User:Triogenix/Sandbox 4

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REGION - BADLANDS
This location is centered in the Badlands region.
The Badlands are home to some of the Orion Spur’s most savage flora and fauna, a phenomenon that attracts only the wildest and wisest of the system’s inhabitants - xenobiologists, weapon scientists, there’s even a market for mercenaries, in the hunting of the particularly large and lethal creatures. Of course, there are also those looking to make a life for themselves, but natives aren’t known to treat settlements kindly. The majority of the People's Republic of Adhomai and the Republic of Elyra’s space finds itselves positioned in the Badlands. As well, the entire Izweski Hegemony and a small portion of the Empire of Dominia. The Badlands are accessible by a set of bluespace gates leading to and from Tau Ceti and New Ankara. Persepolis, Medina, Aemaq, Moghes, Ouerea, Tret, Adhomai, Hro'zamal, and Gakal'zaal are located in the Badlands.

Overview

Ouerea, the fourth planet from the Uueoa-Esa star, is the first planet to be colonized by the Unathi. It was first colonized by the Hegemony in 2390, when five Unathi stepped onto the planet after a one-way trip from Moghes, and is the only other habitable planet within the Uueoa-Esa system. The colony teetered on a knife's edge for a decade as travel between Moghes and Ouerea was beyond the capability of rudimentary Unathi space flight. It wasn’t until First Contact in 2403 with humanity and the Skrell that colonization began to take off. Eventually, even humanity and the Skrell began to venture to the planet, creating a melting pot of not only different Unathi cultures but different species. Eventually, the colony was declared self-sufficient, and the Izweski space program began to look elsewhere, beyond their home system. Sadly, this would be the catalyst for the Contact War.

Today Ouerea stands separate from the rest of the Hegemony, with a unique system of governance that goes against the feudal system on which the rest of the Hegemony relies. Their culture, also more influenced by aliens than that of Moghes, has diverged to the point where it no longer truly resembles any found anywhere else within the Hegemony. There have been incidents in the past regarding these differences, but for now, Ouerea remains a Hegemonic colony, a position which has often been enforced by violence against its population, but one that has become much more vital due to the expansion of Aquaculture on the planet by Hephaestus Industries.

History

The original flag of the Ouerean Colony. The colours signify the green, lush jungles of Ouerea next to its vast blue oceans, while the black signifies the void of space through which the colonists had to spend many months in to reach the planet. Due to controversy over the new flag, this flag is technically the official flag of Ouerea.

Humble Beginnings

In 2390, after years of preparation and travel, five Unathi stepped off their spacecraft and onto the Ouerean soil - the first Unathi to ever set foot on an alien world.. After a tortuous five months on a one-way trip traveling through the blackness of space, they were able to breathe in fresh air from a verdant jungle landscape, on the shore of a vast ocean. It was at this moment that the colony of Ouerea was founded.

Unathi spaceflight in 2390 was still rudimentary at best. They had still not truly mastered long-term propulsion, still using basic chemical rockets to achieve orbit and maneuver to their destination. For the next decade, all trips to Ouerea would be one way, and more importantly, while the fledgling colony had communication with their home planet, supplies would always be at a minimum of a 3-month trip away, so any difficulties encountered by the first colonists would have to be handled on their own. Slowly but surely, more and more colonists began to arrive and what was originally a team of just scientists studying the ecosystem made its way to a growing town, one that would evolve into the thriving metropolis known as New Skalamar. Still, a one-way trip in a dubiously safe rocket was not for everyone, so the colony barely grew past a population of 500 for the first decade of its existence, in which time the first egg was hatched on Ouerea, marking a new planet owned by the Hegemony. The culture of these first colonists was rugged and communal. They had only themselves to rely on, and the group would succeed or fail together. The lush jungle, while fit for Unathi habitation, was still untamed wilderness, and one mistake could see the colony fail. Food, mostly fish from the nearby sea and what arrived in drop pods, was shared amongst all equally, and slowly as the years marched by, the caste system of traditional Unathi began to fade into the background. In this fledgling society, those who worked menial jobs were just as important as those who did not. There were no peasants or nobility, there were simply Unathi, trying to survive together - isolated on an alien world, with the nearest hint of civilization billions of kilometers away. This sense of isolated community was the foundation of what would one day become the egalitarian culture of Ouerea that persists to this day. However, eventually, change would come to the colony.

A Time of Growth

In 2403 the Hegemony made First Contact with two new species. Humanity, and the Skrell. Being far behind technologically compared to them, Unathi were able to reap some benefits of this first contact, mainly dramatic improvements in their space travel technology, allowing for travel between Moghes and Ouerea on a much more regular basis. The first shuttle port was established on Moghes in the city of Skalamar by NanoTrasen, and the colonization of Ouerea began to take off. The town of New Skalamar swelled in numbers, growing to thousands strong, and after different colonies were established around the now-named Trizkizki Sea, it was declared the capital of the new colony, a whole planet, a colony of the Hegemony. Naturally, the colonists were mostly from the Hegemony, however unlike the original group of scientists and other specialists that had settled the world, these new colonists were mostly peasantry, the sons and daughters of menial workers who had been offered a way out of their dreary lives; and unlike the modern day colonies of the Hegemony, there were no soldiers to keep traditional society in place. These peasants quickly latched onto the already growing egalitarian culture of Ouerea, propagating it exponentially until even back on Moghes many had heard of the so-called equal societies on Ouerea. Of course, this caused more peasantry to flock to the colony if ever given the opportunity, which eventually created a self-fulfilling cycle where more colonists meant more word about equal societies which meant more colonists, continue. During this time Ouerean Culture began to truly develop, as unique holidays, greetings, and ideas began to form in the mind of those who lived on the planet. The first Skrellian and human colonists also appeared at this time, bringing new ideas from a more enlightened society that was not clinging to feudalism. The Hegemonywould likely have stamped down on this behaviour, or it would have continued indefinitely were it not for one thing. The Contact War.

The Contact War disrupted Ouerea, but not in the harsh way it disrupted Moghes. The Nralakk Federation stepped in and assumed oversight of the colony, imparting their ideas and assisting in what they could. While the Solarian Alliance played a lesser role in the colony's administration, largely focusing on the human population and megacorporate assets on the planet, this period is generally considered to be one of joint governance between the Spur's two superpowers. The Hegemony, busy fighting for its dominance at first, then for its survival as the war turned nuclear had no resources to spare for Ouerea, and essentially left it on its own for the next two decades as it fought a brutal planetary war. This would prove to be a mistake for the Hegemony.

