Trusik
Since the dawn of recorded history, the Trusik have watched the world burn.
The Consortium has existed on Lyx since long before the First Cataclysm. In its infancy, they were merely corporations with significant political sway; when the world began to fall apart, the rich few rode out the chaos in their bunkers and safe houses, and waited for the dust to settle. They were the few who had any advance warning of the disaster- contingencies were set into place, and assets were set aside for the inevitable collapse. They waited. As the flames died down, they emerged into this new broken reality relatively unscathed.
The Lyx they returned to no longer existed- their holdings mostly devastated, the landscape twisted and treacherous, the old ways of governance and prosperity a dead dream of the past. So, they did what any corporation would do: mobilized their remaining assets to seize as much power as possible in the vacuum left by the apocalypse. The remnants of the military and civil engineering groups found themselves governed almost instinctively by chairmen with long-standing plans for rebuilding their nation.
In the brief window of time that money was still a relevant construct, the corporations bought the last holdings of the old world and began to develop. They quickly built the barest idea of a functional infrastructure, new housing for the displaced victims of the ordeal, and began relief efforts that brought more and more able bodies to support the centralized system that had sprung to life. The Trusik people had nowhere else to turn; here was the only salvation that seemed to exist, and most bought into the new order that rose from the ashes. In time, ruins were replaced by housing and facilities that somewhat resembled their idea of normalcy. As this new following grew and the restoration flourished, the Consortium became the major governing body in the plains- and soon stood as the only force strong enough to withstand the utter devastation that had brought the rest of the world to its knees.
And at its center, stood the Council- a cabinet of the wealthiest people from the old world, now de facto leaders of this new empire. Administrator Kellig, a CEO of the pre-cataclysm corporation, Valient Labs, became the voice of salvation, ushering the population into the future and reassuring those desperate for any hope they could find.
Slowly, their power returned, and a new paradigm of existence for the Trusik began to take shape.
HIGH COMMAND / WARRENS
The Council eventually held more power than its forebears. The Consortium needed an actual governing body- a role they easily stepped into, shaping the political structure to meet their needs. Trusik High Command was founded: an extrajudicial institution that immediately rolled out defense forces meant to keep the dangers of Lyx at bay. Walled colonies were built, housing thousands of displaced citizens and creating opportunities for them to work to rebuild society. State-sponsored farming operations sprang up to handle the hunger of the growing population. As the outside world pressed in, the Trusik pressed harder against it. They took on an aggressive stance toward their neighbors- everyone was a potential threat to their survival, and they would take no risks to compromise it. Every citizen was urged to enlist into military service, every citizen pressured to help repopulate the nation, every resource claimed and repurposed for the greater good, every new piece of technology seized as an asset to the Consortium. Voices of dissent were quickly dealt with; disorder was not to be tolerated, not with the matter of Trusik survival called into question. The division between those supported by the state and those who weren’t widened, and castes naturally formed around the ability for one to give back to their country. Those who did not cooperate, those who could not help to rebuild, those seen as less useful than their neighbors, became the new underclass. With a higher caste came luxuries the rest of society were not afforded. The walled cities became places of clear division between the well-off and the poor, and slums were built en masse to house the destitute. These ramshackle complexes of public housing became the Warrens- walled cities packed far too full and built far too cheaply and hastily to provide any sense of shelter. Administrator Kellig maintained power throughout the life of the Consortium. His body became housed by a biomechanical suit, keeping him alive well into the new age and seemingly unhindered by the aging process. He seemed effectively immortal in his augmentations, remaining the voice of the Council and the face of authority in the Warrens.Underground
The Warrens of the Consortium are miserable places of police brutality, poverty and hardship. Even the wealthiest Trusik citizens still eke out a difficult living in the slums, struggling to survive the dystopian conditions. The Trusik Underground is an undercurrent to this- a system of informants, smugglers and criminals in the Warrens who actively undermine Consortium law to make the living conditions of their brethren easier. They are expert navigators of the dilapidated maintenance tunnels under the cities, forming networks of safe passage for refugees and dissidents. They smuggle weapons and supplies under the nose of High Command, distributing them to those in need. No-one in the Underground expects any kind of profit; everything is done with the expectation to lessen the burden of those around them, many of whom may not get the medication or supplies they need without their services.
