Rime: A Sci Fi Story of Politics and Power

JuliusNepos · Mar 9, 2024

♫

It is the Four Hundredth and Sixty first year since the day that Adelard the Conqueror declared the birth of the first Galactic Empire, and set forth to conquer the galaxy. Four Hundred and Sixty One years later and much of the galaxy is united under the banner of the Second Empire, self proclaimed heir to the first. After a period of turmoil and disaster, a new Emperox (The X is silent)sits upon the throne and order is being restored to the Empire. But the Alsace sector lies in a vacuum of turmoil. Gottfried Heinreich Jefferson Du Pont VI, Duke of the Alsace Sector, was a renowned knight and tactician in addition to being an old friend of Jurgen Jean-Marie Spencer D'Aristide zu Battenberg, Duke of the Tyrol Sector. Two both marcher lords of the Empire's frontier, during the chaos sown by the smiling death the Duke was a steadfast(if not the last) supporter of the De Coucy dynasty and his defeat in battle by Jurgen marked the doom of the loyalist's efforts. Gottfried was ordered to commit suicide by his old friend but his House was spared any punishment. However since Gottfried had no direct heirs after the plague, leadership of the house of Du Pont fell to a Cadet Branch-something that would require the approval of the Emperox to inherit the duchy-something he has yet to do. There is a Duke shaped hole in the heart of the sector, and as the Emperox busies himself with the business of reigning, he declined to name a different Duke. The Alsace sector lies in a vacuum of turmoil

Hello and welcome to Rime, a space feudal sci fi future where we fight with swords and the galaxy is dominated by great houses. This is an entirely original setting and premise that has nothing to do with worms, cocaine, or Islam. What will follow is first a large chunk of lore and worldbuilding that hopefully will help ground with within the intended area of vibes and theme this game falls in within before the section on mechanics and how to make an application. Since an application will involve a certain degree of making stuff up, I do encourage you to read through the lore before scrolling to the bottom. I can't stop you of course but your megacorp cyberpunk space civ run by giant bug aliens is probably not really fitting the tone.

Each turn, players are expected to submit orders, sent to me via Sufficient Velocity PM with the title format of RIME- [House/Character Name]. Your orders are anything you'd like to accomplish within the span of the turn length, ranging from assassination attempts, force marshalling, or political overtures. I am tentatively setting a word limit at 300 words, with the right reserved to adjust this as needed.

In Character Posts (ICs) will not be required, I know how hard it can be to write them and I do not wish this game to become work, but they also are very fueling to the motivation to GM and help build and flavor the world so they would be appreciated and highly encouraged.

I would like to take a moment to thank @Noco and @Rolman whose games in this style have been a source of inspiration (and at times a source of direct wording)

I made a discord

Q: Could you have formatted this better?
A: Probably but I really just wanted to bang out the OP and get it posted today

Q: Is Rime about Worms?
A: No its about Crabs clearly?

Q: Why?
A: Look I was really bored at work and needed to get writing okay?

World Building:

2084 AD: The American Union and European Commonwealth form the Atlantic Pact and jointly establish the first extra planetary colony in the Eberswalde Delta

2166 AD: Earth unified by Co-dominate of Lantipac

2238 AD: Dr Lancelot Metternich invents the jump drive allowing travel through hyperspace and beginning extrasolar colonial era

2321 AD: Co-dominate of Lantipac begins to collapse after colonies declare independence

2325 AD: Europa water crisis devastates Sol System, start of Galactic Dark Age

16 BE Adelard Harcourt. Later known as Adelard the Conqueror is born on the planet Görlitz

2 BE Adelard the Conqueror seizes control of Götlitz

0 Adelard the Conqueror conquers five neighboring sectors, proclaims birth of Human Empire

10 AE Galaxy united by Adelard, sectors distributed as fiefs to loyal generals

32 AE death of the Conqueror, sector dukes all swear to obey the Harcourt dynasty

182 AE succession crisis Between Adelard IV's twin sons leads to civil war

185 AE Götlitz destroyed by younger Twin as war tide turns, Harcourt dynasty extinguished, start of second Galactic Dark age

244 AE Washington Mowbray negotiates the formation of the Great Council of Peers and is shortly hailed as Emperox of the Second Empire by all the dukes of the galaxy

355 AE: Stanley Wertheimstein is first non Mowbray Emperox elected by Great Council of Peers

451 AE The first case of the Smiling Death is identified and soon sweeps through the Empire

459 AE Jurgen Jean-Marie Spencer D'Aristide zu Battenberg seizes the throne after a brief civil war, and though he eliminates most of the few plague survivors of the De Coucy Impero Family, he spares many Coucy loyalists

461 AE: Present day

Warfare:

In the Empire, armor derived from voidsuit technology is of sufficient resilience and advancement that traditional ballistic weaponry has been rendered all but obsolete. To slay an armored man three options lie before you, the first is engage close and use a fine blade to aim for gaps and joints to disable the armor or incapacitate the armored, the second is to use weaponry equipped with a thermal coil to superheat your weapon and burn through the armor after a period of prolonged contact. The third is to use Plasma weaponry, which does have the power to burn through armor. However because of the immense heat generated by plasma technology, any such weapon takes an inordinate amount of time between shots, warfare and duels are mostly a matter for melee weaponry.
By the laws of the Empire it is only permitted for Nobles to own weaponry (and only nobles are allowed to wield swords, period). Since a noble warrior cannot be everywhere, even with the amount of unlanded nobles with no trade but bladeplay the Empire produces, it is acceptable for non nobles to be issued weaponry which they can wield in the name of their master but do not own. Generally House Guards are kept reasonably small for lowborn worthy of being trusted with a blade are not common. Full on levying of a host and equipping them for warfare is rare on account of its expense and danger, particularly in the Empire's current period of depopulation and Imperial Peace.

Warfare in space is rarer, and even more dominated by the power of armor. Even a full broadside of a Plasma cannonade will not seriously damage the hull of a proper spaceship, and while such craft are valuable, the navigators of Rutter houses who retain the knowledge of jumpoints by oral tradition are irreplaceable. Destroying a jump capable craft is almost never done, with battle usually being a matter of fire aimed at Solar Sails and Batteries, and fierce boarding actions, ultimately resolved when one side strikes its colors and is taken as a price or offers its ransom. When not under fire, Solarsails are fairly easy to replace, even in deep space

Sects and Societies

The Second Empire does not have a state faith, generally following a cuius regio eius religio principle, so long as those faiths fall within the acceptable noble dominated social order of the Empire. The list below is not meant to be exhaustive one of every religious movement within the Empire, and within the detailed faiths one can assume countless denominations and traditions. It is my hope this will help set the tone and inspire writing.

The Universal Faith
The Universal Faith is one of the most common religions in the galaxy and deeply rooted in the ancient days of Earth.
The Universal faith teaches that there have been three great prophets throughout history-a first one that brought law and structure to the faith- a second one that taught service, selflessness and sacrifice- and a third one that brought the sword and fought in the name of the faith.
In the ancient past universals tried to make a pilgrimage to the seat of the faith on Earth one in their lifetime but in more modern days every sector has a fraction of stone from the homeworld given by the Pap, supreme head of the faith to the head of the faith in a sector and people make a pilgrimage to the designated planet in their sector

True Sword Sect:
Said to have been founded by the legendary knight Richard L'enfant, who was the Conqueror's right hand man and first Duke, after the death of Adelard, Richard shaved his head renounced his titles and wordly distractions and vowed to master true swordsmanship. It is said that Richard even disarmed he wielded the true sword and could cut steel with his palm. The Sect flourished during the second dark age and experienced suppression under the second Empire. The recent plague has seen a resurgence in its strength. The Sect teaches that even peasants who practice virtue cultivation become true knights entitled to wield swords. Popular among common folks and minor nobility it has been suppressed and blamed for unrest throughout its history for while the sect preaches accepting the rule of good and just nobility to advocates overthrowing corrupt magistrates to restore virtous government.

The Cult of Saints:
The Cult of Saints is the religion historically most favored by the second Empire, though the current Emperox is someone apathetic towards it. At once polytheist and monotheist, Saints believe in only one god, the invincible human spirit but venerate countless figures as avatars and incarnations of the spirit. A decentralized movement the vast array of figures hailed as saints changes much from one sector to another though Adelard the Conqueror and Washington Mowbray are very common and prominent figures and deceased Emperoxs are often at least hailed as lesser saints. In the past it was not uncommon for noble houses to have a monk from one of the more codified Saint sects as a spiritual and tactical advisor but this has fallen out of practice with imperial disfavor in recent years

The Illuminated Order of Cern
The Illuminated Order of Cern is a unique example of a secular monastic Order. The tech-men of Cern claim their Order predates even the ancient lantipact and in their lab-monasteries they toil at the task of preserving many lost and secret things. Among the common folk they have a dreadful reputation as callous warlocks but on occasion a noble house finds it worth the investment to patronize a Cern monastery. The Tech-Men of Cern are generally seen as a strange splinter of the Cult of Saints (itself already a very broad categorization) but the tech-men are as secretive with their religious rites as their secret knowledge.

Foreign Powers

the Metamoment

The Second Empire's largest single rival. A cult of heretical flesh shapers known for their stark white skin, blackened chemical blood, and atrocious bulbous architecture. The Metamoment pursues the creation and worship of the Metaman, the "perfect human" and possesses the avarice of immortality. They are ruled by a clique of supposedly divine called the Seeoos. If there is one power in the stars that the Empire truly despises it is the Metamoment, but the power of the Emperox has never been enough to muster the united host needed to crush their foes.

The Lacedaemonian Brotherhood:
The Lacedaemonian Brotherhood was born in the days of the lost Lantipact, founded by dissidents from the perphery, who sought in the stars to build a new future with modern technology that would "Free mankind from the insidious scourge of womenkind". Women are utterly forbidden in Lacedaemonian space, who instead ensure reproduction through cloning technology based on a series of lines believed to be specialized in certain skill sets and to represent the ideal male form. The Brotherhood willingly bowed to the Conqueror and his line, seeing in them the peak of masculinity but went their own way with the collapse of the First Empire and refused to join the second, seeing its society "irreversibly corrupted by the touch of the female"

Temasek Conglomerate
The Temasek Conglomerate is an association of Merchant Guilds, Rutter Houses and the descendants of what were in the days of the Lantipact, Megacorporations. Of all the rivals of the Second Empire the Conglomerate is the smallest in territory but sits upon a motherload of Nanofabber licenses and Ice-21 deposits. On the upper levels of Temasek society things are outwardly orderly and clean with minor infractions punished harshly while behind closed doors decadence reigns. And beneath the wealth and trade groans an underclass of laborers and servants, carefully spliced with things like skin chlorophyll so they need not be fed, nor need to sleep, nor will they ever complain. The Second Empire abhors the concept of a nation of armed merchants, for the sword and weapon should be the preserve of the nobility.

