Governments

The flag of the Verge Republic. This flag was designed at the constitutional convention, as a diplomatic compromise that was acceptable to all members present. However, since its introduction, many have thought it looked like a capital Greek letter omega (Ω) with a flower growing out of it. This has led to a different and more popular interpretation. Omega represents the end - both the edge of the galaxy where the Republicans live, out on the fringes of what was previously a vast sprawling civilization; and the catastrophic end of the previous civilization. The flower, meanwhile, represents hope, renewal, and rebirth. We are the end, we are the beginning. We are tough and rugged frontiersmen and -women, out on the edges of nowhere. It is who we are, it is in our blood, and we will claw back to a new and better civilization with our sweat and blood and tears. A monochrome symbol based on the central design is often used to designate the Verge Republic when a full on colored flag is not necessary or appropriate.

The Verge Republic

The legal currency of the Verge Republic is the Republic dollar.

* Except for the Squirm. Squirm have no rights and can be destroyed by any means necessary. Although it is usually advised to contact the authorities before engaging so that a proper military response can be marshaled in the likely event of your untimely demise.

Republic Organizations

Several government organizations of interest are listed below. This list is not exhaustive - issues such as trade, banking, agriculture, energy, environmental regulation, overview of federal lands, statecraft, taxation, and budget are all vital to the operation of the republic, but dull enough not to merit their own sections in an overview such as this.

Transit Authority: The Federal Transit Authority (FTA) is responsible for maintaining the wormhole network between worlds of the Verge Republic. Inter-world wormhole stations and the wormholes themselves are subject to FTA law. The FTA maintains customs at borders with the Zox Hierate and Gummi space. Keeping the Coordinated Network Time standard is another responsibility of the FTA, with high precision clocks at their facility on New Carolina.

The FTA does not have jurisdiction over planetary wormhole networks. They will, however, provide federal assistance for the development of such networks.

Transit Law: Originally responsible for enforcing laws on FTA territory, the mandate of Transit Law has expanded to cover investigating, pursuing, and apprehending criminals involved in inter-world crime within the Verge Republic, conducting counter-intelligence efforts to thwart foreign agents, and other law enforcement activities not covered by the authority of member worlds.

Emergency Response: The Federal Emergency Response Agency (FERA) is tasked with assisting civilians and local governments of the Verge Republic in the event of natural disasters or public heath crises. FERA has the authority to declare states of emergency and quarantine, and will mobilize trained personnel to evacuate citizens, provide health care and basic supplies, and prevent property damage. Monetary aid can be given to local authorities to aid in disaster response or for rebuilding assistance.

Republican Army: The Republican Army is the main military force of the Verge Republic. It consists of infantry, armor, artillery, space force, air force, naval, and wormhole projector units. Major bases are located on Zhǎngshān, Gateway, Solace, and San Agustín. Rapid response units are available to respond to foreign incursions anywhere in the Verge Republic.

Republic Intelligence Agency: The RIA is the agency responsible for collection and analysis of foreign intelligence. They use espionage, data tapping, code breaking, and clandestine remote observation as well as overt methods such as gathering news from public sources.

Corps of Discovery: The Verge Republic Corps of Discovery (VRCD) is a federal organization with the mandate to explore and colonize new worlds and expand our knowledge of the universe. VRCD wormhole projectors regularly send out expeditions to interesting star systems, and the VRCD maintains an extensive set of space telescopes and observatories. The VRCD headquarters is located in New Clarkston, Homestead, with local branches on most worlds to serve as mission control and staging areas for new expeditions.

Since its commission, the VRCD has also been tasked with the promotion of science, research, and engineering in the Verge. It operates several federal laboratories overseeing research in various fields, and distributes federal grants to universities for worthwhile research.

Each world of the Verge Republic has its own local government. Most worlds are former United States colonies, and also follow the American traditional model of government. The worlds of the Chinese branch (Tīan Nán and Zhǎngshān) are more diverse, with Zhǎngshān using a parliamentary democracy and Tīan Nán has two additional branches - an audit branch and a civil examination branch.

A world is a large place. Each member world is sub-divided into administrative provinces, which in turn are divided into counties. Cities and incorporated towns, while subject to world law, will have their own local government with local taxes, regulations, and institutions.

Law Enforcement: Each Republic member world has its own organization for its law enforcement forces. The details vary from world to world, but there are common patterns across most worlds descended from American colonies.

The marshal service of a world is responsible for enforcement of a world's law with world-wide jurisdiction. Marshals are involved in large-scale investigations that cross county or provincial lines; local affairs are usually left for the sheriff or constabulary to deal with.

Counties will be served by a sheriff's department, headed by a popularly elected sheriff. The sheriff and his deputies are responsible for the safety and law enforcement of unincorporated areas of the county and for towns too small to have a police force. In the event that the sheriff temporarily needs more manpower than his deputies can provide, he can assemble a posse from the able-bodied residents of the county for the duration of the emergency.

Each municipality has its own police force, ranging from one person with a badge who knows everyone else in town to a large organization with many separate stations and precincts in the larger cities. The police chief or commissioner is usually appointed by the mayor.

Worlds with large seas or oceans will have a coast guard. The Coast Guard acts as a search and rescue force, enforces maritime law, regulates maritime industry, and maintains safety and navigational markings and installations (such as light houses).

No world in the Verge Republic (with the exception of Jefferson, which is a special case) is fully settled. Vast tracts of wilderness remain unincorporated, without access to usual emergency services and which can serve as havens for outlaw groups. A force variously known as colonial rangers of frontier marshals, depending on the world, is responsible for search and rescue, keeping the peace in remote areas, and for tracking outlaws who flee into the bush.

On the frontier, justice can be remote and citizens often are required to protect themselves. The right of self defense and the right to keep and bear arms is recognized across the Verge. In remote areas, people commonly go armed and even thieves and minor criminals are often shot dead during the commission of their crimes without repercussions. Where the law is unavailable, the people will take the law into their own hands, forming vigilante committees to track down and punish perceived wrongdoers. As you get into more settled areas, this frontier mentality is seen as increasingly unacceptable and people are expected to rely on established police organizations for protection and justice.

As usual, the Chinese-settled worlds come from a different cultural tradition of police organization. Tīan Nán is overseen by a Ministry of Public Security, with regional and local branches, that replaces the patch-work of marshals, rangers, sheriffs, and local constables of the American-settled worlds. This leads to a more tightly integrated world-wide police force, with clear chains of command and divisions of responsibility.

On paper, Zhǎngshān has a similar Ministry of Public Security. In practice, the Zhǎngshānese police are only able to enforce laws in the Republic-controlled areas. The local constabulary of Zhǎngshān are typically corrupt, and the Ministry of State Security forms a separate secret police force with little public accountability. Outside of republican areas, the local warlords and Free Zhǎngshān Army maintain bands of thugs that enforce the interests of the leaders but often take little interest in righting wrongs committed against commoners (and, in fact, are often responsible for such crimes themselves). True justice in Zhǎngshān is often unofficial, metted out by secret societies or individuals.

