Big work in progress, but I got the gist of the species, government, and overall theme down. Lemme know if anything looks off right away.

[hider=Sovereign Courts of Vergonheim]

[center][b][h1]The Sovereign Courts of Vergonheim[/h1][/b]
[h3](The Sovereignty, The Conclave, 'the vampires', 'the bloodsuckers')[/h3][/center]

[h2][b]General Information[/b][/h2]

[h3][b]Nation Type:[/b] Major Belligerent in the Great War[/h3]

[h3][b]Overview[/b][/h3]
Hailing from the tidally-locked twilight world of Vergonheim, the Sovereign Courts is the official term to describe the sprawling feudal domains encompassing the vast expanse of Verghast-controlled space, barely unified under the banner of their homeworld and enforced by the ancient Conclave - the primary governing body of the Sovereign Courts and the home of their esteemed liege, the Blood King. The ruthlessly competitive and relatively grotesque nature of the Verghast people has made the Sovereign Courts a feared and respected military powerhouse in the Galaxy due in part to their contributions during the Great War and their sprawling information network that leaves much of the galaxy unsafe from the fangs of their operatives.


[h3][b]History[/b][/h3]
[hider=Early History and the Bloody Oaths of Sovereignty]The Sovereign Courts of Vergonheim was founded on a pool of blood and bodies. Their history begins on the tidal-locked world of Vergonheim. A planet or moon that spins at the same general speed of their orbit around their home star creates a scenario where one side of the planet is constantly exposed to the sun while the other is constantly denied any exposure from the sun. With one side of the planet composed of scorching deserts and the other side composed of dark frozen wastelands, the capacity for life to develop was deficient everywhere except for the Twilight Belt. 

The Twilight Belt refers to any land masses or ‘middle’ section of the planet, where the inhospitable ‘light side’ and ‘dark side’ meet to create a long, unbroken stretch of fertile environments characterized by a stormy, never-ending twilight. The Twilight Belt is the cradle of complicated life on the tidally-locked world, and the ancestral home of the Verghast species.

 The Verghast evolved as carnivorous apex predators adapted to the dark environments the Twilight Belt. Because there are no day-night cycles on Vergonheim, early Verghast instead used shifts in temperature as a way to keep track of time - back then, the variations in temperature throughout a typical ‘day’ on Vergonheim were so drastic that packs of Verghast were continually moving throughout in order to avoid freezing or melting to death. Verghast organized themselves into packs and clans, hunting and forming the basis for society once they’d mastered animal husbandry.  Given the way they evolved, however, the need for food became a constant factor in Verghast history - and it would soon become a key element in the rise of the Sovereign Courts.

However, the Verghast weren’t the only intelligent species to rise on Vergonheim; the Dracul, known today as ‘Thralls’ to the Verghast or ‘ghouls’ to other species, developed on the opposite end of the Twilight Belt to the Verghast. The two species never made contact until an Ahriman expedition discovered the home continent of the Dracul.

 As the Twilight Belt was wracked with the conflict between small clans and ambitious kings seeking to feed their people, powerful and cunning warlords rose from the bodies of the weak and gave rise to what would become [i]the[/i] Courts of Vergonheim - the four most powerful nations on the planet.

Nostos. Ahrima. Vlakov. Levia. 

((WIP))
[/hider]

[h3][b]Major Holdings[/b][/h3]
[hider=Vergonheim]
[center][img]https://i0.wp.com/zolimacitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/DEEP-DIVE_@des.lo_Zolima_citymag.jpg?w=596&h=745&ssl=1[/img][/center]
The bloody jewel of the Sovereignty, Vergonheim is the official capital world of the Sovereign Courts (as one may be able to guess by the nation’s full name), the seat of the Conclave and throne of the Blood King, and the homeworld of the Verghast and their Thrall servants. Long, interconnected urban centers cover just about any land that can be found in the planet’s habitable zone, the Twilight Belt. The authority of the Conclave practically oozes from every spire and sewer grate on Vergonheim, as armed guards patrol the streets and tittering sycophants of Court nobility blot out the dim ‘sun’ with their skycars.

