Neroshima
From Burning Empires wiki
Neroshima is the world featured in the Jewel of the Void campaign.
Galactic Location: Void World
"Tales of wondrous high index technology abound from the spacers who ply the Void." Often times, those wonders come from Neroshima, a shining jewel amidst the dark chaos. It was originally a part of the Urfan Worlds and settled by humans of Japanese decent and traditions. The original name of "New Hiroshima" has long been forgotten.
Atmospheric Conditions: Partial-Life-Supporting
Near the equatorial regions, the atmosphere is breathable and even comfortable. Towards the poles and near large processing plants the air is poisoned with acids and other toxins.
Hydrology: Predominantly Liquid
Acidic oceans cover most of the planet. But enormous, floating glaciers function as small continents.
Humans can swim in the ocean for about 10 mins before they risked serious, permanent damage. It's itchy and uncomfortable and stings the eyes pretty bad, but it's possible. With proper scuba-gear (dry suits) and/or protective salves humans can stay in the oceans indefinitely. Of course, if the Fixer's goons drop a body in the ocean, it likely won't be found (cement shoes or not).
Aquatic creatures from normal oceans start to choke and die immediately upon entering the waters of Neroshima as they are taking the acidic water directly into their bodies through their mouths and gills. Naiven worms aren't able to swim about in the oceans and easily hull the acquatic inhabitants of Neroshima as they did the intelligent jellyfish of their home planet.
Topography: Broad Range of Conditions
While many of the glacier islands are stable enough to support life and human settlement, there is only one primary habitation. This continent-spanning mega-city shares the name Neroshima with the planet itself. It holds within its shores almost the entire human and Kerrn population of the planet. Many smaller glacier-islands serve isolated and secure work areas for the various industries of the planet.
Tech Index: High Index
Technology is a way of life on Neroshima. When the Galactic Empire contracted, the merchants of Neroshima managed to retain their technology and continue to develop it.
Dominant Form of Government: Merchant League
The Neroshima Chamber of Commerce was formed as a means to represent the merchants of Neroshima within the government. When the Urfan Worlds fell upon each other, the nobles of Neroshima were clearly too weak to protect her. The NCC became the ruling governement when Shogun Namoto fell in battle far from home and none wanted to take his place.
The NCC utilized well understood business techniques to keep the planet moving and make it self-sufficient. While there are necessary comittees and working groups within the NCC, there isn't a clear "leader" as parlimentary procedure, action plans, and management consensus govern all critical decisions. Votes in the NCC are determined by shares in the various companies, but the process is so intricate that few issue are ever brought to a share-holder vote.
Corporate espionage is not tolerated on Neroshima - it often incurs the death penalty. In order to protect trade secrets, the NCC has enacted many extreme - and sometimes bizarre - measures.
Factions
Merchant League: NCC (see above). Currently the primary government of Neroshima.
Cult Churches: In the generations since Neroshima was separated from the rest of the Urfan Worlds, primacy of the U’zar and even the teaching of Ahmilahk have become distorted or supplanted over time. There are many churches and religion is largely a private affair among the populace. Only the nobles of the Shogunate have any standardized religion. But even that temple would be alien to visitors from the core worlds.
The Hidden 43rd Legion of Neroshima’s anvil is part of secret sect that holds Shogun Zente’s bloodline as sacred. They believe that it will produce a messiah to save Neroshima from the Void.
There’s also a cult that worships the strange tentacle beast that are native inhabitants of Neroshima's acid oceans as models of the perfect society they want to build.
Indigenous Life Forms: Primarily strange, aquatic tentacle beasts know as Tako Oni. They are semi-sentient, social animals that live in community groups. Notably, they don't fight each other for resources or mates yet work together to protect their communities from the dangerous predators in Neroshima's oceans. Common Stats: Will 4, Per 3, Agi 5, Speed 4, Power 3, Forte 4. Occupation: Pack Foragers. Skills (10 points): Community-Wise, Field Dressing, Infiltration, Observation, Survival, Tactics.
There are many other indigenous life forms - including eight-mouthed sharks-like hunters that are the size of whales! - but none of them are intelligent or useful enough to be likely to influence the course of events on Neroshima. While all sea life on Neroshima is adapted to the acidic nature of the waters, these are still carbon-based lifeforms and fishing is one of the primary food sources for the planet.
Kerrn Diazpherah: Due to a steady stream of off-world labor over the years, a large Kerrn population now resides on Neroshima. One of it's prominent leaders, Torazah, is a revolutionary that wants to force the NCC from power and create a civilian commune in it's place.
Organized Crime: The mafia of Neroshima is often key to the smooth functioning of society. Whatever the government regulates or forbids, the mafia can acquire. Often, they acquire what the individual members of the NCC need as well.
Resources Services Construction Integrators (R.S.C.I.) pronounced risky, is the front organization for The Fixer and his business associates. Well known amongst the right circles (COO, Chief of Security, etc.) they're a 3rd party integrator for projects. Be it acquiring high tensile strength bolts for a construction project behind schedule, greasing the wheels for a questionable patent to be approved, or forcing a combative Union boss to witness the gang raping of his wife, they're there to serve. What sets RSCI apart from other, more traditional organized crime is their disdain for flagrant violations of the law. Only when attempts to work within or grease the gears of the system fail, do they show their criminal colors. RSCI is a big picture organization that's as comfortable briefing to a board, as they are murdering the members of the board.
