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[forsaken1111]

Greetings! Based on my old thread I've finally started my LP.

As previously discussed (like a year ago, it's okay if you forgot) this will be a semi-interactive LP. I am hoping to get at least a few people jumping in to assume some roles within the game. Each person playing a role may give me orders which I will carry out in-game. You may also roleplay amongst yourselves if you wish.

I will be playing the game in 1-year increments, reporting on happenings and collecting new orders. I will also stop if something interesting happens. I will NOT be stopping for every event that pops up unless it is unknown to me or has a significant decision required from a character who is being run by one of you. For example, whoever is playing as a scientist in a  survey ship will give me general orders such as "Always investigate anomalies that are below a 10% failure chance".

I'll also be making and sharing a map of the space around us! The odd thing about this LP is that I very likely won't use many images from the game. The game is being used to generate and tell the story, not as a source of visuals. If someone else feels they can do a better job on the art, they'll be welcome to take it over later on.

Our species:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Here is the initial state of the imperium:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

After countless centuries of war and strife, Buha is united behind the Allshroom. The eternal shoom's all-encompassing mind serves a guiding beacon. By its light we have found unification. By its truth, we have freed our people from uncertainty. By its glory, we will take the stars. The Allshroom has made FTL travel possible, its mind able to contemplate the void to such depths that the very structure of existence has been revealed to us. The divine Allshroom has granted us the knowledge to travel to the stars. It has commanded us to seek out the other minds in the universe. All must be unified in its light.

Our home star system, Bevir, contains 6 planets. It used to contain seven, some many billions of years ago, but the innermost planet broke apart from a cataclysmic impact while our species was still evolving from a puddle of gloop and is now nothing more than a ring of asteroids surrounding Bevir.

Bevir I - Davfin Civa
Bevir II - Sepiava Vvada
Bevir III - Buha (Our Homeworld)
Bevir IV - Favib Vvada
Bevir V - Xurgav viba-Filavv
Bevir VI - Avv Civa

State of the Imperium:

The Evernurturing Stem consists of a single solar system at present, Bevir.

Prior to Unification under the Allshroom, our species had surveyed its home system thoroughly. Initial missions into the void were dangerous and infrequent, but they did manage several permanent installations within our system. The large asteroid ZR-112 hosts a mining base, a solar collector has been placed in close orbit of Bevir for the harvesting of energy, and a small station around Davfin Civa studies the unusual properties of that barren world. Proposals also exist to establish a gas harvesting facility around Avv Civa, a mining base in the rings of Seplava Vvada, and an additional science facility around Xurgav viba-Filavv.

The surface of Biva suffered during our infancy. It is covered with the ruins of our industrial age, with several regions made uninhabitable by toxic waste dumps. Still more regions are overrun by slums where the poor and unfortunate masses huddle helplessly in their hovels. Recent surveys show significant deposits of actinides and minerals in southern latitudes as well as untapped fertile soil in the north.

Bevir Station orbits our beloved star. It was constructed years ago, in yet another abandoned attempt at space exploration. It has recently been retrofitted with modern equipment and now acts as a shipyard. It has quarters for the ship's crews as well, which is significantly cheaper than shuttling them back and forth from the surface of Buha.

The Vvujnibb is a fleet of three corvettes which were originally constructed as asteroid defenses for Buha, but have been refitted with the divine FTL drive and newly anointed as the Guardians of Buha. Each ship is equipped with two mass drivers and a red laser cannon, as well as energy shielding and armor. While we do not anticipate warfare in the Void, and indeed our scholars say it is nearly impossible to fight there, we should be ready in case trouble finds us.

Science:

Physics research is led by Waddabb uvi-Ipav, who specializes in particle physics.
Society research is led by Navvbad uvi-Vvi, who specializes in Statecraft.
Engineering research is led by Maivava uvi-Naddfinava, who is an expert in Propulsion Systems.

In addition, we have recently completed work on the Afiv Avabb, commanded by Ivv uvi-Waddiv. This ship is equipped with our best sensors and space-based laboratories and Ivv has been trained for survey work.

- Current Research Proposals -

Physics:
Field Modulation - Would allow more efficient power plants and power storage.
Blue Lasers - These are more powerful than current red lasers with higher energy output.
Database Uplinks - A system of ground to orbit communication which would allow a scientist in a ship to assist a planet's research labs by performing experiments in microgravity.

