@Liotrent It can certainly work for sure! Although to note that is no one big interstellar-scale precursor race, but there are a few planetary scale ones that died out that your cultists could ransack for artifacts.
@ZAVAZggg Depends on you really, there's still time to retcon it :P
Eh, think I'll leave it. What's done is done, and Ralor has fulfilled his purpose of providing an introduction to the Adjudicators and their Enforcers.
@Sigma That works perfectly actually, they're religion is based on ascension, the alien artifacts are mostly to perpetuate that ideal. They believe that the aliens that have died out may have had technology that could help them ascend thus, they seek any and all alien artifacts. The endgame is just to turn them into the Cybran or - to keep with the C&C theme - sort of like the Marked of Kane, non-essential or inefficient biological components replaced with technology developed from knowledge and insight gained from alien artifacts an illgotten form of "ascension".
It'd certainly make for some interesting interaction.
NATION: THE BROTHERHOOD OF DIVINE ASCENSION _______________________________ GOVERNMENT TYPE: TECHNO-THEOCRACY
The brotherhood governs its many followers through a divine leader – a figurehead for their society. The figurehead – known as the Prophet – is then surrounded by a council of ascension. The council of ascension is made up of high ranking brothers of ascension and leaders of different sects or chapters. These influential people of the brotherhood are rarely all together at any one time. If the council and the figurehead convene it would never be complete – certain areas of the brotherhood are more perilous than most and require a firm guiding hand. _______________________________ DEMOGRAPHICS ACROSS BROTHERHOOD TERRITORY:
Halley Cross: A shrewd tactician, a charismatic leader, a brutal militant. Halley possess many titles, some from comrades, some from her enemies – a common one from her ignorant oppossition is “fanatical bitch”. However, such names are not a concern for the current Prophet of Ascension. She is decisive and idealistic... (WIP) _______________________________ HISTORY:
The brotherhood’s roots are deep. The idea of ascension rose out of the frozen wastelands of a world the first humans settlers called Skadi. Skadi was home to the Kadkir, a race of aliens that no longer remember what they once were after they modified their bodies to survive Skadi’s harsh weather.
The Kadkir were not native Skadi, they too were refugees. After their scientists detected a large celestial body on a collision course with their homeworld, they promptly evacuated their world at a last desperate attempt to escape oblivion. However, the Kadkir were out of luck, only the young are unmodified, the last organic connection they have with their past. The humans learned of their culture, their way of surviving the harshness of Skadi. Eventually, the humans learned of an ancient alien civilization beneath the ice, their technology and bodies completely preserved. This is how the Kadkir learned to survive. The bodies discovered underneath the ice weren’t too well preserved, however, the technology that were discovered along with the bodies seemed to have been designed to enhance biological functions – even transcend them.
It was at this point, the first pact was formed – the brotherhood was born out of this pact. Once an agreement to survive Skadi, now a quest to transcend material being and become equals – become one. The ideology came from who was believed to be the first prophet of ascension – Hal Stephan. He was the first to preach the methods of ascension, the first to preach equality to all beings, and the right to choose between ascension and biological servitude. Technology and Biology were two different worlds to Stephan. His teachings say that technology, while the purest form of ascension, was not the path for everyone, there were some who would need to be the face of ascension, the biological bridge between the two worlds – the servants of ascension.
Many of his teachings have been reinterpreted and reiterated many times, but it has built a solid framework to allow for choice. It has also been the framework of the brotherhood to see dictatorship and despotism as tools for the powerful to exploit the weak. As such, rebellions have been the tools of the Brotherhood for a long time, inciting rebellion in the disenfranchised, the weak and fragile, and the many slaves to bring their oppressors down to their knees.
Skadi became the symbol of the Brotherhood’s roots. If the brotherhood could rise above the limitations of the flesh, so too can the people rise up against their oppressors, their “Skadi”. The influence of the Brotherhood’s exploits has gained them favor in the fringes and high respect from those of the working class, with some successful revolutionists pledging their territory and gratitude from the secondary worlds. The ideology is well known among the well-traveled parts of the fringes, and many militant patrols along with Brotherhood aid being supplied have further allowed the Brotherhood to be seen as benevolent to those of their client states. _______________________________ ECONOMY:
The Brotherhood supply mercenaries, Xeno-based technology, body modification, food and medicine, and of course weapons. The Brotherhood was never meant to be a militant organization, nor was it meant to be a nation. However, the expansive growth of the Brotherhood some two hundred years after its founding prompted changes to its economic policy – more mouths to feed means more monetary resources needed to be obtained to sustain a large population. The Brotherhood already invested in pharmaceutical and medical technologies as a product of their body-modifying past – however, food was still a major concern before the midsector rebellions that ultimately pledged their allegiance to the brotherhood. As such, the Brotherhood had to sell what they had researched in order to attain some food for those who did not wish to ascend. The Brotherhood’s doors were open to all.
