NATION: THE BROTHERHOOD OF DIVINE ASCENSION
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GOVERNMENT TYPE: TECHNO-THEOCRACY

The brotherhood governs its many followers through a divine leader – a figurehead for their society. The figurehead – known as the Prophet – is then surrounded by a council of ascension. The council of ascension is made up of high ranking brothers of ascension and leaders of different sects or chapters. These influential people of the brotherhood are rarely all together at any one time. If the council and the figurehead convene it would never be complete – certain areas of the brotherhood are more perilous than most and require a firm guiding hand.
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DEMOGRAPHICS ACROSS BROTHERHOOD TERRITORY:

-HUMANITY 40%

-KADKIR 30%

(DESCRIPTION WIP)

-MERAN’HANAI 20 %

(DESCRIPTION WIP)

-OTHER 10%
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CHARACTERS: (WIP)
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LEADERSHIP:

Halley Cross: A shrewd tactician, a charismatic leader, a brutal militant. Halley possess many titles, some from comrades, some from her enemies – a common one from her ignorant oppossition is “fanatical bitch”. However, such names are not a concern for the current Prophet of Ascension. She is decisive and idealistic... (WIP)
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HISTORY:

The brotherhood’s roots are deep. The idea of ascension rose out of the frozen wastelands of a world the first humans settlers called Skadi. Skadi was home to the Kadkir, a race of aliens that no longer remember what they once were after they modified their bodies to survive Skadi’s harsh weather.

The Kadkir were not native Skadi, they too were refugees. After their scientists detected a large celestial body on a collision course with their homeworld, they promptly evacuated their world at a last desperate attempt to escape oblivion. However, the Kadkir were out of luck, only the young are unmodified, the last organic connection they have with their past. The humans learned of their culture, their way of surviving the harshness of Skadi. Eventually, the humans learned of an ancient alien civilization beneath the ice, their technology and bodies completely preserved. This is how the Kadkir learned to survive. The bodies discovered underneath the ice weren’t too well preserved, however, the technology that were discovered along with the bodies seemed to have been designed to enhance biological functions – even transcend them.

It was at this point, the first pact was formed – the brotherhood was born out of this pact. Once an agreement to survive Skadi, now a quest to transcend material being and become equals – become one. The ideology came from who was believed to be the first prophet of ascension – Hal Stephan. He was the first to preach the methods of ascension, the first to preach equality to all beings, and the right to choose between ascension and biological servitude. Technology and Biology were two different worlds to Stephan. His teachings say that technology, while the purest form of ascension, was not the path for everyone, there were some who would need to be the face of ascension, the biological bridge between the two worlds – the servants of ascension.

Many of his teachings have been reinterpreted and reiterated many times, but it has built a solid framework to allow for choice. It has also been the framework of the brotherhood to see dictatorship and despotism as tools for the powerful to exploit the weak. As such, rebellions have been the tools of the Brotherhood for a long time, inciting rebellion in the disenfranchised, the weak and fragile, and the many slaves to bring their oppressors down to their knees.

Skadi became the symbol of the Brotherhood’s roots. If the brotherhood could rise above the limitations of the flesh, so too can the people rise up against their oppressors, their “Skadi”. The influence of the Brotherhood’s exploits has gained them favor in the fringes and high respect from those of the working class, with some successful revolutionists pledging their territory and gratitude from the secondary worlds. The ideology is well known among the well-traveled parts of the fringes, and many militant patrols along with Brotherhood aid being supplied have further allowed the Brotherhood to be seen as benevolent to those of their client states.
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ECONOMY:

The Brotherhood supply mercenaries, Xeno-based technology, body modification, food and medicine, and of course weapons. The Brotherhood was never meant to be a militant organization, nor was it meant to be a nation. However, the expansive growth of the Brotherhood some two hundred years after its founding prompted changes to its economic policy – more mouths to feed means more monetary resources needed to be obtained to sustain a large population. The Brotherhood already invested in pharmaceutical and medical technologies as a product of their body-modifying past – however, food was still a major concern before the midsector rebellions that ultimately pledged their allegiance to the brotherhood. As such, the Brotherhood had to sell what they had researched in order to attain some food for those who did not wish to ascend. The Brotherhood’s doors were open to all.

