The Straite : Exposition OOC

[Darkmatter]

Oh, stop it you. You're going to make my loaf go stale.

I like it when it's stale. It gets all hard and moldy. That starch won't be the only thing rising.

[generaldisaster]

Bake me now!

[Ozerath]

Grrr I really can't settle on a third trait. Darkmatter, how long are turns? Also, does Expert Sales Tactics just let you automatically force a trade route on anyone?

[Arxia]

I hope within reason/with those you've met.

[Darkmatter]

I hope within reason/with those you've met.

Arxia's right. You have to at least know of their existence, buy you will know of the other nations in your arm at least so you can still use it now.

As for turns, an ideal one would be one post each. Followed by combat posting, followed by the next scripted event.

[Marrone]

Ugh. I want to develop my story so much, but other people aren't posting

If we wanted to be super badass, we'd let the story roll, and if it's still slow and we're bored, we just make 1 on 1's or other RP's that are based off our game. Like, I dunno. Shit. Just to see how they'd culturally and socially understand eachother. I'm sure we'll think of something interesting later. That'd also help us flesh out the world, keep us hooked and interested, and create a more realistic bond or some shit.

[Ozerath]

Alright. For expert sales tactics, do you still have to pay the 500c and 5 corvettes to open the trade route?

Also, for industrious, do you still have to pay the credit cost of the destroyer, even though it takes no Ppoints?

I feel it would be unfair of me to start posting before I've even nailed down my 3rd trait, so I'll wait for a bit, unless no one minds.

[Marrone]

The Expert Sales Tactics is a good question, especially since you have to wait 5 turns. I think that the fact that you could force a trade route is pretty cool (I'm assuming it's mutual, which means, woohoo!!) especially for the Imperials. But those Corvettes are necessary to move stock, and the trade route being established, 500C is probably sufficient enough. These things cost moolah!! It might be a balancing thing, though.

Industrious, I'm thinking, your people can be as industrious as they want, if they don't have the cash to build something they can't build it. But I'm not sure if you have to pay in terms of balancing.

I'd say, well, just follow your instincts. No need to rush; get it right instead of getting it right now!

[Darkmatter]

Alright. For expert sales tactics, do you still have to pay the 500c and 5 corvettes to open the trade route?

Also, for industrious, do you still have to pay the credit cost of the destroyer, even though it takes no Ppoints?

I feel it would be unfair of me to start posting before I've even nailed down my 3rd trait, so I'll wait for a bit, unless no one minds.

Yes with expert sales tactics you've still to pay and sacrifice the corvettes. The advantage is you don't have to use money or time creating a pact first.
As for industrious, same deal, you've still to pay but it doesn't use a PPoint that turn.

Like Marrone said its a choice that should be made instinctually.

[Xartarin]

IT'S LATE. I SURE HOPE I DIDN'T FORGET ANYTHING.

Nation Name: Unity of Deyrok (Deyrok is the home planet's name)
Species Names: Nilinth and Uben
Species Descriptions: The Nilinth evolved to climb trees and pluck fruit and prey from the tall branches. They are 10-12 feet tall and have a leathery green hide. Their head is a slightly elongated oval with a mouth at the top and a single eye front and center. Their torso is small, but their legs and arm are very long and thin. Both their feet and hand consist of four fingers arranged in a square pattern with webbed skin between them which they can close like a net. They have a surprising dexterity with all three of these limbs. Their single arm extends out of the middle of their back, and at the sides of their torso they have two wing-like membrane flaps that they use to smell and hear. When off their home planet, most Nilinth wear a device that covers their mouth that filters air.

The Ubens are an aquatic species, evolved to hunt and kill on the ocean floor. The Ubens are humanoid at first: blue, scaly, around five feet tall with two-digit claws for their hands and feet, black-and-white vision, and gills at the side of their head. however, they're capable of stealing the body parts of other species and incorporating them into their own body. Normally they'd only be capable of sticking the limbs and parts of animals on their home planets onto their exteriors. However, with greater access to genetic treatments and surgery, they have been able to incorporate internal and external organs of many species across the stars into their own biology near seamlessly. They normally do not speak and do not have names, but to fit better in interstellar society many of them have taken up names and stolen vocal chords. Unless they've gotten some lungs, Ubens have to wear a simple helmet of liquid connected to a regulating deviced placed somewhere else on their bodies. Other popular body parts include different hands and feet, color vision, increased height or muscle mass, ears that function out of water, increased quantity of arms, and stomachs able to digest alien food. Occasionally an Uben's instinct to augment their bodies goes too far, and it's not uncommon to see Ubens that have modified their bodies beyond usefulness. Brain modifications have been attempted, but none have been successful.

