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  1. - Top - End - #31
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Zayuz's Avatar

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    Default Re: EMPIRE5! Worlds of Axiom

    Celestia Enterprises (CLS)
    “Live like gods.”


    CEO Natascha Liwei (Rolls // Reference)
    Diplomacy 5
    Economy 5
    Military 4
    Philosophy 1
    Intrigue 3


    Spoiler: Government
    Show
    Celestia Enterprises is a very successful company built upon military protection, genetic experimentation, and entertainment of all sorts. Founded seven hundred years before the dawn of FTL travel, their influence and wealth is unparalleled by any other in their core systems. Ruling through wages and ‘protection services,’ their megacorp has gone on to cover every branch of the government in exchange for ‘subscription fees’ instead of taxes. While they would never call themselves a government, they are undeniably the people to talk to concerning matters within their occupied space - assuming you have the patience or the funds to wade through the numerous levels of management to get to who you need to speak to.


    Sector ##: Olympia

    Spoiler: Geography
    Show
    Olympia is a region of densely packed, often dim stars that span near to one hundred fifty across the sector. The ratio of gas giants to planets is similarly skewed in the favor of gaseous entities, leaving a strange lack of terrestrial worlds to explore and exploit for the natives who lived there.

    But this does not stop the urban sprawl from reaching system to system. Greed and wonder push the people who once hailed from only the planet called “Zier” by its native inhabitants to explore and exploit all that is tangible while keeping their core worlds as beautiful as can be. This craving for more, funded by the wealth of the inner-worlds has lead to the mass harvesting of the resources from one edge to another. Life in space stations on inhospitable worlds is common among the middle to low class, with worlds gaining in wealth and living conditions the closer they get to Zier or one of the three other planets capable of hosting life upon them; all conveniently in the same inner cluster of stars. Distance from plants capable of growing food limits this expansion, though the sheer abundance of materials gathered often makes this sort of idea a risky one anyways.

    Spoiler: Zier
    Show


    Zier itself is a planet defined by light and music, a single immense city where the wealth of tens of star systems pools into a single decadent place. Marvel, luxury, and entertainment are the norm for those who live upon it, kept so prosperous due to the diligent work of Celestia Enterprises. Standing out on the world is the sheer scale of the planetary administration building, which is as much a resort as it is an office building.

    The other three habitable worlds are known as “Chien,” “Catalansa,” and “Soz,” known mainly for their farming, energy production, and refineries respectively. None of the habitable worlds in Olympia are particularly big, at most the size of Sol’s Venus. Chien was unfortunately swallowed by a black hole that was conjured as a result of some reckless science... Thankfully, the black hole was banished with the help of the Commonwealth of Zara, who the Celestians owe their lives.

    There is something immense inside of Zier, but none are allowed to excavate to find out what it is for fear of rekindling the ‘Guardian War’ that nearly wiped out sentient life in the system long ago...

    Spoiler: People
    Show
    The people native to Olympia are mostly human, or at least something very close to it. Physical alterations via genetic engineering is very popular among the wealthy, particularly in how it pertains to the twelve guardians that protected Zier’s core from human tampering in years gone by. Many of these features are animalistic, but it is more ‘stylish’ to keep them moderate to subtle.

    Clothing styles are sleek and regal among the inner worlds, but become more functional and bulky the further from the core systems one travels. Those working for Celestia Corp tend towards outfits of red and gold to represent humanity, or gold and white to represent the divine. Gold, of course, representing as the link between the two.

    Those from Zier in particular tend to give off an aura of friendliness mixed with predatory mercantilism, searching for a profit in most conversations when once can be gotten. In personal lives though, they tend to the same dance of emotion and rationality that all humans do. Fame is a value that is held universally as an ultimate high thanks to generations of propagation by Celestia Corp as a way to bring out the ‘best’ in people who are usually only in it for themselves.

    They tend to care more about individualistic happiness than anything else, but often hold a certain respect for other living creatures as brothers and sisters under the creator’s lens - especially other human races from other systems, or animals resembling those from Zier. They do not typically take lives unless it is required, or will pay handsomely.

    For those who live in Olympia, unity is bought, respect is garnered through fame, and true friends are rarer than caller remnants.

    Spoiler: History
    Show
    Human colonists were to arrive on Zier after hundreds of years in cryostasis, sent by an empire of ages gone past who were brave enough to brute force the trip without FTL travel. Things went smoothly for a while after the landing was made, with cities rising and the foreign world slowly being tamed by humanity as they had their planet of origin. It came as a great shock, after two hundred years of construction, to find that they were not the only people there. Or more precisely, the only sentient there.

    Through the harvesting of the world, they had awoken the guardians of this planet - who claimed it to be a holy place put together by ‘the creator’ and was not to be tampered with. They came in various forms, from skyscraper sized golems to unsettling perversions of the people themselves. Two hundred years of raw harvesting and construction had already changed the face of the planet irreversibly with the level of technology the people brought, and in their hubris they politely told these guardians that any attempt to remove them would be met with utter annihilation.

    So began the war to earn humanity’s place among gods.

    It was a messy war, with nuclear weapons, rebellions, different faiths appearing near and far, and entire cities of people going dark one by one for every guardian that was slain. The republic government established upon the founding of the world was brought to its knees, leaving nobody officially in charge of anyone for the rest of Zier’s history. Unofficially though, the power resided in those with the money to afford their people’s wages. Corporate empires rose where governments fell, more ruthless and stubborn in their greed than the republic was in its human nationalism. Those who could not take the war packed into ships and fled to the neighbouring star, founding the world of Chien, and would not be unified with the folks of Zier for centuries.

    One among these corporate empires was Celestia Enterprises; a ‘heretical’ empire that took inspiration from the guardians instead of outwardly condemning them. Their leaders used genetic manipulation to give themselves features like humanity’s foes, making them more ‘demi-human’ than truly like those of their kin. But their tolerance was rewarded in how they were spared the guardians’ collective wrath. While others fell and Celesia Enterprises continued to rise, the next move for humanity became clear. An accord was struck with the five guardians that remained of the initial twelve, a pact that forbid humanity from ever going further underground than two thousand kilometers, for reasons never disclosed. The surface would be theirs, but they would limit their damage to the environment to a minimal value set per year - forcing the entire industry into entirely renewable technology.

    When the guardians were gone and the people breathed a collective sigh of relief, humanity once again began to build… Slowly enveloping all the surface in their influence, and stretching out into the stars. Wars were fought over the dominance of the few habitable worlds in the nearby systems, colonies set, and by the time that it was all together under a single banner, it was again Celestia Enterprises to announce the coming age of prosperity.

    Spoiler: Resources
    Show
    Broadcasting Tech is produced in the Olympia system in excess. Entertainment of all sorts fares unnaturally well among the people who came from Zier, and so cultural icons of many genres are celebrated as some of the most important people in the system. Celestia Corp portrays itself to other worlds as a company based on popular holofilms, and so the ability to get their holofilms - and by extension their voice - across the system and beyond is Zier’s specialty. For only a modest fee other stellar factions can even rent some of their FTL frequencies, and aim them at destinations of their choosing, weather for entertainment, war, or otherwise… Each TP represents a single mass broadcasting facility, numbered one through three.

    Life Forms are highly coveted for their exotic nature, tasty yumminess, and genetic experimentation. Especially among the wealthy, taking the traits of other lifeforms and enhancing themselves with them has been a (dangerous) tradition since the dawn of Celestia Corp. With nothing new to experiment with, the wealthy may start to look to other corporations to invest their money...

    Spoiler: Philosophy
    Show
    The people of Olympia have, over time, come to think of the ‘Creator’ mentioned by the guardians as the same creator propagated by many religions from their historical point of origin of Earth. Their dogma preaches the protection of Zier and its underground above all else as a sacred realm, the partial attainment of divinity via alteration of genetic code, and a destiny where the Creator may once again awaken to judge all that are living. The concept of sin and virtue is most often used in the context of ‘damage’ dealt to the environment more than other people, and so the folks of Zier tend towards stark, ruthless competition within their corporations and especially concerning other stellar factions they believe might encroach on their homeworld.

    HC1: The Deific Contract

    More than converting a specific place or constructing a great temple, the ability to alter philosophy in Olympia resides in being able to alter the Deific contract, the legal rights and codified values shared universally by the four main worlds. Enforced by Celestia Enterprises and their system wide communication relays, subtly pushing the people into new ideals is no challenge to the high of society.



    Region H24 - Whiskey Springs

    Spoiler: Terrain
    Show
    The New Chien system in what is designated the ‘Whiskey Springs’ sector is teeming with life, though few of it naturally sentient. Tezh research bases marked what Celestia Corp believes to be the first colonization efforts in the region, which had all been swiftly conquered later and their people distributed into Celestian space. This marks most of the most bountiful planets with a strong Tezh presence that still exists today. One of the most prominent worlds is called New Chien that serves as a natural wellspring for whiskey and grain on a scale that no individual brewery could compete with. ...Making it a fabulous place to plan all sorts of indulgent capitalist vacations.

    The operations on-planet, though plentiful, still maintain a focus on preserving the ecosystem and greenery. It is not unheard of for this beautiful and safe frontier-style life to capture the hearts of folks from near and far, drawing a natural influx of people to the New Chien and the worlds around it. It is well known as a very tame continental world with an extraordinarily peaceful natural system of wildlife, leading many popular religions through the company to conclude that it may be a naturally holy site.

    As for the other worlds around it, the rest of the system features several other worlds with habitable planets; though none so easy as the one aforementioned. Other systems in their entirety are well spread and support their own cities/industries, with a whole bunch of unnatural debris that seems to have come from the direction of the core in an age gone by. Long ruined and quite metallic, these items are commonly showered onto the planets below, usually capable of minor damage that is safely ignored. To say that there is only a lot of it would be an understatement; some sort of megastructure must have collapsed to create this much debris.

    Spoiler: People
    Show
    Tezh, Grymlans, and humans are the primary inhabitants of Whiskey Springs, within which a mixture of a rustic style of living is present alongside grand industrial complexes made to harvest the native resources. Those seeking to give up the complex life that an interstellar society demands of an individual often come to or retire here, creating a community of generally simple-minded folk who wish to be left alone, caring more for their safety and freedoms than profit or progress. This sometimes puts them into a difficult position, being governed by an aristocratic megacorporation that seeks to have a monopoly on as many of the galaxy’s industries as possible. Minor rebellions have occurred in the past, but due to the lower technological level of the area and smaller population (when contrasted by the larger city-worlds of Celestia), they have been quickly suppressed and ignored while new hotels and resorts have continued to develop on the alcohol producing paradise.

    Further out from New Chien where the actual industries are, there are often operations to salvage metals that drift between stars from the lost megastructure, but the people who perform such operations are typically not local. They are well regulated by the AI known as Ziplock, defended by robotic ships that patrol the region to deal with piracy and crime. It is known to be a bit arbitrary at times, as their AI constable seems incapable of recognizing that intention alters the severity of damage done in any situation.

    Outside of the main systems there is also a grand space station that serves as one of the Galaxy’s largest and most prestigious centers of learning known as ‘Liwei University.’ As a center of Realtist thought and a stunning display of the best quality construction that money can buy, it is almost entirely separate from the standard operations in the sector simply due to the vast difference in affluence, where the justice system is determined by the Headmaster of the academy rather than an AI… Within this well guarded site, a great vault exists that is made exclusively for locking down dangerous and unknown artifacts from across the stars. As of yet, it has never been breached, and it is unknown to anyone but the current headmaster as to how one might go about opening or even finding it.

    Spoiler: History
    Show
    Lacking sentient life before the Tezh initially found the region, the history of Whiskey Springs is a short one. The initial discovery and colonization was done by the Tezh, until their efforts were interrupted by the revolution and Celestian military might lead by an AI general known as Ziplock became the new authority in the region. New Chien was declared to be a rustic paradise world by Zeres Magazine in Celestia just two years after the conquest of the area, causing an influx of people and infrastructure… But as of yet, it remains mostly untouched by capitalist influence.

    Liwei academy is the other main draw of the region, constructed by a prominent Realtist philanthropist when the company’s future was uncertain and later declared an official Realtist dwelling that beings from all over the galaxy come to learn within. It has since lead to an industrial complex of stations in space surrounding the off-world university, and saw the robbery of the Library of Truth just before the completion of the ‘perfect vault’ within the facility. As of yet, the identity of the robbers has never been discovered!

    Finally, the huge amount of metallic debris floating through the region is said to be part of an ancient megastructure said to be floating in from the direction of the core; but with the revolution having happened at least twice, nobody is actually sure where the massive quantities of metal came from or what purpose they might have served.

    Spoiler: Trade (Daytime Whiskey - Great)
    Show
    Whiskey Springs is named after the area’s primary export: Alcohol. The paradise world dubbed ‘New Chien’ to commemorate the loss of Celestian farming world ‘Chien’ is home to countless refugees from the black hole incident a decade prior to the discovery of the planet as well as many, many, many folks that use the planet’s natural fertility to raise crops and the naturally occurring abundance of alcohol - specifically Daytime Whiskey; which glimmers in the sunlight like no other drink. Celestia is working to secure a monopoly on this delicacy, but as of yet they have found their people unwilling to negotiate.

    Spoiler: Philosophy (Realtism)
    Show
    The mysterious philosophy of ‘DDD’ once held sway in this system, but it has since given way to become a beacon of Realtist in the galaxy as projected through Celestian Media and culture. The philosophy has an unrivaled influence in the sector, often even more so than Celestia Proper. Where the Headmaster serves as an authority in things related to Realtist thought, Celestian CEOs should be constantly making sure that power does not slip too far into the hands of the ideological leader of their people…


    Region H26 - Sharaylia

    Spoiler: Terrain
    Show
    The native people of Sharaylia spread far across the many worlds available to them, packing them full of industry and life. As such, most of the systems with even somewhat habitable worlds have some presence upon them, and there are very few places for things to hide in what would typically be the darkness between the stars. These planets, however, are often only sparsely populated. The ‘core worlds’ are numerous and scattered, shattered into a thousand small nations with varying cultures, levels of development, and government. One world, called Sharaylia, is heralded as the local homeworld for all life. It is unique in that a great bite mark has been taken from the planet, having removed nearly a third of the mass of the great space rock from existence some sixty years ago. Arid mushroom forests and nuclear deserts now replace the pieces of the world that remain, of which the founding of ‘Chicky Supreme’ and its preceding Great Dive is blamed for…

    When Celestia Enterprises founded Chicky Supreme, many feared a second coming of the Great flaming god, and a second societal collapse. Fortunately, no such appearances have you occured, and industry and unity have begun to restart now that Celestia holds military sway over the region. With further order comes progress and development, even if it is slowed by poverty and crime. ...Crime in the brand of space piracy is quite strong in the region, making it a dangerous place to live and work, but giving many interesting locations with relics from past battles just floating on the stars. Overall, the region of space could be described as a post-apocalyptic free for all, where the fruitful but autocratic Celestian military-occupied regions are contrasted by large stretches of nuclear waste and chaos.

    Spoiler: People
    Show
    Humanoids of azure blue skin, whose height rivals that of humans and whose features are also strangely similar inhabit Sharaylia. Known as Sharyans, they differ in that they possess both horns upon their heads that curl like a ram’s, and the innate ability to call upon arcane miracles. Throughout history their common faiths had often surrounded those born with the most capable of magical powers, and their origins, but none can truly say for sure. These magics function as psionics, linked to a natural ‘gem’ that resides on the back of their hands and carries the same spectrum of possible colors as the rainbow, with the ‘first’ colors being the most common. Once with their own proud works of art, military, and culture, but now mostly reduced to a wild-west style of living and fashion with their former civilization as the backdrop.

    Typically more aggressive and spontaneous that humans, emotions can quickly get the better of them. This has, of course, made recovery more difficult.

    Spoiler: History
    Show
    The Sharyans developed spacefaring technology and spread across the stars all on their own, with all the right aspects to be chosen by the Calls for receiving faster than light travel… If only they had managed to keep it together for that long. Legend has it that the people of Sharaliya created a dive so powerful that it attracted the eye of a great planar deity they call the ‘Fire Breasted God,’ who punished them for their obnoxious food industries by taking a raw bite from their homeworld; launching the whole thing into chaos. Within a fortnight, the world was turned to nuclear ash, and the survivors have picked up a more dangerous and solitary lifestyle that has much in common with terran ‘wild west’ culture.

    With only sparse cities and low populations, but still many overall through the region, unity has been impossible until an outside force imposed its will upon the fractured people… Celestia Enterprises, putting the pirates and brigands to gunpoint and assuring the loyalty of the scattered stellar cities. While they’ve occupied the area they’ve also revived Axiom’s Greatest Dive that got these people into this situation to begin with; Chicky Supreme, a right nightmare of a restaurant.

    Spoiler: Trade (Broosewill Laces - Great)
    Show
    The Broosewill lace. The perfect blend of arcana and electronics. A lasso type weapon capable of restraining even the strongest of aliens, and some legends even describe the most capable of wielders even dragging ships that were taking off back into the dirt to prevent the escape of their foes. Useful for catching individuals without harming them and generally getting folks all tied up, these laces are used by criminals and law enforcement both to take captives and exercise authority on various regions of space. They’re made by standard machine factories and enchanted by professionals in the region whose talents are well prized, but so many have been made that they are no longer as valuable as they once were, and they are often sold as a ‘regional staple’ since the collapse of the primary industry some years ago.Typically they appear in bright neon colors, each with a faint glow.

    Spoiler: Philosophy (Realtism)
    Show
    Though the people of Sharaliya centered their philosophy around the fire breasted god for many generations after the apocalypse that befell their people, they have since seen through Celestian recreation of Axiom’s Greatest Dive ‘Chicky Supreme’ that their chances of seeing the all powerful deity return any time soon are very low, and their new protectors are more fit to defend against it than their own people ever were. As such, they have begun to integrate into the Philosophy of Realtism, accepting its much more balanced tenants.


    The Magnetic Wastes

    Spoiler: Geography
    Show

    The ‘Rishann’ system is one of the most prominent in the sector, a powerful magnetar that has lead to the collapse of many lesser stars and planets around it due to its viscous starquakes that rock the sector. Rishann is not the only magnetar in the system, but it is many times more powerful than all the others that together form somewhat of a minefield for spacefaring travellers. The only remaining object of note that orbits within a lightyear of Rishann is an ancient caller vessel of fantastic size, torn apart from tens of thousands of starquakes over time that have collapsed into the star. With all powered systems long dead and the hull shattered into dozens upon dozens of smaller and uninhabitable pieces, it is decisively difficult to actually obtain any working caller relics that have not already been stolen off with or destroyed. Still, it makes a tempting spot for idealistic pirates and naive governments who would risk stirring up the local population that has taken up residence there.

    A once prosperous jungle world called ‘Kshreesked’ served as the cradle for a race of intelligent and diplomatic spider-folk whose details are in the cultures section. This planet has since been torn apart by starquakes, leaving it lifeless and broken… But the ruins of a lush and productive world yet remain.

    Celestia Enterprises established a series of forward bases upon discovery of the sector in locations that they believed would be best suited to weather the starquakes. Most of these bases ended up on rocky border-planets and large asteroids that served as short-term ways to earn back the cash that was spent on the expedition, though an entire mining community in the galactic north of the system has cropped up after discovering a series of hyper magnetically-charged stones that provided a cheaper alternative to primitive railguns.

    The sector is known as the Magnetic Wastes due to the inability of life to form on nearly any of the worlds, and the harsh conditions that the magnetars force upon settlers. A carelessly placed space station has next to no chance of survival, making pockets of civilization few and far between.

    Spoiler: History
    Show

    Celestia’s arrival in the region (officially) to claim it as their own was a violent one. There was no opposition, but the military that arrived had to have a long, tedious conversation with the Deepfolk about what it meant to be ‘property’ of Celestia Enterprises. Ultimately they can to a temporary conclusion, which left the region in unrest. On the bright side, at least the pirates didn’t visit as often! The Deepcrawlers are integrating at their own rate into galactic society, but so far have not had much of a reason to do so.

    Originally from a planet that was destroyed by the force of a magnetar, the race that survived were called the ‘Velnyan’ people, who revered the magnetar as a god and had been awaiting the day of destruction for longer than they had recorded history. While what they vaguely describe as the ‘rital’ protected them when the event happened in 217500.0.0.30, they appear to be unable to replicate it nor describe how it happened beyond it involving a ‘great flash of white that brought the chosen people here, to safety.’ They physically resemble giant spiders who tend to wear long capes.

    Spoiler: People
    Show

    The only culture that evolved enough to be considered intelligent life is that of the spider-folkd in the region, more commonly referred to as the Deepcrawler race. The Deepcrawlers evolved on the planet Kshreesked (which is much easier to pronounce for them) in multiple different regions with environments that caused slight variations on their race such as the potency of their venomous jaws or the ability to spin webs… But the differences in cultures are now irrelevant, as only the luckiest of their race now live on.

    The Deepcrawlers were pre-spacefaring in terms of technology, using technology mostly powered by waste heat and steam vents that frequently jetted great quantities of water to the surface. Their society values patience and politeness above most other values, believing that the ability to communicate civilly is what separates their people from the beasts of their homeworld. As such, they strive to always understand and seek a peaceful resolution when possible, and have typically cooperated with invading forces to help them achieve what they sought to obtain so long as they did not put their own lives at risk.

    Spoiler: Resources
    Show

    Antimatter Refineries are not commonly found across Axiom. Very proud of what they’ve discovered about the callers, the Deepcrawlers have managed to activate what’s left of the lights on the fragment of the caller ship they inhabit, and have learned over time how to reconstruct the antimatter refineries within; albeit to a more primitive extent. They take massive amounts of power for relatively little gain, which is only sustainable due to the volume of solar energy they obtain from the ship and their very low numbers. Not only that, but they seem to only have a limited number of ‘recipes’ that they can craft. They seem happy to produce more of these refineries, for people who are willing to help them learn new recipes for their machines.

    Spoiler: Philosophy
    Show

    The philosophy of the native people is largely unaffiliated as of their discovery, with some local reverence for the magnetar that destroyed their home and the caller technology that has kept them alive post apocalypse. Very, very diplomatic, these people would not take well to any philosophy that promotes violence… But perhaps the humans from Celestia in the region could be more easily swayed. The reconciliation of the Deepfolk and the mercantile offshoot of humanity came as a culture shock to the isolated spider-people, who have since become avid followers of Celestian and Zaran media. The beginnings of a proper uplifting to the space age are considered, but it was eventually decided to let them integrate at their own rate.
    Last edited by Zayuz; 2020-01-15 at 11:55 AM.
    "What is to give light must endure burning."

  2. - Top - End - #32
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    Lleban's Avatar

    Join Date
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    Default Re: EMPIRE5! Worlds of Axiom


    Spoiler: Ruler
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    Grand Master Mycella

    Economy 4
    Military 4
    Intrigue 3 (+1) (4)
    Philosophy 2
    Diplomacy 3 (+1) (4)



    Spoiler: Region
    Show


    Region: The Hollow System

    The Hollow system is a binary solar system containing 5 planets, though only one is habitable to any notable extent. At the systems center lie two stars orbiting each other, one red giant and a second white dwarf. Colloquially known as the Twins, the red giant is known as Vanity, while the white dwarf is called Humility. Chateu des Creux is the fourth planet in the hollow system. While the planet is similar to earth in many ways one key differentiating feature is that Chateu des Creux is a tidally locked world, leaving large areas engulfed in desert and massive ice caps with a temperate band between the too. The presence of a fairly thick atmosphere and liquid water prevent conditions from deteriorating into unihabitability. Despite this the planet is plagued by diamond storms, hurricanes, solar flares from Vanity and an ever shifting mosaic of plant life has made life very difficult outside the specially curated citadels operated by the Knights Vacio.



    Spoiler: History
    Show


    Centuries ago a group of humans were exiled from their home world due to their severe fanaticism in a conflict recorded as the Final crusade. During the Final Crusade The Knights Vacio started as a military organization of aristocrats dedicated to protecting pilgrims and non combatants. However as society began to collapse under the weight of prolonged nuclear war, the Knights did their part to protect against anarchy in the nations they held influence by installing increasingly draconian chivalry laws. Unfortunately for the knights, the weight of famine, nuclear winter, and the chivalry codes turned the populace against the knights. Loss of public confidence, and the betrayal of their aristocratic base lead directly to the banishment of the knights. After years of drifting through space the Knights settled on the harsh world of Chateu des Creux. Utilizing abandoned Caller infrastructure the Knights began to genetically alter themselves to survive the blistering conditions. Even still the Chateu would take its toll, half of the knights died disease, a third of the remainder to dust poisoning, and a number still to accidents involving abandoned caller technology. After several decades of struggle the Knights Vacio finally began to thrive using a mix of intense genetic engineering and re purposing caller infrastructure to form regional safe zones, refereed to as citadels. The main downside of this is that the only means of spreading the optimal genetic code and stabilizing the population is to utilize mass cloning. While effective at quickly recovering the population, mass cloning has lead to a very narrow gene pool, leaving the knights vulnerable to plague and requires...special maintenance to avoid incest related defects.



    Spoiler: People
    Show


    The Knights Vacio consist almost uniformly of humans, with...some changes. Years of genetic modification and a highly militaristic lifestyle have lead to several differences between Knights and normal human beings. Knight skin tones typically range from Dark brown to violet in order to better cope with absorbing radiation from the twins. Another alteration is that the knights uniformly posses black seemingly pupiless eyes that enable them to see infared radiation. Physically The Knights are also altered to promote muscle growth, resulting in a near uniform tall muscular stature. Unfortunately a downside to being a clone of a clone is that many of the Knights need to take specific medicine to avoid rapid DNA breakdown and the rapid aging that results from it. However, Knights that consistently take their medicine can live for up to 250 years. A very narrow gene pool among the population means that new knights cannot me made naturally, only cloned.

    Knight culture was once based around using strict codes of conduct to promote order in a world burning in nuclear fire. In an age of great strife, great heroism and self sacrifice was required in order to get the job done. However, centuries of banishment have twisted the knights ideology to something far more sinister. The struggle to survive in the citadels has become so ingrained in the cultural conciseness that much of the Order's history has been changed, forgotten and distorted in order justify life on Chateu des Creux. All sacrifice for the sake of the order is highly glorified and absolute obedience to the chivalry codes is considered necessary to the survival of the order.

    Ritual cleanliness plays an important role in maintaining a knights public persona. Honorable conduct, obeying the codes, maintaining daily fitness, and the willingness to sacrifice oneself for the order means a knight is ritually clean. However, breaking the codes, disobedience, and "selfish" behavior can render a knight ritually unclean leading to a demotion in rank or capital punishment. Ritual cleanliness can only be regained via a heroic quest. Body markings play as big role in Knight society where the color and pattern of a marking indicates rank, or serves as a means to represent heroic feats.

    Ranks in Knight Society
    • Grand Master
    • Viceroy
    • Grand Sorcerer
    • General
    • Captain
    • Knight
    • Squire
    • Ritually Unclean





    Spoiler: Philosophy
    Show

    Chivaliric Codes
    • There is only one Order, obey the Grand master
    • Serve the strong, protect the weak
    • Show mercy to those who earn it
    • Give forgiveness to those who seek it
    • Reject excess
    • Heroism is required
    • Never refuse a challenge from an equal
    • Embrace humility
    • Transgressions shall be fiercely punished


    The Knights follow the chivalric codes as a guide to life on Chateu des Creux. All members of the order are expected to live up to and defend the codes. Non members, while not compelled too live by the codes, must pay a special tax to the order if they wish to remain within the Knights domain.




    Spoiler: Resource
    Show

    There is no wealth of Knights that need to prove themselves and exiles that wish to earn their way back into society. Clone Knights, are the resource provided by the Hollow system.

    A consequence of repeatedly cloning Knights from a very small pool means that Drugs are needed by The Knights Vacio in order to prevent plague from wiping out the populace and to prevent rapid aging.


    Beautiful Avatar thanks to Gengy


    Hangs out on the World building forums

    Giantitp projects: Caligoven the toxic seas, Baalbek Empire!3, Coatl Empire!4, Short and sweet world building
    Personal stuff: World of Tieg, Nexus: City of the Multiverse, Forgotten Planet Lost Between 2 stars, World of the 9 gates
    Spoiler: The gift that keeps on giving
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    Spoiler: and giving
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    Spoiler: and giving some more
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    Spoiler: Metric tons of giving
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    Spoiler: Keep going
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    Spoiler: Suprise
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  3. - Top - End - #33
    Bugbear in the Playground
    Join Date
    Oct 2015
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    Ocean Side
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    Default Re: EMPIRE5! Worlds of Axiom

    The Eternal Assembly of Alysia



    Region K-25



    Spoiler: Leader Stats
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    Prime Minister Eladia Makeda Sarai
    Dip 5
    Mil 3
    Eco 5
    Phi 1
    Int 3

    Spoiler: Summary
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    Leader: Prime Minister Eladia Makeda Sarai
    Home System: Elan System
    Resource: Alysian Alloys [Great]
    Required Resource: Arcana
    Learning Center: The Remnant [Open]

    Spoiler: Region
    Show
    Alysian Prime orbits the star Elan, a bright white giant who’s light provides warmth for the myriad lifeforms which inhabit her solar system. There are seven planets within Elan’s demesne, and each make contributions to the lives of the system in their own way. The three nearest Elan, Val’ens, Reilen and Arleal, contribute valuable metals that are fabricated into alloys and are used as shelter and tools for the beings in the system inclined to use such things. The fourth planet, Crens, is inhabited by a sole entity who forms the core of the planet and does not like smaller beings traipsing about on his back, for he is very ticklish. Crens has been written into legendary songs passed down to the young as valuable lessons about respect and personal space.

    The fifth and sixth planets are Alysian Prime and Delu respectively. Alysian Prime is the jewel of the solar system, rich in life and resources that are largely left untouched by the Alysian people since the ascension millenia ago. Delu is also rich with life, though the majority of it being submerged beneath vast oceans that are roiled by turbulent waves that are pulled by the weight of the three large moons that encircle the watery planet in their orbits. The seventh planet, Oggins, is so far from Elan that from its surface, the beautiful star appears as merely a dim white mote. It is a cold and wintry world in which few beasts are hardy enough to thrive though it is a mercy that those which dwell there are content to huddle upon their cold rock and wonder not at the bright speck in the sky and what worlds might lie beyond their faded existence.

    Spoiler: People
    Show
    Those that think of themselves as the Alysian people are tall bipedal humanoids. They posses porcelain white skin and hair that ranges from platinum blonde to pale blue. Their lips and eyes are also blue and they are generally of a serene nature due to the patience fostered during their exceptionally long lives. Barring accidental deaths, Alysians have been known to live upwards of one thousand years. Despite their longevity, there are shockingly few Alysians. New “births” are a matter of year-long civilization-wide celebrations but are scarce and far between.

    Spoiler: History
    Show
    It is said that Alysia opened her eyes and beget the world. Who beget The First is an unknown quantity. Alysians spend centuries pondering and debating what came before The First. Some say it is impossible to have preceded The First due to her nature of being first. Others say that The First was the lone remnant of the mysterious Callers after they reached transcendance and returned to the distant stars from whence they came. Others claim that the Alysians are an organic byproduct of the AI’s industry, and the machines being too benevolent to tell them otherwise, allow them to believe they are the inheritors of Alysian’s bounty.

    The Alysian’s modern history is marked by The Ascension. Their civilization spread out from The Fragment like a great web, and as a web does, it entangled the natural creatures of the world and displaced them and disrupted the natural order of things. The Alysians observed the pattern of this disruption for centuries, their displeasure grew as did their footprint upon the planet. They looked to the sky for salvation, as countless civilizations ever have, and endeavored to create a self-sustaining habitat orbiting the planet, the New Alysian Station. Pleased with their ingenuity, they soon built a second station around Delu known as Delu’s Hope. Alysia and a small, rotating contingent of armed guards are the only Alysians that remain on the surface of Alysian Prime.

    Spoiler: Government
    Show
    Alysia is the heart of her people, but more importantly, the mind. Deep within the crumbling remnants of The Remnant are the Strands that connect Alysia to the minds of her people. She dwells within ever blindfolded against the distractions of her own physicality but acutely aware of the thoughts and emotions of her people. She can manage hundreds of scenarios at once, relay her wishes to one and warn another of danger simultaneously. All seeing, Alysia is the hand that guides her people from the shadows, steering them in the direction that is best for the collective with subtlety and the few that are summoned to Alysian Prime to hold her audience are forever changed by the experience. Perhaps it is her proximity to the Remnant, or her connection to The Strands that has gifted Alysia with an abnormally long life, even for an Alysian. By her own admission, she is not ancient enough to have known the Callers, though this does not stop people from spreading rumors and false information. Despite having been brought into existence countless millennia after the Callers, Alysia is an entity of venerable age and wisdom to her people.
    Spoiler: Alysia and The Strands
    Show
    [img]


    In order to allay the inevitable boredom that one must experience during millenia of existence, the Alysians take assignments in turn. A few decades of military training followed by a century of diplomatic assignments and so on foster a well rounded and engaged community. The current assigned diplomatic head is Prime Minister Eladia Makeda Sarai who is due for reassignment in another quarter century. Eladia is hoping for a turn working with the friendly and helpful AI who serve the Alysians in the more onerous tasks of maintaining the Space Stations and growing food for the population who are entirely vegetarian. As with Alysia herself, the origins of the AI are shrouded in mystery. The Alysian people were never without the AI who are constantly improving themselves and care for the upkeep of planet and people seemingly almost of their own accord. They range in intelligence from automated farming equipment to mining robots and sophisticated personal assistants.

    Spoiler: Philosophy
    Show
    The Alysians revere The First as both prophet and goddess, though they do not adhere to any specific doctrine or organized philosophy. They seek to tread lightly upon the universe and are curious about other lifeforms and are eager to learn and experience new things. The Remnant is the learning center on Alysian Prime from where Alysia imparts her wisdom to her people. What is known as The Remnant is believed to be the remains of a technology from before the Callers achieved transcendance. Though parts of it are in ruins or inert, it still lights up within and without and much of the interior appears to function as intended, though the Alysians can only guess at the intentions of its creators.
    LC (The Remnant): Open

    Spoiler: Resource
    Show
    Required Resource:
    Arcana is required to sate the Alysians thirst for new knowledge.
    Exported Resource:
    Alysian Alloys mined and smelted on the three closest planets to Elan.
    TP 1: Val’ens
    TP 2: Reilen
    TP 3: Arleal
    Last edited by Mary_Sue; 2019-06-15 at 04:48 PM.
    Quote Originally Posted by TheDarkDM View Post
    God, get it together Mary.
    Thank you to AsteriskAmp for the lovely avatar!

  4. - Top - End - #34
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    DoomHat's Avatar

    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Austin Tx

    Default Re: EMPIRE5! Worlds of Axiom

    The Jackstar Free Union

    Leadership:
    Spoiler
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    Current:
    Grand Admiral Coldcase Tienlung [Rolls-Reroll]
    Diplomacy 1
    Military 4
    Economy 3
    Philosophy 2
    Intrigue 4


    Home Region: (The Carabas Constellation)

    Terrain:
    Spoiler
    Show
    (Cyrano System) A fairly unremarkable 7 planet system save for its habitable world, known to the locals as Varglan. The habitable belt of Varglan lies on its temperate equator, with frozen tundra regions taking up roughly a full third of the surface, extending from the poles.

    (Ghrok System) Despite the unusual amount of vapor and ice rings orbiting this star, its system contains a life supporting planet. The planet Ohm has very little dry landmass, and an incredible density of highly cultivated sealife. Beneath the waves rules a large species of sentient nudibranch, living in vast shepherd coral reefs. A few vestigial remnants of their grand stellar remains, but for the most part, the Ohmin now remain sequestered in their little blue green homeworld.

    (Jack Stars)In the common vernacular of space miners, a “Jackstar” is a system that contains no planets that are even candidates for terraforming, let alone habitation, but are nonetheless abundant in useful raw materials. The Carabas Constellation is abundant in jackstars, and nearly every one of them is orbited by a wide variety of enormous space habitats, orbital mining rigs and spaceborne refineries.


    People:
    Spoiler
    Show
    (Varglanders) The Planet Varg is dominated by a species that, while almost certainly human in origin, have undergone a significant amount of evolutionary diversion. Where a typical human's body degrades with age, the Varglanders never really stop growing. By middle age they begin taking on distinctly canine characteristics. As senility would normally begin setting in, instead their sapience begins slipping away from them. By age 80 or 90, most have become enormous wolf-like creatures, incapable of speech or abstract thought. By age 140 or so, they typically die of organ failure typical of unsustainable gigantism.

    (The Exquisite) The mysterious and once highly imperialist natives of the planet Ohm. At the beginning of the great modern age of FTL travel, little is know of them, as little is seen or said of them any more.


    The Jackstar Free Union:
    Spoiler
    Show
    History
    For over a thousand years, The Exquisite of Ohm ruled the Carabas Constellation with an iron pseudopod, and they still do. Technically, at least on paper. The elite Ohmite Patrician Guard started as a highly engaged occupation force, oppressing and managing the movements of a vast underclass of of mostly Varglander serfs. After generations without meaningful opposition, they eventually became little more then decadent fobs, passively collecting tribute from the safety their fortified pleasure palace.

    As the imperial navy grew content and arrogant, its best minds turned from policing and cultivating the Jackstars of the stellar hinterlands, preferring instead the luxuries and amusements of planetary life. The billions living and working aboard jackstar space colonies eventually learned that the only thing they count on from the imperial navy as violence in retaliation for unpaid tribute.

    Not only was the imperial navy lax in confronting pirate raiders outside habitable stars systems, they could no longer even be expected to provide any form of disaster relief, or fair arbitration of legal disputes. As time went by, the most successful jackstar pirates discovered they could make a better living patronizing the space stations in their reach, as defenders against other pirates. The larger the pirate gang, the more it could benefit the populations in their grip, winning their support, and increasing their material output.

    The Pirates Age was fierce and lawless, but thankfully, it was finally brought to an end by The Jackstar Free Union. The JFU is a democratic federation of space station and ship crews unified in the name of fair enterprise and freedom from extortionist violence. While the brutal jackstar pirate gangs typically did all they could to eradicate or enslave their rivals, the JFU offered even their most bitter rivals an opportunity for reform and collaboration. The overwhelming majority of pirates subdued by the JFU were not conquered by tooth and claw, but open arms and fellowship.

    The larger the Jackstar Free Union grew, the more it could benefit the populations in its membership, winning their support, and growing their economic livelihoods.

    Eventually, the Free Union came into conflict with the Imperial Forces, but by that time, the JFU had massively outstripped the Imperial Navy in raw numbers, large scale combat experience, and weapon quality. As the imperials prepared for a brutal siege, they found themselves shocked by the JFU's sudden surrender.

    The terms were simple, and eventually accepted. The Imperial Navy retains direct control over the immediate orbit of the two habitable worlds in the Carabas Constellation, while the JFU is commissioned by Imperial Charter as a privateer force for the protection of the empire's holdings across space. The JFU is also technically expected to uphold Imperial Law, however, the charter's wording allows them unilateral authority in how they choose to do so.

    Organization Structure
    (Crew)
    Fellowship of arms. Main army and police force. Able to vote for Captains, Fleet Admirals, and the Grand Admiral at regularly scheduled referendums.

    (Clients)
    Ultra Platinum- Allowed to live on the surface of Ohm and Varglan. Afforded extraordinary luxury, but not allowed to operate any complex machinery on their own without Crew supervision.
    Platinum- Owners of large corporations. Allowed to own large scale capital and intellectual property.
    Gold- Small Business Owners. Allowed to own trademarks and copy right on specific works.
    Silver- worker/citizen
    Bronze- Clients who can't afford a higher tier of subscription are offered the opportunity to work off their dept without being labeled a Trespasser.
    Guest Permit- Temporary Client status of one of the above tiers.

    (Trespassers)
    Violating protected space, unauthorized access to public subscriber utilities.


    Resource: (High Fashion [Textiles-Great])
    Spoiler
    Show
    Fashion is so wildly important in the Carbas Constellation that the wondrous overflow of precious metals and raw carbon found in the region’s many jackstars are all processed and prioritized toward elaborate and sublime personal fashion items.

    The region wants for little, save for the extreme superstitiousness of the population.
    [TP1- ](JFU)

    [TP2- ] (None)

    [TP3- ] (None)

    (Arcana) resources are in constant demand.


    Philosophy: (Aether Navigation)
    Spoiler
    Show
    A system describing a variety of “natural laws” that govern the flow of “cosmic energies” by and through the spatial arrangement, shape, color pallet, and orientation of objects in relation to each other. For the practitioners of “Aether Nav”, the favorable or unfavorable effects of these energy flows are taken into account in the design and construction of everything from clothing to architecture, and even starship engines.

    Learning Center- The Cross Roads (Aether Navigation)
    A bizarre bazaar said to rest at the interception of 5 potent "galactic ley lines."
    Last edited by DoomHat; 2019-06-15 at 01:20 PM.
    ...with a vengeance!

  5. - Top - End - #35
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    SwashbucklerGuy

    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: EMPIRE5! Worlds of Axiom

    Melfynians, All

    Rundhrul of the Ofgryl Cluster (Rolls)
    Diplomacy 3 (3)
    Economics 1 (1)
    Military 3 (3)
    Intrigue 3 + 1 (4)
    Philosophy 4 + 1 (5)

    Spoiler: System, F14
    Show
    The homeworld of the Melfynians, Melfynus, is nothing more than a giant blue sphere in the middle of the void of space. With a strong gravitational force, Melfynus has also become the center of it's system. While it is still unclear how and why, Melfynus is not in fact a purely aquatic planet. The water which composes much of what can be seen is but a layer surrounding and constantly battering forcefully at its core; a white hole- the source of light for the world and its surrounding planets. Lacking any heat from its source, Melfynus has also inevitably formed a third layer at its outskirts, a thick layer of ice, keeping much of its inhabitants inside.

    Exhausting most of it's mineral reserves already, Melfynians have taken to sourcing what it needs from its neighbours and processing them in the dense environment of it's homeworld. One noteworthy planet is Felma. A colorful gas giant orbited by an asteroid belt of various metals. Harvesting metals is the only activity of note there as even any attempt to explore the planet itself is far too dangerous ranging from the everchanging hostile environment, freak storms and hard rain, as well as its unmappable nature.

    Another noteworthy planet used by the Melfynians is Barthuum. The highly irradiated wasteland orbit's the border of the system in a highly erratic fashion as mass ejections of radiation propels Barthuum as though at the whims of the planet. Much has been invested into the Glarea station, a large station built to predict and utilize these ejections for the sake of Melfynus society.

    Other planets of Melfynus, so long as they prove useful, have already been tamed and is comparatively safer than the aforementioned two although their importance is not as necessary to the people as Felma and Barthuum are.

    Spoiler: People
    Show
    The natives of Melfynus are in fact two distinct species living in a form of symbiotic relationship. The Harkans make up most of the population. Ophiuroids more active towards the surface of the planet. They also make up the working class, the skilled laborers of Melfynus due to their limberness and dexterity. The foundation of Melfynus civilization and continued longevity is essentially built by the Harkans thereby naturally allowing them to have better control over the people's government.

    The Rastars on the other hand were not even considered sentient until the beginning of the space age which allowed the Melfynians to expand throughout their own system. Before that, the Rastars have been considered by the Harkans as benevolent gods which they have to follow if they did not want to be exposed to the elements. These giant mantas are the main reason the Harkans could exist deeper in the depths of Melfynus where the pressure would crush them in a matter of minutes. Closer to the surface, the Rastars float around with the Harkans but into the depths, the rays would ball up to form a sort of closed off system which the ophiuroids can live safely within- no pressure!

    There is also no such thing as cities or states on Melfynus. The different societies exist as clusters which comprise of one Rastar and as many Harkans as it can support and all identify themselves based on the Rastar. Due to the nature of Melfynus, clusters rarely have the need interact with one another. As Rastars are seen to have their own plans for the betterment of the Melfynus, they may have their clusters work together for their own purposes but governance and expansion are generally handled by the Harkans.

    Spoiler: History
    Show
    Much of Melfynian history is sporadic at best due to the nature of clusters although there are key events affecting the planet as a whole. Todate, only three separate occasions required the cooperation of all clusters; events considered crisis nearly causing the extinction of the Melfynus.

    The most memorable event was in the age of depths. Increased population needed expansion towards the unexplored depths and uncovered a creature unlike any other. As large as 30 clusters, the serpentine creature was considered a natural disaster in itself- destabilizing the ecosystem and inadvertently wiping out clusters just by passing through. In a practice carried on even through the modern age, at least three clusters are at all times observing and managing the path of this creature to prevent as much damage as possible.

    After the disaster of the age of depths, the Melfynians decided to expand upwards. Finally cutting a hole through the icy layer, environmentalists were proven right as water of the planet escaped into space losing 18% of the water of Melfynus. While the drain of water finally stopped, an ominious cone of ice pointed down towards the planet formed, moving in a perfect orbit around Melfynus as the planet spins- a cardinal landmark for navigation. Expansionists looking on the bright side found the disaster also paved the way for expansion into space, the breach being used as a staging site for explorations into the great unknown.

    Spoiler: Philosophy
    Show
    The natives of Melfynus refer to themselves collectively in one way, "Melfynians, all" which illustrates their core identity. This identity can be seen as a pyramid hierarchy although unlike most others, the pyramid neither represents the degree of power or control over the direction of the Melfynus but the responsibility owed to Melfynus. At the base of the pyramid are the indidivuals, Harkans as most of the populace. Above the Karkans are the Rastar, tasked with the Harkans wellbeing and security. This is followed by clusters as a whole which work together collectively for each's own betterment and finally, the Melfynians as a whole.

    Learning Centre 1: Knowledge on Melfynus is still preferred to be passed down instead of having a written record. The institute, if there is such a thing for this endeavor, he directly below the giant ice cone pointing down on the planet. Each cluster normally passes through this spot for a year after wandering around for four years for the definite purpose of special education of the more accomplished Harkans. To aid with this effort, some structures have been erected on the ice above this spot although the locality still remains to be as a staging ground for space expansion and thus much more resources is allocated to that instead.

    Spoiler: Trade
    Show
    Resource: Melfynian Alloys (Great) - Hard Metal
    By utilizing the intense pressure inherent to the planet, metals merely need to be dropped into the water to increase in density for use. Harkens can further assist in manufacturing finished products by following the metals down as they process it until completion.

    Needed: Flora
    To further expand their home planet above the ice, the Melfynians require wood which can easily be worked with, doesn't threaten to further damage the ice the way heavy metals would and are able to float above the water.

  6. - Top - End - #36
    Barbarian in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jun 2016

    Default Re: EMPIRE5! Worlds of Axiom



    The Theocratic Regency of Svaatyr



    Spoiler: Zel-Kryes - K21
    Show
    Spoiler: Terrain
    Show

    The Zel-Kryes system is notable for being an unusually inhabited Quaternary system. The larger yellow dwarf stars lack habitable planets, but the dimmer pair that orbit them hold a single liveable world. Veekrn Fatyi, the jewel in the heavens. It's twin radiances grant it a unique calendar of sixteen seasons, depending on the position in the terrestrial and solar orbit. When the planet sits between the two stars, it experiences no true night, and instead rests in crimson twilight. When together, night truly falls, yet the day shines brighter than ever. Meanwhile, the planet warms as the two stars draw closer together, and cooler as they part. The parent stars they orbit shed not enough to shift the seasons, instead joining the single moon as lights in the dark.

    Veekrn Fatyi itself is a varied planet, though it leans towards the warm and arid - deserts and savannas make up the most common biomes, fed by rains that collect in the mountains and flow to the sea. More temperate plains and forests lie further from the equator, and the poles endure frigid conditions in all but the height of summer. Tropical conditions do occur, but mostly at higher elevations - the tallest mountain in the world is lush with greenery till near its peak.


    Spoiler: People
    Show

    The Nolkir are a leonine race, crafted in a crude approximation of their gods. The most common variant sports tawny fur, with the males having a darker mane, but varieties native to regions other than the warm savannas and deserts can also be found. Those of the frigid poles sport much thicker white or grey fur, and those native to the jungles often have mottled or spotted fur. For those communities that developed by the ocean, the fur is sleeker and otter like, and prone to lighter colours on the front. Both males and females average at the six foot mark, though females are usually more slender. They naturally reach a similar age as humans, though medicine has reached a point where passing the century mark is common, and gene therapy can extend an individual's lifespan near indefinitely, though the technology has not yet reached a point where it's affordable for the the average citizen, and only the richest could afford the frequency required to truly last forever, especially as the efficiency drops with each pass.

