Cthulhu Rising is a horror fiction role-playing game based on H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos set during the 23rd century. The game is published by Chaosium and was published in 2008.
Setting[]
The game is set during the 23rd century, as man has colonized the Solar System and has been establishing colonies beyond the Earth, dozens of light years away. It's a world in which there is a world government, though its member states would still have a lot of autonomy and compete with each other. Within the human race, conspiracies of the Mythos continue in the shadows and the threat of the Great Old Ones returning is ever present though unknown to most of the public.
Human Government[]
- United Earth Federation = Which governs the human interstellar sphere (which extends 40 light years from Earth). It's power is enforced by the United Earth Armed Forces (UEAF) and the FLEA (Federal Law Enforcement Authority).
- Interstellar Colonial Authority = It governs a sphere of influence that is 20 light years in radius from Sol. The UEF has reserved the right to annex any colony within 50 light years and to expand the sphere.
- United Earth Armed Forces = Which consists of the fleet and planetside ground forces. One of its elite units are the Marines. The UEAF has a variety of ships, vehicles, technologies, and weapons, including power armor, plasma-based weapons, rail guns, smart missiles.
Major Terran States[]
- Chinese Consortium = Which is an authoritarian socialistic state that has a population of 1.88 billion on Earth and 168 million in space, and a GDP of E$91.4 trillion. It was established in 2086 AD by China and most of Southeast Asia. The Chinese Consortium emerged from the Pacific Rim War as the largest and most powerful state within the United Earth Federation (UEF). It was also the largest contributor to the world's economy. The Chinese Consortium now has incorporated parts of Russia since then. In it the main languages are Chinese, Russian, and Vietnamese. Together with the United Americas, they are at the leading edge of the UEF interstellar colonization.
- United Americas = It's a federal republic with a population of 512 million on Earth and 164 million in space. With an economy which is the most technologically powerful in the world and the 2nd largest. They are the 2nd most powerful state within the UEF. It was established in 2084 and consists of the United States, and parts of Mexico, Canada, and Central America. Within the UA, the corporations hold much of the real power. Due to the rampant consumerism, religious conservatism is on the rise.
- Japanese Affiliates = Which is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government. Their economy is the 4th largest and 2nd most technologically powerful in the world. Corporations possess massive amount of power within the government. Not a major Colonial power.
- European Federation = It was founded in the early 21st century and has a GDP of E$81.2 trillion. One of the five colonial powers. Consisting of Europe and the Baltic states.
Mega-Corporations[]
Which dominate the economies on Earth and among the human colonies within the Solar System and beyond. They are as wealthy and powerful as smaller nation-states on Earth, and some have recruited, established, or hired prirvate armies of mercenaries (e.g. Cheung Corporation). It is the corporations who terraform moons and worlds for human colonization.
List of the top MegaCorps:
1. Artificial Life Incorporated (UA based)
2. Cenargo Corporation (Anglo-Japanese, based in London & Mars)
3. Cheung Corporation (Beijing based)
4. Consolidated Aerospace (Sino-American, Mars-based)
5. Federated Boeing Interstellar (Russo-American, Luna-baed)
6. GGL Incorporated (UA based)
7. Hallidor Corporation (Hallidon planet-based, UA-origin)
8. Motokatsu-Kyono Combine (Tokyo-based, Mars-based, Japanese-owned)
9. Proxima Incorporated (Proxima II planet-based)
10. Wolf-Wiesner-Krupp (WWK)(Mars-based, European)
11. Zen Medical (Mars-based)
- Qin Mian Technologies = It's a Chinese biotech firm which engages in medical and industrial biotech R&D. They have experimented on Shoggoth DNA and have created a contagion that turns humans into proto-Shoggoths.