Each of the four significant courts are admitted a section of land on Vergoneheim, as well as embassies within the Conclave Palace. The kings of each court make frequent visits to Vergonheim when the Blood King calls for council within the Conclave, or when they wish to have a confrontation with the Blood King face-to-face. Understandably, Vergonheim is the most heavily defended planet in the Sovereignty, going against the current Verghast zeitgeist by punishing ambitious troublemakers. Verghast who choose to live on Vergonheim is often judged as weak-willed politicians or ass-kissers because of this.
[/hider]

[hider=Koronstadt]

[center][img]https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c1/96/61/c19661afa03c18ea2f03689213546463.jpg[/img][/center]
A heavily-defended world located in the same star system as Vergonheim, Koronstadt is a major military stronghold for the Conclave a rallying point for the Blade Armada. Known among soldiers in the Night Legion as the “slaughter pit,” this rocky terraformed world acts as a training and recruitment site for the Conclave’s armies as well as a manufacturer and storage for military equipment, weapons, vehicles and otherwise. The shipments of manpower (Verghast and Thralls alike) that the courts contribute to the Conclave usually end up here. Most military-purposed Thralls are grown here as well, emerging from the many plain-sized cloning fields located on the planet’s surface while much of the Verghast operations occur in subterranean bases. Orbital shipyards spread around the planet regularly pump out new ships and vessels for the Sovereignty’s main fleet, the Blade Armada. 

The Krones have some presence on Koronstadt as well, occasionally sending surveyors to collect data on the Conclave’s military power and select potential recruits from Night Legion veterans stationed there.
[/hider]

[hider=The Black Ark]
[center][img]https://i.pinimg.com/564x/6a/7a/1d/6a7a1d00331ef5d120c48a2e4dcf27d6.jpg[/img][/center]

A massive space station said to be located somewhere within the Verghast Abyss nebula situated on the eastern side of Sovereignty space; the Black Ark is the headquarters of the Krones - the Sovereignty’s feared intelligence agency and right hand of the Blood King. The Black Ark is the heart of the Krone’s galaxy-spanning intelligence network - anything that has happened and is currently happening in the galaxy is bound to end up within the station’s archives, viewed live by one of many Krone operatives seeded within different parts of space. Once a Krone is said to have completed their trials on Vergonheim, overseen by the Blood King himself, they are then sent to the Black Ark to receive the necessary modifications and equipment required for their first missions.

Unregistered, unmarked black ships roam the Verghast Abyss destroying and silencing any unwanted vessels that happen to wander into the nebula if they discover the location of the Black Ark. Ships exiting the Ark are almost always cloaked or otherwise hidden, meaning that no one seems to know if anything goes into or comes out of the Abyss. As of now, no one should know that this place even exists.
[/hider]

[hider=Court Worlds]
The Sovereign Courts of Vergonheim is not a single, unified political body. As goes in the Bloody Oaths of Sovereignty, the Blood King owns only a small fraction of space under the banner of his Conclave - these include big worlds like Vergonheim and Koronstadt as well as many developed colonies. The rest of the Sovereignty’s vast territory is divided amongst the four vassal courts - Nostos, Ahrima, Vlakov, and Levia. These worlds, known as ‘Court Worlds’ by the Conclave, go beyond the Conclave’s jurisdiction and are extremely varied in both laws and purpose. The courts are permitted to run their domains as they see fit, provided they can pay their tithes in money, resources, manpower, and information.

Court Worlds receive frequent visits from the Krones, often there to enforce the will of the Conclave should any of the lords and nobles of the Courts be doing anything that could threaten the stability of the Sovereignty and breach the Blood Oaths.
[/hider]

[h2][b]Demographics[/b][/h2]

[h3][b]Population[/b][/h3]

[hider=Verghast]

[center][img]https://i.gyazo.com/92594d4b3847df75ec945d605199fb10.png[/img][/center]
The Verghast are a race of pale-skinned carnivorous humanoids hailing from their shadowy twilight home of Vergonheim. Physically, the Verghast are a bipedal people that bear a striking resemblance to certain other species in the galaxy; namely Humans, Rolvians and even the Ashtar to an extent. Verghast typically stand anywhere from 5 feet to 7 feet tall depending on their age and health, and are easily identified by their pointed ears, striking glowing eyes and - when they care to open their mouth - gnarly set of serrated ‘fangs.’

