Queen Radine ####**|Name of nation:** Queendom of Faerie __ ####**|Summary in a Sentence:** Mischievous, chaotic-neutral, magical beings living in a pinched-off bubble of hyperspace. __ ####**|Species:** [Fay or Fairy](http://imgur.com/a/pGhIC) Fay are naturally rather plain-looking humanoids with disproportionately small torsos, large ears, and wings. They're inherently magical, however, and almost always wear a glamour of ageless beauty. Their magic can extend the illusion so that they can disguise themselves as nearly any species, and some even undergo surgery to complete the effect. A very few even remove their wings (obviously their wings were never very impressive in the first place). As a rule, however, they are *always* extravagantly beautiful, decadently wasteful, and incredibly vain. Iron is so poisonous to the Fay that mere touch causes skin lesions. The colder the iron, the worse the reaction; conversely, hot iron will do nothing more than cause a rash. By now, however, most Fay have figured out ways to avoid iron, and a carefully-prepared dose of radium can cure Iron Sickness. Of course, the same carefully-prepared dose of radium will also temporarily disconnect a Fairy from the magical aether. The connection can be re-established, but doing so is incredibly painful and draining. Fairies don't, generally, hang around nuclear reactors. __ ####**|Description of government:** Nominal Queendom Nobody rules the Fay so much as *manages* them. Herding cats is easier than getting any member of the species to not do something, and any ruler that's tried to say the word "no" is usually quickly devoured. Or entombed in a brick wall. Or strapped to a table and fed one drop of a nutrient paste every two weeks to just barely keep them alive. These aren't punishments so much as entertainments. [Queen Titania](http://imgur.com/a/ymTCw#0), on the other hand, has learned to manage the antics of her subjects through cajoling, trickery, careful bargaining, unusually strong connection to the aetherfield, and outright manipulation. Her court is a never-ending party, each night starting with a stomach-topping feast and ending with a drug-induced haze. Dances, raves, orgies, absurd sports, and disturbing "entertainment" are par for the course, and many Fairies mistakenly try to curry favor with ever-more extravagant displays. As far as Queen Titania is concerned, the never-ending party (aside from being great fun) is a marvelous way for the more feral of her subjects to let off steam. On the other hand, there's an unwritten Fairy Code. Any who go back on their word are exiled on the spot. Unsuspecting hyperspace travelers occasionally run across these "exiled" bodies. Particularly nice Fay will merely force twice the agreed-upon price from contract violators. Creative Fay will occasionally extract an elaborate and slow-burning revenge before the inevitable exile. Similarly, it is strictly forbidden to reveal the location of, much less guide foreigners to, Faerie. __ ####**|Home Planet:** [Faerie](http://i.imgur.com/rjpiOFj.png) A lush, over-terraformed world wrapped in thousands of conflicting enchantments. It's locked away in a separate bubble of pinched-off hyperspace, but if you know the way, and the Path lets you, you can walk there. __ ####**|Other Territories:** Along the Fairy Path are various Inns between Worlds where weary travelers can stop for the night. Nor are the Inns limited to just those who happen to wander onto the Fairy Path; hyperspace jumps will very rarely result in arriving at an Inn's "parking lot", pulled in on a whim by the Path itself. Unlucky travelers may end up as dinner, or new members of the permanent Inn staff, their vehicles and belongings confiscated in exchange for practical immortality. Lucky travelers will never feel so refreshed, often finding chronic aches and injuries healed upon waking, and their vehicles in mysteriously perfect working order. These Inns are, of course, privately run for the amusement of their Fay owner. __ ####**|Description of military:** The Queendom of Faerie relies on its estranged location and Queen Titania's unparalleled rapport with the Path - allowing her to change which routes lead to Faerie for protection. Even so, in times of great duress, it's not unheard of for the individual Fairies to band together and fight invaders. When they do, it's a chaotic series of all-out assaults, guerrilla warfare, and idiotic suicide missions. However, the only two times the Fay have fought on that scale resulted in the complete xenocide of their assailants. Or so the Fay claim. Any military equipment is up to the individual to field. So you'll end up facing an army cobbled-together from various technologies and magics, ranging from platinum-iridium spears to railgun tanks. Any technological artifact is, of course, stolen from somewhere at some point in time. __ ####**|Technological Overview:** The technology level varies massively from one individual to the next. The Fay themselves invent nothing, preferring to steal from other races (and even steal the scientists of the other races) when they feel so inclined. Their one great technomagical achievement is the Fairy Path, created by the outcast fairy [Euryale](http://i.imgur.com/RSi5skt.jpg). A living entity comprised of beautifully subtle aetherfied hyperspace tunnels, the Path is a series of trails threading through most known worlds. Literally - the Fay can walk from world to world. Of course, so can anyone else who stumbles upon them. Not that they'd notice - one of the Path's many Glamours make each transition from world to world seamless. You only realize you're no longer in Kansas when it's far too late. And walking the Path is dangerous - some trails lead to airless moons, glassed planets, and frigid ice worlds. The routes change according to the Path's inscrutable whim, influenceable only by Queen Titania herself. The Fay themselves, of course, know how to navigate the Path; it's part of the Glamours lacing the thing. Like all Fairy magic, however, it's thwarted by radiation. The Fairy Path has learned to stay away from highly-populated technological areas, sticking to the deep woods where at all possible. Fewer people usually means less radioactivity. __ ####**|Magical Overview:** Glamours are an innate ability shared by all Fay. A glamour is an illusion cast on either themselves or a small object altering its appearance. Many glamours are incredibly elaborate, as it's considered a marker of high status to have a detailed glamour. Queen Titania can change what she appears to be wearing based on how she's feeling at the moment. Fairy gold is another example of a glamour: exchanging a few leaves that look and feel like gold for favors is an old trick. The more tech-savvy Fay can fool e-banks into believing funds have been transferred - for a day or so, anyway. On top of glamours (or perhaps as a subset of glamours), Fay can cast simple prestidigitations - real-life magic tricks. Levitating small objects, turning paper roses into real ones with a flash of fire, making objects disappear, increasingly complicated card tricks, that sort of thing. Otherwise, the Fay magic affects processes. They can curse or bless items and organics, causing harvests to be particularly good or bad, or certain industrial processes to function foully or fairly. Tech-savvy Fay can even bless code to execute to the author's intentions, and not what they mistakenly typed. __ ####**|Cultural Overview:** The Fay are a long-lived species (or at least appear to be; time works weirdly on Faerie, and very few Fay allow themselves to appear old). They believe totally in the freedom of the individual. No organizations exist within the Queendom, and the only true planet ruled by Titania is Faerie itself. The rest of the Fay are scattered throughout the galaxy. Some live as shopkeepers, some as farmers, some as seers and sooth-sayers, and a very few even take up residence on starships. Exiles, outcasts, and other Fay deemed as "weird", "untrustworthy", and "suspicious" drop their glamours. When pressed, they usually claim that they're a member of a near-extinct nomadic species (something not far from the truth). If further pressed, they usually leave. Most, however, try to directly interact with the species of the galaxy as little as possible. Note that that doesn't mean they're above the occasional abduction, experiment, meal, or risqué escapade. The two constants are vanity and pride. Fairies are convinced that they are the best at whatever they choose to do (and with magic, that's not always a lie), and of course they're the most beautiful beings in existence. Or else. Despite the individualistic chaos, every Fairy keeps to one gilded commandment: never reveal the way to Faerie. Most go as far as concealing themselves as natives of whatever culture they reside in, wary of even revealing the existence of their race. Plus, it helps to allay suspicion in missing child cases, or whatever mischief the Fairy has gotten themselves into. Thanks to their history, they're rather understandably very territorial; very few foreigners have been to Faerie and left alive. There are a few aliens who live on Faerie, kept alive through an intricate series of deals and parties interested in their entertainment value. It also helps that they've sworn to never leave. As a general rule, however, foreigners are tolerated (so long as they are nowhere near Faerie). The Path itself tends to favor certain aliens, deeming them "worthy" enough to see Faerie. Fairies are obsessed with the fine arts. Rumors of Fairies letting themselves get enchanted by a particularly beautiful melody, painting, statue, or dance aren't unfounded. And any alien that makes a pact or deal with a Fairy will see the Fairy hold up their end to the (exact) letter of the bargain. Fay demand equal trade and reciprocation. No deed is for free, and saying "thank you" is often deadly. Fay view "thank you" as attempting to repay a kindness with words, and very few Fairies think *their* special kindnesses are worth mere words. Fairies will also do whatever they think is most interesting, and if nothing interesting is happening, they'll make something interesting happen. These two behaviors mean that any slight or insult will be avenged mercilessly. __ ####**|History:** Once upon a time [couldn't resist, sorry], there was a democratic federation of magical beings known as Fay. The Fay spanned a few star systems, having travelled there via the good will of their neighbors, as the Fay themselves had no interest in technology, but every interest in all things beautiful. That interest motivated them to reside on strange new worlds, absorbing fantastic natural sights. In return for the shuttle services, for which no bargain was struck, the Fay took it upon themselves to beautify their neighbor's planets, making them all the more incredible to behold. And there was peace and prosperity for a while. One day, however, an evil man came to power in a nearby empire. This empire violently expanded. When the evil emperor learned of the beauty of the neighboring planets, he immediately declared war. The neighbors regretfully informed the Fay that it could no longer afford to shuttle the Fay from planet to planet while fighting a war. A young Fay by the name of Euryale, self-exiled for her love of technology, created the ultimate masterpiece of Fay art and engineering: the Fairy Path. To birth the Path, however, there was a price to be paid. Faerie and the star it orbited were forevermore inaccessible to the universe at large. This was, of course, Euryale's intention; the evil empire couldn't destroy Faerie if they couldn't find it. The peaceful neighbors, meanwhile, were utterly annihilated. Those that survived were "assimilated" into the empire. Thus they paid the price for slighting the Fay nation. Meanwhile, the glamours and blessings bestowed upon the planets faded, and soon very little that was not ugly grew in the soil there. And so peace and prosperity once again followed. At one point or another, one particular Fairy decided it would be more fun to rule permanently than to continue with democracy. An insurrection followed, and the would-be ruler was entombed behind a brick wall filled with spiders and insects that liked to chitter in his ears. Complete anarchy took hold of the Fay, with nobody wanting to submit to anyone. Another Fairy, seeing this anarchy, sought to reform a peaceful government capable of "getting things done". If anything, the insurrection that followed was more violent than the previous one, and the would-be ruler was kept forever alive while forever starving, her wrists and ankles bound to a stone alter with rings of frozen iron. Finally Queen Titania rose to power through a deceptively simple deal. She agreed to host a party. So long as the party continued, she would be host, and so long as she was host, she had authority. It helped that she was extremely adept at manipulating the aetherfield, and had a mysteriously good rapport with the Path. Would-be assassins were eliminated long before they got near her (often in public, to everyone's chagrin). In short, she maintained power by being *entertaining*.

MonkeyPants **Name of nation:** Vygran Dominion **Species:** [Laujin](http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20071018031243/lotr/images/e/e8/1165596377sauron1.jpg) The Laujin are a proud race of humanoids. Its not clear how they evolved in to a human like form, maybe a god ran out of ideas? who knows. They are tall, usually standing between 6'5 to 7'5 and all have black hair and yellow eyes.. Laujin are very warlike but smart at the same time. These folk have a genetic disposition to be very muscular from birth. Their body naturally channels "void" powers which gives them many extraordinary abilities. Enhanced strength, long distance "dashing" that is akin to flight. They can manipulate energy through their hands and create barriers to help defend against kinetic and energy weaponry. Their skin is very tough, enabling them to take far more punishment that a typical human. Though these incredible feats give them a powerful advantage on ground combat over typical soldiers, it comes at a price. Their bodies exert this energy at such a high level that the harder one fights, the more power they can use but they will start showing signs of fatigue quickly. Some high level warriors can hold their heightened combat abilities for a longer duration but their bodies are definitely energy guzzlers. [Guan](http://www.zampolart.com/Creation/ZampolDwarfSpace.jpg) This race hails from the same star system as the Laujin but are far shorter in stature. They are rugged and tough for their size, usually standing between 4 to 5 ft tall. Guan have no void abilities or other magical attributes but rather the power of invention. They are excessively smart and very adept at strategic thought. Guan are far more peaceful than the Laujin so they serve as the shipwrights, scientists and even diplomats. **Description of government:** The Dominion is a technical formality currently. The government used to be split down the middle with a ruling house that sat over each with a technical ability to enact emergency powers of the other two if the need arose. That ruling house was more akin to an king than anything else. After a long time of peaceful cooperation, the two races governments slowly began to just merge and today, operates more like a republic. The republic is a Diarchy, one from each nation operating as the liaison from the parent race. These two people act in unison. The council of elders is below the Diarchs and consist of ten members of each race. these act as a senate of sorts, debating over events and policy. These people are elected by the more prolific families of each race. ten on the Laujin side and ten on the Guan side. Most from the outside would find the government complicated but it runs surprisingly smoothly. **Description of military:** Dominion military is to some, hodgepodge. The Laujin are brutish by nature and their weaponry reflects this. Large war machines with big guns. Block like, heavily armored warships with.... big guns. The Guan however, took another approach early on, drones. They have "shortcomings" on the battlefield versus an opponent like the Laujin so they had to rely on drones to bolster their numbers and project maximum firepower towards the enemy. Keeping Laujins heads down would be the only chance Guan have to win a war. Both of these mindsets went in to their weapons of war which has created a nasty hybrid of big gun battleships supported by gun and shield drones. Large mammoth tanks with point defense drones. Large carriers that launch hundreds of fast attack UAVs and specialized spotter drones help to harass the enemy while Heavy artillery fires from afar. Here is some of the more common weaponry the Dominion employs. **Dominion Navy** [Defender drone](http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2013/338/b/c/fighter_drone_by_lady_die-d6wovxx.jpg) The primary defensive drone mounts two high power lasers and a large area energy shield projector. These can only move so far from a ship or they will go inert. The combat practice is to use the lasers against incoming fighters and missiles while angling the shield to either attempt to deflect an incoming energy weapon or angle to bounce a kinetic round away from the parent ship. These are small and easy to produce in large numbers. The primary weakness is that the drone shield projectors come of out of the sides, leaving the drone exposed in the center of the shield "disk" [Combat drone](http://i1037.photobucket.com/albums/a454/cs8186/Sci%20Fi/FighterDrone.jpg) These simple drones are the primary space and atmospheric multi-role platforms. They are quick, small and heavily shielded for their size. Without the need for a pilot, they are very small and efficient in operation. They carry two lasers, similar to the ones used by the defender and a single high powered sniper like rail-gun. It only carries 15 shots but with the advanced targeting systems and high maneuverability, they are pretty effective with them. Some models used for atmospheric engagements will carry four MIRV missiles with high explosives to engage hard targets or area destruction. [Heavy drone](http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2012/238/3/a/stealth_drone_bomber_by_legato895-d5ck8zn.png) Heavy drones are the primary offensive weapons against actual space ships and against large surface targets. These carry a high powered particle beam weapon, two high powered sniper rail-guns holding 15 shots apiece and usually four anti-ship MIRV missiles holding low yield nuclear warheads. They aren't as maneuverable like the combat drone but make up for it with greater speed due to larger thrusters and a heavier shield and armor. [Gunship](http://www.cgfeedback.com/cgfeedback/attachment.php?attachmentid=23318&d=1393860864) These vessels are technically surface combatants but can operate in space as literal barrage boats, firing an impressive array of MIRV missiles. They carry a Rapid fire laser "Gatling" cannon and two wing mount turret Sniper rail-guns holding 60 rounds a piece. These can also operate as a drop ship in surface engagements but this requires a large amount of the missile pods to be removed. [Destroyer](http://store01.prostores.com/scalemodelcompany/catalog/cb51_1_3337_1.JPG) This is the primary patrol and rapid response warship of the Dominion. It carries a large load out of MIRV batteries. Heavy Kinetic cannons are mounted on pop up turrets on the top and along the sides. Aside from this are a large number of smaller Gatling lasers to deal with pesky fighters and missiles and a large compliment of drones. These usually carry a compliment of marines for rapid deployment on planets as well. This is capable of atmospheric combat. [Cruiser](http://diaspora.hard-light.net/images/screens/screen_033_theseus.jpg) The next line up is the only other ship, aside from the Destroyer that is capable of atmospheric flight. It is an larger up-gunned Destroyer with more armor and drones. It features a decent energy shield and a dorsal and ventral heavy particle beam array. As it is larger, it is slower but can stay in a fight far longer than the Destroyers can. [Battleship](http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/halofanon/images/0/08/Galactica.png/revision/latest?cb=20100408221921) The primary offensive warship is a massive hulking beast. Nearly 1/3 the size larger than a cruiser, it boasts a high end energy shield, massive armor plates and some of the largest Kinetic cannons around. Four turrets, Dorsal and Ventral are Three-gun 2400mm Heavy rail-guns. If that says anything. Aside from those massive cannons are a wide array of smaller cannons, a ton of MIRVs and drones. And to top it off, two duel heavy particle beam arrays. All of these weapon systems and heavy armor is made to offset the immense size and lack of maneuverability. As these ships could easily operate in a frontal assault, most captains will use them as long range combatants, firing their heavy guns beyond the effective range of many smaller ones. When forced in to a knife fight though, its side and top batteries would hopefully be a deterrent for an enemy to break off if they survive the first salvo. [Titan](http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/galacticafanon/images/c/c0/Kg_cg_ns_pegasus-016.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20090428152449) Its around 1/2 larger than a battleship, carries far too much armor and has the largest rail-gun the Dominion carries, a 3700mm Assault cannon. This ship was made as a siege/breakthrough warship and its weaponry reflects that. It carries a huge compliment of marines and the largest ground equipment the Dominion fields. It is further bolstered by two triple-barrel Fusion arc Beam arrays that not only do immense damage to shields and armor but almost acts like a prism, bouncing off multiple ships. This thing is slow and obvious and only used when needed. They always travel in packs of two as losing one would be a huge blow. Titans are very expensive to field so most remain at hidden docks to conserve resources. **Dominion Army** [Attack drone](http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111112233146/halo/images/7/7f/Sentinel-OrthoSchem-scantransparent.png) A simple hover drone mounting a single high powered laser beam. It is used by ground forces as a harasser and vehicle protector. It carries a forward shield and light armor. They are mass produced and due to simplicity, see action in every battlefield. It is nearly true that for every three marines, there is a attack drone. [Spotter drone](https://inmoscowsshadows.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/dnews-files-2013-01-schools-sleeper-drones-cormorant-uav-660.jpg) These are designed to operate on the battlefield as target identifiers for armored vehicles, be it tanks or long range artillery. They have a high altitude ability but will often operate alongside troops. It is pretty small and carries no shield and paper armor but its abilities to designate targets and its cheap cost more than outweighs its lack of strength. [Mech drone](http://coolvibe.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Sci-Fi-Mech-Walker-The-Fiddler.jpg) These are light ground drones. They use heavy armor for their size but only a light deflector shield. They mainly operate as a squad support weapon and its ability to crouch to take cover gives it a good defensive option. It is the only non flying drone that the dominion fields. [Combat mech](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wuCBpG_WXzA/UWhEOw8PK3I/AAAAAAAAAmE/NJypOvZv0wM/s1600/Mad+Dog.jpg) The primary attack vehicle that has nearly replaced the surface tank is this versatile mech. This is decently armored and shielded but its true asset is its high maneuverability and powerful weapon system. Geared to fight nearly anything it encounters and is always supported by spotter and attack drones, it can devastate squads of soldiers or even go head on against enemy armored vehicles. [Assault mech](https://d2t1xqejof9utc.cloudfront.net/screenshots/pics/3e12c28f3fe5639f8f4deec179f3e0e8/medium.JPG) This walker carries the strongest energy and kinetic weapons that the ground forces use. highly advanced MIRVs along side attack and spotter drones make this a true threat on the battlefield. It has heavy, sloped armor and a duel high end directional shield emitter. This is designed to replace tanks on the battlefield. [Main battle tank](http://digital-art-gallery.com/oid/16/1715x1042_4603_MB_Mrk6_9_zupatank_2d_sci_fi_tank_soldier_picture_image_digital_art.jpg) Though being phased out by the Assault mech, this still serves a purpose on the battlefield. It carries a powerful cannon and sloped armor, giving it the offensive punch needed during a battle. [Artillery](http://ih2.redbubble.net/image.12405908.0963/flat,550x550,075,f.jpg) There are multiple types of artillery, from the simple trench mortars to the artillery mech. This particular model is most widely used aside from squad mortars and light field guns. This has a large cannon that fires stabilized smart munitions that can adjust its angle to give it the best chance of hitting its target en route. the high explosive rounds usually explode a few feet above the target to give it a showering effect, to better kill infantry. The vehicle has to be stationary to fire but always operates well behind the front lines. It makes heavy use of the spotter drones but can fire the conventional way, with map coordinates if need be. **Technological Overview:** The technology for war involves the big guns and heavy armor with drones, shields and energy weapons to back them up. Ship drives all have plasma reactors and use reverse magnetic propulsion rather than chemical. they have typical warp capabilities. Civilian technology includes 3d printers, matter fabricators for food, holographic displays. FTL comm systems that are encrypted, among other lesser technologies. **Cultural Overview:** The culture is pretty simple, serve the empire. All persons are required to serve at least twelve years in the armed forces though many stay longer. Upon exiting, they can find jobs and live a civilian life. There is a religion called Jhalogy that praises a god they call Jhal, who is said to have created both races and destined them to rise to greatness. The races do not use this faith as a means to do better or commit "holy" acts. It is used more so for comfort and answers. **History:** Laujin started off akin to humanity. Rising from primitive creatures to becoming masters of their planet. the latent void energies gave them an edge over the planets wildlife and eventually allowed them to rise as a true power on their planet. They fought wars and enjoyed peace time and time again but nothing that threatened their existence. As they reached a space age, the discovered another race that was far ahead, the Guan. Guan were a kind of freak thing. They evolved from some kind of organism that inhabited primitive Guan creatures. The organism would attach itself to the host and force mutations and after generations, the organism was just another part of a Guam individual, not a host or parasite. They reached their space age far before the Laujin and upon finding them, were scared. The Laujin were larger and the small series of conflicts were all total losses for the Guan. The two fought a few more times and the Guan employed drones while the Laujin started pushing heavy guns to the field. At some point they both just... stopped fighting. Many believe it was just the realization that they had no idea why they were fighting in the first place. They began talking and over many centuries the two races enacted an alliance. Th alliance grew, with more and more additions until finally they just decided to unify as their populations were pretty much mixed anyway. At that point they spread past their star system and with the Laujins powerful abilities and the Guans technological superiority, the two created a union that would span many worlds across the stars. **Other:** Unlike the draconians, the Laujin/Guan are NOT culinary masters. Their food replicators make just plain food. Imagine steak flavored oatmeal.. or salad flavored oatmeal.... maybe even oatmeal flavored oatmeal.