Planetary Defense: Each world in the Verge Republic is responsible for maintaining a planetary militia, or home guard. The home guard assists in the event of natural disasters or widespread civic unrest, but the main motivation is to provide a first line of defense against a Squirm attack. The home guard is expected to hold off the invaders until the Republican Army can arrive. In times of war, the home guard can be mobilized and sent to provide additional manpower for the fighting. The training and effectiveness of the home guard forces can vary widely, from the combat-seasoned and professional home guard of Homestead to the corrupt and disorganized thugs of Zhǎngshān.

Government Reach

Within the Republic, some worlds are more tightly governed than others. Distant rural areas can be far from higher authority, particularly on the more lightly settled worlds. Under these conditions, the local mayors, sheriffs, and magistrates can operate nearly unfettered from higher power. Under ideal situations, these officials act in the interests of their constituents and uphold the rule of law. Unfortunately, corruption in the backwaters is not uncommon, with "big men" protecting their cronies and personal business interests. Cults following charismatic leaders can disappear into the bush to avoid oversight (what they would call persecution). Overzealous leaders can bring about local reigns of terror as they try to "combat crime" or "eliminate vice". When even this level of government is not present, the citizens may resort to vigilante justice and mob rule.

As you get closer to the more heavily populated areas, conditions do not necessarily improve. Many cities operate transparently and are responsive to their citizens, but others are riddled with graft, politicians and police on the take, and council-members who pass laws designed to aid their own business interests.

On Zhǎngshān, an active insurrection makes much of the rural areas off-limits to Republic authority. The Republican Army maintains a strong presence in Zhǎngshān's cities and patrols major transportation routes, sending the occasional show of force through disputed areas and conducting strikes on resistance fighters when it can find them. The Free Zhǎngshān Army maintains power in the areas it controls through fear and intimidation, financing its activities through monopolizing resource extraction and heavy taxation of agriculture. Free Zhǎngshān Army terrorists often commit acts of violence in the cities to undermine people's faith in the ability of the Republic to protect them.

The world of Jefferson has only a small Republic presence. It is divided into hundreds of primitive petty kingdoms and small empires. This concerns the Republic, because a Squirm infestation could quickly spread among the primitives, allowing the Squirm to establish a stronghold from which to threaten the Republic. Needless to say, the various kingdoms and principalities are not about to surrender sovereignty to the Republic. Some have been taken as Republic territories at gunpoint. Others have defense agreements with the Republic. This activity on the part of the Republic, however, naturally leads many of the remaining unaligned kingdoms to distrust the Republic. Republican forces simply do not have the personnel to occupy the whole planet, making Jefferson a significant quandary for Republic security.

The outpost at Kartanum, between Gateway in the Republic and the Zox world of Rhuzzit, has turned into a military fortification. Currently in Republic hands, it has changed ownership several times as the Zox attempt to stage an invasion and the Republic counter-attacks to recapture it.

The Zox is an authoritarian dictatorship based on ancient Mant tradition. The nominal leader is the Emperor, with the Colonial Governor ruling in his absence. In theory, the governor has absolute control over the state. In practice, laws are set by tradition and can be difficult to change, while the military, the industrial elite, powerful aristocratic hives, and the priesthood all wield considerable power so that the governor must be careful not to offend them enough that he is removed from power. Local officials are usually corrupt, and often cooperate only grudgingly with the office of the governor. Accurate information about the Hierate away from the governor's office can be hard to come by, since local officials often distort the data to further their own interests or reflect better on their own competence.

Within the Zox Hierate, personal freedoms are greatly curtailed. The press is controlled by the government, and dissidents (and their entire hives) can be imprisoned or executed without trial by secret police.

Zox Organizations

Imperial Army: The military of the Hierate. The Imperial Army specializes in rapid and overwhelming assault with armored and screened repulsor-craft, supported by repulsor-bike transported infantry and disruptor and causality artillery.

Imperial Guard: The Imperial Guard are responsible for protecting the Emperor, imperial facilities, and high ranking officials. In the Verge, the Colonial Governor, planetary administrators, and regional (continent-scale) officials usually have members of the Imperial Guard in their retinue.

Heirate Ministry of Security: A secret police organization, responsible for domestic and foreign intelligence gathering, clandestine operations against foreign governments, and suppressing political dissent, thought crimes, and heresy. Security agents are above the law, and use arbitrary arrest, kidnapping, torture, indefinite detention, disappearances, and assassination to achieve their objectives.

Zox Politics and Factions

Overview

The populace is eager for Human and Gummi goods and for the freedom that they have heard rumors about. Undoubtedly, the people of the Hierate would be better off with peace and trade with the Republic. But dictators are not about what is better for everyone, but about how to keep hold of power. The alternatives are usually lethal for the dictator. This means encouraging a policy that enriches the people necessary to keep him in power and as long as this continues the majority is likely to suffer.

Factions

• Imperials: The innate conservatism of the Mant psyche that formerly helped support the original Hierate suffered a serious blow from contact with the Squirm and Humans, leading to a prolonged period of soul-searching and some significant cracks in the foundation on which their society was built. The former colonial governor hive that declared itself acting emperor after losing contact with Triangulum has little legitimacy, and lost the millennia of tradition that helped support the Emperor of the original Hierate in Triangulum. It relies on support from cronies and goons to keep the populace in their place. The most important of these players are the generals of the Imperial Army for stomping down insurrections, the ministers of the bureaucracy who control the flow of money and treasure, and the officers of the Hierate Ministry of Security for suppressing dissent. Those who follow the imperial line have little tolerance for any dealings with the Republic or its people, and wish to see the Republic overrun by Hierate forces and the Humans and Gummis exterminated.
  • Imperial Army: To placate the generals of the Army, the Emperor leans on the age-old tradition of expansion and jingoism. In the Zox policy line, they're the only real people, and the filthy humans are occupying worlds that rightfully belong to the Zox. In order to regain the glory that was the original Empire, they seek to take what is theirs. This justifies an increased flow of resources to the Army, enriching the generals and their hives and allowing the Generals to buy the support of their underlings.

  • Hierate Ministry of Security: The Ministry of Security is in a constant struggle for resources with the Imperial Army. They milk the aggression toward the Republic by providing intelligence and covert ops services. This competes with military intelligence and special forces, and the two competing organizations often end up competing directly against each other in the field while simultaneously dealing with hostile Republic forces.

    Domestically, the Ministry of Security is needed to stamp out dissent. They maintain riot troops and SWAT teams, but are not equipped to deal with a full scale insurrection – the Emperor believes that quashing rebellions is what the Army is for.

• Local Officials: The individual world governors have their own cronies to worry about in order to stay in power, with their own bureaucracies and constabulatories to please. Those whose hives were appointed by the Tzachi Emperor in Mantheim have considerably more leeway in their freedom from the Hierate thumb, as they have increased legitimacy; those who were appointed by the current Emperor's hive rely more on the Emperor for power and support.

