Nation
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
Nation is a RP Villain Group theme-set on an ideal of 'Mutant Supremacy'. At this point in time Nation follows a secessionist path, while claiming to be heroic and patriotic, in order to prevent a war that the populace is waiting for with sharpened knives. Racism, intolerance, and abuse are rampant in the VG, yet layered with sophisticated question; wither morality? The insidious nature of a supremacist state is slowly realised; social evolution in action, Nation can be at its finest the logical extension of a Saganesque ideal; and at its worst, the messianic ramblings of a sadistic madman.
And for the Evolved, it is somewhere to Be.
Contents |
Overview
The basic idea behind the founding of Nation is that homo sapiens and a particular offshoot of it are in fact two different species. As such, the offshoot is not beholden to the social, moral or political constructs erected by the baseline. In order to come into their own, these so-called Evolved (or Mutants as seen from the Sapiens perspective) need to 'get out of the house' their forebears built and find their own destiny away from them. Right now that destiny lies among the stars. In something both grand and terrifying, a massive space station closer to the Moon than to earth itself. The work of one man's genius and dedication to his cause. The work of one man's unfathomable power:
Nation
The most basic goal of Nation is to provide a haven for Mutants. Some might simply never have adapted to Sapiens society, others may have but find it chafing nonetheless. Their abilities will always make them stand out, for better or worse. While some Evolved may enjoy the thought of Sapiens reverence, others would rather live among equals or even betters than waste away as a divinity among mortals. Nation is their port of call then. Their promised home and family.
In the long run however, the station will never support the predicted spikes in Evolved birth rates around the globe. In the long run, Nation will need its own resources. Its own food, its own steel... its own land. The word for the future is Lebenraum, the word is Zion. The station itself cannot ever support the population to come. Nation will have to look towards earth to find dominion for its chosen people.
Meanwhile, the station also serves as a staging ground for various enterprises. Some members of Nation are simply looking out for their fellow Evolved, descending from above like angels of wrath to deal with purported bigots such as the Malta Group. Others have more materialistic motivations, realizing the need to keep a massive piece of high-tech space flotsam operational. A third faction might simply care to remind Sapiens that they may be the dominant species by numbers, but that any number of Evolved equals Force Majeure.
Structure
Socially, Nation is a strange beast. At base, all of the Evolved belong to the same large family. After a fashion, the powers that be even discourage smaller family units than the whole of Mutantdom. Children are encouraged to find teachers outside their family, the healthy and young are encouraged to spread their seed around or receive such from many sources. All in an effort to eliminate the dividing lines that may stand between a single Evolved and the whole of Nation.
By the same token, social circles do not align by background or even type of ability (even though Nation's more scientifically minded residents have uncovered a great deal about the vectors of evolved talents). The only thing that defines the people of Nation beyond being evolved is intent. Most of the active populous belong to one form or another of social Circle. Circles can have very narrow goals such as improving air conditioning in the habitation wing, or very broad ones such as the defense of Evolved anywhere, at any time. All it takes is for a few otherwise unaffiliated respected citizens to get together and formulate their agenda, and they shall have a voice in the congregation deciding the station's course.
In truth, any interest group can form a circle and choose one from among their number to represent their needs. In practice, there is a lot of behind the scenes politicking going on. Mere votes of majority are looked down upon as crude at best. Instead, the governing organs of Nation prefer to discuss matters until everyone with a stake in it and many without are satisfied. Which does not mean that everyone is contrary for the sake of it. At the core of Nation is the idea of working together. Those men and women in charge simply do not feel that it should keep them from realizing more closely-defined dreams.
As time has gone by, Circles have begun to develop personal iconographies and manners to distinguish themselves from one another. The Nation of today is essentially a tribal society, with tribes defined around which dreams exactly they chase and how they mean to go about realizing them. The only things jutting out above this tribal layer is a short list of universally respected elders and the Evolved Princess Sychosis who is at least nominally heir to and lady of all of Nation.
The Founding of Nation
Semper Evolution! We are a nation of the evolved, and all The World belongs to us.
We are, each of us, Evolved. Each of us more different from the common mass of humanity than each human is from their ape forebears. We are not mutants. A mutation is an aberration, a glitch in the evolutionary computer as it calculates the perfect being. We are one step closer to perfection, we are Evolved. Our inherent differences set us apart, and above, common man. They make us Homo Superior. Homo Sapiens fears their successor, they see our power and they seek to control us. In America, home of the free, they write special laws, laws to govern only us, laws that require us to be licensed to live. How can this be just? How can this be fair, and equal? If they will write laws specifically for the Evolved, then I say their laws were never written for us to begin with. They say there can be no governance without representation. I see no Evolved in the cabinet, writing laws for our people. I see only the fearful sheep stampeding to the horn of the oppressive majority, pushing us ever downward, seeking to grind us and bind us until we are no more than slaves wielding our power for them.
NO MORE! We are the Evolved, and the time has come for us to write our own laws... to govern ourselves as we see fit, as Darwin observed and Nature intended. To this end I have launched Nation, where our people are free, and where we will live as an example, above The World, until the time has come for us to take back what was stolen from us. This day we are one people. This day, every Evolved is free, and we need only bring them home.
