Name: The Infestation ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Nation type: Minor Belligerent ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Overview: Once a small virus trapped in an air pocket of the undergrowth of Acanta IV. Now, a flourishing plague seeking to infest all. The Infestation hates all that is not blighted by their plague. They see themselves as guardians of peace and unison with the power of a hive mind. Now, it is slightly participating in the war, but is too small to be noticed by the larger factions. Most governments think of it as a type of flu right now and believe the Infestation is just a tall tale. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ History The Infestation was an airborne virus, trapped deep beneath the surface of a cave world known as Acanta IV. When a mining colony dug into the pocket, the virus infested them and took over their home world in a few weeks due to no military response and small resistance. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Major Holdings: Central Hive (located inside Acanta IV) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Demographics: Infested: 80%, other races (prisoners/slaves): 20% ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Population:
The Infested is a vast set of different races, factions and creatures, smashed together to create a hive mind. The Infestation uses Infested for any kind of job, like military or tending to the hive.
Slaves: Slaves are, again, a vast set of different races. They are normally forced to work and become infested later on. Slaves are broken down. Mentally and physically until they cant fight back and feel like they should just submit to the hive as they work in harsh and horrible conditions. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Society: The Infestations Society revolves around the Hive Mind. The Infestation seeks to Infest everything and seek out the best way to benefit the hive mind. The infestation has no will on their own and cannot control themselves. They cannot do anything. Their soul is trapped inside their skin, and cant do anything as they watch themselves kill their friends and family and feel the pain of the injuries they endure. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Economy: The Infestation does not need many resources besides food. They eat, kill and infest any living creature. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Government: The Infestation has a rule system. A dictatorship. The Hive Mind is never replaced and is the main leader. The Hive Mind has created a pyramid of power and put itself on top. The Hive Queens are second most powerful and the Swarm Leaders are third. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Technological Information: The Infestation does not create tech on their own. Instead, they steal it from other races by infesting their tech. The infestation has no tanks for instance. Instead, they infest others tanks. then Infestation now has tanks. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Major Techs: The Infestation has no techs and cannot create them on their own. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Military Information: The entire populace of the Infestation is military. Solders, Civilians and animals alike evolve and adapt new biological weapons to use in combat. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Military Overview: All of The Infested is military. The Slaves are used as cannon-fodder, to weaken the front line and the Infested are used as the troops. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Fleet/Navy:
Dreadnoughts:
Infested Dreadnought: Basically like a dreadnought of another race, but infested. It takes a spore implant to infest one and has less hull integrity and less shield.
Battleships:
Infested Battleship: Basically like a Battleship of another race, but infested. It takes a spore implant to infest one and has less hull integrity and less shield.
Battle-cruisers:
Infested Battle-cruisers: Basally like a battle-cruiser of another race, but infested. It takes a spore implant to infest one and has less hull integrity and less shield
Cruisers:
Infested Cruiser: Basally like a Cruiser of another race, but infested. It takes a spore implant to infest one and has less hull integrity and less shield
Destroyers:
Infested Destroyer: Basally like a Destroyer of another race, but infested. It takes a spore implant to infest one and has less hull integrity and less shield
Frigates:
Infested Frigate: Basally like a Frigate of another race, but infested. It takes a spore implant to infest one and has less hull integrity and less shield
Corvettes:
Infested Corvette: Basally like a Corvette of another race, but infested. It takes a spore implant to infest one and has less hull integrity and less shield
Strike craft:
Infested Strike Craft: Basally like a Strike Craft of another race, but infested. It takes a spore implant to infest one and has less hull integrity and less shield ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Army/Planetary forces:
Infested: The Infested are classic Infestation infantry. They have no fear of death and need no water or oxygen and have no moral. They look like their original race that they were before they became infested, just with tentacles and extra flesh.
Infested Vehicle: It is a vehicle made by another race, that has been infested. Now controlled by the Infestation.
Swarm Leader: Swarm Leaders command swarms. There is only one in each swarm. It is like a super-soldier version of an infested that is larger and stronger than the others. If it is killed, the entire swarm retreats. Swarm leaders have small amounts of moral and have little will of their own.
Queen: A Queen is the leader of an entire hive. She commands the swarm commanders and produces spores that, if planted by an infested, slowly creates a new hive. Queens have large amounts of will, but have moral.
Hive-Mind: The center of everything. The Hive-Mind is a massive mass of Infested flesh and tentacles. It is the master of all masters. It has no gender, needs no food and has all the will of the swarm. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Hyperdread
Infested Hyperdread: Again, like a Hyperdread made by another race, but infested. However, it takes 20 spores to infest one and takes several months. Removing these spores will stop the infestation. If it is already infested, you cant save it. (Unless you have the cure for the infestation.) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
So I'm a little interested in this and have the start of an idea I'd just like to run by to see if its okay, its an alternate take on a hivemind swarm.
But a small civilization at the outset of the war, the Haradoni Union was young, excited and ambitious, hoping to prove themselves on the galactic stage. When the Great War broke out, legions of young men and women proudly marched off to war with all the pomp and circumstance of glory and victory. However, the Union bit off more than it could chew and after a singular stunning victory, they were met by set back after set back, defeat after defeat. What was once seen as a glorious honor became a solemn duty which then turned into a desperate defense. Unable to stand against what the major powers would consider a diversionary attack on their worlds turn into years of gruling warfare the young union couldn't sustain.
As the skies where filled with fire and the streets filled with dying soldiers, it was Prince Kartam who entered the secret vaults below the Royal Palace. He ignored all of the wonders and secrets that filled the hall until he came upon a chamber marked "Lucifern Virus" and within a sentient mass grew to greet him. This being was all that remained of a mysterious extraterrestial plauge that ravaged the Haradoni homeworld long ago and the prince had heard stories of the horrific corpse monsters it created and the heroes it slew, but Prince Kartam, last of his line, was desperate. The Union was on the brink of collaspe, his militia dying in droves, his family wiped out in a precision strike. And so, on that day, the Haradoni Union made a deal with the devil and the Prince became the first willing host of the Lucifern Virus.
His body twisted and contorted as bones broke and flesh ripped to be reshaped and molded. Soon a black ooze filled the streets and a deathly fog hung over the air. Slowly, the bodies of the dead rose again, undergoing rapid mutations and change, once again marching to war but now devoid of any feeling, any emotion, any pain and any remorse. Soon larger monsters formed from dozens of corpses roared and trampled the enemy underfoot. Unprepared to face off against such a nightmarish horde, the enemy broke and tried to flee back to their star ships, carrying the virus on them as they ran. Of the dozen ships tasked with the annihilation of the Haradoni Union, only one managed to return home, spreading the news of a horrific plague that stole the souls of the living and which even boarded their ships turning them into drifting hulks full of terrifying infected demons.
Basically think of a Minor Combatant with WW2 Japan's enthusiasm but Italy's combat competence. They managed to win one stunning victory mostly out of surprise and luck but then got flattened until they were almost destroyed by what the Major players wouldn't think of as a true invasion force; a "oh we should probably knock them out on our way" sort of deal. In desperation the Haradoni released an ancient alien plague that is like a combination of the Necromorphs from Dead Space, the Flood from Halo, the Simbiotes from Marvel and a little bit of Zerg/Tyranids, and willingly infected themselves in a deal with the devil scenario.
They all now look like horrid monsters from Dead Space but are are super durable and long lived, able to mutate/evolve rapidly, still use their old tech, have the whole direct control of the central hive mind and some other hive mind/swarm abilities. Their personalities are also sort of like the Necrons of 40k with the more important/noble people having more control over their minds since the hivemind recognizes their abilities are best used if they can think independently while much of the lower classes are drones and grunts.
How will other players be interacting with those factions beyond just annihilating them? NRP games generally include strong political components on top of just waging war. There is more to a nation than just the military force, even if that's a component we'll see a lot of.
The Infestation is controlled by a hive-mind. Some infested retain the ability to speak their original languages and some hosts can even still be able to talk.
How will other players be interacting with those factions beyond just annihilating them?
The Lucifern Hosts aren't a mindless horde hell bent on consuming everything. They are still capable of trade and diplomacy (although they will have a different outlook on those). They don't want to conquer everyone outside of trying to get at that space elf goodie bag like everyone else, they kind of realized what happens when they tried (re: got their shit kicked in hard).
They still have research, they still look to colonize, they still seek to expand and they still do mostly what most other empires do. And because there's still a decent number of people who have independent thought you can still do 1 on 1 diplomacy and intrigue. In fact the hive mind is a double edge sword because while their own thoughts aren't really private so they can't hide things, its a lot easier to convince the lot of them to go and do something since you only need to convince a small number of people to have the collective conscious lean that way. In addition there's still delegation of power (think like a synaptic node) so some groups can still go rogue/have different ideas. The hivemind just makes it a lot harder for them to actually try and kill each other over it but they can just "ignore" the other.
This degree of independence means that trade is still possible, even if for just luxury resources because they still have wants and still want to show off and still want the finer things in life. Even among the lower masses of drones, there's still those who have skills that can be expressed like artists. Plus they don't just use biomass for everything; they have a biotic component to a lot of things but still need technology which means they still need researchers, still need builders, still need miners, still need all the things you'd need to build ships and factories and cars and stuff.
Hell, the virus can't even naturally reproduce, it needs host either in new life or new corpses. It can make like really small creatures out of pure biomass (think like Tyranid Rippers) but if they want anything that's actually sentience and useful, they need bodies. There's actually a whole culture around "introducing" the virus into younger people at various points in their lives. Think like age rituals or coming of age ceremonies.
How will other players be interacting with those factions beyond just annihilating them? NRP games generally include strong political components on top of just waging war. There is more to a nation than just the military force, even if that's a component we'll see a lot of.
The Infestation may create temporary alliances for a while, but back-stab them later. Also, the Infestation may trade food for other resources anonymously, and may ally with other infestations like The Lucifern hosts.
The Infestation may create temporary alliances for a while, but back-stab them later. Also, the Infestation may trade food for other resources anonymously, and may ally with other infestations like The Lucifern hosts.
Just saying, having a history of backstabbing isn't going to make you a lot of friends. The entire fact that most people find infected beings to be repulsive/horrid/disgusting/etc already makes trying to interact with them hard enough. The two combined means that nobody is going to trust you enough to backstab.
Having the end goal of eating everything in the galaxy is also a really hard sell to just about everyone. The Lucifern Hosts are going to see the Infestation as more of a threat than anything just like everyone else since they, just like everyone else, don't trust the people who want to eat everything including themselves.
Just saying, having a history of backstabbing isn't going to make you a lot of friends. The entire fact that most people find infected beings to be repulsive/horrid/disgusting/etc already makes trying to interact with them hard enough. The two combined means that nobody is going to trust you enough to backstab. Having the end goal of eating everything in the galaxy is also a really hard sell to just about everyone. The Lucifern Hosts are going to see the Infestation as more of a threat than anything just like everyone else since they, just like everyone else, don't trust the people who want to eat everything including themselves.
The Infestation does not use face com, witch means they can talk to someone, knowing who they are, without them knowing who called them. Also, the Infestation will not backstab a nation until they are 100% sure they can annihilate them entirely without any surviving witnesses.
The Infestation does not use face com, witch means they can talk to someone, knowing who they are, without them knowing who called them. Also, the Infestation will not backstab a nation until they are 100% sure they can annihilate them entirely without any surviving witnesses.
Again, spooky voices and a mysterious trail of stellar empires and civilizations suddenly going poof do not look good on a diplomatic resume.
People don't trust voices they can't put a face to or know the source of and are often regarded as going insane or something similar. Even if you backstab a space faring nation, the very fact that you are their last known major contact before they suddenly disappear will make people suspicious and connect the dots. This is also assuming they're completely isolated and can't contact someone else for help when their allies suddenly turn on them. In addition, space is HUGE, unless you can destroy every ship in space before they can leave the system, there are going to be survivors.
Again, spooky voices and a mysterious trail of stellar empires and civilizations suddenly going poof do not look good on a diplomatic resume.
