**Premise**
Thousand years before present day, a humble species upright in posture, rapidly industrializing and frequently innovating would nearly ended up destroying their own planet. Yet to them, all it was evidence of was that their species had grown too large for their own planet. Instead of technologically regressing or even facing extinction, their kind looked to the stars. In the short course of a few centuries this ambitious species managed to break the barriers of space-time and connect the stars, relying on unmanned ships that rapidly crossed interstellar space that held within them the seeds to their future- a worm hole. Opening a point in space, this species would begin explore star system after star system, colonizing worlds and making a hegemony of the stars.
But they weren't human.
Humans would encounter this species in their native star system in the year 2021 and in the following decades integrating themselves as part of the hegemony.
Three centuries have passed since human contact, and in that time the hegemony has expanded to dozens of star systems that even today still are being explored- the frontiers always expanding as the network grows. Yet as the hegemony expands the overwhelming difficulty of managing a civilization that spans dozens of star systems, multiple species and countless worlds is becoming more abundantly clear month by month. Humans, having integrated themselves as part of the hegemony early on currently are a commonly seen species of the hegemony, almost as common as the species who connected the stars themselves. Yet humans are far from the only other species part of the hegemony, as in the three centuries since human integration other species, a fair amount of which not even what humans would deem industrial have been discovered, and even currently still are being discovered.
As it stands, the greatest threat to the hegemony of stars comes from within as the hegemony frequently deals with seceding systems, belligerent natives, increasingly powerful organizations of varied alignment who have managed to make multiple shadow networks that connect systems of their interest. Worse still, there is increasing belief among the hegemony that what once acted as a force of order by the year nowadays seems headed towards endemic chaos, instability, rebellions, despotism...
Or even something far more devastating.
--------------
**Useful Information**
Hegemony of the stars is a sci-fi RP with only one faction of substantial power that multiple players are organizations or individuals within with species being treated like races in a character based fantasy RP*. There may be savages and barbarians who pose a regional danger at worst, but only one overarching major civilization that crosses the stars. Think if you will a China or Roman Empire, perhaps even Incans (pre-Spaniards) or the Abbassid Caliphate circa 800 AD for the kind of society this interstellar civilization is. A super power faction that is dominant, that most players in theory would be part of, since not being part of the dominant civilization means you can't be a interstellar power; interplanetary at most, ideally still having not left the planet yet.
The twist is, as told in my quick bout of history, the Hegemony of the Stars wasn't founded by humanity, as when the Hegemony opened up its first portal to a alien world World War One was just starting up, instead species much like them. Humans historically being the first species the Hegemony of the Stars encountered around the year 2020 AD and the subsequent integration, humans being a tenacious species and among the earlier conquests would by the present year of 2325 AD have become a common sight in the Hegemony. Humans of course, are far from the only species in the hegemony.
I will admit, I have not thought much of the alien species that founded what became the Hegemony of the Stars, but since this is a RP I probably won't actually make for a month if not two that may change. All i'll say is they'll likely be bipeds, have a level of ambition that rivals humans and come from a binary star system; haven't thought much more than that so far since this is a RP I am not certain if I want to make yet.
I am fine with other species existing since when you have a interstellar empire, expect to have multiple species as part of it, however I do not want other interstellar civilizations that can rival the hegemony. This is because the idea for this RP is that multiple players work within a single civilization as opposed to everyone having their own civilization/faction to run.
Feel free to make organizations with substantial power and shadow networks, however. Ideally, there should be a mixture of different players with a clique of characters they make use of. Organizations should however operate mostly within the Hegemony, even if they may freely situated themselves wherever the net work of worm holes has opened up that's within their reach. Feel free to make characters, organizations and so on of any alignment you want.
When it comes to alien design, I recommend making aliens that are rather alien (even my bipedal species I promise will be sufficiently alien) and as a general rule of thumb please do attempt working with a currently existing species like the species concept you have. For instance, if you want to be a hive mind, see if other hive minds already exist and try utilizing said species. To make sharing a species easier, I also recommend to anyone who makes a alien species to try making a 'flexible' species so to speak; I.e one that can have multiple cultures and civilizations that can deviate heavily, preferably with multiple ethnicities as well.
