Here's the background precis given to my players as we began a new campaign in my homebrew TU.
Here’s how it is:
There was a time when humanity lived on Terra, and we found our way to the stars. The solar system was settled, and worlds beyond it too. Gene-modded humans colonized space and some places less than hospitable to mainline humans. A very few began to unlock the powers of the mind, and while the talent remained rare and scattered among most humanity, a group of Gifted banded together and formed their own culture.
Then came the Exile.
It’s not clear just what happened to chase humanity from its home, but something did. Tales tell of wars and plagues and something called The Dark, about which not a whole lot is known – but it’s still spoken of in whispers. It’s not clear if we were fighting ourselves or some other race, or both at once.
Desperation drove invention, and a group of scientists figured out a way to create a one-shot, one-way wormhole leading to another galaxy: the Bolthole. 14 ships packed with humans of most of the races, creeds and cultures of humanity, along with some of our uplifted creatures, passed through the Bolthole before it closed behind them, and we found ourselves in our new home: the Exile Clusters.
The 14 ships set off to found colonies, but they weren’t fully equipped to rebuild a civilization – they were refugees, not colonists. The going was rough and there was backsliding as knowledge and capabilities were lost in some places. In others, ancient hatreds found new teeth. Some of ships kept up a fragile web of communication for a time, but eventually they broke down or were lost, and for a time, humanity was sundered.
Slowly, we found our footing again, and our way back to the stars as well. And we found neighbors: four races of aliens we sort-of get along with (the Marsups, the Krag, the Zylen and the Ai-ra) and one we don’t: the Jhee.
Humanity isn’t united anymore, but some of the settled worlds have banded together in various ways. Three of the original colonies were lost; the ruins of one have been found. Several waves of colonization have taken place, and settlers are taking off for new worlds all the time. We’ve regained most of the knowledge we lost, and perhaps exceed our ancestors in some areas. We’re friendly with some of the aliens, less so with others. Full-out war with the Jhee looks inevitable someday.
Things are happening out there among the stars of the Exile Clusters. There’s profit and opportunity for those who can find a need, move quick, and perhaps not ask too many questions. Space is big, and not all of it’s been explored. The various governments and races scheme, make diplomacy, and wars are fought both openly and in the shadows. Raiders and pirates strike from their sanctuaries; hired guns and the professional navies fight them when they’re not busy with each other.
Here’s how it is:
There was a time when humanity lived on Terra, and we found our way to the stars. The solar system was settled, and worlds beyond it too. Gene-modded humans colonized space and some places less than hospitable to mainline humans. A very few began to unlock the powers of the mind, and while the talent remained rare and scattered among most humanity, a group of Gifted banded together and formed their own culture.
Then came the Exile.
It’s not clear just what happened to chase humanity from its home, but something did. Tales tell of wars and plagues and something called The Dark, about which not a whole lot is known – but it’s still spoken of in whispers. It’s not clear if we were fighting ourselves or some other race, or both at once.
Desperation drove invention, and a group of scientists figured out a way to create a one-shot, one-way wormhole leading to another galaxy: the Bolthole. 14 ships packed with humans of most of the races, creeds and cultures of humanity, along with some of our uplifted creatures, passed through the Bolthole before it closed behind them, and we found ourselves in our new home: the Exile Clusters.
The 14 ships set off to found colonies, but they weren’t fully equipped to rebuild a civilization – they were refugees, not colonists. The going was rough and there was backsliding as knowledge and capabilities were lost in some places. In others, ancient hatreds found new teeth. Some of ships kept up a fragile web of communication for a time, but eventually they broke down or were lost, and for a time, humanity was sundered.
Slowly, we found our footing again, and our way back to the stars as well. And we found neighbors: four races of aliens we sort-of get along with (the Marsups, the Krag, the Zylen and the Ai-ra) and one we don’t: the Jhee.
Humanity isn’t united anymore, but some of the settled worlds have banded together in various ways. Three of the original colonies were lost; the ruins of one have been found. Several waves of colonization have taken place, and settlers are taking off for new worlds all the time. We’ve regained most of the knowledge we lost, and perhaps exceed our ancestors in some areas. We’re friendly with some of the aliens, less so with others. Full-out war with the Jhee looks inevitable someday.
Things are happening out there among the stars of the Exile Clusters. There’s profit and opportunity for those who can find a need, move quick, and perhaps not ask too many questions. Space is big, and not all of it’s been explored. The various governments and races scheme, make diplomacy, and wars are fought both openly and in the shadows. Raiders and pirates strike from their sanctuaries; hired guns and the professional navies fight them when they’re not busy with each other.
