Current Events of Note

Aegyptian Martial Law

In the last few decades, the Aegyptian government has had to deal with an increase in raids from the Great Desert. As a result, they have taken actions to defend the nation. Initially, this was a tightening of border patrols, especially along the areas touching the Great Desert. This proved ineffective, pushing the leaders more and more until they were left with no option other than martial law. This has the general population unhappy, as well as other nations a little worried.

The biggest effect the new laws have created is the consolidation of power by the Djedkare tribe, who are currently in power. By initiating martial law, they have been able to slowly strip power from the other tribes. The leaders of the other tribes have to date been helpless to stop this. One thing is for certain, they will not stand for much more.

Anzee Discontent

Over the last few years, the anzee in a number of countries have begun to find their lot in life distasteful. Due in part to their source of origin, and the human view that anzee are merely just lesser humans, the anzee have not been treated as equals. This lack of equality is beginning to strain human-anzee relations. A number of new anzee rights groups have formed, some peaceful and some more militant. the rise in these groups coupled with a more vocal outcry from the anzee population seems to be leading toward a change. What form this change will take is anybody's guess.

Colony Wars

The colony worlds are a sore spot for many nations. While they were initially off-world extensions of the nations of the world, the colonies eventually managed to gain their independence. After years of fighting, they were granted autonomy and drafted their own Colonial Congress. Their influence has even risen to the point where the colonies are given a voice in the UCFS.

However, not all is right with the colonies. Tensions remain high with the founding nations on New Earth. The only thing keeping things from reaching actual declaration of war is the sheer implausibility with waging an interplanetary battle. Adding to the pressure is the colonies which retain the prejudices of their founders, causing more than just a little strife between colony worlds whose founding nations are enemies. As these tensions mount, war becomes more and more likely. How this coming war will affect New Earth remains to be seen.

Devaluation of Universal Credit

In the decades following the Collapse, some sense of order has been restored to the world. Many of the problems caused by this horrible tragedy have been repaired. One crisis that has not been averted, however, has been the decline of the credit. Once the standard currency of most intelligent species in the universe, on New Earth it has lost much of its value. In response to this, many nations have created their own localized economies. This is only serving to devalue the credit even more. As more nations abandon the credit as a universal currency in favor of their own coinage, the value of the credit will continue to plummet.

Oddly enough, this has managed to help the major corporations out a great deal. While the initial shock of the Collapse hurt many of the once powerful companies, they have adapted quickly. By taking advantage of the willingness to convert ones credits into the local currency of the nation one is living in, many corporations have offered special exchange rates. Seemingly in favor of the common person, and detrimental to the company, the opposite is true. With their vast resources, many corporations have taken to off-world banking. On these other worlds, the credit is regaining its value. By taking in the potentially valuable credit, and converting it to the comparatively worthless local currency, the corporations are quickly regaining their power.

Marcus Michaels

The rogue mage Marcus Michaels continues to elude magical authorities. Considered by many in the magical community to be somewhat of a heretic, Michaels is wanted for crimes in at least 17 nations in the world, and quite possibly more. While most of his crimes are technically under the jurisdiction of the nations they were commited in, the Magic Corps has taken it upon themselves to bring him to justice. This is complicated by Marcus' charismatic personality, and devoted followers. Add in the fact that he is one of the most powerful mages in the world, potentially greater in strength than even the members of the Mages Conclave. This ongoing hunt is causing a rift to divide the Conclave, as they argue over the proper course of action once Marcus is apprehended.

Investigation of The Span and Beyond

Recently, many of the nations of the world (and a few of the more powerful non-nation entities) have begun an increased exploration of teh areas of space known as the Span. Long left mostly unexplored, the recent troubles on the planet have led some to believe it may be time to see what lies among the stars. Some explore in hopes of finding new areas to colonize. Others seek to find more intelligent life. Many explore just to expand the base of human knowledge.

Closely related is Captain Larry McLean's expedition to find what, if anything, lies beyond the Divide. Many consider his mission a suicidal trip into the void. However, Captain McLean feels that with all other aspects of the universe being thoroughly mapped and conquered, it is time for someone to discover what lies beyond the stars. He has gathered a crew of equally adventurous people, and used his wealth to build the most advanced spacecraft known to man.

Also somewhat related are the increasing number of messages from space. While no one has been able to decipher what the messages say or mean, one thing has been determined. The messages are coming from what has been calculated to be the center of known space. Who is sending the messages, and what their intent is remains a mystery.

