DS OQL Preview

PRINCIPAL WRITINGLLEEEE HHAAMMMMOOCCKK

ART DIRECTIONDDAANNIILLOO MMOORREETTTTII

ADDITIONAL WRITINGCHAD BARR & JUSTIN D. JACOBSON

EDITINGJUSTIN D. JACOBSON

TECHNICAL ADVICEROBERT J. GRADY

INITIAL CONCEPTJOSEPH MARTIN

LAYOUT & SPECIAL FXDISPARI.NET

PLAYTESTERS

DAVE AHERN, NICK BRITSKY, GREG BRYANT, JOHN GRAHAM, NICK KELLEY, CHRIS LITTLE, MARION NALEPA, BRIAN RODERMAN, RON SHEPHARD, TIM THOMAS, DAVE WALTERS, BECKETT WARREN, JAMES WHISNANT

d20 System and the d20 System logo are trademarks ofWizards of the Coast, Inc. and are used according to theterms of the d20 System License version 6.0. A copy of thisLicense can be found athttp://www.wizards.com/d20.

D20 MODERN and Wizards of the Coast are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc.in the United States and other countries and are used with permission.

All other content is ©2005 Justin D. Jacobson. Dawning Star, Operation QuickLaunch, their corresponding logos, and all Blue Devil Games logos are trade-marks of Justin D. Jacobson. This edition of Dawning Star: Operation QuickLaunch is produced under version 1.0a of the Open Game License, version 6.0 ofthe d20 System License, version 5.0 of the d20 System Trademark Logo Guide, andthe Modern System Reference Document by permission of Wizards of the Coast,Inc. Subsequent versions of this product will incorporate later versions. All rightsreserved.

Author's Note: The velin myth that appears at the beginning of Chapter 5 is a re-imagining of a Cherokee Tribe myth.

d20 SYSTEM logo art by George Edward Purdy.

http://www.wizards.com/d20

TTAABBLLEE OOFF CCOONNTTEENNTTSS •• •• ••

Salutation of the Dawn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

INTRODUCTION: THE BREAK OF DAWN 5Contributor Bios. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

CHAPTER I: HISTORY 9Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

CHAPTER II: CHARACTERS 21Species . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Talent Trees. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Occupations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39Feats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45Species Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48Advanced Classes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50Prestige Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

CHAPTER III: TECHNOLOGY 73Adventuring Gear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74Weapons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77Ammunition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89Weapon Gadgets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90Armor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90Computers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95Terraforming Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96Cybernetics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97Relics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99Atmospheric and Surface Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101Vehicle Weapons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107Mecha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109Starships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

CHAPTER IV: WORLD OF EOS 119Time on Eos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120Geography. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120Climate/Atmosphere . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120Map of Eos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

2

DAWNING STAR • OPERATION QUICK LAUNCH

DAWNING STAR • TABLE OF CONTENTS

3

The Terraforming Process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124Important Locations on Eos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125Map of Dawning Star. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126Other Points of Interest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132Factions and Federations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133Personalities of Eos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

CHAPTER V: GALACTIC SURVEY 141The Helios System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142Map of Helios System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

CHAPTER VI: XENOMORPHS 147Eotian Wildlife . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148Tentaari . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162Vaasi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166

CHAPTER VII: MASTER CONTROL 173The Secret History of Dawning Star . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174The Tentaari . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175The Velin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176The Vaasi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176The Ruins of Eos. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176Campaign Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179Adventure Hooks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180

CHAPTER VIII: A DAY IN THE LIFE 183Adventure Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184Synopsis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184Adventure Hooks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185

Appendix: Sample Velin Runes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201Appendix: Character Sheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204

TTHHEE SSAALLUUTTAATTIIOONN OOFF TTHHEE DDAAWWNN

Listen to the Exhortation of the Dawn!Look to this Day!For it is Life, the very Life of Life.In its brief course lie all theVerities and Realities of your Existence;The Bliss of Growth,The Glory of Action,The Splendor of Beauty;For Yesterday is but a Dream,And Tomorrow is only a Vision:But Today well lived makesEvery Yesterday a Dream of Happiness,And every To-morrow a Vision of Hope.Look well therefore to this Day!Such is the Salutation of the Dawn!

The Salutation of the Dawn was originally written in Sanskrit. The author of the poem is unknown, but manyscholars attribute it to Klidsa, a Hindu dramatist and lyric poet of the fifth century A.D.

Diego rested his chin on hisclenched fist and sighed.Sitting in this quiet plain,it occurred to him thatthis was the farthesthe had ever been fromDawning Star in … well,in his entire life. Asthe sun crept over themountain range beforehim, he looked back overhis shoulder and could justmake out the gleam of the city-ship, a familiar star to his back.

His belly rumbled. Diego pulled a plump,rose-colored pectar from his backpack and took alarge bite from its flank. It was high season forpectar, and this one was particularly juicy andsmelled as sweet as it tasted. He chuckled, thinkinghow his abuelo could not stomach them, holding outfor a terran apple or nothing at all. A few feet away,Diego's murcow grunted and clicked its hooves onthe rocky path. Diego took a few more bites fromthe pectar and tossed it back to his mount.

Then, it happened. The first few rays of the whitesun were cast down from the mountains, instantlybathing the field in their brilliance. Diego squinted,not wanting to turn away, his eyes tearing up. Lifeinside Dawning Star could be comfortable, safe,even cosmopolitan, but how could it match thebeauty of the dawn itself? At that moment, Diegoknew he had made the right decision, eschewing a

life cobbling footwear in hisfather's shop, a safe life. A

life outside the citywalls was one of

adventure, danger tobe accurate, but ithad its rewards. Diegovowed then that hewould never miss

another sunrise so longas he drew breath. He

watched as the sun markedhis path, skirting the southern

tip of the Omec Mountains andturning south to the Bergan Lowlands, to

the Council Ruin and whatever danger it might har-bor, whatever treasures it might yield.

Diego looked at his forearm and read theHomeric hymn tattooed on it. From the day he firstread it-a passage from one of his mother's prizecollection of books-it held a special meaning withhim. He knew the words by heart, of course, butthere was something reaffirming in seeing themimprinted on his skin:

EOS THE EARLY-BBORN WAS RISING

FROM DEEP-FFLOWING OCEAN,

BRINGING LIGHT TO MORTALS.

Diego rose, stretched his arms, and took a position in the saddle upon the murcow. Therewas farther yet to go.

6


TTHHEE BBRREEAAKK OOFF DDAAWWNN •• •• ••Blue Devil Games is proud to present DAWNING

STAR: OPERATION QUICK LAUNCH, the first volume ofand the introduction to the DAWNING STAR: CAMPAIGNSETTING, focusing on the planet Eos in the Heliossystem. DAWNING STAR is a science-fiction setting ofhigh adventure, carefully constructed to provide amyriad of possibilities for players and GMs alike. Itwas built on the rules from D20 MODERN, including therecently released rules for future settings, and ispublished under the terms of the Open GameLicense and the d20 System License.

HHOOWW TTOO UUSSEE TTHHIISS BBOOOOKK •• •• ••DAWNING STAR: OPERATION QUICK LAUNCH is an

introduction to the setting as a whole. It focuses onthe planet Eos, the site of the new human civiliza-tion. As you will soon learn, it operates admirably asa standalone product. It was designed to allow youto launch your campaign on the planet of Eos andenjoy a rich role-playing experience. When DAWNINGSTAR: HELIOS RISING is released, a host of newmaterial will be added, which will permit you to takeyour existing DAWNING STAR campaign in new direc-tions. Alternatively, having gotten a feel for theDAWNING STAR world, you might decide to begin anentirely new campaign. Within that broad boundary,there is still a lot to choose from.

