Welcome to the Garden of Beautiful Nightmares
Surveyors,
You know your mission. Stick together, build the Rail, and everyone gets home safe.
The Wilds is a cooperative survival game about the wonders and terrors of nature. Join us for a weekend of exploring the beautiful redwood forest of Boulder Creek, CA, and discover the extremes of evolution.
You know your mission. Stick together, build the Rail, and everyone gets home safe.
The Wilds is a cooperative survival game about the wonders and terrors of nature. Join us for a weekend of exploring the beautiful redwood forest of Boulder Creek, CA, and discover the extremes of evolution.
The Wilds Teaser
Relevant Setting Information
Planet Ottsalia
aht-sah-lee-uh - [ɑt-sɑ-li-ə]
Population: 16 billion
First Contact: 21 GT
History and Culture
On a planet of constant change, the only path to survival is adaptation. Ottsalia is a world of extreme change and contrast, with a hyper-evolutionary biosphere that is always trying to outdo itself. The presiding theory holds that the Ancients used Ottsalia as a testbed for experimental genetic augmentation, and when they vanished, their prototypes infected the biosphere, leading to uncontrollable biological chaos.
The civilizations that emerged on Ottsalia learned how to adapt to stay ahead. New predators emerged every generation, and hunters and warriors had to constantly develop new weapons and figure out how to outsmart the latest beasts and carnivorous plants out for their blood. Ottsalian civilizations prized innovation and creativity, as it led to survival. Competition and warfare between cultures and tribes on Ottsalia was rare, even in its infancy, as humans needed to work together to stay alive. Property--both physical and intellectual--tended to be communal rather than private. What’s good for the family on Ottsalia is good for the species.
The humans of Ottsalia knew they were different from the start of their history for a simple reason: their children were born looking roughly like them, unlike just about every other species on the planet. In order to survive, Ottsalians developed technology. They learned from nature, and started figuring out how to get ahead. Permanent civilization was an uphill battle, but one that the Ottsalians were willing to fight. Cities emerged, generally with massive walls to keep the jungle of a thousand glorious nightmares away. These cities remained independent from one another as city-states until a global government emerged during the Expansion Era, with no national political stage in between. Ottsalia does not have much information on its own history, and has never cared much to keep records of it. After all, the future is both more exciting and more important. When you need to figure out what’s going to try to kill you tomorrow, what tried to kill you yesterday just isn’t that interesting.
Today, Ottsalia is the galaxy’s center of science, technology, and culture. The massive cities are connected by trains, their tracks patrolled by automatons that fight back the overeager flora and fauna. The planet is home to over sixteen billion people, the most of any Homeworld. Most major corporations have their headquarters on Ottsalia, especially those in the pharmaceutical or technological fields. Ottsalia’s laws on ethics are few and far between, making it a rich hotbed for experimentation both medical and otherwise.
Ottsalian technology trended towards the biological, drawing inspiration from its environment. Genesplicers began altering humans for fun and profit, leading to the emergence of the Evos--humans who voluntarily change their bodies and their DNA. Some take on animal characteristic such as scales or bioluminescent patches, while others heighten their senses or just grow a tail. Almost a third of the population of Ottsalia are Evos of one kind or another, and while Evos are eye-catching elsewhere in the galaxy, they are a common sight on the streets of any of Ottsalia’s major cities.
Up until recently, the alterations meant that most Evos were sterile. However, new advancements have resulted in Evos (at least, those with the money to afford it) being able to reproduce biologically. This has led to some major public ethics arguments, as society at large debates whether or not Evos should be allowed to pass on their alterations to their children. The Evo parents see their changes as parts of who they are, while their opponents insist that their children should be allowed to choose their own alterations (if any) when they come of age.
Life in Ottsalian cities tends to be disorienting for non-natives, for a number of reasons. Most needs are provided for through biological engineering. Trees in massive public orchards generate fresh fruit and three-course meals overnight, while moss gardens purify water into sweet-flavored drinking troughs. Meanwhile, public art exhibits and performances pop up spontaneously on the streets, occasionally stopping traffic and throwing streets into temporary chaos. Everything is loud, flashy, and extravagant, which is exactly the way Ottsalians like it.
Jungle adventuring is a popular--and extremely dangerous--sport on Ottsalia, attracting natives and offworlders alike. Going into the jungle and coming out alive with a prize is a major goal of teenage Ottsalians, and many lose their lives on drunken underprepared expeditions. There are, of course, many famous explorers, most with their own livecast shows. Comparisons to the Agerran Sunwalk are both common and thoroughly offensive to Agerrans and Ottsalians alike.
Politically, Ottsalia has always been very independent. Technically it joined the U.A.W., but galactic events rarely had much relevance to life on Ottsalia. It stayed entirely out of the Homeworld War, seceding early on from the U.A.W. and then mostly ignoring the rest of the war. This has left some people bitter at the Ottsalian government for not intervening, but that neutrality kept life on Ottsalia safe. Ottsalia recently joined the Colonial Congress, but its delegation votes almost exclusively when policies about minimizing intervention are on the floor.
