Welcome To Novus - for players
Welcome to Novus. This page is a landing page for with wiki. Consider this your starting point to learn about Novus, her people and the various factions that populate it.
Novus is a world that is far more on the edge than it appears. Novus is the last city, a once grand city of magic and technology that flew through the skies and traversed the planes. Several hundred years ago it fell from the skies in a cataclysm known as the fall, which destroyed world at large and filled it with miasma.
Vespala
Vespala is the world that Novus is situated within. The world is currently in a post-apocalyptic era that bears the scars of what the world once was. Much of Vespala is now a mystery as travel beyond the scope of Novus is dangerous and Miasma clouds the surface of Vespala.
Eras of Vespala
Vespala is now considered to have three broad historical periods. In the Era of Forgotten Founding Vespala was given shape and life in an event known as the Worldcarving, where great beings imparted Novus with the mark of their touch. This era is considered to be prehistory now, as the oldest records available to the people of Novus date back to the Era of Clouds and Arcanum. In this era, the people of Vespala had already developed great industry, ingenuity, and technology, constructing great machine cities to fly the skies of Novus and traverse planes of existence. These cities fought for dominance, conquereing Vespala's terrestrial empires and subjugating them for resources. Magic flowed freely in this era, bringing about both the greatest heights of mankind's growth and the most terrible, brutal conflicts. All of this changed when the fall happened. A cataclysmic event that still lacks explanation. All at once, every flying city on Vespala fell from the sky, crashing into the land below and engulfed in thick clouds of miasma. Novus survived by landing within the grasp of a towering mountain, safe from the cloying fog below. Novus is now thought to be the last city, the remnants of all mankind. Hundreds of years later, now in the. Post Fall Era, Novus continues to rebuild and reclaim their world.
The City of Novus
Layout
Novus is a tiered city. Each level, or Ring, is situated abound a central structure call the Column. The Column is the spine of Novus, containing the machinery that keeps Novus running --lifts to tranport people and supplies, a network of ductwork and machinery transporting raw materials, and ever churning machinery that mainatins the city. Each ring is affixed to the Column with massive supports and a series of lesser supports connects and stablize the rings to eachother. These rings are (from top to bottom):
- The Gold Ring - where the great magekings of Novus once ruled
- The Silver Ring - the residential ring for Novus's rich and elite
- The Copper Ring - embodying Novus's ingenuity and beauty, hosting Novus middle class, and where Novus's rulership now resides
- The Bronze Ring - the beating heart of Novus's industry, ruled by various guilds
- The Jade Ring - the breadbasket of Novus, which magically produces food for the city.
- The Iron Ring - the mysterious darker depths of the city, filled with dromant arcane machines and access to the earth below where Novus mines much needed supplies.
- The Earthen Ring - barely considered part of the city itself, but a network of caves and underground structure in Novus
Each of these rings is encased in the massive Bulwark Ring - a defensive perimeter of the city made of thick metal walls. These walls run from the lowest levels of Novus to tower above the Copper Ring. From here, the city defends itself from terrible threats.
Rulership of Novus
Long ago, Novus was founded as a magocratic society, ruled by a powerful magic-weilding monarch. The Riovelle family was the ruling royal line, passing rulership down through their bloodline (as well as latent magical gifts) to mageking or magequeen through the ages.
Novus was ravaged by the fall, decimating over two thirds of the population of the city, the entire Riovelle line included. In the early days of post-fall Novus, it was clear that survival would be impossible unless everyone banded together. This is the birthplace of a certain vox populi mindset in the city, where the everyone's voice was given credence. This eventually morphed into the coucil rule of Novus today, where promiment voices and avid advocates became pillars of the survivors' society. Ceremonially, brass rings were created for these people, to symbolize their overall importance, as embedded in the fabric of what Novus is as the structure of the rings of the city.
Today, "ringbearer" is an elected position in Novus, with each ringbearer serving on a council called the Brass Ring of Novus. These seven ringbearers make the decisions that will lead Novus to greatness or to collapse.
In paying homage to Novus's magocratic past, the city's structure of nobility is still in place, overseeing various functions of the city and retaining titles such as lord or lady. This court of nobles hold much less sway than it once did, but is expected to work with and execute the will of the Brass Ring.
