[STGOD] Preliminary Force Declarations & Rules

[HemlockGrey]

What sort of ground defenses and personnel are reasonable for our territories?

[StarshipTitanic]

I'd like to be the evil CYLONS! I'll be an expeditionary force sent to search for the Thirteenth Colony and I set up a good-sized base of operations. More to be fleshed out later. And shouldn't we have some sort of map?

[Raxmei]

Ok, I'm throwing my hat in the ring:

The Holy Skaven Empire

Home system: Nagetier (exact location to be determined), settlements on all major bodies. Capital is on the home planet of Skavenblight.
Colonies: A recently-established outpost in the nearby Nachbar system.

The Empire does have magic, but most tech is conventionally based. FTL travel by WH40K warp has recently been discovered, leading to tentative exploration and expansion.

More details as they come.


About the Skaven:
Physically, Skaven resemble giant humanoid rats standing 1.5 meters (a bit over 4' 6") high. The exact nature of their origins is unknown even to them. Theorists believe that they were once normal rats, twisted by exposure to warpstone until they grew into horrific parodies of men. Others believe they were creations of men, products of forbidden sorceries in Chaos. In any case, the Skaven existence is tied in some way to Chaos. So great is the will of the Skaven race that they have a Chaos god of their own, the Horned Rat. Worship of the Rat Cult is universal among the Skaven, who refuse to recognize the other gods.

The empire is known as the Holy Skaven Empire, the Skaven Empire, or the Skaven Reich. The government of the empire is based on that of a human empire that the Skaven warred against in the past. The imperial diet, or Rattenrat, deals with the routine matters of governing. It is composed of the Electoral Council and the Council of Princes. The Emperor is chief executive, chief legislator, supreme judge, head of state, and highest rank of the feudal structure. The Empire has a feudal organization; clans of varying power comprise the empire. All have varying laws, but all are also subordinate to Imperial rule.

As you may have guessed, religion is of some importance to the Holy Skaven Empire. The Cult is involved in many parts of the government, including seats in the Rattenrat. There is also a Cult organization subordinate to but not a part of the Empire. it is run by the Council of Seers, held on Morrslieb.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

The Taloran Star Empire:


Introduction:

The Taloran Star Empire is a nation in a boom age, expanding as fast as it can, and with its heart on Empire, in every sense of the word. They have proven themselves in war, and they rush to expand in the shortest time possible, driven by the pressure of their society and the nature of their religion. To exploit, to cultivate, to civilize, and to convert. Their society promises equality, but is matrilineal - And in that, perhaps, is a reverse of human civilization of today, though there is simply a rough edge that has never been wiped away to the Taloran people.

They are proud and arrogant, yes, but in outlook the Talorans can be highly respectful of other "civilized" species and persons. They desire to teach their religion to all; Perhaps their arrogance stems from their special place in it, but they still welcome others to it. They do not fear other races, but rather see them as other, likewise unique creations of the Lord Justice, with their own place in the Cosmic Battle between Good and Evil, and each individual of every sentient race with her or his own choice between those two paths.

They are a species that sees a great deal as a matter of Black and White, really - Their religion, Monotheistic Philosophical Dualism (Though the reverence for Valera tends to veer a bit from that; But one might argue the same for the trinity of Christianity, or the respect for Mary in Catholicism further!) demands such, with a cosmic struggle between good and evil until the end of time, and the victory, the inevitable victory, of Light and Good.

Such is the Taloran species - Such is their way. They have a particular determination, and their history has allowed them to fully develop the system which human historians called The Western Way of War. Their society seems almost primitive to those who encounter it, and yet it functions with the determined vitality of a booming capitalist economy, racing headlong into the dangers and the rewards of space and gobbling up everything it can to feed the engines of commerce.

This species, with both the warrior and commercial traditions, which when combined are the elements of vitality and advancement beyond those that the pastoral offer, and which alone cannot promise success, now stands poised with the dreams of great power in the blood of their nobles, and many social problems yet unresolved, but a system that functions. - And so as the crowds of the capitol sing "The Five Thousand Suns" and parades march their way past in martial function, the future awaits.

Taloran Species (Overview):


The Ralsiian species its self is a matrilineal species with a strong centralized and state-supported religion focused around a philosophy of monotheistic, philosophical dualism. They are entirely monarchial and highly Imperialistic, though the lower classes include a following for a socialist/communist theory which has some leanings which, considering the religion, may lead some human scholars to draw parallels to the cult of Mazdak on Terra during the 7th century CE around the time of the fall of the Sassanid Persian Empire.

Though many think the Talorans to be a uniformly arrogant species, the simple fact is that most people outside the Empire see only the nobility; Different classes of Talorans exist in social terms, and attitudes opinions and beliefs can vary widely; The reason for such beliefs about the Talorans is that the most mobile of the Talorans in traveling are the wealthiest and usually nobility, giving people belief that all Talorans are like them.

The Nobility, a large class of persons with inheirited or granted titles, effectively rule over the rest of the species and indeed the Empire in a semi-democratic fashion, with a government that is rather similiar to that of the German Second Reich, though more power is placed in the hands of the Great Queen of Grenya Colenta, who serves doubly as the Empress of the Taloran Star Empire.

Land holdings still vie for respect with outright wealth, but the great mercantile houses and now the "New Wealth" Industrials, similiar to the "robber barons" of industry of the Victorian and Edwardian eras of Earth do command respect from the Nobility, and relationships between members of the two groups are commonplace and acceptable.

Likewise, military officers, no matter their starting class in society, are well respected, especially those in the Royal Grenyan Navy or the Taloran Naval Self-Defense Force, both of which were heavily involved in the defense of the Jikar.

Descendants and relatives of the Countess of Kriesdale and her family's bloodline (Not directly related to the Imperial Dynasty) often command as much respect as members of the Imperial bloodline because of Lady Admiral Jeryllyn Iethan Lictor, the Countess of Kriesdale, and her famous victory over the Jikar at Antir's Rock, followed by a series of campaigns during the First Interstellar War (Or "Sixty Years War" to human historians.) that she led, and that resulted in the final defeat of the Jikar.

Dueling is a historical practice among the Ralsiians, and is still in affect today. Dueling with both swords or pistols is allowed, depending on the nature of the challenge and the crime, and of course the agreement of the parties (Though depending on the circumstances both parties need not agree). The rules, likewise, vary depending on circumstance.

Assasination is also a common practice among the upper levels of society, though quite illegal, and bodyguards are a fact of life for anyone with wealth. It is considered very low taste and dispicable to hire an assasin, proving you are to cowardly to duel someone, but it is simply done anyway by a fair number of people.

The Talorans can be found with all the ranges of ideals and attitudes as humans and other humanoid species, but many can be found to be similiar to those of persons of comparable class and status to those of late Victorian/Edwardian era England, or perhaps the equivlant era for Germany, for this society is one in an aggressive phase of expansion, strongly capitalistic, and with strong upper nobility, in turn supported by the conservative landowning yeomanry, who principally reside these days in the colonies. They are perhaps hence closest to some form of "Neo-Victorianism" in comparison with human societies.

The differences, of course, are noticable and extreme. Valera defeated the Great King Moloyr by the Sword, and when she did, the Matrilineal inheiritance system of the Kingdoms and Principalities of the Intu'in Jungles came into practice throughout the world.. Not by her own will, but rather by that of her daughters' conquests.

Moloyr had conquered an area which humbled the conquests of Alexander; So Valera had humbled him, and by the alliances with which she had done it, might command the allegiance of an area larger than the conquests of Genghis Khan. Her daughters elevated that image further; And by the command to Die or Conquer at the behest of the victorious and wily younger daughter of Valera, the elders might find themselves, instead of merely ruling a portion, or all, of the conquests of Moloyr and the free association of Valera's allies, great and wealthy pirate kingdoms and huge Oriental Despotates on strange and foreign continents.

It was in this way that the religion of Farzianism was spread, and that the concept of matrilineal succession and heritage was promulgated throughout the world of Talora Prime, and furthermore, the philosophies of the Quesadi City-States; And it was this last gift, most of all, that would insure that a light would be spread throughout the world of Talora, one that would burn bright and drive the Taloran people forward into the industrial revolution and onwards to the stars, instead of endless stagnation.

In regards to moral issues, Farzianism can be a remarkably tolerant religion, declaring that is better to cultivate a field than sacrifice an animal, and furthermore dismissing the great hordes of the chaste devoted to the Lord Justice, and unnecessary abulations, as frivolities.

The books of the Prophet Eibermon proclaim it best and righteous to serve the Lord Justice by cleansing Evil from the universe; In the fighting of those who have chosen to follow The Deceiver, or the protection of the innocent from bandits and waylayers, and cultivating all things Good in all ways; By the construction an irrigation canal, or timely assistance to a pilgrim in need by offering her the shelter of your house and the food of your table.

(And the writings of Eibermon reflect greatly on the equality of the genders without touching on the matter of inheiritance, making the religion truly ideal for the Heirs of Valera. Though certainly the Talorans were never what a human would call patriarchal, their culture likewise, with the exception of the Intu'in Jungles and some smaller pockets, was not matrilineal either until the revolutions of and the massive social upheavals that saw the rise and the defeat of Moloyr, the economic, cultural, and philosophical dominance of the Quesadi City-States, and the triumph of Farzianism. - A massive revolution which, occuring over the period of several centuries, would not be remotely matched again until the Industrial revolution occured on Talora Prime.)

In regards to marriage, Farzianism has a tolerent outlook. Originally marriages were affairs that could last for life, or were a matter of a fixed length of time, as agreed upon between the man and the woman - Polygamy was possible with the permission of the man's current wife (or wives). With the influence of the Intu'in Jungle cultures and the Quesadi City-States on the harsh, desert culture of the rift valley which had borne Farzianism, and under the reign of the Heirs of Valera, this was changed.

Hence, in the current Taloran Star Empire, such marriages are expanded to polyandry as well as polygamy, and to include homosexual pairings. Some might consider this exceptionally liberal, but one must remember that from the Taloran mindset, and to a matrilineal culture, all that matters is, of course, the mother, and obviously you know who your mother is -- Though the nobility do expect their members to bond with only those who are also of noble rank, or of the great mercantile houses...

Or, of late, at least have the wealth and style to make everyone forget they're not nobility. It is naturally much easier for someone borne of a noble mother but a non-noble father to get into noble society than the reverse; But it is possible for such persons with non-noble mothers and noble fathers to gain recognition of certain limited titles and dignities under certain circumstances.

Language: The Talorans have a tonal language, it should be noted, and that is generally quite complex and roughly as hard to learn as learning Cantonese, with the additional fact that it is an alien language -- Not fun at all. Actually, they have several such tonal languages, but there is a principle one called I'Era'Ninfa which is the official language of the Empire.

Their written language includes a flowing, Arabic-like script that is used in diplomacy and other general communications, and a riot of assorted (and unsurprisingly usually simpler) scripts appropriate to the particular regional language. One particular noticable difference between I'Era'Ninfa's written form and Arabic is that the official written language of the Taloran Star Empire is written from right to left, not left to right. There are other rather clear and extreme differences in style, of course, nevermind meaning, but this would be the first to stand out, as in such a flowing script it cants everything in a different direction.