By this point the colony was self-sufficient, no longer needing supplies from Moghes, and had begun to set up a rudimentary trade network throughout the Trizkizki Sea, as the Federation began to dedicate more advanced space vessels which had finally delivered wet water shipping vessels to the planet. However, the Federation-Alliance government never meant to hold onto Ouerea forever, merely assist it while Moghes descended into the seventh ring of hell. They would not dedicate many resources to it, instead as was their normal state at the time, preferring to look inwards toward domestic policies. However during this time, with the Federation safeguarding the stability of Ouerea, many Skrell began to emigrate to the planet, mostly those with low social credit who did not have a hope of achieving their dreams within the Federation. These colonists brought with them an idea of a new life and began the formative steps towards what would eventually become the Skrellian culture on Ouerea.

The humans who emigrated, on the other hand, were of a different breed. Mostly workers for the megacorporations that still had assets on Ouerea, they were there for their work, and on a strange alien planet, work with fellow humans was what they found comfort in. Instead of intermingling with the population like many of the Skrell did, Ouerean humans tended to not view the planet as a permanent residence in which to settle down, raising a family, but instead, a job posting where they kept to themselves and their fellow workers. They would rarely leave their megacorporate-built housing areas, and only truly ever interacted with Unathi on the job. Eventually, this latent distrust and anxiety about being a trillion kilometres from home, on an alien world, surrounded by aliens whose own homeworld was awash with the blood of the Contact War, lessened, and the introduction of different species to the Ouerean melting pot began. Both Skrell and human colonists, mostly refugees fleeing persecution from the Federation or sent there by megacorporations to work, began to talk about a governmental structure where all men were equal. Where Lords were not born, but appointed by popular consensus. The already egalitarian culture of Ouerea was ready to eagerly accept such a government, and the people living there took up these alien ideas.

A modern day map of Ouerea, with cities and major locations labelled.

Already cut off from further colonists arriving due to the state of war on Moghes, Ouerea with its new alien ideas developed entirely alone for a whole generation. No fresh colonists with regressive attitudes, no real communication or care from the Hegemony, just the colonists, the planet, and what the new human and Skrell colonists had told them of. The isolation from Moghes and disinterest of the Federation only reinforced the already popular ideas of equality, as colonies worked together for continued growth, and trade around the Trizkaka Sea became a staple of Ouerean survival. Seamanship was a sought-after skill, and a generation of hatchlings grew up with dreams of sailing the high seas. The idea of nobility was cast aside as the ideas brought by alien colonists took root, and for the first time, free elections were held across the world in cities, as mayors, councilmen, and other elected positions were created based on stories told by the alien colonists; a new word had begun to enter the Unathi lexicon; Democracy. A Government by the people, of the people, for the people. It was almost unheard of within Unathi society before this, but the great Ouerean experiment was underway. Societal structures in place for centuries began to break down, as Unathi found freedom in their religion, social obligations, and status. No longer would there be social shunning, and no longer would clans bind their members permanently. A wave of change was taking over the world, but it would be a while yet until it had the momentum for laws to be formed from it. By the time it was 10 years into the Contact War, the Ouereans even founded their own colony.

The city of Yiz, still just a town at this point, on an island chain in the middle of the ocean, became the first colony on the world founded by those on the world. The population came from across the planet, and no one city created it, though most of the colonists were of course from New Skalamar. Yiz would become a central trading hub in the southern parts of the sea, as its position allowed for coastal traders to easily access both Um’a’yid and Tr’ha’rem, as well as New Skalamar itself. It was founded on the 11th of October, which would come to be the holiday known as founding day when Ouereans celebrate their ancestor's achievements in the face of adversity. This defiance of nature, this ability to make do, that was proven in the founding of Yiz would go on to form another pillar of Ouerean culture, but that would come later, once more fuel was poured on the fire. However, for now, Ouerea had become interconnected through its trade and would form a planetary government. Known as the Synod of Scales, it would be a democratic institution made up of representatives from every settlement across the Trizkizki Sea, the number of representatives determined by population, based in New Skalamar, due to it having been named the planetary capital. The Synod of Scales would have limited powers, and generally be a committee by which decisions that affected the whole of Ouerea would be decided, and would allow the settlements to generally run themselves. They would also appoint one of their number, known as the “Speaker of the Scales” who would moderate discussions within it, and speak for the committee as a whole. There were no restrictions on who could run for office in the Synod, just that they had to be an adult of their respective species. One of the first acts done by the Synod of Scales was to abolish the title of Guwan. Criminals would still exist, but Unathi around the planet was now free of the shackles which bound them to their clan, allowing a breath of freedom for a young generation who had been raised during this time of changing ideals. However, it was not to last.

Perhaps another unforeseen consequence of the Contact War for the burgeoning colony might have been the birth of Unathi space piracy as we know it. The Hegemony's inability to survey its own system due to the war on Moghes and maintain order there, as well as the many alien ships coming in and out of Ouerea, made Uueoa-Esa a perfect place for pirate crews, and soon, the first fleets, to grow in size and power. For a time, Ouerea’s criminal underbelly became a home for most of these pirates when not in space, and for their families if they had one. By the end of the war, and the time the Hegemony could maintain a presence across the system however, most of these pirates would be gone, having moved to the recently-discovered Ha’zana or even more distant stars.

The Months of Blood

Razul Tuzahu would forever go down as a cursed name within the history of Ouerea.

Eventually though, as all things do, the Contact War came to an end. Though the end for Ouerea was different to the end of Moghes. For Moghes, the Contact War ended when the fighting stopped, and the levies were able to return home. For Ouerea, the contact war ended when the Hegemony could spare the time and resources to look at it again, and what they found outraged them. The first real communication between governments began again, in 2457, when a Hegemonic Fleet jumped into orbit seizing the planet from alien control. The Mogheasian representative was a high ranking Izweski bannerman of Clan Tuzahu named Razul. Razul Tuzahu was met by the Speaker of Scales, one Zeihro Arusa, a former member of the peasantry from the Southlands. Razul immediately demanded to speak with the noble lord of New Skalamar, or of the planet if there was one, but Zeihro Arusa informed him that there were no more lords on Ouerea, only mayors and other elected officials. He politely explained that he was elevated from a committee of representatives which spoke for the planet’s population, to speak for them, and would bring Razul, and the assembled members of Clan Tuzahu acting as an honor guard for him before the Synod of Scales to hear what he had to say before discussing it. Razul, a noble himself, was enraged by this thought, that a bunch of peasants would dare invite him, not to listen to his commands, but just to listen and then make their own decision. Razul berated Zeihro Arusa, calling him a disloyal traitor to the Hegemony, and to all the values that an Unathi should stand for. Zeihro Arusa would answer with a phrase that would forever live on in the hearts of the Ouerean people.

“We will be loyal to the Hegemony, so long as it is loyal to us.”

