Defiance: New World

[Macman253]

So recently I have been kinda inactive in the RP Forums and my skyrim RP is practically dead. So I have designed an open-world player driven RP based around the hit Syfy Series, Defiance. I understand most wouldn't know this tv show and that is what the internet is for, I suggest you look it up on Youtube or even Wiki to get a run down of the series before you sign on to this RP.

 

Let me break down the backstory for you.

 

The series is set in the near future, where aliens known collectively as Votans have come to Earth seeking a new home after their star system was destroyed in a stellar collision. The Votans had thought Earth was uninhabited, but upon their arrival in 2013 discover that humans are living on the planet, who respond to them with hostility and suspicion. A limited number of Votans are allowed to settle in a colony in Brazil, and eventually three other colonies, but millions of Votans remained in hypersleep aboard their ships in orbit as negotiations dragged on with Earth governments for full-scale settlement.

 

Tensions rose for ten years, but the Votan and human governments were on the verge of negotiating a peaceful settlement, when in 2023 the Votan ambassador to the United Nations was assassinated by a disgruntled human supremacist on live television outside of the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. This sparked a disastrous global conflict between humans and the aliens known as the Pale Wars. The wars tore apart the planet for seven years, until their culmination in 2030 in the apocalyptic "Arkfall" event, when the Ark fleet in orbit mysteriously exploded. The aliens think a rogue human commander was responsible, while humans suspect it was an alien weapons experiment gone wrong. Millions of Votans died. During the Arkfall, destroyed Arks rained down on Earth and accidentally released terraformer technology. While the Votans had intended to use their terraforming technology in a carefully planned manner, the Arkfall haphazardly unleashed chaotic and radical changes to the biosphere and even the geology of Earth, making the planet dangerous to both humans and the aliens. The earth was scorched, chasms opened in the ground, new mountain ranges were raised, and the surface of the planet was covered with dust and debris. Animal and plant species from the Votan star system were introduced to Earth, and both native and alien animal species were horribly mutated by the uncontrolled terraformer technology, creating bizarre and dangerous hybrids and new species.

 

Within a few months, the Pale Wars wound down as both sides had fought to the point of mutual exhaustion, and a ceasefire was declared. Few organized governments remained for either the humans or the aliens, and both sides factionalized as their members began looking out for themselves. In several areas, local human and Votan militias began to band together when they realized that they had to cooperate if they hoped to survive on this new, almost alien planet. The debris from the destroyed Ark fleet now forms an artificial "Ark belt" in Earth orbit, which periodically rains down in small scale "Arkfalls", which present a hazard for survivors on the surface, but also provide valuable opportunities to salvage advanced technology aboard the Arks. More frequently, most of the debris breaks up on re-entry into shards of metal shrapnel, a dangerous phenomenon known as "razor rain". Electromagnetic distortion created by the malfunctioning terraformers have rendered most long-distance communication and air transit impossible, isolating far-flung regions much as they would have been in the 19th century. Low-flying aircraft such as helicopters will still function, but high-altitude long-distance flights are too dangerous; neither the humans nor the Votans are capable of launching vehicles into Earth's orbit anymore, as it is not only dangerous, but prohibitively expensive for societies that only just managed to pull themselves back from complete collapse. Fifteen years after the armistice, a new proposed maglev train line is being built with the goal of re-establishing regular transit between the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of North America. Short-range radio stations will still function within the localized area of a town, as will personal smartphone-like devices known as hailers, but otherwise, the disruption of long-range telecommunications means that information must be sent between different regions by courier. At best, an unreliable method known as "text relay" can be used, in which local radio-stations rebroadcast a message received from a neighboring station to reach other regions of the continent, but this can take days or weeks.

 

In 2046, fifteen years after the armistice, both humans and Votans struggle to rebuild on this shattered world. In the western hemisphere, the Votanis Collective controls much of Central and South America, while the new unified Earth Republic has a major foothold in the populous cities of northeastern North America, now reorganized as a territorial unit known as "Columbia" (a combination of the United States' Boston-to-Washington megalopolis and Canada's Quebec City–Windsor Corridor, along with the Canadian Maritime Provinces), with its capital in New York City. Otherwise, much of North America remains a badlands region, a "New Frontier" slowly being recolonized by several small independent republics and city-states. One such community is the independent city-state of Defiance, located in the heart of the continent, built over the ruins of St. Louis, Missouri.

 

There you go... simple.

 

The Votan:

 

The Votan are not a single race but actually seven from a star system in space. The species that make up the Votan are as follows.

 

Castithan Biology

 

The Castithan, or Casti for short, appear very similar to humans. Their coloration is very pale, however, verging on albinism, with pale white skin, white hair, and pale silver, pink, yellow or orange eyes.

 

Accordingly, Castithan blood is a much lighter color than human blood, sort of a whitish-pink.Due to their pale, albino-like appearance, humans in the Defiance area often refer to Castithans by the ethnic slur "Haint" - which is another word for "ghost" in Southern American English (Defiance, in the former location of St. Louis, Missouri, is at the northern edge of the American South; "Haint" is rarely used as a word for "ghost" outside of the South, thus other regions may have other local slang terms and slurs for Castithans).For their part, Castithans often remark that humans have disgusting "pink skin", and Alak's young male friends remark that human women are "pink meat". However when Datak Tarr makes a snide remark about "pink-skinned" humans to Rafe McCawley, who is himself a Native-American, Rafe pointedly retorts "does my skin look pink to you?"Castithans can procreate with humans, but hybrid offspring are extremely rare due to the danger that such an exotic pregnancy presents to both the mother and child.

 

Language

 

The Castithan language is created by linguist David J. Peterson. Kastithanu, the Castithan language is head-final in nature and is spoken at a very fast pace, making it difficult but not impossible for non-Castithan to learn it. The language is intentionally complicated and fast, as the Castithans believe this is a mark of sophistication, and they don't need to lower themselves to the level of other races by speaking slowly for the benefit of non-native Kastithanu speakers. This fast speaking pace only extends to when the Castithans are speaking their own, "refined and sophisticated" language: when Castithans speak foreign languages such as English, they speak at a normal pace.

