Post by Cross on Mar 25, 2017 6:46:11 GMT
The following was saved from old BSN once I knew about the shutdown. It's a high quality setup for RPG, headcanons, and even fanfics.
Original writer and author is oldBSN user NikOmba:
If this was already posted here before, sorry. I searched and found nothing about it.
To the author: Thanks for this. You nailed it.
Here starts his text:
So it's kind of a post-post appocalypse kind of deal.
Current Date: Early 2291
History and State of the Galaxy:
In 2186 the galaxy was thrust into the Reaper War. Though the conflict lasted only a few months the causalities were estimated to be in the tens of billions. By the time the war was over every military fleet in the galaxy had been decimated. The final battle took place over the planet Earth and ended with the destruction of all Reapers and synthetic life. All the mass relays were destroyed as well, cutting off every cluster and stranding the survivors of the battle on the ruined Earth.
For the next 20 years or so the survivors struggled to maintain their fleets and survive on Earth. Eventually they managed to repair several relays and by 2260 had established communications and trade with Palaven, Thessia, Sur'Kesh, Irune, Kahje, and a dozen other planets.
Council space is contained entirely within these few clusters, a far cry from its peak at the start of 2186. The rest of the galaxy has been left to fend for itself with travel to most clusters long and expensive. The Council is still working to repair the relay network but this is a project that will likely take centuries to complete.
Outside Council Space the galaxy is fairly isolated and diverse. Some worlds were unable to survive cut-off from the rest of the galaxy and either fell into anarchy or died completely, their settlements now little more than graveyards. Still others managed to thrive and even founded their own governments and expanded their territory; crafting small empires. Some would be happy to reunite with the Council, but others have no desire to return to the old status quo. Some worlds managed to hang on and exist peacefully, if humbly.
The standard of living across the galaxy has largely fallen to some degree due to the sudden destruction of all interstellar trade. Eezo is very limited compared to 2186 and thus space travel is prohibitively expensive for most common folk. However mass effect drives in Citadel space as of 2291 are more advanced and ships can now travel faster and farther than ever before without needing to discharge their cores. These new drive cores are what makes interstellar travel possible as in most cases mass relays cannot be used. Travel times vary, lasting anywhere from a week or so upwards to months. Very distant locations can be several years round trip. Sadly, most distant clusters lack the means to construct these drive-cores and even when contacted by the Council remain fairly isolated.
On longer voyages (several weeks or more) ships will often employ stasis capsules to preserve non-essential crew. These devices use weak stasis fields to induce a "hibernation" of sorts on their occupants. In this condition the occupant requires minimal life support and food/water, greatly saving on space, supplies, and cost, on long voyages.
The Council still resides on the Citadel which remains in orbit above Earth. Today however it is more diverse than at any point in history with the asari, humans, salarians, turians, hannar, and volus all having seats. To rebuild the different races have been forced to work more closely together than ever before. Though they still have their own private interests and agendas as a matter of practicality they rarely work overtly against one another.
In the time since the end of the Reaper War synthetic aids and 'species' have been rebuilt; such as the geth reconstructed in limited numbers by the quarian survivors.
The many destroyed ships above the countless battlefields during the Reaper War have resulted in element zero tainting the environment. On Earth and Palaven, and other worlds, biotic abilities are much more common than they were in the past, though still a minority.
Worlds of Interest:
Thessia
Though Thessia was ravaged by the Reaper war it has seen extensive repair and development, spurned by its vast eezo deposits. It is the economic capital of Council space; a bustling boom-town of industry, art, and vice. However large swaths of the planet still remain in ruins and should be avoided. Thessia and Terra Nova are the two biggest supplies of element zero in Citadel space and are thus its two most closely guarded worlds.
Earth
As Earth was one of the first worlds to fall to the Reapers the damage to it was extensive. Even the battle to liberate it brought great destruction upon it. A few cities on Earth (such as Vancouver and London) have been mostly rebuilt but the majority of the planet is a wasteland of ruin and wilderness. Without its population, industry, or long depleted natural resources Earth was of little priority to the Council. Despite resting right beneath the Citadel it is a backwater. Palaven's fate is virtually identical to Earth's.
Ilium
Though Ilium was not hit hard by the Reapers the collapse of all interstellar trade in the galaxy took a heavy toll on the world. Without trade the residents could not support their extravagant lifestyle and terrible economic depression spread across the world, culminating in poverty and rioting. The government on Ilium barely managed to hold together in the face of mass looting, food shortages, and economic turmoil. During this time many priceless works of art and historical artifacts went missing; stolen from museums and private estates. The Council and the Illium government both offer monetary rewards for the recovery of these items.
