Burning Empires: Nova Sparta

Nova Sparta

Nova Sparta – once a bulwark in the defense of the empire, now a world in decline. Leased to the Merchant League, protected only by a gaggle of fractious religious cults, it stands on the border directly in the path of the Vaylen. Soon ownership of the world will be decided – will its people manage to rally and defend their world, or will it fall to the Vaylen forever?

The Campaign

Characters

Figures of Note

1. CAO Yezod Hershwitz of the Merchant League (V)
2. Boss Gavin St.Vier, heir and capo of the local crime lord (H) (Player withdrew from the game)
3. Hammer Captain Inquisitor Minerva Yordanova (H)
4. Shadowy Vaylen Commander (V)
5. Cotar Ardares Ara Muphrid (V)
6. Board Member Christoph Tierny (H)

Other Characters

• Inquisitor Adamo Boniface of the Mundus Humanitas (player character, H) (Player withdrew from the game)
• Primarch Jeazamor Enjenai (Church of the Resplendent Selfplex)
• Cotar Fomas Venan Kesling (Order of the Seventh Question)
• Sodalis-Captain Edra Launtro (Order of the Seventh Question)
• Montmorency, Tierny's assistant
• Servius Quinctius Mahavir, Archcotare of the Temple of Triyuginarayan (Order of the Seventh Question)
• Cotar Fomas Laertes Quinn, Ara Muphrid's trusted second-in-command

Relationship Chart

Figure:	What They Think of:
	League CAO Hershwitz	Boss St.Vier	Inquisitor Yordanova	Vaylen Commander	Cotar Ardares Muphrid	Tierny
League CAO Hershwitz	—
Boss Gavin St.Vier	Hate	—	"Family"	?	Hate	Neutral
Inquisitor Yordanova	Mistrust/ Respect	Cautious truce	—	?	Deep anger	Argue religion...
Vaylen Commander	?	?	?	—	?	?
Cotar Ardares Muphrid		Hate		?	—
Christoph Tierny	Mentor	Wary	Useful ally	?	Needs to be replaced	—

Nova Sparta

A thousand years ago the rulers of human space identified the system that would become known as Nova Sparta as being located in an area key to the region's defense. The might of human technology tamed the world, made it a place where men could live in comfort, stripped it of its resources, and constructed mighty military bases. From Nova Sparta the sector fleet drew support against the great unknown across the borders of known space. By the time of the Hanrilke Empire, the borders of known space had expanded, and the sector fleet served as a deterrant against piracy, rebellion, and heresy.

But now the borders of human space have contracted once again, pushed back by the relentless Vaylen. The Hanrilke Empire is no more, and humanity has fractured into warring empires, so intent on one another that they ignore the common threat to them all. Nova Sparta became part of the Karsan League, but as borders shifted, its strategic importance was reduced - though still an important military production world, it no longer had the value it once held. Construction contracts began to dwindle, and many of the vast orbital factories fell dormant.

Then came the Vaylen invasions of 579 HE, all along the Karsan League border. Early in 580 a large Vaylen fleet appeared in Nova Sparta and attacked the production facilities. Nova Sparta's economy was devastated, never to recover. Although the Karsan League was eventually able to drive back the Vaylen invaders, Nova Sparta now stood on the fringe of League controlled territory, a damaged world, vulnerable to future attacks.

Somewhere, high up in the League hierarchy, it was decided - Nova Sparta was lost. It was only a matter of time. Holding the world would cost more than losing it would, and it was time to salvage what was useful from the planet before it was lost forever. Nova Sparta was put under the control of the Merchant League, ostensibly to facilitate reconstruction and foster trade, but in reality to claim whatever could be gotten from the planet before the Vaylen returned to take it and its people as its own.

It's now 597 HE.

Planetary Information

Nova Sparta Planetary Web (click for larger view)

GALACTIC LOCATION: Karsan League (Outworld) Nova Sparta sits at on the border of the Karsan League, facing out into the void and Vaylen space. Formerly a hub of military manufacturing and trade, it has seen its manufacturing facilities destroyed, and most of its trade routes wither. Now few ships come to call, and those that do take away more than they bring to the planet.

The planet itself is 69% water, with a broad range of geographic conditions and a human breathable atmosphere.

Technologically, Nova Sparta was once High Index, but since the Vaylen attacks destroyed much of its heavy industry, it has fallen to Low Index, and is likely to fall further unless something is done.

The planet is currently under the direct authority of the Merchant League, who oversee the planetary government and economy in the name of the Karsan League. Ultimate authority rests with the Regional Board overseeing League interests in the sector, but members are located off-world and have little day-to-day influence over governance of the world. The highest ranking League member on planet is the Chief Administrative Officer. The CAO is supported and assisted by several committees and commissions created on an as-needed basis by the League. There are currently two Standing Committees supporting the CAO - the Defense Committee, which oversees the defense of Nova Sparta against the Vaylen, and the Industrial Reconstruction Oversite Committee, which oversees the rebuilding of Nova Sparta's industrial infrastructure. In theory both of these committees have authority equal to that of the CAO and can even overrule him within their area of expertise. In fact the Defense Committee came into existence primarily to see to it that the various cult groups brought on planet were equipped with League supplied weaponry, and the Industrial Reconstruction Oversite Committee exists primarily to keep Nova Sparta's economy from collapsing entirely while the League reaps what profits it can.

