Woundwort — Roleplayer Guild

I regret nothing.

Name of nation: Empire of the Rising Sun

Species: Ziani

The Ziani race are an offshoot of baseline humanity-a result of targeted, deliberate and extensive-not to mention extreme-genetic modification. This biomodification regime and the resulting cultural divergence has led to numerous changes in the Ziani-enough that they could more easily be called more post human than human. First and foremost, the Ziani are a single-sex race, there is no biologically female Zian in existence. Biological reproduction is thus, an impossibility for the Ziani and the species instead relies entirely upon vat-grown children to propagate itself. The male sex makes up the entirety of the species with no evident exceptions. Aside from this rather radical departure from the human norm, there are numerous other departures from baseline humanity. In general, the Ziani have a higher metabolism than the human race, resulting in lesser amounts of fat and increases in dietary needs and general appetite. They also display a much wider variety of hair and eye and color when compared to humanity proper-unexpected side effects due to extensive, reckless genetic tampering. Due to the somewhat unique situation the Ziani race finds itself in, homosexuality is the norm amongst the Ziani, both on a biological and social level. The presence of other orientations is, at best, academic. 

The Ziani brain has also been modified, extensively, when compared to the average human. Key regions of the frontal lobe have been modified and the primitive reptile mind has a much stronger metaphorical say in how a Zian might behave. In battle, this manifests as a enhanced aggressive response, and allows a Zian to tap into massive reserves of strength and energy that a normal human being has difficulty accessing. These modifications also ensure that a Zian will still be combat capable even if undergoing a systemwide shock. Combat and competence therein is, thanks to these modifications, quite literally instinct in the case of the Ziani. Outside of battle however these modifications result in a high level of emotion and little way to control it naturally. Furthermore, the Ziani are also very social as a race even when compared to humanity-and for good reason for if they are left isolated and alone, a Zian will experience and overall depression in their higher reasoning centers that could well lead to uncontrollable aggression if not treated with a strict regimen of drugs or reintroduction into a social environment.

Yet more differences from baseline humanity consist of a few large tweaks in Ziani biology that are of use in combat and other high-stress situations. For example, the Ziani take a greater amount of time to get tired or worn out. Their reaction time is also higher than the human baseline due to a number of refinements that allow them to maintain a higher level of alertness than the average specimen of mankind. Among the refinements that allowed this is an increase in the amount of adrenaline the body produces and an increase in tolerance to these same chemicals to eliminate, or at least, mitigate, the negative effects of the modifications. This was not entirely successful, as a result of the increased levels of alertness brought on by the change, the Ziani have a strong tendency towards paranoia. The Ziani also feel pain less acutely due to the changes in adrenal production, this can be both an advantage and disadvantage. They stay combat effective for a greater amount of time, when compared to your basic human, but by the same token they might not notice they have acquired a potentially fatal wound until it is far too late. Even normal wounds are more prone to infection, due to the simple fact it takes the Ziani more time to notice them.

In contrast to the typical range of human heights, the Ziani tend to rest between 6'0 and 7'0, with only some outliers. Perhaps one Ziani in a pack will be slightly below 6'0 or over 7'0.

The Ziani nervous system has also been modified to further enhance their reaction time, in simple terms, this has been done by increasing the diameter of the axon in nerves, along with a corresponding increase in myelin around the axonal membrane to keep currents from leaking out of the nervous system. The result is a general increase nerve conduction velocity, and thus reaction time in combat and in general. The Ziani are also capable of staving off the negative effects of various types of combat drugs, to the point they rarely experience negative effects at all, while the positive effects are actually somewhat enhanced. This has required numerous changes in how the Ziani process chemicals, in a few cases the changes required are so extreme that chemicals or agents that would do no harm to a human may well be near-fatal to a Ziani-and vice versa. On average however the manifestations of these changes is more benign. The average Zian has difficulty digesting foodstuffs treated with Yellow Dye Number Five for example. 

