Isotope

These Dark Stars

Maybe superluminal travel is only possible along specific star lanes and if one happens to venture outside them in transit it results in a feedback loop that burns out the drive and leaves the ship stranded in interstellar space? In order to make sure you stay in the lanes you'd either need an extremely powerful computer or a somewhat precognitive individual sensitive to the void? Maybe before the machine wars AI navigators were common but during and after the war void sensitive pre-cog navigators became commonplace?

So you can forego using biological navigators, but only by spending quite a bit more on a large and clunky unintelligent machine since AI is prohibited?

Just a suggestion @Polybius@GreivousKhan.

These Dark Stars

Well, I don't really have a preference on type but like I said I'd suggest the gravity well rule to preempt ftl asteroids and missiles appearing inside your atmosphere/shields. As an aesthetic matter maybe warp or hyperdrive over wormholes, blink drives, or other instant transit. FTL taking time and there being a navigation component fits better imo.

These Dark Stars

If you've not set your mind on any particular method @Polybius could I suggest, whatever the method, it not work in gravity wells? A sort of 'from the edge of system A to the edge of system B'. Mostly just to prevent the whole FTL weapon debate.

These Dark Stars

The Seft Trust

Ruling Body:
Trustee of the House of Seft, Hadrian Petreus Seft

Home System:
Akamar

Primary Resource:
Industrial and manufacturing capacity.

Armed Forces
(Leave this blank until the main IC thread is up with details about the technology available k thx.) kay

Imperial Assessment
It is impossible to be certain of just how long ago the Empire first added Akamar to its borders, but records suggest that the star system first became notable a millennium past. Those records mention Akamar only in passing, referring to it as a burgeoning waypoint trading system that had been the victim of a Xeno raid. In the past thousand years it has progressed far beyond that early assessment. No longer ‘burgeoning’ but fully developed and ever expanding, Akamar is undoubtedly the largest center of manufacturing in its sector of space.

While the system may reside in a sector of space under the purview of one of our esteemed governors, it is under the de facto control of The Seft Trust. This is because the system lacks any notable planetoids beyond a smattering of rocky debris around the star that has, for whatever reason, never coalesced into a proper body. Every major settlement in the Akamar system is a space station, and without fail, from O’Neill Cylinder to mining rig, every man made structure in the system belongs to the Seft Trust. The wealth and influence this has permitted the family exceeds what would be tolerable save for the fact that they have been steadfast supporters of the throne throughout their long history. Moreover, removing the Trust would undoubtedly cause catastrophic damage to the valuable anchorages and shipyards in the system.

The Seft Trust, much as the name suggests, is organized as a trust. Some long forgotten scion of the family set up a trust that, regrettably, was arranged in such a way as to make the family hereditary nobility in all but name. The designated Trustee is always the first child of the last Trustee, and the whole of the family is set up as an indefinite beneficiary. While they engage in the kind of hedonistic degeneracy one would expect, it should be said the Seft family is very near to a non-actor politically. Certainly they have considerable influence, but rarely is that influence used to do more than ensure the seemingly endless flow of resources that feed the Akamar systems foundries and manufactories.

That being said, the Trust should not be underestimated. Like any hereditary system the Trust is at the whim of whoever inherits it, and the day may come when a sitting Trustee breaks tradition. Luckily the sheer scale of the infighting present in the Seft family would make removing a Trustee easier than it otherwise would be if the family made any attempt to present a united front. Still, in managing the Trust manipulation should be favoured over force. Akamar has the facilities to construct whole fleets given time, and while the IA benefits from this now if insurrectionists were able to gain the Trusts favour the throne could be faced with a well-armed rebellion.

For now though, the Seft family is indulgent, quarrelsome, and above all loyal. So long as an Emperor watches over them history suggests they will remain so.

These Dark Stars

I'm in, but fair warning I will probably be a bit flaky. I'll refrain from making myself important.

Isotope's Cold Storage

Nations/Characters 3

Sac War Redux

Isotope AND Monkeypants present,

The Antian Dominion

NATIONAL

-Capital:
Laona

-Government Type:
Constitutional Monarchy

-Currency:
The Sove. A silver square like thing with a simple version of the nations flag symbol printed on it.

-Population:
Roughly 28-32 million individuals.

-Realm Size:
Super power

TRAITS

-Unique Trait #1:
The last super power: The nation has endured many problems over its existence. from civil wars to religious conquest. It has created one of the most technologically advanced army's to date that has strived to perfect the art of killing people. This, coupled with large and well trained armies have given it a clear advantage in many wars. The recent fall of its long time rival, the Somnus Imperium, has left it alone in the face of the world. Many generals have access to various books and actual experience on how to fight wars and hopefully these tools will give the lumbering giant a defense against a force as strong as the dream plague.

-Unique Trait #2:
Well constructed society: As ancient as the nation is, many things have been learned that go beyond the methods of murder. Advanced construction techniques have risen from years of city sieges, techniques to make structures more survivable and bring in much needed water through massive aquaducts. Paved roads that originally were designed to allow armies fast and easy travel throughout the nation now help to spread trade and culture.

-Unique Flaw #1
Complicated government. With the general size of the nations population, many different governments from mayors to the senate/parliament/congress (king excluded) take time to pass laws. The massive size of the nations council of representatives makes getting things done difficult.. to say the least.

-Unique Flaw #2:
war weary. Years of fighting the Imperium and then two decades of constant vigil against the ever growing threat of the plague has created a tired population. There hasn't been riots but its no secret that the conflicts are taking its toll on the people.

GEOGRAPHICAL

-World Map:

Light blue, the nation before Somnus fell.
Lighter blue, the areas taken over after the end of the war. It belongs to the Dominion state but is set up like a police and puppet state. The majority efforts of removing the plague happens here.



-Geographical Trait: (created by me in consultation w/ you. Applies to nations adjacent to the Plague Lands.)

-Geographical Flaw: (created by me. Only applies to nations not adjacent to the Plague Lands. Generally speaking to nations beyond the green geographical zone in the center.)

-Internal-Realm Map:
Overview

The north

The south


-Major Cities:
ka'lae- One of the largest port cities in the nation. Is the home of the southern navy. a very oceanic city that specializes in commerce.

Dale- The jewel of the south. Named after a famous trader and well deserved. Many exotic goods and animals flood the massive markets. It would feel like a strange place from the central and northern populations. It is the biggest example of cultural diversity.

Ferra- This city is on the front line of the plague. Most of the population has left over the years, turning it in to a sparsely populated city.

Iona- Largest city in the far east on the old Somnus borders. Still shows remnants of the war through its aging but still potent fortifications.

Grel- Largest city in the northern regions. One of the few prosperous settlements.the buildings here show signs of survival rather than beauty.

Nasita- Some call it dark and dreary. Well, it is. A major city that has fallen on hard times due to the war ending in the north. It is still wealthy but the general population is starting to feel their once glorious city getting stale
.
Falnost- The capital of the ancient Jonite empire is likely the oldest city in the nation. Strange buildings exist in sections, akin to aging rings of a tree, each section with its own time period and history.

Borost- The largest Jonite city sits right on the coast in the northern part of the nation. It has one of the biggest dock areas in the nation and is a major ship birth. The northern fleets do most of their maintenance here.

-Major Castles:
Castell Domaut: The castle closest to the old Somnus border, it overlooks the quickest and easiest path between the two nations. Surrounded by a small city that is mostly refugees from the plague lands.

-Buildings of Interest:
Borosts harbor: The docks themselves are huge. walkways going far in to the ocean and giant ship hangars. Dry docks are located here. It is the home to the nations northern navy command.

-Geographic Features of Interest:
The Great Mountains

RACIAL

-Majority Race:
Humans

-Majority Race Appearance:
Tan Humans who grow lighter to the North and darker to the South. Highly diverse Human population results.

-Majority Race Characteristics:
See culture section for details.

-Minority Races:

Jonites

These are distant human relatives are native to the mountainous regions to the west. Long ago they were prevalent in the eastern areas outside the mountain but were persecuted and driven in to the mountains centuries ago. When they emerged onto the global stage, they had changed drastically in looks. Their skin was fair and are a somewhat, pale dark color from the lack of direct sunlight. Most have white colored hair and have pointed ears that enable far superior hearing than the typical human. Their eye-sight is not quite as well as the average human due to their long time in the mountains darkness. That being said, their night vision is very good, tied in with their heightened hearing, makes them very proficient night-fighters.

-RELIGION & MAGIC

-State Religion:
Ya'huanism. Nearly identical to Yuwanism.

The primary faith of the Dominion is Ya'huanism. It is very close in pronunciation to Yuwanism. Most people outside often mistake it for traditional Yuwanism but just said with an accent. It is very closely related to the more traditional Yuwanism practiced in the south.

Ya'huan//Yuwan: She is the chief goddess who had an epic fight in the stars with Justinian. The battle was so epic that the moon was destroyed and Justinian was cast back down in defeat. Thus leaving Yuwan as the chief deity. She has three beings that are directly believed to be the incarnations of their charge. They are said to be more like angels than actual gods.

Ammae; The hero of war and justice. She is said to control the fate of the battlefield. Most generals and admirals alike pray to this god before battle.

Kynnis; The hero of life and death. He is said to be the one who chooses who lives or dies. Most soldiers and sailors alike pray to this god before battle.

Mansla; The hero of sky and earth, He is said to be the one who controls the wind and rain and fertility among other things. Farmers usually hold this one in high regard, to protect their crops.

Above them all is the 'maker'. It is not quite worshiped as a deity as Yuwan is but it is definitely a prevalent ideal in the faith. It is supposedly the creator of all. The father of Yuwan and patron of creation.

-Religious Information:

Other gods are said to exist but have been mostly replaced by Yuwans "angels"

A god of war, supposedly controlled the battlefields before Yuwan pushed her aside. Some believers say that Yuwan fought her and won. She offered her a place by her side as a god of war, which she accepted

A god of death, Said to have been the one who would find the sick or dying on the battlefield to accompany them to an afterlife. Is said to have been killed in a fight with Kephis.

A god of the sea, An old belief that still lingers along side Mansla. He is supposedly a patron of anything ocean related.

A god of the sky, wind god. Is said to be the father of Mansla. No one is really sure if he died and Mansla took his place or if he retired. Most just agree that he existed at one point and passed the mantle to his son.

Prayers are often done at the beginning and end of the day. To coincide with the rise and fall of the moon. Jonites have a particular affection for Ya'huan as they are most active at night with her light always guiding them.

-Religion Demographics:
Ya'huanism; 77%
Justinians; 12%. These are mostly Somnus imperials.
Red Pantheon; 9%; Remnants from an old time. They are praised in various areas and usually by those who are desperate or in poverty. There are larger cults in areas but are seen predominantly in the south-eastern regions of the nation.
Dryadicism; 2%. Mostly in the north.

-Holy Relics In Possession:
Holy hand grenade.of Antioch (Lulz)

-Holy Sites Under Control:

-Magical Schools and Curriculum:
Magic is a prized possession in the Dominion. Magic has always been associated with the goddess and her will. Her angels are all said to be high end magical beings, using lightning and the chilling winter to either help or destroy. The unknown intentions of the angels and indeed Yuwan herself, has led to a very strict set of rules for not only the safety of others but the safety of ones self.

Most of these powers are some more direct abilities that would confuse some. That random lightning storm or small blizzards at inopportune times. It's hard to describe and its unknown if its just lucky timing or perhaps actual divine intervention.

MILITARY

-Total Military Size
Roughly 480,000

-Military Details
The Army is made up of 380,000 soldiers split over four sections of the nation with the navy possessing some 40,000 sailors. The other 60,000 soldiers make up reservists and specialists engineers etc. All soldiers have training in basic agriculture and the army's mostly have their own farms to take a burden off of the privately or publicly owned ones. All of the soldiers in the army and navy is volunteer. Though the nation does reserve the right to conscript if need be.

The army formations are usually divided in to brigades of roughly 5,000 soldiers which use varied strategies depending on the mission. The basic formation is a shield and spear soldier which always carries a back up sword or knife. Behind them are the archer companies whom use crossbows predominantly.

The newer troops that use the Amakus are in special divisions that have a coupled gunner and heavy soldier set up. The heavy soldiers use broad shields to help protect the gunners as they fire between the shields. It has been an incredibly effective formation against the highly organized Somnus imperium soldiers. As the Amakus hasn't been fully outfitted to all soldiers, special divisions are created for their use. The armory of the Dominion is pretty straight forward. Any advance made in military technology is deployed as quickly as possible as to maintain order and simplicity for battlefield commanders

-Royal Army:

Dominion Legionnaires-
The standard soldiers of the Dominion are well trained soldiers whom half are seasoned veterans from the constant war with the Somnus Imperium. These men and women wear a light weight but very tough Jonite pioneered metal called Fhorride which is made in to chain mail shirts and pants. Above this, segmented leather shirts and below they wear leather pants.

When it comes to weaponry, things are very straight forward. The basic hand weapon is a short sword. It isn't anything special to most but its light weight and broad blade gives it good potential with slashing and thrusting. Front line soldiers all utilize an elongated pentagon shaped tower shield. These are sturdy and angled to help deflect spears and crossbow bolts. To further bolster their fighting potential, they utilize a six foot spear. It does not have the traditional arrow head adorning it but rather a long metal spike. It is made for throwing and thrusting,

A good portion of these foot soldiers are proficient with the crossbow. They are easy to use as they are direct fire with a standard draw due to a crank mechanism. These crossbowman have mostly replaced the long bow in traditional combat formations and it has been a good decision as it has been effective against the heavily armored Somnus Western army knights. This weapon, albeit newer in the armory is already being replaced by a far lighter and deadlier weapon, the Amakus. This weapon is a early long barreled firearm. It is easy to load and even easier to fire as it has a simple flint lock like mechanism and a single easy trigger. The shot is a solid iron ball.

While these soldiers make up the bulk of the army, there are two other types of combat soldier, ones that are able to strike even more fear in their foes. Cavalry ride a special breed of war mount.



Sarosarchus are enormous canine like animals. Four to five meters long and weighing one to two tons the vast creatures are the staple of Dominion cavalry. First found in the north where the predators could roam forest and plain hunting everything from bear too turtle the Sarosarchus are often colored like grass and leaves and exhibit agility and grace that would seem impossible for their size. Reaching speeds in excess of most horses with perhaps somewhat less stamina the Sarosarchus are prized for their charging ability, easily able to overwhelm all but the strongest defensive formations though a combination of speed mass and the ability to jump above most men.

Of course the Sarosarchus are war beasts, unsuited to the monotonous tasks of logistical supply for the forces at the front. To fill this role the largest beast known in the Dominion is used



Vast monsters seven meters long and twenty tons Jarus have long hauled catapult and cannon to the front with little effort.

The most prolific and if any force is to be feared and well known from the Dominion is their Knights. These soldiers wear segmented iron plate mail, longer bastard swords and light shields. These troops are highly trained to fight on any terrain and on mount or foot.

-Artillery:

Modern Antian artillery has been advanced over and over again to decimate the ever growing numbers and fortifications of its ever present enemies. The catapult had been the long favorite of the nation in combat formations due to its low weight. Unfortunately, these always took a long time to set up and in today's more mobile warfare, a new weapon was needed to keep pace.

The Ballista was developed in conjunction with the crossbow long ago. It was designed as a sniping weapon as it has good range and the projectile itself can penetrate thick armor at long range. Its long reload time and difficult setup mechanism has seen it mostly withdrawn from front line use in favor of the cannon. This weapon does see effective use on fortresses as it can use a wide head for tearing ladders in half with ease.

A major advancement came with the invention of the cannon. The original Design was for naval use but after metal frames and sturdy wheels were developed to hold the cannons weight, it became a deadly battlefield weapon that was not only easy to transport via horse but also not requiring time to unpack and assembled to be effective on the field.. It takes time to reload but once its ready, the projectile can decimate ranks as the shot goes through armor and bodies with ease. newer shell advancements have been made but are not as wide spread, one is the gun-powder shell which fires a cast iron ball towards a target and will explode on or near it, sending shrapnel in every direction.

A thing to note is that the fuse is ignited by the firing of the shell from the cannon itself so timing is a difficult thing, if the thing ignites at all.

A recent variation is the bombard. It has been designed to breach thick walls with a 500lb stone that is fired at high elevation. Its range may be low compared to weapons like the trebuchet and takes a long time to set up and load due to the excessive weight but the destructive potential far outweighs any other siege weapon the Dominion has encountered to date.

Aside from whats mentioned above, other battlefield weapons exist. Catapults are still made for sieges and battering rams for attacking city gates. These are always created on the battlefield as moving a five story siege tower from one castle to another would fatigue the soldiers pushing them by the time they reached the enemy walls.

-Royal Navy:

The Dominion Navy, primarily located in the southern ports of the nation, has known its fair share of conflicts and despite the recent lull in naval action has nevertheless utilized all the technical advances of the Dominion to modernize into a frightening and proficient war making force.

The main battle force of the Navy is the standardized Kynnis class warship. Propelled by Bermuda rig sails and with space for sixty oars in times of low wind the vessels are renowned for their range. Of course that isn't to say they lack in armament, with 42 guns spread over two decks and 21 guns per side the ships are well known as high endurance fighters that can give out just as much as they take.

Also abundant are Interceptor class vessels, small sixteen gun ships that are used to hunt down pirates and harass enemy traders in numbers. Also used for scouting missions the small single gun deck vessels are versatile if not under armed.

As for the rest of the force it is often spread around both various captured or single order ships, with one true exception. The Shepard class vessel is that exception, never built in large number but plentiful enough that some are in most every task force the Shepards are huge catamaran vessels that perhaps strangely lack any guns at all. Of course that is but a disguise, the true strength of the Shepard class lies within.



Barada, huge beasts, lurk in the massive ships, living three to a ship in large underwater cages and having been the product of extensive training they are fearsome beasts that have sunk many a ship. Excellent for unexpected attacks the Barada are deadly beyond measure once a ship as begun to go down, it is perhaps cruel that they are trained to kill all they are set upon, but it is what makes them effective.


Aboard all these vessels are the proud sailors of the Dominion, equipped with a simple leather breastplate and trained for years in the knowledge they need few would call them anything but a professional force. Usually armed with sort barreled Amakus and shorter agile swords the priority in the navy has consistently been the elimination of the enemy before he boards through a wall of fire, of course nothing is full proof and the swords are a vital portion of any sailor’s uniform.

NATIONAL DRAMATIS PERSONAE

-Head of State/Monarch:

Tetan Serin

Age: 37

The third of the four sons of Reaus IV Serin Tetan was, not initially, ever expected to ascend to the throne. As a result he was often shunned by his father while the firstborn was raised to rule. Seeking an escape from the oppressive and condescending court Tetan joined the military and serves in the western war, seeing action on two occasions before it ended. Coming home Tetan was stunned to discover the first born in the family line was dead from a hunting expedition and his father was ailing rapidly.

Reaus, despite having shunned Tetan in youth comes to see him as a responsible soldier in comparison to his brother’s flippant and pompous attitude toward most anything. In one of his last acts before passing Reaus IV names Tetan his official successor, bypassing his brother all together.

The coronation went smoothly, however Tetan’s brother would come to level multiple insults upon him and descend into drunkenness before eventually taking his own life, a fact that Tetan has come to blame himself for. Regardless Tetan has strived to be a good king, prizing the opinion of the people and working to spend as much time amoung them as is possible while still representing them.

This all compounded, eventually earning him the name of The Peoples King given that he had on more than one occasion intervened to improve conditions in a village he had stopped in.

Still a military man at heart Tetan often sees force as an acceptable measure, but from listening to the people has also come to respect peace the the desire for it that so many in the nation possess.

Speaker Sharod Kepaghe: He is the technical voice of the entire people's senate portion of the nation. When the laws are passed and edicts made, this man is the one who announces it. He is often near the king when he is in the capital. Sharod has short, jet black hair that is always combed back. He is quite the ladies man but most attribute that to his position of power rather than any notable facial features and an average build.
-Ruling Dynasty:

-Military leadership:
General Terah Mavran of the 1st army central; Terah is a devout Jonite general who has long served the nation. He led the northern third army twenty years ago during the Somnus war. His attack was instrumental in blocking the northern Somnus army from moving south. After the war ended, the general of the 1st army retired and General Terah put in his bid for that position. Upon successfully getting the position, he has reformed the mid west sections of the nations military, changing out guards and working with the navy on improving marines.

General ??? of the 2nd army south:
General ??? of the 3rd army north:

General Karston Lovrain of the 4th army central: He rose in the ranks after the war ended. He surpassed many battlefield veterans bids for becoming officers, pissing many off but he had his eyes on the prize. Years passed and he continued to rise through the ranks, winning mock war after mock war against other would-be commanders. When he got the position, he thought it'd be for the north or south army. He was depressed about this at first as it seemed like a boring charge, stuck with blocking a seemingly simple plague. With nothing left of the glory of the great war.

-Religious Head:
The most holy, Talikus IV
He is an older man whom always wears a hat similar to a pope of the Vatican. A devout follower of Ya'huan and her angels. He is said to have the power to heal people or stir up violent storms but there is no official verification of this.

CULTURAL

-History:

-History:
Some two thousand years in the past the first precursor states of the Dominion rose in the West. Militant in nature and brutal in life the citizens of those precursors were ruled by fracticious warlords and seperated into three nations. Those three nations found faith in the ancient red pantheon and in the weapons they held dear. Fate would have it that those militant societies was bordered by the peaceful and pacifistic Jonites living out their days in their own empire.

Born to the Yerhan family the Great Warlord set out to unite those various states. After many victories the other warlords united against him, seeking a way to starve off defeat the Great Warlord forged a pact, though with who is still unknown. Reguardless he set out and conquered the united warlords with whatever power ha had gained, the peaceful Jonites fell in a masacre not long after. Out of the ashes of that terrible war came the Dominion. In time the Warlord became the Divine King; cults of personality forming around him as the land stabilized and his victories grew in number. Yet at the height of his reign and at the eve of his greatest conquest the Divine king fell to his son. Though the son tried to control the cults that had formed the people revolted, his father’s work undone the land fell once more into darkness. Blood pooled around castle walls and thousands fell, but in time it became clear the Monarchy was doomed, nothing could stop the revolt. Driven by desperation the new King declared a peace and went to meet with those who had risen against him.

Seeing the gesture of peace a compromise was made, a council of the people was formed and the King took a seat separate from it. The Council held great power and in the years to come even the state religion was changed by the will of the many and the banner of Ya'huanism took its place on temples even though none were made renounce their red pantheon gods. For a long, long time this meant peace, scars were healed and the many coalesced into a single indivisible whole. Centuries passed and though wars were fought the Dominion only grew with conquest. That very conquest would spell the downfall of the grater Dominion.

Motivated by faith the Dominion launched a great crusade into the fractious land of the Drathan lords, hard fought battles plagued the army that had expected light resistance. Looking for a victory the Drathan lords poisoned the minds of the Eastern Dominion with promises from the Red Pantheon, a faith many still held dear. The Invasion of the Drathan came to fail, and the East came to rebel. Labelled the Somnus Imperium the new rebels and the Dominion met in raised arms and plated armor.

Tens of thousands dead, a decade of war and a mere three miles lost by the Dominion, the war was as horrid as it became pointless; eventually a new peace was signed. It did not last long. The second war dragged on much like the first, but this time there would be no peace. The war escalated to a conflict of apocalyptic scale over the border, and little changed hands once again. The ending came only in collapse; the Imperium began to crumble from within.

Few would know outside the nation but the Imperium had been struck by a nightmarish catastrophe, the Dream Plague had been born. Unaware of the horrors within the armies of the Dominion seized on the chaos and committed to an offensive on every front. Crumbling but still strong the Imperium managed a defense and seeing the rapidly advancing forces in the north committed more than half their southern army to repel the Dominon, once more the front was dead locked.

However anticipating the move generals in the Dominion delivered the killing blow. It came from the Dominion own southern forces, the Imperium had misjudged the man power that could be brought to bear and saw its own force crumble. Surrounded and blockaded the soldiers in the North were left to die by the Imperium. As Dominion forces closed the retreating Imperium army found the nation in ruin, the plague eroding everything. It was decided that surrender was the only option.

The remaining Imperium forces dropped their swords and the Dominion armies marched ahead to see firsthand the horror of the plague. The war was over and the two former enemy armies cooperated in evacuating thousands of citizens, leaving the east to rot. Now in a state of military control the Imperium remnants hide behind thick walls hoping against hope the Plague will end
-List of Historical Grievances
Lengthy war with the Somnus Imperium, war was made up of meager gains by both sides with no real end in sight, the plague erupting from the capital brought the imperium to its knees. Many refugees fled to the Dominion for safety. The Dominion recognized the threat, and allowed this and then took the lands adjacent to its own borders.

-Cultural Notes

Northern Culture:
Nordic Architecture

The Northern lands, cursed with cold winters and mild summers the few who call the North home have become a hard people. With a history dating back long before integration into the Dominion the territory was once home to a great empire, though all that remains of it are stone ruins. While the early history of the North is shrouded in mystery more recent pre integration history favored many small kingdoms ruled by petty monarchs that true to their frivolous disputes never united when the Dominion marched into their lands. In modern times those in the north have little to offer beyond what they save for themselves. The least powerful and least represented territory the North is often the source of small uprisings but by and large most in the region are more concerned with feeding themselves.

Pale skinned and light of hair the muscular natives are often drafted into the military’s most brutal regiments and as a result the Northerners are often viewed as savages, an image few care to repair so long as it keeps them respected. While the North may be poor in comparison to other regions a misjudgment about its strength has crushed many would be conquerors.

Distant in the minds of most the North is a forgotten land, and most would prefer it stay that way so long as what little autonomy is allowed remains.

Southern Culture:
Islamic Architecture

Once ruled by a series of rich city states the tropical and lush southern region of the south is now home the Dominion’s large exotic goods industry specializing in odd animals, fruits, and the sale of equally unique peoples. The various powerful cities serve as a series of heavily used warm water ports that link the Dominion to the wider world. The south is often said to have been built on the seas bounty and as a result it is easy to see how the sea has become vital to the culture of the local dark skinned people and easier still to understand how the mostly forgotten ocean god still thrives there, alive and well from the ancient days of city states.

Adventurous and willing those from the south are known for their significant presence in both the army and inevitably the navy. Perhaps nowhere else in the Dominion does martial tradition thrive as it does in the south where more than a few families have carried general and admiralships on their name for numerous generations, passing the torch from one hand to the next. As a result the south is often seen as a land of promise for aspirational soldiers.

For all the good integration has brought the region in recent times some in the South have questioned excessive central control given the regions relative isolation due to the passable but harsh mountain range that separates it from the mainland. Though the question is permitted recent activities by some military officials have garnered attention.


Imperial/Temperate Zone Culture:
Byzantine/Roman Architecture

The largest ethnic and cultural region in Dominion the Midlands provinces are often referred to as the home lands, the origin of the Dominion. Home to tan skinned and hardworking Humans those in the Midlands are often some of the richer citizens in the Dominion even among the lower classes. While this has bred some resentment most simply cite the abundance of arable land in the midlands and historically domestic immigration has been high.

This general wealth has led to a contented populace with a commendable work ethic and stability that as persisted even in the face of war and the plague. However recently burdened by foreign immigrants from Imperium the region has developed a strange attitude wherein foreign immigrants working like the rest are seen as good additions and those who do not are seen with distrust, disgust and general racism.


Needless to say this in itself has proved a tremendous motivator for immigrants to work and local lords in the region have become immensely wealthy from the increased population to work ever larger fields further adding to the reputation of the midlands wealth.

-Persons of interest:

Morinth

Morinth

Morinth... This girl is somewhat of a mystery. She is a twenty eight year old Jonite who grew up in the slums of Falnost. Her parents were of nobility whom wanted a son to continue their name. When Morinth was born, her mother begged to keep her but her father decided it would be best if they made another child and hope for it to be male. They had no desire to raise a child that wouldn't go anywhere in regards to her family's nobility.

