Empire of Dominia

Overview
The Empire of Dominia was formed from an amalgamation of Unathi pirate clans and human colonists in the mid 25th century. It is made up of a multiple star systems with four key planets. It's national motto is "In Their Name, So Shall It Be Done." It's official language is Tau Ceti Basic and Sinta'Azaziba. What is significant about Dominia is it's state religion, the Moroz Holy Tribunal, which rules alongside the Emperor and creates the laws of the land. It remains diplomatically isolated.

Population and Planets
The total population of the Empire is 993,583,842 based on the 2458 Census. This population is spread out over the nation's territory.

Dominia
The capital planet the Empire with roughly 300 million residents. The planet is largely dominated by its large polar circle which encompasses around 70% of the planets surface. Most settlements are dotted around the equator of the world, though some outer villages and towns are located in the sparse, frigid northern regions. The citizens of these arctic regions are known for their endurance and survival skills causing many to be recruited into the Imperial Army. In recent years efforts have been made to reclaim the polar regions with the use of large Echelon Mirrors, large constructions which direct heat and sunlight into their local surrounding areas. These melt zones are then settled and cultivated. There is a growing rift between the 'original' inhabitants of the polar regions who's rugged, survivalist lifestyle is being replaced by the more 'cushy' urban migrants. Dominia is also home to the prestigious "Juro School of Genetics and Bio-Sciences", a University focusing on genetic research and cross-species biology.

A Specific Faction of Freedom, the Extrastellar Travel Union, calls this system home, usually on Dominia. A desire to break the bluespace monopoly held by Nanotrasen, and a few other corporations is their primary goal.

Spartan
The second most inhabited planet with 300 million people, Spartan has a thin but breathable atmosphere and largely unstable crust. It suffers from frequent natural disasters from earthquakes to volcanoes. Despite the violent geology making permanent habitation dangerous, the unstable crust contains an incredibly rich source of minerals and valuable ores that form the backbone of the local economy.

Alterum Magnum
Carrying around 200 million people, Alterum Magnum is one of the more recent additions to the Empire. Featuring a diverse biosphere and an environment similar to Earths, the planets populations is rapidly growing after coming under Imperial control around two years ago. After a proper government administration was established, surveys revealed that the planet may have been terraformed in the ancient past. Due to the secretive nature of the Imperial government there are no methods of confirming these claims by the government.

Ignotum Balteum
The least populated world in the Empire with 100 millions subjects, Ignotum Balteum is a dry world with a mixed climate of savannas, deserts and arid polar regions. Many Unathi are known to dwell here and the Moroz Holy Tribunal's power is at it's most potent. The Tribunal's influence here can even surpass the Emperors imperial will in some cases.

Economics
Dominia uses the Galactic Credit like the rest of the galaxy, but to SolGov's frustration the system continues to use its own Imperial Pound as a local currency.

The standard of living is extremely stratified. There is an extremely large underclass of the poor underneath a small caste of extremely wealthy land-owners. Dominia has an extremely small, stagnant middle class with limited economic mobility. Many companies in the system are styled after Unathi Guilds.

Societal
Ethnic Groups:
 * 30% Tertiaries
 * 25% Secondaries
 * 20% Primaries
 * 15% Other (Humans of other heritage)
 * 6% Alien (Skrell, Tajara, Dionea, Other)
 * 4% Unathi

The state religion is the Moroz Holy Tribunal.

Primaries
The "Primaries" make up the third largest portion of the population and the majority of the nobility. Though sharing the same heritage as the "Secondaries" the "Primaries" were part of a colonial breeding program in the early days of Moroz and are therefore physcially quite different to their lower class cousins.

Skin Tone: 30 - 50

Average Male Height: 5'9" - 6'4"

Average Female Height: 5'8" - 6'2"

Various shades of blue or brown eyes

Blonde to brown hair of various shades

Dominian Unathi also fall into the category of "Clan-Primaries". They are usually descendents of the former pirate clans that held dominian over the area many years ago.