The Ziani also boast modifications that result in an increased production of mast cells, helping to ensure rapid healing. The side effect of these modifications ensure the Ziani experience an increased chance of severe allergies, many with the potential to be quite harmful to the body. In clear terms, these allergies have a good chance of inducing catastrophic and fatal anaphylactic shock. Respiratory allergies in particular tend to have a greater effect on them, many members of the race require breathing aids and heavy-duty anti-allergy medication as a result-the entire race is effectively strung out on drugs or consigned to environmental suits on many worlds in effect. The bone structure of the Ziani has also sports some modifications, instead of relying on calcium, the Ziani rely upon one of it’s sister elements, strontium. While these modifications help to ensure that the bones of the Ziani are hardy and very difficult to break even under extreme pressure, these modifications also restrict them to fairly rigid diet, and any developing Zian that is not able to partake in this diet will have a very weak bone structure.

Another set of genetic enhancements have resulted in an estimated general lifespan greater then that of humanity in general. These modifications have effectively eliminated traditional old age, but have introduced another set of problems-as the years march on, these modifications became more and more unstable-and without warning, perfectly healthy Ziani keel over dead when their biomods suddenly destabilize. Even if this does not happen, a slow path of destabilization and instability is currently inevitable. Eliminating this instability is regarded as the next great goal of Zian genetics. 

The Ziani eye has also undergone modification, blood flows differently then it would in a human eye. The various capillaries in the occipital frontal lobe develop in a more efficient manner when compared to the baseline. In many cases the blood of flow is even reversed-allowing for a greater amount of blood to reach beneath the rods and cones of the eye. These modifications result in a significant increase in visual acuity and general perception. The Ziani growth hormone also differs from its human counterpart, being largely more efficient. In addition to the normal duties of such a hormone, it also targets fast and slow twitch muscle fibers for specific enhancement, resulting in a general and significant increase in muscle mass when compared to the human baseline. Additionally, the Ziani growth hormone also targets the strontium-based bone structure of the Ziani via it’s osteoblasts, resulting in further enhancement to the strength of the Zian bone structure and a boost in the rate of bone tissue formation.  Ziani muscular structure also differs from those of humanity. The connective fibers of a Ziani muscle tend to be more dense than the human norm, with many of appearing to bend or contort over each other, increasing the strength of the connecting tendons and decreasing overall recovery time. 

There are also a few more evident flaws in the Ziani genome, as such extensive genetic tampering doesn’t come without a cost. Ziani are incapable of perceiving certain colors, or of processing words written in said color. The Ziani race also suffers from a few thousand genetic flaws, being built around the male sex without regard for it’s female counterpart, that render any attempt to artificially create a genetically female Ziani a failure-a fatal one. The clearer memories they possess, as a result of their higher levels of alertness, tends to result in more numerous and severe cases of PTSD and stress in general. As a result of this, the race as a whole has a higher level of stress then humanity, with a resulting increase in suicide rates. They also suffer numerous stress-related ailments, both of greater severity and number then the human norm. The Ziani also suffer from a form of race-wide insomnia, due to the changes to their mind that their higher reaction times required. Finally, Ziani, are by nature, a very aggressive species.

Description of government: The Ziani government is less a government and more of a military that has semi-accidentally became a government and more or less run with the notion out of a lack of more viable ideas. The military is the heart and soul of the nation-the different departments and their heads, along with generals and admirals (amongst the most influential figures in the nation) wield a great amount of authority over the culture and direction of the Empire of the Rising Sun. Wielding the easy power and authority that can only be found in military chains of command. The one exception to this is the Emperor-a figure of divine importance to the Ziani, held to be of a geneline born to command during the mythical days of their creation as a race. The Emperor, in theory, is the head of state.

