Noddeg-Ruomra

[Blue]

NODDEG-RUOMRA Concept • An immensely desolate planet, Noddeg-Ruomra (pronounced: nod-deg roam-ra) is best known for three things: its vast mineral wealth, high grade explosives trade, and its miserable living conditions. Though the planet itself is anathema to all living creatures, the surface is spotted with gigantic, environmentally sealed cities that house billions of people each. Location • M9 on the Galactic Map, near Castell. Before sentient races first set foot on Noddeg-Ruomra, it was a vibrant world, full of life and environmental beauty. However, when it was colonised this changed very swiftly. The planet became the center of mass industralisation and, thanks to the enormous pollution that inevitably occurred, the world at large became greatly hazardous to most forms of life. What started out as a small scale venture soon took off, until the merely large factories became gigantic population centers, growing so large thanks to the promise of work those factories provided. At a glance, one could understand if someone where to liken the titanic cities that pepper the barren surface of Noddeg-Ruomra to insect hives. However, they are more like icebergs than hives, the parts of the city exposed to the smog-choked air being only a small fraction of their true size. The vast majority of these cities are underground, built below the planet's crust. The upper parts of these cities are given over almost entirely to docks and shipping yards, where shuttles can collect their cargo or passengers. The middle areas are packed with great factories where the life-blood of Noddeg-Ruomra is pumped out: munitions, armour and, most importantly, explosives of all sizes and yields. At the very bottom is where the rulers of each city live; the noble families. The decent ones plan the large shipments, broker contracts and organise their employees, while the vast majority delegate this task to various underlings while they scheme and politic against each other and generally spend their days on pleasurable pursuits. While the occasional cell of anarchists have caused trouble in the past, Noddeg-Ruomra is by and large unplagued by full out war or terrorism. Corruption at the top (or in Noddeg-Ruomra's case, the bottom) is rife; however it is well ordered corruption and tends to stay under the radar. Criminal gangs and syndicates are common among the workers, the more well run tending to sink towards the bottom the more success they garner. In times when populations grow too large for even these vast cities to handle, enthusiastic recruiting drives are employed to supply the Republic military. With the cost of leaving Noddeg-Ruomra so high (indentured servitude being one of the most popular forms of contract on the planet), these drives are often very well received by the masses, although the ruling families are always careful to ensure that the worker population never dips too low. Wishing to maintain a positive image to the wider galaxy, the ruling families very often equip these men and women with weapons from the city forges, the N-RF Soal Pattern Blaster Rifle (referred to as the Workhorse Rifle) being the most commonly utilised. Noddeg-Ruomra is highly dependent on trade to keep its population fed and healthy. In its long history, only once has the planet been cut off from supplies. During this time (which was mercifully short), several cities destroyed themselves through the population being thrown into panic, resulting in rioting and looting, and most other city's profit margins took almost a century to recover. The exception was Soal, whose workers were kept in line by the brutality of their ruling family's private army. Many perished, although legend tells of a man named Ranald who stole large amounts of the ruling family's personal stocks and rationed it out to the masses of workers. He was never caught, and to this day his name is often used to be sworn upon and thank others (but in hushed tones; saying his name is punishable by a week's unpaid hard labour by decree of the ruling elite). After this, Noddeg-Ruomra cultivated a strong relationship with the Republic, supplying it almost exclusively with its products to curry favour within the Senate and prevent anything of such magnitude occurring again. THE CITY OF SOAL The most successful and richest city of the planet, Soal rises as the tallest ranging and deepest dwelling structure of them all. Boasting a population in the hundreds of billions at peek times, it's ruling families tend toward shrewd yet highly draconian business dealings, brushing off the loss of even tens of thousand of worker's lives so long as the flow and balance of credits remain unaffected. The mainstay item of trade from Soal is it's wide variety of explosive devices, although it also takes great pride in its line of blaster rifles, specifically the N-RF Soal Pattern Blaster Rifle: easy to maintain in the field, one of the most reliable blasters in circulation and, most importantly, cheap to produce. PLANET ENVIRONMENT A once thriving garden world, extensive industralisatsion have rendered the world uninhabitable outside the great cities. Virtually no vegetation exists on the surface and any native wildlife died out millennia ago. The air is a thick, poisonous fog that limits eyesight to within a handful of meters, and even with protective gear lingering too long can have fatal results as the deadly airborne toxins chew through it. The great factory-cities utilise immense, powerful filters to provide its citizenry breathable air, and are zealously maintained and guarded. COMMON SAYINGS AND GESTURES "Take a long breath": Similar to other vulgar phrases that mean "go away". Referring to the poisonous air of Noddeg-Ruomra which is as far away as a person can go from populated areas and, if breathed in by unprotected lungs, is almost always fatal. "Rust take you": A particularly powerful curse, which essentially boils down to "I hope you die slowly and painfully". Refers to a condition colloquially known as 'Rust Lung', contracted almost inevitably by those who work on the outside of the city (usually to maintain the filters and fix any external damage). It is untreatable, slow acting, cripplingly painful, and ultimately fatal. "Bottom-feeder": A derogatory term for those rich enough to live at the bottom levels of a city, far away from the common folk. Used by soldiers of Noddeg-Ruomra to refer to people, usually of a higher rank, who are particularly unpleasant or incompetent. "Ranald see you safe": Used by the workers of the city of Soal and occasionally beyond, Ranald is a figure from folklore. When supplies where cut off from the planet during a galactic war, the Families of Soal employed strict rationing on the masses while keeping a vast majority of the stockpiled goods for themselves. Ranald broke into and redistributed the stores to the people, saving hundreds of thousands of lives and 'biting his tongue' at the Families, and was never caught. The phrase is often used with 'luck of Ranald' gesture. Luck Of Ranald: As mentioned above, Ranald is a benevolent figure from folklore that the masses of workers look up to. The gesture is formed by the middle finger folding over the top of the ring finger, often with the hand placed over the heart. Biting The Tongue: Performed by baring your teeth, poking out your tongue and biting down lightly. Symbolises the words "I cannot insult you without losing my tongue, but know I hold you in grave disregard" and often performed behind the back of the person it is aimed at. The roots of this gesture is found in the law of some cities who, if a worker is overly vocal with his or her grievances, would have their tongue removed as punishment. Legacy Clause • This can be used freely in the event of my inactivity.

[Neology]