[hider=The Gran Republic of Azulvista] [center][color=#006341][h2][b]The Gran Republic of Azulvista[/b][/h2] [b][i]A Beacon of Culture in an Uncivilised Galaxy.[/i][/b][/color] [img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/846171766874570806/941726633088417902/flag_1.png[/img] [hider= The Cliffnotes] [b]Motto:[/b] Plus Ultra, Ad Astra [b]Anthem:[/b] Himnos Caballeros (Song of the Knights) [b]Capital and Largest City: [/b] Cidade de Esperanza (Esperanza) (City of Hope) [b]National Language:[/b] [b]Official:[/b] Spanish Portuguese English Latin [b]Unofficial:[/b] Tongue Nuevo [b]Religion: [/b] La Doctrina de Los Santos (The Doctrine of the Saints) [b]Demonym(s):[/b] Azulvistan Grandiamonese Axacuapatan Diemgardan [b]Government:[/b] Unitary Oligarchal Republic President: Generalissimo Agustín Martim Santiago Baltasar Tiburcio Tome de Aquila Speaker of the Senate: Grandes Béatrice Teresa Togores y Nuevo Porto Chancellor of Azulvista: Duque Frederico Javier Ines de Lobasla [b]Legislature: [/b] Cortes Generales Upper House: Senate Lower House: Patrician's Congress [b]Independence from Earth:[/b] Declared, consummated and recognised: 24th February 2301 Colonial Constitution: 5th April 2301 Dictator's Decree: 19th June 2374 Constitution of the Republic: 16th April 2469 Constitution of the Gran Republic: 27th December 2498 [b]Demographics:[/b] Homo Sapiens Sapiens: 100% Patricians: 10% Plebians: 90% Plebians (Mathetes): 23% [b]Population:[/b] Azulvista (MTV-113): 2.5 billion Grandiamon (GDM-114): 850 million Axacuapatal (AXP-115): 245 million Diemgarda (DGD-116): 460 million [/hider] --- [/center] [color=#006341]Planet Name and Description[/color]: Located in the Centauras arms of the Milky Way, Azulvista is a relatively Earth-sized planet rotating a single k-type main-sequence star. An Azulvistan year (known as a rotation, or ‘roto,’) is approximately 380 Azulvistan days (cycles) old, each one of which is approximately 26 hours long. The cycle can be broken into four seasons, (quarters,) each roughly equating to the typical spring-summer-autumn-winter pattern as many places on Earth. Azulvista has three natural satellites and one sub satellite: the moons of Grandiamon, dominated by extreme tectonic activities and vast mountain ranges, Axacuapatal, which is extremely wet, marshy and waterlogged, and Diemgarda, which is often derisively referred to as ‘the smaller Azulvista’ for its similarity to its parent planet. Orbiting Grandiamon is Azulvista’s single sub-satellite, known simply as Luna Minor, which is lifeless bar the human-made colonies established on its surface. These three satellites are collectively known as ‘the three sisters,’ and act as colonies to Azulvista’s motherland. Azulvista is also home to a seemingly physics-defying metal, colloquially known as ‘lodestones,’ with the elemental name of Agustínium. Lodestones are remarkably unreactive, [i]except[/i] for their natural magnetism, which is so powerful and violent that lodestone deposits are often found not in the ground, but instead hovering in the planet’s sky in gravity defying ‘islands.’ Although it is possible to create minerals with a similar composition to lodestones artificially, only true Agustínium has the specific magnetic power that makes it so highly prized. Agustínium is naturally found only on Azulvista, Diemgarda, and Luna Minor: the leading explanation for this is that originally Azulvista was much larger, and was struck by another celestial object (hypothesised to be Grandiamon,) causing it to break apart and reform into the current planet of Azulvista, Diemgarda, and a smaller chunk which was then captured by the proto-Grandiamon as Luna Minor. Azulvista is unusual in that its biosphere was extremely undiverse when colonists arrived, featuring only simple multicellular plant and microbial life. Early colonisation efforts focused largely on populating the planet with Earth-based plants and wildlife. Thanks to this juvenile stage of life Azulvista has very few fossil fuels, and now that the planet has been seeded with 24th century Earth life, is extremely unlikely to ever produce significant quantities of these valuable resources. On the other hand, this seeding has turned Azulvista into a strange imitation of Earth, complete with species now extinct on mankind’s cradle. [color=#006341]History[/color]: Not all of the old world was divided during the last days of Earth. As old bonds began to bend and buckle, the countries of the Iberian peninsula looked away from their fellow European countries and towards their old colonies. As this union grew and flourished, and as the Gateways project started to bear fruit, an international idea began to be born. Azulvista and its colonies were selected as a natural location for the culturally diverse groups that made up this new trans-atlantic dream, and shortly before the true Fall occured, colonisation vessels were dispatched. Remarkably, the crew of these vessels were selected in a rather egalitarian fashion. Although a certain number of seats had been secured for government officials and those with hereditary titles, a large number of average people were also included, along with some of the finest minds from these nations. Originally, the colonisation of Azulvista was aimed to be more thorough, but before they had time to send subsequent waves of colonists, the Gateway sealed shut, and Azulvista was locked off from Earth. Initially, the colonial government's transition from a conduit of Earth's will to an independent governing body went well. Designed as a technocracy, its senior members were elected from a