Society:
Diplomatic Corps - The establishment of a diplomatic corps upon Buha would allow us to train diplomats in case we eventually meet some aliens to talk to. Do aliens even exist? The allshroom commands us to seek them.
Biodiversity Studies - Building properly equipped biological laboratories would advance the field of society research.
Genome Mapping - By mapping the Hyphan genome we may be able to enhance the health of our people.

Engineering:
Standardized Corvette Patterns - By standardizing our corvette designs and equipment we make them faster and cheaper to construct.
Powered Exoskeletons - Minerals are heavy. Miners in powered exoskeletons can move many minerals. Also if we put a soldier in one of these he could REALLY do some damage.
Nanomechanics - By developing nanoscale engineering we may be able to enhance our overall study of engineering processes, and invent better power plants.

The following roles are currently open:

Juv uvi-Colv - Governer of the Core Sector. Currently that consists only of the Bevir system and the planet Buha but will eventually include any system not in a sector. Juv has the Resilient trait, meaning he will live to an older age than most Hyphan.

Ivv uvi-Waddiv - Ivv is the pilot of the Afiv Avabb, the first science ship of the Evernurturing Stem. As a field scientist, Ivv will have complete descretion regarding which systems are surveyed in what order and what anomalies are investigated.

Maivava uvi-Naddfinava - A propulsion expert, and in charge of Engineering research. Maivava controls which engineering projects the empire's engineering research program chooses.

Waddabb uvi-Ipav - Waddabb is in charge of the empire's physics research, and is an expert in particle physics.



Hyperlane Map:

From the Allshroom's teachings we know that the galaxy is spanned by a network of divine energy. The FTL engines allow our ships to travel these celestial roads and reach other stars. Unfortunately our current level of sensor technology cannot see what is on the other end of a divine strand, so travel through one is perilous. So far we have identified two exits from Bevir, which lead to unknown stars. Where should we explore?



If there is any other information you need from the game, let me know and I'll relay it. I'm trying to keep this as un-gamey as possible so I'll relay stuff in-character and translate your responses.

Roles are first-come first-serve and once all roles are filled we will start a rolling waiting list (if there is that much interest). I will be keeping track of stats for leaders and even individual ships as well as I can in my notebook.

[Dorsidwarf]

B!

[mightymushroom]

Given my screen name, anything with shrooms in it catches my attention!

I should warn everybody that I have not played a single second of Stellaris. So my roleplaying will not be affected by mundane concerns like efficacy. (I may go read a wiki later. Or not. But probably, I like to read things.)

If I possibly could I'd like to play as Tall Stalk of Society Research Navvbad uvi-Vvi.
(See what I did there? Tall Stalk = somebody who has "grown" above the rest; exploited in comic media by casting a shroom who is vertically challenged.)

Questions: double-checking from the first thread, is the society at large still Fanatic Spiritual  + Xenophile? And for my head canon, is uvi-Vvi neuter, female, male, both, or something else?

[forsaken1111]

B!

ok...

Given my screen name, anything with shrooms in it catches my attention!

I should warn everybody that I have not played a single second of Stellaris. So my roleplaying will not be affected by mundane concerns like efficacy. (I may go read a wiki later. Or not. But probably, I like to read things.)

If I possibly could I'd like to play as Tall Stalk of Society Research Navvbad uvi-Vvi.
(See what I did there? Tall Stalk = somebody who has "grown" above the rest; exploited in comic media by casting a shroom who is vertically challenged.)

Questions: double-checking from the first thread, is the society at large still Fanatic Spiritual  + Xenophile? And for my head canon, is uvi-Vvi neuter, female, male, both, or something else?

we are still fanatic spiritualist and xenophile yes. And as far as I can tell the shrooms have no gender reference in the game so feel free to make up some biology or assume they do not have a sex at all. I'll put you down as Navvbad! You really don't need to know much about Stellaris because the goal here is to have fun, not play well. If you need background information or lore feel free to look it up or ask. I'll do my best to present information in-world

[mightymushroom]

Navvbad uvi-VVi settled into the freshly tilled soil behind the office desk. Navvbad's desk, in Navvbad's office. A lifetime of effort and a little luck, and you could get an office like this, sun in the morning to warm you up and shade throughout the afternoon. It was a good office.