It wasn’t until after the Brotherhood aided several rebellions that PMC’s would become more common place within the Brotherhood’s militant ranks. PMC’s were considered to be among the elite of the Brotherhood’s militant core, as such, they were given better weapons and armor than most and if they were augmented, they would be upgraded given their elite status. It was soon discovered that elite units of the Brotherhood could be used as a way of attaining monetary funds – send the best to finish odd jobs and return with funds for the Brotherhood. As a reward, these PMC’s would be allowed to keep 40% of all their earnings. It wasn’t long till the Brotherhood was recognized as one of the few places open to mercenaries to work legally. There were rules in place to prevent clashing with other governments and organizations, however, it was generally considered okay if one was not caught in the act.
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MILITARY:

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DIVISIONS:
(WIP)
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Nation Name/Flag: (In Progress)

Government Type: Absolute Royal Diarchy (aka: two monarchs ruling together)

Demographics:

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-Dathu: 3%

-Petalos: 2%

-Other (Various): 6%

Leadership: Dynastic Absolute Diarchy

Economy:

Power/Fuel/Energy is the largest area of export in the Dominion, and is a resource the Dominion can produce in no short supply. When one gets power somewhere in the cluster, the Dominion’s technology is usually not too far away in some cases. The mineral/metal substance Umbhite and its mining/refining/synthesizing plays a role in this industry in good part, though work to innovate power/fuel/energy technology in other ways has become a very lucrative thing for the Dominion. This has also generated a prominent scientific community around this overall area as well.

Beyond Power/Fuel/Energy, the areas of weaponry, mining equipment, and cheap, affordable, non-Valkyrian-trait-reliant, lower quality Umbhite Weapons/Tools/Equipment are also generally exported and rake in a lot of money secondarily. In line with this the Dominion also exports some low-quality Umbhite, mined or synthesized, to other nations at times for experimentation or toying around with.

In a lesser fashion the Dominion does export some food and clean water, taking care to retain and hold onto a rather sizeable personal stock for its own people.

Within the Dominion’s internal economy, military technology, power/fuel/energy, and mining are actually the largest areas economically. Likewise many outside luxury goods, including exotic foods and animals spices and delicacies, are the largest imports of the nation as a whole. Technology and exotic minerals come in a close if not tied second in terms of the nation’s imports. Then alcohol and spirits are another import the Dominion generally engages in, among other lesser imports of some note or lesser note here and there.

Military:

-Infantry: Aside from the network of commanding, communications, supply, and supporting staff and troops, Dominion infantry takes several notable flavors when it comes to battle.

1 - The first type is the bulk of basic infantry, consisting of a mix of species from the empire that are primarily armed with either a non-Valkyrian-trait-reliant Umbhite weapon or equivalent sort of non-Umbhite weapon. Following this usually is a reliable and easy-to-carry sidearm, normally of the opposite nature to the main armament in regards to being Umbhite or non-Umbhite weapon, an Umbhite first aid device, Umbhite grenades, and a personal combat knife. Ancient Valkyrian warrior culture has distantly influenced the Dominion’s military in some respects as well, meaning regular troops are drilled and trained hard and thoroughly for years to build bonds with allies and turn them into high-grade professional soldiers. One can find Humans, Ka’thir, Anteans, and other general races from within the Dominion filling these ranks en-masse. Further, equipment is well-fitted to each soldier to ensure it is all carries simply, easily, and safely in the field.

