Master of the Galaxy 4: Voyage into the Uknown

Goverment :Imperial
Head: Emperor Ranerous
Race:Elven


Positives:
The Empire of Shufalen is an government ran by trade and technology, being ran by this philosophy Shufalen has seen great success in its economy and scientific advances through the centuries.

Shufalen's Military is not a force to reckon with as they are Elven race, their precession and military discipline have advanced since they have lived for many centuries without age slowing them down.

The knowledge of the Shufalen people over the years allows them to realize that any kind of in fighting amongst themselves would seem futile and would hurt them more than it would towards their leaders, so if there was such a revolt to happen in the Empire there would be hostile actions taken against the rebels by the people.

Shufalen is also known for its quick construction of its buildings and statues.

Negatives:
The Shufalen Empire is known to be a rather racist Empire, whenever a planet were to get under their control the nobles or even immigrants to that recently acquired planet would automatically think they are superior to the natives.

The Shufalen Empires ego can be seen to their downfall when trading with other nations or dealing with a battles, some merchants think they are smarter than the other contending merchants while the Shufalen generals act as if they can win anything.

Pacifism some Shufalens think going to war is a stupid idea if not necessary and would probably protest about if it gets to a certain point.

The Shufalen council is made to keep the Emperor in check and are really difficult to speak to making decisions for the Empire very agonizing.

History:

The Shufalen Empire has existed for seven centuries living in peace, the use for war didn't really seem really profitable for the Empire. As their success's in trade and technology have allowed their Empire to grow in its economy and several medical advances. Even so the Empire was not without its military the Shufalen were masters of strategy and having well disciplined troops, this allowed them to have a show of force if an rival trade nation were to threaten them.

Shufalen didn't use to be an Imperial government it used to be an republic, the Shufalen Republic was a broken system constant wars and infighting amongst government political factions and the economy was in tatters. That was until the first Shufalen Emperor Xemnia who was leader of the royalist faction at the time, lead a huge revolution against the republic calling it unruly and allowing the nation to lose face for two centuries. The war lasted only a year and the Shufalen Empire was born and the Empire for seven centuries allowed the nation to have a face within the national community again, though the Empire has had some problems with foreign affairs despite being pacifist Shufalen has had quarrels with the Federal Empire of Azeratii a certain incident on a space station that stood within the borders between the two Empires.

The incident of Azeratii intolerance​

The incident of Azeratii intolerance is what the people of Shufalen called it, as a simple trade deal proposed by the Shufalen Empire turned into a argument of words and then followed by violence after one of the Azeratii officers opened fire on diplomat Kel'Manus. As the Shufalen believe that the humans didn't want to share 50/50 of a valuable crystal resource that both Empires found, the Azeratii wanted it all for themselves and killed their peaceful diplomat for no reason.

(This is a event that both Empires will just make it up as it goes, like a he said she said moment. )

The incident has kept both Empires at a trade war with each other and as of now keep their borders militarized ready for someone to make the first move.

Capital: Yetar
Form of Government: Democratic Republic (de jure), Caste-based Totalitarian State (de facto)
High Chancellor and Chairwoman of the Zelsar Peoples Party: Susanne J. Aulbricht

R. Positive Traits:
I. Caste-Raised Army: With an entire caste of individuals bred solely for service in the military, the Zelsar military is of a top standard with ready and able soldiers.
II. Technological Marvels: High emphasis is placed on the scientific and technological fields of the Zelsar Union and with great interest on it from the ZPP elite technological advances have increased rapidly.
III. Prolonged Life: Likewise the medical field is greatly focused on, especially by the High Chancellor, as new discoveries regarding prolonging life have been discovered and are in the process of being refined.
IV. Good Economy: The economy is in a good state owing to its weird mixture of ownership by the upper castes and then the direct ownership of the government which has a vested interest in keeping everyone employed and pleased.

R. Negative Traits:
I. Caste System: All Zelsar are born into castes with only the five highest castes enjoying the privileges of voting and various other luxuries causing much resentment.
II. Cronyism: In many circumstances individuals are appointed to positions of power solely based on their connections and caste and not on their abilities.
III. Pollution: The homeworld of Yetar is highly polluted as a large number of the Union's manufacturing and industrial output originates from the area and this negatively effects the health of many.
IV. Xenophobic: The Zelsar are deeply distrustful towards those not of their species and in some instances can be outright hostile if they perceive themselves as being threatened.


History: The history of the Zelsarians prior to the foundation of their union is a guarded secret, locked away in hidden vaults by the government due to "security protocol". The official history as taught by the state-run universities alleges that the Zelsar Union was founded exactly three hundred and forty five years ago through the combined efforts of great patriots and even more notably the Zelsar Peoples Party(ZPP), which has overseen the union since aiding in its founding due to "mass popular acclaim". Recent history deals with Susanne Jane Aulbrichts rise to the position of Chairwoman of the ZPP in 300 AF and then unopposed election as High Chancellor in 301 AF, both of which she has held since. As the undisputed leader of the union she is reported to be widely beloved and a true icon of the democracy that she so wisely governs.

However, the reality is far different...

The Zelsarians began to form actual nations roughly five thousand years ago, forming as a broken chain of kingdoms, principalities and even the odd few ideals of democratic states. This situation would not last long however as roughly 3100 BF two large nation states would arise: the Yetari Empire and the Qarun Republic. With strikingly different ideals on governance and social structure it was no surprise that relations between the two were sour and at times bordered on full hostility. The Yetari practiced an extremely autocratic form of governance with the Emperor and his Council of Elders holding the ultimate power. Furthermore their society thrived on a caste-based system where the nobility lorded over a much larger peasant and worker population which was treated akin to slaves. Meanwhile the Qarun had formed a republic with an elected Peoples Assembly voting and ruling on matters. Further their society was a free and equality was a major theme.

Eventually in 2910 BF the two nations would break into all out war. Known as the 'Centuries War' it would last for more than three hundred years, only ending in 2599 BF after the defeat of the Yetari Empire at the hands of the Qarun Republic. The victors would quickly set about destroying any traces of the autocracy and caste system that had dominated for the Yetari lands for as long as any could remember. By doing so however they quickly made enemies with the surviving nobles who actively entered the political scene with the formation of their Yetari Remembrance Party(YRP), which although faring relatively poorly nationally it did manage to hold onto regional governances in the Yetari area.

