The Art of Zor (56k DIE)

[Zor]

Shadow World is a planet in a Parallel universe that has a loose connection with our world. During periods of connection which last about 15,000 years and happen every 6 million years, portals will randomly open, bridging our Earth with Shadow World for a few days every century or so. Sometimes on land, sometimes under water. Recently, one of these portals has opened in Canada and has been kept open by constantly feeding electricity into it.

Shadow World is similar to Earth in many respects, a human can survive outside on Shadow World without aide of Machines. However, Shadow World has several diferences from earth. The atmosphere is notably thicker and between 2,000 and 6,000 meters above sea level is a thick planet streching layer of clouds. The result of which is that save for a handful of high plateaus, the entirey of the surface of Shadow World is entirely cast in near complete darkness. Only the occasional lighting bolt or fire illuminates the surface, and due to constant rainfall and lack of trees there is little to burn. Never the less, life survives.

Above the cloud layer is are Balloon Plants, a catagory of plants which live their entire lives disconected from the ground suspended by gas filled airbags, feeding on dusts and moisture (descending to the lower levels of the atmosphere at night to collect water through condensation). Vast green clouds containing trillions of these plants fill the sky, some as large as six meters in diameter. Among them, specialized insects feed upon them, which are in turn preyed upon by catagories of bats which have evolved to spend their entire lives aloft and a few species of birds which nest in high mountains.

Eventually, balloon plants die and fall to the Surface of Shadow World. This bounty is the foundation of most life on Shadow World. Snufflers are the primary consumers of this bounty, pig like creatures which are only distantly related to modern earth ungulates and are most closely related to Horses. Snufflers travel in herds, smelling out fallen balloon plants and using ecolocation to navigate, as most creatures do. They also eat the mushrooms which grow in the layers of compressed dead balloon plants and excrement which accumulates in valleys.

Preying on the Snufflers are a variety of predators, notable among them being muckjumpers, giant toad shaped creatures which are related to insectivores and still have some vestigial eyesight, mainly to identify biolumenecent creatures such as glowfrogs. Their primary method of attack is ambush, leaping onto prey and biting them with powerful jaws able to shatter bone.

[Zor]

(Terran Sphere) A few common Support Vessels, a Novan Centurion class destroyer (446.37 meters long) is here for general reference.

Troopship: This is a Typical Troopship, Troopships rival superdreadnoughts in terms of size, but are considerably cheaper to build due to having a light arsenal, armoring, lower demands in terms of acceleration and sugnifigantly less internal redundancy. Troopships are designed to ferry forces of soldiers and equipment across intersteller distances, as well as serve as medical centers and orbital command centers. This Novan Normandy class Troopship can accomidate 150,000 Soldiers and 10,000 Vehicles (not including it's dropship complement), or 300,000 Infantry and supplies with some conversion. On it's own, a troopship like this can usually fight off a Destroyer, but can not stand up to more than three of them and are generally dependant on escorts.

Fleet Tanker: Fleet Tankers provide fuel to Warfleets. Per Kilogram, they are even cheaper to build than Troopships as most of what they carry requires minimal accomidations. Fleet Tankers have a series of large scale hoses to refuel ships.

Mobile Fuel Refinery Ships: Mobile Fuel Refinery ships are equiped with extraction equipment allowing them to process Deuterium from dry ice or gasses harvested from gas giants. This is used to replenish the supplies of fleets. For collection Mobile Fuel Refinery Ships always carry a complement of modified Dropships.

[Vehrec]

Allright, I can understand troopships separating the crew from the dangerous radiation of the engines... but a bulk freighter? Seriously? That's one design that could be a continuous cylinder or a sphere.

[Zor]

Allright, I can understand troopships separating the crew from the dangerous radiation of the engines... but a bulk freighter? Seriously? That's one design that could be a continuous cylinder or a sphere.

Maybe a redesign is in order.

