In the year 2254, during a routine exploration of the surface of Pluto, Three men assigned with this duty encountered a large, almost humanoid chest-piece sticking out of the ground near one of the largest ice reserves that covered the dwarf-planet. Upon further inspection, they discovered that it contained a life-form much smaller than an average earthling. Seeing that it was still alive (by human standards), but comatose, they carted it off to Mars for recovery.

This is the moment of First Contact between Humans and an alien race.

As luck would have it, the creature breathed the same type of air as humans. By the year 2256, it had made a full recovery. By January 2257 it had learned English. By March of the same year it had been able to teach every english-speaking human it's own language (through the use of some device that had been in the debris he was found in). He explained to the people that he was from an advanced race of sentient beings known as the Monts, who were located in one of the adjacent solar systems that Earth had not yet explored. He told them that he had been shot during a civil-war among his people, and had drifted- frozen by the coldness of space and kept alive solely by the machine he was in- into a crash-landing with Pluto. He probably would have died within the week had the people not brought him to a warmer climate, which allowed him to recover.

The Mont explained how his people piloted great mechanical warriors known as Mechs- as much as he could simplify the concept in human tongue- in both civilian life and in battle.

Eventually the being had been able to craft a machine that let him contact his people. Confused by the frequency he was using, a small patrol was sent to investigate. Upon meeting with the survivor, the patrol was horrified. The Civil War he had been nearly killed in had ended in the Earth Date 1963, and yet he was alive- a living relic. Stricken by the pain of suddenly realizing that everyone he ever knew or loved was gone, the Mont died- but not before forming an alliance and understanding between the two races.

It is now the year 2397. In the relatively brief time they had known each other, the Monts had accomplished new technological feats, such as the invention of the flawless Artificial Intelligence. The humans, in turn, had taken to galactic politics- though they were never quite as powerful as the Monts, who had instigated the formation of multi-species relations within the government in the year 2024, when they had conquered a race of creature-men known as the Nasein. The Nasein, however, was much more suited to the warrior lifestyle, having natural predator/prey predispositions bred by life on the jungle planet of Ryaari. However, to maintain political homeostasis, the Absolute Matriarchy of Ryaari trains certain members of their race to be politicians. The delegates of the three races stay at the Galactic Triumvirate Headquarters on Myrania, the Mont homeworld. The focus of the galaxy has been on the development of their technology to the point of perfection, and some scholars have referred to this period as the Mechanical Age, or, more commonly, the "Mechan Age".

Over the course of decades, the three races have spread their influence throughout the galaxy, slowly incorporating or terraforming uninhabitable, lifeless planets that they discovered with mech reconnaissance missions in nearby solar systems. Using specialized machinery developed mainly by the Monts for terraforming, pollution has been eliminated almost completely throughout the inhabited system. The galaxy has been, mostly, at peace.

However, a recent discovery has thrown everything that existed into question... a new race known as the Degan.

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Races

There is no focus race in this RP. The plight of the Degan serves solely as an instigator for the plot.

Humans:
Pretty self-explanatory. Humans are mostly average in every respect, and little to no significant changes have occurred due to evolution (Only three and a half centuries have passed). They pilot humanoid mechs, which are usually somewhat bulkier than others. The main focus of the typical human mech is firepower.
The humans are jointly led by the delegates at the United Nations.

Monts:
Extremely small humanoid aliens. For size, think Yoda, but younger, more athletic. Otherwise, they are grey creatures with relatively human features, though they are typically more rounded in appearance. Because of their small stature, they usually pilot smaller, human-sized mechs that allow them to interact more easily to their neighbor species. They pilot very articulate, advanced large mechs, though they human in overall shape. Think of them as more streamlined than Human mechs.
Monts are the genius species, and usually go into intellectual pursuits. This developed from their need to defend themselves in the originally savage environment of Myrania. Monts are on the cutting edge of technology. They are led by the Mont emperor Dikimi.