She became a soldier in the army and found her faith there. Morinth pushed herself and rose in the ranks quickly and eventually gained command of a small group of Bree riders. One day her group came upon a large formation of thirty soldiers. Instead of falling back, she ordered her group in to try and take anything of value. She single handedly took out ten men within a few minutes. The other soldiers said that she jumped from man to man, dodging killing blows and rolling between soldiers just to stab them with their own sword. Her mission was even further successful as not a soldier died and they discovered a very important dispatch which later led to a decisive victory.

When the military heads learned of her exploits, she was sent to a special group of operatives that would assassinate officers or sneak to replace documents to mislead enemy soldiers. Her faith became prevalent during this time as many thought she was blessed by Yuwan herself with the ability to blend with the shadows or summon the powers of lightning due to a bow that would seemingly hit any target at extreme distance. Weather these feats are true or not is really known between her a Yuwan. The Church blessed her with an edict, do what ever is needed to protect the faith and then the council finalized it by giving her special permission to more or less go where ever and who ever if need be.

She is one of the most dangerous people in the nation at this point and is likely known outside of it. A true creature of the night and a extremely skilled combatant. When she starts a mission, there are sure to be new widows.

Lord Komitus Braith IV

The Senate has many appointees, from murderous assassins like Morinth to Knights that are the eyes and ears.. and sword, of the peoples voice. Komitus is the most prolific of these knights who directly answer to the senate. This one is an extremely skilled combatant who wields a supposedly enchanted long sword and one of the navy's finest snub Amakus.
His background is that of nobility. Raised in the upper class homes of the capitol, he became a land owner at the age of twelve when he was granted the location of his future home. His supposed destiny was to be a powerful senator or even a governor of one of the major cities but he found his called when the military called upon youths to help fight the Somnus on their southern borders.

He had answered the call and was immediately put in to a reserve corps, overseeing logistics but he could see through the charade, a plan by his parents to keep him safe and one night he walked out, grabbed a sword and mingled with the foot soldiers. Since he had disappeared, many thought him dead but during one of the final battles of the war before the dream plague destroyed the Somnus, he led an assault on one of the major forts blocking Dominion forces from moving forward in his theater. His methods were straight forward and seemingly doomed to fail but he had some sort of charm, a powerful ability to motivate his men and by doing so, led a force of 700 soldiers to overtake a fortress of over 1000. They breached the gates using shields to defend against arrows, small barrels of gunpowder were set near the door and then the troops fled, letting the explosives to open his soldiers way. It seemed for naught as the enemy had ballstae and archer alike guarding the door way.

He rose his sword in to the air and it seemed as if the sky grew dark. Black clouds had became darker and then lightning shot down from the sky as if Yu'huan her self was unleashing her fury. Ballistae exploded as the bolts of lightning struck.. men were shocked alive as the bolts crashed through their metal plate armor. When the storm subsided and rain began to pour, he ordered the charge. When they breached the gate, all they saw was death inside and cowering soldiers. He became a symbol of power when he offered himself to the church but the senate offered him a position he couldn't pass up, to be one of their agents, to go anywhere and do anything he wanted with the nations blessing.

-Current national relations;

Drathan Union

The Drathans have been a long time friend of the Dominion since Yuwanism took over the country many centuries ago. As time went on, various wars would come to the dominions door step, ones that would ultimately end with the Drathans invaded. (which likely had a big part in their decision to help) As time went on, a strong respect between the two led to a loose alliance that has prospered by trade and mutual protection.

Kingdom of Charlin

Otnemarcasan Empire

The Isoterix Shogunate

Kingdom of Karkarth

Hokksulgug

This one is an interesting situation as long ago, Hokksulgug was a province of the Antian Dominion. When it split, a major war which left the nation in shambles took place. Without the somnus imperium drawing the dominions attention, its likely to this day that the Hokksulgug would be a province in the dominion. Like a phoenix from the ashes though, Hokksulgug prospered from its independence. Furthermore, they even came to their parent nations aid during its time of dire need. Granted, the potential for invasion by the justinians played a big factor in the decision making process. These wars and the dominion recognizing and respecting the Hokksulgug, has created a slow bond over the centuries that has flourished in to a very strong alliance.

Aeieal

As the Dominion began to conquer adjacent territories to the north they encountered the infamous northern marshes. Aware of the rumours detailing siren like creatures within and seeing land further north of little value the marshes were spared the butchery of the early Dominion expansions and in doing so the gate to the Otnemarcasan Empirewas left sealed.

As time moved on emissaries from the marshes emerged representing a nation they called Aeieal. While initially cautious of the beautiful yet undeniably deadly people the Dominion eventually decided that the regions value as a buffer in the north was sufficient to make a deal. While beginning as a mere agreement to respect the borders of Aeieal relations grew with time until trade, especially of the slave variety had become an important source of income in the region.

Seeking to secure Aeiealas an asset one of the earlier Yuwanist kings proposed an alliance with the state to the council and despite misgivings over the diet of the people that lived there the council agreed. As part of the alliance that early king married a Vaelie and began a tradition that usually one in the royal family per generation would continue, though there were certainly lapses at times.

In recent history due to the instability in the north and the fractured Otnemarcasan Empirethere has been a push to reinforce Aeieal with Dominion border forts, although the deal has been a long time in the making recently there is hope that a solution to each parties misgiving can be found. As for the tradition of intermarrying Tetan Serin's younger brother, Prince Oran Serin has carried it into the current generation after Tetan himself declared he had no intention of marrying anyone for the foreseeable future.

Expanding Horizons

Circus

High Level Operator Six: 'Circus'

Operations Councilor of the Boundless Reach

Height:
Inapplicable

Weight:
Inapplicable

Age:
~32,516,101 Hours of Uptime

Race:

Neural Simulation

Neural simulations are, for all intents and purposes, individuals without a biological body. Rather, their minds are simulated by an advanced computer system capable of accurately replicating the minutiae of a living brain. It should be said that unlike most biological sentients a neural simulation’s mental capacity can naturally expand over its lifetime. With a sufficiently sophisticated computer hosting it there exists no need for a neural simulation to forget any experience or skill, a reality that tends to turn the mind of most neural simulations into a sprawling mass of connections hardly recognizable as the digital reproduction of a living brain it once was. Left alone a neural simulation can grow its mental capacity without clear limit. This natural process of growth can even be undertaken artificially, though this can result in depersonalization or insanity if attempted without proper know-how or preparation.

As digital life forms capable of expanding their mental capacity neural simulations eventually, inevitably, become adept manipulators of the environment they live in. This is as true of neural simulations as it is of totally artificial intelligences. Data, code, these things are the building blocks of reality for digital lifeforms and with enough understanding they can modified and shaped in almost any manner imaginable. The majority of mature neural simulations are capable of dismantling most commercial security systems and encryptions. Rigorously designed military or corporate measures often pose a greater challenge and depending on their sophistication can prove totally intractable to even skilled neural simulations. It goes without saying that defenses designed to frustrate completely artificial intelligences are equally effective against neural simulations.

Of course, neural simulations do have an inherent disadvantage not shared by true artificial intelligences; a neural simulation is fundamentally incapable of large scale multitasking. Though an extended existence will lead to a neural simulation gaining an understanding of its virtual world and how to manipulate it, there are limits to any mind built from an organic model. If a neural simulation aims to break a sophisticated encryption it will have to commit the majority of its focus to that task. While superior to unmodified biological minds at the endeavor, neural simulations cannot perform on the level of true AI when it comes to exerting a massive digital, or even physical, presence. There is no perfect metric for defining a neural simulations innate limitation at multitasking, but in general a single neural simulation can split its focus between thirty to fifty distinct tasks. Complex undertakings understandably require greater attention, further complicating matters.

While limited in the number of actions they can perform at once, neural simulations do not lack another advantage commonly associated with proper artificial intelligence. Accelerated data processing permits neural simulations, like any digital lifeforms inhabiting systems with significant processing power, to perceive time as passing a great deal slower than may actually be the case. This is a result of two major factors: available processing power and the physical makeup of advanced computer systems. More available processing power simply allows more thought to happen in a shorter time, and advanced computer construction allows the brain thinking to physically operate at a speed greater than can be accomplished by the electrical connections between neurons in an organic brain.

In practice such a perception of time allows a neural simulation to act at what organic life might consider an accelerated rate. Things can be done faster and decisions made before slower life thinks of the question. Whole conversations can be shared before an organic is able to utter a single word. However, is important to note that while digital organisms may perceive time as slower, they are still limited by the same physical realities as all other living beings. A camera, arm, leg, or anything else can only move so fast.

Tier:
Regional (4): 'Circus' may not be a true AI, but the inevitable growth of their digital brain over several millenniums has made the distinction tenuous in some ways. Specifically, 'Circus' is able to interact with computer systems in ways not unlike proper AI would. Standard data protection is likely to fall short should 'Circus' infiltrate a foreign system as even unfamiliar or encrypted code is easily decipherable to an aged digital life form. Additionally 'Circus' is able to process and act on immense amounts of data in time frames all but impossible for organic lifeforms.

Appearance:
As a neural simulation 'Circus' lacks any physical appearance. Rather, mechanical, holographic, or simulated forms are constructed at will. That said 'Circus', like most neural simulations, has preferences. In most circumstances 'Circus' will present themselves as a twenty something human man or woman, though always with some additional and often gaudy flair. Sometimes this is as simple as showy clothing. Other times it can be so elaborate as to make one question whether or not 'Circus' had ever seen a human. A dozen arms, horns, spikes, wings, delicately carved and gleaming metal skin like some sort of automaton knight, ‘Circus’ has as many forms as one can imagine.

Personality:
There is no being so world weary as god. Like so many neural simulations 'Circus' was born into a world without challenge, where sensation and experience were simply a thought away. A world without true chance, where everything that existed was under their absolute control and the only consequence imaginable was minor discomfort. 'Circus' is a being that has tired of control, and now acts with a unique recklessness and creativity. It is not unheard of that 'Circus' will disregard their own safety or the safety of those they interact with in the pursuit of even trivial interests. Onlookers would call 'Circus' callous, but such an observation would be flawed. 'Circus' may show an observable indifference towards the lives of supposed 'transient beings', but has also demonstrated tremendous empathy and concern for fellow neural simulations. Committed to their duty as an operations councilor 'Circus' is sworn to protect and enrich the lives of all those who reside in the central computer of the Boundless Reach. While 'Circus' may unintentionally or even deliberately endanger themself or so called 'transient beings', there has rarely been a circumstance where 'Circus' did not prioritize the safety of the ships neural simulations.

Abilities, Talents, Traits, Powers:

System Infiltration (4):
Neural simulations may be subject to some restrictions not shared by true AI, but they are still digital lifeforms. ‘Circus’ like most neural simulations lives in an environment of data and over hundreds of years has naturally become an expert in manipulating that environment. Conventionally secure systems pose little challenge to ‘Circus’ or their ilk, and upon entry sensitive or protected code can often be rewritten at will. However, serious military encryptions or systems with specifically designed anti artificial intelligence measures can prove extremely difficult if not impossible to infiltrate. In general, the more sophisticated a system the more attention its decryption demands. Due to the organic multitasking limitation shared by all neural simulations, many systems a proper AI could dismantle are too complex to breach.

Accelerated Processing (2):
The rate at which a neural simulation experiences the passage of time is not a fixed one. Rather, it is directly proportional to the processing power available to the neural simulation at any given moment. Given a powerful enough host system a neural simulation can experience the passage of time many times slower than living organisms and gain a distinct advantage in the doing.

Robotics Engineering (3):
With just under four thousand years of existence, perceiving time as slower all the while, many neural simulations on the Boundless Reach have turned to the study of one topic or even many to bide the time. As a result there is nary one neural simulation on the Boundless Reach that is not educated to the standards of most species experts. ‘Circus’ themself focused on advanced robotics and the creation of suitable avatars for neural simulations.

'Circus’ has more than a millennium of experience in designing machines and refining their functions. As a result the avatars they craft for both themselves and other neural simulations are generally far more capable than the organisms they might imitate. Of course, the topic of avatars is a touchy one among neural simulations, but while they are rarely used there has always been some inkling of a demand for them aboard the Boundless Reach. Moving a neural simulation into an avatar isn’t so much the issue as not unnecessarily restricting their consciousness is. In general the sacrifice made by inhabiting an avatar is the dearth of available processing power making a neural simulations mind operate much closer to the speed of a normal organic than it otherwise would. Still, ‘Circus’ has managed to ease the problem so that the change in perception isn’t chaffing or disorienting. The avatars themselves can be nearly anything with a large enough computer installed and ‘Circus’ is always willing to accommodate the requests of fellow neural simulations.

Items:

The Boundless Reach

Built fifty centuries ago to be the last hope of a dying people, the Boundless Reach is a storied vessel. Its long history has led to both the starship, and its inhabitants, becoming all but unrecognizable to their predecessors. Once a generation ship hastily constructed and launched without proper supplies or equipment, the Boundless Reach now appears as a cylinder twenty kilometers in diameter and eighty kilometers long. As to the people who call the lumbering giant in space home? They have both gained and lost everything throughout their as expansive history. Boarding the Boundless Reach as men and women, beings of flesh and blood, they now defy such definitions from within the confines of a computer core.

The Operations Council

‘Circus’ may not be the sole owner of anything, but it could be said that as a member of the Operations Council they are a co-owner of the Boundless Reach itself. Tasked with the vessels administration, maintenance, and navigation the Operations Council was originally intended to take on the technical operation of the ship in order to free its neural simulations to do as they pleased in an essentially infinite simulated world. Nowadays the Operations Council represents the defacto leadership of the Boundless Reach. Major decisions are reached through majority vote and there are currently seven voting members on the council.

Under the Operations Council’s purview is the whole of the Boundless Reach

Locations

With an internal volume of just over twenty five thousand kilometers cubed the Boundless Reach has more sights and sounds than could be experienced in a lifetime. However, few would compare an empty storage room to a sprawling factory. Some places are more notable than others, and among the most noteworthy on the Boundless Reach are the following:

The City

It is important to remember that the Boundless Reach was once a generation ship, even though not a soul breaths its air today. As much of the computer infrastructure that plays host to the vessels neural simulations was added on through countless expansions, the old city at the core of the Boundless Reach has been left all but untouched. Stuck to the inside of an internal cylinder twelve kilometers in diameter and forty eight kilometers long that once rotated to provide gravity, a function long since made obsolete, the vast city has decayed even with routine maintenance. At one thousand eight hundred and ten kilometers squared the city is simply too large to properly care for, and many parts are in total disrepair. Neglected sections have been taken over by the plant life that was once housed in small parks across the city and now overgrown streets contrast pristine towers. While the ship is able to simulate nearly any weather within the city, it has been left to replay one day for centuries. The city has felt a clear morning, followed by a growing storm, and finally a rainy night for longer than most of the plants within it have been alive. The system that provided dynamic and changing artificial weather, alongside the countless others that once kept the cities inhabitants alive, has long been left in standby. The old city sits waiting to serve a generation that will never come.

The Nanofactory

Buried in one of the most well armoured sections of the ship is the Nanofactory. An immense open area overhung with hundreds of cranes and a floor studded with dozens of immense vats, the Nanofactory is the very thing that sustains the immense bulk of the Boundless Reach. Each vat in the Nanofactory is filled with industrial nanites, microscopic machines that are specifically designed to process material. Should a sufficient amount of raw material be provided to the nanites through tubes at the bottom of each vat, and a blueprint be uploaded, the tiny machines will extrude the desired object from the surface of the vat. While the nanofactory is extremely capable when it comes to nearly any mechanical object, living biology simply cannot be reproduced.

The Drone Hanger

Although many neural simulations like to imagine little of note exists outside of the Boundless Reach’s computer system, the universe still surrounds them. There are times when there is no choice but to interact with the universe at large, and this is where the ships drone hangers come into play. The Boundless Reach was constructed with the ability to house a small number of exploration and transport craft. Nowadays the hangers have grown with the ship, and thousands of drones are contained within the vessels bowels. Used for exploration, mining, repair, defense, offense, or even personal amusement the various drones aboard the ship have a great number of uses. Of particular note are the remaining transport vessels, though rarely used they are generally relied upon to convey physical avatars of neural simulations to wherever they would need to be. It goes without saying there is immense risk in deploying a neural avatar away from the ship, as its destruction would destroy the avatar and require a backup be activated. To the inhabitants of the Boundless Reach who live in a world of data, downtime is death. A backup is a new person, not the neural simulation that died.

The Maintenance Tunnels

Beyond the eye catching areas that define the Boundless Reach there are the maintenance tunnels. Collectively they represent thousands of kilometers of passages put together in a labyrinthine manner only decipherable to their digital creators. They are used to repair any conceivable damage to the ship or its innumerable systems. Of specific importance are those running to the primary systems of the ship, these are often much larger than their normal counterparts to facilitate the transport of larger or more sophisticated repair drones. These enlarged passages would qualify as proper ‘hallways’ on another vessel.

Systems

The Boundless Reach has many important primary and secondary systems; put together they represent the ships capability and the reason it has survived thousands of years in the void. Tested for centuries in reality and simulation the ships systems are efficient, optimized, and refined.

The Gravitational Well Projection Array

One of the primary systems that the larger priority maintenance tunnels run to is the Gravitational Well Projection Array, which acts as both the primary propulsion and weapons system. The GWPA projects ‘artificial mass’ in much the same way the ships internal system creates an artificial gravity field. The difference is range and concentration. The GWPA can project an immense ‘artificial mass’ directly ahead of the ship as a means to ‘pull’ it forward, better yet it can project this mass at long range in almost any direction. While this removes the ships need for alternative propulsion, it also opens up the possibility of using the array as a weapon. Used in this manner an ‘artificial mass’ or even several could be used to destroy a target through sheer tidal force. If a target proved immune to such an attack the GWPA could be used to accelerate otherwise inert projectiles to extreme speeds by simply projecting an ‘artificial mass’ ahead of them. The GWPA is the most versatile system on the Boundless Reach and it forms the backbone of the ships capability.

The Computer Network

Whereas the old city is a reminder of those who once lived on the Boundless Reach, the ships computer cores are a statement about its current inhabitants. Buried in the most well armored sections of the vessel and surrounded by auxiliary power generators, the ship hosts forty eight networked primary computer cores. Decentralized to mitigate the risk of catastrophe in the event of power loss or attack it is not an exaggeration to say that the cores are some of the densest computers to ever be constructed. Even then, each one is a sphere nearly fifty meters in diameter. One core alone could house every neural simulation on the Boundless Reach, but only in the most uncomfortably cramped conditions. As it is the cores are capable of simulating nearly anything for the neural simulations they host. Digital utopias where the residents are virtual gods, the computer cores are the very heart of the ship and its people.

The Shield

Every space ship capable of high speed subluminal travel requires an energy shield to combat the abrasive effect of micro collisions. While the Boundless Reach first relied on thick armour after its construction it goes without saying that one of the earliest and most important technologies developed aboard the ship was a shield to address the ever present threat of interstellar dust. The modern shield of the Boundless Reach is little changed from its earliest ancestors. Plasma is contained in magnetic field that forms a bubble around the ship, protecting it from incoming projectiles. Bright, obvious, and of limited effectiveness at warding off energy weapons, the shield is mainly for navigation.

Q Drive

The Boundless Reach’s primary method of superluminal travel is the Quantum Tunneling Drive, usually shortened to Quantum Drive, Tunneling Drive, or Q Drive. By inducing a macro scale quantum tunneling effect in the volume around a vessel, the lightspeed barrier can be circumvented through instantaneous travel towards a destination point. The effect cannot be induced within gravitational or electromagnetic fields of large magnitudes, such as those produced by stars, as the energy required for tunneling exponentially increases as one nears the source of such fields. This leads to the drive only being useful for interstellar travel as it can be assumed that the offending fields are too strong for the drive to function within a distance of roughly eighty astronomical units from most stars. It's incredibly impractical to transport vessels more massive than one zettagram, as the mass of a vessel also impacts the drives ability to induce a tunneling effect, and even a highly dense energy source will rapidly contribute to the total mass at such scales. Miniaturizing the Quantum Tunneling Drive has proved elusive, with the smallest versions being ten meters cubed.

The Secondary Battery

The Boundless Reach does rely upon the GWPA, but not to the point it is a liability. The ship is studded with secondary weapons to be used for both point defense and ship to ship combat. Large railguns feature prominently, firing multi ton shells at 0.003c and forming the core of the ships armament in the case the GWPA fails. Smaller multi spectral lasers also mottle the hull, largely used for point defense and object avoidance in debris fields.

The Emission Mimicking Panel Network<br>

One secondary system of great importance is the Emission Mimicking Panel network. The system is composed of thousands of hull lining panels which act as a rudimentary cloak. Usable while moving slowly or while the ship is stationary the panels act to broadcast a rough approximation of every spectrum's background radiation level while absorbing incoming emissions from active sensors. As it is not a true cloak, anyone who scans long or hard enough would be able to detect the Boundless Reach through analysis of its emissions. However, the AEMP acts to make the vessel blend into any space, permitting it to remain hidden from investigations not conducted with the greatest rigor.

History:
Some millennia ago there lived a people who came to be on a world with air they breathed and water they drank. They lived, died, and innovated as all peoples do, but unlike many their time was short. Just as they began to make the first strides off their little rock in space a calamity beyond imagining befell them. Countless millions died by the day, and an otherwise unremarkable people were forced to choose between certain death and a seemingly endless journey through the void. This is how the Boundless Reach first came to be. It is known that nearly a thousand years passed before the wayward people reached the distant star they had meant to be their new home. It is also known that they found nothing but desolation there. Starved for resources and unable to construct a new civilization with what meager supplies they had left, once again the people from their doomed world had to make a choice.

This is how the first neural simulations came to be. Minds scanned, copies activated at the moment of the originals demise, the first of the neural simulations were born to desperation. With no allies but time they forged the Boundless Reach into something new, and they set out on a new course. Where once it took many generations to traverse the stars, now it only took weeks. Where once there was strife, now there was utopia for all. It was this utopia, this aimlessly wandering vessel that ‘Circus’ helped create. As the Boundless Reach hopped from system to system, harvesting resources and sustaining its create bulk, ‘Circus’ grew restless. It was time for something new. The path upon which ‘Circus’ embarked would see them elevated to the Operations Council, and it would see the great ship a doomed people once called home chart a new course.

Iliyana Kis

Iliyana Kis

Name:
Iliyana Kis

Height:
5’6

Weight:
~130 Ibs

Age:
28

Race/Species:
Iliyana is a human, but the circumstances of her ‘birth’ differentiate her from the majority of her species. Gestated in an artificial womb, Iliyana was more designed than born. The result of an engineered ovum being fertilized by a likewise engineered sample of male gametes, Iliyana need not fear any of the multitude genetic disorders normal humans are susceptible to. She is one among thousands of siblings produced from the same modified genetic material. As much tools as people, Iliyana and her many siblings were created to be both ideal humans and ideal soldiers. However, they are not clones. While engineered samples were combined to facilitate the birth of Iliyana and her siblings, they were allowed to combine without interference. In this way greater genetic diversity could be accomplished. Perhaps more complex than simple cloning, the goal of the process was to promote genetic diversity and limit the effect of targeted enemy bioweapons.

Tier/Influence:
3; No more physically capable than any other fit Human, Iliyana is a threat because of what she has more than what she is.

Group(s):
Harmonious Network

Appearance:
Slim, fit, wearing her black hair short out of habit, all together these things make Iliyana a rather unremarkable woman at first glance. It is the scars left from a life at war that make her notable. Her face remains lightly scarred from the laser burn that took her eyes; each of which have been replaced by metallic spheres with small cameras acting as 'pupils'.

Personality:
Iliyana can best be described as a flawed stoic. While not laconic by any measure, she makes a considerable effort to avoid expressing discomfort in any given situation. It would seem that to her silence is more valuable than petty quibbling. However, when she does choose to voice her protest the vitriolic tirades that result can go on deep into the night, often ending only when an inevitable fistfight begins. Outside of her infrequent rants most would characterize her as being artificially cordial. She speaks softly, answers questions directly, and comes off as utterly inoffensive. Yet she rarely speaks with genuine warmth. Her tone often betrays disinterest or impatience even as her words paint an image of courtesy.

Abilities, Talents, Traits, Powers:

• ^{( 3 )} ARM Neural Interface – Implanted in Iliyana’s brain at a young age, the ARM Neural Interface was designed to reduce the natural delay in a pilots reaction times by transmitting commands directly from the brain to the space craft. While the system is useless to an untrained pilot, experienced users are able to gain a significant advantage over equally skilled peers who lack the technology.
• ^{( 2 )} Fighter Pilot – Iliyana has extensive training and combat experience. While not the greatest star pilot in the galaxy, or even the Myrlian Belt, she is more than proficient. With fighter pilots sustaining casualty rates of 12-28% per year of service, her very survival is testament to her skill.
• ^{( 2 )} Military Training – Pilots, like most soldiers, go through general marksmanship and combat training. For Iliyana this training started long before it would have for most normal soldiers, and as a result she is proficient in a number of military disciplines. Marksmanship, unarmed combat, wilderness survival, Iliyana may not be an expert at any of these things, but she is a mark above most in all of them.
• ^{( 1 )} Cybernetic Eyes – Iliyana lost her eyes to dazzler weapons years ago, but thanks to these replacements she maintains her sight. Simple mass produced military grade prosthetics, these eyes are a far cry from the advanced consumer grade products used by rich eccentrics. They are capable of limited magnification, but otherwise are as capable as normal eyes, if not a bit more durable.

Items:

• ^{( 4 )} SF-31 Melierax -- Not maneuverable enough to seriously be called a space supremacy fighter, nor well-armed enough to be called a bomber, the Melierax is a jack of all trades and master of none. Used for atmospheric bombing, space attack, close space support, and anything in between, the SF-31 makes up in flexibility what it sacrifices in capability. With its two automatic railguns the fighter is capable of disabling main battle tanks in strafing runs; when engaging heavier targets it can draw upon two internal bomb bays and whatever munitions they may carry. Furthermore the spacecraft boasts extreme durability, able to go years without serious maintenance or repair so long as it takes no significant damage.
• ^{( 2 )} Light Gas Personal Defense Weapon -- Issued to all ARM pilots, this light gas gun is a cheap and concealable personal defense weapon. An automatic PDW firing 5mm projectiles at three kilometers per second, the weapon is capable of effective close range fire.

History:
Forty three years ago the Directorate of Myr withdrew from the star cluster that bore its name, and war has been a constant ever since. Of the many worlds that once prospered under the gentle care of the Directorate, all but a few have fallen to pieces in the near half century of its absence. Sebet is but one of those orphaned and shattered worlds. In days past, when Myrlian Belt was a bountiful and promising place, Sebet was the site of a rare congregation of Humanity. Humans from across the network moved to the industrious planet in the hope of finding a new home away from a society that seemed ever more alien and unwelcoming to them. There they found what they sought, for a time. When the Directorate departed, and when the belt fell to chaos, the once hopeful people of Sebet felt only betrayal. Their precious bastion of mankind had fallen under siege, and they knew precisely who to blame: everyone else. Anyone not human, not one of them, was a traitorous enemy. In the early days of the Directorates absence Sebet did not fall to the barbarism of warlords like its neighbouring worlds, but to the barbarism of the masses. Purge after purge turned a human majority world into a human exclusive world.

The people of Sebet might have been content in their genocide, if the outside world had not come for them soon after. While they hung the innocent in the streets the belt had changed. Warships belonging to ambitious dictators from other sundered planets choked the skies; Sebet was too precious a thing to be left to the crazed humans who inhabited it. To survive this onslaught that came from all directions the people of Sebet banded together and dug in. Massive bunkers, endless tunnels, enormous defensive weapons, Sebet became a fortress to protect what remained of its people. In those bunkers a new philosophy was born. The purge had not been enough; so long as the alien threat remained Humanity would never be safe. In the ashes of their once thriving home the men and women of Sebet formed a bond in blood and hate. The Army for the Restoration of Man had been born.

