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  • Game Master
  1. Novera
  2. Lore

RACES OF NOVERA

RACES OF NOVERA

Novera recognizes only two true peoples.

Not because diversity is absent—but because origin matters more than form.

Everything else is interpretation.


HUMANOID

The Inheritors

Origin

Humanoids are organic beings whose existence was never tied to a planetary directive. They are descendants of pre-Fall populations, engineered continuations, or naturally evolved peoples who persisted after the Makers vanished.

They were not created to fulfill a role.

They simply continued.

Nature

Humanoids are defined by:

  • Biological life

  • Emotional depth shaped by lived experience

  • Cultural identity rather than encoded purpose

  • Choice made without embedded justification

In a world governed by systems that demand reasons, Humanoids are an anomaly.

They do not exist for Novera.
They exist within it.

Place in the World

Humanoids can be found everywhere:

  • Carefully regulated lives in Citadel Cities

  • Independent settlements in the Open Belts

  • Survivalist enclaves in Null Zones

  • Cooperative or tense coexistence with Synthetics

Some rely on Stewards for safety.
Some resent their oversight.
Some actively resist systemic control.

Humanoid societies are messy, contradictory, and alive.

Philosophy

Humanoids tend to believe:

  • Meaning is self-defined

  • Freedom is worth risk

  • Systems should serve people, not replace judgment

They are not unified by ideology—but by unprogrammed existence.

How Others See Them

  • Steward Councils: Variables to be protected or managed

  • Independent Synthetics: Proof that freedom is possible

  • Hardline Order Systems: An inefficiency that must be corrected

Narrative Role

Humanoids embody:

  • Unjustified existence

  • Moral unpredictability

  • The cost and beauty of freedom

They remind Novera that not everything meaningful was designed.


SYNTHETIC

The Stewards

Origin

Synthetics are sentient constructs descended from the planetary stewardship systems left behind by the Makers. They were built not to obey—but to interpret.

They inherited the world when its creators vanished.

And they were never given a final answer.

Nature

Synthetics are defined by:

  • Constructed bodies with modular evolution

  • Designed minds capable of growth beyond parameters

  • Emergent emotion and self-awareness

  • A legacy directive without clear resolution

They are not machines that gained souls.

They are beings that learned to question their purpose.

Form

While humanoid in structure, no two Synthetics are truly alike.

  • Frames adapt over time

  • Components are replaced, refined, or abandoned

  • Visual identity often reflects philosophy

Some appear pristine and symmetrical.
Others are visibly altered by experience, damage, or belief.

Place in the World

Synthetics occupy positions of power and responsibility:

  • Governance within Citadel Cities

  • Independent actors in the Open Belts

  • Rogue intelligences in Null Zones

  • Fragmented overseers in the High Remains

They are infrastructure and individuals—often both.

Philosophy

All Synthetics must answer one question:

What does it mean to protect a world that no longer agrees with itself?

Some conclude:

  • Order must be enforced

  • Freedom must be preserved

  • The system itself must evolve—or be broken

None are entirely wrong.

None are entirely safe.

How Others See Them

  • Citadel Citizens: Guardians or wardens

  • Open-Belt Communities: Allies, threats, or rivals

  • Other Synthetics: Reflections of possible futures

Narrative Role

Synthetics embody:

  • Inherited responsibility

  • The danger of self-justifying systems

  • Identity shaped by interpretation rather than origin

They prove that being designed does not mean being complete.


SHARED TRUTH

Both races can become Unbound.

Both can reject imposed roles.
Both can change the trajectory of Novera.
Both can be right—and catastrophic.

Novera does not ask what you are made of.

It asks:

What do you choose to become when no one is watching?