The Known Galaxy

We shall travel to that Land some day,
Over the mountain, far away.
We shall graze upon new pastures,
In the Land that we'll call Home.

– A verse from a Xhuva folk song, The Land With No Cages.

Before the advent of faster-than-light (FTL) travel, the known galaxy was a very small place (spanning 50 light-years across, measured by the furthest distances that spaceships have travelled), with just three major spacefaring worlds and a handful of other settled planets and space stations. Due to the sheer amount of time needed to traverse between worlds, even at lightspeed, each civilisation functions almost entirely independently of others. As such, the known galaxy is a disparate collection of 3 overlapping spheres of influence, centred on the major home-worlds of Corico, Kallimar, and the Thousand Colours Moon, with many smaller guilds and factions placed in the gaps between them.

Corico, Kallimar, and the Thousand Colours Moon are the only places in the known galaxy where sapient life has emerged. Each featuring their own unique ecosystems, the known galaxy is home to five different sapient species (all of which are playable):

• Balra, native reptilian inhabitants of Corico.
• Sailors, ammonia-based lifeforms native to the Thousand Colours Moon that resemble octopodes, using bipedal suits to move around.
• Rissi, avian-like creatures that come from Kallimar.
• Xhuva, a collection of different living beings uplifted from the Xhu (historically the “beasts of burden” of Kallimar).
• Androids, robots designed with internal neuromorphic computing to look and think like organic life.

Note that, while the Xhuva and Androids are not technically species (with the former being a collection of species, and the latter being artificial constructs), they should be treated as if they are species. You can assume OC that Androids are sapient.

While life has been found in other places in the known galaxy, ranging from microbial to complex muticellular structures, no other sapient lifeforms have been discovered. There are multiple other planets that have been observed in the galaxy that look like they might have housed life, but there has not been a practical way to travel the distances required to reach them before.

Ventures features more advanced technology than the modern day, but it is not without its limits. Robots and Androids are widespread, but their use is limited – an entity in control of multiple ship or station systems is very vulnerable to remote hacking (an obstacle that modern Android brains have safeguarding against). A wide range of spaceships are used – some to land on planets, some to travel long distances, and some just to shuttle between other ships. Shrinkwrap EVA suits are used to protect people from the dangers of space while being lightweight and mobile, and powerful lasers are widespread for their uses in cutting, welding, and drilling. Advances in understanding of physiology allow for grafts, both biological and cybernetic, to be implanted into people, improving their capabilities. With the start of the game, faster-than-light technology has finally been invented, allowing for travel to stars previously unreachable.

For more information on the level of technology in the game, see the Technology page. This may change over time as player-made discoveries and inventions come about.

The scale of space is massive. Below is shown a constructed image of all the known stars in the galaxy, with the total distance that has been travelled shown in the white circle. A lot is known about the stars, but it is all out of date. After all, if a star is 1000 light-years away, you can only know about what it was like 1000 years ago. Nevertheless, the stars themselves are well documented, with their trajectories and pathways mapped and well understood.

The planets themselves remain mostly unknown.

An interactive map will be available during play of the game…

The first known contact between two sapient species occurred at the Badar Outpost, on the small planetoid of Sandos III, hundreds of years ago. The small crew of Balra researchers living on the outpost were hailed by a Sailor scout team who'd picked up intelligent radio signals, and gone to investigate. Soon after (in spacefaring terms, given the light-years of distance between the two worlds), a diplomatic channel was opened up, each culture amazed at the prospect of other sapient life. However, constant communication between the two planets directly remained a process that could only progress over decades, with the majority of communication and cultural exchange happening in the space between the planets.

Over a century later, signals were detected from a nearby cluster of systems, several light-years further away than the other two. These weren't communications, but large, unstructured bursts of EM waves, matching no known natural phenomenon. Research groups consisting of both Balra and Sailors set out to investigate, finding the planet Kallimar and inhabitants Rissi and Xhuva in the middle of a system-wide war. The researchers reached out to them, attempting to translate their signals. At this point, the war was in its final stages with the egalitarian factions set on course to win, fortunately leading to good diplomatic relations with the visitors. The war properly ended around a century before the events of the game are set to take place, with all three planets knowing of the existence of the others.

There are many factions, guilds, companies, and organisations that operate in space in the present day. Because of travel times, any permanent area of influence larger than a single star system was impossible to maintain, and the planetary governments couldn't easily control the people who operated between them. Of great importance to the story of Ventures is the Cartographers' Guild. Initially formed almost 300 years ago when first contact was made between the Balra and Sailors, it was founded by the people at the edge: the ones pushing exploration to the limit.

Built on these principles, the Cartographers hold them to this day, being on the cutting edge of science. While they don't have the breadth that a planetary science programme might have, they are still frontrunners in fields that are important to them. Many other spacefaring factions, and some planetary governments, rely on them for their databanks and research, despite the years it may take to get access to that information.

The main thing hindering the growth of the known galaxy was travel time. Spanning approximately 50 light-years from end to end (looking at total travelled territory), lifetimes would pass for any meaningful journeys (although not for the people on board the ships, due to time dilation). Because of this, search for faster methods of travel was the scientific pursuit of many different people.

Because of their strong research focus and purpose of mapping out space, the Cartographers put a lot of resources into finding a solution. After multiple lifetimes of research, a solution was found. Faster-than-light travel was solved. After a rapid testing and production period lasting the years leading up to the start of the game, a fleet of large FTL-capable ships were completed, to be used for Guild endeavours. These work by a chartering system, and are able to undertake multiple voyages for Guild members (as an OC note, you don't need to request a ship specifically when planning an expedition. You can assume that you will have access to them when needed, even if you don't own any).

FTL is set to determine the course of the current age, and hence the specific designs are commercially sensitive information. With many different factions and individuals looking to benefit, the Cartographers have taken the limelight on the galactic stage. With faster access to information, the news of their discovery has been able to spread, and many eyes are watching.

While knowledge of multiple sapient species is present across the entire galaxy, not everyone has encountered other life forms. The various homeworlds are still highly homogeneous, although interspecies groups are very common in space, leveraging unique skillsets and knowledge bases to thrive efficiently. Travellers to other homeworlds are treated with curiosity, but are generally offered good hospitality. Close bonds can and do exist between members of different species.

Initial relations between Balra and Sailors set the stage for relations going forwards. Co-operation is very close between the two species where they intersect, including on their shared outpost. Integration is still limited however, because they require different atmospheric conditions to survive in. Nevertheless, some individuals have gone in protective suits between the two homeworlds.

While Rissi-Xhuva relations may have been poor in the past, they are very positive in the present day. The post-war egalitarian government of Kallimar ensures that all species are treated equally, with remnants of the old government having been systematically dismantled. Many Xhuva haven chosen to stay on Kallimar of their own free will, although many Xhuva (and Rissi) have left for a spacefaring group.

Androids might have had a unique identity at their first inception, but they are so widespread now as to be as diverse as different organic species. Androids designed after a particular species often relate more to that species than other Androids, and one made in space might relate more to other spacefarers than planetary Androids. The clumsy history of AI has passed living memory for most, and the safety measures that were implemented have eased potential tensions between synthetic and organic. Across the galaxy, artificial intelligence is valued and respected at the same level as natural intelligence.

News doesn't travel fast in space, especially when it concerns trade secrets. While the various spacefaring corporations tend to make deals and trade agreements, this is often done through only a small number of representatives, keeping the details of the organisation obfuscated. The Cartographers are far more open than most guilds however, inviting representatives directly into their main station.