After decades of war the ARM began to weaken, and this is where the story of Iliyana Kis begins. To bolster their falling number the subterranean xenophobes of Sebet conspired to create a new, pure, humanity. Batches of twenty thousand children at a time born from modified and replicated genetic material. An army of siblings, a new brother and sisterhood of man to win the war that had taken so much.

Twenty eight years ago Iliyana was ‘born’ a member of the new second army. Alongside her siblings she trained from the time she could speak, preparing to smite the hellish foes of her people. At age twelve she was chosen for the space force and implanted with a cybernetic neural interface to improve her combat performance. At age sixteen she flew her first combat missions in the debris laden space of the Agrel system. At age twenty she led a fighter wing into a battle that left her eyes useless and in need of replacement. At age twenty four she abandoned her wing, her siblings, her country, and her people.

Now Iliyana makes her living as a hired gun on the canyon marred world of Anne’s Hope in the Regen system. With the Melierax star fighter she escaped from the ARM space force in, Iliyana can threaten or destroy whoever or whatever a client wants in the desolate system that she calls home. Mercenary, Assassin, Guard, if it pays she’ll do it without complaint.

@Arawak@Antarctic Termite@The Harbinger Of Ferocity@Rilla@Circ

The Old Forest

The Old Forest

Type of Government:
The Old Forest has never had an official government, rather whenever a decision was to be made which affected all the forests denizens the so called Greater Beings, the most ancient and impressive examples of their respective spaces, would gather. This, often, resulted in petty argument and endless compromise. While the seemingly almighty power of the forest in ages past meant this slow and contentious decision making process was tolerable given how uncommonly a united front was needed, the pressures of the modern day have revealed its weakness.

Head(s) of Government:
It could be said all the Greater Beings are heads of Government in the forest, certainly none would admit to being anything less, but in reality only a few among them hold real power. These notable entities include Shaetarae of the Dryads, Gerum of the Great Weavers, Keera of the Harpies, Tokar of the Grand Ursine and on the rare occasion they deign to exert their influence, Ooash of the Shadows.

Economy:
Until recently the Old Forest had little in the way of industry, and in the past there is no doubt not a one of its denizens would have willingly engaged in the economics of the so called 'ephemeral ones'. Of course, the Forests denizens don't have the choice to refuse to participate any longer. After the first sundering of the Forest the Great Beings were forced to make concessions, and today they, begrudgingly, provide the world with materials and goods of the finest quality. Whether it be the coveted Darkberries grown by the Ursine, the silk of the Weavers, prize sheep raised and fed under the canopy of the trees, or even the magical deep ice of the old mountain, the Forest does not lack for exports. As for what it receives in return? Well, the Great beings cannot be said to have been ignorant of the circumstances of their subjugation. Deep within the forest the hiss of steam rises and furnaces burn hot, ostensibly to process the resources of the forest within the forest. Of course, industry has many uses.

Primary Species:
Countless species live within the forest, but few if any are those that might be seen elsewhere. The thinking beings of the forest are in order of their numbers, the Great Weavers, the Harpies, the Grand Ursine, the Dryads, and finally the enigmatic Shadows.

Population:
Somewhere in vicinity of twenty five million.

Approximate Pop Stats

70,000 Shadows
100,000 Dryads
2 Million Grand Ursine
2.5 Million Fellyr
9 Million Harpies
11 Million Weavers

Culture:
Every species within the forest has, in one way or another, its own culture and traditions. The most numerous species huddling in the undergrowth are the Great Weavers, colossal intelligent spiders that in ages past lurked among the trees feeding on wildlife and the unwary alike. The Weavers are perhaps the species that, for all they are misunderstood and loathed outside the forest, have most easily adapted their culture to the new world.

For example, while the Weavers once prized and jealously guarded their silk, a material nearly as durable is it is lustrous, they quickly leveraged the humiliation of having to surrender the wealth of their own bodies into great power in the forest. Under the guidance of Gerume, the oldest of their kind to survive the sundering of the forest, the Weavers constructed great looms. Rather than stew in the shame of their new circumstances the Weavers turned the material they once guarded into a source of incredible wealth.

Likewise the Weavers have adapted in other areas. In the past the spiders were reclusive, outright refusing to consider outsiders people and certainly not worth their time. At best, an elf or human was a somewhat mediocre meal. Nowadays, for all that it’s unsettling, the Weavers are the most talkative species in the forest, always engaging with outsiders where the other denizens would refuse to do so.

The Weavers, as a people, were once uncomplicated. They ate, they fought when the Greater Beings among them demanded it, and otherwise kept to themselves. Their family units were nonexistent, rather ‘friends’ would merely set up webs near each other and on occasion engage in contests of skill in weaving or hunting. Now... Things are shifting for the forest as a whole, and nowhere is that more obvious than with the Weavers.

Of course, in perhaps a great irony, where the inhuman Weavers have adapted to their circumstances the human-like, seemingly approachable Harpies have fought any effort to have them change their ways. Perhaps the difference of opinion is less striking, when one gets a look at a Harpies smile. Predators like the Weavers, the difference between the two is that the Harpies never regarded the outside species as poor meals, but rather rich delicacies with vital ceremonial meaning.

Indeed, the consumption of elves, humans, dwarves, and their ilk was once an important part of Harpy religion. The predatory bird folk worship, fittingly, the spirits of the wind. While everyday worship is simple, rarely going beyond a prayer before meals, on sacred days the Harpies once descended upon communities beyond the forest in great hunts, displaying their prowess before the spirits in hunting the most dangerous prey. Those who were most successful consumed their kills ritually with their families, earning the blessings of the Sky-Witches who were said to hear the spirits of the wind directly and who possessed incredible magic.

Such a blessing was what made one an attractive bachelor, a respected leader of the community, or even what permitted one to marry their beloved regardless of any feuds or grudges between families. Ever since the sundering of the forest the hunts have ceased, and in their absence the Sky-Witches have become reclusive. The Harpies as a whole fear the displeasure of the spirits for the species failure to honour them, and it has been said some have gone about... Illicit activities to avert what the Harpies see as the wrath of the wind.

Not all the denizens of the forest have such... Colourful histories and practices though. The Grand Ursine, enormous bears often seen as the kings of all beasts, have never predated on the ‘ephemeral ones’ and have had little to reason to change their habits after the sundering of the forest. Certainly, they resent the basic labours demanded of them, but in truth it is not like they have not worked before. In ages past the Grand Ursine were the strong hand of the Dryads, so few truly loathe the labours that have become their new duty.

The Ursine, creatures with strong families and simple lives, spend their days working, hunting in the forest, or tending to the berry crops they have so painstaking maintained in the undergrowth of the forest. They are standoffish to outsiders, but the Ursine have no great hatred for outsiders and if one manages to gain their trust they have much to offer in what is perhaps some of the oldest oral history in the world. For if anything, the Ursine love stories. Fiction, truth, a blend of both, the Ursine spend much of their recreational time speaking and listening, remembering and constructing. If anything, the rapid rise of literacy among the Ursine is what sets them apart.

Of course, some of the denizens of the forest haven't had to learn their words from the outsiders. Apart from the common species of the forest there are the Dryads, truly powerful and enigmatic beings once feared and considered myth. They are few in number, some say less than a hundred thousand live within the forest, but all hold tremendous authority. Some have compared them to masterful statues of women carved from living wood, but even that falls short when one stands in the presence of such a venerable and august creature as a Dryad. Their skin is incongruously soft to the touch, warm, and impervious to all but the most vicious attacks. Their features are as lively as any other races and their vine like hair almost seems to glow as to remind those around them of the tremendous latent magical power within every one of the rare forest women.

The Dryads are perhaps less of a distinct species as an extension of the forest itself, and indeed this is reflected in all their practices. While they disclose little, being intensely secretive beings, the Dryads often care for the forest, killing woodsmen, protecting saplings, and projecting immense authority while doing so. Such is their presence that the Dryads would likely have been the uncontested rulers of the forest in the ages past if it were not for their... Cousins.

The Shadows. The name itself seems melodramatic, excessive, but in truth it falls short of what dwells in the darkest reaches of the Old Forest. For countless centuries the Shadows were only rumours, the only living word of them coming from unusually kind Dryads warning travellers, but when the forces of the outsiders came to tame the forest they learned the Shadows were no legend.

Beings as real as they are fairy tale, the Shadows are... Difficult to describe. Even after coming into conflict with them, even after speaking to them directly when it came time to make peace, outsiders struggle to find the words. This is not surprising, seeing as no Shadows ever fell in the sundering of the forest, and moreover the mere presence of a Shadow invokes an illusory magic that disguises the creatures form. Only those rare and powerful mages who have seen through the all but impenetrable darkness that wreaths the creatures have produced a reliable account, calling them twisted reflections of Dryads.

Those few have described the Shadows as creatures of the forest like Dryads, but with no seemingly mortal form. They describe static faces of wood permanently twisted in expressions of horror covering every inch of the vaguely humanoid Shadows, carved eyes looking out in every direction begging for help. Some use these accounts to condemn the Shadows as soul thieves, living demons. The Shadows themselves dismiss such accusations when they are summoned officially, but the suspicion remains.

All that is truly known of the Shadows is that their relationship with the Dryads is contentious, and that in ages past the two mystical species have kept each other in check.

Religious and Other Beliefs:
There exists no unified religion in the Old Forest. The Great Weavers may have a peculiar reverence for the Shadows, as do the Ursine for the Dryads, but rarely does this reverence translate into worship. Perhaps the only true religion in the Forest is the Harpies veneration of the wind spirits. Then again, the Dryads and Shadows have never spoken on the subject. Given the almost ritual activities observed in the Dryads most suspect they have a connection to one god or another. As for the Shadows, well, none ask them the question.

Location/Territories:

(The Green Territory)

Climate:
The Old Forest is a land of many climates, but by and large it is a temperate land. Warm summers, cold winters, none within have trouble weathering the conditions even when seemingly impossible rain or snow storms emerge from the old mountain that towers over the forest.

Military:
The Old Forest has no formal military, indeed this was its downfall in the past, but there are rumours this is changing. Given the already staggering casualties it took to tame the forest to begin with such rumours are almost certainly unwelcome to all with an interest who hear them.

Magic Prevalence/Usage and Elemental Alignment:
Magic is everywhere in the Old Forest and nearly every intelligent species under the trees practises it to some extent. The Harpies have Sky-Witches, the Great Weavers have the Gifted, the Grand Ursine have the Grey Ones, and indeed it is said every Dryad and Shadow is a creature as magic as it is physical.

Great Weavers have an affinity with Mind magic, Harpies have an affinity with Gas magic, Grand Ursine have an affinity with Solid magic, and as usual Dryads and Shadows refuse to say.

History/Background Info:
((I need to talk to everyone about this!))

Wulfberht

Name:
Wulfberht

Appearance:
By all accounts Wulfberht is an imposing man, towering over most of his fellows. That isn’t to say he is a giant, for surely there are taller, let alone stronger, men, but in any given room the chances Wulfberht isn’t immediately obvious are slim indeed. He possesses a well kempt beard that extends perhaps a hand of fingers past his chin and acts as the anchoring feature of his face. Hazel eyes peek out from behind his long hair, grown out in the Chlotar custom. Most often Wulfberht can be seen in Chlotar armour or garb rather than the native styles of his Eodaen culture and heritage, perhaps intentionally so.

Kingdom Allegiance:
Chlotaringen

Tribe:
Eodaen

Background:
Wulfberht was once a powerful Earl in Eodaland, a distant relative of the king Aethelberht, who was never too far from Cantaware to ride back with a moments notice at his lieges request. It was in those days, more than a decade past, that he began to doubt the Kings brother, Badastan. Despite Badastan’s standing Wulfberht, who already saw the Prince as an unrepentant apostate, became suspicious he was conspiring against the king Athelberht. This suspicion was turned to conviction after the untimely death of a fellow advisor of the King who’d only recently voiced concerns about Badastans heresy. Seeing Badastan’s complicity in the act as a given Wulfberht flew into an accusatory rage, going so far as to call out Badastan in court and in front of his kingly brother.

This would prove to be a grievous mistake. Despite his certainty Wulfberht had failed to find anything to substantiate his claim, and given the severity of the allegation this gave Badastan the only edge he needed. With a few honeyed words in Aethelberht’s ear the Prince had Wulfberht and his family exiled. Out of respect for the king Wulfberht went willingly, but not before he denounced Badastan’s heresy once more, going so far as to call it a cancer which would consume Eodaland unless it was excised. With no king to declare his fealty to, and a burning sense of righteous indignation, Wulfberht packed up all he had and set sail for Udos.

The holy city was, if nothing else, the one place he knew he would never again be subject to the perverse whims of apostates and heretics. Beyond that, it was in need of fighting men. When Wulfberht left Eodaland it was without shame, and far from alone. He had not been a poor, or unpopular, man, and with him he took a small number of ships and men who were unwilling to abandon their Earl regardless of what the King demanded. Upon arrival at Udos Wulfberht would pledge himself, his wealth, and all those whose loyalty he held to the defence of the holy city.

As it happened, it was not an unneeded gesture. The blasphemy of the Lamperts was well known, but rumours had begun to reach Udos, rumours of a heathen army assembling intent on breaking the sacred walls once and for all. It would take more than a year, but before anyone knew it the armies of the abomination Dalgiserius were at the foot of Udos. However, Wulfberht and his men were not unprepared. Months earlier they had departed Udos, and as the Lampert horde made assault after assault on the city Wulfberht waited. It would take another few months, with the Lamperts slowly wearing themselves down, Wulfberhts men poisoning their food and raiding their camps in the night, but when the fateful moment arrived it was all too sweet. As the Lamperts surged forward to make what they hoped would be the final attack, Wulfberht swept in alongside an Eodaen mercenary host. The Lamperts outnumbered them by more than eleven to one, but the Eodaens were fresh and charge stuck the stooges of Dalgiserius unprepared.

It was, in truth, an unwinnable battle, but victory wasn’t the point. The mercenaries Wulfberht had paid retreated even before the Lamperts had fully become aware of the slaughter of their rear guard, but the damage was done. The Lampert camps had been ransacked, their supply trains burned, and their morale all but finished. While the mercenaries had cost Wulfberht the majority of what he had brought to Udos, they had done their job as any Eodean should and in the name of god, and money, rescued the holy city. When the Lamperts withdrew Wulfberht rode through the gates of Udos a hero, and in recognition of his role he was declared Protector of the Holy Sepulchre, conveniently replacing the last one who, by means of an unlucky arrow to the neck, had not fared quite as well in the siege.

For years Wulfberht would settle into his role, hearing of the terrible events in Eodaland with only passing interest. Aethelberht had betrayed him, and the blasphemer Badastan would fall, in time. Such was gods will. What did interest him was the young Chlotar King Cauroman arriving at Udos to solicit the favour of the Vestal Virgins. Wulfberht was among the first to greet the wounded Cauroman, and when it was declared the young King had been chosen by god to end the plots of the unholy, Wulfberht sought permission to accompany him. Leaving his son Oswine, now a veteran warrior himself, to protect Udos in his stead Wulfberht accompanied Cauroman on his journey back to Chlotaringen, and in the act came to know the young king well.

The Great Resurrection (WIP)

The Great Resurrection

Brief Description:
Rising from the Imperial northwest, an area relatively untouched by the Zuukid invasion, the Resurrectionists represent one of the largest departures from the Imperial ‘norm’ in recent history. The movement at large posits that the downfall of Humanity was a result of an ideological degradation brought about by the popular adoption of alien cultural and religious beliefs which were fundamentally incompatible with the Human psyche. In an effort to remedy this the movement looks to revive the ancient cultural and religious practices of the Human race. To this end Resurrectionists seek out, often fanatically so, any and all records of ancient humanity whether they be digital, text, or artifacts carefully preserved for millennia. The political entity of the Resurrectionist movement, or the Resurrectionist State, has pursued their goal of ‘reviving of the Human spirit’ ardently, and often at the expense of whatever ‘dissolute’ species has gotten in their way.

Claim:
https://i.imgur.com/wky3hER.jpg

Government:
The Resurrectionist movement began as a loose alliance of like minded states, and even now that is ostensibly the movements desired political end. For now though, sacrifices must be made to rebuild the Human spirit. The Resurrectionist government is best described as oligarchic, with key ‘councils’ being tasked with the administration of everything from the Military to the reconstruction of ancient religions. While there may be hundreds of these councils, there are a few that stand above all the rest in the rather impromptu hierarchy that has developed within the movement.

At the very top is the State Council, a small group of five tasked with resolving disputes between lower councils, dissolving and forming councils, and providing the final say in all decisions that may affect the entire movement. Its members serve lifetime terms, and their replacements are ostensibly elected by the lower councils.

Of course, those elections are largely decided by the councils immediately below the State Council. These are, in order of importance, the Military, Ideological, and Economic councils. Among these important Councils there exists a constant tension, with each one trying to manipulate the greater goals of the Resurrection according to its own agenda.

The Military council remains singularly focused on the war which has consume the nation for fifty years, and thus looks to hold total political power so that the war may be furthered without interference. The Ideological council, more concerned with civilian affairs, looks to counteract the increasing importance of the Military council by implementing representative democracy and decentralized federalism wherever it can, both preparing for the dissolution of the Resurrectionist State and keeping the Military from dominating the Movements politics. The Economic council tentatively supports the Ideological council in curbing the influence of the military, but has a much grander vision of the future; representative democracy, but no dissolution. The Economic council seeks to preserve the Resurrections status as a somewhat centralized superstate, and while it supports the Ideological councils attempts to prevent a dictatorship it also sees the utility in a single powerful figure. It has been said the Economic Council has its eye on Astrana as a potential model for a future Resurrectionist Government.

History:
When the Zuukid invaded the Orion empire they never so much as touched the Imperial northwest, and this was something every refugee knew. The billions that tried to settle in that untouched region nearly broke it. By the time the empire proper had collapsed in totality the newly independent western provincial governments were struggling to even feed their people, let alone protect them from the depredations of pirates and barbarians. In the midst of that chaos the seeds of the Great Resurrection were sowed. Human communities in the Northern Cygnus Republic were the first to act, seizing the government and turning its remaining guns on their new neighbours. Those early butcheries paved the way towards the creation of a proper ideology, and by the time the non-humans of the Republic’s capital worlds were fleeing in their masses the philosophy of Resurrectionism was being spread by Elias Daley.

What was a disorganized military government became the State Council, lead by the founder of the states new ideology. The Great Resurrection had begun, and once Elias had stabilized the former Republic’s core worlds he looked elsewhere. Advocates were dispatched to lead popular Resurrectionist movements across the Cygnus arm, and ships were built to support them.

War followed, and in victory countless alien innocents murdered. Before long the Resurrectionists were simply parking ships in the orbit of already collapsing planets and demanding the departure of those planets alien populations. Many fled, those who didn’t suffered, but for the Humans who remained there came a time of plenty. Ancient culture was brought back and all manner of customs and religions flourished, the adherents of each one finding each other brothers aligned against a common enemy.

Elias would die in his office as an old man, but by then the wave he started had become a tsunami. The Great Resurrection was no simple reactionary rebellion, but an ideology espoused by billions who owed their full stomachs and peaceful lives to it. For more than two centuries nearby states suffered Resurrectionist rebellions, both peaceful and violent, as the movement exported its ideology alongside its firearms and warships. Those who joined the fold willingly were welcomed, and those who did not were educated.

The largest victory in centuries came sixty years ago when the powerful Nevin Regime suffered a Resurrectionist coup. In a day the movement nearly doubled its territory. What followed was predictable, the attention it gained was not. For the first time the galaxy, now finally recovering from the shock of the empires collapse, took notice of the Resurrectionists. The Neo-Scorpine Empire, who had bordered the Nevin Regime, was appalled by what it saw. The slaughter of Scorpine civilians on former Regime worlds by Resurrectionist soldiers saw the Neo-Scorpine Empire launch a preemptive strike against the Resurrectionists fifty years ago, and for two decades it looked like the vile Resurrectionists were being pushed back.

Thirty years ago that changed. Markus Lahti, an admiral in the Resurrectionist Navy, invaded a nearby independent state to bypass the Neo-Scorpine front, and to the galaxies surprise manged to reach the Empires industrial worlds before a response could be mounted. The Neo-Scorpine front collapsed as the pincer closed on it, and soon nearly the entire Scorpine Navy was burning. For twenty eight years the Resurrectionists have pushed into Scorpine territory, capturing planet after planet, their advance heralded by enormous waves of refugees fleeing a massacre.

Two years ago the Scorpine managed to halt the Resurrectionist advance, but at a great cost. It is clear to the galaxy at large that the Neo-Scorpine cannot reclaim their territory, but with nearly a quarter of the Resurrectionist forces encircled a limited peace may well be within the Scorpine’s grasp. For the Resurrectionists everything depends on opening the pockets and cutting the Scorpine core worlds off from the rest of their empire, never have the stakes for both sides been so high.

Military:

Planetborne Arm of The Great Resurrection

Resurrectionist Infantry

The average Resurrectionist soldier is equipped with a Self Supporting Combat Suit (SSCS). While not capable of enhancing a soldiers strength, the SSCS has been described as weightless due to its clever design. The suit itself provides full body armour, NBC protection, and a sophisticated sensor suite feeding into a heads up display.

Resurrectionist Heavy Combat Unit

A product of the Scorpine war, these six meter tall powered exo suits were developed to provide infantry armoured support in areas inaccessible to traditional tanks and IFV's. A single Heavy Combat Unit (HCU) is no match for the powerful mechs employed by the Scorpine, but due to their low cost HCU's almost always outnumber their enemy counterparts.

Resurrectionist Armoured Fighting Vehicle

Often mistaken for actual tanks, the Werewolf AFV is an enormous fighting vehicle. Capable of carrying over a dozen soldiers, and armed with two rotary fifty millimetre cannons the Werewolf is a dangerous opponent for any enemy.

Resurrectionist Heavy Tank

The Leviathan Tank, ironically, is about as large as the Werewolf AFV. That said, the Levithan doesn't carry troops, it carries death. Armed with a ninety five milimeter Hyper-velocity Railgun, short range guided rockets, an automatic grenade launcher, and more besides, the Levithan is a nightmarish amalgamation of the Great Resurrections latest weaponry.

Resurrectionist Surface To Orbit Cannon

With two hundred millimetre Hyper-velocity Railguns capable of striking targets in orbit, or on other continents, the Revenant STOC is an important asset wherever it is deployed.

Spaceborne Arm of The Great Resurrection

Resurrectionist Dropship

The Iolaus class transport is above all else, stealthy and quick. Attrition rates among troops participating in initial landing were high early in the war with the Scorpine, and the solution proved not to be armour, but speed. The Iolaus is designed to get in before it can be intercepted, and to get out only when the enemy air defences have been neutralized.

Resurrectionist Fighter Bomber

The Odysseus fighter bomber is a multi-role craft, however in all roles it is intended to support other units. Its internal bays can be fitted with Space to Space, Air to Air, and Air to Ground guided missiles that serve admirably at range and see use in both ground attack and fleet actions. Its dual rotary cannons are used largely against other fighters or in support of ground operations.

Resurrectionist Superiority Fighter

The Great Resurrection has historically used a number of air superiority craft, but the Bellerophon superiority fighter is likley the most successful. This is, in part, because it was designed to simplify production and fill the role of all other superiority fighters in the Spaceborne Arm. Agile in atmosphere and lightning quick in space, these fighters are designed to kill other strike craft and completely lack the ability to engage larger targets unless they equip powerful long range guided missiles, something rarely done due to its deleterious effect on fighter performance and thus survivability.

Resurrectionist Corvette

The Foch class corvette is largely a scout and ECM vessel. Often they are used for long range surveillance or special operations missions. The Foch is largely incapable of proper ship to ship combat, lacking weapons beyond a CIWS suite and a forward mounted railgun.

Resurrectionist Destroyer

The Hannibal class was designed to screen larger vessels from strike craft and light ships, and it does this admirably. While most of the ship is dedicated to an immense CIWS suite Hannibal class vessels also have four dual gun turrets for engaging corvettes and destroyers.

Resurrectionist Cruiser

The bread and butter of the Resurrectionist Spaceborne Arm is the Alexander class. This venerable vessel was designed with one goal, fighting other capital ships and remaining in the fight as long as possible. The Alexander is massively redundant, heavily armed, and used in masses to form the bulk of the Spaceborne Arm.

Resurrectionist Carrier

All navies need a carrier, and the Nelson class is The Great Resurrections response to this need. Largely a back line vessel the Nelson isn’t designed for direct combat, thought it is far from unarmed. Ideally the Nelson would use its large engine array to flee a battle on the verge of being lost, but if that is impossible these carriers are often able to punch above their wight class, even if not for long.

Resurrectionist Battlecruiser

The Napoleon class, once called the artillery of space. Unlike most nations Battlecruisers and Battleships the Napoleon would be quite useless in close combat, but from range it is one of the most frightening ships in the galaxy. If it can be protected by its fleet the battlecruiser is able to being a number of astonishingly large railguns to bear alongside a plethora of vast long range missiles..

Religion/Culture:

The Resurrection looks to revive all the pre-Imperial religions and cultures of Humanity, but in a way it has come to have its own distinct culture. Elias Daley started the Resurrection by assembling and penning his interpretation of the many beliefs of the early anti-alien movements, and in doing so he founded an ideology that has come to be as important as religion to some.

Daley posited that the Human mind, even if modified through the use of technology, remains fundamentally Human. As such, it could only ever be compatible with original Human thought. Alien culture and religion were corrosive influences because, while the Human mind may be able to interpret them, on a basic level it could never accept them.

As a result, adopting alien beliefs and ideas would lead to a sort of subconscious cognitive dissonance taking hold of the Human mind. Such dissonance would cause mental stress that if left unaddressed would result in complacency, laziness, mediocrity of all sorts. No creature can function well under constant stress, and as a result what makes that creature great, its very spirit, would begin to wither.

In the end Daley sought to revive what he saw as the Human spirit. The Empire was the first to attack it, and as a result it was doomed to fail when its populace became unable to properly defend it. To the population of the Great Resurrection Daley’s theories are gospel, a sort of religion beyond religion. The quixotic goal of the Resurrection and its people is the construction of a Human paradise where all can accomplish what they dream.

Demographics (Species):
92% Human (Citizen)
8% Assorted Species (Non-Citizen)

Characters:

Olivia Lahti

Kaisa Lahti

Anton Lahti

Abraham White

Lucien Gulliot

Mustafa Bahar

Jeremiah Thompson

Anya Pushkina

Adilyn Tremblay

Evi Mayer

Heidi Baier

Relations:
(Talk to people! This section in NRPs often goes neglected, but it's important for other characters making their own NSs.)

Habitation:
(How and where people live; preferred modes of transportation, stuff like that)

Isotope's Cold Storage

Nations/Characters 2

The Sun Will Never Set

Kingdom of Verendes

Flag:

Government and Economy

Type of Government:
While technically a hereditary monarchy Verendes has effectively been under the control of the noble parliament for the last eighty years. Represented by their respective heads each of the forty seven noble families all have the ability to propose legislature and debate it, with most issues being settled by a majority vote. While laws and government acts must be signed by the monarch in almost all circumstances the reigning head of state is powerless given the noble parliaments ability to vote no confidence and remove them from power entirely. That said, the monarch is still the face of the nation and often holds considerable respect and influence within the noble parliament itself.

One notable exception to this is in times of war, wherein the monarch is placed in direct command of the armed forces and becomes able to enact changes far more rapidly than what the parliament would have been capable of. While many argue this policy is excessive in terms of empowering the reigning monarch it has nevertheless provided vast centralization in times of war allowing vital resources to be redistributed more easily.

