The Guild-Empire of Nyx

Region: K5
Leader: Domino Ophelo, The Lord of Coin

Diplomacy: 5
Military: 3
Economy: 5
Philosophy: 1
Intrigue: 2


Spoiler: Region
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The homeworld of Nyx is the second planet orbiting a blood red dying star. Despite the close distance between the planet and their sun Nyx is a dim planet. The sun barely gives off any light and the planet's skies only get about as bright as dusk on Earth even at it's noonday peak. Despite all this Nyx is not a barren planet. Most of its surface is covered by strange flora grown into a thick fungal forest across the uninhabited regions of the planet. While most of the flora are large forms of fungus, there are a few trees somehow able to photosynthesize the small amounts of light given off by Nyx's home star. The animals that populate Nyx have evolved to survive in this strange atmosphere, and many are gifted with some form of alternate vision, be it sight in the infrared spectrum, echolocation, or conventionally blind creatures with tremorsense. The planet's main population centers are large cities, built on exposed magma veins on the surface of the planet, due to the Nyxian's reliance on geothermal energy until relatively recently in their history. None of the other planets in the Nyx system are habitable, but they are rich with deposits of the rare mineral Voidstone.

The largest city upon Nyx is its capital, Nostromo the City of Night, a massive metropolis composed of towering black skyscrapers peering imperiously over dimly lit streets. Nostromo is in constant darkness thanks to the Voidstone refinery, Nostromo's Shroud, geosynchronously locked above the city. The refinery is an orbital satellite where the Voidstone is exposed to the sun's rays. Somewhat ironically the station is not one of the most productive Voidstone refineries within Nyx's trade empire, due to their weak sun but its location so close to the capital provides it a great prestige even as other systems within their trade empire have 'healthier' stars allowing faster Voidstone refinement.


Spoiler: People
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The Nyxians are a reclusive species afraid to expose themselves openly to the atmospheric dangers of more traditionally habitable worlds. Due to their homeworld's dying sun prolonged exposure to 'normal' starlight will severely burn their pale skin. For this reason, they commonly dress in dark robes that cover them entirely, usually hiding their faces with a mask of some kind. Far more comfortable at night, Nyxians will on occasion wear less obscuring clothes during evening cycles on foreign planets revealing them to be tall, pale bipeds with three pairs of arms. They are usually hairless, with a pair of large black eyes, pointed ears and mouths full of needle like teeth. For many civilized races this tall pale multi limbed sharp toothed appearance causes discomfort and given the Nyxians propensity for trade they will often dress in obscuring clothes no matter what time of day it is.


Spoiler: History
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For most of their history, the Nyxian's lived in feudal city-states surrounding the exposed magma flows upon the planet. These city-states rose, fell, and clashed over control of these valuable sources of energy on the planet. This all changed approximately seventy years ago when Nyxian scientists in the city-state of Nostromo discovered the mineral Voidstone: a jet-black substance that absorbed energy from starlight the way a sponge absorbs water. This allowed Voidstones to store unbelievable quantities of energy upon a stone the size of one's fist, thus eliminating the need for geothermal energy on the planet. Nostromo took advantage of this quickly selling their Voidstone to the other city-states for prices of loyalty and submission eventually absorbing them in a trade empire that would one day overtake the whole planet and the entire region of space. So far, Voidstone has only been discovered in the Nyx system, making it a precious commodity that the Nyxians intend to use to become astronomically rich.


Spoiler: Government
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The Guild-Empire of Nyx, for the most part, is really just a loose knit guild of merchants. Each planet is ruled by a Merchant-Governor, who controls all business upon the planet in question. While most Merchant-Governors are in charge of only one planet, it is not unknown among the more cutthroat Nyxians to gain control of several different planets though these tend to be smaller holdings comparatively. The Merchant Princes do not care who owns what so long as their profits remain high their subordinates can kill each other all they wish. The Merchant-Governors keep 70% of all profits from their planetside businesses but are required to pay a steep tax to one of the Eight Merchant Princes of Nyx, representing the eight ancestral city states of ancient Nyx. Responsible for the provision of the public sector these Eight fund collective goods though often the greatest proportion of their share goes into the raising of private security forces and expansion of their own holdings rather than into communal goods like healthcare or ample food, leaving these details to individual Merchant-Governors to handle through provisions agreed to during the establishment of formal contracts of ownership between MGs and MPs.

