Guide to Solaris
by Annie Stein
Welcome to Solaris, traveller! Let me get you up to speed.
Solaris is a soft science fiction webcomic set in our own universe, kind of. Learn more by continuing to read, or click here to be taken to the comic.
Q:Where am I?
You're still in the system known as Sol. Except this time each planet is habitable and developed its own life. The people are humanoid, mostly.
Q:I heard something about a comic?
Oh yes! The main comic is still in development, but you can read the first few pages of Little Blue if you click here.
by Annie Stein
Q: Where are we?
We are in Sol in the year of 220022. I think you're familiar with this solar system. Except here the outer planets aren't just balls of gas, and there's life on each and every planet. These lifeforms developed independently, and met each other during the Early Spacefaring age. No need for a history lesson though. Let me give you a quick rundown of each planet, and the humanoids native to them.
Q: What's going on?
What isn't going on? The Sun turned on us! It is sending out legions of Scourge. We thought it was over when the Keystone of Mercury sacrificed herself to chain the sun, but it started up again just a few years later. Thank heavens for Penumbra!Q: What's a Keystone?
Each planet choses a person, typically a woman, and imbues her with part of their power. In the ancient times people worshiped them as gods. We don't do that anymore, except maybe on Jupiter, but even there she's more like head priestess than, you know.Current Events
1. Sol has turned on its own system. The angels who once guided humanity are now Scourge hellbent on destruction. The sustained collaboration of the planets has, for now, succeeded in containing the fight to Mercury.
2. The last Keystone of Mercury sacrificed herself to chain the Sun and contain the invasion. She left no known heir, and with the majority of the population seeking asylum all across the solar system finding the next Keystone may prove to be quite the challenge.
Q: Where should I start?
Our story begins on Mercury. Penumbra is holding the Solar Invasion back, but not making any progress towards ending it. To aid Penumbra, Neptune has sent one of their Sentinels. Sentinels are individuals who are recruited to defend the Sol system against outside threats. Sentinels sacrifice everything by honing themselves into weapons. This is the first time one has been deployed to defend against an internal threat.Main Characters
Q: What is Penumbra?
Penumbra is the military base on Mercury. It's ran by the ISDC, the Interplanetary Solar Defense Council. They fight off the Scourge. Penumbra is not a permanent base. It's nomadic, they need to keep migrating because the days of Mercury are boiling hot, while the nights are far below zero. To stay safe, they travel along the twilight.Q: Where next?
The world is your oyster. Find a link that intrigues you, and go explore. If you'd like a random suggestion, use the random article generator below this article. If you want to see what I've written recently, look no further than the navigation bar. This will be on the side of your screen on desktop or under the button labelled on mobile.Learn more about Solaris: About Solaris · Meta
Explore the Categories: Inner World · Outer World · Appendices · Spacecraft Index
Tags and Organisation: Tag Overview · Index A-Z
Page 04
This article is a stub . It will be expanded upon later.
Chris L
Great stuff and a wonderful layout. So cool to see how your world(s)building is progressing!
My world and three articles have been nominated for World Anvil's Worldbuilding Awards 2022. Please look over the candidates and I'd love your vote if you like my work!
Annie Stein
Thank you so much!