Taloran Species (Biological Stuff):

Appearence/Racial Details:

Talorans appear to be roughly, well, elves. This is a bit of an exagerration, but not quite. They are generally taller than humans, in the average range of 5'10" - 6'8", but noticably thinner. Lean, lithe creatures, and in some cases they look downright anorexic from the standpoint of a human, albeit in proportion to their greater size. Taloran females are in fact on average two inches taller than Taloran males, though Taloran males are generally more solidly built -- In a fight between the two, the average female would have a height/reach advantage, the male a slight strength advantage... Not as much as a human male would over an average human female.

Talorans generally have superiour eyesight and hearing to humans, though not to extreme lengths, but otherwise are broadly within the range of human performance in most areas. They do, however, have effectively two hearts and can marginally survive when one is not functioning. Finally, and perhaps not more than simply an unusual feature, Talorans have six digits on each hand and foot instead of the five that humans have. This generally leads to somewhat wider feet and hands, but not by much; They tend to have rather long and slender appearing fingers and such.

(Naturally, as an "elf-like" species their ears are elongated and pointed.. Though not quite as extreme as many may envision elven ears; Theirs are like the ideal form shown in LOTR, truly.)

In regards to hair and eye colour, the Talorans have an extreme riot of hair colours, which include green, blue, lavender/purple, violet and a pinkish colour, red, and a more staid blonde. In their old age these gradually turn to a rather brilliant silver. Indeed, the three daughters of Valera respectively had Green, Blue, and Lavender hair, and so the rulers of Grenya Colenta, Lelola Colenta, and Midela Colenta are distinguished by Green, Blue, and Lavender flags and banners to this day.

Their eye colours are simpler, though still exotic, ranging the spectrum of green and blue, to a fierce orange or red, and also purple or violet, or even gold. All of these brilliant variations make them a colourful race, and they are not above being more colourful still; They dress themselves about and adorn themselves gaudily, at times, and the current style in the Empire favours females wearing their hair long.

Lifespan: Talorans used to life around 675 Terran-years on average; However, this lifespan has been increased to around an average of 850 Terran-years by their current medical technology, and that is just an average -- People with money typically live rather longer than that, and in good health.

Talorans develop rapidly, considering the length of their year. In around less than six Taloran years they are considered fully grown, though of course to reach true mental competency it probably takes a bit longer than this, most likely the full span of six Taloran years! -- The length is of course dictated by the need to get a member of the species ready for surviving, and not by the rotations of the globe. Evolutionarily, the Talorans are no older than humanity.

Reproduction: Functionally similiar to that of humans in many ways; However, the length of a pregnancy for Taloran females is 5 Taloran months, or roughly the equivlant of one Terran year. This means that their children are born more fully developed than human children are. Also, in general, Talorans are less fertile than humans.

This is subjective.. They live much longer, and human women can have a great number of children within a very short period of fertility. However, the largest difference is that the reproductive cycles of Taloran females are yearly (The Taloran year, of course), and not roughly monthly. These factors in many cases perhaps contributed to making pre-industrial society more conductive to female power for the Taloran species, in addition to the size of the Taloran female and hence the ability of the Taloran female to physically compete at more demanding tasks with the Taloran male.

Special notes: The Talorans have one unique feature.. Their brains are tri-lobed, or have three hemispheres in addition to the brain stem. Instead of "right-brain, left-brain," they have "Right Brain, Left Brain, Middle Brain".

This kind of different makeup causes them to be.. Unusual, to put it mildly. It has been described by some human diplomats that the entire Taloran species is neurotic. If they are, they do manage to function, though, and it has been their normal condition throughout history.

The main results of this is that the Talorans are very good at theoretical physics, and tend to approach such matters in ways that make no sense to people who think "normally" and get results. They are also mildly psychic in some cases, though these powers are generally minor and limited to a small percentage of the population at most. Another, more interesting result is that they do all of their computer work in trinary code.

Taloran computers suck. Their automation is effectively horrific, and they know it. However, trinary code is impossible for other computers to understand, and it drives enemy cryptographers insane (In some cases, literally) to look at, along with the messages encoded by it. Effectively, it is 100% impossible to break Taloran electronic communications unless you physically have control of intact Taloran computer operating on trinary code.

Finally, though they have a history which doesn't seem impossible of humans to replicate had you put them on Talora Prime, or for them to replicate human history had you put them on Terra, the simple fact is that sometimes Talorans simply make totally, apparently 'irrational' decisions for reasons that no individual with a two-lobed brain could possibly comprehend.

This leads to a serious lack of predictability in Taloran politics, in Taloran strategy, and in Taloran military tactics... Well, in pretty much everything they do, and hence furthers the reputation that they are every bit as crazy as the leaders of the German Second Reich that they in some ways imitate in system of government.

Maybe they really all are neurotic.

Background:

The Taloran Star Empire was formed as a political entity in the year 13,928 VR. (Valera Regina - Or more properly, the reign of the heirs of the Daughters of Valera.) This in turn was roughly 15,706 AE, or After Eibermon: The date of death of the prophet who founded the religion of Farzianism, or the worship of Farzbardor, the Lord Justice. It should be noted that these dates are converted into Terran years.

Dates from before his birth are dated BE, and ascend further back in time; During his life, DE, and then during the existence of his religion but before Valera's daughters popularized it and made it the state religion of their nations, AE. When Valera's three daughters have all conquered their respective empires and roughly normalized the functioning of those nations, and the system of governance their for their heirs in turn to rule is in place, it is called the Reign of the Heirs, and the dating system of VR takes over and runs until the founding of the TSE. - Taloran dating is complex. The current date is hence the Imperial Age, and therefore is IY, or Imperial Year - 74. It should be noted that these dates are converted into Terran years.

Much of the history of the actual Taloran Star Empire is limited to the Talora System, as the Talorans were limited to their own system for well over a millenia before discovering the hyperspace and expanding to the first of their colonies.

The Talora system is an odd one, with two G spectrum stars orbiting each other, and in turn, at a very great distance, orbiting a Green Star of the type and spectrum settled between yellow and blue stars, and hence sufficiently large to tug the binaries into it's orbit. Likewise orbiting it, though much closer, is a brown dwarf.

Talora Prime, the homeworld of the Taloran species, orbits the null-gravity lagrange point halfway between the two yellow stars, at a distance far enough out that the world is actually rather cold. Every ninety TP-years, the Green star and it's host of planets, so far off (The twin stars being the most distant of it's orbital bodies), aligns with Talora Prime at such an angle and distance that, for eleven such years, the nights are bathed in an odd sort of very dim green glow from the distant third "true star" of the system.

The length of a year on Talora Prime is hence about the length of 3.2 Terran Years. The fact that one habitable planet has actually managed to exist in this chaotic and carefully balanced system is a testament to the infinite variety of the universe.

After discovering hyperspace as a transport conduit, the Talorans quickly began to explore through it, and colonize systems with habitable planets as quickly as possible. Their system was badly overpopulated, filled with orbital habitats and assorted colonies on uninhabitable worlds, all in effort to keep Talora Prime from being overpopulated. The galaxy at large beckoned and it was not to be denied.

The Jikar, a race of hexapedal sentients that humans would find similiar to appearance in some ways to wolves, nearly stopped them in their tracks. Simply "The Long War" or "The First Instellar War" with the Jikar, as the Talorans call it, is often called The Sixty Years War by human historians because of the unusual length of time an instellar conflict was propagated. It was not indicative of instellar combat, however; Both species were quite primitive at the time in their warfare skills and general technological advancement -- The Talorans were ahead in general from their time as a sublight spacefairing race, but well behind in their knowledge of the utilization of hyperspace to the Jikar.

(The war will henceforth be referred to as the Sixty Years War for ease of reference.)

It was a serious affair for both species, though, and when it was done, the Talorans had not conquered, but they had defeated. Eventually the Concordiat was signed between the two species as a result of the Taloran victory, the Jikar's colonies opened for mutual settlement, and the Jikar incorporated into the Empire.

Now the Talorans could expand again, and they did, with the aggressiveness of their people in this pursuit, but they were stymied by the length of the war. Even the prosperity of peace and of victory, and the incorporation of the Jikar in their economy, did not change the wasted years, and so the Talorans attempted to colonize at an ever faster pace to compensate.

However, systems with inhabitable planets are rare, and so they had to be in many cases content with the resources of lifeless systems, and building colony-habitats there as well. The Talorans have, dealing with the devastation of the war and the delays it caused, managed an impressive Empire, but one on a tenuous foundation.

First Contact with humanity was a far more peaceful affair, and one mutually gratifying to both sides. Both Talorans and Humans have a tendency to explore recklessly, and the meeting was far from each other's borders. But as other powers were discovered they quickly realized the press of nations, and the game of Galactic Politics was entered with all the headlong fury and excitement that is shewn to their own internicine feuds and squabbles and the byzantine dealing of their capital.

At the same time, of course, ever cautious of defence, and yet eager for the chance to expand by main force, should casus belli be someday provided, and hence worlds shaved off an enemy that commits offensive upon them, a great time of fleet expansion began, and continues.

Thus stands the Taloran Star Empire.


Government:

The central government is a three-stage system similiar to that of Imperial Germany during the 'Second Reich' on Pre-WWI Terra in many ways. The Great Queen of Grenya Colenta (The Continent of Grenya) is also the Empress of Talora Prime.

She is the absolute ruler of Talora Prime and the two major colony worlds as far as the entire Taloran Star Empire is concerned, answering in theory only to the Concovate of Nobles. The Concovate of Nobles consists of all the upper nobility of the realm, and the mercantile nobility of the great merchant houses, with the number of votes that each member receives being based on their station.

It votes upon all legislation, and oversees the laws of the Empire, functioning as a Supreme Court as well as an Upper House, but it does not create legislation; that is for the Lower House. A simple majority is required to pass laws through the Concovate of Nobles; for decisions in matters of law, a 60% Supermajority is required.

The Great Queens of Lelola Colenta and Midela Colenta, and the Archduchesses of the five said major colony worlds, are hence by far the most powerful nobles in the realm with the exception of the Empress and the Imperial Family, as they control a large number of votes in the Concovate of Nobles; the number indicated by the number of rubies inset on their voting scepters.

However, the upper nobility of lesser rank than those royal titles are far from powerless; The Princesses and Duchesses of the lesser colonies, and the various island-continents of Talora Prime, and the great 'sides of orbital habitats of the Talora system all control great power; with them might be counted the Lords Temporal of the Great Temples of Farzbardor, the Lord Justice, Creator of the Universe, and the highest Doges, as humans might call them, of the mercantile houses.

In turn, there are the Marchionesses of the newer colonies, their numbers and stature growing as those colonies grow in number and power, and the Empire expands, the lesser members of the great mercantile houses, and members of the lesser mercantile houses, and the Countesses and the Viscountesses and the Baronesses of all the realms, though low in power on such a scale, great in number, and often their lands long in age, and their families with a great history of service in the military, and to the Great Feudal Ladies who rule over this land, despite all the changes wrought upon it.

This Upper House of the bicameral legislature of the Taloran Nation counts rightly of three houses effectively buried in it, and working as one, representing three of the pillars of the nation: The Nobility, the Merchants, and the Priesthood.

