Introduction
| “All the world's a stage, / And all the men and women merely players…” [As You Like It, William Shakespeare] |
Scaena Globus is a dour and muddy world, scarred by years of total war. Across the greater Galaxy, it is known colloquially as either Clown Planet, or Mime Planet, depending on one’s politics. Scaena Globus holds the dubious honor of hosting both the premier Clown College and the equally prestigious Mime College. Thespians and young aspirants from across the galaxy flock to this war-torn planet to hone their craft. Many stay behind, having become indoctrinated into the society of their patrons.
Geography
Largely similar to Earth in terms of geography, Scaena Globus is comprised of one mega continent, two smaller subcontinents, and multiple archipelagos. Sharing a solar day not dissimilar to Earth’s, Scaena Globus readily conforms to Galactic Standard Time. Scaena Globus’ surface is covered by approximately 60% water, although much of this supply has been tainted by excessive pollution. Originally a verdant and fertile world, home to many stunning vistas and biomes, nearly a century of total industrialized war has twisted Scaena Globus into a muddy expanse of bleak grays and browns. Pollution and environmental damage have drastically altered the planet’s weather cycle, resulting in an almost eternally cloudy sky. Rains are frequent, and often acidic, or otherwise toxic.
History
Foundation
In the year 2343, an enterprising colonial initiative launched off into the cold reaches of the Frontier. Composed of mostly Orion Confederation and Vikara Combine expatriates, these settlers were by and large societal outcasts; transgressive artists, political activists, and ideologues, all eager to establish a new life free from the antagonistic eye of their parent governments. To that end, the initiative spent several months combing viable candidates far from the borders of their homelands. After so much careful exploration, the colonists entered the bounds of the isolated Southwark system, where they chose to build their new refuge. Home to only one habitable planet - christened Scaena Globus by the colonists - the issue of finding a place to plant their roots was easily resolved. The founding colony - Will’s Rest - was functioning by the end of the second month.
By 2350, the planet’s sole colony had already ballooned into a number of cooperatives and communities. Although Will’s Rest remained the primary mining and logistical center for the people of Scaena Globus, the people writ large had jumped right into living in their idealized society, and for a time, it worked. The Bluespace Flicker of 2352 threw Scaena Globus into disarray. For a colony whose primary exports were largely luxury items like films and physical media, the disruption to inbound shipments was devastating. Famines swept the planet, machinery failed to receive vital replacement parts, and communications networks experienced frequent failures. The loosely connected archipelago of communities was forced to band together into larger groups. By the end of the flicker in 2354, two primary “Collectives” were all that remained of the planet’s formerly vibrant artistic communities: Columbia’s Company and Le Troupe du Marceaux.
The Flicker had ravaged Scaena Globus’ population. One in five of the planet’s inhabitants had died or gone missing during the period of upheaval, largely due to starvation or plague. Intent on righting the follies of their founders, the remaining residents of Scaena Globus engaged in a full-scale campaign to incentivize immigration. Still holding to their ideals of creating a haven for artists of every stripe, the people formed a group Consensus to oversee matters, instead of a larger governing body.
The Reign of the Consensus
Operating out of Will’s Rest, the Consensus divided its developed territories equally between Columbia’s Company and Le Troupe du Marceaux and mandated the foundation of the Colleges. Columbia’s Company became Columbina, the College of Comedy, and Le Troupe du Marceaux reformed as Le Rien, College of Drama. Determining that Columbina had a larger draw with outside of Southwark, the Consensus granted it the territories immediately surrounding Will’s Rest - stretching from the colony itself down to the Northern edge of the Gaire river. Le Rien, meanwhile, was granted those territories which had expanded down past the river’s southern border. Considering that these facilities were newer and more specialized, Le Rien found itself without much of the manufacturing power and infrastructure that Columbina would benefit from in the following years.
Regardless of these mild territorial concerns, the Consensus divided its resources evenly between the two colleges for decades. Serving as the primary selling point for attracting artisans and performers from across the Galaxy. Under the careful cultivation of the Consensus, the colleges would blossom into the planet’s primary draw. By 2390 they were considered the premier Institutions for the Education of the Arts in the known Galaxy. For nearly a century, the two Colleges operated in something approaching harmony. The Consensus remained a reliable and impartial arbiter between both sides, settling many disputes before they could become larger issues.
