[hider=Confederation of Volkadia]
[h1][center][color=Olive][i][b]Confederation of Volkadia[/b][/i][/color][/center][/h1]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/ZIg5wMr.png[/img]
[b][color=orange]=-=Basic Information=-=[/color][/b]
[list]
[*] It is a human-centric space empire along the border of the old empire
[*] It is a democratic oligarchy, with a partial but inactive monarchy.
[*] They are a very traditional empire with aversion to change
[*] They are a primarily human civilization, but have a large number of alien minorities within their space
[*] They are a expansive, but inward, empire on the Norma Arm
[*] They worship Sofiumism, a very mystical and highly organized version of Kineticism
[*] They speak and write the language of the 
[*] They have a highly urbanized population
[*] Their military, while partially primitive, is fairly large
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[color=orange]Claims[/color]
[hider=Claims][img]https://i.imgur.com/8xVWXHd.png?1[/img][/hider]

[color=orange]Government[/color]
[hider=Government][color=orange]Democratic Confederation[/color]
Volkadia is to formally a military republic, based in the idealism of a meritocracy. All members of the government need a number of perquisites to join the bureaucracy and advance to a higher position. Due to these perquisites, only those who comes from rich families and have a basic military services can ascend to the higher offices of the country. This in turn makes the country more closer to that of a oligarchy with elements of meritocracy rather then a full fledged republic. Volkadia is run by a number of old families who's dynasties started out as the original Blackguard and have since become powerful and incredibly wealthy political clans which specialize in the climbing the political ladder of Volkadia. The political system often used to weed out the overly ambitious and abusive and promotes those of good character and skill, and brutally suppresses and punishes selfish entities who try to worm their way into the system.
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[*] [color=orange]Hierarch[/color] - The formal head of the Heroic Family, and the Guardian of the Federation. Hierarchs do not have any formal responsibilities or powers, but they had the historic title of being the military dictator. The Hierarch's position within the nation is deeply respected, as only the blessing of the Hierarch can solidify the political acts of the Vodca, give the Vodca the blessing to rule the nation in their stead, and performs almost all government ceremonies
[*] [color=orange]Vodca[/color] - Leader of the Nation, with a number of responsibilities and powers. The Vodca is more or less a leader of the Governors, and who's vote amongst the group counts as 10 rather then 1, in order to pass their own agenda and steer the nation where is needs to go. The Vodca is the diplomatic head of state and the highest ranking military officer, thus having the ability to decide to declare war. The Vodca serves for 10 years before the next vote is called.
[*] [color=orange]Blackguard[/color] - The Military elite and formal guardians of the nations who have a myriad of powers and responsibilities. Blackguard are a military governors and temporary dictators, along with being normally the most skilled veterans of the army and temporary generals. Blackguard cannot vote as governors, but are instead have the ability of trumping laws and restructuring armies, planets, and districts as emergency governors. They have a position which serves them for life and are rarely chosen amongst the most trusted and experienced generals to this position, created entirely at the behest of the Vodca or the Hierarch.
[*] [color=orange]Governor Admiral[/color] - One of the highest promotion amongst admirals, they act as a mixture of being both a high ranking officer of the navy, but also perform all the responsibilities of a governor. Governors Admirals rule for life and are granted planets at will by the Vodca. They rule planets much like governors without a senate, and can pass this on to a new Admiral if need be. Governors Admirals and full legal control to pass laws, suppress unrest, and other dictator acts without consequence under the good faith they improve the planet and do not subvert the laws of the country. They are given a vote in the Confederate Senate.
[*] [color=orange]Governor[/color] - Rulers of a celestial body, or a very urbanized space station who's population exceeds 2 billion. Governors are the head representatives of the class of senators, voted amongst senators to represent them in the Confederate Senate. Governors mostly perform the duties of hosting their own planetary senates. Governors have a vote which equals to 5 in their own senates, but can also vote amongst each other in the Confederate Senate to pass laws. Governors serve for 25 Years until their next election cycle.
[*] [color=orange]Senator[/color] - Senators are the formal top ranking official in the political ladder, being voted by a popular vote of their respective territories where they administrated from and had passed all previous perquisites. Senators vote in a planetary parliament, as a representative of their own personal territory, with the idea that they will pass laws and improve their territory. Senators serve for life and can only be removed from their office if they had performed a crime while in office.
[*] [color=orange]Administrator[/color] - Administrators are a top public official over a planetary territory, granted full access to perform the legal duties to improve the territory, serve the local Senator in running the territory, and confirming the Colonels in enforcing the law. Any territory can have infinite number of Administrators to help run it, and generally serve for life until either retirement or advancement. Administrators require a wealth cap and a upfront payment to the state as proof of this wealth, along with passing a civil service exam, and having served in full time as a Colonel. After 5 years, Administrators can run in a local election to get themselves to become a Senator.
[*] [color=orange]Colonel[/color] - Colonels are the military officers of a local territory, mostly being there to enforce the government's laws and to lead local militias. Colonels can only serve for a maximum of 20 years before having to pass off their title of a new Colonel. Colonels can be fired from their job at any time and for any reason by an Administrators and those above them, and cannot reapply themselves to become Colonels of the same territory. Colonels comes directly from Public Servants, but are required to have at least served 5 years in the military beforehand. Colonels can serve for 5 years before petitioning the government to promote them to Administrators.
[*] [color=orange]Public Servant[/color] - A Public Servant is a government worker such as aid, police officer, or any general government employee who is commanded by either a local administrator or Colonel. While some often assume it to be a basic government job, being a Public Servant is more closely related to a career builder. Public Servants can serve as much as they are needed, but after 5 Years they may apply for advancement to a Colonel, so long as they have the proper military service which is a separate entity. Public Servants do not to perform a civil exam, but their actions and merits are recorded on a public record along with their accomplishments and failures, which is used to determine if they can advance.
[*] [color=orange]Civilian[/color] - A Citizen of the country who can vote in only their local elections of a Senator. They have the full rights and privileges of living in the country, but also it's restrictions.
[*] [color=orange]Non-Citizen[/color] - A person within the country which lives in Volkadia, but is not considered eligible to vote in their elections or have the full fledged rights. Non-Citizens are mostly made up of undesirables, aliens, and refugees.
[*] [color=orange]Slave[/color] - Slaves are sentient creatures owned by another or by the state. Slaves can only be non-human and have their own set of laws and rules detailed in the Common Courtesy Laws. Slaves cannot be separated from their families across a district, and can apply for becoming Public Servants, Colonels, and Administrators if they are considered far too skilled for menial labor, but under heavy restrictions and considerable deliberation. Slaves are normally commanded and watched over by an Overseer, and their enclaves can have their own laws and civil servants as they so chose. Slaves cannot be harmed without obvious reason, and their murder is considered a high crime.
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[color=orange]The Heroic Family[/color]
The Heroic Family is the dynasty of the original leaders of Volkadia before it's phasing out into a Republic, a highly respected family who has heavy ties to much of the empire and is considered the hallmark of Volkadian society. This family's ancestors had built the country and system and often keep up the appearences as the country's rulers by granting offices and performing diplomatic duties, but remain fairly displaced from politics. Often, the family mostly performs charitable events and is often busy with military affairs, with long traditions of the family having ties to the Volkadian military. The major rules for the Heroic family is that since they are rulers of the country already in title, the family is not allowed to become governors and can only advance in a military career, but are not eligible to be given their own planets or become Blackguard. As a highly respected family, they enjoy (and are cursed by) their celebrity status, with their personal life nearly non-existant. 
[color=orange]Confederate Senate[/color]
The Confederate Senate is located on the Volkadian homeworld and is, by far, the most important institution in all of the empire. The Confederate Senate is the full group of all combined governors and governor admirals, who can vote for a new Vodca and pass laws which impact the country. Formally, the senate house is a sacred place which is opened up with a prayer, and is followed by a speech of the current Vodca who lays out the issues of the empire for discussion. The order of importance is military issues being the first to be discussed with social issues being dead last. The governors can leave the senate building at any time, even during debates, and often these votes can be done rather humorously informal with a show of hands or even simply giving the loudest cheer. Debate is often very lively and friendly, which is more of a formality then a requirement. The only true major requirement is that when a law is proposed, it must have a majority vote amongst all senators, with silent senators being considered a no. More important votes require hand written replies from senators.
[color=orange]The Old Families[/color]
Much of Volkadia is run by what is known as the 'Old Families', immensely rich and powerful families who descend from the officers of the previous military dictatorship. In order to continue their power, and even at times to save their own personal fortunes or to increase it, these families are utterly dedicated to promoting their sons and daughters to the offices of the government with a heavy emphasis on building the perfect politician. One way which they achieve this is through genetically altering their children, and transforming them physically, mentally, and phycology changing them through advanced tutors to build better future leaders, without much empathy for the actual needs and wants of these children. These perfected children are often referred mockingly by the public as the 'Beautiful Ones'.
