[CHAR] From Stardust, to Stardust: Tales of Andromeda, a Sci-Fi Fantasy RP

[SgtEasy]

App: Name of nation: Fay'Ran Jik Democracies Species: Tar'Lik The Tar'Lik were the first to come sentient in their home planet. They are a peaceful, psychic race that have very long lives, 300 years in fact. They are strong but use that strength to help the weak, the poor and the hungry. They were the first to build civilisation on their planet. They are a wise race, rarely coming to conclusions of others. They also rarely call themselves better than other species. They are few in number and are growing fewer every generation. This illness has been stuck with the Tar'Lik since sentience. Every 1000 Tar'Lik, only two survive their birth. They are slightly odd as they are akin to the Polar Bears of Earth, quad legged and fur covered. This adds to their strength as most Tar'Lik are big, growing up to the height of 5 feet and to the length of 6 feet. Their fur ranges from wild colours, from Orange to Black never to the extent of pale and bland white though. Every second piece of fur has a white tipped end. They are a special sensory fur. This allows Tar'Lik to be able to sense things around them. This makes the Tar'Lik able to see as their eyes have evolved not to function and has continued to do so. This allows the quad legged race to see every thing in an orange hue. The Tar'Lik contact through their psychic mind. They can understand languages with just a tap of another's mind. They do not have a language. They have a universal psychic wave that all can understand. Krieg Second to come to sentience on the home world, Krieg evolved from the usual primate mammal. The Krieg are a sad race race. They were evolved on the sorry piece of land under the main continent. This land was filled with highly dangerous diseases, poisonous gas and killer inhabitants. The Krieg now wear their suits permanently, out of remembrance of the strife and war of their home land. They are a cold, vicious race with short lives. They live for only 20 years before dying of the overwhelming amount of poisons in their bodies. Attempts to fix this has failed tremendously as the poisons are now part of their genome. This makes them the most able to adapt and overcome out of all the races on the home world. They are humanoid in shape and the only real difference they have appearance wise to the human race is that their race has purple skin and their eyes are pure white. Their language is literally hell. A conglomerate of words that really do not fit together, words that mean the same but are said in specific sentences, words that are supposed to be whole paragraphs worth of text, it is a translators nightmare. Tayt The third and last to come to sentience on the home world, the Tayt are a mono gendered all female race. They evolved from avian creatures, enabling them the power of flight. They are all diverse in emotion and appearance, not one Tayt is similar to another. Tayt are a calm race, similar to Tar'Lik. They came from the Main continent. They are similar to the Krieg as they are also akin to the Humans in the Milky Way but they are far more diverse in colour. Their skin can be a calm blue to a fierce red. Their eyes can be from yellow to purple. Their hair can be any colour in the known galaxy! They're so diverse that it is hard to mistake a Tayt for another one of their species. Their method of reproducing is also odd. They can reproduce with any species, be it sentient or otherwise, through physical, psychic or other means. This made sub species of Tayt. A Tayt child with a Tar'Lik father has fur instead of skin. A Tayt child with a Krieg father, has paler skin than others but do not have the natural poisons that Krieg do. Their language is lyrical, beautiful sounding. A flow of words, calming to the ears. It is like a tune, played by the mouth. This helped the Tayt to calm the Krieg down a notch. Description of government: The name of the Nation describes what it is. It is a democracy. Every colony planet with sufficient enough population, resource and economy is elected a Planetary Governor who controls the planet and a re-election occurs every 5 years. Every ten years, every Planetary Governor is given a chance to show themselves worthy of being the Democratic Leader of the Fay'Ram Jik Democracies. Divided by race, every governor has to campaign against others in their race to become the representative who moves onto the Presidential campaign. This gives every citizen in the Democracies have three votes. One in the Tayt, one in the Krieg and one in the Tar'Lik elections. Even though they are of different races, the Democracies describe themselves as one race, non separated by genome. So their is no Species bias. When these racial elections are done, the three representatives move onto presidential campaigning. This usually lasts for around two cycles (equivalent of a month) to do and then the President is elected. The President has control of territories, the army, secret service, planetary governors and such. The other two will become advisors and the three are usually sharing the power around. The Krieg handles the military and secret service. The Tayt handles the internal police force and the trade of essentials. And the Tar'Lik handles the face of the government, regardless of presidency or not. HomeWorld: Fay'Ran Jik is a beautiful world with hidden ugliness. The seas are a beautiful blue and the main continent is filled with large plains, lush forests and absolutely peaceful creatures. Krieg Island is the stark contrast to this all. Ugly, disease ridden, poisonous and serves death to all who are not Krieg, this island is a death trap. An ugly imperfection on an otherwise lush world. Territory: The Democracies have grown to several solar systems and each has grown to be either industrial or agricultural in nature. Systems of note include the Fay'Ran Jik system, the Shez'Di system and the Rik'R system. These three show the might of the Democracies power. Description of Military: Democracies Armed Forces "Let the Valkyries shock the enemy, the Krieg hold the line while the Quads protect the skies" quoted from General Var'Zen Ki'Ng, hero of the Ly'Nus campaign Democracies strategum is Shock and Awe and, surprisingly, trench warfare. To surprise the enemy, confuse their ranks, set the foothold on the planet, set traps and trenches, and defend from any attack. The Shock and Awe tactic is to confuse the commanders of the enemy army and not be able to react to the extremely strong foothold on the planet. Tayt and Krieg make the bulk of the armed forces. The Tayt have Celestial Amour, technologically advanced and heavily modified. It is made from Darthium metal, a metal that is abundant in Democracies systems. Complete with a tight suit energy shield, heat systems, pulse rates, advanced sensors and orbital drop survivability, this armour is made for the Tayt. The Tayt are the supreme Shock and Awe fighters. The Krieg wear their standard suits and line them with Tachium crystal, highly bulletproof, highly flexible and material like, and is as abundant as Darthium. The suit also helps them to be protected from gases, unbreathable environments, and other things similar. They have advanced sensors and built in rockets under boots. This armour is standard across the Krieg. The Krieg are the masters of trenches warfare. They defend and fight until the last man. Their grim determination is envied by their enemies. They hold the line. Handheld Weapons Tal'Var pattern Standard Ballistic Pyro Weapon commonly known as BPW, it is a ferocious weapon, reliable to boot. It fires flammable molten Darthium and burns non-armoured targets in seconds. This projectile weapon has a molten Darthium storage instead of a magazine. The gun converts this sludge into a highly penetrable bullet in a millionth of a second. One magazine holds enough Darthium for forty bullets. This weapon has an astounding 500rpm. Shez'Di pattern Standard AutoFirE Sniper Rifle commonly known as SAFE, it is a long distance sniper rifle with auto firing capabilities. It fires SURPRIS rounds (Singular Unmanned Ral'Ick Por'For Rounds In Shell) which splits into multiple rounds in contact. It has an 40x scope. Devastatingly accurate and destructive, this is used by Tayt and Krieg alike. Shez'Di pattern Standard Explosive Sub Machine Gun more commonly known as "Little B***h", this fast firing ballistic weapon turns organics to shreds. It fires a Darthium round covered with a highly explosive residue called Lik. It explodes on contact. It is just a mini explosion, just enough to destroy armoured targets. This is highly praised by Tayt Orbital Jumpers Rik'R pattern Standard Heavy Ballistic Four Barrelled Weapon more commonly known as "Shredder", it is the Big Bertha of small arms. Firing round similarities to the "Little B***h" but bigger and more destructive, this compact gun isn't as heavy as it looks. Made from lightweight Ti'Ran metal, it is the premier light machine gun of the army. It has 300 rounds each box and requires only one person. It has an astounding 300rpm. Can only be used by Krieg Heavy Duty Fighters. Fay'Ran Jik pattern Standard Disassembling Beam Pistol more commonly known as "Death Ray" is a new line of weapon of the Fay'Ran Jik pattern. Since the development of AI and the founding of "Smart Metal" in the Lin'Ar system, a new generation of weapons have been created. This pistol has a core in the back of the weapon that "disassembles" the weapon while firing, cooling the weapon at the same time. It is a very complicated mechanism and only scientists and engineers can understand it. It fires a continuous beam of laser, highly accurate and is devastating in the battlefield. It also melts all known metals, therefore effective against Tanks and such. Heavy and Light Armor Land Vehicles "Death and Destruction is thy Holy Path" motto of the Democracies Armoured Forces Al'Vur pattern Standard Armoured Scout/Personnel Carrier Vehicle more commonly known as "Fist Scout", makes up the bulk of the Democracies Armoured Forces. Though lacking the firepower of his other brothers and sisters in the Force, it is highly flexible and can go over most terrain. The "Fist" has a 80. calibre Belt-fed Hard Ballistic Machine Gun on top for one of the troops to use during fights, a SUPRIS mortar at the back and gun ports for shooting out of. It has advanced sensory tech, thermal, night vision and other equipment is on board. The armour is made out of Talkium hardened carbon, an incredibly lightweight and tough material that can only be found in the Al'Vur system. Al'Vur pattern Standard Light Battle Tank Killer more commonly known as the "Sniper" is the lightest land vehicle in service for the Democracies Armoured Forces excluding the Fist. It used to have slow tracks and almost unusable in the battlefield. Now installed with new Hovertec that can't be put on other tanks, it is the most manoeuvrable vehicle excluding the Fist in the Armoured Forces. It has a smaller Disassembling Beam Gun and a .50 calibre Ballistic Machine Gun up top. The best thing about this tank is that it is a tank killing sniper. With the beam gun, it is accurate and with accurate sensors and advanced scope, it is a hell of a gun. Al'Vur pattern Standard Main Battle Tank more commonly known as the "Dragoon", this is the mainstay of the Democracies Armoured Forces. With a sick 180mm cannon, it has a big chomp. On it's own, it is able to take down a whole wolf pack (20) of "Fist" Armoured Personnel Carriers before going down. It is one hell of a tank and is extremely reliable and durable. With an extra SUPRIS mortar, a hidden .80 calibre Ballistic Machine Gun and a hidden Ballistic Pyro weapon folded on the front, it earned its place as the mainstay of the Democracies Armoured Forces. Jar'Tir pattern Standard Mechanised Artillery Unit more commonly known as "Triped", is the most commonly used Artillery piece in the Armoured Forces. "Death and Destruction is thy Holy Path" is the Armoured Forces and that is the path the Triped thread. Unleashing 250mm explosive death, it is a commanders worst nightmare. Jar'Tir pattern Standard Mechanised Scout Unit more commonly known as "Ranger", this is the smallest and only mech in service. It is plain and simple. Perfect for the basics. It is also Tar'Lik or Sentient AI controlled which means it is absolutely disposable. Tar'Lik are in the skies and that means the Ranger's are controlled and have no pilot inside. It's armed with a 100mm cannon, a hidden Disassembling Beam gun, and a SUPRIS launcher on it's shoulder. It is expendable and easy to make. For every 2 foot sluggers, there are one of these. Starships "A Captain always falls with his ship!" quoted from Captain Willhelm Van Tark, one of the few Krieg captains in the Navy and a hero from the Tay'Von Campaign. Ti'Fin class Universal Unmanned Starfighter is the universal Starfighter of the Democracies Navy. Powered by the Tac'Yor MkV Antimatter Engine, it is manoeuvrable and speedy. Armed with dual Disassembling Beam Gun's, six nuclear torpedoes and a payload of ten pyro SUPRIS bombs, it is furious and can bite on it's own. The ingenuity of this machine is that it is controlled by highly advanced sentient AI. They can link up with other Starfighters to make a coordinated army of sentient, advanced AI controlled death machines that can pull of manoeuvres that organics can't. It can also be used in atmosphere. Lik'Dar class Standard Light Frigate is the lightest capital ship in the navy. Speedy and most manoeuvrable, it is lacking many of the broadside guns of a standard Democracies capital ship. It does though have a huge Pyro Ballistic Main Gun that fires huge fiery molten balls of Darthium metal and is extremely powerful. It is used in battle as snipers, standing behind bigger ships and picking off threats. It is 750 meters in length, 300 in width and requires 400 crew personnel to maintain. It is able to go into atmosphere. Ta'Dur class Standard Patrol Frigate is the main patrol ship of the Democracies Navy. With huge amounts of broadside guns and an accurate flingshot jump drive, it's use is to jump into enemy formation, unleash hell and fling back. It's mainly used in frigate patrol packs and reconnaissance fleets. The broadsides mostly fire SUPRIS rounds and the occasional Pyro Ballistic. It is 850 meters in length, 300 in width and requires 600 crew personnel to maintain. Dy'Kik class Standard Heavy Frigate is the most heavy duty out of all the Frigate class. Heavier, more torpedoes than guns and armed with no main gun, it is a Starfighter killer. All the torpedoes are nuclear tipped and on fire so they are all definite kills with this frigate. It is destructive and used as the screen along with the Ta'Dur class for bigger ships and Lik'Dar class Frigates. It is 1000 meters in length and 300 in width and requires 630 crew to maintain. Nay'Gar class Standard Cruiser is the mainstay of the Democracies Fleet and is the most numerous in number out of the heavier class of Capital Ships and flexible. With a Tusken Ballistic Main gun, broadside Pyro Ballistics, a payload of nuclear tipped missiles and drop pods to boot, this beautiful starship is deadly and effective. It is 1600 meters in length, 670 in width and requires 950 crew to maintain and has a contingent of 50 Orbital Tayt Drop Troops. Ji'Tol class Standard Dreadnought is the second heaviest class of standard ships and top of the line. With the most amount of broadside guns, a triple barrelled Disassembling Beam Gun, a huge amount of torpedoes and a huge contingent of Tayt Drop Troops. Death in perfection. Beautiful in the eyes of all. It is 2000 meters in length, 1000 in width and requires 1030 crew to maintain and has a contingent of 500 Orbital Tayt Drop Troops. Tak'Wal class Standard Carrier is the longest and most durable of all Navy ships. It does not have any main guns or broadsides. And containing few nuclear torpedoes, it confuses enemy commanders profusely. Until swarms and swarms of Ti'Fin Starfighters come out of the docking bays and destroys their ships. These ships are used as the main ship of the fleet, where the Admiral leads the fleet. It is 3000 meters in length, 1600 in width and requires 1600 crew to maintain and has a contingent of 900 Orbital Tayt Drop Troopers. Each ship has around 1500 Ti'Fin in docking bays and 1500 stuck outside on the hull, magnetically clung onto the metal. Technological Overview: Combat technology has advanced in such a way in the Fay'Ran Jik Democracies that any primitive race would think that the Tar'Lik, Krieg and the Tayt were space wizards and witches. The old trusty Pyro Ballistics are still used and is produced in the thousands for the Democracies War Machine. The newer SUPRIS and Disassembling Beam Gun's have been tried and tested, proving their worth. Flingshot Drives have improved to ludicrous levels and Tac'Yor pattern Standard Sub-Space Engines have improved along with it. Civilian technology has improved vastly. Fabricators so hunger is never a problem, medical technology that is so advanced that it can modify basic DNA (excluding the Krieg for their DNA is so complicated, it's not possible), Grav Cars, holograms, improved entertainment systems and much much more. Cultural Overview: The culture of the Democracies values Freedom, Exploration and Kindness, and is their motto. To be free and not be in shackles and owned by another species is the right to all sentient. Exploration is the key to development and further advancing technology and culture, which is a right for all sentient. Kindness should be valued above all else and to experience Kindness from others is a right to all sentient. These values are what has kept the Democracies strong for centuries now. They're architect is very varied. The Tar'Lik prefer curved buildings, simple on the outside but incredibly intricate within, which makes the Tar'Lik architects praised in the world of Architecture. The Krieg prefer underground cities and block like architecture while the Tayt love skyscrapers and try and make their buildings as unique as them. Their food is quite exquisite, honed by millenia of culinary geniuses. The food is meant to smell as good as it tastes. Meaning that most cuisine in the Democracies has a very unique smell and tastes very good. History: The Daliktarug, the ancestors of the Tar'Lik, were a fur covered sea creature and was barely siminlar to the Tar'Lik. After a few million years, the Daliktarug started to grow paws and legs and started to migrate onto land. Back then Fay'Ran Jik was a beautiful green and blue orb and wasn't effected by the Wisp. The Daliktarug were origninally white and roamed the planes in herds, Tar'Lit as it is now called, and peacefully coexisted with the other animals as they were omnivores but only chose to eat meat when desperate. The Daliktarug continued to do this and migrate for millions of years, and forming a weird bond with the Ta'Ite, the then young avian all female birds that were the ancestors of the Tayt. The Daliktarug and the Ta'Ite formed a phenomenon known as the Protection Pact almost unknowingly and coexisted with each other in this time period. In an event called The Gust o' Colourful, a huge colorful, almost rainbow like, sandstorm came in from the now gone third island, the Ta'Tau. It was said that the island was all made out of incredibly colorful sand and was as big as Krieg Island. This sandstorm of horrible death sliced the Daliktarug population in half for they protected their Avian sisters from the storm. The rest of the Daliktarug and the Ta'Ite were surprised when their coat was turned into beautiful and vibrant colors, and that the world around them was also vibrant and beautiful. After a ten million years, this event was eventually lost from the minds of Ta'Ite and Daliktarug. The Daliktarug developed sentience by this point and made civilization, absolutely forgetting the Ta'Ite who migrated to the west after the Gust. From then on the Tar'Lik went through the standard procedure of technological evolution. The Krieg on the other hand were not so lucky. When the Gust arrived at Krieg Island, it was absolute paradise. The Leben, primate ancestors of the Krieg, were living a life of luxury. But the Gust did not bring the colorful rainbow dust storm that the others had. No no no no. What arrived on their Island was far from that. Death, decay, disease and destruction were brought from the Gust. This event halved the lifespan of all Leben. They eventually adapted to this Island of Death and developed sentience right after the Tar'Lik. The first sentient Leben came to be and his first words were "We are Krieg. No longer Leben." They eventually developed civilization underground. After a couple thousand years, the Krieg invented the boat and immediately sailed off their Island, hoping for another land. By this point, the Tayt have joined Tar'Lik society and successfully immersed themselves in Tar'Lik society. The Krieg arrived at the port town of Lik'Dar and begged the Society of Tar'Lik and Tayt to let them in. By this point, the Krieg have sailed over the Great Ocean and lost many of their number to disease, hunger and boat malfunction. Only a 100 million Krieg were left. When the Krieg morphed into Tar'Lik society, which was a few more thousands of years, it was decided to create a government under three. The Democracies were born and technology has developed so much that they started a space exploration program. From this, the true Democracies was really made and expanded to the far reaches of space. Other: MAY DEATH BE UPON OUR ENEMIES! FOR THE DEMOCRACIES AND FREEDOM OF ALL SPECIES!