Today Ilium is filled with many slums, countless abandoned sky-scrapers providing the only hint of its former glory. Gone are most of its upscale clubs and entertainment venues. A few wealthy enclaves, such as the capital of Nos Astra, managed to ride-out the decades of isolation until the Council's rediscovery of the planet in the 2250's. It is a haven for criminal activity as of 2291, though there has been some improvement. The Council has been attempting to re-construct the once lucrative mining operations that were spread throughout the Crescent Nebula but development has been slow.
The Citadel
The Citadel's new location in orbit over the Earth and the destroyed relay network mean that it is no longer the economic hub it was in the past. The damage to the station during the Reaper War was extensive and some theorized it would never be repaired, in large due to the loss of the Keepers which expired along with the Reapers when the Crucible was activated. The stations return to (relative) glory was the result of tireless labor on the part of the vorcha and quarians, and then later the geth. It is the symbolic and administrative capital of Citadel space and houses the Council. It is considered neutral ground despite technically being in human Systems Alliance territory.
Omega
In the 2250's contact with Omega was re-established. It was found that somehow its old ruler, Aria, had returned and recaptured the station. Since that time she has brought the worlds of the Omega cluster under her banner and sits as the queen of a small kingdom. Travel to Omega is long and difficult and trade between Omega and Council space is nearly non-existent. Both states are aware of one another but have been content to sit in their own corners and not cross paths.
A one-way trip to Omega takes about three months. Thus a round trip is half a year.
Council Space: the "core" worlds of Citadel/Council Space are Elysium, Shanxi, Eden Prime, and Terra Nova, Kahje, Sur'Kesh, and Thessia as well as several turian, asari, salarian, and hanar colonies. Several clusters not directly connected by relays are also considered part of Council space, but actual Council presence in these places is minimal. The tremendous cost of reconstructing mass relays simply doesn't leave the Council or its associate governments with the funds to maintain large fleets. Periodically small squadrons or ships may visit these remote systems to scare off pirates and raiders, but the residents are otherwise forced to rely on themselves.
Current Lifestyle of Certain Species
Batarians
With their homeworld lost at the start of the Reaper War followed closely by most of their colonies they exist as refugees in Council space, mainly found in the ghettos of human colonies and on Earth. Officially they are citizens of the Council but have no real representation and own no territory of their own. Often they grow up poor and direction-less and turn to crime, though some have risen above this. Many batarians desire to travel to the Omega cluster and live on Lorek; the only known surviving batarian colony as of 2291. Others however have campaigned to the Alliance to recognize them as citizens or called upon their brethren to settle a new world as their own. Thankfully, the brutal and oppressive Hegemony is only a distant cultural memory.
Quarians
Most of the quarian race was left behind on Rannoch with a large contingent of geth to rebuild the planet just before the end of the Reaper War. To date nobody knows what happened to them. The survivors of the fleet they sent to liberate Earth today live almost exclusively on the Citadel, all three million of them. Medical advances (with the help of rebuilt geth) have enabled them to somewhat escape their environment suits. If a quarian wishes to they can walk around exposed. They will become sick for several days or even weeks but life-threatening symptoms are uncommon. As a matter of convenience quarians will usually suit up either partially (just the mouth covered) or sometimes completely when out in public and only expose themselves in their own homes with close friends and family. They have been the builders of most of the rebuilt relays and often spear-head expeditions to find and repair others.
They maintain a small fleet and marine force with a base on Luna and some smaller outposts at Earth's Lagrange points. A new government similar to the old Conclave administers their needs and brings them to the Council. They do not have a seat on the Council but do have an embassy. Their key role in repairing mass relays gives them a disproportionate amount of pull with the Council.
Geth
After the war the quarians worked tirelessly to repair and reactivate as many geth as they could. A geth individual today is a sentient being housed in a platform of which they are around a hundred thousand. They live and work closely with their quarian creators and are each individuals, though they can still share experiences and thoughts via' a small neural network.