Skin Tone: Shades of dark green (RBG 0,90,0)

Average Male Height: 6'0" to 7'0"

Average Female Height: 5'9" to 6'8"

Eye colour shades of dark red.

Secondaries
The "Secondaries" make up the second largest portion of the population. They are descended from colonials from Europe and East Asia.

Skin Tone: 1 - 15

Average Male Height: 5'6" - 5'9"

Average Female Height: 5'1" - 5'4"

Eyes dark brown to black

Hair black or dark brown

Tertiaries
The "Tertiaries" make up the largest portion of the population and are the lowest class, usually serfs, or ex-slaves being moved into serfdom after slavery was made illegal. They are descended from conquered colonies and as such have a wide range of colonial heritages.

Skin Tone: Any

Average Male Height: Any

Average Female Height: Any

Dark hair

Various shades of brown eyes

Government
Dominia operates as a feudal empire similar to the Izweski Hegemony, but far more radical and centralized in design.

Imperial Cabinet
Acting as the executive cabinet, this branch of government exists to exert the will of the Emperor. Almost all major political posts are controlled by Emperor Boleslaw Keeser. Under him is his Imperial Cabinet, made up of:


 * High Lord General of the Army: Kasz Han'San (Unathi)
 * High Lord Admiral of the Navy: Maxim Zhao (Human)
 * Seneschal of Diplomatic Affairs: Ngo Juric (Human)

Great Houses
Made up for the five largest Houses/Clans, this group exist to look out for the numerious noble houses throughout the Empire and to exert political pressure on the Imperial Cabinet where appropriate. It is currently made up of:


 * House Han'San- House Colors: Green Shades - A Unathi dominated house. Largly a military and martial clan, it provides a large number of officers to the Imperial Military.
 * House Volvalaad - House Colors: Blue, Black - A Human dominated house. This house's wealth is in genetics and biological research with many of its Minor Lords belonging to the Biological Augmentalists of the ATLAS group. Of all the Great Houses, House Volvalaad is the biggest supporter of the empires integration into the wider galatic community.
 * House Kazhkz - House Colors: Orange, Red, Yellow - A Unathi dominated house. The wealth of the clan is in its privateer enterprise. Of all the Great Houses, House Kazhkz is the most against the empires integration into the wider galatic community.
 * House Caladius - House Colors: Purple Shades - A Human dominated house. This house's power lies in its money lending and banking, alongside it's many land holdings for which is receives a breathtaking sum in rent monies.
 * House Zhao - House Colors: White, Gray - A Human dominated house. The power of this great house sits in farming and it's numerious naval contacts.

Legislature
Dominated by a small group of extremely wealthy landowners, the Religious Tribunal functions to draft new laws and regulations for the Empire. The Religious Tribunal is made up of 4 representatives from each world.

Judicial
The Imperial Court has 12 seats, 3 for each world. It operates as the Supreme Court of the Empire. Each member serves for life. It functions to clarify the laws of the Empire, evaluate the legality of any edicts by the Emperor, and punish lawbreakers.

History
X'yr Vharn'p was discovered by a human bounty hunter vessel chasing a small pirate Vox fleet in 2399. The extent of the battle is unknown, but the bounty hunters did say is that the vox used this system as a store for their stolen goods. The name of the system was discovered to derive from the Vox word for Hidden Treasure - "X'yr Vharn'p". In 2408 an ambitious explorer re-discovered the system within local star archives and after a long study of the system financed and formed a colony on the planet Moroz, now known as Dominia.

At the time, the only major settlement was Nova Luxembourg which mostly prospered in its independent, if reclusive society, forming the Constitutional Moroz Republic.

In 2438, the colony, which had only a small militia, was attacked by an ambitious unathi pirate clan. The former government was defeated and quickly surrendered. The Unathi promptly replaced the government with what resembled a classic Unathi hierarchy, introducing the religion of Sk'ath. In 2444 the Unathi clan leaders were overthrown by a rebellious group of Unathi and humans that went on to found the 'Holy Tribunal of Moroz' and the Empire. Due to the exposure of the Unathi religious concepts, the new religion blends the human and Unathi faiths into a new hybrid. Unathi and human citizens live side by side as true citizens where as other aliens are largely considered second class.

