Turin Consolidation

[Uxi]

Veracruz/ Subsector J

Burgos - Good relations (small population in a rep democracy still holding to the Turin model).

Cologne - Dictators are influenced by Brotherhood Sons of Enoch (traditional). A few minor heresies have proliferated but are being dealt with peaceably

Montserrat - Good relations with the bureaucrats from the New Covenant Brotherhood of Sen Wenclus. Primary source of Trade (Ag).

Santa Maria - poor relations with the TED. Tainted atmosphere, though seek trade from the Ag products. Grand Master is planning for a confrontation and regime change.

Chartres - boneyard. 10M/TL14/B port before Collapse. Should be a primary target of Knights recovery efforts but active Virus presences are coordinated and control much of the planetary defense network, including at least one Deep meson site and an active battery of Planetary Defense Missiles. The Grand Master has stationed some recording satellites in the deep oort cloud to monitor that are periodically checked on, but has forbidden closing within 200 diameters of the mainworld. Current intel shows no propensity to expand and minimal traffic from Vampires.

Cluny - boneyard. 30K/TL12/D port before Collapse. Primary target for recovery efforts, though hampered by active Virus infections.

Iona - boneyard. 60M/TL10/C port before Collapse. Secondary target for recovery efforts, with only a few active Viral infections (though many more eggs found in initial samples).

Dodge - boneyard. 90M/TL14/A port before Collapse. At least one active Vampire fleet sweeps the main world and gas giants regularly so the Grand Master has ordered the system avoided, though at least one unmanned monitoring station was placed in the deep oort cloud to monitor the Vampires.

 

[Starviking]

Hmm, I was intending that to be the interpretation of the surviving Knights, not an informed technical diagnosis. Merely the suspicion that Virus did something that provoked a supervolcanic eruption. I was previously reading a theory about the Yellowstone Caldera at the same time I was pondering ways the Consolidation and Knights would abandon Turin instead of attempting to maintain some sort of presence there, as well as another sort of irrational scare tales of Virus might've provoked in this area of space. I can envision superstitious survivors abandoning their geothermal power even though it could be their best alternative - sparked by the Japan nuclear episode following the eq and tsunami, though.

A thought occurred to me that you could use the supervolcanoes as the reason that Turin was colonised in the first place:

*Explorers find a world with an obvious and massive supervolcanic eruption in the pipeline.
*World is colonised, with supervolcanic reservoirs tapped to provide virtually unlimited power - power which must be used to prevent the actual volcanic eruptions.
*Increased tech means world can run the fine line between draining too much power and causing a collapse of the geothermal power generation, and draining too little - thus allowing a supervolcanic eruption to happen.
*Virus has a field day.

I always took the Guild as being an amorphous organization that was populous throughout the rimward portion of the Imperium, but in no way coordinated or organized beyond nominal affiliation. IOW, these cats in this area would call themselves "the Guild" in the same way gangsters might have been "Mafia" be they in Vegas, Chicago New York, Miami... or even Sicily.

I'd agree if you replaced "the Guild" with "Guild-like", i.e. morally challenged. TNE is pretty clear about Guild limits and the tithing of profits to the Guild, which point to centralised activities.

P.s. Loving the ongoing series of posts!

 

[Uxi]

A thought occurred to me that you could use the supervolcanoes as the reason that Turin was colonised in the first place:

*Explorers find a world with an obvious and massive supervolcanic eruption in the pipeline.
*World is colonised, with supervolcanic reservoirs tapped to provide virtually unlimited power - power which must be used to prevent the actual volcanic eruptions.
*Increased tech means world can run the fine line between draining too much power and causing a collapse of the geothermal power generation, and draining too little - thus allowing a supervolcanic eruption to happen.
*Virus has a field day.

One thing that's curious about the entire area is the amount of atmospheres that are Trace yet have a canon history of being colonized as far back as the interstellar wars era. Trace atmosphere seems one of the biggest factors for the complete die offs, as well (likely with the shut down of atmosphere processing plants, if not opening domes and the like). Of course, in Turin's case, they get hit with one after the other after the other (supervolcano, atmosphere processing, opening whatever domes were still left, and then numerous vampire attacks). WRT the specific of the caldera, I was leaving it up in the air for people to be paranoid about (particularly for a couple surviving Virus entities in the ruins of Turin and their potential 'escape') but had the most credible fringe theory of the Knights being linked with discharges from deep meson site(s) to the caldera by a suicider or doomslayer variant, though the general sentiment was that the Virus in the geogrid did it deliberately (with another fringe having the eruption as an accident).