Razul would refuse to meet with the Synod of Scales, damning him for all eternity in the eyes of the Ouerean population. Instead, he returned to Moghes, where he informed Hegemon Sk’resti that a peasant rebellion while committing treason was also preaching ideas of equality, tarnishing the tradition of the Sinta, and elevating the peasantry had taken over the colony while the Skrell had watched over it. Hegemon Sk’resti, ever hungry for more war, believed Razul without second thought, and sent him off with a force of five thousand warriors to re-subjugate the planet, transported by the Hegemony’s new spacefaring fleet. Razul descended with a fury born of hatred - both for the peasantry and the new society that had been born on Ouerea. He landed in New Skalamar, dismantling the Synod of Scales and declaring the planet under his direct rule. Those who resisted found themselves executed, and the stories said that the streets outside the Overlord’s Palace in Central New Skalamar, where the Synod of Scales had once met, ran red with blood. Razul would see Zeihro Arusa executed, but in his death, Zeihro Arusa, became a martyr for the Ouerean people, and a rallying cry for resistance. Resistance not only against Razul but resistance against those non-Ouerean Unathi, with their outdated ideas of feudalism; essentially, resistance against the Hegemony itself. Civil unrest was common, with protests and riots gripping the streets daily, but this was not a full-scale revolt yet and never would become one. In early 2458, when the HMV Cataclysm was sabotaged, Razul and his men were needed elsewhere in the spur, fighting the real enemies of the Hegemony instead of dealing with peasant rabble. The Hegemony would force a deal with the people of Ouerea, accept an overlord, and they would allow limited democratic governance, with feudal oversight. Overlord Yiztek was chosen, and he would begin to rule the planet, reinstating feudalism against the wishes of the population. While this stopped the immediate rebellion, it only increased resentment, but the pressure was not so far up that it would bubble over just yet.

Enter Hephaestus

The period between 2458 and 2460 was relatively peaceful for Ouerea. There was still a hot underbed of resentment against the Hegemony for the destruction of its democratic system, but there was no real action. Hephaestus Industries took this year and a half to expand into Ouerea, as it had done much of the rest of the Hegemony. They began setting up logging industries, factories, shipyards, and much of the heavy pollutant industry common for them. The Ouerean people at first welcomed Hephaestus Industries onto their world, they saw more humans who would share the same ideals as those who had come before them. Ideals of equality, democracy, and the like, while also offering gainful employment to the population. However, this would not be the case. Hephaestus Industries instead exploited the workers of Ouerea, treating them poorly and unlike those on Moghes who were used to exploitation, Ouereans now had a different culture and history. Unions, while not particularly common on Ouerea, were present in many workplaces, and as the newly employed Hephaestus workers tried to unionize themselves, they found themselves stonewalled, fired, ridiculed, and even sometimes threatened or beaten by Hephaestus Industries as they continued their Anti-Union tactics. Public opinion began to turn on Hephaestus Industries, and they found themselves dealing with an increasingly angry population, as the movement began to grow. It was not a fast spreading movement, many still saw the corporation’s investments as a good thing, but as the attempts to prevent unionization became more and more heavy-handed, and worker treatment remained horrible, the ranks of those fed up with the corporation, the Hegemony, and feudalism swelled. The boiling point would come on March 6th, 2460, and the world would direct its wrath at those who wronged them.

The Rebellion

On February 29th, 2460, Union leaders staged a walk-out at a Hephaestus mining facility as a protest for Hephaestus refusing to negotiate with them for higher salaries and better benefits. Hephaestus responded by firing every worker who did not show up for work that day, as the Hegemony laws offered no worker protections. The situation quickly snowballed as more workers joined the walk-out, and protests erupted outside many Hephaestus sites across the planet. The recently installed local lords reacted by deploying their Watchmen to disperse the protests through force. This however only caused the situation to escalate, and on March 5th, at a protest outside of Hephaestus’s Headquarters in New Skalamar, the match was lit. After a Hephaestus Security Officer drew the blood of one of the protestors, a riot began, and the city watchmen and Hephaestus security forces found themselves putting the riot down the hard way. In the end, two of the protesters were killed, and dozens more injured. The site “Ouerea Now” , a long time hotbed of resentment, crashed due to the traffic it received that night and the following day, the population was furious about the deaths of the protestors, and began to take to the streets. Overlord Yiztek attempted to ban the website, but by then it was too late. Hundreds of thousands of people flooded the streets of every major Ouerean city, as a wave of civil unrest overwhelmed local watchmen, who couldn’t contain the violence. Protestors called for the expulsion of Hephaestus Industries, the abolishment of the Feudal system, and revenge for those lost to the Months of Blood. Tax collectors, noble estates, and other government institutions were attacked by mobs, and millions of credits worth of property destroyed. Overlord Yiztek, unable to properly deal with the amount of unrest, attempted heavy handed measures, including the Guwaning of all those in a group greater than five in number, and extra taxation on the clans. This did nothing but fan the flames of rebellion higher, and on April 10th, what started as a protest against Hephaestus changed into a full scale rebellion.

The Ouerean levies, called up on the order of Overlord Yiztek to help quell the violence instead began to defect to leaders of the protests and riots, after they were given their arms and armor. As Yiztek continued to call up levies, more defected, creating a cycle where Yiztek would call up a levy just watch them defect the following day. The now equipped rebel forces alongside mobs began to storm the palaces of the nobility, taking prisoners and accepting surrenders from noble clans. The situation had become a crisis, and every hamfisted attempt by Yiztek only increased the number of rebels he was facing, now not only peasant mobs but an equipped fighting force. Eventually, after weeks of fighting, the capital of New Skalamar fell under siege by combined rebel forces under the dubious command of one Zik'san, a former member of the Synod of Scales who had escaped death at the hands of Razul. Yiztek did not have enough men to resist them for long, and even much of the city was against him. He had failed as a ruler; he had lost.

During this time a not insignificant number of the humans left on the planet who had not already fled during the Months of Blood finally decided to stake their fortune elsewhere, away from what they now viewed as a violent government, run by a violent species. These emigres would go on to form the first Ouerean expat groups, mostly within the Coalition and Biesel, as having been raised on a completely alien planet made the Solarian Alliance and its xenophobic tendencies difficult to immigrate to. They brought with them a culture warped by their upbringing in a Unathi society, one unlike any other in the spur.

The Skrell were a different matter altogether. With most of the Skrellian population either fleeing from the Federation, or facing re-education due to low social credit scores should they return, many Skrell latched themselves to the fate of the world, refusing to abandon it even as it upheaved with rebellion. Some in fact would become parts of this rebellion, not wanting to trade the bureaucratic authoritarian government of the Federation for the more backward Feudal kind. Those that did not join the rebellion still remained on the world however, looking at rebellion as a situation where no matter what the outcome was, it would be preferable compared to returning to the Federation, or emigrating elsewhere. As a result of this it has become common for Ouerean Skrell after greeting each other, to inquire if their newly met compatriot fought in the rebellion or not, with each Skrell judging the answer as they see fit.

