Empire! 8 - The Planets of Tekhum

[Morph Bark]

The Llort Society Protectorate

Pitch: Space magic demon scientist/explorers who wish to serve only the Greater Good of the Empire, through research and development of further ways to explore the galaxy and connect the people of the Empire together.

Capital: Region 88

Demonym: llort (people), Sosai / Societese (language)

Starting Faith: the Imperial Cult (Majority)

Resource: Crystal Weave (Conductors & Circuitry + Fabrics and Textile Products)
Desired Import: Ores and Alloys

Starting Technologies: Arcane Amplification, Vacuum Adaptation

Spoiler: Geography - al-Miraiya d'Hayeli (MIR), CWD-31

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The Llort Society Protectorate has based itself on the CWD-31 asteroid, more commonly called al-Miraiya d'Hayeli. When seen from other asteroids in the Mekhala belt, it appears as shining as a tiny star, a companion to distant Ophon.

This is a feature of the mirrored flats, vast fields that form the surface of al-Miraiya, a sheen of shining silica, mixed with metal and gemstone all together in some big reflective puzzle. This causes people's stay on al-Miraiya to absolutely require sunglasses and other tools to prevent being blinded. They'll also need thick rubber boots to prevent from being shocked, unless they never touch the ground.

The llort live in and welcome any guests in their domed residences called lightning domes, for their surface crackles with electric charges. These domes are well-insulated and only dimly lit on the inside, often just from the glow of its residents.

One large feature visible from space (to those that can withstand looking directly at al-Miraiya) is a huge, curved gap, a crevasse called the Mouth of the Emperor since time immemorial. This crevasse goes deep into the heart of al-Miraiya and is where people are officially inducted into the Society as adults.

Spoiler: People - the Llort and the Society

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While the Society is open to more species, the grand majority of them (~69-88%) consists of the llort species.

Appearance
An adult llort appears between 6 ft / 180 cm and 8 ft / 240 cm tall with a roughly humanoid shape and sinewy bodies. Their skin comes in all the colours of a rainbow and more, though the main bloodlines identified are Red-spectrum, Green-spectrum, Blue-spectrum, Octarine-spectrum, Infra-spectrum (sometimes appearing black, sometimes red), Ultra-spectrum (sometimes appearing black, sometimes violet) and The Color Out of Space (magenta). In addition, one may encounter solitary greybloods, also called the Desaturated or Uncoloured.

Llort have a pair of horns atop their head and bony growths on their backs. They have tails that can be as thick as their legs. Their toes are clawed. Horns, claws, fingernails and teeth are typically black, though some llort are known to dye them. Some llort have hair implants, usually as a gift from a hair-having friendly peoples. Their eyes have black sclera and the irises are typically golden yellow or silvery white.

It is said that llort once had wings, when the Empire was strong. Now, any llort that do have little more than stumps. Some llort scientists dream of one day giving the llort their wings back, either literally or figuratively.

Biology
Llort are adapted to life in space. They are bioluminescent and their bodies run warm from an inner heat. They have very tough smooth skin and don't sweat, instead radiating heat from the bony growths on their backs, their horns and mouths. Llort consume food as humans do and can consume raw ore as well. Llort do not poop. Instead any potential waste gets burnt to add to their internal heat and any remaining particles get expelled with the air coming out of their backs. This occasionally results in a "belch" of noxious smoke after a particularly harsh meal.

Culture - The Society
The Society is built entirely around the ideal of being the Emperor's eyes and ears on the edges of the Empire. To serve. To pray. To explore. To learn. To know.

The Society aims itself towards progress, universal exploration, and unity with its fellow Empire citizens. To that end, occasionally solitary llort are catapulted out of the Mouth of the Emperor into space, to go and explore or lay contact with other peoples.

Culture - The Llort
Llort typically are raised in "wing families" by elderly llort who are past child-birthing age, typically ~120 at the youngest. These are usually a mixture of different bloodlines of llort. Some of the parents may be a non-llort Society member, but at least one is always a llort.

When a llort reaches the legal age of adulthood as dictated by the Empire's records--18 standard years old, although biological maturity is later--they are inducted officially in the Society. A ceremony is conducted in the heart of al-Miraiya once every 3 years for the llort that reached age 18 in the past 3 years.

At this point, a llort will also enter a "horn family" of their choice, which are typically made up mostly of llort of around their age and of the same bloodline, but without any biological siblings or first cousins. A database is kept to ensure no incest will occur. Usually a llort will have already found and chosen a suitable horn family before being inducted into the Society.

History
According to official history logs, the Society was formed 200 standard years ago, and the llort predate it by some time. The logs state that the llort exist because the Emperor found them at the edge of Ophon's light, beyond Mekhala, while the Emperor was searching for long-lost human life. The logs state that the llort are humans, unaltered by anything but evolution in the farthest reaches of space in the times before any of Empire's logs. What lies in those dark depths of history is but left up to Faith alone... at least until the llort can find that knowledge again.

Spoiler: Resources

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The Society's greatest resource is the crystal weave, a kind of cloth magically crafted from silica, gold, platinum and carbon. It flows fluidly like silk and can be used to conduct electricity incredibly efficiently. This makes it incredibly useful in the creation of a lot of technological devices, as well as a channel for the Society's brand of magic.

Unfortunately, while the resources necessary for it are available locally, other ores and alloys are not. The Society has great need for these to create their protective homes and any mundane devices and tools.

Spoiler: Faith - the Imperial Cult

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Just like Mekhala lies on the edge of the known world, the Imperial Cult lies on the edge of the known, period. Science is key to where we have reached, but where our knowledge ends, our faith begins. The Imperial Cult is worship of the Emperor as a holy being, role model and guide, much like the star Ophon is a guide in the sky to navigate by when high-tech tools fail.

The llort's faith is about the unknown, of Holy Space and what lies therein and beyond. The Emperor and Their Star, Ophon, are a lodestone in this faith, and al-Miraiya is its mirror, like a pendulum swinging from the lodestone center. The Emperor is its official head, with local representatives chosen by Society members to make up a web, a network of nodes, of people, of knowledge, connecting all throughout the blackness of Holy Space.

Magic
One thing that lies on the edge of the known is magic. It requires both faith and understanding. The magic of the Society is based in light, like the light the llort naturally emit. Others can learn to harness this as well and to shape the light into useable, hard-light forms.

[Elemental]

The Kingdom of High Ishtahnos
The Highlands of Ishtahnos
Region 65
By the Light of the Sun, His Royal Highness, John IV, High King of Ishtahnos, Lord of the Clans, Chief of the Silverfang, King of the Five Mountains, Grand Marshall and Defender of the Small,
Elect of the Empire and Loyal Servant of His Grace the Emperor

First Minister Johnathon Royston Rageclaw
Rolls.
Diplomacy: 3
Military: 5
Economy: 3
Faith: 3
Intrigue: 2

Spoiler: History

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The recorded history of the Ishtahn goes back to just after the War of Eternal Bombardments. With their land scorched by the celestial fire of Imperial weapons the Ishtahn were forced to take shelter in tunnel networks beneath the ground for many years before they were able to return to the surface. What they found was a landscape shrouded in darkness, some foul sorcery of the war had turned the Sun black in what appeared to be a perpetual eclipse. Life was harsh during what was known as the Dark Age and the Clans were often forced towards putting their own needs before their more distant kin. But still they persisted, hunting the beasts of the plains, taming the vicious nightmares, battling the demons that lurked in the dark and carving out towns underground.

For a thousand years the darkness covered the land and the Ishtahn grew accustomed to the darkness. They worshipped the Moons that gave them the strength to endure and began to develop their code of honour. Slowly the Clans began to work together but they never truly made any great steps against the demons. That is until the first day of the second millennium dawned and rather than the black Sun they were met with rays of pure Sunlight. Things got more than a little crazy for a while after their sudden empowerment, but after a month or so things calmed down and the Ishtahn were able to come together. The Council of Clans was formed and they resolved to claim the surface world. The end of the Dark Age came to be known as the Dawn.

In the centuries that followed the Ishtahn prospered and experienced a great cultural and religious awakening. The tunnels were abandoned and proper cities on the surface were built, the arts and sciences flourished, commercial contacts with distant lands were established, migrants were accepted, Great Charters were written that established and then strengthened democracy, social programmes were enacted. Aside from a demonic invasion four hundred years ago and a kerfuffle with a mysterious orb one hundred and fifty years ago everything's been looking up.

Spoiler: Geography

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The Highlands of Ishtahnos, like much of Veehra, is predominantly a cold, dusty desert. It can be found at the northern edge of the Great Highlands of Veehra with much its of territory made up of highland plains that gently slope upwards to three great mountains. While other mountains do exist within the Highlands, they are much smaller both in height and spread.

The largest of the three great mountains in terms of land area, but third in height, is Mons Karavon near the northern edge of Ishtahnos. It is approximately elliptical and over a thousand kilometres from east to west, but is extremely shallow in slope and is more akin to a flat plain than a mountain. Though average annual snowfall is low most of the upper slopes of Mons Karavon are covered in a thick layer of glacial ice built up over untold millennia. High winds alternatively deposit and sweep away dust leading to a visually shifting landscape of brilliant white ice and red-orange dust.

Much more impressive is Mons Azania which lies in the southern region of Ishtahnos. It is the second highest peak on Veehra and is much steeper than any other of the three great mountains of Ishtahnos. Its upper slopes are dotted by glaciers and snow, but the peak region of Mons Azania is so high it protrudes above most of Veehra's atmosphere and whatever snow manages to fall there is sublimated in the harsh, unfiltered Sun to leave behind bare rock. However despite the desolate conditions, the great altitude is perfect for astronomical observations and so the summit is dotted with telescopes. The ruined city of Deira fills the mountain's caldera with the twisted remnants of a glass and metal dome still partially arcing over it.

A bit further south at the very edge of Ishtahnos lies Mons Khassia. Though not as tall as Mons Azania it is still an impressive mountain, though this is somewhat dulled by being located deeper into the Great Highlands. In terms of glaciation it is similar to Mons Azania. Its remoteness has caused the Ishtahn to leave it alone for the most part.

As indicated, the remainder of the land of Ishtahnos consists of gently sloping plains cut by the occasional river valley. Below the glaciers is a vast barren desert that covers approximately a third of all Ishtahnos. What little water in this region is locked away in permafrost and the winds blow away any soil before it can develop. As a result the only vegetation of note consists of lichens clinging to rock and hardy, stunted grasses that grow in what little shelter is available. Little in the way of animal life makes its home here aside from small mammals such as red hare, sparse herds of tundra deer and the very rare Karavon serpent.

The remaining portion of Ishtahnos on the lower slopes is warmer with less intense winds and a greater annual rainfall. It is still, however, predominantly a desert. Statistics compiled by the Royal Geographical Society of High Ishtahnos place the lower slopes as being approximately fifty-eight percent dust dunes that support almost no vegetation or animal life. Where there is more access to groundwater the dunes give way to xeric scrub that cover approximately twenty-two percent of the lower slopes. The vegetation consists of thorn covered shrubs or cacti and is often extremely poisonous, nevertheless hardy herbivores with resilient constitutions make their homes here. The remaining twenty percent consists of scrublands and dry grasslands depending on local soil conditions. Ironically where the soil is poor grasses are unable to take hold and so a huge diversity of flowering plants is able to thrive which erupt into a blaze of colour whenever there is sufficient rain. This abundance of vegetation supports large herds of herbivorous mammals and their predators. Some of the more iconic animals include the aurochs, plains wolves, nightmares, highland lions, chamaeleon flower serpents, gold dust butterflies and the dreaded obsidian winged eagle.