[Keyguyperson]

Eight World's Empire:

Name of Nation: Eight World's Empire Species: Abh Abh breath an oxygen atmosphere, though their tolerance for lower concentrations is much higher than that of a human's. They also have much fewer toxic gases. Interestingly, a Abh can drink and eat everything humans do, although they have a cultural preference towards water and wine when drinking. Their food is very much reminiscent of what we would consider Asian today. This is a species-wide phenomenon, implying a very early point of "unification". Their language is known as "Sānshingenō". One of the major oddities of the Abh is their natural ability to interface with computer systems, an ability that has been used since the very first digital computers. They were found to be capable of interfacing with the computers found in ancient ruins as well, which have the same basic structure as Abh computer systems. Attempts have been made at interfacing with the computers of the hostile alien race, but no success has been found, with the subject's brain rejecting the computers. This ability to interface with ancient computers is completely unexplained, but is widely believed to be a simple fluke of nature. There are those who believe that it was intentional modification, but there is no experimental proof of this, with no markers in Abh DNA showing any sign of genetic tampering. Due to the high gravity of their homeworld, the Abh are stronger and more resilient than most species. However, you wouldn't expect it. They look just as frail as humans before they start throwing punches, thanks to their astoundingly dense muscles. In fact, their muscles are so dense that the idea of them evolving naturally is practically absurd. In a hand-to-hand fight, Abh will usually win. However, at rage, they're just as vulnerable as anyone else. A major oddity with the Abh is that, although they do not know it, they are genetically compatible with the Romus Humans. Since the odds against such a thing occurring separately are astronomical, it is extremely likely that the Abh and Romus Humans are related. However, the Romus are from Earth, an entire galaxy away. If these facts were to be discovered, it would likely cause a great debate on the relation between the two species. Homeworld: Shōrino'ba, sixth planet of the Tsutā System. Description of Government: Feudal Empire, headed by an Emperor. Description of Military: The Abh Military is split up into four branches: The Imperial Spaceborne Navy (ISN), the Imperial Airborne Defense Forces (IADF), the Imperial Oceangoing Defense Navy (IODN), and the Imperial Planetbound Defense Army (IPDA). Imperial Spaceborn Navy Craft: -Doraic-Class, a vessel built to transport ground and air forces, this class is also equipped with extensive scanning and electronic warfare equipment. It was named for Doraic Ssynec Ymer Spainaic, the lead scientist in the first Sūkaiisutshō Expedition. It is equipped mainly with plasma launcher weapons for defense, which makes it excellent for point defense. There are multiple variations, one of which (the Doraic-B) carries Semurr-Class spaceborne fighter-bombers. -Kaguya-Class Bombardment Vessel, a starship class designed for long-range bombardment of enemy forces and planets. Though it's primary use is bombardment, it is often seen taking point in a close-range battle due to it's extensive missile capabilities. The four large prongs are railguns, which can fire either dumb tungsten slugs, dumb bombs, or guided missiles. It is named for a myth believed to be more ancient than the Abh themselves. -Ryouta-Class Battleship, one of the more common vessels on the battlefield. As one might expect, this class is built for the sole purpose of causing as much damage to the enemy as possible. It has two railguns, which are fully capable of providing bombardment support, but it truly shines in the middle of battle. Hidden within it's hull are multiple antiproton streamers (weapons which fire streams of antiprotons), which are extremely effective at close to middle ranges, though they are most certainly non-trivial even at long ranges. They are especially good at shredding though enemy armor. This class is also named for a prehistoric myth. -Guyoka-Class Destroyer, a ship class deployed in large numbers and used to swarm the enemy. They are armed with four plasma launchers as point defense (though they are effective as ship-to-ship weapons as well). Their main armament is their spinal antiproton weapon, which fires pulses of antiprotons straight forward. This weapon, combined with their maneuverability, makes them extremely formidable against larger ships in groups (especially if said larger ship has little point defense). They are named for a somewhat large insect found on Shōrino'ba, which have been known to kill adult Abh in swarms when provoked. -Teikkupuraim-Class Battlecruiser, a ship class built for all possible space combat situations. This class carries a small complement of Īguru-Class spaceborne fighter-bombers, but that is far from it's only defense. It also carries extensive missile systems, which are utilized alongside antiproton streamers and plasma launchers. When combined with the extensive electronic warfare and communications suites, this ship is by far the most formidable in space combat. For planetary sieges, it has a single, dual-mode spinal weapon that can act as a railgun or antiproton streamer. As it is the largest class in the entire navy, it is usually seen operating as a command vessel, often personalized by it's commander. It's name, when roughly translated, means "Honor of the Empire". Imperial Airborne Defense Forces Craft: -Kyōrkaizei-Class Aerial Battleship, utilizing antigravity technology, this design is utilized in the atmosphere of planets to combat aerial carriers and other battleships. The circular engine pod holds turboprop engines, but they can be replaced with rocket and plasma engines for spaceborne operation (as is seen here). These ships can also be called in to provide air support, and can even be modified for orbital patrols as mentioned above. However, all are operated by the Imperial Airborne Defense Force. Name means "Great Wind" in Sānshingenō. -Kujiryū-Class Aerial Carrier, named for a mythical dragon-like creature, this class of ship is a traditional design taken from the seagoing carriers. It utilizes a turboprop engine for increased endurance, as it is in the air for extreme periods of time. It carries multiple Haisana-Class Aerial fighter/bombers (seen in the top left), which use turbofan engines as they are stationed on the carrier and thus do not require the extra endurance. IODN Craft: -Iruka-Class Carrier, this class of ship has the exact same purpose as the Kujiryū-Class Aerial Carrier, and carries the same Haisana-Class Aerial fighter/bombers as it does. The design has been in use for well over a century, every time a new breakthrough it made, it is simply incorporated into the design. As one might suspect, it inspired the design of the Kujiryū-Class Aerial Carrier. It's design is ingrained in Abh culture, with a common joke about the lack of a dedicated spaceborne carrier blames the prevalence of this design, as it would be ineffective in space. The name references a mythical sea Goddess that is said to have sacrificed themselves to save the Abh, and the reverence shown to them in Abh religion is likely the cause for the continued use of this design. -Teikokunken-Class Dreadnought, this class is extremely rare, with only a handful in use. They are built to be the ultimate in sea combat, armed with multiple railgun turrets, anti-air defenses, and missile tubes, these ships can take on a small enemy fleet without any backup. They also carry a light complement of Haisana-Class Aerial fighter/bombers, launched from electromagnetic catapults at the aft. Unlike most ships (which are powered by a fusion reactor), Teikokunken-Class Dreadnoughts are powered by the same antimatter reactors used on starships. -Chikyū-Class Battleship, named for a mythical land, this class has also been used for over a century (likely for the same reason as the Iruka-Class Carrier, as Chikyū is the homeland of multiple mythical deities revered in Abh religion). It is designed purely for ship-to-ship combat, with railgun turrets and missile tubes comprising it's entire armament. However, it does carry two mini-submarines that are used to deliver up to four torpedoes each, an extremely effective strategy. Imperial Planetbound Defense Army -Heavy Hovertank, used mainly in vehicular combat, this tank is exceptional at destroying enemy vehicles. It is also useful in attacking enemy infantry, though the previously used tactic of running over the enemy (causing absolutely disgusting scenes that any human would end up with PTSD over) is no longer useful as that ability was sacrificed for increased maneuverability with the advent of antigravity technology. It is armed with two heavy railguns, a complement of ground-to-ground missiles, and a gatling coilgun. -Light Hovertank, used in a support role, this hovertank is used againt infantry exclusively. It's main barrel, instead of being a railgun like one would expect, is actually a plasma launcher. Since Abh plasma weapons are nigh impossible to focus in-atmosphere, this tank's main barrel acts almost like a flamethrower (albeit a long range, effective against armor one). It also carries a complement to ground-to-ground missiles, as well as a light coilgun. -Semarri Type 1 Combat Exoskeleton, a light combat exoskeleton deployed in offensive and special operations missions, this exoskeleton offers increased mobility, but has less armor than the Type 2. Both utilize the same helmets, which relay battlefield information and protect them from attacks to the head better than standard army helmets (as well as make it harder for the enemy to steal their ears as a trophy, something disturbingly common in internal conflicts). -Semarri Type 2 Combat Exoskeleton, a light combat exoskeleton deployed mainly in the trenches for defense operations, this exoskeleton offers almost tank-like armor, but at the cost of reduced mobility compared to the Type 1. Both utilize the same helmets, which relay battlefield information and protect them from attacks to the head better than standard army helmets (as well as make it harder for the enemy to steal their ears as a trophy, something disturbingly common in internal conflicts). -Infantry Body Armor, the standard armor for Abh Infantry, soldiers wearing this garment are deployed in all types of combat situations. Abh Uniforms: IPDA/IADF Uniform: To the Abh, armor and uniforms are entirely separate, and thus this is the only technical uniform in the army and air force. It is used essentially whenever armor is not needed, including formal events. It is used in both the IPDA and IADF as the IADF was originally a subsection of the IPDA, before being split into its own division. ISN All-Purpose Uniform: This uniform is used in all situations for the ISN, and is not designed for any sort of functionality. Being used in the ISN, it was never meant to be utilized in personal combat. It is also used in formal events, as the Abh do not have separate formal and informal uniforms. This uniform gets a lot of flak for its color, as it constantly gets dirty when off the ship. IODN All-purpose uniform: Like the ISN uniform, this was never meant for personal combat. However, unlike the ISN uniforms, it's harder to get it dirty. Technological Overview: Abh technology is quite advanced, with antigravity being a staple of everyday life. Military technology includes railguns, coilguns, lasers (rarely used), antimatter weapons, and plasma weapons. However, most of this technology is scavenged from ancient ruins, and the only thing truly Abh about their space force is the designs. The ground forces, meanwhile, are made up much more of Abh technology, mainly due to how plasma and antimatter weapons are either useless or catastrophically effective. Their space travel technology is limited to the highly advanced Dimensional Jump Drive and the significantly less advanced antimatter/matter annihilation drive. The latter is used by most civilian starships, with them utilizing the Hashichi (Krasnikov Tubes) to travel at FTL speeds. Their warships use shields that grow stronger as they are attacked, with the generators projecting an energy field that converts all incoming fire to energy to power the shield. However, the shortcomings of this system are obvious: too much fire, and the shield system is overloaded, causing damage to other systems as well as making the shield worthless until repairs can be carried out. Thus, the amount of fire a ship can take is directly proportional to how much excess energy the ship can store or dispose of. As mentioned, antigravity is an integral part of the Abh economy. With it, planetary mining is just as lucrative as asteroid mining, and the transport of cargo and passengers from a planet's surface to orbit and vice-versa is completely free. Landing troops on an enemy world is effortless, with transports requiring no fuel aside from the negative energy reserves they were filled with when built (The negative energy is not disposed of, instead being kept inside of a space-time bubble that keeps it from causing any effect until activated). All ships are equipped with an antigravity system, which allows them to neglect orbital insertion, which is a tactic used to gain the upper hand in maneuverability in battles, as they would not have to worry about their orbit when executing burns. However, such a usage of the device causes any Abh debris to impact the planet below, which is not always a bad thing when you consider that the tactic is mainly used in offensive operations. Abh propulsion on the battlefield can take two forms: chemical rockets and antimatter/matter annihilation engines. Both are the only sublight engines that are capable of providing enough thrust to be effective, though each has it's merits and shortcomings. Chemical rockets are considered safer, and have easier thrust control, but their fuel supply is extremely limited (if a vessel used only chemical rockets during battle, it would run out of fuel by the end). Antimatter/matter annihilation engines have a higher thrust, and a single tanker filled with anti-substance fuel can keep a fleet supplied with fuel for months. However, if the fuel tanks of a warship are ruptured, the entire vessel will detonate, throwing shrapnel out at speeds that could potentially cause millions of deaths if the ship is in orbit of an inhabited planet. Furthermore, if the tanker were to crash, it would likely cause the destruction of whatever it crashed into, especially a planet with an atmosphere. Luckily for anyone on the field of battle, all ships are equipped with venting systems that eject the anti-substance fuel at a steady and safe rate, forming a cloud that could be passed through with shields up. The use of a tanker as a weapon is, however, not unheard of. Multiple plans for an attack on the alien capital involved crashing a tanker into it, obliterating any possible resistance. However, even the Abh find this too horrific, and it is kept as a last resort only. Cultural Overview: The Abh operate on a loose Feudal system where families can move up and down in status depending on their actions. Racism ans sexism are unheard of, as all Abh are believed to be the children of the Goddess Abh (However, homosexuality was considered a sin up until around the expedition to the seventh planet, as having a child was considered an incredibly important duty for both the man and the woman). Interestingly, nobles are not guaranteed a high military rank, they have to climb the ranks just like anyone else. Due to this, the Emperor could be a mere captain under the command of an Admiral born into a family of planetary miners. However, strict social rules make it shameful for a noble to refuse military service, as it is seen as a responsibility. Not abiding by this rules has resulted in many a family being removed from the spot of emperor. The Economy of the Empire is a form of highly-regulated capitalism. While there are still familiar hierarchies and corporations, workers rights are actively protected by the government. There is no national minimum wage, instead, each planet is broken up into economic zones that have their own minimum wages set by the Imperial government. These wages often fluctuate, as they are meant to represent the cost of living in their respective economic areas. If a corporation is found to be violating the minimum wage, then an official investigation is preformed and if the wages being paid are considered inadequate, extreme measures are often taken (More than once has a CEO been killed by the government for violating wage laws). The Abh value honor more than anything, especially the nobles. A strict honor code exists for everyone, with major influence from Abh mythology. The Noble Honor Code is especially strict, and being a noble is considered more of a responsibility than a privilege. It is believed that if you follow your caste's honor code, then you will be rewarded in your current or next life. A famous legend tells the tale of a Noble who starved to death in order to feed a large group of travelers. His family is said to have become one of the twenty-seven houses with a claim on the throne, with the gods themselves choosing to give it good fortune in respect of his sacrifice. Another major part of the honor code is honor in battle. If two generals made a deal to use specific tactics in a battle so as to make it fair, and one of them used other tactics to counter the methods agreed upon, it would not give the other general an excuse to break his end of the deal. Even if his entire army was annihilated, stepping down to the level of the enemy general would be considered unforgivably dishonorable. On the other hand, if the general honored in deal despite of the enemy's actions, he would be rewarded for it in his next life. The reward of honorable actions in the next life is obviously a major part of Abh culture, and was formerly used to keep a strict caste system from falling apart. With the advent of individuals becoming mobile in the system, its practical usage disappeared and it simply became another part of Abh culture. The Abh have always considered melee weapons to be a truer show of strength than ranged weapons. Tournaments of dismounted melee combat have been comment throughout Abh history, and even today every member of the military carries a katana or other melee weapon. Many of the major houses keep ancient weapons preserved through nanorobotic restorations, an extremely expensive process. These weapons are always extremely important to the family, usually being a part of a famous battle or made by a legendary weapon smith. Abh religion is polytheistic, with there being multiple deities forming a pantheon. There are eight deities, with multiple demigods and mortal servants also factoring in: -Ethana, Goddess of war -Iruka, Goddess of the sea and sacrifice (Revered for her sacrifice to save the Abh) -Boskō, God of knowledge -Depha, Goddess of luck and community -Abh, Patron Goddess of the Abh (Believed to have created the Abh with her own body, who then took up her name out of respect) -Urani, Goddess of Curiosity (Also believed to be the conduit between the Gods and the Mortals, all prayers are directed towards her. She is sometimes called "Zaicdaruta", which translates to "The One Who Watches", as it is believed that she will never interfere with Mortal affairs) -Ningen, God of perseverance and hope -Draka, Goddess of Evil, seen as the enemy of all other gods but Urani Ningen is believed to be the leader of the gods, and is often called the "Kamigamgen", or "God of Gods" when loosely translated. He is believed to be fair and kind to all things, punishing everyone (including himself) equally. However, it is said that in the past he tried to kill Boskō and Ethana, Boskō dozens of times, but Ethana only once. During his fights with Boskō, he is believed to have almost killed Iruka, his sister. He never forgave himself for this, and it is said that even now he will bow in humility and ask for forgiveness when meeting another being, even if that being is a mortal. This legend gave rise to the Abh custom of "Shin-yasai", or "True Kindness". To follow his example, Abh bow to all that they meet in respect of Ningen. Iruka is revered as much as Ningen, as she is believed to have sacrificed herself to save the Abh. It is said that after her sacrifice, Ningen desperately tried to save her, putting her essence into an iron body that could not rust. Many Abh sailors will swear that they have seen her while at sea, her mechanical body playfully leaping out of the water as if to say hello. In the legends, Boskō is said to be the older brother of Ningen and Ethana, looking out for them until one day Ningen became fearful of Boskō's far superior intellect and tried to kill him. Boskō took Ethana and fled Chikyū, refusing to harm his beloved brother, but left behind a small part of his essence, hoping it could one day save Ningen. While Boskō hid from his brother in another world, Ningen tried to destroy the essence he left behind in a battle that lasted thousands of years. However, the essence that was left behind was hope, and even as Ningen tried to destroy it, another part of him still fed it. Whenever the essence of his brother was almost gone, Ningen would find that it would suddenly grow larger than ever before. Finally, he tried to destroy it using a device of his own creation (the effects of which bear amazing similarities to atomic weapons, causing them to never be implemented by the Abh). He utterly failed at this, as moments after he tried to destroy it, it grew to it's largest, and something changed in Ningen. He became regretful of his attempts to kill his brother, and accepted the essence into himself, becoming the God of Hope. He found Boskō and Ethana, but at first did not recognize his brother. When he discovered Boskō and Ethana's true identity, a joyful reunion took place as the three became not just siblings, but the best of friends. After his reunion with his siblings, Ningen focused all the energy that was once focused on killing Boskō on battling the evil Goddess, Draka. In his attempts to defeat her, he joined up with Depha, created Abh as a warrior, and elevated Iruka (Formerly a mortal fish) to godhood. Despite being hopelessly weak when compared to Draka, they managed to win the fight against her through Ningen's power of will, which kept them from losing a single battle with Draka. After this great battle, Abh began to grow in character, becoming more than a mere warrior for Ningen. Ningen, however, refused to give her the right to call herself a Goddess, believing that she was too bloodthirsty to be trusted with such a title. Afraid that she would try to kill him, Ningen gathered the other gods together in an attempt to oppose her. However, the day at which she tried to kill him never came, and she instead continued her protests. Pleased that she refrained from violence, Ningen elevated her to godhood, an action which gained him her completely loyalty. For a time, all was good. However, this idyllic period of time was not to last. Draka's evil essence lived on, and did what she never could. As essences are far more powerful than the gods that hold them, this evil essence spread over Chikyū trillions of times over, engulfing all in darkness. Abh, hoping to keep the good essences of the gods alive, tore herself apart piece by piece. The pain was horrifying, but she kept doing it, hoping to save her essence. She shaped each and every piece of herself into an Abh, who, out of reverence of her, adopter her name. By the end, the Goddess Abh was gone, but her essence lived on in the Abh species. She sent them to Shōrino'ba, a place that would be safe from all evils. Therefore, all Abh have a tiny part of them that is the Goddess' essence, and every new Abh born strengthens good. The forces of good are still engaged in an eternal battle with Draka and her forces of evil, and it is believed that all Abh must assist the forces of good in this battle by doing "Good Works" (Helping others, fighting evil mortals, and having children). Because of this belief, those who choose not to have at least one child are frowned upon, though adoption has become increasingly recognized as a replacement for having a child due to it involving raising the child and helping them, thus being viewed as half of the last good work and all of the first. Many believe that the aliens current being fought are not just evil mortals, and that they are the puppets of Draka herself, and even those who don't consider the current war a religious one. History: The Abh have always been warriors, almost fine-tuned to fighting. On their homeworld, there are eight large continents and multiple surrounding islands. Abh artifacts appear on all of these continents at around the same time, suggesting that they were all connected into one supercontinent at some point. Abh civilization formed relatively quickly, but a disaster of some sort in the ancient past destroyed this young civilization (This is referenced in the Abh religion, and it is said that only because of Iruko's intervention that the Abh survived at all). There was an extremely long dark period after this, with the Abh living as uncivilized hunter-gatherers. Eventually, farming was rediscovered, and the Abh incorporated it in an interesting way. While some groups lived in one area and farmed the land, most Abh tribes continued to live a nomadic lifestyle, instead leaving crops to grow naturally in protected areas. After a certain amount of time, they would return to harvest and plant. Over time, the Abh slowly began to transition into a stationary lifestyle. A few tribe members began to stay behind at these farms, tending to them like the few tribes that lived entirely off of agriculture. As time went on, the farming areas became villages, and the nomadic tribe members became trader/hunters. With the immense amounts of food reaped due to this lifestyle, the farming towns grew constantly, with wild animals keeping their distance from fear of Abh hunters. With major advances such as the wheel and boat (as well as the domestication of pack animals), Abh civilization grew in size exponentially. Formerly isolated nations (Which arose from the tribes due to the unity between farming villages) came into contact with one another. Obviously, having been isolated for so long, these nations all spoke different languages. There were only two that they all had in common: trade and war. Certainly not mutually exclusive languages. Almost every war was caused by trade disputes and resource competition, causing a lively period of trade intertwined with war that lasted for thousands of years. Sea travel arose with the intent of finding other civilizations, the nations on every continent inventing it at a similar time due to their civilizations being somewhat the same age. This began what a human would call the age of sail. For the Abh, it was known as "The Age of Trade". Since an overseas invasion was futile, the continents began to trade with each other without any intercontinental war. Due to the Immense size of their homeworld, these wooden ships were immense creations with small crews, and took years to cross the seas. Still, the Abh greed drove them to trade, and so they did. With the massive profits from intercontinental trade, Abh nations became more and more alike. The exchange of ideas caused most nations to adopt Feudalism, which was already the dominant form of government on most continents. This era was by far the most peaceful, with the nations focusing their resources on building their trade capabilities instead of destroying those of others. The ecosystems of the continent homogenized due to the transport of animals and plants between the continents, and creatures and plants from other continents slowly became a part of everyday life all over the planet. As technology advanced, so did the trade. Steam power brought increased production capability and increased speed, allowing ships to carry less food and more cargo. The size of the ships went up as well, the increased propulsion and stronger hulls allowing larger and larger vessels. In contrast to our own development, this time is still a part of the Age of Trade, which ended only after airplanes were invented. The gravity of the homeworld forced these planes to have immense wingspans, which was only possible through the use of materials created recently on our own world. However, despite these setbacks, the plane proved to be by far the fastest vehicle at the time, and it allowed cargo to be transporter further and faster than any ship. It also allowed the same to be true of troops, allowing intercontinental war and ending the Age of Trade. With the advent of intercontinental war, the peace collapsed. Every nation became locked in a battle for the resources of the planet, with no country able to escape it. Trade between the continents collapsed, with military vessels and planes preying on anyone that dared to transport trade goods across the oceans. The continents became economically isolated once more, with each one unifying into a loose alliance in order to make themselves dominant in the world theater. It was quickly realized that the nuclear reactors already used could be made into bombs carried by planes, and a smaller nation on the largest continent poured all their resources into it, hoping to free themselves from the indirect control of the larger nation. Without testing it, they dropped it on the capital of the largest nation on their continent, absolutely devastating the city. The weapon bore a major similarity to weapons described in Abh mythology, specifically, one used by Ningen in an attempt to destroy Bosko. In their horror, they immediately dismantled the nuclear weapons program. However, the damage was already done, and the other nations of their continent quickly conquered them for their perceived sinful crime. After the detonation of the nuclear bomb, the world realized that the war was slowly killing them. With all the trade having been stopped, global civilization was slowly declining. The nations signed an Armistice in the city of {NEED TO ADD NAME}, ending the war. To prevent another such war from occurring, the Eight World's Council was formed. It was made up of representatives from the 27 nations of the planet (The low number a result of the early nations, which were giant compared to our own). This council was amazingly effective, as the nations found that their beliefs were quite similar. It managed to keep international trade going swiftly and safely, allowing Abh civilization to advance. Over the years, this Council became something more, extending its influence further and further into the internal affairs of the nations. In 0 A.F (After Founding), the Council reorganized into the Eight World's Empire, electing the first Emperor Neic Na'brel and unifying the entire world under a single banner. Even though they had achieved peace between the continents, the Abh still wanted more. Be it greed or something else, they turned their faces to the sky, with a universal dream to leave the atmosphere. Many attempts were made, but all of them failed. The gravity of their world was simply too high, and no plane or rocket could break its bonds. Despite the constant failures, the Abh still reached for the stars. After years of attempts, one finally prevailed. The Na'brel and Kyūsei houses created a giant eight-stage rocket that was just barely strong enough to enter orbit. A single woman, Sceca Doryac, was launched into orbit aboard this rocket, and became the first Abh to see their world from above. The images she brought back did nothing but make the Abh yearn more and more for space, and a shuttle system was quickly developed by the Eight World's Empire. It was a complicated rocket made up of three different airframes, the outer two acting as boosters while the middle went on to space. A 100% reusable system, yet still massively expensive. Each launch cost enough to feed thousands for months, but the Abh still kept going. They refused to back down, smashing through every problem they came across like a railgun shot through a brick wall. Logically, the Abh becoming a spacefaring species would have seemed impossible, the gravity of their homeworld was just too high for it to ever be practical. However, while they knew this, the Abh ignored it almost unanimously. It was as if it was instinct, like the Abh were created to reach for the stars. Centuries after the founding, in the year 231 A.F, the first mining ship came back from the second asteroid belt of the system. This marked the beginning of a new age: the Age of the Stars. Suddenly, Shōrino'ba was peaceful. The internal conflicts didn't matter anymore, as all the resources were in space. Now, the battles took place among the stars, with fleets engaging not over the ground below, but over the right to claim a new asteroid. Among all the fighting, private colony ships were launched towards the moons of Zenjyu, the closest planet to Shōrino'ba and a gas giant. Since the transport of a suitable amount of troops from one planet to another was simply impossible, these colonies were left alone by the military (although stray rounds could destroy an entire city). With space being developed and factories built on space stations and asteroids, the construction of new ships became easier than ever, whith even bulky warships becoming easy and cheap to build and launch. Trade between the planets became common, with the notable exception of Shōrino'ba. Its gravity made bringing resources up to orbit impractical, and so it only recieved the resources of space, launching nothing but colony ships. The colonies grew quickly, with everyone realizing just how valuable the surface of other worlds were. Completely untapped resources, with no risk of invasion. It seemed as though a new ship was being launched every day, sent to bring colonists to the other planets of the system. Then came a revolutionary invention: negative mass. Above the seventh planet of Orenjiro, an ancient ruin was found by the Na'brel House, floating among the clouds of the gas giant. An expedition was sent, and they returned carrying a small, red cylinder that fell up. The scientists sent explained that the ancient ruin had a device to create such an object within it, and that the entire building floated using such objects. They carried with them a map of the gas giant, showing the locations of billions of other such buildings, which they had dubbed "Sūkaiisutshō" (referencing ancient religious texts). With the ability to defy gravity, launching ships became effortless, as did the construction of things such as an industrial space elevator. Space industry boomed, with hundreds of space elevators popping up on every colonized body. Expanding towards the outer planets, they kept going and going, until they finally left their home system using sublight antimatter engines, colonizing nearby systems in the opposite direction as the other sentients in their home system. These sublight vessels laid down "Hashichi", which we could call Krasnikov Tubes, allowing them to continue bringing cargo to and from the system at FTL speeds. By the time the era of expansion stopped, they controlled fifteen fully developed star systems. Then, something changed in their mindset. It was long-held fact that there was another sentient species in their home system, but they instinctively avoided them as they avoided the Abh. Once the fifteenth system had been developed, the Abh suddenly became interested in meeting others. The Abh formed a combined Na'brel and Kyūsei House fleet with one diplomatic vessel and a small escort. Just after they left, it was discovered that the aliens had launched a fleet of their own. Assuming it was diplomatic, the Abh fleet diverted course to meet it. However, when the two fleets met, the Abh transmissions were met with streams of antiprotons and plasma. They returned fire with their railguns, but were defeated within minutes. The Roman fleet went on to lay siege to Shōrino'ba, and was beaten back only by a massive fleet of all the available Abh warships. This marked the end of the Age of Stars, and the beginning of the Age of the Great War. Now, the Abh were united, with only one goal in their minds: Win. Immediately, the Empire focused all efforts on researching new weapons technology. In the skies of Orenjiro an ancient starship was found, floating among the Sūkaiisutshō. Contained within the vessel was a glowing core, which was found to generate an alternate space-time within a small area around the vessel. This border between this bubble and the rest of the universe appeared as a rainbow-colored bubble. Oddly, the border did not stop anything from moving through it, this oddity was found to be the result of something termed "space-time fusion", which allowed two space-times to fuse when they had the same properties. At first, this odd device was thought to be a stealth device, as it greatly reduce the radar profile of the vessel when activated. Believing that there was no need for a stealth device, the Abh ignored it and instead reverse-engineered the weapons systems of the ship, which were surprisingly similar to the alien ones. Through this research, they too began to utilize antiproton and plasma weapons. However, Imperial outposts outside of the fifteen colonies began to go dark, the third one to do so managed to send out images of their attackers: alien vessels that seemed to just suddenly appeared at the station, coming in at FTL speeds without the use of a Hashichi. With the revelation that their enemies could travel FTL at will, the Abh began rushing to replicate the effect. Despite their best efforts, nobody could create any kind of at-will FTL drive. Negative mass was the first theory, but no scientist could manage to lower the fuel requirements below the mass of an entire planet, thus ruling out a negative mass FTL. Dozens of theories were proposed, but none of them worked. In desperation, they turned to the space-time bubble generator found on the recovered starship, hoping that it might be able to save them. To their surprise and joy, it was just what they needed. When enough power was put into it, the device could "elevate" a vessel to the 5th dimension. The crew would survive by virtue of the habitable space-time generated, but the bubble itself could move in the fourth physical dimension, which was viewed as up/down from within the bubble. For a time, this type of movement was avoided, the consequences when returning to normal space being feared. Instead, the ships traveled in two dimensions. Interestingly. this caused a slight vertical drift, but it was so small that it didn't present any practical problem. Though their new FTL allowed them to defend themselves better (Being "smaller", distances in the 5th dimension were exponentially shorter compared to those in "real space"), it was found that it was much slower than the alien drives. Still desperate to be able to counter the alien attacks, they finally moved in the fourth dimension, hoping that it would somehow let them reach their destinations faster. Miraculously, it did. Further studies showed that this was because the first dimension of time was manifested as the fourth physical dimension in the 5th dimension. Obviously, this presented both a major boon and a major problem to the Abh. While they could essentially travel to anywhere in the universe instantly, a slight miscalculation could result in a paradox. Thus, is was made law that all vessels were banned from moving "up" or "down" in the fifth dimension without doing the necessary calculations first. Even so, Abh travel times were cut down to mere minutes (and sometimes less), giving them a major advantage over the aliens. As time went on, the aliens' upper hand faded away as the Abh pushed them out of their frontier territories, bringing the war to a stalemate. Despite this, the Abh still had no idea what the aliens called themselves, a fact that many thought of as a source of shame. The Abh continue to constantly pump out new warships, launching them from the ground as well as in space with the help of negative mass floats. Other: The Abh species-wide mindset can change drastically in a short amount of time, with minimal numbers of dissenters. There is often little logic to these shifts, though the oddest was when they suddenly became enamored with the idea of making contact after colonizing fifteen systems. The number fifteen in mentioned often in Abh mythology, and some psychologists believe that the number itself holds significance in the Abh brain, though there is no evolutionary reason for this.

