Ok, I finally have my app ready. Sorry if it's kind of all over the place, but I had to write the damn thing over the whole week since my computer access has been pretty limited recently. [hider=The Baharan Dynasties] Name: The Bahara Dynasties Flag: [img]https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/attachments/mars-flag-png.272167/ [/img] Brief Description: A nation spawning from a planet with two native sapient species and one foreign one that crash landed on the planet thousands of years ago, all of whom joined together to form a culture of fearsome military prowess under the idea of the strong defending the weak. These three species, in the interest of keeping things brief, are essentially big ol' Orcs, a species of crab people who grow up to around the height of a humans waist, and a bunch of gene-modded human mercenaries who have essentially evolved away from being normal humans. Claim: I don't actually have any of the software needed to make this properly, so I'm really sorry about that. If you decide not to kick me out for that, maybe just a few planets towards the edge of the galaxy, well away from imperial space. Government: The Entei Bahara dynasties are ruled by the 'emperors' of the three clans, the Harakt, the Yagda, and the Middernachters. These three emperors are the heirs of their races royal families, and are traditionally raised together in order to build friendships between them. These three emperors each have a series of five retainers, handpicked from the younger siblings and noble families of their race by the emperors to be lifelong companions. These retainers are not only great warriors, but experts in many fields relevant to running a nation, and it is their duty to carry out their respective emperors will, advise them, and teach them everything they need to know. Finally, in every city, town, and village, there is at least one office housing an Enulal, or Listener. These report any concerns Baharan citizens may have to the government so they can act on them. History: The history Entei Bahara is one littered with battles and bloodshed, with its many civilisations fighting against both each other and the planet itself. With a higher level of gravity than many other planets and an ecosystem full of what would have been apex predators on Earth, so much as reaching sapience was an uphill struggle, and it was discovered by scientists long before the modern day that several other species [i]did[/i] in fact achieve this. There are several documented sites of completely separate species to the Harakt and Yagda creating large, tribal communities, only to be wiped out by natural disasters or local wildlife. However, out of the ashes of these failures, the two indigenous species who would come to inhabit the world were born. The first were the Harakt, a large, grey-skinned primate species. Originating in the great mountain ranges and plains of the northern countries, much of the earlier years of their civilisation was spent in the form of hundreds of nomadic tribes, traveling to try and keep ahead of the bitter winters. They are the source of the Baharan religion, the Sunarak Dunan, or the Two Swordsmen, as well as the current retainer system, where each tribes chieftain would pick the five wisest, most capable warriors to act as their private guard and advisors. While wars inter-tribe warfare was not uncommon, disputes between tribes was far more often solved through mock battles, in which the chieftain, their retainers, and ten more of their best warriors, would use battle those of the opposing tribes using non-lethal practise weapons, usually in pursuit of a number of specifically marked objects in a manner similar to the human game of capture the flag. This would later evolve into a popular sport in Baharan culture, which is still used to settle disagreements between the three emperors to this very day. They also placed a lot of respect in the art of taming the natural wildlife, leading to the ancient art of Beast Mastery. These beast masters would regularly bond with incredibly dangerous animals over many years, and sometimes even decades, in order to give their tribe an advantage. The second species were the Yagda, a species of short humanoids who evolved from desert dwelling crustaceans. The oldest evidence of their culture traces back to underground caverns under the vast deserts of the eastern continent Yensa, they soon spread to the surface. However, having evolved largely underground, the intense desert heat was too much to handle initially, and they retreated to the large rock formations littered across the continent. Here is where their culture truly took form, as they carved buildings into the sides of the rock itself. They also made use of a lot of animal materials, particularly the bones and shells of the larger desert species, which they used as a stand in for wood, an exceedingly rare material in the deserts the Yagda called home. Eventually though, they would spread back to the caverns they came from, where they would begin to build great cities and fortresses, many of which are still in use to this very day. For millennia, these two races grew and evolved, completely oblivious to the others existence. The Harakt ceased their wandering to create grand, fortified cities high amidst the mountains filled with training grounds and temples to Dizarach and Grana, and the Yagda all but hollowed out the rock formations that made up their