Nova

The Nova at the center of the Ioverse, as seen in the Io Direct

**The Nova** is an artificial sun on which some campaigns in the World of Io take place. Once the gas giant Jupiter, it was forever transformed by an event known as the Jupiter Incident. It acts as Io's sun, thought it still possess landmasses on which a hardened people struggle to survive every day.

## Appearance

From the outside, the former gas giant looks like a deep red sun. Under a seemingly impenetrable outer layer of magical fire lies a hellish, charred wasteland where life still clings on, although barely. Most of the Hellscape is barren, a vast badlands with soil and rock almost as red as the sky above. Water only exists in the rare oasis and underground caverns and any vegetation is sparse and twisted. Amid the burned lands, mountains and valleys are the occasional makeshift settlements of its denizens and the ruins of ancient buildings and shrines.

## History

The Nova was formerly known as Jupiter by the Aurorans, a gas giant discovered as far back as the 7th or 8th century BC, and the largest planet in the Solar System. At some point before the destruction of the Auroran home, a group of beings called the Astari arrived on the nearby moon of Io to make it their home. In addition, the Astari also settled on Jupiter, using their magics to make it habitable. In addition to a home, Jupiter also became a site of spiritual significance to the Astari, to which they build shrines and other holy structures.

Eventually, the Auroran Federation came to Jupiter and Io, with the intent to invade to replace their lost home. The Astari resisted in every way they could, including the erection of a protective barrier around Io. Jupiter, however, had no such protection. The Aurorans made landfall on Jupiter and engaged the local populace to conquer it. Much of the fighting presumably took place on Jupiter during the course of the war. After a long and gruesome campaign, a ceasefire was eventually called. The Aurorans regrouped and engaged in negotiations with the Astari. Several of their forward bases remained in operation, and troops readied themselves in anticipation of further fighting. Eventually, it was decided that the barrier around Io would be dropped to allow the Aurorans in, so that the two warring factions might find peace.

While this was happening, a petty officer of the Auroran Navy named Lagos began to hear whispering in his mind. It told Lagos the truth; that he was the clone of an Astari warrior who was abandoned by his people, and that he being used as a weapon by the Aurorans. This revelation caused an overwhelming hatred to stir in Lagos' heart, and he followed the guidance of his new ally to have revenge upon both the offending parties. Lagos travelled to one of the temples on Jupiter that the Aurorans had taken over, and began channeling the power of this entity. Several soldiers from his squad attempted to stop him. He informed them that he knew the truth, and that they had made a grave mistake. With this declaration, Lagos unleashed the full might of his new god: Kaasma, the Astari's ancient enemy. With this act, Jupiter "went nova" in a massive explosion that obliterated the Auroran Fleet. Without the barrier to protect them, all the Astari on Io were wiped out.

This cataclysmic event became known as The Jupiter Incident and it had immense ramifications besides the destruction of two entire civilizations. To start with, Jupiter itself was turned into a new sun, changing the fundamental dynamics of the solar system. Kaasma, whose power instigated the Nova, was finally returned to the Prime Plane after being exiled so long ago. However, the god was dead on arrival, leaving a massive corpse suspended in the vacuum between the Nova and Io. Kaasma's children were also birthed from this event, but each was exiled to different planes of existence as a consequence. Two new planes were created, the Astral Veil and the Shadow Veil, both to which the fractured spirits of the Astari found themselves exiled to. The devastation of Io was almost absolute, however, six of the Auroran starships survived and landed on the moon to colonize it without resistance. While Lagos intended for absolute annihilation, life began anew on Io.

The same could be said for Jupiter, which also bore the brunt of the explosion that transformed it. What life survived the cataclysm was forever changed. Some of the native Astari that once lived on Jupiter, for example, turned into what are now known as the Ashen Astari, becoming more robust and trading intellectualism and spiritualism for martial prowess. Similarly the surviving Aurorans on Jupiter changed, their skin turning a deep red and horns and tails now adorning their figure. In time, other species started to be found in the Nova, such as the warmongering Mammowrath, the predatory Jackelfolk, the grotesque Kaasmanites, and the enigmatic and ephemeral Kindled. All these species then began to band against each other to fight for survival, for the Nova was almost completely inhospitable. These people wander and war through a charred landscape below a burning sky, which has since been christened the Hellscape. Over a thousand or so years since the Jupiter Incident, the people of the Nova spend their every moment struggling to survive.

## Regions

### The Charred Carcinoma

A cancerous purple husk, the Charred Carcinoma is the birthplace of the Kaasmanites. Its texture is almost akin to calcified flesh, potentially having broken off from Kaasma during the creation of the Nova. Though a dead land, this is a place where life begins. Hatching from pustules in the ground come the Kaasmanites, ugly and malformed creatures that resemble their deceased progenitor.

### The City of the Horn

In the midst of the Hellscape, stories speak of a city of plenty, where there is no need to fight and kill every waking moment just to sate your belly. This supposed paradise is the City of the Horn. Overseen by a tribe of Minotaur and Mammowraths, the city is a well-defended walled settlement where their slaves tend the fields and they live comfortably. In the center of the city floats a massive obelisk of unknown origins. Outside the gates, a makeshift community of exiles and destitutes cling to the perimeter, appropriately named the Village of Cowards.

## Campaigns

The following campaigns and events take place on the Nova.

# **Nova Hellscape**

## Mechanics

*Main article: Technical Details*
The world of Io is a heavily homebrewed setting with many experimental mechanics working at the same time. As an example, there are mechanics that apply only to certain campaigns, and there are mechanics that can be or are shared between multiple campaigns.

## Etymology

A nova is an event where a star suddenly increases in brightness before settling back to its original state after some time. This is typically caused by interactions between a white dwarf and another star within a close binary system. Matter will be accreted onto the dwarf from its companion, leading to rapid runaway fusion which subsequently expels matter and energy in a violent flash. The term initially comes from Tycho Brahe's observations of such an event in the 16th century which he described in his book "De Nova Stella", which is Latin for "Concerning the new star".

## Trivia

* The Nova first appeared in Goblins of Io Episode 15, seen from the Kaasma Mind Facility by the Goblins. It's nature as Jupiter was first hinted at in Miss Demeanor's Season 2 Episode 6 by Kaasma Khara's ultimate attack, "Jupiter's Memory" and confirmed in Astral Academy Episode 11 when the wizards of the Academy uncovered its history in the Auroran Space Station.
* The denizens of the Nova are the World of Io's equivalent of Demons from classical Dungeons and Dragons, hailing from the surface of a hellish star rather than the Abyss.

## Images

### Official art

The Nova as it can be seen through the tear in the Sky Barrier