the early days saw many Terran victories, by 191 NE, humanity was beyond hope. It was only the Great Shutdown, where the Robot armies simply stopped functioning for a time (and when they did reboot they were no longer bent on the destruction of all life), that saved people of Tempest.

From the ashes of brutal devastation rose the Terran Concordia. Formed initially to unify
humanity against the Machine threat, the Terran Concordia endured beyond the war, and
despite Rebellion, the coming of the Aesir, and other threats, it endures to this day.

In the year 212 NE, a Rebellion flashed to life in the capital city of Caliban and quickly spread throughout the planet. This Rebellion was a result of the growing unrest in the poorer city districts and rural tribal lands over the abolishment of the Tribes and Tribal Customs. The final spark came when the Concordia forged a tentative alliance with the Machine city of 101.

During the first year of the Rebellion the Aesir landed and took control of the central province of Artesia, and pledged themselves to the Rebel cause.

While most of the early victories were scored by the Terran Concordia, as the war intensified and Aesir entered the fray, the sides drew to a stalemate, with the Concordia controlling much of the Northern Continent, and the Rebel forces holding much of the South. Dark rumors circulated regarding the Concordia, some suggesting they were fully under the sway of alien powers. As the truth of these rumors was about to be exposed, two events happened in quick succession. The Great Tsunami of November 213 NE hit the major coastal cities of the Concordia, landing a crippling blow to the infrastructure of that regime. This was followed immediately by a significant portion of the Concordia splitting off and forming the New Terran Ascendancy.

The rumors that circled the Concordia now shifted to this new power. The Northern Continent was split, with the Concordia controlling the East and the NTA (New Terran Ascendancy) holding the West. By the middle of 214 NE, the NTA would wrest control of Artesia from the Aesir.

This brings us to the present. The great powers of the solar system and beyond have been dragged into the war. Concordia and Tribal armies fight amongst each other as often as often as they defend themselves from the NTA onslaught. There is something dark at the heart of the New Terran Ascendancy, and our war echoes throughout the galaxy…it is time to choose a side.

### **The Terran Concordia**

The Terran Concordia was formed during the War of Extinction to unite the Tribes in common cause, a new world government overseen by 13 Councils.

Life within the Concordia has changed much in these last few years due to a mix of war, disaster, and cultural upheaval. And yet, the majority of those living on Tempest remain loyal to the Concordian cause. While the loud voices of the Rebels often drown out the common Concordian, the common people want for nothing more than peace, security and a chance for a better tomorrow. Yes, the Concordia is over regulatory, cares little for personal privacy, and makes alliances with those that once sought to destroy them, but they maintained 20 years of peace and positive growth that lead to many leading a better life now than they did before the War of Extinction. The Concordia had brought the people of Tempest back into space, and allowed them to compete with the Elysians and mutants of Cymbeline. It was not a perfect society, but it was better than the state of near constant war that existed during the Tribal Concordia. The War of Extinction united a people.

## Extinction Event

[Description of the war with the Broken Trinity, Starkiller 1, Xenia, and Janus Day.]