Post by Pawel on Aug 7, 2021 21:24:46 GMT
Hey guys, got something awesome for you!
Feast your eyes on this exclusive BP:R content preview, straight from Biohazard today:
Sperm Whales
On a balmy summer day in 2190, the colony world was shocked when 21 frightened and malnourished juvenile Terrestrial sperm whales swam into Haven Harbor seeking aid. They seemed to have little practical knowledge of the wider colony world, and spoke only the unique language developed among the first uplifted belugas. It is impossible to impart the full scope of the media storm this event created and the political controversy that followed. Suffice it to say, the members of Pod 21, as they became known, are the most famous cetaceans in history, and have remained reluctant celebrities since that day.
In the end, investigators determined the whales had been cloned from archived DNA models, using xenosilicate templates and oversized artificial wombs. The project had been carried out somewhere in the Copper Islands on the eastern edge of the Dolphin Sea, but to date no one has been able to locate the mostly automated, semi-aquatic facility the confused teenage whales described. It has yet to be determined if this was an Incorporate experiment, the project of some egomaniacal beluga benefactor, an insurgent plan gone wrong or even the goal of a cult. The only certainty is that it had been a massively expensive undertaking, with considerable infrastructure, that went entirely unnoticed in the vast obscurity of the frontier for most of a decade.
The whales described how one day the handful of human and cetacean techs that had apparently created them simply shut down the creche, boarded a hopper and flew away. As they departed, one tearful human stuck a trode interface with navigational software to the side of one of their heads and told them to, “Swim to Haven.” This strange abandonment only added to the mystery of their origin and the fevered nature of the media coverage.
The whales shared that there had originally been 24 clones. One died during gestation, one shortly after being decanted and one was killed by a lesser white as the pod made its way across the frontier to Haven. The clones are exactly that, 21 genetically identical “siblings” who not only share the expected emotional bonds but the additional ties of being the only extant representatives of their species.
The trauma and stress of the sperm whales’ unique situation can not be overstated. They are members of a once-extinct species who have no parental bonds or cultural heritage. They suffered profound childhood trauma, have been hounded by the media and special interests for most of their lives, and now have to find their ways on a cut-throat colony world where civilization is often more dangerous than the wildlife of the frontier.
In 2199 the strange story of Pod 21 continues. A few have become reality stars, appearing at media events, speaking as pundits or in one case hosting a Poseidon travel show. Several are very active in cetacean rights and the Church of the Whalesong, two have joined the GEO and one of those is now a Peacekeeper. Several others have simply disappeared and there is varied speculation that they were lost to even larger predators, joined the insurgency or simply left civilization behind. The rest seem to be trying to live semblances of normal lives across the frontier, despite their individual fame. The challenges are considerable and despite their immense size, Poseidon is an even bigger place, apparently with room enough for even them.
Sperm Whale Characters
With the permission of their moderator, players can opt to play sperm whale characters from Pod 21. Their stats and abilities are listed on page XX, and they play and can interact with the world just like any other cetacean characters. The difference is that playing them as written brings the complications of their fame to any narrative. There is no way for them to go unrecognized in person and this would realistically color all of their social interactions. Some players might find this a fun or interesting roleplaying challenge, but the group should be aware of and cool with this potentiality in canon play.
Feast your eyes on this exclusive BP:R content preview, straight from Biohazard today:
Sperm Whales
On a balmy summer day in 2190, the colony world was shocked when 21 frightened and malnourished juvenile Terrestrial sperm whales swam into Haven Harbor seeking aid. They seemed to have little practical knowledge of the wider colony world, and spoke only the unique language developed among the first uplifted belugas. It is impossible to impart the full scope of the media storm this event created and the political controversy that followed. Suffice it to say, the members of Pod 21, as they became known, are the most famous cetaceans in history, and have remained reluctant celebrities since that day.
In the end, investigators determined the whales had been cloned from archived DNA models, using xenosilicate templates and oversized artificial wombs. The project had been carried out somewhere in the Copper Islands on the eastern edge of the Dolphin Sea, but to date no one has been able to locate the mostly automated, semi-aquatic facility the confused teenage whales described. It has yet to be determined if this was an Incorporate experiment, the project of some egomaniacal beluga benefactor, an insurgent plan gone wrong or even the goal of a cult. The only certainty is that it had been a massively expensive undertaking, with considerable infrastructure, that went entirely unnoticed in the vast obscurity of the frontier for most of a decade.
The whales described how one day the handful of human and cetacean techs that had apparently created them simply shut down the creche, boarded a hopper and flew away. As they departed, one tearful human stuck a trode interface with navigational software to the side of one of their heads and told them to, “Swim to Haven.” This strange abandonment only added to the mystery of their origin and the fevered nature of the media coverage.
The whales shared that there had originally been 24 clones. One died during gestation, one shortly after being decanted and one was killed by a lesser white as the pod made its way across the frontier to Haven. The clones are exactly that, 21 genetically identical “siblings” who not only share the expected emotional bonds but the additional ties of being the only extant representatives of their species.
The trauma and stress of the sperm whales’ unique situation can not be overstated. They are members of a once-extinct species who have no parental bonds or cultural heritage. They suffered profound childhood trauma, have been hounded by the media and special interests for most of their lives, and now have to find their ways on a cut-throat colony world where civilization is often more dangerous than the wildlife of the frontier.
In 2199 the strange story of Pod 21 continues. A few have become reality stars, appearing at media events, speaking as pundits or in one case hosting a Poseidon travel show. Several are very active in cetacean rights and the Church of the Whalesong, two have joined the GEO and one of those is now a Peacekeeper. Several others have simply disappeared and there is varied speculation that they were lost to even larger predators, joined the insurgency or simply left civilization behind. The rest seem to be trying to live semblances of normal lives across the frontier, despite their individual fame. The challenges are considerable and despite their immense size, Poseidon is an even bigger place, apparently with room enough for even them.
Sperm Whale Characters
With the permission of their moderator, players can opt to play sperm whale characters from Pod 21. Their stats and abilities are listed on page XX, and they play and can interact with the world just like any other cetacean characters. The difference is that playing them as written brings the complications of their fame to any narrative. There is no way for them to go unrecognized in person and this would realistically color all of their social interactions. Some players might find this a fun or interesting roleplaying challenge, but the group should be aware of and cool with this potentiality in canon play.
The general public does like its scaremongering gossips to be seasoned with a little bit of xenophobia, doesn't it? The sperm whales "came from nowhere" and have obviously been tampered with by the devious minds of the Incorp gene tweakers. Nuthin' good ever comes of that!