The Gashathi Rule

Type of Government:
Divine Mandate

Description of Government:
The Gashathi Rule is led by by the Gashathi, the Preatorian Race, an ancestral and powerful race of beings that have lived for millions of years. One of them is always on the throne, whilst the others act as the Council of Elders, an inner ring that gives tips and information to the ruler. The nation unites different races, all collected as specimen long before the Humans have conquered this part of the space, when teh Gashathi still ruled this part of the known space.

Main Race:
Gashathi - The Gashathi are an all powerful race, as ancient as time itself. Long before the Humans have conquered the Milky Way they had an empire spanning galaxies. However, even thought they have ruled for so long, they couldn't escape the great barrier for sentient beings. Space itself. From beyond the known sectors came the great plague, quickly massacring Trillions and wiping entire species off the face of the universe in days. To avoid them the Gashathi purged their empire, and hid until the time would come to rule again. They possess great psionical powers which they used to determine when to wake up their former empire. Their bodies are genetically modified to be strong, quick, and tenacious to the point of not aging, but the thousands of genetical modifications left them unable to reproduce, leaving them in a constant fear of dying. They are very intelligent, and and have good senses. Thought once they had made themselves perfect via genetic engineering, that time has passed already, and now their sacred bodies are left alone, and those among them who still wish to modify themselves are sent to "rehabilitation" to consider their wish again. They have 6 eyes, and their face is slightly elongated to house their large brain. They have 6 arms, 2 of which are permanently covered by their long robes, and thought thin in structure, extremely strong due to physics bending muscle density. Their skin is grey, and absorbs large amounts of light that both powers the gahathi and hide them from searching eyes. But their powerful body is also very flexible, and agile, able to fit through small gaps, without a problem.


Minority Races:
Gensathi - The Gensathi are the offsprings of the Gashathi, a race created from dust to the image of their "gods", in desperation during the great plague. They say that teh gensathi look like the Gashathi did once, but with no evidence, it stays as a mere legend. The Gensathi are strong, intelligent, and very loyal servants of the Praetorians, doing all their bidding for their gods. They are the only race that is permitted to quit military duty after 10 years of active service, though most stay there until tehy die. They are also unmonitored and are granted free will after they complete military training. Unlike the Gashathi, they can reproduce, even thought they have lost the psionic abilities.



Sankar - The Sankar are a mix of Reptilian and Insectoid in appearance, but just like the other races of the empire, they have been modified thousands of years ago to be the perfect killing machines. They are bipedal, with human like body structure, but that is where similarities run out. Though scales and hardened muscles make sure they go down after everyone else is dead, and their sharp teeth and claws make them efficent at close combat. They wield basic weapons in combat, such as spears and battleaxes, acoompanied with makeshift armor made of leather and bones, rarely metal. Monitored from birth they grow in colonies of their own, and are taken away once they reach a certain age. They are put under brain control of a Gensathi Operator in dozens, who makes sure these ferocious beasts obey the empire, and fry their brains if they don't.


Kaalispar - The most popolous of all the other races, the Kaalispar are a race of reptilian humanoids that server their Etheral Gods to death. Sharp reflexes, and a resiliant body makes them perfect footman on any battlefield. They wield plasma weapons and power armors to battle as the "gifts of the god" and they are keen on using modernized variants of medvial weapons. Their society is a complex one, where the priests rule over all, who are contacted by the Gashathi and give out divine orders. There are many different colours, a trait that marks the fate of that individual. Depending on their colour, they can become workers, soldiers, or even priests. Their strict religion bans any form of scientific advance, a method the Gashathi use to restrict the millions that would rise if they knew about the oppression. They live a medival technological level, but those that are chosen to serve in the army are given advanced weapons. They are the farmers of the empire.


Mekar - An Aquatic race of molluscoids that serve as the main scientific and spec ops race for the Gashathi. They are also the race that does most of the genetic tailoring for the Gashathi. The Mekar are highly intelligent, and the only race unmodified genetically by the gashathi in the empire. Their bodies are small but insanely agile and quick, and they posses the camoflague ability of the species they evolved from. They have made modifications to their own body with the approval of the gashathi so that their camo ability could be used as an optical camo. They live underwater, and thought they can live above ground, they use a special gear to breathe. Both in and out of water, they can move like an ocopus and sqeeze themselves through most crevices. This makes them excellent at infiltration, and special operations. Their society is highly technological, and the smartest people rule their many different nations. As such the smartest people relaize that going against the Gashathi would be the end of their race.

(I wish I could show you a picture, but then you won't be able to sleep for the next 2 weeks)

Vulkhar - Gigantic beasts with the intellect of tiny insects. However they not completely devoid of inteeligence, even if it is much smaller that that of the Sankar. They have their own language and have incredible memory, not to mention their very complex social structure. Their bodies are huge, ranging around 20-40 meters of heigh depending on 3 genders, incredibly strong, and very well armed with scales that can deflect all but the strongest of projectiles. They are both an alternative and backup for the Sankars, and are used when other tamed beasts can't do the heavy lifting. Once they get angry, there is no stopping them, so the Gashathi usually stop asking them to do stuff to avoid colleteral damage, and more likely manipulate them to make them beleive what they do is for themselves. That said, they have the same implants as the Sankar have, even if they are for stunning and angering them rather than controlling them. There are special transport ships for their carrying, reinforced heavely, just in case these generally calm monsters get the blood eye before battle. However as calm as they are, before they had the fighting capabilities of a Moon Destroyer compacted into 20 meters of flesh, they were a lot more suspectible to attacks from wildlife on their planet. This evolved a natural gland in their body that stores adrenaline safely, and when they are attacked, it releases the stored substance and enrages them into a bloody rage, only controlled by their implants to some extent.



Lokhar - An insectioid race of spider like creatures. They have hardy skins that are effective at dissipating energy damage, but are very fragile otherwise. Thought it may seem that they don't have a language, they use some sort of unknown psionic language to communicate with each other in the gigantic underground hive colonies they live in. Unlike other insects that live in hives, there is no ruler, but rather a strong sense of survival in every individual of the race that makes them co-operate perfectly. They are are the workhorses of the empire, as they excell in mining, operating machinery, and building structures. There are a number of them that are called officers and they are given special implants so they can understand the language that the orders are given in. But this is not their only use. There are some subspecies of them that show venomous traits, and are carried away to be turned into biological weapons of mass destruction. Insanely quick and agile, these monsters created by the Mekar lay their offsprings in the enemy, and can spit venomous liquid over 20 feet which can eat through steel and quickly evaporates to create a poisonous cloud. However, they are few in numbers, and require loads of training before they are put on the battlefield.





Race Demographics:
Gashathi - 1%
Gensathi - 13%
Sankar - 15%
Kaalispar - 32%
Mekar - 16%
Vulkhar - 2%
Lokhar - 21%

Religion Description:
The races of the empire (part from the Mekar and Gensathi) beleive that the Gashathi are their gods, and call them the Praetorian Race. This is due to excessive brain washing over the thousands of years, which didn't fade even after the races were awaken with the Gashathi. they all beleive that their races were created from dust by the Gashathi, which is true to some extent, and all live to server the best for the ruler and empire. There is an overall sense of loyalty, and religious actions are taken in places where this would falter, such as the Kaalispar. Thought there used to be over 2000 races in the old empire, after the great plague, many were hidden away with the Gashathi gruops, and such there are hints of now extint species in the religion. they are called the Ancestors by most, and some renegade members of society have put their minds to finding them, and raising awareness that they might have not been created by the Preatorian ones. They are usually swiftly dealt with, but they sometimes cause internal troubles.

Religious Demographics:
Praetorian Race - 98%
Ancestral Origins - 2% (mainly Kaalispar)

Culture:
Due to the many different races and the extensive timespan of the empire, there have been many different cultural affections for each race, thus leading to many different periods that affected the traditions. However the races in the Gashathi Rule have a relatively simple culture, due to the very young re-establishment of their empires. This has led them to build up their new homes in a fashion according to the latest culturalar influence from just before the great plague.

Gensathi/Gashathi - The two races are really closely bonded in both culture and social structure. Furthermore the Gensathi are the only race that meet a Gashathi almost daily. They share the same cities, and thought they are made in a fashion so the different classes are separated, they still traverse the districts daily, with the expection of the high court where the Council of Elders is housed. Their cities avoid disturbing natural beauty where possible, often being built into mountains and high cliffs. The landscape is changed in a way so that the cities that lay in plains will have a small incline as one goes upward, and many trees are planted so that the place looks natural. Most of the buildings expand downwards instead of upwards, and the gold and silver lining that is the trademark of the Gashathi can be seen everywhere. Due to the small population of these races, it is likely that the Gensathi live in smaller communities in well defendable places with natural barriers, and only those in the lead of the empire settle in the planetary capitals. Planets where the gashathi appear quickly get one of these city complexes, and temples and shrines with Gensathi priests are constructed in a rush all over the planet. The Gashathi always wear a long face mask, and robes of exotic materials to cover their body entirely. the Gensathi on the other hand have no problem shoving their faces, and often frightening the other races with their ferocious looks.

Sankar - Their culture no more than war and fighting, these barbaric creatures don't live in cities. they have their own planets where they roam the untamed lands, hunting anf ighting each other in their small camps. They are usually placed on planets where some big games can be found, as the Sankar enjoy nothing more than a good hunt. Their tents are made of animal parts and wood, rarely compromising metal in their construction. their villages are defended by a high wall amde of bones or wood that is palced down before anything else. Once the village reaches the walls, the tribe sends out people to make a new camp elsewhere. The tribe houses a single tribe, thought all are connected by their religion. There are carvings of the Gashathi in every setllement, along with a large statue in the middle of the camp. They have priests that teach differing things with every tribe, but the Sankar generally have 3 main traditions they do for their gods: Every day they pray for half an hour in the rays of the noon sun, they don't eat fish, and other sea creatures, and lastly they sacrifice teh biggest game on the planet every month for the gods.

Kaalispar - The Kaalispar are probably the most complex and simple race at the same time. Whilst their building style is that of the medival ages with huge castles and forts all over their planets, their temples are carved into the mountains and are adored with riches unspeakable. They are very efficent farmers, and most of their religion is centered around worshipping the gods for a good harvest. They have highly efficent methods of farming and produce large amounts of biomass for synthetizing food too. Most of the biomass and some food are taken away monthly by an assigned Gensathi, who are beleived to be the "angels" that guard the Gashathi, which is not true from the actual truth. Socially, the Kaalispar are very complex, and they are very quick to make up their mind, often shifting their attention from important issues, which can cause troubles in their everyday life. This is balanced by their implants, which make it so their most important tasks always stay priority. Their relationships are also complictaed as the different colours don't necessarely like each other, but they might be drawn towards one colour when finding a mate.

Mekar - The Mekar are a very interesting race in that they live underwater. Not only that, but their molluscoid nature makes it so they need not much space. And against all this, their cities are expansive underwater complexes with air in them, fashioned out of polished metal and tons of glass. They study genetical diversity on the underwater wildlife, and like to experiment on many things. Almost unrestricted in research, they often find themselves in quite a mess if something goes wrong. Naturally, their intellect is one of the only thing that the Gashathi enslaved them for, but later they proved exellent troops due to their amazing natural abilities. As such the top of the democracy on these planets are the scientist and troops. Every 40 years there is an election for a council that leads the nation, and the given planet.

Vulkhar - Their culture is as simple as they are. Thought on the outer they might seem barbaric and stupid, they understand each other perfectly, and have a very high social intellect. They might (will) not solve a math problem, but they can easely understand what anyone means, this including most animals. They are very mean creatures, and they do9n't like sharing or doing anyone's bidding, given that it is not a Vulkhar. They used to live in caves and natural coves, but with the help of the empire they could upgrade to bigger housings. This mostly means bigger caves and setllements carved into rock with Vulkhar sized "furnitures" inside.

Lokhar - To be exactly precise, no one really knows how the lokhar culture works. Sometimes buildings look edgy, sometimes they look very gently carved, so there really isn't a general thing to say about the style of their buildings. But their underground cities are still fascinating, with gigantic structures carved out of rock, hovering above a gigantic hole that the Lokhar use as the main mineshaft. On the side of the gigantic cavern walkways span far and wide connecting the many buildings, and the churches that are suspended mid air above the shaft by gigantic stone pillars. These shafts are so deep indeed, that many of the Lokhar never see the what the colony looks like a few hundred meters above or below. This is the main reason for the diversity of their architecture. When it comes to their society, it is bland, and simple. They possess human intellect, but they lack any body parts to speak, and so their communication is transferred through some kind of telepathy. It is because of this that such things like letters or couriers don't exist, as they can just ask any other Lokhar what they want. this can quickly become really irritating, even to them, so they usually communicate in closed groups that are focused on the same task. Probably the main reason the Lokhar excell as construction workers, because they can have undivided attention on what they do, with amazing co-ordiation.

History:
Not even the Gashathi know how they came to be. On a peaceful hos world rich of minerals, and devoid of natural predators, the Gashathi quickly evolved from whatever they were originally into a space faring civilization. Utilizing warp gates, to conquer their galaxy, they faced almost no threat in deep space. Their galaxy devoid of intelligent life at the time, it seemed like the Gashathi were chosen to be the rulers of the world. With the expanse came inner conflicts, and war raged for thousands of years. After the devastating wars ended, the power was solidified by one ruler, and the governement we see nowadays was created. The geneticall modified leaders pulled a ruthless hierarchy over the lesser Gashathi. Incredibly cruel, only the strongest and the smartest of their race survived the tirranic rule of the first "god". The same ruler that laid down the basis of how the empire should look like. In the upcoming hundreds of years, the divine rule easened up, and the generations that knew of the civil wars died out, and all the info got erased. Their offsprings now all powerful beings who beleived they were gods, the Gashathi became making offspring races on planets scattered across their galaxy, using the evolving life on them as basics. But as the Jump Drives were invented, the Universe itself opened up for them. A fertile ground fo their oppressive empire to expand, new galaxies with sentient life were discovered and then enslaved to serve their gods. They empire spread the spores of their offsprings all across the territory of the empire, in hope that one day their creations would become perfect beings, fit to share the throne with. Years, only measured in hundreds of thousands passed by, and their genetical creations evolved under the strict observation of the Gashathi, whilst the other races were kept in constant fear. However, one such experiment took a dark turn on the day when it suddenly evolved a mutagen, previously unknown to the Gashathi. The ability infinitely adapt to the surroundings, in matter of days the whole planet was covered with this thick alien mucus that could live off anything. Eager to gain this ability for themselves, the Gashathi made a daring attempt get a sample of this material before razing the planet. But against all odds, for the first time in thousands of years, they made a mistake, and the ship transporting the subject got infected. Upon reaching the Gashathi homeworld, the alien material escaped the containement, and infected the highly intelligent biological computer systems, turning the Gashathi's machines against them. A ferocious was waged, but after months, the planet fell, killing millions of Gashathi and the virus spread to other worlds, now infecting both robotics and animals. Whilst controlling living beings proved too difficult for the virus, generating electronic impulses to control robots was no big issue. Soon the empire fell for the onslaught of machines carrying biological superweapons, and the home galaxy of the gashathi fell, along with their prized offsprings. In a daring attempt, the Gashathi gathered all the traits of the empire's denizens and manipulated their own genetics to make themselves truly godlike. They lsot their fertility, but they saved a piece of their empire graved into their molceules. Before giving up on their empire and freezing themselves until the perfect day would come, the Gashathi made sure that their remaining children would survive. They put space colonies in automated space station in intergalactic space, and installed moons around planets to protect their offsprings until they would fully evolve.

(One of these planets was Sol III.)

Description of Military:

When it comes to weapons, you can count on the ingenuity of Gashathi and Mekar engineers, with the latter being more radical that destructive in most cases. As such the military of the Gashathi is very strictly regulated to avoid any confusion, and a well made system is installed to make sure that every ship and weapon is made out of similar parts, so reapirs and fixes are very easy and quick. For all your needs, I made 3 hiders so you can freely browse things like Infantry, Fleets and Ground Vehicles.







Description of Technology:

The Bharati Republic is structured as a stratocracy, with little distinction between military and government offices. Executive posts are filled by retired or active commissioned officers, largely appointed based on meritocratic principles. At the highest level of government exists a Supreme Council, made up of the top-ranking individuals in the Republic. These few elite vote among themselves on matters of the state and have the ability to nominate their successors. The contents of the Republic's constitution affirm and support the political power of the military. It is a unitary state with a centralized powerbase; the power of administrative bodies is directly mandated by the central government.