Species Mentality: Nilinth are a friendly and nonviolent species, their one arm necessitating working with others to use most technology. To them, war is a tragedy and is only acceptable as an absolute last resort. Most of the Nilinth are even uneasy with their planet keeping such a large military, a common belief being that simply keeping a large military might provoke war, or make the Council more likely to declare it. They communicate through a language that sounds like chirps and clicks, but are completely capable of speaking in more typical languages. Most delight in learning other languages, same as they delight in learning new art and technology. They see science and progress more as an exploration than an invention, same as a human might see exploring a new continent or taking apart a computer and seeing its insides.

They are essentially incapable of creativity in most of the ways we think of it. They do not produce art nor can they preform their own research or invent their own technology. All of their technology and art are taken from other species. However, they are masters at understanding and replicating the technology they discover. They are hermaphroditic, but very private about it. They do not like reproducing outside their own home planet or one of their colonies, so they often dislike long space voyages. Nilinth living outside their nation's sphere of influence happens, but is not common. In general, they are industrious, curious and socially adept, but are kind of dull and simple-minded.

The Ubens are asocial by nature and reproduce asexually, and will regard members of their own species with intense loathing. They dislike other intelligent races as well, but not nearly as much and they can still overcome their instincts and play the society game. While the vast majority have become thieves, mercenaries, or feral at worst and soldiers at best, a few have made fairly successful businessmen and commanders. Still, finding an Uben willing to work with another of their own species is nearly impossible, and Ubens typically kill other Ubens on sight. As such they tend to spread out more, living in other nations and planets to get as far away from each other as physically possible. Ubens are generally tough, mean, and clever, and as such make up the bulk of commanding officers in the Deyrok military.

The closest things Ubens have to social constructs are their habits of attaching otherwise useless parts from significant opponents onto their person to intimidate others and their habit of giving birth in the fresh kill of other Ubens when they aren't looking as a drastic insult.

Civilization's History: The planet of Deyrok had a dominant sapient species long before the Nilinth, a humanoid species often referred to as the Precursors. This species built a large and successful society, advanced to just over human-level technology. However, they started trespassing too far into the oceans, and angered a force deep within. The Precursors had been fishing, polluting, and developing in the oceans, destroying the Ubens habitat and the habitat of the animals they hunted. For the first and only time in history, the Ubens worked together and rose up in unity against this common threat, beginning the Precursor Extinction. This was millennia ago.

Eventually a species rose up to utilize the technology the Precursors left behind. The Nilinth began inhabiting former Precursor cities and towns, and began exploring their technology, using it in simple ways at first. What they learned, they shared with everyone else. They're ability to take apart the technology, learn what it does, and reproduce it grew and grew quickly. However, they never learned how to apply what they learned to invent something new. After all, why make a spear from flint and tanned hide when the tanks lying around were equipped with rail guns? Why start an industrial revolution when fully automated factories were ready to go at the push of a button? All the Nilinth learned was to make friends and fix machines. They formed a large and powerful society extremely easily, quickly spreading across the planet. Tribes never fought, they joined their forces every time. Separate countries never existed, wars were never fought. With most of the technology responsible for the Precursor's extinction destroyed, the Nilinth never had any problems with their aquatic brothers. When they discovered their species was sapient, the Nilinth invited one of the slightly more cooperative Uben to a government position to satisfy their species' needs, of which there was only one: Don't fuck with us. The Nilinth species quickly reached their pinnacle, and then stagnated peacefully.

Then, one day, a spaceship crashed into their planet. The pilot was dead, but the ship was in good enough ship that the Nilinth could quickly fix it up and discover the Graviton Drive within. The Nilinth were beginning voyages into space within the decade, and were an interstellar force within the century. The Uben member of the council extended the option to travel to space and related technological advancements to the other members of his species, and the Ubens eventually started becoming military officers for the chance to get off Deyrok. Many others stowed away on military or trade ships in order to reach the stars.

Planetary Information: Deyrok is about 50% ocean and 50% land, with many rivers but few major lakes. A very large amount of land is a partially-developed lush forest, with exceptions being the arctic poles, the tops of mountains and a few deserts and grasslands between the forest and arctic. While the land has very few predators, the Nilinth being one of the major ones, the ocean is full of treacherous monsters. The Ubens are just one of many predatory players in a very complicated aquatic food web. The ocean across Deyrok is relatively shallow compared to Earth, with very few crushing depths or deep trenches. Most of the ocean floor is covered with plant life, short grasses near the shores and tall kelp-like trees out in the open ocean. The planet as a whole is very productive and diverse in terms of wildlife.