cities, learnt of ways to adapt to the harsh desert sun, and became true masters of the sands and the subterranean world. They even spread to the milder areas towards the north-eastern edge of the continent, building small villages to harvest and transport wood back to the southern cities, which was quickly establishing itself as a luxury resource. However, the time would soon come when the Harakt would look from the seaside cliffs of their own continent, Mosphora, towards the horizon, and just a few hundred years later, they had taken the knowledge that allowed them to craft their canoes to the level of proper ship building, carving vessels out of the trunks of the ridiculously enormous trees native to the continent. It wasn't long after that that they made landfall on the coasts of Yensa, and after building the small colony of Enteia from surrounding trees, they ran into Yagda woodsmen, altering the future of their two species forever. Over the next five hundred years, the two species would be engaged in a vicious cold war. Thousands of skirmishes would break out between the militia stationed in the Harakt colonies and the Yagda harvesters, particularly over the wood that was still quite rare compared to in Mosphora. Along with this, the Harakt and Yagda languages were quite different, making it difficult for the two species to properly communicate. However, there were some benefits that arose from this rocky relationship, the most well known of which being that, once faced with the concept of war with a whole other species they may have to fight in the future, the formerly divided nations of both the Harakt and the Yagda began to unify, leading to the formation of the two dynasties that still continue to this day. However, at the end of this period, an event took place that would alter the course of the planets future. A large battleship named the Mitternacht crash landed on Yensa, about four hundred kilometres from Enteia. This ship served was carrying the entirety of the mercenary faction known as the Midnight Drifters, who focused primarily on genetic augmentation and modification on themselves to get an edge over their opponents, as well as their competitors. Many of the onboard facilities used in these procedures remained relatively intact when the ship crashed, but their engines, along with just about any other means of propulsion, had been destroyed in the battle that caused them to crash in the first place. The majority of other technologies, with the exception of their weapons, was also damaged or lost. Just a day after the crash, parties from both the Harakt and the Yagda arrived on the scene of the crash to investigate. They were both so fascinated that they didn't even bother to fight each other, having never seen technology more advanced than a medieval level. However, this fascination would turn to fear and anger, as one Drifter caught sight of the two slowly advancing alien races, and opened fire in panic. The Harakt and Yagda tried to fight back, enraged at the deaths to their comrades, but neither side was even close to a match to the technology the mercenaries brought with them. For at least a year, the Harakt and Yagda continued trying to fight the Drifters separately. These efforts constantly met with defeat, and it is believed that roughly a tenth of the Harakt military and an eight of the Yagda military were wiped out during this period. Desperate for even the smallest chance of victory, the two opposing civilisations reluctantly looked to each other for aid. This soon led to the formation of the Coalition of Entei, cementing the now bustling city as the middle ground between the two empires. After the founding of the coalition, the two sides began to find more success, as together they were able to launch a successful raid on a scout team and obtain pieces of the mercenaries technology. From here, the two cultures exchanged knowledge as much as they could, and although the exact length of time is unknown, they were eventually able to reverse engineer the technology to create crude energy cannons, and even makeshift shields and melee weapons using the energy. Intrigued, as well as somewhat terrified, at the way the native races were able to reverse engineer such advanced technology, some of the Drifters began to seek them out, hoping to try and achieve some form of discussion with them before they advanced far enough to just wipe the mercenaries out. There were only about three hundred of them after all. Even with their skill, they could easily be overwhelmed without the technological advantage. The leaders of the Coalition, while still both warlike races, were also more than willing to end the fighting. Too many resources were going into fighting this war, especially on the Harakt side, who had to send forces on long oversea voyages every time they wished to support their colony and allies. Eventually, this led to the two emperors meeting with the captain of the Midnight Drifters, and together they exchanged information and technology as a sign of trust, even if the coalition didn't have much technology to trade. This led to an uneasy peace between the Drifters and Coalition forces, who continued to live out of their ship for about another decade before finally beginning to construct new buildings around it. Meanwhile, relations between the Harakt and Yagda continued to improve, as the time they spent fighting the Drifters caused a lot of bleed over between