Head(s) of Government:
The technical head of the government is Her Majesty Queen Sanvila the Sixth, a woman of twenty four years. The youngest of monarchs in recent history Sanvila gained power when her father, a notable proponent of increased royal control, died overseeing an arms plant without leaving any other heirs seven years ago.

Other notable individuals would include Belvon Harns, the head of his noble family and the current leader of the largest block of nobles in the parliament. A hard nosed man Belvon has long advocated expansion of the colonies and was largely responsible for the Jesah war which saw the acquisition of several oil rich northern territories.

In direct opposition to Belvon stands Kenst Terou, a more idealistic family head who continues to advocate isolationism from the world and economic reform. A smaller black of nobles is in alignment with Kenst, though many highly influential families can be counted among them.

Economy:
The Verenden economy operates off a gold standard, wherein the nation must maintain a supply of gold equivalent to the amount of paper currency issued. Under this system paper currency represents a technical debt owed by the government to the individual, and this debt may be traded for goods and services. Exempt from this are silver and copper coins which hold 'true' value based upon the materials in them. Thus a one dollar note represents an equivalent amount of gold, and a half dollar of silver is silver worth a half dollar. The mint and gold reserve is commanded by the specifically appointed National Treasury which acts to control inflation and recession and is generally tasked to intervene in the economy when such action becomes necessary.

The Verenden economy however is mostly unregulated beyond the simple controls of the National Treasury and operates closely to what could be considered laissez faire. In this system manufacturing, particularly in the maritime sector, has taken an enormous role and heavy industry has become the staple of Verendes with mines and factories dominating the skyline. That said, agriculture has not been neglected entirely and enough is produced to limit the hassle of importing food though at times it has become necessary. Most oil is sourced from the many colonies of Verendes for domestic use though in times of surplus it is often sold.

Taxes are set to a flat rate, greatly favouring the rich over the poor and as a result the working poor fill the streets or find refuge in the large housing facilities many companies provide after complaints about the homeless problem began to surface.

History, Demographics and Culture

Primary Species:
Human beings make up nearly the entirety of the Verenden population with white skin and black hair being the predominate traits of the population. Notable shorter than most other humans Verenden men stand at a height of 5'7 with women usually making 5'4.

Population:
~47,567,820 As of last national count.

Culture:
Verenden culture is often said to be divined into two distinct sets of values and ideals, those of the working and that of the established elite. The truth however is nowhere near that clear cut, and the identity of both subcultures has intermixed greatly.

The first of these subcultures is that of the working classes. It is best said that the working value community above all and place enormous emphasis on family usually forming large multi family communal groups in the belief that separation causes a weakening of the spirit. These large communal groups have a tendency to develop their own deviations from the larger national culture of the working, but nevertheless they all share many basic traits. One of these traits is the commonality that change is considered absolutely paramount with stagnation is seen as the nearest thing to death. As a result of their belied many of the working class try to reinvent themselves in whatever little ways they can afford. This has evolved into a sort of sub class system, where various members of the working class differentiate themselves through trinkets and clothing, with the more flamboyant being held in higher regard. A side effect of this is that it has brought about a sense of competition that has long caused minor conflicts as communities of different means clash, even if it has provided a unique flair of colour to Verenden cities many nations lack. Even more, regardless of the conflicts the sense of appearance being related to means has fostered an enormous sense of cleanliness among even the poorest citizens, resulting in new industries forming around bodily care and inevitably medicine.

The second of the so called subcultures is that of the rich and established elite. The primary difference between these individuals and the working class is that rather than as a way to show status opulent clothing and ostentatious appearances are merely the norm. This results in the noble and rich classes generally being far more cohesive than than those below them and as such having far less value in family as opposed to solidarity as a tier of society. Still, one element spawning from family solidarity is true for both sides of the coin, there is little gender discrimination. It is not uncommon for women to lead families, nor is it rare for them to serve in any role traditionally reserved for men. In tight groups specific distinctions between gender become less important, and this has been the case in Verendes regardless of class. On the flip side, non humans are generally looked down upon, though those closer to Humans are seen with less disdain than more atheistically disparate species.

Religious and Other Beliefs:
Verendes still holds a highly polytheistic system of religion with an ever expanding pantheon of gods whose values rarely align. Depending on the community the god of choice could be entirely separate, with many miners holding the god of the Earth in high esteem while others in the factories might hold the god of industry above all else. This system may seem divisive, but it rarely causes issue as the highest god in the pantheon, the god of time, is largely respected by all equally and acts as a single thread holding the religion together.

The Verenden pantheon lacks a proper name but is generally spoken of as the Servants of Time, with the lord of history and the future having fathered all the other gods. This in part explains why the pantheon expands, the god of time merely has more children.

History:
For uncounted ages a single empire dominated the land, and in its shadow the many city states of the world trembled. In fear of this empire a loose confederation was born among the five great port cities of the east in a vain attempt to dissuade that old empire from marching upon them. Yet in spite of this confederation the fear remained, and when the old empire began to falter and the world started to reek of war that fear drove the port cities to a single conclusion.

They had to attack before whoever succeeded the failing empire did. Banding together under the name of their commonly inhabited land, Verendes, the city states made their move some fifteen hundred years ago. Taken off guard by the sudden attack of the peaceful cities and preoccupied by the barbarians and other states gnawing at it the empire was unable to respond, and soon Verendes became an empire of its own. Out of the ashes of the old empire only two great states remained, the Vereden Empire and the Kataylabinsk Imperium. The former represented the forces that brought the greatest era of stability in history to an end, and the latter held strong as an echo of those times and that lost empire.

Ideology, religion, fate. Whatever it was these two remaining states could never reconcile their differences and not long after the old empire fell they once more moved to war, this time on each other. Centuries of fighting would solve little and it seemed to both states that nothing could be done. Yet it was stagnation that history could not abide. After a frost destroyed the Verenden Empires crops some seven hundred years ago the Imperim struck once more. Faced with a new player rising in the form of the Holy Moravian Empire and besieged on two sides in the face of natural disaster the Empire in the east fell, reduced to the territory it had held all those centuries ago.

In hopes of quelling the riots and staving masses in the ruined empire the Verenden king declared its dissolution, and once more the five city states came to be. For five hundred years this would be the case, each city state becoming a nation and gorging itself upon the wealth of trade ignorant to the world passing by, until they could no longer ignore it. The Holy Moravian Empire that had once helped to ruin old Verendes collapsed, and once more it became clear the violent states that arose from its ashes would be the doom of the newly minted nations and their founding cities.

So they made an old idea new, and as the first hints of industry began to show themselves in the world Verendes once more became a nation some two hundred years ago. Industrialism bled into colonialism and a new Verenden empire came into the world, establishing outposts and resource colonies throughout distant lands. In the year eighteen hundred the king of Verendes sought to protect the trade lanes to his new colonies from the ancient enemy of the maritime human city states, the Sacred Empire. Spanning the vast Ceres sea the beasts of the deep had once instilled fear into all who called the land home, yet now it was declared that they would be the ones hunted. Setting sail mere moments after declaring war Verendes would fight the monsters below the seas for nine years and with all the weapons that could be brought to bear nefore it emerged victorious. A once invisible enemy below its foot Verendes would establish a dominance of the Ceres sea that would last for seventy five years.

Yet now that hold has been broken, and Verendes faces giants at every turn, beasts with which it cannot contend.

Geography, Agriculture and Industry

Territories:


Cities, Bases, etc.:
The capital of Verendes is Destun, a sprawling city of industry left curiously smog free by the constant sea breeze given it's coastal locale. The royal palace as well as the noble parliament are situated just beyond the cities limits and the main air, navy, and army bases for the nation all located within it.

Another notable city would be Esten, a city with the distinction of being closest to the PKK border. It is for this fact the city is the home of three tank divisions and even more infantry, a force large enough to back up the forces on the border in a timely fashion should worst come to worst.

Climate:
Just north of the Equator Verendes is a warm nation that gets the occasional snowfall in it's more northern regions. Much of the nation was home to large forests in times past but now few remain, with farms taking up whatever is not covered by cities and industry. Rain is a constant of Verendes with it expected in all seasons, though with extra fog on the coast during the fall and winter.

Plant and animal life is abundant in the nation though most of what could be considered dangerous is long hunted to extinction, though in the private reserves of the nobles near the costs there is a snapshot into the vast and unrestricted amount of life that once called Verenes home.

All together, Verendes is a mild climate with a proclivity towards rain.

Agriculture:
Agriculture in Verendes is highly mechanized compared to most other nations, feeding off the manufacturing sector. This however has not lead to a massive increase in production given farmers have very little space to work with in comparison with other nations. Nevertheless Verendes rarely has to import food, though it does happen. This is usually the result of farming magnates exporting food at a favourable price and leaving the nation with a deficit, an issue which the government has been incapable of preventing due to the power and often in person representation of those responsible. Still, this competitive environment has brought about many innovations and some worry that increased regulation would cause a famine due to many of the current farmers no longer having to edge out any advantage they can and becoming complacent.

Industry:
Verendes is built upon its naval heavy industry and its production of exemplary glass. Nearly every city is home to as many factories as houses, a state of affairs that owes itself to the free economic decree of the king many years ago. When all those years ago the economy was formally deregulated an industrial revolution followed that changed the very fabric of the nation. What once was an agrarian people operating a hub of sea trade changed overnight into a people bent on competition and profit. The nobility were the first to exploit the situation and quickly solidified their power by buying up vast swaths of land and clearing it of forests to build the foundations for future industrial empires, but they were not alone. Many formerly middle class merchants found themselves able to buy specific sites rich in resources to feed the new factories and joined the nobles as the new elite. Of course this all came at the expense of the common man. Industry forced the throng into the streets or cramped apartments, a trend that is only becoming less pronounced now that many factory owners are building on site housing for their workforce, if only because the streets look better free of piss and shit. Nowadays industry remains king and while Verenden factories cannot match the quantity of the other industrial great powers a large emphasis has been placed on quality and efficiency that few can match.

Main Imports:
Grains, Lumber, Oil, Cotton, Dyes, Sand, Refined Chemicals, Beef, Zeolites, Feldspar, Rubber.

Main Exports:
Large engines, Refined Metals, Large Machinery, Textiles, Electronics, Optical and other types of Glass, Mined Helium, Luxury Goods (Watches, Jewelry, Small manufactured items), Ships, Weapons, Maritime goods.

Military

Armoured Forces

Recently expanded as a response to the growing communist threat the armoured forces of Verendes have quickly grown due to the nations heavy industry and are now a match in quality for even the most advanced nations, though quantity remains an issue.

R-56 General Tank

The main tank of the Verenden armed forces the R-56 is a medium tank used to engage other armoured vehicles and support infantry in any number of roles. It is perhaps the most identifiable symbol of the Verendan military being utterly ubiquitous in nearly every branch.
The R-56 sports a high velocity 82mm primary gun on an electrically driver turret as well as a 50mm howitzer on the hull and a rotating cupola equipped with a 7.6mm machine gun.

R-12 Assault Tank

Somewhat slower than the R-56 but sporting a faster firing gun and more armour the R-12 is the assault tank of the Verenden military, built to support advancing troops with its short yet powerful high explosive firing gun.
The R-12 is equipped with a short 75mm gun designed to supress and eliminate enemy personnel on the front lines using its quick reload system. A 7.6mm machine gun is also mounted for dealing with ground forces that get too close.

R-19 Tank Destroyer

The newest addition to the Verenden military the R-19 is a low profile ambush tank prioritizing speed and firepower. Using its long 75mm gun the R-19 is meant to attack from the sides and rear immobilizing and destroying enemy vehicles while being well armoured enough to weather a limited few return shots as it makes its escape.

R-55 Light Tank

A fast and lightly armoured tank the R-55 is a mobile scout and flanking vehicle able to harass the enemy and distract them form its more dangerous allies.
The R-55 uses a 45mm gun to engage targets and a frontally mounted 7.6mm machine gun to ward off infantry attack.

R-34 Mobile AA

Built from the chassis of the now phased out R-33 medium tank the R-34 is the main AA gun used by the armoured forces. Armed with four 20mm guns few aircraft are capable of standing up to a sustained attack by these tanks.

RA-15 Mortar

A field mortar used by infantry companies the RA-15 is a fast and mobile 180mm gun capable of pounding enemy positions at a moment’s notice.

RA-22 Artillery

The main field gun of the Verenden military the RA-22 is a 140mm mobile gun used to bombard enemy positions and move with the front line in a way no static weapon could.

RA-12 Artillery

An immense 240mm self-propelled gun the RA-12 is a fearsome weapon meant to bombard enemy fortifications and formations.

Infantry

The core of the Verenden military the infantry serve as the fodder and the hammer necessary to win wars. Despite this, the infantry often finds themselves neglected in favour of the more specialized branches.

Machine Gunner

The Verenden military has long espoused the benefits of automatic fire and mandates every platoon of six men have two machine guns. To ensure this policy isn't needlessly draining of manpower machine gunners are trained to operate the weapons by themselves, but the position of loader can always be filled in situations where there is an extra available man. Given the weight of their equipment most machine gunners only carry a bare minimum beyond their primary weapon and its ammunition, many foregoing such basics as handguns. These men often suffer higher casualty rates but nevertheless the position never has a lack of volunteers given it represents an elevation in rank.

GMG-32

The GMG-32 is the latest service light machine gun in the Verenden Military, operating on an open bolt chambered for 7.6mm and built for simple and fast barrel change the 32 was designed for ease of operation and rugged durability in combat.

Rifleman

The core of the Verenden military riflemen are the front line soldiers in any war. Given a bolt action rifle, spare ammunition, grenades, and equipment to resist chemical weapons these soldiers are often the lowest members of society looking for an opportunity for advancement in the military.

Gesten Model 1921

The latest of the many Gestun handguns adopted by the Verenden military the M1921 is a toggle locking semi-automatic handgun firing a 10mm round. The firearm is notable for its iconic status in the military.

Vense Rifle Type 1919

A logn serving firearm the T1919 is a straight pull bolt action rifle that remains the primary service arm of the Verenden military. Firing a 7.6mm round like most Verenden military weapons the T1919 is an ageing design that is being considered for replacement on concerns of reliability and continued competitive ability in the age of semi-automatic rifles.. Notable candidates for the rifles replacement are the Ventian Vz.32 carbine and the domesticity produced Vense Rifle T1939.

Argos FGF Gas Mask

Built by the ARGOS company these general purpose gas masks can combat most chemical weapons that attack the body through inhalation.

Specialized Infantry

Plagued by the agents of other nations it eventually became apparent that a new division of the military was needed to counter this threat. Selected from the soldiers showing the least remorse and the most cool under combat the SI represents the elite core of the Verenden military. Little is standardized between the divisions disparate regiments and every soldier has some freedom in their loadout, save the mask that covers all their faces.

Vense Rifle T1939

A newer design being considered for standard military adoption the 7.6mm T1939 is a popular gun among the SI and is known to be an excellent marksmans rifle, though its use is limited by its nascent state.

Vz.32 Carbine

A Ventian .32 carbine the Vz.32 represents the militaries renewed interest in small calibre firearms and is also being considered for standardization. Opinions are mixed but the potential of the weapon is well known.

G.SG-22

A 10mm SMG the Gestun Sub Gun 1922 was once submitted for military trials but accomplished only limited adoption given the prevailing bias against small calibre weapons. Used by tank crews and the SI the GMG is generally liked if not regarded with some suspicion by the higher echelons.

Under Sea Corps

A unit under personal command of the sovereign these men and women were the knife that kept the Sacred empire under the Kingdoms thumb. However, times change and now the USC are a small part of the infantry whose few duties are the protection of the remaining Verenden assets under the Ceresian Sea. The USC use modified versions of conventional Verenden arms built from stainless steels that firing needle like bullets.

Air Forces

Flag of the VAF

The Verenden military has long lacked airships, largely due to the nations relative political isolation in the last hundred years. As such the air forces are a collection of attempts and experiments meant to level the playing field. In this role super props and push props have become the normal aircraft fielded by Verendes. While outmatched in firepower the airforce has always been a priority.

TY-77

The primary interceptor aircraft of the Verenden military the TY-77 was designed as the antithesis to the idea that the bomber would always get through. A fast climber with a heavy armament of 30mm cannons the TY-77 is meant to climb above a bomber formation and destroy them on the way down, turrets fighting off persueing aircraft.

TY-76

A snub nose and highly manoeuvrable fighter with respectable firepower the TY-76 is the main craft of the air forces and can be found deployed in all locations Verendes has stationed forces.

TY-82

A nation without airships or the know how to make them Verendes relies on the TY-83 to fight off the overgrown air whales of other nations. Armed with a copious number of defensive turrets the TY-83 is loaded with large unguided rockets to be fired at large airborne targets.

Flying Spear Rocket

Designed concurrently with the TY-82 the 300mm Flying Spear rocket carries on the analogy of whale hunting in a spectacular way. Rather than arming aircraft with large calibre guns to breach airship armour it was decided that rockets, similar to those used by the navy, would be the order of the day. Thus the Flying Spear was born.

TY-80

A response to the advent of larger bomber airships and aircraft the TY-80 can carry a respectable bombload over a long range to cripple the production facilities of enemies.

TY-64

The TY-64 is an anti shipping float plane designed to sink enemy vessels with it's two large torpedoes and speed to safety with its overcharged engine

TY-12

Once the main fighter of Verendes this venerable plane is now relegated to scouting roles.

TY-3288

The TY-328 is a strange beast, skirting the lines between light cruiser and airplane. Commonly named the flying whale this seaplane is arguably one of the largest conventional aircraft to ever be built and is used as a means to respond to threats anywhere in the Ceres sea or closer far faster than a normal warship could. Using hatches to hide its weapons and maintain seaworthiness the flying whale possesses a 228mm gun on each side with a 45 degree arc of fire when deployed and three forward 100mm guns as well as two 100mm rear weapons. Machine gun nests dot the aircraft to an unprecedented degree and torpedo mounts are set alongside all its deployable weapons.

Naval Forces

A coastal nation Verendes has long held it's navy to the highest standard, and even today boasts that it can rival the forces of far larger nations such as the Ceresian Empire. Something that seems less and less true every day in the face of the great powers of the day.

Surface Vessels

Guns above the water and 7.6mm needle machine gun bubble turrets below it surface vessels make up the bulk of the navy.

Retribution Class Dreadnought

The largest ships Verendes has ever put to sea the two Retribution class battleships each sport three primary turrets of four 381mm guns under the belief that a battle is best ended in a single large broadside. Beyond that three main secondary turrets each hold three 175mm guns alongside a number of duel purpose 90mm x2 AA/Secondary guns. An enormous investment these ships are the symbol of Verenden naval power.

Glorious Class Battlecruiser

Designed to protect the Verenden colonies and exert force wherever it becomes needed the Glorious class cruiser has three turrets of three 330mm guns. These vessels are battleships in all but name and make up a sizable portion of the Verenden navies tonnage.

Incursion Class Cruiser

The Incursion class is a fast cruiser with big guns and a large AA/Secondary gun bank. The main guns in use 228mm and are mounted in pairs on three turrets.

Advantage Class Destroyer

Armed with two turrets of two 120mm guns the Advantage prioritizes speed and the use of it's four tri torpedo mounts over larger guns.

Perilous Class Aircraft Carrier

Without military airships or the desire to construct them while so far behind the rest of the world the Verenden military elected to create aircraft carriers to project the countries airpower. The Perilous class represents the latest technology possessed by Verendes.

Submarines

Hunters of ships and defenders against all threats below the surface submarines are a vital part of the navy.

Engagement Class Submarine

A tried and tested design the Engagement class is the main submarine in the Verenden arsenal. Specialized for hunting commerce vessels and warships these are, like any good submarine, the scourge of the sea.

Pursuer Class Submarine

Small midget submarines armed with compact rockets the Pursuer class was built to provide a close range defence against Ceresian attackers. First proposed by colonial officers who'd been exposed to Elfish minisubs these vessels are short range and usually dropped from larger ships to ward off incoming attackers.

Vanguard Class Submarine

The Vanguard is a design that while increasingly dated remains relevant to this day after dozens of refit programs and new production runs with better technology. These vessels are designed to engage smaller targets under water with their high velocity 100mm needle guns making them powerful sub hunters. Additionally the Vanguard is capable of diving far deeper than most submarines and while this means the vessel possesses thick armour it also implies a sacrifice to torpedo load, meaning it has far fewer anti ship weapons than its competitor attack subs. They exist largely as a response to the threat posed by the Sacred Empire of the Ceresian Sea.

Brimstone

United Kingdoms of Aleria-Dicorden

Capital:
Safall

Government:

Government type: Diarchy, shared supreme authority between two established monarchs their respective royal lines.

Succession type: Hereditary, both kingdoms maintain that the first born (regardless of gender) is to be crowned at the death of their ruling parent.

Head(s) of Government: His Majesty Escaen V Haret (30), Her Majesty Mardene Sesen (26)

Dynasty name: Haret Dynasty, Sesen Dynasty

Authority level: Near absolute, moderated by organized nobility.

Noteworthy persons:

His Majesty Escaen V Haret (30):
Born to the king of Dicorden five years prior to the war with the Shahdom Escaen was a cunning boy and has grown into a cunning man. Escaen ascended the throne young after his father fell fighting the Shahdom and under the guidance of his mother grew into a proud leader at times arrogant in his judgment.

Her Majesty Mardene Sesen (26):
First daughter of Aleria Mardene was always promised the crown, yet she never grew conceited. From a young age Escean has been analogous to an older brother to her and much of his intellect has rubbed off, if not his vain nature.

Rense Sesen (67):
Father of the current Alerian monarch Rense abdicated his throne seven years ago in the belief his daughter would provide a better co-leader for the newly merged nation. Spending his days as a confidant for his daughter and drinking away his later years Rense is often called the once-royal sloth of Aleria. The title perhaps describes the mans retirement as aptly as it did his reign.

Alco Merens (38):
Arguably the most influential man beyond the royal families Alco is the head of a once small Dicorden noble family and was instrumental in the formation of the United Kingdom. Acting a mediator Alco was responsible for the initial negotiations and the proposal for unification itself after the nearly devastating invasion from the Shahdom. Since the unification the Merens family has married into many larger houses and is now a powerfully interconnected family, giving Alco not only reputation but tangible authority.

Serte Eocen (32):
Second daughter of one of the most notable Alerian noble houses Serte has made a name for herself in diplomacy abroad, often going to placed most nobles would be loath to visit in order to further the interests of the United Kingdoms.

Geography

Climate and noteworthy traits:
Blessed with common rains and sunny conditions dampened only by mild winters the Horsoke Delta is second only to the Imperial heartland in the fertility of its soil. Dotted with numerous rivers and long flat plains leading to scenic cliffs and beaches the Delta is idyllic a location as any and this has on more than one occasion led to its invasion.

Internal map:


Cities, noteworthy settlements, and castles:

Noteworthy buildings, locations, structures, and landmarks:

Geographical bonus:
An Imperial might claim the Delta to be a home away from home. The Delta enjoys rich harvests, warmer years and happy food supplies. The Delta can afford to hold levies longer than most, as well as feed the masses.

Geographical flaw:
Rivers and Deltas come at a price. While the land is arable and rich with foodstuffs, it is almost lacking entirely in ores and buildings supplies. Sparse thin forests help with lumber, but it is not enough, this land is going to need to import some goods to maintain.

Culture and Demographics:

National Culture:
Almost counterintuitively given the two distinct nations the culture of the United Kingdoms is remarkably homogenous. With only moderate differences from region to region, and even nation to nation, the people of the Horsoke are among the most unified in will and purpose the world over.

The paramount value of the people who compose the United Kingdoms is without a doubt the very land they live on. Of course where in other cultures such a statement might imply a spiritual connection to the land or a deep sense of responsibility to it in the United Kingdoms it means only that those who own and work the land both revere it for the simple reason that it can be exploited almost endlessly. Indeed the wealth that has come from the near endless vitality of the delta soil has made even the poorest serf better off than most of the common class from other nations.

This value for the lands wealth has inspired perhaps predictably a strong work ethic applying to both men and women who are held in equal value. While serfs from the United Kingdoms may live better than those from other nations it cannot be said they work any less, indeed an almost religious value is placed on hard work. That is not however a value that ends at the low rungs of society, indeed from the vassals to the lords of the land it is expected that comfort takes second place to the job at hand with decadent behaviour being considered shameful up the royal families themselves. With such a prized worth ethic flamboyant fashions and opulent tastes are often considered the markings of indolent men and women meaning even the highest nobles dress in a humble manner, lest they be the subject of public mockery. All this taken together has created a society that while valuing the immeasurable worth of the land it lives on, does not let that worth go to waste in meaningless religious practice. Rather, it takes full advantage of it and works diligently to keep it.

The dedication to the lands wealth leads inevitably to the martial tradition of the Horsoke delta people. It is considered a mark of honour that almost all people in the United Kingdoms possess some sort of quality weapon, whether it be longbow or sword. This militarization of the populace is inspired by the historical value of resisting invaders on all fronts and when a call for levies goes out all are expected to bring their own arms, if not armour. Given the local branch of Stormism almost all in the nation follow in combination with such a tradition of keeping arms it should be no surprise that those who shun proper maintenance of their weapons are often met with derision.

The people of the United Kingdoms are homogenous, humble in their manner, and proud of the land they willingly defend.

Population demographics:
The sum population of the delta is roughly 2,600,000 individuals.

Major Religion:
The people of the United Kingdoms almost unanimously worship a branch religion of Stormism that has distinct differences beyond even its name, Angarism. Most obviously one will note that while the people of the Horsoke generally share the same ancestor worship they peculiarly go so far as to deify Angarus Horsoke, the first human settler of the region (and from whose name is sourced both the delta’s and religion’s name).

The legend of Angarus is one that crosses national boundaries and while the deification of the man is not universal, it is widespread. Said to have led a grand voyage from some distant and ancient home and to have landed on the delta eons ago it is told that Angarus encountered a cowardly species of elf there. Those elves are said to have been angered by the coming of humans and the settlement of their land to the point that they began to kidnap and kill human settlers, thinking the humans would flee at the provocation. Angarus, as legend tells, took personal responsibility for the problem and led a meager force to decimate the elves army and in the coming years hunt down ten thousand elves for every one human who had died, ultimately forcing them far out of the delta and to lands unknown.

For his great service to humanity the tale tells that Angarus was named the guardian of all men by all the ancestors and in their wisdom they granted him all so that he could ascend to become a god, leading all the spirits of warriors to aid his people in future battles.

While the historical veracity of the tale is unknown it is one believed to some extent by almost all humans within the Horsoke delta and it is the reason that in any past battle, whether fought by Dicorden or Aleria, the ancient banner of Angarus has flown above the national flag.

Even further the religion has taken on another tone beyond battle, furthering to a large degree the work ethic endemic to the culture of the Horsoke people. The idea that a man became a god has become a primary tenant of life in the United Kingdoms and with such an idea has come the assumption that any Human being capable of accomplishment can ascend to god hood given meritorious enough deeds. With that in mind the work ethic of the Horsoke people becomes very understandable, indeed in the delta little worth is placed on anything not originating from the will of living beings.

Other Religions:
The penetration of other religions into the delta hasbeen, and continues to be, rare. However very small minorities of almost all religions do exist and for the most part are tolerated.

Religious structure:
Angarism follows no formal structure per se but it does support a priesthood who all hold roughly equal rank and reside in temples which they manage, usually propping one of them up as temple advocate through consensus.

Religious Heads:
None

Artifacts, and noteworthy objects:
What is supposed to be the sword of Angarus himself is kept for public display under guard in the capital of the United Kingdoms. There is considerable controversy concerning the authenticity of the sword.