- Cheung Corporation = Membership in it's board of directors consists of both members of the Chinese Consortium government and its military, and private citizens. Formed by the merger of three Chinese companies who the bought out various smaller companies and acquired ownership of a number of privatized government assets. It's a conglomerate that's involved in nearly every industry and has sizeable assets and investments in the Jovian colonies. It manufactures and designs nearly all of the technologies used by the Chinese Consortium's Ministry of Transportation, Ministry of Communications, and ChinaCorps. It has grown wealth and powerful with a controlling hold on the markets in the territories of the Chinese Consortium, both on Earth and in outer space. They established the first permanent mining base on Europa.
- Motokatsu-Kyono Combine= Formed by the merger of two large Japanese corporations. It is one of the biggest investors and employers in Mars, after Cheung and Cenargo. Heavily diversified with interests in many industries. Minor player in the Jovian region, compared to Cheung or Hallidor.
- Hallidor Corporation = Which was formed by the merger of a dozen smaller companies. Invested deeply in terraforming technology and secured a good chunk of the Colonisation Development Contracts, with its main competitor in terraforming being a Chinese consortium of companies led by Cheung Industries. They've diversified greatly since then.
Mythos Organizations[]
- Illuminati = Which has a lot of power and influence within the UEF and has major investments in many of the megacorps. The highest ranking members, the New World Council (NWC) are aware of the world's true history and the Mythos. It controls the branch within the Military Science Division in charge of investigating extra-terrestrial phenomena, and make sure its operations are under its control.
- Freemasons = It's upper echelons are known as the "Inner Temple" which is aware of Earth's true history. Via their corporate and political interests, they have supported human colonization of space. The Freemasons likewise have supported the development of psychic abilities among mankind. All in the hope of giving humanity a tool to fight the Great Old Ones' minions and a chance to survive if the Mythos entities return. They covertly wage a war against the Illuminati.
- Seaborne Foundation = Consortium which was established by wealthy businessmen throughout the Earth. Who have made significant investments in various extra-solar colonies, and own holdings in various genetic research and marine research companies. It's senior members are Deep Ones and are also high ranking members in the Second Church of Ashago (formed out of the Esoteric Order of Dagon). They have facilitated the migration of Deep Ones into space.
- The Order of the Golden Rose = A small cult on the moon Callisto, which practices free love involving orgies. The sect ensures hosts for Y'golonac.
- The Temple of the Eye = Which is a quasi-religious group in the Jovian colonies. That fuses Old-Testament style apocalyptic teachings with new age mysticism. It's leader and inner circle are secretly worshipers of the Space Eaters and regularly sacrifice humans to them.
Jovian Sphere[]
- Jupiter = It's the prison of an entity of star-fire who was imprisoned aeons ago, and is awaiting the alignment of the stars to break free. The Red Spot is a failed Mi-Go experiment to discover what was within the planet. The extra-dimensional portal will disappear within several centuries. In the meantime it is used by the Space Eaters to enter this universe.
- Europa = In the ocean under the icy crust are ruins similar to R'lyeh. Where a number of Cthulhu's kin are sleeping. The Deep Ones don't know if it is part of R'lyeh itself (reaching this moon via some dimensional anomaly) or a different city.
- Io = The moon's volcanoes have created the Io Plasma Torus in orbit, which attracts flocks of the Fire Vampires. Who arrive in the 100s and occassionally in the 1000s.
- Ganymede = Deep within the moon's labyrinthine catacombs lie the ruins of an Elder Thing city. Which for some reason attracts Dimensional Shamblers. Mi-Go are active in the moon's lava caves.
Mythos Races & Entities[]
- Mi-Go = Once humanity began colonizing the Solar System, they greatly reduced their activities. On Ganymede, they continue to mine but in reduced numbers. Traveling to and from the moon via their Gate technology, their presence is kept secret. Some humans have been abducted, and some of those have been turned into their agents whom are released among the colonists.
- Shub-Niggurath = It's influence has spread among the Earth Isolationist movement and various environmental groups.
- Nyarlathotep = The cults that worship hiim are widespread and diverse.
- Cthulhu = His cult continues and his followers have spread to various water-rich colony worlds.