 

Like the Irathients, David J. Peterson came up with a scheme for what Kastithanu-accented English would sound like. The idea was that adult Castithans such as Datak or Stahma would possess an accent because they learned English when they came to Earth thirty years before the series, but that younger Castithans born on Earth such as Alak would not speak English with an accent. However, Peterson said that the directors on the TV series felt that the accent the actors were using for Datak and Stahma was too thick and distracting, so it was not used.

 

Culture

 

The Castithan society is aristocratic and hierarchical, and the other Votan races view them as arrogant. The Castithans used to have a patriarchal, rigidly segregated society on their home planet based on castes, known as liros, though this has broken down somewhat among the survivors on Earth due to the harsh conditions of the war and its aftermath. Datak Tarr, the most powerful mafioso in Defiance (in the former location of St. Louis) is a Castithan, from one of the lower castes. His wife, Stahma Tarr, is from one of the Castithan higher castes. As a member of the higher castes which benefited from the old patriarchical hierarchy, Stahma feels that their family should acquire more power for itself. However, this very ideology insists that it is not a woman's place to seize power, thus Stahma is faced with goading Datak into taking more aggressive measures so that he (and by extension, she) will possess more power.

 

The overall system of liro castes is known as Fovasho. Castithans conceptualize layers of society as like layers of clouds, with the more prestigious castes being the higher, loftier clouds. The Castithan word for caste, liro, even originally came from a word that means "cloud" in their language. There are five liros, though there is also a group officially outside of the caste system, which functionally makes up a sixth liro. This untouchable group is called Thawandayo, and allegedly consists of thieves, rebels, and outcasts from the other fives liros. Thawandayo are often referred to as yafyo in everyday language.An unofficial seventh liro has sprung up among the Castithans living on Earth. Within each liro, however, there are further subdivisions defined by one's job, age, and gender. Of the five official liros, two have been mentioned so far in Season 1: the Yuke and the Shanje. The Shanje liro is the highest caste. Datak is currently considered a member of the Shanje caste despite being born into a lower caste, because Stahma was already a member of the Shanje liro, and thus his caste status was changed when he married-up.The Shanje liro consists of heads of state, military commanders, the highest ranking religious officials, and the aristocracy (meaning that there isn't an entirely separate liro devoted exclusively to members of the religious clergy). Castithans as a whole have a markedly shame-based society, based on external actions instead of internal opinions, summarized by the Castithan maxim "seeming is being" (shiro ksa yu re ya). A Castithan who is treated as a fool is seen as a fool, and therefore, by definition is a fool. This principle of "seeing is being" extends to the liros, as a Castithan who behaves negatively (e.g. cowardly retreating in battle) shames not only himself and his family, but his entire caste. Castithans place great value on cleanliness, in part due to the value they place on appearances, and take multiple baths a day if they can. They deride the Irathients as "unclean".

 

Castithan society is deeply religious, based on a monotheistic belief in a god known as Rayetso. The Castithan belief system possesses rigid dogma and hierarchical leadership (in contrast to more loosely "spiritual" Irathients). However, while dogmatic in many other social areas, the Castithan religion has few restrictions on sexuality, and Castithans are actually quite liberal in their attitudes towards sex. Ritual bathing is a common practice which holds a central place in Castithan culture, as well as some religious ceremonies. Higher castes are able to afford taking more frequent baths, up to three times a day. Bathing is a communal practice among the Castithans, somewhat like a Japanese onsen bath house, and thus they do not find nudity in the presence of family members at a bath to be particularly unusual. Indeed, when Christie is uncomfortable at the thought of sharing a communal bath with Alak's family, Datak complains to Stahma that Christie bathes in private, which is considered unseemly for a "proper" Castithan wife.

 

Castithan society regards excessive love of the arts as frivolous. Thus Datak looks down upon his son Alak's interest in Earth music and job running Defiance's radio station (located in the Gateway Arch). Stahma was actually something of a famous artist when she was growing up in the Votanis system. She explains that it didn't have an exact human equivalent, but loosely speaking the omposed a form of poetry, which was broadcast across the planet as a sort of television broadcast. Stahma was actually something of a minor celebrity for her compositions, but her upper-caste family thought it was improper, and she stopped composing when she married Datak (just before going into suspended animation on the evacuation Arks).

 

When the Votan star system was being evacuated, each race was left to decide how they would select the small fraction of their populations which would be saved. The scientific and rational Indogenes stoically selected their best and brightest, while the Irathients decided who would earn a place in the evacuation fleet during a round of inter-tribal wars to determine who was the strongest (and therefore fittest in their culture). However, the Castithan leadership officially decided to evacuate only members of their higher castes, and leave the lower castes to die in their home star system. Thus, more than any other Votan race, the Castithans on Earth are not a microcosm of their entire race's social structure, but a disproportionate slice of their ruling elites. This causes several problems for the Castithans on Earth, as they don't really have a working-class base to rely on. Indeed, higher-caste Castithans living on Earth tended to assume that they could treat the other Votan races as essentially their new lower-castes, feeling they should lead the Votanis Collective while the other races serve them. This has led to considerable tension with the other races. Even so, a large number of Castithans from the lower-castes were still able to make their way onto the evacuation fleet and arrive at Earth, through one means or another (bribing their way onto the ships, or simply stowing away).

 

Aesthetic

 

Castithans value cleanliness as a sign of purity, thus their clothing and buildings tend to be varying shades of simple white, sometimes mixed with grey. Indeed, the Castithan word for caste, liro, comes from a word meaning "cloud". The Castithans conceptualize society as like layers of clouds: the more prestigious a castes are higher layers of clouds. Thus, Castithan designs try to emulate the pristine white of lofty clouds.

 

Most Castithans wear simple white robes, often with white hoods. Both men and women tend to wear their hair long. Datak Tarr desires to be seen as a well-respected community leader by both Votans and humans, however, so he wears expensive three-piece suits complete with an ascot tie; even so, Datak still favors suits and vests of varying shades of light grey. Younger Castithans such as Datak's son Alak, however, tend to not cling to the culture of their old homeworld as much as their parents, and have culturally assimilated to human styles. Most wear regular human clothing, and many also dye their hair to darker human colors (all of it or just streaks of it).

