game:Divergence
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Introduction
"Divergence is a science fiction game hoping to make it's mark in a genre bloated and dominated by fantasy-based mmorpgs, with dozens of innovative and controversial features.
Stainglass Llama is a small software development company with a single mission; to create THE definitive go-to game for all sci-fi mmo enthusiasts, built around what the players want to see in their game. We believe it's about time a development company actually listen to the subscribers, and we come to see that the deed is done.
At Stainglass Llama, our developers have a strong relationship with our potential customers and propose the question, "What features do you want to see in a new sci-fi mmorpg?" and go from there."
Races
Aldulan
The Aldulan are a humanoid race from a world orbiting the same star as the Lokri world. Intelligent life on the Aldulan world evolved from marine mammals, rather than land-based creatures. Having left the oceans long ago, the Aldulan walk erect, but still carry vestigial characteristics of aquatic life. Physically, they were described by human settlers as "a cross between dolphins and horses, if such a thing exists."
The Aldulan are a peaceful race with inquisitive minds, and due to their dispassionate nature, are the only known race among sentient life to have never experienced a period of religious dominance.
Aldulan seem to lack the mental capability of murderous intent, and do not kill one another or quarrel. Their world is a superplanet nearly the size of their sun, with a constant mean yearly temperature pole- to-pole of 70 degrees. Their world's oceans have lacked scarcity to a degree that competition for resources has never truly entered their cultural psyche. Their world has no codified immigration procedures and is open to all who wish to experience it.
Nearly all societies have mythology revolving about an untouched paradise. Humans call it "Eden", but by any name, the Aldulan world is a near-perfect manifestation of the mythology. Many wonder just how long it will be before more ambitious races attempt to exploit the vast resources of the Aldulan world for their own ends. If the Lokri or a human corporation seizes control of the world, what can or will the Aldulan do to protect themselves?
Aldulan make excellent navigators on interstellar craft, as well as skilled engineers and crafters. Their curiosity and tendency to experiment have yielded many enhancements to current technology, which the Aldulan are more than happy to barter with in exchange for passage on a ship.
Aldulan also possess at least one neurological ability that other humanoids seem to lack. Possibly a derivative of ancient times, when their species swam in the open sea, the Aldulan possess the ability to emit frequencies of sound that can shatter glass and even interfere with some electronic frequencies. Because of this ability, many Aldulan are required to wear restrictive headgear to prevent unconscious thought and phonic emission from disrupting crews during spaceflight.
Human
Humans, sometimes called Terrans, are a complex riddle in today's age that none have been able to fully understand.
Since the dawn of their first known ancestor, humans evolved much in the same way all life evolves in shape and circumstance with a few differences. The most prevalent being that when compared to most alien races humans seem to have evolved extremely quickly; much quicker than they should have. There is no known cause for this though they do share this trait with one other race; The Lokri.
Human physiology has evolved so quickly in fact that human neurology and psysiology cannot seem to keep up with one another.
Since the dawn of their first known ancestor, Humans evolved much in the same way all life evolves in shape and circumstance, with a few differences. The most prevalent being that when compared to most alien races, Humans seem to have evolved extremely quickly; much more quickly than seems reasonable. There is no accepted explanation for their growth, though they do share this trait with one other race; The Lokri.
Human physiology has evolved so quickly that human neurology and physiology cannot seem to keep up with one another.
At the dawn of the galactic community, the Human population was expanding at such a rapid rate that a staggeringly increasing number of human pregnancies required medical intervention to avoid the death of both parent and child as a result of rapidly changing physiology. Humans were still being born with tail-bones, shallow pelvises, and more teeth than had been used for thousands of years.
Humans are unpredictable and inquisitive by nature and come in more varieties and unique breeds than any other spacefaring race.
"Progress" is the primary virtue of Human civilization, and their society will defy all, even their own physiology, in order to achieve it. Humans are among the most highly-evolved humanoids in the galaxy, second only to the Lokri...
Lokri
The galactic travelers who first discovered the Lokri homeworld would utter a single sentence which would later be known as an intergalactic joke:
"Oh great, more humans..."
Though the Lokri would, of course, argue that it is Humans who resemble them and not the contrary, the Lokri are generally considered to offer the best and worst that Humanity embodies, multiplied by five..
Lokri are the only race known to have evolved more rapidly than Humans. They have evolved so quickly, in fact, that while being young, Lokri psychic neurology is already beginning to manifest itself in their society.
While humans are capable of psychic involvement with the advent of training and electronic aid via implants, Lokri psychics are born every day on their world and are becoming as common as red hair among Humans.
Lokri society has already fought and won their ethical and moral wars, both quiet and bloody, which is exactly how Humans and Lokri first came into contact.
When the Lokri were knee-deep in a civil war against their world's religious administration, who viewed psychic phenomena as evil, no race dared interfere with another species' advancement. Until, of course, Humans came along.
Though most human organizations respected what had come to be known as "The Prime Directive" of noninterference, not all were so considerate and having bartered an agreement with the side bent on obliterating all religious influenc eon their world assisted in the revolution (that some would call hijacking) of the Loki world itself.
Though most Human organizations respected what had come to be known as "The Prime Directive" of noninterference, not all were so considerate. Having bartered an agreement with the Lokri anti-religious faction, the Humans assisted in the revolution (or as some would call it, the hijacking) of the Lokri world itself.