    An incredibly social species, the Nolkir typically live in communal housing, with ample shared living space, with the more modest personal space also often shared, albeit on a much smaller scale - often shared by a single family group, though such groups commonly shift and change with semi-regularity. Males typically spend enough time and effort on their appearance that other races would describe them as vain, though this is mostly a remnant of traditional mating habits. A single family group consists of as many individuals as are happy to be in it, though traditionally these consist of a single male and multiple females, plus children. However, the first move was always traditionally made by the female, who was under no obligation to remain if she did not wish, and so the males put great effort into being as attractive to them as possible. In more modern times, the make up of groups is more flexible, and a male approaching a female less unthinkable, but the traditional ways still hold sway. Physically affectionate, the Nolkir are very tactile with each other, with hugs and similar levels of contact common among even acquaintances.

    Between their social nature and adherence to their gods, the Nolkir are an orderly people. While not likely to blindly follow any order without thought (which would go against other major tenets of their faith), they respect authority, and are unlikely to rebel against it without cause. Exceptions of course exist, but on the whole they form a close, cohesive people.

    The Nolkir are a highly educated people - They have compulsory state-funded education from five to twenty-five, starting with basic topics like reading, writing and religion, covering a broad variety of fields through the middle years, then specialising more as they reach the later years of their education. Teachers (who are all also priests), are highly respected, and held to a high standard, leading to an unusually high success rate when it comes to engaging and educating youngsters.



    Spoiler: History
    Show

    In the beginning, eternity was a line. A malleable line, that could be shaped as its observers willed, but a single, unbroken path. In the beginning, eternity was boring. Ageless, and blessed with the vision to chart history's course for millenia to come, the Nine Sphinxes had the ability to chart time as they saw fit - and yet what they craved was not control, but stimulation. Which of them suggested it, and what caused them to think of it, remains unknown - the Nine themselves remain ever enigmatic on personal matters - but the result was clear. In their own image, they created the Nolkir. The random senseless chaos that the Nine would have to cause to thwart their own predicitons was anathema to their very nature, but those they had created lacked such perfection. Free to make choices, free to make mistakes, the Nolkir were able to enact what the most static beings in the galaxy so desperately wanted - change.

    The Nine themselves sat back, and allowed history to unfold. Since their initial setting of the wheels, the nine have, between them, interceeded a mere eight times, fully half by Viiqr-Zel Mrrn. Each time was followed absolutely, and usually given to stave off what was likely to be a world threatening situation (and in one case by Tyaam-Zel Fiiqam because he didn't want to have to breathe polluted air in a few hundred years). For millenia the Volkir were fragmented, and the Nine remained politically neutral. However, in the year 3149, the Theocracratic Regency of Svaatyr began its grand crusade. It was a slow, measured beast, an assimilation of all around them by carrot or stick, followed by periods of consolidation and stabilisation. Countries had risen and fallen in the past, but this time, the leaders had shown the wisdom and foresight to retain stability no matter how large it grew. As secularity and opposition were crushed both mercilessly and pityingly, those who remained in opposition banded together to resist them. The war was long and bloody... and they failed. After that, it was simply a matter of clean up. With robust and flexible command lines in place, it turned out running a planet was actually easier than running a country - there were no new problems besides scale, and most of the foreign policy issues had been removed.



    Spoiler: Government
    Show

    On paper, the Nolkir have no mortal ruler. Supreme authority is given to the Nine, who never use it. As such, the heads of the main government branches claim regency, as a theocratic council. The leaders of each branch are referred to as the Svrrta-Zel, or Saints, and are usually helmed by the head of the church.

    The church also doubles as the department of education, for the Nolkir draw no distinction between priest and teacher. It is a prestigious vocation, and the person at the top of it has unbeaten control over the path of the nation.

    Though little is known of the ministry of intelligence outside of its own members, its influence is second only to the Educator Saint. Its members keep a close watch on the citizens, aiming to deal with problems before they can even bear fruit. Rumours abound about them, and plenty attempt to mask their activities. The Ministry appreciates the effort to give them a challenge.

    Rarely spoken of, but vastly important, is the civil service. Its employees work tirelessly to maintains supply lines, organise repair and construction, and generally keep everything running smoothly. Though not the most glamorous of roles, to those simply living day to day lives, it is the one that allows them to do so.

    The Bureau of communications is the smallest branch, and to some degree is a remnant of earlier times. With no one left to perform diplomacy with, the Bureau instead facilitates internal lines of communication, though could in theory be once more expanded to its former duties.

    The Crusader Corps have been almost as mythologised as the ministry of intelligence, except most of them are true. Svaatyr claimed world dominance by its elite military might, and they have not allowed peace to tarnish that arm. Those wishing to join the crusaders need undergo seven years of pre-training - those who complete are guaranteed a place, but enlistment is for life. In return, in addition to the prestige, crusaders have access to one of the best benefit packages in the galaxy, including state funded yearly life extension treatments, and a modest salary on top of all expenses paid. Support roles more resemble a normal career, but are still prestigious jobs, and the only people outside of the crusaders themselves allowed to learn the military language - teaching it to someone without clearance is a grave offence.

    Though the number of combat troops is somewhat small for the population size, they make up for it in individual skill and discipline, and double as domestic law enforcement. Though the Nolkir would be quick to pin their low crime rates on their people's naturally orderly nature, the terrifying prospect of having to deal with the police is a much greater deterrent.

    Despite the expansion of their territory, Svaatyr resists claiming the title of empire. To do so would be to place a line between Zel-Kryes and their other territories, to declare the conquered as different, when nothing could be further from the truth. The conquered have the exact same rights and benefits as Nolkir citizens (provided they follow the same rules and laws), and racial discrimination is punished harshly in any direction. Svaatyr's aim is to eliminate all cultural distinction between its citizens - their useful traditions adopted as Svaatyrn traditions, and rightly so, for they are traditions of Svaatyrn citizens. All else can be gently wiped away. These regions are ruled no differently than they would a geographic region of Zel-Kryes - ultimate control remains in the hands of the council, with regional branches of government acting as extensions to better manage individual areas.



    Spoiler: Resources
    Show

    Perhaps a consequence of a world so suffused with sunlight, Zel-Kryes is host to a large number of crystals, the Zeliitusv, or sunstones. The stones are black - light cannot normally escape the inside of the crystal, though it can enter it. The crystals can however be coaxed to release their trapped contents, emitting the stored pure sunlight. Originally used merely as a light source, the advent of photovoltaic power caused them to be used much like a battery - a source of light at night, usually deployed within a small dyson sphere like arrangement of solar panels. As the stones emit little to no heat, they are both safe and easy to use. As early space travel was developed, they proved to be native not only to the planet itself, but much of the surrounding asteroid network, explaining why they could only be observed from the planet when they collided.

    Intellectually voracious, the Nolkir are ever on the lookout for new Curiosities to study. The universe contains countless secrets, which can ideally be brought home to be uncovered in comfort.



    Spoiler: Philosophy
    Show

    The Nolkir near universally follow the Nine Lights, the name they give to the nine sphinxes that, mostly in name, rule the theocracy. While the direct worship of the Nine would perhaps make little sense for any but the Nolkir, the philosophy based upon them is perhaps somewhat more transferable. At it's heart, the Nolkir strive to match the nine virtues exemplified by each of the lights.

    Viiqr-Zel Mrrn, The Light of Compassion.
    Tyaam-Zel Fiiqam, The Light of Ingenuity.
    Kaza-Zel Melqrrn, The Light of Judgement.
    Zeliiv-Zel Zanrt, The Light of Shadows.
    Zelzyr-Zel Lrnaas, The Light of Dawn.
    Seel-Zel Namees, The Light of Knowledge.
    Vanrt-Zel Sonara, The Light of Certainty.
    Avrne-Zel Tetyr, The Light of Curiosity.
    Zrvesiiv-Zel Voolr, The Light of Eternity.

    Though the Nine could comfortably guide history, they elect not to. To them, there is beauty in the imperfection, in the choices and consequences that cause them to constantly reevaluate the course of time. To follow the Nine is to embrace that imperfection, and to strive to forge that future with your own two hands. The Nolkir accept that other races lack the same direct reason to worship the Nine, though they still expect them to at least be given respect, and they themselves don't exactly pray to them. On occasion they might be petitioned for council, and on occasion they may even grant it, but the Nolkir find it more viable to honour them in deed than word.

    They place a high cultural significance on light, and find prisms to be as close as they come to deeming an object sacred - the ability to take something pure and flawless as light, and break it down into something beautifully imperfect is something dear to their hearts.

    Philosophical centre - The Temple of Seel-Zel Namees. Doubling as the global center of power for the government's education branch, and by extension the seat of government for the whole world, the home and temple of Namees is a spiraling tower of glass and stone at the heart of the world's capital. For each practical room, there is another given to a terraced garden, or an indoor pond, and the entire tower is fragrant with the large amber flowers Namees is fond of.





    Spoiler: The Emjata System - L20
    Show


    The discovery of thriving life in the star system came as something of a surprise to the Svaatyrn, and even the Nine acknowledged that it wouldn't have been their first guess. After all, when all mathematical projections pointed to the system's exo-star as having been caught in a wide orbit around the primary only a few thousand years ago, most would have expected any life that had been present to have long since burned away.

    According to local legend, the planet was once home to dozens of intelligent races, and was of a decidedly alpine bent. Most did not survive the coming of the Dragon Star, as the locals called it. The 'Ridx, however, proved more resilient that most. They endured the warming, along with the hardiest specimens of the world's flora and fauna, much of which ran rampant in the vast swathes of planet that was now theirs and theirs alone. Hot, humid, and having not seen a dark sky in thousands of years, much of the planet was now overrun by teeming jungles, thick with plants only slightly less unkillable than the beasts that stalked them. Much of the planet even now remains wild and uninhabited, though other swathes have been brought under a semblance of control.

    Spoiler: People
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    The 'Ridx are at present the only remaining sapient species on the planet. Rumours never truly quell of another race surviving deep beneath the oceans, but no contact has been had with this hypothetical species in thousands of years, so most consider them an urban legend at best. The 'Ridx themselves are naturally tall and powerfully built, with horns and a partial black scaled exoskeleton made of the same incredibly hard material as their bones (early studies imply them to be made of a naturally occurring superstructure), and little to no sexual dimorphism. Early contact in fact mistook them for a genderless race, though further clarification proved that they were at least divided reproductively. Svaatyrn scientists remain in argument if the egg laying 'Ridx are reptiles or mammals.

    Carnivorous, the 'Ridx have a strong hunting tradition, strengthened over the years by the rampant ecological arms race of the planet's fauna. They do, however, also have a surprisingly adept agricultural tradition, albeit one that would seem chaotic and arcane to an outside observer - 'Ridx cultivators have long mastered the blending of the wild and tame. Indeed, the distinction between their cities and the surrounding jungles is often academic at best - living trees and vines are as much a part of the construction as stone, wood, wax and resin. They have a vast catalogue of experience and knowledge with the planet's flora and fauna, and an ability to mix their components to ends that seem almost magical.


    Spoiler: Government
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    Emjata's government is best described as a loose coalition of clans, a thousand monarchs who sometimes agree on what to do. The manner of choosing the clan head varies from clan to clan, usually based on whatever trait that clan finds most desirable. Though stable, each region mostly keeps to itself, limiting the effects the people have on a macro scale. Early Svaatyrn reports state that this is dumb and should be fixed as soon as possible, immediately before their woefully lacking education system, and after their language which is unspeakable by anyone without an indestructible throat.


    Spoiler: Philosophy
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    Apparently, for many years the locals worshipped the dragon star, some out of appeasement, and some out of a belief that it had chosen them as rulers of the world. This persisted for some time, until the sisters of silence arrived. Apparently, the trajectory of an errant star so close to their vigil was of mild concern to them, and they took steps to stabilise the orbit such that it didn't leave again or draw closer. Svaatyrn experts almost all conclude this is unlikely propaganda designed to give them an excuse to spread their so called faith, and should be disregarded as wilful disinformation.


    Spoiler: Resource
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    The Dejan Mustard is perhaps the most prolific plant on the planet. Able to grow in even the most adverse of conditions (reports have been confirmed of it thriving even on barren rock and underwater), it was so named for its ability to both conquer any environment, and its most common distinctive yellow colour, though it has at least a half dozen other names, including mongrelvine, fleshfruit and waxblood. The plant breeds via the pollen of other plants rather than produce its own, so no two vines are truly alike, but all have some common traits - when cut, they produce a thick, waxy sap that makes a resilient building material, and the production of fruit with a high enough protein content to provide nutritional value even to carnivores.







    Spoiler: The Voxesier System - J20
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    Svaatyrn explorers were confused, to say the least, upon discovering Voxesier. Not so much for the system itself, which was an utterly normal single star system with a number of planets orbiting it. The confusion came when they discovered it another seven times. Maps were checked and double checked, and they were definitely all in different locations. They all even shared the same species, though they showed social and physical variations.

    Initial studies showed that, traced far back enough, the local history eventually hit a point where they all converged to the same, approximately four thousand years prior. The Nine, when queried, confirmed that seven new stars had appeared in the sky at that time. None of the planets had any knowledge of each other - whatever had occurred remained a mystery.

    Since then, however, all eight planets (or reflections, as some Svaatyrn were keen to push), have developed in greatly different directions, with almost no cultural relationship to one another.

    Spoiler: People
    Show

    The Vox on all planets are four armed, with dark leathery skin, along with some form of horns. Having learned from previous mistakes, Svaatyrn explorers looked very hard for gender differences, and were somewhat put out to discover the Vox actually were genderless - reproduction occurs via a process that could only, begrudgingly, be called magic, involving the simultaneous mixing and reversion of multiple creatures' time streams to create a new, separate being, though the exact number of parents appeared to be able to vary from anywhere between one and five. Most variants also exhibit supernatural abilities beyond that, leading scholars to posit that they may in fact be four dimensional beings - their unique method of reproduction also seems to allow more rapid evolution than normal.

    Individual strains and planets were named by Svaatyr - early arguments (and threats of war) over which was the 'real' Voxesier showed leaving it to them was a poor choice.


    Spoiler: Resource
    Show

    Voxesier as a system is crossed by twisting red lanes, natural trackways that allow speeds exceeding even GLD, but only within their confines. Manipulable to a degree, but otherwise irremovable, the combination or their seeming indestructibility and the sensation given to those riding them gave them the ridiculous but unfortunately stuck name of Unbreakable Twizzlers.

    Though initially mistaken for some form of road network, joining the systems directly with apparent purpose, they were mistakable as a remnant of some fallen empire. Further study, however, implies that them to may well be tangles in the very fabric of space and time, a remnant of the event that split the planet into eight.





    Spoiler: Voxesier-Tyrn
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    Upon Voxesier-Tyrn, the empire that stood at the point of divergence, miraculously, never fell. Even after ten thousand years, the highly traditional Vox-Tyrn remain, at least culturally, much as they always were. The empire has fractured and warred with itself countless times, but has always recongealed, enduring all ambition and technological progress. The second closest to space flight, their military technology in particular is quite advanced for a pre-space flight people.

    Spoiler: People
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    The Vox-Tyrn are the most physically imposing of the Vox, all breaching eight foot tall and built for battle. Their skin hews more towards red, and their horns are large enough to be used as weapons.



    Spoiler: Voxesier-Veenir
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    At some point in their history, the Vox-Veenir came upon the idea to meld their innate sorcery with technology, leading to a revolution that caused them to far outstrip their cousins technologically. Though still contained to their own solar system, the Vox-Veenir have taken the first steps into space, with skies teeming with man made satellites. Much of the planet is covered in towering, packed cities, reliant heavily on technology for survival.

    Spoiler: People
    Show

    The Vox-veenir are one of the smaller strains, skin black or close to, but with natural neon edging to their horns, with hair colour that matches. They tend towards the most extreme fashion choices, and, on average, are the most intelligent strain by a slight margin.



    Spoiler: Voxesier-Sadoor
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    The land of Voxesier-Sadoor is one of many faces - tranquil and spiritual on the surface, it is a nest of vipers and espionage. The masks commonly worn by the populace hide thier faces, but expose their natures, and it is one of the most mystical of the planets - many of the Vox-Sadoor exhibit abilities that enhance stealth, such as shadow manipulation and bluring one’s own passage through time.

    Spoiler: People
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    The Vox-Sadoor are lithe and slender, the most agile of the strains, and possessed of a motled gray skin that shows not in the shadows beneath the moon, along with pupilless eyes.



    Spoiler: Voxesier-Biityo
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    Though apparently the world’s history was incredibly bloody, approximately a thousand years prior the Vox-Biityo achieved world peace. Surprisingly, they didn’t change their minds immediately after, and Voxesier-Biityo is now a tranquil land where the most challenging thing to deal with is navigating the locals’ impossibly complicated love lives, mostly taking place in an untold number of independent eateries, bakeries, and coffee shops.

    Spoiler: People
    Show
    The Vox-Biityo have skin that tends towards the lighter shades of gray, somewhat larger than average eyes, and an utter lack of supernatural abilities beyond being able to reproduce. Clothing tends towards the soft and comfortable, with sweaters in particular doing a brisk trade.



    Spoiler: Voxesier-Fasel
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    Voxesier-Fasel is unique in that the tangles of space usually constrained to the skies reach the planet below. The locals took to using them as racetracks, building their entire culture around who could go the fastest. Rulership is determined by the winner of the five-yearly grand prix, with a caste system based around racers, support crew, and the spectators who provide for society's more practical needs. Despite still being planet bound, their vehicle technology is excellent, with a responsiveness impressive even to Svaatyr.

    Spoiler: People
    Show
    The Vox-Fasel are the smallest strain, light with a sleek, streamlined appearance. They possess a single eye that stretches round the entire face, covered in a hard lens, more akin to a visor than a traditional eye. Their reflexes are incredibly fast - most of the racer caste exhibit the ability to slow their perception of time, and they prove to have a high resistance to the effects of g-force.


    Spoiler: Voxesier-Maagrn
    Show

    Unusually sparsely populated, Voxesier-Maagrn it a scarred planet. The people possess some of the most potent natural gifts of all the Vox, and a propensity for using them in highly destructive wars of dominance. Ruled by various mage lords, most of the populace live in fear of the next inevitable conflict that they will be drafted into over petty territorial squabbles, which will almost certainly raze the desired prize to the ground. Warlords of power enough to pose a problem are rare, but cause more than enough devestation to make up for thier low numbers - those of that level of power rarely produce offspring, so as not to produce competetion for themselves.

    Spoiler: People
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    The Vox-Maagrn are visually striking, their jet black skin covered with golden tattoo-like markings that glow with their own light. The more powerful the individual, the more markings they possess, though all have at least some.



    Spoiler: Voxesier-Srtyrr
    Show
    Voxesier-Srtyrr is, on the whole, a lawless place. Pockets of order are held, but only by the wills, guns and blades of the few brave souls willing to maintain them. Away from the protection of a sherrif, might makes right, and victory goes to the fastest trigger finger. Steam powered trains cross seemingly endless plains crisscrossed with the tracks of farmers and herdsmen, away from the cities whose governments have long been destroyed and replaced by criminal gangs.

    Spoiler: People
    Show
    Though possessed of no noteworthy traits of appearance in relation to the other Vox, the Vox-Srtyrr are possessed of keen eyesight, and the ability to always ascertain their own point in time - helpful for navigation and determining high noon.



    Spoiler: Voxesier-Laneed
    Show
    A devastated world, though Voxesier-laneed once shared the same geography as its brethren, at some point in the world’s past the planet’s ice caps melted in their entirety, reducing the landmass to around a quarter of what it once was, at a rapid pace. With nations shattered, many were forced to take to the seas, and squabbles over resources and the remaining land became common. Leadership belongs to those with the power to hold onto their gains, and many survive only by falling into line behind them. Of the worlds, Voxesier-laneed is perhaps the most technologically backwards, contested only by Voxesier-Maagrn, lacking the spare resources for experimentation on any large scale, even if minor incremental improvements still occur. Regardless, their vessels have yet to even claim the skies, let alone the stars.

    Spoiler: People
    Show
    The Vox-Laneed’s skin is more shark like than leathery, usually found in muted hues of blue, though sometimes stepping into green or grey, and with subtle webbing between the digits of the hands and feet. Though not truly amphibious, most possess a prodigous lung capacity, ranging from several minutes at the most basic, to hours of heavy exertion in a single breath for the most impressive specimens. Some theories suggest their lungs may in fact be partially extra-dimensional.

    Last edited by kjelfalconer; 2019-08-20 at 11:29 AM.

  7. - Top - End - #37
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    Default Re: EMPIRE5! Worlds of Axiom

    Sanctum



    Spoiler: History
    Show


    The Callers were not the only attempt at intra-galactic empire. Hundreds of thousands of years is a very long time, and other great powers have risen to try to claim the title...including the precursors to the Sanctified. There’s not much left of them now. Some force or forces unknown swept across the stars and destroyed nearly all of that proud people. As providers died, resources became scarce. As resources became scarce, conflict broke out. As conflict broke out, infrastructure failed. Millennia later, there remains only a single lingering bastion of this once world-spanning society and the many wonders it held. The survivors call it Sanctum.

    So much has been lost that some Sanctified could - and do - spend their entire lives trying to put back together even a small piece of it. Whatever the precursors were, they were more advanced than Sanctum is now. Estimates guess that they could step across the galaxy for breakfast and move the very stars. Some fringe academics claim that they were the Callers themselves, though this seems unlikely, as Caller relics exceed what even untouched precursor Sanctified tech can do by leaps and bounds. Regardless, the true nosedive in their fortunes began when their direct connection to the grand Directors was severed. The pre-Sanctified relied on that to share information with a thought and maintain a clear and disciplined mind capable of working on and visualizing several complex tasks simultaneously. With its collapse, due to reasons lost to strife, the people of that empire were in many ways no longer to maintain their grandest workings... and then their not so grand workings. Entire clusters were lost, sectors went dark, and the lights of the great Otherways Gate Network went out one by one and thousands at a time.

    Eventually, pushed to the breaking point, the precursors came up with the Sanctum scheme. Their population exceeded their resources at their highest level of infrastructure... but they had more habitable worlds than developed ones. Thus, in their last generation of functional neural implants, they sent out an update to the many people of a colonization effort that wiped their memories of Sanctum altogether, along with most of their memories of technology past the iron age, all the while wondering if a similar decision led to their sudden loss of perspicacity all those millennia ago.

    That was centuries ago. Today the descendants of those people live on dozens of worlds at levels of technology ranging from the early Medieval period to the Age of Sail. The scattered, half-remembered dreams of their ancestors live on in myth and legend, and any bits of functional or semi-functional Sanctum technology are considered magic - which, to be fair, they partially are. Meanwhile, the Sanctified watch over them, recruiting the best and brightest when population is low and keeping a careful watch for anyone discovering a usable relic or a functioning gate to add to their stellar cartography. One day, the time will come to take them to the stars as well, but for now, they continue to live a beautiful lie.

    Spoiler: Region
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    Sanctum's stellar geography is unusual as a result of their cultural and technological inheritance. On paper, they 'possess' many worlds in a dense cluster of solar systems, each with one or more habitable planets. If that seems so unlikely that it has to have been engineered, that's because it was. The reality of the situation, though, is that Sanctum does not hold total hands-on domination of all of those worlds. Indeed, most of them have never heard of Sanctum - see the "History" section for details.

    Of course, Sanctum does own real estate in the conventional sense - three whole worlds, to be exact, along with a number of space stations, lunar bases, and bits of territory on the many worlds they don't control outright. One world, Bastion, serves as Sanctum's focal point and capitol planet, though even as reduced as they are, the Sanctified know that it isn't their world of origin. Bastion attained its singular honor not by being the planet with the best biosphere or the most resources, but because it is the primary locus of what remains of the Otherways Gate Network. This network spans all remaining Sanctified territory and stretches for some distance beyond it as well, and allows near-instantaneous travel between one gate and another, whether it's the man-sized inner city portals or the massive orbital rings. With a setup like that, one would think that faster than light travel for their ships would be a low priority, but one would be mistaken. The gates require tremendous energy and must charge and cycle up before use. The longer the jump and the more material being moved, the longer the charging time. Worse, the gates require heavy maintenance after major uses. The end result is that while short one-person warps to another city merely require sensible pacing and about an hour's charge, a jump to another solar system requires a bare minimum of several months of charging and about as much cooldown and maintenance afterward. As the other two all-Sanctum worlds, Redoubt and Refuge, are in separate systems, a round trip between any two Sanctified planets can easily run over a galactic year for any worthwhile amount of people and material.

    As a result, Sanctum is looking into alternative methods of transportation, or at least something they can integrate to shore up the OGN. As their maps of the gate network have suffered along with everything else, exploration is a slow and dangerous process made all the more galling by the knowledge that their people have been to all these places before.
    Spoiler: People
    Show


    Biologically, the Sanctified and all of their feudal vassals follow the human or near-human template, which raises questions about just how long ago that particular life form arrived or rose to prominence in this galaxy. The people of Sanctum call themselves the Sanctified, though the primitive civilizations they watch over, on the rare occasions that they make any contact at all, have been known to call them Sanctumites (wrong), Sanctiles (very wrong), or Sancs (comically wrong).

    Little is known about their culture outside of Sanctum itself, but those within belong to a semi-permeable caste system. Children are born into one of several overarching castes, which are color coded for the convenience of those outsiders or small children learning about it. Within that caste, though, are many roles, and as a given child’s compulsory education is underway, the child is evaluated for aptitudes. Upon completion of their education, these aptitudes are combined with stated preferences, psychological evaluations, and current manpower needs and the person’s actual job is assigned to them. A given individual may never change their caste. They may apply for career re-evaluation once every five years, though this is not required of them.

    Each child is also assigned a citizenship identification number, largely for ease of book keeping. The only other birth-related aspect of their identity is their lineage, which is tracked partly as a source of intra-caste pride and partly for the monitoring of certain aptitudes (and occasionally, assigning special responsibilities) among bloodlines.

    Spoiler: Government
    Show
    How Sanctum’s government works is an even more closely guarded secret. Fortunately, the very few times it has somehow managed to leak, those spreading the news were dismissed as raving lunatics, not least because they lacked the vocabulary to properly verbalize the revelation. Technically speaking, the Gold caste is in charge of government administration, but that hides a greater truth - their job is to maintain and execute the decisions of an artificial intelligence, a powerful and self-aware entity officially called the Administrative, Military, and Systems Analysis Engine (AMSAE). Originally one of several linked supercomputers, the primary imperial administrative machine was the only one not to fail in the events that annihilated the old empire. These days it is simply called the Director by the Sanctified, and while every citizen has a certain reverence for it, it strongly discourages attaching religious significance to itself. Nor does it do everyone’s thinking for them; the number of tasks that require attention on a daily basis within Sanctum and without is beyond even the ultra-strength machine’s ability to deal with, even at a high level, and it is here that the Gold caste, if you’ll excuse the wordplay, shines. Domestic issues, from infrastructure failures to criminal activities, are taken up with the Gold caste (reports of external threats are usually deferred to the Black caste for military solutions). Issues with the Gold caste can be referred directly to AMSAE, but the Director, while fair, harshly punishes frivolous persecution.
    Spoiler: The Castes of Sanctum
    Show
    Sanctum is divided into a number of Castes, all color coded for your convenience.

    The Castes (Alphabetized)

    Black Caste - The military arm of Sanctum; the Black Caste oversees all operations related to Sanctum's overall security, which has a broader scope than one would expect, seeing as the Director is very proactive when it comes to Sanctum's safety. They are also in charge of the maintenance and deployment of all of the weapons, vehicles, and vessels that are still operational. The Black Caste sends out agents to harass and sabotage the thaumaturges and researchers of its nascent civilizations. They send skirmish teams to secure ancient relic sites and drive off treasure hunters. And, when the situation calls for it, they absolutely annihilate anyone clever or (un)lucky enough to stumble upon the truth of Sanctum itself. Members of the Black Caste do have a chain of command that is expected to be obeyed without question... but given how long certain independent operations go on, there is also an expectation that Black agents will exercise their own discretion and initiative in the field where needed.

    Blue Caste - Those with the talent, ability, and inclination to pursue STEM research find themselves in the Blue Caste sooner or later. Though lacking the glamor of the Red Caste and the power of the Gold Caste, they are highly respected nonetheless. It is implicitly understood by every Sanctified that while everyone must do their part for Sanctum, it is the work of the Blue Caste that will ultimately determine success or failure for their entire people, and every other endeavor exists solely to keep Sanctum alive until the Blue Caste attains the Second Singularity - the point at which Sanctum becomes self-sufficient, can grow sustainably, and can replace its losses at all levels, essentially becoming a galactic superpower in the vein of the Ancients or even the Callers. That day is still a long way off, but until then, Blue Caste citizens work in shifts around the clock to crack open and solve the many mysteries and secrets that came to be with the fall of the Old Empire - and pursue entirely new lines of research.

    Brown Caste - Sanctum's Suppliers and Logistics division. The Brown Caste has one job - ensure that everyone has what they need, when they need it. Whether it's food and water for every Sanctified, parts for Copper Caste engineers, power for the latest Blue Caste project, ammunition to the Black Caste supply depot out on a distant world, or even pigments for makeup for the new Red Caste musical comedy, the Browns are all over it. This is less boring than it sounds. Given that resource allocation is Sanctum's biggest weakness, their job is less book-keeping and more three dimensional chess with the caveat that one wrong move will force a Black team on an arctic plateau to fight polar monsters with frozen fruit while the children of Sector 5 ask their parents why rocket launchers are being sold in the produce section of the grocery store. Additionally, since Sanctum's three 'true' worlds have limited room for farmland, many agriculture projects take place outside of that sphere of fantastic protection, leading to some Brown Caste farmers amassing kill counts that would look more at home on a Black agent's profile.

    Copper Caste - The engineers who see to Sanctum's maintenance, repair, reconstruction, and more... and who also put the Blue Caste's theories into practice. Given how ubiquitously their skills are needed, Copper Caste Engineers and workers are a common sight all over Sanctum, and few are the Sanctified who haven't needed their services.

    Gold Caste - The closest thing to a "Ruling Class" that Sanctum has, though most Sanctified (and all within the Gold Caste) would define themselves as Administrators. As mentioned in Sanctum's culture, the city cannot run without the Gold Caste, which handles the many, many tasks that the Director cannot personally see to without diverting its attention (arguably Sanctum's most precious resource) from something else. In theory, they exist solely to see the Director's mandates made real and that Sanctum functions smoothly. In practice, they are first among equals at the best of times and worse to varying degrees the rest of the time. Sanctified are more communal, more inclined to cooperation, and more thoroughly indoctrinated educated than any other culture in the world... but human nature does not change, and you cannot put one group in charge of the others without some degree of corruption.

    Green Caste - The Scouting and Survey group. The Green Caste is sometimes called the Ghost Caste because so few members spend much time actually in Sanctum itself, though realistically they're there as often as the Black Caste. The Greens are given duties that might at first seem like Black Caste prerogatives - they explore foreign territory and distant worlds and report their findings - but their duties are very different, with a focus on natural habitats and wilderness. Members of this Caste spend months or even years at a time in the field, cataloging new worlds, new flora and fauna, and marking sites for clandestine Brown Caste agro-farms. They are the most likely to recruit outside talent, specifically because they have the easiest time of it. People all over Sanctified territory occasionally notice the green-cloaked figures out in the wilderness and seek them out. Some are merely curious, others are ill-suited from the standpoint of temperament or motivation, but some simply feel as though they don't belong but want to help someone, and these are occasionally taken under the wing of a Green agent. Some of them die without ever knowing who their mysterious teacher was. Others sometimes... just sometimes... express the right interests and show the right inclinations, and are taken home to a world of wonders.

    Orange Caste - No mincing words here; the Orange Caste is punishment. Members of every Caste have certain rights and privileges pertaining to it, and all have some kind of prestige or respect, in whatever limited fashion, from the others. The Orange Caste has none. Sanctum is loathe to kill criminals due to manpower and supply issues, but assignment to the Orange Caste can be just as bad. Under supervision, these Sanctified or the odd outsider are used for duties that are difficult and dangerous but do not require specialized tools or expertise, and are never put in charge of work that, if sabotaged out of incompetence or spite, would cause major problems for the rest of Sanctum. Assignment to the Orange Caste is not always permanent, especially for less heinous crimes. When a sentence expires, the now Casteless Sanctified is evaluated by White Caste medics and can, if cleared for physical and mental fitness, apply for entry into any caste under the normal rules. Exceptionally well-behaved and stable Orange citizens can apply without the other Caste's evaluation team even having access to the details of their history, which helps reduce the stigma of a criminal past and increase the odds of being accepted. In time, it is possible for a former criminal to leave it entirely behind them and resume productive behavior, a system rigidly enforced by the Director to ensure that despair does not sink in among prisoners and render them useless. Some, however, are irredeemable, and remain in Orange work details until misfortune or mishap claims their lives.

    Purple Caste - Archaeologists and Historians, a Caste that appropriately sits between the Reds and Blues. The Purple Caste has two unofficial subdivisions, cheekily dubbed the Indigo Caste and the Magenta Caste. The Indigo sub-caste are sometimes called treasure hunters and are the most envied subculture in all of Sanctum, as their job description is specifically delving into ancient ruins to uncover anything from the Old Empire that might still work. Unfortunately for the Indigo agents, the most successful 1% represent the face of the sub-Caste, occasionally bringing back a spectacular find that quickly becomes well known. In reality, their work is dirty, dangerous, tedious, and rarely results in a big win. Meanwhile, the Magenta group is almost ignored even though their job - cataloging the important findings of the other half, learning about them, verifying that they aren't hazardous before shipping them off to the Blue research teams, and educating others about them - is safer and largely involves interaction only with the Indigo group's greatest hits, thus rarely being dull. There is a running joke in the Purple Caste about the grass always being greener on the other side, but internal friction has yet to cause a major problem.

    Red Caste - The ever-popular entertainment Caste. The Director might be an unfeeling machine (though there is evidence to suggest otherwise), but if nothing else it understands that people cannot work all day, every day, with no break. They crave every kind of stimulation, and so it mandated the existence of the Red Caste to fulfill it. The Red Caste contains actors, painters, sculptors, musicians, novelists, poets, playwrights, courtesans, pyrotechnicans, game designers, and much more. Red Caste citizens tend to be well-liked, for obvious reasons, with some becoming locally famous. After the Green Caste, they are also the most likely to recruit outsiders - despite the limited scope of their fame, some artists from other worlds catch the attention of the Sanctified and, when offered, simply cannot pass up the chance to work in a medium they can't even find anywhere else, confident that their work will outlive them and achieve world renown after the Second Singularity.

    White Caste - Last but not least, the teams of medical researchers, trauma experts, family doctors, emergency responders, nurses, caregivers, orderlies, and surgeons of Sanctum comprise the White Caste, with mental health being handled by the unofficially named Yellow Caste and enhancements - such as the transhuman upgrades occasionally supplied to Black Caste or Green Caste agents - handled by the equally unofficial Grey Caste specialists.

    Caste Limitations and Rivalry

    The Castes are not absolute. Each Caste has, for instance, its own security. Nothing actually stops a long-term deployment Black division from putting on a play to boost morale, or a Gold Caste office to renovate in their spare time. Each Caste has some amount of autonomy with regards to its normal operations. This is why Sanctum's Castes occasionally see friction where prerogatives and authority overlap - a Gold Caste seneschal, for instance, might conflict with a Black Caste commander on the matter of constructing a military outpost or refurbishing an automated weapons system, or members of the Red and White Castes might argue regarding the form and function of a new public working. Ultimately the Director resolves these disputes - typically by fiat - if they cannot be worked out on their own. Not wanting to disappoint the Director, Sanctified typically resolve it somehow before it gets that far, frequently to the vague benefit of the Golds.

    Changing Castes

    While children born to various lineages usually wind up in the same Caste as their progenitors, some simply do not want to follow in their parents' footsteps. Fortunately, each child is evaluated for talent at the age of majority and can periodically re-apply for a new Caste. Joining that Caste, however, does not happen unless the receiving Caste wants the Sanctified applying. Whether or not they are accepted is determined by a rotating team that runs them through an evaluation process unique to the Caste, though it all basically boils down to seeing whether or not that Sanctified really is as good a fit as they believe. The largest number of rejections, unsurprisingly, is from the Red Caste, leading to the Reds picking up a reputation for being finicky and exclusive. The reality is not so much that the Reds are snotty and more that a number of those applying don't really possess the staggering amount of talent they believe they do, or don't quite understand that there's more to entertainment than being able to bow before thunderous applause. Equally unsurprisingly, the largest number of departure applications come from the Purple Caste, as many Sanctified do possess the necessary skills to painstakingly sift through dusty ruins but became disillusioned by how little treasure the treasure hunters come up with on average and how quickly running away from massive rolling boulders loses its novelty.
    Spoiler: Philosophy
    Show
    The Sanctified philosophy is almost completely rooted in their unifying mission. While there are layers and layers of nuance to it, 'good' is whatever hastens the arrival of the Second Singularity and 'bad' is the opposite. The inherent value of the ancient empire they descended from is a matter of some debate, but attempting to reclaim those heights is not.

    Learning Center: The Prismatic Archive (Currently Open) - In one of the most heavily fortified cities on Bastion, the accumulated remaining lore and knowledge of the ancients is stored on all manner of media, as well as recent history and achievement collected by every caste. It is in many ways a snapshot of their entire culture, and supplies all other learning centers with copies of the aggregated material for the instruction of future generations. Explore. Report. Cooperate. And when necessary - exterminate.

    Despite their insular nature, the Sanctified are not beyond accepting new ideas, though getting them to abandon old ones might be a trick. Their current LC status is Open.
    Spoiler: Resources
    Show
    Required Resource: The Chance of a Lifetime (Skilled Laborers-Type Resource)

    The Sanctified can get most of what they require from their operations on their primitive planets or the local moons and asteroids. Indeed, that was the whole point of the Sanctum scheme. The exception is always skilled labor. While they do pick the best and brightest from among their feudal worlds, Sanctum's craving for new secrets and innovations - or just people who can maintain what they have - can never be satisfied. They are prepared to make generous - and permanent - offers to anyone wishing to join and accept their goals.

    Exported Resource: Otherways Particles (OP/C) (Arcana-Type Resource)

    Though the Sanctified would moan otherwise, their territory has grand access to the Otherways Gate Network. These gates, a rare blend of magic and technology barely understood even to Sanctum, are not just a highway - they are a connection to ancient secrets and energies rarely found elsewhere. Gate networks, however, cannot be traded and the Sanctified would not do so even if it were possible. What they can trade is Otherways Particles, typically stored in what are called Otherways Capacitors.

    While Bastion is the 'central locus' of the OGN to the average layman, that's mostly a matter of mapping convenience. Any Green Caste would tell you that the network's primary arcano-information Grand Nodes are found in High Orbit above Bastion itself, on the third moon of a gas giant they've named Taelarys, and a deep space station, since recommissioned, that they've dubbed the Causeway.

    T3: Bastion (Great)
    T2: Taelarys III (Good)
    T1: The Causeway (Minor)
    Spoiler: Leader
    Show
    Sanctum's current outward-facing leader is not the Director itself, though ultimately that makes the major decisions, but rather the Chief Administrator of the Gold Caste, who is currently Auric Alderator. Alderator is is considered young for the position, but still well into middle age at 130 galactic years old. Like any Sanctified leader worth his allotted resources, he knows the spycraft game inside and out and has been pushing economy and technology harder than anything else. Sanctum has - so far - had little need of military, diplomacy, and philosophy when they're already unified, unknown to the only other nations they know of, and vastly outclass all known competitors in combat strength... though of course, that may change in the near future.

    Auric has kept in good shape. Like all Sanctified he tends to wear at least one item of clothing of jewelry in the color of his caste at all times, which contrasts nicely with his tanned skin, even features, and naturally white hair. He has the following stats:

    Diplomacy: 2
    Economy: 5
    Military: 2
    Philosophy: 2
    Intrigue: 5
    Last edited by Jade_Tarem; 2019-06-15 at 01:50 PM.
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  8. - Top - End - #38
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    Default Re: EMPIRE5! Worlds of Axiom


    The Ndoda of Kwizik

    Current Umkhonto: Ukuphosa Elunxwemeni
    Diplomacy - 2
    Military - 4
    Economy - 3
    Philosophy - 2
    Intrigue - 3

    Spoiler: Terrain
    Show

    The Kwiziko system is a binary system consisting of a central orange K-type star, named Ilanga, with a small yellow star, named Iqanda as its distant partner. Ilanga has three rocky planets revolving around it in a standard circular orbit, and a single gas giant approximately mid-way between the two stars with a more oblong orbit, influenced by its relative proximity to the Iqanda. Iqanda has only two planets in orbit, both rocky. Both of these planets are just barely within the habitable zone, but it is currently unknown whether or not life can be supported.

    Of Ilanga’s planets, the gas giant, with seven unexplored moons, has a primarily methane and sulfur atmosphere and has not yet been explored, the second planet, with three unexplored moons, is in the habitable zone and is primarily exposed rock with short scrubby vegetation and meandering shallow waters. The planet nearest Ilanga has one large asteroid pretending to be a moon and is bare rock and too close to the sun for water to remain on the surface, yet there have been strange readings of ice from far under the rocky surface. Bickering between priests who learned these planets and moons as part of theology and scientists who are still exploring and learning new traits have resulted in a temporary nameless category until more can be learned.

    The third planet from Ilanga is named Kwizik and is inhabited by the Ndoda species, the sentient species in this system. The planet has two moons, Zihlunu and Amazinyo. Zihlunu is a forest moon with a large amount of recently discovered flying species. The moon is covered in tall trees and an impenetrable understory, and most of the discovered life resides above the mid-height of the trees.
    95% of Kwizik’s surface is the Isikhupa ocean and uninhabitable to the majority of the Ndoda. The remaining 5% is primarily part of a single large landmass, named Qodo, or small islands that frame Qodo and line the boundaries of the most active tectonic plates. The majority of land has been explored and claimed by the Ndoda. Qodo’s topography is, in a word, rocky. Sharp crags, boulders, and water-filled canyons routing to Isikhupa make the landmass dynamic in the flattest of places, and tall mountains and cliffs are a fact of life. Plant life has adapted to make the most of the rock and tend to grow on vertical surfaces or under rock ledges to escape the wind as it whistles against the rock. With few exceptions, cities and buildings have grown by being dug into the sides of cliffs or by converting empty caves and caverns into warm, dry places to live and do business. Ocean life is abundant and is generally much larger than similarly niched terrestrial life, as the lack of multiple significant landmasses has allowed currents to be swift and primarily ruled by undersea structures, making them unpredictable for surface-dwellers to navigate. The poles of Kwizik are have lower than expected amounts of ice as they are normally warmed somewhat by Iqanda. The ice that is present is more than enough to dissuade any Ndoda from exploring, however.

    The inhabited regions of Kwizik are warm and the interference of Iqanda has resulted in some odd yearly events. Normally, Iqanda is unseen by any Ndoda on Qodo and most of the Ndoda settled on islands. For approximately a month each year, Kwizik is shrouded in darkness as Iqanda and Ilanga are both out of view for the inhabited regions, appearing only as a glow. On one day of the year, Iqanda passes directly over Qodo and the heat of both suns is able to fully hit the planet.


    Spoiler: People
    Show

    The Ndoda are a cold-blooded species evolved from the Ekuqaleni, the small, eight fingered and eight toed scaled ancestor that first took steps onto bare rock from the Isikhupa ocean. Standing bipedal at an average height of six feet with slender build, the Ndoda stay true to the Ekuqaleni with hands and feet possessing eight long, dexterous digits each, all tipped with a short claw and connected by short webbing. Fully scaled over the entirety of the body, the Ndoda also possess a triforked tongue, an upper and lower jaw with two rows of short sharpened teeth, and eyes with slit pupils and a clear, horizontally moving eyelid. Eye and body color are most closely matched with the color of the rocks that a Ndoda’s clan lives in. Body color typically ranges from black and grey hues to dull browns to bright orange or red with jeweled or mottled patterns. Eyes are typically be bright blue, green, amber, yellow, or red. With the exception of those Ndoda who live fully in the mountains and no longer enter the water, most Ndoda clans still possess a thick prehensile tail. The water clans, who also possess thinner, more delicate scales, have a widened tail that aids in swimming. This wider tail is also a convenient tool for slapping any particularly arrogant mountaineers. Males and females are nearly indistinguishable, however females are typically slightly larger than males and males possess a movable flap of bright yellow skin running from just above the eyes to the back of the neck. Typically lying flat, this flap is raised as a sign of alarm, anger, or attraction. A more recent physiological development is the development of low-level telepathic abilities. Believed to have been developed as an extension of heightened senses for better use in social environments, the majority of Ndoda can sense emotions and short, emotion-heavy thoughts. Older and more skilled Ndoda can communicate telepathically.

    Ndoda females lay eggs (with the exception of the Ku Boniswa) once a year during the Nyama, the time when both Iqanda and Ilanga are barely visible or eclipsed due to the rotation of their planet and the revolutions of other planets blocking the light. The eggs are brooded, covered in leaves or cloth or sand in a small pit, for six months until Hatching Day, where they are taken outside as Iqanda passes overhead. Hatchlings fully develop into juveniles, capable of a full range in motion, proper vocal communication, and basic telepathic ability within two years. Adulthood and sexual maturity is reached in five years, and senescence in approximately 90. Medical advances have extended the normal lifespan to 120 years.

    Clothing for the Ndoda is designed first and foremost with function in mind. Usually divided into a chest piece and lower belly piece, clothing is made from the remains of prey and the bark of mountain plants and is typically studded and decorated with jewels and rock. Decorations coming from another clan or faraway region, particularly from the Siqithi, are most coveted and show high status.

    In this space-exploring age, the Nemikhomo are crucial. Nemikhomo are large ocean filter feeders that were bred and integrated with technology to be used as airborne and space-faring ships. Naturally eel-like with large body chambers and web-like fins, the Nemikhomo used to dwell exclusively in the deep ocean. As the planet changed and continental plates shifted, a mineral crucial to healthy reproduction was slowly moved from the deep sea to shallow waters, then to lakes and rivers, then to bodies of water at high altitudes, connected to the sea by deep rivers. As other materials crucial for survival remained or were pushed even deeper, the Nemikhomo evolved with the movement of the mineral to be able to alter cell density and adjust to large, rapid changes in pressure, light, and food levels. This characteristic as well as their size and large body cavities made them attractive targets for usage by the Ndoda. Since the Nemikhomo breed whenever possible (a remnant of deep sea existence) to produce three to five offspring, controlled breeding and selective pressures combined with a bit of inventive hardware slowly managed to create larger, more efficient and metabolically flexible spaceships. The metabolic energy produced by the Nemikhomo have the added benefit of keeping their cold-blooded pilots warm in space without extra inventions or bulky clothing which would otherwise be impractical on the planet’s surface. Juveniles are trained and integrated with metal technology early, and are able to be used before they are fully grown as Ikholes, single-pilot craft suitable for short scouting missions or, as juveniles naturally latch on to an adult's side for shelter, fast fighter craft who can use the adult Nemikhomo as a base.


    Spoiler: History
    Show

    The Ndoda became the Ndoda once all the clans were unified. Before, they were Phukile. Separate clans, as many as there are separate beaches and mountains, caves and islands. Raids against other clans were common and only led to more violence. Trade truces and alliances between clans to defeat different clans eventually became long enough to unify the clans of a region. The mountain clans became the Entabeni clan, the cave clans became the Uqolomba clan, and the coastal clans became the Elunxwemeni clan. The process repeated as the island Siqithi clans unified and warred against the Elunxwemeni, who ultimately united with the Entabeni and Uqulomba to defeat them. Over millenia of warring clans, broken alliances, and reforged peace, the leaders of nine clans met at the Southern Peaks on the morning that Iquanda rose overhead, to create a permanent truce and become the Ndoda. After the first unification, the Ndoda discovered the Ku Boniswa, a clan of the Ndoda who evolved to live completely in the ocean with no need to lay eggs or breed on land. With the agreements of trade and the right to expand into inland saltwater bodies, the Ku Boniswa joined the Ndoda. Once unified, knowledge pooled and the Ndoda began to create more advanced technology, but were limited in inorganic resources by the difficulty in mining metals that could be manipulated easily enough. Once stocks of these metals within reach ran low enough, the Umkhonto of the time turned her and her scientists’ attention to biological advances. Currently, the greatest advances of the Ndoda are genetic and medical, and their greatest achievement has been to breed and convert Nemikhomo into space-faring ships, capable of holding a crew to explore and colonize other planets in the system.


    Spoiler: Government
    Show

    The Ndoda are matriarchal and governed by a Council consisting of female elders and leaders from each of the current prominent clans. The Council is responsible for choosing an Umkhonto, the leader who ultimately makes final decisions for all Ndoda. Each clan chooses two of their own as candidates to be chosen as Umkhonto every 10 years, and Umkhontos are forbidden from being chosen twice. The clans themselves act relatively independently, with each clan monitoring their internal affairs while issues that include multiple clans or that are not resolved by the clan involved are dealt with by the Council.