Zor

[Zor]

(Pirate Lords) Another civilian Construct, This one is classied by Artificers and experts on construct types as a catagory six dexterous laborer, capable of heavy work and with strength comprable to an Ursoid but made more in line with doing fine precision jobs. Due to the fact that they have effectively six arms and hands and are used to do more fine jobs Catagory Six Dexterous Laborers require more time, effort and component parts (generally requiring at least some Human, Ursoid, Marsupial Man or Naga). This one has four eyes to allow a greater line of sight. These are generally used in shipyards, Roadsteamer factories and other jobs relating to the production of complex machines.

[Zor]

Mutio from Blue Submarine no. 6.

[Zor]

(Pirate Lords) A Skreg. Native to a few of the inner islands of the largely unexplored Southern Archipellago, Skregs are notable for their digestive abilities. There are few things that are more organic than rocks that a Skreg can't stomach. While a sizable portion of the Skreg diet is small plants such as grass and shoots, Skregs have a natural drive to eat things including sticks, decomposing leaves, rotton carrion, unidentifiable things that wash up on shore and even the feces of certain creatures. Said Material is heavily masticated by powerful jaws in corrosive saliva, sent through seven stomachs and subjected to Cud chewing, gastroliths and digestive bacteria. Skregs give off large amounts of Methane gas and their feces is notable for making excellent fertilizer. The thick matted masses on the back of Skregs are not fur, but a catagory of symbiotic gas which provides sugar to Skregs through their skin while the Skreg provides water. Skregs are slow poddling creatures are not violent creatures and mostly really on size (the average adult Skreg weighs between 1,000 and 2,000 kilograms) to avoid predators, but they will defend themselves in provoked. Due to the passive nature of the creatures abilities to refine nutrition out of nearly anything and the high yeild fertilizer that they produce, there have been a few instances in which Skregs have been used as beasts of burden and by waste processing conserns. In praticular, Walkersland is notable for employing large numbers of Skregs instead of Oxen for draft work and every island held by the island has a substatial Skreg ranch which turns kitchen waste, sawdust and horse dung into profitable fertilizer.

Like Tengu, Naga and merfolk Skregs have an unusual combination of features from other beasts, and are beleived by many scientists not to have arisen by natural selection like humans or raptors. This had led many to discussed theories including unknown liniages of creatures, divine creation and theories based around the more ancient Raptor Records and their legendary war of the ancients.

[Zor]

(Terran Sphere) A Novan Countergrav Car. Countergrav systems are fairly expensive and a countergravity car generally costs three times as much as a conventional wheeled car and are as such generally out of the price range of most citizens. Ownership of countergrav cars is a sign of status, and since ownership of high end Automobiles has allways been one of their notable traits in any case, most Novan Nobles own countergrav cars. Forward airbone Propulsion is attained through a minaturized jet engine and these vehicles can attain altitudes of up to five meters in Terran standard gravity. When active, the countergrav system makes the vehicle boyant and the drive jet is adapted for aquatic activity (as well as the doors being airtight). As is usual, the Household Mon is Emblazoned on the side of the Vehicle. Art Deco designs are among the more popular. As a redundant measure and for parking, fuctional retractable wheels are installed underneith.

(Inspired by art deco cars)

[Zor]

Two images today



(Terran Sphere) The Flag of the Novan Empire, as well as the Seal of the Emperor/Empress and a varient with wings that i tried out for size.



A Zhong Textile Factory, before the arival of the Zhong western industry was reduced to artisanry and a few instances of mechanized production among the Dwarves. As a means to improve the standards of living of the liberated barbarians of the west and to meet the needs of the Army, large scale industrial projects have happened. The most notable of which happened in the Provincial Capital of the Fifth Western Province (formally Dellmoore), between the 8th and the 22nd years of the sixth age, a series of intensive construction and development programs, in which Zhong soldiers and colonists, the established locals, rehabilitated POWs and recently urbanized peasants either voluntarially moving to the cities in search of wealth or displaced by agricultural mechinization developed the city to fill its new roll. It's population swelled from slightly less than 250,000 to over a million in those fifteen years. To accomidate this surge in population, hundreds of apartment blocks were built (most of which being six stories tall) but these were second in priority to the establishment of Factories nessisary to facillitate said urbanization. While a few remained as propery of the Jade Throne, most of said Factories were either auctioned off or given to various industrialists, given away to generals a as part of their retirement packages or given joint ownership to lower ranking soldiers that had a background in said area (such as Steel Workers). Similar projects have been. Development projects continue in the Fifth Western Province's capital, but are now less extensive and proceed with less government involvement.