Unfortunately, over the years resentment between the two Colleges had only begun to grow. Le Rien, fully aware of its stunted growth and suboptimal development, blamed Columbina - who suffered no such difficulties. Columbina, meanwhile, found that the often humorless nature of those attending Le Rien clashed with their “harmless” practical jokes and pranks. Open conflict between the two colleges began to erupt in the streets. In 2413, the Consensus granted both Colleges the ability to police their own territories - a monopoly of force that had belonged only to the Consensus up until that point. Border disputes blossomed into open conflict as Le Rien tried to secure any resources that could help to boost their slow development - giving Columbina its first visions of future scarcity. In an attempt to alleviate these tensions, the Consensus and the Colleges gathered for the First Conclave. Drawing an arbitrary line around the planet - based largely on the initial borders drawn along the Gaire river - Le Rien was granted the “Southern” Hemisphere, and Columbina the “North”.
The next several decades saw much more development and growth for both colleges. As students arrived to learn, many of those who had graduated chose to stay on Scaena Globus instead of traveling out to spread their trade. With plenty of open land and a rich trade economy, the population of Scaena Globus exploded. With the Consensus now largely remanded to policing the global border, Columbina and Le Rien forgot their rivals and turned all attention inward.
The Discovery of Vaudium
A mining town on Le Rien’s side of the border made a startling discovery in the fall of 2466. Drawing an unidentified ore out of the earth, the College quietly began to study the material. In 2467, they announced their discovery at last: Le Rien had stumbled across an all new metamaterial, which they dubbed Vaudium. Study of the material quickly developed into an emergent field. Vaudium bore incredible implications for a wide array of manufacturing and technological fields. Initially happy to share this new resource with Columbina, Le Rien quickly became more wary and changed tack. Tightening their grip on the flow of Vaudium out of Le Rien, the College did its best to stifle Columbina’s own studies into the material. Unbeknownst to the Consensus or Le Rien however, Columbina had begun its own aggressive search for sources of the material - and had found them. Exploiting their stronger research and production infrastructure, Columbina began exploring military applications.
The Prank War/The Melancholy Occupation
From this secret arms race eventually came a disastrous conflict known as either “The Prank War of 2476” or the “Melancholy Occupation of 2476”, depending upon locality. Frustrated by Le Rien’s meddling and the Consensus’ perceived failures, Columbina launched a coup on April 1st, 2476. Seizing Will’s Rest, and with it the planet’s primary spaceport, Columbina declared its home city - Tartaglia - its capital. Crossing the Gaire river, Columbinan forces engaged the Consensus and Le Rien’s border guards in a devastating surprise attack. Battles raged across the planet for the next twenty seven years. Borders and cities changed hands daily. Those civilians who were able to flee departed as quickly as possible, but many remained trapped on the planet’s surface. Although the war raged across the rest of the planet, Columbina occupied Le Rien’s capital - Ville Silencieuse, for nearly the duration of the conflict. Le Rien petitioned many powers to come to its aid - including Megacorporations with whom they had business ties. Unfortunately, Columbina held ties with many of these same organizations - including NanoTrasen. Riding high on its initial studies into Phoron, NanoTrasen provided goods and technology to Columbina in return for preferential access to Vaudium.
In 2503, a counter attack led by well armed and organized Le Rien resistance fighters dislodged the occupying Columbinan forces. Driven back across the river at last, Columbina and Le Rien were compelled by external powers - primarily NanoTrasen - to meet at the table. After months of intense negotiation, an Armistice was signed on May 12th, 2504 which has been honored by both sides to this day.
Modern Day
For the last fifty years, the two powers on Scaena Globus have been locked in an incredibly unstable cold war. Open conflict is not uncommon across the planet still, as gangs and troupes flying beneath one banner wage proxy wars upon their counterparts. Shockingly, both Columbina and Le Rien still operate and advertise their Colleges - which remain mostly untouched. In spite of the tenuous situation on the planet itself, flocks of aspiring performers travel to Scaena Globus every year to begin their education.
