[hider=The Phoenix Empire]
“[i]No matter how many times we fall, we shall always rise in flame from the ashes.[/i]”

Species:
Humans, Iscandarians, Hork-Bajir , Constructors

While there is nothing different to note about humans, beyond their magical ability, they do reign usually as the supreme species of the Phoenix Empire, however due to the Phoenix Empire’s tradition of magic dictating one’s power in the Empire, a few aliens have served in the government as even once as Phoenix-Emperor.

The Iscandarians were a relatively neutral species before being conquered by the Phoenix Empire. They are Human-like species, the most notable difference being there pale skin and angelic looking wings, along with exposed veins that glow different colors due to their magical ability. They also have a slightly longer average life-span then humans, as well as tending to be a few inches taller on average. One Iscandarian as actually served as the Phoenix-Emperor, due to that Iscandarian’s magical ability trumping all others in the Empire at the time.

The Hork-Bajir at the time of conquest by the Phoenix Empire, had just barely ascended into space. They are reptilian race, with blades on their wrists. These were used on their homeworld to harvest bark from trees for food. Magical ability, unlike the Humans and Iscandarians where it is near universal, is quite rare. Official statistics show that only 1 in 10 million Hork-Bajir are born with magical ability. The individuals are known as Seers, and are actually quite powerful, due to their nature Seers are taken at birth to be indoctrinated and serve the Phoenix-Emperor. Beyond the Seers however, most Hork-Bajir serve at the bottom of society, with it being quite common for them to fall into high debt due to high living costs on certain worlds being enslaved, which is also legally allowed.

Constructors are unique among the species of the Phoenix Empire. Discovered in a archeological dig on a planet believed to have been controlled by the 3rd Phoenix Empire, they are a unique combination of magitech and various biological spells. Six-legged and short, they make excellent servants and workers for constructing ships and other structures, as the name would imply. While how exactly they were developed is unknown, the Phoenix Empire has managed to replicate the chambers used to make them and make them loyal to the new Empire.


Government:
“[i]So as it is dictated by this Council that Gabriel Angelos shall be crowned our Phoenix-Emperor, due to his high prowess with the Arcanum.[/i]”
-The Council of Grand Magi, electing Gabriel Angelos the Phoenix-Emperor

At the top of the Phoenix Empire lies the Phoenix-Emperor, and by the tradition of the Phoenix Empire, he is crowned for being the most powerful with the Arcanum, or magic, within the Empire. The Phoenix-Emperor has absolute authority over the Empire, as well as access to magical artifacts that no other does.

The next level of the Empire’s government is the Council of Grand Magi, who compose the most powerful Magi in the Empire beyond the Phoenix-Emperor himself. While they have no real authority as the Phoenix-Emperor may order them around as he or she pleases, they help run the Empire as well as advise the Emperor. They are responsible for setting up planetary, system, and sector councils, which the Emperor may change as he pleases. They also usually granted right to rule over chunks of the Phoenix Empire’s territory.

The final level is the various Councils set up by the Council of Grand Magi or Phoenix-Emperor, as well as any bureaucracy or governors within the Empire. Due to the way authority is setup they have very little, but they help run and manage the Empire.

Description of Technology:
“[i]It is through the Arcanum that the Phoenix Empire as managed to gain dominance, and it is through the Arcanum that we will keep that dominance.[/i]”
-Lloyd Asplund, 3rd of the 7 Grand Magi of the Council of Grand Magi, Head of the Phoenix Empire’s Research Division.

Magic, or the Arcanum as the Phoenix Empire calls it, lays at the center of the Phoenix Empire’s technological development. It is near impossible to find a device or weapon within the Phoenix Empire that does not incorporate the Arcanum in some way. Different forms of magic are used for different purposes, with most natural substances having mana imbued into them to serve different purposes within the Phoenix Empire.

The Phoenix Empire’s FTL relies off a unique discovery uncovered by some of the Founding Magi. It is in essence, a separate universe which is entirely magical and distances within this universe are much shorter than those of the main universe. While the Arcanotech needed to access the universe did not exist at the of the founding, halfway through the current Phoenix Empire’s timeline the necessary devices needed to access it were built and constructed. This FTL method has become a staple of the Empire, due to its near instant speeds. This form of FTL has often been attributed to the Phoenix Empire’s quick rise, since they could send reinforcements and defense fleets wherever they were needed quickly.