It wasn’t until after the Brotherhood aided several rebellions that PMC’s would become more common place within the Brotherhood’s militant ranks. PMC’s were considered to be among the elite of the Brotherhood’s militant core, as such, they were given better weapons and armor than most and if they were augmented, they would be upgraded given their elite status. It was soon discovered that elite units of the Brotherhood could be used as a way of attaining monetary funds – send the best to finish odd jobs and return with funds for the Brotherhood. As a reward, these PMC’s would be allowed to keep 40% of all their earnings. It wasn’t long till the Brotherhood was recognized as one of the few places open to mercenaries to work legally. There were rules in place to prevent clashing with other governments and organizations, however, it was generally considered okay if one was not caught in the act. _______________________________ MILITARY: DIVISIONS: (WIP) _______________________________
@Sigma@Crispy Octopus Alright...save for trying to figure a symbol or a flag or such, i think the rest of it is ready! Days of hard work and brainstorming, all in one package! :D
The Imperial Dominion of Ankhan
Nation Name/Flag: (In Progress)
Government Type: Absolute Royal Diarchy (aka: two monarchs ruling together)
Demographics:
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The Valkyrians
Valkyrians appear rather similar to the humans of earth in many ways, though themselves are an entirely different species that evolved on a very much alien world. They possess a range of black and brown and even grey/silver colored hair, trademark pale white skin ( they don’t burn in the sun though), and crimson colored eyes that are a universal trait of their race. Likewise females stand 6-7 feet tall very normally and are able to “breed amongst themselves” naturally, whereas the males of the species are 4-5 feet tall very normally and are naturally infertile due to possessing their race’s equivalent of a Y chromosome. This is because the Valkyrian Y chromosome is itself actually a damaged X chromosome that resulted in an “incomplete phenotype” being expressed for the titular males of the species.
The Valkyrians are themselves also a prime example of “convergent evolution” and “parallel evolution” creating a similar product to a “human being” way out there in the universe.
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The Ka’thir
The Ka’thir race are also a prime example of “convergent evolution” and “parallel evolution” creating a similar product to a “human being” way out there in the universe. In this case, however, their features differ very much from humanity as well in ways. These alien traits include a pair of jackal-like ears on their heads that have incredible hearing ability at a distance, a universal black hair color for members of their race, a fluffy black-furred tail, and slitted animal-like eyes that can see easily even in the dark and range in color from gold to silver to ruby and emerald and similar gem-like colors. Further, females of the Ka’thir go into a serious and full-on “heat” when aroused enough, and males of the species (instead of that) have a far more hyper-sensitive sense of smell when it comes to hormones and pheromones as compared to females. In fact, the sense of smell for male Ka’thir is so great they can detect animals and identify the sex of individuals with precision at a distance...at least based on the hormones and/or pheremones the target produces.
Strangely, and attributed to a possible common ancestor or mutation of genetics very far back, Ka’thir and Valkyrians can breed with each other. Due to the Valkyrian genome being strong these children are often female Valkyrians, or otherwise are half-Valkyrian half-Ka’thir females whose children end up being only one race or the other depending on their “mate”.
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Humans
New arrivals on Ankhan way back when, they are by this time among the most populous races of the Dominion. In fact, humans have become one of the three most populous species in the Dominion over the years, and due to this are a common sight within Dominion cities and settlements alongside the Ka’thir and the Valkyrians. Those humans of the Dominion, all descendants of those who originally settled on Ankhan, also sport a denser muscle mass, improved circulatory system, and stronger bones due to growing up over generations in the very much liveable but also stronger gravity of the planet.
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Anteans
The Antean race was born of the life that evolved among the savannah and grasslands of Ankhan, being similar to ants in terms of their biology and function. Standing bipedal on two legs, having four arms, an ant-style butt, having advanced bug-like yet pupiless eyes, a human-style mouth and head/torso, some mammal-like hair on their heads, and covered in tough insect-like chitin plates, the Anteans are among the more “alien” sentient species of their home planet. In primitive times the race was best known for the great earthen mounds and complex underground labyrinths their settlements formed, and before even achieving sentience they operated akin to a singular “super-organism”. Admittedly, however, they were also the slowest among Ankhan’s races to advance technologically as time went on. Though the eventual uplifting of the race technologically, achieved in full by current times, was a very big and notable event for their species as a whole.
Anteans are a race tend to follow a very insect-like pattern when individuals are born, a trait hailing way back to their animalistic ancient past that has long since faded, with most members of the race being born with certain features and aspects at birth. Most members of the species are wingless female workers and the larger soldiers (some of which can be born specialized in some manner biologically), who can breed but only have 1-3 children at most. This is followed by a very small proportion of the population being male Anteans, who are the only other variant of Antean to have wings…but are also no larger than the average worker Antean at most. Then most rare are the “queens” of the race, female Anteans born with wings, being highly fertile, a stronger carapace, and with the capacity to carry and birth many Anteans at a given time.