The Artmon Tsarate
On the far north of the Human Empire stands the Tsarate, a peculiar cult of heretical universalists, mechanist raiders who see the process of willing mutilation in favor of crude, obvious, cyborg replacements as a way to venerate their ancestors and reject the first and third prophets. Though accused of engaging with abominable intelligence, even the Empire will admit that the Tsarate is simply too poorly run to be the servant of some malevolent machine god. Infamous raiders and Pirates, the Artmon Tsarate nonetheless possess strange notions of Honor that tie their warriors in personal loyalty to their barbarian Tsar.

Forbidden and Restricted Technologies

AI: The development of Artificial Intelligence was banned by the Lantipact for nebulous reasons in its dying days. During the galactic dark ages AI technology was developed and abused with the rise of Adelard the Conqueror monstrous AI kingdoms were crushed by his armies and further study forbidden, a taboo that has held in all the centuries since. Computing technology still exists, but automation and even the slightest hint of intelligence forbidden by a taboo so strong it has held through the second dark age and the centuries since

Gene-Engineering: Adelard the Conqueror also defeated in his campaigns the Heidelberg Genecultists, who bent the knee and kept their work within parameters accepted by conventional society. With the collapse of the Empire the Genecultists of Heidelberg returned to making abominations but were crushed utterly with the formation of the Second Empire. Under the Second Empire, Gene-Engineering is not banned, so long as its work does not create "Abominations" what exactly this means is somewhat unclear but the Great Council of Peers maintains that it knows an abomination when it sees one.

Cloning, Revitification and Life Extension Treatments: In an Empire ruled by nobility and lineage, questions of succession and death are rather important. The laws as set down by the Inner Chamber of the Great Council of Peers is that a man is entitled to 140 years of life and only one reign. If he transfers his brain to a clone, body or has advanced Lantipact Science revive him from clinical death, or use exotic drugs to prolong his life that is his business, but after 140 years, or his first clinical death, his possessions are passed onto his heirs, leaving him alive but without worldly goods. Since few nobles would wish a prolonged life without noble status, little effort is put into life beyond 140.'

Commodities

One of the most valuable substances in the galaxy is Ice-21 (or Hellrime) , a form of ice only generated under unique and rare pressure and temperature circumstances. Despite its rarity Ice-21 is a critical coolant for the tubes needed for plasma technology. Lesser quality plasmalocks may use other coolant substances but a proper plasmalock is cooled by ice-21 and so too are plasma cannons and plasma engines. Only control of the licenses and registrations needed to operate a nano fabricator is a more lucrative wealth source for a noble or trading house than a reliable source of Ice-21.

Cancerium: Carcinite is a dust produced from the powdered shell of the Crøb crustacean species. Inhalation of this dust induces a meditative state of vastly heightened awareness and cognition. Many monastic orders claim that regular Carcinite use in tandem with their secretive disciplines are the foundation of unlocking a hidden well of deep spiritual power. During the First Empire Adelard the Conqueror seeded many planets with a Crøb population to ensure a steady supply of Carcinite for his Paladins, but during the second Galactic Dark Age, most of those worlds either saw their Crøb population escape and become dangerous and feral, or be hunted into extinction by mankind's insatiable hunger for shell dust. In the Second Empire Carcinite is rare and highly valuable.

Vvhanil, the refined stigmata of the Hamelin plant is the result of the Lantipac Era genetic engineering project Ambrosia which succeeded in its goal to create the most delicious possible substance. Vvhanil is universally recognized as the ultimate seasoning Ave culinarily perfect. Unfortunately the plant is extremely sensitive in terms of climate and growing conditions and requires incredibly manpower intensive work and countless flowers to produce a small amount of Vvhanil. A mere vial of the spice is a gift fit for a king

Other Facts of Note

The Great Council of Peers is an institution negotiated into being by Washington Mowbray as part of the deals that united most of the nobles of the galaxy into the Second Empire. In theory every noble in the galaxy has the right to attend the Great Council and have a say in its law making, but this is mostly in theory. There are far more nobles in the galaxy than there are those with the ability to travel to the capital or the technology to call into a session. Moreover there is an inner council of the Great Council made up of all the Dukes of the Galaxy, a representative of the Emperox's household(as opposed to the Emperox in his position as Duke, granting him two votes) and a few open seats that are traditional granted to the lifetime to particularly notable magantes or religious figures who are considering too important to ignore. It is this inner council that makes most true decisions on behalf of the Empire, for even though a small portion of the Empire's nobles attend a session that is still far too many for a wieldy body of lawmaking.

Dr Lancelot Metternich is hailed as a saint in the cult of saints for his work inventing the jump drive that allowed extrasolar colonization. The jump drive allows a ship to enter hyperspace and travel at speeds far beyond normal possibility. Hyperspace is like a frozen river, with very specific points of entrance of exit. In the time since the first galactic dark age, the technology needed to calculate the location of jump points has been lost, leaving galactic navigation dependent on insular Rutter houses who have passed and preserved the location of points as secret knowledge through the generations. At times desperate or mad people attempt to blind jump in the hopes of finding a new point and a new system to colonize, but this has as far as recorded by the second Empire succeeded a mere handful of times.

The Black Guard: The Blackguard are an elite band of warriors that serve as the protector and enforcer of the Empro. Drawn from the mountainous world of Frundsberg, in the Swabia sector the Black Guardsmen grow up used to high gravity and thin oxygen. Of and put through a grueling training regime they produce soldiers of exceptional strength and endurance. The Black Guard are instantly recognizable by their pitch black armor which covers their entire body and the massive greatswords they wield casually. The twin disasters of plague and civil war nearly dissolved the Guard and only one stood to defend the last De Coucy Emperox, but with the end of the war and plague, the new Emperox has revived the order.

In terms of industry and stuff a lot of things are based off Nanofabricators or "fabbers" but they have countless ancient regulations and licensing stuff restricting their use. So a noble houses fortune may in part be based on the fact that their licensing agreement to use the fabber has been passed down countless generations

The Knights of Götlitz
Bards still sing songs of the paladins that followed Adelard in his great conquest and the order of bodyguards that were born of them and defended the Harcourt dynasty to the end. That dynasty and its Empire are long dead and the Second Empire is not its equal. But some say the Knights have outlived the Empire and have spent long centuries watching the thin blood of the Harcourts pass through lack-wits and women, waiting for it to prove its virtue is not utterly spent. But surely that's just rumor and myth

Alsace Sector Notes

The Alsace Sector lies on the eastern edge of the Second Empire, facing on the frontier the Lacedaemonian Brotherhood and The Artmon Tsarate to the north and south respectively . Raids from the Tsarate is common, relationships with the Brotherhood are more cordial but tense, a smile with a dagger behind the back. The Jumpoint that leads to Hohenburg is unusually large and well known and beyond the sector most points are more secret and small meaning that travelers come to the region from remarkably far afield. Many of the sector's best knights fell with their Duke at the battle of Alabaster Mountain and many more died from the Smiling Death. There are few old men left in the region.

Worlds:

The Traditional Capital of the Alsace Sector is the planet Hohenburg. Hohenburg is an ocean planet of shallow water and vast coral reefs, which over centuries of habitation have been built over, creating in effect a city planet criss-crossed by natural canals. The vast coral formations have been built into and upon to create many of the planet's structure and being the capital of an important frontier planet, the world is notable for its many fortifications and fastnesses. Since the death of Duke Gottfried Heinreich Jefferson Du Pont VI, the Ducal Palace on the planet has been closed and abandoned, left preserved and moldering as it was when the Duke marched out during the height of the Smiling Death to try and defend a dynasty unworthy of his efforts.

Crab-19. Crab 19 is one of the planets seeded by the Conqueror with a Crøb population during the First Empire. A humid and oppressive world of strangling jungles that have long since overgrown ancient laboratories and containment units. Desperately fortified hunting encampments dot the world in clearings, base camps for those that set out into the Crøb filled jungle in search of making their fortune. Most only make a meal for hungry Crøbs, but still fortune seekers come.

Verden: Verden was once a solemn mausoleum planet, deeply stewed in the Universal Faith. The whole planet smelled of incense as the dead were solemnly interred. But the Smiling Death ravaged this world as too many died to be buried and the priests died handling dead for last rites. Now the world is mostly the domain of the dead or desperate-ragpickers combing through heaps of plague dead, scoundrels pondering raids on the closed catacombs of now extinct lineages and a few remaining guards and priests seeking to restore order and faith.

Huge thank you to @Furrybacon for the map, (the sector will have more planets after apps make more up, this is just a proof of concept )

Archetypes:

Du Pont: 0/1 Slots: The Emperox may not have granted the title of Duke to the Du Pont line, but neither has he punished it beyond the losses it took in plague and civil war. Does the House have the strength to maintain its ancient rule? Or will it fall to upstarts? The Emperox is watching.
Nobles: 0/5 Slots: The Empire is a land ruled by warrior dynasties, many claiming heritage from the land grants of the Adelard. Plague and Civil war have shaken the Du Points from their perch at the top of the sector, and now many houses sharpen the knives, but who will emerge the victor?
Magnates: 0/3 Slots: Magnate houses, formed of once megacorps, Rutter houses and other wealthy and respectable types, may not have the right to own arms or bear a sword, but they do have a great deal of wealth and influence. Many serve as advisors and allies to noble houses, but perhaps some have deeper ambitions?
Monastics: 0/2 Slots Many monastic orders have, through rigid discipline and secretive rites, cultivated the ability to form feats that might otherwise be considered beyond the bounds of human possibility. Others have merely accumulated a great deal of land, influence and wealth
Heresiarchs: 0/2 Slots: War and plague have shaken the galaxy and in such times men turn to charismatic if not orthodox preachers. The nobles may sneer for now at such "heretic movements" but only for now.
Sword Noble: 0/3 Slots: In the Empire there are many more nobles than those who inherit property or title. But even the most impoverished noble still has one thing to his name, the right to attend the Great Council of Peers and the right to own arms and bear a sword. In disordered times, such a right can be lucrative to sell, if not a path to power. Some gather in large bands and wield far more power together than they did as individual blades for hire.
Outsiders: 0/2 Slots: The Alsace sector is blessed by an usually large and well known jumpoint in a region where most are small and hidden secrets. As a result travels from far afield wield up on the Empire's frontier, and with the current state of the sector, no one is closely watching who comes and goes.

The Second Empire is the distant descendant of the colonies founded in the golden age of the Lantipact and reflect in heritage that nations mostly Franco-German and Anglo-American culture. It has also been uncountable years into the future allowing drifting and creativity. I hope the names mentioned in the lore help set the tone, but not every name as elaborate is that of a Duke's family.

