Queens Rocketeers:Main

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The year is 1625, and the worlds of the Dominion of Gallia are the glittering jewels of the European Expanse. Gallia is the primary setting for The Queen's Rocketeers.

The Queen's Rocketeers

The Queen's Rocketeers are an elite company of light cavalry. They form the royal guard for the queen while she is outside of the royal residences (within the royal residences, the queen's guard is the Garde du Corps -- literally "body guards"). The Queen's Rocketeers also fight in Gallia's wars. They are like the Secret Service, if the Secret Service were also a special operations unit that worked in direct action, special reconnaissance, and hostage rescue.

The Queens Rocketeers have more advanced rocket packs and more powerful rifles than typical light cavalry (their rifles are the same as those used by dragoons and fusiliers, rather than the lighter muskets used by light cavalry). Additionally, to be accepted as a Queens Rocketeers, the applicant must have exceptional skill with a sword and a rifle. In principle, the members of the Queens Rocketeers are supposed to be nobles, but this requirement is waived as often as not. Fewer than 10% of the people who apply to the Queens Rocketeers are accepted.

Also, this is an idealized Space Europe, so stuff like gender and sexual preference doesn't matter. Literally no one cares about what's in your breeches or the breeches of the person/people with whom you are intimate. So "female rocketeer" is a normal thing, and not remarkable (meaning, no one bothers to remark upon it).

Incidentally, it might be possible for PCs to be something other than Queen's Rocketeers, as long as they could plausibly worth with them. Agents of the Queen's Spymaster, for example.

Dominions

Five major dominions comprise the European Expanse: Gallia, Batavia, Britannia, Castile, and the Architectal Worlds. The European Expanse includes a number of minor dominions, as well. At one time or another over the past century, every major dominion in the European Expanse has been at war with every other major dominion. For now, they are at peace, although small skirmishes still take place from time to time.

Beyond the European Expanse are hundreds of other worlds, many of which are dominions of their own. Of those known, the most powerful is the Shenzhou Empire, but its influence on the European Expanse is limited due to its great distance. Nearer threats are the Ottoman Empire and the Tsardom of Muscovy, but these two dominions pose a greater threat to each other than they do to the European Expanse.

Dominion of Gallia

• Ruled by Queen Stephanie-Felicite III.
  • Stephanie-Felicite III ascended the throne at eight years of age in 1610, upon the assassination of her father, King Henry IV. Due to Stephanie-Felicite's youth, her mother Marie de Medici acted as her Regent. Despite Stephanie-Felicite's coming-of-age in 1615, her mother did not give up her position as Regent, and Marie remained the de facto ruler of Gallia. In 1617, at the age of 15, Stephanie-Felicite took advantage of her mother's increasing unpopularity among the nobility and staged a palace coup d'etat. After a brief struggle for power, Stephanie-Felicite gained control of Gallia, and Marie was exiled to the world of Blois.
  • Machinator Savonnieres was a close advisor of Marie de Medici. After a few years of distrust following the banishment of her mother, Stephanie-Felicite has come to rely on the advice of Machinator Savonnieres, as well.
  • Stephanie-Felicite reconciled with her mother in 1621. Marie de Medici was released from exile on Blois, and returned to the court on Lutetia.
  • Stephanie-Felicite III's primary residence is the Palace of Fontainebleau on Lutetia.
• Capital world is Lutetia, in the Ile-de-Gallia province.
• Gallia has 18 provinces, and numerous territories, colonies, and protectorates.
• Gallia has a sizeable fleet of nearly one hundred aether ships.
• The state religion of Gallia is Eternalism.
  • During the previous century, as Communionism grew in Gallia, there was significant resistance from the Eternalist establishment. This resulted in the Gallian Wars Of Religion, a series of conflicts which threatened to tear Gallia apart. The Edict Of Nantes, signed in 1598 by King Henry IV, granted Communionists full civil rights in Gallia, while also affirming that Eternalism is the official state religion. This edict did not satisfy the Eternalists or the Communionists, but it ended the Gallian Wars Of Religion.
  • The philosophy of humanism was not born in Gallia, but no other dominion has embraced it as fully.
• Gallia is the cultural wellspring of the European Expanse. Gallia leads the European Expanse in the development of new techniques and artistic forms in the fields of printing, architecture, painting, sculpture, music, philosophy, the sciences, and literature, and the elaboration of new codes of sociability, etiquette, and discourse.

