Who the Worldtree Commons IsThe Worldtree Commons emerged out of the Ascension Crisis in the shadow of the World Tree Yggdrasil, which managed to survive the Crisis largely in one piece. In the ensuing years, the Commons have devoted themselves to a single cause, making themselves the target of various conspiracy theories and accusations that they're an alien empire in the making. While that's not true, they are the progenitors of a whole new religion, and that religion is leaving a large mark on the Verge and Bleed, spreading their faith and the largest, most visible component of their faith, the Trees, far and wide.
A bizarre organization that lies somewhere between a new faith, hypercorporation, and government, the Worldtree Commons Council is devoted to one purpose: the creation and spread of the Trees. The Trees in question are massive genetically engineered trees that grow out of comets primarily, expanding outwards in all directions into large spheres of interlocking green branches. While the Trees (as they're called) don't have much in the way of gravity, they are sometimes secured in nanotube bubbles opaque to all ranges of light except infrared and equipped with thrusters, forming the core of the Worldtree Commons Fleet. However, the truly large trees - the ones that they grow out of planetoids - are literal world trees; these are trees that are 1,000 to 2,000 miles tall, over 300 miles in diameter at the base, and literally the size of planetoids - these are the Dyson Trees, or The Worldtrees. The largest and oldest of these is Yggdrasil, the first Worldtree, grown out of Ceres almost a millennia ago. Only a handful of these truly massive trees exist since they take almost a millennia to grow, but the Commons wants to increase that number, and so members are constantly on the look out for new places to spread their Trees. The Trees come in all flavors, from Birch to Oak, and each Tree supposedly has its own special properties and meaning within the Commons. This "tree alphabet" is based on older Celtic concepts of tree magic, which is why they're often referred to as "space druids." Whether they honestly believe the trees have magical properties depends on the person. Worldtree IdealsThe Worldtree Commons, like Insight and Voidcorp, are technically a corporation, which means their corporate culture is also their culture as a stellar nation/corporate state. However, unlike Voidcorp, which takes pains to ensure a degree of uniformity, and Insight, which is small enough that uniformity becomes a non-issue, the WTC doesn't bother. The shared religious nature of Neodruidism is often enough to hold them together as a culture, which is one of the reasons why they outwardly appear so hard to qualify. As a result, Cultural Familiarity (Worldtree Commons) is a viable choice, however, each individual fleet (rather than planet, since the WTC doesn't functionally control planets) technically qualifies as a subculture, which means that each fleet uses the Savoir-Faire skill (IQ/E) skill.
Worldtree common StructureThe Worldtree Commons is a corporation in addition to an organized religion, which means that they do have a hierarchy. At the top of the society is the Office of the President of the Worldtree Commons Corporation, who also happens to be the archdruid and leader of the faith. The President is not the CEO; the president is elected by the population from the most senior and well-respected of the various members within the organization (meaning that reputation with The Root is a major factor, and higher reputation is often better in this regard), while the CEO (also called the Chief Ovateis) is elected by the board members, also called the Speakers of the Trees. Board members, in turn, are elected by the general population, all of whom have shares in the company and make up what's called the Council of Bards, often just called the Laity by those within the religion. The paradigm is a great deal like a parliamentary system of government that combines aspects of semi-direct democracy with representative democracy; the general population from a council or thing that elect the president from the senior most official and the members of the board, who in turn nominate and elect the CEO. The CEO handles matters within the company, while the President interacts with the world outside of the company and represents the WTC outside of the branches.
|
|
Alien Trees?While the Worldtree Commons tends to focus much of their effort on planting and tending to the world trees that they grew, there is a segment within the organization - one of the oldest parts of the organization - that have a deep interest in the possibility that the aliens - Glassmakers, Stoneburners, and the like - planted their own world trees, and if they did, those world trees would require tending to, as well. To date, only a handful of potential candidates are known, and the WTC prefers not to share their locations, for fear of attracting unwanted attention to the relatively isolated worlds where these trees exist. However, they have released some data on these trees, and used that as another source of income (with the rest of their income coming from genetic engineering, xenopharming, terraforming, and related fields). This sometimes means that they're in competition with the ASAI and the Archimedes Society, although their niche interests work to ensure this doesn't happen very often. |
History of the Worldtree Commons
The history of the Worldtree Commons are lost to time. As an organization, they first emerged into the historical record after the Ascension Crisis and the Swarms, as the group of individuals that tended to the large worldtrees that had been planted several centuries earlier. The were originally a cult of neo-druids that wound up co-opting the World Terraforming Corporation, which was a relatively minor company after the Ascension Crisis but had been a larger one in the lead up to it. They also quickly acquired the Branch Keepers, which was a company tasked with keeping the dyson trees up. These two companies along with the cult lay down the groundwork for the Worldtree Commons, which wouldn't emerge as an entity until after the Wish incident.