App Template:
Faction Head: Self-explanatory.
Head Bio: How old is your character? What is their story, what are they like?

Archetype: Self Explanatory, are you a magnate? a noble? the last of the Du Pont line?
Faction Name: Self-explanatory. Please include your family's specific title, or the title of your leader (it can run the gambit of naming schemes).

Location:
Faction History: The general history, happenings, and vibe of your group. Please include information about the location your heartlands are located-if you are starting on one of the predetailed planets, please make up another planet instead- making up planets is hard, help me fill in the map, and don't write you are from "planet lostech, where all the best technology and resources rain from the sky and its so great living here."

Stats

Wealth - the measure of the economic splendor of a house or line, or perhaps the horded tithes of a religious order- measured by the indicators of "Destitute, Struggling, Modest, Prospering, or Affluent".

Retinue : In the aftermath of the plague and civil war, the Great Council has declared a period of Imperial Peace. It would be an extreme act for a noble line to levy their serfs for war, but of course they retain their personal guard, and many a merchant house has a large roster of "cooks" equipped with "cooking knifes" on the payroll. And if fleets do not openly clash a few private ships have been known to mysteriously become pirates at times. (measured by the indicators of "Poor", "Middling", "Average", "Decent", and "Powerful")

Agents: An end of open warfare does mean the end of feuds-no noble line would be caught dead without a chosen band of elite (and deniable) warriors and no would be prophet lasts long without his handpicked disciplines. Tracked by, Failing-Poor-Average-Good-Excellent, this stat not only governs your likely effectiveness with cat's paw covert raids but also your skill in defending against such attacks- it takes a thief to catch a fief.

Influence: - the measure of intangible sway held by you over a specific stratum. Below are possible spheres to seek influence within, but the list by no means comprehensive. More may come into play as the story progresses. A noble house can be assumed to start with basic influence over their fief just as a heretical sect has influence over their core congregation.

Underworld Influence - the status of your connections with the underbelly of the Alsace Sector, such pirates, assassins, or sword-nobles.
Theological Influence - the status of your connections with the Universal Cardinals and Rabbs, Sword Sect mystics, hero cultists and those who pray in the Alsace Sector.
Mercantile Influence - the status of your connections with the merchant guilds, rutter houses and those that orchestrate commerce in the Alsace Sector
Popular Influence - the status of your standing with the common folk and displaced masses of the the Alsace Sector

Two Connections are measured slightly differently and many players may not have such connections at all at start or ever-
Court Influence - the degree to which your name is spoken in the inner circles of the Great Council of Peers and the amount of pull you have in behind the Lapis Lazuli gates of the Emperox's palace
Foreign Influence - the degree to which you have built connections with actors beyond the borders of the Second Empire, something truely dangerous, but perhaps lucrative
Both are measured by Nonexistent-Weak-Average-Strong-Very Strong

THatWhichWillBe · Mar 9, 2024

will there be a discord lmao

JuliusNepos · Mar 9, 2024

THatWhichWillBe said:
will there be a discord lmao

does the link not work?

Hyvelic · Mar 9, 2024

JuliusNepos said:
does the link not work?

Does for me

Hyvelic · Mar 9, 2024

Faction Head:

Reeve Jan

Head Bio: Reeve Jan is an individual who knows his limits. He knows his place in the world and his place as the head of the Jan family, he knows that making the right bet on the right candidate can make all the difference. Sir Jan is old, old, and on the last dregs of life, and from there on his deathbed he has enough power left in him to see him and his family through one last crisis. Seen as an old Miser of sorts he has managed to keep the house in harmony and wealthy at the cost of influence and connections to fellow houses. Although his direct lineage had been lost until recent years when a great-granddaughter re-appeared he has done everything in his power to ensure that what was intended to be his legacy remained untarnished. With her return to the Jan Family he has rearranged the plan to give her the best chance of surviving and thriving in the new environment she finds herself in despite her lack of education and upbringing.

Archetype: Noble
Faction Name:

The Order of the Dutiful Well

Location: Thiebos
Faction History:

The planet Thiebos, named after a famous scientist, is a continental planet in a small solar system with seven other planets. Thiebos is about 11.7 times bigger than Earth and its gravity is about 4.08 times that of Earth. A single day lasts 20.82 hours and a year lasts 353 days. The planet is made up of 5 continents, which make up 74% of the planet's landmass. 4 moons orbit the planet and Thiebositself orbits a white sun in an almost perfectly circular orbit. Located in the northern reaches of the region, closer to the Brotherhood it has stood as a bastion for the Empire and planned to act as a secondary mustering world in times of crisis should the need to advance upon the Brotherhood from the region happen and primary mustering worlds are not available.

The plant-like organisms on this planet are mostly bushes, shrubs, and flowers, with a good amount of fungi and grasses but very few tree species. The shrubs are the dominant organism on this planet as they grow fast and wide, with many different shapes, sizes, and colors.

Nutrients are always needed but not always around, so organisms have to find ways to get them. Common ways are using different roots to find them in deep or shallow grounds or even stealing them from others, but on this planet, many species have found a different balance. Unlike most plants on Earth which tend to only produce oxygen and nutrients, usually in the form of sugars, the organisms on this planet also produce other forms of nutrients for themselves, usually for different purposes. These processes often lead to many byproducts that it doesn't need and are thus discarded. These discarded products are exactly what other species need to live and in turn, produce byproducts it discards for the other organisms, leading to a delicate balance.

The aquatic organisms aren't very large in numbers, but they are huge. They can grow to sizes of nearly 100 meters (328ft) and a diameter of up to 5 meters (16ft). These underwater giants give this aquatic world an eerie atmosphere as you never know what could lurk behind that pillar. But at the same time, they provide homes to thousands of species at all depths, which makes studying even a single giant coral an absolute delight.

It is here that on Thiebos the Jan family has resided for countless years, as acting Stewards of the planet for the Empire for a great many years, with only minor treacherous incidents in its past. The Order of the Dutiful Well makes its base of operations here and is intended to act as a rallying force to increase the power of the family. Despite attempts by Lord Reeve to downplay and limit the image of the order to avoid... unnecessary costs for simplicity's sake, his family's younger generation largely supports the Order actively and openly, while the more conservative members of the family stay silent and work alongside Reeve for the safety and security of the family. Privately while they would wish to join in, Lord Reeve's connections and fonts of knowledge on their private lives have them unable to act out openly against him.

Rolman · Mar 9, 2024

Ferand-Arnatz Gastón Todor du Pont de Bethelain, Count of Bethelain was never meant to achieve status beyond his homeworld, yet always felt touched by a certain sense of something. The du Ponts of Bethelain were always known to be a spiritual lot,the young Count spent his formative years an isolated only child, buried in books and wandering the family catacombs, praying before scripture-engraved bones.

While by no means maladjusted (in fact, the Count is rather charming, and is known for entertaining with feasts and seances), the result of such is a somewhat starry-eyed, eccentric, and superstitious man, reliant on Bethelain's philosopher-chemists and esoteric meditations for stability and good decision-making. Many say he's more interested in sacred pharmacological experiments and communing with ancestors and Saints than he is in ruling.

Rocketed into prominence by recent events, the Count is little-known beyond his homeworld. Unwed, untested, and with unclear ambitions, the heir to the du Pont line wades into dark waters as an unknown.

Planet Bethelain

Bethelain is a testament to human will. In the heady days of colonial expansion, the once-oceanic planet had archipelagos wrenched up from the seafloor and colonized with Terran and Terran-analogue soil and organics. The craggy islands of Bethelain are covered in evergreens and endure the conditions of a temperate rainforest in the north and south, while the equatorial regions enjoy a drier, hotter, Mediterranean climate.

Bethelainais are stereotyped as superstitious, pious, hardy, and adventurous. Island-hopping by ship and sky over the centuries have imbued a love of travel in the planet's denizens, while an acute awareness of the human achievement that is Bethelain lends an immense dedication to the reverence of the Saints and even prominent ancestors.

Fingon888 · Mar 9, 2024

The Marchioness of Bourledoc, Adeline Jeanne-Marie Charlotte de Monctmoren
Regnant-Lady of the Maison Monctmoren, Beloved of Heaven, Defender of the Faith, Protector of the Sacral Sisterhood

Head Bio: The 25 year old Marchioness of Bourledoc is the scion and heir of a long line of warrior women who have held the planet of Bastien in the Alsace Sector. As the eldest daughter of the previous Marchioness, Charlotte, Adeline was groomed for rule. Trained in war and wielding the ancestral sidesword of her house, Epinal. Adeline herself is stern and easily bored, given to bouts of depression. None deny her competence for administration, her skill at arms, or her religious devotion, but she has been accused of being arbitrary, terse, and haughty. She is not known to make friends easily, spending most of her time with her confessor Sister Henriette la Marche and her younger siblings Joffre and Laureline.

Archetype: Noble

The White Rose of the House of Monctmoren

Faction Name: The Maison Monctmoren

Location: Bastien

Faction History: The colonists to Bastien were religious dissidents, fleeing persecution for their heretical strand of the Universal Faith known as Sacralism, or more officially the Cult of the Divine Daughters. They found a planet of idyllic fields and hills, crossed with pleasant streams and mighty rivers. Thus did the House of Monctmoren lead the faithful to their repose, founding their capital city of Bourledoc at the mouth of the Peregrine river.

Bastien's peculiar and heretical interpretation of the Universal Faith as well as the enatic succession of the Monctmoren dynasty has made them the target of ridicule, slander, persecution and attack. The Monctmoren learned long ago to never trust to the protection of others and always ensured that they would be able to defend themselves and their interests against assault. Still, the family believe most firmly in their oaths of allegiance as they have sworn them in the name of Indire de la Loi, Marie Dieudonne the Passion-Bearer, and Jeanne d'Arc the Maid-Warrior, the Three Prophets and Daughters of God.

They were loyal to the Du Ponts and do not well regard the ongoing events in the Imperial capital, but they do see the potential for advancement in the chaos of the Alsace sector.

The War Banner of House Monctmoren, the Icon of Jeanne d'Arc the Maid-Warrior, Daughter of God

CobaltCloyster · Mar 9, 2024

Lady-Margrave Anna Rosalia Eugenia Christoph von Myrthen-Blaustein
Of the von Myrthen-Blaustein Family
Lady of Myrthen
Margrave of Schwartzwald

The twenty-four-year-old head of the von Myrthen-Blaustein family ascended to her current position at the young age of thirteen, following the unfortunate and untimely deaths of many of her family members to the Smiling Death. Until two years ago, her estate was managed in her stead by her loyal regent and cousin, Maximilian Francois Frederick Henri von Myrthen-Blaustein, who hailed from a less prestigious line of the family. During this time, the Lady-Margrave attended school and then university on Hohenburg. There, she gained a reputation as a skilled duelist, a woman of not-inconsiderable intellect, and to those less charitable, as something of an infamous miscreant and rake. These last claims are certainly overstated and malicious rumors spread by those jealous of her skills and prestige.