Ottsalians tend to have deep pride in their world. Most natives go the majority of their lives without ever going offworld. Their prevailing claim is that anything they could ever want is on Ottsalia--why would they ever willingly go somewhere less interesting? After all, cultural, musical, and fashion trends tend to follow what happens on Ottsalia, about a decade behind. Ottsalia is a garden of beautiful madness, and its denizens wouldn’t have it any other way.
Ottsalians also take a different approach to naming than much of the rest of the galaxy. While on other Homeworlds, children commonly carry the same names as the rest of their families, on Ottsalia children are often only given one name. They are expected to choose a surname when they come of age, based on their interests or accomplishments. These names can and do change, as do personal names. It is not uncommon for an adolescent Ottsalian to go through a dozen or more name changes before they settle on one they feel is right. This practice has begun to spread to other worlds, especially among the Colonies.
Gender, Sexuality, and Romance
The home of Evos, the cultural center of the Galaxy, the garden of beautiful nightmares. Ottsalians value change and transformation, especially of oneself. Even before the first Evos, Ottsalia had a large transgender population. Although the animal gene splicing of Evos is not gender, it is worth noting as it can be a large part of a person's identity in a similar way. Although there is a huge variety of acceptable GSRs, Ottsalians are not as concerned with developing a perfect language to encompass them or labeling themselves.
Historically, adolescents experimented with gender presentation publicly. Currently they also experiment with non-permanent special effects makeup to simulate Evos. Relationship structures are varied, and it is fairly standard for Ottsalians to have multiple partners of varying levels of intensity. Relationships are often seen as just as fluid as genders and presentations, especially among young Ottsalians.
aht-sah-lee-uh - [ɑt-sɑ-li-ə]
Population: 16 billion
First Contact: 21 GT
History and Culture
On a planet of constant change, the only path to survival is adaptation. Ottsalia is a world of extreme change and contrast, with a hyper-evolutionary biosphere that is always trying to outdo itself. The presiding theory holds that the Ancients used Ottsalia as a testbed for experimental genetic augmentation, and when they vanished, their prototypes infected the biosphere, leading to uncontrollable biological chaos.
The civilizations that emerged on Ottsalia learned how to adapt to stay ahead. New predators emerged every generation, and hunters and warriors had to constantly develop new weapons and figure out how to outsmart the latest beasts and carnivorous plants out for their blood. Ottsalian civilizations prized innovation and creativity, as it led to survival. Competition and warfare between cultures and tribes on Ottsalia was rare, even in its infancy, as humans needed to work together to stay alive. Property--both physical and intellectual--tended to be communal rather than private. What’s good for the family on Ottsalia is good for the species.
The humans of Ottsalia knew they were different from the start of their history for a simple reason: their children were born looking roughly like them, unlike just about every other species on the planet. In order to survive, Ottsalians developed technology. They learned from nature, and started figuring out how to get ahead. Permanent civilization was an uphill battle, but one that the Ottsalians were willing to fight. Cities emerged, generally with massive walls to keep the jungle of a thousand glorious nightmares away. These cities remained independent from one another as city-states until a global government emerged during the Expansion Era, with no national political stage in between. Ottsalia does not have much information on its own history, and has never cared much to keep records of it. After all, the future is both more exciting and more important. When you need to figure out what’s going to try to kill you tomorrow, what tried to kill you yesterday just isn’t that interesting.
Today, Ottsalia is the galaxy’s center of science, technology, and culture. The massive cities are connected by trains, their tracks patrolled by automatons that fight back the overeager flora and fauna. The planet is home to over sixteen billion people, the most of any Homeworld. Most major corporations have their headquarters on Ottsalia, especially those in the pharmaceutical or technological fields. Ottsalia’s laws on ethics are few and far between, making it a rich hotbed for experimentation both medical and otherwise.
Ottsalian technology trended towards the biological, drawing inspiration from its environment. Genesplicers began altering humans for fun and profit, leading to the emergence of the Evos--humans who voluntarily change their bodies and their DNA. Some take on animal characteristic such as scales or bioluminescent patches, while others heighten their senses or just grow a tail. Almost a third of the population of Ottsalia are Evos of one kind or another, and while Evos are eye-catching elsewhere in the galaxy, they are a common sight on the streets of any of Ottsalia’s major cities.
Up until recently, the alterations meant that most Evos were sterile. However, new advancements have resulted in Evos (at least, those with the money to afford it) being able to reproduce biologically. This has led to some major public ethics arguments, as society at large debates whether or not Evos should be allowed to pass on their alterations to their children. The Evo parents see their changes as parts of who they are, while their opponents insist that their children should be allowed to choose their own alterations (if any) when they come of age.
Life in Ottsalian cities tends to be disorienting for non-natives, for a number of reasons. Most needs are provided for through biological engineering. Trees in massive public orchards generate fresh fruit and three-course meals overnight, while moss gardens purify water into sweet-flavored drinking troughs. Meanwhile, public art exhibits and performances pop up spontaneously on the streets, occasionally stopping traffic and throwing streets into temporary chaos. Everything is loud, flashy, and extravagant, which is exactly the way Ottsalians like it.
