Balmorra
Factory World.
Balmorra: Basic Information.
Allegiance: In contention.
Native Species: None.
Moons: Four.
System: Nevoota.
Region: Colonies.
Terrain: Mountains and Canyons.
Atmosphere: Breathable.
Landmarks: Not much. It’s a world of factories.
System Information: The Nevoota System is sometimes refered to as the Balmorra System. It contains only Balmorra and five other unnamed planets.
History.
Balmorra was colonized by humans from Humbarine, a planet in the Core Worlds Region. This was done back in the infancy of the Galactic Republic when interstellar travel was very slow, most likely with Generation Ships. They were massive interstellar ships with sections built into them for growing food, living quarters, entertainment areas, etc. They were designed so that a colony could live in the ship and teach their future generations how to run the ship and colonize worlds. The fact that these ships took generations to reach their destination often lead to colonies becoming detached from their planet of origin. Balmorra claimed independence very early in its history, but maintained a strong relationship with the Republic. Independent planets can be enticing to the right people, and the planet quickly became well known for its weaponry and droids, which supplied much of the Galactic Republic and known space. Unfortunately for the inhabitants of Balmorra, the presence of powerful weapons manufacturers kept the planet in a state of almost constant war. This is pretty much the depth of Balmorras history prior to the Treaty of Coruscant.
The Treaty of Coruscant.
This is where the history of Balmorra become a bit more interesting. Due to its strategic position close to the Core Worlds and its military strength Balmorra quickly became a target for the Sith Empire. Although the Republic tried to reinforce Balmorra to aid it in keeping its independence, it would not last. As the Great Galactic War stretched on Republic troops were called to other hot spots and an over commited Republic had a dwindling presence there. Once the treaty was signed the Republic had no other option but to pull all public presence from Balmorra leaving them under Imperial occupation. A small “underground” Republic force stayed on the planet to aid the Balmorran Resistance, but for all intensive purposes Balmorra was now lost to the Republic.
Where we come in.
By the time we join this story it’s been about ten years and the proverbial ink has long since dried on the Treaty of Coruscant. The resistance has somehow managed to keep the Imperial Army from ever taking full control of the planet and its weapons manufacturing plants. The Republic is trying to find its feet again and is sending troops back to the planet they could not keep the Empire off. The people of Balmorra still harbor resentment for their abandonment by the Republic, but are not above accepting their help. With the Republic once more reaching out to Balmorra the Empire is increasing their presence on the planet with the intention of ending the Balmorran conflict once and for all.
I can’t help but think “Viva la resistance!” each time I look into the story of Balmorra. I believe this will be an interesting planet for both factions quest chains and plot lines. I hope that the Republic presence at the point we join the fray isn’t to large. Some quests as Imperials trying to crush an elusive shadow force with the might of an army would be a nice ride. And to play some quest chains as a member of that small Republic force trying hit and run tactics on a large occupying enemy army would be amazing if done right. Balmorra looks to be one of those places in SW:TOR where the options for quest designers could lead to some very dynamic gameplay through story.
-Gav.
