WIP
Name of Nation: Anukuian League
Type of Government: Complex Chiefdom, with Anuku’s seven paramount chieftains, or Arch-Khans, each wielding dictatorial jurisdiction over a substantial swath of the Lone World’s habitable land, its resources, and a professional military force whose enlisted personnel are chiefly levied from the body politic of the Arch Khan’s own—often supermassive—tribe. The title of Arch-Khan is hereditary, with each paramount chieftain channeling their command through a dense cohort of subservient chieftains sprinkled across his or her lands. These subordinates have their sworn loyalty to their Arch-Khan enriched by a conservative quantity of biannual subsidies (normally in the form of raw materials, hunting arms, or land, but may also include young male and female azu slaves for either reproductive or recreational purposes) being bestowed upon them.
Due to the fairly recent incident with Jacha-Ria and the contemporary surge of activity in presently and formally occupied Imperial locales, Anuku’s seven paramount chiefdoms have mutually agreed to initiate the emergency formation of the “League of the Seven”, a martial alliance between Anuku’s seven tribal kingdoms that has predictably culminated in the complete fusion of the azu species into a single coherent racial bloc.
Leader(s): Varied
Persons of Importance: Jacha-Ria the Unchained: A once revered azu ship captain who quickly became universally infamous for her rapid transition into a violent career of rampant piracy. An avid azu racial nationalist at heart, Jacha-Ria made her mark in azu sagas across Anuku for her stellar showings of martial prowess during her participation in many of the defensive actions that Anuku brought to bear against invading Imperial forces during the Azu-Man Wars of 1757, 1764, 1769, and 1772 I.C. before spiriting her ship and her crew into the deepest void for unknown reasons twenty-two years prior to the present date.
Only recently has she resurfaced.
Her horrifyingly xenophobic and savagely condemnatory beliefs about mankind were legendary—almost fanatical even—during Anuku’s bouts with the Imperium, with some of the personal military scholastic writings and journal entries recovered from her mountainside retreat on the Lone World outlining an elaborate yet cryptic plan that would, quote, “lead to the complete eradication of that pathetic xenos species without any loss of azu life”.
Jacha-Ria’s possession of
Our Last Hope—a unique, dauntingly potent azu arsenal fortress with the exceptional capability to reliably ferry multiple assault fleets across the greater galaxy with superb accuracy and extreme rapidity— has enabled her to easily evade or outright annihilate any domestic or hired reclamation units that the League has sent after her.
Faint rumors throughout the cosmos tell of a newfangled affinity of hers: broadcasting a siren’s song on an untraceable quantum wavelength, one that tells of promised retribution and guaranteed riches beyond comprehension for those wronged by mankind who opt to take part in her crusade against the Terran Imperium.
It is estimated that over one-thousand starship captains have aligned themselves with her.
Jacha-Ria's current whereabouts are unknown.
Species: Azu: the azu, alternatively known as Anukuians, are the multi-ethnic race of cat-like humanoids that inhabitants Anuku, a verdant and opulent world that is, in many ways, homologous to Earth. Comparative in size to a large human specimen, azu are sharp of mind and lithe of frame, and can negotiate terrain with lightning tempo and supple grace when on the prowl. Other than being benefited with an excellent sense of vision, smell, and hearing, azu can discern the dynamic position of an object in motion by detecting latent changes in surrounding air pressure, feel faint vibrations through the soft pads of their hind paws, identify oscillating electromagnetic waves emanated by the heart of another living organism, and pick up subtle alterations in the pheromone secretion patterns of living creatures.
As a result of an uncorrectable anomalous fault in their genome, the azu sex ratio is heavily skewed in favor of the azu female, with the current population of azu (stated to be circa 560 million) being 90/10 (female/male) in numerical composition.