There's speculation on the origins of the neo-druidic cult that first managed to co-opt the World Terraforming Corporation and use that as a vehicle to acquire the Branch Keepers. In the beginning there appeared to be several different factions according to the writings from the time; the neo-druidic pagans, those who saw some magical or divine power in the world trees, and a sizable faction that sought to explore the alien "world-trees" and potential that such trees existed. Over time, these three factions began to merge, coalescing around Worldtree worship. However, the existence of a sizable faction within that wanted to explore glassmaker and stoneburner "world-trees" leaves some wondering if the original organization didn't have its roots, at least partially, within the early ASAI. However, time has withered away any connections, and as the organization grew, it branched out and began to incorporate itself into several different business fields, growing rapidly in size. As noted, however, it didn't first appear on the galactic scene under its current name until after the Wish incident, and it's only within the last few years that the WTC has achieved the modicum of fame and popularity it has, for being an unusual blend of religion, corporation, and stellar nation. It was first recognized as a stellar nation after the end of the Verge Consortium Civil War, although unlike most stellar nations, it does not have a single, fixed set of wormholes, and instead believes in sharing wormholes, which it sees as the roots that link together civilization.
There's speculation on the origins of the neo-druidic cult that first managed to co-opt the World Terraforming Corporation and use that as a vehicle to acquire the Branch Keepers. In the beginning there appeared to be several different factions according to the writings from the time; the neo-druidic pagans, those who saw some magical or divine power in the world trees, and a sizable faction that sought to explore the alien "world-trees" and potential that such trees existed. Over time, these three factions began to merge, coalescing around Worldtree worship. However, the existence of a sizable faction within that wanted to explore glassmaker and stoneburner "world-trees" leaves some wondering if the original organization didn't have its roots, at least partially, within the early ASAI. However, time has withered away any connections, and as the organization grew, it branched out and began to incorporate itself into several different business fields, growing rapidly in size. As noted, however, it didn't first appear on the galactic scene under its current name until after the Wish incident, and it's only within the last few years that the WTC has achieved the modicum of fame and popularity it has, for being an unusual blend of religion, corporation, and stellar nation. It was first recognized as a stellar nation after the end of the Verge Consortium Civil War, although unlike most stellar nations, it does not have a single, fixed set of wormholes, and instead believes in sharing wormholes, which it sees as the roots that link together civilization.
Culture of the Worldtree Commons
The Commons, like most of the minor stellar nations, is surprisingly uniform. This is because it started mostly in one place, but it quickly expanded from there. That said, there are some minor differences between localities: Innes' Star, Barnard's Star, Kapetain's Star, and others all have their own world tree (in genera, the Commons Council aims for every star that is named after a person, seeking to plant a tree in that system). This means that the various "polities" that make up the Commons - to the extent that it can even be said to have such a thing - are flavored by local cultures as much as they are the outside cultures. However, these local flavorings often extend to language and little else; the religion remains uniform, as does the approach to caring about the trees. The corporation side of the Commons is very strict in a number of areas, focusing on adhering to the cultural rules that shape the Commons. This gives the Commons a culture that feels surprisingly inorganic, but that is the nature for the sorts of corporations that develop.
Worldtree SociologyEconomically, the Commons is largely reputation-based, with leadership dependent on one's reputation. That said, they are indifferent to whether or not that reputation-based economy exists within an urban setting or in a planned villages. The majority of the Commons population actually live aboard large biological starships that look like trees, called tree ships. Each tree ship is a unique tree, but all of them share similarities: communal living, a feeling more like an city than a small village, and shared fabricators. Some say they have a different and unique economic paradigm, while others argue theirs is post-scarcity demarchism, which appears to be the most proper description of the organization as a whole.