Nasein:
Humanoid beasts, in a nutshell. At birth each Nasein is born as a hairless, humanoid baby- however, as they age they begin to transform into the animal-type of their choosing (The animals of Ryaari are very similar to animals on Earth, especially the jungles of Earth). Nasein do not generally use ranged weaponry, but those that do are not unknown. They can all walk on hind legs, and they are taller than most humans.
The Nasein are a warrior race from the planet Ryaari. Having more focus on battle than others, they had very little technology when discovered by the Monts. They were divided into many warring tribes before first contact- but, in order to halt the appearance of aliens that approached her planet, a valiant Nasein warrior named Liana Habab managed to bind together every single group on the planet. Fighting off several scouting expeditions by the Monts, they slowly solidified into a Matriarchy under Habab. And they held the planet for a week before they were humbled by the mechs.
Habab was approached by a Mont in a very ornate mech soon the day they surrendered. The young mont, named Dimiki, gave her an offer- peace and cooperation or slavery. Honored to receive a choice, she took peace. As a reward, Dimiki granted the Nasein race complete equality in galactic politics. They used this new equality for one purpose- to develop their own technology, to regain their prowess as supreme warriors of their planet.
And so Nasein Mechs were developed. Each is custom-made in the shape of their buyer, and can only be used by one animal-type of Nasein (AKA a bear-type cannot pilot a cheetah-type, a snake-type cannot pilot a fish-type, etc.) They are the most agile and flexible in combat, also the most physically strong, but they have inferior ranged devices, if any.
They are led by Queen Habab VI.

Degan:
Degans are pretty much shorter versions of humans, with one key difference- they are the only beings known to exhibit supernatural abilities. Namely, they have the innate ability to transform any object down to the atomic structure. They can change lead into gold, hydrogen into plutonium. This makes them very powerful; very valuable. It’s no wonder they are both feared and revered around throughout the Triumverate. They would be seen as a threat, but there is one major advantage the other species have over the Degans- they were only just achieving a renaissance when discovered- their technology was equal to that of Earth when the America’s were just discovered.
Due to original sympathies before their abilities were learned, the Degans have been accelerated to a high-tech colonial culture- flying ships, donated and modified mont/human mechs, and the like. Mech mechanic shops and second-hand mech dealerships have opened all over the planet as they are shoved into a post-industrial environment. In fact, the full resources of much of the Degan population have been pushed towards making themselves equal to the extraterrestrials. As a result, many have focused on engineering as of late.
Degans may have the power to manipulate matter, but they pay a price to use this ability- through their own health. The amount they harm themselves is proportional to the number of atoms they manipulate (be reasonable with this ability if you choose a Degan character. If you have trouble deciding whether something is okay or not just shoot me a PM and I can tell you the outcome of a certain transfiguration). They are also limited in resources. Since Degoon, the Degan homeplanet, has less gravity than Earth, they also have less bone density and muscle mass. As a result they are more prone to injury than the Nasein and Humans. Transmuted objects give off a specific, slight radioactive signature, as well, so transmuted goods and money can be tracked. The money is worthless, and transmuted goods are bout at a small fraction of the base cost of an object.

Race Notes:
While the most of the races have severe drawbacks or advantages, there are always those “above par.” If you decide to exceed some limitations, please have good judgement. For example, my character is a Nasein but wants to use guns. That’s perfectly okay. But if you want to be a mont that can lift a car with his bare hands, you better be prepared to sacrifice more than a bit of your intelligence. If you are unsure what is okay or not, shoot me a PM or compare to some existing characters.

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Political Parties

The Galactic Triumvirate:
Blanket term for the Humans, Monts, and Nasein. While the original term Triumverate related to three people who held much power, it has been adapted to mean three peoples who hold the power- the three “key” races. The laws formed under the Triumverate had, to a point, created an era of peace and prosperity.

Mont Unity Group:
Many political parties fight back and forth at the Triumvirate, but one stands forth as dominant- the Mont Unity Group. Dedicated to uniting all intelligent species in the galaxy, it had the majority support of the Triumvirate until the issue of the Degans caused major factions to develop. Despite the name, it accepts members from all races.

Society for Galactic Protection:
This group of Triumverate-minded people sees the Degans as a threat (though many members have other motivations, such as racism, a dislike of bringing yet another race technologically “up to snuff”, etc.). The members of the SGP seek to utterly annihilate the Degan population before they have a chance to utilize their full potential.

Nasein Matriarchy:
The Nasein government led by Queen Hanab. It is basically a council for uniting the tribes in times of crisis and making rules for all activity on Ryaari; it has banned hunting on Ryaari without a proper license (though all Nasein are exempt from this) and has strict eye-for-an-eye punishments from crimes such as murder, whereas theft calls for an appropriate fine and return of the property.

The United Nations:
The ruling force on Earth. Home to representatives from across the world, the UN has become a more active and powerful force in world events- acting fairly for the benefit of all humans rather than for specific countries. In most nations, the authority of the UN reigns over even the local government.

Feudalism of Degoon:
The government of Degoon is referred to as this, as it is quite similar to the system used by many humans of Medieval Earth. Overall, a king and his family rule with the most power. Directly under them is a massive body of nobles, lords and advisors, and directly under them are the vassals and workers; though the professions held in the more modern world of Degoon are a far cry from the lowly farming of medieval times. The current king is Zhyle Meveos.