**Name of nation:** The Holy Dominion of C'ran **Species**: Sakari  The Sakari are a long-lived species, the average lifespan being, even without the technological advancements that would allow extension beyond biological means, approximately 200 years. Due to the harshness with which their planet developed, Sakari have become naturally resistant but not immune to certain toxic gasses. Able to breath in atmospheres of both oxygen and carbon dioxide, Sakari can survive on many worlds without breathing apparatus in constant use. About the same height and build as a person, their skin takes a bluish tinge from chemicals on their homeworld, with not enough time having passed for those in outer colonies to have lost the pigmentation. Eye color is normally a blue iris with black pupils. **Description of government:** The Holy Dominion of C'ran has a governmental system typical of many theocratic empires, especially more fanatical ones. There is no official constitution, rather decrees have accumulated over the many thousands of years, forming a basis for the current government. It has remained relatively unchanged for the past thousand years since the beginning of the Age of Unity. The Dominion is based on the principal of central control by the Dominion government. While principalities are provided autonomy to a small degree, many decisions come directly from the frameworks of the central government. Voting does not exist on a state-wide level, but does exist in the principalities, each of which (29 principalities total) elects ten representatives to manage dealings between the limited principality governments and that of the central government. People become part of the government either through appointment or passing qualifications. *Legislative/Executive Branch:* Executive and Legislative functions are both served by the same body, the Concilan Dominitatus, or Council of the Dominion. While this name specifically applies to the group heading the Ross Federach (Federal Branch) it has come to mean the entire body. A sprawling, bureaucracy-choked morass, the Ross Federach oversees the day to day administration of the Dominion. Provided with effectively limitless power, only the Judiran Tempal (Templar Judicator) reserves the ability to overturn any decision made by the Federach, even decrees directly from the Concilan Dominitatus. As a group, the Concilan Dominitatus is representative of the most intelligent people in the government. Raised to the position of Conciliar only after at least 100 years of service in the central government and having been subjected to a thorough investigation, the 29 members are the supreme power of the nation just under the Tempals and Morval, leader of the Dominion. War can only be declared by the Concilan Dominitatus, the only case in which a group or individual holds more power than Morval in a matter. *Judicial Branch:* Known as the Judicatus Corsys (Assembly of Judges), their job is more akin to that of an Inquisitor than a judge. Despite this rather grim undertaking, they are hailed by most as heroes of the Dominion, halting threats internal and external before they appear. A closed group of Judiran Tempals (Templar Judicators) marks the highest rank of the Judicatus Corsys with entrance requirements even more stringent than that of the Concilan Dominitatus. Conducting domestic and foreign intelligence is the main priority of their job, but most of the lower ranks do serve in the capacity of judges, providing sentences and addressing disputes over law. **Planetary Forces** The Oberum Costaro Milita, Military High Command in English, is the center of all C'ran military operations across their space, both naval and ground-based. They have a coordinated operational doctrine with the other systems of the government, allowing them to ensure access to supplies as well as avoiding disruption of important matters. Other than strictly military operations, they can conduct disaster relief and building projects which they are quite skilled at doing. Led by a board of the highest ranking generals, the High Seer Al'za Kail can be granted full control. Separate from yet under jurisdiction of The Costaro are the Special Operations and Extranatural Divisions. The C'ran Expeditionary Units form around 40% of all C'ran military forces. As a normal military force, they are tasked with conducting many of the normal operations that such units would do. Because of their extensive training before deployment, including live fire and simulation exercises, everyone is service ready. However, they also conduct civic operations, including disaster relief when other branches cannot get there and construction projects that require the resources of government personnel. *Augmentations and Implants* *Psychic Dampener*- This small chip is planted in the brain when recruits finish combat training. While a normal device would induce psychic abilities in the user, this chip instead makes the person highly resistant to many psychic effects as well as a few psionic ones. It also serves to subdue the natural psionic and psychic abilities of the Sakari as very often such people caused destruction in the past. *Psycho/Neural Network*- While all C'ran personnel have small chips that allow them to access technological information upon interfacing with an object, the neural network takes a step beyond that. In effect a computer, it handles many of the bodily processes as well as monitoring them. Because of this fact, it allows the body to integrate with other augmentations much more easily. Implanted early in the first years of life, this object is key to interfacing with many psychotechnological equipment that the Sakari use. While mainly centered around the neural chip and web on the brain, small wires travel throughout the person's body, increasing reaction time greatly. *Chyadris Implant*- A recent development in augmentative technology, the Chyadris implant has changed the way the military functions fundamentally. Interfaced with the psychic dampener and neural network to protect the device from intrusions, the Chyadris allows a person to submit their body to a hive control mechanism with their permission, another safeguard. Because of the hive control function, military units can function in perfect coordination as well as receive information almost instantaneously from other units. *Ceramite and Synthetic Bonding*- The most invasive of all the implants, this is worked in once the soldier finishes their second year of advanced combat training. Bones are infused with an organic ceramic compound, making them seven times stronger than normal bones. In addition, synthetic accelerators are placed throughout the muscle system, doubling the recipient's already considerable strength. *Pretalorphin*- A chemical developed by C'ran scientists, the purpose of this augmentation is to change the cell structure of the body. The first effect is mutating the cells so that they become chlorophyllic in nature, allowing the recipient to sustain themselves for weeks without food. Secondly, it enhances the cell's carrying capacity and anti-external properties, boosting overall performance. *Weapons* MFe-1 Fell Sniper MSc-3 Sonic Close-combat weapon MDr-55 Disruptor DMR MKn-17 Railgun MPl-29 Plasma Assault Rifle Shoulder-Mounted Rocket System (Graviton, Fell, Magefire) Heavy Machine-gun (Plasma) Gun Drone (Any weapon) Deployable Cannon (Sonic, Disruptor) *Enlisted Uniform:* The uniform worn by Enlisted personnel is simple, relatively unadorned, and made for nothing other than a covering. Made of synthetic materials with kinetic and heat-resistant properties, the uniform can work as light body armor under an assault. As a one-piece uniform, military personnel use this uniform as their basic clothing option, wearing it as a badge of pride for their service to the C'ran people. A silvery color, the fiber is metallic in look and zips across the back. To distinguish ranks, personnel wear badges on the collar. The only other adornments are unit patches on the arms and ribbons on the chest to indicate what awards they have received and which operations they have taken part in. Rank insignias are stitched in navy blue. [Enlisted Body Armor](http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2014/014/9/b/heavy_infantry_manticore_by_alexpascenko-d726a84.jpg): C'ran enlisted personnel wear power armor, something that with many other races would be limited to elite troops. Completely encasing the body, all suits are usable in vacuum and can shield the user from radiation temporarily. The suit is modular in design, conforming close to the body. Powered by small quantum reactors the size of fists, all suits feature shields, a HUD, radar, communications suite, range finder, cloaking module, jump-jet device, servo enhancers, infrared and ultraviolet vision, and EMP hardened systems. Composed of a holon super-alloy with trace amounts of ratheum and a ceramite covering, the suit is extremely resistant to all forms of attack even without shields. External equipment is attached to the suit via magnetic strips or molecular bonders. Ranks are distinguished via the HUD so it is not apparent to the enemy who leads. *Officer Uniform:* The officer uniform is completely identical to the enlisted uniform except in the areas of rank insignias, which are worn on the shoulders and chest as well as the collar, and color, which is black compared to the enlisted silver. Rank insignias are stitched in white. *Officer Body Armor:* Identical to the enlisted body armor, these suits feature a few additional pieces of equipment. The command module allows the officer to direct his or her forces. In addition, these suits have psionic dampeners installed, shielding those in a small area from psionic effects. More ratheum is used in these suits so as to make them stronger and lighter, but as such makes them more expensive. An x-ray vision and portal module are included as well. *Auxiliary Vehicles* Being heavily infantry reliant, the Sakari only place small emphasis on the use of ground vehicles. However, these vehicles perform exceptionally well at their roles. [Späved scout craft](http://th09.deviantart.net/fs71/200H/i/2013/046/0/f/sportsmodel_hovercraft_by_mattiasedstrom-d5v1e3o.jpg)- Designed to serve as a quick moving vehicle to reposition troops, scout enemy positions and harass their flanks, the Späved comes equipped with a cloaking and psycho-link module for this purpose. Hidden on the top is a twin-linked plasma cannons. [Lufysta Anti-air unit](http://i.imgur.com/JDES02e.jpg)- Nick-named the 'Denier', this platform has proven its reliability over a multitude of campaigns. Equipped with two large gauss guns rather than the standard railgun, the Lufysta is able to fire at a much higher rate because of this while retaining good penetrating power in its rounds. Ten graviton missiles are mounted under each gun arm, small but powerful weapons meant to destabilize or rip apart enemy fighter craft. A magefire cannon is hidden on the top, deployed only in close combat. [Orudjäger Tank destroyer](http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2013/003/3/8/turtle_class_hover_artillery_by_s0lar1x-d5qayfc.jpg)- Designed to specifically counter enemy armor that could not be defeated by infantry weapons, this monstrosity features some of the strongest shields and armor to be placed into a vehicle, components being of a higher grade than most civilian space vessels. Deploying into a slow-firing, immobile particle cannon, the Orudjäger depends on the side-mounted twin-linked sonic cannons and infantry to defend itself from threats. *Branches of the Dominion Military* Dominar Expeditorum Milita (C'ran Expeditionary Forces- Approximately 28 billion personnel) Dominar Volus Milita (C'ran Flight Units- Approximately 42 billion personnel) Rank Structure of the Milita: *Junior Enlisted:* Private/Crewman Recruit Specialist/Crewman Apprentice Lance Sergeant/Crewman Sergeant/Adept Corporal/Adept Major *Senior Enlisted/NCO:* Petty Officer 2nd Class Petty Officer 1st Class Chief Petty Officer Master Chief Petty Officer Commissar *Aspiring Officer:* Ensign Lieutenant Junior Grade *Junior Officers:* Lieutenant Captain Major/Commodore *Senior Officers:* Lieutenant Colonel/Warden Officer Colonel/Admiral Aspirant Commander/Rear Admiral Force General/Admiral Army Sovereign/Fleet Sovereign Lord Commissar Chairmen of the Oberum Costaro Milita High Seer Arcaness **Naval Forces** [Cantarin-class Battlecruiser](http://www.igorstshirts.com/blog/conceptships/2010/ozan_c/ozan_01.jpg): The mainstay ship of the C'ran navy, these vessels resemble works of art more than anything else. Despite their apparent frailty, they are very heavily armored through extensive over-lapping shielding systems, designed to act as the front-line fighters of the C'ran navy. Weapon ports, in the forms of long-range particle beams and magnet-accelerated weaponry, medium range energy projectors, and short range plasma and anti-matter missiles, remain hidden under the paneling. Point-defense systems are situated along most of the ship. Fighter bays are located in the frontal and dorsal node, holding such craft mainly for deployment to planets and occasional use against other spacecraft. Despite their famed nature in the Dominion, these ships are aging. Updates can't solve all problems. [Altar-class Troop Carrier](http://wallpoper.com/images/00/30/67/27/shadow-of_00306727.jpg): Utilizing similar artistic forms as that of older space-faring vessels, the Altar-class is purpose-built for its role as a multi-role unit. Equipped with manufacturing plants, troops bays and hangers, full hospitals and living quarters, deployable buildings, science labs, and a wide-array of weapons- albeit less than on the Cantarin-class battlecruiser- this ship can fulfill any role required through add-ons and modification. These ships are the only ones to feature Fell and Magefire weapons, albeit in a limited role. [Dasius-class Dreadnought](http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f307/SirVesuvius/novus_aeterno___verunas_fortress_class_by_phoenix_06-d4q5llt_zps4a68f42e.jpg): Designed to replace the aging Cantarin battlecruisers, the Dasius dreadnought departs in design from other ships, instead becoming straight and sleek. As in the Cantarin class, the Dasius has most of its weapon bays hidden inside compartments until needed. Featuring much the same array of weaponry, the Dreadnought places emphasis on disruptor and missile weaponry than the Cantarin, allowing the ship to serve the role of fire support. Able to deploy massive amounts of firepower, these ships keep enemy units suppressed through massive volumes of weapons fire. No hangar bays exist on the Dasius, all available space being given over to weaponry, armor, and shielding. In addition, the Dasius is the first craft to feature gravitonic weapons, firing singularity bombs that exert a massive gravitational pull upon detonation, although this is reserved more for stationary targets as it is not very effective against ships, or space for the most part. Project Gideon: Oi, no touching that! It ain't ready yet. [Orbast Flyer](http://digital-art-gallery.com/oid/10/900x543_3148_Flight_2d_sci_fi_fighter_aircraft_picture_image_digital_art.jpg): The Orbast flyer is one of only two non-ship aerial units used in the C'ran military. A recent development after the Dasius dreadnoughts, the Orbast sports shielding, visual cloaking, and extensive sensor arrays. Designed mainly for ground support, it can nonetheless hold its own in space combat despite the in-atmosphere design. Armed with ten graviton missiles, four disruptor missiles, and a sonic cannon. [Zeuros Troop Transport Craft](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/0f/ca/9d/0fca9db00835a844d05120c6029b430a.jpg): The Zeuros is the newest in the line of C'ran vehicles. Designed for situations that require large numbers of troops in areas inaccessible to the Altar-class carrier, the Zeuros holds almost no weapons. Equipped with an advanced cloaking system for stealth operations, it is even installed with a small time-dilation device, though this is used rarely since twenty seconds of use will drain the ship's core. [Hronathi Dropship](http://digital-art-gallery.com/oid/47/1236x800_9363_A_I_M_Dropship_2d_sci_fi_spaceship_picture_image_digital_art.jpg): Designed alongside the Orbast flyer, the Hronathi replaced older model troop carrier craft after the most recent conflict, realizing that such craft required more protection and weaponry than previously had been installed, allowing the vehicle to both secure the drop zone and provide support to friendly forces. Highly maneuverable, the craft has proved its use despite the short time in service. Armed with a twin-linked gauss turret, a twin-linked plasma turret, and two missiles, one Fell and one magefire. **Technological Overview** The Dominion prides itself on being on of the most advanced civilizations in the galaxy by their own measures. While not common, magical devices can be seen in use by collectors or specialists. All technology is utilized through the Psycho/Neural Network, allowing remote control of many systems with finesse. However, most equipment still has manual handling for when a psionic connection doesn't work. Two unique energy types are Fell energy and magefire. Similar, most use of these are in military operations. Fell energy releases radiation as it consumes a target, akin to magical nanobots. It shows a special attraction to psionic or psychic sources, consuming these targets more quickly. That is one reason many Sakari wear psychic dampeners. Meanwhile, magefire is a magical construct designed to counter magical defenses yet working effectively against normal units as well. Absorbing magic negates whatever magical effects the target had. The magefire spreads around the target into a web before beginning to burn through, akin to plasma yet much deadlier. *Primary Research: FTL Travel:* C'ra has developed an extremely advanced form of faster-than-light travel, which works on the basis of both manipulating space-time and going outside of it. Spurred by the need to escape a collapsing star in their home system, they combined various technologies in an attempt to discover something. They succeeded. Through constant development and innovation, the C'ran have managed to reach their current stage of FTL travel: The anti-space warp drive. Allowing them to cross Andromeda in 30 minutes, the device works by first creating an Alcubierre Metric, or extending the space behind the craft while shortening the area in front. This alone allows travel faster-than-light. Secondly, it creates a bend in space which allows two locations to be brought closer together in a relativistic sense. Because of this, they can use it for in-system travel as easily as trans-galactic travel. On long journeys, such as a trans-galactic travel, warp field will be opened into another dimension known as the Fell Plane. While dangerous to some degree, it allows for distances to be crossed much faster. While 30 minutes is the minimum speed, that only applies to selective military vessels. Standard travel time for an average ship would be closer to one day. To achieve such speeds severely endangers the ship; 90% of tests have resulted in the complete annihilation of the ship. *Secondary Research: Molecular Recombination:* C'ran molecular recombination works on the basis of nuclear fusion and fission, as well as other basic quantum means. While still in a fledgling state, the Sakari have long worked on manipulating individual atoms and molecules. This is viewed as the next step. Rather than having to use large, elaborate machines to conduct these things, the experimental Molecular Recombination Device, or MRD, would allow such processes to be done anywhere. The impact of such an advent would be astounding, allowing factories and even individual people to produce anything they want. However, power and miniaturization problems currently prevent the technology from being fully developed. **Cultural Overview** Faithfulness, Righteousness, Truthfulness -The Aradan Creed *Overview:* The Sakari culture values athleticism and fidelity above anything else. Competitions are a common sight and, while respected and conducted often, remain private affairs between the competitors. Results are only released if both groups agree to such an action. Sakari architecture is designed to complement the surrounding area rather than dominate it. Buildings are shaped with curves and natural materials and powered by renewable sources. Those near mountainous or hilly areas are tall and slim, while those in flatter regions follow the gentle slope of the land, curving around natural areas. Clothing is simple yet elegant, designed to monitor health via small telemetry sensors. Made out of synthetic fibers, each style is specific to a family or guild, with color, marking, and cut denoting certain achievements, relations, or status. Food takes a similar approach