Vorcha
Little has changed in vorcha culture and the survivors from the Reaper War in Council space are scattered across numerous worlds inhabiting slums. For decades they worked with the quarians as laborers to repair the Citadel but were eventually replaced by the more efficient geth. This relegated most of the vorcha on the station to slums and left them very bitter and angry of their quarian neighbors. Today there are estimated to be some five-hundred thosuand living on the Citadel, but the Council has no official census. Their slums are in the deeper levels of the wards and are rarely visited by outsiders. There are many vorcha on Earth and Palaven, often existing on the fringes of society. They often work as mercenaries. Like the batarians many vorcha feel disenfranchised and resent the Council. Many vorcha desire to migrate to Omega but very few have had the means to make the trip.
Elcor
These days the Elcor have lost much of their influence and are found in small numbers in Citadel space. Their homeworld has not yet been contacted by the Council, nor any of their colonies. Many elcor have left Citadel space for Thunawanuro in the Omega cluster; the only elcor colony still known to the Council.
Krogan
The genophage was cured during the Reaper War and the krogan were united under Urdnot Wrex; a visionary who sought to reform them into a civilized and honorable people. Largely this was a success, but sadly in 2206 the aging Urdnot Wrex was assassinated by militants who wanted the krogan to breed and overrun the greatly weakened galaxy. Fortunately most krogan refused to follow them and rallied around Urdnot Grunt, their supreme clan Chief and Battlemaster. For the last 85 years the rebels have fought against Grunt and his krogan mostly on the worlds of Earth and Palaven. Urdnot Grunt has so far been able to prevent them from raising any truly vast armies and threatening Council space, but has never been able to wipe them out on account of their unrestricted breeding and his reluctance to escalate the war. Urdnot Grunt's chief adviser is Urdnot Bakura, younger sister of the famed "Eve", Urdnot Bakara (who is long since deceased). In the years since his birth Grunt has matured into a leader and famed tactician, though he still has a zest for battle it is tempered by maturity. Grunt and Bakura are eager to defeat the rebels because with them gone a true krogan renaissance could begin and they would be invited to join the Council in short order. As a matter of pride the krogan themselves insist on fighting this civil war but both sides and some third parties are known to employ mercenaries in special operations. Many krogan have spread across Council space in a variety of occupations.
With the genophage cured the necessity of locking females away in separate clans is gone, at least among the mainstream krogan clans. The rebels still regard their women as little more than breeding factories, but among all other krogan females are free to pursue their own goals in life. Though they now fill occupations and roles all across Council space as diverse as their male brethren.
Notable Organizations:
Citadel Security or C-Sec administers policing on the Citadel and also serves as a division of the Citadel Defense Forces; which is the Council fleet. Membership is open to any species, though background checks are strict. Through C-sec any individual hired may serve in the Council fleets which are comprised of ships administered by C-Sec and others donated by the Council's member races.
The Spectres are much smaller in number than they were a 100 years ago. Only a few dozen exist selected almost exclusively from the Council races. Each Spectre reports directly to the Council and is immune to any and all laws in Council space at the Council's discretion. Spectre agents are selected carefully for their loyalty and exceptional skills. Their mandate is to "preserve galactic stability".
Frontier Corps: This is an initiative started by the Council to encourage the re-discovery and settlement of the galaxy. The Council sponsors expeditions to remote clusters to ascertain the fate of lost colonies, generally with the intent to repair destroyed relays. In return the Council pays handsomely. Any independent party is free to explore the galaxy and report their findings to the Council, but membership entails financial and logistical support from the Council.
The human Systems Alliance: the Systems Alliance is the government of humanity, presiding over its colonies and now over Earth as well. It serves the military and government, setting laws, collecting taxes, ect. Non-humans cannot be citizens, but they can serve in the military in a variety of roles. However they can only advance so far, higher ranks are reserved exclusively for humans. Non-humans cannot serve as starship captains or command any bases, large ground forces, or fleets. Squad/platoon level is the maximum command level they can reach. Aliens who serve, in addition to receiving the typical benefits of joining the military, are guaranteed immigration rights to any human territory and relatively free movement. This program is a hold-over from the Reaper war but in recent decades has come under increasingly more criticism. Sentiment among the human public is that the program should be discontinued, but it is not seen by most as an important hot-button issue. Acceptance into the program requires a stringent background check, usually a demonstration of already well-developed skills, and the luck of the draw. A pre-determined number of aliens are allowed in each year or so.
Chimera: founded by ex-Cerberus operatives and Alliance officers in the aftermath of the Reaper War this group is top secret, its members and existence known (officially) only to the Alliance leadership. They recruit the very best from every branch of the Alliance, in the process erasing their existence. Their mandate is to safeguard humanity's continued recovery. They are authorized to take extreme measures in some cases. Operatives usually operate alone on covert missions.