Jungle adventuring is a popular--and extremely dangerous--sport on Ottsalia, attracting natives and offworlders alike. Going into the jungle and coming out alive with a prize is a major goal of teenage Ottsalians, and many lose their lives on drunken underprepared expeditions. There are, of course, many famous explorers, most with their own livecast shows. Comparisons to the Agerran Sunwalk are both common and thoroughly offensive to Agerrans and Ottsalians alike.
Politically, Ottsalia has always been very independent. Technically it joined the U.A.W., but galactic events rarely had much relevance to life on Ottsalia. It stayed entirely out of the Homeworld War, seceding early on from the U.A.W. and then mostly ignoring the rest of the war. This has left some people bitter at the Ottsalian government for not intervening, but that neutrality kept life on Ottsalia safe. Ottsalia recently joined the Colonial Congress, but its delegation votes almost exclusively when policies about minimizing intervention are on the floor.
Ottsalians tend to have deep pride in their world. Most natives go the majority of their lives without ever going offworld. Their prevailing claim is that anything they could ever want is on Ottsalia--why would they ever willingly go somewhere less interesting? After all, cultural, musical, and fashion trends tend to follow what happens on Ottsalia, about a decade behind. Ottsalia is a garden of beautiful madness, and its denizens wouldn’t have it any other way.
Ottsalians also take a different approach to naming than much of the rest of the galaxy. While on other Homeworlds, children commonly carry the same names as the rest of their families, on Ottsalia children are often only given one name. They are expected to choose a surname when they come of age, based on their interests or accomplishments. These names can and do change, as do personal names. It is not uncommon for an adolescent Ottsalian to go through a dozen or more name changes before they settle on one they feel is right. This practice has begun to spread to other worlds, especially among the Colonies.
Gender, Sexuality, and Romance
The home of Evos, the cultural center of the Galaxy, the garden of beautiful nightmares. Ottsalians value change and transformation, especially of oneself. Even before the first Evos, Ottsalia had a large transgender population. Although the animal gene splicing of Evos is not gender, it is worth noting as it can be a large part of a person's identity in a similar way. Although there is a huge variety of acceptable GSRs, Ottsalians are not as concerned with developing a perfect language to encompass them or labeling themselves.
Historically, adolescents experimented with gender presentation publicly. Currently they also experiment with non-permanent special effects makeup to simulate Evos. Relationship structures are varied, and it is fairly standard for Ottsalians to have multiple partners of varying levels of intensity. Relationships are often seen as just as fluid as genders and presentations, especially among young Ottsalians.
Evos
a.k.a. Genefreaks, Splicers, Next-Gens
The trend of altering the human genome to include DNA from nonhuman life forms began on Ottsalia, but has begun to spread to other parts of the galaxy. The Dynavolution process is a mix of genetic and surgical transformation, using techniques derived from the aggressively hyper-evolutionary Ottsalian biosphere. Most Evos alter themselves for purely cosmetic purposes, adding scales, different colored eyes, tails, or stranger things still. Some Evos make functional changes, like giving themselves gills or claws, but those are relatively rare, even on Ottsalia. Some Evos engage in truly extreme alterations, such as giving themselves wings and hollow bones to be able to fly, or replacing their legs with additional arms to live in zero gravity, but these Evos (often called Full Splicers) rarely leave Ottsalia and its surrounding stations.
A significant portion of the population of Ottsalia are Evos, but in the rest of the galaxy, they are somewhat rarer. The rise of Evo pop stars and actors normalized the sight of them, and these days the Dynavolution process has become commonplace on most Homeworlds. It is still an expensive and largely cosmetic procedure, though, and is often the domain of those who can afford it. Especially on Ottsalia, dramatic and exciting enhancements are seen as a status marker.
a.k.a. Genefreaks, Splicers, Next-Gens
The trend of altering the human genome to include DNA from nonhuman life forms began on Ottsalia, but has begun to spread to other parts of the galaxy. The Dynavolution process is a mix of genetic and surgical transformation, using techniques derived from the aggressively hyper-evolutionary Ottsalian biosphere. Most Evos alter themselves for purely cosmetic purposes, adding scales, different colored eyes, tails, or stranger things still. Some Evos make functional changes, like giving themselves gills or claws, but those are relatively rare, even on Ottsalia. Some Evos engage in truly extreme alterations, such as giving themselves wings and hollow bones to be able to fly, or replacing their legs with additional arms to live in zero gravity, but these Evos (often called Full Splicers) rarely leave Ottsalia and its surrounding stations.
A significant portion of the population of Ottsalia are Evos, but in the rest of the galaxy, they are somewhat rarer. The rise of Evo pop stars and actors normalized the sight of them, and these days the Dynavolution process has become commonplace on most Homeworlds. It is still an expensive and largely cosmetic procedure, though, and is often the domain of those who can afford it. Especially on Ottsalia, dramatic and exciting enhancements are seen as a status marker.
Augments
a.k.a. Cyborgs, Tech-heads, Metallics
Throughout the galaxy, many have turned to technological augmentation to improve their bodies, incorporating machinery into their bodies. For the most part, this is done for purely practical reasons, such as enhancing physical strength, expanding memory, or removing the need to breathe. Physical labor on most planets is handled primarily by Augments, especially labor that requires spending time in hazardous environments. Augmentation to unlock telekinetic abilities does exist, and was developed for use in both labor and for its military applications. Since the outlawing of all psychic actions in the wake of the Homeworld War, these augmentations have become vanishingly rare, the province only of the crime circuits of Din Shass.