The Allshroom wanted everyone to look into the Void for new, alien life and minds. Well, there might even be some, Navvbad had to admit. But as great as the Allshroom was, you had to keep in mind that exalted gurus and gods incarnate rarely had to balance their own checkbooks or argue with the head of Fungoid Resources. Navvbad was a bureaucrat to the gills. Let the rest of the world turn their eyes to space, but best for stability and tax collections not to forget about the common shroom at home. Gentle swipes on the datapad relayed the first priority of the new Society department: Genome Mapping. "Whosoever seeks wisdom Under the Allshroom's gentle Care, let thee First seek to know Thyself," was scribbled in the margin to get worked into the press notes. That should play well.

As for the great debate over exploring the stellar neighborhood, Navvbad couldn't see how this department had any stake in one star over another. A simple directive to collect all data on the space crew's physical health to collate with the rest of the research was enough official response. Privately, Navvbad preferred the B star, but refused to allow such ungrounded instincts to burst out from under the cap.

[forsaken1111]

An incoming message flashes up on Navvbad uvi-Vvi's terminal. It displays the official seal of the Imperium, and then a communications key identifying that it is from the Attendants of the Allshroom. It contains a communique which grants Navvbad authority over the empire's social and biological research program, an official appointment to Head of Social and Biological Research. This appointment comes with a small stipend and upgraded living accommodations, full access to the imperial gardens, and a weekly visitation pass to the Depths, a series of wonderfully humid, dark caves which the Hypan people use much as a human would use a Spa.

[forsaken1111]

The year has progressed uneventfully. Navvbad is hard at work running the imperial labs, sequencing the hyphan genome. The latest projections indicate it will take more than 30 months to complete.

In other areas of research, Waddabb has begun talking about a potential "energy crisis" in the future. The people deem this unlikely, we have a surplus of usable energy, far more than the people need to live. Waddabb speaks of more than merely living, however. He says we will need great stores of energy to carry out the divine will of the Allshroom. To this end he has begun studying field modulation theory in an effort to improve our power plants.

Maivava, instead, has turned her attention to the science of the very small. Her collaboration is assisting Navvbad, in some ways, as she is developing an entirely new field of nanomechanical sciences. She posits that this will lead to better laboratories and more efficient industrial processes, though the work is progressing slowly.

2200.05.26 - Discovery of Life

Joy of the stalk! Ivv has contacted us via relay to bring us telemetry from beyond the stars. He has found life!

On this day, Ivv, captain of the Aliv Avabb has completed the first of the Allshrooms commandments. New life has been discovered amongst the stars. It is simple life, true, but life nonetheless. It gives us hope that new life may be found. The B-type star has been surveyed. 5 planets in total, one of them in the life-bearing habitability zone. According to our ancient registry, this star's name is Enuis, and Enuis Prime is the first sign of life we have outside of our homeworld. It is a planet of tropical climates, much like our homeworld, covered in rainforests and wonderfully damp caves.

2200.08.22 - The Aliv Avabb has completed the survey of Enuis. Though it has taken more than 8 months, the system has been thoroughly mapped and catalogued. He has set his course for the  other divine path from Bevir.

2200.02.01 - The year closes with a celebration of life. A new high priest, one Zavabb Allshroom, has been sanctified as the Prime Attendant to the allshroom. It is said that the Allshroom speaks with him, though the higher born doubt this. The Allshroom has been silent for many years, its will known only through contemplation and meditation.

On Buha, life is returning to the northern latitudes. Once-abandoned cities, choked with pollution and filth, are being repopulated. Our enlightened ways are proving effective, and some of the industrial leavings of our past era has been eradicated. Governor Juv has announced the release of funds for a new station which will exploit the minerals of Sepiava Vvada, our 2nd planet. He has also hinted at long-term plans to build an outpost in Enuis, for further study of the new life found there and to refuel and resupply expeditions further afield.

Spoiler: Current Map (click to show/hide)

[forsaken1111]

2201.02.17 - Ivv reports in from the other side of the celestial pathway. The new star matches one in our database, Yodd Bem. It is a dim star, but even from this distance the Afiv Avabb's sensors pick up indications of life from the third planet!

