Races
In Earth and Beyond the players can chose between three different races of humans.
They are different physically but are all still humans and originate from earth. In this
future that the game takes place in the three races come from different places in the Sol system.
The Jenquai
The Jenquai are the descendants of the first explorers to map the far reaches of
the solar system. Jenquai ancestors struck out from Earth on giant long-haul deep space
shuttles knowing that turn around time from when they reached their destiny to when
they returned to Earth would be measured in years. Over time, the Jenquai ancestors
became accustomed to living in harsh alien worlds and their genetic structure evolved
into the current Jenquai race of today in order to take advantage of the different environments.
The Jenquai have turned the pursuit of knowledge and the clarity of logic into a religion.
Most Jenquai feel that the universe as a whole is the divine power and that all life
encompasses that power.
Jupiter, well actually its orbiting moons, is where the noble Jenquai live.
They're masters of science and technology and without them we'd still be
puttering around space at sub-warp speeds. They're the true explorers of the galaxy.
Going with the Jenquai means your ships aren't physically tough, but you'll make up
for that with a wealth of technologies and mental powers that bolster your position
in whatever you're doing.
Jenquai Society
Jenquai society is based upon the principle that knowledge and illumination are the only
worthy virtues to which sentient beings can ascribe. From birth to death, every Jenquai
is measured by how he or she advances Jenquai society and technology. They are very
conservative in all aspects of their culture except the pursuit of knowledge. Traditionalism
and ceremony are evident in all aspects of Jenquai society.An individual's caste and clan
define his or her role in Jenquai society. From early life, Jenquai are taught and trained
by an adept of the religious caste. These mentors, called adepts, are part-scientist,
part-researcher, part-philosopher, and part-theologian. Upon reaching maturity, the Jenquai
chooses a caste and clan to which he or she will belong for the rest of their life.
The three castes of Jenquai society are the explorers, or Sha'ha'dem; the warriors, or Shinwa;
and the tradesmen, or Sharim. However, these castes are not as factional or as rigidly
defined as those within Progen culture. In addition to a caste, each Jenquai belongs to a clan.
Jenquai clans more closely resemble monastic orders than blood-related families. There are
nine major clans and dozens of minor clans, each being known for a particular characterization
or philosophy. The Jenquai population have leveled off and are holding steady at about five
hundred million.
The Jenquai Government
The Jenquai government, called The Jenquarum (Ruling Council), is a hierarchical system
that embodies both the judicial and religious philosophies of the Jenquai race. The top
tier of the Jenquai Government is the Triumvirate (Council of Three), which presides over
nine J'aati.
The Triumvirate
The highest level of power within the Jenquai government is spread amongst three leaders,
each with ultimate power over the Triumvir (or branch) they control. The First Triumvir
governs issues dealing with Creation, which includes exploration, colonization and religion.
The Second Triumvir oversees all aspects involving Preservation, including resource management,
infrastructure development and production of necessary products such as food, water and air.
The Third Triumvir is responsible for Destruction. That is, overseeing the military or other
defense departments and the judicial branch.
Like the Jenquai culture, the government is based on both a religious and political system,
with members of the Triumvirate appointed from the highest J'aat. The Triumvirate is the
body that creates laws and hands down the decrees to the J'aati.
The J'aati
The J'aati are governmental groups that serve The Triumvirate and are both political and
religious entities. There are a total of nine J'aat and each governs a particular area and
is headed by one of the Triumvir.
First J'aat (The K'shatriyan Order)
This is the top level J'aat and contains the best and the brightest members of society.
It is responsible for deciding which issues or recommendations are passed from the J'aati
to the Triumvirate. When a law has been passed, it is the responsibility of the First J'aat
to ensure that the law is administered by the appropriate J'aat. The nine Jenquai Elders
belonging to the First J'aat govern the remaining J'aati and are the liaisons to the Triumvirate.
Second J'aat (The Shido'sha Order)
The 18 members of this J'aat are elected from the public to act as a check and balance for
the First J'aat. Members are selected from the general public into this sphere of government.
The main function of this J'aat is to oversee Jenquai law and make recommendations, if necessary,
to amend those laws.
Third J'aat (The Wei Shun)
The Jenquai diplomats reign from this J'aat. The main focus of the Third J'aat is to serve
as ambassadors, delegates and emissaries to the Progen and Terran governments.
Fourth J'aat (The Shinwa Order)
The Jenquai military, called the Shinwa Order, is governed by this J'aat. They are also
in charge of the Internal Police, called the Endoguard, and the Jenquai special forces unit.