It is recommended that, if you have not done soalready, you familiarize yourself with the D20 MODERN

rules. Additionally, players and GMs alike should readthe first six chapters of this book. (Players wishing tomaintain an air of mystery would do well to avoidreading the vaasi section in chapter 6.) Chapter 8includes a full adventure for 1st level characters andprovides a good introduction to the setting. However,you may find that it does not suit the type of cam-paign you wish to run. If so, feel free to create yourown adventure. In doing so, try to accentuate thedefining features of DAWNING STAR, highlight the dif-ferences and similarities between Eos and Earth, andabove all commit to high adventure.

You will note that some chapters, particularlyChapter 5, are not fully detailed and that somematerial refers to species, places, and other datanot fully explained in DAWNING STAR: OPERATIONQUICK LAUNCH. All of this information will be incorpo-rated into DAWNING STAR: HELIOS RISING.

However, if you can't wait that long, some of thisinformation will be released as previews on ourwebsite, http://www.bluedevilgames.com. You canalso post any specific questions on the DawningStar message boards located at:

http://p212.ezboard.com/fbluedevilgamesfrm8.The Dawning Star creative team frequently

appears on these boards to answer such questions.

IINN CCRREEAATTIINNGG TTHHIISS WWOORRLLDD,, WWEE AADDHHEERREEDD TTOO TTWWOO RRUULLEESS

1IT MUST BE FUNSome settings are so preoccupiedwith impressing you by the detail ofthe campaign world that they forgetit's supposed to be fun. DAWNINGSTAR goes further. When consider-ing each element of the setting-from the overarching concept to thelast feat-we asked ourselves: Isthis contributing to an enjoyablegaming experience? If the answerwas "no," it was cut. If ourplaytesters found something to beboring, it got reworked. Everythingin this book (and the soon-to-be-released DAWNING STAR: HELIOSRISING) is in here because it got afirm "yes."

2IT MUST BE BELIEVABLEAmong the first people brought inon the project was our technicaladvisor, Robert J. Grady. Heplayed an instrumental role inshaping the back story for the set-ting to ensure a level of verisimili-tude necessary to a science-fictionsetting. Everything in this book istheoretically possible. Some of itmay seem wild or even far-fetched,but it is, in fact, the result of stud-ied reasoning. You may have heardthe term "hard science." This nor-mally refers to a setting that isutterly grounded in science.Unfortunately, strict adherence tothe iron grip of science can makerole-playing tedious. That's why werefer to DAWNING STAR as a "firmscience" setting. It's hard scienceup until it encroaches on Rule 1;then, we take a step back. Theresult, we are confident, is a sci-ence-fiction setting that will provideyou with years of role-playingenjoyment.

http://www.bluedevilgames.com

http://p212.ezboard.com/fbluedevilgamesfrm8

The interior of this book is in black and white.However, color versions of some of the maps andillustrations are available to view and download onour website,

http://www.dawningstar.com.

WWHHAATT IISS DDAAWWNNIINNGG SSTTAARR AALLLL AABBOOUUTT?? •• •• ••

DAWNING STAR was created to support a numberof campaign models with equal aplomb. Likeadjusting the levels on your stereo to accentuate aparticular piece of music, a few minor tweaks willresult in just the kind of role-playing experienceyou're looking for.

DAWNING STAR has a strong undercurrent of theearly frontier or the Wild West. Setting your cam-paign outside the walls of Dawning Star and focus-ing on interaction with the velin or the faction-camps, will augment this aspect. Playing the velinas an analog to Native Americans is also easilyaccomplished.

With the existence of numerous ruins and unex-plored territories, DAWNING STAR can take on astrong pulp feel. To accentuate this quality, send thePCs on adventures to the remotest regions of the

planet on a hunt for the rarest of alien artifacts. Thenumber of off-world encounters should be limited.

To undertake a grim and gritty campaign,increase the presence of the vaasi. They mightswarm across the open plains just beyond theDawning Star walls. It is up to the PCs to turn backthe tide. Alternatively, making the Eotian environ-ment more inhospitable, requiring technologicaladvances to merely survive, also serves that goal.

For a campaign with more space opera tones,you can simply use the Dawning Star city-ship as alaunch point, a home world to which the PCs canreturn after rigorous space battles. Add additionalalien species from other sources or of your owndevising. Even by the standard of such campaigns,Dawning Star is megalopolis and can provide avibrant locale.

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

YOU ARE GO FOR LAUNCH!

INTRODUCTION • THE BREAK OF DAWN

7

TTHHEE OOPPEENN GGAAMMEE LLIICCEENNSSEE •• •• ••DAWNING STAR: OPERATION QUICK LAUNCH is

published under the terms of the Open GameLicense and the D20 SYSTEM License. Theselicenses are the brilliant product of Wizards of theCoast, Inc. and permit anyone to use well-estab-lished core rules as a foundation for any type ofrole-playing game. These rules are released tothe System Reference Document (SRD) and areavailable for free on the internet atwww.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20/article/msrd.

DAWNING STAR uses the basic rules from D20MODERN and the recently published open contentfor future settings. The latter will be referred toin this book as Future SRD. Under the terms ofthese licenses, we are not permitted to presentrules for character creation or applying theresults of experience to a character. Thus, youwill need D20 MODERN to properly run a DAWNINGSTAR campaign.

One of the benefits of the licenses, is that anyopen content we publish can also be used undertheir terms as well. The following material isopen content within the meaning of the licenses:All of the species, feats, skills, advanced class-

es, and prestige classes contained in Chapter 2,except for specific references to proper namesof individuals and locations and references tothe vaasi; all of the equipment names and gamemechanics contained in Chapter 3; and all of thexenomorph names and game mechanics con-tained in Chapter 4, except for the material con-tained under the vaasi heading. As long as youadhere to the requirements of the licenses, youmay use this material in your own publications.

All of the other material in this book is "closed"content, meaning that it cannot be republished,copied or distributed without the express permis-sion of Blue Devil Games. This includes all of theDAWNING STAR logos and titles, all of the artwork,and all other content not specifically enumeratedabove. In particular, please note that the vaasiare closed content.

The DAWNING STAR character sheet is alsosubject to these restrictions, except that youhave specific permission to make copies of it foryour personal use.

http://www.dawningstar.com

Born and raised in Atlanta,Georgia, Lee Hammock cut his

teeth on Star Frontiers at age seven andnever looked back. After graduating fromthe University of Georgia he moved tothe frozen north of New York City, whereafter killing a robotic polar bear as partof an initiation ritual he worked at DCComics for a time. (You'd be surprisedhow many robotic polar bears have to bekilled every day in the comics industry.)He's worked on over 20 gaming productsfor companies such as AEG, BastionPress, Holistic Design, and Louis PorterJr. Designs, and all he had to kill forthose assignments was an emperor pen-guin. Now Lee lives in Raleigh, NorthCarolina, where he works as a fulltimefreelance game writer and all aroundprofessional geek.

When asked, "How long have youbeen gaming?," Chad Barr would haveto answer, "I'm not sure anymore, but ifyou find my red cover Dungeons &Dragons Basic book, I would be mightygrateful". Born and raised in Californiaand currently living in the island commu-nity of Alameda, in the San FranciscoBay, DAWNING STAR: OPERATIONQUICKLAUNCH is his first foray into free-lance RPG work. Currently job hunting, inhis free time he enjoys writing, playing inone of his three gaming groups, takingcare of his sister's dog-don't tell her that -and the occasional CRPG or videogame.

Danilo Moretti was born and raised inTurin, Italy, where after an unlucky forayin game-design (just before theCollectible Card craze that nearly wipedout any trace of RpGs in Italy) reverted tohis passions: good music and great food.Unfortunately good music and great foodaren't the primary ingredients of the"recipe of life" in the modern world. So,once again, he had to start with some-thing socially useful: work. So pencils,pens, paper, and tablet at hand hebecame what he became: Artist by day,gamer by night.