Otherwise, the organization is ontologically pluralistic; the roots of the world tree descend through the myriad of realities, and each reality is just as real as the previous realities that the roots descend through. This makes them one of the few openly ontologically pluralistic nations in the Verge and Bleed. |
Tree MAgicAs with the ASAI, they are often a target for conspiracy theorists who claim that they have access to knowledge that they deliberately keep hidden, ranging from the existence of different realities to the truth behind psionics and magic. Perhaps even more so than the ASAI, because the Worldtree Commons Council is also an organized religion, with a number of rituals that can raise suspicion, especially when coupled with their outward stand-offish nature and reluctance to speak to those who aren't part of their fold about what knowledge they have. And as with the ASAI, this is true, just not for the region that the conspiracy theorists seem to think. They have learned how to manipulate stoneburner, glassmaker, and other alien hyper-advanced utility fog referred to as angelnets, so long as the user has a DNI and runs the proper software, which the organization designs for themselves. Given the similarities between the two methods, there is naturally some question who came up with it first; since very few people are even aware this exists - even the ASAI are unaware the WTC has this ability - nobody can be sure. In GURPS terms, this allows the individual to use magic, with the relative strength of the angelnet representing the strength of the local mana. It requires a DNI and the proper software (Computer Programming/TL12 [God AI, Glassmaker, Stoneburner, etc]), and uses the rules for Ritual Magic, with each college represented by a college skill. And since it can work on many different angelnets with the proper category, there are a large number of worlds in the Verge and Bleed - most of them, in fact - that qualify as "Low Mana" or even "Normal Mana." See here for the appropriate spell lists. |
Worldtree Cultures and Memes
While the primary focus of the WTC is on taking care of the trees, there are other memes and cultural elements that emerge from time to time, providing texture and sometimes even disagreements among the members.
Asuryan
Type: Fashion/Artistic Movement
Asuryan is a fashion and artistic movement that focuses on a weird blending of Japanese, Chinese, and Celtic art styles, often with an emphasis on the natural world rather than human beings and the impact human beings have on it. This style is predominate throughout the whole of the Worldtree Commons, but it is more prominent in some areas than it is in others. The style often places an emphasis on round paintings and abstract symbols, as well as clothing that blends traditional Japanese, Chinese, and Celtic dress.
Megalithism and Monolithism
Type: Architectural Style
Megalithism is an architectural style that seeks to recreate ancient megaliths like Stonehenge and the various Neolithic passage tombs and similar sites, using modern technology and engineering. It promotes a very simplistic architectural style, emphasizing sharp lines, breaks, and beautiful but powerful stonework, as well as a blending with the natural world, which is why this style is usually only seen on the surface of planets. Related is Monolithism, which seeks to turn entire rocks into habitats; the goals are the same, but the idea is to produce a habitat using a singular large "rock," often an asteroid. Monolithism is often confused with forming Terrarium, and indeed, the two are very similar.
Morai
Type: Social Outlook
Morai is one of the more popular social outlooks; it holds that the universe is a large tree connecting through a complex root system of dark matter and, eventually, of wormholes. Expanding the wormhole network will keep the universe from flying apart, and once it's connected, humanity can begin the process of expanding that root system into different realities. Since Morai thinks on such a large timescale and on such large distances, adherents tend to see themselves as irrelevant, and will often gladly give themselves up in order to contribute for the long-term prosperity of the trees, subjecting all individuality and concept of self to the well-being of the trees that hold humanity and the universe together ■
Asuryan
Type: Fashion/Artistic Movement
Asuryan is a fashion and artistic movement that focuses on a weird blending of Japanese, Chinese, and Celtic art styles, often with an emphasis on the natural world rather than human beings and the impact human beings have on it. This style is predominate throughout the whole of the Worldtree Commons, but it is more prominent in some areas than it is in others. The style often places an emphasis on round paintings and abstract symbols, as well as clothing that blends traditional Japanese, Chinese, and Celtic dress.
Megalithism and Monolithism
Type: Architectural Style
Megalithism is an architectural style that seeks to recreate ancient megaliths like Stonehenge and the various Neolithic passage tombs and similar sites, using modern technology and engineering. It promotes a very simplistic architectural style, emphasizing sharp lines, breaks, and beautiful but powerful stonework, as well as a blending with the natural world, which is why this style is usually only seen on the surface of planets. Related is Monolithism, which seeks to turn entire rocks into habitats; the goals are the same, but the idea is to produce a habitat using a singular large "rock," often an asteroid. Monolithism is often confused with forming Terrarium, and indeed, the two are very similar.