-Dathu: 3%
-Petalos: 2%
-Other (Various): 6%
Leadership: Dynastic Absolute Diarchy
Economy:
Power/Fuel/Energy is the largest area of export in the Dominion, and is a resource the Dominion can produce in no short supply. When one gets power somewhere in the cluster, the Dominion’s technology is usually not too far away in some cases. The mineral/metal substance Umbhite and its mining/refining/synthesizing plays a role in this industry in good part, though work to innovate power/fuel/energy technology in other ways has become a very lucrative thing for the Dominion. This has also generated a prominent scientific community around this overall area as well.
Beyond Power/Fuel/Energy, the areas of weaponry, mining equipment, and cheap, affordable, non-Valkyrian-trait-reliant, lower quality Umbhite Weapons/Tools/Equipment are also generally exported and rake in a lot of money secondarily. In line with this the Dominion also exports some low-quality Umbhite, mined or synthesized, to other nations at times for experimentation or toying around with.
In a lesser fashion the Dominion does export some food and clean water, taking care to retain and hold onto a rather sizeable personal stock for its own people.
Within the Dominion’s internal economy, military technology, power/fuel/energy, and mining are actually the largest areas economically. Likewise many outside luxury goods, including exotic foods and animals spices and delicacies, are the largest imports of the nation as a whole. Technology and exotic minerals come in a close if not tied second in terms of the nation’s imports. Then alcohol and spirits are another import the Dominion generally engages in, among other lesser imports of some note or lesser note here and there.
Military:
-Infantry: Aside from the network of commanding, communications, supply, and supporting staff and troops, Dominion infantry takes several notable flavors when it comes to battle.
1 - The first type is the bulk of basic infantry, consisting of a mix of species from the empire that are primarily armed with either a non-Valkyrian-trait-reliant Umbhite weapon or equivalent sort of non-Umbhite weapon. Following this usually is a reliable and easy-to-carry sidearm, normally of the opposite nature to the main armament in regards to being Umbhite or non-Umbhite weapon, an Umbhite first aid device, Umbhite grenades, and a personal combat knife. Ancient Valkyrian warrior culture has distantly influenced the Dominion’s military in some respects as well, meaning regular troops are drilled and trained hard and thoroughly for years to build bonds with allies and turn them into high-grade professional soldiers. One can find Humans, Ka’thir, Anteans, and other general races from within the Dominion filling these ranks en-masse. Further, equipment is well-fitted to each soldier to ensure it is all carries simply, easily, and safely in the field.
A portion of those among the basic infantry after their initial training is over are also selected out for and trained in added specialized roles, including: snipers, assault troops, saboteurs, marines, artillery crew members, engineers, scouts, spies, mechanized infantry, parachuters, and more. All forms of additional training for specialized roles are equally as intensive (if not more) than their standard and basic infantry counterparts.
2 - Among the more elite type of infantry troops of the Dominion’s forces are naturally the Valkyrian troops, who from birth are usually drilled in how to fight and survive for all their lives culturally...and this does not count military training beyond that. These troops head into battle with a full Umbhite weapon (in the form of a large lance, sword, or axe) and shield in each hand respectively, and usually some form of Umbhite grenade and first aid device. Though primitive in style, these weapons are of a higher grade of Umbhite than other soldiers can wield, and along with the Valkyrians’ biological abilities and reaction to Umbhite they become a deadly force upon the battlefield. Usually they do not sport armor at all, due to their natural abilities granting some protection and notable durability when using their Umbhite weapons, and instead sport a uniform of some form to identify themselves.
Properly Elite Valkyrian troops, on the other hand, are perhaps the strongest and most skilled troops within the Dominion due to being even more trained and skilled and outfitted than their sisters. They are covered head to toe in refined Umbhite armor that they are trained in and taught to repair from Day 1, and sport the normal Valkyrian soldier equipment set, a melee weapon of some sort, and usually a firearm-style full Umbhite weapon. Even among Valkyrian kind they are considered to be a league above the average member of their species, and that is just within the ranks of the military.
3 - Specialist Antean “swarming” infantry troops are known to be adept at strategic moves on a small and large scale, especially with the species having an instinctive and unspoken ability to coordinate with each other. These special troops are most adept with the melee weapons that they are armed along with Umbhite grenades and similar basic equipment, and due to their natural strength (especially among soldier-class Anteans) can have some added armor on top of their strong carapace. Due to their tunneling prowess and unspoken ability to coordinate with each other on the battlefield, such troops can also be deployed to approach or attack positions from underground, and can be used to hold the line in strategic areas due to their natural ferocity in battle.