The Textile, Dye and Garment industries were officially listed as a class two development priorities. Given less emphisis to class one development priorities (metalurgy, construction materials, ammunition and weapons production) but more emphisis than class three development priorities (consumer goods and products). Factories like this are built in Industrial Districts, walled off from the rest of the city and on tributary rail lines, delivering raw materials in and moving finished goods out. While the Garment industry produces fairly large amounts of clothing for general consumption, many westerners simply buy textiles from these factory owners, largely because there is a substantial demand for western clothing despite school, workplace and government office dress codes.

[Zor]

(Terran Sphere) The remains of a Novan Tercio class Frigate which was savage in the melee of energy duels being salvaged. In either large scale fleet engagements involving thousands of warships or commerce raiding in which wolf packs of frigates attack convoys, many ships are lost, most of them frigates (which make up the bulk of a fleet's tonnage due to the ease in which frigates can be manufactured and their effectiveness in boosting the power and resilience of point defense envelopes). Many are destroyed outright, but many more remain somewhat intact, having their crews entirely killed and/or their engines disabled and left to drift. Many militaries have their own salvage ships, but there are many circumstances in which dead ships are simply left to drift to be picked up at a latter date.

Here we have a Commonwealth Salvage ship going over the remains of a Novan warship. Tonne for Tonne, Warships are generally the most profitable craft to salvage. As it is, teams of salvage experts are examining it to see how much it is worth as well to check for any survivors which remain onboard in emergency suspended animation. Many militaries like to keep track on developments of their enemies, rivals and even allies, as well as liking to pad out their fleet's size and provide spare parts for foreign made warships. Military components, equipment and computers are generally top notch. Finally the more morally loose will find that Pirates and warlords are quite a lucretive market for warships.

[Zor]

(Terran Sphere) STL Colonization Ship. For nearly two milennia, these craft had carried mankind (and various species created by humanity) across the stars to thousands of worlds, establishing thousands of new civilizations across a sphere roughly 500 light years in diameter. This one is antimatter propelled but slower fusion powered craft and bussard ramjet propelled spacecraft have also been used. At the front of the ship is an electromagnetic repulser, which shoves away dust particles and reduces the chance of impact by dust and to take the impact far away from the main body of the ship should an impact occur. Said device is jetisoned before decelleration. The ships themselves are mostly self operating, making at most minimal corse corrections, with only a few engineers stationed on board to preform checkups every half century and immediately before decelleration. By law and mass penalty, colony ships were totally unarmed.

[Zor]

The logo for a fanfictional Battletech Clan, Clan Furious Squid, renounded and feared for their skills in amphibious warfare and tendancy to make use of unsual tactics.

No, i don't plan on developing this further. If anyone decides to write some fanfiction based on Clan Furious Squid's exploits, do so.

[Zor]

Zhong Troop Carrier: Troop Carriers are among the most common vehicles by the Zhong Military due to ease of production, only outnumbered by tractors and cargo roadsteamers. Troop Carriers ar fairly slow, at best capable of 40 Li per hour on decent roads, but they can carry a squad of twelve men into the heat of battle, protected from enemy fire and shrapnal (fans deal with the buildup of smoke). While inside, gunports allow riflemen the ability to fire protected against enemy bullets. Troop Carriers have a crew of two (a driver and an engineer, who oversees the operation of the steam engine). Generally the engine runs on coal dust, but can use wood as well.

Due to the lack of established railways, Troop Carriers have been praticularly useful in the Western Campaigns, especially in the conquest of Dellmoore. There have been occasions in which Barbarian Armies have retreated on first sight of a squadron of troop carriers. Troop Carriers are still formidable foes, but the Barbarians have devised ways of fighting them. Hidden cannons, ambushes by heavy hitters such as ents and golems, slayer attacks in close quarters, use of combat magics and most notably attacks against refueling and watering stations are among the prefered tactics. They have also become highly prised as loot. Many Barbarian armies keep captured troop carriers for their own use, although spare parts are often an issue. The Dwarves in praticular have managed to make good use of what troop carriers they have captured, keeping them in good working order and even improving on them through use of runic magics.