[color=orange]The Black Court[/color]
The Black Court is a military court set against a powerful public official, and is the existential threat to all corruption within the country of Volkadia. The Black Court is made up of 2 Admirals and the current number of Blackguard which forms a committee to investigate a high crime against a Governor, Governor Admiral, Blackguard, and even the Vodca themselves, and their court law trumps all others. If the Court finds the person guilty, the punishment is incredibly severe, requiring them to perform the old practice of state enforced suicide or be publicly executed at the steps of the senate hall. The Black Court is rarely called and is disturbingly efficient in it's tasks, and is more importantly supposedly above politics and class. While the Black Court is not normally invoked, it's existence within the law often can cause a great deal of anxiety from Vodcas to rarely promote Blackguards and many Governors are often far too afraid of the law and military to touch it or reform it.
[color=orange]Political Parties[/color]
[hider=Political Parties][color=orange]Conservatives[/color]
Vodka Conservatives are a political branch who place heavy emphasis tradition and keeping the status quo, being highly made up of the religious commoners and old families as the most choice political philosophy. Conservatives value isolation and bureaucratic moderation, and dislike the ideas of open war, international diplomacy, and drastic reform.
[color=orange]Reactionaries[/color]
Reactionaries belong to the political philosophy of the original Volkadian government, and most wish to return to the old system of authoritarian meritocracy. Reactionaries are very idealistic and much more focused on law and order, being a traditional enemy of the conservatives. Their number are mostly idealistic governors and administrators along with a number of homeworld patrons.
[color=orange]Libertarian Conservatives[/color]
One of the larger branches of the conservatives is the Libertarians, who believe in the more republican freedoms and rights but also wish to continue the old ways of the meritocracy which was built by Volkadia. Libertarian Conservatives have deep values in expanding the democractic system and smashing the old families, being mostly made up of skillful Colonels and public servants who cannot become senators because of the wealth perquisite  
[color=orange]Progressive Conservatives[/color]
Progressive Conservatives are strange considered moderates, who do not want to radically change the system and are more focused on the issues of tradition and social disputes. Progressive Conservatives are often more socially left wing, but still have no problems with the current political system. They mostly are made up of undecided voters and social minorities.
[color=orange]Reformists[/color]
Reformists are a strange mix of reactionaries and conservatives who see problems with the current system and often desire to fix it, wishing to restore old laws and systems in favor of fixing things with dramatic effect. Reformists are often willing to listen to other political parties and idealists, looking for solutions to problems, but most fall within a very authoritarian view, and often seek to subvert the republican system in favor of passing their sweeping changes.
[color=orange]Social Liberals[/color]
Social Liberals are the closest thing to the a left leaning party taken seriously in Volkadia, often made up of a number of idealistic governors from poorer old families. Social Liberals often believe in expanding the bureaucracy to help out the destitute and poor, lessening the size of the army, and expanding the scientific community rather then groveling before the Hierarch or the state's religion. Social Liberals often have formal alliances with other parties, such as Abolitionists and Progressive Liberals.
[color=orange]Progressive Liberals[/color]
Progressive Liberals are the more fanatical wing of the Social Liberals, made up of young and loud young adults and social minorities, aliens, and a decent majority of those sympathetic with slaves and non-citizens. While their party platform is often about resisting rampant radical reactionaries and promoting justice and rights for non-citizens and aliens, they often are considered very disfavored by the political system and make enemies of other parties, and ironically are arch enemies of the Abolitionists due to major political differences.
[color=orange]Theocrats[/color]
Theocrats have a long standing place as a large minority in the political parties, mostly made up entirely of pious old families and preachers. Theocrats wish to introduce Volkadia's state religion to the government, and wish to put religious law into practice, making Volkadia a democratic theocracy. Theocrats are oddly more aligned with liberals, and often value empathy and democratic beliefs, but have more or less been a staunch ally of conservatives.
[color=orange]Abolitionists[/color]
Abolitionists are an opposition party to expansionists, but are actually very much aligned with conservatives politically, with their major concern being instead of xenophobic, they wish to abolish slavery and increase the rights of aliens. Their personal views often is similar to the belief that while Volkadia was built and run by humans, aliens are far to numerous and varied to simply ignore and had just as much a right to join the empire.
[color=orange]Expansionists[/color]
Expansionists are sometimes rather mockingly called the 'party of ambitious subjugators' by their political rivals, who view that Volkadia, in order to survive, needs to rapidly expand and to subjugate other non-human species and consume other nations. Expansionists have no set political party, but almost all are very lightly xenophobic and are war hawks. A number of expansionists are involved with armchair generals and some basic politicians.
[color=orange]Isolationists[/color]
Isolationists are, but far, the most radical and hated of the political philosophies, made up of almost primarily of lonesome militias, dubious businessmen, and xenophobic conspiracy theorists. Isolationists almost universally believe that Volkadia solely belongs to their personal culture, and believe that all non-Volkadians are be unworthy of joining their nation. Being highly nationalistic, their views on aliens range from banishment to genocidal, with 'moderates' of the group often arguing for the brutal enslavement of non-Volkadians.[/hider]
[color=orange]Military-Political Promotion[/color]
Military promotion is often intertwined with political promotion in Volkadia, which has a long history which dates back to it's first free government. In some cases, military promotion is a requirement to become a Colonel, but in other cases one can simply climb the military tree to become a military governor if it is needed. Expanding on this, military achievement is greatly respected in the country and heroic deeds are often a sure fire way to pave the way for a political career and near instant advancement. When war isn't available however to show off one's courageousness, most politicians instead personally seek out (and sometimes fake) impressive police actions as a Colonel to improve their resume. This mixture also works both ways, as military careers can often recieve quick advancement with good skills in logistics and administration rather then personal martial skill. Due to this, a great deal of the best military officers in the Volkadian army can also act as very competent governors and excel in organization. 
[color=orange]Extreme Meritocracy[/color]
The government of Volkadia is obsessed with merit, a idea which they inherited from their previous governments. In order to prevent rich and unskilled fools from entering the government, military services and a very difficult service exam is placed as a stopping point. Many members of the government look for personal skill and it isn't uncommon for Senators to pull sudden tests on their administrators to varying degrees of effect to see if they are still up to their tasks. The Bureaucracy often separates those of one set of skills to work on one individual project. While the system does create impressive groups of leaders, it also often tends to lack the large structure needed for a space empire. It makes up for this by hiring less qualified officers to run day-to-day tasks and even allowing slaves into certain levels of government if they show similar skills.
[color=orange]Otrok Governments[/color]
The Otrok Governments are a unique internal government on planets with massive slave populations who could not be processed in a timely manner. These governments are mostly run by regents, who are officially slaves according to the government but have equal power to governors on their own planets, and give lip service to a local commanding overseer such as military governor who rules the planet formally. Otrok governments have their own laws, armies, ships, and even can have their own diplomacy, but due to either being a conquered people, alien, or simply deeply disliked, they are treated as a enslaved population and can be commanded or moved as one.
[color=orange]Planetary Districts[/color]
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[*] [color=orange]Volkadia District[/color] - The Core Worlds based around the home planet of [color=orangered]Ethera[/color], where the capital of the confederation lays among several other notable worlds and colonies, being the most developed and richest.
[*] [color=orange]Estate District[/color] - A former territory of the short lived Oturan Noble Estates, which was conquered and it's people enslaved. It is run almost solely by large, and fairly autonomous Otrak governments. The world of [color=orangered]Oakus[/color] is considered the capital of the region.
[*] [color=orange]Eastern Galactic District[/color] - The EGD is the combined governments which joined Volkadia, making up mostly a large number of mineral rich worlds, and very successful mining colonies.
[*] [color=orange]Northern Galactic District[/color] - One of the poorer district which use to make up a smaller space empire which was conquered and consumed into Volkadia. While these systems lack a number of habitable worlds, the colonies are home to a huge population and prestigious shipyards.
[*] [color=orange]Colonial District[/color] - The CD is the small outward expanding colonies of Volkadia, building on and claiming habitable worlds or staking claims, only for it hopefully one day evolve into a formal district. Planets and colonies in the CD do not have governors, but instead have colonial administrators which cannot vote in the Confederate Senate.
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[/hider]

[color=orange]History[/color]
[hider=History][color=orange]Ethera Prime[/color]
Ethera was founded, at least according to most Volkadian historians, during the early expansion of human civilization and was a prime target for the original Oturan, but when their own kingdom was annexed into the empire, the planet was passed over to several mining corporations which drilled for minerals. Ethera, being a habitable planet, soon became a hotbed for colonization efforts in the region and expanded upon it's mining industries. The planet grew into several rich cities all swearing loyalty to several powerful corporations. Ethera's mining companies grew outward, forming the industrial base which made the planet highly urbanized, sacrificing much of the planet's original ecosystem in favor of super industrial parks. While the political structure had been one of open minded secularism and corporate sponsored direct democracy, a number of local religions began to grow out of the community superstitions of the urbanized planet, forming some monotheistic and polytheistic cults. These cults, along with the planet's long history of urbanization and industrialization, forged it's own unique culture which began to grow more and more tired of it's corporate patrons.
