I wonder if I somehow messed up my wording or perhaps laid the premise a bit too thick. Morte Imperium in all previous iterations were peaceful, the most "action" I got when NPCs attacked my flagship conducting diplomacy in a game around 2017. You may at first think a race which was in perpetual war may want to be aggressive but in reality they would be the most averse to further conflict. They can and if neccessary they would be forceful but conquest and just starting war with another culture they barely even know is not on the list.
To be fair in all previous games first contact was the most I could achieve before the game died (or I dropped out). In many of these scenarios the Morte also had nothing to gain from aggression. Nor was a genuine clash of objectives which could have resulted in conflict. I also admit in retrospect I played the Morte more passive than neccessary and wanted to rectify that this time. But that doesn't mean thr Morte would be some world-burning non-stop aggressor or any sorts of conqueror.
One of the storylines I always wanted to write with the Morte is what would ineviteably happen as the Morte could settle outside their deathly sector. What would happen if the Morte would no longer need to fight for survival? If radiation wouldn't curse them with abyssmal health. If the so-far ironclad social order would gradually dissolve.
Anyways, the Federation's fall happened more recently than I thought. I may need to adjust the history to account for this.
@Willy Vereb After a review from both me and Commodore. I'm sorry to say that we feel that the sheet doesn't exactly match the setting. Sorry about that.
@Hakaishin626 After reviewing the latest update, it's a bit rough, but as said, there's potential and we can work out the patches later in the IC, approved!
@Lucidnonsense Currently reviewing your sheet, we'll give a reply soon.
I didn't even write their history section so it feels odd to be rejected before seeing how they could even connect to it. Federation fell 100 or so years ago but before that there had been many breakups. I don't know when did FTL systems began to malfunction, though. With the Stromlosweg being considered FUBAR I think there are many ways they can fit without feeling out.
The only way I can envision them not fitting in is if the species or the techbase raises concerns. Since none of this was brought up though I assume that wasn't the case.
Anyways, roughly how many years ago did the Federation fight against the unknown alien invaders?
I guess it's time to bring up an oldie in new clothes.
The Morte Imperium
GENERAL INFORMATION
Faction Overview
Official Name: Das Grösses Mortereich aller Todestern (Gothic), Imperium Magni Morte (archaic Mortean), The Morte Empire Common Name: Morte Imperium, Mortereich, Morte Empire Government: Elective Centralized Totalitarian Monarchy (actually closer to a benign dictatorship) Dominant Species: Morte (100%) Capital: Silberdorf Systems Owned: 3 (Toderstern, Erzricht, Heissessen) Planets Owned: 2 (Mortis and Lichtfel with the rest being completely uninhabitable) Population: 15,569,242,144 (according to last year's census)
Territory Overview
The Morte Imperium currently controls the central portion of the Stromlosweg Sector, a harsh irradiated nebula zone. The region used to host multiple intelligent species but due to the Cataclysm and the ensuring series of desperate wars for survival reduced this to only a few. By now Morteans are the most dominant among them. Aside from the 2 semi-habitable planets they own Morte established 16 major colony clusters of space habitats which provides home for nearly 75% of their men. Their homeworld is Mortis of the Toderstern star system. Yet the capital is moved to Silberdorf, a colony cluster found within the interstellar void and a special section of space free of radioactive hazards. Silberdorf is the rich region within the Imperium, housing less than a percentage of the entire population. That being said Toderstern is still their most populous region and remains the keystone piece of their industry.
History
TBA
SOCIETY INFORMATION
Demographics
Until just recently the Morte Imperium was an isolated civilization within the Stromlosweg Sector. As such it is unsurprising that the one and only sapient species within the Empire are the Morteans. Morteans are humanoid creatures with blueish skin, red eyes that might glow in the dark, sharp teeth and slightly pointed ears. They are at average shorter in stature (~ 150 cm) due to malnutrition but at times they can grow above 2m in height. Due to the effects of radiation they have an alarmingly high percentage of mutations which sometimes can be very visible. Unlike humans the Mortean blood is colored cyan. Morteans have human-like body structure but there are considerable differences in their chemical makeup. Mortean bones are made of various bio-steels, enhancing their durability and tolerance to radiation. Though the not so amazing side effect is that Morteans can get stuck to sufficiently strong magnets. Their sharp teeth are capable of chewing through many things and it isn't impossible for a Morteans to chew on rocks and ores (though not the most nutritious choice for sure). Mortean stomachs are versatile and work by different reactions and this generally applies to their entire system. Toxins that could be lethal to humans may be even considered nutrients. In reverse the Morteans have a number of harmful and deadly toxins specific to their physiology. Biologically the Morteans can live for 200 years but in effect the mutations and awful living conditions reduce the average life expectancy to 40 years. Due to their relatively well-adopted physiology to their environment there's a popular theory that the Morteans were actually engineered this way. Due to the effect of radiation, birth defects and mutations are relatively common and according to statistics 27.4% of the children die at (or before) birth. For every Mortean death is a common experience which swayed their society into an unique direction. Morteans neither fear death nor welcome it. They accept death as a natural element of their lives and strive to serve their community during the short time they're given. In the eyes of others Morteans themselves do appear almost machine-like, having little in the way of personal goals and instead striving to complete their duties to the community as a whole. They have little in the ways of compassion or complex emotions and instead approach everything with cold logic.