• The Priesthood: The priests of the Tzachi religion retain most of the legitimacy of old, and have the support of most of the populace. The priesthood is split between the traditionalists (who generally support the current Emperor) and the reformers (who want peace and increased contact with the Republic and Gummis).
  • Traditionalists: The traditionalist faction of Tzachiism looks back to the way things were done under the guidance of the Tzachi Emperor and the golden age of the Hierate when it was administered from Mantheim. They decry the decadence, impurity, and impiety of the Republic, but do not particularly advocate for its destruction. Rather, they exhort their followers to turn away from its temptations, back to the old ways of their ancestors. The Traditionalist priests are quick to condemn the corruption of Republic influence on the Hierate, although for political reasons they rarely name the people in power as perpetrators. The traditionalists tend to find favor with the Imperial powers, and thus dominate the higher levels of the priesthood and the official orthodoxy.

  • Reformers: The reform movement of Tzachiism sees the failure of the outlook that led to the disastrous wars against the Humans and the loss of Mantheim and Triangulum to the Squirm. They preach a more tolerant doctrine, one of peace with and learning from the Gummis and the Republic. Because this view is officially heretical, those with reformist leanings in intermediate or higher ranks of the priesthood are wise to conceal their views. Nonetheless, reformers have considerable sway with the masses, as the local priests to the lower casts often are at considerable remove from the church authority at Capital.

• The Resistance: Many of the lower classes long for the freedoms and affluence of the Republic. Some of these have taken to organizing underground resistance groups. They typically form small cells under a decentralized organization dedicated to overthrowing the established order. Their doctrine calls for the establishment of free elections for their leaders, separation of powers of the government, basic rights for the people, increased contact with outsiders, and free and open markets. In practice, it is not clear that a successful overthrowing of the government by the resistance would lead to much more than the replacement of one set of autocrats by another. Given the effectiveness of the Hierate secret police, such an overthrow would be an unlikely event in any case, barring outside help or collusion with other factions. The resistance often conducts raids and bombings, both of legitimate targets and acts of terrorism. It also engages in sabotage, propaganda against the Hierate, and demonstrations. It is thought that the resistance obtains a significant amount of support from the Republic Intelligence Agency.

Gummis naturally defer to expertise and reputation rather than authority. Gummi organization is usually informal, with reputation standing in for official status and the people who get things done are those with strong networks who know many other well-regarded people. Collective decisions are made by committees of interested citizens, and enforced by voluntary cooperation – the decision of a collective committee is generally awarded authority and reputation beyond that of its individual members, although the more well regarded the make-up of the committee, the more latitude it has to achieve results. Coordination committees – essentially non-advocatory think tanks staffed by highly esteemed and respected experts – come up with suggestions for coordinated policy. These recommendations carry significant weight but come with no enforcement options. Prestigious committees with diligent and respected members will naturally find the citizens they advise accepting their judgement. A committee with a poor reputation or members who seem greedy, power hungry, or corrupt will find they have little sway and thus little power, and rival committees may arise to provide guidance to society. Local committees in turn are guided by regional and global committees, and the coordination of all of Gummi Space is generally held to be the responsibility of a committee of the most esteemed people in Gummi Space that currently meets on Grummer.

There is usually little to no coercion, with the exception that those deemed to be a danger to the community are captured by posses, public safety committee members, or vigilante groups (sometimes, these three are all the same). Justice is usually meted out informally. Influential and respected citizens will be recruited to guide the process of judgement, which usually involves the consensus of whoever shows up to be on the jury. Trials are much more informal than Earth-descended societies are used to, with jury members often going off on their own to gather evidence and present it at the trial. Civil trials result in the social sanction for the victor to collect reparations. Criminal trials where the defendant is found guilty result in restitution to the victims and mind surgery on the convicted to correct criminal impulses or insanity. Those who win a judgement but find that they lack the power or ability to collect restitution may sell the rights to collect on the settlement to a third party, thus providing the victim recompense for their injury while ensuring that justice is done by highly trained and effective mercenaries.

The currency of Gummi Space is in the form of promissory notes. Anyone can issue their own notes, nominally for a given amount of goods or labor. The value of any given person's notes depend on that person's reputation, skill, and expertise – a noted scofflaw or those with a history of reneging on their notes will find the value of the notes they issue to be practically nil. Organizations can also issue their own collective promissory notes. Notes are stored electronically, and can be traded in a free and open market over the internet, and the value of notes issued by different people or organizations are allowed to float to their market value. Most people rarely issue their own notes, but instead trade the notes that they have accrued for goods and services.

Groups of Gummis who come together to cooperatively produce goods and services are called "Nogis". A Nogi is the equivalent of a human corporation. This structure allows concentration of effort and division of labor, and the ability to retain the services of trained experts for specialized jobs. Nogis pay their members in dividends from the profits earned. Nogis make sure to look after their members, providing health care, day care and schooling for a member's dependents, training and higher education, and other necessary services.

The clans of the Pannovas are a driving force in their society, giving organization and structure to this otherwise fractous species. Although their influence is greatest on Solace, the greater Pannova diaspora throughout the Verge still carry their traditional clan allegiances and affiliations, and their members are welcomed within the clan no matter how far afield they roam.

Clans look after their own. They do what it takes to assist their members in trouble. In turn, the clan expects loyalty and service to the clan. Each clan has its own culture, values, traditions, and rituals. It is named after a totem or mascot that, in theory, exemplifies the ideals of that clan. In practice, it is not always clear to outsiders how the choice of totem is related to the stereotypical behavior of a particular clan.

Prominant Clans of the Verge

Centaury: The Centaury are the oldest of the clans, formed soon after the exodus to Solace by concerned troops seeking to aid the travelers and refugees. Centaury maintains a strong tradition of acts of service to this day, operating hospitals, hospices, and schools, feeding the poor, and pitching in to help keep their communites clean and safe. Centaury produces many doctors, nurses, and teachers. The clan established Centaury Central University, which counts as one of the premier higher education centers in the Verge.

The Centaury profess not to discriminate among the other clans, but offer their services and aid equally to all. That said, they often cooperate with Clan Peregrine in carrying out their mission of ministering to the people of Solace and the Verge.

The common centaury Centaurium erythraea is a small, nondescript herb with pink flowers. It is well known for its medical uses. The five-petaled flower is taken as the crest of the Centaury clan. The Centaury plant is commonly planted in the gardens of medicinal herbs at the center of the clan chapter houses. The clan's crest, heraldry, seal, and assorted associated symbols also depict the centaury's namesake – the centaur Chiron: sage, scholar, healer, and teacher of heroes.

Dragon: Dragon first formed as a professional association of power plant operators, later expanding into a full clan as they extended benefits to their member's family and troops. Clan Dragon puts a high emphasis on technical competence, and admires clever solutions to difficult problems. The clan produces a large number of engineers, builders, and designers. They are the sole owner of the Dragon Power Solutions corporation and several other engineering and manufacturing companies, and major stock holders in MetricEngineering, Inc., with dividends going to all clan members.

