Heavy Gear - Mysteries and Oddities of Heavy Gear

Mysteries and Oddities of Heavy Gear

The Heavy Gear series has a number of unresolved mysteries in the setting. A few of these are listed below. It is unknown if any of these will be revealed due to the developer turnover at Dream Pod 9.

• Stoneheads: The planet of Terra Nova is sprinkled with large round stone heads similar to those of Easter Island but with a much more Asian style. These date back to the earliest colonization of the planet or possibly before and the meaning of the giant markers is unknown.
• The Koreshi, or sand-riders, are a culture of desert-dwelling nomads similar to the Fremen of the Dune universe. Their existence on Terra Nova is a mystery.
• One of the CEF's fleets disappeared when sent to the colony world of New Jerusalem.
• The Eastern Sun Emirates saw massive changes during the published Storyline Books culminating in the launch of an ancient spacecraft. It is unknown where that spacecraft went.
• MacAllen cave network: Much of the water on Terra Nova is subterranean. The MacAllen network of caves contains most of it, and is nearly a worldwide phenomenon. Natural artesian springs appear all over the globe, even occasionally in the deep deserts of the Badlands. Most of the network is deep underground, often thousands of feet below the surface. Even whole ecosystems of life exist in some of the airless and perpetually dark areas of the network. The extent of the cave system is unknown.
• White Sand: One of the more unusual hazards of the equatorial deserts of the Badlands is the phenomenon known as white sand. This sand is highly corrosive and dangerous volcanic ash. It is so corrosive it can destroy machinery and can slowly eat through most metals chemically. It is even used as weaponry in the form of bags of sand thrown into air-intakes or to be inhaled.
• Bowser: A near sentient ONNet computer installed into a CNCS heavy gear that has run away from its military base without a pilot. Sightings of Bowser occasionally filter in from the Badlands.
  • (Bowser is known to be piloted by Sadie "Boom Boom" Toepfer in the Heavy Gear Arena book.)
• Landships: Unusual magnetic properties of the planet Terra Nova allow for large ships able to hover a few feet off the ground known as Landships. They form the equivalent of a "wet navy" that other planets with surface water would have. A minimum size is necessary to take advantage of this unexplained property, so all Landships are the size of ocean going vessels such as frigates, destroyers, battleships, and aircraft carriers. Because of their cost, they are uncommon.
• Order of the Blue Crescent. A religious group based on the teachings of the desert prophet Mamoud. Blue Crescent Adherents typically shave their hair bald, tattoo a blue Crescent on their foreheads, give up all personal property beyond what they can carry, and must visit the major locations that Mamoud once lived in the Badlands during their life. They are noted for being generous, friendly, and often volunteer for civic duties and charities, but are not pacifists. Blue Crescent Adherents can be found serving in the military of many of Terra Nova's Leagues.