In practice he is a powerless figurehead, and the real power lies with the Shogun, the head of the military, to whom all other military figures owe utmost loyalty. The Shogun wields total authority over the military, and thus the Empire. The selection of Shogun is thus a careful, deliberate thing. When a shogun dies, a new one is chosen from amongst the ranks of a military often a general or an admiral. The selection process is best understood as a series of delicate negotiations between important and influential figures and the merit of the individual in question. At times, it can drag for decades. Though there have been periods in Ziani history where one has forced their way into the position of Shogun, and ruled by the force of their backers-and their own arms.

Clans also play a part in Ziani government-being the primary way Ziani organize themselves outside of, and to an extent, within the military. Clans are led by a council of their most experienced veterans, and oldest members, who elect, in a mirror to the process by which a Shogun is chosen, a Daimyo who will lead the clan for the extent of their lifespan or until such a time they step down. Clans can and do specialize in fields beyond the military-some farm, some produce weapons, some even hone their skills at dance, others produce anime. Oftentimes, parts of a large clan focus on entirely different matters-though all provide soldiers too the military. It is the clans that give Ziani culture a zest and a life beyond the military. In doing so, they provide a critical service-and one necessary for a species so long lived as a Ziani, and so prone to stress. They provide food, certainly, and other essentials. But they also provide a means, through social bonds and entertainment produced, to manage the levels of stress amongst the Ziani.

Essential economic functions are handled by the government-food is grown by clans, yes, but it is distributed and quotas are set by the government. Other essential services-medical care and the like are managed solely by the military, with little to no input by the clans. Luxury services however, operate on a completely different model. The military has little to no dominion over this strange quasi-economy. The sole involvement is has is distributing a byzantine amount of “ration cards” types used to purchase different luxuries-anything from finely engineered tea, to a finely carved statue are covered by a type of card. And the number of card types that exist is truly staggering-resulting in a hard to understand, byzantine, and inefficient economy. One that bares all the hallmarks of a military ration system whilst, at the same time, trying to be more. The essentials are managed with efficiency-but anything beyond them requires time and patience to learn. And even then, proves to be inefficient.

Description of military: 

The armed forces of the Empire of the Rising Sun are made up of four main forces-the Imperial Navy, which handles interstellar actions and void combat, the Imperial Army which is charged with the defense of Imperial planets, the invasion of planets and the garrisoning of Imperial facilities, the Imperial Windforce, charged with the organization of the Imperial Pilot Corps, and the mecha and fighter craft that it contains-these men are fetishized by Ziani culture, due to the death-defying feats they often engage in, and finally the Shinobi, a shadowy, specialized corps of commandos, spies and assassins who handle the less pristine aspects of warfare. Each on of these services relies upon the other, however, and each has their own departments and sub-departments that likewise require harmony to function effectively. The Shogun oversees the entirety of the military-and helps to ensure this harmony is present, by simple merit of his existence.  

The one thing shared by all branches of the military is the fact that, to a huge degree, the Imperial Armed Forces are, in fact, the Ziani society. Everyone has served in, will serve in, or is serving in one branch of the armed forces. The Ziani are a race built for war-and their culture very much reflects this. A Ziani soldier, regardless of the branch, has a reserve of insane courage and determination that ensures retreat is, literally, not an option for them. By their honor system the only acceptable outcomes are victory or death-and while leeway might be given for tactical withdrawals to keep a fight going, a true retreat, fleeing from an enemy force, is anathema to them.

Ziani fleet doctrine is based around two main concepts-carriers and the swarms of fighters they can deploy, and on hard-hitting, tough vessels in general, with battleships being a particular focus. The ideal fleet for the Ziani consists of a dozen carriers and battleships and smaller, supporting vessels whose main purpose is the protection of their larger cousins-these vessels are intended less to win the battle on their own and more to ensure that the mainstays of the fleet, the tough brawling battleships and the super-carriers can do their work without being swarmed and destroyed by enemy vessels. Their entire system works along the basis that one might find in a pack of wolves or raptors-each ship has a function, and must rely on other packmembers to perform their own function. The bigger vessels pack quite a punch on their own, but rely on the coordinated defensive and offensive actions of their smaller cousins to use their immense power to full effect.

