The son of the infamous Hephaestian military commander Rex Jansson and older brother of Pim Jansson; Neil has always taken more after his late mother. His charming, easy-going demeanor has done a lot to put a human face on the Hephaestian cause over the years, though it has also put him at odds with the more extreme elements of his movement, and of his own family.
Neil Jansson is a prominent Hephaestian. He is the representative of the Sons of Hephaestus faction and his image shows when select a faction. If choose the Sons of Hephaestus on world, he is the person giving the tutorial.
In the Sons of Hephaestus' lore it becomes clear that Neil Jansson is the son of one of the most powerful leaders of the faction.
If Te Hau was the mind and heart, Rex Jansson has become the clenched fist of their movement, leading attacks on terraforming facilities (and Gaian settlements) throughout the solar system. While Rex's daughter Pim battles alongside her father, his son Neil seeks a subtler path to victory, one that might avoid plunging the entire solar system into war.
Lore[]
From TerraGenesis' Instagram account.
As the movement known as the Sons of Hephaestus grew, splinter groups driven by the lessons of 'Ancient Gifts' became violent. At the fore of this extreme iteration of Kaitiaki, and its organization into a de facto army, was Rex Jansson and his infamous daughter Pim. But shunning this aggressive interpretation of Te Hau's works was Rex's son, Neil. As far as he was concerned, unchecked violence is what had led to his mother's death, and he wanted no part of it. Seeking a different way to counter the Daughters of Gaia's message, and to distance himself from his increasingly notorious family, Neil traveled to Earth for what proved to be a fortuitous escape.
Upon reaching Earth, Jansson discovered a planet still scarred by the Sundering. He offered Hephaestian engineering expertise toward climate stabilization, and it was through his work that he first met Alana Freyja Lee, a Gaian delegate who'd arrived with a similar goal. After learning of her royal lineage, Neil never tired of calling Alana "princess," though she did not seem to mind his teasing. They grew close enough to spark rumors among observers, an affair unfairly strained by their differing views, and the distant worlds they'd soon return to. Among the rumors is that Neil begged Alana to leave her family as he was prepared to do, but whether true, it was clear to all that this bond could never be.Departing Earth with new resolve, Jansson refused to return to his father's side, for Rex had grown increasingly reliant on Pim as well as the ruthless Zeke Peña, who had become something of a surrogate son. Instead, Neil tracked down Arataki, as his father once had, to insist that she guide the Sons of Hephaestus away from a destructive path. To his surprise, Te Hau shared his view, and already had a plan to impart. If Neil could undermine the Gaians' secret terraforming AI known as the Ishtar Project, it would set their cause back centuries while proving to the Sons that non-violent solutions exist. This mission would bring Neil and Alana together again, but now as adversaries. And while Neil's feelings for her linger, he knows that stopping her is the only way to save the galaxy, and his family.
Historical Earths[]
He features heavily in the Historical Earths campaign, where we learn what his philosophical and political stances are, and where we learn that he and Alana Lee used to be friends and met doing work in an ecological organisation. Find that dialogue part on Alana Lee's page. Neil uses the pseudonym 'Red' in the Historical Earths campaign.
This is part of the Cretacea Dialogue:
Alana: We've known each other since my mandatory mission to Earth, and he's never demonstrated a need to be overtly polite or refer to me with any sort of respectful prefix. He's basically an outspoken Neanderthal beneath this mask he's so carefully attempting to weave.
Red: Neanderthal? I believe you used to refer to my brazenness as "sticking it to the man," "truth to power," and "honesty in the style of all true revolutionaries."
You: It's surprising that you two used to agree on anything.
Alana: We did, but we saw no further than our own noses. We were short-sighted.
Red: No. We were doing as much as we thought we could at the time. Alana and I were at the forefront of our generation, working to better Earth -- to bring health back to our planet -- for its own sake and for humanity's. We were leaders in an ecological salvage group before Alana and her ilk gave up, set their sights "past their noses," and aimed for power over the fate of stars.
Alana: Your talent for dramatics is unwavering, Neil. Yes, we were part of an ambitious group which was trying to put Earth's ecological state to rights, but consensus on strategy was never achieved. My ancestor began the Gaian Independence on Venus. I returned to my family, my Venusian roots. There is a way forward for humans, beyond and after Earth.
