Black Abyss

#### Setting:

This takes place in an advanced, space-faring technological setting outside of Earth’s observable universe, and far ahead of Earth’s time. In this branch of the local galaxy, there are three main factions: The Trader Emergency Coalition, the Vasari Covenant of the Eternal Metamorphosis, and the Ascended Humanity Front.

The TEC, the underdog of the three factions, has been expanding it’s multi-sector span of control to prepare to ward off the Ascended and Vasari threats, as well as political and economic corruption. Until recently, the three factions had been hard-pressed at war with one another, sending supplies and men to fight in battles decades away from their homes over mainly ideology, the Ascended seeking to forcibly liberate all humans from the mortal coil and ascend into cybernetic perfection, the Vasari seeking to create an empire capable of capturing their entire galaxy and granting themselves eternal life, vying the Ascended’s technology and the TEC’s resources, and the TEC simply trying to survive and expand it’s own industrial efforts.

The scope of the setting is over a peculiar neutral area between the now precariously armisticed factions, The “Kalkoff cluster”, an area not expanded into by either of the three empires but sitting just between the three of them. The Kalkoff cluster is named after what is thought to be the first pilgrim to the empty space, a mister Simon Piotr Kalkoff, hailing from the pre-TEC United Aluxian Republic. Who chartered a ship for deep-space exploration, never to return, his last transmission describing the most wonderful and inhabitable sector of space he had found, and reported he was going to cross a great void of empty space, and continue heading towards what is now known to be the Vasari Covenant. During the chaos of the Ascended secession and declaration of war, as well as the probing attacks of the Vasari from around the Kalkoff sector, many fled to the Kalkoff sector, and began the industries and nations that now exist there today. Because of the state-imposed language of the United Aluxian Republic and the only other language being the Vasari’s, unspeakable by Humans due to their limited vocal anatomy, nearly everyone in Kalkoff speak Aluxian. There are some local languages, but even then most of them speak Aluxian as a second language. As a standardized year, the calendar accepted in the Kalkoff cluster is 600 KDY (Kalkoff Discovery Year), based on the Aluxian 400 day calendar (Divided into “Periods” of 50 days), but obviously set in reference to the discovery of the Kalkoff cluster.

#### Technology:

In this advanced, space-faring setting, it is important for inter-system and especially inter-sector travel that there are more efficient ways to move quickly in comparison to what we have on Earth. In this setting strong and lightweight alloys, electronic transmission and computation, as well as technologies like magnetic railguns and advanced high-capacity life-support have been perfected. In terms of space-faring and otherwise militaristic notable tech, there are a few main improvements:

High-durability alloys - Allows for lightened, but sturdy space vessels that can maneuver through space with less thrust

Compact fusion reactors - With increased safety measures, one can produce the wattage to power an entire space-faring vessel onboard effectively and safely

High-density batteries - On cheaper vessels or vessels too small for even the compact reactors, efficient batteries can power the systems for long periods of time

Aionios fuel and engines - The key to inter-system travel, the Aionios fuel is an extremely effective and stable fuel source, able to provide nearly perpetual and stable thrust at around 5000 km/s; unintentionally creating an artificial gravity via inertia. The drawbacks are that Aionios can only be burned in Aionios-specific engines, is extremely expensive to produce, and is extremely expensive to maintain both in storage and on the engine itself. The fuel is stable and unlikely to explode, unless exposed to high electrical currents, it’s complications come from that it loses effectiveness unless kept at near vacuum conditions, and eats through just about anything it touches

High frequency tightbeams - Using high-frequency and pinpoint accurate light to send information between ships is highly advantageous for long-range communications as well as keeping radio-silence. While the beams can be detected by just about any sensors, the information can only be captured by directly intersecting the beam, as there must be a clear line of sight between the sender and receiver to communicate.