I placed this RP general and nation since it is a hybrid genre RP. Unlike typical nation roleplays, hegemony of the stars is more based around organizations than nations by far due to the Hegemony of Stars being the dominant civilization, having regional outside threats at worst with the big dangers coming from within instead of without.
I anticipate to see if there is interest for my RP. Any suggestions or questions I am willing to answer. Be warned that there's a lot of incomplete information here, such as how I intend to pool technology or the governing systems of the Hegemony along with the obvious lack of even properly naming the species than founded the hegemony.
*Adding a alien species being not something explicitly tied to a player in terms of defining civilizations and cultures, for the most part.
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Jalilu appearance
here's the current design for the founding species:
Please tell me if this is a good species for the founding race. Specifically, is this a species you can see yourself making use of in this RP? It is important the founding species is something people want to use since being the founding species, chances are they'll be a common sight in the hegemony. Chances are i'll make more alien designs regardless. Maybe i'll have to make multiple species designs and have people who have interest in the RP elect their alien overlords.
The general idea I was trying to do is make a alien that's alien enough to say 'certainly isn't a human' while not being something unrelatable. Consider this illustration more or less my attempt to visualize a Upsilion.
Addition notes:
The flesh beards are normally wiggly, but stiffen when they're scared and get really wiggly when angry. So their flexibility-stiffness varies depending on their current state of mind. They do also express emotion with mouth like humans do.
The skin Coloration of them can vary, for instance the back may have different coloration from the hide and the face tends to be of a lighter pigmentation.
There's multiple ethnic palettes of them. I have thought of a few. There is pale pigmentation, a silvery grey pigmentation, a tan pigmentation, rusty/reddish pigmentation and charcoal pigmentation.
The color of their compound eyes also can vary. You have pearl white, jet black and smoky grey along with cobalt blue.
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Outline of History of the Hegemony from the Conception of the Jalilu to present day.
Well, i've done a couple notes on Jalilu history pre-contact so far.
General idea with how contact went being that the Hegemony peacefully went through diplomatic processes that would lead to the integration of sol. One of the results would be the UN being propped up as the unifying entity to make earth into a world-state that while allowing relative law answers to absolute law, which seemed at first like a good idea to the ruling party at the time. It would be a several decades however, before the integration was official, consolidating a world with 100+ nation states never war going to be easy. Humans by the year 2070 would be a hegemony species. Between that time and now will remain to be seen.
Jalilu history I've got outlined. I avoided specifics for the time being; I want to make sure people have players to expand lore which is also why I went vague on how each major country on earth reacted towards the UN being diplomatically propped up as a world government by the Hegemony.
The Upsilion Andromadae star system is technically younger than sol, but not by that much. Their home world, Vatilu Nex would develop microbial life billions of years ago. Complex life developed quicker in the transition from lower level bacteria to multicellular bacteria than on earth.
Jalilu's modern evolutionary form comes from 195 thousand years ago.
13000-15000 years ago the first known Jalilu civilizations appeared.
The first written records of Jalilu history appear little over 7000 years ago.
A Jalilu civilization industrialized about 1000 years ago and would in the following centuries multiple civilizations would colonize the binary star system, spaceship technology being developed more rapidly than on earth due to more worlds within reach thanks to coming from a jovian moon system. In fact, their star system consists mostly of jovian moon systems. Lots of bitterness existed between Jalilu nations at the time.
Around 600 years ago however, their civilizations nearly hit the breaking point as binary star systems lack much in asteroid mining outside of jovian planet rings. Lots of violence in these times, to say the least.
550 years ago, the Jalilu are claimed to have gambled their whole species on a interstellar project that involving the use of a worm hole gate set up by a unmanned probe that moved at near relativistic speeds.
530 years ago, the project- on perhaps a coin flip in history, was successful allowing for colonization of a neighboring star system, one humans unceremoniously named "HIP 7918". The opening of the worm hole was monumental, further projects would be initiated with faster engines.