[color=orange]Imperial Annexation[/color]
Following a period of the political decline of corporations on the planet, the people of Ethera began to protest their democracies, wishing to form their own republic. During a period of cultural expansion of the Etheran peoples, who now inhabited a number of colonies and planets in the Norma Arm, the Orionic empire sided with the Etherans to quell their unrest and to rest control of their industrial centers to tax more efficiently. The republic lasted for only a short while afterwards, as imperial bureaucracy eventually saw the region outright annexed for favorably into the empire, and the potential political faction of a rising Etheran culture separated amongst several states. Ethera itself became a developed capital of the region and was a important factory for many forms of civilian tools, heavy machinery, and even became a shipyard for larger ships.
[color=orange]The Zuukid-Imperial War[/color]
When the war began to hear up between the empire of the Zuukids, a need for weapons and ships was placed in the increasing responsibility of Ethera, which tried desperatly to fill the ever increasing and sporadic orders. As refugees began to pour into he region, unrest grew amongst both the native and non-native populations, leading to massive riots which threatened the factories. Order was only partially restored by Admiral Zukav, a foreign admiral, who established himself on the planet and cut down protesters where he could find them. As things began to turn more desperate in the war, and floods of refugee ships began to pour into the system, Zukav began to set planetary defenses to shoot down refugee ships and to use his army to quell revolts of separatists which grew more and more frequent. When imperial bureaucracy collapsed, the factories had stopped producing as the admiral declared himself as a regent dictator of the Ethera and isolated the planet in order to restore some semblence of control.
[color=orange]Admiral Zukav's War[/color]
Zukav was a skilled admiral but a horrible leader, and his political ignorance led him astray. His army led a number of failed campaign to restore imperial control over the Oturan region of space, which failed to bypass their fortresses and fast fleets, but his biggest conflict was with a warlord and former imperial admiral named Zaven Pena. Zaven had turned to banditry with his small fleet of destroyers to profit off the imperial decline, and Zukav, ever the loyalist, led a suicidal campiagn to drive him away from Ethera space. The Battle of Ulkam III, was a massive failure. Zukav's larger cruisers were ill prepared for Zaven's more unnatural attacks and tricked the inexperienced captains to expose their ships to more formidable attacks. Zukav would continue these disastrous campaigns for years, depleting down his garrison until his own death when Zaven was finally killed but at the cost Zukav ramming his flagship into Zaven's. Zukav's Etherian captain, Pavol Komár, restored some semblance of order and created a noble republic in it's place.
[color=orange]Ethera Primus[/color]
In a period of rebellion, Ethera Primus was a small successor state led by the Komár dynasty which sought to consume the near by other rebel states and civilizations. Ethera still had heavy industry and shipyards, but now lacked the major resources to use them properly, a problem not fully realized by the Komárs or their captains till it was far too late. While they were able to expand and annex a number of smaller system to feed their war machine, it was not enough to battle larger states. The Komárs lost considerable support when Ethel Komár, one of the leaders during this period, began to attack the imperial faith of Kineticism and tried to change the religion of his empire to one of the polytheistic faiths. This failed miserably, which led to huge religious revolts, driving many into the hands of nationalistic groups who whispered of the Komárs being nothing more the Zuukid puppets and traitors. Religious alliances, and rise in a new mystical religion called Sofiumism, further greated social and political divides which grew into the secular military, which grew tired of the failed schemes of the imperial Komárs.
[color=orange]The Black Rebellion[/color]
During a mild summer on the planet, a young pious man named Blažej Novák was praying with family in a Sofium church, when armed guards rushed into the building and shot it up. The bandits, radicals from one of the terror groups which had been trying to quell the religion, had gotten away and left Blažej Novák bleeding out, and a beloved sister dead. Two years later Blažej formed a vigilante militia which grew in popularity little by little, and with great charisma, eventually began to rival a local garrison. During a very unpopular war between the state and the Oturan, Blažej's militia was funded heavily by spies and agents, and led to what would become known as the Black Revolt. The revolution, filled to the brim with zealots and nationalists, forged a idealistic ideology of their own making which opposed the old bureaucracy. The revolt was bloody and swift, and when the failed armies returned home, most simply surrendered or even join the new government. Blažej's originaly commanders of his militia became his 'Blackguard', and executed the Komárs on the steps of their palace.
[color=orange]Volkadian Leadership[/color]
The revolution was started in a culturally rich region on the planet known as The Volk, which born the nation's name of Volkadia. The formal government however was young, and had made promises to not return to the old ways. The Nováks forged their own dynasty as the Leaders of the nation, with commanders acting as feudal administrators who were bound by oaths of meritocracy. Failure in the government, such as corruption or selfish ambition, could often result in the famlicide of a Blackguard family. Under the Leadership, extreme law and order was established but was also empathic to the native peoples. This benevolent dictatorship would last for a fair amount of time, and was heavily entrenched in militarism and centralization, but promised at the end of 200 years of rebuilding that it would allow a vote to end the Leadership and create a republic.
[color=orange]The Church of Sofium[/color]
The religion of Sofium expanded during the Black Revolt, especially due the piety and promotion of the Nováks. Sofium was built up on the planet of Ethera, combing a mixture of beliefs of several local cults, extreme mysticism, and a very warped version of Divine Kineticism. This mix had many interruptions and was considered more of a native cult up until it's drastic incline. In order to keep the faith together, a preacher by name of Valentín Mráz wrote his [i]The Will of the Lord[/i] which promoted the divine energy being as a literal god who talked to Valentín and made him a prophet. Valentín, a highly charasmatic man himself, became the first true leader of the church built the temple city of 'Mesto na Kopci', a huge series of gardens, temples, and parks which became a cultural and religious hotspot, and eventually even became the capital of the new faith. The faith's centralized beliefs and structure were built here, and ascended to become the state religion of Volkadia.
[color=orange]Volkadian-Oturan War[/color]
The Oturan Noble Estates, a small mammalian alien species hailing from the planet Oakus, had built a small feudal empire based in pacifism and rural development. Their rivalry with Ethern was a hotbed of issues for years, but under the rule of Leader Branko Novák, the Volkadians sought to at first wrest control of important military outposts. When the first intial conflicts were originally won due to Oturan naval problems, the Volkadians gambled by pressing further and further into their territory until they were over the capital of Oakus, leading a huge campaign to conquer the Oturan. The Oturan were forced into slavery, and the Leadership has expanded the size of their territory by twice it's original size, gaining many of the Oturan technologies, shipyards, and highly valued farming worlds and colonies. 
[color=orange]Volkadian-Zumberian War[/color]
With it's new found wealth, a new war was enacted against Volkadia's northern neighbor which had been experiencing a bout of civil war. Under a new government, a refugee and rebel leader of Zumberia had tried to turn his attention to Volkadia and fortified a number of planets. Acting as a dictator who pressed for alien rights over humans, humans who shared the culture of Volkadia, the Volkadians were invited by the Zumberian rogue government to invade. Despite problems with constantly needing to quell Oturan rebellions, the Volkadian navy crushed the Zumberian defenses during the intensive Battle of Siea, where Zumberian capital ships were disabled by boarding parties and marines, allowing the Volkadian cruisers to outmatch the Zumberian fleets. When Zumberia fell, the old government was not restored but instead betrayed, and instead the Volkadians annexed the civilization and kicked out a number of aliens from the planet.
[color=orange]Common Courtesy Laws[/color]
While the Leadership grew rich, it also saw a great deal of decline due to it's xenophobic and expansionist policies. Failures in diplomacy led to the frequent scare of war, and there was a great deal of social unrest when it come to the questions of slavery. Oturan, who had since become a common slave race, were almost as populous as humanity and were not suitable for hard labor due to their small stature and poor strength. However, what the Oturan were better known for was their skillful engineering, a knack which was well known by ship captains who often used them as engineers. In order to exploit this, the Common Courtest Laws were passed, granting the Oturan better conditions and encouraged them to become educated to further the pool of skilled engineers for the Volkadians. These laws paved the way for more sweeping empathic reforms, which swayed with the current political attitudes.
[color=orange]The Black Vote[/color]
As promised, after 200 years, the Leadership announced that while Ethera had been rebuilt, there were still problems with the state, but would ask if the Leadership should continue, or evolve into a republic. The vote became a hot political topic of it's time, with foreign nations involving themselves to sway the vote to earn Volkadia as a possible ally. The Volkadia people, swayed by years of rising opposition to the government, eventually voted in a close vote to dismantle the Leadership into a republic. Over the next 45 years, there were plans to balkanize the Volkadia into 6 separate states to be represented by 6 separate republics, but under the sway of the original Blackguard who had made large scale deals, bribes, and threats kept the nation together in a close knit confederation. The ideals of meritocracy which was promoted by the Leadership was expanded upon further, and many of the Blackguard families retired to their own personal estates, but many of their sons, who felt cheated by the vote, in a generation would climb their way up the ladder and formalize the government into what it is today, electing a new leader amongst themselves to rule the country.