Columbina
Home to the College of Comedy, Columbina is the reigning superpower on Scaena Globus. The seat of their power - Tartaglia - is a garish and brightly lit carnival city. Home to a never ending procession of fairs, balls, and parades, Tartaglia is a deafening and sugar sweet orgy of delight and humor.
Government & Religion
Ruled over by the ludicrously named Honktifex, Columbinans are a surprisingly pious people. Many claim to believe in a trickster deity known as the Honkmother, and see the city’s exuberance as a form of worship. In Columbina, pranks and practical jokes are considered the pinnacle of comedy. This is expressed through their national icon - the Banana. The utilization of bananas as props and gags has permeated Columbinan society so deeply that the icon has taken on nearly religious proportions - appearing on both the armor of the country’s peacekeepers and its temples and icons.
Military Disposition
To many outside observers, the Columbinan military may come across as comical, or goofy. However, many are veterans of the Prank War, and are more than willing to reveal just how deadly their concept of “pranking” can be.
Economic Information
Columbina’s primary exports to the rest of the Galaxy are educational. Prior attempts to sell military equipment, such as their H.O.N.K. mecha or proprietary ROF (Rapid Organic Fabricator) munitions systems, have been largely unsuccessful and decried by the galactic community at large. Columbina jealously controls the export of Vaudium from Scaena Globus, and has been known to dispatch covert kill-teams of highly trained commandos to stamp out Vaudium smuggling and associated “piracy” wherever they can find it.
Le Rien
The College of Drama stands out against the monolithic buildings of Ville Silencieuse. Monochromatic and still, there is a truly eerie silence to the aptly named Silent City. Those who are drawn to the Silent City are typically more thoughtful and conservative than their counterparts. On most nights, the colorful spotlights and noise pollution from Tartaglia carries on the wind across the river to Ville Silencieuse, though the sound itself never seems to make it into the city’s borders. This is thanks to the Invisible Wall - a powerful force field which surrounds the city itself. Constructed in the wake of the Melancholy Occupation, the field serves to insulate the City from the poisoned world outside.
Government & Religion
In contrast to Columbina, the people of Le Rien are largely agnostic, preferring to acknowledge a cosmic sense of Nothing. The eight authorities - meritocratically selected from the country’s best artists and researchers - form the Silent Council, Le Rien’s governing body.
Military Disposition
Unlike Columbina’s deceptively colorful military, Le Rien’s defense forces are hardened and humorless. Many served as guerilla fighters during the Occupation, and have mastered the arts of guerilla warfare and silent combat. These forces possess a disquieting ability to seemingly melt into the shadows, and have learned to move almost completely silently.
Economic Information
Columbina lacks access to an established spaceport, and suffers further from an unspoken orbital blockade maintained by Columbina. Although imports are not restricted, the country’s exported goods are frequently raided by Columbinan security forces to check for Vaudium. The inconvenience of this process has provided a chilling effect for all but the most dedicated of clients.
Vaudium
Vaudium is a rare metamaterial which naturally forms on Scaena Globus. As of the last galactic survey, there are no other known natural sources of this mineral. In its standard state, Vaudium presents an unassuming and rather bland figure. It exhibits no notable properties, beyond its striking yellow coloration. Vaudium’s true potential becomes apparent once it is processed. Unlike most minerals or ore samples, Vaudium may be processed in two different ways.
Bananium
When Vaudium is put into a furnace and smelted down, it melts into a thick, rubbery material known as Bananium. This material retains its brilliant yellow coloration, but gains some level of transparency. When layered, this transparency naturally dissipates. Bananium is incredibly flexible, with a texture akin to latex or springy rubber. The molecular structure of Bananium makes it an incredibly effective shock absorber, and an equally reliable insulator.
Silencium
When subjected to intense pressure and compressed, Vaudium hardens into a dense and sturdy mineral referred to as Silencium. During the process, the Vaudium loses its yellow coloration and instead shifts into a pattern of mixed blacks and whites. Silencium is brittle, but resilient. Extensive study has led to the conclusion that Silencium possesses some form of fractal trap, or absorptive ability that allows it to function as an incredibly effective sound dampener. This unidentified mechanism also grants the material great utility as a heat sink, not dissimilar to certain ceramics used in heat shields. ---
Author: Captain177