SOME NOTABLE OUTSTANDING CONTRACTS:
The Council wants to know the status of Bekenstein in the Serpent Nebula (former home of the Citadel). Many priceless works of art and historical artifacts were known to reside there. The Council would like these artifacts recovered however with the relay in the Serpent Nebular destroyed no one has been able to chart a way into it. The Council will pay handsomely for a safe route into the Serpent Nebula leading to Bekenstein and/or for the retrieval of valuable artifacts. With that accomplished the Council could repair the relay and re-open the world to trade.
As eezo is in somewhat short supply the Council is very interested in any new or old worlds with large eezo deposits. Towards that end they seek to re-open routes to Caleston (Balor system) and Nonuel (Plutus system).
The krogan homeworld of Tuchanka is still cut-off and the Council is curious to know the current status of the planet. Tuchanka is not far out in the frontier but it may be extremely dangerous given krogan nature. Caution is advised.
The fate of Rannoch and its inhabitants has been a mystery since the end of the war. The Council would like to uncover the world's current situation as geth platforms there could, if not already, be repaired and reactivated. With the geth's help Council's efforts to repair the relays would go faster. Rannoch is a far off world and an expedition there round trip may take nearly three years and be fraught with danger. A voyage to Rannoch would likely take somewhere around 18 months.
In the 2230's scouts returned to Noveria but tragically found that the colony had died in its time cut-off from the galaxy. As Noveria housed many advanced research labs the Council and other parties are interested in any technology or research that can be salvaged from the world. Caution is advised as pirates frequently stalk the Horsehead Nebula and competition for salvage from Noveria can be deadly.
TIMELINE OF EVENTS
2183
A rachni queen is destroyed on Noveria.
Feros is saved, but abandoned by Exo-Geni.
Terra Nova is saved with Balak killed.
The Council is killed in the Battle of the Citadel and replaced by a multiracial Council lead by the Alliance, headed by Donnel Udina. Shepard is killed six weeks later with the SSV Normandy shot down over Alchera.
2185
Human colonies in the Terminus Systems begin vanishing, abducted by the Collectors.
Shepard is awakened by Cerberus after being rebuilt. He takes command of the Normandy SR2.
A potential cure for the genophage is destroyed.
Heretic Station is destroyed.
The Collector base is destroyed.
The Shadow Broker is replaced by Liara T'soni.
The Alpha Relay in the Bahak system is destroyed, resulting in the annihilation of the entire system including 300,000 batarian colonists.
Cerberus captures Omega station.
2186
The Reapers invade, utterly destroying the Batarian Hegemony, the Alliance's Arcturus Station, and then capturing Earth. They go on to lay waste to countless worlds, including Thessia and Palaven.
The genophage is cured. Eve dies in the process.
A second rachni queen is found and saved, but proves hostile. After the war some rachni specimens are unaccounted for.
The geth and quarians make peace.
Miranda Lawson dies saving her sister.
The Crucible is activated destroying all Reapers, synthetic life, the mass relays, and the Keepers. Remaining Cerberus personnel who have been implanted with Reaper tech expire as well.
Shepard is MIA, presumed killed in action.
The Normandy SR2 is MIA as well.
2206
Urdnot Wrex is assassinated.
Krogan civil war begins.
2210 - 2220
Charon relay is repaired.
Relay to the Exodus Cluster is repaired.
Contact is established with Irune.
First geth platforms are repaired and reactivated.
2220 - 2230
First new generation mass effect drives constructed.
Relays linking Sol to Irune and Palaven repaired as well as relays to the Petra Nebula.
Contact established with Kahje and Thessia.
Aria leaves for Omega accompanied by a small fleet of mercenaries.
2230 - 2240
Relays to Sur'Kesh and Kahje repaired as well as relays to the Eagle Nebula.
Scouts reach the Horsehead Nebula and find that the colony on Noveria has died.
2240 - 2250
Scouts reach the Omega Nebula and report that the entire cluster is under the control of Aria.
Relays to the Crescent Nebula and Minos Wasteland repaired.
2250 - 2260
Relays linking to Thessia repaired.
2270 - 2280
Grissom Academy is attacked by krogan rebels.
2290 - Present
Present time.
Original writer and author is oldBSN user NikOmba:
If this was already posted here before, sorry. I searched and found nothing about it.
To the author: Thanks for this. You nailed it.