 

Datak Tarr spent a considerable amount of resources in the construction of his family's two-story residence in Defiance, made to match the architectural style of his homeworld. As the home of a family of the prestigious highest caste, the highest "cloud", the interiors are specifically designed to give the impression of living in an all-white cloud. It features mostly white surfaces and fixtures, with bright white lights illuminating all of the surfaces, giving the appearance of sterile cleanliness. Hanging white drapes are located on most of the walls and around the communal bath. The outer walls are covered in a repeating motif of pointed interlocking ovals running vertically. Many of the walls and fixtures have a slightly curved design. Otherwise, Castithan religious rituals often involve hanging white ribbons and ropes around an area. Castithan architecture is not entirely sterile, however: several Castithan building interiors feature tree branches which reach towards the ceiling, though even in this case the tree limbs are white (whether these are live Castithan plants or a design scheme isn't clear).

 

((In short... Space Elves. Casti's are a sugar-mixed-with-salt race. You love and hate them, Datak Tarr is one example.))

 

 

Irathient

 

Biology

 

The Irathients, or Iraths for short, appear very close to human. Their coloration is more similar to humans than the pale Castithans, with bronze skin interspersed with biologically occurring patterns of white marks (different individuals can have skin coloration that varies between pinkish-bronze and reddish-brown). However, the proportions of their facial features are slightly different from humans (and the human-like Castithans), with a wider bridge of the nose arcing towards the eyes. The bridge and arch is wider and more pronounced in the males than in the females. Their hair is usually a bright warm color, usually a shade of red, and they have oversized, brightly-colored irises. They are naturally athletic and skilled at combat. Irathients also have very strong immune systems and are thus not susceptible to many diseases, though they can act as carriers for other races which are susceptible. The Irathients are the most common Votan race living on Earth.

 

The Irathients evolved in the savannah regions of the planet Irath, similar to the Great Plains of North America. This has made them particularly well-suited for survival in the badlands of the Storm Divide created during the Arkfall, which begins at the western border of Defiance, stretching from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains. However, the Irathients in the new frontier have switched from the draft animals of their ancestors to roving motorcycle gangs, such as the Spirit Riders led by Sukar. Still, while many Irathients have pursued a nomadic life scavenging in the badlands, many others also pursue a life of peaceful settled farming, in harmony with nature.

 

On extremely rare occasion, certain Irathients are born with psychic abilities, which grant them visions of past or contemporary events during which they were not physically present. Irathients who possess "the sight" are said to be touched by their god Irzu. Irisa Nyira is one such Irathient who possesses these abilities, though because she was raised by the human Joshua Nolan, she didn't know what her visions were and he mistook them as simply PTSD-induced hallucinations. On arriving in Defiance, other Irathients explained to Irisa the true nature of her abilities.

 

As with the Castithans, Irathients can procreate with humans, but hybrid offspring are extremely rare due to the danger that such an exotic pregnancy presents to both the mother and child. When Nolan says Irisa is his daughter, Amanda says she looks like a pureblood, and he corrects her that she is his adopted daughter.

 

Language

 

David J. Peterson also developed the full Irathient language. L'Irathi, the Irathient language is in many ways the opposite of Kastithanu; for instance, L'Irathi has a head-initial word order. The phonologies and phonotactics also differ considerably. L'Irathi is built around an extensive noun class system which affects every aspect of the language. The L'Irathi word Shtako has been picked up by the four other races in the Votanis Collective, as well as humans; it is used as a swear word.

 

Peterson even went so far as to develop a scheme for what L'Irathi-accented English is supposed to sound like (it vaguely resembles an Eastern European accent). Younger Irathient characters intentionally are not portrayed as speaking this way, i.e. Irisa was raised by Nolan since she was a small child so she speaks English without an accent (though she still knows L'Irathi as her native language).

 

Culture

 

While aggressive and tribal, the Irathients also have a great respect for nature and are a deeply spiritual people. However their "spirituality" is a very loose and personal polytheistic belief system, in contrast with the rigidly ordered hierarchy and strict dogma of the Castithan religion. They look down on humans for disrespecting and abusing nature. There are four main deities in the Irathient religion: Irzu, Indanyu, Gyamasha, and Gyakusa. Each corresponds to one of the aspects of the Irathient soul, which they believe reside in different parts of the body. Idanyu (called "Idanyu of the flame") is associated with vitality, said to be situated in the heart. Gyamasha is associated with intellect, which is situated in the brain, while Gyakusa is associated with passion, situated in the stomach. Gyamasha and Gyakusa, representing intellect and passion, are always paired and always at war with each other. Irzu, the chief deity, is associated with the "spirit", represented by the body as a whole. Irzu is said to have a path laid out for everyone. Irzu is both the ruler of the other deities and a composite of all of them, yet a being in his own right: Irzu cannot exist without the other deities, nor can they exist without him (loosely comparable to how in Hinduism, Vishnu and Shiva are both forms of Brahman). Several other lesser deities or demigods are also associated with these four main gods, but much as with some major human religions, there is some variation of belief between different subsets of Irathient society, and a given sub-sect may recognize certain lesser deities but not others. Even so, the general belief in the four main deities is ubiquitous throughout the entire species.

 

Irathients chemically cremate their dead in a funeral custom known as "sinking", in which the body is wrapped in a shawl and then sunk into a bath of acidic chemicals. The chemicals break down the flesh of the corpse into basic nutrients, allowing the flesh to rejoin nature most efficiently. Similar to certain forms of cremation with fire, the chemicals do not dissolve the bones, which are left behind as a memorial of the deceased.