Due to the cost of surgery and parts, most Augments receive their enhancements through sponsorships, either from corporations or organized criminal elements. Unfortunately, this often puts Augments into debt to their benefactors, who force them to spend decades working off the payment for the upgrades. Less ethical corporations will even force their Augmented workforce into updates lest they risk obsolescence, prolonging the debt indefinitely. Augments who try to flee their debt can have their parts deactivated remotely.
Poor treatment of Augments has led to a painful tension between most Augments and other variants of humans. Augments are often looked down on as being low class, and on some worlds have few rights or protections from their corporate overlords, despite growing Augment rights movements. Those Augments who do work off their debts often leave the rest of human society entirely, retreating instead to the Augment-only enclaves hidden throughout the galaxy. Life in these Augmented spaces is spoken of in hushed tones and rumors. Many say that the Augments there live for centuries, replacing more and more of their organs with machines as they age.
Navigators
Navigators are a specific and very important type of Augment. They are fitted with special neural cybernetics, reverse engineered from Ancient technology, that allows them to interface directly with warp engines. Every starship needs a Navigator, as they’re the only ones who can actually operate a warp engine and get it moving. Like other Augments, most Navigators serve a particular company--generally one of the shipping or colonial corporations.
Generally, Navigators work alone, interfacing directly with their warp drives. Often Navigators will cultivate a very personal relationship with their engine, which most Navigators say begins to feel like an extension of their own being. Capital ships are unique in that their drives require multiple Navigators to operate, networked together. The technology to link minds in that manner has yet to be replicated, which is one of the biggest obstacles to building new capital-scale ships. These Navigator clusters, generally groups of three or four, become closely bonded through their engines, and are rumored to share feelings and memories, even when not aboard their ships.
a.k.a. Cyborgs, Tech-heads, Metallics
Throughout the galaxy, many have turned to technological augmentation to improve their bodies, incorporating machinery into their bodies. For the most part, this is done for purely practical reasons, such as enhancing physical strength, expanding memory, or removing the need to breathe. Physical labor on most planets is handled primarily by Augments, especially labor that requires spending time in hazardous environments. Augmentation to unlock telekinetic abilities does exist, and was developed for use in both labor and for its military applications. Since the outlawing of all psychic actions in the wake of the Homeworld War, these augmentations have become vanishingly rare, the province only of the crime circuits of Din Shass.
Due to the cost of surgery and parts, most Augments receive their enhancements through sponsorships, either from corporations or organized criminal elements. Unfortunately, this often puts Augments into debt to their benefactors, who force them to spend decades working off the payment for the upgrades. Less ethical corporations will even force their Augmented workforce into updates lest they risk obsolescence, prolonging the debt indefinitely. Augments who try to flee their debt can have their parts deactivated remotely.
Poor treatment of Augments has led to a painful tension between most Augments and other variants of humans. Augments are often looked down on as being low class, and on some worlds have few rights or protections from their corporate overlords, despite growing Augment rights movements. Those Augments who do work off their debts often leave the rest of human society entirely, retreating instead to the Augment-only enclaves hidden throughout the galaxy. Life in these Augmented spaces is spoken of in hushed tones and rumors. Many say that the Augments there live for centuries, replacing more and more of their organs with machines as they age.
Navigators
Navigators are a specific and very important type of Augment. They are fitted with special neural cybernetics, reverse engineered from Ancient technology, that allows them to interface directly with warp engines. Every starship needs a Navigator, as they’re the only ones who can actually operate a warp engine and get it moving. Like other Augments, most Navigators serve a particular company--generally one of the shipping or colonial corporations.
Generally, Navigators work alone, interfacing directly with their warp drives. Often Navigators will cultivate a very personal relationship with their engine, which most Navigators say begins to feel like an extension of their own being. Capital ships are unique in that their drives require multiple Navigators to operate, networked together. The technology to link minds in that manner has yet to be replicated, which is one of the biggest obstacles to building new capital-scale ships. These Navigator clusters, generally groups of three or four, become closely bonded through their engines, and are rumored to share feelings and memories, even when not aboard their ships.
Innates
a.k.a. Espers, Mentals, Telekind
The rarest variant of humans, Innates are those with natural telekinetic or telepathic abilities. While they have existed throughout human history, for the most part they have been born one in every few million, and their powers have been minimal enough as to be dismissed as myth or hallucination. However, starting about sixty years ago, a sharp uptick in the birth rates of Innates occurred. More and more began appearing throughout the galaxy, with stronger powers. There was much debate about the cause of this rise, but no answer was ever conclusively determined.
Most humans throughout the galaxy feared Innates and their powers to begin with, as they represented a strange and unknowable danger. The Paladins of Dawn were the exception, actively trying to recruit Innates during their sudden growth. Some Innates were happy to find a home, while others grew frustrated at being seen only as that one aspect of their identities. Some Innates took to wearing fake cybernetic parts in order to pass as Augments, while many just stopped using their powers entirely.