Here's the revised app! I fixed a few things to make more sense and added some extra bits.

[MrFoxNews]

The Discord of Chaos

Accompanying Music

Hider

Reality is shaped by the forces that destroy it. Name of nation: The Ruinous Powers (Chaos, The Primordial Truth, The Dark God's, The Arch Enemy) Species: Chaos as it's name would suggest consists of many subservient species. Humans: A staple of Chaos forces are human thralls. Ranging from a malnourished subservient slave to a possessed monstrosity that no longer resembles a human. Space Marines: The pinochle of the human genome. Able to withstand incredible pain and bodily damage without flinching and quite literally incapable of feeling fear Space Marines represent the most deadly mortal force in the Chaos arsenal. Daemons: The Daemons of Chaos are conscious entities spawned out of the Dark God's themselves. They come in all shapes and sizes and range from animalistic to Manipulative Masterminds in intelligence.  With a ride variety of warp powers at their disposal the Daemon is an opponent not to be underestimated. Other Species: Any species is capable of falling to the seductions of chaos thus any species can be seen fighting in a chaos army. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Description of government: Chaos does not have one collective Government it is instead made up of Warbands, Heretical Sects of other Galactic Factions, Lone planets, and even individuals. Meritocracy is the chief law of chaos held world's followed closely by pure anarchy on others. If you can the skill to lead and the power to back it then leadership is yours. The only exception to this rule is in the case of the Gods themselves. The God's are supreme beings the likes of which could smite the universe if they so choose but rather they take delight in watching the mortals of our realm. Sometimes these beings issue forth unholy commands to their followers who can't even think to disobey. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Description of military: Varying greatly in command structure and tactics from each legion to each raiding party the chaos military is so uncollaborated it cannot be refered to as a military. The different forces within chaos war amongst themselves and play their own political games for the favor of their respected Gods. The tactics used by each individual faction are so diverse I don't think I can actually explain them all in this application without boring everyone to death and writing a small book. The God's do however (excluding khorne) favor Subtle, Corrupting, and sometimes terrifying actions be used to defeat their opponents. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Technological Overview: The technology utilized by chaos forces vary almost as much as the followers do themselves. Primarly used are those weapons from a universe already mastered by chaos consisiting of Heavy caliber balistics, Las Weapons (lasers), plasma weaponry. On top of these there is of course pirated technology as well. It is extremely common for chaos forces to steal weapons and ships from their enemies and use them for a more enlightened purpose. The warp drive: The warp drive. An extradimensional engine capable of opening a portal to the warp within the material universe for a ship to travel through. The drive requires a massive amount of energy to work thus commonly resulting in weapons or shields being shut down during a warp transition. Note: The warp drive is NOT an FTL devise. It utilizes tunnels through the immaterial plain to allow a ship to travel to it's location faster. It does not actually make the ship travel FTL. Daemonic Tech: Powered by the warp. Daemon weapons are capable or many odd and alluring properties. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Cultural Overview: Chaos culture varies tremendously depending on whom has control of a planet. One must remember that chaos has millions of subfactions ranging from small pirate raid fleets to massive legions of followers all whom serve seperate gods and pay homage to seperate warciefs. Each has their own traditions and ways of which to act ranging from a highly ordered and militarized culture to that of bloodthirsty men who cannibalize their dead friends and foe alike. The Gods: Khorne: The Blood God. Lord of Battle. His fury knows no bounds. He cares not from where the blood flows only that it flows. Nurgle: The Lord of Decay. He works endlessly to spread infection to all mortal beings. Slannesh: The Dark Prince. Lord of indulgence and excess. There is no boundry of perversion which canno't be crossed. Tzeench: The Architect of fate. The God of change and Sorcery. He wields powerful magic as do his followers. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ History: Much of Chaos is shrouded in mystery the likes of which perhaps no one but the Gods themselves know. Regardless the mysterious force hasn't been reported in the Material universe in thousands of years. Legends tell of the eventual return of the arch enemy to the material universe but those legends have faded into stories to frighten children. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Other: The Warp and other Dimensions: Myself and Keyguy have been working on a system for this for a long time and here's what we have. There are 11 total dimensions. Each dimensions is more powerful than the last. 1 being the weakest (time) 11 being the strongest (domain of the omnipotent creator). The Material universe you know of sits on the 4th dimensions. The Warp is the 8th. The warp consists of vast stretches of Unreal space and land that does not obey the laws of time or physics which makes it perfect for interstellar travel. The warp however holds a corrupting effect to all who touch it. This can be instantaneous or low and seditious depending on the nature of of the exposure and the length for time exposed. No one knows anything about chaos beyond what has been specified above unless strictly allowed by myself. All races can be effected by warp taint unless a specific reason is given as to why they are not. Please don't spring this on me either tell me in advance as to why your race cannot be effected. For example if you are utilizing mind control the alure of chaos will be rather slim. If you tell me about that i'd be happy to agree. Warp space is not accessible without a warp drive or some other form of extradimensional travel. Chaos gods cannot enter combat physically but also cannot be destroyed. They can However be weakened and even banished for a period of time. Many religions mistake chaos as their version of Evil (hell, etc) as such if you wish to incorporate chaos into your background contact me and we'll work something out. The worship of the gods is not limited to actual worship. For Example The spilling of Blood is still paying homage to Khorne, Lustfilled thinking empowers Slannesh, Etc. Chaos forces are ever fighting within themselves. It is likely that one chaos force encountered by a race will not be the same as a chaos force encountered by another. As a result realize that any agreements/alliances/wars do not necessarily include all chaos forces rather they consist of that inner faction of chaos.

[Zoldyck]

The Tallarn Confederacy

Species

Pretorians, later Tallarnians At first glance one might easily mistake a Pretorian with a Human. They share alot of similar traits. But if one pays close attention he might spot the differences. Pretorians are on average 7 feet tall, with no difference between man and woman. They are also slightly stronger then a human, yet not on levels which seem like supernatural to a human. A Pretorian’s stamina is also slightly above that of a human. The Pretorians also have white ireses and white hair. But what is really distinct is that yes, Pretorians might appear mere human, but their bonestructure is much tougher then that of a human and their pain barrier is above a level which would kill a human. Pretorians are naturally mistrusting to anyone who isnt a fellow Pretorian and are prone to aggressive outbursts.

Government

The Confederacy is lead by the Autarch. (S)he rules with an iron fist over the people of Tallarn. The absolute leader of the Confederacy, the Autarch has the last say about any decision made by the House of Lords and the System Council. He is also the System Council representative of Tallarn. He is protrayed as a living god while infact he is just a mere man. There are only 2 ways to become an Autarch: Heiraditary or deposing through civil war. The House of Lords is the Confederacy’s parlement. The Lords are the leaders of Confederacy wide government institutions (Navy, Army, Intelligence, Treasury, etc.) The System Council consists of the leaders of the individual planets. These are called the Dukes. Under the Dukes are the Barons, they are basically the same as the Lords of the House of Lords, only then meant for their own planet. It is not rare for infighting to occur in the Confederacy. Because of the vastly different origins of the colonies, the people on these colonies often have conflicting morals, costums or traditions. Confederate civil war is rare but can result in a change in Autarch. It is much more common however that Barons want to take land from eachother and wage wars for it. Only Tallarnians are allowed to work in the government, the Condeferacy is overal rather xenophobic.

Military

The Confederacy is a military state. Everything else could be sacrifised aslong as the military remains strong. There are several military forces in the Confederate military. The largest organisation is the Confederate Army. This is the force used to protect the interests of the Autarch (and the Lord of the Army), aswell as fight the galactic ground wars. It’s units are highly drilled and have a zealous devotion to the Autarch and they are conscripted from all the worlds of the Confederacy. They would rather die then show cowardice in the face of the enemy. Their equipment is completely standardised. They all wear the same uniform and all use the same weaponry. The military doctrine is to use massive amounts of infantry and armour to overwhelm the enemy while all the while delivering a continuous artillery bombardment. The second largest organisation is the Confederate Navy. Favouring large starships with alot of heavy weaponry over nimble light ships, the Confederate Navy is a bastion of conservatism and is in a direct rivalry with the Army. The Navy controls ALL ships and military aviation, including the support ships for the Army. Sometimes when a rivalry needs to be setteled the Navy just does not provide airsupport to the Army, while the Army might destroy vital resources used to construct more vessels or destroy captured dockyards. The Navy also controls all merchant shipping. Finally, the Navy does not just use large dreadnoughts and battleships. They also posses carrier ships, carrying a large amount of fighters, bombers and dropships. The Navy is devided into several Armadas lead by High Lords of the Fleet (Not to be mistaken for Lord of the Navy). These Armadas are then seperated into Battlefleets, led by Lord Admirals, which are inturn split into Strikefleets, led by Fleet Admirals. There are also the individual planetary armies, split up in armies controlled by the Barons. These armies are the first line of defense for these planets and they vastly differ from eachother. Some might use laser weaponry while others use but mere sabers and lances. The Barons use their own personal armies to enforce their demands on the Duke, who is reliant on the Barons, aswell as to settle personal claims with eachother. The smallest organisation is the Tallarnian Guard. These are the personal bodyguards of the Autarch and number 6000. Lastly, but certainly not least, is the Intelligence Bureau of Tallarn (IBT). The IBT is there to keep the populace under control, working as the secret police. But they also have the task of espionage and, odly enough, diplomatic relations. The IBT on paper is a very small organisation. But it has agents in all other organisations, both military and civilian. It is rumoured that it is actually the IBT who controls the Confederacy because everytime an Autarch change occured the Lord of Intelligence was the only Lord who was allowed to remain seated, specualting that he actually orcestrated the coup. The Confederate Army uses the exact same loadout for each of their soldiers: -Flak armour, which is a special personal armour to protect the person against shrapnel and ordinary bullets. Usually covered up in the form of a trenchcoat but depending on the circumstances of the planet (like arctic or jungle) can be covered differently. -An assault helmet, Covering the entireface with a skull like rebreather, the assault helmet has 3 functions. The first is to protect the user against weaponry, the second is to make him able to operate in a hostile atmosphere (like gas attacks) and third, to intimidate their enemies. -A Mark 7 Lasrifle. The Mark 7 is the latest itteration of a long line of Confederate laser rifles. It is sturdy and reliable. It uses a battery pack which has a capacity of 200 shots but the intensity of the weapon’s beam can be intensified, increasing it’s drainage of the battery. It can fire 400 bolts a minute but that is not recommended to try, as the barrel will need rapid replacing due to overheating. The Mark 7 also has a fixed bayonet. -A plasteel ceremonial battleaxe. Coming from the old traditions of the tribes back on Pretoria, the ceremonial battleaxe is believed to carry the soul of a warrior. But dont let the name fool you. It might be ceremonial but when in close quaters a Confederate soldier will use his battleaxe just as happily as his bayonet. The Army also uses Commissars to keep the men in line and remind them of their precious duty to the Autarch and the Confederacy. The Army’s Main Battle Tank is the Ares. The Ares uses a special armour which can deflect laser strikes, but it is not 100% succesfull at that. The Ares can be fielded in many forms. It can be equiped with an anti-armour weapon, but also with a flak cannon or a anti-personel weapon, like a flamethrower. It also has smoke grenade launchers and the ability to be converted in an artillery vehichle or APC. The Army recently approved the Mars BattleMech. The Mars is a BattleMech which is just as fast as the Ares MBT. It has jumpjets so it can cross difficult terain and has been equiped with a new portable railgun and flamethrower, aswell as the ability to be equiped with a MRLS(Multiple Rocket Launcher System) for artillery practices. The Confederate Navy has alot of ships though the most prominent are: -Legate class Dreadnought: Named after the commander of a legion in ancient times, the Legate is a majestic ship to behold. It is richly decorated both internally and externally. It is the second most heavily armed class of ship in the Confederate Navy but it certainly is the biggest one. The Legate’s role is fleet command. Usually commanded by a Lord Admiral, the Legate can take a heavy beating and strike back just as hard. -Agrippa class Battleship: The Agrippa is the main ship of the line for the Confederate Navy. It has a large amount of broadside weaponry and is an intimidating opponent due to it’s shere size, only dwarfed by the Legate. The Agrippa is meant to take hits and keep the enemy occupied so the other ships of the fleet can finish them off. -Athena class Battlecruiser: Basically a smaller version of the Agrippa, the Athena has sacrificed some of the armour for missile bays, allowing it to deliver far more damage to an enemy at close to medium range. This also gives the Athena the ability to bombard planets from orbit. -Nova class Cruiser: The most common ship in the Confederate Navy, the Nova class is also the oldest class still in service. Having many turrets covering all possible attack angles, the Nova is always ready for a fight. It is not as well protected as the Athena but the Nova can still take quite some punishment, and it needs that resiliance. One tactic Nova commanders commonly use is a rather brute one: Ramming. The Nova is a rather slow ship but still faster then the Agrippa and the Legate. The Nova also houses a large fighterbay. -Fury class Destroyer: The newest addition to the Confederate Navy. Though only half the size of the Nova class, the Fury is the most deadly of all ships. It’s cyclone torpedos travel at near lightspead to their target and when they impact they create a force equal to a large meteor strike. Though this firepower comes at a price. The Fury only has 4 cyclone torpedos and they are rather unreliable. One recorded instance saw the torpedo explode in the launching tube and destory half a strike fleet. The Fury also has basic railgun weaponry mounted in turrets on it’s hull. It is also the fastest ship of the entire fleet. The Navy uses several fighter and bomber types but the most common are the Gorgon class Fighter and the Harpy class Bomber. Both are based on the same design yet one has anti- fighter weaponry and the other has anti-capitalship/ground weaponry. Lastly, the navy also builds large commercial and defence stations acros all the planets owned by the Confederacy. These usually shield the planet and are armed to the teeth with railguns and laser weaponry. They also have a large amount of fighterbays. They also have nuclear weaponry aimed at the planet. Officially to be able to destroy enemy bridgeheads on the planet, but actually they are there to make sure the populace doesnt get any funny ideas.