With the entire planet under their control it was decided by the Qarun Democratic National Party(QDNP), which held 1 289 of the 2 000 seats in the Popular Assembly, that further change was needed. Thus, in the year 2582 BF the Zelsar Republic was proclaimed with QDNP Secretary-General Jacob Ryte being sworn in as the first President. Changes which would shock everyone would come in 2583 BF however when the Zelsar National Unity Party (ZNUP), formerly the YRP, won 1 477 of the 3 000 seats in the National Assembly, a near absolute majority in their own right. Joined by supportive independents they claimed a majority and using it they named their leader, former Crown Prince of the Yetari Empire, Welliam Eyre to the position of Premier. Five years later they would build upon their gains and capture the Presidency. In a move that former President Ryte decried as 'despicable and backwards' they began to roll back legislation that had prohibited the caste treatments in former Yetari lands, they also managed to pass through laws strengthening the rights of the former noble classes as well as changing the voting system in their favour. Subsequent elections would continue to go in their favour until 2553 BF when Eyre was defeated in the presidential race and a coalition backed by the aged Ryte captured a majority in the National Assembly. Ryte, who had assumed the Premiership, began plans for a new series of laws to right the wrongs that he saw but unfortunately passed away two years into office, having only successfully restored previous electoral laws. His coalition would last however and eventually form into the Zelsar Democratic Party(ZDP) and become the main party alongside ZNUP, essentially making the Republic a two-party state in all but name. Such a thing would last for most of the Republic's history, only falling apart in 993 BF when popular dissatisfaction with both of the parties lead to the shocking electoral victory of Julius Trubel and his Workers' Party(WP) in the elections, the WP securing roughly 2 788 of the 4 000 seats. A crisis arose however when the incumbent ZNUP President refused to step down and attempted to dissolve the National Assembly. However he was eventually forced out when the Armed Forces declared their intention to use any means necessary to remove him. Trubel, upon taking office, proposed a wide number of reforms dealing with the working conditions and general poverty that had developed through the ignorance of the old parties. His presidency would continue for the next twenty years until he suffered defeat at the hands of a ZNUP-ZDP coalition candidate, alongside this the WP also lost their majority for the first time but remained a major force in the National Assembly.

The two coalition presidents that would serve between 973 and 953 BF would find themselves increasingly at odds with Trubel and his WP however, with the situations often developing into violent clashes between the well armed militias and army forces. The elections of 953 BF were held later in the year than other before because of such violence and are considered the last true elections in the Republic's history. Trubel would once again resume office however it was more owing to the fact of voter intimidation than anything else. The National Assembly still remained in the hands of the coalition and as conflict between the two increased Trubel declared the assembly dissolved and stated he would rule by decree until he deemed the situation calmed. Although the National Assembly and some of the Armed Forces tried to fight back they found that the militias were extremely strong and well armed and after almost two years of fighting they faded into silent opposition and many of the coalition leaders went underground. Trubel's second time in office would only last until 944 BF however: he was assassinated that year while giving a speech on his future plans for the Republic. His successor, Harold Zander, was even worse: a firm believer in ruling with an iron fist he legalised the rule of the Workers' Party by decreeing a new constitution that named it the sole party and himself its leader. Only 37 at the time of entering office his rule would last forty years and at the time of his death the Zelsar Republic was in the worst condition ever seen: unemployment was at 32%, a majority of people starved or received a bare minimum of food. Furthermore the only real beneficiaries of the system was the upper leadership of the Workers' Party, a whole class of society dedicated to ruling the party and state. With his death however the system began to fall apart as many of the elders began to fight amongst themselves to assume the Presidency. At the same time a group of younger party affiliates also tried to make a bid for the leadership. In the ensuing chaos and infighting the party fractured and open conflict developed. Amidst this the ZNUP and ZDP, long hiding and biding their time, emerged and began the fight to restore democracy. For fourteen years a civil war raged between all the parties but finally in 890 BF the Workers' Party as a whole was crushed and the ZNUP-ZDP coalition announced elections, however in reality they allowed no opposition and they together won all 4 000 seats. For the next eight hundred years they became the very dictators that they professed to be saving the people from and as 90 BF dawned a second civil war broke out: this time between the coalition and a number of opposition movements(one being the Zelsar Peoples Party which was in its bare infancy at that time).

What followed was the bloodiest event in the history of the planet, an eighty year civil war that killed billions and almost lead to the destruction of the planet a number of times. Eventually the opposition, now lead by the charismatic 'Colonel' Seeford and the Zelsar Peoples Party, claimed victory and assumed control of the planet through a provisional government. However two factions quickly emerged: the 'democrats' led by Seeford seeking to restore democracy and free elections and the 'autocrats' mainly compromised of the Zelsar Peoples Party and hoping to maintain a tight hold over the state. Eventually tensions between the two would heighten to the point where neither would co-operate and in 2 BF the autocrats launched a blitz coup as it was to be called by a quick bombing run of the Presidential Palace which killed Seeford and his major supporters. In the immediate aftermath the ZPP's State Co-ordinating Committee would assume collective leadership and promise a great reform of the polity and change of structure.

For the next two years they introduced wide ranging reforms that dealt with everything: they restored the caste system practiced by the Yetari promising that it would only benefit everyone as a whole instead of causing issues, they also subordinated the Armed Forces to the ZPP Military Committee and began forcefully seizing businesses. Then finally in 0 BF they introduced their most important reform: a new constitution transforming the Zelsar Republic into the Zelsar Union and restoring "democracy", however the franchise was only given to castes 1 to 3(1 being the party leadership, 2 being the general party bureaucracy and 3 being the wealthy).

A Golden Era that would last for over a century followed with great advances made in technology and the economy growing and improving with the state's supervision and tight control. Education would also drastically be improved however it would also increasingly become a tool for the government in its goal to control and influence the masses. Alongside this continuous propaganda brought more and more individuals into line. With such successes at home and its rule stabilised, High Chancellor Ian Weckly announced a campaign 'To Touch the Stars', the ambitious plan to build space travelling capabilities and to aim for the expansion of the Zelsar Union to other planets. Thus in the year 139 AF they eventually succeeded in creating such ships and sent them off. These ships would arrive at a number of planets throughout 144 and 151 AF and small colonies would be established, eventually growing and expanding into fully fledged and functioning states. The Golden Era would eventually end around 182 AF with the economy stagnating and the thirst for technology slowly slipping.