Ziani ground doctrines have versatility as their core-they are a well-balanced force on the ground, a trait that is added by the toughness and reliability of their most basic unit-the Ziani Samurai. Being built for war, their common infantry is quite effective at any task that might be given to it. Mobile, speedy tanks also feature-designed to help force the battlefront forwards, and to exploit holes that open up in enemy lines as the withering Ziani assault does it’s damage. Mobility and flexibility-having a tactic or a unit for any occasion is thus a staple of the Ziani on the ground...that along with an offensive minded mindset-they prefer to focus on huge, across the board attacks that hit the enemy everywhere at once, rather than a slow, grinding attack. The exact makeup and tactics of an army, however, depends on the general in command of it-different generals have different styles and tactics, and the power they wield lets them tailor their forces as they see fit.

The Imperial Windforce is a strange beast-operating alongside and at times within all other branches of the Imperial Armed Forces, but at the same time maintaining it’s own ranks, and it’s own commanders. In part, their curious independence is due to the absolute fame and respect they hold within Ziani society-pilots are held up as one of the most elite, most honorable and most...Ziani...of professions. The romance of a fighter pilot weaving through clouds or asteroid thickets, and of mecha dancing into an enemy armored formation, weapons blazing, are all powerful images in Ziani society. The common trait of the Windforce can be guessed by it’s name-fightercraft and mecha are both highly mobile, flexible and varied things, and all must work alongside other forces to be truly effective. As might be expected, the Imperial Windforce are one of the Empire’s golden sons, and are supplied in a manner to match.

The Shinobi are something of the odd man out amongst the Ziani military-equipped with stealth suits, supplied with elite cybernetic commandos and trained to fighter in a manner that does not come naturally to the Ziani, the Shinobi are the hidden hand of the Empire. They are the commandos and special forces-they range ahead of the valiant forces of the Empire, and sabotage enemy infrastructure. Sap moral with assassinations and silent, nightly massacres. They scout out enemy formations and facilities, providing the army with invaluable information. They blend into the environment of a planet, and when the army arrives, guide them through it’s hazards-guides and assassins, the Shinobi sport a mixed reputation amongst the Ziani, but the army would have difficulty functioning without them. 

Technological Overview: 

In the Empire of the Rising Sun, the archaic has met the advanced in some of the most unexpected ways possible. The best example of this is the katana, and other melee weapons. Things that would perhaps be considered grossly out of date in other space-faring cultures are something no Ziani warrior would dream of being without in the Empire of the Rising Sun. But these are no mere pieces of forged metal. Thanks to the technology of the Ziani-these blades are capable of many feats, depending on the preference of the wielder. One might be able to sheathe itself in plasma, another flame-and yet another arcs of deadly electricity. Their armor resembles that of primitive warriors-with banners even be added to it for ceremonial occasions, yet it remains capable of protecting the wearer from the harm a modern weapon might bring.

Ziani weapons technology beyond the katana is varied-with gauss weapons, kinetic-burst weaponry-a type of plasma weaponry that fuses both conventional kinetics with the advantages of plasma. It essentially it fires both a solid slug at great speeds and ensures the enemy burns quite nicely for a time afterwards. As might be expected nuclear fusion missiles and other explosive weapons also feature, with perhaps the most iconic being the swarm micro-missiles that some Ziani vehicles sport-swarms of small missiles that rely on sheer numbers to overwhelm and destroy the enemy. The mirror of this system also exists, as one might expect-while laser technology is not as prevalent within the empire as it might be in other civilizations-laser point defense systems, designed to counter both kinetic and missile based weaponry do feature in their designs. 

Stealth technology also features in Ziani tactics-whilst they have not yet been able to successfully cloak a ship, hyper-advanced stealth suits which render the wearer completely invisible to the naked eye and many forms of sensors have been developed-and are used with great aplomb by the shinobi-commandos of the Imperial Army. 