These eight Merchant Princes in turn answer to a single ruler contributing 50% of their own revenues to the leader of the Guild known informally as the Ninth, more formally as the Merchant Prince of Nostromo, or alternatively when dealing with outsiders as the Lord of Coin. The Lord of Coin is, in theory, the richest, most powerful and best merchant among the Guild-Empire. If a Merchant Prince believes that he is better at running the Guild than the current Lord of Coin, then according to the governing principles of the Nyxians he is required to attempt to overthrow them. However, bribes are common in this political realm to motivate and deter such challenges as necessary and affordable as are arrangements between princely families to ensure a “proper” successor reaches this throne. The Lord of Coin is expected to provide the bulk of the universal military aside from private security forces as well as is responsible for oversight and construction of the Voidstone refineries that exist in orbit around Nyxian claimed stars.

Lord of Coin Kanar Bathoriel had been the reigning Lord of Coin when the instructions for the construction of the Simulacrum Doorways was received and had sent a private investigative team to glean what information he could from the event but ultimately his failure to properly utilize this information to expand Guild interests served as the catalyzing ingredient to a coup. The Merchant Prince of Helia, a distinguished Nyxian known as Prince Domino Ophelo, led the charge to oust the lacking Kanar and with the support of five other of the Merchant Princes succeeded in arranging for the deposition of Kanar and his own appointment to the lordship over Nostromo, wedding the late Kanar's widow weeks after Kanar's passing and leaving Helia to his second eldest son, bringing along his eldest to be groomed for the potential succession of the Nostromo throne.


Spoiler: Philosophy
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The governing philosophy of the Guild-Empire is a doctrine of beliefs known as the Mandate of Coin. It is a strange philosophy the Nyxian's enemies would consider to be a barbaric "Greed is Good" quasi-religion. However, this does the Mandate of the Coin a disservice. While the Nyxians do believe that personal greed will bring universal prosperity, the Mandate also encourages honesty and fairness in business dealings and even a strange form of generosity ensured through the forging of contracts. It is very common for wealthy Nyxians to gift beggars with life-changing amounts of money, but the patron will expect the beggar to pay them back in the future usually within a time decided between the patron and the pauper through formal contract. The Mandate also teaches that poverty is the result of economic incompetence of the planet's rulers. The jobless are seen as an untapped resource, while the working poor are seen as a potential liability should a competing merchant seek to offer workers a better deal. While collusion among the rich kept labor power suppressed it was not unheard of for a desperate merchant being willing to break ranks and elevate his workers livelihoods to outcompete a competitor and drive up the baseline of compensation.


Spoiler: Resources
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Primary Resource: Voidstone is a jet black mineral found only within the planets of the Nyx system. A seemingly unremarkable stone at a glance its true properties become clear when exposed to direct sunlight. Voidstone absorbs solar energy like a sponge absorbs water. If exposed to sunlight for a long enough period, a softball sized chunk of Voidstone could power an average planet's capital city for one galactic year.

Required Resource: Mercenaries (Skilled Beings)- While the Guild-Empire has plenty of skilled traders and diplomats, it is lacking in warriors. The mostly barren planets of the Nyx system guaranteed that the Guild-Empire could conquer their region of space without too much hassle or bloodshed. However, now as they expand further into the galaxy, the Nyxians fear they will meet beings they will be unable to fight. They are willing to pay incredibly well to make sure their intergalactic assets are well-protected.

Trading Post 1: Nostromo's Shroud (Great)- The orbital Voidstone refinery doubles as a massive intergalactic market, where Voidstone is traded right where it is charged with energy.
Trading Post 2: Helia's Caress (Empty)
Trading Post 3: Isabe's Landing (Empty)