‘The universe speaks in many languages, but only one voice. The language is not Narn or Human or Centauri or Gaim or Minbari. It speaks in the language of hope. It speaks in the language of trust. It speaks in the language of strength and the language of compassion. It is the language of the heart and the language of the soul. But always it is the same voice. It is the voice of our ancestors speaking through us and the voice of our inheritors waiting to be born. The small, still voice that says: 'We are one. No matter the blood, no matter the skin, no matter the world, no matter the star- We are one. No matter the pain, no matter the darkness, no matter the loss, no matter the fear- We are one.' Here, gathered together in common cause, we begin to realize this singular truth and this singular rule that we must be kind to one another. Because each voice enriches us and ennobles us and each voice lost diminishes us. We are the voice of the universe, the soul of creation, the fire that will light our way to a better future. We are one. We are one.’
With these words of wisdom, Representative G’Kar ushered in an unprecedented age of unity under the watchful eye of the Interstellar Alliance. That unity would stand for hundreds of years. While it would not always be a smooth road, the Alliance would prove time and time again the strength in G’Kar message. The Interstellar Alliance was One- one heart, one mind, one common ground of principles and beliefs.
While the story of the Alliance, and of the Babylon Station that made it possible, is a human tale told by humans about humans, the message of being One transcended all racial and moral barriers. Babylon 5 was built by human hands, but the feel that walked its halls belonged to many different people and cultures. The station was a gathering place for hundreds of worlds, a place when governments across the vast reaches of the galaxy could come together and do business with one another in relative peace. This was a union of a sort long before the ISA’s Declarations of Principles attempted to define it in so many words.
In the world of Babylon 5, perhaps no single example of the fractious yet enduring concept of unity can be found than the League of Non-Aligned Worlds - several very different, very alien groups brought together by the universal languages of need and fear. United in their desire to have more power than they could individually wield, the League of Non-Aligned Worlds collectively represented more ships, more guns, and more temporal power than any of the ‘major’ governments of the galaxy could claim. Even the Minbari would have been hard-pressed to deal with the enmity of the entire League.
This sourcebook for the Babylon 5 Roleplaying Game contains information on the League of Non-Aligned Worlds, a political power block with hundreds of years of tradition and galactic influence behind it. You will discover how it calls for internal vote, implements internal policy decisions, and deals with external issues such as treaties with other races and political dealings with the major races of the galaxy (Earth, Minbari, Centauri, and the Narn).
There is also a sizable section of the book devoted to five of the member states of the League (Abbai, Brakiri, Drazi, Gaim, and the Vree). Their culture, biology, and technological developments are listed here in enough detail to provide Games Masters and Player with all the information they should need to make the race an important addition to their campaigns. Feats, prestige classes, and new rules are given in each section.
Lastly, there is a section in this sourcebook on using the League in various time periods, including during the Dilgar Invasion, the Earth-Minbari War, the time of the Babylon Projects, and the era of the Interstellar Alliance. Where needed, rules additions are given to better simulate the changing policies and powers of the League of Non-Aligned Worlds through the history of the Babylon 5 universe. If a game is set at any point during the League’s existence or during the history of a given League race, there will be enough information here to enhance and enrich that campaign. |
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