The Lower House of this bicameral legislature is called the House of Deputies. In the Taloran Star Empire it votes on all legistation and creates it. Here the Supreme Chancellor presides over the House of Deputies, as appointed by the Empress, and the functions of democracy appear within the Star Empire.

The House of Deputies is elected by a system of a gradated system of universal suffrage, with Deputies being elected to three-year terms. Everyone is enfranchised; However, there are limitations. All persons who own land, and those in their families, may vote from age 18, as may those with a certain amount of wealth, and those in their families. This fully enfranchises the Middle Class in the cities, the 'New Wealth', and the landed yeoman farmers, as well as most of the populations of the new colonies.

However, those without land and who make less than a certain amount each year are not enfranchised to vote until they are 60 years of age. This was done specifically to prevent the continuing rise of the Taloran equivlant of socialism.

Because most workers, by the age of sixty, have a stable job with decent benefits due to the experience and training they have received in the previous decades, and hence are more likely to support the current system, while younger workers have to deal with harder conditions and are more likely to vote socialist, the idea when the constitution was written was to prevent younger workers from voting at all until they had settled down and gotten a bit conservative. The official reason it is done, however, is to give time for those who cannot afford a higher education to gain the wisdom to make a good choice in voting through experience in life.

The Convocate of Nobles needs a 60% supermajority (of votes, not members) against a bill to actually veto said bill, which is sent to them from the House of Deputies. However, they only need a simple majority (again, of votes, not members) to pass it. If they get something in between the two, the bill is send back to the House of Deputies for further debate and modification to make it more appealing to the Convocate of Nobles.

The Empress of the Taloran Star Empire is the commander of all military forces, and makes all foreign policy decisions; including those of War and Peace, and all matters of diplomacy, though those are in practice handed over to the Supreme Chancellor and through her/him to the appropriate lesser ministers. The Empress also has the power of the Purse (That is, to levy new taxes, dismiss old taxes, and to raise and lower current taxes.) and of appointment/dismissal of all ministers of state.

It should be noted that the power of the Purse is limited; The Convocate of Nobles has Right of Appeal to taxes levied upon them and "all those who live in their lands," and may with a 70% supermajority of votes "refuse the Empress' taxes as unfair to those who have sworn her their sword and bow in time of war." - A clear reminder of the feudal ties which still bind the nobility of Talora Prime, and the fact that the feudal system is alive and well in the private armies that many of those nobles keep.

The Empress, of course, being the same position as the Great Queen of Grenya Colenta, is a matrilineal position inheirited from mother to firstborn daughter or the next closest female relative; In the case of all three Great Queens, considering the mythical direct descent of the position from Valera, unlike for other noble titles, when no direct female issue is available as heir, a son cannot become a Great King or Emperor; Instead, another close female relative will take the throne.

From the throne of Valera, situated as it is in the planned city of Talora Prime, named after the planet, the ministers are appointed, and the government is run: In particular, the Supreme Chancellor (Eragacatum) is most important, for she/he either signs into law or vetoes all bills passed by the House of Deputies and the Convocate of Nobles, in addition to presiding over the House of Deputies when it is in session. Also, in practice, the Supreme Chancellor handles all matters of diplomacy for the Taloran Star Empire.

The Empress can furthermore appoint personnel and confer titles and even invent titles of personnel to assist her in her duties and rights, such as the Secretary on Foreign Affairs, etc, though new titles require approval of 50% of the Convocate of Nobles (votes). The dismissal of ministers can be done at will, like the appointment. The creation of a title, however, is permanent and cannot be undone.

In addition to City and local courts, there are courts appointed by local nobility or by local vote, depending on the area. Above those courts, appeal can be made to planetary courts, which are the lesser Convocates of Nobles to that planet or government, or a court made up of members appointed by the Lord Lieutenant of the Colony (Generally the Marchioness of that planet). Beyond that, appeal could also be made to what functions as the highest court of the land, the Convocate of Nobles for the entire Taloran Star Empire.

In regards to the organization of local governments, in general local governments are simply councils elected by the citizens of each noble territory, in the places where those exist, and of course the town councils and mayors of the cities. In the cases of the free territories, where there is not a theoretical noble ruler (Direct noble control of their ancient fief is greatly eroded, and is now generally confined to the properties they actually own, though they of course have a role in local government), the governments are more substantial in nature, generally unicameral with an elected Chancellor (Catum).

The current reigning Empress is Her Serene Majesty Empress Saverana II, which a new class of Dreadnought has been named in honour of (It is customary to name the first ship of a new large-ship class after the reigning Empress). The Empress is comparatively young for her post, at only 45 standard years old (Talorans have an average lifespan of roughly 850 years, though they develop as quickly as Humans, and then age more slowly).

She is a very strong-willed leader, but one who has been tried by the recent revelations in these past years about the full scale of the intergalactic civilization that they have been thrust into. However, she leads her people from the front, so to speak, and is a popular, vocal figure. As a downside, she is also hot tempered and inclined to make off the cuff remarks that her Diplomats can end up spending months playing down. She is also, by Taloran standards, extremely short for a female, at only 5'11".

In regards to the Jikar, they are fully enfranchised from twenty-five Enitarian years, or eleven Taloran years, their own age of responsibility, across their entire population. That was the agreement of the Concordiat. Conversely, they have no representation in the Convocate of Nobles. They do, however, have a full self-government of their own over Enitar with a bicameral legislature and a Supreme Chancellor. However, overseeing this government and with broad discretionary, judicial and martial powers is a Lord Lieutenant serving at the whim of the Empress.

The Worlds of the Concordiat are governed at the local level with the style depending on what species lives in what area of that world.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

Ancient History:

The Ancient History of Talora Prime is a definite must of knowledge in understanding the modern Taloran people and how they believe they fit into the universe; Likewise, in understanding their religion and their society, and the drive behind their civilization. It is principally a story which is twisted by the veil of religion and myth, but one with a firm basis in easily discoverable facts, and those facts present a stunning picture.

The following dates are presented in Terran Years for the ease of the reader.

A style of fighting had developed in the Quesadi City-States, where blocks of men would fight with the Pike, the weapon being about twenty-two feet in length, with a leaf-shaped, pointed blade at the end, and several feet behind that on the pole, a rounded piece of metal would be supported out from the pole by bars, a distance of some inches, to deflect the probe of the enemy pike or other weapon. The men would be heavily armoured but without shield. -- And this style of fighting saved the Quesadi City-States from conquest by the northern tyrannies.

This style of fighting was copied by the Intu'in states, with the addition that instead of women fighting purely as archers, and skirmishers, or light cavalry, that in those states and in those times, they would also form in the Pike block, in further lines behind the men - And thus, that when the nations of Intu'in fought against the Kingdom of Dalamar to maintain their independence, they could field twice the number of heavy infantry, and though the men could better support the effort of the pike battle, the women would be fresh when the men were spent, and thus victory gained by the swift, decisive effort they would give against the wearied men of Dalamar.

And it was just before this change in fighting styles, and revolution in the way of war that slowly went with it, had taken place, that the Prophet Eibermon had begun speaking and writing in the valleys of the Rift, and according to the traditions of the Taloran people, faced many trials and tribulations there, enduring great hardship before finding refuge in the court of a mountain Queen, who guarded the passes of the Quesadis, down to the coastal plains and cities of the same name, who became his first Royal Proselyte. This happened in the year 498 DE, when Eibermon still had 204 years of life left by conversion of dates to the Terran year.

However, Eibermon and his royal proselyte still had the task of converting her people, and of surviving the avarice of other nations, and the greed and hate and fear of the pagan priests, so that they might spread the worship of Farzbardor, the Lord Justice; By missionary to the hopeless masses, and by sword to those who had embraced the path of Idenicamos, the Deceiver.

By these dextrous methods and by the determined resistance of the faithful, the religion of Eibermon, and the worship of Farzbardor, was maintained and spread. By the death of the Prophet Eibermon and the end of the years so dated as his life, and the beginning of those counted from his death until the reign of the Heirs of Valera, it might be said that all the nations and the nomadic tribes of the Rift Valleys had been converted to the faith of Farzianism, as had the Kingdoms and hill-people of the Quesadi Mountains.

And so it was in these times that great victories were won by the Pike, and the way of war of the Quesadi City-States spread, and in the great valley of the Two Inas the nation of Trilune, a great despotate, was overthrown by the arms of the strong and brave island nation of Rasilan, which by trade with the Quesadi City-States, had gained the use of the Pike and their method of war, and the employment of many brave freemen of the Quesadi lands as mercenaries.

It was in the land of Trilune, in the capitol of the Great Kings, that the son of King Vistar and as wife Inarai, of the line of the Kings of Rasilan, the conquers, was born: A strong and intelligent man, with the brilliance conquest that his line had shewn, but with a glint of cunning and evil that would lead him to deeds and ruthlessness that would put him down in history with the appelation of The Tyrant.

He was Moloyr, and he was born in the year 1361 AE by the reckoning of Terrans, or 426 AE by the reckoning of Talorans. It was here that in time he would come of age; And his parents dead by the plague, he would prepare his Kingdom for conquest, and forge a great nation on the bones of Principalities and Kingdoms, on skill in battle, and terror in the dark.

And so it was in the year 1398 AE by the Terran reckoning that someone else was born central to Talora and the history of the world. The daughter of a Count in an independent Principality at the mouth of the Ta'ert, her life was perhaps influenced by the nearness of the Intu'in states in her independence and strength, though by the time of the rise of Moloyr, she had been married to the Prince of her nation, and borne him three daughters, though not yet a son.

Her most unusual feature consisted of mismatched eyes; Her left was ice blue, and her right a brilliant orange. This sign, mismatched eyes, is a sign of special fortune and destiny among the Taloran people -- Never more has it come true than for Valera of the Ta'ert!

It was in these times when two centuries had past to both Moloyr and that whom was to be his great foe, Valera, daughter of Qua'rin and Yasmini, that Moloyr, in the height of his power in the land of his patrimony, set his sights upon conquest, and raised an army that he might complete the design.

His goal was not less than Grenya Colenta, and perhaps the world, and in this he equaled Alexander -- And his education, by the finest scholars of the Quesadi City-States, was no less thorough, so that he might call himself learned, despite the humble origins of the nobility of his family on the distant island of Rasilan, compared with the haughty democracy of the Quesadi City-States.

Moloyr assembled his armies, and with 60,000 and then 80,000 men affected the conquest Uruka, Ferashako, and Erasano, the three Despotates closest to the land of his patrimony, regularly defeating armies of 500,000 or more. The conquest of Uruka was begun in 1599 AE by Terran years. In fourteen years he had conquered all three states; Utterly defeating them, throwing them down, and annexing them into his nation.

His army was dextrously organized for the first attacks, along the lines of 36,000 Pike, 15,000 cavalry, and 9,000 light infantry skirmishers, those being javelineers, archers, and slingers. The cavalry of Talora is uniquely divided, between those who ride the Rostok, or great War Dogs, and can wear armour and charge with the lance, and those who ride the Effavsur, a large flightless bird, and which those acting in the role of horse archer, or light cavalry, like Hussars, may so be mounted. It is generally believed that the initial army of Moloyr had ten thousand of the former, and five thousand of the latter.