Like you say, though, geothermal power could be very attractive to a fledgling colony from the Interstellar Wars era, particularly if they don't have an expectation of infrastructure support from the Terran Confederation (being launched amidst "military reversals"). Turin's trace atmosphere is likely sulphuric gasses, etc but could be theoretically manageable with the geogrid, which is how it's population got so big (yet retained a tainted atmosphere rating).

I'd agree if you replaced "the Guild" with "Guild-like", i.e. morally challenged. TNE is pretty clear about Guild limits and the tithing of profits to the Guild, which point to centralised activities.

Hmm, can you point me to a source? I may well have skipped the Guild's formalization and have always treated it as a very loosely organized body of "bad" Free Traders.

P.s. Loving the ongoing series of posts!

Thanks! I have the other two subsectors of the Knight's activities due next. Then the Brotherhood of Sen Wenclus' organization, history, and New Era activities through the former Consolidation and the different schismatic sects. I was probably going to interject some game mechanics stuff somewhere along the line, usually posting it pretty generic for mixed mechanics forums like this since the TNE specific stats don't seem as useful to most. Not sure if anyone is interested in the long list of Grand Masters of the Knights. I've been slowed down doing their coat of arms, which is otherwise pretty fun (particularly tying it to their histories, which is probably lost, if not moot in the New Era). I always enjoyed MT's chargen (particularly brownie points), though with a bit more TNE-style choice than completely random and will probably put up MT-style tables.

 

[Uxi]

Activities and status of the Knights of St George as of AD 5721 (Imperial year 1203) -cont:


Zisudra/M

Amiens - Police state over numreous heretical and secular sects. 900M population is largest on old Turin Main but volatile and fragmented. Small heavily fortified Priory of Knights.


Regulus/N:

Melk - Mostly Hostile TEDs but a couple benevolent. Ag trade.

Rocamadour - heretical/tribal government holding sway over 40k survivors. Neutral relations. Knights are keeping a small outpost trying to offer assistance as well as gentle doctrinal apologetics.

San Vitale - heretical/tribal government. Relations are more strained than on Rocamadour, though not hostile.

Satona - Brotherhood Sons of Enoch (traditional) hold great influence

Alphard - Boneyard. 60M/TL10/C port before Collapse

Rindschleiden - Boneyard - 300M/TL14/B port before Collapse. Primary Knight's cold recovery target.

Speyer - Boneyard - 6000/TL14/B port before Collapse. Was prime target of Knight's cold recovery. Opened/intact domes. Active Virus presence.

 

[Uxi]

Brotherhood of SenWenclus
Ordo Sancti Wenceslas

"Lex Justus"
Patron: Saint Wenceslaus
Feast: 28th September

Abbreviation: BSW
Formation: September, AD 2116
Headquarters: Lourdes/Denebola/Alpha Crucis

History

Founded by Czech Archbishop Miklos Otcenasek in mid 21st century AD during the Interstellar Wars. Assigned by the Papacy to evangelize on the Turin Mission to Alpha Crucis (Leonis) and implement and defend Caelis Torino. Parent order was the Order of Saint Augustine and follows the Augustinian Rule.

Initially a single community of ecclesiastics out of the main Turino Nova colony, with a decade, they were spread throughout the colonies on the Turin Main. By 2300AD, they had priories on all the inhabited worlds in the Main and had priories on Phoenix, Denebola, Leisz, Beta Pictoris, and Kottke.

When Hiroshi declared the Rule of Man, the Brotherhood supported him, as they saw first hand how unsuitable and how arrogantly presumptuous many of the Terran Confederation intentions were for governing the Vilani Imperium. On the advice of the Brotherhood, the Turin Colonial Association also supported the action.

As the Rule of Man fell into the Long Night, the Brotherhood's charity replaced many local governments entirely and safeguarded many others against the raiders that appeared on the periphery of the Turin Colonial Association, though many brothers were martyred as the Knights of St George struggled to protect the Turin Colonial Association and maintain the 'pilgrim' jump routes to Terra. It was during the Long Night, that that the Turin Colonial Association was reorganized as the Turin Consolidation.

Rumors preceeded the Scouts from the Third Imperium to the Consolidation and the Brotherhood led the arguments against incorporation into the Imperium, though failed to prevent the admission of Terra. The Brotherhood was generally critical of Vilani culture dampening Solomani efforts at enlightening and uplifting Imperial space and derided the
Imperium as hopelessly bound to Vilani sympathies. When the Empress Margaret announced the Solomani Autonomous Region, many in the Brotherhood proclaimed that as vindication of their historical opposition.