Everything changed during the Homeworld War. Agerre, a planet that had previously been hostile towards Innates, drafted its Innate population into its military, training them to use their powers for military applications. This came to a head at the end of the war, when the Admiral Therra took his squad of specially trained Innates on a fateful mission to Gyr. Focusing their powers through an Ancient artifact the admiral had recovered, the Innates attempted to trigger a volcanic eruption on Gyr, destroying a mining facility feeding the orbital shipyards. The artifact amplified their powers far beyond that, leading to the destruction of the entire surface of Gyr.
After that disastrous day, every major government has outlawed the usage of psychic powers, either by Innates or Augments. While being an Innate is not illegal, the exercise of power is on most worlds. People still greatly fear Innates, and today, most Innates keep their powers hidden--both so that they are not arrested and so that they are not shunned by society. Many Innates have moved out to the outlying colonies, where their powers might be appreciated for their practical usage--or at least more easily hidden.
a.k.a. Espers, Mentals, Telekind
The rarest variant of humans, Innates are those with natural telekinetic or telepathic abilities. While they have existed throughout human history, for the most part they have been born one in every few million, and their powers have been minimal enough as to be dismissed as myth or hallucination. However, starting about sixty years ago, a sharp uptick in the birth rates of Innates occurred. More and more began appearing throughout the galaxy, with stronger powers. There was much debate about the cause of this rise, but no answer was ever conclusively determined.
Most humans throughout the galaxy feared Innates and their powers to begin with, as they represented a strange and unknowable danger. The Paladins of Dawn were the exception, actively trying to recruit Innates during their sudden growth. Some Innates were happy to find a home, while others grew frustrated at being seen only as that one aspect of their identities. Some Innates took to wearing fake cybernetic parts in order to pass as Augments, while many just stopped using their powers entirely.
Everything changed during the Homeworld War. Agerre, a planet that had previously been hostile towards Innates, drafted its Innate population into its military, training them to use their powers for military applications. This came to a head at the end of the war, when the Admiral Therra took his squad of specially trained Innates on a fateful mission to Gyr. Focusing their powers through an Ancient artifact the admiral had recovered, the Innates attempted to trigger a volcanic eruption on Gyr, destroying a mining facility feeding the orbital shipyards. The artifact amplified their powers far beyond that, leading to the destruction of the entire surface of Gyr.
After that disastrous day, every major government has outlawed the usage of psychic powers, either by Innates or Augments. While being an Innate is not illegal, the exercise of power is on most worlds. People still greatly fear Innates, and today, most Innates keep their powers hidden--both so that they are not arrested and so that they are not shunned by society. Many Innates have moved out to the outlying colonies, where their powers might be appreciated for their practical usage--or at least more easily hidden.
Baselines
a.k.a. Normals, Standards, Sapiens
Homo Sapiens are an interesting life form, bipedal and bilaterally symmetrical. Their original homeworld is unknown, but they have an astonishing capacity to survive in extreme climates. They adapt rapidly, developing technology and tools that allow them to inhabit worlds and environments of all kinds. They have a high pain tolerance, can regenerate large quantities of their skin and blood if given time to recover, and breed very rapidly.
The original birthplace of the human species is at this point unknown. It is known that at one point there were several human civilizations that spanned as much as a third of the galaxy. Approximately six thousand years ago, some kind of cataclysmic event wiped out the overwhelming majority of humans. Humans survived on six planets, all of which were knocked back to the stone age. All modern day humans are descendants of the survivors of that cataclysm. As time has progressed, humankind has begun to reclaim some of its own lost marvels, and reach back out towards the stars.
a.k.a. Normals, Standards, Sapiens
Homo Sapiens are an interesting life form, bipedal and bilaterally symmetrical. Their original homeworld is unknown, but they have an astonishing capacity to survive in extreme climates. They adapt rapidly, developing technology and tools that allow them to inhabit worlds and environments of all kinds. They have a high pain tolerance, can regenerate large quantities of their skin and blood if given time to recover, and breed very rapidly.
The original birthplace of the human species is at this point unknown. It is known that at one point there were several human civilizations that spanned as much as a third of the galaxy. Approximately six thousand years ago, some kind of cataclysmic event wiped out the overwhelming majority of humans. Humans survived on six planets, all of which were knocked back to the stone age. All modern day humans are descendants of the survivors of that cataclysm. As time has progressed, humankind has begun to reclaim some of its own lost marvels, and reach back out towards the stars.
Androids
While not technically a human variant, it is useful to consider androids in this context as well. Robots are quite rare throughout the galaxy, as they have generally been found to be impractical and inefficient for most tasks when compared to Augmented human labor. The exception are androids. Androids are artificial humans, made from a mix of cybernetic components, advanced circuitry reverse-engineered from ancient designs (similar to the implants used by Navigators), and cloned tissue as an outer cover.
It is still prohibitively expensive to build an android, so they are for the moment the province of the extremely rich and the corporate. Androids do not have true artificial intelligences, but programmers have managed to construct reasonably convincing personality simulations. However, even the most advanced androids are still easily identifiable as such, as modeling the subtleties of human emotional response is exceedingly difficult. Most existing models of androids are designed for human interaction tasks, such as being personal assistants to corporate leaders, or nannies to the children of the super-rich.
