[hider= The Prydwenite Empire] [hider= Flag] [img]https://i.imgur.com/wEC54EB.png[/img] [/hider] [hider= Government] The Prydwenite Empire is a feudal aristocracy ruled by a variety of minor and major noble houses. While there is a central royal house that manages their own territory as well as a variety of less independent imperial territories, the noble houses are more or less free to govern their territories as they see fit so long as they pay respect to the few laws that govern the Empire as a whole and pay their tithes to the royal house. In addition to the noble houses, there is a Council of Nobles that serves as a mostly advisory body to the Lord-Protector, who is the ruler of the royal house and by extension the Prydwenite Empire as a whole. While not officially recognized as a part of the structure of the Empire, there are five noble houses, also known as the five Great Houses, who represent the most powerful and influential noble houses within the Empire. All other houses either report to them or serve under them in some way. [hider= House Ravenshade, the House of Shadows] The youngest of the five houses, and the current to hold the title of the Empire’s royal house, Ravenshade represents the usurping of the long-held traditions of the Empire. Unlike many of the other noble houses, who can trace their origins to the beginning of the Empire or to the annexation of other monarchies and aristocracies, House Ravenshade was originally a collection of merchants, smugglers, and pirates who were granted noble status due to some favor to House Eaglesworn shortly after the fall of Ynnari, the previous royal house. While the exact nature of that favor is a closely guarded secret by both houses, the status and territory granted to Ravenshade allowed them a quick ascent in the Empire. What is known is that in the last few centuries as House Eaglesworn found itself beset by internal enemies Ravenshade used the chance to seize the throne and control of the Empire. The betrayal forever left a rift between the two houses in the following centuries, and furthered the divide between Ravenshade and the older houses. While Ravenshade holds a firm grip over the Imperial Territories and their own, the other houses look at them with suspicion. They also usurped other traditions of the Empire, such as allowing non-human species in their territory to retain full citizenship rights, unlike many other houses in the Empire who have traditionally treated non-humans as second-class citizens. [/hider] [hider= House Eaglesworn, the House of Steel] Once hosting the greatest military and industrial might of the Prydwenite Empire as well as having the royal throne, Eaglesworn has collapsed into a shadow of its former self. Internal strife within the house as well as pretenders from within and without the Empire led to their steady decline and Ravenshade usurped their seat on the throne. While they once viewed House Ravenshade as close and trusted friends, they now wish to see the total fall of Ravenshade and their replacement upon the throne. As a House, Eaglesworn is an incredibly militaristic house. Many of the minor houses under their command serve directly as parts of their military, and all house heirs and noble children are expected to learn the ways of command. Unlike other Houses, Eaglesworn mostly tithes soldiers from their peasant populations and weapons rather than the raw materials and currency that is common for other houses. [/hider] [hider= House Crowfall, the House of Change] As expensive and master-crafted cybernetics have become more popular in the Prydwenite Empire, House Crowfall has taken it upon themselves to become central to that trade. Already boasting some of the most wide-spread and extensive universities and research facilities in their territory, Crowfall was easily able to take their seat as a major house by providing access to facilities perfectly tailored to crafting powerful and unique cybernetics. The great wealth afforded to them by controlling such a trade allowed them to expand their own territory and influence over the long history of the Empire. This has not come at no cost however, as House Crowfall is often distrusted by many other houses. Their near monopoly on cybernetics as well as their partial responsibility for the Great Gene-modified Uprising has made many Houses wish to see them fall and their territory carved up into new Houses or annexed into existing ones. [/hider] [hider= House Owlwind, the House of Tradition] Unlike many other Houses, who can only trace their roots and history back so far in the long story that is the Prydwenite Empire, Owlwind is the only remaining house with enough claim to say they have existed since the very foundations of the Prydwenite Empire itself. They remain one of the few Houses who practice the old tradition of ancestor worship. Scions of House Owlwind are required to take pilgrimages to old shrines and other sites of worship across the Empire. While not as large or as powerful as the other five Great Houses, House Owlwind enjoys stability that many other Houses do not, and serves a bread basket by providing food and other agricultural resources to large parts of the Empire. Many minor houses also serve under their command. [/hider] [hider= House Hawkrose, the House of Fire] When House Eaglesworn’s decline began, House Hawkrose found itself in a position to