The Solution

Not'zar Izweski managed to secure a lasting peace with Ouerea by negotiating with the rebel forces, despite the efforts of the then-Overlord to sabotage the talks.

As the capital fell under siege and the planet looked to be almost lost to rebel forces, the Lord-Regent Not’zar himself intervened. Having seen the destruction caused by Yiztek’s hamfisted policies so far, Not’zar instead shocked everyone by opening a dialogue with the rebel leaders, walking to their siege camp himself to parlay. However, when attempting to return he found the gate to the city locked by Overlord Yiztek, and returned to the Rebel camp to ask the rebels to safely escort him back in. They complied, and this was the beginning of the Ouerean people warming up to Not’zar. That the Hegemon did not see them as savage peasants, and felt comfortable enough to parlay with them, before asking for them to escort him back into the city after the Overlord locked him out, giving the Ouerean people hope. The Hegemon also allowed four negotiators from the prayed-for Ouerean Confederation, a government that would see a return to democracy, into the city. However, Overlord Yiztek was not done with his heavy-handed attempts yet. He had the negotiators executed on charges of espionage, much to the anger of Not’zar, and the fury of the rebels, who gave a warning to the city, not an ultimatum of choice, but a simple warning.

“We will give this city three days. If you are within New Skalamar and value your life: be somewhere else.”

Thankfully, Not’zar had his Guwan Guard arrest Overlord Yiztek moments before the storming would have started, averting the crisis and the need for military force. However, this move cost Not’zar a huge amount of political capital, as the traditionalist lords of the Hegemony were furious at the Lord-Regent for daring to arrest one of their own, after not having intervened until the crisis had gotten out of hand, and in doing so capitulating to the peasantry. It is uncertain if this move was worth what it cost Not’zar, as it set him back years in gaining the trust and loyalty of the influential lords of the Hegemony. None besides Miaruz Izweski backed his play, and the rest all condemned his decision in one way or another. Still, it was a good thing for the Ouerean people, who now had a measure of the freedom they wanted. Zik'san would be appointed Overlord in Yiztek’s stead, a position he still holds to this day.

Current Day

Like all places, Ouerea is a product of its history. The violent revolutions, the isolation, and even the invention of the Federation shaped what it is today. It is a planet so close to Moghes, yet completely different in irreconcilable ways. Still, for the time being, they are chained to the Hegemony, whether they like it or not. While they still have special privileges, guaranteed by Not’zar, at the end of the day, they are just another vassal state of the Hegemony, doing as it wills. This has been seen most clearly in the past year, as the Hegemony has simply used Ouerea to save itself, mainly Moghes, from starvation, turning it into a food production centre of the very company Ouerea rebelled against in the first place. Despite all of Not’zar’s promises of reform, he still ended up putting down the protests and riots that occurred as Hephaestus Industries completed their aquaculture centres. The population has not forgotten this, and a sea of resentment still bubbles underneath the surface of the verdant jungle landscape.

It is unclear if the Hegemony will ever fully control Ouerea. Maybe its people have developed a culture that is just too wild, too free, to ever be contained within a feudal system. But if there’s one thing Ouerean people are certain of:

“We will be loyal to the Hegemony, so long as it is loyal to us.”

Culture

The modern day flag of Ouerea, first made during the Times of Growth, then changed slightly during the Rebellion to incorporate red stripes to represent the blood of the nobility. Because of this, the original Ouerean Flag is officially the flag of the planet.

Ouerea is a cultural breadbasket within the greater Hegemony, with an influx of native Unathi cultures seemingly blending into one another over the decades of colonisation and escape from the growing Wasteland, as well as foreign cultures that have adapted and been integrated – in particular, Skrell and Human influences that have settled across the planet. Despite its roots within an authoritarian feudal state, Ouerea has managed to break free of the iron first of the Hegemony’s cultural wars and develop a society that above all exemplifies community, freedom and democratic practices – through which must all continue by a constant effort to balance the scales between the colony and Moghes. Yet another element of Ouerean society is perseverance, stemming from the fact the original colonists could only rely on themselves thanks to the rudimentary technology available yielding a one-way trip with little capability for quick re-supply.

Compared to its Hegemonic counterparts, Ouerea prides itself on its meritocratic beliefs. Though initially there was pushback against these foreign ideas where one’s value is not measured by clan, birth or position, but instead through their own merits and accomplishments – originating from the original colonists who settled the planet, who could not trust any but each other for their own survival, no matter the position their fellow colonists might once have held. Nationality, position, or culture means nothing to any Ouerean, who will measure a person's true worth by what they do, for better or for worse. This extends not only to individuals but to entities, whether it be corporations, nation-states, or other groups. The only exception to this is Hegemonic, or Traditionalist, nobility. Ouereans almost universally scorn nobles, despite being ruled by one, especially those from the Hegemony, as they clearly remember both the Rebellion and the Months of Blood. Due to the sheer scale of the uprising in 2460, nearly every Ouerean has a clan member who was hurt or killed during it, and most blame the Hegemony and nobility for those deaths. This unique approach on the planet has blended into other elements of Unathi culture, in particular the structure of clans, as well as the influence they have within one’s life. It is particularly shunned across Ouerea that a Clan may exercise a hold over its members, something seen as sacred on Moghes – a person must be able to take whatever path of life they may elect without hindrance, which subsequently also leads to a decrease in extended familial bonds, with most Ouerean Sinta never meeting the entirety of their Clan, mostly knowing their immediate family and possible some extended family in rare circumstances. However, Ouereans are fiercely loyal to their inner circle, more so than their Moghesian counterparts. Differing heavily from Moghes where such is defined mostly by nobility or allegiance, on Ouerea the inner circle of an Ouerean is normally defined as their community. The first colonists of the planet had to rely on complete strangers in order to survive, and also were relied upon by complete strangers, so therefore have developed this much looser sense of community. Not necessarily of like-minded individuals, an Ouerean views their community as a group of people who will support each other through the thick and thin. To not belong to a community as an Ouerean is to be ostracized, a step apart from society, and therefore making it more difficult to find a community to belong to. Thankfully, most Ouereans are open to inviting new members into their communities, so long as they prove themselves first, in whatever deemed fit. This goes all the way down to friend groups, as they are a community in themselves. Once belonging to a community, Ouereans find themselves obligated to support it, as long as it supports them.