-Black Agony, October 1st, 2005
The Laws
"Know what you can do an' do it. Don' take any shit. Don' screw with other Evolved; screw ev'ryone else."
"A very efficient summary."
- - Hoi Polloi and Eisregen
The First Law - Darwin's Law
We are each stronger than any Homo Sapiens. We are not the random mutation, the spurred aberration of happy chance, but the deliberate attempt by Nature to perfect the most advanced being in her sway. To call us mutations is to belittle the destiny each of us possesses. Reserve this word, 'mutant', to apply to those who Nature has left to chance, the non-viable, the infirm, the incapable. Let these mutants serve as plebes, their loyalty questioned, their status without merit. Let them be no more than the mass of humanity from which they seep, and their fate will lie with the fate of billions, forgotten in the dust. As we are neither mutations, nor Homo Sapien, but correctly named Homo Superior, we shall write our own laws, and the First is the law of Darwin. To the strongest goes the first share, to the leader goes the glory. As each of us contribute, each will rise or fall, separated by strength, drive, and ability. Some are born more fit than others, and not all are created equal. Let differences be settled by right of trial, adjudged by the greater. Let our enemies be crushed by the might of destiny.
Amend - Charisma is a talent. Where a champion speaks, and fights, those perceived weaker are proved more powerful.
Explanation
- Evolved are born into power, and have the right to use that power, just as they have the responsibility to use that power well. Knowing what you can do, knowing how it can be useful, and improving upon yourself are all proud ideals and are to be embraced.
- People are not born equal in the eyes of the world; Nation knows this. Evolved are better than homosapeins and so should be content, nay, eager, to set themselves apart from them.
- One's abilities, gifts of Evolution, are not the sum of our being, however - and skill is just as important. The means to sway a crowd, craft a home, or bake a cake are just as useful and deserving of respect as the capacity to tear apart the world.
- Summary: Know what you can do, and be proud to do it.
The Second Law - The Law of Names
To each a name, not given but taken. Your name is your own, and no other may use it. To each who ascends to Nation a name is sacred. Mock not the names of others lest yours be mocked, and defend your name with all the powers it represents. Your name is your word, and your word your spirit, let no shadow fall on the names of the Evolved. To each who rises in the eyes of the Exarch, a second name is given, Priscus Brother or Sister, Archon Mother and Father, and your Lord or Lady, the Exarch over all.
Explanation
- Evolved, as a trend do not use human names. Upon achieving Majority in Nation, an Evolved is given a ceremony during which they choose to name themselves. Some Evolved choose the name their parents gave them, which is no shame - after all, the freedom to change includes the freedom to not change.
- Evolved are called upon to respect and protect their own names. This is not to say that nicknaming or the like cannot be done - indeed, many Evolved such as Auroral and Eisregen are quite content to hear their names shortened. However, the names that Nation's people use to address one another must be carried with respect.
- The Rule of Names has often been interpreted legalistically - that is to say, if anyone dares to use a name that is not the 'true' name of the Evolved, they are violate and deserving of punishment. This is not the case; the Rule of Names is about respect for yourself. You do not allow others to use your name in a way that slanders it or marks it - and that includes lying and gossiping about you.
- If you find an Evolved besmirching your name in some way or another, you have every right to challenge them about it, to bring an Archon's attention to the matter, and to have the affair settled. It is not inappropriate for an Archon to mete out punishment on the Evolved who does such a thing.
- The most vital component here, however, is responsibility. You cannot demand respect when you have lost it, and you cannot demand to not be treated commensurate with how you treat others.
- To give an example; if Evolved A murders another Evolved, he cannot challenge Evolved B for accusing him of murder and referring to him as a murderer. Evolved A has committed the act; he bears responsibility. He can, and should, however, enforce with every aspect of his being, the truth of the matter - and if Evolved B claims that Evolved A murdered someone else, then the matter is covered by the Rule of Names.
- Finally, this law enumerates the ranks of Nation. Exarch is the leader, who is and has, as far as is known, always been Black Agony. A Priscus is an individual who has shown themselves to be a worthy example, an individual who embodies one of the Virtues in a proud and obvious manner. An Archon is an individual to whom falls some administrative duties, the work of an overseer.
- Summary: Defend your reputation and take responsibility for your actions.
The Third Law - The Law of Blood
We are of different blood, but to those of us in whom blood flows, and to those that blood flows to, we hold pact and bond. The wellspring of our evolution, our mothers and brothers, children and friends, Nation stands open as haven and refuge. We recognize the Neutrals and friends of our species as Plebes of Nation, should they choose to accept our rule of law.
Explanation
- Respect your fellow Evolved. They do not need to prove themselves to you. You do not need to prove yourself to them. We are family, and forgiveness and understanding are how we show it.
- It is possible for another Evolved to lose your respect, and indeed, if they behave in a manner befitting a human, then it is completely understandable that you do so. However, you must give your respect to begin with, you must be willing to listen, and you must be willing to forgive.
