How does one integrate elements from the Fading Suns roleplaying game into the Babylon 5 science-fiction universe?
The answer: the events of the TV episode "The Deconstruction of Falling Stars" from the fourth season of the Babylon 5 television series ("No Surrender, No retreat"). In 2762 A.D., the Earth Alliance (later called the "First Republic" by more recent human historians) is plunged into civil war over the issue of remaining in the larger Interstellar Alliance (called the "Second Republic" by the same, aforementioned historians). The civil war includes the use of nuclear weapons and human colonies outside Earth's solar system as well as conventional weapons and the planet Earth itself.
Within years and decades, the Five Royal Houses of Hawkwoods, Decados, Hazat, al-Malik, and Lihalan assume political control of various surviving remnants of humanity. Religious authority at this time is assumed by John Zebulon, who is later renamed Zebulon the Prophet. Zebulon preaches about a vision of a Celestial Sun, a god called the Pancreator. After perfoming miracles and then dying by bursting into flames, his followers form the Universal Church of the Celestial Sun, which becomes the official faith of the human noble houses. Much of business, industry, and high tech are controlled by the guilds of the Merchant League. Most humans are serfs, owned by nobles, and have certain limits on technology placed on them by nobles wanting to keep their power as well as the teachings of the Universal Church which state that too much high tech can corrupt peoples' relationship with the Pancreator. During this period, the human homeworld's name was changed from "Earth" to "Holy Terra."
The current year is 3350 A.D.
HOUSE HAWKWOOD: This group of closely related noble families emphasizes personal honor and benevolent rule over their serfs. They have fiefs in Europe and North America as well as on worlds outside Holy Terra's solar system. The head of House Hawkwood, titled kaiser, rules from the city of Berlin in the former Germany. Hawkwood nobles have a strict system of ranks, the titles for which from highest to lowest are duke, count, viscount, marqui, baron, baronet, and knight. The house symbol is a red lion on a white field.
HOUSE DECADOS: this coalition of noble houses has Russia as a fief as well as a number on planets outside Holy Terra's solar system. Decados nobles often rule their serfs with a despotic hand. The head of the house, titled tsar, rules from the Russian city of Moscow, and Decados nobles possess the title of boyar. The house symbol is a green preying mantis in a black circle.
HOUSE HAZAT: this collection of noble families has fiefs in North and South America and part of Africa, and it controls Luna (Holy Terra's moon) and the planet Mars, but has very little property outside Holy Terra's solar system, though the Hazat maintain a strong military. The head of the Hazat is titled prince, and he rules from the city of Buenos Ares in the former Argentina. Hazat nobles are titled don. The house symbol is a black hawk's talons in a red upsidedown triangle.
HOUSE LIHALAN: the LiHalan has it's fiefs mostly in China, Korea, and Japan, but wields tremendous influence due to it's close ties to the Universal Church, and some Church leaders happen to be LiHalan aristocrats. The head of House Lihalan is titled emperor, and he/she rules from Beijing in China. Lihalan aristocrats have their own system of ranks, with titles from highest to lowest being mandarin, daimyo, and samauri. The highest ranked Lihalan mandarin in Japan, for reasons obscure, is titled shogun. The house symbol is a blue cross on a whire field.
HOUSE AL-MALIK: Al-Malik nobles rule fiefs in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific islands, but few off-Holy Terra fiefs. They are often fairly benevolent toward their serfs. What makes the al-Malik so influential is the fact they have close ties to Merchant League guilds, closer than that of nobles in the other Royal Houses. The head of the al-Malik is titled sultan, and he rules from the city of Istabul in the former Turkey. Higher ranked al-Malik nobles are titled emir and lower aristocrats are titled sheik. The house symbol is a green pinwheel on a yellow field.
THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH OF THE CELESTIAL SUN: This is the official faith of humanity. It is divided into several sects and orders: Orthodox (strict interpreters of Zebulon's teachings about the Pancreator), Mahayana (more liberally theologically than the Orthodox), Brother Battle (order of warrior monks; official military arm of the Universal Church), Hesychasts (an order of conservative monks), Eskatonics (an order of monks more liberal than the Hesychasts), Sanctuary Aeon (the Church's official healing order, provides medical care), and Temple Avesti (a fundamentalist order of monks, more conservative than the other Church sects). The Universal Church has compiled the teachings of Zebulon the Prophet in the Omega Gospels. The Church is headed by the Patriarch, who is also leader of it's Orthodox order/sect. The Patriarch is aided by a council of archbishops with 15 members. The archbishops include nine Orthodox representatives but also include the heads of the Church's Hesychast, Sanctuary Aeon, Brother Battle, Mahayana, Eskatonic, and Temple Avesti sects. The Patriarch and council of archbishops govern the Universal Church from the Holy City (formerly Geneva) in the old EarthGov facilities, which have been renamed the Holy Cathedral of the Pancreator and the prophet. The highest Church rank below that of Patriarch and the council of archbishops is that of bishop, with all Church orders having many bishops. The next lowest rank is that of priest, and the lowest three ranks of clergy from highest to lowest: deacon, canon, and novitiate. Chuch clergy can be of either sex. The symbol of the Church is a circle with four triangles pointing inward toward it's center, symbolizing the Church being the gateway to the Empyrean, the heaven where the Pancreator/ Celestial Sun resides. The Orthodox sect of the Church is indicated by an omega symbol inside the standard Church circle. The Mahayana are identified by a capital M in the Church circle. The Eskatonics are identified by a backward Z in the Church circle's center. The Hesychasts are identified by a human eye in the center of the Church circle. The Brother Battle military order is symbolized by a sword with the Church circle at it's hilt. Temple Avesti is symbolized by a modified Church circle where the upper triangle is replaced by a flame pointing outside the circle. Sanctuary Aeon is symbolized by a drinking cup or grail replacing the lower triangle in the Church circle. Certain Church elements like Temple Avesti and the most hard-line Orthodox, Hesychast, and Brother Battle elements maintain a so-called Inquisition that is sometimes used to force human populations to strictly adhere to the Universal Church, but Church Patriarchs and the council of archbishops try, not always successfully, to restrict the use of Inquisitors, who will often use violence against so-called heretics: humans outside the Universal Church, alleged promoters of false teachings within the Church itself, and many members of alien races.
THE MERCHANT LEAGUE: this is a group of five guilds to controls a lot of industry and high tech. The Charioteers include merchants who trade with aliens and the crews of spaceships and space stations, but they also control the use of jumpgates in human space. Their guild symbol is a multi-spoked wheel found on primitive animal-drawn wagons. The Supreme Order of Engineers monopolizes the manufacture of computers, robotics, biotech, and artifical gravity generators, and emgages in a lot of scientific research. The Engineers guild also provides help to noble-owned armament factories in constructing energy weapons like lasers, pulse cannons, particle beams, and hand-held PPGs (phased plasma guns); and aids the Royal Houses, Church, and other guilds in maintaining the surviving remnants of the interstellar communications tachyon-using network and whats left of nuclear-fusion technology for producing electricity. The Engineers symbol is a black hammer. The Scravers guild official engages in historical research and archaeology, but also engages in the manufacture and distribution of alcohol and tobacco products, prostitution, gambling, and the manufacture and distribution of drugs (both legitiment pharmaceuticals and illicit narcotics). But the Scravers also hire themselves out to nobles, Universal Church officials, and members of other guilds as professional spies. The guild symbol is an eye in a diamond. The Muster guild provides professional soldiers, bodyguards, and bounty hunters for hire. They are also heavily involved in the mining industry, and they serve as a labor union for nobles' non-serf workers (especially in non-agricultural industries owned by the Royal Houses) and lay (non-clergy) employees of the Universal Church. The Muster symbol is a chain with a spiked ball like a morning star mace. The Reeves guild by common agreement with the Royal Houses, Church, and other League guilds has a monopoly on the minting of gold and silver coins which are the common currency of humanity as well as being engaged in banking, insurance, education, and legal affairs (providing judges and lawyers to help enforce noble and Church laws). The Reeves symbol is a classical balancing scale used to weigh coins. Government of the Merchant League as a whole is by the Leaguemiester, who is aided by an advisory council composed of 30 members with representatives of all five guilds. The League meets in the Australian city of Leagueheim, formerly known as Melbourne. The League is symbolized by an upsidedown triangle with small circles at it's points.
SERFS: most humans nowadays are serfs who work farms owned by the Royal Houses producing food or serving in nobles' military as infantry. Agricultural serfs are often limited to a technological level equal to that of about 1850 A.D. and sometimes at a medieval level approximating that of 1000 A.D. while military serfs have an average tech level equal to 1935 A.D. The Universal Church sometimesattempts to restrict the use of technology by serfs so as to not to corrupt their relationship with the Pancreator. Occasionally, serfs will rebel against their noble masters, but these armed revolts are generally put down savagely by the Royal Houses using Muster mercenary troops.
HUMAN SPACECRAFT: human spacecraft are generally built in orbital facilities in Holy Terran orbit, with the five main facilities owned by different factions or coalitions (House Hawkwood, House Decados, House Lihalan combined with Universal Church, House Hazat, and House al-Malik combined with Merchant League). Some ships are equipped with artificial gravity generators built by the Engineers guild, but most use rotating sections to provide gravity or do without onboard gravity. Very few human spacecraft have their own on-ship generators to create jump points, so spacecraft must use jumpgates in order to enter hyperspace. Human fighters are piloted either by Charioteer pilots or Muster mercenaries, but most crew members on larger ships are invariably Charioteers.