as architecture, utilizing subtle herbs to accentuate the natural flavor of the main meals. Meals are always provided as one large serving as each dish is meant to complement the whole. Art is quite prevalent in Sakari culture, most often displayed in the mode of sculpture or music/dancing. Artists are respected throughout the Dominion, given higher social standing than most other people. Military members and religious figures hold the highest standing of all. *Magic:* Magic is only available to a select few that display extraordinary will. With this will comes the ability to bend the universe to their will. The most commonly practiced magic is astral projection and ritual circles, with these users serving in positions of power that allow them to use their abilities to their fullest extent. Recently, magic has been harnessed in such a way that technological creations can create simple magical effects. This works only with the presence of certain materials that resonate closely with the World Source, the Sakarian name for the universal source that bestows magic upon users. *Religion:* The official religion of the Dominion, also the one followed by practically every single inhabitant, is that of the Aradan Creed. Named after Morval's home planet, Morval himself has been regarded as a god for a millennium. Such an event occurred because Morval displayed seeming immortality, living for thousands of years yet remaining hidden until the Era of Darkness. In addition to his immortality, his immense psychic and magical presence far surpasses that of any in the known history of the Sakari. Legend has it that Morval descended to assist the Sakari in becoming leaders of the galaxy. Morval does nothing to dispel this cult which has arisen, yet neither does he seem to fully support it. Holidays occur rarely but last for several days at a time, a time of celebration for various reasons. While there are massive centers of public worship, most eschew this to conduct pilgrimages or private worship with family and friends. **History** The Sakari people were born in one of the outer areas of the Andromeda galaxy, hundreds of thousands of years ago. Living on a hostile planet of ice and fire, the early Sakari struggled to survive, limited in development. It took three hundred thousands years for the world population to go above ten million, but once it did so, it exploded. Technological advancements were made rapidly as Sakari congregated to the cities, seeking shelter from the harsh world. Large city states were formed, connected by trade and tourism, though this second was small due to the planet's climate. In quick time, a two thousand years after the invention of the wheel, the Sakari built their first space craft. Delegates from around the world came to view the launch of the shuttle, only to find, in horror, the shuttle explode in mid-air, sabotaged by extremists that desired the destruction of the city state which had first built the ship. An uneasy investigation followed, uncovering two people who would not divulge the other members of their group. Case was closed quickly and dismissed. It would be another six hundred years before the first colonists reached the nearest star as fear of another attack inhibited development. Contact was lost with the colony but as it would take years with current drives an expedition was scrapped. No other vessels were launched until the travel time between the nearest star had been reduced to a week, an endeavor which took three hundred years of development among all the city-states. When retried, the colony was successfully established and the remains of the original expedition given a world-publicized return. With success visible to all, settlers quickly spread among the stars, some claiming victory while others disappeared into the void of space, never to be seen again. Two thousand years before the current date, the Sakari people experienced an event known simply as The Reckoning. A collapse of a star near the home system, Saresh, tore open dimensional barriers for hundreds of light years in all directions, releasing massive amounts of radiation as a side effect. With this came confusion and conflict, engulfing the fledgling nation of C'ra in strife for a millenia. As the war died down, the Covenant of Lara was reached, ending the tensions between the different peoples. At this point, the the Holy Dominion of C'ran was established in a wave of religious fanaticism as one man rose above all others in war and in peace: Morval. Elected by those presents to be a divine ruler, he has led the nation of C'ran to this day. Until recently, the Dominion has remained in apparent isolation, biding their time until they deemed themselves ready to venture out into the world. The Sakari have met plenty of other species in their travels among the stars, great cultures of war, intellect, and art. Only a Sakari hegemony remains for the Morval Doctrine is short, simple, and unchangeable: There can be none but the Sakari.

Samebito **Name of nation:** The Social-Nationalist Interstellar State of Siastrapliny **Species:** Siastraplinicorns, formerly known as unicorns. They are creatures with more than a passing similarity to ordinary Terran horses. Their pelts only come in shimmering white, silver or black. Their eyes glow in a variety of colourations. They, of course, have their distinguishing single horn. The mane is an important feature of the siastraplinicorn to determine their future role in the society. The more vibrant the mane, the more magically gifted a unicorn is. This vibrancy is left in the wake of arcane residue. Horn length and other horn features are another element taken into consideration. The horn serves as a focus of sorts for a siastraplinicorn's power, so the longer it is, the better at channeling magic it is. Horn spirals also assist in the process, acting in a manner almost analogous to the role coils play to a coilgun's functioning. [Siastraplinicorn](http://www.image-share.com/upload/2821/253.jpg) **Description of government:** They operate under "The Splendiferous Leader Principle", which is to say, they are essentially a despotic nation, wherein one destined unicorn, denoted by their mane consisting of the most grand, vibrant hues possible, holds the power equivalent to an Emperor. The present holder of the title of Splendiferous Leader is Dandy Myriadmane the Savoury. The Splendiferous Leader is theoretically benevolent. Siastraplinicorn society functions through structures commonly referred to as "guilds." The guild institution is somewhat technocratic in function. Each guild represents a particular industry, with leadership of the guild only going to those who are most skilled in that particular field. Siastraplinicorns belonging to these guilds are able to vote on matters pertaining to whatever their particular vocation may be. **Description of military:** The Siastrapliny military is not particularly sizable when compared to their counterparts of other nations, given their role mostly only covers defense of their own sectors of space and wars only with their most immediate neighbours. On the land, siastraplinicorns utilize machines to amplify their already somewhat formidable magical powers instead of firearms. The most ubiquitous example, the horn sheath, slots over a siastraplinicorn's horn, as the name implies. They are designed to enhance the magical output of their horns, honing these energies into lethal beams. They come in a variety of "calibers", varying from the sheath equivalent to a laser rifle, to specialist devices with firepower comparable to artillery. Their equivalent to armor comes in the form of harnesses bearing arcane shield generators and other equipment their soldiers require on and off the battlefield. Aside from transports and other utilitarian vehicles, their armed forces are actually bereft of the standard array of combat vehicles. Their equivalent of an armored formation should instead be envisioned as specialist units of siastraplinicorns galloping over the field with upper tier shield generators and high caliber horn sheaths, giving the individual of their race the might comparable to a tank. Even then, as impressive as it may be to see lone soldiers wielding such power, they are nonetheless still as vulnerable much the same things as their aforementioned counterparts. The shields can only take so much damage before dissipating, after all. More over, as implied, it is only the elite of the army that get such mighty arms and armament. The standard infantry are about on par with the galactic norm. Air and sea vehicles are less easy to supplant with these magitech gadgets, and are more readily comparable to the norm than their land forces. They are fairly bog standard as far as such things come, save for their arcane engines and weaponry. Fighters are much larger than usual as to accomodate for something of the shape and size of a horse, as well as their protruding horns, their control panels also drastically different to accommodate for their physiology. The space navy is also greatly constrained by its size. The thousands of years of history the siastraplinicorns have with ship design does ever so slightly mitigate the gulf between the might of their navy and those of their counterparts, but it only does them so many favors. The bulk of their heavier classes of ships are equivalent to upgunned heavy cruisers, rather than battleships. Their true battleships are rather scarce. Their Sangfroid-class dreadnought ships, of which there are only two ("Sangfroid" and "Crumbsicle"), are theoretically mighty, outfitted with truly ruinous arcane weaponry, but have never seen combat of any particularly significant scale. Representing an investment too large to risk in battle, they are most often employed more in the role of deterrence. In their last war, they were kept at port in sectors near enemy supply routes, their presence inspiring their foes to commit more of their ships to safeguard their military's lifelines from their potential danger, keeping these escort ships from being deployed to other parts of the front-line. With the concept of direct confrontation being something widely held to be something with extremely slim chance of turning out well for their navy, the focus is instead upon harassing supply lines and merchant shipping, with the hope of strangling adversaries into submission. A portion of the fleet consists of cloaking vehicles as to fill the role submarines would for the equivalent to such strategies with wet navies. The true might of the siastraplinicorn space navy is to be found in the Fortress of Exultation. Situated near the homeworld, it consists of a massive network of fortifications suspended in a shielding field of arcane energy forming a perimeter around the centerpiece of the station: its main battery, Grandhorn. When Grandhorn is brought to bear, around 100 of the most magically potent siastraplinicorns the navy has at its disposal are gathered aboard it and focus all of their sorcerous energies together. The cannon then amplifies this and fires it as an absolutely devastating beam with incredible range. However, such vast outpourings of power greatly tire the gunnery wizards, and so the cannon is neither given the order to fire at all frequently or lightly. **Technological Overview:** Moderately advanced compared to the average, owing to their frequent inter-meshing of the arcane with science, but they don't really dominate in either field. Their extremely long lasting space ship building tradition ensures their vehicles are mechanically very reliable, but there are never enough, as far as their military needs go. The aforementioned horn sheaths also have non-military variants that are used for a wide array of applications. They are the most commonly encountered siastraplinicorn-machine interface, using their magic to input commands for whatever device the particular sheath belongs to. They fill the roles of things like control panels for vehicles and even the equivalent of keyboards. Present research is directed towards machines to enhance the natural capabilities of the siastraplinicorns even further. Cybernetics are one possible avenue that is considered, but the emphasis on maintaining the purity of their kind lends itself to the disapproval of such technology. Instead, worn gadgetry to magnify arcane output are favored, such as the aforementioned combat sheaths and shield generators. They are reaching the upper extremes of size for horn sheaths, so work has commenced on exoskeletons to accommodate even greater calibers of horn sheath than previously available. Most power generation is derived from magic, though what exactly it is they use to provide this when it comes to their larger engines is poorly understood, and the siastraplinicorns keep their secrets well guarded. **Cultural Overview:** The siastraplinicorns emphasize three things above all others: health of body, mind and spirit. Siastraplinicorns that do not meet these standards are callously cast out of their society, through any means necessary. Their struggle for survival that has spanned many millennia makes no concessions for weakness. Those born with no horns are considered to be no better than their idiotic Earth relatives, horses, and are particularly despised. The siastraplinicorns are rabid, paranoid survivalists, and are prepared to make any sacrifice to ensure the continuance of their great race. The more extreme of their kind have expressed sentiments along the lines that if they were to destroy everything around them but one male and one female unicorn, this would still constitute a victory in their eyes. Siastraplinicorn culture is extremely vain and self-aggrandizing. Statues and murals demonstrating the sublime splendor of their kind decorate every street and square of their settlements. The tragedy of "Great Betrayal" is a common theme in their media of all kind, using it to kindle their hatred towards anything resembling their perceived antagonists, the humans, too closely. **History:** The origins of this race of space unicorns can be found well into the distant past of their former home planet, Earth. Their own legends and mythology purport that the early history of their race and the Christian Bible are intertwined. As it goes in their minds, the unicorns were yet another one of the world's creatures, but when the great flood came and all animals were gathered upon Noah's Ark, they were forsaken and left behind. This is what they today refer to as "The Great Betrayal." Instead, the unicorns took fate into their own hands and constructed their own evacuation vessels. Using their powerful arcane unicorn minds, they had in fact created ancient precursors to space vessels. Their exodus took them far from Earth. They believe that in spite they also took all of the magic from that planet with them. After a long, painful journey, they found their way to an unoccupied system on the fringe of the Andromeda galaxy, there establishing their new homeland. While the veracity of many of their claims are questionable, it is certain that the unicorns were of Terran origin and did indeed set forth on their intergalactic journey upon thaumaturgic transports while mankind still inhabited mud hovels. Since the colonization and establishment of themselves in the sectors of the galaxy that belong to them, they have expanded in ultimately small, but locally extremely noticeable chunks of territory, securing many new planets for their realm. Their extreme paranoia and arrogance has brought them into many conflicts along their border, but their nation endures. **Other:** **ONE LEADER.** **ONE NATION.** **ONE HORN.** **SIASTRAPLINY!**

Commodore Robot ####**|Name of nation:** Min-Vakai Syndiarchy, or more commonly, The Cephalid Hegemony (both are acceptable) --- ####**|Races of the Hegemony** While Koros and her moons are predominantly oceanic, there do exist small continents and island chains on the surface which are host to a myriad of life including multiple sentient species. The four sapient species of Koros are listed below. **Cephalids(Min Vakai)** The Cephalids themselves are bipedal amphibians averaging 1.6 to 2.3 meters in height. Their name originates from the mass of prehensile tentacles which hangs from their face, covering a bone-shattering beak. While averaging heights taller than humans Cephalids traditionally boast a slimmer build than humans, but the need to survive in the crushing pressures of the deep seas of their home give them a much greater strength and endurance than their non-aquatic counterparts. Like humans Cephalids have two arms and two legs, but Cephalids boast broad, webbed hands and feet with six clawed digits for maneuvering under the waves. **Ulaks:** The Ulaks more qualify as a prime example of Cephalid Scientific prowess than they do as a sentient species. Ulaks are massive, ten-legged, armored creatures who bear a cursory resemblance to the giant Isopods of earth writ large. Before they were tampered with by the Cephalids the Ulaks were semi-sentient bottom dwellers who showed very little likelihood of ascension to full sentience on their own, but the Cephalids saw promise in them as some extra muscle to bolster their ranks. Through several generations of genetic tampering the modern Ulak was born. While not the brightest of species, topping out in the brain category at about a human 8 year old, they boast one quality that makes them useful to the Cephalids, A naturally armored exoskeleton and ability to carry and use extremely heavy weapons. Family-Syndicates often employ Ulaks as Shock Troops and bodyguards for influential members. Because their natural habitat happens to be the bottom of the sea, Ulaks cannot survive prolonged exposure to the lack of pressure that comes with not being in the crushing depths. For this reason, in order to function on the surface, Ulaks require specialized encounter suits. The militarized versions of which take the standard impressive bulk of the Ulak and expands it to absurd levels. The first time humans saw a fully suited Ulak it was thought that the Hegemony had battlefield mecha in their arsenal. **Grund:** The Grund are a species which hail from the bayou of one of Koros’s only continents which rests along the planet’s equator. The grund are massive and described as “Terrifying” to the first humans who made contact with them. The Grund have an average height of 3.5 to 5 meters , however as they slither along the ground on their eel-like lower bodies the averages are closer to 2.5 to 4 meters in height. Their upper body Has four muscular arms with the upper two being used for brute strength and the lower two used for manual dexterity. They boast heads which are akin to a terran Viper fish and their skin is an oily black color. The most interesting feature about the Grund is their incredible abilities of electroreception which allow them to detect electrical signals from incredible distances. In ancient times it was thought that the ability was magical, early Grund society was often dominated by powerful shamans whose senses were the strongest amongst the tribe. After industrialization and the formation of a high-technology society by the Cephalids it was thought that the Grund would be left behind in history as the great masses of electric signals from cities would cause sensory overload which came with incredible pain and disorientation. The Cephalids, beaming from the success of their experiments with the Ulaks came to the Grund with a potential genetic fix to their little problem that would help them function in society. The next generation of Grund born were modified with a more refined sense of electroreception than previous generations, much to the chagrin of the Grund, they found that their newly altered senses were actually more sensitive than those of previous generations but also no longer ran on pure instinct. With some training the Grund found themselves capable of shutting out specific electronic signatures at will. The Grund suddenly found themselves capable of advancing with the rest of Koros, and the Cephalids found themselves with the greatest trackers in the galaxy forever indebted to them. **Hruul:** The Hruul are another species hailing from the swampy equatorial region of Koros, however their ancestors took a decidedly different approach to evolution than the Grund. The Hruul, unlike many of the sentients of Koros bear little resemblance to any terran sea-creature or animal, in fact they could best be described as plant or fungus-like. A Hruul’s body is composed of an almost sponge-like core which contains the Hruul’s few vital organs(Sensory organs and a digestive tract mostly) and also serves a dual purpose. The porous nature of the Hruul’s main body means that as a hruul travels across the swamp throughout its life with its six vine-like limbs, its body collects debris and detritus from the environment, as a Hruul ages this layer of muck and plant life evolves into a natural camouflage with the Oldest Hruul