2201.02.27 - Ivv has discovered what he terms as an 'unusual mountain' on the southern hemisphere of the 2nd planet. He has tagged the location for later study.

2201.04.13 - It is confirmed! The third world of Yodd Bem is also alive! Praise be to the Allshroom. The planet is mostly covered with oceans and would be somewhat less than hospitable to the Hyphan people but it is life nonetheless, and all life is sacred. Ivv has completed his survey and continued along another celestial pathway. Our people envy him his freedom, to walk the paths between the heavens, although many are quite content with a fertile plot of soil to sink into after a hard day's work.

2201.05.14 - Panic! Ivv has returned a report, frantic and rushed. It seems some alien machines have been spotted. While they did not pursue Ivv, he prudently returned the Afiv Avabb to Yodd Bem and is pursuing the other path. On Buha we have begun a program to investigate these strange alien machines, using telemetry captured during the brief time Ivv was in the system. The star matches one in our registry, Brigaffa. I have updated our charts.

The machines, termed 'Gamma Aliens' have been tentatively classified as hostile due to the profusion of targeting beams that swept the Afiv Avabb's hull during its brief time in the system. The study of this telemetry will take some time, possibly up to a year, and because it involves alien life it falls under Navvbad's purview. Pursuing this course of study will delay the Genome project considerably as resources are already stretched.

2201.07.26 - Construction has completed on the Sepiava Vvada mining base. Its influx of minerals will ease our industrial needs and make available new spaceborn industry, which we will use to carry out the will of the Allshroom. Construction vessel Sepava Avabb has been recalled to spacedock for analysis, as this is the ship's first mission into the void.

2201.08.24 - Glory to the Allshroom, we have done it! Ivv has returned new telemetry from the other G-type star leading from Yodd Bem. While the footage is spotty and incomplete as yet, it clearly shows an artificial object in orbit of an alien world, the surface of which is alight with life! Intelligent life! We aware further information as Ivv compiles his formal report and completes his survey.

2201.11.14 - Ivv's report has been received. The star is known as 'Solu', first charged centuries ago by Hyphan astronomers. Little did they know, at that time, that it held intelligent life! The people of Solu I seem to be in an early space age, able to just barely reach outside of their atmosphere. Ivv has conducted an extensive study of the planet and its people, the Qenti.

"While the Quenti are of an obviously inferior humanoid type, they possess several admirable qualities. They are intelligent and appear to be natural engineers, their architecture soars into the heavens and is comprised of bold lines and styles. Unfortunately they are also lazy and lethargic, possibly an evolutional response to their tundra homeworld of "Fullament"."

Ivv recommends that we conduct a long-term observation and study mission, learning about these Quenti before we even think about making contact. He warns that there is evidence of past wars upon their world, wars which echo our own past all too closely.

Spoiler: Current Map (click to show/hide)

[mightymushroom]

When the first reports of alien life reached Navvbad's terminal he read them as eagerly as the widest-eyed Hyphan child. But when the space program started to insist that his department decipher the alien signals they'd recorded, he felt the beginnings of a cap-ache as the unexpected life forms disrupted his neat schedule blocks. Luckily, there were always strings to pull: to start with, he would force the request to wind its tortuous way through every sub-office of his department for approval. That should buy time at least until the end of the year. By then the genome sequencing would so far progressed that he could plead the excuse that retooling the labs and reprogramming the analyzers would be too costly. He probably couldn't delay it further, and in truth he didn't really want to, but at least he could get his pet project tucked away before getting lost in the maze of new data.

Delay work on the Gamma Alien analysis until Genome Sequencing is finished.

Navvbad generally supports slow and long-term study of the Qenti, if only because he doesn't want to stretch resources with any bigger projects just now.

[Fishbreath]

Will be watching.

[forsaken1111]

2202.01.29   The High Priest has released a statement that we are to secure the Soiu system. The revelation of the Quenti's existence so close to our own has caused great excitement within the High Quorum, and the Allshroom demands immediate action. We will study this new people, for now, in order to determine their nature. The Sepava Avabb has been dispatched along with roughly 1/2 of the empire's raw material stockpile in order to secure both Yodd Bem and Soiu. Once this is complete, an observation post will be constructed in orbit of Fullament. Exploitation of the mineral deposits there is expected to offset the cost somewhat.

