Terrestrial Swarm

Emergence
Born out of the 22nd Century of Demise, the first void-borne world inhabited by humanity were sanctuaries above the cradle Earth, as to preserve the future of humankind through the growth of technology.

From the void of interplanetary space, asteroids were soon captured and transformed into the source of a new thriving world - the first schism of many to occur above the clouds of the blue marble.

With the 23rd Century, the Age of Departure took hold of humanity and civilization strode towards the stars.

Generations left cradle Earth behind, filling the sky with grand machines that would produce new worlds. Every two decades, their numbers counted twice as many, growing exponentially into two hundred thousand as of the time of the 26th, last, century.

Humankind dotted the sky with its own, new firmament. In these constellations, humanity sought consolidation, absolution and progress alike. Asteroids and artificial islands were filled with life and nature as it had existed in the world below. Pioneers created out of nothing new worlds and reigned them like gods and kings. But not all bound skyward were on their way to a future life in this world.

Alongside the inhabited isles of the Terrestrial Swarm, the skies above Earth were filled with icy tombs, where billions of souls lie frozen, waiting in mausoleums of technology, for a future utopia to come.

Others ventures into realms unknown to the mundane, creating colonies solely determined to sustain the Otherworld. In the digital ocean and the valleys of Escherspace, these souls sought out wisdom and future in ways beyond the flesh.

Inhabited Islands
Habitats and asteroids are the inhabited isles of the cosmic ocean, harboring life as known to humankind. Lost in the void alone, they bound together in large and complex structures, encompassing hundreds of habitats and millions of souls upon them.

To ensure life between the celestial bodies, the inhabited islands are embedded in a webwork of resources and information. Solar shields and farms, communication arrays and posts of protection, factories, and yards are interconnected and manned by the inexhaustible guilds and orders keeping the Terrestrial Swarm alive.

Lineages of construction and design stretch across the void through all habitats, inherited by common ancestry. Every such lineage may be found to originate from a singular source. Those related by lineage share their designs, structures, and methodology throughout the ages, however far they have been estranged since then. Among several hundred lineages to be found in the Terrestrial Swarm, thousands of cultures and civilizations have arisen. With every passing decade, their numbers grow as does their diversity.

The Eight Grand Lineages
The Grand Lineages of the Terrestrial Swarm are the oldest of their kind, controlling holdings of significance among the inhabited isles. While not united forces of singular ambition, they shared interests have forged loyalty among them over centuries.

Orbital Rings
The argent rings that arch above the skies of Earth are testaments to human ingenuity at the peak of civilization. They alone hold the gateways to space for the masses, allowing the peoples to expand the frontier and escape the cradle that once held all that was humanity.

Suspended from strands spinning in orbit around the cradle world by forces of magnetism, each ring stands still, held in place by anchoring tethers.

On the verge of the void, the argent rings offer room for worlds still bound by earth-based gravity. Space fountains reach their height, interconnecting the ring with the face of the world. Around the planet, they bear accelerators and catapults, sending into the void those wishing to leave the cradle Earth.

Farther into the Terrestrial Swarms, rings akin to eccentric ribbons girdle the planet, reaching as far as the Luna Circulum. From there, it is but a jump to the Lagrange Gateways, the Belt and the Planets of the inner Pantheon of Sol.

Argent Rings in the Sky
The clockwork of worlds, as the orbital rings are known throughout the Terrestrial Swarm, is a noble edifice around Earth. Despite their sovereign magnitude, the rings remain invisible to the naked eye during most days. Only those searching at the right time for the right place may discover faint lines in the sky, like streaks on a crystal dome. During the dark of night, the lights of these rings coalesce with the firmament, hiding their true form.

Only during the Hour of Splendor at dusk and dawn, the true form of the argent rings may be unveiled. When the surface still lies in darkness and the sun touches the higher rings, their reflection outshines the early morning blue and illuminates the world for just a short while.

The Sway of Rings
Since the day of their ascension, the argent rings are deemed crucibles of the Great Game - trade, diplomacy and conflict alike.

On the rings, lines between rivals are drawn and defended unyieldingly. Highly contested are the tethers to the cradle Earth, gateways into the skies and the Terrestrial Swarm. Where the forces of civilizations meet, the watchful Symposium ensures the survival of the argent ring alone.

But only those who have not seen the world with true eyes are compelled to adhere to such conflicts for long. Those that have seen the Overview of Earth, do not return with the same mind with which they came. It is these that form the grandest organizations and guilds, neutral against all, only concerned with the structure alone and treating the soldiers as unwelcome guests in their lands above all clouds.

Few rings have ever been united by one lineage alone.
 * Torus Chicxulub (Symposium Heliopolis)
 * Luna Circulum (Luna Maria / Symposium Heliopolis)
 * Panopticon (Dianoia Aeropag)
 * The Great Wall 长城 (Cosmic Bloc)

Rings of military might
Throughout the Centuries of Departure, Absolution and the Final Century, a great number of wars shook the cradle. Where they were waged, the rings came to be known as arcs of fire, raining down fire and might on their enemies. Angles of death descended from these heavens or hurled their deadly load to distant worlds among the swarm. Never has a ring been conquered. But it is also known that no fortress remains undefeated.

Remains of ages past
From the Earth ascend towers on plumes of fires. Flight and rocketry were never abandoned by humankind and still prevail in times among the rings. To the people of Earth, they remain a sight to behold, reminders of ages past, when the frontier was just on the fringes of the planet's atmosphere.