Cultural Overview
Morteans are struggling to survive in a sector inhospitable for all life. This obviously shaped their thinking to extremes, becoming pragmatic and almost machine like in their behavior. They lack empathy and so long it can be logically justified Morte is capable of any cruelty. Mortean society is all about order and hierarchy. The lines of leadership are clearly defined and Morteans work together like cogs in a well-oiled machine. Questioning the authority of your superiors is unheard of and everyone is under constant supervision of their peers to act like a respectable Morte. On the other hand incompetence is not tolerated and subordinates can and will file reports about any of their boss' misdeeds. Advancing through the leadership is possible but difficult and at times certain social groups could be outright class-like. Mortean citizens know and use money with their official currency being the Reichsmark. At the same time a lot of commodities are rationed which means each person only entitled to a limited amount during shortages. Thankfully many of these rations are leased during the recent decade of peace but people are aware the system can be reinstated on a moment's notice. The official language of the Mortereich is the Gothic. This effectively splits into two distinct languages. High Gothic is a borderline forgotten language used for ceremonial purposes. It strangely resembles Latin from ancient human civilization but how and when the Morteans are connected to the Federation remains a mystery. Low Gothic is the common language of Mortean, which distantly resembles German. There are also 4 other major dialects and even more minority dialects within the population which can range from slight mutation to something that doesn't even sound like the same language.
Government Overview
The Mortean government is imperial, formed under necessity during the early centuries to fend off the Luxans and other crazy invaders. Initially it was a typical monarchic government with the rule of Karl von Metzel and his descendants. However this soon changed and for 400 years now the Kaiser is an elected title which currently only assumed for the length of 2 years. It's possible to get re-elected but no more than 4 times in a row (so a total of 10 years of rule). Since the title is elected technically anyone can become a Kaiser, provided they pass the rigorous selection process for the candidates. There are a few days of promotion and campaign followed by a quick election. There are no solid political parties, albeit siding with certain companies, organizations and social groups may provide benefits at the election. After appointed as the Kaiser he or she has absolute power to do anything for the good of the Imperium. Yet the Kaiser is tightly monitored and after 2 years pass he or she is thoroughly evaluated and potentially punished for any misconduct (sometimes even executed). The Empire also have ministers and other political leaders with their own powers and responsibilities. Their conditions are similar to that of the Kaiser but to a lesser extend. In Morte everyone watches the other and ready to report wrongs straight back to the authorities. This complex relation of hierarchy and keen supervision what defines Morte social structure the most. In terms of foreign politics since every new civilization they've encountered in the Stromlosweg Sector became hostile, it's practically non-existent. That being said while the government is paranoiac they don't reject the idea of coexisting with other species. As such the first ever Mortean expedition outside the Stromlosweg Sector is watched with great anticipation.
Tech Overview
After experiencing their paradise rapidly turning into a radioactive hell the Morteans doubled their efforts toward technology. Their first priorities were shielded homes and developing means to grow food in their changed environment. Over the centuries as Mortean society transformed their affinity towards technology only grew. Advanced medicine, gene engineering for special plants that grow in radioactive environments, robotics, self-improving computers and so on. The achievements of the Morteans were impressive yet at the same time they constantly struggled for survival. As such their technology developed in odd ways to support this. At times they also learned from analyzing the enemy. The genocidal DRVQ (spelt as Dorvec) had advanced material and plasma technology which eventually became basis for almost everything for Morte. They also developed primitive means to detect psychic powers and ward against the subversive telepathic Ix. Their metallic bones also made electro-gravity systems more attractive over developing artificial gravity. Even now they primarily use gravity manipulation for hyperdrives and related technologies. Mortean hyperdrives are primitive copies of already inferior copies of the Federation's drives. As a lateral development though they created FTL jammers that helped to prevent Luxan raids into the hearts of Morte. Their creation and maintenance is expensive and not without faults. Yet they managed to curtail dangers of Luxan incursions considerably and ultimately freed up resources to conquer their homeworld.