Reappearance of Dark Ryder

Many nations have begun reporting sightings of the mysterious Dark Ryder. Historically known to only show up in cases of world-threatening emergency, these reports are taken very seriously. Many have theorized as to what the reason for the reappearance could be. Ideas run the gamut from specific nations fighting to Marcus Michaels. Some think it has to do with the exploration of space, or the Great Collapse. None have been able to agree on any one theory.

Rise in Magical Occurrences

Those among the magical community have noticed a distinct rise in occult happenings. Magic use is at an all time high, and the strength of spells cast is better than previous generations. The number of magical and mythical creatures is also on the rise. Many cities have found the sudden appearance of entire magical neighborhoods, full of goblins and dwarfs and other creatures from folklore. Those in the less urban environs have also found a greater number of faerie rings and dragon dens in their journeys. It seems the more magic is used, the more powerful and widespread natural magical occurrences become. Currently there are no plans on what, if anything, should be done about this.

Shodani Civil War

The only nation in the world to escape the Great Collapse unscathed, Shodan finds itself in a strange position. Outside of the Northern Reaches, they are the only nation to have any of the more advanced technology the world so recently lost. Being that Shodan has been a part of the world as a whole, while the Northern Reaches have been isolated for so long, most nations are expecting the Shodani to help rebuild the world with their technology.

Unfortunately for the rest of the world, Shodan is currently gripped in a power struggle. With the death of their Empress, and ascension to the throne of the Boy-Emperor Tseng Hokoro, there has been a distinct lack of strong leadership. While the young Emperor learns the subtleties of ruling one of the strongest nations in the world, the rest of the nation fights amongst themselves.

There are currently ten factions that have formed, each with their own idea of how the surviving technology should be used. It is only the single Imperial Decree forbidding any action be taken that would affect the rest of the world that has kept the fighting from becoming worse, or the technology from becoming more widely used. Regardless, the civil war is tearing the nation apart.

Talk of Rojan Accord

Some of the lesser nations of Rojan, in an attempt to strengthen their influence in the world, have begun talk of banding together under a single banner. While this "Rojan Accord" is only in the early stages, the effect on world politics could be dramatic. With the seven nations working together, they would be able to sway UCFS votes in their favor more readily. Also, as each nation is small, they would benefit from the stronger military might of all seven of their armed forces combined.

Currently the nations of Brist, Kritos, Atox, Assaly, Lyonn, Osinth, and Neopoli are the only nations considering this merger. However; Vora, Tarax, and Prian have been watching the proceedings carefully. If the accord looks like it will be a success, these nations and possibly a few others may join in.

UCFS Creation of Earth Defense Force

With the rise in general tension in the world, and the number of strange happenings, the UCFS has decided to take a more active role in world events. They have gathered troops from all their member nations, as well as from the colony worlds and select members of non-human species. Along with a few recruits from the Brotherhood, Mages Conclave, and Seventh Body, they have managed to create the most diverse task force the world has ever seen.

Called the Earth Defense Force (EDF), this group has been given the enormous task of keeping world peace. In situations where the UCFS feels events have spiraled out of control, the EDF is to be sent in to handle things. They will work closely with local agencies to keep everything internal with whatever nations they are working with. To aid in this, many nations are opening up branches of the EDF in their major cities to prepare for any potential collaborations.

There are currently ten distinct units of the EDF, in addition to the local and general task forces. Each unit specializes in one field- be it magic, psi, mecha, or other fields. The specialized units are very elite, and membership in one is considered the highest honor.

West Confederation Crime Syndicate

Throughout the history of the world, there have been many attempts at a widespread criminal organization. Most have failed, despite early success. The Western Crime Syndicate is the only true success story. This group of various gangs, mafia families, and assorted criminals of all varieties has managed to gain a foothold on all but two continents (those being the Northern Reaches and Holaria). Nearly every nation in the world has a member of this group influencing them somehow. Working in favor of the syndicate is the fact that most people do not realize they even exist. Under Syndicate control, crime has become almost an art form, and one of the most lucrative professions around.

World Spanning Plague

There have been a number of occurrences of a deadly flesh eating disease worldwide. The disease appears to be painful and ultimately fatal. The method of transmission is unknown, treatment in non-existent, and the disease is overall a big mystery. The only silver lining on this horrible disease is that so far it is fairly uncommon. Even though cases have been documented in at least 7 nations, they are sporadic and rare.