Victoriana
The space elevator plummets towards the planet. he gleaming ecumenopolis of Victoriana stretches to-and-beyond the cerulean horizon. Towering ranges of skyscraping city scrawl across the landscape before being fading into the blue film of distant atmospheric haze. Across all the land between is a great garden landscape of farmland and township built from efficient structures and embellished over time with the affectations of the cultures within.
I dare say just laying my eyes on Victoriana has given me an answer as to what all Sophonts can accomplish when we place even a fraction of our minds to it...
Making a Victorianian
Victoriana is a world of corporate pillars stretching to the sky, carefully planned super-structures amidst an alien landscape.
Victoriana is a planet born of efficiency and dedication to one's craft. That dedication shows in the architecture and city streets, great machinery as tall as a building working in tandem all the while thousands of people travel to their next calling. Having fled both Jhoutai's Pact and influence Eden's Church influence, Victoriana had the privilege of starting from a blank slate and so sees itself as the natural evolution of society. Whether or not it is, depends on who you ask and if they like their job.
All of Victoriana is divided into corporate holdings. When you grow up, you find out what you want to do, and who you do it for. The company you work for determines where you stay, what rules you live under, and what you are afforded.
Those who don't work for companies live on the Safety Net. Victoriana is a hub world, so even those who live on the Safety Net have a roof over their head and food in their stomach.
The better a job you do, the better your life becomes. Innovation is rewarded with wealth. If you fail to innovate though, you may find yourself stuck at the bottom of the ladder. It can be a mundane life, something which can be escaped if you want to take the risk.
Where do you stand on the ladder?
I have perched myself high up on the ladder. How I got there, is a story in itself. Victoriana has been a generous home, where I am rewarded for what I do. There is always more to be done though, and even the best road can still have sharp turns.
I have found a place in Victoriana life, it's not all team-builders and happy thoughts. Some days are tough— long, thankless. Most days are just fine though, I am paid enough to be comfortable, and spend a bit here and there. There's definitely a better opportunity out there though.
Life is tolerable at best, torture at worse. I live off the Safety Net, or have managed to find myself in the bottom rung of a corporate ladder. My food is bland, I live in a musty studio, and barely anyone knows my name. I need to find a change, something needs to happen.
Rukta is the currency of Ethnis. It separates the haves from the have-nots.
Exceptional
Being on the top requires being memorable.
Nerve is one of your favored Attributes.
You start with a SysTome
Fulfilling a Mantra restores 2 Sanity and uses up the Mantra until your next downtime.
Choose one of the following and gain it as a Mantra for your character.
When you are at the top, there's a lot of people looking to push you off.
Efficiency is akin to godliness.
Small mistakes can take down big ideas.
What is your career?
You work at the top of the ladder, or at least the top of the ladder hears you. While you are able to afford all the luxuries that hub world living can give, that comes with becoming one with your position. Communication is a all-day job, and working with everyone from employees to customers at the top level is a constant waterfall of stress. Alone time is a rare luxury.
Nerve or Acuity is one of your favored Attributes.
Start with the following:
- Gossamer Vestaments
- Flechette Pistol
- A PopPack(5) of Swing
Technology and Progress are integral to the Syndicate's success. You contributed to both through your job as an Senior Engineer. Others sought you out to listen and learn your experiences and knowledge. The pay was fantastic, but the work never ceased. The constant pressure to perform weighed heavily on your shoulders.
Acuity or Reaction is one of your favored Attributes.
Start with the following:
- Searing Brand
- Machinist's Toolkit or Genesculptors Toolkit
- Orga Material (20) OR Mecha Material (20)
Life at the top has never been safe, but enough money can put up a good shield. You were part of someone elses defense, taking great pay to ensure that someone else did not become the target of espionage or worse. Working as a bodyguard required being exceptionally quick and reactive to any potential threats.
Upper Body or Lower Body is one of your favored Attributes.
Start with the following:
- Flywheel Mace
- Box of Genazine Sachets (10)
- Kinetic Sling
Average
Living in the hustle and bustle of Victoriana requires brains to stay ahead.
Acuity is one of your favored Attributes.
You start with a Pack (20) of Stim Cigs
Fulfilling a Mantra restores 2 Sanity and uses up the Mantra until your next downtime.
Choose one of the following and gain it as a Mantra for your character.
Never ignore new ideas and concepts.
I am as strong as the team I work with.
Practice your job so it doesn't become just a passion.
How do you make ends meet?
For every successful company, there are thousands if not millions of people propping them up. You were one of those nameless people. You pushed hard in your job, and whether or not you liked it was a frequent topic between you and your manager. Whatever career you held, you did it well and worked with enough people to earn a respectable living.
Nerve or Reaction is one of your favored Attributes.
Start with the following:
- Portable Cooking Kit
- Hunter's Knife
- Orga Material (20) OR Mecha Material (20)
Meta is the least used of the tech clades on Victoriana, but that meant Meta Casters are low in numbers. Working as a Caster can involve anything from working on new technology to serving as an Auric mage. Either option paid well enough. You found your career amongst the casters, serving your company with your meta.
Metaphysics is one of your favored Attributes.
Start with the following:
- Psiolic's Wand
- Meta Cask
- Case of Adrenalol Inhalers (6)
You made your wage working for corporate security. The job required being both the emergency responder and mediator of disputes, while being able to subdue anyone who got out of hand. It required strength, and loyalty. While neither were infallible, you kept yours up long enough to make a good living.
Reaction or Vitality is one of your favored Attributes.
Start with the following:
- Shock Baton
- Kinetic Sling
- Reliable Plating
Unsatisfactory
Surviving at the bottom of Victoriana requires being able to withstand great stresses.
Vitality is one of your favored Attributes.
You start with Portable Cooking Kit
Fulfilling a Mantra restores 2 Sanity and uses up the Mantra until your next downtime.
Choose one of the following and gain it as a Mantra for your character.
Don't waste any opportunity to gain capital.
Never trust someone by their smile alone.
Stress is part of life, what does not break me, makes me stronger.
How do you survive?
I was stuck in the pits of the corporations. A dead-end chain of jobs that no one bothered to automate yet. It was miserable, it barely fed me, and my job shifted so much that my entire management chain changed over lunch hour a few times. In order to stay above the Safety Net, I had to learn to be quicker than my peers.
Acuity or Reaction is one of your favored Attributes.
Start with the following:
- Pack (20) of Stim Cigs
- Orga Material (20) OR Mecha Material (20)
- SysTome
My previous title was not the most savory one. I worked in the Syndicates seedy underbelly. Organized crime was rampant in a world where capital is king. Loan sharking, protection rackets, laundering, smuggling. There is plenty of ways to make a dirty buck on Victoriana, as long as you keep your cool.
Reaction or Nerver is one of your favored Attributes.
Start with the following:
- A PopPack(5) of Swing
- Camo Harness
- Livestream Comm
There were two ways to be an artist in the Syndicate, I could work for corporations and make propaganda, or I could work on my own and hope someone likes it enough to throw money at it. I went the second route, and I did not get many takers. Pursuing my passion was my full time job.
Nerve or Metaphysics is one of your favored Attributes.
Start with the following:
- Livestream Comm
- Portable Cooking Kit
- Pack (20) of Meyfar
Updating your Sheet
You have chosen your origin. If you are satisfied with your selection, write down your chosen items in your inventory, and make a temporary note of your favored attributes—they will be important to the next step of character creation.
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