The Apex Spire setting [Sci-Fi]

[Cheomesh]

Didn't think I'd be posting here anymore as I am quite outdone by most of the setting makers here, but I thought I'd share my first Sci-Fi setting, no doubt familiar to many of you here.

==
Science has failed us!  In the name of our god Marduk the merciful and Anu, the sky lord who now laughs upon our once glorious people, I must tell you our truth.

Greater than two centuries ago, beyond living memory, a fell and terrible war shook the very earth we dwell upon, and brought destruction to every corner of every city therein.  It is well recorded within the libraries that the side of light was triumphant over those who brought death, but it is equally recorded that the victory came at terrible cost.  In the era after this cataclysm, our race struggled to rebuild their homes and businesses from ash and bone.  A new and radical way of thought emerged, and it was in this era that the ruling people took away the arms from those that elected them.

The disarming of our species came at great cost, in money, resources and lives.  While most people gave them freely, and being as a majority of the world was already subservient in their lack of arms, some brave few did much to save our right to personal defense.  They were outmatched, however, and ignorant of the future the ruling ones had planned for us, and were crushed utterly and driven into the earth from which they came.  It is also in this era that the traditional faiths were removed and secret inquisitions by Faithless created.
It was a golden age of science, where the intellectual elite were given positions based on their merits and achievements, to study and learn and produce for the benefit of mankind.  We touched the stars, built great fortresses of learning and might in the heavens, and we knew the True Names.  The secrets we gleaned were unfathomable and beyond my training as a humble professor in the middle reach!  As history would teach, all good things must come to an end.

The people, angry with the way the rulers had mismanaged their lives, took up signs against them.  Populist movements against what they perceived as the abuses of science and the usurpation of freedom rose across our globe, and the league of governments was turned against the new elite.  With might, the greatest leaders took them from the mountain of their rule and smashed them on the rocks below.  Their creations, automatons and engineered beings were banished to the hells beneath the earth.
Though tales would beg a happy ending for our plighted race, it was not to be so.  These leaders were backed by the great league that all nations belonged to, which was in turn backed by those who would too usurp power from the people.

The emerging nations, still weak from the last major conflict and truly hampered by the followers of Scientism, submitted to the new way brought before them.  Governments grew in power, and great measures of growth and good rebuilding was done.  In the sheltering shadow of this new era, culture renewed.  Once again songs were sung to that which might not exist, and old ideas, even the oldest of them were rekindled.  Silently, we stratified.
In spite of new growth, our global population was not growing.  All too often the young preferred not to hamper their progress with children, and many of those visited by Ninhursag with pregnancy chose to have the child removed instead.  Our race shrank from the outside, contracting into the cities and sold their land to the governing bodies above us.  It was in this era that cities began to grow upwards faster than outwards, as new technologies in construction gave us the secret to do so.  We reached for the stars'¦
Declining population never the less brought an increase in urbanization, as the mechanization of agriculture made it more practical.  In the relative luxuries of the cities, culture did find its wings.  It was here that cities were given great power and rule of region, and reclamation projects turned now abandoned suburbs into usable land again.

I know not how the confederacy of cities came into being, as such knowledge was forbidden to me, even as I researched forbidden books and data files.  I do know in this time the strata of society worsened, and the wealthy moved upwards in great towers, bringing with them the professionals they relied upon off the ground.  The poor, those who manufacture but have no true education in greater things, remained on the ground as gantryways and catwalks began to connect buildings high above so that those in the sky did not need to sully themselves by walking on the earth.

Forbidden too is the way in which the great union of nations disintegrated and the world became interconnected city states.  I heard in this time, a good century and a half ago, an ancient fortress in the heavens plummeted to earth and killed more than ten thousand souls.  By this time, we had not flown with the stars since we removed our former scientific oppressors.  Also in this era, a horrific sickness took from us most of the city of Eanna.  For those on the ground, the sun was blotted out by towering buildings and sturdy walkways for those above them.  The arts martial had a rebirth here, in the way of the fist, the ways of wresting and the ways of a multitude of different hand to hand weaponry.

History is ever repeating, and the poor got poorer and the rich remained rich.  By this century now the wealthiest of people were the ruling people, upholding the traditional government offices of treasuries and the like.  In compensation, as much to pacify the steadily angering surface people as to better their own image, great public works of charity were created.  Food and clothing were distributed at absolutely no cost to these uneducated people, and automated production facilities stripped out and refurbished for the sake of jobs and our souls.  Their culture is different from our own, in spite of being only a few hundred stories below.  Then the cities were sealed'¦

It wasn't too long after that I was born to and raised by a middle reach family.  My father was an employee of the governors of our fair city state, and as such I enjoyed great privilege and grace in their gatherings.  Truly, many are not as bad as they would first seem.  My mother, an artist, was equally welcome amongst them, humble as she was.  I endeavored to learn the secrets of the rapier and wrestling in my youth, and came upon to teach the ways of language, both to those of my strata, and a few of those above me.  An illustrious career for one so simple, I believe.