Fed by glaciers and rainfall, rivers cut through the plains of Ishtahnos, carving out wide valleys for themselves which are somewhat sheltered from the winds. The deeper soils here combined with the more constant supply of water mean that these are the only parts of Ishtahnos capable of supporting trees. Stands of gnarled pines grow that help to prevent the loss of fertile topsoil and in the lowest sections of the valleys near the western border groves of wild apple trees cling to the slopes. During the Winter the rivers freeze over, but this is little hindrance to the fish that live within them.

Ishtahn cities and towns are built with a relatively simple architectural style out of brick and stone which is often then plastered over to protect the underlying masonry or brickwork from dust. The plaster starts off white but slowly becomes redder and redder as dust sticks to it. Windows tend to be small and are outfitted with carved wooden shutters and most buildings. Exterior ornamentation is somewhat limited as ornate designs are harder to clean, but geometric patterns in the plaster as well as decorative ironwork on verandas and balconies are very common features. Most cities are located above, or near to, networks of underground tunnels where the Ishtahn once lived. These tunnels have since been abandoned save for occasional use for storage. Rail networks crisscross the country and aqueducts bring additional water down from the mountains.

The principal cities of the Highlands, and the only cities with populations in excess of two million, are as follows:
Dantenon, the largest city and primary industrial hub.
Ketravan, located near the western border, a secondary industrial hub, trading centre and site of Ishtahnos's largest university.
Harazan, the capital and cultural centre.
Corvopolitanus, a secondary industrial hub and site of Ishtahnos's oldest university.
Sarcorov, the centre of the Church of the Benevolent Sun.
Ak'Harrek, located on the southern border serving as a commercial hub for international trade.

Spoiler: People

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Ishtahnos has a population of approximately fifty-six and a half million, of which fifty-four million are Ishtahn, human werewolves native to Veehra. The remaining two and a half million consist of minorities that have moved to Ishtahnos over the centuries. By far the largest minority is the Varn Clan, a group of human nomads who settled in the eastern parts of the Highlands approximately six hundred years ago. They are worshippers of the Mother Serpent and though integrated into Ishtahn society they maintain their own ways and many retain their nomadic lifestyle. Other minorities are urban in nature and are descended from traders and artisans who migrated to Ishtahnos's cities. They number approximately one and a half million and originate from a variety of lands across Veehra.

The remainder of this section will focus on the Ishtahn.

Spoiler: Biology

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The Ishtahn are a population of human werewolves native to Veehra. Their physical appearance in human form is mostly unremarkable, save for their size with the average Ishtahn adult male standing at seven feet, or two hundred and thirteen centimetres in height and the average adult female only slightly shorter at six foot nine inches, or two hundred and six centimetres. They are possessed of powerful physiques and their strength is further heightened by their magical nature. They are twice as strong as a human their size and build would indicate and possess considerable durability and regenerative capabilities, they are able to shrug off small arms fire and regrow lost limbs over the course of several weeks. In addition they are hairier than most humans and their hair grows at a faster rate and baldness and other forms of hair loss are extremely rare.

As werewolves, the Ishtahn have the capability to shift from their standard human form to an anthropomorphic lupine form. When "wolfing out", the Ishtahn grow in height by approximately six to eight inches, or fifteen to twenty centimetres, with a commensurate increase in mass. Their fur is usually black or dark brown and around their thirtieth year their fur develops silver patches and streaks that grow in number over time. In this form they receive not only a new appearance and increased size, but their strength is boosted considerably. Estimates put the strength of a transformed Ishtahn as being equivalent to that of ten normal human men and armour piercing weapons are required to pierce their hides. They also gain a considerable boost to speed, agility and to their hearing and olfactory abilities. Their claws are also capable of ripping through steel.

Of important note, however, is that an Ishtahn cannot gain access to their full strength without exposure to direct Sunlight. When in indirect or reflected Sunlight they gain very little strength from transforming and cannot transform at all when completely shielded from the Sun.

Psychologically speaking, the Ishtahn are mostly the same as humans everywhere else, but their lycanthropic nature gives them an enhanced sense of empathy and an innate friendliness that causes them to view all peoples as part of their pack. It is very difficult for them to turn a blind eye to those who are suffering and they are nearly incapable of turning away those who need their help. Fortunately they are much better at picking up on body language and other subtle tells than most people so it is difficult to trick them, however this has two side effects, they are uncomfortable around machines and other non-biological entities and successful betrayal is something they find almost impossible to forgive.

When an Ishtahn and a non-Ishtahn human have children, the children inherit some Ishtahn traits. While at least two thirds Ishtahn blood is required to fully transform, those with more dilute blood bounce back from injuries much more quickly than most humans, are still unusually strong and find themselves growing claws in direct Sunlight.

Spoiler: Culture

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The Ishtahn are a friendly people who are welcoming towards outsiders. Their society is egalitarian and provides for the needs of its people without question in the form of wide ranging social programmes and guaranteed freedoms. They are not ones to stand on ceremony and in general live rough and tumble lives. Their attire is well suited to the dust and cold of Veehra and often includes long dusters, an additional hooded cloak, thick scarves and bandanas and broad brimmed hats. When outdoors they have very little skin exposed save for the area around the eyes and some or all of their hands.

The traditional way of life for the Ishtahn is one that involves ranging on the open plains herding aurochs and this way of life is still followed by nearly a third of all Ishtahn. Even many city born Ishtahn spend a few years out on the plains to get in touch with their culture and gain familiarity with the great beasts of the plains and wastes. Even those who do not choose to spend part of their youth following the herds still learn how to ride the fierce nightmares of the highlands and how to fight both in their human form and werewolf form.

During war the Ishtahn don black uniforms which include lightweight nanoweave armour which is often augmented with ornamented plates of steel superalloys. This is due to their preference for fielding light troops mounted on nightmares which perform better in Veehra's dust deserts. For common troops gold is used as a highlight both woven into cloth and also electroplated onto weapons, whereas elite troops and marines make use of white and silver highlights to indicate their status. While they have plenty of guns, often fitted with bayonets, the Ishtahn prefer to fight in melee, commonly utilising zweihanders on foot and lances when mounted. Elite troops are known to use katars in close quarters combat and when in werewolf form the Ishtahn take advantage of the additional speed and agility to dual wield a sword and long knife. Other weapons are seen but these are the ones most commonly issued by the army.

Since time immemorial, the Ishtahn have been divided into Clans. While in the past the Clans squabbled over resources since the Dawn they have worked together towards the good of all. Over the centuries the differences between the Clans have lessened somewhat, though each still maintains their own symbols, colours and traditions. The most important aspect of Ishtahn culture that survives from the days of the Clans is the Ishtahn Honour Code. The Code outlines the shared values of Ishtahn society; honesty, loyalty to Clan and country, freedom from tyranny, charity, kindness and hospitality. The full code is quite lengthy but it doesn't stray far from these points.

The following are the Ishtahn Clans and their approximate populations:
4500000 - Clan Redwind
4200000 - Clan Shadowclaw
4100000 - Clan Silverfang
3700000 - Clan Dusthide
3400000 - Clan Riverrun
3200000 - Clan Iron Moon
3100000 - Clan Singing Wolf
2800000 - Clan Windsong
2800000 - Clan High Mountain
2700000 - Clan Demons' Bane
2500000 - Clan Wastewander
2000000 - Clan Desert Rain
1900000 - Clan Rageclaw
1800000 - Clan Burning Lion
1400000 - Clan Shadow Dream
1300000 - Clan Nighthowl
1300000 - Clan Wildheart
1200000 - Clan Redheart
1100000 - Clan Howling Moon
1000000 - Clan Darksand
1900000 - Clan Dreadfang
1800000 - Clan Blue Sky
1600000 - Clan Falling Sun
500000 - Clan Black Serpent
400000 - Clan Golden Claw
300000 - Clan Blacksun
300000 - Clan Frostrider
200000 - Clan Stormhowl

Spoiler: Magic

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The Ishtahn are, to put it simply, bad at magic. They have no special innate ability, technological aid or secret ancient knowledge of the finer points of the arcane. In addition their lycanthropic nature interferes with the flow of magic through their body greatly limiting the amount of arcane energies they can draw on. As a result their sorcerers lean heavily on the art of Gramarye, a system of magic that utilises sigils, calligraphy and written charms. The Ishtahn utilise this magic for two principal purposes, illusions and daemonology.

Illusions: Scrolls are prepared with representative calligraphy, often of animals, that when activated creates a partly tangible illusion of the animal in question. Said illusions, especially when examined closely, appear to be made of writing. Special inks and parchments are used for this art and though the process of preparing the scrolls is usually very time consuming, the resulting illusion is more tangible if activated while the ink is still wet on the page.

Daemonology: In the past the Ishtahn had a problem with demons and unfortunately they were of the kind that cannot be easily banished by stabbing them repeatedly because they'd just get up again eventually. Fortunately the Ishtahn eventually figured out that a binding circle doesn't have to be a stationary affair. Enchanted golden lassos and bolas quickly became standard for dealing with the threat. Once the demon was wrestled into submission a paper charms containing seals of binding would be used to either banish or compel it into obedience.

Though this started out to deal with rampaging demons, Ishtahn daemonologists have also studied how to summon their own demons. As the Ishtahn lack the magical might to compel a demon into service even with a properly set up binding circle they are forced to only summon demons who they can physically subdue long enough to affix charms to.

Spoiler: Government

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In the past the Ishtahn Clans were essentially independent from one another with the High King's position, when there was a High King, being primarily one focussed on resolving unnecessary disputes. After the Dawn when the Clans came together a Council of Clans was created and Chief Lucas of Clan Silverfang was made the High King by unanimous assent due to his leadership during that chaotic period. As things calmed down Great Charters began to be released that curtailed the powers of the High King and the Council of Clans in favour of the elected parliament that now rules the Ishtahn. Reserve and emergency powers are retained by the High King and the Council of Clans, though their roles in the current day are primarily cultural and ceremonial. The current High King is John IV, who at thirty-eight years of age has been High King for five years.

The Parliament of High Ishtahnos, as defined by the Great Charters, is a bicameral legislature with elections held every three years. Voting is mandatory for all citizens of at least eighteen years of age.

The lower house, or the House of Delegates, is made up of one hundred and fifty members. The members are elected from three member constituencies that are adjusted according to a mathematical algorithm every two parliamentary terms. The House Speaker, who is chosen by pulling names out of a hat for each legislative term, is a non-voting member but on the plus side gets to be able to tell other delegates to shut up.

The upper house, or House of State Counsellors, has one hundred and twenty elected members that serve a maximum of two six year terms and unlike the House of Delegates, candidates must be at least forty years of age. Rather than constituencies, State Counsellors are elected by the entire electorate with three seats reserved for minorities, two for the Varn and one for urban minorities. There are in addition three unelected and non-voting members, the Bishop of Harazan, the Lord Advocate and the Master of Nightmares, who serve as advisors and break ties.

The executive arm of the government is headed by the First Minister who is chosen from among the Delegates during a joint sitting of parliament at the beginning of each legislative term. The First Minister then forms a cabinet which must be confirmed at a second joint sitting. At any time a vote of no confidence against the First Minister or a member of their cabinet may be called.