For the purposes of weaponry, the Phoenix Empire has a wide variety of explosive, kinetic, and energy weapons. Kinetic weapons mainly use various forms of the Arcanum to enhance the speed of the projectile, as well as enhance it with mana to give it more impacting force upon hitting the target. Explosive weaponry focuses around a mix of antimatter or nuclear substances enhanced with magic and then put into missile or torpedo form. However, the main explosive used by the Phoenix Empire is a substance called Balefire. Discovered a prototype magical substance in the ruins of a 3rd Phoenix Empire lab, it has since been fully developed by the current Phoenix Empire. It is described by it’s makers as “necromatic fire” and is particularly destructive against armor. While not as effective as nuclear or antimatter Arcanum enhanced explosives, it’s cheapness to produce as made it a staple of the Phoenix Empire’s forces. Energy weapons of course, beams of pure magical energy, with varying spells to enhance the beam. Antiproton Streamers enhanced with magic are also used as weapons. A WMD was developed using magical lasers, and is capable of destroying small planetoids in one shot. However it is a extremely long charge time and is only mounted on the largest of the Empire’s ships.

Power mainly comes from Mana-Antimatter or Manafusion reactors to produce both normal power for non-magic components and mana for magical components. The Phoenix Empire has also built spells for anti-gravity effects, as well as terraforming when it is needed.

Construction tech uses a wide variety of spells to quickly construct new buildings and ship. They also use arcane nanobots to allow for easier construction of small components and in medical fields. Arcanoforges as they are called are the center of the Phoenix Empire’s production and construction, allowing them to rapidly assemble new devices, ships, and building parts with the latest in Arcanotech and new spells. It also not uncommon for the Phoenix Empire to use magic to rip out the crust of entire barren worlds, them turn them into massive Arcanoforges that span the entire planet. While only a few of these worlds exist, they constitute the majority of the Phoenix Empire’s production and have absolute priority in defense. The Constructors as well as slave-workers are those responsible for operating the Arcanforges and these Worlds, making sure they are up at fully capacity as well as making any repairs needed. Mining tech is also extremely effective, mainly due to the massive amounts of resources needed to fuel the Phoenix Empire’s industrial machine.

The Phoenix Empire has also developed genetic and cybernetic modification using Arcanotech as well as arcane nanobots. While being used to enhance soldiers and civilians alike, they are mainly used along with the art of Necromancy to produce what is the bulk of the Phoenix Empire’s ground forces, those being necromantic biosynths. These synths make excellent soldiers and have very basic reasoning skills, but the Phoenix Empire has not been able to replicate true higher reasoning and intelligence in them, which is another reason for their assault on the Biosynth Union. The bodies for this massive army is gathered from any dead from the Phoenix Empire’s non-synth forces, the dead of the enemy forces, as well as the Phoenix Empire’s population itself. From the Phoenix-Emperor down to the lowest slave, every dead body is gathered to produce more necromantic biosynths. These forces are lead by powerful magi, and supplemented by living elite forces. The army also has a wide variety of devices for communication, defense, and stealth, as well as a wide variety of vehicles, from tanks, mechs, and other land vehicles, to flying gunships and fighters, as well as water naval forces capable of using antigravity to reach the air as well.

Stealth tech is limited, with it being reserved to frigates and smaller.

The magi of the Phoenix Empire can manipulate a wide variety of different fields of the Arcanum to acquire desired effects, with all of their magical fields being extremely developed due to their heavy reliance of it. The include the standard fields that most will be familiar, including the Arcane which deals with pure energy, to the various elemental fields, as well as healing and utility fields. However while to the general public, the dark arts of Dark Magic, necromancy, and blood magic are off-limits, those licensed by the government or who are for the government are allowed to use the fields as much as they please. This has given the Phoenix Empire a great understanding of these fields and allows them to deal with problems much more effectively, but many outsiders question the morality and stability of the Phoenix Empire’s magi for this reason. Is not uncommon for the government to authorize these magi to use slaves for their experiments in these fields. 


