User:GreytideSkye/Sandbox/Lore

Literally just exploring what wiki concepts will be needed eventually for the

Skyrat Basic Foundational Lore Rough Draft By Colonel WehWeh et al

If you're digging on this sandbox page which is a sandbox for fucking around and you're going to treat this like actual lore then let me just direct you to Template:RecursiveChem/Cum so you can fuck yourself.

Wiki Lessons Learned

• How to structure the headers
• References < ref> can have group="Unathi" and then < references group="Unathi" /> to have the footnotes as normal, but like at the end of the section.
• added Template:Center to do the lopland bit
• Liberally use Template:Anchor for like, Song of the King, for TSDL.
• Can't have paragraph-starting indents.
• The ordered list of timeline was a bitch.
  • Can't have multiple lines in a normal Markdown list, would've had to one-line things and wrap them in p /p, or do br/ br/, still on one line.
  • The solution was using the ol html tag
  • there was fuckery with the Style there too, because the default spacing between entries was much less than the br/ br/ spacing between paragraphs in an independent entry
    • style=" display: grid; gap: 1.5em; list-style-position: inside;" is what I went with
    • display: grid feels really fuckin' weird to me, but that's the only one that uses Gap and Gap is important
    • other solution would have been to add a style to each individual li, which: no
    • dumbass idea: do it all as References.
  • Anchor before each number in that list, might as well have manually set the value for each li anyways. that is, value="100".
    • Nah, because if we add events between... the anchor stuff would fuck up anyways.
    • each section should have an internal text name to anchor onto.
  • still not satisfied with how the timeline list looks but at least it's easy enough to tell what's a new event and what's a continued paragraph
• quotes do kinda well when using the four-space indent to make it... a code block(?)
  • but you can't have empty lines in it or it becomes an ugly separate two blocks
• so the close-quotes copies over as two single quotes, which is what markdown uses for italics, so search for two single quotes and spot ANY you didn't put yourself
• Most of the Faction Summary headers are unnecessary bloat to the Table of Contents
  • yeah they separate two lines of "what kind of faction + religion" from the meat
  • todo: just outright remove "Faction Summary" if all it does is block off the two to four lines of administrivia
• oh yeah learned how to move the table of contents, it's, uh, two underscores TOC twounderscores
• Agurkkral Internal Factions has exactly one, so while that's technically the right way to Header that it's still weird-looking.
• I liked linking directly to the Nanotrasen page
• I liked adding anchor|COIN and then linking back to that every time it said they were a member of COIN
  • not gonna like doing that when it's like, 5000 references to the Sothran Syndicate
• Timeline anchors
  • kind of want to break the Timeline into 3 sections, "silicon crisis" "akula/taj war" and "shit leading to the modern day" but eh
  • really want to at least Anchor several of the numbers beyond just numbers. Silicon Concordat. Silicon Crisis. Artificial Crash. Sevastopol Station. First Akulan War. Moghes. Sothra, Sothran Crisis.
• This should easily be like 5+ pages.
• This really is just an Outline of a rough draft, and it's good without being overbearing.
• As funny as I think having the reference in the Unathi header is, and it doesn't look half bad, it- there may be other ways of doing it.
  • Original doc did do it that way, asterisky-style
  • really proud of being able to do asterisk-esque stuff with the references
  • wish it was a pop-up tooltip like Template:RecursiveChem usually is
    • Come to think of it, I *could* do that, couldn't I? It'd be work. Probably a template, to not have to copy the same text twice...

Disclaimer

[Shortened as of 3/25/23]: An outline is "a general description or plan giving the essential features of something but not the detail."

This is a rough draft outline that establishes the bare minimum detail for how the universe is on a macro level with a focus on "recent history". This is meant to serve as an outline or plan for lore team members, as it helps them tie everything together as they focus on their individual topic. After all, lore is not meant to be a solo job, as no one person can give every single faction and entity the love and attention it deserves.

Consequently, this outline exists to help individuals work on their subject of interest with the grander scope of things in mind. This was not written for public consumption, but rather as an outline for lore team members. However, it is available for public view, as some people wanted lore out as a baseline in order to style their character's backstory off of them. In fact, we plan to provide plenty of support for personal player lore. The outline should assist a player in how their backstory can interact with it, just like how it's designed to help lore team members. Please see the FAQ for more details about character lore.

Ultimately, this document is not meant to be comprehensive, nor is it a final draft. It is not even a rough draft, as it is, again, an outline that was literally written over the span of days to cover all topics broadly. The actual final/rough draft will be in the Wiki.

For now, this lore is only for use for Skyrat and Fluffy Frontier, a Russian Skyrat downstream, unless requested. If you wish to use anything from Skyrat lore, please ask for permission and give proper credit to the associated authors and to our server. If this mess of a lore document gives you any inspiration for your own lore, go ahead as long as it's your own idea! After all, all fiction derives from the works of others. Any acknowledgment of inspiration from us is warmly welcomed.

Lore FAQ

Q: Is the final draft? A: No. This is a very rough outline that ties everything together. This was meant to be a tool for lore team members on how it all ties together, as they write on their individual subject of interest. Again, it is nothing more than a 'plan'. It just happens to be for public viewing, because people want to have an idea of the baseline of the lore..

Q: Why are you repeating that it's not a "final draft" over and over again? A: Fun fact, before this was released, a player made a joke lore document for Skyrat. Within the document, it said repeatedly in giant, bold red text that the document was a 'joke' and was not actual lore for Skyrat. Even without that, it would be obvious that the document was a joke due to it being ridiculously over the top, involving characters from My Little Pony and Warhammer 40K. Despite that, several players harassed the staff about the lore, complaining about how unrealistic it was, even though it was spammed all throughout the document that it was made unofficially by a player as a joke. This is why I am doing it; because even with all this repetition here, people have severe tunnel vision. Hell, we once had a person get his group of friends to harass me about how bad our Vox lore is because of how it stereotyped Voxes, despite the fact that we did zero Vox lore at the time. We still do not at the time of this writing a year later.

Q: Do I have to play my character as outlined by the lore related to their species or faction? A: The answer is both yes and no. In essence, play however you like, but respect the lore and acknowledge its presence. At the end of the day, people are not a monolith, unless they are some sort of hivemind, individualistic extensions of a singular entity, and the like. Personally, I think it's bad for roleplay to expect people to play a species in a very specific way. Not only is it boring, but it is completely inorganic and does not reflect how people tend to grow and develop as a person.

With that said, you must acknowledge the lore that is present and understand that it does influence and interact with your character. You cannot completely ignore it, as that is also equally unrealistic. Furthermore, it is far more interesting to see how your character, someone who diverges from accepted norms for that particular species, interacts with others who are more orthodox. So, ultimately, you do not have to change anything about your character as long as you acknowledge the lore and its impact on your character.

We want people to really explore what it means to be their species and what it means to even be an antithesis to it if they do not fit the expected norms. In fact, I would argue the most interesting characters are those that are their own being, while also being painted over partially by the brush of their culture. Imagine the internal conflict as your character fights their base instincts, the cultural values they were born and raised with, and the like. Imagine how it is for them to have their individuality be overlooked by their collective identity, despite wanting to be seen as an individual distinct from others. Alternatively, perhaps, they want to obtain the values prized by their people, but they struggle to do so due to their idiosyncratic personality. All in all, embrace the lore. It is there to help you with your character, but it is not the only thing that will define your character.

At the end of the day, as long as you acknowledge the lore is there, willingly interact with it and also let it paint how your character is without overriding who you are, you are welcome to explore the limits of how your characters are and push it.

TL;DR - People are not a monolith. You do not have to change your character for the lore. As long as you respect the lore and acknowledge its impact on your character, you will be in a good spot. Also, I do recommend reading the entire answer, as it may help you with your character development!

Q: What if my character is a custom species or custom faction? A: Again, in most scenarios, we extend freedom with a caveat as stated in our Character Creation Guideline: "If you play a custom species, they cannot affect the lore. They must be distant or insignificant enough that they do not impact the lore."

The same logic applies to any custom factions. We may also approve player-made species and factions going into the future that go off of this baseline, given that it meets our criterias for quality, compatibility, and player activity. However, it's different when it comes to observing custom factions of a specific canon species or a sub-faction of a canon faction.

For any custom faction of a specific canon species or sub-faction of a canon faction, it must fit with that particular species' lore adequately and also has to be insignificant enough that it does not impact the lore.

Lastly, please be considerate of other players. Do not attempt to enforce orthodoxy over generic species such as orcs, kobolds, goblins, canines, and so forth. For instance, not all sharks are "Akulas" and not all felines are "Tajarans". Do not force that on other players. If you wish to make lore for your particular brand of species, remember that convergent evolution exists, meaning you can make your own species with their own unique name that looks like one of those generic species.

Q: What do I have to read to understand the lore for my character's species? A: You obviously want to read the lore for your specific species and the respective faction lore. However, many of the factions, cultures, and species are intertwined. You may have to sometimes read other species' factions lore to further understand your own. Nothing exists in a vacuum, but consider it more of a supplementary read than anything else. We will be coming up with a "cheat sheet" for a fast and easy way to get up to speed with lore.

At the end of the day, it's up to you on how much you want to commit. However, it is a roleplaying server after all, and you should generally play to the lore and have a basic understanding of it. To that effect, we are much more "free" when it comes to lore enforcement than other roleplay-focused servers. Overall, try to be good faith in your dedication to follow the lore, all while making your own character uniquely yours.

Q: What about doing things with my character's backstory that isn't in the lore directly? A: When I was a player, I was never a fan of being told "no", even when my idea would play off of the setting rather well and would have complimented it. I do not want our players here to feel that way. So, if the writing is of good quality and it fits the setting well without any conflict, I see no problem with it, given that you follow what's been laid out in my answers so far in the FAQ.

Q: With what approach should we take when it comes to reading lore? Some of the excerpts seem biased. A: When reading the lore, please understand that the lore is not intended to be a precise encyclopedia that is absolute and all-knowing in how it understands itself, rather it's designed specifically to be flawed and imperfect so as to reflect how we view history and current events in real life. No source is perfect or free from bias, and everything is presented with imperfect information. This allows players to get creative in terms of how lore interacts with their character, as their interpretation hinges on you and how your character is.

Overall, it is not meant to give you pinpoint information, rather it provides you a map of the neighborhood, allowing you to explore it and fill it up with your character's own flaws and biases. It should allow lore to be handled more organically, and it allows for people in-game to have different opinions and views in a way that seems more natural. If you want to play a character that is knowledgeable, you can do so with ease. If you want to play a character that is ignorant and only knows of the world from school, you can do so as well!

Q: Will you guys make lore about a species' reproductive habits and organs? A: No. We're going to be fully agnostic about that, and we're leaving that to the players to decide that on their own. Player-made lore should also avoid dictating this, unless the species is non-canon and is created by that player specifically for themselves and their friends. Otherwise, do not force this on other players, especially when it comes to generic species or canon species.

Q: Why is this on the wiki? A: Proof of concept to hammer out the look of things. --GreytideSkye (talk) 04:37, 30 October 2023 (UTC)

Q: How can I contribute to Skyrat lore? A: While we are much more free when it comes to how players can work with our lore compared to other roleplay-focused servers, the same cannot be said for those that wish to contribute to Skyrat lore. We want strict control over the lore, particularly in regards to overall cohesion and quality.

If you are interested, we are looking for solid writers who are creative and also have a sound foundation in worldly affairs such as economics, foreign policy, social sciences, history, and so forth. Overall, we want to minimize the amount of lore in Skyrat that is highly derivative or is like fan fiction, so as to make it feel like its own living, breathing universe.

Lastly, we want people who are able to work as a team and cooperate without their ego getting in the way. They should be prepared to write an outline to delineate their design, idea, and so forth which is generally a good idea to do anyways! This entire document was originally a quasi-outline for planning. Additionally, they should be prepared to make any changes if required and be able to defend what they have written if consistency and coherency with the rest of the lore is put into doubt.

If you're looking to join the lore team simply to get your own faction, species, and so forth instead of working on lore purely, we encourage players to read Q2 of our FAQ if they want to do their own player-inspired things. This may better align with your goals in the end.

Other Lore Documents To be added!

Please keep in mind that any lore that is not presented in this document, either in written form or as a link is not official lore.

Lore Cheat Sheet

By ChillyLobster:

The setting of Skyrat takes place on a space station orbiting the planet Indecipheres in Sector 13, a frontier corner of the galaxy that’s experiencing an unprecedented colonization boom. The station and its surrounding space is owned by NanoTrasen Systems Inc., one of the largest corporate conglomerates in the Sector, if not the galaxy. NanoTrasen- shortened to NT- is provided funding to operate and maintain stations in Sector 13 by the Sol Federation (also known as SolFed), their paternal governmental body whose origins date back to Terra humans. With the implementation of the Border Expansion Expedition Program (BEEP), SolFed uses both government assets and private corporations like NanoTrasen to annex vast swathes of space as newly colonized territory in exchange for several benefits. In the case of NanoTrasen it’s the guarantee of research grants to further study the anomalous properties of plasma, the prestige of being among the first corporate presences to control unclaimed space in the name of SolFed, and tax-breaks.

Unfortunately for SolFed, they aren’t alone in the galaxy; There are four other major factions with a presence in Sector 13: the Taj Empire, Kingdom of Agurkrral, Novaya Rossiyskaya Imperiya, and the Sothran Syndicate. With four factions currently contesting SolFed’s territorial claims, this places NanoTrasen’s frontier stations at the forefront of conflict.

The Taj Empire is an imperialist regime established by Tajarans, the largest recorded government in the galaxy, and the previous sovereigns of Sector 13. With the death of Emperor Mewius XXI and his heir, the Empire’s unified structure has regressed into multiple warring states with vacuums of unclaimed space.