There is also Antean flying infantry, composed of solely Antean males, who can work in tandem with such “swarm” troops on the ground, support other infantry from the sky, or be used for various operations behind enemy lines as a “more mobile” infantry alongside stealthy Ka’thir specialists.
4 - (To Be Added, If Any, Later On If More Ideas Come Up)
-Artillery: Dominion artillery, and artillery vehicles especially, tend to utilize powerful Umbhite energy artillery, fire missiles or rockets of Umbhite and non-Umbhite sorts, deploy 100% detonating rate cluster munitions, or even utilize large mortars/howitzers of Umbhite and non-Umbhite kinds. Anti-aircraft artillery, Artillery crews, being chosen and further from among those chosen from the basic infantry, have a high level of combat skill personally on top of their training to use and even repair their own artillery as effectively as possible in the field.
-Vehicles: Land-wise, hover/flying tanks and trucks and APC’s and IVF’s, scouts’ individual hover bikes/speeders, mobile artillery hover platforms/vehicles, and the like usually dominate planet-side combat for the Dominion. Vehicles with advanced continuous track technology might be used for practicality reasons or certain terrains in some cases, however, and isn’t utterly defunct at the very least.
Ocean/Water-wise, advanced underwater vehicles can be found in individual, 2-person, and full on varying submarine forms that can scour the seas for their prey. Above water advanced hover tech can allow even the larger ships to zoom/literally fly over the top of the water at higher speeds than ever before, though can also be turned off so such ships can sit upon and move in the water in emergencies.
Further, Dominion aircraft tend to be a mix of speedy “plane”-style aircraft, great at high speed engagements up close and afar, and the rare “fast hover platform” armed with more weapons and being somewhat similar to a “UFO” shape and style.
-Spacecraft: Dominion spacecraft tends to take two predominant forms. The first is that individual fighter craft are usually styled similar to the Dominion’s aircraft, banking on speed and high firepower with an average level of defensive power. Medium-sized combat craft and bombers tend to follow a similar fashion, though with a bit less speed and bit more defensive power. Yet far larger craft, the likes of frigates, battleships, and the Dominion-unique titanic behemoth-class vessels that carry other smaller vessels are progressively in turn far slower, far more defensive, and are equipped with even more firepower.
Culture/Technology:
-Due to the founding Kyrenian culture, itself a mix of Valkyrian and Ka’thir culture that had a long time to integrate, the Dominion’s own culture has been impacted largely by this past. One example of this is the very mixed and acceptable styles of clothing. On Ankhan and other hot or desert-like worlds one can find the “scant” clothing that has become common there, on another Dominion world one might find people dressed warmer in a mix of modern and traditional local clothing made from a certain kind of fur, and one might also find traditional clothes with designs like a traditional Valkyrian spiral on it worn on natives of a far-of colony to boot.
***Fun Fact: Spiraling designs on Dominion citizen clothing can also generally be traced back to ancient Valkyrian culture and beliefs/religion, whereas the ancient Ka’thir culture is the originator of ornate snake designs and the “golden eye of the sun” that featured much in ancient Ka’thir religion and religious design and also in Kyrenian culture.
(literally it is the same style eye design as is on the object in the pic below)
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1 - Umbhite is itself an interesting substance, a blue-grey rock in its raw and unrefined state that when generally refined generates an icy-blue glow naturally. It also is known for passively generating and storing energy like a battery, and being able to release it when sufficiently “excited” by something like a sharp blow or a bolt of lightning or certain reactions. It can also be refined, in order to notably increase the energy capacity as well as its potency (and instability to boot beyond a certain point). The more refined it is, however, the stronger it becomes in all of these aspects.
Yet in the end Umbhite is limited in its power output by its size naturally, as naturally there is no way to tap into more of its power at a time. A weapon forged or carved from raw Umbhite and hyper-refined Umbhite of the same size vary extremely in terms of their potency, as well as in the amount of energy contained in each, but their output is still always limited by their size in the end. Even compressed and highly refined Umbhite is subject to this limitation.
2 - Umbhite batteries/engines can completely bypass the “size limitation” on Umbhite’s power output, through certain techniques and specific technologies of tapping into it. Yet these methods rely on containment, proper shielding, and the right chemicals and substances being involved to make it work. The inherent instability of Umbhite compressed and refined to a certain extent also plays a major factor.
Due to this, general Umbhite weapons technology cannot ever use these methods or circumvent this limitation of “Umbhite output”. As a result, Umbhite weaponry overall is superior to the likes of traditional guns and more primitive weapons entirely, but is also otherwise placed firmly on equal grounds with the blasters and energy weapons of other nations/civilizations. Indeed, No Umbhite ‘peashooter’ is ever going to be on the level of destroying a city or such ridiculous feats.