pool of specialists by the general population. As the years shifted into decades however, the flaws of such a system slowly became more obvious, and fractures began to appear in Azulvista's foundations. It came to a head in the summer of 2374, when the technocratic council was formally dissolved in a relatively bloodless coup, leading to the ascension of the first Dictator: Corazón Santiago. Santiago’s dictatorship lasted for approximately twenty years before she died, leading to an extended period of increasing political instability as different individuals vied for control of Azulvista’s government. As Azulvista warred among itself, the other colonies quietly began to drift away from it, each forming their own unique national identities, often flavoured and influenced by the nations of the colonists that had arrived there. Despite some dictators attempting to reclaim one or multiple of the moons, all of these crusades ultimately fell apart thanks to internal disputes and a lack of war support among a population less-than-confident in a new dictator’s abilities to govern. Eventually, this instability began to become unmanageable. Power changed hands so quickly that Azulvista often went through multiple in a single roto. Both the majority of the populace, and, increasingly, wealthy and influential families, began to agree that the system needed to go. The ultimate catalyst for this revolution was the attempted execution of Julia De Angelo, a popular folk hero whose trial was [i]so[/i] quick and [i]so[/i] corrupt that it became impossible to defend. A riot broke out as she was lead to the gallows and she would become the spearhead of the revolution, ultimately overthrowing the final dictator. With the dictators overthrown, a republic was established, then, very rapidly corrupted by the most powerful families at the time. Arguing that the fall of old Earth had proven that people were incapable of ruling themselves without mediation, the vote was heavily constrained, and the two-caste system of patricians and plebians was quietly created. Although not formal designations at first, they would eventually become far more calcified. The first challenge the Republic had was to establish control over the entirety of the Azulvistan system. The four separate nations that had sprung up lead to trade, yes, but also a constant struggle over resources and jockeying for political influence. United by the Republic, the Azulvistan home worlds launched what would come to be known as the [i]Reconquista,[/i] a period of time that defined the tactics used by the Azulvistans ever since. Patricians, who were the only ones wealthy enough to use the then-experimental lodestone craft [i]en masse,[/i] wreaked havoc in enemy lines- blurring along at reaction-defying speeds, they were able to punch colossal holes in enemy fortifications in the field, react to incursions within minutes of scout reports, and were manoeuvrable and capable enough in urban combat to still be effective. Alongside patrician footsloggers, the moons fell one by one, until at last Azulvista was the Republic no more- now it was the Gran Republic. Its tribulations hardly ended there however, for they had a new threat to contend with. Unbeknownst to the initial colonists, a spacefaring civilisation had, centuries before mankind had ever left their solar system, sent slower-than-light colony ships to claim Azulvista for themselves. The War of Counter-Aggression was a five-year conflict fought primarily on Azulvista itself, and was largely a patrician’s war. Determined to prove themselves to an increasingly displeased plebian class, patricians demonstrated themselves to be every bit the gallants they so desperately claimed they were, and in the rare case of feudal overlords actually defending their vassals, drove back the initial invasion force. Not only did this demonstration of standing up to ideals actually prove that the patricians weren’t all talk, but the War of Counter-Aggression resulted in the deaths of around 20% of the younger patrician generation. To replace them, many more plebians than usual were drawn up into the patrician classes, further placating the unruly rabble. In addition, the nature of the Yyasum force as a colonisation fleet had lead to a corrupting of Azulvista and its moons. Alien flora and fauna now competed with the ‘native’ Earth flora and fauna, with what had once originally been mostly safe regions now infested with not only the Yyasum themselves, but also strange and foreign plants and animals, including the towering [i]monsturo.[/i] Although the War of Counter-Aggression was short, the initial colonisation ships were not the only one. Even today, a steady stream of follow-up ships bring with them more Yyasum soldiers, to the point where fighting off Yyasum insurgencies is considered a vital part of any young patrician’s military training. Thus has the Gran Republic been formed. Even today, things are rarely stable- be it disgruntled plebians, independence movements from the moon, Yyasum soldiers or simply the colossal variety of man-hunting wildlife in Azulvista’s jungles, a patrician’s lance is never unused for long, and the plebians are reminded constantly why their cultural and military betters should be in charge, whilst being distracted from the drudgery of their everyday lives by a well-established network of [i]panem et circenses.