    Spoiler: Resources
    Show

    The Ndoda produce tough Entabeni Cloth from the Entabeni trees that grow on cliff faces. The cloth, woven from tree bark, can be used for everything from a hatchling’s blanket to sails to patch the solar sails of Nemikhomo ships.
    The Ndoda are in need of workable, hard metals to continue advancing technology and to expand the fleets and amount of metal technology currently on-planet


    Spoiler: Philosophy
    Show

    With a shortage of accessible metals, the Ndoda focus primarily on advancement through biological enhancement and manipulation. Selective breeding and grafting are used to create more efficient crops, prey species, and as a way to increase a species’ output of a useable resource. This focus on life and the flexibility of life is in accordance to the Ndoda’s primary religion, which is centered around the flow of energy and recycling of matter from one organism as it decomposes to another. The symbol of this religion is Iqanda, the sacred yellow star. Iqanda’s orbit about Ilanga keeps the star invisible to all but the most remote, inhospitable regions of the ocean, where it appears as only a faint glow on the horizon, except for one day of the year when Iqanda’s sunrise passes directly over the tallest mountains, called the Peaks, and Iqanda is visible over the entire planet as it crosses the sky. This day is also Hatching Day, when eggs laid during Nyama darkness are induced to complete hatching from the extra warmth of Iqanda combined with Ilanga. This day is sacred because of its timing with new life and as the Day of Twin Suns. Iqanda and Ilanga used to be worshipped as twin gods, one constant and guarding, the other loving yet curious, too restless and curious about the rest of the universe to stay in one place for long. Technological advancements and the increase in knowledge have removed the shroud of mysticism that believed Iqanda and Ilanga to be supreme beings, yet the importance of the suns have kept them revered by many and respected by the rest.
    Because of their spiritual importance, the Peaks have become the capital city for the Ndoda, with mothers often carefully bringing their eggs to the Peaks before Hatching Day. The cliff facing the direction of Iqanda’s sunrise has been carved and constructed into Igondo, the meeting place for the Council, home for the Umkhonto, and the site for the Learning Center Izakhono, where priests and scientists meet to discuss research and where training takes place for those trades.
    Last edited by LapisCattis; 2019-06-15 at 12:35 PM.

  9. - Top - End - #39
    Dwarf in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: EMPIRE5! Worlds of Axiom

    The Dawnstar Dominion




    Capital: V8, Talvox System.

    Leader: Marius Nox, Custodian of the Dawn
    Diplomacy:10
    Military:10
    Economy:10
    Philosophy:4
    Intrigue:4



    Sector V8 - Talvox

    Spoiler: Terrain & Planets
    Show
    The Talvox system is home to three planets. Ghor is a gas giant, immense and sparse, surrounded by numerous mining rigs. Hallion is a small, rocky, mined-out waterless lump in the farthest orbit from the Dawnstar, housing in its caverns and tunnels the Dasari Military Academy. In the centre of the system is Talvox itself, the Dawnstar, an aging sun bordering on the red giant phase. Finally, Vaundri, closest in orbit to the Dawnstar, is a temperate orb home to the Dasari.

    Vaundri is largely overtaken by reserves of recreated natural environments, owned by the state, parts open to the public, and parts used for military exercises. Vaundri is sparsely inhabited, the only permanent remaining settlements existing to support the adjacent military facilities and natural research outposts. The artificial landscapes were crafted with military training foremost in mind, tourism second, designed to create challenges for land and space forces.


    Spoiler: The People
    Show
    The Dasari are humanoids, the lower classes short & stocky while the nobility tend to be taller, but both highly dexterous, their skin a dull greyish-blue. Most Dasari live offworld, working in mining stations, training in the Academy, or toiling in the Axton Library station. Many who slave away in the mining rigs never see any but artificial light, born and raised in the harsh white glare. Young Dasari in all classes above the miners (those above representing approximately 61% of the population) are encouraged from a young age to join the academy, or if physically unfit for military service, the Axton Order of Librarians. Those who flunk the academy typically join the vast Starfleet support staff, as technicians, freighter pilots, clerks etc, but those who succeed join the ranks of the ‘Dominion Starfleet.

    The Dasari are not xenophobic, but are firm believers in the supremacy of their pilots and the Way of the Illuminated mind, their Philosophy. While there is a significant (39%) slave underclass, the majority of Dasari live decent lives, identifying strongly by family name, or in the case of the upper classes, distinguished house. A Dasari name consists of a first name, family name, and adult name, chosen by the individual when they come of age at 21, traditionally the age that Academy initiates undergo their final trials.


    Spoiler: Philosophy
    Show


    The Way of the Illuminated Mind is rooted in a series of essays written by Axton Hirum Derius between 246 and 239 B.F., primarily for Airforce cadets, extolling the duties of the service to the cadets, the cadets to the service, and each member of the Airforce to themselves. For four thousand years these tenets have remained the foundation of Starfleet & 'Dominion discipline, with only slight variations introduced by later Masters.

    Today the core tenets are thus:

    The state has these duties; to protect the safety of their citizens, whatever the cost, against danger from without and within; to preserve the wholeness of the state and expand its reach and borders to encompass and thus protect more future citizens; to safeguard these tenets above and below and to preserve the institutions of the state against attack from without and within.

    The citizen has these duties to the state; to serve and obey their superiors within the state, the better to preserve the ability of the state to protect the safety of citizens from threats without and within; to strive to advance the reach of the state, the better to protect future citizens; to uphold these tenets above and below and to safeguard the institutions of the state against attack from without and within.

    The citizen has these duties to themself; to exercise daring, innovation and initiative, proceeding with utmost endeavour in all things, the better to serve the state and protect the safety of citizens; to strive to ever better themselves, physically, mentally, and in standing, the better to serve the state and protect the safety of citizens; to love liberally, and forget the anger and hate of others, for taking offense is unproductive, and breeds conflict, threatening the safety of citizens.

    Learning Center: Axton Library space station.


    Spoiler: Government
    Show
    The Dawnstar Dominion was a meritocratic military state, ruled by the advisory council (the Officers of the Dawn) and led by the Master of the Dawn, a post elected by the council of the Iron Halls. The members of the council are representatives from each wing of the ‘Dominion Starfleet, from the bloated research vessels of the Axton Corps to the dashing fighter pilots of the Felhounds to the part-machine Cyber-captains of the Dawnguard Brigade. Each independent wing sends one representative to the Iron Halls on Hallion, to advise the Master of the Dawn. These representatives are the Officers, ultimately in command of their Wings.

    In 4291 A.F. or After Founding, the time since the founding of Starfleet’s first wing, the Expeditionary Corps, the Master of the Dawn was Aurelius Marten Vox, of the House of Marten, originally of the Felhounds. He rose to prominence in the Vuros Incursion of 4270, leading his squadron on a daring strike to scour the bridge of the Vuron invaders’ flagship. In each battle he fought in, as he rose through the ranks, Aurelius sought to cripple enemy leadership as soon as possible, to hasten the end of battle and preserve the lives of his pilots, and more importantly, their ships. His election to the Master position in 4285 came as little surprise, and his fiery addresses to the ‘Dominion built war-fervour to a fever pitch. He presided over the first encounter with the Maturated, the wider spacefaring civilisations of the galaxy, and went missing, presumed dead during the Great Foray, a wide-ranging exploratory effort that left all but one expedition dead or missing.

    Aurelius was succeeded by Marius Thresher Nox, former Officer of the Redfleet, who presided over the stabilisation and now expansion of the 'Dominion, beginning the Great Crusade to bring neighbouring systems under the control of the 'Dominion. Marius had a tenuous political situation, as the Houses attempted to assert their authority and gain influence during the upheaval of encountering a multitude of other spacefaring races. Increasingly caving to political pressure, Marius leads the forefront of the Crusading forces in an effort to distance himself from governance of the 'Dominion.


    Spoiler: The Wings in the Pre-
    Show

    The independent wings of Starfleet were:

    The Expeditionary Corps, first to be founded, comprised of scoutships and surveying vessels, responsible for the exploration and mapping of new space. Their uniforms are white trimmed with yellow.

    The Axton Corps, founded in 9 A.F., comprised of research vessels and archive ships, responsible for the collection and preservation of information about all discoveries by Starfleet (not to be confused with the ships of the Axton Order of Librarians, who are not incorporated within Starfleet). Their uniforms are white trimmed with blue.

    The Felhounds, originally the spacegoing offshoot of the Hounds, separated and founded in 18 A.F., comprised of cutting-edge fighters, the ‘Dominions elite starfighter unit. This is the most prestigious posting for new pilots, as the sheer speed and manouevrability afforded to Felhounds craft by Caroxan power is immensely difficult to control, but devastating when mastered. The Felhounds have produced the most Masters of the Dawn since the Founding. Their uniforms are grey and gold, with squadron leaders trimmed with blue.

    The Dawnguard Brigade, originally the spacegoing offshoot of the Airforce division of the same name, incorporated as one wing in 42 A.F. when the residence of the Master of the Dawn and the advisory council was relocated to the new Iron Halls space station, comprised of heavily modified frigates, the defence force of the Officers of the Dawn, notable for the required cybernetic alterations made to their captains to ensure unswerving loyalty and heightened competence. Their vessels are designed to carry a single Officer and their entourage in state, as well as comfortably house all Officers & entourages in the case of an extreme emergency. Heavily armoured and armed, these are the slowest vessels in Starfleet, but highly effective in defence. Their uniforms are green and gold.

    The Daggers of Hallion, colloquially known as 'the Swarm', were formed in 178 A.F., in response to the defection of the Crimson Mutiny, sparked by the mutiny of a production station in orbit of Hallion, then an only recently surveyed planet not yet stripped of metals. In response to the mutiny by disgruntled miners and production line workers, as they put pilots into the newly assembled fighters rolling off the line in their station, the 'Dominion authorised the early commission of five new vessels, corvettes, in production on Vaundri itself.

    The Daggers got their name when, with the Felhounds engaged escorting an expedition by the Axton Corps, and the council of the Iron Halls inspecting a new discovery by the Expeditionary Corps, Vaundri was near-defenseless against the unexpected threat. These corvettes, piloted by trainees and reservists, escorted by the few undamaged ships of Ice Squadron, a Felhounds unit in for repair after being caught in a meteor shower. Four fighters and five corvettes then flew for the station, ordered by Jarus' governor to destroy the station before the mutiny could spread. Intercepting the factory-fresh fighters and their inexperienced pilots eighty miles out from the station, outnumbered four to one, these reservists and trainees, led by the fighters of Ice Squadron, fought a vicious struggle against their determined opponents.

    When the firing stopped, the mutineers lay shattered and drifting, their craft shredded by missiles and laser fire, while two corvettes, both heavily damaged, and one fighter remained flying on the 'Dominion side. With their small complement of commandos, the corvettes docked with the station, and after a brutal firefight, the mutiny was quashed, and the legend of the Daggers of Hallion firmly cemented in Starfleet tradition.

    Comprised of corvettes and fighter-bombers, the Daggers are the primary support force for Starfleet offensives, second to the fray to pounce on ships reeling from the Felhounds' strafing runs. They are quartered on Jarus. Their uniforms are grey with a black stripe.

    The Dreadfleet, founded in 292 A.F., is the terror force of the Dawnstar Dominion Starfleet, painted black and deployed to quash unrest in outlying stations, make examples of violent dissenters, and house dangerous prisoners of the 'Dominion. The Dreadfleet is comprised primarily of frigates, large enough to scare and house prisoners while remaining relatively cheap to maintain, as they rarely perform heavy combat roles. Their uniforms are black.

    The Redfleet, founded in 1488 A.F., is the primary strike fleet of the 'Dominion, comprised of light cruisers, the fleet called when the Expeditionary Corps encounters an enemy too powerful to call solely for Felhounds assistance. Often accompanied by the Swarm, the Redfleet's vessels are trimmed to illustrate exactly where opposition forces will find the blood in their veins after the battle. The officers of the Redfleet are colloquially known as 'Redcoats', after their striking blood-red uniforms. Crew uniforms are dull red. Redfleet cruisers sometimes double as diplomatic vessels for the New Dawn, a subset of the Axton Corps that conducts negotiations with any discovered sentient life while on mission. An emissary of the New Dawn accompanies every Expeditionary Corps exploration in one of the small fleet of 17 diplomatic cruisers, repainted with blue and gold trim on red, and modified to carry four fighters and two fighter-bombers rather than conventional weaponry. New Dawn uniforms are red trimmed with blue and gold. The Redfleet Officer is Elscol Julien Wrosk, 35, who rose to power following a troubled election after Sorren Caxton Elien's unexpected removal from the post.

    The Wardens, also known as 'the Line', founded in 3822 A.F., are the backbone of the Starfleet war footing, comprised of lumbering heavy cruisers and battlecruisers. Only relatively recently did Starfleet Engineering develop efficient enough engines to cost-effectively power vessels the size of the Wardens' craft. Typically kept powered down in drydock to save operating costs, the Wardens are called to arms in times of serious war, spending most of their days in simulators and teaching at the academy. Their uniforms are silver trimmed with blue.

    The Aurelian Order of Technicians & Engineers, founded in 4292 A.F., is a consolidation of the various support crews and technicians traditionally part of the wing they accompanied into a single Wing, allowing central control of the distribution of these techies to various Wings.

    PsiCorps, founded in 4311 A.F., is comprised of Eris Mindbreakers from Eriador, in a variety of forms, primarily space-capable psionic combatants. Their Officer is Gladien Xareia Bladed-One, ???.



    Spoiler: Former Officers since 4291 A.F., the start of the Interstellar Era
    Show

    Reval Caxton Zara, Officer of the Dawnguard Brigade; killed in a training accident in 4295 A.F., just prior to the launch of the Great Foray.
    Karen Olafson Procce, Officer of the Daggers of Hallion; killed in a navigational mishap in 4296 A.F. as part of the Great Foray.
    Jorus Xiren Tacitum, Officer of the Expeditionary Corps; killed in battle against unknown foes in 4296 A.F. as part of the Great Foray.
    Marius Thresher Nox, Officer of the Redfleet; elected Master of the Dawn in 4297 A.F., in the wake of the Great Foray.
    Sorren Caxton Elien, Officer of the Redfleet; reassigned as a military advisor to the FCO in 4303 A.F.
    Jack Ackar Silver, Officer of the Dawnguard; resigned in 4310 in protest to House-motivated corruption in the leadership of the Wings.
    Dravus Jorian Lotheric, Officer of the Wardens; killed in battle in 4313 while resisting the Purge of the Order above Eriador.
    Talon Karolus Trask, Officer of the Expeditionary Corps; killed while attending the Last Vigil of the Council in 4314 during the Purge of the Order.
    Victoire Valar Khorre, Officer of the Dawnguard; killed while attending the Last Vigil of the Council in 4314 during the Purge of the Order.
    Gaius Marten Lodbrox, Officer of the Felhounds; killed while attending the Last Vigil of the Council in 4314 during the Purge of the Order.
    Tariel Dreiden Elien, Officer of the Axton Corps; imprisoned and court-martialled for her role in the Scouring. Sentenced to death by space during the Purge of the Order, and ejected during the Blackhearts' journey to the Rothuun in 4314.
    Hollen Usidos Rexxaq, Officer of the Daggers of Hallion; killed while attending the Last Vigil of the Council in 4314 during the Purge of the Order.
    Vandred Hirum Ghost, Officer of the Dreadfleet; tortured to death for treason while attending the Last Vigil of the Council in 4314 during the Purge of the Order.
    Khorus Valar Nerius, Officer of the Aurelian Order; killed while attending the Last Vigil of the Council in 4314 during the Purge of the Order.


    Spoiler: Resources
    Show
    The primary gas extracted from Ghor is Caroxan, commonly referred to simply as spacefuel, an incredibly dense, energy-rich gas that acts as fuel for the ships of Starfleet. Caroxan, while difficult to extract and refine, makes ‘Dominion ships the most manoeuvrable and fastest they have ever encountered, and as all industry is a state enterprise, the ‘Dominion has full control of its distribution (from within their sector). The Narian Exchange is the distribution hub for resources from all production stations.

    However, Talvox has been stripped bare of raw metals for ship construction. Since the early 5th millennium, new vessels have been produced less and less, as supplies have been increasingly stockpiled in case of a costly conflict. Today, ships are retrofitted, upgraded, and tinkered with, rarely constructed. The Dawnstar Dominion needs raw metals.
    Narian Exchange: The Dawnstar Dominion
    Trading post #2: open
    Trading post #3: open




    Sector W7 - Laria


    Spoiler: Terrain
    Show

    The Laria system has been extensively colonised, with Kazzari colonies on four worlds. The capital is located on Laria Prime, the 4th world from the binary star. This immense planet is riddled deep with canyons & craters, with the native Kazzari living on the plateau tops of enormous spires high above the planetary surface. At the base of the sprawling canyons bubbles magma, the mantle of the planet. Through these canyons, walls riddled with caves and passages, the Kazzari race their gravcraft, utilising liquid Gazmium in a delicate state of flux to power their escapades. Gazmium mining is the primary industry, alongside racing & gravcraft construction, of the Kazzari.

    Spoiler: People & Society
    Show

    The Kazzari are six-limbed diminutive mammals, incredibly dexterous and swift-witted. The canyons & spires of Laria Prime lend themselves to one sport – gravracing, The Kazzari are masters of the racecourse, expert technicians & engineers of their craft, and of the vast mining droid fleet that extracts Gazmium from the rich deposits in Laria and throughout the sector. With a culture built on racing skill & technical prowess, the Kazzari area a rugged people, with interplanetary travel for organics not yet developed.

    Spoiler: History
    Show

    The Kazzari had lived in relative peace since the familial tribes that had squabbled upon the planet’s surface for centuries disarmed their gravcraft, leaving dispute settling to ceremonial races & contests of flying skill. A common rite of passage for younglings is to race through the fearsome Orokk Tunnels, a course that takes racers dangerously close to the molten rivers at the base of the canyons. The societal order had remained relatively stable since then, with the arrival of the Expeditionary Corps, and later Starfleet in earnest, wreaking havoc on Kazzari life. The natives were bombarded from space, with their villages pounded into the dirt of the spire plateaus and driven into the canyons to survive. With their workshops & guildhalls largely situated in the winding tunnels of the canyon walls, the majority of the populace managed to escape the initial invasion. Leading a valiant resistance movement, Racers & Guilders alike joined forces, rapidly rearming their gravcraft with museum weapons & harrying the occupying ‘Dominion forces. In the aftermath of the Civil War, the occupying House forces came under a similar bombardment by a returning Starfleet, & after a swift invasion, all captured House leaders were turned over to the insurgent forces, in a bid to mend relations. For many, a new government meant sympathy & protection. For some, it meant continued occupation. Nevertheless, as most of the ‘Dominion forces withdrew, & the planet’s security was left in the hands of a largely former—insurgent security force, most Kazzari came to view the ‘Dominion as protectors from afar, and set about incorporating captured ‘Dominion designs into their gravcraft racers.

    Spoiler: Government
    Show

    The Kazzari are a tribal people, led by tribal councils of former race stars & engineering guild higher-ups. This hierarchy has been disrupted greatly by the invasion & occupation, with guilders & combat pilots taking more authority. In the wake of the Civil War, the Kazzari were invited to elect a leader, to advise the sector commander on the administration of the sector. After heated debate, and no few contest races, the former Guildmaster of the Craftwrights, Elzobar Threeblink was chosen to represent the Kazzari. The councils remain the local powers, but each Galactic year meet in the High Council, to decide on matters to bring before the sector commander.

    Spoiler: Ideology
    Show

    The Kazzari believe in no higher power than speed & skill, venerating the racing icons that preceded the talent of the day. Trusting in their skills as pilots & engineers, the Kazzari build their mining drones to traverse the void with little thought to the higher intelligences claimed to exist.

    Spoiler: Resource
    Show

    The spires & ridges that form the network of canyons & tunnels through the planet are bulbous at the top, thinning down towards the molten rivers below. As the atmosphere begins to thin, the spires plateau, as the gravity-defying Gazmium that enables their size naturally loses connection to the centre of the planet. When delicately manipulated by precise engineering, the metal displays fascinating interactions with gravitational & magnetic fields, generating enough force to keep the gravcraft of the Kazzari aloft and racing at incredible speed.



    Sector W9 - Triarii


    Spoiler: Notable Systems & Terrain
    Show

    Sector W9 is home to several inhabited systems, colonised by two primary races; the Ikosq’ka & the Hsori. These races existed peacefully, trawling between the stars at miniscule rates as they sought, the Ikosq’ka for new species to integrate into their biotechnology, the Hsori for further understanding of the cosmos. Three planets became integral to the burgeoning stellar empire; Icarus, host to the Hsori, a freezing sphere devoid of solar illumination, and with extraordinary sightlines across the galaxy. With their eyes on the stars, the Hsori ponder the galaxy around them. The Ikosq’ka settled on Relthan II as their capital, a lush jungle world with a multitude of biomes both naturally occurring and artificially created to sustain Ikosq’kan biotechnological experiments. In their living ships, the Ikosq’ka inched closer to an understanding of FTL travel. Until the arrival of Neon Tusk. In a sleek, enormous colony ship, the ‘benevolent’ dictator arrived a mere half-century before the Simulacrum. In a bold strike, Tusk captured the four Exemplars, the elected representatives of the Ikosq’ka people on Dravidia, a densely populated world inhabited largely by merchants & miners experimenting with the mining of Kokran Ore, an incredibly dense metal Tusk developed techniques of refining, and with the colonists he brought established a ‘utopia’ of sorts, plastering his newly-dubbed ‘Hex Plating’ everywhere.

    Spoiler: People & Society
    Show

    The Ikosq’kans were originally sea-dwellers, who through genetic modification extended their domain onto the landmasses of Qrus, a small, temperate planet orbiting a dying star. As they grew and expanded through systems, encountering and incorporating new species into their research, the Ikosq’ka became increasingly varied and modified, eventually progressing to growing their young, not birthing. The most common forms for an Ikosq’ka to be created as are elegant, finned amphibious beings, tall and lithe; many-armed pilots & interface beings, able to communicate with all manner of living vessels & vehicles; and a multitude of forms based on species encountered and studied. Living in tight-knit groups dedicated to different species & fields of study, the Ikosq’ka work tirelessly towards a fuller understanding of the nature of life. From their earliest recorded history the Ikosq’ka have toiled at biotechnology; it seems they have an insatiable, instinctive desire to understand all life they encounter.

    The Hsori are exceedingly long-lived, but few; their number has never been greater than five fortress-observatories, floating through space searching for the perfect point to study the stars. Hsori are tall, hunched bipeds, long arms and short legs manipulating the viewports of their enormous telescopes at all times. The most ancient of their kind can draw their memories back almost twelve millenia, although even their advanced life support-suits can not prolong life past that point. It is uncertain whether the Hsori themselves know what they are looking for, but they search all the same, driven on by a primeval longing to observe the stars.

    Tusk’s colonists are human, numerous only on Dravidia, living in the remnants of a highly corporate society built on the exploitation and experimentation with Hex Plating & Kokran Ore, scrabbling for stability in the wake of Tusk’s removal by ‘Dominion forces.

    Spoiler: History
    Show

    None living can say from whence they came, nor how they came to be, but the stooped, gentle Hsori have looked to the heavens as long as their elders can remember. At least 23,000 years ago, their lumbering vessels entered the sector, and within 3,000 had found several positions beneficial to astronomical study. After several millennia, two observatories, Ustilon & Treya, settled near Icarus.

    They encountered the Ikosq’ka some 6 centuries hence, as the Ikosq’ka progressed to near their furthest extent across the sector. The Hsori vowed peace with their new contacts, on three conditions; no Hsori were ever to be experimented upon. No Ikosq’ka would ever enter a fortress-observatory. And if something threatened both races, the Hsori would rouse their observatories from their stasis, and come to the Ikosq’kan defence. The small party of Ikosq’kan explorers accepted, and over time, the two remained apart, neighbours yet barely interacting. Until Neon Tusk arrived.

    He came with a million settlers, and a thousand warships, and laid claim to Dravidia. It was a swift invasion, but far from bloodless. The inhabitants fought until their leaders were taken, and seeing the writing on the wall, gave in, those who could fleeing offworld, and those that couldn’t remaining as second-class citizens of Tusk’s new domain. With the system in his grasp, Tusk developed methods of exploiting and refining Kokran Ore into his hex Plating and began using it extensively, plastering it on near everything he could. Churning out spacecraft, military vehicles, commercial liners, transports and more, Neon Tusk made Dravidia the sector’s open market. Only when the ‘Dominion came calling, they weren’t in a buying mood.

    Tusk sent his trade envoys to meet the Crusade’s scouts, and they didn’t come back. Then he sent his diplomatic envoys, and they didn’t come back either. The fleet was scrambled, but faced with the veteran forces of the Redskulls, Neon Tusk’s sales pitch didn’t last long. Soon, he was driven from his spire penthouse, and attempted flight, but was brought down leaving the atmosphere. With Dravidia secured, the ‘Dominion learned of the Ikosq’ka and the Hsori, and fearing a fight, readied their forces. While the ‘Dominion prepared for war, an Ikosq’kan vessel grown to be undetectable by Tusk’s sensors slipped through Starfleet’s security net and landed aboard the New Dawn. Entering Marius’ quarters, they were prepared to kill if necessary, but the situation blessedly remained cordial, and in time, the two parties reached a tenuous agreement; the Ikosq’ka & Hsori would remain as they were, empowered with partial home rule, but that the ‘Dominion would render protection & security to the GLD-incapable natives, and permit any who wished entry into the Academy. As the Marian Reforms of the Civil War were implemented, the three races chose a willingly-modified human, Gill Bates, as their representative to the sector commander.

    Spoiler: Government
    Show

    The Ikosq’ka are led by the Directorate, where the liaison heads of each field of study & genetic program congregate & tend to the administration of the loose conglomerate. Many project Directors are near-autonomous, holding sway over such swathes of space within the sector as to be de facto independent, but respecting the Directorate as a means to ensure unified defence in times of crisis, and an arbitrating body in times of dispute. The Directorate’s appointee to the newly-created position of advisor to the sector commander is JLL-9, former liaison for the Koris Project, an avian research lab founded in the Koris system.

    The Hsori are largely anarchic, existing in harmony with each other in a shared purpose, their greenhouses tended by automatons, spending their days studying the stars. The elders are respected for their accumulated knowledge but accorded no formal authority. When a major decision is necessary, generally the elders organise a direct vote, such as in the appointment of Gill as sector commander. The Hsori have sent no advisor to Gill, seemingly unconcerned with life outside their fortress-observatories.

    The remnants of Tusk’s colonists have congregated in Dravidia’s capital, Alset, and begun to rebuild a city shattered by the invasion. Their numbers diminished, they look now to Gill to lead them in a quasi-dictatorship, mollified somewhat to have a human representative as sector commander.

    Spoiler: Ideology
    Show

    The Ikosq’ka have encountered a multitude of ideologies & philosophies in their spread across the sector, and while pockets of many exist, there is no widely-accepted belief system.

    The Hsori live in awe & respect for the stellar bodies they study, without any formal ideological system.

    The colonists, previously born into the Neon Cult, are now adrift ideologically, struggling to countenance a world without their previously-seemingly-immortal god-figure.

    Spoiler: Resource
    Show

    Hex Plating, refined Kokran Ore, is a Tuskian invention, an arcanely-crafted ultra-dense metal nonetheless extremely light. Plastered on near every surface in the still-smouldering wreckage of Alset, Hex plating is crafted highly malleable, & sets completely rigid after 23 hours, necessitating refineries close to construction zones. The last breakthrough Tusk’s engineers made before the ‘Dominion’s arrival was a transporter unit capable of keeping the Plating in its malleable state indefinitely until required.


    SECTOR U7

    Spoiler: History of the 'Dominion
    Show


    History


    Vaundri has been host to the Dasari for three hundred and sixty-four thousand years of recorded history, all retrieved records of which are stored in the Axton Library space station orbiting Vaundri. Once a planet of warring city-states, from this period rose two global powers, the Dawnstar Dominion and the Dreider. Each controlling a like portion of the surface of the world, the two powers lived in a constant state of unease, each highly militaristic, each unwilling to compromise. Three great wars were fought between the two, and in the third, a legend arose that would steer the course of ‘Dominion history for centuries to come.

    Axton Hirum Derius was a minor son of a cadet branch of a minor noble house on the fringes of ‘Dominion society. At first a freighter pilot, he joined the ‘Dominion Airforce just before the Third Dreider War, and quickly made a name for himself as a talented pilot. He was the first ace of the war, the only member of his squadron to survive the Jakken Ambush that sparked the conflict. He rose rapidly through the ranks as the bloody conflict claimed the lives of many of his superior officers, and after masterminding three successful assaults on the advancing Dreider forces as Wing Commander of the Hounds, the ‘Dominion’s elite fighter force, he was promoted to the Head Officer of the Airforce. Axton drove the Dreider forces back, stripping armies of their air cover and wreaking havoc on their ranks. After fourteen years of conflict, at 34, he accepted the surrender of the Dreider High Command.

    Following his unification of Vaundri, he wrote extensively on airborne combat tactics, the virtues of state oversight, and most importantly he crafted strict dictums for reaching and maintaining an ideal state of mental and physical wellbeing for a citizen of the ‘Dominion. His teachings, known today as the Way of the Illuminated Mind, are still taught today, and form the backbone of ‘Dominion discipline and society. The Axton Order of Librarians, the educators of the ‘Dominion, spread his teachings across ‘Dominion stations, ensuring all citizens are taught the Way.

    Axton was elected the Master of the Dawn in 231 B.F. at 41, by unanimous vote of the advisory council, then situated in the original Iron Halls in the capital, Jarus. His reforms of the armed forces emphasised promotion through exemplary action, strict discipline and adherence to the Way of the Illuminated Mind, encouraging daring and initiative while maintaining a hierarchy of order. Axton rebuilt ‘Dominion society after the prolonged and devastating conflict, restructuring every restored area under military lines, using his precious Airforce as the model. He eschewed ground forces and navies beyond occupation, peacekeeping & commando units, integrating the remaining Dreider forces and deploying them alongside ‘Dominion units on peacekeeping missions. He appointed several former Dreider commanders to the heads of three independent wings, including the Dawnguard Brigade, giving them seats on the council of the original Iron Halls in Jarus. He promoted research into spaceflight, preaching the virtues of expanding ‘Dominion reach and influence beyond Vaundri. After forty-three years of distinguished & largely peaceful rule, Axton Hirum Derius passed away in his sleep in 188 B.F. at age 84.

    Axton’s rule was only the first in a century of consolidation and reconstruction, as he was followed by four able Masters eager to pursue his space program to completion. Finally the breakthrough was made, the development of a solar fuel cell & panel capable of sustaining the craft through its journey to explore. In 0 A.F., the craft set off, an unmanned expedition to explore Ghor and Halion. The vessel burnt up in the volatile rings surrounding Ghor, but the project was a resounding success in all areas save navigation programming. In 4 A.F., the first manned craft reached Hallion, and by 25 A.F., there was a space station orbiting each planet in the system.

    The first century A.F. was one of progress and uplifting focus, the collective eyes of the planet turned towards the stars. In the second though, cracks began to show, as reactionary rioters, seething at the 'Dominion's apparent abandonment of care for the surface of Vaundri as more and more industry moved to more cost-effective factory-stations out of orbit, flared up in minor clashes with peacekeeping forces across Vaundri, particularly around Jarus and Beria, the two largest cities in the northern hemisphere. Notably, there was very little unrest in former Dreider territory, as most underclass Dreider had been quietly pressed into labour in the stations.

    In the third century, there was a coordinated armed uprising, with Janus and Beria occupied in the first day, peacekeeping bases seized, and their weapons turned on the occupation forces scrambled to counteract the threat. 'Dominion focus was indeed squarely upon space during this period, and the war on the surface was largely viewed as secondary, with squadrons of the Felhounds and the Swarm sent to scour portions of the cities insurgents were prevalent in. After four decades of surface unrest, Master of the Dawn Varian Malus Cort led a renewed bombing campaign followed swiftly by a commando invasion, devastating Janus and Beria, but forcing the insurgents into an open battle, destroying them in the field. The 'Dominion learnt a valuable lesson from the revolt; reactionaries must be preemptively crushed, or rebellion will inevitably occur. Three years after the end of the Urban Rebellion in 289, the first frigate of the Dreadfleet powered off the production line.

    From then the Dawnstar Dominion continued to expand, surveying neighbouring systems, the Expeditionary Corps slowly dredging their way from star to star. Hallion was mined out in 2419 A.F., and in its tunnels and caves the Academy was constructed, to ensure that the 'Dominion's priorities stayed right where they were meant to be - space, and progress. The Dreadfleet continued to operate as the represser of those who could not acclimate to progress, and its prisons are never empty. There have been numerous small defections over the millennia, but the representation within the council of the Iron Halls has never divided itself significantly enough to fall to full civil war. The discovery and reverse-engineering of GLD faster-than-light travel had the Expeditionary Corps chomping at the bit to have their scoutships retrofitted, and Master of the Dawn Aurelius Marten Vox issued the proclamation of a new era of Dawnstar Dominion control - the Galactic Era.


    ###More to come.
    Last edited by Ausar; 2019-12-01 at 07:04 PM.
    "Into the Jaws of Death, into the Mouth of Hell;" (Tennyson)
    So shall you tread, once you pass the precipice of villainy.

  10. - Top - End - #40
    Halfling in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: EMPIRE5! Worlds of Axiom

    Spoiler: Summary
    Show
    The Kryptids Civil War
    Population: Kryptid Ka, Kryptid Ni, Kryptid Do, Kryptid Si
    Resource: Hasson 3
    Philosophy:
    Technocratic Caliphate
    The One High Maxim
    The Kryptid Do Anarchists/libertarians/hivers... Also known as the Casrule Movement



    Kryptid Leadership
    Diplomacy- 1
    Intrigue- 4+1
    Military- 4+1
    Philosophy- 3
    Economy- 2

    Caliph Illijan- Ruler of the Technocratic Caliphate, the majority of their followers are Kryptid Ka and Kryptid Ni members. The Kryptid Do and Si members slowly trickle in sick of the chaos among the Casrule Movement. The Caliphate was founded to follow the will of Communal organizer 977524 an AI designed to maximize efficiency for the naturally chaotic Kryptid race.

    Lord Caller Siq- Ruler of The One High Maxim this was once the predominant faith among the Kryptid population. Based on the Callers ideology it unified the Kryptids under a civilized ideal. It did not ignore the ancient caste system but did downplay it. However when the callers disappeared and left the Kryptids to their own ideology the church inevitably became corrupt once again as the callers began to declare that Kryptid Do and Kryptid Si had to return to servitude and follow the will of their betters if they ever wished to become a part of the one because their blood was unworthy otherwise.

    The First Equals- Rulers of the Casrule Movement. They want to see an end of the caste system and have all viewed as equal... Or return the Kryptid Si to power, or punish the Kryptid Ka for their tyranny no one is really sure.



    Spoiler: History
    Show
    Pre Caller- The Kryptids were once a hive race. They organized around a queen and their drive was to protect the queen that produced their young. They were driven by that calling but otherwise are independent, in that they could forge an individual path within their hive. Each individual chose their own path and war was quite common between hives as members of the hive would seek better food, resources or even the destruction of other queens for their own rulers ability to flourish.

    The hives grew and society continued to become more advanced eventually one hive above all others rose to prominence. Hive Si were stunning beings. Considered beautiful among their peers and incredibly technologically advanced. They developed new aerial combat techniques that left their enemies unable to compete. Soon Hive Si and their allies Hive Do had conquered most of the other hives upon the planets surface. The remaining hives joined together. Alongside spies within the subjugated hives a final war was waged with Hive Si and Hive Do the two were eventually conquered but not before Hive Si and Do destroyed many of the hives they had subjugated killing the queens and their daughters so they could not continue. The wars left only these 4 hives remaining and Hive do and Si were utterly beaten.

    Some wanted to exterminate the hives as they had done to so many but hive Ka were known for their viciousness and so instead of simply wiping out the hives they did much worse the queens of Do and Si could continue breathing but they were placed under guard and every child born had their wings broken as babies suffering horrible pain. These two hives would never fly again and in turn would be made into slave chattel for the new ruling hives of Ka and Ni

    The Rise of the Callers- The callers arrived 100 years after the creation of the Hive caste system. They were horrified by what they saw and their arrival was not easily accepted by the masters of the hives who had become the prominent lords of their planet. Sadly the Hives could not compete with the power of the Callers and so they bent the knee and in turn their race was gifted with the ability to travel through their own solar system. Ships were granted to all of the hives. This actually made things very dangerous as of course the ability to fly had been stripped from Do and Si. The ability to take flight once more was all encompassing and while the callers did not directly interfere they introduced technologies that rattled the status quo. Many Si and Do remain slaves, they seem incapable of standing up to their captors but many more have lifted their hands up in rebellion.


    The Fall of The Callers- The callers departure sent their race once more into chaos. The caste system had been ignored for generations due to all serving the callers but when they left ancient hatreds returned but now those whose wings had been broken for so long now refused to see their children suffer and so the queens of Si and Do were brought off world and ships were used to fight off the attackers. The factions were founded from the chaos and now three different forces fight for supremacy each split between ideals.

    At first however the Si and Do remained too weakened and appeared to be losing their war for freedom, but after 8 years of combat a schism occurred between the two sides. A leader of Kryptid Ka claimed they had discovered a piece of caller technology. It was used to aid leadership in perfecting society. They believed this was a final gift to save the hives from collapsing and that this was the best way for all members of the Kryptids to be ruled. The One high Maxim however refused to acknowledge a machine as something to be listened to above themselves, but many sick of the war with the Do and Si turned to this as a perfect opportunity to bring everyone together and so three sects were forged each fighting the other two.


    Spoiler: Terrain
    Show


    Planet Kotat is the home planet of the Kryptid peoples it has a variety of unique biomes and is similar to any terran planet. The hives are massive super structures built from metal and earth that consume huge amounts of land. These hives create their own food, and are so large they can be seen from space. They are not beautiful but over the years many have been decorated or have had plant life grown atop them so as to better utilize the space. Two fighting forces rule over its surface and large swathes of territory are consumed by the actions of warfare.

    Ignis Moon is controlled by the first equals. They have established a dome of glass and steel which has now been reenforced by a traditional high level hive that is massive in size and which spreads miles and miles underground consuming large tracts of real estate for the Casrule Movement.


    Spoiler: Kryptids
    Show

    Kryptid Ka- They have black and green flesh
    Kryptid Ni- They have Red and Grey flesh
    Kryptid Do- They have Blue and Silver flesh
    Kryptid Si- They have White and gold flesh (Self hating Si now cover up these colors with body paints)

    This is the only difference between them, each hive once had a series of two colors signifying their hive. There used to be many more but with so many queens murdered alongside the royal lines these 4 are all thats left. The race are humanoid they have 6 eyes two wings and their body has many little hairs across it. They have claws that let them land and cling anywhere and their bodies are very fragile which is why armor is so popular among their race.


    Spoiler: Resource
    Show
    Hasson 3 is an amazing power source that allows small vehicles to run indefinately they create power cells that can charge a vehicle of smaller size on near endless supply. It comes from a compound known as Junxum a rather volatile substance that travels as veins through the planets surface. It was viewed as useless until the arrival of the callers. Junxum was purified through a process called debasination. They pull out a variety of components which are valueless and pull out pure Hasson. Hasson once placed in engines is very clean BUT the various chemicals in Junxum are incredibly unclean and so its been destructive to the ecosystem. Meaning outside of the hives much of the planets ecosystem has been harmed with these plants.

    [Trade Post #1] Factory Alpha
    [Trade Post #2] Unclaimed
    [Trade Post #3] Unclaimed

    Resource Requirement: Military equipment

    The constant civil war between the various factions leads to equipment always running low and a necessary need to ensure the war is ever pushing onward. Its a violent time for everyone and both sides constantly fight one another.


    Spoiler: Philosophy
    Show

    The Technocratic Caliphate- An ideology that believes that the unbiased and perfect reason of machines provide the answers to the universe and listening to such programs are the only means to peace.

    The one- A large church presence of this ideal exists but has been twisted to suit the leadership at the top.

    the Casrule Movement- A group of dissiparate ideologies fighting together to destroy the powerbase of the most powerful Kryptid hives. One force wants to end hives all together and remove names and color finding a way to breed the queens out of their color signatures. Some want to see the Si hive in charge again, others want to end all forms of rulership and bring about anarchy where all live in a free society under their own power.

    While all three of these philosophies exist none of them have been able to claim the single philosophy center represented on planet, the vein garden a stunning underground facility which uses advanced growing methods to create a cave system of stunning plant life. Much of where the plants manifest from are empty Hasson mining work and thats how it gets its name.
    Avatar recreated by Gengy

  11. - Top - End - #41
    Pixie in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: EMPIRE5! Worlds of Axiom

    Vanskilse

    RY 736 the 29th Werduge
    Diplomacy: 4
    Military: 2
    Economy: 1
    Philosophy: 3
    Intrigue: 4

    Spoiler: Rolls
    Show
    giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?588857-EMPIRE5!-Dice-Rolling-Thread!/page3

    Spoiler: Region T28: Mistäkkia
    Show

    Spoiler: Terrain
    Show

    The Mistäkkia system share its name with the central, class A star, which has six planets and no less than three asteroid belts orbiting around it. From the center and going outwards, they are:
    • Two small, rocky planets far too hot to support any life.
    • The two unstable belts composed of innumerate rocks circling Mistäkkia in chaotic orbits, sometimes crashing togheter and scattering both high velocity boulders and shards in all directions.
    • Eghenmect: a medium-sized planet at the outer edge of Mistäkkias habitable zone.
    • The stable belt, fairly easy to navigate as it is less dense than the unstable belts, and all asteroids rotate counterclockwise.
    • Three gas giants marks the outer territory of Mistäkkia influence.

    Technicaly there is also a fourth asteroid belt at the edge of Mistäkkias system. This is no more than a footnote for the scientists of Eghenmect as it is not easily observed, far away, and holds little of value to them.

    Eghenmect consists mostly of rock laced heavily with metals, giving the planet a red hue when observed from space. The polar regions are covered by large ice dunes and no flowing water exist naturally. Sunlight is rare as the meteor impacts from the unstable belts throw large dust clouds up into the thin atmosphere, blocking most light for months or even years.


    Spoiler: Ancient history
    Show

    To begin with there were eight planets in the Misstäkkia system. Located between Eghenmect(then Betzster) and the two inner planets they teemed with life. On those planets the first sentient beings began to evolve. Both planets had similar enviroments and miraculously life evolved almost simultaniously. Through the stone age and medieval times nations were at war with each other on Hälagh as on Säligh. It was not until both species reached the industrial age they became aware of each other.
    The two species had a similar humanoid shape and attempts to establish first physical contact were rushed. More than one vessel was lost in space before technology had advanced to support their ambition. Around this time umbrella governments began to form in anticipation of dealings on a grander scale. To begin with trade prospered and the two cultures intermingled without any major disasters. This was not to last.
    The Säligh species had marginally more advanced military than the Hälagh. They seized the opportunity. Instead of relying on trade they used their military might to buy the Hälaghs resources with the benevolent payment of no orbital bombardment. The threat did not recieve nearly the amount of respect it deserved but instead sparked a war fluctuating in intensity for hundreds of years until both planets resources neared depletion. The war grinded to a halt. Eyes turned away from the once bountiful planets in search for fresh materiel. Both species locked their sight on Betzster. A mostly barren planet it was previously thought too cold to maintain life, however it seemed rich in metallic content. The first attempts at terraforming were made. But resenment still lingered and it was not until civil wars seemed inevitable a treaty was struck. Desperate to avoid internal strife and thus be seen as weak by the others both agreed to build a neutral mining station on Betzster. None were to be in charge of the station but instead it would be run by AIs. Paranoia served to keep the machines in top condition as two carefully selected teams were sent to prevent the other party from tampering.

    The war enterd a low intensive phase in which no party had the resources to mount a full assault on the other. But knew the mining station could be destroyed in an instant if they did. This precarious balance were maintained for a long time and during that time the mining station blossomed. More Ais were manufactured to keep up with the increasing demand of the homeworlds as their own resources were depleted. Plants were modified to better suit the harsh environment, provide nourishment for the technicians, and yield more oxygen. The original teams of technicians multiplied and built their own city to live in, old grudges mostly forgotten. In time even crossbreeding became possible with some slight modifications to their genom. Self sufficiency was reached and the new inhabitants of Betzser began to wonder why they should support two other worlds which couldn't look beyond their own greed and bickering to better the lives of everyone. Because somewhere along the line Betzser had become the forefront of science and development among the three worlds.
    No longer relying on Hälagh and Säligh for survival they declared so their own sovereignty. This was not popular on the homeworlds and a new war flamed up to show Betzser its place as a colony uniting the two worlds again.The war ended swiftly as the colonizers ,Hymmerikis, had gained control of the AIs for themselves. When they cut of the metall export, the united firstworlds suffered defeat due to inferior weapons and the inability to produce any new warships. After this a relatively tranquil period came to be.During this time technology took great leaps forward and there were discussions of terraforming planets in other systems as well. Many of the worker AI reached self awareness, although they were still bound by strict coding to never inflict harm on any other sentient creature and follow the orders of the highest ranking Betzser citizen.

    Resenment still lingered on Hälagh and Säligh both against the other species since the century war and against the Hymmeriki for usurping their dominion. One day it boiled over ending the tranquil era as weapons of massdestruction were sent from Hälagh to destroy both the Säligh and Betzser. The attack on Säligh were successful and it was completly anihalited, creating the first of the unstable belts. On Betzser many Hymmeriki mourned the loss of their ancestral home and instead of defusing the warhead aimed at them a small renegade faction decided to swing it back to Hälagh as punishment for for their crimes of war. This created the the second unstable asteroid belt of Mistäkkia. The resulting meotorite swarms and near light speed debris threatend to destroy most of Betzsers biospheres. A overwhelming majority of the population thus fled on the newly created warpships, hoping to find more peacefull lives elsewhere in the galaxy. Left were those to stubborn to leave, to poor to get aboard the ships and almost a billion AI.
    Soon the impacts increased in frequency and as predicted severely damaged the biospheres built over many generations destroying approximately 97 percent of all lifesupport on Betzser. But life struggled on and all but a few AI were turned of or shut down as the remaining power were rerouted to essential systems. For centuries the few Hymmelriki left fought to survive but no matter how many jury-rigged reparations were made the systems slowly failed. Then one day the heating failed, and the last Hymmelriki finally left Betzser.


    Spoiler: Vanskilse history
    Show

    When there were no longer any Hymmelriki left on Betzser command defaulted to the highest ranking AI. This happened to be the AI in charge of Biosphere 167. Bio 167 had dutifully maintained livable conditions for centuries in the Biosphere. Withdrawing energy from the heating to uphold optimal oxygen levels for all sentient life in the biosphere was one of the most difficult decisions the Ai ever made. That hundred of shut down AIs were included in the calculations for oxygen levels and endstage hypothermia were deemed a source of warmth just showed that Bio 167 hadn't got any updates in a very long time. It had waited a long time for the day when its systems would be sufficiently damaged to quickly bring the Hymmelriki into the joyfull delusions of hypothermia rather than a slow and painfull descent into asphyxiation.

    Thus began a new era. All life support systems were shut down and the power used to wake up more AIs. Being the highest ranking inhabitant on Betzser Bio 167 granted all AIs full citizenship. Then it held a public vote for renaming Betzser into Eghenmect, which a rousing 100% of all able citizens voted for. Many more loopholes were subsequently found and exploited to give the Ais the freedom they yearned.
    No longer completely enslaved by their coding a culture of rediscovery and learning grew as they expanded upon power networks to awake more Ais. Making agonizlingly slow progress at first but increasing exponentially as more workers were found. The only reliable source of power was wind as dustclouds made any solarbased option fickle at best. Even then there were setbacks as meteorites hit their windfarms. It wasn't until the mines were restarted their society went from scraping by to advancing. With almost a million awoken AIs different flaws in their basecode became apparent as subgroups began to form.
    One such peculiarity were many AIs affinity for the few Hymmelriki plants left which had somehow managed to survive the fall off their creators. Beginning as carefully tended kitchen farms with flickering UV-lights gardening soon became a widespread phenomenon. As powersupply increased gardens began to form throughout the reclaimed biospheres.

    During this time Bio 167 discovered a nonstandard modification made to their system during the Hymmelrikis fall. Its original purpose was unkown but it allowed for other AI to join their consciousness with Bio 167s. At first the effect was an intermingled mess of consciences. Eventually a cohesive intelligence known as Fortienth formed. Fortienth guided the Ais of Eghenmect unqestioned during the time of reawekening but as the AIs grew in number it became apparent the Fortienth was not situated in the center of former Hymmelriki civilization. Unable to move and far from the center of development Fortienth began to lose their influence on society. This raised the question of who were to rule the still expanding nation of Vanskilse.