Umbhite artillery and mounted weapons on vehicles, however, has some of the technology of Umbhite engines/batteries applied to them (but not completely). Through this technology in a limited application, however, it does allow distinctly more of the power in the Umbhite of the artillery piece to be tapped into, drawn out, and unleashed despite its size. Then combining this with a special line of Umbhite “batteries” to recharge it (and each other to a limited extent) among other supporting tech results in a powerful and precise vehicle-mounted weapon that can fire stronger shots many more times before having to wait a while to recharge. Though this method can never be applied to the weapons of the common soldier, it does makes Umbite-weapon-mounted vehicles more effective in their own right. In comparison, however, the sheer fact larger Umbhite mounted weapons would need a larger setup to draw out more of their power does create some quick limitations for their use.
3 - Umbhite is also even more like a battery in a fashion...in that once depleted one has to wait for it to recharge again. Using an external umbhite piece to “add back some charge on the fly” to another piece is possible, parallel to adding on some mechanism to speed up the reloading of a gun, but carrying many of such “charge packs” is ultimately too bulky and unwieldy. Likewise, “charge packs” can only be Umbhite of a certain level of refinement at most to ensure it is safe to carry around.
4 - Umbhite can also be refined into various other forms to increase its potency, such as being made into an extremely toxic gas, transformed into various oils or fuels, made into a powder for more potent powder weapons, and being sufficiently compressed and arranged to make various sorts of aforementioned “Umbhite batteries/engines”.
Umbhite Effects On/To Valkyrians
In the case of the Valkyrian, however, they have an affinity for the planet’s Umbhite beyond any other. Having evolved in its constant presence by the time they became sentient, however, the Valkyrian grew to have a few major biological capabilities in regards to it.
5a - Firstly, Umbhite can be channeled by Valkyrians naturally, whether it be into machine-gun-like rapid fire attacks, destructive beams, energy pulses, healing one’s self or others by temporarily augmenting the natural healing process, firing electricity-like lightning, and even releasing shockwaves of energy.
Yet beyond this the controlled channeling of Umbhite energy through one’s self and out into the world can be used to affect themselves and others and the world around them more effectively than using Umbhite itself. At least with the proper training and experience of course, which is a serious and most definite requirement. Groups of Umbhite-energy channelers, by extension, can come together to enact even larger effects more easily and effectively by working with each other.
5b - Secondarily, the bodies of Valkyrian naturally produce an energetic reaction as a natural biological response to using Umbhite. This energetic “state” toughens the Valkyrian’s body internally and externally, and covers them in what seems to be an icy-blue fiery glow in a purely aesthetic manner. This energy enhances the Valkyrian’s durability somewhat, basically giving them a natural “armor” that isn’t remotely impenetrable...but does at least make them equivalent to a heavily and well-armored soldier in terms of protection (without the added weight).
This same reaction a Valkyrian’s body has to Umbhite, however, also causes Umbite they are wielding or in contact with to change shape. This allows for specially “compact” or “unique” weapons and unique armaments to be made and wielded by Valkyrian soldiers in battle.
5c - Other Weaknesses and Notes: As an important note, the energy produced by Valkyrians when using Umbhite, and the Umbhite reaction to a Valkyrian’s energy, both cease the moment the Valkyrian stops using the Umbhite. Further, if a Valkyrian’s Umbhite weapon runs dry this cancels both the Umbhite reaction and the Valkyrian’s own biological reaction...at least until the Umbhite they are using recharges. But that is still a very distinct period of vulnerability that can be exploited until the Umbhite recharges.
And anything that can get past the natural “armor” of a Valkyrian in an energized “state” will legitimately hurt them of course, the more so the stronger it is, and a Valkyrian in this “state” can be outright killed with the right blow despite being physically more durable. However the “armor” does at least help them survive better even when injured in terrible places, and makes damage to areas of their body more bearable at least, but when leaving their energized “state” puts them in at least a ‘somewhat’ better physical state to be helped or assisted medically at least.
Likewise, the fact that non-melee-capable Umbhite weapons will run out and need to recharge does create the bad situation of “lost offensive power” for wielders until they recharge.
While Umbhite weapons used in battle by Valkyrians and others aren’t too overly refined, meaning they aren’t in constant danger of exploding or being set off by something hitting them or damaging them. However, damaging an Umbhite weapon far too much can make them more unstable and potentially explode-able depending on how refined they are.
***Fun Fact: The ability of Valkyrians being able to actively channel energy to heal themselves or others has been used to develop Umbhite emergency medical devices, one of which induces the same kind of healing effects but at a notably lesser degree. These particular simple devices are useful for first aid reasons, as well as stabilizing and helping keep badly injured individuals alive to get them to a safe place where better medical treatment is available. The military employs them commonly in the field, since they are easy to carry.