From that point on the ZPP's Propaganda Board, worried that with major successes gone that rebellion might flare up again, began to archive the history before the Union and eventually in 208 AF it sealed it for good and the period was henceforth known only as the 'Chaos Era'. History in the schools and universities was only taught on the greatness of the Zelsar Peoples Party and its sturdy and masterful watch over the people. The Zelsar Peoples Party's State Co-ordinating Committee, which acted as a sort of collective leadership, would continue to rule over the party and state until 300 AF when Susanne Jane Aulbricht was elected as the Party's Chairwoman, the first female to ever hold the position, and began a year long quiet campaign against her enemies: eliminating them from either the party or entirely and replacing them with cronies. By the following year the entire State Co-ordinating Committee was loyal to her and in an "emergency election" held that year the ZPP once again won all 5 000 seats and Aulbricht was named High Chancellor. Tightening her control over the Armed Forces and State Security Bureau she became increasingly megalomaniac and paranoid and regular purges of perceived enemies would take place. As the driving force of party and virtually unopposed she would win all subsequent 'nominations' to the Party's top post as Chairwoman and thus the High Chancellory. Now as 345 AF nears to an end High Chancellor Aulbricht is eighty five years of age and is starting to seek a possible successor to continue her strong rule and to maintain the ZPP's hold. However...only time will tell what will happen...

Name: Kassandra Zoya Kurzmann
Place of Birth: Yetar, Zelsar Union
Date of Birth: 313 AF (32 years old)
Affiliation: Zelsar Union Space Command Navy
Rank: Captain
Current Command: ZUSC Resolute and frigate escort; stationed in outer colony-system Dreck
Notable Facts:

• Youngest Captain in ZUSC Navy history
• Distinguished service throughout naval career
• Top cadet in Zelsar Naval Academy graduating class
• Daughter of former ZUSC Marine General Sergie Kurzmann
• Daughter of former ZPP State Co-ordinating Committee member Aiko Kurzmann
• Member of a branch of the wealthy Kurzmann family

The cruiser ZUSC Resolute and her frigate escort in orbit around one of the moons of the Dreck system. Note the complement of star-fighters accompanying the Resolute, a common feature for all ZUSC cruisers.

INTRODUCTION: The HUM
[NOTE: That Information inside is tentative due to the currently unknown nature of the HUM]


As of now it is understood that the HUM - named after the sound made by the translator when the first contact ship asked the HUM what they were - are a race of dense gaseous cells floating in an ammonia rich environment. This is due to the HUM originating on Planet Alpha Anguis IV around the star Alpha Anguis. How life or civilisation started on the planet is currently unknown due to the hazardous conditions of the planet and the rather fantastic form that the HUM is currently thought to be. The sheer fact that life exists in the region is denied by certain nations and sectors of various governments due to the sheer improbability of such an event occurring. This is due to Alpha Anguis being an ancient white dwarf that gives off little heat and the fact that Alpha Anguis IV is a gas giant of primarily ammonia and water with what is assumed to be a core of some kind.

The HUM themselves are not understood that well. Due to the issues with communication what is now known was collected through observation, rigorous and tiring discussion or simply conjecture. The HUM seem to communicate through the exchange of certain gaseous chemical excretion that is not understood as of yet. They also utilise a pseudo-physical transportation system whereas they somehow create a hyperdense ammonia spaceship that utilises its own mass to propel itself across the stars. During first contact it was not even know by the ship that they were passing by a ship until their radio started picking up static from the HUM translator.

It is assumed that the HUM is in an empire of some kind and has a higher level of civilisation and society due to their ability to transverse space. However nothing is known at this time. Discussion among various companies, nations and academic circles over the place of the HUM in this new world is chaotic and strange, with discussions of genocide retorted with the response that as of yet the human race did not even know how to kill, if indeed one could kill, a member of the HUM Race.

For more on the HUM, please insert 10 credits and identification chip.

---

McCloud awkwardly posing in a shot for Helian Magazine prior to his voyage to the Alpha Anguis System​

Profile: Alexander de Jose McCloud; BA (Anthropology), BSc (Biochemistry), MSc (Biochemistry)
Username: UhwAtM8e
[NOTE: That Information inside is sensitive due to the current project given to Alexander by the UCP, the OIE and the CETC]


A 25 year old postgraduate student from the University of the Central Plateau, Alexander de J. McCloud is a quiet and studious young man. He was born in Clifton City on the Western edge to a middle class family of researchers. Showing an early interest in both anthropology and biochemistry, McCloud stuck to his books rather then socialise or make friends. Graduating the Central Plateau Academy for Young Men with an A+ average, McCloud chose to go to his father's alma mater of the University of the Central Plateau. There he double majored in anthropology and biochemistry while receiving the Dean's Award for personal excellence during his last two years.

Following an offer from UCP of a full scholarship for his masters, his decided against going to the National Academy for Science and returned to the UCP for his graduate degree. It was there that he met Professor Ingold, a well known - if eccentric - chemical wizard that angered financial backers and amazed the scientific community with each discovery and/or outburst. Ingold, taking a liking to the young McCloud, decided to have him as his personal graduate student. Working under him for 2 years, McCloud took the slightly demeaning experience in stride by publishing a paper which proved the existence of McCloudium and allowed the continuation of the advancement of the hyperprocessor, an industry which had stalled the last decade.

The international praise he got was unprecedented and shocked the young scientist. Instead of embracing, McClod dove into his work in order to hide from the masses. Brilliant to a fault but highly messy - and often unable to see the trees for the forest - McCloud was selected by an international body of nations as well as the UCP, the Organisation of Interstellar Exploration and the Centre for Extraterrestrial Collections. McCloud originally refused on the bounds that he had yet to finish his doctorate.¹ However when the UCP talked Professor Ingold into telling McCloud's final project was to travel to a foreign astral body to map the civilisation living their. Scared and confused, McCloud acceded to the wishes of the organisations and was launched in a Mk. III Kyo rocket towards the Alpha Anguis System to conduct a study on the HUM.

As of yet, any and all information on the HUM originate from McCloud, and as such can - and will - be updated often in order to correct mistakes made by the author or mark new discoveries.

