Email200505241552

To: Deus Ultionis mailing list
Cc: Eric
Date: May 24, 2005 3:52 PM
Subject: preliminary campaign setting and scheduling information

Hi everyone,

I have received numerous requests for campaign setting information. I have written up some basic, preliminary information. It outlines some of what has transpired between the events of Pax Artificium and the beginning of Deus Ultionis. There is a fair amount of technological progress detailed, but little political information. Have patience; more will come within a couple of weeks.

Anyway, below is what I have so far. Please respond with any questions or concerns you may have. Keep in mind that the information below is not 100% set in stone. Though unlikely to change drastically, certain details may be altered as necessary to serve people’s character concepts.

As for scheduling, I am planning to run one Saturday afternoon group and one Wednesday evening group like I did with Pax, with the third group on either Monday or Tuesday night, depending on what works for people. Thursday or Friday night is also a possibility for the third group, depending on what works for everyone, and on the status of Jason and Jon’s d20 games at the time.

The campaign will begin the first week of September, and will probably run until summer 2006 (~18 sessions). The first session dates depend on the day we choose for the third group, as follows:

Monday:

• Saturday, September 3rd at 2:00 pm
• Wednesday, September 7th at 6:30 pm
• Monday, September 12th at 6:30 pm

Tuesday:

• Saturday, September 3rd at 2:00 pm
• Wednesday, September 7th at 6:30 pm
• Tuesday, September 13th at 6:30 pm

Thursday:

• Saturday, September 3rd at 2:00 pm
• Thursday, September 8th at 6:30 pm
• Wednesday, September 14th at 6:30 pm

Friday:

• Saturday, September 3rd at 2:00 pm
• Friday, September 9th at 6:30 pm
• Wednesday, September 14th at 6:30 pm

Please respond with a list of days that work for you (your choices are MTWRF evenings or Saturday afternoons). Please list all choices that work, in order of preference, to make my job easier.

-Curtis

DEUS ULTIONIS

• On January 4th, 2034, the Voice of God radio station goes dead, magic floods into the world, and a new god is born.

MID 21ST CENTURY:

• Shortly after the events of Pax Artificium, Earth undergoes drastic upheaval as magic goes from myth to reality. Millions are discovered to be "mystics," people capable of channeling the mystic energy that has been restored to the planet, accomplishing miraculous, impossible things. The gift does not appear to favor race, nationality, or gender, but does sometimes seem to run in families.

• At first, there is great discrimination and bigotry against mystics. Some governments are so afraid of them that they hunt down mystics, either banishing or imprisoning them. Other governments and corporations know they can use them, and take steps to recruit them into their ranks.

• The work of Canadian scientist Dr. Dirk Phoenix is instrumental in the identification, tracking and control of mystics (he had invented sensor technology for recognizing mystics and magical non-humans).
• Rogue Canadian agent Shawn Frederickson, though apprehended by Phoenix for treason against the Canadian government, had discovered a formula for temporarily enhancing a mystic’s capabilities at the expense of control (and at great risk to the mystic’s life).
• Canadian agent Brutus Baxter (Frederickson’s superior) passed this formula on to American general Christopher Carter, whose agents then discovered another compound (its inverse) capable of muting a mystic’s abilities temporarily, or even disabling them completely.

• Over the next few years, these drugs begin to be used by the Canadian and US governments against mystics who cause trouble, and eventually knowledge of the drugs spread throughout the world.

• Also confirmed to exist around this time are other sentient life forms besides humans: the dwarves and gnomes living deep beneath the earth’s surface. Though initially spurned, the gnomish-dwarven monarchy is accepted into the United Nations–and eventually given a seat on the security council–when it becomes clear that they possess more rich natural resources than any other nation on Earth.

• It becomes known that some of the dwarves specialize in a secret "spellbreaker" technique that can combat mystics. Some governments make deals to train their military in this technique in exchange for undisclosed favors to the dwarven and gnomish peoples. Consequently, their country becomes even more powerful.

• Soon, another race appears (literally–they are simply there one day, claiming to have been asleep for the past 2000 years): a group of friendly little people affectionately dubbed halflings by the other races. Unfortunately, while they had once lived in burrows in hilly terrain, there are no appropriate places left for them to settle in peace, so they are forced to integrate into existing human cities. Such a mass immigration causes difficulties, and the halflings are not often welcomed. Many turn to crime to support themselves and their families (they have found they have a natural talent for theft and skullduggery).

• Everyone (especially corporations) soon discovers that keeping secrets is now very difficult. Not only can mystics use a techique known as divination to uncover hidden knowledge, but an algorithm discovered by numerologist Dr. Daniel Miller also unveils shocking truths on a variety of topics.

MID-TO-LATE 21ST CENTURY:

• Magitech is extremely controversial–it is known that they employ any mystics they can find, and shamelessly promote magic as the path toward the future. Their technology is nearly all magic-driven or magic-derived.

• Dr. Dana Arthur of Magitech has transferred herself into a robotic body, and becomes the first human with a totally robotic body. Over the years, she improves this technology, building more and more realistic human robots.

LATE 21ST CENTURY:

• Mystics are responsible for technology advancing faster than before, including a quantum leap toward genetic engineering.

• WWIII. Sociopolitical tension results in one country panicking and disregarding the principle of mutually assured destruction. Nuclear strikes are launched, but an elite mystic unit led by a "superhero" known as Speed Demon is able to prevent a nuclear disaster from occurring.