Robert J. Grady has been playingRPGs for more than two decades, andhas been reading classic science-fic-tion and fantasy for as long. A formeroperator-engineer for a major Internetprovider, Robert is now studying clinicalpsychology while working on variousfiction and gaming projects. His great-est joy in life is parenthood. Robertknows over one thousand sublimetechniques for cooking with onions.

An avid gamer since early childhood, Justin D.Jacobson started Blue Devil Games as an outlet forhis gaming passion. He has truly sold his soul; he isan attorney by trade, with a busy Florida law practicein the area of debt collection. The name of the busi-ness is a thinly veiled reference to his law degreefrom Duke University. He met his wife Jeannine inlaw school, which leads to some heated (and simul-taneously quite boring) dinner-table conversation.Justin's writing has been published in works byMalhavoc Press and Bastion Press, and he's just fin-ished his first novel. Know any good agents?


8

Fifty-five years ago, the colonists on theDawning Star embarked on the greatest adventuremankind has ever undertaken: Traveling to thestars in the hopes of surviving the destruction ofEarth. These brave explorers found a home in theend, but not the one they were looking for. Settlingfar from where Earth once was, the Dawning Starand her crew set about making a new life on theplanet Eos. The human condition has changeddrastically over the last fifty-five years since theEarth was destroyed and a new world found, andmuch has happened in that time. The old world ofEarth is now only a memory held in the minds ofthe older colonists. Its stories will soon be themyths of some faraway world. But in many ways,Eos is a lot like Earth.

The same people. The same problems. The same need for heroes.

TTHHEE FFAALLLL OOFF DDAARRKK •• •• ••In its final years, Earth was a planet of peace and

prosperity, where man had long ago learned thatfighting himself would be disastrous for everyoneinvolved. Instead, man looked to taming the envi-ronmental and medical problems of the day, andMother Nature arose with quite a vengeance in thesecond half of the 22nd century. Plagues, flood, andstorms struck all regions of the Earth in reaction tocenturies of pollution and abuse. Viruses and dis-eases, previously mastered by science provedmore resilient than originally expected, cropping upin new and more virulent strains. Man perseveredthrough these trials, taming nature to his will, but atno small cost. Millions died before the plagues ofthe time had been banished, and entire nationswere lost to shifts in climate. But by the 2180s, theEarth's environment had finally stabilized, and thefuture looked to be full of prosperity and hope.

It was this hope that first blinded man to thethreat posed by the dark object. When itwas first detected by amateurastronomers in 2184, everyoneignored the claims of impend-ing catastrophe. Humanitywas far too busy celebrat-ing the fact that decadesof environmental turbu-lence seemed to beover. It was not until2189 that mankindfinally sat up and tooknotice of the darkobject's threat. In thatyear, the existence ofthe dark object was final-ly acknowledged byrespected scientists theworld over, proving right whatconspiracy theorists and rumor-mongers had said for years. In oneday, the dark object went from beingtabloid rubbish to hard, cold fact, and the Earth wasleft stunned by the conclusions.

The dark object, approximately the size of themoon, would strike the Earth in seven years' time,destroying all life on the planet in the resultingshockwave and firestorm. The source of the objectwas unknown and its composition was impossible todetermine, but more important issues were evident:the human race had only seven years to find ameans to save itself from disaster. Corporationswere nationalized, martial law was instituted, andevery human being on the planet did what theycould to try and avert the destruction of the humanrace. In short order it was determined that there wasno way to destroy the dark object before it reachedearth and no means to lessen its impact. Indeed,there was only one means for humanity to survive.

Flee.Research into extra-solar exploration had been

on hold since 2169, in response to the destructionof the U.S.S. Washington, the first ship designed totravel to Pluto. The U.S.S. Washington exploded as

it activated its ion propulsion drives forthe first time, destroying the entire

ship in the process. While theofficial explanation for the

explosion was crew error,some feared the loss of

the U.S.S. Washingtonwas simply the unfortu-nate result of sciencehitting a wall it couldnot over come. Thevelocities needed toreach another habit-able world in anythingless than a few cen-

turies were impossible.Despite these fears,

researchers and scientiststhe world over threw them-

selves at the problem, and by2186 the Davinger Ion Propulsion

Drive was complete.A marvel of advanced engineering and

physics, the Davinger Ion Propulsion drive used a10


This chapter details the history of DawningStar as understood by the humans of Eos. Thishistory does not include everything that has tran-spired in the past, because humans are notaware of the entirety of the history of Eos andthe Helios System in which it resides. More infor-mation on the history of Eos, the tentaari, thevaasi and the other alien species will appear inthe DAWNING STAR: HELIOS RISING.

HISTORICAL OVERVIEW,

PREPARED BY THE DAWNING

STAR REPUBLIC DEPARTMENT

OF STATE FOR NEW

DELEGATE TRAINING

stream of ions created from a laser-controlledfusion process to propel a ship to a significant per-centage of the speed of light. A moon suitable forterraforming was found 8.3 light years away fromEarth, orbiting a gas giant in the Lalande 21185system. Even with the Davinger Ion Drive, the tripwould take over 80 years.

Plans were quickly drawn up for the constructionof a number of massive evacuation ships, eachover five miles in length. These ships were eachcapable of holding two million passengers in cryo-genic suspended animation. Meanwhile, the crewwould stay awake over the decades of transit, pass-ing on their duties from one generation to the next.Unfortunately, only 20 of these huge ships could beconstructed before the dark object was to strike,even with the combined resources of the entireworld. Able to save only forty million from a planetof over eight billion inhabitants, the governments ofthe world used combination of selection methodolo-gies. Some candidates-military personnel, ter-raformers, space pilots-were chosen for their skills.The remaining available slots were filled by randomlotteries. Unfortunately, it was later learned thatgovernment corruption and graft sullied these lot-teries, and more than a handful of people made itonto the ships that had no business being there.Many of these people are now living outsideDawning Star, in Roger's Point or one of the otherfaction-camps, valuing a small amount of personalpower more than the greater good.

The list of evacuees was announced on April 23,2196, only a month before the dark object was tostrike. Amidst riots and chaos, those selected wereshuttled up to the evacuation ships, secured in theorbital dry-docks where they had been constructed.Each evacuation ship had a number of smallerescort ships to accompany it, including military ves-sels to help keep the peace and protect the fleet.The fleet launched on May 1, 2196, leaving Earthand all those on it behind them. This day is nowacknowledged on Eos as Remembrance Day, toremember all those who were left behind, whomade our survival possible.

On May 25, 2196, the Earth was struck by thedark object and its surface wiped clean of all life bythe resulting firestorm and shockwave. Again thisday is commemorated on Eos as Lastday, but fewamong the Eos-born take part in the ceremonies.

FFAALLSSEE DDAAWWNN •• •• ••The fleet of evacuation ships and support craft

set course for Lalande 21185 after observing thefinal moments of Earth. They never arrived.

On September 2, 2197, while traversing the Oortcloud, the fleet encountered a strange energy sig-nal just off their planned course. A group of escortships were dispatched to investigate. The shipsfound a spherical device made of an unknown

material roughly one kilometer in diameter. Itappeared to be some sort of space station or out-post. Before the ships could perform an in-depthscan, the device unexpectedly activated, spewingenormous amounts of energy around the fleet. In ablinding flash of light, the fleet suffered severe sen-sor and computer damage, but the first clue some-thing else had happened was found by simply look-ing out the window.

The stars had changed.The evacuation ship Dawning Star and its sup-

port ships found themselves alone in an unchartedregion of space, the rest of the fleet nowhere to beseen. The Dawning Star was the primary ship fortransporting the terraforming equipment and per-sonnel necessary to make the human race's newhome habitable. While repairs were carried out, thecrew of the Dawning Star tried to get their bearingsbut found no known points of reference. They couldonly determine that they were several thousand

CHAPTER I • HISTORY

11

LANGUAGES The evacuation fleet that left Earth

used English as its standard lan-guage, but Chinese, Spanish, Hindi,

and Russian were also commonlyused among both the passengers and

crew. Most ships carried members of a number of nations. Accordingly,most of the crew on those ships pos-sessed two or three secondary lan-

guages. The Dawning Star's crewspoke English, Hindi, Swahili,

German, Spanish, French, and a smattering of Mandarin Chinese.

