urukhai — Roleplayer Guild

The Varangian Remnants




Type of Government:

Military Totalitarian Oligarchy 

Description of Government:

Known as the Semita, the central government of the Remnants is split into 4 parts. These three parts each answer to the one above them, in order of least power to the greatest power they are, 
-The Chevalier (who rule single planets or planetary systems, there their word is law, save for orders from higher up, Their power generally does not extend far outside their systems ) 
-The March Command (who are in charge of large swaths of the Remnant territory, named Marches and meet in a large senate setting to deal with issues that affect the Remnants as a whole)
-The High Command (A council of the 5 lord commanders of the Varangian forces, who are chosen from the March command upon the event of one of the 5 passing away. Their power is titanic, with them being able to overturn any decision the March Command has made.)
-The Dominus (A single individual, who rules until their death, elected by the High Command. With total power over the Semita and the Varangians as a whole the Dominus's word is truly law as even the High Command bows to them in all matters.)    

Leader(s):


-The Current Dominus-
Aventus Ventali

-The High Command-
Lorili Noma
Selik Bori
Nora Morr
John Lanna
Talan Emonas 

Main Race:

Human - What more could be said about the Terrans? They are an adaptable race, more apt to bend the world around them to their will than not, and while they may not be the most physically terrifying race, they are stubborn to a fault. Those among the Varangian are no different, though some have taken to 'improving' themselves with bio-mechanical implants, but this is a practice mainly used for those battle wounded, to allow them to keep their service if they so wish it. 

Minority Race(s):

Vala - More of a blanket term for any Human/Xeno hybrid than a true race. The Vala are an amalgam of their parents, their strengths, and very little of their weaknesses. While the Remnants may have no true restrictions on Human/Xeno relationships, the number of Vala is still relatively low, due to naturally low success rates their creation, and some outside pressures (though recently this has become far less of a problem)     

Tor'moro - Hailing from a world blasted by three suns, a world of extremes, the Tor'moro (or simply the Tor in short hand) are an exceptionally strong and resilient race. Even though they seem to be slightly hunched over all the time all of the Tor stand at least twice the height of a normal human, with their natural muscle bulk adding to their height. Covered in a thick leathery hide, thick claws adorning the ends of their fingers, with a natural armor of bone plates along their skin and long spines running the length of their back, plus a tail, the Tor could play the part of any number of monsters from humanity's past. Their four dark eyes, while small, do not miss much, as does their nose. Some say the original Tor were uplifted by humanity in the beginnings of their empire, others that the Tor were simply swallowed the the unending tide, but whatever the case may be the Tor have found their place and home amongst the Varangian. On the battlefield they are living tanks, adorning themselves in thick power armor specially crafted for their bulk, the will also commonly heft a shield made from the same material as dreadnought hulls (which is fused to the armor) and heavy cannons.  

Sia - The youngest (though this simply means they were incorporated 3,000 years ago, instead of the Tor's 4,000) race in the Remnants. The Sia hail from a system, surprisingly, located within the the Sink. They are not much taller than your standard human, and share many of their features, but they are far more lithe and graceful, almost to the point of having an ethereal quality about them. Parallels have been drawn in the past to the stories of elves from old Earth, though if you ask any Sia, they will probably laugh at you a cite a couple of differences between them (mainly their ears, eyes, and skin). Their ears, wile long, taper to three points instead of the one. Their eyes are all a solid coloration (usually a shade of black, brown, or grey), while their skin carries a faint green hue. In combat they are acrobats, weaving this way and that, their natural dexterity making up for their overall less durability. 

Race Demographics:

-Human 50%
-Vala 10%
-Tor'moro 20%
-Sia 20%

Religion Description:

"Where to begin on the topic Varangian religion? Where to begin an analysis of a spiritual, a religious, a way of life that has both bonded such a group together and become nigh inseparable from their very culture? I suppose we start where we can, with a name. Known as "The Faith" to those who practice it, its exact origins remain shrouded by the fog of history to the point that im not even sure the Varangians know when it arose. The Faith centers around the two aspects of death and life respectively, these two 'gods' (if such a word can be used for them) are forever locked in a never ending dance with each-other, nether one willing to part with the other from this cyclical motion. An endless cycle of death and rebirth, or decay and growth, that the Varangians seem to delight in, or at least find comfort in. 