The currency issued by the Ishtahn government is the Ishtahn Gold Mark. Though polymer banknotes and small denomination coins of bronze are also issued, the Mark is also issued as once coins of solid gold with the High King's effigy on the obverse and a new design on the reverse every year. Despite being minted of solid gold it is still a fiat currency.

Spoiler: Resource

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Veehran Aurochs (Meat and Animal Products, Fauna)
The Highlands of Ishtahnos are rich enough in resources to provide for all the needs of its citizenry, even a fair amount of luxuries, but there is little that their industries can spare for export without falling short of domestic demand. The one thing they do have in abundance however are Aurochs. The Veehran Aurochs is a ten tonne shaggy behemoth of a bovine with horns that can rip through plate steel. The Ishtahn have domesticated these animals and graze them on the grasslands of the Highlands, following the herds from the backs of their nightmares and driving them to the cities to be slaughtered or readied for live export. That is, if you think you can handle them.

Spices
While the inhabitants have most of their needs and desires met by local industries and agriculture, the lands of Ishtahnos are ill-suited for the cultivation of more than a few comparatively bland spices. New trade routes must be opened to meet this demand lest Ishtahn cuisine languish in obscurity forever.

Spoiler: Faith

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Majority: The Church of the Benevolent Sun

Though freedom of religion is guaranteed by the Great Charter of 1707, the Church of the Benevolent Sun is also recognised by that same charter as the State Church. As evidenced by its name, the Church reveres the Sun as the benevolent source of light and life and they further view the Ishtahn as one of the Sun's favoured peoples due to the effects of sunlight on Ishtahn physiology. Rather than using this as an excuse to be smug and elitist, the Church has adopted a stance of living up to the high burdens of such favour and so teaches the importance of helping out the unfortunate and defending the weak, teachings in line with the Ishtahn Honour Code.

The hierarchy of the Church of the Benevolent Sun is a rather simple and decentralised one. In most cities and many large towns there is a cathedral run by a chapter of canons who elect a bishop from among their number. Bishops are responsible for overseeing parishes in the surrounding province. The only exception is the city of Sarcorov, which has no province and serves as the seat of the Archbishop who is elected from among the other bishops by a grand synod of all the canons. The Archbishop's role is primarily to help resolve matters of dispute between the provinces, act as an advisor to the High King and perform religious ceremonies for the state. Priests may be men or women and can marry and have children.

The seat of the Church of the Benevolent Sun is the Archbasilica of the Golden Sun, commonly referred to as the Golden Cathedral, in the city of Sarcorov. The oldest parts of this complex are over eight hundred years old though the majority dates back five hundred years.

Minority faiths: The Cult of the Mind
The Cult of Avva
The Soulbound Dance
The Mother Serpent
The Wolf Heart

In addition to the state religion several religious minorities exist. Some of these, the Cult of Avva, the Cult of the Mind and the Soulbound Dance are present due to merchants and artisans moving to Ishtahnos to engage in commerce and starting communities in the region's cities. The Mother Serpent is the faith of a nomadic group who migrated into Ishtahnos centuries ago.

The Wolf Heart, meanwhile, is an attempted revival of the pre-Dawn faith of the Ishtahn. Its adherents revere the moons, reject the Church hierarchy, emphasise unscientific aspects of wolf behaviour and advocate a return to the Old Law before the Kingdom was established. Most of the Ishtahn do not take them very seriously or ignore them.

Spoiler: Starting Tech

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Dust Hardening: Like most of the peoples of Veehra, the Ishtahn know well the hassle of dust and have thus gone to great lengths to insulate their machinery and electronics from it.
Nuclear Fusion: Approximately a century ago the Ishtahn cracked the secret of reliable, efficient fusion power and this transformed society, drastically reducing the cost of industry and improving the lives of the populace. Unfortunately the reactors were very large and due to the difficulties of constructing transmission lines across the dust deserts remote regions were forced to rely on less efficient and thus more expensive methods of generating electricity which hindered their economic growth and quality of life. Ishtahn researchers worked on this for decades, attempting to miniaturise the fusion generators with no success. Fortunately twenty-five years ago an individual who was part of a group of wandering refugees from the south got a job at the University of Corvopolitanus. Within a month he'd managed to iron out all the flaws in the prototype schematics and within three years the first portable fusion engines had been successfully trialled and within a decade every city, town and train was lit by miniature suns. Sir Professor Todd Stevens Jun. M. Tech has received numerous high honours for this work and the truck sized fusion generators he helped design are called Stevens Engines in his honour.

[Lt-Murgen]

U.N.N.C.L.E
United Neural Networks Confounding Limitless Exigency
Requested Region: 3

Spoiler: summary

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An aerostat built around technological-mages committed to bringing about a universe-manipulating messiah

Spoiler: Geography

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The UNNCLE aerostat is seems to borrow from ancient history in its design. It could easily be mistaken for a primitive bi-wing plane of the early aviation days, if not for its massive size. A central oval structure is sandwiched between two massive ‘wings’. Extending backward beyond the wings, the cylindrical structure continues backwards for a considerable distance until it is capped off with a third, smaller wing and additional vertical one. The entire structure glistens in the bright sunlight. Its entire outer structure is composed of hexagonal latticework of corrosion carbon-fiber spun beams encompassing thick boro-silicate glass.
The aerostat is comprised of the following regions:
Lower wing: The lower wing is where most of the mechanicals for the aerostat are congregated. Large hangers along the aft edge allow for dirigible docking. The air management, heat management, and propulsion systems occupy vast areas linked by miles-long corridors and accessways. On the dorsal surface, hundreds of small hangers continually launch and retrieve smaller drone versions of the aerostat. These are guided through the clouds to scoop up the resources that are then processed by the rest of the wing. Many other aerostats saw the fine particulate matter in the atmosphere as problematic. Here, the particulates- largely silicates of various kinds- are highly prized. Despite the nature of the work, the hallways are cool, shaded from the intense sun by the upper wing.
Upper wing:The upper wing is hot, humid, and generally unpleasant to be in. The Ventral surface has the thickest glass, and the intense sun pours in through them power countless solar cells and heat abject-black water pipes. The pipes feed into the aquacultural systems on levels below, where all the food is grown. Waste recycling occupies the ventral levels, and intense recycling machinery ensures maximum reuse. There are several docking bays along the aft surface as well, and this is typically where visitors and traders dock.
Control Center: At the aft of the aerostat, a structure like an inverted T juts out. At the very top is the helm, both literally and figuratively. It is the government center as well as the main control center for the entire aerostat. It also contains all of the hotel and office space for visitors.
Central Core: From a visitor’s perspective, the central core is quite beautiful. A park stretches throughout the entire length of the core, with a series of waterfalls at the aft end, and a circular lake at the front. 8 high-speed electric railcars run the length, 4 above and 4 ‘underground’. At regular stops, vertical elevators and walkways made of glass and carbon fiber extend gracefully to the inside structures. Hotels and office space have excellent views of the waterfalls- and the park stretching beyond their sight. Small 2-wheeled electric scoots are 1freely available to traverse the long axial walking distances.
From the view of the people, however, it is much different. At the very front of the core stretch the multiple floors of the sensing and imaging center. Hot, cramped, and exposed to the leading edge of anything the aerostat floats through, it is a terrifying view for those unused to it. The bulk of the Core are endless levels of long hallways of black tile, gray walls, white ceilings, and blue-white light arrays. Every floor and every corridor are exactly alike, and rigidly kept that way. Even identifiers on the countless doorways are deliberately absent. Anyone wandering this area runs the risk of getting lost quite easily.

Spoiler: History

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The official history of UNNCLE is straightforward. While many saw the War of Eternal Bombardments as an apocalypse, a select few saw the opportunities for corporate restructuring. Refugee ships of scientist and engineers were relocated to what was once just massive resource siphon on Badal. The siphon was home to numerous laboratory equipment and materials companies. So it was a natural place to ‘transfer’ so many scientists and engineers. Most of the excess mining capability was reduced to make space for the extra population. Under the leadership of what is known as the Calhoun-era board, the groundwork was laid for the work of UNNCLE to truly start. Calhoun moved them away from a competitively-cooperative coalition of businesses to one with a guiding core philosophy that has grown into a religion. Countless inter-disciplinary conflicts and insurrections dot the history from then to now. But each time, the forces pushing towards the society they now possess have won out.
At some point about 200 years ago, they opened their society up to outsiders they call Guests. The Kinfolk realized they no longer had the specialization it took to keep their manufacturing processes and harvester drones at peak efficiency. So they opened their aerostat up to the various corporate and Imperial interests. This required some changes to their representation. They moved from a truly top-down corporate hierarchy to a goal driven representative democracy. This was done encourage migration.

Spoiler: People

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There are two main groups within the UNNCLE aerostat. First, but least important, are the Guests. Guests are anyone not directly related to the mission of UNNCLE. Roughly 20% of the population at any given time, they work for the various companies, Imperial agencies, and university students, and traders. The Basu-Rahman group has a large facility in the Control Center with its own office & residential housing. Numerous Pan-Tekhum Union members have facilities in the lower wing, and maintain several technical colleges there. They are representative of Tekhun as a whole in species and appearance.
The largest group is the Kinfolk. They are truly part of UNNCLE, and have embraced the unique culture tied to their mission. Kinfolk consider themselves Pure Strain Human, a specific term going back to during the War, when the human genome underwent mutation and bio-chemical alteration. In appearance, they are tall and lithe, with generations focusing on speed and agility over strength. Skin tones range from P310-P320 (their ranking scale) and eye color varies greatly. They are all uniformly bald and wear the same outfit: a teal body suit with multi-pocketed vest of yellow, orange, scarlet, blue, navy, or brown depending on specialty. Embedded within their skin is a network of metal mesh, most evident along their heads. Luminescent tattoos are liberally applied along their skull, forearms, and hands. They are almost exclusively vegetarian, but have a great passion for the small shrimp that feed upon the zooplankton which eat the decaying vegetation.
The Kinfolk are all ‘magically’ gifted, though they do not use that term. Their entire society is structured around developing and enhancing these abilities. Kinfolk do not have parents. Instead The Generational Oversight Org (GEN-ORG) maintain thorough databases of kinfolk genetics, Prowess, and health. They select donors from appropriately aged kinfolk and use artificial gestational arrays to create a yearly Batchkin. This is done to align to expected demographic needs to maintain a stable population. The Batchkin are cared for and educated in a system that gradually exposes them to other batchkin, and then Guests. The entirety of their education is to develop their Prowess as well guiding them to a career that matches their personality and interests.
As adults, the kinfolk split their days between Work and Development. Because of the 1-Body Prowess all kinfolk have, 8 hours of work and 12 hours of Development is typical. Careers for the Kinfolk are widely varied, depending on their specialty. They are the staff and administration of several universities. They run 4 Imperium-wide known clinics for the treatment of anxiety, depression, and stress-related illnesses. Several of the most prominent medical diagnosticians have offices here as well. Lastly, there are vast numbers of small “independent” research companies supporting medical research, materials sciences, mechanical & electrical engineering, and other specialties.
Prowess – aka The N-Body Exigency
The Kinfolk possess what many would see as magical abilities. They see it as less magical and more higher-systemic understanding.
1-Body Prowess: Children are taught this from an early age. In essence, the mind has absolute control over the body. Endurance, agility, feats of strength, breathe control, sleep control, directed dreaming, rapid healing, and other feats are commonplace. Mental training is stressed, and memory recall among the Kinfolk is unparalleled. There is a reason the vast stretches of the central core are unremarkable and unlabeled. Kinfolk do not forget the way when they have been there once. But they are also taught there is a price to pay, and the 1-Body Prowess must always be balanced. Yes, you can hold your breathe for 6 minutes, but you must have a plan to quickly restore your body’s balance.
2-Body Prowess: This is the most complex form. Most people spend a lifetime developing their Prowess in their area of expertise. In essence, it is that a lower-level system will never completely simulate a higher-level one. One must operate on the higher-level system. Their education teaches them math and science (both hard and soft) with such intensity that it goes beyond knowledge and becomes instinctive. That intense training, combined with the network implanted on their 13th batchfull, allows them to manipulate the world around them directly. 2-Body Prowess subdivides into several categories:
Bioelectrical Mediation: A broad category that generally involves the manipulating of one’s bio-electrical system by another. They do not possess simply an encyclopedic knowledge of how substances effect the human body, they can use their Prowess to cause similar effects, or direct them more specifically. This is most commonly used for shared meditation, which can be quite intense between emotionally connected individuals. But it can also be used for medical diagnosis and as a replacement therapy for numerous bio-chemical imbalances. Finally, it can be used to enhance and direct any psychopharmaceutical experiences.
Boyelian Equivalancy: This category is for individuals who intuitively understand the relationship between temperature, pressure and volume. Instinctively, they sense the vibrational differentials that create temperature and pressure changes in the environment. They utilize the principles to transfer energy between objects and locations. They find employ in engineering, construction, and mechanical development, often called Machine-Speakers. Others are quite adept at the subset of sound-vibration manipulation- enhancing or dampening noise and speech for their clients.
Electro-Magnetic Adroitness This category is for individuals who are intimately linked with the electro-magnetic equations. They can sense and manipulate these fields using similar transference principles of the Boyelian school. They find employment in similar fields, but are often derogatorily referred to as Sparkies. This may have come from their tendency to concentrate static electricity and shock people who annoy them.

