Happenings of Note to Aedil
Herein is recorded various and sundry things that Aedil has learned. Much of this has come out in game. Aedil keeps no secrets from the crew he trusts, so any of this they would likely have learned by speaking with him. (ie this is a public page but mainly for Ed to archive stuff)
5/17/07 You receive a message from your people informing you that there is currently a heated debate going on: some wish to tunnel immediately towards the rumsgengewek in order to recover the hall of the valkyries, others feel that the norse should retreat to their underground havens and lay low in order to avoid the risk of detection.
In addition, word has gotten out that the retired Reichsmarshal Eberhardt von Goettingen "der Krieger" has been reinstated. The rank of Reichsmarshal supersedes that of admiral, making von Goettingen the overall commander of all the Aenean forces in Castor, since the only other two Reichsmarshals are in Pollux. Notably, von Goettingen was made admiral at the age of 28 and lead the Aeneans to an overwhelming victory against the rebels in the last Trojan rebellion. He is considered a cunning and vicious warrior who will stop at nothing to achieve victory.
5/11/07
Your character receives the following communication ahead of the next session:
1.) The tunnel leading to the rumsgengewek, the only remaining access point to the hall of the valkyries, was collapsed by the mysterious attackers. When they attempted to leave, Thane Thorin and his warriors planned an ambush, in which they killed a significant number of them before they received Aenean reinforcements in the form of an escort convoy. Thane Thorin's company also took very heavy casualties. The attackers were very well equipped, and were supported by elite Aenean shock troops.
The lycurgans escaped with the help of the elite Aenean contingent, although chances are good they would have broken out regardless: they were much better equipped and seemed to know the lay of the land quite well.
2.) a significant company of norse soldiers, those who were stationed most closely to the Hall, are trapped.
They have a reasonable amount of supplies, but it may prove difficult to do significant labor so close to
the site of the catastrophe in the near future. This may at some point increase the urgency of getting
to them.
5/1/07
in the most secret, most well defended, and deepest part of the lost cities is a place called the Hall of the Valkyries. Locked since before memory, it is rumored to contain the ancient weapons the Aesir gave to the Norse for the battle of Ragnarok. It is scrupulously guarded by seasoned warriors who have been crippled in battle: Thus, their experience continues to serve when their bodies cannot, for all it takes is eyes and a mouth to sound the alarm should anyone approach.
History of Norse on Troy
Long before the sundering, Troy was one of the wealthiest planets in the Gemini. Mineral exports brought wealth to the sparsely populated planet, and over decades the population grew and more and more underground cities were built. However, it was apparent that the supply of minerals was not
infinite. Thus, the governement of Troy began to invest abroad and to create an infrastructure for manufacturing and technology. They invisioned Troy as an underground hive of invention, where new technology, new science and new culture would be nourished and flourish (similar to Saudi Arabia's current strategy). This long term plan was looking promising until the Sundering.
The planetary economy was highly dependent upon massive mineral exports and equally large imports of food and technologic merchandise. After the sundering, the Troy economy collapsed. There was massive starvation and many cities degenerated into the stone age. Some on Troy clung to the old ways and maintained their civic structure by creating the goods they previously imported. Magmathermal generators provided energy to power synthetic food culture generation. While not very palatable, it was sufficiently nutritious. Three notable centers of civilization reformed: the Termite Mound, Jotunheim and the Hornet's Nest. In the cities of Hive and Molemound, food production barely met the needs of the people; riots were commonplace. Once space travel through the Gemini was reestablished, mineral exports again resumed. Exports were enough to sustain Termite Mound, Jotunheim and Hornet's Nest at the level of minimal subsistence. Still, it was a living.
Riots due to the extreme poverty persisted in Hive, Molemound and other previously thriving cities. This was the pretext for the Aenean invasion. Most of the planet was easily subjugated, but the Norsemen in Jutunheim proved worthy adversaries. There were about 5 million Norsemen living in and around Jutunheim, and it seemed that they all rose up to the very last man to fight the Aeneans and were unexpectedly proficient warriors. Nevertheless, superior technology and greater numbers eventually spelled victory for the Aeneans, but the cost was great and ended the current phase of Aenean expansion.