A portion of those among the basic infantry after their initial training is over are also selected out for and trained in added specialized roles, including: snipers, assault troops, saboteurs, marines, artillery crew members, engineers, scouts, spies, mechanized infantry, parachuters, and more. All forms of additional training for specialized roles are equally as intensive (if not more) than their standard and basic infantry counterparts.

2 - Among the more elite type of infantry troops of the Dominion’s forces are naturally the Valkyrian troops, who from birth are usually drilled in how to fight and survive for all their lives culturally...and this does not count military training beyond that. These troops head into battle with a full Umbhite weapon (in the form of a large lance, sword, or axe) and shield in each hand respectively, and usually some form of Umbhite grenade and first aid device. Though primitive in style, these weapons are of a higher grade of Umbhite than other soldiers can wield, and along with the Valkyrians’ biological abilities and reaction to Umbhite they become a deadly force upon the battlefield. Usually they do not sport armor at all, due to their natural abilities granting some protection and notable durability when using their Umbhite weapons, and instead sport a uniform of some form to identify themselves.

Properly Elite Valkyrian troops, on the other hand, are perhaps the strongest and most skilled troops within the Dominion due to being even more trained and skilled and outfitted than their sisters. They are covered head to toe in refined Umbhite armor that they are trained in and taught to repair from Day 1, and sport the normal Valkyrian soldier equipment set, a melee weapon of some sort, and usually a firearm-style full Umbhite weapon. Even among Valkyrian kind they are considered to be a league above the average member of their species, and that is just within the ranks of the military.

3 - Specialist Antean “swarming” infantry troops are known to be adept at strategic moves on a small and large scale, especially with the species having an instinctive and unspoken ability to coordinate with each other. These special troops are most adept with the melee weapons that they are armed along with Umbhite grenades and similar basic equipment, and due to their natural strength (especially among soldier-class Anteans) can have some added armor on top of their strong carapace. Due to their tunneling prowess and unspoken ability to coordinate with each other on the battlefield, such troops can also be deployed to approach or attack positions from underground, and can be used to hold the line in strategic areas due to their natural ferocity in battle.

There is also Antean flying infantry, composed of solely Antean males, who can work in tandem with such “swarm” troops on the ground, support other infantry from the sky, or be used for various operations behind enemy lines as a “more mobile” infantry alongside stealthy Ka’thir specialists.

4 - (To Be Added, If Any, Later On If More Ideas Come Up)

-Artillery: Dominion artillery, and artillery vehicles especially, tend to utilize powerful Umbhite energy artillery, fire missiles or rockets of Umbhite and non-Umbhite sorts, deploy 100% detonating rate cluster munitions, or even utilize large mortars/howitzers of Umbhite and non-Umbhite kinds. Anti-aircraft artillery, Artillery crews, being chosen and further from among those chosen from the basic infantry, have a high level of combat skill personally on top of their training to use and even repair their own artillery as effectively as possible in the field.

-Vehicles: Land-wise, hover/flying tanks and trucks and APC’s and IVF’s, scouts’ individual hover bikes/speeders, mobile artillery hover platforms/vehicles, and the like usually dominate planet-side combat for the Dominion. Vehicles with advanced continuous track technology might be used for practicality reasons or certain terrains in some cases, however, and isn’t utterly defunct at the very least.

Ocean/Water-wise, advanced underwater vehicles can be found in individual, 2-person, and full on varying submarine forms that can scour the seas for their prey. Above water advanced hover tech can allow even the larger ships to zoom/literally fly over the top of the water at higher speeds than ever before, though can also be turned off so such ships can sit upon and move in the water in emergencies.

Further, Dominion aircraft tend to be a mix of speedy “plane”-style aircraft, great at high speed engagements up close and afar, and the rare “fast hover platform” armed with more weapons and being somewhat similar to a “UFO” shape and style.