The RSCI guys are who you turn to when...In a moment of Eureka you know what "The Next Big Thing" is going to be, but can't get approval to start working your project from management...You've failed rehab the third time and don't give a damn, you just need someone to cover up the mess and give you a fix...You've caught your husband cheating and want his lover's skin flayed and made into a decorative hand purse, while he watches.
The Fixer: The Iron Fisted tyrant of RSCI. "Lies, blackmail and bribes, I LOVE MY JOB!" "Dirty hands are capable hands."
The Twist: "Normally, my prospects of coming back alive from a meeting with Nicky were 99 out of 100. But this time, when I heard him say 'a couple of hundred yards down the road', I gave myself 50-50." Ace Rothstein, Casino. That sentence sums up The Twist. Earning his name from a tendency to twist the person's career, personal life, or body to suit RSCI's needs. Not a Kerrn you want a visit from, The Twist is a thinking man's criminal and second only to The Fixer. The only reason The Twist would bother making an appearance is at the personal request of The Fixer. That means you've drawn his attention for good or bad. And when it's The Twist, it's almost always bad...even when it's good and you walk away on your own two legs.
Blocker: Rule the Criminal Block of their assignment. To be a Blocker in RSCI is to be set for life. Hardened, smart criminals they've earned what they've got. Answer directly to The Twist. Blocker's are the interface between major CEOs and RSCI. Blockers flaunting their wealth and power are murdered.
Member: Street Sargent. Better paid, better respected, and better feared then normal Associates. The backbone of RSCI.
Associate: RSCI Muscle. Street muscle act only after approval from a Member. Petty rackets, selling paraphernalia, or shakedowns outside their established responsibility is punishable by the death of the Associate and their family.
Currently, the main source of off-world illegal goods is Firebrand, the leader of a void pirate fleet. The Fixer uses her services extensively and considers her crucial to his operation and the functioning of Neroshima.
Royalists: When the NCC took over the day-to-day functions of government and diplomatic duties with off-world entities, the Shogunate maintained control of the military forces of Neroshima. Their current leader, Shogun Zente, seeks to restore the Shogunate to it's rightful position and purpose and will go to almost any lengths to see that happen.
Predominant Military: Lords-Pilot
The Shogunate have maintained their military traditions of Hammer and Anvil. Their warrior traditions are augmented by the high-tech industries of Neroshima which have kept the military supplied with the latest and greatest in weapons, armor, and vehicles.
The Anvil-Lord of Neroshima is Takshi Hro; a loyal - but principled - follower of Shogun Zente.
Planetary Attitude: Indifferent
The people of Neroshima are confident that their advanced technology, strict regulations and quarantine, and distance from Vaylen space will keep them safe.
Primary Export: Service or Skilled Labor
With the void to protect it from prying eyes and nervous politicians, the NCC authorized dangerous, bleeding-edge research and development. Now many core worlds secretly contract with Neroshima to develop the technologies and goods they wouldn't want made in their own backyard.
Quandas is the head of R&D for the NCC. He is an able scientist and administrator, but Dr. Cogito Astrogon believes he needs to adopt more rigorous standards.
Level of Quarantine: Strict Quarantine
In order to protect the R&D secrets of Neroshima, the NCC instituted a strict quarantine. The only lax area is with regards to off-world labor, which is in great demand. To contain the off-world laborers, the city is divided into Green Zones where the populace lives and Red Zones where they work. All of the industrial islands are Red Zones.
Ari Suzuka is the NCC Chief of Spaceport Operations. The planet only has one spaceport, therefore Ari is primarily responsible for enforcing the quarantine.
Level of Regulation: Moderately Requlated
Marriages are commonly referred to as "mergers" on Neroshima and must be approved by NCC Human Resources (HR) to prevent corporate espionage. The nobles of the Shogunate are exempted from this process, but their marraiges are public affairs and HR keeps records of these mergers as well.
The sex trade (i.e. prostitution) is regulated for the same reasons as marriage - people tend to talk to their lovers. The sex trade is a legal, accepted part of society on Neroshima. Sex workers are screened by NCC security and assigned special suites for their work where cameras and microphones record everything to verify no corporate secrets or materials are transferred. These recordings are supposed to remain private, but anything can be had for a price.
Psychology is forbidden on Neroshima and years ago R&D developed a psychology detector for the spaceport that can even discern the presence of "mules". There is, however, one psychologist on the planet; Ian Aporo is a sentient android (he appears to be human) that was developed by R&D to further explore the science of psychology. They gave him the powers of a psychologist and put him to work in the security arm of NCC where he was quite effective. He is now an independent facilitator, but the Fixer and a few in R&D still know his secret.
In order to maintain a fit and reliable workforce of engineers and scientists, the NCC regulates food preparation and forbids all recreational drugs. Weapons are also regulated, but there is little call for them inside the peaceful, well-managed city.
Figures of Note
Vaylen
Human
Read the Beliefs of these and other characters from this world!