Morkhiri are a race of bipedal humanoids that bear some physical resemblance to gorillas. Unlike gorillas, however, they walk fully upright as humans do. Their heads are less elongated than apes; they have a gaunt, bony visage and their strong brows are topped with horny crests. On average, they stand at six feet and eight inches for males; six and five for females. Their builds are endomorphic and muscular; the bodies of males are covered in thin layers of fur ranging from black, to brown, to copper and even white in rare cases. Like humans, morkhiri are omnivorous and consume a wide range of foods, but the earliest evidence of morkhiran civilization suggests they were once primarily carnivorous. Their dental structure is like that of primates, with long, sharp canines.

The earliest morkhiri were apex predators and hunters were the most valuable members of society. They adapted strong builds to overtake larger prey in short bursts of energy, using ambushes to hunt. Troops of morkhiri would climb trees and lie in wait for one of the massive herbivores they selected as prey animals to walk under. At the signal from the leader, the troop would then drop from above, topple it with their brute strength and kill the animal. This method of hunting required a clearly-established hierarchy of hunters, putting responsibility on leaders to decide where to set up the ambush and when to strike. It also necessitated effective communication and discipline. A careless mistake and miss-timed drop could ruin the ambush. The stratocratic nature of the Bharati Republic has its roots in this style of hunting.






Society in the Republic is highly regimented, with emphasis on civic duty and work ethic. Morkhiri tend to put consideration for the whole before the individual, and therefore are a reliable, dutiful people. During primary education, youths are taught personal accountability: knowing one's duties and living up to them, to make good on their word, to remain honest and honorable. They are a staunchly traditional people, yet when leadership in the hierarchy administers widespread change, society is quick to adapt and embrace it.
The morkhiri hold martial prowess and leadership in high esteem, idolizing great soldiers and generals of their history. This respect extends to other races and nations; though they strive above all else to defeat their enemies, they create no propaganda or insult against them. Instead, worthy adversaries are admired. Veterans of combat are given the utmost respect by their peers, and it can be expected that many willingly follow their counsel.
Familial bonds are highly important to morkhiri. Their loyalty to institution carries over to their families, and there is no greater shame than abandoning one's blood for selfish gain. Families are deeply proud of their traditions and each maintains records of admirable and famous deeds of past and present members, especially in wartime. Enlisted soldiers replicate this close-knit behavior in their units, referring to each other as “brother” and following the deeds of their unit's past members.

Of the array of careers available to them, morkhiri are naturally most inclined towards military service. As a species with carnivorous origins, hunters have enjoyed a seat at the top of the totem-pole, and this extends to matters of warfare as well. A successful career in the armed forces is near-synonymous with forays into politics and state institutions. The military is the core of the Republic's society, responsible not only for matters of defense and war, but for the Republic's entire public works agencies as well. There is only one police, one fire and one rescue force, serving both the military and civilians. Construction and maintenance of public infrastructure, transit hubs and cities is managed by the Bharati Engineering Corps. The Agricultural Department oversees the growing and flow of foodstuff. All these, and many more agencies, fall under military jurisdiction.
The vast majority of morkhiri are employed in some state position, be they a soldier, bureaucrat, a construction or manufacturing plant worker, or any other public works job. Indeed, even artists, musicians and designers are sponsored by the state in the form of various guild-associations. While promotion in the Republic functions as a meritocracy, acts that warrant promotions must have the interest of one's greater institution at heart. Obvious self-interested maneuvers and office politics are sure ways of plataeuing one's career, or risking demotion.

Empire/Military Jaunta



Star: Sirius

World: Astrion




Grand Marshal Uther Eddion

Uther was not always a military leader but the brutal rape and murder of his mother and then being abandoned by his then depressed father filled him the with the hate and drive to survive and thrive in modern times. The Fall of the Empire was not recent and many see joining a steadily dying cause to be suicide. Uther would argue that the Empire was the sole unifying force of the galaxy and has manifest destiny of returning the empire, in force.

He is an idealist, strategist and aggressive leader. His methods however are varied by situation. On certain campaigns he would arrive as the brave liberator as independent worlds being invaded by would be "nations" are thwarted by the still massive might the Empire possesses. Other times he is outright ok with having an leaders family tortured in front of him to force one to "respect imperial law."



Will add as stories unfold.



Every race that existed in the Imperium before the fall exists to some capacity within the Imperiums massive and broken borders. The majority is humans and early allies as their presence was essential in the early conquests centuries upon centuries ago. Due to constant battles and people either fleeing or joining the Imperial cause, a valid number is impossible to attain.



Every religion recognized within the Imperium before is still practiced today with the exception of those that would harm the values the Imperium holds. The prevalent belief however is that the Empire is the sole chance that the still fracturing galaxy has at unity and peace. This powerful drive can be seen as a faith onto its own.



The Imperium used to boast conglomerations and 'free trade' amongst the stars but now.. now is a time was seemingly endless war as the Imperium to this day challenges the majority of the uprising would be nations, would be inheritors of earths glory. The Imperial navy is seen as a glorious entity with the Marines being the testament to power. To be in the military is to be worthy of life, to be part of a true cause. This has led to a pure military society that provides for itself to the best of its capability.

Even farmers and miners fall within the military's ranks with the ideology that it is only a matter of time before a garden world is assaulted by the Imperium's enemies. Life within the Imperium is harsh until you reach an officer's rank. Enlisted and Conscripted forces are diverse as they range from marksmen to helmsmen, cargo hauler pilots and simple government farmers. Constant "purges" do loom in everyone's mind, a inquisitor arriving at ones home to conduct and a through "loyalty interview". Failure to pass is simple, Death.

Above all, the people are worked hard but paid well and have the full might of the military for protection.



The Imperium Remnants history only began with the assassination of the Emperor. This caused the military to fracture when the new nations formed. The early Imperium remnants were torn between the constant claims of heirs or third party claimants to the throne. The early days was an Imperium of Intelligence wars and grand Inquisitions to find its place, who to follow and who to lead. This fell apart when the wars did not cease and earth was still besieged. The constant war led the remnants to a simple conclusion, end the war and trace a legitimate heir. This has been their mission ever since, to unify the once mighty empire.



The Imperium, although bloodied and beaten, still possesses a modern and powerful military force. Their centuries of every evolving training gives them discipline in combat and being descendants of the once mightiest force in the galaxy, they have quite an impressive arsenal at their fingertips and are not hesitant to use them.



Note:
This is not at all the entirety of the Imperium remnants as I'm sure they would be spread around the galaxy to some degree. This is mainly the forces of the Orion spur, near Sagittarius and Perseus arms respectively. The

The Dominion Of Man

Dictatorship



Star: Procyon

World: Lyoneth



Archon of the Dominion, known only as Faust.



An enigmatic man that is well known for his racist, Man-first rhetoric that fuels the Dominions hate for those who he believes destroyed the largely man driven empire. He claims to be an heir to the throne and has documents tracing his ancestry. The Imperium denies this line but it seems day after day a ship leaves the Imperium to join the Dominions loving arms.




Humanity makes up the majority of the nation with a few groups of "lesser" races that operate mainly as slaves, with a very lucky few that has earned through great effort, freedom and respect among the new realm of man.



When Faust rose to power, he stomped out all religion except his manifest destiny of reclaiming the entirety of the galaxy in the name of humanity. His religion is not opposed to the decapitation of a criminal and dragging its corpse through a city for all to see. There is nothing but hate in this faith, a faith that desperate men and women trying to find their place easily grasp.



Faust's Dominion is a very class based society where you earn your place by the loudness of your hate and the strength of ones actions for the betterment of the people. Fear is a common tool among the population as secret police constant snatch people for questioning and on many occasions, those people never return.

The nation is nearly self sufficient in regards to resources due to very good management by Faust. Even though he professes a strong military, he manages to keep the public economy in check. Public services such as medical aid and food are supplied free by the government but at the cost of many liberties. People are born into a job and nearly every move is monitored. To live in another location requires a one-hundred page application and multiple screenings and then a personal interview of the leadership of that community they wish to live in.



The Dominion was not solely Faust's creation, It was birthed from an Imperium sector vying for independence. This Dominion was originally intended to become a safe haven for all races to escape the new rising empires by being safely situated in the middle of a large still imperium controlled region. They swore fealty to the Imperium for defense, at the cost of their freedom.

When the Imperium was pushed by a relatively close neighbor which afforded the Dominion a degree of independence which it used to create its own identity. This lasted for nearly two centuries before the Imperium went on the offensive. By the time they reached the Dominion's borders, it was a far different nation that was host to a variety of races that all gathered under the banner of freedom. A brief battle ended with the Imperium fleeing and Dominion sovereignty won.

The new few decades favored the Dominion with breakthrough after breakthrough but a bitter fight over a leadership role fractured the nation. It was close to civil war until Faust came from seemingly nowhere. He pushed for human first leadership at first, gaining support for the human majority and after being elected into office through various death threats and abductions, he began the great campaign.. a campaign of sheer violence. He started with the grand purge of the more aggressive races within his Dominions borders. People were loaded onto ships to be deported from the nation but where then directed into nearby stars. Human crowds were coerced into destroying businesses and vandalizing homes used by aliens which caused many to flee the nation. Those that could not flee were usually publicly executed under a long list of charges, charges to make them look criminal even though in reality most had done nothing to warrant a death sentence.

Modern Post-Purge Dominion is nearly entirely human held with only few aliens that have through great effort won their freedom. The nation is flourishing despite the loss of population over the past decades as the general population is highly productive. Faust has seemingly given them the sense of purpose they had long needed.

Today's Dominion is a very aggressive expansionist with no regard for civilian casualties in the name of what it calls, "The betterment of mankind"

While every nation could potentially have classifications for Horde ships, this is a quick reference to the Terran Imperium designation index.

Horde fighter- Bat


While not nearly as fast or maneuverable as just about any fighter in the galaxy, they more than make up for it with immense arsenals, heavy armor and a decent directional magnetic shield. It carries both energy and kinetic weaponry in a forward arc while its aft is protected by two smaller flak like turrets. They have been seen carrying missiles that are longer than themselves operating as ship hunters.

Horde frigate-destroyer class- Bronco


One of the first "new age" horde designs encountered was an obvious shift in mentality, right around the time 'Bragga' came to power. This one in particular is not the most advanced of the group but high in numbers and possessing an impressive array of weaponry for its size. Heavy armor bolsters this but the lack of a strong shield has baffled imperial officers. They are still not to be taken lightly though as they are much faster than most other nations ships of that class.

Horde Battle-carrier/Battleship class- Bulwark


Bulwark battleships are aggressive and bristling with many ways to kill a spaceship. Possessing massive three-gun turrets, forward mounted long range assault cannons and nothing short of a figher wing laying inside. Bolstered more so by a strong shield and a heavy armor that is unheard of even by barbarian standards, this vessel is a priority target during engagements.

Horde Super capitol class- Behemoth


Behemoths are a mystery to the Imperium. There's no point in delving into weapons and armor as this is a contender among the super-massive warships that the richest nations field.

Type of Government: Scientific Monarchy




Leader: Immortal King Rac Trac'Nor

Persons of Importance:

Species:

Demographics:

• 65% Falianth
• 20% Cloned Humans
• 10% Various Alien clones
• 5% Falianth Clones

Religion Description and Demographics:

Culture: The Falianth are perfectionists in everything that they do and are always striving for perfection. The Falianth themselves are a product of genetic manipulation and were always aiming to please those that made them who they were which lead them to follow in the footsteps of the Mekar and study genetic construction. Than suddenly their creators disappeared and left the Falianth to question if they were truly perfect or if they were a defect that was left behind because they were not worthy. This abandonment sparked discord among the population as a whole as they struggled to figure out how to move forward.

Once the Falianth picked up the pieces of their ruined lives, they dove head first into their research to become the perfect beings they wanted to seem themselves as. The general public enjoy a normal hierarchy lifestyle with the upper class holding most of the power and the great scientists coming from the middle class. As a race, the Falianth do not like to experiment upon themselves instead relying on genetically identical clones to take the brunt of the risky experiments.

History:
Military:

Type of Government: Federated Constitutional Monarchy

Description of Government: The Musashi government is divided into two parts: the Imperial and planetary governments. The Imperial governs the entirety of the Empire and is responsible for foreign policy, defense of the empire, regulating the empire’s economy, and settling disputes between the empire’s various planets. The planetary governments are run by an elected parliament and a general or admiral that is assigned by the Imperial government.

Persons of Importance


Main Race: Human

Race Demographics: 99% Human

Religion Description: New Shintoism, usually simply referred to as Shintoism, is a combination of various ancient East Asian religions but draws primarily from Old Shintoism and Chinese folk religions, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism.

Religious Demographics: 100%
The degree of actual belief can vary widely, with about 100% of the Empire’s population performing various practices of New Shintoism and about 85% expressing a belief in the religion itself.

Culture: Musashi culture is an amalgam of ancient East Asia cultures, primarily Chinese and Japanese, with western influences. Most of Musashi’s people wear hanfu, hanbok, or kimonos; which one an individual wear in any given situation is determined by many different things ranging from where they live to their own person style to if they are going to a special event or not. Upon reaching adulthood, usually twenty years of age but can be as low as fourteen depending on the region, Musashi stop cutting their hair because their view their body and hair as gifts from their parents, thus it is culturally taboo to willingly damage either. This includes tattoos and cosmetic surgery, although the latter is acceptable in the event of a disfiguring injury.

All Musashi have special masks that they wear when in the presence of lower class citizens. The Musashi people refuse to show their faces to those who they believe to be below them. Many individuals pay large amounts of money to have unique masks made. These masks can be a statement of their individuality and can be used to show aspects of their personality or instead can be used to reveal nothing about the wearer. Many of these masks have the appearance of being made of ceramics, although few actually are, while more expensive ones might be made out of more exotic materials. The more expensive masks may also have special features built in such as a phone, binoculars, and other gadgets. Soldiers also wear similar face covering masks, although theirs provide extra protection and built in systems to aid them on the battlefield.

History: Musashi was one of the first colonies established by the Terrain Imperium after its victory over the Solar Confederation and, as Humanity rapidly expanded across the galaxy, became the capital of its region’s “autonomous administration zone.” The Musashi Autonomous Administrative Zone was one of many such administrative units, but there was something unique about it. Early on it underwent what was described of as an “East Asian Renaissance.” The people of Musashi had become fascinated with the cultures of the ancient and now defunct civilizations of the East Asia region of Earth. The people of Musashi took elements of these cultures, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and blended them together to form their own unique culture. Soon the people of the Musashi Autonomous Administrative Zone had become culturally distinct from the rest of Humanity.

As time passed the democratic institutions in Musashi lost power and influence. At first the “Emperor” of Musashi was a powerless figurehead, something that the people had wanted as a symbol of their culture and government while in fact having had no intention of giving the monarch any power. Over time the Emperor’s power and influence grew, but it was a gradual thing. At one time he would set in mediate a dispute between political powers. At other times the Emperor would give rousing speeches that cause the population to act in a specific way. Each time one of these things happened the Emperor’s power and influence grew. Eventually the Emperor’s power was codified in law, although he was still checked by a few democratic institutions. For its part the Terrain Imperium watched Musashi and its emperor with a mixture of indifference and condescending amusement. As far as the Imperium was concerned Musashi could refer to its leadership however it pleased so long as it remained loyal to the Imperium and continued its rather efficient administration of the region.

When Humanity’s empire fell, Musashi found itself at the heart of its own. Being unified by its culture and government structure, the Musashi Autonomous Administrative Zone escaped much of the strife and instability that was rampant throughout what had once been Imperium space. The Emperor reformed the Musashi Autonomous Administrative Zone into the Musashi Empire in the days following the collapse of Terrain Imperium and has forged the Musashi Empire into a power that remains relevant to this day.

Description of Military:



Description of Technology (Optional):

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The Second Terran Imperium was formed sixty years ago, renaming itself from simply the galaxy-spanning Terran Imperium after nearly 140 years of waiting for Earth to reinstate control and order within the galaxy. With Earth still in anarchy and the Terran Imperium all but entirely destroyed, the Imperial loyalists of Carina and the Sagittarius-Arm have finally given up and have decided to take matters into their own hands.

The Second Terran Imperium is notable for having a very high number of aliens relative to other imperial loyalist factions (and even currently led by an alien and various alien military leaders). This is because the Sagittarius Arm (region of the arm closest to Orion) and Carina in particular were regions of space populated by species that benefited from the early humans non-militarised colonisation phase and/or sided with the empire during the war against the original Solar Confederation, it also in recent history (post-fall) has been the target of numerous alien invasions and migrations from other parts of the galaxy.

Ever since the early wars with the Martians, xenophobia against aliens has been more than common, so the aliens of the Carina-Sagittarius region of space have mostly got by by exploiting their position as a ‘model minority’, gained through their assistance to humanity in its earlier wars. The Second Imperium has a great deal of speceism, ethnic clashes and warfare, cultural warfare and other divides however it is possibly the most xenophile of all the Terran remnants, considering it is not actively exterminating or enslaving them but actively assimilating them instead. How much is pragmatism (they have no choice), idealism or the fact that aliens make up a large number of leadership positions is up to debate.