being almost Indistinguishable from its surrounding landscape, the old adage is that a Hruul can only be found if it wants to be, which is good for the Hruul as they are ambush hunters, waiting for prey to slip near before engulfing them in their vacuum like maw whole. Prey too large to be instantly engulfed are instead wrapped up in the vine-limbs of the Hruul and crushed/asphyxiated. There is no true upper-limit on the size of a Hruul, with the oldest having bodies which can be as wide as 1.5 meters and vines which extend for 6. Hruul go through two distinct stages in their life, the “mature” Hruul as described above, and a filter feeder “infant” which bears many characteristics of a polyp. While Hruul are educated in official schools and know of the outside universe their society is still notably pre-industrial and tribal, this is not for any anti-technological sentiment amongst the Hruul, it is merely that they are generally content with their existence in the swamp, and those who are not are free to leave and join greater Cephalid society with no societal stigma. The most advanced piece of technology adopted from Cephalid society into the Hruul’s is something akin to an atlatl. Because of their naturally stealthy nature many Cephalid houses employ Hruul as spymasters. --- ####**|Government and Society** The Cephalids lack a unified government in the truest sense of the word; instead Koros and her moons are divided amongst dozens of Family-syndicates who only come together in an archaic council to discuss issues that have repercussions across all Families such as their mutual defense, but even then rarely pass any resolutions. While the individual governance and structure of a Family-Syndicate varies from family to family there remains one constant amongst them all. The Ruling elite of a Family-Syndicate rule through fear and intimidation, and will do anything to make a profit. While some Family-syndicates are industrial juggernauts or scientific hubs; Piracy, Racketeering, Poaching, smuggling, bounty hunting, and assassinations are common means for Family-syndicates to not only acquire wealth but also instill fear and respect amongst their fiefs and rivals. This has led many humans to christen the governing body(s) of the Syndiarchy a literal “Gangster Government” Family-Syndicates are composed Exclusively of the Cephalids themselves, while other species may act as agents and enforcers for a Family-Syndicate they are not allowed to be a part of the political process. As expected, the Family-Syndicate’s hierarchy is based primarily on heredity. The head of a Syndicate is the Matriarch or Patriarch, below them are their children who are each given a portion of a Family-Syndicate’s holdings to preside over. The amount of land or capital given to a child is highly variable depending on how well they use/govern what it is they are given. The screw-up child will often find their holdings divided up amongst their siblings if their errors are grievous enough. This helps to ensure that more often than not it is the most capable child who takes over after their parents’ death or abdication as they will be the ones with the most assets to assert their dominance over their siblings when the time comes. Once a new family head takes their position and the attendant chaos subsides, those siblings which survives (not a very common occurrence) often find themselves with few choices. Those who were on good standings with the new Patriarch or Matriarch are often given the job of being the Family-Syndicate’s representative in the Council; a mostly ceremonial position which still allows them to live a life of high status and keep their own retainers. Those whose relations with their sibling were more sour are encouraged to lend their services to the Navy where they will be out of the way or simply disappear as they have no place in the world anymore. The children of these loser siblings retain whatever it was that they held beforehand dependent that they acknowledge the new leader as legitimate. Below the Family-Syndicate’s head, the hierarchy extends downwards in a similar fashion with the children further dividing up their own assets amongst either their own children, or trusted advisors and associates. A Cephalid’s loyalty is always first to themselves, but self has a strange meaning within society. By its very nature Cephalid society supports competition and selfishness as proper traits to express as they breed strong individuals, however this is not to say that they are not social creatures like all other sophonts. Selfish goals may drive their actions, but it is often found that those that work together are able to achieve more goals than those who work alone. This is the central idea behind which the Family-Syndicate functions, all members are looking out for their own interests by agreeing to cooperate for furthering the enterprise of their syndicate, and in doing so, providing greater benefits to themselves. Family is also an essential element to the success of a given Family-Syndicate. Cephalids view their family as extensions of themselves, those related by blood are all rolled into the collective idea of self in a far greater manner than one would expect from such selfish creatures. Cephalid parents consider their children to actually be a part of themselves as in a broad genetic sense they technically are, and will defend their children as fanatically as their pragmatic natures allow. This protectiveness is rarely shown as strongly by the children as it is with their parents whom a Cephalid child often sees as a potential rival along with his/her siblings, a stance which parents work to actively cultivate in their child because to them fostering these attitudes is protecting them in the long run. A proud Cephalid parent is one whose son or daughter has put a knife in their heart to take their place as head of the family-syndicate. The competitiveness and borderline bloodthirstiness of Cephalid child rearing often comes off as cruel to other races, but to the cephalids themselves it is anything but. The oceans of Koros were a cruel place for ancient cephalids where only the hardiest survived, often by sacrificing those around them. The danger has long since passed, but the mindset has become deeply ingrained in Korosi culture, nature won the debate over nurture a long time ago and its worked out for them so far. The political assassination of an opponents is a favorite tool for the upstart Min Vakai and where that fails there is always classical assassination. Anything goes in the politics of the Hegemony where one’s opponents are their own next of Kin. On the grander scale, inter-Syndicate politics are often similar to those of intra-syndicate political games but on a much grander scale. Certain Syndicates assert their dominance over smaller ones who may or may not do the same, a twisted objectivist feudal system that extends up the chain from the lowliest of houses to the greatest of the family-syndicates. The number of family-syndicates is always fluctuating as smaller ones are absorbed by larger ones and jilted members of others strike out on their own and create new ones. It is also possible for Cephalids to be adopted into other Family-Syndicates, at which point they throw away their former allegiances for those of their new family. While some degree of nepotism exists even in the highly competitive society of Koros, adoption by a family is based solely on merit and its by adoption or the Korosi equivalent of marriage that even Cephalids who are not members of the ruling family of the Syndicate that rules them are capable of moving up the social ladder. --- ####**|Technology** As mentioned above, the Syndiarchy is an extremely advanced society, but one who has a tendency of misappropriating its advancements. No race in the galaxy can match the Cephalid’s deftness with the biological sciences(at least that's what they think, they are extremely good at it though). The Ulaks are testament to their prowess in the field of genetic modification, their spacecraft as well as oceancraft boast semi-organic hulls which can adapt to their surroundings in the heat of battle and regenerate, it is not unheard of for larger Cephalid warships to be taken out of battle early only to regenerate themselves with armor more suited to their combat environment. Like many other sentient species(Mankind included) The Cephalids have also cracked the code of gravity manipulation which is present within their spacecraft and their weaponry predominantly. Gravity manipulation as stated is another area in which the Hegemony excels. Gravitic drives are the primary form of transit technology for both Hegemony Space and surface craft. Instead of providing traditional thrust, gravitic drives "push" or "Pull" ships to their destination by the creation of artificial gravity fields. The most common small-arm in the Cephalid Arsenal is the shattershot. Shatter-shots use a pair of Gravity coils to subject a section of their ammunition source, a Cylinder of a crystalline material which is forged in the vents of undersea volcanoes to extreme gravitic forces from all sides, causing this section to shatter into dozens of pieces ranging from .5 mm to 1cm in length. The shards are then propelled by the same gravitic forces at hypersonic speeds out of the weapon A single “magazine” for a hand Shattershot will generally hold enough material for 20 shots The Material contains several elements which are toxic to humans and many other carbon-based lifeforms such as Cadmium, Arsenic, and in some cases the composition even includes Hydrogen cyanide. Given the Vicious and numerous wounds left by a shatter-shot as well as the toxic nature of the ammunition, most powers have banned the weapons through intergalactic treaty, of which no Cephalid Family-syndicate was a signatory, citing that Shatter-shots were a cultural symbol of Cephalid society and have been in use since time immemorial and no stinking treaty was going to stop them. Perhaps the most devastating weapons designed by the Cephalids are the so-called “warp-cannons” Warp cannons use Cephalid Gravity manipulation and FTL technology to warp the fabric of space-time in a channel that is little more than a centimeter wide, this channel is extended as far as the cannon is able, in the case of the main batteries of cephalid warships this can be light-seconds. This Channel is in essence a light-second long, centimeter wide Beam of WRONG. Opening tunnels into hyperspace which ships can travel through is an extremely delicate science, any misstep can lead to the universal equivalent of a Knee-jerk reaction. If done Improperly it could be thought that the universe regards this tunnel as one made of pure WRONG and this wrong must be righted, the tunnel collapses almost immediately unleashing an ungodly amount of energy. This is the premise upon which a warp cannon is based, as the WRONG collapses energy is released, a lot of energy, energy which is most easily measured in Gigatons in the largest examples of these weapons. The energy is then lensed into a coherent beam and pushed along to smite the enemies of the Hegemony. --- ####**|Military** Like many things within the Hegemony much of their terrestrial fighting power is broken up amongst the many police forces and gang enforcers of the various Family-Syndicates. For this reason, most of the actual ground forces of the Hegemony lack much in the way of heavy equipment as their primary duty is for keeping the peace/instilling fear in a civilian populace. Most of these forces are composed of what humans consider light infantry, troops armed with hand weapons (mostly Shattershots) and body armor capable of withstanding limited small arms fire. Shock units used for riot control or heavy suppression are mainly composed of Ulaks armed with heavy support weapons and a Cephalid or Grund officer and a dedicated Grund tracker to direct fire. Most family-syndicates lack any form of heavy artillery or armored support and given that many syndicates have their bases of operations under the sea there is little need for air support although sea-craft with armament of some kind are standard for the protection of territory. Only one Family-Syndicate employs much of what other races would consider essential for planetary warfighting: House Akt. Akt saw a niche that was not being filled and quickly moved to corner the market on all manners of warfighting. For this reason, when analysts speak of the “Cephalid army” they are truly speaking of House Akt and for good reason. House Akt makes heavy use of Military aircraft in the form of grav-engined gunships which are equally capable of engaging in dogfights as they are providing close air support with dragonfly like agility. In the way of armored support, House Akt actually use the favorite of the non-military Family-Syndicates, the Ulak, to fill a niche that needed filling for field combats. By equipping the Ulaks with suits of powered armor they are capable of bringing to bear armor and armament comparable to the heaviest tanks. The Armor also has an intimidation factor as it makes the already massive Ulak even larger making them comparable in size to the tanks whose same job they fulfill. While in their natural aquatic environments the Cephalid and Grund forces of House Akt make use of suits specially designed for incredible mobility within their native seas. these suits are highly expensive and are therefore only issued to the elite elements of Akt’s legions. The most obvious use of these forces being the assertion of dominance over their fellow family-syndicates, the infamous “Sea Raiders” are the most feared members of the Syndicate’s forces and help to maintain their status as one of the greatest family-syndicates. The space forces of the Hegemony are an entirely separate matter from most things Cephalid. When the topic of who should control the defense of the space around the worlds of the Syndiarchy was brought before the delegates of the council there was massive dissent of opinion on where the responsibility should fall. The Syndicates whose enterprise was interstellar commerce argued that the job was theirs, they had the most experience with starships. The scientists balked, they were the ones who designed the drives and weapons any prospective warship would require. Akt argued heavily that as the go-to warfighters the job should fall to them. In the end a very Korosi compromise was settled on, a compromise that left everyone furious. It was decided that no existing family-syndicate would be allowed access to warships of any kind, a fact helped along by the invention of the Warp-cannon making the various syndicates step back and truly consider what they had just unleashed. Instead it was determined that a new entity would be created to handle the job, a dedicated navy who wouldn’t have to meddle in the byzantine politics of the Hegemony. Politically, the navy was to be treated as if it were a Family-Syndicate all its own, however it was to be one made entirely of members of other houses. In joining the navy, members swore off their allegiance to their former families and were to consider the Navy their new one. Also like a family-syndicate, the navy has a dedicated enterprise to which they put their effort towards. The listed enterprise was carefully crafted to ensure that survival and defense was their chief concern. For this purpose the listed enterprise of the navy is “the protection of the races and peoples of Koros and the Hegemony.” No mention is given anywhere of individual syndicates despite heavy attempts at changing this. For perhaps one generation this was the case, but like many things, the navy rapidly became filled with plants from various houses out to make sure that the navy took into consideration their interests. However, for the most part the highest echelons of the Navy have been able to retain some of that same zeal that inspired the first admirals of the Hegemony fleet. It is only in the Navy where one can find that rare creature known as a Cephalid nationalist. Although the likelihood is one in a million, there are several million individuals enlisted in the navy. Compared to the battlefleets of other races, the Cephalid navy is a small thing with a little under 300 rift capable vessels, but with less than a dozen systems to police, the fleet is more than capable of doing its job. Cephalid Ships also tend to be smaller than their counterparts in other fleets. another race's battleship can be upwards of a kilometer in length and half that in width and height, whereas a Cephalid Battleship is a little over 800 meters long at the biggest. Their relatively small size is more than made up for in their offensive and defensive capabilities however. As mentioned above, the primary weapon of Cephalid Warships are the infamous warp-cannons, weapons of such monstrous firepower that few races have weapons in their arsenal that compare. Warp-cannons are capable of two fire modes, the traditional beam as well as a localized blast function. The former gives a more powerful overall energy output and increased range as the energy is lensed into a tighter focused area, whereas the latter creates smaller broken rifts at a specific point in space far away from the ship. The blast function provides a similar tactical role to short range heavy torpedoes though they cannot be intercepted by Point Defense, though fields of charged particles disrupt the creation of rifts and therefore render this function useless against shielded targets. Not all warships can mount warp-cannons, anything smaller than what others would consider a cruiser instead use simpler Gravity-guns. In principle they function similarly to shattershots on a grander scale, only instead of slinging toxic buckshot, they launch heavy shells at noticeable percentages of light speed. Grav-guns are also common secondary armament for Cephalid battleships as warp-cannons have incredibly long refire times. For defensive purposes Cephalid ships mount clusters of Graser turrets for shooting down enemy ordnance and small craft. Their ships are also armored with the classified Cephalid "living armor" which is highly adaptable and can be modified for a number of needs, even in the heat of battle (assuming the ship isn't currently fighting of course, the process can take hours) as well as Gravitic shielding which functions like ablative armor by distributing kinetic energy across its surface until the field is shattered. Gravitic shields are highly effective against KEWs but are virtually useless against lasers or particle weaponry. --- ####**|History** The Hegemony is an ancient nation, having been star-fairing for at least a thousand years, and ruling their system for quite a while before then. Much of their Pre-stellar history is lost but can be inferred upon by their culture. Cephalids themselves were once small-fry creatures trying to make it in an uncaring world who adopted a kill or be killed mindset which has stayed with them throughout their history and has since been adopted into their political and economic structures. At some point in their history the Cephalids left their oceans partially, discovered the Grund and Hruul, created the Ulaks, subjugated them all, and planted their claws into their genetics. There are few records of interstellar wars between the Hegemony and other races, and such things are avoided at all costs. After a brief period of expansion the Hegemony collectively shrugged and said "good enough" and once again turned their focus inwards. There are many records of inter-syndicate wars during this period, and it was this period of conflict where the Akt family-syndicate rose to prominence and the Navy Family-Syndicate was born. --- ####**|Other:** Tl;dr they are an ancient collection of things you'd find in sushi who wield horribly advanced technology but are often too busy screwing themselves over to make a big threat to the galaxy. They like to trade with people and have much to offer for those looking for genetically engineered anything or the secrets of gravity manipulation (that one doesn't come cheap). They're a literal Squid-faced Gangster Government. --- Didn't follow the format word for word mainly because I'm translating it over from another setting. On that note, I don't know how certain things function in this setting (FTL and suchforth)so if anything in here is incongruous with the established setting then by all means slap me and tell me to change it. Things like the Warp-cannons can obviously be toned down to match (or slightly exceed if I'm being honest with myself) other Nations' WMDs, I just like them thematically and would prefer if the idea itself remains (though if it turns out there's a specific form of FTL then I guess they wouldn't work at all and could just be incredibly big particle cannons instead). Their stuff seems incredibly powerful on the surface (and it is) but I'm hoping that between the infighting and small size I've made them suitably balanced.

