The Lore: Quick Read!

Alliance – Orfine

The Orfine are a proud and warlike race of bipedal canines. Their ferocity in hand-to-hand combat is only matched by their incredible survival instincts. Perhaps the most surprising thing about the Orfine is the wealth of their culture, art and music.

Origins:

The Orfine resemble the werewolves of Terran legend. These huge bipedal canines are strong, fast and unstoppable in a hand-to-hand fight. Despite their fearsome appearance and warlike culture, the Orfine are surprisingly rich in art and music. Outsiders are often amazed at the beauty of Orfine opera, and their prolific talent for painting, sculpture, writing and poetry. However, the pinnacle of Orfine artistic expression is the art of war, something they practice exceedingly well.

Current Status:

The Orfine have garnered a reputation for honour and strength, making them trustworthy bodyguards and mercenaries. Many Orfine also find employment as bounty-hunters.
The Orfine military machine is quite deadly, but they don’t like to fight unworthy opponents.
This should be a warning for those who seek to become powerful!

Strengths and Weaknesses:

The Orfine are legendary for their ferocity in battle and leadership qualities.
However, noble savages do not make great scientist or engineers!


Federation – Plexxans

Plexxan humans are almost identical to Terran humans, but they could not have a more different culture and society. They are strong individualists and frequently produce exceptional heroes. Perhaps their main weakness is their sense of honour and fair play, which is often played upon by unscrupulous enemies.

Origins:

The Plexxans are humans, and it came as a great shock to both sides when they first met the Terrans! In all likelihood, both of these races are equally old. They evolved in completely different star systems, yet are so genetically similar, that they are able to interbreed! Plexxan and Terran scientists generally agree that this is no accident. Most suspect the involvement of the Morchedi, and point to it as proof of how truly ancient the Morchedi were. Whatever the cause, it has made the Plexxans and Terrans allies, although neither side truly trusts the other. The root of the distrust comes from cultural clashes. Plexxans society is based on honour and individuality. It has virtually no crime and a high level of individual achievement. However, they are typically disorganised because they have such strong individualism.

Current Status:

President Attal is the current President of the Plexxan Federation. The Plexxans have enjoyed considerable success, being highly regarded by most other species. They are the rising star of the galaxy, sending traders, warriors and diplomats to the nine vectors. But are they reaching too far, too fast? Only time will tell.


Strengths and Weaknesses:

The Plexxans produce strong leaders and pilots, but lack the organisation to be great scientists or technicians


Hive – Hive

The Hive is a collective name for dozens of co-operative insect species. Their diversity and sheer weight of numbers give them an enormous military advantage and a powerful instinct for colonization and conquest.

Origins:

The Hive is not one race, but dozens. This myriad of intelligent insects has a unique symbiosis with one another, all fulfilling their special purposes. Hive society is ruled by a number of rival queens. These queens surround themselves with a closely related noble class. “Upward mobility” is not in the Hive dictionary. Most hive insects are content to serve their purpose though. Still, renegades are not unheard of, and some aspire to become new queens or escape thralldom to join the outcasts of other races in piracy.

Current Status:

The Hive desire for expansion and colonisation brings them into frequent conflict with other races. They suffered particularly badly at the hands of the Brood until the intervention of the Kolari. Nor are Hive Queens above making war on one another. Yet no matter how many workers and warriors are killed, there never seems to be a shortage of these swarming creatures.

Strengths and Weaknesses:

The diverse nature of the Hive means that they produce good all-rounders. However, their rigid monarchy means that leaders are few and far between. Free thinking is also stifled, leading to a lack of innovation.


Matrix – Preservers

The Preservers are machines and robots, created by the Morcheid as a permanent record of their lost culture. The Preservers have taken it upon themselves to resurrect their creators, and have applied themselves to the task of acquiring the technology to achieve this. Normally peaceful, they will defend themselves with cold precision when provoked.

Origins:

The Preservers are the youngest of the galactic races, having been brought into existence only a few hundred years ago. Some of the Morchedi, sensing their impending doom, set about creating a new type of intelligent machine to act as a record of their dying society. Thus the Preservers were born out of the final throes of other lives. There are too many types of Preserver to catalogue, and new types are constantly designed and constructed. Each new generation is quicker, stronger and better, but still totally dedicated to the cause. Old and obsolete Preservers are frequently upgraded. Without the cause, many suspect that the Preservers would simply deactivate themselves, although this is unlikely. However, if the Preservers ever attain their goal of reviving the Morchedi, it is unclear what new purpose they will find.

Current Status:

The oldest and greatest bank of Preserver knowledge is the Computer, an immobile A.I. mega frame, situated on Algol IV. Tragically, much of this venerable intelligence was destroyed by the Terran Stormguard as they raided the planet for technological secrets. The Computer lost much of its former intelligence and almost all knowledge of the Morchedi. The Preservers, however, are undaunted. They continue to pursue their goals with typical machine-like tenacity. They are generally peaceful, but utterly deadly when defending their interests.

Strengths and Weaknesses:

The Preservers have dedicated themselves to science and technology. Consequently, they make excellent engineers and designers, but poor fighters.


Nexus – Kolari

A race of esoteric and mysterious beings, the Kolari are believed to be made of pure energy. This makes them very hard to kill! Another key strength is their telepathic ability, allowing them to communicate instantly over vast distances, and read the minds of weaker-willed individuals.