1: Again at UCP, this time because the university offered to pay the young man in order to keep him from leaving

Government: Monarchy
Leader: King George XXVII
positive traits
1.) Intellectuals: All upper members of Albion Society go through extreme education systems. This ends up leaving nearly all of the upper class with advanced scientific knowledge, meaning that the nation is known to have a strong scientific background and makes new advancements regularly.
2.) Industrious: Overtime the Planets of the commonwealth have been advanced with huge industrial complexes, as such the empire can quickly mass produce anything they require and swap production efficiently.
3.) Military Prowess: Due to having been involved in near constant, high intensity war, the Commonwealth has fast developed an extremely well oiled Military Machine, capable of mobilizing fast and operating at high levels of Military Skill and technology.
4.) Monarch: The monarch provides a symbol for the nation to form around, however the real advantage of the monarchy is that it avoids political infighting by having no option of debate or disagreement meaning policies can be implemented fast and changed quickly
Negative Traits
1.) Rigid Society: people are locked into what ever class they are born in meaning intelligent people in lower classes don't get chances to utilize their skills.
2.) Resource Hungry: Due to the massive needs of the Commonwealth the planets they inhabit will often have their resources drained a lot faster than would normally be the case.
3.) Imperialist: centuries of war, and empirical conquest, has lead to the commonwealth being highly imperialist, hampering diplomacy with other races
4.) War of Conquest: Albion is finishing up the final stages of its conquest of its home planet; defeating the last of the rebels still on the capital
Species description: Hominid, 6' average height, White skinned, Light Brown hair.
Home world description: Terran body split into several continents with slightly different climates

History:

Polity Name: The Kingdom of Francia
Government System: Feudal Monarchy
Leader: King of the Franks, Carolus Magnus

Positive Traits:
1. Salvator's Presence - The faith of the Franks is strong and unifies them as much as their language and culture.
2. Conquering hero - Carolus has destroyed an empire and his prestige is beyond all measure. The House of Pepinus is one of the most known in the Galaxy.
3. Knights of the Chantry - The Chantry wields two knightly orders under its own command. This greatly augments Carolus's forces.
4. Knights of the Crown and Nobility - The Franks are renowned for their knights, making their heavy infantry some of the most powerful in the Galaxy.

Negative Traits:
1. Deep scars heal slowly - The civil war while more than a hundred years past is still fresh in the minds of the people of Francia.
2. Feudal society - Most of Carolus's army are untrained levies raised from his vassals.
3. Noble power - The nobility supports Carolus for now, yet that can easily change and they are powerful.
4. Disdain for money lending - Some vital economic matters are regarded as sinful leaving the Franks at a slight disadvantage in trade.

History:

Carolus Magnus is not the first King of the Franks. His grandfather founded the dynasty that ended the hundred years of chaos after the independence of Francia from the nearby Empire of Darlathia. However, to fully understand Carolus and his grandfather, Pepinus, we must examine the religion of slaves that took hold in Francia. A man named Julius took up the holy fight against our ancient and most foreign oppressors. His sacrifice as the Son of God being nailed to the cross, which so symbolized the Darlathans love of cruelty, for all of our sins and for our freedom from heathen rule, saved all man. For that he is known as Julius Salvator.


Pepinus, who was the son of Carolus Antony, King of Spalento, was crowned by the Grand Chanter as King of the Franks in retaliation to the Republic of Francia (a radical army of communists, republicans, atheists, and heathens of all stripes) taking the city of Illyrium, which held the second largest Chantry in Francia. The Republicans burned the Chantry while a service was being held. Thousands died and the brutality showed the Republican's true colors. They were enemies of God, Salvator, and the Franks. Pepinus began a military campaign against the Republicans, pushing the heathens back. For every heathen captured, the holy retribution for the Crime of Illyrium was exacted with ruthlessness. The heathen Republicans would burn en masse. Pepinus drove them back to their capital, after a war of total and utter brutality. The Grand Chanter, Gregorius Magnus, asked Pepinus what is to be done with this wretched hive of heathen belief. Pepinus replied, "God and Salvator demands this city be offered as a burnt offering to atone for the sins of Francia. This city will no longer tarnish this land. Deus et Salvator!" The army besieged the city and leveled it. There were no survivors. God had won a great victory.

Moving on to the subject of our discussion, Carolus was crowned as King of the Franks in Roma, the capital of the Chantry. Carolus looked to the stars and remembered the stories of the many affronts done to the Franks by the Darlathans. Independence was gained at a high cost including the great civil war that ravaged Francia for years after. Carolus decided that the Darlathans should be punished. He gathered his great army and his fleet and sailed on the star paths to the Empire. There he found an enemy of strength and decadence. But the campaigns of Carolus were masterful. His army and fleet conquered at every turn. By the sword and gun he brought the Darlathans to Deus and Salvator. The Empire was brought low and brought into the Kingdom of Francia. Their religion was stamped out and their churches burned. For this great campaign Carolus earned the name of Carolus Magnus and the loyalty of all of Francia. Grand Chanter Gregorius III declared him sent by God: "For he is the chosen one, to lead the faithless to the Cross! My Lord and Holy Father, we pledge thee our loyalty and to your earthly Messenger!"

Species: Human nothing special. They speak Latin by the way.

((Zex and videonfan, I invite both of you to either catch me on IRC or send me a PM to discuss details of past relations between your polities and mine.))

((EDIT: When I mean past relations, I mean not only your stance on the Mechon, but also with the rebelling Homs and Machina. Particularly if you wish to support them or not in any way.))

((I´ll try to do little IC today))

Polity Name: Federal Empire of Azeratii
Government System: Don’t Ask
Leader: Council of Six
R. Positive Traits:
- History of warfare: After fighting amongst themselves for centuries, Azeratii’s military knows a thing or two about combat and ship design
-Established trade networks: Azeratii has been trading amongst itself for a long time. They are very good at trading and commerce
-Raw Resources: The sheer amount of resources in the Azeratii sector is larger than other parts of the galaxy
-Shrewd Innovators: The diverse backgrounds and situation of all the inhabitants of the Empire mean that they have a lot of ingenuity. They are able to create new techs faster than the rest

R. Negative Traits:
-History of Conflict: While there has not been a civil war in over a century, the long history of civil wars means a new one is not out of the question
-Limited central government: The lack of centralization means that the bureaucracy of the Federal Empire is not efficient, at all, really
-Lack of explorers: Azeratii has not gone exploring in a long time. It shows. They suck at it.
-Spread out economy: The fact that all of Azeratii’s infrastructure is spread out among its systems means that in case of an invasion, it could sustain larger amounts of damage than invasions of other races