Here starts his text:
I wrote this some time ago as the backbone for a roleplay setting on another forum. Sadly the new roleplaying community didn't really work out and this was abandoned. None the less I was quite proud of it so I thought I'd post it here for others to read. Perhaps someone will like it enough to ressurect it for their own RP and/or modify it. There are some concepts laid out that I don't like, but I did things with the over all goal of making something that was inclusive, new, but also familiar. It was also written with several "plot hooks" in it to stimulate new roleplay scenarios/threads.
So it's kind of a post-post appocalypse kind of deal.
Current Date: Early 2291
History and State of the Galaxy:
In 2186 the galaxy was thrust into the Reaper War. Though the conflict lasted only a few months the causalities were estimated to be in the tens of billions. By the time the war was over every military fleet in the galaxy had been decimated. The final battle took place over the planet Earth and ended with the destruction of all Reapers and synthetic life. All the mass relays were destroyed as well, cutting off every cluster and stranding the survivors of the battle on the ruined Earth.
For the next 20 years or so the survivors struggled to maintain their fleets and survive on Earth. Eventually they managed to repair several relays and by 2260 had established communications and trade with Palaven, Thessia, Sur'Kesh, Irune, Kahje, and a dozen other planets.
Council space is contained entirely within these few clusters, a far cry from its peak at the start of 2186. The rest of the galaxy has been left to fend for itself with travel to most clusters long and expensive. The Council is still working to repair the relay network but this is a project that will likely take centuries to complete.
Outside Council Space the galaxy is fairly isolated and diverse. Some worlds were unable to survive cut-off from the rest of the galaxy and either fell into anarchy or died completely, their settlements now little more than graveyards. Still others managed to thrive and even founded their own governments and expanded their territory; crafting small empires. Some would be happy to reunite with the Council, but others have no desire to return to the old status quo. Some worlds managed to hang on and exist peacefully, if humbly.
The standard of living across the galaxy has largely fallen to some degree due to the sudden destruction of all interstellar trade. Eezo is very limited compared to 2186 and thus space travel is prohibitively expensive for most common folk. However mass effect drives in Citadel space as of 2291 are more advanced and ships can now travel faster and farther than ever before without needing to discharge their cores. These new drive cores are what makes interstellar travel possible as in most cases mass relays cannot be used. Travel times vary, lasting anywhere from a week or so upwards to months. Very distant locations can be several years round trip. Sadly, most distant clusters lack the means to construct these drive-cores and even when contacted by the Council remain fairly isolated.
On longer voyages (several weeks or more) ships will often employ stasis capsules to preserve non-essential crew. These devices use weak stasis fields to induce a "hibernation" of sorts on their occupants. In this condition the occupant requires minimal life support and food/water, greatly saving on space, supplies, and cost, on long voyages.
The Council still resides on the Citadel which remains in orbit above Earth. Today however it is more diverse than at any point in history with the asari, humans, salarians, turians, hannar, and volus all having seats. To rebuild the different races have been forced to work more closely together than ever before. Though they still have their own private interests and agendas as a matter of practicality they rarely work overtly against one another.
In the time since the end of the Reaper War synthetic aids and 'species' have been rebuilt; such as the geth reconstructed in limited numbers by the quarian survivors.
The many destroyed ships above the countless battlefields during the Reaper War have resulted in element zero tainting the environment. On Earth and Palaven, and other worlds, biotic abilities are much more common than they were in the past, though still a minority.
Worlds of Interest:
Thessia
Though Thessia was ravaged by the Reaper war it has seen extensive repair and development, spurned by its vast eezo deposits. It is the economic capital of Council space; a bustling boom-town of industry, art, and vice. However large swaths of the planet still remain in ruins and should be avoided. Thessia and Terra Nova are the two biggest supplies of element zero in Citadel space and are thus its two most closely guarded worlds.
Earth
As Earth was one of the first worlds to fall to the Reapers the damage to it was extensive. Even the battle to liberate it brought great destruction upon it. A few cities on Earth (such as Vancouver and London) have been mostly rebuilt but the majority of the planet is a wasteland of ruin and wilderness. Without its population, industry, or long depleted natural resources Earth was of little priority to the Council. Despite resting right beneath the Citadel it is a backwater. Palaven's fate is virtually identical to Earth's.