become the prominent industrial power of the Prydwenite Empire. As the House already had a long tradition of engineers who designed many of the Empire’s greatest ships and vehicles, it was a simple matter of expanding their territory and claiming new worlds to fuel the furnaces. Mining vessels travel both from within and without the Empire to bring the raw materials necessary to fuel the great forge worlds of Hawkrose. House Hawkrose, despite their new found position and wealth, has found it beset by enemies from within their worker population. As they rely on the peasantry, including non-humans, to work in their factories, they were among the first Houses to face the rising revolutionary sentiment from various factions. Most prominently, a religious faction known as the Children of the Mother have caused severe instability as strikes become more common and harder for House Hawkrose’s military to put down. [/hider] [/hider] [hider= Demographics] [hider= Humans and offshoots] Comprising a little over 50% of Prydwen’s population, Humans have long since dominated the Empire both culturally and politically. Most other species are treated as second-class citizens and are not granted the same political rights as humans. The notable exceptions to this rule are House Ravenshade and their aligned houses, who have always granted the same rights to other species, and House Cryfall, who has done so out of an interest in scientific cooperation. [/hider] [hider= Ephari] A humanoid species while similar to humans are far more slender and agile in their movements that make up around 20% of Prydwen’s total population. They have pointed ears and pale, often near-white skin. Compared to the humans who live in the Prydwenite Empire the Ephari are far more communal. They prefer larger social groups and don’t have traditional family structures, with children raised by communities as a whole rather than parents. They were once an independent Empire before being largely absorbed into the territory of the Houses, with their major population centers being among House Hawkrose, Eaglesworn, and large pockets within Ravenshade. It is also rumored that they are distantly related to the Ynnari, but there is no proven genetic connection to prove these rumors. Ephari have often rebelled against the Prydwenite Empire - their treatment has caused many minor uprisings and they played a large part in the Great Gene-modified Uprising. More recently, many Ephari have rallied around the Children of the Mother, a religious group thought to have originated from ancient religious traditions within the Ephar. Rumors have also persisted among other factions that House Ravenshade has secretly promised prominent Ephari leaders their own noble house in exchange for helping them centralize the Empire. [/hider] [hider= Changelings] Very little is known about the changelings, only comprising a little under 3% of Prydwen’s total population. They live only in House Ravenshade’s space, having originally come to Prydwen when House Ravenshade ascended to their current position. It is known that in their true form, Changelings look serpentine in appearance. Outside of that, given enough time, they are capable of shifting their appearance and outward form to match most other species. Recent cybernetic innovations have allowed them greater flexibility in this process. As loyal subjects of House Ravenshade, they often serve as their spies, integrating themselves into other Houses and nations to report information back to the Lord-Protector. Much like the rumors about the Ephari, it is said that they have also been promised their own House and titles once Ravenshade has full control of the Empire. [/hider] [hider= Izix] A small and diminutive race of rat-like humanoids, they comprise about 17% of Prydwen’s total population. While once united in relatively large pockets, they have since spread across the length of the Empire whether to migration or uprisings and instability forcing the matter. Despite their size, they are quite strong, and often find themselves in industrial or military work for the Houses, particularly as their sensitivity to light makes them prefer the dark of space ship maintenance corridors or factory machines.. Much like the Ephari, they do not have typical family structures. Instead, children are raised by a small sub-sect of communities dedicated to raising children, and most Izix grow up without ever knowing who their parents are. Recents years have seen many Izix joining the Children of the Mother in hopes of seeing the structures of the Prydwenite Empire turned. Another large portion of their population have also joined the Monarchist movements, in hopes of seeing the by comparison House Ravenshade ascended to the head of a new constitutional monarchy. [/hider] [hider= Other] Whether by migration, conquest, or otherwise, a small portion of Prydwen’s population comes from parts across the galaxy. Much like the Ephari and Izix, they are still treated as second class citizens compared to humans. [/hider] [/hider] [hider= Military] [img]https://images-ext-1.discordapp.net/external/dWpFHmYxiwMKEQlPeuEv5xg1VW5dwNI8i1i9yWgyyPk/%3Fformat%3D2500w/https/images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/52006914e4b0800e68bb4171/1c2fbec4-367b-4285-8cd3-cde8a1b04242/steam-knight-compilation.jpg?format=webp&width=1872&height=573[/img] [center][i]Various