Species description: Human


General Information: Came from the same planet, but ended up forming several different factions
United several hundred years ago
Leader of this unification was the First Federal Emperor, Maximilian I (The Unifier)
4 Electors, rule each system
More than 4 bodies, some are large stations, corporations, etc. Each have a seat in the diet
Emperor Justarian III (or The Reformer) centralized the government, created a system of collecting taxes from the bodies. He also created a unified military
Just died, and now the Council of 6 rules while the Electors select a new Federal Emperor
Azeratii sector used to be united under some form of interstellar Empire. All that is left is a few artifacts, and a palace that is used by the Imperial Family

Capital: The closest thing the Federal Empire has to a capital is a large, and powerful space station, Azeratii Station. This is where the Diet meets, and the Emperor stays when crisis happen, or the Diet is in session

Types of States:

Electors
-Revelaria: A harsh planet, Revelarians have become strong, and tenacious fighters. They are ruled over by an oligarchical council (that the Councils of Six have tried to replicate) and have a strong nobility, based on battlevalor and merit
-Lysithia: A hereditary monarchy, Lysithia relies on a structured meritocracy and nobility. While nobility on this planet is hereditary, there are positions of power for those of the middle class that are skilled enough for them.
-Artark: The only Democracy that is an electorate, the title of Elector is bestowed upon their democratically elected Head of State. They have a Head of Government known as a Prime Minister, but the Prime Ministers deals with internal Artarkian matters, while the Elector deals with Imperial matters, and those of Interstellar importance
-Carvia: Carvia is the most interesting of all the Electorates. Its society is based on a strong caste system.

Moon Region

Free Station

Resource Division

Autonomous Corporation

Imperial Colony

Political Factions:
-Federalists: The more conservative group. Strong Diet, weak Emperor, separate cultures, segregated military, unified bureaucracy, but focused around the Electors
-Autonomists: Reactionary, Weaken the Diet, separate militaries, strong Emperor, but weak Imperial Government, completely separate cultures, no unified bureaucracy, minimal taxes
-Imperialists: Liberal, weak Diet, strong Emperor, work to unified culture and military, one bureaucracy, strong taxes
-Democrats: Radical, Directly elected diet, more democratically selected Emperor, termed Emperor, the rest varies
-Equalists: Protect the rights of the small states. Formation of a new Electorate to better represent the Small States

Religion:
-Ancient Worship
-Salvatori minority

Emperors:
Maximilian I: The Unifier, formed Empire. Disappeared mysteriously, and was declared dead. Revelarian
Maximilian V: The Destroyer. Revelarian. Led a fleet that destroyed an entire Darlathan planet into dust. Upon his return, the Diet, horrified by his action, murdered him in their own chambers.
Justarian III: The Reformer, centralized government, created a system of Imperial taxes, formed a standing bureaucracy, created Imperial Intelligence, and created a standing Imperial Military. Lysithian

From the Dreck News Agency Headquarters, located in New Laurasia

We now have new information that there was another Mechon attack before yesterday's raid on Jerrard. Two days ago, Orard was the target of a crippling attack.

Orard is somewhat distant compared to the rest of the towns that we Homs have settled on Dreck. Orard is on the other side of the Crevy Mountain Range, making it one of the most eastern cities and one of the closest to the Mechon center of operations on Dreck. Logically, it would be one of the first towns to get hit by an attack from the Mechon.

Despite the distance, news from Orard should travel here quickly. Why were we not able to find out about this attack? It's because the Mechon attack took Orard by surprise and devastated it. Evacuation was messy and difficult; about 150 civilians are missing or dead after the attack. Defense Force losses amounted to 18 people dead and about 40 more injured or missing.

There have also been reports that the attackers used newer models of Mechon than we have seen before and were lead by a new prototype Face that devastated Orard. The damage was so great that Orard's Defense Force are calling it a pile of rubble and ruins.

Evacuees from Orard are now residing in Jerrard. There are plans for a joint expedition between the Orard Defense Force and the Jerrard Defense Force to go back to Orard and see if they can reclaim it.

So far, it has been hard to say what the Mechon are trying to acomplish or the reasons behind the attacks, but New Laurasia has issued a high alert and is trying desperately to prevent another devastating attack like the one on Orard. So far, no other sightings of the Mechon have been made in the area.

((Private - Celtic Union))


Addressed to His Majesty, High King Brian II,


Sir,

I must firstly send my warmest and most sincere greetings for the new year, as well as the fifteenth anniversary of His Majesty's coronation. While I was, unfortunately, unable to attend the Royal Festivities due to duties within the Celtic Navy, I hope my gift to His Majesty was a sufficient substitute for my presence. I will, naturally, attend the court to renew my oath of loyalty to the Celtic Union and our people.

However, aside from court business, the purpose of this message is to propose a new inter-polity organisation that I hope to see championed by the Celtic Union. As diplomacy does not come under the purview of the Celtic Navy, nor do I have any admirers within the diplomatic corps, it is difficult for my ideas to come to fruition without the aid of a sponsor within the Council, or from His Majesty himself. While some may have, and will continue to, raise doubts about my agenda - after all, I am a warrior and a strategist first and foremost - I must state that the stability and defense of the Celtic Union requires careful and open diplomatic relations with the rest of the Galaxy. The protection of the Celtic race is the utmost priority, which is a priority I share with His Majesty, and in order to maintain this, such diplomatic organisations are required within the Galaxy as we know it. I attach my proposal to this message, and I am keen to hear His Majesty's thoughts.

Your Humble and Loyal Servant,
Ceannasóir Saoirse Ua hAillin​

Plank of Wood said:

((Private - Celtic Union))


Addressed to His Majesty, High King Brian II,


Sir,

I must firstly send my warmest and most sincere greetings for the new year, as well as the fifteenth anniversary of His Majesty's coronation. While I was, unfortunately, unable to attend the Royal Festivities due to duties within the Celtic Navy, I hope my gift to His Majesty was a sufficient substitute for my presence. I will, naturally, attend the court to renew my oath of loyalty to the Celtic Union and our people.