their cultures. One large part was the introduction of religion to the Yagda, with the majority of them adopting Sunarak Dunan, and the populations of the two civilisations even beginning to cross over into the others cities, building new temples to the Swordsmen and worshipping them. As time passed, their cities began to look less and less different, until they had all but merged into a single civilisation. The Drifters, deciding they would also rather become part of this growing civilisation than spend their entire existence looking over their shoulder for attacking forces, approached them yet again. The Harakt and Yagda, having noticeably slowed in the reverse engineering of the Drifter technology, welcomed their former enemies with open arms. Of course, this came with the expectation that the Drifters would share their knowledge once again, and the Drifters were more than willing to comply. After this, the Drifters were absorbed into the fold, changing their name to Mitternachters to try and seem a little less like outsiders, and they began to actively teach the Harakt and Yagda the secrets behind their technology. This continued for several hundred years, as the three races grew more and more intertwined and recreated the knowledge they had lost. The Middernachters took on an imperial system of rule like the Harakt and Yagda, following the descendants of the original captain, and gave rise to the Bahara Dynasties. Eventually, after centuries of work, the people of the planet Bahara were finally ready to reach out to the stars. Their fleets and military were [i]more[/i] than ready, they had everything prepared for the colonisation of nearby worlds, and perhaps most importantly, they had a mission. While they didn't know the current state of the galaxy, they knew for sure that there were other races out there. More likely than not, there would be a good few civilisations who were unable to properly take care of their people, or worse, abused them. Therefore, it was the duty of the Baharans to liberate these people, even if they themselves were not yet aware of the abuse they faced. Military: The Baharan military is essentially the most important part of their society. Every able-bodied citizen of the dynasties serves for a minimum of fifteen years, and even those considered too frail for actual combat can volunteer for support and operator roles. The military itself tends to focus largely on mechs, with specialised units for a number of different scenarios, and genetically augmented combatants, which includes both sapient and non-sapient life forms found in the empire. In addition to all this, they have a very large space fleet. While many of the technologies used by the Baharan military may seem primitive, or even outright barbaric to some, they are more than capable of using it in terrifying new ways in order to hold their own. [hider=Infantry] [img]https://i.pinimg.com/736x/90/b9/dd/90b9dd40685a0ced03cde1d47ab1df4b.jpg [/img] [img]https://i.pinimg.com/564x/04/c2/8c/04c28ce73ce6f2ca915e91b09a0b3c67.jpg[/img] The Baharan ground infantry forces are a unit that has been forged by millennia of war, and brutal mock battles along with fighting back the dangerous, and often huge, Baharan wildlife has kept them from losing their edge despite the current peace. They tend to prefer melee weapons like swords and energy shields over guns, and most projectile weapons are made to be used like them. One good example is the Sunarik, a long, rifle like firearm that also functions as a sword. Thanks to the great physical strength of the Baharans, it can be wielded quite effectively one handed, and can therefore also be used with a laser shield, although accuracy takes a hit when wielded in this way. [img]http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130706190926/primeval/images/f/f3/Future_Predator_1.jpg [/img] Another facet of the infantry is the use of genetically altered war beasts, which are controlled using signals and commands by specialised infantry units known as Beast Masters. To the Baharans, a planets native wildlife is just as important a resource as the metals beneath the surface. Of particular note is the Ordannak, large, blind predators similar to a cross between a chimpanzee, a bat, and a leopard. They are primarily used to clear out cramped underground spaces due to their echolocation and natural agility.[/hider] [hider=Navy] [img]http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20121118193850/asuraswrath/images/e/e7/Septentrion.png [/img] At first glance, the ships of the Baharan fleet may seem more like ancient temples than military vessels, but they are still quite capable of taking on a more modern armada. Many of the ships are armed with powerful shielding, and utilise a system of laser armaments made to target enemies from great distances, making them especially dangerous at long range. However, they are fairly weak at close range, relying on mechs to protect them from enemy fighters. This is due to a lack of physical armour, as metals are usually saved for use in said mechs. Fighter-sized ships are practically non-existent, as the Baharan military has chosen to focus on mechs to fill that niche. However, there are still small troop transports, evolved from civilian designs and used to get infantry forces to the surface of contested planets in order to clear the way for the larger ships to