classes of mechs, a common mainstay among all of the forces of the Houses and the Imperial Military[/i][/center] While the Prydwenite Empire has always maintained an Imperial Military, commanded by the royal house of and funded by the tithes from various Houses, almost all Houses maintain their own forces. Minor houses will usually keep a small retinue of personal guard on hand, while larger houses and in particular the Great House maintain their own full on navies and militaries. Tactics, organization, and structure can vary from force to force, but a few general structures remain in common. [hider= General Structure] [center][i]The Regulars[/i][/center] [img]https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/9e372ad3-36a4-410e-b0f5-301871a3ab91/damt1ak-285b778e-4c64-42d6-812a-2ffe93952f19.jpg/v1/fill/w_950,h_841,q_70,strp/feudal_world_guardsman_by_l3monjuic3_damt1ak-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9MTQxNyIsInBhdGgiOiIvZi85ZTM3MmFkMy0zNmE0LTQxMGUtYjBmNS0zMDE4NzFhM2FiOTEvZGFtdDFhay0yODViNzc4ZS00YzY0LTQyZDYtODEyYS0yZmZlOTM5NTJmMTkuanBnIiwid2lkdGgiOiI8PTE2MDAifV1dLCJhdWQiOlsidXJuOnNlcnZpY2U6aW1hZ2Uub3BlcmF0aW9ucyJdfQ.71uO49gJra8LyUOnRvWHmAQI8V8LMvsmeeZtf9rWBpI[/img] The backbone of most military forces across Prydwen, whether serving as foot soldiers invading a planet or as deckhands aboard vessels, no military is functional without troopers on the ground. As a part of their service, most regulars are given basic cybernetic implants to increase their performance, and so long as they finish their contract do not have to pay for them. Many peasants will take these contracts, hoping the implants will give them better employment later on. [center][i]The Knights[/i][/center] [img]https://i.imgur.com/PYnM55g.jpeg[/img] Whether the scions of lowly noble houses or soldiers loyal enough to stick out multiple contracts and see themselves promoted, Knights are often at the forefront of many battles in the Prydwenite Empire. Unlike the regulars, they are given extensive cybernetic augmentations, including full on limb and organ replacement. Knights are incredibly valued among the Houses of the Empire, seen as both loyal servants to the nobles and the honor guard of the Houses. Notably, many Knights are also given the honor of commanding the various mechs of the Empire, being given extensive modifications to the nervous system to allow them to pilot and wield those devastating weapons of war. More recent innovations by House Cryfall using the biology of the Mereek have made the neurological augmentations far more extensive, not just allowing a pilot to use their mech but to literally meld and become one with it. [center][i]The War-Scions[/i][/center] Admirals, commanders, and the most venerated knights of the Empire, War-Scions make up the command structure of most military forces across Prydwen. While many War-Scions will retire from the frontlines and choose to command from mobile command centers or their flagships, many still find themselves in the heat of battle in their mechs, whether out of a sense or duty or for the sheer thrill of commanding from the front. [/hider] [hider= Branches of the Imperial Military] [center][i]The Imperial Navy[/i][/center] [img]https://i.imgur.com/rMPabDi.jpeg[/img] [center][i]The Sword of Prydwen, flagship of the Imperial Navy and pride of the Empire[/i][/center] Commanding the various naval forces of the Empire, the Imperial Navy is tasked with defending the interests of the Houses within space. While brought to war when necessary, in peacetime they find themselves defending Houses from piracy, or often policing inter-house conflict. As a force, it prefers the use of large capital ships as anchors, using the large vessels as anchors for the fleet while smaller vessels and fighter craft engage in combat. [center][i]The Imperial Army[/i][/center] Composed of countless souls across the Empires recruited from regulars, and Knights from all Houses within the Empire, the Imperial Army takes pride in helping defend the Empire on the soil of its planets. In peacetime, it mostly serves as a garrison force, and like the Imperial Navy, can often be found strategically placed to encourage House conflicts from breaking out into full on inter-house wars. Their approach to warfare is slow and methodical, preferring to anchor itself around the mechs and mobile command centers of the Army, slowly but surely taking territory. [/hider] (I will be keeping a google doc of various units and weapons as I write them up, will be linked here when I have begun working on it.) [/hider] [hider= History] [hider= Since time immemorial] Very little is known about the early origins of the Prydwenite Empire. Besides scarce historical information and archives recovered during the reclamation wars, conflict between Houses has caused much of the history to be lost. What is known is that at some point in the distant past, Prydwen, the capital of the Empire, was united under the first Lord-Protector and comprised the noble houses of the planet. That pact of unity preserved the independence of the houses, and led to the current feudal structure of the Empire. The Empire then began to spread out in all directions from their local space, Houses taking territory and planets where they could. The feudal nature of the Empire allowed for quick and rapid expansion as no central authority could hold back the