The aliens lost most of their nations and sovereignty over the centuries and millennia, more due to simple overwhelming influence of Earth and the Terran Imperium than invasion, eventually submitting to vassalage, annexation and eventually assimilation. Today, the many native aliens of the “Second Imperium” (due to the time since assimilation and close proximity to Earth) don’t even recognise their own native cultures, much of their culture now either being heavily merged with human culture or almost entirely supplemented by it.

The Second Terran Imperium is particularly championed by the terranised Hexanagallion, aliens from their homeworld of Hexana in the Sagittarius Arm (closer to Scutum-Crux and not currently controlled by the Second Imperium) who like other pro-human aliens cut their teeth as a civilisation fighting for the imperial humans in the Solar Wars, their entire species was technologically uplifted from the Industrial Age by humanity to fight for them in their wars (making them a direct contrast with humanity's own first contact experience with the Martians). The Hexanagallions of the Second Imperium today descend from many of the 'pilgrims' who left Hexana to fight in the Solar Wars and later were allowed to colonise in the Carina Sector of the Sagittarius Arm.

THE OTHER WAR
These days, the Second Terran Imperium is now in crisis, engulfed in a multi-front war as hordes of aliens invade and occupy an increasing number of worlds in the Sagittarius Arm. The Second Terran Imperium expanded, intent on rebuilding the Imperium by ending the Succession Wars... they found themselves responsible instead for defending worlds from rampaging and pillaging vandals. The Second Terran Imperiums rapid expansion and rapid confrontation with these alien invaders was further sped up by the worlds which gave up immediately to the Imperium (or even asked to be annexed) simply so the Imperiums larger fleet and army would protect them.

The Second Terran Imperium also deals with massive migrations of aliens fleeing the Dominion of Mans genocidal purges in the Orion Spur. Billions of aliens of Orion now overwhelm the streets and outskirts of Second Imperium worlds, covering them in refugee camps and shanty towns as the Imperium struggles to maintain itself.
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Type of Government: Absolute Monarchy(De jure), Regency Military Junta(De facto)
Capital System (De Jure): Earth, Sol (Claimed, does not actually control)
Capital System (De Facto): Carina Prime, Eta Carinae
Head of State: N/A (Disputed among numerous human imperial claimants)
Head of Government: Generalissimo & Regent, Lawrence Tos Aktsar’Remavir

The Government Details: The Second Terran Imperium is officially ruled by an emperor or empress, however has not had one since its formation, since like other imperial remnants/successors it is still trying to decide who is the legitimate successor of the Terran Imperium. Because they lack the monarchy they claim to represent, the Second Terran Imperium is actually ruled by a regency council that is mostly dominated by military officials. The military junta in turn is mostly dominated by Hexanagallions and Humans. Despite being a minority, the Hexanagallions had the most organised member forces during the initial fall and because of this were able to seize power in quite a number of sectors. Currently there are 13 members in the ruling Military Junta, divided into 6 Hexanagallions, 5 Humans and 1 Vala plus the Generalissimo, currently a Hexanagallion (though thoroughly pro-human). The Military Junta is then further divided with 3 of the Hexanagallions and 3 humans being part of the 'moderates', 2 humans part of the purists, 3 Hexanagallions part of the Hexanagallion supremacists and the Vala being an independent.

There are several imperial claimants in the Second Imperium each with various degrees of power and legitimacy. All of them mostly refuse to acknowledge each others claims and block each others ascension. All of them also refuse to acknowledge external claimants such as the Dominion's Faust.

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Generalissimo and Regent, Lawrence Tos Aktsar-Remavir

Lawrence (taking a human first name like most Second Imperium Hexanagallions) is the current de facto ruler of the Second Terran Imperium. Lawrence is a renown war hero and a genius military commander, made famous for wars of liberation against the invading xeno-barbarian hordes. He mostly appeared from anonymity in the Terran Imperial Navy as a Hexanagallion "pilgrim" (A young xeno who leaves his low-caste family to join the human navy to get prestige for his hometown and bloodline), rising through the officer ranks to Fleet Admiral through winning improbable victories, launching successful risky assaults and other unorthodox activities. Charismatic, somewhat eccentric and respected authority figure for the men and women that serve under him, he seems to be the perfect ruler... if not for his disappointing lack of interest in politics, and Xeno species, that obviously makes him incapable of actually taking full control of the country.

Lawrence, a latter-day Cincinnatus would find his lack of political ambition endearing in a republican nation, but here he is looked at as placeholder and expendable asset by both his political rivals and allies. Lawrence entered the Military Junta ruling the Second Imperium as a surprise candidate backed by two of the three major factions as a 'compromise' candidate. Later he was given the appointment of Generalissimo simply because he was the most competent military commander not already tied down in battle, and many of the Junta members were either incapable of dealing with such a dire military situation (with all the xeno-barbarian invasions) or unwilling to put their neck on the line, as likely whoever is in charge will be blamed as a scapegoat for any critical defeats.

As Generalissimo, Lawrence mostly sees his political appointment as nothing more than a means to achieve more funding and supplies for the front, and is perfectly aware of what his political enemies and allies think of him. In his eyes, politics is currently meaningless since their imperium leadership as a whole (not just himself) is simply a placeholder until the wars of unification are completed.

Belonging to the pro-human loyalist faction that emphasises reunification of the Terran Imperium and reestablishment of the imperial dynasty, Lawrence is considered one of the most human-friendly faces of the xeno members in the upper command, particularly compared to his fellow Hexanagallion generals and admirals whom are more interested in creating a distinctly Hexanagallion-led "Terran" imperium. Among Hexanagallions, while he is greatly respected for his ingenuity and success, he is considered a blatant terranophile that would sabotage their species ascension to supremacy in the galaxy. His terranophilia originates from his days in the Eta Carinae Star Academy (during the latter period of his pilgrim) and from there being taken under the wing of the legendary Fleet Admiral Konrad.C.Augustine and the other star pupils of his generation. As a student of the admiral, besides the tutoring that made him the military juggernaut he is today, he also adopted a familiarity and genuine interest in human culture that many of the other Hexanagallions have simply for custom or politics.

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Species and Demographics:
-48% Humanity
-34% Assimilated non-humans
--12% Hexanagallion (assimilated)
--6% Vala (assimilated)
--3% Aesarnaythi (assimilated
--13% Other assimilated aliens (Xarz, Saphytir, Mon’luks, etc)
-18% Plethora of non-assimilated aliens


Religion and Demographics:
-38%: Old Terran Faiths
-20% Syncretic Faiths
-18% Alien faiths
-18% Irreligion
-6% Post-fall new age religions (The Faith, etc)

Culture:

History:

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Rogues Gallery (Demographics):

Faction Name: Yel'krusu t'Sar'Makth (literally means "Star Empire of the Great Race")
Government Type: Dominion
Faction Leader: S'cum Ish-veh N'ssan (title: Sur'sim're t'Abru-ma AKA Grand Supreme Overlord)
Central Territory: Tsokal'yel t'Sar'Vafer (Great Beginning, primary star system of the Sarmakth)

OVERVIEW:
Sarmakth are a race of alien invaders approaching from the barely charted outer rim of the galaxy. While they hate humans with passion they are not above using them for their devices or lording over them as their masters. With the sudden collapse of the Terran Empire the Sarmakth began their plot to conquer the galaxy. They are enigmatic and manipulative, using pawns and divide&conquer strategies rather than fighting head on.
Territory Claim:



Shockingly enough the humans and Sharmakth share a long history. Sentient life evolved in the exotic biosphere of Mars long before humanity made its first steps on Earth. Martian life was harsh and filled with challenges yet roughly a billion year ago it birthed the first sentient life who could be the predecessors of Sarmakth. Records and findings on these prehistoric creatures are scarce and conflicting even to the Sarmakth. Based on analysis of the remains they looked like large medusid beings walking on three tentacle legs. They are referred as the Vesh'makth AKA the Precursors. The details on their history are unclear but apparently their technology easily eclipsed even the Sarmakth. It's believed that their efforts and experiences helped accelerate the formation of life on Earth and likely numerous other planets through the galaxy. Vesh'makth appeared to be a peaceful society but they assuredly had their fair share of clashes and wars with the last of them almost managed to exterminate their race while drastically altering the environment of Mars. The survivors required drastic measures and proceeded to rebuild their civilization while using various genetic alterations until they became the Sarmakth. Through their efforts they took control of the planet and lived in thousands of years of peace and prosperity. Unfortunately their lifestyle was taxing on the planet and by 1800AD it became certain that their planet will die within a few hundred years. To avert their demise the Martians were looking elsewhere, eventually deciding on the invasion of Earth. Living in millennia of prosperity did have an averse effect on their technology and they basically had to reinvent military and spacefaring methods in a rush of 50 years. 1898, after through recon of the planet for decades the Martians invaded Earth, particularly England which was the center of the great British Empire at the time. Their attack was swift and merciless but lacked in numbers and finesse. Their mighty tripods modeled after the Precursors marched on relatively unhampered. Though their operation was rushed and crude they were at the brink of forcing the British Empire to its knees when something unexpected happened. Through their genetic engineering Martians no longer feared diseases and enjoyed a life without illness for tens of thousands of years. But while immune to Martian diseases and superior to even the mightiest empire on Earth the invasion forces fell prey to the planet's smallest lifeforms. Diseases which Terrestrial creatures long adapted against struck the Martians hard, decimating their numbers rapidly. The invasion was called off and the Sarmakth fled in a great haste, the rest of them dying on route back home. The Martians were flabbergasted on the news and began a long research to discover the truth and find a way around this invisible threat.

Martians conducted through analysis on their deceased but their search for the invisible killer was in vain. Intend to solve this mystery the Martians began to send expeditions to Earth, the source of the so-called UFO sightings. After countless trial and error approaches they eventually understood the threat and immunized their entire species to the disease. Meanwhile humanity was developing steadily and in secret they formed plans to overcome the Martian threat. Late 21st century, the Second Martian War broke out. The Sarmakth were more advanced but their dying planed and thinned out numbers put them at a disadvantage. To maximize their industry the Martians turned the core of their planet into a nuclear reactor. While it gave them the so-desired upper hand it eventually turned out to be their undoing. The reactor built up a growing instability which eventually went out of control. Estimates said the runaway chain-reaction will reach critical stage within a month. The Sarmakth hastily built a large ship equipped with their experimental stardrive and escaped the planet just in time. Their only solace was the fact that the explosion of their homeworld will spread debris to Earth and raze the surface. Carrying thousands of Sarmakth in stasis their ship traversed hyperspace, intending to reach a planet with ideal conditions found at the edge of the Horsehead Nebula. Unfortunately in their rush the computer made an error and dropped them off at a lifeless star system near the edge of the galaxy. tough times awaited the sarmakth in the following decades until they found a way to a neighboring star system with habitable land which they renamed Sar'Vafer (Great Beginning). What they didn't know that their hated nemesis the humans were far from extinct. Quite the opposite as over the thousands of years they grew up to be a galaxy-spanning empire. After a hundred years of effort the Sarmakth restored their civilization to their former glory and even beyond. With their refined stardrive the armakth began exploring the galaxy in honest. That was the time they became aware of the Empire lead by none other but the hated Pekh'makth. To say this revelation frustrated the Sarmakth and caused quite an uproar would be a grave understatement. Jealous and frustrated, they decided to take back what's rightfully theirs and become the crown jewel of the universe once again. Yet determination alone could not overcome such massive odds and the Sarmakth began their centuries long plotting in secret. Now, with the sudden collapse of the Empire many of their kin believes it's time to act.


Sarmakth are drastically different from most sentient beings in the galaxy and this is reflected in their society. They are utilitarian and lacking most human emotions. They don't have speech and even writing is just an artifact of their ancient past mostly reserved for communicating with other races. Instead they rely on telepathy as their prime communication or even as the tool to interact with most of their technology. The average Sarmakth puts the interest of their race above their personal wishes and they are capable of working on a common goal relentlessly and with unbelievable efficiency. Sarmakth doesn't understand the concept of love or compassion which among others granted them with endless capacity for cruelty. They are also arrogant and view any other flesh and blood creature as dumb livestock compared to them.

Those living under Sarmakth rule often don't even realize it. Sarmakth are great manipulators who could gradually take control of a small nation without anyone noticing it. To the outsider the Sarmakth Dominion seems like just a bunch of small states unaligned to each other. Only the core worlds are under direct Sarmakth control. That doesn't mean they let the others loose. Using subtle means the Sarmakth creates tightly controlled environment to utilize their unknowing slaves with maximal efficiency. Over the time they corrupt the leadership into their cult and plant the religion to fear the Sarmakth as their gods.


Important Characters:




Sarmakth technology is unique and at times radically different from what could be found within the Empire. Their massive intellect grants them a better understanding of science than any human. Yet missing out many millennia of progress they initially had plenty of areas to catch up on. Overall while Sarmakth technology is more advanced and sophisticated it only gives them a slight edge over the Empire which uses simpler yet often just as effective measures. For example Sarmakth relies on walkers moving on flexible tentacle-like legs which requires advanced computers while humans merely use wheels and tracked mechanisms to achieve similar road performance. In general Sarmakth only have two kinds of propulsion, gravity and walkers. Their civilians usually equip grav gliders which lift their bodies and save them from physical exertion while their heavier ground machines use a walking mechanism moving on multiple legs.



The Sarmakth military is unique like the rest of their race. For starters they don't know the concept of infantry and rely entirely on machines. They generally use tripods and other walker machines in combat while in space they use flying saucers or ships shaped akin to a medusa with large hemispherical body and countless tentacles. Overall their fighting force has the strange sense of being "alive" even though they use mere machines.

Name of Nation:
The Alorian Empire

Type of Government:
Total Monarchy

Leader: Queen Lilith:
She is a powerful leader who will not bow down to anyone. Despite being ruthless towards her enemies and unforgiving towards the Humans now in slavery, Queen Lilith is a fair Queen who values her people. She is also the most popular monarch to have ever sat on the throne.

Persons of importance:
Advisor - Lila - Alorian
Advisor - Raina - Alorian
General - Selene - Alorian
General - Takeer - Krolm
General - Zakra - Krolm

Description of Government:
The Queen has absolute power over Alorian territory, people and laws. She has unrestricted political power. She has 6 advisor's who help her too make decisions and laws. Below the advisor's are the Generals who are in charge of the military on behalf of the queen. Below this are forms of smaller government who do not make there own rules but only help too enforce the Queens rules in a certain area, and pass up the wishes and concerns of the people too the generals and advisor's. The title of Queen is passed down from the current queen at death or if she desires too leave the throne too an Alorian lightblood of her choice. Her Advisors are all Alorian Females and mostly lightbloods.

Species and Demographics:
Main Race:
The Alorians:

The Alorians are a race of Humanoid people that stand at 5-6 feet tall. They have skin that comes in purple and blue and a rarer pale white which somehow still seems too glow. Male and Females grow no hair all over the body except for on their heads. Hair for Alorians can naturally come in any colour except for orange. Naturally they are stronger and faster than Humans but not by much. Despite the nice appearance Alorian's can be quite aggressive and xenophobic too other races but have a respect for the Krolm. The natural and still standing social order of the Alorians is very matriarchal as females are usually stronger and faster than the males although they are equals when it comes to intelligence, and the birth ratio is 70%/30% female to male. The Average Alorian lives 150 years, the longest recorded life was 173. They possess fangs which they can extend and hide when they want, they need blood too survive. Before they met the Krolm they would drink the blood of animals from Aloria, but the Krolm started too give blood too the Alorians when they were allowed into the Empire. Then when the Alorians met Humanity, they began to crave Human blood. Any blood can keep them alive though they strongly prefer Human blood. The Humans originally used this when they were in charge, they would give blood in order for Alorian cooperation. When the Human Empire fell, any and all Humans that could be captured were.

Minority Race(s):
Humans (mainly slaves, but there are some free Humans)

Krolm: The Krolm evolved on Aloria's only moon. The conditions here were much more harsh than those on Aloria, the moon was covered in seas of magma and rocky continents that were used too very harsh weather. Due too this harshness they grew tough, scaly skin to protect themselves and they are considerably more bulky than a normal human and notably stronger. Their bones are heavier and show signs of extensive thickening. They stand at no less than 6 feet for the smallest and 40 feet tall for the biggest of the Krolm as they come in all shapes and sizes. When they were adopted into the Alorians growing empire they became the majority of the Alorian military and began too worship the Queen as a goddess just as the Alorians do.

The most common type of Krolm.

Race Demographics:
60% Alorian, 32% Krolm and 8% Human. >1% other.

