The NeoVictoria Project's Storyworld[]
NeoVictoria, dark rolplay with Steampunk style
Time and space and the softness between dimensions; NeoVictoria straddles such a place. Those with skill, or luck, or terrible need might make their way to it. A small planet, nestled in the VICO III galaxy, its citizenry cling to the land and sky, for its vast oceans are home to forces that do not heed the crown. But some are loyal to the Sidhe queen who sits on her throne billions of light-years away. Alexandrina Victoria, Queen of Earth, Empress of the Void: one tap of her tiny foot on the Stone of Scone sets the worlds to shake. Its 2128 and Pax Britannica has held sway for more than three thousand years.
In this dimension, the Sidhe (fae) never faded, but worked with …some would say ruled over…their human charges until The Empire spanned the known universe. Much of these worlds, you might recognize: thriving cities with buildings that scrape the skies or wide forests which have never known the touch of iron. But some of what you’ll meet is familiar only in nightmare: demons and angels, werebeasts and vampires, mechanical marvels made manifest by the fearsome power of their trapped human souls.
The gentleman in the fanciful top-hat might be exactly as he seems, a charming human man, eager to make your acquaintance for the price of a tale …or he may be a fiend with dark plans, should you relax your guard. The herbalist, selling her potions in the busy market may be your best hope, should you fall ill …though she might switch your warm quivering liver for a mechanical twin to save your life.
Angels you will find and other servants of the Light. But always, there is the balance. So gentle traveler, as you walk the streets of NeoLondon, be wary …for the sky is dark and the fair queen is far away.
The NeoVictoria Canon Examined[]
When I was planning NeoVictoria, I wrestled with how to incorporate the human powers of the mechanical age with the magical archetypes that must be part of any CCS system. [We use the community combat system, or CCS, as a roleplay tool.] The Victorians were obsessed by the occult and much of their art was influenced by what we might think of as fairy-lore. The Steampunk aesthetic embraces that tradition (particularly the jewelry-makers and artisans) and it became my jump-point.
Much of this lore had its base in the tales of pre-Christian Scandinavia and the Celtic peoples. I began thinking ...what would the Earth be like if some of the Norsk deities of old had not faded, but were living and breathing and politicking with humans still? Svartálfheim in ascendancy?
Here is the heart of the matter; when I think about the fae, I think of them through the prism of the oldest of the stories, not the Magic or the White Wolf games which so many SecondLife players consider authoritative. In the Edda, we're told of the nine worlds (two of which are ruled by fae of the light and dark variety) and of these two, the land of the dark elves is most easily entered by humankind, because the doorways lie in the underground places. They are the earth-dwellers, the people of the hollow-hills, the spirits of earth and tree, stone and spring. In effect, they are the anthropomorphic representatives of the natural world.
In the history of those ancestors, when their gods (the Aesir) were destroyed in apocalypse (Ragnarok), the bridges between the nine worlds collapsed and the cosmos was divided, so the age of man began in earnest. In the dimension of NeoVictoria, however, the Sidhe did not fade from our sight ...the question becomes, why not?
In our fantasy realm, the queen of the dark elves saw the fall of the Aesir and withdrawal of the Vanir as an opportunity; she refused to fade ...instead she made her peace with this change in humankind's fortunes and harnessed us to serve her. Along the way, she has made many compromises, not the least of which is embracing our technology and using the old power-places in new ways.
This is why the empire remains in the mechanical age of steam. Humankind, by entering into a vassal system with the fae received benefits (long life, a certain freedom from disease), but our science and technology is stagnant. Rather than harnessing the power of the atom, these people have learned to use magic …even to go so far as capturing the souls of men or the spirits of elfish prisoners to power their machines. There are no star-ships, but portals that link the worlds. No nuclear reactors to fill the cities with light, but golden spherical prisons beneath her cathedrals where supernaturals are milked for their innate power. For that is what humankind does …we use the resources of our environment to serve our needs; but here …in this place …our fecundity is held in check by a nature that knowingly uses us.
Humankind is her army, pouring forth through portals opened to conquer world after world in her name. We are legion, but we are also leashed. As for the supernaturals themselves? Some are renegade, but most serve willingly …for she is fierce and beautiful, and when she is delighted her magic fills them with joy.
NeoVictoria is a new telling of a very old tale …and now you know the truth of it!
The Second Life Simulation[]
SecondLife roleplayers need a place to act and directors need a place to shoot their machinima. NeoVictoria is a unique dark roleplaying platform that brings these creatives together in a supportive and collaborative environment. The ultimate goal of NeoVictoria is to create a virtuous circle where role-play becomes machinima which generates value for the community of people involved.
The in-world platform has been constructed and consists of a two-SIM estate crafted in the Steampunk-style to represent this alternate reality of Pax Britannica. The main SIM (NeoVictoria) is the role-play SIM, and has a cathedral, castle, tavern, public square, role-play shops, bridge and an extensive underground and sewer system. A second SIM (Machinima) supports an out-of-character Skymall with a CCS practice arena and residential housing on the land-level which includes public parks, 7Seas Fishing and a very amusing CCS-enabled maze. The entry-point is the Skymall, which provides era-specific avatar clothing, accessories, role-play and machinima-making tools.
Roleplay in NeoVictoria uses the Steampunk aesthetic and the character archetypes of the Community Combat System (CCS). NeoVictoria has its own history and backstory, its canon is unrelated to Caledon or the CCS SIMs. We do not cross storylines here. If players roleplay in other SIMs, we ask they not bring active storylines from those worlds here. Players do not have to wear a CCS meter to engage in benign roleplay, however, they must wear the CCS meter to roleplay fighting. CCS is free; there are dispensers in the Skymall.
Two in-world groups are used to communicate with the community. Adult avatars may join the "NeoVictoria Roleplay Group". The NeoVictoria group (used for land management) is by invitation only.
The Community Portal[]
NeoVictoria runs a community portal built on the NING platform which chronicles the work of the SIM and provides each resident with their own personal page and character blog. All machinima produced in the SIM chain is featured in this portal. The main page of the community portal is visible to anyone on the Internet, but its underlying content is restricted to members only. We encourage avatars interested in this project to play in NeoVictoria and if they enjoy the community, to apply for membership in the website. Visit the NeoVictoria website [1] to learn more.