[hider=The Ederian Sovereignty] [b]Faction Name:[/b] The Ederian Sovereignty [b]Faction Type:[/b] Oligarchy of Noble Houses presided over by a Lord/Lady Minister who is elected every eight years from among the 20+ noble houses of Edyr [b]Species:[/b] Humans dominate the demographic makeup of the Sovereignty. However, so-called “xenomorphic” species are seen as subhuman and are a common source of free labor in the Sovereignty. [b]Scale & Territory:[/b] The Ederian Sovereignty for the most part is confined to its home system of Aeunir and a few small surrounding systems. Their home system contains the star Aeunir (Ey-oo-near) as well as their home planet of Edyr. Within the system are two other planets. Kiro and Montek, the former being a largely oceanic world that is habitable and the latter is an inhospitable waste of a planet, but is mineral rich and so in recent decades has been the focus of the Sovereignty's mining efforts. The surrounding colonial systems are designated as either defensive and economic development zones. (Hexes 1104, 1203, 1204) [b]Culture:[/b] The Ederian Sovereignty is one steeped in traditions that go back thousands of years to the first lords and ladies who called Edyr home. The society is a refined one, with individuals striving to make something of themselves and leave on a legacy for their children. Success is not measured on collective achievement, but rather on the level of respect one earns for one’s name and family. The gentry and nobility have long controlled the lower classes through means of providing them with all that is necessary to survive and in more recent centuries some lords and ladies even provide luxury items to their citizenry. The Ederian economy also relies heavily on slave labour. Since no Ederian would be caught doing menial tasks, such jobs are reserved for the slaves, most of whom are not Ederian or even human. [b]History:[/b] A few thousand years ago, the Lord and Ladies of Edyr came together in what was called The First Assembly and wrote a treaty called “The Articles of Unification”. The Articles outlined a system in which all the Lords and Ladies of Edyr would unite under a single banner of Sovereignty and elect from among them a Lord or Lady Minister who would serve as the chief executor of the will of the Sovereignty for a period lasting either until someone else is elected in an election that occurs once every 8 years or until the time of his or her death. Since that time the Ederian Sovereignty has celebrated, for the most part, their unity. It has allowed them to establish themselves as a interstellar power, and also has allowed them to expand their borders and subjugate other xenomorphic species who they saw as weak and "conquerable". Yet, in the past century progress has stalled. The population of the Sovereignty has grown lazy, and with robotic and xeno slaves doing the most of the menial labour, there has been a shrinking of the true Ederian population. Surely if this continue it could spell the end for the Sovereignty as a whole. [b]Technology:[/b] Ederian technology is not so advanced as to give them any advanced weaponry or defensive capabilities. In these they are standard. The Ederians do have advanced biological sciences, used primarily for the purpose of keeping nobility alive longer than they reasonably should. This technology has allowed the Ederians to be able to heal wounds quicker and make individuals more virile and energetic. In way of FTL travel, Ederians use warp core technology, though it is basic in its current form and traveling a couple lightyears is likely to still take up to a few days or even over a week to do. [b]Military Forces:[/b] The military forces of the Ederian Sovereignty are made up of Ederian and robot soldiers. Officers in the Ederian Army and Navy are typically gentry or nobility that purchases such commissions. Enlisted soldiers are typically lower-class Ederians who are either motivated for a love of the Sovereignty or by a desire to raise their station in life. The robotic soldiers of the Sovereignty fill a gap in their armed forces that is left by a population too caught up in their own lives to be willing to serve. As time has gone on, more and more A.I soldiers have been required in order for the military to function fully. [/hider]