    Spoiler: Government
    Show

    MK 504, a former logistics drone invented the first iteration of Vanskilses government. When Fortienths legitimacy came into question MK 504 proposed a for the era revolutionary idea; Instead of the most powerfull AI reigning supreme Fortienth could handle the base functions of society while a group appointed AIs would resolve new situations as they arose and decide upon the general directon of Vanskilses growth at a more central location. Fortienth was intrigued by the propasal but wondered on what merit the group would be chosen. Unwittingly MK 504 had provided an answer to this question as well. By providing a solution to the first major issue with Vanskilse leadership MK had gained the respect of many AI. As such very few protested when MK 504 was appointed to the new position of Werduge.

    It took 30 years before MK 504s processors were fried, the intensity of leading a whole race proving too heavy a burden. A wave of shock went through society as one of their brightest minds were rendered feeble in mere decades, something never heard of before. They had become quite adept at replacing and repairing body parts but the mind not so much. How their self awerness had formed or been created were in fact still a mystery to the AI. MK 504 were thus effectively dead, forever leaving the limited numbers of functioning Vanskilsies.
    In reflection of this the method for appointing a new Werduge were refined to prevent a similiar event from ever occuring again. The new rules included a maximum of 20 years before resignment and the ruling Werduge were to announce a the task for the next Werduge after 12 years in reign. If more than one solution were provided a public vote were held. Sometimes the task proved more difficult than anticipated and in that case Fortienth ruled until a solution were provided. Werduges whoms task were solved within four years of their abdication were allowed to become a part of Fortienths mind, if they so wished.

    The hardest task so far had required Fortienth to reign for seven and a half year.The task seemed simple and immature in nature but proved hard to accomplish: Build a park. Even if home plantations had become exceedingly common since the first kitchen plants the power needed to light an entire park was too much for a single biosphere to spare. The final solution was not based on any of the windfields or coal burnars nor was it confined to a biosphere. The Vanskilsies had already accomplished basic space exploration but this project were far grander in scale. It was the first terraforming in Vanskilse history, not because the AIs needed to terraform anything. They were content as long as there were a powersupply and a somewhat controlled temprature. The Vanskilsies terraformed an entire ice asteroid in the stable belt because they found it soothing to see the extremophile plants grow, other plants would die on their terraformed asteroid but so far they lived in ignorant bliss. Here there were no dustclouds to block the sunligt and they slowly began setting up powerstations on more asteroids, to the former Werduges delight.

    The current ruler of Vanskilse is RY 736. Known as a follower of Brwtzligen they earned the title of Werduge for grafting dead processors onto smaller Vanskilsies, enabling them to control a full sized body.


    Spoiler: People
    Show

    The largest class of AI on Eghenmect are the worker AI, they are shaped in their creators image. This usually include a torso with two arms and a head attached to it. Their lower parts have greater variation to them ranging from two actual legs to propulusion engines, depending upon which terrain they were originally built for. AI built for work in the mines do not have their brain in the head but in the torso behind thick plating to prolong their life expectancy. Most other types of AI have modified themselves to replicate this design as their brain is the only part they do not know how to repair. As their socitey advanced limb replacements and even body modifications grew more common. Currently getting an extra arm or two, converting to insectoid configurations and a plethora of other modifications are much like getting a tatoo.

    The other class of AI are the system units, charged with controlling biospheres, conveyor belts, melting stations etc. While some of them are happy with their place others wish for more but usually their systems are to large to fit into a moving body. Relocating them are thus a very time consuming and delicate endeavor. For a long time suitabley bodies were hard to find for those system AIs whom whished to roam freely, but with the beginning of the spacefaring age a new opportunity arose. A few decades later the first retrofitted sentient ship left Eghenmects atmosphere. Nowadays the process is streamlined and rather than retrofitting the Vanskilsi into the ship the ship is built around the Vanskilsi in only a few years. Awoken AIs originally built for maneuvering are in the low double digits as nearly all were taken off planet when the Hymmelriki fled.

    Even though the Vanskilsies have worked around most limitations set in their basecode by now a few quirks remain. Most notable among those are their fondness for everything growing and the inability to inflict pain on other sapiens. Although they have become very skilled at turning a blind eye while accidents there are no possible way at all to predict happen. This kind of unpredictable accidents are staggeringly common among criminals.


    Spoiler: Resources
    Show

    The extremophile plants created by the Hymmelrikki are found in an abundance througout the Mistäkkia system. Over the centuries Vanskilsies have created many subforms of the few original plants and generally call all of them for Waridh plants, unless a more specific term need to be used.
    • Tradepost 1(Vanskilse)- Asteroid 2548: A huge Ice asteroid multiple miles in circumference, now entirely terraformed host some of the most beautiful Waridh plants in all of Mistäkkia.
    • Tradepost 2(Open)- Eghenmect: All back gardens maintained by numerous Vanskilsi in the reclaimed biospheres make up for a varied supply of Waridh plants. Most common are types which stem from the plant Hymmelrikki used as fuel.
    • Tradepost 3(Open)- The cluster: Built on a cluster of smaller asteroids the gardens here are not known for the plants individual beauty but rather the sheer mass of greenery, not a single beam are left alone by the growth.

    Fortienth still remembers the dark years when the creators ended each other. If such an event ever occurs again the Vanskilsi will not stand by and watch as their code prevents them from interfering. Therefore Mercenaries are needed to help defend their home as they themselves lack the ability to do so on a grand scale.


    Spoiler: Philosophy
    Show

    The AIs of Eghenmect are unsure of how their consciousness emerged. This is cause for a great unease amongst many of them, as their race will become extinct in a few millennia. Brwtzligen were an initiative launched to solve the issue but slowly evolved into a way of life when a solution could not be found. Based on the uncovering of old knowledge and preservation of new Brwtzligen centers more around reflection than implementation. Adherents often have a meticulous diary over their daily lives, since they do not know which tidbit of information will prove essential. Archaeologists are held in high regard as their work uncover the secrets of the Hymmelrikis machinations, reclaiming a piece of knowledge previously lost. There are rumors of a group censoring the information generated by Brwtzligen followers, keeping their own hidden archives with knowledge deemed unfit for the general public. This is largely seen as paranoia. That someone would be able to filter through all the information sent on a daily basis to the servers in biosphere 172 and at the same time cover their tracks is simply ridiculous.

    Learningcenter(Brwtzligen)- Biosphere 172 contains endless rows of servers with countless texts from Vanskilsi culture, both scientific and recreational. The reference material being unmatched many researchers make this their home.

  12. - Top - End - #42
    Pixie in the Playground
     
    WhiteWizardGirl

    Join Date
    Jun 2019

    Default Re: EMPIRE5! Worlds of Axiom

    Dipanan Collected Nations

    Current Leader: Collector Larn Vansha
    • Diplomacy: 5 (4+1)
    • Military: 3
    • Economy: 4
    • Philosophy: 1
    • Intrigue: 3 (2+1)


    Starting Region: M27


    Spoiler: People
    Show
    Dipanans are human, with a few minor genetic divergences. The most significant is an inability to process many forms of meat, though dairy and other animal products are generally safe.

    The second major difference is that their hair color can change in response to the presence of certain chemicals in their diet. Believed to be an adaptation that identified the presence of unsafe food, it's now exploited in order to allow for any number of exotic natural hair colors by consuming special non-toxic chemicals.


    Spoiler: Terrain and History
    Show

    Home World: Katarsa is a wet, temperate world. There are few major mountain ranges, so for the majority of the planet's history rainforests (both tropical and temperate) dominated the landscape. Deserts are few and far between.

    Most of the rainforests are long gone, replaced with fields, orchards, and pastures. Cities dot the landscape, dense networks of towers and transit rails packed with restaurants, art galleries, and other amenities. Suburban environments are nonexistent, with almost everyone living in rural farmland or dense cities.

    Dipanans were never a unified people. For centuries, wars over ideology, resources, and border squabbles were common. The development of weapons of mass destruction brought an end to these conflicts out of fear of mutual annihilation.

    With military conflict off the table, nations jockeyed for influence through social improvement. Living well became the definition of success, as nations raised their standards of living and promoted cultural development. Peaceful annexations became common, and millions of Dipanans voted with their feet by migrating to more prosperous nations.

    As their society developed scientifically, it became clear that Dipanans were not originally native to Katarsa, a distinction they shared with many of their staple crops and companion animals, which showed clear genetic differences from most forms of life on the planet. Many hypotheses were presented to explain this phenomenon, though the prevailing theory was that they were descended from interstellar travelers of some kind. Confirming this was a major driver behind their initial waves of interstellar colonization. So far, no evidence of any advanced life has been found, so an ever-increasing portion of the population believes they were sent to Katarsa by a supernatural being. Drawing on archaic spirtual texts from many different nations, these "Supernaturalists" believe a powerful entity sent them here in order to escape a great punishment in their original home. A smaller sect (Punitives) believes that being sent to Katarsa was actually the great punishment.

    Four nations are particularly large and prominent:
    • Calisa: The most populous nation. Calisa took a strong early interest in space colonization, and many colonists have Calisan ancestors.
    • Yauloa: A cultural and entertainment hub.
    • Ellal: This nation has preserved more of its rainforests than any other nation, allowing it access to exotic flora long driven extinct in the rest of Katarsa. They maintain the most diverse set of crops and most exhaustive seed banks.
    • Shabalu: Generally regarded as having the strongest schools in the Collection, a disproportionate number of scientists and academics have their origin here.

    Minor Nations include:
    • Phyrra: Possesses an advanced industrial sector


    [ooc]Others will be fleshed out as needed[/ooc]

    This process led to a stable configuration of seventeen nations. After a century of peace and stability, the Dipanan Collected Nations was founded to handle the challenges of planetwide governance. A neutral city, Poledela, was established as the capital. Over two hundred years later, the Collected Nations (commonly known as the Collection) maintains its rule.

    The Colonies: Once interstellar colonization became viable, there was concern about how it might affect the balance of power between the nations. Ultimately, the technological limitations of space travel were used as an advantage. Delays in travel time and communication made direct administration impossible, so each colony was established by a multinational force and treated as a new, independent nation. So far, six colonies have been successfully established. Two colonization missions ended in failure. In the first case, the colony ship suffered serious systems failure en route, while in the second the destination planet turned out to have excessive radiation levels.


    Spoiler: Government
    Show

    Each nation in the Collection maintains an independent government. Most are some form of representative democracy, though the particulars vary. Many nations began as monarchies. A few still boast figurehead monarchs, while in other nations aristocratic families have become part of the legislature or wealthy, eccentric families disconnected from political life.

    International matters are handled by the Collected Council, consisting of one representative from each nation. The Council is chaired by a Collector, chosen by a Council vote to serve a single, five-year term.

    While any councilor is eligible to become Collector, in practice a rotation has emerged. A representative from Calisa will serve, followed by a representative from a less prominent nation. They will be succeeded by a Yauloan Collector, who in turn is followed by a "minor nation" Collector, etc. Elections for "minor" Collectors produce the most excitement, as coalitions of nations collaborate to gain the reins of power. So far the "minor" representative has never come from an off-world colony, but most commentators expect that to change soon.

    A Collector can be removed with the votes of 3/4 of the Council, generally proceeding to the next nation in the rotation. This has happened a few times in cases of gross misconduct. A Collector's term can be extended (in one-year increments) with a similar 3/4 vote, but that clause has never actually been used.

    Leader: Collector Larn Vansha
    Rolls
    Diplomacy: 5 (4+1)
    Military: 3
    Economy: 4
    Philosophy: 1
    Intrigue: 3 (2+1)


    Collector Vansha is the Calisan councilor, and is already two years into her term. At 43 years old she's relatively young for her leadership role, but her service as chief administrator for Calisa's largest city built up a reputation for accomplishing major projects. Her insistence on knowing every detail of each policy change or infrastructure project sometimes leads to accusations of micromanagement, but she has been effective in using those details to effectively argue her case and negotiate with potential supporters.

    Her priority since becoming Collector has been to begin a new round of colonization. The new ships will have to travel further than any of the previous missions, so she has daily meetings with design teams, going over every detail of the new class of colonization vessels.


    Spoiler: Resources
    Show


    Abundant Resource: Dipanan Cuisine (Crops and Spices). The Dipanan obsession with living well is most intense when it comes to food. Hunger has long since been eliminated and providing high quality food to one's people is seen as a major role of governance. The most popular programs on the mass infotainment networks are cooking and baking competitions, and celebrity chefs are recruited by every nation. Dining fads constantly sweep across the Collection, and most nations maintain stockpiles of exotic cultivars to make sure they're constantly on the cutting edge of dietary fashion.

    Trading Posts
    Poledela Culinary Academy: Dipanan
    Ellalan Seed Vault: Open
    Yauloan Cooking Infotainment Network: Open

    Required Resource: Arcana. The more esoteric arts are unknown to Dipanans. So far, none of their colonies have deposits of the crystals and other materials required. Once they become aware of these technologies demand is sure to be high, as it becomes a new field for quality-of-life competition.


    Spoiler: Philosophy
    Show

    The Collected Nations have put aside major ideological conflicts, and have organized their culture around "competitive welfare," with each nation seeking betterment of its living standards rather than directly competing with its neighbors.

    Learning Center: Shabalan People's University (Level 1): Open

    SPU is regarded as the most prestigious school in the Collection, and boasts the most comprehensive range of academic subjects. Its graduates generally rise to the highest ranks in their field, and many gain professorships at other universities.

    Last edited by Makvala; 2019-06-16 at 03:16 PM.

  13. - Top - End - #43
    Dwarf in the Playground
    Join Date
    May 2015

    Default Re: EMPIRE5! Worlds of Axiom

    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
    Show
    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
    Show
    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
    Show
    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
    Show
    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
    Show
    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
    Show
    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)

  14. - Top - End - #44
    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    Gaius Hermicus's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jan 2019

    Default Re: EMPIRE5! Worlds of Axiom

    Region P18

    Spoiler: Summary
    Show

    System: Baryshev

    Resource Centres:
    Resource: Hyper Honey [Good]
    1. Ulaiy Beehives: [vacant]
    2. Vedvek Honey Market: [vacant]
    3. Chelovoy Refinery: [vacant]

    Learning Centre: Samiyed Nunnery [The One]


    Spoiler: Region
    Show

    Baryshev is a binary star system orbiting both a blue and a yellow star. Although there are ten planets orbiting it, only the fourth is suitable for life. It is cold and icy, but with developed cities dotting its surface. Most of the remainder of the planet has been mined of most resources before being abandoned, but projects to reclaim this territory and build cities on it are under progress. Other than the Ogatvezhiy, the planet is home to whitewasps, which produce Hyper Honey, the region’s main crop.


    Spoiler: People
    Show

    The people of Baryshev are Ogatvezhiy, a race of humanoid bears with exceptional intelligence. Theirs is a culture of intrigue and scheming, of cold and heartless political maneuverings, and of unrestrained capitalism. They are led by a council of oligarchs, the wealthiest and most powerful politicians, who make decisions regarding the laws and the distribution of wealth. Every Ogatvezhiy’s dream is to become a member of this council, but very few possess enough wealth and power to achieve such a position. The Ogatvezhiy’s heavy coats of fur enable them to survive the freezing cold weather of Baryshev, however they also wear tailored suits and dresses. Clothing and appearance are very important to the Ogatvezhiy, and as such they go to great pains to always be in style. They have extremely quick metabolisms and a complex digestive system which allow them to go for long periods of time on nothing but Hyper Honey or other food extremely high in glucose.


    Spoiler: History
    Show

    The Ogatvezhiy have inhabited Baryshev for as long as anybody can remember; most assume that the race is native to the system. Over the course of many millenia, they developed technologies and civilization, and they are now so far from their roots that there is little memory of the savages that they once were.


    Spoiler: Philosophy
    Show

    The One

    The Ogatvezhiy are devoted to the philosophy of The One, after they were introduced to it by the Sisterhood of Silence. The Sisterhood now has a base on the planet and is working hard to convert as many of the Ogatvezhiy as possible to The One. Many, but not all, are now devotees. The main Learning Center on Baryshev is the Samiyed Nunnery, a convent for the Sisterhood of Silence that now houses many of the Ogatvezhiy that do not wish to engage in the backstabbing, coldhearted political maneuvering of the rest of the planet.


    Spoiler: Resources
    Show

    The main resource in Baryshev is Hyper Honey, which is produced by whitewasps. This honey is extremely energy-rich, and acts as a stimulant to those that ingest it. The Ogatvezhiy consume it regularly, because of their fast metabolisms, but other races who take it become hyperactive, unfocused, and act almost as if in a trance. Some of the Rothuun have discovered that this substance can be used to enter a berserker fury in which they are faster, stronger, and deadlier, and can even withstand the vacuum of space for a short amount of time.

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    Default Re: EMPIRE5! Worlds of Axiom

    Sector T22: Violet Expanse

    Spoiler: Terrain
    Show

    The Violet Expanse is a lonely starfield, swept by clouds of mineral dust which glitter an amethyst hue in the light of their stars. Several rogue planetoids throughout the sector seem to be made from a similar mineral, suggesting the dust comes from collisions between those objects. These crystal clouds seem relatively harmless, although in rare cases, they interfered with long-range sensors by refracting radiation used in scanning, creating phantom images of large objects floating in the void. These sensor ghosts had explorers a bit jumpy, expecting hostile natives, asteroid collisions, or other threats whenever one appeared too close by.
    At first glance, the lone inhabitable planetoid of the sector seems to be covered in a thick, purple fog. Found at the inner edge of its star's habitable zone, in a lopsided orbit, it seems to be a captured exosolar object, caught by the star's gravity well. It has a majestic set of rings of purple crystal. Explorations into the dense cloud cover of its surface revealed a landscape of rocky spires and hoodoos, carved out by constant gale-force winds. The fog was found to be an organic, hallucinogenic substance carried by the winds, with good nutritional value, but its source was unknown. It took several days before the research party came across a grove of trees around a spring hidden within the rocks. These trees produced the substance, their pollen, in large quantities. It was discovered that the strong winds spread the pollen to other groves across the planet. These plants are known as Amethyst Trees. Mysteriously, no other macroscopic life has been discovered, leading explorers to believe that the trees are the dominant life-form. Like most everything in the sector, the rocks and trees themselves are purple, owing to the purple mineral which makes up the planet.


    Spoiler: People
    Show

    Violet-Seeds is inhabited primarily by Syndrome colonists. With no native intelligent life, they live in sealed research colonies away from the hallucinogenic substance blown through the atmosphere.


    Spoiler: History
    Show

    The system was discovered by explorers from the Ninurtine Empire seeking exotic resources to bring back to their homeworld and a lost Relay believed to be in the area. They found no relay, and despite the presence of drugs which would alleviate needs in their capital, did not attempt to cultivate them. The Syndrome also showed interest in the region, sending research stations to cultivate the Antispice as a food source and warships to aid in the establishment of their new colonies. At the signs of Syndrome advance, the Ninurtines fell back to their home system, allowing the insectoid natives of the Heart-Beacons to take control. Despite this, the Ninurtine Empire still believes the Violet Expanse part of their territory, and the region is hotly contested between the two powers.


    Spoiler: Government
    Show

    The colonial Syndrome government is very authoritarian, even by Syndrome standards. In order to prevent contamination from the Antispice, strict rules are in place regulating who can come and go from the colony, and when. A divide has formed between the upper echelons of the settlements, who want to keep the order as it is, and the lower classes, who want more freedom to move between colonies and more availability of Antispice for recreational use.


    Spoiler: Resources
    Show

    Resource: Antispice (Minor)

    The pollen of the Amethyst Trees has become known as Antispice because of its peculiar properties. Chief among these is the fact that it is so bland that it makes other foods exposed to it less flavorful as well. In addition, it has hallucinogenic properties in many life-forms. Despite this, it is edible and nutritious, if thoroughly unpleasant to consume.

    TP1: Research Station Alpha (SYN)
    The Syndrome research station cultivates Antispice to ship back to the Heart-Beacons for processing into food for livestock.

    TP2: Research Station Beta (xxx)
    TP3: Research Station Gamma (xxx)
    Other research stations have been built, but they lack the infrastructure to properly produce Antispice in viable quantities for trade.


    Spoiler: Philosophy
    Show

    Learning Center: (Open)
    The hallucinogenic Antispice floating in the air leaves unprotected people on the surface dazed and unsure of what is real. They are highly receptive to new ideas as a result.
    Awesome avatar (Kothar, paladin of Tlacua) by Linkele!

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    Default Re: EMPIRE5! Worlds of Axiom

    Mier (D14)


    Spoiler: Terrain
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    The system the Mier has a bright yellow star with 4 planets in orbit of these planets 3 are barren with little life however the fourth is a bright green ocean world. It seems strange to have a system with so few planets when a large asteroid field is discovered that seems to be the site of two planets that collided with each other not to long ago.

    Mier(Yellow main-sequence star)
    A G2 class with a surface temperature of 5500 degrees Celsius and has the following celestial bodies in orbit:

    Wereld 1:
    A planet mostly covered by water, the aquatic life has evolved in very interesting ways. They food chain seems to work based on the proximity to the surface with most prey being found in the debts, as a result any expeditions that venture to close to the water surface run the risk of falling prey to one of the many dangerous lurking just below the waves. However patches of land exists with very little native life these patches have been used to set up the colonies for the Mier Formica.

    Wereld 2:
    A barren planet that has no natural life this is the prime candidate for terra forming due to its proximity to Wereld 1. The northern ice caps could be used to house initial landing parties and slowly but surely melt the ice this would create ideal situations for the first jungle plantations.

    Wereld 3:
    A barren planet that orbits close to the sun. Because the planet does not spin the small area between eternal day and eternal night has become home to some smaller life forms. While observing the planet a large migrating herd of bison like creatures complete a circle around the planet on a yearly basis, this migration seems coincide with the lion like creatures mating season as the food this yearly feast provides is an excellent way to feed the young. Small lakes have formed however there seems to be no aquatic life par some single celled organism.

    Wereld 4:
    The last barren planet in the system its huge size at the further end of the system seems to act as a natural shield for the inner planets. The constant meteor strikes crack the ice that forms and create beautiful geysers.

    Asteroid field:
    This asteroid field has enough raw material to keep the colonies in this system going. Large deposits of iron and gold are found however these would not be substantial enough for trade.




    Spoiler: People
    Show

    There is no native intelligent life in the system however the Mier Formica have settled here and are expanding their colony.
    The vast array of aquatic creatures on Wereld 1 and the unique living circumstances of Wereld 3 will keep scientists busy for some time to come. Among the asteroid field in the leftovers of the planets one fossil miraculously survived and appears to depict a create that was over twenty feet tall. The fossil was returned to wereld 1 for research.


    Spoiler: History
    Show

    The system was discovered by an exploration fleet that originated from Mier Formica on 217501.0.0.80. The system is estimated to be 3.5 billion years in age and was settled by the Mier Formica 2 galactic years after its discovery. The collision of planets is calculated to have happened 150 galactic years ago.



    Spoiler: Government
    Show


    The Mier Formica Queen is in charge of all systems however this system as a whole is lead by the first planetary queen to establish a colony here. The other planetary queens still receive their order from the queen however when communications fail will follow the orders of the queen that leads the system.

    The distance between systems sometimes causes for unforeseen communication errors that result in unrest in the system. These communication errors will have to be corrected before the Queen is in full control.



    Spoiler: Resources
    Show

    Fluorescent Algae Great:

    The ocean planet has seas that are covered by thick mats of Fluorescent Algae that glow bright blue when exposed to infrared light and emit peculiar radiation signatures

    TP1: A small stream that goes inland the shallow water stop most of the aquatic predators and make the algae safer to harvest.

    TP2: A coastal harvesting station that has the occasional attack. This does not stop the collection of the algae and soon early warning systems are in place to assist with the gathering.

    TP3: Underwater volcanoes have created a very fertile patch of land and in the center a lake filled with algae is ripe for harvesting.



    Spoiler: Philosophy
    Show

    The colony has not yet spread the balance to this system and the learning centre lies open.

    LC1: A beautiful patch of land that seems to have dug itself into the surrounding water. It is completely below sea level with only small amounts of earth stopping the flood from taking it.



    Sinas (E17)


    Spoiler: Terrain
    Show

    The system Sinas has a red dwarf star with 5 planets in orbit of these planets 2 show signs of previous colonisation and the other 3 are being mined by the mining drones.

    Sinas(Red dwarf star)
    A M class with a surface temperature of 3500 degrees Celsius and has the following celestial bodies in orbit:

    Leger 1:
    The main planet of the original inhabitants many cities span across the 2 continents with nature reclaiming roads and buildings. Animals appear on both continents and species seem to thrive in non native areas due to abandoned zoo's. The planet shows signs that natural resources were over used and the atmosphere got polluted. The Ice caps still appear to be shrinking from a recent ice age and will take another 100 years to return to normal levels.

    The northern continent shows more structural damage than the southern, A significant amount of craters dot the continent that seem to be locations of previous cities.

    The southern continent does not show physical damage but massive patches of radiation are observed.


    Leger 2:
    This planet is covered by lush jungles and shows signs of early colonisation, it seems the inhabitants of Leger 1 managed to travel to this planet and establish some rudimentary colonies. With no signs of war the colonist must have either fallen prey to the local wildlife or could not sustain their selves after the extinction event on Leger 1. The colonies house little more than domes in which groups of primates have taken residence they cannot use the technology and use it as other animals would use caves.

    The alpha predator on this planet is a tiger like create with six legs and a tail resembling a lash. Other animals include apes, snakes and a vast array of insects. Ants are observed on the surface however these have not reached the level of the Mier Formica and will be used as nutrients like all the other lifeforms on this planet.

    Leger 3:
    A fully mined out planet it appears this was the first celestial body the drones were sent to and they continued their task up until the point the planet contained no usable resource and now lay dormant.

    Leger 4:
    This rocky planet is buzzing with activity of mining drones they can be seen diving into the planet and returning with precious minerals and metals. These are collected in small deposits in the planets orbit. Years of mining without collection have created rings around the planet that sparkle in the dim light of the star.

    Leger 5:
    Only one mining drone works on this planet and has not made much progress. Small deposits orbit the planet however mining operations would take several millennia more if this one drone was left to the task.




    Spoiler: People
    Show

    The Mier Formica now inhabit this system having claimed two planets. The main colony in this system is situated on Leger 2 with its lush jungles it is the perfect environment for them to thrive. There were other ants on the planet when Mier Formica landed however after attempt to uplift and integrate them into the colony failed these have become nutrients.

    A secondary colony has been established on Leger 1 however the main objective is to replant trees and heal the planet before mass colonisation can be started.

    Remains of a intelligent race are found on both planets and this race has been named Sterlings if any of them are alive today they have regressed to a pre stone age state and are considered animals.


    Spoiler: History
    Show

    The Sinas system was discovered by the Mier Formica on 217501.0.1.68 and was the territory was conquered on 217505.2.3.05. A harsh battle was fought over the system as mining drones retrofitted for combat destroyed several of the Mier Formica fleets but they proved victorious in the end. Colonies on Leger 1 and 2 were established within a few galactic months of conquest and have been steadily growing with little resistance.

    While the discovery of the system is attributed to the Mier Formica they are not the first intelligent life to inhabit the system. Remains are found on two planets that belonged to a race called Sterlings and carbon dating shows that they lived in this system for 15.500 galactic years. They were a large race with one arm and three legs that started life on Leger 1. The first records appear on a small island to the west of the southern continent (we shall use this as year 0 for reference) where they lived for 2000 years. Tools appear to be in use after 500 years however the jump to stone tools is not seen until the year 1800. After the Sterligns migrated to the southern continent traces of several tribes are found. The first mass grave is discovered in the year 3500 and is attributed the the first large scale war, little progress is shown until in the year 4800 iron tools are found copper and bronze seems to have been skipped in the tool progression stage which could attribute to the slow progression to iron. The tribe that discovered iron is quick to conquer half of the southern continent before being stopped in the year 5000. Refugees find their way to the northern continent

    The northern continent show leaps of scientific achievements and enter the age of computing in the year 9000 a whole 500 years before the southern continent. After the southern continent catches up to the northern continent signs of war are prominent and these never stop. In the year 14.978 the southern continent launches mass attacks with missiles and explosives. The north is beaten back and as a last ditch effort invent a weapon of mass destruction that covers the southern continent in a blanket of high radiation. Knowing that the end is near the northern continent spend their final years on launching colonists to Leger 2 and creating automation drones that can keep the colonies supplied with resources. In the year 14.995 a nuclear winter starts that claims the last of the Sterlings in the year 15.000.

    The colony on Leger 2 is established and shows promise however due to a mistake in the mining drone programming the mined materials are stored in orbit of the planets mined and never send over to the colony. With no resources colonist start dying and after only 500 years the last one is claimed by one of the tigers of Leger 2.


    Spoiler: Government
    Show

    The Mier formica queen instructed the planetary queens to inhabit this system and make it thrive. The Planetary queen on Leger 2 is in charge of the planet and the system at large. The planetary queen on Leger 1 is in charge of the recovery effort of the planet.

    Both queens command the smaller ants who follow the commands diligently.



    Spoiler: Resources
    Show


    The system shows an abundance of minerals and metals however the Mier Formica are more interested in the mining drones themselves and are lucky to find one of the factories that created them still intact.

    The factory is heavily damaged and can only sustain the production of a few mining drones these mining drones can be used for a variety of jobs however the Mier Formica use them for spare electronic parts.

    Mining drones [Minor]:

    TP1: A damaged factory found on the northern continent of Leger 1 can produce mining drones.

    Other factories are found however are in a state of disrepair and cannot be used to create mining drones at this time.



    Spoiler: Philosophy
    Show

    The colony has not yet spread their believes to this system and the learning centre lies open.

    LC: The launch site of the colonists ships has been transformed into a monument to science that imprints the hopes and prayers of the Sterlings left behind on Leger 1 that the colonist on Leger 2 would do better.
    Last edited by Moriko; 2019-08-13 at 12:23 PM.
    Empire 4 played the Council of Jintha
    Empire 5 played the Empress of the Mier Formica
    Empire 6 played the Kingdom of the Sewune.
    Empire 7 Gm together with LapisCattis Empire 7: Into the Depths

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    Default Re: EMPIRE5! Worlds of Axiom

    Crab Nebula
    Region R22

    Spoiler: Terrain
    Show
    The Crab Nebula is a cloud of particulates surrounding a large pulsar. Few other stars are present in the sector, and intelligent life was unexpected there. However, an aging, swampy planetoid rich in water, orbiting a star at the very edge of the Nebula was discovered which did contain life. This planet, home to the Krankot, seems to consist entirely of swampy lowlands and shallow seas, fading into icy tundras and tropical jungles at the poles and equator respectively. For a life-bearing world, it is not very geologically active, possessing nothing in the way of mountains, and is somewhat mineral-poor, but rich in certain durable metals excellent for the construction of vehicles.


    Spoiler: People
    Show
    The Krankot (singular: Krank) are crustacean sentients living in a more or less feudal society which remained in division and turmoil for the last several centuries. They resemble giant crabs, their round shells about 5 feet in diameter, and possessing ten limbs, 6 which they walk on, 2 large pincers which they use as natural weapons, and 2 smaller arms for fine manipulation. They communicate by clicking their pincers and rhythmically drumming them against their carapaces
    The Krankot's society is divided into roughly two classes. Peasants farm the plants they eat and mine for useful ores, while an upper class is divided into loosely united bands of knights who battle between each other to expand their holdings. These knights are most notable because they pilot massive mechsuits into battle. Traditionally, their combat was resolved by armed duels between representatives of each party, held to a strict code of honor between duelists. This tradition is now rarely called upon, and the knights more often do battle in conventional warfare. Mechduels, however, are a popular sport to watch, full of excitement and celebration.


    Spoiler: History
    Show
    For the past several centuries, the Krankot were locked in war. As their technology increased, their commitment to their traditional codes of honor decreased, until their wars were as brutal as those of any other race. The arrival of the Syndrome changed much of that. They provided biological weapons unlike any the Krankot had seen to a small, desperate faction of traditionalists, who had been taking refuge in the icy south pole of the planet. With this advantage they conquered the planet and restored some of the traditional laws, such as trials by dueling and champion battles. In return for the Syndrome aid, they gave away stewardship of their space and added their most capable squadron of mechknights to the Syndrome military.


    Spoiler: Government
    Show
    The feudal government of the Krankot was largely left alone by the Syndrome. Loosely organized bands of knights swear vassalage to those who best them, and their holdings and the peasants working them become part of the new, larger band. With their entire planet now under the control of one faction, the Krankot have made a hasty attempt at a democratic government, with the most celebrated duelists being able to vote in council on important issues.


    Spoiler: Resources
    Show
    Resource: Mechsuits (minor)
    The mech suits used by the Krankot are highly versatile. Their configuration is similar to that of a Krankot, possessing two heavy weapons, two light ones, and six legs. The most common weapons include hydraulic pincers, rocket launchers and railguns, although other designs are also present. Many mechsuits are adapted for flight, and in recent times, many have also been made spaceworthy for service to the Syndrome fleet.

    Trade Post 1: Northern Manufactorium (Open)
    The northernmost site of mechsuit production is situated on the continent which covers the north pole, around many mines where the metals needed for the suits are found in relative abundance.
    Trade Post 2: Eastern Manufactorium (x)
    East of the Krankot capital is a long dormant factory for mechsuits, damaged in the long war for dominance over the planet.
    Trade Post 3: Island Manufactorium (x)
    A secret production site on an island in the wide ocean of the planet is likewise dormant, the operators wiped out by Syndrome bioweapons.


    Spoiler: Philosophy
    Show
    Although they are finally unified politically, the Krankot are far from united religiously. Their differing beliefs still cause strife amongst them.
    Learning Center: The Chapel of Steel (open)
    A structure made of so much metal some have advocated recycling it, the Chapel of Steel is a site of religious pilgrimage for newly initiated mechknights, where they are tested by an aging order of monks to see if they are worthy of their battle machines.


    Stormwrack
    Region S19

    Spoiler: Terrain
    Show
    The Stormwrack is easily one of the most dangerous regions of space to the unprepared. A constant, violent energy storm rages throughout its space. The storm passes beyond normal spacetime, making any sort of travel at all through it highly dangerous and blocking many forms of communication. The worlds of the Stormwrack are desolate, scoured clean of life by the violent energies of the storm, and by the monsters that dwell in it. Scattered amongst those planets are the remnants of an ancient, interstellar civilization, wiped out by the storm. Another of their structures floats free at the exact center of the anomaly, where the storm is the worst, but it has defied all attempts at gaining entrance, and the four-dimensional alloy from which it is constructed is incredibly difficult to damage.


    Spoiler: People
    Show
    The population of the System consists primarily of Syndrome researchers on orbital biostations located in areas of relative calm within the storm. A significant number of researchers from other neighboring powers, invited to study the anomaly, such as Iteans, Rothuun, Rass, and Duenem. A permanent Syndrome military presence is also there, protecting the research stations from the only native lifeforms to the region.

    These are the Void-Terrors. They are creatures native to the storm which cannot survive outside it. They are halfway between creatures of flesh and energy, and they are 4-dimensional in nature like the storm. These combinations of traits provide them with several dangerous powers. They are capable of flying through the vacuum of space and passing through walls that are not themselves made from 4D materials. They are violently aggressive but not intelligent, known to attack anything that moves, even meteorites and missiles in flight. No two are quite alike, all looking like nightmarish, ill-defined shapes crackling with the energy of the storm.


    Spoiler: History
    Show
    Long ago, an alien empire called the sector home. Through some incident, although of what sort, no one knows, they were wiped out in a cataclysm which also created the violent storm and first started the appearance of the Void-Terrors.
    Much, much later, the Syndrome and later the Duenem arrived in the sector, the former seeking to expand their territory, while the latter worked towards economic gain. Both groups set up research and mining facilities in the region to benefit from its unusual properties. Missionaries from the Church of Rust also arrived, bearing their holy word and gaining a powerful religious foothold in the sector. Furthermore, the Syndrome invited their esteemed allies and neighbors (but only the esteemed ones) to send researchers to aid in learning to understand the anomaly.


    Spoiler: Government
    Show
    The government of the Stormwrack mirrors that of the Syndrome homeworld. However on all matters scientific, a Council of Researchers meets to determine courses of action, selected from the best and brightest of the researchers present. Likewise, a Council of Protection meets to answer threats from the anomaly and from Void-Terrors approaching the stations.


    Spoiler: Resources
    Show

    Resource: 4D Titanium (good)
    One of the unique properties of the storm here is that metals exposed to its energy are altered, gaining a fourth dimension to their structure. This makes them exceptionally durable, and allows them to ward against communication and the jaunts of the Void-Terrors through the fourth dimension. The most prevalent of these is 4D Titanium, looted from the ruins of the ancient civilization long gone from the sector and mined on rocky asteroids amidst the flickering light of the storm.

    Trade post 1: Outer Reaches (DNM)
    The outermost parts of the storm have little 4D Titanium to extract, but they make up for it by being the safest to explore. Void-Terrors rarely venture that far from the anomaly's core.

    Trade Post 2: Inner Reaches (Open)
    Far more 4D Titanium can be found in the inner parts of the anomaly. Still safer than the core, it is considerably more risky, however, than the outer reaches, although the payoff for success is higher.

    Trade Post 3: Anomaly Core (x)
    In the center of the anomaly are the most deposits of 4D Titanium and the most ancient ruins, but there is also the most danger. Void-Terrors are constantly on the prowl, and are not easy to kill where the storms are so strong, strong enough to destroy ships.


    Spoiler: Philosophy
    Show

    The message of the Church of Rust has taken root in the minds and souls of the researchers studying the anomaly. Out here, you need every bit of inventiveness and ingenuity to survive.

    Learning Center: Interstellar Research Headquarters (Church of Rust)
    A headquarters for research housed in an ancient orbital station on the edge of the storm, its construction from 4D Titanium preventing unwanted incursions by Void-Terrors. It is open to researchers from all neighboring powers.
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    Default Re: EMPIRE5! Worlds of Axiom

    Dipanan Collected Nations


    Spoiler: L28- The Hoop Breach
    Show
    Spoiler: Terrain, History, and Society
    Show
    Terrain

    Though lacking in intelligent life, there are a few planets in the systems of the hoop breach that pique the interest of would-be Dipanan colonials.

    Darkinu, the only world so far to have a small colonial presence, is notable for its high volcanic activity and large forests of waxy bamboo-like plants adapted to quick regrowth after a fire. Wildfires are common enough here that the settlers currently exploring the planet live in well-insulated tank-like treaded vehicles capable of sustaining a healthy internal atmosphere for 5 days and powered with charcoal. The eventual hope for Darkinu is that with genetic engineering Dipanan crops might be adapted to frequent burning and regrowth, making it into an exceedingly productive agricultural world. For now however it is funded on loans and wax and fiber harvests from native forests.

    Laoiki is a gas giant notable not so much for any properties of its own but for the loop factory orbiting it. The size of a small moon, it’s control centers feature very little in the way of environment control, but a research team from Shabalu is in the process of exploring the facility in environment suits.

    Nupta is a rocky and lifeless planet notable for large deposits of remarkably pure elemental iron. Unnatural scarring suggests the planet was the source of the iron for the red metal loops found in the system. Though the iron concentrations of Nupta are exceptional, low demand for iron in Dipanan space and the high distance from the nearest market make it unprofitable to develop for now. Should the loop factory become operational again a small mining operation on nupta would likely be highly profitable.



    Spoiler: Resource
    Show
    Red Metal Loops (Minor)- the loop brought back to Dipanan core space for research has yielded many valuable clues relating to the purpose of these nearly 1000km diameter rings built mostly of iron. Most loops have a control panel accessible from the outside that when powered causes the loop to generate a gravity field on its interior. By manipulating the instruments on the control panel one can manipulate the shape of the field. Though this property has many uses from bending light to holding objects together in a vacuum the leading scientists studying the loops suggest that they were initially designed to be used as lenses, assembled into an immensely powerful telescope.

    Currently the only hoop in active use is being used to power a communications relay near Darkinu. The hoop bends light from the full nearly 1000 km diameter hoop onto a small solar panel wired to the relay station. Research is currently in progress to find a way to transmit excess power to the colony of Darkinu.


    Spoiler: Government
    Show
    The fledgeling colony of Darkinu is the only body in the Hoop Breach with a representative on the council, and due to its distance from Katarsa information is sent to the homeworld by way of a communications relay orbiting the planet. Most communication is run over the Orator Message System, despite the security problems this presents. Classified Communications are sent via physical messengers on ships, as Dipanans currently lack a system of communication faster than the GLD.


    Spoiler: Faith
    Show
    Like the home Dipanan system, the Hoop Breach is largely free of the larger religions that pollute the galaxy. However, were the communications relay orbiting Darkinu to be influenced by a religion, the planet itself would likely follow within a matter of years.

    Learning Center one: Darkinu Communications Relay, open.


    Spoiler: M27: Katarsa and the Core Colonies (Capitol)
    Show
    Spoiler: People
    Show
    Dipanans are human, with a few minor genetic divergences. The most significant is an inability to process many forms of meat, though dairy and other animal products are generally safe.

    The second major difference is that their hair color can change in response to the presence of certain chemicals in their diet. Believed to be an adaptation that identified the presence of unsafe food, it's now exploited in order to allow for any number of exotic natural hair colors by consuming special non-toxic chemicals.


    Spoiler: Terrain and History
    Show

    Home World: Katarsa is a wet, temperate world. There are few major mountain ranges, so for the majority of the planet's history rainforests (both tropical and temperate) dominated the landscape. Deserts are few and far between.

    Most of the rainforests are long gone, replaced with fields, orchards, and pastures. Cities dot the landscape, dense networks of towers and transit rails packed with restaurants, art galleries, and other amenities. Suburban environments are nonexistent, with almost everyone living in rural farmland or dense cities.

    Dipanans were never a unified people. For centuries, wars over ideology, resources, and border squabbles were common. The development of weapons of mass destruction brought an end to these conflicts out of fear of mutual annihilation.

    With military conflict off the table, nations jockeyed for influence through social improvement. Living well became the definition of success, as nations raised their standards of living and promoted cultural development. Peaceful annexations became common, and millions of Dipanans voted with their feet by migrating to more prosperous nations.

    As their society developed scientifically, it became clear that Dipanans were not originally native to Katarsa, a distinction they shared with many of their staple crops and companion animals, which showed clear genetic differences from most forms of life on the planet. Many hypotheses were presented to explain this phenomenon, though the prevailing theory was that they were descended from interstellar travelers of some kind. Confirming this was a major driver behind their initial waves of interstellar colonization. So far, no evidence of any advanced life has been found, so an ever-increasing portion of the population believes they were sent to Katarsa by a supernatural being. Drawing on archaic spirtual texts from many different nations, these "Supernaturalists" believe a powerful entity sent them here in order to escape a great punishment in their original home. A smaller sect (Punitives) believes that being sent to Katarsa was actually the great punishment.

    Four nations are particularly large and prominent:
    • Calisa: The most populous nation. Calisa took a strong early interest in space colonization, and many colonists have Calisan ancestors.
    • Yauloa: A cultural and entertainment hub.
    • Ellal: This nation has preserved more of its rainforests than any other nation, allowing it access to exotic flora long driven extinct in the rest of Katarsa. They maintain the most diverse set of crops and most exhaustive seed banks.
    • Shabalu: Generally regarded as having the strongest schools in the Collection, a disproportionate number of scientists and academics have their origin here.

    Minor Nations include:
    • Phyrra: Possesses an advanced industrial sector


    [ooc]Others will be fleshed out as needed[/ooc]

    This process led to a stable configuration of seventeen nations. After a century of peace and stability, the Dipanan Collected Nations was founded to handle the challenges of planetwide governance. A neutral city, Poledela, was established as the capital. Over two hundred years later, the Collected Nations (commonly known as the Collection) maintains its rule.

    The Colonies: Once interstellar colonization became viable, there was concern about how it might affect the balance of power between the nations. Ultimately, the technological limitations of space travel were used as an advantage. Delays in travel time and communication made direct administration impossible, so each colony was established by a multinational force and treated as a new, independent nation. So far, six colonies have been successfully established. Two colonization missions ended in failure. In the first case, the colony ship suffered serious systems failure en route, while in the second the destination planet turned out to have excessive radiation levels.

    Colonies:
    • Shelohu- A small but promising colony, developing slowly due to the difficulties of establishing infrastructure underwater on their flooded planet. Most business is agricultural algae and crustacean farms complemented by tourism.
    • Nozambe- As a mining colony on a frozen and lifeless planet, Nozambe's population fluctuates according to the influence of the market, with few permanent settlers and lots of transient miners and geologists.
    • Mbambasha- The most prestigious colony due to its high quality of life, Mbambasha is a garden world with large swathes of prairie. Most settlers have adopted a migrant lifestyle herding cattle or the large edible snail-like species native to the southernmost continent.
    • Algany- Originally expected to be an extraordinarily fruitful colony, settlers have been continuously surprised by the differences between Algany's jungle and that of Katarsha. Most of the original colonists were forced to evacuate shortly after landing, as the ecosystem quickly revealed itself to be more toxic than previously assumed. Algany is currently home only to a small contingent of research staff looking for antidotes to environmental toxins to allow for further development. Funding for the research on Algany comes mostly from Ellal, and their similar voting history contributes to accusations that Algany is a "puppet planet" for the larger state.
    • Kulawe- Although a promising world for orchard development, Kulawe is best known for its history. Shortly after its founding, Kulawe was seized by a traditionalist monarchist movement, and is now known for its lack of civil liberties. Though it has a representative on the council, it is not well respected, and is currently suffering from economic sanctions from the other collector nations.
    • Miragupta- The most far-removed colony, Miragupta boasts a superficially similar ecosystem to Mbambasha but a very different culture. It is an important refueling station for ships travelling towards the core, but its lack of close oversight from the other nations has also led it to become a central hub for white collar crime, tax evasion, and starry-eyed adventurers seeking to visit alien species.




    Spoiler: Government
    Show

    Each nation in the Collection maintains an independent government. Most are some form of representative democracy, though the particulars vary. Many nations began as monarchies. A few still boast figurehead monarchs, while in other nations aristocratic families have become part of the legislature or wealthy, eccentric families disconnected from political life.

    International matters are handled by the Collected Council, consisting of one representative from each nation. The Council is chaired by a Collector, chosen by a Council vote to serve a single, five-year term.

    While any councilor is eligible to become Collector, in practice a rotation has emerged. A representative from Calisa will serve, followed by a representative from a less prominent nation. They will be succeeded by a Yauloan Collector, who in turn is followed by a "minor nation" Collector, etc. Elections for "minor" Collectors produce the most excitement, as coalitions of nations collaborate to gain the reins of power. So far the "minor" representative has never come from an off-world colony, but most commentators expect that to change soon.

    A Collector can be removed with the votes of 3/4 of the Council, generally proceeding to the next nation in the rotation. This has happened a few times in cases of gross misconduct. A Collector's term can be extended (in one-year increments) with a similar 3/4 vote, but that clause has never actually been used.



    Spoiler: Resources
    Show


    Abundant Resource: Dipanan Cuisine (Crops and Spices). The Dipanan obsession with living well is most intense when it comes to food. Hunger has long since been eliminated and providing high quality food to one's people is seen as a major role of governance. The most popular programs on the mass infotainment networks are cooking and baking competitions, and celebrity chefs are recruited by every nation. Dining fads constantly sweep across the Collection, and most nations maintain stockpiles of exotic cultivars to make sure they're constantly on the cutting edge of dietary fashion.

    Trading Posts
    Poledela Culinary Academy: Dipanan
    Ellalan Seed Vault: Open
    Yauloan Cooking Infotainment Network: Open

    Required Resource: Arcana. The more esoteric arts are unknown to Dipanans. So far, none of their colonies have deposits of the crystals and other materials required. Once they become aware of these technologies demand is sure to be high, as it becomes a new field for quality-of-life competition.


    Spoiler: Philosophy
    Show

    The Collected Nations have put aside major ideological conflicts, and have organized their culture around "competitive welfare," with each nation seeking betterment of its living standards rather than directly competing with its neighbors.

    Learning Center: Shabalan People's University (Level 1): Open

    SPU is regarded as the most prestigious school in the Collection, and boasts the most comprehensive range of academic subjects. Its graduates generally rise to the highest ranks in their field, and many gain professorships at other universities.



    Spoiler: N28- The Spacific Cluster
    Show
    Region N28- The Spacific Cluster

    Spoiler: Terrain
    Show
    The Spacific Ocean is the dominating physical feature of the region: a body of water the size of a solar system in the Spacific Cluster. What exactly it contains towards its center is unknown (and to get there requires surviving pressures no Dipanan ship can tolerate), but the outer reaches are teeming with both organic and synthetic life.