People don't trust voices they can't put a face to or know the source of and are often regarded as going insane or something similar. Even if you backstab a space faring nation, the very fact that you are their last known major contact before they suddenly disappear will make people suspicious and connect the dots. This is also assuming they're completely isolated and can't contact someone else for help when their allies suddenly turn on them. In addition, space is HUGE, unless you can destroy every ship in space before they can leave the system, there are going to be survivors.
Yes, Yes, Yes. The Infestation does not care about their diplomatic stance. They have no use for allies and, if they cannot be trusted anymore, some infested will allow themselves to get captured. Later on in prison/lab/ship, they break out and infest it too, continuing its spread. They could not care less for their temporary allies and may abandon them in the middle of battle and make believable excuses to prolong their "alliance". In addition, they may Infest important people in a nation and pretend like everything is fine while the infested person changes things in law/military/information in negative ways. Basically political sabotage. Also, they want people to escape because infected people could be on the ships and can spread the plague even farther.
Yes, Yes, Yes. The Infestation does not care about their diplomatic stance. They have no use for allies and, if they cannot be trusted anymore, some infested will allow themselves to get captured. Later on in prison/lab/ship, they break out and infest it too, continuing its spread. They could not care less for their temporary allies and may abandon them in the middle of battle and make believable excuses to prolong their "alliance". In addition, they may Infest important people in a nation and pretend like everything is fine while the infested person changes things in law/military/information in negative ways. Basically political sabotage.
That's a fast way to antagonize every other faction... It will turn your infestation into something hunted across the galaxy and shown little mercy. As for your infection being able to reach the higher-ups, I very much doubt any player will willingly just give up their key figures of their faction. It will be an uphill battle on all fronts.
That's a fast way to antagonize every other faction... It will turn your infestation into something hunted across the galaxy and shown little mercy. As for your infection being able to reach the higher-ups, I very much doubt any player will willingly just give up their key figures of their faction. It will be an uphill battle on all fronts.
The virus is airborne, waterborne and animalborne. It can travel through food, water and air. The virus will remain hidden and secretive for quite some time until they feel like they are ready to fight an actual war. And even if it was wiped out, how would someone find out that the virus just infected them. The moment they realize they are infected, its already too late. If the Hive-Mind was killed, it could regenerate somewhere else in time. The Infestation is not 100% stupid and knows they can be eliminated at any time, so they take things slow and wait to become powerful. Besides, the virus wants to be hunted anyway. The more hosts the better.
Well i am interested in this game and i am making a machine state for this SO I don't need to worry about a bio-plague but i am pretty sure since that this plague gona be persecuted on day one I don't think i need to worry Also @Nate1008 is your virus have any kind of super mutation because virus are specific to a single race not every race
Well i am interested in this game and i am making a machine state for this SO I don't need to worry about a bio-plague but i am pretty sure since that this plague gona be persecuted on day one I don't think i need to worry Also @Nate1008 is your virus have any kind of super mutation because virus are specific to a single race not every race
The virus rapidly mutates and evolves. If it finds a new race its not familiar with it will take a few days for it to evolve against that race and learns how to infect them too. They can also infest machinery, but it takes longer. The infested flesh that grows on the mechanical creature is vulnerable and can be used as a target or asset to hit, making it easier to kill it.
The virus rapidly mutates and evolves. If it finds a new race its not familiar with it will take a few days for it to evolve against that race and learns how to infect them too. They can also infest machinery, but it takes longer. The infested flesh that grows on the mechanical creature is vulnerable and can be used as a target or asset to hit, making it easier to kill it.
Okay, now I am curious as fuck is your virus a VIRUS or a bacteria or fungus? because how da fuck can something envolved to reproduce itself in living cells can also attach itself to metal and hijack it, you are dealing with robots not living organism
Secondary names The Uteqx Union, Uteqx Multisystem, The synthetic republic (Kolus used name) the federation of Nilos (Ryzaus used name)
General Information
Overview
History
LET IT BE KNOW THAT THIS HISTORY IS READ BY YOU IF YOU ARE TRYING TO KNOW ABOUT THEN THIS IS BASICALLY THE INFORMATION THAT SPIES AND COMMON CITIZENS MIGHT KNOW THE FIRST PARAGRAPH FOR COMMON FOLK
The arrival Many may claim who was the first race to start to walk in the stars but all admit that the Uteqx where there and say they were always there, little is known about Uteqx Creators, the only thing that is known is that they are not from this universe, the Uteqx landed in our universe in a mysterious machine Planet called 01010010, the name is a partial recovery of its original name, landing on the center of the Nebula of Cyuoene their arrival in the galaxy might be marked by the other powers as millions of years ago to the extremes saying five billion years ago the only thing for sure is that the Uteqx worship an organic humanoid that is said to have seen their creators. The Uteqx came around the galaxy almost half a billion years ago the only marks of their creator's universe and who they are is an only know to a humanoid creature that is worshiped to this day on his regeneration capsule in a Superfortress on 01010010 the time of arrival is only remembered still by the so-called first generation that only five survivors exist. The Age of anarchy/The age of swords Only know by some exiled Uteqx who still have some levels of knowledge of their history, the eon of anarchy was the time their species arrived in the current universe this time was marked by the awakening of the first generation and the war for control over the scrap and “biodomes” scattered across the planet before being united under a single nation under the domain of the Ember Conclave To the citizens of the core sector, this time is known as the time of warlords also called as the age of swords where their kind most relatable is a bronze to iron age period of a civilization this time period ended when six warlords unified their states and conquered the remaining regions of the planet unifying the world under the Uteqx union led by the five surviving warlords of the time forming the Ember conclave launching their kind to the stars and leading to an age of prosperity.
The Aeon of Peace/The Aeon of stagnation With the centuries passing by the Uteqx came to colonize all the region of the nebula Cyuoene and then for an unknown reason decided to freeze their expansion and for next millions of years of an unmarked time they also stagnated technologically for some members of the Uteqx, they call this time period as the Aron of peace or the Aeon of stagnation due to the politically divided political nature of their country on current times this time ended by the arrival of the Ashtar The reason being called Aeon is due to the fact that even the Uteqx historians don't know when the events that led to the colonization halt in Aeuburus and technological stagnation started, either way, the Uteqx froze in time for millions of years and when a power that came to rival than arrived they simply would submit in switch of high levels of autonomy and giving more resources in exchange for greater freedom this period of time also ended in confusion some information say 500 years before the Ashtar appeared to one hundred to the arrival of the Ashtar what happened during this time is still a mystery reserved to the oldest of the Uteqx.
(STILL UNDERDEVELOPMENT)
Major Holdings
01010010: is the homeworld of the Uteqx the planet itself is an artificially built world made by their creators when they landed on the universe the Uteqx worship this planet as not only a birthplace but also as the first object that will return to their universe being an ecumenopolis planet it is also the economic and cultural center of their race the planet itself is located at the center of the Nebula of Cyuoene.
Luria Station: The station was constructed to be a deportation zone for races that lived inside the military sphere of influence and declared none Uteqx race allowed the first race to live in the station has been long gone but named it Luria station the station is the only door for the Uteqx to the outside world for both inside companies to diplomatic meetings are mostly arranged in Luria bring also a hub of almost all races of the galaxy that either seek asylum or simply freedom since Luria is quite literally ruled by a republic and policed by militias but protected by the Union´s military the station currently has billions of citizens currently registered.
Nilos is a habitable planet that is considered the second industrial core of the nation due to supplying resources that only livable planets make and also due to its proximity to Blouthil crystals that allow the production of Koslite to fuel their race once the headquarters of the General uprising that led to the fall of the dictator Krynar consequentially its population has a serious distrust of the military.
Blouthil is the name of a uninhabitable planet located in a resource-rich area of the Uteqx territories it was thanks to its enormous quantity of resources that the Uteqx self-sustained themselves for millions of years without much trade with other nations this allowed their state to become self-sufficient at the same time the moons of the planet including the region around was rich in Blouthil crystals this way the planet was renamed to blouthil.
Demographics
Population
The Union is split between four races now follow this thing because the Uteqx gonna get a bit complicated so i simply oversimplified
91% of the Union´s population is made of the Uteqx their race is synthetical mechanical species made by their creators to fulfill an unknown purpose due to their easy switch of bodies their race physical body is built with living metal that then is applied to what is called Construction physical Format codes that are their bodies that citizens will use until their death or the Codes destruction by unwanted external force, the choice of the code comes from birth being the following in abundance by percentage: (PS THIS IS LIKE THE PERCENTAGES OF THE USED APEARECENS)
31% Uses the Format Code-21 the oldest kind of the codes in operation being used by 32% of the population being a humanoid cybernetic body, made to all kinds of tasks this body allows the implantation of specialized equipment although of limited carrying weight, thanks to its easy fabrication and manipulation is generally the favorite but also more used because of the form of the called prophet.
24% Uses the Format Code-27 the so-called female version of Code-21 being similar to code-21 the only difference is the including of female levels of appearance such as breast and hair modification one thing that sets its difference is the fact that it can have wings while code-21 no the reasons being is unknown, it must be also noticed that Uteqx used propaganda has been depicting Code-27 soldiers as “Angels”.
15% Utilises format Code-100 Nicknamed “the eye” it is the most agile of the other codes, been known for easy escalation of walls harsh terrain and others due to their octopus design and also easy to stick in surface tentacles this format is utilized due to its effectiveness in closed zones and also other everyday jobs they also have been noted to be exceptionally good with camouflage fields and hacking abilities in militar levels of utility their code is famous for having extremely good levels of stealth most notably during the great war as it was utilized to break encryption and steal information.
10% Utilises the format Code-132 also known as the “Titan” or “Colossus” most used on civilian level as transporter of heavy materials and constructor of large infrastructure but also this format has been more seen in the warfare use, dealing with strength issues such as fighting tanks, is also seen to be able to absorb damage and use the energy, to double down its strength and firepower, but this application is rarely seeing, due to the fact that overload of energy is commonly seeing, their armor is rather mysterious, but it has legends saying that many of them could survive, the collision of moons, but to differentiate the propaganda, with true is rather difficult but has been known, to be remarkable to sustain enormous damage, Such as artillery
6% of others Uteqx utilise format Code-211 its civilian purpose is only know to be a common worker or simply more efficient in manual job, because of its 4 to 6 arms depending on which construct, when dealing with military information the survivors call Code-211 as the “Red Singer” due to the fame of they been able to create psionic illusions and even deactivate others psionic abilities and is also know to be able to rip someone spine with extreme facility.
1% utilizes Code-186 this code is very not utilized thanks in part for being the appearance code for Krynar consequently people think adopting this code indicates a symbol of rebellion or madness this codes are very famous for having part of their bodies submerged or included chemical and toxic material.
The remaining 13% are build in what is called Specialized formats good examples might include mechs, vehicles, animal looking robots and others codes.
5% Kolus make up the second rank of the population they are a reptilian like Race that lives more in the economic sphere colonies
3% Ryazus are darkened humanoid creatures with four arms that habit Luria station they are literally the most psionic powerful race in the Union behind some codes of the Uteqx
1% Others the nature of the Economic sphere makes it prime ground for all races settle most noticeable because of economic and military aid to the Sphere
Society
Daily life and such. Not the most important section but useful for giving us a sense of how your citizens actually feel about their nation. Can include religion, fashion, etc.
Economy
This could go under society if you like. Mostly just make it clear up front if you’re an industrial powerhouse, a nation of refined master artisans, etc. Also things people might want to know for trading purposes.