Mont Purification Party:
This group sees the Monts as the original species of the galaxy, who has raised and carried the other races on its back. Its members see all other races as lesser, and therefore desires them to be either killed or enslaved for the "greater good" of the "True Race." Disliked by all other groups, they remain extremely secretive.

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Planets

**Additional planets may be added as the story develops or by request/suggestion**

Earth:
Home planet of the humans. What we know now, but with many smaller countries gone or absorbed into larger countries. Also it is a very futuristic place, and many modern problems have been solved- fatal disease, overpopulation, and universal education have been improved drastically. Many large cities- London, New York, Paris, Tokyo, etc. still exist. Pollution is a thing of the past thanks to terraforming efforts and mont intervention.

Mars:
Similar to Earth, but far less crowded. The overabundance of iron oxide dust that existed on the surface has been recycled for other purposes, allowing extra materials for building once it had been processed. A large amount of dust is still in storage in an orbital storage container. Conservation efforts have been made to maintain the stability of the ice caps and Olympus Mons, though it has not been as necessary due to the low temperatures on Mars’ surface. Various cities pop up over the surface, occasionally separated by long fields of winter-resistant crops or planes of basalt. There are massive, deep rivers that wind the surface of the planet.

Degoon:
Home planet of the Degans. The majority of the surface is covered by a massive ocean, and most of the land is in the form of an archipelago. Nowadays, most travel is performed by ships that can travel by air and water or by the mechs some lucky people managed to get their hands on. Because of the planet’s relatively large radius, the force of gravity is rather small here. The air and water has not undergone the terraforming pollution treatment as of yet, so a light smog seems to always hang in the sky constantly. If frequently rains due warmth and massive presence of water, and the rain is acidic most of the time.

Myrania:
The home planet of the Monts. It is virtually a giant city, almost completely white except for some of the colored houses of the more eccentric citizens. The weather is typically calm, with only light winds, rainfalls and snow making up the worst forms of weather. The city is divided into 3 sectors- law, living, and commerce. The Triumvirate headquarters is located in the law sector.

Ryaari:
Ryaari is the home planet of the Nasein. Essentially a massive jungle/rainforest, the surface is covered by thick vegetation. Small clearings appear throughout the planet- these areas usually hold the housing of small tribes or villages of Nasein. Only one city appears on the planet, being the capital of Na’Shira. Centered around a gigantic ziggurat, modern buildings have been erected to make a place for outsiders to stay and for the more intellectually-based Nasein to thrive- in reality, only a small percentage of the population is not made of nomadic hunting-and-gathering tribes, and most of them can be found in Na’Shira.
The jungles of Ryaari are filled with extremely diverse forms of life- herbs that have many special properties, dangerous plants that can devour things the size of horses, docile primates that struggle just to survive, and enormous reptilian creatures that tear through the forests looking for prey. Such contrasting creatures exemplify the mystery of Ryaari and the dangers of walking it’s surface.

Tabuni:
Tabuni is a quiet, relatively small desert planet orbiting the same sun as Myrania. Holding little to no resources, Tabuni serves mainly as a trading port- as shown by the several outposts that stand out from the barren sand dunes of the planet. Deep under the surface, a massive system of caverns has been discovered, showing that water may once have been abundant- but now the people were forced to rely on imports from various planets throughout the system.
Tabuni has its advantages. Across the solar system, daring hunters who desire to face the heat and dryness of Tabuni embark on great hunts to kill the planet’s various, though mostly lizard-based, animals.

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Technology

Futuristic. Antigravity, laser weaponry, and virtual reality have all been realized. The artificial intelligence has been created, but it is rarely used. Robotics is at the point where self-thinking and running androids could be made, but the galaxy is too busy worrying about a new race already than one that could possibly turn on them, as predicted by notable theorists from both the human and Mont races. New planets can be terraformed within a year.
Overall, Mechs can vary a lot. From the humanoid-sized suits of the Monts to the super-flexible and animal-based mechs of the Nasein, they are limited only to the racial preferences of style. For example, the Monts favor laser weaponry, the Nasein favor hand-to-hand combat, the humans favor firepower and some melee types, and the Degans can use most of each type. In order of flexibility they rank, from most to least: Nasein, Mont, Human. In order of brute strength, they rate Human, Nasein, Mont. In terms of firepower they rate Mont, Human, Nasein. Mont and Nasein mechs are streamlined and human mechs are bulky.

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This is my first RP as GM. Any suggestions or questions are welcomed. Also, if you decide to create a villain, please send me any ideas you have for your villainous plot so that I can build the overall story for the RP around them. Villains are not required, but they are allowed.