Religion Description (Optional):
There is no official Religion in the Alorian Empire. Most see and worship the Queen as a Goddess, but there are no organized churches. One belief that is strongly held throughout the Empire is that Alorian children born with white blood, called lightbloods, are children chosen by the Goddess (Queen) too become the next Queen. Lightbloods are much more intellegent than normal Alorians and are often given training by the Queen herself and if not chosen too be the next queen usually become advisors. There have been no male Lightbloods ever recorded.

Religious Demographics:
Unknown, as there is no organised church.

Culture:
The Alorians are an intelligent and beautiful species that live on many cities beyond their home. The cities they live in are huge and expansive, home too Alorians and Krolm alike as the two are happy to cooperate. Alorian cities can be found in many different places and and try to disturb the natural landscape the least they can but with such huge cities some things will have too change. In most cities the poor and the rich are separated but are both few in number as most people fall into the middle or working class. The small number of poor is because most who are born with little usually join the military. Naturally the Alorians can be very aggressive and xenophobic towards other people, cultures and religions. Most Alorians have no problem with slavery, it is a widespread practice among Alorians as they keep Humans for blood and other purposes. However, as with any free thinking species, there are mixed opinions on the matter. Krolm can keep slaves but have little need for them. All around the city the flag is waved as the people of the Alorian Empire are a very proud and patriotic people. Statues and shrines of the Queen and previous Queens can be found throughout all cities. Every three months the queen will address the people in a speech and it is very frowned upon too not watch it. The people are no strangers too war and are not scared of it, Alorians and Krolm celebrate war and it is seen as honourable and encouraged that if you are able you join the military in some way. Surrender is very much looked down upon by Alorian culture, although not outlawed by the military. When the Terran Imperium tried too take over by force after they helped the Monarchy win the century war, the Alorians, despite massive disadvantages, stood there ground and chanted 'We're going nowhere'. Unlike most peoples, the Alorians prefer too use music rather than literature to record history and tell stories. Before music could actually be recorded lyrics and notes were just written down so they could be performed again. Instead of reading books in school Alorian children listen too different musical pieces and dissect and interpret those. Music is very important too the Alorians.

History:
The Alorians developed as the only intelligent species on the planet Aloria on the Outer arm of the milky way. They quickly came out on the top of the food chain and started to build small towns, then cities. They were no strangers too war, early kingdoms killed and destroyed as did the earliest Empires and nations. As the Alorians progressed war between them became less common and nations became peaceful with each other. They reached 2016 tech level a century before the space-faring Human Empire reached them. At this time, for now unknown reasons, the peaceful nations of the world exploded into war. It was a long, bloody war which lasted for all of the century and is now called 'The century war'. By this point in time the Alorians had been aware of the Krolm on their moon for a couple of decades and communication had been made between them. The monarchy and the Krolm brokered a deal which would allow the Krolm to live on Aloria and with the Alorians if they helped the monarchy win the war. 23 years into the war the Krolm joined on the side of the monarchy and they became close allies, fighting together for the next 77 years.

The war only ended at they end of 100 years when Humanity showed up. Humanity, with advanced weaponry and techs, annihilated the other side of the war and won it for the monarchy. However when the Humans tried too take total control of the planet the Monarchy wasn't deterred by what they had seen the Humans do before. They wouldn't be ruled by aliens. They stood there ground and sung together, 'Were going nowhere'. They fought back. The Terran Imperium, not wanting too commit unnecessary genocide, allowed the Monarchy too stay in charge as a puppet government, a secret that would be kept from the people. The Humans would make laws, give blood help the Alorians out as long as they didn't rebel and allowed Humans too live on the planet and any they helped the Alorians expand too, and followed the rules that the Humans set in place. This only worked as the Alorians thought the Queen was still in charge, and Humanity kept the Alorians under control using this method until the fall of the Empire.

When the Empire fell, the now spread out Alorian colonies and planets turned on the Humans and took as many in as slaves as they could. They stole technology and set out too create there own Empire, the Alorian Empire, fuelled with a need for power and a lust for Human blood.

Description of Military (Optional):
The military of the Alorian Empire is made up or Alorians and Krolm.

Regular Infantry:
The Regular infantry is almost fully made up of the most common type of Krolm, but Alorians do serve here. Not too be mistaken for cannon fodder, these are highly skilled, tough soldiers who will do all they can and lay down their lives for the Empire and their Queen.


Marines:
The marines are made up of around 60% Krolm and 40% Alorian. They are the best of the infantry, the strongest, smartest and most useful. Before being allowed into the Marines the person must have been in the regular infantry for 4 years minimum and complete gruelling training that has a 30% pass rate as well as a 10% death rate. The other 60% return too the infantry. The marines are usually dropped in from orbit too re-enforce crumbling defence or secure captured territory and will usually be in with the first wave of attack along with regular infantry, these are highly respected throughout the Empire.



Orbital Marines:
These are Marines that can be dropped into a battle straight from orbit in group pods which carry 12 Marines each.

Scouts:
Smaller and weaker yet incredibly fast and agile these Krolm are the perfect scouts. They can see 100% clearly in the dark and are used on recon or in hit and run operations. They will be in, fuck shit up and leave before the enemy knows what happened.


Royal guard:
The royal guard are made up of mostly Alorians. These are the police of the Empire, they keep the peace within. They are also who guard the Queen. They are highly skilled, having too go training for years to become one.


Bruisers:
The Bruisers are hulking beasts that stand at 30-40 feet tall with the power too rip down buildings and destroy opposing infantry, taking tonnes of damage before they finally go down. They are not damaged by small arms, and the only way too kill them with small arms is too set them on fire which weakens the hide and makes it vulnerable too gunfire and small explosions until the hide re-hardens. Less common and harder to control but once they serve the Empire they are a formidable enemy to have, often used too reinforce defence and in the first wave of attack, because of the sheer strength and as a fear tactic.


Corpsers:
Corpsers are spider-like Krolm. They are born from eggs and start at the size of a small dog. Within a month they grow too have legs 5 feet long and this is the point they are used in battle. Often used as cannon fodder in large battles, sent in with infantry as a distraction as they move faster and often instil fear into an enemy. Also used in hit and run operations and are regularly sent too enemy installations just too harass opponents. When fully grown can be the size of a double decker bus, and are used in the same way as Bruisers although most corpsers dont make it too this age. Their legs are reinforced with metal plating.

Small corpser.

Large, fully grown corpser.

Vehicles and navy:
Ground Tank:
The Ground tank is a highly versatile tank that can be used as an Anti-Air stationary cannon or as a moving Anti-Infantry machine. Loaded with two AA cannons on the back, an AI cannon on the front and laser machine guns on the back, sides and front, this is a good part of any Alorian force.


Troop Transpot Ship's or TT835's:
Ship's used too transport marines and infantry from place too place and too bring reinforcements in. Equipped with two cannons on the bottom and two plasma turrets on either side.


Fighter's or F35X's:
The F35X is the most commonly used fighter in the Alorian navy, allthough lots of different models of fighters are used. The fastest, strongest and most reliable fighter in production is the F35X. Equipped with two cannons and two laser turrets on either side, one under each wing.


Star-Fighters:


Corvette:


Destroyer:


Cruiser:


Battleships:


Dreadnaught:


Goliath: (black)


Super-Fortress:

The Varsovian Crown (Ussuri-Varsovian Commonwealth)







84 systems – 700 billion inhabitants

Shravians: 20%
Ayar: 35%
Humans: 42%
Other: 3%


BUREAUCRATIC MONARCHY

The current monarch is Kasimir: Head of House Preslid, Bearer of the Varsovian Crown, and Co-King of the Ussuri-Varsovian Commonwealth

In Varsovia there is one King, one royal family, and fourteen billion nobles. That is to say, every Shravian is considered a noble. In return for royally-guaranteed hereditary estates and pensions, nobles owe both taxes and service to the Crown. This service may be military, but more often it is in the enormous Royal Bureaucracy. Nobles must also implement a variety of projects decreed by the Crown, such as infrastructure, though in practice this is managed in a centralized manner by the Bureaucracy rather than fiefdom-by-fiefdom. Refusal to fulfill noble duties is punishable by confiscation of properties and imprisonment, but such acts are few and far between. Everyone knows that for all the talk of noble privileges, true power lies in the Crown.

Although every noble family technically has an estate, this is almost always a stake in a larger, concentrated operation. Non-Shravian serfs attached to factories, mega-farms, space stations, etc. are technically subjects of nobles and therefore only indirect subjects of the Crown, but there is almost never a single noble family they owe loyalty to. Nobles could theoretically pool their resources to raise their own political infrastructure, but de facto there is no bureaucracy outside of the Royal Bureaucracy. In this way, the serf class as a whole is effectively controlled by the nobility as a whole, but this authority is administered primarily through the Bureaucracy under the King. Exceptions, where a single noble family or a “board” of noble families directly rules serf communities and institutes its own laws within the fiefdom, are extremely rare and kept under very close watch. The Crown also has its own demesne, but in practice the only distinction between this and most other noble territories is that the whole profit of all operations goes directly to the Crown.

Outside of noble holdings, which make up about 90% of the Varsovian economy and account for 75% of its population as either nobles or serfs or slaves, there are peasant holdings. They have a more “hands off” relationship to the Bureaucracy, as they have freedom of movement and autonomous local assemblies. Also, unlike serfs, peasants may own property – including weapons and even slaves. Their only duty to the state is taxation; though military service by peasants is fairly common because of the salaries they can earn, it is entirely voluntary from a legal perspective. Thus, ironically, peasants are in some ways freer than nobles, though they lack the same guarantees to permanent hereditary estates or lifelong pensions. Peasants are also barred from high-level political and military positions, though they can have political power within their own local administrations. Therefore, peasants have no representation within the larger national institutions of power.



Head of House Preslid, Bearer of the Varsovian Crown, Co-King of the Commonwealth. Kasimir is a fantastic administrator, politician, financier, and innovator: the pride of the Preslid line. Ve is the product of the union of Preslid with a minor but strategically-placed family of noble industrialists whose name history has already forgotten. At the time of vis spore-fusion, little was expected of the child-to-be beyond a useful alliance and perhaps a minor administrative role. But, to the chagrin of those far higher in the traditional line of succession, Kasimir simply demolished the competition in every test of merit that mattered to the banking family. The former House Head, Vladisvla Preslid, initially hesitated to officially designate ver as heir for fear of provoking an assassination. However, by the time of Vladisvla's death, Kasimir had built unbreakable respect and authority in the family for vis decisive role in mobilizing the war economy and orchestrating the Ussuri-Varsovian alliance that won the Preslids their dominance of the core systems. At that point, passing on the Crown was a mere formality.


Hailing from an one of the oldest surviving Shravian dynasties, Izydor Jagelon was an opponent of the Varsovian Crown's ambitions...until ve saw the writing on the wall and defected. One of the first turncoats in the fleets of those who stood against House Preslid's expansion, Admiral Izydor skyrocketed through the ranks of the Varsovian Royal Navy. But as successful as ve became, it is said that something broke deep inside ver when ve submitted to King Kasimir. Ever since the unification of Varsovia, Admiral Izydor Jagelon has been known for vis unusual proclivity for machines, and particularly integrating verself with them. The elderly archduke is now more machine than Shravian, retaining only vis brain, essential organs, and fragments of vis face in a disturbingly asymmetric -but effective- mechanical patchwork.


SHRAVIANS


Shravians are a species that defies easy categorization, seemingly both animal and fungal in their characteristics. In their adult form, they appear as bipedal amphibians standing about one meter high. However, their natural reproduction is exclusively asexual: about six times per year Shravians “spit out” spores that look nothing like their future forms. The spore form, externally, appears as a moldy ball that slowly “morphs” into an adult over the course of 4-7 years. It is generally accepted that Shravians do not achieve sentience until about the age of 2, lacking a brain entirely when “born.” Internally, of course, both forms -as well as the intermediate stages between them- are both animal and fungal. Their individual cell structure is fungal, containing both chitin and glucan, and like fungi they decompose and feed on organic matter through their skin, lacking any devoted digestive system. However, adults do have lungs, skeletons, internal zygote (spore) generating organs (connected to their mouths), and a generally animalian form. Even spores have rudimentary hearts and circulatory systems.

A major complicating factor in accounting for Shravian biology is their near-millenium of artificial genetic modification. This has resulted in staggering genetic diversity that the species' natural reproduction would not normally produce. Embedded in this difference is a hierarchy between those with access to the most comprehensive genetic “improvements,” granting lifespans of centuries and due to various advantages, and those with lesser access who generally live to about one-hundred. Most, but not all Shravians possess facial characteristics reminiscent of humanoids, and there is speculation that one of the earliest technologically-imposed genetic modifications to the long-spacefaring species were modeled after certain advantageous humanoid characteristics. Almost all Shravians would deny such a claim, however.

Indeed, unmodified Shravians disappeared so long ago that even records of their original biology have been lost to time – or perhaps destroyed at some point after their extinction. It is generally thought that these “lesser Shravians” lived no longer than twenty years, lacked eyesight entirely, and had no mouths - simply accumulating hundreds of dormant spores inside their bodies that burst out after death.

Compared to the average human, the average Shravian is much smaller and slightly weaker, but stronger relative to its size. Shravians have a number of redundancies that make them significantly more durable than humans, such as 2-3 hearts and an entire network of small lungs under thick layers of skin. Related to the latter is Shravians' ability to open “respiratory pores” in their skin; they can also breathe through their mouths, but this was almost certainly an early genetic modification for the purpose of vocal communication. The average Shravian is slower running but faster swimming than the average human. It has roughly equal visual perceptiveness to the human, but much more refined senses of touch and sound. Most Shravians cannot smell, and those that can usually do so through the assistance of cybernetics in addition to genetic modifications. They are capable of feeding on practically any organic matter, allowing a very wide range of possible food to consume, but they also require about double the sheer caloric intake of a human. Furthermore, if a Shravian is unfortunate enough to go without food for around three weeks, the body will begin to eat itself from the outside in. Their more “fungal” parts, most notably their skin, can regenerate over hours what would take humans days, but their more “animal” parts heal only about 1.5 times the human rate.


-- AYAR
Ayar are the quasi-humanoid talpids native to Antoviya. They have markedly cylindrical bodies covered in dark fur, unusual strength for their size (standing no more than a little over 5 feet tall), thick hands bearing clawlike nails and two thumbs, an acute sense of smell and hearing, black bulbs of eyes suited to low-light vision, and a high tolerance for carbon dioxide. Hence, Ayar are natural burrowers. However, they have better daylight vision, a less-developed sense of touch, shorter snouts, and larger arms and legs than their evolutionary ancestors, allowing them to live comfortably both above and below ground.

Ayar are difficult for many foreigners to distinguish among by sight; they identify one another primarily by smell. However, the talpids make extensive use of all five basic “senses” and can communicate with spoken and written language, like most other species.

-- HUMANS (SURVAEKOM, SAFAVID)
Survaekom and Safavid are the same species as Terran humans, although even to this day they still distinguish themselves due to ancient cultural differences. The former two began as very distant colonies from Earth, developing into entirely independent polities so far-off and distinct that would not even participate in the crisis of the Democratic Confederation, Solar Federation, and Imperium. Nonetheless, there are no biological differences worth noting among the human groups. There are also Terrans in Varsovian space, legacy of botched Imperium attempts at establishing direct rule in the region, but in such small numbers that they are practically microscopic within the Kingdom's general population.


Class Structure
The nobility, encompassing all Shravians (20% of the population), constitutes both an “upper” and a “middle” class of Varsovia. At the very highest level there is, of course, the royal family itself, while at the lowest there are lesser aristocrats with bankrupt estates forced to live off their pensions alone. Yet, all nobles are owners of productive forces. Pensions are low enough that they have “incentive” to compete with each other to develop their estates' capacities, but even a bankrupt noble cannot loser vis property entirely. Thus, nobles can get away with some level of “complacency,” and they have room to prioritize goals other than sheer profit, such as stability. Of course, individually nobles do not really manage economic or social affairs; instead they do so collectively through the Bureaucracy, except for the odd “great noble” who owns an entire district of vis own. De facto, therefore, the vast majority of the nobility is more comparable to a professional class than a bourgeoisie. They work, either as military personnel or administrators, to earn their representation and influence in Varsovia's social organization. They have little to gain from rebellion, and are the most stable and loyal class of Varsovia.