Description of Military:
[i]Through the vast military of the Phoenix Empire, we shall prevail.[/i]
-Unknown Soldier

The Military is composed of four different branches, the Phoenix Navy, the Phoenix Army, the Phoenix Specials Forces, and then the Phoenix Lords.

[i]The Phoenix Navy[/i]
The Phoenix Navy is the pride and joy of the Phoenix Empire. Its responsible for protecting the Empire and it trade routes, exploring, and attacking any enemies of the Phoenix Empire. Using the weapons mentioned above, the Phoenix Navy focuses on larger ships and capital ships that use heavy hitting weapons and lots of firepower, with support from smaller ships and small craft to combat any small craft coming at them. They also employ a few stealth frigates and other smaller stealth vessels for information-gathering and exploring more sensitive locations.

[i]The Phoenix Army[/i]
As mentioned above, the infantry forces of the Phoenix Army are primarily composed of biosynths first raised using necromancy. These are led by highly trained Magi, the biosynths then are supplemented by a wide variety of elite living infantry, usually with augments, and combat magi. The Phoenix Empire also employs wide variety of transports, gunships, tanks, naval ships with flight capabilities, and other ground vehicles including mechs.

[i]The Phoenix Special Forces[/i]
The Phoenix Special Forces are highly trained divisions of Magi and other elite units meant for more sensitive missions. Often tasked with taking out targets stealthy and behind enemy lines, or gathering intel, they are vital to the Phoenix Army’s operations. They employ everything in the Phoenix Empire’s arsenal, and help keeps everything going.

[i]The Phoenix Lords[/i]
The Phoenix Lords are the Phoenix-Emperor’s personal guard and army, and are highly trained Magi, with cybernetic and genetic enhancements, spells, armor, and weapons beyond anything else in the entire military. Things that would normally kill man twice over will do nothing to a Phoenix Lord. Their exact training regime and enhancements that are given to them are unknown however. Part of their training does however give them a strange religious devotion to the Phoenix-Emperor, and despite all attempts this devotion has never been broken.

While it is known that all Seers are taken in to become Phoenix Lords, the exact way in which the rest of the Phoenix Lords are chosen is unknown. Taken from birth, they can be anyone from the rich to the poor, to the magically inclined or those who can barely hold up orange. Despite this all Phoenix Lords come out of training match the strength of the Grand Magi, leading many to believe Dark Magic is involved. All that is known is insiders have stated that artifact known as the Phoenix Tears is used on the Phoenix Lords when they first enter training.

Description of Culture:
[i]The culture of the Phoenix Empire is wide and varied, however a few common trends can be observed.[/i]
-Culture of the Phoenix Empire, Volume 1

The Phoenix Empire praises the power of the Arcanum, how that the more skilled and powerful you are with it, the stronger and greater you are. It is this very core tenet of the Phoenix Empire’s culture that has lead to the government that is currently in place, as well as the Nobility and Upper-Class being exclusively powerful magi. A few attempts from various sources have attempted to reform this idea, but it is usually meant with great resistance from the ruling class and Magi, and they are usually put down with military force.

Another idea that is often central to the Phoenix Empire’s beliefs is the idea that Knowledge is Power. This has lead to several aggressive attacks against other nations in attempts to secure the ruins of past civilizations, as well as a refusal to trade technology with any other nation. This also why arts of Magic/The Arcanum that most civilizations and magic-users would refuse to touch are practiced so widely in the Phoenix Empire. This idea has also created such a fear of enemies securing the technology of the Phoenix Empire that all ships are rigged with self-destruct devices to prevent any boarding attempts that would seize the ship from successfully doing so.

Beyond those two tenets of their culture the only other thing that is universal is two religions, which often compete for followers. The first is known as the Church of the Ancients, and its central belief is that when Humanity first ascended to space, the actual date of which is unknown due to dark ages, they were gifted magic by a race they only refer to as the Ancient Ones. They also say that one day they shall come when Humanity has discovered everything about the Arcanum  to ascend them into a higher plain of existence. Much like the government, they believe that is knowledge is power and that magic makes one greater than others. This religion is mostly practiced by the Magi and humans within the Phoenix Empire.