Government
The Uteqx government is divided between 3 government branches nicknamed the Amber conclave, The Congress of the crescent moon and the Obsidian council The amber conclave is where most of the executive power resides led by the five chancellors and the high chancellor leader of the nation members being Cybel, Prism, Aura, Codex, and Helix with Cybel being the head of the conclave, making him the Head of state although only in theory in practice his powers are just a little above the others, the five have the power to generate lawns and rules in a instant, including accepting new laws of the Crescent moon council and Obsidian council although making only by five members the council is currently split between the leaders of two factions most notably the Progressives and the conservatives. (Please don't start PLEASE) The Congress of the crescent moon is the parliament of the nation formed of elected individuals across the sectors or states if you prefer the name, the Congress holds the ability to create new laws decide investments on sectors and the members also have the job of representing the population of their sector while major proposals that can affect the whole nation such as embargo or limitation of trade need to pass through the Conclave are directly send to Amber conclave minors dealing with sector status or simply small issues are generally delegated to the Congress meanwhile laws and proposals that affect the lives of the citizens such as rights and population control it must pass through the Obsidian Council making then hold part legislative and part of the executive the congress now stays in a rough position most notably by two factions splitting the Congress in half following the same problems in the Amber conclave. The Obsidian council holds the remaining part of the legislative having the power to influence the lives of the citizens of the nation from both military and the economic sphere of the nation while its power to judge and protect the citizens are ensured the Obsidian council still bows down towards the Amber conclave one of the most notable acts of the Amber conclave can do is the appointment of the Head of the council.
Technological Information
Major Techs
Mostly interested in military techs, here: FTL, weapons, shields, armor, power, engines, etc. Civilian techs are also here, and sometimes just as important.
Military Information
Military Overview
Describe general doctrine, history, whatever floats your space boats.
Fleet/Navy
Your space boats. Include pics or don’t, I’m not your supervisor. You’ll probably want to have one or two of most of the classes, but it doesn’t really matter too much. I’m also including some flavour options here that you might want to consider. In short, the history of the galaxy has divied up ship designs into three waves: Great War (ships built before and during the Great War), Detente (ships built during the Detente, some wonky designs in the larger classes due to treaty limitations), and Modern (ships built in the year since the message)
Dreadnoughts:
Battleships:
Battlecruisers:
Cruisers:
Destroyers:
Frigates:
Corvettes:
Strike craft:
Army/Planetary forces
Outline some doctrine, highlight some major units. I’m not great at doing ground forces so not much guidance here.
The Shathal Hyperdread Shathal is considered the last remaining symbol of the Uteqx passed glory consequently the ship itself is mostly used for ceremonial or by the council on private missions
The Asrian Ascendancy strives towards psionic apotheosis. Their psionic potential in modern times is second to none. Aided by their specialized technology and readily available, psionic resources they managed to become the unrivaled masters of the art. During the Great War, they wanted to replace the Ashtar as the dominant, policing race. An effort reflected in their large, slow but well protected and heavy-hitting ships. However, this led to truly gruesome acts of wanton slaughter and in some cases even genocide. Today the Asrians mostly see themselves as the custodians of the Ashtar legacy.
Nation type
Major Belligerent
Overview
A general summary of your nation. Just a paragraph or so with the high-level points.
History
The Asrian Ascendancy’s beginnings are somewhat unclear. It is almost certain fact that it all began with a colonization ship with a skeleton crew to commence planet preparations for a larger population’s arrival. However, upon arrival, some sort of cataclysmic event must have taken place as there is almost no source about this time period. The most accepted theory is that humanity’s interaction with the Psichrite particles on Asra created an array of mental problem. The most prominent being widespread amnesia. This shattered the unified crew of the colony ship into several factions each going their own way.
Around 200 Post Colonization (PC) several factions, despite their amnesia, managed to recovered computers and fabricators meant to aid the construction effort. Though their capabilities are not to be underestimated, there were vast amounts of knowledge lost. Thus these computers and fabricators became revered as God Engines. Through trial and error by the developing “priesthood”, they managed to glean information from the computers.
At 351 PC the Wasrhaïa nation managed to activate the fabricator. A year later they were able to design and produce a rudimentary sword. In the years following, vast amounts of “holy objects” were produced by the fabricator. Though the fabricator was eventually exhausted, the Wasrhaïa began the initial conquest of Asra and a massive expansion drive. Resulting in the first Asrian Empire (also referred to as the Age of Wasrhaïa). After several years of peace, the priesthood was able to make several other Fabricators work and gleaned even more information from the computers. Resulting in a rapid advance of technology. In 489 PC the Wasrhaïan Empire shattered at the Battle of Oros Fields. Where an upstart sect of the priesthood managed to create several “iron men” who fought with strange weapons. Back in the day these weapons were seen as magic. Though today we know these Iron Man were automatons armed with arm mounted rail guns.
With the first Empire, and the priesthood that served it, shattered many warring factions drove on the technological advancements. Where the First Priesthood had turned dogmatic in their usage of the God Engines, these sects were tasked by their political lieges to find an edge for an impending battle. The next great advance made was that of Soulcasting. In fact, this was the first discovery made with limited aid from the God Engines. In 634 PC, through the help of the Iron Men, Psichrite could be minded from deep within the crust of Asra. This condensed crystal could be interacted with through psionics. The arriving humans had no affinity towards psionics. However, years of exposure to small Psichrite particles in the air have given the Asrians a latent power. Crystalline Psichrite was used first to enhance ones mind. Not much later it was used to control more than one Iron Man directly. A controlled Iron Man was a menace upon itself (as the pilot could be as dangerous and reckless as he needed to be with no consequences to his own life). A squad of controlled Iron Men meant the end to all wars. The Soulcasting technology quickly spread across Asra.
Though the wars never stopped. In fact, they worsened. Though, after a particularly vicious war costing thousands of lives, the Treaty of Oros Field was written. This was because human life was exceptionally valuable. Despite the many years, Asra population could not swell to that of modern planets (many assume this is an additional effect of the Psichrite). Thus Battlezones were established upon Asra. Places where nations could go to war with each other without fear of human loss. A loss at this Battlezone meant a loss of the war. Though it was often contested, the results were generally accepted.
This changed in 855 PC, with the Yvriën City State’s challenge against the Rockheart Dominion. The Dominion had superior firepower and numbers. However, Yvriën had a secret weapon. For the first time in 120 years, a human walked on the battlefield. Dressed in elegant but protective power armor. She outstretched her arm and reached towards the Psionic connections behind the Drones fighting. At first, she killed five pilots from the battlezone, even though the pilots were assumed to be safe far away. Then she began cutting massive amounts of psionic connections. Leaving the dominion’s army frozen and soon after destroyed.
Yvriën was able to hold this power secret for some time and Yvriën continued its conquest. Of course, there were several uprisings in the cities themselves by disgruntled populations. However, they were quickly squashed by the quickly growing superior military of Yvriën. The Sorceress Lucinia, the Spear of Yvriën, had united the plant Asra through her power. In the following decades, more Sorceresses and Warlocks like her rose up from humanity. With psionic gifts. However, Yvriën maintained its grip on the world and began to usher in a space age.
Colonization of the nearby moon began in earnest at 975 PC (after the famous speech of High King Saran Versen assuring they would reach the stars before a millennium after their arrival had passed). Soon after the nearby gas giant gained an orbital station and a starship gantry. At this point of time, Asra’s focused mostly on psionic development and an attempt at FTL travel (technology that eluded them still). The Asra eventually reached the next solar system through FTL in 1.003 PC. In 1.006 PC the Ashtar invaded.
It wasn’t a battle. It was a slaughter. The fledgling ships of the Asra Ascendancy were utterly crippled through a psionic wave. On the ground, all combat drones were frozen in place by the Ashtar. The Asra Ascendancy kneeled and offered an unconditional peace. What choice did they have? Though after they submission almost all hatred for the superior race vanished. It was decided, to keep the peace, that the Asra would be somewhat aided. To level the playing field with the other factions within the galaxy. They were given psionic education mostly. Which propelled their understanding of the powerful gift. Of course, whatever light they had within. It was but a pale, fading candle flame compared to the Ashtar’s own power.
For a hundred years the Asra thrived. Seeing themselves as the Apprentice faction of the Ashtar. This relation was never truly acknowledged. Then they vanished. At first, the Asrians were shocked and paralyzed. They had come to see the Ashtar not quite as gods but some form of obtainable divinity.
By far one of the most important occupied regions during the Great War was the planet of Manir. A place that held, until recently, one of the most intact Ashtar outposts. Manir was besieged from almost the start of the Great War with sole objective: obtaining the Outpost and get all the Ashtar knowledge from it. The Gesha house was quick to act and obtained great amount of relics (which, sadly, remain unusable) and even managed to enter the first room of the Outpost. The rest of Manir fared less. Continuous resistance constantly endangered the dig site. Multiple Darkstar Dreadnoughts have razed large city centers as vengeance. When the Rolvius began to regain territory, the Admiralty wanted to sunder Manir, making it utterly inhospitable and denying the Rolvians access to the Ashtar Outpost. The endless begging of the Gesha combined with the quickly slipping public support prevented such harsh measure.
A disastrous event that occurred right after the Great War. The Admiralty’s experiments with Psionics were becoming increasingly dangerous. However, the experiment that led to the Cataclysm was one of truly epic proportions. Vast amounts of psychrite were shipped in, while large amounts of Choirs were working around the clock. The Admiralty wanted to create a fleet-destroying power that could be used from an inter-system distance. The result was nothing near what they thought it would be. A psionic ripple tore through the Asrian Ascendancy. Those lucky died in an instant. Less fortunate Asrians were driven mad. In total 60% of the Asrian population perished due to Cataclysm-related causes. It was thanks to a strong king at the time that the Asrian Ascendancy didn’t perish politically. As parliament had largely perished as well. The Nobility, previously falling more towards the background, re-established itself as the prominent political players. The discovery of Thralls allowed the Asrian Ascenandcy’s economy to survive and even flourish. Never the less the population remains diminished.
Major Holdings
Asra – Named the Crown World. Asra forms the seat of the Asrian Ascendancy. Here the Noble World representatives voice their grievances and desires in the High Court. Where the High King and his Council of Lords reside. Once Asra was a sprawling mess of cities and industrial zones. No more. Its nature is healing over the wounds of industrialization. The few cities that remain are opulent centers of research, culture and wealth. These sprawling urban centers are filled with low-rise villas, public gardens, colonnades, and museums publicizing the latest creations. Picturesque workshops allow the Asrian tourists a peek into the artisan (but highly controlled) growth of the Crown World. For those with close ties to royalty, there are the numerous well-hidden summer and winter homes spread across the “wilderness” of Asra. Poverty is inexistent through displacement schemes and an extremely tough stance on crime. Only the walled capital city of Nemubia is accessible to foreigners. Though only to foreign dignitaries and embassy personnel.
Serenas – A unique world within the Asrian Ascendancy. Serenas is neither a Tributary nor a Noble World. It is the only planet (and system) that is totally owned by the Asrian United Royal Military (AUR-M). Serenas itself has many military bases surrounded by truly untouched wilderness and hostile fauna. Its moon is home to several black sites as well. Many stations orbit the main planet, some of them containing the biggest docks and gantries of the Ascendancy. In fact, the only shipyards capable of producing the feared Dreadnoughts of the Asrians can be found here. In far outer orbit of the local star you can also find a black site gantry where Asra makes her Hyper-Dreadnoughts. While almost all military research and development is carried out in the Serenas System, there is one very important exception: psionics. Serenas counts its fair share of Cabals, Covens and Orders but the high-level research in psionics is absolutely forbidden.
Agresha Ashtari – A planet discovered and colonized at the start of the Great War by the great House of Gesha, Agresha Ashtari is home to many Ashtar ruins. Under the rule of the Gesha, this planet turned into the galaxies greatest research center into the Ashtar and their psionic powers. However, they did not stop there. Agresha Ashtari laid on an important FTL “highway” from Gateway. The Gesha opted to open up several city centers to foreigners. In which they constructed massive temples for the Ashtar to worship them as gods, grand museums to publicize several nuggets of wisdom the Asrians have gleaned (though it is well known that the Asrians do not show off all their knowledge in these musea) and a myriad of shops providing incense, statuettes and other souvenirs and trinkets.