However, aside from court business, the purpose of this message is to propose a new inter-polity organisation that I hope to see championed by the Celtic Union. As diplomacy does not come under the purview of the Celtic Navy, nor do I have any admirers within the diplomatic corps, it is difficult for my ideas to come to fruition without the aid of a sponsor within the Council, or from His Majesty himself. While some may have, and will continue to, raise doubts about my agenda - after all, I am a warrior and a strategist first and foremost - I must state that the stability and defense of the Celtic Union requires careful and open diplomatic relations with the rest of the Galaxy. The protection of the Celtic race is the utmost priority, which is a priority I share with His Majesty, and in order to maintain this, such diplomatic organisations are required within the Galaxy as we know it. I attach my proposal to this message, and I am keen to hear His Majesty's thoughts.

Your Humble and Loyal Servant,
Ceannasóir Saoirse Ua hAillin​

Spoiler

Pan-Galactic Community
(PGC)​

Click to expand...

Addressed to all Relevant Recipients Across the Galaxy
With Approval from His Majesty, High King Brian II of the Celtic Union,

All polities across the Galaxy are hereby invited to send an envoy to the opening proceedings of the Pan-Galactic Community, a diplomatic venture intended to promote unity, peace, and order across all sentient beings that inhabit the Galaxy.

Regards,
Ceannasóir Saoirse Ua hAillin​

---

Pan-Galactic Community
(PGC)

Current Speaker-General
Saiorse Au hAllin​

Members

The Celtic Union
The Albion Commonwealth
The Uskugan League
The Diclonious Dominion
The Xan' Thi Trade Coalition
The Baekdu Republic
The Federal Empire of Azeratii
The Skaven Federation

Articles

---

((Anyone who wants to join, declare it.))

The Aria is an example of just how far reaching the Knights of Progress once were, before the Solesian Republic weakened them. The original design was created by a Francian KOP member, modified by a team of Baekdu scientists, which was then contracted out to an Albion corporation (that the Knights owned), whose materials and funding came from KOP occupied lands on the Solesia home world. The mobile chapter house wasn't actually meant to be that. It was meant to be a self-sufficient colony ship which could act as either a space station or landed colony. With the unification of Solesia, and forced acquiescence of land, the KOP lost most of its influence not just on its home world but throughout the galaxy. This made their dreams of going into the colonization business themselves die, or at least on hiatus.

This colony ship has been recycled for the purposes of Sir Dragos' mission. The main addition was a thicker hull, stronger shields, and more offensive weaponry. Rooms and public areas inside the vessel have been gutted and turned into military hangers and storage. Beyond that all the self-sufficient capabilities of its previous form exists. If funding could be allowed more could be added on to the station as per the original design, though increasing the crew size is advisable. Currently Dragos only has 20 squires working for him; 6 from the Celtic Union, 5 Solesians, 3 from Francia, and 3 from Albion, 2 Terrans and 1 from Baekdu. So that's 21 people running a ship that is built to house 1200 people. Naturally it gets quite lonely on board the chapter house.

---

"I don't like how eerie it is in this part of the chapter maestro..." The nervous Terran squire said looking around the dark hallways. He would have to be taught bravery, though even a veteran like Dragos could see why the unused sections of the ship seemed like the setting of a horror film. To conserve power him and his twenty squires all lived and trained in one small portion of the ship, near the central control room. The rest of the vessel was left lifeless, and even without life support in some area (deals with any stowaways).

Peering through the darkness was pointless so he turned on his nodule. It essentially turned his helmet to night vision mode; hopefully this would prove more useful than his squire's attempt with the torch. "It should be around here somewhere ward." Ward was a term he often used when speaking of those under his care, they weren't pages anymore but had that same young mentality, a paper thin veil of bravado which dissipated at the slightest touch. Due to this fact that few of them would admit to he called them wards, much like an older gentlemen would call a younger person son.

"Why do we need these anyway can't we just use the usual method?" This time the question was more of annoyance, brought on be the young squire stubbing his boot against some unknown yet heavy item on the ground.

"Be careful," Dragos scolded mildly. "I intend to have you all combat ready so we need actual combative weaponry, rather than practice materials."

"Wait you except us to be fighting soon," the ward was surprised by this.

With a stern monotone reply Sir Dragos said, "A knights work is never done."

Unlike many of the galaxy's civilizations, Baekdu presence in space is relatively new, going back at most 200 years when the Meihonese ship Kurotsuki-maru accomplished the planet's first manned spaceflight. By all accounts, Baekdu technological development has been extraordinarily fast, with the most advanced systems of travel going from steam power to antimatter drives in as little as 250 years. This is not to say that the Republic is a technological backwater, but that much of its technology is untested and its designs tend to prioritize functionality, to the detriment of such attributes as simple forms and efficiency.

The Kurotskui-maru and similar Baekdu craft were built on indigenous technology, using rocket engines. At this time, the first atomic weapons were beginning to be developed, hoarded by many of the governments in total secrecy as no state was willing to publicly admit to the others that they possessed a weapon of such power, as it might prompt invasion by the other powers of the world. Nuclear pulse propulsion was thus considered, but ruled impractical as it would be a poor use of state secrets. As atomic energy became mainstream and steam-driven locomotives gave way to nuclear-powered supercharged turbine engines, nuclear pulse spaceships became more commonplace, and became the new standard for ships traveling into space to serve the rapid development of Baekdu's moon Wiesong and near-planetary space. After the crash of the Frankish ship Lux Christi, a primitive antimatter drive was reverse engineered from it, but it would be decades before antimatter could be produced in large enough quantities to make it a viable means of propulsion.

Despite Meihon's early lead in space technology, the first interplanetary colonization mission would be undertaken about 100 years before the Revolution by the Free City of Gwangju, a maritime trading power in Baekje, through the recently discovered jump gate to a system that would come to be called Myeongsong, after the city's current Lady Mayor. Not to be outdone, the Commonwealth of Meihon launched its own space mission to another nearby habitable system, which would be called Ginsei, several months later. An explosion of colonization began at this time, with other powers and private organizations making their own pushes onto the habitable worlds of Myeongseong and Ginsei. Nearly every country in Baekdu had a space presence of some size or other within sixty years of the Gwangju expedition.