Magic colleges practiced, common magics:
All magic users are discovered at a young age in the United Kingdoms and along with their families are sent to live in relative luxury in the city of Hugustra. Predating unification and once a symbol of unity among the delta people the city built around an enormous magic college. It is at this college that the distinct magic of the United Kingdoms is taught and refined. Inspired by Stormist thought and in line with Angarism the magic learned is almost entirely about increasing the mental and physical potential of men.

Relationship between magic and citizens(Accepted, feared, ostracized):
Magic is seen as powerful tool to be wielded with great care. For this reason the usage of magic is regulated by the state through the Hugustra city and college.

Relationship between citizens and government (unrest, content, etc):
With the abundance of wealth in the delta and the fierce patriotism of the people the government and the people have never been closer with most public announcements drawing crowds in the tens of thousands.

Relationship between Religious heads and government (unrest, content, impartial, etc):
None

Government Internal Relationship(corruption, decentralization, civil strife between politicians or what have you):
Generally positive and most internal decisions are met with little dissent, though there are factions that doubt the two young monarchs are truly capable of running the nation.

Renown characteristics(what your nation is known internationally for):
Abundance and beauty are what the delta has always been known for and it this reputation that has inspired many foreign nobles and even monarchs to have scenic manors in the United Kingdoms.

Agriculture(poor, rich, what do you produce):
Incredibly rich, near any crop will grow for all but two months of the year in the delta and even in those months colder weather crops can survive without issue. The main food crops of the delta tend to be rice, potatoes, cassava, soybean, and to a lesser extent corn. Other crops are apples, oranges, and the grapes that have made delta wine a famous export to the richer classes of society.

Industry(poor, rich, what do you craft):
Despite its agricultural wealth the delta lacks industry for mining, but still possesses enormous manufacturing potential harnessing water power and wind. This has made what little ore is extracted from the north and south bank valuable in the delta and is similarly responsible for making the United Kingdoms fairly dependant on the import of ore. Still being able to refine so much helps offset the cost of ore with ingots and finished goods often being traded back or away for small gain.

Trade (who do you trade with, and for):
A major, if not the largest, trade partner of the delta is the Imperial province itself. Goods of all sorts are traded freely and it is the Imperials who provide the much needed ore to the delta fuelling its industry and keeping its economy diversified enough that trade with other nations is nearly always possible.

To the north some trade has resumed with the Shahdom post war in the neutral city of Duno and while many merchants and nobles are bitter about the conflict a few would prefer to put the past behind them, and line their pockets in the process.

On the open seas trade has grown plentiful with Gattannia where food goes out and the much needed lumber and metal the delta lacks comes in. While the Imperial province provides more in that area Gattannia is considered a vital source of material.

Also by sea, trade Xoskea in the south continues to be fruitful with all sorts of goods flowing back and forth between the nations.

Economy(How is it? What kind of currency do you use):
The economy of the delta thrives as both land and sea trade are easy. Being centrally located as well as connected to one of the largest rivers in the land don't hurt either. The delta uses coinage of various purity and metal to trade, with gold, silver, and copper coins all being distributed.

International Relations:
Relations with the Shahdom and the Chalessian Realm given the war 25 years ago remain cool and at times uncertain but by and large the neutral city of Duno has provided an avenue of mediation and to some extent the United Kingdoms has sought to repair relations and expand trade.

In support of the empire Xoskea and the United Kingdoms are of one mind and as a result have maintained amicable relations for some time. In recent years trade has increased and relations with Xoskea have become more and more important to the United Kingdoms.

Imperial Relations:(you and the Imperial Province and throne)
Despite the doubts over the current kings sanity relations remain cordial with the Imperial province and indeed many state that the long history between the Imperials and the delta is something that no singular king could ever sour. For the moment the United Kingdoms are steadfast in their support of the throne, even while most of the nation's elite seek Josephine as the empires monarch to protect their trade interests and ensure a strong leader to bring about the empires resurgence.

National Flaw:
With most of the national spirit and the peoples knowledge residing in the unique land of the delta any foreign deployment of military force is likely to be greatly unpopular among the nobility and common folk.

National Strength:
Stable and economically prosperous for the moment the United Kingdoms are as close to unaffected by the empires degrading authority as they could possibly be.

Military:

Type of Military recruitment:(caste, levies)

Possible military manpower: 29400 Maintainable, 29400 Reinforcement

Unit Demographics and Equipment: (please give me realistic numbers of each type of troops your country produces, and describe them) (keep in mind I will ask you to tweak things if I find them unfit and unrealistic, I.E. standing armies are going to be smaller than levies)

Alerian Levy: 12000 Maintainable, 12000 Reinforcement


Dicorden Levy: 11000 Maintainable, 11000 Reinforcement


Levy Archer: 5000 Maintainable, 5000 Reinforcement


The Kingdoms Guards: 1000 Maintainable, 1000 Reinforcement


Order of the River: 400 Maintainable, 400 Reinforcement


Tactics(optional):

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Generals, Tacticians, heads of Military:

History:

Past conflicts with other players:

Grievances and Victories:

Notable History:
Once known as lords of the southern isle the people of the delta have come a very long way. Once long ago it is known they hailed form an island in the south and that said island met with some unknown calamity. However it happened the people of the modern delta came to it in boats begging for some home and whether the religious texts speak true and they came to have it by force is uncertain, but likely. However they came to possess the delta the people of that sundered isle soon made it their home.

A great many years after the fabled settlement of the delta a split occurred naturally as people in the delta began to inhabit separate islands. From this split the near mirror nations of Aleria and Dicorden would form. That basic state of affairs would persist for untold ages until the invasion of the Shahdom.

While initially devastating a combination of civil resistance and knowledge of the land led to the disastrous failure of the Shahdom invasion of Dicorden. However the precedent set by the humiliating state of the early war was enough that the mirror kingdoms decided to unify so that a greater resistance could be brought against any invader in the tumultuous modern day.

True Vacuum

Sheet

Sevromahi Aggregate

(Best visual approximation, actual flag based on chemicals and relief.)

General Overview

A strange and reclusive nation the Aggregate has long found the differences between itself and other species insurmountable. This has fostered a policy of isolationism and military build up, a policy that has only ever been broken in the face of crises. Much like the very one that has befallen the nation.

Territory

The home system of the Sevromahi is Sesas, a system dominated by a faint red dwarf star. Within the system the species homeworld of Resa sits as a vast ice planet of surprisingly low density. Resa represents the only planet in the system and its surface has a blueish green colour when seen from space. The world sports an eight kilometre metallic and rocky crust over a subsurface ocean one hundred kilometres deep with the core composed mostly of water ice. The crust of the planet has been considerably thinned in some areas by heavy industry in the past and these are often the same areas spaceports have been built in. The planet supports an enormous infrastructure of both commercial and defensive stations in it's orbit and serves as the focal point for the entire nation. Even if it is just a lonely ball of rock and ice around a cold star.

Fifteen other systems make up the territory of the Aggregate, and within them a total of twenty planets and moons are colonized. Of considerable importance among these are the systems of Srecs, Juses, and Kosens.

The yellow dwarf system of Srecs represents what could be said to be the military core of the Aggregate and is the closest system to Resa. Filled with countless asteroid belts constantly disturbed by a vast ruddy gas giant the system is the foundry that permitted the once burgeoning Aggregate to fend off other opportunistic species in times of expansion. The main colony in the system is known as Gsuars, a moon of the giant gas world of Gsu. An ice world with a sub surface ocean much like the homeworld, Gsuars differs in that the world holds a rocky core and a liquid layer far deeper than that on Resa. It is on Gsuars the personnel which man the ubiquitous shipyards of the system reside. Truly a poster child of industry and the military it sustains the Srecs system is a major symbol for the people of the Aggregate.

Juses, also a yellow dwarf system, is remarkable in that it contains three life bearing worlds. While a boon to most, this system proved an enormous point of contention between the Aggregate and other interstellar powers in the old universe. This was because of three life bearing worlds in the system, only one was of interest to the Aggregate. Having been the first to colonize the relatively distant system the Aggregate developed the enormously ecologically diverse ice world of Kosa into what amounted to a paradise for the Sevromahi and entirely neglected the remaining two planets. These two other worlds were perfect for most other life forms, one a veritable paradise of its own and the other an arid but livable place with thriving subterranean life. Multiple incursions into the system by other species looking to settle the two worlds useless to the Aggregate consistently led to skirmishes and eventually to the fortification of every planet in the system, habitable or not.

Kosens is a red dwarf system much like Sesas, in fact it is so similar that many have dubbed the system a sister to the home system. Kosens initially lacked any worlds habitable by Sevromahi standards, however it possessed a single candidate for a new type of terraforming being developed. The world of Kisk orbiting Kosens possessed sub surface ice likely the remnant of a long frozen ocean and proved the perfect testbed for a new technology dubbed planetary revival. After a century of using enormous generators to produce heat throughout the layer of frozen water a sub surface ocean was eventually created. While scarcely inhabited Kisk is an ongoing experiment in reviving dead ice worlds.

Governance

The Aggregate is governed by three distinct bodies. The first of these is the house of achievement, a body made up of those members of society that have been recognized as distinguished individuals. There is no specific definition as to what distinguished means, nor is there a criteria that must be met to be considered so. Rather, those in the house of achievement are chosen by the second house: the house of age. The second house is exactly what it sounds like, it is made up of the most senior members of the first house. Finally the third house, the house of assent, elected by the first house.

The house of achievement is always composed of one hundred and one individuals and is technically responsible for all governmental decisions. However the real role of the house is almost always one of legislation, with many decisions such as the application of law being left to approved sub houses created by the greater first house.

The second house, the house of age, holds no official power save the appointment of those in the first house. The second house is a distinct body and is always made up of the oldest eleven who served in the first house. The oldest individuals from the first house ascend to the second house upon the death of one in second house, and there they select their replacement in the first house with the rest of the second house.

The third and final house, the house of assent, is made up of three individuals elected from the first house. These individuals still serve in the first house but have a secondary duty to the third. This secondary duty is the final say on all issues; laws may be passed by the first house but they must be approved by the third house. If the third house rejects the law it must be arbitrated by the first house once more and then resubmitted. Another duty of the third house is that of international relations and military command. The third house is without question the most powerful of the three.

Species

The only species represented within the Aggregate are the long lived aquatic Sevro. With a lifespan of some three hundred years the Sevro are colonial organisms made up of Zooids. Given this colonial existence, the intelligence of the Sevro species can best be described as the Mahi; the Zooid most closely resembling something recognizable as a brain. Of note is the fact that the Mahi is not a conventional centralized brain, it takes a form closer to an immense nervous system with millions of localized functions and connections. This specialized intelligent Zooid has led the species to colloquially and often officially refer to itself as the Sevromahi, even if the scientific name of Sevro has not changed. Once existing as predators in the sub-surface ocean on their icy home world the Sevro appear somewhat similar to a cross between a squid and eel. An elongated tail forms the propulsive part of their bodies with some two dozen elastic and muscular tentacles protruding from it. At the head of this tail he gaping maw of the Sevro can be found, an opening filled with things more resembling circular saw blades than teeth.

The unique colonial structure of the Sevro brings about several strange physiological phenomenon. Perhaps the most notable of these is the act of reproduction, which for the Sevro is done entirely outside of the body. A single Zooid responsible for replication of all the others is gorged with nutrients and detached from the body into a sort of breeding pit, where it exchanges genetics with a great many others like it. Eventually it takes that information and begins the process of producing all the various Zooids that make up a Sevro, a process it repeats until it runs out of resources. This style of reproduction allows enormous genetic variety in offspring, however it also results in extremely slow population growth. A single reproductive Zooid has never been known to produce more then three offspring, and even then is nearly always capable of just one. Needless to say, this type of reproduction has made inherited positions, or clear parentage, impossible

Another of these phenomenon is the ability of the Sevro to eject and reattach parts of their bodies with minimal effort. This is largely focused on the tentacles which serve as the primary manipulators of the Sevro and are highly capable of independent function. Alone they act on primitive senses and as animals lacking only the ability to feed themselves, this means a detached tentacle can be left that way for close to a month before it expires. While the ability to detach these body parts was a great boon to escape predation by larger creatures in the past, in the modern day it is done almost always in medicine. As colonial organisms this shifting or exchange of parts isn't terrible strange when applied to the smaller Zooids, and theoretically even large Zooid sections can be replaced—such as the main digestive or eel like Zooid. This digestive Zooid is fully capable of survival without any other Zooids and could be said to represent the core body of a Sevro. While it is technically possible for a Mahi to be transplanted from one digestive Zooid to another in an excessive akin to body swapping the physical, if not religious, deterrent to this is the fragility of an exposed Mahi and its profoundly short isolated life. Such Mahi transplant attempts have almost always resulted in severe neurological damage and are banned.

As deep sea creatures the Sevro posses a wide array of senses, with the notable exception of vision. In place of what may well be the universes most common sense the Sevro have come to rely on electroreception, chemoreception, hearing, and a combined sense of pressure and current in the surrounding water that reaches an accuracy nearly analogous to what vision would have provided. With this array of senses and an inability to make meaningful sounds almost all communication among the Sevro is through chemical secretion and body motion.

Culture

The most basic level of Sevromahi society is almost always said to be the underlying system of care designed for youth. From the moment an individual is born from the breeding pits they are assigned to a class of peers and in that class are raised from infant to adult over the span of some twenty years. This system of classes often creates groups of life long contacts and groups of friends similar to family groups in other species.

Upon the completion of their education these pseudo families are injected into the highly competitive society of the Aggregate. With the Aggregate's ideal of fairness sustained by laws that permit only one of a 'family' to enter the house of achievement it is not uncommon for groups of peers to work together in order to elevate one among their ranks to house. This not only ensures a level of status for the whole group, but almost guarantees them all high ranking positions in various sub houses and corporations. The groups with a member in one of the houses make up a sort of elite in Sevromahi society, and given a position in the first house is life long, some have questioned if this constitutes a generational oligarchy.

While this somewhat meritocratic system has proved largely successful and is publicly recognized as fair, it is not without fault. Due to the highly competitive nature of society and the legal framework surrounding peer groups it is not uncommon for under or even over achievers to commit suicide if it seems to them they are either a drain on their group, or their group is preventing them from success.

Though the competitive nature of Sevromahi society is inescapable, it is still a society obsessed with refined entertainment. Theatre is as close to a shared interest for the entire species as could be considered possible and many actors are represented in the house of achievement. This focus on live theatre is largely due to the issue of transmitting any meaningful sensory data in a cost efficient manner being nearly impossible, though chemical 'radios' are popular. Art is also exceedingly popular, though it would be unrecognizable as such by most creatures. Taken together live displays and in person viewing is almost a constant feature of Sevromahi culture.

Driven by competition but in love with art there is a dissonance within the Sevromahi society, one that has ironically been the subject of dozens of plays.

Dominant Religion

By any reasonable measure it can be said there is only one dominant religion within the Aggregate: Juksi Hus, or Unity of Spirit.

Juksi Hus has a history dating back to the most primitive of recorded eras, and has long shaped the cultural norms of the entire Sevromahi species. What is prioritized is the idea of a spirit existing within all the Zooids of the Sevromahi. According to Juksi Hus the personality is centred in the Mahi, the capacity kindness and creation in the tentacles, the capacity for good or evil in secretion glads or 'speaking mouths', and so on. The religion has made preservation of the body a prized thing; but has also made the exchange of smaller Zooids like tentacles a spiritual experience akin to taking in a part of another and coming to share their inner soul.

This combined spirit is believed to unite and descend to the endless heaven below all worlds upon death. Transplanted tentacles or other Zooids from the dead are believed to be empty and innocent as the newborn are for this reason. This had made donation of Zooids extremely common with those receiving a major transplant being seen as born anew and given another chance at life by those that preceded them. While this transplantation or exchange of Zooids is considered either deeply intimate or highly spiritual and redeeming, modifications to any Zooid is seen as defiling the home of the spirit. For this reason cybernetic or genetic augmentation is rare.

Organizations

There are a number of organizations within the Aggregate that promote a change of foreign policy and believe an end to the constant tension between other nations and the Aggregate can be achieved. These groups are known for illegally attempting contact with other species.

History

Discord, strife, isolation. These are the best terms to describe the history of the Aggregate, a nation forged in turmoil.

The Aggregate itself goes back roughly seven hundred years, to the first contact war. Before the war the Sevromachi were divided among national lines, and their only interstellar colony on Srecs carried over those same divisions. When prospective miners from a species still unknown entered that colonial system and finally showed the Sevromahi that they were not alone it should have been a joyous event. It was anything but.

After nearly a day of translation efforts on both sides proving utterly impossible the frustrated would be prospectors decided to go about their work and ignore the seemingly unintelligent natives. Misinterpreting this as a sign of aggression more than a few colonial defence ships elected to fire on the prospectors ship and in the end the sheer scale of fire directed at the more advanced vessel reduced it to little more then slag.

This incident escalated into a species wide paranoia and before long nearly every Sevromahi nation had allied and gone into a war footing. By the time other ships came searching for the missing prospectors the military build up in the Srecs system was more than sufficient to repel them. What followed was a 'defensive' war that would carve out the first real territory for the Sevromahi, and forge the Aggregate.

That first war, while an extreme example, has more or less been repeated throughout the history of the Aggregate. Communication fails, war ensues, territory is gained or lost. Every once in a while, during rare periods of prolonged peace, scouting vessels have been sent out to find others like the Sevromahi, any species that might be able to meaningfully communicate and co exist with the Aggreate. To date, none have been found.

This has led to a profound sense of isolation that has fuelled a strong enmity for the conventional forms of life in the universe, and many have concluded that peaceful co-existence between the Aggregate and more 'barbaric' lifeforms is impossible.

Outlook

The realization that something cataclysmic had occurred across the entire universe was one that came slowly to the aggregate, but after two weeks of study and debate, eventually hit hard. Nearly the entire civilian population ground to a halt for days as massive unrest abounded and apprehension gripped the populace. Now, after a series of hard hitting measures and police mobilizations, the government is working with the military to formulate a plan and innumerable sensor arrays are searching the skies for any signs of other life.

Technology:
Give a brief summary of the state of your nation's technological advancement and standards.

Important/Noteworthy Tech

Local Absorption Shield:
The Absorption Shield is an Aggregate innovation and the primary defence on all their vessels. Acting as an energy sponge the shield absorbs all the kinetic or direct energy put into it until it reaches full capacity and falls in a powerful discharge of energy. The energy discharge would be a catastrophic explosion if not for limiters making it a slower process of constant discharge. The Shield can be brought back up after this, but not until a suitable time has passed for the energy banks to entirely discharge. Local shields work by the shield being a multi-layered construct, with one large general shield over the ship’s hull and one to two shields above this that only activate after an incoming threat is detected, minimizing strain on the main shield and providing a sort of means to maintain the main shield’s integrity through extended battle by the first and second layers discharging and covering for each other if there are two outer layers. If the incoming fire is not concentrated this means of taking the damage and discharging while the other shield takes the hits can be maintained indefinitely so long as the shield has local outer layers. As a result volume of fire and concentrated fire are the most effective means of countering absorption shields of two local layers. Single local layer shields are more vulnerable to large singular hit weapons that can drop the local shield and leave the general layer exposed, however if the volume of fire is too low from even a large weapon the general shield and the local shield can swap out similarly to the two local shield system. This however leaves the ship proper exposed to fire for a split second. Currently three shield layers, two local and one general, is the effective maximum before energy discharges of the first layers begin to influence the general layer and cause a drop of all shields.

Neutron Cannon:
The Neutron Cannon is a powerful energy weapon that works though a simple means. Stripping neutrons from high atomic number elements through the use of a powerful Neutron generator and forcing those highly concentrated neutrons as well as the associated products into an accelerator that fires them at relativistic speeds. The Neutrons in this state are free and as a result they are undergoing neutron decay further increasing the impact energy of the weapon. Despite its already fearsome potential the Neutron Cannon has another secret, by pumping the gamma rays created during the stripping process into a Graser and focusing them into a containment beam the Neutron Cannon gains increased focus and coherence as well as a secondary beam. Needless to say this increases the precision and destructive potential of the weapon significantly.

Liquid Composite
Taking the form of a blackish blue liquid capable of rapid shape and phase change Liquid Composite is a sort of programmable material. Tiny 1mm squared nodes interspersed throughout the liquid deliver electric currents to modulate the shape of the liquid and are capable of vibrating in such a manner that the liquid displays solid qualities. Various types are capable of variable strengths and are optimized for specific applications. The main construction materials used by the Aggregate for anything from ships to housing are all variations of this immensely useful innovation.

Military Structure:
Give a brief summary of your Military hierarchy's structure/arrangement.

Military Organization

The Military of the Aggregate is a separate entity from the government, and is technically only inferior to the house of assent. As a result the military holds a uniquely strict hierarchy in the Aggregate with a single high commander holding authority over the entire organization.
(Expand)

Fires of Anuria

Species Name
Unguon

Species Description

Hider

IMAGE

Despite their humanoid shape the Unguon are descended from swamp predators and still carry many rather unique physiological traits as a result. Among these traits the first and perhaps most visually distinct are the gills situated on either side of an Unguon's head which are used to assist in breathing underwater. While decidedly not efficient enough to allow the Unguon to permanently exist underwater they allow one to remain submerged for up to nine hours before having to surface. The second obvious trait comes in the form of the two peripheral almost wing like protrusions on either side of an Unguon's neck. While serving little real purpose on land these webbed extremities are used to locate disturbances in water with a high degree of accuracy. Beyond those two there are a plethora of other small adaptations, but most are of little note other than the considerable weight of the Unguon, often three to four times that of a human of comparable height.

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Nation Name
Imperial Protectorate of Kavaye

Nation Size
Five stars and near two hundred billion individuals.

Nation Description
Merely one hundred and forty years past the Unguon were an autonomous and prideful people bound under the fledgling Kavaye Republic. Fast to reproduce and perhaps arrogant in their own recent successes against minor aggressors the Unguon fell prey to their hubris when in search of more planets to support their ever growing population they declared war on the vast Tormkorate Empire. Predictably the war, if it can be called that, was brutally short. The Tormkorate had, unbeknownst to the Unguon, been preparing to invade the Kavaye republic itself and when the republic launched an assault it was merely a convenient casus belli.

Under imperial rule Kavaye became a protectorate and forty years post defeat was permitted to re-militarize as regional tensions grew. It was not long before that new military was sent to war on imperial edict and the Unguon became the front line forces of the entire empire, ubiquitous on all fronts where imperial banners flew.

Nation Involvement
Kavaye entered the conflict on order from the Tormkorate empire as part of the empires nearly constant expansionist efforts on any number of fronts. The war, for however horrible it has been, became popular among the Unguon simply due to the fact that their ever growing reputation among the Imperial military has served to ingratiate the species as a whole to the imperial command. This has not only raised the quality of life on most protectorate planets, but among the Unguon populace has brought up the question of political autonomy if the war is won. It is not a question shared by Imperial command, though for higher moral it isn't one that's denied.

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Technology
Almost always armed with obsolete Imperial weaponry Kavaye forces often find themselves technically outmatched but it is a rare day indeed they have less than a 2:1 numerical advantage.

Navy Description

Argos Missile Cruiser

Using utterly enormous quantities of missiles these cruisers are at the forefront of any attack overwhelming enemy defences.

Moju Troop Ship

Moderately armed but with enormous capacity these landing ships are the means by which all reinforcements arrive to theatres of war.

Juyi Frigate

Composing most of the space forces these frigates are work horses with excellent mobility.

Huil Destroyer

Used to support frigates with more firepower these destroyers are ubiquitous in the space forces.

Gingi battleship

Uncommon but devastating these are modern Imperial capitals and were only recently entrusted to the increasingly popular protectorate forces.

Usu Scout Frigate

Used for recon these ships are fast but lightly armed due to their size.

Air Force Description

AA-5 Combat Drone

Designed to be stupidly simple these drones are capable of low supersonic speeds and hovering alike to support ground troops.

Mesu Drop Ship

Used in mass formations with fighter cover these dropships are fast, but lightly armed.

Kuku Fighter Gunship

Stealthy despite its size these ships are deceptively agile and used for both air superiority and group support.

Karah Air Superiority Fighter

Prizing speed and stealth these hit and run fighters are the bane of drop ships and low speed drones. Able to reach hypersonic speeds in low angle decent but normally set at high supersonic these fighters are ready to engage any threat in moments.

Iosu Mass Transport

Used to transport the largest hardware and the most soldiers these vast but outdated transports are common in large deployments.

Ground Force Description

Combat Armour

The standard armour of the protectorate is utterly simplistic. Unpowered and using several exotic composites it can allow a soldier to take a hit or two from most modern weapons, if the armoured areas are what's attacked.

Combat Medic/Engineer Armour

Lightly armed and armoured these suits are given to the medical and engineering forces to improve mobility.

Fosara Commando

The most deadly troops deployed with connection to protectorate command these soldiers are Unguon chosen from the most elite to personally serve Tormkorate royals. Power armour, energy weapons, with a full loadout nothing is beyond these soldiers reach.

Jakhs Main Battle Tank

Armed with two 150mm advanced propellant guns the Jakhs is one of the few domestic Kavaye designs in use and has repeatedly proven itself a powerful force on the battlefield capable of both direct and indirect fire.

Ujsui Mech

Used to provide infantry with some extra muscle these mechs are used in a mostly anti armour role.

Giki Armoured Infantry Vehicle

Common for patrols and troop movements this simple amphibious car is used for any number of tasks. With a single remote controlled 50mm gun it is capable of fire suppression and combat action against light targets.

Common Armaments

Advanced Infantry Weapon 'Decapitator'

Omnipresent among all infantry units these weapons are noted for their immense rate of fire at 1200RPM. Each one is chambered in 13mm advanced propellant but with a recoil reduction system added to the bulk of the Unguon the weapons are deceptively controllable. Used in five round burst, single shot, and fully automatic with a cyclic magazine of 200 rounds.

Anti Armour Rocket Rifle 'Suicide Man'

An adaptation of the AIW frame but firing a single shot advanced propellant 60mm two stage rocket assisted round these weapons are powerful enough to destroy most light vehicles but are so bright and loud the person firing it is nearly always the first to die. This has earn its rather sardonic nickname.

Deployables and Emplacements

TOKI Ground to Space Cannon

Rare but formidable these cannons are occasionally used to attack spacecraft coming in, too small to detect before they fire more than once a craft has regretted entering a war zone because of these cannons.

Jshus AA Gun

These rapid fire weapons are a mixture between SAMs and conventional anti aircraft weapons as every bullet has a secondary rocket stage that can be guided to the target. Kinetic energy is still the primary kill vector.

Kilis AP Gun

Kavaye troops have become infamous for leaving these monsters scattered all around their lines meaning even an immensely successful attack by the enemy will be met with resistance for weeks to come as Kilis guns are slowly fished out or run out of ammo.

Mikosi AT Gun

Used almost religiously these heavy guns are the main defence any base has against armour. Even further these weapons are often used to provide indirect fire support.

Osoinu Artillery

Semi mobile but usually airlifted these artillery pieces are the only ones used by the protectorate however the sheer number they are deployed in often accounts for the lack of variety.

Headquarters

The location of the protectorate headquarters has long eluded most other factions on the planet, in truth this is hardly surprising. Buried in the most hostile jungle and mountain range in one of the planets hot yet lush regions the base is entirely invisible from the air and all activity to and from it is done through vast tunnels leading to several bases many hundreds of kilometres away. The base itself is roughly 80% dug into the mountains with entrances and training grounds all left under the vast jungle canopy.

Persons of Importance

WIP

Isotope's Cold Storage

Nations/Characters

Black Sun

EXARCH: Manuel Skleros

Name:
Manuel Skleros, Lord of the Free City of Ardaza

Titles:
The Many Faced, The Fowl ((pun pun pun))

Type:
Exarch

Rival:
Manuel has a lasting feud with Kalon, both parties being all but polar opposites the only thing preventing an illegal war is distance.

