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What is progress?
Is it the technology we pioneer, or is it the quality of the human spirit we carry with us to new frontiers?
The Madness of Chartrulean is a full cast sci-fi audio series about the use—and misuse—of technology as a means to advance society. It crawls into the troubled mind of a misunderstood individual against the thematic backdrops of religion, war, politics, and ecology.
The Story
Chartrulean has been gifted with an extraordinary mind. Because of his significance to Arcas’ religious authority, the Jhardeho Order, he was born into a messianic role he did not want. His ultimate rejection of that role led to his exile. But a threat to his world called him back.
In order to save Arcas, Chartrulean ushers in a new era that embraces so-called “abominable technology”—the kind that makes men lust for power. At the heart of his technology is a mysterious cosmic energy called azurea, and nine prototype warships designed to harness it.
The Nine pause an interstellar war, forcing a diplomatic solution. A fraught political landscape now lies ahead, and being the “most powerful man on Arcas” isn’t something Chartrulean is equipped to handle.
Will the Age of Azurea be Arcas’ rebirth, or humanity’s downfall?
Start from the beginning.
Compendium
Below is a condensed version of the compendium. For a deeper dive, purchase a compendium or access a PDF version when you purchase a season pass.
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The Madness of Chartrulean is an allegory for our society’s deification of technology and the rise of tech billionaires. Maybe it’s easier to encapsulate in the term “messiah complex”, or the idea of an entrepreneur stepping up to save the world. This happening so proximal to hyper capitalism and evangelicalism is an interesting cocktail on its own, one that hardly needs elements of science fiction or fantasy to feel unreal. Combining these things with a post-war economy is how the world of Arcas was imagined.
Even the character Chartrulean is an exploration of the question: “What if someone like Elon Musk actually was the messiah?” If that’s uncomfortable to think about, it’s supposed to be. Thankfully Chartrulean isn’t much like Elon Musk, but comparisons can be drawn between Astreus and companies like SpaceX and Tesla.
Speaking of Tesla, let’s go even father back in time and draw parallels between Chartrulean and Nikola Tesla. Tesla once said “My brain is only a receiver, in the Universe there is a core from which we obtain knowledge, strength and inspiration. I have not penetrated into the secrets of this core, but I know that it exists.” He also said “the gift of mental power comes from God, Divine Being, and if we concentrate our minds on that truth, we become in tune with this great power.”
Throughout history, religion has been invoked when an inventor makes something new. In fact, despite the popular assertion that scientists are atheists, many famous scientists believed in God, including Albert Einstein (agnostic) and Galileo (Catholic). But it doesn’t always take believing. A notable example is Robert J. Oppenheimer quoting the Bhagavad Gita following the first detonation of the atomic bomb in 1945: “Now I am Death, the Destroyer of Worlds.”
The juxtaposition of technology and religion isn’t a new concept in storytelling. It’s in science fiction classics like Dan Simmon’s The Hyperion Cantos, Frank Herbert’s Dune, and Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game, among others. What makes The Madness of Chartrulean unique is the fusion of these themes with the elements of Shakespearean tragedy.
On that mention, one last quote from William Shakespeare: “Ignorance is the curse of God; knowledge is the wing wherewith we fly to heaven.” The message that The Madness of Chartrulean hopes to convey is that we have the tools and technologies to learn from our mistakes, and only once we do that can society truly progress.
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The Madness of Chartrulean is ultimately about humanity’s failure to progress technologically due to flaws in our nature. There are evolved people on Arcas called Jhardehos, but the rest of the world has been hesitant to let the old blood die. Throughout Arcas’ history, Jhardehos have been met with prejudice, jealousy, and violence.
Some of them have even been blamed for all of the world’s problems, even as far back as the days when people fought wars with hammers and stones.
Arcas’ intermittent periods of harmony have not been enough to guarantee a future on the planet for all. Periods of enlightenment have ended in ruin because people in power prioritized immediate gains over long term growth. It’s like the saying “One step forward, two steps back.”
Jhardeho preaches that humanity must follow the Starmakers’ “grand design” for guidance on how to prepare for technological innovation and survive. Only when it has rid itself of the qualities that hold it back can humanity unlock new knowledge.
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On Arcas, technology is present but blends into the background of peoples’ daily lives. There is advanced technology; space elevators run resources between the earth and the cosmos, there are air ships and space ships, seemingly sourceless lights illuminate homes, and people communicate over distances. All of these things use computers, but society doesn’t live on computer screens (except for novelty). These are benevolent technologies.
But other technologies cross the boundaries of necessity are called abominable. This includes sentient technology, cybernetics, and weapons of mass destruction—anything that leads to corruption, conflict, or the bastardization of humanity.