Military Information: Deyrok keeps a standard military around to defend their system. Some of their older ships look a lot like Ubens; patchworks of alien technology. Their newer ones are more standardized, the result of just buying ship designs and reproducing them. Their ships are painted green and blue, mostly to avoid confusing them with ships from other nations that have the same model. Increasing the size of their military unless faced with some kind of threat or expansion project would be an unpopular move politically, but they do still replace lost ships. Because most of their ship and fleet commanders are Ubens, they have had a recent problem with rogue ships. Deyrok is mostly concerned with the rogue ships negatively impacting their reputation, their other main diplomatic problem being accusations of stealing technology.

The single Uben on the Council of Deyrok has the most direct influence on the military, but ze can't declare war without the consent of the other council members.

Government Information: The Council of Deyrok is a group of five individuals, one Uben and four Nilinth. Their base of operations is on Deyrok's small moon, in a moon base that was already there for some reason.

The Nilinth are elected officials, usually promoted from other positions of power. They have to be re-elected every so often, but can serve unlimited terms. The Uben is picked by the Nilinth from whatever small selection of Uben volunteer, until ze eventually gets fed up with the job and kills everyone and/or retires. Aside from the council, their government is run by a large, complex bureaucracy that they don't like to talk about.

The Council of Deyrok
Darrok

Spoiler

Race: Nilinth
Appearance: Average size, wears a white robe with red diamonds going down the front.
Bio: Darrok is a devout member of the "Ancient Angels" religious sect, believing that the race that built all of their initial technology was some kind of deity. Ze was a very well-known priest before being elected to the council.

Darrok considers "technological exploration" Deyrok's primary goal.

Falrok

Spoiler

Race: Nilinth
Appearance: Slightly shorter than Dar, and looks like ze's seen better days. Zir mouth and eye are covered by machines, with the mouthpiece possessing three slits for breathing and a small hole for inserting feeding and drinking tubes. Zir arm has been cut short and replaced with a small mechanical claw. Zir face is withered, and ze wears a large black robe with white shoulders.
Bio: Falrok used to be an offworld diplomat until ze was attacked by an Uben. The Uben removed zir lungs, eye, most of zir arm and ran off. As an offworld diplomat on ze had access to technology that saved zir life. After a few more years of successful negotiating, ze ran for council and was elected successfully. The "Seadevils" religious sect wants to make zir a poster boy for their anti-Uben agenda, but Fal has consistently denied any involvement or shared views with the group.

Fal is fond of driving a hard bargain, and will negotiate aggressively with others. Ze also enjoys space travel more than most Nilinth, and will sometimes act as a representative of the whole council along with Nilrok for offworld negotiations.

Nilrok

Spoiler

Race: Uben
Appearance: Shorter by far than the other members by virtue of being an Uben. Wears black armor with gray plastic-esque pads, which has a device with a glow blue circle button on the chest. Strapped to zir waist is some kind of gun. There is a metal device covering zir mouth with three slits in it. This device translates for zem and helps zem breath. Nilrok does not wear a helmet.

Nil has fish-like eyes, hands and feet that are three-digit, hard-shelled, dull red and hairy, and a large tooth extending from the right side of zir head. This tooth was from a very large, hard-to-kill aquatic monster on Deyrok, and having one is typically a sign of skill among Ubens.
Bio: Uben was a great warrior and shrewd fighter on Deyrok until ze became a military officer in the Deyrok army for zir great skill to work with others (ie ze didn't kill them very often). Ze was later appointed as the Uben Councilor. Though like most Uben Councilors before zir ze draws scorn and condescension from many of the others for zir conflicting viewpoints and questionable tactics, ze is dedicated to the planet's safety and well-being.

As the single Uben on the council, Nilrok is used to zir opinions being in the minority. Ze is the only councilor that is willing to use warfare as an option, but has learned not to overly suggest it from years of being shot down. While ruder and more disrespectful than the other councilors, Nilrok is nothing if not pragmatic.

In addition to being a councilor, Nilrok is commander of Deyrok's armed forces. Other Ubens are not advised to be around Nilrok, as ze will kill them on sight.