The Dragon clan finds its closest allies among the Linden, but view the Pirates and Wolverines with respect. The peregrines are admired for their commitment to keeping the knowledge needed to make technical civilization work, and the Centaury for disseminating it. They resent the Ravens for their snooping and meddling, find the Jets overly crass, and think the Herons too snooty. The legends of knights fighting dragons fuels a long-standing rivalry between the Knights and the Dragons.

The totem of Clan Dragon is mythological, admired by its command over the elemental forces of nature. The Clan uses iconography from both the East and the West, ranging from ethereal lóng snaking their path through the clouds to fire spewing, bat winged wyverns^*. They celebrate the giant reptiles of old Earth as the closest they can get to their spiritual guides, with many chapter houses supporting serpentariums with pythons, crocodilians, venomous serpents, and various giant lizards. The clan's official position is that the populations of spitting cobras, Komodo dragons, reticulated pythons, and Cuban crocodiles now found on Solace were the results of a few misguided members not following official bio-containment rules; and not deliberate attempts at the introduction of their mascots to the Solace ecosystem.

* The brutality of the Chinese occupation of Solace looms large in the memory of the Pannovas. The common use and admiration of elements of Chinese mythology by Clan Dragon breeds some degree of mistrust and disdain among the other clans of the Verge. The Dragons stubbornly stick to their symbols – although in public they may claim that the serpentine eastern dragons of their sigils are Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, or Bhutanese in origin.

Hellbender: Clan Hellbender has a reputation as being a bastion of troublemakers – getting in fights, causing public disturbances, playing their music too loud, and roving around in gangs being drunk and rowdy. Although most are more or less law abiding, they have more than their share of criminals ranging from impulsive assaults to organized crime. The Hellbenders readily accept exiles and cast-offs from other clans, making them something of a cosmopolitan grab bag.

The only ally the Hellbenders have among the clans are the Pirates, who share a similar outlook toward authority. All the other clans find the Hellbenders somewhere between annoying and dangerous, and the Hellbenders think these others are snooty, stuck-up snobs.

There are rumors that Clan Hellbender chose its name because they liked the sound of it, without realizing what a hellbender actually is. Nonetheless, today they eagerly embrace this species of giant salamander as their totem. Woe betide any who call a Hellbender a "snot otter," "lasagna lizard," or other alternate derogatory sounding name for their beloved mascot. Naturally, the Hellbenders have attempted to introduce Cryptobranchus alleganiensis to Solace and other worlds in the Verge, and today many swift flowing, cold, well oxygenated streams host populations of these wrinkled aquatic amphibians.

Heron: The Heron clan has its roots in the Pannovas of the city of Highgarden and its surrounding area. Originally bandit kings, Highgarden was never fully pacified but in time came to derive its wealth from coffee plantations and tantalum mines. During the Chinese occupation of Solace, the rugged landscape made operations difficult for the invaders and Highgarden was never taken. The proud inhabitants formed Clan Heron shortly after the American re-conquest.

Clan Heron prides itself on the inherent nobility of its members, exemplified by comporting oneself with elegance and composure, refined sensibilities, and an appreciation of aesthetics. Its chapter houses are gracefully sculpted around their host trees, adorned by manicured gardens of epiphytes on the main branches. Heron's ceremonies involve courtly tradition and patience. While they value enlightened inspiration, poise, and restraint; like their mascot are ready to act swiftly and decisively when necessary. While Heron produces many renowned poets and artists, they are by no means effete – they can be crafty and dangerous warriors, skilled in the martial arts, fierce in defense, cunning in offence, striking suddenly and by surprise when the moment is right.

The Herons respect the Knights for their military culture, the Peregrines for their knowledge and cultured attitudes, and the Ravens for their ability to gather intelligence. They consider the Jets as useless poseur rich boys and divas. The other clans are generally beneath their notice.

The totems of Clan Heron are, naturally, the stalking wading birds of the family Ardeidae. As might be expected, several species of heron have been introduced to Solace. The most commonly seen of these are the night heron and the great blue heron, whose presences now grace waterways across the world.

Jet: The Jet clan arose from wealthy business owners that used the lack of significant regulation on early Solace to leverage their advantages and gain control of much of the means of production, service industries, and finance on the planet. This moneyed elite moved together in their own social circles, inter-married into each others troops, and soon merged into a clan both to enhance their ability to mingle with the other elites and present a unified front to represent their interests. Today, the net worth of Clan Jet is not known but they are suspected to be one of the richest organizations in the Verge.

Those in Clan Jet tend to measure one's worth by one's worldly goods. To impress each other, they use extravagance, ostentation, conspicuous consumption, and displays of wealth. However, they also value physicality, and athletic prowess and a well-toned, attractive body are sure to gain positive notice as well. Jet parties are notorious for their hedonism.

The Jets admire the Herons for their effortless nobility, and can only aspire to match them. Everyone else they consider a tool to be used, although the Ravens are a very useful tool indeed. As descendants of the property owners who originally oppressed the Lindens and Pirates, the animosity between these clans and the Jets remains strong.

As might be expected from their mascot, the Jets approve of fast, flashy vehicles. These are often valued more as a status or power symbol than any actual practical use of speed. However, since going faster than the other guy is a good way to gain status, racing is a popular past-time among the Jets.

Knight: Clan Knight formed during the Chinese occupation of Solace, from guerilla bands striking the invader's forces and then fading into the trackless forests. Forged in battle, the Knights carry their military traditions and outlook with them to this day.

The Knights are a clan that emphasizes tradition, duty, honor, and justice. They have little tolerance for rule-breakers, and believe in swift obedience and respect for authority. They have a strongly hierarchical organization, with harsh penalties for those who step beyond the line.

The Knights respect the Peregrines for their learning and the Centaury for their service. The Herons' martial prowess earns them some grudging respect, despite their origins as bandits. While the Knights appreciate the technical competence of the Dragons, the historical animosity between their two totems leads to a good-natured rivalry between the clans. The Knights detest the Hellbenders and Pirates for their lawlessness, disdain for authority, and flaunting tradition.

Their mascots are the landed warrior-nobles of old Earth. Given the importance of horsemanship to these mascots, it is not surprising that many Knight members are accomplished equestrians. As might be expected, this clan contributes heavily to law enforcement and the military.

Linden: Clan Linden is the largest clan on Solace and in the Verge, in terms of the size of its membership roster. It started as an association of working class troops of Port Ipsun, acting as something of a trade union to represent their interests against the over-reach of the property-owning class. By working together, the Lindens were able to win significant concessions in the form of fair wages and benefits in return for their labor. From this first significant success, they were able to rapidly recruit new members from working tradesmen and employees and formed new chapters in cities throughout Solace.

Linden emphasizes the virtues of honesty, hard work, keeping your word, and producing labor of practical value. They are known for their down-to-earth attitude and appreciation of simple pleasures.