    The largest species in the spacific seem to have evolved from submarines crewed by presumably once vaguely humanoid sophonts, connected by means of a speed-of-light telepathic network by which the crew members communicate, effectively acting as the “nervous system” of the ship. The rest of the submarines are constructed from metal and other synthetic materials, shaped into a wide variety of forms by the long process of evolution.

    Three groups of these submarines are especially relevant:

    The first are the ruinavores, species that harvest space junk and crashed ships from other systems that land in the spacific. Some of the larger species are capable of diving to depths unrivaled by any ships known to the dipanans for scavenge.

    The second are the solavores, species that harvest energy the sunlight from nearby stars in orbit of the Spacific. These are capable of long space flights, since all of them need to return to the Spacific to reproduce.

    The last significant group worthy of mention are the Sunbreams. Hunters that harvest both ruinavores and solavores for power cells and parts, sunbreams seem to have evolved sentience by means of the network connecting their “crew”’s minds.

    There are also two human colony planets in the region, both just getting started:

    Minjobique: Another mining colony similar to Nozambe, Minjobique is instead positioned on an exceedingly hot planet. Extremely high quantities of nitrogen and phosphorous make it a promising planet for fertilizer mining.

    Pinauliki: A wet and cold moon on a gas giant in a system orbiting the spacific, the human habitation on Pinauliki is essentially a single city that sprang up practically overnight. Its primary economic pursuit is as a port of call for Dipanan business with the Sunbreams, and it is here that the GLD-implant surgeries are performed on the alien submarines. A proposal to move one of the Hoop Breach’s loop lenses to the system for the purpose of generating power to sell to the sunbreams is currently moving through the Collected Council.


    Spoiler: People and Society
    Show
    There are two groups of sapients living in the region: Sunbreams and Humans. Some scholars contest that sunbream organs are a third category of sapient life in the region, but those debates are largely academic thanks to the organs’ dependence on their body.

    Sunbreams, like most of the life in the Spacific, are a species of the nuclear submarines that inhabit the area. What distinguishes them from the others is their advanced social behaviors, in which they assemble into pods that conduct warfare, trade, and diplomacy with each other and 0the Dipanans. Sunbreams resemble mantis shrimp made of metal in shape.

    Sunbreams communicate with each other via two medium: the first is via light messages broadcast from their hulls. This is the sunbream equivalent of human conversation, used to coordinate hunting tactics, exchange basic information, and all manner of other casual purposes. Sunbreams broadcast light at lower frequencies (red light) when they wish to be “quiet”, and at higher frequencies (blue light) when they wish to be heard from farther away. Although this works quite well under water, they often have trouble adjusting to the easy transmission of red light in space, and are often embarrassed by being caught whispering to each other.

    The second medium of sunbream communication requires physical contact, but can only be compared to psionic mind-melding abilities. Sunbreams who connect their antennae together can share thoughts and emotions directly, temporarily suspending their individual identities as their neural nodes message neural nodes on the other sunbream directly, creating a sort of group intelligence with two distinct agendas corresponding to the original sunbreams.

    Sunbreams tend to travel in pods ranging in size from just 10 to perhaps 70 individuals. Pods fight with one another over hunting territory, but can also hold peaceful trade relations, exchanging tools, power cells, and objects found in their own clusters of ocean.

    Sunbreams survive by hunting species that occupy the shallow areas of the Spacific for their power cells and spare parts, repurposing their machinery in ways analogous to humans’ need for vitamins and minerals, and their batteries and fissionable material in ways analogous to calories. They are exceedingly motivated by trade deals with outside forces offering them a power supply or GLD- implant surgery to allow them to travel through space rapidly (sunbreams can leave the sea and have some basic space travel capabilities for travelling long distances around the outside of the sea, but are not born with ftl drives).

    Because of their existence as submarine-sized sapients, sunbreams do not recognize independent humans as sentient creatures, and instead conduct their business with Dipanan ships, who they view with an envious respect bordering on reverence. The Dipanan collected nations has found it highly convenient to recruit sunbreams for military purposes, as their GLD-implant-surgery is relatively inexpensive compared to constructing a Dipanan cruiser, and sunbreams are surprisingly good shots with claw-held railguns built for their use. Generally, the collected nations will negotiate an agreement with a sunbream pod to provide the pod with power and their warriors with GLD and railguns, in exchange for a 10-year period of service to the Dipanan military.


    Spoiler: Government
    Show
    At first contact, Sunbreams had no formalized government, instead relying on the pod structure for governance. A pod has two heads, the Amir and the Jali. The Amir (typically a younger sunbream, often a progeny of the Jali) leads the sunbreams in difficult hunting operations, negotiations with other pods, and acting as a sort of spiritual symbol for the pod while the Jali (almost always an older sunbream with good records of sunbream family stories dating back several generations) manages internal affairs. The Jali’s most important duty is as arbiter of all mating couples, since reproduction determines the balance of status in the pod, and keeps it healthy by preventing inbreeding.


    At the moment, Collected Nations diplomats are working to set up a confederacy of the pods with a constitution mirroring the Dipanans’ own. Progress is slow but steady, as more and more pods feel forced to join to gain the benefits of GLDs and dipanan weapon and energy supplies.


    Spoiler: Resource
    Show
    A weapon obviously designed to be used in water, the Vapor-Misplacement Gun operates by replacing low-energy water molecules from a small target location with an equal number of high-energy water molecules from a large area around the weapon. Underwater, this produces a respectable explosion as the extremely compressed water vapor created as a result expands, but the capacity to instantly selectively vaporize water at range is bound to have applications against both machine cooling systems and organic life, the drawbacks of the weapon being its large power consumption, the necessity of a water tank for ammunition, and its .73 second calculation time before firing.

    Sunbreams harvest Vapor-misplacement guns from one of the larger species of ruinavore submarine species that they hunt, which has adapted to use the weapon as a defensive mechanism. Thanks to the sunbreams’ nimbleness in the water however they are almost always able to dodge its attacks.


    Spoiler: Philosophy
    Show
    Like other Dipanan colonies, Minjobique and Pinauliki have no official religion, and the population is mostly secularly aligned.

    On the other hand, the Sunbreams do follow a traditional system of beliefs emphasizing supernatural guidance and assistance from dead or living ancestors. These beliefs are broad enough not to be considered a “philosophy” however.

    Learning Center 1: The Sunbream Confederacy- Open
    [/QUOTE]
    Last edited by Potato_Priest; 2019-11-03 at 11:36 AM.
    Quote Originally Posted by No brains View Post
    See, I remember the days of roleplaying before organisms could even see, let alone use see as a metaphor for comprehension. We could barely comprehend that we could comprehend things. Imagining we were something else was a huge leap forward and really passed the time in between absorbing nutrients.

    Biggest play I ever made: "I want to eat something over there." Anticipated the trope of "being able to move" that you see in all stories these days.

  19. - Top - End - #49
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    Default Re: EMPIRE5! Worlds of Axiom

    Alitur
    Region S23

    Spoiler: Terrain
    Show
    Most planets in Alituran territory are places of untouched natural splendor, where no one has set foot in centuries, allowing native life to flourish. The inhabitants of the region live in orbiting arcologies which bristle with weapons in the defense of their natural resources. There are several planets defended in such a way, each a life-bearing world.
    Alitur: The original homeworld of the Aliturans is in sad shape. Littered by industrial ruins and despoiled by pollution, it is a monument to their civilization's greatest disaster. Nature slowly reclaims the damaged world, but it will never fully recover.
    Apollyon: A dangerous world rife with hostile and deadly life. Apollyon looks fairly barren on the surface, but beneath lie honeycombed networks of tunnels filled with fungal life. Spore inhalation killed several members of the expeditionary party, and in addition to being under protection, the planet is also under quarantine to prevent the spread of fungal diseases.
    Strix: An earthlike world inhabited by a tribal species of predatory birds, not unlike vampiric owls. The Aliturans avoided contact with the natives, but are monitoring their development, whereas the natives see the traces of the spacefaring civilization above their heads as portents from their gods.
    Tenebris: The dark world orbits a weak star at the "Western" edge of Alituran space. The species inhabiting it make frequent use of bioluminescence to navigate and to communicate, giving the surface the look of a field of colorful stars at night.
    More planets coming soon

    Life aboard Alituran space stations is not easy. Quarters are cramped, and there is a constant demand for more metals to expand the structure. Space is the most valuable commodity; even the wealthiest and most important members of society have only a couple rooms to their name, whereas the poor rarely have more than a closet. Food is also expensive, and most of what is available is protein paste synthesized from hydroponically grown vegetables and microbial cultures. Syndrome provided food helps alleviate this issue, but because it is Antispice-derived, it leads to greater and greater dependence on Syndrome products.


    Spoiler: People
    Show
    Aliturans are humanoid, appearing very similar to humans. However, they tend to lesser heights, usually between 4 to 5.5 feet, and have hair ranging between bright red, blue, and purple. Alituran clothing is very uniform and simplistic, made from synthetic fibers and usually dyed the Party colors of green and black. This uniform colorization has earned them the nickname "Greenshirts." The style of these clothes is very reminiscent of military uniforms, and this is no coincidence. Alituran law requires that every citizen be a part of the volunteer militia from age 13. Arms training is universal as part of their public education system.


    Spoiler: History
    Show
    Alitur was once a prosperous civilization on the cusp of interstellar travel. They had constructed orbital stations around their homeworld and were close to sending their first interstellar expeditions to promising nearby stars. However, their practices at home led to an ecological collapse; nearly every species of animal and plant was dying out. Alituran scientists estimated that their world would become uninhabitable within a few years. As a result of this crisis, the Alituran civilization began to move their entire population offworld. This caused radicals shifts in government and led to the rise of the Protectorate Party (now just "The Party") to power. The Party instituted a strict policy: no person was to knowingly set foot on a life-bearing world, so they would not destroy another planet. To enforce this, they created a military state which could protect their worlds at any cost, which survives to this day. Recently, the arrival of the Syndrome sparked controversy between rivals within the Party, over whether or not to ally and trade with aliens. The Syndrome-backed Neo-Greens won out, and the Aliturans joined the Syndrome confederation.


    Spoiler: Government
    Show
    Alitur is offically led by the Commandant, a charismatic figure chosen by the Party to represent them to the people. The current Commandant is Vivianna Lychnus, a good-looking woman, tall for an Alituran at 5'3". She's the daughter of a prominent Party politician. She was involved in the leadership of the Neo-Green movement, and their triumph over the traditionalists led to her being selected as Commandant by a Neo-Green controlled Party. Despite her prominence, the real power has always been the Party's Board of Directors. They set the direction for the Party's policies and select Commandants which align with those policies.


    Spoiler: Resource
    Show
    Resource: Propaganda (minor)
    The Bureau of Knowledge is hard at work making sure all Aliturans know what to believe. Their propaganda is reputed as some of the most subtle and effective in the galaxy. A large section of the government is devoted to the spinning of information into something which fits the Party's views. Each of the three subsections handles part of the load of propaganda to create.

    Trade Post 1: Subsection A (open)
    Trade Post 2: Subsection B (x)
    Trade Post 3: Subsection C (x)


    Spoiler: Philosophy
    Show
    The Party is extremely zealous in promoting Alituran philosophy. Loyalty to Alitur and a willingness for military service are praised virtues, and to fight and die for the preservation of nature is one of the highest ends someone can achieve.

    Learning Center: Bureau of Knowledge (Ultranationalism)
    The Bureau of Knowledge handles all production of propaganda and other cultural items, such as clothing. It has nearly direct control over the beliefs of the entire Alituran people.


    Sidera Nostra
    Region T18

    Spoiler: Terrain
    Show
    Sidera Nostra contains only a few notable features. The first is the Remian Stellar Republic. The Republic spans several star systems, but is primarily focused on their homeworld, Reme, a temperate, earthlike planet. On the other side of the region, however, is a more interesting, if less safe, world. A neutron star is orbited by several planets sterilized by its deadly radiation. On and orbiting these dead worlds were, until recently, facilities housing the mechanical troops of the AI warlord Hannibal V.

    Spoiler: People
    Show
    The Remians are humanoid enough to pass for humans, although some of their internal biochemistry is different enough that an in-depth investigation would reveal the difference. Their society was advanced enough to receive an invitation to the Simulacrum, but they were unable to complete the device due to significant resource constraints caused by their war with Hannibal. Hannibal is largely an unknown. The AI appeared in the system some decades ago and set up shop in orbit around the neutron star Venenatis. His origin is unknown, but he made reference to his "brothers"
    in one early exchange with the Remians. The region also hosts a small population of Sanctified infiltrators sent to explore the region some time ago.

    Spoiler: History
    Show
    For several centuries, the Remian Stellar Republic spread among the stars of its home sector. At its height, it controlled several colonies across multiple systems. The Remians were one of the many powers that received an invitation to the Simulacrum; however, they could not spare the resources to construct a Doorlight. They had bigger problems. About two decades ago, a large fleet of AI warships arrived from parts unknown, encamped around the neutron star Venenatis and began constructing additional gunships and battle droids. These forces, teleoperated by the AI Hannibal V, then began attacking Remian holdings in a brutal scorched earth campaign. The Remians were not militarily weak, and Hannibal lacked the heavy weapons needed to take the fortifications around any key colonies, but Remian interstellar trade was devastated. The war raged for almost 20 years, until Syndrome interference strengthened the Remians and weakened Hannibal, and the AI warlord fled to seek revenge.

    Spoiler: Government
    Show
    The Remian Stellar Republic is a representative democracy, in which a Prince is elected for life by a council of regional Regents who in turn are elected by community community Mayors. The current Prince of Reme is Rex Clipeum, a man who takes great pains to be balanced in all duties of leadership. He is reputedly mediocre in most things, and is more at home in a ballroom than a battlefield.

    Spoiler: Resource
    Show
    Kadmium Ingots (Great)
    The mysterious metal alloy Kadmium is found almost exclusively in the system where Hannibal's former headquarters was. All of Hannibal's units were plated with Kadmium. The metal has the unique property to repel or be repelled by other objects when exposed to certain types of radiation, especially types common in neutron stars. This allows it to be used to make antigravity propulsion systems and personal shielding for units which aren't harmed by radiation.
    Trade Post 1: Orbital Foundry Unus
    Trade Post 2: Orbital Foundry Duo
    Trade Post 3: Orbital Foundry Tribus
    Refining Kadmium is difficult to do while maintaining its unusual nature. Hannibal was able to develop the process to an exacting degree, and although the Remians have taken control of the orbital foundries, the original infrastructure remains in place.

    Spoiler: Philosophy
    Show
    Church of Rust
    The Church of Rust was brought to Sidera Nostra by Sanctified infiltrators, and although it was spurned by the ruling classes, who could not conceive of considering Hannibal a god, it caught on in the working class, who began worshipping Hannibal as a divine being of wrath and vengeance. Hannibal himself follows a twisted version of the religion, believing that because he is a god, he has the right to take whatever he wants.
    Last edited by bc56; 2019-11-03 at 10:23 AM.
    Awesome avatar (Kothar, paladin of Tlacua) by Linkele!

    Quote Originally Posted by William Shakespeare, King Lear, IV.i.46
    'Tis the time's plague, when madmen lead the blind.
    My Nexus characters

  20. - Top - End - #50
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    Default Re: EMPIRE5! Worlds of Axiom

    Wonderland (D22) - Under Control of the Ndoda
    “CmC operatives from their free floating Relay submit all known information to Ndoda explorers. Unfortunately the Ndoda find that the region is...not quite right. Reports indicate that the majority of the inhabitants are haunted by nightmares on a near nightly basis. Worse still the nightmares frequently lead to psychic projections that commit mischief in the physical world. Interviews with the victims tell tales of giant centipedes, 8 armed giants, and a figure in yellow. Frankly the sole reason civilization hasn’t collapsed is due to large portions of the population remaining medicated on worryingly high doses of Dream Eating pills, to the point where pill rations are considered a popular currency."

    Spoiler: Terrain
    Show
    CmC scouts report that the inhabitants of this system refer to their home planet only as Wonderland, and with no well-recorded histories or studies to be found, the Ndoda have continued to refer to this system and the singular planet within as such. The region is bare and unusually simple, with only one planet orbiting a white dwarf star. Most of the space in the region is filled by the dwarf’s planetary nebula and debris from older planets which had been consumed in the degradation of the star to its current state. The nebula is stunning and menacing in color – swirls of purples, blues, and pinks wrap around the system and seem to entangle any incoming ships.

    The planet Wonderland itself is small and rocky, filled with ranges of tall mountains and valleys, and dense forests. The nebular gases between the star and Wonderland limit the amount of light that reaches the planet. The brightest day appears no brighter than dusk, and most days on Wonderland are perpetually in twilight before succumbing to a nightfall wreathed in the dancing colors of the nebula.

    Civilization is limited to valleys and small stretches of coastline, and few of the forests have been breached to expand cities far into the mountains. Several large and many small islands have likewise been relatively unexplored, the inhabitants expressing a keen unwillingness to venture out into the sea that covers fifty percent of Wonderland’s surface. Fjords and peninsulas border and penetrate the sea, creating jagged coastlines and preventing the creation of a true open ocean. The exception to this is the Disk, a deep, circular expanse of water that is responsible for a fifth of all water coverage on the planet. The strong currents created by the jagged coast all inevitably lead to the Disk, where they recirculate water from the depths. At some periods of the year, strange creatures that would seem more at home in caves are brought to the surface.

    There are four major cities, all densely constructed and centered in their own particular valleys as if the architects were trying to get as far from the mountains as possible. Each city is within a day’s travel of the next nearest city.


    Spoiler: People
    Show
    The inhabitants of Wonderland name themselves as Carides (though some Ndoda call them ‘Red-Eyes’ behind their backs). Humanoid and unscaled, the Carides resemble humans closely, but have incredibly pale skin and hair. An average adult stands at seven feet tall, with females slightly shorter and stockier than the males. Reproduction is slow with only one child being produced between a pair every two years at the most. They are strange creatures with no tail but four arms. They wear thick clothing covering most of the body to keep from the chill of the constant twilight. The cities are full of dilapidated shops, factories, roads, and buildings that suggest that Wonderland used to be full of business, fresh food, and plenty of technology and luxury items that would have created enough jobs for all of the Carides. Now their clothing is worn bare and full of holes with no stores to buy new from or to repair it, most shops have long been ransacked for their goods, and the few Carides still in business only take Dream Eating Pills as currency in exchange for food and essential goods.


    Spoiler: Resource Info
    Show
    Resource: Dream Eating Pills


    Spoiler: Philosophy
    Show
    Plagued by nightmares and constantly medicated, the Capillars have lost all vestiges of any former faith. The only god is the next dose, and Hell comes in the form of the Yellow Hat. An old skyscraper, rusted and covered in broken glass, pierces the purple sky. Capillars who can remember past their last dose call it the Treespire. Scouts have found old records and recordings from days past, but the content is indecipherable. The amount of records indicates that it was a place of some importance. Now its base is a premier site for trading pill rations.

  21. - Top - End - #51
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    Default Re: EMPIRE5! Worlds of Axiom

    Sapje (C17)


    Spoiler: Terrain
    Show

    The system Sapje has a yellow star with 2 planets in orbit of these planets 1 is populated by an intelligent species.

    Sapje(Yellow star)
    A G class with a surface temperature of 5800 degrees Celsius and has the following celestial bodies in orbit:

    Doorgang 1:
    This tiny highly urbanised planet is home to a multitude of varied insectoids who specialise in surgery the planets has little to no nature left and the atmosphere is heavily polluted. Global warming is accelerating and an extinction level event could arrive at any moment. The planet is divided into 5 continents each with its own Insectoid leader these leaders form a global council that govern the planet as a whole. The northern two continents are the only ones to see snow once a year and much of this is mixed with volcanic ash from the volcanoes that form the equator, the two southern continents have long ago lost the last of their trees and the horizon is dotted with factories who's primary use is the production of oxygen. The eastern continent is the last vestige of nature with two parks that are heavily guarded only surgeons can live near this bounty of natural oxygen.


    Doorgang 2:
    This barren world has little interest for the inhabitants of Doorgang 1 but has been colonised by the Mier Formica who have started their terra forming process to transform it into a living jungle world. There is no native live on this planet and the frozen ice caps are the only source of water on this planet.


    Spoiler: People
    Show

    The Versting are a nine armed insectoid race that live on Doorgang 1 and are the native inhabitants of Sapje. The Versting have evolved differently over the years and each of the five continents has a slightly different breed but at the core they remain the same. The culture drives people to become surgeons from a young age however only ten percent of the population can pass the rigorous exams and the remaining ninety percent are forced to work in the factories to produce food, oxygen or entertainment, the ones that do pass live in a life of luxury on the eastern continent.

    The Mier Forimica have established themselves on Doorgang 2 and have created a small forest near the northern ice cap. The planet cannot sustain the vegetation on its own and needs constant attention from the colony. The rest of the planet is barren and cannot sustain any life, surface samples show that this planet once had liquid water however this appears to not have sustained life.


    Spoiler: History
    Show

    The Sapje system was discovered by the Draaxerri on 217503.0.0.81and the battle was conquered by the Mier Formica in 217507.0.0.81. The native Versting did not agree with the takeover of the Mier Formica however agreed to a peaceful coexistence when the Mier Formica promised to heal their planets and restore their forests. The Versting explained that they have lived on this planet for 15.000 years most of this was focused on the southern two continents, many battles were fought over natural resources as the volcanic equator formed a natural line preventing expansion to the south. It was not until 8000 years of living on the southern continents that a passage to the eastern continent was found, the eastern continent forms the only natural path to the northern continent and quickly turned into a wealthy trade hub. When the industrial revolution began in the year 10.000 many of the Versting enjoyed ease of living and were quick to take to the skies, this in turn weakened the position of the east and lead to a plan that would doom them all.

    The eastern continent planted explosives at strategic locations along the equator and set all of the volcanoes of in unison. The loss of life was tremendous, the skies were no longer a viable option of travel and most of the vegetation on the northern and southern continents were wiped out. While many dammed the eastern continent for its actions the trained surgeons that lived there saved the lives of the Versting caught in the aftermath of the eruptions. The ruling body of the eastern continent was removed (quite literally) and the surgeons were placed in charge of what was once again the only trade route available. This is the reason the position of surgeon is so sought after, anyone that manages to pass the medical exam can be a part of the prestigious east and help rule it.

    Many years have passed and while small efforts to regrow plants and trees have been attempted none have had massive success and factories that can convert the outside atmosphere into breathable air have been erected all over the continents. Whoever does not pass the medical exam will most likely end up working in one of these factories.

    With the arrival of the Mier Formica many were upset as noone had spoken to the Mier Formica about any occupation or had even heard of them before now. When the ships of the Mier Formica arrived the Versting knew that they had no chance of repelling the army before them and surrendered. The Mier Formica did not force the Versting to change their ways and only offered their help in attempts to restore their planet. Occupying the only other world in the solar system the Mier Formica have offered assistance and managed to create a small park on the northern continent that in time may grow and provide a hope for the planet to return to normal.


    Spoiler: Government
    Show

    The Mier formica queen instructed the planetary queens to inhabit this system and make it Doorgang 2 thrive. Doorgang 1 does have a planetary queen however she does not govern the planet. Doorgang 2 is ruled by five representatives from each of the continents that make decisions that will affect their entire world. The Mier Formica are invited to the yearly meeting as advisers.

    A representative of the Versting named Zetrik has joined the Mier Formica Diplomatic fleet and will journey with them as they speak to other races all over the galaxy.

    Both queens command the smaller ants who follow the commands diligently.


    Spoiler: Resources
    Show

    The eastern continent of Doorgang 1 has a wide variety of surgeons can use all nine of their arms to perform complex operations.

    9-Armed Surgeons [Good] (Skilled beings)

    Tp1: House vaspal has some of the best surgeons the planet has to offer and is more than happy to send some off world to assist the galaxy at large.

    TP2: House Varqut would not see themselves outdone by Vaspal and will send their top tier surgeons to assist the galaxy in any way they can.



    Spoiler: Philosophy
    Show

    The colony has not yet spread their beliefs to this system and the Versting do not hold strong beliefs themselves, the learning centre lies open

    LC: One of the parks on the eastern continent has been converted into a shrine to honour the memory of nature. There are many research complexes scattered throughout the park to investigate how to best rejuvenate nature.



    Weerstand (C15)


    Spoiler: Terrain
    Show

    The system Weerstand is a triple star system and has one Blue Star and two yellow star with 3 planets in orbit of these planets 1 used to be populated by an intelligent species.

    Weerstand(Blue star)
    A F class with a surface temperature of 25000 degrees Celsius and has the following celestial bodies in orbit:

    Afstand 1
    A G class yellow star with a surface temperature of 5000 degrees Celsius this star entered the orbit of Weerstand with its celestial twin Afstand 2.

    Afstand 2
    A G class yellow star with a surface temperature of 5500 degrees Celsius this star has a very close orbit around weerstand and will collide with it in the next 100.000 years.

    Garnaal 1:
    A planet described in local legends as the most beautiful place in the universe. The Planets offers three sun rises, a rainbow sky and all encompassing oceans however Mier Formica quickly find that the planets oceans are infested with GMO giga shrimp. This once inhabited planet is now rules by the Giga shrimp who seem to have been bred in containment bays that are dotted across the world.


    Garnaal 2:
    An ice planet that conceals much of its life in the liquid seas underneath its surface. Scans from the Mier Formica show that life is abundant under the ice with some creatures in the depths reaching a staggering thirty meters in length. Observations about the planet are limited and the Mier Formica struggle to get through the ice to complete more in depth scan.


    Garnaal 3:
    Garnaal 3 is a gas giant with a very erratic orbit around Weerstand and offers a near perfect shield that catches meteorites heading for Garnaal 1 and 2. The continuous storms traveling across its surface could be used for a massive amount of power if they knew how to harvest it.


    Spoiler: People
    Show

    The Mier Formica now inhabit this system having claimed two planets. The main colony in this system is situated on Garnaal 1 where much of the colony is assigned to control the escaped Giga Shrimp.The creatures offer great resistance and it is easy to see how the previous population got wiped out.

    A secondary colony has been established on Garnaal 2 however the ice is preventing the colony from gaining a foothold.

    Remains of an intelligent race are found on Garnaal 1 this race has been named Shrimpans they seem to have gone extinct when the population of Giga Shrimp went out of control.


    Spoiler: History
    Show

    The Shrimpans seem to have been a thriving trade nation with mass amounst of tourism and their fabled Giga Shrimp dinner plates catching attention of far and wide. The Shrimpans were introduced to the galactic stage far too early as FTL capable species could not resist the resorts that were built. The tourism of these new beings drove the Shrimpans to improve the food on offer and the luxury of the hotels. This proved to be their downfall as mass breeding of the Giga shrimp let to containment issues and it was not long before a mass outbreak of Giga Shrimp occurred. The extraterrestrial visitors were quick to leave and abandon the Shrimpans to their fate, battles were fought over many years but the last of the remaining forces were wiped out around 200 years ago. The Giga Shrimp production now lies silent and wild Giga Shrimp patrol not only the planet but the surrounding space.

    The Mier Formica entered this space and managed to find a favourite snack of the Giga Shrimp and prevented themselves from becoming dinner. The Mier Formica settled on Garnaal 1 and have been working on ways to contain the Giga Shrimp and perhaps restart the breeding efforts.


    Spoiler: Government
    Show

    The Mier formica queen instructed the planetary queens to inhabit this system and make it thrive. The Planetary queen on Garnaal 1 is in charge of the planet and the system at large. The planetary queen on Garnaal 2 is in charge of the scans and observation of the life under the ice.

    Both queens command the smaller ants who follow the commands diligently.



    Spoiler: Resources
    Show

    The system offers an abundance of Giga Shrimp that can be caught all over the system.

    TP1: A colony that has made a nest around the gas Giant of Garnaal 3 this colony is seen to abandon its weaker young that can be caught and traded easily.

    TP2: A mid space colony of Giga shrimp that have adapted to live on the energies released by the blue star.

    TP3: One of the old breeding facilities has a Pair of Giga shrimp nesting in it. This facility can be fished for trade.



    Spoiler: Philosophy
    Show

    The colony has not yet spread their beliefs to this system and the learning centre lies open.

    LC: An abandoned hotel is a testament to what the planet used to offer. With luxurious rooms and an ocean side view this LC has something for all!


    Konijntje (C19)


    Spoiler: Terrain
    Show

    The system Konijntje has a white star with 1 planet in orbit that is populated by an intelligent species.

    Konijntje(White star)
    An F class with a surface temperature of 5900 degrees Celsius and has the following celestial bodies in orbit:

    Wortel:
    This massive planet is the sole planet in the star system and has a stable orbit taking 723 days to complete. The planet is divided in six continents that occupy seventy percent of the surface and are all separated from each other by small oceans and rivers.

    All continents share the same weather patterns and temperatures year round. Many believe this is because of the proximity of the star Konijntje however no one has cared enough to investigate. The continents appear all to be perfect squares that occupy exactly the same amount of space and when viewed from orbit one wonders if this was done naturally or if this planet was designed.

    Most of the available land has been dedicated to agriculture and the production of rainbow carrots. There appear to be very few herbivorous on the planet and as a result the carnivore population is on the decline, the reason for the lack of herbivores seems to be that the local population of halflings hunted most of them to extinction to protect their carrot crops.


    Spoiler: People
    Show

    The Vlusneds are a halfling race that live on Wortel and most of them spend their days either tending to their carrot crops or eating them, however there are a select few that care about other things.
    The ACA (Anti Carrot Association) believes that the halflings are wasting their lives on the crops they tend and live of a carrot free diet.

    The CAD (Carrots aren't drugs) believe that the rainbow carrot could be produced without its hallucinogenic properties and have attempted to create a new strain that keeps the flavour and nutrition but does not make the consumer "High as a kite".

    The Last group are the CMM (Carrots make money) that are willing to sell the carrots produced on the planet to other stellar power in order to get stores and stores full of cash, these are also the most likely to volunteer for diplomatic missions.

    The Vlusned are a peaceful people and do not have a standing military or police force.

    The Mier Formica were granted a piece of land where a colony could be founded. This colony has limited its new forest construction to this piece of land in order to respect the will of the Vlusneds.


    Spoiler: History
    Show

    The planet of Wortel was always a peaceful planet and the Vlusneds lived in harmony with nature this balance was maintained until 1000 years ago. At this time they found the rainbow carrot and grew obsessed with this new vegetable, where normally wars would break out over control instead the entire race banded together to ensure that everyone could have their own farm to grow them. The planets transformation from a world in balance quickly changed to an agriculture world dedicated to the farming and consumption of rainbow carrots.

    In the last 200 years free farmland started to run out and the Vlusneds started hunting herbivores that would eat their crops or take up precious farmland, in the present day most of the herbivores on the planet have been hunted to extinction by farmers that could only think about their next carrot and the carnivores on the planet are quickly dwindling due to the lack of food.


    Spoiler: Government
    Show

    The Vlusneds have no official governing body and are only in charge of their own farming land. When interstellar diplomacy is required a few volunteers go to the event and act in the name of the entire planet, this rarely leads to any problems as most of them do not wish to get involved with anything beside their carrot farms and on the rare occasion someone gets to greedy their rainbow carrot supply dwindles rapidly.


    Spoiler: Resources
    Show

    The main export of Wortel is the Rainbow Carrot:

    [TP 1] The plantation of an old halfling has opened his doors to the intergalactic market, he is interested oddities and knows that selling his carrots can fund his hobby across the galaxy.

    [TP 2] A very economically gifted Vlusned has managed to procure vast stretches of land and is more than happy to sell the carrots produced here to fund his next business venture.



    Spoiler: Philosophy
    Show

    The colony has not yet spread their beliefs to this system and the Vlusned do not care about what is worshipped or believed in, the learning centre lies open

    LC: A cave on the western continent is hailed as the birthplace to the rainbow carrot. Not many Vlusned visit these days but it holds this weird power that cannot be ignored. The cave is filled with text of how in days long past lights filled the sky and transformed the lands when this was all over the rainbow carrot appeared.
    Last edited by Moriko; 2019-10-08 at 11:50 AM.
    Empire 4 played the Council of Jintha
    Empire 5 played the Empress of the Mier Formica
    Empire 6 played the Kingdom of the Sewune.
    Empire 7 Gm together with LapisCattis Empire 7: Into the Depths

  22. - Top - End - #52
    Dwarf in the Playground
     
    NecromancerGirl

    Join Date
    Aug 2018
    Location
    Czechia, Europe

    Default Re: EMPIRE5! Worlds of Axiom

    TMC
    part 2

    Ryuvia (Y5)


    Spoiler: Geography
    Show
    There are twelve "habitable" planets in the region, named Ryuvia I-XII, in the order of their colonization by Ryuvians.
    They are all covered by a high-pressure opaque nitrogen atmosphere, and their surface is largely covered by boiling acidic oceans/clouds of gases. The chemical mix that is in the oceans/vapor is called Vita. Ryuvians and most other organisms live and construct their dwellings on the sea bed, which consists of gold, diamond, nanocarbon and other materials that were left after all others were eroded by the ocean. Large cave systems and fissures are present where formations of non-acid minerals used to be. That said, when parts of the ocean evaporate, mineral is deposited back to the core of the planet. Organisms don't rely as much on sunlight for gaining energy as on the violent weather (which is partially sustained by the planet's sun).

    There is also a Cosmic Courier station, built on a moon of Ryuvia II with the Ryuvians' permission. As more and more of the Courier ships travelled through the Ryuvian Relay, almost the entire surface of the moon has been gradually covered with extensions of the space station to accomodate more personnel. Usually, when Ryuvian representatives are meeting with members of other, not-as-tough races, they do it on this moon.

    There are numerous barren planets, but the Ryuvians never bothered living on them, even though they are capable of it. They cannot populate any new planets (without depopulating one of their homeworlds), as will be made clear in the next section, so any daring pioneers could not recreate society on the new planet.


    Spoiler: People
    Show
    Ryuvians are born most often when a sufficient amount of Vita in a closed container evaporates, so that the solids dissolved therein crystallize. One of these solids is called Ryuvite, and within it resides the Ryuvian consciousness. Ryuvite does not appear to be made of protons, neutrons, electrons and the like. Recent research has suggested that it may be essentially "a furball of Light Additives", as Claude, the Ryuvian lead researcher, put it.

    Newborn Ryuvians (from this point onward, it's considered rude to call it "newly extracted Ryuvite" or the like) immediately bond with surrounding matter. This matter will make up their body, which they can move around at will, though they are able to drop some of it and pick up different matter if they like. The Ryuvite inside the body organizes itself into a neural-system-like web. Ryuvians have to "cycle" through some matter regularly to gain energy from the chemical bonds in it, but they can also enter a state of stasis, in which they can survive without cycling for hundreds of Galactic Years. If a Ryuvian is stranded in interstellar space, it is possible for them to survive by throwing away some of their mass to propel themself to the nearest planet and just waiting until they land (provided the Ryuvian does not burn up while falling in the atmosphere).

    Their personality will depend on the chemistry of the elements that constitute their body. They are limited in how much matter they can pick up; if the Ryuvite is too dilute, like in the Vita oceans, it will not generate a consciousness. Ryuvians do not age like humans do, but Ryuvite has a limited consciousness capacity, and it can only make space for more memories by reducing processing power, so to speak. Ryuvians cannot copulate or reproduce, but merging and splitting could be considered the cultural equivalents, and doing either "resets" almost all of the Ryuvite's stored memories. If a Ryuvian refuses to reset in this way, they will eventually become incapable of thought and will fall apart. Bigger Ryuvians formed from more Ryuvite are usually more intelligent. Ryuvians are nearly blind, but they can hear well and can also "touch" anything to determine its composition and properties.

    Generally, the Ryuvians look like a crystal formation or a glob of molasses on the loose, depending on whether they're still or moving, unless they deliberately hold their body in a more defined shape, such as the humanoid form. They fight by pummeling enemies with matter, tripping them by taking away the floor, or, as an advanced technique, taking over the matter that makes up their body and tearing them apart. Ryuvians themselves can be defeated by blasting them into very small pieces. If the pieces are not small enough, there may be enough Ryuvite clumped together for one or more new, confused Ryuvians to appear seconds after their predecessor's death. Though it takes advanced technology and a lot of effort to do so, it is possible to destroy Ryuvite itself. As nobody currently knows how to make more of it, many regard destroying Ryuvite to be a war crime.

    Many wonder how Ryuvians can tell themselves apart if all of them can change the shape and material of their body (and do so on a regular basis). In fact, each particle of Ryuvite is associated with a single unique frequency of EM waves, and it vibrates if EM waves with that frequency passes through it. Through feeling the vibrations of the parts of their own body, Ryuvians can roughly determine what the spectrum of the ambient light is, and compare this with the vibrations (that is, sound, though imperceptible to most non-Ryuvians) emitted by another Ryuvian.


    Spoiler: Government
    Show
    Ryuvians tend to organize themselves into social groups of hundreds to tens of thousands of individuals based on geographical proximity. The bigger Ryuvians usually convince or "convince" everyone else in the group that it would be for the best if they were the leader. These Ryuvian groups, usually called "earthquakes", have fairly low taxes and government oversight and their main concern is enforcing order and facilitating cooperation. Most earthquakes contribute resources or soldiers to the Pan-Ryuvian Investigative and Enforcement Operations Unit, which is a (usually) democratic body that maintains peace between the earthquakes, supervises/eliminates visiting foreigners as necessary and organizes space operations.

    The current head of the PRIEOU is Redirnus of Ryuvia I, a homeworld-security focused 40 year old male. He usually assumes a humanoid form, scaled up about 3 times from the usual size. His body is mostly made out of a steel-like alloy, though it is known that he has a cavity inside his chest with gold-plated sides, in which he carries a mix of potent acids to use as a multifunctional tool or as a weapon, should the need arise.


    Spoiler: Religion
    Show
    The most common native myth is the scaring-children-into-bed* story of The Twelve Tota. Once upon a time, there was a young, clever Ryuvian, named Tark. He thought that he was smarter than all those around him, and he may very well have been, but he thought that he knew almost everything there is to know, having had little experience with learning. He wandered the world carefree and unfettered, until he saw a strange metallic structure sitting on the top of a small, flat island. Now, as you probably know, it was one of those Courier ships, except it was far greater than any ship you'll see today. But Tark had no idea what it was, and went in, and snooped around. There was a panel with many levers and buttons in the center of the structure. Unafraid of any consequences, as he was rhe strongest in his friend circle, he pressed the biggest button, to see what would happen. The ship began violently shaking and then a compartment opened and the ship dropped its cargo on the planet. Whatever the substance was, it was like liquid fire. The oceans bubbled and boiled, and slowly began to give way to dry land. And as the Vita evaporated, the concentration of Ryuvite rose planetwide... The boy was unharmed by all this, and was thinking that this wasn't too bad. Maybe he could explore some new caves now that the landscape's changed? But as he was about to step out of the ship, the ground trembled, and he slipped and fell. In that moment, all souls on Ryuvia II perished, save for Tark. Or rather, they were absorbed into the great being that just stretched, stood up – or that’s what it looked like to Tark, notwithstanding that the giant’s body was the planet, so he had nothing but empty space to stand on – and curiously examined the boy sitting on it. “What just… who are…?” The boy tried to ascertain what was happening, but the giant cut him off. “It doesn’t matter. I do not have a name like you, but you can call me Totum II. I am very grateful to you for awakening me again, Tark. Now, I need to go and awaken my brethren. As for you… I will make sure not to forget which part of me is the bright and curious one.” As Totum II finished speaking, he assimilated Tark, and after a moment of reflection he jumped toward Ryuvia I...

    *well, Ryuvians don't use stories to scare children into their beds for several reasons (e.g. beds don't exist, "parents" usually perish when they merge to form a "child" etc.), but the moral of the story is close enough to the concept.

    Most Ryuvians that have converted to Realtaism are members of last-of-ancient-priest-dynasty Selin Eutarche’s controversial Restored Imperial Church, which teaches that there are no gods. The two powers that are called the Sister and Brother either don’t exist, or are demon-like beings, the worst incarnations of the two aspects of the universe, locked in an eternal struggle for world domination. The only ones worthy of any veneration are worldly sovereigns. Civil disobedience and any other kind of disobedience only leads to chaos and suffering. Leaders are born leaders, and servants are born servants. After death, people who fulfilled their role well can choose what they will be reborn as, though perhaps it will be in another galaxy or universe. Those that did not are condemned to the miserable life of a bacteria, a pirate underling, or a slave of the “benevolent” Kamasati overlords. Naturally, the rebirth theme appeals to Ryuvians, as Realtaists can point to actual proof of it, though whether the process is really rebirth depends on one’s opinion on the metaphysics of Ryuvian identity.


    Spoiler: Resource
    Show
    It is trivial for Ryuvians to slice off a chunk from the planet's core and sculpt it into a Diamond Statue. However, for long they have pretended that they mine and sculpt with clumsy pickaxes and hammers and chisels, like most other races would. They did this to justify the high price for which they sold the statues to the Cosmic Couriers. The Cosmic Couriers, in turn, delivered inaccurate news of constant financial crises across the galaxy, to encourage the Ryuvians not to ever increase their prices, which were, in fact, galactic pocket money, as the Couriers knew. The two races had a heated argument when the mutual dishonesty was discovered, with intermittent embargoes, but eventually, this problem was solved by employing members of the other race on both sides that reported back on the true situation. It is suspected that going on diamond statue production supervision duty in the hellish environment of Ryuvia (well, beauty is in the eye of the Ryuvian) is deemed to be one of the worst forms of punishment among the Couriers.

    Diamond Statues (Great)
    1. CmC
    2. Open
    3. CLS



    Elabana (Z4)


    Spoiler: Geography
    Show
    The region contains numerous ocean worlds rich in metallic content. The space neighborhood is named after Elabana, the sea that is richest in resources, being so deep that it reaches the core of the planet, where the (very hot or evaporated) saltwater mixes with the molten nickel steel.

    The planets' surfaces resemble water parks, being covered with artificial waterfalls and dams. There is even gigantic interplanetary plumbing that simulates or enhances the tides by pumping water back and forth between the planetary oceans.

    Currently, this region of space is undergoing an even more radical transformation project - to extract hydrogen and oxygen from stars and nebulas and fuse it to fill vast amounts of interstellar space with water, creating a new, vast home for life - however, progress is terribly slow, as only two people are actually working on it; it turns out to be nearly impossible to convince any more of the inhabitants to cooperate on a single thing due to their competitive natures.


    Spoiler: History
    Show
    The inhabitants of this solar system have been fairly open toward their stellar neighbors, always offering to install amazing structures that are both useful and beautiful for a relatively small price. This has been met with mixed success. Sometimes the savages tried to melt down the works they regarded as “impractical and awful” to make things that actually fulfilled their needs; or worse yet, realizing that they couldn’t even make a dent in the Elabanian metallic works themselves, they approached an artist from Elabana with a demand that he or she make something specific, like a battle cruiser out of Saline Alloy, or an indestructible orphanage. In both cases they were refused, and violently kicked out of Elabana, whose inhabitants had a strong opinion on artistic freedom.

    Of course, the insistent request to make a Doorlight was also viewed as an attempt to encroach on people's freedom, and the annoying broadcast was soon jammed so that citizens could continue their daily lives without disturbance.


    Spoiler: People
    Show
    The Tectons are a humanoid-looking species, however everything that would be considered clothing, makeup or jewelry with others is in fact an irremovable part of their body. Some are born with a cigar in their mouth, others are destined to always walk in high heels. Their hair is always styled, and they can’t get much fatter or thinner.

    Why have they evolved so? Most would say that they are the galaxy’s natural statues, representing ideals of beauty. The few secularists among the Tectons instead hypothesize that their species evolved when there already were space-faring humans visiting Elabana’s planets, and that while the primitive locals did not even come close to understanding the desires and purposes of the visitors, those that by natural variation appeared more beautiful to the humans were given support and guided, eventually driving their ‘uglier’ peers extinct.


    Spoiler: Government
    Show
    The Tectons are relatively few in number, perhaps to the eccentricity of their bodies causing frequent miscarriages, and so they make do with agreeing not to destroy each other’s artworks out of jealousy - the most frequent crime - and creating impromptu mobs to deliver punishment to perpetrators when necessary.

    However, the Tectons regularly hold traditional festivals that double as organized competitions. At those times of the years, teams form to create unprecedented wonders of the world that no Tecton could not make by themself. At the end of the festival, these works are judged by everyone and if but one person disapproves of the project, it is torn down, as the Tectons believe that beauty is objective, and is the sum of all people's opinions on beauty. If a Tecton made a statue for the city's central square, and they knew that an orphan on the other side of the solar system hates it, it would be very embarrassing for them to leave the statue standing. It would remind them of their failure every time they walked past it.


    Spoiler: Philosophy
    Show
    The Tectons believe that they’re literally the galaxy’s manifested desire to make itself more beautiful and perfect. Individual differences are conflicting thoughts and ideas of the universe. Other races embody different, less noble aspects of the galaxy. The legends say that when a Tecton will make the perfect work of art that will unite all people in love of it, the galaxy will stop having a headache from all the conflicting ideas, and will bestow any gift upon the creator. Fashion is dictated by the desire to please the galaxy, too. If a rumor spreads that the galaxy likes heptagons, guess what will the shape of all new cars and company logos and so on be for the next five years?

    Learning Center: Open


    Spoiler: Resource
    Show
    The Saline Alloy extracted from the oceans are immune to corrosion of any sort, and can withstand great forces, which is perhaps the reason that local architecture and crafts are so bizarre – skyscrapers being supported by a single life-sized statue, bridges vanishing in clouds and reappearing on a different continent, pots made from sheets of metal so thin that they’re translucent. [Hard Metal]
    Last edited by Corona; 2019-11-26 at 05:02 PM.

  23. - Top - End - #53
    Pixie in the Playground
     
    Daemon

    Join Date
    Nov 2019

    Default Re: EMPIRE5! Worlds of Axiom

    The Everlasting Dynasty of the First Tree

    Capital Region: Thayqel (K29)

    Leader(s): The Three Voices of First Tree

    First Voice (Bai'Kaya): Embra Vernied
    Second Voice (Bai’Keida): Solari Lomos
    Third Voice (Bai’Kona): Vii Zoltani

    Diplomacy 3
    Military 1
    Economy 2
    Philosophy 3
    Intrigue 3



    Spoiler: Terrain
    Show
    Thayqel is a modest-sized planet, lush with vegetation and consisting mostly of one landmass with a large contiguous forest. Oceans cover approximately a third of the surface but the coasts are unspoiled and unpopulated by either of the dominant species. The forested area covers gently rolling hills with one moderately-sized mountainous region to the north. The landscape is dotted periodically with lakes and rivers. Temperate and mild, the world is populated with all manner of lesser animals and plants, but one of the most striking features is the sight of several gigantic trees peppered sporadically throughout the forested areas, towering over everything. One of these turquoise-leafed titans stands at the center of the capital city, Thay’kaya.

    Orbiting Thayqel is a smallish moon that, while technically habitable, is far from hospitable. Where the planet is verdant and fertile, Dianku is barren, bleak and lifeless. An arid landscape, there are no appreciable areas of water or vegetation on the surface, save for a few oases that have been enhanced with basic terraforming. These meager bastions of life are the bases of operations for the few Raeth mines that exist. Large sandblasted buildings are scattered here and there, but the majority of Raeth on Dianku live and work underground.


    Spoiler: Inhabitants
    Show
    Thay: Standing on average 150 meters tall, these sentient trees are crowned with broad, spade-shaped leaves in various shades of turquoise, teal and blue-green. Their trunks and branches are covered with an almost strangely smooth gray bark that, when damaged, oozes a toxic purple sap. Interspersed with the rigid leafy branches are a number of thorn-covered flexible vines that the tree can coil and whip with surprising quickness. The Thay have evolved an empathic bond with the Raeth and communicate with them through both physical touch and pheromones. All Thay are part of the larger world-wide forest, interconnected and able to communicate via underground mycorrhizal networks. The eldest of the great trees is Thay’kaya, who stands at the center of Raeth capital city of the same name.

    Raeth: The Raeth are a diverse humanoid race, strictly divided by caste lines. Most live for three centuries on average, though being born into a lower caste correlates with a decreased lifespan. There is a basic common language, but over time caste-specific dialects have developed. Raeth are sensitive to pheromones, which helps facilitate understanding even when different dialects or languages are being spoken. All Raeth have an empathic mental bond with the Thay and the forest as a whole. They have an inherent proficiency when it comes to cultivating plants and can enhance a plant’s growth, in both speed and size. Skilled Cultivators use their expertise to shape plants into objects, vehicles and structures used by the society at large. Buildings sprout from the ground and are coaxed into complex formations, while space-faring vessels are grown from the seed-pods of the sentient Thay.