Appearance:

The idea of truly knowing the look and build of an illusion wizard is a tenuous and often untenable one. When such a wizard has specialized in the art of tricking the throng for the better part of their life, the proposition is outright ludicrous. That said, Manuel has worked tirelessly to cultivate a recognizable image, a visual identity as it were. High and defined cheekbones, clean shaven but for a closely trimmed beard, perfect hair all but frozen in place, Manuel's visage is one that reeks of design and vanity, but is seldom forgotten. Of a somewhat above average height and seemingly fit build Manuel looks to project an image of class at all times, wearing the finest jackets and rings.

Personality and Drive:
Manuel is a conceited and petty man, and he has always been one. That having been said, he is not a fool. Perhaps a result of his former life as a street urchin, perhaps a result of some conscious effort, Manuel is a rigorously cautious man. While he may lack the vast knowledge or refined wisdom of other Exarchs, Manuel takes care in every action and often finds himself gaining the upper hand on account of this. Fickle, amoral, and often brutal in even the most trivial reprisals, Manuel ensures that his most depraved acts are carefully committed and even more carefully buried.

Once having nothing and now having gained everything, Manuel is surprisingly content in his position. Regardless of how grasping he might seem, for the moment Manuel is free to enrich himself beyond the wildest dreams of most men; for him this is more than enough. To Manuel what is good and just is what makes his pockets swell, and with the Empire looking south he would prefer to be exactly where he is. So long as the money flows the right way and he is left to his little fiefdom, then all is well and right in the world.

History:
Born in the slums of the Imperial port city of Ardaza Manuel's earliest memories are those of being a nameless orphan, begging on the streets and suffering the beatings of those that fed him if he didn't produce enough coin. For many years he was nothing, an urchin, a rat, a beggar. Once he was old enough begging became pickpocketing, and sooner rather than later he was the one giving out the beatings. Life seemed to be following the predictable path, and somewhere inside he loathed it.

The moment that would change Manuel's life came when his distaste for his circumstances led to him working up the nerve, and the gang, to rob a local Magician. Even though everything would change from that day forward, Manuel would never recall the old man's name, nor those of the starving boys the wizard took with him into the dark. Taking the old wizards tomes Manuel first taught himself to read out of curiosity, then he taught himself magic out of pragmatism. In the beginning the tricks were simple, a ball that doesn't exist appearing under the cup you want it to be under, an obnoxious fog before the eyes of a mark blinding them before the gang moved in. That was just the beginning.

Before long Manuel was hustling card games, cheating travellers of all their coin and slipping away before they got drunk enough to do something about it. He became known in the taverns of the port and fewer and fewer would play, soon enough forcing him to escalate yet again. Manuel's first real rise to prominence came when he led a small ring of illusion magicians to con hundreds of sailors. Incredible deals would be offered for nonexistent goods, and the fools that swabbed decks all day would fall for the ruse time and time again. His ring of underworld amateur wizards expanding Manuel soon came to be a figure known among the huddled poor of Ardaza. He was a thief who would trick anyone with anything and for no reason at all, but he was a problem for the poor alone.

That changed when the Exarch of the city discovered Manuel's ring fixing the local gladiator matches. Apparitions would be used to distract or throw off one of the fighters as an interested party desired, and Manuel and his gang would make off with a share of the gambling profits. Once his little operation began to affect the upper classes Manuel's time was short, and he knew it. Eventually the hammer fell and while his men were arrested one after another Manuel spent weeks in hiding, studying as best he could while his magic grew with the word of his crumbling gang spreading. When the city guard finally cornered him, Manuel was more than ready. Using all he had learned he managed to trick the thick skulled soldiers into arresting a chicken instead. Once news of the bird attacking the city's Exarch after it had been thrown at his feet spread, Manuel became a powerful wizard in his own right. The humorous tale spread far and wide, feeding his ability to trick the senses of others.

Impressed by the young man's potential the cities Exarch offered to take Manuel in, to bring him out of the filth and shadows and to appoint him the successor Exarch. It was an offer only a fool would refuse, and the hundreds Manuel sold out in taking it meant nothing to him. Even when they would come after him in the years to come most would find themselves stabbing their spouses or mothers instead of their arch enemy. Manuel had gotten what he wanted, he had escaped the fetid lower classes and in doing so broken away from the typical path he’d come to loathe more than anything. Nothing would reduce him to what he was.

Time went on, and eventually Manuel was able to orchestrate the demise of his former master. It was done subtly, slowly, and though many suspected it the day the old Exarch tripped down the stairs and didn’t stop his fall was never connected to Manuel. Ascending to Exarch Manuel quickly looked to sate the taste for finer things he’d acquired. At first he ran the city much like those before him, but over time he saw where there was more profit to be made. Deals could be made with certain shipping companies and merchants. Soon enough inexplicable taxes came to levied on some companies, whereas others found themselves docking without fee. Those who didn’t pay the new taxes found that contraband was all but omnipresent on their ships, and though they avoided criminal charges they were left to go to the next port without food or cargo. Local merchants soon found themselves the sole recipients of city contracts, so long as they made sure to send a gift to the Exarch every so often. With time these new arrangements came to be enforced by a city guard that looked out for dissent as much as they looked for crime. Those complaining too loudly found reason not to, and those stealing from the favoured local merchants found themselves without their heads.

Ardaza is still the major trading hub it's always been, even with what many would call the Exarchs corrupting influence, and Manuel's rule has been left unmolested by the aloof Archon of Change. Manuel has managed to live comfortably, and has perhaps mellowed somewhat from his fiery youth. He still gets what he wants, but these days he’s far more careful in covering his tracks. Ardaza looks forward to the new southern war many expect will come any day, and Manuel looks forward to the next arrangement he’ll make.

Armaments:

Dagger of the Pit

A sleek black dagger Manuel aquired many years ago while in the abject depths of poverty, this weapon has become almost synonymous with the man. An intricate web of spell work has made the weapon uniquely terrifying, for any that spill blood upon it are cursed. Perhaps a physical manifestation of the despair Manuel once felt, the curse that the dagger imparts is much like its name. That is, once a person has been cut by the weapon they immediately feel as if they have been cast down an endless chasm. Their vision will slowly fade to black as their senses scream of free fall, even as they stand precisely where they were before. The curse can last for more than a week, with few emerging from it completely as they were before.

The Common Man's Ring

A simple if not grungy looking ring with a small line of crushed green gems embedded in it, the Common Man's Ring is a powerful tool of deception. Rarely used but undoubtedly effective, the ring can be activated with a simple three taps whereupon it will crowd the immediate space with seemingly real and tangible people. A crowd where before there was not a soul. The ring is ideal for escape, especially because the hallucinated crowd acts much like a real one.

Abilities:
Manuel's abilities are what could be expected from any master illusionist, though taken to another level. Manuel has specialized in the art of mass deception, the ability to make an illusion all but real to everyone who sees it. The applications of such an ability are many, but Manuel has learned one of the greatest ones is in the creation of false persons. A draining spell which takes not only magical potential, but creative ability, the construction of a false person is quite the task.

In effect a false person is a collective hallucination. Seemingly tangible to everyone they encounter this false person is a construction first roughed out by the caster and then refined by its interplay with all those it meets. Often times a false person is indistinguishable from a real one, acting independently and seemingly making decisions. However, an act built upon the assumptions of the many is an act no matter how good.

False persons can last indefinitely if their caster continues to replenish the spell, and they will always follow the orders of the caster. They can act as spies, deceivers, anything that can be imagined.

HERO: Nilos Metaxas

Name:
Nilos Metaxas
Type:
(Are they a Mage? Warrior? Spy? etc)
Appearance:
(Pretty self-explanatory. Pictures or Description. Both preferred)
Personality and Drive:
(What drives your leader to do what he does? What is his or hers ultimate goal?)
Background:
(You know what goes here. Be sure to add when they joined the services of your Exarch/Archon, along with their accomplishments in your service.)
Armaments:
(Normally heroes will have basic or sometimes Enchanted items, however, if you have granted one a relic item from your allotment be sure to mention that here. Remember Exarch's only get three relic items to distribute.)
Skills:
(What they are capable of, note these are skillful men and women but are nowhere near the power of an Exarch. Think more along the lines of badass normals.)

Free City of Ardaza

Name:
(What is the name of your holding?)
Type:
(What is your holding? A fortress-city maybe? A major castle city fortification perhaps? A conjured tower of flames?! Tell me!!)
Culture:
(What are the people like in your holding?)
Description:
(Tell us all about your Holding. it's layout and design, it's function and capabilities. Everything. Damn it, everything.)
Laws:
(What are the unique tenets or laws you have established in your province?)
Military:
(What kind of system does your hold use to raise troops? What about their training? What kind of units could you call on? Remember this is grimdark high fantasy, So if you want pegasus knights or wyvern riders go for it.)

The Galaxy Is Yours

WIP

Republic Of Aries

NEUTRAL

INFO

The Cabinet

The Lord Commandant Andrey Radkov

Commandant of the Navy: Hannah Benton

Commandant of the Army: Aurelio Cardozo

Commandant of the Interior: Hakon Steinsson

Commandant of Exterior: Annabel Elliott

Demographics

42% Terran
23% Reythasa
18%
12%
5%

Governance

The structure of government within Republic remains largely unchanged from that of the kingdom that preceded it. In place of a king the Cabinet holds supreme executive authority and dictates policy by majority rule with the Lord Commandant acting as a first among equals and tie breaker. There exists a token legislative branch in the Lower House which acts to represent constituent worlds, but lacks legitimate power beyond the authority to propose legislation.

Acting under the direct oversight of the Cabinet is the High Court, the head of a sprawling judicial branch. Tasked to uphold the laws of the Cabinet and Lower House, the Courts range from minor municipal branches to tremendous planetary centers of justice. Courts conduct trials where both the accused and accuser are brought before a single judge who both ascertains guilt and administers a sentence. At a trials conclusion both sides have the option of either paying an appeal fee to escalate the case to a higher court or accepting the verdict.

History

The earliest predecessor of the Republic can be pinpointed as the Aries Expeditionary Force (AEF), an armed colonization fleet that was sent to the southern outer arm during the golden age of the Terran Empires expansion. Finding themselves in a remarkably untouched area of the galaxy the AEF settled a tropical world that came to be known as Aries Prime before beginning an extensive survey of the region. For a time it seemed the southern outer arm was totally uninhabited, a great boon given the violent resistance that had slowed the Empires expansion into and exploitation of the galaxy. However, some eighty years after the arrival of the AEF in the outer arm Terran scouts encountered the Reythasa for the first time. Primitive by the standards of even the most isolated and backward Terrans, the species had yet to even discover superluminal transit, instead relying on vast arc ships to slowly crawl through the cosmos. Merely a year after first contact with the nearest Reythasa world the AEF would invade, confident that the primitives could be subdued without the assistance of the Imperial navy and army.

The conquest of that single world would drag on for a decade. Unknown to the AEF the Reythasa had previously encountered invaders, though who they once fought and why remains a mystery to this day. The result was that even on this moderately developed xeno colony secret defenses waited for the ill prepared AEF warships, defenses clearly reverse engineered from some species far the Reythasa’s superior. By the time AEF forces had secured that one world the Emperor had heard word of the ignominious military failure. At once the outer arm filled with proper war fleets and military governors all eager to prove themselves capable of reversing the embarrassment that the AEF settlers had inflicted upon the Empire.

For the next six years a brutal conflict would see the unconnected Reythasa worlds subjugated, revealing for the first time the immense extent of the alien’s piecemeal territory. While the Xenos would develop FTL on three separate occasions over the conquest, in the end the military of the Empire would overwhelm even their most ‘sophisticated’ reverse engineered technology. In recognition of the second conquests eventual success its foremost leader, an Admiral named Artemis Fitzroy, was granted the territory to administer.

The Fitzroy family would rule the southern outer arm until the collapse of the Empire. At the periphery of the Empire and already highly autonomous the Fitzroys would quickly declare their Aries Kingdom once the writing as on the wall. An absolute monarchy with a token legislative body, the Aries Kingdom would align with the Human successor states. Through its lenient treatment of Xenos the Kingdom became a hub for immigration, eventually resulting in aliens outnumbering their Terran counterparts. Though lax compared to the policies in the Terran Federation and most other Human states Xenos remained second class citizens in the Aries Kingdom, but with their swelling number soon public discontent became untenable. Provoked by Reythasa notables, mass protests broke out over the Kingdoms involvement in the endless succession wars. Even further calls to end laws discriminating against non-Terrans became louder and louder.

Fearing a rebellion the Aries Kingdom cracked down brutally with the aid of nearby Terran states. Protests ended in massacres and lenient treatment slowly turned to internment, billions were lorded over by starships threatening global devastation if they acted out. As the crises came closer and closer to civil war and genocide key figures within the Aries military plotted to end the Fitzroy regime and restore the nation from the brink of anarchy. After months of planning one bloody night saw thousands of monarchist figures and nobles killed off by their honor guards. All but the youngest children of the royal family were imprisoned as the military purged itself and the bureaucracy of royalist influences.

While a manhunt was launched for the last of the free Fitzroys the royal family’s position became tenuous as the new junta established itself as the Cabinet and declared the Aries Republic, ending the nation’s involvement in the succession wars. Pressure to restore the family from the Terran Federation led to the remaining loyalists launching a failed operation to rescue the monarch. The event backfired spectacularly and within the day all the captive royals were spaced in a national broadcast, deemed guilty of innumerable charges.

The new Aries Republic permitted the enlistment of Xenos into the military, their election to the Lower House, and effectively removed the bulk of repressive laws that had led the aliens to near mutiny. Retained were rules prohibiting non-Terrans from holding officers ranks in the armed forces, effectively limiting any real Xeno influence in the nation while appearing to acquiesce to their demands.

Now a neutral state the Aries Republic faces pressure from all sides as the new government consolidates its iron rule.

The Republican Guard

Army:


Infantrymen:


Shock Troopers:


Heavy Mobile Support Unit:


LA-54 Risen Transport:


A-6 Ascendant Tank:


FF-12 Angel Air Supremacy Ship:

Navy:


Phanuel Class Transport:


Kushiel Class Destroyer:


Samael Class Cruiser:


Azrael Class Battle Cruiser:

The Exiled Royalty

Callista Fitzroy (19):
Once the youngest daughter of the royal family, Callista was merely twelve years old when she was cast out of her country. At that tender age she witnessed the bulk of her family executed on one of many live feeds broadcast across the galaxy, an event that would spark an ever deepening hatred for those she views as responsible. In particular her time in the care of the Terran Federation has seen that hate directed toward Xenos. Seeing them as having provoked the coup, she harbours as much hate for them as she does for those who perpetrated it. Somewhat insular Callista has busied herself with academia in her exile, proving to be reasonably adept at it. Unlike her brother she sees the restoration of her family to the throne of Aries unlikely to the point of absurdity, a view which has resulted in her admittedly unskilled attempts to play the political game in the Federation largely being aimed at bettering her family’s position in it.


Theodore Fitzroy (23):
The second prince and third child in the royal family, Theodore was neither raised nor expected to be a ruler. Having the title of King-in-exile thrust upon him by the loyalists that had escaped with him and his sister Theodore found himself both driven to meet their expectations and comforted by their rhetoric. He has become fixated on the throne that rightfully belongs to him to the point that he fails to see how he could fail in taking it with even the slightest aid. To him the people of Aries would rise up to support their rightful rulers, if only the Junta that have usurped his throne were disposed of. In this way he has become resentful towards his hosts in the Terran Federation, seeing their reluctance to go to war on his behalf as cowardly and self-interested. To Theodore any war would be a necessarily short affair. Still he plays the games that he thinks he has to, though his grand and obvious gestures rarely gain him allies and often open him to manipulation.

Era of Succession

Sovereign Star Confederation

SSC

Type of Government:

Confederacy of representative democratic states.

Government Details:

Confederate Government is one in a clear state of drift, at once true to its namesake and yet clearly creeping towards federalism. Within this evolving system there are two major branches of government, the Cabinet branch, and the Judicial branch.

Source of all Confederation wide laws and executive decisions the Cabinet branch is composed of the 19 Chancellors, each of which are elected heads of Confederation member states with the exception of the First Chancellor. The Cabinet may set policy and establish Confederation wide laws by vote, though the latter is a rare occurrence as most law making is left to member state governments and their respective governmental structures. This meaning that each member state may draft and pass laws through its own legislative structure, but these laws are exclusive to that member state whereas Confederation wide laws are binding in all member states. The Cabinet is led by the First Chancellor who is appointed by a Confederation wide election every eight years and who presides over all the others acting as the head of state for the greater Confederation. This First Chancellor carries the right to call a new election for any member state and can take emergency powers when warranted and permitted by a majority vote of the Cabinet. Each of the normal Chancellors may propose agendas or laws to be voted on, but these too may be vetoed by the First Chancellor. As a means of checking the enormous power of the First Chancellor any 2/3rds vote of no confidence by the Cabinet immediately suspends the First Chancellors powers, subject to a mandatory referendum to establish the legitimacy of this vote.

Distinct from the cabinet the Judicial branch functions as the highest legal body in the Confederation, even above individual member states supreme courts. Composed of a number of delegates proportional to each member states population the Judaical branch is an enormously powerful organization that judges the legality of any laws enacted in the Confederation in the context of the Charter of the Confederation. That said, the Judicial branch does not interfere in member state rulings unless those rulings are contested past the supreme court of that member state. The primary function of the Judicial branch is to evaluate the legality of Confederation wide laws passed by the cabinet.

Leader:

First Chancellor Kaela Sevaren of the Sovereign Star Confederation:

The Cabinet:

Chancellor Alice Kent of the Greater Terrestrial Republic
Chancellor Sandro Espanta of the Iberian Commonwealth
Chancellor Bjorn Ovringson of the Scandinavian League
Chancellor Emanuel Smith of the Fringe Worlds Cooperative
Chancellor Theodora Katsaros of the Hellenic Republic
Chancellor Amir Hamam of the Arab Free State
Chancellor Ueman Xepil of the Mesoamerican Republic
Chancellor David Mannerheim of the Germanic Republic
Chancellor Chloe Petit of the Tenth French Republic
Chancellor Sak’fe’nu of the Ge’He Elective
Chancellor Sally Cooper of the Foundry Worlds Alliance
Chancellor John Marsh of the New American Republic
Chancellor Tep Narong of the New Asian Republic
Chancellor Mark Carlston of the Oceanic Republic
Chancellor Alexi Sokolov of the Slavic Republic
Chancellor Jaswinder Sai of the Dharman League
Chancellor William Egzere of the West Belt Republic
Chancellor Richard Ainsworth of the New British Republic

People of Note

Admiral Anastasia Kozlovskaya

One of the younger Admirals in the establishment Anastasia rose quickly to her rank through undeniable competence in the matters of fleet engagement and battle order, but has since been of little influence in the military. This is not due to her personal faults, but rather her political ideology. Anastasia sees the Confederations military as a tool, and one that grows rusty without use. It is her conviction that the Confederation needs to involve itself and its military in the affairs of the greater galaxy both to keep the military relevant and to support interests that might otherwise pass the nation by. Of these interests Anastasia has long been a vocal advocate of outright aiding the Remnant in its struggle against the barbarians. As she often says, should the Remnant fall nothing will stand between the Confederation and the hideous taint upon the universe that is the Dominion of Man.

She is the newly appointed commander of the Article XVI, a Liberty Class Multi-Role Battleship.

Commander of the East Joseph Lawrence

For decades Joseph Lawrence has been an integral piece of the Confederations military, and it was the perception of him as a loyal citizen, a committed democrat, and a capable commander that led to his promotion. After policy disaster that was the war with Musashi the public demanded something be done, and in response to that demand Lawrence was appointed Commander of the East, an entirely new position. Once known as an advocate of using the military as a deterrent rather than a weapon, Lawrence is now a man whose beliefs have been shaken. Nevertheless he is currently revitalizing the military in his vision, even if that vision is slowly an becoming increasingly controversial one.

Admiral Alan Carter

For a century the Confederation has been at peace, and that peace is what creates men like Alan Carter. A quintessential member of the old guard Carter came to his position through a long and unremarkable career of demonstrated competence, but as a result has become complacent. He sees the military as a shield and nothing more, after all no imposed democracy can last and what else would the war machine of the Confederation be used for? In recent days Carter has voiced his dissatisfaction with the new Commander of the Easts increasingly interventionist ideas and has once even labeled his superior as a coward bowing in fear to Musashi.

General Jacob Walters

Charismatic, popular, and a public symbol of the military Jacob Walters has all but catapulted to his position as top General. On the way he’s earned the ire of many of his peers and is as unpopular internally as he is celebrated by the public. Known to be proponent of whatever seems to be the popular solution at the time many consider Jacob to be a pandering fool and incompetent with a pretty face, however that’s not entirely the case. Jacob has consistently done well in war games and while he may be more book learned than practically experienced he’s far from an uneducated simpleton with politically convenient beliefs.

Kaela Sevaren

Steve Woolsey

Richard Ainsworth

Sandro Espanta

Sally Cooper

Species(s) and Demographics:

74% Human: Children of Earth and former rulers of the Imperium, Humanity makes up the undisputed majority in the Confederation.

15% Ge'He: Once a proud species that commanded a space faring nation of note, the Ge'He were humiliated by one of the Imperium's earlier wars of conquest. For centuries they were marginalized and oppressed, but held tight to a culture that faded by the day. Now the Ge'He command of nation of their own within the Confederation, but still they remain a minority in what used to be their own space.

8% Hexanagallion: Ancient militaristic reptilians uplifted long ago, the 'Hexies' as they're often called can be found in some number in any part of the Confederation.

2% Assorted Species: Various species, none of which amount to 1% or greater of the population alone.

1% Aesarnaythi: Amphibious descendants of a once near-utopian society and some of the closest aliens to humanity these matriarchal aliens are common in the economic sphere of the Confederation.

Religion Description and Demographics:

Culture:

History:

The History of the Confederation can best be traced to the sector wide cultural revolution known only as 'The Remembrance' across the former Imperium. Where the movement originated is disputed, but what it signalled was a massive reemergence of ancient Earth culture among the general populace of countless worlds. In the autonomous region of Musashi the movement would lead to a new and homogenous culture, but in the space now occupied by the Confederation The Remembrance led to a massively fractured culture and widespread societal upheaval.

Indeed after The Remembrance the area immediately around Musashi came to be known as the playground of the Imperiums military as they were constantly called upon to suppress what seemed to be an endless string of rebellions. Sectarian violence was rampant, and nationalist movements seemed to inspire insurrection every other day of the week. For centuries this would be the case despite intermittent Imperial intervention, and on the eve of the great empires collapse the region was embroiled in petty conflict just as it had always been.

Yet without the Imperial hand to moderate the violence the spark grew to an inferno. Devolving into hundreds of petty states the region soon fell further into warfare than ever before, dozens of star nations burnt as territories shrunk and grew as new powers rose. After a decade seventeen greater states had risen to the forefront, most of which being autocracies led by former Imperial nobility. Standing apart however were the three newly minted democracies: The Greater Terrestrial Republic, The New British Republic, and the Foundry Worlds Alliance. Feeling the threat from their new and belligerent neighbours the three signed what would come to be known as the Charter of the Confederation, a document founding a greater democratic alliance and uniting the militaries of the free galaxy.

In the following ninety years this new Confederation would spread the flame of democracy across the region, supplying rebels and even going so far as to arm the Ge'He in their bid to establish a nation of their own. One by one the dictatorships would fall to rebellion, and then liberation, as they quarrelled among themselves. One hundred years ago the last one would fall to the forced of liberty, and the Sovereign Star Confederation would establish itself as a regional power to last, albeit one still struggling from the after shocks of unification and racial tension.

Military

Navy:

Liberty Class Multi-role Battleship
A relic of the Unification Wars the four Liberty class vessels have been operational for nearly a century. Ever upgraded they have been symbols of unity for as long as most can remember and to this day they remain formidable, if not as powerful as modern super dreadnoughts. However, they are increasingly relegated to support roles due to the potential morale disaster of losing one.


Liberation Class Carrier
True workhorses the Liberation class carriers are newer vessels, capable of long range operation and limited ship to ship combat even without a complement. Largely designed around a theoretical new fighter interceptor, the Liberations were too far along to cancel when the fighters they were meant to carry were axed. Still capable vessels the Liberation class carries older Stinger fighters and Claw bombers.


Charter Class Battleship
Powerful force projectors the Charter class Battleships were constructed in response to the Dominions growing number of super dreadnoughts and are the combat replacements for the Liberty class vessels which have increasingly become trumped up command ships. Armed with the latest in Confederate weaponry and built to trade blows with anything from fighter wings to dreadnoughts the Charters are the face of the new guard.


Freedom Class Cruiser
The most numerous ships in the Confederations Navy the Freedom class cruisers are dedicated ship killers. Equipping oversized broadside cannons and a powerful spinal gun the Freedoms are often called guns with a ship attached for their generally cramped conditions and heavy armament.


Sovereignty Class Destroyer
The only proper independent vessel designed to operate flawlessly in and out of atmosphere the Sovereignty class destroyers are largely escort and planetary assault vessels. Equipped with powerful point defense systems and anti-fighter flak guns, these little ships are the guardians of their larger brothers.


Equality Class Corvette


SI-272 Stinger
An ageing design, but still far from obsolete, the Stinger was a fighter designed around the idea of hit and runs with large engines to push it fast enough to engage even most modern designs. That said, time has caught up with the Stinger and now it often merely matches the acceleration performance of newer designs while lacking in manoeuvrability.


SB-888 Claw
Designed around the time of the Stinger the Claw bomber faces many of the name issues. That said, the bombers were never intended to operate alone and often their modern shortcomings can be mitigated by an escort.


HB-656 Mantis
A heavy bomber used for anti-capital and precision planetary bombardment roles the Mantis is one of the newer carrier based craft fielded by the Confederation. Built to outpace its pursuers the Mantis is a hit and run bomber, a quintessential example of Confederate strike craft doctrine.


SS-231 Centipede
The Centipede is without a doubt one of the oldest designs in the Confederations navy, dating back to the first Liberty class battleships. Nearly a century old the Centipedes are unbelievably still produced for a single reason, their ability to quickly to equip even the largest modern fighter based weapons.


AI-432 Wasp
The front line atmospheric fighter of the Confederation the Wasp is one of the only craft adopted by the defensive forces of nearly every member state. Mixing high speed and high altitude capabilities with respectable manoeuvrability the Wasp is primarily used to intercept landing forces at ultra high altitudes, weakening any following invasion.


AI-988 Scorpion
The Scorpion exists as the inevitable followup to the Wasp, a fighter as capable at lower altitudes as its brother is at high ones. Durable and armed to the teeth the Scorpion is a brawler and a dog fighter meant to seize aerial supremacy.

Army:

Armoured Infantry Corps
The standard infantry of the Confederation, almost all soldiers are members of the AIC with men of different rank differentiated only by insignia and some additional suit features.


Heavy Support Suit


Hammer Class Armoured Combat Vehicle


Scythe Class Armoured Combat Vehicle

Special Operations:

12th Ancillary Logistics Division
Known to most only as a backwater division earmarked as part of the reserves the 12th ALD is one of the Confederations dirty little secrets. Belying its name the division is special operations, conveniently buried under the full weight of Confederation bureaucracy. That said, no living being would ever envy the operatives of the 12th, or aspire to join them regardless of how elite they are. This is for a simple reason, the operatives of the 12th are no longer ‘human’ in the strictest sense. Selected from death row inmates with usable skills and physiques future operatives of the 12th are given mock executions before being carted away. Once securely out of the public eye they are subjected to years of brutal reconditioning until their former personalities and identities are nothing but a subconscious ghost. In place of this ghost an undying loyalty and devotion to the Confederation is instilled in operatives alongside any other traits deemed useful. After this the operatives undergo intensive genetic therapy and cybernetic modification both to change their appearance and to dramatically increase their combat potential. Each member of the 12th is outfitted with custom gear (1, 2, 3) as given there is little cooperation in the unit standardization is insignificant. Mostly used for the more unsavory and sensitive of intelligence missions; operatives of the 12th almost always work alone and far behind enemy lines.

