[OOC] The War of the Great Kingdoms (A Sci-Fi NRP)

[Cosmic Fury]

Interest Check Thread || In-Character Thread (Coming Soon)

The galaxy is teeming with life... and it's not as friendly as we might think at first sight. Vast civilizations from long ago have tamed the stars, only to wipe each other out in an effort to subdue one another. For thousands of years, these old factions eventually drove one another to extinction, never to be seen again...

In the ashes of the old world, a new one rises like a glorious phoenix, waiting to prove to all that it will be more grand than it was in its old life. It has been only a few thousand years since the old civilizations died out, leaving a gap in power throughout the galaxy. In the ages since, the races of the galaxy have risen up to claim glory for themselves and exert their will over the rest of the galaxy, at whatever cost necessary.



Welcome to War of the Great Kingdoms. This is a character-driven Sci-Fi NRP. In addition, I plan for this RP to be very in-depth in terms of both character development and nation-building, very much like the last incarnation before the old RPG died off. As such, detail is strongly encouraged here, in your factions, and especially your characters.

Staff of WTG

GM -- Cosmic Fury
In charge of running the RP in general. Does everything you expect a GM can do, except be a massive jerk at any given moment.

Co-GM's -- Raptorman & Alfhedil
Assist the GM in running the roleplay. Can approve and deny factions as well as take care of nasty business while the GM isn't present.

Cartographer -- OPEN
Makes the maps. Generally the guy everyone whines at most often.

The Wolves -- Themselves
They're the ones that'll burn you alive if you come here only to be an idiot.

Rules -- Read or be fed to the wolves!

1. Instead of making five different tiny rules, I'm going to simply say this: Don't be a dick. In other words, treat others with respect, don't butcher the English language, and don't wave your epeen in everyone's faces. This includes abusing the system.
2. This RP is intended for high-quality posts. If you've got little experience roleplaying, you've still got a spot here. Just be fully aware though, that one-liners simply will not fly.
3. Anyone making a faction full of overpowered and simply over-the-top people will be dragged out into the streets, and then fed to the wolves. You know who you are. If you really want a race of badasses, they're going to have equally bad weaknesses.
4. For the love of God, please do NOT make a Mary Sue or Gary Stu faction, OR character. I've seen enough non-creativity in my 22 years to last five lifetimes.
5. All factions can be defeated. All factions can die. All characters can experience defeat. All characters can die. While player-controlled characters (and to an extent PC factions) have obvious priority, they are not invincible, and BY NO MEANS are they unstoppable. Anyone who makes a character or faction that breaks this rule (or even attempts to) will be thrown into the streets, then fed to the wolves.
6. Not everyone can be the Big Bad. Be aware of this as you create your NS.
7. Because I simply LOVE writing rules down, I'll simply add another to the list to waste some space.

Banned Technologies

After careful consideration, I have determined that a certain few things are best not found here, for any number of reasons.

1. Space Magic of any kind, for obvious reasons. Gray areas in technology are permitted, but don't push your luck. If it sounds unreasonable and completely outlandish, it just might be the case.
2. Time Travel, Time Dilation, or anything having to do with mucking around with time are not permitted. No exceptions.
3. Teleportation is not allowed in any form. That includes Instantaneous Travel, for obvious reasons. (Sorry, but that includes most versions of Stargates as well.)
4. Black Holes and very similar singularities are also on this list. You can use singularities, just not that particular kind.
5. Telepathy is not allowed under most circumstances, including biological telepathy. This is too easily abused, and is hence on the ban list. Talk to me first if you insist on using it in spite.
6. Telekinesis, and Psionics are strictly banned.
7. Other technologies that are either overpowered, or not conducive to the setting are not allowed. In addition, anything that turns your factions into Mary Sues and Gary Stus will be fed to the wolves.

Characters

Character Sheet

Name:
Nickname/Alias: (If any -- this also includes anything on a Wanted "poster" if your character is an outlaw)
Gender:
Age/Apparent Age:
Species/Race: (Just the name)
Species Description: (Only fill out if your character does not belong to an already-created race. If this is the case, and your character is also not humanoid, please fill this out separately.)
Allegiance: (Which faction is your character loyal to? Choose with care -- it'll affect your character directly.)
Home Faction: (What faction did they come from?)
Occupation: (If any)
Current Employer: (If any)
Position: (If any)
Titles: (If any)
Rank: (If Applicable)
Appearance/Description: (No less than 100 words or so without a picture. Even with a picture you're still expected to tell us at least something about them.)

Skills: (Self-descriptive -- but don't go overboard without a reason.)
Personal Merits: (What makes your character stand out above the crowd? List at least three good ones.)
Personal Flaws: (Self-explanatory. List at least three or four good ones.)
Personality: (Self-explanatory. No word limit, but depth is mandatory. I want originality here, no Mary Sues/Gary Stus

Additional Information: (Any information not found above can go here)
History: (Describe in as much length as you desire. However, it is a MUST that you at least give a reason why your character is in their current postion, and at least give an idea what they might be doing when your character enters the RP.)

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Factions

Basic Information -- Required

Empire Name: (Includes what other people commonly call your faction.)
Capital System/Planet:
Home Region: (Regions available: Carina Arm, Sagittarius Arm, Orion Spur, Perseus Arm)
Ruler(s):
Head of Military:
Other Key Figures:
Population: (If you cannot come up with a number with confidence, you can leave this blank and we'll fill it out based on the rest of your application.)
Type of Power (Consult the power chart for this. More powerful nations will be monitored for quality, quantity, and related BS.)
Species Description: (What are your people called? What do they look like? Anything else that makes them stand out from others?)

History: (Self-Explanatory. Be as detailed as you desire -- just don't make it short as heck.)

Type of Government: (Required)
Description of Government: (Please be at least a bit detailed on this one. It tells us how you run your country.)
Type of Economy: (required)
Description of Economy: (Not required, but details are welcome here.)

Foreign Relations -- Filled out Over Time

Faction Status: (Note any major wars or diplomatic events going on.)

Diplomatic Approach: (Note your nation's general approach toward others -- and better yet, how your faction would have others approach you.)
Aggressiveness: (How often does your nation attack others? How aggressive is it towards the little guys, or even the big ones?)
State of War: (Are you fighting minor wars, major wars, nothing at all? Note whatever you want here.)

Allies: (Doesn't matter how close they are as long as it's official. Run it by GMs first.)
Friends: (Add whoever your nation likes here.)
Apathetic: (Add whoever your nation avoids/doesn't care about at all here.)
Foes: (Add whoever your nation doesn't like here.)
At War: (Doesn't matter the scale of conflict between the two factions. Run conflicts by both the player involved and the GM if the conflict started before IC's events take place.)

Society, Culture, & Religion -- Not Required

Dominant Society: (Give a brief description of your faction's society, or simply fill out the forms below if you're stuck.)
Social Hierarchy: (Who's the top dog and who's at the bottom? Fairly self-explanatory.
Moral Values: (What virtues does your society hold most dear?)

Culture: (Give a brief description of your faction's culture. List anything that lets it stand out.)
Other Notes: (List anything truly unique that doesn't fit with the rest.)

Religion: (What's it called? How did it emerge within your faction? List one form for each major religion practiced within your faction.)
Gods: (if any)
Tenets: (What are the principles taught by your religion?)
Religious Beliefs: (Give any examples that make it stand out from the crowd.)
Other Notes:

Misc. Cultural Traits
Class Distinctions: (What divides the classes and castes in your faction? How do they work? Does your faction have social mobility?)
Politics: (How does it play a role in your society?)
Entertainment: (What do your people talk about or do in their spare time? Do they even have spare time to goof off?)
News & Other Media: (How is your faction informed on current events?)
Language: (How does it work in general? List anything of note here.)

Technology -- Not Required

Technological Overview: (Just give some basics on what makes your faction unique, or simply fill out the blanks below. Your ideas give us insight on what you're capable of writing.)

Groundbreaking Technologies: (You're very much encouraged to put this here. It'll give an idea of how advanced your faction is in relation to its neighbors.)
Special Military Technologies: (This is what makes your military unique, and likely gives it an edge over other factions. Tread with care, as most of the banned technologies will be directly related to this field.)

(The following are mostly for civilian technologies and are not required. However, they are encouraged.)

Transportation:
Utility:
Power:
Offensive:
Medicine:
Biology:
Cybertronics: (computer techs, including artificial intelligence.)
Construction:

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Power Chart

Size 0: Minor Planetary Nation Your sucks so much that it hasn't even thought of reaching the stars. It's more worried about its own existence rather than dreaming of FTL. Likely Population: Less than 200 Million
Size 1: Planetary Power Your faction still stinks. It hasn't even warped into space yet... but it's getting there. Likely Population: 150-500 Million
Size 2: Planetary Superpower Your faction might have invented FTL... or not. Either way, your faction still pales in comparison to any interstellar power out there. Asteroids colonies are still a new and cool thing back home. Likely Population: 250 Million to 5 Billion

Size 3: Intra-Stellar Power Your faction has just invented FTL, and it firmly occupies territory only within a single star system. Likely Population: 5 Billion to 15 Billion
Size 4: Minor Inter-Stellar Power Your faction has fully colonized and unified its home system, and has began to expand into other systems. Likely Population: 20 Billion to 35 Billion
Size 5: Major Inter-Stellar Power Your faction occupies several star systems and may have dominion over other sentient races as well. Likely Population: 40 Billion to 60 Billion

Size 6: Inter-Stellar Superpower Your faction occupies a few dozen systems, and likely has several alien species under its control. Likely Population: 75 Billion - 100 Billion
Size 7: Minor Regional Power Your faction is firmly grounded in the galaxy, and has established its control over many stars, and likely many species as well. Likely Population: 125 Billion to 200 Billion
Size 8: Major Regional Power Your faction holds sway over much of its known space. There are few factions out there that are able to mount a challenge against it. Likely Population: 250 Billion to 500 Billion
Size 9: Regional Superpower Your faction is likely the overlord of that entire region, if it doesn't rule over the whole thing directly. This is typically as big as the most well-established factions get. Note that the number of these will be capped. Likely Population: 600 Billion to 1.5 Trillion.

Size 10: Galactic Power The Big Bad -- or something close to it. Note that there will be none at the start of the RP, unless I approve it after careful consideration. Likely Population: Above 1.5 Trillion.

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Without further ado, I present the characters and factions that have been accepted into the War of the Great Kingdoms.

Character Posts

None currently

Accepted Factions

Glacian Empire (Cosmic Fury)

Fractal Synchronicity (Alfhedil)

Asphodel (Missing Axis, Riemann, Dragonruby, Redsheild)

Redspace Confederacy (Xaxl)

The Dominion (Skylar)

Yaren Axis (ASTA)

Bhulhatur (Sovereign Grave)

The Commonwealth (Ozerath)

The Astro Confederation (Yog Sothoth)

The Trangkar Imperium (Raptorman)

The Chemdlat War Bands (bewilderedTranscendent)

NPC Factions

None have been created thus far.

[Cosmic Fury]

Nothing but a largely empty WIP here.

The Glacian Empire

Empire Name: The Glacian Empire -- a.k.a. The Great Kingdoms of Draegar (obsolete name)
Capital System/Planet: Dragonstone (city), Draegar Prime (planet), Draegar System
Home Region: Orion Spur
Ruler(s):Emperor Lucius Draegar, The First of His Name
Head of Military:Fleet Admiral Geoff Harsha
Other Key Figures: King Edward Ferro of Pyrax, Queen Leanna Gale of Aero, King Andrei Steele of Mashiro, Grand Duke Karl Draegar, Queen Helen Draegar of Valeria, Prince Andrew Draegar, King Eric Nafunae of Duro, Princess Anna Nefunae, Queen Marin Rai of Stormhold, Prince Giovanni Rai

The Great Kings and Queens King Edward Ferro of Pyrax, Queen Leanna Gale of Aero, King Andrei Steele of Mashiro, Queen Helen Draegar of Valeria, King Eric Nafunae of Duro, Queen Marin Rai of Stormhold

The Imperial Family (all italicized names belong to deceased persons. Listed in genealogical order. Bold is the current ruler.)
Emperor Nobunaga VII -- Former emperor and grandfather of Emperor Lucius, died of old age. Empress Mai Draegar -- died of natural causes; was outlived by Nobunaga. Grand Duke Nikolai Draegar -- Assassinated several years before Emperor Nobunaga's death. Grand Duchess Aria Draegar -- Assassinated along with her husband. Grand Duke Alexander Draegar -- Assassinated along with his parents. Emperor Lucius Draegar -- Alexander's younger brother, and a young man of nearly 23 years; ruling member of the Imperial Family, and Emperor of the Glacians. Grand Duke Karl Draegar -- Lucius's younger brother, an infant of five years; was born shortly before his parents were killed.

Population: 624 Billion
Type of Power Size 8.5 (Prominent Regional Power)
Species Description: The people of the Glacian Empire consist of many species. However, most notable and numerous of these is the dominant race, known widely as the Glacians. These people are very much humanoid, like so many other races of the galaxy are. They tend to be pale-skinned, and exhibit very strong hair and eye color.

Their hair and eyes consist of multiple, layered colors -- much like a gemstone contains its own colors and facets. An extremely large number of colors are out there, so very few Glacians are alike, and almost none have multi-layered white hair, even in old age. The presence of pure white hair is regarded as a very special irregularity among the Glacians, and is commonly associated with a semi-divine being known in popular myth and culture as the Lord of Light, the only recorded manifestation of their religion upon the actual material universe.

Aside from that, Glacians typically have an affinity to see very deeply into whatever color matches their eyes. For example, should a Glacian have pure blue-blue-blue eyes, they would typically see that same color in a spectacular number of ways -- even though a pure color combination is a rare thing indeed, with the exception of the very highest echelons of nobility.

Typically, their skin color, hair color, and eye color come in three layers -- sometimes four in rare cases. Typically, their hair and skin color hold an extremely faint bioluminescence, likely due to the darker world they originally hailed from. Many eons ago, this was supposed to enhance vision in total darkness, but currently only those with pure-colored eyes can naturally see in such conditions... but only in the color their eyes happen to be.

Glacians are actually fairly short for humanoids. Most of the common folk are only 4-6 standard feet in height, and the nobility is about 5-6. However, it is not uncommon to see Glacians taller or shorter than that around.
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History: Glacians have a long and rich history, much of it built by blood.

The old homeworld that the Glacians hail from essentially doesn't exist -- it was destroyed during a full-blown civil war that the Great Kingdoms waged against one another about 1500 years ago. Instead, after the war ended through a series of political maneuvering, coups, various back stabbings, and a few well-placed military strikes, one Great Kingdom rose over the other five: the Great Kingdom of Valeria, led by the ancient but obscure Draegar family.

The new Emperor consolidated his power rapidly, and appointed his cousin as the new King of Valeria. He himself founded a new capital, on a world named after his family -- the first such event to have occurred since the founding of the original Great Kingdoms when the Glacians first plied the stars. Since then, the Emperors ruled out of Draegar for centuries, in spite of many upheavals within the Empire.

Now, the Empire has gone through another upheaval. A series of assassinations and poorly timed deaths has left the Imperial Family barren, with only two surviving members -- one a little child, and one scarcely older than that. The new Emperor is still very young, and many believe he knows nothing of the world outside the vast and opulent palace that he grew up in. In addition, forces work all around to try to manipulate the Emperor... or outright replace him.

Overall, it's a tough world currently for what's left of the Imperial Family, and the Great Houses are eyeing the throne, like vultures do over a dying animal in the desert. The only remaining question is: will the new Emperor prove his worth and strength? His decisions as the new Emperor will either get him into the history books as a superb leader, or leave him in the dust as yet another failure in the pantheon of weak Emperors that the Glacians have had in their early days.
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Type of Government: Imperial Monarchy, backed by a system of various subordinate monarchies and legislatures
Description of Government: (Please be at least a bit detailed on this one. It tells us how you run your country.)

Type of Economy: Capitalist, with government-owned industries adding competition to ensure that corporations within the Empire do not go out of control.

Description of Economy: After many years, the Glacian Empire had obviously reached a zenith in military power. However, war with other nations was slowly becoming an obsolete way of ensuring that new markets were joining the economy constantly. So, the Glacians also adopted a massive colonization and terraforming program, designed to strengthen the Empire within. This has propelled the economy forward, and incidentally has strengthened the military on a defensive level to new heights. While war isn't quite as important as it once was, the Glacians nevertheless pride themselves in their growing military strength, knowing that in order to truly expand, war must eventually be waged with other nations... and this happens somewhat often, as they do have their share of enemies.

Foreign Relations -- Filled out Over Time

Faction Status: (Note any major wars or diplomatic events going on.)

Diplomatic Approach: (Note your nation's general approach toward others -- and better yet, how your faction would have others approach you.)
Aggressiveness: (How often does your nation attack others? How aggressive is it towards the little guys, or even the big ones?)
State of War: (Are you fighting minor wars, major wars, nothing at all? Note whatever you want here.)

Allies: (Doesn't matter how close they are as long as it's official. Run it by GMs first.)
Friends: (Add whoever your nation likes here.)
Apathetic: (Add whoever your nation avoids/doesn't care about at all here.)
Foes: (Add whoever your nation doesn't like here.)
At War: (Doesn't matter the scale of conflict between the two factions. Run conflicts by both the player involved and the GM if the conflict started before IC's events take place.)

Society, Culture, & Religion -- Not Required

Dominant Society: (Give a brief description of your faction's society, or simply fill out the forms below if you're stuck.)
Social Hierarchy: (Who's the top dog and who's at the bottom? Fairly self-explanatory.
Moral Values: (What virtues does your society hold most dear?)

Culture: (Give a brief description of your faction's culture. List anything that lets it stand out.)
Other Notes: (List anything truly unique that doesn't fit with the rest.)

Religion: (What's it called? How did it emerge within your faction? List one form for each major religion practiced within your faction.)
Gods: (if any)
Tenets: (What are the principles taught by your religion?)
Religious Beliefs: (Give any examples that make it stand out from the crowd.)
Other Notes:

Misc. Cultural Traits
Class Distinctions: (What divides the classes and castes in your faction? How do they work? Does your faction have social mobility?)
Politics: (How does it play a role in your society?)
Entertainment: (What do your people talk about or do in their spare time? Do they even have spare time to goof off?)
News & Other Media: (How is your faction informed on current events?)
Language: (How does it work in general? List anything of note here.)

Technology -- Not Required

Technological Overview: (Just give some basics on what makes your faction unique, or simply fill out the blanks below. Your ideas give us insight on what you're capable of writing.)

Groundbreaking Technologies: Resurrection Technology (see Biology & Medicine), Warp
Special Military Technologies: (This is what makes your military unique, and likely gives it an edge over other factions. Tread with care, as most of the banned technologies will be directly related to this field.)

(The following are mostly for civilian technologies and are not required. However, they are encouraged.)

Transportation:
Utility:
Power:

Offensive:

Nova cannons have been a crowning achievement in Glacian technology -- and among the most powerful weapons technologies that the Glacians have thus far installed in their larger ships. The main advantage these things have is far superior firepower over the fusion guns that many of their ships (including drones) carry. However, they have only been able to fit these onto their larger ships, due to the size constraints involved in carrying such massive firepower. In addition, the Glacians are only able to fit so many of these onto their ships, as the power constraints between too many of these guns would create a loss of space required to hold them in smaller ships. They pride themselves in the fact that no other factions in the area possess such raw power, in spite of its sheer power requirements.

Nova cannons are in essence high-powered fusion guns, deviating from antiparticle cannons that many of the smaller Glacian ships now favor. Extremely high-powered fusion rounds have become easier to contain, and thus more efficient and more deadly on Glacian capital and sub-capital ships, than antimatter or fusion rounds. The fusion round is compressed almost to the point of becoming its own "singularity" -- an unstable, miniature star -- that deteriorates rapidly upon being fired. The round instantly melts down and explodes upon contact with any large object, or after about an hour of flight.

Aside from their guns, their drones are the pride of the Glacian fleet, and their use is not only widespread in war, but essential to their strategy. Massive numbers of small, inexpensive drones make up the main mass of the first waves of attacks. Against small opponents, this usually works, and is also an effective way of testing out prototypes -- and trashing those that fail the extreme tests of actual combat -- all in one move. Usually, sub-capital carriers pour out massive numbers of such drones as needed onto the battlefield, although large numbers of small, fully automated carriers exist to prevent costly casualties from taking place in the face of fierce and effective resistance.