[color=orange]Annexation of Nauseria[/color]
One of the last Etherian civilizations which had yet to be consumed was Nauseria, a small monarchy which switched to a republic in it's later years. Large political strife between the Monarchists and the Republicans came to a head, eventually sparking all out civil war which was supported by two rivaling civilization. While the Monarchists did win, the Republicans sought aid from Volkadia, which mustered a army of volunteers and supplies to support the republicans, but when the republic was winning, they has switched sides due to vicious comments by the secular republicans about the Volkadian religion and it's treatment of the Oturan. The Monarchists did win, but had barely an army to quell revolts and revolutions which threatened to break apart the state, and eventually a minister of the government asked the Volkadians for assistance. The Volkadians clamped down on the territory, but eventually inherited the region when the royal family of Nauseria decided to simply retire to Oakus rather then rule the deformed space empire. Nauseria's people were put to a vote to decide the fate of their nation, the tired populous favored uniting with Volkadia, thus uniting the entire culture group under one nation.
[color=orange]Astrana-Aurolian Conflict[/color]
When war broke out between Astrana and Aurolia, the Volkadians under the rule of Vodca Aleš Križ diplomatically assured the neutrality of his people, but secretly began meeting and forming an alliance with the Kingdom of Astrana. The Volkadians joined the war effort of Astrana against the republic, but their effort in the war both a boon and a curse. The Republic had a number of smaller fleets which tormented the Estate District, leading the frequent siege of Oakus itself, which required the Astrana fleets to break away to help the Volkadians defend their home territory. The Volkadians bought bravely in the war, but were unable to even touch the republic lands, mostly due to shifting opinion of the war. A number of Volkadian colonies and planets were horrifically damaged and depopulated, which left the population bitter over the white peace which was declared afterward. While the reasoning for the war was over a desire to form diplomatic ties with Astrana publically, Aleš had been under the impression that victory would grant his country rich rewards and colonies.
[color=orange]The Speedwell Riots[/color]
The Speedwell Riots were a major uprising which caused a great deal of national debate and caused scorn between the growing political factions. The Speedwell was a poor strip on the home world which was made up of a number of non-citizens who protested the government, eventually drawing in slaves and discontent citizens. While the protest remained peaceful, reactionaries and isolationists tried to break up the riot by force, resulting in a massive clash. This clash left several dead and many more wounded, but it's example has caused political dissent into a downward spiral for the next few years. Many political parties and idealists became entrenched, with many questioning the validity of the old system, and new political ideas to form within the nation.
[color=orange]Current Events[/color]
As it currently stands, Volkadia has been a fairly decent nation which has been mostly building up it's infrastructure and has lived in a state of stagnation for several years. Powerful new politicians have recently taken the lead of the nation, with new factions, fanatics, and reformers having come to the forefront of the nation. As these factions begin to build up, external issues pulls traditional leaders away to forge a stronger tie to the international community, with even heavier debate stirring to perhaps become a new empire.[/hider]

[color=orange]Military[/color]
[hider=Military][color=orange]Recruitment[/color]
Volkadia has traditionally since the Leadership had used conscription to bolster it's numbers, requiring all males over the age of 21 to enlist into the army during a time of war. During peace time however, almost all forms of recruitment is through volunteers, with many highly educated often joining a military to get a step up in the political machinations of the confederacy. Volkadia can often switch laws rather easily if it ever runs low on manpower, and is often very willing to relax harsher laws in order to increase recruitment. Due to the intertwining nature, the biggest boon is that there is great number of skilled army administrators, but the issue arises is that since many of the positions in the army are used for political purposes, this leads to a capacity of commanders and officers who are overly cautious in the battlefield at best, and outright cowardly at worst. This problem is only slightly remedied by conscription into the army.
[color=orange]Organization[/color]
The army structure of the Volkadian armies and navies rests in a hierarchal group of officers, but the main leaders are the admirals. Often, due to a high influx of skilled army officers, the operations of a Volkadian army often runs very smoothy, with very little confusion. The army focuses on very good communication, with a large array of captains who keep the army in line. Armies are divided into groups of around 10,000, with each individual group making up 500 soldiers. Most large scale campaign tactics often involve quick and precise strikes, breaking through the lines, and highly organized pushing along battle lines to overwhelm enemy forces, while focusing elite forces on weaker lines to push through, encircle, and overwhelm.
[color=orange]Military Philosphy[/color]
Volkadian armies and navies believe in the practicality of war, and that self sacrifice has be done in a smart way rather then in vain. Volkadian honor heroes who valiantly lead the charge themselves through the front lines of their enemies, but also value soldiers who tactically retreat when all is lost. Soldiers are expected to follow orders, but there is formal rule which prohibits looting, pillaging, and taking prisoners as slaves (so long as they are not human). Admirals are not foreign to the concept of firing on escaping ships and escape pods if it cannot be avoided, and will often ask for surrender as a warning. Volkadians do these things under the perception that this can be done to them at any time, and thus most Volkadians are not very shocked if atrocities are done to them, and in fact, fully expect it.
[color=orange]Volkadian Armed Forces[/color]
[hider=Types][color=orange]Volkadian Conscripts[/color]
Conscripts are lightly armored infantry, not being formally apart of the armed forces until war is declared. They are a mix of citizens, and some non-citizens in more desperate hours, which are given light projectile weapons and two shrapnel grenades. Their armor is often not universal, giving them the appearance of a militia.
[color=orange]Volkadian Infantry[/color]
The Infantry are backbone of the Volkadian army, given anti-ballistic body armor, metal helm, heavy boots, and a projectile rifle. Infantry are trained in boot camps for half a year before they are considered ready for active duty. They are trained to be strong as humanly possible and are taught specifically on how to use and fire their weapons. Their gear includes 4 shrapnel grenades, two tank busting grenades, a combat knife, and a communication set shared between their squad and commanding officer. Like most infantry, their uniform is often brown and black.
[color=orange]Volkadian Grenadier[/color]
The Grenadier is a unique elite soldier who joins a squad of Infantry as their own units, being a support unit which mans a 'Hammer of God' rocket mortar. This rocket mortar launches a specialized rocket which is equipped with not only high explosives, but also a fair deal of electronic neutralizers, helping it neutralize shields and damage robotic infantry. Grenadiers use their mortars against aircraft as well, and can act as devastating end to armored advances.
[color=orange]Volkadian Marksman[/color]
The Volkadian Marksman is a specialized sniper attached to recon teams, normally supported by the infantry in high combat situations. Marksmen are not scouts, but rather act as long range anti-officers, whose main target is commanders, captains, and officials. Marksmen often use a number of communication disrupting devices, along with tracking dart ammo, to help hunt their quarry.
[color=orange]HCS Infantry[/color]
Heavy Combat Suits, are large pieces of power armor which is wielded by experienced infantry. The suits are made up of a hardened metal and their pilots are normally drugged up on body enhancing drugs and infused with mechanical upgrades. These suits are designed for the two important purposes; being bullet shields and wielding massive Gauss Guns. Gauss Guns fire immensely dense ammunition which cannot be wielded by traditional infantry and requires the suits to wield, but with these suits, these guns can rip into light vehicles, all while protecting the pilot from incoming fire. These suits are very regularly customized to have personal shields, advanced mobility, or even have the guns rearmed into new variations. Due to the fact that these suits are hugely expensive and their pilots tend to not live long lives, they are a rare addition to the army.
[color=orange]Light Vehicles[/color]
Light vehicles, transports, and support vehicles make up the fleet of the Volkadians army. Volkadian light vehicles are built more towards speed then durability, capable of quickly supplying and reinforcing a position, but are otherwise fairly balanced. Lighter transports are normally attached with machine guns, giving them a slight defensive capability while moving.
[color=orange]LBT 'Dusans'[/color]
Dusans are designed to be the the ultimate light battle tanks, which was insanely cheap to build, quick to produce, fairly reliable, and designed in a superior way to match other light tanks. The Dusans are made for the sole purpose of providing a tank to every corner of the battlefield, keeping enemy armies pinned down who may not be fully capable of combating armor. While on treads, hover variations exist but are much harder to build and far less durable.
[color=orange]HBT 'Novaks'[/color]
Novaks, named after the Heroic Family, is a monsterous tread tank about the size of a small house, with huge canons, several machine gun nests, and a number of gadgets which keep the tank afloat. Built to be near indestructible, its usage requires a great deal of resources to field, is insanely slow, and has a vulnerable underbelly which has made the monstrous tank biggest weakness to minefields. When deployed, it is done with caution, as it can easy both turn to the tide battle or end up costing it.
[color=orange]AIM 'Jelens'[/color]
The Anti-Infantry Mech was a design for the Oturan conquest, a terrifying walker equipped with a multitude of weapons such as a long range gatling gun, a anti-vehicle cannon, and anti-air close range rockets. This mech is often accompanied by light vehicles and infantry and like many mechs, is fairly easy to handle and extremely agile with proper training.
[color=orange]Kolar Rocket Mortar[/color]
Kolars are considered something out of a nightmare for those who had the displeasure of facing off against them, being mobile mortar trucks which fire hundreds of high explosive rockets from a long range. These rockets are often customized depending on the commander, often with many being filled with poisonous gas or anti-shielding devices. These siege weapons have been considered primitive, but yet still very effective, due to their mobility and inconspicuous appearance as a light vehicle.