Ziani shielding technology is based around a series of energy generators-typically scattered across the hull of a vessel, with each generator making up part of an energy “blanket” that surrounds the vessel. While they do not yet have the technology to shield the individual soldier, their shields do sport some interesting features-rather then being a single field, the Ziani have elected to make use of a redundant style of various energy “folds” that make up a multi-layer blanket around the vessel. In effect, Ziani shields cannot be overcome with a single devastating strike, but must be worn down over time. Their armor technology is based around much the same concept-but it the nanocomposites sported by infantry and vehicles, or the honeycombed, layer armor of their ships, their defensive technology takes after their katana. Folded upon itself many times, and honed towards one purpose.

In terms of iconic weaponry however-the battlesuit and the mecha stand heads and shoulders above the rest. In addition to the normal vehicles one might expect of any army-tanks, APCs and the other conventional vehicles one might list of, the Ziani make use of immense mobile platforms cast in a humanoid shape as elite units. These mecha are the elite of any Ziani army, able to serve both as immense mobile infantry analogues and as armored vehicles-combining, in effect, some of the best of both worlds. Their smaller cousins, the battlesuits, perform much the same task, but with still greater mobility, with battlesuit corps serving as the equivalent to the elite “marine” units other forces might field. 

Perhaps the oldest form of high technology the empire possesses however would be growth vats, the method by which the all-male Ziani propagate themselves. Using DNA from veterans and honored warriors, a new generation of Ziani are produced in these artificial wombs. This method of reproduction is not instant-and indeed, takes about as long as the average human pregnancy to complete, albeit with a much higher success rate due to the lack of a second biological body being involved and the constant monitoring and care the infants within receive. This mastery of the genetic extends to other fields as well-Ziani corps have been extensively modified, and the replacement of organs and limbs is common place. Still, modifying their own species remains a challenge-at this point, their genetic code is tangled to say the least. And unexpected side effects are legion when such attempts are made.

As might be expected then, cybernetics has also been a field of careful study amongst the Ziani-while nowhere near as common as genetic modification research, cybernetics has proven a handy stand in for modifications too complex for the tangled Ziani genetic code to stand. A grievously wounded warrior might be rebuilt from the ground up into a cybernetic commando of no small power-indeed, units of such warriors form the elite core of many Ziani commando wings. Another benefit of Ziani cybernetics is the invention of a man-machine interface-an interface that allows for a semi-direct connection between a Ziani brain and a machine-allowing for greatly enhanced reaction times and responsiveness from vehicles, battlesuits and mecha. Drones and robots are also in use-though they’re primarily regulated to construction tasks and other menial chores-and in military terms, as a swarming units used to weaken and test and enemy. Or to overwhelm them with pure numbers. Whichever comes first.

In terms of power generation-the Ziani rely on two forms of energy, Cold Fusion, as one might expect considering their missile technology and another, more enigmatic form of energy that they have only recently discovered. A form of energy they term “Harmony-Wave” energy. It centers around a particle newly discovered by Ziani science-a particle that travels at speeds well above that of light. By artificially slowing these particles down, the Ziani have been able to harness their energy potential to the power their Empire. While this requires fairly large facilities at present, this new frontier of energy generation is already bearing promising results-being much more powerful than the more common fusion processes upon which the Ziani had previously relied.

But perhaps the most important technological development for the Empire was Hyperspace technology. The discovery of another dimension, the aforementioned “Hyperspace” realm was key to the expansion of the Empire into interstellar space. By designing engines, projectors, that allowed their ships to “skim” this dimension, the Ziani were able to attain FTL speeds. Whilst this method is “slow” in that long routes often require resupply stations and docks for any given fleet or ship along it, it has allowed to the Ziani to colonize worlds that were previously entirely out of their reach. Of course, the strange nature of the hyperspace realm-in that it somehow still interacts with physical objects in our dimension, ensures that routes need to be carefully blazed and maintained to avert disaster. Running into an asteroid thicket is unpleasant both in realspace and hyperspace after all!