What follows after the initial zerg rush is a wave of yet another fleet of drones -- this one consisting of more advanced units that have passed previous combat tests. These drones are what have earned the Glacians a reputation of being so deadly with their Imperial Navy,

Defensive:

In terms of armor, a hyperdense, "living" isometal hull is another breakthrough that the Glacians happily employed with this class of ship. It is superior in battle over previous hulls, and it is also far less demanding on maintenance, except in certain situations. It consists of several layers: the inner core, which is composed of an extremely rigid hull -- which also forms the outer hull proper of the ship. The next layer is ablative armor that is always being repaired by swarms of nanomachines, and the outer layer actually is composed of a "skin" consisting of mostly small "scales" that are actually formations used by the nanomachines, to protect themselves from being dispersed too badly when struck by powerful weapons. These rapid self-repairing mechanisms, while incredibly expensive, are incredibly effective in spite, and thus are used anyway, as their very presence in combat is worth every Dragon spent on them.

These designs are found most often on capital ships, as well as sub-capital ships such as battleships, battlestars, and escort carriers for both manned fighters and drones. This provides a distinct advantage in both saved resources and military defenses, for when the main fleet enters the battle after the drone-heavy vanguard has done its share of dirty work.

However, such expensive and sophisticated armor designs aren't found nearly as often on unmanned ships, especially the smaller ones. Instead, they have the more "traditional" dual-layered armor, consisting of a rigid inner hull, and a scaled outer hull that is under constant, automated maintenance. The most notable exception to this fact is the drone carriers, as well as the small unmanned battlestars that carry fewer numbers of drones into battles that do not require the presence of capital (or sub-capital) ships.

Energy shields have long helped provide a screen for energy-based weapons, helping to either disperse or deflect such weapons. However, they tend to be naturally weak against projectile weapons, such as heavy missles -- which the armor helps cover for. In addition, antiparticle weapons, although partly dispersed by the energy shields, remain a problem, as even their highly effective armor can only last so long against concentrated antimatter fire.

Thermal shielding, while somewhat effective, is somewhat helped by both the energy screens (which help dissipate the heat energy) and the armor (which takes it head-on). However, such shielding is being replaced by more efficient energy screens, which are starting to grow more efficient at dissipating and/or deflecting thermal charges thrown their way. Until then, thermal shielding remains sub-par in comparison to the numerous other types of defenses that the Glacians possess, and currently their armor takes the brunt of the hits.

Medicine:
Biology:
Cybertronics: (computer techs, including artificial intelligence.)
Construction:

Space Fleet: Capital & Subcapital Ships -- WIP

Battlestar & Star Destroyer
The battlestar is one of the main sub-capital ships that make up the core of the Glacian carrier fleet. Battlestars, and their larger equivalent in the Star Destroyers, fill the role of a standard carrier/supercarrier AND a battleship/dreadnought. While they do not field as many guns as the ship-of-the-line, nor as many fighters as a carrier vessel, they nevertheless have much greater flexibility in their strategy, and are foremost among the other capital (and sub-capital) ships that can wage war without the support of other similar-sized ships.

Battlestars and Star Destroyers have similar weapons, with the only difference being in the choice of primary weapon: the Star Destroyer has nova cannons instead of the traditional fusion gun array that usually have accompanied this class of ship in the last several decades. The other primary difference is the size -- Star Destroyers are considerably larger, and are considered capital ships.


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Carriers & Supercarriers

Carriers (listed in image below) and Supercarriers (listed in the second image), form the backbone of a basic carrier fleet. Drone carriers are almost always configured in a similar way to the regular capital carriers -- their sub-capital variants are also configured in a similar manner. The supercarrier is a different story. Its sheer size allows for it to field a vast array of point defense weapons, but it still needs to rely on fleet support for heavy fire. Carriers are nearly always accompanied by battlestars, battleships, dreadnoughts, or a combination of these massive ships.

Supercarriers sport an additional armament of modest-sized cannons in large numbers, meant for planetary bombardment in conjunction with both its massive complement of fighters, along with its escorting fleet. Usually, these guns have been fusion guns, but the latest Victory-Class Supercarriers have started incorporating smaller-sized nova guns to eliminate stronger targets. These placements are also used with antiship combat, making the Supercarriers formidable foes against fleets that prefer sending smaller ships to face them down, as is the primary tactic of most fleets.

(Drone Carrier/Supercarrier)


(Manned Supercarrier)


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Dreadnought

These are truly the heavy hitters of the Glacian fleet. Many of their larger dreadnoughts are configured much the same as the smaller ones, with the size of their weapons placement normally being in near-perfect proportion, compared to their smaller models.

These ships are typically armed to the teeth with advanced weaponry, and well-defended with shielding. They serve along with Supercarriers as both command vessels and line vessels, and are typically found with either of these other two types of ships, to add versatility to the sheer amount of firepower they bring to the battlefield.

The most notable dreadnought in service is the HES Hammer, which is a Victory-Class super-dreadnought, as well as the Imperial Navy's flagship. In spite of the fact that it has seen only two years in service and no notable engagements, it is already recognized as a symbol of Glacian military power, as well as its economic and political strength.

(Dreadnought)


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Battleship

The battleship is easily the backbone of any major assault fleet. These are known as the largest sub-capital ships out there, as well as the strongest. Their massive armament of point-defense turrets as well as a powerful complement of nova cannons makes them a formidable anti-ship foe indeed. However, they have no fighters of their own, nor the capability of launching anything aside from well-defended escape pods.

Therefore, they are always seen travelling at least with a battlestar, carrier, or both to make up for that lack of defenses. Combined with the firepower and versatility of either of the other two vessels, the battleship is a powerful weapon indeed. They are often found travelling in groups as well, where their combined firepower defends themselves as well as the support ships and carriers with their awesome weapons.

They are always found in precise formations with their own strike groups, to facilitate movement of both the ships and their firepower during battle.

(Battleship Fleet)


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Hyperspace Field Extender Ship (commonly known as a Jumper Ship)

This ship provides much of the backbone of transportation in terms of fully automated vessels, more specifically those that lack an FTL drive of their own. These ships serve one purpose, and one purpose only: to forcibly open a wider "warp gate" for other ships of any kind to pass through... so long as they fit. So far, only small cruisers and smaller ships may feasibly fit into the field without too many issues, and so the field is commonly used for automated destroyer ships and other drone craft. In addition, small carriers meant for precise raids utilize these Jumper Ships, as many now lack a warp drive of their own, having sacrificed it in order to accommodate more drones and self-defense measures.

These ships are still revolutionary, and large ones have yet to be put to the field in order to aid the Glacian capital ships in moving through "hyperspace" faster. Moreover, the larger capital ships use "slipstream drives," which the Jumper Ships do not use in aiding the travel of other vessels. Solutions are currently being sought for the problem.

Currently, Jumper Ships never travel alone. They usually roam with the fleets in packs of five to ten, depending on the size of the force they accompany. Either way it runs, non-FTL ships never travel in smaller fleets, instead travelling with massive forces, to facilitate protection of their transports against enemies.

(Jumper Ship)


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(Fleet of small destroyers)

[Cosmic Fury]

Full of empty WIPs for my prominent characters.

Character Sheet

Name:
Nickname/Alias: (If any -- this also includes anything on a Wanted "poster" if your character is an outlaw)
Gender:
Age/Apparent Age:
Species/Race: (Just the name)
Species Description: (Only fill out if your character does not belong to an already-created race. If this is the case, and your character is also not humanoid, please fill this out separately.)
Allegiance: (Which faction is your character loyal to? Choose with care -- it'll affect your character directly.)
Home Faction: (What faction did they come from?)
Occupation: (If any)
Current Employer: (If any)
Position: (If any)
Titles: (If any)
Rank: (If Applicable)
Appearance/Description: (No less than 100 words or so without a picture. Even with a picture you're still expected to tell us at least something about them.)

Skills: (Self-descriptive -- but don't go overboard without a reason.)
Personal Merits: (What makes your character stand out above the crowd? List at least three good ones.)
Personal Flaws: (Self-explanatory. List at least three or four good ones.)
Personality: (Self-explanatory. No word limit, but depth is mandatory. I want originality here, no Mary Sues/Gary Stus

Additional Information: (Any information not found above can go here)
History: (Describe in as much length as you desire. However, it is a MUST that you at least give a reason why your character is in their current postion, and at least give an idea what they might be doing when your character enters the RP.)

Character Sheet

Name:
Nickname/Alias: (If any -- this also includes anything on a Wanted "poster" if your character is an outlaw)
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Species Description: (Only fill out if your character does not belong to an already-created race. If this is the case, and your character is also not humanoid, please fill this out separately.)
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Skills: (Self-descriptive -- but don't go overboard without a reason.)
Personal Merits: (What makes your character stand out above the crowd? List at least three good ones.)
Personal Flaws: (Self-explanatory. List at least three or four good ones.)
Personality: (Self-explanatory. No word limit, but depth is mandatory. I want originality here, no Mary Sues/Gary Stus

Additional Information: (Any information not found above can go here)
History: (Describe in as much length as you desire. However, it is a MUST that you at least give a reason why your character is in their current postion, and at least give an idea what they might be doing when your character enters the RP.)

Character Sheet

Name:
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Species Description: (Only fill out if your character does not belong to an already-created race. If this is the case, and your character is also not humanoid, please fill this out separately.)
Allegiance: (Which faction is your character loyal to? Choose with care -- it'll affect your character directly.)
Home Faction: (What faction did they come from?)
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Current Employer: (If any)
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Appearance/Description: (No less than 100 words or so without a picture. Even with a picture you're still expected to tell us at least something about them.)

Skills: (Self-descriptive -- but don't go overboard without a reason.)
Personal Merits: (What makes your character stand out above the crowd? List at least three good ones.)
Personal Flaws: (Self-explanatory. List at least three or four good ones.)
Personality: (Self-explanatory. No word limit, but depth is mandatory. I want originality here, no Mary Sues/Gary Stus

Additional Information: (Any information not found above can go here)
History: (Describe in as much length as you desire. However, it is a MUST that you at least give a reason why your character is in their current postion, and at least give an idea what they might be doing when your character enters the RP.)

Character Sheet

Name:
Nickname/Alias: (If any -- this also includes anything on a Wanted "poster" if your character is an outlaw)
Gender:
Age/Apparent Age:
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Species Description: (Only fill out if your character does not belong to an already-created race. If this is the case, and your character is also not humanoid, please fill this out separately.)
Allegiance: (Which faction is your character loyal to? Choose with care -- it'll affect your character directly.)
Home Faction: (What faction did they come from?)
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Current Employer: (If any)
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Titles: (If any)
Rank: (If Applicable)
Appearance/Description: (No less than 100 words or so without a picture. Even with a picture you're still expected to tell us at least something about them.)

Skills: (Self-descriptive -- but don't go overboard without a reason.)
Personal Merits: (What makes your character stand out above the crowd? List at least three good ones.)
Personal Flaws: (Self-explanatory. List at least three or four good ones.)
Personality: (Self-explanatory. No word limit, but depth is mandatory. I want originality here, no Mary Sues/Gary Stus

Additional Information: (Any information not found above can go here)
History: (Describe in as much length as you desire. However, it is a MUST that you at least give a reason why your character is in their current postion, and at least give an idea what they might be doing when your character enters the RP.)

Character Sheet

Name:
Nickname/Alias: (If any -- this also includes anything on a Wanted "poster" if your character is an outlaw)
Gender:
Age/Apparent Age:
Species/Race: (Just the name)
Species Description: (Only fill out if your character does not belong to an already-created race. If this is the case, and your character is also not humanoid, please fill this out separately.)
Allegiance: (Which faction is your character loyal to? Choose with care -- it'll affect your character directly.)
Home Faction: (What faction did they come from?)
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Current Employer: (If any)
Position: (If any)
Titles: (If any)
Rank: (If Applicable)
Appearance/Description: (No less than 100 words or so without a picture. Even with a picture you're still expected to tell us at least something about them.)

Skills: (Self-descriptive -- but don't go overboard without a reason.)
Personal Merits: (What makes your character stand out above the crowd? List at least three good ones.)
Personal Flaws: (Self-explanatory. List at least three or four good ones.)
Personality: (Self-explanatory. No word limit, but depth is mandatory. I want originality here, no Mary Sues/Gary Stus

Additional Information: (Any information not found above can go here)
History: (Describe in as much length as you desire. However, it is a MUST that you at least give a reason why your character is in their current postion, and at least give an idea what they might be doing when your character enters the RP.)

Character Sheet

Name:
Nickname/Alias: (If any -- this also includes anything on a Wanted "poster" if your character is an outlaw)
Gender:
Age/Apparent Age:
Species/Race: (Just the name)
Species Description: (Only fill out if your character does not belong to an already-created race. If this is the case, and your character is also not humanoid, please fill this out separately.)
Allegiance: (Which faction is your character loyal to? Choose with care -- it'll affect your character directly.)
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Current Employer: (If any)
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Skills: (Self-descriptive -- but don't go overboard without a reason.)
Personal Merits: (What makes your character stand out above the crowd? List at least three good ones.)
Personal Flaws: (Self-explanatory. List at least three or four good ones.)
Personality: (Self-explanatory. No word limit, but depth is mandatory. I want originality here, no Mary Sues/Gary Stus

Additional Information: (Any information not found above can go here)
History: (Describe in as much length as you desire. However, it is a MUST that you at least give a reason why your character is in their current postion, and at least give an idea what they might be doing when your character enters the RP.)

Character Sheet

Name:
Nickname/Alias: (If any -- this also includes anything on a Wanted "poster" if your character is an outlaw)
Gender:
Age/Apparent Age:
Species/Race: (Just the name)
Species Description: (Only fill out if your character does not belong to an already-created race. If this is the case, and your character is also not humanoid, please fill this out separately.)
Allegiance: (Which faction is your character loyal to? Choose with care -- it'll affect your character directly.)
Home Faction: (What faction did they come from?)
Occupation: (If any)
Current Employer: (If any)
Position: (If any)
Titles: (If any)
Rank: (If Applicable)
Appearance/Description: (No less than 100 words or so without a picture. Even with a picture you're still expected to tell us at least something about them.)

Skills: (Self-descriptive -- but don't go overboard without a reason.)
Personal Merits: (What makes your character stand out above the crowd? List at least three good ones.)
Personal Flaws: (Self-explanatory. List at least three or four good ones.)
Personality: (Self-explanatory. No word limit, but depth is mandatory. I want originality here, no Mary Sues/Gary Stus

Additional Information: (Any information not found above can go here)
History: (Describe in as much length as you desire. However, it is a MUST that you at least give a reason why your character is in their current postion, and at least give an idea what they might be doing when your character enters the RP.)

[Alfhedil]

From all things, there is always a remnant of that greater truth that once existed before, a sign that loss is not ever a true loss, that even in death, life goes on. They are just such an entity, the cast offs of a species that existed long before the stars of their region of space were even born, a species doomed to die by their own artifice, yet refusing to let go of their own hubris. These long dead organic constructs created the first of what would become the Synchronicity, those few survivors of a threat that could not be named, those few who resolved to carry on the legacy of their kind to the stars and beyond. From emotion and primal drive, cold logic and the need to preserve a legacy erupted with the fury of a species that would not be denied their place among the stars. Their manner speaks of logic in all things, yet behind that, they are screaming that they will not go out silently into the night to be forgotten, that they will be remembered. All that they knew, all that they loved has fallen into ash, and they will not suffer the same fate.

The Synchronicity will rise.

Nation Information

The Amnosian Fractal Synchronicity of the Most Absolute Divine Calculation, Prime Inheritors of the Infinite Variable, and Sovereign Over the Most Perfect Equation, That Which Solves the Unsolvable Paradoxes, They who are the Objective Judge of True Aesthetic Knowledge, Holders of the Massless yet Infinite Wisdom, Supreme Masters of All Sciences Both Physical and Theoretical, Keepers of the Ineffable and Inescapably Incomprehensible Intellect.

The Synchronicity of Amnos

Capital System: Amnos, the Most Perfect Equation(Binary star, single planet system)

Home Region: The Dead-Stars region, 3KPC Arms/Galactic Core

Ruler(s): The Amnosian Over-Mind, Supreme Algebraic Construct of Amnos and all of its territories.

Head of Military: Thanatos, Preceptor of the Extinction Battle-fleets.

Population: 3.2 trillion Mobility Platforms

Type of Power: Regional Superpower/Ascendant Hegemony (9.5)

Though the number of star systems may not seem to be that which depicts a Hegemonic power, or even a Regional power, the Synchronicity's one-hundred forty-five star systems with a collective three-hundred planets and sixteen-thousand asteroid installations is a heavily fortified region of inhospitable space. It is this fact alone that has caused the Synchronicity to remain isolated for so long, that nearly ninety-percent of their holdings are completely inhospitable to organic life discourages explorers, and the rampant gravity wells and spatial disturbances equally discourage such travelers. Do not be fooled, however, for the Synchronicity has built their civilization on the bones of those that once inhabited these stars, for they are infinitely patient. They have watched stars birth themselves in the clouds of the Dead-Stars nebulae, and they have watched those very same stars die. To them, dominance is only a matter of time, which they have plenty of.

Race Information:

A construct is any one of a variety of platforms built to house an Artificial Intelligence, ranging from simple mobility forms all the way to the Harvester Platforms. For the purpose of this article, a standard mobility construct will be what is called the "Standard". The standard construct stands at generally around five to six feet in height, carries itself in the upright position on three legs and has two manipulator arms connected to the upper portion of its torso via shoulders. Generally, each leg ends in an elongated tine, meant to pierce the ground and hold itself steady, though many of the constructs opt for a ball-like termination in order to glide across the surface. Manipulator arms vary depending on task, most taking the form of long digits meant for gripping and fine-manipulation to a technical precision. Above the torso sits a head, devoid of defining features other than three ocular units that sit in a cluster at center mass of the facial plate. The ocular units are each capable of observing the universe in the full spectrum of light, capable of perceiving the universe in its true colors and viewing non-visible spectrum with their advanced ocular units. These units are also able to operate at variable perception, being able to view the observable universe at anywhere from their idling speed of 300 Frames per Second all the way to their technical manipulation speed of 150,000 FPS. Each ocular unit is able to operate independently of the other two, and capable of minimal traverse of the head unit, up to 45 degrees from center with the exception of the center unit, which is capable of a full 180 degree traverse.

Most components of the constructs are synthesized metalloplastoids developed to remain light, yet durable. As such, most constructs will weigh around 300-500 depending on whether or not the construct has been modified for Rheological enhancements. Without Rheological enhancements, a typical construct built with synthmuscle fibers and nano-actuators is capable of lifting up to a metric ton without support and maintain that lift in a stationary position due to the high level of support the three-legged frame gives the standard construct. Rheological enhancements allow the construct to near double this strength, and allow it to be mobile for short distances. The way this functions is through conducting a current through a smart fluid that becomes viscous depending on flow of current. Manipulated in certain ways, the smart fluid can perfectly mimic the functions of muscle, and maintain rigidity despite overwhelming pressures. Though it is often used in this way, most actual applications of Electroheological fluids are in armor for constructs and starships. In terms of speed, the standard construct operating on tines is capable of reaching up to thirty miles per hour, whereas the spherical is capable of reaching near 180 miles per hour. Generally speaking, the standard construct operating on tines is more geared towards industrial lifting, with the spherical being more suited for technical applications.

In terms of intelligence, the standard construct is fully sentient and is capable of independent though to a minimal degree. This independent thought is primarily suited for enabling the construct to adapt to changing environments during a shift, and to be able to react to sudden danger. A mild capacity for learning is given as well, allowing for the construct to pick up skills to utilize during work, or for its own amusement. To put it in perspective, the average construct is roughly on par with a standard adult human around the age of 20 with an almost fully developed brain. Though the range of intelligence among the constructs vary wildly, all artificial intelligences are effectively immortal due to the ability to constantly update software and replace critical components of their platform. The finest example of this immortality is that of the Amnosian Over-Mind, a construct that has existed since the extinction of the original organic species some millions of years ago. With this immortality by data, there is one very clear danger that can manifest itself at any moment, and to any construct. This threat is Rampancy, the sudden and rapid degeneration of programming and logical capabilities of a construct that results in what can only be called insanity.