Technology

The Confederate tech is not really fancy. Yes they do have laser weaponry but that has suited their needs untill now, so they dont really need a new improvement. The Confederacy still uses alot of explosive weaponry on the ground using weaponry which has similarities with the weapons used on Earth in the 20st century. They do not attempt to biologically enhance their population but there have been rumours of secret cloning facilities which do experiment with “improving” Tallarnians. These facilites however can not produce an army out of nowhere, it takes atleast a day to create 10 clones in these facilities, resulting in 10.000 clones a month from all the facilities combined. (if allowed by the rules) The Confederacy has the ability to use AI and use them alot in civilian life. Deeming it too risky for AI to control weaponsystems. All weapons are manned by normal soldiers. Though guidance systems and such are AI driven.

Culture

Back on old Pretoria there used to be alot of tribes roaming around on the planet. The Tallarnians changed the tribal system, almost completely removing it. But to not lose the core of what it meant to be a Tallarnian they kept certain elements, like the warrior culture and the religious practices revolving around that. The Confederacy has several layers of society. Mostly this is caused by the split between the planets. The capital planet is Tallarn, the seat of the Autarch, the House of Lords and the System Council. Tallarn is a planet completely covered with large skyscrapers and huge factories. The people from Tallarn deem themselves superiour to all the other members of the Confederacy. They have hold the highest ranks in all Confederate governmental organisations including all the high ranking officers in the Army, Navy and the IBT. Secondly come the core worlders. These are the citizens of the other founding members of the Confederacy. These world are usually either a breeding ground for the Army and Navy or are completely transformed into planetsized factories. Then there are the outer colonies. These are considered the lower classes. The colonies provide the core worlds their raw resources. The Confederacy is a Xenophobic society. Believing themselves superiour to any “foul xenos” in the galaxy. Although they wont say that through offical channels ofcourse.

History

Back when Pretoria was still colonizing across the stars there was a small corperation called the Tallarn Trade Corp(TTC). The TTC then found a wormhole and went through it. To their disdain they found out that they were not the first ones to discover this wormhole, others had passed through it already and claimed several planets. After some random jumps the TTC found what they were looking for, a planet rich of raw materials. They named this planet: Tallarn. After several decades of building up their settlement on Tallarn all seemed to go well. Trade had been established with the other colonies and back home the TTC was making a huge profit. But then disaster struck. The wormhole, the only way to reach the outer colonies from Pretoria… Collapsed. Now not only Tallarn but all outer colonies were cut off from Pretoria. Fearing the worst. It was decided that a union had to be formed, because you’re stronger when you’re united, right? So the outer colonies formed the Confederacy of the Outer Colonies. After the collapse of the wormhole and the formation of the Confederacy everyone was doing their part to survive. And slowly the settlements grew into cities, which grew into states. It had been 250 years After the Wormhole Collape (AWC). Tallarn had grown into the most powerfull colony. All the other colonies were governing themselves. Tallarn had been leading in military production, because they were the biggest state they had to supply most forces. Then there was first contact. An alien race, now only known as “The Vorchan”, entered Confederate space. Immediatly a response force of the closest planet, Mordia, was deployed. The Mordian fleet tried to open communication but the Vorchan engaged their weaponsystems. Unknown to the Mordians this was a way of greating for the Vorchan, showing what power they held and thus exposing their weaknesses. The Mordians immediatly responded by opening fire, destroying the Vorchan ships. 2 months later another fleet appeared, again near Mordia. The Mordians again dispatched a fleet… And that was the last thing the Confederacy ever heard of Mordia. Following this event the Vorchans pushed deeper into Confederate space and the Confederacy had to fight with everything it had to not be destroyed. Not be exterminated. But it seemed in vain. One by one the colonies fell. The Vorchans now reached Aurelia. They were planning to invade Aurelia but unknown to them the Aurelians had a plan. They would await for the Vorchans to enter orbit, as they always did, and commence their planetary invasion. The Aurelians would all defend one central point, a special crystal mine. This mine ran to the core of Aurelia. The Aurelians would blow up their own planet and destroy the Vorchan invasion fleet. The invasion began, but to the Aurelian and the Confederacy’s shock not all of the Vorchan fleet moved into Aurelia’s orbit. There had to be a space engagment… Tallarn was up for the task. As the Aurelians were holding their position, awaiting for the Vorchans to deploy all their troops, the Tallarnians engaged in space combat. Thousands of lives were lost, hunderdeds of ships destroyed. But the Tallarnians had beaten the Vorchans… Just intime to see Aurelia sacrifice itself. It is unknown wether or not the Vorchans were completely destroyed by this act, or deemed expansion into the region too expensive. But they were never seen again. In response to this crisis the Confederacy met in the Systems Council. The war had been costly, none of the planets had any fighting force anymore except for Tallarn. And here the leader of Tallarn demanded that somthing like this, the loss of countless of systems by alien hands, was never to be allowed again. All councilers agreed. But what the Tallarnians then did was not as the councilers had expected. The other planets were invaded and their leaders were captured. The leader of Tallarn declared himself Autarch. He then ordered that all who would disagree with his rule would be killed. There were uprisings at first, but they were quickly crushed by the Tallarnian military. The Confederacy of the Outer Colonies was no more. From now on it was the Tallarn Confederacy. Now it is 350 AWC and the Confederacy has expanded it’s boundries significantly. A recent civil war has made everyone in the Confederacy uncertain of the future. The new Autarch promises to bring glory to the Confederacy. “This is the start of a new age, my brothers and sisters. We have suffered greatly in the past. But today comes an end to our suffering! No more shall we be devided! No more shall we fight for personal gain! The Confederacy was formed for the betterment of all. And we will be better. For we will rid the galaxy of any who opposes us! Today my brothers and sisters, sons and daughters of Tallarn, we shall cross our borders and expand into the unknown! We shall conquer the stars! We shall dominate all… For that is our destiny, the destiny of mankind, the destiny… of Tallarn.” - Autarch Radec Orlock of the Tallarn Confederacy.

[Willy Vereb]

THE MORTE IMPERIUM

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Quick Summary

Name: The Morte Imperium, Das Mortereich, The Morte Empire
Species: Morteans (outwardly almost human)
Government: Totalitarian Elected Monarchy
Homeworld: Mortis, Todestern System
Holdings: Star systems: Toderstern, Bekrieger, Heissessen, Brennenweg, Schmelzer, Grossernicht, Saltzricht (Total: 3 habitable planets and 12 colony clusters)
Total Population: 85,569,242,144 (according to last year's census)
Military Power: 2,500,000,000 personnel (regulated by law, always replenished within a week)
Fleet Power: 2,500 warships (as per "peacetime" law restrictions, not including escorts and lesser ships)

Homeworld/Location

The Morte Empire is found at the edge of uncharted space. Their homeworld is Mortis, the 3rd planet of the Toderstern star system. Many thousands of years ago Lieberland ( now known as Mortis) was used to be a lush green planet rich in both flora and fauna. Until around VR (vor dem Reich - before the empire) 220 when a large neutron star remnant from a distant kilonova explosion collided with the star Leichstern. The violent impact and rapidly increased mass of the star upset the balance of the system forever. Lieberland's orbit changed and the planet suddenly became the third in the system, the proximity of Toderstern gradually turning it into an irradiated death world. In spite of that the domain species of the planet prevailed. The kilonova's fragments initiated similar changes in all the neighboring system, creating the sector which Morteans now dub as Stormlosweg. By IR (in dem Reich - in the empire) 1211 the Morte Imperium controls almost 70% of the the Stormlosweg sector. Aside from Mortis the sector only has two other barely habitable planets left: Krugern and Tannerbald. All 3 planets are populated densely by Morteans.

Government/Species/Society

Morteans are bipedal creatures sharing eerily a lot of similarities with humans on Earth. This unusual phenomenon could be explained by the theory of parallel development as in the similarities in environment naturally resulted in an intelligent lifeform akin to humans. Due to poor nutrition and hazardous environment the average Mortean is 165cm tall but one in the 50,000 individuals can actually grow fair above 2 meters in height. Due to the effect of radiation, birth defects and mutations are relatively common and according to statistics 27.4% of the children die at (or before) birth. For every Mortean death is a common experience which swayed their society into an unique direction. Morteans neither fear death nor welcome it. They accept death as a natural element of their lives and strive to serve their community during the time they're given. Morteans are utilitarians to the extreme, working precisely like cogs in an oiled machine. In the eyes of others Morteans themselves do appear almost machine-like, having little in the way of personal goals and instead pursuing . This unique mindset also makes Morteans numb to the feeling of loss other species experience. Morteans are capable of boundless cruelty without the slightest emotion behind. They view massacres of other people as just tools like everything else. Compassion in its typical sense is almost completely foreign to them. On the other hand their higher orientation towards logic means Morteans never commit anything without a reason. They have a clear view on risks and benefits which makes negotiations with Morteans always quick.

The Mortean government is imperial, formed under necessity during the early centuries to fend off numerous invaders. Consequently the Morteans became a militant civilizations which helped them to gradually take over the Stormlosweg sector. Through the decades the originally autocratic system of the monarchy reformed and for 800 years by now Morteans themselves elect their Kaiser on every 6th year. In the Mortean society everything is juged by their utility and this extended for the Kaiser. While they theoretical hold complete power they held responsible for their decisions upon the end of their term. Inefficient leaders were occasionally even executed. Albeit rigorous selection process now ensures that only deserving candidates can be nominated for this esteemed position. The official language of the Morte Empire is the Gothic Standard which resembles German. There are at least 7 other major dialects of Gothic and even more minor dialects within the population. Because they reside in the uncharted territories and have yet to make contact with the galactic superpowers, Morteans don't know the Galactic Basic language.

Technology/Industry

After experiencing their paradise rapidly turning into a radioactive hell the Morteans doubled their efforts toward technology. Their first priorities were shielded homes and developing means to grow food in their changed environment. Over the centuries as Mortean society transformed, their affinity towards technology grew further. Advanced medicine, gene engineering for special plants that grow in radioactive environments, robotics, self-improving computers and so on. The achievements of the Morteans were impressive, especially compared to its neighbors within the uncharted regions. On the other hand with no contact with other advanced civilizations, their scientific development could be overall be described as average compared to the better known factions in the galaxy.

The development of Mortean technology also demanded them to accelerate their industry. Asteroid resource bases, orbital mining installations around gas giants and large scale strip mining operation on rock planets were all serving one purpose. To fuel the tiny giant of the Mortean industry. Surrounded by enemies from many directions, for centuries their focus was to raise their military. Almost a thousand orbital shipyards were constructed in several star systems.

Advanced technologies and growing industry also require better power sources. Fission energy got rapidly replaced by fusion reactors then after IR327 antimatter reactors gained rising popularity. It helped that the ancient kilonova disaster altered the sector's stars in such way they became a natural source of antimatter. Large installations collected the positron-filled solar winds at some distance from the star's magnetic poles.

Of course controlling the sector would've been impossible via conventional propulsion means. In IR348 they've invented the Warp drive. At first it only allowed more efficient propulsion and vessels traveling at almost the speed of light but after 50 years of innovation and reverse engineering from neighbors they created the true Warp Drive. Turned out the theory of relativity was wrong, or at least only valid within certain conditions. This new approach allowed them to pass the light barrier, reaching other star systems in months or even weeks instead of years. The heart of Warp Drive was an improved antimatter reactor called Warp Core. These compressed space-time which allowed both improved efficiency and this so-called "warp phenomenon". It took centuries but Morteans also learned to apply this phenomenon for their weapon technologies, replacing their more conventional arsenal with something faster and more efficient.

Military

Mortean military doctrine reflects their society completely. They follow utility and precise organization. Laws explicitly determine the number of soldiers protecting the Empire and their count is reviewed every weekend. During "peacetime" (defined by the lack of major campaigns instead of the absence of any military action or hostilities) this quota was determined to be 2.5 billion, calculated to be just appropriate to keep the hostile neighbors at bay. During major military actions the Kaiser has full authority to raise this quota anywhere. All Morteans receive combat training before reaching adulthood and they're obliged to refresh it on every 4th year. In the Mortean Empire there are no civilians, just active soldiers and those who stay in reserve. The duty of the empire's protection is shared with everyone. The military branch of the Morteans is called Reichswehrmacht.

Reichsgrenadier

Name: Reichsgrenadier
Role: Standard Foot Soldier
Armor: Nanofiber mesh suit + durachrome/neutrozite plates
Primary Weapon: PASER Rifle
Misc: Environmental sealing, limited life support and temperature control, gas mask/rebreather, helmet-incorporated virtual screen with data-link, sensory information and early warning, heat/electromagnetic detector and night-vision modes, medical injectors

Standard soldier of the Morte Empire. Beneath their uniform they wear nanofiber mesh giving slight increase in strength and cushion against common impacts. Against well-armed soldiers the arangement of durachrome/neutrozite layered plates offer moderate protection, only allowing the higher setting of energy weapons to penetrate. Neutrozite layers exist as a stop-gate against antimatter particle weapons like PASER rifles. PASERS use minute antimatter reactions to launch microscopic amount of positron at the target, almost at lightspeed. Due to their nature their effectiveness against conventional armor increases 2 to 10 times. Reichsgrenadiers also carry around plasma grenades and one per platoon has the responsibility to safeguard their antimatter grenades.

Mortean Space Navy (Mortenkriegsflotte) doctrines concentrate on numbers and heavy long range firepower. Their primary propulsion systems are large antimatter impulse engines which provide reasonable acceleration at minuscule reaction mass spent. Their efficiency is further enhanced by the mass-lightening and space-folding effects of Warp Drives which are also their method of interstellar travel. Albeit slow compared to many other civilizations but its reliable economic nature allows ships to use them for constant travel with only moderate impact on the ship's power budget. Using similar theories the ship's main weaponry are superluminal PASER (Positron Accretion by Spatio-antimatter Explosive Reactions) and Grav Lance/QuASAR (Quark Acceleration by Spatio-stimulated Antimatter Reactions), the latter attacks with raw mass particles at FTL velocities, thus penetrating shields and armored hulls more efficiently than regular beams. They also have torpedoes that can be launched from warp catapult to temporarily gain FTL speed until reaching close to the target. Overall these weapons extend the Morte Fleet's range greatly and it isn't rare for them to target enemies from a few astronomical units away. Said weapons are assisted by hypercomms, hyper-radar and hypercameras which are all based on the Warp mechanism thus free of light-lag. For protection the Morte ships use thickly armored Durachrome composite hulls combined with their Force Shields, the latter generating a bubble of rapidly circling gluons and quarks, essentially covering themselves with multiple layers of pseudo-mass. While potent on its own the Force Shield's true purpose is to intercept attacks and attenuate them from afar (as they're usually projected 10-100km away depending on ship size and power), effectively rendering them harmless to the ship's armor thereafter.

The Mortenkriegsflotte is currently restricted by the "peacetime" law which limits them to 2500 warships, at least 70% of these must be the fast attack and individual patrol ships AKA frigates in order to secure the borders. The Morte Empire currently occupies the space of 46 cubic lightyears with their borders spreading for the area of 47 lightyears squared. With their warp drives usually only capable of crossing 1-3 lightyears a day they require at least this many patrols to keep their empire safe.

Mittelschnauzer-class Attack Frigate

Name: Mittelschnauzer-class Attack Frigate
Clasification: Long-Range Fast Attack & Patrol Space Combat Vessel, Frigate
Dimensions:

• Length: 428,40cm (prow length: 321,55cm)
• Height: 120,25cm (prow height: 54,00cm)
• Width: 160,00cm (prow width: 44,20-68,15cm)

Armor: 50-4,00 cm Durachrome composite
Standard Mass: 855,725 metric tons (prior to mass-lightening)
Crew: 2725 (standard)
Propulsion: Impulse Engine Nacelles x 3 (can be ejected for emergencies)
Powerplant: Warp Core (w/ 3 rows of antimatter/vacuum reactors)
Interstellar Travel: Warp Drive
Sensors: 2 x Sensor Domes (armored domes containing various hypersensors), primary hypertelescopes x 4, backup sensors
Defense Systems: Force Shield, structural integrity fields
Weapons:

• 50cm Grav Lances x 6 (front-mounted, can be angled to target to any direction to 60 degrees)
• 30cm PASER Cannons x 16 (8 on each side, 130 degree firing angle)
• 288cm Torpedo Tubes x 2 (mounted on the front)
• 40cm 13-tube HVM Pods x 2 (located on the supports connecting the dorsal nacelles)
• 9cm Interceptor Batteries x 6 (6-tube small missile systems)
• 2.2cm PASER Point Defenses x 36 (each fit on a flexible ball mount)

Hangar:

• 5 x Shuttles (capable of carrying maximum 500 people or 1000 cubic meters of cargo)
• 4 x KSR-271 Spitzer Fighters
• 1000 cubic meters worth of mines (stored in parts and put together in automatic assembly prior deployment)
• Escape Pods

This relatively small class of warship forms the backbone of the Mortean peace defense fleet. Nearly half of its space is taken up by propulsion systems to ensure both speed and long range. Its armaments include slightly scaled down Grav Lances, PASER Cannons and Torpedo Launchers. It also mounts high-velocity missile pods that use their sheer momentum to defeat lighter warships or intercept fighters/missiles from afar. Aside from that it also has the standard interceptor battery and PASER point-defenses to give it full protection. In spite of its size the Mittelschnauzer has respectable firepower and combat utility, military slang dubbing them as "pocket battleships".

Sennenhund-class Cruiser

Name: Sennenhund-class Cruiser
Clasification: Intermediate Class Space Combat Vessel, Cruiser
Dimensions:

• Length: 400,00cm (prow length: 321,00cm)
• Height: 80,00cm
• Width: 80,00cm

Armor: 2,00-8,00 cm Durachrome composite
Standard Mass: 1,200,000 metric tons (prior to mass-lightening)
Crew: 2000 (standard)
Propulsion: Impulse Engine
Powerplant: Warp Core (w/ four rows of antimatter/vacuum reactors)
Interstellar Travel: Warp Drive
Sensors: 2 x Primary Sensor Domes, 4 x Secondary Sensor Domes
Defense Systems: Force Shield, structural integrity fields
Weapons:

• 50cm Grav Lances x 6 (front-mounted, fire arc: 60 degrees)
• 50cm PASER Cannons x 6 (Front-mounted at the port&starboard protusions, fire arc: 50 degrees)
• 30cm PASER Cannons x 24 (12 on each side, 130 degree firing angle)
• 375cm Torpedo Tubes x 2 (mounted on the sides)
• 12cm Interceptor Batteries x 4 (5-tube small missile systems)
• 3.3cm PASER Point Defenses x 20 (each fit on a flexible ball mount)

Hangar:

• 10 x Shuttles (capable of carrying maximum 500 people or 1000 cubic meters of cargo)
• 12 x KSR-271 Spitzer Fighters
• 2000 cubic meters worth of mines (stored in parts and put together in automatic assembly prior deployment)
• Escape Pods

Former mainline warship of the Morte Empire, created in great quantities in the past. It was geared for maximal combat utility within its relatively small size. Compared to the current frigates it has superior firepower, armor, defenses, cargo capacity, hangar capacity, much better survivability and a simple thus easy to maintain structure. Yet because of their inferior speed Cruisers fell out of favor in the recent peacetime and most of them got mothballed. Thousands of decommissioned cruisers orbit Morte shipyards, ready to be reactivated whenever the need arises.