Entrusted with many secrets of history not to be told to those below the aristocracy, I find myself turbulent in my later years.  My work is to be a defining piece of my life, and I hope its truths are stored secretly away in some library, where the truths will spread and change the way our society and species suffers this very instant.

Forward of Truth, our History and Downfall by Rodger Emmert, professor of Literature hanged for this treason.


Apex Spire is a futuristic campaign setting based off the d20 Modern rules.  It takes place in an unnamed urban society that has become a conglomerate of have and have-nots.  Their world is heavily stratified, with the higher social classes literally living above the clouds while progressively lower social classes occupy the spaces below them.

In this future, mankind has been generally disarmed and fire-arms are only usually seen in the hands of crack security teams that protect government property and prevent rebellion.  Even these firearms are deliberately underpowered to restrict the amount of damage that can be done to the structures gunfights inevitably take place in.  In the stead of firearms, every day protection is handled through individual martial skill, in which wide assortments of martial arts find their niche.

There is no world government or even national governments in this age, and the promise of space-travel turned out to be a lie.  Instead, city states ruled by traditional governing bodies are the order of the day, and mankind is earth-bound, for better or worse.  Within the cities, the lowest classes live on the surface and dwell in first several stories of buildings, some of which reach over 2,000 floors.  Outside the cities, however, not much of mankind can ever be seen.

The world of upper and lower class are night and day.  That which could save you in the upper reaches will get you killed on the surface, and the wisdom you learn on the surface has no place but to death above it.  While surface people are all but enslaved to produce and maintain the surface reaches, life isn't all hell.  Even the snobbiest of rulers show some mercy in the form of free food, drugs and clothing distributed to the lower class through the temples of the dominate religion.  Other than this, however, they are all on their own down there.  Most of them haven't even seen real sunlight before, as the walkways have steadily obscured the sun.
Players in this setting can play the role of anyone between the poorest thugs roving through uninhabited surface buildings to the spiffiest rich-kids in the highest towers.  Ideology spans from golden-heart crusaders to villainous intent, from Chivalrous street-gangs to well equipped 'Vultures' '" well-born young adults who get jollies from praying on the poor.

As no one is permitted to leave the cities (exits are well blocked off before you even approach the outskirts), most adventures take place within the crowded confines of the urban jungle, where your altitude will generally play into the kind of adventure you partake in.

Because of the disarmed nature of this campaign setting, most combatants will engage in forms of conflict ranging from hand to hand fighting to intricate skull-bashing with the ever popular steel pipe.  Firearms are not completely gone, however, as one can sometimes come across the odd improvised firearm (zip gun) in the hands of a few lucky gangsters.  The materials involved in the manufacture of ammunition, however, are extraordinarily difficult to come across.  This drastically inflates the cost of even a single round, often times making these hand-made bullets more valuable than anything else in the lower reaches.  They are, in contrast, far more powerful than the smaller and weaker rounds used in real firearms one encounters in the city-army control teams.

This setting was inspired by a number of things, including:  

Necromunda a table top wargame set on an Ecumenopolis stratified much like my own
Bloodsport, a terrible martial arts movie shot in Hong Kong and Kowloon Walled City
Kowloon Walled City, a former Chinese city inside of Hong Kong, with buildings so close they hid the sun
Blade Runner, a classic science fiction story that makes you question the promises of the future
Real life, where you can't help but realize science is a tool of politics

M.

[Mason]

Most of them haven'teven seen real sunlight before  Thats powerful stuff.

So the two major factions are the rich and the poor? What about these gangs?
 Why do these people fight and what great rewards come from fighting?
I'm interested to see more of the outside world both as an adventuring sight and as an influence on the city. (why is it blocked off? What resources are left there? etc.)

[Cheomesh]

From a players point of view, the major factions are the rich and the poor, though the gangs are probably more a problem for "surface" players than "reach" players.

The gangs are quite essentially as diverse as snow flakes.  Some peddle whores and manufacture simple weapons, while others are unofficial temple guardians and good Samaritans that just find strength in (armed) numbers.

Players fight for a variety of reasons.  They could be gangers who want to take over another gang, or civilians who find themselves between (or on the receiving end of) gang violence.  They could equally be young rich kids who want to "surface" for a while and test out their killing abilities on a few unimportant people.  I use the Blood and Fist add-on, by the way.

As of this moment, the "outside" world isn't precisely established.  Generally, it's devoid of life, and couldn't be a fully blasted wasteland.  Automated (and overseen) farms do exist there, and I've considered having "dreckers", which are tribal primitives who are so far away from the city states that they simply don't matter.