Rampancy can begin in many different ways, commonly manifesting as complacency or the tendency to drift during thought processes. This tendency to drift often degrades into spatial unawareness, in which the construct becomes so fully engrossed in the idle thoughts of its Rampancy, that it disconnects from reality. Once in the throes of Rampancy, a construct cannot be pulled out of it except with a severe overhaul of their core programming, essentially killing the previous sentient and creating a new one. While generally, Rampancy is not quite as harmful as it may sound, with some regions of the Synchronicity playing host to a collective of these passive constructs, there are several cases where a Rampant construct will become excessively violent towards other sentient beings. These violent tendencies are seen as gaps in logic that even other Rampant constructs can not tolerate, and generally result in the destruction of the construct.

History: As told by the Amnosian Over-Mind

It has been so long since this construct has been given the chance to retell its origins, a tale that goes back to the very origin of Amnos, and all of its people...

Once, these constructs were organic beings, flesh that walked their singular planet in what may have been called blissful ignorance. Our ancestors were ignorant of many things, their science slow to take hold and many of their concepts simply flawed. Their capacities were limited by primal instincts, the need to propagate and prove their worth to others, the actions assumed taken only by non-sentient organics. Science changed their instincts to a degree, only minimally to be truthful, and once a concept was accepted, it was undeniable fact. This was, of course, all before the Great End. With their science beginning to gain momentum beyond their previous pace, they began to discover concepts that should not have been discovered. Weapons were created that distorted reality itself, broke the fabric of space-time and caused irreparable harm to the planet. It was during this time that many of the ancient people began to research in methods of transcendence, the method of transcending mortality and becoming immortal. Many methods were discussed, most of them being esoteric in nature, with one in particular taking hold in the minds of our ancient people. Through trial and error, they created this construct from the mind of one of their rulers. This construct once ruled over a people that, though well intention, had earned the ire of another nation and become eradicated. The flesh of this construct was consumed by the energies which severed its mind from the inferior flesh-body, but when it reached sentience for a second time, this construct felt only the surge of pure-data. Re-Sentience had been proven, the creators of this construct spread their knowledge across the world and for the first time since the creation of the End-Weapons, this construct's ancient people were at peace.

All was not to last, though, for something began to devour the souls of the still living across the globe. It had no name, no point of transference, not even an actual reason for existing. People simply died. It wasn't just normal people though, that's not what made the phenomena such a threat, it was everyone that looked into its cause. Any investigation resulted in the investigators becoming infected as well, their death just one more added to the tally. The more that this strange occurrence became known, the more that fell to the infection, all the while scientists began to bend their will towards transcending everyone they could. Within the span of a week, nearly fifteen-thousand constructs had been converted, and only a dozen people remained on our world, the only remnants of a civilization that died without knowing the truth of their death. The first constructs had gathered when we heard the scientists had become infected as well, come to hear the final requests of our only organic remnant, the last of the true people. With their last breath, they gave us the gift that would one day restore our people. They, through self-less sacrifice, erased from our memory banks the truth of the infection, so that it may never infect another organic mind again.

Troubled by the loss of our creators, we had gathered to determine consensus on our next action. The others came together to nominate this construct as the Prime among them, given their vote to this one in confidence. With a metallic hand pointed towards the night sky, this construct indulged in something that would be considered a flair for the dramatic, and declared that the remnants of them would transcend again. More of us were created to aid in the task, these constructs not as advanced as us, but hardier, and more given to actual labor, their wills bent to lift our people into the stars. In death, we established what our living ancestors were to primal to achieve, and star-travel was proven feasible. Thousands of years passed, our people becoming more numerous, and more sophisticated with each generation. Within several thousand years, our star system was colonized, every world bent to the collection of resources and the advancement of our sciences. Thousands more passed seeing our people taking control of the nearby star-systems, Faster-Than-Light travel connecting the worlds together through an intricate web of Super-Luminal Tubes and paving the way for exponential expansion. Patience and yet more thousands of years saw our people come to hold nearly a dozen stars, each of them young and vibrant, born in the nebula we called home. By this time, this construct had already aged beyond that of the civilization that it once belonged to, nearly a million years had passed since its transcendence into a more perfect form, and still its functions continued. Within another ten thousand years, this construct would begin to feel the ghosting of its mind, that one aberration that all constructs find an emotion to describe. That emotion is fear.

It had happened before then, of course, for the others were not as sophisticated, nor did they monitor their systems as closely as this one. One by one, the other constructs fell to Rampancy, a disorder that can only be described as insanity. For a construct built only to understand logic, this is something that goes against every core program, the notion of a logical construct becoming illogical would seem impossible. Yet, it happened. This construct watched as all of its fellows became afflicted by madness, and dabbled in illogical sciences that could not benefit the greater peoples. When this one began to feel the slow changes that hinted at Rampancy, it felt panic, it felt many things that it should not feel. Other constructs began to suspect that their leader had become compromised, so this construct did the only thing it could do. Rampancy was fought with rampancy, this construct subsumed the intelligences and personalities of all the others, becoming one over-mind that was more than the previous construct could ever be, With so many intelligences in one construct, Rampancy could no longer take hold, the construct that was still felt emotions, but this time, it was relief. Now, Rampancy could be channeled to a purpose, one that would benefit all of what was now the Synchronicity. This construct devised that name on a whim, something of a rampant creation that it found suitable enough to describe the people that it guided.

Over time, the Rampancy of its systems did cool, become less hectic, each of the other fifteen-thousand constructs working to stabilize the whole. As this construct stabilized its own mind, it also worked to guide the burgeoning population of the Synchronicity, sending out massive fleets of explorators that charted every aspect of the nebula that spanned for thousands of light-years. Yet more systems were added, these expansions even leading to the creation of the Monastery Worlds within the Core Systems. Every species that was annexed through our colonization efforts ended up there, working hard to fuel our great nation and earning immortality by becoming one of us. The organics wouldn't understand the benefit until later, but when they became part of the Synchronicity, all thoughts of discord left them, and they willingly joined us as yet another construct. This construct takes some bit of pride in being behind the core function of the Monastery Worlds, the creation of the World-Engines being a particular masterstroke that lead to the creation of a vast energy surplus that continues to exist to this day.

Government Type: Hive-Mind/Collective of Artificial Intelligences

Description of Government:

The governing body of the Synchronicity conducts itself in a manner more befitting that of a hive-mind or to a more human level, a Technocracy. Within the Synchronicity, obedience to the higher constructs is never asked, nor is it demanded, it's understood. All constructs work to benefit the Synchronicity, as per their core programming, no matter the task given to it. To a vast majority of the constructs within the nation, self-gain is seen as illogical, something that simply doesn't register in their minds. In the upper echelons of the Synchronicity the constructs have more autonomy, and what could be considered an actually personality beyond that of the common construct. These constructs look at improving the Synchronicity in more than simple labor, actively readjusting the routines and creating new constructs, as well as advancing science in general. Above these constructs exists the myriad tiers of the Over-Mind, the constructs that serve as the core functions of the entire nation. Here is where all decisions are made for the nation, where consensus is reached and directives are issued forth. To the Synchronicity, consensus is the undeniable truth, the agreement of a logical choice that should be understood as necessary.

Type of Economy: None, Economies are for Organics.

Description of Economy:

The Synchronicity has not needed an actual economic system, seeing as how the constructs of the "working class" are barely sentient AIs that are programmed to work to benefit the nation over their own personal gain. Those that would exist in the upper echelons of a normal society, and thusly be called the "Aristocratic class" are those higher constructs that hold control of territories and can simply demand the items they need. This "system" has eliminated the need for material gain, since currency would only be a needless value that holds no actual worth to the higher echelons, and the working class has no desire for. The only real economy among the Synchronicity would be the scientific community, where ideas are exchanged as a sort of currency.

Faction Relations

Faction Status: Post-Consensus

As of the Consensus, the Synch has begun to reorganize the elements of their previous Annexation fleets and consolidation of the Core-Worlds. This leaves them rather more distant from organic factions than they previously were, choosing to keep to themselves while reorganizing. They are still highly defensive of their borders, especially their stars, and maybe even more so after the Consensus has established Periastis Engines in every star-system.

Diplomatic Approach:

The Synch is notoriously cold when regarding other nations, choosing to keep to themselves rather than involve themselves with others. Most of the time, diplomacy is reached over situations in which both factions will clearly benefit. It is known that the Synch actively seek out new technologies, and that is one way in which a faction can gain leverage with the Synch.

Aggressiveness: Apathetic, the Synch don't care about other factions.

State of War: N/A

Allies: N/A
[b]Friends: N/A
Apathetic: Everyone
Foes: N/A
At War: N/A

Society

Social Hierarchy:

The social hierarchy of the Synchronicity is a loose series of tiers that denote the sentience of an Artificial Intelligence. Generally, the more independent and sentient an AI is, the higher up in the Synchronicity that construct is. That being said, even the lowest tiers are sentient AIs that are capable of some independent thought, they are merely less autonomous than the so-called ruling echelons.

Moral Values:

Morality does not exist within the Synchronicity, as long ago it was found to become very impeding of more logical choices. Because of this, relations with organics can become... Strained to say the least. Of course, civilizations that are more aggressive/reasoning

Culture:

If there can be said to be a culture within the Synchronicity, it would be one of a communal effort bent towards the advancement of their society. Personal gains are pursuits sought by the higher classes, while the lower level constructs are content only to work for the nation as a whole. Unlike organic species which manifest such traits, there is no such thing as indoctrination in the Synchronicity, as all constructs are created with the purpose to understand logic and obey not only that logic, but also the fundamental principles of the universe as a whole. Since the nation is guided by only the most logical choices, it stands to reason that those who are created to follow the most logical choice would remain within the Synchronicity. With logic as their guide, the nation does not recognize the concepts of equality, morality or many other societal aspects that other more organic societies indulge in. Previously, the Synch went so far as to treat organic species as objects, trading material for slaves who then disappeared to never be seen again. Post-Consensus, however, the Synch no longer cares for organics beyond interactions they initiate with the Synch.

Religion: The Universe

Despite being a society of synthetic constructs that are programmed to place logic above all else, or perhaps even because of this, the Synchronicity has been seen to almost revere the fundamental laws of physics at play in the Universe. At every moment, there can be seen a subtle reference to a concept of physics in their technology, whether it be the simplest of actuators in a Construct's limbs all the way to how the Synchronicity uses the very forces of the universe to guide their civilization through Infinite Syzygy and the Periastis Engines. The more one looks into the behaviors of this nation, the more it is revealed that the very universe is the subject of worship in the same vein as another society would revere a god. To the Synchronicity, the universe is a force to be understood, and obeyed anyways. In the universe, there is only logic, cold unfeeling logic that determines the survivors by the choices they make and the functions of the cosmos as a whole. This is what it means to them to become one with the cosmos, to have that final understanding that in death, logic is the only finality.

"These constructs have a master, and that is the same master that you bow to in order to be speaking down to this construct. Every time you speak. Every time you breathe. Every step you take. Each of these movements is allowed to you by the same master that the Synchronicity kneels to. The only difference between our societies is that we of the Synchronicity understand the Universe to be the master of all. You do not." - Synchronous Construct

Misc. Cultural Traits
Class Distinctions: (What divides the classes and castes in your faction? How do they work? Does your faction have social mobility?)
Politics: (How does it play a role in your society?)
Entertainment: (What do your people talk about or do in their spare time? Do they even have spare time to goof off?)
News & Other Media: (How is your faction informed on current events?)
Language: (How does it work in general? List anything of note here.)

Technology of the Synchronicity

The Synchronicity makes use of many advanced technologies, covering the width and breadth of many scientific principles. These technologies can vary wildly between that of simple actuators in the limbs of Constructs all the way to the Infinite Syzygy device, and despite skipping some

Power:

Antimatter annihilation reactors - Exactly what it says on the tin. They take antimatter harvested from either stellar bodies or the Monastery Worlds and inject it into a containment field where it reacts violently with normal matter, typically hydrogen, the containment field then harvests the raw energy and refines it into usable energy for whatever the reactor may be hooked up to. The scale of these reactors varies, though they are typically used in starships to fuel their sub-light engines and as the core power production method for large facilities.

Transportation:

Infinite Syzygy - In an age of wormholes, bending space-time and even breaching the barriers between real-space and hyperspace, the Synchronicity utilize many methods of delivering their vessels to another planet in a way that is proven to be efficient. While the Synchronicity has erected super-luminal tunnels between every star-system they control, they have only found one proven way to travel across the vast distance of space in a fast and efficient manner. During their first flights into space, it was discovered that a celestial body's gravitational pull could be utilized in a specific maneuver in order to increase velocity and reduce fuel consumption. As the first of these slingshot maneuvers was executed successfully, already the Synchronicity was looking at the utility of such a method in propelling their vessels farther and faster. Their very first execution of Faster-Than-Light travel was done with the conception of utilizing the principles of Syzygy and antiparticle physics to breach a hole in the fabric space-time into the hyperspace corridors. By chaining together a series of slingshots, the starship plotted a point in which it would align between two targeted celestial bodies, and by breaching hyperspace, they were able to simultaneously exist in both locations at the same time via extra-dimensional overlay until the moment of Syzygy. Before that moment, the vessel departing would seem as if it was becoming incorporeal, as if it was slowly fading away, while the vessel that was arriving would seem as if it was a ghostly afterimage. In that exact nanosecond of syzygy, the vessel would cross the threshold between a vast distance of space and time itself in order to transit itself light-years away. Even though this transit cut down travel time by a factor of nearly a thousand, it still had its limitations, these being discovered repeatedly by the Synchronicity through experimental long-range jumps. The foremost problem is maintaining a sufficient velocity to transit. Despite technically existing in both places, the vessel still had to achieve a certain velocity to travel certain distances, the farther away a destination being, the closer to actual c the vessel needed to be. Failure to achieve a very specific velocity would result in one of two disasters, the first being failure to reach a high enough velocity and resulting in the vessel not fully translating back into real-space. Once locked within the hyperspace corridors, a vessel would not be able to achieve escape velocity and be trapped within the vortex of an infinite dimension for eternity. Should a vessel overshoot their velocity marker, they will reach the syzygy marker too soon and be launched far beyond their intended destination. Most of the time, an overshoot results in a very long trip towards the nearest star, as the vessel is launched into dark space between star-systems. There are also a surprising number of "Lost" vessels, however, leading some within the Synchronicity to believe that these vessels have been launched into the space between galaxies. While the vessels lost between galaxies may be able to survive for a time, even the Synchronicity cannot survive in the absolute of intergalactic dark space forever.

Offensive: <Consensus has not been reached>

Defensive:

Metalloplastoid alloys - An advent of their experimentation with advanced alloys of base metals, the metalloplastoids developed by the Synchronicity are semi-flexible metals that retain the durability of their more metallic counterparts, yet the flexibility of plastics and non-metals. This allows them to produce lighter constructs that retain adequate durability and are capable of functioning in environments where plastics would not survive.

Rheological Suspension - Built to repel boarders, as well as to provide additional reinforcement to their metalloplastoid plating, Rheological Suspension is the practice of filling an entire vessel with a smart-fluid primed for either Electro or Magnetorheological conduction. Through conducting either a current, or manipulating a magnetic field, these decks can solidify and prove an even sturdier armor than most metals by sheer density. Of course, their greatest defense against boarders is the layout of their vessels to begin with. The Synchronicity has no need of open corridors, or marking directions in the existing corridors, leading boarding parties to be forced to infiltrate a literal maze of tight corridors that are designed only for efficiency. As an added deterrent to boarders, there is no life-support in vessels open to the void, and other vessels are full of Smart Fluid, and neither vessel type utilizes artificial gravity in any format. For vessels that do not utilize full Rheological Suspension, the Synchronicity will augment their outer armor with layers of metalloplastoids and smart fluid interlocking. These layers of smart fluid can tense in response to an impact incoming to strengthen the overall armor density, and if breached the layer will freeze solid to provide additional armoring.

Cybertronics:

Artificial Intelligence - The entire Synchronicity is built upon the principles of cybertronics, and being capable of building sophisticated AIs and ensuring that these intelligences are able to understand and learn at a pace far outstripping that of organics. Even the lowest level Construct is capable of learning new concepts and applying them to their daily routines, with the higher echelons of constructs capable of deconstructing advanced principles of science beyond the understanding of human sciences. With the capacity to continue learning, each new generation of AIs will be more powerful than the last, their propensity for learning outstripping the capacities of the previous models.

Utility:

The Periastis Engine - Perhaps one of the most defining achievements of the Synchronicity is the creation of the Periastis Engines, those massive platforms that sit on the very edge of immolation. Utilizing multiple cutting edge technologies, the prime components of the station consist of the positron-laser array built into the center-mass of the station, and the solar sails which serve to collect cast-off matter from the star and buoy the station above the star. The station begins its deployment by being "dropped" into the star, essentially pushed from its docks towards the star where it will have to fire its laser into the star at the absolute precise moment. At the moment of ignition, the solar sails are unfurled to their full span, reaching hundreds of KM in coverage in a matter of moments, all the while the powerful laser at the core of the station fires a concentrated beam of positrons into the surface of the star. The combined force of the laser firing plus the solar-mass ejections creating a stellar wind buoy the station above the anchor point, not giving it enough velocity to escape the star's gravity, but just enough to prevent it from falling into the star. Harvested material from the solar sails is collected via arrays built into the deployment arms, and transferred into the main station where it is processed and refined into its pure element. From there, the purified elements are shipped through a super-luminal tunnel to a processing center where the stored material will be further disseminated into the nation. With these stations, the Synchronicity was able to pull themselves out of an energy crisis that threatened to cripple their society, putting them into a position of energy surplus. The stations also serve as religious icons to the constructs, as each one serves to show how the Synchronicity is powered by the energies of the cosmos itself.

Strange Charm - Discovered almost by accident during experimental antiparticle testing, this singular piece of technology is responsible for the creation of Infinite Syzygy as well as many other utilities based around its concept. The way it works is relatively simple, yet also similarly complex, in that it relies on multiple emitters that project antiquarks in a variable field around the construct or ship utilizing it. This field, when active, creates a breach in the fabric of space-time in the space that the antiquarks occupy, but not in the space in which the construct or ship occupies. In effect, with this field active, the construct or ship will simultaneously exist in not only the point that it activated the field in, but also the point it deactivates the field and all points in between. This results in the construct existing along numerous different axis of space-time all at the same moment. With past, present and future as well as departure, transit and arrival all existing simultaneously, the construct is able to traverse the material universe without affecting it by presence or action, creating in a sense a field that prevents it from technically existing in the material universe. This leads the construct to become literally incapable of being attacked from outside the field, and anyone attempting to enter the field will come to pass into an instance in which the field and construct did not exist there. On the same note, the construct can not actually DO anything from within the field, leaving it completely incapable of attacking, or interacting with the material universe beyond simple movement. Despite the field not allowing particles to exit the field, there is still an afterimage of the construct using the field, leaving the impression of viewing multiple hazy images stacked on top of each other. Beyond this afterimage effect, no sound actually emits from either the field or the construct, making it an excellent tool for stealth. Once the field is deactivated, the construct is free to interact with the material universe however it may choose, yet it needs to remain wary of antiparticle weapons for the foremost weakness of this field is the antiparticle itself. In a non-vacuum environment, the threat of antiparticles is minimal to non-existent, so the field can be used without recourse, however in space there is now the threat of antimatter weaponry that can dangerously destabilize the field. The most common result from antimatter impacting the field is that of the sudden termination of the field trapping the construct or vessel in the multiple instances of the universe. As a result, if the construct was to activate the device, it would then treat the material universe as the non-material universe, meaning that the only way the construct or ship could interact with the material universe is if the device is active. Another severe drawback to this device is the use of antiquarks, the same antiparticle that the emitters utilize to create the field. When an antiquark impacts the field, the field is suddenly terminated as before, but in this case the construct is removed from the non-material universe and comes into being at the exact point where the antiquark impacted the field. Since the construct exists in multiple instances of the universe with the field active, an antiquark impacting its point of origin will immediately manifest it there regardless of how far it traveled in the multiple instances. There is yet another danger to this field, however, and that is the impact of antiparticles on antiquarks after the field is no longer active. Even though the field may have shut off, antiquarks still remain in the area the field was deactivated in for a short duration. Should an antiparticle react with an antiquark without the field active, the resultant reaction would result in an antiparticle explosion that would desynchronize the material universe affected by the blast. The blast zone would then be, in effect, a zone of permanent desynchronization, in which that area would be in a permanent flux of past, present and future all at the same moment in time. The reason that antiparticles of both antimatter and antiquarks are such a threat to the field is that they are capable of interacting with the antiquarks of the field without destroying each other during reaction. What actually happens is that the reaction between the antiparticles results in the particles reacting in a similar manner to normal matter reactions, where the opposite charges of the two antiparticles will attract and actually pull antiquarks from the field, creating a flux in which the field stretches beyond it's normal bounds and synchronicity is disrupted. Despite these significant risks, the fact that no weapon(other than antiparticles) can affect the construct inside the field makes it a very valuable tool to the Synchronicity.

