We're celebrating Klordny Week, Superboy!

A retread of last year's more or less final post.

1998
[Aberrant] Æon Society census reports approximately 600 known novas in the world population.

I wonder how many of those were Inspired by the low-level quantum energy left behind by other novas. (I mean, directly; one particular nova bears ultimate responsibility for the whole thing, but most people aren't even aware he exists at this point.)

Throughout the year, inspired by the coming of the novas and fueled by millennialist anxiety, various apocalyptic and transcendental religious sects have arisen. Many of these groups see novas as the chosen of God and/or the ultimate development of humanity. The most notable of these is The Church of the Immanent Escheaton, founded by a charismatic nova who calls himself "Chrystian Kalpa"; his Book of Kalpa professes a reality-tunnel that includes elements of Scientology and theosophism, holding that novas are agents of "the Quantum Unity" (God) and that an apocalyptic war is coming between good and evil in which all souls will erupt and choose sides. The Vatican does not take an official position on the status of novas at this time; Protestant and Judaic sects release statements of support for novas, with wording in line with that of the Zurich Accord. Fundamentalist Islamic sects (Shi'a and Wahhabi) decry novas as Eblis' children, but increasingly come into conflict with Sunni/Sufi philosophy exalting novas as the chosen of Allah.

The description of the Immanents is synthesized from what several sources (mainly the Aberrant core rules and Aberrant: Worldwide Phase I) have to say about them. And I forgot to mention at the time, because we don't have a specific date for it, but Chrystian Kalpa disappeared last summer. Fortunately for his Church, one young Immanent survived being lost in the desert by "awakening the Thetans"; his new name is Gabriel Melchior, also known as "the Miracle", and he became the new spokesman for the Quantum Unity.

1999
[Aberrant] Æon Society census reports approximately 1350 known novas in the world population.

That's 750 new novas, not counting any that got killed. It isn't the largest single per annum rise of the Nova Age, but it is the largest we'll see for quite a while.

Novas continue to erupt throughout the year, despite falling levels of radiation from the Galatea explosion. This rate of 30-40 eruptions a month continues for at least the first decade of the Nova Age.

I'll be discussing how this figure matches the numbers they provide, and what might cause the difference.

2000
[Aberrant] With the Y2K problem and millennialist anxiety distant memories, the press realizes that 2001 is the actual beginning of the new millennium. This announcement inspires the largest New Year's celebrations in history. Festivities include nova-produced energy releases in orbit that are visible around the world.

I wish I'd seen them. I think Hugh had to work that night.

Æon Society census reports approximately 1800 known novas in the world population.

Down to about 450 new novas, which is within the 360-480 range implied by "30-40 a month".

2001
[Aberrant] Æon Society census reports approximately 2100 known novas in the world population.

The total increase of only 300 is probably down to the Equatorial Wars.

2002
[Aberrant] Æon Society census reports approximately 2500 known novas in the world population.

About 400 newbies. I asked Chris Davies what he thought was the cause of this brief spike (which I noted when I plotted the figures, total and per year, in Microsoft Excel), and he figured it was the rollout of eufiber the year before. People walking around wearing a material that conducts quantum, and having that material brought into their homes via the OpNet upgrade, will be that little bit more likely to erupt.

2003
[Aberrant] Æon Society census reports approximately 2800 known novas in the world population.

Again, about 300 newbies. It may be that the effects of N-Day were starting to fade.