The free peasantry forms a layer not far below the nobility in many respects. Peasants constitute about 25% of the Varsovian population. They too own means of production, either as cooperatives/communes or invididual smallholders. Yet, their economic power is disproportionately low compared to their population, as their productive forces they “own” tend to have limited scale. While a group of nobles may own a vast industrial complex spanning many city districts and employing cutting-edge techniques, a free peasant cooperative rarely expands past the equivalent of a single factory. Thus, peasants tend to concentrate in industries where economies of scale are small, especially where one or a few individuals can manage all they need for their operation. They tend to dominate skilled sectors such as computer maintenance, civilian ground vehicle repairs, publishing, and translation services. Those who deal in industry and agriculture work in niches where small operations can produce and sell efficiently. However, there are some exceptions: in a few particularly autonomous peasant-dominated regions, they work in all sectors across diversified economies that are mostly self-contained. Also, in general, peasants can bolster their production by “renting” serfs or buying slaves. These practices, needless to say, create some antagonisms between peasants and their lower-class counterparts. With relatively few duties to the state and a fair degree of autonomy, peasants also tend to enjoy a level of material and social security superior to serfs and unimaginable to slaves. Those who cannot entirely support themselves with their properties can find decent wages as soldiers or local administrators. Therefore, much to the benefit of the Preslid regime, over time peasants have come to side more with the nobility than with their less-privileged fellow nonhumans when it comes to social questions. More strongly than these others, the peasantry has come to identify with Varsovian nationalism over the dead-and-buried Revolutionary Republics or the even more ancient non-Shravian empires of old.

Serfs constitute by far the largest class in Varsovia at about 50% of the population. They are the primary exploited class in their society's economic order. They are “attached” by law to noble estates, confined to districts or towns serving a particular economic operation (or even a particular part of such an operation). On settled planets, these are usually industrial complexes or mega-farms, but can also be mines and even office complexes in some cases. In the “beyond,” serfs may be dock-workers attached to orbital stations, janitorial staff attached to starships, deep space miners attached to asteroid outposts, or any number of other “low skill” workers necessary to run the machinery of interstellar commerce and travel. Everything they maintain and produce belongs to their lord(s), though they get to keep a designated portion, usually but not always in the form of wages. Also, depending on the industry, they tend to have a respectable level of autonomy so long as they meet the production quotas of their superiors. Regardless, the demands of serfdom are heavy, taking both physical and mental tolls that fuel no small social resentment. From the serfdom rise acts of defiance such as strikes, walkouts, riots, and even the occasional armed revolt. These tend to be sporadic when considered from a distance, but sometimes they manage to organize across larger networks. Naturally, these acts are met with the usual Varsovian combination of force and diplomacy, and for now they have not succeeded in altering the status quo. Notably, there do exist a few “privileged” sub-classes of serfs. Chief among these are serfs who work for the military in production, logistics, and basic maintenance. Although the process has been strained, serfs like peasants are gradually adopting Varsovian nationalism – even their rebellious demonstrations often take a nationalist tone and seek to negotiate the terms of serfdom rather than abolish it entirely.

At the bottom of the social ladder are slaves, making up some 5% of the population. About half of these are not hereditary slaves, but rather prisoners from the peasantry or serf class. The other half hold a status that goes back to the beginning of the Shravian Empire. While prisoners might think of themselves as outcasts or delinquents from a social order that they take as a given, hereditary slaves are attached to the system only by chains and gun barrels. Both classes of slaves, of course, are kept under heavy, militarized supervision – usually by peasant Peacekeepers. Unlike in the Ussuri Hetmanate, there are neither “privileged” groups of slaves with special rights nor “lower” slaves regularly worked to death. The only advantage some slaves have are as prisoners from the peasantry, as their families may petition for redress in face of abuses. The rest, both prisoners and hereditary slaves, live grinding lives that could be described as slow deaths. Too valuable to simply work to the breaking point, they “fill the gaps” where nobles find serf labor inadequate or peasants need “extra help.”

Shravian Culture
Varsovian cultural values center on a sense of modernity, progress, and prestige. Varsovian Shravians adopt all manner of genetic modifications that Ussuri would deem completely useless and even absurd, such as cosmetic “enhancements” and boosts for leisurely competitions, such as the infamous race for ever-faster “clicks per second” in holo-game tournaments. Particularly among the bureaucratic nobility, all public life is a “friendly competition.” Varsovian Shravians, both military and bureaucratic, are also known to lean heavily on cybernetics where biological modifications fall short.

As for the Ussuri, Varsovian nobles know no religion. In fact, they tend to look down on the very concept of spirituality as a foolish superstition only suitable for “inferior races.”

**IMPORTANT NOTE: Shravians have no concept of gender, nor have they ever had one. In fact, they find the concept arbitrary and even disgusting. Thus, their pronouns are gender-neutral.
-- A Shravian spore, until it is considered sentient, is simply referred to as “it,” like an inanimate object or a robot.
-- Once considered sentient, a Shravian is referred to as VE (SUBJECT) / VER (OBJECT) / VIS (POSSESSIVE).

Non-Shravian Cultures
A millenium ago, much could have been written about the vibrant cultures of Survaekom, Safavid, Ayar, and Tr'Kan. Now, after countless generations of subjugation, only the barest remnants remain. The most notable of these enduring cultural marks among humanoids is the philosophy of The Mountain, an extended metaphor for life as the careful descent from a misty, unknown peak to a lush base to the eventual return to the ground in death. Related to this is their almost universal tradition of burial, as opposed to the predominant Shravian practice of cremation. Among Ayar, the concept of spirits and the watchful eyes of ancestors remains common to this day, and many continue to possess and produce small religious statues and shrines.

Tr'Kan, who were subjugated later and less completely than other non-Shravians in the old Empire, have retained more of their original customs. In the Ussuri Hetmanate, they could be said to still have an entire living culture continuous with what was before. In Varsovia, in contrast, the relatively small Tr'Kan population is entirely diasporic and lost more of its connection to its roots. They keep their holy books, but they have little sense of the locations they reference or the practices they refer to. They congregate for festivals, but their underlying significance is only vaguely understood if at all. In many cases, old meanings that were lost have been replaced with new ones heavily influenced by Shravian thought. For example, the most common of Tr'Kan festivals, the Sun Festival held every month, is now associated with the “continuing progress” of the Tr'Kan people in Varsovia.



For many millenia, Shravians lived on their homeworld of Kyav as highly egalitarian societies. Although “civilization” and technology were harnessed to impose some stratification, even this was distinguished by entire “strains” and nations rather than families or inheritance – concepts that had no meaning to Shravians at the time. The smallest, most indivisible unit of community was the village – or later the district. And even between these communities, differences were never perceived to be especially large. War was infrequent and class oppression was mild in comparison to the civilizations of most other species – the more pressing issue as population grew over time was disease, which could kill off entire strains of genetically near-identical Shravians all at once.

Shortly after they entered their space age, some 2,500 years ago, Shravians were thrust uneasily onto the interstellar political scene. They quickly recognized the threat of other species, achieving rapid political unification as the Shravian Federation and building up armed forces to match their potential aversaries. More importantly, they looked to ways to shield them from the inevitable tide of foreign microbes, refining the art of genetic modification to allow all manner of engineering spores, and to some extent even adults Shravians. The technology, however, was difficult to make available to their entire population: Those at the greatest risk of unwanted interstellar contacts were prioritized. The modifications primarily reached soldiers, space fleet personnel, interstellar transportation crews, ambassadorial teams, and scientists. The resulting political ramifications were surprisingly deep and lasting.

Shravians whose work dealt with the “outside” were not merely protected from foreign disease. They were equipped with a range of augmentations to aid in travel, communication, and endurance among other traits. As they played the decisive role in connecting Shravians to the greater interstellar community, soon they became the only Shravians capable of doing so. Others lacked not only the skills, but the biology to participate in these new institutions. And as these differences accentuated, Shravians benefiting from genetic technology became less and less willing to share it. “Soft” stratification grew sharper and sharper over time.

But it would take one more step in biotech to bring Shravian society fully into its “modern” form. This was the invention of spore fusion. Two spores could be “grafted” into one. For the first time in Shravian history, the concept of family became meaningful – though only among the elite. And this was enough to truly stratify Shravian society into a multi-layered hierarchy. Wealth and power concentrated in fewer and fewer of these new families, and in turn these families monopolized the best of genetic – and later cybernetic – improvement technology. So powerful did some families become that they eventually formalized their implicit political power, becoming the first nobles.


These new authorities staked claims over various lands, settlements, and “lesser” subjects in the Federation. They vied with one another for supremacy, but in the face of powerful alien neighbors they never escalated matters as far as civil war. More out of necessity than preference, they regulated their disputes in the still-extant Courts of the Federation, transformed into arenas of contest and negotiation for the aristocracy. As the Shravians colonized their own system and beyond, they continued to militarize, but not only out of fear. Internal war could not be afforded, but external war could provide avenues for nobles to increase their power.

The first great interstellar war in Shravian history took place some two thousand years ago. The opponent was the Grand Survaek Empire, at the time a great regional power with its fourteen systems. It was ruled by humans known as Survaekom, but also included many billions of reptilian Tr'Kan, four-armed and four-legged sentient lizards over twice the size of a human and possessing many times their strength. The Survaekom had been locked in a cold war with the neighboring rival human Safavid Empire for centuries, and the outbreak of hostilities between them provided the perfect opportunity for the hereto-unassuming Shravian Federation to strike.

No one could have imagined how completely and utterly the Shravians vanquished their foes. With the aid of the Tr'kan, who had no desire to be pawns in the Survaekom-Safavid contest, the Federation swept over the opposition and immediately followed with a conquest of the weakened Safavid. In the space of two decades, twenty-three systems fell under Shravian control.

However, the speed of victory did not mean it came easily. To properly match their enemies' manpower, nobles conscripted hundreds of millions of “lesser” Shravians into military service, providing only rudimentary cybernetic enhancements to prepare their bodies for war. The bloodletting on both sides was immense. And worse yet was what followed.

Exposing hundreds of millions of unmodified Shravians to the great beyond had exactly the consequences the Federation had feared for so long, until recent age in which the lives of normal “citizens” had become disposable to the new elite. A series of plagues unlike any seen before ravaged the genetically-unprepared population in cataclysmic proportions. In just a few short years, an estimated 60% of the Shravian population died off. Naturally, non-Shravian subjects across newly-conquered territory immediately exploited the opportunity, while desperate “lesser” Shravians rose to arms against their rulers as well. The fires of rebellion raged across the Federation.

Records from this period of civil war are scarce and incomplete. All that is known for certain is that a single Shravian noble family, led by a brilliant commander, succeeded against all odds in putting down rebellions across the Federation by around 160 IC. With the uncontested loyalty of the army and navy, this commander named verself Emperor of the Shravians, and proclaimed vis family with no small arrogance as Shravilid.


One of the earliest changes brought about by the new regime was the mass enslavement of all non-Shravians in the Empire. Deeply mistrustful of other species and requiring massive numbers of sentients to replace the mostly-dead Shravian underclass, the imperial authorities placed Survaekom and Safavid under a vast surveillance network as they put them to work in industry and agriculture. Where the slave population occasionally fell short, the Empire acquired more from the notorious slaver empire of Antoviya, a nation of few systems but immense population whose raids seemed to reach every corner of the quadrant. The dominant species of Antoviya, the tunneling talpid Ayar, had long fed parasitically off of Survaek and Safavid for their own slave labor purposes.

Ironically, this same empire would be the Shravians' next target of conquest. Antoviya saw its own period of mass rebellion, and their nobles would fail to put it down. The radical syndicalist Revolutionary Workers' Union was declared, uniting Ayar and former slaves in a grand quest to end all systems of domination. The Shravian Empire could not tolerate such a state to exist in its vicinity, and over a brutal century-long campaign the systems were re-enslaved, this time the Ayar themselves as well as their alien comrades. The Ayar home planet was rendered unlivable by repeated nuclear bombardments, except deep underground where independent remnants exist to this day.

Notably, in this war, the Shravians' Tr'Kan allies not only refused to join but, fearing the Empire's expansion, funneled arms and supplies to the RWU. They too were subjugated by an increasingly mechanized Shravian war machine, though they would plague the Empire with intermittent rebellions for centuries to come.

From there, for many centuries the Shravian Empire's expansion met little opposition. Systems were either colonized or, if inhabited, conquered in mere months. At its height, the Shravian Empire held over two-hundred systems under direct rule, and it received tribute from a great many more along its borders. The only real wall to further conquest came with the Terran Empire. However, sharing certain values and uneager to risk their internal stability with such a gargantuan war, neither side was inclined to fight the other for territory. Aside from a few border skirmishes, the two Empires maintained a stable if uneasy peace.

So things stayed for nearly a millenium, until about six-hundred years ago. Then, however, came the Time of Troubles. Periodic rebellions among the slaves and plagues which regularly decimated the lowest rungs of Shravians were not new to the Empire, of course. Yet, eventually they hit with such intensity and scale that a crisis emerged. A disease which seemed to ignore most Shravian counter-measures, even among the lower nobility, spread across the entire Empire. Ambitious aristocrats who sought greater power and autonomy in the Empire rose in open defiance of the Shravilids. Species of all kinds rose in a great, coordinated rebellion under the banner of a revived RWU. And on top of it all, the Imperium finally made its move against Shravian border worlds.

Imperial authority crumbled. On the Border, military commanders took drastic measures to quarantine the sick and contain rebellion, eventually cutting contact with the core worlds altogether. In the Core, Shravians died in droves while revolutionaries and noble rebels took control of larger and larger territories. In the midst of the chaos, the Shravilid Dynasty was massacred to the last individual.

Then, of course, came the Terran Empire. Taking advantage of the immense instability, it swept in and planted its flag in every corner of Shravian space. Although the humans failed to maintain direct control in the highly chaotic region, opting instead to exact regular tributes from Shravian petty lords, they put the final nail in any hope of re-stabilization. It was more than a disaster. It was the end of the Shravian Empire.



While the civil war on the Frontier was a contest of might, in the Core negotiation was key, at least at first. Nobles seeking to preserve or re-assert authority over former slave populations were forced to either make concessions or lose it all. Piecemeal, fiefdom by fiefdom, slavery was all but abolished in the core systems as the vast majority of non-Shravians attained new status as “free subjects.”

Chief among the reformist polities was the Duchy of Varsov, uniting the metropolitan planet of the same name as well as the key garden world of Rugaz. Its ruling family, the Preslids, developed by far the most comprehensive social framework in the Core for integrating non-Shravians into their domain. Somewhat controversially, they promoted all surviving Shravians into the nobility, a move that allowed them to cut away at the power of more powerful vassals while creating vast ranks of loyal followers. Non-Shravians were classified as free peasants, serfs, and (a small minority of) slaves. Where exactly a community landed on this spectrum was more or less a function of how costly subjugating them would be. The better-organized and better-armed secured status as free peasants owning their own means of production, forming a stratum of relatively well-off small producers and independent laborers. In contrast, their weaker counterparts were forced to settle for status as serfs tied to noble-owned industrial blocks, mega-farms, and mining complexes among other economic facilities. Those who stayed slaves were the unfortunate few who had never succeeded in arming or organizing themselves in the first place, or who were targeted for forceful subjugation as an example to “encourage” others to negotiate.

Needless to say, the process of building this social order was not entirely smooth. A combination of force, espionage, and skillful diplomacy were required to bring non-Shravians to accept the new social contract. Reactionary Shravians enraged by Preslid reformism had to be placated, subjugated, or simply eliminated depending on the situation. Over time, however, the changes consolidated into a stable regime.

Yet, the Core remained politically fractured. Varsov was merely one of the more powerful among dozens of other small monarchies as well as revolutionary holdouts. And although the Terran Empire had stopped trying to create provinces in Shravian space, its tribute collectors had been known to send fleets against anything smacking of Shravian consolidation. The money would only keep flowing, they figured, if they kept the Shravians weak and divided. If anything, the few Shravians who even expected re-unification were looking to Shravian homeworld of Kyav. Even the Preslids themselves were not entirely aware of their advantages: Much of the old Empire's population and industry had left Kyav and re-concentrated in Varsov, but the geopolitical shift was gradual enough and available information so incomplete that it had gone virtually unnoticed.

This hidden advantage only became apparent when Varsov was attacked by ambitious neighbor lords 258 years ago. The Preslids mobilized their fleet expecting a desperate fight against superior numbers, but the actual battles proved the opposite. The Ducal Fleet not only outnumbered, but out-gunned its opponents by a wide margin. The war of defense quickly became a war of conquest for the Preslids. Terrified of the social upheaval they would face if war hit their planets on the ground, Varsov's enemies were soon offering their surrender and vassalage. Instead of agreeing, however, the Duchy opted to secure the defections of their opponents' underlings. Much like their strategy at home, the Preslids bought the loyalty of the lower nobility and disinherited the high.