Lindens tend to get along with Pirates and Hellbenders, and they respect the Centaury for their service and generosity. They often find they have common aims with the Dragons, as both clans value diligence, production, and dedication. Clan Jet is their historical enemy, and the two clans often feud to this day. They have little patience for the posings of the Herons.

Their totem is the Solace Linden, Parapopulus solacensis, a native tree not related to its Earth namesakes. Solace Lindens are known for the diversity of uses of their wood, bark, and leaves, with different sections of the trunk yielding wood of different properties.

Peregrine: The Peregrines originated among the lore-keepers of the original Solace refugees, maintaining records of old Earth and forging connections between the separate colony sites. The clan values knowledge and scholarship, as well as refined culture and sophistication. They cultivate an ethos of the citizen philosopher, to guide Solace to a better future. More than most other clans, they see the value of Human history and methods to inform the current Pannova society. This leads to some distrust from the other clans, who often view them as collaborators or "too Human."

The Peregrines respect the Centaury for their dedication to education and the healing arts, and the Dragons for their embrace of technical knowledge. Their similar attitudes toward refined behavior leads to mutual respect with the Herons. They have no actual enemies among the other clans, as they try to hold themselves apart from inter-clan squabblings.

The clan's totem is the peregrine falcon, Falco peregrinus, whose high altitude vantage gives it a view of all that happens below. Some seek to emulate the speed or predatory acumen of the falcon, and the rivalry between the Jets and the Peregrines in racing competitions is legendary. Peregrine falcons are kept in many clan aviaries, and the clan falcon masters have studied the methods of falconry from old Earth. However, the cloud-shrouded coastal rain forests of the main Solace colonies are unsuitable habitat for this predator and no feral populations are known (although two species of Accipiter hawks are now well established among the towering trees of Solace).

Pirate: The Pirate clan started as associated fishermen and maritime workers. Initially exploited and oppressed by the property-owning classes, the Pirates took after their namesakes and staged violent protests, setting canneries ablaze and venturing upriver to ransack the gentry getting rich off the stolen profits of their labors. Solace at the time lacked a strong militia, and soon the Pirates had control of the seas and many coastal installations.

During the occupation, the Pirates suffered heavy losses. They retreated to remote hidden coves and secret bases. Yet they kept up what pressure they could on the invaders by raiding commerce, attacking fishermen, and pillaging aquaculture farms and deep sea mining installations.

The Pirates are known for their bloody-minded independence. They champion individual freedom but collective action, working together by choice for the greater good of society. Clan Pirate is ever a foe of corporate greed and entrenched power structures, fighting to restore the liberty of the common Pannova to exercise what the Pirates see as their native rights. The ethos of the clan lauds risk-taking, heroics, steadfast friendship, social equality, and life unshackled from the strictures of society. Because they are Pannovas, the Pirates still organize around a strong dominance hierarchy, but the Pirates believe that leaders should arise from the ranks by competence and charisma rather than coercion, wealth, or heredity. Like the Hellbenders, the Pirates are willing to accept the outcasts, exiles, and unworthy of the other clans; believing in second chances and strength through diversity.

The Linden have long been allies with the Pirates, in their shared interest in reducing the impact of moneyed interests on Solace. The Pirates see kindred spirits in the anti-establishment attitudes of the Hellbenders, although they are disappointed that the Hellbenders do not use their rebellious nature for social improvement. They admire the independence of the Wolverines, and the two clans generally get along well. The Jets are their traditional enemies, and the snootiness of the Herons tends to infuriate them.

Their mascot is, of course, rooted in the sea-raiders of old Earth, from the infamous pirates of the Caribbean, Barbary pirates, and Vikings to the desperate men and women of Somalia and the straits of Malacca in the 20th and early 21st century who rose up to say "enough" to foreign exploitation by taking up arms against imperialist nautical traffic. They use the Jolly Roger as their emblem, although with the Human skull replaced by that of a Pannova.

Raven: The Raven clan emerged from power struggles within the Jet nobility. Eager for information on their rivals, networks of hackers and private investigators rose to provide the dirt on powerful individuals and vulnerabilities in organizations – for a price. This informal web strengthened with increasing demand, until they were a full fledged clan specializing in espionage, information gathering, and data brokering.

Clan Raven prefers to keep to the sidelines and operate from the shadows. They cultivate contacts across all strata of society, seeking moles and back-doors in all organizations with influence on Solace and, now, the Verge as a whole. They have a reputation as tricksters and pranksters, with practical jokes used to prove one's superiority and gain renown within their clan.

The Ravens do not have allies or enemies among the other clans – only clients and targets.

Their totem is the common raven, Corvus corax. Chapter houses may keep several ravens in their aviaries, and by now these large black birds are established in many areas of Solace. The iconography of Clan Raven often features an elderly yet still powerful male Pannova holding a staff, wearing a cloak, one eye covered by the brim of a wide hat, with a raven on each shoulder.

Wolverine: Not all Pannovas settled close to major population centers. The loners, the prospectors setting off into the wilderness, the distant homesteaders and early rangers needed to look to each other to survive in harsh times. From these hardy explorers formed a brotherhood that became the nucleus of Clan Wolverine.

The Wolverines have a culture of traveling and exploring, wandering widely in search of new opportunities or just out of curiosity. They value tenacity, independence, endurance, woodcraft, and solitude; and are always willing of offer aid and hospitality to those in need. Clan Wolverine is well represented in the Solace Colonial Rangers as scouts and trackers.

The Wolverines are remote enough that they do not have significant allies or enemies among the other clans. They have little use for the urban sophistication of the Herons or the flashy consumption of the Jets. The independent attitude of the Pirates generally sits well with the Wolverines. Any who venture away from civilization, take care not to abuse the environment, and treat the Wolverines with respect generally fall into their good graces.

The Wolverine's totem is, naturally, Gulo gulo; the giant snow weasel of old Earth's impenetrable mountain ranges and remote frozen north. Clan members commonly keep Wunderines as companions and working animals, valuing their canny nose and indefatigable spirit and seeing kinship in their common origins.

Given below is a list of selected major corporations in the Verge. It is by no means complete – just like in the modern world, there is a lot of competition. So although there is just one food packaging corporation listed, for example, expect there to be several brands competing for your spending dollars.

It is worth noting that after The Bump in the Night all proprietary software became unavailable. Free software, however, could be downloaded by anyone. Thus, most computers in the Verge run some variety of Linux, and software is usually open source. There is no equivalent of Microsoft in the Verge.

Alexia Motor Corporation

Alexia manufactures vehicles, personal vehicles such as skycars and scooters and ATVs as well as mass transit and freight hauling vehicles such as busses, trucks, lifters, and train cars.

Headquarters: Gramma, Garcia's World

Amir Forestry Corporation

Amir Forestry owns large plantations, which they use for sustainable forestry practices. However, they are not above cutting virgin forest when given the opportunity. Amir agents are sent exploring in untamed places to find new valuable varieties of lumber.