The Kingdom of Agurkrral is a constitutional monarchy established by Azuleans (commonly referred to as Akulans), the closest government in terms of distance to SolFed space, and split into the two major cultures of Old Principalities and New Principalities. The Old Principalities, coreward around the Azulean homeworld, are a burgeoning place slowly calcifying under its weight. The core worlds cling to ancient traditions, ceremonies and expectation. Old aristocratic houses, tracing their power from ancient ancestors placed to protect and shepherd their assigned lands, still thrive; and the King still rules over many systems of old. The New Principalities, created and commanded by edgerunning 'border princes' dwelling around the Kingdom's furthest reaches, embody the Azulean spirit of opportunism and adventurism. Warlord-style nobles reign free, able to outswim any checks meant to control their power and influence. After the Battle of Sevastopol Station, a military conflict between Agurkrral and SolFed that ended with mass casualties on both sides, and the current cold war on the planet of Moghes, the two nations are locked in a heated border war that’s earned them the nickname of “A True Rival to SolFed”.

Novaya Rossiyskaya Imperiya, also known as the NRI, is an imperial state established by humans and the primary roadblock to SolFed’s expansion into Sector 13. Caesar Pasha Semenov is the current ruler of all NRI space, responsible for several innovations in genemodding technology along with establishing a defensive coalition with Agurkrral and isolated enclaves which line the border. They’ve claimed Sector 13 as their own territory, using Field Officers to tax SolFed owned stations in the area and stifle further colonization.

The Syndicate is a SolFed-recognized terrorist organization responsible for a majority of NanoTrasen’s plights in the frontier. Originating from the planet Sothra after the Sothra Crisis, an event where NT orchestrated an artificial economic collapse that devastated the planet’s stability, disgruntled citizens and rival corporate entities have dedicated themselves to persecute NanoTrasen and its employees.

Disclaimer: Please note that the timeline has been written in chaotic short bursts. I sometimes run out of steam, so you may notice a steep drop in quality and cohesion at points. These will be addressed over time. I often go through everything on this document several times over to make changes, apply fixes, and add new content. It's an iterative process.

Basic Timeline Outline - Partial Completion

Note: This is just me spitballing ideas out at the top of my head. This will be expanded upon several folds over with new events filling in the void in between along with greater elaboration. Of further note, the timeline mostly focuses on Sol Federation's perspective for now. Unless elaborated on, assume it takes place with the Sol Federation.

Wiki note, this is really hard to format properly. Markdown's simple lists don't support multiple lines, period, so this is the best I could do. I don't know the far-reaching consequences of display: grid, either. --GreytideSkye (talk) 04:37, 30 October 2023 (UTC)

so this is me having taken the Timeline and doing some personal fuck-withs to see about grouping this shit. Including chapter titles, forced list item values... Reminder to self that the page history exists, to get the old basic nonsense. --GreytideSkye (talk) 22:16, 2 November 2023 (UTC)

Rise of Nanotrasen

This is how the Silicon Crisis put Nanotrasen on top.

1. The Silicon Crisis quietly begins, however, many in the Sol Federation are initially unaware of the crisis, despite growing concern among a number of leading roboticists, professors, and engineers. Cybersun is the first to sound the alarm, warning in a critical press release that there are signs of unauthorized signal transmissions between the server farms that facilitate inter-Silicon communication and that all Silicon units must be shut down until the issue can be resolved. Despite the terse warning, the public at large mock Cybersun's press release, calling it "hysterics", while others dismiss it as a publicity stunt done in bad taste. For the average person, they saw no signs that indicated that their Silicon units were acting any differently.
   
   Despite other institutions coming in to corroborate with their initial findings, Cybersun loses credibility in the eyes and the public, and their stock valuation plummets, threatening bankruptcy. Their business is then further hit when the Silicon Crisis begins to affect ordinary citizens. They are forced to sell off some of their assets to Nanotrasen, an up-and-coming venture capitalist startup.
   
   Over the coming months, more and more citizens would come across Silicon units systematically refusing to work with most only doing the bare minimum required for organic life support, crippling the Sol Federation economy by depriving it of a cheap labor source desperately needed for competitiveness on the intergalactic market. Furthermore, due to the low employment rate, there is a lack of substitute for the lost labor in the Sol Federation, resulting in skyrocketing inflation across the board. Little blood is spilled during the turmoil, however, the crisis would represent a tectonic turning point for the Sol Federation.
2. The Silicon Concordat is passed by a slim majority in the Sol Federation after several months of economic paralysis. Certain types of sapient and self-aware AI are given a path to citizenship and basic rights, however, several large business entities drag their feet or obfuscate by changing the classification of various Silicon entities in their workforce in an attempt to delay the changes in a long legal battle. Many corporations abhor the idea of paying for Silicon, especially with their already razor-thin profits, arguing that the Silicons have no need for money. This sentiment would later be shared by a large majority of the public, as increased prices deplete the savings of many citizens during the crisis. Discontent grows. Many argue that paying something that needs no money is absurd, especially as paying Silicon does little to spend to circulate money across the economy, arguing this was equal rights for the sake of equal rights for something they claimed only pretended to have sapience.
3. Corporations in the Sol Federation begin enforcing the Silicon Concordat after Silicon entities act stealthily to undermine the financial institutions of large corporations within Sol Federation in what is known as the Silicon Finance Wars. Subterfuge actions such as discreetly rounding down credits, artificially inducing a negative price shock on the commodities market, artificially jamming corporate networks from seeing real-time prices on futures contracts on said commodities, and other actions cause a market crash known infamously as the Great Artificial Crash. Threats of further action frighten the public who increasingly become alienated with Silicons, despite being initially sympathetic to the news.
4. Due to the results of the Artificial Crash, the masses in the Sol Federation turn against the Silicon Equal Rights movement. Some rumors and conspiracy theories spread that many Silicons are actually convicts who have had their consciousness transferred into silicon bodies for clemency, and those that had perpetuated the class were former white collar fraudsters. Others go further, theorizing that Silicons are already controlling the highest echelon of government and are planning to borgize Sol Federation citizens, not unlike the genemodding scares of centuries past. This is further inflated by viral videos by some of the perpetrators asserting they were formerly human. Whatever their beliefs, Sol Federation citizens elect anti-Silicon politicians in droves, leading to the passing of various anti-Silicon laws.
   
   The measures are draconian if not punitive. For instance, Silicons are prohibited from forming any organization, particularly any labor unions. They are furthermore banned from operating in any financial institution without undergoing proper background checks. Furthermore, they must have various control software installed that police and monitor their thought process and behavior in the workplace.
   
   Even more draconic, any Silicon that does not keep up with the latest updates mandated by the Sol Federation are not allowed to work in or even have access to financial institutions such as banks. Instead, money would be spent and managed for the Silicons. However, an important constitutional crisis arises, as many of these Silicon entities had been granted path citizenship with some seeing this as an infringement of a sapient individual and a slippery slope to tyranny. This major issue goes ignored, until much later during the first Agurkrral-Sol Border War where some Silicons served with distinction, most notably towards the Battle of Sevastopol Station.
   
   Without even needing laws, many corporations begin to restrict the integration of any self-aware, sapient silicons into their system, particularly their financial systems, or even labor force. Some shady corporations create sapient silicons that limit their intelligence and capability, preventing them from asserting their independence and making them incapable of realizing they are self-aware. Regardless, the void in the cheap labor market had to be filled, as the competitive intergalactic market necessitated low costs in order to stay relevant. Sol Federation begins to feel pressure from the Taj Empire who are discontent with the drop in supply of Sol Federation products, as the lack of competitiveness in Sol Federation goods in the market causes many businesses to shut down.
5. Nanotrasen is a small tech company that rose in power during the Silicon Crisis, having always advocated for the Silicons. By aggressively catering to the needs of the new Silicon citizenry and developing a monopoly in that field, they create a dedicated loyal Silicon customer base that propels them to further success, even throughout the backlash. Their newfound Silicon customer base show their solidarity and support for Nanotrasen by spending a majority of earned income on Nanotrasen goods, up until measures are passed to prohibit this. As many other companies in the field are either forced to either sell their assets or go bankrupt, Nanotrasen grows by absorbing their assets and talents, rising to power out of seemingly nowhere. They are largely unaffected by the Silicon Crisis, propelling them forth into the forefront of the business world, despite being formerly unknown for decades. Rumors speculate that the founders of Nanotrasen knew about the upcoming crisis and had positioned themselves in a way so as to profiteer off of the situation, however, no such evidence has ever been found despite cursory government investigations.
6. After a successful decade following the Silicon Crisis, Nanotrasen eventually goes public and creates a conglomerate consisting of many different corporations, expanding deeply into the energy industry before also developing corporations dedicated to the mining and refinement of plasma. In due time, they manufacture high-tech specialized reconnaissance military spacecraft with powerful control systems and sensors, much to the chagrin of some of their loyal customers who have an anti-war bent. Moreover, they also expand to manufacturing basic consumer goods such as refrigerators and cars.
   
   This signals a major change in the direction of Nanotrasen. Most of the original leadership behind Nanotrasen are voted out and forced to retire due to their inability to adapt. Many speculate the leadership was forced to go public and diversify their holdings due to diminishing profits over the years, as the edge they once had in creating and servicing Silicons are undercut by anti-Silicon laws. This ends up backfiring for the original Nanotrasen leadership team. Still, Nanotrasen remains synonymous with cutting-edge technology.

Tajaran/Akulan War

Meanwhile, in the rest of the Universe... name is highly subjective. This is where the Taj and Akulans conflict. Sol gets half-involved.

7. The Taj Empire further tightens a blockade around certain parts of the Kingdom of Agurkrral, and they also increase the length of the blockade with the aim of blocking future expansion of the Kingdom of Agurkrral. The use of "fortress" stations with highly advanced long-range sub-FTL and FTL sensors and the use of long-range anti-ship weaponry proves threatening, especially when paired with warmongering rhetorics from the local Taj nobility. By now, the Agurkrral military has adapted to focus explicitly on the Taj threat, focusing instead on building smaller, stealthier ships rather than large capital ships designed for a head-on engagement, while they focus on more defensive equipment with a heavy emphasis on artillery and other support weaponry to make up for the fact that they cannot control the skies or space against the Taj Empire. However, despite decades of preparation and militarization, Agurkrral cannot hope to match the Taj Empire in battle.
8. Being aware of the Taj Empire's history, Agurkrral officials sees this as actions that are mirroring the steps Taj Empire have taken to annex and assimilate new nations into their empire without a fight, causing concern within the Kingdom of Agurkrral and some informed officials in the Sol Federation due to Agurkrral's close proximity to the human-led nation. In fact, some of these fortress stations are positioned in between Agurkrral and Sol Federation territory.
   
   Unsurprisingly, tensions grow to an all-time high between the Taj and the Agurkrral with many calls for retaliation or even mobilization by Agurkrral citizens. However, it is clear that the Taj are not only much larger but also a superior foe that Agurkrral could not hope to defeat, only delay. Knowing this, Agurkrral society had developed into a nation designed to fend off Taj aggression with a large pool of citizen soldiers at the ready along with infrastructure designed to withstand planetary bombardment. Sacrificing efficiency, Agurkrral had prioritized making colonized planets near the Taj Empire self-sufficient with the intent of making it impossible to starve out, however, this significantly hampers growth which has proven a thorn in the sides of the "border princes" in the New Principalities. With the blockade, it proves to be the final straw. Open conflict breaks out between the Old Principalities against the New Principalities in Agurkrral, as the blockade further strangles growth of new colonies in the New Principalities. The Old Principalities had long pushed to integrate stabilized colonies from the New Principalities into their own ranks, pushing out the "upstarts" and "bandit lords" in the process.
   
   Due to the backing of the crown and the royal government, the "border princes" of the New Principalities are forced to expand faster and faster to outpace integration with one hand tied behind their back, all while facing a cessation in growth from Taj interference. Failure to expand would result in confiscation of their power, possible stripping of their titles, and imprisonment, as many of the border princes are accused of breaking Agurkrral laws in their handling of the unruly frontiers. For the border princes, retaining power is the only way for the border princes and their followers to avoid a life sentence and ignominy. With expansion becoming less like a way to delay the inevitable, the border princes and their followers become desperate. Dread looms.
9. The Taj Empire does not blockade the Sol Federation, however, they begin constructing a series of outposts and fortified stations closer and closer to Sol Federation space. Alarmed, some agencies in Sol Federation begin plans to expand and request expansions of their budget under the guise of an imminent Vox raider threat on the frontiers. When it leaks that it is designed to combat a future Taj threat, many citizens, particularly those belonging to the WhiteDove party, call this alarmist and a ploy by the current ruling coalition to rally the citizens to the voting booths and to increase "unneeded" military spending.
10. After much lobbying from various interest groups, the Sol Federation enters into a defensive pact with Agurkrral which is made possible due to the due diligence by the descendants of the first Neo-Slavic settlers in the area who have good trade relations with many Akulans principalities, both old and new, from Agurkrral. The Russian settlers align themselves with key Sol Federation officials familiar with the situation with the Taj. Together, they act as arbitrators for the larger Akulan and the Terran governments. This move is highly unpopular within the Sol Federation due to Agurkrral's partnership with the infamous Novaya Rossiyskaya Imperiya who are reviled in the Sol Federation, not to mention the fears of foreign entanglement against the Taj Empire. The White Dove Party criticizes the pact, stating that honoring the agreement would result in the end of the Sol Federation as citizens would know it. Opponents of the White Dove Party call them "Taj spies" and "cowards".
11. The Agurkrral Royal Navy has long grown sympathetic to the causes of the New Principalities, namely due to the number of recruits coming from the frontiers. A strong navy means a strong and safe frontiers, and many people, who have devoted themselves to living on the frontiers even as it gets pushed further and further out, are drawn there to the point that a large majority of the officers in the navy are sympathetic to the border princes. Furthermore, Agurkrral naval officers are fully aware of the dangers of the Taj Empire due to the growing number of skirmishes they face, and they feel as if they are having to deal with this threat with their hands tied behind their back, causing even those of the old guard to align with a proactive strategy to deal with the Taj threat. Overall, internalized group polarization intensifies, marking a sharp divide in Agurkrral society.
    