True A.I. is currently in development by Enterios Corporation and their CEO is rumored to have true A.I.
Automatons
On Ottsalia, robots of various shapes and sizes are built to roam the wilds protecting the HyperRails. While intelligent, they do not have true A.I. nor are meant for human interaction; as such, they are less humanoid than other androids.
During the expedition, Automatons will be turned on for the first time and taught to protect the expedition and the HyperRail. It is an experimental role where you go into the larp without a traditional character and are "born".
While not technically a human variant, it is useful to consider androids in this context as well. Robots are quite rare throughout the galaxy, as they have generally been found to be impractical and inefficient for most tasks when compared to Augmented human labor. The exception are androids. Androids are artificial humans, made from a mix of cybernetic components, advanced circuitry reverse-engineered from ancient designs (similar to the implants used by Navigators), and cloned tissue as an outer cover.
It is still prohibitively expensive to build an android, so they are for the moment the province of the extremely rich and the corporate. Androids do not have true artificial intelligences, but programmers have managed to construct reasonably convincing personality simulations. However, even the most advanced androids are still easily identifiable as such, as modeling the subtleties of human emotional response is exceedingly difficult. Most existing models of androids are designed for human interaction tasks, such as being personal assistants to corporate leaders, or nannies to the children of the super-rich.
True A.I. is currently in development by Enterios Corporation and their CEO is rumored to have true A.I.
Automatons
On Ottsalia, robots of various shapes and sizes are built to roam the wilds protecting the HyperRails. While intelligent, they do not have true A.I. nor are meant for human interaction; as such, they are less humanoid than other androids.
During the expedition, Automatons will be turned on for the first time and taught to protect the expedition and the HyperRail. It is an experimental role where you go into the larp without a traditional character and are "born".
The Cities of Ottsalia
From the journals of Dr. Ari Risan
In order to keep these reports as systematic as possible, I plan to break them into three different sections detailing my descent into Ottsalia’s culture and dangerous jungles, “The Wilds”.
Section 1: The Cities
Ambient City, with a population of over 13 million, is the functional capital of Ottsalia. I say “functional” because the true political center of planet is 500 km east, but the Ottsalia you know–the city of the newsfeeds and fashion boards and adventure stories–that’s Ambient. The city of endless, colorful parties among the roots of giant trees that bleed wine like sap. The city of lights, dreams, and scientific miracles. The city of professional “adventurers” who delve into the Wilds in fabulous clothes, trailing camera crews. That is Ambient.
The Peakborn of Zé value simplicity, and my wardrobe reflects that. This morning I bought a bright purple jacket just so I wouldn’t stand out so much in all my white and grey. The vendor told me it was based off the jacket V. Nexus wore in their latest stream. Ottsalian culture is one of excess, and many Ambients spend a lot of time and money on their wardrobes, in a constant jostle to be the next viral influencer splashed across the digital boards in the city center. People here sleep in, stay up late, and chase their passions.
Many Ottsalians work in the entertainment industry, whether that is acting, influencing, advertising, or public relations. Tech development moves as fast here as everything else does, and there’s cache in having the newest and best. Since I’ve been here I’ve met an endless stream of vidstars and young thrill-seekers. They plan out their own expeditions into the Wilds that may or may not ever become reality. Anything to get their faces on the streams.
I hope this isn’t coming off too brusque–I’m trying to just make observations, not judgements. Life here is just so different than it is in all the other places I’ve lived. Eventually I’m sure all the lights, noise, and colors will become background static, but for the time being I have a headache.
Also I hope I am not making it sound as if every aspect of life in Ambient is glitz and glam. It assuredly isn’t. I may be Peakborn, but I know you can’t get the measure of a place without seeing its poorest districts.
On Zé, we struggle with food shortages. On Ottsalia, poverty wears a different face. Here, no one goes hungry. The verdant, fast-growing plant life means a food source is always nearby. A utopia, then? Maybe if you discount the fact that a good 4/5s of the planet’s surface is covered in carnivorous plants and genetically impossible beasts. But once you see children barely old enough to walk plucking blueberry off bushes by the side of the road in order to eat, you can’t really say a place is without flaws.
Ambient City possesses another difficulty: real estate. The wealthiest residents have homes and gardens of their own, while the poorest live out in the Eaves–often whole families to a single room. Even the heroes of Ottsalia–experts in exploration and wilderness survival–sleep safely in the interior when they aren’t out on jobs.
That brings us to Brightside. Possibly named to tempt settlers, Brightside lies to the north of Ambient City, and has only one major export: seafood. Or really, lake food. The body of water it sits on is not quite large enough to be classified a freshwater sea. Unlike most Ottsalian cities, it’s traditional cuisine is not entirely plant-based.
No major corporations have hubs in Brightside, although that will most likely change in the coming decades. Because of the lack of career mobility, Brightside’s population is low when compared to Ambient City. The lake is known as “The Eye” by the locals, since from up above that’s what it looks like–a single clear eye in the midst of environmental chaos.