Rail and Coil gun improvements - Using the vacuum and low-gravity influences of space, and taking into consideration the upkeep, relative unreliability, and increased complication of using chemical guns, Rail and Coil gun designs became the first kings of outer-space warfare. Able to use the abundance of electricity provided by the new reactors, they can launch purpose-built projectiles over long ranges with high velocities and pinpoint computed accuracy, perfect for long-range bombardments of stationary targets, or close-range strikes on armored targets that would too easily out-maneuver an incoming shell at long range

Guided missile improvements - Using the vacuum of space again, the new sensor technologies, and the more efficient rocket propulsion technologies associated with space-travel, missiles can be used easily at long or short ranges in space warfare. Easily able to retain power over range, using their inertia from the initial thrust and the damage coming from the warhead that is not reliant on the missile’s speed, it is easy to use missiles on armored targets even over long ranges. While at short ranges high-speed and maneuverability missiles can strike drones, smaller ships, and even precisely knock out systems on larger ships.

Drone computational and remote control improvements - Using tightbeam, radio, and radio-like wifi control, unmanned drones have taken a role similar to aircraft in naval warfare on Earth. They are quick, maneuverable, cheap, and can carry only the necessary payload for their operations, with the improvements in tech they are also very reliable for information gathering.

High-frequency lasers - Not strong enough or capable of holding power over range to be used in ship combat in most circumstances, these accurate and high-frequency pulse lasers are mostly used in APS (Active Protection Systems) because they are easily controlled by computers, do not have to ‘lead’ targets, and require little energy, one burst detonating, incapacitating, or knocking most targets off course

### **Nations and groups:**

#### Nations:

The Ascended

The Independent Kalkoff Republic

Ishkeran

DeNoyan Mining Combine

Gelwaz-Bodyos Confederacy

Homis-Mutinae Peoples of the Abyss

Mashkaria

Reingartt Imperium

Rocun Order

Trader Emergency Coalition (TEC)

Vasari Covenant of the Eternal Metamorphosis

#### Groups/Independent Stations (Notable):

Aurora's Shadow

Chuck's Trading Co.

Hays' Redoubt

The Miskatonic Institute of Paranormal Research

Sindikaat din Xharakhaana

Tahrtaga Pirate Union

Wayfarer's Oasis

Winter's Pillar

1001K

### Player-Important info:

#### Classes:

Engineer

Operator

Medic

Voyager

#### Races:

Ascended

Human

Homis-Mutinae

Sarraki

Vasari

#### Starting Equipment:

One may request any starting equipment they please on their character sheet before the campaign starts, and they will start with whatever gets accepted. However for the unimaginative, remember your character's backstory and that you will be starting in a station and got there via space-travel, and the campaign is based around space travel, with possible excursions onto planets. For further assistance, a good example inventory is available below

Civilian clothes (Any type, depends on background)

Coveralls/Armor (Pick one, if a worker background do coveralls, if military/security pick some light chest armor)

Magboots (Special boots to keep one attached to a station/ship when it's not accelerating)

Weapons/ammo as sensible for one's class and backstory

~ Most common firearms are locally-produced gunpowder firearms like pistols and rarely smg's, and more widespread are coilguns, especially the Milson Ship-Board Man-Killer (MSBMK) MK 8C

Backpack

~ Depressurization Mask

~~ 30 Liter Oxygen Tank (10 Minutes)

~ Hygiene supplies

~ Spare Clothes (x3)

~ TEC Credits (x1000)

~ Batteries (For magboots and whatnot)

~ HADRON QuikFix™️ Multisystem Repair Kit (3/3)

#### Starting Scenario:

For one reason or another, whether you live on it or are stopping by, all of your characters have come by an independent little station called Jennis. Jennis is small, relatively poor, and is little more than a fuel and supply stop before heading through the Abyss lane towards Hays' Redoubt, which obviously gets little traffic besides those who live there or make pilgrimage there. However, the little station seems on edge, and there seems to be a lot of less-than-inconspicuous people with a common tag of sorts arriving around the same time.