A Way Forward for Novus
Several hundred years have passed since the fall and the city looks to what lies ahead. Much of the great technology that made Novus what it was is still lost. Much of the world of Vespala beyond Novus's walls remains unknown. Novs is now on a precipice, carefully balancing many ideals, hopes and dreams of its people while unrest continues to mount. Some of these ideals are:
- Reconstruction - Those who wish to see Novus rebuilt work tireless towards this goal. In the early days of post-fall Novus, no sacrifice was too great to save lives and the city. This mentality continues in those that see that total recovery is impossible unless Novus is complete repaired, restored to her former glory.
- Recolonization - Novus is a pressure cooker for all manner of problems. A growing desire to escape this environment builds amongst the people of Novus, who seek to find ways to live free of the corroded husk of Novus, perhaps in the skies or in the wilds. The ravaged world, filled with miasma stands in their way but they will fight for a new home.
- Remain - Many see that efforts that have brought a level of prosperity to Novus are being threatened by extreme ideology and upstart rebellious factions. They refuse to be lured by wild speculation of what Novus could be to appreciate it as it is
- Repent - Many of religious persuasion see Novus as blessed by the gods, the sole survivor of the tragedy that struck Vespala. In their view, the avarice and arrogance that drove innovation brought about the fall, a just punishment from the gods. They look towards the lofty dreams of reconstruction or recolonization as an arrogant presumption that threatens the good graces the gods have bestowed.
- Rebel - a growing unrest is at play in Novus, one repressed from the earliest days of post-fall Novus. Gearforged grow in power as they see an existential threat to their existence posed by automotons, workers in the lower rings mount their frustrations against Novus's ruling class, and religious dissidents and zealots seek to press their beliefs as supreme. These are just a few reason why one might choose to rebel against Novus's status quo.
Influences Within Novus
A number of major influences drive public life witin Novus.
Major Factions of Novus
Novus has a number of powerful factions that run the city but also drive a number of competing ideologies.
Relgious Pantheon of Novus
When Novus fell, much of the understanding of what deities and gods existed perished with the world. Those held to, or recovered by the efforts of the The Council of the Hallowed Abbey, make of the pantheon of today's relgious groups in Novus. All of these deities are worshipped at the Hallowed Abbey but also have their own temples, shrines, and places of worship throughout the city. Members of these relgions who hold to the most orthodox version of their beliefs are able to cooperate with others, even if they hold patronage of a different god. The Council cooperates together for the purposes of unite Novus is the concept of faith and bringing the people of Novus into moral enlightenment.
Dark Forces of Vespala
The root of evil and corruption in the world is something that is hard to pin down. Even the gods are opposed to each other and their motives run counter to each other. However some forces are without question evil and destructive and have now redeeming motives of qualities. The pantheon of Novus is opposed to these forces (through some gods more intensely than others) and are always mobilizing their clerics and paladins against them. These are:
Brass Ring of Novus
The Brass Ring of Novus is the ruling body of Novus, a council like structure with leaders appointed to it by popular vote. Term lengths for these positions vary, but on average a term is ten years, giving elected ring bearers a chance to enact plans and policies that could take a long time to execute. Eligibility for the various positions is dependent on position, though generally these positions are open to any and all people in Novus. The positions are coupled with special duties of oversight, as well as voting power in the council on matters that require council action. The positions are as follows:
- Brass Ring of Agriculture - overseeing the Jade Ring and all agriculture in Novus
- Brass Ring of Civil Administration - representing the people of Novus and the civic concerns of daily life
- Brass Ring of Ironworks - representing industry, invention, engineering, and the workers associated with vital trades in Novus
- Brass Ring of Lanterns - representing the soul of the people of Novus and advocating for the presence of arts, leisure, and recreation in the lives of the people of Novus
- Brass Ring of Practical Arcanum - representing the cause and implementation of magic within Novus to safely and effectively serve Novus and her people
- Brass Ring of Bulwarks - representing the Brass Spears of Novus and the defense of Novus from external threats
- Brass Ring of Skies - representing the burgeoning field of air travel and overseeing the acquisition of materials from beyon Novus's bounds
Other Influential Factions in Novus
While the Brass Ring is the ruling body, it requires a number of agents, industries, postions, and likewise to function. On the upper level rings, many of these are duties and positions are held by functionaries, which see to important duties like tax collection, transportation upkeep, or power services. These functionaries are overseen by nobility, who have held duties like this since the formation of Novus in their family lines.
The system works similarly on the lower rings, with nobility overseeing the various industrial guilds of Novus. There are dozens of guilds within Novus, but a few have risen to prominence, even overseeing entire districts of the city. These are:
- The Skyfarers Guild
- The Stonehewers Guild
- The Ironworkers Guild
- The Gearworkers Guild
- The Machinists Guild
- The Metallurgists Guild