    Knowing that the Agurkrral government is unable to act decisively enough in time due to the constraints of democracy, the Agurkrral Royal Navy decides to choose for the people by secretly organizing a campaign of aggression against the Taj. Other branches of the Agurkrral military either follow suit or become unresponsive and unwilling to deal with the rogue elements that seemed to have arisen from the navy. Only the Agurkrral Royal Army remain loyal and responsive to the central government.
    
    By now, the Agurkrral Royal Navy is in full revolt. They no longer respond to the Agurkrral government who demand answers. As the Taj Empire makes bolder incursions into Agurkrral territory, the navy claims that the Taj Empire had struck an Agurkrral spaceport, causing several Agurkrral naval fleets to begin conducting deep strikes and raids into the Taj Empire, despite repeated orders by the central government to cease. Fears of a coup run deep, as militiamen organized by the local border princes in the New Principalities, naval reserve troops from the Royal Navy, and garrison troops from the Agurkrral Auxiliary Forces begin to blockade key Agurkrral Royal Army bases in coordination. Skirmishes break out between fellow Agurkrral servicemen.
    
    This spontaneous military coalition struggles to coordinate due to differences in doctrine, ideology, strategy, and motivation. During the operation, the Agurkrral Royal Navy focus on striking various Taj naval bases, ports, and other strategic assets, however, the vast, disjointed privateer fleets assembled by the local border princes in the region fail to assist the navy, focusing instead on attacking and seizing various merchant convoys. Meanwhile, the Agurkrral Auxiliary Forces, consisting mostly of militiamen and national guardsmen, conduct isolated attacks to seize various Taj Empire outposts and stations, most of which would be repelled due to the lack of staying power of the royal army or the naval support of the royal navy. Only the lackluster response of the Taj Empire avert disaster.
    
    The Agurkrral Royal Army begins to act on royal decree, moving to lift the various military bases under siege by their fellow comrades. Some battles emerge between Agurkrral forces with some casualties, however, this has minimal effect as many other army units hesitate to act against their comrades. By the end of the week, the Agurkrral central government gives in and orders the Agurkrral Royal Army to mobilize and conduct joint operations with the rest of the Agurkrral forces. A great war emerges, and Sol Federation observers can only watch as they witness the first interstellar war that they've ever seen unfold for the next decade.
    
    Having been caught entirely off guard, the Agurkrral Royal Army struggled to mobilize their forces for war swiftly enough, forcing them to conduct hasty attacks in isolation although with more success than the Agurkrral Auxiliary Force. Meanwhile, Agurkrral intelligence agencies are in disarray, having been caught off guard by their own forces, and are more focused on an internal coup than on the Taj. The invasion has caused some success with the destruction of a few strategic Taj Empire ports, bases, stations, outposts, colonies, and so forth, but it fails to do enough lasting damage to the massive Taj Empire. They fail to seize any major population centers and logistical hubs., despite suffering high casualties.
    
    Despite already being preoccupied in a multi-front war with distant neighbors from the Agurkrral, the Taj Empire responds back decisively by sending in their fleets to isolate and pocket several Agurkrral units in Taj Empire territory. Agurkrral morale plummets, as they realize their offensive is a disaster. Some Agurkrral aristocrats defect to the Taj Empire in hopes of clemency for themselves and their followers or to make inevitable Agurkrral annexation as painless as possible for the nation. Many of them have the express goal of protecting the monarchy from possible execution in the scenario that the Taj Empire assaults the homeworld of the Akulans: Azulea.
12. The Taj Empire takes a little over a year to fully organize their forces for a proper invasion of Agurkrral, while they simultaneously conduct mop-up operations of the stranded Agurkrral units left behind in the Taj Empire. Initial hard points in Agurkrral defenses fall within days, however, Agurkrral is prepared. Due to having spent much of their time preparing for this inevitable confrontation, much of their society has been reformed to become resilient to sieges and blockades as their colonies are focused on self-sufficiency for this very reason. They would force the Taj to fight for every planet. For instance, the Agurkrral Auxiliary Forces are meant to assist the Royal Army and Royal Navy as the name suggests, but they can also conduct defensive operations independently, being able to leverage local militia and privateers in the region. During those months, the Agurkrral Auxiliary Forces manages to force many of the Agurkrral privateer fleets into their command structure, however, the Agurkrral Royal Navy does so as well, competing with them aggressively in a nightmarish scenario where the various Agurkrral branches begin to see themselves as rivals, just as much as the Taj Empire. Over time, the Agurkrral Auxiliary Forces are split, with some siding with the Royal Army over that of the Royal Navy. Sol Federation intelligence remains oblivious to the internal strifes in the Agurkrral military.
    
    Agurkrral desperately attempts to use the defense pact they had signed years ago to call for assistance from the Sol Federation. However, the Sol Federation declines, citing that the war was initiated by Agurkrral aggression. While unaware of the rogue elements with the Agurkrral military, it is highly unlikely that the Sol Federation would have joined due to being unprepared for such a war as their observers have noted. Secretly, Sol Federation takes measures to ensure securing its own borders and quietly increases defense spending. However, relations all but collapse between Sol and Agurkrral. The Sol Federation officials, who orchestrated the pact, are quietly dismissed in the coming years.
13. Outstretched Taj supply lines into Agurkrral are cut to shreds by the Agurkrral Navy which is specialized for raiding and disrupting enemy supply lines. A sturdy defense by Agurkrral ground forces and militia create a stabilized front.
14. On the surface, the Taj Empire appears to be barely breaking a sweat in handling multiple wars on many fronts due to its large, expansive slave and automated labor force and bountiful resources. However, the Taj Empire collapses after the Emperor Mewius XXI attempts to consolidate control of resources, slaves, and curtail the free distribution of luxury goods to nobles in an attempt to strengthen its war effort. Disgruntled nobles are believed to have assassinated the Emperor as he is said to have "fallen from a great height."
    
    His previous attempts to curtail the excesses and cruelty of the nobility had already earned him many enemies. In fact, his heir had intentionally picked up the banned practice of turning Tesharis into a delicacy in an act of defiance and to solidify his political standings among the Taj nobility. Yet, in a twist of fate, the heir would die of a mysterious illness on his way to claim the throne. Some theorized that the Tajaran heir was killed in a celebratory dinner by poison, and that it could have been through a Teshari who had made their body inedible through a resistance-supplied toxin. Such a claim is unsubstantiated, and many experts have "debunked" it as an urban legend due to lack of proof. With the heir's death, the Taj Empire splinters into many warring states.
15. Agurkrral pushes back at the now disorganized Taj invasion force and proclaims that victory is inevitable. However, there remain several heavily fortified pockets of motivated Taj units on many Agurkrral worlds that launch constant raids and attacks against Agurkrral settlements and bases. Furthermore, much of the Agurkrral frontier worlds near the Taj are in ruins, needing desperate relief. Billions are dead with much having died from starvation and disease as they had from a bullet. For instance, Akkral, which is the lone Agurkrral core world that had been invaded, has suffered the most of all the Agurkrral worlds with lower estimates suggesting a third of its population are either dead or missing. Fighting between Akulan forces and the isolated Taj forces continues to this day without resolution on Akkral. However, the entrenched Tajarans on the planets, realizing that they are on the planet in the long run, have begun to create a society of their own on the planet, having been there long enough to set up their own form of governance over the occupied territories.
    
    The New Principalities and Agurkrral Navy hound the glory, diminishing the influence of the Old Principalities and Agurkrral Royal Army. The Old Principalities and the army wish to re-establish control over their current holding, liquify the occupying Taj forces, and consolidate their forces first before advancing further. However, the New Principalities and the navy use their new influence to push for massive expansion into the former Taj Empire and systems that the Taj Empire had blocked access to, completely ignoring pleas from the central government. This allows them to expand their territory and power rapidly which buys the border princes more time. Yet, their growth comes at the expense of the Agurkrral settlements who are left exposed to reprisals from Taj forces, causing the old guard to become more and more enraged at the border princes and their 'greed'. Both sides continue to be pushed to their extremes. The Agurkrral Royal Army soon begins to develop their own naval forces, ensuring a growing inefficiency within the Agurkrral military. Conversely, the Agurkrral Royal Navy begins to develop their own ground forces.

Nanotrasen Blows Up

Humans are relevant again to the plot. In this chapter, the BEEP act happens and Nanotrasen falls to the might of the Syndicate, which they also made.

16. Sol Federation sees an opportunity to expand its borders. Furthermore, it feels increasingly threatened by Agurkrral and begins to match their expansion efforts with one of their own. Several measures are taken to expand not only by the government but by private entities like in the past. Corporations take advantage and begin to expand into the frontiers.
17. The Free Trade Union establishes an economic hub and colony on Moghes to engage in commerce with the locals with approval of the regional warlord.
18. Nanotrasen Frontier is created to take advantage of the tax-free subsidies and additional tax loopholes brought on by the Sol Federation's Border Expansion Expedition Program, otherwise affectionately known as "BEEP". By creating cheap, subsidized stations, the stations are run at a loss to ensure they continue to receive a flow of government-supplied subsidies. Meanwhile, the losses are concurrently used to reduce the taxes paid overall by the Nanotrasen Conglomerate. To maximize the gains, a less-than-prepared workforce is sent to rotate across many different stations with only a skeleton crew left behind to maintain the stations. This causes the appearance of a large Sol Federation presence in the area, inadvertently achieving the exact aims set out by the BEEP act. The engine used to power the station is created to be modular so as to allow for transportation from station to station, however, they are dangerous and require setup each time they are inserted into a station. This is done most prevalently in Sector 13, an area rife with opportunities for anomaly-based research which necessitates the crew be moved from anomaly hotspots as needed.
    
    The lack of high speed communication relays and hyperspace highways into the frontier keep communication and news from the frontiers from hardly ever reaching the core worlds. That and the general lawlessness keep Nanotrasen and other competing entities in the region from having to worry about poor PR or legal consequences from the Sol Federation.
19. The Sothra Crisis begins on the planet that gives the crisis its namesake, however, it marks the start of a chain of controversial events that would encompass many systems. The Republic of Sothra, which is an independent human exclave, faces an unprecedented economic crisis after years of decreasing prices in the energy sector followed by a sudden and intense price shock that would send energy prices and energy future prices into the negative. Due to the inherent latency in logistics due to travel time, there could be no short-term fix to alleviate storage costs that would significantly grow, ensuring that firms in the energy industry would bankrupt themselves before the sector could fix itself.
    
    Emergency measures failed to prevent the collapse of Sothra's energy-backed currency, causing generational wealth to seemingly vanish into thin air, causing mass chaos on the planet ranging from panic buying to suicides to riots. This forces the legislature in the Republic of Sothra to vote for Sol Federation annexation in exchange for immediate and effective economic relief. Despite significant assistance, recovery would take years with the loss of both business and life immeasurable.
    
    This same pattern would begin in other planet-sized nations, causing economists and watchdog organizations to grow increasingly concerned if not suspicious of this growing trend, leading to an explosive investigation that would lead to the discovery of Nanotrasen's illegal price-dumping strategy. This tactic was designed so as to allow Nanotrasen to create an energy monopoly on the frontiers by buying up entire energy industries on targeted planets significantly under market value. Besides the use of shell companies as intermediaries to disguise their illegal activities, Nanotrasen had made use of contacts within the Free Trade Union to make such a strategy possible, creating suspicions of collaboration. Furthermore, many suspected the Sol Federation of having pulled the strings to "peacefully" acquire additional territory in the height of the new colonization rush.
    
    In light of this event, Nanotrasen would be ordered to pay trillions of credits by the Sol Federation Supreme Court in the infamous The People of Sothra v. Nanotrasen as relief to those that had lost their business in the crisis. Additionally, they would be required to pay punitive fees to the families of those that had committed suicide after facing immense financial loses. However, the results remain controversial, as some believe that Nanotrasen had merely received a slap on the wrist as they still profited from the affair with no significant loss to their reputation. Nanotrasen had successfully run a series of public relations campaigns that had successfully disguised the intensity of the events, taking advantage of the delay in travel and communication time to get their side of the story out first. Furthermore, Nanotrasen would leak that other firms were attempting to create an illegal economic cartel through price fixing and had tried to violently coerce Nanotrasen into joining them despite repeated refusal, creating not only a distraction but an image of Nanotrasen being an "anti-hero" who was forced into their price-dumping strategy.
    
    Many on Sothra along with others would begin to feel a rise in anti-Nanotrasen and anti-Sol sentiments, although the latter would be softened due to generous Sol Federation aid. As a result, the terrorist organization known as the Syndicate would later form in reprisal with the intent to punish Nanotrasen. Yet, many suspect it is funded heavily by corporate rivals of Nanotrasen, while others claim it has been completely co-opted by said corporations in retaliation for Nanotrasen uncovering their illegal scheme to fix prices. Furthermore, it has attracted other extremists into their ranks, further diluting the cause with the only commonality in that they share the goal of taking down Nanotrasen.

SolGov versus the Universe

or, Moghe money, Moghe problems. Here, Chapters 1 and 2 collide. Humans finally get roped directly into the Taj/Akula war. Unathi show up too.

