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The Megacorporations:
5 Megacorporations that control almost all of human society. And Whitestar. In General
- Enemy Mine: They will blow each other to pieces at war, they'll undercut each other at the board rooms, but once the Dark Apostles show up, they drop everything and hold the line.
- Fantasy Counterpart Culture: All of 'em.
- Bauhaus - Germany, Russia (though see below), France and Italy, served as 19th Century-style Aristocracy (Evil optional).
- Capitol - the friggin' Eagleland looking like they're still stuck in the Vietnam War (and Canada too, according to one of the novels).
- Cybertronic - multinational corporate hive. 3rd Edition adds in elements of Thelema, of all things, and transhumanism.
- Imperial - United Kingdom, mostly with an Elisabethan/Victorian feel. Some of the units are violent Scotirish Highlanders with a berserk streak and love for facepaint.
- Mishima - Mostly Edo Japan, with samurai, ninjas and warrior monks. A few bits and pieces of other asian cultures are present, such as The Triads and the Tongs as the main criminal organisation, and the city of Fukido, which is basically Hong Kong (it's on lease to Imperial for 99 years following a lost war, natch. Though later editions have it as Imperial getting it through a won auction).
- Whitestar, introduced in 3E, is far more openly based on Russia (with shades of the Soviet Union) than Bauhaus, though
it is noted that some Russians (the ancestors of house Romanov) defected to Bauhaus in the "old days" (and there is bad blood between the two factions over it).
- Feudal Future: Very few of the corporations are actually run like corporations.
- Mishima is based on Tokugawa-era bushido, and a particularly brutal brand at that. Land and industrial rights are given as fiefdoms, with the High Lords doing as they please. Social mobility is pretty much non-existent, though that is changing.
- Bauhaus are also purely feudal, but less oppressive. Bauhaus nobles, unlike their Mishiman counterparts, have a strong sense of noblesse oblige, and commoners who distinguish themselves can be raised to the nobility. That said, commoners are second-class citizens in Bauhaus, and no bones are made about that.
- Imperial flip-flops a bit. While less extreme than Bauhaus or Mishima, power lies firmly with the clan chiefs and their families. Commoners have little power, but they can gain a fair bit of influence. It is very possible for commoners to rise to power by working their way up in the civil service, distinguishing themselves in battle or taking advisory positions with powerful people.
- Capitol is a subversion. The corporation is governed by shareholders voting their stock like a modern day corporation, with the CEO holding a position analogue to that of the president of the United States.
- Cybertronic gets things done. Somehow. In 3rd ed., their CEO is a practically omniscient Virtual Ghost that the higher-ups run their decisions by simply by typing in an inquiry. Assuming they aren't his hundred or so clones, all of which embody a different facet of his personality. So, a God-King, of sorts.
- The Brotherhood are an electory theocracy led by the Cardinal, who is elected by the leading figures in the Brotherhood and holds his position until death.
- One Nation Under Copyright: the Megacorporations don't just own the government, they are the government. Each and every one of them is an entire society, with its own values, culture, and quirks.
Capitol
Bold, brash, and confident, Capitol embodies the Eagleland spirit. The Capitolian vision is simple: Any man, no matter his station, can rise up into greatness, even all the way to President.
How does that vision hold up? Well, it could be better.
- The Atoner: Free Marines are elite special forces who have been court martialed, and are sent on suicide missions to earn redemption.
- Hover Bike: They have plenty of hover bikes, in the shape of sharks.
Bauhaus
Bauhaus is a corporation composed of noble houses. They emphasize on providing the best quality products, and take pride on their noble heritage.
- Amazon Brigade: The Etoiles Mortant, a unit composed entirely of women who are lightly armored and tend to die rather quickly in the next fight.
- Blue Blood: The corporation is made up of several noble house each specializing on a single field. Be it making weapons, to mining, to fast-food.
- Quality over Quantity: The corporations motto.
Mishima
Imperial
The underdog of the megacorporations, Imperial was never able to take a single planet for itself like the other 3 were. Instead they looked to the planets past the Asteroid Belt, boldly going where no man has gone before... and never should have gone.
Today, they are still as fervently expansive as ever, snapping up Microcorps and territory whenever the opportunity allows them.
- Arch-Enemy: Imperial really, really does not like Cybertronic. Maybe Imperial is just sticking by the Brotherhood's opinion (That Cybertronic is a front for the Dark Legion). Maybe its because an entire clan of theirs, Clan St. John-Ross, jumped ship when Cybertronic was founded. Maybe it's both at once.