The Hegemony is five hundred years of age, and it formed at nearly the same time Jalilu colonization of HIP 7918 was underway. The Hegemony at first was actually a rather confederate entity that was founded on the following basic tenets:
There is absolute law and relative law. Absolute law is universal, while relative law is imposed by local authorities.
A stable order = progress. A unified civilization without instability means prosperity.
Linking of the stars. Star systems being integrated into the hegemony's network of worm holes being of great importance.
A governing entity without corruption with leaders by merit; The Hegemony would develop into a multi-party meritocracy.
In the following hundred years, the hegemony's colonization efforts at first were rather slow due to the costs of setting up a worm hole link to another star system even with the power the Hegemony of the Stars had. By 400 years ago the Hegemony would make up the lost populations from bygone times and it would seem, that the ancient grudges, on the highest levels of society at least, have been put aside.
360 years ago came a invention that revolutionized the rate at which the hegemony would connect the stars. Fast As Light Travel would be invented, making interstellar travel more rapid of a prospect. In the following century, various star systems of interest would be connected to the Hegemony. In the travels of legendary Jalili explorers, intentionally blindly leaping to alien star systems, alien worlds of countless sorts were discovered in the first century alone. The Jalilu discovered alien life for the first time in this century, having a world much like their home world, but not any native alien life.
Contact with an industrialized alien civilization would occur for the first time 300 years ago when the first worm hole was set up in the Solar System. By this time, the Hegemony had colonized dozens of star systems. The human question would end up leading to the development of the following tenets of the hegemony:
The Integration of Sapient Beings to a Universal Civilization.
This entails the following:
A Universal Language.
A Universal Economy.
A Universal Governance that transcends species.
A prospect that, was arguably a success with humans at least. Humans by current day being a major species of the Hegemony having colonies in many worlds and star systems by present day. However, the hegemony in due time would be exposed to aliens much different from them than humans are...
Since the integration of humanity, 300 years to now the hegemony would spread across many more stars and integrated multiple species into the hegemony. However in those three hundred years the universal tenets have been undermined, local officials overstepping authority, constant need to put down rebellions and attempts to secede from the hegemony and even the occasional threat of a full-on civil and so, so much more has put the current state of the hegemony in deterioration.
One might note how I am intentionally vague about a lot of things. This is mainly since I am worried I might limit options too much for other players. However, I did include the universal tenets in this blurb on history that also might have went a bit into the cultural mindset of the hegemony.
Edit:
Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck^7 I made massive astronomy mistake.
Upsilion Andromadae's star system is fucking whack. I'm going to (for the time being) instead pretend like Upsilion Andromadae's star system is what I want it to be instead, unless a alternative binary system is suggested that works. I'm looking for a binary system with a M-class star and a brighter G or F class syat for anyone who wants to search.
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////Application Sheet
With help from Gowia, the application sheets have been made.
Organization
//////Name of Organisation:
/////Emblem:
////Type: (Corporation? Cult? Terrorist Group? Smugglers? Peacekeepers?)
////Leadership and Structure: (the leader/leaders of the organization and its command structure)
///Base(s) of Operations: (any notable areas their company operates, if applicable)
//Assets: (what do they have in terms of technology, personnel and products)
/History of the Organisation: (their history from conception)
Extra:
---------
Species
//////Name of Species:
/////Home Planet/System: (information on where their species comes from)
////Appearance of Species:
///Cultures/civilizations: (Native civilizations/cultures of the species)
//Native Ecosystem: (Anything about the ecosystem in terms of flora and fauna of note. This section is optional)
/History of Species: (History of the species from evolutionary modernity to present day; hegemony contact is a given)
Extra:
-----
Character
//////Name:
/////Species:
////Appearance:
///Affiliations: (organizations or local systems they affiliate to, if applicable)
//Assets: (Personal gear)
/Biography:
Extra:
-----
Lore (generic app type for things that don't fit in with the core categories, like for instance making a culture, historical event, a planet and so on)
///Name:
//Type:
/Information:
Extra: