I can see the Concordat being a source of irritation for the Combine leadership, given the lure it probably exerts on the low-class workforce, who are supposed to be slaving away in factories and not running off to join what they presumably see as some sort of cybernetic utopia (it has a representative government and free implants for everyone!). Meanwhile, the Covenant would probably be quite interested in trading for its technologies, which might be a source of internal friction between the two (and the Union, provided either side manages to convince them that cybernetics are actually relevant in one way or another).
You posted after I'd started my last post or I would've covered things there.
That's exactly the kind of appeal I'm envisioning for the Concordat. Downtrodden masses sucked in by fancy implants and the promise of utopia. Nice source of tension with a state that relies on downtrodden masses.
@Klomster Alright, duly noted. Schaferkin will make up any significant chunk of the Concordat's population.
@Ozerath Question: But would the Quxikotl have a place in this Concordat? Since as of right now they're set up as the one race everyone literally hates to death.
@Klomster Unless anybody ojbects, yeah there will be individuals from pretty much every nation in the Concordat. Aurolian races will probably still make up the majority, but the Concordat's been recruiting/converting/augmenting the dregs of other people's societies for a long while now. "Give us your tired, your poor...and we'll make them into cyborgs." Of course, some societies don't necessarily have the kind of rejects who would end up with the Concordat. Let me know if you think that applies to you.
Most people who receive implants end up staying with the Concordat and adapting to its ways. You don't HAVE to stay, but most people do. Definitely no loyalty programming in those implants. That would be unethical.
On that note if someone wants to have characters with Concordat implants but who aren't actually part of the Concordat, go ahead. Shoot me a PM if you want more info on the implants.
Alrright, NS is mostly done. I envision the Concordat having members from pretty much every species in the system, so I'll wait until everyone's done their NS to figure out demographics.
Nation Name: The Concordat
Flag: Pending
Government Type: Elective Assembly
Leadership: The Star Chamber; an assembly of elected-for-life Concorded responsible for governing the Concordat. There is no leader of the Star Chamber, though they do select an adjudicator from among their ranks to moderate discussion.
Persons of Importance: Ordo Talisan, the Founder: Ordo Talisan was a brilliant Iskaan scientist who developed the cortical processor which is the linchpin of Concordat implant technology. Ironically, he was unable to receive Concordat implants himself and is therefore long dead. Talisan is revered by the Concordat for his intellect and his vision.
Ademnon, the First Concordat: Older than the Concordat itself, Ademnon was Talisan’s first successful test subject. He did not volunteer for the process. He is regarded as a wise leader and great warrior, but has consistently turned down requests to join the Star Chamber.
Sendema, the Harbinger of Tomorrow: A prominent member of the Star Chamber, Sendema is a fierce proponent of all things new and forward-looking. The only thing stronger than her enthusiasm for the future is her disdain for the past and all things she considers obsolete.
Homeworld(s) of Origin: Aurolia
Holdings: Multiple asteroid bases, artificial habitats, and moon colonies. The Concordat can be found more or less anywhere except the surfaces of the Gardens. Two installations in particular are worth mentioning: Sanctuary, a massive artificial habitat serves as a civilian trading hub for citizens of the Concordat and other nations alike. The other is Dawn, a secret facility in a hollowed out asteroid. Dawn is the Concordat’s actual capital, and they take great pains to conceal it from the rest of Jalaryia’s nations.
Population Demographics: A mixture of races TBD
History: The Concordat is an offshoot of the Aurolian Federation. While most nations recognize the Concordat’s sovereignty, the Federation itself still considers them a rogue nation. Some 250 years ago, the brilliant - if somewhat eccentric - Iskaan scientist Dr. Ordo Talisan was a renowned cyberneticist who slowly became obsessed with his work. He dreamed of a day when Iskaans and all Aurolians could transcend their physicality and live in a purely digital utopia. Unfortunately, cybernetics were a contentious issue for the Iskaans, who at the time viewed them as unnatural and unsafe. Talisan didn’t particularly care, and used cybernetics to cure diseases and save lives at his clinic. He became known across the planet as a miracle worker who could cure any ailment, and people flocked to his clinic. While this was not precisely illegal, it was certainly not legal to implant cybernetic devices, even in volunteers. For every citizen of Aurolia that admired and cherished Talisan’s work, there were three that reviled him. Talisan’s clinic was regularly vandalized by angry citizens, and the man steadily became more and more paranoid. Eventually, a warrant for his arrest was issued, but when the police came for him, two were killed by the defences Talisan had installed in his home. The scientist fled with a cadre of his supporters, and continued his work, now operating out of a remote fortified compound. Talisan’s cult grew and grew as people continued to come to him to cure their ailments, and became ensnared by his newfound charisma. But the Federation could not let him continue, especially with the blood of two police officers on his hands, and an elite military strike team was sent to take him out. But, the operation went south, and what was supposed to be a surgical strike turned into a bloodbath, resulting in the deaths of dozens of cultists and the all but one of the strike team. The lone survivor was saved by Talisan’s cybernetics, but his enhancements were so extensive they required Talisan’s new invention, the cortical processor, to properly function. Thus was borne Ademnon, the first Concordat. Initially horrified by what had been done to him, Ademnon ultimately came over to Talisan’s side. Talisan initially wanted to strike out at the Aurolian government before they could kill him and undo all his work, but Ademnon tempered this impulse. Talisan agreed to continue his work in peace, and Ademnon agreed to train the cultists and fortify the compound even further.
There was an uneasy stalemate for many years as the number of Concordats swelled into the thousands, then the hundreds of thousands, then the millions. The compound grew into a town, then a city in its own right. Talisan finally succumbed to old age, and Ademnon was reluctantly thrust into leadership of the Concordat. By this time, the Concordat was essentially a rogue nation, regarded as a massive threat by the Aurolian government. It’s actually unclear who struck first; Ademnon maintains it was the Federation, the Federation says it was the Concordat. Either way, what followed was five long years of brutal warfare. What the Concordat lacked in numbers, it made up for with individual strength and superior technology. Ademnon initially held the Concordat on the defencive behind the Keel, a massive bio-mechanical shield dome that protected their city. He was determined to find a diplomatic resolution with his former masters, but eventually realized there was too much hatred, too much blood between the two factions. Even if he could secure a peace, there was no way the Concordat would maintain it once Ademnon was gone. So he decided the best course of action was to simply leave. And so, the Concordat constructed great arks to carry them to the stars, and left Aurolia behind.
Military: The Fleet: Concordat tactical doctrine is heavily based on stealth. The sheer vastness of space makes even the largest ships exceptionally difficult to detect if they are not actively emitting energy. The Concordat takes advantage of this with a tendency to run their ships on ballistic courses, engaging engines only when absolutely necessary. This is made possible by their excellent sensor arrays and the top-notch astrogation their augmented brains permit them to calculate. The Army: In stark contrast to their naval doctrine, Concordat ground forces rely on brute force. Their cybernetic enhancements make them stronger, faster and more durable. Sophisticated implants mean Concordat soldiers can simply turn off their fear. Regenerative nanites quickly heal any wound that doesn't destroy the brain. Supplementing these advantages are sophisticated suits of power armor, hovertanks, air support, and a fondness for long range artillery strikes.
So so I'm assuming since this is all one solar system and space travel has been around for 300 years, all our nations will already know about eachother?
I'd certainly like the Concordat to be known, I plan to have some of them kicking around just about everywhere. I also plan on having a very diverse population with members of every species if folks don't mind.
The Concordat also offers its super advanced medical services and cybernetic implants to everyone for free to the more impoverished citizens of the Jalaryias system. Of course, people have learned that folks who receive those implants tend to be...different afterwards, so it's a bit of a gamble. Sure, the Concordat can cure your wife's incurable horrible deathly illness, but she might leave you to join them when it's done.
So I'm working on my NS, and I'm faced with two options for the Concordat's history.
1) Make my own garden nation and species for them to be an offshoot of. If I did this, I'd probably make it so that the original species is now extinct, wiped out by the Concordat, because I don't want two nations.
2) Make the Concordat an offshoot of someone else's garden species/nation.
I'm really interested in doing #2. Shoot me a PM if you'd like to collaborate on this. Who wants a violent cyborg revolution in their history? :D
@Sigma The core concept of the Concordat, the one fixed point floating around in my head for them is heavy cybernetic augmentation, to the point where they're almost living computers. They disdain their origins and the past in general and look ever onwards to the future of all life. They believe this future is the succesful digitization of consciousness and as a result the ascension of all life into a virtual utopia.
In this context, whether they're a new species or an offshoot, I envision them turning their backs on the garden worlds as relics of the past and instead thrive in high tech artificial habitats all over the system, trying to convince others to join them in a benign but really annoying way.
Basically, it really doesn't matter what their original species is, so I'll work with anybody on their origins.
Liotrent