land. [/hider] [hider=Mechs] [img]https://orig12.deviantart.net/9cd7/f/2006/343/0/2/mecha___durandal_by_meganerid.jpg[/img] Mechs have earned a special place in the eyes of the Baharan military. They combine both the protection offered by military vehicles while still having the sense of 'doing something yourself' that is so important to the Baharan people. Therefore, the technology has been pushed to the limit of what the empire is currently capable of, with a number of different high powered weapons being designed specifically for them, including a larger number of more conventional guns compared to the infantry. While there is a great variety of different mech types in use, the most well known type is the OCF, standing for Orbital Combat Frame. OCFs are popular for their ability to perform similarly both inside and outside of the atmosphere, while most other models can't even operate in both. Their main use is in defensive battles, protecting the Baharan fleet from fighters and missiles, or defending key ground locations. [/hider] Religion/Culture: Having existed outside the influence of both the Orionic and Zukkid empires, the people of Bahara were never taught of either empires religion. Instead, they continue to follow the ancient religion of the Harakt, Sunarak Dunan, which means Two Swordsmen. The idea behind the religion revolves around the swordsmen Enmal, who represents heat, fire, summer and the sun, and Dizarach, who represents cold, ice, winter and the largest of Bahara's three moons. It is believed that the two are constantly locked in battle, and the arrival of summer or winter is the direct effect of one gaining the upper hand and pushing back their opponent. However, neither will ever truly win the battle until the sun eventually expands to consume Bahara and it's moons. The main thoughts behind Baharan culture are rather simple to grasp, to the point where even an outsider can easily fit in if they act properly. They are quite a blunt people, preferring to say what they mean straight out rather than beat around the bush, a habit they find quite insulting. This definitely helps when it comes to things like avoiding corruption, but it can make diplomacy quite a challenge. This has also led to a cultural importance of, for lack of a better term, having a thick skin. There are many things worth fighting over in the universe, but someone saying some mean words to you aren't one of them. Above all this though is the empire wide focus on the military and combat, to which just about every facet of Baharan life can be linked. The strong must defend the weak, which means the strong must always continue to seek greater strength for said purpose. When a disagreement [i]does[/i] occur, it is rare for the parties involved to reach a decision without some form of mock combat. Therefore, it pays to dedicate your life to combat, which is why the Baharans have a mandatory military service period of fifteen years. Finally, resourcefulness is highly respected amongst the Baharan people, and they make a habit of using absolutely everything at their disposal to improve themselves and the empire. For example, it isn't uncommon for one o find animal materials such as fur, scales, or bone in Baharan buildings, weapons, and armour. This is because it is common for the planets enormous wildlife to rampage towards cities, requiring them to be killed, and once killed, it would be foolish to waste anything. The fact that many of these creatures are incredibly durable to many forms of weaponry is just a little bonus. Demographics (Species): 40 percent Harakt 50 percent Yagda 10 percent Mitternachter Characters: The Three Emperors Ffamran Unalai: Emperor of the Harakt, Ffamran is a rather quiet person. He speaks when he needs to, but believes that actions speak louder than words. Blunt, but polite, he is probably the most diplomatic out of the current three emperors. He is also an expert at hand to hand, capable of taking on many Mitternachters in a one on one fight, including Ashelia. Chaloktha sil Medis: The Yagda emperor. A genius tactician and stategist, Chaloktha is the most easygoing of the three emperors. If he's involved in a battle, you can be sure he's one of the ones calling the shots, but outside of battle, he'll crack a few jokes, sit back, and relax. Ashelia Vandernakt: The Mitternachter Empress, Ashelia is the 'boisterous' one. Loud, excitable, and always eager for a fight, she is widely believed to be the driving force behind the three, always dragging them forwards. That isn't to say she isn't all excitement and optimism however, as like all Mitternachters she is an incredibly capable fighter, and is both capable and happy to talk [i]or[/i] fight circles around anyone who opposes her. The Imperial Retainers I'll be coming up with these as I go, so yeah, nothing yet. Relations: None yet, they're pretty isolated. Hopefully soon that'll change, though. Habitation: The types of climates preferred by Baharans varies depends on species. While the Harakt and Mitternachters prefer temperate environments, with the Mitternachters leaning more towards polar regions, the Yagda generally prefer to settle in deserts and underground. This has led to joint settlements between the three being quite intricate, extending both above and below the ground. As for transport, there are a number of methods, but the most common ones are by small carrier ships similar to those used by the military, along with some larger ships to travel between planets. [/hider]