In later times, his army was further increased by the addition of 12,000 more Pike, 3,000 more skirmishers (including assorted auxilia from barbarian tribes), and 5,000 more cavalry. In those days before the stirrup, cavalry was not decisive, but it for the first time showed an truly import role as part of Moloyr's combined army.

And so it was this army that conquered; And dispersed the peasant levies of three great nations that often outnumbered it six to one at least, and sometimes more. For on Talora, also, the Yaltila is useful for transport, and the towing of huge wagons filled with supplies; A most dextrous beast which eases the burden of supply for massive armies of the ancient type, and may also be used in war like the elephant, and with a tower on its back.

After the conquest of the three closest Despotates, only the many Kingdoms and Principalities of the Ta'ert delta an the surrounding lands remained, before Moloyr's armies must march great distances across formidable terrain, or assault the jungles and hills of the Intu'in states. And so he resolved to conquer them, before his plan for the conquest of Grenya Colenta was to be continued by expeditions farther afield.

The lands of the Ta'ert were disunified, but they did possess the modern methods of war, and proper cavalry, and every one there was a soldier, both male and female, if it came to it -- Often might the women guard the keep unaided when the men were in battle or on raid, and the fiercest would accompany the men of those nations, though they did not have control of their lineage as they might in the Intu'in states.

It was to such a foe that Moloyr faced, and he decided first to weaken them, and so his dispatched assasins to kill the greatest leaders, and one who was struck down was the husband of Valera, a feared and rightly skilled warrior and noted administrator in his lands. Without his leadership, the nearest principalities and nations were scattered before the veteran army of Moloyr, and thought Valera fought at the command of her national contigent on that day, it was in a state of grief, and not remotely in a place of command over the forces by which she first faced the enemy of her life.

With the flying cavalry squadrons of Moloyr upon the heels of her forces, she might rally on those who had not fled in all directions, and retire back to the fortress city of her husband's patrimony, or to the keep of her own family. But thus was the counsel of despair and death, for the great armies of Moloyr pursued those who dared reform with skill earned by their victories, and well equipped with engines, none could stand against his might in those fortresses of lesser name and stature.

Forced to abandon her people to the vengeance and the avarice of the unsatiated conquerer, and the flattered tyrant, she recovered her daughters and retired with her army and only those of her people who might maintain the progress of her flight, towards the West, and the Rift Valleys, and hence the lands of the adherents of Farzianism.

Moloyr, conquerer of the Ta'ert, brought with him learning to the despotates he had conquered, but the Ta'ert he brought little.. And though a learned man of the style of the Quesadi city-states, he had avarice and he was by nature cruel, tempered only by the wisdom of the Quesadi, and that weakened by the flattery of those who deigned to call him not just Great King, and Conquerer, but Son of the Gods, and even Divine, and use their so-gained positions for their own wealth and prestige.

In the process, they gradually corrupted the mind of Moloyr until he believed that not even the laws of the Gods restrained his actions, and that the fate of mortals, even in his own realm, mattered nothing to him. Only his soldiers mattered, and even they gradually faded from his mind as images of Godhood instead of prevailed within him.

By 1617, the Ta'ert was subdued and Moloyr rested in his capitol of Brilar in Trilune, that he contemplated the invasion of the Kingdom of Dalamar, the most splendid of the Despotates of Grenya Colenta, and the most powerful. - Defended by the two rivers, a stout and powerful border of water, and massive hordes that were further in turn supported by unusually good cavalry for a Despotate, and the use of large numbers of Yaltila in battle.

However, Valera had been now over a Taloran year in the kingdoms and nations of the Rift, and her anger had not let her rest there, nor her grief. She had seen herself broken, truly, by that grief, but had been rebuilt, and finding her comfort and her succor in the religion of Eibermon and the promise of salvation for the Just, even if they fall without the knowledge nor the faith and worship of Farzbardor, and in that religion, the clarity of the cosmic struggle between the two halves, she remade an image of war, and began to speak it.

The people of the harsh Rift Valleys were neither fools nor lazy; And they were eager to spread the religion of Farzianism, and gain proselytes, by good deed and the sword alike - Especially they! And so it was here that Valera, in over a year, such a long year, of her people's time, traveled and spoke and exhorted the nations of Farzianism to the cause, expending what meager treasure she had saved to entertain as proper the Kings and Princes she might.

And so it finally might be said, that while Moloyr began to prepare an army for the invasion of Dalamar, Valera prepared one for the invasion of his own territories, and the stories of the brutality of the conquest, and then the corruption and uncaring and then the steadily growing brutality of Moloyr's regime, as the Tyrant fell into his delusions and abused his people, turned more to Valera's call.

Worse yet for Moloyr came as they heard of his proclamations for Godhood, for the people of Farzianism, indeed, could not tolerate the idea of a man as a Living God, and so to Valera's cause they flocked, and money she gained, as nobles and princes pledged their services, and Kings their alliance, and merchants their wealth, that mercenaries of the Quesadi city-states might be hired to augment their forces.

It was a small force, still, that those rulers proposed to send on Valera's expedition. They feared the repercussion, and hoarded many troops for a strong defensive if she should fail, or to reinforce also her success should it come to pass, and also to defend against each other in petty rivalries that still existed; And to perhaps deny that the thing had been more than a passing fad of the people, backed and stocked by the generosity of the Farzians to perform their religious duty and fight evil where they saw it. -- And that force, moreso, numbered around 38,000 -- A true army, however small!

Of that army, 24,000 Pikemen might be counted, including 6,000 Quesadi mercenaries. Also of the number, 8,000 cavalry, evenly divided between heavy and light, with the light being mostly of the much-famed Javelineers of the Rift Valleys, and the balance consisted of 6,000 skirmishers, a profession common to the Rift Valleys, and one such dwellers were well-skilled in. And in this force were a total of 8,000 troops once of the nations of the Ta'ert, now refugees, and desirous to return to their homes again in victory.

To complete the balance was an artillery train equal in quality, though not size, to Moloyr's, and an extensive force of 80 Yaltila trained for War and fitted with towers for archers and defensive pikes, not counting those untrained for war and used in the baggage train. This was the force that in 1623 invaded the Ta'ert, to restore it to the surviving rightful heir of those defeated nations, the one who had embraced the teachings of the prophet Eibermon, and monotheism, the dualistic philosophy of Farzianism: Valera.

Against this force, Moloyr had a relatively extensive guardian army in his conquests of Ta'ert, in addition to the garrisons, for on this land among all others, his fist lay the heaviest, where freedom was common and trade the paramount wealth, not agriculture. And so a force of 17,400 of Moloyr's troops might face the invasion with some chance of success, should their skill prove them superiour to numbers of the Farzian invaders.

The battle took place in terrain where the long pikes of the Quesadi style might be maneuvered by the incredibly experienced men of Moloyr's armies with decent success and effort. However, Valera positioned her well-trained but inexperienced pikemen in the center of her formation, where they might only have to stand firm, and allowed the Quesadi mercenaries the advantage of maneuver, and the flank, that they might oppose the attempts of Moloyr's pike, which, however skilled, was still ponderous, and force them to engage in the center where the press of numbers.

There, dextrously supported by the skirmishers, Valera's center held firm, and her cavalry proved their ability, defeating the cavalry of this army of Moloyr's, and the skirmishers alike, which were combined somewhat less than equal to the numbers of Valera's cavalry.

At press-of-pike, the weight of numbers of the center of Valera's formation, combined with the fact that they had not maneuvered, a weary task for a pikeman, proved decisive, along with the annoyance against their enemy of the endless hail of javelins and arrows and sling-stones sent against them, while they had no such support against their own enemy (Such can never be decisive against well-armoured pikemen, but can have an important effect in further increasing the magnitude of a victory).

The collapse of the pike led to general slaughter or capture the foot, and most of those who escaped were among the cavalry, if that. It may be rightly said that the only success Moloyr's men had on this day were preventing Valera's Yaltila from having any mentionable effect when their was an initial attempt to deploy them -- Tactics for such were still in an infancy among the Farzians, and they had not been properly supported.

After the defeat of Moloyr's army at the Battle of Ter'ure, the Ta'ert revolted, and the garrisons of Moloyr could not hold. He dispatched 50,000 men under the General Taliya, a woman who had risen high in his command by her skill and brilliance, and her bravery in combat, to deal with the invasion. His forces were now still sufficient that he could plot to invade Dalamar with 95,000 men, and still have garrisons and some small armies throughout his territories besides.

Taliya's forces easily overmatched Valera's, but the Intu'in states declared for Valera's cause, and the northenmost dispatched a force of 14,500 troops, the closet that they had to the scene, and in the Ta'ert the two armies met with numbers reckoned to be 52,500 for the forces of Valera, and 54,000 for the forces of Moloyr under Taliya's command, for they had been somewhat reinforced by the survivors of Ter'ure and the garrisons of the Ta'ert.

These forces were very nearly matched, for now all of Valera's troops had been bloodied in a proper battle, and Taliya's were dispirited by the defeat, and the reduction of the nation, and 4,000 of them were the survivors of those losses, and perhaps not fit to stand in the land, or battle at all. However, Valera's troops were reinforced by those of the Intu'in Kingdom of Ras'merin, and they could speak little of the same words, and though they both fought with Pike, and the Ras'merin knew well the Yaltila, their cavalry styles were foreign, and integration was complex.

The battle between the armies was fierce, and Valera, at the head of a contigent of heavy cavalry, saught out her opponent in single combat, that she might dispatch the General that Moloyr had sent against her, and send his head to the Tyrant, as was the style of the times, and also so that the enemy might be demoralised and rendered leaderless.

Surrounded by that troop of heavy cavalry, all from her own principality and her closest guard from her own county, her daughters as her closest guard, she led them to cut through the enemy lines and seek out the enemy commander; And Taliya met her with her bodyguard, and there was a fierce dispute at sword's point between the rival guardians, and then the two generals faced and their family blades clashed.

The contest, the writers say, appeared endless. Really it cannot have lasted long, considering the fate of the battle and the press of the still fighting bodyguards around them. It was at first a stalemate, and indeed may likely have remained one, had not they been fighting a-mount, for Valera was on a Rostok descended from some, it is said, bred by the Prophet Eibermon himself, and of superiour quality than even those of the stables of Brilar in Moloyr's time for fighting. -- That is the likliest explanation for what others may call a miracle.

A burst of speed here, or a nudge there, that encouraged the beast to a moment of sudden agility that her own mount, that no other mount in the world, could ever match with armoured rider and frontal armour of its own? - Who knows? But Taliya missed complete with a blow that should have instead deflected upon Valera's armour, and all agree it was due to the Rostok of the progeny bred by Eibermon.

And in that moment, her defenses open and thus surprised, it is also of no doubt that Valera brought down her sword in a strike that both wounded, and unhorsed, the General of Moloyr's army. But before a killing blow could thus be delivered, the bodyguards of Taliya were upon Valera; The spell of single combat had been broken, they rushed to defend their commander, and Valera fought for her life and her escape from a steadily untenable position, with her daughters, her bodyguard, and her troop of heavy cavalry.

The damage had been done, though, and without Taliya's guidance, the vicious stalemate of the two armies probing each other at press-of-pike and with lance and bow was done, and when Valera and her cavalry hacked their way to safety and the situation was regained, the advantage was pressed. None of Taliya's genius remained to command, but those of moral courage were found under her command, and a rear-guard of Pike was assembled under the order of her second, and by bravery as opposed to placement, held Valera's army with their lives, and allowed the retreat of the majority of Taliya's forces.

However, the pursuit of the retreating army was hard-pressed, and the raiding intense, and on one cavalry attack against the pressed forces of Moloyr, retiring towards the nearest ground where they might find defendable terrain in which to regroup, the baggage and the ambulances were raided, and despite the efforts of her bodyguard, the greatest prize of all was taken, the General Taliya, that she might be offered up to the vengeance, perhaps, of Valera.

Yet Valera did not live solely for vengeance; Her hate had been tempered by the wisdom of the learnings of Eibermon, and the morality of Farzianism, and such had already been practiced with the prisoners taken. Thus, in the case of Taliya, she met the woman and saw one who expected death, and Taliya asked her from her litter "Shall you now end me, Lady General?"

At this Valera replied, and with a smile: "I would not presume to end an equal in all realms except their taste in Rostok and friends. I would speak with you on many things, General, and perhaps the mistakes of your past can then be remedied."

Taliya's army was defiant, for those troops had long been under her command, and desired to rescue her if she still lived, or avenge her if she was dead. They halted their flight and reorganized at the first terrain that might afford protection and the emplacement of their mechanical artillery. But instead of pressing the attack, Valera preached to Taliya of Farzianism and of her own experiences at the hand of Moloyr, and those of the others of the Ta'ert, and perhaps many other things.

It is said, thus, that in the days that followed, much discussion and debate occured between them, and eventually, for this is confirmed, Taliya undertook to the conversion to Farzianism, and to join Valera in her cause; And so she approached the lines of her own troops, who had slowly become disaffected by the attitude, and proclaimed godhood of Moloyr, and exhorted them, and they listened, and joined under the leadership of Valera and Taliya, to confront Moloyr, and die or conquer.

On hearing this news, Moloyr realized his peril, and ignored the advice of the forked tongues who insinuated to him.. And at this moment, we indeed see his earliest glory return, when he conquered the Three Despotates, and none of the evil had been apparent. He made immediate peace with the King of Dalamar and abandoned the prepared crossing of the rivers, dismissing the flattery of his advisors that told him to do otherwise than make treaty, and marched north to meet his enemy.

He was outnumbered, but Moloyr had always been outnumbered. He faced treachery and generals that dare to call themselves his equals, and fighting styles that could match his own. That was all irrelevent. He was Moloyr the Conquerer, and he his army had Never Been Defeated when he personally commanded it in the field. The troops with him were the most experienced of all those he had ever raised, and his bodyguard had fought with him since boyhood. The greatest killing machine of its age, one when humanity still fought with flint stones, was marching to face down the army under Valera's command.

His troops might have been disaffected, but in those moments when he dismissed his advisors, and rode among them in his armour and on a trusted Rostok, they all cheered him like madmen again. In those moments, he was the Conquerer again, and he promised them victory over their enemies, who had not, this time, interfered with his path to godhood (though such was not spoken, all thus knew), but rather invaded the lands they had conquered by their sweat, and where many now possessed farms and estates.

They marched with an enthusiasm that had not been seen for the invasion of Dalamar, and they met an army which now had 115,000 troops, with further reinforcements from the Intu'in states and the Farzian nations, and counting the troops which had defected, and many embraced the religion, now of their general, and the leader of their cause. Their enemy, under the command of the man who was still the greatest general in the history of their planet, had yet 95,000 troops.

The battle that resulted was an incredible conflict - One of the greatest in the history of the world before gunpowder, certainly, and those after its invention do not have such names central to Taloran history in their rolls! It seemed as if Valera and Taliya must surely win; 20,000 more troops, most veterans themselves now, along with 130 War Yaltila, and they were properly utilized by the tactics of Ras'merin.

They did not. Moloyr had studied the use of the Yaltila as by Dalamar and readied his defense. He confounded the efforts of the two generals and, displaying his old glory, stood firm with Pike and attacked with heavy cavalry, trying to cut through to reach them; to end the rebel and to kill the treasonous general.

The charge of his bodyguard was fairly met when it had hacked through the lines of the Farzians, but in the close quarters of that day, neither Valera nor Taliya touched their blades to Moloyr's. However, the blade of Valera's youngest daughter, In'ghara, found Moloyr's armour, and gave him a light wound, when she clashed her blade to that of the enemy of mother and dared his most faithful companions and closest guards by presuming her life to charge the tyrant in that melee.

Such, also, to the Talorans, is taken as a sign that she was meant for future greatness as her mismatch-eyed mother was.. Though it is open to interpetation, and the timing of the claim of fate's (Or Farzbardor's) hand in the clash.

The Farzian Army was broken, though, and with it the Intu'in contigents, and only the brilliance of the two commanders allowed pieces to escape with some semblence of discipline into the Intu'in states, and the realm of Ras'merin. Moloyr, now so highly esteemed that his troops might very well agree to his aspirations of Godhood, declared that they should follow, and conquer those who had truly offended them. The troops agreed, and the army advanced.

Now all the Intu'in states feared the power of Moloyr, and so as Ras'merin rebuilt their army, and the shattered army of the Farzians regrouped with what troops remained, and filtered in, they sent contigents. And, furthermore, the Princes and Kings of the Farzian states sent more reinforcement by ship across the Gulf of Helidh, for now the stories of Valera, and her conversions of people to Farzianism, in addition to her victories, had spread, and in this time of trouble they drew closer to her instead of abandoning her.

However, these reinforcements would not arrive in time to avoid the press of Moloyr's advance, for he saught a decisive decision, and so Valera and Taliya took counsel in the walls of the great northern Ras'merin city of Filidmarn, of a population of perhaps some 375,000, for the rest of their army.

Valera commanded that Taliya might go forth and organize the forces arriving to their succor into a proper army to relieve them, and take also her daughters to safety, while she stayed to oversee the defense of the city, and with reluctance Taliya obeyed, for now the two were close friends indeed.

Moloyr's Army arrived and undertook the investiture of Filidmarn, and pressed the siege with diligence and determination, but the defense was an affair of skill, and it may rightly be said that Valera's presence heartened the defense, and encouraged the people of the city to join the effort:

The mechanical artillery was met by their opposite numbers upon the wall, the general assaults were oppressed by bowmen, slingers, and men hurling massy stones from the walls, assaults upon the gates were repressed by the application of heated oil, and when breaches were opened by the demolition of secret mines worked by Moloyr's engineers, or the work of the battering rams, they were defended by the Pike of Valera's surviving army, and immediately filled by the work of the citizens of Filidmarn.

On the press of the assault, when Moloyr's forces might roll forward siege towers to provide a dextrous platform for seizing sections of the wall, they were fired by voulunteers on the moment of contact, those brave souls armed only with a pot of bitumen, and a torch. As the siege continued, with Valera at every outpost, and traveling through the defenses and leading every repulse, Moloyr resolved to conquer, before the relieving army could arrive.

He began the construction of a great moveable siege engine, with a large turret atop, completely armoured in bronze, and capable of holding nine hundred men, so that he might gain the city by storm rather that wait for starvation to take its toll, and chance the arrival of Taliya's army before it did, and hence face two enemies against his army.

However, the adherents of Farzianism controlled the Gulf of Helidh that bordered Ras'merin, and all supported the cause of Valera. The land routes into the Intu'in lands were unpleasant for resupply, and the additional transport of bronze was impossible, leaving Moloyr to sheath the great engine only in what he had available from forage, which was enough merely to defend the front with bronze, and leave the wood of the sides and rear unprotected.

Moloyr chose daring and pressed the attack with the engine as it was; And Valera, the remnants of her army hoarded for this time, sallied to fire it. The Old Guard, the faithful Pike of the soldiers drawn from her Principality, who had held through the victories, and the defeat at the hands of Moloyr, carved the way, and the cavalry sallied behind them with Valera at their head, and the great engine of Moloyr was fired, with the loss of nine hundred of his finest troops, putting an end, after four Taloran months of siege, to his hopes of conquest, of the city of Filidmarn.

(There are sixteen Taloran months in a Taloran year, or four per season.)

Moloyr then had no choice; For the relieving army under Taliya approached, Filidmarn stood defiant, and the land around him was hostile, his supply routes tenuous. He retired back into the small portion of the Ta'ert he might claim re-subdued after his victory over Valera and Taliya and awaited their inevitable pursuit, where he might defend, and deliver a more decisive blow on the open field.

The pursuit was rapid, and on the plain of Gili'mar, the army that Valera commanded, mixed of the Intu'in states, and the Farzian nations, and voulunteer proselytes of Filidmarn to that faith, who knew the profession of arms, faced the army of Moloyr once again, in a second battle, and one indeed more decisive. Their numbers were reckoned at about 112,000 troops, with 70 War Yaltila.. But Moloyr might boast of reinforcements of his own, and now 117,000 troops in all, and also 60 Yaltila of his own, carefully trained for war, purchased from Dalamar, and added to his hosts.

They would do him little at this battle; For here had Valera and Taliya learned their lessons from that first defeat, and the master of the world this time they faced and overthrew. The casualties among their own troops were in the thousands -- But when Moloyr's collapsed, finally, and incredibly, they were in the tens of thousands of his host. The magic touch of the conquerer was finally lost.

He fled deeper into his nation with what he could rally, and he was pursued. On the bank of the Greater Ina he tried to stop them again, reinforced back to the strength of 83,000 men and 40 Yaltila, and again he failed, and with just fourty thousand troops and a few of the War Yatila could he flee on to his capitol, through the patrimony of his father.

However, the troops of Erasano and Trilune and Rasilan had not been called, the last garrisons, and Moloyr called them all for one last effort. He even called up the peasant levies that might be called; For his last stand would be on the plains around Brilar, and there he could deploy a fair number of men. He had studied his earlier enemies, and he knew just the number to deploy, and how, to get some use out of a few of the troops many though he had rendered useless.

And so it was that on the plain of Brilar the two armies met for the final time. The balance of the world had already been changed on the plain of Gili'mar. Here the fate of the world would be decided for all time. Moloyr had some 102,000 regular troops. The other 180,000 were peasant levies. He still had perhaps 35 War Yaltila available to him.

The strength of Valera and Taliya's army might be marked now at 120,000, with 80 War Yaltila, as more reinforcements had reached them on their campaign, the final ones they would receive on the march deep, deep through the despotates and to the capitol of Trilune. The objective had been reached, and Moloyr would not presume to think a siege might prolong him.. He did not think that way, anyway.

This was his last chance to turn the tide and win, and he would, of course, take it and do his best to come out on top. He deployed his troops, and the two armies met after years of conflict for their final engagement. It was 1640 AE by the reckoning of Terran years. The continent of Grenya Colenta is huge, and the campaign waged across the main length of it was stupendous, with long breaks for the long interruptions in the campaigning season caused by inclimant weather, and many minor skirmishes and battles, and many sieges other than that of Filidmarn not important enough to be recounted here.