These languages have remained inuse on Eos, but mostly in small ethnic

neighborhoods or settlements.English remains the lingua franca

of Eos. In some areas of Eos, regionaldialects are beginning to develop,

most of which are influenced by thenon-English languages common in

the region. These dialects are ofteninterspersed with non-English words

that do not translate well. Thestrongest dialects are found in Iron

Scar and Hapeville.

light years closer to the galactic core of the MilkyWay. Once their sensors were back online, theydetected that they were on the edge of a stellar sys-tem containing several habitable worlds, a stroke ofluck no one could believe at the time. Near theirposition, a similar object to the one encountered inthe edge of Earth's solar system was detected.However, it showed no signs of the massive energyoutput experienced with the first object, and itresponded to no form of communication or scan. Itseemed completely dead, abandoned, or broken.Having nowhere else to go, Captain Brandes Jonahof the Dawning Star, now senior officer of theremaining fleet, set course for the closest habitableworld in the stellar system. Arriving in orbit onAugust 28, 2198, the colonists found more thanthey could have hoped for.

The world below them had an atmospherebreathable by humans, though prolonged exposuredid cause rashes and agitation of the lungs. Theworld also had large bodies of water, arable land,and vegetation, which was a far more inviting envi-ronment than their original destination in Lalande21185. Thinking themselves lucky beyond meas-ure, Captain Jonah ordered the Dawning Star andits escort ships to land on the planet immediatelyand begin the terraforming process. While someofficers disagreed, saying they should look for therest of the fleet or examine the other worlds first,Captain Jonah pointed out that they left Earth tofind a world just like this one. Better the fleet shouldcome find the Dawning Star.

Captain Jonah named the planet Eos after theGreek goddess of the dawn, and the coloniststhanked their lucky stars that they had found it. Abeacon was left in orbit, broadcasting a message tothe rest of the fleet on standard emergency chan-nels. Some still hold out hope that the rest of thefleet will one day find its way to Eos.

DDAAYYBBRREEAAKK •• •• ••The Dawning Star touched down on August 30,

2198. It rests in that same location today, reconfig-ured as the city, Dawning Star. This day is celebrat-ed across Eos as Landfall Day and is the mostwidely celebrated holiday on the planet. The initiallanding was not as easy as expected, as the shipsencountered a previously unknown form of mildewin the upper atmosphere of Eos. This conditioncaused metal to rust at an amazing rate. Severalships were lost to this mildew, now called rustspores, before they were able to reach the surface.It was evident that none of the ships would survivea return trip through the upper atmosphere. It was-n't until 2210 that a special hull coating was devel-oped that made spacecraft immune to rust spores.

Initially only the crew of the Dawning Star andher support ships along with the terraformers wereactive, leaving the two million passengers asleep in

order to conserve resources. Within a few weeks,the terraforming process was underway with a pro-jected timeline of 50 years to make the world fullysupporting of human life. Luckily, the process waseasier than forecast and took just over 30 years.The terraforming changes to the environment ofEos caused some problems for the indigenous lifeforms, but other than a few changed migrationroutes and some temperature changes, the effectsof terraforming on the native flora and fauna werenegligible. In the years since, terran life forms havebeen introduced to Eos in controlled conditions,and a number have successfully adapted to thenew world. Unfortunately, several native Eotianspecies have been rendered extinct in the process.

The Dawning Star itself was partially disassem-bled and the parts used to build the central city ofthe new colony. Taking apart the Dawning Star wasseen by the citizens and crew as the ultimate signof faith, as they dismantled the only means theyhad of leaving Eos en masse. This process madeavailable a huge amount of resources for buildingthe central city of the colony. This city, also calledDawning Star, is by far the largest settlement on theplanet. Constructed of titanium, polymers, andother advanced materials, it looks like a shiningjewel in the morning sun, its many reflective sur-faces welcoming the day.

Less than a year after landing on the planet, thefirst human was born on Eos. Amanda Polk madeher way into the world January 22, 2199 and quick-ly became a symbol of the tenacity of the humanrace and a celebrity in the colony. Her parents wereboth terraformers who had fallen in love and mar-ried in the earliest days of the colony. Their story isnow a common topic of romance novels and issoon to become one of the first movies producedon Eos. Amanda Polk now serves as the Director ofEducation in the Dawning Star Republic and is oneof our most decorated citizens.

While the initial orbital scans of Eos turned upsome signs of past habitation, organized investiga-tion of these ruins did not occur until 2200 due to allthe work going into the early colonization and ter-raforming efforts. Once the investigation began, thecolonists were shocked at the number, size, andcomplexity of the ruins they found. Many of theruins were built of titanium, steel, and even somematerials they did not recognize. Towering build-ings taller than any skyscraper on Earth were foundalong with smaller, simple stone buildings. Theruins were normally found in large, city-like clumps,of which there are dozens spread out across Eos.The remnants of advanced technologies werefound as well, but most were too damaged to func-tion. The few pieces that were useful providedenough encouragement for hundreds of colonists tospend their spare hours hunting for lost relics. Thecurrent theory is that Eos was home to a number of12


sentient species-much like the hominids of Earth'spast-which eventually wiped each other out in acataclysmic war tens of thousands of years beforewe arrived. Our archaeologists have been workingfor decades now on piecing together the secrets ofthe past inhabitants of Eos. Their findings couldeasily fill this entire briefing, so you'd be betterserved reading some of their actual reports on thesubject at a later date.

In addition to the older structures, a number ofnewer ruins were found in 2202 scattered acrossthe planet. These second-order ruins were notfound in clumps like the older ruins. These newstructures were, in fact, the wreckage of crashedspacecraft of non-human design. Later investiga-tion found that at least four different design styleswere present in the wrecks discovered. Most ofthese wrecks seemed to have been brought downby the rust spores, but others carried marks of bat-tle damage. Using these materials and designs, thecolonists were able construct a small fleet of shipscapable of achieving orbit around Eos. However,until 2210, they had no means of leaving the atmos-phere due to the rust spores. This piecemeal start-ing point continues to influence human spacecraftdesign. Even today, many human ships look like amishmash of different design styles.

In 2210, a wrecked ship of a markedly differentdesign was found in the fields of the BerganLowlands, east of Dawning Star. This circular,saucer-like craft was nearly intact despite thecrash. The only real damage appeared to becaused by weapons-fire as opposed to crash dam-age. There was no sign of the ship's crew, andinvestigators eventually assumed they were killedelsewhere on the planet after leaving the wreckedship. Within this ship were found technologies far inadvance of the other wrecks on the planet. Fromthis ship, we received our first hints of the existenceof the tentaari and were able to leap decadesahead in terms of metallurgy, spacecraft technolo-gy, and energy weaponry. It is from informationfound on this ship that the first plasma weaponswere created, and some of the materials salvagedfrom the ship led our colony's researchers to per-fect the metal treatment that makes the hulls of ourships resistant to rust spores.

During this time of heightened exploration, therewere a number of sightings of creatures that cameto be called "darklings." These creatures were prin-cipally sighted by small groups of explorers workingin the ruined city areas. While these creatures weresaid to rarely approach and usually avoided interact-ing with humans, their presence was found by mostto be deeply disturbing. Sometimes darklings wereblamed for missing groups of explorers. However,there are numerous other tangible threats faced byexplorers of Eos, so undocumented bogeymensightings were hardly needed to explain the disap-

pearance of those brave souls. While most citizenswrote off stories of the darklings as products of anexhausted or paranoid mind, the sightings haveoccurred regularly for almost 50 years. No one hasyet captured a darkling for study and there are awide variety of theories as to what they are, thoughfew are backed by respectable scientists. To many,the darklings are simply the "Loch Ness monster ofEos," seen most by those who want to see them.