Beneath the CAO are heads of various planetary departments - administration, financial services (banks), engineering (construction), protective services (police), community services, etc. Below these are various offices which oversee particular subservices within their field. For example under the department of medical services there would be offices of acute care, disease control, emergency medical services, medical research, medical technology, etc. Below these are regional branch offices which in turn oversee local service providers. At the local level most services are contracted out to licensed individual providers.

With the breakdown of League authority numerous factions have risen to claim their share of power on Nova Sparta - these include:

• Cult Churches: When the League took over Nova Sparta, they decided to import labor to fill in what they perceived to be gaps in the planetary infrastructure. To save money, they scoured Karsan League space for refugees from losing wars and inquisitions, and brought them to Nova Sparta. Many of these cults were placed in charge of local or regional defense (they had already been fighting wars on Leage planets, so they were trained and armed) They now fill a variety of roles on Nova Sparta, from local police forces to regional armies. Various cults received military contracts from different League suppliers, so their equipment and training are not uniform. The cults generally work poorly together, and squabbling over jurisdiction is common - sometimes erupting into small scale military actions. Known cults on Nova Sparta include:
  • The Order of the End of Knowledge
  • The Order of the Seventh Question
  • The Church of the Resplendent Selfplex

• Organized crime: the great dissimilarity betwen cults means that items that are legal in one place may be forbidden in another. In addition, the League is more interested in what it can take off Nova Sparta than what it can import. Add to this the fact that the effectiveness of law enforcement varies greatly from one place to another, and opportunities for organized crime are many.

• Psychologist Foundation: a leftover from the days when Nova Sparta was great, the Circle of 10,000 still maintains a small facility on the planet. At present they hold themselves aloof from the current political infighting and economic turmoil that has engulfed the remainder of the world, preparing themselves physically and mentally for when they are needed most.

• Slaves and serfs: slavery and serfdom are both relatively new to Nova Sparta, a product of the economic collapse that followed the Vaylen attacks. Those who have fallen the furthest in the economic decline remember better days, at least as described by their parents. Unrest is common among the lowest of the low, and has actually managed to wrangle a few concessions from the Merchant League (slavery is a regulated commodity on Nova Sparta - it isn't much, but it's something)

• Indigenous life forms: terraforming of Nova Sparta did not completely eliminate the original flora and fauna. With the decline in the planetary economy, no resources are being spared to continue to suppress it, and strange life forms are beginning to appear, particularly in the planet's oceans.

The landwehr is no more. The military is made up of the ragtag survivors of literally dozens of planetary cults, religious heresies, and faith-based rebellions that have been culled from worlds of the Karsan League and beyond and given land grants in return for service. Cult sizes run from small groups who might oversee the policing of a single small town, to regional armies controlling a continent, and may be poorly equipped with outdated rifles or have access to assault shuttles and hammer patrol ships, depending on their wealth, resources, and contacts with League arms merchants. Although this system has been in place for years, low level infighting between groups is constant, as weaker cults are absorbed or destroyed by more powerful groups.

Planetary attitude towards the Vaylen is best described as paranoia. Although much of the planet's infrastructure was damaged or destroyed by a Vaylen attack, there were never any large-scale invasions of the world. Few people have ever actually encountered a Vaylen, though evidence of their existance is all around in the form of bombed factory complexes and shattered orbital construction yards. The League, for its part, has been more interested in maintaining the appearance of a good defense than actually providing one, and does little to screen or quarentine, and had spared no effort to educate the people on the Vaylen threat. Thus there are many incorrect beliefs about the Vaylen and how to defend against them. Suspicious behavior has led to the formation of lynch mobs and riots in the past.

The economy of Nova Sparta has not recovered from the Vaylen attacks, and it is unlikely that it will unless new policies are put in place. Current primary exports are low index refined goods - mostly parts for higher index items that the League manufactures on other worlds. Import/export regulations are moderate, and there is only a basic quarantine in effect. Regulated items include immigrant labor, slavery, recreational drugs, and music.

Phases: Disposition and Figures of Note

Vaylen			Human
Infiltration	Usurpation	Invasion	Infiltration	Usurpation	Invasion
27	28	23	20	23	30
Ara Muphrid	CAO Hershwitz	Vaylen Commander	St.Vier	Thierny	Yordanova

Resources

• Iron Empires Glossary
• Burning Empires acronyms list

Curses in the Iron Empires

• "Kahn's Blood!" (Karsan curse.)
• "Lahk's Blood!"
• "Martyrs!"
• "Prophets!"
• "Screwed tighter than a Karsan whore." (Kurdus curse)

Other Colour Links

Names 

• Kate Monk's Onomastikon - A dictionary of names
• Seventh Sanctum Name Generators - Many useful random name generators
• DADA's Little Baby Namer - Let the magic of Surrealistics™ aid you in the search for the perfect baby name!
• What's in a Name? - Six authors discuss how to choose spec-fiction names

Stars 

• Star Names - Commonly known star names and their definitions in the Western tradition, grouped by constellation
• 3-D Starmaps
• and Laureline]
• Cockpit: Valérian and Laureline - Flash site
• Trill - Don't the Trill and the Vaylen have a lot in common?