So it was on an early summer's day in that year that the Battle of Brilar was fought. It was decided in one day, as most of the great Pike battles were, decisive affairs. Valera and Taliya pressed the attack immediately, and the armies of Moloyr met them for the contest on which the world turned.

The affair was bloody and indecisive, and in this Moloyr had succeeded in using his peasant levies properly. They were killed in great numbers by the Pike of Valera and Taliya, or scattered by their Yaltila, but they occupied the superiour numbers of the Farzian Pike, and Moloyr might hope for victory in the same way he had gained it against the Despots more than once: He charged with his Guard against Valera and Taliya, that he might kill them in battle, or drive them from the field (Though that was slight with true warriors and not some Oriental Despots), and thereby decide the contest on the edge of his sword, or the swords of his companions.

Moloyr and his bodyguard of cavalry broke through the lines of the Farzian army, and the bodyguard of Valera and Taliya awaited, and the dispute was fierce, but Moloyr himself lately cleaved his way to the two, covered by six of his most faithful companions, determined to kill his mortal enemies, or die in the process, while the backs of Valera and her trusted General and friend were again defended by the swords of the three daughters of Valera.

In that moment, in the private memoirs of the eldest daughter of Valera, the Great Queen Taradrua, of which only fragments remain, we have perhaps the best account of the pivotal, and fatal, event:

"To recall his eyes.. There was nothing of the Tyrant in those eyes, for that moment, again. He had done many great and cruel things in his life, Moloyr.. And how I dread to even write that name! But in that moment, those blue eyes were so clear, and he seemed to be only enjoying life! It made you nearly want to weep, to see him there with his closest friends, charging headlong into his only love, Conquest...

And to look into his eyes gave you a touch of something incredible, a thirst for power, a desire to match what you saw there, which you can never let go. There are many reasons why we conquered the unknown and tested our armies against every Kingdom on our globe -- The true one, I think, is that every one of my mother's daughters looked into the eyes of Moloyr when he was seeking only victory! The sight of that does not leave you unchanged, and if he cannot have been a God, he must have been a demon. But for my mother the sight brought only hate."

A great many pictures of been painted of that moment, with the two parties, one of six, and one of five, both on Rostok, one at a trot, the other a gallop, veering towards each other, the swords of Moloyr's party drawn and bloody, those of Valera's unleashed from their scabbards, as the daughters of Valera watched their enemy with shock or amazement, perhaps, and Valera hatred. The look of Taliya changes.. And every artist strives to capture the appearance of Moloyr's eyes.

The two parties met, and swords clashed in startling clarity, and Moloyr's friends saved his life, in that moment. One, Kalbarus, at the cost of his own. The onset of bloodshed was furious, and yet all claim some ethereal quality for it -- Except, of course, those in it.. And Taradrua does not speak directly of the actual fight. That memory is to painful for her, she simply says. We have no record, hence, a blow-by-blow, from an actual participant.

But it may be known that only a short time had past before the fight reached a crescendo, and another of Moloyr's bodyguards and friends died, and in that time, Valera could see Taliya wounded... And then she struck Moloyr off his Rostok, dead, even as more of his men pressed towards the field of the engagement.

The Tyrant of Grenya Colenta, the terror of that continent, had fallen, and as the proof spread, his army collapsed into panic, and Valera and Taliya were victorious; But Taliya was also doomed, and here Valera was crushed in the moment of her victory.

Valera had been, over the course of those years, attracted to Taliya, in a way that depending on the culture might generally either be forbidden or discouraged -- Sometimes such attraction between two females was accepted or ignored, in a land of polytheism or variance. Eibermon had no comment in specific upon it.

Valera's husband was years dead by Taloran reckoning, and she had hoped in Taliya for something she knew that in her place she could not have from her, and she feared would not be returned, anyway. On Taliya's deathbed, though, she discovered that the woman shared that passion and likewise that restraint, and they might enjoy the bitter joy of a knowledge of mutually unrequited love until the final moment.

It was by this that Valera was destroyed, but not undone. For she still had her army, and they all loved her, and her daughters. But the promise of centuries of life beckoned and they held no pleasure, no pleasure in the world, now. She had become something of a figure among the Farzians, converting the Ta'ert, and parts of northern Ras'merin, and armies, and villages and towns and parts of the populations of cities through the lands of Moloyr as she had traveled, and they respected her almost as a prophetess, had not Eibermon been the one and only such prophet of their religion.

Their were whispers, though, that powers might have touched her, and that for her victory over evil, and her union of most of the continent under the rule of the Farzian religion, that she might be intended for greater things. Greater things than even Eibermon.

Those whispers exploded into shouts behind her back when she refused the crown of Great Queen, and leadership of the lands of Moloyr, and the Ta'ert, and spiritual dominion of the Farzian nations, as successor of Eibermon, and also to be the light overlord, and have the friendly allegiance, of the Intu'in principalities and kingdoms, where many of the rulers now became proselytes of Farzianism.

This vast nation she gifted to her daughters, and she rode alone on the faithful Rostok that she had ridden when she had slain Moloyr, north towards the Ina Sea, which she had renamed by her command the Sea of Taliya. Along the way it is said she fought criminals and bandits that had come up in these times of trouble, and preached to the people and converted many to Farzianism, and spoke much of balance, the balance of the universe, and of evil: Cryptically, and saying that much had to be done to restore what had been lost, and in the sake of hope.

Many converted thus to the religion of Farzianism, and, finally, on the banks of the Sea of Taliya, Valera rode along them to a stretch where there were no inhabitants... And there the record of Valera of the Ta'ert ends, and despite the centuries longer that she might have lived, there is no further record of her.

The priests and people of the Faith of Farzbardor believed that the Lord Justice himself had descended from heaven and taken Valera up in a firey chariot, and there the victor of Brilar was given the appelation of "The Sword of the Lord Justice", and that she still lives, to lead the armies of Angels and Spirits of Farzbardor in the cosmic struggle against The Deceiver, and to provide for the eventual victory of the forces of Good and Light over those of Darkness and Evil.

Thus the Taloran Race is special and a first among equals, for among all the species in the galaxy, it was chosen as the race in which Farzianism was first propagated, and from which the warrior whom would become The Sword was chosen to ascend and fight in the great cosmic struggle, in the hidden world, for the future of the universe.

History:

After the disappearance of Valera, her daughters mourned united, but where they mourned together, they could not rule. As Taradrua said, they had looked into the eyes of Moloyr, and though none were tyrants, all held the desire for conquest.

So it was that after the disappearance of Valera and her elevation to a status of the champion of the Lord of Justice that the sisters rallied their supporters, that they might contest in civil war the rulership of Valera's lands. Thusly it might appear that her lands would decline into a state similiar to that found in Alexander's in the time of the Diadochai, but fate and cunning intervened.

The youngest daughter of Valera, In'ghara, defeated her sisters in battle before their forces were fully formed, by the aide of her spies and her cunning, and then arranged for their capture and deliverance to her, before she might face the rest of their armies. At this time, though, rather than cruelty to the rest of her family, she showed mercy, and also the fame of her line, most likely dramatized by the passage of time and the fervour of the writers of the three houses:

"As our mother offered to her beloved Taliya so I offer to you, my sisters, mercy. But it comes with a condition, for I shall not suffer those of my own blood and my own line to reside on the same rock with me; And yet I would not, either, pain you to exile on a peaceful land when our blood yet burns so hot! So I say this to you, my sisters: There are foreign lands the traders of the Quesadi sometimes travel to, two of them, seperated by great seas from each other and the lands of Grenya. One is for each of you, and you shall each have fourty thousand men at the expense of the Kingdom. In my name, Die or Conquer!"

(For even in those days did the Talorans have ships built in a fashion that would have made the Phoenecian green with envy, and use of the lodestone; But still their rigging was poor, and their success at such voyages questionable, and not a regular matter.)

And thus the elder sisters of In'ghara obeyed her; And each with fourty thousand troops set out to Die Or Conquer. They outfitted themselves in the strongest way they could, disdaining skirmishers and instead choosing entirely Pike, in the form of thirty thousand, and cavalry of ten thousand (If skirmishers were needed, they might be dismounted from the light cavalry as javelineers, and the sisters yet hoped to recruit the seamen in their venture), and each one also was generously given a full siege train, and seventy War Yaltila.

And thus the Quesadi states and the Farzian nations, strong in the sea, and with the winds and distances right for the expedition, provided the great number of ships to transport the two forces, and they set out across a huge distance to Midela Colenta. There, Fileya, middle daughter of Valera's, might land.

Taradrua was bound for a further land, and after completing a successful navigation of the Cape of Erun, they sailed down the western coast of Midela in their great fleet, raiding that continent where her sister fought for supplies, and then across to the island of Neb'la, conquered it in her own name, and proceeded on to Lelola Colenta, where she began the conquest of one of the three huge despotates that comprised the western half of that continent.

On Midela Colenta, her sister likewise conquered, and the arms and discipline of the native kingdoms was unequal to the task of defense against their trained and disciplined veterans, and their tactics of Pike phalanx and cavalry, and so they were defeated and conquered in turn, and the line of Valera was spread virtually to rule throughout the world of Talora, and so was the religion of Farzianism.

Thus, by the time of what is called the Age the Reign of the Heirs of Valera, or Valera Regina, it might justly be said that all three continents and a fair number of islands were under the reign of the Heirs of Valera. On Grenya Colenta, only the Kingdom of Dalamar, the Kingdom of Nylem, and the Quesadi city-states, might claim independence from In'ghara and her heirs.

On Midela Colenta, there was nothing that resisted, except for wild tribes in the mountains and deserts, and Fileya and her heirs reigned supremely. And on Lelola Colenta, only the tribes in the fastness of the Genesis Forests, where legends claimed the Taloran people had evolved, and in the Leluno mountains and coastal plains to their north, remained free.

Beyond this, only the great coral-reef sub-continent to the south, yet undiscovered, and Kavarae's Ring, and other such islands and island chains and the near island-continent in size of Ytalla remained. Though these were many, they were not many in territory, for land occupies more of the surface of Talora than it does of Earth, and the daughters of Valera had conquered most of this.

In the millenia that followed, their heirs lost most of it, but not one of the lines was extinguished, and those lines rose and fell, and lost knowledge and regained it. Finally they entered the Taloran equivlant of the Reinassance, after many more millenia that it had taken humanity from the times of Alexander. And though the Talorans reached the era of equality with their "Sun Queens", perhaps, and Georgian era, they were halted before any Industrial Revolution formed, and musket and gunpowder formed the limit of their technology for millenia longer.

Finally, though, in the revolutions of the globe, and the tenuous hold of the heirs of Valera, sometimes so tenuous that at one point the line of In'ghara was reduced to the Great Queen as a gentlewoman adventurer and a few of her friends and loyalist servants, before being catapulted back to power, the industrial revolution gripped Talora Prime and society shot forward.