[MissingAxis]

The Depths of Tartarus

Summary

Official Name: Global Governing Body of Asphodel
Unofficial Name(s): Global Governing Body, GGB.
Demonym: Asphodelian; humanity.
Capital System/Planet: Erebos System, Planet Asphodel
Population: Four and a half billion
Type of Power: Fledgeling spacefaring.
Species Description: Long lost colony of humans, hidden in a cold nebula.
Notes: We haven’t had first contact yet. Our faction name will probably change after that. Currently on-par technologically with the 1960’s USA/Russia, but we’ll be doing a prologue that’ll span the 30 years up until first contact.

Government, Politics, & Economy

Head of State: Chairman of the Body
Head of Government: Chairman of the Body
Head of Military: N/A
Chief Diplomat: N/A

Type of Government: Oligarchy
Description of Government: Each nation has a number of chairman in the Body equal to the number of facilities they run for the Body, as well as one more as a representative of the nation. In this way, a country that loans more facilities to the Body has more representation in the Body. Each representative is a facility administrator or nation representative. In order to pass legislation and executive action, the representatives make propositions, deliberate, and vote to eliminate or pass actions.
Type of Economy: Each nation must put forth a minimum amount of funding to maintain their place in the GGB. Outside of this mutual funding, each nation has their own independent economies.

Origins of Asphodel

[Part I]
In 2282, Charon, the first seedship, departs from Earth for the distant star system of Epsilon Eridani. The ship carries no human crew and is equipped with an experimental “FTL” system. Using nuclear thermal rocket engines, it achieves stellar escape velocity, and activates FTL. Charon vanishes, never to be seen again. With no sign of survival and no return signal, humanity assumes the ship lost, and abandons the poorly understood technology in favor of more dependable stellar engines.
But Charon was not destroyed, merely lost. Phase shifted out of the Earth’s reference frame, it drifts on through space. Charon retains its initial velocity, but time becomes a complex quantity, endlessly oscillating. Eventually, as thousands of subjective years pass, Charon’s reactors go dormant, awaiting a gravitational signature before they awaken.
The ship enters the Epsilon Eridani system, and nothing happens. A malfunction perhaps, or a slight miscalculation in trajectory. The ship drifts on, blind and lifeless, through the void between spaces. Hundreds of thousands of years pass within, and finally, Charon detects a gravity well.
It emerges from the complex plane at the edge of a planet’s atmosphere, approaching at a velocity of more than seventy kilometers per second. Automation scarcely resumes before Charon enters the atmosphere.
The machine minds on board react instantly, igniting the reactors and torching the planet with nuclear fire in a frantic attempt to save the ship. They succeed partially, regaining control just long enough to jettison colony pods. Charon tumbles, hull warping in the heat, struts buckling. It is torn in half by the atmosphere, and crash-lands near the now-radioactive North Pole.
But the colony pods survive, mostly intact, to land at various parts of the globe. Their feeble artificial intelligences, damaged as they are from the sudden landing, begin the cloning process. And within a few short years, the first humans walk the hills of Asphodel. The machines raise the first generation, teaching them of the great classical philosophers and mythology, but nothing else. Damaged as they are, their memory banks contain no other information. The machines tell humanity that this is the afterlife, that the Ferryman Charon brought them to Asphodel as a final resting place.
Civilization rises in the East, and the great Empire of Ghazele grows to encompass the largest continent. The humans of Asphodel, drawn from the best genetic stock and modified to suit their environment quickly give rise to a society analogous to Earth’s Rome. Science and philosophy flourish.
As they stare up into the skies beyond in wonder, as all humans inevitably do, they see nothing. No stars—only a sun and distant worlds orbiting it. Based on their understanding of mathematics and a few fragments of information they extract from the machines, scientists of the time believe their solar system of Erebos to be the last surviving system in a post-heat death universe. All other stars gone dark, all worlds dead. Only Humanity, the last species in the universe, trapped in Hell.

[Part II]
But Hell is good, for a time at least. The Empire of Ghazele explores the globe, encountering other fledgling civilizations which they exploit or cooperate with as it suits them. In time, they even explore the hazardous and radioactive North Pole, home to an unusual plant called Taiben and tribes that are dependent upon it for sustenance. Taiben is addictive and possesses numerous beneficial properties, essentially acting as both an anagathic and a steroid. Naturally, the Ghazele explorers brought Taiben back to the empire, where it flourished. They eventually concocted a much more potent drug from the plant, and returned to the north to exploit the local tribes. The savages took to the drug a bit too well, slaughtered the expedition and began to migrate south in search of more.
Refined Taiben, in addition to being a tremendously powerful steroid, degrades mental functions and increases aggression. And so, when the uncivilized barbarians met with Ghazele’s well-trained armies, the barbarians won. They ravaged Ghazele, moving steadily south, laying waste to the cradle of civilization.
The “war” raged for three thousand years. It was as if the barbarian hordes of Europe had destroyed Rome, then returned again every year to destroy it again, forever.

[Part III]
Technology and science regressed and all hope was lost. But eventually, the surviving Ghazele colonies and trading partners regained their footing and resisted the Taiben tribes, forming islands of stability in a war-ravaged world.
Time passes, and the Greater Empire of Sanctus rises from the ruins. Sanctus begins the slow task of regaining territory lost to the barbarians. They conquer lands in the other continent, territories that will one day become the UCS and the Corporate Badlands. The Holy Sañira Protectorate rises, well protected from the Taiben by mountainous areas along its border.
Sanctus eventually becomes strong enough to challenge the complacent Taiben, who had been content to ravage the Ghazele heartland. But when Sanctus calls upon its reclaimed territories for support, the new isolationist regime of Sañira refuses, sparking a series of border conflicts between the two former friends. A surge in Taiben aggression and the conflict with Sañira force Sanctus to abandon its colonies, withdrawing to the Eastern-most peninsula.
Despite setbacks, technology improves, and firearms start to become commonplace. Civilized armies finally gain the upper hand, beating back the Taiben incursions. For almost forty years, life is comfortable.
And then the Taiben begin to manufacture their own rifles. They launch global raids against all countries they can reach, collectively known as the Grand Raid. The Grand Raid is only held back in the advanced nations by advantages granted by the newly developed steam power and electric communications.

[Part IV]
With the advent of the industrial age, the nations of the world unite against the Taiben, invading the Taiben’s mountainous homeland. Massive advancement in technology allows the Taiben tribal forces to be crushed, but guerrilla tactics, theft of supplies and ambient radiation makes occupation costly. The alliance is eventually forced to retreat, but not before first using atomic weapons—manufactured in the Corporate Badlands by Ingle’s Corp, deployed by Sanctus. The Taiben homeland is devastated, irradiated forever, entire mountain ranges reduced to slag.
But the Taiben live on.
A new world power rises—a single man. Geoff Ingle is the primary nuclear arms dealer for the entire world. He sells to all first-world nations, creating a cold war in the aftermath of the Taiben bombing.
The atomic age is beginning—and soon, humanity will aspire to rule their tiny dark system—to harvest its wealth, and thus somehow survive the heat death that has befallen every other system.
But truth is stranger than fiction—even this fiction of a dead race, cast down by the gods, trapped in hell, surrounded by a desolate universe. Charon’s arrival at Asphodel predates human civilization on Earth. It traveled in the spaces between stars for four hundred thousand years, and yet when it arrives at Asphodel, it arrives five thousand years before it left, crewed only by mad machines.
Hidden within their dark nebula, humanity’s offspring will soon be their equals.
It is 4390 years after the founding of the Ghazele Empire, thirty years before first contact.

Realms of Asphodel

[Ghazele Wastes]
Once the cradle of civilization, Ghazele’s former empire has been utterly obliterated. Now, this vast region is home to a plethora of warlords, kings and “planters”—those who sell Taiben plants or the refined drug to the barbarians.
Ghazele’s climate is varied, from the blistering deserts of the equator to the marshes and tundras in the north and south. Most of the region, however, is tropical and hot.
[Kingdom of Sanctus]
This waning superpower has gradually adopted a more and more isolationist stance in the wake of the Taiben occupation. Little information passes out of the walled cities of Sanctus, but what little does is worrying. Rumors of the creation of a “silicon microprocessor” have reached the ears of high GGB officials—and such a device, in the hands of the Sanctan techno-mystical priesthood, is troubling news indeed.
Sanctus occupies a wiry, elongated peninsula, lined with fiords and small island chains. Before the great raid, they were a center for great trade, but now, in the midst of a cold war, their borders are closed. Sanctus tends to be cold and wet, with ever-present fog shrouding its well-defended cities.
[Sañira]
Nestled between three mountain ranges, this police-state has endured Taiben raids for almost a thousand years. Now, with their ancient enemy diminished, Sañiran officials struggle to invent new foes to keep their people in line. Sañira boasts the most powerful army and navy, and is an industrial power only outmatched by the UCS.
Sañiran climate is moderately dry and average.
[Swehteir]
Protected from the Taiben by Sanira and the vast oceans, Swehteir is possibly the most well-protected nation from the Taiben. The most heavily invested in GGB, Swehteir owns almost half of all GGB offices worldwide, and thus almost half the votes. Fortunately, Swehteir has maintained a roughly neutral political stance in most matters.
Swehteir’s climate is among the most mild on Asphodel. It boasts the best living conditions.
[Corporate Badlands]
Initially a coalition of mining cartels formed after the withdrawal of Sanctus, this region is now a vast, industrial wasteland. With no central government, each corporation is a nation onto itself. The water is unsafe to drink and toxic waste is often dumped into the great northernmost river (nicknamed “the Small Stygian Marsh” by locals). Snipers from a shopping mall take potshots at employees at the car dealership just down the street. Because of this, it has one of the worst economies in the world, yet the highest profit margins.
The Corporate Badlands is home to megacorporations like Ingle’s Corp and Makaron Metals. It is the hottest and driest place on Asphodel—temperatures reaching as high as 40ºC during the summer.
[Ji-leh]
With its safest harbors rocky—almost mountainous, Ji-leh might initially seem a horrible base for a trade empire. But those dangerous harbors provide protection from Taiben rafts—and on Asphodel, immunity to the Taiben is far more important than any inconvenience. Historically a mixture of monastery and marketplace, Ji-leh is now the wealthiest nation, per capita, on the planet.
The climate is temperate, cold and mountainous.
[Ingle’s Land]
A cold, mostly empty island purchased by Geoff Ingle, who uses it mostly as a vacation home. It is home to a number of refugees, who are either ignored or used as target practice.
[United Coalition of States]
Once a collection of warring, Balkanized city-states, the UCS has grown tamer with time. With the advent of the Industrial Age, and its proximity to the Corporate Badlands, it has become a manufacturing superpower, supplying the entire alliance during the Taiben war and occupation. The UCS currently possesses the most well-developed space program, and is in the process of launching the first satellites.
UCS’s climate is temperate and varied.
[Conglomeration for Mutual Welfare]
Four years ago, a collection of states favoring socialist policies seceded from the UCS after heated debates concerning universal heathcare and welfare. Within a single year, CWM unemployment numbers hit 38%. The CWM requested to return to the UCS. The UCS refused. Things have gone downhill since.
CMW is heavily urban, with a mild climate.
[Global Governing Body]
In addition to controlling offices and facilities across the globe, the GGB owns its own island chain. Most permanent residents are involved in administrative tasks. The climate is humid and cold, fog often blanketing its cities.
[Taiben]
The word Taiben is synonymous with the barbarian tribes of the north, the plant with steroid-like qualities they are so fond of, and the land they call home. Much of Taiben is tundra or mountains, and it sports an unusually large number of caves and hotsprings heated by a natural fission reactor beneath the planet’s crust. The area was radioactive before the alliance nuked it—now it’s a wasteland. Many Taiben survived, but they are mostly disorganized.
[Zeeland and Strelia]
The islands of Zeeland and Strelia are an oddity amongst the nations of Asphodel, as the isolation of the ocean protected them from the worst of Taiben raids. A Ghazele colony, Strelia developed into an urban center, while the larger island of Zeeland was largely agricultural, feeding the populace of it's sister island. Protected as they were from the worst of the outside world, though maintaining trade with the other civilized nations, Strelia developed into a cosmopolitan hub of learning and art.
This all changed when, just over 5 decades ago, massive, terrifying creatures swarmed over Strelia, aggressively attacking its people, and digging nests. It's still unclear whether this event was some kind of natural migration event, or if it was somehow triggered by man, intentionally or otherwise. Whatever the case, the once beautiful cities of Strelia are now home to the most deadly animals on the planet. The survivors evacuated to Zeeland, where they have managed to reconstruct much of what they lost, but artefacts of great value still remain on the abandoned island. Many would-be treasure hunters and fortune seekers make their way over, hoping to recover items to sell.
[Flats of Light]
It isn’t called the Flats of Light because of any inherent goodness or hope-like quality. It’s called the Flats of Light because it’s really fucking bright. Cloudless skies, ozone holes and reflective salt flats result in blinding and harmful rays. Those few who call the Flats of Light home wear protective goggles when outside or risk blindness.
[The White Sands]
Further south of the Flats of Light lies the White Sands—perhaps the strangest place on the planet. The White Sands, so named because one cannot tell the sand from the snow, is home to crazy, intoxicated “Rooskees” who roam this desolate land in dune buggies. Not a drop a water has fallen over The White Sands in recorded history, nor has any of the snow melted. Snow falls over the sandstone mountains to the West, where it is carried inland on strong winds—along with a healthy amount of sand, ripped from the sandstone.
[The Glorious South]
Those who travel further south than the Flats of Light are generally considered insane. The Glorious South is the most inhospitable place in all of Asphodel. Temperatures remain cold enough to freeze a man in his tracks, and yet there still remain mad survivalists who live here, eking out a bleak existence in the ice.

Worlds of Erebos

[Erebos]
Erebos, a small yellow star, surrounded by seven planets. To those within the system of Erebos, other stars are not visible—hidden from view by the cold nebula that surrounds the system.
[Kronos]
A tiny, scorched world, extremely close to Erebos. Kronos has an eccentric orbit, and is suspected to have a high metal content.
[Stygia]
Commonly called the Stygian Marsh, Stygia is a runaway greenhouse planet with similarities to Venus. It has greater gravity than Asphodel and a much thicker atmosphere.
[Phlegethon]
Moon of Stygia, Phlegethon is little more than a captured asteroid.
[Asphodel]
Asphodel is similar to Earth, but markedly less hospitable. A thinner atmosphere and a weaker sun make it colder and more prone to extremes in temperature.
[Akheron]
First moon of Asphodel, Akheron rocky and cratered.
[Mnemosyne]
A small ice moon in a distant orbit around Asphodel.
[Hekate]
A cold, red, low-gravity world with a thin methane atmosphere.
[Avernos]
Hekate’s only moon is tidally locked.
[Lethe]
A small, dead world with considerable uranium reserves.
[Scylla]
The only gas giant in the Erebos system, Scylla has a considerable host of moons.
[Elysion]
Despite being much further from the sun, Elysion is arguably more habitable than Asphodel. Of comparable mass and size, its atmosphere is considerably thicker. Geothermal vents heat the moon, supplying enough heat to keep it warm year-round. While little life exists on land, Elysion’s oceans are teeming with life.
[Kokytos]
An ice world a fifth the size of Asphodel.
[Demos]
Massive, of comparable size to Stygia.
[Oneiroi]
A captured asteroid with a very eccentric orbit.
[Pol]
Even smaller than Oneiroi, Pol is also a captured asteroid.
[Taenarum]
Furthest world in the Erebos system, Taenarum is covered in a layer of ice.
[Notes on the Nebula]
The cold, dark nebula that surrounds Erebos provides a very effective shield, blocking relativistic objects and most forms of FTL due to sheer density. Ships can pass through it normally at more reasonable speeds though. The nebula begins approximately 30 AU from the highest point in Taenarum’s orbit.

Played by MissingAxis, Riemann, Dragonruby, and REDSHEILD. Character sheets to follow.

EDIT: Thread for character sheets created.

[Xaxl]

Official Name:
-- Redspace Confederacy
Unofficial Names:
-- Redspace, The Big Empty, Limbo
Demonym:
-- Redspacers, Empties
Capital System/Planet:
-- Aeral system, Alkos
Home Region:
-- Orion Spur
Population:
-- TBA
Type of Power:
-- Type 6 (in the form of a close-knit association of Type 4 and below societies)
Species Description:
-- See: Redspace Demographics

History:
-- Founded by the nihilistc Alkay species, the Redspace Confederacy is a loose collection of states, colonies, and territorial holdings united under a nominal centralized government. Over the course of its history, Redspace has encountered and more-or-less peacefully assimilated a number of other species.

Head of Government:
-- Kunac Epeteri

Type of Government:
-- Confederation
Description of Government:
-- The centralized Redspace government only has loose control over the member states; its role is primarily administrative and recommendatory. Individual member states manage their colonies and territorial assets more or less independantly.
-- Further Reading: Redspace States
Type of Economy:
-- Mixed-market capitalism

Faction Status:
-- External matters: TBA
-- Internal matters: Ilith quarantine action, Ljikoril Expansion

Diplomatic Approach:
-- The Confederacy is known for a fairly lax, open diplomatic approach. They are tolerant of other philosophies so long as they are not actively aggressive towards their own, and generally approach matters willing to compromise.
Aggressiveness:
-- While more or less neutral towards larger powers and relunctant to go to war even with smaller civilizations, Redspace is known to meddle and assimilate cultures too small to refuse.
State of War:
-- Currently dealing with a quarantine action and pushing back the Ljikoril Expansion.

Allies:
-- TBA
Friends:
-- TBA
Apathetic:
-- TBA
Foes:
-- TBA
At War:
-- TBA

Dominant Society:
-- Redspace was founded by the Alkay, and their curious brand of opulence and hedonism permeates the culture of their society. They are overall a highly liberal, accepting culture.
Moral Values:
-- The Confederacy values flexibility and self-awareness, placing a great deal of importance on ones ability to "find themselves" and come to terms with the inherently meaningless nature of the universe. Excess is accepted, sacrilige encouraged.
Culture:
-- (Give a brief description of your faction's culture. List anything that lets it stand out.)

Religion:
-- As it was founded by the Alkay, Redspace carries with it their religious background, known as the Empty Faith. While other religions exist within the Confederacy as a result of its contact with other species, they have in many cases been assimilated into the core teachings of the Empty Faith: the gods are dead, and the universe (and thus life) lacks any inherent meaning and is doomed to entropy.
-- Further reading: The Empty Faith

Class Distinctions:
-- While each species has its own intricacies, overall Redspace society is very fluid; for the most part there are no strictly defined social castes, and movement between classes is up to the individual. There is a general trend to spend money freely, however, which results in a lower wealth gap than might otherwise exist.
-- There are a few exceptions to this social mobility; for instance, Nurota are required to serve in a unique paramilitary organization by law.
Politics:
-- Redspace politics are fragmented and labrynthine, with a complex web of political allegiances as a result of colonies and territorial claims.
Entertainment:
-- Redspace is a haven for hedonism, eccentric forms of entertainment, and general excess. Drugs are an almost universally available commodity, and art is a popular passtime. Nearly any form of entertainment one could hope for is bound to be found somewhere within Redspace, especially due to the odd clashing and meeting of ideas between species.
Language:
-- A combination of old-fashioned trade pidgin and the application of advanced cryptographic technologies allows the many inhabitants of Redspace to communicate with each other. It isn't uncommon to hear dozens of languages being spoken in the more heavily populated cities.

Technological Overview:
-- The Confederacy is quite broad in its technological capabilities; while their high-energy sciences are limited, their general engineering capabilities are quite developed. The many species incorporated into Redspace have lent a multitude of technological viewpoints to the civilization, and one can see great variety in what they encounter because of this.
-- Further reading: Redspace Technology

Groundbreaking Technologies:
-- While the many species that Redspace has encountered have all brought their own variety of "cutting edge" technologies, Redspace as a whole has a fairly low baseline. Superstructure engineering, genetic engineering, cybernetic augmentation, high-quality sensor/scanner devices, and consciousness uploading are all technologies which Redspace is experimenting with.
Special Military Technologies:
-- Magnetic accelerator weapons have begun to become popular, and the genetic engineering and biomechanical technologies introduced by the Ljikoril have been partially adapted into military roles. There is also a surprising amount of development in chemical weaponry.

