Universe Lore | Cursa (Patreon)

Region: Outer Ring, second to last planet in Seleota

Moons: 1 (Nyx)

Climate: Stormy

Terrain: Rocky, wasteland

Council: Iron

Major Gangs: Crimson Dusk, Azure Dawn, K’Merii (former)

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Cursa is a rugged, storm-stricken planet in the furthest end of Seleota. It is a remote, gray-hued world always shrouded by thunderstorms, wind and, often, rain. Its sky rarely clears up to let sunlight through, the thick blanket of storm clouds giving off the impression of constant nighttime regardless of time.

The bitter climate conditions combined with its distance even from its closest civilized neighbor, Teranium, granted the planet a natural protection from the mainstream machinations of the Peg’asi and its Council, but it also made it a greenhouse for illegal activities – a place where morals and beliefs thread constantly in a zone as gray as its surface.

The terrain is rocky, comprised of jagged rock formations, narrow spires, ridges, rock canyons and spread out snowy mountains, with wide areas once inhabited now covered by wastelands. It is said that in distant regions, the ground is fertile, with certain types of grains thriving under the constant rains and storms, blessed every now and then by gentle sunlight, or by the soft glow of its moon, Nyx. 

Ocean waters are dangerous, tricky, scarce. Travelling on solid ground is always preferred, because despite the not uncommon rivers, the weather is far too ruthless to make threading its waters a safe choice.

The populace is varied, with Humans, Kitalphans and even species from other Systems gathered to live in a world ruled by blood and iron, where survival of the fittest is at its finest.

Cursa is not divided by cities, but by Districts, a total of 15, and wasteland zones. All Districts look the same, and their realities are also similar – violence, gangs, gambling, bars, and poverty being the norm. The Council responsible for this planet is the Council of Iron, but those responsible for it are eager to turn a blind eye to the reality of Cursa for the right price, which they have been doing for a long, long time.

For a long period of time, the K’Merii had ruled over Cursa, which has changed over the past decade with their leader, Jes Zovack, aiming for greater things, his plans shifting to overtake the political sphere of Seleota instead of only Cursa. With the main body and troops of the K’Merii reallocated to other planets, Cursa was freed from their claws, allowing its now largest gangs to overthrow the remaining K’Merii on Cursa, and take control of the planet, its trades and its people for themselves.

The Crimson Dusk and the Azure Dawn have been enemies for decades, some would say centuries even, and after they drove the K’Merii off, they have each taken control of around half the planet – Crimson Dusk rules everything to the west, Azure Dawn rules everything to the east.

This apparently even split of land did not ease their fighting spirit, for a grudge that seems to run deeper than blood, or perhaps merely the thrill of the chase, keeps them at each other’s necks constantly. Their most recent dispute had been over District 7, however it has been put on hold due to the recent surge of K’Merii on Cursa, who have successfully taken over District 5 from Azure’s hold and turned it into their stronghold.

Rumor has it that Crimson and Azure’s leaders have been colluding to hash out some sort of arrangement in order to get rid of the K’Merii… the enemy of my enemy is my friend, some would guess. It is but a rumor still, one very few people believe in, as the rivalry between said leaders is common knowledge, and the blood they have shed trying to get rid of each other is enough to color an ocean.

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Thunder echoes outside, rain crashing against the metal walls as the woman locks the door on her office, the grin on her lips fading as she makes her way to the window, the sound of laughter coming from the room behind her fading against the sound of her own thoughts.

Her people are celebrating, yet another win under their belt, only this one had left her with a bitter taste in her mouth, one that forced her to cut her celebrations short for the first time in a long, long time.

Taking a deep breath, she looks outside, watching the clouds dancing in the sky, thunder rolling through them as usual. It is soothing, in a way, and just what she needs to smother the rage building up inside of her.

She had heard the rumors, obviously. Nothing happens on Cursa without her knowledge. It was the only way to stay ahead… that, and having no problems getting blood on your hands.

But to be out on a mission and witnessing them truly being back? It infuriates her. It had gotten her angry beyond reason, and she could not afford to let her judgement be clouded by her personal distaste for them. 

Most of her life had been spent trying to find a way to get the filthy K’Merii out of her planet. The things she had sacrificed, the lengths she had gone to, the never-ending chess game she had been playing…

No, she will not have it. They must be dealt with, she has come too far to let them get in the way of her plans now.

Plans. Yes, always a plan, and she had a new one already. 

Well, she was working on it, but it was there… not shaping up to what she would have preferred to do, and certainly not the most enjoyable choice for her ego, but the easiest one given the urgency of this situation. 

She knows how the K’Merii work, you could not let them take root, you had to tear them from the ground and burn the remains as soon as possible to get rid of the pest they were. 

She refused to let the K’Merii back on her planet.

Tearing her eyes from the raindrops on the window, she makes her way to her desk, quickly grabbing a burner comm device from a drawer and setting it up to record a message as she starts the efforts to make her new plan work.

Many have asked her why she refuses to leave Cursa. A woman of her looks and wit could easily make a living elsewhere, somewhere safer, sunnier – all of which she had been well aware of from an early age. But credits were not the issue, as she made more than most high ranked politicians from Seleota as Crimson’s leader, business had been booming lately. Safety? Please, she could handle herself. Sunnier? It is not like she never travelled to other planets.

She had the opportunity to leave multiple times, chances she had been ready to take at first, but there had always been something more important, someone who needed it more than her. As time passed by, she gave up on the idea. Why run when she could simply rule it all? It had turned out to be quite the easy choice for her once she thought about it.

Finishing her recording, she sighs yet again, briefly glancing down at her left hand. The thin scar on her palm drawing a small smile from her, a constant reminder to keep her from becoming just another Cursan monster. But there is no time to dwell in the past, so she swiftly slides her gloves on, shoving the burner comm in her pocket before checking the twin daggers sheathed on her back.

With a renewed, sharp smirk on her lips, she steps further into the room, towards the hidden passageway she uses to sneak out of their hideout whenever she does not want her crew to know she is gone.

Pressing the button on her coat, she rolls her shoulders as her mask unfolds itself, hiding her face and protecting it from both weather and recognition. Pulling her hood over her hair, she confidently steps outside, mingling with the shadows as she runs off.

A dark chuckle escapes her. Her plan is complete, all she needs now is to put it in motion. It is time to pay that mutt a visit, she will need help to take out the trash. And after that, well…

They can go back to trying to kill each other.