- Those unEvolved who an Evolved recognises as family are to be protected, and given Plebe status on Nation. This includes the family you were born to, the family you choose along the way (including your chosen partner/spouse), and the friends who are dear to you. This protection comes from the Citizen who claims them as family, and can be revoked by that Citizen.
- Summary: Accord other Evolved respect, until they prove unworthy of it. Protect those loved by other Evolved - they, too, are part of the world we are building.
The Fourth Law - The Law of Power
"I got my powers the old fashioned way. I was born with them."
- - Blackstar
Deny the Pretender his stolen power. No accident of fortune or theft of might grant the responsibility we as Evolved learn by laboring beneath the burdens of our talents. Defy the Interloper. Terra welcomes its sons and daughters, but those of other worlds deplete our resources and corrupt the Neutrals who already secretly despise us for our gifts; we must send them home. Destroy the Defiler. Those who bring magical force to bear against our world kill her by increments. Each spell and artifact brought forth strips a thimble from Terra's ocean of life, each relic and summons a bleeding wound on her face. Turn them away from their dark path, or destroy them. Suffer no witch to live.
Explanation
- Pretenders are individuals who have engineered their own genes, who have claimed power from sources that are not natural in their origin. Malta troops, Council super-soldiers, and some Science-Origin characters are Pretenders.
- Interlopers are extradimensional entities, creatures that come from other planes. These individuals have no right to this world, and therefore, they are to be resisted in positions of authority; they have their own world of which they can be proud, and if they have destroyed it, then they likely did not deserve it. Some definitions of this extend to Kheldians and other alien life forms.
- Defilers are individuals whose magic is harmful to the world around them. While much lively debate on this matter flies around, the fact is, some mages are observably detrimental to the world around them. As examples, the magi of the Banished Pantheon and the Circle of Thorns are both actively harmful to life on earth.
- It should be noted that the Rule Of Power is the most carefully interpreted Rule, and the most individualistic. Various schools of thought exist; some do not care for it at all and dismiss it as Agony's opinion. Others are willing to hear explanations, but demand proof. And some individuals follow Agony wholesale, believing his words without question.
- Summary: Protect this world from people less worthy to have it.
Rumours
"Much has been made about the idea of nuclear proliferation; the fact is, you need nukes to be taken seriously as a country. America did not plan to secede whilst arming itself with sticks and stones - it would be the depth of foolishness to attempt what we are attempting with the faintest notion that we might not face nuclear retaliation purely because some nuclear nation or other could not abide the idea that they lose control over a resource. The curse of this is that, of course, the only effective countermeasure to nuclear firearms are other nuclear firearms. We are not here to end the world: But it is a sad fact of life that we must accomplish what we do with an olive branch in one hand, a sword in the other."
- - River Daleson, Battlebriar, on the topic of Nation's nuclear armament
There is no horror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it.
- - Alfred Hitchcock
Nation has been the subject of much speculation; from talk of mutant eugenics programs to talk of harbouring known Nazi war criminals. The fact is, Nation's people are utterly unabashed in this. Amongst their members, there is not much cause for secrecy and one might notice an almost callous disregard for privacy amongst the members of Nation.
Regardless, rumours fly thick and fast about the group and its members. Of usurpation and murder, of an internecine war that brought the station to the brink of a nuclear catastrophe and of the slow fracturing of its once homogeneous citizenry. All that is really known for certain is that the founder and messianic leader of Nation, Agony, has not been seen or heard from for quite some time. While his 'daughter' Sychosis has filled the void he left behind in name, no single person can truly be said to be in control of Nation anymore at this point in time.
Which is likely for the best.
Nation Cultural Guide -OR- How to Live Life amongst the Evolved (Chapter 1)
Scenes from the Nation movie
Dealing with the World: Grand Unification and the Theory of Alpha-Radiance
A Glossary of Terms
OOC Notes
Shoot me when I start sounding like Mark Rhein Dot Hagen. Nation can be quite nasty. Many of its members have willfully and consciously broken with human moral concepts in an attempt to live what they preach. While there are still taboos among the citizenry, most of them pertain to Evolved only. But actually taking the time to stare into the abyss can also open up interesting RP opportunities. Taking character concepts to extremes that might not function in politer company. Experimenting with alternative moral systems. Things like that.
There are many and varied historical and fictional motifs Nation draws inspiration from. Ambiguous struggles for purported equality and freedom such as that of the IRA in Ulster or the RAF in 70s Germany. A people's quest for its promised land such as the events leading up to the founding of the nation of Israel. Cults in all shapes and sizes such as the People's Temple of Reverend Jim Jones or the Manson Family. The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants from the X-Men comics of course, though a short-lived later series simply called The Brotherhood seems to capture the nature of Nation much better. And very relevantly the pen and paper RPG Aberrant. The Teragen faction of that setting shares many a thing with Nation and the Teragen sourcebook is excellent reading material for this purpose.
Interested parties can contact @Sychosis or @Eisregen in-game or any other obvious channel.