-Spacecraft: Dominion spacecraft tends to take two predominant forms. The first is that individual fighter craft are usually styled similar to the Dominion’s aircraft, banking on speed and high firepower with an average level of defensive power. Medium-sized combat craft and bombers tend to follow a similar fashion, though with a bit less speed and bit more defensive power. Yet far larger craft, the likes of frigates, battleships, and the Dominion-unique titanic behemoth-class vessels that carry other smaller vessels are progressively in turn far slower, far more defensive, and are equipped with even more firepower.

Culture/Technology:

-Due to the founding Kyrenian culture, itself a mix of Valkyrian and Ka’thir culture that had a long time to integrate, the Dominion’s own culture has been impacted largely by this past. One example of this is the very mixed and acceptable styles of clothing. On Ankhan and other hot or desert-like worlds one can find the “scant” clothing that has become common there, on another Dominion world one might find people dressed warmer in a mix of modern and traditional local clothing made from a certain kind of fur, and one might also find traditional clothes with designs like a traditional Valkyrian spiral on it worn on natives of a far-of colony to boot.

***Fun Fact: Spiraling designs on Dominion citizen clothing can also generally be traced back to ancient Valkyrian culture and beliefs/religion, whereas the ancient Ka’thir culture is the originator of ornate snake designs and the “golden eye of the sun” that featured much in ancient Ka’thir religion and religious design and also in Kyrenian culture.



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-(More To Be Added Later On)

History: Ankhan is the fifth planet in the Hervor System of the Eden Cluster, but by no means is its true importance diminished by its spot in the numerical order. The plant is gigantic, a giant among planets that is many-fold larger than Earth and sports a grand arrangement of biomes. One-half of the planet's landmass is composed of scorching desert, rolling dunes, flat plains, dangerous alien fauna above and below ground, and oasis locations that vary greatly in size along with their own brand of colorful and strange plants and fauna. The northern and southern poles of the planet, though normal in ratio to the rest of the planet, are composed of vast icy shelves and wastes, underground metals and rare minerals jutting out above in great (sometimes titanic) slabs by the pole’s magnetic pull and seismic activity, and last but not least a wide band of tundra and taiga. The remainder of the planet’s land is composed of an array of biomes that some might recognize, from volcanic areas along major fault lines, to temperate and tropical regions and forests, to even an array of islands that lie amidst the great oceans of the planet.

While life naturally has come to thrive within the planet’s various more moderate climates, within the extremes of Ankhan’s landscape have evolved an array of admittedly very hardy and highly resilient species have arisen. Among these have been at least three alien civilizations, long separated by space and clime and time as they evolved into greater powers from just mere animals. Yet out of all the races that arose on Ankhan, who lived and breathed and died, only one came to rise above all others.

This would be infamously hardy, highly resilient, mightily strong, and stubborn race of the frozen north, warriors whose bodies were the stuff of ancient legend, and conquerors who grew up among such constant conflict their strength became seemingly unmatched: The Valkyrian. This human-like race, a product of the extreme climate they called home and the rigors of “convergent evolution” and “parallel evolution” alike, were able to initially carve out their lands and territory within the bands of taiga and tundra in the far north against all the odds. Their constant battles over every scrap of land, Umbhite, and food/water that existed in the landscape with each other also led them to become extremely and intimately honed in the ways of war. Often primitive Valkyrian tribes would use natural caves, or ones they dug out of solid stone, to form their own homes. They would sometimes go to the great chunks of natural ‘Umbhite’ mineral/metal deposits jutting out of the ground, with primitive Valkyrian artisans into great spirals/lances that seemed to jut up towards the sky.

Ankhan’s other races originally thought the Valkyrian to be nothing but savages, battle-lusting, dim-witted, and too focused among themselves to become anything of significance. Though when the race was eventually united under a charismatic and skilled leader, after many centuries of conflict and in-fighting, Ankhan’s other races found that the Valkyrians were not as simple and brute as they had first assumed. The amassed might of the frozen north became a great army, one which pushed down the rough path of subjugation as it passed through each nation and land. The leader of this force, who became known as Hildr the Conqueror, carved a great path through Ankhan and cleft apart all resistance that arose against her along the way. She forged a mighty empire that stretched farther than any other, and assimilated peoples and places and cultures underneath the guiding wings of her people’s control.



