Welcome to The Human Hive

Just wanted to throw up a small welcome post. I am glad you are interested in joining me on our journey across the Golden Sea.

In a few hours I will be posting some important information regarding the game. Please check in somewhat regularly and lets tell a great story.

Everything listed below is what members of your caste would know about or believe. Prepare to learn more as the story progresses, also understand that some of these are beliefs and are not necessarily true.

About The Golden Sea:
[The Environment]
The Golden Sea is actually a vast desert primarily composed of sand and glass. The region is arid and hot baked by a relentless sun and lacking in almost all forms of moisture the desert is nearly devoid of plantlife. Much of the turf is sand dunes but rocky outcroppings do exist scattered about the region. The rocky outcroppings provide the shade necessary for scant amounts of plant life and some scavenger animals to exist. Some of the desert has been blasted into sheets of smooth glass by some ancient cataclysm, these areas tend to be highly inhospitable to life. Fulgurite structures are common as rainless lightning storms and violent sandstorms ravage the area. It is believed that water and possibly food are present in large caverns and tunnels that intertwine below the desert but humanity currently lacks the ability to reach these supposed resources. It is largely suspected that this is how the little bit of wildlife in the Golden Sea survives, of course it could also be that these ancient and alien wildlife have entirely different needs than modern man understands.


[The Ruins]
Scattered about the desert are ruins of civilizations past. Most of these are just glimpsed in the distance, many half buried and decaying. The Hive generally has avoided exploring these as they hold ancient dangers and are far too distant to risk traveling to. It is commonly believed that the ruins are generally remnants of the "gods" who left behind the Hive, but some may be remnants of "The Great Demon from the Stars"

[Wildlife]
The inhospitable deserts of The Golden Sea are home to few living creatures. Hivers are aware of and exploit two known species though others are suspected to exist.

Arid Saurians - Are large reptiles similar to modern komodo dragons only larger. Despite being reptiles they bear many similarities to insects and there exact origins are unknown. The Saurians are largely scavengers and generally are peaceful, they have long been domesticated by Hivers and are typically used as beasts of burden. They are rare, hard to raise, and very expensive. How they survive in the wild is poorly understood.

Sand Dragons - Are large centipede like burrowers that dig tunnels throughout the desert. Despite their size they are swift and stealthy and are considered one of the greatest dangers outside of the environment. Thankfully Sand Dragons are rare. Sand Dragon flesh is considered a delicacy, it is a mild sweet flavor not unlike shrimp. The meat of a Sand Dragon can feed 30 or smaller groups for several days. The carapace is hard and is commonly used by desert dwellers to make high quality shields, but it is too unmanagable to make armor from.

[Other Humans]
Few groups have survived in The Golden Sea. The Hivers barely survived their ancient exodus before settling in the Hive. Many Hivers believe that their ancestors still exist somewhere in the Golden Sea. Smaller groups are rumored to exist barely surviving in other ruins. Most Hivers believe they are the chosen ones and therefore the only thriving group in the desert.


About The Human Hive:
[The Castes and Social Order]
The social order of the Hive is strictly insect like. The religion adapted (or created) by the Hivers is inspired by depictions and translations from the ancient half buried ship they consider home. Perhaps through misunderstanding or perhaps through an uncanny fascination with bees or ants the Human Hive models itself on the hives of such social insects.

The Queen: Descended directly from The Prophet the Queen is considered the master of the Hive. She is obeyed without question and is considered humanities only link to the "gods". The Queen dictates all aspect of Hive life and assigns castes to all who are born. The Queen regularly mates with her personal stock of "breeders" and only her descendants hold any true authority in the hive. Any daughter begotten by the queen become potential successors and ultimately when the Queen is deemed ill suited to continue to rule she is killed by a daughter and replaced. The exact details of which daughter is granted this right and how this is determined is unknown to all but the Queen and her daughters.

Drones (Breeders): Called both drones and breeders these are males of the highest genetic purity. The Queen personally monitors the development of all legal male babies and selects those with the strongest genetic traits to be her drones. Drones enjoy a privileged life living in the Queens palace. All of their needs are taken care of and they mate regularly with the Queen. The down side to this life is that they are executed after the age of 23 when they are no longer considered prime mating material.

Warriors: Any child born of the Queen or directly of one of the Queens children is a warrior. All warriors, male and female, are trained from childhood in combat, are vigorously physically trained, and are taught by the best teachers. Warriors enjoy some freedom and authority over the workers but are required to serve in defense of the Hive for their entire able life. Warriors are free to pursue side careers as doctors, engineers, and other learned professions and are generally encouraged to do so.

Workers: Are the unpaid masses that toil in labor jobs across the Hive. They are paid only in food, shelter, and rationed water. Workers have very few rights and are expected to work from the moment they are able until the moment they die. Most are unhealthy and live short lives. All of them are unhappy but they know it is the only way to survive and it is generally safe compared to the life of a warrior.

