— FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE
— ANONYMOUS
In the year 2109, the war-torn Earth was dying. Decades of unchecked pollution and overpopulation had starved the planet, and humanity was on the brink of implosion. Facing nothing else but utter extinction, the United Nations finally achieved what they had been aspiring for decades and enacted world peace. Finally uniting humanity, they began to expand among the stars, establishing colonies on nearby planets and distant systems.
Humanity's unprecedented expansion was in part thanks to the Strahl Drive, a revolutionary yet mysterious piece of technology allowing for faster than light travel through the access of "gaps" in reality. Worlds previously thought unreachable in a lifetime could now be reached within weeks. In only a few decades, humanity had set its foothold in the galaxy, with a number of systems and billions of humans under its belt.
Naturally, this meant first contact with intelligent alien life—many of whom also had their own variants of the Strahl Drive—was bound to occur. Although first contact was not friendly, it was nonetheless very brief. Treaties and relations were established, and humanity soon found itself in the center of a very large and very active galaxy. Although somewhat crowded, the free flow of ideas, information, and individuals among the people of the galaxy sponsored change and growth, and a new age of interconnectivity was born.
This peace would not last for long, though. In 2754, an enigmatic organization known only as The Redeemed burst from the uncharted and wild outer reaches of the galaxy and began a campaign of devastating, lightning-fast guerrilla strikes all across the galaxy. In what would later become known as The War for the Outer Heavens, the entire galaxy was roped into a conflict seemingly from within and outside at the same time. The Redeemed were driven by a bizarre accelerationist ideology, seeking to completely destroy the existing status quo of the galaxy through a violent revolt. Concepts such as borders and nations were total anathema to them, which they sought to destroy completely.
The Psychosphere—the collective psychic consciousness of the galaxy—was wrought by intense psychic battles, and entire planets and systems were caught in the crossfire of both conventional and psychic battles. Many nations were wiped off the map as other planets were rendered completely uninhabitable. Only a combined effort of the nations of the galaxy was eventually able to put a stop to The Redeemed's blitz after 30 years of harsh fighting, but by then, the damage had been done.
The Year is 2801. The galactic playing field is active with hundreds of nations, some still reeling from the War for the Outer Heavens. Others are newer nations making their first steps among the stars, some looking to simply survive, while others aspire to become large and powerful empires. But this is also a story of the individuals and organizations living in the galaxy; those bounty hunters or smugglers or psychics looking to add their name to history by any means.
All the while, a cosmic darkness, hungry for chaos and appeasement, grows in the thick shadows of the Galaxy's outer rim. Those looking deep enough into the Void know that, eventually, so too shall the Void will make its move.
This is "INTO THE VOID," a sci-fi nation sandbox narrative roleplay. You will play the role of one of many of galactic nations in the year 2801, ranging from those still reeling from the devastating War for the Outer Heavens, to the various splinter human nations still left, to younger alien empires and states struggling to make their foothold in the galaxy. Additionally, unlike most nation RPs, you can also play as an individual character or a faction aspiring to make a name for themselves in the galaxy.
I envision the world to be flashy but not glamorous; stylish but also not pretty. Technology in INTO THE VOID should be a bizarre mixture of bulky old-war cassette futurism and analog computers and sleek, high-tech modern sci-fi. Starships and stations are generally not grandiose in size but most are utilitarian, bulky, and beautiful in an industrial kind of way. Mysticism and conspiracies—especially involving the War for the Outer Heavens and Psionics, should also be commonplace. There is also room for political intrigue and exploration into unknown reaches. The world of INTO THE VOID is not grimdark, but it is also not very bright. The weak are not bound to survive unless they are smart about it.
I will function as the “GM”/“Director” and will provide different challenges and events for your nation, faction, or character to interact with.
This roleplay will be a bit more different and at times more experimental/weirder than most nation RPs, but there will be a plot to follow if you choose to. The lore is open-ended enough for a bit of wiggle room, within reason.
The galaxy of INTO THE VOID is incredibly vast and active, but only a few nations have ever lasted long enough to add their names to galactic history. Below are a sample of some noteworthy nations and factions for your inspiration, but this is not an exhaustive list of every major nation and faction in the galaxy. You are additionally free to roleplay as characters from the nations and factions on this list, but not the nations or factions themselves. More will be added to this list as time goes on.