This empire was passed on from generation to generation of Hildr’s children, expanding and becoming seemingly more glorious by the age. Streets were filled with activity, ships flew carrying cargo and soldiers, and Ankhan became prosperous. Though when the Empire finally completed reaching out into the rest of their home system...the ancient Empire began to amass issues within and without. Much akin to the Roman Empire of Earth’s far-flung ancient past, its wealth, outside enemies, and in-fighting drove it to its greatness eventually became its downfall.

“Barbarians” from outside its lands, and about the empire’s eventual colonies on other planets, attacked them for their wealth and stretched their military might. Internally future empresses and nobles began to bicker and bark over land and control, and the children of the empresses began to try to assert their right to inherit the throne over each other. The old economy fueled by war and the taking of other lands and conquering peoples began to slow as space for expansion became smaller and smaller to boot, and as the money and progress ran dry everything Hildr had once founded began to unravel. Factions carved up the empire into warring former territories, barbarian warlords carved up former Empire lands and space colonies as their own, and in the end Valkyrian presence was cut out and limited to the nations and states that remained upon Ankhan’s surface.

Though amidst this dark stretch of time myriad successor states that emerged on Ankhan, seeking to reclaim the glory of the old Empire or to assert the power it once held. These various states had highly mixed results that, ultimately, ended in catastrophic failure too early and too soon to achieve anything of note. Yet one of these successor states seemed to bide its time, building up itself and its people, and stood apart from the others as it worked to make the grounds for conquest possible. This state, lying deep within the far-reaching and scorched desert lands of Ankhan, with underground cities among the dunes, and with their capital placed at the anciently settled delta of the mighty Ras’nem River, was the nation of Kyrenia...led by some of the last remaining descendants of Hildr.



Among the warring states of Ankhan, and the notable decay in population in most areas of the planet that followed as others threw themselves upon the fires of war, came new arrivals to Ankhan from beyond the stars. In the year 971 ED the human arc the “GEC Sigrid” arrived at Ankhan, landing in a greener area near the desert that had been long abandoned to the wilderness and ruins and wildlife. They built up settlements, tried to farm and plow the soil of Ankhan, attempted to adapt to the wildlife, and remained unknowingly isolated for several years from the alien people of the planet due to the planet’s size. Yet after initially observing the humans for a time, and looking to see if they would be a threat to them, the Kyrenians approached the colonists formally near the end of the colonists’ second year...when it was decided they were of little danger to them.

It was a surprise for the humans, who had at first thought they were alone on an abandoned planet. Though despite the initially tense situation of their first encounter, the peaceful approach of the Kyrenian party and curiosity of human colonists led to eventually discussions forming. Valkyrian translation technology, long present due to the old Empire, provided a quick medium for the talks that followed. Filling in the colonists on some of the past, and making the precarious current local situation clear, the Kyrenians offered the colonists a bargain that could benefit both parties. The Kyrenians would give the colonists assistance, mainly in farming and supplies and dealing with the planet’s dangers, they needed and take them as allies. In return, however, the Kyrenians desired one thing had taken an interest in: technology. Technology of the humans, which might help them further advance and bring order to their home world...and perhaps beyond, to rebuild a stable system better than the old Empire ever had.

It was a hard bargain to drive, and in the end a strategic move on the Kyrenian side, but ultimately the colonists agreed to the deal after some consideration. The supplies and assistance to cement their colony were more than good, and the Kyrenians had made their status as a potential ally to help retain a foothold on a new world. Likewise the Kyrenians would acquire and assimilate new and advantageous technology to assist their goals and get and advantage over their local rivals, as well as acquire a new and useful ally from beyond the stars.

The people of Ankhan would rise as a greater power once more.