[color=orange]'Overwatch' Gunship[/color]
The Overwatch Gunship is a planetary flying machine, transport, and combat vehicle used to transport soldiers, lay down cover fire, and wipe out infantry divisions. The gunships are equipped with two gatling guns and a number of rockets, but their main feature is their slim designs and evasive capabilities, such as anti-rocket flares and anti-laser shielding, which makes it a difficult enemy to hit.
[color=orange]'Bloodhawk' Bomber[/color]
Bloodhawks are originally a Oturan design which was incorporated into the military as a planetary close range bomber. The bomber is a fairly large plane in design, but it’s main features include having several high impact guns in the front, back, and sides of the ship, along with several smaller guns used by the pilot. The bomber can go at a immense speed and then slow down to perform it’s bombing run.
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[color=orange]Volkadian Naval Forces[/color]
[hider=Types][color=orange]Volkadian Support Ships[/color]
When it comes down to Volkadian support ships, most of these ships rarely if ever provide actual assistance in battle, but instead are put to the side of a naval fleet to be out of harm’s way before the battle begins. While this may make them vulnerable targets, most support ships have small fighter bays which give them some defensive capabilities, with medical ships have anti-fighter flak cannons. Support ships often always include a medical ship, but some overly ambitious commanders will sometimes bring a prisoner ship.
[color=orange]Convoy Vessels[/color]
Most Volkadian convoy ships are moderate in size, since as transports they need to be able to store a vast quantity of supplies and the actual legions they need to transport without them being overly large targets. Volkadian supply vessels often tend to be much larger, but are not expected to be battle capable, and are normally guarded by several destroyers, since they are valuable ships.
[color=orange]'Mayfly' Fighters[/color]
Mayflies are the common fighters for the Volkadian army, used in both naval and planetary combat. Mayflies are T shaped ships with three laser cannons connected to a central cockpit, with some anti-fighter homing rockets. These ships, while slow on their own accord, are terrifyingly plentiful due to their cheap to produce design and easy to train pilots.
[color=orange]'Dragonfly' Bombers[/color]
Dragonflies are much more thicker and wider versions of the Mayfly fighter, which has replaced it’s triple laser cannons with a storage of homing missiles. Dragonflies are long ranged and fire their shot from a distance, their missiles locking onto individual targets to destroy. Due to the fact that missiles are infamously known to be vulnerable to fire, the bombers are far more effective when they get up close and personal.
[color=orange]'Corsair' Boarding Gunships[/color]
Corsairs are named after the occupants of marines which normally are transported on. Corsair ships are large personal transported with hooked landing gear and have a number of jamming devices to hide their approach, latching onto  enemy ships during firefights to deploy marine crews. These boarding gunships are armed with three anti-fighter turrets and a thick haul to protect it from attacks, but the ships are infamously slow and vulnerable to heavy fire.
[color=orange]Destroyers[/color]
The smallest of the Volkadian ships, armed with 6 small kinetic guns and low shields. Most Volkadians destroyers are used more so for defensive purposes and ship support, and are not considered the backbone of the Volkadian navy. Destroyers are often used in convoy defense or hunting down fighter swarms.
[color=orange]Frigates[/color]
Frigates are medium ships which have a fair amount of armor and shields, along with a gun array of 9 anti-fighter defensive turrets, 4 medium kinetic guns, and 2 medium laser cannons. Frigates are often considered the main ship of the navy, used exclusively in major conflicts and battles.
[color=orange]Cruisers[/color]
Cruisers are elite ships with medium shields and heavy plate armor, being considered the vanguard ship of a Volkadian fleet. Cruisers are armed with 18 anti-fighter defensive turrets, 4 large Kinetic guns, and 4 medium laser cannons. Cruisers lead ships fleets into battle, soaking up salvos which give time for the frigates and battleships to fire.
[color=orange]Artillery Cruisers[/color]
Artillery Cruisers are specially designed cruisers with a large opening at the front, with much of ship gutted out and repurposed into a long ranged monstrosity which fires a barrage of long range missiles. These ships have very little armor and heavier shields, with only 6 anti-fighter defensive turrets. These ships are used specifically to battle defensive fortresses and stations. One variation of these cruisers use them as loading bays for fighters, becoming huge carriers in space.
[color=orange]Battleships[/color]
Sometimes referred by the Volkadians as ‘The giant black trash collector’, Volkadian battleships are the largest and naval ships that confederacy has to offer. These ships often dwarf cruisers in size, have heavy armor and shields, along with over 40 anti-fighter defensive turrets, a fighter loading bay, 10 large kinetic guns, 8 large laser cannons, and a single large main ‘Mountain Breaker’ Cannon. Mountain Breakers are a huge kinetic blast which is used to level larger ships, requiring a huge amount of power to fire.
[color=orange]Defense Stations[/color]
Defensive outposts and stations are not originally of Volkadian design, but are rather much more closer to that of Oturan designs. ‘Ship Ripper’ systems were a design of the Oturan which was a strange weapon mix of kinetic weapons which fired homing rounds which could near instantly destroy unidentified fighters and combat small medium cruisers. These systems are often infused to most Volkadian starports and fortresses, with larger Gauss turrets being built onto more defensible stations to combat larger battleships.
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[color=orange]Volkadian Black Ops[/color]
[hider=Types][color=orange]Volkadian Blackhand[/color]
The Blackhand are a old special forces team which dates back to the Black Revolt, a group of highly skilled marksman and spies who work as assassination teams and information gatherers. Blackhand, in their modern interpretation, perform a number of special operations and do most form of basic and advanced espionage. They are best known for their counter-espionage tactics, having strong ties to communities of mobsters, hitmen, and career criminals who provide them with information in return for good ties with the government. Blackhand in the field use a wide variety of silenced weapons, sensors, and melee weapons, wearing limited armor and gear.
[color=orange]Oturan Hackers[/color]
On and off the battlefield, modern equipment such as advanced war robots, enemy vehicles, and advanced communications are an annoying problem faced by Volkadian armies. This is often why the army buys a number of young Oturan and force them to study electronic and computing, using them as military hackers to understand and infest enemy computing systems with corruption. Hackers often act as code deciphers and and even intelligence officers.
[color=orange]Operator[/color]
Operators are combat zone special forces, elite troops often charged with risky missions on the battlefield. Operators use silenced weapons, and often have a large array of gadgets to help them perform military operations, such as signaling airstrikes and artillery from behind enemy lines, showing a sniper to a safe spot to help assassinate a general, or leading a assault on important structures to secure vital information. Operators, unliked their Blackhand counterparts, often also act as special police forces and as scouts for the main army.
[color=orange]Corsair Marines[/color]
Corsair marines are marines which are specially trained infantry which fly in dangerous boarding actions against enemy ships. They infinitrate ships in space suits upon breaching the haul of the ship with the aid of specialized transport of the same name, which bores into the ship and grants the marines access. Once inside, the marines cause damage by fighting their way through the enemy crew, killing captains and stealing away important persons or intel. Corsairs rarely take the opportunity to capture enemy ships, despite the fact that in doing so earns them incredible prestige and honors.
[color=orange]Wardens[/color]
Wardens, are in most sense, kidnappers and smugglers who are in the employ of the Volkadian government. Wardens are spies often tasked with two important jobs, kidnapping scientists and other important persons, and hunting escaped slaves silently. Wardens typically work on their own lonesome, but their job earns them considerable wealth. While Warden loyalty to the country is infamously dubious, most Wardens get off rich and tend to retire fairly early, making them fairly unlikely to rejoin the covert scene once they leave.
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[color=orange]Volkadian Janissary Corps[/color]
[hider=Types][color=orange]Janissary Infantry[/color]
The Janissary corps are a vague group of slave soldiers, while normally associated with the Oturan, they also tend to apply to forcefully conscripted armies. Unlike the normal electric collars that most slaves were, Janissaries have their own unique brand which is connected to a commissar who trains and leads them into combat, specifically from afar. Janissaries are often a very last ditch army, but are employed almost exclusively by Otrok governments in the Estate district to help run their day to day operations. Janissaries have dark green cloths and use Oturan laser rifles, along with some stun grenades and a combat knife.
[color=orange]Oturan Combat Engineer[/color]
Oturan engineers are often used on ships or in military storehouses to repair vehicles or maintain them, but combat engineers fight in the main battlefields themselves. Combat Engineers are specialized elite Oturan infantry and are loosely associated with the Janissary corps officially, but realistically they appear in most battlefields. Engineers use defensive turrets, mines, and computerized spikes to create defensive positions, and their expertise is used to help fortify positions and to destroy enemy traps.
[color=orange]Oturan Hover Tank[/color]
The Oturan Hover Tank is the only land vehicle which is allowed to the main Janissary Corps for highly skilled pilots. While commanded by a human officer, the slave crew who commands these vehicles use them to devastating effect. Besides the fact that the tank hovers and is commanded solely by a group of Oturan, the main weapon of the tanks is a quad laser cannon which can move in various directions, capable of also acting as a anti-air turret.
[color=orange]Oturan Warship[/color]
The Oturan states, despite being slaves, still have a small fleet of warships which are used by the Janissary Corp as support vessels, transports, and warships. Oturan Warships are long ships with 9 anti-fighter defensive turrets, 8 small laser cannons, and one very large laser cannon. These ships, unlike the dark hauls of the normal Volkadian ships, are very homey, bright, and have very advanced shielding.