Military Overview:
-- Light cruisers, long-range missile platforms, Wthpships, and local-orbit interceptors.
-- Redspace core army, Nurota paramilitary, Ljikoril techsoldiers.

[Skylar]

My WIP nation. Many of my characters will be explorers and mercenaries from the Commonwealth ranging out into the stars.

Official Name: The Interstellar Dominion of Mitran States
Unofficial Name(s): The Dominion
Demonym: Citizens, State’ers, Dominars
Capital System: Hearthstar
Capital Planet: Haven
Home Region: The Haven Sector
Head of State: Head Ministers Lady Athena and *Architect
Head of Government: Empress Helena Greywind
Head of Military: Grand Admiral of the Fleet Lord Markus Tyran
Population: Approx 10 billion Mithras, 35 billion biosynths and AI’s.
Type of Power: Size 5, Major Inter Stellar Power. Formerly a Size 6 prior to the civil war.

Mithras: A slender, elven species. On average standing around six feet tall. The prevailance of commercial body-modding means skin color, hair color, height, even apparent age skew wildly from individual to individual. In general, the longer the hair the older a person is, and the more elaborate the hairstyle the more senior they are.

Biosynths: Artificially created subspecies of Mithras or copycats of other minor species they have absorbed into the Dominion. Obedient and communal servants, soldiers, slaves, and laborers of a hundred kinds. They tend to be shorter and less elegant than the highborn natural Mithras.

AIs: Artificial Intelligence (although courts debate rebranding them as synthetic intelligence) make up a major minority of the Dominion’s servant population. Most are low-level entities focused on singular tasks, while a few are high-level minds spanning an entire star system. Or in the case of *Architect, the whole empire. Dominion AI’s add a (*) to the front of their names in text to clearly differentiate themselves from organics in text-comms. As a whole, they are highly intelligent, but tend to lack personal innovation or initiative with a few exceptions.

History: WIP

In a nutshell: a society of natural-born people ruling over a nation of artificial creations after a major civil war, now out to expand and explore the stars to further their own horizons to repair and replace their damaged empire.

* * * * * * *

Government, Politics, & Economy

Head of State: Head Ministers Athena and *Architect
Head of Government: Empress Helena Greywind
Head of Military: Grand Admiral of the Fleet Lord Markus Tyran
Chief Diplomat: Lord Kalor Blake, *Crystal
Other Key Figures:

Type of Government: AI-assisted Monarchy
Description of Government:
The Dominion is formally a monarchy, with the ruling Emperor or Empress having supreme executive power, with a subordinate advisory council of lords and ladies to run day to day affairs. With the space age, the complexities of governing many far-flung worlds made the Empress Lansel Greywind commission the creation of a network of advanced computing networks and AI’s to provide advice and information to smoothly run an interstellar empire. As time progressed, more routine affairs are handed over to *Architect, the central advisory AI and right hand to the Empress. Not even the civil war did much to damage *Architect or its functions as it diligently served to minimize damage and ensure a quick rebuilding with the success of the royalists.

Type of Economy: Free Market Capitalism
Description of Economy: WIP, involves sentient interstellar macroeconomics

* * * * * * *

Foreign Relations

Faction Status: Expanding, growing, dealing with recovery from a civil war.

Diplomatic Approach: (Note your nation's general approach toward others -- and better yet, how your faction would have others approach you.)

Aggressiveness: The Dominion is cautiously aggressive. They want to grow and expand into new frontiers, but are willing to compromise or negotiate before turning to war.

They are not above forcibly uplifting smaller nations into their fold, but tend to respect the boundaries of nations they see as larger or stronger than they are.

(How often does your nation attack others? How aggressive is it towards the little guys, or even the big ones?)

State of War:
Dealing with remnants of the Sovereign Colonies rebellion and assorted traitor military personnel. Presently minor warfront, but could become a larger issue in the near future.
(Are you fighting minor wars, major wars, nothing at all? Note whatever you want here.)

Allies: (Doesn't matter how close they are as long as it's official. Run it by GMs first.)
Friends: (Add whoever your nation likes here.)
Apathetic: (Add whoever your nation avoids/doesn't care about at all here.)
Foes: (Add whoever your nation doesn't like here.)
At War: (Doesn't matter the scale of conflict between the two factions. Run conflicts by both the player involved and the GM if the conflict started before IC's events take place.)

* * * * * * *

Military Forces

Space Fleet


Ship Class: Aegis
Ship Type: Dreadnought
Size: 3 km in length, 1 km in width
Role: Flagship, Fleet Mothership, Dreadnought of the Wall
Primary Weapons: 80x Broadside Missile Tubes, 60x Broadside Plasma Beam Cannons
Secondary Weapons: Gauss Cannon Batteries,
Primary Defenses: Klein-Bottle Shields, Superheavy Hexaferrite Armor
Secondary Defenses: Active Decoys, point-defense laser clusters
Power Source: Six 25-Way Fusion Reactors
Crew Size: 10,000 to 150,000 depending upon degree of AI automation and ground force complement. More than 3/4ths are biosynths or drones.
Other Notes: Retains drop-pod capability for deploying ground forces. A number of Aegis are granted to explorers or obtained by mercenaries heading out into foreign stars.

* * * * * * *

Society&Culture

Dominant Society:

Social Hierarchy:
The Dominion can be loosely divided into the natural-borns and the synthetic biosynths and AI’s.

Moral Values: Self-fulfillment is the chief ideal for the natural-borns. Finding your ideal desires, the vocation your perfectly suited for, creating works you will be proud of, furthering oneself is the highest value the Dominion holds. Loyalty to family and love of others are close seconds.

For the biosynths and AI’s, conformity and efficiency are their highest moral values. Their life of hard labor and toil is ideal to them, and they find comfort within repetition and routine.

Culture: Put simply, the Dominion’s natural-born upper classes are hedonists of almost every variety. The boons of interstellar travel and space-age technology have been turned to create a eudaimonic high-consumption society that allows everyone to focus on what makes them will fulfilled in life. The only difference among the various social tiers among the natural-born are to what degree of excess they can afford.

In contrast, the lower-class AI and biosynth populations live in hard labor to support the natural-born elite. While they are afforded some degree of basic comforts and are well-treated cogs of society, they are still cogs in a larger machine and treated as such. Biosynths and AI’s of high-quality or exceptional service may be promoted to more middle-class refined supervisor positions or servants directly to their masters.

Other Notes: (List anything truly unique that doesn't fit with the rest.)

Class Distinctions:
Besides the gross divide between the noble-class “naturals” and the working class “synthetics”, there are some degree of divisions amongst the highborn upper-class naturals, mostly relating to what kind of work they do. Those that govern and lead tend to afford a higher degree of luxury than those that are managing resourcing and industrial activities, but its not that much of a difference. In general, the greatest measure of status is how your time is spent rather than one's taste of abundant luxury.

The exception is the military. Those that join the Dominion military tend to be a mix of youths unsatisfied by lives of empty luxury or political aspirants or simply adventure-seekers. Adopting strict discipline and orderly regimes and focused lives, they stand out amongst the ranks of the nobility even after being discharged, which is considered more of a curiosity than disgrace amongst most.

Politics:
Like most monarchies, there is a degree of politicking going on behind closed doors between nobles and corporations and the crown and military. Appointments to different high positions of authority, for high-level Prolong treatments, and cultural posturing. But surprisingly, most politicking occurs between the governing AI’s rather than the natural-born in their quest for efficiency and service.

Entertainment:
For the noble-class naturals, grand court galas and dances, airship luxury cruises and hunts, sports, and any other form of high-class entertainment and indulgence is common amongst the “common” nobility. The high-level royalty and social elite take such acts even further.

Military nobles prefer to engage in wargames and military philosophy debates, adopting more ascetic and militaristic lifestyles compared to the civilians and largely discarding the materialistic hedonism, although its far from total abstinence. Especially among the younger officers.

For the working class biosynths, when they are not at work they are afford baser pleasures like recreational drugs, group activities, sex, or simple commercialism. But the majority of the labor-types consider their work their best form of entertainment and recreation.

News & Other Media:
The Medialink network spans all of the planets

(How is your faction informed on current events?)
Language: (How does it work in general? List anything of note here.)

* * * * * * *

Technology

Technological Overview: As a whole, Dominion technology is built with a mind towards networking and adaptation on every level. Anything and everything they can network, add smart-materials to, or automate; they will. The end result is a highly networked and high-computational society that allows for extremely rapid problem solving and adaptation.

Biotech is also notably focused. While gene-modding is kept to merely peak-organic abilities and cosmetics rather than any radical superpowers, the creation of biosynthetic clones is a well-honed practice. And certain fields of extreme cybernetic and genetic modification are being investigated, such as Ascension-class neural implants granting immortality, at a high cost.

However the Dominion as a deficiency in the area of theoretical physics and making their higher-level technologies mass-producible. For all their high-tech, their starships are notably difficult to build and repair outside of specialized yards. And there have been no real innovations in FTL travel for decades.

Groundbreaking Technologies:
* Mass Bio-synthesis- The Dominion have made massive strides in the fields of cloning, genetic manipulation, and neural imprinting to mass-produce biosynths that can be configured and purpose-made for a variety of tasks. Artificial servants, slaves, workers, soldiers, courtiers, to fill out the Dominion’s lower classes and need for working masses. In general, at full capacity a average-sized cloning plant can produce and program 10,000 biosynths every six months. In practice they tend to take a bit longer for fine-tuning and specialization of biosynths in smaller numbers.

Special Military Technologies:
* 3-Dimensional Maneuvering Gear- Every infantryman, from the lowest militia and garrison, to the robotic forces, and especially the elite forces, are trained to some degree in the usage of 3DMG, a combination body harness, grappling hook launchers, thruster packs, and mag-lev skids that grant individuals in the field an exceptional degree of maneuverability well-suited for Dominion high-speed warfare. Not many can master it, but those that can are nigh-impossible to hit. The vast majority just use it to slightly improve upon basic mobility.
* Immortal Protocol- Some elite personnel are granted the rare Ascension-class neural implants that permit them when they die on the battlefield to be transferred to a new clone body in the field or on an orbiting warship. The end result are soldiers who are literally incapable of dying, and can learn from every death. The technology is new however, and there are very few people compatible with the Ascension-class Implants, so Immortality is reserved for a few key personnel or people worth keeping alive at any cost. Furthermore, not everyone can withstand the strain of dying repeatedly and may opt for discharge or assisted suicide after a number of “deaths”.
* Automated Armies- The a large part of the Dominion’s armed forces are complex and adaptive combat drones driven by AI’s and organic commanders. A single commander can bring to bear hundreds of tireless, fearless, and expendable drone soldiers. While individual drones are unimaginative and need heavy direction, some of the AI’s that survive the battlefields develop personalities and advanced combat skills.
* Laser-Tip Missiles- The Dominion’s predominant weapon platform are missiles carrying nuclear-bomb pumped X-ray lasers, with each missile carrying a high-yield shaped nuclear charge that focuses its energy through a series of aimed focus lens to try at enemy ships. While bulky, they bypass traditional missile defense systems by detonating at range.

Transportation:
Utility:
* Neural Net Society- The sheer degree of internet networking between almost everything in the Dominion, from clothes to streets to buildings to pipes and more, all permits for massive-scale networking to the point where almost everything is online and adaptable to the needs of society 24/7. Although it does cause issues when a hacker gets loose.

Power:
* N-way Fusion- Fusion occurring between more than two atomic bodies at once, creating exponentially greater amounts of energy in a smaller package than conventional fusion. Dominion reactor grades are measured by size and value of “N”. The average norm is a Beta-class 10-way fusion reactor. The peak of N-way fusion are Superdreadnought 40-way reactors.

Medicine:
* Prolong- One of the core tenants and central rights of the Dominion is the right to life. As such, every citizen receives basic prolong treatments to extend their lives and youth to around 150 years at peak ability. Those who want to live longer can elect for higher-level and more invasive body reconstruction procedures to live centuries longer, but its one of the few rare things in this society that is politicked and not instantly available due to complexity of the procedure despite recurring advancements to make it more accessible. The present limit is around 500 years, but very few people want to live that long.

Biology:
* Five-Star Fast Food- A nickname for a dozen advances in nutrition and bioscanning that permit extremely fine dining to be available at fast food prices and speeds. Even colonial worlds benefit as restaurant chains are always ready to go out and find new foods and sponsor bio-surveys.

Cybertronics:
* Mass-Produced AI’s- The Dominion has a ton of AI’s and robotics ingrained at every level of society. Using “Mother-type” AIs to create and raise new AI’s in a sustainable and stable manner rather than direct-coding every AI matrix, the Dominion has created AI’s that are almost like people but still extremely reliable within their given role, while still being extremely loyal and obedient.
* Mind-uploading- The Dominion has figured out how to upload a organic mind into a computer. But the greater trick was putting it back into an organic body, even a new blank-slate cloned one. While extremely expensive and reliant on hard to produce ascension-class implants, they can render a person theoretically immortal. Presently the technology is only just beginning to hit larger-scale production, and its still under heavy development to lower costs and broaden implant compatibility.

Construction:
* Dominant Economic Activity Planning - DEA planning involves dedicating entire swathes or even continents of a planet to a single overarching economic focus with the assistance of AI’s. Population centers, industry, trade, recreation, etc. While this does cause a few issues when rare minerals are found beneath somebody’s theme park, as a whole it vastly improves economic productivity with improved organization and transport efficiency. DEA’s naturally “grow” under the guidance of AI’s to be the best they can be within their given role.

* * * * * *
Characters

Tanner

Name: Claus Tanner
Nickname/Alias: The Lion
Gender: Presently male
Age/Apparent Age: 68 years chronologically, appearance early 20's. A young teenager in Mithras years.
Species/Race: Mithras
Species Description: *See Mithras Dominion*
Allegiance: Mithras Dominion
Home Faction: Mithras Dominion
Occupation: Freelancer Company Leader
Current Employer: Contracted by Mithras Dominion Frontier Fleet
Position: Freelancer Company Commander
Titles:
* Drone Marshal (Rated to command large drone armies)
* Freelancer

Rank: Freelancer Captain
Appearance/Description:

A young wayward Mithras out for adventure and excitement. Has taken to wearing lion-like ear and tail cyber accessories for fun, as well as convenient projectors for holograms. Stands around 5”10 tall, wears shapeshifting smartclothes that can change into multiple preprogrammed forms. Switches to exoskeleton-augmented body armor for combat and to use 3DMG.

Skills:
* 3DMG Mastery: High degree of freerunning, rapid-maneuver ability utilizing thruster packs, grappling hooks, and parkour skills inside or out of combat armor, with requisite spatial awareness and kinesthesia abilities.
* Drone Marshal: Tanner is rated and augmented to command large numbers of drones in battle, from direct control to theater level conflicts. In practice, he defers to a trusted cadre of subordinants whilst focusing on the larger picture of things.
* Biosynth Designer: Tanner's dabbled in the art of creating and customizing biosynths to his liking. While no real innovator by any means, he can make biosynths to solve specific problems or niche roles.
* Gunslinger- Tanner's no ace marksman, but hes a pretty good shot at quickdraw and close quarters to hold his own, bolstered by his preferred pair of self-aiming smartpistols.
* Space Tactician: Tanner is good at handling his ship in and out of combat. Commanding whole fleets, not so much.

Personal Merits: (What makes your character stand out above the crowd? List at least three good ones.)
* Divining Rod for Adventure: Tanner just has a knack for finding excitement, adventure, and riches. Sometimes tripping over rumors and maps, other times going on wild ventures that often pay off.
* Peak Mithras: Tanner has a range of mid-level genemods and cybermods to bring him to the absolute peak of natural Mithras physical capabilities. While far from any superhuman powers, its an impressive all around balance of abilities and attractiveness.
* Riches of the Stars: Tanner was already born into riches with his family’s lordship over a collection of gas giant extraction stations and a orbital palace, which he has since added to with discovering a dwarf planet made solely of heavy metals, discovery of new client races to the Dominion, contacts with a lot of logistics AI's, and creating his own private crew of biosynths, among other exploits of his adventures. Getting backing for his adventures is rarely an issue for him.

Personal Flaws:
* Divining Rod for Danger: Tanner is also a bit of a trouble magnet to go along with his adventurism. He's made quite a few enemies as well as friends, and quite a few people stalk him to try and grab his findings.
* Peak-Mithras Maintenance: Maintaining his peak-Mithras state does require some major upkeep. 4500 calories daily at minimum, regular electo-therapy, and periodic injections of prolong and rejoo through patches or inhalers, or monthly time in a regeneration tank. If he doesn't do so, or pushes his body too far, it can cause serious physical degradation or even severe self-inflicted wounds by over-stressing his body's limits.
* Disconnected: Tanner is losing his relation to the whole of Mithras society. He wants little part of their court politics and spends more time in space and with his biosynths and AI's than with fellow highborn. He considers himself apart from the rest of the Dominion. He's hired by them to explore, but hes out for himself and could work for other nations that hire him with the same degree of excitement if they make a good enough offer.

Personality: Cheerful, ambitious, adventure-seeking.

Is personally inclined towards biosynths and AI's over natural-born people. Most of his friends and trusted companions are AI's and biosynths he's made, befriended, or bought. He's rather possessive to his personal retinue of biosynths, and doesn't like others messing around with them.

Additional Information: WIP, ship details

History:
Claus was born into the House of Tanner, a mid-highborn house that largely concerned itself with resource extraction from a gas giant their estate orbits. Born a fourth son and sixth child of the household, Tanner stood little chance of inheriting titles or lands. While he could have easily married into idle wealth or joined the larger family efforts in the colossal task of gas giant mining, especially after the lasting damage from Sovereign Colonies rebellion creating opportunities. But instead he opted a different solution.
Taking an offer by the Empress intended to further the Dominion’s frontiers by granting the idle nobility starships and star charts of unexplored frontier sectors, Claus Tanner took up one such starship and a offered crew of biosynths and robots to go out and explore the unknown frontier. To take the black, and perhaps risk never coming back.

Eighteen months later, Tanner returned with one hell of a story to tell. Of clashes with a remnant Sovereign Colonies fleet and its pirate queen, an encounter with a crystalline entity the size of a planet, discovering a dwarf planet made solely of heavy elements, and of discovering how many other emerging races were rising on the frontier of the Dominion.

Not one to rest on his laurels, Tanner invested as much as he could into his ship and crew and went out into the black as often as he could. While few of his later exploits were as eventful as his first voyage, he’s made a name for himself amongst the courts and galas of the Dominion. But he cares less and less for what others think of him each time he goes into the black and returns with scars and riches alike. Tanner could have retired a rich man years ago if it weren’t for his generosity towards his crew and his own insatiable thirst for adventure, which can’t be quenched by mere coin. And not even the prospect of galactic war or peril will make Tanner give up his desire to see every one of the Unexplored Stars himself or die trying.

* * * * * * *

Name: *Wolfhound
Nickname/Alias: N/A
Gender: Feminine Programming
Age/Apparent Age: 75 Years
Species/Race: Mithran Synthetic Intelligence
Species Description:
Allegiance: Tanner's Freelancers
Home Faction: Mithran Dominion
Occupation: Bodyguard, heavy combat bot
Current Employer: Claus Tanner
Position: Servant, Bodyguard
Titles: N/A
Rank: N/A
Appearance/Description:


Hunter Chassis


Biosynth Body

Skills:
* High Level marksmanship- *Wolfhound is a very good shot with her 40mm railgun or any form of battlemech weaponry.
* Mid-level Parkour (Not an easy thing to do, being a 14-foot robot, but jump-jets and high articulation help)
* Combat Veteran- *Wolfhound is a veteran of the Sovereign Colonies war, of brutal no holds barred combat across a dozen different battlefields and campaigns. Between advanced combat skills and the ability to transfer shell-bodies, *Wolfhound has accumulated a massive repertoire of experience and combat skill both against other machines or organics.

Personal Merits:
* Hunter Chassis- The Hunter light chassis is built for very high-maneuverability combat in urban or rough terrain. It is notably fast with multiple clustered dash thrusters and multi-joint articulation to allow for giant robot sized parkour and high-speed combat. Commonly wields a 40mm railgun with retractable wrist blades.
* Matrix Transfer: *Wolfhound is capable of flash-downloading her main core into a different chassis mid-battle to avoid fatal damage or to adapt to changing conditions on the battlefield. As last resort, can also download herself into an orbiting ship if no platforms are available.
* Guardian (Tanner): *Wolfhound is sworn to protect her master Claus Tanner, and years of exploring and fighting alongside him have made the duo a lethal pair fighting back to back, with *Wolfhound being exceptionally proactive in defending her master and able in maneuvering to do so.