2202.07.24   The Afiv Avabb has entered the system of Wuae and begun surveying. According to Ivv, the third planet looks promising on long range scans.

2202.08.04   The Sepava Avabb reports that construction of Yodd Bem station, the first bastion of civilization outside of our home system, has been completed. The station is a mere outpost, boasting a crew of only 238, but it serves as a resupply point and affirms our hold over the territory. It will make it possible to exploit local resources as well, should the need arise. The Sepava Avabb has continued towards Soiu.

2202.09.25   Ivv reported in this morning. While the survey of Wuae is ongoing, the third planet has been scanned. It is covered in lush jungles and dense vegetation, and is home to some curiously primitive life forms. Creatures which, our scientists postulate, might one day evolve into a sentient race. In fact, some academic circles have put forth the theory that specialized scientific projects could force such evolution. Will we one day be able to gift these creatures with sentience?

2202.11.03   A new body of divine law has been handed down from the Quorum regarding the presentient species in Wuae, and extending to all future presentients discovered. They are to be protected. They may not be harmed, whether by colonization or by terraformation of their planet or by large scale destruction of their environment. Such planets can be inhabited by our people, but the presentients are to be protected and revered as neighbors and friends.

Delay work on the Gamma Alien analysis until Genome Sequencing is finished.

There is some grumbling among the scientists who were excited to take on this puzzle but ultimately your directive is obeyed and other projects remain on schedule. The Genome Project is currently about 40 months from completion.

Spoiler: Current map of the Empire (click to show/hide)

[forsaken1111]

2203.01.29

The Sepava Avabb has completed a similar outpost in the Soiu system and reports it is now moving to construct a permanent observation station around Fullament.

2203.03.10

Ivv thought he was growing somewhat accustomed to wonderous discovery until he engaged the Afiv Avabb's FTL engines and emerged from the divine path to the next celestial body. Sensors had confirmed that this path led to a black hole, and he found that it matched the spectral profile of Xuukanis, a black hole we have long known of. This object, though amazing on its own, could not begin to compare with the simultaneous excitement and dread Ivv felt as the ship's sensors immediately flared to glowing life warning of an active emissions source. Indeed, there was an ARTIFICIAL CONSTRUCT orbiting around the black hole. Some sort of station! Truly remarkable! The telemetry was flagged automatically for the eyes of High Stalk Navvbad, as anything to do with aliens was their department. The alien station sent out a few transmissions of unknown type, extremely information dense modulated signals in the radio, x-ray, microwave and even gravitic bands! Remarkable. Ivv continued with his survey of the black hole, not getting too close to the unknown station. So far they have made no hostile move.

2203.03.11

A domestic report from Buha indicates that some farmers have begun moving back into the northern latitudes now that the toxins have been cleansed from the area. While we do not currently have a shortage of foodstuffs, building up a stockpile may serve us well in the future. The Empire has opened up new warehouses for stockpiling food in anticipation of eventual colonization of other worlds.

2203.05.13

A protected report appears on Navvbad's terminal. Yet another report! This one is concerning the recently completed observation post above Fullament.The initial report on the Quenti is not encouraging. They are a humanoid race, that much was already clear, but the observation team has now translated their language and some of their cultural broadcasts. It seems the Quenti have little to no spiritual beliefs at all! Moreover, they are very strongly militant in their policies and politics. Their society is one of skepticism and a widespread rejection of the immaterial Divine.

The observation team would like to know how Navvbad would like to proceed:

Silent Observation - This mission would have the observation team hide their presence and minimize any interference to the Quenti's natural evolution. It would provide us with reams of material for study of social and biological sciences.

Abduction and Study - By abducting several specimens of Quenti for interrogation and dissection, our science teams will generate much more data on them. This runs the risk of the Quenti becoming aware of our presence however.

Indoctrination - The team could instead focus on subtle manipulation of the planet's widespread information systems in order to steer them back towards the Divine, shifting their culture to one more like our own.