 

Due to their respect for nature and religious beliefs, the Irathients refuse to vaccinate their children. This led to tensions when the town of Defiance instituted a mandatory vaccination policy, leading to violence and many Irathients leaving the town. Several members of other races look down on them for this, blaming unvaccinated Irathients for spreading diseases. Another major reason which contributed to the Irathients' disdain for vaccination is because they naturally possess very strong immune systems, which are capable of fighting off most diseases. As a result the Irathients never developed particularly advanced disease-fighting technology on their homeworld, because they simply did not need it. The problem this raised was that Irathients can still serve as hosts for diseases which are harmless to them, but dangerous to other species. This led to a stereotype even in the Votanis system that the Irathients are "unclean" plague-carriers: a view particularly embraced by the Castithans, who are obsessed with cleanliness and ritual bathing. While this has led to prejudice against the Irathients there is a basis of truth behind it, and even on Earth it was discovered that Irathients can carry and spread diseases which while harmless to them, are dangerous or fatal to humans.

 

The Irathients tend to get along well with the Sensoth and Liberata, because they all evolved on the planet Irath, and peacefully co-existed on it for many generations. The Irathients can't stand the Castithans, whom they see as arrogant, as their rigidly hierarchical and ordered society and culture is the opposite of the chaotic, independent-minded society and culture of the Irathients.

 

Aesthetic

 

Traditional Irathient clothing is a combination of roughspun fabric and ornate beads, somewhat resembling the traditional clothing of various tribal cultures from Earth. They frequently braid beads into strands of their hair. Unlike the Castithans, however, who mostly cling to their old world dress style, many of the Irathients have tried to assimilate to their new life on Earth, after a fashion. While some of the younger Castithans have culturally assimilated and try to dress exactly like contemporary humans, however, generally the Irathients simply picked up on various bits and pieces of human clothing styles which they have discovered a fondness for, and then anachronistically combined with their traditional clothing. The result is that many Irathients on Earth dress in a bizarre cross between something like traditional Mongolian bead-wear and 19th century steampunk attire. Sukar, the leader of the Irathient Spirit Riders, dressed in an odd mix of tribal wear, bits of combat armor, a fur shawl, and a top hat. Rynn wore a traditional heavy beadwear necklace along with a bodice and fishnet leggings. Irisa was raised by Nolan and thus normally wears regular human clothing she can find such as her pink fur-lined jacket, but she switches to traditional Irathient tribal wear during Irathient religious ceremonies. However, when Irisa wanted to dress up for the wedding of the Castithan Alak and the human Christie McCawley, she wore what resembled a flapper dress and bodice combined with fishnet arm warmers, a fur shawl, and a fishnet hairpiece.

 

((The Irathient are known for their hot-tempers and strong tribal instincts, because of this they are often considered to be little more then bandits, they are the new Apache and Commanche and often clash with humans but as a whole Castithans hate them most.))

 

Indogene

 

Biology

 

The most scientifically advanced and technically-minded Votan race, they value science above all else. The Indogenes evolved in a desert region of the planet Daribo, filled with crystalline rock formations.They have bright white skin and no visible hair follicles. Their heads are hairless and smooth; their external ears don't really protrude, smoothly merging with the rest of the head. They have hexagonal shaped irises, and their skin is covered in faint hexagon-shaped scales; even their written language is based on hexagon shapes. Despite having scales their skin is surprisingly soft, like human skin, and their blood is silver-colored. As the most scientifically advanced Votan race, they upgrade their own bodies with numerous genetic and cybernetic implants (which are often not externally visible). Some parts of the cybernetic implants are often visible as faint dark lines running under the skin of their heads. The specific implants vary from one individual to the next, as they serve to augment the specific profession that an Indogene chooses to pursue as an adult.

 

Indogenes can smoke tobacco cigarettes and receive the same mild sense of short-term euphoria that humans do when they smoke tobacco. At the same time, however, Indogenes who smoke tobacco are stated to also suffer the same negative long-term health consequences as humans do. This is evidenced when Dr. Yewll complains that "these things will kill you" before herself taking a drag from a cigarette.

 

Language

 

Indojisnen, the Indogene language is polysynthetic, thus allowing an entire sentence (containing both verb and noun elements) to be expressed in a single long word. It was also developed by linguist David J. Peterson. The Indojisnen writing system is also based on hexagons.

 

Peterson thought out accents for adult Castithan and Irathient characters to use, as they learned English as a second language. Thus he invented accents for them based on a logical extension of what English sounds don't exist in their alien languages and which would be difficult for them to pronounce. However, Peterson never developed an Indojisnen-accent, because a plot point is that due to their cybernetic implants, the Indogenes can simply upload new programming into their brains on how to flawlessly speak new languages, with no detectable accent.

 

Culture

 

Culturally, the Indogenes tend to be technical geniuses, scientists, and doctors.

 

Indogenes receive one short name at birth, and take on a second name as an adult based on what profession and implants they have chosen (the different implants they can receive are given to enhance their abilities at the profession they have chosen).

 

Due to their insurmountable belief in science, Indogenes are typically atheists. They cremate their dead, and store the ashes in hexagon-shaped boxes.

 

Due to their technical expertise, most Indogenes remained on the Ark fleet in orbit when the Votans first arrived at Earth. Thus the Indogenes' numbers were devastated when the Ark fleet was destroyed at the end of the Pale Wars. After the wars, the surviving Indogenes have one of the smallest populations of all Votan races, usually concentrated in cities and towns. While the Votans' terraforming technology normally created haphazard and monstrous changes in Earth's environment after Arkfall, some of the terraforming nanites in Central Canada managed to function more or less as intended. The result is that a swath of the Canadian Great Plains from Alberta to Saskatchewan was transformed into one of the most accurate replications of a Votan ecosystem on Earth (outside of the controlled terraforming conducted in the Votan capital region of Sulos in Brazil). This new landscape is a recreation of the environment of the Indogenes' home territories on the planet Daribo: an arid region of crystalline rock formations, now known as the Canadian Desert. Numerous Indogene scientists flocked to the Canadian Desert, and discovered a nearly intact Ark ship which crashed near the city of Edmonton, Alberta. No one knows what they found, but they subsequently erected a quarantine zone for miles around Edmonton, threatening to kill anyone who comes inside. The rogue Indogene-controlled state centered in Edmonton is one of the largest concentrations of their species outside of the Votan capital of Sulos.