In that grip, the Great Queen of Grenya Colenta conquered her enemies of the continent of the heritage of her mothers, subdued the heathen lands, and reestablished the dominance of the three lines.. Or one of them. Within a terran century her heir, young and vital, might conquer by the breechloading rifle, and expand their conquests to the claimed territory of the other Great Queens, who matched the industrial revolution, now, as even did the nations they defeated, but could not react to the head start of Grenya Colenta, and the brilliance of the lead.

By the time of mechanized warfare, the lead was sealed, and when the atom bomb came, the Great Queen at that time, the daughter of the latest great conquerers of Valera and Inghara's line so far, sealed the unification of Talora and became instead the peacemaker, establishing the first noble council through ties of blood and the enforced peace of Grenyan supremacy.

The remnants of the holdings of the other Great Queens, and a few holdouts, still persisted into the age of solar exploration - But with the Sixty Years War the final and formal unification into Empire was completed, the conquest of the Jikar the impetous to drive together the final fragments into formal government, and thus the mother of Saverana II became the first ruler in that great and illustrious line of rulers and conquerers which has incredibly stretched for fifteen millenia to gain the appelation of "Empress".

Some claim it is the flexibility of the matrilineal line, and the long life of the Taloran people, and others darkly whisper that the line has really not lasted that long. But the average Taloran and the loyal noble and especially the Great Queens of Midela and Lelola will hear nothing of that. This society is both ancient and vital, finding a way for things to subsist even as they change, and yet to make those changes work, and to take advantage of every one.

The Nobles of Talora Prime are far from set in their ways; Rather, they are the hope of their people, perhaps, for they have over those millenia, if nothing else, learned a lesson of their duty.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

Taloran Religion:

The religion of Farzianism is the national religion of the Taloran Star Empire, and that to which the majority of the Taloran people adhere. The religion is based simply around the concept of two equal beings, created out of the entity of Time, which simply exists and is not worshipped.

Lord Justice, or Farzbardor, is the single God of Farzianism, hence making the religion monotheistic. Farzbardor is constantly and eternally opposed by his evil twin brother, Idenicamos, The Deceiver. Farzbardor and Idenicamos were created at the same time out of Time, and together they created the Universe.

However, Farzbardor was Good and Just, while Idenicamos was filled with Evil and Deception. While all that Farzbardor created was of Light, and Goodness, all that Idenicamos created was filled with Wickness and of the Darkness. All things thus created retain their inherent quality, Good, or Evil, with the exception of a sentient, rational being. (Or simply a Taloran, to the very earliest adherents of the religion before the Jikar were discovered - And there was some debate them, before the first Jikar proselyte, as to if only Talorans were of the Light or not.)

Sentient beings, by the special endowment of the mind, may choose between good or evil, regardless of if Farzbardor or Idenicamos created them. And thus, so that the corrupting words of The Deceiver did not turn the cosmic balance towards Evil, Farzbardor sent Eibermon visions, that he might write the Holy Books of Farzianism, and that people might judge the word of Farzbardor for themselves, and be guided down a proper path to avoid the wickedness of The Deceiver.

Thus, the cosmic balance could be saved by the conversion of people to Farzianism, and the good and righteous actions of those proselytes, with the promise of the eventual victory of Good, if the conversion of enough people to the true word of Farzbardor turned the tide against the seductive evil of The Deceiver. The fact that the cosmic balance originally rested on the very actions of the Farzians themselves lent a fanatic air to their religion, and they pursued conversion with an incredible fanaticism, indeed.

Then Valera entered the mix. With the ascension of Valera as The Sword of the Lord Justice, Farzian philosophy changed to where the victory of Good was assured by the actions of this near demi-goddess, and her tilting the scales in the direction of Good and for the cosmic hosts of the Lord Justice in their unending war with the servants of The Deceiver.

This moderated the fanaticism of Farzianism, perhaps, but the religion still aggressively seeks proselytes among all species, and this is unlikely to ever change.

Priests/Priestesses are given secular power, at least the Over-priests of several temples, and worship at the temples is a matter of the reading of passages of the holy books and the singing of hymnals. Then, the priest will accept the tithes of the congregation and there is generally a time where the priest speaks on modern and relevent matters of society from the standpoint of the holy books and the great figures of early Farzianism. - It might be called a sermon, but it generally is designed more to aide the congregation in their current lives from the standpoint of the books, than to discuss the books and the verses therein - More ritualized reading of the holy books serves that purpose.

Most Taloran psychics serve in the Farzian priesthood, as they are encouraged into it from a young age, as generally the Talorans think poorly of having someone with psychic powers outside of the Farzian priesthood and not trained by it, where they might use their psychic powers inappropriately, or perhaps at all.

Taloran Star Systems:


Talora System: Home of Talora Prime, this system holds the principle concentration of the Taloran population. This population exceeds 27 billion when one counts the innumerable orbitable habitats and colonies on uninhabitable worlds, and there are no less than twenty-three planets, ten gas giants and seventeen of rock or ice, in this system, plus hundreds of moons and innumerable asteroids and comets.

First among these is Talora Prime, the only habitable world in this strange system of three suns and a dim brown dwarf. The planet, with three major continents, one minor continent formed out of a series of huge reefs and volcanic islands, a large island-continent, and numerous large islands or island-chains, along with two other continents at the polar caps, has a noticably larger percentage of land than Terra, though water still makes the majority of the surface.

It is here that the Taloran species evolved, and it is here they count as their home. With the current population in the system being twenty-seven billion people, not less than fifteen billion of them reside on the surface of Talora Prime; Strict limits on population growth and the fact that the Talorans had sublight space travel for over a millenia without discovering a means of FTL travel means that another twelve billion reside off-planet, in massive orbital habitats tens of kilometers long that hold tens of millions of people, many of them old enough to spin for gravity, though quite functional, indeed, permanent.

The surface of Talora Prime does not appear overpopulated; Indeed, it appears pristine. Taloran cities are huge spires, and they build up, higher and higher, into towers hundreds and even thousands of stories tall; Artificial gravity is a great gift to them, and they use it expansively to create incredible towers that seem to stretch into the stars, and to compact their cities incredibly, leaving the land of their homeworld largely intact; They are sometimes less careful with the planets they have settled, though it depends on the settlers.

Naturally, the industry of Talora Prime is stupendous because of the age of sublight spaceflight. Then, huge amounts of industry were built up, and they are not wholly irrelevent, and many are modernized. The industry of the colonies might attempt to compete, but Talora Prime is the beating heart of the Taloran Star Empire, and all know this, even as the Empress may attempt to change it for strategic reasons. -- Still, all flows into the center, for the Taloran Star Empire is a colonial nation, and that is changing only slowly with the first colonies, as they garner status and importance of their own.

Rela Sustera Neu'la: The Rela Sustera Neu'la system is the first one colonized by Talora, and named by pirates of the southern islands. It has a single planet, generally dusty and cool, though it has large, deep seas. This planet orbits a single G-type star, and the system is otherwise blessed with five more planets and two asteroid belts, in addition to a comet cloud.

The population is 24.7 million for the entire system, both the planet and the habitats and lesser colonies and the uninhabited planets. It contains important fleet bases and a steadily growing industrial sector, in addition to very large mining concerns, and some very large mega-ranches and such on the planet, though agriculture is rather (comparatively) limited by Taloran standards. The system suffered heavily in the conflict with the Jikar, however, and has still not fully recovered in either population or industries.

Ghris'ala: The second system colonized by the Talorans, it was like Rela Sustera Neu'la System settled before the beginning of the Sixty Years War, and thus has a notable population of 29.3 million spread throughout the system. With a single habitable planet ideally placed in the habitable zone, though of a rather heavy 115%-standard Taloran gravity, the system is heavily industrialized and fully self-sustaining, and holds extensive fortifications.

There are a total of twelve planets in the system, and a single asteroid belt, along with two comet clouds. This system was not heavily affected by the conflict.

Khanra: This system is jointly inhabited by Talorans and Jikar as the terms of the peace and union of the two species. There are two planets here which orbit each other through a null-gravity lagrange point halfway between the planets. The double-planet system orbits ideally in the center of the habitable range, and both the planets sport a variety of environs, made unique by the characteristics of night and day caused by the orbit of the two planets around each other.

The entire system has a population of some 2.3 million Talorans and 18 million Jikar; the Jikar-built industrial base was annihilated in the Sixty Years War and has not yet been rebuilt, though some agricultural concerns are still operating. The system is deep into Taloran space but do not directly defend the approaches to Talora Prime, and so is lightly guarded by Taloran standards.

Sinal-i: Second of two systems inhabited by both Talorans and Jikar. A single inhabitable planet is predominantly prairie and the planet was lightly populated by the Jikar and mainly used for ranching before the conflict, along with some heavy metals mining.

In the system overall, deep-space mining facilities have been annihilated, while on the surface some concerns are again operational. The current population is 2 million Talorans and 14.2 million Jikar.

Jikar System: Homeworld of the Jikar species, this system is heavily industrialized, second only to Talora Prime, and likewise in population. With a single G-type star, the planet of Enitar is quite hospital for the hexapedal Jikar, though it has heavier gravity than Terran-normal; Talorans are used to marginally lighter by a near irrelevant difference, and can still easily live there, but do not by the terms of the Concordiat.

The population consists of 14 billion on the surface, and 4 billion the surrounding habitats and on non-habitable planets. The Jikar had sublight spaceflight for a considerably shorter period of time than the Talorans did before they discovered hyperspace technology, and it shows.

Currently, they do exercise a limited form of self-government over their own system, though they cannot be remotely called an independent state.

Second Wave Colonies:

(All notes on size of facilities comparative to size of population.)

Wakir system: A rare system with a gas giant in the habitable zone; It has four habitable moons. The total system population is 382,000. Limited industry, currently. Mining and agriculture extensive; Mining currently mostly spacebound. Various military garrisons.

Kylefrya system: Another of these rare systems with a gas giant in the habitable zone; It has three habitable moons. The total system population is 241,000. Limited industry, currently. Mining and agriculture extensive; Mining both in space and on the planets. Large fleet base.

Utalra system: Single habitable planet, population of 193,000, limited industry, mining and agriculture extensive, mining limited largely to space, minor military installations.

Lefa system: Single habitable planet, population of 91,000, effectively no industry, mining and agriculture expanding but moderate in expanse, mining both on planet and in space, minor military installations.

Ralia system: Single habitable planet, population of 74,000, effectively no industry, mining and agriculture expanding but moderate in expanse, mining limited largely to space, minor military installations.

Technology:

FTL System: Straightforward Honorverse hyperspace system. Since the end of the Sixty Years War new ships have started to come slide down the ways with faster drives; older vessels are rather slow at FTL.

Powerplants: Laser-Fusion. Highly efficient and refined, quite straightforward.

Engines: Ion. Good acceleration on a powerplant/installation basis, but most Taloran ships have a rather lame engine installation due to design philosophy.

Space Weaponry: Long-ranged energy weapons IR lasers; short-range use a mix of grasers or in some cases railguns. Long range missiles average; point-defence includes lasers, plasma cannon, and anti-missile missiles.

Inertial Damping: Very good.

Artificial Gravity: It's been described as a gratuitous waste of power (the technology was originally developed for space habitats and downsizing it for spaceships hasn't been perfect).