While the darklings are generally considered amyth, there are several dangerous creatures onEos that were encountered in the early days ofexploring the planet. The most commonly encoun-tered is the Dawson dragon, a large reptilian crea-ture named after the first citizen known to be killedby one. Dawson dragons are over ten feet long andare sometimes domesticated by ranchers for use asmounts; their preference for murcow meat canmake domestication difficult. Another common hos-tile species is the spitter spider, an insect speciesfound in many ruins that is capable of spitting apowerful acid over 50 feet. These creatures preferthe meat of creatures indigenous to Eos asopposed to humans or other Earth species, but theyhave been known to make exceptions when hungry.

There are numerous other kinds of fauna foundon Eos that are dangerous, but those are coveredin the Department of Science's Common LifeForms of Eos report.

TTHHEE WWAAKKIINNGG •• •• ••On August 30, 2228, Landfall day 30 years afterthe day the Dawning Star set down on Eos, theterraforming process was declared complete, andthe first passengers were revived from their cryo-genic stasis. The process of waking the passen-gers from their cryogenic sleep continued for tenyears as the colonists adjusted to having a largerpopulation; new buildings were constructed, andnew fields were planted. The newly awakenedcolonists increased the variety and breadth ofskills available to the colony, which had previouslybeen primarily inhabited by the Dawning Starcrew, military personnel, and terraformers.Numerous agricultural engineers, planetologists,and biologists helped improve the quality of life onEos. Soon thousands of acres of transplantedearth crops were being cultivated, and by 2232the colony was self sufficient with regard to foodsources.

One of the indigenous life forms, a bovine-likecreature called a murcow, was the first native lifeform officially proclaimed fit for human consumptionby colony scientists. The murcow was the firstsource of food native to Eos used by the colonists,and it remains a mainstay of the colonial diet. Soon


13

thereafter, organized ranching of the murcowbegan, leading to the creation of a frontier-style cul-ture of ranchers and mur-herders, who direct herdsof thousands of murcows across the fields of Eos.Most say murcow meat tastes similar to pork,though a small number of humans find the flesh ofthe murcow indigestible and suffer from violent nau-sea when the meat is consumed. This condition iscalled Fisher's Syndrome after the first colonist toshow its symptoms.

While some of the Eotian vegetation has beenfound useful as a seasoning or garnish, only thepectar fruit is suitable for human consumption inlarge quantities. This large, yellow fruit is commonin the jungles of the equatorial region of Eos just tothe South of Dawning Star. Its taste is principallyequated to a mixture of orange, apple, and starfruit. The pectar fruit's vibrant flavor has made it a

favored food among our citizens and the faction-camps. Plantations growing pectar fruit have begunto spring up in the regions to the south, and thepectar fruit industry is considered one of the greatgrowth industries of the next few years. Whilehumans find few indigenous plants or animals onEos edible, our planetary neighbors, the velin, eat awide variety of plants native to Eos. Their physiolo-gy, though only slightly different than our own, ismore accepting of the native flora.

TTHHEE BBIIRRTTHH OOFF TTHHEE RREEPPUUBBLLIICC •• •• ••The crew and passengers of the Dawning Star

were mostly citizens of the United States of theAmericas, the Euro-African Union and the IndianConsortium before their trip to the stars. After mostof the passengers were awakened, it became clearthat a change in government was needed due tothe vastly expanded population, few of whom wereaccustomed to operating under military direction. Tothis end, the Dawning Star Republic was founded in2230, creating a representative democracy to rulethe city of Dawning Star and its allied settlements.The crew of the Dawning Star, which had ruled thecolony for 32 years as a military oligarchy, passedover the reins of power to the fledgling Republicwithout incident. On February 1, 2230, theConstitution of the Dawning Star Republic was rat-ified by overwhelming popular vote. This resulted inthe creation of a three-branch government muchlike the United States of old, though with a unicam-eral legislative body instead of a bicameral one. Sixmonths later, on August 1st, the first electionsoccurred. Brandes Jonah, the original captain of theDawning Star but now retired from active service,was elected as president to a six-year term. Thepeople of Dawning star also elected 21 senators toserve in the Colonial Congress. In short order dis-trict sheriffs and judges were selected, and the tencolonial departments were established (Agriculture,Defense, Education, Emergency Management,Health, Industry, Law Enforcement, Science, State,and Trade).

For the most part, the elections were peaceful,and the vast majority of citizens took part enthusi-astically. However, a vocal minority attempted tostop the elections. Some claimed the Constitutiondid not do enough to guarantee personal freedoms,lacking a Bill of Rights as broad as they enjoyed onEarth; others feared the shift of emphasis awayfrom military rule would doom the colony. Whilemany of these naysayers were content to try andchange the system from the inside, others were notand left Dawning Star completely. These dissidentsformed the various faction-camps spread acrossEos. Most of these camps border the territoryclaimed by the Republic and make their own territo-rial claims. Few of these camps are little more thanfortresses run by power-hungry fools whose legiti-14


THE CREATURE TANKSNorth of the city of Dawning Star lies

the Terraforming Fields, a massivenetwork of atmospheric converters,

storage tanks, and powerful comput-er-controlled centers. From here, theentire terraforming process of Eos isdirected. One of the most importantparts of the Terraforming Fields arethe creature tanks, a series of mas-sive, deep-freeze tanks. These con-tainers house the genetic informa-

tion for thousands of earth species,which can be cloned and introduced

into the ecosystems of Eos.Introduction of species is carefullyplanned and dependant on various

factors including the relevant stageof the terraforming process. The

creature tank facility is the only cut-ting-edge genetic engineering facili-

ty on the planet and the only onewhere human genetic modificationcan be performed safely. However,

human bioengineering is quite raredue to the scarcity of the resourcesinvolved. The terraformers need toconserve what resources they have

for populating the planet.

macy is found at the end of a gun barrel. While afew are more orderly and even trade with theRepublic, most faction-camps are places wereRepublic citizens should watch their money andtheir backs. The Republic defends itself from thefaction-camps when required and retaliates severe-ly against any hostility, but generally prefers to coaxthese settlements back into the fold with a promiseof prosperity rather than force.

The largest of these faction-camps is Roger'sPoint, founded in 2232 by Patricia Rogers. Fromhere, the Eos Freedom League (EFL), a loose con-glomeration of faction-camps aligned against ourRepublic, seek to undermine the order and prosper-ity of our colony. Roger's Point is the first coastalsettlement on Eos. Some of our less than honor-able citizens have helped fuel its economy withtheir demand for black-market seafood, most ofwhich is made up of transplanted species fromEarth that were stolen from the creature tanks. Theinhabitants of Roger's Point claim there are a num-ber of native sea creatures that are digestible byhumans, but the Department of Health has thus fardisputed their claims.

TTHHEE HHAARRDD YYEEAARRSS •• •• ••While the earliest days of the colony were not

easy, they were made less difficult by the unity anddiscipline of the colonists. In the years after theelections, the faction-camps caused significant ero-sion in the unity and discipline of the colony, anddissent began to spread throughout the colony. Ourpeople forgot that prosperity has its price. This timeis called the "Hard Years" by most colonists andremembered with great regret and tales of roughtimes. Many colonists consider the Hard Years tohave begun in 2231 with the first reported case ofthe blood blisters, but some say they began assoon as the faction-camps were founded.

