To: {{email}} Subject: JubaBox-Welcome to JubaBox
When space travel became a profitable enterprise due to
asteroid mining and production in a vacuum-environment, it
took no time at all for humanity to settle down on most of the
planets and moons of our solar system. The ensuing economic
boom allowed for great advances in technological research. Soon it
became possible to travel vast distances in space. In the beginning,
before warp (space-bending) technology, the distance between two
star systems seemed an unconquerable obstacle. Later, jump gates,
merging gravity with negative energy, created stable wormholes
which made travel between two distant places of space feasible
within moments. Humanity swarmed out to distant star systems at
an increasing rate.
The next breakthrough was the development of jump drives based
on warp technology. The early versions of jump drives were only
capable of handling short distances, but later it became possible to
jump between star systems without the need for jump gates. This
enabled human expansion to spread across the universe like a viral
outbreak. Soon, human settlements appeared in hundreds of star
systems, dozens of which grew into huge colonies. Unfortunately,
the process of expansion became more and more difficult due to
bureaucracy. Almost every star system within jump range was now
sold out before the actual colonization took place. Many had to wait
years for their chance at a new home on a new world.
This all changed suddenly when a new, natural wormhole was
discovered near the Canopus system. Although this phenomena had
already been proven to exist, this was the first occasion such a
miracle had been found. The probes sent into the wormhole showed
that the passage through it was stable, and that a new galaxy awaited
explorers on the other side. Speculation was endless. This could be a
galaxy far from our Milky Way, a galaxy clear across the universe,
maybe another dimension, or even a parallel universe.
The wormhole was called EVE, because new worlds meant new
beginnings for many. A decision was made to build jump gates on
both sides of EVE, but travel would be restricted only to special,
reinforced ships fit to travel through the wormhole. Then came the
news that scientists predicted EVE would close within a few
decades. To maximize the opportunities EVE offered, people and
equipment were transported to the other side and bases were
established in the new system.
The system on the other side of EVE was appropriately dubbed
New Eden. The two gates built on either side of EVE had to be
huge, since the nature of the wormhole was rather unpredictable.
These were the greatest structures mankind had ever built. It took
two hundred years even with the new, greater economic potential of
humanity to construct them. New Eden was declared free for
everyone who could venture there. Those who reached unclaimed
spots first got the right to build a base there. Hundreds of
companies started their own exploration and colonizing ventures to
the new worlds as soon as the gates opened.
Although EVE closed while construction of New Eden was still in
progress, the gates remained operational, but after 70 years of
flawless operation, tragedy struck. An unexplained phenomenon
destroyed the gates and caused a severe magneto-gravitational
anomaly. The phenomenon made the gates useless, but, worse, it
collapsed the fragile stability of the newly prospering society in New
Eden. The EVE gates still exist, but ships daring to fly close to them
are destroyed by the harmful gravitational storms.
The effect of this catastrophe was instant and dramatic. Every
settlement that was dependent on the highly developed industry of
New Eden or on the Old World, found itself isolated. Most of the
colonies, due to their relative newness, were not yet self-sustainable.
The lack of oxygen, food and water sentenced many of the colonies
to extinction. Those few settlements which survived slowly lost their
knowledge and ability to produce hi-tech industry, because they
lacked the tools or equipment to sustain it.
The surviving enclaves lived separately from each other for eons.
As time passed, environmental influences caused minor changes in
their appearance and made them different from each other.
Eventually, the survivors reclaimed space travel and reentered the
cosmos of New Eden.
The world of EVE is inhabited by five
major races: Amarr, Caldari, Minmatar,
Gallente and Jove. All of these races are of
human origin; their ancestors entered this little
part of the universe thousands of years ago
through the natural wormhole. Though most
of the first settlements collapsed when the
wormhole suddenly closed, a few survived.
Today.s races are the descendants of those scattered colonies.
The largest of the five main empires, the Amarr Empire is a
sprawling patchwork of feudal-like provinces held together by the
might of the Emperor. spanning 40% of the inhabited solar
systems. Religion has always played a big part in Amarrian politics
and the Amarrians believe they are the rightful masters of the
universe, souring their relations with their neighbours. Another
source of ill-feeling on the part of the other empires is the fact that
the Amarrians embrace slavery. The Amarr Emperor is the head of a
ritualistic, authoritarian imperial state, and below him are the Five
Heirs, the heads of the five royal families from which a new
emperor is chosen. The Emperor.s authority is unquestioned and
absolute, but the archaic and bureaucratic system of government
makes it difficult for him to exert his rule unless directly in person.
Otherwise, the Five Heirs rule in his name, dividing the huge
empire between them. The Emperor and the Five Heirs can expect
to live for at least 500 years. Extensive cyber-implants keep their
frail bodies alive, even when their organs begin to fail. These cyber
enhancements date back many millennia, and have become a
symbol of royal divinity in the eyes of the Amarrians.
Always a deeply religious people, religion remains of great
importance to every Amarrian, a fervour which, at various times,
has been responsible both for great good and great evil. Shortly after
recovering from the closure of EVE, they began to expand their
realm at the expense of neighbouring states. The nations they
conquered were enslaved, a practice justified by their religion. Ever
since, the Amarrians have enslaved every nation and race they have
encountered and today slavery is an essential part of Amarr society.
This has, of course, tainted their relations with other races,
especially the individualistic Gallenteans.
The Amarrians were the first of the races in EVE to re-discover
warp technology, notably jump gate technology. After accomplishing
this more than 2,000 years ago, they immediately began expanding to
nearby solar systems, slowly building up their empire in the process.
On the way, they encountered two human races, both of whom
suffered the fate of being enslaved by the far more powerful
Amarrians. In recent years however, the Amarrians have begun to run
into serious opposition. First they met the Gallente Federation.
Although smaller, the Amarrians soon found the economic and
military might of the Gallenteans to be a match for their own.
Soon after, the Jovians arrived on the scene and the Amarrians
made a futile attempt to subjugate them, resulting in a humiliating
defeat. To make matters worse, the Minmatars, enslaved for centuries
by the Amarrians, used the opportunity to rebel against their masters.
Since these fateful events two centuries ago, the Amarrians have
learned restraint. They have slowed down their expansion and are less
forceful in their dealings with other races, but still view themselves as
the most powerful race in EVE, if only because of their sheer numbers.