-(More To Be Added Later On)
History: Ankhan is the fifth planet in the Hervor System of the Eden Cluster, but by no means is its true importance diminished by its spot in the numerical order. The plant is gigantic, a giant among planets that is many-fold larger than Earth and sports a grand arrangement of biomes. One-half of the planet's landmass is composed of scorching desert, rolling dunes, flat plains, dangerous alien fauna above and below ground, and oasis locations that vary greatly in size along with their own brand of colorful and strange plants and fauna. The northern and southern poles of the planet, though normal in ratio to the rest of the planet, are composed of vast icy shelves and wastes, underground metals and rare minerals jutting out above in great (sometimes titanic) slabs by the pole’s magnetic pull and seismic activity, and last but not least a wide band of tundra and taiga. The remainder of the planet’s land is composed of an array of biomes that some might recognize, from volcanic areas along major fault lines, to temperate and tropical regions and forests, to even an array of islands that lie amidst the great oceans of the planet.
While life naturally has come to thrive within the planet’s various more moderate climates, within the extremes of Ankhan’s landscape have evolved an array of admittedly very hardy and highly resilient species have arisen. Among these have been at least three alien civilizations, long separated by space and clime and time as they evolved into greater powers from just mere animals. Yet out of all the races that arose on Ankhan, who lived and breathed and died, only one came to rise above all others.
This would be infamously hardy, highly resilient, mightily strong, and stubborn race of the frozen north, warriors whose bodies were the stuff of ancient legend, and conquerors who grew up among such constant conflict their strength became seemingly unmatched: The Valkyrian. This human-like race, a product of the extreme climate they called home and the rigors of “convergent evolution” and “parallel evolution” alike, were able to initially carve out their lands and territory within the bands of taiga and tundra in the far north against all the odds. Their constant battles over every scrap of land, Umbhite, and food/water that existed in the landscape with each other also led them to become extremely and intimately honed in the ways of war. Often primitive Valkyrian tribes would use natural caves, or ones they dug out of solid stone, to form their own homes. They would sometimes go to the great chunks of natural ‘Umbhite’ mineral/metal deposits jutting out of the ground, with primitive Valkyrian artisans into great spirals/lances that seemed to jut up towards the sky.
Ankhan’s other races originally thought the Valkyrian to be nothing but savages, battle-lusting, dim-witted, and too focused among themselves to become anything of significance. Though when the race was eventually united under a charismatic and skilled leader, after many centuries of conflict and in-fighting, Ankhan’s other races found that the Valkyrians were not as simple and brute as they had first assumed. The amassed might of the frozen north became a great army, one which pushed down the rough path of subjugation as it passed through each nation and land. The leader of this force, who became known as Hildr the Conqueror, carved a great path through Ankhan and cleft apart all resistance that arose against her along the way. She forged a mighty empire that stretched farther than any other, and assimilated peoples and places and cultures underneath the guiding wings of her people’s control.
The Reign and Fall of the First Valkyrian Empire
This empire was passed on from generation to generation of Hildr’s children, expanding and becoming seemingly more glorious by the age. Streets were filled with activity, ships flew carrying cargo and soldiers, and Ankhan became prosperous. Though when the Empire finally completed reaching out into the rest of their home system...the ancient Empire began to amass issues within and without. Much akin to the Roman Empire of Earth’s far-flung ancient past, its wealth, outside enemies, and in-fighting drove it to its greatness eventually became its downfall.
“Barbarians” from outside its lands, and about the empire’s eventual colonies on other planets, attacked them for their wealth and stretched their military might. Internally future empresses and nobles began to bicker and bark over land and control, and the children of the empresses began to try to assert their right to inherit the throne over each other. The old economy fueled by war and the taking of other lands and conquering peoples began to slow as space for expansion became smaller and smaller to boot, and as the money and progress ran dry everything Hildr had once founded began to unravel. Factions carved up the empire into warring former territories, barbarian warlords carved up former Empire lands and space colonies as their own, and in the end Valkyrian presence was cut out and limited to the nations and states that remained upon Ankhan’s surface.
Though amidst this dark stretch of time myriad successor states that emerged on Ankhan, seeking to reclaim the glory of the old Empire or to assert the power it once held. These various states had highly mixed results that, ultimately, ended in catastrophic failure too early and too soon to achieve anything of note. Yet one of these successor states seemed to bide its time, building up itself and its people, and stood apart from the others as it worked to make the grounds for conquest possible. This state, lying deep within the far-reaching and scorched desert lands of Ankhan, with underground cities among the dunes, and with their capital placed at the anciently settled delta of the mighty Ras’nem River, was the nation of Kyrenia...led by some of the last remaining descendants of Hildr.
