Omoia

120.05.25

The Omoia Alliance is a human civilization spanning five planets and their assorted moons within the Astrae solar system. The civilization began on the Earth-like planet Gaia, where humans eventually attained a modest level of technological sophistication. Within the past two centuries, variant humans began to emerge from the population. These variant humans were grouped into two categories: the Essies who had control over their superhuman abilities and Encies who did not.   The powers of the Essies and Encies ranged from the ability to release light from one's fingertips to control over matter at the molecular level. Scientists have been unable to find any genetic basis or test to predict whether a human will be born with abilities. And despite decades of research, no one has been able to give an Encie control over their powers. This led to a stratification of society. Essies were elevated to the upper echelon, heralded as super beings. They compose only about 1% of the human population. The middle level of society is the 97% of individuals who function as normal humans. At the bottom dregs of society, heralded as pariahs and outcasts, are the Encies, who make up the remaining 2%.   Despite the fact that Omoia society had achieved a level of space travel no greater than completing manned missions to their two moons, the birth of Essies with the powers of teleportation and dimensional manipulation allowed their civilization to colonize four other planets in their solar system. These colonization efforts were fought over by multiple entities, including national governments, public coalitions, and private enterprise. As a result, the present day Omoia Alliance is a patchwork array of tense relationships and nebulous motivations.   In addition to its human inhabitants, the Astrae system is also home to a strange dragonoid race known as the Grakaenaioi. Humans discovered their Queen Mother living under the surface of the moon Dodan, and initial contact led to a brief and bloody conflict. However, hostilities have been ceased and a inter-species treaty currently benefits both peoples. The Gakaenaioi are provided a resource-rich safe haven while the humans benefit from the Queen's strange psionic ability to replicate Essie abilities.   On the core world of Gaia, the high council of the Omoia Alliance, maintains at least perfunctory control over the entire civilization. To maintain the peace in a time when criminal elements with the power to melt people to ashes in the blink of an eye could lurk behind every corner, it is necessary for government licensed "super heroes" to patrol Astrae. These heroes are Essies with particularly strong abilities who are screened, recruited, and trained by the Omoia authorities. As tensions rise between competing planetary influences, and the day-to-day struggles of life continue unabated, what will happen to the Omoia Alliance and her protectors, the Astraenauts?