Fifth J'aat and Sixth J'aat (The Ahzmundi)
The Fifth and Sixth J'aat operate together to oversee Jenquai workers and laborers.
The function of these governing powers is to oversee resources, trade, transportation,
infrastructure and everyday administrative or organizational issues within the communities.
Seventh and Eighth J'aat (The Sha'ha'dem)
The Seventh and Eighth J'aat are scholars, researchers, thinkers and explorers. They are
also responsible for all religious activities in Jenquai society. Although members of the
Sha'ha'dem come from every level of society, they are considered to be the most influential
of the J'aati - and possibly the most powerful.
The Ninth J'aati (The Black Circle)
The exact duties of this J'aat are unknown to the majority of Jenquai. It is believed
the Ninth J'aat is responsible for Security and Governmental Intelligence but their methods
of administering those duties have been kept secret.
Jenquai Physiology
The Jenquai physiology is a result of adapting to the alien environments they initially
encountered. They are strict vegetarians, and they are generally tall and thin. Their
metabolism adjusts quickly to the available food supply, whether feast or famine. This
allows the Jenquai to be comfortable in a much-colder climate as long as food is available.
The low gravity of most Jenquai worlds means that Jenquai are weaker than either Terrans
or Progen. But they do have faster reaction times and acute sight and hearing. Dexterity
is also highly valued, and nearly 40% of Jenquai are left-handed or ambidextrous.
Equipment designs reflect this by being neutral as to handedness. Musical talent is
also widespread. Jenquai are often seen by the other races as taciturn, aloof, and irritable.
This has led the Jenquai to seem, to an outsider, almost xenophobic.
Jenquai excel at travel and detection. They specialize in stealth and manipulation.
Skills that all jenquai share: Cloaking, Max level Beam weapons, Build Devices, Scan
Strengths: Best reactors on nimble ships, hard to detect, myriad of special systems.
Weaknesses: Weakest armor and shields.
The Progen
The first colony on Mars, established in 2020, was intended to just be a military and
scientific outpost. When more-lucrative colonies near Jupiter attracted more resources
and attention from Earth, the Mars expedition was essentially forgotten - for a while.
The Progen are descendents of the original settlers of Mars Colony. The hardships endured,
and overcome, by their ancestors have led the Progen to believe that they are the future
saviors of the human race. The general Progen mindset is one of overcoming adversity by
bending the environment to their will. They see "First Contact" with alien races as
inevitable, and most of their culture and society is built around surviving, and
dominating, this event.
Militaristic
Because of their unrelenting desire for superiority, the Progen have evolved into a
clone culture. Every Progen's skills, traits, and behavior are planned and implemented
before he or she is born. One trait common to all Progen is obedience to authority;
their militaristic mindset seems foreign to Jenquai and Terrans, but to a Progen it is
necessary for an ordered society. The Progen are a genetically bred race, a clone culture
created during a military expedition to Mars, surviving and thriving on that harsh world.
With this sort of beginning, it's perhaps not surprising that the goal of the Progen
Republic is conquest.
The Progen see themselves as eventually ruling over the entire human sphere, and are an
intensely ordered and martial society. Although concrete contact has yet to be made, the
Progen feel it is just a matter of time before humanity comes face-to-face with an alien
species, and they intend to be ready when it occurs.
They are best at what they do, because they've been engineered that way. Choosing a
career with the Progen means that your first option in any situation will likely be to
shoot. Sure, you can do something else, but shooting is just so much fun. Ask any Progen,
they'll agree.
Progen Society
Progen society is divided into rigid castes determined before an individual is conceived:
Warriors, Workers, Proles (servants), Technicians, Athletes, and Leaders. Within each
caste there are classifications, ranging from Alpha (the leaders), to Beta, Delta, Gamma
and Theta. These are broken down even further into specific ranges within a certain caste.
Caste can be changed at any time during a Progen's life, except for proles.
There are specific laws governing the intimate interactions of the genetic classes.
Any genetic class can couple with any other genetic class; however, where mating and marital
unions are concerned, the lines are more rigid. As a rule, Betas and below are allowed to
mate with any other Beta or below. A genetic profile must be determined before a child can be
conceived, and the embryo is incubated at a Life Institute for the full nine-month term.
During this period, development is constantly monitored, and extreme aberrations are fixed
as soon as detected. The newborn is placed in the care of the mating pair for a period
of five to six years so that family bonds can be established. Aptitude is closely monitored,
and the child is introduced to indoctrination and conditioning in whatever caste he or she
has been determined to join.