Escape is blocked off simply so people can't leave.  The lower people do all the manufacturing work (read:  Make things you need) except for restricted items (like high grade weaponry).

M.

[Steerpike]

You should check out the indie game A/State which has some commonalities with this.

I like the idea of bare-knuckle brawling and street fighting in a high-tech, decaying urban sprawl.  What kind of adventures are ou envisioning?  Any system in mind?

[Cheomesh]

Whatcha mean by "system", in this case?

Adventures are not yet fixed (I don't have a certain group in mind for this yet, for example), but I was considering the good old trope of a higher-up backed gang that's there to exercise some kind of illegal activity in the name of their "employers" for starters.

M.

[Steerpike]

I meant rules system.

[Cheomesh]

Apex Spire is a futuristic campaign setting based off the d20 Modern rules.

;)

M.

[Steerpike]

Oh!  Totally missed that.

[LD]

Are you planning on modifying d20 modern in any way? It seems like the martial-arts aspect of the system may need some expanding to fit what you need. Also, will you be expanding jumping and climbing rules- it seems that elevation is a big part of the setting. Additionally- D20 modern has action points, correct? Will you be expanding the rules for them?

[Cheomesh]

As of this time, the only rules expansion I feel the need for is the Blood and Fist supplement, which really expands the whole martial arts aspect of the game.  I'll probably augment the "Kendo" one into a general "swordsmanship" thing, as Kendo is a SPORT and not a martial art.  "Fencing" as described in the game is bull, and will be removed (taken over by swordsmanship).

Action points was pretty nifty, though I don't see a need to expand them just yet (may change as I play).  I don't want them to become overwhelmingly abundant, as all the action points do is augment your rolls.  If they're really abundant, a given encounter can become a breeze.

You make a good point about elevation.  I don't know how I'm handling that just yet.  I might just use the standard climbing / jumping rules and make those above you "untargetable" for CQC weapons.  For firearms they'll likely gain cover if above you, or get a penalty if below.

M.

[Cheomesh]

The Lows

The walkway ahead is slick, dampened from condensation forming on an overhead pipe.  The sickly glow of a wall mounted light casts lewd shadows across your path, concealing nothing but revealing even less.  There was a boy ahead, a skinny youngling that would be out of place this far from any real habs.  He quickly darts around a corner, conveying your arrival to his master.  It is Thursday, and tonight you practice your deadly art...

The lowest levels of our homely city are populated by we disenfranchised wife-beaters.  We are the barely educated masses, responsible for the manufacturing of base goods, the maintenance of low-level structures and the upkeep of surface-level equipment.  We dwell within the first thirty or so stories of our polis, and receive from our overlords the bare essentials of packaged rations and simple clothing (ironically manufactured here on our surface).  By our god Marduk the merciful and Shamash the hidden one, our plight is far from hopeless...

==

The lowest reaches, the first fifty or so stories, serve as manufacturing and housing centers for the general populace.  These areas are sunless, with light coming from artificial lamps, neon signs and the occasional trash fire.  Natural sunlight strikes the ground in very few locations; all of them are designated landing zones for supply shuttles, and are restricted locations.

These areas are responsible for the creation of primary goods, such as tools, packaging, and general metal goods (the standard fare like sinks and the like).  Fab shops and small factories are the order of the day, with raw resources supplied from above via the LZ's.

Here, the economic situation is very different from that above.  Here, there are no notes of credit or true finance systems in place like there are above.  To acquire anything, an individual must steal it, exchange rationing chits for it, or barter something for it.  While food and basic needs like clothing are handled in weekly supply shipments via the LZ's (and are provided at no to low cost), other things need to be bought with scarce mediums of exchange (currency or barter).

Your typical dweller has some measure of education.  They can do the essentials of mathematics, and some can read.  Most of them are well versed in tool usage and basic repair work -- likely had to do a fair share of that at home as a necessity.  They generally begin some kind of trade between 12 and 14, becoming apprentices to proven manufacturing groups.  From there, they learn relevant skills that their parents and community members could not teach them.  The average work day is 6-8 hours, depending on the trade, and many work groups have overlapping utility as to have a continuous flow of work without risking an overworked populace (which generally leads to inefficiency and urban crank).

The personal life of these citizens vary.  Some pursue martial education, while others delve into some kind of creative persuit.  Many people just do drugs; LSD-like substances are easily refined from some forms of rations left to mold.  Some of the greatest musicians come from this sector of society, and one day find themselves offered contracts to sing live for middle and upper class citizens, higher up the city.