Enlightenment - We could simply contact them openly and declare our presence and intention to help them evolve into a space faring race. This project would take some time but would bootstrap them to the stars much faster than their natural evolution would allow. There is no guarantee that they would be grateful, however.


I paused the game here to let Navvbad decide.

[mightymushroom]

Navvbad curled and uncurled his gripping stalks trying to find peace. The initial reports on the Quenti had been so promising; their ridiculous humanoid form was well adapted to a wholly different climate of planet. Suppose they could have worked together, each kind lending its strengths to walk where the other could not?

But these, these ... Deniers surely would scorn the elder race's wisdom, earned through painful struggle. Equally troubling given their nearness, anything that a space captain (he shuddered) described as militant might even threaten the pax Hyphana if their fledgling space program ever reached beyond a few orbiters. Feeling the weight of those fears and after much hesitation from mourning the loss of untainted data streams, Navvbad yielded to the more orthodox of his sub-heads who insisted these aliens be taught the universal precepts of the Allshroom.

The program of Indoctrination would begin, but would it succeed?

[forsaken1111]

2203.05.21

Navvbad's decision has been relayed to the observation teams and they have begun infiltration of the global information systems of Fullament in order to steer their cultural development. Let us hope we are not discovered. The Sepava Avabb is returning to our home system of Bevir in order to construct a new gas siphon around Avv Civa, pulling valuable hydrogen and methane from its cloud layers.

The station around Xuukanis will remain unknown, as Navvbad has not chosen to pursue deciphering its signals at this time.

2203.06.17

Ivv has reported back in a panic. On entering a new system, known as Aludra, he has detected some sort of ship! It has long sleek lines and uses a similar chemical propulsion system to our own vessel. This may be from an intelligent space-faring race! The aliens have been dubbed "Epsilon Aliens" until further sense can be made of them. A new program has been opened under Navvbad's division, ready to begin. For now Ivv reports that the other ship has not reacted to his presence, other than a single brief scan. He has continued with his survey, with one wary eye on the newcomer.

2203.07.19

The High Qorum has issued a proclamation that our efforts to survey the divine paths, though commendable thus far, should be pursued with absolute vigor and diligence. They have thus announced the Habitable Worlds Survey initiative. A panel of scientists and scholars have been put together to catalog and evaluate all newfound planets and life forms. For some time we have had an extensive catalog of the life on our own world, but extra-buharan life eludes easy classification. It is now time to reinvent our classification methods. The Qorum demands we seek out an additional 8 habitable worlds in order to get a more complete understanding of life in the galaxy. Through this knowledge we may glimpse new divine truths!

2203.07.26

Domestic report from Buha: Governor Juv uvi-Colv has initiated a resettlement program. Social workers are moving through one of the larger slums on Buha's northern continent. The scale of the slums is almost impossible to believe sometimes, millions living destitute and penniless. Poverty and disease rampant. The effort is costly and will take several years, but the poor and unfortunate souls there are being rehabilitated and reintegrated into society.

2203.09.18

Apparently this galaxy is home to much older, much more terrifying things than even we had thought. A protected report flashes across the terminals of the senior leadership, classified to Piety level and above. Ivv's survey in Aludra has uncovered relics from an ancient time. The artifact has been conclusively dated, it is a piece of metal casing forged some 600,000 years before the earliest Hyphan smallcap emerged from the Humid Caves of our birth. Accompanying this sample were several other mechanisms, badly corroded, and some text describing an ancient civilization known only as the Cybran. It is indicated that these Cybran once held vast power in the galaxy. The scientific community is undecided as to how to proceed. We will need more information.

The year ends with cautious optimism, wonder, and a low sense of dread. On one hand, we have found not one, not two, but THREE potentially sentient races. On the other, we have learned of an ancient race. One which once held powers that make the Hyphan people seem meaningless and small.

Spoiler: Current Map (click to show/hide)

[mightymushroom]

The station around Xuukanis will remain unknown, as Navvbad has not chosen to pursue deciphering its signals at this time.

Sorry about that (kind of) ... the density of encounters is greater than I expected and Navvbad may have to recalculate priorities. It's a xenophile's dream out there. How many of these special projects can we take on at once? I count Gamma Aliens, Epsilon Aliens, Black Hole Construct. Is there one associated with the Cybran too?