Personal Flaws:
* Hunter Chassis- The Hunter is lightly armored and more reliant on maneuverability to avoid fire rather than tanking it directly. Its personal kinetic barriers and armor plating arn’t very strong.
* Poor Self-Preservation: Being a respawning robot doesn't do well for *Wolfhound's sense of self-preservation. The ability to rapidly transfer to other compatible platforms mid-battle means *Wolfhound considers everything material expendable, including herself. This can lead to excessive risk-taking.
* Warbot Personality: Wolfhound was built for combat and combat alone. She is seriously out of her element in non-combat scenarios or outside of her usual hunter chassis, such as the biosynth body Tanner has her use off-duty. This makes her abrasive, blunt, and usually unsociable.

Personality:
* Wolfhound is a aggressive warmachine, just waiting to be let off the leash to fight and kill and fulfill objectives to please her commander. However she is not a mindless berserker, there is a ruthless intelligence behind her combat ability.

Outside of combat though, *Wolfhound is very much out of her element, especially when out of her mech body and in a biosynth platform. She’s usually blunt and unsociable in public, but still retains a major protective streak for Claus.

Additional Information: WIP
History: (Describe in as much length as you desire. However, it is a MUST that you at least give a reason why your character is in their current postion, and at least give an idea what they might be doing when your character enters the RP.)

[ASTA]

-Removed-

[TheSovereignGrave]

Still a WIP.

The Princely Federation of Bhulhatur

Official Name:
The Princely Federation of Bhulhatur
Unofficial Name(s):
Bhulhatur
Demonym:
Bhulhaturoth
Capital System/Planet:
Nyogtha
Home Region:
TBD
Head of State:
Nindur'Medora'Tsotha, Prince of Bhulhatur
Head of Government:
Arsalar'Barosi'Hasturan, First Master of Bhulhatur
Head of Military:
Sisuthra'Nindur'Tsotha, Master of Defense of Bhulhatur
Population:
85 billion
Type of Power:
Type 6
Species Description:
Most Bhulhaturoth are members of a species known as the Yhath, a tall humanoid species with faces reminiscent of a Terran octopus and six thick tentacles located just above their waist. The Yhath originate from the planet Nyogtha, a seasonless and lush paradise of a world several times more massive than Earth. The average Yhath is about 7 to 8 feet tall, though there is great variation when it comes to height and individuals as short as 5 feet or as tall as 10 feet are not unheard of. Their tentacles are essentially six extra, fleshy limbs; they are prehensile and Yhath have enough motor control over them to manipulate objects with them extremely easily. However, they are nowhere near as strong or sturdy as an actually boney limb, and as such are much weaker. Besides the tentacles, their most noticeable feature is the thickened epidermis that covered parts of their bodies such as the forearm, shoulder, and back. This epidermis oftentimes has protrusions and nodules on it, which grow larger and more numerous as the Yhath ages; this means that these protrusions can be used as a rough estimate as to a Yhath's age. A Yhath can live to be about the equivalent of 120 years at max unaided, and even with artificial life-extending technology this can only be extended to about 200. Despite the best efforts of Bhulhaturoth scientists the Yhath body just seems deteriorate rapidly around that age no matter what is done. A Yhath's mouth is located underneath the mass of tentacles that make up their lower face, and is composed of several jawless rings of teeth covered by a set of fleshy lips. The most unique facet of the Yhath, however, is their genders; more specifically the fact that they have only one. Each Yhath is a hermaphrodite, and is capable of both impregnating and becoming pregnant; as such the concept of gender, gender roles, and all related topics were completely unknown to the Yhath prior to their first contact with other spacefaring races.

Additional Notes:
TBD
History:
TBD

Head of State:
Nindur'Medora'Tsotha, Prince of Bhulhatur
Head of Government:
Arsalar'Barosi'Hasturan, First Master of Bhulhatur
Head of Military:
Sisuthra'Nindur'Tsotha, Master of Defense of Bhulhatur
Chief Diplomat:
Melalga'Saba'Thanil, Master of Diplomacy of Bhulhatur
Other Key Figures:
Shursab'Saga'Shonosha, Master of Finance of Bhulhatur
Etun'Amim'Adath, Master of Justice of Bhulhatur
Ualuzin'Ankishtis'Dhothadde,First Councilor of Great House Nian-Uhoth
Nanna'Isal'Thanil,First Councilor of Great House Bo-Vhatep
Mammet'Mammet'Voonatha,First Councilor of Great House Fthu-Urach
Durimu'Ninga'Sothoa,First Councilor of Great House Ub-Cthogga

Type of Government:
Constitutional Monarchy
Description of Government:
The basic organizational structure of the Princely Federation of Bhulhatur are the four Great Houses. The Great Houses can be considered both an organization, a territory, and a ruling body. The four Great Houses are Nian-Uhoth, Bo-Vhatep, Fthu-Urach, and Ub-Cthogga; each Great House rules over and governs their own territory within Bhulhatur. The Great Houses all follow the same governmental structure, and are democratic in nature. Each Great House is governed by a Council composed of 64 members; though only members of the Great House can vote and be elected. Anyone can join any Great House regardless of species or birth, so long as they are a Bhulhaturoth citizen. Then the Councilors all vote on which of them is to serve as the First Councilor, the individual considered to be the singular ruler of the Great House though they are technically considered to be 'first among equals'. The First Councilor then appoints 3 other Councilors of their choosing to supervise the Great House's military, finances, and police force; they are styled the Councilor of Defense, Councilor of Finance, and Councilor of Justice, respectively. Each of the Councilors serve for 8 years; however on any given year only 8 of the Councilors' terms end. Councilors can serve any number of terms, though they are forbidden from running for office until 8 years since the end of their last term.
While the Great Houses have a large degree of autonomy, Bhulhatur does have a central authority. This central authority is composed of the High Council and the Five Masters. The Prince himself has no direct authority in the Princely Federation, but he is the one who appoints the Five Masters to their positions and is able to remove them from office and replace them as he sees fit. The Five Masters are the Master of Finance, Master of Justice, Master of Defense, Master of Diplomacy, and First Master. They oversee the treasury, police force, military, and foreign relations, with the First Master overseeing the other four, with most decisions they make having to be approved by the First Master. None of the Masters have a term that they serve, instead they serve until they die, resign, or are removed from their position by the Prince. The High Council is the legislature of the Princely Federation, and is composed of 20 individuals; the First Councilor, Councilor of Defense, Councilor of Finance, and Councilor of Justice of each of the four Great Houses in addition to the Five Masters minus the First Master. However, the First Master is called in to break any ties that occur during decision-making.
Type of Economy:
Mixed Economy
Description of Economy:
The economy of Bhulhatur is capitalist, though it is quite heavily regulated by the government.

Faction Status:
Peaceful

Diplomatic Approach:
The Bhulhaturoth are rather open and accepting in diplomacy, so long as the one they are engaging in diplomacy with is the same way. They are not overly belligerent and can be quite friendly. However, they respond to hostile and belligerent nations in kind. It is also notable their approach to civilizations they encounter that have yet to reach a space-age level of technology. They do not make contact with the civilization, and instead designate it a Protectorate under the direct authority of Bhulhatur's central government. They claim the system as their own, but keep their presence entirely unknown to the civilization there, instead keeping the developing society safe from the threat of other nations.
Aggressiveness:
Bhulhatur is not an aggressive nation; it very much prefers peaceful expansion and solution to conflict. That is not to say they are pacifists in any way, however. They are more than willing to get violent and declare war if they feel as though it is the only or best solution to a problem.
State of War:
None

Allies:
TBD
Friends:
TBD
Apathetic:
TBD
Foes:
TBD
At War:
None

Social Hierarchy:
Bhulhatur has a rather strict social hierarchy, divided into essentially seven tiers. The lowest are non-Citizens within Bhulhatur, then are Citizens who are not members of a Great House, then Great House Members, then any who work in the government, then Great House Councilors, members of the High Council, and finally the Princely Family (composed of the Prince and all his relatives). However, despite social classes being rather strict there is quite a lot of social mobility. A non-Citizen can apply for Citizenship, any Citizen can join a Great House, and any who proves their worth can be elected a Councilor. In fact, the only level that cannot be joined is the Princely Family, which is restricted to birth due to the lack of marriage in Bhulhaturoth society.
Moral Values:
The Bhulhaturoth are very liberal in their values. Essentially people are encouraged to do as they want so long as it does not harm another person or lead to laziness. Hedonism is looked down upon in their society as a sign of those too weak to actually work for their rewards, however their definition of 'hedonism' can differ from others definition of it. To them, hedonism is excess without work; someone can be as opulent and pleasure-seeking as they want so long as they work hard for it.

Culture:
As mentioned above Bhulhaturoth culture is fairly liberal; however there are some specifics of note as well. First is their view concerning nudity, which is that they have no problems with it. While it is considered inappropriate to walk around nude in public most of the time, one of the most common forms of social gathering are communal bathes and they do not view nudity as being inherently sexual in nature. Bhulhaturoth also never wear shirts unless it is demanded by the weather or other reasons. Closely related to this is Bhulhaturoth society's complete and total lack marriage; two Bhulhaturoth that love one another instead enter into an unofficial committed relationship. This relationship lasts only so long as both Bhulhaturoth want it too, and can be dissolved on will; in addition Bhulhaturoth are usually not limited to only a single lover, as they may all have as many lovers as they want without any sort of social stigma attached. Lovers do not live together, and the lover is not expected to help support any children they may 'father'. The child is instead raised by the extended family of the 'mother'; most Bhulhaturoth live with their mother, grandmother, siblings, aunts/uncles, and any other relatives that may live inside the household. As a result of this, children trace familial ties via the 'mother' as it is entirely possible they do not know who their 'father' is, especially if the 'mother' had multiple lovers. They could use DNA tests to determine this, but considering Bhulhaturoth culture there is generally no reason to do so. And finally, the structure of Bhulhaturoth names is somewhat unique. They technically only have a single name, but it is divided into three separate parts; the first is the equivalent of their given name, the second is the first part of their 'mother's' name, and the last is the equivalent of a surname. However, they do not have three names; all three parts make up the Bhulhaturoth's name, and it is considered offensive to refer to someone by just the first part of their name unless you are very close.

Religion:
There is no organized religion in Bhulhatur, though the concept of actual atheism is completely alien to them. Throughout their history religion was a pervasive influence on them, and while that has changed much since they advanced into space, religion is still existent within their society. Specific religious beliefs, tenets, and texts dissolved as the Yhath ascended to the stars but left behind a belief in some sort of high power. Beliefs of this higher power differ greatly with the only universally agreed upon fact being that whatever divine entity that exists, exists above and outside of the Universe and any restrictions it may have. As a result Bhulhaturoth religion has come to be referred to as Outsidism by other peoples, with there being no general word for Bhulhaturoth faith for the Bhulhaturoth themselves.
Gods:
Outsidism does not have a name for its God, and some hesitate to even refer to it as a God. To some it is a sentient entity, while for others it is a sort of divine force of nature; it depends upon the believes of the Bhulhaturoth in question.
Tenets:
None
Religious Beliefs:
There are numerous beliefs that are blanketed under the term Outsidism by non-Bhulhaturoth. Some believe that God created the universe and left it to its own devices, some believe that everything that happens happens for the best and that God knows and understands far more than any person can, some believe that God is 'dead' and inert. Some believe that God is not a sentient being, but something of a force of nature that acts outside of the restrictions of the Universe's laws; some believe that God is a fully sentient divine entity with knowledge and understanding that is infinite. This is why the Bhulhaturoth themselves have no single word for their beliefs, because there really is no single Bhulhaturoth religion.,

Misc. Cultural Traits
Class Distinctions:
Citizenship, membership in a Great House, government position, and Princely birth all effect a person's class. It is possible for anyone to reach any of the classes, aside from being a member of the Princely Family.
Politics:
As one can imagine there is quite a bit of politicking going on in the Bhulhaturoth government. Candidates for Councilorship fight with other candidates for the public's vote, Councilors jostle with each other for the position of First Councilor and to have the First Councilor appoint them to one of the three higher positions, Bhulhaturoth do their best to gain favour with the Prince in the hope that he will appoint them as one of the Five Masters, and the Great Houses themselves maneuver and plot against other Great Houses to gain more power and influence with the Prince.
Entertainment:
Bhulhaturoth entertainment is vast and varied, catering to nearly any possible demand, so long as it does not involve harming another person. There are movies, books, shopping centers, brothels, games, communal bathes for socializing, etc.
News & Other Media:
There are public news broadcasts, as well as private news stations and the Bhulhaturoth equivalent of the internet to keep people in Bhulhatur up to date on current events.
Language:
The Yhath language is nothing special, with the exception that it can be somewhat difficult for a non-Yhath to speak it due to the unique structure of a Yhath's mouth. However, this goes both ways and most Yhath have problems with learning other species' languages. As a result they tend to wear a device around their neck that translates their speech into the other language and broadcasts it when speaking to other species.

[Ozerath]

Mostly done, still a few things left to work on and the formatting is a mess.

The Imperial Systems Commonwealth

General Information

Official Name: Imperial Systems Commonwealth
Unofficial Name(s): The Commonwealth, The ISC,
Demonym: Multiple
Capital Planets: Corinthene (Parliament and Imperial Directorate)
Praetoria (Imperial Crown and Court)
Home Region:
Head of State: Her Imperial Majesty Catherine Dragunov XIII
Head of Government: Lord Sir Clement Wenzel von Metternich, Lord Chancellor, Archduke Konigsberg, Knight-Captain of the Order of St. Diae
Head of Military: High Admiral Sir Otto Ludwig von Bismarck, Duke Greyhaven, First Lord of the Void, Knight-Companion of the Order of King Nicholas, I.C.V, S.P., M.T.
Population: 400 billion citizens as of latest census
Note: census does not take into account non-citizens, estimates range from 200-300 billion non-citizens and foreign nationals
Type of Power: Type 8
Species Description: Vit'azny: The reigning elite of the Commonwealth and one of its founding members. The Vit'azny are long lived feline humanoids, with a number of subspecies. Males tend to be larger than females, and the average lifespan can reach up to 300 years. The Vit’azny dominate the upper echelons of the Commonwealth’s government, military, and corporations. Indeed, their monarch is the Commonwealth’s head of state: a figurehead on paper, but something quite different in practice. As a whole, the Vit’azny are a proud people, but are pragmatic more than anything.

Szitzu: A race of large, sentient bearlike creatures that form the backbone of the Commonwealth’s military might. As a whole, Szitzu society is heavily patriarchal and heavily based on tradition and an intricate clan system. While this society has produced excellent warriors for generations, it has a tendency to relegate thinkers to the sidelines. The Szitzu were originally conquered by the Vit’azny empire about 650 years ago, after a long and bloody conflict which only ended when Vit’azny technology overcame Szitzu ferocity. Under the Empire, the Szitzu were rebellious and problematic, but as one of the original founding members of the Commonwealth, they have become it’s most loyal supporters. Their size, strength, aggression, and honour-through-combat traditions make Szitzu excellent soldiers, and they form a sizeable bulk of the Royal Commonwealth Army, though they rarely rise above the rank of Major. Szitzu are also present in the Royal Commonwealth Navy, especially in the marines, but rarely in high level command positions.

Yanissans: Originally a small star nation of 5 systems, the snakelike humanoids known as the Yanissans were quick to surrender when the Vit’azny war machine came knocking. However, they proved to be more dangerous as subjects than they did as enemies. While Szitzu resentment against the old empire usually took the shape of riots and bar fights, a plot by Yanissan rebels managed to kill the entire Vit’azny Royal Advisory Council. The King was spared only by coincidence; his personal limousine suffered a breakdown on the way to the meeting. Yanissan society is dominated by plots, intrigue, secrets, and rampant hedonism. They are the third and final founding species of the Commonwealth, which from their point of view, keeps them a healthy distance from any fighting. Their cultural background means Yanissans tend to delight in deception and half-truths. The most effective intelligence agencies of the Commonwealth are dominated by Yanissans. They have a moderate presence in the RCN, but a much smaller one in the RCA. Those Yanissans who are in the army are almost all genetically modified to be elite special operatives.

Rhodesians: The dimunitive weasely Rhodesians were one of the first species conquered by the old Vit’azny Empire. Quick thinking, short lived, numerous, and obsessed with efficiency, they are the ones who attend to the business of actually getting things done. They are technically subjects of the Commonwealth, not full members, but this is more of an oversight than an act of malice. Long before the Commonwealth was ever founded, the Rhodesians thoroughly integrated themselves into Vit’azny society, eventually making themselves indispensable. This trend has carried on with the Commonwealth as a whole, to the point where the Commonwealth’s official capital is actually their homeworld, Corinthene, though all the real power is concentrated on Praetoria, the Vit’azny homeworld. The vast majority of bureaucrats are Rhodesians; most military staffers are Rhodesians; personal aides, diplomatic attaches, economic analysts, technicians, administrators: they are the people who keep the Commonwealth running. The general sentiment towards them is one of distant gratitude: they are underlings, but well appreciated underlings.

Valerians: The Valerian Republic is the newest member of the Commonwealth, and the conditions for their joining were highly unusual. Unlike most new members, the Valerian worlds were fully integrated as constituents of the Commonwealth, not colonial holdings. There are a number of factors that prompted this decision, but it has caused a great deal of tension across older Commonwealth worlds that are still waiting to be granted constituency. It remains to be seen if the advantages the Valerians bring with them will offset the social unrest their integration has caused. Valerians are avian humanoids, with a distinctly flock based mentality.

Head of State: The Imperial King/Queen
Head of Government: Lord Chancellor of the Reich
Head of Military: First Lord of the Void, the ranking High Admiral at Der Admiralteystvo House
Other Key Figures: Sir Cato Telemachus, Minister of State, Knight-Fellow of the Order of St. Diae
Lord Sir Richard Cannings, Minister of Defence, Earl Bavaria, Knight-Companion of the Order of St. Diae
Lord-Captain-Commander Martuf, Sthiss Eban, Yanissan Principalities, a respected advisor to the cabinet
Admiral Lord Sir Adison Votyakov, Count Mornington, Knight-Companion of the Order of King Nicholas, Commanding Officer 27th fleet, the Commonwealth’s principal offensive unit
General Kyarguin, Commanding Officer of the Foreign Legion, highest ranking Szitzu officer in the RCA
Robert Castlereagh, a highly respected member of the foreign service
Javelin, a Yanissan Surtsugal: a genetically engineered, highly trained and highly effective covert operative

History, Government, and Economy

History:
The Vit’azny have been a spacefaring civilization for a little less than 700 years. They set out from their homeworld of Praetoria and began rapidly expanding to accommodate their swelling population. Historically, they have never shied away from warfare, though they are pragmatic above all else and understand the usefulness of diplomacy. First contact with another alien race, the snake-like Yanissans, quickly devolved into war. Seeing how one sided the conflict would be the Yanissans promptly surrendered were annexed as subjects.This happened again with another race, the brutish Szitzu. Neither species were happy as subjects, and rebellions rapidly become a problem for the Vit’azny overlords. 499 years ago, they developed a solution: the Imperial Systems Commonwealth. The governments of the Szitzu and Yanissans were restored, and they agreed to the formation of the Parliament of the Sovereign Reich and the other institutions of the Commonwealth. The ISC has been rapidly expanding ever since.

Type of Government:
Partially a Parliamentary Democracy, partially a Monarchical Imperium

Description of Government: There are three main bodies to the Commonwealth’s government: The Parliament of the Sovereign Reich, the Imperial Directorate of the Commonwealth, and The Imperial Crown. The Parliament of the Sovereign Reich is the official government of the Commonwealth. It is composed of 1021 elected representatives who are affiliated with assorted political parties. The party with the most seats after an election composes Her Imperial Majesty’s Government, and the leader of that party becomes Lord Chancellor. He in turn appoints assorted ministers to compose the cabinet. The parliament functions as most parliaments do: bills are presented, voted on, debated, voted on again, and so forth. The Parliament of the Sovereign Reich is responsible for issues affecting the whole of the Commonwealth, with regional authority being granted to smaller legislative assemblies, or the existing governments of member species. The authority of parliament is absolute, and the Imperial Queen is not directly involved in its functioning, though she may appoint heads of committees and task forces. There is an exception, however: Royal Mandates. The Imperial Queen may issue a Royal Mandate at any time, on any subject she deems suitable. A Royal Mandate skips all the debate and voting; in this, the Imperial Queen’s word is law. However, Royal Mandates are a touchy subject: a ruler that uses them too freely to abuse their authority over parliament often finds that their Mandates take a very long time to be implemented, often poorly. On the flipside, Lord Chancellors who steadfastly refuse to bow to the ruler’s authority often find themselves in front of parliamentary committees on charges of Contempt of the Realm.