Loyalty to one’s inner circle, to one’s community, is above all else yet another important facet of Ouerean Culture – especially for Ouerean Unathi. Though, there have been instances where cultural contamination has bled into Non-Unathi Ouereans, where a clan-like structure isn’t unheard of within non-Unathi households, in particular Skrell have adapted their own communal habits seamlessly into what have been called “Semi-Clans”. Though community has far-reaching definitions thanks to its subjective nature, it has mostly come to be recognised as one’s immediate surroundings, where not contributing to one’s community – in some way or another – is seen as a societal taboo that results in being shunned, and possibly even ostracized for their inaction if it continues even after “encouraged” participation through shunning.

Not dissimilar to Moghes, betrayal on Ouerea is seen as the most abhorrent of all crimes, requiring only the harshest punishment. However, in other cultures betrayal is mostly a singular person, or small group exercise, as they go against the will of the majority. On Ouerea, the blade cuts both ways, especially in regards to communities. Being a member of a community does not only mean that one has a duty to it, it means that the rest of the community has a duty to the individual. Failing to give someone the support they need is considered to be betraying them, just as is one person failing to give the support required of them. This is most notable in the Ouerean Rebellion, where the main driver of the anger of the population was the feeling that they had been betrayed by the Hegemony, who were not giving them the support they needed. This sentiment spawned the well-known quote: “We will be loyal to the Hegemony as long as it is loyal to us.”

Perseverance is the last pillar of Ouerean culture. Given how much time during its history the planet has been all but cut off from Moghes, a sense of never giving up has all but set into the population. It could be in any matter - in pursuit of personal or career goals, enduring times of great difficulty or simply in hard work - but Ouereans are known across the Hegemony for their perseverance, even when others might have long-since given up. This applies not only to personal matters, but also to grander things. During the Ouerean Revolution, Lord Admiral Trazial Yizarus is apocryphally quoted as telling Not’zar Izweski that “We can win this war, Lord Regent - but not without leaving Ouerea more ruined than Moghes. Every man, woman and hatchling of that planet will break before they bend.” Whether or not he actually said this has never been confirmed, with the initial source of the quote being published in an Ouerean newspaper following the Revolution’s end - but it has become a popular saying in Ouerean culture nonetheless. Perseverance within Ouerean culture has taken on a new meaning after this sang rose to prominence, perseverance against the Hegemony and its feudal government; to perserverance in the upholding of Ouerean democracy. It is debatable whether Ouereans have been successful in this, but one thing is for certain; they have not given up yet.

Semi-Clans / Non-Traditional Customary Clans

Semi-Clans have become a cultural fascination across the Spur, at least to those interested in xenosocietal influences. Similarly operating to Moghesian Clans, with a “Head” or a “Chief”, more commonly just referred to as an “Elder”. These Semi-Clans have been given limited recognition within the Ouerean Federation by the Synod of Scales, where particular elements must be met before a Semi-Clan can be classified as being able to enjoy the legislative protections offered to Unathi Clans – more officially known as Non-Traditional Customary Clans.

Firstly, there must be at least fifteen volunteering members, with some kind of familial ties – whether it be by blood, or by marriage. This has been met with criticisms from Skrell, claiming the X'Lu'oa has stunted their ability to grow these numbers, however, those from the Synod of Scales have accepted adoptions as being valid familial ties, offering a loophole to those unable to reach the prescribed minimum number. Secondly, each member or someone duly authorised on behalf of the members, must provide the written oaths of all those seeking to join the Non-Traditional Customary Clan to the Synod of Scales. Thirdly, there must be sufficient evidence that there is an interest for the Non-Traditional Customary Clan to be initiated – an independent one outside of merely enjoying legislative protection. It is common to claim financial assistance as an independent interest, merely having to prove an intention to help one another with pooled resources, to bypass this final requirement.

Once a Non-Traditional Customary Clan has been accepted by the Synod of Scales, it can enjoy both the legislative protections and drawbacks offered to Unathi Clans. This includes stipulations and provisions in Ouerean Customary Laws in both Marriage and Contracts, as well as any repercussions for not following them. Many larger families have chosen this route as a means of better integrating into Ouerea, and becoming accustomed to the forged blending of several elements of Unathi, Skrell and Human societies into a mixed cultural breadbasket.

Education

Education on Ouerea is very different to that on contemporary Moghes, being public and widespread instead of only reserved for the nobility. As a result of the Federation Administration approving the Synod of Scales request to increase funding for educational infrastructure, public schools can be found in nearly all Ouerean settlements, whether they be cities or small townships. The Ouerean population therefore has a much higher level of basic education than most Unathi, and alongside public schools, private acceptance schools are widespread for more specialized education. Being subsidized by the Hegemony who wish to advance the species into the modern age, these private schools will often not require payment to attend, instead only require that a citizen passes a certain test, or can demonstrate their skill in another form.

New Skalamar Pioneer’s Seminary

Created by religious authorities within New Skalamar, the Pioneer’s Seminary previously hailed itself for instilling traditional values within its scholars, but more importantly providing them necessary skills to further Ouerea’s development. This predomiately manifested itself through teaching skills related to blue-collar industries: construction, farming, mining and any other necessary industries for “Ouerean Sustainability” – the motto of the Seminary. Though initially controlled by a Sk’akh majority during its early days, the introduction of other faiths, including alien faiths, has allowed it to develop a more holistic approach to what is defined as “traditional values”. Having moved from its primary purpose to teach early colonists, the Pioneer’s Seminary now offers several kinds of courses with “Guild Accreditation” – including Health Sciences, Natural Sciences, Astronomy and much more. With a more balanced teaching platform, with Skrell, Human and Unathi theories all seeing practical application, the New Skalamar Pioneer’s Seminary is a slowly taking the lead against its Moghesian counterparts. It still maintains its more “religious” structure, even despite its acclimation to the new Ouerean society – where only religious figures maintain tenure.

Major Holidays

March 1st – Rebel’s Cry

Unofficially, officially recognized by the greater Ouerean community as being an homage to the Rebellion of February 29th, 2460. Rebel’s Cry, though relatively “new”, sees continued support from native Ouereans as they maintain a distance from their Moghesian Overlord, teetering a precarious balance between free democracy and feudal tyrany. It is generally regarded as being celebrated on March 1st, due to the nature of leap-years, but when the 29th of February does inevitably roll around, Ouerea expects to see hundreds if not thousands of celebrations across its cities.

September 28th – Democracy’s Founding

Mere weeks after the nuclear cataclysm of Moghes had engulfed the planet, a coalition government had been created by the Solarian Alliance and the Nralakk Federation in an attempt to provide stability in a time of crisis – successful in their attempt, representative democracy continued across the planet for close to three decades before royalist elements overthrew the Ouerean Federation. Democracy’s Founding is officially recognised as to when Ouerea began to unravel from the Hegemony’s clutches, seeking to build themselves a path amongst the stars.