 

Highly analytic and adaptable, the Indogenes tend to get along well with all other Votan races. The Castithans, however, are something of an exception, as both races evolved on the planet Daribo and each feels they are superior. However, Indogene-Castithan tensions are more along the lines of petty bickering than a deep-seated blood feud.

((A very Interesting race in my book... but one not so easily dismissed as being weak.))

Liberata

 

Biology

 

The Liberata are shorter than humans, broad shouldered and thick-necked, with blockier facial features and long scruffy yellow hair, though their proportions aren't too different from the human range. Male and female Liberata do not exhibit pronounced sexual dimorphism (both males and females have beards), making it difficult to tell the two apart, even for someone who has dealt with them consistently. They have four digit hands, including three fingers and a thumb. Liberata actually breathe nitrogen, not oxygen, but because Earth's atmosphere is a nitrogen-oxygen mix (78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 1% other gases) they do not require any artificial breathing aids. Liberata will actually suffocate in a pure oxygen environment with no nitrogen: during the Pale Wars human militaries would sometimes drop "oxygen bombs" on Liberata units, which would be harmless to human troops but deprive the Liberata of nitrogen.

 

Language

 

Yanga Kayang, the Liberata language, includes a high frequency of slang terms.

 

Culture

 

The Liberata are described as a servant-class race. The Liberata were once economically very powerful in the Votan star system, but their own avarice led to the ecological and social collapse of their society, after which they became dominated by the Castithans. Present-day Liberata humbly consider their present-day status as menial laborers and servants as deserved atonement resulting from the mistakes of their ancestors. They are well known for their gruff tempers and are sometimes considered petty. However, their frequently sarcastic demeanors have a deeper and more tragic origin, stemming from cultural disillusionment after their society self-imploded due to their own ancestors' short-sightedness.

 

The Liberata have a polytheistic religion focusing on the basic needs of life. However, their social collapse while in the Votanis system, combined with their relatively low numbers in the evacuation fleet, resulted in very few of their religious traditions surviving on Earth. Instead, the Liberata ended up borrowing many religious traditions from their planet-mates, the Sensoth and Irathients. Liberata bury their dead vertically, with their worldly possessions piled on top of their heads.

 

The Liberata are the servants of choice for the hierarchical Castithans, who find that the Liberata's labor-class work ethic and resignation to being servants in society fits well with the Castithan's own attitude that they are a superior ruling class. Because they were not politically powerful when the evacuation fleet was being organized, many of the Liberata who were let onto the Arks did so in exchange for contracts of indentured servitude with the Castithans. The Liberata get along well with the Irathients and Sensoth, because they evolved on the same planet where they peacefully co-existed. The independent-minded Irathients are often frustrated with the Liberata, however, because they feel the Liberata should stand up for themselves more and not be content to let others, such as the Castithans, order them around.

 

Unlike their fellows who are content to toil in servitude, certain exceptional Liberata have still managed to rise to positions of wealth and power. Most prominent among these is Varus Soleptor, the biggest organized crime boss in the San Francisco Bay area. Varus is one of the major antagonists in the crossover video-game, but is also mentioned in the TV series (as they are a shared continuity). Nolan and Irisa ran afoul of Varus when he hired them to acquire a Votan artifact known as the Libera Nova Gem - a key to activate the on-board computer on crashed Votan arcs. However, after acquiring the gem Nolan and Irisa kept it for themselves and fled east into the badlands in search of a new Arkfall to use it on (which is how they arrived at Defiance in the pilot episode). Nolan is later told that Varus has put a bounty on his head so high, every bounty hunter in the badlands will be looking for him.

 

Sensoth

 

Biology

 

Slightly larger and taller than humans, the Sensoth resemble humanoid orangutans, or the wookiees of Star Wars (the production team has openly compared them to wookiees). Their bodies are covered in reddish-brown fur, except on their faces, which have grayish skin. Their jaws protrude further forward than on humans, like apes. Sensoths generally possess great strength, which unfortunately in past centuries before the evacuation of the Votan star system made them a target for slaver raids by the Castithans.

 

The Sensoths have a lifespan about twice as long as any other Votan race, often living as long as two centuries.

 

Culture

 

The Sensoth's long lifespan has made them a very patient people, preferring long-term plans over abrupt action. They come from a region on the planet Irath known as the Great Tarnalin Forest. They thus share several aspects with Earth's sloths, being arboreal in nature, speaking and acting very slowly and deliberately. Like the Liberata and Gulanee, they were not one of the more powerful Votan races, though for many generations they co-existed relatively peacefully with their planet-mates, the Irathients and Liberata. However, due to the value of the Sensoths' great strength, Castithan raiding parties frequently captured Sensoths and brought them back to their own planet to be servants and soldiers. About a thousand years before the exodus to Earth, the first massive Castithan raid descended on the planet Irath to acquire Sensoth slaves, in an event known as the Great Exodus. This resulted in a major Castithan-Irathient conflict, as the Irathients rose up to defend their planet-mates. Unfortunately, the comparatively primitive technology of the Irathients at the time was no match for the Castithans, who also liberally used poison gas during the conflict.

 

Much of the once unique aspects of Sensoth culture were swept away by centuries of slavery and servitude under the Castithans. They still possess their own simple, monotheistic religion. They believe in reincarnation, and that leading a good life will allow them to advance to a higher state of being in the next life. Because of their patient, simple morality, Sensoths are quite tolerant of other religions and cultures.

 

During their centuries of slavery, Sensoth culture became centered around oral tradition, as the only part of their culture that couldn't be physically taken away from them. Their history and traditions were passed down entirely through oral tradition, which over the generations led to the view that speech is a true window into one's soul. As a result, they rarely share their stories and oral history with outsiders. Indeed, the Sensoth rarely even share their language with outsiders, to preserve the sanctity of their oral traditions. As a practical matter, most Sensoths become proficient in other Votan or human languages, so they don't have to use their own (also from a pragmatic viewpoint, this explains why the Sensoths are the only one of the five major Votan races that David J. Peterson didn't sketch out a language for in Season 1).