Sometime in October of 2231, a group ofDawning Star explorers released a virus trapped inan ancient ruin and spread the infection while pur-chasing supplies in various faction-camps beforereturning to Dawning Star. A few days after theirreturn, the explorers broke out in blood-filled blis-ters. All were dead within a week of the blisters firstappearing, their skin sloughing off in large chunks.The virus, nicknamed "the blood blisters" by the cit-izens of Dawning Star, quickly spread throughoutthe city and several of the faction-camps. By thetime a cure was developed in late November, 10%of the human population of Eos was killed, and 65%of that season's murcow harvest was lost. Many cit-izens still carry scars from the blood blister epidem-ic. Since that time, Dawning Star has instituted strictguidelines for exploration of the ruins found acrossthe surface of Eos. Unfortunately, not all the faction-camps have such well-thought out guidelines.

In the wake of plague striking Eos, war followed

shortly thereafter on a foggy March morning. Whilethe faction-camps had spoken out against ourRepublic from their earliest days and sought toundermine our economy, none were brave enoughto actually attack the Republic. At least until 2235.On the morning of March 12th, a group of raidersfrom the faction-camp of Red Hill attacked a groupof Republic agriculturalists, stealing their harvestingvehicles and killing two of their number. Whenreports of the attack reached Dawning Star, thepopulace was outraged. Since the creation of theRepublic, there had been no standing army, withmost law enforcement and military duties handledby sheriffs, deputies, and the elite RepublicRangers, who patrolled the outlying settlements thatremained loyal to the Republic. In response to theattack, a posse headed out to Red Hill to arrest theattackers, but was met with a surprising amount ofresistance as several other faction-camps, all mem-bers of the Eos Freedom League, came to defendRed Hill. Forced to retreat, the posse returned toDawning Star empty handed, causing even moreoutrage among the people of the Republic.

Surrounded by people calling out for justice,President Jonah ordered the few military vehicles thecolony had prepared for war. This fleet consisted of30 armored vehicles, low-altitude assault aircraft,


15

NAMING CONVENTIONSAfter 55 years, many of the nationali-

ties and ethnicities that arrived onthe Dawning Star have mixed togeth-er, producing a hodge-podge society.

It is common to have an English orGerman first name mixed with anIndian or Swahili last name and

vice-versa. English first names arethe most common. Also many families

have forsaken their old surnamesand taken up new ones to representtheir new homes on Eos. Some have

begun using the names of their homesettlements as their surname. Forexample, a man from Dawning Star

might take the name "John Dawning."This is usually done by more nation-

alistic colonists and is especiallycommon among the faction-camps."Eos" itself has become a rather

popular name for girls.

and hover scouts. They had not been used since theDawning Star landed on Eos except in training drills,and none of their crew had any real combat experi-ence. Along with these vehicles, the Department ofDefense created a volunteer military force, theRepublic Militia, to collect and organize individualswho wanted to serve their colony and strike backagainst Red Hill and the Eos Freedom League. Twomonths later when the 1st ArmoredCompany, 1st Air Company, and 1st

Infantry Company of theRepublic Militia marched outof Dawning Star, they did soto cheers and adulation.

A week later, the dissi-dents of Red Hill andthe Eos FreedomLeague found they haddrastically underesti-mated the courageand tenacity of ourRepublic and its citi-zens. Many of those inthe faction-camps thinkour citizens are weak andslothful, having grown softfrom easy living, but that istheir mistake, for on Eos there isno easy living. When the RepublicMilitia marched on Red Hill, they met thebulk of the Eos Freedom League forces just outsidethe settlement and routed them handily. TheFreedom League had no proper armored vehicles,only converted farm vehicles and cargo trucks witha few crop dusters for air support, leaving them vast-ly outclassed by the Republic Militia's forces. Thebattle lasted a single day. By evening, Red Hill wasofficially annexed by the Dawning Star Republic,and the Eos Freedom League had lost much of itsmilitary equipment. Although Red Hill remains partof our Republic, it has never completely taken to thetouch of law and order, and it remains a rough andtumble place. To this day, there are constantlyrumors of Eos Freedom League agents operatingfrom within the town.

TTHHEE EEXXPPAANNSSIIOONN YYEEAARRSS •• •• ••After the Battle of Red Hill, it became apparent to

the leaders of the Republic that they must securetheir own resources before the Eos Freedom Leagueand other hostile groups beat them to it. Surroundedby faction-camps on many sides, the Republic riskedbeing cut off from resources in the immediate area.The colony had a steady but small stream of rawmaterials coming in from scavenged ruins in thevicinity, but these resources were obviously finite. Tothis end the Departments of Science and Defenselaunched a joint project to locate sources of mineralwealth in the areas surrounding Dawning Star that

were not already claimed by faction-camps, hopingto avoid conflict with the camps if possible. In 2238,the resource teams found a vast supply of iron ore inthe Sander Mountains several hundred miles to thewest of Dawning Star. In short order, a mining postwas established by the Republic. The fledgling set-tlement was named Iron Scar by its inhabitants dueto the unpleasant environment of the Sander

Mountains. Bordered on all sides bydeserts and mountains, Iron Scar

was hot, dusty and arid. Despitethe harsh surroundings, the

settlement boomed due tothe rich iron deposits inthe surrounding moun-tains and soon becamethe second largest set-tlement on Eos.However, this prosper-ity also made it aprime target for theEos Freedom League

and the faction-camps.The Republic Militia

established an outpost inIron Scar and gave them a

pair of armored vehicles fordefense, but the city remains a

less orderly place than DawningStar. It has become something of a

haven for loyal citizens of the Republic who want alittle more excitement or personal responsibility intheir daily lives, though it is not the hotbed of dissi-dent activity that Red Hill can be.

Shortly after the founding of Iron Scar in 2238,the Dawning Star Resource Zones were also estab-lished, laying out the exact areas claimed by theRepublic outside the city. These zones encom-passed much of the plains and mountains to thenorth, the jungles to the south, and the plains to theeast. Named the Northern, Southern, and EasternResource Zones respectively, these areas becamenew focus points for the agricultural and miningoperations of the Republic. Additionally, they quick-ly became a popular place to settle for those leav-ing the city of Dawning Star. The Resource Zoneshave become some of the most productive regionsof the planet in terms of raw materials and are reg-ularly patrolled by the Republic's military forces.Despite this attention, the Resource Zones arerough and tumble places, where one must be toughand willful to survive. Like Iron Scar, they havebecome havens for the more individualistic amongour citizens.

MMAAJJOORR EEVVEENNTTSS •• •• ••The influx of iron from Iron Scar and other

resources from the Resource Zones brought amuch needed boon to our Republic. But what real-16


ly raised the people's spirits was the first season ofthe Eos Professional Baseball League in 2239.Only two teams played, the Dawning Star Patriotsand the Iron Scar Scrapers, but the event waswidely celebrated both in the Republic and some ofthe faction-camps. Providing a sense of unity, theLeague has continued to play each year and nowboasts six teams from around the Republic. Not tobe left out, 2240 saw the inaugural season of theEos Professional Football League, playingEuropean football with a starting roster of eightteams. There is a fierce competition between thesetwo leagues for the attention of fans, and they pro-vide one of the most popular entertainment optionson the planet. While both leagues claim to be pro-fessional, most athletes have a job in addition totheir athletic career. While our economy is strong, itcannot support full-time artists or athletes as of yet.

Unfortunately, the good times were quickly over-shadowed by the murder of almost a dozen agricul-turalists and resource agents over a period of twoweeks in the summer of 2240. The Eos FreedomLeague was initially suspected as the culprit inthese crimes, a charge they deny to this day. Inresponse to public outcry, the Department ofDefense created the first full time, volunteer stand-ing army in the Republic's history. The Eos DefenseForce (EDF) was formed from the more experi-enced officers of the Republic Militia and the troopstrained in operating the Republic's limited pool ofmilitary vehicles. These troops became full-time sol-diers and began regular patrols around the edges ofRepublic territory looking for the perpetrators of themurders. The culprits were never found in the end,but the murders stopped as soon as the EosDefense Force began its patrols. Many still blamethe faction-camps for the murders, only adding tothe long list of grievances each side holds againstthe other. Some more paranoid citizens say thedarklings were to blame, but such ideas are consid-ered little more than poorly thought out gossip atbest. Despite the murders and the stepped-up mili-tary activity, our Republic continued moving ahead.