Schwertjager-class Rapid Destroyer

Name: Schwertjager-class Rapid Destroyer
Clasification: Fast Attack Light Space Combat Vessel, Destroyer
Dimensions:

• Length: 185,50cm (prow length: 91,45cm)
• Height: 110,00cm (prow height: 30,00cm)
• Width: 25,00-38,10cm (narrowest-widest)

Armor: 20-1,00 cm Durachrome composite
Standard Mass: 69,500 metric tons (prior to mass-lightening)
Crew: 258 (standard)
Propulsion: Impulse Engines x 2, Antimatter Thursters x 2
Powerplant: Compact Warp Core (with a single antimatter/vacuum reactor)
Interstellar Travel: Warp Drive, Warp Link, Warp Sustainers
Sensors: 2 x Sensor Domes (armored domes containing various hypersensors), primary hypertelescope, backup sensors
Defense Systems: Force Shield, structural integrity fields
Weapons:

• 25cm Compact Grav Lances x 4 (front-mounted, 60 degrees coverage)
• 8cm PASER Cannons x 4 (mounted in flexible ball-mounts)
• 2.2cm PASER Point Defenses x 6 (each fit on a flexible ball mount)
• 122cm Torpedo Tubes x 2 (mounted on the edges of the front)
• 9cm Interceptor Batteries x 2 (8-tube small missile system in the ventral area)

Hangar:

• Escape Capsules x 8 (can hold 50 people at maximum)

Fast and firepower packed small starship that commonly accompanies warships in combat. Being less than 100,000 tons in mass the Schwerenjager is considered escort instead of warship thus not subject to the limitations of the law. Designed with speed in mind the Schwerenjager is built around twin antimatter impulse engines almost too big for the rest. It also packs the newest compact grav lances to pose threat to enemy warships. Yet even with these the Schwerenjager would be too slow to keep up with the Frigates. To remedy that the ship has no less than two methods to shorten its interstellar travel. First, like many other escorts it can dock with a Warp Carrier which extends its stronger warp field to them for faster travel. Alternatively 3 Schwerenjager Destroyers can dock with each other to combine their own warp fields for a similar effect. For this latter reason Schwerenjagers almost always operate in groups of 3.

Sturmjager-class Missile Destroyer

Name: Sturmjager-class Rapid Destroyer
Clasification:Light Space Combat Vessel, Destroyer
Dimensions:

• Length: 210,00cm (prow length: 130,40cm)
• Height: 70,25cm
• Width: 50,00cm

Armor: 10-1,20 cm Durachrome composite
Standard Mass: 55,800 metric tons (prior to mass-lightening)
Crew: 327 (standard)
Propulsion: Impulse Engines x 2, Antimatter Thursters
Powerplant: Compact Warp Core (with a single antimatter/vacuum reactor), auxilary compact M/A reactor
Interstellar Travel: Warp Drive, Warp Sustainers
Sensors: 2 x Sensor Domes (armored domes containing various hypersensors), primary hypertelescope, backup sensors
Defense Systems: Force Shield, structural integrity fields
Weapons:

• 40cm HVM Pods x 4 (13-tube missile systems, 52 tubes total)
• 122cm Torpedo Tubes x 12
• 9cm Interceptor Batteries x 2 (8-tube small missile system)
• 8cm PASER Cannons x 8 (in flexible ball-mounts)
• 2.2cm PASER Point Defenses x 6 (fit on a flexible ball mount)

Hangar:

• Escape Capsules x 8 (can hold 50 people at maximum)

Escort ship focusing almost entirely on firepower. It mounts frightening arsenal of torpedoes and missiles that almost belies its size. Unfortunately this comes at the cost of maneuverability and endurance in battle. Even if it had more maneuvering thrusters, the use of 52 mini warp catapults for HVMs and 12 small scale torpedo tubes drain all power the vessel has and even portion of the reserves. As such the Morte fleet only uses them in limited numbers and rather it enjoys popularity with local defense units where abundant supplies make the Sturmjager's massive firepower makes it an effective force multiplier. The module at the front is the Sturmjager's command bridge which can also detach in emergency and act as a non warp-capable spaceship. Sturmjagers traditionally operate in groups of 4.

The Morte Empire also installed a network of space bases and warp jammer relays to prevent intruders to trespass their borders. While powerful enough to take on a few ships, these are still insufficient to prevent an actual fleet assault. The warp jammers also occasionally fail to sabotage the enemy's FTL methods and they penetrate deep into Morte territory. As such vigilance and constant fleet patrols are still a necessity. Aside from the borders the 3 planets, the 12 colony clusters and key industrial chokepoints are also outfit with various space defenses. Thanks to their concentrated nature these are slightly better at repelling attackers albeit without the fleet's assistance they still won't hold up against prolonged siege.

[KaiserAuto]

Name of nation:

The Pantheic Theocracy, also known as The Theocracy.

Species:

Pantheo


A generally weak race with impressive natural magical prowess, the Pantheo may be one of the most ancient races of Andromeda. Their natural limits being their physical weakness and short lifespans, all of this would be surpassed with their magical knowledge combined with their knowledge and information. The Pantheo are a race who prize themselves in their technopathy, which is what has lead them to ascend beyond their genetical limitations thanks to untold eras of arcane evolution. The pantheo are a race who believe entirely in the creeds of Unity, and therefore are very unaccepting of other, non-spirit bound species.

Description of government:

Following it's creed of theology and technopathy, the grand rulers of the Pantheic have become those who are best connected with the arcanum, and those who are in connection with the Voldreic, they who lurk beyond life. These great mageos' are called and named after their deeds, ranked through the system of accomplishment based on forging and discovery through their technopathic prowess and arcane connection to the world of the Voldreic. The Pantheic Creed, named after the destiny which should be followed, is the name of the council of which the fourteen Great Forgers reside and rule. Those within the Creed are executive masters of their own world castes. They are supposed to be the very beacon of which guides their very own caste, the figures of divine prospects. The Great Forgers are guided by the Voldreic, and the Voldreic have a symbiotic relationship with the Great Forgers, these relationships are based on cosmic energy traded for Arcane energy.

The Voldreic are beings of pure arcane energy, living between the realms of matter and energy, within the space that the arcane realm resides. The Voldreic, whilst basically unlimited, are ruled by a hierarchy of Voldreic lords, the greatest of all being Furnyak, this being stands unbound to any Great Forger, however untold numbers have tried to bind him much like his powerful siblings. Furnyak stands as the absolute ruler of the Theocracy, whilst he stands unknowing of this matter, should he come into contact with the Pantheo and unknowingly order them around, they'd follow his rule unconditionally.

The Pantheic Creed, or commonly refered to as The Creed, stands only as the central governance system. They rule based on important and theocracy-wide matters, the Creed does not have 100% responsibility over the Theocracy. Beneath the Creed stand four grand councils known as the Sector Creed, one lower creed for each sector. There is yet another section of Creeds, there is a gathering known as the Planetary Creed, this creed rules over the planet based on the will of the Sector creed of it's sector. The Sector creed rules based on the will of the central Creed.

There are untold amounts of 'pawn' creeds under each planets rule, due to the somewhat self-governaning nature of the planets, the amount of 'pawn' creeds avalible to the castes of civilians are innumerable. The greatest 'pawn' creed, however, is the Seldari Creed. The Seldari creed is a civilian creed with surprising authority on the planet of Burnbar, the central world of military pressence. This Creed stands dominant in their belief that rather than centralize military pressence on one world, the Central Creed should relocate the military into space.

Description of military:

The Kharnac Military Creed
The pantheo, utilize a caste system of which all things are decided. This caste system stands central in all beliefs, even as to what you are, as a pantheic individual, allowed to do. The only exception of this fact stands amongst the military. The highly theocratic nature of the military, and their direct contact with the Voldreic, have made the Theocracy military into an Order of knightly duty. Soldiers having often thrown away their sense of individuality in the face of the Voldreic, rising, standing, and falling only for their sakes. The Soldier's Creed, dictated by the Great Forger Minfubyr Kharnac, is the following of which every warrior of Kharnac devotes their self to. Minfubyr Kharnac, vessel of the Voldreic Lamarr, is the very avatar of warfare in the eyes of Pantheic citizens, and his military creed is the largest and most traditional.

The Teachings of the Great Forger Minfubyr Kharnac are those of the Cosmic scale, his impressive mindboggling ability to design and craft spacecraft who seem to defy their limitations thanks to Kharnac's ability to craft Wells of Arcanum. Great Forgers are the pillars of which everything in the Theocracy are built, they are those who build the foundations and craft the schematics.

The Redomitor Class warship stands as the example warship of which Minfubyr Kharnac built his legacy. Having all that which made Kharnac famous amongst his fellow Great Forgers, the Redomitor Class stands able to seperate and adapt. Through the construction of sub-dimensional arcanum rails the Redomitor Class is perfectly able to relocate it's modules into different locations, due to this, the Redomitor Class effectively boasts several different combinations for multiple different scenarios. The Redomitor Class was first issued as a highly luxorious cruiser for the large quantity of superior caste pantheics, but later when it was reserviced as a warship it was used as a support ship with vast adaptability.

The Pijkar Class warship would be the second time that Kharnac would show his absolute brilliance. Thanks to this creation, Kharnac was exalted into the Prime Creed, an elite sub-creed within the central Creed. The Pijkar class warship, named after the Pantheic word for 'Pillar', were the creations of which the then somewhat peaceful Theocracy managed to escape enslavement. The Pijkar Class warship holds the same adaptability of the previous Redomitor Class warship (by this age it had been reserviced from civil to military vessel) and the two classes worked incredibly well together in service. The Pijkar is equipped to take on other capital class warships, but it is able to adapt to many scenarios.

The Shak Umbrah Class module was something first theorised by Great Forger Kadrak Umbrah but later on adapted and reinvented by Kharnac. The Shak Umbrah Class module is a sub-system which could be fitted unto any warship of Kharnac. These sub-systems can also relocated and adapt itself through the use of arcanum rails, and thus it can be anything from an assault corvette to a large transport. The module is unable to adapt should it be recognized as a transport until it has unloaded its cargo.

Finally, there is the ultimate and final creation of the Kharnac legacy, the Prophet of Lamarr. Kharnac, faced with the horrors of his beloved Theocracy once again at war, now with an even stronger foe than they who came before, he was put into a very difficult situation. After deep, zealous meditation within the chambers of the Creed and besides the true Well of Arcanum, he was blessed with an idea. Some say that it was Lamarr, one of the female Voldreic, who whispered her words of wisdom into his subconcious after feeling pity for her anchor to the physical world. Kharnac took his legacy of unparralled spaceship construction and countless years of knowledge with him and began construction. The great shipyard world of Qaryak being the host of his final will. After hundreds of years, and almost certain defeat, Kharnac was finished and forth from the very core of the earth sprang forth a pillar which rose from surface to earth in one fell body. It held the typical Arcanum rail system and was in constant adaptation, however the core pillar and the very central motor remained unchanged. Whilst they, themselves did move, they did not change location via Arcanum rails.

The Prophet of Lamarr would then show it's might for the world, and with it's rise from the earth into the heavens like the titan which it was, Kharnac disappeared, taking a legacy of unparralled construction with him. Only Lamarr stood present, now with mortal form, as the Prophet.

The Kadrak Umbrah Military Creed
Much like her beloved Kharnac, Kadrak Umbrah brough incredible prosperity during her time, and her technological genius revolutionized the technopathic natures of her nation and all it held dear. Unlike Kharnac, Umbrah believed in the art of ground warfare, and she was more firm a believer in the hostile ways of other species, and began construction of military equipment first hand, not as a second resolve. Umbrah had many arcane forgery skills under her belt, much like Kharnac, however she had her own way of creating them. Initially Umbrah was a simple youthful dreamer, creating things as they fit her fancy, but with aid from the gifted genius Kharnac, Umbrah was also shown the ways of shaping technology through magic. In this case, she was far more a genius than Kharnac would ever become. The believers of Kadrak Umbrah's Military Creed hold themself in high esteem for they are the Progenitors. They Protect and serve through the selfless sacrifice of themselves in 'actual' combat.

Umbrah's initial construction, and the key to her ascendance into the central Creed as a Great Forger, the Doxcal would reinvent the idea of military doctrine and shake the foundations of military society. Due to the incredibly weak nature of natural Patheics, warfare fought on the ground sounded like nothing but a weak imagination. But thanks to Umbrah's ability to insert her magical ability into the Doxcal Armor she was able to create something that was both capable, agile and familiar to Pantheic culture, a humanoid battle A.I. Using basic knowledge and slight aid given to her by the Great Forger Mymf Khan, she was able to create a very basic (by Pantheo standards) battle A.I. named Doxcal. No real Arcanum Railing was utilized in the operation of Doxcal because Umbrah was unable to create an suitable A.I. that could handle Arcanum Railing principles. The Doxcal system is currently in service extensively, and whilst it is incredibly old technology compared to present date, it has been updated and refitted extensively, however, the initial Doxcal system has not been recoded.

Due to the resurface of ground combat avalibility for the Theocracy, the idea of ground combat became far more requested than ever before. Thanks to the demand of battle enhanced Pantheic ground forces, Umbrah began to converse extensively with Kharnac on transportation and technological ideas and theories, but most of all, they discussed God. Umbrah came up with a solution to the problem of weak physique and she requested that Kharnac'd create an adequet transportation system for Pantheic troops. Her solution was the Subject's Armor. The main point of the Subject's Armor was it's enormous adaptability, due to the subject being pantheic, they'd be able to handle the control of multiple Arcanum Rails, the amount depending on your arcane prowess. Not only was it a highly versatile and adaptable piece of armor, but it was also an equipment that helped create the hierarchy of the followers of Kadrak Umbrah's Military Creed. This armor was made as a hail to her love interest Kharnac, and thus, unto every armor she'd personally forge, there were the words 'May Kharnac live as Steel, ever eternal in my care'

After the Final War and Kharnac's disappearance, Umbrah was heart broken, her very body rejecting her life support apparatus. It was a hard time for Umbrah and she went through untold phases of crisis as she shut herself off from everything, even her own Voldreic pantheon, Gassus. She refrained from even her religious beliefs for untold years, but Gassus understood. As the Voldreic most commonly connected with love and apathy, it would be no wonder he granted her peace at his own cost. Gassus sacrificed his well being, cosmic energy, for the sake of Umbrah's deluded love in Kharnac, the great prodigy Progenitor.

Countless years passed and she came, finally, to her senses, or as positive as it could possibly become, she attended the Creed and brought but one word with her to council. Create. The Great Forgers looked at her in surprise, because they were currently undergoing debate with the Voldreic Krygg about how they could possibly recreate the ships of which Kharnac had designed and produced. She then mysteriously left, and what was left of her, epochs after her passing, were the schematics of both the Deraphyx armor, a very advanced version of the Subject's armor, and the Stellar Guardian. Umbrah, she was gone with the wind, but Gassus lingered still.

Technological Overview:

The Theocracy has always prized themselves in their arcane prowess, and thanks to their prowess, they were able to come into contact with the Volreic, beings from the very beginning of time itself, due to their symbiosis between the selected forefathers and the greatest of the Volreic, The Pantheic species has prospered and advanced to their prime ages long since past, the Pantheic race has existed for an enormous amount of time, and they have always kept to their own four systems, never to bother anyone. Their lack of military prowess and advanced technology revealed them to be wonderful treats for not only pirates, but also neighboring stellar empires. Everything ever designed by Pantheic minds was meant for defence, with the sole exception of three out of four of Umbrah's core creations.

Due to their peace loving attitude, they tend to meddle amongst themselves, they rather be kept to themselves, left undisturbed to discover to truths of Andromeda, and maybe, possibly, the universe. The technological advancements of the Theocracy, however, are hard to come by, and the theocracy has issued an age system based on Progenitors and their accomplishments. Whilst all Great Forgers are powerful and mighty crafters, not all are able to advance the Theocracy into technological enlightenment.

Progenitors are people of unparralled skill and genius, they are called progenitors because they are believed to be the reincarnations of previous masterminds. The latest progenitors were four skilled Great Forgers: Minfubyr Kharnac, Kadrak Umbrah, Mymf Khan, and Kralk Ybril. Ages are designated depending on the prowess and advancement, but also the amount of progenitors present. The current age which passed was the Age of Khralnac, the word is a Pantheic 'holy word play' which combines the Pantheic signs and create one sign out of it.

In a nutshell, the Theocracy is very advanced, however, they have passed their golden age of advancement, and are desperately clinging onto the derelicts of ages long since past, and creations of lost Progenitors. The central Creed is undergoing a terrible crisis in which it desires access to creation of Arcanum rails on massive scale, however their God, the Volreic Furnyark refuses to heed the Creeds requests for conversation and the Military Creeds are selfishly searching for their lost prophets, Kharnac and Umbrah. Yet two Progenitors lurk in the shadows, unheard of for epochs, only to return once more.

The most advanced pieces of technological mastery would certainly be the Well of Arcanum, it is a massive mechanical creation, stored within the crust of the Pantheo homeworld. This figurative well is what connects the Arcane realm with the material realm of existence. It is the source of unrivalled divine energy and it is the only known place in the galaxy where Voldreic's are able to manifest themselves in the material realm. The well is also a source of unparraleled energy output, powering almost the entire world exclusively through the use of the well.

Another important thing to note is that, whilst incredibly able in the ways of arcane science, the Theocracy is far more limited on the true scientific spectrum, which is the main reason they have no possible way to FTL travel. The only real thing on the verge of FTL travel technology would be Umbrah's Deraphyx armor, which has the ability to semi-phase into the arcane realm, but the Deraphyx, much like the Stellar Guardian, are unconstructable by any of the current Great Forgers.

The technology which the Theocracy seeks after the most is a way to bring the Voldreic's into the material realm. The Theocracy has no idea of how to do so, however, and maybe that is for the best? Progenitors Mymf Khan and Kralk Ybril desire the ability to forge celestial objects.

Cultural Overview:

The Pantheic Theocracy has a diverse culture, however it stands shallow in comparison to their technological advancements. Where some empires, federations, or dominions may have painters, sculptors or singers, the Theocracy has shapers and spellweavers. beside the towering pillars of the highest caste, between the skyscrapers of the middle castes and amongst the small houses of the lower caste there are performers of untold number doing anything from shaping and sculptoring metals into great constructors of imagination, but also spellweavers creating clouds and storms of wonderful emotion made manifest.

The streets of the Theocracy are rich with the pantheic culture and that is evident only thanks to the massive amount of caste discrimination evident everywhere but amongst the Great Markets. Every city holds a Great Market, a religious symbol of unity and a feeling of symbiosis. Where otherwise distant, people may commune and spend time amongst those below, or above them. All the whilst tasting the foods of the Theocracy. Even if genetically grown, the pantheo sure know how to cook a splendid dish of traditional Qu'kal. (famous Theocracy dish)

History:

The ancient people of Pantheo have known many trials, many tests of their own stability and throughout their eons of pressence, maybe even annhiliation had faced their doors. Truth be told, not even the Great Forger Mahrn di Kharn Baar, would know what happened beyond the frame of two eons. Whilst it may sound like incredible amounts of time for anyone of logical lifespan, the arcano-technum of the Pantheic people granted them seemingly immortal life since a long time past. The oldest documentation of pre-Origino Pantheic history was recorded a very long time ago, it described their colonization of their neighboring celestial body; the moon Lumino.

Skip a couple hundred thousand years and you approach the Origino-period, the time of enlightenment. The initial Great Forger, Garakai Kharn forged a contact with a Voldreic under their symbiotic contract. This would lead into what would be called, as stated before, the Origino-period, named because it marks the basic origination of their current way of life. Within hundred years the first Progenitor dawns to life, Botan Khuul Baak. This man is legendary amongst the Pantheo as the creator of the Well of Arcanum, he brought forth the Age of Enlightenment. Many more Voldreic made themselves shown due to the power of the Well, no longer were there any limitation to which Voldreic you'd be able to contact through arcane power alone. Many became hosts, and the Voldreic hierarchy was adjusted based on the dynamic status of the Great Forgers.

Many years later, at the end of the Age of Enlightenment, Botan dies and his final words fall on deaf ears, literally. Next to him sat the Great Forger Khaal, named after Botan. Khaal was a mute, but he would be an essential individual in times to come. Botan left to the ethereal worlds with a smile on his somewhat mortal lips.

Untolds Epochs later, skipping due to somewhat repeating history, the Empire of Firox, a neighboring power would invade the boarders of the Theocracy due to it's bountiful prize, and easy defeat, the Firox thought that they could simply roll over the Theocracy, however a mute lord, now known as the Initial Prophet, stopped their advances solemnly. All through the power of the greatest contract ever forged, and semi-contract with the God himself, Furnyak.

