That was my guess anyway, in which some houses were sworn to the Bureaucracy or the IA. I just had the interesting idea that there might be noble houses/governers one might need to win to their side assuming an imperial family member or another power wanted to gain the imperial throne. I imagine the more archaic feudal system might have been born from the fact the first colonies were established before proper FTL travel through hyperlanes, thus these colonies might have regressed a little technology wise.
By the time the void was found and began to be utilized these human worlds later discovered retained little of their old technology. They had devolved into feudal states ruled by aristocratic nobles. Perhaps still retaining some more advanced technology in the form of mech/warframes used to fend off hostile xenos. That's the plan for my systems, anyway, something other people might adopt if they want to help flesh out these first colony worlds.
I imagine these feudal worlds are more on the fringe of the empire while the core worlds are more modern in terms of government.
The idea of knights trading in their plate and horse for walking war engines is tantalizing to me.
Now another topic I want to go into later is how the church is structured, and how ingrained is said church into the empire? Is their an oligarchy council? A head of the religion like a pope?
Star Gods ftw. Whatever it ends up being, I would suggest that we keep a lid the power level, at least that we see on-screen. Seeing the Emperor in Empire Strikes Back all spooky and sorcerous is awesome. Seeing him shoot lighting out of his fingers...not so much...
Not sure if that's the best example considering 'UNLIMITED POWER' is one of the most iconic movie quotes of that era.
I'd like if we got a rough map of some kind before we worry too much about the space magic.
On another note, I imagined the noble houses of the empire run on some level like a high tech feudal socity. In which we have vessels like barons, dukes, counts and direct knights who swear fealty to an archduke/high king and the kings, in turn, swear fealty to the Emperor? Would certainly make the politics quite interesting and unique.
I think people are confusing The Church of Ankh-Sah with the Followers of the Void, I interpreted them as two different factions. Not sure the followers of the void are in fact so much religious as they are simply experts on the void, closer to scientist really. I could be wrong of course.
Also if anyone looks into the void section it does state some of the powers Vacare have though not in much detail.
I'm not the GM but I think that works well and fits the setting. My idea for my own background for my faction, assuming the reports can be believed of course, entering the void directly especially on such a large scale had never truly been done before or at least recorded.
In fact, I'm thinking of writing some fluff regarding the Void if that's alright with @Polybius, I'll just pm what I come up with to them after.
Expect me to update my NS over time. In the meantime, it would be nice to have an idea who my neighbors might be or work out possible treaties or shared histories. Be nice if we got a map at some point.
Faction Name: Order of The Exalted Suns Ruling Body: Sire Temijen Blackwall, Rex of Drayathea Emanuel Blackwall, Co-founder of Aurora Foundation Home System: Praag -Drayathea is a rocky mountainous carbon like terrestrial planet famed for it rich mineral deposits and grand plateaus. -Jiarus is a colony dominated by heavy jungle vegetation, overshadowed by high mountains and deserts in the lower lands. Home to the dedicated training grounds of the order. though classified as sanctified temple world. -Snafalia satellite moon of Drayathea and a major agri-world that manages to feed most of the system. -Fortress of Praag, while not a planet Praag is a massive starport and space citadel that orbits near the system's center. It acts as the man headquarters of the Exalted Suns.
Primary Resource: Lonsdaleite is the main export of the system, a kind of material harder than diamond but as malleable as steel used in the creation of adamantine silver. Other types of ore are also a major export of Drayathea. Along with a host of finished products like starships and consumer goods from the factories on Drayathea or the shipyards of Praag respectively. However, the most sought-after resources are the so-called knights of null. Men and women able to combat vacare by denying some of their extraordinary abilities.
Armed Forces TBD
General Overview TBD
Imperial Majesty
As requested I have spent a better part of eight solar cycles assessing the Praag system. In this time I have analyzed and compiled what I believe is currently the most extensive pool of knowledge regarding the so-called religious organization that is the Order of the Exalted Sun's. First I should clear up the obvious that the OES (the moniker here so after used when regarding the Order of the Exalted Suns directly) is something of an offshoot of the widely popular state religion that is the Church of Ankh-Sah.
The order is nominally led by the widely successful and industrious Lord Temijen Blackwall of Praag. He is the Co-Founder of the mega-corporation Aurora Foundation that first began as a successful shipbuilding, mining, and manufacturing company. It seems much of the current OES uses prototype technology pioneered by Aurora itself. This has granted them a technological edge over many of their neighbors.
First, on the man, himself, we know a great deal; Temijen was born on the colony world of Jiarus to an esteemed noble house that had consolidated power over the planet for centuries. It should be noted that the system of Praag was one of the first generations of systems to be colonized decades before the first true faster than light warp engines had even been completed. These early expeditions relying heavily on outdated slipstream engines and cryo pods.
The fact it took almost a hundred anni cycles before contact was properly established between Praag and the Empire meant it had several generations to develop quite separately. A well-established caste system was born and standing at the head of society were the aristocratic families. The clan of Blackwall has always held a proud tradition of having many of its number involved within the Imperial army itself since their joining of the empire. Creating a strong military tradition that stretches through the ages and one Temijen has followed suit himself. His military records as you well know are impeccable until he eventually retired early to go into business with his younger brother Emanuel Blackwall.