Batavian Republic

• Ruled by the States General, a legislature composed of representatives from each of the Batavian provinces.
  • The presidency of the States General rotates among the senior representatives of the provinces.
  • Tremendous economic power is held by the Batavian Vespucian Trading Company and the Batavian Polonian Trading Company.
• Capital world is Haag, in the Holland province.
• Batavia has seven provinces, a small number of territories and colonies, and numerous fortresses and trading posts throughout the Vespucian Expanse and the Polonian Expanse.
  • Friesland
  • Gelderland
  • Groningen
  • Holland
  • Overijssel
  • Utrecht
  • Zeeland
• The Batavian fleet of aether ships is the largest in the European Expanse -- larger than those of Gallia and Britannia combined.
• Batavia has no official state religion, but Batavian Refactored Communionism is the de facto state religion. Batavians have a relatively tolerant attitude towards different religions and ideas.
• Batavia is best known for its canals, wind turbines, and tulips. The Dominion of Batavia is also well known for the textiles, silks, and spices that Batavian traders import from the Mughal Empire and other domains in the Polonian Expanse.

Dominion of Britannia

• Ruled by King Henry IX, also called King Henry Frederick.
  • Henry IX ascended the throne in 1605 at the age of 11, upon the assassination of his father, King James I. Sir Robert Cecil governed as regent during his minority, which ended officially in 1608, though Henry IX did not gain full control of his government until 1615.
  • Henry IX is immensely popular, although more so among Communionists than Eternalists.
• Capital world is Londinium, in the Albion province.
• Britannia has four provinces, and numerous territories, colonies, and protectorates.
  • Albion
  • Caledonia
  • Cymru
  • Hibernia
• Britannia has a significant fleet of over one hundred aether ships.
  • Britannia's fleet of aether ships defeated the Castilian Armada during an unsuccessful invasion of Albion during the reign of Elizabeth I.
• The state religion of Britannia is Albian Refactored Communionism, although Eternalism and other sects of Communionism are also practiced.
  • Eternalists have faced persecution in the past, most notably under Elizabeth I, who presided over more religious executions than any other monarch in the European Expanse.
  • Henry IX's father, King James I, had attempted to establish an environment more tolerant toward Eternalists, with mixed success.
  • A period of persecution of Eternalists followed the assassination of King James I, under the direction of regent Sir Robert Cecil.
  • When Henry IX gained full control of his government in 1615, he formally ended the persecution of Eternalists. This displeased some of the more extreme Communionists.
• Britannia is experiencing a "golden age" of literature and drama, with writers such as William Shakespeare, John Donne, Ben Jonson, and Sir Francis Bacon contributing to a flourishing literary culture.

Dominion of Castile

• Ruled by Queen Anna IV (born Anna Maria Mauricia).
  • Anna IV ascended the throne in 1621 at the age of 20, upon the death of her father, King Philip III.
  • Anna IV is lively and beautiful, and has many admirers (including, some say, the Duke Of Buckingham).
• Capital world is XXX, in the XXX province.
• Castile has XXX provinces, and numerous territories, colonies, and protectorates.
• Castile has a sizeable fleet of nearly one hundred aether ships.
• The state religion of Castile is Eternalism. Communionists, Followers, and adherents of other religions are subject to prejudice and persecution.
• Castile is best known for XXX.

Architectal Worlds

• Ruled by Architectus Urbanus VIII (born Maffeo Barberini), the Programmator of the planet Matica and the head of the Eternal Church of the Divine Memorial ("Eternalists").
  • Architectus Urbanus VIII is more militant than his predecessors, aggressively expanding the Architectal Worlds.
  • Urbanus VIII is concerned less with the hegemony of Eternalism than he is with adjusting the balance of power in the European Expanse to favour his own independence.
  • Urbanus VIII practices nepotism on a grand scale, causing some to wonder if he is creating a Barberini dynasty.
  • Urbanus VIII is a generous patron of the arts -- some would say too generous.
  • The primary residence of Architectus Urbanus VIII is in the Quirinal Palace on the world of Matica.
• Capital world is Matica, in the Lazio province.
• The Architectal Worlds include four provinces and a small number of territories.
  • Lazio
  • Marche
  • Romagna
  • Umbria
• The Architectal Worlds have a small fleet of a few dozen aether ships.
• The state religion of the Architectal Worlds is Eternalism. Other than Communionism (which is a crime in the Architectal Worlds), other religions are tolerated, but the rights and privileges of their practitioners are extremely limited.
• The Architectal Worlds are best known for being the center of the Eternal Church of the Divine Memorial.