Name of nation: New United Roa'marii Empire Species: The main species among the Empire is the Roa'marii themselves. These creatures are humanoid and slightly taller and bulkier than the average Human. They have a pale gray skin and large cat-like eyes due to their home planet being half shrouded in near eternal darkness caused by large storm fronts that block out the sun on the majority of the planet's surface. They have elongated fingers ending in sharp claws. The Roa'marii have a distinct ability to call upon an energy that can be called magic and manipulate it to perform a large number of feats. While all Roa'marii have some magical ability, most Roa'marii only hold the capacity for weak telekinesis and little more. There exists a total of seven Roa'marii that hold the power of an immortal god. These seven are biologically immortal and have incredibly large pools of power to draw from along with a very quick healing factor. While they can be killed in combat, it is extremely difficult to do so. If a Roa'marii god is killed, his power is sent out and randomly enters into another Roa'marii. It is possible with the correct rituals to trap that power and funnel it into a specific person. The Empire is willing to accept any species into their fold so long as they swear alligence to the Emperor and prove themselves as formidable opponents in battle. Description of Government: the Roa'marii Empire is led by an emperor who is always a member of the immortal Roa'marii gods. The current ruler is the Nightmare Emperor who has ruled with his five immortal generals since the founding of the New Empire. The United Empire is split into a number of smaller states that each have their own governments and are all subordinate to the Roa'marii empire itself. The empire is heavily militaristic and values military leaders who normally hold powerful political positions as well. Besides the Emperor himself, the five generals are the most powerful political leaders. Description of Military: The Roa'marii military is set up in a number of Legions specializing in different fields. All citizens of the Roa'marii Empire are required to attend basic military training at an early age. From there, citizens can choose to advance into further military training or leave the military. This makes sure that in the case of invasion all Roa'marii citizens are able to rise up and defend themselves against an enemy force. Those who remain in the military are sent into further training to prepare themselves for a number of legion tests. These tests decide which type of legion the soldiers will be sent to. A soldier may choose at this point to stay in the basic legions of that type or receive advanced training to attempt to enter one of the elite legions led personally by the five immortal generals. The legion divisions are as follows: 42nd Legion: the elite land assault based legion led by Immortal General Jer'rahd Kaisur. 48th Legion: the elite siege legion led by Immortal General Ble'reu Escal. 63rd Legion: the elite airborne legion led by Immortal General Sta'falia Silvad. 76th Legion: the elite medical legion led by Immortal General Zer'icia Velkora. 96th Legion: the elite assassin legion led by Immortal General Rhe'deri Peltis Weapons and Armor: The standard weapon for infantry is the mana rifle. The mana rifle uses streams of highly energized mana that works in a similar way to plasma weapons. The rifle draws mana from the soldier who wields it. The weapon does not require strong control over mana pools or even a large mana pool, but as mana rifles are tuned to the signature of the Roa'marii soldiers, they cannot be scavenged from the battlefield by enemy forces. Specialist forces of the Roa'marii use a variety of other weapons such as snipers, rocket launchers, or flamethrowers. High power magic users among the Roa'marii wield special armor made from a material known by the Roa'marii as Lunar Steel that amplifies the power of magical attacks, making it far less taxing on the individual mage to fight for long periods of time. Battle mages typically specialize in high powered ranged bombardments as well as illusions used to make armies appear much smaller or larger than they actually are. Every soldier is equipped with a short power sword and a pistol in addition to their other weaponry. Standard issue armor is made of an under suit of carbon fiber covered by a suit made from a heavy titanium alloy. High ranking officers such as the Immortal Generals wear armor made from an alloy of a material known as Arcadian Steel that is found in incredibly low quantities on the Roa'marii home planet of Arcadia. This metal is able to absorb incredible amounts of mana and is incredibly strong. The metal is capable of blocking magic and is one of the few things that can easily kill an Immortal Roa'marii god. The metal has been used to create special swords and daggers wielded only by the Immortal Generals and the Nightmare Emperor himself. Technological Overview: the technology of the Roa'marii Empire revolves around the magical abilities of their people. Vast ships known as mana-link arrays are a major piece of Roa'marii mana tech ships. These ships are made up of a large group of much smaller ships in a swarm-like formation that are connected to one another through beams of mana. These ships are able to split apart and reform at will and can combine power in order to fire devastating beams whose power goes up greatly the more ships join the array. These arrays are mainly used in combination with portal technology to send blasts of mana through space and bombard enemy fleets or planets from many light years away. The main ships found in the Roa'marii fleets however do not have the mana-link properties and are instead known as the Dark Fleets or Void Ships. The Roa'marii ships are made specially so that no light is given off and the hull is completely black. Special systems in the hull cool it down to the temperature of the space around it so as to greatly reduce the effectiveness of heat tracking while cloaking devices block most long range scans. These ships excell in remaining unseen until the time is right to begin an assault. The main weapons on these ships are mana cannons that fire beams of mana stored in mana batteries much like those on board mana-link ships. The ships also use railgun tech to fire large projectiles at incredibly high speeds. History: The Roa'marii people evolved and grew on the planet Arcadia, which deals with near constant global storms that block out most of the sunlight on the planet for very long periods of time. This led to many ancient Roa'marii nations hiding under the shroud of darkness and storm fronts to raid other nations for much needed food and supplies. By the time the Roa'marii finally achieved space travel and relative unity, there were seven nations of the Roa'marii people, each ruled by an immortal god. These nations competed for territory in their solar system. A number of wars took place over time that eventually ended in a single empire ruled by a sole immortal emperor. This Roa'marii Empire began to quickly spread out across the stars until a fairly large chunk of the Galaxy was under their influence. This prosperity ended with the reign of the Mad Emperor Cru'belis. This emperor led the empire into a war against an ancient power it could not compete with. The armies were successful at first, but we're soon pushed back. Then began the decimation of the Roa'marii Empire. In the end, the Roa'marii were subjugated under this enemy and forced back into their home solar system. Centuries later began the Nightmare Rebellion. This rebellion was led by the new god after Cru'belis who still reigns today as the Nightmare Emperor. By stealing an important relic of the enemy's the Nightmare Emperor gained immense power for the price of sanity and was able to strike back with a devastating blow. Armies of magically enhanced soldiers marched forth and retook the old empire's territory. But the New Empire didn't stop there, it attacked and all but exterminated its foe, starting a series of extermination wars on all other factions nearby. After many centuries, the Nightmare Emperor broke free from his insanity and withdrew the Empire inwards, allowing others to take its place. Since then the Empire has served to protect smaller factions nearby by absorbing them into the United Empire and hitting back against their foes. The United New Roa'marii Empire now stands to protect fledgling nations as reparation for their past devastation of the cultures around them.

darkwolf687 ## Part One  **Name of nation:** The Collective of Civilised Species --- **Species:** *Triarii:* The dominant species and founders of the Collective, they stand at an average 5'6. They are highly intelligent and have a remarkably low reproduction rate (While this is partly due to cultural influences. Multiple births are fairly rare with Triarii, the largest number of live births on record being 4. There are 3 of these incidents on records.) Even before birth, the Triarii have a chip inserted into their mind which increases their already high IQ and enhances their inborn 'Psionic' or 'Psychic' powers. Even without this chip, however, they are still strong psionics and it is theorised that early Triarian populations used this to help construct their buildings and technology. They somewhat resemble the Greys. A healthy Triarian will have large, glossy black eyes which will grow orange if they are using a lot of energy in their psionic powers. This eye has a thin, dull orange iris towards it outer edges, which closes along with the eye lids and plays a major part in Triarian Psionics. They have absolutely no capacity for magic; and in term it seems they are resistant to magical energies to some degree. Whether this is something to do with their unique biology is unknown. Their bodies do not have 'excesses' resulting from evolution as one might expect; Indeed, their bodies appear to be designed rather than the product of natural evolution. It is almost as if they were designed as an organic amplifier and indeed, their strange design plays a very important role in their powerful psionic ability. They have a rather frail physical form which makes them poor in close combat, or combat in general when compared to the counter parts of other races. They managed to close this gap somewhat through their advanced technology, but it is still very obvious. They rely on other, absorbed races to help with the combat generally, while they themselves serve as commanders. *Hara-Ka:* The Hara-Ka are a large, bipedal, giant ape-like species. They are of simian origin and have been said to resemble large gorillas, but there are other qualities not shared by most other simians, such as their large, predator canines. They have thick skin, and are covered with matted, black, tan, or brown fur-like hair. This is often shaved off before military service as a sign of being civilized. Their large, stocky appearance is due to the insanely high gravity on their planet, high enough to incapacitate some species entirely (And kill too; Without the usage of adaptation suits, the invading Triarii would have been killed due to their extremely weak form). They are physically powerful as a result and aggressive. They are not as intelligent as the average human, but they are by no means stupid. They were intelligent enough to reach the nuclear age twice and produce primitive space craft. *Ziatri:* The Ziatri are a reptile species hailing from a dull swamp world with but a few other environments (which are mostly jungle). They have a unique structure which allows them to camouflage themselves however they are also able to alter their form slightly. Through advanced technology, Ziatri entering military service are augmented so that they may assume other forms entirely, within a few feet of their own height. They also produce poison in their glands and are extremely agile, able to jump and climb up walls with ease. Due to the hostility of their world, the general paranoia of the collective and the Ziatri's secretive nature, their culture and how they govern themselves isn't entirely known. *Corruptelae Insectum:* Having no native name, they were given a name in the tongue of the Triarii. They are unique among the official 'Member Races' of the Collective in that many of them are mindless drones. Corruptelae Insectum are inevitably slaved to their queens mind. When removed from the influence of a Queen or other such important Hive figure, they often revert to basic, animal like instincts and sometimes go on rampages. Without the influence of a hive figure, one will over time undergo metamorphosis and transform into a Queen to start a new hive. It is unknown whether the Corruptelae Insectum 'drones' actually have a capability for autonomy and freedom when away from the hive for long enough, as almost all specimens will eventually transform into a Queen or will simply be uncooperative. The Collective has decided that research into the area would be unnecessary, costly and have little payoff. The most common form of Corruptelae Insectum is essentially a massive insect with 4 legs and two arms. It has sharp claws and pincers which are venomous, and is very deadly in close combat. They are capable of reproduction, via eggs in an insect like caste structure. These eggs can be placed by the Queen, but members of the warrior caste of the hive are also able to place small eggs within any female of sufficient mass and with the correct biology to support it. They are required to use females as the egg is implanted into the womb, where it quickly forms and is supplied by the females body as though the parasitic insect is actually her child. The new born is ready extremely quickly and after just three hours will claw it's way out of the infected female, usually killing her in the process. *Aru'Shumi:* The Aru'Shumi evolved from avian creatures. The most common form is a 5'11 alien with their avian ancestry giving them a bird-like beak and long quills protruding from their heads like hair. Smaller quills, possibly the evolutionary remnants of feathers, can be found scattered over their bodies. Maybe the most prominent feature of the Aru'Shumi is that they evolve in two ways. The primary manner is the standard reproductive means, but they can evolve in a secondary manner by selecting traits of their defeated foes to absorb through eating them. Due to this, the inhabitants of different Aru'Shumi planets can be very diverse and the Aru'Shumi cannot be properly described in any one way. They have a very strict structure of honour. While they do not have a god they believe in the 'Warrior Spirit'. They believe that when a warrior of any race dies, his warrior spirit should be kept, and the only way to do this is by reusing his flesh, sometimes by eating it and sometimes by turning it into clothing. With the arrival of the Triarii, the Collective has exploited this through the use of body recycling, the Aru'Shumi heavily in support of this idea. The idea of the 'Warrior Spirit' was retained as part of their culture, albeit 'Warrior Spirit' now being called a new name and slightly altered teaching provided by the Collective, 'Warrior Genes'. This sort of combination of culture is far from rare within the Collective. Their leader is the Emperor of the Aru'Shumi, who is now a member of the Primicerii Xenos, and the Aru'Shumi are now officially a client race of the Collective. The majority of the Aru'Shumi surrendered to the Collective upon the Emperors orders, as disobeying the orders of a superior is seen as even more dishonourable than surrendering. Despite this, there was some resistance upon several planets, which was quickly put down by the Collective Due to their bird like ancestry, they have keen eyes and excel at sharpshooting because of this. *Human:* The Newest Addition to the Collective, these humans were a second set of refugee's from Earth who encountered and were absorbed into the Collective. In informal conversation, many institutions are still referred to by their original names, and it is mostly in documents or official orders the newer names appear. The species has generally split since their recent absorption, though the few who are brave enough to take up arms against the Collective are outmatched and outnumbered by the Collectives occupying war machine. Having all standard features of human biology, they have fallen into the category of species within the Collective who lack any special traits; They are not the intellectual equals of the Triarii, the Physical Equals of the Hara-Ka, they are not agile and fast as the Aru'Shumi, they lack the special shape shifting abilities of the Ziatri and are not effective as a terror weapon or body wave attacks like the Corruptelae Insectum. *Other various species exist, however they are not counted among the official members. These species are generally considered non-sentient* --- **Description of government:** Their society is based around a utopian socialist ideal, all individuals strive for the advancement of the Collective as a whole. As the good of the species is placed before the good of the individual, this can result in actions that seem morally wrong to external species, such as eugenics, cloning and genetic manipulation. Their government is arranged by merit, the most intelligent and highest individuals lead the race while the least intelligent and lowest achieving individuals reside at the bottom. It is arranged into several castes Collective caste system (Non-Expanded) Caste 1: Primicerius: The leader caste, they are tasked with ensuring the Collective runs efficently. They are usually very, very intelligent and distinguished. This includes the top member of the Argutus, Equitem and Civilis Protectione Caste 2: Argutus: The scientists of the Collective, they are in the second to top class and are highly intelligent. While technically, they can order around members of the Equitem, Argutus members often obey Equitem requests out of respect for the Caste and it's duty. Caste 3: Equitem: These are the soldiers of the Collective. They defend the Collective from alien threats with zeal. The Equitem controls the Space Navy, the planetary defense grid and the ground forces Caste 4: Civilis Protectione: The police caste, they have the ability to order around any member of the lower castes as well as authorise on the spot judgement. Caste 5: Higher Kyn: The higher achieving and more intelligent people of the society, these involve any who have got higher level jobs such as doctors Caste 6: Kyn: The average achieving and intelligent people of the society, these involve any who have got medium level jobs, such as work force overseers and managers Caste 7: Lower Kyn: The lowest achieving and intelligent people of the society, these involve any who have got low level jobs such as mechanics and builders Caste -: Infandus: These are former members who are exiled/. They include traitors, Murders and any other criminal who is exiled instead of under going repurposing (Repurposing is the name given to brainwashing. All trace of the former personality is destroyed effectively leaving a 'clean canvas' to re-educate the individual, Genetic Repurposing refers to complete changes of the individual into a synthetic fighting unit for the Empire) . An Infandus is attacked on sight, they are obvious because they have been branded with the mark of shame on their head. Each caste is split into sub-castes (For instance the Argutus have a sub-caste called Munitor, who construct the Argutus inventions) and there are often considered to be other castes between some of them, though the one above is the one that other species recognise, as the massive number of intertwining branchs of the structure are not required for most diplomatic activities. --- **Description of military:** **Military, Synths** The process to create many of these designs is so extreme one might wonder if ethics is a word that even exists within the Collective. Entire new creatures have been created in a never ending attempt to create an adaptable and powerful military force, beings melted down and their biological mass fed into machines designed for the construction of a synthetic army. [Servitor](http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/warhammer40k/images/1/16/Servitor_by_andreauderzo.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20120711223449): This basic synth has generally maintained orientated augments and implants, and it's main purpose is simply to service other Synths and mechs. It is not a frontline combat unit as a result. It's implants and augments and their purpose can [vary](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/tw9vzfm9dvI/hqdefault.jpg) based on their designated position [Hunter](http://arttea.aiq.ru/hl2ep2/hl2ep2-hunter.jpg): A 8ft tripodal synth, it's official designation is Anti-Body. It's legs end with extremely sharp barbs making it a more than capable close combat unit as it can use it's body to knock down opponents and then impale them, often taking out part of their insides with the barbs. It has a pair of retractable spikes that are also able to be used during a charge, though they are less deadly than the barbed legs they shouldn't be underestimated. It has a flechette launch which can fire in large bursts, short bursts or single shot. If they are going to die, sometimes they will fire as many rounds as they can in a shotgun like fashion to try and take their target with them. These flechettes have two prongs on the end which allow them to embed in their targets, they explode shortly after a growing noise indicating the flechette is 'charging'. The explosion showers nearby targets and is extremely deadly. They are known for being quick and agile, they are fairly resistant to damage, but not on the same scale as other, heavier units. [Dropship](http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20071106122603/half-life/en/images/f/f9/Dropship_and_Container.jpg): This crablike synth carries metal pods that the units wait in while they are taken down to the ground, or carries entire units for larger units such as the Marcher. The front and two rearmost pairs of "legs" on the craft contain engines that give the Dropship lift and movement. The front two legs also hold retractable wings used for maneuvering. The middle four legs end in large suction pads which are used to carry various forms of cargo. The Container is a large, streamlined container used to transport Equitem units or Civilis Protectione units. It is used in conjunction with a Dropship, which picks it up and carries it wherever it is needed. While the dropship is unarmed, these containers are equipped with a powerful heavy plasma machine gun turret mounted on the front of the container, designed to provide suppressing fire for the troops as they disembark. [Marcher](http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs30/f/2008/089/6/b/Strider_by_Stu75.jpg): A towering 25ft tripod, which bears the official designation of Viscerator. It is armed with a Plasma Auto cannon and with a Warp Cannon . It's legs have spikes at the bottom which allow it to stomp on anything which gets too close to it. Chitinous plates reinforced with heavy metal alloys to make it a durable and effective soldier. [Megarachnid](http://www.thezombiechimp.