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[color=orange]Culture and Religion[/color]
[hider=Culture][color=orange]Appearance[/color]
Volkadian history as a urbanized and industrial people has had a profound effect on how they dress, giving them a rather informal and peasant look. Volkadian Commoners typically wear a heavy knit shirt with overalls, with belts and cloaks with a common color of brown, black, or sometimes rarely orange. It isn’t uncommon for a Volkadian to wear goggles or have a utility belt, nor is it uncommon for them to have knives, guns, or some kind of tool on their person. Richer and political Volkadians often wear something more similar to a military design, with only rare exceptions of formal wear. Often the biggest difference between rich and poor Volkadians is their hygiene and beards, with richer Volkadians trimming themselves to have decent sized beards and are fairly always clean, but poorer Volkadians rarely even bother with such things and typically shave themselves in order to stave off the urban heat.
[color=orange]Craftsmanship[/color]
Volkadian design is often considered by many, especially fellow Volkadians, to be depressingly industrial. Volkadian structures often have only very dim lighting, with a high emphasis on having as little lighting as possible, as it is considered a more beautiful design. Volkadian homes and cities are very clustered and tight, a design carried over into their ships, vehicles, and monuments. Due to this, a decent number of sight problems exist for Volkadians. Volkadians specialize in Kinetic weapons and projectiles, this is mostly due to their heavy industrial history which produced these weapons and in the preferred weapons of ancient overseers. While clean and healthy environment is a preference, it is not considered heavily necessary for Volkadian civilization, which is why their city’s industrial centers often mix into their homes and businesses, causing the unfortunate problem where many cities and ships can easily become polluted and littered with trash.
[color=orange]Traditions[/color]
Volkadians have their own traditions shared amongst their various cultures and subcultures, most of it having a heavy emphasis on hard work and individual care, but also loyalty and glory to the state. Volkadians marry in churches, often accompanied by a large feast. Volkadian burial is a bit more traditional, in which when a person is dead, the body lays in a small burial room beneath the church surrounded by their worldly possessions that were not apart of their will, and the body is burned with ceremony. The ashes are then normally stored in a local church’s vault or collected by the family.
[color=orange]Family[/color]
Volkadian families are supposedly very strong and close knit, but realistically the ideal family is often far from the minds of most. Volkadian families have no formal leaders, but rather the individual is often just bonded with another, with no cohesion on either one’s part. Children are often viewed as little more then as tools or as a means to an end, which is why many children in both rich and poor families end up in the work on their family as cheap labor until they start their own family. True love between families is often fairly rare, but things such as divorce and abuse is often very rare in Volkadian society simply because both partners view themselves more as partner rather than a lover. Family vengeance is also very taboo, and kinslaying is not considered even a true concept by most Volkadian standards.
[color=orange]Law[/color]
Volkadian law is fairly basic for a modern empire, having a tiered system of courts in which handle various kinds of crimes and perform punishments. The biggest difference is that much of the law enforcement is controlled by the military and often in the pockets of rich families. Volkadian law is enforced by Colonels, marshals who enforce the local laws and build up their own law enforcement, whether it be a formal system or just a ragtag militia. Normal punishments include prison sentences lasting 10 to 15 years, or if the crime is severe, execution by firing squad. Overseers, men who run slave enclaves of the Oturan, have extra legal powers and responsibilities, and enforce their protection by executing those who abuse the Common Courtesy Laws with repercussion regardless of class or wealth.
[color=orange]Rights[/color]
Rights tend to be a complicated matter in the confederation, as different governors often set their own policies on what and what is not legal. One governor may outlaw certain marriage types or even specific races from their world, and virtually every governor has their own laws and rules on journalism and religion. Normally, Volkadians just do not care so long as it doesn’t impede their work ethic or their private lives, but the more politically minded often lean towards liberalism despite their overly conservative society. Men and women have equal rights under the law, but the law often favors the skilled and most useful, often meaning cripples and the retarded are treated with disdain and make up a decent size of the homeless population. Aliens have limited rights, with the Oturan being a slave race and have rights set before them by the state.
[color=orange]Education[/color]
Education is extremely brief in Volkadian culture, as there is a high taboo for wasted time on useless things like high education when one can learn all they need to know from political, military, and industrial service. Education starts at 6 years of age, and ends as 14, where the state legally recognized that at the age of 14 they can drink, drive, and work. Higher Volkadian education is often reserved for the old families who pay for personal tutorships. Most forms of high education is often encouraged by tech companies and private ventures, and free education is provided to the Oturan enclaves to encourage them to become engineers.
[color=orange]Entertainment[/color]
The industrial culture of Volkadia often gives a great deal of room for the bread of circuses of their society. Volkadians in their free time will socialize in bars, coffee houses, and corner restaurants which acts as a secondary center of any Volkadian community, with richer Volkadians having their own personal bars which serve only rich and expensive wines and beers. Electronic gaming is very popular in Volkadia, but the highest value of entertainment is often trekking out into a non-urban wilderness to visit, play, and relax. Movie theaters are often considered low end entertainment since Volkadia has very little media industry, with sports teams being a even rarer.
[color=orange]Slavery[/color]
Slavery has been a major part of Volkadian society since the conquest of the Oturan, often existing only for certain alien species but not fully used. According to the state, slaves are essentially state owned citizens, and thus cannot be morally or legally sold to other civilization, but only redistributed amongst the populace. Most if not all slaves are Oturan in Volkadia, but slave is a very loose term. Oturan, being small and weak, are not allowed to do heavy physical labor, but are most relegated to their favored tasks of engineering. Enslaved crews repair and maintain ships, perform maintenance, and even perform political duties. Non-skilled labor often are damned to menial work such as cleaning, personal servitude, and retail jobs. Slaves are kept universally in line with shock collars, and their enclaves are commanded by a Overseer and a group of enslaved police made up of the slave population to keep the community in line.
[color=orange]Common Courtesy Laws[/color]
The CCL was made under a assumption that just as slavery corrupts the slave, so does it corrupt the master. The CCL is a outline of what can and cannot be done to slaves, or more specifically the Oturan. Slave cannot be abused without a proper reason, and cannot be killed. Slaves have a right to keep their families together, until they come of age, but can still be kept within their enclave. The CCL also provides a unique currency system, rewards, and a set of services to each enclave community, the only exceptions being that of religion and journalism. All CCL guidelines are enforced by a Overseer, which enforces the rules by executing those who abuse them. The CCL’s biggest addition is rules on how to end the system of slavery under the assumption that those enslaved for so long have fully joined Volkadian society, essentially having been washed clean of their former religion and culture.
[color=orange]Psychology[/color]
Volkadians are by most accounts a hard working people, who love and hate their society. On one hand, Volkadia is a great working environment which encourages merit and their people are for the most part successful, but on the other hand most live in a loveless squalor under tyrants who rarely listen to the people. Volkadians are often a depressing lot who view themselves not as superior, but wish to be. Volkadians are not naturally a xenophobic people, but rather simply lack empathy of aliens and their problems, and often believe if that aliens wish to exist in human space, they need to embrace human culture, ideas, and supremacy of the stars.
[color=orange]Oturan Culture and Customs[/color]
Oturan, as a bound race to Volkadia, are by their very nature pacifist and feudal. Oturan are bound by strong castes, with nobles always being nobles no matter what condition they are in, and automatically deserve the respect as a noble. Oturan despise war, being known for their abounding kindness, empathy, and caution. As an semi-aquatic species, Oturan love their pools and aquariums, with much of their original infrastructure being partially underwater. Oturan are a rural people, and have a affinity for their old feudal culture, but their strongest cultural tie is to engineering and design. Oturan education has many strong educational traditions, especially when it comes to engineering, with highly prestigious schools on Oakus which train new elite Oturan engineers.
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[hider=Religion][color=orange]Sofiumist Theology[/color]
Sofium is a Kineticist sect which is unique to Volkadia, a descendent of local religions which had taken on Kineticist ideas, theology, and names as its own. Sofium theology states that all life in the universe was created by Sof, who’s body is composed of various spirits, and humanity’s spirit was Spiritus who created an avatar named Orion who spoke truth to the world and revealed that Spiritus was heir to the great kingdom of the heavens, and thus humanity was prophesied to rule the stars, and that Spiritus had destroyed the other spirits. In doing, having declared automatic victory, Sof demands that humanity prepare for the end times and that they would need to bring the creations of the other spirits to heel for their souls to enter the kingdom awaiting them. Spiritus sends messengers and tests down upon humanity, preparing them for ultimate victory, and that they must be ready for the tribulations by performing tests of faith, meditation, and belief. It is thus assumed that all things are moved by Spiritus, but things which are unfortunate are the acts of jealous other spirits.