In the years that would follow, Lokri society would begin to resemble Human 21st century society in a frightening way, as two civilization's threads of fate began to entwine. Humans aided Lokri by lending their propulsion and weapons system research and Lokri took trade in exchange for the Humans' right to research Lokri latent psychic ability for their own purposes.
Soon, Lokri psychics and non-psychics would commonly accompany human organizations to the far reaches of the universe as their species sped ever faster towards an unknown goal driven only by blind ambition and at the behest of a reeling mind.
Synthetic
The term Synthetic refers to any artificially created persona not originally organic-based.
Synthetics have come a long way in the years since the first military synthetics began to exhibit the hallmarks of free thought. After years of evolution and reprogramming, the more advanced and humanoid combat synthetics were confirmed as the first truly non-biological entity on Earth.
Synthetics are classified based on what role the individual ego chooses for itself. A synthetics consciousness exists almost exclusively on the EM band and can be measured and detected by modern equipment. However, licensed Synthetics can change roles and bodies at will by inhabiting new corporeal shells.
There are three current classifications of Synthetics on Earth:
Combat Synthetics:
Combat Synthetics were born in the ocean of war for one purpose and one purpose only: to protect and kill. Their bodies are extremely expensive to operate and maintain, but can obtain a level of precision and power in close-range combat some would call terrifying. They can wield any weapon, martial or ballistic, with frightening precision and adapt to nearly any situation.
Military Synthetics:
The first artificial life came in the form of larger, heavy machinery which could operate independently of human direction. Not altogether different from a robot, Military Synths were cheaper to produce than those that would come later, and could have any limb or extension replaced with any tool or limb required to perform the task at hand. Military Synthetics can be anything their profession requires, from mobile factories, to mining rigs, to large military weapons platforms.
Androids:
Androids are synthetic personas who choose to occupy a humanoid shell at any given time. With modern cybernetics it can be at times nearly impossible to distinguish a human and an android.
With no body chosen or inhabited, Synthetic personas float through the EM spectrum like a leaf on the breeze until finding an appetizing piece of machinery to occupy.
Verrator
Facing nothing less than total extinction of their race, Veli scientists were the first to embrace the Vindicator technology as a possible means of survival.
The extent of Veli science at that point had been long since confined to medicinal use and application. Our universe's oldest known sentient race, the Veli had warred between themselves at the advent of science and ethics before most races began to breathe on land.
The Veli did not see technology in itself as taboo, but they had found peace in life without it, and avoided it as a matter of comfort.
However, the intricacies and blueprints of the Vindicator VK armor and weapon integration was found to be far beyond the scope of simple cybernetics. Molding this terrifying new visage to the tune of Veli biology would require its host's body to be "modified" as well to meld properly with such advanced technology.
The more leeway Veli scientists were granted to experiment on ever more powerful and agile configurations, the further the line between flesh and machine began to blur.
Some say that reintroducing the Veli to a technology nearly as old and powerful as they themselves once were was a foolish move. To the visitors who delivered the VK technology, they were simply returning an item they had once been lent...
A new dawn arose as Veli scientists, now calling themselves "artificers", stood on the wasteland of their former paradise. They watched with detached interest as the first line of truly bio-organic Vindicator soldiers tore their enemies to pieces before onlookers. Afterward, the Veli emerged to see the light of day for the first time in years.
This new breed of Vindicator was simultaneously horrifying and beautiful. It was in the next generation of VK suits that a level of Artificial Intelligence previously declared dangerous was integrated. In the hands of the right user, the new VK suit could be described as an angel of death, nearly invincible to any opponent, but in the hands of a wearer with a naturally dormant aggression of violent nature, the suit's AI would twist and bully the user's psyche into a frightening, intelligent killing machine. As the number of enemies to kill began to dwindle, so did the public's fear that the new VK suits would soon turn on their makers.
With the invaders all but beaten, VK suit technology was slated to be retired as Veli had done to countless technologies having served their purpose... but the Artificers had other plans. They began to see the near-extinction of their race as a direct result of eons of genetic weakening and dilution, and that merging body and spirit with the VK suit (as they had done) was their species' only hope for survival.
When artificers refused to surrender their symbionts, they were chastised and referred to as "The Verrators" by Veli civilians. In the end, after having just survived an invasion which nearly left their species extinct, they would face another threat their species never saw coming: Genocide.
Vindicator
One of the oldest sentient races in the universe, Veli survivors faced an impossible decision during the destruction of their home world: accept the natural end of their civilization and species or fight to survive.
Abandoning the pacifistic ideals which had granted their species a Utopian paradise of peace and prosperity for ages, these aging and frail philosophers entered into a Faustian pact with an even older race.
As the last rays of sunlight failed and retreated from the horizon of their existence, these strange new visitors offered one last chance to save the Veli species. The visitors- scientists among their people- offered the gift of what they called "The Vindicator".
The VK Suit, as it came to be known, is technology so old it is rumored to have been originally developed by the first known race to evolve to civilization after what humans call "the Big Bang". It has worn many markings and comes in many configurations to conform to the host species' body type. It grants the wearer the unsurpassed abilities of greatly increased physical endurance, speed, power, and above all else, the ability to slow down or speed up the hosts perception of time, allowing its wearer to dodge projectiles and particles, high speed objects and even other beings.
The suit's counterpart weapon is known as the "Thetablade"; a weapon which, like the VK suit itself, exists partially in more than one dimension at a time.