Gateway – Another unique system, Gateway marks the official point of entry into the Asrian Ascendancy. All foreign traffic has to enter through here and pass customs. The Luminal Bridge infrastructure here allows for rapid FTL across the carefully selected, public FTL highways which all, eventually lead to Asra (despite Asra itself not being public). While within the Asrian Ascendancy corporations are limited in how many employees and how much land they may lease or own per planet, within Gateway they are free to buy anything from orbit coordinates for space stations up to entire asteroids if it suits their purpose. The Gateway system is also home to a myriad of smaller civilian gantries and docks for ships to dock and unload. While customs formalities are carried out when leaving the system to go deeper into the Ascendancy, taxes within Gateway are exceptionally low. Making it a favored trade hub.
Demographics
Population
The official stance is that the billions of inhabitants of the Asrian Ascendancy are all pure Asrian. These are humans that, over the course of a millennium, evolved and mutated into a psionically capable species. Biologists could make a strong case that Asrians are no longer strictly human. However, the number of Asrians is quite low should one compare it to other empires of equal size. The reason for this is the Cataclysm. A terrible event that took place within the central Crown World and the Noble systems surrounding it. While the Cataclysm killed billions, those that remained gained massive psionic power. Still, the Asrian Ascendancy’s population is definitely at the smaller end in general. The population generally resides within the Noble worlds, as these are fully colonized and capable of sustaining life. Some might be send out as Thrall Supervisors on outposts.
Society
Civilians within the Asrian Ascendancy are actually quite well off in general. Through the Universal Basic Income, none of them need to carry out menial or unrequired tasks. As almost all of these tasks are carried out by Thralls these days. Joined with free public education, healthcare and subsidized higher education. While technically Asrians do not need to work, many of the lower classes still work the more menial control jobs. Supervising the legions of Thralls working the mines, fields and other industries. There is a tax levied upon these extra incomes. While companies do exist, Asrian companies are more seen as a union of people working towards a common goal rather than the maximization of profit. Capitalist thinking died with the Cataclysm, after which many leaderless companies were forced to part with vast sums of their wealth to rebuild and provide a good life for the population as a whole. There was a fear that the coming of foreign companies would destabilize this dynamic. Though by giving these foreigners a different status and subjecting them to different laws (and most importantly: minimizing their presence) the Ascendancy continues to maintain its delicate balance.
Middle classes give great importance to personal achievements and those of their offspring. They are the corporation owners or merchants in general. Though many of them also enter into research, art or military. Each time trying to prove and bring honor to themselves in a bid to one day turn their family into a Lesser House. Middle Class also provides the most Commanders for the military in a bid to maximize their own prestige that way.
The higher classes start with the Lesser Houses. These are generally tributaries of the High Houses that rule the system. Lesser Houses rule large pieces of land, several corporations and can boast several locally renown researchers and artisans as their ancestors (during the Great War, the emphasis laid largely upon war heroes, however since the Cataclysm their importance has waxed and waned). Lesser Houses are more capable to provide wealth for individual researchers and artisans within the family. As tributaries to the High House, Lesser Houses are also expected to provide support in the form of bureaucrats and other personnel. Lesser Houses on the Noble Worlds wage a constant war with each other in the shadows of the court. Trying to win the favor of the High House. The greatest honor a Lesser House may receive is a marriage proposal.
Each civilian has the right to vote for the Crown Prince of his/her Noble World when their High Lord dies. They may also vote their Crown World Representative every 5 years. Both are extremely important positions. The position of Representative is bound to the most social etiquette. Candidates may not slander, insult or mistreat one another personally. They are encouraged to utilize failed former promises and pointing out outright deceit. Amongst the prince and princesses, attacks upon personality may happen. As these elections are generally considered far more personal. Never the less most try to be wary with their words as becoming High Lord/Lady does not absolve them of their insults.
Religion is not outright banned by the Ascendancy. However, it is tightly regulated and overseen to prevent the disastrous Zealot Wars that broke out at the start of the Great War. Most of the Asrians do believe Gods exist in the form of the Ashtar. However, they refrain from worship because most of them believe they will one day, as a race, ascend into godhood as well. Still, some Asrians do worship the Ashtar as Gods. Foreigners on Open Cities are free to have shrines in their own houses. If a religion is sanctified by the Royal Court, they may open up one place of worship within the Asrian Ascendancy.
(To do: expand upon fashion)
Economy
Trade - While the Asrian Ascendancy has made many promises of openness, it is still quite an isolationist place. However, since the creation of Gateway, the Ascendancy really has opened up a bit. FTL-Infrastructure (mostly Luminal Bridges) allow for fast movement along FTL Highways towards systems that chose to open themselves up. While some Noble Worlds chose to allow foreigners to trade with them, the Asra System is still completely off-limit for non-Asrian civilian ships. Foreigners may embark such ships from any Noble world though.
Merchant vessels diverging from these FTL Highways will be quickly caught and requested to return to their former path. Should they, somehow, be able to trade outside of an opened up system then they are, by law, smuggling (at the very least).
Workforce = Thralls and supervisors Noble Systems = Economic and administrative hearts Tributary Worlds = Production centers, agrarian zones, forge worlds Outer Systems = uncolonized harvesting zones Taxation = high corporate taxes
Psychrite – The foundations of the Ascendancy are made of Psychrite. The crystal grows in the presence of minerals and psionic power. It, in of itself does generate small amounts. However, when psionic powers interact with it, this growth is greatly enhanced. The internal lattices allow espers to manipulate the substance. Psychrite is often used for both generation of psionic power and the creation of the Thralls their psychrite cores. Which gives them their consciousness.
Nebula Pearls – Naturally appearing in the gas giant of the Asra system’s rings, nebula pearls to those without the psionic gift appear as perfect black spheres the size of a fist. However, those blessed will see a vast and endless nebula within. The very colors they see often changes from person to person. Nebula pearls in of themselves do not generate psionic energy. They are, however, exceptionally good at storing it. A side effect of storage is that the nebula inside glows ever brighter to those who can see it.
Lunaleaf flowers – recognizable by their crescent leaves, the pale white flower of these plants is a potent psionic drug. It appears to be a light and highly controllable hallucinogens. This mind expanding drug does naturally increases psionic power within an individual but it is the person’s enhanced creativity that makes up the bulk of extra created psionic power. While the psionic power generated is substantional, sadly Lunaleaf flowers cannot be used during combat situation. As it lowers focus which has lethal consequences. Instead it is often used for psionic research (and has given Asrian researchers an even greater edge).
Solarium Incense – The Solarium flower releases an extremely pleasant smell which makes it a fan favorite in many homes as chamber plant. However its true potentional arises when the plant is burned in a very specific way. Its smoke is more of a trance inducing incense. Allowing those who take it in to enhance their focus. Many describe it as “narrowing the path”. Unlike Lunealeaf, Solarium incense is used in combat but almost exclusively by choirs to focus all their power on the generation of psionic energy.
(Potentially adding more)
Government
There are 3 tiers of the main government. The first tier is the local government. This concerns the outposts on the outer systems and cities on the tributary worlds. The position of governor over these locations is not elected. Instead, Lesser Houses are tasked with the administration and management of these places by the High House they serve. Despite the fact that these locations are not elected, civil unrest can be a very real threat. Most outer and tributary worlds supply the Nobles system they serve with vital food, goods, and even border security. Should a Lesser House fail in their duties, punishment is generally demotion and the dissolution of the House. A grievous wound to inflict upon a family, who may have to work for generations to get back on their feet.
The second tier of government is that of the Noble Worlds. Lesser Houses act as bureaucrats, administrators, managers and other support personnel for the High House. The more important department a Lesser House manages at the Noble System, the more prestige they accumulate and the more chances they get to ascend. However, corruption and general inefficiency become more and more visible to the High House and thus faster and harder punished. A department can be re-allocated to another house every 5 years. At the height of governance for Lesser Houses is the Noble Council. To have a member of your family become Councilor here is the greatest honor a Lesser House can experience. Councilors here often get their first taste of actual law-making. The only way to advance yourself now is to become a High House yourself. This is nigh impossible. For one it requires several High Houses to vouch for you and your kin. Secondly, it requires a position of such rulership to open up. A rare occurrence during this Post-Colonial era. The only few times a new High House was created was when Tributary worlds grew too big and High Houses were forced to part with them and the surrounding tributary and outer worlds. This has always resulted in rivalries between the two Houses. Where one declares the other a traitor while the other claims it is their right.
Such rivalries are the matter of the third tier of governance. Here the fate of entire systems is decided. Every High House has a representative at the Court at the very least. However, by decree of the High King a High House may be asked to send more people to act as councilors and advisors during the various meetings and councils at the High Court in Asra. These High Councils have very specific fields in which they operate like the High Council of Agriculture, the High Council of Psionic Research, the High Council of Foreign Relationships, High Council of Culture and so on. Once again, to be invited to such High Council is a great honor. Representatives hold no seat on such councils, however, they are often invited if certain decisions are to be made about one of the systems they represent. Representatives will often advise on how to achieve certain goals without completely disrupting the represented systems.
There is, however, a fourth tier of governance. However an exceptional few can reach it if they are not born of royalty. The Royal Council may overrule any previous made law or demand. They are comprised of the royal appointed Advisor of a field (Royal Advisor of Industry, Royal Advisor of Culture, Royal Advisor of Psionic Research, etc). They speak with the voice of the King, most of the time. Though the King can still overrule them. While it is highly unlikely for a Royal Advisor to be relieved of his duties, a 65% majority vote on the High Council he seats at may result in such thing to happen.
Some free thinkers (generally foreigners) will decry such a monolithic structure. Where there seems to be no clear difference between the executive and the legislative branch. In fact, they would say it looks awfully much like a dictatorship of the monarchy. This is not entirely incorrect. It may appear as if the common folks have painfully little control over their rulers. Their direct leaders are often chosen only once in a lifetime. Their representatives may be chosen once every five years. Never the less, the inalienable right of the civilians to move to whichever system they want to (accompanied by the Universal Basic Income that enables such move) means that dissatisfied civilians may and will leave systems should they fully disagree with their rulers on whatever matter. And because many rulers often rule for several decades, they can enact grand schemes and works that will bring prosperity and prestige to their system without being subjected to the fickle currents of a democracy.
Technological Information
Major Techs
Luminal Bridges – The Asrian preferred method of FTL. Luminal Bridges consist of two gateways that cast a bridge in between. Distances that would take light hundreds of years to travel are crossed in mere minutes. This allows extremely rapid FTL travel between systems that posses Luminal Bridge Gateways. To travel towards undiscovered systems (or places that lack a Gateway) the Asrians use Bridge Casting. Which is generally easier done from a Gateway towards a system without a Gateway than the reverse. Bridge casting allows one Gateway to construct both sides of the Bridge by calculating the exact end-point. This takes massive amounts of computer power and time. Generally, Bridge casting takes up to half a day to open a gateway which can be sustained for half an hour. Most expeditionary forces are sent out through the bridge with an exact time when the Bridge will be re-opened (after several failed expeditions, it has become standard procedure to offer up to 3 return Bridge casts until the mission is considered a failure).
Psionic Tech - Ancient Asrians were faced with a terrible problem. They had reached the end of manageable psionic power. Any usage beyond said milestone generally led to the loss of control (and life). The psionic energy just could not be applied in any meaningful way without aid. That aid came in the form of Psionic Tech. Runes, the most widespread usage of Psionic Tech are used not just to channel but to control psionic power. These runes were once simple creations. Today the Rune modules are intricate and highly specialized creations and implants. Made only by sancitioned artisans. However, Psionic Tech has grown beyond the usage of Asrians. The creation of the Thrall Core was another milestone, allowing the Asrian Ascendancy not just to survive but to thrive after the Cataclysm. While in ancient times Psionic Tech could only work with psychrite, today many psionically enhanced and exotic products are used in Psionic Tech.