[Zor]

A Light Mecha, able to run at over 150km/h and armed with a 25mm automatic rifle as well as a 40mm Grenade pistol for a sidearm, bayonet, 100cm combat knife and six rockets useful against light mecha, lightly armored vehicles and low flying aircraft used mainly for scouting as well as anti-infantry work and urban warfare, but can not stand up in battle against heavier mecha. Controlled using a bio-feedback system. Two cameras are mounted on the Chin and under the leg assembly to check for stuff underneith it.

[Zor]

It was the year 643 After the Genesis of the Species (AGS) inside the university district of Industria as Atrisia Wei swam into her lab to conduct her research. Her species was created in (using the calenders of those which gave rise to it) 2042 by a team of geneticist hired by an excentric. After they had come into being they had been employed for various off shore work, being cheaper than robots in many occasions. Other Nations established their own populations of these creatures. Then, fourty four years latter the war came. While the land dwellers destroyed themselves, Industria managed to survive thanks to the efforts of the ancient royal australian navy. Using salvaged equipment (most notably robotics and synthetics) from ships and the remains of several nearby land based cities (with the assistance of the surviving RAN forces until storms, lack of supplies, attacks by local militias, various mechanical shortcommings and two instances of mutiny caused their ships to be lost one by one over the next six years) they managed to fortify their mining complex and establish equipment to maintain a rudementary level of industry on their floating city. As they waited, they heard radio signals from inland reporting of wars, new regimes and propaganda but over fifty years after the war slowly the number of signals from the land slowly diminished and fell silent. Occasionally a ship would come nearby but torpedos launched from hidden turrets prevented these land dwelling craft from getting too near and eventually, the land dwellers gave up on entering their areas of seas.

Over the next five the citizens of Industria set themselves out, finding the surviving populations of Aquatics (many of which degerated to a feral nature) and establishing dozens of new cities across the oceans of the world. A few attempts were made to regain contact with the surface dwellers and probes had discovered enclaves of various enclaves of pre-industrial humans surviving, although eventually the Aquatics turned to disregard the land dwellers, contenting themselves with ownership of the sea and restrictingt their relations to the obliteration of any human oceanic craft that came within 25 kilometers of their cities and eventually satilite monitoring. However, in the seventh century, an renewed interest emerged among the aquatics in their progenitors after several probe reports detected the emergence of coal burning industry among the city states of what was once China. To learn as much about them as possible, individual humans were captured for study to get an insight into their cultures and (among the agendas of some Aquatic politicians) get information which would be useful in determining what to do with humanity after it's subjugation.

[Zor]

Zhong Locomotive: Modern Rail Transport began 150 years ago in the Xiou province and became a critical part of the national infastructure of all Seven of the Waring states within sixty years, and was gradually adopted by the Nagato and the Refugee states. After the re-unification of the Zhong Empire into the Zhao Dynasty, the various rail networks were connected. Now hundreds of steam locomotives move across the landscape, ferrying in raw materials to cities, equipment and industrial goods to rural areas and people and cargo between cities.

With the Zhong expansion into the west, this system was among the first things brought over in order to liberate the Barbarians from their backwardsness. Among the supplies of the first Zhong invasion force was 300 li of rails and several locomotives due to the importance of developing supply lines. Soon afterwards, local industries were converted to produced rails to facilitate development of the rail network. Over 45,000 li of railway has so far been laid in the west with construction continuing. The Locomotive fleet of the west (like this one) tend to be fairly modern due to the recent establishment of the Rail Network.

Rail Travel in the western provinces is notable for being more restricted and dangerous in many area due to guerilla activity by rebels and (closer to the front lines) attacks by babarian armies. In praticular, Drow raiding parties are notable for launching attacks against cargo trains to collect cargo to fly back. On several occasions rebels have blown up bridges, torn up sections of railway and destroyed locomotoves. Many trains (mostly those which operate near the frontlines) are armored and carry teams of riflemen and repeaters for defense while squads of men have been assigned to defend coaling stations and bridges. Some western powers have attempted some level of rail development, most notably the Dwarves.

