Introduction
Apollodorian League
Athenia
Athenia is the closest planet to the systems yellow dwarf, Olympia, considered to be the home of the gods. With a singular moon, Sparta, Athenia is like the other planets within the inner system with Kyrene, a barren world, and Odessos, a molten world, each having their own moon. Unusually, all the terrestrial worlds within the Olympia system are of much larger size than the galactic average, with all smaller terrestrial bodies being relegated to that of moons. Beyond the inner system lies the Cradoxis asteroid belt, the gas giants Obar, Tacis, Lelantos and Thalassa, as well as the barren world of Licanus.
Apollodorian Biology
Apollodorians are a mammalian species, native to the continental world of Athenia. Standing at just under two meters tall and weighing, on average, at 90kg, they are a capable species though much stronger and larger organisms exist across Athenia’s oceans and plains. They are the only sapient organism native to Athenia, though there are many sentient organisms across the planet, some of which are prized for their capabilities as companions and as workers in a variety of fields.
Evolutionary biologists have traced the Apollodorians lineage to that of a large, migratory herbivore species that existed 800 millennia prior. Roughly 300 millennia ago the Apollodorians split from their ancestor and become a more sedentary species, as well as developing an omnivorous diet. Many within the Apollodorian evolutionary field argue that this change was the key to the development of sapience and intelligence. Their ancestor may now be extinct, but a smaller cousin still exists along the northern plains and offers a unique insight into Apollodorian evolutionary history. Primarily, Athenia is dominated by mammalian species, on land and in the oceans, though there are a small number of reptilian, piscine and avian species. However, the evolutionary history of these other classes, namely a lack of fossil evidence, has led to a common belief that some of these species may not even be native to Athenia.
Apollodorians have a unique evolutionary feature, in that they can soak and store water in their fur, of which 80% of the body is covered by, and use it as a cooling system over a prolonged period, allowing them to endure physical exhaustion for longer, rather than relying on panting. They are also capable of shedding their fur when moving to warmer climates, though this takes place over a period of two weeks to a month depending on environmental pressures.
Apollodorian Society
The geographical features of their home world led to the Apollodorians having a long history and love affair with the seas, in which control of strategic waterways was vital for trade and warfare. The city states of antiquity and modernity continue to vie for control of these geo-strategic locations, though diplomatic and economic manoeuvring is the order of the day in the current era. Despite this, the importance of a capable of navy is still considered to be the determining factor in measuring the strength of any state.
Apollodorians are a highly social, yet argumentative, species with an ardent desire to engage in philosophical, economic, political and military discussions. Partially due to their innate curiosity and sociability, but also due to two millennia of similar governmental systems, of which Citizen Republics were the norm amongst city states, and the broader Leagues, with military service a requirement to engage in politics, commerce and property. As such, matters of state are highly personal to all Apollodorians who serve, which stands at an estimated 80% of the population, though only about 10% serve in combat roles. Military service amongst the Apollodorian League also includes many roles that other species would consider to be part of civilian life, such as civil engineering and education. This ubiquitous involvement amongst the populace with the state was not always the case, however, with slavery being a key component of Apollodorian life until a couple of centuries ago. Whilst the many city state republics have existed for over two millennia, they were de facto ruled by several influential noble families, who maintained an iron grip on the politics and trade of the state. It was not until the First Helot Rebellion that the city states began to embrace more egalitarian norms and institutions. Even so, it would be another few centuries till slavery would be outlawed for native populations, and another century later before slavery would outlawed throughout Athenia no matter ones’ place of origin.