 

Sensoths on Earth can often be found as bodyguards and bouncers, as well as heavy laborers. Sensoths can be fiercely loyal to their Castithan "employers", almost to the point of gullibility. They also enjoy the company of Earth domestic animals, one Sensoth owning a dog as his companion.

 

Gulanee

 

An energy-based race, they are a mystery to everyone else, including the other Votans. The other Votans weren't even aware of their existence until fairly recently, when the Indogenes sent out an expedition to the gas giant planet Gula to look for the mineral gulanite to power the Ark fleet. They established contact with the Gulanee, who agreed to help mine gulanite in exchange for a small fraction of Gulanee being allowed into the evacuation fleet. Most of the Gulanee stayed behind on their homeworld, confident that they would somehow survive. Like the Sensoth and Liberata, they were not politically strong when the exodus from the Votanis system was being planned, and very few were present in the evacuation fleet. The Gulanee are exceedingly rare on Earth, to the point that the Votanis Collective is officially considered to be made up of five races, excluding the Gulanee (who would have been the sixth). Instead, the handful of Gulanee on Earth are spread out amongst the other Votan groups.

 

Gulanee are so rare that others often assume that they are simply floating balls of energy. Instead, they wear carefully crafted "encapsulation suits" which are difficult to build and maintain. Gulanee will die if they spend more than a few hours outside of their suits.

 

While Gulanee are extremely rare on Earth, one of the largest concentrations of them is located in former British Columbia. After the Pale Wars ended, several Gulanee units entered into an improbable alliance with a large number of defecting Biomen soldiers from the human military, and overran the city of Vancouver. From their powerbase in Vancouver, they carved out their own independent empire loyal to neither the Votanis Collective or the Earth Republic, stretching across British Columbia and down south far enough to include the city of Seattle.

 

Volge

 

Disliked by all of the other Votan races, and the closest thing to a straightforward "villain" race. They stand over eight feet tall, are covered in dense armor, and possess integrated internal weapons. They come from a different planet in the Votanis system, Omec, and during the evacuation were intended to be left behind by the other races. No one knows who smuggled the Volge onto the Arks, or why, and their reappearance during the Pale Wars was a surprise to the other Votans. They are not part of the Votanis Collective. The Volge also utilize walker-mechs as heavy support artillery. After the Pale Wars ended they retreated to underground caverns, and continue to be hostile to humans and other Votans alike.

 

David J. Peterson did have a hand in creating the Volge language (briefly heard in the premiere), however, the actual sounds of the language were created by the series' sound engineers. Peterson thought it would be interesting if the cybernetic Volge were so different from humans and even the other Votans that it is physically impossible for the other races to pronounces the sounds of the Volge language.

((All these races are playable with the exception of the Volge. Another 'Race' is playable, I will highlight them below.))

Biomen

In addition to the alien races, another race present in the series are the Biomen (or Bio-Marines). During the Pale Wars, in an effort to match the Votans' superior technology, Earth's militaries successfully developed genetically engineered, fully synthetic sentient life-forms which could be mass-produced as shock troops in the war. Designed to be stronger and tougher than humans, the Bio-Marines were treated as expendable, because they were considered to possess no human rights. Biomen are larger and better muscled than normal humans, with bulging overdeveloped neck muscles. They come in a variety of skin colors, both natural and unnatural (e.g., blue) and have vividly colored eyes. Each production run of Biomen was given its own "batch name", based on the first or last name of U.S. presidents e.g., "Pierce", "Reagan", "Carter", "Woodrow", "Barack", etc. Biomen can be individually identified by the three inch tall serial numbers which have been branded across the width of their chests. Thus Bioman "Ulysses-537634" is from the Ulysses S. Grant batch, individual soldier number 537634.[54]

 

Biomen have an "off button" somewhere on their bodies, with the location dependent on their batch. If hit with enough force in the off switch, a Bioman will be knocked out cold. Nolan won a street match with Ulysses-537634 by punching him in the base of his spine (i.e. his tailbone, in his buttocks). Triggering the off switch will not kill a Bioman, as several thousand volts of electricity will wake them up.

 

Biomen were engineered to eagerly obey orders, which results in them having low personal initiative. They will actually become upset and confused when no one is around to give them orders. Biomen are not known for having staggeringly high intellect and are rather obtuse at times, however they are intelligent enough to carry out orders usually, but not always, to the letter. Biomen were designed to be naturally aggressive for the wars, and now that the wars are over they have been rendered obsolete. The Biomen have difficulty integrating into peacetime and are ostracized by baseline humans and Votans alike.

((Biomen all have unique off switches and are very very rare, most often used as Bodyguards or Enforcers. If you wish to play one message me and we can discuss it since they are physically stronger then others and considered to be walking tanks.))

The New Earth's Inhabitants:

Numerous new mutant races were created when the Votans' terraformer technology was haphazardly released in the Arkfall of 2030. Some are bizarre hybrids of animals from Earth and different Votan planets, or creatures so drastically altered that it isn't really clear what stock they were created from.

 

Species

 

Among the most prominent mutant species are Hellbugs, originally a small and rather harmless insect species from the Votanis system carried in the Arks, which were twisted by the terraformers into vicious predators. Hellbugs are hive-based eusocial insects with several different specialized castes, ranging from small Skitterlings that attack in swarms, to larger lion-sized Warriors. There are even larger varieties that are several stories tall. Greater effort hasn't been expended on eradicating Hellbugs because they are a very valuable fuel source. Hellbugs consume gulanite ore as a digestive aid, which results in their excrement containing unrefined "petrohol", the main fuel source for contemporary vehicles.

 

Another mutant species in the badlands and forests surrounding Defiance are dangerous Saberwolves, wolf-like mutants which vaguely resemble a cross between a bear, a spider, and an armadillo. They have mammalian heads and jaws but walk on six insect-like legs, and are covered in armor. While dangerous to travelers, they are fairly susceptible to small arms fire.