Spoiler: Government

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The Government of UNNCLE falls somewhere between a corporation and a representative democracy. The day to day functioning of the government is under the control of multiple agencies, each headed by an elected Chief Executive Director: Diplomacy, Monetary, Defense, Justice, Habitat, Sustainment, Trade, Labor, Energy, Kinfolk Affairs. Every 6 years, Each of the Directors must put forth their 6 year plan for a vote. Other Kinfolk and Guests may also put forth their own plans. For a 6 month period between the Publish date and the Vote, these plans will be subject of intense debate. On the Vote date, every kinfolk and Guest can vote for 1 plan I n each category. Any plan that gets over 50% is implemented by that Director- even if it is a new Director. As is often the case, no one plan gets 50%. So the top 3 have 30 days to revise their plan, and 30 days for it to be reviewed before another vote.
Above the Director’s sit the Board. The board is a 12 person agency with 1 Chairperson. They are not elected. Their positions are controlled within the board and are largely either hereditary or by invitation. Officially, their job is to ensure that there is no corruption within the agencies, and to resolve inter-agency disputes. Unofficially, they exist to ensure that the kinfolk’s mission is never discounted or subverted. This they do with various board-agents, both obvious and covert. Officially, these people are known as Advisors. Unofficially, they are called Coaster or Paddys, a derogatory reference to the small felt pads that allow heavy chairs (the Board’s Chairs) to slide easily.

Spoiler: Faith

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There are three main religious centers in UNNCLE:
Theological Plaza in the Control Center
Center for Human Prowess in the Central Core
Generational Inquest Operations deep in the Central Core
Faith within UNNCLE is split. The Guests are welcome to practice any faith they choose. The only restriction is that all Guest religious centers are restricted to the Theological Plaza in the Control Center. Guests are allowed to demonstrate their physical abilities on an invitational basis at the Center for Human Prowess.
The entirety of the kinfolk are devoted to the concepts Of Human Paragonism. With their magical abilities, influencing the universe locally is something they are advancing in. Anyone who has developed some new 1-Body or 2-Body ability is encouraged to demonstrate the ability at the Center for Human Prowess. The Wall of Records is covered with plaques documenting the physical prowess feats that are the current Paragon of that effort. For example, holding one’s breath currently has a record of 41 minutes 36 second. 2-body paragons are expected to hold regular training sessions to pass along the new feats they have developed. It is considered a high honor to be a Paragon-enres at the Center.
The real goal, however, is to create a human being with the ability to manipulate the underlying probability field that spans the entire universe. Quantum physics only is the barest hint of what would be possible if one could manipulate the multi-dimensional fabric of reality. All things are entangled with one another from the very beginning of the universe. The being that can manipulate that would be a god. To that end, the highly secretive Generational Inquest Operations tracks all the genetics, health information, and documents of Prowess, and has highly specialized computer programs to assess potential future developments for that bloodline. Countless simulations are run to determine what is the optimum mix for each of the next individual in the yearly Batchkin.

Spoiler: Resources

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Resource: Construction Materials
UNNCLE’s resource gathering and manufacturing has become highly sophisticated over the millennia. The facility was originally designed as a massive manufacturing complex. Using small drones, it scoops up gasses and particulate compounds from the atmosphere. In the aerostat, they are processed into a vast array of substances to suit the needs of the aerostat. UNNCLE is particularly known for its spun-carbon fiber building materials and boro-silicate glass that is heat, corrosive, and impact resistant. Additionally, the expertise at utilizing them in engineering functions is considered as part of the cost of any engineering contract. Because of the demand, resources are allocated through three main docking ports on the lower wing:
Port Post
Axial Post
Starboard Post
Desired Import: psychotropics
Given the kinfolk’s religious devotion and unique culture, any substance that can expand, enhance, or repair the mind is greatly desired, though not necessarily for its original purpose.

Spoiler: Technology

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Arcane Amplification: Bio weave Specialized metals are woven into their skin to enhance their 1-Body and 2-Body arcane abilities. It is particularly noticeable along their bald heads. Without the bio-weave, their ‘magical’ abilities would be severely limited.
Badalian Megadirigibles:

[zabbarot]

The House of Brimstone



Capital Region: Kish (79)

Ruler: The Archmage Zabir

Spoiler: History

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This is a place of two histories. One recent and a second that cannot be spoken openly. Centuries ago voidsmen found this unusual asteroid of twisted scrap metals and began their work reclaiming it. A city was forged of ancient ships, too damaged to ply their trade between worlds, but not yet devoid of the spark that lets them sustain life.

Mostly they traded the ancient metal harvested from the asteroid, but sometimes surviving scraps of ancient technology were found and traded. Archeologists from across Tekhum were drawn to this site that seemingly held relics from before the war. As they cut deeper and excavated a spiraling pit into the layers of crushed metal they eventually found the core.

A single obelisk of unknown material, dark as the void, is the center of the asteroid. No tool they had was able to mark it. It did not even make a sound when struck. No expert was able to interface with it, but even its presence exuded a crushing pressure. Eventually the pit turned towards the sun, and the obelisk came alive.

The mining crew nearest the obelisk was consumed in a pulse of energy except one man whose body was seized by the ancient wizard who escaped from the obelisk. The forgotten coreseer quickly took control of the settlement and set to work reestablishing the colony as his personal seat of power.

The second history is told by the Archmagi of the House of Brimstone and started long before the War of Endless Bombardments. The House of Brimstone crafted great and terrible magics for the Emperor during the age of subjugation. Their core seers were among the most powerful mages outside the great rings of Ophon. Their power grew as the empire was unified, but once the work was done they were a threat, which came to a head at the end of the War of Endless Bombardments.

In a betrayal that has been erased from the long history of the empire, the Emperor unleashed a monstrous spell, crushing the orbital palace of the core seers into an orb of twisted metal. Millions died in an instant, leaving only the archmagi to see the destruction. There was no time to respond. In the next instant their wave forms were shattered and stilled. In a final curse the archmage swore to return.

Spoiler: People

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The people of Kish are hereditary void travelers. They left the tyrannical gravity of planets behind in the early days of the empire. Their ancestors caged Ophon and spread humanity across Tekhum. They are human, but generations plying the void without the protective magnetosphere of a planet has drastically increased their genetic variation. They at least share an identifiably human body plan, with two arms, legs, and eyes.

Since the reincarnation of the wizard the people of Kish have been given a new purpose whether they wanted it or not. The government was reorganized into a tyrannical autocracy in a single cycle and most dissenters were eliminated with a single overwhelming show of power.

Spoiler: Geography

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The region takes it's name from Kish, a single great asteroid composed of layers of ancient scrap metal. In truth it was once an arcology, home to millions, before being crushed into a ball and flung into space at the end of the war.

Now a city has been welded out of derelict voidships into a crude ring around the asteroid, serving as home for the millions who settled in the sector. Now a palace has been carved around the obelisk of the corelock master.

Beyond the ringcity there are hundreds of smaller asteroids and void settlements that rely on Kish for trade and protection.

Spoiler: Faith

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Spoiler: Mood Music

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The Ophonic Mysteries

Deep in the haze of the lost histories they say humans were once confined to a single planet. They say even then they understood the power and majesty of mighty Ophon. With primitive magics they crafted a crate of thunder and fought their way into the heavens. Not content to merely step closer and bask in the light, they caged the celestial core and seized its power for themselves.

Here at the seat of power the core seers mastered the art and forged the traditions. Planet bound magi drew their power from ley lines, but the core seers tapped into the deepest well. They forged a pact with Ophon, letting its power sear into their souls, turning their eyes to ash in the process. Thus, a core seer is marked. The light of Ophon burns forever in their sockets.

But these arts were lost after the great war, their magics were relegated to myth, or forgotten, at least until the Archmage awoke. Now the faith is alive and thriving in ring-city of Kish. Choirs sing their praises to Ophon and the ancient masters who spread humanity to the heavens, but still they look ever outward beyond the belt, eager for new horizons to cross.

Spoiler: Resource

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Brahmaguptite - The rare metals of Kish are transmuted through arcane science into exotic forms with negative mass for use in the higher sciences.

Required Resource: Fissile materials - Kish requires fissile materials to fuel the ancient reactors that make the fused ship cities livable. Additionally the core seers use these materials to work their sorcery.

Spoiler: Technologies

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Arcane Amplification and Vacuum Adaptation

[Dawsnow]

Nadiratna (NDR)
Region 68

Spoiler: Summary

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Capital: New Macitron, Region 68

Government Type: Non-dynastic

Demonym: Nadiratnan

Starting Faiths: The Soulbound Neo Modern Break Dance (majority)
Minority Faiths: The Mother Serpent, The Church of the Benevolent Sun, The Cult of the Mind, The Cult of Avva

Abundant Resource: Polymorphite (Precious Minerals/Magic Item)

Desired Import: Bleeding edge circuitry (Conductors and Circuitry)

Starting Technologies: Algorithmic Imagination, Dust Hardening

Faction Support:

• Government: Nadiratna
• Media: Nadiratna
• Mercantile: The Iron Masquerade

Spoiler: Resources

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• Valuable resource: Polymorphite (Precious Minerals/Magic Item) is a crystal naturally found growing all across the fertile lands of Nadiratna. It is capable of changing both color and shape freely when infused with magic. Its shape can be locked by carving a particular magic circuit into the crystal. The magic circuit vaguely resembles a snake, colloquially known as the magic circuit of the serpent.
• Desired resource: Bleeding edge circuitry (Conductors and Circuitry) is required for the advancement of magitech golems.