The Verghast evolved in a low-light, harsh environment that demanded constant movement and adaptation to shifting temperatures to survive. As such, the Verghast are a very physically robust people, never having lost their predatory heritage despite their evolution into a civilized race. They’re fast, pursuit predators capable of running extremely long distances without tiring out and moving at maximum speed, not unlike that of an Earth cheetah. In warfare, enemy militaries are often shocked at the rate at which Verghast operatives move over the battlefield, and their innate agility makes them experts at chasing down prey in clustered environments. These hunters are also coveted for their heightened senses; indeed, Verghast can see incredibly well in conditions that would otherwise leave Humans blind without equipment. A Verghast could place their ear to the ground and hear a heartbeat within the chest of someone standing up to fifteen feet away.

Evolving in an environment like the Twilight Belt brings a great weakness to the species, however. Due to their pale, sensitive skin that had never been adequately exposed to the direct sunlight of a natural orbiting world, the Verghast suffer from extreme light sensitivity. Direct exposure to UV radiation is a matter of luck between individuals; in some cases, it’ll leave a very nasty burn. In other cases, depending on the intensity and duration of the exposure, the Verghast will suffer long term skin cancer or outright death. Verghast living on such worlds often wear specialized suits or heavy clothing when out during the day. 

Perhaps the greatest strength of the Verghast species, however, is their restless nature. Put simply, Verghast do not need to sleep. In an environment where a day-night cycle doesn’t exist and the only natural clock available comes in the form of temperature changes over time, the Verghast evolved in such a way that they can operate at full capacity for months on end without ever needing to rest or otherwise leave themselves in a position where they may be unable to react to external stimuli. Given their constant activity, however, their demands energy in a different way - eating.

Verghast are an incredibly voracious species. As the Sovereignty recommends, a healthy diet requires large amounts of protein and iron daily - usually in the form of large quantities of red meat and, more importantly, blood. Blood is a vital thing to Verghast, both culturally and physiology. Rich in the nutrients and iron required to sustain the perfect form of the Verghast people, it has been traditionally protected as a sacred element of the Verghast lifestyle. Many things in Verghast society, right down to the titles they give to important things, are named after blood - national holidays, historical events, government titles, so on and so forth. It’s considered an almost religious practice in polite society to drink a wine glass of pure, unadulterated blood at least once a day.

This reason alone, along with their unnatural appearance and aversion to solar radiation, is why Verghast are often called ‘vampires’ among humans, as well as other unflattering slurs due in part to the brutal reputation of their people. Contrary to popular belief among FedNat, Verghast do not suck blood through their ‘fangs.’ They drink blood as any species would drink water if drinking water were considered a sacred event.
[/hider]

[hider=Thralls]
[center][img]https://i.pinimg.com/564x/81/66/7a/81667ada54160ba0a62f4c1d51221f78.jpg[/img][/center]
Originally known as the Dracul, and known among humanity as ‘ghouls,’ Thralls are a race of heavy-set, monstrous humanoids that evolved on Vergonheim as a subservient species to the Verghast. Modern Thralls are entirely hairless, seemingly genderless grey-skinned mammals identifiable for their slack-jawed, grotesque faces and incredible muscle mass. In a time before the Verghast conquered their homeworld, the Dracul may have looked very different than what they are now. However, generation after generation of selective breeding, genetic and cybernetic modification, and subjugation of every living specimen of the species, and the Thralls are but a mere shell of what they used to be.

Thralls are genderless and cannot breed naturally, requiring advanced cloning vats to be used to create more. Though ‘breeds’ of Thralls are different depending on their ‘manufacturers,’ the common physiology of a military-grade Thrall shows evidence of extensive genetic rewrite and cybernetic modifications made on top of their already robust body. Thralls are physically powerful creatures, one Thrall easily capable of lifting roughly a car’s weight over their head with little exertion. Their rough, leathery hides are tough to pierce with most modern military-grade weaponry. 

Most Thralls are generally incapable of independent thought. When a Thrall is retrieved from a cloning vat, they are immediately modified with several cybernetic implants to their brains. These implants are intended to ‘remodel’ the creature’s mind, effectively stapling nodes responsible for higher-order thought processing and critical thinking while keeping some capacity to carry out simple tasks and increasing servile behavior. As such, Thralls can be described simply as biological drones - artificially cloned for a variety of purposes ranging from military to industrial. Given their durable physiology, they are often sold and traded as workers and servants for menial labor. The Conclave requires that a census be kept for Thralls, as they are considered to be a manufactured resource. Limits may be imposed upon the Courts by the Conclave if they are cloning too many Thralls.