- The Atoner: Let's just say they are not at all pleased about their past (namely, letting the Dark Legion into the system) and are now the most devout of the corporations.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: They're responsible for letting the Dark Soul into the Solar System not once, but twice.
- The first time was on Pluto when they discovered the Artefact. When they discovered ruins on Pluto, the Imperial AI immediately ordered them to document the location and leave at once. The board of human directors followed up with a countermand order to proceed and investigate. One touch of the Artefact later (With bare hands no less), and the Dark Symmetry is loose, corrupting any and all advanced technology.
- The second time was on the tenth planet Nero. Finding a citadel on the planet, the conquistadors find a portal structure in the center of the citadel. Got too close, and the portal activates. Out walks the Dark Legion, and the system was never the same since...
Cybertronic
Whitestar
Whitestar holds domain over the ruins of Earth, which the megacorporations abandoned for Luna and the rest of the solar system. From their frozen bunkers in Siberia, they will bring the Tsarina's punishment to those who abandoned the Homeworld.
While technically not a corporation, they have comparable power to such that they are often grouped with them for convienience's sake.
- Mother Russia Makes You Strong: Living in Russia and Siberia is hard enough. Factor in the radiation, mutant wildlife, and general hellishness of post-exodus Earth, and you have a culture that Had to Be Sharp to even begin.
Other Factions:
The Brotherhood
One of the few sources of social aid, the charitable works of the philanthropic Nathaniel Durand and his brothers challenged the pure capitalism of the corporations. Now they are a massive religious order named The Brotherhood, the self-appointed protectors of humanity against the Dark Legion.Harnessing the supernatural power they call the Art, the Brotherhood is relentless in its quest to destroy the Dark Symmetry.
- Church Militant: The Inqusition, the Second Directorate, is charged with purging the heretics with carefully applied bullets.
- Expy: It is most likely one the Imperial Cult of Warhammer 40,000.
- Interfaith Smoothie: The Brotherhood supports anything that helps protect humanity from the influence of the Dark Soul, so it has largely absorbed the old faiths of Earth. Though many people worship the founding Durand brothers directly as divine representatives of the Light. A universal force for good against the Darkness.
- Saintly Church: A Good Is Not Soft variant. Most of the Brotherhood's work is dedicated to charitable: healing, soup kitchens, keeping records of history (A suprisingly important task with the Dark Symmetry around). On the subject of heretics, the Brotherhood is a bit less... merciful.
The Cartel
Founded after the First Dark Legion War to manage diplomacy, trade, and oversee humanity's collective war effort against the Dark Legion. It is essentially a corporate United Nations.
Luna PD
Originally founded by Capitol and then transferred to the Cartel after its founding. Luna PD is the only law enforcement organization with jurisdiction over the entirety of Luna City. Staffed by citizens of every corporation, it is underfunded and subject to the conflicting wills of the corporations. Luna PD is often forced to hire freelancers to cover manpower shortages.
- Cowboy Cop: Being so overworked keeping order in Luna City, officers are given a lot of leeway in how they carry out their duties. On the downside, this means that those criminals rich enough to afford a skilled lawyer can almost always find a breach of protocol that will allow them to be released from custody.
- Multinational Team: Freelancers and citizens of all five mega-corporations are employed.
Tribes of Dark Eden
Unmarked Spoilers
The Ancients and Guardians
The Dark Legion and Apostles:
In General
- Big Bad: The Dark Soul is the ultimate source of the Dark Legion its various creatures.
- Eldritch Abomination: The Dark Soul is piece of the original nothing that existed before the creation of the universe. It wants to return to the days of non-existence.
- The Legions of Hell: Although technically extra-dimensional aliens, they fit this trope pretty well.
- We ARE Struggling Together: Despite all being dedicated to the downfall of the human race, most of the Apostles end up in conflict with each other. Even within a specific Apostle's legion, everyone is constantly jockeying for position.
Illian
Algeroth
- Genius Bruiser: He embodies all aspects of war. That includes strategy and technology.
- War God: His whole shtick is relentlessly waging war on humanity.
Demnogonis
Muawijhe
Semai
- The Corrupter: He works to subvert human society from the inside. Encouraging humans to give into their baser desires and turn on each other.