Indeed, this might be the very reason as to why those of the Varangian do not seem fear death, instead choosing to embrace it at times. But that is a discussion for a different lecture, for now let us return to the subject of The Faith. 

Now, these two gods have two distinct 'cults' that follow them, the first and by far largest of the two is indeed the cult of death. With the cult of life coming in second, but do not be fooled, these two cults are not a true divide in the Faith, instead they are two separate parts of the whole, both working in tandem to the greater ends. Even the practices of the two are very much the same, which leads me into my second point of The Faith, the practices of said faith. 

The most common one that most will see, is the burning of incense offerings as well as periods of deep reflection in the practitioners of the Faith. One other such practice is the near worship of the hero figures of the past, which have been elevated to a near demi-deific level. One would do well to realize however that most of these hero's died in an act of self sacrifice that resulted in ether a great victory, or the saving of many more lives. There are small shrines throught the entirety of the Varangian holdings, though if one travels to larger cities you will find veritable cathedrals dedicated to the Faith. Beneath these places of worship are the last practices we will he talking about today, the charnel houses of the Varangian. 

You see, as mentioned before death is as important to the Varangian as life is, and as such they place great stock in what happens to their bones after they die. As such they will entomb those who have died in expansive charnel houses, their bones use to create elaborate works of art. But no where is this more evident that the planet of Nox.

Now Nox by itself seems utterly unremarkable, it is a relatively smaller planet, with a thin atmosphere (just enough for a human to breath comfortably) and no large plant life. It is the only planet in it's system and orbits its sun in such a way that the planet is constantly bathed in eternal twilight. In other terms a dark, cold, rock to any sane individual. But to the Varangian it is holy place. You the entire planet is one huge graveyard, covering its rocky surface are the uncountable graves of fallen Varangian, both heroes and those lucky enough to be interred there. For the Varangian it is a honor of the highest degree to be buried on Nox. It even houses the largest cathedral to the Faith god of death, though no one knows if it is even staffed by anyone other the the sole native species on Nox (known simply as Charnel Hounds).
 - Dr. Soaln Vorim, Professor of Comparative religions, "Lectures on the Faiths of the Empire" 
	lecture dated... 50 years before current date... 

Religious Demographics:

99% The Faith
	(75% Death cult, 25% life cult respectively)
1% Assorted minor religions 

Culture:


A nearly ancient culture by most standards, the Varangian culture survived both the rise, integration, and collapse of the empire. The culture of the Varangian is based almost completely around the twin pillars of The Faith and the military. As such their culture values tradition, honor, and duty. These values, mixed with the inherent spiritualistic nature of The Faith, has resulted in a tightly knit social structure in which all those outside the governmental structure could be considered to be rough equals, with all having the ability to move up and down the social ladder (once more outside the governmental ladder) with relative ease and freedom. This has also led to what some might consider "Hyper loyalty" to the Varangian government, from the lowest Chevalier to the Dominus, the people of the Varangian Remnents will follow them unquestioningly. 

But don't let this solemn, military outlook fool you, the Varangians have a love of art that few realize. This includes art of all forms, though they are especially fond of painting, sculpting, and other such arts. They also devour books at a breakneck pace. Their cities reflect this outlook, as they are huge, expansive projects, their marble white buildings glittering in the sun. Spires and obelisks reaching high twoards the heavens, while large fountains find their home amongst the urban flower gardens in the various city squares. 

The most odd/controversial practices of the Varangian, is that of the Agnata. Around the age of 7, each and every child of the Varangian begin to attend special boarding schools, that not only refine their mind, but also their bodies as they are subjected to oft brutal training regimens that train them from the moment they arrive to, fight, survive and serve well when their time comes after graduation (when they enter the military proper and earn their first rank of "Unblooded"). Until then they are called trainees, for that is truly what they are. Both their bodies and minds crafted into the weapons of the Legios.

