The Grand Republic of Matuvista
A ruler without culture is a tyrant and nothing more.
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Government Form:
Matuvistan society is ruled by the Senate, an oligarchal council drawn from a caste of warrior-artists, under which labour a majority of plebeians.
Demographics:
Human.
Approximately 10% of Matuvistan society are patricians, 23% are mathetes, and the remaining 66% are plebians.
Population:
2.3 Billion
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: Matuvista is an astounding planet in multiple ways. Firstly, it's classified as a 'Mega-Earth,' by old astrogeological standards. At roughly the size of Neptune, Matuvista dominates the trinary star system it inhabits, only outmatched by two particularly gargantuan gas giants, neither of which rotate the same stars.
Because of this, Matuvista has been home to many an interstellar encounter, quite a few of which have resulted in it ensnaring another planetary body as a moon. Three of Matuvista's moons are inhabitable- nicknamed 'the three sisters,' they each hold their own populations of settlers, acting as 'colonies' to the Grand Republic's 'motherland.'
On Matuvista's surface, the planet is dominated by wetlands and rainforests. Hot and wet, it's a prime place for growing modified old Earth crops and a wide bounty of Matuvista's own native foods, and its oceans teem with often dangerous, often delicious marine life to be hunted and eaten. Aside from the flora and fauna, Matuvista's geology hosts some of the most powerful lodestones ever found- so powerful, in fact, that they've been known to violently free themselves from the crust to burst upwards as floating islands. Lodestone prospecting is one of the few ways plebeians can really strike it big- it's dangerous, difficult and extremely demanding work, but the substance is always in high demand.
Most of Matuvista's population lives around the Lupatan Sea- a colossal freshwater basin that makes the Pacific look like a bathtub. Above the water hang some of the largest lodestone islands on the planet, with their own fauna, specially adapted to thriving among the unstable crags.
History: The first colonists of Matuvista came from the remnants of several old-Earth Hispanic countries. Upon initial landing, cultural and political differences almost shattered the nascent colony before it could get its feet on the ground, but through a series of increasingly more desperately power-hungry strongmen, the early Matuvistan settlements were held together.
The initial colonisation was not an easy one. Successive waves of settlers, fleeing whichever dictator had rested power that particular year expanded the borders out, at great cost to life and limb. The thick, choking jungles and lethal wildlife proved to be a combination enough to suppress even the most dedicated of colonisation efforts, and the small settlements on Matuvista’s moons hardly fared much better. As the population grew though, and the early terror began to subside, the successive and unstable ascension of dictators began to come under closer and closer scrutiny.
Eventually, one dictator- his name deliberately scrubbed from the record, overstepped his boundaries. Several unpopular reforms back-to-back caused almost every aspect of society to independently despise him, whereupon a woman by the name of Julia De Angelo rallied the people and overthrew the dictator, throwing him out of his capital and watching as he was devoured by one of the man-hunting beasts that lived in the jungles.
De Angelo’s temporary solution was to have a council of experienced individuals lead the country until a more equitable form of government could be arranged. The Technocracy was a short-lived period in Matuvistan history, as it was rapidly supplanted by the Patrician’s Republic. Now, De Angelo is a folk hero to most Matuvistans- widely accepted as the first plebian-knight, she set the model for both patricians and plebians.
The first challenge the Republic had was to establish control over the entirety of the Matuvistan 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 Matuvistan home worlds launched what would come to be known as the
Reconquista, a period of time that defined the tactics used by the Matuvistans ever since. Patricians, who were the only ones wealthy enough to use the then-experimental lodestone craft
en masse, 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 Matuvista was the republic no more- now it was the Grand Republic.
Its tribulations hardly ended there however, for only a hundred years after settling down, 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 Matuvista for themselves. The War of Counter-Aggression was a five-year conflict fought primarily on Matuvista 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/colonisation 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.
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 Grand 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 Matuvista’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
panem et circenses.Culture and Society: Matuvistan 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 plebians- farmers, engineers, miners and office clerks, Matuvistan plebians have no political power whatsoever. 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 Matuvista, plebians take on a slightly different role. The triplet inhabited moons of Matuvista 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 jet-knights looking to prove themselves on the field.
Plebians also make up the bulk of the Matuvistan 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 Matuvistan army is large, motivated, well-trained and experienced.
Above the plebians are the mathetes. Mathetes, or, as most non-Matuvistans 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 Matuvistan 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 Matuvistan 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, Matuvistan 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 Matuvista 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.
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Governance and Politics: The Grand 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 Grand Republic.)
Every patrician of majority age makes up the Lower Senate, a body that proposes, debates and discusses laws. Every five years, elections are held to select patricians to be a part of the Upper Senate, which is the Republic's executive. The Upper Senate contains several smaller committees specialising in various fields, such as the High Generalship, High Admiralty, and the Chancellors of Matuvista and the three inhabited moons.
Technology Overview: With the mathetes class and a healthy respect for the people that design their sophisticated equipment, Grand Republic research progresses at a healthy and well-rounded rate. The most unique aspect of Matuvistan technology is, of course, their unique lodestones, and how this tremendously powerful substance is used. Matuvistan 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 Matuvistan equipment is, of course, 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 max speed of around three hundred kilometres an hour, although most are never pushed above around one hundred and thirty, 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 ‘jetrikes,’ tend to have an enclosed canopy and other ‘un-knightly’ protective features for their riders.
Lodestones are 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 Matuvista- 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 Matuvistan jetbike. The speeds at which these jetbikes operate means that to use a physical weapon would invite the loss of a limb. Instead, Matuvistan 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, slicing a path through for the hilt.
Other than these advancements, Matuvista 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
modify, 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
tri-sun and
savant a mathetes with an interest in the pharmaceutical can make a big name for themselves.
Military Overview: The Grand Republic is not only prepared to fight, but, in fact, relishes it. With a culture infused with colonialism, militarism and nationalism, as well as eager warriors ready and willing to prove themselves, a Matuvistan force is motivated, experienced and well-equipped.
When it comes to an open battlefield, the Matuvistans 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.
Outside of planetary force, the Matuvistans also maintain a not insignificant navy, with purpose-built corvette-sized escort craft, heavily armed and armoured troop transports, and light interceptors. Interceptors and escort craft run interference and engage threats quickly and at close distances, giving troop transports the time they need to bring to bear their larger guns, and hopefully arrive at their destination to boot.
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