Her cousin Maximilian would tragically pass away in a hunting accident just before she could return to her home and thank him for his loyal service and skillful administration of her estates. However, she has pledged to serve ably as Lady-Margrave, just as he and all her departed family members would wish.

The Lady-Margrave is quite fond of hunting, dueling, and administering her lands. However, she is also said to be a skilled singer, quite the beauty, and as fierce and skilled in a conversation as she is with a blade. Truly, she is a reflection of the dark forests and soaring peaks which her family rules.

Myrthen und Schwartzwald

The forest world of Schwartzwald is famous across the sector for its beautiful vistas, fearsome beasts, and charming, rustic, villages. However, many are surprised to learn that the largest population center in the Eiche system, and its capital, is Schwartzwald's moon, Myrthen. Myrthen is named for the von Myrthen family, which founded it, and is home to the manor of the von Myrthen-Blaustein family, descended from its original founders. The moon is dense, mountainous, and prone to storms, but lacks the dangerous fauna found on the planet which it orbits and is able to maintain a denser and more industrialized population as a result.

The system's economy has struggled in the past decade, as despite his commendable loyalty and good nature, Maximilian Francois Frederick Henri von Myrthen-Blaustein's economic policies have been described by some detractors as "overly exploitative" and "needlessly cruel." There may be some truth to these claims, but I would like to dispel unfounded rumors that he maintained a private hunting ground where he hunted people for sport. Regardless of how much blame for the current economic troubles can be placed upon the regent's shoulders, moderate improvements to the situation have been made since the Lady-Margrave returned to the system.

Nemesis_Scar · Mar 10, 2024

PRYDAIN

Faction Head:

The Ealderman, Hansi Schmidt

Archetype: Noble

Faction Head History: Hansi Schmidt, a sturdy war-bred Aglæc, first rose to prominence as a mercenary commander, leading a battalion of his kin against the Brotherhood with supporting companies from assorted other posthuman strains. By virtue of his service to the Emperox, he was given the landhold of Prydain. In recognition of his subjects' traditions, he is entitled Ealderman.

While he usually speaks to foreigners in a simple pidgin of our tongue and not the rough tones of Aglæcspiel, one should never mistake Schmidt for a dumb brute. He has a deceptively keen mind. And, of course, he has an in-depth knowledge of tactics, operational art, and some of the finer points of strategy. As a ruler, he is beloved of the smallfolk, and his magnanimous largesse is legendary.

Faction History:

Prydain is frontier world dominated by rolling plains, mighty mountains and rolling rivers. It is known for its high incidence of posthuman strains, such as the stocky, firm yet small Scrunt or the mighty and tall Aglæc. These peoples jealously guard their folk ways and traditions, fighting in ways that might seem peculiar to outsiders. For example, the dwarfish Scrunt still make use of ringed mail, javelins, and long-hafted two-handed axes, though some have taken up firearms as of late.

The Aglæc, in particular, are renowned as mercenary infantry. Less traditionalist than their fellows, they have taken up the use of long pikes, two-handed swords, and musketry. Being bred for battle, their enhanced strength and hardiness gives them the advantage over conventional infantry, though they are far too weighty to fight as cavalry.

Red Robyn · Mar 10, 2024

Marquis of Lyonesse, Arthur Theodore Johannes von Löwe
Lord of Löwenhalle
Grandmaster of the Prideful Blades
The Young Lion

"Arrogance is the prerogative of the winners."

Arthur Theodore was destined for greatness since the day he was born. He was the only son of Marquis Reynauld von Löwe and his legitimate wife Lady Katherine von Weinstein, daughter of one of the many lesser houses sworn fealty to the Scarlet Seat of the Von Löwe. By right of blood and birth, his succession should have been unquestioned.
Sadly, Lord Reynauld was a sinful man, full of vices and desires. During the thirty years of his lordship, Reynauld kept more than twenty and eight mistresses and generated more than thirty-five bastards. More than that, he did not have the sense to keep his indiscretions quiet; rather than spreading this veritable army of concubines and illegitimate children amidst the many mansions and summer houses held by the Von Löwe across Lyonesse, he chose to invite them all to live in the court.

Since the day he was born, Arthur knew nothing but jealous siblings and scheming courtiers. Even if theoretically uncontested on the righteousness of his claim the young Heir knew that his position was something he would have to defend with tooth and nail, for Lord Reynauld had little interest in securing his son's future. If Arthur desired to be the next Marquis, he would need to win the competition against his siblings.
But winning the game would be a loss in its own way. No matter how treacherous his half-brothers may be, there was only one reason why they were able to challenge his pretension in the first place. And as long that reason stood, Arthur and his mother could never truly win the game. And the one lesson that Lady Katherin had imprinted on her only son was to always win.
When he was eighteen years old, after bribing away the guards that stood before the door, Arthur Theodore stepped on his father's rooms with a blade and needle in his hands. He left as the Lord of Löwenhalle, as the Grandmaster of the Prideful Blades.

He left as the one and only Marquis of Lyonesse.

-------
FACTION:
(WIP COAT OF ARMS)
House Von Löwe of Lyonesse

BIO: The Von Löwes are an ancient and prideful noble family, hailing from the Conqueror's days. Their claws have dug deep and greedily in Lyonessan society. They traditionally follow the Cult of the Saints.
Lyonesse: A verdant world of prairies, plains, and rivers. Lyonesse has a warm climate proper to the cultivation of wine and grapes which make for a significant part of its exports--Lyonessan wine being a quite treasured commodity in the highest circles of Imperial nobility. In fact, almost the entire Lyonessan economy relies on the export of luxury goods; silks, fine clothes, cheeses, and even jewelry.

It cannot be understated thus how grave the impact of the Smiling Death was on the Lyonessan economy. Even discounting the population losses among the peasantry and middle classes, the diminution in trade did a heavy number on the livelihood of the citizenry.
Lyonesse has two moons orbiting it. The first, Nemeas, is settled and mildly populated despite its harsh conditions being used mostly as a mining colony. The second, Astrea, is a penal colony for the worst offenders.
Löwenhalle is the ancestral castle of the Löwes and their seat of government, located in the tallest mountain of the greatest mountain range of Lyonesse, the Fanged Peaks.
Prideful Blades: The name given to the Knights and men-at-arms sworn to the Marquis. The Blades are ardent followers of the Cult and take three specific saints as Patrons:
Adelard the Conqueror: The most "standard" of the three and thus the most commonly worshipped Saint of the blades.
Karl Arling Hohenburg the Great: An ancient Terran King who is said to be one of the earliest incarnations of the human spirit. According to the legend, his descendants would rule most of old Terra for one thousand years.
Lorent "the Magnificent": The founder of House von Löwe. Not acknowledged as a saint by most of the galaxy, but privately worshipped by many sergeants and high-ranking officers among the Blades--including the Marquis himself. Most of the high-ranking members of the Order take him as a second patron to ingratiate themselves with the Scarlet Seat.

Rincewind · Mar 10, 2024

Mistress Joséphine-Cima Dupleix
Juror of Trade , Keeper of the Dupleix family

The previous Juror and head of the Dupleix family was of a type often seen in the men of means of the Second Empire ; a self-serving opportunist living through delusions of being of a higher moral breed than their peers.
When the Du Pont mustered their swords to defend the rightful dynasty , he was quick to declare support for such noble enterprise , and provided transportation for free blades to join the host , dreaming currying favours from the Emperox himself.
Along with the blades came the swordless Joséphine-Cima to survey the investment , his younger sister.
Yet when the fortunes began to turn , he sold the contingent to Jurgen Jean-Marie Spencer D'Aristide zu Battenberg and turned his back on the Du Pont.

Joséphine-Cima stewed in the internment camp : the intervention which had already been considered controversial and impulsive before became even more bitter , for if she could forgive either loyal adventurism or pragmatic opportunism , she could not foolishly moving from one to the other.
When the head of the family negociated for the return of his kin and of the blades , he found himself met with feigned loyalty and soon after true hostility , Joséphine-Cima leading dissatisfied free blades veterans of the short lived campaigns and new converts of the Cult of the Divine Daughters to cut him down and take his place.
Backed by the local sword nobles and oldest member of the Dupleix family , she was elected Juror by the Masters of the Mistral Guild of Trade.

Archetype: Magnate

Faction name : Mistral Guild of Trade

Though nowadays peddling in a vast and diverse array of wares and goods as any self-repecting Magnate do , the Mistral Guild core historical activities is the trade of clothes and garments , with the Dupleix family claiming descent from the legendary Houses of old Terra , such as the De Chanel and the D'ior.
The Guild is represented by a Juror elected by the Masters and Mistress of Trade , who advocate the Guild interests to the Noble Houses and arbitrate disputes between traders : it is unwritten tradition that a member of the Dupleix family is elected , owing to their prestigious claimed ancestry to the Houses of Garments of Terra , and to their statut as founders of the Guild.
Trading through the Alsace sector , their seat of power is on the planet Mistral , and they enjoy the " patronage " and " protection " of a good number of unlanded and smallholder sword nobles whose expenses are paid by the Guild to honour their nobility.
With the Smiling Death ravaging the trade of luxurious items , the Guild found succor in their traditional trade by providing Verden with ceremonial clothes and masks for the ever more numerous dead , though the collapse of authority of the priests might signal the end of this commercial opportunity if nothing change.

Location: Mistral

A planet of varied climates and of a few seas , Mistral is characterised by it's vast expanses of lands , whether gentle plains , sparse steppes or arid deserts , rarely broken by mountains and through which blow winds alternating between soothing and destroying.
Not given to any one single noble family during it's colonisation , Mistral is instead carved between commercial cities , commoner towns and a number of smallholder sword nobles holding small rural estates.
In theory the planet is ruled by a Noble Council , though in practice said Noble Council defer to the word of the Guild , rural nobles having their debts paid and estates expenses covered , and the Guild keeping on hand a number of unlanded sword nobles to vote on the Council and overturn challenges in case the rural nobles try to upend the arrangement.

Rolman · Mar 10, 2024

Bethelain: an Overview

At a glance.

Atmosphere: Nitrogen-oxygen, breathable without aid.
Surface area: 214.3 million meters squared, or 1.08 Terras.
Ocean Cover: 94 percent. No landmasses worthy of continental designation.
Average temperature 45 degrees latitude: 17.2 degrees celsius.
Average temperature at equator: 24.8 degrees celsius.
Population: 1.2 billion.
Family seat: La Montagne, Île-de-Esturgeon.

History.