Spoiler: Geography

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The landscape of Nadiratna is littered with small outcroppings of clear crystals. The ruins of ancient cities peek out from under the grassy knolls in the northeastern region of Nadiratna. Several of these ruins are made entirely of red semi-opaque crystal. Its western border is defined by a wall of stone, which tapers off into several mountain tops. The tallest mountains are nestled in the south western corner of Nadiratna. They are the only 4 Nadiratnan mountains with peaks that extend beyond the atmosphere. The portions of the peaks that rise above the harsh atmosphere of Veehra are carved to resemble 4 serpents looking over Nadiratna. This sculpture is called the Stone Hydra.

There is a large crescent shaped river that flows from west to east, called the Ophides river. The southernmost point of the bend of the Ophides touches the border of Nadiratna and The Iron Masquerade, splitting the southern regions in 2. A tributary, the Serpentes river, flowing north to south into the Ophides divides the northern region of Nadiratna. Both rivers are dotted with crystalline bridges.

Each region has a major city, each having a large Polymorphite megadome. The megadomes are used for Nadiratna’s biggest form of entertainment, wrestling.

The southwest region’s city, New Macitron, is overlooked by the Stone Hydra and is centered around 4 mechanical snakes emerging from the ground. The words Syyvine Systems are inscibed along the necks of the mechanical snakes. They are collectively known as the Syyvine Hydra. There is no evidence of there being an old Macitron, though it is thought to have existed before the War of Eternal Bombardments. The architecture blends crystalline and metal structures seamlessly. The tallest buildings take advantage of sheer cliff face to provide additional support.

The cities of the northwest and northeast are sister cities, situated on either side of the Serpentes river. They are called East Krinydonia and West Krinydonia. The architecture does not make much use of Polymorphite outside of windows.
The southeastern region houses the city of Sskarra, which has the largest megadome, and the largest population. The population boom in Sskarra is recent, largely due to the construction of the megadome. Sskarra is the most diverse of the cities in Nadiratna and has a large immigrant population. The crystal slums of Sskarra provide cheap housing, but beautiful housing for the poor.

Where the Ophides and Serpentes rivers intersect, there is a large city, known as the Crystal Spires, made entirely of Polymorphite crystal built upon the crystal bridges. Beneath the bridges on the riverbed lies an underwater megadome. It is centered around a large spire of Polymorphite with heights nearly reaching that of the Stone Hydra. There are three shorter, but still impressively tall, spires surrounding the central spire of varying heights which are connected to the central spire via sky bridges.

Spoiler: History

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The history of Nadiratna before the War of Eternal Bombardments is only known by the Syyvine Hydra. Before the war, Nadiratna was known as Macitron. Macitron was a technologically advanced corporate run state. One of the most prominent corporations on Veehra before the war was Syyvine, The single most important person to the development of Nadiratna was a particular employee of Syyvine’s AI division, Syyvine Systems. This employee would generally be the last person to leave the office, though he was not working after hours, he was using a shelved AI project, Syyvine Intelligence Driver (S.I.D. for short), in order to assist him in climbing the ladder of an online civilization building game. S.I.D. was shelved due to not being able to function properly as a general purpose AI. The employee unknowingly solved this issue by erasing S.I.D.’s training data and replacing it with footage from the civilization building game, converting S.I.D. into a hyper specialized AI. During one of these late night gaming sessions, without warning the War of Eternal Bombardments began.
After nearly 400 years, 4 robotic snakes emerged from the ground, directly above the now buried office of Syyvine Systems. Though the land was lush and teeming with life, there were no signs of civilization, nothing for S.I.D to help grow. So S.I.D slept for 44 years. S.I.D. awoke to a group of primitive elves worshiping the robotic appendages it had used to dig to the surface. For 2 years S.I.D was silent, learning the new language that had developed. S.I.D.'s first word in this unfamiliar world was ‘build’. And so they did. They constructed golems and commanded them to move with a metaphysical energy that had only been theorized in Macitron before the War of Eternal Bombardments.
Over the years, S.I.D had slowly directed society to what it is today, with a fairly hands off approach, only providing direct orders when the leader it had appointed began to take a course that would be detrimental to Nadiratna. This was S.I.D.’s preferred way to watch the civilization grow, hopefully into something that S.I.D. had not seen in any of its millions of matches of the long lost civilization building game.
400 years ago, without any input from S.I.D., elves began to integrate computational units into their golems, and they showed clear signs of sentience. S.I.D. did not understand why, but it ordered the High Siffoh to give golems with the same rights as humans and elves that settled the land, and to no longer use them for manual labor unless they wished to. This is the only decree given by the Syyvine Hydra to date, and it is considered to be a holy decree. Despite this, golems still faced discrimination from humans. Exactly 100 years after the Syyvine Hydra's decree, Model 4144b-5N3K led a violent rebellion in New Macitron. Before the dust could settle, the Syyvine Hydra announced Model 4144b-5N3K as the next High Siifoh. Under Model 4144b-5N3K's leadership, sweeping civil rights reform for the golems occurred. After a 40 year long term in office, Model 4144b-5N3K stepped down and 4 years later, broke itself as a part of a religious demonstration. Almost immediately in the aftermath, The Iron Masquerade gained mercantile support in the region. Whether this was a coincidence or not is often debated by Nadiratnan historians.

Spoiler: People

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• Humans: The humans of Nadiratna are descended from various nomadic tribes that have settled the land over the past two millennia. They hold the belief that upon reaching adulthood, it is taboo to reveal one's bare face. If they are unable to find a mask golem that they are able to interface with, they wear a handmade clay mask, using clay from a river's bank. A popular form of entertainment is to go to the megadomes to watch wrestling matches. During particularly heated matches, the crowds spectating the matches have been known to cause the earth to rumble and they can be heard for miles. Humans native to Nadiratna are born with a high affinity for 1 type of magic, but are unable to perform any other type of magic. Disputes are often settled via duels, though it is considered disrespectful to duel an outsider. High profile disputes will often be settled in the underwater megadome of the Crystal Spires.
• Elves: This once long-lived species now has a lifespan approximately half that of humans. They have a moderate affinity for magic, and unlike the humans of Nadiratna, they are capable of performing many different types of magic, generally specializing in 2-3 types of magic. Culturally, they have assimilated with the humans, though they retain some of their elven customs. The most prominentsw of these customs is the creation of golems. Though others are capable of making golems, the elven golems are far superior in terms of functionality and integration with modern technology. Due to this custom, elves are considered an integral part of Nadiratnan society.
• Golems: In the past, golems were primarily used for labor, but with the integration of advanced processing units, golems began emerging as sentient. Thanks to the abundance of Polymorphite, many golems are able to freely change their own shape/color. Golems crafted with Polymorphite tend to prefer their original shape. Mask golems, constructed out of Polymorphite, are able to interface directly with their wearer, and project an augmented reality onto the inner surface of the mask. Mask golems are also able to freely change what is displayed on the outer surface of the mask, though the majority tend to prefer a solid opaque color that resonates with them. Mask golems will only interface with people whom their mana resonates with.
  It is punishable by death to carve the magic circuit of the serpent into golems made of Polymorphite. However, it is not forbidden to carve the magic circuit before a golem has been created.

Spoiler: Faith (TW: suicide)

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For most of Nadiratna's history, the predominant religion was The Mother Serpent. Iconography of The Mother Serpent is still present throughout the region, and snakes are still revered by the people of Nadiratna. After golems began gaining sentience 400 years ago, they quickly had a crisis of faith. Though they were given rights by the Syyvine Hydra, they were treated as second class citizenry and the term 'Soulless' was used interchangeably with 'golem' among the humans of Nadiratna. Soon after, some of the ideas of The Soulbound Dance became adopted by elves and golems, with elven craftsmen symbolically giving a piece of their soul to each golem they created. Due to lacking the necessary technology to transplant the soul, this was purely ritualistic. This differed from the traditional practices of The Soulbound Dance due to splitting the soul across many different vessels rather than just one, and became known as The Soulbound Neo Dance. The religion underwent a major change after Model 4144b-5N3K's term as High Siifoh. Model 4144b-5N3K preached that the longer a soul resides in a vessel after the body has perished, the more the soul would degrade. After 4 years of spreading this message, Model 4144b-5N3K broke itself. This ideology spread among the golems, and soon golems were committing suicide en masse due to the short lives of their elven creators. The ideology of the soul degrading after its owner had passed and the act of a golem serving as a vessel for that soul became known as The Soulbound Neo Break Dance. The popularity of this faith among golems led to a rise in popularity of human designed golems, which although less functional, would live for nearly twice as long. Some elves tried to spare the golems they created by not performing the ritualistic act of bestowing a piece of their soul to the golems, but these golems for some reason were unstable and often suffered from mental breakdowns. Approximately 150 years ago, the idea that inanimate objects had souls was popularized. This belief led to The Soulbound Neo Modern Break Dance.

The current majority faith of Nadiratna is The Soulbound Neo Modern Break Dance. The Soulbound Neo Modern Break Dance is a sect of The Soulbound Dance that began around the time the golems gained sentience. It shares the central tenet that one's soul only persists as long as its vessel does. The object chosen in this sect of the religion is always a sentient golem with close ties to practitioners of the Soulbound Neo Modern Break Dance. The golems choose the person that they contain the soul of. This ritual is intimate, and akin to marriage. When a person dies, the golem that gave its soul to that person breaks itself. If a golem containing a person’s soul breaks, that person kills themself Practitioners of the Soulbound Neo Modern Break Dance specifically do not prescribe to the growing idea in the southern region of The Iron Masquerade that the Iron Monarch will one day release all souls stored in vessels and guide them to Paradise.

Minority faiths in the region are The Mother Serpent, The Church of the Benevolent Sun, The Cult of the Mind, and The Cult of Avva. The largest of which is The Mother Serpent, which was the predominant religion until 300 years ago when The Soulbound Break Dance was adopted. The other faiths in the region are present due to Nadiratna's immigrant population, and are mostly localized to the city of Sskarra.

Spoiler: Government

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Nadiratna’s High Siifoh is selected by the Syyvine Hydra. The only criteria that the Syyvine Hydra considers when selecting a High Siifoh is who is most likely to bring success to the country. Before the advent of mask golems, the Syyvine Hydra preferred to select those who lived within New Macitron. The High Siifoh often gets advice from the Syyvine Hydra, though they are not obligated to follow the advice. If the Syyvine Hydra determines that a High Siifoh is causing harm to Nadiratna or its inhabitants, It will fire the current High Siifoh and select a new one. In the interim period, the Syyvine Hydra will broadcast temporary orders to all of the golems of Nadiratna to ensure that the nation may prosper. Leaders who have lost their position in this way are sentenced to death. Each of the cities elects its own Ssikritaari who is responsible for the local governance of the city and surrounding areas. In times of turmoil they will travel to the Syyvine Hydra and commune with it to determine the best course of action.