In a few short years, the war was over. Vladisvla Preslid was now ruler of some nineteen systems, and the crumbling Terran Empire was no longer capable of containing him. To celebrate the victory and the birth of a new empire, ve established the Varsovian Crown. It was not only a title, but a physical crown commissioned by the new King. It was of unprecedented strangeness, a headpiece that seemed to extend into innummerable translucent “towers” with soft glows emanating from ever-changing parts of the crown. Like a small model of the Capitol Palace in Varsov, yet so visually complex that it was nigh impossible to fully distinguish as a particular set of shapes. A crown finer and more wondrous than that of the Shravilids, a clear message to the other lords of the Core Worlds.

For a time, Varsovia's neighbor noble states began to unite in confederations to contain the rising power. They too, after all, no longer had to fear Terran tribute fleets. Unfortunately for them, the Preslids continued to show a knack for attracting defectors. Unevenly but surely, Varsov continued to annex territory through its usual combination of carrots, sticks, cloaks, and daggers. About thirty years ago, effectively all Shravians of the Core were subjects to the Varsovian Crown.

The only remaining opposition to Varsovia's dominance were the Revolutionary Republics, expansive rebel holdouts encompassing large territories, varying from continent-sized states on nominally Varsovian planets to entire independent systems. Against these enemies, diplomacy and espionage were much less reliable. Brutal, grinding ground campaigns simply could not be avoided. Varsovia was able to score a series of initial victories using elite troops supported by space fleets, but they couldn't make it farther than beachheads and a few major urban centers. Simply lacking the numbers of Shravians to effectively take and occupy such large territory, King Vladisvla tried sending in peasant and serf troops, but this only seemed to strengthen the rebels as droves refused to fight and some even joined them via desertion and mutiny. Worse yet, as powerful as Varsovia's industry was, it lacked the raw resources to meet the protracted campaign's logistical demands.

Vladisvla died before ve could see the final restoration of the Core Worlds under Shravian suzerainty. This task would fall to vis heir, Kasimir, who assumed the throne a century ago. A brilliant administrator and farsighted diplomat, Kasimir made a move few expected: Ve made contact with the Border. There, Kasimir found the perfect opportunity in the Ussuri Hetmanate, in many ways Varsovian Crown's counterpart in the region. Where Varsovia had a vast navy and industry but required troops and raw materials, Ussuri had a huge Shravian population and expansive mining networks but required ships and advanced manufacturing. Hetman Ivan Sirakov and King Kasimir Preslid each had exactly what the other needed.

An alliance of opportunity emerged, and slowly but surely each side achieved its dream of total dominance in its region of the former Shravian Empire, a process that took about ninety years. Yet, through this each also became dependent on the other. Whatever their ambitions, the two monarchs could not simply turn on each other without risking the breakdown of their own nations. It was agreed that neither would be Shravian Emperor. But someone would be: Two years ago, spores were fused to create an heir to both the Crown and the Hetmanate. The Ussuri-Varsovian Commonwealth was declared.

Varsovia, of course, continues to act more as an allied nation to Ussuri than a fellow component part of a single empire. Indeed, two centuries of separation created a vast social and cultural gulf between the two. Varsovian Shravians see their Ussuri counterparts as useful warriors due respect for their role, but certainly not as equals. Many do not even consider the Ussuri civilized, with their outdated slave society and their denial of universal nobility for all Shravians. Can even a legitimate heir unite such different people as a single Shravian Empire? Will the Commonwealth union even last until the unnamed heir can assume its throne?


OVERALL SIZE: 18 billion total military personnel
-- 20 billion Peacekeeper reservists
-- 10 billion active Peacekeepers
-- 7 billion Varsovian Royal Navy personnel
-- 800 million Special Operations Police
**In a state of emergency, an estimated 30 billion serf conscripts can be mobilized within 3 months.

TECHNOLOGY
Terrestrial Forces
-- Infantry Armor: Yeomen Peacekeepers wear ceramic armor with integrated sensors and digital interfaces, fairly old but reliable designs. Only nobles have access to power armor. This is divisible into two groups. The first is the battle-suit, a heavy mechanized frame that is more of a vehicle than armor in the traditional sense, used by all Shravian Peacekeeper officers and by the Drop Patrol. The second is “true” power armor, worn like “normal” armor but powered to increase strength and speed. This particularly expensive armor is available only to VSOP, and is integrated with personal shielding and experimental stealth fields.
-- Shielding: Battle-suits are large enough to integrate electromagnetic shielding without too much effort, though the strength of the shield predictably varies in proportion to the size of the suit. Sky Patrol aircraft also use electromagnetic shielding, but Yeoman Peacekeeper vehicles are generally not considered to be worth the expense. Recent advances in miniaturization also allow for personal shielding, but at present only VSOP has access to this extremely expensive technology.
-- Vehicles: The bulk of Peacekeeper Vehicles are thruster-powered aircraft in the skies and armored hovercraft skimming along the ground. The former can use a combination of adjustable multi-facing thrusters to achieve all manner of mid-air maneuvers. Also notable are the battle-suits, whose larger variants are more like walking tanks than “infantry.”
-- Projectile Weapons: As relatively cheap but durable weapons, light gas guns are the mainstray of the Yeomen Peacekeepers. They have power near that of magnetic accelerators, but without the cost in energy and materials. But, the need for cartridges makes their ammunition capacity noticeably lower. In preparation against the potential for well-armed rebels, the Yeomen also have access to a range of missiles, often attached to small tanks or aircraft, but also including many should-mounted variants. Missiles are also a common weapon in the Sky and Drop Patrols, where Varsovian advances in miniaturization are more apparent. Hundreds, sometimes even thousands of small-but-powerful guided missiles can be stored in a single gunship or large battlesuit. In order to counter electromagnetic shielding, ceramic “shield buster” rockets are also common.
-- Plasma Weapons: As a species with a number of biological redundancies, Shravians know well how hard it can be to kill someone with a bullet or even shrapnel. Thus, although they still employ light gas guns as rapid-fire weapons and artillery, the favorite weapon of noble soldiers is the plasma beam cannon: a particle accelerator firing plasma at near light speed. The combination of extreme heat and kinetic energy is enough to obliterate anything biological beyond any hope of recovery. The drawback is that such energy-intensive weapons cannot manage “automatic” fire without overheating or exploding. They also require battery changes about every 20 shots, depending on the model. Most plasma cannons are fairly bulky, requiring the strength and size of a battle-suit for an individual to use, but as with many things VSOP has access to a special line of miniaturized small-arm variants. Varsovia also deploys plasma throwers, which simply spew plasma in an expanding stream. These lack the range and punch of plasma beams, but they are far cheaper to produce and remain devastating at close range.
Space Forces
-- Armor: For any vessel cruiser class and above, Varsovian Royal Navy armor comes in two layers. The first is ceramic, designed to absorb heat and kinetic impact. When a plate cracks, it ironically becomes more resistant to kinetic hits, though it becomes less effective at shielding the second layer from heat. The second layer is a metal alloy, strong but not particularly amazing relative to other nations' equivalents.
-- Shielding: Varsovian military vessels use plasma shielding. This combines electromagnetic shielding with a layer of suspended plasma forming a “surface.” The electromagnetic energy can repel metal projectiles and disrupt energy beams, while the plasma gives the shield mass to resist kinetic weapons EM doesn't affect, such as neutral projectile beams.
-- Missiles: Both short-range and long-range missiles are major components of Varsovian fleet doctrine. They are all made primarily of ceramics, with semiconductors and other metals as necessary for electronic guidance, to minimize the effect of enemy electromagnetic shields. They are equipped with a range of warheads, of which three are notable: 1) Plasma warheads, standard fare for their sheer destructive power, 2) EM warheads, which can disrupt enemy systems if they explode close enough even without physically hitting a hull, and 3) Chemical/Bio warheads, usually attached to heavy missiles meant for planetary bombardment but also used in smaller missiles fired into enemy hull breaches to eliminate enemy crews without destroying the ship.
-- Particle Accelerators: Alongside missiles, these are the primary weapons of the VRN. As a long-time backbone of the military, they benefit from technology that has optimized their energy-efficiency, more efficient than many lasers though still energy-intensive. Plasma beams are the most common simply because they do the most damage to hulls. Neutron beams are also fairly common, packing a heavy kinetic punch and unphased by electromagnetic shielding. In addition, Ion beams are often used to disable enemy vessels without destroying them.

TERRESTRIAL ARMY DETAILS
Royal Peacekeepers
Officially, Varsovia does not have an army for offensive campaigns. In practice, however, it is easy enough to designate foreign territories as rightful patrimony and enemy soldiers as lawbreaking rebels. Nonetheless, the Varsovian Peacekeepers are indeed a force mostly geared for defense. Some 2/3 of the army is kept in reserve on system of rotations, while the bulk of active-duty personnel function de facto as a heavily-militarized police force. Only the 2 billion-strong Sky Patrol, the Peacekeepers' all-noble branch comprising air forces and gunship-based ground assault forces, could be considered ready for a true offensive campaign.

Varsovian Special Operations Police
The Crown's most elite and secretive military branch, the VSOP make very adaptable special forces. Their speed and stealth make them useful as counter-insurgency troops and commandos, but they also boast major conventional battle advantages such as true power armor (as opposed to bulkier battle-suits), personal electromagnetic shielding, and the pinnacle of high firepower miniaturized into infantry-portable weapons. Like the Drop Patrol, they rely heavily on air transporation, but with less grandiosity and more subtlety. In short, VSOP hits very hard, very fast, very precisely, and very quiet.

VSOP is not a noble-only force. It integrates all species into its ranks, making use of their varied natural advantages where applicable. Historically, VSOP was instrumental in securing the early beachheads in revolutionary-controlled territories.





NAVY DETAILS:
Varsovian Royal Navy
Traditionally an all-noble branch of the military, as the VRN grew it was forced to integrate peasants simply to fill its ranks with the necessary technicians and crewfolk. They even fill positions as lower-level officers, though higher up the command chain remains exclusively Shravian. As the unquestioned centerpiece of Varsovian military doctrine, the Royal Navy is by far the best-equipped branch of the military.

Confederacy of representative democratic states.


Confederate Government is one in a clear state of drift, at once true to its namesake and yet clearly creeping towards federalism. Within this evolving system there are two major branches of government, the Cabinet branch, and the Judicial branch.

Source of all Confederation wide laws and executive decisions the Cabinet branch is composed of the 19 Chancellors, each of which are elected heads of Confederation member states with the exception of the First Chancellor. The Cabinet may set policy and establish Confederation wide laws by vote, though the latter is a rare occurrence as most law making is left to member state governments and their respective governmental structures. This meaning that each member state may draft and pass laws through its own legislative structure, but these laws are exclusive to that member state whereas Confederation wide laws are binding in all member states. The Cabinet is led by the First Chancellor who is appointed by a Confederation wide election every eight years and who presides over all the others acting as the head of state for the greater Confederation. This First Chancellor carries the right to call a new election for any member state and can take emergency powers when warranted and permitted by a majority vote of the Cabinet. Each of the normal Chancellors may propose agendas or laws to be voted on, but these too may be vetoed by the First Chancellor. As a means of checking the enormous power of the First Chancellor any 2/3rds vote of no confidence by the Cabinet immediately suspends the First Chancellors powers, subject to a mandatory referendum to establish the legitimacy of this vote.

Distinct from the cabinet the Judicial branch functions as the highest legal body in the Confederation, even above individual member states supreme courts. Composed of a number of delegates proportional to each member states population the Judaical branch is an enormously powerful organization that judges the legality of any laws enacted in the Confederation in the context of the Charter of the Confederation. That said, the Judicial branch does not interfere in member state rulings unless those rulings are contested past the supreme court of that member state. The primary function of the Judicial branch is to evaluate the legality of Confederation wide laws passed by the cabinet.


First Chancellor Kaela Sevaren of the Sovereign Star Confederation:


Chancellor Alice Kent of the Greater Terrestrial Republic
Chancellor Sandro Espanta of the Iberian Commonwealth
Chancellor Bjorn Ovringson of the Scandinavian League
Chancellor Emanuel Smith of the Fringe Worlds Cooperative
Chancellor Theodora Katsaros of the Hellenic Republic
Chancellor Amir Hamam of the Arab Free State
Chancellor Ueman Xepil of the Mesoamerican Republic
Chancellor David Mannerheim of the Germanic Republic
Chancellor Chloe Petit of the Tenth French Republic
Chancellor Sak’fe’nu of the Ge’He Elective
Chancellor Sally Cooper of the Foundry Worlds Alliance
Chancellor John Marsh of the New American Republic
Chancellor Tep Narong of the New Asian Republic
Chancellor Mark Carlston of the Oceanic Republic
Chancellor Alexi Sokolov of the Slavic Republic
Chancellor Jaswinder Sai of the Dharman League
Chancellor William Egzere of the West Belt Republic
Chancellor Richard Ainsworth of the New British Republic






















74% Human: Children of Earth and former rulers of the Imperium, Humanity makes up the undisputed majority in the Confederation.

15% Ge'He: Once a proud species that commanded a space faring nation of note, the Ge'He were humiliated by one of the Imperium's earlier wars of conquest. For centuries they were marginalized and oppressed, but held tight to a culture that faded by the day. Now the Ge'He command of nation of their own within the Confederation, but still they remain a minority in what used to be their own space.

8% Hexanagallion: Ancient militaristic reptilians uplifted long ago, the 'Hexies' as they're often called can be found in some number in any part of the Confederation.

2% Assorted Species: Various species, none of which amount to 1% or greater of the population alone.

1% Aesarnaythi: Amphibious descendants of a once near-utopian society and some of the closest aliens to humanity these matriarchal aliens are common in the economic sphere of the Confederation.






The History of the Confederation can best be traced to the sector wide cultural revolution known only as 'The Remembrance' across the former Imperium. Where the movement originated is disputed, but what it signalled was a massive reemergence of ancient Earth culture among the general populace of countless worlds. In the autonomous region of Musashi the movement would lead to a new and homogenous culture, but in the space now occupied by the Confederation The Remembrance led to a massively fractured culture and widespread societal upheaval.

Indeed after The Remembrance the area immediately around Musashi came to be known as the playground of the Imperiums military as they were constantly called upon to suppress what seemed to be an endless string of rebellions. Sectarian violence was rampant, and nationalist movements seemed to inspire insurrection every other day of the week. For centuries this would be the case despite intermittent Imperial intervention, and on the eve of the great empires collapse the region was embroiled in petty conflict just as it had always been.

Yet without the Imperial hand to moderate the violence the spark grew to an inferno. Devolving into hundreds of petty states the region soon fell further into warfare than ever before, dozens of star nations burnt as territories shrunk and grew as new powers rose. After a decade seventeen greater states had risen to the forefront, most of which being autocracies led by former Imperial nobility. Standing apart however were the three newly minted democracies: The Greater Terrestrial Republic, The New British Republic, and the Foundry Worlds Alliance. Feeling the threat from their new and belligerent neighbours the three signed what would come to be known as the Charter of the Confederation, a document founding a greater democratic alliance and uniting the militaries of the free galaxy.

In the following ninety years this new Confederation would spread the flame of democracy across the region, supplying rebels and even going so far as to arm the Ge'He in their bid to establish a nation of their own. One by one the dictatorships would fall to rebellion, and then liberation, as they quarrelled among themselves. One hundred years ago the last one would fall to the forced of liberty, and the Sovereign Star Confederation would establish itself as a regional power to last, albeit one still struggling from the after shocks of unification and racial tension.

magna arbor est Directorum (Arborean Directorate)

Demographics:
Servant Distribution:
Human: 15%
Razikil: 15%
Famulus: 55%
Other: 15%





History:
Spend at least 4 paragraphs telling us the general history of your nation. Important wars, how it came to be what it is today, and so on.







General Technology:
Really go nuts! For at least 3 paragraphs!

Economy:
Are your people poor and starving? Rich and fat? Are you economically powerful enough to control other nations through wealth? Can you be controlled through wealth?

Honored Resurgence Forces (HRF)

Type of Government: Stratocracy

Leader: High Warlord Jex Mal'tear

Persons of Importance:

Species(s) and Demographics: The Hexanagallions, and one human

Occupied Species: 1 billion humans, and various other races.

Religion Description and Demographics:

Culture: The Hexanagallions are a traditional, honor bound society that revolved around War and upholding warrior ideals. In recent years they have slowed down their aggressive crusade, becoming accomplished mechanics, shipwrights, and merchants. Just as when they were first hunting on their homeworld, the males of the species go out to hunt and the females stay home to protect the young. Most marines and soldiers are male, and most planetary guards are female.

History: When the Imperium began expanding, there were 12 Warmasters on the Council of Hexana, presiding over the 12 provinces of the world. For many years Hexana remained independent as system after system fell to the might of the Imperium. The Hexanagallions were confident in their military might and strategic minds to keep their autonomy and freedom. However, when the day of reckoning came and the Imperium were at their doorstep, it was not military might that did them in. It was simple attrition, and economics. No other planet would trade with them, unless they joined the Imperium. They could travel nowhere local, unless they had Imperial access codes and friends. The day came when the Hexanagallions had to decide to give in. 8 out of the 12 Warmasters submitted to Imperial rule.