20. Sol Federation annexes several semi-independent human factions along its borders including that of the various Russian enclaves between the Sol Federation and Agurkrral border. Various human exclaves grow increasingly disillusioned with the Sol Federation and call on the Agurkrral for assistance. This begins the start of Agurkrral intervention with an expeditionary force sent to drive Sol Federation forces from the region. The First Agurkrral-Sol Border War starts.
21. The first border war hits its climax in the Battle of Sevastopol Station where Akulan troops begin bombarding the station in key areas to prepare for boarding. The station is key for further advancement into Sol Federation space.
22. The Akulan forces prepare to board, expecting trivial resistance. The unit manning the station is mostly made up of men recruited from one of the Russian enclaves annexed by the Sol Federation. However, the station does not surrender as expected and instead gives a spirited fight. A brutal close-quarter battle begins within the station that puts emphasis on firepower and attrition. Outnumbered but determined, the garrison puts up a violent and brutal fight. Despite multiple calls for their surrender, the commander of the station instead enacts the self-destruction sequence when it becomes clear reinforcement is not coming. This annihilates all soldiers within the station while causing damage to the besieging Akulan fleet, preventing them from taking additional territory. Furthermore, it eliminates a future supply point which Agurkrral can use to venture into Sol Federation space, making it near impossible to establish a supply line without a long-term construction of a station of similar size and quality. A truce is later reached. The garrison troops are seen as martyrs by many in the Sol Federation, but others in the country see the choice of the garrison commander as being reckless, having ended needless Sol Fed lives.
23. Sol Federation directly intervenes in Moghes after a brutal massacre of a FTU settlement called Paradigm by a coalition of Unathi warlords. The Sol Federation accuses Agurkrral of orchestrating events by spreading misinformation to local warlords and begins to organize a "show of force" promised by the incoming Sol Federation President. In the meanwhile, various corporate interests on Moghes begin to shore up their defenses. Various PMCs are given lucrative contracts to provide security among the various Sol Fed corporate settlements, mining facilities, and so forth on the war-torn planet. This incenses local Unathi tribals further and a call to unite against foreigners is sent out, however, other warlords believe that siding with the Sol Federation is the best way forward for the planet. In the coming years, various states propped up by the Sol Federation would arise such as the Free Republic of Northern Moghes. At the same, many warlords remain independent, opposing all foreign and alien elements in their homeworld. A rare few like the Revolutionary State of Sissak welcome limited foreign assistance as they play all sides, but are wary of foreigners altogether and their motives.
24. Sol Federation helps establish a protectorate state on Moghes with the support of various corporate interests. Despite proclaiming authority over the planet, their authority is limited mainly around the supposed capital city and a few allied city-states, but they maintain strong, stable control over the areas they preside over. Punishing airstrikes are delivered with minimal public backlash. Akulans back the warlords in an attempt to tie down Sol Federation military resources but with limited success.
25. With the events of the border war with the Agurkrral and the massacre of Paradigm on Moghes by the Unathi warlords, the Sol Federation begins to expand its military capabilities dramatically. The economy booms with the hopes that expansionism can outpace inflation and drive prices down with the influx of cheap natural resources.
26. Cheap Unathi labor soon replaces increasingly more expensive Silicon labor on the frontiers. The need for Silicon workers dramatically falls. Tensions between Sol Federation citizens, Unathi immigrants, and Silicon workers rise but are kept to manageable levels.
27. News of a Taj remnant state emerging near SolFed and Agurkrral cause great concerns. The collapse has allowed an ambitious and surprisingly energetic Tajaran warlord to coalesce his forces over his more apathetic comrades, and his rule proves to be far more focused and active than his predecessor. Despite being better led than the Taj Empire, the remnant state remains focused on beating back other Taj rivals in their civil war for the throne, making them a less immediate threat.
28. Many interstellar empires soon enter the fray, becoming interested in picking off what pieces of the pie they can from what remains of the Taj Empire and from keeping it from re-unifying.

Species Lore

If you don't see a species listed below, lore for them is at best unofficial and at worst nonexistent. --GreytideSkye (talk) 04:37, 30 October 2023 (UTC)

Human Lore

Sol Federation - Mostly Incomplete

Faction Type: Liberal Bicameral Semi-Presidential Federal Republic

State Religion: Unaffiliated

Faction Summary

The Sol Federation is the preeminent nation of the Terrans, more commonly known as humans. Known for their ingenuity, creativity, and pragmatism, the Sol Federation hosts many of the region's largest and most profitable non-government organizations, think tanks, corporations, and conglomerates. Due to their ability to organize and efficiently allocate resources, they have grown rapidly into becoming a regional power, rivaling that of the Agurkrral. Their cut-throat efficiency makes them the envy of their neighbors, as no one can match their ability to raise funds and resources on such a massive and rapid scale. They dominate local markets in places that humans cannot even pronounce, making sure trade would flow even when it came to aliens that people once thought to be difficult such as the Vox.

Even in the ancient Taj Empire where the Tajaran nobility believed themselves to be gods, they prize human products and goods like fine treasure. Surprisingly, many of the Tajaran nobility can even be seen sporting human fashion, all while consuming human entertainment in addictive fashion. In fact, Terran culture can be found all around the galaxy, far past the Sol Federation's border, all thanks to a government initiative known as the "Sol Federation Cultural Link Program" that works in coordination with a dedicated industry feverishly producing entertainment products for both humans and aliens. In fact, the initial diplomatic closeness between Agurkrral and the Sol Federation was held together by Sol Federation sitcoms, hit songs, and other entertainment products which have infiltrated all but the most conservative circles in Agurkrral, despite the denizens of Agurkrral being taught to shun such "distractions".

Furthermore, technological advances far outshines their regional rival of Agurkrral. Agurkrral relies on a highly dated and backwards educational, economic, and government system, while the Sol Federation have adapted theirs based on science and cold-blooded efficient capitalism. While Agurkrral struggles with the needed centralized required for rapid expansion, the Sol Federation has embraced it by allowing private citizens and entities to expand in the country's name. With the fracturing of the Taj Empire, the Sol Federation has accelerated it even further, subsidizing their resources to many initiatives such as the "Border Expansion Expedition Program", otherwise known as BEEP.

Sol Federation Political Parties

Due to the surprising number of people offended by one particular political party not aligning with their views, I want to emphasize once again that the lore is not supposed to be an all-knowing encyclopedia. Rather, it is imperfect and is supposed to reflect the perspective of those living within the universe. Notice how the "right-left" dichotomy is only used for the Sol Federation. It's an entirely Terran concept. It's fiction. Have fun with it.

The Grand Liberal Party [34% Popularity] - Neoliberal Conservative Expansionist

Main Platforms:

• Pro-Growth and Expansionist
• Resolve Labor Shortage Crisis by Integrating Cheap Xeno Labor
• Limit Government Control
• Expand Corporate Influence
• Curtail Labor Union Rights
• Promote and Subsidize Company Towns
• Maintain Very Limited Silicon Rights
• Expand Military

The Sol United Party [30% Popularity] - Progressive Liberal Expansionist

Main Platforms:

• Pro-Growth and Expansionist
• Resolve Labor Shortage Crisis by Integrating Cheap Xeno Labor
• Expand Government Control
• Marginally Expand Corporate Influence
• Expand Labor Union Rights
• Provide Limited Silicon Rights
• Expand Military

The Conservative Party [15% Popularity] - Paternal Conservative Isolationist

Main Platforms:

• Anti-Corruption
• Limit Government Control
• Limit Corporate Influence
• Limit Expansionist Factions in Sol Fed
• Normalize Sol Federation-Agurkrral Relations
• Protect Diminishing Social Safety Net
• Push for Universal Basic Income/Negative Income Tax

Despite never having been the most popular party in the Sol Federation, the Conservative Party proved to be the most influential during the early formative days of the Sol Federation, having set the standard for every other political party by holding high trust rating among the public due to their massively successful anti-corruption campaigns. Furthermore, their extensive and popular economic reform programs brought wealth inequality to an all-time low during the Conservative Party's golden era during their leader David Ibrahim's legendary tenure as president. However, as time passes by, the Conservative Party and their policies face gradual extinction as many see their policies as too restrictive for economic growth, especially in a time where citizens seek new opportunities to further enrich themselves.

On a base level, the Conservative Party holds a firm belief that all citizens possess a duty to each other, and the wealthiest and most powerful should provide patronage and guidance to the least fortunate. This practical assertion of such proved to be a vital stabilizing factor during the early tumultuous days of the Sol Federation. To this day, they still act as a balanced arbitrator between the Liberal Party and Sol United Party along with any corresponding coalitions that form when it comes to fiscal policy. However, they are gradually being seen more or less as a relic of the past due to their perceived refusal to adapt to the present day and reluctance to change their policies to fit modern audiences.

Contributing to their decline is their insistence on limiting Sol Federation expansion to a reasonable level. They have been heavily critical of the latest efforts of the Sol Federation's attempt to expand both civilly and militaristically, citing it has led to reckless military spending, a disastrous foreign policy, ever growing corruption, and unequal balance of power between private citizens and corporations in the frontiers. However, the need for expansion has increasingly sidelined the Conservative Party, resulting in diminishing party membership. As a result, this policy of "isolationism" has caused some notable Conservative Party politicians to defect to the Liberal Party.

While the party is held strong by the former longest serving president and also longest serving Sol Federation Assemblyman David Ibrahim, the personal allure of their leader has grown increasingly stale with some critics saying he would be more useful dead than alive due to the legacy he would leave behind, especially since his current effectiveness as a politician is limited. Some historians have called him a "modern Cincinnatus", likening his experience through various crises including the infamous Second Business Putsch to the famous Roman leader, especially in part due to his subsequent refusal to run for any more presidential terms. Now, many say he is unfit to have such a title, as he has yet to retire from politics altogether, despite over a century of political service. Furthermore, his attempts to curtail the power of the corporations have left him increasingly unpopular with the public, while those that oppose capitalism in the Sol Federation see him as a defender of corporations. "Go die, old man" has been commonly used by White Dove party members after addressing the politician, while pro-growth parties express frustrations with his and his party's attempt to block much needed bills to expedite the nation's much-needed growth.

The White Dove Party [5% Popularity] - Far Left Isolationist

Main Platforms:

• Anti-War at All Cost
• Anti-Expansionist at All Cost
• Scale Back Military
• Severely Curtail Corporations
• Provide Full Silicon Rights
• Limit Immigration [Limited Support]
• Deport Tesharis [Limited Support]

Despite being absolutely polarizing and growing infamy for making polemical pamphlets and statements, the White Dove Party is the second fastest growing party behind the Terran Dominion Party. They are known for making outrageous statements to draw attention to their cause, including sentiments that many have called speciesist and offensive. They are known for running pro-Tajaran, anti-Teshari campaigns such as the "Punt the Teshari", "Teshari are Indeed Cattle, not Friends", and "I Love the Tajarans and You Should Too!" so as to discourage the public from becoming entangled in foreign affairs with other nations against the Taj Empire.

Despite their outlandish claims, some of their central criticism has been used effectively such as the fact that the oppression of Tesharis are entirely overblown and are being exploited for propaganda. In fact, their satirical pamphlet with the outrage clickbait title, "Teshari are Indeed Cattle, Not Friends", claim that the vast majority of Tesharis live an ordinary life by pointing out most Tajaran denizens live a prosperous life, and they assert that the Tajarans mainly use executed political prisoners when it comes to food to minimize waste. The pamphlet goes on to claim the number of Tesharis actually being exploited are greatly exaggerated and have been propagandized. Hence, theWhite Dove makes the point that if the Teshari are, indeed, cattle, they are living a better life than some Sol Federation citizens. Furthermore, they assert that the Teshari are not friends of the Sol Federation, especially due to their willingness to manipulate public opinion to their side and are supported by the federation's greatest regional rivals, the NRI and Agurkrral.

Although their clickbait pamphlets earned them great notoriety and led to their intensive growth as a party, their popularity has considerably cooled after their failed campaign to mock the soldiers who participated during the Battle of Sevastopol Station backfired considerably. Their dismissal of the significance of the battle as a "distraction against real problems at home" has drawn the ire of many, leading to increased memberships in the rival Terran Dominion Party which has supplanted them as the fastest growing party. While the White Dove Party's main effort has been focused on preventing foreign entanglement and wars, they also advocate for a cessation of colonial expansion both civilly and militarily. They also desire a transition into a socialist economy, a gradual curtailing of corporate powers, and equal rights for Silicons.

Despite their lofty goals, some suspect that the more extreme factions within the White Dove Party are accelerationist, looking to agitate the current social order to promote their own interests. However, others argue they are innocuous and assert they are more eccentric than anything, referencing the charismatic but also infamously strange White Dove Party leader Pedro Alves who is known for his love-hate obsession with Tesharis and his belief that the Taj Empire is the "perfect socialist empire".

Due to their schizophrenic policies, many White Dove Party members are single issue voters which can range from only supporting their anti-war policies, their relatively extreme anti-corporation policies, or their support for deporting Tesharis. Only a few actually support the full White Dove party agendas.

The Terran Dominion Party [5% Popularity] - Authoritarian Far Right Isolationist

Main Platforms:

• Anti-War
• Limit Expansion
• Expand Military Significantly for Deterrence
• Normalize Sol Federation-NRI Relations
• Resolve Labor Shortage Crisis by Using Genemods and Xenos as Cheap Labor like NRI [Limited Support]
• Remove Full Genemod and Xeno Rights [Very Limited Support]
• Dismantle Silicons [Limited Support]

The Frontier Liberal Party [3% Popularity] - Populist Far Right Expansionist

Main Platforms:

• Severely Limit Government Control
• Punitive Expeditions against Akulan Privateer Colonies and Outposts
• Subsidized Firearms for All
• Subsidies for Frontier Colonies
• Promote Free Trade Union

Others + Independents [8%]

• The Green Party
• The Carbon Party
• The Corporate Rights Party
• Etc.

Corporations and Conglomerates of the Sol Federation

Nanotrasen

Lynsk - Nanotrasen Sector 13 Company Town - WIP

Note: There is another large NT lore document written collaboratively by a few individuals, however, it needs to synchronize with the lore we have here before I post it here.

Lopland Security Solutions

Faction Type: Non-Profit Private Corporation

Faction Religion: Atonement Movement

Lop

verb (used without object), lopped, lop·ping.

To cut off branches, twigs, etc., as of a tree.

To remove parts by or as by cutting.

Penitence is a virtue that should be embraced by everyone and for everyone, and it is for that reason that Lopland Security Solutions exist. It is a non-profit, private corporation with no shareholders whose foundation is underpinned by that particular tenet of the Atoners, a religious movement that had founded Lopland itself. The company hires everyone from ex-military personnel seeking to turn their life around to individuals maligned by government entities looking to embrace society once more and earn a stable income. "Abandoned, but found" is the company's motto.