The two turned a small mining company into the multi-system powerhouse that is now Aurora Foundation. Now the beginnings of OES began rather innocently. Aurora Foundation had begun to construction and use of a brand new design of an FTL engine. Upon completion, a fleet of ships was outfitted with these new Cognition Engines and sent to colonize a new sector of planets on the fringes of the Empire. However, these ships apparently vanished part way into their transit.
Perhaps hoping to save face Temijen personally led an expedition with ships outfitted with similar engines. Several cycles later only two ships returned, one of them the was the flagship Temijen had set out with and the other was one, of the till then, lost ships of the failed colonization effort. A vessel called the Zarheran. Reports are still limited in what exactly transpired during this rescue mission but what I have been able to discern from accounts of those present.
Is that the Temijen was able to replicate a tear in the void that the colony vessels were last seen. Those who entered in, including Temijen himself, have been tight-lipped about the events on the other side. I don't have to tell you how unprecedented direct travel into the void is and the fact someone was able to successfully enter it then leave is practically miraculous.
Whatever occurred during this rescue seemed to cause Temijen and those present with him quiet the religious encounter. As I have gathered it seemed Temijen's ship encountered an entity within the void itself they called "Black Sun" it apparently revealed a great many things before returning one of the lost ships. If this event is to be believed then it would mean the first successful encounter with a being from the void itself.
Whether or not this tale is true what I can confirm is those who entered the void in this way did not leave unchanged. Quite a few went mad or became sickened by some unknown illness. However, others, in particular, all the children of the ship rescued from the Zarheran developed unique and strange abilities both unnatural and potent.
They are somewhat reminiscent of regular vacare but defy even their vaunted powers. None of the children were born vacare and their abilities seem to barely be within their ability to control. As their parents were lost during their ill-fated voyage Lord Temijen went out of his way to provide the facilities altered specifically to taking care of them. He even directly adopted one of these children himself.
The children aside it was Temijen's sudden zealot fever that took the form of overtures and donations to the church of Ankh-Sah that first caught our attention. He managed to gain enough notoriety and met with several of the churches, top officials. The meeting ended with the church granting Temijen official sanctions to create a new sect. A more militant arm of the church that would give Ankh-Sah yet unseen presence on the galactic rim.
It seemed from intelligence gathered the church takes Temijen to be something of a present-day prophet. He has played his role well using the resources of Aurora Foundation to consolidate power in Praag and surrounding systems. Many have joined the Order of The Exalted Suns, brought in by Temijen's charisma, influence, and his supposedly being chosen by a god.
In the twenty anni sense the bright of the Order of The Exalted Suns and the events leading to Temijen's sudden conversion to Ankh-Sah. Those children aforementioned before to be changed by their trip into the void have played a key role as well. They are considered by the church to be touched by divinity and are widely known as the Star Hearlds. Having since been trained to harness their strange gifts.
As I have come to understand it, the famed knights of the order known as the knights of null owe their existence to these children in some way. I can confirm they possess the strange if not frightening power to 'deny' the power of a vacare to some extent. It seems less magical to me and more the knight's ability to enforce reality in such a way it cannot be changed as easily. This gift has created powerful vacare hunters and these hunters have established themselves well as experts in capturing rogue vacare.
I am unsure of what that connection is of yet between these knights of null and the accursed children of Zarheran but one thing remains true. As long as the Star Heralds remain within the order and see Temijen as both father and savior the Order will possess potent living weapons-- and make no mistake weapons are exactly what the church has optioned.
Temijen might have made his first political move in securing these 'accidents' by taking them into his care using his considerable resources. However, I am of the belief he became aware of their potential early on and hide greed with the illusion of a good deed. How interesting, if not overly conventiant, the technology that allows them to both controls their powers and sooth the burden they bring was developed so quickly.
I am rather skeptical of the entire event surrounding the creation of these heralds, and I advise we keep an even closer eye on this Lord Temijen as he is far more than he appears. It has been twenty years since the Incident of Zarheran and the man looks no more than 60 years old. He was already 66 anni by the time he partook in the voyage rescue. He still possesses all the energy of a man half of that age. I know anti-aging drugs are popular among the elite but none are so effective.
The past anni has seen a drastic rise in the forces of the Order, it is obvious they are gearing toward something big. Temijen himself as voiced concern the empire is not prepared for what is coming and that only he and his followers can save us. From what? Who are they preparing to fight? Xeno forces? Hidden separatist? This Temijen is not the first doomsayer religious fanatic. However, he remains the first to possess an army and the military background to make it frighteningly effective.
Should he move against the empire I advise we neutralize Lord Temijen himself. It is obvious the order relies greatly on his leadership. Moreso, if we were to strike quickly and decisively we can put an end to the order before it can make effective use of their assets. Specifically, we must at all cost make sure to avoid a guerilla war with the Star Heralds. They are formidable, but few in number and thus cannot throw their weight around inside a true war.
I admit the problem is somewhat muddled by the Orders ties with Ankh-Sah, however, we will simply have to take the risk of raising their ire. Temijen is no doubt aiming for grander I am sure, perhaps he even has eyes on the throne itself. I find it admittedly more comforting to think him a madman or an ambitious one. The alternative is simply unthinkable-- for it would mean there are dangerous beyond our current understanding and insight. Creatures of the void ready to consume us all?
@GreivousKhan my faction will be in need of a raw materials importer, if you'd like to have them be long standing trading partners :P
I'm up for that being a thing. The Blackwall's have, and Aurora itself, probably have quite a few contacts around the Empire. They could always use more foodstuffs and consumer/luxury goods themselves.