Cultural Overview: 

Ziani culture is a culture of extremes-it can be extremely liberal or extremely conservative. With no middle ground. 

Central to Ziani culture, to their beliefs, is the idea of a Divine Destiny. They view themselves as the heirs to a forgotten Empire, and view it as their duty and their destiny to rebuild it. To once more reach across the stars and command them, to conquer their enemies, to raise great cities on foreign worlds, and to see to it that the rays of the Rising Sun reach every corner of the Empire That Was. Their destiny demands no less-and they will brook no interference in the rising of a new sun.

Culturally, the Ziani are a race of warriors-quite literally. They are raised in packs or clans of forty, grown in laboratories from the combined DNA of veteran Ziani warriors. These young are assigned eight guardians (sometimes more) from mated pairs of Ziani veterans who will visit the facility they are being raised in and establish bonds with their young charges. At age four or five, the young pack will move in with their Guardians, and continue to be raised by them until they reach the age of twenty-at which point they are young adults in the eyes of the Ziani, and are expected to enter the military. As Ziani culture is very martial-with everyone expected to own a katana and be proficient in it, this transition is normally quite easy. Quite literally the entire race has served in, his serving in, and will serve in the Imperial Army. Most Ziani only enter noncombat roles upon attaining veterancy.

Proof of extreme valour and veterancy are, as one might expect, utterly prized by the Ziani. It's impossible for to advance far, socially, in their society without one or the other. Preferably both. But there is more to advancement then this-it's unthinkable for an officer to be unmated-to be mated once and to have lost that mate, yes, certainly-but to be unmated is seen as a sign of immaturity, and will likely preclude one from any advancement into the higher ranks of the Imperial Army. This can apply to standing in a clan as well-though clan standing is more informal and flexible in this regard. Standing in a clan of Ziani is determined more by shows of strength and personality rather then the more rigid systems of veterancy and social status that the Army prefers. Though this often becomes a moot point once a clan enters the army proper-becoming an officer, the head of a unit, is a mark of great prestige and honor. And more or less ensures strong standing in a clan.

There is a strong general connotation between social behavior and perceived maturity in Ziani society-after a Ziani matures, they stop physically aging at around the ages of twenty or thirty, and are instead judged by their behavior. Young Ziani are loose, green, and have not seen combat. An "old" Ziani is mated, a veteran and has, at the least, bloodied his blade. Even if one Ziani is two hundred, and the other forty-five, if the chronologically younger of the two is mated and the chronologically older is not, then the younger is regarded as the elder of the two.

Both “young” and “old” Ziani might be perceived as touchy-feely by other races. Kisses on the cheek, hugs, holding hands and the like are regarded as completely platonic in most circumstances by the Ziani-they’re not behaviors reserved for mated couples, though mated couples do display said behaviors towards each to such a degree that one is often forced to contemplate if there is ever a time they are *not* touching each other when able. Similarly, this behavior being displayed in public or even in meetings of high importance is completely acceptable. Petting, laying across the lap of another-all of these are fairly common sights in public. Culturally, for a race of warriors, the Ziani can seem strangely affectionate. Their hugs, certainly, can likely shatter the spines of weaker species. Due to velocity, if nothing else.

Sex in Ziani society is regarded in one of two ways-for young, unattached Ziani, sex is seen as a natural way to build bonds, and casual sexual liaisons are not only not discouraged, but encouraged between pack members to increase unit cohesion. Orgies are not uncommon, at this stage of existence. Once courtship begins however, both potential mates are expected to abstain from such activity completely. Courtship itself is long and complex, culminating in a series of duels between the two mates-that only cease when they have both cut the palm of the other during the same duel. The two then mix blood, and melt down their katana's and forge new blades from them. As the Katana represents the soul of a Ziani within their religion, this represents, quite literally, the blending of two souls.