Brief Timeline 2438 : Invasion of the planet by a Unathi group and foundation of the Hierarchy of Ballast, a classic Unathi hierarchy. Local economies are reworked to support pirate raids on other systems.

2439 : Retirement of the clan leader S'kraskin Seryo followed by the appointment of a new leader, Boleslaw Keeser. In the following years Boleslaw Keeser reforms the government into the one present today and the planet is renamed to Dominia.

2440 : Investment into the 7 major cities and creation of the Imperial Railroad, which links every major city together for faster transportation.

2443 : Creation of an outpost on Lyod - the moon of Dominia.

2444 : Conquest of nearby systems begins - Tribunal Commandos utilised for the first time in the Battle of Alterum Magnum.

2449 : Attack by the pirate fleet "The Corsairs of the Eternal Raid", followed by a stalemate and a treaty between the emperor and the captain who calls himself "The War Sentinel". Treaty leads to the absorption of the Corsairs into Dominian navy.

2450 : Creation of the "Coalition Against Dominian Piracy" by the Frontier Alliance after the announcement by the Dominian government to enter a defensive pact with neighboring large pirate organizations.

2453 : NanoTrasen officials enter into trade talks with the Dominian Government - key points include free trade access and the Dominian “piracy issue”.

2454 : Dominian Government announces no partnership with NanoTrasen could ever happen due to irreconcilable differences.

2455 : Dominia denounced NanoTrasen, releasing documents of possible human mistreatment and experimentation in remote stations in the frontier; NanoTrasen representatives answers that the accusation are false and the documents are fabricated.

Early 2457 : The "Coalition against Dominia Piracy" - a Frontier Alliance led organisation - embargoes the Empire of Dominia.

2460 - Emperor Boleslaw declares | involuntary servitude illegal, still leaving the much large serfdom still unaffected, lifting the embargo and travel ban placed on them by the 'Coalition against Dominian Piracy'.

Life in Dominia
Noble

The elite of the Empire, members of the nobility enjoy the finest comforts and opportunities. Divided into Noble Houses or Clan Houses, these classes are a hybrid form of Unathi clans and Human dynasties. Each Noble House is ruled by a "Lord Noble" below whom sits the "Minor Lords" followed by the "House Nobles" and finally the "Minor Nobles" on the bottom rung. All Noble Houses have a number of serfs allocated to them dependant on their perceived importance to the Empire alongside their relationship with the Emperor or the Tribunal. These serfs are then further distributed down the "chain" by the Lord Noble of the House. Many Nobles used to be able to choose to own slaves, until a decree by the Emperor ruled it illegal. '''All Nobles of a House share the same last name. If part of a great house, player characters will only be able to play a House Noble or lower.'''

Freeman/Free Citizen

What one might consider the average citizenry, these citizens are either born into being a freeman or an immigrant into Dominia. Able to own property and take part in elections the variations on Freeman life are numerous and dependant on the planet or nation in which they dwell. It is not uncommon for these citizens to be adopted into the noble clans or houses as lesser nobility. This is usually based on demonstrating some use to the clan or house in question or through cronyism.

Serf

Essentially having the rights of medieval European serfs, they are the bottom of the social feeding chain. Most serfs are born into their serfdom and are allocated by the Emperor to a noble house or clan on coming of age, a variable time frame based on planet and nation. Serfdom also stands as a replacement for the traditional Unathi practice of "The Guwan". When a Dominian citizen dishonors his clan or house, they can be stripped of all titles and assets by their Clan Lord/Lord Noble and relegated to a life of serfdom. Serfs are assigned weekly, monthly and yearly quotas by their masters which, if not achieved, can lead to punishment ranging from reduced rations to severe beatings. Achieving or exceeding quotas on the other hand allows the serf to be entered into the "Serf Lottery" provided by the Moroz Holy Tribunal in the Emperors name in which they can potentially be granted freedom and the rank of 'Freeman' or 'Free Citizen' with the approval of their master. Lottery winnings are not uncommon and most serfs attribute their luck to being blessed by God through the Tribunal. Serfs are theoretically protected from murder and other violent crimes perpetuated by their masters due to the virtue of belonging to the Emperor by law, however in practice serfs attempting to exercise these rights to protection tend to have great difficulty due to their social status.