Thralls - Easily mistaken for robots, Thralls form the backbone of the Asrian empire's wealth. They are largely made out of synthetic muscle fiber and bones. However, they are not controlled by a classical computer. Instead, they possess what some would call a base, animalistic consciousness. Given to them by the psychrite core they have in them. This gives them some instincts and even an ability to learn (though in a very limited way). Old, experienced cores will begin to alter the physical form of a Thrall to better suit their needs. For example, Thralls that only mine will rebuild themselves with strong muscles and skin but forsake optical sensors.
Military technology
Lightweaving – The basis of the Asrians main weapon, it lets you program a tiny shard of psychrite to follow a certain, mathematically decided, path. Then superheated plasma is bound to the sliver and fired off. It uses the plasma to steer itself across the path. The more plasma it has, the slower it will move (though it’s general speed is quite fast) but the further it can travel. The plasma gets more effective the closer the target is.
However, the real advantage lays with the Lightweavers. In space these Asrians are suspended in a pod along a right with a VR headset. Their neural implant connects them with a computer that turns intent and thoughts into the mathematical paths the shards are programmed with. Experienced lightweavers can use up to 10 ArcLights (the main weapon that uses lightweaving). To catch smaller ships (like corvettes and larger), lightweavers forsake the main ArcLight weaponry in favor of the Amonthok Net. It uses a multitude of small programmed slivers to create a shard on par of what an ArcLight battery might use. However, at a certain point (depending on its programming) the Amonthok shard breaks apart to form a light woven net to capture the smaller ships.
Deliverance Weaponry – A Deliverance core, from which all Deliverance weaponry draw their power, is an exceptionally unstable power source. Its core material is destabilized enriched Psychrite, done by bombarding it by a massive amount of positrons. While the destabilized Psychrite is slowly but steadily breaking down it releases dangerous amounts of energy. It took help from the Ashtar to build a somewhat stabilizing housing for the Core. The housing stops the Psychrite from breaking down until whatever it powers requires energy. Then the self-destructing crystal surges with power. The housing must be build to both stop the destabilization and channel its power when needed. This is a dangerous balance that must be maintained at all times. Yet in return deliverance beam weaponry delivers a lethal combination of heat with a constantly fluctuating magnetic field around it. Deliverance weaponry is often slow to aim but lethal against all that it hits. This it is generally utilized as anti-capital weaponry.
Void Shields – Void shields are the main shields used by the Asrian forces. Void Shield sensors track incoming attacks (or predict them in later incarnations) and open up miniature portals right in front of them. The oldest ships their Void Shields generally spit out the attacks back behind them. However modern ships will bend the portal’s path and return incoming attacks to their source. They quite energy-intensive however and Void Shield batteries can be overloaded when too much matter has to pass through. Resulting in the Void Shields temporary shutting down (for the safety of the ship. While ship captains may demand the overcharging of their Void Shields this will, with no exception, result in the violent implosion of the ship). The larger and more modern ships have several Void Shield layers as a back-up should one fail.
Labyrinth System - The Labyrinth system used the Void Shields of a ship to defend itself against smaller craft as well. It is an experimental system where the targeting computer will open up void gates in front of them, redirecting them constantly through a maze of portals. Eventually to crash into another craft. The Labyrinth system requires vastly more energy and strong Void Shields, thus it generally cannot be fitted on smaller craft.
Choirs and Covens - While the choir chants. The chants are created to let the singers enter a state of dazed trance. In which they generate vastly more psionic energy. Which is then siphoned from the room anywhere it needs to be. Choirmasters must pay close attention to the mental, psionic and physical state of the singers. As this is still a taxing endeavor. Covens reside in similar rooms. However, while some of their people might work as supplicant singers, Covens generally utilize a focus (could be the entire ship even) to work their void magic. They throw dangerous telekinetic forced around, attempt to grasp fighters or cast lightning against hostile ships.
Choirs can generally move from ship to ship with little issues as long as there is a standardized choir chamber for them. Covens, on the other hand, will grow attached to the ship they are on. Often claiming that it speaks in its own language to them. Covens that have stayed on the same ship for over a decade will loathe a change and their Coven chambers will often be so adapted to their own needs that no other chamber will suffice.
Manifestation Egnine - While Covens can use the hull of a ship itself to channel their void psionics, it is far from a good focus. Meaning the psionic power is often diffused. Resulting in lethal close to the ship but over long distances, it lacks in power. The Manifestation Engine is the result of painstaking psionic research. Never the less it is a dangerous axis weapon that can deliver the manifestations of psionic magic over a further distance with greater effect. However, it is quite big and smaller ships will be unable to carry such a dangerous and powerful weapon.
Military Information
Fleet/Navy: Asrian United Royal Navy
Doctrine
The Asrian United Royal Navy (AUR-N) doctrine is quite simple really. They will form the uncontested monolithic force of the galaxy. Unmoving and uncaring, their weapons will fire until everyone else’s guns cooled down. Victory or annihilation. During the Great War that last part was quite certainly taken literally. Where, if the Asrian Ascendancy could not hold on to a planet, they would make every effort to make it utterly uninhabitable. They lost vast amounts of their own force because they simply refused to retreat and regroup. Though at the same time it earned them a reputation as dangerous and unyielding opponents who can only be completely destroyed. While some would assume the doctrine died with the Asrian Cataclysm, it has not. Despite the damage, they suffered the admiralty still stands as a proud, unyielding and fairly nationalistic bastion. Most of them have ancestors that had committed genocide.
Darkstar-class Support Dreadnought
A sign of imminent planetary annihilation. The Darkstar dreadnoughts were not the most formidable opponents against hostile fleets. However, they were expertly build to invade planets. With vast orbital bombardment deliverance beams and enough bays and living quarters to house an army, the arrival of the slow-moving Darkstar was generally the sign of imminent doom. During the Great War it were the Darkstars who glassed the most planets the fastest. Their kill-count is in the millions. Many civilians are still distraught about their continuing existence and the Admiralty has chosen to generally keep them away from the public eye. Never the less most Darkstars are still manned and used.
Destiny-Class Assault Battleship
A Great War era ship that supported the Darkstars. The Destiny-Class has broadside facing ArcLight Projectors and several lower faced Deliverance beams. With two two-layer launch decks, the Destiny-Class housed quite a few strike craft groups as well. While not very fast, it was exceptionally well protected for its time. While today they may not pack the hardest punch anymore or take the most damage without falling apart, they were and still are thought nails to crack.
Legacy-Class Battleship
Designed and produced during the time of the Détente, the Legacy-Class was the first of its kind housing several Choir chambers. Allowing onboard covens to work their psionic magic in the void. Throwing asteroids, holding nebulas around the ship and even throwing great arcs of psionic lightning from the ship itself. The Legacy sacrificed several rows of ArcLight projectors and entirely lacks the Deliverance beam weaponry. In return, they are more heavily protected. They still have the Destiny-Class’ layered launch bays however they are generally filled with interceptor class strike craft to protect the Legacy-Class (and more importantly, the Choirs and Covens inside). They were not hugely popular though, as they were build when both the events of the War and the Cataclysm were fresh in people’s memories. Still, they are quite dangerous and capable.
(They bent the rules of the Détente somewhat. As the presence of choirs and coven onboard did not technically count as “weapons”)
Eternity-Class Battleship
The latest and greatest kind of Battleship. The Eternity-Class stripped even more of its conventional weapons. In return, it has an axis mounted Manifestation Engine. Allowing the many covens and choirs onboard to channel their powers into the weapon and deliver great blasts of telekinetic force, lighting, fire and other void powers. The Eternity-Class is meant to be an utter danger to all other capital ships. Its main weapons (all Deliverance beams) are slow to fire, as is the Manifestation Engine. So while it can cut through Battlecruisers and up, most cruisers should be able to dodge the large and slow-moving ship. The designs for the battleship had been a secret project within the Admiralty and they began production the moment the first faction broke the Détente. Still, two admirals were sacked over its creation.
Ziggurat-Class Support Battlecruiser
The Ziggurat-Class is a highly advanced anti-strike and anti-small-class ship. Equipped with several rows of Amontek casters and ArcLight projectors, the Ziggurat is meant to hunt down corvettes, frigates, and even destroyers too fast for the Battleships and Dreadnoughts. It does this not by outrunning them. Instead, it simply utilizes vast batteries of its weapons to continuously barrage the ships until they are hit. While they might not really be able to touch hostile dreadnoughts, battleships, and battlecruisers, they aren’t really supposed to do so anyway. However, it truly shines in its advanced anti-strike craft “weaponry”. The Labyrinth System. This utilizes the defensive Warp gates to create a sort of constantly shifting maze of warp gates around it. Hostile strike craft caught by the system will constantly fly in and out of warp gates until they inevitably crash into each other or hostile fire that’s being diverted. Developed at the tail end of the Détente, it is meant to protect the fleet against dangerous strike craft swarms.
Spire-Class Psionic Supremacy Battlecruiser
The Spire-Class is a recent creation by the Asrian Navy. While it houses some ArcLight projectors and is very well defended by shields, its main power comes from the vast amounts of Coven and Choirs onboard. The whole ship’s superstructure is layered with psychrite lattices that allow superior psionic conduction. This in combination with the experimental generators and the outer hull being covered with psionic projection arrays, allows the Spire-Class to create vast psionic suppression and shielding areas. The suppression will strike hostile espers in the void while the shielding makes sure that no hostile psionic attack will harm the fleet. Some Spire-Classes have been equipped with more hostile oriented arrays which throw lightning at the enemies. Though this approach is seen as dangerous and reckless. In truth, the Spire-Class is not meant to be in the vanguard. Instead, it is one more tether allowing a fleet to maintain unmoving from their objective.
Eyrie-Class battlecarrier
While the Eyrie certainly does not lack in conventional weaponry, its most important facilities are the rows of hanger bays where the many strike craft lay dormant. Ready to swarm out to meet their foe. The Eyrie-Class has existed since the Great War, where it joined the Darkstars in planetary invasions. As the strike craft were traditionally capable of both space and atmospheric flight. Though they were also responsible for the indiscriminate bombing of further (but smaller) hostile outposts. Since the Great War, the Eyrie-Class has been continuously updated. Its great reliance on the strike crafts it houses means that upgrading the Eyrie is generally far cheaper than scrapping it and remaking an entire carrier again.
(official designation: Battlecruiser, by sheer luck the Eyrie already fell under the treaty of Détente’s definition of a battlecruiser. Though this is largely because it depends on the strike craft is houses)
Allegiance-Class Variable Cruiser
It’s easy to see it as a monster. While it may appear as an average Asrian ship it houses far from traditional weapons. Instead of ArcLight projectors and deliverance beams, has modular turrets and broadside spots meant for intergalactic acquired weaponry like railguns or missiles. Mostly bought from huge corporations. Its design was more of a civilian demand to show how open the Asrian Ascendancy was becoming towards foreigners and their corporations. It faced stark protest from every branch of the military. Even the Army who declared such craft to be unreliable at best. The compromise was that only foreign sourced weapons could be outfitted. Its propulsion and shields would still be Asrian made. The Allegiance-Class first saw “action” during a series of routine training simulations during the Era of the Détente. Where the Admiralty begrudgingly acknowledged its existence and thought nothing more of it. Despite its hated status in the Navy, many more open-minded tacticians believe the versatility of the Allegiance-class is exactly what the Asrian United Royal Navy requires.
Army/Planetary forces
The Cataclysm hit the Asrian United Royal Army (AUR-A) the hardest. With vast amounts of troops dying in mere seconds. Like Asrian society as a whole, it was forced to change and adopt sometimes uncomfortable ideas. To build an entire army upon a singular technology can be dangerous. The resulting Thralls are nothing like their civilian counterparts. More fortified and independent, their animalistic instincts are honed for one purpose: to kill. For years only Thralls were allowed on the forefront of any battlefield. Their commanders were hidden away in safety. Only recently did Orders deliver individuals strong enough that the Army as a whole deemed them safe enough to deploy. Strong, however, is a very relevant term. As the deployed Sorcerers of the various Orders are far from weak.