History:


At the dawn of human expansion, several colony ships were sent out into the void, and quietly vanished into the dark howling void that was interstellar space. No one knew what had become of these ships, and so they were listed as lost with all hands and eventually faded into the dusty pages of history, never to be seen again. At least that's what those in the Sol system thought. In actuality the ships had arrived to their target, bringing their cargo of humans and building/terraforming equipment to a temperate planet, orbiting a binary system. The planet was very earth like in temperature and water content, and eventually was renamed Agartha by the humans who dwelt there. Eventualy, several factions developed on the surface of Agartha, and began to war amongst themselves for control of the growing world. While the particulars of this time are lost, what is known to the annals of history is that it was a short, bloody time for the precursors of the Varangian, and may be the period where the tradition of the Agnata developed. Eventually a faction (that was the protoform of the Varangian, as they are known today) emerged victorious and took dominion over Agartha, turning their collective eyes to the stars. Utilizing the industries that had sprung up from the previous decade long conflict, the first Dominus built new colony ships and sent them out to the systems surrounding Agartha. As their expansion continued the fledgling Varangians encountered multiple other human colonies, all of which they then subjugated, absorbing them into their ever expanding region.      

It was at this point in time that the Varangian scouts came across an oddity, a relatively large planet orbiting three suns. The planet was covered in rain-forests, only broken up by the large desert that surrounded the equator. Now many would leave it at that and move on with the survey of the system, but the more the Varangians decided to stay a little while longer in orbit of the planet, their sensors eventually breaking the haze and jungle canopy. What they found astounded them, as nestled under the trees were extensive cities, with their primitive factories in an ever constant state of production. It seemed that the inhabitance of the planet (the Tor'moro) were advanced enough to have entered into a pre-industrial/industrial state. Usually the consensus would be to leave such a race alone, to let them grow and mature in their own way and time. But something forced the Varangian to make a quick, but rash decision, the decision to uplift and incorporate that Tor into the Varangian. So the Varangian leadership approached the Tor people as a whole, giving them the option to be uplifted, if they would become a total vassal to their much larger sponsor. They agreed and the Varangian set about their work, taking groups of willing colonialists and spreading them throughout the Varangian holding, making them a common sight and speeding up their assimilation. Eventually the Tor fully ingratiated themselves into Varangian culture, and the old Tor's were destroyed, not through force of arms, but through sheer cultural pressure. Now this is but a distant memory, and the Tor are inseparable from the Varangian, the two making a greater whole. But let it not be said that the Tor never gave the Varangians anything, for around this time is when most believe The Faith began to spread amongst the Varangian, and thus vey much might be a originally Tor religion.  

For a time the Varangian halted their expansion, content with what they had taken and carved from the stars. But that contentment was shattered when earth's empire arrived. The fleet admiral of earth demanded the total surrender of the Varangian forces (of this most historical sources agree, the man wasn't the best statesman), these demands were only met by the roar of the Varangian 's cannons. The conflict between the empire and earth would come to be known as the "Concord war" and reached its peak on the world of Vas Maran. There a small force of Varangian Legios held their ground against the vastly more numerous earth forces. While the Legios held for multiple days, they were eventually overrun and killed to the last warrior. This slaughter reached the ears of both the Dominus, and the Emperor on earth, who both realized that any imperial pacification of the Varangian would come at a great cost to both sides, with the eventual destruction of the Varangian and the depletion of a number of earth's military resources. So the two met on the burnt surface of Vas Maran, and there they signed the Concord. This concord brought the Varangian under the imperial banner, but afforded them a sense of autonomy within said empire by allowing them to self rule, with the dominus answering to the emperor alone. Over time the Varangian elite soldiers would even begin to make up various Emperors' honor guard and personal guard.      

During this time a new race appeared within the Varangian ranks, the lithe and beautiful Sia. they appeared as if overnight, adding their strength to the Varangian quite willingly as it seemed. They were welcomed by the emperor at the time, though even he knew not to press the matter as to their origins with the Dominus. 