Bethelain was one of a triumphant mankind's many experiments during the age of expansion and colonization long ago. Using scientific and engineering marvels long since rendered incomprehensible to contemporary scholars, Bethelain's many islands were literally ripped up from the seafloor and seeded with kilometers of soil, artificial aquifers, and Terra-analogous land-based life.

Bethelain was populated with Terrans and colonials of Francophone origin, regardless of earthly national or cultural-racial ties. Early incarnations of planetary culture were defined by neo-Catholicism and cultural exchange between those of earthly African and European origins.

Largely considered a backwater on the galactic scale, the planet slipped into relative anarchy during the Second Dark Age. Planetary lords and military commanders turned on each other, destroying the planet's irreplaceable orbital shipyards and condemning Bethelain to a near-century of earthbound isolation.

Its petty autocrats, focused on complex games of planetary naval warfare and nuclear brinkmanship, were only just beginning to recontact the galactic community when the du Pont warlord-adventurer Todor arrived. A scripture-quoting man of esoteric interests, his mainline Saint-worship captured the hearts of pious Bethelainais when disseminated in translation. With the planet's nation-states slipping into sudden religious revolution, Todor proceeded to sweep the petty lords' fledgling navies aside, bathe the planet in an electromagnetic pulse, and start from scratch.

Tens of millions died in the chaos of civil unrest, famine, and general deprivation. But the now-Count shaped the world in his image as a leader of the faithful, remolding Bethelainais religious beliefs and restoring or otherwise introducing modern amenities to the world in a campaign of zealous reconstruction.

Although no longer a quasi-theocracy, the blood of Todor – regarded by many Bethelainais to be a Saint – would reign in perpetuity. His descendents joined the Second Empire peaceably, following the lead of their mainline du Pont cousins, and the planet and its line of faithful rulers would enjoy relative obscurity until now.

Climate.

Planet Bethelain is defined by moisture, and its islands by craggy mountains of laser-aged coral. Its northern and southern latitudes are therefore primarily temperate rainforest, as ocean storms pool in coastal lowlands.

The equatorial regions of the planet vary between a semi-arid Mediterranean climate and the subtropical: Bethelain's twin moons spare the planet from constant tsunamis by virtue of their distance, but engender the planet with exotic tidal systems and unpredictable weather. Undersea volcanic systems make earthquakes and tsunamis a risk across much of the planet.

Flora and Fauna.

The land-based life of Bethelain would be recognizable to most native Terrans: the north and south are defined by vast rainforests of tall spruce and hemlock, while the equator alternates between redwood forests, scrublands, and low jungle. Terran animals ranging from elk to jaguars were introduced to the world, and flocks of parrots pose a constant nuisance around the equator. In the polar regions, populations of mammoth exist.

But the sea is alien. Filter-feeding shark-likes the size of starships, serpents the circumference of a firehose but hundreds of meters in length, beds of bioluminescent plankton lighting up the seafloor in murky greens and whites as far as the human eye can see. The wonders of Bethelain's Bleu are countless.

People.

The Bethelainais are invariably stereotyped as superstitious, adventurous, and stoic. Having endured a particularly brutal collapse during the Dark Age and united under considerable duress, Bethelanais people are thought to bear insult and injury with faith and patience, communing with Saints and blessed ancestors for advice before taking retaliatory action, if any. Meanwhile, a love of the sea has translated into a love of the stars, as the humans of Bethelain are known for striking out into the ether well-accustomed to cramped quarters and long days of focus-intensive, technical work. Combined with the planet's relative poverty, a Bethelainais can be found in any bar across the sector hungry for the holy human experience as much as they are for coin.

Bethelainais are noted for their variable appearances – a testament to the planet's original, diverse scheme of peopling. Skin tones range from pink or ivory in color to dark brown, while the people of Bethelain run the gamut of hair and eye color, hair texture, and facial features. Equatorial Bethelainais are stereotypically sunkissed and beautiful, while those from the north and south are thought of as homelier and stockier.

Industry and Economy.

The sea is the lifeblood of Bethelain. It provides food, water, energy, and wealth. The fact that the isles are themselves near-barren require some dissonance to be ignored by the faithful.

People subsist on sealife of all sorts, from introduced Terran fish to dog-sized crustaceans and native edible corals. Meager farming yields on land make fruits and terrestrial vegetables luxury goods, and Bethelainais cuisine is renowned for its ability to draw out many flavors from a limited list of ingredients.

Bethelain's top exports by volume include deep-sea hydrocarbons, a smattering of rare minerals, exotic seafood, organic fuels, and various sodiums. The working class of Bethelain toil primarily as industrial fisherfolk, desalinators, hydrocarbon rig workers, refinery workers, and as farmers of seaweed, algae, and crustaceans.

Bethelain's most lucrative export – and its most well-known – are its many algaes and planktons, noted by scientist, doctor, and narcotic-enjoyer alike to bear many unique and invaluable pharmacological markers. Bethelainais algae is used primarily in advanced medicines and for less-than-legal purposes, but also bears the distinction of being considered holy within the planetary brand of Saint-Worship: the potent psychoactive effects of many species are considered by the philosopher-chemists of Saint Todor to provide a link beyond the Veil, to allow a tapping-in of the sum consciousness of the human race.

Additionally, the wonders of the Bleu and the islands' coral-mountains draw wealthy tourists from across the sector, eager to vacation on the Bethelainais equator.

Laplace · Mar 10, 2024

VESEL VON VOSS
ARCHETYPE: SWORD NOBLE
FACTION: THE 'VON' VOSS 'FAMILY'
LOCATION: Lunar Orbits of Obferplatz

Hang zhem all! Am I a verdamnt sverdnable or false? My domain is peaceful and calm, and everyone who naysays be a liar!

At sixteen, leaping to spring the enemies' traps. At twenty, bloody with foeblood. Now at thirty, seeking restlessly verse-immortality.

Vesel von Voss is brutish. He may not be able to read. His idea of taxation involves holding peasantry upside down over an empty sack. He has a gluttonous taste for... well, everything, consuming the rarest brandy directly from the bottle and wine from the box. When a priest informed him that only through a sober life could one obtain life eternal, the eager Vesel von Voss threw the priest out of the airlock, expecting to see the priest survive unharmed.

In short, he is the perfect noble. There are many doubters.

The petitioner may find Herr von Voss at his leisure: the lunar orbits of Obferplatz, which he won as his fief for leal service to his lord, the Mangate House of Obferplatz. Any accusations that Herr von Voss only has this position because he moved in one day and began taxing the orbits is slander, and thus in short, meet him in the field, poltroon. The Magnate House of Obferplatz has so far decided that Herr von Voss is more of a hassle to remove, and besides, having a sword noble on a very long and indeed occasionally nonexistant leash is better than having no sword noble at all. So far, he's defended the Magnate House in multiple incursions by their competiters, in one occasion mounting a daring one man raid into the enemy's offices and driving all of the clerks within out into the howling desert, while later returning to duel the Sword Noble bodyguard of said house, to the victory of Herr von Voss.

Such daring and most definitely criminal acts are von Voss' bread and butter. He is admired amongst his fellow sword nobles, treated as somewhat of a pest by his nobles, and constantly curried favors by the criminal underworld, which von Voss exherts a strict control over. Gambling rackets, distilleries, and fighting rings, smuggling concerns, all must show their respect to the great Herr von Voss lest the great Herr von Voss goes to them. The irony of undercutting his own leige lord has yet reached him. He also thinks irony has something to do with metal.

Noco · Mar 10, 2024

OBRI NIKLOT
Altprinz of Rerik, Chieftain of the Skioritai, Polemarch of the Phratra

Head Bio: Once, the planet Rerik was the northern jewel of the Alsace Sector, a world divided between great foundries and well-preserved natural forests. It was a bulwark against the Lacedaemonians, strong enough to dissuade attack and rich enough to promote cordial trade. It would stand perhaps as one of the most powerful strongholds today, if not for the greed and misfortune of its ruling dynasty - the March Princes Niklot.

The Niklots dug deep, far too deep, and did well to scourge their own world, each successive prince doubling the efforts of the last. Even as the world cracked and its crust faltered, mineral wealth was scooped from its mantle until poor Rerik could provide no more. When the world was lost beyond any measure, the Niklots looked to their liege-lords of the Du Pont dynasty and demanded compensation as befitted their service and rank. A new fief was what they sought, but they were denied. Instead the Niklots were given the status of Sword Nobles, an accolade for lowborns, but a humbling for a house as once high as House Niklot.
In an instant, the Niklots were destitute, deprived of land and notable allegiances. Wismar Niklot, once-prince of Rerik, derided the Du Ponts and proclaimed that his family would be avenged. So it was that young Obri Niklot, grandson to Prince Wismar, son to Prince Enri, was raised and tutored and matured in an atmosphere of hatred and bitterness and envy.

As a youth, Obri served as a mercenary, while his father tried in vain to restore the family's status. He travelled the Empire, becoming learned in war and the strangeness of the galaxy. Those remaining in fealty to House Niklot, the sons and grandsons of once-landed Rerikites, followed Obri and became akin to true brothers. Much of what Obri did during this time is shrouded in mystery and rumor. Some claim he consorted with the occult, or that he womanized across entire sectors, or that he had became a pirate in the Tsarate. In actuality, Obri Nikot and his band of mercenary band did operate across the galaxy, but had found great success in the sectors belonging to the Lacedaemonian Brotherhood. There he truly discovered himself, a fierce and brutal warrior, a killer and hunter and leader of Men. In Lacedaemonian space, he gathered a warband, comprised of sworn men. To his oldest supporters, he was Altprinz, to the border-folk he subjugated and subsumed, he was now Chieftain of the Skioritai, and to his most masculine band of Lacedaemonian bannerman, he was Polemarch of their Phratra. Though from different worlds, each was common in their liege-lord.

When Prince Enri died from the Smiling Death, it was said that Obri declined to attend the funeral, only transmitting back a message asserting his inheritance and a directive to deep-clean the remaining familial assets. Some years passed before at last he returned in the flesh, now joined by an imposing coalition of Rerikites and foreigners hardened in war. Having been in Alsace for a mere year, Obri has nevertheless accrued a dark reputation - that he consorts to alien devils, or lays with Lacedaemonian men, or was even responsible for the Smiling Death.
All these are mere rumors and nothing more. But Obri Niklot will avenge his grandfather, and has for now accepted his ill-reputation with a knowing smile.

Archetype: Sword Noble

The Black Bull of Rerik

Faction Name: The House Niklot

Location: Nako Station, a commercial port orbiting the ruins of old Rerik. Once a prosperous hub for mineral traffic, it is now moreso a stop for fringe traffic, pilgrims, and the galactic underbelly.