Morai
Type: Social Outlook
Morai is one of the more popular social outlooks; it holds that the universe is a large tree connecting through a complex root system of dark matter and, eventually, of wormholes. Expanding the wormhole network will keep the universe from flying apart, and once it's connected, humanity can begin the process of expanding that root system into different realities. Since Morai thinks on such a large timescale and on such large distances, adherents tend to see themselves as irrelevant, and will often gladly give themselves up in order to contribute for the long-term prosperity of the trees, subjecting all individuality and concept of self to the well-being of the trees that hold humanity and the universe together ■
Worldtree Commons Culture Template . . . 20 points
Advantages and Perks
|
Religious Rank 0 [5]; and one of Alien Friend 1 [5], Fit [5], G-Experience (Any) [5], G-Tolerance (0.03G) [5], Green Thumb 1 [5], Plant Empathy [5], or any 5-point talent ● 25 points from among DX +1 [20], IQ+1 [20], Per+1 to +4 [5/level], Will +1 to +4 [5/level], Animal Empathy [5], Common Sense [10], Cybernetics (Any) [Varies], Doodads [1/level], Eidetic Memory [5] or Photographic Memory [10], Empathy [15] or Sensitive [5], Fearlessness [2/level], Gizmos [5/level], High Manual Dexterity 1-2 [5/level], Lightening Calculator [2] or Intuitive Mathematician [5], Rapid Healing [5], Silence 1-2 [5/level], Single-Minded [5], Versatile [5], or 10 points in any talent [10] ● Any three of the following Perks: Dabbler (any eight skills), Efficient (Skill), Focused (Task), Hyperspecialization (Skill), or Teamwork (Skill).
|
Disadvantages and Quirks
|
Code of Honor (Good Citizen) [-5] ● One of Disciplines of Faith (Neo-Druidism) and Sense of Duty (To Church, most of time) [-6] or Sense of Duty (To Church) and Religious (Neo-Druidism) [-6] ● -25 points from among Charitable [-15*], Chummy [-5] or Loner [-5*], Combat Paralysis [-15], Compulsive Vowing [-5*], Delusions (Utterly convinced of particular idiosyncratic religious interpretation) [-5 to -10], Disciplines of Faith (Ritualism or Mysticism) [-5 to -10], Greed [-15*], Guilt Complex [-5], Gullible [-10*], Honesty [-10*], Impulsiveness [-10*], Incurious [-5*], Miserliness [-10*], Pacifism [Varies], Shyness [Varies], Stubbornness [-5], Truthfulness [-5], or Workaholic [-5] ● Choose any 2 quirks: Argumentative, Bioconservative, Chauvinistic, Congenial, Dress Code (Orlamist White), Dull, Methodical, Nosy, Organized, Proud, Staid, Technoprogressive, Philosophy (Orlamist), or Token (Any) ● Two of Congenial, Dress Code (Neodruidic), Dull, Methodical, Organized, Proud, Religion (Neodruidic faith), Shocking Affectation (Social Nudist) or Token (Any), all [-1].
|
Primary Skills
|
Area Knowledge (Home World), Computer Operations, and Crewman (Any), all (E) IQ+1 [2]-11; Bioengineer (Any) (H) IQ-1 [2]-9; Theology (Neo-Druidism) (H) IQ-1 [2]-9 ● any three of Administration, Architecture, Machinist, Mechanic (Any), Merchant, Professional Skill (Any) or Research, all (A) IQ [2]-10; Anthropology, Astronomy (Observational), Astronomy, Biology (Botany), Biology (Ecology), Chemistry, Computer Programming, Engineer (Any), Expert Skill (Any), History (Worldtree), Literature (Western or Islamic), Religious Ritual (Neo-Druidism) or Philosophy (Neo-Druidism) all (H) IQ-1 [2]-9; Biology, Surgery, or Physics, all (VH) IQ-2 [2]-8.
|
Secondary and Background Skills
|
Four of Electrician, Electronics Operation (Any), Electronics Repair (Any), Free Fall, Freight Handling, Merchant, or Mechanic (Any), all (A) IQ-1 [1]-9; Piloting (Any) (A) DX-1 [1]-9; Mathematics (Any) or Sociology, both (H) IQ-2 [1]-8; or two points in any primary skill.
|
Features
|
Citizenship (Worldtree Commons), Cultural Familiarity (Worldtree Commons), Language (Neodruidic, Native), and Home Gravity (0.0 - 0.9G)
|