[color=orange]Holy Text[/color]
The main text which makes up the formal beliefs and legends of Sofium is the ‘Will of the Lord’, and largely controversial series of tales, poems, and ramblings of the preacher Valenin, who took inspiration from a nameless preacher who had served during the Black Revolt. The Text often tells the full story and lore of the faith, and considered invulnerable and sacred, but due to the taboo of these books being destroyed, only few are made into official copies. Various homestead have only small snippets and favored passages they had heard in their churches collected in pamphlets. Due to the rather pagan nature of the religion, is isn’t uncommon that preachers will add new lore or have new visions and prophecies, often adding demons and political opinions to the official canon. Only few actual legitimate copies of the ‘Will of the Lord’ exist with edits, stored in the City on the Hill.
[color=orange]Rituals[/color]
Sofiumism has a number of rituals, specifically involving leaps of faith, blood, and loud praying. Sofiumists will gather in their churches or community centers every end of the week and sing loud hymns giving praise to the coming victory, with fanatical churches dancing with wild animals or cutting themselves in order to simulate that nothing can harm them since they already won. When an adult man grows to a proper age, pigs blood is poured on them in church, signifying they would be drenched in the blood of the unclean and thus are bound to Spiritus in the final days. Dangerous feats of strength and agility are regularly performed with applause by church groups, often brutalizing the congregation in rabid piety. Less formal rituals, such as prayer, is often done in silence to commune with Sof and Spiritus, but even less formal rituals include large dances and feasts for births and deaths which are not apart of church theology, but are most associated with Sofiumists.
[color=orange]Practices[/color]
While prayer and heavy handed rituals are a common practice, Sofiumists perform missionary work and nomadically travel to spread their faith. Sofiumists in their passive time tend to pray publicly, with private prayer often reserved for more personal affairs. Sofiumists often like to inject their faith in all parts of life, with encouragement from religious officials they will perform religious duties at home, work, and in public office. Those who have a strong belief often move with their preachers who are fairly nomadic, moving from town to town, planet to planet, nation to nation to help spread the faith. It is considered highly pious to restore the faith of those who are secular, and to share the faith. This open community invites all to enjoy in the celebration, often making highly pious communities very open to aliens, the distraught, and outcasts. However, while the religious community may allow these kinds of people into their churches, actual acceptance of fairly rare amongst the highly religious, especially towards those of other faiths.
[color=orange]Legends[/color]
According to the lore of Sofiumism, Spiritus had many prophets, sons, and kinsmen who had led the nation in times of needs. The similarity between these prophets and sons and Volkadian local religious deities is not a coincidence. It is believed that all gods and spirits are manifestations of Sof, but it is only Spiritus who is good because he had created humanity and is favored. Spiritus often does not resemble a divine concept in Sofiumism, but rather shares the face and personality of a Volkadian folk god named Krinyul, who’s story and lore is very similar to that of Sofiumism. There are many saints and prophets in the the holy text ‘Will of the Lord’, including various demons and deities often resembling that of a polytheistic nature and expansive. In a wild generalization, most gods and spirits are often related to one another and have very human personalities.
[color=orange]Beliefs[/color]
[list]
[*] Sof is the sole divine being
[*] Other Kinectist faiths, while holy in their own right, are deceived by false prophets
[*] Only Sofiumists can see the truth and join Spiritus in the end times
[*] Alien species were created by evil spirits, much like how mankind was created by Spiritus
[*] No harm comes to the truly faithful
[*] The faithful must be kind to one another, whether they be slave or free
[*] Other religions are the creation of demons and deceivers
[*] The eating of another’s raw flesh, alien or human, is sickening in the eyes of god
[*] Harming a prophet of Spiritus brings eternal damnation
[*] Those who die on the wrong side in the end days are damned to be cast into the falling darkness
[*] Those who live their lives in piety will live by the side of the Saints
[/list]
[color=orange]Clergy[/color]
The Clergy of the church live in the garden city of Mesto na Kopci, which is organized amongst province leaders which is closely related to how the Volkadian government separates states. Each preacher goes to a theology school for 5 years, and is granted a town to preach to. Preachers are granted full autonomy in their church to do as they please, and if they are skilled and well liked enough, they can advance to become the Goveper of a planet, a leader of preachers across an entire planet. The capital world of Ethera has 5 Govepers who rule as a council in Mesto na Kopci, and give commands to other Govepers. Preachers are infamously known to be nomadic and their number are filled with rogue prophets and cultish clans, which are tolerated so long as they do not threaten the church’s canon or start trouble. Missionary work is very much encouraged by the church, who sends a preacher and their family to non-Volkadian colonies and planets to spread their faith.
[color=orange]The City on a Hill[/color]
Mesto na Kopci is the garden city of the church, located on Ethera and is a impressive city in it’s own right. Located on a mountain range, surrounded by valleys, the city is made up of stone temples, vast gardens, parks, meditation centers, and religious offices. Outside the city are hundreds of small religious camps, parks, zoos, and religious museums all supported by a huge industry run solely by pious small shop businessmen. The city has one of the largest and most beautiful temples on Ethera, with vast gardens and shrines dotting it’s halls. The city is an artist's paradise, but is also a dream of most Oturan to move to it’s enclave, since the church is known to take personal care and beautify the Oturan enclave. The city has its own army, mostly made up of zealots and militiamen known for their fanaticism in battle and iron discipline encouraged by religious officers.
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[color=orange][b]Demographics[/b][/color]
[color=orange]Human (67%)[/color]
Humanity is a mundane species originally from Earth, which was destroyed a long time ago and spread across the galaxy. The human culture from Ethera, which is united under the Volkadian government, is a industrial people with no true differences from other humans.
[list]
[*] [b]Etheran (23%)[/b]
[*] [b]Zumberian (50%)[/b]
[*] [b]Nauserian (27%)[/b]
[/list]
[color=orange]Oturan  (Slave Race) (32.2%)[/color]
Oturan are a Lutrinae looking species that is semi-aquatic. As mammalians, they are covered in hair, but have long ears and short tails. Oturan are natural swimmers, but are also naturally skilled in subjects such as engineering, mathematics, and science. Oturan stand around 3’5 ft tall, their normal fur colors ranging from a bright brown to black. Despite their appearance, it is believed that Oturan evolved from a small slinky eel-like mammals which inhabit the coast of Oakus, their homeworld. Oturan are psychologically affiliated with pacifism, with most have very few concepts of conflict and open warfare, and certainly do not glorify it.
[list]
[*] [b]Rivercrest (7%)[/b]
[*] [b]Waterspear (21%)[/b]
[*] [b]Whitecoast (4%)[/b]
[*] [b]Seadelver (55%)[/b]
[*] [b]Voidwave (13%)[/b]
[/list]
[color=orange]Other (Non-Citizens) (0.8%)[/color]
Other filthy alien species who inhabit Volkadia, mostly from dispersed refugee populations, or have existed in communities that have withered over the years.
[list]
[*] [b]Xuhajann (75%)[/b]
[*] [b]Ulala (25%)[/b]
[/list]

[color=orange]Characters[/color]
[hider=Characters][color=orange]Hierarch Marcel Novák[/color]
The Hierarch began life when his father Vladen died of complications from surgery when he was but 4 years old. Marcel fell into the hands of his mother and was taught brutally by her to become a strong man, having served in the military and participated heavily in the war between Astrana and Aurolian. He returned from the conflict with prestige and praise, and settled down with a nurse of the army, having been a highly accomplished pilot. While he grows older, now having a white beard and dropping eyes, he attempts to prop up his children to out succeed him one day.
[list]
[*] Maria Novák - Wife, former nurse of the Volkadian army, a kind and motherly woman
[*] Rišo Novák - Marcel’s elder son and currently a military officer who seeks to become an admiral
[*] Miloslav Novák - A younger son and gaming developer for a prestigious strategy game company
[*] Samuel Novák - A Oturan orphan and elder brother of Milan, who was adopted by Marcel who brought them into his family. He is a skilled soldier and engineer, and works as a member of the Blackhand. He is known to be overly protective of his little brother Milan.
[*] Milan Novák - A Oturan orphan and younger brother of Samuel, who was adopted by Marcel who brought them into his family. While still the youngest member of the group, he seeks to one day become an administrator.
[/list]
[color=orange]Vodca Maximilián Pokorny[/color]
Also known as ‘Max’, Mr. Pokomy comes from a long line of governoers who had been staunch conservatives, which was a surprise when Max had not only declared himself to the Social Liberals, but also won out. Having run as Vodca for 8 years so far, he had set forth sweeping reforms of welfare and education. Max, while coming to old age, still seeks to pour forth his larger projects without trying to upset the old system.
[list]
[*] Vanesa Pokorny - Wife, a powerful matriarch of her own family of Max’s partner in his career.
[*] Branislav Pokorny - The only son of Max, who was tutored from a young age to side step the political system to hopefully become the next Pokorny governor, a staunchly social liberal
[*] Governor Július Smutný - Max’s staunch political ally, a conservative leader with heavy sympathies with reformists and social liberals.
[*] Governor Zuzana Jillemničková - A unpopular but useful governor from the NGD, one of the first progressive liberal governoers. She is known for her outbursts and poor attitude towards her rivals, such as Eduard Hornik.
[*] Marianna Bratislavská - A political ally and leader of the current Abolitionist movement who helped Max get to power, hoping he could set in motion of ending slavery in Volkadia.