Ilium
Though Ilium was not hit hard by the Reapers the collapse of all interstellar trade in the galaxy took a heavy toll on the world. Without trade the residents could not support their extravagant lifestyle and terrible economic depression spread across the world, culminating in poverty and rioting. The government on Ilium barely managed to hold together in the face of mass looting, food shortages, and economic turmoil. During this time many priceless works of art and historical artifacts went missing; stolen from museums and private estates. The Council and the Illium government both offer monetary rewards for the recovery of these items.
Today Ilium is filled with many slums, countless abandoned sky-scrapers providing the only hint of its former glory. Gone are most of its upscale clubs and entertainment venues. A few wealthy enclaves, such as the capital of Nos Astra, managed to ride-out the decades of isolation until the Council's rediscovery of the planet in the 2250's. It is a haven for criminal activity as of 2291, though there has been some improvement. The Council has been attempting to re-construct the once lucrative mining operations that were spread throughout the Crescent Nebula but development has been slow.
The Citadel
The Citadel's new location in orbit over the Earth and the destroyed relay network mean that it is no longer the economic hub it was in the past. The damage to the station during the Reaper War was extensive and some theorized it would never be repaired, in large due to the loss of the Keepers which expired along with the Reapers when the Crucible was activated. The stations return to (relative) glory was the result of tireless labor on the part of the vorcha and quarians, and then later the geth. It is the symbolic and administrative capital of Citadel space and houses the Council. It is considered neutral ground despite technically being in human Systems Alliance territory.
Omega
In the 2250's contact with Omega was re-established. It was found that somehow its old ruler, Aria, had returned and recaptured the station. Since that time she has brought the worlds of the Omega cluster under her banner and sits as the queen of a small kingdom. Travel to Omega is long and difficult and trade between Omega and Council space is nearly non-existent. Both states are aware of one another but have been content to sit in their own corners and not cross paths.
A one-way trip to Omega takes about three months. Thus a round trip is half a year.
Council Space: the "core" worlds of Citadel/Council Space are Elysium, Shanxi, Eden Prime, and Terra Nova, Kahje, Sur'Kesh, and Thessia as well as several turian, asari, salarian, and hanar colonies. Several clusters not directly connected by relays are also considered part of Council space, but actual Council presence in these places is minimal. The tremendous cost of reconstructing mass relays simply doesn't leave the Council or its associate governments with the funds to maintain large fleets. Periodically small squadrons or ships may visit these remote systems to scare off pirates and raiders, but the residents are otherwise forced to rely on themselves.
Current Lifestyle of Certain Species
Batarians
With their homeworld lost at the start of the Reaper War followed closely by most of their colonies they exist as refugees in Council space, mainly found in the ghettos of human colonies and on Earth. Officially they are citizens of the Council but have no real representation and own no territory of their own. Often they grow up poor and direction-less and turn to crime, though some have risen above this. Many batarians desire to travel to the Omega cluster and live on Lorek; the only known surviving batarian colony as of 2291. Others however have campaigned to the Alliance to recognize them as citizens or called upon their brethren to settle a new world as their own. Thankfully, the brutal and oppressive Hegemony is only a distant cultural memory.
Quarians
Most of the quarian race was left behind on Rannoch with a large contingent of geth to rebuild the planet just before the end of the Reaper War. To date nobody knows what happened to them. The survivors of the fleet they sent to liberate Earth today live almost exclusively on the Citadel, all three million of them. Medical advances (with the help of rebuilt geth) have enabled them to somewhat escape their environment suits. If a quarian wishes to they can walk around exposed. They will become sick for several days or even weeks but life-threatening symptoms are uncommon. As a matter of convenience quarians will usually suit up either partially (just the mouth covered) or sometimes completely when out in public and only expose themselves in their own homes with close friends and family. They have been the builders of most of the rebuilt relays and often spear-head expeditions to find and repair others.
They maintain a small fleet and marine force with a base on Luna and some smaller outposts at Earth's Lagrange points. A new government similar to the old Conclave administers their needs and brings them to the Council. They do not have a seat on the Council but do have an embassy. Their key role in repairing mass relays gives them a disproportionate amount of pull with the Council.
Geth
After the war the quarians worked tirelessly to repair and reactivate as many geth as they could. A geth individual today is a sentient being housed in a platform of which they are around a hundred thousand. They live and work closely with their quarian creators and are each individuals, though they can still share experiences and thoughts via' a small neural network.