Origins:

The mysterious Kolari was the first to break from the influence of the Morchedi. They are feared by many of the other races because they are so different, yet they are generally insular, and rarely become involved in the affairs of the other races. Kolari anatomy is an enigma; made seemingly of pure energy, they appear in their natural form as a brilliant shining light. To interact with other races, they have developed mechanical bodies which they inhabit during such dealings. Even if this body is destroyed, the Kolari inside usually survives unscathed. The only sure way to kill a Kolari is to hit the centre of energy. Contrary to popular belief, kinetic weapons work for this purpose just as well as other types of weapon. Even so, the Kolari are difficult to kill and appear to leave no remains when they die.

Current Status:

Normally insular, the Kolari recently surprised the other races by turning on the Brood, who was rampaging out of control. Nobody knows why the Kolari has involved themselves in this war; their purpose is frequently unfathomable. Now the Brood are planning their revenge, and this can only mean that an enormous clash is imminent!

Strengths and Weaknesses:

The Kolari’s curious physiology makes them tough to kill and almost prescient, but they don’t interact well with others or physical objects.


Terran Empire – Terran

Born from the fires of a planetary civil war, the militant Terran Empire has risen to become one of the most feared powers in the galaxy. They are notorious for their unbreakable loyalty, deadly cunning and frequent wartime atrocities. Although they don’t excel in any particular area, their forces are good all-rounders, perhaps their best being the Stormguard terror troops.

Origins:

The Terran Empire has risen to become perhaps the largest and most feared power in the Galaxy. However, things were not always this way. Fifty years ago, a vast war had devastated Earth, leaving the population decimated, and their military powers exhausted. Into this maelstrom came the Emperor Felix Heinz Müller, then a mere army captain from Berlin. Müller seized control of the tattered Eurussian Federation forces and led a military coup. He installed himself as Eurussian president in 2629 and imposed a new fascist-style order on the ailing state. A military revival was undertaken, and within five years, the Chinese and Indian superstates had been utterly defeated. With new resources at his disposal, Müller turned upon his previous allies in the TransAfrican Alliance and the Union of Americas. By 2640, he controlled the entire planet with his powerful dictatorship.

Current Status:

Earth has now had decades of dictatorship. All of its peoples have been indoctrinated with a combination of propaganda, oppression and a dream of greatness. Terran humans are typically well educated and fanatically loyal to the ageing Emperor. The Terrans are greatly feared because of their lack of scruples when dealing with “aliens”. Convinced of their own superiority, they are given to the brutal treatment of prisoners and civilian populations. They are also extremely organised and disciplined, making their military forces virtually unstoppable. When dealing with Terrans, it’s wise to remember that they’re probably just waiting for the right time to conquer or destroy your people!

Strengths and Weaknesses:

Terrans have no particular strengths or weaknesses. Their starting statistics reflect this.


Union – Slah’ke

Religious fanaticism characteristics this reptilian species. They believe that their people have been chosen by their gods to be the rulers of the galaxy. This zeal makes them especially warlike. Inter-sect fighting keeps the Slah’ke from achieving their true potential, but it can only be a matter of time before they become fully united.

Origins:

The Slah’ke are a reptilian species from the Proxima system. Their history is a bloody one, peppered with religious wars and violent pogroms and inquisitions. They are governed by a council of ten religious leaders, each of whom represents one of the Slah’ke gods. These leaders often settle debates by murdering each other. Slah’ke unity is rare and brief. If there are no aliens to kill, then they’re happy to kill one another in pursuit of the approval of their gods. Slah’ke religious scriptures demand war and blood to satisfy the appetites of their greedy gods and specify that they are destined to rule the galaxy. It is wise not to get into a theological debate with a Slah’ke. hysically, Slah’ke comes in all shapes, sizes and colours, although they are most commonly green, heavily built and stand about two metres high. In battle, they shriek the names of their patron gods. If you hear the words “Klaggah Bak Taaaaaaaghh!” over your intercom, it might be wise to power up your hyperdrives!

Current Status:

The Slah’ke have recently been going through a period of internal stability. It has been nearly two years since the last inter-sect battle. The Slah’ke are clearly building up their strength for something spectacular. Speculation among the other races runs rife!

Strengths and Weaknesses:

The Slah’ke are famous for their fanaticism, making them good fighters, but they are superstitious and poor scientists.


Brood – Genus

Centuries of war on the remote world of Tau-Cygni Prime led desperate scientists to create The Brood. These bio-engineered nightmares succeeded in ending the war within weeks; unfortunately by annihilating all other life on the planet! Their twisted instincts drive them in their quest to obliterate all other life in the galaxy.

Origins:

The Brood is the stuff of nightmares. The Tau Cygni system is littered with strange, fleshy, sinewy structures and monstrous creatures. The scientists who created these abominations thought they would be hailed as heroes, the saviours of their people. But when the Brood was first unleashed, they realised that the killer instinct they had built into them was overpowering. The Brood exterminated all other life forms on their world, transforming them into new and atrocious creations. The Brood procreate by disassembling other creatures, imparting the remains with Brood DNA, and reassembling the cells into new horrors. This doesn’t mean that the Brood are unable to control their killer instinct. Where greater benefit will come from peace, they will stay their attacks; if only to prepare for an onslaught!

Current Status:

The Brood were recently driven back to their home system by the Kolari. The Kolari have no physical bodies, which has allowed them a considerable degree of success in fighting the Brood. However, the Brood are highly adaptable, and it can only be a matter of time before they develop a response to this threat.

Strengths and Weaknesses:

The Brood are creatures designed for fighting and combat. They are adaptable but weak in technical, leadership and scientific roles.