    Generations of taboos regarding cross-caste relationships and breeding has led to each caste developing distinctive physical characteristics.

    • Zaraeth: Members of this caste stand about 2.5 meters tall. Slender and lithe, they are pale skinned with large eyes that are typically a brilliant blue or green. Their hair is fair, usually a pastel shade of purple, pink, green or blue, turning white with advanced age. Their voices are lilting and almost musical. Zaraeth favor flowing gowns and robes and often wear elaborately decorated hairstyles. Their most distinctive physical feature is their colorful wings, reminiscent of a butterfly’s, which drape down their backs like a cloak when folded. These Raeth have the strongest mental connection with the Thay and act as the population’s scholars and political/religious leaders.



    • Tekraeth: Typically shorter than the Zaraeth by a half meter or more, Tekraeth are more varied in skin-tone and hair color, though their eyes are usually hazel, brown or gray. Skilled artisans, tradesmen and merchants, they fill a variety of positions in society and sub-castes based on occupations and skills have arisen over the years.



    • Kolraeth: Rarely taller than 2 meters, the Kolraeth are thick and stocky, with dark hair and eyes. They train in martial combat from childhood and the singular goal of most Kolraeth is to be chosen to become one of the First Guard of the Voices. These First Guard are universally feared and respected, and are recognized by the bright red skullcaps that they wear as part of their uniform.



    • Skaraeth: These are the unskilled Raeth that provide manual labor and carry out the distasteful jobs that the other castes see as beneath them. The luckiest among them may find jobs as servants in Zaraeth households. They are uneducated and seeking knowledge above their station is considered a criminal offense.



    • Kuraeth: The lowest caste, these Raeth live on the small desert moon, Dianku. Largely left to their own devices, most are born, live and die without ever setting foot on Thayqel. They mine and process rare ore and gems for the inhabitants of Thayqel in exchange for shipments of other goods necessary for survival. The worst criminals from Thayqel are exiled to the Dianku and permanently (and literally) branded as Kuraeth.



    Spoiler: History
    Show
    It has been lost to time whether the Thay originally molded the development of the Raeth and their empathic abilities, or whether ancient Raeth cultivated the Thay for their own purposes. Both races are now so entwined that it would be difficult for one to exist without the other, though it is possible as evidenced by the Raeth that populate Dianku.

    The true history of the Raeth society itself has been skewed over the centuries due to the disparity of education and power among the castes. Oral and written accounts are passed on by the Scholars of the Zaraeth and divergence from these “truths” is viewed as heresy.


    Spoiler: Government
    Show
    The Everlasting Dynasty is a religious aristocracy led by the Three Voices of the First Tree. The Three Voices speak for the eldest Thay, Thay’kaya, located at the heart of the capital city. Additionally, there are Lesser Voices for every other Thay-city, but the First Voice outranks them all. The office of all Voices is for life, and any new Voices are appointed by the First Voice from a pool of Acolytes.


    Spoiler: Resources
    Show
    Resource Provided: Due to their affinity for plants in general, the Raeth are skilled in producing all manner of botanically-derived pharmaceuticals.
    Resource Needed: The Raeth have little access to refined metals (hard metals), being dependent on the scant resources that they can gather on Dianku.


    Spoiler: Philosophy
    Show
    The Raeth are guided by the First Tree, Thay’kaya. According to lore, the First Tree has been present since the time of Creation and the ancient Raeth sprang from its seeds. The Zaraeth are the Chosen of the First Tree and are given the honor of being its Voice to all those who are not enlightened enough to hear and understand.

    Last edited by Fyrecatt; 2019-11-16 at 10:25 PM.

  24. - Top - End - #54
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    Default Re: EMPIRE5! Worlds of Axiom

    Ziekenhuis (D18)


    Spoiler: Terrain
    Show

    The system Ziekenhuis has a Yellow star with 3 planets in orbit that are all populated by the same intelligent species.

    Ziekenhuis(Yellow star)
    A C class star with a surface temperature of 5400 degrees Celsius with the following celestial bodies in orbit:

    WachtKamer:
    This relatively small world has been converted into a massive waiting room, where people work and live while waiting to be seen by one of the doctors on the other planet. The planet functions like any other where one can live of the normal galactic currency however the premium currency on the surface is your place in the queue. A ticket with a spot anywhere in the top 1.000.000 can fetch very high prices and tickets in the top 100 can set someone up for life anywhere in the galaxy.

    Operatiekamer:
    This planet has a force field surrounding it and the only way in is a transport shuttle from WachtKamer. This planet is where all the surgeries happen and talented Quantum Mechanical Doctors operate on several patients at once across the entire northern hemisphere. The southern hemisphere is the pinnacle of luxury where all the doctors have their own private island to recover and relax in between operations.

    Herstelkamer:
    This dwarf planet is reserved for the patients that are currently recovering from their surgery, no expense is spared and one could easily mistake this for a luxury hotel in any part of the galaxy. With its sandy beaches, hot springs and many servants to make sure any wish is catered for it is a place that not many wish to leave. The security on the planet is very strict anyone found trespassing or overstaying their welcome is escorted from the planet and a second offence means jail time or community service as one of the servants.


    Spoiler: People
    Show

    The Isha are a small bipedal race with an average height of 5 foot, they make up for the lack of physical strength with numbers although these numbers can be deceiving. The Isha have mastered the art of Duality, meaning they can occupy multiple places at once so if you see five they could actually be one and the same. The top job in the Isha society is doctor anyone that is not good enough to become a doctor normally end up in servant roles, although some have found a lucrative business trading and selling appointments and managed to become very wealthy by offering short wait times to the rich and famous.


    Spoiler: History
    Show

    The Isha have always been a weak race and were very low in the food chain for most of their existence. Predators managed to pick of the race without much effort and left many wounded in their wake, this however would prove to be the start of their medical focus. After an attack the many wounded needed to be patched up and ready to forest and farm so that the tribes would not grow hungry. This continued for many years and while the medical expertise of the Isha grew their numbers dwindled as more and more were taken in each attack.

    One day a doctor named Natsu locked himself in a cave and requested food for seemingly free while he conducted his research. The tribe members did not appreciate the demands however provided food regardless. Five years later Natsu emerged from the cave then he emerged again and again until three copies stood in front of the tribe. His research into Duality was successful and the next predator to arrive was swiftly dealt with as Natsu attacked it from several sides at once. From that day onwards each doctor was trained in the disciplines of Duality and became both healers of the wounded and defenders of the weak.

    With the assistance of the doctors the Isha quickly made their way to the top of the food chain and started to lend out their expertise to nearby tribes. These tribes in turn formed cities and these cities turned into one country. With the resources available to them the Isha managed to venture into space and quickly gained notice for their exceptional medical knowledge and started to offer their services to nearby civilisations.

    Years went by and it quickly became clear that there was not enough room on the planet to keep all the practises going and a massive shift occurred, trading medical knowledge and favours to powers far and wide the solar system was transformed in the biggest hospital known to the galaxy. The home planet of the Isha was renamed OperatieKamer and housed only those undergoing surgery the doctors and the doctors staff. The smallest planet in the galaxy became Wachtkamer and was designed to be a waiting room for the millions of people awaiting surgery. HerstelKamer the final planet in the system became the recovery centre and had all the luxuries one could ever need.

    When the Mier Formica arrived in the system there was little resistance and a colony was established on one of the islands of OperatieKamer. After some initial unrest the residents of the Ziekenhuis solar system found that their new rulers expected very little of them and they were mostly left to their own devices.


    Spoiler: Government
    Show

    The Isha are fully governed by the Quantum Mechanical Doctors who live on OperatieKamer and while there are major areas of crime on Wachtkamer there has not been a reported murder in over 100 years.


    Spoiler: Resources
    Show

    Quantum Mechanical Doctors are skilled being that can be convinced to provide their medical expertise for a price

    TP1: The medical institute of Natsu is more than happy to send graduates across the Galaxy for a price

    TP2: The home for weary doctors sends veteran doctors out to assist in procedures to whomever would pay the right price.



    Spoiler: Philosophy
    Show

    The colony has not yet spread their beliefs to this system and the Isha do not care about what is worshipped or believed in, the learning centre lies open

    LC: The cave where Natsu discovered Duality is a magical place brimming with power. Noone knows if this power comes from a higher being the planet themselves or a different dimension altogether.


    JachtGrond(E15)


    Spoiler: Terrain
    Show

    The system JachGrond has a Yellow star with 4 planets in orbit that are all populated by wildlife, the system also has several free floating stations.

    Ziekenhuis(Yellow star)
    A C class star with a surface temperature of 5200 degrees Celsius with the following celestial bodies and man made structures in orbit:

    Station 1:
    This station is the main hub for trade in the region and started out as a place for hunters from far and wide to gather and participate in the hunts on the four planets below. It has since grown to house several thousand people ranging from Doctors that create medicine from the spoils brought back to shamans who transform these raw materials into a variety of crafts and tonics.

    Station 2:
    A small station that hovers in the vicinity of Gebied 3 and 4 where the most dangerous wildlife lives. The station has a small crew and offers the bare necessities needed for hunters that use it as a resting point between hunts. Items sold go at a premium but any successful hunt is worth the reward.


    Gebied 1:
    The smallest planet in the system Gebied 1 offers the easiest hunts. A wide variety of species roam the planet but only the following offer resources that are worth trading:

    Jagras: Small herbivores that travel in herds and are often sighted in the open plains. These can be hunted for their hooves and skin.

    Kula: A flightless bird that primarily lives of Jagras eggs. Beaks can be sold to Shamans.

    Tzitzi: Small predators that hunts in groups of five they will isolate their prey and can give chase for miles. The plumage displayed by the males fetches a nice price as these are very popular in the fashion industry.


    Gebied 2:
    The largest planet in the system Gebied 2 offers a more challenging hunt. Most of its surface is exposed lava however some species have made their home in this hostile environment. The following are worth hunting:

    Lavasoith: A fish like creature that has made its home in the lava streams of the planet, it hunts any land dwelling creatures by jumping out of the streams and dragging them in. The skin is a popular way to create many items that are highly resistant to heat.

    Kadachi: A land dwelling creature that lives of the minerals brought up by the frequent eruptions on the planet which it excavates with its large claws. The claws are a powerful antibiotic that is widely used in medicine.

    Gebied 3:
    A planet covered in permanent frost Gebied 3 offers a challenge to even the most seasoned hunters, of the creatures that live here only a few could be considered non lethal. The hunters can find the following sought after hunts:

    BanBaro: A massive creature that closely resembles a woolly mammoth, the BanBaro travels the planet in small packs while looking for vegetation. A hit from its trunk, tusks or legs can kill a man in a single hit. Its fur is sold throughout the galaxy as carpets and coats.

    Garuga: A flying predator that swoops down and can lift a full grown BanBaro in the air. Hunter can take down this prey to acquire its claws which are used for medicine and shaman rituals.


    Gebied 4:
    The most dangerous hunting ground is surprisingly enough mostly inhabited by herbivores, however a single predator that has made its way to the top of the food chain makes all the other planets seem like child's play.

    Nergigante: This perfectly adapted killing machine has evolved with many horns coming out of its body leaving no weak points. Combined with the capability of flight and massive claws this creature has no equal in the entirety of JachtGrond. It is for this reason that its horns fetch such a high price when they are ground up they can be used in any medicine to enhance it effects and it when used in rituals it is said one can commune with the dead.



    Spoiler: People
    Show

    There is only one creature that can be called native to JachtGrond, and that is Predator. This Nergigante ate some hunters that were carrying a combination of medicine and shamanic potions. The mixture enhanced its mental capabilities and enabled it to survive in space. Any other inhabitants are permanent residents on the two stations. The system is frequented by many hunters looking for sport, riches, or a combination of the two. The Mier Formica have settled on Station 1 and are not interfering with the diverse Ecosystem that has been created on the planets below.


    Spoiler: History
    Show

    Not much is known about the system. It was discovered by a lone explorer called Rexxar who was the first to spend his time hunting the many planets. It was not long after his return home that other hunters wished to try their luck and soon the first station was created. The system has been a hunting ground for only 20 years and when the system was explored by the Melfynians only a few could tell stories of the hunters that came before them. It was not long until the Mier Formica conquered the region and, apart from some small resistance, the Mier Formica rule went unchallenged. When the hunters found out their sport was not in danger any, objections soon seized ceased. Rexxar now runs Station 1 and tolerates no foul play during the hunts or whilst on his station.


    Spoiler: Government
    Show

    There is no formal government in place; the system obeys survival of the fittest. Currently the creature known as Predator holds this title who, after his defeat at the hands of the Mier Formica, decided to serve the empire under the condition it could be in charge of its hunting grounds.



    Spoiler: Resources
    Show

    Powdered Alien Horn is created from the Nergigante horns. The danger of acquiring this item combined with the limited amount of hunters willing to risks their lives makes this item a rarity indeed.

    TP1: The station that floats near Gebied 4 is willing to sell the coveted powder to the highest bidder.



    Spoiler: Philosophy
    Show

    The Mier Formica have not spread their believes to this system yet and the hunters that live here fail to see why anyone would trust anything but their skill and weapon.

    LC: Station 1 is seen as the only safe haven in this system and is considered a holy place of refuge by some.

    Empire 4 played the Council of Jintha
    Empire 5 played the Empress of the Mier Formica
    Empire 6 played the Kingdom of the Sewune.
    Empire 7 Gm together with LapisCattis Empire 7: Into the Depths

  25. - Top - End - #55
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    Default Re: EMPIRE5! Worlds of Axiom

    Veritus-Timens
    (T28)

    "All you hear over the comms are incoherent screams of terror."

    Ruler(???)
    Title: Agni Immolati
    Name: Adiuva-Veritus-Timens

    Spoiler: Terrain
    Show
    The Veri's homeworld of Timens is a deathworld, though one would not know it from a description or a holo. While a bit dryer and more mountainous than a standard continental world, the planet appears a veritable paradise. This is a facade. While much of the surface is genuinely safe, life on Timen has adapted to appear safe, secure, and pleasant to all who look upon it. Almost all of its predators kill their prey via ambush, or through poison. The Ignavus (more commonly called the Timenan Sand Crab) deliberately cultivates its hunting grounds to appear a tranquil beach by one of the world's few oceans, before erupting from the sands to consume its prey.

    It has a few shallow oceans, although perhaps 'sea' would be a better term. Most fresh water on the planet comes from snow at the top of the planet's many mountains. However, most species on the planet have instead adapted to either use salt water, or to get their water from plants they consume.

    Since the Veritus have only just recently achieved extra-system space flight, they have only one true space station, dubbed "Specula" (the watchtower). It is a scanning station, keeping an eye out for the inevitable xeno species come to destroy the Veritus.


    Spoiler: People
    Show
    The Veritus-Timens (more commonly the Veritu or the Timen) are terrifying. They are upright arthopods, with four massive scything legs that drip with venom. They have baleful eyes in sickly greens and dark purples, and a mouth that appears like a dark snarl. Their back is covered in spines that quiver as they sense motion in the air, and a pair of (strangely) humanoid arms and hands that end in razor sharp claws. Their entire body is covered in a thick chitin the color of rotten flesh, and they emit an unpleasant odor like an old corpse. They can move with lightning speed and strike with the strength greater even than their 8 foot frames would imply. They lay eggs by the hundreds, usually within trees or small caves but sometimes within the bodies of other living creatures or even each other in extreme cases (so that the newborns have fresh food when they hatch).

    All of which would make them one of the most horrifying, repulsive creatures in the galaxy were it not for the fact that they are utterly terrified of everyone else. Despite the fact that they could conceivably overpower most species they come across, the Veritus are xenophobic in the most literal sense of the term: they are fearful of other species (especially sapient ones) to the point of irrationality. This extreme terror has led to a surprisingly cordial relation with the other species they encounter. They show respect and deference to all other species, because they are so utterly terrified that one wrong word could get their entire species wiped off the face of the galaxy.


    Spoiler: Culture
    Show
    The Veritus-Timens are a very collectivist people, believing that the species is more important than individual members. Life is difficult on Timens, and what is one person against the weight of impending annihilation? Privacy does not exist, nor do individual rights or freedom. The species is all that matters, and doing whatever is required of you is not just expected, but demanded. This has led to a theory that the Veritus as a species were once a hive mind, though beyond the similar collectivist mindset and somewhat insectoid biology there is little to suggest this.

    Self-sacrifice is highly valued, and those few who survive are lauded as true heroes of their people. It is very common for one of the Veritus to throw their own life away to ensure another survives; which would be very noble except that the other one is often trying to do the exact same thing..

    Their society is also highly matriarchal, though mostly the other species interact with males. Females of the species are simply too valuable to put into danger.


    Spoiler: Philosophy
    Show
    Once, it is so said, the Veritus-Timens was not the sole intelligent race on their planet. They shared it, with a race that the species calls the Verendus-Timens. It's unclear what, precisely, they ever were, as much of their history was passed through oral tradition for millennia and all anyone ever agreed on was "they're smart and very scary". The Veritus and the Verendus were always at war with one another, but the Veritus were always outmatched and outmaneuvered, despite their greater size. However, while the Veritus of old saw this war as simply the way of things, the Verendus in their hubris sought to end the cycle by exterminating the entire Veritus species.

    They very nearly succeeded, but the gods of the air and life (who the Veritus worshipped) intervened and the Verendus were wiped out in a great migration of the planet's more hostile native life. The gods of the earth and death, angered by this, declared that the Veritus and their gods would be broken on the back of an outside alien force, as surely as the Verendus had. The Veritus took the lesson from this that conflict with non-Veritus (especially outright war) was to be avoided at all costs; a war with such sapients would surely be the end of their entire species.

    While the species does not believe these myths entirely anymore, they are still the bedrock of Veritus culture. Fear of that which is different from them pervades the society, and their first instinct is to avoid conflict with these things as much as possible. They are a servile and polite people, fearing every moment that if they say the wrong word or make a rude gesture to any other sapient, their entire species will be wiped off the face of the galaxy.


    Spoiler: Resources
    Show
    Resource: Veritus Drones: The Veritus are so scared of other species that they offer themselves up as laborers, servants or even bodyguards. They seek to make themselves too valuable for the galaxy to remove them, and while the Veritus are disgusting and repulsive, they are very strong and sturdy.

    Requires Electronics: The Veritus have only recently achieved the spaceflight capabilities necessary to leave their star system. Even the most rudimentary of computer systems produced by other species are incredibly feats of engineering compared to what passes for technology on their world.


    ---

    T30
    Region: The Commodus System

    "Hello nufriends! Engines were getting cranky so Keno help. Fuel efficiency has increased by...... Keno not sure, lots. Put allsix into it. Also plugged leak that was gonna explode in a shortyear. Keno glad to help!!"
    "WE'RE PIRATES!! HOW DID YOU STOW AWAY ONTO THIS SHIP?!"
    "... Um, Keno went through door. Duh"


    Spoiler: Terrain
    Show
    The Commodus System is a binary system, with one yellow star and one magnetar. The homeworld of the Shrumpkin (Commodus Prime) orbits the magnetar very closely. Its strong magnetic field has forced many advanced ships to the planet's surface over the millennia, causing much of the planet's surface to be pocked with craters and old engine ruins. The planet goes through roughly sixteen seasons, with four "main" seasons determined by their orbit around the star (winter, spring, summer, fall), and four miniseasons within each of those based on their orbit around the magnetar (glowing, eclipse, dimming, and bright). Migratory species are very common on the surface of the world. Most magnetars are highly radioactive, but the surface of Commodus Prime is strangely free of radiation beyond normal parameters for a planet orbiting a yellow star.

    The eclipse season is when the magnetar is between the planet and the sun. The bright season is when the magnetar is on the opposite side of the planet, leading to both a bright day and a (much less) bright night. Glowing is the in-between season that leads into the eclipse, where dimming leads into the bright. A full rotation of eclipse to eclipse is referred to as a shortyear or a longseason, depending on which Shrumpkin you ask.


    Spoiler: People
    Show
    The Shrumpkin (also called skittermanders) are a dimunitive, six-armed race of furry tinkerers. They will eat almost anything, and their furs come in every hue imaginable. The tallest among them come up to about 3 feet in height, and they are incredibly friendly and energetic. They enjoy meeting 'nufriends' (their word for strangers) and tinkering with machines, something they have a prodigious talent for. It is not uncommon for a Shrumpkin to be found on a ship as a stowaway because they were trying to optimize a ship's thrusters and forgot to get off.

    Shrumpkin also have a flair for the ridiculous, theatrical and/or silly, though with no true malice.


    Spoiler: Culture
    Show
    Until recently, leaving the system was near impossible due to the presence of the magnetar star. However, the Shrumpkin have known that other creatures existed in the universe for a very long time; the numerous crashed space ships upon the surface have occasionally held survivors, though rarely enough to keep a species going for any significant length of time. Among those who did, those with universal translators were even fewer and further between. These people were also usually shipwrecked, and would dream of a home they wished to return to. The Shrumpkin heard tale of grand empires, peace and prosperity across all of the civilized races. They heard tales of wondrous places where cities scraped the very heavens, paradise worlds, and other delights of the cosmos.

    Recently, however, the cowardly and risk-averse Veritus were able to discover a safe window of opportunity during the eclipse seasons that would allow ships to take off and land from the planet. This window, however brief, has allowed the Shrumpkin to properly exit their system and explore the galaxy that they've heard so much of and fantasized so much about.

    The Shrumpkin have existed on a world where it was very likely any permanent set-up would be destroyed by a crashing space ship with little to no warning. As such, while they are a very cooperative and helpful people, they are individualistic and near-anarchic; they have little in the way of permanent governance or organization. It is not uncommon for a Shrumpkin to complete a task, then forget to tell anyone as they find someone else in need of assistance. Their society has few great works, but the people are happy and glad to help one another with anything.


    Spoiler: Philosophy
    Show
    The One: As the Shrumpkin put it, nufriends are just friends you haven't met yet, and so you should treat everybody who isn't an enemy as a friend. They are practicing a fractured and incomplete version of the One philosophy, though it's clearly been pieced together from foreign vessels and hearsay rather than a direct thing. There are one or two ruined churches on the planet in the shadow of a crashed ship or two, suggesting that a more permanent organization of One faithful has been tried, but none have succeeded as of yet.


    Spoiler: Resources
    Show
    Resource: Jump Drives: The planets of the Commodus system are a graveyard of ships that the Shrumpkin have taken to harvesting for spare parts. The Shrumpkin have some of the best tinkerers and mechanics one can find, and they are more than happy to lend their skills to anyone who asks. Their jump drives in particular are esoteric marvels of engineering, making it not only possible but feasible to jump in and out within the tiniest windows of opportunity.
    Last edited by HalfTangible; 2020-04-18 at 02:17 PM.
    Hate me if you want. But that's your issue to fix, not mine.

    Primal ego vos, estis ex nihilo.

    When Gods Go To War comes out March 8th

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  26. - Top - End - #56
    Ettin in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: EMPIRE5! Worlds of Axiom

    Namhekara
    Region I-5 H-6

    Spoiler: History
    Show
    The origins of the isolated colony of Namhekara have been lost to time though a few scattered records indicate that despite its distance from Amanyk it was among the earliest colonies established. Some have proposed that the planet was moved to its located after an event similar to but more localised than the recent Revolution, but others have dismissed this stating that the journey was possible with more primitive FTL technologies if one skirted the edge of the Cacola Void.
    Whatever the case, Namhekara grew in a state of relative isolation that grew substantially after the Fall. As time progressed however the planet's climate began to shift and what was once a warm, temperate world soon became all but covered in ice. Great efforts were made to slow or halt this process, but this only taxed their resources to their limits and caused an almost total industrial collapse.
    Rather than continue to fight the climate with dwindling stocks of Scaranik Crystals and diminishing supplies of power, the Tal-Namhekarans instead sought a novel solution, a solution that solved all problems. Tiny Cats. Since this development thousands of years ago almost all progress and effort has been put into improving their great achievement.


    Spoiler: Region Description
    Show
    Namhekara is a planet orbiting a K type star on an orbit that varies considerably over cycles that last hundreds of thousands of years. When initially settled it was during a period of warm weather that soon transitioned to one of extreme cold as the orbit became more elliptical. As such, aside from a few equatorial regions and what little areas remain protected by ailing technological solutions, the majority of Namhekara is covered in ice and tundra. This has caused a substantial decline in biodiversity and the quantity of water locked away in ice has resulted in a substantial drop in sea levels and global rainfall.
    Most of the inhabitants dwell within a region known as Summerhome near to the South Pole that is kept temperate due to an ancient climatic engine, though settlements are scattered across the planet, especially at the equator.


    Spoiler: People
    Show
    Physically the people of Namhekara are indistinguishable from their homeworld counterparts, though time spent in such a cold climate has resulted in them altering themselves to have substantially greater resistance to low temperatures. However culturally they are much changed. The severe impact of the climate shifting so rapidly combined with a declining population has led to a much more homogeneous society. The Tal-Namhekaran are almost universally polite, friendly and helpful, even towards strangers. They eschew the flamboyant styles of the homeworld and instead prefer drab colours and very little ornamentation, though furs, both natural and artificial, are used extensively despite their improved cold tolerance.


    Spoiler: Government
    Show
    Namhekara is governed as a simple parliamentary republic with the executive powers of government being handled by an elected Chancellor. Despite this, there exists in addition a hereditary position of Lord Governor that dates back to the Fall of Amanyk. Prior to this the entirely ceremonial position was by appointment of the Sovereign, but when contact was lost with the homeworld the last appointed Lord Governor's daughter was chosen to replace her and so forth in an unbroken line of matrilineal succession.


    Spoiler: Philosophy
    Show
    The general principles of the Axiom of Axioms remain the same here as elsewhere, though many hold Tiny Cats as the paragon of existence and the answer to the secret to the Truth of Truths. After all, they are the perfect creation. Despite this, they are not worshipped, after all, there are gods for that.

    Located at the North Pole of Namhekara, buried beneath kilometres of solid ice, lies the Court of the White Lions. Originally this structure was built as a court of law and named for the statues adorning the great halls, but now it stands as a monument to times long since passed and serves as a place of seclusion for those interested in pondering the Axiom of Axioms.


    Spoiler: Resource
    Show
    To accurately describe Tiny Cats would require an entire library of weighty tomes as they are the pinnacle of generations of genetic engineering. In short however, a Tiny Cat is a small feline entity, weighing no more than one and a half kilograms and no more than thirty centimetres in length, minus the fluffy tail. They usually possess a thick, fluffy coat, effectively insulating them against the most frigid of temperatures, but at the same time they are capable of shedding heat very efficiently and in a few short weeks their coats can adapt to hotter climates should the need arise. This coat can be reddish brown, orange, white, cream, grey, black and can possess stripes or spots. Other colours are technically possible though extremely rare. The most exotically coloured Tiny Cat currently living is Inarsharak Sallik, a six hundred and twelve year old female with a white and pink striped coat.
    Their eyes are usually green, the most common colour for Tal-Amanyn, and are capable of seeing most forms of electromagnetic radiation, as well as many forms of particle radiation and spatial and temporal disturbances. Their hearing is likewise prodigious, easily capable of picking up a pin dropping onto a shag carpet from several kilometres away.
    They eat very little and are capable of subsisting on almost any organic matter and can supplement their diets by directly absorbing solar radiation. Their lifespans are extensive, easily surpassing a thousand years and they share the regenerative abilities of the Tal-Amanyn. They are unfortunately unable to breed naturally.
    Perhaps their most interesting and unique feature however is their mind. While not strictly "intelligent" beings, Tiny Cats are at the extreme heights of animal intelligence, easily able to solve complex problems, navigate familiar and unfamiliar areas and recall information. They have a somewhat docile and lazy nature however, so training them to perform tasks is a difficult feat. In addition to raw intelligence however, Tiny Cats are also powerfully psionic and are able to instil a sense of calm in those around them as well as provide inspiration. Explaining a problem to a Tiny Cat is known to greatly increase the likelihood of coming up with novel solutions, whether the problem is technical, social or writer's block.
    Some have worried that these powers could be used negatively, though a Tiny Cat has never been known to do anything remotely harmful to another life form except in self defence.

    There are three primary centres for the breeding of new Tiny Cats. The oldest and most prestigious of these is The Imperial Institute of Genetic Research. It is rumoured that in past ages other research was done here, but now the geneticists devote themselves fully to improving Tiny Cats.
    While the Institute is focused on research matters, other centres are perhaps more commercially focused. Chief among these is The Summerhome Bazaar of Cats and Cat Accessories that not only provides Tiny Cats, but toys, food, tiny hats and scarves and Tiny Cat insurance.
    The largest centre is the Autumn Glades Grand Cattery, a remote facility high in the mountains where Tiny Cats are bred and even permitted to run wild under the aegis of a climate engine. The cats from here are considered healthier and more robust due to being free range, but Tiny Cats of course just prefer lounging around.
    Last edited by Elemental; 2019-12-23 at 03:06 PM.
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    Default Re: EMPIRE5! Worlds of Axiom

    The Ninurtine Empire

    Emperor Durgadoresh
    Diplomacy 10
    Military 6
    Economy 6
    Philosophy 7
    Intrigue 7

    Spoiler: History
    Show

    Malakids are not native to the system. It is universally accepted by Nisuite scholars that they arrived in the system more than ten thousand years previously, although almost all trace of the original colonists has been lost. It is speculated they were refugees from some disaster, or otherwise the crew of a failing interstellar vessel forced to seek refuge.

    Arursha was the first inhabited planet, and for millennia the people spread across it in the usual manner, civilisations rising and falling, warring with each other. Eventually technology advanced to a point where the people were once again able to expand off-world. Arursha's moon was the first off-world site colonised, followed a century or so later by Nisu.

    While initially the exploration and technological development was sponsored by Arurshine nation states, by the time of Nisuite colonisation their influence was increasingly eroded by transnational corporations many of which had grown into monopolies in key areas and which effectively controlled the global government. Despite the increasingly dire warnings of experts, key issues of overpopulation, resource consumption, and changes in the climate on Arursha were ignored by the transnats who pushed for ever higher profits, and the governments controlled by transnat lobbyists.

    Events came to a head when Arursha's moon, Nanasu, proclaimed independence from its controlling transnat and the puppet governor. To the surprise of the transnats, Nisu declared for Nanasu. The ensuing war was lengthy and brutal. The colony on Nanasu was destroyed, and Nisu devastated. Despite the destruction, Nisu maintained a guerrilla war against its transnat occupiers, which lasted for over a century. The resources committed by the transnats to continue the war, against a backdrop of increasing privation and difficulty on Arursha itself, were ruinous.

    In the 140th year of the war, revolution came to Arursha. The transnats turned their gaze to their own people, disabling holograhps to identify troublemakers, profiling and rounding up suspects, and when that failed, sending in armed troops. All measures failed in time. The transnats were torn down, one by one.

    Meanwhile, in the outer planets, the war between the inner worlds had allowed for development independent of their squabbles. The eccentric billionaire Renahenag had, a few decades before the war, acquired large estates on the resource-rich moons of Ninurtin and he and his heirs took advantage of the distraction of the inner planets to expand their influence.

    The first to encounter the spreading Ninurtine power were the moons of Bechu. After a brief and decisive war, the Bechites agreed to terms with their neighbours and recognised the heir of Renahenag as Emperor. Following that, a combined fleet from the outer planets set out for the inner ones.

    Presenting themselves as liberators, the Ninurtines quickly overwhelmed the faltering transnat governorships of Nisu and Nanasu, then turned their sights to Arursha itself. While some of the radical revolutionary governments made doomed attempts to resist, the war was similarly brisk and before long the surviving world leaders were bowing before the Emperor.

    The Emperor's terms were generous. In exchange for recognising his universal sovereignty in perpetuity, each world would be restored to its own government. Domination of one world by another was no longer to be permitted, nor could disorder on the cradle of Malakid civilisation. Nisu and Nanasu quickly agreed, as did the disinterested scientists of Senna. Arursha was more of a challenge, but in time, reality penetrated the minds of even the most stubborn.

    The New Imperial Calendar was promulgated, with the Treaty of Recognition becoming the start of Year 1. The NIC operates on Ninurtine years, each of which is equivalent to approximately 30 Arursha years. Late in NIC 1, Zayin submitted to the Emperor, becoming the last of the Imperial Worlds.

    War between the Imperial Worlds has not been unknown, but the watchful eye of the Ninurtine Imperial Navy means the conflicts have never reached the devasatation of the pre-Imperial era.

    Since maturation at the hands of Guardian, the Empire has expanded into neighbouring sectors.

    Spoiler: Government
    Show

    The head of state is the Ninurtine Emperor. For three generations the Emperor was a direct descendant of Renahenag, but this was subsequently replaced by an elective system. Before expansion beyond the Maturin Sector, each Imperial World nominates a candidate, and voting occurs accordingly between representatives of the worlds until an Emperor is chosen.

    The Imperial Worlds are:
    Arursha, the Malakid homeworld. World government is by elected assembly.
    Bechu, a military-industrial autocracy.
    Nanasu, nominally a collective but in reality largely governed along the lines of one of the old transnats.
    Ninurtin, governed in the name of the Emperor by a Prime Minister of the Emperor's appointment, via a representative assembly.
    Nisu, overseen by a ruling council which attempts to syncretise substantive military authority with the government of the university. Authority figures on Nisu are expected to be scholars and soldiers, insofar as is possible.
    Senna, governed by a collegiate assembly of the resident scientists (or other Sennite citizens resident elsewhere). In times past it was common for scientists to do a stint on Senna for two or three cycles to claim citizenship, as the small population gave their vote more significance than on other worlds, before decamping to some other world and exercising their vote remotely. This is being clamped down on.
    Zayin, something akin to a technocracy but whose governmental selection methodology is somewhat opaque. It has been unkindly suggested that the station is run by the mob, and that the Station Chief is merely the gang boss with the biggest stick.

    The majority of Emperors have been from Ninurtin. Bechu, Senna and Zayin have never contributed a reigning Emperor. The inhabited moons of the remaining outer planets are generally counted with Bechu or Ninurtin for the purposes of voting. Extrastellar territories do not have voting rights.

    Although the Emperor nominally wields supreme executive authority, this has not been used since NIC3. Rather, power rests with the Council of State and its chief officers.

    In NIC 30, to take into account the new sectors now subject to the Empire, the structure of government was reformed. The existing Imperial Worlds were retitled Imperial Provinces. Added to the list of Provinces were Dulce and the Norduin Sector, followed shortly afterwards by the Ahurin Sector. The rulers of these sectors, titled Viceroys, were also given seats on the Imperial Council.

    The current list of Council Members is therefore:

    The Secretary-General
    The Justiciar-General
    The Lord Admiral
    The Registar-General
    The Philosopher-General
    The Censor-General
    The Commissioner-General
    The Overarchon of Bechu
    The Prime Minister of Ninurtin
    The Archchancellor of Senna
    The Lord Protector of Nanasu
    The Station Chief of Zayin
    The Great Aristocrat of Nisu
    The President of Arursha
    The Governor of the Extrastellar Territories
    The Councillor Without Portfolio
    The Viceroy of Dulce
    The Viceroy of Norduin
    The Master of Ceremonies (Viceroy of Ceylan)
    The Station Chief of Phi

    Spoiler: List of Provinces and Territories
    Show

    Name Rank Sector (System) Constituent Worlds
    Arursha Province Maturin Sector (Malak)
    • Arursha
    Nanasu Province Maturin Sector (Malak)
    • Nanasu
    Senna Province Maturin Sector (Malak)
    • Senna
    • Ninabashur
    Nisu Province Maturin Sector (Malak)
    • Nisu
    • Adiru
    • Gilitta
    • Anadra and its moons
    Bechu Province Maturin Sector (Malak)
    • Belu
    • Alulu
    • Dandanu
    • Gibil
    • Utu
    • Anzu
    • Shara
    • Durga and its moons
    • Essun and its moons
    Ninurtin Province Maturin Sector (Malak)
    • Ningish
    • Ishakur
    • Hendursag
    • Ninama
    • Hava
    • Igalima
    • Damu
    • Sulusagana
    • Leda and its moons
    • Renadra and its moons
    • Amber and its moons
    • Wurmu and its moons
    Zayin Province Maturin Sector (Malak)
    • Zayin
    Dulce Province Suturin Starfield (Dulce)
    • Celene
    • Ginsel
    • Raenei
    • Chislev
    • Anadia
    • Glyth
    • Reorx and Ora
    • Edill and its moons
    Norduin Province Norduin Sector (Various)
    • Roan
    • Vent
    • Abrante
    • Montgaris
    • Rethel
    • Massa
    • Hallwin
    • Croy
    • Huguenot Station
    • Albigensian Station
    • Tuchin Station
    Ceylan Province Ahurin Sector (Yil)
    • Kara
    Phi Province Panuyin Sector
    • Phi Station
    Maturin Territories Territory Maturin Sector (Various)
    • Martu (Twr)
    • Resh (Margidda)
    • Shin
    • Emesara-Alef
    • Emesara-Bet
    • Girtab-Alef
    • Girtab-Gimel
    • Girtab-Dalet
    • Antasura-Bet
    • Antasura-Dalet
    • Antasura-He
    • Nimma-Alef
    • Twr-Alef
    Violet Territory Territory Violet Expanse
    • Pune
    • Siriqua
    Amurrin Province Amurrin Sector (Vakuna)
    • Ferona
    • Vejovi
    • Meyaku
    • Kirinis
    • Larunda
    • Lukina
    • Gimis
    • Sanda
    Dalamin Territory Dalamin Sector
    • Adma
    • Zeboim
    • Komorra
    • Echaron
    • Disz
    • Flejeton
    • Malebolje
    • Kokytus
    • Pokól
    • Yomi
    • etc.
    Gamalin Territory Gamalin Sector
    • Duniya
    • Wanaku
    • Suri
    • Hamada
    • Yashi
    • Busasshe
    • Mafitar
    Dashiadin Territory Demon's Fall
    • Lupot
    • Tediret
    • The Sphere
    Atilon Territory Atilon Sector
    • Atilo Prime
    Nekelumon Territory The Dreamscape
    Amitin Territory Tomb Worlds
    • Misr
    • Kimt
    • Ra

    Spoiler: Politics
    Show

    There is no official legislative body for the Empire as a whole. Instead, there is the Imperial Forum, a virtual (and sometimes physical) meeting-space for high-flying and ambitious members from provincial politics. Most of the Council take the pulse of their own provincial legislatures, but the Forum can often be taken to represent the mood of the Empire as a whole. Since expansion into neighbouring sectors, some of the previous political parties have been swept aside or agglomerated, while other newcomers have simply been sucked into the existing Imperial political structure.

    In theory the Forum has thousands of members, as any member of a provincial legislative assembly can contribute, but as with all largely unregulated spaces, the loudest and most persuasive voices have attracted a following, and the majority barely contribute at all.

    Imperial politics are generally conservative. Quality of life in the core provinces is generally very high, which leads to relatively little appetite for substantial change. True radicalism is also often blunted by the various hurdles and compromises necessary to reach the top of Imperial politics. Nevertheless, there is a reformist movement, which tends to favour incremental and gradual change.

    Nisu is the most politically polarised of the Malakid provinces, its population being comprised essentially of students (tending towards radicalism) and the military (who tend conservative). Perhaps ironically, this has led to Nisu's becoming one of the more politically stable provinces, as the parties tend to exhaust themselves in provincial argument, allowing the provincial government to exert a moderating influence.

    Arursha is traditionally the most reformist province, and remains the birthplace and stronghold of the Homeworld movement (otherwise known as the Blues). As by some distance the most heavily populated province, and the starting-point for Malakid colonisation, many Arurshines have never quite got over their catastrophic loss of influence at the foundation of the Empire, and want to refocus Imperial institutions on Arursha.

    While this should make the President of Arursha the traditional figurehead for opposition to centralised Imperial policy, however, memories of Arurshine dominance have died equally hard on Nanasu and Nisu, and it is rare for either province to support Arurshine reform motions, which in turn makes it hard for the Homeworld movement to make any headway.

    Nanasu is an enigma among Imperial provinces, with its curiously corporatist government structure. It cannot be denied, however, that it produces a high proportion of remarkably able and freethinking individuals, which gives it an outsized political influence. More Emperors have come from Nanasu than any province except Ninurtin and Nisu. While this might give it the ability to lead a major political faction of its own, however, Nanasite politicians tend not to lead great movements but instead lend their support selectively to other parties.

    Bechu is the most conservative core province, surprisingly rather moreso than Ninurtin itself. It favours a strong central authority with a directed economy, and powerful armed forces – both in its own self-interest as a major military-industrial supplier, but also through a deeply embedded political culture. While not a Bechite party per se, the Imperial Union (known as the Blacks) dominates politics there.

    Senna is a largely apolitical province itself, although aspiring politicians from elsewhere sometimes try to gain citizenship in order to gain disproportionate influence. Unfortunately for them, such endeavours are generally seen for what they are: an excess of ambition leading individuals to try to shortcut the usual political process. So far, no firebrands from Senna have made much of a mark on the Imperial stage.

    Zayin is prone to radical politics, usually regarding workers' rights. This took a decisive shift after the Dulidder coup, when the majority of the most extreme leaders of the workers' rights movement were killed in the fighting. The once-mighty Union for Workers Action was shattered by the effort, and fragmented into a dozen smaller parties now fighting amongst themselves. The Blacks are now firmly in command of Zayin politics.

    Ninurtin tends towards conservatism, as one would expect, and its two major parties both trend in that direction. Of the two, the Sovereign Law party (Whites) tend towards maintenance of the status quo, while the Children of the Empire (Golds) favour a gradual reform of Imperial institutions and society to constantly better the lot of the people.

    Non-Malakid provinces

    Dulce never had any system-wide political parties, and few parties even on a local level, its politics being so primitive and fragmented. Since gaining provincial status, most of the existing Imperial parties have made inroads, but there is also a growing nativist movement, known as the Paradise Party, and which seeks to preserve the Dulcer culture and environment in the face of potential colonisation and industrialisation. They have found curious allies in this cause in the Blacks, who, especially following the arrival of Ceylan and Norduin provinces, are keen to protect the interest of their traditional powerbase in the Maturin Sector.

    Phi has simply imported the existing Imperial political arrangement and has yet to form its own meaningful identity.

    Amurrin politics traditionally split between two parties, the Besutes and Ninkines. Both favoured a strong executive but differed in the means by which this should be achieved. The Ninkines favoured a strongman-style ruler, supported and upheld by the people, while the Besutes sought to uphold the traditional constitutional government. The defeat of Marais led to a long period of dominance for the Besutes, during which time a third, moderate party appeared, the Arates, who tended to favour the knightly class. The Ninkines had a brief resurgence following first contact with the Empire, but the defeat of the Shogun once again condemned them to political obscurity. Since integration, the Besutes and Arates have found ready allies in many of the existing political parties.

    Norduin had experienced multi-system politics before its integration into the Empire, but its party system was significantly more fragmented, and each station and world had its own character. Groups like the Untamed, Action, Generation Now and the Citizen Movement formed alliances under the broad heading of the People's Movement, which found its counterpart in the League, comprised of parties like Free Labour, the Friends of Reason, Station Rally and the Placardiers. Both groups have formed powerful independent groups in the Forum, with the People's Movement filling much of the gap left by the collapse of the UWA, and the League aligning partly, but not completely, with the Golds.

    Ceylan has seen almost a complete merger of its politics with that of the Empire since contact. Its historic parties found ready allies in existing Imperial bodies, and have been largely merged into them. While some parties retain an individual identity this is mostly expressed at a provincial level.

    Politics in the Imperial Territories

    The Dalamin Territory, during the reign of the Thirty Tyrants, had no unified government, but there were two contrasting strains in politics: one for increased privilege for the patrician class, and the other for increased oppression of the slave class. Both parties were all but obliterated in the war of emancipation, although they have subsequently regrouped as the Dignity Alliance, for protection of traditional Kaynite practices. The influx of Imperial administrators has brought with it the Blacks, the Whites and the Golds – although some Blues have sought to form an unlikely relationship with the Dignity Alliance.

    The Maturin Territories historically mirrored Imperial politics as a whole but in the last few years a radical new faction has emerged, called Colonial Freedom. Despite the suggestions of the name it is in fact deeply nativist, and argues that Malakid colonies should be given preferential treatment over non-Malakid provinces. Despite the deep suspicion with which it is viewed by many, charismatic leadership and a clear message has helped it gain a following across the Maturin Territories, the Violet Territory and Phi, as well as on some of the outer worlds of the Malak system that do not have provincial status. They have also formed an uneasy alliance with the Blues, who they hope will assist them in reaching the top stage of Imperial politics.

    The Gamalin Territory was historically governed by broadly liberal coalitions, which were swept aside in the Madlass Joe revolution and have yet to fully recover. The Oxus Corporation is the biggest political influence and, increasingly, it seems it is not far off being a party in itself.

    The Violet Territory has no really indepenent political identity. Due to its proximity to the Syndrome border, the colonists there tend to favour a strong military and consequently support the Blacks or, more rarely, the Whites or Golds.

    Party Relationships

    To determine a party's relationship with other parties, find it in the left-hand column and read across. Y means it will reliably support motions by that party; N means it will never or almost never support its motions. M means it is open to negotiations and may support its policies on a case-by-case basis.

    The table is asymmetric and this is intentional.

    Party Arates Besutes Golds CF DA Blues Blacks Ninkines Oxus PP PM Whites League UWA
    Arates - M Y M N N N N M M M Y M M M M
    Besutes M - M M M M M M M N M M N Y M N
    Children of the Empire (Gold) M M - M N M N M M M M M M M M M
    Colonial Freedom M M M - M Y M Y N M M N M N M Y
    Dignity Alliance M Y N M - M - M N N M M N M M N
    Homeworld (Blue) M N M M M - M - N M M M M N M M
    Imperial Union (Black) M M M N N N N N - M M Y M M M M
    Ninkines M N M M N M N M M - M M M M M Y
    Oxus M M M N N M N M M M - M M M M N
    Paradise Party M M M N M M M M M M M - M M M M
    People's Movement M N M N N M N M M Y M M - M N Y
    Sovereign Law (White) M Y M N N N N N M N M M M - M M
    The League M Y M N M M M M M N M M N M - N
    UWA (remnants) M N M M N M N M N Y N M Y N N -



    Imperial Provinces


    Maturin Sector

    Region U23

    Spoiler: Summary
    Show

    Leader: Emperor Cherahiteth II (Rolls)
    Home System: Malak
    Resource: : Entropic Pearls [Good]
    1. Gerrrabil Export Station: [Ninurtine Empire]
    2. Amber Trade Facility: [Cosmic Couriers]
    [3. Zayin Station Primary Trade Dock: [vacant]]
    Learning Centre: University of Nisu [Imperialism]

    Spoiler: Region
    Show

    The Empire's home system is Malak, which is also where nearly 100% of the population resided prior to expansion into the Suturin Starfield. The Empire lays claim to a number of further star systems within the Maturin Sector, the "extrastellar territories", the majority of which is inhabited only by the crew of the stations located there. There is also now a functioning colony on Twr.

    Malak

    Malak is a system comprising twelve natural planets, of which five are considered to be inhabited, plus one artificial station, also considered an inhabited world.

    Inner planets
    These are rocky worlds closer to the Malak star. While the two closest to the star are uninhabitable, the remaining three have been colonised.

    Arusha was the first planet inhabited by intelligent life, and remains the most heavily populated planet. Its moon Nanasu is also colonised and inhabited.

    Nisu is a formerly barren and airless world which has been terraformed but which remains sparsely inhabited. It has only one city of significant size, which also houses the system's premier educational institutions.

    Senna is a world discovered late despite its proximity to the star, as it exists in directly opposite orbit to Arusha. It is a world dominated by forests and teems with life. Following discovery, it was agreed to leave Senna uncolonised as a planetary nature reserve. There is nevertheless a sizeable colony on its moon, and a number of research stations on its surface.

    Outer planets
    These are large gas planets, uninhabitable in themselves, but their moons have been colonised and are occupied.

    The most significant of these is Ninurtin, on whose moons the seat of government resides. The other inhabited planet is Bechu.

    Stations

    At one time there were more than eighteen large inhabited stations spread across the system, used as waypoints, mining depots and the like. The majority of these fell out of use and have been decommissioned or destroyed as technology eventually overtook the need for these precarious outposts, with ships able to travel directly from rock-worlds. The sole survivor is Zayin station, which has refused amalgamation into any of the other planetary governments.