4 did not. 4 Warmasters saw it as a sign of weakness and dishonor, to be assimilated so quickly. Not only that, but do submit without raising arms! They gathered what forces they could, and took their greatest creation, the terraforming machine 'Life Bringer' with them. They sent the strike cruisers forward, and carved their way out of the system by terrifying force. The 4 loyalists did as they had never done before, and fled into the far reaches of space. Never again, they pledged.

Short years later, their fleet found themselves in the center of the Scutum-Crux Arm, and landed on a jungle moon orbiting a barren planet. They dubbed the moon Kal'vrosh, meaning 'People's Landing' in their language. The moon was unforgiving and harsh, close to the system's sun and teeming with great beasts. It was a blessing by the Honored Divine. They did their best to stay low on the Imperium's radar, Terraforming the worlds in that single system and inhabiting them. They began to make great structures of metal and strength, creating huge Ships that served as moving colonies for them to traverse space with, if ever their population reached such heights. And they did.

When they reached the 4th planet at the center of the system's line of heavenly bodies, they discovered something within its core. The planet was made of dense cavern systems that traversed the bulk of the world, some large enough for small cruisers to fly through. When they reached the center, they found an orb like a sun, that glowed golden. It had a radius of 300 meters on all sides, and even to this day, the Hexanagllions know not what its true purpose is. Only that their High Prophet receives visions when basked within its light, and that a mere year ago from the current star date, the Hexanagallions had developed a way to harness that energy in a slow, albeit safe manner. The light of the Prophet's Orb fuels the Flagship for Warmaster Jex.

Dating back however, for centuries the Hexanagallions have fought a successful guerrilla war with the Imperium. Never doing too much damage to raise the ire of all Imperial forces, but slowly driving back and distracting any forces that stray toward their lone system. That is, until 210 years ago when the Imperium collapsed. For 45 years afterwards, they gathered their strength and ships, being goaded by their Prophets that this was the time before the collapse of the Universe. It was now or never. Approximately 165 years ago, the first independent planet still gathering itself together after the Imperium's fall became silent. One year after, the entire system was silenced. A year later, another system was silenced. 5 years hence, another sent out distress signals, and was subsequently destroyed before silence. The calls for help were reached by the a neighboring system near the edge of the Sagittarius Arm, telling of brutal warships and horrifying troops of Reavers. Because of the ensuing chaos, many thought all in those systems were slaughtered until millions of refugees arrived in the Second Terran Imperium, giving tales of beasts that would allow them to live and run if they could.

System after system fell, until the Hexanagallions had cut a sizable piece of the Galaxy for themselves. The latest system to fall under their rule was the Ordo Sanctus system. The humans of Ordo Sanctus and their 4 planets gave up without a fight as the Hexanagallions entered their system, and they were allowed to live, the Warmaster honoring them. It was however, a ploy. The System fought back as the Hexagallions were off guard, taking out 5% of their forces without effort before the fight was on full. Within less than a year, the Hexagallions had conquered the system. When their military had been decimated beyond repair, the Hexanagallions allowed the civilians that remained to flee on their ships to spread word of their might. This would be the last system to fall, a mere 7 years ago finishing a small off a small campaign further east within the Galaxy, near the Gashathi Rule and the Dominion of Man, at the edge of Agonis Collective space.

In recent years, the Resurgence forces have sent out contacts to their fellows within the Second Terran Imperium. The loyalists have even halted their advance, becoming moderately good traders with the other systems. They might not be extremely savvy, but their code of honor permits them not to cheat on their deals, and are popular as a result. That does not mean that a lack of expansion means a lack of conflict. Space faring barbarians have come into contact 17 years previously, and an ongoing battle has ensued eveytime they have met. The HRF find them worthy practice, and a good way to test new recruits by sending them forth to hold them back. It has become a stalemate. They attempted to make contact with the Agonis Collective, before finding out the horrific truth of an A.I. subjugating races. The HRF are now mobilising to attack and help the rebels, but are taking their time as they must not only hold the line, but focus on another task soon to be dealt with.

Military:

Name of Nation: Juno Protectorate

Banner/Flag:

Type of Government: Oligarchy (Manufactured Democracy)

Leader(s): Kaeso Priscian

Persons of Importance: Governor Appius Aratus, Governor Tobias Rolo, Admiral Gnaeus Viator

Species(s) and Demographics: Predominantly human.

Religion Description and Demographics: A denomination of the imperial religion known as Junoism, where the Goddess Juno (war and beauty), is the central object of worship.

Culture: Junoists have a strong pride in their military and democracy. The society itself can be described as vain, as most tend to strive for superficial beauty, resulting in a booming cosmetics industry. Fashion and decadence reign supreme within the Juno cities, the affluent obsessed with obtaining status symbols to demonstrate their high standing. A large underclass of poor and slaves labour to keep the cogs of the industrialized society going.

History: Juno was colonized by the Solar Confederation early in the 26th century, and terraformed into a picturesque garden world in the 28th century, as the Imperium began it's rise to power. A violent revolt by Imperium supporters overthrew the Confederate government during the war and Juno quickly became an industrial and trade hub of the Terran Imperium. The twelve moons of Juno were soon settled and the leadership of Juno became an influential voice in the Imperium Senate.

In the 40th century, Juno began it's decline. Mineral depletion on it's moons, and the fracking rift on Capria (Juno III), resulted in a steep decline of the Juno economy. More prosperous colonies in the Imperium gained influence over Juno within the senate, and the planet became a shadow of it's former self.

As the Imperium collapse, Juno collapsed into civil war, multiple faction vying for dominance over the decaying colony. After a century of fighting, dissidents surrendered, and pro-Imperium forces claimed victory. Rebels were exiled to the dying moon of Caprica, and out of the ashes of the war, the former Imperium leadership of Juno declared themselves the Juno Protectorate, breaking their ties with Earth.

Since their independence the Protectorate has struggled to obtain their former glory. More aggressive mining operations have begun across the moons, as well as an effort to reclaim Caprica. Neighbouring star systems are coveted for their resource potential and the ego of the Protectorate's consul pines for a new Imperium with Juno at it's core.

Military: WIP

A political amalgamation with grand pretenses of freedom and democracy, the Commonwealth is in truth a sprawling monarchical imperium dominated by a species of feline humanoids called the Vit'azny. The Commonwealth owes its existence to the fact that 500 years ago the then Vit'azny Empire realized assimilation was vastly easier than maintaining overlordship over their rebellious subjects. The resulting organization has since exploded into a major galactic power and an economic juggernaut.

Name of Nation: The Sacred Union of the Royal Theocracies of Röðull (S.U.R.T.R.)

Banner/Flag:

The flag represents the star at the centre of the galaxy, and the four capital worlds of the SURTR: Musdl, Halmr, Kegh, and Njor.

Type of Government: Theocratic Regency

Leader(s):
Officially: High Lord Rhöðull (deceased, incumbent)
Functionally: The Royal Regency Council

Persons of Importance:
-High Lord Rhöðull

-Prime Councillor Rhodullveita (capital world 1)

-Deputy Prime Councillor Rhodullvard (capital world 1)

-High Rage-Channeler Fen (capital world 3)

-Archpriest Rhomaera (capital world 2)

-President Dyrrboen (capital world 4)

-Secretary of the People's Faith Rhodull-Umbud (world 1)

Species(s) and Demographics:

There are four main races in the SURTR, who rule over all of the under-races of the lesser worlds:
-The True: bipedal creatures with thick exoskeletons, and no visual perception



-The Humans: bipedal creatures with fragile, squishy outer layers, highly perceptive



-The False: lanky quadrupeds, with overactive salivary glands and limited communication ability


-The Herfiligr: Small aquatic bipeds, with no sense of smell. Their small, hyperactive lungs make speaking difficult.



Religion Description and Demographics:
35% True
19% False
13% Human
8% Herfiligr
25% Other
100% Rhodull worshiping

The official faith of the Union is called "Rhöðulldyarkan", the worship of Rhöðull.
Rhöðull was a sun-worshiping cult leader, who died around the year 200 IC. Followers of Rhöðull claim him to be their only true ruler, with all others being "false kings". As such, rise of this cult created a great deal of turmoil and rebellion in the later days of the Empire. Over the last couple centuries of the Empire's reign, the faith was greatly subjugated, and was eventually pushed back to a select number of planets near the center of the galaxy.

The main tenents of Rhodulldyarkan are based around the admonishment of authority and pride. Followers are to remind themselves at all times that their life comes from the radiation of the stars, and that they are forever indebted to the stars for this. Worship is a daily practice, involving many verbal chants, as well as various fire rituals.

All members of the Union are required to profess a faith in Rhodull, but it can take a number of forms. As the faith has developed on each planet in the SURTR, it has branched off into a number of sects.
The True of Musdl and Halmr, the first two worlds, uphold the oldest, truest, and most demanding variation of the faith. Worship is an almost constant process, and it is socially encouraged to work praises of Rhodull into day-to-day conversation. This results in long-winded greetings like "In Rhodull's glorious name, it is good to see you again, thanks be to Rhodull, peace be upon him", and "By Rhodull's grace, you look well, praise to the High Lord".
The Humans of the SURTR are very devout, and adhere to the commandments without difficulty, although they rarely feel compelled to work Rhodull into regular conversation. They generally uphold the principle that religion is a personal thing, not to be flaunted in public.
The Herfiligr of Njor, the fourth world, are a moderate people, very similar to the Humans. Of all the racial leaders of the SURTR, they are the most casual with their faith. Worldly concerns take the forefront, and the faith is ignored culturally, although still enforced by the government. When legally able to do so, the Herfiliger instead celebrate their own traditions, as their culture is rich with various expressions of art. Of all the races, they are also the most soft-spoken.
The False of Kegh, the third world, are an impulsive, aggressive people. They are highly religious, but their variation of Rhodulldyarkan is the most deviant. The reverence of humility and solar energy are mixed up with traditional war rites and mating rituals. The False were dubbed "false" because of their inability to speak, preventing them from taking part in proper Rhodulldyarkan worship. The False communicate among each other exclusively through body-language, and with other planets through a crude writing system.

Culture:

The culture of the Union varies by planet, with the only shared customs being worship of Rhodull, and the proliferation of the languages of both the Humans and the True.
The True essentially have no culture, outside of that which reflects, represents, or serves their religion. What they call "music", are rhythmic religious chants. What they call "art", are countless cathedrals dedicated to Rhodull. What they call "community" is communal prayer.
The Humans observe a mashup of traditional Earth holidays and customs. Of all the races, they are the most culturally diverse.
The False base their customs around food, war, and reproduction. Cultural events feature wrestling tournaments, feasts, and public orgies. Their version of singers are those among them with the most impressive battle-cries.
The Herfiligr have a rich, colourful culture. The giant tile murals of the Herfiligr are famous throughout the galaxy, and are sold for unfathomable prices. Their music is based around filling the air and water with euphonic reverberations, surrounding the listener with pleasant sounds. To this end, they have complex systems of drums, flutes, and acoustic sound amplifiers. The Herfiligr have an old saying, that "A note that doesn't echo five times, is a note wasted".

History:

Musdl, the homeworld of the True is a small, super-heated planet. Hydration is virtually nonexistent, and the atmosphere is filled with a thick carbon-based particulate, blocking almost all light. The True evolved in a state of perpetual blackness, and as such lack any form of vision. Instead, they became extremely adept at detecting warmth and movement. The holes in their outer shells are able to detect the slightest variations in pressure and temperature in the air.
Musdl's solar system features twin stars, that revolve around each other, and the orbit of Musdl dances between them. The True initially harnessed the immense geothermal energy of their largely volcanic planet, but always held the goal of harnessing the power of the stars. Eventually, they developed space-travel, and broke through the thick carbonic sea that composed their atmosphere. Exposed to the emptiness of space, the first astronauts of the True went insane. The emptiness of space was so foreign to them, and they had no way to actually see it. All they knew was that the stars were more powerful than they could have ever imagined, as the true might of their rays were blocked by the global particulate.
This began a ferocious race, to channel solar energy in all forms, and to fill outer-space with colonies of True. It was at this time, that all previous religions, of earth-worship, sky worship, spirit worship, were merged together into one faith. All True agreed that the might of the stars were unquestionable. Their heat was too great, and their reach was too vast, to doubt their supremacy. Unified under the banner of the True Faith, the entirety of Musdl worked to further their space-expansion efforts. They built great colony ships, and terraformed the next planet over, then named "Halmr".
From there, they spread to Kegh, home of the False. This was the first war of the True, and they overwhelmed the primitive False with their mighty solar ships and thermal rays. Enslaved, the False became the new front-line of the True Military, for they were a physically superior race, with a natural resiliency to damage and intimidation. Over the centuries, they became domesticated and civilized. Eventually, they were integrated as citizens of the True, although they still maintained a lower position in society.
It was at this time that Rhodull rose to prominence, so the historical records say. He was a young True, uncommonly skilled in perceiving the warmth of the sun. It was said that he could predict solar flares weeks before they occurred, and that he could sense warmth of his enemies from miles away. He founded the first Cathedral of the Twin Stars, on Halmr, and quickly converted the majority to his sect. He told his followers that the stars were living beings, who shared their warmth with the True willingly, so that they may live, and spread the faith. Rhodull personally descended to the planet Kegh, and taught the False how to write, so that they had a standard form of communication with the True. Once he was satisfied, that the three worlds were united under him, Rhodull led a convoy of missionaries out of the solar system, searching for additional life among the stars. He was never heard from again, but his legacy lived on, and the True continued development of their navy, until they were confident that they could conquer the rest of space.
It was then, that the Humans came. Their numbers were endless, and their technology was incredible. Many True and False joined the Empire willingly, believing the Humans to be blessed by the stars. These hopes were soon dashed, when the Empire took no interest in the stories of Rhodull, and the faith of the True. Enraged, the True began an epic campaign of conversion across the Empire. Over the centuries, entire systems began singing the praises of Rhodull, a distant legend by then. It was then that the Herfiligr joined the faith, not out of devout belief in Rhodull, but in defiance to the Empire, who had likewise disrespected their traditions. Seeing the expansion of this cult, and the threat it posed to the authority of the Empire, the Emperor ordered the immediate extermination of the Rhodulldyarkan faith. This was met with open rebellion from the faithful, and a great civil war began. What the True had no way of knowing, was that they were dooming themselves by making themselves a threat to the Empire. The might of the entire military, and the imperial police-state fell upon on True, and landed like a boot upon an insect. The rebellion was crushed in an instant, and the True's mini-empire crumbled.
Then the fall began. Uprisings starting forming all across the Empire. Word of famine, disease, and madness from across the entire galaxy, reached the faithful. The second rebellion began, but this time in secret. Slowly, old alliances were formed again, and armies were built-up. When the Empire finally collapsed, throwing the galaxy into chaos, the True were ready. The great Union of Rhodulldyarkan began. The missionaries, armies, and charities of the True expanded across countless systems, offering the abandoned systems an alternative to chaos. It was the greatest growth the faith had ever seen, greater than could have ever been imagined. The church offered its members stability, in a time of endless war. As the various claimants to the crumbled throne emerged, and the dominions and collectives made themselves known to the galaxy, the Sacred Union of the Royal Theocracies of Rhodull was formed.

Military:

The Fleet

SURTR ships are solidly built, and heavily resesistant to impact and temperature. Their weapons are exclusively based around thermal energy. Their thermal rays are the pride of the SURTR navy, but they utilize traditional balistic missiles as well.

The Human Automaton Division

Being considerably weaker than the True and False, the Humans are relied upon for their technological expertise. Rather than sacrifice their own lives on the battlefield, the vast majority of Human military personnel are employed as engineers and roboticists.

The Armored True Division

The Armored True compose the majority of the SURTR military. They are equipped with heavily resilient, self-regenerating bio-suits. For a long time, it was believed throughout the galaxy that True fought naked, simply due to how much their armour resembles their naked form.

The Priest Division

The Elite True are equipped with a heavier variant of the standard bio-armour. It is far more resilient than the standard variation, and greatly increases the strength of its user as well.

Type of Government: Totalitarian Single-Party State.

Summary:

The Totalist doctrine preaches the total submission of the individual towards the aggrandizement of the State and Party. Only through total compliance to the "Grand Plan" of the Party the State will be able to triumph against its myriad enemies. With the end of the Fourth Great Hydarnian War and the destruction of the People's Republic of Cymelia and the Grand Federation of New Albion, the Party is now desperately looking for a new enemy to demonize. In the same vein, the Party has also started to slightly modify its ideological basis to absorb some ideological concepts from both Albion and Cymelia. That way, making it easier to absorb and assimilate the populations of the other two authoritarian regimes.