[Religion]
The 8 Lords of Abernath - When the lost tribe found the hive they considered it a gift from the one god Makaan who they had thought forsaken them. Upon entering the hive and making it their home they saw eight symbols etched into the walls of the great hall (the hive's control center). The prophets deciphered the symbols claiming that the scrolls foretold of Makaan abandoning the tribe. The scrolls were incomplete and it was thought that Makaan abandoning the tribe would be their downfall, but it seemed the rest of the story lie within the Hive's walls. The prophets told that Makaan was a false god and that the tribe had actually abandon him, guided by Sajet the mother who birthed the man. If the tribe would accept the eight lords of Abernath as their creators and master they would be forever spared the heat of the Golden Sea. All Hivers fervently believe in and worship the eight Lords of Abernath. Most Hivers believe that all numenera are remnants and gifts from the Lords of Abernath and that all other religions are false.
1 - Sajuuk: The father who shaped what is
2 - Sajet: The mother who birthed the man
3 - Adel : She who judges right and wrong
4 - Basir: He who guides the crafter's hand
5 - Ghazal: She who entwines our hearts
6 - Hanan: She who sees of gently into sleep
7 - Jabbar: He who protects the flock
8 - Badr: He who lights the evening sky

The Hivers also believe in "The Great Demon from the Stars." Hivers, especially anyone who is not a preacher, knows little about this but generally believes it is a terrible monster from another world with whom the Lords of Abernath did battle. It is believed the the Golden Sea was once a great paradise and that its current state is what remains from the great battle that saved the world and protected humanity from devastation. It is also important to note that Hivers believe the Golden Sea is the entire world, which it is not. Many Hivers, especially workers, believe that the Lords of Abernath preserved some of this paradise in magical islands scattered far in the Golden Sea, but most Hivers consider this false hope.

[The Hive Itself]
Half buried in the sand this massive structure of Abernath origin is what you call home. The exterior of the hive is made of a strange brass colored glass like substance. This material is commonly use inside as well and likely at one time was the primary material used in the construction of this structure. Being incredibly ancient much of this structure has fallen into disrepair and decay and traditional earth metals have replaced much of the damaged structure in hodgepodge repairs, this was likely long before the Hivers arrived here. Since the Hivers' arrival makeshift sandstone and clay homes have been build inside the structure and many "repairs" have been made to missing walkways and walls using salvaged metals and materials from within the Hive. Ancient machines no longer working have been torn apart and used for other purposes, some have been repaired to do things they were never intended but all these changes improve life for the Hivers. Unknown to the Hivers nanobots maintain and repair the systems they can keeping most of the lights functioning. Strange semi organic metallic tendrils grow from the floors and walls of the structure opening a glowing blue eye and providing light only when someone is nearby. How the Hive generates and maintains power is unknown but it is not always reliable and as such torches, lanterns, and candles supplement the lighting. The Hive maintains a comfortable temperature most of the time but light airy clothing is common among the Hivers for when the power fluctuates or they journey outside. The rare few who are born with innate connections to the numenera that powers and maintains the hive meticulously maintain what they can and teach other warriors what they can. Most important is the numenera device that somehow creates water from the air and stores it in great tanks in the bowels of the Hive. Many pipes distribute the water throughout the Hive and though it is barely understood those with a connection to the numenera maintain this critical piece of equipment...until now.

Rules & Guidelines for Posting:

I try to generally be a rule free guy but hey some guidelines are needed.

Posting Conventions in Azzorak games:

1: 2 story posts per week, generally these will be on Sunday Morning and Wednesday Night (eastern timezone). These are the bigger exposition posts that move the story forward, I will post smaller posts to resolve rolls and other mechanics as needed throughout the week. Feel free to post as many or as few exposition / roleplaying posts as you wish between story posts but make sure they make sense chronologically with other player, npcs, and plot posts.

2: Feel free to take small liberties when posting roleplaying posts. If it requires a roll or an NPC interaction you have to wait for my response but small inconsequential actions and flavor details can be made as long as they fit the theme and setting. As expected I can veto anything you add to the post. See my posts in Dungeons of the Dead for examples of this convention.

3: If you need to make a roll and you know what to roll, make it and I will post with the result. Please post any action that requires a roll as a link to the mechanices thread in OOC discussion. Character thoughts and exposition can just be typed in normal format.

4: Please post dialog in quotes and in red

5: Post OOC and Mechanic discussion in green. Longer discussions should be posted in the mechanics discussion thread.

6: While I do not have strict minimums I generally like to see a story unfold collaboratively so I generally do not approve of 1 line or worse 1 word posts. Please strive for about a paragraph and try to be articulate. I generally post three paragraphs per post when I am a player. One paragraph is what the character senses, one is what s/he thinks or feels, and the other is what s/he does.


Rules:

1: Follow all of Gamer's Plane's rules

2: Obviously depictions of violence are accepted but only where appropriate and only grammatically expressed. Please keep it relatively realistic.

3: Depictions of sexual activity should be left fairly vague as this is a public game. I am not opposed to sexuality and I understand its role in society and in our genes. It can be fairly powerful as a narrative device, but do not turn this into erotic literature.

4: Do no be a rules lawyer. A: I make mistakes and will not slow down the story to fix them, B: I care more about narrative than mechanics, and C: I purposely tweak rules regularly.

5: Please do not hold up the game unnecessarily. If you will be absent or delayed post in the OOC Discussion and we will accommodate you in some manner. If it is unreasonably long or unreasonably often I may drop you and open the game for someone else. I realize real life comes first but do not commit if you cannot commit, we are all relying on you to have a good time.

6: If you do not agree with these rules, back out now. I will not hold it against you.

Please review the above and post any questions you may have. Thanks again for joining me