Despite its low population, Brightside has the most Augments per capita on Ottsalia. I’m not precisely sure why, but I hypothesize that without any overt corporate presence, Augments feel more free than they do elsewhere, with giant logos flashing on every street corner. Most augmentation in Brightside is aquatic–bionic gils or hand and feet more suited to water than land. Augments and Automatons patrol the Lake District, keeping it clear of dangerous flora and fauna. Predictably, only the wealthiest Brightsiders can afford to keep homes in this relatively peaceful ward.
More information as I come across it.
From the journals of Dr. Ari Risan
In order to keep these reports as systematic as possible, I plan to break them into three different sections detailing my descent into Ottsalia’s culture and dangerous jungles, “The Wilds”.
Section 1: The Cities
Ambient City, with a population of over 13 million, is the functional capital of Ottsalia. I say “functional” because the true political center of planet is 500 km east, but the Ottsalia you know–the city of the newsfeeds and fashion boards and adventure stories–that’s Ambient. The city of endless, colorful parties among the roots of giant trees that bleed wine like sap. The city of lights, dreams, and scientific miracles. The city of professional “adventurers” who delve into the Wilds in fabulous clothes, trailing camera crews. That is Ambient.
The Peakborn of Zé value simplicity, and my wardrobe reflects that. This morning I bought a bright purple jacket just so I wouldn’t stand out so much in all my white and grey. The vendor told me it was based off the jacket V. Nexus wore in their latest stream. Ottsalian culture is one of excess, and many Ambients spend a lot of time and money on their wardrobes, in a constant jostle to be the next viral influencer splashed across the digital boards in the city center. People here sleep in, stay up late, and chase their passions.
Many Ottsalians work in the entertainment industry, whether that is acting, influencing, advertising, or public relations. Tech development moves as fast here as everything else does, and there’s cache in having the newest and best. Since I’ve been here I’ve met an endless stream of vidstars and young thrill-seekers. They plan out their own expeditions into the Wilds that may or may not ever become reality. Anything to get their faces on the streams.
I hope this isn’t coming off too brusque–I’m trying to just make observations, not judgements. Life here is just so different than it is in all the other places I’ve lived. Eventually I’m sure all the lights, noise, and colors will become background static, but for the time being I have a headache.
Also I hope I am not making it sound as if every aspect of life in Ambient is glitz and glam. It assuredly isn’t. I may be Peakborn, but I know you can’t get the measure of a place without seeing its poorest districts.
On Zé, we struggle with food shortages. On Ottsalia, poverty wears a different face. Here, no one goes hungry. The verdant, fast-growing plant life means a food source is always nearby. A utopia, then? Maybe if you discount the fact that a good 4/5s of the planet’s surface is covered in carnivorous plants and genetically impossible beasts. But once you see children barely old enough to walk plucking blueberry off bushes by the side of the road in order to eat, you can’t really say a place is without flaws.
Ambient City possesses another difficulty: real estate. The wealthiest residents have homes and gardens of their own, while the poorest live out in the Eaves–often whole families to a single room. Even the heroes of Ottsalia–experts in exploration and wilderness survival–sleep safely in the interior when they aren’t out on jobs.
That brings us to Brightside. Possibly named to tempt settlers, Brightside lies to the north of Ambient City, and has only one major export: seafood. Or really, lake food. The body of water it sits on is not quite large enough to be classified a freshwater sea. Unlike most Ottsalian cities, it’s traditional cuisine is not entirely plant-based.
No major corporations have hubs in Brightside, although that will most likely change in the coming decades. Because of the lack of career mobility, Brightside’s population is low when compared to Ambient City. The lake is known as “The Eye” by the locals, since from up above that’s what it looks like–a single clear eye in the midst of environmental chaos.
Despite its low population, Brightside has the most Augments per capita on Ottsalia. I’m not precisely sure why, but I hypothesize that without any overt corporate presence, Augments feel more free than they do elsewhere, with giant logos flashing on every street corner. Most augmentation in Brightside is aquatic–bionic gils or hand and feet more suited to water than land. Augments and Automatons patrol the Lake District, keeping it clear of dangerous flora and fauna. Predictably, only the wealthiest Brightsiders can afford to keep homes in this relatively peaceful ward.
More information as I come across it.
The HyperRails
From the Journals of Dr. Ari Risan
Up until now I have steered clear from the topic that anyone reading this entry is probably most interested in. Not for any real reason beyond organization's sake. But here we are: the HyperRail.
The main impetus for this endeavor is the new Enterios lab opening its doors in Ambient City’s center. This will require a fleet of new workers—not just researchers, but administration, custodial staff, building managers, cafeteria workers, and many others. There just isn’t enough room for expansion—the city is already filled to capacity, all the way to the Eaves. The need for a commuter solution grows greater everyday. That’s where the HypeRail comes in. Brightside is vastly underpopulated in comparison to Ambient, and close enough that commuting shouldn’t present too great a strain on the workers.
In Zé, the distances between population centers are vast. Even the faster means of travel still take the better part of a day. When I envisioned this endeavor, I assumed we would be tramping through endless miles of jungle, so you can imagine my surprise when I discovered Ambient lies only 65km away from the outskirts of Brightside. A distance easily traversable by groundcar, if it weren’t for the unfortunate detail that every inch of that distance is covered in carnivorous, ever-changing jungle. Both Ambient and Brightside have shuttleports, but it is wasteful to the point of absurdity to get up every morning and take a plane to your day job.