Additionally, nations in INTO THE VOID will follow a Tech Level and Nation Type system. Below are the tech level equivalents and nation types. Tech Levels range from TL 0 to TL 10, with TL 11 being off-limits. Most nations will lie somewhere around Tech Level 7 to 9 and will be minor or regional powers. In your app, indicate which Nation Type and Tech Level your nation most closely follows. Please be reasonable and balance this, as some types and levels are restricted.
Psionics is an umbrella term referring to unnatural mental abilities that certain "psychically-sensitive" individuals possess, allowing them to utilize their mental power to manipulate the world around them and accomplish feats that can otherwise be written off as magic or impossible. Psionics are something which are very much documented and studied in the modern age, but are still very poorly understood. For example, for much of human history, psionics was thought of as pseudoscience and deemed impossible, while other nations' cultures are deeply ingrained in the study of psionics as a way of life. The Psychosphere—the collective psychic consciousness of the galaxy—is also something which is clearly documented but mostly misunderstood.
Psychically-sensitive individuals are "awakened" either through a very stressful event in their life or through the usage of invasive implants which can unlock their psychic abilities. Even rarer, some individuals are inexplicably born with psychic abilities at birth.
Psychics are incredibly rare in the galaxy. Among a population of tens of millions, there is most likely going to be only less than 1000 psychics present. Most psychics are Grade 1's and are unaware of the fact, but few can progress to Grade 2 with proper training and knowledge, and even fewer to Grade 3. All psychics possess some degree of natural intuition (perhaps suggesting a link between all psychics and the Divination Discipline) and seem to gain a strange indescribable "gut feeling" when in the presence of other psychics or when detecting psychic abilities. Two psychics working in tandem can amplify their abilities, although this requires a great deal of training and emotional chemistry between the pair. Additionally, a psychic is capable of "dispelling" another psychic's ability if he or she is close enough, but this requires concentration and can take a great mental strain on the psychic. Overuse of psychic abilities often causes blackouts, nosebleeds, migraines, and in severe cases, brain hemorrhaging.
Psychic individuals are graded on a scale of Grade 0 to Grade 5, with Grade 0 being those considered psionically "dead" or baseline normal, while Grade 5 are the most psionically powerful individuals, with excellent control and restraint over their psychic abilities. If there are perhaps a hundred psychics among a population of millions, there may only be one or two Grade 4's or 5's among the psychics. The stronger a psychic is, though, the more likely they are to be mentally unstable and experience bouts of megalomania or derealization, deeming themselves to be gods or going wild with full understanding of their power. It is widely considered that around Grade 4, a countdown begins before a Psychic expires, be it through self-inflicted accidents, brain hemorrhaging, suicide, or being killed by others.
Interestingly, psychics who travel in space through Strahl Drives often will have vivid nightmares of impossible geometry and unintelligible symbols, hinting at a possible connection between the Psychosphere and Strahl Drives.
Psychics are considered a taboo in a few galactic nations, and some outright ban psychics, deeming them witches or too dangerous for the public. The 44th Expeditionary Fleet has a marine detachment which specializes in eliminating psychics through counter-psychic technologies, and most galactic nations will have designated positions for psychics in their militaries or fleets for countering other psychics.
Psychic theory also classifies certain psychic abilities into five "Disciplines": Psychokinesis, Telepathy, Ergokinesis, Divination, and Biomancy. Most psychics lie in one of these 5 Disciplines, although it is not uncommon for others to know abilities from other psychic Disciplines, the most common of which being Psychokinesis and Telepathy. Psychic abilities are manifested in ways unique to the individual; the way in which one psychic may use telekinesis may look drastically different from another's. A psychic's natural intuition and "gut feeling" are shared among all psychic Disciplines.
In your character app, if you choose to have your character be a Psychic, please keep in mind that psychics are supposed to be incredibly rare. Only a certain number of Grade 4's will be accepted and even Grade 3's will be subject to scrutiny.
Please make sure to read the previous sections for context on other things. Please also understand the rules before you apply, as although I put as few mechanics into this as possible, there are still certain things you must follow before applying.