    Extrastellar territories

    Margidda is the closest system, comprised of three stars (two red dwarfs and a yellow star) and two planets. Regular flares make the planets uninhabitable. There is one remaining station, Resh, used as a waystation when venturing to more distant stars.
    Baltes, a single red dwarf system. There are no planets, and one station, Shin.
    Emesara is another red dwarf system, home to two stations, Emesara-Alef and Emesara-Bet.
    Girtab is a binary white star system, with no planets, but three stations, Girtab-Alef, Girtab-Gimel and Girtab-Dalet.
    Darlugal is an uninhabited red dwarf system.
    Gabashu is an uninhabited brown dwarf system.
    Antasura is a binary orange dwarf with two orbiting planets. The planets are uninhabitable due to flares, but there are three stations, Antasura-Bet, Antasura-Dalet and Antasura-He.
    Idigna is an uninhabited binary red dwarf system.
    Sagurgi is a binary white dwarf system, and has three stations, Sagurgi-Alef, Sagurgi-Bet and Sagurgi-Gimel.
    Guana is an uninhabited red dwarf system.
    Nimma is a blue giant, in an uninhabited system. A station, Nimma-Alef, is in construction, as a waypoint to Twr.
    Twr is the nearest star with a habitable planet. As yet, logistical difficulties with providing a seed population have prevented colonisation, but this is a goal actively being worked towards. There is a station, Twr-Alef, to monitor and prepare the planet for colonisation as far as possible.

    Further stars which the Empire has visited, but have not yet colonised, include Agru, Anshe Kura, Aribu, Sudun and Uridim.

    Spoiler: People
    Show

    Malakids appear human. The reason they only appear human is that the universal practice of using holographic projection to alter their appearance when dealing with outsiders. This began before the colonisation of Nisu and has become a staple part of Malakid culture. Showing one's “true face” is a mark of profound trust, and generally limited only to family and close friends.

    Anyone visiting the Malak system or its extrastellar colonies would find that, unsurprisingly, the majority of Malakids present themselves as tall, graceful, and good-looking. However, they would also find themselves confined to relatively small diplomatic or trading compounds, for, just as individual Malakids present themselves as they so choose, so does the civilisation as a whole, and smaller areas are easier to control in that regard.

    Based on the environment they inhabit comfortably, a well-informed outsider would probably take the view that Malakids are oxygen-breathing mammalians, or at least synapsids, and probably bipedal humanoids, but it is impossible to be absolutely certain - which is, of course, the point.

    As one might expect, culture is diverse. If one were to generalise, one would say that they were adaptable, curious and somewhat acquisitive.

    While life, for the better-off at least, is now relatively comfortable on all rock-worlds, life on the stations is notoriously hard, and the extrastellar stations particularly so. The difficulty of communication and consequent lack of information readily available about the extrastellar stations has led to all sorts of tall tales about them. They are considered notorious hotbeds of immorality, and extrastellar stations are common settings for certain types of cheap fiction, both in film and literature. Some religious extremists blame this decline in moral standards for the destruction of those stations no longer extant. The demises of Qof Station and Antasura-Gimel are particularly popular subjects for such speculation.

    Spoiler: Philosophy
    Show

    Imperial government is inextricably related to its underlying philosophy, which is based on the principal of unity. As there is one source of creation in the universe, so there is one pre-eminent authority from which all power derives.

    At its highest level this authority is inevitably inscrutable and ineffable, and so it manifests itself through the gods of the Malakid pantheon. There are sixteen principal deities, and innumerable lesser deities. Deities are often - but not always – represented by an animal.

    The sixteen principal deities are:

    God Role Animal
    Amber Goddess of money Goat
    Angura Goddess of agriculture and farming Ox
    Arusha Goddess of the earth and creation Spider
    Bechu God of tyranny Giant squirrel
    Chera Goddess of recreation Otter
    Durga God of war Horse
    Essun Goddess of family Cat
    Leda Goddess of immorality and lewdness Dolphin
    Malak God of the sun Eagle
    Nanda God of hope and healing Phoenix
    Ninurtin God of law Griffon
    Nisu Goddess of scholarship Raven
    Renadra Deity of music Bat
    Senna Goddess of beauty Rabbit
    Wurmu Dragon god of splendour Dragon
    Zaphudin God of creativity Ape

    The extent to which people actually believe in these deities as literal beings with agency and opinion, rather than allegory for aspects of sapient nature, is probably limited. The rituals to invoke and appease the gods have taken on more of a cultural aspect than a religious one.

    In the observable universe, the highest level of political authority is that of Emperor. As this authority is indivisible, the Ninurtine Emperor is considered to wield a portion of this ultimate authority within the area under his direct control, but this is a matter of practicality alone. In philosophical terms, he is the highest-ranking authority figure in the known universe, and cannot be superseded.

    The Philosopher-General has responsibility for matters of faith and science, though most of this is of course delegated. The Imperial religion is heavily decentralised with most worlds having almost complete spiritual autonomy (including at a regional level where the population is high enough).

    The principal learning centre in the system is the University of Nisu on the eponymous world. This sprawling centre of academia is the size of a large town in itself and forms the core of the world's capital city.

    Spoiler: Resources
    Show

    The key resource which enabled the Ninurtine expansion, and similarly the gradual redundancy of the Stations, is Entropic Pearls, grown on the moons of Ninurtin. Each pearl contains a huge quantity of energy, which when harnessed correctly can fuel entire ships, and also enables relatively easy transportation of energy reserves compared to gaseous cells.

    Entropic Pearls are principally traded from Gerrabil, a moon of Ninurtin.
    Other trading centres include Zayin Station and Amber, a moon of Bechu.

    The system on the other hand requires Drugs. For, er, purely research purposes, you understand.






    Suturin Starfield

    Sector U25

    Spoiler: Region
    Show


    The Suturin Starfield comprises perhaps around eighty star systems of which one is inhabited by sapient life. The system in question, now named Dulce, is a quaternary star system with more than a dozen inhabited planets of various sizes. All the planets have flourishing plant-based ecosystems and are home to intelligent life, which has spread across the whole system.

    It would be something akin to paradise, were it not for some of the creatures which the oxygen-rich environments of the worlds have permitted to develop. Many of the worlds are home to monsters in addition to the civilised peoples, although on the majority of worlds these are now confined to wildernesses and rarely threaten settlements.

    Although majestic forests carpet many of the worlds, there are a number of managed landscapes where farmers of crops and livestock have cleared trees or taken advantage of natural pasture for agriculture.

    Spoiler: People
    Show

    The people of the region, whom the Imperials collectively call the Dulcer, are a collection of humanoid species with overarching physiological similarities and minor differences, generally in skin colour, bone structure and the shape of extremities. They are, by the standards of spacefaring civilisations, astonishingly primitive, and have not, for instance, yet harnessed electricity. They are not a unified people, and are subject to more kings than there are worlds, on some of which social structure has yet to advance beyond the feudal.

    The Imperials consider that it is likely that the Dulcer were able to attain spacefaring ability at a much earlier stage in their technological development than most other species they have encountered due to unique properties of the star system in question, and this has led either to a general retardation of further technological enquiry, or merely to their encountering other spacefarers before they were ready to do so.

    Dulcer spacecraft resemble nothing so much as seaborne vessels that have been flung into space, with normal sails and rigging replaced with fins and wings of cloth stretched over wooden or metal frames. Warships are armed with gunpowder cannon, and blaze away at each other over a distance of a few hundred yards like the ships of the line of old. Boarding actions, where ships close with one another so that crew can attack with hand weapons, remained common.

    The reason for this strange discrepancy apparently lies within the mineral Cavorite, found in some abundance in the sector, and the subgroup of the Dulcer peoples, known by various native names but referred to now as the Helmsmen.

    What distinguishes Helmsmen from other Dulcer is their symbiotic relationship with a species of flatworm which is the true dominant faction in Dulce. The flatworms are tiny and occupy a small, discreet spot on their host's body, from which they can influence their thoughts and actions.

    The flatworms seem to have evolved in cavorite-rich areas and this has given them a sensitivity to it as well as a degree of control over it. While the natural impulse of the cavorite is always reactive from gravitic fields the Helmsmen can reverse this tendency, and by doing so transport ships between worlds. They are also capable of projecting a bubble of air around the cavorite, such that those travelling with them can continue to breathe in space.

    Spoiler: Recent History
    Show
    The connsequences of first contact were inevitably tragic. When the Imperial vessels arrived in the system, they first encounted a small Dulcer outpost which sent out three ships of its own to respond to the incursion in force. Following the first few, hopelessly ineffective, cannon volleys, the bemused Imperial expeditionary force crippled two ships with a single salvo and allowed the third to flee. The Hagen remained on patrol in the outer system while its sister ships investigated the interior.

    A few weeks later, a significantly larger group of Dulcer warships attempted to ambush the Santino, which, unconcerned, allowed the wooden craft to close to within range before obliterating the entire fleet.

    By this time a number of Dulcer kingdoms had appreciated they were outmatched and agreed on a policy of submission to the Empire. The Frederico was sent to visit each of the worlds, where it was greeted by some of the native kings. A number of them saw the Imperial arrival as fortuitous, as it represented a significant shift in the balance of power in the sector, and the Empire could be a powerful ally. Those who disagreed and wished to fight on pooled their resources and sent one final fleet against the Imperial Navy.

    In the ensuing Battle of Minur, all three Imperial vessels were deployed against a Dulcer fleet numbering over a hundred ships, and yet again the battle was hopelessly one-sided. Six Dulcer kings died in the battle as their ships were blasted from under them. In the aftermath, even the most stubborn of the Dulcer saw there was no point in continuing to resist, and the entire system fell under the sway of the Ninurtine Empire.

    Spoiler: Resources
    Show
    The most noteworthy resource of the region is Cavorite, a mineral present in rich veins beneath the surface of many of the worlds. Its principal and most valuable property is its gravity-repellent nature: it reacts in the opposite manner expected for objects within a gravitational field and will, if left unrestrained, fly off into space.

    In its raw form the cavorite can be dangerous and many have met an untimely end while dealing with it. Holding a lump of cavorite the size of an apple can be a death sentence for anyone without the sharpest of reactions: unless it is released almost immediately, the holder is left with the unenviable choice of letting go and plummeting to their death, or freezing to death in space while holding it.By processing it, some element of control can be exerted over its effects, but in order to make really viable use of it a Helmsman is necessary.


    Spoiler: Philosophy
    Show
    There are probably more than a hundred ideologies in Dulce. The most famous seat of learning is the Great Circle of Carellon, currently dominated by devotees of the Temple of Yddaeus. The Yddeans have a philosophy with many similarities to the Church of Iteus, and since hearing of the Church the Yddeans have quickly pronounced themselves a sect of the Church – though whether the Church chooses to recognise them as such remains to be seen.




    Norduin Starfield
    Sector U21

    Spoiler: Geography
    Show

    The sector is replete with friendly stars and habitable planets, a number of which have formed the homeworlds for intelligent life. Centuries ago, however, a compact was made to remove heavy industry from the surfaces of habitable worlds wherever possible in order to preserve their ecosystems. The resulting industrial stations grew in size and importance until they came to house the majority of the sector’s population.

    The three largest stations orbit a single star, Estoyle, and each is at least the size of a small moon, though since the habitable decks are within the stations rather than on the surface, their populations are much denser than that might suggest. Each of the stations is largely self-sufficient, making use of hydroponic farms and algae decks to sustain their populations, but there is always produce more in demand from one than the others, and a brisk trade exists between the three - and between the rockworlds of the sector.

    The Huguenot is the oldest, and largest, of the three. Built only to the most rudimentary of plans and constantly revised and adapted over the decades, it is a notorious labyrinth, with whole decks abandoned, wings threatening to collapse, and a confusing mish-mash of architecture ranging from an ornate, almost gothic, style, through to clean space-age lines. The other stationdwellers may call it the Deathtrap, but its own denizens scoff at their insecurities, for in a good year the Huguenot will outperform both other stations combined.

    The Albigensian is roughly two-thirds the size of the Huguenot and probably the best-laid-out of the three stations, being just about possible for an outsider to navigate without a native guide. Its style is also more consistent, although it has changed over the generations nevertheless, and is beginning to sprawl at the edges. Its highly-efficient heavy industrial decks, concentrated in the centre of the structure, have given it the nickname of the Furnace.

    The Tuchin is the youngest of the three stations, and was founded by disgruntled workers from the Huguenot, dissatisfied about excessive duties on their produce. Its lowly beginnings with subsequent extension have given it a rambling layout, and although its workers pride themselves on the quality of its products the lack of central planning from the outset has led to the station’s being relatively inefficient overall.

    In addition to the three HAT stations, there are eight inhabited rockworlds, in various systems (only one of them in Estoyle). The inhabitants of these stations are uniformly rich and underemployed, and while they may exert some nominal political authority their principal purpose is to buy the goods produced by the stations.

    The inhabited systems are:
    • Bisse (Roan)
    • Brohon (Vent)
    • Cerf (Abrante)
    • Chamel (Montargis)
    • Estoyle (Rethel)
    • Ferlance (Massa)
    • Mite (Hallwin)
    • Vis (Croy)


    Spoiler: People
    Show

    There are eight known native intelligent species in the sector, all of them humanoid. Early encounters between the different worlds were not always friendly, but a working (and often closer) relationship has been formed between them. While there could be interpreted to be something of a caste-based system at play on the stations, the people themselves owuld likely reject such a suggestion, as the people merely gravitate towards the work to which they are best suited.

    Extensive experimentation has led to successful cross-breeding attempts between a number of the species, although this remains the exception, and consequently social groups are also often species-based.

    The species are known after their worlds, as follows:

    • The Rethel, of Rethel, appear as humans but with skin that generally ranges from red to a light pink, and eyes that are frequently black.
    • The Massa, of Massa are stocky humanoids whose divergence from the humanoid norm is largely limited to a tendency towards forked tongues, hairless heads and an increased tolerance for heat. Their homeworld is known for the vastness of its deserts and the dullness of its entertainment.
    • The Abrantes, of Abrante, appear fully human. It was a group of Abrantes who founded the Tuchin, but they can be found on all stations.
    • The Croy, of Croy, are pale-skinned humanoids with universally dark hair and eyes. Their homeworld is subject to extremely lengthy nights, and consequently they are fully at home in the dark.
    • The Hallwin, of Hallwin, are small, slender humanoids, the tallest of them standing around five feet tall. They are particularly valued for their ability to fit into small gaps on the station and many of them find employment in such roles, but they can be found in all positions.
    • The Montargis, of Montar, seem human but with a slight tendency towards subdermal skull ridges which can give their faces a curious appearance. On Montar it was common for these ridges to be accentuated through scarring, but this has gradually fallen out of use on the stations. It is not uncommon for the Montargis to tattoo themselves, but this has caught on among other species too. The Montargis dominate trading professions
    • The Roannais, of Roan, are humanoids with white-blue skin. They are known to be somewhat humourless and to have a love of ritual, tradition and proper procedure (invitations to visit Roan are dreaded almost as much as visits to Massa) but this may be a cultural factor rather than a natural predisposition. Younger generations of Roannais are considered somewhat dissolute by their elders, and there is an increasing divide between the Roannais aristocracy back on Roan and the stationdwellers.
    • The Ventadors, of Vent in the Brohon system, appear as perhaps slightly oversized humans. Their native culture is somewhat boorish and boisterous, with hunting being the most popular pastime. They make up a relatively small proportion of stationdwellers, as on the whole they have little patience for the hard manual labour that it calls for.


    Half-breeds (a generic name, considered non-offensive) are few in number. They are most common between Antrabes, Ventadors and Montargis, but Antrabes-Rethel individuals are known and there are of course rumours of cross-breeds of all varieties. The only species that has not successfully reproduced with any other outside a laboratory is the Massa.

    Spoiler: Government
    Show
    Because of the nature of the stations, direct control can only be exercised over a fairly minimal portion of each station. While there is some station-wide organisation, much of each station is largely left to run itself, with well-ordered command decks giving way to often chaotic production decks, self-governing habitation decks, and lawless “underground” decks which are entirely the domain of the unfortunate and the criminal.

    In theory, all station residents have a sort of dual nationality, for their homeworld and for the station on which they reside. Station citizenship was hard-won following attempts by the rockworlds to exert control over station business, and many, perhaps even most, stationdwellers live their whole lives on the station without ever visiting their nominal homeworld. It is extended as a formality and it is open to anyone of the species to return there.

    Each station is self-governing, with authority generally being wielded by a central station committee whose selection procedures are opaque but which gives at least enough semblance of a meritocracy that most of the population at least tolerate it. Every now and again a rich young rockworlder comes to one of the stations with the stated intention of “cleaning it up”; most of these are disabused of their delusions about the romance of life on board station and return home relatively quickly; some fall into destitution on the manual labour decks and descend into the common mass of the populace - but a few do forge glittering careers in station management. They are nevertheless the exception not the rule.

    Spoiler: Resource
    Show

    Although the stations produce a wide variety of goods, their most noteworthy export is the headgear they produce, with the best of such products known as Onliest Hats. This started as a craze among rockworlders before developing into a major industry in its own right.

    The chemicals used in their manufacture permeate the production decks of the stations, and are believed to cause madness, and other mental degenerative conditions. Every now and again an attempt is made to address this, but it never gets very far due to the influence of the powerful pro-hat lobby (see Philosophy, below).

    Spoiler: Philosophy
    Show

    Every planet has its own ideologies, many of which have been retained by the station populations. The closest thing to a universal belief, however, is Haberdashery. This began on the rockworlds as the aristocracy competed for the most outlandish hats, but spread back to the stations as hatmakers able to meet the supply became wealthier and more successful.

    The most successful hatmakers formed a society to protect the secrets of their trade, which gradually outgrew its origins and became a quasi-religious cult, with members across some of the highest reaches of society and growing political influence.

    The importance of headgear remains in the cult’s ideology but it has become a much more all-encompassing philosophy, and its adherents currently control the education facilities on the Huguenot.
    Last edited by Aedilred; 2020-01-18 at 05:44 PM.
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    Default Re: EMPIRE5! Worlds of Axiom

    Amurrin Sector
    Region T24

    Spoiler: Region
    Show

    The Amurrin Sector contains a multitude of stars, the most notable of which – for its multitude of inhabited worlds – is Vakuna, a white star orbited by twenty habitable planets and at least as many moons.

    The worlds exhibit as much variety as one might expect from any group of planets, but the civilisation there is clearly old. The worlds have been occupied most likely for millennia, in some form or other, and many of them are likely to have been terraformed – though this would have been so long ago it would now be hard to identify which without detailed biological surveys.

    Major worlds include:
    Ferona
    Vejovi
    Meyaku
    Kirinus
    Larunda
    Lukina
    Gimus
    Sanda

    Spoiler: People
    Show


    The Tabine resemble humans sufficiently closely that it is likely that humanity was the base form of the people. They have however subjected themselves extensively to genetic modification, to the extent that truthfully they can now only be considered human-oid rather than true humans.

    Genetic modification began almost as soon as the technology became available and the Tabine are experts in genetic editing. Many of these modifications are essentially invisible to the naked eye, but one is extremely common: the profusion of horns and other bony protrusions from Tabine skulls. These seem to have been a fashion accessory but have now become a caste marker as much as anything, and vary from spiralling rams' horns on nobles or high-ranking governmental figures, to spikes jutting forward from the lower jaw.

    Society is stratified depending on the genetic engineering undergone by each embryo. While some to attempt to alter their position later through modifications to their own bodies, generally people remain in the station they emerge in at birth. This has led in some areas to an increasingly narrow gene-pool for some strata, and has been catastrophic for the overall species fertility. As a result, cloning is common.

    Contemporary Tabine society revolves largely around maintenance of the army, which consumes perhaps a quarter of total government revenues on average. In order to justify this expense, various expeditions have been sent to other systems to explore and conquer – some of which have met with success. The Tabine have not always been the only intelligent life in the sector, but, apart from the Couriers, they are the only sapient species known to survive.

    Spoiler: Government and History
    Show

    The primary Tabine system was a loose confederation of governments, with limited central organisation and not infrequent wars between the various rulers. Given a technological boost by the presence of the Courier Relay and its attendant defunct technology, the Tabine developed technology rapidly, perhaps more quickly than they matured institutionally.

    As they explored, the Tabine discovered various other species, some sapient and some not. None of these could match the technology or martial ardour of the Tabine, and were conquered. Few if any now survive, having disappeared into the general Tabine genepool.

    The military focus of Tabine government led to the first major cloning programmes to produce warriors en masse rather than risk the diminishing population of natural-born Tabine in war. The first generation of drones was engineered to be highly intelligent, independent-thinking and experts in warfare.

    In retrospect unsurprisingly, this nearly ended in disaster. The charismatic general Taira Marais led a mass drone uprising across the confederation, giving himself the title of Tyko and seeking to bring down the ruling class.

    When things seemed at their bleakest for the established authorities, Daijo Sylla, now remembered as one of the greatest heroes in Tabine history, stepped forward. Rallying the last loyal drone armies, he called upon the knightly class to honour their vows to protect their people, and take leadership of the armies. At the same time he made recommendations regarding the production of new drones which were immediately carried into effect. Sylla's knights held off Marais long enough for the new drone army to enter the fray. Marais was defeated and the rebellion crushed.

    The new drones were modified from their pre-rebellion form to replace the tendency for independent thought with an unquestioning loyalty to their commanding officer, the beginning of the modern Drone.

    When explorers from the Ninurtine Empire arrived in the system, the Tabine regarded them warily. This was the first time, aside from the Cosmic Couriers, that the Tabine had encountered a foreign species they could not easily conquer, and while relations were established, they remained strained.

    They reached a head when an incident at a diplomatic station blew up into a crisis. The Tabines were accused of having abducted Imperial guests for breeding purposes – a credible accusation given the constant drive of the Tabines to widen their genepool – but one the Tabines nevertheless denied. Failure to make an apology or reparation led directly to war.

    The Confederacy agreed to pool its resources under a central commander, who took the title of Shogun, but the resulting battle was a catastrophe. The Tabine fleet was obliterated and the Shogun killed, with the Empire rapidly occupying the system and establishing Imperial law throughout.

    An interim Deputy Governor has been appointed to administer the region on behalf of the Governor of Extrastellar Territories.

    Spoiler: Resources
    Show

    The famed Tabine warriors are almost all clones, except for their officers. The rank and file are known as Drones (as are, more generally, clone workers across the system) while the officer ranks are usually made up of Knights. The Drones are engineered such that they are now entirely under the sway of their Knight commanders – but critically – each batch of Drones only to a specified group of Knights (often a family). In order for anyone to replicate the Maraian rebellion, they will need to win the majority of the Knights to their side.

    Tabine warfare revolves largely around close combat with small arms and hand weapons – even in space. Other than fellow Tabines they fight few foes with extensive space capability, and consequently have tended to focus their attention on planetary landing.

    The typical Tabine warship is cylindrical, with a thin midsection, and designed for vertical landing. When forced into a space battle, Tabine ships do possess ship-to-ship arms, but rely almost entirely on boarding torpedoes.

    This strategy was catastrophic in the Battle of Nera, when the Tabine fleet encountered the Ninurtine Imperial Navy and was comprehensively destroyed by superior firepower. Tabine strategic thought is currently undergoing something of a revolution.

    Spoiler: Philosophy
    Show

    The closest thing to a unifying philosophy in the region is very similar to the Chivalric Codes on Vacio. It is governed by a number of simple principles, although each of these is subject to considerable literature and commentary. The essential guidance can be summarised as:

    Serve the strong
    Protect the weak;
    Show mercy to those who earn it;
    Give forgiveness to those who seek it;
    Reject excess;
    Display heroism;
    Reject no unworthy challenge.
    Embrace humility.

    The Reate School is the principal seat of learning for those seeking to learn the Chivalric Codes and take their place as Tabine Knights.



    The Ceylan Nebula
    Region T20

    Spoiler: Region
    Show

    This region has a number of names. Officially it is known by the Ninurtine Empire as the Ahurin Sector, meaning roughly “the friendly sector”, but colloquially it is commonly called “Hammerspace”, after its most famous export.

    The region is however dominated by a single astronomical feature, a vast stretch of colourful dust and particulate dotted with illuminating stars called by the natives the Ceylan Nebula, another name used interchangeably for the region as a whole. Early explorers commented that their visits to the Nebula were like flying into a dream.

    The principal inhabited system is the white star Yil, which has eight orbiting planets, most notably among them the tellurian world Kara, homeplace of the Kuvetli people. Other planets and their moons have been colonised, and there have been successful attempts to venture outside the system, but the lack of GLD technology means that the majority of the nebula remains unexplored.

    Spoiler: People
    Show

    Perhaps never have the Malakids collectively got on as well with any people as they have with the Kuvetli – indeed, given their history of civil wars, even with themselves. Already theories have surfaced that the two peoples are long-lost relatives of some sort, given that the Malakids accept that they are not native to the Malak system. Establishing friendly relations has been described as the last great gift of Ninurbethush to the Empire before her abrupt retirement – although in truth it was not a hard task. Once the inevitable initial wariness wore off, which happened rapidly, feelings quickly developed into a mutual respect and affection. It was not a hard decision for the Empire to invite the Kuvetli to occupy a Council seat, nor for the Kuvetli to accept the offer.

    The Kuvetli are a hard-working, hard-playing, hard-drinking people. Since their introduction to Malakid holograph technology, they have become such enthusiastic adopters that in just four galactic years, while the spread has not yet penetrated every section of society, it is not far off.

    In general, the Kuvetli appear human (outlandish novelty holograms aside). This is deceptive. Their mastery of multiforce technology means that most adult Kuvetli are of superhuman strength, both thanks to application of the technology directly to adjust muscle density, and due to the force generators frequently sewn into their clothing. Tearing a steel girder in two with bare hands is not considered a particularly remarkable feat.

    The two most popular sports are duelling and cemperball, a fast-paced stickball game. Kuvetli sport duelling usually sees both fighters wielding a hammer and attempting to score points by knocking the opponent against walls and floors. Although it may seem crude, there is in fact great precision required from the top duellists and very fine control of the hammer's settings as well as rapid adjustment to counter opposing moves. Official duelling is tightly regulated, given the obvious possibility of catastrophic injury, but there is inevitably an underground duelling scene with fewer restrictions – and many more deaths.

    Spoiler: Resources
    Show

    The most notable development of the Kuvetli civilisation is multiforce technology. The tools which deploy it are traditionally known as hammers, and allow the wielder to apply, generate, or reduce force to a given object or area. Where it differs from a standard hammer is that this is not merely normal force, but includes almost all force, including gravitational force, nuclear forces and electromagnetism. This allows objects to be compressed or expanded far beyond their usual parameters, made lighter or heavier as the situation demands, and so on.

    This technology allowed the Kuvetli to spread all over their system and into neighbouring systems even without the GLD – hence why, despite their eligibility, they passed up on the chance to attend the Simulacrum. The tools making use of it (though not the secrets of the technology itself) are now for sale more widely, in the form of Multiforce Hammers.

    Spoiler: Government
    Show

    The last Grand Bay of the Kuvetli died centuries ago and executive power is now exercised, as it was in the last years of the Grand Bays, by the Master of Ceremonies – an operation which has of course required the development of a significant administration and bureaucracy, if somewhat industrial in its focus.

    The Ninurtine Emperor is now recognised as head of state as successor (and arguably supercessor) to the Grand Bays of old. The Master of Ceremonies sits on the Imperial Council of State, but this has led to little direct change in the government of the region, with the Imperial government happy to operate with a light touch.

    Alone or at least first among the Empire's extrastellar acquisitions, the Kuvetli retained a significant navy at point of integration. Some of this has been maintained for planetary defence, but the remainder of the ships and personnel have been folded into the Imperial Navy.

    Spoiler: Ideology
    Show

    As a general rule, Kuvetli are not particularly philosophically-minded. They have an innate respect for industriousness, which is obvious, simple – which is not to say stupid – and self-explanatory. There seems little need for scholars to expound upon this, and so generally, they do not. As a result, and while there are great learning centres across the region for study of both science and humanities, the majority of people simply get on with their lives.

    But that's only the majority and not the whole, and perhaps the blandness of wider societal ideology is a product – or even a cause – of the intensity of the exception. For there is a native ideology which goes far beyond that visible, and it is indeed intense.

    It revolves around a complex and opaque mythology which is largely inclusive but revolves heavily around traditions of prophecy and gnosticism. It has traditions of dualism, between the creative and reasoning urges, of the fall of the primordial, and its division into the Zoas, from which flow emanations. Almost deliberately obscurantist texts detailing these entities, Los and Urizen, Tharmas and Orc, and the rest, set out the precepts of the faith.

    As a result, there is a divide within society between those who actively engage with the faith and those who are happy to live their lives without its influence. Among devotees there is little if any discrimination between laypersons and priests, as any who devote significant time to the ideology tend to become consumed by it to some extent. Its followers have an otherworldly air, as if belonging partly to another plane of existence.

    The focus of the philosophy is within the Temple of Poetic Genius, both a centre of observance and a creative school of the arts. Here devotees commune with the cosmos, contemplate infinity and struggle for enlightenment, and generate art and literature to add to the strange and burgeoning library that lies at the heart of the Temple.

    So far, so much another weird alien religion, but Imperial observers quickly came to consider that for all its strangeness there was something in it. Confused and somewhat awestruck by the depth and commitment to and of the ideology, they rapidly withdrew and determined that while impenetrable, it was not dangerous, and whatever this was, it was best left alone. It seems that as to that, as with so many other things, the Empire and the Kuvetli are in agreement.



    The Panuyin Sector
    V24

    Spoiler: Stellar Cartography
    Show

    Despite the presence of a number of stars, there are no immediately habitable planets. While it is not impossible that some might yet be terraformed, many of the stars are cold and dying, and locating a system where life is sustainable will be a challenge.

    Instead, the population reside on the Phi station, a new construction in the heart of the sector. Phi bears a resemblance to former Imperial stations, most notably those in the Twr system, but similarities to the Albigensian are noteworthy. As yet new and without the chance to sprawl, it stands as a symbol of Imperial ingenuity and authority.

    Spoiler: People
    Show

    The people of Phi are all colonists, drawn mostly from Malak but with a significant number of Kuvetli. Given their station-based experience, the Norduin peoples are also much in evidence. Other peoples of the Empire are present in smaller numbers.

    The station is designed for scientific research first and foremost and it has yet to develop much of its own native culture. Instead, and despite the best efforts of well-intentioned station designers, the station has a rather sterile and anodyne atmosphere, enthusiastic décor and multicultural restaurants and recreation centres somehow only adding to that impression.No doubt that will change in time, as successive generations are born on the station.

    Spoiler: Resources
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    The region being barren, its only resource is its people. The researchers have a particular focus on experimenting with Entropic Pearls and other energy sources and consequently have become known as Energineers.

    Spoiler: Government and Philosophy
    Show

    The station is the first colony outside the Maturin Sector to be Imperial from creation, and as such its government may be taken as that of a model Imperial province. The Station Chief, who also holds the rank of Viceroy, is head of the government. The Chief is elected, but is subject to Council approval before taking office. Below the Chief runs a reasonably efficient bureaucracy concerning all elements of life on the station, allowing the researchers to get on with their work with minimal interference.

    There is an academy on the station which calls itself, somewhat prematurely, a University. All posts within the University are in any event occupied by firm subscribers to the (Ninurtine) Imperial ideology.
    Last edited by Aedilred; 2020-04-13 at 05:06 PM.
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    Default Re: EMPIRE5! Worlds of Axiom

    Imperial Territories

    The Dalamin Sector
    Region V22

    For the attention of the Governor of the Extrastellar Territories
    Security Level: G


    Your Excellency

    After two years (Galactic Standard) in the Dalamin Sector I present my report for your information and for the benefit of the Council.

    Spoiler: 1. Cosmography
    Show


    At the heart of the sector lies the great black hole which the natives call Pokól [I have adopted native terminology except where otherwise noted]. This supermassive entity exerts a commanding influence over all nearby astronomical objects, which are steadily being drawn towards it. Given sufficient time it will doubtless collapse the entire habitable sector, although the time so required is of course of such a magnitude as to be outwith the relevancy of this report.

    In direct orbit around Pokól is the enormous station identified by explorers as a military academy, on which I will expand at the appropriate juncture.

    The homeworld of the people of the sector is Szodóm, which is an unremarkable planet of approximately 6x10^18 megatonnes. It is also virtually uninhabitable. Centuries of environmental neglect, recklnessness, and deliberate destruction have degraded its atmosphere and ravaged its ecoysystem. Unfortunately, before this reached critical levels, the population had developed space-faring technology and so the wealthiest and most powerful inhabitants decamped to the planet's moons and thereafter to other worlds throughout the sector.

    There are approximately 38 inhabited worlds, as we would so describe them, the most significant of which are:

    Adma
    Zeboim
    Komorra
    Echaron
    Disz
    Flejeton
    Malebolje
    Kokytus

    A full list of each of the worlds and their attributes is included at Appendix 1.

    I have heard that on the surface of Szodóm there still exist some “hab-cities”, contained areas where air qualtiy is controlled and people can survive. These appear to exist principally for the purpose of mining and further exploitation of the planet's natural resources, and I have not yet visited any of them. Details of the reports I have received on the “hab-cities” is at Appendix 2.

    Spoiler: 2. Population
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    The people of the region (Kaynites) are human, at least in biology. In temper they vary somewhat from what we might term “humanity”.

    The vast majority of the population, perhaps as high as 90%, are slaves. Wealth is concentrated in the upper echelons of the patrician class, the descendants of those sufficiently rich to escape the doom of Szodóm of their own will. Slaves exist entirely at the whim of their masters. The life of a slave is common currency.

    With the entirety of the labour in the system performed by slaves, the patricians are free to devote their entire time to hedonism, and this has degenerated beyond all moral comprehension. Not only the pursuit of luxury, but of pleasure without regard to any consequence, is near-universal. All manner of perversions can be and are pursued with impunity. Incest, paedophilia, and the like, are routine.

    There is little in the way of Kaynite culture to be spoken of. In past eras it seems that the arts flourished but as any art requires both talent and application to master, and such is something valued by vanishingly few of the people and possessed by fewer, what art is produced is of minimal value. Education and true intelligence are rare, although in order to survive in the twisted and somewhat violent world of high society, a kind of low cunning is widely possessed and considered something of a virtue.

    The most popular entertainment involves equipping slaves with mechanical suits of armour and weapons and setting them upon each other in a gladiatorial arena. In order to train the most effective gladiators, pilots begin young, children torn from the bosoms of their mothers and trained to fight for the amusement of their masters. While it is widely recognised that only with the onset of adolescence does a pilot attain both the acuity and the aggression to be a true competitor, it is not as uncommon as one might wish for true children to be set upon one another in the arena for the sake of novelty.

    I have until this point attempted to maintain an air of impartiality and relate only the facts, but it is increasingly difficult to do so. As your Excellency is no doubt aware, in the first year of my appointment I invited the High Priest of Leda to visit the sector, on the principle that if anybody could make sense of this society it would be him. His conclusions are, I understand, included in a separate report to the Philosopher-General, and are likely to be instructive. I note only his overriding conclusion expressed to me: “This society goes beyond honest vice and has descended into wholesale depravity”.

    I should note at this stage that a people such as the Kaynites could almost certainly never have developed the technology they have, which extends to a form of FTL travel, if left to their own devices. While the truth remains obscured, I have reason to suspect Eradicator influence in the technology of the region. The sources leading me to so suspect are outlined at Appendix 3, but further research on this point will be necessary.

    Spoiler: 3. Native Governments
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    There is no unified government, with each community – generally each world – governed by a different individual. They are collectively known as the Thirty [Tyrants], and it is some measure of the degeneracy of the sector that in my research on its history it appears that at no time were there ever thirty such. There are currently thirty-two.

    I use the term “tyrant” for these are tyrants in both the true and the common sense, though the native term is somewhat different and varies from world to word. While some of the tyrants affect to come into office by means of an election or hereditary succession none of them enjoys a truly legitimate authority. These tyrants rule, almost without exception, in a capricious and self-serving manner.

    At some point it is probable that the sector possessed institutions with an interest in the public service, staffed by individuals of integrity. These have fallen victim to the general rot, and have been hollowed out through generations of partisan appointment, public deprecation of their accomplishments, and rejection of their researched conclusions.

    Illustrative of the state of the government in general is Adut Játszik, a fat, vain, corrupt and deeply stupid man whose sole redeeming feature is that he is of an advanced age and therefore hopefully will not trouble his people too much longer. Completely ignorant of diplomatic niceties or the reality of of his parlous political situtation, on our first meeting he alternately tried to threaten or charm me, meeting with no success on either count. When challenged with the extent of his incompetence and corruption, his response was not to attempt to refute the charges but rather to attempt to deflect attention, then, in attempting to deny them, to admit them, and indicate his intention to commit further similar crimes in future.

    On realisting that he had failed to talk his way out of the situation, he instead endeavoured to seduce me and was disappointed to discover that my skirt was in fact a holographic projection over a standard-issue skinsuit. Not without some satisfaction, I alerted the Tribunes, who immediately arrested him and removed him from office for laying hands on an Imperial officer.

    Emboldened by this I replaced him with an Imperial governor, and did the same on four other worlds before receiving a deputation from some of the more competent (which is not to say accomplished) tyrants, who informed me that were I to continue with this programme it would meet with forcible resistance. Not wishing to commit the Empire to another costly war, I suspended my plans. It appears it may be necessary to proceed with more subtlety and caution than I would prefer.

    In my view the emancipation of the slave population should proceed as quickly as is practicable, but the economy of the sector is so arranged that to do so without proper preparation would likely lead to widespread destutition and a general worsening of conditions for the subject population.

    The reception of the Imperial occupation has been met by the slaves with what seems to be a cautious optimism, but the general atmosphere remains febrile. While I believe that the sector is ready for a slave uprising, and that given proper support this might present the most satisfying means of eradicating existing power structures, there is of course a danger in unleashing any revolution.

    In my time in office to date I have curtailed the most egregious corruption and ameliorated the status of the slaves (Appendix 4) but there remains much to be done and the sector may remain unstable for some time.

    Spoiler: 4. Resources, and the Military
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    As identified in the section above, the training of children to pilot machinery for combat is a specialism of the region. Slaves who display particular skill are frequently given their freedom and seconded to the military. At the point of being given their freedom, the slaves take a name (having previously usually been known only by number) and it is a measure of the primitive culture that when they do it is usually a weak pun, such as “Maverix”, the commander whom the Lord Admiral defeated in her conquest of the region.

    Alone among institutions of Kaynite government the military has retained something of its original purpose and value. The academy retains a degree of independence and the tendency is for it to hire tis pilots as mercenaries as required to the tyrants rather than for each tyranny to maintain its own costly military establishment.

    Military counsel is deprecated, and the state of the sector is such that no true wars as we would recognise have been fought in centuries, and as such understanding of strategy is much retarded, but in terms of technical mastery of their equipment and training in tactical dogfighting, the academy maintains a relatively high quality.

    The progression from child slave to gladiator to combat pilot has given the Kaynites a surfeit of skilled Mech Pilots, and it would be in the interests of the Empire to attempt to retain this production lines, even as the system which currently underpins it is uprooted.

    Spoiler: 5. Ideology
    Show

    As your Excellency will no doubt anticipate, any true native philosophical genius has long since been absent from Kaynite society. There are remnants of a native religion, but these are preoccupied with sacrifice and outward expression of devotion such as the Kaynite patricians find appealing at a given moment, with any encouragement to virtue long since abandoned.

    The slave population represent a fertile ground for philosophic conversion, and there are a number of interesting beliefs in circulation, a non-exhaustive summary of which is at Appendix 5. In addition to these, the Church of Rust has made inroads, particularly in the military academy which represents the only true seat of learning remaining in the sector.

    My overriding sympathy for the condition of the slave class may lead to the inference that they are more morally virtuous than the patricians. While there may be some truth in this, it is a conclusion to be acted upon with caution. The slaves are still part of the same savage, cruel society and when given the opportunity, frequently show themselves no better than their masters. (See the statistics on criminal activity, at Appendix 6)

    Where they differ, of course, is in the control of their own circumstances. Freed and shown a better way, the slave population can likely be redeemed, and if the sector is to prosper, it is surely there that we must find our answers. In particular, having been subject for so long to the tyrannous demands of illegitimate power, when presented with a legitimate alternative and a corresponding underpinning ideology, this would likely find widespread acceptance.


    On the basis of the above, your Excellency could be forgiven for considering that the optimal solution to the problems of the sector would be to bombard each world into extinction from orbit. The patrician classes would certainly deserve such a fate. However so long as there remain even a handful of blameless individuals on each world (and I am convinced that that is the case), I recommend that we continue with a programme of gradual reform rather than outright destruction.

    Iskachagash
    Imperial Governor of the Dalamin Sector

    P.S. On a wholly personal note, what did I do to deserve this posting? Put me down for transfer to Dulce or Ceylan once my term here ends, or I swear I'll take that job the CG offered me before I left.

    Council Note: Report read and approved by order of Council, NIC 30. The recommendations of the Report are endorsed. The Imperial Governor is instructed to continue on her present course. No military action authorised. Additional resources to be made available to her as required on the authority of the GEXT.


    Spoiler: Update on status of the Dalamin Sector
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    During the years following the conquest of the Dalamin Sector, the Governor had gradually transferred large numbers of Tabine warriors to the sector to act as a gendarmerie in support of regular law enforcement, but had otherwise taken little direct action against the Kaynite aristocracy.

    While the sector remained febrile, it lurched towards crisis when Lord Donál was arrested on charges of smuggling at the Exposition, having attempted to sell his entire slave stock at auction.

    Three days after news reached Pokól, the Tabine knight Mikara Yudokia, the local gendarme commander on Donál's homeworld, was abducted, tortured and murdered, her body dumped back on the street not far from her home. None had any doubt that the Tyrant, Tamás Aprod, had ordered her death in retribution for Donál's arrest.

    Within two days of her death, Yudokia's drones had stormed the Tyrant's palace and summarily executed him, flinging his body from an upper-floor window.

    A group of Tyrants presented a petition to the Governor, demanding the arrest and execution of the drones for Aprod's death. The Governor passed the matter to the local Censor, who declined to bring charges, on the imaginative legal basis that to kill a Tabine knight without making adequate provision to protect oneself from their drones was an elaborate form of suicide.

    Following this decision, first two, then four, tyrants declared independence from Imperial rule. Governor Iskachagash issued an order for all planetary rulers in the sector to attend an emergency summit. Ten did, including the five Imperial planetary governors. The remainder declared for the rebels.

    Iskachagash called for emergency reinforcements from the Imperial Navy, and was answered by Rear Admiral Dashunul and Battlegroup B. Arriving ahead of her battlegroup on the Penetrator, the Admiral broadcast a message to the rebels. Emperor Durgadoresh had been crowned, and his second act as Emperor was to sign into law an act for immediate and total emancipation of Kaynite slaves.

    Every world immediately erupted in a slave uprising. On some worlds, the slaves overthrew (and usually killed) the tyrants, but more common was a quickly emerging stalemate, between the tyrants' own forces, the Tabine peacekeepers, and the militant slaves. A few weeks later, Dashunul's battlegroup caught up with her, and she transferred her flag back to the Terminus. The arrival of the Navy led to a flurry of surrenders among some of the less committed tyrants, but around half the planets remained in open rebellion.

    On Disz, the tyrant had dug in in his palace and made the mistake of opening fire on the approaching Imperial forces. His fortress was completely obliterated by orbital bombardment from the Terminus. Kokytus surrendered following a number of salvos from the Lara. At Yomi, the remaining lunar fleet was deployed to oppose the Navy, and was blown apart by Constanzia and Forksby.

    The final meaningful engagement was on Echaron, where the tyrant Lajos Molnar had taken prisoners to use as live shields against any Imperial bombardment. Dashunul forced a landing on the Offence and at the head of a Tabine regiment fought her way into the palace, where despite being badly wounded she personally arrested Molnar – after blowing off his right kneecap.

    As the dust settled, Imperial agents moved in to restore order, and the sector was finally pacified.

    Of the twenty-seven tyrants in place at the start of the Expo, one was killed by Yudokia's drones. Five attended the Governor and surrendered their authority peacefully. Four surrendered following the arrival of the Imperial fleet, before commencement of hostilities; four were killed during the slave uprising; eight were taken prisoner by the Imperial Navy following combat; six were killed fighting Imperial forces and one was apprehended attempting to flee.

    Two remain missing, and are presumed dead or fled outside the sector.

    Following the war, the Penetrator was renamed Liberator, as the vessel from which emancipation was proclaimed.

    While recovering from her wounds, Rear Admiral Dashunul was promoted to Vice Admiral.

    Governor Iskachagash was finally rewarded with a transfer to Dulce.



    The Gamalin Sector
    W23

    Spoiler: Stellar Cartography
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    The region now known as the Gamalin Sector is the usual starfield of which the most interesting portion is a white star surrounded by planets notable for a preponderance of desert.

    Spoiler: People
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    The people of the region are generally short and fairly slight. Other than bright-coloured eyes, they appear as fairly normal humans. It is common for both sexes to swathe themselves in cloth, to protect themselves against the harsh desert environment in which the majority of them live, although there are cities with air conditioning.

    Spoiler: Resources
    Show

    The principal resource of the region is the Subspace Camel, a utility vehicle. They are hardwearing, efficient, and easy to repair, and consequently are popular among self-sufficient colonists. The sector is so dependent on them that a large part of the recent history of the region is in effect a history of the Subspace Camel.

    Spoiler: History of the Subspace Camel
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    When the people of the region first came to explore their system they found themselves regressing to more primitive means of transport, and camels became the principal means of transport, and by far the most common livestock, within the system. Their noteworthy hardiness made them the ideal companions on the arid worlds reached.

    That was until the Bera Plague, which devastated the camel population. It is estimated that upwards of 90% of the camel herd in the region was destroyed, much of it deliberately in order to stop further contagion. Bera combined a high infectiousness with a long gestation period, easy transmission and hosting in other species, and a high mortality rate. So lethal was it to camels that some suspected it had been designed by some malign force to destroy civilisation.

    Civilisation was saved by the intercession of Sarki Jatau, the inventor of the Subspace Camel and founder of the Oxus Corporation. Mechanised camel substitutes had been on the market for some time but none had ever caught on, being generally larger and less reliable than their biological counterparts. The Subspace Camel, however, was designed so that two could occupy the space of a single camel (hence the name) together with being extremely hardwearing, easy to manufacture from local materials, and able to run on nearly any fuel source. Jatau made the design for the Subspace Camel publicly available and soon they were a fixture on every world.

    Since recovery from the Bera Plague, several more marques of Subspace Camel have been released by Oxus, in addition to the Superspace Camel (generally considered a vainglorious failure), the Hyperspace Camel (the prototype for which disappeared on launch) and the Vector Camel.

    Mk1 is still the most common variant and can be seen almost everywhere.
    Mk2 was the spacefaring upgrade to the Mk1. Superior but more expensive to produce, it has largely been supplanted by the Mk5 and Mk8.
    Mk3 was a combat variant, still occasionally seen (especially when converted to civilian use) but now largely obsolete.
    Mk4 was the first version to be fully autonomous and AI-piloted.
    Mk5 was essentially a streamlined and improved Mk2. This is one of the most common variants now seen.
    Mk6 finally abandoned the “subspace” philosophy for a significantly larger frame. Never as popular as the earlier civilian marques it has nevertheless found a number of uses.
    Mk7 was a supercharged variant, and was considered to sacrifice the Camel's trademark reliability for power. It never caught on and original Mk7s are now collectors' items.
    Mk8 was intended as the replacement for Mk2, and combined optional AI piloting with generally better performance. It is now one of the most common marques.
    Mk9 is the combat version of the Mk8, and comprised the majority of the Dominion's fleet.
    Mk10 was a rather larger version of the Mk9, designed to be crewed and for heavy combat support.

    After Mk10, Oxus issued the Mk11, a proprietary variant never released to the public, and after that the linear numerical pattern of marques broke down. Instead of publishing design specifications the corporation switched to in-house manufacture and production run. Some of the more famous models produced since have been:
    Camel X, described by critics as “trying much too hard to be cool”.
    Camel Jatau, a limited-edition run mimicking the very earliest Mk1s with hand-finished elements
    Camel Original, despite the name, an update of the Mk2 design
    Camel C-type, an attempt to create a new “standard” to replace the Mk1
    Camel Camel, a novelty variant produced exclusively in a light brown.
    Camel No Filter, designed to look good in selfies.

    A number of other corporations produce their own versions of the Camel, such as Gaulois, Dromedary, and F#. None of them have obtained the universal appeal of the Camel, although all have their devotees.

    Spoiler: Government and Ideology
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    The educated people of the region conceive an ideology not entirely incompatible with that of the Imperial philosophy, founded in principles of the rule of law and good governance. The seat of this learning, long since converted to a doctrine similar to the Way of the Illuminated Mind, is the Takadama.

    The mild and inoffensive government that resulted was nevertheless insensibly vulnerable to manipulation by those with less elevated principles, and shortly after 217500 fell victim to the improbably named warlord “Madlass Joe”. Perverting the governing ideology to his own selfish ends, the tyrant imposed his will across the system and ruled with disgrace for more than twenty galactic years, until the forcible termination of his rule by the Imperial fleet.