The Seongsamshin, a nuclear-pulse craft and the first colonization ship to be launched by a Baekdu power​

During this time, as technology continued to rocket forward, contact was made with the Kingdom of Francia, the polity whose crashed colony ship helped kickstart Baekdu technological development in the first place. Relations were established with the Kingdom, who thankfully sought peace rather than conquest, and trade between the nations of Baekdu and the Kingdom began in earnest. During this period, the various powers of Baekdu began a mad dash to carve out as much of space as possible and obtain trading monopolies with each new power that was discovered. After the Franks, contact was made with the nearby Federal Empire of Azeratii, whose own disunity meant that securing trading contracts with its various component duchies brought in a great deal of wealth. The third power and last power that the Baekdu had direct contact with before indirectly mapping most of the jump lane system through foreign intelligence was the Skaven Federation. The complete environmental destruction of their homeworld and the enslavment practices of the Skaven prompted most of the various states of Baekdu to keep their distance, but a minority of the academia took to studying this new polity, with the Department of Xenology at Ehwa University in Hanseong compiling the most comprehensive studies of Skaven sociology and history outside the Federation proper.

In the pre-revolutionary era, noting the technological superiority of most other civilizations (even as Baekdu technology began to rapidly catch up, especially with the increased study of other powers), in a rare example of international cooperation, the states of Baekdu signed the Foreign Relations Protocol (FRP), declaring that states were not to declare war against non-Baekdu spacefaring polities or attempt other acts of aggression against them, as an alien invasion could be potentially devastating for the entire world. In the decade before the revolution, however, this policy increasingly came under fire, as polities began to develop practical space warships to guard their merchant marines that were theoretically capable of matching alien ships one-on-one. The FRP really began to fray at the edges during the Revolutionary War, when a merchantman from the Kingdom of Goryeo destroyed a Skaven escort ship that was guarding abducted Baekdu citizens that were to be sold into slavery. When no response came from the Federation, not only did the world breathe a collective sigh of relief, but the continued necessity of the FRP was truly called into question, as many of the remaining polities withdrew from it. This was rendered moot when the Republic annexed most of these states. Consul Lee has stated publicly that she "has no current plans to abolish the FRP," but with the Constitutional Convention coming to a close and the growing power of revolutionary and nationalist ideology, it remains to be seen how long this will last. With the Republic now a match in organizational and technological terms for the other polities of the galaxy, it remains to be seen how the new regime will pursue foreign affairs in the future.

The RNS Invictus, formerly the Silla ship HMS Duchess of Gyeongju, is the pride of the fledgling Republican Navy​

Administration of the "extrasolar territories," as they are known, was a patchwork of arrangements in the pre-Revolutionary days. Each power ran its own affairs; some extrasolar territories were run as overseas provinces, some as unincorporated territories, some by colonial companies directly linked to the state, and some as private corporations. The Meihon-dominated Ginsei system was fairly peaceful during the Revolution, as the powerful Meihonese navy enforced neutrality between pro- and anti-revolutionary extrasolar administrations. Meanwhile, Myeongseong saw some of the largest battles of the Revolutionary Wars, as the Republican Foreign Legion, operating out of the ex-Silla colonies, waged war against various royalist colonies. The fighting was only really brought under control within the last year. With the Republican Navy, with the support of the Meihonese, finally arriving to enforce order, the Republic created the Republican Interim Extrasolar Administration (the RIEA) to govern the colonies in the interim while their ultimate fate is determined and the extrasolar administration has begun to be reorganized. Different factions within the National Assembly advocate for different end goals; some advocate for direct administration, some want to keep the RIEA as a permanent organization, and others advocate for completely privatizing their development. The Consul herself favors the first option, but the exact outcome remains to be seen. Meihon has already decided what to do; in the interest of maintaining its economic clout and thus its nominal independence as an associated state, it has directly integrated its colonies with the mainland.

Flag of the Republican Interim Extrasolar Authority (RIEA)​

((reposted from the signup thread, 1 of 2))

Skavenblight is the overpopulated and largely uninhabitable (for any race that is not Skaven) Home World of the Skaven race. Aeons before the Skaven emerged from the local toxic marshes their planet was already characterized by unforgiving living conditions: its active Star released dangerously high levels of Solar radiations, making life difficult to develop and mainly subterranean in nature. How the Skaven came to be and what was the dominant habitat of the planet at the time of their rise are questions that will probably never be answered, as the unrestrained industrialization and intensive mining that followed the Skaven entry into Modernity largely destroyed the original ecosystem and most archaeological artifacts present on the planet.

Today Skavenblight is a toxic and heavily polluted Hive Planet, acid rains plague vast parts of its surface and dark clouds can block the Sun for months before finally dissipating. Life outside of the Hives is largely impossible and only the most deprived Clans live in these surrounding Wastelands, usually exiled after having lost to more powerful neighbours and somehow having escaped enslavement. For these reasons trade with outsiders and aliens is restricted to specialized orbital stations, far from the toxic gases of the surface and under the lax surveillance of the Grey Seers (at least in theory, each Clan has its own Black Market and the Council has given up on controlling all possible transactions with the outside world).

In an attempt to reduce the crippling overpopulation of their Home World the Skaven started a quick colonization of their two great moons around 600 years ago, the moons now greatly resemble Skavenblight itself possessing numerous Hives and high levels of pollution who are dispersed directly into the void of Space as the two celestial objects do not posses a proper atmosphere; around a century after this first colonial wave the Solar system's other planets were similarly colonized. The extensive local colonization, and the general lack of mercantile regulations caused by the naturally anarchic Skaven society, have turned Skavenblight's system into an unlikely bastion of Free Trade and center of Galactic commerce: each day huge amounts of ships come and leave to deposit garbage (the Skaven use to accept other civilizations' waste materials in exchange of a quick profit, then convert said waste materials into crude construction material) and buy weapons, particular "services" from the locals and slaves, only rarely these dealings are considered legal by the rest of the Galaxy.

Although considered one of the most vile places in the Galaxy Skavenblight still remains a central hub of Galactic trade, where no regulation can interfere with the entrepreneurship of the local merchants and no law can stop the free circulation of goods. The Council has recognized the profits coming from this natural state of lawlessness and is ensuring that this state of being is not disturbed.


But Skavenblight is also particularly famous for its Hive-like superstructures, designed to contain the crushing numbers of natives and keep out the worst part of the toxic atmosphere. The Hives are usually powered by geothermal energy coming from the center of the planet and the greater ones can come to support more than a billion of individuals within their metallic walls. Life in the Hives is chaotic and usually brutally short for most Skaven, as the slaves are forced to work uninterruptedly for hours in the factories, the workers enjoy only slightly better conditions than the slaves and the levied clanrats die in the hundreds each day during inter-clans conflicts waged for the control of a particular Hive.