One of The Madness of Chartrulean’s main questions is whether new technologies are inherently benevolent or abominable, who decides that, and what are the societal factors that can turn a benevolent technology abominable and vice versa.
THE setting: the age of azurea
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Arcas is the third planet in the fictional Arca system, and it’s a lot like Earth. It’s people look and act like us, it’s politics are borrowed from pages of our history books, and its social constructs are much like ours. Arcas, however, is dying. Its people have endured industrial ruin, natural catastrophe, and civil war. Resources are scarce, and most of the surface water is too contaminated to purify.
To curtail these problems, those who remain have turned to the stars. A complex network of space elevators move resources to and from the surface, including water mined from celestial bodies. Industrial processes, energy production, and hydroponic farming take place outside of the atmosphere, reducing the strain on the planet’s delicate ecology.
Arcasians know that this is only a temporary reprieve from an inevitable exodus.
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The Long War refers to a period of centuries during which Arcas was at war with an invading alien race called the Rau. The Rau arrived in search of a new world to call home, which they sought to gain through conquest. Because the war took place across great distances, the conflict spanned thirteen cycles (approximately 312 Arcasian years) and five generations of Starbringer Kings.
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Astreus is Arcas’ proudest engineering marvel, and the home of Chartrulean. It is divided into two parts. A military spaceport sits in Arcas’ stratosphere atop a space elevator, and Astreus Labs is in the elevator’s massive base at ground level. The facility is overseen by Admiral Lapadine, a long-time friend and ally of King Starbringer.
Astreus Labs is where Chartrulean has harnessed a controversial cosmic energy called azurea, and used it to build The Nine. Azurea, when used as a weapon, is incredibly powerful. Its use has paused The Long War indefinitely.
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Azurea is a cosmic energy harvested from the collective consciousness of the universe. It is present in the biology of the Jhardeka and Jhardekai and used in religious rituals and ceremonies. It is also referred to as Jhardeho energy, and/or “the mother of all energy”. The potential of azurea is said to be “limitless,” or at the very least limited by the technology that harnesses it.
In addition to ships, astreus manufactures reactors for azurea containment and conversion into a renewable resource. It has various industrial applications such as water purification, agriculture, fuel, power distribution, and weapons. Astreus is also home to a garden with thousands of new species of edible plants. The garden wasn’t an intentional addition to the research, but proximity azurea caused the plants existed there to behave in unpredictable ways, which warranted further study.
Because azurea is sacred to Jhardeho, containing it was originally seen as an act of extreme blasphemy. Astreus’ win against the Rau has reshaped that view in many peoples’ eyes, and azurea is now considered a positive contribution to humanity with the potential to solve many problems. King Starbringer and Admiral Lapadine are strong supporters of Astreus’ azurea development, including the re-homing and training of 1,000 Jhardekai soldiers. The end goal is interstellar colonization.
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The Nine are experimental interceptor-type warships built by Chartrulean at Astreus Labs. They were built custom to fit their pilots' specific abilities. They are the source of the calamity. Their paladins bond with them using neural bridges, creating a symbiotic relationship between the pilots and the ships.
The ships are discovered to have inherited a mind of their own. Chartrulean believes that the azurea itself has become entangled in the neural bridge, asserting its influence over the ships and blurring the lines between the pilots' human intelligence, the ship's artificial intelligence, and the collective consciousness itself.
"Azurea is the collective consciousness. Energy harvested from knowledge. We only assume it's omniscient–faceless. And we can easily be wrong."
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The Nine were preemptively deployed in a battle against the Rau at the urging of several generals working under Admiral Lapadine. A large Rau fleet was approaching Arcas in a direct affront.
Not long after the fighting began, however, the generals walked back on their strategy, claiming that bolstering their defensive line had taken priority. The Nine were abandoned to fight against 900 Rau warships with very little support. Despite all odds, the paladins deployed the Godsend Cannon, a combined energy beam from all nine ships. The blast vaporized Rau ships within a wide radius of the beam.
During the Godsend blast, something inexplicable happened: the ships ceased to respond to the paladins’ commands, exercising free will. This overloaded The Nine’s systems and caused a mutation in the azurea that affected the paladins. It was stopped by Chartrulean.
The blast scattered the remaining armada, which doubled back to the colony. The incident both scared and intrigued them, and a ceasefire agreement was reached shortly after. Even though the event, which people referred to at “the calamity,” paused the war, those who witnessed it view it at a red flag for internal tensions to come.
Admiral Lapadine fired the generals who abandoned The Nine, and accusations of bribery and bigotry were levied. Now this puts Astreus at odds with the war hawks, who need to be convinced to continue supporting azurea research.