Headquarters: Portland, Valleya.

Arco Tech

Arco specializes in prefabricated or ready-to-assemble buildings and furniture, appliances, and home accessories.

Headquarters: Olympus, Garcia's World



Chang-MacDonald Heavy Industries

CMD is best known by the average person for their personal vehicles – cars, trucks, motorcycles – but they also make a variety of heavy machinery including tractors, construction equipment, tunnel boring machines, mining and logging equipment, turbines, and electric generators.

Headquarters: Caprock, Žemyna.

Corton Security

Corton claims to be security consultants. This is a thinly disguised facade for mercenary work. When trouble breaks out and Corton is hired by one party to the trouble, the "consultants" show up with military grade gear and training and make sure the trouble goes away. Corton also provides facility security. They are not very particular about niceties such as avoiding civilian casualties.

Headquarters: Dublin, San Agustín.



Dragon Power Solutions

Dragon manufactures energy storage solenoids, the electrical generating components of NOW generators, and off-grid power supplies such as solar panels and wind turbines.

Headquarters: Big Tree, Solace.

Emergent Robotics

Emergent is a major manufacturer of robots, from automated lawn mowers to sophisticated androids.

Headquarters: Švedas Crossing, Žemyna.

Estrada-Groozhi Communications Corporation

The venerable EGComCo resulted from a merger of Estrada telecommunications Inc. and Groozhi Nogi. Offering phone and data service throughout the Verge Republic and Gummi Space, EGComCo utilizes cellular, satellite, and wormhole technologies, with fiber-optic links or dedicated com wormholes for fast data transfer to fixed facilities. EGComCo has an exclusive license to maintain fiber-optic communications through the wormholes in the Zox Hierate.

Headquarters: Nuevo Durango, New Carolina.

Fāng and sons

Fāng is a firearms manufacturer, producing quality needlers, lasers, stunners, and launch guns.

Headquarters: Loadstone, Garcia's World.

General EM

An opportunistic fusion of a chemical materials supplier and exotic metallurgy company, a superconductor materials workshop and a design company, General EM has grown into a go-to manufacturer of electromagnetic field generation equipment. From commercial powerlines and beamed power systems to maglev rail lines and linear motors for the civilian and military market, General EM (also known as GEM) makes it all from processing, fabbing, design and furnishing. A lot of the Verge Armed Forces electromagnetic field systems are manufactured by General EM. It also manufactures some high-demand exotic molecular materials for skunk works contracts. The company also has an up-and-coming line of medical equipment descending from high-field MRI imagers and radiation treatment machines.

For a time, GEM had a substantial manufacturing presence on Zhangshān for easy access to the needed minerals, while keeping the design and central administration on Tīan Nán. The on-going Zhangshānese insurrection, however, has led GEM to divert manufacturing assets to Tīan Nán. They are still active on Zhangshān as a major buyer of mineral wealth and providing funding for many dig sites. Their use of conflict minerals is commonly criticized, yet their materials supply is military-critical so that Republic authorities often overlook transgressions in the name of national security.

Headquarters: Jiēdì, Tīan Nán.



Kriktikik zz Transportation, Inc.

KzT is owned and operated by the Kriktikik zz hive, former refugees from the Squirm who have come to dominate the shipping industry of the Verge. They run trucking, shipping, rail, and air transportation for goods. They build and operate wormhole stations and infrastructure, and are contracted by the FTA to run many of the inter-world transport wormholes within the Verge Republic.

Headquarters: Thistledown Station, Žemyna.

Larsson Foods

Larsson manufactures food and drink products, from frozen vegetables to ice cream to canned meat – if it can be eaten and packaged, Larsson probably sells it.

Headquarters: Mesa Station, Prospect.

Lindeon

Lindeon Corproation specializes in defense and aerospace products, particularly sensors, guided missiles, and directed energy weapons. In addition to defense contractor work, they manufacture laser smallarms for the civilian market.

Headquarters: Henningston, New Carolina.

Luwunoom Nogi

Luwu, as it is often called, manufactures repulsorlifts, repuslor vehicles, and tractor beams.

Headquarters: VziiHoo Aaa, Grummer.



Mackenzie Outfitters

Mackenzie sells rugged and durable clothes as well as equipment for outdoor expeditions, such as camping supplies; canoes, rafts, and kayaks; fishing tackle; guns and ammo; hiking packs and frames; and trail riding gear.

Headquarters: Osho, Valleya.

MetricEngineering, Inc.

MetricEngineering creates wormholes and manufactures wormhole support frames and projectors. In addition to transit wormholes, it makes electric generators using non-orientable wormholes, com-grade wormholes, and wormhole-based munitions.

Headquarters: Wazon, Solace.

Moonoonfzee Nogi

Moonoonfzee builds deflector screens and other defensive affector applications.

Headquarters: Eeee, Doonzhee.

Multiplex

Multiplex is a search engine and advertising company, providing data services peppered with discrete targeted ads.

Headquarters: Copper Springs, New Carolina.

Papadakis Pharmaceuticals

Papadakis produces medications and health-related biotech. They have had recent scandals where several insufficiently tested new medicines produced dangerous side effects.

Headquarters: Copper Springs, New Carolina.

Phoenix Express

A courier service that delivers post and parcels throughout the Verge Republic and Gummi Space.

Headquarters: Fènghuáng, Tīan Nán.

Pinnacle Insurance

A major insurance company, offering policies on everything from traditional staples such as life, home, and vehicle insurance to risky ventures such as off-world exploration.

Headquarters: Newbank, Garcia's World



Rebond Aerospace

Rebond produces commercial, military, and private aircraft, and rockets for space launch.

Headquarters: Twist-Oak, New Carolina.

Rubis-Mazeika

One of the largest financial and banking companies in the Verge, Rubis-Mazeika dates back to the chaos following The Bump in the Night, when Toma Mazeika stood at the steps to the shuttered First National Bank to accept deposits and hand out loans while Martynas Rubis recorded names and amounts in a tattered notebook.

Headquarters: Thistledown Station, Žemyna.

Ruiz Agri

Ruiz Agri specializes in mechanized farming. Owning vast tracts of land on many worlds, its fleet of robots cultivate many of the foodstuffs that feed the Verge. Ruiz Agri is not publicly traded, it is still under the ownership of the Ruiz family.

Headquarters: Playa, San Agustín.

Scholz

Scholz is a department store chain selling clothing and household appliances throughout the Verge Republic and Gummi Space.

Headquarters: Švedas Crossing, Žemyna.



Sòng Electronics

Sòng is a top manufacturer of consumer electronics, from phones and music players to in-home holovid theaters. They are also a leader in remote sensors and have a profitable subdivision researching, manufacturing, and selling directed energy weapons. Sòng is making rapid advances in merging Human and Antecessor technology in their products. The founder of Sòng Electronics was the famous billionaire, war hero, inventor, and all around genius Jack Sòng. His legend lives on around the Verge, and adds to the cachet of his company.