[/i] [color=#006341]Culture and Society[/color]: Azulvistan society is a tapestry of old-Earth customs, blended with decidedly new-world attitudes and tribulations. At the lowest rung of society there are the majority of plebians- farmers, engineers, miners and office clerks. Azulvistan plebians have no political power whatsoever, being unable to own land or vote. Unlike serfs of the past, plebians have firm legal protections as subjects. Patricians can no more kill a plebian than they can anyone else without suffering serious consequences, and plebians are afforded a basic safety net in the form of universal healthcare, unemployment (although there are also compulsory work assignments) and have the expectation of protection by the patricians. Off Azulvista, plebians take on a slightly different role. The triplet inhabited moons of Azulvista often chafe under the rule of the ‘oppressive’ Senate. Uprisings and rebellions are not uncommon, but the patricians maintain a much higher military presence in the ‘colonies,’ and those foolish enough to take up arms can expect no quarter from young jetknights looking to prove themselves on the field. Plebians also make up the bulk of the Azulvistan military. Although patrician jet-knights steal the glory and the limelight, most of the hard work and drudgery is done by patrician dragoons and ground forces. The army is a quick way for plebians to rise above their station- stellar military service is the most reliable way to find yourself in the lower ranks of the patricians, and thus, the Azulvistan army is large, motivated, well-trained and experienced. Above the plebians are the mathetes. Mathetes, or, as most non-Azulvistans would call them, scientists, sit between the plebians and patricians. Although not permitted to vote or own property, mathetes nonetheless have a privileged position. Patricians surround themselves with mathetes, both as advisors and because it’s considered important to do so- recognising what you do not know is a sign of a cultured man, not a weak one. Because of this mathetes receive a cushy position and allowed to dedicate themselves to their craft, along with limited access to patrician luxuries. Finally, the top rungs of Azulvistan society are home to the patricians. From their carefully selected birth, patricians are expected to train themselves to be true warrior-artists. The cultural superiority of a patrician is considered just as important as military prowess- an uncultured warrior is little more than a tyrant in waiting, although Azulvistan society places little prestige on one form of culture over another, and there are relatively few gendered expectations when it comes to what art one excels in. Music, dance, poetry, drama, patricians are anything from celebutants, composers, novelists or even chefs. Finally, Azulvistan society is a fairly spiritual one. Knightly ideals are, after all, fundamentally rooted in Christianity. Although the core message has been corrupted over the years, and the very different environment of Azulvista has spurred some quite radical shifts to the human experience, there are still plenty of obvious influences. From the almost polytheistic ideas they have about saints to the belief in a very Christian afterlife, not only is religion a large part of society at every stratum, but as more Machiavellian patricians know: religion is the opium of the people. [center] --- [/center] [color=#006341]Governance and Politics[/color]: The Gran Republic is, in the strictest sense of the word, a democracy, similar to those of the Ancient Greek city states. Voting is restricted to the landowning patricians, and votes can be awarded to individuals as commendations for various actions (thus, there is no 'one person, one vote,' within the Gran Republic.) Every patrician of majority age makes up the Patrician’s Congress, the lower body in the dual-legislature known as the [i]Cortes Generales[/i]. Every five years, elections are held to select patricians to be a part of the Senate, which is the Republic. The Upper Senate contains several smaller committees specialising in various fields, such as the High Generalship, High Admiralty, the Chancellors of Azulvista and the three inhabited moons, and, of course, the position of Presidente, along with the largely ceremonial rank of Generalissmo. [color=#006341]Technology Overview[/color]: With the mathetes class and a healthy respect for the people that design their sophisticated equipment, Gran Republic research progresses at a healthy and well-rounded rate. The most unique aspect of Azulvistan technology is, of course Augustinium and how this tremendously powerful substance is used. Azulvistan lodestones seemingly defy the normal conventions of magnetism, with even the lowest-grade ‘rock rumbler,’ lodestone managing to be a superconductor. Although artificial lodestone can be made, the process results in a lower-grade, less useful end product: perfect for industrial and civilian use, but inferior to the real stuff in every way. A true patrician wouldn’t be caught dead using artificial lodestone equipment. The most iconic piece of Azulvistan equipment is their maglev technology, enhanced as it is by the incredible power of Augustinium. The most prominent example of this technology is the jetbike- Kept aloft by powerful engines and a complicated network of agitated lodestones, jetbikes can remain airborne for up to a day at a time and also come with deployable wheels. Floating above the ground, jetbikes have a tremendously high max speed, although most are never pushed above a third to a half of their potential, where patricians can comfortably operate. Personal patrician jetbikes tend to also feature two plasma-casters at the front to maximise close-range damage, whilst plebian combat ‘jetrikes’ tend to feature heavier, pintle-mounted