While the Terrans have a much-larger population, the Progen have the fastest-growing population
base. This is the result of a policy that has accelerated within the last decade as they
see the Terran numerical advantage potentially threatening Progen sovereignty. There are
currently about 10 billion Progen throughout the system. A side effect of Progen genetic
engineering is that they live longer than the other races. A typical Progen will outlive
his or her Terran counterpart by 50 years, and the average Jenquai by 20 years.
Progen economic policy is more socialistic than capitalistic. Basic needs are available
to all, and non-essential luxury items fetch a higher price. The successful Progen businesses
work closely with the government, and most have some military aspect.
One recreational activity that Progen allow themselves is sports; Progen sporting events
are typically ultra-violent and some enjoy a cult-like following.
Crime and other aberrant behaviors do exist in Progen society, and are dealt with as
diseases, not behavioral problems. If aberrant behavior cannot be changed, the person
in question is removed from the population. There are no long-term Progen penal facilities.
Those Progen criminals who manage to survive are among the most successful, and feared,
in the galaxy.
Progen Government
The senate is segregated into two houses. The seats of the Upper House (Comitia Centuriata)
are held solely by Progens belonging to the Alpha class, while seats from the Lower House
(Comitia Tributa) can be held by Progens from the Beta and Delta classes. Election to the
senate is based on popular vote. Members of the Senate elect the Primarch into office. The position of Primarch is restricted
to Alpha class Progen from the Leader Caste. Therefore, Primarchs may only be selected amongst
members of the Upper House. Traditionally, the Primarch is also a native of Mars. The term of
office for the Primarch is 5 years, and up to five successive terms may be served for a
maximum term of 25 years.
The Primarch's duties include serving as the Commander-In-Chief for the Progen Military,
Head of State, setting foreign policy, and overseeing the executive branch of the government.
The position of a Primarch serves as a check and balance for the Legislative branch of the
government. The Primarch also has the power to grant special pardons and dispensations. The
Primarch does not have the power to overturn decisions made by the Tribunal. Assisting the
Primarch is his Cabinet, called the Decimvirate (Council of Ten), which organizes and heads
the Upper and Lower Senate. The Decimbirate also acts as a collective Second in command to
the Primarch.
The true power of the Technocratic Republic is held by the Tribunal. This is the only Progen
governing body that has the power to remove a Primarch from office and even then only during
extreme circumstances. The Tribunal is given responsibility as the Progens' Law Givers and the
Tribunal is responsible for handling problems between the City-States, Colonies and Stations.
The Tribunal is also in charge of handling capital offenses. The Lower Tribunals, which are
the equivalent of local government, handle non-capital offenses within their governing districts.
The Legatus Magnus is an appointed position similar to a Secretary of State. If the Primarch
were to die or be removed from offic during his term, the Legatus Magnus would assume the
role of the Primarch in his place.
The Viruals are actually recordings of all previous Primarchs who haved served in prior years.
Each Primarch's consciousness has been recorded and stored into a living computer called the
Machina Republica. All of the past recordings serve as a collective mind for the current
Primarch, who is the only Progen outside of the Sabine Order allowed to access this information.
The Virtuals are only referred to only in times of extreme duress.
Progen excel at all forms of combat.
Skills that all Progen have: Critical Targeting, Projectiles at max level
Strengths: Strongest ships with the best shields and hulls.
Weaknesses: Slowest ships and weakest engines, reliance on weaponry over special systems.
The Terran
Wealth is the driving force behind Terran culture. Those who don't have wealth are
trying to accumulate it, and those who have it are trying to get more. Four major
corporations are inextricably tied to all Terran dealings, and numerous minor corporations
are involved as well.
The seat of Terran control is Earth, a fact that has led them to believe that they
are the last true bastions of humanity. Terrans regard the Progen and the Jenquai as
mutant races but despite that, the goal of the Terran Alliance is not, nor has it ever
been, territorial or martial conquest. The Terran policy is toward profit and the expansion
of markets. To that end, Terran technology is more sophisticated in some areas than that of
even the Jenquai. Terran technology tends to lend itself to a broad industrial base and because
Earth is the Terran home world, food production is one of its biggest industries.
Terrans consider themselves traders above all else but they're flexible and good at
anything they set their minds to do. A career with the Terrans means you'll be well liked,
diverse and able to do some of everything. Regardless of their chosen profession, Terrans
are very adaptable and generally have something up their sleeve to deal with any situation.