Chartrulean laments bending to others for political reasons.
“The generals set us up to fail, and it almost worked.”
jhardeho: a cosmology, race, & religion
“Jhardeho is the cornerstone of our entire planetary society.”
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Jhardeho at its core is more than a religion—it’s a concept that embodies an entire state of evolution, including both physiology and meta-physiology.
It began with the arrival of three evolved human species: the Jhardeka, the Jhardekai, and the Jhardoestra.
According to Jhardeho, the most precious biproduct of humanity is intelligence, and its mission was constructed around the need to protect humanity’s collective knowledge—at all costs. They are assisted in this by the starmaker’s conduit, the Etruvian, who translates the will of the starmaker, Jhar, into actions.
But Jhardeho has been met with the prejudice, which has prevented humanity from reaching its promised utopian state.
There are two branches of Jhardeho:
Mystic Jhardeho: a cosmology studied by those who identify as one of three races of Jhardeho people, and exhibit evolutionary traits.
The Jhardeho Order: those who abide by the principles that guide all of humanity on a path to cultural enlightenment, regardless of their genetics.
As a cosmology, Jhardeho is referred to as Mystic Jhardeho. Its followers are similar to stoics. Mystics believe the purpose of their power isn’t to exert their influence or ideas on others. They serve as custodians of past knowledge and provide it to others when it is needed. They believe having foresight into the future is to be used as a guidepost, not a call to action. For this. Mystics are often considered apathetic.
Using azurea, Mystics have the ability to prolong their own lives and can spend years meditating. Those who contribute the most to the grand design are referred to as Mystic Saints. They congregate at Idrica Seminary.
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One thing both branches have in common is the starmakers. The starmakers are the three distinct cosmic minds that comprise Jhar, a cosmic being and creator of the known universe. Jhar’s cosmic minds are Jhardeka, Jhardekai, and Jhardoestra.
The starmakers are interchangeably called gods, but there is a difference in the nomenclature. The Mystics typically use “starmakers” while members of the Jhardeho Order say “gods.”
“There are no gods, I know that now. You praise gods—fear gods. The starmakers just are.”
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The Jhardeka have been gifted elevated powers of the mind. Using azurea, they can separate their minds from their bodies and spend incredibly long times in a heightened reality called the void. In many cases they can build extensive mind palaces in which to store all the knowledge they gain. Characters in The Madness of Chartrulean who are who are Jhardeka include Maldoro, Magogoso, and Yulia.
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The Jhardekai have evolved physical and psycho-kinetic traits. Unlike the Jhardeka, their azurea can be manifested in the physical realm. They have been historically blamed for all of Arcas’ past wars. In the city of Simitu they are considered pariah and their population and residency are both heavily regulated. They have been the victims of extreme racism and genocide.
In the city of Idrica, however, Jhardekai are the dominant race. There, the racism is flipped and old bloods are looked at as the inferior race. Characters who are Jhardekai include Shan, Bhodekai, Dr. Fillion and the paladins.
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The Jhardoestra have no known abilities, but their presences have an effect on others that isn’t understood. Generally attributed to “love,” Chartrulean describes them as “human nature amplified”. According to folklore, the starmaker Jhardoestra abandoned humanity after realizing it was no longer capable of compassion. Characters who are Jhardoestra include Sophrosyne and Queen Hona (deceased).
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Also referred to as the “messiah” or “superman”, the Etruvian is an amalgamation of all three Jhardeho types. One is born into every generation, and is given the divine ability to commune with the starmakers. At some point in their lives, they are shown glimpses of the future and tasked with using them to guide humanity towards an enlightened and prosperous future.
Chartrulean is Etruvian, meaning he has the advanced gifts of all three starmakers: an elevated mind, body, and spirit. While in the void, he can slow time, view people and objects in ways beyond the visible spectrum, and conjure visions. In his mind palace, he has built several metaphysical chambers where he stores critical information and memories.
Characters in The Madness of Chartrulean who are Etruvian include Chartrulean, Artedemis, and Rankusha (deceased).
“The Starbringer Kings were so-named because that’s what we were destined to do—bring the stars to the people. If I’m going to be the last, I’ll be damned if I fail at destiny!”
People and factions
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The Starbringer family is a long-running dynasty of monarchs, The Starbringers. They are King Buehl Starbringer and his children, Princess Sophrosyne and Prince Imsep. Chamberlain Yoba is King Starbringer’s hand, assisting the royal family closely.
King Starbringer is a charismatic leader with a big bravado and high hopes for the future, despite his knowledge that the Age of Azurea will likely mark the end of House Starbringer. The family invests heavily in Astreus Labs, hoping that part of its lasting legacy can be its contributions to the development of azurea.