weaponry. A true combat jetbike features almost no protection for the rider. A patrician is expected to remain safe through speed, agility, and their suits of power-armour, ducking and weaving through enemy fire, or letting smaller calibre bullets ping off their armoured shells. So-called ‘jettrikes,’ tend to have an enclosed canopy and other ‘un-knightly’ protective features for their riders. Augustinium is also extremely useful when it comes to plasma technology. Industrial-quality lodestones make excellent magnetic plasma containment fields. Plasma technology is therefore in common usage across Azulvista- from generators to the archetypal patrician weapon of the plasma lance. The plasma lance is nothing more than a patrician’s pride and joy. Each one is custom made for their user; their hilts designed to cleanly attach to a Azulvistan jetbike. The speeds at which these jetbikes operate means that to use a physical weapon would invite the loss of a limb. Instead, Azulvistan lances use an extremely fragile containment layer around a constantly agitated spike of plasma. When the field makes contact, it immediately disperses, resulting in a jet of plasma exploding out into the target in a manner similar to a shaped charge, clearing the way for the jetknight. Other than these advancements, Azulvista has a firm grasp on genetic tampering. Revivalist gene therapy can add several decades if not a century to the lifespan of those able to afford it, and almost all patricians are the result of several generations worth of selective ‘designer babies.’ To actually [i]modify,[/i] your child would be to cheat, but simply selecting the best candidate out of several and weeding out anomalies and defects is common sense. Pharmacological advancements further placate the population and enhance the soldiery- from old Earth coffee and marijuana to stims like [i]tri-sun[/i] and [i]savant[/i] a mathetes with an interest in the pharmaceutical can make a big name for themselves. [color=#006341]Military Overview[/color]: Azulvista’s centuries of war have bred a militaristic nation and people, with a well-funded, professional and powerful military. The Armed Forces of the Gran Republic can be divided into two major branches, the Republican Navy and the Republican Army, although they do not correspond to the old-Earth ideas of ‘army’ and ‘navy.’ The Azulvistan Navy (Armada de Azulvista) handles all operations outside of Azulvista’s atmosphere, maintaining the nation’s spacefleet, protecting the planets from alien encroachment and enforcing order across the system. The Azulvistan navy maintains a doctrine of rapid and flexible response, with multitudes of smaller, heavy-hitting and lightly armoured craft backed by heavier-duty gunships. The head of the Navy is the Admiral of the Fleet (Almirante-da-Armada,) a role assigned by the Generalissimo from the country’s pre-existing admiralty. In addition to spaceships, the Azulvistan Navy also handles the Azulvistan Marines, (Infantería de Marina,) although such forces would more appropriately be called space marines. Azulvistan Marines are expected to handle any manner of deployment in space, land, air and sea, and are rigorously and extensively trained for all such eventualities. The uniform of the navy is black, with silver and blue highlights. On the ground, the Azulvistan Army (Ejército Azulvistan) handles the combined duties of all atmospheric combat, including land, air, and sea duties. For this purpose, the Azulvistan army has effectively supplanted Earth’s four branch system of a navy, army and airforce, with spaceforce duties handed over to the navy. The Azulvistan Army can be broken into numerous sub-branches, but the most well-known and prominent include the Amphibious Army, effectively replacing what on Earth would have been called a Navy, the Airborne Army, the Interplanetary Special Operations Command (ISOC,) and the paramilitary Cazadores. The head of the Army is the General-In-Chief (Generale-En-Jefe,) not to be confused with Generalissimo, the honorary title given to the Chancellor of Azulvista. When it comes to an open battlefield, the Azulvistans are most easily compared to the crusades of old. Heavily armoured cavalry screech through the skies, tearing through those foolish enough to challenge them in close combat, whilst heavier jetrikes follow behind the initial spearpoint to lay down a withering barrage of fire on whatever survived the initial charge. Once the cavalry has done the job, dragoons and footsloggers move in to neutralise any remaining threats and confirm the victory. In urban environments, the plan changes little. Jetbikes turn from being used in mass charges to instead be lightning-fast strike and fade troops, smashing apart strongpoints with plasma before shooting off before proper retaliatory forces can be mustered. Even dismounted, patricians are no pushovers: their power suits and training in hand-to-hand combat means that even without their formidable jetbikes, they can still hold their own, and their men-at-arms are still professionals at heart. If all that isn't enough, many patricians also train to be duellists. Although actual honour duels are relatively rare among patrician society (as generally speaking, cultured individuals don't attempt to murder each other over slights,) any patrician family worth their salt will have a set of pistols and swords that have tasted blood at least once. [hider=Characters:] N/A For now. [/hider] [center] --- [/center] [/hider] [hider=The Khagnate of the Steppe and Sky] [center][color=a36209][h2][b]The Khagnate of the Steppe and Sky[/b][/h2] [b][i]Riding