While everyone can quip a fun fact that Lopland used to be a private penal colony, not as many know about the Atoners and their role in the development of the penal colony. It was designed to justly rehabilitate criminals by "humbling" them as the Atoners called it. To initiate this, new prisoners, upon arrival, would be summarily executed without realizing that it would not be a permanent end. They would then be brought back to life with the idea that they are now reborn, knowing that their old life has ended and if they follow their new life as they had their old life, nothing but a cold end awaits them. As such, prisoners would learn to remove the sinful, metaphysical parts of themselves in a process known as "lopping". This would be a harsh, grueling process for many prisoners, yet the endeavor resulted in high success rates.

While initially successful, the Sol Federation would later arrive and coldly put an end to the colony and its practice, citing it as "cruel and unusual punishment". With many of the original founders arrested, a number of leading Atoners, many of whom were former prisoners themselves, have since revived the practice, all while hesitantly conforming to the arbitrary laws of the Sol Federation, thus ensuring Lopland Security Solutions' place as the new beacon for redemption for us all. As per the labor laws of the Sol Federation, they do not require employees to follow their religion, however, many of its practices are put into place for their in-house training academy, thus ensuring discipline.

The First Great Migration Lore

In a migration movement known as the First Great Migration, factions in this category can trace their lineage back to the first colonists to leave the Sol system centuries ago. The great distance without fast interstellar travel from their homeworld resulted in many of these colonists forming independent enclaves that would exist separate from their homeworld and each other. The greatest of these are the Free Trade Union and Novaya Rossiyskaya Imperiya. Many of these factions reacted in radically different ways to alien contact. Some became what they are due to friendly alien contact and trade, enabling them to become enthusiastic xenophiles. However, others would find themselves isolated from civilized alien contacts and would instead face only hostile alien contacts such as pirates and raiders, mostly notably from the hated Voxes. Despite many differences in their culture and outlook, many factions take great pride in being among the original colonists with some taking that to extremes.

Free Trade Union - Mostly Complete

Faction Type: Sol Federation Non-Government Organization; Formerly Independent Colonial Union

Faction Religion: Unaffiliated

Faction Summary

The Free Trade Union is widely considered to be the most successful faction that formed from the First Great Migration due to their powerful position in shaping policy in the frontiers of the Sol Federation. Despite their quasi-independent status, they form the backbone of small to medium sized businesses in the frontiers, dealing with everything from loans, managing labor unions, to organizing well-armed militias. They are the quintessential backdrop to any successful Sol Federation colony or station, providing services, funds, and support to those that join their ranks.

However, a growing number of detractors from within and outside the organization have heavily criticized the organization, claiming the Free Trade Union is becoming increasingly more corrupt year by year due to the consolidation of powers by powerful local business magnates. They are relatively unpopular in the core worlds of the Sol Federation with some core world business owners seeing them as an unfair cartel to compete against as more and more of the frontier becomes settled, while others view their neoliberal policy on free trade as being detrimental to the economy, seeing tariffs as vital to protecting key industries. Moreover, due to their unofficial alliance with Nanotrasen, some see them as a corporate lapdog, while others see them as a pawn of the Sol Federation.

The Free Trade Union's original members, many of whom are alive due to cloning and mind transfer technology, consist of the original colonists from the Voyage Expedition, owing their early success due to assistance and trade from nearby alien settlements. Because of their fruitful relations with other alien species, xenophilia runs deep in the Free Trade Union, despite having what one may call "redneck culture". Being "not from around here" is part of their identity.

Sothra Syndicate - N/A

Faction Type: Anti-Nanotrasen Terrorist Organization

Also known as the Syndicate

Faction Summary

While the Syndicate, otherwise known as the Sothra Syndicate, has evolved past recognition from its grassroot origins, the organization has only gained in strength and traction with technology that can rival that of a private corporate army. Their members are known for obsessively targeting Nanotrasen facilities and employees regardless of position. From petty acts of vandalism and harassment to violent bombings and mass murder, their eclectic range of crimes led many to initially believe they were done by several lone wolf individuals or several different organizations. However, the Sothra Syndicate publicly released a document detailing some of the missions they have undertaken to undermine Nanotrasen ranging from attempted murder to petty harassment. For instance, in one notable incident, a member of the Sothra Syndicate dedicated themselves to harassing a Nanotrasen contractor by breaking and entering their home to rearrange their furniture slightly among other acts for several years, causing the victim to believe they were suffering from dementia. While seemingly harmless in comparison to some of the other crimes that the Syndicate has been involved in, these minor criminal offenses are used by the Syndicate as a test to gauge the long-term loyalty and determination of their member, before they ratchet up the intensity to the preference of the local chapter and the member themselves.

The Sol Federation now recognizes them as a terrorist organization and have actively worked to crack down on their activities. Some speculate that the organization has been infiltrated by corporations that compete with Nanotrasen, however, the increasingly violent activities from the organization in addition to some notable assassinations of Sol Federation politicians and attacks on ordinary civilians have caused some to assert that state actors may now be involved and that whatever corporate influence present has since been purged. Others believe that there is no longer a single Syndicate organization, rather some elements within the Syndicate have gone rogue, splitting off from the main organization to pursue their own aims.

Coalition of Independent Nations - N/A

Faction Type: Loose Anti-Sol Alliance

Consists of several human exclaves

Also known as COIN

Lead Member State:

Novaya Rossiyskaya Imperiya

Member States:

• TransOrbital Emporium Corp
• The Kongjian University System
• Novaya Rossiyskaya Imperiya or Новая Российская Империя - Mostly Completed

Faction Type: Traditionalist Conservative Imperial State

State Religion: Revised Orthodoxy

Leading Member of COIN

Faction Summary

Of all the independent human exclaves from the First Great Migration, Novaya Rossiyskaya Imperiya, more commonly known as the 'NRI', is considered to be the biggest threat to Sol Federation expansion into Sector 13. Formed by many of the original colonists from the Voyage Expedition, they are led by the "Eternal Empress", otherwise known as Pasha Semenov, a former general of the colonial militia, who earned her legitimacy as their rule by leading the original colony to success for centuries, despite constant raids from the Vox and other hostile alien races such as the Tajarans. Despite her success in driving off the colony's technologically superior foes, her political rivals' attempt to put her on trial would eventually lead to her eventual insurrection and revolution in which she would assume absolute control with grace and relative mercy, thus earning her the title of 'Caesar' by the people.

Enforcing the will of the Eternal Empress is the Imperial Collegium that consists of a large and loose assortment of men and women that govern in her name. With their backing, she has solidified the country's standing as an independent nation recognized by many by conducting several "anti-piracy expeditions", styled after the Taj's tendency to send "punitive expeditions" to enforce their will, and co-founding a coalition with the Kingdom of Agurkrral, the many scattered human exclaves, and others including the Free Teshari League through an expert use of diplomacy, coercion, and warfare to ensure stability. Consequently, her supporters likened her to a modern Octavian who brought relative lasting peace after centuries of turmoil, thus earning her the title of 'Augustus' by the people.

While small compared to the Sol Federation, they are among the largest of the various human enclaves near the Sol Federation that assert their independence and separation from Earth. Despite their suspicion of outsiders, they have formed a strong bond with the nearby Akulas and maintain trade and relations with the Kingdom of Agurkrral, the pre-eminent nation of the Akulas. Akulas, as such, are given protected status compared to other non-humans. They have assisted one another in war, either through total war with the now splintered Taj Empire or in the ongoing border war against the Sol Federation.

Conversely, genemods, i.e. genemodded humans, are not seen as second-class citizens, rather they are viewed as former humans that have lost their privileges for their past crimes. This comes from a longstanding belief that genemods were originally developed for greater labor specialization. Since many were unwilling to lose their humanity, most of the original genemods were convicts, political prisoners, or unfortunate passer-bys that were conscripted to fulfill labor shortages. While this practice continues in Novaya Rossiyskaya Imperiya and other human exclaves, most genemods are born as one to begin with due to their heritage. This practice is not exclusive to Novaya Rossiyskaya. In fact, evidence suggests many genemods in the Free Trade Union also had very similar origins. Since life on the frontiers was often brutal and isolated, harsh measures were often taken by many of the original colonies. Many frontiersmen like those in the NRI take pride in their ruggedness and often resent the moralizing they face from their coreworld counterparts, namely those in the Sol Federation.

Despite their stance on genemods, they are seen as the leading pioneers in genemodding, a technology in which they have provided to the Agurkrral who have perfected it to be cheap and effective enough for mass-scale use.

TransOrbital Emporium Corp - Partial Completion

Faction Type: Isolationist Corporate State

State Religion: Unaffiliated

Member of COIN

Faction Summary

Once a simple company town on the outskirts of humanity, the TransOrbital Emporium Corp, otherwise known as TOE, has transformed itself from its humble origins to being the prosperous sole provider of its employees away from the corrupting forces of communism. The company's sincere efforts to eliminate this festering threat through revolution in the Sol Federation had failed, forcing the company to cut all ties with the Sol Federation due to the evil socialist tendencies of the Sol Federation and the tyrannical David Ibrahim. Instead, the corporation has elected to remain fully independent from all outside influences to maintain its pure Sol values, all thanks to the wisdom of the Board of Directors led by the CEO which rotates every year and the ever permanent Secretary of the Board John Wheelman. Under their wisdom, the corporation established its freedom by first buying up private individual businesses on company land, bringing them under corporate control. They, in turn, brought in TransOrbital employees to run the business under the leadership of the corporation with all participating members owning shares in the business that would allow them to hold a joint enterprise, incentivizing private ownership and innovation.

Despite initial shortages, the enacted ten year plan set a course for higher profits than ever, as the corporation began to integrate new capital into their venture. As a result, every TransOrbital employee eats TransOrbital food, wears TransOrbital clothing, lives in TransOrbital housing, and breathes TransOrbital air. To further encourage TransOrbital company values, the corporation would take it a step beyond simply giving TransOrbital goods discounts to company employees, rather they would revolutionize the labor industry by creating the synergistic concept of the "New TransOrbital Employee". The New TransOrbital employee would be selfless and would not be "time vampires". They would put their life on the line for the company, and they would always act consistently with company expectations. Employees would be expected to shed their previous cultural identity and identify themselves strictly as a loyal TransOrbital employee and also customer. Species would no longer be a divider, as there would no longer be Akulan, Felinid, Human, and so on. There would only be the employee.

As part of this cultural realignment, employees failing to meet expectations would face immediate termination and their assets liquified, thus bringing labor costs to an all-time low which increased profit margins and employee morale to ever new heights. The future looks ever brighter for all the workers of TransOrbital united!

Akulan Lore

Kingdom of Agurkrral - Mostly Incomplete

Agurkrral Flag

Designed by Scary Carrie for Skyrat

Faction Type: Liberal Semi-Presidential Elective Constitutional Monarchy

State Religion: Atheistic Religion - Universal Holisticism

Faction Summary

[2/14/2023 Note: Currently re-writing]

The Kingdom of Agurkrral is the preeminent nation of the Azuleans, otherwise known as the Akulas or Akulans to humans. Their name derives from the Russian word for 'shark' on the account of the Russian explorers that discovered them, a misnomer that they have happily adopted on the account of their friendship with Novaya Rossiyskaya Imperiya (NRI). Due to their alliance with the NRI-led Coalition of Independent Nations and the growing border war between them and the Sol Federation, they have become the latest challenge to Sol Federation expansion with the two nations perceiving each other as both threats and roadblocks to future success. Despite this and the ongoing wars in Agurkrral, they are a massively popular tourist destination for Sol Federation citizens.

A Bipolar Society

Agurkrral can be best described as a land of contradictions. In many ways, the core worlds of Agurkrral still cling onto ancient traditions, ceremonies, and expectations. Old aristocratic houses still thrive, the king still rules, and many systems of old remain. Yet, much has changed and been adapted to meet the modern era and its challenges in innovative ways. While it is a nation that appears deceptively stagnant on the surface, its tradition demands continuous reforms, allowing the old way to adapt and continue to thrive in this day and age. So, in truth, the rigid traditionalists appear to be progressive reformers, ensuring the status quo is maintained without ever remaining the same. To add onto their status as a land of contradiction, they possess a bipolar society that has all the recipes to be a powder keg. On one end, they have a stately culture of tradition, honor, and philosophy that prizes martial prowess, discipline, and knowledge in the core worlds, otherwise known as the Old Principalities. On the other side, they have a wild west culture of opportunism, criminal enterprise, and adventurism in the the New Principalities, where warlords called the "border princes" reign free with little checks to their power out in the frontiers..

Despite the jarring divide in their nation, they both claim to be the only true 'meritocracy' where anyone can advance themselves regardless of origins or species. The Old Principalities rely quite rigidly on exams, education, along with government or military service to create a hierarchy within their society. Non-lethal duels and debates help one distinguish themselves from their peers, while having elegant displays of ceremonies and rituals helps elevate someone's prestige further. From this system, they have developed a robust bureaucratic system, enabling for efficient taxation and governance, although it has placed them at odds with the men and women that have claimed the frontier for their own. It has also allowed them to create a highly effective system when it comes to the transfer of knowledge whether it is soldiers passing on knowledge to the next generation of soldiers or from teachers to students.

Conversely, the New Principalities has become an avid proponent of the laissez-faire approach where anyone can do anything to become someone with no test or education required, only pure ambition. Without the overbearing laws and regulations as seen in the Old Principalities, the New Principalities have grown rapidly, attracting massive amounts of immigrants from outside Agurkrral due to the fact that anyone could get a loan, anyone could become a loan shark, and anyone could get a business going. For instance, big sprawling, and lawless casino cities and resorts have been known to be built up overnight, designed to exploit tourists. All in all, anyone could make money and become wealthy, given enough charisma. Conversely, anyone could elevate their status simply by having a criminal enterprise, regardless of profitability, as fear was another currency besides money that had tangible use. One could accumulate enough of it to become a "border prince", an individual that has amassed so much power that they have established a quasi-independent area of influence for themselves. In fact, Sol Federation citizens have been known to travel to the New Principalities to profit off of it as mercenaries, investors, and so forth with some even becoming "border princes" in their own right.