EARLY 22ND CENTURY:

• Magitech completes Luna, the first lunar city. The space elevator technology is improved, and several more are built in many of the world’s major cities.

• The city is much more advanced than Pax Artificium, and much, much larger. Constructed with an artificial atmosphere and spanning over 700 square miles, Luna was designed to support 20 million people.

• It is known that magic does not function on the moon for some reason. Scientists studying the phenomenon say that the moon is not laced with mystic energy the way that Earth is. Many speculate that mystic energy is unique to Earth.

• Dana Arthur’s research allows those dying of various causes to have their consciousness transferred into robotic bodies before death. This process is expensive, and at first only special cases and the wealthy can afford it. Magitech markets these robotic bodies as "soulmechs."

EARLY-TO-MID 22ND CENTURY:

• Magitech begins research into a technique for funneling mystic energy from the earth to the moon. After a few years, they deploy the mystic funnel, infusing the moon with mystic energy, but it does not last. Scientists learn that a given body’s gravitational constant determines how much mystic energy is required to create a self-sustaining, magic-infused system.

• After further analysis, Magitech tries again, recruiting thousands of mystics to funnel magic into the moon. This time it works, and the moon reaches a state of mystic equilibrium. However, using magic requires more effort on the moon (mystic effects are 1/6 as powerful, since the gravity is 1/6 as strong).

MID 22ND CENTURY:

• WWIV. Shortly after the moon is infused with mystic energy, there is another world war. More details of this war will be sent at a later time. Tentatively, the political fallout of this war results in the collapse of Magitech corporation.

• Yet another race makes its presence known: a strange race living with the dwarves and gnomes, said to be of "royal blood," called simply "the Royals" by the dwarvish and gnomish peoples. Although one rumor says they are crossbreeds of dwarves and gnomes, they do not appear to possess a mixture of gnomish and dwarven features. Rather, they are taller and thinner than humans, have bluish tinged skin and elongated fingers.
• The members of this race pursue science, and make progress toward genetic engineering goals as well as strides in artificial intelligence.

LATE 22ND CENTURY:

• The fruits of science are ripe, with all fetuses conceived in first-world countries being genetically treated to eliminate defects. For a price, more intensive treatments can be done to "enhance" the fetus in various ways.
• However, despite our in-depth understanding of the human genome, science has not determined why certain people are born mystic and others are not. There is much frustration, since it seems very likely to be hereditary.

EARLY 23RD CENTURY:

• Mystics are largely accepted and taken for granted, and thanks to the World Mystics Guild have become quite powerful. A class divide forms between mystics and "mundanes." Enmity between them increases, although the mystics are careful not to abuse their power enough to incite a revolt.

• Mystics have driven technological advancement for the past two centuries. Mystic energy has been used to invent and create the manufacturing technology necessary to produce other key technologies.

MID 23RD CENTURY:

• Artificial intelligence has come a long way. Computer algorithms have become advanced enough that the machines outstrip humanoid intelligence. However, no robot has been able to harness mystic energy, no matter how realistic his programming.

• Daniel Miller’s prophecy algorithm gives AIs who utilize it strange precognition abilities, and ever-growing bits of knowledge about the universe and its structure, adding to their already impressive computational abilities.

• Dana Arthur’s continuing robotics work allows these AIs to inhabit bodies virtually indistinguishable from real humans.

• This generation of soulmechs combines many of the best attributes of AIs and humans, such that human consciousness is brought to a new level. Some of the world’s most power mystics have transferred their consciousnesses into soulmechs, prolonging their dominance and further increasing their cognitive capabilities. No soulmech is quite as efficient as a pure AI, however, since it is impossible to fully integrate the artificial and natural intelligences into one consciousness.

• The AIs continue to push technology to new limits. With the help of the Royals, many of whom possess mystic (or, strangely, "anti-mystic") abilities, they produce a device capable of manipulating gravity itself.

• This gravitic technology allows mystic energy to be compressed within a small core, for later release. It is now possible to carry enough mystic energy far enough through space to infuse Mars with magic.

• With gravitic technology, near-light speeds are possible. Ships are sent to colonize far-off worlds, carrying mystic cores with them. Once magic has been infused on the target world, mystics can transport themselves back and forth instantaneously.

MID-TO-LATE 23RD CENTURY:

• Nanotechnology has advanced sufficiently that machines can heal themselves automatically, much as humans do, assuming they can find the correct raw materials to ingest. The applications of nanobots are countless.

• Ships have begun arriving at suitable colony points outside our solar system. These include low-gravity moons with little to no atmosphere that are ideal for mystic settlements, as well as the occasional planet.
• Once these locations are infused, mystics return to earth to report on the status of the colony. Supplies are transported back and forth as needed from earth, although the mass of goods able to be transported is severely limited.

LATE 23RD CENTURY:

• A group of reclusive druids known as Gaia’s Ancient Order offers to assist the various colonies in the creation of an arboretum on each colony. Each arboretum is enclosed in its own massive biosphere, with a "heart tree" at its center. This tree is heavily guarded by the druids of the Order.

EVE OF THE 24TH CENTURY:

• The year is now 2299, 265 years after the events of Pax Artificium. According to recent news, one of the outlying colonies has suddenly become unreachable, without warning or explanation. Mystics attempting to teleport to that location do not return. Divination about that location reveals nothing. And AIs taking advantage of the Miller algorithm cannot glean anything either…