Forth On The Steeds of Ancients[/i][/b][/color] [img]https://i.pinimg.com/736x/a0/9a/31/a09a31e569f9c2da0e8ce6acaa0a0d16.jpg[/img] [sub]Various horse-hair banners wielded by Khagnate Representatives[/sub] --- [/center] [b]Government Form[/b]: The head of the Khagnate is, of course, its Great Khagn, a hereditary title conferring the powers of absolute monarch onto its bearer. That being said however, the majority of the population, despite swearing fealty to the Khagn operate in much smaller tribal or feudal cliques. [b]Demographics[/b]: 100% Human. Approximately 85% of the population inhabits the Steppe itself, whilst the remaining 15% live within the nomadic Hordes that ply the Great Black Sky. [b]Population[/b]: The Great Khagn rules over some seven to eight hundred million people. [b]Planet Name and Description[/b]: The Steppe, (Earth astronomical designation now forgotten) is a lonely rock slowly rotating a weary star. When observed through telescopes in the Sol system, one might be fooled by its seemingly vibrant colours and perhaps, if one's telescope is particularly powerful, the appearance of some kind of biosphere. Unfortunately, so many thousands of lightyears can play tricks on even the best telescopes, and early colonists found not a warm and welcoming, easily-inhabited exoplanet, but instead a blasted, desertified rock, with perilously little fertile land, a damaged and fractured atmosphere and, most curiously of all, radiation levels that seemed entirely incongruent with what they should have been. The planet is ravaged by unnatural and awful weather that prevents permanent habitation on the vast majority of the Steppe's surface, whilst frequent meteorite collisions pepper the surface with craters. Although the surface of the planet is rough and near uninhabitable, it holds secrets and mysteries that make exploring it unimaginably valuable. Hidden beneath layers of rock and sand, worn by time or buried beneath collapsed mountains, the brave and foolhardy alike may find themselves with treasures not of natural resources or wonderous beauty, but instead of technology. Whomever turned the Steppe into the wasteland it is today did not [i]entirely[/i] vanish, and although as of yet, no remains of these precursors have been found, their settlements and equipment can be discovered in abundance, ready to be pieced together and repurposed for those with the know-how. [b]History[/b]: Khagnate record keeping of its early days and of life on Earth is poor. So poor, in fact, that they are unable to even get the name of their nation correct- an accurate spelling would be [i]Khanate[/i] or [i]Khaganate,[/i] rather than the 'Khagnate' they went for. It can reasonably be inferred that the initial settlers drew their heritage from Earth's Eurasian steppes, but if they were dispatched by a government or a company, as a first wave or as a desperate last roll of the dice, or even what the ship that carried them to the Steppe was named is now long forgotten, held only on deteriorating databases on Earth's surface. With so little history, one might expect that that the Khagnate has set about making more of its own, but this is not the case. The history of the Steppe's human settlers is disappointingly uniform and boring, with the same Imperial and Clan structure that exists today springing up early and maintaining itself with little interruption for centuries. Wars have been fought, great conquerors born and died, but in the end, the Steppe swallows up the bones of men far better than it does its archeotechnologic secrets, and few Imperial Scholars care to scribble about the 'petty' squabbles that take place between the clans. [b]Culture and Society[/b]: Khagnate society can be easily divided into two distinct cultural groups: Hordesmen and Steppefolk. The Hordesmen are those fortunate enough to live offworld of the Steppe. Most are born and will live their entire lives within the confines of their familial Horde's spacecraft, usually making their living by following the movements of asteroids or meteors, although some do 'settle' onto uninhabitable and atmosphereless moons and planets to establish mines, refineries and small outpost colonies known as [i]Örtöös.[/i] Hordesmen, as the name implies, move in large armadas, or hordes, which are ruled over by lesser Khans who are directly subservient to the High Khagn. These Khans will, in turn, rule over lesser nobles in a typical, pyramid-like feudal hierarchy that ensures everyone knows exactly who they must bow to, and who, in turn, bows to them. Khans and nobles are almost always assisted by an unelected 'parliament,' hand-picked by that khan or noble to serve and advise them as best as they can. Beyond this simple feudal system, Hordesmen also have complicated familial structures that lead to large internal power jockeying. A particularly wealthy, productive or fertile family will see its power grow, oftentimes absorbing other families through marriage and drawing them into the stronger family's orbit. In this way, nobles and Khans cannot rest on their laurels and must always play a careful balancing act, lest they be deposed and the khan or Great Khagn award their favour to the up-and-coming usurpers. Beneath the Great Black Sky, on the Steppe itself, Khagnate 'culture' becomes fractured, conflicting, poorly-understood and extremely violent. Very few places on the Steppe are inhabitable, and those that are are rarely so for longer than a few of the Steppe's rotations around its mother sun. Life on the Steppe is, therefore, not self-sustaining, and the Clans that inhabit the surface