The Brotherhood tried to resist the plunge to warfare, though, and argued that secular elements were attempting to manipulate the struggle against Vilani sophistry into misguided appropriation of the nascent Solomani Movement, which the Brotherhood derided as a mechanism to impose a secular dictatorship on the Solomani Sphere.

The Brotherhood's voice largely prevaled in the Consolidation, but again failed on Terra and with the falling of the Solomani Rim War, the Brotherhood advocated clemency and restraint in the conduct of the war.

With the conquest of Terra by the Imperium, the brotherhood sent a delegation on the Rim Expeditions with the largest contingent of 19 priests and 30 brothers on the largest ship, Home. The Emperor Paulo granted the Brotherhood permission to conduct pilgrimages to Terra on the condition that they restricted their vocal opposition to the Imperium, which they obeyed in Imperial space but continued to advocate in Solomani and non-aligned territory.

As news of the assassination of Strephon spread, the Brotherhood preached mercy and measured rule over the new conquests, though had many brothers attached to forward units to evangelize as well as monitor the conduct of the Solomani military units.

The fall of the Hard Times on Imperial space led to vociferous denunciation of the increasing use of Black War strikes by the Imperial factions and the Solomani Confederation. Increasing friction on this topic led to denunciation of SolSec and the Brotherhood led the Turin Consolidation to move from supporting the Party to the support of the Bootean Federation representatives in reigning in the Confederation government. Many feared that a civil war in the Solomani Confederation was imminent but then the Virus was released near the Imperial core.

As the Virus ravaged the Turin Consolidation and Turin itself was devastated, the Sons of Enoch sprang from the Brotherhood's internal debate over the Solomani Movement and the results of the Imperial civil wars as the instrument for God's righteous punishment of their society for its sins. As many worlds were fragmented and slipped from orthodoxy, dialogue was limited and debate turned rancorous. The Renewed Covenant organized in orthodox opposition, supported by the Arkmundus of Nova Lourdes.

Sects:

Renewed Covenant

Evangelist - smaller sect, though very influential due to episcopal patronage
Marian - Small sect currently centered to Nova Lourdes with a few individual adherents on Bali.
Orthodox - the largest single sect of the Brotherhood with the most seminaries and secular and ordained members
Universalist - smallest individual sect and more of a subset of the orthodox, though with a determined focus on the unity to the Creed

Sons of Enoch
Traditionalist - second largest single sect but the most united and coherent in it's philosophy regarding the Solomani Movement and the future of Caelis Torino.
Reform - Larger though less vocal and influential. Often fragmented and marginalized as traditionalist by Renewed Covenant, ignoring crucial differences over the nature of the Solomani Movement.

 

[Uxi]

Missions of the Brotherhood of SenWenclus in the New Era

Denebola/I

Assisi - Provision Council of secular and religious authorities with a half dozen large priories of (reformed) Sons of Enoch. 2M population, mostly on academic facilities though a couple rural/indepedent.

Lourdes - Good relations (10M population) with a Provisional Council from a mix of secular and religious authorities and largely orthodox Renewed Covenant. Largest priory in old Consolidation. Since the destruction of Turin, headquarters of the Brotherhood of SenWenclus near the Cathedral of Lourdes

Phoenix - 1B. A dozen small priories of Renewed Covenant Brotherhood are here along with some heretical offshoots that have resisted correction. These are mostly in remote/secluded environments



Veracruz/J

Burgos - Good relations (small population in a rep democracy still holding to the Turin model). A single mid-size priory with a dozen brothers is in the main community

Cologne - Dictators are influenced by Brotherhood Sons of Enoch (traditional) in 2 separate priories out of the University of Cologne and one secluded.

Montserrat - Good relations with the bureaucrats from the Renewed Covenant of Sen Wenclus. Primary source of Trade (Ag). 4 separate priories in academic environments.

Santa Maria - poor relations with the TED. Tainted atmosphere, though seek trade from the Ag products. 3 separate priories in remote areas




Zisudra/M

Amiens - Police state over numreous heretical and secular sects. 900M population is largest on old Turin Main but too volatile and fragmented. There are ten separate priories, a few in academic centers but most in rural areas




Regulus/N

Melk - Mostly Hostile TEDs but a couple benevolent. Ag trade. 4 separate priories, 1 in each of the friendly TED capitals but 2 others in remote areas of the hostile TEDs.