growing Empire, but led to its unstable nature and the many conflicts between Houses. [/hider] [hider= Pact with the Yrrani, Expansion into Euphari space] The first historical period where documentation was preserved, the growing Empire would run into the ancient Yrrani, who proved to be a barrier that Prydwen would never be able to surmount. The royal house, whose position was held by House Owlwind at the time, made a deal with the Yrrani. In exchange for large tithes of resources, the Prydwenite Empire would be left in relative peace within its own corner of the galaxy. The pact proved beneficial for both parties, as the Yrrani would not have to worry about the Empire, believing that its own internal instability would tear it apart sooner or later. The Houses then could freely expand into the space around them. This would lead to the first major war faced by the Empire, and one of the first times the Empire ever fully united against one enemy, the Euphari. The Euphari would quickly find themselves on the backfoot, as the space which they inhabited was too valuable for the Houses to give up. The combined military of the Houses and the Imperial military descended upon the Euphari, splitting up and carving their territory among various Houses. While this seizure of territory would prove to strengthen the Empire, it also served to further the instability of the Empire, causing the Houses to fight over who would get to rule the most valuable planets and systems. [/hider] [hider= Ascension of House Eaglesworn, the first Great Accord] The now expansive Empire had a problem, House Owlwind was too small to manage the interests of all the Houses, even with the Imperial Military at its beck and call. It was then that House Eaglesworn used this as a chance to seize control of the throne, with the backing of the at the time small House Hawkrose as well as their own expansive military having been grown from the conquest of the Euphari and other expansions. While Eaglesworn managed to stabilize the Empire, they realized something needed to be done to fix the issue. Eaglesworn called representatives from all Houses to Prydwen, and with much discussion and debate, forged the first Great Accord. The Great Accord created the Council of Nobles to help advise the royal house, and enforced the first real restriction upon the Houses of the Empire. It dictated that no further expansion could occur without the permission of the royal house, and that the royal house would divide new conquests to help prevent further conflict. While many Houses grumbled at limits on their power, it helped to stabilize the Empire. [/hider] [hider= The Unequal Treaty, The Great Gene-modified Uprising and Second Great Accord] With the Prydwenite Empire stable enough, House Eaglesworn continued to further expand the territory of the Empire within the wake of the Great Fall and the new glut of resources left in their coffers now that no tithe had to be paid to their former overlords. The Imperial Military was sent into the space of the small and fledgling Izix, who were forced into compliance. The resulting treaty saw their territory split and gobbled into the various Houses. While the treaty was supposed to preserve certain rights for the Izix, it proved to be for naught, as House Eaglesworn never enforced the Prydwenite half of the treaty. During this time, House Crowfall scientists would also pioneer many new techniques that would make gene-modification easy. While not originally intending to spread this technology, scientists who sympathized with the plight of the peasantry and the injustices done to the Euphari and Izix would spread the technology to them. These new technologies finally gave peasants an equalizer to the cybernetics popular among the Houses, leading to the Great Gene-modified uprising. The widespread uprising caused devastation across the Empire, and led to the near-total destruction of several minor houses. While it was put down, no House wanted to risk another uprising, and as a result the Second Great Accord was forged. It banned gene-modification outside of basic gene-therapy, and further experimentation with the tech was forbidden. While gene-modification remains within the Empire, it is mostly left to the black market, resulting in faulty and often downright dangerous modifications that can do more harm than good. [/hider] [hider= The Rise of House Ravenshade] Shortly after the fall was also when House Ravenshade would enter the picture. The history of the House remains intentionally shrouded in mystery by them, with their only known history being that they were descended from a smattering of smugglers, pirates, and merchants who had all banded together under the Ravenshade banner. They entered Prydwenite space sometime after the fall, and made contact with House Eaglesworn. Whether it be by a promise made by Ravenshade, or by some favor done for Eaglesworn, Eaglesworn granted Ravenshade a large swathe of territory and ascended them the rank of noble house. This large grant quickly allowed them to rise to the level of the Great Houses, to the displeasure of most of the Empire as they were seen as usurpers who never truly earned their position. The most notable thing that allowed Ravenshade an edge over the other houses was their warp gate technology, salvaged from remnants of the Ynnari . While bulky and costly to maintain, and