Tribunal Commandos

An evolution of the Unathi concept of ‘Guwandi’; in the event that a citizen becomes mortally ill, finds themselves lacking the pride, honor, drive to live or has simply become tired of their lot in life, they will give up their possessions and join the religious "Tribunal Commandos", an irregular military force of near suicidal warriors. Acting as a vanguard force to soften up targets or as distractions, members of the Commandos are expected to die. Like ‘Guwandi’ it is possible for a citizen to regain their honor whilst serving in the unit and be released from service and accepted into their clan, house or into a new found lease of life. It is not uncommon for young men and women with no real prospects to join the Tribunal Commandos to prove their worth to their families or themselves. A Commando who survives an engagement is awarded a square, bronze battle medal. When ten are accrued the soldier is offered the choice to remain within the Commandos or be honorably discharged, keeping his medals. A soldier who survives ten engagements is very uncommon.

House Relations
To most within the Empire all noble houses would appear to be unified under the Emperor and the Tribunal. The reality - known to those in the mid to upper levels of the nobility and the few citizens they interact with - is one of secret proxy wars and assassination. Most if not all noble houses strive for Great House status and the favor of the Emperor, but there can only ever be five. As such, noble houses tend to engage each other in secret conflict in attempt to usurp as much power as possible, be this through subtle economic embargos (over charging a competing house for critical services) low-key military interference (blockading a competitors space ports under the guise of policing) or house "accidents" (the heir to a house being poisoned by peoples unknown, a private shuttle experiencing unexpected engine failure). The Emperor and the Tribunal are aware of this and the Tribunal in particular goes to great lengths to ensure the masses are kept oblivious to this. Direct and obvious house competition is met with the wraith of the Imperial Military and can lead to House Death - the deaths of all members of a noble house and their records stripped from Imperial databases. Tribunal officals with plastic smiles are quick to remind the nobles that such harsh measures have never needed to be used. +_'':@~@~HOUse__HaRadis_---_liVEs'[[}+_

Synth Relations
''"I'm real! Just like any of you! Please God save me! I'm real!" Last words of Shell IPC T2332 aka Lì Olesk before permanent shut down, praise God.''

Dominia is highly anti-synth, as such any and all IPC's are sought out and destroyed upon entering Dominia space. Interestingly to observers, there seems to be a disproportionately high number of shell IPC's present in the sector compared to those beliefs. Special task forces have been set up under Section 0 to tackle this perceived threat to Dominia yet it is still not unknown for shells to flee the system in search of protection.

Edict Breakers
Breaking of an edict is punishable by death so it is not uncommon for an "Edict Breaker" to go on the run outside of Dominia space. Due to the nature of the Empire, indepth records are kept on all subjects and once one runs, their details are reported on the local ExtraNet daily until they return/are returned. These details include name, address, picture, family details, everything. As such, any "Edict Breakers" are instantly identifiable to Dominia subjects. In Dominia space, any "Edict Breakers" are violently sought for capture. Outside of Dominia space however, due to the nature of The Thirty Third Edict, subjects of Dominia usually do not violently attempt to apprehend these criminals but instead try to convince them in the nicest way possible to return to Dominia space under their own volition for judgment. This usually devolves into near passive-harassment where the loyal imperial subjects will remind the "Edict Breaker" over and over that they have violated the law and should return to the Empire to repent, usually in a sickly sweet manner. The effect is usually maddening for the law breaker and it's not uncommon for them to take their own lives or allow themselves to be returned to Dominia for judgment and inevitable execution.