Edit Two for the price of one!



Mecha Artillery: This sixty three tonne mech is designed for long range support, carrying two 150mm cannons and eighteen high explosive missile capable of wreaking heavy damage. However, it is slow and has only a 12.5mm machine gun for defensive purposes and can only fire it's cannons while standing still with it's shock absorbers deployed (as seen here).

[Zor]

(Terran Sphere) Intersteller Protectorate Naval Uniform (officers). While military inspired fasion is common across the protectorate and the Governing Corps is notable for having fairly elaborate uniforms, the Protectorate's Military has a fairly straightforward design. The Protectorate's symbol is a square tower sheild with a spear, representing the ancient military practice of the shield wall, which symbolises the nessesity of co-operation, order and discipline in overcomming threats.

(Sorry for messing up the neck)

[Zor]

Novan Imperial Army power armor. The cylindrical pouches on the side of of the soldier are containers for magazines for novan Assault Rifles. On the field, Novan Soldiers serve mostly as Commanders to firegroups of Hunter Drones and the main task of the Novan Army is occupation, keeping in line various conquered peoples in the name of the Empress, the Empire and the Nobility which have been assigned stewardship of said lands.

[Zor]

Salicia Cheng (3rd Graf Cheng) poses for a photo in a commercial district of Bahiaopolis, a major capital city on the Planet Belém (conquered by the Novan Empire in 2158) to which she has control over. Belém was a divided world upon the arival of the Novan Fleet and had suffered from a low-scale nuclear conflict 40 years earlier. As such, after it's conquest most of the cities were rebuilt to Novan Standards. Bahiaopolis is among the most notable, with it's dominating features being several districts built in Nova Atlantean Style with a central skyscrape circled by rings of buildings divided roads, parks and artifical waterways. An Automated passengerboat makes it's way past her.

(For the sake of the veiwer, the sign has been translated from Novan into English, Strips n Chips is a typical Novan fast food composed of strips of meat (usually beef or bison) lightly breaded served with fries and gravy)

[Zor]

An Igor from Discworld, always there when a hand is needed.

Discword-Terry Pratchett

[Zor]

(Terran Sphere) RMT-45/C5 Conqueror Main Battle Tank, the Primary tank used by the Novan Empire and part of a series which has been in service for nearly 150 T-years. Conqueror tanks have miniaturized point defense laser clusters to deal with anti-tank rockets and can be outfitted with AA missile launchers or magazine fed 80mm mortars giving them a degree of anti-aircraft and indirect fire support capacity.

[Zor]

A Naga with a book on the History of Hats with a 2 liter bottle of Cola for refreshment purposes (Having much more muscle mass and being Endothermic, Nagas need more calories than regular humans)

[Zor]

A 1940s/50s era jet fighter based largely off the ME-262 with the Tail lifted off the MiG-15 armed with a single motorized 15mm Gatling gun. Although i will say that i have never been fond of the jet engine on wings style of fighter aircraft that was popular in the Korea war era.

[Zor]

(Timeline 3177) Febuary 22nd, 2213, Neues Hessen under Japanese Occupation. Here we have an IJA soldier (unusually carrying a Katana for a photo) standing in front of the former seat of local government while a Type 125 tank floats by and a pair of Type 50 Yokai Assault Mechs stand on guard. In retaliation for the Invasions of Shin Hokkaido, Shin Tsushima and Yamamoto and to disorginize the Sternenmarine to allow for the retaking of these colonies, the Japanese launched a counter offensive into European Alliance Space in December of 2212 with Neues Hessen being the first world to be taken. Quickly the planetary capital of Neues Wiesbaden fell after a two day long seige and some fighting in a few of it's residential districts. Most of the nation's urban centers fell shortly afterwards, despite this some rural areas still have considerable resistance left in them and 12 million of the planet's 41 million denizens live in areas that have yet to submit to the Occupational Forces.

[Zor]

(Terran Sphere) A Novan Shrike UCAV

More info here