 

Scrappers are intelligent robots created by malfunctioning terraforming nanites whose programming was badly damaged. They are usually cobbled together from the material of the Ark ship the nanites crashed in, or simply whatever scrap metal happens to be in the vicinity, hence the name "Scrappers". Bizarrely constructed out of whatever materials happened to be on-hand, Scrappers are very hostile and irrational, nor very coordinated in their goals. The nanites were supposed to be controlled by their ship's onboard AI, or "Ark-brain". Most Ark-brains were destroyed when their ships crashed into Earth during Arkfall. Rarely, however, a few Ark-brains survived the crash, but their programming was still badly damaged as a result. This has led to particularly dangerous situations in which Scrappers are actively created and led by a damaged and deranged Ark-brain.

 

Badlands

 

The actual concentration of mutants varies between different areas, and is heaviest in regions that were most drastically altered by the malfunctioning terraformers during Arkfall. These are generally known as "badlands" regions, such as the Storm Divide zone stretching from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains in North America. Other badlands regions in North America include the San Francisco Bay area, the swamps of the Las Vegas badlands, Canada's Northwest Territories, and particularly the Florida Quarantine Zone. Human militaries resorted to heavy use of tactical nuclear weapons in Florida, and the Votans responded on a one-for-one basis at the local level, by deploying their own chemical and biological weapons on a grand scale. The terraformers released in Arkfall combined with the already heavily mutated local life to create some of the most exotic and dangerous mutants on the planet, which combined with heavy NBC contamination made Florida extremely dangerous and practically uninhabitable. After the Pale Wars ended, both the humans and Votans declared Florida a Quarantine Zone due to the contaminants and exotic mutants in the region.

 

Much of continental Europe was also badly affected by terraformers during Arkfall and is now swarming with mutants. Among the worst affected regions is Germany, where samples of the most bizarre and exotic Votan species landed and were mutated by the terraformers. Germany's climate was also altered, turning it into an alien rain forest swarming with dangerous mutants. Political order did not hold up well under the strain, and Germany has politically balkanized into numerous small feudal city-states, fighting themselves just as much as the mutants swarming the area.

 

Bizarrely, while Germany was transformed into an alien rain forest, just across the Rhine River malfunctioning terraformers transformed a vast swath of Western Europe into sub-arctic tundra. One of the largest concentration of Ark crashes occurred in the Rhone valley of southern France, which flash-froze a swath of territory extending across France from the English Channel down to include portions of Switzerland and northern Italy. The cold climate meant that mutants aren't a major problem as they are in Germany, but the freezing landscape itself still makes survival difficult. Worse for the survivors is that an Ark-brain survived the crash into the Rhone valley but its programming was badly damaged, making it exceedingly malevolent. It converted the surviving materials from its crashed ship into an army of robot Scrappers, which in turn built hordes of new Scrappers using pieces of technology and metal they found buried in the ice. The few surviving humans were left in such dire conditions by the climactic changes that they could not oppose their conquest. Ever pragmatic, the Scrappers have kept alive the humans in their frozen empire to serve as slave labor, to aid in the construction of more Scrappers.

 

While much of continental Europe was badly affected in Arkfall and left swarming with mutants, the British Isles were practically unscathed. The British Isles are one of the regions on Earth least affected by the Pale Wars and Arkfall with little or no terraforming and mutants, resulting in one of the most pristinely preserved areas of Earth (though they are still affected by generalized changes to Earth's overall ecosystem, weather patterns, and invasive Votan species from other regions which were terraformed). Their status as a series of islands separated from the mainland also helped protect them from external threats. Fiercely isolationist, the United Kingdom's draconian government has adopted a siege mentality, constructing massive container walls along all of its coastlines dotted with guard towers and supported by automated artillery, determined to protect one of the few remaining pristine regions of Earth (it isn't clear if the United Kingdom is a member of the overall Earth Republic, the way Columbia is in North America). It is stated that the coastlines have been fortified all around the islands of Great Britain and Ireland: it isn't clear what the political landscape is, for example if the UK has allied with Ireland for mutual defense, or if both governments have merged.

((Since this RP will take place exclusively in Defiance, travelling outside the city will nearly guarantee an encounter with bandits and these predatory species, with the exclusion of Hellbugs. Hellbug hives are often "Purged" because of the threat they pose. And more then a few pieces of 'Script' (Currency) for their extermination.))

The Badlanders:

Badlanders are people, Human and Votan alike that wander the wasted lands in 'Rollers' (Vehicles), most are Bandits but some are traders or bounty hunters or even salvagers, among their ranks are Ark Hunters. Ark Hunters are specialist salvagers that track down Falling Ark's that sometimes fall from space and crash into the earths surface. These Arks are what remain of the ships in space that contain the now deceased bodies of the millions of Votan in space. Ark Hunting is a risk-all business, and more blood is often spilled for what-may-be inside a fragment of an Ark.

A lot of the things salvaged are often sold for large amounts of script but generally it is broken technology and weapons. These Ark-Hunters are mostly opportunistic Badlanders but some are professional hunters and skirmishes between the denizens of The Badlands with the last one alive the claimer of the Ark... if he can keep it.

Defiance:

Defiance is a City-State within the heart of the East-Coast Badlands. Named after the Defiant-Few, a group of soldiers that refused to continue to fight and banded together to save trapped civilians, Votan and Human. This brought an end to the Pale Wars but the armistice and peace that came is shaky at best and both sides are looking for excuses to start up the Pale Wars again.

Defiance is the only self-sufficient City-State that both sides have a deep interest in, some of the signature landmarks around Defiance are as follows.

The NeedWant:

A Bordello, Casino and Nightclub all in one. Owned and operated by Kenya, the younger sister of the cities Mayor Amanda Rosewater. A general den of vice and frolicking one can find nearly anything at the NeedWant, legal or otherwise.

Peacekeeper's Office:

The cities law enforcement are known as Peacekeeper's, the current Lawkeeper is Joshua Nolan, a former Badlander and a member of the Defiant-Few along with his adopted Irathient daughter Irisa who acts as his deputy along with her colleague and 'love interest' Tommy LaSalle. If one breaks a law within Defiance one usually ends up in a cell.

