The Long Haul – Session Zero

The Long Haul – Session Zero

We had session zero last night and I’ve gotta say, I still don’t know exactly what session one will look like. Here’s some of the setting so far, though. Other than the Yeerk and Humans, each race was modeled after one of the ability scores.

Races

Humans: They are the scrubs of the galaxy and remain the most wide-spread once The Interface allowed them off their rock. Races use them as pets, breeding stock, experiments, or labor. It’s often thought by other races that a planet colonized by humans is either entertaining to behold, or a lost cause. In this way, humans have been used aggressively by factions, races, or clans as buffers against each other.

The Interface: Absolute/Dominant symbiotic AI that evolved from humanity’s first crude attempts at creation. As far as sci-fi references go, they’re somewhere between the Star League, TechnoCore, and Citadel in terms of attitude and function. While their true existence isn’t widely known or understood, their shadow government uses untold numbers of hosts from the other races to make the galaxy work toward their goals. They generally keep the peace, as well as enough outlets for violence between factions or races that it’s never turned toward the masters. Synthetics rule the galaxy, whether anyone knows it or not. The Sphere is the name of their government, and the seat of their power – at the center of the galaxy a massive Dyson Sphere operates as their own citadel and boasts a population of every species the size of several planets. The three Interface factions split along their lines when it came to decide their next move after leaving humans on their home-rock for several generations. The Sphere maintains order and chaos within tolerances across the galaxy, as well as the major jump points. The Stack is a mythical anti-organic faction that are only told as boogeymen, not as a real threat, and The Unbound exist in the very edges of the galaxy masquerading as humans or Dranesh exploring the unknown.

Dranesh: Evolved Weightless/Zero-G living, pheremone using humanoids. Bald and tattooed mystics and space wanderers and philosophers. They’re the most likely to use space magic, but even that is rare and mostly a myth thought up by ignorant humans. They speak to each other using subtle body language and pheremones but have to temporarily disable that bodily function when dealing with the other races. Only the Kraki are able to understand the pheremones without reciprocating with muddied and overwhelming signals themselves. The body odor from Vortai or Humans may as well be yelling gibberish at the Dranesh. They organize themselves in three factions; those violent revolutionaries that want to take back their home world, the majority that live in huge flotillas that slowly explore the galaxy, and a small sect of cultists that spread the word of an unknown star god.

Vortai: Evolved Giant Peter Dinklage Space Dwarves. They’re massive, patriarchal (usually taken to toxic extremes), and organize themselves in squabbling clans that at least sometimes listen to the most powerful clan in a time of need. Instead of ships they more often mine out asteroids and use them for clanholds and transportation. It’s better for everyone to keep Vortai separate. Before any contests of strength get out of hand.

Syrynns: Beautiful unisex androgynous and bio-luminescent humanoids. They use DNA borrowed from skin contact made with the other races to fertilize the eggs they’ve previously laid. Originally they came from one planet and the lack of genetic diversity led to them basically cloning themselves – so they had to reach the stars, and quickly. As a result, most Syrynns still look very similar. They are the most successful politicians and leaders, and use that role to ensure enough peace in the galaxy to allow for easier access to genetic material. Second most populace after Humans.

Kraki: Xeno Space Fireflies. They can survive in space, use antennae to broadcast, and can perceive other bands visually (or electrically). Their society is a meritocracy that eschews family bonds in favor of intellect, productivity, and benefit to society.

Yeerk: Ascendant Symbiotes ripped from Animorphs. The Interface use them as a prison sentence; instead of incarceration or death, prisoners become unwilling hosts and live out the rest of their days helpless while the Yeerk use their bodies for the betterment of society.