Thralls make up the majority of the Sovereignty’s Night Legions, as well as the personal militaries of most vassal courts, as well as much of the Sovereignty’s workforce provided the expensive cloning equipment can be acquired.
[/hider]

[h3][b]Society[/b][/h3]
Life within the Sovereignty is, at least currently, difficult to call ‘universal.’ The Sovereign Courts struggle with an internal culture war between newer generations and older generations over the validity of old traditions, and given the nature of the government, the way of life within the Sovereignty is entirely different depending on where you are born, how rich you are, and who you know.

In general, at least within the average Conclave world, the Sovereignty is an unforgivably hypercompetitive meritocratic society that values hard work, ambition, and ruthlessness, and heavily looks down upon weakness, altruism, and submission to authority. Historical scarcity of resources and wasteful nature of the Verghast species have given rise to a competitive, results-oriented philosophy that underlies all levels of social and political thought within the Sovereign Courts. What some would call ‘selfish’ is what a person in the Sovereignty would call ‘smart’ - it has long been agreed that all life is inherently selfish, and there is no shaming a desire to stand above the rest.

As such, ethics and morality are thin and hard to justify in this nation. Every action and every conflict is a conflict of interests - if someone stole another's house, it is a testament to the latter’s stupidity and the former’s craftiness. If someone is killed for their property, then they weren’t strong enough to have it in the first place.

Of course, there are laws in place, and people aren’t in constant war with each other over resources and power - the Verghast revel in subtlety, after all. The phrase “it isn’t a crime if you don’t get caught” is taken very literally among these people. The laws can be ignored provided you are cunning enough to get away with it. However, going against those in power for the sake of it is a death wish. Those guards aren’t there because of a slip of paper - they, the strong, hold power to enforce their will upon you, the weak. The victors write the laws of society, and the most cunning among the weak will rise to change those laws, only to then to take their place - this cycle of intrigue and death is the backbone of Verghast culture.

Quality of life is mostly dependent on one’s ability to stay in the ‘race,’ so to speak. Any person with common sense is expected to have a weapon on them at all times when outside their home, and an even smarter person is one who can afford some body armor. The poor and homeless are about as respected as Thralls and are often crushed by the masses if it’ll get somebody somewhere. Taking a gun and hunting homeless people in the streets is considered an acceptable past-time.

There are always eyes watching you in a Sovereign settlement. Assume that everyone has an agenda, and everything someone does is an attempt to get ahead. If you choose to live as a pawn, then you’ll get discarded to protect the king. If you wish to live like a king, then you’re going to have to make some plays to get there.



[h3][b]Economy[/b][/h3]
This could go under society if you like. Mostly just make it clear up front if you’re an industrial powerhouse, a nation of refined master artisans, etc. Also things people might want to know for trading purposes.

[h3][b]Government[/b][/h3]
The Sovereign Courts of Vergonheim is organized in such a manner that resembles old-world feudalism adopted Earth at one point. As ordained in the Bloody Oaths of Sovereignty, the Blood King is the monarch and ‘head of state’ for the Sovereignty, with direct control over a majority of the empire’s combined military forces as well as the majority of it’s controlled space and planets. The Blood King does not directly control the entirety of the empire, however - outside of his owned land, the Four Courts of Vergonheim act as ‘vassals’, being delegated their own space, armies, and freedom to rule their domains as they see fit, with some restrictions and a tax in manpower and currency they must pay to their liege. This allows for the Sovereignty to spread it’s space wide at the cost of the Blood King’s power.

The Conclave of Vergonheim, otherwise known only as ‘The Conclave,’ encompasses the personal royal court of the Blood King, and can be considered the primary ruling body of the Sovereignty - the equivalent of a ‘federal government,’ so to speak. The lords of the vassal courts regularly convene alongside the Blood King to advise him, voice their concerns and demands, and help steer the direction of the Sovereignty. The Conclave functions something like a modern government, having its workers, servants, and other political positions that the Blood King requires to enforce his will.

On top taxing the courts for manpower and money, the Conclave raises the full might of the vassal armies and fleets in the event of total war. The Blood King may make sweeping decrees and laws that affect the entirety of Sovereignty space, as well. The Krones - the Sovereignty’s intelligence organization and the Blood King’s enforcers - are employed by the Conclave to ensure that the Blood King’s demands are enforced among the Court Worlds.

The crown of the Blood King (or Queen, though the Sovereignty has yet to see a female monarch) is hereditary, though who the royal family tends to change given the Verghast cutthroat politics wildly. It is this constant struggle for the crown that keeps energy within the nobility of the Conclave and the court.