Headquarters: New Clarkston, Homestead.

The Concrete Gentleman

A clothier known for their stylish suits and formal wear. They have expanded into casual wear which nonetheless retains an elegant and fashionable aesthetic. Despite the name, they also produce ladies' wear and outfits for non-humans. Clothing and accessories bearing The Concrete Gentleman label are priced at a premium.

Headquarters: Thistledown Station, Žemyna.



Thistledown Times

A hard-hitting, investigative news organization, the Times is known for ferreting out the truth, undercover reporting, and exposing criminal malfeasance of powerful individuals and organizations. The Times is one of the most respected news organizations in the Verge, with a reputation for impartial reporting.

Headquarters: Thistledown Station, Žemyna.

Verge Farmer's Collective

The Verge Farmer's Collective is an association of free and independent farmers established to provide financial services, legal assistance and collective marketing. Members agree to abide by a basic set of rules in return for assistance in selling their products and finding services necessary for running an agricultural operation. In this respect, the collective is somewhere between a worker-owned corporation and a trade union. Participating in the Collective allows small farmers to effectively compete with agribusiness giants like Ruiz Agri.

Headquarters: Falling Creek, Prospect.

Verge Media Corporation

VMC provides news and entertainments services, both broadcast and on-demand. It maintains extensive studios for filming holovids and producing animations. Their somewhat … aggressive … approach to copyright violators has landed them in trouble in the past.

Headquarters: Crystal Creek, New Carolina

Whumum Nogi

Whumum Nogi's business is electrical power distribution. Subscribers are installed with an E-wormhole that links to Whumum's generators, providing safe, reliable electricity even in the face of harsh weather, intense solar storms, EMPs, high power microwave attacks, or E-bombs. No guarantee is made in the event of causality attacks, however. Whumum's E-wormholes can connect to residences, vehicles, or any other device that uses electricity. For security reasons, it is strictly forbidden to take an E-wormhole through a transit wormhole.

Headquarters: Uumii, Grummer.

Yurlop Extraction Corp.

Yurlop is a mining and company. Its machines can chew away mountains and dig vast pits to get at valuable minerals. Much of its wealth comes from asteroid mining, however. A wormhole can be projected to an asteroid with a promising spectrum, and mass in valuable transition-group metals can be traded for mass in worthless rock from the base world.

Headquarters: Portland, Gateway.

Zhāng Chemical Corporation

Zhāng Chemical Corporation produces most of the industrial, consumer, and agro-chemicals in the Verge. It is commonly criticized for its lax attitude toward environmental protection.

Headquarters: Hónghé, Tīan Nán.

Trade Unions

Trade unions are associations of workers with a given area of expertise, to promote the interests of their profession. Unions may act to promote common standards of a trade, improve community trust, and set guidelines for ethical practices and resolving disputes. However, they are most well known for agitating for higher wages, benefits, and improved working and safety conditions. By coming together, unions can effectively bargain with corporate employers by threatening to deny them labor. When a corporation does not agree to acceptable terms, unionists may strike, refusing to work. Occasionally, a union may become unruly beyond the usual limits of responsible organizational citizenship. Criminal sabotage, intimidation and assault of non-compliant workers or corporate shills, or association with organized crime are all known.

NGOs are not-for-profit agencies not affiliated with a state. While this covers a lot of ground, the term is usually reserved for those founded with a particular cause or agenda. They are typically charities funded by donations. NGOs are often accused of being overly meddlesome, or of being so focused on their specific cause that they overlook the greater picture.

Ecological Protection Foundation

The EPF's mandate is to prevent the ecological tragedies that ravaged old Earth. They employ armies of well-trained and dedicated lawyers and lobbyists to fight what they see as ecologically damaging or short-sighted laws and operations, organize rallies and protest marches, and will often just buy up vulnerable land. The EPF is suspected to provide money and support to the Nature Defenders, but these allegations have never been proven.

Equal Rights for Enhanced Animals

EREA's mission is to end what they see as the enslavement of enhanced animals, granting them full legal protection and freedom. Some members (or groups of members) of EREA verge on the extremist, willing to cause damage to property in order to make their point or free captive enhanced animals. For the most part, however, EREA works by raising public awareness and trying to pass laws protecting enhanced animals.

New Earth

New Earth seeks to re-create the ecologies of old Earth through terraforming and panspermia of Earth-descended life. They are opposed by the Ecological Protection Foundation and Nature Defenders, who see this as destroying native ecosystems and eco-genocide. In general, attempts to terraform worlds with only microbial life are the least controversial, while modifying the ecologies of worlds with complex life leads to more resistance. In the past, several attempted introductions have gone spectacularly wrong.

Reconnection Institute

Dedicated to re-contacting lost colonies, the Reconnection Institute sponsors wormhole expeditions to worlds that historically once hosted sentient beings. Reconnection explorers often return with harrowing tales of adventure and excitement among exotic cultures, many of which have made best-selling novels or popular holo-vid series.

Rural Development Co-op

The RDC seeks to promote basic standards of living among impoverished areas, including establishing sanitation, power, and communications, and educating people on effective agricultural practices. They often send members to newly reconnected former colonies to assess the situation and lend assistance to the residents for re-contact with civilization.

Sapient Rights Council

The SRC fights to preserve fundamental liberties of all peoples, through legal action, demonstrations, and lobbying for legislation that supports their cause. They have also been known to take more direct action, from sending agents to gather actionable intelligence that can be turned over to law enforcement to hiring mercenaries to rescue victims beyond the reach of the law.

Not all organizations in the Verge operate to promote an orderly society. Some want to tear it down, and they promote violence to achieve their goals.

Church of Seekers of the Throne

A Christian extremist group, who seek to bring about the biblical prophecy of the Book of Revelation, the downfall of society, and the second coming of Christ, after which the faithful shall be risen to life to live for eternity in paradise while the unworthy burn in the fires of hell. Not content to wait for the apocalypse to come about on its own, the Throne Seekers commit acts of terrorism to encourage strife, fear, and anarchy. They commonly target other religious sects or examples of secular, commercial culture.

Free Zhǎngshān Army

Many in Zhǎngshān are not pleased at being part of the Verge Republic. The Free Zhǎngshān Army has considerable support among the rural population, where they hide out in the mountains, strike at Republic targets, and plan acts of terrorism.

Mankind First!

Mankind First! and other similar organizations promote a racist agenda of Human superiority and repression of other sapients. Individual chapters may agitate for everything from protectionist trade policies to extermination of non-Human sapients. Mankind First! members have been responsible for many brutal attacks on non-Humans and Humans deemed "sympathizers". The organization leadership claims that these are the actions of individuals, and not officially condoned.

Nature Defenders

An eco-activist group, Nature Defenders skirt the line between legal activism and criminal activity. They harass those who they see as damaging the natural ecosystem, interfering with corporate or government operations. Some members or local chapters cross the line to engage in sabotage and destruction of property, although most will not participate in violent assaults on sapients or murder.