Telrok

Spoiler

Race: Nilinth
Appearance: Slightly taller than Drarok, with a bit wider face. Ze wears a scarf, dark green shirt and dark blue pants, and most of zir arm is covered in a sleeve. A few nondescript badges are adorned on zir shirt.
Bio: Telrok is a war veteran, and used to be a high-ranking officer before being elected to the council. Ze has many scars, which ze keeps covered up, as they are considered unseemly and rude to show.

Having seen the destruction of war firsthand, Telrok is the most reluctant to suggest direct combat as a tactic. Though this makes zir well-liked by the Nilinth population, it often makes zir a bit of a pushover in negotiations.

Mulrok

Spoiler

Race: Nilinth
Appearance: The tallest of the councilors, Mulrok has a long and thin body, as if stretched out. Ze has a small mouth and beady eye. Ze wears a robe similar to Drarok, but with one red diamond instead of many, and a three-pointed red star at the neck.
Bio: Mulrok was an offworld diplomat before running for council chair. Ze is probably the most even-mannered of the councilors, fair and balanced in zir decisions. In addition, Mulrok tends to be involved in most of the economic decisions for the planet.

The -rok prefix indicates a member or former member of the Council of Deyrok. It is neither rude nor uncommon to refer to a Councilor or other officer by a title they once held in the past, like Priest Darrok or Comander Nilrok. Nilrok's name is translated, literally meaning "no name". Uben councilors are required to have three-letter names like the Nilinth, and they always name themselves "nothing". Not that it's tradition, they just all think they're being really clever and most Ubens don't pay a lot of attention to politics.

Economic Information: Although companies are considered to a certain extent separate entities from the government, the Council of Deyrok still directs the economy in a general sense. Businesses operate only with their permission and with heavy regulations, though often with monopolies. Their currency is completely digital, because that's how the Precursors did it. Most of their largest businesses involve manufacturing products designed by and sold to other nations, from starships to food processors, and companies that restore buildings or provide fast food.

Uben-ruled businesses often break away from Government control, operating illegally and usually in the colonies. The Deyrok colonies have a large and healthy black market, and many Uben companies spread beyond the Deyrok sphere of influence, black market or otherwise.

Science&Culture Information: Technological blueprints are Nilinth's viral videos, and any technology ever bought or stolen by a Nilinth will quickly find its way into the basements of any Nilinth that can afford the parts. They have a decent appreciation for the arts of other species, some individuals more than others, but obviously they don't produce any of their own. However, the Precursors left a fair amount of art behind along with their technology. They had a long history of art and culture, the two most prominent art styles being "accurate depictions of reality with something weird in them" or "deeply symbolic abstract nonsense". Most of their recent music consisted of recordings spliced together into some quasi-melody. A lot of their earlier music also delighted in incoherence and buried meanings, though less chaotically.

Ubens had simple weapons, tools and instruments before setting off for space, and played music on the bones of their prey to calm their nerves. However, they don't have anything resembling a culture, or a style or genre that could be recognizable across the species. They don't listen to a lot of music from other species. They played music to calm themselves, kill time or announce their presence in a cocky fashion, they didn't have much interest in listening to it.

A lot of the older buildings on their planet are just restored Precursor buildings, with newer buildings having designs obviously taken from other planets. The Nilinth typically do not replace buildings, just restoring and repairing them infinitely. There are many religions on Nilinth, and it's probably the most major way in which members of the species disagree with each other, though the vast majority aren't really dicks about it. The most popular religion is the one whose name roughly translates to Ancient Angels, who believe that the Precursors were deities in some sense, deserving of worship. The radical extension of this belief is that the Ubens who slaughtered them were monsters, believers of this being known as the "Seadevils" sect, and has resulted in a minor amount of animosity from Nilinth towards Ubens. However, most followers are of the belief that being exterminated by an army of Sea-Frankensteins is somehow part of their ineffable plan, and that they were intentionally passing down their gifts to the Nilinth, like Prometheus giving fire to Man before being tortured forever. Most religions have names that kinda sound like college football teams.

Traits: Colonial - Large centers of mining, manufacturing and business.
Pacifism - All six members of the council have to agree to declare war, which will not happen unless they're attacked first.
Information Trader - The ulterior motive behind most Deyrok treaties and trades

Pictures:
Nilinth

Spoiler

Ubens

Spoiler

Cs : 1000
Ppoints: 3
Dreadnoughts: 1
Battleships: 6
Crusiers: 12
Destroyers: 25
Frigates: 45
Corvettes: 150
Fighters/Fast Attack Craft: 10,000
War Agreements: NONE
Economic Pacts: NONE
Alliances: NONE
Great Advancements: NONE
Cultural Idols: NONE
War Heroes: NONE*
Status: 0