Coreworlds

Coreworlds refers to all the habitable bodies within the Sol System.

The Coreworlds are the cradle of humanity, the first steps out of the oceans into the sea of stars: but whatever natural splendour they once had is now overshadowed by the dense populations.

The Coreworlds refer to the planets, moons and asteroids populated by mankind within the Sol system. Space is undeniably huge, and the distance between stars was not always an easy, fast or safe journey. Man’s first colonies on the Moon, then Mars and beyond were chosen because of the ease: the distance from Earth to the bodies orbiting the Sun was relatively easy to cross at the time. As the population exploded, it became difficult to colonise more and more places, and so the cities of Sol grew upwards and outwards, into sprawling metropolises.

Even in the present day, the cities and their people remain. The people of the cities are well adjusted to dealing with others and are much more use to using their mental faculties then their physical to solve problems, with the prime exception of crime which runs throughout the cities. With such dense population comes poverty however, and with that comes crime. Rooting out the organised crime bosses and even the petty criminals can become difficult, when they can disappear into a crowd of literal millions.

The nature of the cities of the Coreworld varies greatly: while each is dense, they achieve it through different methods. Some choose verticality, cities growing into the sky, often around space elevators. Others spread outwards, with no issues of borders. Many of the smaller moons and asteroids have artificially created atmospheres, the more run down of which suffer from pollution and the like while others have perfectly regulated air. Cities on the Martian surface and beyond are often encapsulated in huge shielded dome, within which a world not unlike old Earth is created. Regardless of the nature of their home, most Coreworlders experience a roughly similar life, leading to common traits, desires, hopes and dreams. Sadly, the dense population is hard to track, and education tends to be sporadic in the Coreworlds, despite the USR’s immediate presence.

Coreworlders can live content lives, earning enough for a comfortable living filled with enough luxuries to not prompt further action. Some fall prey to the curiosity and sense of adventure which prays on all mankind, been inspired to leave the Coreworlds behind. Others leave to have a new freedom which the cities cannot provide, and others merely leave in hope of a better life somewhere else.

Discovery and Exploration
During pre-history, the Sol System was not acknowledged to exist by most of humanity, or simply believed Earth to be the center of the universe, the celestial bodies seen as divine of ethereal objects which moved through the sky. Since the time of the Greeks however, this perception was challenged. The invention of telescopes further allowed observation of the universe.

In the 20th century, exploration of the system was begun by spacecraft, both manned and unmanned, and humanities first landing on another body took place. Further developments in technology allowed more and more bodies within the system to be identified.

Early Expansion Era
The first interplantery colonisation project was launched in 2042, landing on Mars two years later. With early successes, colonization projects were expanded and soon, with the help of basic terraforming technology, humanity had spread over many of the Coreworlds.

With the Final World War in 2094, colonization efforts were expanded greatly.

The Council Era
Following the Final World War, a council of the many colonized bodies was created, which lead further interstellar expansion efforts, along with the development of the larger colonies to levels equal to those of Earth before it's destruction. Several bodies were earmarked for the greatest amount of expansion, such as Mars, Phobos, Ganymede, Carpo and Titan. With the combined efforts of the many colonies, cities were quick to expand and a new prosperous era was reached.

Over 200 years, the expansion and building began to slow. With many of the easier bodies colonized, further resources became limited and the Council began to factionalise. In 2231, the ASRR detonated an atomic warhead on Carpo, the final trigger of the Solar War.

The Republic Era
The Republic which rose to power after the Solar War was quick to begin repair on the damage wrought by the Solar War. Progress was at first slow, however with the development of Trans Gates the USR was quickly able to bring in large amounts of resources to help the rebuilding. With the easier access to the interstellar locations, tensions within the system eased greatly. With resource issues becoming relieved, space became the only premium within the system.

Coreworlder Skills
Over the centuries, Sol has developed an unstructured language which mixes many of the old Earth languages together into a unified whole, of sorts. Coreworlders gain the Speak Language (Sol) (Int) skill.

Coreworlder Traits
Accustomed to Crowds: Coreworlders grow up surrounded by literal million, packed into a space the level of which is unseen in the rest of the universe. Benefit: Crowds do not count as Difficult Terrain for Coreworlders, and when Running or Charging through a dense crowd, Coreworlders take no penalty to the Agility Test to keep their feet.

High Technology: Technology often comes into use in the Coreworlds before they do any other place, and those who live there are use to a level of technology uncommon in other places. Benefit: Coreworlders treat the Tech Use (Int) skill as trained.

Detached from Nature: Living amongst civilisation and all its technology often creates naivety as to the true nature of the stars. Penalty: Coreworlders take a -10 on all Survival (Int) tests. In addition, they suffer a -5 Int penalty while away from the basic amenities of civilisation.

Wary: Poverty breeds crime, but not all Coreworlders are criminals: still, they learn to look out for the signs of trouble. Benefit: All Coreworlders gain a +1 benefit to initiative rolls.