Divorce, thus, does not exist in Ziani society. As two souls cannot be unwoven. Those who cheat on a spouse are regarded as having no honor and are more or less exiled or shamed into nonexistence. Wild bouts of sex are regarded as an activity for young adults-and the second one mates, one is regarded as an adult. The second one even considers mating with another Ziani even. The courtship process ensures that a Ziani is mature and ready for a mate-it is a targeted effort to make sure the two potential mates know each other on every possible level. That they have bared each other completely. This process takes the form of many chaperoned events-with the chaperon being an honored ceremony master. Elaborate plays are attended, tea ceremonies, and other things of that nature make up the early stages of the process. 

Only when the ceremony master goes silent for many such events do the potential mates begin to duel-the object of these events is to ensure the potential mates know each other down to the depths of their person, their minds. Thus, when the ceremony master goes silent for so long, it is a sign that this has been achieved-he sees no more questions that need to be asked, and the couple has earned the right to guide themselves. The duels that begin then, is so the partners might know their souls. Only when that is achieved, and their blood mied, might their souls be joined.

The bonds of the pack and the clan persist for a Ziani's entire life-the pack, the clan, serves as a unit in the military together. Ziani often take mates from their packs, and they regard each other as something an outsider might call family, with the guardians serving as a combination of parent and teacher. Ziani bonds are strong-and not easily broken. A pack member would die for another one of their pack without hesitation. Honor demands it. For Ziani culture teaches that there is only two outcomes of a battle-victory or death. Ziani do not surrender. They die. And even in hopeless situations, will continue to attack until they or their enemy are dead. This focus on honor also gives them a certain distaste for underhanded tactics-they prefer to meet their foes in battle if possible.

There is a continuity of clans-the clans of a pack's Guardians is adopted as the clan of the pack itself, and many clans pride themselves on their long histories of service to the Empire, with the oldest going back to before the founding of the Empire proper, further then even the long memory of Ziani history can reach. Clans can be formed by many events-a part of an older clan might achieve a high degree of fame and honor on the battlefield, and become it's own clan. A new clan might be founded by a collection of veterans-the means vary, but a great deed or famous hero is almost always attached to them.

Ziani have a deep and abiding cultural hatred of slavers and dishonorable foes however-they do not treat such enemies as fellow warriors, but as little more then targets for a slaughter. Were they faced with a slaving foe, once a world had been conquered the slaves would be liberated and made Imperial Citizens. All involved, even remotely, in the system of slavery would be rounded up and beheaded. One after another, and their skulls used to construct a monument to their sins-a warning to all who would trade in flesh, or indulge in tactics that only animals would use. Empires that the Ziani might occupy that do not indulge in such practices would likely be more or less assimilated whole, with their culture intact. Though only those who served in the Imperial Army would be regarded as proper citizens. 

Religiously, the Ziani might be best described as atheistic spiritualists. They have no truck with talk of gods or devils and are even somewhat hostile to such ideas as a culture-viewing them as irrational and dangerous. But, somewhat hypocritically, they believe heavily in the idea of spirits-the spirits of their clan-ancestors and guardians have shrines dedicated to them in every Ziani household or barracks.  Even inanimate objects are thought to be able to develop spirits-vehicles and ships of a certain age in particular often sport decorations and banners dedicated to the spirit of the vessel, for example. Even old houses are thought to acquire a spirit, a will of their own. Souls feature heavily in Ziani spiritualism as well-a part of warrior’s soul is held in his katana, after it is forged, for example. And it is thought to be held there long after the warrior himself has passed.

The Ziani tend to be very slow to change and to accept change-as a whole, the race is socially conservative and very aggressive about maintaining their traditions and way of life-an alien who accepts their traditions is treated as one of their own. One who rejects them will always be regarded as something of an outsider. 

History: 

Much of Ziani history is lost to the mists of time and the fog of fading memory. What little information remains of that time paints a picture that continues to affect-and even rule over, Ziani society.The Ziani were once of another species and they were taken, and modified, forged into the perfect soldiers. The perfect weapons, and they were tasked with guarding an Empire, with building it, with ensuring it’s enlightened ways would ever rule over the stars. Then...then this empire came crashing down. 