Faction History: Since its fall, House Niklot has become virtually unrecognizable from its past self. Led solely by Obri Niklot, its retainers are a peculiar mixture of old-guard descended from old Rerik, enslaved barbarians from the far-northern tribe of Skioritai, and the sworn-brothers of the Phratra, Lacedaemonians in voluntary homage to Obri Niklot. In the short year since Obri Niklot's return to Alsace space, the band has served in minor skirmishes along the border, predominantly along space nearest the Tsarate, demonstrating competency and ferocity. Encamped, most only know of House Niklot's return through rumor and scandal, the exact composition of its forces a subject of speculation and controversy.

THatWhichWillBe · Mar 11, 2024

Star-Slaying Sage, Lancelot of Heavenspeak
Grandmaster of the Most Puissant Order of Sidereal Swords
Fourth Degree Sword-Saint of the True Sword Sect
Seventh Bearer of the Blade-Relic, Crescent Argent

Faction Head: Grandmaster Lancelot, Fifth in the line of Star-Slaying Sages
Head Bio: Each Grandmaster of the Order must be committed utterly to the blade. They shed their family name and take up a new one, and all record of their origin within the monastery is destroyed. Lancelot is not an exception to this. But once, before the plague and the civil war, he was a bastard son of the Du Pont line. A tarnish upon the Du Pont name, he was sent to the Order, where he could find himself a place where one's name was defined only by one's virtue and one's blade.

In this, at least, Lancelot excelled. The freedom of the blade was intoxicating. He proved himself among the Order's Brothers by battling Crøbs upon the surface of Crab-19, and dueling his fellow students of the sword, before earning the right to perform Sword Pilgrimidge.

Under the nom de guerre of the 'Lone Star', he and a band of his fellow Sword-Brothers would wander, challenging mighty opponents to hone their skills. Pirates and Sword Nobles, Xenofauna and Tsarist raiders, all fell under his blade. His travels took him far amongst the many stars of the galaxy, earning him fame and renown amongst the commonfolk, as well as great respect within the wider True Sword Sect. A dashing, romantic hero- a Saint of the Blade known and renowned, for whom ladies swooned, the terror of many duelists. He took the Crescent Argent from the great warrior known as Eyes-Like-Suns, and with it, carved his way into bloody legend.

Then the Smiling Death came.

His brothers fell to sickness, not the blade. Lancelot clawed his way home amidst the civil war- an odyssey of one. He was racked with the sickness the whole way, resorting to intense meditation to stave off the killing laughter with clarity of self, and battling foes amidst the chaos of the Empire's anarchy whilst half-dead. By the time he arrived back in the sector, he was a new man- impurities in his mind and form torn away by the trial, and fully recovered from that dread plague. But his father... as well as the Duke Du Pont... was dead. The Grandmaster of his old order had died as well- the Smiling Death taking him as it did so many.

So now Lancelot takes the helm of the Order in a time of troubles. A sword-age comes. And there is much potential for one who can claim bastard lineage from Du Pont... But he does not know if he could. He does not know if he should. But there is one truth he does know.

There is yet need for a Saint of the Blade.

Archetype: MONASTIC

Faction Name: The Order of Sidereal Swords
Location: Heavenspeak, a Moon in orbit of Crab-19
Faction History: The general history, happenings, and vibe of your group. Please include information about the location your heartlands are located-if you are starting on one of the predetailed planets, please make up another planet instead- making up planets is hard, help me fill in the map, and don't write you are from "planet lostech, where all the best technology and resources rain from the sky and its so great living here."

Heavenspeak is the moon of Crab-19. A mountainous, craggy world, whose peaks are shrouded by mist. Upon these peaks, the peasantry live with difficulty- But there is yet wealth there to be had on the world, in the rare ores found beneath ancient peaks. No lord rules this realm- no Marquis's castle looms. Instead, this world is under the aegis of the ancient Order of Sidereal Swords. A dozen monasteries dot its surface, each one a great complex thronged by Sword-Brothers of the True Sword. Many nobles' second and third sons filling its halls. More aspire to match its exacting standards. The Order is ancient, and its esoteric blade-arts honed to a legendary standard, as its acolytes train relentlessly amongst the cliffs, weighed down by Artigrav restraints. Its survival was sustained despite crack-downs upon the True Sword throughout the years for a simple reason, one simple fact holding at bay countless attempts at purgation and inquisition.

It is this world that produces much of the Crabinite the sector consumes.

Every season, brothers of the Order of Sidereal Swords descend to Crab-19. Those who survive return bearing the carcasses of a great many Crøbs, and the brothers of the Monasteries process these carcasses into the 'Sword-Dust' that so many across the Galaxy crave. Much of this it retains for itself, its brothers using Crabinite to reach new heights of their esoteric blade-arts. But the remainder is given as 'gifts' in exchange for various 'donations' to the Order.

This status has been oft contended, of course. Lords have tried to conquer them, even the Lacedaemons have come across the border once to try to seize the world of Crab-19 and the fortress-monasteries of Heavenspeak. Time and time again, the Order has held on- even in the face of rival orders within the True Sword Sect trying to bring them down in time-honored tests of swordsmanship. And in turn, long has the Order maintained a neutrality in the face of the sector's politics- for the True Sword Sect's place in Empire is forever tenuous. But with the civil war and the plague... Perhaps that is about to change...

Thiccroy · Mar 11, 2024

HOUSE du Saint-Concord
Led by the TRUE EMPEROX
HEIR OF THE CONQUEROR

"Who stands before their own Unmaker?"

August Hugues du Saint-Concord
Friend of the Lacedaemons,
Usurper of Concord,
Kinslayer.

WHEN GORLITZ BURNED, it is said, passed down from generation to generation, past the second dark age and to the day when August was born, that his ancestors, a maid, supposedly married in secret to the last Emperox before the Civil War that tore the First Empire apart and carrying within her the seed of the last Emperox, was taken away into the distant stars. Forgotten and nurtured at first by a conclave of loyalists, for a century, this line was passed down the female line, for it seemed the supposed last bloodline of the Conqueror would disappear. It needed strong blood.

A plan was crafted by the most loyal and closest of their compatriots. Bloodlines were kept up in dark corners of the known galaxy. As the Second Dark age wrought across what was once the First Empire, this 'Maiden Bloodline' found another- of distant cousins of Adelard the Conqueror's brood passing their genes unknowingly down a paternal line. They continued to watch them, even as these sentinels of this chosen bloodline died and became wayward smallfolk, courtiers and, of course, the maids that carried this sacred gene.

The time came, when Concord was settled.

SEVENTY SEVEN YEARS AGO, the planet of Concord was given to a soldier of the du Pont family. A strong man, Hugues Saint-Concord was a loyal sword-noble of the Alsace sector, serving his duke diligently as a marcher lord, and dutifully so, beating back raid after raid of Lacedaemon soldiers. In one of these raids, a village elder of a newly made hamlet gifted the most beautiful woman up as a maid for the old Lord. Fifty years ago, as a bastard, August's father was born. Bred from the line of Adelard and from the line of a sword-noble, the rise of a new Emperox could be possible.

And yet, the bastard did not know of his true heritage. He was cast out from the palace, to live with his mother, hidden in the tundras of Concord. Due to his heritage, the boy grew taller than most of his brethren, and, in a destined meeting, fought off a Lacedaemonian brother, killing him with a lucky, yet true strike. Taken in as a slave, this young Hugues was given one final chance to speak to his mother before being taken away. The brevity of his situation was bore onto him.

Becoming a slave, the young Hugues knew his purpose. It was too soon for him to escape and become Emperox, and with no real help, it would be impossible. As such, he would prove himself to the Brotherhood, becoming a grizzled slave warrior, earning his freedom and the right to have a son. A son in his own image, but made perfect for all to see. Like a newly come angel to free them all…

A YEAR AGO, the old, aging Lord Saint-Concord lounged in his palace. Long had the Brotherhood not attacked, his small colony world on the marches was prospering, and all was good. Until, as he tended to his court in the evening, his Palace guards rushed in. In secret and under the cover of night, a bloodthirsty band of Lacedaemonians burst into the Palace. Before the Lord could come back to his senses, he looked upon this band, coming through the hall's main doors. Like a triumphant conqueror, the spitting image of himself in youth waltzed forth, his youngest granddaughter over his shoulder and his sword bloody.

August Hugues du Saint-Concord crowned himself as Lord of Concord, seated himself upon his Grandfather's throne as Usurper, and, to the horror of the subjugated courtiers and the cheering crowd of a hundred brothers of Lacedaemon, proclaimed himself as the TRUE heir of Adelard and EMPEROX.

Archetype: Outsider

THE PLANET OF CONCORD

CONCORD was officially colonized eighty years ago, and gifted to the Saint-Concord House for their efforts in combating the northern threat of the Brotherhood. It is a harsh world of tundras, high peaks and heavy gravity, making the newer generations of serfs here born with a shorter height, but stockier build. Its forests prove to hide a very, very small deposit of Hellrime, which, since its founding by serf shepherds in the mountains fifty years ago, was gifted away to the Guilds.

The planet is orbited by two moons, and it is not large. Due to its need as a shield against the Brotherhood, much of its resources have been to war: its hamlets, villages and towns parsed across controlled and patrolled lands overseer by forts of loyal men-at-arms. A great dock had been built since its colonization, and as such the planet has been mostly militarized, living under a soft military junta of sorts, of smaller lands across the planet gifted to loyal captains and their families of the Saint-Concord retinue and personal fleet.

The main capital, PRECIPICE OF CONCORD, or simply Concord City amongst the smallfolk, is regimental and guarded by thick defenses, shielding and anti air batteries throughout its streets and corners. To take Concord, it would mean either a daring night attack or the full force of a fleet. The smallfolk that live within and outside of the city are those willing to settle the new colony for a chance to own land and have ingratiated themselves with the world over the past seven decades. As such, faith, or the lack thereof, is motley in nature, and moreover was not a point of contention for the Saint-Concord lordship. Until now.

Ever since the Usurpation, August, styling himself as Emperox, has caused an uproar. Freeing the smallfolk to be citizens of his new realm and gifting them the right to protect themselves with swords, he used a large number of these smallfolk volunteers, galvanized by his dashing charisma and new land and civil reforms to crush any and all captains and other military personnel that denied him full control of Concord. To make sure of the secrecy of his ascension, until now, he had sabotaged the dock of the planet, and after his slaying of most of the Saint-Concord line (and marrying his cousin), he also boarded and forced to ground many fleeing captains that were disorganized and surprised by the death of their Lord.

The planet of Concord, now taken over, has, over the past year, been through the process of occupation and assimilation by an invading force of Lacedaemonians claiming to hail their new Emperox. Women are allowed the freedom of marriage, however men of ages 12 to 19, all free from serfdom, are required to pass through a rigorous test of strength and willpower. They are then given the choice of continuing life as a free man able to do as they wish and to protect themselves, under the laws of the Emperox, or to serve in His forces. The new Emperox has also erected an official Imperial Cult around him, claiming to be a new patron in the pantheon of legends of the Cult of Saints.