Over the next over 900 years, the Kyrenians and their new human allies (eventually assimilated) began an era of expansion that would come to reshape the Hervor System once more…and beyond. Kyrenian might and Human technology blended, as did alien culture and earthly ingenuity, and a great boom occurred that resulted in the full annexation of Ankhan within 50 years. Within 200 several old colonies from the time of the Old Empire had been reclaimed and rebuilt, and space stations as well as jump gates were being constructed. Within 600-700 years, Kyrenians and humans of old had fully evolved into the “Imperial Dominion of Ankhan”, and had taken control over entire worlds and systems in their wake. Only when The Eden Accord was put forward did this stop the Dominion and Ankhanites within it from expanding even further, a measure which was...somewhat begrudgingly accepted by the Dominion.

As of current times, nearly a thousand years since the time humankind first landed on Ankhan, the Dominion has taken to securing and reinforcing its borders and internal economy. Though the Dominion’s core system is naturally the most built-up, well developed, and most prosperous area of their territory, they have also been undergoing campaigns to build up and advance their more distant systems. In this vein the Dominion has been at occasional odds with the Interstellar Trade Commission's tactics, at least in regards to less developed systems within the Dominion’s own borders. With better technology than the Old Empire, however, and ultimately superior stability after learning from the Old Empire’s mistakes, the Dominion seems poised to continue to surpass its predecessor.

Other:

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1) Do they have any other industries than cloning?

In fact they are a highly industrialized, export-oriented nation (China-like). Ghaasa is mostly depleted of any non-renewable ressources, mostly depending on imported raw materials. However, being a post-ressource peak world, it holds large state-of-the art semiautomated industrial complexes (many of them in orbit, as landing is fuel-ineficient), manufacturing the whole range of products of a Kardashev Type I civilization.

Their most appreciated, renowned, signature products are neural constructs (for robotics and neuroimplants), biocompatible-AIs, finest-quality replicants and artificial beings and geoingeenering machines for terraformation. Through their collaboration with the ITC, they manage to retain a network of supplier, quasi-colonialized planets, whose economy end up becoming dependent on our evil technology.

Considering the planet is a ecumenopolis, what else is there? Are all their citizens clones?

Ghaasa was a vibrant ecumenopolis, but its now mostly inhabitable. After all, Ghaasa was bought at laughable price for a whole planet. Acid rain sweeps the abandoned megalopolis outside the arcologies, and its atmosphere is so thin that it is bombarded by UV radiation.

While clones and other biorobotic serfs amount to roughly 65% of the population, there is a 15 % of neo humans implanted with behaviour chips, a 5% of "sleepers" (neohumans living in "the Matrix"), a 10% of non-implanted neohumans (who continually are the
target of progroms, and hence often forced to live off-grid), and a 5% of "true" citizens (many of whom are actually encarnated AIs).

As unappealling as Ghassa may look for travellers, it is indeed an important trade node, and below the skyscraper ruins, visitors would be able to enjoy some of the finest, most intrincate and perverted synth-pleasures of the galaxy.

2) How would their clones compete with AI and drones? Who exactly is willing to test and purchase their services?

Robotics, neurotech and bioengineering are the ingreedients of all Ghaasan recipees. Clones are massly produced, cheap bodies for whatever task they are genetically dessigned for. Their more sofisticate -and expensive- "creatures" are designed to excel at the tasks their masters program to.

Their own leaders are autonomous IA, so Ghaasan favour biorobotics hoping for potential rival awaken AIs to perish as the ircarcasses fail. Neo-humans are, well, unreliable and therefore disposable.

Ghaasan's main clients are developing colonies, corporations or other investors in need for synthethic manpower, or planetary-scale environmental and social "adjustements". But a tycoon wanting to buy a new elite cloned neuro-obedient army, or a high rank officer from the core-worlds wanting to transcend mortallity into a decayless computer would readily contact a Ghaasan representative.