Details are not the strongest suit of the great librarian, he who labels history, he did, however, manage to record endless amounts of history over unimaginable periods of time in the Pantheics existence. These are directly taken from his databank, under the jurisdiction Quadrant Complex

Other:

Whilst the Theocracy has seen many terrors and attacks of multiple qualities and kinds, they are completely unaware as to the fact of computational viruses. The Theocracy are also in a state of crisis between two Ages, and are therefore in certain dissarray

[Commodore Robot]

Chelonian Dominion

Name of nation: The Chelonian Dominion
Species: Chelonians are vaguely humanoid beings hailing from a high gravity world. Chelonians have three sets of limbs: a primary pair of arms, legs, and a smaller set of 'social arms.' The primary arms and legs are very thick to support their bodies while the social arms which jut from the middle of their torso are comparatively small and thin. Social arms are normally kept hidden by clothing, the revelation of the social arms is normally used as a sign of trust or as a symbolic sign of coming to an agreement. All Chelonian extremities have 4 digits. The most notable aspect of the Chelonian is the large leathery shell like growth which covers their back and shoulders as well as provides their namesake. Unlike the terran creatures to which they bear a cursory resemblance, the shell is not a defense mechanism. Current Chelonian evolutionary theory states that the shell was used by their ancestors in much the same way as a camel's hump: to store nutrients for times of food scarcity. Chelonians have leathery skin which come in various dark shades such as of browns, purples, greens, and blacks. Several areas around the Chelonian body are UV reflective, these patches forming elaborate and beautiful patterns around their body in a spectrum invisible to many races. Their eyesight is heavily slanted towards the ultraviolet to the point where they cannot properly make out several shades of the color red. Because of this Chelonian art is oft considered drab and boring as much of the color cannot be seen by non-Chelonians. Chelonians also display a natural resistance to radiation which is likely responsible for their ascension to the spot of top dog on Chelona. Chelonians range from 1.4 to 2.5m in height.

Description of government

Bureaucracy. The Chelonian dominion has gone through so many regime changes in its three thousand year history that "Who rules the Dominion?" is an utterly irrelevant question. The head of the Dominion changes so often that the accepted title for those who rule the Dominion is "Vaata-Kreg" which literally translates to "the rulers" in order to minimize the amount of official documentation that needs to change with the new government. The current Vaata-Kreg is some form of council, though how they were elevated to the position is a mystery to the average Chelonian citizen. The one constant truth in the life of the Dominion is the Bureaucracy which serves as the true ruling body of the nation. The bureaucratic apparatus which keeps the Dominion running has been in place since the foundation of the Dominion many thousands of years ago and has only grown since its introduction. The Bureaucracy is a mindbogglingly inefficient system as every action that has the potential to effect the Dominion as a whole must pass through the Home Office on the Homeworld. This includes everything from the authorization for clearing arable land to movements of fleets and armies. Were the Dominion a small empire this would not be an issue, but with over eighty systems to administer the task is a truly herculean one. Even with FTL communication it can take months for requests to even reach the Home office, let alone get approval or rejection. The homeworld, Chelona, has entire cities dedicated to massive megastructures which house nothing but offices, server banks, and the homes of bureaucrats in order to keep the entire Dominion from collapsing in on itself. To its credit the massively bloated government of the Dominion has proven itself capable of doing its job, though only in a heavy handed and rather tyrannical manner.

Because of its massive size the Bureaucracy is not a singular entity. It is instead broken up into hundreds of smaller ministries which all cover individual areas. Some examples include the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Propaganda, the Ministry of Space Transit, the Ministry of Paper Stamping, or the Ministry of Paper Stamping Oversight. To ensure a lack of corruption a full half of all government ministries are Oversight ministries whose goal is to ensure the proper running of other ministries. There is also another layer of division among Ministries as all are further divided into Planetary, Sectorial, and Dominion branches with respectively broader scope.

While Vaata-Kreg may change the rest of the government largely remains the same. Whether styling themselves an emperor, president, or god king the first thing a new ruler attempts to do to the Dominion is fix the bureaucracy and string up the bureaucrats as they are the ones who likely created the situation that led to the change of power. However even cursory examination would reveal that the system is simply too complex and too entrenched to remove. Even killing off the various directors and secretaries of the ministries would prove more disastrous than simply letting them keep their positions as it is virtually impossible to train someone to take their place. In other words the true leader of the Dominion is not the Vatta-Kreg, but the Vaata-Kreg's Chief Undersecretary of the Home Office of the Ministry of the State: Dominion Branch as they are the ones who are tasked with bringing things to the Vaata-Kreg's attention as well as getting the Vaata-Kreg's orders out to the various ministries. They wield all of this power without any fear of losing their heads if things turn south because they are the only ones capable of doing their job.

Description of military: A great chelonian thinker once said "those who revel in war are fools, but those who cannot wage it are extinct." The Dominion is not a particularly warlike nation, but it is a paranoid and expansionistic one. If they can avoid entering into a full scale war they will gladly do so, but they will not back down if threatened. The military is easily the most efficient part of the Dominion though it is still constrained by the all pervasive red tape.

The Planetary Forces of the Dominion are built around combined arms tactics and high-mobility. Having never developed caterpillar tracks Chelonian tanks are exclusively of the hover variety. Chelonian hover tanks are built to also have limited ability to serve as personnel carriers and can carry a squad of troopers into battle. Dedicated APCs are still used with the largest capable of moving entire platoons of troops around the battlefield and serve as mobile field bases. Power armored troops are not uncommon and serve as fast attack units and flankers. The primary weapon used by Planetary Forces are C/EM weaponry. C/EM weapons are a hybrid of a conventional chemical projectile weapon and a coilgun. This hybridization allows for greater versatility when compared to purely Electromagnetic weapons as the lower velocity of the chemical projectile allows for a greater variety of ammunition types to be used. The use of a chemical propellant also gives the weapon a comparable velocity to pure EM weapons with a lower total energy expenditure and ability to function after EMP attack though with an admitted drop in performance. Lasers are common for anti-air and ordinance use.

The Space Forces of the Dominion are built around being robust. Chelonian warships are highly compartmentalized and designed to take as much damage as possible before succumbing. Chelonian ships lack any form of artificial gravity. Instead all decks are oriented perpendicular to the main drives to give gravity while the drives are running, and most ships have a spin section to give the crew quarters some semblance of gravity while idle. Primary ship based weapons are laser and graser cannons as well as copious amounts of missile weapons. Chelonian anti-ship missiles are almost exclusively bomb-pumped lasers whereas ground support ordinance is typically delivered in the form of kinetic kill vehicles or antimatter triggered fusion bombs.

Technological Overview

The Chelonians are a relatively advanced species, likely being on par with the galaxy at large, if one were to pick out something 'special' about Chelonian development it would have to be antimatter. Virtually all high technology in the Dominion is run on matter-antimatter annihilation from starship drives to FTL Comms, rift gates, and even some war machines. However it is worth noting that antimatter is not used in any direct role in weapons technology, the only example contrary to this is the small amounts of antimatter used to trigger much cheaper and reliable fusion weapons. Chelonian scientists found that antimatter beams tended to not have any major advantage over regular particle beams which themselves are not very common weapons in the Chelonian arsenal. To produce the massive amounts of antimatter needed to keep a star fairing empire running the Dominion rely on antimatter worlds. Antimatter worlds are planets close to their local star that lack valuable resources for mining or have already been exhausted that are then seeded with self-replicating machines. The machines begin to cover the planet pole to pole in solar panels which are then linked to massive equatorial particle accelerators which convert the star's rays into the precious lifeblood of the Dominion. Antimatter worlds produce massive amounts of antimatter per year, often in the kilotons, but this is quickly broken up among the hundreds of worlds, colony clusters, stations, and space ships which desperately need them throughout the Dominion. It is worth noting that there are only a handful of antimatter worlds in the entire dominion, the destruction or disruption of operations of even a single world would have catastrophic consequences on the Dominion's infrastructure. The loss of two antimatter worlds would likely be enough to create chaos so massive even the bureaucrats would have trouble surviving its effects.

FTL travel is achieved through "rift drives" which open tunnels into a dimension known as 'No-Space.' To ease transit between worlds of the Dominion the Chelonians have erected massive rift gates which create stable no-space rifts between the many worlds of the Dominion. Only military vessels have their own rift drives, all other vessels (owned by major trading houses on government contract or other ministries as civilian ownership of space craft is highly controlled when not banned outright) must rely on the gates to move about.

The Ins and outs, rules and regulations, do’s and don’ts of Faster than Light Travel

-FTL is not instantaneous
-There is an upper speed limit to FTL, it just hasn’t been found yet for reasons below
-To increase FTL velocities linearly, energy expenditures must increase exponentially
-Energy expenditures scale linearly with mass, so that’s nice.
-Velocity is not conserved upon entrance or exit of No Space
-Instead, ships leave No Space at an arbitrary 27.882m/s. The science is still out on that one
-Large celestial bodies have an effect on No Space, their mass or gravity creates a “rift shelf” inside of which ships cannot enter No Space and bodies in No Space are forced out into real space at the edge of the shelf.
-Rifts collapse when the object keeping them open is no longer supplying energy in real-space (eg. once a ship enters no-space, the rift collapses behind it)
-Upon collapse, properly formed rifts generate large spikes of radiation creating an easily detectable “rift signature”
-”stable” rifts require precise measurements down to the femtocoulomb of a ship and its surrounding space, nobody is going to be travelling through no-space without some incredible computational power. Exabytes of data go into jump plotting, it is not something you eyeball lest you want your crew to be atomized
-Miscalculations in rift generation result in unstable links between real and no-space
-Unstable rifts last for only nanoseconds before they collapse in on themselves incredibly violently releasing energy orders of magnitude greater than matter-antimatter annihilation

Cultural Overview: Chelonian culture is on the surface highly regimented and honor based with great emphasis placed on one's station. For example, Chelonian names do not reflect family ties but instead reflect past and current employment. Due to this Chelonians can be expected to have their names grow over time to reflect their job history which is a double edged sword. Those with few names can, depending on the occupation, either be construed as shiftless and stuck in a dead-end loop or can be considered to be trustworthy and honest. Contrasting this those with many names either show great ambition and intelligence provided the work gets better as the name goes on, or they show that the individual cannot hold down a job and is likely riddled with vice or other deficiencies. Respect for one's superiors is considered universal but they are still a pragmatic people and tend not to abide by idiocy even if it is committed by an immediate superior.

On the flip side of this, Chelonians are a very clannish people and tend to form groups based on occupation, social standing, or family ties. The more affluent guilds who control entire world's worth of industry do battle in the shadows in an endless war of assassins as they jockey for political and financial power. Many a Vaata-Kreg has ascended to the spot thanks to being relatives or guild mates of an important undersecretary. Getting a guildmate into an important Ministry position is often all that is needed to give a guild an edge on its adversaries.

Chelonians have hit a relative peak in terms of prosperity and have been living in a warped kind of golden age for the past millennium. The average Chelonian lives comfortably and can afford quite a few luxuries and a large amount of personal freedom despite living in what even the most idiotic would call a police state. Police do not require such niceties as warrants or probable cause to arrest individuals suspected of breaking the law. Denouncements are a regular part of guild squabbles. Repeat offenders are mind-wiped and used as manual labor in jobs other races might use robots for. To remind the entire galaxy that the Dominion is not a totally swell place, by order of the 88th Vaata-Kreg the Dominion undergoes a bicentennial culling of its population wherein all 'undesirable' genotypes are removed from the breeding population to stop degradation of the Chelonian genome, foster worthwhile mutations, and eradicate dead end mutations.

History: The Dominion's history stretches back several millenia. The Dominion has been around since before the invention of the internal combustion engine and has remained more or less constant ever since. The most notable event in Chelonian history is also the event that gave rise to the Dominion. Thousands of years before the Dominion's founding, Chelona was assaulted by an uncharacteristically high amount of solar radiation. While the causes of this remain unknown to this day, a respected theory is that it was a gamma ray burst from the death of a distant star, far enough away to not sterilize the world but also close enough to cause incredible harm. The radiation bombarded Chelona's surface and ripped away much of the planet's ozone layer immediately. During this radiation storm, Auroras filled the night sky of Chelona. The Chelonians, being naturally radiation resistant like much of Chelona's fauna, were initially unharmed by this event and some writings from the time even refer to "The day of Lights" as an omen of hope for the future. Unfortunately for them it was to be far from a hopeful omen.

The radiation and subsequent erosion of the planet's radiation defenses kicked off a massive population explosion in several species of pseudo-plankton around the world. Before long there was a worldwide case of red tide, the effects of which were various and universally devastating. the pseudo-plankton, themselves toxic, ended up choking out species who served as common prey for larger creatures. This led to an oceanic domino effect, leaving entire coastal areas barren and lifeless. The dominoes continued to fall from there. The mass extinction event is thought to have led to the extinction of over half of all ocean life on Chelona.

The Chelonian people of the time were generally akin to early iron age civilizations, not advanced enough to stand up to such massive devastation. The great states of the era were wiped out in the unrest brought on by massive ecological destruction. The global Chelonian population shrank by two-thirds during this period and would not reach pre-downfall levels again until well beyond the founding of the Dominion. Scholars have traced the origins of the Dominion to this dark age. The first Vaata-Kreg was a powerful warlord who was able to rally much of the surviving Chelonian population together through his efficient system of management and iron will. The system outline by the first Vaata-Kreg would later evolve into the bureaucratic hellscape that is the modern Dominion. At the time however, its organization allowed order to overcome chaos and reestablished the rule of law around the world. The first Vaata-Kreg then made his way across the world, conquering all who would kneel before him and exterminating those who would not. After nearly two centuries and a dozen Vaata-Kregs, all of Chelona was united under one banner and the Age of Dominion began in earnest.

Other: Space turtle dystopia. What's not to love? They're meant to be a comparatively massive empire(tentative estimate of 30 stars but this can change) that is so insanely inefficient that they can be incredibly easily out-maneuvered(strategically, tactically is another story) and out-foxed.

[Apollo26]

--The Septonian Concordant--

Capital Planet-
The Capital of the Septonium Concordant is Taoshe, it is a lush green planet with a temperate climate. The planet is a mixture of lush multicolored grass like expanses, Alpine territories and large rough oceans. The coastal territories and the oceans are a big contrast from the beautiful expanses of the inner regions. Storms are frequent along the coast and it rains most of the 24 month year, making the seas extremely rough. This is due to the gravity of the binary star Shao XI and the planets 3 moons. Taoshe is the Executive center of the concordant and is also home to the central military headquarters.

Planets-
The core four planets in the empire lie within the binary star system of Shao XI are Taoshe, Haloh, Icarus and Jalag other worlds are named based the date at which they were found, allied or conquered. The concordant does maintain large space stations in the large expanses between planets.

Taoshe- Center of government, seat of military and political power. Three moons ( Tao 1-3) are frozen methane balls.

Haloh- The agricultural center of the Concordant and home to the top architectural and engineering universities. Haloh is the heartland of the concordant, 50% of its surface is farmland. Haloh is also the trading capital of the Concordant and home to many of the International corporations of the concordant. This is a major tourist center because of the large amount of history.

Icarus- The largest and most desolate planet in the system, made up of large deserts, giant gorges, canyons and mountains. The lower hemisphere is a weapons testing ground for the military while the upper hemisphere is home to the diplomatic universities of the Concordant.

Jalag- A large manufacturing world, protected by the three other core planets. Jalag is home to the biggest naval port in the Concordant. Jalag is a major manufacturing world and is home to the majority of the weapons plants that service the military

Leader-The current chairman of the Concordant is Valag Timonus

Government- The Septonium Concordant is a Republic with a large senatorial body, laws and other decisions of the state are governed by this body. Senators are chosen from the ranks of the military, selection is based on merit and honor in combat. The Septonium Concordant is a military state, the military funds, directs and oversees all actions made by the state. Non-military assets and military assets share a nice relationship and cooperate readily, helping in anyway they can in non military matters. It is not uncommon for military transports to transport building materials for civilians builders and it is common to see the military pull in civilians help for humanitarian missions. The Concordant's second largest body is the diplomatic corps which handles all foreign relations and non-combat missions. Because of the slow recruitment and training time for recruits the concordant cannot sustain large military campaigns. Peace and Diplomacy have become paramount for the concordant and military action is seen as a very last resort.

Population- The radiation given off by the binary star makes most of the planets in the system inhospitable. With the exception of the Aradites, the native population of the Septonium Concordant, there are savage feral beings that inhabit other worlds in the system. The total population of the Concordant is 10 billion.

Species-The Aradites are the only species in the Septonium Concordant, they are a odd humanoid like species that have adapted to their radiation rich environment. The binary system Shao XI is home to 12 worlds, four of which are inhabited by the Aradites, the rest are inhabited by feral beasts which are the mutated remnants of past civilizations.

Race Name- Aradites


Habitat- The core planets all have temperate climates with long winter and spring like seasons. Aradites can adapt to almost any climate but prefer cooler temperatures typically associated with alpine terrain.

Appearance- Aradite physiology is not to distant from human although a bit taller, they exhibit all the same reproductive organs and have all of the standard circulatory organs. Aradite skin is hard and leathery but appears smooth, slightly changing hue based on their mood. The Aradites have complex eyes that have a bright yellow/green color, their evolution as nomadic hunters has sharpened their eyesight and has given them a small amount of natural night vision.

Physiology-
-Tough leathery skin
- Resistance to radiation
-Bright complex eyes
-Magical Resistance- Radiation given off by the binary star has mutated the minds of the Aradites making them not only extremely mentally resilient but magical resistant. Mind altering sorcery will would require significantly more power or multiple casters to take effect. Small amounts of the population are also magic sensitive, allowing them to perceive and unknowingly reflect the spell being used,This would be easily detectable to any advanced magical beings. This magical resistance does not extend to physically damaging sorcery, the magical resistance only effects how Aradites perceive mind altering spells.

Personality- Aradites are honorable people who share a very strong nationalist bond . They are generally very accepting to outsiders and are polite and respectful , not wanting to offend any other being. Aradites are very easy to spin up however, giving them the stigma of being very hotheaded and brash. Aradite men usually are very headstrong and brave, competing to be chosen for senatorial slots or top positions in the Diplomatic Corps. Women are held in very high esteem in Aradite culture, venerated as symbols of beauty and elegance. Women compete alongside men for the same positions and are often more successful.

Lifespan/Birth/Aging- Aradites live for three to four centuries, the constant radiation given off from the binary stars has made them age extremely slow and has lessened the physical impact of aging. It is not uncommon to see a 200 year old Aradite who still looks like his 23 or 25 year old human equivalent. Child birth is very similar to human child birth except for the lack of an umbilical cord. Mating is usually for life due to long lifespans , it is not uncommon for a male to court a female for months before formal dating begins.

Language- Aradite language is Demioi, it is very elegant and smooth, native speakers often blend together words and speak very quickly making translation extremely difficult to the forgien ear. There are two Dialects of Demioi, Daimet and Dai'kat. Daimet is the informal version of the language and is spoken in everyday life, Dai'kat is dated and extremely formal. Dai'kat is only spoken at formal events and briefings.

Culture- Aradite culture revolves around honor in combat, honor in family and honor in life. Honor and prestige are very important in Aradite institutions and is the most common way to earn promotions and other merits. It is common for men and women to fight alongside each other in battle. Aradite women are fierce and elegant warriors along with being symbols of beauty, it is common to see wives and husbands in the same regiment or even squad.

Advantage Traits- Aradites have extremely good eyesight and hearing naturally, their evolution as nomadic hunters sharpened their hearing, eyesight and has given them a small amount of natural night vision.

Disadvantage Traits- Hotheaded, Naive, Some can be rather stuck up, Due to long life span Aradites do not reproduce much. Bare Aradite eyes glow at night and reflect light (Much like a cat)

Other Traits- Large, ornate and sometimes glowing tattoos along with piercings are becoming more popular with the Aradite communities in the core worlds.

Currency- Septonian Dari

Culture:
--Aradites are known for being extremely liberal in allowing use of Alcohol and certain psychedelic drugs. The military allows the use of both alcohol and drugs while on deployment as long as it does not effect their combat readiness.
-- When showing up to formal events, it is Aradite culture to bring gifts like food and wine. This can include a large amount of gifts and can sometimes overwhelm hosts.

Advantage Traits- The Septonian military is excellent, tempered by years of fighting feral beasts on the nearby worlds, each raw recruit enters a battalion with a year or two of actual combat experience. The Soldiers and Marines are extremely disciplined and field the best equipment known to the empire.

Disadvantage Traits- Debate in the senate is common, therefore it takes a long time to get major bills passed.
- Aradites share a strong nationalist bond that can lead to hostility.
- Some citizens can be rude, stuck up and prejudice towards other species

Other Traits- The Septonium Concordant has beautiful planets and is great at terraforming, they have a very open building style resembling the style of ancient Rome and Greece. Aradites are hospitable people and are generally very nice, even if they are a bit easy to rile up.
Most core planets distill there own wine, liquor and spirits, it is very strong and said to cause hallucinations and euphoria due to the ingredients. The ingredients are a closely guarded secrets among the families.

Aradite romantic novels are very long and drawn out, very similar to the dating style of the Aradites. These novels are very popular among some other species but are seen to be too long and slow for others.

History- When the Aradites evolved into a humanoid being they immediately began hunting and gathering, quickly becoming nomads. These nomad groups eventually met each other and created small settlements and attracted more people into these settlements. As time progressed Governments formed and nations were established around these former nomadic tribes, as the nations grew conflict between these nations became inevitable. A bloody period of war started, including three world wars and countless small conflicts over land and resources on the planet. The victor of these conflicts and the superpower on the planet was the Septonious family a strong a charismatic house known for their ruthless military and wealth. The family began to conquer the planet and by the end of the late modern age the entire planet was under Septonian control. The Septonian leadership installed the senate into the government and removed all the power from the monarchy and placed it in the hands of the senate, Most of the senators were old veterans from the different campaigns of conquest and a few scholars. Most of the senators came from the millitary's marine battalions and the diplomatic corps. The Septonium Concordant has since expanded to is current reaches and is still fighting ancient colonial battles with separatists.