Culture:Azu culture values self-determinism and minimalism. Azu adolescents-- colloquially referred to as “kits” by the Lone World's encompassing azu population—are educated in the fundamental artistry of the august survivalist by elder members of the tribe. A distinct (but ultimately secondary) emphasis is placed on adequately honing their apprehension of the clan's spiritual and cultural mores, teaching the importance of family, and promoting a simple yet personally fulfilling lifestyle. By the time that they are of breeding age, most juvenile azu females and males have a predisposition for exhibiting stalwart behavior and operating in a persistent mode of semi-autonomy. "Gifted" azu are convinced to pursue rigorous instruction in one of the more prestigious institutional sectors of academia that reside within the Peaks of Hia-Hia, an unforgiving geographical locale of historical importance where a prodigious amount of the azu's technological innovations primarily originate from.
Azu homesteads, called highhouses, are a queer mixture of an archetypal longhouse and a standard low-capacity semi-subterranean dwelling (such as an earth berm), and are fabricated from readily-available materials (in example: stone, timber, or bone) using un-powered utensils and powerful beasts of burden. Highhouses are comparatively voluminous, playing host to a number of necessary domestic facilities (such as larders, armories, storage enclosures, libraries, or washrooms) and over one-hundred families that are situated along a series of quasi-segregated living floors. Being in such close proximity with one another usually leads to family groups being acquainted on an intimate level.
From these tight-knit relationships, inter-familial gatherings--like ceremonial dances or recreational group hunting sessions--are organized and initiated, in turn strengthening the clan's bond and encouraging goodwill and harmony throughout the masses. Aside from personal effects, clan members openly share most things, and--unlike many other species--observe a weedy quota of personal space, instead preferring to brush up against and caress other clan members if at all able. Stroking the ears, the underside of the tail, and the lower back are all considered profound signs of affection and trust.
Regardless of their internal layout and external attributes, azu highhouses are matriarchal in their fashion of administration, matrifocal in their familial structure, and matrilateral in their inheritance lines, with a wise woman and her selected “elder council” of middle-aged azu women wielding uncontested authoritative influence over the clan's members. As azu males are numerically scarce across Anuku, they are universally perceived and handled as treasured commodities that have tremendous barter value, and are subsequently forced into arranged polygamous “mating sessions” with outside harems of suitable azu women for the clan's own monetary gain, its political elevation, or its social evolution.
Azu mating paradigms center around a single eugenics-like "code of conduct", called ormku, which preaches that only the "fit" are "fit" for reproduction. Azu tribal society does not suffer the frail and flawed to persist in life; the physically, intellectually, and emotionally disabled are sentenced to a ceremonial execution when detected, and may experience harsh instances of familial rejection or overt communal ostracization if they are allowed to live.
On average, azu males sire over 1,000 fit children throughout their lifetime.
Military: Azu militia forces are exacted from local tribal communities and their encompassing septs during times of war. Owing to their idiosyncratic physiological and psychological characteristics, azu land army battle doctrine hinges strongly on mobility, flexibility, and longevity to sustain an effective guerrilla campaign against invading forces. Azu abhor lengthy and grueling battles of attrition, favoring instead to execute covert raids on an opponent's supply lines and any lightly-defended positions using the almost unrivaled power of phase-shift suits and the support of quick and heavy-hitting land vehicles and hypersonic aerospace craft.
Anuku is chaperoned by seven FTL-capable arsenal fortresses that linger several million kilometers away from her. An arsenal fortresses is an assault fleet in all but title, its spherical bulk protected by meters of electro-reactive hydro-armor, a siege-grade PDF, and a strengthened superstructure wrought from hyper-dense composite materials forged in specialized zero-G factories. Arsenal fortresses are divided into 30 fully-autonomous fighting compartments, each one furnished with its own network of submersible phased graser and particle accelerator arrays, fusion, active cooling systems, crew quarters, and capacitor banks, and can dispatch inexpensive and disposable one-use "combat mirrors" that--if positioned correctly--can offer the sphere's DEW suite the golden opportunity to effectively direct its beams around planets.