[/list]
[color=orange]Governor Eduard Hornik[/color]
Eduard comes from a line of prestigious and ruthless businessmen, a young man who bypassed many of the old restrictions on his own world to become Governor and now sits in the Confederate Senate as a independent, but is highly tied to reactionaries. Eduard is a populist and always on the bad end of controversy.
[list]
[*] Lucia Hornik - Eduard’s wife, a celebrity who had genetically modified herself over 40 times to look younger than what she actually is. She is often very ignorant of politics.
[*] Daniel Hornik - Eduard’s child and heir to his fortune, being trained and modified to become the next governor
[*] Marek Biely - A Businessman and political ally of Eduard, he runs several weapons factories and stands to benefit from Eduard’s political career.
[*] Alojz Mečiar - Eduard’s kind and humble preacher, a friend and companion of Eduard and the Hornik family.
[*] Daniela Novomedsková - Eduard’s secret claim to fame, a political woman and aid who wants to become governor desperately, a Reformist who had connections to many media outlets and knowledge over many of the government’s operations and drama.
[/list]
[color=orange]Admiral Gabriel Novák[/color]
Gabriel Novak is the cousin of the current Hierarch and one of the most skilled admirals in the Volkadian navy at the moment, a Reactionary and truly powerful military leader who is well known for his brutal tactics, unrelenting assaults, and his viciousness when dealing with traitors. He is best known for his specially crafted smoke pipe and gray coat, and is often referred to by his crew the ‘Leviathan of Volkadia’.
[list]
[*] Janka Razúsová - A military officer and aid to Gabriel, a very skilled and overly serious woman with a uncaring and cynical personality, kept around due to her honesty and friendship with the admiral.
[*] Eugen Koleno - A military friend of Gabriel and a very experienced Operator, who led countless missions on his friend’s behalf and acts as his second in command.
[*] Vratislav Jankovic - A fighter ace who had a complicated professional relationship with Gabriel. While very skilled and a excellent trainer for elite pilots, his cocky and care free attitude has caused tension between the two.
[*] Admiral Lukáš Tesar - A friendly rival of Gabriel who leads another fleet, the two have a competitive mission to outplay one another, often trying to beat each other in war games. Both are often very friendly with one another, and share their own morbid humor.
[*] Danica Waterspear - Gabriel’s Oturan slave and personal aid who aids Janka in her duties as a naval administrator. While young and fairly stressed by her work, she often considers it her duty to serve the navy as most Waterspears do.
[/list]
[color=orange]Metod Bartoš[/color]
Fanatic. Terrorist. Murderer. These were the titles granted to the former preacher of the Sofiumist faith and a former naval officer in the Volkadian navy. Metod is a crazed zealot and mercenary known for his blinding hatred of the current Volkadian government and it’s stagnancy and lack of true faith, and lead a group of Sofiumist terrorists which terroize throughout the empire and it’s neighbors.
[list]
[*] René Chren - A arms dealer and smuggler who works with Metod because he brings business in, but the two deeply despise one another due to the smuggler’s atheistic tendencies.
[*] Bronislav Láska - A fellow fanatic and skilled hitman who is a sympathetic member of the Sofiumist militia in the City on a Hill. He often allows Metod into the city and grants him gear, hiding spots, and contacts.
[*] Jonáš Koleno - A former member of Metod’s church who joined him as a fellow mercenary on various ventures, having worked as a disgraced Blackhand
[*] Soňa Kollará - Metod’s patron, a wealthy elderly cripple and stock broker who hires Metod to perform assassinations and bombings on rivals
[*] Lubica Chlebovcová - Metod’s former lover and a Preacher, who has very limited contact with him but are still on barely friendly terms.
[/list]
[color=orange]Klement Kostra[/color]
Klement’s father was murdered by a social liberal protester during the Speedwell riots, but empathy for him is drained away considering that he was Isolationist fanatic who help start the riot. Klement continued this work into his own political career, but lacking talent, he was unable to advance outside of civil servant. He is a popular leader of the Isolationist movement, a self proclaimed human supremacist, and a ‘critical nationalist’.
[list]
[*] Krištof Kováč - Klement’s second in command, a Isolationist militia leader who acts as the armed wing of Klement’s political faction. While he often spews the claim that he and his militia are true Volkadians, none of them entered into Volkadian army.
[*] Erik Jelen - Leader of a different Isolationist faction, Erik often has more legitimate concerns over the abuses and power of the Otrok governments who were implicated in the crippling of Erik’s brother, and is a very reluctant ally of Klement.
[*] Vít Dobrovodský - More of an acquaintance, Vit is a popular political celebrity known for his social liberal values who promotes Klement’s as a political ally.
[*] Imrich Whitecoast - A Otrok government Oturan nobleman of the Whitecoast minority, who is a secretive ally of Klement but has no real power, even amongst the Oturan who despise his people. Imrich aligns with Klement’s ideas of peaceful secession, but view the man with utter disdain.
[*] Dalimil Suchý - A vile conspiracy theorist and history revisionist who had close ties to Klement’s group, a pseudo-scientist known for his fanatical devotion to humanity and utter contempt for aliens. He hosts a popular Isolationist radio show, which is mocked and made popular by young Volkadians.
[/list]
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[color=orange][b]Current Relationships[/b][/color]
[color=orange]United Aurolian Republic[/color]
Bitter over the war which had cost them far more, Aurolia is considered a rival of Volkadia, but in the most friendly way possible. Volkadia still continues to open diplomatic channels under the noses of the populace, but many Volkadian military men consider them a enemy.
[list]
[*] No Current Treaties
[/list]
[color=orange]Astrama[/color]
A very reluctant ally, with most viewing the liberal kingdom with caution. Astrama is considered a very possible ally to keep other empires as bay, but Volkadia is still reluctant in providing them assistance in any actual wars.
[list]
[*] No Current Treaties
[/list]
[color=orange]Onargol Kingdom[/color]
Filthy alien barbarians, Volkadia has no interest in diplomacy with their civilization or their people
[list]
[*] No Current Treaties
[/list]
[color=orange]The Faithful Heirs[/color]
Filthy Zuukid barbarians, Volkadia has no interest in diplomacy, but it’s people still are naturally cautious about them rising up.
[list]
[*] No Current Treaties
[/list]
[color=orange]The Martian State[/color]
Distant, but the confederation is fascinated with the idea that a membership in the old empire would make a worthy ally so long as they have expanded, but this is more of an assumption.
[list]
[*] No Current Treaties
[/list]

[color=orange]Habitation[/color]
[hider=Colonization][color=orange]Volkadian Colonial Authority[/color]
The VCA controls a number of the colonial programs and survey teams which dominate parts of colonial space in Volkadian territory. The Colonial authority is tasked with sticking claims on celestial bodies, building communications networks, and deploying police forces and government officials to their respective colonies. While the Colonial authority has governors, these governors cannot vote and is treated as a lesser office. Volkadian colonies are highly urbanized and are centered around a factory base, which is supplied by space ports and outposts. The VCA doles out lands to Volkadian citizens and those above a wealth cap cannot buy or colonize land, preventing large corporation and wealthy businessmen from simply buying massive continents and reselling. . .or misusing. . .that land. The VCA often cares very little how the land is used or colonized, often meaning most colonies run by the VCA is overrun with small mining operations and industrial hamlets which care very little for the habitability of the planet.
[color=orange]Habitable Preferences[/color]
Volkadians prefer a temperate climate, due to the fact that Ethera is a mixture of alpine and temperate zones, but like any human civilization, they can survive in most basic climates. Volkadians however also care very deeply about a planet’s urbanization, and prefer more urban environments which is their normal landscape. While richer and more cultured Volkadians prefer the wildlands and highlands, they prefer these places as vacation spots rather then a place to actually settle down. Oturan, as a semi-aquatic species, are deeply rooted in island worlds and prefer open oceans and clean rural settings. Otrok governments will have a number of environmental services in place to keep urban pollution from overwhelming their planets set up by Volkadian overlords.
[color=orange]Biodome Colonies[/color]
Volkadia has numerous ‘hamlet’ communities on various celestial bodies ranging from only some small biodomes to massive complex cities on a asteroid belt. These colonies are sustained by biodomes which have no official status in Volkadia, being treated as more like a space factories, mines, and farms which so happen to have people on them. While massive complexes which exceed populations of a tiny planet do have their own governors, most colonies have no formal representation. Most of these colonies are often either run by powerful corporations who provide services and police forces to these populations while acting in good faith to the planetary overlords they are owned by, or are overrun with criminal families which use the stations as mean to recruit and get filthy rich off protection rackets.
[color=orange]Urbanized Society[/color]
The urbanized worlds of the Volkadians require immense resources to keep afloat, which is why many Volkadian cities are small and expand outward across planets and drives their need to build more colonies to feed their empire. The depressingly tight cities are often polluted from various industries and very dimly illuminated. Often a eyesore for most other more clean civilizations, these urban societies have evolved for which the Volkadians can live in these over glorified industrial parks without suffering from the same sicknesses and diseases associated with them.
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