There have been long reigns where a member of a court dynasty usurped the Blood King crown, thus making one of the vassal courts the ruling family of the Conclave, but there are ancient countermeasures in place to prevent one of the Four Courts from ever actually overtaking the Conclave. When you become the Blood King, you are demanded to leave behind your past allegiances and focus your power for the future of the entire Sovereignty - otherwise, you will inevitably be killed by someone who intends to do so.

One would imagine that with this government, the Sovereign Courts are always on the brink of eating each other alive. This analysis is exactly correct; it is the duty of the Blood King to earn the respect of his vassals and his people by safeguarding the future of the Verghast race. Fortunately, this results in the government being fast and always active - bureaucracy is settled with words, guns, and knives rather than pens and papers. The speed at which the Sovereignty spread can be owed to a powerful Blood King desperate to keep his vassals appeased.

[h2][b]Technological Information[/b][/h2]

[h3][b]Major Techs[/b][/h3]
Mostly interested in military techs, here: FTL, weapons, shields, armor, power, engines, etc. Civilian techs are also here, and sometimes just as important.

[h2][b]Military Information[/b][/h2]

[h3][b]Military Overview[/b][/h3]
Describe general doctrine, history, whatever floats your space boats.

[h3][b]Fleet/Navy[/b][/h3]
Your space boats. Include pics or don’t, I’m not your supervisor. You’ll probably want to have one or two of most of the classes, but it doesn’t really matter too much. I’m also including some flavour options here that you might want to consider. In short, the history of the galaxy has divied up ship designs into three waves: Great War (ships built before and during the Great War), Detente (ships built during the Detente, some wonky designs in the larger classes due to treaty limitations), and Modern (ships built in the year since the message) 

[b]DO NOT put your hyperdread here, it gets its own section.[/b]

Dreadnoughts: Only a few were built before the end of the Great War, the destructive potential of these vessels was a major contributor to ending the conflict. Those old ones are pretty obsolete, and any new ones are only just coming into service (mostly in secret) due to the Treaty of Detente banning their construction.

Battleships: The grand old ladies that did all the fighting of the Great War. The Treaty of Detente imposed limitations on their sizes and destructive potential, so if you want to get intricate there’s 3 waves of battleships: Great War, Detente, and Modern. Great War is self explanatory, old sluggers and antiques. Detente battleships were awkward creations involving all kinds of elaborate ways to get around the Treaty without actually violating it. Lots of glass cannon designs here, or iron fortresses that couldn’t scratch eachother’s paint, or half baked experimental weapon systems, or novel propulsion methods that only work if nobody on board sneezes. Modern battleships are just coming into service, and are quite deadly.

Battlecruisers: The treaty of Detent also limited battlecruisers, in an effort to avoid just slightly reducing the size of ship involved in any potential arms race. Similar design iterations to Battleships; Great War, Detente, and Modern. Detente battlecruisers were often cripplingly overspecialized: dedicated point defence ships, artillery vessels, mass shielding vessels, etc. Battlecruiser designs from the Detente period were often put together as a way to shore up the weaknesses of their contemporaneous Battleship partners.


Cruisers: Nothing special here.

Destroyers: Still nothing special.

Frigates: Nope.

Corvettes: Corvettes can be thought of in several iterations just kidding I don’t care what you do with these things. Unless you try to just upscale what I’m trying to avoid with strike craft.

Strike craft: K I’m actually gonna sort of limit these things, or rather, the things that carry them around. Strike craft have long been an important part of space combat, so most nations have them and defences against them. Historically, they’ve been used as close in support; no one’s yet figured out how to strap useful FTL drives on the things. All this means that long range strikes aren’t practical. What I’m trying to get at is Carrier’s aren’t really a thing, or at least dedicated carriers aren’t. Plenty of room for Battlestar type things (fighty-boats with a solid complement of strike craft), but no dropping off a carrier squadron on one side of the system then expecting your strikecraft to win the fight on the other side.

A notable exception is your Hyperdread. Do whatever you want with your super special awesome boat.

[h3][b]Army/Planetary forces[/b][/h3]

Outline some doctrine, highlight some major units. I’m not great at doing ground forces so not much guidance here.

ANNNDDD

[h3][b]Hyperdread[/b][/h3]
Go frikin nuts. Pics are nice.

[/hider]