While the Department of Education had beenoperating a newspaper, radio station, and televisionstudio since 2226, the first private newspaperbegan operation in 2241. Owned and operated bythe entrepreneur Catherine Grunch, The DailyStar soon became the premiere newspaper on theplanet, all but putting the government paper out ofbusiness. Later in the same year Ms. Grunch,launched the Dawning Star Video Network, the firstprivately-owned video channel on Eos. Again, itproved more popular than the Department ofEducation's video offering.

In 2242, the first major industrial facility went intooperation, producing farming equipment andground vehicles. Until that point, most manufactur-ing had been done by hand using a cottage indus-


LAW IN THEDAWNING STAR REPUBLIC

While Dawning Star proper possessespolice departments, including such

specialized units as SWAT teams, thesecurity forces in the Resource Zonesand Iron Scar are not as organized ornumerous. Instead, most settlements

rely on a locally elected sheriff and hisdeputies for law and order. These

sheriffs are usually locals with militaryor law enforcement experience, who are

popular with the locals. Most sheriffs dotheir best to live up to their duties, but

not all are immune to corruption. Inregions where they are the only law, a

few have become de facto despots.Deputies are usually citizens who are

members of the Republic Militia and arecalled upon by the sheriff to regularlyhelp with patrols, posses, and similar

functions. Local judges or mayorsusually handle trials with lawyers being

a rarity in most frontier settlements.In some settlements, the sheriff serves

double-duty as judge.In addition to sheriffs and deputies, the

citizens of the Republic's outlying set-tlements rely on the Republic Rangersto maintain law and order. These brave

individuals are all veteran sheriffs,judges, or military officers who have

taken up the cause of providing law andorder to those citizens beyond the wallsof Dawning Star. Wandering from place

to place, they help citizens with all sortsof matters, from deciding propertyrights to hunting down dangerous

creatures or fugitives. The RepublicRangers have authority over all local

officials except for mayors. Among thepeople of the Dawning Star Republic,

the Republic Ranger is a romanticfigure, like the Canadian Mountiesof Earth, wandering alone throughthe wastes bringing justice to all.

17

try model, a practice which has not died out on Eosdespite the return of mass production. The StylerVehicle Plant remains one of the most importantindustrial centers in the Republic. However, manycolonists prefer to purchase handmade goods overthose built in a factory.

The year 2247 was ushered in by a string of mur-ders in Dawning Star that shocked the colony.Murders had happened in the city previously butnever in the number or with the brutality of thesekillings. Over a dozen individuals were murdered byan unknown assailant. The Daily Star named thekiller Shadow Jack for his ability to disappear with-out a trace after committing his hideous crimes. Formost of the year, the city lived in fear of ShadowJack, but his crimes finally stopped when the EosDefense Force was called in to patrol the city. Tothis day, the identity and motive for Shadow Jack'skilling spree remains unknown, but it is a commontopic for speculation.

CCOONNTTAACCTT •• •• ••2248 stands out as one of the most important

years in human history. While we knew there werealiens somewhere in the galaxy due to all the ruinsand crashed spacecraft on Eos, it was commonlythought that they had long ago left or died off. In ourfirst fifty years on Eos, none of them had madethemselves known to us. This all changed onDecember 1, 2248 at 8:00 AM when a saucer-likevehicle carrying a delegation of tentaari toucheddown outside Dawning Star.

The tentaari approached under a banner ofpeace, wearing masks that seemed to be a crudeor ceremonial depiction of a human face. Beneaththese masks, the tentaari were slight, smallhumanoids with grey skin and large, pupil-lesseyes. They resembled one of the more commondepictions of aliens that had been around since the20th century. This was no coincidence. It was quick-ly learned that the tentaari had visited Earth manytimes. Their delegation of six diplomats addressedthe leaders of the Dawning Star Republic in perfectAmerican English, and they showed a passingfamiliarity with our technology and society. While

the first visit from the Tentaari lasted only a week, itrevealed enough information to change the humanrace forever.

The tentaari were a "guardian" race that had overthe centuries taken a number of less advancedspecies under their wing. They had visited Earth tokeep track of our progress. However, due to techni-cal difficulties with their faster-than-light gatewaynetwork, they had not able to travel to Earth for thelast century. This gateway network, we came tolearn, was the same device that had transported theDawning Star to Eos. According to the tentaari, thenetwork had suffered catastrophic damage in therecent past and they were no longer able to accessthe network from this area of space. They had setup the jump gate in our solar system to usher anyships that came near it to Eos to ensure their sur-vival, something of an emergency escape route formankind. Unfortunately the gateway system was toodamaged to send the entire fleet to Eos. The reve-lation that the tentaari were at least in part responsi-ble for the loss of the rest of the fleet has earnedthem the ire of some of our citizens, creating anundercurrent of mistrust that continues to this day.

The tentaari were not disposed to share muchinformation or technology with our leaders, fearfulof what we would do with said knowledge. Whenwe demonstrated our mastery of the technology wehad salvaged from the tentaari ship that crashed inthe Bergan Lowlands they became alarmed.Apparently, they did not know that a ship hadcrashed on the surface of Eos. They demanded weturn over all information on the technology gainedand destroy the devices we had already built basedon what we learned, but our leaders refused.Eventually, the tentaari relented in exchange for anagreement to share what advances we made withthe tentaari so they could make sure we were notprogressing in a dangerous fashion. With their toysalready in our hands, it was better to make sure weplayed with them safely than try and take themaway. The tentaari are the only other race with themeans to protect ships from the rust spores.

The tentaari's first visit only lasted a week, butthey returned regularly to exchange information on

18


other planets in exchange for diplomatic agree-ments and resources mined from Eos. The tentaarirevealed that the other planets of the Helios systemcontained a high concentration of intelligent life,thanks mainly to the efforts of the tentaari to savespecies under threat of extinction as we once were.The tentaari seek to encourage the technologicaland industrial development of the Helios system forthe good of all.

Just after we had gotten over the shock of con-tact with the tentaari, we were in for another shock,but this one came from our own backyard. In 2249,reports began to filter in from outlying Republic out-posts and some faction-camps about strangehumanoids lurking in some of the larger ruin com-plexes. Some thought these creatures to be dark-lings finally attempting to make contact withhumans, but this was quickly proven wrong.Equipped with primitive weapons and clothes,these purple-gray skinned aliens approached thefirst group of Republic Rangers sent to find them,bearing gifts and making gestures of peace butspeaking a language no one could understand.After some lengthy pantomime and weeks of hardwork by the Republic's finest linguists, it was dis-covered that these humanoids, calling themselvesthe velin, were native to Eos. They claimed to havebeen hiding the entire time since the humansarrived, an idea many colonists found highly dubi-ous. The velin are a nomadic hunter-gatherer soci-ety that mainly use tools made from the ruins ofEos. This has lead some to speculate that they arethe primitive descendants of the original inhabitantsof Eos, a theory backed up by the fact the velinthemselves claim to have always been on Eos.Unfortunately, the velin do not seem to understandtime as humans do, for they claim that humanshave always been on Eos as well.

