The Story of Dark Reign
Decline of Earth
The Imperium's beginning
The Marked
The start of war
The Tograns
As the game begins...
The Dark Reign OBJECTIVE
In the opening centuries of the third millenium, Earth's population
continued to swell at a staggering rate. There are about 30 billion people on this planet.
The population is pushing Earth's resources to it's limits. Pollution is becoming
unbearable. Crime is rampant and uncontrollable, in fact, in some cities the gangs of
criminals are even more powerful the police.
Finally around 2314, the problem began to decrease.
A domed prison colony on Jupiter's moon, Io, was established. Then
criminals deemed "uncontrollable and dangerous" were shipped there. To help in
this way of imprisoning the criminals, an international regulatory body, the Jovian
Detention Administration (JDA), was formed. JDA quickly began cleansing the planet of
major criminal activity. By 2362, the JDA had the largest force on the planet. With this
millions were shipped annually to Io. Additional colonies were established on Callisto and
Ganymede, as well as Neptune's moon Triton, to offset the rising population of
"shipments". Soon the JDA held more political and military power than any other
government in the world.
To help with Earth's growing
population, the JDA decided to attempt to make other plants inhabitable. The prisoners
were offered a sort of freedom, if they explore and setup inhabitable ecosystems on remote
planets. The prisoners agreed. The group of "explorers" were named The
Exploratory Corps. The idea worked, it worked very well. Planets all over the galaxy were
become inhabitable, though, many had to die in their attempt to accomplish their goal. As
the populations of Earth spread, the JDA came to be the government of the planet. After
two generations there were over 1000 planets were inhabited. With the JDA's growing power,
they changed their name to the Imperium.
In 2507, a regiment of the Exploratory
Corps. mutinied and captured an Imperium ship. Then the group took refuge on a nearby
planet. The Imperium having heard of this, searched out the ship. The ship was found on a
planet called Teron. The Imperium seized the city and the ship. The guards of the ship
were tortured into telling where the location of the rest of the unit was. The rest were
found and the unit was killed in an open courtyard. To denounce any other attempts at
rebellion, the Imperium introduced a genetic chemical, into the normal immunity treatment,
the caused the left eye to turn completely black and cause death at age 25.
The Imperium thought that revolt
would not happen again, unfortunately for them, they were wrong. A young marked boy, named
Perigil Ilacas, solved the reason for why the Marked were the way they are.Though in the
late twenty-sixth century, the Imperium found out what he was doing, and dispatched a crew
to take care of him. Quickly, he spread the news about the enzyme key. He thought that
even though he can't break the mystery of the key, someone else might. After others found
out about the enzyme key, a revolt began. Imperium warships were hijacked, water convoys
seized, and more. the Exploratory Corps. renamed themselves the Freedom Guard and were
joined in the fight by many other planets. Soon the Imperium saw the beginning of a
full-fledge civil war!
The Tograns, a human race named
after Alpheus Togra come into this as they join in to help the Freedom Guard. Though many
planets of Togran foundation are devastated by the war. Years later, as some Tograns,
including Alpheus, fled their planet from the approach of an Imperium fleet searching to
capture Alpheus. In the flee, Alpheus' ship malfunctions and he is lost. He calls for
help, but is not found. Togra lands on a planet called Strata-7 where he builds an
underground lab. He discovers something, and wants badly to alert his people of it.
Unfortunately, he can't get off the planet.
The planet that Togra landed on,
eventually was inhabited and a Freedom Guard base established. This base held a very
important building called the Orbital Defense Matrix. This was a key building to the
Imperium that they must destroy. After a long battle, the Freedom Guards force is pilling
up, that is in the death category. With the use of a Cyclone, the Imperium destroy the
Matrix. Minutes later, a destructive weapon developed by the Imperium called the
Desiccator was deployed and fired upon the planet. Before the planet is destroyed, Togra
launches a probe with a time device. The probe is to seek out believers of him. The planet
is destroyed, Togra is dead, and the probe drifts through space, unknown to anyone.
As your planet and all you know is destroyed, you escape in a solitary scout vessel. Adrift in space you encounter a probe sent by Togra himself. The probe brings you a message from Togra and the ability to transport you back in time. Centuries earlier the planet on which Togra had crash landed was consumed by the Imperium's Desiccator weapon. Unable to save himself, Togra sent out the probe with the hope that one of his followers would happen upon it and unlock the key that could save him. The probe can open a dimensional port that will transport you to the moment just before Togra was killed and provide you with the technology to create an army to defeat both of the warring factions, but the mechanism can work only once. If you are unable to accomplish the task, then history will continue unaltered and Togra's fate, as well as your own, will be sealed. The probe contains a number of recorded battles if the Imperium-Freedom Guard war. These battles will be presented to you as a series of trials. If you are unable to conquer them, if you are unable to demonstrate that you are worthy to fight the final conflict to save Togra, the probe will not transport you back in time. Togra will not allow his only chance for survival to be wasted.
To save your society. To save your lost messiah. To save yourself. You must open the dimension door and alter the destiny of a galaxy.
The Dark Reign Manual Page 17-26