Coriolis in a Nutshell

  Coriolis – The Third Horizon is a role-playing game set in space. There are ships, space stations and starry vistas, just like in any other space-themed RPG. What separates Coriolis from other sci-fi RPGs is first and foremost the social environment, which in Coriolis is strongly inspired by the Middle East. The unique features of the game are listed below.  

Arabian Nights - In Space

  The Coriolis world is inspired by Middle Eastern culture rather than the Western one. Food, music and fashion, as well as religion, philosophy and literature. Most importantly, myths and folk tales from the Middle East deeply entwine with the spirit of the game world. The Third Horizon is a world where ancient myth meets high technology.  

The Old Versus the New

  A central theme to Coriolis is the conflict between the Firstcome, the Horizon’s earliest settlers, and the Zenithians, descendants to the second wave of colonists arriving on-board the Zenith. Although the Firstcome had already established their culture throughout the Horizon when Zenith arrived, the Zenithians have grown to dominate more and more in the last decades, through trade, hostile expansion and colonization. The Zenithians’ cultural imperialism is a key factor in the conflict between the Consortium – a Zenithian faction – and the Firstcome Order of the Pariah.  

Mysticism and Icon Worship

  Worship of the Icons permeates everything in the world of Coriolis. The religion is the smallest common denominator for peoples of the Third Horizon. While faith is strongest with the Firstcome, especially so among the ranks of the Church of the Icons and the Order of the Pariah, the recently arrived Zenithians have too converted to worshiping the Icons in large numbers. The level of religious commitment varies, from the superstitious hauler crew praying to the Traveler before a portal jump, to missionaries zealously devoted to the holiest of struggles, saving the Horizon one soul at a time.  

The Dark Between the Stars

  The omens have foretold it, and the clergy have preached it for a long time now: the Dark between the Stars – the unspeakable, corrupting force at work in the intersection between civilization and the endless nothingness of space – seems to be real. In Coriolis, the Dark between the Stars plays roughly the role of the Devil in Earth’s Christianity.  

---

  Almost all of the setting details and artwork in this World are taken from the excellent Coriolis: The Third Horizon roleplaying game published by Fria Ligan (check it out). All credit is given to them.