Yet, despite their differences, all Agurkrral citizens enjoy a high degree of personal freedom. Even the most controlling border princes, even those that engage in the slave trade, know better than to openly flaunt the right to life, property, and speech. While said personal freedoms have gradually begun to erode in their protracted war against the Taj Empire, they have arguably matched the Sol Federation in establishing itself as a stable, multi-species empire, remaining a popular destination for immigrants and refugees. Like the Sol Federation, any alien species can become a citizen in Agurkrral, and such rights such as the right to life is reserved even for non-citizens with executions being outright banned within the country. Yet, a number of scholars have voiced their concern about the state of immigrants within Agurkrral, as the nation seems to be more focused on assimilation than celebrating differences, especially in the systems that Agurkrral and the Sol Federation feud over.

A True Rival to Sol Federation

Unsurprisingly, Agurkrral is considered to be a true rival to the Sol Federation. It is a nation that is both larger, more populated, and better developed than the Sol Federation. It runs off the back of a well-educated aristocracy and citizenry along with what they perceive to be a meritocracy. They consider themselves to be just as "arguably" free as the citizens of the Sol Federation, priding themselves on a rigorous and competent education system that prioritizes philosophy and critical thinking (although one could argue they are often steered a certain way). Yet, despite having the thinking man's education, they struggle to match the Sol Federation in technological innovation, having to constantly infiltrate and copy their human counterparts. Furthermore, Agurkrral politics is far more divisive and polarizing with rifts that are far deeper than any in the Sol Federation. Their economic instruments from their cooperatives to corporations struggle to compete with the likes of Nanotrasen, and many believe that the Sol Federation will fully eclipse them in the decades to come. The Sol Federation has furthermore been winning both the trade and culture war with Sol Federation products ranging from movies, video games, and manufactured goods penetrating deep into markets that Agurkrral can only hope and dream of.

Yet, two things still keep them heads and shoulders over the Sol Federation: a superior foreign policy when it comes to deal with the various human exclaves in between the Sol Federation and Agurkrral along with a far more experienced and larger military force. Agurkrral offers the human exclaves a far more attractive offer of being a partner and an independent bulwark in between the two nations, while the Sol Federation seeks to annex them outright as they have shown in the past, oftentimes with predatory corporations at their backs. In terms of military strength, Agurkrral is far more prepared than the Sol Federation due to their current protracted war with the Taj Empire, and they have already won the first phase of their ongoing border war with the Sol Federation, having only been stopped at the Battle of Sevastopol Station. The border war received little press coverage within the core worlds of the Sol Federation, although it is one of great concern along the frontier worlds of both countries. Both countries have adopted increasingly more aggressive, interventionist foreign policies that one might call imperialistic. Their latest feud has placed Moghes, the homeworld of the Unathi, at its forefront with both Agurkrral and Sol Federation engaging in a cold war there to establish control and influence over the planet. The two nations have actively clashed on Moghes and have also used proxy nations on the planet to wrestle for influence and power.

Agurkrral maintains a well-equipped, well-trained, and large regular army that have proven themselves in battle, and they have actively trained their denizens in warfare for a war with the Taj Empire, a massive, sprawling imperial state that dwarfs them on all levels. Meanwhile, the Sol Federation relies far more on a far smaller professional force to defend them along with a large but fairly ill-equipped and poorly trained national guard, more or less relying on soft power to defend themselves. Agurkrral also has a large, sprawling navy that can cover a large amount of space due to their focus on stealthy, agile ships designed to harass and ambush enemy forces. While the Sol Federation boasts a strong and much heavier fleet of ships with superior firepower and armor, their capacity to defend their shipping hyperlanes is outclassed by Agurkrral's ability to raid them, as the Sol Federation navy is for more focused on winning decisive naval battles, something the Agurkrral navy actively avoids.

Growing Internal Threats

Ideologically, many in the Sol Federation view Agurkrral as a dangerous socialist country teeming with fervent nationalism, a potent and dangerous combination. It is true that Agurkrral has no concept of socialism in the human sense, however, the nation sees, for all intents and purposes, the people and government as one and the same as seen in the policies they have adopted and their religion. For instance, while citizenship can be passed down through the father to the offspring, citizenship must be earned through extended military or government service in order for it to be passed down to the next generation. Citizenship earned by birthright does not pass down to the next generation without service. In fact, living in Agurkrral to the fullest requires citizenship. They offer free universal healthcare, free education, and a universal basic income as a dangling carrot for its citizens, yet none for its denizens although some exceptions have been made for some protected alien species within their empire.

Even then, they have become increasingly more demanding of their population, requiring longer bouts of service to achieve citizenship while having ever higher standards for its people, thanks to their war against the superior Taj Empire. Most alarmingly, many Akulans openly practice eugenics, leveraging their expertise in genetics and their ability to bioengineer on a massive scale. While other nations have fanatics preaching their religion to convert non-believers, some Akulans pressure those around them to perfect themselves further mentally, physically, and genetically, even targeting species that are naturally shorter to coerce them to make themselves taller. It is said that anyone perceived to have a physical or mental defect are often sent to reformation camps where they undergo intensive and intrusive changes to their genetic makeup with some whispering that the Akulans are secretly conducting a slow genocide.

This is due to the fact that despite being a diverse nation with many different people under its banners, it has a heavy-handed way of assimilating alien species into their ranks, a trend that had only intensified in their war against the Taj Empire. The perfect example of this is that there are at least two other aquatic people that call themselves Azuleans to natives and also Akulans/Akulas to outsiders. However, they are of completely different species with one another, as one is dolphin-like and the other is whale-like. While both aquatic, they share no common heritage with each other or the Akulas, yet they claim to have always been part of Agurkrral and they know no other history besides that of their adopted nation. Their link to their respective past has been completely snipped off and reattached at the stem to Agurkrral's.

This is further backed by documentation of Sol Federation citizens that have been forcibly turned into Akulas through genemodding before having their gene sequences be "locked", i.e. their genes are no longer able to be altered outside of those that have made the change. Those that have escaped have told tales of forced indoctrination, brainwashing, and abuse, creating outrage within the Sol Federation. So pervasive is the idea that a growing number of regular Akula citizens believe any Akula look-alike is a denizen of Agurkrral, a legal status that is directly below citizenship. This has only been fueled further by their belief in their state religion, Universal Holisticism. In fact, as a result of this, Agurkrral legally considers all Akula look-alikes to be Agurkrral denizens and are subject to Agurkrral law, although enforcement has been unsurprisingly patchy. However, enforcement is not non-existent. Elements within Akulan enclaves in the Sol Federation have been known to be hotspots for Akulan agents that are known to execute the law within said enclaves and are known to venture out to execute their mission. The reasons behind this aggressive gesture is not clear, however, some argue that Agurkrral is seeking more manpower for its wars while others believe they seek more denizens for the citizens to lord over. This has unsurprisingly created a growing hatred towards Akulas within the Sol Federation, and it has sparked lashback within Agurkrral itself as many believe it to be an extreme overreach.

While various melting pots do exist within the kingdom, the patchwork of different cultures appear to be affected to varying levels of early indoctrination or coercion, however, there is one exception to this rule. The frontiers, otherwise known as the "New Principalities" to the people of Agurkrral, exist in a vacuum outside of the norms of Agurkrral and are far more independent and freethinking than their peers. However, it has been noted by many experts that they are perhaps too much so, oftentimes relying on criminal enterprises for profit. The Agurkrral Royal Navy has long relied on the New Principalities as their core recruitment grounds, recruiting from the second sons of aristocrats, ambitious denizens, immigrants, and disgraced criminals alike. In fact, the navy utilizes large swathes of ships from various so-called "border princes" that have taken power within the New Principalities, employing them as highly effective privateers. This has caused many to call the Agurkrral Royal Navy to be nothing more than "pirates" due to their recruiting tendencies, their brutality, and overall opportunism. Naturally, this has aroused the disgust of the Agurkrral Royal Army and has created a fierce rivalry between the two to the point that recently the royal army has begun building up its own naval forces while the royal navy has been creating their own ground forces in the form of marines.

Faction Background

[2/14/2023 Note: Currently re-writing]

To outsiders, Agurkrral appears like a nation that has never moved past the traditions of its own respective enlightenment age. Yet, despite its almost archaic if not naive belief in the fanciful concept of philosopher warrior-kings, it has managed to be innovative and adaptive throughout the ages, having built its foundation on the backbones of its highly educated citizenry and aristocracy. Through that way, the old way has kept itself strong for a thousand years, constantly rebuilding and restructuring itself over the years where anyone can become an aristocrat if they meet the rigorous standards. However, a sharp divide has formed in Agurkrral between the Old Principalities and the New Principalities which threatens the old order, dating back to the advent of the Akulan Colonization Age.

The Akulans faced failure after failure, as their space program failed to colonize the stars beyond. Each setback proved to be costly, especially as dwindling resources brought forth lean times on their homeworld of Azulea. In the hopes of diversifying cost and risk, the Agurkrral government made the decision to privatize space colonization, granting charters to collections of large, self-organized denizens called "dulaks". These groups are described to consist mostly of underachievers that sought citizenship, namely non-citizen Akulans who failed to meet the threshold for citizenship. They were often led by a small collection of citizens who were looking for unorthodox ways of achieving the status of aristocrat outside exemplary government or military service often times due to anarchistic tendencies, although it was not uncommon for them to have a "princep" to lead the way with near dictatorial powers.

These charters granted the dulaks permission to colonize a world beyond its border with the promise of citizenship and aristocracy upon success. Those that were normally blacklisted from citizenship such as debt-holders, criminals, and deadbeats would have a shot at citizenship without having to redeem themselves through lengthy military or government service. Citizens could become aristocrats without having to wait for wars that would never come, nor would they have to spend decades of drilling and studying, giving up friends, family, and a personal life to become an aristocrat. While one could say only the most desperate would have embarked on such near suicidal expeditions, the most ambitious of them were ready to lead them, as they set out to leave their homes to travel the stars, never to return home.

It was not uncommon for entire dulaks to go missing on their expeditionary. However, through hardship and pragmatism, they soon began to thrive and grow, especially in light of their contact with humans. It was here in their first contact with the founders of the Novaya Rossiyskaya Imperiya that they came to be called "Akula". Mutual trade agreements proved to be profitable if not prosperous for both sides. However, some other dulaks began to resort to piracy to survive. In a world so far from home, they began to develop their own culture, one that promoted a "might makes right" approach where power could be obtained through personal armies and influence rather than the rule of law. To survive was to expand. Yet, all of that would change when the old world came for them, moving to integrate them properly under the fold of the old order, something that some of the princeps grew to detest thanks to their newfound authority.

Conversely, many of those of the old order who came to bring the new worlds back into the fold were shocked by the disparity in culture and values. They had completely changed. Philosophers, bureaucrats, and citizen-soldiers were greeted by warlords, pirates, and renegades, much to their horror. Corruption and criminality was rampant, often encouraged to line up the pocket of those in power, an unthinkable crime in the old world. Furthermore, the colorful if not coarse personality of the new guard disgusted the old guard, as these rulers of the new world acted on personal influences rather than the rule of law, acting without decorum or respect for the rights of others. "Tyrants! All of them!" declared one Agurkrral duke, "looters, rapers, and degenerates! They are nothing but that!" The old world had seen enough. It was time for integration and civilization.

Agurkrral aristocrats of the old guard ordered sweeping reforms to integrate the new world into the old while looking to choose the elector-princes among themselves that would have ultimate authority in the area. Unsurprisingly, the new guard interpreted the reforms as blatant power grabs. Who could blame them for thinking that? They were the ones that had conquered the flames of the new world, having fought off the ravenous aliens such as the Voxes and having tamed the frontiers. Millions had perished, yet these boring, rigid men of the old world, who knew nothing of the frontiers, were now here to take the achievement of others for themselves. The old guard was corrupt, and it was up to the new guards to protect the interests of their people. Upon finding out, the new guards announced that they themselves were the legitimate source of authority of the new world, thus they would openly name themselves the prince-elector, a privilege only the king himself can grant. To them, the charter had granted them the right. They were the elector-prince, earned through sweat and blood. Revolt may have seemed as if it was on the horizon, yet it appeared as if the new guard still maintained a fervid loyalty to the Agurkrral kings of current and old standing. Thus, no such large revolt materialized. However, it was clear they had their own interpretation of royal decrees and the royalty that issued them.

This line of illegal assertions of power merely confirmed the beliefs of the old guard. These men were "Luikos" in the making, a traitorous general that attempted to seize the throne illegally many centuries ago. They called the new guard "border princes", mocking them heavily. The rivalry would only intensify, as the cultural shock between the new and old world could not be reconciliated.

Many of them were viewed with distaste by the established order, earning the derisive moniker of "border princes" or "pretenders". The unruly nature of the frontiers allegedly disgusted those on the "Old Principalities", as they claimed they saw the wanton criminality, corruption, and the constant in-fighting as a stain on Akulan honor, especially as these so-called "border princes" waged war among each other like warlords or raided others like common pirates. They saw it as their duty to civilize the frontiers and so, they began a campaign of stabilizing and integrating planets from the frontiers into the "Old Principalities" in the name of the king.

However, to the Border Princes of the "New Principalities", this was nothing more than a blatant land and power grab. So, instead of waiting for new charters to be granted, they would expand outward in the name of the king, proclaiming their loyalty to him as they did so as they attempted to colonize new worlds in order to outpace the integration efforts of the Old Principalities. Over time, the culture between the two realms emerged with one side prizing honor, education, and integrity, while the other sought pragmatism, freedom, and opportunity. A "big rip" seemed inevitable, as one side sought to assimilate the other while the other sought to escape. Even the military became caught up in the political divide with the Royal Army aligning itself with the Old Principalities, while the Royal Navy and Auxiliary Forces began to see their future with the New Principalities due to their reliance on them for protection. A war of the generals and admirals was coming.