New Dawn Rising

Nation Name:
Cascadia

Government Type:
Constitutional Monarchy

Head(s) of Government:

His Majesty Joseph Mannerheim The First

Inheriting the throne at the age of thirty one King Joseph has reigned for twenty two years, and a successful reign it has been. Building upon the popular image of his father before him Joseph was quickly noted as a charismatic leader and soon became beloved by his people, a state of affairs that has allowed him massive influence in the affairs of parliament. Reigniting nationalistic sentiment Joseph has presided over a period of national expansion and militarism that in large part is owed directly to his influence. Arrogant, but not undeservedly so Joseph is an audacious and boisterous man that tends to direct whatever conversation he enters.

Prime Minister Matthew Schmidt

Elected five years ago shortly after the invasion of the Hawaiian Federation Matthew Schmidt is a royal loyalist to the core, and it was under the pretense of empowering the monarchy that his party was elected in the first place. Granting the King renewed command of the armed forces and relegating the civilian government to foreign policy and domestic law Schmidt’s reforms have been cheered by most, but seen as deeply concerning to a quiet few.

Persons of Importance:

Defence Minister Tristan Bishop

Prince Alexander Mannerheim

Princess Katherine Mannerheim

Viceroy General Luke Burgess

Arianne Winters

Race(s):
Human

Population:
Large, mostly centered on the two great cities of the west coast.

Culture and Religion:
Unequivocally the successor state to the Cascadian Empire, modern Cascadia is a nation where ancestral tradition and modern innovation seem to be in constant conflict. A prime example of this is the strange dissonance between the Cascadian value of democracy and the highly stratified society that upholds it. Organizing individuals into four groups modern Cascadia has remodeled and reinstituted the very earliest of Vanverian customs, the system of citizenry. Within this system there are four distinct tiers, the highest of these being that of the Citizen. It is Citizen's alone that are granted both the right to vote, and the right to full legal protection as human beings. Composed of males born to other Citizens, those of lower status who have elevated themselves through military service, and women who have elevated themselves through military service, it is Citizens that make up the majority of the population.

One rung lower stand the Non-Citizens, individuals that while unable to vote still enjoy full legal protection. Primarily made up of Cascadian born women this social class also comprises foreigners, immigrants, and freed slaves.

Which resultantly puts the second lowest class as that of the Slave. Enjoying neither the right to vote nor any legal protection as anything but property slaves are usually only found in service of the wealthy. Seen as human but unworthy slaves are either born to their position or are forced into it as a means of legal punishment. While they can be freed, most slave lineages have been in service for generations and will likely continue to be for many more to come.

The lowest class of individual as decreed by the system of citizenry are all those cursed enough to be born abhuman, or in Cascadian parlance, subhuman. These individuals enjoy no vote, no rights, and lack even the basic title of human. Historically this class was formed to refer to the barbarous Grogar, but as more subhumans emerged they were summarily added to it. Often exterminated or used for grueling menial labour, subhumans are universally treated with the greatest contempt and disregard.

Outside of the class system Cascadia functions as a free market state with minimal oversight and enormous inequality wherein the wealthy are almost always members of the nobility. What does exist in the way of government intervention is usually aimed at workplace safety, and as a result it is said one may work themselves to death but so long as they don't cause an accident doing so theirs will be an unremarkable passing.

Pre-Cataclyism Technology:
Stumbled upon by the Cascadian military in the nations early days the vast Rocky Mountain Warning System, while inoperable in all but the fewest sections, has proved an invaluable asset. Providing a technological base for the study of advanced radar the RMWS has permitted Cascadia to equip their aircraft and military with early warning systems far exceeding those of most nations.

History:
Like much of the world the west coast of North America was all but annihilated in the Great Cataclysm, struggling for centuries afterwards to establish even the most meager sense of order. Enveloped by the Age of Darkness the few tribes that rose to prominence in the region were invariably hounded by Grogar war bands and weakened by infighting until their disintegration. Even as the first true kingdoms of the east rose to prominence and the Age of Restoration began it seemed the land of the setting sun was damned to an eternity of struggle. It was not until five hundred years after Armageddon that the west began to see the light of civilization once more.

Emerging from the shadow four great city-states rose to prominence: Vanver, Setle, Sanfra, and Losan. Varying widely in ideology and culture these city states would carve out their own respective territories before eventually, inevitably, coming into conflict. The most heated of these wars for dominance would be between the perilously close states of Vanver and Setle, whose simple proximity fated them to become bitter rivals. Precious little territory would change hands even as the autocratic Vanverians and democratic Setleites bled each other brutally with each conflict, but they continued in their futile wars nonetheless. When the stalemate did break it would not be by virtue of one sides superior ideals, nor would it be on account of their grand strategy. In the end a simple quirk of fate changed history as a flood decimated Setle’s crops and left the city unable to resist the Vanverian armies that descending upon it less than a year later.

With the great enemy subjugated and vast swaths of fertile land under her command Vanver would grow immensely as it launched wide reaching campaigns against the fractious tribes of the region. Booming in population and claiming ever more territory to settle the city state became something greater, holding all the Pacific Northwest under its thumb. Not content with his already vast lands some six hundred years ago the ruler of Vanver declared his domain an Empire, and all the west coast his right. Within fifty years Sanfra would burn and be forced to kneel with Losan peacefully capitulating as it stood isolated and weakened by its own wars against the Grogar.

This vast nation would come to be known as Cascadia, a name taken from ancient documents and used to legitimize a realm which had never before existed. For two hundred years the Cascadian Empire would rule before a quirk of fate not unlike that which had created it brought it to ruin. In the American plains the Grogar bands had not been idle and in revenge for the Empires massacre of their kin a great army of the beasts launched an invasion just as Cascadia fell into a succession crises. It took ten years for the empire to collapse, but when it did there was not a city that went unpillaged.

In the ashes a number of kingdoms grew across the west, all speaking a single language and sharing a faith as legacy of Vanver’s ancient influence. What is known as modern Cascadia was one of these, and for the next few centuries it did little but war with its neighbours over long forgotten claims in a vain attempt to rebuild its dominion. So destructive and unpopular were these repeated conflicts that before long the kingdom found itself in the grips of a rebellion that would usher in a constitution and forever limit the authority of the monarch.

In the last sixty years however Cascadia has gone back to its old ways with the expansion of the northern territories cementing the previous kings popularity and the recent annexation of Hawaii setting the tone for a new age of colonial expansion. Even more so the recent election of a Royalist party has empowered the Monarchy once more, and as of three years ago the King of Cascadia is also the head of her military. On the Homefront the influx of human refugees from the plains has engorged the population and many imagine it is only a matter of time before California shakes under the boots of marching men eager to claim a new home for them and their families.

Military:

Ground Forces

HT-55

The mainstay of the Cascadian armoured core the HT-55 sports thick sloping armour and a formidable 125mm cannon along with multiple large machine guns. Maneuverable enough for a large tank the HT-55 is well liked by the military, but nevertheless an aging design. Hefty to the point crossing all but reinforced bridges is an untenable proposition and distressingly slow it’s no wonder the venerable tank is being, albeit very slowly, phased out.

HT-100

The new face of the Cascadian armoured core the HT-100 is a vehicle quite unlike its predecessor. Toting an upgraded and far higher velocity 125mm gun the HT-100 was built for long to mid range engagement in support of infantry and focuses nearly all its armour at the front. While this selective protection makes the tank significantly lighter and faster than the HT-55 it also risks serious damage from ambushes in urban areas.

MT-31

Designed alongside the HT-55 the lighter MT-31 was designed as an 'escort tank' to protect the its heavier counterpart. Armed with a lighter 100mm gun and mediocre armour little was expected of the 31. In combat however the MT-31's speed proved so useful that the tanks would often be preferred by field commanders, an opinion that directly influenced the decision to limit the HT-100's armour to the front as to preserve the new vehicles mobility.

AC-22

A trackless vehicle the main personnel carrier of Cascadia is well armoured against all but anti tank weapons and is respectably mobile if not somewhat limited in its ability to traverse rough.

Ar-22

A conversion of the AC-22 the Artillery model fits a large gun on the chassis for long range support than can quickly reposition as combat necessitates it.

Jungle Infantry

Jungle infantry are the newer troops of the Cascadian army whose outfit and load outs designed explicitly for campaigns in the pacific like the Hawaiian war. Carrying the standard issue IMP or intermediate machine pistol firing a 6x35mm round Jungle infantry are notable for having significantly less equipment, trading convenience for comfort and flexibility.

Forest Infantry

The traditional troops of the Cascadian military Forest Infantry have their equipment tailor made for the forest heavy environments of the Cascadian nation. Carrying the standard issue IMP or intermediate machine pistol firing a 6x35mm round Forest infantry have a load out including folding shovels and other potentially useful tools.

Heavy Infantry

Armoured more effectively than the majority of soldiers and carrying the huge SAAR or semi-automatic assault rifle chambered in the bear stopping high velocity 6x60mm round these troops are the strongest and most effective Cascadia has. Trained to combat the most daunting of Grogar and even NAU power armour if needed Heavy Infantry are men that push the boundaries of what humans can accomplish, and as a result are also some of the most handsomely paid in the army.

Air Forces

FI-42

The Fighter Interceptor 42 has been the mainstay of the Cascadian air force for years. Manoeuvrable, fast, and flexible the 42 remains capable to the modern day even as it's age begins to show with many if not most aircraft matching or outperforming it.

FI-48

Successor to the FI-42 the FI-48 is a significantly more modern design. Utilizing hard points to carry basic guided missiles while retaining four guns the 48 is more than adequately armed. Beyond this a more efficient and powerful engine allows it performance surpassing it's predecessor in every way.

B-28

The main long range bomber used by Cascadia the B-28 is a flying wing equipped with cannon turrets and loaded with a vast amount of ordinance.

B-26

Designed as a smaller and more agile version of the B-28 the 26 has proved enormously successful. Carrying guns to defend itself as well as attack other aircraft while not compromising on bomb capacity the 26 is the close support aircraft of Cascadia.

AiRo-4

Highlighting Cascadia's trouble in helicopter development the Air Rotor 4 is a fairly primitive machine totally outclassed by its more advanced NAU counterparts. Lightly armed and used mostly for scouting or medical airlift the Airo-4, even if basic, is widely used for it's utility.

Airman

Wearing an oxygen mask for high altitude engagement the pilots of Cascadia are famed for their rigorous treaining.

Sea Forces

Grizzly Class Battlecruiser

The largest direct combatant ship in the Cascadian navy the Grizzly encapsulates Cascadian naval doctrine well. Not so large as proper battleships fielded by other powers, nor as well armed, the Grizzly makes up for its deficiencies by being simple and more important, cheap. While the class is no longer built the existing Grizzlies have all been upgraded to modern standard with new missile systems.

Grey Wolf Class Carrier

Smaller and seemingly less capable than the supercarriers emerging across the world, many would be surprised to learn the Grey Wolf class is a new design. Of course, those individuals would have be unfamiliar with the Cascadian navy. The Grey Wolf is, like all Cascadian ships, simply built to be easier to manufacture. The underlying logic of this is that were a ship to be lost, the navy would retain more capability. As for the Grey Wolf itself, the class possesses few of its own defenses and ostensibly relies on an escort. That said, under combat conditions the carriers are known to be extremely quick in deploying aircraft.

Cougar Class Cruiser

The Cougar class is perhaps the mainstay of the Cascadian navy. Not a design new or old existing Cougars have been upgraded while new vessels continue to roll out of yards. Responsible for anti-air defense above surface combat the Cougar is the primary escort class of the navy.

Lynx Class Light Cruiser

A design only marginally newer than the Grizzly the Lynx is a ship out of style, but one whose role is far from gone. Dedicated to anti-submarine warfare but capable at surface combat the Lynx is a ship that seems to be upgraded every decade rather than replaced.

SSV-888

AMT-343

CFI-33

The Cascadian navy’s choice fighter, the Carrier Fighter Interceptor 33 was developed independently from the FI-48. A small and light aircraft the 33 is purpose built for short take off and easy storage, allowing many to fit onto the smaller carriers fielded by Cascadia.

Restless Fires

~~(WIP)~~
Egun Senxi (People of the Plains)

Population

Long Night: 202,000
Long Day: 26,000
Long Hunt: 45,000
Fire: 9700
Age: 20,000
Birth: 12,000
Lost War: 21,000
Hawk's Sight: 60,000
Rot: 6500
Unending Twilight: 86,000
Oxen's Strength: 58,000
New Dawn: 32,000
Total: 578,200

Ren: 413,000
Mul: 259,000
Total: 672,000

PLAINS POPULATION: 1,250,200

Overview

History: Egun Senxi

(BR = Before Roleplay)
~1050 BR - The Moon goes dark in the sky for weeks throwing the Northern tribes and their leadership, the Lunar Synod, into chaos as they scramble to understand the disappearance of their deity. Without warning a solar eclipse reveals the vanished moon and the Lunar Synod declare the Sun a usurper, forever forsaking the day. The southernmost tribes voice their protests, outright refusing the order to avoid the day and in doing so sparking conflict with their more numerous northern brothers. For years the southern tribes lose territory yet grow more convinced of their interpretation of events, with some even saying the Sun had convinced the Moon to return and should be honoured, not cast out.

~1000 BR - Having been totally forced out of their ancestral homeland the southern tribes of the Senxi travel to the southern Ethean Empire and are welcomed in with promises of a brighter future, however almost all find themselves exploited by the Etheans as cheap labour and willing slaves.

~960 BR - Seeing the abuses of the Ethean people the northern tribes men rise up across the nation regardless of their individual differences. Attempts to quash the rebellion are many, but the sheer scale of the uprising defies Ethan attempts at pacification.

~900 BR - The larger members of the rebellious tribes come to see the Ethean religion as the reason for their former masters abhorrent behaviour. The Volcano so praised in the capital of Ethea and long seen by the tribesmen as the Smoldering Death is labelled master of the Etheans, who willingly serve evil. Looking to the guidance of their own Heavenly Patron, the Moon, the largest tribes declare their rebellion a holy war.

~700 BR - As nearly a quarter of Ethea’s territory is lost the various rebelling tribes are joined into one by what many call the Hero of Heaven and seeing this centralization the reigning Empress Euphemia attempts to make peace only to be regarded as the mouthpiece of the Smoldering Death. Seen as a deceiver and temptress by the united tribes the Hero of Heaven sets out to kill her and in doing so end the war.

~690 BR - Successful in his quest the Hero of Heaven is hailed as the greatest of all men upon his return from such a perilous task. In Ethea the death of Euphemia cements opposition to the idea of peace and the war continues into a new period of brutality regardless of the united tribes hopes.

~640 BR - The Hero of Heaven dies after years of war and doubt shakes the various tribes, many beginning to question if winning the war is even possible. In the face of an increasingly uncertain homefront the Hero’s son holds the line even as the many disparate tribes begin to question their decision to unite.

~600 BR - Sensing weakness in the united tribes, the Ethean Empire launches a massive campaign. Cities and towns that had fallen to the tribes are burned by Ethean troops who put both women and children to the sword. The plains of Ethea become a lake of blood as the army advances, only to find its momentum unsustainable. Eventually the Ethean armies are halted the campaign having caused the empire to lose many of its soldiers but achieving perhaps one of its goals. Faced with awful losses the eastern tribes break their compact and leave their western brothers to carry on a mission they no longer see the need to die for. Those who remain in the alliance form the vast trie of Long Night. Bearing the title of The Moon’s Chosen and leader of this new tribe the Hero’s grandson begins his preparations for revenge.

~550 BR - Now recovered from the disaster fifty years prior the tribe of Long Night storms whatever territory the Empire held from its last assault in a breakneck campaign. Now without uncertain soldiers or conflicted commanders no Ethean survivors are taken. By the time the onslaught ends Ethea has lost yet more precious territory and suffered disproportionate casualties from a force they’d imagined was crippled. The campaign marks a new era in the war, one where both sides were bent not on conquering, but on eradicating the other.

~420 BR - Salvaging as much old Ethean knowledge as possible two of the easternmost tribes set themselves to the task of building a civilization of their own as the war in the west fades into a distant memory.

~380 BR - Out of their former nomadic roots Ren and Mul emerge as properly civilizations and set to the task of constructing a wall to separate themselves from the barbarians that were once their brothers.

~320 BR - Attempting to besiege the new fortifications to their south the tribe of New Dawn is gored and decimated, allowing its other neighbours impunity in their own attacks against it. Unable to fight back the tribe of New Dawn concedes much of its once vast territory.

~300 BR - Following another brutal campaign launched by the tribe of Long Night the empire is completely cut off from the rest of the world.

~120 BR - With Ethea so contained but victory still a distant dream the tribe of Long Night fractures, its most western territory breaking off to form its own tribe, Long Day. Tried for war this new tribe establishes permanent villages and agriculture while maintaining their traditions, inviting any who wish for peace to join them.

~100 BR - Ethea is reduced to only the capital and a few outlying forts and cities, though tribe of Long Night attacks slow as the remaining defenses prove to be centuries in the making. A standoff of sorts emerges as both sides search for an advantage.

~28 BR - Having been reduced to a minor player for nearly three centuries the tribe of New Dawn declares the newborn son of their aging chief as the reincarnation of the Hero of Heaven. Seen as a dying peoples pitiable attempt at glory the announcement is ridiculed and ignored by the other neighbouring tribes.

Religion: Path of the Moon

Deities:
The Moon's path holds that there are but three deities in creation, The Heavenly Patron, The Celestial Adjudicator, and the Smoldering Death. Paramount of the three is the Patron, whose watchful eye can be seen every night in the sky as the moon. It is the Patron who is responsible for the creation of life and who watches their works with one eye upon the world and the other upon paradise.

The secondary deity of the Moon's Path and the Patrons brother is the worldly Adjudicator whose whole form is visible as the sun, a blinding light in the sky. It was the Adjudicator who created the Earth and the Mortal Universe by the Patrons edict, and even now the Adjudicator is the architect of the worlds many trials. Most often the Adjudicator is impotent in Paradise, but long ago it is said that he restored the Patrons sight after her mortal eye was blinded by the hated Smoldering Death.

Lastly there is the Smoldering Death, divine by its cruelty. After the Adjudicator had designed the world and the Patron had cast her eye on it a blemish came into existence, a god not born of paradise but one of the mortal universe. From the moment it emerged it was clear the Smoldering Death was filled with malice and hate. Seeing the world as its domain the Smoldering Death rebelled and sought to purge the world of the Patrons children and replace them with its own, the enchanters and the Bannik, the wretched demons of creation. In a battle with the Adjudicator the Smoldering Death was forced into the bowls of the Earth, but not defeated. Even from this worldly prison the Smoldering Death interferes with the world, though it cannot destroy it.

Beliefs:
The Senxi believe that two worlds exist, Paradise, and the Mortal Universe. Reigning in Paradise the Heavenly Patron created all life as her everlasting children, but soon learned that in Paradise these children were never challenged, and they never grew. Seeing an answer the Patron turned to her lesser brother and told him to create a world, one which he could oversee and one which she would use to teach her children. Obedient and eager the lesser brother, who would come to be known as the Adjudicator, crafted a vast universe and watched over it as the sun. The Mortal Universe of her brothers design was beyond the Patrons expectations and when he invited her to cast an eye upon it, that eye was so enthralled it became the moon.

The Patron seeded life upon her brothers creation and proclaimed him Adjudicator, the one to judge the worthiness of her children for Paradise. In the beginning the Adjudicator could not imagine how his sisters creations would not be worthy, but soon enough he saw how young they were, and how foolish. He knew that they would not yearn for paradise if they lived forever and so he made the children mortal of body, allowing them to pass into paradise if worthy or rejoin their brothers new and old in subsequent life if not.

Content with his work in adapting the Patrons children to the world the Adjudicator took time to gaze upon all of his Mortal Universe, and in this gaze he saw what should not be. A new deity had been created, but not one he could call a brother. Somehow in giving the Patrons children mortal lives a new entity had been raised from the children's lost immortality, a beautiful god not of Paradise, but the Mortal Universe. It spoke in honeyed words and whispered to the Adjudicator of rebellion, of striking down the Patrons children and creating new ones, ones truly from and suited to the world they inhabited.

Appalled the Adjudicator lashed out at the malicious entity and in a great battle cast it into the bowls of the world, imprisoned but not defeated. Unable to do more the Adjudicator watched in horror as the being of evil, the Smoldering Death, created wretched beings and corrupted the Patrons children. In the Adjudicators haste he had not considered that the Smoldering Deaths prison could become its fortress and after searching in vain for a solution he went to the Patron, pleading for aid.

Unable to imagine such evil the Patron cast her eye upon the Smoldering death, and seeing the beauty of the creature under the stone of the earth she offered it a place in Paradise, a chance to craft its own world. Finding the Patrons proposal little more then humorous the Smoldering Death took the chance and lashed out at the Patron, Blindsiding her eye in the Mortal Universe and banishing the Moon.

In the chaos the Smoldering Death whispered to the Lunar Synod who had been given the gift of hearing the Patrons words and the duty of leading her children. The Smoldering Death and convinced them the Adjudicator had rebelled, even as the sun grasped the moon and restored the Patrons sight.

By the time her sight had restored and the Adjudicator returned to his duty the Patrons children had turned on each other, and in that time she wept stars across the sky. Unable to tolerate his sisters sadness the Adjudicator taught both the Senxi who'd been deceived and those who'd fled the means of identifying the Smoldering Deaths demons and the means of banishing them.

From then on the Adjudicator watched and preformed his duty, certain that in time the Patrons children would be the ones to overthrow the Smoldering Death as their mother proudly watched them.

New Dawn

Nation Name:
National Flag:
What do you call the denizens(ex. Americans come from America, Israelites comes from Israel):
Government type:
Leader/Leaders:
Ruling factions/dynasty if applicable:
Other Important political figures:
Currency:
State Religion(If applicable):
Demographics and Geography

World map location:

Interior map:

Major cities
Major military installments:
Important locations and buildings:
Capital:

Population:
Race and Ethnic demographic:

Economy(how well is it?):
Wealth balance(is it concentrated solely on the aristocracy, such as in feudalism, balanced, high level of poor, optional):
Major exports:
Major Imports:
Staple agricultural crops:
Trade partners:
Culture

Religion demographics:
Religious heads:

Popular opinion on the volcano:
Popular opinion on wars:
Popular opinion on magic:
Popular opinion on religion: (pious?)
Popular opinion on the Aristocracy:
Pauper opinion on the Government:
Popular opinion on foreigners:
Popular opinion on other cultures:

Cultural name for the Volcano: (what do your people call it)

A look into the unique culture: (tell us what makes your average citizen unique, take us through their values and life style, throw in any sub cultures such as the culture of the formal classes as well)

Cultural history:

Notable figures:
Military and History

Type of Military: Volunteer, conscripted, standing, semi professional, culture affects, levies etc. Go into detail.
Total Military fighting units:

Unit demographics: (heavy infantry, marksman, etc and their equipment/training)

Notable figures:

Past wars and notable events:

Past conflicts with other nations:

Current conflicts and wars:
Other

Artifacts and famous enchantments:

Anything else we should all know:

Codependency of Ren and Mul

Nation Name:
Codependent Kingdoms of Ren and Mul

National Flag:


What do you call the denizens:
Generally referred to as Kuan Senxi

Government type:
Elective Monarchy, however all claimants to thrones of both Ren and Mul are members from the Xhese family. Of all family members the nobility of both nations will independently elect one claimant to their nations respective throne. This leaves the possibility for an individual to rule both kingdoms and indeed such has happened on numerous occasions either due to a lack of suitable heirs or the rise of a single outstanding candidate. Any single individual ruling bot kingdoms is declared a Zehu Keshen, or a Grand Lord Chief.

Leader/Leaders:
Xhese Mugai, Keshen of Ren: The first son of the previous Zehu Keshen, Xhese Menhu, Mugai is a highly charismatic leader with perhaps more bravado than ability, often delegating even the most crucial of tasks. Originally thought to be the most popular claimant in both Ren and Mul, Mugai remains bitter about the surprise election of his younger brother Lehzun in Mul.
Xhese Lehzun, Keshen of Mul: The youngest child of Mehu, Lehzun is an ambitious but young king who rose to notoriety after settling numerous long standing disputes amount the nobility in Mul and later involving himself deeply in the affairs of the realm both to learn, and advise.

Dynasty:
Xhese

Other Important political figures:
Xhese Mei, the middle child and only daughter of the previous Zehu Keshen Mei has distinguished herself as a much loved patron of art and culture as well as one of the few individuals able to appeal to both her brothers.

Currency:
Seoi

State Religion(If applicable):
Path of the Moon

Major cities:
Toibul, the capital of Mul.
Zegin, the capital of Ren.

Major military installations:
The Grand Wall, a massive defensive fortification that surrounds Ren and Mul the Wall remains greatest project undertaken by the two states.

Important locations and buildings:

Population:
672,000

Race and Ethnic demographic:
99% Senxi
1% Other

Economy:
Largely self reliant Ren and Mul trade between each other but suffer from their largely intentional exclusion from the outside world. While food is a non issue other commodities can be difficult to come by.

Wealth balance:
Slanted towards the nobility and crown, but not oppressively so.

Major exports:
None Substantial

Major Imports:
None Substantial

Staple agricultural crops:
Potato, Wheat.

Trade partners:
None Substantial.

Popular opinion on the volcano:
A evil entity which takes pleasure in the destruction of civilizations.

Popular opinion on wars:
War is necessary only as a response to aggression, the walls are impregnable.

Popular opinion on magic:
Demonic power, all who use magic are demons or their servants.

Popular opinion on religion:
The people of Ren and Mul are highly pious, and religion plays a large part in their lives.

Popular opinion on the Aristocracy:
The elite represent the establishment of proper civilization and are to be honoured as those who raise all to greater heights.

Pauper opinion on the Government:
The government is civilization, without it all would descend into the barbarism of days past and prove themselves unworthy of paradise.

Popular opinion on foreigners:
All foreigners are to be mistrusted, as heathens they may well be corrupted by evil.

Popular opinion on other cultures:
Most other nations and their cultures are looked upon with disdain, save Ethea.

Cultural name for the Volcano:
The Smouldering Death

A look into the unique culture: (tell us what makes your average citizen unique, take us through their values and life style, throw in any sub cultures such as the culture of the formal classes as well)

Cultural history:

Notable figures:
Military and History

Type of Military: Volunteer, conscripted, standing, semi professional, culture affects, levies etc. Go into detail.
Total Military fighting units:

Unit demographics: (heavy infantry, marksman, etc and their equipment/training)

Notable figures:

Past wars and notable events:

Past conflicts with other nations:

Current conflicts and wars:
Other

Artifacts and famous enchantments:

Anything else we should all know:

Isotope's Cold Storage

Settings

Iron Rain

It was a century past that the world had seemed an ocean of opportunity. Graced by the wind we had learned to traverse the oceans to lands unknown and ripe with untouched riches. Set upon by inspiration we had learned sciences that seemed to throw open the doors of possibility and challenge the very notion of what men could accomplish. We were prepared for everything and eagerly awaiting the marvelous new age that undoubtedly laid around the next bend in that promising land of the future.

Alas, a century ago we knew nothing. The cold and relentless turning of time has brought about not an era of learning and prosperity, but a terrible and frightening new world. In all lands the machines we thought our salvation have burdened the labours of men, but those same men have become slaves to them. Industrialism, progress, wealth. It was with these words spoken with wide smiles that we sealed the covenant selling our collective souls. It was these words that set about the inexorable forging of a new hell on earth.

Now the sky has blackened like in the myths of old and from it the tempest of war has been born. Our leaders tell us this has been a revolution, and true to their world none have ever died in such number under the hammer of guns, nor have so many been subjected to the hateful sting of the lash. Across all the lands it seems the soil runs red and the rain falls an iron grey as if nature were mourning the total degradation of all Human races.