Matters are further complicated by the lack of a natural source of fuel components on Ottsalia. Natural resources abound, but all shuttle fuel has to be brought in from off-world. The HyperRail will ensure a reliable and fuel-efficient means of travel.
I’m not an engineer, so I’ll ask you to bear with me. The HyperRail will lie on a single line of unbroken track between the two cities. The plan is to hack straight through whatever obstacles are in the way. It will be an extremely fast train, utilizing unjointed tracks and extremely lightweight passenger cars. Much faster than anything else on the market, perhaps unncessarily so. But Enterios doesn’t want to skimp. This will not be Ottsalias first HyperRail by any stretch—the technology has existed for centuries—but it will be the first to ever successfully connect Ambient and Brightside.
I say “successfully” due to a discovery I made shortly after touching down in Ambient and going through old project files—this is not the first attempt to set up a train system between the two cities. A similar expedition was launched around 30 years ago, and it’s been challenging to find specifics. Ottsalia keeps frustratingly few written records. I suppose when your environment is in constant flux, you aggregate only the knowledge you can build on for the future. You don’t bother remembering failures.
From what I have managed to glean, that expedition’s fall to ruin was due to poor-leadership, ill-preparedness, and stunningly bad luck. Enterios plans to send a group of Quality Assurance experts with us to...I suppose, assure the quality of our plans. As for preparedness, that’s why I’m here well in advance, preparing for the expedition. And as far as luck goes, well...I’ve never been particularly religious, but perhaps tonight I will light a candle and hold the dawn sky in my mind.
A group of engineers have plotted out the scale of the construction; to my knowledge we will attempt to locate the site of the old, half-finished tracks, so as not to have to start completely from scratch. The actual construction will be performed by indentured augment laborers and automatons. I believe two high-strength industrial grade models are being flown in for the purpose. They look like Del Sonan elephants.
Apologies for the shallow dive on this entry. I am not an engineer. Hopefully my next communication will be on a subject on which I can expound at length.
From the Journals of Dr. Ari Risan
Up until now I have steered clear from the topic that anyone reading this entry is probably most interested in. Not for any real reason beyond organization's sake. But here we are: the HyperRail.
The main impetus for this endeavor is the new Enterios lab opening its doors in Ambient City’s center. This will require a fleet of new workers—not just researchers, but administration, custodial staff, building managers, cafeteria workers, and many others. There just isn’t enough room for expansion—the city is already filled to capacity, all the way to the Eaves. The need for a commuter solution grows greater everyday. That’s where the HypeRail comes in. Brightside is vastly underpopulated in comparison to Ambient, and close enough that commuting shouldn’t present too great a strain on the workers.
In Zé, the distances between population centers are vast. Even the faster means of travel still take the better part of a day. When I envisioned this endeavor, I assumed we would be tramping through endless miles of jungle, so you can imagine my surprise when I discovered Ambient lies only 65km away from the outskirts of Brightside. A distance easily traversable by groundcar, if it weren’t for the unfortunate detail that every inch of that distance is covered in carnivorous, ever-changing jungle. Both Ambient and Brightside have shuttleports, but it is wasteful to the point of absurdity to get up every morning and take a plane to your day job.
Matters are further complicated by the lack of a natural source of fuel components on Ottsalia. Natural resources abound, but all shuttle fuel has to be brought in from off-world. The HyperRail will ensure a reliable and fuel-efficient means of travel.
I’m not an engineer, so I’ll ask you to bear with me. The HyperRail will lie on a single line of unbroken track between the two cities. The plan is to hack straight through whatever obstacles are in the way. It will be an extremely fast train, utilizing unjointed tracks and extremely lightweight passenger cars. Much faster than anything else on the market, perhaps unncessarily so. But Enterios doesn’t want to skimp. This will not be Ottsalias first HyperRail by any stretch—the technology has existed for centuries—but it will be the first to ever successfully connect Ambient and Brightside.
I say “successfully” due to a discovery I made shortly after touching down in Ambient and going through old project files—this is not the first attempt to set up a train system between the two cities. A similar expedition was launched around 30 years ago, and it’s been challenging to find specifics. Ottsalia keeps frustratingly few written records. I suppose when your environment is in constant flux, you aggregate only the knowledge you can build on for the future. You don’t bother remembering failures.
From what I have managed to glean, that expedition’s fall to ruin was due to poor-leadership, ill-preparedness, and stunningly bad luck. Enterios plans to send a group of Quality Assurance experts with us to...I suppose, assure the quality of our plans. As for preparedness, that’s why I’m here well in advance, preparing for the expedition. And as far as luck goes, well...I’ve never been particularly religious, but perhaps tonight I will light a candle and hold the dawn sky in my mind.
A group of engineers have plotted out the scale of the construction; to my knowledge we will attempt to locate the site of the old, half-finished tracks, so as not to have to start completely from scratch. The actual construction will be performed by indentured augment laborers and automatons. I believe two high-strength industrial grade models are being flown in for the purpose. They look like Del Sonan elephants.
Apologies for the shallow dive on this entry. I am not an engineer. Hopefully my next communication will be on a subject on which I can expound at length.
