Governing Faction: Riptide Rakers

Map Coordinates:  N/A

Encyclopedia Entry

The impact of the first Tide took most of the inhabitants of the Avarice system by surprise. Many ships were destroyed outright, and the repeated waves would quickly also take their toll on larger, more fortified, constructions such as stations. The only object that turned out to be capable of withstanding the Tide was an abandoned mining facility which had been drilled into the side of a massive asteroid in Avarice IV, and which the Riptide Rakers soon repurposed as an austere but functional shelter. The majority of the inhabitants of Avarice flocked to this place of sanctuary, which became known as Tidebreak, leaving vast regions of the system uninhabited. Since the people living in Tidebreak could not venture far from their safe haven, the population lived in poverty and had to make do with scraps, and whatever resources they could gather in the intervals between Tides.

For a long time, Tidebreak was the only reliable shelter from the Tide's forces. This only changed when new technology appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. A new substance began to be distributed by the hitherto completely unknown Northriver Company. This substance, called Protectyon, has unique properties that allow it to be used as fuel by the Riptide Rakers, to create protective shields powerful enough to withstand the intense stellar energy pulsing through Avarice. Thanks to this technology, the entirety of the Avarice system has since been reclaimed. In order to provide continuous protection, the new shield generators have to be regularly resupplied with small quantities of Protectyon, an incredibly rare and expensive substance. Stations which cannot afford to pay are left to fend for themselves and the people on these unprotected stations then fall victim to the Tide. The Northriver Company, being the sole supplier, has grown incredibly rich and powerful as a result, and while the conditions in Avarice have improved considerably since Protectyon was introduced, the situation remains incredibly volatile.

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