The cost was greater for the Norsemen. Aenean retribution was harsh after their victory. Realizing that their culture faced a slow extinction, the bulk of the Norsemen went underground....further underground, that is. 90% of the Norse were dead in the war and in the aftermath. The survivors fled to the many abandoned cities, scattering like leaves in a dry wind. In isolation, cut off from the ouside galaxy, the Norse began to rebuild in the 30 deepest old dead cities. Although still connected to the upper cities through the myriad web of tunnels, only the Norsemen knew the passages leading to the old places. The Aeneans sent expeditionary parties down he deep caves, many met the Norse and never returned. The others became lost and returned weeks or months later having found nothing but the earth. After a while the Aeneans became bored with searching the deep caves and let them lie silent and dead.
Over the next 100 years, (how long has it been since the Aenean invasion???), the Norsemen secretly rebuilt. They used techniques for growing cultures learned after the sundering, tapping into the energy of the planetary core itself, in places where natural magma flows welled close to the deep cities. Their numbers grow, they train as warriors. But at the same time thier isolation results in a degredation of technological advancement. One day they would remove the Aeneans from the upper cities and reach out the mighty hand of war to the Aenean homeworld, and teach them of true war. But for now, the Norsemen wait. 10 million norsemen wait in the deep old places. They train, and bear children and children and children.
Some Norse live in the upper cities, especially Jotunheim. There they support the insurrection against the Aeneans, lest the Aeneans forget the ferocity of the Norse. The Aeneans believe most of the Norse were killed in the war and in the concentration camps after the war. By their count, over 2 million dead in the war, and an equal number afterwards. Current Aenean estimates count the Norse at 20,000 all told. how wrong they are.
Other history of Troy
1.) The total population of Troy is perhaps 50-100 million: It could support probably 100 times that,
given the extensiveness of the excavations, assuming life support systems could be installed to cover
all of that space. The population has been severely decimated several times, most notably in the
conflict with the aeneans. Since then, there has been constant insurrection in a few sections, notably
the Termite Mound, Jotunheim (where most of the Norsemen live) and in The Hornet's Nest, which is
essentially an insurrection stronghold immediately "adjacent" to Jotunheim.
2.) Troy is a source of raw materials and a place to coop up cheap labor for the Aeneans. They keep an extensive slave and prisoner population on the planet, who do much of the "state" mining, processing, etc. There are very, very many mining operations other than the Spire, which was only installed recently: it is simply by far the most efficient and the largest (in terms of percent of total mining, though, it's perhaps 5-10%). Most of what comes out of it is hoarded by the Aenean state, however.
5.) The core has strictly stayed out of any conflicts that do not threaten their operations (the spire or their HQ): when threats to these do occur, they act with extreme prejudice. As such, they have only quelled riots, but largely stayed out of the fight against the insurgencies.
6.) There is a constant insurgency on Troy: epicenters include the Termite Mound and The Hornet's Nest, as well as numerous others. Think of these areas as Bagdhad on a Bad day: The Hornet's nest is essentially unpatrolled at this point, while The Termite Mound sees only large scale, well equipped patrols. Fighting on Troy is at a constant simmer: not war, obviously, but constant trouble.
On lycurgans
The lycurgans aren't really a super-unified people, outside their loyalty to their country: some of the
families live way out in the boondocks and their family take on the pantheon, and their particular
ancestor worship, could be very norse. The lycurgans are famous for their warriors, and the king and
the major families are famous for being rich and entertaining the rich and being politickers, but the
lycurgans are actually quite secretive and private as a people: little is known about the inner workings
of any part of their society by the outside world.
As for being an outsider, the "honorless" members of lycurgan society are outcasts among their own
people even if they manage to redeem themselves: they occupy a dualistic position of often being the
most decorated and yet the lowliest members of the lycurgan royalty, often living for nothing more
than battle and honor. A secret that few outside Lycurgus know or understand is that some of these
men and women actually become imperators, the most powerful military commanders on lycurgus.