Having centuries of history on space faring Morte long began exploiting their system. While only a few planets could sustain any life Morte makes good use of every resource under their control. Rock planets and asteroids are strip mined by extensive automated installations, nebula gases gathered, solar collectors are commonplace and gas giants serve as powerful industrial bases. The dense nebula also provides convenient fuel for their atomic reactors that are essential to power their huge nanosinter systems. First invented hundreds of years ago the nanosinter sprays tiny particles on shaped electromagnetic fields, allowing both fast and precise construction. Nanolsinter are also versatile, capable of manufacturing a whole different product after adjusting their programs. Regardless their energy requirements limit them to places with plentiful power generation to be economical on the industrial scale. More conventional methods of construction are still frequently employed.
MILITARY INFORMATION
Military Overview
With almost a thousand years of constant warfare with outside aggressors Morte became a militaristic nation where soldiering is part of every citizen's duty. Just prior to reaching adulthood all Morteans regardless of gender receive combat training and discipline. The best of the trainees are offered to become part of the Reichswehrmacht which, given the overall better living conditions of soldiers, is an offer not many refuses. Even after the training adult Morteans are obliged to periodically refresh their soldiering skills and accept to be drafted in a moment of notice. This kind of social structure aided Morte to eventually triumph over their superior enemy, very much drowning them in numbers. On the other hand their recent triumphs caused an unexpected crisis the military is unfit to deal with: peace and prosperous growth.
Mortean military technology is cheap and mass produced. They want reliability and numbers above almost everything. As such they seem to use advanced tech in very odd ways. For example while hover technology is mature its cost and reliability makes it rarely used with combat vehicles. Similarly in favor of having more weapon systems for relatively low cost Mortean doctrines like to use manpower wherever it isn't a detriment. While many other civilizations would find means to keep soldiers away from dangerous missions the Morte side has volunteers and given their overpopulation issues there's no incentive to stop this anytime soon.
K-Gun: Also referred as kinetic guns. They are using old projectile-throwing technology of various type, predominantly electromagnetic. K-guns are still used as small arms as backup. They are also commonly used by heavy artillery which shoots warheads over extreme ranges. Tank weapons also used to rely on kinetics but since then plasma cannons took over.
PASE Gun: Alternatively referred as the "Plasma Gun" its official name is Plasmaktiviertstaub Entlader (plasma activated powder discharger). Uniquely enough they excite solid state particles into self-contained projectiles of plasma and accelerate them towards the target. Mortean plasma weapons rely on explosive shock more than the heat energy to defeat targets and the field can be adjusted to achieve various effects. Focusing the field makes anti-armor performance better while shaping the blast towards the front makes the plasma less dangerous in close combat. This versatility and overall power means plasma guns are the norm for most Mortean weapons.
Macro Particle Gun: Makropartikelngeschütz also called Massenlanz (Mass Lance) is a technology which generates a special hyperdense particle stream focused to an extremely thin beam for destructive effects. The said particle stream is unstable and would violently explode but only after penetrating the enemy's defenses. This makes them ideal anti-armor weapons and the mainstay armaments of starships. Over the time these became more widespread, allowing them to be scaled down to man portable weapons or even warheads alongside upgrades that made it become far more versatile. Regardless they are still mainly a spaceborne weapon. While technically meaning the same in effect there's a distinction between Macro Particle Guns and Mass Lances. The latter is meant for extreme performance at reduced range and versatility while macro particle guns are fully functional guns with less dense beams but increased stability and full range of functions.
Duracomposite: While Durasteel variants are often fine enough to protect against simple weapons more nuanced armor designs require a new approach. Duracomposites as their name imply are not one material but a precise arrangement of various duramaterials to provide the best protection. This consequently also makes them more expensive. More advanced duracomposites are engineered to work with structural integrity fields and used mostly for starships.
G-Screen: Mortean shielding technology which focuses energy into a specific surface to block incoming attacks. Personal shields are rare and very limited in function. Most shields are either used by starships or as stationary defenses. Heavy artillery for example almost always fires from behind these screens as protection.
