Aurora Corvelia. A sprawling interconnected interstellar community made up of over 28 independent systems. Almost all united under the Aurora Acts of consolidation and the pervasive monetary presence of the Grand Exchange. It is a time of prosperity and wealth, with many companies a common sight across multiple worlds. It is a time of conflict and crisis, with mercenary companies and criminal enterprises clashing over business and profit. It is a time of faith and creed, with new-age beliefs gaining power that rivals many traditional governments.
But most importantly of all, it is a time of change. From the arrival of the New Order to the liberation of the Genengineered people of Gunrol, the discovery of Sunscorch to the decimation of the Dreadfleet. It's in this time that many Freetraders, fortune seekers and ferocious fighters often rise to prominence on the stage of history. It is in these times that the actions of individuals can affect the fates of millions.
So get behind the sticks of your starship, grab your laser gun and head out into the black. Make your fortune and carve your names into history.
Foreword:
Of all the settings I've created for the original Stars Without Number game system, Aurora Corvelia holds a special place in my heart as it was the first I ever made. Over the 4 1/2 years that we played, I slowly added more and more details, history and concepts until it became so large that one of my players asked if we could please put it onto a website. Which in turn lead to this site you find yourself reading today. Aurora Corvelia is a mashup of hard science fiction tropes such as those found in the Expanse novels and shows like Babylon 5 mixed with more fantastical and futuristic elements more at home in settings like Star Wars and Star Trek. Along with a healthy dose of 1960's sci-fi aesthetics and 1980's new-wave cyberpunk and a small hint of anime.
Canonically, the setting of Aurora Corvelia takes place over 3000 years after the Scream. This means that, unlike most other settings that are set an average of 500 years after the collapse, the people of the Sector have had a much greater amount of time to climb back towards their previous levels. Though the wonders of Tech level 5 and 6 are still beyond most of the citizens of Aurora Corvelia, most worlds have gained reached an equivalent of Tech Level 4 thanks to time, innovation and interstellar trade. They have a shared history longer than the total age of humanity before the Scream. Vast Navies roam the Sector and Multiplanet corporations have holdings on almost every world.
All of this happened because I, in the inexperience of my youth, misread the date in the Core book and had to justify the massive time discrepancy created. Whoops.
I don't claim that anything here is balanced or perfect. In fact, the quality varies significantly from section to section simply due to the fact that they were made over the course of over 4 years. With several internal inconsistencies within the pages of the Starguide alone. Stemming from the actions of my players across the original campaign. Despite these flaws, I often found both myself and my players wanting to return to those familiar stars of Aurora Corvelia.
I only hope that you have as much fun as we did. - Divenus