Armor: Standard armour is a layered mesh of Depleted Uranium, Tritanium, and advanced ceramics. Multiple multiple-meter layers seperated by void spaces are not uncommon, with additional radiation shielding being provided beyond these defences.

Shields: Good against energy weapons, excellent against KE weaponry. Generally shields have multiple backups and compromise a large portion of the ship's energy consumption in combat to the expense of energy weaponry.

Spaceframe: Exceptionally strong and combined with very tight internal subdivision. Loss of space is commisurate but accepted.

Sensors: Tachyon, EM, both active and passive.

General notes: Taloran ships tend to be under-armed, over-armoured, and over-built in general.

Army Technology: To be detailed in Armed Forces ORBATs and TO&Es.

General details:

Head of State: Her Serene Majesty Empress Saverana II, Great Queen of Grenya Colenta, etc.
Head of Government: Eragacatum Ceno'lin Evorantes, Viscount of Traisam.
Currency: The Taloran Riala. Gold is Gold, and no matter how much of it you find it is proportionally quite rare; even when they went into space the Talorans kept the Gold Standard for an abominally long time. The Riala had hence been a remarkably stable currency until after meeting humanity and coming in contact with considerably more advanced forms of monetary exchange and financial concepts. The Talorans then finally updated their archaic system and reluctantly took the Riala off the Gold Standard.

However, the typical currency in the Empire is still coinage or printed dollars, Talorans in some cases being horribly stubborn about change; Principally, perhaps, because it happens so quickly, and their lifespans are so long in comparison to the time much of it has happened in - Three Taloran lifespans might cover the length of time from the beginning of their industrial age to the present, easily. Electronic debit is only slowly gaining acceptance, hence. Likewise, the Talorans keep huge reserves of gold and silver as a nominal backing for the Riala in the Imperial vaults, and some fringe politicians have proposed converting back to a platinum standard.

General government operating philosophy:

Church and State are not clearly seperated by far in the Taloran Star Empire, though a state of toleration exists for non-Farzian faiths. The Empire is in a state of ruthless capitalism and the nobility has adopted a practice of accepting those successful in the business world as their rough peers to stay afloat. The government can be described as that during the height of the golden age of the Robber Barons, or better still the Second Reich of the German Empire. In the evolutionary form of the houses and voting rights, the rights of the monarchy, etc, however, comparisons with Britain can also be drawn - As usual, one should not compare too deeply between a human government and an alien race.

Most work that in other governments would be done by government bureaucracies as a form of social welfare is done by religious institutions here, which are a part of daily life, if not an all-pervasive one. The government, being an appendage of the Empress, does provide funding to these organizations.

In court politics, favouritism is not unheard of and has affected appointments to government positions. Though the theoretical goal of Farzianism is to expand, it rarely has an influence on the government calculus in foreign relations - Though sometimes religious groups do influence particular government ministers to do certain things.

The system, despite seeming barbarity in places, is a relatively dynamic one and capable of great exertion.

finis.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

Phong, the information is adapted and downgraded from something else (You don't think I really wrote of this just for the STGOD did you? Heck, I didn't even write all of it for the other thing for that matter.) - And so if it isn't downgraded sufficiently just let me know and I'll make the necessary adjustments.

[FBHthelizardmage]

The New nation of What's Left, is a relatively offensive group made up of the remains no less than 8 interstellar empires who found out exactly what MAD means.
species

Cuteniods
Imagine the cutest kitten you've ever seen then make it ten times cuter and the size of a hobbit.

Then make it the most sociopathically evil horror you can imagine.

That's about what a Cuteniod is like.

Trill
Your basic ST trill complete with symbiots

VME (various mutant entities)
A huge list of strange creature (talking cabbages, ape people, giant insects) created by the nuking of various planets.

Bogoooodoogs.
Humanoid lizards. They are genetically engineered to be incredibly strong and tough.

Unfortunately this genetically engineering also removed all sense of humour and what names sound better than others.

Planets

E-huh-huh-huh-huh (the guy naming it was seriously out of breath) earth like world.... after a fashion.

90% irradiated hell infested with hostile VMEs and leftover auto warmachines.

10% livable land mainly the world's largest archipelago.

I Could Have Sworn I Left a Planet Here
This planet was blow to bits by the final weapons of a now defunct warring faction. It's now home to a whole bunch of habitats.

really really crap. (no the person who named it didn't like it)
A mineral rich and very boring world. Many mining camps.

[Sea Skimmer]

Important: What year is it on Earth?

[Sea Skimmer]

Also, has a map been created yet? It would be good to get a firm idea of the distances involved.

[NecronLord]

I'm fairly sure I've got some software for generating 3d maps hidden on the arse end of this computer.

If I could have a list of planets?

[The Yosemite Bear]

How many Armed "Mining Pods" EVA's (Think Discovery pods with weapons, extra Armour, and a one bieng crew) can I have (Do they count to the max limit?

[Spyder]

I doubt that fighters and drones would be counted in the 400 ship limit.

Non combatants are usually said to simply be present without any numerical value placed on them.

[Pablo Sanchez]

I doubt that fighters and drones would be counted in the 400 ship limit.

The 400 ship limit is for major combatants. You can have any reasonable number of fighters. My navy is understrength in terms of major combatants, so I have a load of in-system fighters for defense work.

[Spyder]

I doubt that fighters and drones would be counted in the 400 ship limit.

The 400 ship limit is for major combatants. You can have any reasonable number of fighters. My navy is understrength in terms of major combatants, so I have a load of in-system fighters for defense work.

A DS9 level assembly line should be able to spit out fighters faster then pilots can be trained.

[Pablo Sanchez]

A DS9 level assembly line should be able to spit out fighters faster then pilots can be trained.

Well, it's at least fast enough to make attacking any of my bases a serious proposition.

[Straha]

Important: What year is it on Earth?

Let's see here.
Starting point: 2100

Rise and Fall of Monacoran empire: 250 years

Year: 2350

Splintering of Provinces: 100 Years

Year 2450

Rise of People's INterplanetary Republic/Pablo's Empire, and their back stories: 50-
150 Years

Year 2500-2600

The Colozinations by the Mimnitar: 50-100 years (This coudl be sandwhiched with other things I'd guess, but because it is so close to China I think it fair to be a splinter of the PIR)

Year 2550- 2700

Evolution of the Fenari Clans: 200-2000+ Years

Year: 2750-4700

Personally I'd rather see it closer to the Year 3000 but that's just me. Enjoy

[Sea Skimmer]

Personally I'd rather see it closer to the Year 3000 but that's just me. Enjoy

Shit, thats about 500 years later then I expected. Hope no one minds if I restore my population levels to orginal levels.

[phongn]

The year is 2800 AD. The map, well, I haven't made one because I'm lazy

[Sea Skimmer]

The year is 2800 AD. The map, well, I haven't made one because I'm lazy

Can we at least get an idea of the distances? I'd like my Empire to be located fairly far away from earth, so are we talking more like 50-100 or 500-1000 light years?

[Pablo Sanchez]

Timeline for PSR (concepts of multi-nation importance in italics)--

2005-2050: Economic recovery of former Soviet Union.
2056: As a result of the growing politicization of the European Union and the Franco-German domination of that assembly, much of the membership deserts.
May 1, 2057: Federated Russian Republic announces the Eastern Economic League, a system similar to the EU but concentrated in the Eastern Part of Europe.
2057-2100: Economic growth in EEL sphere of influence.
2100-2350: Rise and Fall of Monacoran Empire. Using a combination of factors, the Monacorans sieze world-wide control. After a brief golden age, decline and corruption set in. Imperial institution of population and environment controls are unpopular but serve to stabilize most international problems.
2180-2350: Imperial unification leads to formation of a Slavic national sphere. Cultural and lingual homogenization results, until by 2250 there remains no trace of any of the predecessor nations.
2350: Monacoran civil war begins.
2353: Slavic revolt begins. Precipitated by the attempted arrest of the Patriarch of Constantinople by the Royalists, rioting quickly takes on organization. Led by a brilliant general with claims of descent from the ancient Romanovs, the revolt rapidly picks up speed.
October 20, 2354: Imperial Armies in Slavic territory mutiny and kill their Monacoran officers after being ordered to fire into crowds of protestors. Czar Alexander Romanov declares the formation of the New Russian Empire.
2356-2360: Imperial Armies slowly regain control of Slavic provinces.
2360: Chinese Provinces begin revolt under communist leadership.
2356-2360: Disintegration of Monacoran Empire, with virtually the entire Empire splitting on ethnic and territorial lines.
2360-2600: Rise of Russian Empire. By 2500 the Russian Empire is the most powerful state in the world.
2500-2600: Space colonization begins in earnest.
2600-2779: Decline of Russian Empire. Increasing corruption, nepotism, and aristocratic abuses lower the productivity, and a conservative monarchy enters the colonization race late. Dissent in Russia increases to a fever pitch.
March 2780: Slavic Revolution begins. Precipitated by the massacre of peaceful demonstrators requesting the formation of a parliament, the revolt picks up speed as the bourgeois demands reform.
June, 2780: Constitutional Monarchy under Gregorii III established.
August, 2780: Gregorii III intrigues with neighboring monarchies for an invasion of the new Pan-Slavic Republic.
September 2780-2789: Gregorian Wars. Repeated invasions of PSR bloodily repulsed. Much of Slavic Navy, under aristocratic officers, deserts or scuttles itself. Loss of much colonial holdings by PSR. Gregorii captured and executed for treason, end of second Romanov dynasty. Development of PSR Army to a high level of efficiency and technical excellence.
April 2789: Easter Peace Treaty concludes the war, with recognition of Republic Government.
2790-2800: Consolidation of Pan-Slavic Republic.

[Beowulf]

I'm thinking it might be nice to have it kinda limited, because it'll make it easier to get new players in, because there's room to expand...

[phongn]

The year is 2800 AD. The map, well, I haven't made one because I'm lazy

Can we at least get an idea of the distances? I'd like my Empire to be located fairly far away from earth, so are we talking more like 50-100 or 500-1000 light years?

Okay, the main sphere of play is a 1000 light year radius circle centered on Sol. As I've said before, the main barrier to colonization is the cost of of setting up a mission rather than the distances involved.

[Sea Skimmer]

Okay, the main sphere of play is a 1000 light year radius circle centered on Sol.

All right then, when a map is created place me on the edge of that. My people where dumped by aliens who thought better of using them for labor, so there should be a considerable gap.

[Cpt_Frank]

The People's Interplanetary Republic

Earth territories: Northern and Western China above 30th parallel, Korea inhabitants: 750 million

Stellar territories:

capital planet:

New Bejing
inhabitants: 31 billion
distance from Earth: 760 ly
Industrial Center and location of the NORINCO shipyards
location of the naval accademy
asteroid field at the edge of the system provides resources

industrial worlds:

Mao-Tse-Tong
inhabitants: 21 billion
distance from Earth: 840 ly
location of the largest Red Army training camp and military accademy

Ho-Chi-Minh
inhabitants: 19 billion
distance from Earth: 846 ly


colonies:
D-3 ex-mining colony, now with growing population and industry
D-4 mining colony
(those two are in the same star system)
E-1 prison world
F-6 mining colony
G-3 mining colony