Vorcha
Little has changed in vorcha culture and the survivors from the Reaper War in Council space are scattered across numerous worlds inhabiting slums. For decades they worked with the quarians as laborers to repair the Citadel but were eventually replaced by the more efficient geth. This relegated most of the vorcha on the station to slums and left them very bitter and angry of their quarian neighbors. Today there are estimated to be some five-hundred thosuand living on the Citadel, but the Council has no official census. Their slums are in the deeper levels of the wards and are rarely visited by outsiders. There are many vorcha on Earth and Palaven, often existing on the fringes of society. They often work as mercenaries. Like the batarians many vorcha feel disenfranchised and resent the Council. Many vorcha desire to migrate to Omega but very few have had the means to make the trip.
Elcor
These days the Elcor have lost much of their influence and are found in small numbers in Citadel space. Their homeworld has not yet been contacted by the Council, nor any of their colonies. Many elcor have left Citadel space for Thunawanuro in the Omega cluster; the only elcor colony still known to the Council.
Krogan
The genophage was cured during the Reaper War and the krogan were united under Urdnot Wrex; a visionary who sought to reform them into a civilized and honorable people. Largely this was a success, but sadly in 2206 the aging Urdnot Wrex was assassinated by militants who wanted the krogan to breed and overrun the greatly weakened galaxy. Fortunately most krogan refused to follow them and rallied around Urdnot Grunt, their supreme clan Chief and Battlemaster. For the last 85 years the rebels have fought against Grunt and his krogan mostly on the worlds of Earth and Palaven. Urdnot Grunt has so far been able to prevent them from raising any truly vast armies and threatening Council space, but has never been able to wipe them out on account of their unrestricted breeding and his reluctance to escalate the war. Urdnot Grunt's chief adviser is Urdnot Bakura, younger sister of the famed "Eve", Urdnot Bakara (who is long since deceased). In the years since his birth Grunt has matured into a leader and famed tactician, though he still has a zest for battle it is tempered by maturity. Grunt and Bakura are eager to defeat the rebels because with them gone a true krogan renaissance could begin and they would be invited to join the Council in short order. As a matter of pride the krogan themselves insist on fighting this civil war but both sides and some third parties are known to employ mercenaries in special operations. Many krogan have spread across Council space in a variety of occupations.
With the genophage cured the necessity of locking females away in separate clans is gone, at least among the mainstream krogan clans. The rebels still regard their women as little more than breeding factories, but among all other krogan females are free to pursue their own goals in life. Though they now fill occupations and roles all across Council space as diverse as their male brethren.
Notable Organizations:
Citadel Security or C-Sec administers policing on the Citadel and also serves as a division of the Citadel Defense Forces; which is the Council fleet. Membership is open to any species, though background checks are strict. Through C-sec any individual hired may serve in the Council fleets which are comprised of ships administered by C-Sec and others donated by the Council's member races.
The Spectres are much smaller in number than they were a 100 years ago. Only a few dozen exist selected almost exclusively from the Council races. Each Spectre reports directly to the Council and is immune to any and all laws in Council space at the Council's discretion. Spectre agents are selected carefully for their loyalty and exceptional skills. Their mandate is to "preserve galactic stability".
Frontier Corps: This is an initiative started by the Council to encourage the re-discovery and settlement of the galaxy. The Council sponsors expeditions to remote clusters to ascertain the fate of lost colonies, generally with the intent to repair destroyed relays. In return the Council pays handsomely. Any independent party is free to explore the galaxy and report their findings to the Council, but membership entails financial and logistical support from the Council.
The human Systems Alliance: the Systems Alliance is the government of humanity, presiding over its colonies and now over Earth as well. It serves the military and government, setting laws, collecting taxes, ect. Non-humans cannot be citizens, but they can serve in the military in a variety of roles. However they can only advance so far, higher ranks are reserved exclusively for humans. Non-humans cannot serve as starship captains or command any bases, large ground forces, or fleets. Squad/platoon level is the maximum command level they can reach. Aliens who serve, in addition to receiving the typical benefits of joining the military, are guaranteed immigration rights to any human territory and relatively free movement. This program is a hold-over from the Reaper war but in recent decades has come under increasingly more criticism. Sentiment among the human public is that the program should be discontinued, but it is not seen by most as an important hot-button issue. Acceptance into the program requires a stringent background check, usually a demonstration of already well-developed skills, and the luck of the draw. A pre-determined number of aliens are allowed in each year or so.