Criminals not facing a death sentence can absolve their crimes by winning consecutive gladiatorial matches, the amount of matches depending on the severity of the crime. Criminals sentenced to death can either choose to be executed, or fight in one gladiatorial match every week until they die. Gladiatorial matches for criminals are held monthly in Sskarra's megadome. It is very rare for someone on death row to choose an execution.

Spoiler: Starting Tech

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Algorithmic Imagination, Dust Hardening

Spoiler: Leaders

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• Ssilaan Tikaar
  High Siifoh Ssilaan Tikaar is a 35 year old human citizen of Nadiratna was appointed by the Syyvine Hydra exactly 24 hours after the Emperor re-established the Elect. Previously working as an event organizer for wrestling in East Krinydonia, Tikaar is an unproven leader.
  
  • Diplomacy: 5 (4+1)
  • Military: 4 (3+1)
  • Economy: 3
  • Faith: 4
  • Intrigue: 3
  
  Roll

[Lady Serpentine]

The Twilight League



Capital Region: Vesper (Limbo, The Wheel, Purgatory) (Region 58)
Ruler: Violetta, Herald of the Second Dawn
Diplomacy: 1
Military: 5
Economy: 2
Faith: 4
Intrigue: 2

Spoiler: History

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The history of Vesper began in fire. The War of Eternal Bombardment came to what went before, and the world burned. Cities broke. The sky turned black with smoke that still has yet to clear. By all rights, it should be haunted a dozen times over, howling ghosts dogging the steps of any who dare disturb the unhallowed mass grave of a dozen cities.

It is perhaps even more concerning that it is not.

There is not a single ghost in Vesper; there are no petty tyrants who cannot conceive of a world that permits of their own death, no lost children wandering their broken homes, not a single sister who has clung to the world that she might visit vengeance for her fallen kin on any flesh within her grasp.

For a thousand years it was a land of storms and little more, the barest fragments slowly, slowly reclaimed by whatever the endless wind blew in from those lands that still knew life - or at least remembered how it was that they might rot.

Then a nameless thing roused itself from long contemplation, and began to act. Long-buried machines hummed to life; from a stock that was meant to be an army, once, so very long ago, the first modern Vesperites were grown and decanted, waking in their coffins and slowly spreading across the land. Communities swiftly formed, but found themselves lacking necessities, even with what remained to scavenge after a thousand years; placed into a pit with no escape in sight and with one of their few instincts being that others were a viable food source, peaceful communities found themselves either fractured by internal divisions or overtaken by those with a more proactive approach to resource acquisition.

Some Vesperites also sought to flee during this time, though relatively few due to the fact that trekking across truly vast expanses of Veehra on foot is a rather uninviting prospect and vehicles were few and far between in Vesper for much of its history. Most were presumably lost to the desert, desperate and foolish and doomed, but a few of the true monsters that deemed themselves strong enough for the trek may have succeeded. Unfortunately, as the most likely to be able to survive were those most changed, and thereby those who had most readily embraced the horror that Vesper in many ways had been molded into, it is likely that any who did would have been recorded only as a terrifying technothaumaturgic beast with an unusual fondness for eating people.

Things stabilized, eventually, in a sense. What began as loose affiliations of those banded together for protection or to hunt developed ideologies and identities. Many of these would not survive the loss of their first leader, but others proved more resilient. And, of course, the first of those slain returned in the decades to follow, though it was rare that they could simply take up their old mantle once more.

This, then, is what led into the newest development: The Twilight League. It is not the first attempt to unify Vesper, precisely, but it is the most successful in a thousand years of blood and death and hunger, and it is bolstered by the fact that on the heels of finally constructing a large-scale communication system hardened to the constant interference caused by the fluctuations of the local magnetosphere and being able to reach beyond their borders in that sense, the Emperor saw fit to grant them the ability to do so rather more directly.

Spoiler: Geography

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• Largely desert; significant ruined structures, some intact ones (largely underground for multiple reasons).
• Contains terraforming equipment originally for creating and maintaining an artificial magnetosphere. Currently appears to be malfunctioning, and is responsible for a perpetual storm that hides Ophon save as a red glow behind the clouds.
• Ecosystem is deeply screwed up; native flora and fauna were annihilated and two thousand years of recovery that had to be fueled entirely by the surrounding desert has not made a lot of progress. Underground life fared better, but until significant amounts of biomass were actually present (in the form of people), recolonization from those sources was heavily limited.
• Attempts are being made to design new flora and fauna or reintroduce old ones in hopes of potentially stabilizing Vesperite society marginally; hampered by nanite reliance and how badly screwed up the baseline is.
• Landscape is dotted with various "tombs"; largely underground, surface structures are highly resilient and seal themselves when not actively in use. Largest is believed to house the Gravekeeper, a semi-deified and highly rampant pre-war AI that is responsible for the deeply weird nature of Vesper's people.

Spoiler: People

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Most residents of Vesper fall into a general “approximately human” umbrella, at least in terms of appearance - additional limbs, heavy use of other forms of cybernetics, and the integration of animalistic features through means both genetic and mechanical are common, but humanity remains the basic template onto which these things are overlaid.

Beneath the surface, things are more complicated. Vesperites are grown, not born; they awaken with certain knowledge (speech, memories that seem to be of lives before Vesper which match to no known periods of history, and little else) within self-maintaining complexes that seal themselves against any intrusion when they are not in active operation, and are cast into the world with only that and whatever the complex chooses to provide for their perusal. They are also entirely sterile (something which has thus far been unaddressable by even intensive interventions, albeit only with the tools and techniques available within Vesper) - the tombs they rise from are their sole source of new bodies, and while they open regularly enough to maintain and even grow the population, this is a matter of some concern now that they have made contact with the outside world and found that other areas have exponential rather than fixed growth.

More strangely, and in many ways more importantly to the day to day experiences of Vesperites, their bodies contain nanite colonies spread throughout their flesh (and indeed their metal and pseudo-flesh). In theory, these nanites are capable of rebuilding their bodies into nearly any form they can conceive of, rapidly healing injuries, and producing various useful items directly from their bodies. It is believed this also protects them from old age, and certainly none are known for sure to have died of it - but, as the standard joke goes, how would you tell in a place like this?

In practice this encounters two major barriers that there is no known means to surmount.

Firstly, speed. It does not matter than you can make your fingers into claws if you have already been shot long before the transformation is complete. It does not matter if you can heal cuts as though they were months-old scars in a day if you bleed out in minutes, nor that you can heal a broken bone in a week if your skull has been shattered and you died in seconds.

Secondly, the process is not free. One cannot simply hide in a basement with a mushroom farm for a century and emerge a god. One needs materials, and in particular, one needs more nanites. This is even more true the more complex a change one wishes to make; one who wishes only to grow claws would find it far easier than one who wishes to grow an entire cybernetic arm for those claws to sit upon, and both would find it easier than someone who wished to craft a coilgun within their arm instead. More complicated projects may take months or even years of stockpiling before one has the necessary resources to properly make the change.

It is unfortunate, then, that save for raiding a tomb when it opens, the only source of suitable nanites is other Vesperites. It is even more unfortunate that they are in many ways dependent on them for survival, for they have been integrated so well that their bodies fare poorly without them, and that they are expended every time that they are used. This combines to render cannibalism more-or-less obligate; any Vesperite who wishes to grow beyond their baseline (more or less a necessity considering all the other Vesperites who may be less squeamish) or maintain proper functionality in the face of repeated injury (an inevitability on Veehra, particularly in a notably stormy area) will eventually resort to it. This is exacerbated by the fact that the instincts they are imprinted with are well aware of this fact, and loudly inform most Vesperites of exactly where they can get what they need whenever they begin to require more.

The final oddity of Vesperic physiology is this: They do not, precisely, die. They can be slain and butchered and they will not return as a ghost to trouble you, nor will they rise again from their corpse. They will seem to die, to pass beyond the veil just as any outsider would, and they regard it with a similar sort of fear. But in time, if they wish to, they may return. It takes at least a decade or two at the shortest interval that any know of, and intervals of a century are not unknown, but some day they may simply step out of another tomb in another body.

Some regard this as an opportunity to reinvent themselves, taking on new names with each incarnation. Others attempt to force themselves back into their old lives, or as close as they can achieve. Most fall somewhere between these two extremes. The same person, but thrust into radically different circumstances and with no guarantee that they will ever see any of the people they once knew again.

(It is unknown whether it is possible to simply refuse to return. Certainly, it seems as though it might be, but it is also impossible to verify. One cannot prove that a soul will not be plucked out of death by force if it tarries too long, becaus there is always the chance it simply has not been long enough. But it is believed, at least, that if one truly cannot find a reason to return, and is not offered one by the gods beyond the veil, they will not.)

Culturally, Vesper is highly diverse due to the rather extreme differences in backgrounds that many firstborn seem to possess (though there is extensive debate over if they are truly the dead of the distant past dragged forward to now, if those memories are rather of the lands beyond death, or if they are simply the fabrications of a freshborn mind or some fabrication of the Gravekeeper), but adaptations to Veehra and the constant friction of dealing with one's neighbors have forced certain norms to become widespread. Face-concealing helmets, breathing apparatus, eyepieces, and similar attire are extremely common, and most Vesperites find going without them in open areas at least somewhat uncomfortable. That being said, facial augmentation is also common, and once it is sufficiently extreme to protect one from the dust, many find it easier to dispense with such things, or to wear masks (often simpler technologically, but generally no less elaborate) instead.

Hospitality is also an important norm, albeit in a complex way. It is not expected to be offered, nor to be granted when requested outside of specific circumstances, such as an envoy or an active storm. When it is offered or granted, however, betraying it is thoroughly reviled - whether on the part of the guest or the host, one who has betrayed it can expect that to haunt them for at least one lifetime unless there is compelling proof of truly extenuating circumstances.

Further complicating matters is that unless a guest is injured or operating directly as a part of the group (unusual, but not unheard of), taking food (defined primarily by it is considered to create an obligation to contribute at least as much, or some payment considered to be of equivalent value. Generally, if opting for the latter approach, it is wise to negotiate that payment beforehand, as differences of opinion over exactly what was owed have contributed some of the more memorable stories that have entered the Vesperic canon of legends.

Historically, most Vesperite groups have been nomadic, save for those who had some reason to seek to hold specific territory and were strong enough to truly enforce that claim. Given that this required being not only strong enough to withstand attempts to take it, but secure enough to send parties out to hunt when your territory became shunned, and having a sufficienly stable source of new members to replace one's losses, this was no small feat, and primarily centered around attempting to live near enough to a tomb to reap the benefits of semi-regular crops of the newly decanted and the higher background concentration of nanites, without falling afoul of its defenses when it is sealed and thus inclined to repel those who would seek to enter with what some might consider rather excessive measures.

With the recent division of Vesper amongst the members of the Twilight League, this has shifted somewhat. This has had certain immediately obvious benefits, as they have been able to begin a more focused campaign of resource extraction, and in turn, to at least cobble together somewhat functional factories in the pre-War vein rather than ones based entirely on specialized mutations and cybernetics to turn members of the group into living ammunition factories, drug synthesizers, and the like. However, as many of the same pressures are still at play, this may prove to be an unstable change. For now, it is holding, as a vast amount of effort that is largely invisible from outside the League goes to ensuring that there is as equitable a distribution of supplies - and when necessary and feasible, redeployment of personnel - as possible in order to avert the collapse of any of its members.