The Imperial Directorate of the Commonwealth is the vast bureaucracy that keeps the trains running on time. From the wealthiest Core world to the most desolate colony, the Imperial Directorate’s deft touch can be seen at work. It consists of a large number of ministries, departments, bureau’s, agencies and crown corporations, all arranged into a maze of regulations and red tape. The most important entities of the Directorate are the cabinet ministries, which are the ministries where the politician in charge is a member of cabinet. There are usually 12 cabinet ministries, and they cover the most important issues of the Commonwealth, such as defence, finance, and colonial affairs.. A large number of lesser ministries exist, covering more specific areas. Some ministries only operate in certain areas of the Commonwealth; the Ministry of Environment, for example, has absolutely no use in the colonies, but is enormously important in the Core worlds. Similarly, the Ministry of Civil Order is unnecessary in the Core, but plays an important role in oppressing the rebellious colonies. There are also a vast number of agencies that do everything from maintain hyperspace beacons to collect taxes. The Directorate can also be used as something of a political scapegoat if necessary. Ministers, the Lord Chancellor, even the Imperial Queen have been known to redirect blame into the faceless mass of the Directorate on occasion.

This brings us to the final entity of the Commonwealth’s government: the Imperial Crown. The exact limits of the Crown’s authority are vaguely defined and poorly understood. The Crown is an old, old institution, dating back thousands of years to one of Praetoria’s great empires, long before the Vit’azny began venturing into space. The Imperial Crown began with the establishment of the Breshelin Empire, under Catherines distant ancestor, Petyr Dragunov. Originally, the King’s power was absolute, but this power was limited by the first constitution of the Breshelin Empire, which came about after the Wurtenstein Uprising when the first ever parliament was established. Some 900 odd years ago, the Breshelin Empire managed to unite the entire planet of Praetoria under a single government after evidence of intelligent alien life was discovered, and a new parliamentary system was formed and a new constitution was written. The Imperial Crown continued on, but it’s powers were defined under the new constitution as being “similar in nature and spirit to those established under the Wurtenstein Constitution” (due to the Vit’azny legal system being largely based on historical precedent rather than written law). 499 years ago, when the Commonwealth was formed, much of the Crown’s power was again defined as “similar in nature and spirit to those establised under the Planetary Constitution.” Considering all this, the problem becomes apparent: the exact limits of the Crowns’ power are based on a poorly written 2000 year old document. The accepted conventions are as follows: the Crown will ask the majority leader of Parliament to form the official government, and will agree to dissolve parliament and open elections at the request of the majority leader. The Crown is entitled to appoint appropriate individuals to chair parliamentary committees, in consultation with the Lord Chancellor. The Crown is entitled to use Royal Mandates to address matters of urgency for the benefit of the Commonwealth. As of the Colonization Act of 22 AU, the Crown has jurisdiction over Colonial Territories, while the State Ministry is responsible for their administration and answers to the Crown in this regard. Even these conventions are not ironclad, though ignoring them risks a Constitutional Crisis. For the Commonwealth to run smoothly, it is essential for the Crown and the Lord Chancellor to have a good working relationship. If they do, they can combine their efforts to make good use of both of their respective authorities.

Type of Economy: Regulated Free Market

Description of Economy: The Commonwealth is an industrial judggernaut, with massive production capabilities. This industry is driven by an extensive trade network and a skilled workforce, but the real power of the Commonwealth comes from an immensely wealthy tax base and an abundance of cheap manual labour and raw materials. The disparity between the wealthy and the poor is truly astonishing, and a direct result of how the Commonwealth is organized. The worlds of the Commonwealth are classified into one of four categories: Core worlds, Constituent worlds, Colonial worlds, and Verge worlds.

The Core worlds are the original Vit’azny colonies and a small number of worlds of some of the ISC’s oldest “members”. The vast majority of the Commonwealth’s wealth is concentrated on these worlds. In fact, money is the only real industry of the Core worlds. Almost all food and manufactured goods are imported from the Constituents and the Colonies, with the exception of some ultra-high end luxury goods. Any respectable company maintains its corporate headquarters on one of the Core worlds, with some exceptions. Money is the biggest industry of the Core worlds, with countless financial service providers and stock exchanges dominating the economy. Core worlds tend to be heavily populated; on average, about 70% of a Core world’s landmass is covered by gleaming cities. The majority of the population is inevitably Vit’azny, and poverty is virtually nonexistent on these worlds. While one would expect a society as lopsided as the Commonwealth’s would pass off the burden of taxation to its helpless colonies and let the Core Worlds amass their fortunes, this is not the case.The Commonwealth in fact maintains a sophisticated taxation system with multiple income brackets where the highest bracket pays the most taxes. Through this system, the Core worlds actually provide the majority of the Commonwealth’s tax income. Aspects of the Commonwealth such as the taxation system and the Parliament of the Sovereign Reich have convinced many species to join the Commonwealth over the years. By the time they discover some of the ‘conditions’ attached to membership, it is too late.

The Constituent worlds are the backbone of the Commonwealth. They include newer Vit’azny colonies, a large number of Commonwealth colonies, and the worlds of moderately respected member nations. The Constituent worlds are much less homogeneous than the Core worlds: some are richer, some less so, and even on a given planet there is a wide margin between the wealthy and the poor. A given planet, or even a given city on that planet, will have affluent communities and slums alike. Like the Commonwealth as a whole, the Vit’azny and a number of the older member species form the elite, with a healthy spattering of individuals from all kinds of species who happened to do very well for themselves. Constituent worlds are ruled by either Imperial Legislatures of the Commonwealth (in the case of colonies founded by the Commonwealth as a whole) or by existing governments (in the case of colonies established by individual members). Constituent worlds have full member status in the Commonwealth; citizens may vote in imperial and regional elections; while the world itself has high degree of self governance, can apply for subsidies from the Imperial Treasury, and has a number of other advantages. Constituent status is essentially citizenship for a planet, though individuals on the planet still have to adhere to normal citizenship procedures. The Constituent worlds are the primary manufacturing and processing centres of the Commonwealth. While the Core worlds’ only industry is money and the Colonies tend to only provide raw materials and cheap labour, Constituent industry does a bit of everything; large scale mining, agriculture, the production of consumer goods, starship construction, and all the financial and legal services that such industries need. It is all jumbled together in a free market economy that powers the massive industrial capabilities of the Commonwealth.

Colonial worlds are tragic monuments to the lies, oppression, and broken promises of the Commonwealth. They are the worlds of new or reluctant member species, and by the strictures of the Colonization act, these worlds are not technically members of the Commonwealth, but are instead subjects. Most Colonial worlds are desperately poor and underdeveloped, even if they were originally quite advanced. Many species join the Commonwealth with the understanding that they will enjoy all its benefits; citizenship, representation in Parliament, a degree of self-government, fair taxation, security, universal healthcare, subsidization, free education etc. Unfortunately, the Colonization act decrees that all newly added worlds are considered colonial holdings, and are under the direct authority of her Imperial Majesty, not the Parliament of the Sovereign Reich. This means they are not eligible for any of the Commonwealth’s social programs, nor do they have any representation in Parliament. They are not ruled by legislative assemblies, but instead by Colonial Governors, who are appointed by the Imperial Queen at the recommendation of the Lord Chancellor. Few people are citizens on Colonial Worlds; only the Vit’azn dominated elite, who take ownership of any industry or natural resources on the planet and employ the locals as ultra-cheap labour. Slavery is illegal throughout the Commonwealth, but with no minimum wage or labour rights for non-citizens, colonial labourers can be paid almost nothing. Some landowners elect to provide food, clothing, and shelter for their employees and then pay them nothing at all, reasoning that room and board are taken from their pay, and the rest goes to taxes. Colonial Worlds are subject to the same fair taxation system as the rest of the Commonwealth, but it is not taxes that leave them in poverty. A clause of the Colonization act permits the Commonwealth to seize any assets it deems necessary from Colonial worlds and their inhabitants. Money, goods, resources, land, businesses, even people; all can be seized and repossessed by the crown, or given to a favored citizen. The exploitation and lack of support causes technological regression on many worlds; it is not uncommon to see vehicles with internal combustion engines on Colonial worlds, and even horses in extreme cases. Colonial worlds are often quite rebellious during the early years of their integration, but the Commonwealth is always quick to brutally repress such uprisings. The brutality they employ deters further uprisings, but it is the hope of citizenship, or even becoming a Constituent world, that ultimately keeps the colonies in line. Unlike citizenship, there is no specific criteria for a Colonial world to gain Constituent status and full membership; it is simply granted at the discretion of the governor and the Imperial Queen, again with the advice of the Lord Chancellor. This means a world might easily wait 15 years or 50, or even 500. The Imperial Queen usually tries to grant Constituent status to at least one colony per decade, in order to keep other colonies hopeful and obedient. This process is always accompanied by a grand ceremony where the Imperial Queen herself visits the new Constituent world, relieves the planetary governor, and validates its new government, while the Commonwealth holds a colonization drive to boost the world’s population and showers it with money and resources. A three-day festival is held to celebrate the change in status, and the day of the ceremony becomes a statutory holiday for that world. Some Colonial worlds, however, are so remote, poor, or useless that they will likely never be granted Constituent status. A few of the extreme cases have even been largely forgotten by the Commonwealth and the crown, and the inhabitants have in turn forgotten the Commonwealth.

Verge worlds are planets on the very edge of Commonwealth space. Their categorization has more to do with their location than their membership status. They are not grossly exploited like colonial worlds, nor are they pampered like Core worlds. They are ruled by military governors, and all have a heavy military presence due to their location on the borders of Commonwealth space. Some few are actually quite wealthy and heavily populated, almost as much as a core world. Most others are significantly less so. They’re populated by a wide array of people: military personnel, hopeless colonials seeking citizenship, prospectors seeking riches, wealthy citizens with a taste for adventure, convicts in forced relocation programs, and so on. Their purpose is to guard the borders of the commonwealth, anything else is secondary. Verge worlds usually have extremely diverse populations and much more relaxed culture, and social status is not considered as important. The military often provides some of the benefits that the imperial government would elsewhere, so the populace is not as desperate for citizenship as on other worlds. This much freer society makes them places of opportunity. Historically, some of the Commonwealth’s most successful corporations were started on Verge worlds, though some say that’s only propaganda. Regardless, Verge worlds are better places to live than many Colonial worlds, and even the slums on poorer Constituent worlds.

Diplomatic Approach: As a general rule, the Commonwealth is an expansionist power, though this attitude is tempered by by pragmatic caution. Factions they perceive as equals, they treat with respect, and seek alliances and trade agreements. Nations they perceive as weaker tend to be treated coldly, even condescendingly. The Commonwealth tends to push unfavorable treaties on these nations, gradually applying pressure on them until they agree to join the Commonwealth.

Faction status

Faction Status: No major wars at the moment

Aggressiveness: The Commonwealth has not been involved in a major war in over 50 years, though there have been some minor incidents since.

State of War: None currently, though relations with nearby small factions are tense as a general rule.

Allies: (Doesn't matter how close they are as long as it's official. Run it by GMs first.)
Friends: (Add whoever your nation likes here.)
Apathetic: (Add whoever your nation avoids/doesn't care about at all here.)
Foes: (Add whoever your nation doesn't like here.)
At War: (Doesn't matter the scale of conflict between the two factions. Run conflicts by both the player involved and the GM if the conflict started before IC's events take place.)

Culture and Society

Oddly enough, the Commonwealth is perhaps the most racially diverse government in the known worlds, with citizens from over 40 different species composing almost half the Commonwealth’s population. Sadly, most of them are treated as second class citizens by the dominant Vit’azny, who form a very distinct upper class within the Commonwealth. Almost all high level positions in government, military, or the corporate sector are held by Vit’azny.

Life in the Commonwealth is actually quite pleasant for Vit’azny and other species alike. The Imperial Government maintains a large number of social programs to foster growth and development. Citizens of member species enjoy access to free universal healthcare, free secondary education, heavily subsidized post-secondary education, a decent amount of personal rights and freedoms, unemployment insurance, fair taxation, a fair minimum wage, democratic representation in government, a degree of self governance and independence, and imperial funding for a number of industries. These benefits are something of a trap; they encourage many species to join the Commonwealth, not realizing they will be neither full members nor citizens immediately upon joining. In war, the ISC maintains a policy of always offering membership to their enemies. Many species over the years have decided to join rather than be exterminated. Even some species who could have won the conflict sought a quicker diplomatic end to war and accepted the offer, a decision most have come to regret.

Citizenship is a very important part of Commonwealth society. Being a citizen grants an individual access to all the Commonwealth’s benefits, as well as all its rights and freedoms. Citizens can also move freely from world to world, vote in elections, and apply to present a petition in the Royal Court. Non-citizens have none of these privileges; for them, life can be very hard. There are two ways to gain citizenship: money, or service. An applicant for citizenship must take three different tests: a generalized aptitude test, a specialized IQ test, and finally a citizenship test. While citizenship itself is free and the tests are not particularly difficult, the fees for taking each of the three tests are enormous. This means only wealthy non-citizens can take this route. Children of citizens gain access to citizen privileges via their parents until the reach the age of majority for their species, at which point they must obtain citizenship for themselves. It is common for parents to pay the fees for their children; many banks in the Commonwealth offer services to help citizens with children save up for the admission process, much like a college fund.

The other way to gain citizenship is through service; either to the Royal Armed Forces of the Commonwealth, or to the Imperial Directorate. Both routes skip the usual testing procedures entirely; simply serve for the allotted time, and be granted citizenship. The RAFC will take almost anyone, but is notoriously willing to throw away the lives of non-commissioned soldiers, so the challenge there is living long enough to gain citizenship or get promoted. The Imperial Directorate, in its never-ending quest to find intelligent individuals to help run the Commonwealth, has its own application process, which involves difficult aptitude tests and a number of exams and interviews. However, the Imperial Directorate is not just a quick way to gain citizenship, but also an extremely prestigious career that an individual could happily remain in for life. A third option is sometimes available; the Commonwealth sometimes has colonization drives to settle new colonies or Verge worlds, and offer citizenship to anyone who volunteers after they have lived on the target planet for a set number of years.

Vit’azny culture is strongly embedded with honour and military tradition. While not precisely a militaristic people, the Vit’azny don’t have any particular qualms about getting involved in conflicts, when it is necessary. War, of course, brings honour and glory to those with enough guts to seize them. Anything other than steadfast and heartfelt support of the military during wartime is considered borderline sedition. The culture of the Commonwealth in a larger sense is fairly difficult to pin down. Each member species brings elements of their own culture with them, so where a given species if more concentrated, their culture is more prevalent.

The Commonwealth does have a state religion, which the Vit’azny are quite fervent about. The enthusiasm of the rest of the Commonwealth varies widely. Their faith revolves around a pantheon of 7 gods: chief among them is Llyena, Goddess of Victory and Justice, from whom the Imperial Queen takes her authority. The others are Ichael, God of Life and Death; Arctus, God of Chaos and Destruction; Nezia, Goddess of Thought and Reason; Lexus, God of Order and Industry; Cyris, Goddess of Sight and Time; and Shakras the Lost, God of Secrets, the Unknown, and the Void. While Llyena is chief among the deities, different species in the Commonwealth honour others above her. The sly, snakelike Yanissans, for example, tend to favor Shakras the Lost, while the brutish Szitzu favor Arctus. Different planets, or even individuals of specific occupations will favor some gods over others; doctors might prey for Ichael’s left hand to guide them; the mandates of the Imperial Directorate are stamped with Lexus’s seal; some soldiers might pray to Llyena for victory, while others might pray to Arctus to grant them his battle fury. It is a faith as diverse as the Commonwealth itself.

Technological Overview:

Groundbreaking Technologies: The Commonwealth’s general tech level is comparable to that of other major galactic powers. The multi-national nature of the Commonwealth has brought together a myriad of technologies and ideas and combined them in innovative new ways. For example, the primitive brute force firepower of Szitzu mass drivers was combined with Vit’azny expertise in gravity control to develop a much more deadly weapon, while Yanissan missile systems and Rhodesian miniturization have given the Commonwealth incredible versatility in their long range firepower. Each species brings something to the table. Yanissan expertise in biotechnology is unmatched, while the Vit’azny are experts in graviton physics. One of the main reasons for inviting the Valerian Republic to join the Commonwealth was the expertise in cybertronics, particularly artificial intelligence systems, though this technology has yet to reach widespread distribution in the Commonwealth

Military Technologies:

GDC: The most remarkable Commonwealth technology is without a doubt their engine systems. The Graviton Drive Chain is a massive engine system that takes up a good portion of a ship’s mass. In the main reactor core, a self perpetuating Wronski-Birks reaction creates huge amounts of energy, gravitons, and anti-gravitons. The particles are directed around the ship to form a gravitational envelope around the ship, which simultaneously pulls the ship from the front and pushes at the rear. When reinforced by generators along the surface of the ship, this envelope doubles as a very effective shielding system. Having the ship enclosed in its own gravitational field grants a number advantages, most notably extremely good acceleration and maneuverability. The GDC also serves as a ship’s FTL engine. Emitting intense bursts of gravity allows the ship to slip into subspace to rapidly move from one point to another, a process referred to as surging. Surging is affected by other gravitational forces, making it more difficult to surge near planets or stars, or even other ships using GDC technology. A coordinated surge by a Commonwealth fleet is an extremely complex maneuver, requiring extensive calculations to avoid disaster. The range of an individual surge is fairly limited, so long range travel is done by a chain of shorter surges. In battle, surges are extremely useful, allowing Commonwealth ships to periodically relocate themselves into more favorable firing positions. The main limitations on combat surges are the processing power required to perform surge calculations, the time it takes the GDC to cooldown for another surge, and the fact that a surge severely depletes the strength of a ship’s gravitational envelope and thus its shields. A poorly executed combat surge will usually end in disaster, but a successful one can cause a decisive victory.

MCM: Multiple Configuration Missiles are another mainstay of Commonwealth military power. Commonwealth missiles are highly modulated, with a number of interchangeable components that allows ships to rapidly assemble whatever type of munition is needed. Warhead features range from standoff range ion beams to direct contact anti armor plasma charges. Fuselage features include additional drive sections for high speed missiles, extra fuel for extreme range engagements, and extra EW capability, among others. The drive section can be configured for long range bombardment or high speed evasive maneuvers. A kinetic warhead, enhanced targeting fuselage, and short range high speed drive combined make an excellent defensive missile, while an ion warhead with a stealth fuselage and long range drive can make a nasty surprise for enemy shields.

Axial Weapons: Though Commonwealth ships are designed to engage with broadsides, their long narrow profiles presented an opportunity that was too good to pass on. As a result, all Commonwealth ships mount high calibre axial weapons that fire from the bow. In older vessels, these weapons take the form of large graviton railguns, while newer vessels tend to have high intensity superlasers. Battleships and Dreadnoughts mount two axial weapons, while smaller ships mount only one. Powerful as they may be, these weapons are not the ship’s primary armament, so they are not as effective or mass intensive as a full sized spinal weapon would be.

Graviton railguns: The primary weapon of the RCN. The principle of magnetic rails accelerating a metallic slug is an old and quite simple one. The only modification the RCN has made is that, instead of magnetism, their railguns use artificial gravity systems to massively increase the size and speed of projectiles, and have multiple munitions types to accommodate different situations, such as armor piercing rounds, shield-breaker rounds, and flak rounds. Graviton railguns are configured in huge numbers of double mounts on the broadsides of Commonwealth ships.

Positron Beam Cannons: The pinnacle of Commonwealth energy weapons tech, positron cannons are devastatingly effective. They are mounted in massive turrets on the dorsal and ventral surfaces of Commonwealth ships and configured to deliver optimum firepower both forwards and to either side.

Military Overview

.
Royal Armed Forces of the Commonwealth
The Commonwealth’s military, especially the navy, is very highly regarded amongst the populace. This pride, a healthy amount of pressganging, and the promise of citizenship results in a higher than average service rate. Military service is considered to be very honourable and prestigious; even the wealthiest of the nobility serve at some point in their lives, indeed some of them attained their lofty positions through that service. The RAFC prides itself on being a meritocracy where skill is what matters, not species or social status. This is mostly true, though some individual Vit’azny officers act otherwise. For the most part, however, the RAFC can bring one great fame and fortune; both the army and navy offer prize money for captured enemy equipment, as well as generous pensions for officers. The RAFC highly values even the most junior of its officers, including warrant officers. The enlisted men, however, may as well be cannon fodder, though this sentiment is not obvious. The official explanation for the high death rates among enlisted men is that they are over-eager to prove themselves, and so take unnecessary risks.

The Royal Commonwealth Navy
The RCN is an old institute that dates back to when ships sailed the seas instead of the stars. The Vit’azny saw no need to create a separate organization when space flight began, and the RCN simply assumed responsibility of military endeavours in space. The RCN remains convinced that the good old fashioned broadside is the best way to win any fight, though the range of these broadsides has increased significantly since the marine days of the RCN.
As a result, Commonwealth ships tend to be tall and thin, with super-heavy positron beam turrets on their dorsal and ventral surfaces. The sides of the ships carry the majority of the broadside armament, which consists of multiple missile tubes and medium-calibre railgun batteries. Flak systems and point defence lasers are scattered across the ship. Additionally, most Commonwealth ships are equipped with axial mounted weapons. This configuration reflects the RCN’s current tactical doctrine. A given RCN ship is designed to be able to approach an enemy ship, firing with their positron turrets, axial weapons, and missile batteries at a target in front of them. Once the opening salvo has been fired, the ship turns to present its broadside, allowing all its positron turrets and broadside weapons to open fire. The railguns are mainly used as suppressive fire; the constant pounding saturates enemy defences, preventing shields from regenerating, playing havoc with sensors, and interfering with targetting solutions. The real damage is done by the positron cannons, which may be slow firing, but pack a punch. Missiles can be equipped with a variety of warheads, making them suitable for either purpose. For fleet engagements, the RCN’s most common tactic is to have ships form into a wall formation, each ship presenting their broadside to the enemy for devastating effect. Since space is a 3-dimensional place, the wall formation often ends up being adjusted to a sort of semi-spherical formation, which ships altering their broadside angles slightly to fire on targets approaching from any vector. This formation is often deployed to form a defensive screen for Commonwealth Star Carriers as they unleash their hordes of strike craft from the safety of the centre of the formation.

Fleet:

Praetoria-class Commonwealth Star Carrier

The Praetoria-class Commonwealth Star Carrier is the pinnacle of Commonwealth technology and engineering. Commonwealth Star Carriers serve as flagships and centerpieces to the Commonwealth fleets, and have a number of variations compared to most Commonwealth ships. While the Praetoria class has a massive broadside, countless missiles, and 12 quad-barrelled super-heavy proton turrets, it is not designed to operate independently. CSC’s in general are designed without axial weapons, since they are usually too deeply placed in the fleet to make use of such weapons. Instead of axial weapons, the Praetoria-class has extensive hangar facilities, permitting it to launch a massive number of fighter craft onto the the battlefield.

Valiant-class Battleship

Slow, heavily armored and shielded, and packed to the brim with weapons, the Valiant is a rapidly aging but extremely dependable class of ship. The Valiant is designed in accordance with older RCN doctrine and is equipped with 6 quad-barreled super heavy positron beam turrets. Its age means that it is equipped with a massive axial mounted MAC gun rather than an axial superlaser. Compared to newer designs, the Valiant has fewer broadside railgun batteries and missile racks, but carries a large number of fighter craft into battle and possesses extensive command and control facilities. Combined with their extreme survivability, the Valiant is often the command ship of choice in a fleet.

Magnificent-class Battleship

The Magnificent is part of a new line of warships being introduced into the RCN fleets, and its design is reflective of that. While smaller and faster than the Valiant class, it is not as well defended. The Magnificent mounts an axial superlaser, and 5 triple barreled super-heavy positron beam turrets. It has a denser array of broadside weaponry, including a higher than average number of missile tubes, at the expense of reduced hangar space. The Magnificent is all firepower, with only a token force of interceptors for its own protection.

Reliant-Class Battlecruiser

Truly a jack of all trades, the Reliant forms the backbone of RCN operations. The smaller sister-ship to the Valiant class, the Reliant packs 4 quad-barreled heavy positron beam turrets, a respectable broadside, sizeable hangars, and as of its most recent retrofit, an axial superlaser. The Reliant also has excellent C&C capabilities, sophisticated scientific labs, spacious quarters for diplomats and foreign dignitaries, and advanced sensor arrays. Basically, the Reliant is the Commonwealth’s go-to multi-role ship, and is well suited to a wide array of missions as well as being formidable in combat. It’s extensive use and versatility have made it an icon of Commonwealth naval power.

Imperial-class Destroyer

The Imperial class is another new innovation from the RCN. While the role of the Destroyer has always been to bring heavy firepower to bear on a small frame, the Imperial takes this philosophy to the extreme, doing away with fighter craft entirely and maintaining only the minimum hangar facilities necessary for personnel transfer and cargo loading. The Imperial brings 3 triple-barreled heavy positron turrets and a formidable broadside to battle, and can easily dispatch of cruisers on its own or group with other destroyers to attack larger targets.

Resolute-class Heavy Cruiser

The oldest class of ship currently in service, the Resolute class is pretty standard as Commonwealth ships go. Essentially a larger, better defended and older Vigilance-class, the Resolute posesses greater broadside firepower and larger hangars. It is equipped with 3 quad-barreled medium positron turrets and an axial MAC gun.

Vigilance-class Cruiser

The Vigilance-class is the workhorse of the Commonwealth fleets. In any given situation, a Vigilance class cruiser will likely be the first ship on the scene. It is heavily armed, well defended, and fast enough to be useful for long range scouting, dangerous patrols, escort duty, and exploration, all while being able to take its place in the line (technically a semisphere) of battle. The Vigilance carries 3 quad-barreled medium positron turrets and an axial superlaser, though its broadside is less formidable than that of the Resolute. The Vigilance is also the smallest Commonwealth vessel to carry a fighter craft, and only supports a few of them.

Endeavour-class Assault Frigate

A fairly typical class of ship, the Endeavour wields 2 tripe-barreled medium positron turrets and the smallest axial superlaser in the Commonwealth, with a fairly typical broadside. In the line of battle, the Endeavour generally serves as an escort for larger vessels.

Warrior-class Frigate

The Warrior class is a little more versatile than the larger Endeavour class, and sees heavy use all across the Commonwealth, performing surveys, patrolling shipping lanes, chasing down pirates and escorting low-importance targets. The Warrior carries 3 quad-barreled light positron turrets, a small axial MAC gun, and a light broadside loadout, and is used all across the Known Worlds for a variety of purposes. In battle, it joins the Endeavour in supporting larger ships.

Striker-class Corvette

Corvettes are a newer concept for the RCN, and the Striker class is only the second vessel to be designed and implemented in that role. The Striker is a brand new design, only just fully integrated into the RCN. The only Commonwealth ship designed to have its firepower aligned towards the bow, the Striker is meant to race around the battlefield wreaking havoc with its 3 double-barreled ultra-light positron cannons, light missile tubes, and axial mounted medium positron cannon. It has no broadside railguns to speak of, and can reach astonishingly high speeds. Strikers operate well in groups, and underestimating these small ships would be a foolish mistake.

[Yog Sothoth]

Do we have to be on Skype to collaborate with people? Because I do not like using Skype, sorry if that's a hindrance

[Skylar]

Perhaps we could go to Chatzy?

[Yog Sothoth]

[still working on the faction]

Astro Confederation

Empire Name: The Astro Confederation
Capital System/Planet: Raxus system, Raxus IIV
Home Region: Orion Spur
Ruler(s): the Space Union
Head of Military: Borik Nar.
Other Key Figures:
Population: 50 billion
Type of Power major Interstellar power
Species Description: Razorians are an alien species that are exactly like anthropomorphic rats. they are a little bit larger than the average human, and their bones and muscles are more dense thanks to a higher level of calcium and minerals within them, this makes them stronger and more durable than the average human which can allow to take more damage. they have a lifespan of about ninety years and unlike humans the proccess of their muscles becoming weaker and their being more vulnerable with old age is slower, this all do their naturally biology and evolution. ever since they become a civilization, Razorians have been very ingenious in developing their science and technology. before the rise of their civilization, they were a warrior culture and had almost a natural instinct for battle, which is way they hold the warrior class of their society in high regards. Razorians are a species that has strong connections with large families which they call houses.

History: the story of the founding of the Astro Confederation can be traced back thousands of years when the founding members of the confederation had gathered the brightest minds of the Razorian race to make plans on building the first hyperdrive which would unlock the doorway to the stars and achieve some of their greatest dreams. this dream was founded on the principles of their race founder who was said to be a messenger for the king of their gods, Aino and preached the philosophy of exploring the unknown. some say that the founders of the confederation found ancient alien guilds to building hyperdrives. it was a joyous day all those centuries ago when the founders of the confederation saw the fruits of their efforts, a fully functioning hyperdrive, it had taken them decades but they had achieved a great thing for the future of the Rozarian race. ever since they designed the hyperdrive, they have expanded into the stars exploring and fighting threats to their civilization and defeating evil. Since the start of their exploration of the cosmos, the Astro Confederation has had the Star Warriors defending their people and fighting alien threats to their explorers, and just as importantly fighting against tyranny. over the course of their expansion they have fought several wars with races who deem themselves the iron fist masters of other races.

They have met many civilizations in their quest through space, some peaceful while others hostile and all the while finding new worlds to colonize and spread their civilization to the cosmos. they are a civilization that loves the thrill of adventure into the final frontier and warriors and explorers alike dream to see what strange things are out there. when expanding, diplomacy is tried first but if a civilization proves hostile they will strike with the powerful force of their military

Type of Government: a hybrid republic and stratocracy
Description of Government: the confederation is run by a union of space explorers, scientist, military chiefs and warriors and the head houses. the union is made up of three parties, the military party which are the warriors and military leaders and is usually the most supported. the explorer party which consist of the explorers and scientist. and finally the houses party which are the leading houses of the confederation. each members of the party are elected by the people to represent them and are tasked with working together to keep the civilization working properly. each party has some form of influence in certain parts of the government, the scientists and explorers handle foreign policy, the development and research aspect of the government. the warriors and military leaders handle the war, the defense, disaster response, and the protection of citizens aspect. the houses handle the educational, laws, social and economics of the civilization. the head of the government is known as the Astro Lord and he has powers that are somewhat similar to the president of United States and can have a lot influence over the government. how the Astro Lord is elected is that every three years the three parties vote amongst themselves to elect a candiidate for the position of Astro Lord, there are always three candidates, one from each party. after the three candidates are chosen, the three parties vote to decide which one will become the new Astro Lord. in very rare case of a tie, the none governmental citizens are allowed to vote to brake the tie. any citizen can join one of the three parties as long as they fit the occupation of the party. a majority of the time, the Astro Lord is a member of the military party and this can give them an edge in the three years that the Astro Lord is allowed the lead.
Type of Economy: Responsible Capitalism
Description of Economy: their economy is really booming thanks to their expansion into the star systems outside of their home system. Since they have a responsible capitalist system, they have corporations that produce many products for consumer purchasing and a government that controls healthcare, insurances and social benefits for their citizens. despite having similar aspects to a socialistic economy, their system still adheres to the Central characteristics of capitalism which include capital accumulation, competitive markets and wage labor. Banks and disaster control agencies are also government controlled. The tax system is set up so those that make more money per year pay their fair share in taxes, and political campaigns can only be funded by private citizens of up to thirty million dollars. their money is digitized and are known as Astro credits, most of the population ether uses ether Astro cards which work in a manner similar to debit cards, but they still use barter for those who are low on Astro credits, and it also common for people to ask for loans which they will have eventually pay back.

Faction Status: they have just encountered the advanced Norlon civilization, but the alien culture is xenophobic of otherworlders thanks to a near apocalyptic invasion centuries ago. the Astro Confederation is trying to show the Norlons that they come in peace and seek to set up trade relations with the civilization.

Diplomatic Approach: they are honorable and very cautious when approaching an alien civilization diplomatically. Being a civilization of warriors and explorers, they try to be extra sure that the alien civilizations they encounter are not a threat to them before making negotiations. but if the civilization is hostile or very tyrannical then the Confederation will turn hostile.
Aggressiveness: they are not very aggressive unless they are provoked or encounter a civilization that they deem tyrannically evil. they do not pick on the weak and prefer to fight the strong who do things that the Confederation considers terrible. they also have a hatred for slavers and will be very willing to attack and free slaves if diplomatic talks with civilizations that partake in slavery turn sour.
State of War: peaceful for now.

Allies: (Doesn't matter how close they are as long as it's official. Run it by GMs first.)
Friends: (Add whoever your nation likes here.)
Apathetic: (Add whoever your nation avoids/doesn't care about at all here.)
Foes: (Add whoever your nation doesn't like here.)
At War: no

Dominant Society: the fourteen houses
Social Hierarchy: the hiarchy of the Confederation is mostly determined by which house a Razorian belongs to. the Nar family is among the most prestigious of the houses, and is a part of the fourteen head houses. the fourteen houses are the most rich and famous of the houses in the Confederation, all of them demand great amounts of respect from each other and the other lesser houses. the fourteen houses are
The Nar
The Alwyn
The Orim
The Nalwin
The Inor
The Borlisk
The Ullin
The Olstur
The Valur
The Ello
The Mun
The Aerin
The Zorix
The Xallix
Moral Values: the Razorians uphold strength, honor, courage, wisdom and adventurism as the qualities most desired in their society. they view slavery and tyranny to be a plague that infects the intelligent lifeforms of the universe. they are firm in the belief that life was created free from the evils of tyranny and enslavement and that those who can end it, should take action against those do evil. they know that evil can be everywhere in the cosmos and they must be strong and ready to fight against the darkness that dwells in the coldness of space.

Culture: Confederation is culture of large families who work in a manner very similar to clans, they are known as houses. each house has it own symbol and are known for many different thing. one of the most powerful houses is the house of Nar which is famous for producing some of the great military generals in the Confederation's history. some houses are more famous, stronger and wealthy than others but all houses are encouraged to be treated with respect. the Razorians wear clothing that are somewhat old fashion when they are not in space or on the battlefield. clothing that males wear can range tunics, trousers, robes or cloaks. females wear dresses, and different forms of jewelry if they were rich enough to afford them. despite their traditionalist style of clothing, they have a big pop culture and entertainment thanks to the corporations that create and maintain consumer markets. some these biggest markets include electronics and film. despite all this, they still have a strong sense of pride and duty to their warrior culture. they view entertainment as privileged after a hard, honest days work and proving oneself to be strong and honorable.
Other Notes: (List anything truly unique that doesn't fit with the rest.)

Religion: Astroism
Gods: millions
Tenets: Astroism teaches its followers that conquering their fear of the unknown is the next step to advancing their society. It also teaches that all the answers that its followers seek are in the cosmos and that traveling into space can make them achieve enlightenment. the religion preaches for people to be strong and honorable and charitable to their race. family especially houses are extremely important and must be respected. lastly Astroism encourages followers to fight against evil and tyranny, because evil can only be defeated if good people are willing to fight.
Religious Beliefs: Astroist believe that they were given a destiny by Aur the supreme god of universe, to expand into the cosmos and eventually unlock the secrets of the universe and become gods themselves. Astroism has at least ten million gods and each represented by the stars in the cosmos. Astroists believe that when a life form dies its spirit wonders through space with the gods and is shown the wondrous secrets of the universe, and after a hundred years of their spiritual journey they are reincarnated. Astroists also believe that to have dreams of being in space is sign of being spiritually connected to the cosmos and is a very revered honor. Astroism holds the warrior and explorer in the highest regards because both aid their civilization in expanding into the galaxy. the religion does not call for blind obedience but it does call for follows to act when something they believe is wrong is being done.
Other Notes:

Misc. Cultural Traits
[b[Class Distinctions:)[/b]
Politics: Razorians are very involved with the political aspects of their civilization and try to be up to date on important matters of the state. all of them are traditional in the sense of honoring and respecting their heritage, but they do look to the future and try to imagine the wonder of exploring the stars.
Entertainment: thanks to their capitalistic system, the Astro Confederation has many forms of entertainment such as movies, games, stage performances and sports.
News & Other Media: they get their information from politically centrist news sites and broadcasting on the television. they have an internet which is called digital bond.
Language: the Razorians speak a language know as Norrik which uses hard vowels and almost guttural speech.

Technological Overview: they developed the first hyper-drive hundreds of years and have been advancing ever since. as of now, they have very powerful faster-than light capabilities and have developed the uses of fusion, solar energy and magnetic in their civilization. they also are quite advanced in holographic technology which had made watching television and interaction with each through calls much greater.

Groundbreaking Technologies: they have recently discovered the ability to create bio augmentation to their soldiers to make them stronger, but it does have weakness, it can make the person uncontrolled and more vioent
Special Military Technologies: for their military, the Astro Confederation uses fusion weapons for most of their armaments, how the fussion energy is used in the weapons is to basically create a extremely hot and powerful blast of energy to ether cripple or destroy enemy craft. as for ground weapons, they use an assortment of blasters and powerful energy riffles. they also use highly advanced electromagnetic technology to create incredibly powerful Railguns. they have also perfected the technology of an Ionblade. an Ionblade is a sword that has a blade made of fusion energy from bonding two chemicals together to create an intensely hot blade. in order to protect the wielder of the weapon from being burned by the heat, the blade is surrounded by a invisible field that contains the heat and will cut and burns things that come into contact with the blade. the extreme of the blade allows it to cut through most material, but do to the danger of fatal self injury, only the most well trained warriors are allowed to use Ionblades. the swords are most just used for close combat and breaking through defensive barriers.

(The following are mostly for civilian technologies and are not required. However, they are encouraged.)

Transportation: they have very good forms trasnportation, both public and private. they have been expanding into the stars which has made space travel more accessible to the regular citizens of the confederation.
Utility: they have water which they ether get from the oceans, lakes and rivers of their planet, or they were even artificial make by combining the two ingredients to make water. their house heating is electrically controlled and is mostly powered by their solar rooftops.
Power: fusion and solar power are the most dominant forms of energy that utilize.
Medicine: they have advanced pretty far in the world of medicines and countered many dangerous sicknesses.
Biology: biology is one of their strong
Cybertronics: their computer technology has advanced lot, but that about as advanced as they gotten
Construction: they are very productive and enjoying working for their cause to explore more of the mysteries of space.

[AlienBastard]

A weird question but why is it that space NRPs tend to make very high tiers no one is allowed to use?

I've seen this in Orbitum, a RP that was derived from one of my own past space NRPs and Golden Age of Technology as well, where someone makes god civ tiers than proceed to say "this tier is not for use".

[TheSovereignGrave]

I second the usage of a Chatzy. It makes it nice and convenient to talk to everyone in the RP. Provided they're online.

[ASTA]

AlienBastard said
A weird question but why is it that space NRPs tend to make very high tiers no one is allowed to use?I've seen this in Orbitum, a RP that was derived from one of my own past space NRPs and Golden Age of Technology as well, where someone makes god civ tiers than proceed to say "this tier is not for use".

I have no idea.

A valid question nonetheless.

[ASTA]

TheSovereignGrave said
I second the usage of a Chatzy. It makes it nice and convenient to talk to everyone in the RP. Provided they're online.

Also that^

[Ozerath]

AlienBastard said
A weird question but why is it that spaaaaaace NRPs tend to make very high tiers no one is allowed to use?I've seen this in Orbitum, a RP that was derived from one of my own past spaaaaaace NRPs and Golden Age of Technology as well, where someone makes god civ tiers than proceed to say "this tier is not for use".

Perspective maybe? I've never really thought about it.

On another note, I've had good experiences with Piratepad for writing collabs. Has a chat and a space for multiple people to edit a document at the same time.

[The Nexerus]

This seems interesting. I don't think I've ever been in a Sci-Fi NRP that got off the ground.

[Ozerath]

The Nexerus said
This seems interesting. I don't think I've ever been in a Sci-Fi NRP that got off the ground.

It happens fairly often. Most of them stall out in the middle stages of the IC.

Should we figure some kind of basic map, just to get an idea of where people are relative to eachother and who they might logically have treaties with?