LUNA: Holy Terra's moon is ruled by House Hazat, with a branch of that Royal House ruling from the city of Grissom, and many military serfs are stationed there. The second largest city is Kuang-Han-Kung, and the Hazat have leased part of that city, which is used to raise food crops and animals, and some of the city's agricultural serfs to a branch of the Lihalan. There is also mining by the Muster guild and high-tech manufacturing and scientific research by the Supreme Order of Engineers.
MARS: the so-called Red Planet is ruled by the Hazat, who maintain most of their military serfs and Muster guild mercenaries on this world and have most of their space fleet in Martian orbit. The Hazat rule Mars from the city of Mars Dome One. Since Mars in recent centuries has had developed an environment like that of Holy Terra's, it has seen the development of agriculture on the surface, with a large number of agricultural serfs. Other major Martian cities include New Vegas, which includes many businesses run by the Scravers guild, particularly gambling; and Slimtown, with a Muster-owned mining industry.
IO: this volcanic moon of the gas giant planet Jupiter is jointly governed by the Charioteers and Muster guilds due to the nearby jumpgate maintained by the Charioteers and Muster guildmembers who engage in mining on the surface of the moon.
HAWKWOOD PLANETS: inhabited planets owned by House Hawkwood include Proxima III and IV, Orion III and VII, Jericho III, and Vega VII. While these planets are mostly ruled by Hawkwood nobles and populated by serfs, they also include a number of fiefs leased by the Hawkwoods to Hazat, Lihalan, and al-Malik nobles; the presence of Universal Church clergy and sects; and business, industry, and other guild activities by the Merchant League.
DECADOS PLANETS: these include Beta Durani I, Beta 7/IV, Beta 9/III, Ceti gamma II, Cyrus III, Deneb IV, and Sinzar IV. Decados nobles mostly rule here, but a few fiefs are leased to Hazat lords, and the Universal Church sects and League guilds are active on these worlds.
SPACE STATIONS: the human factions have their own permanent stations in space, with spinning sections producing some on-station gravity. In Holy Terran orbit are stations specializing in constructing spacecraft: Kish (Lihalan/Universal Church), Istakhr (al-Malik/Merchant League), Delphi (Hawkwood), Severus (Decados) and Aragon (Hazat). space stations in orbit around Jupiter near the Io jumpgate are used for defense, trade, and diplomacy: Sutek (Hazat), Criticorum (al-Malik), Icon (Lihalan), Ravenna (Hawkwood), Cadiz (Decados), Pyre (Universal Church), and Madoc (Merchant League). In the politically neutral Epsilon Eridani system, where centuries ago the legendary, mythological Babylon 5 space station existed, are more space stations: Byzantium Secundus (jointly controlled by all human factions), Pentateuch (controlled by the Mahayana and Eskatonic branches of the Universal Church), Artemis (controlled by the Sanctuary Aeon and Hesychast sects of the Church), Grail (controlled by the Sanctuary Aeon and Orthodox branches of the Church), DeMoley (controlled by the Brother Battle and Temple Avesti branches of the Church), Bannockburn (controlled by the Merchant League but the Muster being dominant here), Cadiz (House Decados), Gwennyth (House Hawkwood), Midian (House Lihalan), Shaprut (House al-Malik), and Vera Cruz (House Hazat). Those stations in the Epsilon Eridani system are designed for defense of human space and trade and diplomacy with aliens. Two other major space stations operated by humanity exist in the Proxima system: the Hawkwood-controlled Leminkainen station for political coordination of Hawkwoods worlds outside the Holy Terran system, and the Stigmata station operated by all human factions (noble, Church, and guild) for defense against alien enemies.
HUMAN MILITARY: Since Engineer guild members are often essential to provide high-tech energy weapons, which can be very expensive, sometimes more primitive rocket-powered missiles and magnetic railguns are placed on spacecraft and the nobility's serf soldiers, Brother Battle warrior monks, and Muster mercenaries are armed with old-fashioned slug-throwing firearms and artillary of a 20th Century level as well as hand grenades, rocket launchers, tanks, armored personnel carriers, and other weaponry of the same tech level. Serf troops are always under the command of noble officers, and the Royal Houses' space fleets or individual vessels are under the nominal command of a noble captain or admiral. Muster military units are under the command of a noble, Church bishop, guild official, or even alien leader depending on their customer.
The Royal Houses will occasionally fight each other over land borders on Holy Terra, or sometimes in the case of Hawkwood-Decados conflicts interstellar borders outside the Holy Terran system, but censure by the Universal Church and economic sanctions by League guilds plus the pressure from potential alien threats keep such fights fairly rare and always short.