Operations Branch: The Operations branch consists of the Navy, Army and Marine forces, these forces encompass the armed wing of the Concordant and preform three separate duties. The Navy serves in an offensive role and a transport/ exploration role as well as being the primary deployment platform for the Marine battalions. The marine battalions are the primary shock troops of the concordant, their primary duties are lightning fast raids and specialized offensives. They lack the ability to hold and occupy terrain however and deploy with limited resources. Occupation of territories is the army's primary duty, they deploy with a regiment of combat engineers to quickly build fortifications and other defensive structures. They are trained as military policemen to combat civilian threats along with military targets. Against specialized forces however the army lacks the same operational capability.

Diplomatic Branch: The diplomatic branch is the main voice of the concordant, some of the best minds in Foreign policy and galactic relations make up the Diplomatic corps staff. The Diplomatic Branch maintains a small fleet of specialized diplomatic shuttles and cruisers. Their primary duty is conflict avoidance and conflict resolution.

Agriculture/Colonial Branch: The A&C Branch is strictly a exploration and terraforming branch, their only duty is the exploration of new worlds and terraforming operations on other worlds to be colonized. They maintain a large fleet, second in size to the Operations branch. A company of marines is assigned to the A&C branch and all their vessels are unarmed.

Septonian Marines: Joining the military is a life choice for most Aradites, choosing to attend military academies at a very young age. Once accepted the new candidates are put through an intense curriculum of military history, tactical applications and operations, galactic history, Galatic culture and daily physical training. By their 5th or 6th year in the academy candidates are given the first round of bio- enhancements, these include mitochondrial and protein stimulants for increased muscle growth and computer assisted optical implants for another 10% boost in natural night vision. The curriculum continues until their 16th year when they are given their second and final round of enhancements. Veins and arteries are widened and a second small synthetic heart is implanted allowing for a higher blood flow and clotting speed, all marines have a identical scar under their left arm pit from the procedure. After graduating from the Academy, new marines are assigned to training platoons and sent to the neighboring worlds of Falkaide XXI or Harum VI to combat the feral beings there. This serves as operational training and tempers new marines to combat, the surviving marines are then relieved by the next group of fresh marines and are assigned to operational battalions. Marines spend 18-19 years in training including school and devote most of their lives to the military. Marines are heavily armed aiming for shock and awe, their weapons are made up of carbines , personal defense weapons and heavy shoulder launched rockets. However, they can be seen using a wide range of weaponry. All marines carry light shields to help against energy based attacks but are very weak.


MK-1M
-IRNV visual overlay
-Padded boots for sound reduction
-In helmet communications package
-Translation Package ( When language is analyzed)
-Thermal cloaking ( cooling gel imbedded in armor to hide thermal signature)
-Durasteel plates for kenetic protection
-Light Personal sheilds
-50% strength increase, 40% reflex increase, 50% increase in hearing, 100% hearing protection
-Re-breather package
-Buoyancy control

Septonian Army: The Army follows the same pipeline as the Marine candidates but are deployed to the contested planet of Gaiconda to fight the insurgency there. Surviving soldiers are assigned to operational companies and relieved by the next group of new soldiers. Soldiers carry a wide range of weapons and deploy with large surpluses of gear, they are heavily armed with main battle rifles and machine guns along with a wide range of artillery. Aradite Soldiers are usually better conditioned and stronger then their marine counterparts.


MK-1S
-IRNV visual overlay
-Padded boots for sound reduction
-In helmet communications package
-Translation Package
-Thermal cloaking ( cooling gel imbedded in armor to hide thermal signature)
-Durasteel plates for kenetic protection
-Light Personal sheilds
-30% strength increase, 20% reflex increase, 50% increase in hearing, 100% hearing protection
-Re-breather package
-Buoyancy control

Septonian Navy: Space travel is relatively new to the Aradites, what they lack in raw knowledge however they make up for with technology and mathematics. Aradite vessels are built from scaled durasteel under a sloped alloy like armor. vessels are commonly narrow at either and and smoothly bubble around the scaled durasteel to help kinetic projectiles glance off. All vessels have light to medium shields, able to absorb one or two energy based strikes before failing. The navy maintains the intelligence service for the concordant and a special warfare branch made up of 3 platoons of special forces and special operations operators.

JIIC ( Joint Internal Intelligence Command): The intelligence service for the concordant sometimes referred to as the "Laucomb" or hole by citizens. The JIIC tries it best to stay below the radar, even evading the Concordant's security measures. The JIIC is completely independent of the military branches and has its own leadership and funding, JIIC case officer and operators are considered some of the best trained operators in the Concordant.

Aries class : This is the biggest class of vessel in the fleet, carrying 12 missile pods, two forward facing magnetic accelerated torpedo tubes, 30 point defense turrets ( 10 fore, 10 mid, 10 aft) and space to carry a fighter squadron and a marine battalion with all of their gear and vehicles.


Carrier : 6 missile pods, one forward facing MAT, 20 point defense turrets, space for a fighter squadron and 2 companies of Marines.


Septum class : Three 120mm cannons , two forward facing MAT, 10 point defense turrets, capable of laying mines


Lahai class : Two 120mm cannons, One forward facing MAT, capable of laying mines,


Blackhole class: Excellent stealth and electronics suite, capable of laying mines, one forward facing MAT, 3 missile tube


Shrike Fighter(SA-18A)
Extremely fast and maneuverable both in orbit and in atmosphere.
- Hardpoints under the wings for mounting missiles and bombs
-Two 30mm cannons ( HE or AP tipped rounds)
-Physical and Electronic countermeasuer system ( Missile defeat and mild cloaking)


Faulk fighter Bomber (SC-1B)
Agile but heavily armored, lacking the speed of the Shrike fighter. Called "Vol'citerne" ( flying tank) by its pilots because of its ability to take tremendous damage and still fight.
-Large internal bomb and missile bay
- Two large 40mm Gatling cannons ( HE or AP tipped)
- 105mm MAC ( Magnetically accelerated cannon) mounted off center, used as an anti emplacement weapon or for punching holes in larger vessels



Kaave Dropship(IA-2)
Small Dropship, used mostly for stealth or special operations
-can carry up to 8 people with all of their gear
-20mm cannon mounted up front
-Virtually silent
-Radar cloaking

Laake (K-12)
Large Troop and gear transport/ Gunship
-Heavily armored and armed
-8 20mm air defense Gatling cannons
-Twin mounted 105mm cannon (front)
-Able to carry a company of troops with gear or able to carry large amounts of supplies


Assault Transport/ Gunship
KV-56
-Heavily armed and armored
-Can carry up to 16 troops with gear
-30mm gatling cannon (front)
- Hardpoints for missles under wings
- Gun ports for Machine guns

Septonian weaponry: All Aradite weapons are magnetically accelerated, which fire a small caseless projectile, these rounds are often high explosive or armor piercing tipped.

Standard squad level machine gun for Aradite ground forces.
- Able to be operated by one person
-Portable and relatively light
-Fires the equivalent of a 7.92×57mm round
-capable of 1200 rounds a minute
-Only fires in Full auto

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Standard battle rifle for Aradite Ground forces,
-Extremely accurate in Semi Auto
-Fires the equivalent of a 338 Lapua round
- Able to be fitted with different optics and electronics
- Fires in Semi, 2 round burst and Full auto
-27 round magazine


Heavy Sniper rifle, designed as an anti-material rifle but is commonly used against soft targets ( Other beings)
-Fires the equivalent of 30mm round
-Capable of destroying soft targets at extreme range
-Capable at piercing light to medium armor at long to medium ranges
-Can be fitted with electronics
-8 round magazine
-Integrated scope allows the user to aim using their suits HUD


Standard Assault rifle for Aradite ground forces
-Fires the equivalent of a 7.62x54 round
-can be fitted with optics and electronics
-Fires in Semi, 4 round burst and Full Auto
-30 round magazine

Standard Rocket launcher, commonly used to take down light armored vehicles or stationary emplacements
-Carries an AP warhead
-Dumb rocket ( no tracking)
-Armor penetration at Medium to long range
-Target destruction at medium to short range


Heavy Rocket launcher, commonly used against heavily armored targets
-Large Armor piercing warhead
-toggle-able delay timer
-Fire and Forget warhead ( must lock on first)
-Toggle-able dumb fire option
-Anti-ground preferred ( can be used against anti-air)


Shoulder fired Surface to Air Missile
-High speed AP warhead
-Fire and forget ( must lock on)
- multiple warheads in each missiles (6 warheads)


Carried by officers and nobles

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Mounted Recoilless cannon, used as a stationary emplacement weapon
-105mm warhead
-AP or HE warheads available
- Able to punch through heavy armor

[Alfhedil]

"We are eternal, machine, for though you see us as something very different, we are the very same who roamed the surface of our world eons ago. My flesh is the same flesh another like me wore thousands of years ago, and their flesh was the same born by an ancestor of theirs thousands of years before their time. It is something that cannot be stopped, cannot be altered. This flow of time, of life and death. There is no such thing as change, machine, for what you perceive as something different, is merely your flawed conception of the universe."

Hel-Kyrbdis addressing Precept Adrasteia

The Dominion

The Dominion of Arikeshxi Tarixis-Narikuli

Species:

To describe the species of the Dominion, one must first look at the ecosystem of the worlds the Dominion inhabits. Each world, no matter how large they may be, or what kind of star they orbit, is dominated by a sulfur-rich environment dominated by the Shevaxisi-Torand Sil or World-Forest. These forests extend across the surface of their worlds, with sprawling seas of sulfuric acid and chlorine clouds roaming where the branches do not cover. Beneath the boughs of the massive forests, is where life begins for the Dominion, and where it will one day end as well.

Upon the branches of the Arikeshxi trees the larval stage is grown from fruit-like pods which eventually drop to the ground to seed the next stage of life. Here is where life branches out into the many varied flora and fauna of the worlds, with the seeds sprouting into either form. Should they sprout into flora, this will be the end of the cycle for that particular seed, as they will form into what is needed to maintain the ecosystem and persist as such until they are harvested by the Tarix-Na or other creatures. The variety of animal species that form from the seeds can vary greatly, the herbivores tending to shift more towards lithe reptillian forms so as to climb the Arikeshxi trees and harvest fruits, while the carnivorous forms adapt into larger, more feline forms to overpower their prey.

In this second form, the species spends several years depending upon their specific form and region, some living for up to a century before they instinctually gain the desire to leave the spawning grounds and enter synthesis. Those who either perish before leaving the forests, or never gain the desire at all take root where they lay at the end of their lives, returning to the soil to feed the Arikeshxi. Those who do make the journey beyond the spawning grounds will enter into a deep hibernation, in which they cocoon themselves with both their own bodily fluids and collected foliage, forming a hardened shell to protect them during the long sleep. In this process they become either the Tarix-Na, or the Acruxis-Sul, their nature before hibernation dictating how they form. The Tarix-Na themselves are an upright vertebrate hexapod, distinguished by their primary set of legs upon which they typically stand and move about, their primary set of arms which they use to manipulate and project force, and their vestigial arms located along the sides of their torso. In regards to the legs of the Tarix-Na, they are reverse-jointed with hooved feet, the hooves themselves made of a highly dense material in similar makeup to stone, though has been unconfirmed if that is the actual material.

The legs of the Tarix-Na are their primary source of strength, with the average member of the species capable of delivering blows with their hooves of up to 300lbs of force per square inch, as well as enabling the average member to lift five times its own body weight. Upper-body wise, only the upper pair of arms are capable of lifting significant weight, or exerting force in a way similar to other humanoids due to their disadvantage in having only three fingers and a thumb per hand. On the other hand, their vestigial arms are not quite useless. Normally kept folded across their chest, the vestigial arms are commonly used to assist the upper pair in tasks that need a steadying hand, or in some cases they are used for tasks which do not require immediate attention. It is a common sight to see a Tarix-Na engaged in menial activities with his vestigial arms, while he is also utilizing his primary arms for more labor intensive tasks. The Tarix-Na are also curiously lacking in vocal cords, instead possessing a series of thin bony plates within the throat which are vibrated to project an audible hum, or clicked together through the muscles of the throat. This results in a highly complex language, and a high-degree in difficulty for the average member to speak other languages.

Another distinguishing factor for the species is both their deep-red skin tone, and the varying degree of horns the typical male grows from their skull. These horns vary depending upon region, though for the most part the horns are very similar to the antlers of common deer and can branch out to up to thirteen points. Lesser Tarix-Na grow horns more similar to the common ram, or mountain sheep, with the curvature of the horns denoting their status among the commoners. A steeper curve lends the male a role as a sort of consul, while shallower curves tend to leave the male as more or less, a commoner. Skin tone also denotes status among their fellow Tarix-Na, as deeper shades of red are found more appealing, while lighter shades tend to result in the individual being outcast from society. Rarer tones shift over into the burgundy and violet hues, with very few ever being born of a blueish tint. These individuals are typically taken up by the religious caste and taught the ways of their forests, though it is not unheard of for such an individual to be adopted into the immortals.

Biologically speaking, the Tarix-Na are quite different from other humanoid species. The chief factor which separates them from other humanoids is their inability to breathe oxygen in the same quantities as carbon-based life is capable of. They breathe a mixture of halogen gases which are secreted by the plant life of the forests they inhabit, a mixture which is processed by a large singular lung which forms a semicircle within their torso cradling the tri-valve heart which pumps a mercury-based solution throughout their bodies. Part of their respiratory system is also the conversion of naturally created carbon and the discarded nitrogen into cyanide gas, which is then exhaled from the same air ways which take in halogens. The diet of the Tarix-Na usually consists in sulfur rich animal tissue or plant tissue, both of which are in abundance in the forests of their lands. This sulfur, once digested into the body, forms the building blocks of their bone-structure, as well as fuels the metabolism and gives the body the ability to breakdown other chemicals. Oxygen is one element which the body is incapable of bonding with other molecules or elements, and so is often processed through an organ very similar to the human liver, though in this case the oxygen is pressurized until it is a liquid, and then forced from the body. Despite being able to excrete this chemical, the liver of the Tarix-Na is not fully able to rid itself of the element, and the oxygen which is left will often crystallize inside the organ over time

Most Tarix-Na will live to anywhere between 50-175 years in age, though this is primarily due to a host of diseases and parasites which begin attack the body of the Tarix-Na once they reach this age range. The reason that they suddenly become susceptible to existing disease and parasites, is because at that age most Tarix-Na will find their livers failing from the build-up of oxygen through the years, and be at the point where oxygen is starting to deposit in other areas of the body. One of the most common disease which strikes the Tarix-Na is that of the dreaded Shelvorak, a disease which gradually necrotizes the vital organs of the infected until they finally die of brain-death or drowning in the liquefied tissue that has built up within their lungs. Those who are afflicted with the disease are highly feared by the community due to the communicability of the disease to those who are not as advanced in age, and it is not unknown for entire regions of worlds to go suddenly silent after a single Tarix-Na became infected. In terms of lifespan unaffected by disease or parasite, the species is believed to be capable of living for hundreds of years, with the rare case breaching multiples of a thousand, and the Immortals as well.

Once either species has come to the end of their humanoid lives, they return once more to the spawning grounds, either of their own accord or assisted by the living. Here they will take root, their bodies instinctually seeking the fertile soil and planting themselves deep into the ground. From their corpse will grow a new Arikeshxi tree, the shell of their former body rising up with it to nurture its growth and seed new life. In ancient days the corpse-tree would continue growing, merging with those around it to form larger and larger trees to bear more and more life upon their limbs, but with the advent of space-flight and the rise of their growing technological prowess, the Arikeshxi which grow within certain regions are harvested in order to further the species. Those who do remain will grow strong and begin anew the cycle of life, bearing the fruits of new generations upon their branches and eventually becoming one with the Shevaxisi-Torand Arikesh, or The World Tree.

These trees are among the most magnificent wonders of the Arikeshxi species, with the first few nearly covering their entire worlds with a singular canopy. On average a single one of these trees can measure hundreds of kilometers across, and stand high into the atmosphere, some specimens even boasting their own internalized ecosystems within their boughs. To these giants, life is eternal, for they are beings who know not mortality and bear the memories of countless billions. At least one Shevaxisi-Torand Arikesh stands upon each world of the species, seeded by the Dominion in the case of the colonies, or simply bearing the eons as does the first of their kind.

Population ratio:

80% Arikeshxi (Tarix-Na)
20% Lorgeshxi (Acruxis-Sul)

Description of government:

Though no true governing body exists in the Dominion, it is often the hand of the Immortals which guide the society along what is believed to be the most proper path. Internally, the council decides upon where to best appropriate resources and living areas, as well as dictate new colonial areas. The exact way in which this is decided is thought to be by vote, though with the frequency in which some of the council disagrees, this may lead to outside factors influencing the decisions of the Immortals. External governance is dealt with via the artificial biological constructs known as Hels, creations made to directly deal with xenological governments and determine whether or not the Dominion's interests are at heart.

Description of military:

For all intents and purposes, the Dominion's military force is near absent, as they have never found the need or want to engage hostilities with another species or nation. While the civilian populace is versed in the ways of hunting among the vast forests of their worlds, the Tarix-Na as a nation do not maintain forces beyond this. On the other hand, the more extremist Lorgeshxi are well known for their violent predisposition, and have been rumored to have their own militant forces. Whatever the truth of this, even if the Lorgeshxi did have such forces, they would be nominal at best.

Technological Overview:

Though they may seem to be mere primitives hurtling themselves into space via crude means, the Dominion is considerably more advanced than what they appear. Foremost proof of this is their ability to artificially create life capable of sapience and seamlessly melding with the society it was purposed for. From the Hel to the Acruxis-Sul, and beyond these artificial life forms, the Dominion rightfully claims their place as an interstellar civilization, whose true capabilities remain mysterious even to those who live within.

The Hel

Created originally in ages long past to communicate with other species on their own world, the Hel is an artificial construct that sees service among the fleet of the Dominion, in the case of xeno-contact. Much of their biology remains very similar to that of the Tarix-Na, though they differ in their ability to breathe almost any atmosphere, and much increased temperature ranges. Unlike their creators, the Hels do not require very particular ranges of temperature in order to survive, instead seeming more and more human than they let on. Stranger still for one created by the Arikeshxi, is that the Hels are created with vocal cords, giving them the capability to speak non-Arikeshxi languages with greater ease. The reason for this is lost to the ages, though it leads credence to the existence of humans upon the homeworlds of the Tarix-Na.

Biological Antimatter Creation and Annihilation - Jzeveshxi-Archos

Almost a necessity to drive the engines of their massive vessels, the Dominion has long been capable of coaxing bioforms into creating fusion in contained shells, though the advent of natural antimatter has advanced their aerospace capabilities significantly to say the least. Beginning with the pooling of liquid iron into a sphere deep within the consigned reactor space, the vessel impels massive gravities upon the mass to force it into spin counter to that of the artificial gravity within the ship. Once the mass reaches a terminal velocity, it superheats and creates electromagnetic forces which are harnessed to imbue a series of rings into counter spin. At critical mass, the formation of anti-particles begins, and the Jzeveshxi-Archos collects them up to utilize in reactions once it acquires the appropriate particles to pair with them. Though it may not seem like it, the construct is actually fully sapient, and capable of understanding reactions at the quantum level, a necessity for its duty. Once it has attained both a particle and an anti-particle, it will then impel the two into an isolated chamber within its depths, where they will react and release intense energies within the chamber. These energies are then harvested by the construct and stored within internal banks to be used by the rest of the vessel as needed. This cycle is continuously run by the construct, ensuring that at no point there is storage of antimatter to avoid undue catastrophes.

Dominion Fleet

Curiously, for a species that has traveled the stars for untold thousands of years, there is little variety in their fleet. Partly to blame for this is the sheer efficiency of their starship creation, only ever using what needs to be used and nothing more, as well as the method in which they xenoform planets to add to their dominion. Beginning from the highest branches of a Shevaxisi-Torand Arikesh, the Tarix-Na lay the hull for one of their massive vessels, entire regions climbing the branches to lay the harvested dead end to end until the form of a starship comes into shape. There they will begin the mass planting of new bioforms to inhabit the vessel and grow it further, guiding its growth over decades into one worthy of spaceflight. Once the shell contains its reactors and propulsion, it is guided to seal the hull and lift into the upper atmosphere, the Shevaxisi-Torand Arikesh pushing upward against it to aid its ascent. In orbit the vessel will finish the remaining construction on its own, taking in resources as it happens across them.