The Human Arrival, and the Rise of Kyrenia
Among the warring states of Ankhan, and the notable decay in population in most areas of the planet that followed as others threw themselves upon the fires of war, came new arrivals to Ankhan from beyond the stars. In the year 971 ED the human arc the “GEC Sigrid” arrived at Ankhan, landing in a greener area near the desert that had been long abandoned to the wilderness and ruins and wildlife. They built up settlements, tried to farm and plow the soil of Ankhan, attempted to adapt to the wildlife, and remained unknowingly isolated for several years from the alien people of the planet due to the planet’s size. Yet after initially observing the humans for a time, and looking to see if they would be a threat to them, the Kyrenians approached the colonists formally near the end of the colonists’ second year...when it was decided they were of little danger to them.
It was a surprise for the humans, who had at first thought they were alone on an abandoned planet. Though despite the initially tense situation of their first encounter, the peaceful approach of the Kyrenian party and curiosity of human colonists led to eventually discussions forming. Valkyrian translation technology, long present due to the old Empire, provided a quick medium for the talks that followed. Filling in the colonists on some of the past, and making the precarious current local situation clear, the Kyrenians offered the colonists a bargain that could benefit both parties. The Kyrenians would give the colonists assistance, mainly in farming and supplies and dealing with the planet’s dangers, they needed and take them as allies. In return, however, the Kyrenians desired one thing had taken an interest in: technology. Technology of the humans, which might help them further advance and bring order to their home world...and perhaps beyond, to rebuild a stable system better than the old Empire ever had.
It was a hard bargain to drive, and in the end a strategic move on the Kyrenian side, but ultimately the colonists agreed to the deal after some consideration. The supplies and assistance to cement their colony were more than good, and the Kyrenians had made their status as a potential ally to help retain a foothold on a new world. Likewise the Kyrenians would acquire and assimilate new and advantageous technology to assist their goals and get and advantage over their local rivals, as well as acquire a new and useful ally from beyond the stars.
The people of Ankhan would rise as a greater power once more.
The Ascension of the Second Empire
Over the next over 900 years, the Kyrenians and their new human allies (eventually assimilated) began an era of expansion that would come to reshape the Hervor System once more…and beyond. Kyrenian might and Human technology blended, as did alien culture and earthly ingenuity, and a great boom occurred that resulted in the full annexation of Ankhan within 50 years. Within 200 several old colonies from the time of the Old Empire had been reclaimed and rebuilt, and space stations as well as jump gates were being constructed. Within 600-700 years, Kyrenians and humans of old had fully evolved into the “Imperial Dominion of Ankhan”, and had taken control over entire worlds and systems in their wake. Only when The Eden Accord was put forward did this stop the Dominion and Ankhanites within it from expanding even further, a measure which was...somewhat begrudgingly accepted by the Dominion.
As of current times, nearly a thousand years since the time humankind first landed on Ankhan, the Dominion has taken to securing and reinforcing its borders and internal economy. Though the Dominion’s core system is naturally the most built-up, well developed, and most prosperous area of their territory, they have also been undergoing campaigns to build up and advance their more distant systems. In this vein the Dominion has been at occasional odds with the Interstellar Trade Commission's tactics, at least in regards to less developed systems within the Dominion’s own borders. With better technology than the Old Empire, however, and ultimately superior stability after learning from the Old Empire’s mistakes, the Dominion seems poised to continue to surpass its predecessor.
Other:
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Valkyrian Blurb
The infamously hardy, highly resilient, and stubborn race originating anciently from Arkhan’s frozen north, beings evolved in such close proximity to slabs of the alien mineral/metal “Umbhite” that they gained a unique bond with it: the Valkyrian.
The Valkyrians at first worshipped the sky and the stars, looking at them for wisdom and knowledge, and were perhaps the first on Ankhan to observe the movement of them. The spiral indeed came to have a major significance to them, representing the flow of life outwards from birth to death, the movement of the stars, progression forward, the cycles of the seasons and nature, and the like. They carved statues of spirals out of natural spikes of Umbhite coming out of the ground around where they lived, feeling conical spirals and ones carved on things like lances would pull them “closer to their destiny” and “send prayers up to the heavens” among other things. What they lacked in agriculture and temples, they made up for with animal husbandry and improved weaponry. Where they lacked in writing, they made up for in carving and sculpture.
Ka’thir Blurb
Along the immense length of the Ras’nem River that runs through the middle of the planet’s great desert, under the intense desert sun and within its freezing nights, and amidst the flora and fauna struggling to survive in a harsh world where a good water source was worth its size in gold, the race that would come to be known as the Ka’thir were born into the world. Agile, vigilant, and intelligent, the Ka’thir used their animalistic traits and ability to learn to mete out an existence and innovate amidst the hellish landscape around them. They were the ones to ponder tapping into the Ras’nem River to irrigate farms, and to predict and control the flooding it sent to them like clockwork each year. They were the ones to build great underground cities when living farther out from the river, to tap into underground springs and metals and minerals deep blow, and to learn how to tame the giant beetles and insects in the deserts about them to use as livestock and mounts. Such was the nature of the Ka’thir and their civilization.