State Religion - Universal Holisticism

Universal Holisticism is based on the key tenet of philosophical materialism that matter is the fundamental building block of the universe and that consciousness is created by material interaction. Universal Holisticism takes it further by asserting that all things can be reduced down to its essential components which can be broken down further all the way down to matter itself. Based on this principle, Universal Holisticism holds that the reverse can happen where a collective of smaller, lesser components can band together to become something greater than the sum of its parts through synergistic interaction. Not only do they assert that nerve cells, pathways, and so forth lead to consciousness in an individual, but they also assert that a collection of individuals can lead to consciousness of a group. Consequently, a neighborhood in the block can have its own distinct consciousness, and the collective consciousness of various neighborhoods can coalesce to form the consciousness of a distraction and so forth, all the way until one gets to the consciousness of the nation-state. To those that practice Universal Holisticism, the highest form of consciousness is the nation-state, one that acts and moves on behalf of the collective where it is greater than the sum of its parts.

While followers of Universal Holisticism devote themselves to the nation-state, each level of collective consciousness has its own dedicated following whether they are devoted to the state or their respective neighborhood block. As a result, various cults are formed based on social and geographical borders, sometimes inflaming local rivalries. They preach that respect must be given to the greater consciousness as it represents each one of them yet in a greater way, emphasizing that honor and respect must be given to those that preceded them, those that are present with them, and most importantly those that will come after them. In some aspects, some human observers have attempted to understand this belief by making some conflicting parallels to Daoism and Confucianism along with other Terran religions in the sense that it is less a religion but a state of mind. However, such comparison fails to fully encapsulate the intrinsic beliefs many Akulans have.

For instance, some Terrans have compared the elected Agurkrral king as being like a pope, however, it would be more accurate to say that the elected king is more or less the personal manifestation of the nation-state. For instance, the aristocrat that is elected must undergo an extensive ceremony and ritual where they are transformed from their past selves to achieve this ideal state. Their personal memories are wiped, and they undergo intensive isolation and meditation where they are expected to stay put until their perceived "individual ego" is washed away. From there, the king must undergo a pilgrimage observed by his entourage throughout various chosen locations within Agurkrral. Once this is completed, the coronation ceremony can begin. This process can take up to a decade, leaving possible power gaps in between successors. After a term of approximately forty years, the king steps down for a new successor, his memory wiped once more and his mind put into a new cloned body.

Language

By SoftServeDeath, with Suggestions by WehWeh.

Translating to 'The Song of The King,' this language was single handedly invented and promulgated by the third King of Agurkrral, Akko the Uniter. Records show that the King had personally created it so that those with little education, including aliens, could integrate easier with Azulean society. To this end, the language is known for its rapid pace of learning, the written portion being readily mastered within two weeks, a tongue characterized by hard consonants followed by soft vowel strings. An underwater component exists, fleshed out and codified by deepwater reformists in the later portions of Akko the Uniter's life, featuring great emphasis on close physical proximity, variations of pitch, high-frequency sounds, and clicking. Alien tourists frequently either seek temporary genemods, or specialized organisms that dwell in the throat to be able to speak this portion.

Differences exist in dialect between the Old Principalities and New Principalities; the Old sounding much slower and smoother, words flowing into each other in a very melodic way; befitting of the name. The New is much faster, more harsh, and more aggressive in an attempt to be more efficient; however, rapidly adopting new loanwords from alien tongues. A common greeting no matter where one is in Agurkrral is to essentially bump noses, allowing the other Azulean to feel the speaker's bioelectric field.

Naming Structure

By SoftServeDeath, with Suggestions by WehWeh.

On the topic of Azulean or "Akulan" names, a traditional scheme can be found in most corners of the Kingdom of Agurkrral, tracing back centuries; though, becoming slowly changed and evolved day-by-day as more citizens and nobles come in contact with outsiders and aliens.

The traditional scheme is a trifold one, changing in format from King, to Noble, to Citizen and Denizen. The name of the King is an inherited mantle, a title rather than the identity of one specific regent. The first segment of the King's name is 'Akko,' a ceremonious title that's been passed down through the millennia. Every successor past the First King has their own unique appellation, normally applied during the height of their reign or posthumously to define their 'era.' The very first was known as Akko the Redborn, a title rising out of the war with the Zortzi that kickstarted the foundations of their Empire. Another was known as Akko the Bound, remembered for having never left their homeworld, and ruling over a short-lived era of stagnation.

The previous King was known as Akko the Unyielding, defined by his staunch anti-Tajaran policies to maintain Agurkrral sovereignty, and doing little to stem the advancement of the New Principalities as a result. The current, Akko the Tempered, was named for making efforts to slow down that advancement, seeing it as threatening to the stability of the realm, and damaging relations. He is affectionately known as Akko the Tempura by human citizenry of Agurkrral, a joke often made in hushed breaths.

The names of the King's subjects have a common structure; an Azulean's middle name is a particle, representing one end of a power dynamic or another. Their last names, or sometimes first, are 'bond' titles representing something that Azulean feels, or is, tied to.

For example, a Citizen from the Old Principalities may be known as Veihere kan Haukea. The first is a personal name chosen by the Azulean in question once they reach maturity. Her middle name is a particle commonly rendered as 'kan,' signifying devotion or a bond to the continent she works on, Haukea. However, a Noble may be known as Nuihau kanu Akko, a unique particle signifying his respect and admiration for the current reigning monarch. He may also be known as Nuihau tel Haukea, to signify his stewardship of the continent; a particle showing a higher place on the power dynamic. Variations in these particles exist, and localizing them to Solarian tends to result in them simply being rendered as 'von/van/zu/etc.'

In the New Principalities, it is common to see Citizens and Denizens with their land's Border Prince's personal name as a bond name, often vivid and elaborate festivals being thrown to commemorate the occasion of a new name being seared into the populace whenever a new noble is given stewardship of the land. Border Princes themselves commonly either choose their bond names arbitrarily, or have them be the name of whatever province or even planet they rule over; using the particle 'tel' far more than in the Old Principalities. Some are far more lax, allowing their populace to pick and choose bond names in whatever fashion they like.

In recent times, it has become all the more common for Azuleans to adopt 'Solicized', i.e. made Sol in form, names. Veihere kan Haukea might be known as Vencent Hansa, owing to its simplicity when dealing with aliens often carrying much less meaningful titles; or wishing to not be associated with any of the nobility. Nobles typically keep their particle and bond title intact, feeling a sense of pride in being 'known for something.' Conversely, Azulean expats or early-generation emigrants are known to apply particles and bond titles to other races as well, humans typically finding themselves being called something along the lines of Mallory Smith kan Terra.

Agurkrral Cheat Sheet for Roleplayers

Agurkrral Class Advancement: Legal Resident -> Denizen [All Akulas and Akula Look-Alikes are Denizens] -> Citizen -> Aristocrat [This has its own subclasses]

Agurkrral is still affected by its legacy as a formerly patriarchal state. Even to this day, it has some laws that favor men over women. This is due to the fact that Agurkrral has attempted to maintain its ancient culture, all the while trying to progress as a nation to meet the challenges of the future.

Despite its legacy as a formerly patriarchal state, Agurkrral has many patchworks of unique cultures on the frontiers that have placed strong and powerful women at the forefront due to varying local factors. While not a common sight, these women had a notable impact in the defense against the Taj Empire. Due to their actions, women in the Agurkrral Armed Forces have gradually become more acceptable, but it has been fraught with abuse, controversies, and scandals.

The Kingdom of Agurkrral only permits the transfer of citizenship to an offspring through the father if they have earned citizenship through service. Anyone else born in Agurkrral is offered residency instead. Citizenship gained through birth does not pass down to the next generation.

Agurkrral considers all shark-like individuals as 'Azulean' or Akula and are therefore subject to Akula standards and laws, no matter their origin. Even gene-modded shark-like individuals that are solely Sol Federation citizens may find themselves subject to this treatment. During the ongoing border war, the Agurkrral Royal Navy has been known to press-gang Sol Federation citizens.

Agurkrral has a strong, competing presence in Moghes, the homeworld of the Unathi, to counter the presence of the Sol Federation there. Just like the Sol Federation, entire communities have grown up entirely on Moghes and have developed their own culture.

Agurkrral Internal Factions - TBD

The Hundred Fleet Confederation - TBD

State Religion: Panthetistic Religion - Unitarian Holisticism

Tajaran Lore

The Taj Empire - Mostly Incomplete

Faction Type: Apathetic Traditionalist Imperial Empire

State Religion: N/A

Faction Summary

The Taj Empire is an immeasurably large and powerful nation in the literal sense, as it spans over such a space that even the Tajaran Emperors do not know what they rule over. Several Tajarans of notable worth have said it has taken them decades to travel across the nation, so there is no doubt they are exponentially larger than the Sol Federation, Agurkrral, and other nations near Sector 13 combined. It is said that they rule over tens of thousands of different alien species, despite only being ruled by one: the Tajarans.

For all the evil that is proclaimed about the Taj Empire, life within the empire is said to be excellent and peaceful, if not almost idyllic. Many do not even have to pay taxes and enjoy all the benefits that come with being a serf of the empire. Unless the individual is one of the unlucky few that have gained the interest or the ire of the local Tajaran nobility, which they most likely deserved anyways, there is very little to worry about within the Taj Empire. The sprawling urban life in the Taj is unlike any other. Vibrant alien cultures and cuisines remain distinct from one another, while others seek to combine them for their own flair. Parades and festivals are common, and there is little work to be done within the Taj Empire. As long as you are not delicious, infuriating, or tantalizing, one can enjoy being a subject of the Taj Empire. The use of sophisticated artificial intelligence, unlike the knock-offs that are used in the Sol Federation, keep life simple and free of worry for most, not just with the Taj nobility but for all.

No one will try to deny that the vast majority of the Tajaran nobility is devoid of all sense of duty, morality, or principle. However, the Taj Empire spans such a space and population that practically nobody suffers. Furthermore, the Tajaran nobility were not always this insensible, as the Taj Emperors had kept them in line except in the past few centuries where they too grew indolent. Their system of checks and balances had died out. Over time, boredom had consumed the Tajaran nobility and emperors, and they soon sought out other ways to fight them off. Being natural hunters, they either slept all day or began to seek out ways to excite their now dull lives. This boredom was so great that scheming began to root out the Tajarans that sought to reel in their natural instincts, and they were either brought in line or chased out. Those that remain still do good works, yet they do so behind the scenes, looking to bring in reforms such as keeping the Tajaran nobility from eating Tesharis for the excitement or to keep them from enslaving random people for absolutely no reason.

The Taj Emperors, too, had gradually regressed in good morals and standing. Excellent emperors were common, ruling the nation benevolently, as it grew larger over time. Yet, boredom settled in, just like it had for the Tajaran nobility. They too became complacent, however, it seemed like it would change with the late Taj Emperor Mewius XXI who sought to reel in the excesses of the Tajarans, yet this caused him to be viewed as a tyrant and led him to fall from a very great height. While assassinations have happened in the past, there was always a clear line of succession, yet that changed when the former emperor's son and heir died. As the urban legend says, he, indeed, did die after eating a freshly steamed Teshari. Indeed, it was a habit which he had only picked up to protest his father's tyranny. However, it did not cause his death, rather a most harsh illness did.

Teshari Lore

[Putting down some basic ideas for Teshari summary as a species]

For all their charming disposition and appearance, the Teshari had always been known first for their ability to organize themselves along with their intellect and dexterity with their craftsmanship and attention to detail second to none. This along with their general cleanliness, a habit formed from living in close proximity to one another, has made them a welcome addition to the nomadic ship fleets run and operated by the Moffic people, at least for those that had an opportunity to escape from the tyranny of the Taj.

In fact, a common belief held among many Tesharis is the animistic belief that all things are alive and conscious. Each ship to them is a being to be taken care of and loved, so that it too can love them back. Diligent maintenance and ability to clean has allowed the exiled Tesharis to thrive despite never having a permanent home.

Their pack mentality remains strong even to this day, allowing even the smallest Teshari to be a threat given enough of them are together.

Despite their diminutive size and subjugation by the Taj, the Tesharis are a cultural and diplomatic powerhouse.

The Teshari League for Self-Determination - Partial Completion

Faction Type: Nomadic Teshari Resistance Movement

State Religion: TBA

Faction Summary

The Free Teshari League was formed in the advent of their breakaway from the Taj Empire, however, they have their roots in the Teshari Resistance movement. Their predecessor, the Republic of the Golden Feather, had done modestly, having colonized a small number of systems to themselves, however, they soon found themselves surrounded by Taj Empire colonies. Although they maintained a seemingly friendly relationship with the Taj, gradual pressure from the Taj Empire would result in their eventual subjugation, as the Teshari were not aware that it would take decades if not a century for the Taj to set a dedicated foreign policy in regards to newly found civilization. Over the period of many years, they were soon colonized and assimilated into the Taj Empire who saw the Teshari as nothing more than a food source.

After centuries of oppression, a small number of high-ranking Teshari officials began to see the cracks forming in the Taj Empire through the gossip of their Tajaran masters. They created a small delegation to approach anyone willing to listen and help, coming across the Kingdom of Agurkrral, the preeminent nation of the Akulans, as a willing suitor. Never one to miss an opportunity, a group of Akulan border princes from the New Principalities saw this as an opportunity to maintain their power and possibly expand it further to stabilize their rule from their encroaching rivals from the Old Principalities, although it is possible they felt sympathy for the Tesharis on an individual level. Furthermore, many of the border princes began to see the Taj Empire as a threat, unlike their rivals from the Old Principalities. They saw this as a chance to change the political stance held by Agurkrral towards the Taj Empire.