Members of the Underground are often rabbits who have grown dispossessed and have decided to take fate into their own hands. Perhaps they found the network by accident, as many who attempt to flee the Warrens do. Perhaps the Underground found them, who saw in them an ally with potential to do good work. Maybe they were a member of the military who was swayed to abandon rank and decided to actually help the society they once oppressed. Regardless, the network is a tight knit group of interconnected cells that tightly controls their data and plans, coordinating through encrypted physical drives and extremely limited secure VPNs. Most members are proficient with computers and machine use, knowing the best way to crack a system & dupe security cameras with limited tools. Everyone in the Underground is a survivor- someone who knows how to keep their hide intact in the draconian conditions of their environment. They work closely with the Insurrection, who often helps them establish supply lines and provides defense when the heat starts turning up.
Cells are never more than eight members, and each Cell has a “Number One” that conducts operations and assigns tasks. They operate independently, with limited communication with other cells for security purposes. Cells are generally adored by their communities, who see them as a light in the darkness that is living under the rule of High Command.
Unique Technology
Trusik Prisms are commonplace in the Consortium; the Trusik long ago reverse engineered artifacts from the Wild with scripts that wipe the nanites necessary for Activated Machines to achieve sentience and refined their construction to better serve their use. These Prisms are sets of nanite components that can be reconfigured into almost any form the user can think of - weapons, tools, vehicles and many other uses. Enough Prisms in the hands of a single user can be a huge combat advantage, and as such they are cautiously issued to military personnel. Trusik Dropship - car go fast VesselsCastes
Every Trusik citizen, regardless of age or status, is assigned a ranking in their society. Citizens can advance or fall in rank as their usefulness and dedication to the state are determined.- L0 - Highest tier government officials, with total impunity to do as they deem necessary.
- L1 - Military generals, high-ranking administration who still answers to a higher power.
- L2 - Commanders, Council members for Warren administration and public sector.
- L3 - Police, low-level officials.
- L4 - "Average citizen." Laymen and general populace.
- L5 - No guaranteed civil rights or amenities. Police do not answer calls at this level, only to prosecute.
- L6 - Prisoners.
Examples:
- Administrator Kellig - L0, absolute state authority.
- Commander Issac Valentine - L1, military general.
- Commander Josef Ambrose - L1, military general.
- Mara - L5, poverty-stricken lower caste.
Capital
Head of State
Government System
Corporatocracy
Power Structure
Unitary state
Economic System
Command/Planned economy
Currency
Trusik Credits
Official State Religion
Deities
Location
Occupied Territory
The Trusik have occupied Miu territory for about 80 years. The Trusik see the mice as resources, engineers they can easily keep under control. The Miu have a deep, fierce hatred of the Trusk.
Watchful yet neutral
Trusik tend not to think much of the goats of the Yagi clan- they merely see them as an oddity in the wastes. The Yagi, however, have wisely identified the Consortium as a threat, and treat them with appropriate apprehension.
Non-aggressive, do not interact
While the two do not typically outright fight one another, tension exists between the Amkha and Trusik. Neither faction is particularly fond of their neighbor. They are largely content to pretend the other doesn't exist.
Watchful yet neutral
High Command is extremely wary of the Koa and their Gargantua; they see them as a threat, but are frustrated by not being able to do anything about them. The Koa see the Trusik as potential threats, but have faith in their gods that they cannot come to harm from the Consortium.
Hated enemies
The Makari and Trusik despise each other equally. The Makari see the Trusik as an active threat to Lyx and attempt to undermine the Consortium at every opportunity; High Command knows this, and actively hunt Makari down when they enter Consortium territory.
Hated enemies
The Ibbek and Trusik have hated each other since they discovered they were neighbors. Skirmishes on the southern border of the plains are near constant, as the Ibbek repeatedly repel Trusik attempts at land acquisition.
Active Threat
High Command initiated the Huan Genocide, wiping out nearly all living members of the clan. The Huan have not forgotten this, and actively attempt to kill Consortium soldiers on sight.
Active Threat
High Command sees any Activated Machines as a threat to their dominion, and treats them accordingly. No Giyara exist within the Consortium, unless passing through or in disguise- their lives are in danger in Trusik territory.
Identified as Threat
High Command officially recognizes Solace and its Detached congregation as a threat; the liberated may convince their subjects they may also someday be free; and more than that, Solace is not easily controlled, even when one has been freed from the Hive. However, those liberated from Solace think very little of the Consortium; to them, it's another empire that will fall, just like the Hive.
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