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Chryssalid.jpg) (Corruptelae Insectum Auctum): A insect like synth with 4 legs, it's formal designation is Virome. It has extremely sharp claws and pincers which are venomous, and is very deadly in close combat. The only synth capable of reproduction, via eggs in an insect like caste structure identical to it's non-augmented brothers, the Equitem sometimes release a small group of megarachnids into the underground of an empires planet. Because of their fast reproduction rate, they will have infested the planet within a short time, the Equitem then comes in and uses the megarachnids to capture the planet. Generally, they know only to kill, reproduce and follow directives. it's chitin provides protection, but it is less durable than the other synths [Gunship](http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090804105703/half-life/en/images/1/1e/D3_citadel_02084.JPG): A flying synth which measure 20ft from nose to tail. It's formal designation is Nebuliser. It is armed with a heavy plasma machine gun which fires in large bursts and a deadly Warp Cannon. It is very agile in the air and has proven useful in both providing support for ground units and fighting other aircraft. Light but strong metal alloys are combined with strong chitin to provide a strong armor for the gunship. [Crab Synth](http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090116031535/half-life/en/images/7/7e/Crab_Synth1.jpg): The Crab Synth has many spiked protrusions and various mechanical systems on its front and rear. It can charge at targets to do large amounts of impact damage due to it's size, crushing bones and damaging targets as it does. It is equipped with a plasma autocannom which is stored under its belly when not in use, hidden behind a plate. [Mortar Synth](http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090819084018/half-life/en/images/1/13/Mortar_Synth_front.jpg): The Mortar Synth consists of a fleshy, triangular body with a mortar located on its back. Its front end features many spiked protrusions and various mechanical systems. Hovering low above the ground, it uses its mortar to hit far away targets, blowing up enemies before they can get close to the main forces. It acts as a sort of support unit, softening up enemy targets or suppressing them while the main force moves into position [Synth Soldier](http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140122200054/xcom/images/e/e3/XCOM(EU)_MutonElite.png) (Hara-Ka Auctum): A 8ft Synth which has more in common with an augmented ape than the other synths. It's formal designation is Causteriser. Like most other synths, it is incapable of reproduction so it's numbers are kept up through cloning and growing of the base species followed by Augmentation once the creature reaches the adolescent stage. With metal implanted into the skin, an increase in the density and mass of their already impressive muscles and the grafting of their nerves to increase reaction times, they are very aggressive, strong and durable. It has another variant, the [Aerial Synth Soldier](http://www.ufopaedia.org/images/f/ff/Heavy_Floater_2_(EU2012).png) who has had his legs removed and had cybernetics and anti-gravity pads fused into his flesh and back. These are strong, quick moving combatants who serve as fast attack units and can traverse heights quickly. They are also equipped with a more conventional flight equipment piece for a boost. The energy from this is supplied from the equipment of the Aerial Synth Soldier, though it is also able to turn waste products that would usually become excrement into fuel, as well as draw from energy transfers within the altered Hara-Ka's body. [Synth Soldier](http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs50/f/2009/270/7/1/The_Overwatch_by_Deathbymodding.jpg) (Human Auctum): A 6'6ft Synth that is made from a Human. It's formal designation is Causteriser. Like most other synths it is incapable of reproduction so it's numbers are kept up through cloning and growing of the base species followed by Augmentation once the human reaches the adolescent stage. They are not as strong or as durable as their Hara-Ka counter parts, but they are more intelligent. Regardless, they are fewer in number as they are not considered to be as effective. They're usage along side Civilis Protectione Xenos members in enforcing the occupation of the humans has earned them the name "The Overwatch", though this is a misnomer that stuck after citizens overheard information from the Comm Chatter Synth Infiltrator (Umbrae Populus Auctum): This Synth is the infiltrator of the Triarian Collective. Able to 'shape shift' it is able to infiltrate other species. It is a quick learning alien and is thus capable of picking up languages and customs, as well as creating clevar cover stories for themselves. Regardless of form, they are highly flexible and can jump approximately 16 meters into the air, which they often use to get atop buildings, and also survive very long falls. They are able to spit a poison which is produced in glands in their mouth and their ability to shape shift makes them highly durable if they have enough energy to shift form to heal their wounds. [Synth Sharpshooter ](http://th06.deviantart.net/fs70/200H/f/2012/266/e/0/halo_4_storm_sniper_jackal_by_uhzenostrom117-d5fm0qn.png)(Aru'Shumi Carnivorus Auctum): The Synth sharpshooter is a heavily augmented Aru'Shumi carnivores. It's natural features, when augmented, make it extremely accurate, their birdlike eyes perfect for sharpshooting. On top of this, they are fairly quick and strong, although not to the level of many other synths. They are usually armed with the Beam Rifles, making them extremely deadly and they fill the role of designated marksman. Like the other Aru'Shumi synths, they are very lightly armoured [Synth Skirmisher](http://faqsmedia.ign.com/faqs/image/article/112/1122052/skirmisher.jpg) (Aru'Shumi Celeri Auctum): The Synth Skirmisher is a heavily augmented Aru'Shumi Runner. It's natural features, when augmented, make it excellent for a fast attack unit, being quick and agile. They would be armed with a light plasma rifles as they dash around their enemies, leaping to heights and scouting out terrain. They fill the role of a scout and, along with the hunter, fast attack unit [Synth Guardian](http://oyster.ignimgs.com/mediawiki/apis.ign.com/halo-4/thumb/a/a2/1000px-Storm_jackal.jpeg/330px-1000px-Storm_jackal.jpeg) (Aru'Shumi Carnivorus Auctum): The Synth Guardian is a heavily augmented Aru'Shumi Carnivore. It is the strongest of the three Aru'Shumi Synths and they are equipped with a plasma pistol and a point defense gauntlet, which is a wrist mounted directional shield, large enough for them to hide behind. They are used for holding positions, creating phalanxes with their point defense gauntlets, and are often used to support Stalkers, guarding them from flanking enemies so that the Stalkers can snipe [Synth Marauder](http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2013/161/a/7/combine_synth_soldier_model_test_by_evilgarlic-d68i5eq.png): The Synth Marauders are generally used as a vicious attack unit, taking a lot of punishment and wreaking havoc amongst the enemy. Standing much higher than the usual Synth Soldier, they are stronger, faster and more durable. They have adaptive bone marrow and other such durability implants to make them recover faster, and are much more imposing. Furthermore, they have in built weaponry and they have additional sensory organs which appear like fine spikes, allowing them to detect movement **Military Forces, Mechs** Collective AI technology of varying strengths incorporated into robotic forces, these units perform their tasks with the precision only a machine could achieve. Fabricated in massive manufactorums by machines and construction beams, these mech forces make up a formidable armoured backbone to the already formidable Equitem forces Turret: A turret which is either portable and set up on the floor by ground units or attached into walls, ceilings or floors in more permanent bases. They are referred to as Sterilisers and rapid fire Dark Energy at their enemies, depending on model and thus the security level of the zone. They can be used to lock down zones quickly but are immobile and reliant on other units for deployment and retrieval [Walker](http://wormholeriders.net/fallingskies/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Falling-Skies-S2x01-Mech.jpg): A 12 ft, bipedal mech, formally referred to as a Hemostat. It is very durable and well armed, along with the Soldiers they make up the bulk of Triarian mech forces. It's right arm ends in one of several weapons, varying by mech. These are either a heavy plasma machine gun or a light plasma machine gun. On it's shoulders are mounted fuel rod cannons and it's left arm ends in a three fingered hand. Mech Soldier: A 6' Bipedal mech, formally referred to as a Stabiliser, they are often seen setting up floor turrets or entering buildings because other mechs are too large. They serve the role of general infantry, similar to the soldiers of other species, hence the informal name. Along with the Walkers, they make up the bulk of the Mech forces. The soldiers do not have any built in weapons and use the same range of weaponry used by Synth Soldiers Scanner: A small, flying mech, they are formally known as Diagnosers. They are rather easy to destroy, their purpose being to recon area's, to search for hiding targets or as spotters. There are two variants, the Equitem variant, which is armed with a small laser attack beam that is weak but deadly to unarmored targets and the Civilis Protectione variant (Which is not called Diagnoser, but merely Scanner), which lacks the laser and serves more as a flying security camera or serves to follow criminals so they aren't lost than as a actual unit. [Stalker](http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20091007141717/half-life/en/images/b/bd/Sniper_rtb.jpg): A human sized, bipedal mech, they are formally known as Scalpels. They have advanced targeting optics and are equipped with a grappling hook and a Anti-Matter Sniper Rifle. They are snipers who are often grouped with scanners to serve as spotters. They carry a plasma Pistol as a side arm but rarely use it, usually preferring to run than to fight. [Phase Assault Platform](http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20070822155159/universeatwar/images/8/8b/Hierarchy_phasetank.jpg): The Phase Assault Platform, sometimes refereed to as Phase Tanks are a half-saucer shaped craft with a single warp cannon mounted on the it's underside, and dual heavy plasma machine guns on each of it's 'wings'. On the top of the tank is what appears to be a lone optical sensor built into the vehicle's "head". Phase Assault Platforms are able to traverse almost any terrain and cross deep water with no difficulties as they are hovering. Phase Assault Platforms are equipped with a phasing generator which leaves them in a sort of limbo, half in this dimension making them appear almost like ghosts. This allows them to pass through solid objects (such as structures and even the ground) and rendering them immune to any sort of damage while the Phasing generator is active. They cannot, however, attack in any way. The Phasing Generator can remain active for periods of up to thirty minutes. The Phasing Generator takes a thirty seconds to activate, so it cannot be used to phase in and out to avoid enemy fire. The Phase Assault Platform is also able to hover up off the ground to reach high places, and it can rotate its 'wings' to enable it to act as an fighter air craft, soaring across the skies to assist in air combat. Reaper Drone: The Reaper Drone, formally known as 'Collector' is a mech that is essentially a mobile teleporter for breaking down materials (organic or not) and teleporting them to supply ships or assembly walkers. Each Reaper Drone possesses advanced artificial intelligence that allows it to distinguish between different materials and collect them in a prioritised order based on how easy they are to break down, how much of each resource is required etc. The Reaper Drone's teleporation beam works by breaking down an object and teleporting it away over short distances. They have a Heavy Plasma Machine Gun to help defend them, but often they simply use their beam to break down and teleport any enemies who attempt to attack them. Defilers: Defilers appear as extremely spindly tripods consisting of a thin, cylinder-like body and a much larger crescent-shaped head attached to it. At the base of the Defiler's head is a glowing orb from which the Defiler projects it's irradiated beam, which is designed so that it will burn through inorganic material but not affect organic material, which it will mutate into a slave for the Collective. Attached to the crescent is a horseshoe-shaped structure ending in silver nozzles. These nozzles can release the mutagenic radiation into the surrounding environment, corrupting and mutating organics. The mutagen actually contains nano bots which prevent it from attacking Collective forces **Military Forces, Space** All Collective ships (Except for Drone fighters, which detonate upon taking significant damage) are fitted with a self destruct device which triggers upon the death of every crew member on board. This can also be triggered by a command from the commanding officer of the ship, and the AI does take into account field promotions when receiving this command. Collective ships bury their bridges deep within their bowels, surrounded by manufactorums, security positions and reactors. The idea is that to damage the bridge and the reactor, one has to destroy not just the ships armour but almost it's interior. This means that the ships can continue to provide at least some function even when heavily damaged. Drone: A Drone is a fighter/bomber space craft designed to engage the enemy in space, though it can provide assistance in atmosphere as well. It's formal designation is merely Drone. It is fast, agile and dangerous in swarms and is program with advanced flight patterns and tactic analysis which allow the drone to 'learn' from it's enemies tactics. It is classified as a Mech unit under the Equitem Unit Classification Index Onus class transportation vessel: This is a cargo ship with only very minor weaponry and weak shields. It's purpose is merely to transport goods from A to B. Velites class Corvette: A small and very fast ship capable of combat with smaller enemy vessels. It's mainly used as a patrol vessel, but is occasionally used in battles to finish off injured ships or pursue any who are retreating while the main fleet continues the main battle. This ship has capable shields and capable defences for fending off smaller encounters, though is not a mainline combat vessel Venator Class Frigate: This ship is capable of putting up more of a fight against larger ships than the Corvette. Frigates serve a role similar to the Corvette's overall, but are more frequently used in larger battles than the patrol orientated Corvettes Indespectus Class Prowler: A unique class of ship that incorporates cloaking technology by utilizing several different means, including active camouflage that bends light around the ship in order to render it invisible to the eye and Stealth Ablative Coating which is black in color and serves to refract most basic sensors, making the ship invisible to radar and other minor sensors, similar to the way Active camouflage cloaks something from eyesight. The coating must be maintained perfectly or it will return radar signals. This necessitates constant maintenance on the entire coating, which is done after every mission the ship goes on. This only works on minor and some moderate level sensors, making it good mostly for avoiding the eyes of pirates or sneaking through low security sectors and past small patrols, as higher security sectors and enemy warships are likely to use more advanced sensors. It has Counter-electronic systems as well. Weaponry wise, it carries weaponry on par with a Velites class Corvette, save for a miniature version of the Energy Projector that would not be able to generate enough power to glass a planet or even destroy enemy mainline ships but is powerful enough to cut through weaker ships. It is used mostly be Spectre and Ghost during their operations in order to travel unseen around space. Hastati class Cruiser: The main Cruiser used by the Collective. Like many smaller Collective ships, it is a fast and agile ship, though not to the extent of the Corvette or the Frigate. It's main purpose serves more as an actual frontline ship than as the Corvette and Frigates support roles. Princeps class Destroyer: One of the mainline ships used by the Collective. Although slower than the classes preceding it, it has heavier armour, better shielding and superior firepower. It is designed to engage enemy ships on the battlefield alongside the larger capital ships. Evocatus class Battle Ship: The Evocatus Battleship is very dangerous and strong. It is known to take extraordinary amounts of punishment while still dishing out damage to it's foes with it's dangerous plasma weaponry. It is one of the slowest vessels, with this mobility being sacrificed for even more powerful weaponry and stronger durability. While it does carry some Synths and Mechs (Though with a sizeable drone force), it's forces are more of a security and boarding detail. This is the first vessel with one of the Collectives most deadly space weapon appears; The energy projector. The energy project is an intensly hot and powerful beam of energy, capable of burning straight through a variety of materials and heating up a planets ground to the point it fuses together in a glass like construct. While such planets can be restored, it is unlikely to be done without the use of advanced terraforming. Using this beam in such a way will destroy most life within miles around, this is even more pronounced as the ships often fly across a whole continent, burning these scorched lines into it. These scars are often visible from orbit, and a popular urban legend says that a Fleet Master once had a message burned into a planet using this weapon. While there is no known record of this happening, it remains as a popular circulation and has spread from out of the Collective and into galactic society. Like most Urban Legends, while it may seem legitimate at first glance it falls apart upon closer inspection. Aquilifer class Carrier: This massive ship is about 30 KM long, however most of this is storage space so it is able to many synth and mech forces as well as drones. It is able to repair smaller ships as well. It's shields are strong enough to take a number of ships but it is rather lightly armed, with the exception of it's energy projector. As such, it is usually protected by the other ships in the fleet while it deploys it's drones or drops it's forces onto the planet. These ships are often pivotal in invasions as they carry the majority of forces. Praetorian Class Ship of the Line: One of these is the flagship of any given fleet. Except for the Invictus and Aethereus class, these ships are the strongest and most deadly available to the Collective. There are usually a few in the fleet, although the flagship will have considerable improvements over the standard ones, usually in the form of better weaponry and shields, though flagships being larger and carrying more forces is not unheard of. Since they sport two energy projectors, it is advised that captains do not keep their ships close together, lest multiple ships get attacked at once by the beam. These ships are deadly foes. Invictus Class Super Carrier: A massive flagship, it has massive firepower and extreme durability as well as being able to carry a massive amount of ground and air forces. This ship is a massive 50 KM long and as such cumbersome. While this ship is a force to be reckoned with, it is similar to the the Aethereus in that it's usage rarely involve it going into actual combat due to it's value, indeed, it's large on board foundries make it perfect as a mobile construction and repair center. Each of the Overlords has one of these, with the Supreme Overlord commanding from the Aethereus Super Ship. They have four energy projectors and Overlords are not known for their hesitance to use them against opposition should it appear Aethereus class Super ship: The largest Collective ship at over 90 KM long. Unlike the other Collective vessels which are highly manuverable, the Aethereus class is a very slow, hulking ship. It is only used by Supreme Overlords. It serves more as a symbol of prestige and a deterrent for war than an actual war vessel, as the Supreme Overlord prefers to stay a safe distance away from the actual war zone due to both the ships and his own high value. It has eight energy projectors and this means the Aethereus class is usually able to engage and sometimes outright destroy multiple enemy ships at once when they are charged, which doesn't take to long considering the advanced Dark Energy reactors used. Like the Invictis Class, it is almost always performing non-combat functions as opposed to entering actual combat. **Military Forces, Command** What is an army without a commander? The command structure is split into several sections; Ground, Naval and Defence. The Ground section is adapt at leading assaults on any planets, the Defence section is operating planetary defence grids and the Naval section excels at leading space engagements, as one might guess from the naming Ground Officer: The lowest rank of Command Units, they are by no means incapable of ground command and all have, at the very least, a sound grasp of military stratergy. They are typically in command of an attack in the field. Naval Officer: The lowest rank of Command Units, they are generally used in monitoring the many stations of a naval vessel. They are typically acting as a bridge officer, subservient to the commander of the ship. Defense Officer: The lowest rank of Command Units, they are still capable of commanding a defence section effectively. They are typically in command of a section of the defence force. Ground Overseer: The second rank of Command units, they are typically in command of ground operations in a Sector. Shipmaster: The second rank of Command units, they are typically in command of a single vessel. Defense Overseer: The second rank of Command units, they are typically in command of all defenses in a sector. Ground High Overseer: The third rank of command units, they would be incharge of ground operations on a Planet Naval Overseer: The third rank of command units, they would be incharge of a section of the fleet Defense High Overseer: The third rank of command units, they would be incharge of ground operations on a Planet Field Master: The fourth rank of command unit, they would be incharge of ground operations in a Star System Fleet Master: The fourth rank of command unit, they would be incharge of an entire naval fleet Defence Master: The fourth rank of command unit, they would be incharge of all defence for a Star System Overlord: The Fifth rank of command units, they would be incharge of all Equitem operations in a galactic quadrant. Unlike all the ranks preceeding it, and like Supreme overlord, they are not part of a section, but are instead classified as the High Command Supreme Overlord: The highest rank in the military, they are incharge of all Equitem Operations in a Galaxy. Unlike all the ranks preceeding it save for Overlord, they are not part of a section, but are instead classified as the High Command **Military Forces, Elite** Massive armies cannot replicate the success of small and elite forces at certain tasks, especially those dealing with discretion... Spectre: Spectre units are Elite forces, highly trained and skilled. They are recognisable by their distinct black armour and handle special operations. They are known to only take orders from Overlords and above. Information on them is limited, but it consists mainly of Spectre Synth soldiers, who are further augmented and trained over the standard and elite Synth soldiers, and Spectre Commanders, Elite Triarii who are very skilled in using their psionic powers and are fairly effective in combat considering their frail form. Spectre units are given advanced equipment and use it with deadly efficiency **Military Forces, Other** The category for those that don't fit in elsewhere for whatever reason Civilis Protectione: While they are technically their own caste, the Civilis Protectione units will fight against invaders should a planet be attacked. They have three sections, Ghost, the Civilis Protectione it's self and the [Civilis Protectione Xenos](http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20091223234549/half-life/en/images/c/cb/Metrocop_blue_eyes.jpg). The Civilis Protectione Xenos are composed of unaltered members of the species conquered planet who have joined the Collective. While these members may be brainwashed if they were formed in a high unrest planet following a hostile take over, they are generally not altered. They sometimes use plasma pistols, but generally they use electroshock batons and laser pistols in order to minimse collateral damage, particularly when unrest is high. Higher ranked units may be given light plasma rifles or other such equipment, though it is mostly ceremonial and they are not expected to use them without due consideration. The standard Civilis Protectione is the police force of Triarii who maintain order. They are known to use Electroshock batons and plasma pistols, though higher ranks may again use light plasma rifles. Finally, Ghost is the Civilis Protectione equivalent of Spectre. The difference is while Spectre is a military special operations force, Ghost is more a SWAT force meet Detectives. Civilis Protectione are obviously less dangerous than Equitem and their resistance generally serves as little more than a minor inconvenience against any organised invader as they are a police force rather than a military. They are NOT "Officers", as some occupied humans have labelled them. They are "Units", with Officer being a rank within the structure. Civilis Protectione has its own ranking system that parallels but is not identical to that of the Equitem. Conscripts/Loyalists: Civilians given minor arms and sent into battle for whatever reason. Conscripts are extremely rare, only called up when there is no other option. Loyalists is the term used for pro-government conscripts during civil wars or full scale uprisings, and as such the term has never actually been used correctly, and is often used simply to refer to those who are Pro-Collective instead. [APC](http://www.3dartistonline.com/users/7627/thm1024/1363805067_APC_scene_050_cam02_GP.jpg): A vehicle in service to the Civilis Protectione. It is used for transports and patrols, and sports a mounted plasma turret. It is based off of designs of vehicle used by the Hara-Ka and later incorporated some elements of Human design. As it is not expected to be sent into war but more to deal with riots and transport, it's designed to be cheap, like most Civilis Protectione equipment, hence why it uses wheel based designs instead of the more advanced gravitational movements. Overwatch: Overwatch is a highly Advanced AI system. Where this AI slots into the rank system seems unclear, but while it has been seen giving orders to Command units, it is also seen taking orders from Command units. This implies it isn't actually a Commander it all but more of an executive officer, passing orders along a chain. Indeed, the AI's major purpose seems to be to give warnings and information about the situation and state engagement codes. It's standard format is a cold feminine voice thats speech appears to be made up of seperate sound files which acts as an executive officer and relays orders to units while reading out codes and both mentioning rewards and warning of punishments. While all Overwatch Programs and linked and are programmed with loyalty to the Collective, they are allowed some degree of autonomy. The subprograms format may be customised depending on it's superiors preference, but due to this usually being seen as a pointless feature, few superiors actually edit the subprograms standard format. Even fewer grant the program the autonomy to redefine its self [Deployment Walker](http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090814172334/universeatwar/images/9/9c/Habitat_Walker.PNG): The towering Deployment Walker has four long, but bulky legs that it uses for movement and sports dozens of Plasma cannons and Heavy plasma Machine Guns and Light Dark plasma Machine Guns. It also has two massive warp cannons and sports a sort of low powered energy projector on it's main body. The walker contains many sophisticated teleporation systems, hallways, storage bays for synths and mechs, which are beamed down through it's teleporation system. The Walker's upper body is somewhat shaped like a lopsided hexagon. The sheer size of the Walker allows it to destroy many buildings by simply stepping on them with its legs. The walker is also truly "all terrain", able to climb cliffs and mountains or wade through lakes and even be fully submerged. It's external armour is extremely thick, battle ship grade with shielding, making it hard to destroy with most ground based weapon. Rather, enemies should destroy its hardpoints to expose the walker's internal workings, then break the dark energy cores protective casing and from there destabalise the dark energy core through damage. [Assembly Walker](http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090512213536/universeatwar/images/1/1f/Assembly_Walker.JPG): Like the Habitat Walker, the Assembly Walker is a massive, quadrupedal walker armed with hundreds of plasma cannons, Heavy plasma Machine Guns, Light plasma Machine guns and a teleportion system. It is more than twice the size of the habitat walker, making it a gargantuan walker. The Walker's upper body features two large 'arms' that are covered in weaponry on either side of the main body and a giant teleport device on its back. It sports four massive warp cannons on each arm and an energy projecotr on its main body.. The Assembly walker acts as a sort of walking manufactorum, producing synths and mechs as it advances across the world, through supplies that are teleported to it en mass. Like the other large walkers, the Assembly Walker can crush almost anything in its path and traverse nearly any terrain, including cliffs. The sheer size of the Walker allows it to destroy many buildings by simply stepping on them with its legs. The walker is also truly "all terrain", able to climb cliffs and mountains or wade through lakes and even be fully submerged. It's external armour is extremely thick, even stronger than that of the habitat walker. Enemies should destroy its hardpoints to expose the walker's internal workings, and from there disable it's internal energy shielding, followed by it's internal protective casing then the dark energy core can be destabalised, causing a self destruction