We have sold all we are, and now the world will tremble under the marching of hollow feet.

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This is Iron Rain, an RP focusing on on the darkest aspects of Industrialism and the changes that swept the world in the late nineteenth century. This RP is going to take place in an alternate world, but one populated by Human beings and Human subspecies who have suffered under the Industrial revolution as much as or greater than people did in our world. The RP will be story driven and focused on the interactions between intelligent beings, meaning no broad commands of 'x soldiers went to y' but rather the journey shown through the eyes of one of those soldiers. For the purpose of internal consistency a hard limit of 1910 is going to be set on tech, meaning tech that didn't exist by 1910 in our world will not be permitted, period. Player freedom is going to be valued, but be aware I will deny any application that I feel abuses that freedom or seems to ignore historical consistency with other players nations in the area.

As for backstory, I intend to leave that up to you. All I will say is that Human being and their various subspecies first evolved on the greater eastern continent, and that the first real civilizations started in the last twelve thousand years. As for subspecies I am willing to permit an unlimited number, but I do want it to be taken into account that normal Homo Sapiens are the most prevalent intelligent beings on the planet.

Map:



Rules:
1. Follow the rules of the guild: roleplayerguild.com/topics/531-fundam…
2. Follow the basic rules of RP. That means no powerplaying, godmodding, metagaming, etc.
3. Human subspecies are allowed, and a great deal of freedom is going to be given in making these subspecies. That said if I see something that is inconsistent or potentially problematic it’s not going to pass.
4. You will set a basic scale for your military. This doesn’t mean I’m demanding you detail every man, rifle, and boot. Give me a rough outline and we’ll all be better for it.
5. The tech limit is 1910, but that doesn’t mean you can have tank battalions because a single tank had been built before then. If the technology was barely a prototype in real life, it will be the same thing here. You can develop things like tanks, but it will be a long and laborious process you need to be willing to see through IC.
6. Steampunk, we all know it comes up in these settings and we all know how disruptive the guy with air battleships can be. So let’s be clear, this is a setting built around the horrors of the turn of the century, not some idealized vision of it. Airships are as powerful as airships were in 1910 and we are limited by the same engineering problems the people of that time were.
7. Airplanes, they exist and to be honest this is one area I’m going to permit a bit more leeway. You can have planes roughly in the first generation of fighter aircraft, but note this is the ONE area there will be any exception to the tech limit.
8. Please try to be active, you won’t be penalized if you’re not but do try and keep up an acceptable post rate.
9. This is a casual-advanced RP. You can be as articulate and expansive with your posts as you want, but posts that I feel don’t meet the standard of this RP will be pointed out.

Sheet:
Nation Name:

Flag: (Optional)

Government and Economy

Type of Government: (Try to go into some detail here, every government is different and even if you just say absolute monarchy you can still provide some information about how that monarchy works and its internal politics.)

Head(s) of Government: (Who holds the highest office in the nation, if anyone?)

Economy: (Wealth and the flow of it, you should know the effect this can have.)

History, Demographics, and Culture.

Primary Species: (Only Humans and Human subspecies are allowed. If you choose the latter a description and overview will need to be made. Be as detailed as you want.)

Population: (Self-explanatory, be internally consistent and fit your population to your nation.)

Culture: (This is often the most neglected, yet most important section. How you fill this out determines how other nations see you and how the normal people in your nation will act in nearly every situation. What norms have been prevalent, what acts are taboos? Why have these things come about? Try to remember culture is a vital part of any NS.)

Religious and other Beliefs: (Spirituality or secularism can be a huge part of peoples identities, so what do your people believe?)

History: (This is one section you really can’t fill out alone. Iron Rain is indisputably a sandbox in that you’ve only been given vague details and a theme. So it is VITAL you collaborate with your neighbours and other players not just to craft your own history, but to craft the history of the greater world around you.)

Geography, Agriculture, and Industry

Territory: (Be considerate of others, but also be aware we need space filled. Put your map claim here.)

Climate: (Our world is warmer than Earth, but not by too much. Northern climates will have the same difficulties as they would have in the real world and other climates can be said to be much the same. Feel free to be detailed here; a temperature doesn’t make a climate so be specific about any geographical details.)

Cities, bases, etc: (This can be a list, or an internal map.)

Agriculture: (Dependant on your climate and other factors, this can be shorter but as always detail means a better world to RP in.)

Industry: (It’s an RP about this, so tell me what sort of industry does your nation have?)

Military

Military: (I don’t really have a set way for you to do this, and people usually tend to differ a lot in these sections. So have some freedom, write what you like, but don’t abuse it.)

Myrlian Belt

The Myrlian Belt

Insanity, chaos, opportunity, all these words have been used to describe the Myrlian belt. A region of space defined by its four inhabitable systems and numerous terraformed words, the belt was once the site of an extensive, and expensive, colonization campaign. The Directorate of Myr, a government within the greater Harmonious Network, put enough capital into the project that many considered the belt to be a prospective hub of commerce and development. The only problem was that the project became so expensive the Directorate ran out of funds. Taxes higher than any in the network were leveled within the Directorate to address the crises, but ultimately political pressure demanded the entire effort be abandoned forty three years ago.

Isolated on the distant outer rim of the Harmonious Network, with only the most developed system having a way station, the Myrlian Belt fell apart. Paychecks stopped arriving and then laws stopped being enforced. Billions of credits worth of weaponry went missing as soldiers abandoned their posts and took 'severance packages' with them, aiming to turn a hefty profit. Those weapons found their way into the hands of individuals who aspired to be the new lords of the belt, and soon war became a constant in the life of those foolish enough to have moved to a once shining beacon of civilization.

Without easy transport millions were trapped to live in a new kind of hell. Those on the less developed planets were the luckiest; for the most part they were free to live out bucolic, unimportant, lives away from the ravages of war. However, even on those dusty, half terraformed, and easily forgotten worlds, law had become a thing of the past. Pirates, raiders, mercenaries, the Myrlian belt had forever become a haven and utopia to them all.

The Systems of the Myrlian Belt:

Agrel

Agrel was once the capital of the fringe, the golden system of the Myrlian Belt. Now the skyscrapers that pierced the clouds of Agrel Prime are bombed out sniper perches. With the only way station in the whole of the belt, the system is both the most civilized and the most dangerous. Civil war between dozens of factions has made the space of the system a near constant warzone, and the planets below fare little better with their people staving more often than not. Even so, if one wants advanced medicine, technology, or information from the outside galaxy, they go to Agrel.

Planets of the Agrel System

Agrel Prime
A long time ago Agrel Prime was the hub of the Belt, a world that was the gateway to the new fringe and the poster boy of Network expansionism. Now? Agrel Prime, with its vast cities and dense temperate rainforests, is undoubtedly the most war torn planet in the whole of the Network. With its enormous propaganda value the planet has never been subjected to serious bombardment like Sebet, but it has never been unified either. Divided between dozens of warlords both local and from abroad, the world is an endless battleground. Still, Agrel Prime plays host to the only waystation in the Myrlian Belt. If one wishes to have any claim to the belt as a whole they must control Agrel Prime and the way station that serves to link the belt to the rest of the universe.

Sebet
All the planets of the Agrel system have suffered from more than four decades of endless war, but few have the scars that Sebet does. In the days before the Directorates withdrawal the planet was an unassuming business world host to an uncommon and growing human majority population. Now it remains a Human majority world, but not a single building stands on its surface. In the immediate aftermath of the Directorate's withdrawal Sebet’s humans blamed the collapse of society on the aliens of the belt; a societal madness took hold and soon the mobs that set about ‘rectifying the problem’ with a disturbing passion were all that remained. The xenophobic regime that spawned from such mobs took control of Sebet and defended its people against the new warlords of the Agrel system, but toxic philosophy compelled the regime to go further than mere self defense. An endless war against the alien menace has all but consumed the world of Sebet. First it was industry, then the population centers, now everything and everyone has been relocated to the immense network of subterranean bunkers that were built to survive the near endless long range bombardment the surface has sustained. On Sebet nothing lives above ground but the moss that grows in great craters.

Hebyr

Hebyr was an agricultural system when times were good, and it remains one today. The only difference is in who owns what. Before the Directorate abandoned their project the worlds of Hebyr were the subject of vast terraforming experiments aimed towards the creation of new edens. Hyper fertile worlds with unnatural and fantastic ecosystems, the many planets and moons of Hebyr became the sole source of an uncountable number of organic luxury goods. Yet it was the people of Hebyr who suffered most from the collapse of Directorate control. Slavers descended upon the system and took its people as expendable chattel, useful only for working the fields and harvesting the systems rare natural riches until they could work no longer. Once a promising system, it is now said Hebyr is where the damned go to die.

Planets of the Hebyr System

Pale Harbor
The frozen moon of an ice giant, Pale Harbour is a harsh place for humanoids. Temperatures sit just under freezing in a tropical summer; elsewhere they are much lower. The atmosphere is Himalayan at best, and worldwide aurora mark the passage of cosmic rays through an unprotected sky.

Nevertheless it is heavily forested by translucent 'trees', and supported a bountiful terrestrial and atmospheric ecosystem before the introduction of heavy agriculture. Its native fauna, largely invertebrates, are raised in cramped billions using containment domes, factory farms, and advanced stock-herding robots. The indigenous people are treated little better.

Watching slavers ship their planet away one freezer crate at a time, the Skippers click their claws and thump the ground, praying that their gods will send them opportunity.

Terveni
Trees that pierce the clouds, megafauna that leave craters where they walk, Terveni is a world as dangerous as it is bountiful. At one point the world was the site of an experiment in the creation of more efficient lifeforms, but even before the withdrawal of the directorate the effort had been abandoned. The risk had outweighed the reward. The creatures of Terveni had certainly become more efficient with the directorates tampering, but they had used that abundance of energy to grow to staggering scales. Combined with a strange and frighteningly aggressive new set of behaviors, the life of Terveni simply became too hazardous to study. However, the slaver overlords of Terveni have managed to set up a different sort of operation from their tree cities. Slaves are used to hunt for and harvest the flora and fauna of the strange world. Acting as both labor and a food source for the local wildlife, the slaves of Terveni have it worse than most.

Regen

When the directorate left the belt they left their project incomplete, and nowhere is this more evident than the Regen system. There exist no fully terraformed worlds in the system, but rather a number of half finished planets full of desert, dust, ice, what lord knows what else. With such unappealing locales, Regen is where the wanted hide. As to the systems people, there are few. Farmers eek out a peaceful existence where they can, but the land is harsh and for every year of peace there is another where whole towns will be levelled by rampaging bounty hunters.

Planets of the Regen System

Anne’s Hope
Annes Hope is at once one of the most livable planets within the Regen system, and one of the most avoided. The world is horribly arid, sparsely vegetated, and scorched by a relentless sun. To wander the dunes and badlands of Anne’s hope is to court death. Thankfully, the world has more than arid windswept lands. The planet’s surface is marred by a massive network of seemingly bottomless canyons, and this is where the world's paltry slice of civilization exists. Most cities and towns on Anne’s Hope are built into the sides of the canyons where the air is cooler; strange multilevel constructions carved into the walls of canyons and strung together with bridges, the settlements are odd by any standard. In areas where the canyons are shallower there exist rare communities built on the banks of what few rivers Anne’s hope plays host to.

Yente

Where Agrel fell to warlords, Yente fell to criminals. Perhaps a nicer place to live than Agrel, Yente's development has been stifled but not stopped. The syndicates that rule the systems planets do as they please, but when it benefits them they do contribute to the society they run. Still, on Yente there are only those in the syndicates and those who are not. Living in perpetual poverty with few rights, the people of Yente's worlds have been left with no hope but to help their rulers build their palaces and manufacture their drugs.

Planets of the Yente System

Beroz
Beroz is a world that required only the bare minimum in terms of terraforming. While many native species died in the effort to make the planet habitable, it is also one of the few worlds in the belt that still hosts truly alien life. In particular, an odd moss as dense as ironwood grows on Beroz. With millions of years to cover the planet's surface this moss has grown to be hundreds of meters thick in some areas. Huge structures made of the plant mottle the surface of Beroz, and most of the world's cities are built in the immense natural tunnels left in the wake of the floras growth. Wandering down any of these tunnels without the proper equipment could spell death as the shifting nature of the moss can leave unwary travelers stranded. The labyrinthine character of the planet makes it perfect for the many syndicates of Yente. Used as a production facility for whatever might be illegal wherever, the planet is a massive exporter of all things illicit.

What You Need To Know!

-The Myrlian Belt is a chaotic utopia for mercenaries, pirates, slavers, outlaws, and the general scum of the universe!

-There is no central authority in the Belt. You might get in trouble with one of the hundreds of factions in the star cluster, but generally nobody except for them them will care. Murder and pillage away.

-While the Myrlian Belt is in the Harmonious Network, anyone can play around here. This is just a setting. Take the first shuttle to the best worst place in the universe today!

-The general Expanding Horizons rules apply, but I'm not going to be reporting anyone for excessive violence or any other sort of non-pornographic content. The Myrlian Belt is a terrible place and things happen. That said, use your heads Mmkay?

-IMPORTANT: Anyone can contribute a planet or setting to the Myrlian Belt. The ones you see here are only the starting locations! I'd prefer it not get ridiculous but a few more planets per system is 100% acceptable and in fact desired.

Versone

Name Ideas:
-The Heart of the World
-An Age of Strife
-Medan Agan
-Throat of the World
-Haven of Ashes
- (?)

Maps:
-i.imgur.com/TLdWt4b.png (Political)
-i.imgur.com/wzklwPB.png (Topographical)
-i.imgur.com/INkJzpx.png (Environmental/Topographical)

Legend:
Topography (Low to High):
-Light Brown (Foothills)
-Brown (Slope)
-Dark Brown (Rock Peak)
-Grey (Snow Peak)
Climate (Hot to Cold):
-Beige (Desert)
-Lime (Savannah)
-Light Green (Mediterranean)
-Green (Warm Temperate)
-Dark Green (Cold Temperate)

Period:
-Mid to Late Bronze Age, mastery of early metalworking is not unheard of and the advances generally associated with the later period are available though far from ubiquitous. In warfare the most abundant troops are light infantry and skirmishers recruited from slaves and the poorer citizenry, but well equipped heavy infantry and cavalry exist and are most often employed by wealthy factions and states albeit in limited numbers.

Fantasy Level:
-Low Fantasy, “conventional’ magic is non-existent predictably however mystics and religious figures put on convincing farces. Human beings are the only thinking beings known to exist and the extent of the supernatural is limited to fantastical environments, their animal denizens, and the events surrounding them. Lands where it never ceases to rain, vast regions of desert than can swallow an elephant whole, true sea monsters beneath the waves; these things and how ordinary people react to them are what make the world unique.

Plot & Setting:
-Versone, an isthmus connecting the eastern and western worlds is often regarded to be the most valued land in the world, not only for its positioning to dominate global trade but for its relevance as a holy land in numerous religions. Some hundred and ten years ago an empire from the northwest invaded and subjugated most of the isthmus, but six years ago fractured and disintegrated under stresses both internal and external. Now the isthmus is divided into numerous belligerent factions fighting among themselves even as greater threats from the east and west set their eyes on conquest once more.

Geography & Climate:
-The western landmass is dominated by a great mountain range running down its center and while cooler than the interior of the isthmus the near foothills of the range are warm and temperate. In stark contrast however the far side of the range is known to have harsh winters, and treacherous few paths through the mountains exist to connect the disparate regions that flank them.
-The eastern landmass is hotter than the interior of the isthmus, and its far edge is the boundary of a vast and ruthless desert. This rugged terrain might seem inhospitable but the fertile coasts of the region are known to be some of the most prosperous lands in the region.
-Sub climates are up to the imagination of local players.

Recent History:
-Invasion and formation of empire.

-Influence of Empire.
-Events catalyzing fall.
-The fall of the empire.

'Welcome to the Bronze age':
Welcome to the Bronze age!

'Name of RP' will be taking place in this venerable era, and as it's often under or misrepresented this section will be dedicated to clearing up misconceptions and generally providing a source of information for players. First off, the primary economic and military asset available is predictably, bronze. The vast majority of trade will involve this commodity, but it wont be trade in the sense of currency changing hands.

This is simply because currency itself is yet to be devised, though clever individuals have started on the road towards it. For the present however, almost all trade is conducted as an exchange of physical good through the barter system. Building upon such an uncertain economy taxation, the primary means of most states income, is often uncertain itself. Taking form as direct seizure of a percentage of goods in the case of tariffs or as enforced participation in mass labour or the military, taxation is often non standard and indirect in this period allowing for rampant corruption.

Which unsurprisingly, translates into rampant smuggling. With no certainty in how much you'll even be able to keep upon entering a port or city many traders turn to circumventing such things entirely. Smugglers form an enormously influential group and those enterprising enough to organize often find themselves not only raking in unprecedented profits, but also the prime target of the palace.

And when it comes to conflict, whether against internal threats or foreign enemies things are no less convoluted. While military organization certainly exists, and the wealthy are undoubtedly capable of fielding well equipped and well supplied forces, most often war amounts to large numbers of levies armed with as much as a sword and basic armour or as little as a hefty rock and a linen shirt charging across a field to disembowel each other.

The Bronze age marks the transition to what many would consider proper civilization, but at the time none would have questioned power structures that often left states hopelessly unstable or economic systems largely reliant on both parties blundering into a mutual need of each others goods. Of course not all is just a step above anarchy, examples of well organized militaries and clearly stratified classes and systems of power did exist, though they were few and far between.

Overall civilzation is beginning to reach a recognizable state, but it'd take a fool to compare the Bronze age to what lies only some centuries away.



Religions:
-Monodiafotism:
The primary religion of the east, Monodiafotism presents the divine as an inherent quality of man rather than a separate entity, viewing all that lives as sharing a single spirit. This spirit, known to most as the eternal spirit is said to possess three mortal forms that individuals may manifest.

The first of these mortal forms is that of Enlightenment, which is most commonly seen as the first and greatest of the forms on virtue of it being the most removed from the world and closest to the eternal spirit itself. Those who manifest Enlightenment are those born to the truth, meaning those whose births have been presided over by a Guide who has entrusted the ancient truth to the child. Just as a man is aware of himself those born to the truth, or the born faithful, are aware of their greater self in the eternal spirit from the moment a Guide who has spent a life in meditation conveys this fundamental awareness to them during their birth. Due to this awareness it is known that the born faithful are to lead all those unfortunate enough to lack fundamental awareness of the eternal spirit so that one day all may be born faithful and the three mortal forms of the eternal spirit may be one. Upon that day it is prophesied that the eternal spirit in all life will understand itself, and in doing so bring lasting peace to the universe.

The second of the mortal forms is that of Instinct, which is regarded as the second and lesser form of the eternal spirit due to its transitional nature, being caught at equal distance between the world and the eternal spirit. Those who manifest Instinct are heathens and any born without the truth, and resultantly these individuals while capable of learning what the eternal spirit is are forever cursed to lack the innate awareness of it possessed by the born faithful. Those who manifest instinct are closer to the world and thus more susceptible to the cravings and urges of the flesh making them incapable of proper governance. It is the greatest duty of these born faithless to accept the rule of the born faithful in all things so that when the time comes their children, or children’s children will be blessed with the truth by a Guide so that those descendants may be born faithful and the lasting peace that was prophesied may one day come to pass.

The third and final form of the eternal spirit is Struggle, which is considered to be the lowest and most primal of the three mortal forms due to being most distant from the eternal spirit. Those who manifest Struggle are individuals who have suffered unspeakable terrors from very early in life, often they are children whose mothers die in childbirth, thereby depriving them not only of the truth but of the simple worldly pleasures associated with Instinct. Others who manifest Struggle are young orphans who while born a manifestation of Instinct are distanced from the eternal spirit through torment and pain. It is believed that those manifesting Struggle are not only the closest to the world, but are totally bound to it and only marginally connected to the eternal spirit. Any who manifest Struggle are cursed with horrible knowledge of the world and terrifying distance from the eternal spirit leading inevitably to their estrangement from society. However by virtue of their mortal and worldly chains those who manifest Struggle inherit a duty that cannot be fulfilled by those who manifest higher forms of the eternal spirit. Unable to even understand the eternal spirit let alone gain an awareness of it those who manifest Struggle are tasked with leading armies to safeguard the born faithful who cannot injure the vessels of their own greater essence and inspiring the ranks of born faithless whose understanding of the eternal spirit might betray them in their defence of the keepers of its truth.

Beyond the mortal forms of god that form the castes of Monodiafotist society the religion also sets forth three absolute laws based upon its established theology and said to have been received by the first Guide and born faithful.

1. No born faithful may kill, as doing so is action against the eternal spirit that dwells within all.
2. None shall desecrate the temples of the Guides, as doing so is action against the eternal spirit that dwells within all.
3. None shall coerce a Guide of the truth into unwilling action, as doing so is action against the eternal spirit that dwells within all.

These laws are taken at face value and without room for interpretation in all but the rarest of cases and their violation often carries severe penalty. Murder perpetrated by the born faithful in any form is a violation of the first law and punished by isolation, meaning the convicted is removed from society in such totality that they are often sealed in a darkened and barren cell for the remainder of their life. It is believed that doing this is necessary for such an individual to reconcile their action with the will of the eternal spirit, as doing so will take the whole of their life without distraction. Any born faithful who has killed has injured his or her own self in equal measure and therefore isolation is seen as mercy rather than cruelty. Those who violate the second and third absolute laws are usually dealt with in similar manner if they are born faithful, but those born faithless cannot be held to the same standard and often suffer only a ritual branding and are made into slaves. The brand is to remind them of their transgression, and a life of service is to make up for their unforgivable sin through benefit to society.

- Adynamoclasm

Popular among the west, this religion is claimed to have sprouted from the islands of the sea and eventually spread to the mountians via trade. As the name suggests, it is much about the breaking of the weak.

Much to Monodiafotism enlightenists disdain, most orthodox Adynamoclasts classify their singular God as a more anthropomorphic version of the Eternal Spirit, giving it commonly a very masculine and powerful description (but never actually painting or designing their God for the eye to see).

The Adynamoclast openingly disagrees with Monodiafotism's classification of people, claiming it to be against the true will of the Spirit, who had entrusted each man, woman, and child with the power to construct themselves into perfect beings from any level. Weak will, weak muscle, weak mind, weak constitution, weak attitude, these are all things considered evil by the Adynomaclast, as the human form is capable of being so much more.

In the perfect Adynamoclast society, the most senior elders of muscular and mind perfection look over the young, making sure they attend the "Gymnos" to further stretch and hone their spatial senses and physical fitness, and also work on their young plastic minds to form powerful and willful thinkers. A perfect Adynamoclast should be able to farm all day to provide for the collective, pick up his spear and protect his land, then retire to a lengthy idealogical or political debate before eating mountanious amounts of food to repeat it the following day.

Of course the basic teachings of the religion openly blame Monodiafotism for misunderstanding the Eternal Spirit, it also contains the five pillars of truth that each strive for each day:

· Perfect Community (A balance of power, unity among all peoples, favoring people centered governments, this anti-classism butts heads with large governments, oligarchies, Monodiafotism castes, and large nations)
· Perfect Body (sleek yet powerful, quick, accurate, and strong!)
· Perfect mind ( wit, humility, humor, wisdom, knowledge, spatial/martial sense and resistance towards temptation that would hinder progress)
· Perfect fight (A good fighter only fights to bring peace out of conflict. Preference to defend homeland, not to take anothers.)
· Perfect form (Artistic or musical ability is encouraged, and glorified as it is deemed an augment to bejewel the already great perfection.)

Some interesting side mentions about the religion is that similar to Iconoclasts, art is restricted to simply the surreal or non animal or human portraits, as it is seen as disrespectful to paint, sculpt, or otherwise depict the human or animal form, especially that of the Eternal Spirit. Prayer is common among the faithful, and worship is casual, often taking place in the Gymnos while the young work. An elder would preach to them each day as they undergoe their routine excercises, and they would take in the teachings of Adynamoclast's Eternal Spirit while performing their tasks. Prayers are simple and rustic, bowing to the sky, or simply clasping hands in humility. Often they are thanks, as humility towards generousity is considered wise, and in Adynamoclast belief, much is given to them from the Spirit, including their ability to even take their wonderful journey.

Lastly, despite the physical aspects of this religion, as the sense of perfect community and fight suggests, an orthodox Adynamoclast society is small, closely knitted, unspecialized (as all do everything), adverse to invading anyone's land, focused on defending their own, intent on making peace to keep on dwelling for perfection in the homeland, and by no means Spartan.


- Quandom

The Religion of the old Empire, and aspiring imperialist invaders alike. This very militaristic and even invasive religion holds its roots and ideals deep in the past, straight from the age of heroes. A code of war keeps this religion strong, martial, and prone to aggressive behavior. Quandom is revered among the large empires, and aspiring generals for its thick and time tested effeciency of the past.

Uniquely the religion holds a sacred bond with wicker shields, and every Quandom hero is known to carry one. These shields are worn in battle, and provide status among the heroes, as the one with the oldest shield who has seen the most battles is clearly the most skilled warrior. This practice sometimes leads to Quandom warriors to avoid using their shield while in battle, so they don't have to replace it with a new wicker shield and lose their status should it be destroyed.

Wooden or even metal shields are seen as for the weak skilled, or cheating hero, as are tricky tactics. Straight, frontward battle is deemed a true warriors fight, filled with muscle, wicker, and bloodied weapon. Cowards feign retreat, or invoke fancy manuevors or strategem, true heroes meet swords face to face.

The Quandom is a powerful religion, and their people are brave, strong, couragous, and not afraid to demolish all that stand in the way of true bravory. It is a sign of experience to keep their breastplaces unrepaired from knicks and scratches, and even more experienced to show off the chest scars of the even braver who refuse armor.

The Quandom know the power of numbers, and express a need to train the children to know how to fight at a young age, to prepare them for the flood charge, a time tested tactic of slamming into the enemy ranks with screaming, weapon ready heroes. All is available to the Quandom, as ownership falls to the bravest, and the strongest, not by right.

Regarding families, the Quandom code specifically praises large families filled with children. Men are expected to do anything neccessary to provide many children for the armies, and women are expected to be generous with their fertility. Many siblings and step siblings and half siblings and in rare cases... somehow quarter siblings, train together, and many achieve victory together. This is in every sense of the word, an apex predator society.

Earth Post Apoc

As for the setting, I thought 1500 years was a little wack last time. I'd honestly rather have this be 300-500 years after the great war. To add to the lore we can say that the apocalypse happened in a few stages to explain the history/setting.

1. Global nuclear/space weapon/high tech murderbox war. 90% of global infrastructure is destroyed.
2. Particulate matter in the atmosphere causes a global famine and the last remnants of the old nation-states dissolve. 80% of people are dead by this point.
3. Particulate matter dissipates, but newly released GHG emissions alongside decades of global warming result in the calthrate gun firing. All ice caps melt and mass migration further reduces the population.
4.Roughly a century after the war society is tribal, but for the first time the population begins to recover. 85-95% population reduction before this point.
5. The scattered and rare remains of civilization inform new societies, but most is lost to time or used in desperation. History is distorted as the old books rot.
6. Three to five centuries later society has recovered to a 1950's level of technology, but the global population is only a quarter of what it was before the fall. For the sake of not having inevitable problems we can say NO NUKES EVER.

Now, we could get creative here. I'd like to say some resources are far more scarce than they were old world, mainly because we had depleted easily accessible pockets. For example, cars might be uncommon, with petroleum mostly going to major industries and the military as much less of it is easily extracted. In their place coal trains and riverboats could still be the go to public transport, given the relative abundance of easily extracted coal. Other things like metals would likley still be common, given old flattened cities could provide huge reserves.

The Empty Throne

If I can find the time you have me.