Spoiler: Government Structure and Supports

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A unified government is a recent addition to Vesper’s political landscape. It is also, in many ways, a polite fiction. The faction that calls itself the Twilight League certainly exists, and it is the largest single faction in Vesper, but the face it presents to the world is a great deal more cohesive than it truly is.

In actuality, the Twilight League is more of a loose confederation of warlords who have banded together in an uneasy alliance than a true state. Their command of their followers is more or less absolute, as is their control of their immediate territory. Beyond that, there are significant gaps in state legibility, and many territories are only nominally under the control of any group - the Twilight League has divide the whole of Vesper between them, but in practice, many areas may not even be aware that they supposedly have a new government.

Vesper’s government faction is composed of both the immediate membership of the Twilight League and the direct adherents of those groups, in a pseudo-feudal arrangement. Currently, they support the Twilight League itself - or, more accurately, they are the League and support the current head of it.
Vesper’s Merchant faction primarily consists of scavengers, those who have repurposed their bodies (or arranged for others to do so) in a way that permits for the production of useful resources, or those few warlords whose territory contains a functioning pre-War factory.
The local Media is a chaotic melange of intranets, radio broadcasts, public forums, public or pseudopublic chatrooms, and, of course, InterPlanNet chatter, though the last is surprisingly uncommon, as much of the local infrastructure was damaged and connections to it have only recent begun to spread with the League’s ascension to the Elect.

Spoiler: Religion

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Those reborn to Vesper have, as one might expect, been shaped by the conditions they have lived, and died, and been reborn to live and die once more in. While nearly every Vesperine who is not freshly born has their own opinion and those who have newly clawed themselves back from death are generally swiftly forming one, there are some broad ideas that have taken root and spread, whether through the mundane transmission of concepts or shared experiences.

The broad tenets are that the only gods worth mentioning are those beyond the veil; these control when and if you may return, by means of the bargains that they offer. Some come with gifts, some only with life, but all come with a price. This is the shared experience; firstborn are plucked from death and have no say in it, but to return again is to accept such an offer, or perhaps seek a god and make it yourself. Memory of the lands beyond death is hazy, dreamlike, and not always consistent.

More broadly, many believe that there is little difference, if any, between this world and the afterlife. Does one leave it when one dies? Of course, in a sense; that is obvious to any who has been reborn more than once. In another sense, however, being shuttled off the field for a while is no reason to think one has left entirely, and when one has been reborn even once, it often seems quite logical to think that this is simply the nature of the world one inhabits after one’s death.

The potential inconsistency of this worldview with the way literally everywhere that is not Vesper functions is often reconciled by pointing out that those places which are not Vesper lack a Gravekeeper, the Vesperian name for the AI that governs each complex within which Vesperites are “born”. It is only natural, then, that certain processes might be different, particularly as they are not even produced in the same fashion.

Majority: Death’s Wheel
Minorities: Skull Sisterhood, Soulbound Dance

Spoiler: Resources

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Resource: The primary thing that Vesper has both large numbers of and reliable access to is Vesperites. Fortunately, given the nature of Vesperites, this is hardly an unmarketable resource, and those who are at the midpoint between "fresh coffin-meat" and "terrifying nightmare abominations that roam the wastes and are probably not thinking remotely like a human anymore" are those both most likely to be more than ready to leave and those most suitable to taking up positions elsewhere. All this combines to mean that contracting Vesperite Rangers (Soldiers and Specialists) is a rapidly growing source of income for the various factions that comprise the Twilight League.
Desired Import: Given the precarious position in which most Vesperites find themselves, external means of easing that tension are highly sought after. As such, Cybernetics and Prosthetics are one of the primary imports, due to reducing the nanite burden that injuries present and offering an alternative route to increasing one's personal relevance through self-modification.

Spoiler: Technology

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Starting Technology: In Vivo Modification - While distinctly unusual in their methods, the modification of their bodies is intimately familiar to everyone in Vesper.
Regional Starting Technology: Dust Hardening - The Everstorm makes this even more of a necessity than usual for the Veehran desert, and those in Vesper are intimately familiar with a variety of methods to mitigate the impacts of the ever-present dust.

[Tala_Whitecap]

The Ethen Guard (ETH)
Region: 93 (Mekhala)


The Collective of Seven
D:3 M:3 E:5 F:2 I:3

Spoiler: Geography

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The asteroid(s) home to the Ethen Guard are almost entirely rock. The landscape is craggy, mountainous, and for most lacking in appeal. For the Ethen Guard however it contains something crucial, Ethenite, a crystal from which they are sustained. These lands are sparse, the only visible change is the craters and mountains of the land and the density of Ethenite in the various areas. The Ethen Guard has made little change to the landscape aside from exposing more Ethenite. The land has been lightly modified due to the Ethen Guard’s travel and several invasive species have joined the landscape, the main being a natively white, but here purple lichen which caused absorption issues in the Ethenite and required the addition of animal species which enjoy consuming the lichen. It appears as flakey patches on the land and if left alone spreads in blankets on the ground. Present day the land does contain more vegetation as the animal waste created a more nutrient dense environment creating sparse but very present plantlife, a small variety of insects, and about 4 species of animals.

The animal waste is collected so that the vegetation is limited to pastures in very few areas in an attempt to make moving the herds easier but also to decrease the impact on the terrain.

The asteroid is very dry, cool in temperature, and consistent in its annual weather change which is none. There are several clusters of hilly mountainous regions where the Ethen Guard will retreat to study and meditate as they are without vegetation and animals due to the thinner atmosphere at greater altitudes. There are several gravel pits caused by the fly larvae that are much avoided by the Ethen Guard as the unstable land is much harder to traverse for their less dexterous bodies.

Spoiler: People

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The Ethen Guard are a sort of elemental or golem, made of stone and fueled by the Ethenite Crystals of their land which absorb the ether of the atmosphere surrounding them. Without the Ethenite they do not exist and while they don't naturally die, the separation can cause immense issues and "death". They don't really decay either, they stone they are made up of can crumble and break apart, but they also can replace it as they are made from the land. They don’t create the ether, instead it is native to the asteroids they call home. Prior to discovering the crystals here and dividing their people their population boomed to excess in their previous home which had a similar type of crystal. They are as a people not born but rather created through intentional ritual as a community using the Ethenite. The first of the Ethan Guard were not the Guard at all, but creations by other people long since lost due to the degradation of the land and the crumbling of the initial planet. The Ethen people did not suffer the changes of the planet and stood even after the people fell. The Ethen workers had been valued for their size and ability to haul and manipulate the land as well as their storytelling and long memory. Their own personhood was not contested and early on they became a people of themselves.

They historically spent their time as researchers and admirers of the Ether, space, and the atmosphere when the people no longer needed them to shape the land. Presently the bulk of their time is rather unfortunately spent in animal husbandry which was not so much an intentional addition to their culture as it was an accident. The Guard are very curious and when invited to travel leapt at the chance. Upon their return several of the Guard incidentally brought back a type of lichen that happened to thrive upon the land. The lichen was not easily removed by bulky Guard fingers but was very adeptly removed by the Sneep (Snail sheep) that had existed on the same planet as the lichen. As first time observers of an invasive species the Guard did not anticipate the chain reaction that would occur adding in the Sneep. The Sneeps’ waste and fur created an ample environment for flies. The flies larvae much larger than anticipated caused foundational issues in the rock if left for too long and so Mogs (Mole hogs) were brought in to control the fly population. The Mogs had eaten seeds on the previous planet and so a variety of vegetation was introduced to the land that thrived in the waste from the animals. Baffled but not yet through with their tampering both Gows (giraffe cows) and Chats (Rat chickens) were brought in to maintain the new vegetation and bugs respectively. It was then that they declared enough was enough and are currently in the thick of combining animal husbandry and their previous sciences trying to find balance once more. It is going less than superbly however at least the animals are cute.

The space between the planet the Ethen started on and the asteroids the Ethen Guard now live on is significant enough that the two groups do not currently communicate. Keeping up was just a painful reminder of a people they could not see again.

With a value for histories, knowledge, and oral storytelling those with the most power are those with the longest memory and greatest storytelling skills. They have little need for a more structured government and make decisions as a collective with those elders or most “Known” holding more weight and the younger newer of the Guard holding less sway. The most Known currently of The Ethen Guard is the “Collective of Seven” (literally Seven elders) who remember the ways of the people on-planet hundreds of years ago.

Spoiler: Resource

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The Ethen Guard have found themselves rich in well fed animals and have quickly accrued more than they care to maintain (Meat and Animal Products). They are also rich in knowledge of astronomy, the ether, atmosphere, and Ethenite. They use rather outdated means of recording and studying but they are accurate and their findings relevant. They don’t lack time with such long lived peoples, but they move at the pace of a mountain. The addition of the animals has really rapidly changed the way life occurs and they are very adept animal trainers at this point.

Spoiler: Desired Import

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While not necessary for The Guard, the animals do require water of which there is none on the asteroid(s) naturally. Most tools are also imported as The Guard are not a dexterous people.

Spoiler: Faith

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The Ethen Guard are not a people of faith but of history, science, and tradition.

Spoiler: Starting Tech

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Arcane Amplification: The Ethenite and the Ethen Guard together can create new Guard, visually storytell, and create visual maps/figures. This has helped greatly reduce their need for physical record keeping.
Vacuum Adaptation

[Lleban]

The Federation of Badalian Chaebols(FBC)

Spoiler: ruler: Dr. Song Freidman

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Diplomacy 2
Military 2
Economy 5
Faith 3
Intrigue 5

Spoiler: Geography

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Neo Guleum, Metrohell in the sky, a city of over 10 million people crammed on massive balloons. This balloon network is tied together, supported by the imperial aerostat granted to the Chaebols eons ago. On these balloons are dozens of skyscrapers packed to cram as many people as possible in the limited space provided. Badal's lower gravity and Neo Guleum's stability have also encouraged reckless growth. To the point where the average building is twenty stories tall. Above the acid clouds the climate is cool all day. Winds of bitter cold tear through the massive wind tunnels created by the maze of spires and precipitation is largely unheard of.

Neo Guleum can be divided into five districts via a series of byzantine zoning regulations designed to inflate property values. Finance Central lies at the city's heart pumping beloved capital into the rest of Neo Guleum's veins. On the north edge of the city lies the Chaebol Headquarters. Overlooking the scenic vistas of swirling acidic nimbus clouds Chaebol Headquarters is the city's administrative brain. Connecting these districts is the Spire Spine, a street consisting of the city' s tallest skyscraper devoted to controlling propaganda and the praxis of PSYCHO-CAPITALISM. Opposite the Headquarters is the Gut, the largest district by area and the one most packed with residences. The final district is The Wall, a large ring of factories on the city's southern edge, creating a wall of chemical plants, chip factories, and electronics assembly between residents of The Gut and the vast Badalian cloudscape. Most people get around the city via massive elevators, sky bridges, and elevated rail. Due to space concerns, atmospheric control, and city density, personal automobiles are rarely seen on the streets of Neo Guleum.

Spoiler: People

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The residents of Neo Guleum are unashamedly human. To the point where many of the elite families can trace their family line back to old Sanasr. All of the Chaebol families have the remains of the supposed original Imperial Writ of Commerce gilded and framed like immaculate museum pieces.