As with the tentaari, the first contact with thevelin proved peaceful and informative for all parties.An alliance between the velin tribes and theDawning Star Republic was signed, and most of theruined areas of the planet were ceded to the velinas their territory. Mining and salvaging rights werereserved for certain areas. Fearing a repeat of thetreatment of indigenous peoples on Earth, theRepublic has been extremely careful in treating thevelin fairly. This treatment was encouraged by thediscovery that in addition to looking very similar tohumans, the two species share a similar geneticstructure. This has led some to theorize that the twoare somehow related, possibly a tentaari effort toseed different worlds with human genetic material.The tentaari have not commented on such ideas,but the velin believe the idea completely and seehumans as being a lost tribe of velin. While somehumans do not trust the velin, blaming them for themurders of 2240, the velins seem to trust humansimplicitly. Unfortunately, not all the faction-camps

deal fairly with our new planetary neighbors.The velin have shown an immense natural

capacity for working with the indigenous creaturesof Eos, and some have become highly respectedmurcow ranchers. The velin unfortunately havehelped spread rumors about the existence of dark-lings by claiming to have encountered them manytimes throughout history. Other than some fadedartwork and supposed darkling teeth, however, theyhave no more concrete proof than anyone else.

CCOONNCCLLUUSSIIOONN •• •• ••So our fledgling colony of three million humans

now stands at a crucial crossroads: We are sur-rounded by faction-camps and strange alien neigh-bors. We need adventurers capable of searchingthe ruins for lost technologies. We need explorerswilling to brave the vacuum of space for science andknowledge. We need leaders to keep our colonytogether in the dark days ahead. We need scientiststo unlock new technologies and ancient secrets.

In short, we need heroes.


19

THE TENTAARIThe tentaari are a very mysterious

species. They only have limited con-tact with humanity. They share littleof their history, technology, or cul-

ture with humans. While they appearin many ways beneficent, the tentaarioften appear scared of humans. Theircontinuous effort to keep things hid-den makes many humans suspicious.Despite these feelings, the tentaari

are allies of the Dawning StarRepublic, though they have no perma-

nent diplomatic staff on Eos.Tentaari are not generally availableas a species for player characters.

The tentaari know a great deal otherraces do not, and their progress levelfamiliarity is 9. Permitting a tentaariPC would be too unbalancing without

a great deal of work. Industrious GMswith an experienced player mightallow an outcast tentaari as a PC.

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2169 Destruction of the U.S.S. Washington, the firstdeep space exploration vessel to reach theouter planets.

2184 The dark object is first detected, though initial-ly dismissed by most scientists.

2189 The truth of the dark object, that it will strikeEarth, is revealed by an international group ofscientists.

2196 The Earth is destroyed by the dark object,with only a small percentage of the populationescaping on evacuation ships.

2197 The evacuation fleet encounters the tentaarigateway device at the edge of Earth's solarsystem. The fleet is sent through the gatewaynetwork to random locations throughout thegalaxy. Only the Dawning Star reaches theHelios system.

2198 The Dawning Star lands on Eos and beginsthe process of settling and terraforming theworld. Only the crew and necessary person-nel are active at this time, the rest of the crewremaining in cryogenic sleep to preserveresources.

2199 A human is born on Eos for the first time,Amanda Polk.

2200 The colonists begin exploring the ruins scat-tered across Eos, finding evidence of anadvanced society living on the world tens ofthousands of years ago.

2202 The first of dozens of crashed alien ships arefound on Eos, giving the colonists parts andtechnology to build their own spacecraft.

2210 The remains of a tentaari spacecraft arefound on Eos, and the humans are able toreverse-engineer portions of its systems,leading to plasma weapons and materials thatresist the rust spores.

2228 The terraforming process on Eos is mostlycomplete, and the majority of the DawningStar's passengers in cryogenic sleep areawoken to begin a new life on Eos.

2229 The colonists begin raising the indigenousmurcow, a large, wooly, bovine creature.Organized cultivation of crops begins.

2230 The Dawning Star Republic is formed by thecolonists as the new government of Eos. Thecapital is the new city of Dawning Star, builtfrom the remains of the ship that broughtthem to Eos. A vocal minority objects to thenew government and leaves Dawning Star tofound other settlements.

2231 A group of explorers unleash a virulent dis-ease from a ruin near Dawning Star. Calledthe blood blisters by the colonists, this dis-ease kills 10% of the colony's populationbefore a cure is found. Small eruptions ofblood blister cases continue to occur on Eos.

2232 The first coastal settlement on Eos, Roger'sPoint, is founded by Patricia Rogers. Roger'sPoint is run by the Eos Freedom League, oneof the factions aligned against the DawningStar Republic, and quickly becomes a havenfor dissidents.

2232 The agriculture efforts on Eos produceenough food for the entire population for thefirst time, eliminating the need to rely onrations from the Dawning Star.

2235 The Eos Freedom League attacks Republicfarmers. The Republic Militia is formed to dealwith the threat and annex Red Hill.

2238 Huge deposits of iron ore are found in themountains west of Dawning Star. The second largest settlement on Eos, IronScar, is founded.

2239 The first game in the Eos ProfessionalBaseball League is played in Dawning Star.The Eos Professional Football League startsup the following year.

2240 In response to a number of murders outsideDawning Star, the Eos Defense Force isestablished.

2241 The Daily Star and Dawning Star VideoNetwork are founded, providing the first non-government media outlets in the colony.

2242 The first industrial facility on Eos is completedand immediately begins producing groundvehicles and construction equipment.

2247 A series of violent murders shock DawningStar, as more than a dozen individuals arekilled within a week by an unknown assailant.The killings stop, but "Shadow Jack" is nevercaught.

2248 The tentaari make contact with the colonistson Eos.

2249 The velin are first encountered on Eos. A wary friendship develops between humansand the Velin.

2251 Current year.

TTIIMMEELLIINNEE •• •• ••

Mwituni stepped out of the chilled water of thelake and stretched out his arms. He groaned, let-ting the aches of a weeklong journey dissipatewith the echo. The icy beads glistened on his dark,naked flesh. A breeze rushed by and brought ashiver. Mwituni laughed and reached down to grabhis clothes off the rocky shore.

Just then, a rustle issued from the row of bush-es not 20 paces beyond. Mwituni dropped his shirtand dove for the stubby firearm beside his pack.He tumbled to one knee and aimed the barrel intothe brush. With both hands gripping the guntightly, his arms were tensed. He squinted.

"Show yourself!" he barked in English. Hisaccent had faded over the intervening years. Then,"iko nini pale?" The Swahili flowed from his lipswithout a second thought.

The bushes rustled again, and Mwituni stood up.

"Show yourself," he repeated.

A figure emerged from behind the plants. Thesilhouette was still darkened by the long shadowscast from the forest trees, but Mwituni could see itwas a human.

Or so he thought.

The velin scout stepped forward. He kept the tipof his shortspear pointed down to the rockbed. Hecocked his head to the side, eyeing the dark-skinned human before him. He beat his free handon his chest and said: "Tampu." Then, he repeatedhis name again. "Tampu."

Mwituni regarded the velin standing before him.A negative image of himself. A reflection, differingonly in color, not in shape. The gray skin andlong, white ponytail illuminated now in theearly morning sun. He had heard of the velinoften enough, but he had to admit surprise. Hecouldn't shake just how much alike he and thestranger were. Mwituni eased his grip on the gun,lowering it a shade. With his right hand, he point-ed to his chest and said his name loud enough.

Tampu must have thought it some grand joke,for he burst into laughter, a rolling, choking fitjust as a human would upon the telling of a leg-endary joke.

Mwituni repeated his name, jabbing his chestemphatically.

Tampu's laugh subsided. He lowered his spear tothe ground, raised his hands to his mouth, and madea curious sound not unlike a terran woodchuck."Mee-too-nee," Tampu said, chuckling softly again.

Mwituni himself laughed now, lowering his gunto his side. He repeated his name to the velin, sureto emphasize every syllable.

Tampu nodded and said Mwituni's name correctly.

Mwituni scanned the velin head to toe, notinghis soft, leather boots, the throwing knives, thelean, corded figure. He smiled. Tampu, he was cer-tain, was a scout.

Just like him.

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