Fancy Face · Mar 11, 2024

Faction Head: Rixfennid Artur Mac-Nels of the Fenian, the fourth Prophet, Crøb-Kin, Master of the Fens

Head Bio: The smiling death was the death of Artur, and the birth of the Prophet. While the nomadic, clannish nature of the Fenian limited the spread of the plague, those encampments whom it struck could expect nothing less than total annihilation. Then a bold hunter and raider, the death that scythed through his clan-kin shattered the man, and he retreated into the hunt. It was a common thing among the Fenian-a fian old in years or broken would go "hunting" so that they might die an honored death at the hands of the Crøb. But Artur did not die. Perhaps the story he tells is true, that the Crøb spared him, or maybe he was still too stubborn to die. But either way, a Crøb ancient died by his hand and a vast swell of Carcinite was consumed in the aftermath, granting him a terrible, potent vision of the upcoming future. The hunter died that day, and only the Prophet returned, spreading the word of his faith like a wildfire among the Fenian and consolidating his power and creed. Now 53 years old, he is the closest thing they have to a leader, but he knows his work is far from over.

The wisdom of the three Prophets has been corrupted by the touch of avarice and the decadence of tyrant emperors. The Pap has lost sight of their holy mission and forfeited their office in favor of earthly wealth. The sacred Crøb bring wisdom to humanity and show the clear way, though their example and through the holy Carcinite. Howe was right, but wrong to think humanity might be shown wisdom through example. Only by throwing off the shackles of the Empire can mankind truly be free among the stars.

Archetype: Heresiarch
Faction Name: The Fenian
Location: Crab-29
Faction History: While most emperors in the modern era only lose their seat through a lack of political support, the ancient dying days of the Harcourt could not have been a more violent example of upheaval, and the second galactic dark age led to disruption and death on a vast scale. Many noble houses who had supported either party in the war found themselves bereft of their protectors and turned upon by their allies, while leaderless bands of mercenaries ravaged entire planets and countless commoners were forced to flee, seeking sanctuary. In this environment of hopelessness, a charismatic preacher only known by the name of Howe rallied a following with his creed. He preached that the Harcourts, and mankind, had fallen to vice, and that the only recourse now lay in reforming society and doing away with distinctions of class and birth. These ideas were popular among those without, but unpopular among those with power, and Howe's adherents were pursued and exiled to the most distant sectors of the empire. In the Alsace sector, those most bitterly dedicated would finally settle upon the hellish Crøb infested swamps and bogs of Crab-29, where they could be confident they would not be pursued, and they would live lives of dedication untempted by vice, a shining oasis of wisdom and faith.

Centuries later, the dissidents have dramatically diverged into nomadic warriors and hunters known as the Fenian, at home within the swamps of the planet, their clans only meeting occasionally in great assemblies marked by wild celebration and many contests of strength and wit. Each clan is lead by an Ardrix, or Chief, who is responsible for leading the Fianna or Warriors in battle and hunting. The only unified leader of the clans, loosely, is the Rixfennid, or the Chief of the Warriors, responsible for leading all clans in war and the hunt. The Fenian's entire way of life centers around the Crøb, and they revere the beasts with a reverence that had already distorted their heterodox creed of the Universal Faith before the Fourth Prophet pushed them even further. The Fenian are canny warriors practiced in ambush and trickery, and have even managed to develop a skilled tradition of craftsmanship over their long exile. They trade Carcinite with smugglers, sidestepping the authority of the few trade and hunting outposts on Crab-29 and allowing them to maintain their own stocks of weaponry and wealth, though space travel itself remains beyond their reach.

Furrybacon · Mar 11, 2024

Ser Freidrick Ezekiel Decant De Castille Son De Trieste the Fellhanded, Cadet to the House of Trieste, Knight Captain of the Honored Company of the Sunhawk.

Ser Freidrick Ezekiel Decant De Castile Son De Trieste was born in the Encampment Fortress of the Order of Sunhawk, as the first son of a third daughter of a third son. He was risen far from the grand palaces of the Landed Nobles of the Second Empire, and knew only the Mercenary Sword Nobles of the Sunhawk Company as his birthright. Entitled to a sword by rite, he earned a reputation for skill, aggression, and ambition fighting the Metamen on mercenary service. Rambunctious and dismissive of the pomp of the Landed Marquis and Counts, he earned command of the Sunhawks and the title Fellhanded at a young age, and command of the Sunhawks as his birthright upon his mother's death. Contented with mecranism and the glory of battle, he never imagined life beyond the next contract and war.

And then Jurgen Jean-Marie Spencer D'Aristide Zu Battenberg commissioned the Sunhawks, among many forces to March on Lapis Lazuli and unseat the old Imperial Family. Beset by wealth and estates, and then enchanted by the daughter of a DeCouncy Loyalist Count, Ser Zeke the Fellhanded made a decision. His child would own land.

Keenly aware at how his ambition would label him a renegade in the Core of the Empire, the absence of a Duke on a far frontier has enticed his, perhaps doomed, opportunism. He knows he will be inserting himself into an established base of ambitions and connections. He knows he will stand counter to the status quo. He knows the risk. But his ambition, backed by his Sunhawks - all bound up in his dreams through personal honor, loyalty, and promises of wealth - has grown too far. He will seize a future for his line - or he will die trying.

Archetype: Outsider

Faction Name: The Honored Company of Sunhawks, Knight Captain

Faction History:
The Sunhawk Company are, but for the ambitions of its Captain, a typical but noteably honored host of Unlanded Sword Nobles, a respectable course for the third children of Counts and Barons. Nominally connected to the House of Trieste, those ties were challenged when Freidrick Ezekiel decamped for Alsace.

Known for their bright Golden Armor, the Sunhawk Company have a well deserved reputation as shock troops.

Planet: Garmich

A mountainous but unassuming world primarily home to agricultural serfs and extraction industries. Locally famous for a series of local "Passion Plays" dedicated to the Universalist Faith that happen once every seven years. The local Count, a long distant cousin of Ser Freidrick, is conservative but largely unambutious, more concerned with his own petty domain than the happenings of the wider sector.

Simpli · Mar 14, 2024

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Faction Head: Sibyl de Marle
Archetype: Magnate
Age: 28
Head Bio:

The power to launch vast fleets, the ability to call upon strong arms in numbers to best one's rival, the charm that captures enemies and lovers alike – all rest upon many things, but non quite as harmless as the ability to invite to an impressive feast. In the distant past, the first nobles found their workers, their warriors on such events, sharing their surplus with a chosen company and offering them both entertainment and gifts that none other could match. As human history progressed, as technology, culture and taste sharpened and twisted, ever changing between political and economic diners, official feasts for the masses and small intimate occasions for the powerful, what made up a good event changed ever more – till Vvhanil came into existence.

Sibyl de Marle stands in a long tradition of Arbiter Elegantiae, a title that has established itself both by virtue of personal taste and education, as well as control of the largest orbital growing habitats for Hamelin in the Duchy, home to a both priceless and horribly vulnerable growth that a failure in the heating or irrigation system could wipe out. She stands at the head of a guild of growers, planters and gene-cultivators who control the various stations surrounding Hohenburg, utilizing the power of the sun to create ideal conditions for the sensitive plants – while using their knowledge and tradition to preserve the purity of the flowers and spice that is created by them.

The de Marle family guides the guild as first among equals by virtue of their ancient records, their large output of saplings and the personal alliances that bind them with the other growers. Sibyl de Marle stands as head after her parents transport had been lost to an attack among the stars, guiding the guild forward with a soft charm and a tight control on all vials of Vvhanil.

Location: Orbit of Hohenburg

Faction History:
Today there are many reasons why the centre of the Guild Elegantiae is located over the World of Hohenburg but the most timeless and truthfully initial decision to place them above the capital of the sector instead of another less tightly controlled world came from the presence of the jump point. Unusually large and well known it allows for swift and secure shipping to other parts of the sector and the empire beyond, with the guild able to engage with other experts on the growth of the Hamelin plant when the genestock grows peculiar or needs an infusion of fresh growth. As Hohenborg rose in prominence and power and with it the ducal family and the assorted nobles, so did the demand for Vvhanil and other lesser spices and delicacies. As such more orbital gardens were erected, laboratories and labs built and fast, little courier ships hired to bring deliveries to the wide flung courts of grander and lesser nobles without interference.

As such the guild started as a very specialised group of families with a common trade and over the decades diversified and used the wealth grown from the Hamelin plant to engage in other ventures that fit well to their original trade. From aqua farms on the surface of Hohenbourg nurturing and breeding both colourful and delectable maritime creatures and plans, to the base camps on the surface of Crab-19, where the strangling jungle seldom gives up interesting plants that serve as spices or decoration for culinary creations. Factors on a variety of worlds keep both the more mundane spice trade and the high quality and low quantity trade of Vvhanil going.

The Smiling Death devastated both the workforce and the clients of the Guild, with the closed Ducal Palace a clear sign of the times they were living in. Only by fastidious isolation and harsh controls of all labourers was the guild able to preserve the harvest of the Hamelin, even if it meant that a whole generation of the guild came of age having known little more than the walls of their orbitals and the distant contact to couriers and void-going crews that picked up the finished vials without getting into contact with the orbital gardens.

It was once again a steady reminder that the wealth of the guild was most vulnerable, human error – not even sabotage or an attack – could ruin whole harvests and destroy valuable saplings and gene-stock. The Guild had survived to these days by being the friends of all and enemies of none – and who knew if the current situation in the sector would allow this to continue?

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Skrevski · Mar 15, 2024

Markus Augustine Koch-und-Kliest
Lord Castillian of Highlodge und Grafombudsman of the Serene Mistshadow world of Ehiri

Archetype: Noble
Age: 47
Head Bio: Markus Augustine Koch-und-Kliest comes from a long line of Grafombudsman, tasked with protecting the people of Ehiri and combating the Tsarate raids into the sector. Markus grew up following in his father's stead but admired his uncle Claudius, a hero on Ehiri and a steadfast loyalist of the Du Pont. His father, Malkolm, was taken during a Tsarate raid that saw him tortured and blinded, a man losing his faith within The Universal Faith and all around him. He would take his own life as the Smiling Death consumed him, forcing responsibility to fall on Markus.

Markus has been the Grafombudsman for the last ten years, holding the line against the Artmon, declaring them "unholy" as to their beliefs and "disgrace" upon their bodies. When the civil war broke across the Empire, Claudius took what soldiers could be spared to fight for the Du Ponts, with most of the Ehiri Wächter (Guardians) remaining home to protect their homeland and the sector's borders.