Rocamadour - heretical/tribal government holding sway over 40k survivors. Neutral relations. A small priory of brothers adjacent to the Knight's small outpost

San Vitale - heretical/tribal government tolerates a priory of brothers for the charitable works though is hostile to evangelization.

Satona - A few mid-sized priories of Brotherhood Sons of Enoch (traditional)

 

[epicenter00]

I always took the Guild as being an amorphous organization that was populous throughout the rimward portion of the Imperium, but in no way coordinated or organized beyond nominal affiliation. IOW, these cats in this area would call themselves "the Guild" in the same way gangsters might have been "Mafia" be they in Vegas, Chicago New York, Miami... or even Sicily.

I'd agree if you replaced "the Guild" with "Guild-like", i.e. morally challenged. TNE is pretty clear about Guild limits and the tithing of profits to the Guild, which point to centralised activities.

Sadly, as awesome as the Guild has the potential to be, I doubt they'd be near Consolidation space yet, at least in canon. I have no problems with stretching/modifying canon myself, however.

An organization like the Guild hangs on due to the "carrot and stick" method: close to its core of operations, the Guild has sufficient density of membership to strong-arm non-affiliated ships into the fold (or drive them off) as well as offering incentives in the form of the starport it controls for maintenance. As far as the Consolidation is from Guild facilities, they're more likely to run into free traders who are fleeing Guild dominance.

However, you could always introduce a fledgling new Guild base, closer to the Consolidation (like a partially restored class-B starport on some boneyard world). All it has to do is fulfill the "carrot" function that Jump fulfills in the current Guild scheme; a safe place to refuel, trade cargoes, swap news, sign up crewmembers, and most importantly get ship maintenance done.

EDIT: More excitingly, perhaps the Guild has been contracted to restore and operate a Class-B starport by a TED or a group of TEDs and normal leaders on some world and handle offworld trade. The Guild couldn't pass up a vindication of its economic philosophies like that.

 

[Uxi]

Hmm well both of you seem to agree on the interpretation of the Guild more specifically than I took it. Guess I should amend that as "Guild-like" as Starviking suggests.

 

[Uxi]

Holy Week in the Turin Consolidation

- Following a tradition established during the initial migration of the Turin Mission, normally scheduled jumps and most fleet activity stopped for the celebrations of Holy Week, from Palm Sunday until after the Easter ceremonies were completed. This was carried forward through the Rule of and through the Long Night, when reduced commerce had a general cessation of commercial, and even non-vital military traffic slows down. Most businesses and employers offer the entire period as holiday and non-critical military units grant leave covering the same period.

- During the Solomani Rim War, Consolidation forces, acting on urging of the Brotherhood of Sen Wenclus extended the Truce of God around Holy Week in spite of the War and the Imperials gained somewhat rare positive press in the Consolidation when they honored the truce and held their positions, not engage Consolidation forces, while the Imperials pressed their counteroffensive against other Solomani forces in other subsectors.

- During the Rule of Man, it became popular for the most affluent in the Consolidation to go on pilgrimage to Terra to celebrate Easter at the Holy Places under the Jerusalem Arcology. Many humbler people joined these expeditions when possible and the convoys grew quite large for the celebrations. The Terran Mercantile Community initially became the primary Terran benefactor during this time and negated the need for the the Knights of St George to secure most of these early pilgrim convoys outside of Alpha Crucis.

- Pilgrim convoys lost popularity during the Long Night, though never entirely ceased. Many of the routes became unsafe and the Knights of St George were stretched trying to cover them all. The TMC had been slowly pulling in it's coverage closer to Terra and abandoning the outlying routes and worlds, which often suffered the depredations of raiders. The Knights of St George extended their operations spinward to compensate, though much reduced from the TMC and usually the highest around the actual convoys though scouting and a few squadron sweeps preceeding the pilgrims. The convoys themselves became larger and less frequent to better enjoy the more limited protection the Knights could offer so far from Turin.

- By AD 3413,when the TMC reformed into the Old Earth Union, the Knights heavy squadrons were often welcomed into the OEU proper instead of stopping just outside as had been routine . There were even some joint operations to facilitate shared interests and the return expeditions.

- A notable uptick bucking the trends in the Long Night was the 4th Millennium celebrations when huge convoys travelled from Turin to Terra for both Easter and Christmas.

 

[Jason M Durkish]

I like you ideas and have use a similer set up when I created my Intersteller Commonwealth .

 

[Uxi]

Thanks, I've been meaning to put up some of their designs next. One of these days...