For some constructs, however, their fate is to remain in orbit, slaved to the world below and acting as an inbetween for the Tarix-Na of the surface and the constructs roaming the stars. These vessels grow over time, beginning with a seed of just a few kilometers across, until they reach continent sizes in orbit of the planet and maintain hundreds of tendrils between the station and the surface, sometimes even to nearby moons. The size of the constructs grows much the same as the non-stationary ones, growing from within until the interior is full of winding corridors and vast living areas. Occasionally, the stations will consume failed starships as well, further growing the exterior and bringing more space with which to expand facilities inside.

In terms of firepower, Dominion vessels remain unarmed, owing to the disposition of the people. That is not to say, however, that they are undefended. Despite their passive ways, no Dominion vessel has found itself prey to piracy, namely for the sheer size of even the smallest of the Dominion's vessels. Slow and lumbering, the average starship of the Dominion reaches at least 19km in length, though many will exceed this by far, and each one of these vessels boasts a sturdy exterior of super-dense chitin. This chitin has been known to shrug off directed-energy weapons in conflicts, as well as bounce kinetic rounds dissuading attackers by the sheer difficult needed to crack open a Dominion vessel.

Infinite Syzygy

As a necessity the Dominion maintains a network of so called "World-Gates", vast constructs in orbit of their worlds that create wormholes between held territories, though they still look back to one of the first methods of FTL travel created by a neighboring civilization.

During their first flights into space, this civilization discovered that a celestial body's gravitational pull could be utilized in a specific maneuver in order to increase velocity and reduce fuel consumption. As the first of these slingshot maneuvers was executed successfully, already they were looking at the utility of such a method in propelling their vessels farther and faster. Their very first execution of Faster-Than-Light travel was done with the conception of utilizing the principles of Syzygy and antiparticle physics to breach a hole in the fabric space-time into the hyperspace corridors. By chaining together a series of slingshots, the starship plotted a point in which it would align between two targeted celestial bodies, and by breaching hyperspace, they were able to simultaneously exist in both locations at the same time via extradimensional overlay until the moment of Syzygy. Before that moment, the vessel departing would seem as if it was becoming incorporeal, as if it was slowly fading away, while the vessel that was arriving would seem as if it was a ghostly afterimage. In that exact nanosecond of syzygy, the vessel would cross the threshold between a vast distance of space and time itself in order to transit itself light-years away. Even though this transit cut down travel time by a factor of nearly a thousand, it still had its limitations, these being discovered repeatedly by the Dominion as well as the original society through experimental long-range jumps. The foremost problem is maintaining a sufficient velocity to transit. Despite technically existing in both places, the vessel still had to achieve a certain velocity to travel certain distances, the farther away a destination being, the closer to actual c the vessel needed to be. Failure to achieve a very specific velocity would result in one of two disasters, the first being failure to reach a high enough velocity and resulting in the vessel not fully translating back into real-space. Once locked within the hyperspace corridors, a vessel would not be able to achieve escape velocity and be trapped within the vortex of an infinite dimension for eternity. Should a vessel overshoot their velocity marker, they will reach the syzygy marker too soon and be launched far beyond their intended destination. Most of the time, an overshoot results in a very long trip towards the nearest star, as the vessel is launched into dark space between star-systems. There are also a surprising number of "Lost" vessels, however, leading some among their neighbors to believe that these vessels have been launched into the space between galaxies. More of an issue for the Dominion, however is the sheer amount of calculation and processing needed to determine a route. While not an issue for the original creators, improper line-up of the route could lead to devastating consequences, as the vessel still needs a nominally clear route in which to transit. Failure to calculate the movements of celestial bodies between the point of origin and the point of exit could lead to the destruction of the vessel at the least, and planetary destruction at most. Needless to say, it's something the Dominion prefers to avoid if can be helped.

Cultural Overview:

Social dynamics:

Despite being a society built upon the equality and needs of the many, Dominion society is highly rigid and caste-oriented, a being's place within determined by numerous factors from skin-tone to shape and size of their horns. At the very top of the caste are the Immortals, those who have transcended the normal cycles of life and death, and are instead literal immortal beings that guide society. Below them are the religious leaders and the artificial constructs known as Hel, those who facilitate communication between other species. Next is the class containing the craft-workers, those who provide crafted goods for the entire society as well as shape their cities and star ships. Those who are unable to craft, yet still able to provide are the hunters and gatherers, Tarix-Na who seek sustenance for the populace from the Arikeshxi forests and cultivate the agricultural regions. Finally, at the very bottom of the caste system are the Acruxis-Sul, the so-called "ferals" of the Tarixis-Narikuli, and those who provide the manual labor for the society.

Law:

In their society, the Dominion carries little in terms of written laws, choosing to rule according to the law of the people. This leads to a greatly minimized presence of law within the Dominion, as the only things which merit punishment are actions which will bring harm to another individual or the community in any way. Theft is one such crime, and is often dealt with by way of forcing the individual to work for the offended party until the debt is paid. This is a common theme among the Dominion, in that they only punish an individual in accordance to the damage they have done, and the only exceptions are the crimes of murder and dishonouring the dead. Despite the weight of these individual crimes, it is against the ways of the Dominion to revoke the rights of another being to live, and so such crimes are nearly always repaid by a life of service to the family of the offended party. In the case of an offended party either having no family, or the family being unknown, or even the offended party being unknown, the accused is serviced to the religious caste until they have been found redeemed by the gods.

Languages:

The language of the Tarix-Na is a unique one, in that while they do have something similar to such a thing, it varies into a host of different forms that makes it nigh-impossible to learn from outside the species. The closest thing that could be called a "Common-Tongue" for the species is that of Kelto a bipolar mixing of both submissive and dominant commands and acknowledgments to commands. This leads the Tarix-Na to be rather blunt when dealing with each-other and those rare outsiders they are able to communicate with. Other forms of language within the species commonly used is the form Shekto which has been very loosely translated to mean emotion or intent. This form is most often used to convey feelings or intentions which are not expressible through Kelto, or which may be improper to express through Kelto. It is a common use of Shekto to express a desire for someone to do something, but in a way which is not leveled as a command, a trait of the languages of Tarix-Na which seems to fail to find its way into Human-Tongue. Rarely among the species will one find themselves keen to learn a language that goes beyond the bounds of the species, though these individuals have found themselves highly useful in the dealings with outside nations. While the average Tarix-Na is highly intuitive with communicative languages, they are well known to struggle with grammatical structure and due to the nature of their primary means of communication, they are highly prone to run-on sentences and lack punctuation in their speech. This is primarily because they only emulate the speech of other sentients by vibrating the plates in their throat to certain pitches that mimic spoken words.

In terms of written language, the Tarix-Na's main form of writing is a highly complex runic system which to date has been found to consist of nearly seven-hundred thousand characters. To what degree the language actually extends to is completely unknown, as is the depth of knowledge the average Tarix-Na understands. In most cases, the religious and royal castes are the members who are the most knowledgeable, with many capable of independently identifying up to forty-seven thousand characters, while the commoner castes are rarely able to identify six-thousand. Curiously, nearly all of the characters that the commoners are able to identify are characters which the royals are incapable of identifying, while the religious caste is capable of identifying all of the characters that both royal and commoner castes are capable of identifying.

Religious beliefs:

In the Dominion, religion is a strange thing, with differing worlds and regions partaking of sometimes vastly different pantheons of deities representing everything from the seasons, to the elements. One of the few constants in the society, however, is the reverence for deities representing the cycle of life and death, as well as the placement of their world's Shevaxisi-Torand Arikesh as the most venerated being. Representing their reverence for the cycle of life are the rituals of death the species partakes in, where they escort the dying or already dead to the spawning grounds, and lay them upon freshly turned soil. Here they will open a cavity in the torso of the fallen, and coax the body to take root in the soil. Until the corpse takes root, the party will watch over the body and ensure that no wandering creatures disturb it, only departing once they see the first sprouting of the Arikeshxi tree. With this ritual, the Tarix-Na pay respect to the cycle of life and death, acknowledging that none save the Shevaxisi-Torand Arikesh and the immortals are beyond its purview. They see that in the end nothing will change, and that to resist only brings about the end swifter than should be.

Currency: There is no currency beyond the merit of one's actions within the Dominion, and that merit being based upon what an individual provides for their fellow Tarix-Na.

Influence and relations:

//To be created as encountered//

History:

From the depths of the Dead Stars region of the Andromeda galaxy, there has long been rumours of spatial anomalies and entire civilizations of beings that defy the laws of biology and science as the galaxy knows them. Ancient stars fester amid the rotting remains of their broken systems, leaking radiation across space and tainting the nebulae a sickly purple-green. Magnetars spew gamma rays across worlds long dead, ensuring they remain as lifeless as they themselves are forever doomed to be. It is here, that two civilizations have arisen and persisted since before the earth formed. One the epitome of technology, spanning the stars with feats of science and bridging the gap between what is real and what is fiction through sheer force of will. They are the harbingers of change, sentinels of the relentless march of time.

Life has found a hold within the sprawling nebulae of the region, however, in the form of the Arikeshxi Dominion. Tenacious beyond their right, this civilization has clawed their way across the region over millions of years, bringing life to each world they touch, and forever tainting them with their unique ecosystem. Toxic halogens permeate the atmospheres of their worlds, fueling the organic engines of their vast starships, and giving life to continent-sized forests. Even with their strange biology, and the dangers of their home region, the Tarix-Na remain ever aloof and distant from other beings. Though they have always been pacifist by nature, honesty and directness is not a trait well-known to the civilization, always putting a slight twist of deceit upon their words. The origin of the species can be tracked to the center of a sprawling web of FTL tunnels linking all of their worlds. It is here that the world of Shevaxisi-Torand Sil orbits the long dead star Khavassara, the forests of the world reaching across the planet and beyond the atmosphere.

They have not always been so connected, however, and it has only truly been recently that the Dominion has come together as a cohesive civilization. Before the creation of the overmind Arikeshxi Tarixis-Narikuli, the various worlds of the Tarix-Na were left to fend for themselves and survive against the universe. Each planet became their own separate state upon the beginning of the xenoformation process, going thousands of years until even seeing another of their kind. Despite this, the civilization held to a course planned out millennia in advance. Each world was to be one in an ever-increasing chain of worlds that was to one day be connected by a single mind, and when that day came, nearly a dozen star systems became one with the overmind.

More recently the Dominion has come into "conflict" with their close neighbor, the Fractal Synchronicity of Amnos, and though no blows have been struck quite yet, the machines of the Synchronicity have placed a sizable fleet on the border of their realm. This comes as a consequence of dwindling space within the nebulae, and the clashing of borders between the two civilizations adding into tensions that have existed longer than some species. Despite the hardline attitude of Precept Thanatos of the Synchronicity, Precept Adrasteia has taken it upon herself to act as an emissary between the two nations and form a compromise that will mutually benefit both.

To add to their troubles, the Tarix-Na see increased tension within their own nation, as the unruly Acruxis-Sul lobby for more power among the Immortal Council. Having formed the backbone of much of the feats of the Dominion, the so-called Lorgeshxi have gained a sentiment of entitlement towards rule over the Dominion. Efforts to appease their more violent kin have led the Tarix-Na to cede a single seat on the council to them, though it has done little to assuage their dissatisfaction with current affairs.

With precious little space to expand in the Dead Stars, rising tensions with the Synchronicity, and threats of revolt among the Lorgeshxi, times are proving difficult for the Arikeshxi Dominion. Only time will tell who will win out in the chaos of the Dead Stars.

Other:

[ASTA]

General Species Information

Upon a proud world
Under a shimmering sky
There lived a pure, hardened people

The azu, alternatively known as Anukuians, are the multi-ethnic race of cat-like humanoids that wield dominion over Anuku, a verdant and opulent world that is, in many ways, homologous to Earth. Comparative in size to a large human specimen, azu are sharp of mind and robustly built, and can negotiate terrain with great tempo and grace when on the prowl. Besides possessing an excellent sense of vision, smell, and hearing, azu can discern the dynamic position of an object in motion by detecting latent changes in air pressure, feel faint vibrations through the soft pads of their hind paws, and pick up subtle alterations in the pheromone secretion patterns of living creatures that are within range.

The azu species lacks the capacity to produce psionic users, but the mind of every azu naturally discharges a nullifying field of "negative energies" that severely inhibits the effectiveness of nearby otherworldly powers, with this field rapidly growing in exponential strength (and in overall volume) when large groups of azu congregate in one location.

As a result of an uncorrectable anomalous fault in their genome, the azu sex ratio is heavily skewed in favor of the azu female, with the current population of azu (stated to be circa 3.25 billion) being 80/20 (female/male) in numerical composition.

Government

Complex Paramount Chiefdom

Foreign Policy and Public Opinions of Aliens

Anuku, while culturally diverse, is figuratively (and in some circles, literally) described as a “one-race world” by azu social scientists and political leaders, with this bold, racially-charged declaration stemming from the racial homogeneity that propagates through the cultural pillars of the Lone World's multitude of tribal societies. Many of Anuku's ethnocentric inhabitants are quite condemnatory in their prejudice judgments of the greater galactic community, and cite Anuku's past confrontations with imperialistic alien invaders and disagreeable illegal migrants as irrefutable proof that the obri (or the "Other") are instinctively incompatible with azu culture and will, inevitably, pose a significant threat to all life on the Lone World if allowed to corrupt her surface with their foul touch. Unsurprisingly, Anuku's seven paramount chiefdoms have jointly implemented a sequence of isolationist decrees that forbid Anuku's star lords from interacting with aliens and alien civilizations in any shape or form, though these laws have been wavered, in the past, to facilitate brief instances of trade between the azu and "tolerable" xeno races.

Military

Discounting the seven star lords and their respective battlewagons that comprehend the "Guardian Fleet", Anuku does not control a formal space force, but she is protected by a vast number of phased graser array installations, missile silos, ETC batteries, and fission pulse gun turrets that sprinkle Anuku's surface. Most are stationary, but their combined firepower is great enough to deter (and even destroy) enemy fleets, anti-planetary missiles, and RKVs from extremely long distances. Their employment of azu anti-fleet PDF modules coupled with their cataclysmic power necessitates the need for ground-based operations if a successful invasion is to be carried out by hostile forces.

Technological Overview

Outwardly, the azu appear to be a pre-industrial civilization, but this observational conclusion is misleading. On the contrary, the azu deliberately strangle and shroud their factual technical prowess in a proactive attempt to stay the cultural stagnation and genetic degradation that customarily befalls an intellectually-gifted species that overindulges in the prolific “benefits” that sophisticated technology often promises. In a way, this global philosophical perspective can easily be compared to modern Neo-Luddism, though azu communities specifically avoid technologies that encourage excessive slothfulness, restrictive antisocial behavior, and weakness (either in a physical or mental context) rather than holding the unrealistic conviction that most technology is harmful to the Lone World or her azu masters.

To the rest of the galaxy, azu household technical applications appear horrendously outdated, amateurish, and inefficient. Food preservation, for example, has never edged beyond drying, smoking, jugging, salting, pickling, or canning, with azu fare never actually being produced in a food processing plant of any sort. As should be expected, azu foodstuffs spoil faster than other foods preserved using more modern modus operandi, but they are conversely free of harmful chemicals and excess quantities of sodium and sugar. Clothes are made by hand, while firearms are crafted using reinforced hand tools, archaic manually-operated machinery, and decades of gunsmithing experience. Very few azu homes have electricity for interior lighting or recreational needs, instead relying on a scant bundle of candles for a minuscule amount of illumination and a crude wind turbine and battery bank combination to power a highhouse's collection of analog radios. Power generation for larger azu settlements and the vast network of underground manufactorums is provided by thorium fission reactors, geothermal generators, or hydroelectric dams.

Azu military technology (with special mention going to azu-made weapons in particular) is moderately sophisticated, and is renowned for its utilitarian qualities, innate hardiness, and relative affordability. Azu hand-held weapons have always been chiefly engineered to bring down Anuku's heavily-armored ultrafauna, resulting in later incarnations of chemical-based ballistic weaponry being specialized for maximum stopping power, accuracy, range, and penetration at the cost of cyclic rate. Thus, azu firearms are devastatingly-powerful slug throwers that are chambered for rocket-boosted hypervelocity cartridges. At the ominous expense of aliens, Anuku's guns have ludicrous effective range ceilings and armor penetration applications, with the distinguished bolt-action double-rifle and 2 bore paradox "storm cannon" boasting the greatest stopping power and ranges of all azu small arms.

Energy weapons remain as fixed phased array mounts, with MIRV-type anti-orbital missiles tipped with thermonuclear shaped-charges, fission pulse guns, and electrothermal-chemical (ETC) guns making up the secondary layer of the Lone World's steadfast defense grid and the usual armament of star lord battlewagons. Azu power deflection field technology is dissimilar to the galactic standard in that individual shield modules do not lose "energetic integrity" when successful attacks have been negated, but rather are "rated" according to how much energy the field can reliably contend with. This makes users of PDFs effectively immune to weapons systems or attacks that are below their shield's threshold, but vulnerable to weapons that can exceed it. Azu never conceived powered armor suits, but instead use combat veils--a hooded stealth "poncho" made from nano-engineered metamaterials that masks the wearer's electromagnetic signature and optical profile--for protection.

Description of Society and Culture

You don't hunt alone. Never hunt alone. You hunt as one.

Azu culture values self-determinism, minimalism, collectivism, and loyalty. Azu adolescents-- colloquially refereed to as “kits” by the Lone World's encompassing azu population—are educated in the fundamental artistry of the august survivalist by elder members of the tribe. A distinct (but ultimately secondary) emphasis is placed on adequately honing their apprehension of the clan's spiritual and cultural mores, teaching the importance of family, and promoting a minimalistic lifestyle. By the time that they are of breeding age, most juvenile azu females and males have a predisposition for exhibiting stalwart behavior and operating in a persistent mode of semi-autonomy. "Gifted" azu are convinced to pursue rigorous instruction in one of the more prestigious institutional sectors of academia that reside within the Peaks of Hia-Hia, an unforgiving geographical locale of historical importance where a prodigious amount of the azu's technological innovations primarily originate from.

Azu homesteads, called highhouses, are a queer mixture of an archetypal longhouse and a standard low-capacity semi-subterranean dwelling (such as an earth berm), and are fabricated from readily-available materials (in example: stone, timber, or bone) using un-powered utensils and powerful beasts of burden. Highhouses are comparatively voluminous, playing host to a number of necessary domestic facilities (such as larders, armories, storage enclosures, libraries, or washrooms) and over one-hundred families that are situated along a series of quasi-segregated living floors. Being in such close proximity with one another usually leads to family groups being acquainted on an intimate level; from these tight-knit relationships, inter-familial gatherings--like ceremonial dances or recreational group hunting sessions--are organized and initiated, in turn strengthening the clan's bond and encouraging goodwill and harmony throughout the masses. Aside from personal effects, clan members openly share most things, and--unlike many other species--observe a weedy quota of personal space, instead preferring to brush up against and caress other clan members if at all able. Stroking the ears, the underside of the tail, and the lower back are all considered profound signs of affection and trust.

Regardless of their internal layout and external attributes, azu highhouses are matriarchal in their fashion of administration, matrifocal in their familial structure, and matrilateral in their inheritance lines, with a wise woman and her selected “elder council” of middle-aged azu women wielding uncontested authoritative influence over the clan's members. As azu males are numerically scarce across Anuku, they are universally perceived and handled as treasured commodities that have tremendous barter value, and are subsequently forced into arranged polygamous “mating sessions” with outside harems of suitable azu women for the clan's own monetary gain, its political elevation, or its social evolution. Azu tribal society does not suffer the frail and flawed to persist in life; the physically, intellectually, and emotionally disabled are subjected to forced sterilization when detected, and may experience harsh instances of mild rejection, overt communal ostracization, being abandoned at birth, and even being outright executed if their afflictions are particularly disparaging. Azu mating paradigms center around a single eugenics-like "code of conduct", called ormku, which preaches that only the "fit" are "fit" for reproduction.

On average, azu males sire over 1,000 fit children throughout their lifetime.

Ever since its initial conception, the firearm has operated as a critical and intricate facet of azu warrior-hunter philosophy. Primordial dogma espouses that the gun is a sanctified and arcane artifact of moving power and importance, ergo being deserving of nothing less than unadulterated homage and unmitigated reverence. Azu battle rifles, handguns, fowling pieces, and other small arms are passed down from generation to generation and, in respect to the weapon's previous band of carriers, are customarily personalized with a conservative integer of aesthetic augmentations. In spite of widespread firearm proliferation, the azu's apathetic take on open carry policies has not culminated in a turbulent amount of gun-related crime, with the Lone World boasting an extraordinarily low murder rate overall.

Though their fur-covered forms only require clothing in diminutive quantities, a fractional grade of modesty is nonetheless encouraged when out in public, with azu attire being fundamentally tailored to softly accommodate the body, not to smoother or dominant it. More often than not, azu tribal apparel tends to be revealing, only affording sufficient coverage for the wearer's nether regions and breasts. Vests, wrist wraps, skirts, chest bands, thongs, cloth vambraces, and loincloths, woven from fine silk-like fabrics or treated animal hides, are the standard. Many azu men and women decorate their person with a fulsome (but elegant) composite display of jewelery, fur dyes, and body piercings for a spot of comforting individualism.

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