They developed a rich culture in ancient times around the worship of various gods and goddesses and serpents and beetles. Among these was the important design of the “golden eye of the sun”, which supposedly looked down upon all with a hot gaze each day, that among other things became entrenched into their art to this day...and admittedly also attached to design for their “scant” clothing that evolved to escape the deadly heat of day. This “golden eye of the sun” also became a symbol of a pure truth and justice that “sees all as it is” as the saying goes. .
I hope this app isn't bad. Tried to get everything in as discusses or agreed upon, and otherwise. (@_@)
I was wondering if, as applications seem to be open, my faction submission would be welcome. If affirmative, I'd be submiting a nation sheet soon. So the main idea is:
The School of of Ghaassa is a technocratic council entrusted with the advising and management of the core world of Ghaassa, a decadent and ecumenopolis. The School was as a secret joint program of several corporations for biotechnology, transhuman neurotech bornindustrial and other unethical research. They built WO-ROM, an IA directing a centuries long plot, culminating with the School being assigned with the environmental restoration of Ghaasa (themselves having caused environmental downfall). All their atrocities remain opaque: Their hosts of neuroslaves collaborate with the ITC to execute their colonial agenda, in exchange for silence.
As much despised as they are, they always fing partners willing to test their clones, neurotech, yet fear of their ruthless methods is usally most persuasive.
-- So kind of a mix between Bene Tleilaxu and Drukhari siding with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Spooky villains.
@Williwiw Yup! We certainly have room for more players. Although one of the mods do raise a question on the rp's discord regarding your faction idea.
1) Do they have any other industries than cloning? Considering the planet is a ecumenopolis, what else is there? Are all their citizens clones?
2) How would their clones compete with AI and drones? Who exactly is willing to test and purchase their services? While I don't see anything that directly counteracts the current canon, I do hope this won't be an empire built on a single "planet of the hat". It sounds a little too homogeneous.
Otherwise, it sounds like an interesting faction that could fit in!
@Sigma Well first of all thanks for your interest. Concerning your questions, I was trying to keep it simple for an introductory post, yet here I go:
1) Do they have any other industries than cloning?
In fact they are a highly industrialized, export-oriented nation (China-like). Ghaasa is mostly depleted of any non-renewable ressources, mostly depending on imported raw materials. However, being a post-ressource peak world, it holds large state-of-the art semiautomated industrial complexes (many of them in orbit, as landing is fuel-ineficient), manufacturing the whole range of products of a Kardashev Type I civilization.
Their most appreciated, renowned, signature products are neural constructs (for robotics and neuroimplants), biocompatible-AIs, finest-quality replicants and artificial beings and geoingeenering machines for terraformation. Through their collaboration with the ITC, they manage to retain a network of supplier, quasi-colonialized planets, whose economy end up becoming dependent on our evil technology.
Considering the planet is a ecumenopolis, what else is there? Are all their citizens clones?
Ghaasa was a vibrant ecumenopolis, but its now mostly inhabitable. After all, Ghaasa was bought at laughable price for a whole planet. Acid rain sweeps the abandoned megalopolis outside the arcologies, and its atmosphere is so thin that it is bombarded by UV radiation.
While clones and other biorobotic serfs amount to roughly 65% of the population, there is a 15 % of neo humans implanted with behaviour chips, a 5% of "sleepers" (neohumans living in "the Matrix"), a 10% of non-implanted neohumans (who continually are the target of progroms, and hence often forced to live off-grid), and a 5% of "true" citizens (many of whom are actually encarnated AIs).
As unappealling as Ghassa may look for travellers, it is indeed an important trade node, and below the skyscraper ruins, visitors would be able to enjoy some of the finest, most intrincate and perverted synth-pleasures of the galaxy.
2) How would their clones compete with AI and drones? Who exactly is willing to test and purchase their services?
Robotics, neurotech and bioengineering are the ingreedients of all Ghaasan recipees. Clones are massly produced, cheap bodies for whatever task they are genetically dessigned for. Their more sofisticate -and expensive- "creatures" are designed to excel at the tasks their masters program to.
Their own leaders are autonomous IA, so Ghaasan favour biorobotics hoping for potential rival awaken AIs to perish as the ircarcasses fail. Neo-humans are, well, unreliable and therefore disposable.
Ghaasan's main clients are developing colonies, corporations or other investors in need for synthethic manpower, or planetary-scale environmental and social "adjustements". But a tycoon wanting to buy a new elite cloned neuro-obedient army, or a high rank officer from the core-worlds wanting to transcend mortallity into a decayless computer would readily contact a Ghaasan representative.
I hope this suits you and gives you a deeper idea of my proposal. May I post my character sheet?