Within the Hives wars are constantly fought between rival Clans to take control of the industries and of the local slaves, relatively peaceful coexistence is not impossible but usually doesn't last for long and eventually a Clan will try to oust or absorb their neighbours. The prize of controlling a Hive is elevation to the status of Warlord Clan and the reward for defeat is enslavement or relegation to the lower depths, or even the external Wastelands. The power struggles among the Clans decide the position that the individuals will have within a Hive, the dominant Clan will usually occupy the most clean, inhabitable parts of the superstructure and their leaders will suddenly come to control enormous political and economical power, even the common clanrat will find himself living in relative serenity (or as much serenity is physically possible among the Skaven) and having much more living space at his disposal. The losers instead will have to retreat either in the radioactive wastelands, where death is almost certain due to the poisonous clouds that amass themselves on the ground and the general lack of food, or into the lower levels of the Hive where the vast majority of Skavendom resides.

The Underhives are the former foundations of the modern Hives and are characterized by faulty living systems and unimaginable amounts of rubbish. The most important industries and production centers were eventually evacuated from these places as they had grown more and more dangerous with disrepair and further construction of the upper Hives. Overall the Underhives resemble the Upper Hives except for the even less hospitable living condition and the higher number of environmental dangers that can kill thousands daily; useless to say this lead the local lesser Clans to constantly try to depose the ruling ones and gain a place in the Upper spires.

Under the Underhives there are yet more chambers and refuges for the weaker Clans, it is the so-called Underground of Skavenblight: a labyrinth of tunnels and burrows built by the Skaven through the centuries to connect (usually not with peaceful intention) several Hives together without resorting to the highways on the surface. It is a toxic and extremely dangerous place, sometimes even more than the surface, and very few individuals have explored these colossal galleries and returned. The dangers of the Underground don't come merely from pollution but also by the fact that it is used as the massive dump of all Skavendom: the greater Clans drop their failed experiments right into the Underground filling it with deadly technology out of control, assassin mutants deemed a failure (or even a far too dangerous success!) by their creators or discarded plagues. Toxic wastes, failed experiments and desperate Clans are the most common inhabitants of the Underground, but who knows what the deeper abysses hide under tons of steel and garbage?

Over them all stand the rulers of Skavendom, Warlords and Grey Seers, who occupy vast private mansions in the higher layers of the Hives and from there control their Clans and their affairs, uncaring of the Chaos below or at least until a successful rival don't come to take their place, by force or through intrigue. The Council of Thirteen, who is supposed to keep a neutral attitude during Clan conflicts (emphasis on "supposed"), meets itself in the oldest and biggest Hive of the planet where open warfare is (usually) illegal and multiple Clans can easily coexist (although this is not necessarily something they may like).


But even with the massive Hives and deadly living conditions Overpopulation remains a problem in Skavenblight. There is always less and less space available for new Hives and many can no longer be expanded upward anymore. In most Hives the main roads are literally filled by working Slaves, marching soldiers and starving workers; just walking can be hard in those places, the natural agility of the Skaven help them in these cases as climbing and moving over walls is a natural thing to do for them, but even then free space is becoming more and more a luxury good in Skavenblight. Most other races, especially those who do not possess sufficient physical resistance or agility, simply cannot venture into the Hives as they would eventually be trampled or washed away by the living waves that moves through the streets each day.

To make things worse is that Colonization has reached a stopping point recently, the Galaxy no longer offers enough available space for the Skaven numbers and the other interstellar polities are jealous of their current possessions. Only few systems are left without clear owners and are strictly contested between the Skaven and their neighbours, furthermore several polities oppose further Skaven colonialism on the ground that their industrial policies are far too damaging to the local ecosystems and are regularly turning Garden Worlds into uninhabitable hellholes for the sake of immediate profit and Clan warfare.

The typical Skaven colony is not too different from Skavenblight, with monumental industrial complexes used to produce cheap weapons and other goods to be then sold en masse to the Galactic Market. Industry is indeed another thing that makes the planet particularly famous as very few civilizations can boast the same level of industrialization reached by the Skaven engineers, but at what cost? Skaven planets are the most ecologically devastated of the Galaxy and security conditions within the factories are largely nonexistent and reliant on slave work. Useless to say ,even if the Skaven industrial capacity can surpass that of many other civilizations, very few are actually jealous of their results.


"The problem is not just with Skavenblight, but that the Skaven apparently like that kind of places. Just watch at how the Skaven colonize: Prymula 6 was a flourishing jungle world before the Skaven arrived, one year after the fist ship arrived the first massive Hive was already completed and thousands of kilometers of green were burned every day to make space for more colonists, after five years all signs of green were eliminated and the wildlife was either sold to wealthy zoos or eaten, after fifteen year the atmosphere was burned and after fifty years it is largely indistinguishable from their Home World.

What most people fail to understand when they talk about Skaven is that for them their Home World is not Hell, but the normal state of affairs."
- Sop Songhyon, Baekdu Scholar specialized in Skaven History

The Council of Worker's would like to announce a new stage of Economic Support for all workers effected by the Economic blight that has come from the Capitalist Regime. The Council would like to combat the economic pains of the old government by instituting an Economic Ten Year Plan to help revitalize the Industrial, Agricultural, and Services Departments of the Terran Democratic People's Republic. The Plan shall be continued over a course of Ten years. The Plan will follow the following guidelines:

I. All Abandoned and Worker-less Factories be Immediately Destroyed for Newer, Improved, and Better Worked Factories.

II. All Working Factories shall be upgraded to Modern Manufacturing Systems to help speed the process of fixed goods.

III. All Workers shall be put on a Ten-Hour Workday with an Hourly Pay of 10 Rubles

IV. Farmers Shall be allowed more Acres of Land in areas outside of Residential and Industrial zones to use to grow Crops.

V. Farms that have less then 100 Acres of land shall merge with the nearest farm to form small Collective Farms

VI. Farmers shall be given seeds and equipment to help speed the process of Agricultural production.

VII. All Trade conducted with Foreign Powers shall be processed by the Ministry of Commerce before being solidified by the Worker's Council.

VIII. All Abandoned Residential Zones shall be destroyed to make way for better Residential Zones or more Industrial/Agricultural Zones

IX. All Men above the Age of 18 who are not enrolled/Planning to Enroll in Universities for a better Education are Obliged to provide work for the Nation in Agricultural/Industrial ways.

X. All Owners of Property shall have their property shared with by Farmers.

This has Been A Message by the Worker's Council
Power to the Working Class!​