October 11th - Pioneers' Landing

October 11th in the human calendar marks the initial colonisation of Ouerea - when the first five Unathi made planetfall, and transformed Ouerea from a dot in the night sky to a home. This is a joyous day of celebration amongst all three species present on Ouerea, honoring the persistent and independent spirit that has made the colony what it is today. Banners bearing the Ouerean flag and images of the initial colonists are often flown, and from the smallest village to the largest metropolis there is dancing, drinking and celebration in the streets - as all Ouereans, whether human, Skrell or Unathi, celebrate the work of those who came before them. This day tends to be viewed with less significance by Skrell, as most of the initial Skrell settlers of Ouerea are still alive.

Language

Language is a confusing topic across Ouerea, in that there exists a vibrant community of polyglots from all walks of life – exposed to languages and dialects from across dozens of planets from which native Ouereans had their ancestors hail from. Seeking to place equality on majority of the more “rooted” languages, the Ouerean Federation has recognised four languages as being instrumental to its continued development: Tau Ceti Basic, Solarian Common, Sinta’Unathi and Nral’malic. Though the most predominate language is Sinta’Unathi, Tau Ceti Basic is a close second thanks to its usage as a means of language wayfare – a common ground for which species use to understand eachother.

Refugees

Since the conclusion of the Ouerean Rebellion, and truly the Contact War, Ouerea has become a sought after destination for refugees fleeing the destroyed environment of Moghes for the lush verdant jungles of Ouerea. These refugees, originally welcomed with open arms, have slowly become viewed as more of a nuisance by the native population, as outdated views are once again brought to the planet, housing becomes increasingly difficult to find and refugees resort to setting up shanty towns outside of major cities the likes of which can be found outside of Skalamar itself. In return, the refugees mostly view Ouereans as entitled, having been born to or simply fled before their new neighbors had a chance to. These shanty towns are often rife with crime, causing fear within the native population that the criminal activities seen in them will eventually spread to the streets of major cities.

The two negative opinions the groups share about the other have sometimes flared up into violent clashes, as natives and refugees riot attempting to drive the other out, or enforce certain demands. With the commonality of such occurrences on the rise, they create a constant source of headaches for local Watchmen in the major cities, who need to expend resources trying to smother the flames before they get out of hand. As a result, and to keep a pool of cheap labour on Moghes, the Hegemony has attempted to curtail the flow of refugees to Ouerea, but has had little effect as smugglers remain rampant within the Uueoa-Esa system due to the ongoing scarcity. Those in power on Ouerea, and the Overlord most of all, view the non-stop flow of refugees with increasing concern, as fears of a possible crisis arising from the shanty towns begin to look more and more likely.

Political Structure and Governance

As a result of its tumultuous history, Ouerea has a political structure unlike any other within the Hegemony. For one, many aspects of their governance is based on democratic rule of law, rather than nobility, and that is only the most obvious aspect. This uniqueness means that Ouerea has a complicated relationship not only with the Hegemony and its Feudal system, but with politics internally.

The Synod of Scales

The Synod of Scales was first formed during the Contact War, when the planet was all but cut off from Moghes. It consisted of a committee of representatives, drawn from each settlement dotting the surface of the planet, with the number of representatives each settlement was entitled to determined by population. More population meant more representatives. One of these representatives would be elevated by their peers to become the “Speaker of Scales”, who would moderate discussions within the Synod, and speak for the committee as a whole to the public. These representatives would then work on matters of planetary policy, only truly creating laws about issues that affected the whole of the population, and preferring to let individual settlements rule themselves. This was the Synod of Scales before the Months of Blood, the brutal Izweski crackdown on Ouerean democracy after the conclusion of the Contact War. The Synod of Scales only exists today by the grace of Not’zar Izweski, who during the rebellion of 2460, conceded to the rebel’s demands on the reinstatement of democratic processes. Still, this concession was not without its caveats, and the way the Synod of Scales works contemporarily differs heavily to how it worked in the past.

The Synod nowadays is still made up of representatives, but each settlement, now towns and cities, only gets so many. The maximum number of representatives a city on Ouerea can appoint is eight, with New Skalamar currently being the only city which has the population to warrant these eight representatives. No other city has more than six, with most hovering around the three to four range. Smaller settlements or towns outside of cities are no longer allotted representatives, instead only being able to have appointed observers, normally appointed by the local mayor or other official who administers the area, in the Synod. This has created a situation where political power on the planet is heavily centered in the cities that dot the Trizkaka Sea, which, by the Hegemony’s standards, have the least amount of resentment towards the nation. However this estimate might be off, as while the countryside is often the growth of resentment and radical ideas, the cities normally quickly follow, as the interconnected people of the planet regularly travel and exchange ideas in a way that is foreign to Moghes.

For matters of actually making policy, the Synod follows much the same traditions as when it was first established, only truly focusing on planetary policy rather than attempting to also govern how the cities are administered. The position of “Speaker of Scales” was abolished after the Synod’s resurgence, and instead replaced with the Overlord of Ouerea, a still feudal position that passes down a clan line. It is the Overlord that moderates discussions within the Synod, and decides which matters should be discussed when. The replacement of the Speaker with a feudal position has caused some friction within the Synod, as the Overlord now determines what policy issues are brought before the Synod and in what order, essentially having control over what can and cannot be discussed. Still, those within the Synod recognize that the situation could be much worse, and are generally willing to put up with this fact, especially given that the current Overlord Zik'san is a former rebel himself. Issues which are brought to the Synod's attention are voted on by all members, excluding the Overlord, who traditionally never votes to appear unbiased. A simple majority is all that is needed to pass a law or policy, and should the vote ever come to a tie, the issue on the floor will be re-voted on until a majority is the victor. The Overlord does not hold veto powers over the decisions of the Synod, however the Hegemon himself does, should he see fit to exercise this power. Not’zar has not yet vetoed a decision made by the Synod, but only time will tell if he one day will.

Currently the Synod of Scales consists of 39 members, but it is expected to grow as the cities of Ouerea themselves grow. The Revolution’s Heirs are the most prominent political party within the Synod, accounting for 28 of its members, a vast majority. The Heirs rarely need to include other parties into policy making because of their majority, and this has created something of a distinction between the Hatchling’s and all other political parties, whose public support is not enough to tip the balance of power in their favor yet. However, now that the Heirs are in near total control of the government, all actions or inaction by the government will be tied to them, for better or for worse, potentially opening space for the smaller political parties to garner more public support.

The Overlord of Ouerea

Much like the Synod itself, the Overlord of Ouerea is a strange position for one to hold. Whereas the other Overlords rule directly over many smaller vassals, the Overlord of Ouerea merely manages the democratic affairs of the planet, rather than being a ruler in their own right. The Overlord of Ouerea, currently Zik'san, moderates the talks of the Synod of Scales, sets up the elections by which representatives are elected, and determines what policies are put to the floor within the Synod. That last responsibility gives the Overlord incredible power, if they are smart enough to know how to use it. By being able to determine what is even discussed within the Synod, the Overlord can steer the direction of Ouerean policy-making however they please, exchanging favors with representatives to ensure their issues are given first priority, or refusing to even allow certain issues onto the floor of the Synod.