darkwolf 687 ## Part Two --- **Technological Overview:**  *Habitat World Gaudium* Seemingly eternally paranoid that someone will steal their technology, the Collective has taken to using biolocks on most of it's equipment, maintaining databases of DNA and other markers. Furthermore, some devices are able to self destruct, as most weapons do when their operator is deceased. **Weaponry, Land Forces** Land forces of the Collective use a variety of weapons, some of which are inbuilt and some of which are external Electroshock Baton: This is used by Civilis Protectione to subdue escaping criminals. It is not, primarily, a military weapon but may be used by Civilis Protectione members who are fighting against invading forces. It has four settings: Off, which is self explanatory, Low, which delivers a small shock that is usually enough to make most human sized targets recoil, Medium, which produces an effect similar to a taser. The Final Setting is High, and this setting produces dangerous electric sparks and a large amount of heat capable of causing burns. A single strike from this should be enough to knock a human sized target into unconsciousness and just a few beatings from this mode can cause brain damage. Understandably, they can only use this mode when the suspect is extremely dangerous and posing a threat to life, under a Judgement Waiver or on authorisation from a High Command unit Laser Attack Beam: A small laser that is mounted onto Equitem Scanners. It is relatively weak and serves more as a weak deterrent to give threatened scanners a chance to fall back Laser pistol: An outdated weapon used by Civilis Protectione. Favoured over plasma for police work due to it's decreased collateral damage. Contains a short ranged stun feature used to incapacitate fleeing suspects by sending a burst of electricity through the subjects body. Plasma Pistol: The basic side arm of the Collective. This weapon is mostly issued to Synth Infiltrators who are under cover, Stalkers and Civilis Protectione Units. The Plasma Pistol is incorporated into the 'Gauntlet'. While extremely deadly, it is also destructive and can cause damage to structures and the terrain. As such, Civilis Protectione units are discouraged from using it unless there are few other options and in some higher risk area's such as some occupied human worlds they are instead issued with less advanced 'native tech' for more widespread usage. Gauntlet: The Gauntlet is deceptively named. It is wrist mounted and has a Plasma Pistol mounted and a Energy Dagger projector inside. When not in use, the Plasma Pistol recedes into the Gauntlet slightly so that it is not so bulky. Light Plasma Rifle: The Light Plasma Rifle is generally considered the largest weapon a Triarii can use. It's Primary users are some Triarian Command Units, Mimics and sometimes Synth Infiltrators. It has less range and is weaker than the standard Plasma rifle, but is lighter, smaller and can be collapsed to hide it Beam Rifle: The beam rifle is a designated marksman rifle. It is a semi automatic rifle that is able to engage targets at medium to long ranges with accuracy. It has two fire modes. The first is a burst of three shots, and the second is a focused shot. The focused shot is more powerful than the three shot burst, more accurate and with longer range, but the three bursts are better for shorter range engagements as it is quicker Plasma Assault Rifle: The Plasma Assault Rifle, commonly referred to simply as the plasma rifle, is an assault rifle designed to combine the range of the Beam Rifle of with close range effectiveness of pervious plasma weaponry such as the Light Plasma Rifle. Light Plasma Machine Gun: This is the smaller cousin of the heavy plasma machine gun, it is used by Elite Synth Soldiers and some Elite Aerial Synth Soldiers. It may be used by Walkers and is also widely used by Spectre Synth Soldiers. It is wildly destructive and it's shots appear more like a stream. When fired for extended periods of time, the gun will automatically shut off in order to prevent damage to the mechanisms. This function can be overridden, which produces a risk of a detonation. Heavy Plasma Machine Gun: This is the large cousin of the already formidable light plasma machine gun. It does not have the overheat mechanism due to being larger and thus having superior heat vents. It is used by Gunships and may be used by Walkers Plasma Autocannon: This is the dreaded weapon used by Marchers. It destroys anything in it's path as the massive plasma shells smash their way through targets, burning as they go. It may also be used by some Walkers. It fires slower than most other pladma weapons, but makes up for it in the sheer mass of the plasma, enough to engulf man sized figures instantly Fuel Rod Cannon: The Fuel Rod Cannon launches canisters of a special gel that explode upon impact, vapourising anything in the blast radius and causing a minor shockwave that is strong enough to knock nearby soldiers off their balance or sometimes to the floor. It is mounted on the shoulders of Walkers and there is a shoulder held version used by some Elite Synth Soldiers Plasma Sniper Rifle: The plasma rifle is a sniper rifle that fires a bolt of super heated plasma contained within a field. Upon contact with a target, this field will be breached and release the plasma onto the target, boiling away blood and frying nearby organs. Shots are usually directed at either the head or heart. Warp Cannon: The Warp Cannon is insanely powerful. A single shot from it can destroy entire buildings. This cannon not only causes vast scenic destruction but also inflicts massive splash damage that will vaporise most organic and some inorganic matter in proximity to the area of impact. Prior to the warp cannon's discharge, a thin bluish beam is fired from the Cannon it's self, heading to a focal point around which the space becomes warped, bending light as the cannon fires. Anything in the area is torn apart by the warp, and the excess energies is able to destabilise and vapourise most substances nearby. There is also a shockwave resulting from the Warps sudden opening and closing, which can toss many tonnes around. Plasma Cannon: This is a variant of the ship based weapon that is mounted upon Assembly Walkers and Habitat Walkers. Since it is graded for destroying enemy battle ships, it is more than capable of destroying most land based targets with ease. It's shots are capable of creating the same effects as the ship based energy projector, glassing the terrain on impact Energy Projector: This variant of the energy projector is mounted onto the habitat walker. Despite being of lower power than it's ship based equivilants, it is still extremely deadly and capable of widespread destruction **Weaponry, Space Forces** Point pulse laser Defences: The Point pulse laser guns are the basic point defence weapon of Collective Vessels. It's primary purpose is to shoot down incoming fighters or enemy weapons rather than attack enemy vessels. Plasma Cannon: The Ship Mounted plasma Cannon is devastating indeed. If it hits an unshielded enemy ship, it will almost certainly melt a hole through the ship. It fires a large plasma round which will spread out upon impact, resulting in extreme damage to targeted ships Energy Projector: This weapon fires a beam of energized matter which has a very long range and is extremely accurate and destructive, capable of scything through most materials with ease and "glassing" planets, systematically rendering them sterile and incapable of sustaining life as well as boiling away their atmosphere. Lower power variants have been designed for ground based combat and defence combat in order to prevent accidental damage to Collective worlds atmospheres, and the ship based ones can have power diverted away in order to produce a weaker beam. **Weaponry, Defenses** Turret AutoGun: The turret auto gun used by the Turrets deployed by ground forces. It fires unique crystalline rounds which are designed with impact in mind, tearing into and then shattering, scattering painful shards throughout the individuals body. Plasma Cannons: The ground plasma cannons are constructed along defence grids. They function similarly like their ship mounted equivalents. They pack a huge punch and it is overlapping networks of these that give the defence grid it's backbone Energy Projector: The Ground Energy Projector is similar in function to the ship based one. **Other** Interstellar drives able to move from system to system within seconds Memory replacement, alteration, copying and transcribing machinary: Often used for 'flash training', so named because it allows the Collective to imprint decades of experience in a task onto an individual within a short time frame (Indeed, many Synth Soldiers have had centuries of combat experience imprinted onto their minds), it is also used for brainwashing, mind wipes and other such useful applications --- **Cultural Overview:**  *"For the Greater Good...?" A political cartoon designed and published by Human refugee's from the Collective. The creator and publisher have since gone missing, presumed killed* Despite having minor democratic aspects and a semi-noble goal, the Collective of Civilised Species is often described as authoritarian. The cultures of long standing members are conjoined with each other to produce one large mesh, though it isn't uncommon fir species to celebrate its own ways. Looking at these older member species, one might conclude that the state was paranoid but benign. It is only when you look at how they handle the collectivization process, such as with the humans, that one begins to see the true picture. Unfair laws, cruel punishments and a general laissez-faire legal system that transforms the prosecuting officers into judge, jury and executioner. Outside of their... questionable measures and their general disdain for anything they consider even slightly uncivilised, their cultures can be remarkably diverse and in some cases protected under law. Even apparently primitive idea's can pass as civilised under the Collective, which suggests it has at least some degree of willingness to allow multiculturalism. Indeed, the idea of 'combing our strengths' has led to the sharing of works and products among the various species within the collective, including but not limited to remakes of older films from the human and Hara-Ka culture. Human worlds show the slow process of collectivisation. Although what was the human inner worlds have now been 'renovated', many outer colony worlds have extreme contrasts, with older, graffiti ridden buildings standing next to the new towering giants and structures erected by the Collective. Those who the Collective decides are trustworthy are often housed in the [newer sections of these worlds](http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/027/8/d/city_of_the_night_by_meckanicalmind-d3870ww.jpg), where life is comparatively good and slowly improving, while those deemed untrustworthy are relegated to the '[slums](http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090113000549/half-life/en/images/9/97/City_17_buildings_and_inner_wall.jpg)', the old areas that have become run down. Even within these slums, conditions can vary from [tolerable](http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20091012192844/half-life/en/images/f/f7/Train_city_17.jpg) to [squalor](http://media.moddb.com/cache/images/mods/1/14/13049/thumb_620x2000/apartment2.jpg) Their culture in it's self is arrogant and condescending to others. The education system defines religion as "A series of fictional tales believed only by the stupid or the insane" and their national prides it's self on enforcing a strict meritocracy. Imperfections (eg: Disabilities), whether they be physical or mental are either corrected or, if they cannot be corrected, the individual will be restricted from reproduction should the imperfection be considered inheritable. An obsession with eugenics is common; In their eyes only positive traits should be propagated and the Collective enforces this with strict rules. Any reproductive activity without the express permission of the government is a crime on par with assault. They have a very black and white view of criminal activity, you are either with the state or you are a criminal. Some laws can be rather silly; For instance, to combat uncivilised behaviour and prevent disputes it is illegal to insult anyone else... unless the insult is true, in which case it is completely legal. The Collective doesn't have a formal currency. Instead, your work earns you 'Civic Work Points' which are used to redeem certain 'rewards'. The idea of their Collective generally works on the idea that all should look out for each other and function as one, living being. This has both good and bad effects. The biggest effect being that they they find trade with other empires difficult because of this lack of currency (and indeed, for some a lack of understanding of the idea of commercialism all together) --- **History:** **The Birth of the Collective; The Hara-ka Triarii War and the Union of the species**  From the Triarian city states arose the acts of collectivisation, beginning the short lived United Triarian Collective. This new nation began its exploration into the stars with a bloody chapter. Their first contact, the Hara-Ka, was a warlike race. They had already reached the nuclear age, only to bomb themselves back to a primitive status, painstakingly claw their way back up and appeared to have learnt nothing from the experience. At this time, true laser weaponry was in its infancy inside the UTC and the Hara-Ka tribes were similarly equipped to the Triarii. A land based invasion of the Hara-Ka's homeworld proved futile, the gravity was several times that of Triarius and the Triarii themselves could simply not be effective within it. As such, they began a campaign of orbital bombardment and, after three months of continuous systematic bombing, the Hara-Ka finally conceaded defeat and were annexed. As a name, UTC was decided to no longer be relevant, and was changed to the United Collective **Expansion: Ziatri ascension into the Collective, the Twilight Flame and the 'Great Agreement'**  The Ziatri were the first nation to join the Collective willingly (Though some scholars argue they joined to avoid invasion and oppression rather than out of genuine feelings at the time). The unusually long four centuries of peace between the Collective and the Ziatri was a necessary part of this process, and it's argued that the Collective, weak at the time, was concerned about invading due to reports about the deeper area's of the Ziatri swamp worlds being extremely inhospitable. None the less, the Ziatri elders eventually united their race with the Collective and took up seats as Primicerii, assisting in command of the growing Empire. It was at this point that the gift of the Twilight Flame was bestowed upon the Collective by the Ziatri elders. The Twilight Flame is the name of a type of crystal, mined from within the deepest swamps of the Ziatri homeworld. Possessing the ability to act as a relay for psionic energy, the most important usage of this device has been to allow the projection of the Triarii (and any other psionic capable being, given the right equipment and training) in the form of an energy being, known as a "[mimic](http://pieromacgowan.com/images/Outsider.jpg)". The Corruptelae Insectum first met with the Collective when an exploration team arrived. Although the first contact was filled with fighting, the Corruptelae Insectum Empress, the dominant Queen, made an agreement with the Primicerii of the Collective. The Corruptelae Insectum would become a client race of the Collective and would give members of it's worker caste to the Collective for military service, and in return the Collective would grant the Corruptelae Insectum access to it's space ways and would assist in propagating their species to various worlds. **The dark times: The Sector Black 4 Resonance Cascade and the subjugation of the Aru'Shumi**  The Resonance Cascade in Sector Black 4, often times referred to as the "Sector Black 4 Incident", was a disasterous event that resulted in several (presumed) million deaths and the (presumed) destruction of a planet. During a standard test of a new generator, an entire planet disappeared into nothingness. The outer colony world and everything on it was consumed by a disastrous explosion from an experimental generator and transferred into heat energy or torn apart by rifts and scattered across the void. Since the Incident, Collective law mandates that most research be done aboard dedicated research stations or research planets. The theoretical dark energy had not just been proven to exist, but proven to have insane properties. This would overtime become the standard for Collective energy production. The reactor locally increases the intensity of space-time fluctuations , creating a sphere of volatile space-time in the reactor core that has a high concentration of Dark Energy. An anti-mass condenser field converts the Dark Energy into particles of exotic matter, from which energy is harnessed as the particles are transferred back into the core, being converted back into dark energy and beginning the cycle again. Although the initial start-up process for reactors requires an immense amount of power, the exotic properties further amplify the quantum fluctuations and cause a chain reaction within the core that makes the reactor self-sustaining and capable of producing near-astronomical amounts of power. (Techno-babble over) The Aru'Shumi were found during the expansion into Sector White 1. After a bloody invasion the Aru'Shumi Emperor surrendered to the Collective might, decreeing that all the honour in the world could not save the from destruction. After 200 years of classless occupation, the Aru'Shumi monarchy was restored and permitted to take part in the decisions of the Primicerii, elevating Aru'Shumi from occupied status to client race. The name is changed to the "Collective of Civilised Species" by the Primicerii. **As luck would have it: An accident, human expansion and discovery by the Collective**  An accident with hyperspace technology on Earth resulted in a displacement of a human colonist ship to Andromeda. From here they restarted their society, struggling with their lack of resources which would have of course been delivered from the other human worlds. Regardless, through perseverance they were able to establish themselves and set up a functioning society. Obviously, this struggle had meant they hadn't focussed so much on technological achievement as just surviving and rebuilding. After hundreds of years, the stranded humans had established a chain of several planets, with a small fleet. Their weaponry was not far removed from the 21st century however. Corvette from the Collective encountered a human colony world. A curbstomp war began in which the forces of the new human nation was destroyed. They put up a courageous fight but were inevitably crushed. The occupation had begun; Police and military forces were quickly absorbed into their successors and used to maintain order while propaganda and educational techniques slowly began to drill in the ideals of the Collective. --- **Other**  *Members of a human resistance group on the former human outer colony of New Pluto, which is generally considered to be the most rebellious colony. Note the extremely outdated equipment used by the two, including old ballistic weapons and FM radio's. Resistance within the Collective: Resistance is rarely a large scale movement as these are too easily uncovered and would lead to mass arrests. Most resistance is passive or 'grumbling'. Few have the guts to take up arms against the vastly superior forces of the Collective, and those who do often use inferior ballistic weapons that were hidden away during the invasion. More choose to throw their lot in with Civilis Protectione for additional benefits than throw their lot in with the Resistance. Resistance within the older species ranges from non-existent to extremely rare. None the less, it remains a thorn in the side of the Collective on certain human worlds, particularly the outlying colonies who were taken over later than the inner human worlds. Wherever they appear, they are usually dealt with brutally and quickly, and as such have become adept at disappearing efficiently and quickly... Which is no small feat considering the Collective is Orwells nightmare. They mostly remain within the run down area's of slums as the other area's are too heavily monitored. To add further problems to the resistance, it is generally at war with it's self. Different resistance groups have rivalries and even outright hostilities with each other for whatever reason. This has damaged the overall image of the resistance in the eyes of some loyalists, and propagandists have taken to exploiting this image as one of "Gang Warfare" rooted in the "Darker times of hatred and violence" Affiliated with but not part of the resistance are the refugee's. The few which manage to escape the Collective are endlessly hunted by GHOST and more rarely SPECTRE. Many tell stories about brutality within the slums, though few can speak of the Collectives technology as they have not been within the more modern parts of the cities due to their status. Most merely describe it as both advanced and terrifying. The majority of refugee's go into hiding once they escape the Collective. Usually, they fail and are recovered by the Collective; A grizzly fate often awaits these poor souls.