Chimera: founded by ex-Cerberus operatives and Alliance officers in the aftermath of the Reaper War this group is top secret, its members and existence known (officially) only to the Alliance leadership. They recruit the very best from every branch of the Alliance, in the process erasing their existence. Their mandate is to safeguard humanity's continued recovery. They are authorized to take extreme measures in some cases. Operatives usually operate alone on covert missions.
SOME NOTABLE OUTSTANDING CONTRACTS:
The Council wants to know the status of Bekenstein in the Serpent Nebula (former home of the Citadel). Many priceless works of art and historical artifacts were known to reside there. The Council would like these artifacts recovered however with the relay in the Serpent Nebular destroyed no one has been able to chart a way into it. The Council will pay handsomely for a safe route into the Serpent Nebula leading to Bekenstein and/or for the retrieval of valuable artifacts. With that accomplished the Council could repair the relay and re-open the world to trade.
As eezo is in somewhat short supply the Council is very interested in any new or old worlds with large eezo deposits. Towards that end they seek to re-open routes to Caleston (Balor system) and Nonuel (Plutus system).
The krogan homeworld of Tuchanka is still cut-off and the Council is curious to know the current status of the planet. Tuchanka is not far out in the frontier but it may be extremely dangerous given krogan nature. Caution is advised.
The fate of Rannoch and its inhabitants has been a mystery since the end of the war. The Council would like to uncover the world's current situation as geth platforms there could, if not already, be repaired and reactivated. With the geth's help Council's efforts to repair the relays would go faster. Rannoch is a far off world and an expedition there round trip may take nearly three years and be fraught with danger. A voyage to Rannoch would likely take somewhere around 18 months.
In the 2230's scouts returned to Noveria but tragically found that the colony had died in its time cut-off from the galaxy. As Noveria housed many advanced research labs the Council and other parties are interested in any technology or research that can be salvaged from the world. Caution is advised as pirates frequently stalk the Horsehead Nebula and competition for salvage from Noveria can be deadly.
TIMELINE OF EVENTS
2183
A rachni queen is destroyed on Noveria.
Feros is saved, but abandoned by Exo-Geni.
Terra Nova is saved with Balak killed.
The Council is killed in the Battle of the Citadel and replaced by a multiracial Council lead by the Alliance, headed by Donnel Udina. Shepard is killed six weeks later with the SSV Normandy shot down over Alchera.
2185
Human colonies in the Terminus Systems begin vanishing, abducted by the Collectors.
Shepard is awakened by Cerberus after being rebuilt. He takes command of the Normandy SR2.
A potential cure for the genophage is destroyed.
Heretic Station is destroyed.
The Collector base is destroyed.
The Shadow Broker is replaced by Liara T'soni.
The Alpha Relay in the Bahak system is destroyed, resulting in the annihilation of the entire system including 300,000 batarian colonists.
Cerberus captures Omega station.
2186
The Reapers invade, utterly destroying the Batarian Hegemony, the Alliance's Arcturus Station, and then capturing Earth. They go on to lay waste to countless worlds, including Thessia and Palaven.
The genophage is cured. Eve dies in the process.
A second rachni queen is found and saved, but proves hostile. After the war some rachni specimens are unaccounted for.
The geth and quarians make peace.
Miranda Lawson dies saving her sister.
The Crucible is activated destroying all Reapers, synthetic life, the mass relays, and the Keepers. Remaining Cerberus personnel who have been implanted with Reaper tech expire as well.
Shepard is MIA, presumed killed in action.
The Normandy SR2 is MIA as well.
2206
Urdnot Wrex is assassinated.
Krogan civil war begins.
2210 - 2220
Charon relay is repaired.
Relay to the Exodus Cluster is repaired.
Contact is established with Irune.
First geth platforms are repaired and reactivated.
2220 - 2230
First new generation mass effect drives constructed.
Relays linking Sol to Irune and Palaven repaired as well as relays to the Petra Nebula.
Contact established with Kahje and Thessia.
Aria leaves for Omega accompanied by a small fleet of mercenaries.
2230 - 2240
Relays to Sur'Kesh and Kahje repaired as well as relays to the Eagle Nebula.
Scouts reach the Horsehead Nebula and find that the colony on Noveria has died.
2240 - 2250
Scouts reach the Omega Nebula and report that the entire cluster is under the control of Aria.
Relays to the Crescent Nebula and Minos Wasteland repaired.
2250 - 2260
Relays linking to Thessia repaired.
2270 - 2280
Grissom Academy is attacked by krogan rebels.
2290 - Present
Present time.