During the fall, as warlords and generals contended for the vacant throne, a few came to the Varangian to sponsor them, to ass their strength and history with the royal family to their own. But all were met with silence, and were turned away without even an answer as to why. But the truth was reviled eventually, the Varangian are awaiting what they call the 'True Monarch'. This near mythical figure is a relative unknown to those outside the Varangian, only being mentioned in the closing statement of the Concord of Vas Maran "And the children of the Varangian, and all those who follow those children, will follow the True Monarch even in their dying breath... 

Description of Military (Optional):

Ground Forces
-The Legios-
The mainstay of the Remnant forces, made up of those trainees who have earned their place amongst the military. Have no doubts, the Legios are superbly trained combatants with a will of iron. Typically deployed in groups numbering from individual squads of 6, for small operations, to an entire Legios Rank (each full Rank numbering upwards of 10,000 individual Legios, not including support armor). Equipped with their signature power armor and Nano-halberd, the Legios take on a terrifying presence on the battlefield, seamlessly transitioning from ranged combat to melee in an instant. 
+Legios Soldier, toying with an Accretion grenade+

-The Centuri-
The backbone of any Legios Squad or Rank, the Centuri make up the command staff, both in and out of combat. Chosen from the training ranks at a fairly young age, after showing promise in a leadership roll, each aspirant Centuri undergoes a far more rigorous training regimen, both in body and in mind to prepare them for their leadership role. The result is a well rounded powerhouse of a solder, that can as easily command the tide of battle as they can sever an enemy in two. They are equipped with a more advanced suit of power armor, a side arm of some descript, and usually ether a Nano-sword or Nano-halberd (depending on personal choice of the Centuri)
+A Centuri Commander+

-The Death Guard-   
The members of the Death Guard are enigmas, they stride the battlefield in silence bringing death and devastation to all in their way. Chosen much like aspirant Centuri are, those who would become Death Guard are taken to hidden places, far from what most would call civilization. There they undergo brutal, over the top, and sometimes lethal training, top become some of the most feared combatants that the Remnants can field. It is even said that their final test is to be dumped on Nox, with minimal food and water, and to survive there for over a period of a month, fighting both the near inhospitable climate and Charnel Hounds, all so they may walk amongst the tombs of the greatest of the Varangian and learn humility. They are equipped with their own suit of power armor, complete with in built Nano-blades, and will also carry any and all infantry ordnance (though they seem to prefer heavy side arms)
+Death Gaurd, with Nano-blade deployed+

-The Tor battle caste-  
Technically part of the Legios, and Centuri, the Tor are still different enough to warrant their own section. You see they are just as trained and just as disciplined, that is not what makes them different, no you see that belongs to one factor. Their size. You see the Tor are massive, and as such take the roll of living tanks. They wear thick, heavy, power armor with a fused on shield (which is made of the same materiel as starship hulls, rendering it incredibly difficult to penetrate even without the power armor's shielding.) and a fused heavy cannon. The resulting hulking form is so heavy, they will shake the ground as they walk past. It should also be noted that the Tor's shield is sharpened at the edges, and they will thus use it in melee combat.
+Artists example of a Tor battle suit+

-The Skulks-        
The shadow ops of the Remnants, the skulks are masters of assassination, information gathering, hacking, trap laying, ambushing, you get the idea. They usually operate in small fire teams, out side the normal Legios Rank. They are highly trained in quick, staccato, hand to hand fighting as well as long range engagements. As such they usually carry a Nano-sword/blades, and a sniper rifle of some desript. They use both technology, and the natural tendency of all living things to gloss over the thing hidden in plain sight to remain hidden from their adversaries or targets. But if need be the Skulks will take it one step further, using an advanced form of psionics to cloak themselves, making the minds of those who look upon them forget them immediately, as if they never existed (this technique is very concentration dependent and as such the Skulks only use this when moving, never fighting or shooting etc, etc, etc.).       
+A skulk+

-The Tesserarius- 
Standing several stories tall, and clocking in a couple hundreds of tonnes, the The Tesserarius are heavy, pilot controlled walkers, that can pack as much fire power as a small fortress, the Tesserarius shatter enemy lines with their sheer size and firepower. Incredibly thick armor, mixed with their shield generators make any Tesserarius an incredibly tough nut to crack. Using a special harness, the Tesserarius can actually be dropped from orbit, along side normal Legios soldiers. They can be armed with a huge Nano-chain blade, a Ultra heavy Pulse cannon, heavy rotary pulse cannon, a simple bare hand and they will oft make use of accretion missiles mounted on the back of each Tesserarius.   
+examples..of..various..Tesserarius+