Orders
While Covens and Choirs are generally used onboard space ships to power its psionic weaponry, Orders consist of psionically enhanced individuals that take to the field. These individuals, squads or even groups are exceptionally well protected by vast scores of Thralls that will not hesitate to throw their own lives away to protect Order Sorcerers. Given their high investment in equipment, education and overall life. Orders bring the overpowering psionic power when needed. Other factions psionics might attempt to fight off and even break a Commander’s psionic link with a Thrall, or throw simple lightning around. Orders bring the psionic storms and purging flame. Each order generally specializes in a single method of applied psionics. Their own R&D department (a very notable exception of the elsewise highly centralized general psionic research) is purely focused on turning psionic energy in dangerous chants, spells, and rituals. There are simple applications like the usage of fire, ice or lightning but there is also the more complex uses of enhancing Thralls, manipulating magnetism and even the cosmic powers. Orders are to be feared upon the battlefield for no other faction save the Ashtar can face them in psionic vs psionic head-on combat.
(To be expanded upon with a list of the most prominent Orders)
Thralls & Commanders
Because of the Cataclysm, many Asrians prefer to stay far away from the deadly firefighting. Instead, they send out their Thralls to do the dirty work for them. While Thralls, with their base instincts, can work well enough together as a pack, they often lack direction beyond simple “survival”. This is where a Commander comes in. From a safe distance, he creates the orders and objectives for the Thralls to follow. Depending on the implants, mental capacity, and rank, a Commander can hold command to up to 250 Thralls at any given time. Though exceptions have been known where commanders control over 500 Thralls. Though this is often paired with dangerous overtaxing of the brain. While some might think this is a very dishonorable way to fight, within Asrian culture commanders are still highly respected.
Thralls can come in a million shapes. Large, small, infantry, hounds, tanks and even aircraft. Of course, the bigger the Thrall, the more mental capacity direct control will demand and the more complex orders it can execute. Commanders will, after a few battles, start changing the roster of their controlled Legion. Opting to either completely dedicate themselves to a single kind of Thrall (like artillery) and thus maximize said units potential on the field, or greatly diversify their Legion so they can act flexibly in the field.
Veteran commanders will often create a very personal bond with the Thralls under their command. Which creates a feedback loop in which the Thralls begin to imprint on their Commander. Commanders will begin to personalize certain Thralls. Giving them decals to denote ownership and pride. A common decoration is the “kill count” where front line Thralls are given a marker for every kill they perform. Thralls may also be functionally enhanced. Commanders pay for higher grade synthetic muscles, weaponry or extra capabilities.
(To be expanded upon with various Thrall examples)
Hyperdread
Infinity can quite easily be mistaken for a space station. As it generally stays static in orbit. However, Infinity is far from a fortress in the void. It is a testament to the Asrian naval doctrine. To be both an immovable object and a deliverer of vast amounts of damage. Infinity is equipped with several layers of warp-deflection shielding. Capable of throwing back hostile arms back at them. The new Labyrinth II technology expands upon this warp-deflection as anti-strike craft weapon. The warp gates generally used to catch larger missiles and torpedoes is used to absorb strike craft into a constantly changing dance and change of direction until they crash within the labyrinth of warp gates. It also possesses the experimental Singularity projector. Beyond that, it has numerous conventional ArcLight and Amenthok projectors and Deliverance beams. With over 50 choirs on board, the Infinity packs a terrible amount of psionic power. Finally, it possesses a Luminal Bridge Projector allowing it to use its FTL engine from wherever it is. This means it can never be trapped or lost in the void.
However, this all comes at a great cost. While its FTL capabilities are fair and its sublight engines might be a tad bit slow, outside of all of these it has no real means of maneuverability or movement. It is a terrible monolith with fast power and defenses but it is still a monolith. Fast craft are its general weakness (though don’t expect a mere corvette group to take down this monster).
I'll throw my hat in the ring for this, looks very interesting. The first idea that comes to mind is playing a splinter group of a now-collapsed empire, that have become a pseudo-scavenger/pirate faction in recent years, a haven for renegades and runaways based around a Port Royal style home-planet/star-base. Would that be something that could work?
I may not be the GM, but I can certainly say that your idea definitely sounds pretty good to me, and funny thing, someone else was planning a similar faction but unfortunallty couldn't join due to IRL reasons.
Edit: Your an Ascendancy too @Legion02? Best buds :P
The Devil's Bargin, The Demonplauge, the Necrophage, the Damned
Minor Belligerant
Overview
When the Haradoni Union dove head first into the Great War, they soon realize their young empire had no business in such large affairs but it was too late. As their worlds burned, they made a devil's bargain with an ancient alien virus from their distant past, willingly being infected by the Syndorian Virus in a desperate attempt to save their civilization. From the ashes of the Haradoni Union, the Syndorian Hosts were born, their minds not entirely their own yet not entirely chained to the hivemind. They now hope to once again step on to the galactic stage with all of the knowledge gained from their belligerent folly and primal wisdom, searching for what they truly are and where their place is among the stars..
History
The history of the Syndorian first starts with the Haradoni. Their early history was much like any other, countless nation states that rose and fell with the tides of history. However, around the time they began to use gunpowder, a great comet fell from the sky and slammed into the world. At first people wondered if this was a sign from one of countless gods worshiped by the many peoples or what could have possibly brought this magical rock to their world. Unknowingly to them, this would have been the start of the Syndorian Outbreak.
The world had always been fertile and thus global population had reach around 1 billion by the time of the outbreak. At its end, less than 2.5 million survived. They called it a curse, a plague, a judgement of god, but the horrid infection kept tearing through kingdoms and nations alike. Soon any previous petty squabbling was ignored in favor forming a unified front. Although difficult due to rather limited communications, soon what remained of the population hid behind vast walled cities known as Kasrs and said Kasrs would form the Grand Order of the Defense of Haradoni, or just the Grand Order.
It would prove to be a blood century as Kasrs fell and land was lost but a constant need for better weaponry to fend off the threat would eventually come to head. Through the discovery of various radioactive minerals and materials, the Haradoni created "Starfire Throwers" that could burn away the corruption through a mix of flame and radiation. With this, they finally began to take back their lands. The told was great and the damage to their planet was greater, but finally they reclaimed their world, casting the virus back into the deepest shadow.
Finally, their nightmare was over, the demon plague had been destroyed. However, several samples remained, hidden away and taken by less scrupulous figures but never again would the Syndorian Virus cause such devastation. Civilization quickly rebuilt after that, going back out into their scarred world to rebuild. Again nations rose and fell but now there was always a link among them that at least a few of the greatest states paid service too.
However, this began to sew the seeds of hubris among the Haradoni, they had faced their worse demons and came out on top. Nothing could stop them for they had stopped an end of the world scenario with the greatest weapons of their age. When they finally reached the stars, it was under the Banner of House Vecaveia as the Haradoni Union. Still full of pride and arrogance despite their youth on the galactic stage, they went about trying to prove themselves the equals of those who have ventured the void for generations before them.
They colonized worlds which they touted as the next big hub of whatever, fought minor battles they endlessly glorified and built ships they claimed where without match. When the Great War broke out, they were all too eager to jump in carried on the backs of their pride and ambition.
Their first act was to make a surprise attack against an Asra fleet docked at a frontier port, battered by battles too vast for the Haradoni to ever compute. Exhausted and low on supplies, the Haradoni fell upon the much larger fleet and did considerable damage before the station's defense batteries began to open up on them. In reality, they had only damaged already damaged ships with few being fully destroyed and a handful of Asra thought them to just be pirates.
But the Haradoni proclaimed a great victory against "10 to 1 odds" as they "swept through the fleet and destroyed them all in a stunning display of tactical brilliance". A great amount of fanfare and praise was heaped upon the admirals and the crewmen with metals and accolades now proudly adorning their chests. Metals and accolades that would not comfort them when their bodies where sent adrift in space as an Asra fleet wiped the floor with them.
What was once a promise of glorious victory soon became a desperate defense with no way out as an Asra fleet bombarded their worlds, scuttled their fleets and began to prove the Haradon's hubris. As millions starved and thousands died in hundreds of last stands and brave counter charges, the Haradoni was clanged to whatever they could to give them just a chance of seeing the next day. What they thought was an apocalyptic retribution fleet, was in reality just another fleet moving through their system who remembered something about a Haradoni empire doing something to them. Attacking them was really an afterthought, just something to do and get some easy honors for themselves.
In the bleakest hour as all seemed to be lost, a now nameless prince rushed though the secret vaults and came upon a capsule containing the Syndorian Virus. Already bloody and bruised from fighting, the dying prince made an oath with the ancient sentience and would willingly become its host in exchange for it saving his kingdom. And like that, the deal was struck and the Haradoni had signed themselves away in a bargain with the greatest devil of their own history.
Almost instantly the tides of war began to shift as the dead rose and horrid monsters rose from charnel pits built of the remains of a dozen corpses each. Terrified at the sight of these new demons, the Asra forced fell back as the reborn Synordian Hosts gave chase. The tattered remains of their fleet would bear witness and first spread the news of how the Haradoni had unleashed some sort of curse or magic that turned them all into undead feral monsters.
For the remainder of the war, the Swarm rebuilt the homeworld of Haradoni in its own image, leaving the other planets of the Haradoni Union fall into ruin as it built its forces and bid its time. For the remainder of the war, it would wage a war of reconquest across the corpse of the Union and lash out at any who tried to navigate its systems. Rumors continued to spread of a sentience swarm of nightmares that turned even the most loyal of crew against each other as they mutated and changed in most ghastly ways. This war of reconquest continues even past the signing of the treaty, with the Demiurge Archive bent on retaking all of the systems that fell to pirates or refuse to be absorbed into the swarm for even if they refuse to serve in life, they can still be enslaved in death.
Government
The ultimate authority of the Hosts is the central collective conscious hivemind known as Archive. It is a superorganism which resides within the remains of the Royal Palace and is much like the Gravemind from Halo. While it can directly control almost all of the hosts at will, this action requires a huge energy demand, most of which is simply spent projecting its will across the void of space and analyzing the thoughts of the hosts. It has the ability to "amiplify" its own thoughts over the concious of a host effectly reducing its own individuality and thus mental thoughts. Much of the population at any given time is under this effect of called "the Mist" making most of them simply drones and grunts although those with skills and potential are chosen by the Archive to be given more individuality as to let their skills, abilities and personality shine through to better serve the greater good.
Although the Archive's power is great, it has its limits and cannot always maintain the Mist especially over long distances. As such, it delegates its immense power to special individuals called "Ordinals". These people are paradoxically the most independent yet most subservient of all hosts. They can leads their Broods however they wish but they cannot refuse orders from the Archive. They can disagree and argue among themselves yet they can never surely come to blows. Its been theorized that Ordinals are chosen based on a combination of the right genetic signals and certain traits. Once chosen, an Ordinal can never become fully effected by the Mist and it is a life time position. A new class of nobles has arisen from Ordinals intermarrying and interbreeding among one another in the hopes of continuing as "ordinal bloodline".
Territory
Much of Haradoni has since been taken over by the Syndorian Hosts, their void stations, asteroid bases and moons all tainted with the iconic growths of the virus. However, since the collapse of the Union, there still remains hold outs that the Syndorians still seek to reclaim. Worse yet, seeing the disarray of the frontiers of ex-Haradoni space, a number of pirates and renegades have made the abandoned systems their new homes, too clueless to know what now claims these worlds or too ignorant to care.
Major Holdings
Haradoni - Original homeworld of the Syndorian Virus and their Haradoni hosts. It is where the Demiurge Archive is located, the central hivemind and collective conscious resides.
Irithyll - A vast world famed for its sprawling biomass fields and production facilities which allow it the greatest number of hatcheries and breeding warrens. Incidentally it is also home to the greatest number of warriors and combat bioforms
Charace - Once an ocean world with seas that covered the world, it has since largely been drained to feed the world's bioforges and refineries that dot the coastal plains and carved into its canyons.
Salmina - The most "friendly" world in that it has the least amount of biomatter growths and the least threatening looking inhabitants, Salmina has the high pop of none infected persons. It also serves as a manufactory power house used for the creation of machinery and installation of cybernetics.