Army Overview
Irdishstreitkrafte der Mortereich (Surface Armed Forces of the Morte Imperium) is a virtual term describing three different military branches: Reichsheer (Imperial Army), Reichsgrenadierkrafte (Imperial Grenadier Force) and Volkswehr (People's Defense AKA Militia). Reichsheer is the main army of the Empire with roughly 300 million troops (mandated by the PAX Accords from IR521). This is their bare minimum and any loses are to be recovered within a week. As per the Morte attitude to recruitment, every Morte who passes the physical tests are considered "reserves" to the Heer thus in times of crisis this number can increase considerably. In the current "peacetime" days their purpose is defensive but they also form the numbers for every major invasion. Reichsgrenadierkrafte is effectively the "marines" of the Morte, they are elite highly mobile force constantly traveling aboard starships. They are the primary response of the Morte during peacetime and the spearhead of major assaults. Volkswehr is an institution rather than an outright military branch, used during crisis when the regular military isn't present or requires backup. By its nature the Volkswehr is poorly equipped if not forced to use improvised weapons but they can somewhat compensate this by their sheer numbers and fanaticism.
Morte ground combat doctrine focuses on massed infantry formations supported with a great deal of artillery. Morte likes fortifications and defensive combat as their wars frequently involved the other side as the primary aggressor. Armor is generally only what each army corps has assigned to them. It often provides fire support but there are pure armored forces for breakthrough and maneuvering combat. Air force is a bit of a maligned child in Mortean warfare. Both Reichsheer and Reichsgrenadierkrafte has aerial detachments that can be linked with any large force for support but usually their numbers alone are insufficient. This is often reinforced by space fighters from the Reichskriegsflotte but the different chain of command is a source of other issues. For a ruthless military Morte has a surprising lack of chemical weapons for two reasons. One, they love streamlining their logistics thus special shells are rare. Two, their chief opponents are the semi-robotic Dorvec and the mutant biotechnological Luxans which means chemical weapons are of little utility. In contrast their enemies loved to employ chemical and biological weapons and thus before anything else the most essential equipment for Mortean soldiers are their gasmasks and environmental suits.
Navy Overview
The Reichskriegsflotte (Imperial Fleet) is the Reichswehr's special branch dealing with starships and generally the region of space. Like for any interstellar civilization an absurd majority of their territory is space thus the Imperial Fleet has a prominent role of securing it. Since the Mortean triumph in Lux the Imperium haven't faced any existential threats and enjoys a relative peace. Of course there are always Xi'kar pirates, Dorvec remnants or rouge Luxan raiders to worry about yet at their current strength the navy is way prepared to deal with them. In order to reduce maintenance problems the PAX Accords were signed which currently limits the Mortean navy to 250 warships. Consequently many old warships were phased out and mothballed over the time. Decommissioned ships are preserved and kept at various bases thus they could be reactivated fast upon a new crisis. Of course this doesn't account for the numerous support and escort ships that could accompany them, nor ships built for only local defense.
Mortean warships are built for endurance, relying on heavy armor and constant cannon fire. The typical Mortean war vessel is shaped like a slightly conical cylinder with the main engine cluster at the back and most firepower concentrated to several turrets of usually the macro particle cannon variety. In Mortean dictionary a warship is an independent combat starcraft capable of acting on their own. Starships in the smaller range are escorts that accompany the larger vessel for screening purposes as well as to satisfy special roles. Support ships are non-combat vessels that follow the fleets and perform anything from maintenance, transport, mining, manufacturing war materials or even provide hospital services. By the standards of most civilizations the Mortean ships tend to be on the smaller side with battleships often considered the size of other civilizations' cruisers if not destroyers. On the other hand Mortean warships classes are less diverse when it comes to sizes. Escorts are more fluctuating in scale and in rare cases it's difficult to distinguish the smallest escort ships from the largest starfighter classes.
I'll work on the history, map claim and other details later.
Border gore is just the way things used to be. My more OOC trouble with accepting the Rhine is that it's Catholic majority which changes important dynamics in Prussia. Kulturkampf, for example. Thr other is that I wanted Ptussia to be weak enough for Saxony to influence them more.
If border gore is a concern we can just list non-Austria and non-Prussia as the German Confederation. Rhine itself may be part of an even tighter confederation of small states of which some are Prussian territories.
If I must take Rhine tho, I can manage. It'd be ugly but with the magic of narrative control it is possible things develop towards religious freedom. Well, more of a religious cold war where Saxony keeps their faith, Prussia keeps their faith and the Rhine is also left alone. All the while they are under one ruler. But you can see how this all would lead to me dedicate way too much effort into pacifying/subjugating religions and not everything else. Which is why I am so vonflicted on this.