Broadly speaking, the Apollodorian League is made up of Five Leagues, each hailing from one of the five continents that make up Athenia. Though there are numerous non-aligned city states that are also involved in the functioning of the species wide institution. The true power of the Apollodorians lies with the Five Leagues; the Tacius League, the Agothan League, the Helio League, the Zeucian League and the Periclius League. As one might have guessed, the Apollodorian League is not a unified world government, but a global diplomatic institution that has been chosen as the representative body for all Apollodorians beyond Athenia, though the organisation can trace its conception to the end of the Gigantes War, a century prior, in which the entire planet was engaged in an armed conflict lasting over ten years, resulting in over 300 million deaths. The Gigantes War was caused by a sixth great power, the Gigantes League, which sought to become the global hegemonic power. Prior to the war, the Gigantes began to work on leading the other powers to war with each other, a task in which they achieved remarkable success. Three years into the war between the Tacius League and the Zeucian League, the Gigantes struck hoping to take both Leagues by surprise in their weakened state and intimidate the other great powers into appeasement. In response the Agothan, Helio and Periclius Leagues intervened, much to the Gigantes surprise, however the might of the Gigantes took years, and millions of lives to eventually subdue and dismantle. Following the war an alliance between the Five Leagues was forged, resulting in a century of peace, which has allowed the Apollodorians to expand beyond Athenia and set-up a variety of mining and research operations throughout the inner system.
With advancements in ship drives and the discovery of hyperspace, the Apollodorian League stands ready to conquer the remainder of their system and expand beyond Athenia.
Further Information
The Apollodorian Political System
The Apollodorian political system is structured similarly across all Athenia, with the same systems of governance appearing in the city-states, to the Five Leagues, to the Apollodorian League (Fig.01) This uniformity throughout Athenia has ensured that all citizens are able to easily access, understand and engage with politics on all levels of Apollodorian society.
(Fig.01)
This diagram below (Fig.02) shows the movement of power within Athenia, from the citizens, to the Apol-Magis, to the Ecclesia and finally to the Archorus.
The Apol-Magis is made up of randomly selected citizens throughout the governed region, whether this be a city state, one of the Five Leagues or the Apollodorian League. It is designed to ensure that all members of the citizenry are represented fairly, and for the most part has been a successful institution throughout Athenia. Its primary function is to vote on legislation proposed by the Ecclesia and hold the elected members of the Ecclesia to account.
The Ecclesia is an elected institution, with councillors seeking election from the citizenry every five years. The Ecclesia is made up of a variety of political parties, each seeking for a majority to develop legislation uncontested. Once legislation has been created it is then voted upon, and if approved, is sent to the Apol-Magis for final approval, after which it will become law.
Finally, the Archorus, is the name given to the palace of the reining Archon. Archons are elected every ten years and act as the representative for the state. They also act as the chair of the Ecclesia, and whilst officially they are meant to be neutral once elected, they are often individuals who have ascended through the Ecclesia in earlier life. When the Ecclesia is at a stalemate the Archon can break it, either by voting in favour for a certain proposal or by vetoing the issue for two years. Lastly, in times of crisis and war, the Archon can be given emergency powers and can act with near impunity.
As there are many Apol-Magis', Ecclesia's and Archorus' throughout Athenia, a distinction is used to separate an Ecclesia of a single city state, to one of the Five Leagues, to the one which represents all of Athenia, this simply involves adding the name of the city state or League prior to the name of the institution. For example; the Hermes Ecclesia or the Helio Ecclesia. When referring to the Ecclesia, or other institutions of the Apollodorian League, it is given the prefix Primus. For exmaple; the Primus Apol-Magis or Primus Archon.
(Fig.02)
Political Parties of the Primus Ecclesia and AtheniaIn the table below, the current main parties within the Primus Ecclesia are named and given a brief overview. These parties also exist, in various forms, at other city-states and Leagues.
(Fig.03)
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So this is my first AAR... I'd like to thank all the other authors and creators within the Stellaris AAR community who inspired me to start this. I plan on trying to write this as if it were a history book, with quotes from other books, people etc... We'll see how it goes. Hoping to get a post out each week, but I've lost count at how many times I've seen people promise that and not achieve it. So, we'll see if I can buck the trend. (Probably not).
Any feedback would be appreciated. I hope you all enjoy!
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