Unlike in a modern democratic system, there is no check on the Overlord’s power, no way the Synod can over-rule their decision. While they do not have veto power, a right reserved only for the Hegemon himself, they do have a vast amount of influence over the Synod itself. This has resulted in a situation where the Overlord’s primary duty is the garner favours within the Synod, constantly in the political dance of quid-pro-quo, attempting to keep Hegemonic Authority on the planet as high as possible. Though the position is now held by Zik'san a former rebel himself, he has realized that to retain his position, and more importantly keep the planet stable, Hegemonic Authority must not be in doubt, or once again they will descend to the planet to reassert it in brutal Unathi fashion. This is never more the case than contemporarily, as the planet now plays host to a vast majority of the Hegemony’s food production, both current and planned, that the Izweski cannot simply let Ouerea begin to truly govern itself. So Zik'san must work the delicate high-wire act of allowing the planet some representation and some say in governance, while also keeping the Hegemony’s authority over the colony above a certain threshold. Should he fail in either of these, the consequences will spawn forth a torrent of blood that would outdo the revolution itself.

Relationship between Democracy and Feudalism

Feudalism and Democracy are two ideologies that were never meant to interact. Yet in Ouerea’s case they must. The delicate balance struck by Not’zar in the wake of the 2460 revolution has held up for the past five years, but it is not without its many flaws, beyond those which have been discussed within the Synod of Scales and Overlord sections. The biggest issue between democracy and feudalism is the constant change a democratic government presents, as representatives lose elections, are voted out of office directly, or even have to change policies as public opinion changes; compared to the relatively more consistent feudal monarchy found throughout the rest of the Hegemony, where a Lord’s word is law and the opinions of peasants need not be considered. What has resulted is an inability for the rest of the Hegemony outside of the Overlord and Hegemon to truly communicate with the people of Ouerea, and understand how their government system works.

To the majority of the Hegemony’s nobility, the Ouerean Revolution was a disastrous act of treason, and the Hegemon’s negotiation with the rebels is either considered a rare misstep by his supporters or a sign of his overall weakness by his detractors. Among the peasantry, however, the news of Ouerea’s newly-won democracy acts as a symbol of the potential for change - and many of those who would never have considered a change to the system that has reigned on Moghes for centuries now look at Ouerea as a shining beacon of what their own world could be. While the revolutionary ideals of the Ouerean Confederation have yet to catch on offworld, the citizens of the Hegemony hope and fear alike that while Ouerea was the first revolution to be victorious against the Hegemony’s power, it will not be the last.

Political Entities

Revolution's Heirs

An informal name for the dominant political viewpoint on Ouerea following the Revolution - born out of its struggle for freedom, and desiring to maintain that freedom in the new age of the planet. They are staunch supporters of maintaining Ouerean democracy and the freedoms it has won for the planet’s citizens, and largely wish to continue with the status quo, working within the Hegemony to demonstrate the value of the Ouerean model of governance.

Most prominent political figures on Ouerea are aligned with this ideology in some way or another. Opinions range on Hephaestus, with some viewing their investment as potentially a boon to the planet and others viewing them as a pestilence that was part of the very reason for the initial rebellion. Generally, followers of this ideology tend to agree that the corporation needs to be watched closely and regulated to prevent exploitation of the planet and its people - though only time will tell if they are capable of enforcing such regulations against Hephaestus’s influence.

The Heirs have been a dominant force among the Synod of Scales since its establishment, and that continues. They are supported by mostly Unathi, with a fairly large amount of Skrellian support. Notable members include Representative of New Skalamar Ozesh Zuruziir, who rose to political prominence beyond Ouerea following an attempt to court the Hegemon in 2465.

Warriors of Liberty

The Warriors of Liberty are an offshoot of Revolution’s Heirs, formed shortly after the exile of Overlord Yiztek. They believe in the maintaining of the Ouerean model, and in spreading it throughout the Izweski Hegemony, replacing the feudal system with a democratic confederation modeled after the newly formed government of Ouerea. The movement’s followers vary in their militancy, with a small and radical fringe advocating for fighting the Hegemony in open battle - a cause which is viewed as an impossibility by most. However, the existence of this fringe has proved a concern for some of the Moghresian nobility, believing that the Warriors are traitors to the Hegemony who should be stamped out.

Followers of this ideology tend to be staunchly opposed to Hephaestus Industries and the power that the megacorporation holds throughout the wider Hegemony. The prevalent belief among supporters is that the Hephaestus facilities on Ouerea should be nationalized and brought under Ouerean control, instead of being in the hands of a foreign power. While there have been accusations leveled at this movement for ties to radical organizations such as the Aut’akh and the Hearts of Industry, none of these accusations have ever borne fruit. This movement primarily consists of Unathi, with a small but dedicated base of human supporters. Notable supporters include Overlord Zik’san - former commander of the rebels during the Ouerean Revolution. His appointment to his position despite his outspoken pro-democracy views has angered many of the more conservative nobility on Moghes, with frequent calls for him to be removed from his position. The Warriors are also in favor of the expansion of Ouerean military power, to ensure that the fledgling democracy is capable of fending off any future attempt to return it to feudalism.

Ouerean Independence Movement

This movement is a small one, but with a notable presence on the Synod (maybe name one or two supporters). As the name suggests, they support the independence of Ouerea from the Izweski Hegemony, with opinions ranging from maintaining favorable relations with the Izweski to breaking ties altogether and seeking alliances among the democratic nations of the Orion Spur. This movement has a small representation among the Synod of Scales, and generally tends towards opposition to Hephaestus Industries. With the ongoing famine in the Hegemony, some of the more vocal supporters of this position have been calling for Ouerea to leverage their status as the Hegemony’s main food provider to force the Izweski into conceding to their demands for independence.

The Independence Movement’s support is fairly evenly divided between Skrell and Unathi. To many of its supporters, it represents the truest promise of Ouerea - a world where anyone, regardless of their species or origins, should be free to choose their own destiny without the meddling of foreign powers. This faction tends to work closely with the Warriors of Liberty - while they disagree on some key issues, both of them support the expansion of Ouerea as a military force in its own right, better to prevent another war if a future Hegemon decides that the grand experiment should come to an end.

While the movement has been opposed to Hephaestus, its membership is divided on the subject of the other megacorporations of the Orion Spur. Some believe that inviting other corporations into the Ouerean economy would help to provide a check on Hephaestus’s power, with the majority holding the opinion that any corporate presence at all is inherently detrimental to Ouerean democracy.