WilsonTurner > > Name of nation: Central Draconian Empire, or CDE > > Species: Draconian > >  > > Draconians, being lightly blue-colored reptilian humanoids about the same height as an unusually tall human, at about 6' 7" being the average, up to 8' in the rarer cases, and 5' 10" in even rarer cases, they are diverse in size and strength. Unless diseased or otherwise out of the norm, Draconians are tough, whatwith a scaly hide that's much more resistant to sharp objects than a human's skin, and strong, with corded, powerful muscle, brought about and perfected through evolution. Draconians are apex predators- they were perfected by nature to be killing machines, fast on their feet, powerful on strikes, and clever enough to outwit foes and friends alike. They possess great loyalty- clans would battle endlessly, neither ever willing to give up until death. They possess claws on hands and feet that can extend and retract, and can rend flesh from bone, or even tear through bone itself, or act as a precise writing utensil (dipping one's claw in ink and using it to write is not uncommon, actually preferred), and even be used as a precise tool to fiddle with delicate mechanisms or other detailed items. > > Description of government: Faction based, ruled over by single ruler with a council to approve > ...where elections are held after the current leader resigns or dies. The leader is known as the Forerunner Maximus, being the first to make decisions and etc., and his advisory council and second-in-commands of various sectors being the Forerunner Minimus of [Faction/Branch]. There are multiple factions- the War Faction is the most prominent and powerful, containing the Empire's fleets and armies. It's close to being the largest branch, and is the second most powerful branch. More numerous than the War Faction is the Industrial Faction, which handles all industry and production of ships, weapons, munitions, goods, supplies, and foods. They are the farmers, the miners, and the refiners. They build and they labor. They are the most numerous because most everyone starts here, and ends here. The most powerful is the Thought Faction, whom are the researchers, designers, architects, strategists (in hand with the War Faction), and the leaders. They have a special fleet of completely unique ships that are each very powerful, each having a different set of strengths and weaknesses. The last and the smallest faction is the Peace Faction- they are the peacekeepers, the military police, and the diplomats. They negotiate, they keep the peace, and they believe in the righteous cause of peaceful expansion, not conquest. But then again, they are the smallest. > > Description of military: They are powerful- this is their specialty. They are a race that grew up in the midst of a deadly fight for survival, endlessly, where even the plants are predators. Prey are only other predators, or the massive beasts that walk the planet, occasionally brought down and fought over by a variety of deadly creatures. Their military might is powerful on the ground. Indeed, they much liked to stomp and tear anything and everything that wasn't one of them. They themselves have a somewhat weak space-navy- it serves only the purpose of landing troops. > > They have a variety of creatures that have been tamed and modified from their homeworld to serve as anything from biological scouts, like what are essentially dolphin/sharks except with scale and poison, and really big creatures like a spinosaurus that's generally armored with sheets of reactive armor, a bit of intelligence enhancement and the ability for it to instinctively use a set of grenade launchers. Really, it'll roar, stomp, roar, and then fire some grenades right on you, and THEN charge. They also have a variety of different weapons for a variety of different creatures. Why not take those deadly hunters and make them far, far deadlier? > > In addition to armored grenade-launcher shooting armored spinosauruses, they *love* their ground troops. Unmatched in hand-to-hand combat when fighting completely naturally (though it can be different if there are augments and cybernetics involved), a whirlwind of claws, teeth, and weapons, it's generally advisable to not get close to one unless it's dead- dead as in with its head spread over a couple square meters. Extensive training, genetic engineering, selective breeding, and neural processors, a Draconian footsoldier is very, very formidable, better than anyone else's footsoldiers unless they, too, have the same natural advantages and alteration of their natural form to be better- they live to fight. Elite Draconian Infantry are even more deadly- it's unadvisable to approach them with weapons in hand. Their powersuits are armed with a variety of energy weapons, a portable heavy railgun similar to what you'd find on a *tank*, except a bit smaller with smaller ammunition, and the ability to move much farther and faster than most. They're armed with shields and with energetic force punches, which takes the energy from the shield and blasts it in a certain direction, or in a sphere around this. If a powersuit were surrounded by enemy footsoldiers, was out of ammunition and could only sustain its shield for a minute more, this would be ideal, as it would be like a powerful IED, except without the flame and fire. If you're too close when he does this, it may cause severe or even fatal damage- shockwaves kill, fire doesn't. > > {Anti-Anything, Heavy, Energy, Sniper} The [Heavy Gauss Gun Type-901](http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/182/8/3/8396cb47ff16c9775a2885d54d673ff1-d2zs6o2.jpg) > > {Anti-Infantry, Light, Kinetic, Rifle} The [Battle Rifle Type-338](https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5001/5268697857_6481938ee6.jpg) > > {Anti-Infantry/Anti-LightArm, Medium, Kinetic, LMG} The [LMG-493 "Blazer"](http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2013/206/b/b/prototype_am_lmg_by_farcry845-d6f2xbr.jpg) > > {Anti-Tank, Heavy, Antimatter, Destroyer} The ["Incinerator" AMEC-3A3](http://1dut.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/cool-concept-futuristic-medieval-and-fantasy-weapons-1dut.com-28.jpg) > > {Anti-Infantry/Anti-MedArm, Medium, Energy, Mutli-Rifle} The [20-20 CSR](http://th03.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/f/2013/238/0/b/weaponcolo_by_lmorse-d6jsada.jpg) > > > Draconian ground units, besides infantry, are heavily armored. Usually, they consist of command-and-control walker units, sometimes with two, sometimes with four, and sometimes with six legs, armed lightly and heavily armored, made only to take damage and command from advantageous positions. Other vehicles include: > > {Drone, Hover, Tank} The [Mk12 Stryker-S Automated Light Tank Hoverdrone](http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2010/303/1/c/hover_tank_____float___by_ere4s3r-d31ubpy.jpg) > > {Drone, Biped, Infantry} The [MAV ULB](http://www.eliottlillyart.com/images/mech2.jpg) > > {Manned, Wheeled, Transport} The [FIEV](http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2014/065/9/0/pickuptank_by_exizt-d794qsz.png) > > {Manned, Tracked, Anti-Air} The [MHAA-Mk5](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s6GGq5dZOkM/UaydT3zQiII/AAAAAAAAynY/S9IPriqbmwQ/s1600/oscar_cafaro_09.jpg) > > {Manned, Tracked, Main Battle Tank} The [Type-2 Steelback Heavy MBT](http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2012/052/9/7/974d2364d99ca6af866e58f47041e8eb-d31665r.jpg) > > {Manned, Tracked, Medium Tank} The [MET-3A4 Energy Medium Tank](http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2012/264/a/9/xm44_sabretooth_omni_environment_main_battle_tank_by_helge129-d5fht3x.jpg) > > {Manned, Deca-walker, Artillery} The ["Petra" Artillery Command Unit](http://postimg.org/image/li68pe9w3/) > > {Manned, Tracked, LoS Railtank} The ["Bunker Buster" Stryker-A Unit](http://th02.deviantart.net/fs71/200H/i/2011/280/5/4/jaguar_striker_tank_by_stephenhuda-d4c386y.jpg) > > {Drone, Aircraft, Surgical Strike Gunship} The [ARS-Mk19A2](http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/18ogj8w71vqnejpg/original.jpg) > > {Manned, Aircraft, Armored Support Gunship} The [Type-66 HASG](http://th04.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/i/2012/304/8/b/future_helicopter_by_forgedorder-d5jkiua.jpg) > > (Manned, Multipurpose Fighter, Stealth Fighter} The [F-38 Type-6A5 MPSF "Rebel"](http://digital-art-gallery.com/oid/15/1000x620_4432_Plane_2d_sci_fi_fighter_aircraft_picture_image_digital_art.jpg) > > {Manned, Strategic Sub, Antimatter Submarine} The [AMSS-3 Mk.44 Strategic Submarine](http://www.igorstshirts.com/blog/conceptships/2011/nik_y/niky_e_02.jpg) > >--- > > Cultural Overview: They aren't too terribly rich in culture- they mainly like shooting things and celebrating the days where a major victory took place, or where a ground-breaking achievement had taken place. They have a variety of foods, not necessarily as much as humans or other aliens, but they know how to cook what they have. Besides fighting, Draconians love food- they have somewhat duller taste buds than the average among sentient creatures, so their food would taste exceedingly tasty among other peoples. Odd, it would be, that the race of warriors are culinary *geniuses*. > > History: Draconians are, put simply, savages. They grew up on a planet dominated by an eternal war with nature. Where on Earth, a hostile environment may be all the predators hunting specifically for you, and there being a good deal of poisonous animals and plants about. On the Draconian homeworld, it is far, far worse. The only source of meat that isn't from a predator are from giant, towering four-legged creatures similar to a brontosaurus dinosaur. They're hunted by monstrous spinosaurus-like dinosaur-like scaly creatures that literally tear flesh off their legs while they try to walk and escape to their deep, fast-flowing rivers that only they can brave. When a bronty falls, all the animals of the forest jump on it. It's so large that little ecosystems exist within, and most of the time, small wars between animals occur. Here, a single wound can lead to death, where the smell of their blood gives away their route, and their position. It was here that the Draconians grew up. At first, they were water-dwelling creatures, some of the only ones. They could walk on land and swim in water, but there was little food in the water, so as they began to grow, they had to push into the forests, hunting the hunters. Brontosauruses usually were just so numerous, endlessly eating the vast amount of leaves that the jungly planet provided, that the predatory ecosystem thrived. The Draconians were endlessly hunted, being smaller than the majority of the predators around them. It was a sense of loyalty to each other, and instinct to protect, and the bloodlust, that they managed to keep from being driven into extinction. Any weapon became a good idea- it wasn't long before sticks and stone began to break their bones, and then weapons evolved very quickly. Spears were the first made, then staffs armed with blade-stones on either side. A skilled Draconian in those days could survive an encounter with even the largest predators. As they began to develop weapons at a rate that would put any human to shame, they began developing ways to preserve and keep all the food that began piling up. Eventually, creatures began to fear the infinitely stronger Draconians, as they realized that every time one of their own went to hunt near their territory, they never came back. And so they began to run from the Draconians. It was then that the Draconians began experimenting with other things. Trees began to fall in areas that were declared death-zones by all other animals, where even the brontosauruses dared not go. Walls were erected, and traps were placed all around, and the Draconians disappeared into their massive riverside fort, taming and herding a multitude of the smallest predators, turning them into livestock. Eventually, brontosauruses began returning, and with them, other predators. Instead of hunting them all down again, they began feeding the brontosauruses, keeping them nearby, protecting them. Herds of these massive creature soon developed; by hanging a variety of constructs off their massive backs, an entire village could live, using the creature as transportation and safety, while they fired refined arrows down at would-be predators. As the time passed, the Draconians literally started taming their world. They took a great deal of predators under guard, inside great log walls, and they tamed them, held them until they stopped fighting. They would fight if cornered, but they quelled the instinct to kill on sight. And so they finished the first stage of their evolution: conquering their own world. After they conquered the beasts of their world, and had populated the entire globe, a renaissance of sorts sprung up. The planet was still mostly uninhabited, mainly occupied by massive forts that contained livestock of different predatory breeds. If they weren't fed, they would often try to escape, and usually succeeded. It was then that wars broke out against one large tribe against anothers. Wars were fought where bandages were the best healing tools, combined with nature's finest, and the best weapon was a catapult or a crossbow. > >After, oh, four centuries of warfare of increasing proportions across all fronts, where missiles and artillery was used just as much as blades and bolts, the Draconians, for the first time in forever, came together and declared peace! And that was because one of them made a breakthrough: Looking through a telescope, rare among the warmongering Draconians, they saw an object *flying* a short ways outside of their planet's gravitational field. Apparently, this idea was so amazing that they all caught on- imagine! Conquering the stars themselves! Not even the Gods could compare! And so they began researching everything- holograms, energy weapons, antimatter, dark matter, quantum mechanics, rocket science, mining technology. The population exploded, and suddenly the planet started to come into its first true industrialization age, with billions of goods being produced. And quite suddenly, their tests to put a ship into space, reach another planet, and put down prefab buildings, suddenly worked. > >And then the population exploded again, and they all rushed to the stars, colonizing their three moons, half a dozen other planets in their system, and began setting up bases inside of asteroids, and stations that orbited their Sun, instead of anything else. They went out and began to conquer their solar system. > >Some time after they finished putting something on every planet, just to prove that they could, they began working on theories of faster-then-light travel. At first, they made a large, bulky drive that allowed them to jump a dozen lightyears, but this was too imperfect; they refined it and refined it until it was a much, much smaller device that took up far less energy or space. It allowed them to jump from the edge of one system to the edge of another, by taking advantage of the 'thinner' space. As colonization efforts began expanding into the systems around them, they brought back the old design, and refined that until it was a bit smaller, and allowed them to travel much, much farther, though at greater cost. Only larger ships had these- cargoships or the like. Draconian fleetships generally aren't armed very much- they agreed to keep battles in space to a minimum, a rare act of total cooperation. The only true warships are flagships, dreadnoughts mainly. Any other ship that served a military purpose were cargoships that could land on the ground and not collapse under its own weight (with advanced anti-gravity pads that kept the full weight form falling on itself), though it would most certainly collapse if it lost energy. The Draconians spread as far and as quickly as they could, a small colony in every single system they found and declared for themselves. They have over a dozen colonies, creating a frontier that's quite a distance from their home system. That's when there ships began meeting others- and they probably will offend them, due to them planting a colony on whichever planet that want, regardless if someone put a colony on the opposite side of the globe. > > Other: potatoes.