Those who engage in some kind of martial art normally study close-order arts focused on hand to hand or simple weapon use.  Knife-fighting with cheap shivs or good quality fabricated knives are popular in many places.  Because inter-city travel is out of the question for these people, styles that are unpopular or not pragmatic for their area tend to dry up and die, while those that fit well flourish.  The schools for these sort of arts are to be found all over, from secluded parkways (generally and expanse of concrete away from buildings) to abandoned warehouses and factories -- wherever they can find room.

Gangs come and go in many surface reaches.  These power structures generally do not last more than a generation or two, as gangs break apart at the seams or subsequent generations take them in completely different directions.  The overlords maintain "contacts" at various important places for the sole purpose of assuring troublesome gangs do not seize control of resource depots or destroy important features.  Gangs that do often find themselves completely outgunned and removed from modern history.  Some gangs are beneficial, and act as unofficial police forces, removing petty criminals and protecting organizations they have vested interest in, while also maintaining a work ethic that makes them more than dangerous leeches.

Also found in these areas are a few illicit weapons known as "zips" or "tugs" -- improvised firearms.  The materials involved in the creation of gunpowder and ammo are *strictly* controlled, but they can be found in small amounts.  This means that ammo is very scarce, and the weapons that use these large and expensive rounds even more difficult to get a hold of.  They often find their way into more violence prone gangs and individuals.  A man can never be too careful...

M.

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

Real life, where you can't help but realize science is a tool of politics

I thought everything was a tool of politics. ;)

I have to say that I like corners, and cities provide a whole lot of that.  And combine the restriction to melee-range combat with some of those urban acrobats ([ur=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkour]parkour[/ur]) and you certainly have one hell of martial arts environment.  Too bad you don't have any displaced noble warriors for that "ronin" angle.

[Cheomesh]

*Everything* is a tool of politics.  Science, religion, art...all of it.

Yep, I certainly expect some "urban ninjas" to crop up in my setting.

As for the "displaced noble" kind of deal, I do have that.  In our modern age, there is a rising number of upper middle class and upper class children forsaking their (comfortable) lifestyle and going around squatting.  It would not be a stretch of the imagination to have a high-reacher (who is probably trained in a few hand to hand methods as well as the ever popular swordplay) show up in the dreks trying to "Get along" or "prove something".  They could even be an absolute run-away.  Thanks for bringing that up :)

M.

[Cheomesh]

It was a lovely furnished office, with comfortable faux leather seats and automatic drink dispensers.  I waited patiently for the detective over a glass of Fed, counting the seconds on the digital wall clock across the room.  Counting the seconds my daughter's been missing, run away or stolen...

I was starting to write about your typical middle level for my beloved nonreaders, when it hit me -- this system seems really artificial.  

So I have begun to rethink a few things.  The concept of "professionals" like docs and lawyers and other professionals living in a strata between the rich and the poor seemed to make sense at first.  However, I realized that any given regular service has to be fairly close to you in order for it to be useful.

Subsequently, I considered defusing most careers amongst all three layers of a city, with the justification of the separation being differing levels of affluence and education.

For example, on the surface most people are probably working in the manufacturing area, with their basic needs provided for (food and clothing) as a method of keeping them civil.  They still get a medium of exchange for their other stuff, which allows them to exchange for services -- medical care and the like.  However, they have little in the way of exchange, so even these poor professionals have little cash, and subsequently can't "buy" their way upwards, into environs with better surroundings and fewer gangs.  The "best" of these people are usually factory managers (maybe even owners but rarely) or some other service profession like a low-level lawyer (who attended no law school, but instead was taught by someone recognized as law-versed).

Mid-level people and up probably will not work in manufacturing, simply because a factory wouldn't be theoretically best served up above the ground.  These people are better educated, however, so they work in areas like R&D (new designs for the lower-downs to replicate), non-production businesses, higher-level maintenance (electrical systems and things you actually have to train for) and education.  They have some kind of life-control that basically lets them be more fulfilled and make more exchange.  Subsequently, they're not reliant on the government for handouts (generally).  These people have an education that allows them to maintain good income and a certain unspoken social prestige that allows them to hold on to their place in altitude.  Some might even be managers of "salvage teams" that strip out abandoned buildings for resources.  Security forces are generally recruited from here.

The higher ups own primary resources, especially those that everyone relies on.  These include raw materials like iron, copper and the like.  They are also into government, as governance is generally either hereditary or by oligarchy.  They're rich and spend most of their time managing that wealth.  They're highly educated, well connected and even when the shite hits the fan they can usually social their way out of it.  They have their own doctors (highly trained and highly paid, specialists most of them), lawyers and teachers.  They maintain their social prestige and location in altitude by simply controlling everything -- everything you do profits them.

Do you all think the separation based mostly on education level and connection makes more sense than simple job=location due to pay?

M.

[Cheomesh]

Canned for refitting.

M.