Ottoman Empire

• Nominally ruled by Sultan Osman II, but the Imperial consort Ayse Sultan is the true power behind the throne.
• Capital world is Stamboul, in the province of Anatolia.
• The Ottoman Empire has 32 provinces, and numerous territories, colonies, and protectorates, as well as vassal states. The Ottoman Empire is the second largest dominion in the Polonian Expanse, second only to the Shenzhou Empire.
• The Ottoman Empire is best known for XXX.

Tsardom of Muscovy

• Ruled by Tsarina XXX.
• Capital world is XXX, in the XXX province.
• Muscovy has XXX provinces, and numerous territories, colonies, and protectorates. The Tsardom of Muscovy is vast -- even larger than the Shenzhou Empire. It comprises nearly all of the Ruthenian Expanse, such that people often use "Ruthenia" and "Tsardom of Muscovy" interchangeably.
• The Tsardom of Muscovy is best known for XXX.

Shenzhou Empire

• Ruled by Zhu Changxun, the Taichang Emperor.
  • The eunuch bureaucracy is controlled by Wei Zhongxian, whose power rivals that of the Emperor.
• Capital world is Shuntian, in the Zhili province.
• Shenzhou has 15 provinces, and numerous territories, colonies, and protectorates, as well as vassal states. The Shenzhou Empire is the largest dominion in the Polonian Expanse -- nearly as large as the entire European Expanse.
• The Shenzhou Empire is best known for XXX.

Religions

Eternal Church of the Divine Memorial ("Eternalists")

• One of the three Epiphanic religions.
• Headed by Architectus Urbanus VIII, the Programmator of the planet Matica.
• Eternalists practice the rite of epiphania: specifically, using an epiphania machina to transfer a deceased person's memories into the Divine Memorial, a planet-sized calculator in the heart of the planet Matica. Communionists consider this a perversion of the rite of epiphania.
• The major ranks are Architectus, Machinator, Programmator, and Technicus.
• Primary doctrines are nobility, responsibility, and traditionalism.

Refactored Communion ("Communionists")

• One of the three Epiphanic religions.
• Communionism began as a movement against the centralized power of Eternalism.
• Dozens of sects exist; some (generally the largest) are headed by a council, but many are loose affiliations without any central ruling body.
• Communionists practice the rite of epiphania: specifically, using an epiphania machina to transfer a deceased person's memories into the "Mind of God" (aka, the center of the galaxy). Eternalists consider this a heresy.
• Communionists generally eschew ranks. Each assembly or congregation is led by an individual. Some typical titles for this position are Advocatus, Ministrator, and Servus.
• Primary doctrines are asceticism, fellowship, and idealism.

Followers Of The Tradition Of The Quaesitor ("Followers")

• One of the three Epiphanic religions.
• Several sects exist; the bone of contention between most sects pertains to the proper succession from the First Quaesitor. The largest sect is headed by Quaesitor Shahzada of the planet Yathrib.
• Followers practice the rite of epiphania; however, Followers consider the epiphania machina an abomination.
• Followers have a very loose hierarchy. Each domain has a religious leader, usually a Quaesitor, who then grants lower ranks to respected religious experts. Ecclesiastical ranks granted by a Quaesitor typically include Praesul, Magister, and Favitor.
• Primary doctrines are control, enlightenment, and exploration.

Technology

Epiphania Machina

The epiphania machina is a device used during the rite of epiphania. The device scans the mind of a deceased individual, records their memories, and transfers the recording to a repository for such recordings.

System

The Queen's Rocketeers uses the ZeroSpace roleplaying game system.

However, due to the nature of the setting, there are several changes.

XXX List the changes

• Esoteric orders are replaced by cybernetics, XXX and potentially psionics (haven't decided yet).
• No energy shields.
• XXX Undecided about psiblades/energy swords. Maybe crystal swords? Vibroswords? Swords with single-molecule edges?

Useful Links

• ZeroSpace roleplaying game system
• Character page template -- "View source", copy the code, and paste it in your own character page
• Secure Dice
• The simplest possible guide to writing Mediawiki
• duael planets (done up to Jinx)
• Star Wars planets
• Planet Maker
• Procedural planet generator
• Vadim Sadovski space art

{{#vardefine:campaignname|Queens Rocketeers}} {{#vardefine:campaigncategory|Science Fiction}} {{#vardefine:campaignmoderator|bblackmoor}}

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