Terrans are, by nature, opportunists.
Terran Society
Major families, or "Houses," control each of the corporations and play a large part in
Terran society as well. The two major houses are House MacGregor, which operates InfinitiCorp.,
and House Naverre, which operates the Good Earth Trading Company (GETCo). Other major houses
are Obata and Orsini. The major houses all have their own security forces and space fleets,
and in the case of MacGregor and Naverre, colonies as well.
The Terran tendency toward accumulation of wealth has also produced a culture that is
extremely materialistic, with ever-present displays of ostentation and extravagance.
Terrans judge each other by how much they have, how well they can show it off, and who
they know.
Social functions, trends, fads, and gossip all play a large part in Terran life. While
all these factors are to a large degree influenced by the corporate presence and marketing,
Terrans also pride themselves on their unpredictability. Many a fad has progressed from
a simple extravagance into a planet-wide obsession that would baffle a Progen or Jenquai
with its insensibility.
Terrans view Progen and Jenquai as unpleasant mutants, but their predilection toward wealth
usually overrides any xenophobic concerns. After all, Jenquai and Progen money still spends
just as well as Terran money. Though they typically see Progen and Jenquai as unclean
annoyances, Terrans are still more tolerant of racial differences. This is probably due
to the fact that Terrans themselves are highly diverse, with myriad combinations of physical
appearance, spiritual affiliation, and genetic background.
High-Tech Living
The Terran fascination with gadgets and machinery has led to many advances beyond even
those of the Jenquai. Terrans are particularly adept at making things that go fast, and
that can be made cheaply and in large quantities. It was InfinitiCorp, after all, that
introduced the first faster-than-light hyperdrive. And of course, the Terran agricultural
industry has a virtual monopoly across the system, as food grown on Earth simply tastes
better than that grown anywhere else.
Religion is common in Terran society, and in addition to the more traditional religions,
newer faiths have sprung up as space travel flourishes. Many groups that were considered
cults 200 years ago are now widely accepted religions.
With 25 billion people on more than a dozen populated planets, Terrans are much more
widespread than the other races. However, due to its materialistic nature, the Terran
society has a staggering gap between the "haves" and "have-nots."
The Terran Government
Two distinct groups control the Terran Government: The Parliamentary Government, called
The Terran Alliance, and The Four Houses.
The Terran Alliance
Although the Terran Alliance is responsible for the main political duties such as laws,
military presence, infrastructure development, negotiations and treaty signings, it is
often considered to be more of a ceremonial presence than a ruling power. Large galas,
military parades and grandiose speeches are all the responsibility of the Terran Alliance.
The Terran Alliance operates as a Parliamentary system replete with a Prime Minister and
governmental officials serving as members of Parliament. Parliament incorporates several
Ministries within the organization including a Defense Ministry and Ministry of Colonial
Affairs. The majority of Parliament members belong to either the conservative Centrist
Party or the liberal Expansionist Party, though a few members may belong to one of the
lesser renowned (and financed) political parties.
The Four Houses
While members of Parliament are kissing babies and shaking hands, the real governmental
power resides within The Four Houses. The Four Houses are comprised from the four largest
corporate entities in the Terran Society. It may be trite to say 'Money is Power' but it
happens to be true in the case of the Four Houses. Every Terran, including members of
Parliament, is aligned with one of these Four Houses and this allegiance is expressed with
logos and purchases. What you buy, where you live and even whom you associate with are all
representative of which House you have chosen to be aligned with. The two largest, ergo
wealthiest, Houses are InfinitiCorp - House MacGregor and The Good Earth Trading Company (
GETCo)-House Naverre. Rounding out the remaining major houses are Tadakastu-Obata (Tada-O) -
House Tadakatsu-Obata and The Triad Intergroup Consortium - House Orsini. There are also
many Minor Houses but most of these are at least marginally affiliated with the Major Houses.
It is not hard to imagine that tension is great and relationships are strained between each
of the Houses and Parliament. The political system is rife with potential for corruption
and espionage within the Terran governmental structure. However the Terran Government remains
in unison towards any perceived threat against the populace and the Terrans' way of life.
When it comes to Nationalism, this government stands as one.
Terran activities center around commerce and versatility.
Skills that all Terrans have: Negotiate, Build Engines, Max level Missile weapons
Strengths: Strongest engines, manufacturing and trading, ability to use other races' equipment.
Weaknesses: Average weapons and systems, poor reactors.