More recently, as in a few centuries ago, the radical wing of the Party has come up with the concept of Obliteration of the Self. Arguing that it's the individual that causes conflicts and problems with his greed and ambition, the theorists propose a sweeping campaign to eliminate this obstacle. Through education, cultural control or brute force. To further advance the idea, the Anti-Individualist faction has also managed to force a series of localized reforms, creating several "testing grounds" for their social control projects in scattered planets across the State.

The Totalist government is divided into directorates. Each one is in charge of an aspect of the administration and is usually divided into smaller sub-directorates for more specialized areas. Each director is part of the Board of directors, who is officially tasked with helping the Supreme Director in running the State. Since the real Supreme Director died centuries ago, the directors themselves run the show. With the most influential of them being the one to call the shots.

Leader(s): Director Aleksandr Dollabela-Rybaslky. Generalissimo of the State and head of the Directorate of Peace.



The current Director of Peace, Aleksandr Dollabela-Rybalsky is the scion of a prominent Upper Party family. His mother was a respected commander of several prison planets while his father was a General of the Black Banner. With this background, the expectations over the young Aleksandr were huge. The pressure to not only match but surpass his parents was the main driving force behind his rise through the ranks of the Directorate of Peace.

Combining hard work and canny politicking, the young Aleksandr managed to make a name for himself during the last stages of the Unification Wars. Gradually amassing political influence, allies and proteges, Aleksandr eventually won the power struggle that followed the death of the previous Director of Peace. The following purge was surprisingly lenient by Totalist standards.

Persons of Importance:

-Director Khoorli Aprayat, Head of the Directorate of Production.
-Director Leandra Fianecci, Head of the Directorate of Truth.
-Director Sapramat Tanzin, Head of the Directorate of Safety.

There are other directors but their power and influence are limited compared to the top players

Species(s) and Demographics:

The bulk of the Totalist population is human, 90% to be exact. And while the official Party line has nothing outright against Xenos, they are still among the most used boogeymen by the State propaganda machine. Because of this, the general attitude towards Xenos is one of distrust and subdued animosity. Said animosity can be wiped into a frenzied hate at a moment's notice by propaganda.

With that said, the final victory against the immediate enemies of the Party has given the State a considerable increase in its human population. Unfortunately, these elements of society have been raised and indoctrinated outside the ideals of Totalism. And while the Party has adopted some trappings of Salvationist Communism and Darwinist Autarky to its ideological framework and co-opted considerable sectors of its former enemies' state apparatus, it still hasn't been enough for them to be deemed fully integrated. And so, in the new territories, even years after the end of the war, the extermination camps and death squads are still working around the clock to eliminate all undesirable elements of society.

Besides humanity, a host of minor Xeno species live within Totalist territory. Most of these species confined to a single system or even continent. Ruled by puppet leaders advised by Totalist officers and kept purposefully primitive relative to the State. In times of war these Xenos fight side by side with the Totalist army, as cannon fodder or rearguard personel.

Religion Description and Demographics:

Official Party doctrine dictates that religion is a parasite that must be purged for the success of the Grand Plan. In practice however the situation is different. Major religions, specially those originating in foreign states, are relentlessly purged by the Directorate of Security. But several faiths and philosophies deemed "safe" by the Party are allowed to exist. And so are mostly ignored by the Cultural Commissars. But like with everything else within the State, the smallest slip or wrong word can doom an entire community to ignominious death in the basement of a slaughterhouse.

Paramount among the approved faiths is the so called "Pain Vehicle". An offshoot of Buddhism born in the bloody and chaotic days of the Imperial collapse, the Pain philosophy (as it is more commonly known) was created by the then newly-installed Buddhist theocracy of Gyala. Unable to alleviate the suffering around them, the monks instead accepted the ultimate truth that the Universe wants people to suffer. And if that's the case then suffering must be what brings enlightenment, specially if one accepts such suffering without resistance. Likewise, those who inflict suffering are seen in a very positive light since they help others achieve enlightenment faster at the cost of delaying their own escape from the cycle of death and rebirth.

In the Gyalan Protectorate, which remains a theocracy to this day, albeit a puppet of the Totalists, monks and nuns practice extreme forms of sadomasochism. Torturing themselves, their novices, their fellow clergy and the helpless local population, who has been raised to believe that this torture is actually a glorious reward.

The Pain Vehicle also does not believes that living beings have individual souls. Preaching instead that all life is merely a rogue vessel for the parts of a single soul of the same cosmic spirit. This has earned them some points with the radical Totalists as both groups despise the concept of individuality and self.

In the Totalist State proper, the Pain philosophy lacks its elaborate temple-fortress and highly organized clergy, the Party must maintain appearances after all. But this hasn't stopped the ideology from finding some fertile ground among the population. Specially those in the armed forces and security apparatus.

Of course, one can't talk about religion in the Totalist State without mentioning the Party itself and its official doctrine. Which by this point has become akin to a religion itself. Specially in its blind veneration to the Supreme Director, the supposed founder of the Totalist State and the one to create the "Grand Plan", a series of complex, confusing and often times contradictory ideals. Ignored by the Party leadership unless its convenient for them or completely misunderstood or even unknown to the wider population. In general the Grand Plan is merely used as a propaganda slogan these days.

The Anti-Individualist faction takes the Party Doctine one step further. With an even greater focus on the strength and righteousness of the group while further condemning and demonizing the individual. In the planets controlled by the Anti-Individualists, concepts such as family are completely unknown. Conception happens in vitro, in large facilities with material harvested from the population of breeding age and combined ostensibly to get the best results out of the combined genetics. Children are raised in communal centers and separated as they grow. To receive specialized education according to their designated "caste". Chosen based on the results show during their early stages of education.

Culture:

Totalist culture is in general a very utilitarian one. Centuries of Party control and the relentless work of the Cultural Commissars have created a society molded by the Totalist ideals of complete submission to the Party, where one's worth is judged solely by how much he or she is able to contribute to the State. Or at least in theory, in general a member of the upper echelons of the party has access to much more resources and amenities than a mere worker, regardless of their actual "utility".

The State is present in all aspects of life within Totalist space, either through constant propaganda or surveillance. Privacy is considered an obstacle to most and the Directorate of Safety maintains a colossal network of informants, agents and machinery to spy upon its own citizenry. To ensure their compliance. Such is their control that the black market itself is merely another facet of the Directorate of Safety, ensuring that the truly subversive material stays out of reach of the masses and that any potentially dangerous elements are (even more) closely watched by the security apparatus. On the same vein, the Directorate also maintains several small resistance groups led by double agents, to give the Party a boogeyman when needed and catch any would be rebels.

Overall, Totalist society is rather conservative. Clothing consists of drab and dull mass produced pieces. Even military and Party uniforms remain somber and subdued no matter how high in the hierarchy, though they tend to be of much higher quality than the usual citizen jumpsuit. Likewise, hair is usually kept short by both men and women. Likewise, possession and use of "decadent goods" such as makeup and perfume are considered crimes punishable with decades of forced labor in the camps.

Architecture is also very utilitarian, built to be sturdy and to last without care for aesthetics or appearance. The only exception are government buildings and monuments. Those are also supposed to impress and cow the masses into submission.

Cities are dotted with statues and monuments glorifying the Party and representing the ideals of Totalism. Smiling workers, eager peasants and stern-faced soldiers represented in steel and granite are the norm. Besides the Supreme Director himself, very few actual individuals are immortalized by the Party. Mostly due to the Totalist's disdain for "individual selfishness" in favor of the "strength of the collective".

Food is mostly of the processed and canned variety. Other kinds of meal are available but they cost so many ration cards that only the Upper Party can afford them consistently. In most rural areas however, most citizens do possess at least a small private garden to supplement their diet.

Healthcare is focused on keeping the citizens productive and breeding. And its not uncommon for workers and soldiers to receive some genetic or cybernetic modification to make them more useful. Regardless of their consent.

"Aberrant" behaviour isn't tolerated by the State, with aberrant being anything that doesn't conforms to the official Party line or isn't passively tolerated. Homosexuals, members of persecuted religions, criminals, political dissidents or merely the losing side of political struggles may, if lucky, end up in mental asylums and reeducation camps. Though chances are one probably ends up in a work or extermination camp.

Entertainment-wise, the Party has created the Cultural Sub-Directorate to monitor and control what the people may do for fun. The Sub-Directorate does its duty by fielding literal legions of Cultural Commissars tasked with creating, censoring and monitoring pieces of entertainment and art. As a matter of fact, most artists within the State are in the payroll of the Sub-Directorate.

To make their job easier, the Sub-Directorate has built millions of "Collective Interaction Centres" across the State. These complexes offer a wide variety of activities for citizens of all ages and classes. All under the watchful eyes and cameras of the Cultural Commissars.

Besides the activities approved and promoted by the Cultural Commissars, there are also a host of things that the Sub-Directorate does not concerns itself with. And these are specially popular among the lower classes, if only for the chance to get away from the overbearing presence of a Cultural Commissar.

There are several planets and systems within Totalist space that are under control of the Anti-Individualist faction of the Party. Officially designated as "social experimentation planets", these worlds are playgrounds for the radicals. Places where their ideals are implemented and perfected. Places where the Obliteration of Self, destruction of family structure and divisions among "caste stereotypes" are in full swing. For them, this is their chance to show the undeniable superiority of their ideas.

The Eastern Fringe of the Galaxy was always a contentious region. Initially settled by adventuring spirits and ambitious pioneers, by the time the Imperium first started to expand into the region, the area was occupied by a patchwork of petty states, warlords and alien races. Some of which were actually descendants of refugees fleeing the growth of the Imperium.

Without a single cohesive entity or coalition capable of facing them, the Imperium gradually conquered the Fringe in a series of military campaigns over the period of a couple centuries, the area being too far and low priority at the time to merit the allocation of larger forces. But while the conquest went well, occupation was an entirely different matter. The distance from the Imperial Core and relative backwardness of the region ensured that there was almost always something higher in the Imperium's priority for them to divert the necessary resources to fully integrate the region. Exceptions to the rule were few and far between, usually during periods of prolonged peace and prosperity. But even then the Fringe was never fully assimilated.

When the Imperium fractured, the Fringe was one of the first regions to descend into anarchy as Imperial forces either abandoned the area to join the succession war or turned into warlords, fighting against each other and the locals for domination.

It was during this period that the Totalist Party first caught the attention of the wider Galaxy. One of the many factions that managed to eke out an existence just outside the Imperium's borders, the Totalists saw the collapse of the Imperium as their chance to expand. Losing no time they dived right into the mess.

60 years later, the Fringe saw itself locked into a death struggle between three major factions: The Totalist State, the People's Republic of Cymelia and the Republic of Albion. Three repressive dictatorships with their own brand of Totalitarism. This deathly struggle of ever shifting alliances made sure that neither of the three powers was able to give any attention to the wider Galaxy.

Eventually, after almost a century of conflict, the Totalists managed to gain the upper hand after allying with a weakened Albion against Cymelia. The People's Republic fell and soon after the Totalists turned against Albion too. But this peace would not last, for just as the Totalists were mopping up the last Albion remnants, their northern territories started to be harassed by the Agonis Collective. Initially little attention was given to the issue as the Board of Directors severely underestimated the extent of the Collective's power.

The low intensity warfare against the Collective lasted for about a decade before the machines finally launched a dedicated attack against the State. Catching the Totalists somewhat by surprise, still busy erasing the last traces of their hated enemies, but at the same time giving them an actual enemy to fuel their ideology of total war.

Originally a horde of screaming highly untrained conscripts, hundreds of minor and major conflicts have transformed the Totalist Army into an actual army instead of an angry mob. The current doctrine of the Totalist Army, formalized shortly before the Fourth Hycarnian War, emphasizes the sheer size of the hosts the Totalist State can bring to bear, whether it is in a massed mechanized offensive or inside lines upon lines of fortifications.

Totalist Doctrine places great emphasis in the concept of "breakthrough exploitation". In general this means using the vast numbers of mechanized and armored forces to engage the enemy line in several different points. Overwhelming their defenses with carefully planned attacks and diversionary actions supported by staggering amounts of firepower. Once the breakthrough is achieved in one or more sectors, the reserves are unleashed into the gap with the purpose of penetrating deep into enemy lines and destroy their ability to sustain the front, striking into their logistical support chain and depriving them of reinforcements, relief or supply. For the High Command, tactical and local defeats are more than acceptable as long as victory is achieved in the strategic and operational levels.

Totalist equipment is designed with reliability and simplicity in mind. So that it may be more easily mass produced by the State's industrial park. It is the consensus among the Directorate of Peace that the soldiers need decent equipment to do their job, and nothing else. Likewise, vehicle and aircraft designs are rugged-looking machines, mass produced and extremely resilient.

The Totalist Army also prides itself in the wide array of weapons of mass destruction at its disposal. Chemical, radioactive and biological agents are being constantly improved by the Totalist scientists to ensure that no countermeasure can protect the enemies of the State. Doctrine dictates that these agents are nevertheless better used against civilian populations due to their greater vulnerability and the strain that it will cause to the enemy infrastructure.

Manpower-wise, the Totalist Army is fed by a system of rotational conscription. With hordes of men and women drafted yearly for a three year term of service, with the option of permanent service after the term is up. Those who choose to stay may even be sent to military academies and the path to officialdom alongside volunteers and children of Party members.


Totalist Conscripts

An exception to the "good enough" rule are the Black Banner Regiments. The elite of the Totalist Army, equipped with only the best in term of equipment and soldiery. The high training standards compounded with extensive cybernetic and genetic enhancements and top of the line equipment makes the Black Banner the best fighting force at the disposal of the Totalist State.


A Black Banner trooper

The Party maintains its control over the Army through the use of several classes of political officers. Whose duties range from motivating and indoctrinating the troops to ensuring the loyalty of commanders in the field. However, unlike the early days of the State, Field Commissars no longer have the authority to override all orders from the regular army officers.

To support the regular army forces, the Totalist State also fields a host of penal units. Forcefully conscripted from work camps and disgraced military personnel, these units are always the vanguard of Totalist advance. Serving for little else besides clearing up the way and absorbing enemy fire.


Penals on the charge

Besides the penal units, the Totalist Army is oftentimes supported by the armed forces of its puppet states. These minor polities (controlling a couple of systems at most) are incapable of fielding forces on the same quality as the Totalist State both due to the lack of resources and the Totalists' own policy of keeping their puppets weak. As a result these armies are of inferior quality compared to their Totalist counterparts and are instead used either as cannon fodder or for rearguard duties.

On the field, the Totalist Army organizes its forces in a system of Operational Theaters, composed of Army Groups, composed by singular armies, composed of corps and so on.

Finally, the State also fields a sizable militia force. Armed with the army's leftover and receiving some light training, the Totalist Guard isn't by any means an offensive force. Useful only for supporting the army in the defense of their homes.

The Totalist Navy reflects the longstanding Totalist policy of not worrying about the Galaxy at large. A defensively focused force, for most of its history the navy was completely focused on fighting against its regional enemies of Albion and Cymelia. Who, for a long time actually had the upper hand in space, which forced the Totalist State to adopt a defensive mindset.

As the Totalist industrial power grew, the navy was expanded. Like the army, the Totalist ships were supposed to be both cheap and reliable. Due to the defensive mindset of the Totalist Admirals, it was decided to sacrifice the operational range of the ships. So as to compensate in other areas, such as shielding and long range weaponry, and to lessen the costs. Even when the balance of power in the Unification Wars shifted in favour of the State, the relatively close distances between Totalist bases and their enemies ensured that the Directorate of Peace didn't do much to change the fact that Totalist ships have low operational range.

Another hallmark of the Totalist Navy is the Floating Fortress. A ship of colossal size capable of acting as carrier, transport and battleship, the Floating Fortress is an expensive and complex craft to manufacture. As such only the largest shipyards are capable of building and maintaining one. The original purpose of the Fortresses was to act as a mobile support base, to give the navy some more operational range. Though they have evolved beyond this role.

Offensive naval operations are thoroughly planned affairs. Advance routes have to picked in a way to allow the naval groups to remain able to be supplied. Depots, repair stations and supply lines have to be carefully planned, established and maintained. And if a Floating Fortress is involved in the operation, the effort has to be redoubled.

In general the Totalist Navy prefers long distance fights, trusting its superior shields and numbers to destroy the enemy on the other side of the solar system before moving in to support the planetary invasion.

It should also be noted that the Totalist Navy also fields its own marine component and a prestigious engineer corps. Both created with the purpose of securing and repairing enemy space infrastructure. Or building up things from the ground up, in the case of the engineers.