of the planet are entirely reliant on the Hordesmen for fuel, industry, and sometimes even food. To live on the Steppe is to be perpetually moving- Steppefolk have great roaming cities, rarely as one, tremendously large machine, but more often as a collective of vehicles driving, crawling, galloping and skimming across the boundless wastes that smother the Steppe. The largest unifying factor between these clans is their oaths to the Khagn. In order to receive the vital resources produced by the Hordesmen, the Steppefolk must gather valuables to pay to the Khagn in tribute- usually archeotech of some kind, but almost anything of value can be given as a sign of loyalty, including the heads of misbehaving clans. Because of this, the clans are in a constant war against one another to secure enough resources to barter for their survival, leading to a Darwinian struggle in which the reward for being the strongest is even more bloodshed. The only potential respite a Steppefolk can have from this life is their clan being deemed worthy of 'Ascension,' the best and brightest of their numbers lifted offworld to join the Hordes in their voyages across the stars. The other major unifying factor between the disparate peoples of the Khagnate are their religious practices. Although the specifics of the faith are not shared between all people, the fundamentals of Uzayiism are relatively consistent. Uzay is both the deity and the realm of outer space, and from Uzay, all of creation flows. Uzay created the planets, the peoples, and all the lesser gods and spirits that reside over their many creations. Uzayiism is deeply shamanistic. Devotion must be paid to both ancestor and natural spirits that reside in all beings, and proper respect must be paid when taking of the universe's bounty. To enter Uzay is to experience a minor form of transcendence, giving the Hordespeople a religious high ground over the Steppefolk, confined as most are to an existence bound to a planet, only able to gaze at Uzay's glory without being able to experience it themselves. [center] --- [/center] [b]Governance and Politics[/b]: The Khagnate is an absolute monarchy, ruled by their hereditary Great Khagn. The Khagn, in turn, devolves power to feudal lords. On the surface of the Steppe, 'governance' and 'politics' go no further than a tribal level, although as long as the tribes are loyal, strange governing customs are permitted, with clans ranging as anything from 'might makes right' warbands lead by the strongest warrior to clans who follow the cryptic commands of salvaged AIs to clans operating under a loosely democratic council. [b]Technology Overview[/b]: The only way to describe Khagnate equipment is 'schizophrenic.' Very little true technological innovation has occurred in the Khagnate in the 300 years since the Fall from Earth. Instead, their technology is almost entirely based on archeotech- the mysterious remnants of the precursor civilisation that once inhabited the Steppe. Almost all Khagnate archeotech is poorly understood, risky to tamper with, often extraordinarily destructive, and has an unusual tendency of violating preconceived notions about the universe. In this way, the Khagnate can have wonderous, logic-defying technology, with absolutely no idea of how to manufacture any more of it, if what they're using was even [i]intended[/i] for the task it has been pressed into, or if it won't one day decide to blow up and take half the planet with it. Some of the only [i]understood[/i] technology is hoarded by the Imperial Court and its antiquarians, to be used by the Khagns and those close to them, and nobody else. This is how the Kheshigs can maintain their standardised power armour, how the Flagship the Khagn has held court in for well over a century can be so well maintained and operated, and why (almost) none of the Khagn's equipment has experienced the explosive malfunctioning that plagues Khagnate archeotechnology. [b]Military Overview[/b]: Although certainly a warlike and quarrelsome people, the Khagn himself has little need or desire for an interplanetary fleet. Certainly, if pressed into it, the Steppefolk would be a fearsome foe indeed, each one raised on a world seemingly spiting humanity in its inhospitability, born to fight, and armed to the teeth with tech both arcane and understood. Steppefolk warriors may be a ramshackle bunch, with little organisation and no clear standardisation, but their centuries of war have left them hardened and battle-ready. Another factor to tangle with would be the Khagn's own forces. Although nobles are discouraged from maintaining large, standardised army, it would be a mistake to assume that the Hordespeople operate harmoniously with one another, and more than a few nobles maintains a host of professional soldiers, generally referred to as houseguards. These houseguards are typically drawn from a small number of supplicant families who have produced generations of soldiers, and they are understandably proud of this long history. Although the exact nature of houseguards vary depending on the wealth of the nobles employing them, they are usually professionally trained, equipped and maintained, with the best of the best being those under direct command of the Khagn himself, known as the [i]Kheshig.