Thank you very much! Although probably I am taking the version of Prussia before they gained significant territory in the Rhine and only had a few exclaves. I don't see Prussia keeping those AND being awarded Saxony, IMO. Maybe I am wrong, though.
BTW, anyone can help me drawing up the map? So I have none of thr Hannoverian territories. No Rhine terriyories aside from some dots. Typical Prussian territories otherwise except that Saxony in its entirety belongs to me, even if in a personal union.
Also no Zelleverin until a few years later. Prussia only reborn since 1825 tends to push back a few things.
@Willy Verebwho said I gave you Hannover? Disagree.
That's fine, btw do you find it agreeable that Prussia is restored and given the rest of Saxony but only with the condition that Saxony becomes a separate kingdom and basically a personal union with Prussia (this later is mostly to appease Austria).
It's fine for a start, could probably go into more than religion. I know in personal channels me and a few others have talked about some aspects of Prussian society since the end of the wars.
Religion was one sticking point for Frederick William III. So I wanted to cover it. Also long term said attempt had far reaching consequences. It can be reasonably said that in this timeline there will be no Kulturkampf, or if it still happens it'd be quite different. I know quite a few things happen but as a non-German I am not as familiar with this period even after weeks of sporadic research so I left it there. It took me half a hour to confirm that Prussians do believe in God-given right to rule (granted, I wanted to make extra sure for some OCD reason).
Another problem is that between 1809-1825 the details are a fuzzy mess thanks to Nappy destroying Prussia in this timeline and that there aren't enough details in the OP and the Char section to have me know whatever the hell I can even include. A destroyed Prussia is also a gigantic butterfly effect for, surprise, Prussia so I preferred to gloss over the pre-1825 era.
I did include enough implications about social changes to know more about this Prussia. For example it being mainly protestant and liberal-ish leaning gives it less favor by certain German states so Austria has a bit more of a leeway. OTL, the German Empire united by Prussia was almost set in stone after 1815 and Austria was desperately trying to unfuck their very slim chances (and of course failing). This Prussia, ekhm, Prussia-Saxony is weaker than OTL, has a bit more mixed support and didn't exist when OTL the Frankfurt assembly wanted to crown the Prussian king the emperor of Germans.
I do plan to have other sections than just history in the writeup, hopefully it clarifies things further. For example Prussia didn't get all of Rhine-Westphalia. They have a presence there but mostly their pre-war territories. This will also have an impact on Berlin's development and generally the Prussian industrial power. On the other hand they got all of Saxony but then effectively also lost it (it becoming a separate state under the same king). So yeah, an interesting scenario IMO.
At the conference after the Napoleonic Wars one of the major questions was the restoration of Prussia. Frederick William III escaped but the nobility was less fortunate. Ultimately the British concerns regarding French post-war influence resulted not only in Prussia regaining most of their lost territories but even gaining significantly. Yet the Austrian concerns were also heard. Frederick William III became king of Saxony but he was forbidden to unite the two kingdoms, leaving it as a dual monarchy.
The loss of the Junker class was a major hit for Prussia but without them Frederick William III could push for more reforms. Yet his original aim of unifying protestant faiths met some unexpected setbacks. In 1934 this threatened to turn into open rebellion so the king had to walk back a few steps. This meant the end of the ongoing push to influence faith in Prussia, at least for now. It unified the separate admnistrative offices for faith and many clerics in Prussia-Saxony wrote reports for said ministry. Yet the union of Lutheranism and Kalvinism didn't happen, nor the enforcement of unified liturgies.
Another unexpected effect was the influence of Saxony. Combined with the disintegration of the Junker class this lead to a modest yet noticeable liberalization of Prussia. This also influenced the success of reformers and the penning of Prussia's constitution in 1827, not to mention the myriad rationalization efforts in order to revitalize the state. On the other hand this birthed the narrative of "Saxonization", a fringe theory from reactionaries decrying that liberalism is against traditional Prussian values. From the 1830s Frederick William III struggled with worsening health. Ultimately he chose to abdicate in favor of his son, crowned as Frederick William IV in 1836. Unlike his meek father Frederick William IV is an ardent romantic and holds conservative values. While he currently conveys more moderate views he's dreaming about restoring Prussian pride.
This is my story writeup about my potential claim. What do you think?
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Tortoise