The Starbringer name is contentious for many Arcasians. Buehl Starbringer’s father was considered an apathetic ruler. He was deep in the war hawks’ pockets, and used as a tool to make those who profited from The Long War richer. He left a lot of governance to The Order, which lead to a shift in power.
This recently ended with Buehl Starbringer’s separation from the Jhardeho Order, which created a political rift felt throughout the region. Now, people grapple to establish their allegiances. The most affluent cautiously align with House Starbringer because of it’s relationship with Astreus Labs and the sudden popularity of Chartrulean. This makes King Starbringer even more of a target for Maldoro’s retribution.
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The Rau are a wandering alien race in search of a new world to call home, which they seek to gain through conquest. Their fleet is made up of the colony ship, Xisuthros, and an extensive armada of battleships. Gor is their leader, and the ambassadors who are sent to Arcas are Drechen, Grobien, and the sickly Cydar. The Rau are a strangely ageless human-like species, though they are compared to birds in their mannerisms.
“...Two of them towered over everyone by at least a full head’s height. One had green hair and the other magenta, both helmet-like and styled using heavy grease. Their faces were human, but were long and sallow with small, jagged features. Their thin bodies were draped in tapestry-like robes and long feathered capes in hues of dark translucent blues and greens, and they stood hunched over with the mannerisms of old men of poor health. Like giant birds wearing poor human disguises.”
The Rau’s presence was first detected following disruptions in celestial mining operations in the outer belt of the Arca star system. As the Xisuthros moved inward, they were directly confronted and things turned hostile. So began “The Long War.” Over the course of centuries, the Xisuthros grew closer and closer, expanding their armada using resources plundered from Arcasian assets.
The conflict dragged on for thirteen cycles (approx. 312 Arcasian years) and five generations of Starbringer Kings. In that time, Arcasians and Rau were able to establish a line of communication, and learn one another’s languages and basic things about their cultures. Despite several efforts, diplomacy at a distance just never worked out. Now the Rau are at Arcas’ doorstep with the possibility of a full-on incursion.
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The Jhardeho Order (shortened to The Order), borrows the fundamentals of the cosmology and adapts them into a moral code and way of life that anyone and everyone can live by, not just Jhardeho people. At its core, it reinforces the old blood as a presence on Arcas and gives them a voice in Arcas’ evolution. At the same time, its uses the indoctrination of old bloods to strengthen its foothold on society.
The Order serves as a conduit between Jhardeho and public policy. Similar to The Vatican here on Earth, leaders within The Order have a presence in politics, serving the people of Arcas alongside the Starbringer kings. In recent times, The Order has involved itself more heavily into politics and taken actions that many view as crossing lines.
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The paladins are the pilots chosen to operate The Nine. They are Jhardekai, an Arcasian race with physical and psychokinetic abilities.
The paladins are at the center of Astreus' controversy, as all of them were smuggled into Simitu from Idrica. It's because of this controversy that Simitian leaders are hesitant to support Astreus in its endeavors.
Each of the paladins has a special ability:
Havelion - Unknown
Nicola - Synesthesia, clairvoyance
Abruc - memory manipulation
Corbin - strength and combat skill
Sunyata - strategy, problem-solving
Quay - strength and combat skill
Famke - trick
Homena - clairvoyance
Ditran - speed, defensive energy shield
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The New Regime is a grassroots political movement that uses guerrilla journalism and activism to push back against the injustices faced by many. They have been labeled a terrorist organization, but more often than not, they aren’t much more than a thorn in the side.
Even the capital guard chooses to turn a blind eye to their more benevolent actions. In particular, they work with smugglers and private donors to help with the food shortages caused by Maldoro. These efforts are not interrupted but public assemblies and the distribution of propaganda are.
The leaders of the movement are Josquin, an alderman from the city of Cailou, and Abraset, an independent journalist.
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Boethema Labs is one of Arcas’ oldest institutions, founded in principle by Rankusha. The original Boethema Labs was destroyed in the eruption of Mount Mazma, but was re-established in Simitu and is one of the city’s oldest stranding structures.
Boethema seeks to solve Arcas’ lack of genetic diversity by finding ways to expand the available gene pool. It also closely monitors existing genealogies for impurities that could lead to population issues down the line.
Boethema is where many of the Arcas’ children are born and reared, and is indiscriminate of the genders of the parents. This has helped the diversity issue, but also contributed to a societal tendency towards designer babies. Boethema’s inorganic approach to child rearing has also led to a growing discrepancy in the planet’s social classes, and a passivity towards parenting.