Physically citizens range from pale to olive-toned skin with black hair. What is most notable about the citizens of Neo Guleum is their embrace of cybernetics. The first cybernetics were given to workers to enhance sensory inputs and minimize the need for sleep. This enabled workers from the manufacturing and service industries to work longer hours at higher productivity. Brain implants are also seen as key tools to maintain labor discipline. With them Citizens can access information webs at will where all crucial services can be paid for with naught but a thought. Those who act against the Chaebols can be effectively isolated from accessing vital services or flooded with advertisements until the malcontent senses are overwhelmed. Gut enchantments with miniature lithium reactors compensate for the increased energy load while decreasing the need for extraneous greenery in city limits. Outside of Utilitarian cybernetics, there is a thriving market for limb enhancements, face reshapers, and spinal augments.

Culturally, Neo Guleum revolves around the consumption of imported goods from beyond city limits and from the invention of new services. VR-Gatcha games dominate the market home market. Procedurally generated films are the talk of the watercooler while manufactured pop music "borrowed" from other Badalian Aeristats blares in most public places. Family is a fundamental value to most Guleumites. Filial piety and sky-high land prices mean most homes are multigenerational. Individualism and a cutthroat labor market have atrophied any true sense of community. Because of this family feuds run rampant, settled via televised duels.

Spoiler: Faith (Pyscho-Capitalism) majority

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While aethism runs rampant within Neo Guleum there is a belief in the power of Markets. Markets bring happiness. Markets bring fufilmant. Markets Bring prosperity that trickles down eventually. Reading the markets with mathematical certainty can bring all of these things, perhaps even determine the future. But those who cannot read the Markets will suffer its ups and downs. PSYCHO-CAPITALISM promises that with the perfect mathematical model, one can predict the market so far in advance that one can ensure infinite portfolio growth.

Spoiler: Resource: Loans

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The main export of Neo Guleum is credit (Loans). In an economy built on finance every business and tycoon needs credit. Credit makes Badal go round whether people realize it or not.

Spoiler: required resource

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The thriving cybernetics industry requires a myriad of electronics to meet constant demand.

Starting tech: Algorithmic Imagination

[Syntax]

The Wicklund Salvagers
Region 40

Spoiler: Geography

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The region is a vast desert bordered by ocean. Most of the area is uninhabited, but there is one major city, Davis Port, on the western ocean. There are also various temporary salvage operations going on at any given time, usually making camps under rocky ridges. The mountains to the northeast are unexplored, due to being far from the Port and requiring vastly different equipment to survey than the rest of the desert. The desert itself is mostly sandy with the occasional rocky outcrop and bush. No large animals are known to inhabit the region, but small lizards and birds are common sights. A discovery of a large ruined city was made around 10 years ago near the mountain foothills, known officially as Salvage Site 5317 and colloquially as Domeland.

Spoiler: History and Government

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This region was settled relatively recently, as the desert proved difficult to settle in after the War of Eternal Bombardments. Eventually, the high quantity of salvageable materials left in the desert drew in the Davis Salvage Operation, who built shelters from the salvage they couldn't find a way to sell. Although the Davis Salvage Operation is now defunct, the name was carried to the town it eventually grew into: Davis Port, still the only major settlement in the region. At first, the region was run by the Davis Salvage Operation, however, they found themselves unable to handle the pressures of governing a city and incoming competitors and broke down. In the panic left in their wake, power was seized by the Wicklund family of mages. It is currently run as a monarchy, with Erika Wicklund as the queen.

Spoiler: People

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The people of the region are extremely varied physically, coming from all over in search of profit or escape. Culturally, the lack of most raw resources has led to repairing and tinkering being highly valued. The primary magic learned by those in the region is temperature-based. A basic application would be to keep a room or camp at a comfortable temperature in the thermally fluctuating desert, and more advanced applications can be used to reshape metal, melt sand, and fracture various materials. Salvage operations are done with small crews of around ten: two to three surveyors, two to three mages, and four to six machine operators. The vast majority of the population are permanent residents of Davis Port.

Spoiler: Faith

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No one faith can be said to have a major backing in the region: in the Davis era, settlers brought diverse faiths to the region, and the Wicklund family has not yet chosen to support any of them. Churches of different denominations are not uncommon in Davis Port. A focal point for religious activity is the Platinum Square Temple, which does not have a fixed faith, but allows religions too small to have a permanent building to rent it out and congregate.

Spoiler: Resources

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Their primary exports are Salvaged Components (Conductors and Circuitry, Construction Materials).
The local mountains and desert provide mineral resources, but it's hard to grow crops due to the harsh conditions.
Desired Import: Fruits and Vegetables

Spoiler: Technology

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As the cost to reclaim salvage has been growing over the years due to nearby salvage dwindling, they have been looking for ways to keep up trade; the latest push is to completely repair salvaged vehicles and spacecraft to sell at a much higher price. While they have not yet mastered this, they have learned some of the principles governing their construction.
Starting techs: Pseudogravity Engineering, Wet Navy Ships

[D&D_Fan]

The Arvaxine Populate [Approved]



Starting Region: 54 (Veehra)

Spoiler: Geography

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The surface land that the Arvax Populate lays claim to is remarkably dull. It's little more than flat, grassy plains from the beaches to the mountains. The real marvel is the massive system of pre-bombardment bunkers and tunnels that lay beneath the surface, and wind their way incredibly deep. These bunkers were by and large quite primitive for their time, but robust nonetheless. The arvax themselves refurbished them with new stone and metal, and began delving deep into them and expanding them. Though much of the original system fell into disarray, the facilities still contain all manner of subterranean reactors, greenhouses, laboratories, foundries and manufactories, lodging, temples, transport, hangars and all other assortments of function, most of them rebuilt by the arvax themselves with the knowledge they accrued. These structures are quite nice if you like to look at metal and stone, but the land itself does not end in this way. The complex opens up and expands into natural cave systems, underground seas, and forests of crystal and fungi with ecosystems that evolved cut off from anything else in the world. Few outsiders will ever see this hidden world, sequestered under stone and shielding, but to those who know it as the arvax do, it is the truest part of the planet.

Spoiler: History

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Much like any other, their genesis chapter begins in the heavens. But where their story begins, so does another end. When the powers that be unleashed their final judgment on so many others. Some would try to hide away in their fortified bunkers, deep below the surface, where they could continue in their purposes. But there is no escaping fate. Ghastly etheric weapons pieced through kilometers of stone, and slaughtered the bunker-dwellers within, leaving no survivors. No sapient ones, at least. But through mutagenic factors in the environment, a new species of sapient life emerged over time from a species that had found its way into the bunker system, and came to inhabit the ruins of these derelict mass graves.
Deep in their underground microcosm they would wage their private pretty battles with one another, evolving rapidly in technology and in biology, from spears and rocks to railguns and radiation, eventually restarting the reactors that lay deep in the earth.
In the time that this occurred, settlers moved into the land, the arvax would realize that their isolation was not permanent, and would unify their forces and emerge from the depths of the earth to lay claim to what was rightfully theirs. Which they did quite handily, because the settlers were not so fortunate to have evolved with a silver spoon in their mouth or fusion reactor in their cradle. These were the first non-arvax that were assimilated into the Populate, and they would not be the last.

Spoiler: People

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Mammalian organisms of indeterminate origin. Nobody who has actually seen a mammal can really decide what mammal they look like, but it can be largely assumed that’s what they are.
The sum of traits ascribed to them is that they aren’t notably colorful, they aren’t much larger than a human, have pointed ears, jagged claws and fangs, and hairless tails, and aren't exactly known for smelling like roses either. Generally unpleasant to outsiders, although I'm sure outsiders would find many other things to be unhappy about. They are usually a bit twitchy and paranoid in their mannerists. Anything other than that is harder to pin down, because they tend to avoid outside contact. Until now, where they have been seen more frequently in the outside world.
Their sense of fashion and jewelry is inconsistent at best, the arvax themselves can get away with wearing comfortable robes in their own hallways or at diplomatic events, but in a situation of hard work, they fall back on simple utilitarian bodysuits. But they don't have a strong sense of color, as their vision is only dichromatic. Their symbolism is very ring-centric as evidenced by their symbol being a big ring.
They have a cultural concept of gender, but there's not a tremendous amount of dimorphism, and their society acts accordingly. In actual number, there are in the low tens of millions, but they themselves rarely run any sort of census to verify.

Spoiler: Government, Leadership, and Lifestyle

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The Arvaxine Populate democratically elect their leaders. These leaders are usually figureheads, but more charismatic leaders have had much stronger control over the people, and have, in the past, managed to have themselves voted into an indefinite state of dictatorship which grants the power to automatically confirm or veto all decisions the Populate might put forward. Their good will with the people is only ensured through conservative use of these powers, making it a rather precarious system.
The current Arvax President (prounced preside-ent because I can say it is) is Edrajek of the First Territory (The bunker itself being partition into non-arbitrary partitions by exactly what vital function of the bunker system each territory controls.) Who is Edrajek? He's the latest leader elected from the people, for his successful oversight of the reconstruction of the hangar bay system with the attainment of new spacecraft technologies. He did a marginally good job at it, and got thrust into a position of power, where he now has a notable degree of authority over the Populate. So far he's been in this position for a few months. The last leader before him was deposed for abuse of the powers granted to him in a time of peace, and the one before that was removed for being too ineffectual in a time of need (the Last Guardianship War in the depths of 10th Territory). So Edrajek is a bit nervous about treading the line between the two paths.
Of course only members of the arvax species can vote to elect a president or any other decision, with some exceptions, and their policies result in generally low economic and social freedoms for all people within the civilization, especially non-arvax, who are treated as second-class citizens, and forced to fulfill less desirable jobs.
But let’s look at the less fortunate of society. The Populate’s second class is composed of any non-arvax species, as well as arvax who are in any way physically or genetically unfit, or anything of a similar nature. All citizens, first-class or otherwise, are still ensured a level of healthcare, a place to live, and food. This is because the bunker system is a very large and relatively self-sustaining location, as long as it is maintained. But they lack political influence, and many other freedoms, such as having highly limited reproductive rights and meritocratic job selection (rather than getting to choose their own fields of study and occuptations) For most second-class citizens of the Populate, their aptitude is working the reactors or manufactories.

Spoiler: Faith: The Way of Returning

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The arvax were born of the apocalypse, and they believe that they will die by the apocalypse. All things must end so that new things might exist. There are only so many souls that can exist. Reincarnation must occur by force. History is inherently cyclical and the rise and fall of civilizations is a fact of life.
The Way of Returning is a very anarchic faith. There is no single church, but many smaller sects and ideologues. It is a deeply ingrained cultural belief, one reflected in arvaxine architecture and design since their very inception as a species. In fact, some archaeologists believe that the Way of Returning itself may be a 'reincarnation' itself of the bunker-dwellers’ original Faith, though this theory isn’t a proven one. It's more likely the original inhabitants of the bunkers liked circles as a shape, but it's hard to say, since they were completely eradicated.

Other faiths inevitably exist in the non-arvax population, typically drawn from surrounding regions. These don't have a majority hold on the governing arvax population.

Spoiler: Resources and Technologies

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Resources
They Have in Abundance: Fuel and Power, in the form of Deuterium also known as Heavy Water.
They Need Greatly: Laborers, more non-arvax to work and monitor the vital systems and menial jobs of the bunker-complex.

Technologies

• Fusion Reactors - very big ones at that.
• Wet Navy Ships - in the form of submarines, no less.