The other religion is known as the Church of the Mother. In contrast to the Church of the Ancients, it is a rather peaceful and forgiving religion. They believe that there is a Goddess, known simply as the Mother, who is a peaceful and loving Goddess. They believe that all sentients are equal, regardless of what they have done. They also preach the idea of Harmony, where in all those who follow the Mother should work together to create Utopia and be in a peaceful and friendly society. The Church of the Mother is merely tolerated by the Phoenix Empire, and on worlds where the Magi dominate there is open discrimination against it’s followers. This religion came with the conquest of the Iscandarians, who followed it openly and had a theocracy based around it. It is to be noted also about the Church of the Mother that at the time of the Conquest of the Iscandarians, that the Iscandarians were excavating the ruins of a Old Civilization believed to have existed around the time of the 2nd Phoenix Empire. The current Phoenix Empire has taken over excavating them due to the valuable magical artifacts within, but the Iscandarians revealed that through these ruins the Old Civilization at least followed something close to the Church of the Mother. Archaeologists are unsure what to make of this.


History:
“[i]Throughout the shared history of the Galaxy, the Phoenix Empire has a number incarnations.[/i]”
-History of the Phoenix Empire, Volume 1

The name the Phoenix Empire is symbolic of the fact that after the previous Phoenix Empire falls, a new on always rise from the ashes with a similar culture and government. The current Phoenix Empire is the 4th incarnation. The 1st Phoenix Empire is actually named the Arcanum Empire, with it only being referred to as the 1st for a timeline sense. Very little is known by the 4th Phoenix Empire of the Arcanum Empire, with only their name and a vague timeline of when they existed. They know more about the 2nd, although a lot of their history, technology, and how they fell was lost. They have a semi-complete history of the 3rd, and has managed to recover some of their technology, the only thing not being known as is why they fell.

The 4th itself rose about 500 years after the 3rd fell, the initial forming was shaky and turbulent as the 4th battled other human factions to claim the title of the true 4th Phoenix Empire. It did not take long after they defeated the final human factions who were trying to claim to be the new Phoenix Empire for them to make a quick rise. They developed many of the magical spells that helped formed the basis of the rising Empire, as well as discovering the constructors for use in helping build up.

700 years after the 3rd fell, the 4th expanded rapidly, happening upon the Hork-Bajir. After a swift war the Hork-Bajir fell, only having one interstellar colony due to their relative newness to space. The were quickly opressed, with the Seers being taken for service in the Phoenix Lords. Their worlds and population served to help spread the power of the Phoenix Empire just a bit further as they continued to uncover ruins and expand, and discover more of the power of the Arcanum.

1600 years after the 3rd fell, the 4th began a massive war with the Union of Iscandar, the nation of the Iscandarians. They war was long and brutal, as they fought over control of the ruins of the Old Civilization. The Phoenix Empire eventually decided that the magic of the Iscandarians as well as their knowledge should become apart of the Phoenix Empire, so the war ended up turning into a war of conquest. While the Iscandarians fought bravely their refusal to use the forbidden arts gave the Phoenix Empire a valuable tool in fighting them. With their conquest complete, the Phoenix Empire began rebuilding from the war, focusing on reinforcing their worlds and rebuilding after the war.

1995 years after the 3rd Fell, Phoenix-Emperor Gabriel Angelos was crowned, and he declared that the 4th was the longest lived of all the Phoenix Empires. He ordered a war against the Biosynths of the 3rd in attempt to seize the valuable ruins they held as well as uncover more knowledge about the 3rd Phoenix Empire. The war has waged since then, with differing periods of intensity in the conflict.

Other: While a lot of magical artifacts rest in the hands of the Phoenix, there are only three of importance. The first is the Eyes of the Phoenix, a staff artifact that is granted to the Phoenix-Emperor. Along with being able to store vasts amounts of mana, its links up with matching necklaces in possession of the Grand Magi, allowing him to contact them at any time, as well as linking up to pillars on the worlds of the Phoenix Empire to allow him to talk to the local leaders at any time. The second is the Phoenix Tears, believed to be some form of Dark Magic that gives the Phoenix Lords their extreme prowess with the Arcanum. The third and final artifact of importance actually has no name, and in possession of the Grand Magi Lloyd Asplund. All that is known is it is left from the 2nd Phoenix Empire, and has some great power contained within it.
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