Demographics/Society
To the Syndorians, there is no species other than themselves and the "Others". Once someone has been infected, willingly or not, they are considered to Syndorian regardless of their past or even species. A tiny amount of non infected people live in Syndorian space but are largely considered mad men by the rest of the galaxy. These are often people who willingly seek out the virus in desperate attempts at immortality, restoration of lost limbs, or obtaining ascension with some religious cult promise. The Syndorian Ordinals do not mind such people at all as they pose little threat to their own power or the security of the hive and know that in due time, all of them will join the Horde.
Syndorian society is one of stratified hierarchy although because of the Chimeric Shadow, there is never any dissent about it. Society is organized into various Hive Houses which are separated into Noble Broods which are further separated into Vassal Nests. The head of a Hive House is the Ordinal, someone ordained by the Demiurge to lead the Hive House and thus are typically skilled in what they do or what they are told to do by the hivemind. Leaders of Nobles Broods are Brood Barons and those of Vassal Nests are simply Alphas. The Demiurge does not play an active hand in picking the lower ranked leadership; Brood Barons are chosen either by strength of combat or by some ingrained sense of loyalty by its peers and Alphas are picked almost excursively on strength or expression of a certain valuable skill. Politicking is rare among the Syndorians as they cannot keep secrets from the Demiurge and subsequently each other in addition to how the Chimeric Shadow affects them. They can never directly turn on one another but instead will often speak half truths, react sluggishly to calls for help or simply ignore their rivals.
A number of roles are delegated to the Drones of each Hive House. These include: Biomass Farmers who "farm" creatures and plants for biomass conversion, Breeders who are specially modified to have much faster gestation periods to allow for continuous growth, Vitasmiths and Genecrafters who continuously research and expriment with new traits to give to species within the Syndorian collective from their Bioforges, artisans who produce the materials and machines which the hive cannot produce through biomass, Warriors who protect and patrol the hives, simple Workers who procure mass and material and even a class of priest-like beings known as Hierophants. Beyond simply roles, there are three classifications of the Syndorian species. The first are Hosts, people who have been willingly infected while alive. The second is the Undead, people who were infected unwillingly alive or have been infect post mortum and typical have much more dramatic mutations and modifications than the Hosts. The third is the Bioforms, creatures made up entirely of biomass, sometimes with a "core" of another animal.
The Syndorian Virus
An ancient extraterrestrial diereses that once landed on the world of Haradoni and wreck havoc, it is what famously forced the world to unite in ancient time under the Grand Order of Haradoni to face it. It was only after great sacrifice and thousands upon thousands slain that the plague had been contained with a small part of secretly contained in what would become the Royal Palaces. This Grand Order is what lead the foundation for planetary unification as most major nations always had a hand in it or its successors.
The virus itself is a bacteria/virus hybrid with its own seemingly limited sentience. Its full origins and mechanics are still poorly understood even today. The Demiurge itself seems to be blocking many attempts to uncover the full truth for whatever reason. What is known is that those infected are given more durability, increased strength, regeneration, greater agility and an ability to ignore pain as well as be affected by the Chimeric Shadow, gain functional immortality (or at least drastically increasing longevity) and complete immunity from other diseases and infections as their immune systems are also now living beings.. Its ability to rapidly evolve and mutate is second to none with the Demiurge capable of force evolving its minions to grow additional appendages or alter their physiology. Its for this reason that some others from outside the Hive may choose to join the Hosts, out of a desire for immortality in pursuit of their own research and goals. Of course this comes its own downsides and the possibility of being completely subsumed but many gamble on their own skills are great enough that the hivemind will allow them to retain their own sense with limited interference.
The Chimeric Shadow
Sometimes called "the Mist" as it commonly physically manifests as anything between a light mist to a neigh impenetrable fog, all beings infected by the Chimeric Shadow give it off with larger beings giving off more. Ordinals can generate their own large fields and is typically how they control their Hives with each being unique to an Ordinal as to avoid giving the drones mixed signals.
The Shadow affects those under its control ina way most likened to a grand delusion. To a Sydorian, they will see the world completely different. In war they will see rows of stalwart warriors and loyal serfs lead by heroic commanders flanked by elite chivalrous knights atop mighty mounts lead by a glorious Ordinal with the blessing of the Demiurge. To everyone else, they will see a horde of monstrous trashing mockeries of life, mutated and deformed beyond recognition as hulking brutes and beasts towering above. Although they are aware of what they've become, they will always see each other in an almost medieval and deluded way. Mobs of Drones tending to biomass production or overseeing breeding warrens are instead seen as dutiful serfs plowing crop fields and salacious dens of pleasure and intimacy respectively.
To an outsider, the very presence of the Shadow is unnerving, as if there is something gnawing at the back of their head which demands them both fear and look upon Ordinals and their hosts with awe, as if their brains do not know if they should fear the monsters they are or be awed by what the Shadow makes them see. Indeed there are a few cases of weak willed individuals being so enthralled by the Chimeric Shadow that they end up submitting themselves to the Hosts. For those psionically in tuned however, the Shadow is a much more terrifying thing as they experience horrifying visions and find they can no longer summon up their powers without incredible difficulty making it almost impossible. This feeling of dread has made some psionics to straight up refuse to go anywhere were the Syndorians are thought to be.
The way which the Demiurge controls its subjects is through mental manipulation that can range from a very strong suggestion to outright mental domination. To do this, it effectively isolates minds from outside influences even to things such as smell. To a psionic however, this Shadow will greatly increase their ability to manifest their power in the presence of such a dominating force and will universally terrify them for they can see the delusion the Sydorians are under but do not accept it as they do.
Heirophants and Faith
While many presume that faith has no place in a hivemind dictated by reason and survival, many forget that every Syndorian host was once a mortal, a mortal with faith and hope. Whatever old gods the Haradoni once prayed to, they have all been but forgotten, replace by their centeral collective mind, the Demiurge Archive.
Penal drones pray to it and give offerings to it in twisted temples with even mindless bioforms capible of giving thanks in prayer in a crude mockery of faith. They pray that the Demiurge Archive can remake them into greater beings, that they will see the clarity of the Chimeric Shadow and that they will be possessed by its indomitable will.
While Ordinals possess great power, it is the Hierophants which makes up the priesthood. Born with a special mark that sets them apart from typical births, they are trained from birth to be able to commune with the Archive and understand its vast omnipotence. Indeed, only Hierophants are capable of witnessing the full glory of the Demiurge Archives' full, unrestrained psionic force, a feat which Ordinals cannot even dream of achieve for the most part.
Apart from being zealous preachers, they also lead the weak faithful into glorious martyrdom into the recycling pools where they are dissolved to be reborn anew in newer bioforms. Consummate scientists as well as clergy, they also often oversee the work of Vitasmiths and Genecrafters, coming up with ever more terrifying and incredible creations in the name of their Demiurge Archive.
Economy
Economically, the Syndorian Hosts are in a strange place as they have no need for interal trade and because of it find it difficult to trade with the greater galatic community despite wanting to do so. Internally, the Chimeric Shadow means that an individual's own wants and desires are greatly suppressed with only the Ordinals really capable of even wanting luxury items and exotic goods. Even then, there are still small things which many Drones and Workers can still have a limited want for and proudly showcase. Trinkets, small bits of cheap jewelry, scars and tattoos are popular forms to showcase one's self.
Internally, most trade is done either through a barter system of giving one good for another or using time itself as a currency. The training pits used to let Warriors duel each other and for Vitasmiths to showcase their newest discovery are a popular sport with people betting time and trinkets on their chosen warrior. Hosts may buy a trinket or some small upgrade to their rest spot in the hive warrens by doing someone else's work.
Externally, there really is not much that the Syndorians can offer. They can trade their own trinkets but they often have little worth outside of novelty or pure exoticness. However, the most popular trades is that of bioformed pets and animals. Purposely designed to be more pleasant on the eyes, they come in a variety of shapes and sizes from small mice to large dogs. They are unquestionably loyal, low maintenance and surprisingly strong.
The one big service that the Syndorians can offer however is waste disposal and their own lives. When a great deal of wasted trash and organic materials needs to be rid of, the Syndorians will happily trade what they can for it. Should there be a disaster too great or strong for normal mortals to deal with, the Syndorians can throw their own infected bodies and specially crafted bioforms to deal with it. Some Ordinals even offer to clear vast swathes of forested or otherwise hostile land needed for farming for a tiny price and the ability to keep all of the biomass gathered. Rumors have also spread that some other governments have secret deals with some Ordinals to discreetly get rid of political prisoners. No one has come forth to confirm these claims but then again, small personal ships sometimes have a tendency to warp off course into the space claimed by more… vicious Ordinals.
Technologies
Techno-Organic Interfacing: A keystone technology as it allows for the seamless integration of the Syndorian Virus into the technology and machinery, allowing for a degree of sentience to be achieved if only barely.
Corpse Engineering & Viral Incubation: Knowledge on how to effectively "force" bodies together in order to form a larger, tougher organism.
Synaptic Plyons: A way to artificially boost the strength of the Mist of the Archive without the need of an Ordinal
Regenerative Chitin: Highly effect plate armor capable of regeneration of damage
Genetic Alteration: The Syndorianare masters of altering their own genetic code allowing for greater adrenaline, cellular reconstruction, caustic acid blood and heightened scenes. There is a black market for this stuff on some worlds as rumors suggest that "Syndorian Blood" can restore youth, beauty, strength or limb function.
Photosynethic Bio-Plasma: A highly efficient energy source which stems from the metabolic processes of special Bio Plasmid Hearts which can also store energy in energy circuits as batteries. Found on starships and in cities alike.
Military
While capable of having a standard army of armored soldiers with guns, the Syndorian Hosts take advantage of their "gifts" and thus excel at terror tactics. Their standard naval doctrine is to board an enemy ship and let the virus infect the crew while aiming for the power generators. Should they be successful, they will turn the ship in a living nightmare straight from a horror film. Where infected crew turn on their allies as their bodies twist into horrid monsters with every sensory perception of the enemy turned into a terrifying ordeal. Shadows dart past the corner of their eyes, sounds are heard all around them with nothing to make them, distant whispers fill their ears with indecipherable sounds and the corpses of their friends desiccated beyond recognition as they are reveal before they lunge at them. Woe befall any who fail to equip a gas mask of any sort less the Syndorian spores enter their bodies and begin to transform them before their very eyes in a bloody, brutal demonstration of rapid mutation.
Navy
The Syndorian Navy is one which defies most conventional definitions. Whereas other fleets are expected to engage in long, drawn out gun battles at great ranges, the Syndorians seek to quickly close the gap to let loose boarding actions. It is in the tight corridors of ship that the terrifying blades, claws and maws of the monstrosities deal the most damage, targeting power systems and in effect, turning hostile ships into a death trap of fear and paranoid out of horror movies and games.
All vessels in the fleet are also "alive" to some extent, with larger ships capable of holding greater levels of intelligence and sentience. As such, many ship classes or even individual ships often exhibit certain behaviors or prefer certain actions. This is due to the living tissue within Syndorian ships as despite their outward appearance, are filled with internal blood vessels, nerves, muscles and bone covered in electronics, machinery and metal. Syndorian ships are as much grown as they are built. Captaining these vessels always fall upon Ordinals as they alone possess the strength of will to subdue their vessel's "Ship Spirit".
Directed energy weapons are popular as the highly efficient Metabolic Bio-Engines produce great deals of energy alongside Photosynthetic Solar Arrays and the cellular energy storage has proven to be highly efficient at storing excess energy with minimal loss. Bioplasma and energy lances are the most popular. In addition to more traditional weapons, Syndorian ships possess some weapons unique to themselves: the Devourer Maw and the Psionic Howl.
Many ships have an opening in their front or are capable of opening up their front alike a great gaping maw. Following the Syndorian's penchant for close combat and ramming actions, the Devourer Maws are terrifying constructs capable of literally biting chunks out of ships if not crushing smaller ships outright. The Psionic Howl is another strange and exotic weapon that can be unleashed by larger ships. This psionic shockwave fills the minds of the enemy with terrifying images of what lurks in the darkness of space, terrifying even the most veteran of crews; while the Psionic Thunder Clap is capable of acting like a short ranged EMP, disabling shields, weapons and power systems before the vessel closes in, making boarding and subsequent combat all the more devastating.
Ship Classes
An important vessel, the Outrider class specializes in creating gravitational fields and anomalies through its Void Eater Engine mounted at its front. Equipped with the best FTL drives, their primary duty is to go ahead of any main fleet and set up artificial gravity wells around the ship so the rest of the fleet can have a much faster time jumping in.
In combat, it is of little use as most of its power is directed into its Void Eater Engine leaving only a small amount of PD guns to defend itself. However it can use its Engine to create smaller gravitational wells that can slow larger ships or even lock down smaller ships while generally causing disturbances forcing enemy fleets to traverse treacherous gravity wells, breaking up their formation.
Built with a single duty and indeed a single main weapon, the Lancer Class Frigate is essentially a tachyon railgun mounted on a literal skeleton of a ship. Aside from life support, thruster and life support, all power is dedicated to the operation of this grand weapon. It is a sniper, capable of blasting munitions at incredible orbital ranges a fraction of the speed of light and typically assigned in hunting packs to strip shields off of ship through a constant barrage of shots or to destroy orbital defenses.
A dedicated back line support craft, the Squire Class Destroyer is largely a torpedo boat and scanning vessel. Its armament include a variety of nuclear, plasma, cluster, armor piercing, virus and EMP torpedoes all fired from torpedo tubes. In addition, it also acts as a recon ship equipped with several advanced sensor and transmitting interception suites. It can detect stealthed vessels, incoming attacks and intercept communications as an electronic attack craft.
What was supposed to be an upgrade to the Squire class which ended up turning into a sidegrade, the Yeoman Class Destroyer has forgone the scanner arrays and instead focused solely on munitions. Boasting even more torpedo tubes, it also comes with rows upon rows of missile silos, rocket pods, mine layers and a pair of highly unstable high yield macro cluster charges, capable of laying down a huge cloud of munitions. They are seldom used as mines in such quantities do not discriminate from friend or foe and are infamously difficult to remove.
A dedicated boarding vessel with a focus on close range brawling, Errant Class Destroyers are literally frothing at the mouth to have a go at any enemy in range (crew have noticed a tendency for strange white foam to appear on the flight deck of the vessel hence the "frothing". They have an extremely effective but close range PD system comprised of basically plasma shotguns that lay down a zone of denial around the vessel.
Such weapons are also effect against ships at close range and combined with its thick armor, means that a common tactic is to simply ram enemy vessels all guns blazing. It also hosts a variety of thermal cutter tipped boarding torpedoes meant to drill through an enemy's armor before disgorging the Syndorian's signature boarding bioforms. It also has several tentacle-like growths hidden on its inside armor meant to grasp and enemy, ensuring they cannot escape once in range.
The main stay of the Syndorian fleets, the Valiant Class is a good all around ship in a jack of all trades manner. Its armor is thick enough, shields strong enough and weapons powerful enough to hold a battle line while also quick enough and brutal enough to engage in close range boarding actions along with its Devourer Maw. However it lacks the ability to preform a Psionic Howl and lacks any sort of misses or torpedoes.
Considered an upgrade from the Valiant, the Gallant Class Cruiser is a more heavily armed and considered the bedrock of ranged firepower in the hive's fleets. Compared to the Valiant, it boasts more weapons and armor as well as dedicated missile bays and torpedo tubes. However, it still uses the same class of biogenerators meaning that its shields are actually weaker to its predecessor, mostly as the biting strength of the Maw has been sidelined in favor of being able to preform Psionic Howls.
What is for all intents and purpose a militarized civilian ship, the Herrimault is based on a popular Haradoni vessel favored by merchant ships. Even today, it is the most commonly seen ship of the Syndorian, ironic considering it is classified as a stealth vessel and equipped as such. It has lackluster weapons for its class but posses a biogenerator usually reserved for battle cruiser. It pumps this energy into great shields and thruster power making it commonly used in transport and convoy duties.
A specialized ship that is incredibly light armed for a naval vessel. Instead, it is a pure and dedicated support craft. Instead of guns and scanners, the Hospitalar holds hatcheries, bioforges, biostatsis vita-chambers and a fleet of repair drones, capable of quickly repairing, knitting and forcing rapid cellular growth on damaged Sydorian ships. Its main role is to act as part hospital ship, part ship repair and part crew replenishment vessel. As one would expect, they are put far in the back, well protected by the other ships.
The Oathkeeper battlecruiser is actually a very unique ship as it is one of the few vessels held over from the Haradoni Union. Instead of being scratch built, it has been retrofitted and repaired. As such its known for having a very slap-dash and makeshift appearance both inside and out. However it is still a more than powerful enough voidship armed with directed energy weapons, missile silos and sturdy shields; a demonstration in that even if the Haradoni were too ambitious for their own good, they at least knew how to build a solid ship.
Named after the ancient planetary alliance that fended off the first Syndorian Outbreak, the Grand Order class of Battle Cruisers is one built to emulate the aspects of the Demiurge Archive. Humongous, imposing, commanding, awe inspiring and relentless. They are known for their devastating lance broadsides and their compliment of living attack craft such as the Harridans and the Void Drakes, birthed from on board hatcheries and menageries, alongside mechanical strike craft and bombers
Army
There are three cornerstones to every ground assault done by the Lucinfern Hordes: Constant massed wave charges, nightly terror and psychological attacks and impossible levels of coordination.
The opening moves of an assault are designed to cause as much damage and chaos as possible. Miasmic spores bombard the planet spreading the yndorian Virus and the Mist of the Archive across the planet as rampaging infected beasts tear through cities along with swarms of lesser infected. The hope is to create as much confusion and more importantly create as many bodies as possible.
After a brief pause is allowed for the defenders so they may regroup and bury their dead however this is part of the plan. By allowing this window of reorganization, the horde can ensure they attack the greatest number of people with the fewest number of hosts and then the second phase begins. Near regular assaults are launched against the enemy as lesser organisms crash into the defenders as the greater infected charge through. Most Ordinals do not care of the lives lost as they know anybody who dies can be turned back into biomass to be formed into a new creature.
At night, psychological warfare is launched with the sole goal of causing confusion, paranoia and fear among the troopers, depriving them of restful sleep and never letting their nerves rest. Ambushes look to pick off unwary guards and replace them with infected hosts who will go to the most crowded area and explode, releasing the virus even further. Small bugs will make constant chattering and mummering sounds as if there is a Host behind every wall and around every corner. Rapid strike units dart in and out of shadows, cackling as they squirm through air shafts and trenches. Infiltrators will sneak in and try to gather information, contaminate supplies or take out individuals identified as beloved and whose death will bring a morale shock to the rest.
This goes on for as long as needed with increasing exhausted and paranoid soldiers fighting a horde that does not end while worried as to which one of his allies has secretly already been infected and waiting to turn. To top all of this off, the synaptic network of the Syndorian Horde means that their communications and coordination is perfect. A horde always attacks when the enemy is most disorganized after a boomer explosion. Strafing runs always come in just as the horde is being pushed back. Biomechanical vehicles move in sync and firing volleys as one deafening roar. Such a level of communication and instant feedback is the envy of commanders the galaxy over.
These tactics have only been employed twice but to outstanding effect. Once against a pirate stronghold on the moon of Karvar III where they had been trying to sell freshly butchered Syndorian meat. And a second against a Haradoni Union holdout that refused to be initiated into the swarm.
There are four general types of Hosts used in war.
The Lesser Organisms - Beings made almost entirely of biomass around a "core" of another animal and typically take the appearance of animals and beasts.
The Greater Organisms - Larger biomass creatures centered around a core host of a much larger animal with significantly more danger and mass. Most infamous of these are the savage Tyrannadon, the durable Orangafex and the flying Harridan.
The Trueborn Hosts - A catch all term for hosts pressed into service that can range from mindless mobs to those who still have enough individuality and skills to act as decent elite shock (and terror) troops.
The Bio Colossi - Huge beings comprised of hundreds of corpses and thousands of pounds of biomass who stand as tall as skyscrapers and crush those beneath them. Incredibly rare, they are only seen at the zenith of an assault are effectively heralds of an all or nothing attack.
Common low level infected:
Making up the bulk of any horde, they comprise of Hosts told to charge by their Ordinal or unwilling infected who have been forced to do so. They are a ravenous pack of claws, fangs, blades and tentacles in a seemingly undying tide of putrid flesh and decayed bodies. Their equipment varies wildly but in general, those willing Hosts are seen carrying weapons or at least wearing armors and are still capable o firing their guns wildly as they run. The unwilling infected are given no such luxuries.
Suppressors:
While the Swarm does not untilize guns very effectively, those it does have are infamous for their haunting sounds as they zip past the enemy and their rapid fire rates which force them to stay behind cover. A death sentence as other infected rush to close in and rip the enemy to shreads.
Slashers:
While most of the Hosts are just mindlessly grasping at whatever they can, relying on numbers, Slashers are infected Hosts who are speically deisgned for combat instead of being thrown into the grinder. Their armor chitin plating gives them the resistence they need as they leap and bound over the battlefield and dive in with their claws capible of ripping through armor.
Hulks:
Slow and lumbering, these beings are formed of rapidly regenerating biomass with strength to throw men like dolls and vehicles like toys. Most often used as walking walls of flesh or living battering rams, some are known to have the disgusting habit of incorporating wounded but still living enemies into their monstrous bulk.
Raviners
Bioforms who specialize in digging through the earth and suddenly rise out and wreck havoc in shock and awe attacks. The tunnels they make are often accompanied by a wave of lesser creatures who can use them to move through the battlefield. Typically used just to dig mines, tunnel networks and underground warrens in times of peace, anyone who is dragged down into the depths of their tunnels is never seen again.
Carronades:
Living artillery who like their Supressor cousins, focus a lot more on simply surpressing the enemy and making sure they are isolated and stuck in one location rather than outright killing things. However, some of the smaller varients are designed for the express purpose of accompanying hordes of infected for the express purpose of killing things. Some versions even have non-organic weapons mounted upon them in more recent years as Ordinals find that using captured weapons is more useful than breaking them down.
Brutes
Large, heavily armored bioforms that act as living tanks. While some are given ranged capibilites, more oftne than not they rely on ramming and incredible strength to rip open tanks and vehicles before devouring their crews. Once they start charging, nearly nothing can stop their rampage.
Hyperdread
When the dust had settled and the Great War was over, hundreds if not thousands of shipwrecks, floating hulks and blown out hulls filled the Haradoni system as a result of the desperate defense of the homeworlds. When the Sydorian Hosts rose from its ashes, one of its first act in a display of power was to command the creation of a vessel which combined all of the remains of the dead ships into one, grand monument of naval construction. With hundreds of thousands of workers and creatures working on the ship, it was built in record time as metal was bonded with flesh and wires were bound in biomass; no other ship can claim to be as "alive" to the point that it has its own sentience and has been officially ordained as an Ordinal capable of producing its own Mist nodes.
Its main standout feature is its front shredder maw and bioplasma particle lance. Running down the middle of the ship is a wide tunnel that many assume to just be part of the particle lance, however this is an illusion as the front of the ship can actually "open up" to reveal a huge animal-like maw that has swallowed smaller ships whole and taken chunks out of larger ships. Any ship that is swallowed can either be kept for later additions to the Terminus Est and have their crews infected an added to the ship's own, or the captured ship can be "harvested" for pure energy that is needed for the main gun. Although capable of firing the bioplasma particle lance by its own power, for a full power shot it actually requires more than the vessel can produce. Because of this its often accompanied by fueling ships or have captured/disabled enemy ships "sacrificed" to the Terminus Est.