incapable of transporting more than a few ships at a time, the gates allowed near-instantaneous point-to-point FTL to other connected gates. These trade connections allowed Ravenshade to prosper, bringing in great wealth to their coffers. [/hider] [hider= The Betrayal] As House Eaglesworn became further destabilized, both due to external enemies and pretenders from within the now massive House attempt to seize the throne for their own, House Ravenshade saw an opportunity to seize the throne for themselves. With the backing of minor houses under their direction, they were able to supplant House Eaglesworn upon the throne, as they lost territory to several new minor houses splitting off. While the Great Houses were unhappy that House Ravenshade was able to seize the throne in such a manner, none could contest them. None of them individually held the strength to take it for themselves, or were unified enough to pick one successor to replace House Eaglesworn. It would however, cause more destabilization within the Empire, as Houses began plotting and hoping to one day tear down House Ravenshade. [/hider] [hider= The Reclamations Wars and the Mereek Conflict] As House Ravenshade was already aware of the value that Ynnari technology held, they made an effort to take part in the Reclamation Wars, but doing so proved to be a difficult matter. Each of the House had their own opinions on who should gain rights to the systems and technology contained within. The Imperial Military often had to be recalled as a show of force to remind the Houses that inter-house warfare was not encouraged. As a result, House Ravenshade failed to gain much out of the Reclamation Wars, and ended up having to depart from the entirely when the Mereek attacked House Cryfall. As the royal house, they were obligated to come to the defense of House Cryfall. The Imperial Military was swiftly deployed to reclaim lost systems that had been taken by the Mereek, while House Ravenshade’s personal forces began a shadow campaign to strike at the heart of the Mereek and disrupt their supply lines. It would be during this conflict where Prydwen first encountered the Scarrans at Taydan, forming the first communications between the two nations. After more formal relations were established thanks in part to both House Ravenshade and House Crowfall representatives, a valuable deal was presented to Prydwen. While they would not gain any territory in the Mereek Conflict, a share of the resources from the conquered systems as well as a number of other favors were provided. House Ravenshade accepted the deal as convenient, as they would not have to split up the new territory under the terms of the first Great Accord. House Crowfall also found the arrangement useful, as the large amount of research, technology, and in particular data on Mereek biology would prove far more valuable than any system they could claim. Scarran PMCs would also become a common sight across Prydwen, as they were employed to assist the Houses in various conflicts. [/hider] [hider= The Present Day] With the quickly approaching possibility of a galactic conflict over Tar Yrra, Prydwen has entered a crossroads. House Ravenshade no longer views the feudal nature of the Prydwenite Empire as worth holding on to, and it has become an open secret that they intend to centralize the Empire, whether by force or diplomacy. House Eaglesworn has openly aligned themselves with the Augustans, much to the dismay of the rest of the Empire who do not wish to see the ancient and proud Empire made subservient to another. Multiple peasant groups have also risen up. The Children of the mother have exploded in popularity and size, with the Monarchists also equally rising up to try to bring some democracy to the Empire without totally destroying the previous order. [/hider] [/hider] [hider= Other Factions] [hider= The Monarchists] The Monarchists represent a moderate position among the many peasant factions of the Empire, with the backing of many minor houses. They wish to centralize the Empire and preserve the noble houses of old, but with the concession that the noble houses allow some democracy and a constitutional monarchy to help preserve the rights of the peasantry. This faction has a large sway amongst the lower classes of House Ravenshade and House Cryfall, as these two Houses are often viewed as the most likely to be willing to accept such an accord. [/hider] [hider= The Children of the Mother] The origins of the Children remain a mystery, with even the best of spies within the Empire unable to reach the upper echelons to trace its true origins. What is known is that their leader, a mysterious Euphari simply known as Hope, formed the faction based on ancient Euphari religious traditions. The Children believe that a being simply known as the Mother forged all other species and Gods from the very stardust from which she herself was born, and that all are as one family and equal in the eyes of the Mother. The Children are the most radical of all groups within the Empire, wanting to completely topple the noble houses as an unnatural perversion of what the Mother intended for her Children. While they have not yet engaged in wide-spread uprising yet, they have grown large, and are viewed by the Houses as the greatest threat to their authority. [/hider] [/hider] Character profiles - (google doc link here soon(™) [/hider]