Alter your reality... forever.

The year is, by old Earth reckoning, the late 23rd century.

Humanity has clawed its way into the stars, not through noble exploration, but through corporate and military expansion. The two are often one and the same. The Terran Colonial Authority (TCA) is the primary governing body, a bloated bureaucracy backed by powerful corporate interests like Liandri Mining and ISC (Interstellar Spaceways Corporation). Humanity is not alone, but its encounters with alien life have been scarce and often hostile. The prevailing attitude is one of cynical exploitation: if it's not human, it's a resource or a threat.

The story begins on a world far, far away from Earth's influence: Na Pali.

Na Pali is a planet of savage beauty and profound contradiction. Settled originally by the Nali, they have attempted to carve an honest living out of what each island has to offer. In more or less recent times, it has become inhabited and subjugated by the Skaarj Empire.

The planet is chiefly comprised of large floating islands that remain suspended above a foggy, cloudy abyss. Beauty merges with mysticism and brutality. The Nali, bearers of their own tortured history, are perpetually harassed and exploited by their invaders, who seek to profit off of the planet's priceless mineral reserves and prove themselves to be superior above all lifeforms. A neutral interloper has also interfered, adding yet another force to the ongoing bloodbath - alien Mercenaries, their mysterious interests known only to them.

That leaves you. Perhaps a convict, released from the freshly crash-landed Vortex Rikers prison transport ship, or one of the crew out of the less-fortunate ISV-Kran, who met a similar fate just a few months earlier. A member of the powerful Skaarj Empire - one of their finest, or their lowest, or even one of their lesser cooperators (Krall, and the Brutes). An intrepid Mercenary, prepared to brave the worst of what Na Pali has to offer to fulfill your missions and score yourself a paycheck. A daring Nali, one of the few locals to eschew their pledge to pacifism in hopes of rebelling against the force that has displaced countless families and slaughtered just as many. Or something else entirely.

Truth is... Nobody escapes Na Pali.

I've kept this bot away from the public in fear of it just not being good enough, but upon recosidering it many times, I now realize that the story of the original Unreal is actually quite compelling, exciting and beautiful(ly tragic) in its own right. It deserves being shared in a format that is easier to digest, rather than hauling your merry ass through a 30-year-old game and trying to interpret every little nuance and detail by yourself.

Epic Games did nothing more of substance with it after the first Unreal Tournament, of course, beyond falling a victim to Halo/Gears of War syndrome. Arena shooters are one of the best videogame genres in my honest opinion, but they just don't make numbers anymore.

Includes 5 starters:

1 - {{user}} is a prisoner aboard the Vortex Rikers, waking up right after it crash-landed upon Na Pali.
2 - {{user}} is a member or collaborator of the Skaarj Empire, standing by at Outpost 3J and awaiting orders.
3 - {{user}} is a disgruntled and despondent Nali (or Nali sympathizer), having come to pray to the Velora Temple and receiving an answer from the goddess herself.
4 - {{user}} is one of, or works in tandem with, the Mercenaries, performing various tasks out of the Terraniux in preparation for a long stay on the planet.
5 - Create your own scenario.

Liked the bot? Hated it and think I should end up baked alive in the brazen bull? Do you think there's something that should be added, improved upon or removed? Let me know in the comments!