McCawley Mines:

The Mines that support the city with its primary resource and exported material. It's owner and city council-member Rafe McCawley runs it with a strong but kind fist.

The Hollows:

Defiance's slum... where most of the Votan and Human's live. Here the criminal element holds sway... chief among them is the Castithan Crime Lord Datak Tarr. Prostitution, gambling, loan-sharking and drug dealing mark the Hollows and all of these enterprises are operated or pay to Datak.

Market-Row:

The economical quarter of Defiance, where all forms of legal and 'semi-legal' business is done. Diners to Tailor-Shops and Weapon Dealers.

The Arch:

The St. Louis Arch which is still standing after countless years, albeit somewhat out of repair hails the location of the city and acts as it's chief landmark and symbol of the strength of it's residents. In the center of the Arch is 'Raider Radio', Alak Tarr's radio station that act's as Defiance's source of news and music

The North End:

For the richer residents of Defiance, I.E. Those able to afford a place with more then one or two rooms. This is where the tradesmen and city officials aswell as the upper-class members of the Castithan Liro's live with the exception of its most infamous and influential member, Datak Tarr who lives in his large estate within the Hollows.

Here the wealthy of the city hold parties and dinners and reside. Patrolled by a security force hired by the Association it is strictly protected from unwanted people.

Your Place In This RP:

You can be an Ark Hunter, a bounty hunter or a deputy, maybe you want to be a prostitute at the NeedWant or a low casted criminal on the streets of the Hollows. Maybe you prefer the high life of The North End or you are just a nameless drifter passing through but the minute you walk past the Plasma-Shielded gates of Defiance you are a member and resident of the city.

((You cannot be one of the cast members of the series, such as Nolan or Irisa but you can know them so long as you keep it within reason. You cannot kill or effect the main characters either.))

Arsenal Of Ass-Kickery:

Defiance takes place 30 years from now, roughly. So most human weapons are the same as they have always been with some minor exceptions. The energy weapons are usually Votan design or Volge design and often leave behind the 'Cold-Burn' which does the physical damage to the enemy.

Most weapons used are the standard black-powder and slug casing weapons we have today since Votan weapons are strictly enforced due to their danger. Some of the more well off Badlanders may possess a Votan weapon but such events are rare.

I personally encourage you to come up with your own names for the style of weapons you have and give in depth descriptions of them and their functions.

They See Me Rollin':

Rollers, the slang for vehicles come in many forms. From the ancient 2014 dodge Charger II to the 2020 Jeep 4-Wheel. Spirit Riders prefer the common Dirt Bike due to the rough terrain surrounding Defiance and present in much of the Badlands.

Most residents of Defiance don't have a Roller but every Badlander worth his salt spends his script on his Weapon and Roller before he spends it on a pretty girl at the NeedWant.

Lexicon:

There are some slang terms often used to add to the immersion... here are the top ones.

 

Schtako, the general curse word. Used as a word of exclamation or an insult.

 

Haint, a racial slur against Castithans. Also Pale-Asses and Clouds. Generally called Casti's

 

Pinkies, Castithan slur for humans.

 

Blue-Boys, Racial slur against Biomen.

 

Blaster, a general term for a Votech weapon. Either in pistol or assault cannon form.

 

Roller, a vehicle.

 

Digger, general term for a miner.

 

Badlander, name for a wanderer or resident of the Badlands.

 

E-Rep, name for a member of the Earth Republic or a citizen.

 

Collectivite, a term for a citizen of the Votanus Collective.

 

The Factions:

 

The Earth Republic, the human-majority nation in the Commonwealth. The original 13 colonies of the united states. A matriarchal society mostly, women tend to hold the power with polygamist marriage commonplace and homosexual marriages accepted. Votan's living in E-Rep territory are accepted but not completely so.

 

The Earth Republic is known as the chief buyers of Votan technology and the predominate government in much of America. Known for it's cutthroat tactics in war and politics they usually roll into a township that has what they need with tanks and soldiers to force the leaders of that city to sign a treaty or declare war against them.

 

The Votanus Collective, a mainly Castithan ruled society in Brazil that directly opposes the Earth Republic. What they seek is not known to all but themselves and their own. Most Votans living outside of E-Rep territory pay some homage to the Votanus Collective.

 

A shadowy organization that has closed it's borders and remains that way, little is known of what happens beyond the Pale Veil but most don't want to find out.

 

The Volge, a race of destroyers that now dwindle in numbers and when they become strong enough they roam the Badlands looking for places to destroy. A Votan race that somehow travelled on the Ark's and ended up on earth they were the primary threat during the latter half of the Pale Wars.

Your Character Sheet:

((You can have up to three characters at one time but only a limited number of Biomen will be allowed and have to be accepted by me. Unless otherwise stated consider your character approved upon submission.))

Name:

Species:

Height:

Facial Features:

Description (Clothing, body type etc):

Visual Identification:

Weapon:

Vehicle (if any):

History:

Personality:

Likes/Dislikes:

The Rules:

There are only four rules... the first is don't talk about Defiance, the second is Don't Talk About Defiance. Nah I am just kidding. Here are the REAL rules.

No Godmodding, example. 'I shoot Charles with my Votan Disruptor and he bursts into flames' Play well with others! The great God-Monkey demands it! lol jk, but try and play well with others.

Play your character, no one elses. Pretty straightforward.

Votan or Volge weapons have to be approved by me with a PM explaining why or how you get it. If I think it's legitimate i'll approve, the reason I say this is that Votan weapons are rare and highly lethal and can give a character a distinct advantage. No character can start with a Votan/Volge weapon, I am sorry but I can't just let that happen wouldn't be a good RP if all the characters went around firing Votech weapons.

And my favorite rule, Have Fun. This is supposed to be a good time, no one wants to deal with drama while they RP so if your kind of fun is being mean or being a Mary Sue then this RP isn't for you.

Edited July 26, 2013 by Macman253