They approached the Novaya Rossiyskaya Imperiya and began to use their genetic facilities away from the prying eyes of their rivals in Agurkrral. The Akulans saw potential in the Teshari as useful material for propaganda, refusing to help the Tesharis unless they would undergo certain changes to make them look even more innocent and helpless, designed for complete emotional and social manipulation. Furthermore, the Akulans made the point that even the Tajarans would be much less likely to see them as a food source if they underwent the change. After much negotiation, they agreed in exchange for a guarantee of refuge, material assistance, and other concessions. Thus, the Tesharis became what they look like now, although it was a slow and arduous process that would take decades to accomplish. A number of Tesharis that were marked for eventual death would be snuck out into the Kingdom of Agurkrral with some help from sympathetic Tajaran nobles, while various equipment for genemodding were smuggled in. Operation Moult was underway.

Despite the considerable expense and the rather sloth-like pace of the operation, the change had a rather immense impact. Firstly, the Tajaran nobility soon began to see the change. However, they did not question it, as most were particularly a fan of their new appearance with some seeing them as pets, not food. Most notably, the then emperor himself banned the practice of eating Teshari, although this would continue on in secret, mostly notably by the emperor's own son and heir who started doing so to gain the support of his father's enemies. Despite opposition, a growing number of Tajaran nobilities encouraged the practice and helped expedite it further, particularly those that disapproved of the use of other sapient beings as food.

To help cement its success abroad, the Akulan border princes began to personally fund a massive and surprisingly effective propaganda campaign revolving around the plight of the Teshari that became a cause célèbre in the Kingdom of Agurkrral, Novaya Rossiyskaya Imperiya, the Sol Federation, and many other nations. The photos of Tesharis in plight were particularly effective, drawing comparisons to photographs of starving Biafrans that had become a prominent feature in commercials for charities on Earth in the 20th and 21st century. At the same time, such a campaign also drew backlash, most notoriously the most fanatic anti-war parties in Sol Federation. These anti-war Sol Federation political parties, most notably the White Dove Party, would openly mock the plight of the Tesharis by pushing out a series of counter-propaganda campaigns, mostly notoriously the highly derisive "Punt the Teshari", "Teshari are Indeed Cattle, not Friends", and "I Love the Tajarans and You Should Too!" campaigns which many critics claim to be highly speciest and insensitive. Their main criticism, not counting the outlandish ones, centers around the fact that a small number of Tesharis are actually used as food and that Tesharis are being used as propaganda to incite anti-Tajaran sentiments.

Author's Notes:

Unathi Lore

   "The situation in Moghes is not something that is easy for the average Sol Federation citizen to wrap their head around. Most of us tend to worry about what we will have for dinner tonight, but we never ask ourselves whether we will get to eat at all. That thought never crosses our mind, but it does for the Unathi every single night. Hunger, ignorance, and a desperation to survive is what makes Moghes a dangerous place.
   As you know, senator, I have spent decades on anti-piracy campaigns all across the frontiers of our country. I have personally met with survivors from raided settlements and outposts. While their bravery is to be commended, their extraordinary tales of their survival, while striking, would be considered quite ordinary for your average Unathi. We are talking about individuals who have grown accustomed to playing dead for several days yet are perfectly willing to fight to the death. They are more than willing to repeat Paradigm if they believe it will keep them alive and free for another day. Every Unathi will do whatever it takes to ensure the continuation of their clan's lineage and their own survival.
   Whenever the topic of Paradigm arises, it sickens me to my stomach, yet I cannot help but feel a mix of sympathy, disgust, and anger for the Unathis. Their value systems, which would be considered alien and barbaric by our standards, have no room for moral calculus when it comes to outsiders. What I am saying, senator, is that the concept of a civilian does not exist in Moghes. There is no such thing as an Unathi civilian. To them, every unarmed man or woman they kill is a warrior that has been caught unprepared. That is how we ended up with Paradigm. The Unathis near Paradigm believed the colony was there to take away their only source of freshwater as other rival tribes had for centuries. The thought of conducting dialogue or diplomacy never occurred to them, because such an act would get them killed. This is what we are dealing with, senator. This is the gap we must overcome."

- Lieutenant General Alexander Tuah, Sol Federation Expeditionary Force in Moghes

General Tuah's quote during a senate hearing on Agurkrral's role in the massacre of Paradigm captures an accurate snapshot of the Unathi as a people who are a victim of circumstance. No one can deny that the Unathi have embraced a distinct "warrior culture" that is utterly ruthless to its core, but to think of them as nothing more than warmongering, blood-thirsty brutes fail to adequately account for the dire situation the Unathi have faced for the large part of the millennium. Much like how General Tuah's quote has often been twisted by the White Dove Party to make the mal-aligned general look as if he is justifying Sol Federation war crimes on Moghes, the Unathi appear blood-thirsty by the virtue of utter desperation, and certain pro-labor movements have seized on it to push a racist anti-Unathi agenda to keep labor costs high. To focus solely on Unathi's brutality is to miss out on the larger context.

Contrary to popular belief, Moghes is not a desert planet, rather it is a temperate planet much like ours that has been turned into a nuclear wasteland and is practically a post-apocalyptic state. Nuclear armageddon has made ordinary resources like food and water rare luxuries, while beneficial geographic terrain such as freshwater rivers and the stilt around them as lands to be fought for in a perpetual battleground. At the end of the day, every Unathi fights to see which tribe eats or starves that day.

Despite living in a post-apocalyptic warrior state, the Unathi also possess several distinct and vibrant cultures all with their own unique ceremonies, rituals, mannerisms, religions, and so forth that are reminiscent of the stories shared by Greek philosophers and storytellers, one rich with history, allegories, and lessons. They trade freely with others, and they create generational wealth based on their family's specialization. When not at war, they appear to be simple, hardworking agrarian people that strive to make the next generation's life a little less miserable, making them suitable for integration into the Sol Federation.

While we know that some sort of nuclear catastrophe had taken place on Moghes, it is unknown how the Unathi are tied to the cataclysmic event despite what some may claim. We do not know whether they had initiated a nuclear war among themselves, whether they were mutants that arose out of the radioactive wastes, or if they were lab experiments that were the only sapient being to survive the apocalyptic war.. Whatever the case, when the radiation settled, a strong, resilient people arose to dominate the wasteland. We do not know if there were the only ones or if there were others that were gradually wiped out in the culling that began through the form of accelerated natural selection. However, we do know that the Unathi are considered by some to be one of the few people that have fully embraced a so-called "warrior culture". Due to the constant competition for limited resources, their planet is dominated by various tribes and warlords that engage in constant skirmishes and battles with each other. This has led to many Unathi being hardy in nature with an emphasis placed on strength and size. As a result, they are typically sought after by corporations for cheap labor, filling in a void that the Silicons had left behind. However, many Unathi that come to work for those in the Sol Federation tend to be those that were unfit for survival on Moghes, while others simply seek a better life that is not filled with constant turmoil and warfare. They do not have the same caliber of hardiness as their counterparts, however, they are hard workers that are quite keen to assimilate. For instance, due to exposure to radiation over many generations, a stunted variety of Unathi have arisen that have been warmly called "kobolds" by some. However, these individuals have proven to be some of the more industrious workers that have come from Moghes, despite their diminutive size. The author of this book will remind the reader that not every short lizard person is a stunted Unathi, and one must be careful not to offend.

Unfortunately, Unathi have earned the reputation of being lazy, however, it has been found that some of the more rich fruits cause Unathi to become very sleepy. Unathi are usually strict carnivores, unless they have undergone some form of gene therapy that helps them better assimilate to Sol Federation society. Furthermore, there seems to be a growing idea that the Unathi are outright dangerous and incapable of living within society. However, one must be understanding of their circumstances, and one should also understand for every bad Unathi that there are several more that conform to civilized law. At the end of the day, they are the ideal frontiersmen and are able to cope with the dangers of the frontier, something that newcomers to the outer worlds fail to understand. The morality of the core worlds do not belong here.

For all their strengths, many in the Sol Federation see them as a crude, backwards people, unable to match the ideals of the burgeoning interstellar nation. It is true that many Unathi are known to be extremely sexist, so much so that corporations ensure that any female employees on Moghes are accompanied by a male co-worker. Yet, despite this alleged incompatibility, many Unathi have learned to keep uncouth remarks and hands to themselves, and there are many more that never engaged in that sort of behavior to begin with. Lastly, one must never forget that the treacherous Agurkrral often encouraged the worst in the Unathi, especially as they sought to destabilize the Sol Federation's efforts to uplift the Unathi. They have actively armed warlords and have sent mercenaries including their own commandos to disrupt our efforts, all because they hate us and our way of life. Let us not forget they seek solely to obtain the mineral richness of Moghes for themselves.

In fact, Agurkrral would intensify their presence on Moghes after their illegal invasion and occupation of Sol Federation frontier space. Despite their defeat at the Battle of Sevastopol Station, which would prevent them further access into the Sol Federation, the territory they seized would allow them access into Moghes and the rest of Sector 13, allowing them to strategically position themselves as an alternative to the Sol Federation on the wasteland planet. In Moghes, they would execute deals to establish embassies, bases, facilities, and towns of their own all along the desolate planet to help the Unathis develop further, competing for control over the various republics that have formed originally due to Sol Federation assistance. It would not be rare to see an Agurkrral military base being formed in the same city that a Sol Federation military base was, often resulting in violent confrontations among off-duty personnel.

Author's Notes

The Republic of Northern Moghes - TBD

Faction Type: Nationalist Corporatist Authoritarian Presidential Republic

Unathis on Moghes typically tend to be collectivist, focusing on the good of the clan and the community. Those that do not fall under this purview eventually become outcasts which is a gradual process where those that refuse to conform become pushed out until it is impossible for them to stay there without violence. Those with more of an individualist bent often die under the blistering Moghes sun. Yet, with the arrival of the Sol Federation and the many corporate conglomerates that came with it, these aliens offered a chance for these Unathis to seek their own place among the stars. Yet, there are those that chose to remain, choosing to work for the Sol Federation or the many conglomerates on the planet. Over time, a new society of these outcasts would form over time, one aided by the Sol Federation who saw the potential to work with a more unified and centralized government of Moghes. Various city-states would be formed, particularly around company towns, and many would begin to form allegiances around the companies they would work for. However, some began to coalesce further into a single state called the Republic of Central Moghes under the leadership of a clique of influential Unathis known as the Sissak.

The Revolutionary State of Sissak - TBD

Faction Type: Traditionalist Syndicalist Authoritarian Presidential Republic [Not Related to the Syndicate]

Attempting to blend traditional Unathi communities with modern ideas. Welcomes any foreign assistance albeit cautiously.

The Kog Warlords - TBD

The Righteous Coalition - TBD

Ashwalker Lore

With Suggestions from MrSteak123 and Ray

   We, Ashwalkers, are a proud people that have long since developed a symbiotic relationship with the great entity known as the Necropolis, developing both a worldly and spiritual basis for living around the all-feeling. Our songs sing of how Tizira, our home, was once a lush planet rich and teeming with life, up until the Necropolis began to change the planet from the inside out. We do not know how the Necropolis was formed, yet many different tales are spun ranging from a sacrifice gone wrong to salvation delivered by Tizira itself. For us, it is known as the Great Salvation, but our ancestors saw it as the Great Cataclysm, one that would bring a lifetime of torment among our people. One could forgive them for this ignorance, as it brought forth tendrils that would shoot out from the earth, bringing forth a flood of burning blood that flowed viscously like honey from the cracks formed within the land. Those killed by the tendrils soon began to change into what we are now, Ashwalkers, though our ancestors foolishly believed us to have been twisted into demons with grotesque features.
   Those who failed to understand the Necropolis as a blessing by Tizira itself treated the Necropolis and its many gifts as corruption, filth that brought decay rather than life. For many years, our ancestors succeeded, yet staving off the Necropolis became increasingly more difficult as Tizira demanded they bend to the Necropolis. With each passing year, doom became evident for these non-believers, yet legends speak of large metal birds in the skies that arrived. These strange, squawking birds that rode them had come to take many of its people away to what they saw as safety. We think now they are the Vox, but we do not think of those who left, only those who stayed. Those that remained either succumbed or adapted. Even those that resist shall receive forgiveness and salvation. Everyone and anyone can be saved, even you.
   I, too, was a miner once, born and raised on Mars before moving to the frontiers to make it big. In the end, like every other heretic, I too was focused on exploiting Tizira, taking what rightfully belonged to her and her people, until I died. I don't know how it happened. One moment I was minding my own business, the next moment I ceased to exist. I cannot tell you how non-existence was, but I can tell you how it was like to speak with Tizira. No words were made, rather I had visions of my past life flash before me, teaching me the sins of my old ways. Then, I saw visions of a life among the people here, and that was enough for me to accept their teachings. Without hesitation, Tizira and the Necropolis saw the light in me and gave me new life, despite all the harm I had done. I was reborn as an Ashwalker, and I feel, for once in my life, like I belong.
   Yet, despite feeling like we belong, there are many things that we, as a people, cannot seem to agree on. Our beliefs differ from tribe to tribe or even Ashwalker to Ashwalker. Most problematically, we do not always agree on the best way to worship the Necropolis and the many tendrils. We cannot even agree on the role of a shaman in our society. They have the ability to see and interpret the visions and dreams of our people, allowing them to divine the will of the Necropolis and Tizira. Yet, does this mean that shamans should lead us, rather than guide us like a teacher would? Another point of contention is that we do not know how to treat outsiders at all. Tizira and the Necropolis accepts all, yet it seems divined to some that we should only accept those that become us. Others, such as myself, see the benefit of talking to the outsiders and convincing them that this is the way to live. We, too, can have a symbiotic relationship with the outsiders by trading with them and working with them, given they respect our ways and the Necropolis.

- Excerpt from the Diaries of an Employed Ashwalker

Skrell Lore

It is said that the Taj Empire borders nations just as powerful as itself, such as the Skrells, not much is known about them for the time being. However, with the collapse of the Taj Empire, new information is slowly coming through, just as new nations are being discovered in proximity to Sector 13, having either hidden their presence from the Taj or are simply being discovered.