His death would shake Markus to the core, blaming himself for not doing more to see his uncle supported even as Tsarate raids continued to increase. Markus toed the line, knowing his House was being watched due to the support of the Du Pont's, holding to his duty to protect the Empire's borders, Ehiri, and his family. Markus had now made a vow that he would make sure his family always came first, never to be left behind again, while seeing his people thrive in a galaxy of unknowns.

House Koch-und-Kliest

Location: The Serene Mistshadow world of Ehiri
Faction History: The Serene Planet of Ehiri is the home of House Koch-und-Kliest, a world of low and highlands of mountain ranges and hidden valleys, crosscut with rivers and streams, covered in mist and shadow. House Koch-und-Kliest has long been the Grafombudsman of the world, born from the first settlers and since expanded sitting in their seat of Highlodge.

While many consider Ehiri a beautiful and lush world, it holds dark secrets. Shadows hide violent predators that haunt children's dreams and put fear into the greatest warriors. Holdfasts dot the world, home to the Ehiri Wächter (Guardians), though it has been an age since they have been called up in force. Skilled in fighting in shadow and darkness, Schattenwandler (Shadow Walkers) make up the elite of any Holdfast, small in number but a true honor to be accepted.

The House and Ehiri hold loyalty to the Second Empire, but they have not forgotten their ties to House Du Pont, to whom they owe much of their past and status. The House and her Grafombudsman hold true, watching the border, protecting it, while keeping away the shadows and keeping the Universal Faith flourishing.

Moulin630 · Mar 16, 2024

Faction Head: Louise de Dauphiné

Head Bio: Louise de Dauphiné is a young woman of 23 years old, born from a noble family and as the last children of her parents she will inherit nothing other than her education and the right to bear blade. She will excel in her education, in particular her martial study, she will also start to show her charisma by becoming the leader of her group of friends composed of other noble children in the same position as her.

She leaves her family home at 16 with her friends, forming what will become the Compagnie Blanche with Louis as its commander. She will lead the company and learn on the job how to manage the finances of the company, how to negotiate with their employer and everything needed to manage the company. If at the start it was difficult, she rapidly grew to the role and with her charisma and her tactics led the company to success, securing contracts with the noble houses and magnates of the sector and recruiting other sword nobles like them making the company grow in size.

Archetype: Sword Noble

Faction Name: The Compagnie Blanche

Location: Hohenburg

Faction History: The Compagnie Blanche was created by Louise de Dauphiné and her friends. They served as mercenaries for the noble houses and magnate guilds. It has seen difficult periods but under the leadership of its commander Louise de Dauphiné and her tactical and administrative prowess it has successfully navigated these difficult periods and the Compagnie has prospered and grown in size.

Theaxofwar · Mar 18, 2024

Brother John

Head Bio: John was born a poor son of factory workers on the minor world of Redsea. Born from nothing, he should have remained nothing for as long as he lived. Yet, John was raised as part of the Cult of Saints, and his devotion and intelligence saw him recruited into their number. There, John quickly rose through the ranks, becoming the youngest head of the Order of St. Franklin in history at thirty-five. This was heavily aided by his insistence on having received personal visions from St. Franklin, which saw him learning ancient forgotten techniques, techniques that could only be accessed through the consumption of carcinite. Having recently been granted a vision instructing him to spread the word of St. Franklin to foreign worlds, Brother John now prepares to leave the only planet he's ever known.

Archetype: Monastic

Faction Name: The Brothers of St. Franklin
Location: Redsea
Faction History: The Brothers of St. Franklin are a monastic order from the world of Redsea. They are devoted specifically to the works of St. Franklin, a saint important to Redsea but largely unknown beyond the planet. It is said St. Franklin brought the Cult of Saints to Redsea, that his very presence could turn the red seas a dazzling blue, that he could walk through the sky and slay evildoers with a glance. The order is decently powerful on Redsea, though it competes with the Universal Faith and other powerful Saint Cults for influence. Of course, Redsea itself is no real prize: a world far from Alsace and Verdun whose only noteworthy feature is the edible red plankton that grows in its oceans.

Despite these troubles, the rise of Brother John has heavily revitalized the sect. His leadership and seeming miracles have drawn lax faithful back into the fold, and his preaching has seen converts from the Universal Faith and wider support for the Brothers of St. Franklin by wealthier followers of the Cult of Saints. His quest to spread the word of St. Franklin abroad has brought a great deal of pride and excitement from natives of Redsea, who for perhaps the first time believe they have a hope for relevance on the galactic stage.

Ranger · Mar 20, 2024

Faction Head: Iarll Lili Vaughn von Valles
Head Bio: The most recent noble of the long distinguished von Valles family line, from the planet of Valles, Lili Vaughn inherited the position of Iarll a half decade previously, by way of being the only surviving member of her generation following the Smiling Death. Since then she has seen to shoring up the dynasty by adopting in members of branch families, as well as repairing the damage the Death did to Valles itself. Valles managed to avoid being caught in the civil war, emerging as neither on the side of the victors nor the defeated. In the modern day, with Valles more or less recovered from it's lows, Lili Vaughn has come to focus her attention outward, back to the rest of the Empire and bring her family back into the prestige it once had.

Archetype: Noble
Faction Name: The Iarlldom of Valles

Location: Valles
Faction History: The planet Valles is a tectonically young world, with a thick atmosphere being fed by regular volcanic eruptions. To some it would be a terrible world to hold. A thought not helped by the fact that it is just barely within the bounds of hospitable. Cities on it's surface are built both with the ability to walk outside, but also with buildings and districts interconnected by a web of above and underground walkways and trams, used for whenever the planet's weather brings thick ash fogs into the area. Magnetic stabilization stations, regular monitoring, proper surveying, and last ditch geoforming keep most of the volcanic activity away from the cities but for those that live near a fault line on the rather (geologically) fast moving plates there is sometimes the need to evacuate a city and move it somewhere more stable. Still, away from these volcanic hotspots (and when the previously mentioned weather is not acting up) the planet is a warm and regularly pleasant place to live. A mix of local lichens, slime molds, and early trees, along with imported and heavily invasive flora and fauna from other worlds dominate much of the landscape, growing to gigantic sizes thanks to the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and the vibrant sky, filtered through the clouds even on a 'clear' day, have inspired many an artist.

Valles, unsurprisingly, makes most of it's money through mining and 'dirty' manufacturing. While it isn't the incredible wealth a center of Ice-21 could bring in, the constant volcanic activity means many valuable metals can be found near the surface over large parts of the planet. Materials that are greatly useful in the construction of the armour that has become so prominent in modern society.

Astra Myst · Mar 22, 2024

Faction Head: Saintess Aevelyne ~~de Larocque-Aubigny~~ the Unready
Archetype: Heresiarch
Head History:
"Why, why have you abandoned me? When in my life have I ever been ready for anything that has been entrusted upon me?"

"You who gave me hope of a better tomorrow by our hands, why must you entrust it all upon me? My people need me, and yet they deserve far better than a woman who's saving grace is her skill at Arms."

"And yet the fault lies with me."

Faction: Moths of the Four Saintesses
Faction History:

It was a time of war and plague and famine, the butcher's bill had spared no one on the planet of Tzardia. Lords and ladies were buried even in the same graves as the common folk before their relatives began picking over the bones of their realms. Their magnanimity was stripped further in strife. Reavers and pretenders all, and all the Malice of Man washed over the land like a Deluge.

When the Archdeaconess of Tzardia cured the last remaining heiress of the realm of the Smiling Death, it was but a tiny light of hope for the realm. The new Queen was good and just, yet her burden was as heavy as Atlas. Blessed be the Three Saintesses who came to her aid in restoring compassionate rule to the commonfolk.

Blessed be St. Rhysia, the Archdeaconess who soothed souls and nurtured the flame of hope in the hearts of Man.

Blessed be St. Anghrad, the Nightingale who reignited passion and romance in the lives of all.

Blessed be St. Carina, the Peacemaker who rebuilt a peace of fraternity and brotherhood throughout the land.

May damnation fall upon the houses of the Lakedaimon, conquerors, butchers all who snuffed out the newly found light in Tzardia along with its folk. The Crown was no more, the land naught but ash and flames, it was there that the Queen shattered her Crown barehanded in a fit of madness and gave its pieces to all who survived the Lakedaimon. Commoner, Knight, Soldier, Burgher, Beggar, all of them holds the Crown now, what purpose does it serve after she has failed so thoroughly?

Blessed be St. Aevelyn, the Once-Queen who reached out and brought together all the Saintesses, first of the remaining folk who reach for the future promised by the Archdeaconess, free of toil and sufferance. May their souls remain with her for all time.

Etranger · Mar 23, 2024

Christophe-Frederic Victor Adelard de Hohenkreis, Weltgraf of Sternental, is a middle-aged man at the head of a boisterous, many-branched family of former sword nobles who have established themselves as rulers of the frontier world of Sternental. As head of the family, he continues his father's policy of rulership over the world-county by "rationalizing" his relatives' many interlocking claims -- bribing them to hand over their temporal power, and seizing it when they won't comply.

Christophe-Frederic himself presents an outwardly forbidding visage, suitable for a warlord and frontier ruler, but his true passion is the cultivation of his ancestral planet and its people. Sternental is a brutal, unforgiving world that was originally settled by the Vitones, a tribe of hard-bitten and ruthless heathens who waged ceaseless guerrilla war against the conquerors from the stars. Intermarriage and uplift have dulled their edge, but the Vitonen spirit still resides within the hearts of the Sternentalers even today.

Lacking the agricultural abundance or mineral wealth of more developed worlds, the Hohenkreis weltgrafs have instead invested in space mining and industrial growth, all directed toward the promotion of Sternental's excellently-organized military. The Hohenkreis Star Guards are famous across the sector for their discipline and are often hired out as mercenaries by other nobles with more money and problems than soldiers. A famous saying on Sternental is "in conflict, abundance; in peace, privation."

Sternental is a medium-sized, rocky world with tempestuous seasons. Its agriculture is limited to a few secluded valleys, and its mineral wealth is hidden deep beneath hard, rugged stone. Many nobles and magnates live in "hohentals," or "high vales," luxurious space stations whose artificial internal climates mimic more forgiving worlds. Offworld service is a popular choice among natives.

A key element of the Hohenkreis family is its strong ties to the True Sword Sect, specifically the Order of the Singularity, which advocates the Path of the Black Hole Heart. Singularitan sectarians believe that oneness can be achieved through total self-mastery, such that the outside world can only perceive the enlightened individual's chosen facade, their "coronal image."

Singularitans are famously stoic and reserved, and consider outward shows of emotion to be shameful in the extreme. Spare Sternentaler sons and daughters are often given to the Order, and the Hohenkreis weltgraf remains the ceremonial grandmaster, despite having secularized most of the Order's temporal holdings in the past.

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Rime: A Sci Fi Story of Politics and Power

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Slightly Insane Tactical Genius

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