[/i] Originally envisioned as the personal bodyguards of the Khagn, they grew in power and scope to the closest thing that the Khagnate has to a standing army, able to deploy [i]en masse[/i] down to the Steppe to personally take care of clans grown too powerful or too proud to control properly, should they manage to somehow be self-sufficient. Kheshigs are, on the Steppe, viewed as terrible agent of the Khagn's fury. Clad in power armour, armed with powerful, reverse-engineered weapons, to a fault faceless and never speaking, they execute the Khagn's commands without question, hesitation or deviation. Should it be commanded, they would die for their liege in their droves, and yet more would be drawn to replace them. Outside of their warriors, although the Khagnate may call their fleets 'Hordes,' it would be a mistake to assume that their navy was anything more than a civilian one. What few superweapons the Khagn does have are aimed squarely down at the surface should the Steppefolk become too uppity, and although they might be able to be pressed against an invading force, it would take little to swat these nomadic armadas down and establish oneself as suzerain of the Khagnate's systems if they were sufficiently driven enough to do so. [hider=Characters:] N/A For now. [/hider] [center] --- [/center] [/hider] [hider=The Dinnin of Al-Sahra] [center] [color=00aeef]Nation Name[/color]: The Dinnin People's Caliphate | The Dinnin Confederacy [color=00aeef]Government Form[/color]: One-Party Theocratic Centralised State | Confederated Parliamentary Monarchy [color=00aeef]Demographics[/color]: 100% [i]Homo Sapiens Sapiens[/i], of which: ~ 68% live in Arcologies ~ 24% are settled outside of Arcologies ~ 8% are fully nomadic [color=00aeef]Population[/color]: 1.3 billion --- [img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/955867254308876348/1133800095096254609/Dinnin_Peoples_Caliphate.png[/img] [i]The official flag of the Dinnin People's Caliphate, showing the Golden Path delivering people from sin, and into God's light.[/i] --- [/center] [color=39b54a]Planet Name and Description[/color]: The Dinnin name their planet [i]Al-Sahra al-Kubra[/i] or 'The Great Desert,' a deeply unsubtle name for a planet that has so little water. Al-Sahra is dominated by wide, sweeping ergs, interspersed by towering mountain ranges and the occasional life-giving artery that is Al-Sahra's few colossal rivers. Al-Sahra's limited surface water does not stop it from having small seas and a few large lakes, where the climate is wet and cool enough to sustain agriculture nearly year-long. Outside of these areas however, the desert itself ranges from life-filled to wasteland. Unlike the Sahara on Earth, which was predominantly stony hamada, Al-Sahra is dominated by 'sand seas.' Under the right conditions, these can be whipped up into tremendous sandstorms that roll across miles of barren landscape... Or rip out of the deep desert to assert the sand's due over settlements and cities. Finally, Al-Sahra contains a rather peculiar substance known as Naqahdah. An extremely potent fuel source that can be refined into several useful forms, great effort is expended in order to drill, mine and frack Naqahdah out so it can be processed and used. Although it is not the only source of energy the Dinnin use, it would not be an exaggeration to state that if the substance ran out, the Dinnin would not be able to continue their lifestyle. [color=39b54a]History[/color]: The first colonists to set foot on the bright sands of Al-Sahra were a particularly disunited bunch. The small fleet of ships that had ferried them across the stars were originally the pet project of wealthy Middle Eastern mangates - those few who still clung to the power of petroleum, corporate bigwigs and old royalty, along with their staff and crews, but as the situation on Earth continued to deterioriate, many of these private enterprises were hijacked by state or other private interests. What emerged on the other side was a collective of the richest, poorest and everything in between, but the group that would have the largest impact were the followers of the 'Prophet' Khalid Al-Ashgar, considered a [i]sayidd[/i] (descendent of the Prophet Muhammad) by his followers. Khalid, a tech and advertisement mogul, had received significant controversy over his belief in the 'Golden Path,' an Islam-derived doomsday cult, and he and his followers laid the groundwork for what would become the modern-day Caliphate, based on his teachings. Upon arrival of the planet, and the discovery of it being significantly poorer for colonisation than initial estimates had suggested, any sense of unity between the fleets rapidly disintergrated. The early days of the colony were marked by tragedy after tragedy, but out of these tragedies came enough small successes that it seemed all was not lost. Collectives of vessels forged the foundations for many of the most prominent arcologies of today. The discovery of Naqahdah and its use as a fuel source was the main driver of initial conflict, as these early city-states began to throw their weight around. These disunified and fractured states and their poorly-protected auxiliary settlements were also rich pickings for nomadic bands, who experienced a golden age that would dwindle as their targets became strengthened and governments more stable. This fractious world would be turned over its head by the re-emergence of the Golden Path. Having become a de-facto recognised religion by almost every arcology, the tinderbox of religious conflict was simply waiting for a chance to blossom into an inferno - and the incendiary preaching of Dawud Al-Ashgar, great-grandson (in law) of Khalid. Successfully placing himself as the head of what he claimed was the one true priesthood, he and his followers sized control of the Rawdat Al-Nour Arcology, urging followers in other cities to rise up as he had done. What followed was almost 30 years