Progressive Worker's Party

The Worker's Collective is a violent anarcho-communist group that supports the overthrow of the Verge Republic and replacement with a "perfect society". This society would have all means of production in the hands of the workers, while abolishing private property and the state. In practice, for many members it is merely an excuse to riot, loot, and violently assault "members of the corrupt system".

From the Mafia to Triads to cartels and street gangs, organized criminals moved with Humanity out into the Verge. Several powerful groups are known, involved in smuggling, human trafficking, prostitution, extortion, illegal gambling, drug trafficking, racketeering, identity theft rings, botnet operations, and counterfeiting. Often, they can thrive by buying off elected and public officials, allowing their operations to run with impunity. Many organized crime groups have a legitimate front organization as a cover for their activities. A legal transport company may serve as a front for a smuggling ring, for example.

Actual criminal operations depend on the local environment. As an example, on Žemyna mind-altering drugs are only lightly regulated and prostitution is legal. Criminals cannot make much profit in these areas (although some smuggling of drugs occurs to get around high taxes, and the occasional sex slavery ring is uncovered catering to people with more depraved interests). The highly networked and high-tech Žemynan society, however, makes it rife with data pirates and identity thieves. On more conservative and traditional Prospect, with recreational drugs and prostitution illegal, these are lucrative areas for the local crime syndicates.

Different groups claim different territories or criminal activities. However, it is not unusual for one group to try to edge in on that of another. The resulting conflicts can be both vicious and violent.

Many religions are not particularly organized, from private but sincere Taoists to a shrine to Veles in a sacred grove used only for worship services by a small community of believers on important holidays. Others are organized at the community levels, with mosques, churches, and temples providing local charities and community assistance as well as planning get-togethers, festivals, and events along with religious education and worship services. Many community churches also sponsor missions to help improve the welfare of impoverished people in distant lands (and, often, to spread the word of their religion and gain new converts).

There are, however, several religious organizations that reach across multiple worlds, having a top-down structure with Verge-wide authority derived from a central church.

Mormons or Latter Day Saints: The LDS have their headquarters in Bigwater, New Carolina, where they oversee a network of temples across the Verge Republic and parts of Gummi Space. They are one of the most enthusiastic proselytizers of the Verge, sending missionaries far and wide to spread the word.

Catholicism: The Bump in the Night separated the Catholic faithful from their leadership. Without the authority of Rome, the Catholic organization lost much of its legitimacy. This led to increasing tension between the progressive and conservative elements within the church, and soon this venerable institution suffered a schism. Both branches of Catholicism have trappings and practices that would be familiar to modern Catholics, with monestaries and nunneries, priests and bishops wearing the expected costumes, and traditional rites performed in curches and cathederals with all the usual decorations.

Originalist Catholicism: The progressive elements labeled themselves as Originalist Catholics, as they looked for inspiration primarily to the Gospels and the examples set by the early church in the New Testament. They believe that salvation is achieved by following the examples set by Christ, including helping the poor and needy, not engaging in ostentatious displays of faith, accepting the foreigner and the outcast, loving one's neighbor, and rejecting the norms and pressures of society in favor of kindness and compassion. The Originalist Catholic Church allows the ordination of women and non-humans as priests and bishops, emphasizes support of the poor and disadvantaged, allows priests to marry, and takes no position on contraception. It still encourages chastity and does not grant divorces, but by reserving the institution of marriage to Humans it recognizes that traditional sexual values are not necessarily intended by God to apply to other sapient species.

The Originalist Catholic pope oversees the church from a cathedral in Thistledown Station, Žemyna. They support missionary activities around the Verge, and are particularly well known for their hospitals, charities to help the poor, orphanages, and rural development assistance.

Restoration Catholicism: The Restoration Catholics became the more conservative church. They kept the papacy at Constance, Garcia's World. Restoration Catholics deny that non-humans had immortal souls, and are thus incapable of salvation. Keeping with Roman tradition, only male humans can be ordained as priests and they must remain unmarried.

Tzachiism: The veneration of the Zox emperor, and the Tzachi hive as the leader of the priesthood and keepers of the library, is common among Mants. Even Mant hives no longer associated with the Zox Hierate will commonly keep a shrine to the emperor, and descendant hives of Tzachi within the Verge Republic and Gummi Space still maintain copies of the sacred library.

In the Zox Hierate, the Tzachi religion is a Hierate-wide organization nominally controlled by the Emperor, with the Colonial Governor having religious authority in the Emperor's absence. In practice, the Governor has little influence over the council of elder Tzachi priests, a split exacerbated because the current Governor is not from the Tzachi hive or one of Tzachi's descendant hives. Nonetheless, the Tzachi temple promotes virtue through government obedience and following the traditional Zox ways.

Religions without a hierarchical authority still have a strong presence within the Verge. Protestant denominations, Islam, Buddhism, Taoism, and Judaism are widely practiced in Human Space. Many displaced ethno-cultural groups that settled in the Verge retained their traditional religions as well, with Polynesians seeking mana and avoiding tapu, and members of Columbian plateau tribes going on vision quests for the aid of powerful weyekins. The Earth Heritage Revival movement also led to an increase of worship in previously rare or dead religions, such as Gnosticism and Baltic and Slavic Paganism.

Within Gummi Space, Uumuuluu or "The Oneness" has a strong following – a pantheistic philosophy of being and unity. Uumuuluu practitioners engage in transcendental meditation in order to unify their consciousness with the universe. Devout Uumuuluuans profess complete non-violence and compassion for all living things; less enthusiastic co-religionists can be a bit more lax on these doctrines. The Uumuuluu religion has found a considerable following among Mants displaced into the Republic or Gummi Space, who find strength in belonging to The Oneness and feel comfort in believing they know their place in an otherwise confusing and uncertain universe. Many Gummis also find an affinity for Taoism or Buddhism, with Taoist practices and Buddhist followings now found throughout many Gummi worlds.

Universities are institutes of higher education and research. Professors are expected to teach introductory and advanced courses, mentor students in their field, and carry out original research. Funding for education and basic salaries is covered by the government – university education is free in the Verge to qualified students. Funding for research, however, must be scrounged up by the professor and his team, usually by applying for grants or asking for donations from wealthy individuals or organizations (although the latter is often suspect, leading to questions about the independence of the research). University researchers often travel far and wide, going into exciting and dangerous places in their quest for knowledge.

Most universities have sports teams. These generate considerable enthusiasm among the students and local population, with matches against other collegiate teams across the Verge. The extreme popularity of university sports often leads to scandals when student athletes are given preferential treatment or unethical recruiting practices are used, and many universities are criticized for putting sports first and education second.

Well known and prestigious universities include Thistledown University, University of New Carolina, Homestead University of Agriculture and Mining (the Aggies), Eewheeohm Advanced Learning Center, Centaury Central University, Goorwhiimoong Education Committee, and Valleya Institute of Technology (Val-Tech).