Little is remembered of this time. Only nightmare images, and cultural scare-stories remain...

And on that day they'll tell you
That life hummed on with no clue
The warning signs were all dismissed or shouted down
So it goes
The kings all failed to tell us
The madmen failed to sell us
On what would then befall the only life we know
 
The paranoia gripped us
The rain turned engines to rust
The panic set in like a cancer to our hearts
Spreading through
We bet on finite genius
Or prayed for gods to save us
But there was no antidote
Disease tore us apart
We left bodies in the fields
So numb that we forgot how to feel...

...The fall was chaotic, and it was total, according to Ziani lore. But the Ziani survived, upon their jungle-choked homeworld, Saigonoseiiki. Here, the Ziani were left to develop in isolation, the technology of the Empire that birthed them having been shattered, and the knowledge to build it lost, during the cataclysm that was the Fall. A military shorn of the state that built it, the centuries, the relentless march of eons that followed, were a harsh time for the Ziani. Unable to reach for the stars-barely able to maintain the technology needed to propagate themselves, the ages that followed were marked by warring clans, lost knowledge, and the ever-encroaching and virulent wildlife of Saigonoseiiki.

The annals of this time of troubles are as confused and contradicting as they are long and bloody. But what is known is that, eventually, the Clans were brought to heel. The old ways re-asserted, methods of organization lost during the fall were re-acquired. And the Ziani became an army once more, rather than a mess of feuding clans. This re-unification was not easy, like many things in Ziani history, it was long and bloody. This period, however, ushered in an eon of technological advancement and expansion across the planet. Lost cities were re-claimed, more and more of the vats and bio-facilities the Ziani relied upon for reproduction came online-to the point that the young outnumbered the old by several orders of magnitude. 

Conflicts still occurred-but over the title of Shogun, rather than over the politics of feuding clans. And even then, these conflicts, these coups, tapered off to non existence as society, as the newly-christened Empire of the Rising Sun stabilized. Gradually, oh so gradually, their homeworld was, if not tamed, then subdued. Civilization thrived, and the pace of technological expansion increased. The happy hum of machinery and the pounding beat of the factory, and the marching feet of a race of warriors were the sounds of this age. An age that ended in the most glorious fashion possible. The Empire of the Rising Sun rose to touch the stars, spacecraft were invented. First the moons of their world sported the banners of the Empire. Then bases.

Then it was off to the races, with the discovery of FTL technology, the Divine Destiny seemed closer than ever. Colonies were established on several out-of-system worlds. Hyperlanes dotted with space stations became a nexus of trade and exchange that seemed able to, when combined with their colonies, propel to the Empire to new heights. But...perhaps it is the nature of the Ziani, or the curse of their species. This age of prosperity would soon give way to another age, an age written in blood. One of their colony worlds. Sabakunohana suddenly fell silent. A military expedition soon determined why.

A race of brutal, hive-minded insectoids, guided by some sort of ghastly over-intelligence whose nature remains a mystery to this day, had awoken beneath the surface of the ill-fated colony. When they struck, the defenses of the colony, formidable though they were, were overwhelmed. Lines of communication were cut, and the colony devoured or in some cases, reduced to embittered holdouts, cut off from the Empire. The war that followed, the counterstrike that came, was as brutal as it was predictable. Two decades of brutal, grinding war, where the teeming numbers and lightning quick reproduction style of the hive were met with the warrior spirit and the technology of the Ziani.

The results are plain to see. Great monuments to the sins of the hive still stand in the reclaimed colonial cities of Sabakunohana to this day. Nothing else remains of the hive. Their destruction is total. Now, realizing that space is as untamed as their homeworld was, during their age of long darkness, the Ziani have turned a cautious, well-armed eye to further stars…

The sun will rise. The Empire will be reborn.

Nothing will stand in the way of the divine destiny.

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