of civil instability and outright inter-arcology war, ultimately culimating in the near-total destruction of the Manarat Al-Rimal Arcology and the declaration by the now-elderly Dawud that the Caliphate had been made manifest across Al-Sahra. The rest, as they say, is history. The Caliphate's fortunes have waxed and waned as anti-Path sentiment among the population has come and gone, and now, in the 27th century, their near century-and-a-half control of Al-Sahra is looking weaker and weaker. Many of the plentiful Naqahdah fields have started to run low, and ever-more extreme methods of keeping the population 'faithful' has caused widespread resentment. Once again, Al-Sahra is a tinderbox waiting to be lit. [color=39b54a]Culture and Society[/color]: The Golden Path mandates strict aesceticism for its followers, mimicking the times of hardship that mankind endured during the fall of Earth. What other societies would call luxuries are instead branded as distractions and traps, designed to lead people into sin. To keep people from sin, the Path enforces harsh religious law, backed by a heavy-handed surveillance state and draconian punishment for 'sinners' and 'apostates.' Despite this however, there has always been light, laughter and gaiety in Al-Sahra. The high-density nature of their acologies fosters a strong sense of community among neighbours, and communual gatherings and celebrations (even under strict religious observance) are common, [i]especially[/i] weddings, funerals and festival days. The arcologies themselves - particularly the older ones, designed during the Confederacy, are prone to intricate and 'wasteful' flourishes, and the aesteticism encouraged by Al-Nizam has fostered a culture that recycles and upcycles goods to the nth degree. [center] --- [/center] [color=f7941d]Governance and Politics[/color]: The Dinnin are, broadly speaking, divided into two main factions, with several smaller splinter factions that vie for control and influence. The first of these factions, and the one that is currently in power, is the Caliphate, led by al-Nizam, or the priestly class. They are opposed by the Confederacy, united behind the al-Karim dynasty. As the current [i]malik[/i] (king) is elderly and in hiding, his first son, [i]emir[/i]Raaid is the centerpiece for this movement. The Caliphate believe that the entirety of Al-Sahra should be ruled according to the tenents of the Masar Aldhahab - The Golden Path laid out for the Dinnin before the Fall of Earth. This manifests in what can best be described as 'collectivist theocracy,' with strong central planning, a rejection of the free-market, a heavy focus on religious law and where 'state' and 'church' are near-interchangeable. The Confederacy on the other hand grew out of the fractured, disparate arcology-states that formed in the first century of colonisation. Although unified underneath a single malik, who acts the head of state, the majority of power is granted to various emirs, nizams and sheikhs, each of whom have significant flexibility in the rule of their own arcologies, alongside democratically elected viziers and parliaments. (In practice, the actual strength of democratic institutions in the old Confederacy could vary wildly, from crowned republics to absolute monarchies in all but name.) Finally, there are the various nomadic peoples, who live outside of the laws of any arcology government. Although the nomads are hardly a unified bunch, they tend to have strong familial or tribal clan structures, led by chiefs, patriarchs, matriarchs and the like. [color=f7941d]Technology Overview[/color]: Although Al-Sahra seems barren to the untrained eye, the Dinnin have long since grown used to using every scrap the desert can provide them to produce material wonders. The greatest demonstration of this technology are their collossal arcologies. 'Vertical cities,' typically only a few dozen square kilometres in area, but more than make up for this by being thousands of meters in height. Each arcology is almost entirely self-sufficient, with superstructures built from super-strong lightweight materials such as carbon nanotubes. They incorporate vertical farms, water and sanitation recycling and environmental shielding systems, and it's entirely possible for one to live their entire life within the arcology of their birth. In fact, the Caliphate would prefer it this way. These wonderous structures aren't the only area in which the Dinnine excel in material science however - the rich, hematite-filled sand dunes of Al-Sahra are gathered in great quantities, to be fed into 'lattice constructors-' house-sized 3d printers capable of churning out almost anything that can be programmed in. Other than impressive feats of material engineering, the Dinnin can boast competency in most of the fields required for a state to consider itself 'modern,' with spaceports, gene therapy, advanced computing and early forays into nanomachines proving to be wildly successful. [color=f7941d]Military Overview[/color]: Low-level conflict is fairly routine in Al-Sahra, despite what the Caliphate says, but actual large scale war has been essentially unheard of for several centuries. The Caliphate's 'military,' is really more comparable to a security force, acting as bodyguards for priests, armed police against riots and revolts or being dispatched to protect rural settlements from nomadic raids. Rebel groups (including those who support the Confederacy,) typically rely on guerilla forces, while nomadic raiders rely on lightly armoured and fast-moving groups mounted on vehicles, camels and local wildlife. --- [/hider]