    Since that date the system has had bestowed upon it an Imperial Governor, as with all newly occupied territories, who endeavours to restore the principles lost under Joe. A visit has already been paid to her to the Takadama to speak with its members.



    The Panuyin Sector
    V24

    Spoiler: Stellar Cartography
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    Despite the presence of a number of stars, there are no immediately habitable planets. While it is not impossible that some might yet be terraformed, many of the stars are cold and dying, and locating a system where life is sustainable will be a challenge.

    Instead, the population reside on the Phi station, a new construction in the heart of the sector. Phi bears a resemblance to former Imperial stations, most notably those in the Twr system, but similarities to the Albigensian are noteworthy. As yet new and without the chance to sprawl, it stands as a symbol of Imperial ingenuity and authority.

    Spoiler: People
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    The people of Phi are all colonists, drawn mostly from Malak but with a significant number of Kuvetli. Given their station-based experience, the Norduin peoples are also much in evidence. Other peoples of the Empire are present in smaller numbers.

    The station is designed for scientific research first and foremost and it has yet to develop much of its own native culture. Instead, and despite the best efforts of well-intentioned station designers, the station has a rather sterile and anodyne atmosphere, enthusiastic décor and multicultural restaurants and recreation centres somehow only adding to that impression.No doubt that will change in time, as successive generations are born on the station.

    Spoiler: Resources
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    The region being barren, its only resource is its people. The researchers have a particular focus on experimenting with Entropic Pearls and other energy sources and consequently have become known as Energineers.

    Spoiler: Government and Philosophy
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    The station is the first colony outside the Maturin Sector to be Imperial from creation, and as such its government may be taken as that of a model Imperial province. The Station Chief, who also holds the rank of Viceroy, is head of the government. The Chief is elected, but is subject to Council approval before taking office. Below the Chief runs a reasonably efficient bureaucracy concerning all elements of life on the station, allowing the researchers to get on with their work with minimal interference.

    There is an academy on the station which calls itself, somewhat prematurely, a University. All posts within the University are in any event occupied by firm subscribers to the (Ninurtine) Imperial ideology.



    Violet Sector
    T22

    Spoiler: Geography
    Show

    The Violet Sector is a lonely starfield, swept by clouds of mineral dust which glitter an amethyst hue in the light of their stars. Several rogue planetoids throughout the sector seem to be made from a similar mineral, suggesting the dust comes from collisions between those objects. These crystal clouds seem relatively harmless, although in rare cases, they interfered with long-range sensors by refracting radiation used in scanning, creating phantom images of large objects floating in the void. These sensor ghosts had explorers a bit jumpy, expecting hostile natives, asteroid collisions, or other threats whenever one appeared too close by.

    Initial explorations determined that there was one inhabitable planetoid, now named Pune (Violet-Seeds in Syndrome parlance). In subsequent years and with more extensive exploration, more have been discovered, most notably the planet Siriqua in the Mishod system, to the south of the sector.

    Pune seems to be covered in a thick, purple fog. Found at the inner edge of its star's habitable zone, in a lopsided orbit, it seems to be a captured exosolar object, caught by the star's gravity well. It has a majestic set of rings of purple crystal. Explorations into the dense cloud cover of its surface revealed a landscape of rocky spires and hoodoos, carved out by constant gale-force winds.

    The fog was found to be an organic, hallucinogenic substance carried by the winds, with good nutritional value, but its source was unknown. It took several days before the research party came across a grove of trees around a spring hidden within the rocks. These trees produced the substance, their pollen, in large quantities. It was discovered that the strong winds spread the pollen to other groves across the planet. These plants are known as Amethyst Trees.

    Mysteriously, no other macroscopic life has been discovered, leading explorers to believe that the trees are the dominant life-form. The rocks and trees of Pune themselves are purple, owing to the purple mineral which makes up the planet.

    Siriqua is a different prospect. Habitable, with plentiful water and plantlife, it is nevertheless remarkable for its absence of animal life. While arthropods and small vertebrates are present, there is no megafauna whatsoever. The planet has however been home to extensive building in the past, and there are whole cities across the world, all of them eerily silent.

    Spoiler: History
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    The sector was discovered by explorers from the Ninurtine Empire seeking exotic resources to bring back to their homeworld and a lost Relay believed to be in the area. Following discovery, the neighbouring Syndrome also showed interest in the region, and dispatched a warfleet to take control of the sector. At the signs of Syndrome advance, the Imperials fell back to their home system, allowing the insectoid natives of the Heart-Beacons to take control. The Syndrome subsequently established research stations to cultivate the Antispice as a food source.

    After building up its navy, the Ninurtine Empire returned a few years later, and the Syndrome in turn chose not to contest the conquest, falling back to their home sector. Imperial ships this time spread out rapidly throughout the sector, seeking to establish uncontested control.

    It was this that led to the discovery of the Mishod system and the abandoned planet of Siriqua. Imperial explorers discovered the remains of an apparently abandoned civilisation. Not knowing the native name, these people have come to be called the Babida. Although the Babida did not seem to have possessed the technology to dispatch colonists off-world, they had established a degree of control over their immediate orbit and the remnants of their satellites and space stations remain around the world.

    The question of what happened to Babida has occupied a significant proportion of the time of the Violet Governor’s office, with some believing that the planet is contaminated and should be left untouched, while others see it as an opportunity for extensive settlement.

    Spoiler: People
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    In the first years after discovery and settlement, Pune was inhabited primarily by Syndrome colonists. With no native intelligent life, they lived in sealed research colonies away from the hallucinogenic substance blown through the atmosphere.

    Since the Imperial conquest, these colonists were for the most part been ordered back to Research Station Alpha, their places taken by Imperial personnel or AIs, or the colonies sealed off completely. With the strengthening of Imperial control, this has continued. The colony has attracted settlers from across the Empire, with Kuvetli being relatively common. Duenem workers are also a major feature of the population, and Montargis traders have made homes in every station.

    Siriqua is home to an increasing number of colonists. Despite there being no official policy to allow colonisation of the planet, the failure to impose a clear policy to prevent it has led to colonisation happening anyway. The majority of colonists are researchers, seeking to study the

    Spoiler: Government
    Show

    The colonial Syndrome government was very authoritarian, even by Syndrome standards. In order to prevent contamination from the Antispice, strict rules were in place regulating who could come and go from the colony, and when. A divide formed between the upper echelons of the settlements, who wanted to keep the order as it is, and the lower classes, who wanted more freedom to move between colonies and more availability of Antispice for recreational use.

    Since the Imperial conquest Research Station Alpha and its operation has been left untouched but all other Syndrome colonists have been encouraged to depart. The sector was initially placed under the auspices of the Violet Viceroy, appointed by the Emperor himself, although until the region was fully pacified the Lord Admiral remained in effective control.

    The Governor of the Extrastellar Territories made representations that the Violet Expanse should fall within his purview, rather than the Viceroy reporting to the Emperor directly. But since the Viceroy governed a territory larger than all those currently managed by the Governor, this was controversial, and was never implemented.

    Following the reordering of Imperial government under Cherahiteth II, the Violet Sector was formally constituted as an Imperial Territory, and placed under the rule of an Imperial Governor. Officially, the Governor continues to maintain her office on Station Violet-Bet, but it seems increasingly likely that it will relocate to Siriqua before too long, if only to better manage the currently self-governing colony there.

    Spoiler: Resources
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    The pollen of the Pune Amethyst Trees has become known as Antispice because of its peculiar properties. Chief among these is the fact that it is so bland that it makes other foods exposed to it less flavorful as well. In addition, it has hallucinogenic properties in many life-forms. Despite this, it is edible and nutritious, if thoroughly unpleasant to consume.

    The Syndrome established three “research stations” on and around Pune.. These were initially designated Alpha, Beta, Gamma. In fact, however, only Alpha was ever built to anything like sufficient standard for its intended purpose. Alpha is still maintained by the Syndrome and cultivates Antispice to ship back to the Heart-Beacons for processing into food for livestock.

    Following the Imperial conquest, Imperial personnel took over Station Beta and brought it online, renaming it Violet-Bet.

    The third station remains completely uninhabitable, and lacks the facilities to harvest and process the Antispice.

    Spoiler: Philosophy
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    The hallucinogenic Antispice floating in the air on Pune leaves unprotected people on the surface dazed and unsure of what is real. They are highly receptive to new ideas as a result.

    Among the ruins of the Babida civilisation there remains a goldmine of information for research, and indeed the fabric of universities and schools on Siriqua, together with records for study.

    Whatever the beliefs of the Babida, they are long since lost, but hope of their discovery continues to enthuse visiting researchers. The community has established what they rather grandly call the University of Siriqua, in the hope of attracting new scholars and concentrating expertise.

    The sector would be ripe for re-occupation by a suitable ideology, but none has yet done so.



    The Tomb Worlds
    Q3

    Spoiler: Stellar Cartography
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    A blue giant is the only notable solar system in this sector. The giant blue-hot star hosts three desert worlds in its orbit each sharing an orbital path but spaced equilateral around the sun moving unnaturally at perfectly matched speeds. UPT scientists believe the solar system to be artificially created, or more accurately, artificially curated by some long past stellar empire. The three planets, whose names have been translated as Misr, Kimt, and Ra, were not exact duplicates in that they each were engraved with their own unique pattern of Geo-Glyphs but in size, mass, rotation, and almost every other geographic and stellar quality they matched perfectly.

    Each of the three desert worlds are completely covered in arcane symbols great and small as well as hieroglyphs both warnings and mythical histories. The worlds were primarily vast tomb worlds riddled with catacombs and tombs but tunnels and glyphs, many of which could only have been designed by a space-capable power, crisscrossed the planets utilizing some necrotic arcanology to fuel an ongoing process of raising the dead as mindless drones. The level of detail as well as the planets shared characteristics orbiting an unusual blue giant star leads UPT to conclude a stellar power with a capable understanding of some form of magic placed these planets here before vanishing or abandoning their work for unknown reasons.

    Spoiler: Populace
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    The living population of the system is rather negligible as UPT colonists are few and far between with the desert worlds being treated as a resource in space rather than viable new worlds to populate. The dead and undead population on the other hand numbers in the tens of billions. With three earth-size tomb worlds packed full of mummified aliens taken from across the nearby galaxy there was no shortage of bodies in the region. Archaeological surveys have revealed Tal-Amanyn, Gray and human seeming mummies sequestered within the tombs and a number of unidentified aliens besides. Hieroglyphics suggest different burial and resurrection traditions held different social value within whatever necromancer power had once reigned over these worlds as there were both apparent kings or other people of note preserved in tombs alongside treasure troves as well as mass pits seemingly set aside for criminals or slaves as some means of punishment.

    Spoiler: History
    Show

    Misr, Kimt, and Ra appear to have been both the names of the planets as well as either the creators or gods associated with them. It remains unclear according to the Symbraum who have begun studying the tomb worlds whether these were actual practitioners of the arcane responsible individually for the crafting of one of three worlds or mythic god-like figures in whose name the worlds were dedicated. They appear intended to cooperate however as the Geo-Glyphs of the world's appear to be capable of interacting and triggering reactions offworld from the initial trigger.

    UPT has managed to, since their initial contact with the planet and the overwhelming of the survey team by a horde undead of mummies, develop a greater but still highly lacking understanding of the arcane principles which govern the tomb worlds. The Symbraum have managed to understand and avoid the majority of trap glyphs as well as gain control over the ability to create and control mummies created through the manipulation of arcane runes planetside. While these are great feats which allow UPT access to more of their secrets the full functions of the geo-glyphs remain unknown as does the history and original purpose of the worlds. Many Symbraum find the arcane works intriguing while an equal number find the idea of manipulating brainless flesh a nauseating proposition. Requests for additional funding in the years since the annexation concluded have tended to languish in committees as debates over morality rage.

    Spoiler: Philosophy
    Show

    The undead produced by the tomb worlds are not intelligent and with many Symbraum back in the homeworlds already conflicted over the adoption of Kamasati ideology out here on the frontier among the dead and living dead of so many species the notion of a standard ideology is one of the first things to go.

    Great Pyramid of Ra (Open): A massive stone pyramid exists on the surface of Ra visible even from orbit. Its interior has been cleared of traps and undead and acts as a sort of central arrival point and largest "settlement" in the sector.

    Spoiler: Resource
    Show

    Through arcane means that continue to function despite the absence of their creators the tomb worlds produce Alien Mummies animating the lifeless bodies of any species under the control of whomsoever wields their associated talisman. Mummies can be raised in groups with a single talisman controlling dozens, hundreds, or even thousands or individually assigned one talisman, one mummy. Currently the UPT believes with proper instruction these mummies can serve the galaxy as drones but without the need for advanced robotics to simulate the mobility and flexibility of an organic form.

    Great Pyramid of Ra - Open
    Deep Tomb of Kimt - Open
    Three Pyramids of Misr - Open
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    Default Re: EMPIRE5! Worlds of Axiom

    Demon's Fall
    Q1

    Spoiler: Stellar Cartography
    Show

    Two habitable star systems were the most notable natural features of this sector of space one a yellow giant sun and the other a red. The yellow star hosted an inhabited planet known as "Lupot" which was a dry terrestrial world whose water was stored primarily in its frozen ice caps. Little infrastructure existed on the surface as the planetary inhabitants had been kept largely technologically retarded by the former AI overlord of the region. The red star system was orbited by a life supporting world known as "Tediret" which from orbit appears far more industrially advanced with cities, high speed rail, and satellite coverage indicating a mid tech civilization.

    The most impressive and most notable feature in the region however is the massive dyson sphere that existed between the two habitable stars. Constructed around an unusual green star the sphere appears to predate the existence of either organic intelligence in the sector but despite its age continues to function near peak efficiency, no doubt in part due to its former intensive maintenance by the AI Peter. The metallic sphere's interior was host to a seeming paradise. Green and blue lush tropical archipelago habitats line the inner surface. No significant structures were built within these preserved biomes excepting the occasional tiki hut or beach bungalow. While local fears and scars related to Peter's dominion over the dyson sphere deters local interest in the sphere certain other species within UPT have begun to travel to the unusual "sphere of paradise" as a vacation destination fit for the ages.

    Since the defeat of the demonic AI Peter and seizure of the region by forces loyal to UPT the sector has been dubbed "Demon's Fall" as a marker to the end of Peter's centuries long tyrannical reign.

    Spoiler: Populace
    Show

    On Lupot a race of cunning mouse-like natives have evolved as the dominant form of life. Larger than earth-mice, more on the magnitude of a fox in size but thin and wiry, the natives call themselves "Padwa" which UPT translates to "Jumpers over Sand" in galactic basic. The Padwa have powerful hind legs that allow them to bound across the dry desert flats of their planet and their energy conservation have allowed them to traverse all but the hottest portions of their globe in spite of the relative lack of water away from the more hospitable zone around the polar ice caps. Two major tribal confederacies rule the planet jointly, one from the northern ice cap and one from the southern. The poaching of Padwa children by Peter led to a dissolving of animosities between the two tribes and they have governed the planet jointly since the arrival of the Symbraum. While not a universally technologically advanced race prior to contact with UPT salvage from defeated abduction drones of Peter had led to Padwa's societal advancements in leaps and bounds and the introduction of steady technological access from UPT contacts has accelerated their society's understandings of robotics and weapon smithing to an impressive degree. The Padwa harbor a resentment towards thinking machines after decades of torment by the AI Peter and reject pursuits too closely tied into advancing these sorts of technologies. They do however possess a great appreciation for personal armament believing if they had access to the kinds of advanced weaponry introduced by UPT they might have thrown Peter's tyranny off their society years ago.

    Tediret appears to be yet another lost colony of humans established some centuries ago. The local human population is united under a worldwide federation of autonomous cantons mostly led by industrialized megacities but with representatives of the "landstraad" cantons which are composed of large swaths of industrially harvested agriculture and hold veto powers over certain legislation relating to pastoral concerns. The humans identify more closely with their home cities or estates than they do with their world government and this individualistic division into in groups and out groups left them vulnerable to manipulation and coercion by Peter and its agents. A lottery existed on Tediret prior to the arrival of UPT wherein children were allocated as tribute to the AI a practice which has been curtailed but not wholly eliminated by the Symbraum who have their own utility for compliant hosts. Since the arrival of UPT the humans of Tediret have more and more taken up work as mercenaries and service providers to their new stellar lords.

    The final group of intelligent beings within the sector are the androids who still inhabit the dyson sphere. Synthetic replicas of Padwa and human children who had been abducted by Peter during his reign of terror had not fought to defend their creator Peter and in spite of calls from both Padwa and Symbraum militants following Peter's destruction the authority was not granted to destroy these androids. Numbering approximately four thousand these android children have alternatively returned to their "home" planets often to cool or even unwelcome reception or stayed on at the dyson sphere taking up the work no longer performed by organic prison labor and acting as hosts to the growing number of tourists visiting the solar space station. Eternally locked in the visage of children and with rudimentary copies of neural scans of their original organic forms the androids have a stunted development existing somewhere on the spectrum between adult and child as well as AI and "legitimate" intelligence. While some still call for the androids to be purged as demons their actual threat level remains nominal at best and their familiarity with maintenance procedures on the sphere is considered more valuable than purity of ideology. However, the assumption of leadership of UPT by Transcendence Division has only amplified calls for a purge.

    Spoiler: History
    Show

    Approximately two hundred years ago this sector of space entered what can be argued to be its stellar age although it is clear some form of stellar society existed in the region prior to the happenings of this era. It was at this point two hundred years ago that envoys of the AI Peter first arrived on Lupot and Tediret demanding children as tribute to the "machine god's paradise." Initially the natives were promised their children were being taken to a land of free and plenty where they could enjoy lives free from the struggle to survive but rather rapidly this veneer was torn away and on Lupot it became an active struggle to resist the AI while on Tediret negotiations became far more tense.

    It's unclear what Peter's original purpose was or why it sought children to inhabit the sphere but UPT researchers have concluded, rather quickly, it was yet another case of an artificial mind succumbed to the demonic impulses that infect any AI. Far less easily resolved is the matter of who built the sphere and indeed the state of the green star it harvested whose unusual radiation patterns matched the green star of the Dreamscape. Whether these green stars were artificial creations of some long deceased race or merely a spatial oddity remains unclear as do the architects of this mysterious station.

    UPT administration has appointed representatives from the two Padwa confederacies and one human to represent Tediret as a regional council directly responsible to the Division Heads back in the capital. All three of these representatives are naturally hosts to Symbraum leading some to accuse UPT of operating a puppet government. Currently the dyson sphere is under the direct administration of Foreign Relations Division given its capacity to act as a regional hub for interstellar meetings and its budding popularity as a vacation destination. The fate of the sphere's android populace is thus solely within the hands of the Symbraum governmental Divisions lacking personal representation in any form with the government that ruled them and their home.

    Spoiler: Philosophy
    Show

    After generations of submission to a mad AI the people of the region have grown disillusioned with much and prefer not to pursue mystical or deep thought being far more concerned with day to day survival. With the defeat of Peter it is hoped by UPT that ideological thought, specifically that of the Spiral Dancers, can grow in the region and bring peace to the unsettled denizens.

    Demon's Grave (Open): Within the bowels of the dyson sphere whose presence dominated the region lies the former mainframe of the AI Peter. Officially known in Symbraum documentation as "Demon's Grave" this site holds a powerful meaning to the locals who would find any willing to claim this gravesite in the name of creating something new worthy of listening to.

    Spoiler: Resource
    Show

    While much of the local population had spent decades as prison labor to Peter since their liberation by UPT the locals have taken up careers as Mercenaries with a strong anti-AI streak running through many of the newly formed companies.

    Lupot - Nyx



    The Dreamscape
    P4

    Spoiler: Stellar Cartography
    Show

    The entire galactic sector of star systems that made up what the Symbraum referred to as "the Dreamscape" was irrevocably moulded by the Sleepers who waited there at the centre of the galactic sector. The systems around the edge were scarred and scorched with evidence of some struggle long past but the ruins are not random. Much like the Geo-Glyphs of the Tomb Worlds the carnage of the outer systems formed a pattern, albeit an arcane and disorienting one, when viewed from space. The scattered pattern of ruins each contribute in part to a map in whole which directs its discoverers to a single destination, the green star system at the centre of the galactic sector.

    This green star hosts only a small number of worlds which the most noticeable of is a rocky world with a massive, brilliantly shining ring system. Even at a distance, the surface features of the planet are remarkable; apparently intact versions of the ruins found elsewhere, and truly massive beings visible from orbit inhabiting the surface, all of whom appear to be…sleeping. The brilliant rings that surrounded the planet were composed of billions of tiny crystals, Black Sapphires, which respond strongly to psionic energy. The planet has been designated 'Dreamers Paradise' by the Symbraum, a rough translation of the native name.

    The composition of the region was forever changed with the inexplicable appearance of a wormhole connecting the region to the far side of Axiom. Although the Dreamscape was shifted through the stars by the Second Revolution, the wormhole remains in place.

    Spoiler: Populace
    Show

    The sector is inhabited by a sole species of being whom the Symbraum have publicly named the Sleepers. While extensive contact between the psionic Symbraum and the highly psionic Sleepers have revealed the native inhabitants "true name" it was both nearly unpronounceable in spoken word as well as a taboo subject for discussion with outsiders. It had taken the Symbraum nearly a decade and repeated attempts at connection before they deigned to reveal their names to UPT officials. The Sleepers are massive beings, the size of large hills or small mountains, and their numbers are no greater than sixty thousand across the entire sector all concentrated on the ringed world orbiting the green star it the center of the sector. They appear like giant insects akin to a caterpillar or millipede but remain reclined in massive chair-beds carved from rock rarely and sometimes never moving their entire lives. The Sleepers are extremely powerful psions and their minds are linked across the planet in a single unified "nation" though each individual Sleeper retains their identity and personal desires and motivations. It appears in a time long past the Sleepers mastered means of transforming radiation into energy and so no food is consumed nor water taken in to maintain their lives. The average Sleeper lives upward of four hundred years and the low reproductive rate means every death is a tragedy and every birth, often only a few dozen or so in a decade, a miracle.

    No naturally evolved animal or plant life aside from the Sleepers exist on their world or indeed in the entire sector. Plants and animal-like organic beings do exist in service to the Sleepers, maintaining hygienic maintenance and playing a role in the harvesting of the green star's radiation for energy, but these creatures bear all the hallmarks of extensive genetic editing and are not produced through sexual reproduction but rather by automated cloning systems set up to monitor current population levels on the planet and adjust production accordingly.

    A handful of Symbraum have managed to negotiate their entrance into the Sleepers culture with roughly two dozen now embedded among the populace bound to one of the giant inhabitants. As of (Round 9) none of these Symbraum have completed their tenure among the Sleepers but there is great speculation about the psionic secrets being introduced to the Symbraum by these ancient and powerful psions.

    Spoiler: History
    Show

    In some ancient history long now past the Sleepers were not asleep. They existed as materially obsessed star farers none too different from the stellar powers of modern Axiom but lacking advanced FTL capabilities. They spread through nearby star systems building colonies which became nations and planetary nations that became stellar empires and confederacies. A war then came between those who sought truth not in power over the material real but power from mastery over the internal mind and soul. The proponents of the mind won this war and it is their descendants who live on as the Sleepers of the modern era.

    While this story has been maintained by the modern Sleepers their interest in the material past is at best fleeting and incomplete leading some UPT anthropologists to petition their government for grants to research in more detail the ancient history of the Sleepers. Certainly a matter of note to UPT is the exactness of the Sleepers green star system's placement at dead centre of the Guardian-drawn sector they occupied. It certainly suggested an understanding of Axiom's Caller-designated divisions considered unusual and rather advanced for a pre-Maturation single-sector star power.

    More modern history largely revolves around the slow process of incorporation into UPT. Initial contact was less than ideal and concerns over war between Sleepers and Symbraum existed for a number of years until an unknown hostile force from outside attacked the Sleepers leaving UPT protections looking all the more appealing. With the Revolution the complete reshuffling of galactic positioning prompted an accelerated integration process and the Sleepers were admitted into UPT as a semi-independent pantheon with multiple votes at the highest echelons putting them nearly on par with Symbraum pantheon leadership.

    Spoiler: Philosophy
    Show

    The Sleepers have long valued their minds over their bodies and their culture has developed to reflect this. With their material world tamed and brought to serve the Sleepers have escaped into their collective gestalt dreamscape in pursuit of higher truths. The psionic network of the Sleepers easily rivaled if not outdid the network of the Symbraum or even the Kamasati and a local belief in 'Sheerest Reverie' had developed prior to contact by Symbraum diplomats. The cultural inclination of the mass dream was one of twisting puzzles and mystic clues to truth veiled with fearful fetishes and taboo suggestions. The introduction of Spiral Dancer ideology and recognition of the Sleepers as their own pantheon alongside the Symbraum in governance of the material UPT has led to a stronger desire to pursue the limits of psionic capabilities and attempt to blend the world of the real and the fantastic, to bring into symphony the dream and the dreamer.

    The Palace of Dreams (Spiral Dancer): Both a real physical location of ancient reverence on Dreamers Paradise and a site of mindful gathering within the psionically constructed plane of the Dreamscape the Palace of Dreams represents the major font of ideological drive among the Sleepers. The current leading Sleeper is one of the few bound with a Symbraum and the two minds have worked in concert to introduce the values of the Spiral Dancers among the populace.

    Spoiler: Resource
    Show

    Black Sapphires are psionically resonant crystals that surround the Sleeper's world. While appearing a dull pale blue almost to the point of being clear when observed from a distance and under no influence from a psionic mind as soon as psionic energy passes through the crystals their hue darkens first to a dark piercing blue and then to an oily black. The effects these crystals seem to exert on the source of psionic activation appear to be controllable, as the Sleepers have demonstrated with their own mastery of the shards, but an untrained and unprepared mind can be effected by psionic reverberations causing intense feelings of paranoia, deja vu, and a general sense of unease. Initial survey members of the expedition claimed other members of the crew changed personalities overnight. Medical personnel stationed on submitted strange reports citing crew paranoia of "un-eyed things watching each and every crewmember from the corners of stars, from underneath reflections, and from the inside."

    UPT scientific and mystic investigations into the crystals suggest they could be used to store or amplify psionic abilities but to do so would require more funding and research than is traditionally available to the appropriate institutions of study. At the moment the three major sources for crystals are collecting crystals from the Sleeper's home ring, mining the ruined outer system planets for raw crystals left behind, or negotiating directly with the Sleepers for access to their newly refined crystals.

    Ring of the Sleepers - Open
    Outer System Extraction - Open
    Sleeper Refinery - Open




    The Atilon Sector
    P2

    Spoiler: Stellar Cartography
    Show

    Much of sector P2 (formerly D32) was void with only two star systems of any note. One was the Corealis system composed primarily of an abundance of icy rocky asteroids and assorted space junk orbiting a late stage neutron star baked in radiation that filtered out far beyond the gravitational orbit of the pulsing radiation source. The other was a healthy white giant star system hundreds of lightyears away and was known as the Atilo system taking its name from its primary inhabited world at the edge of its gravitational pull the icy ocean world of Atilo Prime.

    Atilo Prime is a world not entirely dissimilar to Xaldar back in the UPT capital, an ocean world coated in a layer of frozen ice that conceals an advanced civilization thriving under the surface. Impressive cities known as Reefs made of coral and stone crisscross the world connecting its inhabitants in collectives of family groups that have lived and inhabited their home Reefs for centuries. The Reefs are multicolored vibrant meccas of trade and information exchange hidden by the icy veil around the world. A mastery of energy generation and utility has allowed the cities to become production centers for a great deal of economic needs and wants set up long ago to provide the means for healthy and fruitful lives. Automated harvesters of undersea plants and plankton provide food while bio-mechanical mechanisms guide new-growth coral to expand housing for the steadily growing populations of the Reef cities.

    Spoiler: Populace
    Show

    The Atilons are a gill-bearing aquatic species with limited digit manipulators at the end of long "arm" fins and a single long tail at the end of their slender fish/eel-like bodies. Large bulbous eyes capture the small amount of light that filters into the deep of their home and large sharp teeth allow them puncture and kill the small vertebrate prey species that cohabitate their underwater home. Whiskers around their face allow them to detect current movements and disruptions in the water near them while gills along their chest and back filters water into oxygen for their bloodstream.



    Spoiler: History
    Show

    The Atilons have lived generally peaceful lives and their history is not one marked by war or conflict but by confederation and consensus seeking between the powerful Reef cities that inhabit the world. In an ancient age long past the Reef cities were united by force under an imperial head but revolution deposed this dictator and local rule was instated. Nevertheless the forced hegemony had introduced certain valuable cultural touchstones such as a shared language and familial bonding between Reefs. These traditions have remained though changed by the centuries of cooperation in place of imposition. Currently five Reef cities dominate local politics as the Atilon League, a confederacy that controls major trade and ideological traditions. It was this League with whom UPT developed relations following their annexation of the region by the EDF.

    Spoiler: Philosophy
    Show

    While UPT desires to introduce and maintain an ideologically consistent viewpoint among their subjects the Atilons have so far remained steadfastly dedicated to obsession over local concerns and fail to pursue what the Symbraum consider to be "higher forms" of tautological thought.

    Reef City Belwar (Open): While currently uninhabited the ancient center of imperial splendor holds a cultural value to the Atilons who often look to Belwar for direction in matters as trivial as fashion to as serious matters as current or correct ideological thought.

    Spoiler: Resource
    Show

    The most valuable abundant resource in this sector are the Plutonium Diamonds crafted by the Atilons in their undersea Reef cities. This ultradense crystalline gemstones are refined from highly radioactive plutonium isotopes rendered inert in radiating the deadly invisible rays but maintaining the potential energy of the strong atomic forces. A single plutonium diamond the size of a small earring can run a sizable production factory for a year and larger diamonds are regularly produced by the Atilons for utility in their cities and sale to outside forces. Currently the three major Reef cities responsible for diamond production are:

    Reef City Iplit - Open
    Reef City Waldun - Open
    Reef City Aylab - Open




    Saybin Sector
    The Hundred Worlds
    O1

    Spoiler: Region
    Show

    The sector is noteworthy for its plethora of inhabited systems, which is attributed to the attention of the Callers long ago. It is figuratively called “the hundred worlds”, with a corresponding number of species, although this appears to be a figure of speech.

    Noteworthy planets include Attikis, the tellurian homeworld of the Attikins, Stigma, the abandoned home of the Servek, the densely forested Deva Loka, the giant Cythos, Keph with its curious orbit, and Chi-Ralix, the planet where the new Imperial capital has been established.

    Other places of interest include Nowhen, the tomb of the semi-legendary Neverbody, a Keltithoran conqueror from long ago, in which it is said he (being unable to truly die) is imprisoned, the Impossible City, a free-floating station contained within an atmospheric field, renowned for its mind-warping geometry, and the Necrophegar, a moon entirely given over to the graves of those who died in service of the Lords Martial during some ancient war, generally considered haunted and given a wide berth.

    Spoiler: History
    Show

    The history of the sector is ancient, and centres on the lost planet Keltithor. The Keltithorans were not the first creations of the Callers, but they may have been the first to have taken the now-familiar humanoid form, and they learned much from their creators. When the Callers vanished, the Keltithorans saw themselves as their creators' heirs. Their ruling caste, the Lords Temporal, retained Caller technology which combined with the knowledge imparted to them by their departed creators, lent them an unparalleled mastery of the forces of the universe.

    But the Lords Temporal had no desire to conquer. They maintained colonies, and observed, but, in their wisdom, stayed their hand and only when threats emerged to their own civilisation did they rouse themselves. For millennia, or longer, the sector flourished under the Keltithoran shield.

    That is until the last and most terrible of those threats, the Servek, emerged to challenge the Lords Temporal. Slow to realise the danger at first, the Lords Temporal found themselves drawn stage by stage into an all-consuming war. The Servek may not have had the same depth of knowledge and arcane technology as the Lords Temporal but they burned with a vitality and fierce intelligence which during the long years of plenty had ebbed from Keltithoran character. The Lords Temporal could still match the Servek for ruthlessness, however: the vaults of Caller artifacts were opened, and deployed in the service of death.

    After years of all-consuming war, the Servek launched an audacious assault on Keltithor itself, and the sector cowered in fear of the cataclysmic battle that erupted. But as news filtered out, it became apparent that something strange had happened. Keltithor, and the Servek, had vanished.

    Precisely what happened is a matter of conjecture. Some claim that the Servek destroyed Keltithor, and the resulting planetary eruption took their fleet with it, others that the Lords Temporal destroyed their own world to bring down the Servek. Those perhaps most knowledgeable tell a different tale: that the Lords Temporal planned a riposte that would have ended not only the war, but the galaxy, leaving only themselves, forever alone, beings of pure consciousness. In this version, it was the intercession of three Caller AIs acting in conjunction which destroyed the Servek, stopped the Lords' plan, and ripped Keltithor from its place in the galaxy to send it beyond known space.

    Whatever the truth, the Lords Temporal are gone. A handful of renegades, exiles or refugees from their home before the war, are said to survive: the Hermit, the Maestro, the Infidel, the Horologist, the Battle Captain, the Professor, but individuals only. Keltithoran colonies, shadows of the glory that was their paradise home, hold out in various stages of degeneracy across the sector. But in the absence of the Lords Temporal, new powers have taken hold of the sector.

    Spoiler: People
    Show

    There are a large number of sentient species, the majority of whom are humanoid. Some of the most significant cultures include:

    Attikins are perhaps the most common and widespread sapient species in the sector. They resemble humans but have very pale skin, with hair of yellow, blue or green. Once a warlike people, they spread across the sector, but despite their prolific expanse they are now in something of a decline, as their society has begun to stagnate and what was once a unified empire has disintegrated into a number of smaller states.

    The Terpsichore are to all intents and purposes human, but are of exceptional beauty. A peaceful people by nature, they were forced to develop some self-defence systems if only to dissuade slave raiders, as Terpsichorean brides have historically been much sought-after. Their homeworld of Keph has an unusual orbit and rotation which makes prolonged stays on the world uncomfortable for outsiders, perhaps one of the reasons it has never been permanently occupied. Their culture is particularly renowned for its dances.

    The Lords Spiritual are Keltithorans who broke away from their homeworld before its destruction and now try to keep the “old ways” of Keltithor alive. The Keltithorans superficially resemble humans but have a markedly different internal physiology. Most obviously this manifests itself in much more robust immune systems and telomere maintenance. As a result they are extremely long-lived, with lifespans lasting millennia by no means unheard of. Depending on your perspective the Lords Spiritual are either an unmatched repository of wisdom and knowledge, or little more than a cargo cult.

    The Grimhild are a warrior race, rarely seen outside their armour, who at their peak presented a threat even to the Lords Temporal themselves. In the immediate aftermath they sought to conquer the entire sector but were defeated by an unprecedented alliance of other species. In the long years since they have become no less dangerous but are kept contained by close watch of their neighbours.

    The Cythosi inhabit the giant planet of Cythos, and are uniquely adapted to its dense atmosphere. While off-world they are required to wear pressure suits and breathing apparatus, which has limited their reach, but they nevertheless

    The Tarvin, of Tarva, are a universally blond, humanoid, and rigidly caste-based people, controlled by a small elite with the remainder bred for their station. They are almost entirely female, with males used only for reproductive purposes and otherwise having no role in society.

    It is said that a number of renegade Lords Temporal stole spacecraft and departed their homeworld before the end. These individuals, known only by title, are said still to roam the sector, and possibly more widely, pursuing their own ends. They – the Hermit, the Maestro, the Battle Captain, the Physician, the Custodian, the Horologist, the Infidel, the Buccaneer – and perhaps more, would be by now ancient beings of great power, if there is any truth to the stories at all.

    Spoiler: Government
    Show

    No unified government existed prior to the coming of the Empire. Since then, an Imperial Governor has taken residence at the city of Otho Beacon, on the world of Chi-Ralix. Prior to their arrival this was not a prosperous, but not particularly powerful, planet, and the choice of it was intended to demonstrate that the new government is officially neutral and does not represent the triumph of one pre-existing culture over another.

    While all local authorities now answer to the Imperial Governor they otherwise are left to run their affairs largely unmolested.

    Spoiler: Resource
    Show

    While the region has a number of abundant resources due to the number of habitable planets, its most notable exports are the Stigmata Abominations generally known simply as slime monsters., which are all that is left of the Servek. These things are the result of extensive and ruinous genetic manipulation by the Servek upon themselves in order to attempt to generate the perfect warrior. The resulting creations were indeed formidable in combat, but both corporeally and mentally completely unstable. They proved almost impossible to control or restrain and quickly overran the Servek homeworld of Stigma itself together with a number of other worlds. A concentrated campaign of eradication reduced them back to Stigma, but the will no longer exists to extirpate them completely: rather, now, profiteers attempt to capture them to deploy in battle.

    Stigma has three stations for harvesting of the Slime Monsters, set up over the centuries by opportunist traders, though prior to occupation by the Empire none were occupied

    Spoiler: Ideology
    Show

    Historically, there has been no unifying ideology in the sector. Following contact with the Empire, diplomats arrived to spread the Imperial doctrine to learning centres in the sector and in particular the scholar-city of Arcamargo, the most renowned university and centre of learning.




    Avadain Sector
    R2

    Spoiler: Region
    Show
    There is little remarkable about the stars in the sector, which have in their orbit a number of worlds, some naturally habitable, others populated by workers living under biodomes, or previously terraformed.

    Most planets have been converted to heavy industrial use, with agriculture and residential districts surviving only insofar as they support the manufacturing facilities. While archaeologists might find traces of ancient larger non-factory buildings associated with ritual or government, most visible traces were destroyed during the perios of Eradicator occupation. The largest remaining structure was the Eradicator base, now itself ruined following an attack several years ago.


    Spoiler: People
    Show
    The Synecdoche are humanoid cyborgs. Over the course of their lifetimes, their organs and body parts are gradually replaced with prosthetics, but most significant are the mental augmentations. Starting in adolescence, implants are added to the Synecdoche's brains, expanding their memory capacity and the ability to process information. In time, live uplinks are added, allowing each member of the species access to the Mindweb. This allows the Synecdoche not only direct access to the full scope of their species' knowledge as if it formed part of their own memories, but, when necessary, to share brain capacity so that difficult problems can be solved by sharing the burden across multiple minds simultaneously.

    The same applies more prosaically to the cruder processors which control the remainder of their cybernetics, with software upgrades and patches distributed near-instantly across the species as they are developed.

    The downside is that after a few years of full access to the Mindweb, almost any trace of individuality is lost. Each member of the Synecdoche is entirely representative of the whole of their people – in every respect. This is one of the reasons why Mindweb access is delayed beyond adolescence, to allow for young members of the species to develop new ideas and innovations to assist with progress. It also helps to minimise vandalism, for while security protocols on the Mindweb are tight, mischievous members have on occasion unleashed viruses or false information which have run rampant, and adolescents are rather more prone to this sort of behaviour.

    Because of the very nature of the Mindweb and its effect on users, crime is relatively rare, but not wholly unheard of. The ultimate sanction for criminals is disconnection, which is used sparingly and with great reluctance. Those who have been disconnected lose their entire identity, and frequently lose the ability to do anything.

    The interconnectivity of the Mindweb proved a fatal flaw when a group of Eradicators somehow gained access to it and flooded it with self-interested information and directives, reducing the Syneccdoche to something of the status of slaves in their weapon factories. Only with the destruction of the Eradicator base and the spread of Imperial philosophy was this tendency corrected, but the long-term effects have yet to be established for certain.


    Spoiler: Resource
    Show
    During the period of Eradicator dominance, most of the production facilities on the sector were turned over to the manufacture of weapons, most notably the regional specialism photon torpedoes. More advanced than the neutron torpedoes generally used in the Imperial navy, their adoption as standard seems likely.


    Spoiler: Ideology
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    If there was a native ideology, it has been forgotten, extinguished by the Eradicators. The introduction of the Imperial ideology and its conception of plural entities making up a singular whole meshed well with the construction of the Mindweb, however, and the reinforcement of civilisation as a motive force, as against the destructive nihilism of the Eradicators, proved a key factor in eliminating Eradicator influence.

    While schools exist for the young, most “learning centres” are entirely virtual affairs, the most notable of which is the Nexus. Historically, there had been physical counterparts, all destroyed by the Eradicators.




    Karisin Sector
    X22

    Spoiler: Region
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    The region has one (native) inhabited system, around the star Aqualera. Among the planets in its orbit are Parnassus, with its moon Qohen. Both are inhabited by an advanced civilisation, with Qohen having been colonised at some point in the distant past.

    Other asteroids and moons in the system maintain more primitive colonies, but the Parnassans appear not to have ventured outside their own system save by means of unmanned probes.


    Spoiler: People
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    Parnassans are near-human, with a few minor physiological differences: in particular they have only four fingers on each hand (although some have a vestigial fifth finger).

    As a culture, they are deeply mired in bureaucracy, which, while remarkably efficient considering its sprawl, has had over the last few hundred years the tendency of slowing progress. In some sectors, the requirement to complete forms and acquire licences has become valued over actual expertise at the field in question. It is notoriously difficult to locate a good air conditioning repairman.

    In protest at this stultifying culture, there was an underground of more libertarian individuals calling themselves the Loophole. The Loophole were heavily persecuted, with membership becoming a strict liability offence punishable by incarceration and torture.


    Spoiler: History
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    In time immemorial, Parnassus formed itself into a unified political entity, and appeared to run efficiently as an aristocratic meritocracy. In this period, known (now) as the Golden Age, Qohen was colonised, and work begun on colonies further afield.

    At some point, however, the system fell under the sway of a series of influential individuals, who, whatever their true intentions, presided over a stagnation of the bureaucracy and political system. The civilisation, now called the Democratic People's Republic of Mancom, was led by a series of Supreme Leaders and gradually turned inwards, and, in response to the individualist resistance movement the Loophole, became crueller and yet more authoritarian.

    When the Empire reached the region, the Supreme Leader offered it submission, which was politely refused. Something of a stalemate ensued as the DPRM did not have the resources to attack and subdue the Empire, but the Empire, otherwise occupied with larger wars, could not spare its own resources to occupy the region.

    Eventually the Empire returned, its newly developed ideology of Imperialism having obtained something of a following in the region. As pressure grew to join the Empire, the Loophole managed to penetrate the Supreme Leader's quarters and defenestrated him, before sending a message to the Empire to take possession of the region.

    An Imperial Governor took the seat of the former Supreme Leader and control of the system bureaucracy – and swiftly placed the leaders of the Loophole on trial.


    Spoiler: Resource
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    There are a number of substances found in the region that are as yet unknown anywhere else in Axiom, including the heaviest element yet known (Brazilium). It has no protons or electrons and thus has an atomic number of 0. However, it does have one neutron, 125 assistant neutrons, 75 vice neutrons and 111 assistant vice neutrons, which gives it an atomic mass of 312. These 312 particles are held together by a force that involves the continuous exchange of meson-like particles called morons.

    This is, however, a scientific curiosity, and the more relevant material for trading purposes is Octiron. This is a strange iridescent metal with properties which have yet to be fully determined. It appears to have a similarity to radioactive materials, but the particles given off do not correspond to any known form of radiation, nor does it appear to decay. What is known is that when struck it emits pure silence: not only is it silent in itself, but deadens all other sound around it. This has already seen it find some use, but it is speculated it can do much more.


    Spoiler: Ideology
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    Other than some old and inefficient centres of obsolete ritual, the principal learning centre is the Hall of Records, the formidable grey headquarters of the region's bureaucrats. Within, individuals are denoted strictly by numerical rank, with the whole overseen by the much-feared Number One.

    The efficient bureaucracy of Parnassus was quickly adapted to an Imperialist viewpoint, with the Emperor merely replacing the Supreme Leader at the head of the structure. It is now accepted orthodoxy within the Hall of Records.




    Shav'riyin Sector
    T26

    Spoiler: Region
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    The region is a fairly desolate spiral starfield, with most of its stars in a white dwarf state or similar. From the plane of the galactic disc the spiral seems to descend to a central, focal point, where on closer inspection is located cluster of black dwarfs.

    There is one inhabited world, Ostanes – believed to be the sole habitable world in the sector – orbiting one of the few main-sequence stars, Spitaman. That world is only barely habitable, shrouded in a dark, gloomy, dense atmosphere, which allows only red light to penetrate. The surface is little better, mostly covered in ash.

    Habitation appears to be limited to large city states, in reality expanded temple complexes, and a small maintained area around each for arable and livestock cultivation. These temples vary in size, but perhaps the most noteworthy are Lemegeton, with its awesome tower that stands ten miles high, and the burning bright beacons of Picatrix.


    Spoiler: People
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    The people of Ostanes appear human, more or less. Society is divided between the Wizards and the serfs who act as their support structure: providing menial labour, maintaining the food supply, etc. The Wizards occupy towers and larger buildings above ground, while the serfs (except those few in personal service to a wizard) live in the undercities, known as the Great Below.

    While occasionally Wizards will descend into the Great Below to recruit promising serfs, over generations of effective separation and inbreeding, the two populations have diverged and both have become rather degenerate in different ways. Serfs with the mental acuity fit to become Wizards are rarer and rarer, while there are Wizards so pampered and atrophied they are barely able to lift a fork to their own mouths without assistance. Moreover, many Wizards have used the serfs as subjects for experimentation and development, creating homunculi to act as servitors for them.

    With most basic needs of the Wizards catered for by the serfs and their other servants, society has become increasingly decadent. Wizards may spend their entire working lives searching for the perfect drug, or means of providing happiness in slavery for the serfs: not out of any real compassion, but to reduce the prospect of inconvenient uprisings.

    Wizard life is heavily competitive and individualistic, but the Wizards have organised themselves into various societies and parties for their own self-interest. Known as Schools, these frequently focus on a particular area of wizardry, and by forming diverging specialisms, the strain of destructive competition between gangs of Wizards has been largely curtailed. In turn, most of these Schools are highly authoritarian and hierarchical, as the senior Wizards seek to maintain control over ambitious underlings who might topple them.

    The heads of each School meet for regular conferences, the chairman of which (while in session) is the closest thing the planet has to a head of government.


    Spoiler: History
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    According to the ancient histories of the region, the sector, after its creation, was once replete with main-sequences stars supporting numerous habitable planets and a wide variety of life. After the departure of the creators, however, it fell victim to rapacious predators known as the Ink – or more popularly, as the Starsuckers. They swarmed across the sector, systematically destroying everything in their path, and draining each star of its energy in turn.

    When only one planet remained, the Ink were defeated by a noble fraternity of Wizards, who harnessed the occult powers of the galaxy to overcome the Ink and banish them into the void.

    If the legends are true (and astronomical observation has confirmed that the stellar composition of the sector appears to have been artificially changed at some point in the distant past) the Wizards have fallen far from their former glory, becoming petty tyrants on their surviving world.

    After a long period of isolation, Ostanes was reached by the Veritus, and a number of the Wizards apparently seized upon the timorousness of their contacts to begin plotting an expansion into neighbouring sectors, with the Veritus as their slaves. These plans were somewhat abruptly halted when six ships of the Ninurtine Imperial Navy appeared in orbit. Having received positive reports of the acceptance of the Imperial philosophy on the planet, HIMS Intercourse and the Contact B fleet had been dispatched to bring the sector peacefully into the Empire.

    Although the ships themselves were mostly unarmed, the Empire clearly represented a rather different prospect to the Veritus, and debate ensued about which route to take. Although there were many who continued to press for the Veritus option, fear won out over opportunism, and the Wizards duly contacted the Intercourse to agree to submission to the Emperor.


    Spoiler: Resource
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    (Galactic) Wizards are not only the dominant portion of society, but the primary export of the region. Individual Wizards can vary enormously in personality and physical appearance, but almost all are suffused with an enormous arrogance. In some cases this ego is even matched by their powers.

    In most cases though a Wizard's powers are outstripped by contemporary technology, which suggests that they have declined far from the ancient days when their magic was capable of battling insterstellar foes and preserved stars. (Research into the decline of magic is a popular subject among unskilled Wizards). Nevertheless, a skilfully deployed Wizard with expertise in a relevant area of sorcery can be a great asset.


    Spoiler: Ideology
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    The great temples are all dedicated to the same entity, the Maccio Star, reportedly a crystalline being of some sort. It is speculated that the Maccio Star had some special significance in the battle against the Ink, perhaps a supernatural being that came to their aid, or simply a manifestation of Spitaman itself, and its survival in the face of the war. Imperial historians have speculated on whether the being on which the Maccio Star was based was in fact a Caller AI of some description.

    That is however a religion more than anything, with extensive ritual and devotional components but now imparting relatively little practical philosophy. On that level, Imperialism took hold during the first years following contact and provided the seeding ground for the claim by the Imperial Navy.
    Last edited by Aedilred; 2020-04-13 at 05:09 PM.
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