The Varangian Armada
-Hunter Class-
Roll- Fighterbomber
Sturdy enough for Aero-space operations, the Hunter is the mainstay fighter of the Varangian forces. With a decent top speed and heavy armor, it is a durable craft that can take a fair bit of punishment. The most common Hunter mounts two light pulse guns, and a few accretion missiles, but there are variants that forgo most weapons for a higher speed and a small FTL drive, while others drop the missiles for a pair of high yield accretion bombs.   


-Widow Class-
Roll- Corvette/Light Frigate
The primary scout/anti fighter ship in the Varangian armadas, the Widow is a smaller yet versatile ship. It is commonly seen patrolling common FTL routes. With it's decently sized array of cannons, it can go tow to toe with most ships of it's size, but its true strength lies in the Widow's larger than average launch bays, allowing it to carry a sizable fighter complement (for its Class size that is). It should also be noted that the Widow is capable of limited, in atmosphere operations, and may be used to support land based troops.


-Hahni Class-
Roll- Destroyer
Often working in tandem with the smaller Widow class, the Hahni class is another common sight along the trade routes, and in the support fleets. Being over twice as long as the smaller Widow class, the Hahni carry a much heavier weapons complement, though the class has sacrificed the expanded fighter bays of the Widow in favor of heavier armor. However, near its primary core, the Hahni class hides a secret, an Interdiction Core. It is this Core that makes it a perfect pare for the smaller scouting groups, allowing them to simply ensnare their prey. However due to the cores power drain, so long as it is active the Hahni class cannot move fast or far, so it is common for ships of this class to travel in pairs. 


-Recluse Class-
Roll- Battleship
Probably the most common capital ship in the Varangian fleet. The Recluse is equipped with more than a few cannon banks, as well as heavy armor and shielding, making it a heavy hitter among it's contemporaries. Like its smaller siblings, the Recluse also carries on board a good number of fighter wings to assist it in combat. The Recluse also makes use of twin Interdiction Cores, the two working in tandem to generate a larger field, as well as allowing the Recluse class to function at a mostly normal rate while also powering the core.    


-Sicarius Class-
Roll- Carrier/Dreadnought
Huge, powerful, the Sicarius Class are juggernauts, bringing both a massive array of firepower and unyielding armor to any fight they participate in. With its multiple heavy gun banks, and more than numerous smaller banks, the Sicarius is an absolute nightmare to those caught unprepared. Each Sicarius mounts three Interdiction Cores, and seems to suffer very little, to no slowdowns when they are active. The expanded launch bays also make a comeback in this Class, giving each Sicarius much much more than a few fighter wings.   


-Empress Class-
Roll- Hyperdreadnaought 
A rare sight, the near mythical Empress Class dwarfs even the largest variant of Sicarius by several times. Said to be wrath incarnate, the sheer amount of cannon banks that the Empress Class brings to bear seem to lend some form of confirmation to the myth. This coupled with the Empress's overly thick shielding, overly thick hull, and expanded launch bays, it seems that the Empress Class was designed to weather any storm (And with the Empress Class's inclusion of four interdiction generators). But belive it or not, that is not where it's true power lies. It's true power lies in its main weapon, the "Hyper Wave Pulse Generator" (or as its much better known, The Dust Cannon). Each Empress also hides another secret, the Ancilla. Not true A.I., but also not Biological, the Ancilla seem to be both and nether, as well as supremely old. Whatever the Ancilla are, they do not seem keen on sharing that information. 

One of these ships is the Dominus's personal flagship "The midnight Sun"


Description of Technology (Optional):

 //Decoding transcript...

>Weapons Tech
>Armor Tech 
>Shielding Tech
>Interdiction Tech

....//

((AKA will be done soon, today/tomorrow, probably in bits an pieces due to the length some categories will take, namely the weapons))
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