The Oldbloods

The ‘Oldbloods’, ironically, are actually newer to Ouerea than most of the peasants they deride. During the reign of Overlord Yiztek in the late 2450s, nobles from Moghes were brought to the planet to assist in the implementation of feudalism. This period was brief, with feudal rule on Ouerea being overturned after the Revolution, to the chagrin of the nobles who had invested time and money into establishing new authority on Ouerea. Those whose clans held land on Moghes returned there, but many of the new Ouerean nobility had lost their lands to the Contact War, and viewed this planet as a second chance. For these nobles, there was nowhere to go, and the power and wealth they had been promised on Ouerea was gone. Some of them integrated into the new society and managed to gain positions of power - but a large number of them who were unable or unwilling to do so formed the Oldbloods.

Outside of themselves and their retainers, the Oldbloods have little to no public support, and are generally the subject of mockery among the general populace. Currently, their main form of agitation is sending emissaries to the nobility on Moghes, in the hopes of pressuring either Hegemon Not’zar or his successor to stamp out Ouerean democracy once and for all, and to restore the natural order of things - with themselves back in power. They have had little success, with most of the more influential nobility of Moghes recognising that another war on Ouerea would spell disaster for the Hegemony, especially with the ongoing famine.

The Restorationists

The Restorationists are a minority group of humans and Skrell supporting the return of the administration of the colony by the Solarian Alliance and the Nralakk Federation. Due to the Solarian Collapse, this group has a small majority of Skrell over humans, focusing on outreach to the Federation. Following the Revolution, the Restorationists managed to attract a few more supporters in the belief that Ouerea needs the protection of another interstellar power to ensure that the tyranny of the feudal system is not reinstated. While this is the most common viewpoint among Restorationists, there are some among their number who believe that the Unathi are too young to the Spur to successfully govern themselves. The Contact War is, in their eyes, clear proof of the fact that the Unathi require the guidance of their elders on the interstellar stage, lest they bring disaster to themselves and others. The Restorationists are a tiny group, and an effective non-entity in wider Ouerean politics, as most of the human and Skrell colonists who were deeply loyal to the previous governments evacuated the planet when control was returned to the Izweski.

The Hearts of Industry

Following the reintroduction of Hephaestus to the Ouerean economy, the revolutionary guild known as the Hearts of Industry began to take root among the locals. While this had small beginnings, with Hearts from the Southlands of Moghes traveling to the planet in the hopes of agitating for change, these Unathi found a more receptive environment than they could have possibly dreamed of. The Ouerean people were no stranger to the idea of unions, or for collective action to improve the lot of all, and the revolutionary and egalitarian ideas of Ouerea found a kindred spirit in the Hearts of Industry. Second to only the Southlands chapter of the guild, the Ouerean presence is rapidly growing into a force to be reckoned with. Unlike the other political movements of the planet, the Hearts are unconcerned with Ouerea’s relation to the wider Hegemony, focusing solely on the exploitation of the planet and its people by Hephaestus Industries and the Hegemonic guilds that have made a home there.

The Aut'akh

While the Aut’akh of Ouerea largely keep to themselves, they are still noteworthy in their actions. Though technically outlawed by Hegemony law, they are far from a priority for the government of Ouerea, and as such have been able to recruit and grow in relative safety. Though law enforcement does not actively pursue the Aut’akh, this is not the case for Hephaestus Industries, as the communes have been a consistent thorn in their side for years. Hephaestus equipment is often stolen or destroyed by Aut’akh saboteurs - both as materials for supporting the communes and as an act of resistance against corporate power.

As such, the Aut’akh of Ouerea have an odd status, where despite the esoteric and unusual nature of their faith, they are often viewed as synonymous with direct action against the Hegemony and Hephaestus. As such, they have found many allies in those who believe that foreign powers - whether corporate or feudal - must be driven from Ouerea by any means necessary. This is where the bulk of the Aut’akh communes on Ouerea recruit from - those who are driven to strike against their oppressors. While there are no known examples of a human or Skrell converting to the Unathi faith, they can often be seen regardless in places such as Aut’akh Valley, living and fighting alongside the augmented Unathi in the hope of freedom for their world.

Faith

Sk'akh on Ouerea

Most of the initial colonists of Ouerea were Sk’akh, with the first scientists and laborers sent to the colony pre-contact largely originating from the heartland of the faith. While New Skalamar had a small chapel, the Church itself did not pay much attention to the fledgling colony until the introduction of alien technology made travel from Moghes significantly faster and easier, leading to a rapid expansion of the colony.

Following this, settlement on Ouerea grew massively, and the Church began sending missionaries, funding the establishment of a proper Ouerean branch of the faith. The First Scept of Ouerea finished construction in 2415 - a truly impressive building, blending the grandeur of traditional Sk’akhist architecture with the advances of modern technology.

In 2458, with the return of feudal rule to the planet, Overlord Yiz’tek gained the right to appoint an Archpriest. His appointee was a priest from Moghes, in the hopes of showing the ‘proper spiritual path’ to the ‘wayward peasantry of Ouerea’. The first Archpriest of Ouerea was known as a man who cared more for the comforts offered to him by the Church than anything else, and descriptions of his lavish personal chambers in the First Scept of Ouerea were frequently spread among the rebels as examples of the evil feudalism had brought to their world.

Following the end of the Ouerean Revolution and the appointment of General Zik’san as the new Overlord, his predecessor’s Archpriest was unceremoniously dismissed due to claims of his ‘deep and wanton spiritual corruption’ - corroborated by the Ouerean clergy who had served under him. A staunch follower of Sk’akh, Zik’san appointed a new Archpriest from among the Ouerean priesthood, a priest by the name of Iloso Azente. After several months of negotiation with the High Priest on Moghes, Azente was accepted and sworn into his new position - to represent the Sk’akh faith as the Ouerean people practiced it, rather than to mindlessly enforce the will of the far-away Church.

The Sk’akh doctrine remains largely unchanged on Ouerea. However, it has been forced into adapting to the two great tests of the Ouerean experiment - the widespread presence of aliens, and the abolition of the feudal system. Archpriest Azente was one of the driving voices behind the recent doctrinal recognition of the gods of other alien species, and despite some protest from more conservative voices within the Church on Moghes he has welcomed dialogue with other faiths both Unathi and alien - the Hegemon’s grand theological conference in 2460, though not exactly a success in resolving religious tensions, was made possible due to the groundwork laid by Azente and the Ouerean church.

The rise of Ouerean democracy has shaped the Church on Ouerea. The Ouerean church places a greater importance on the free will endowed by Sk’akh to Their children - claiming that it is the Great Spirit’s will that the choice between honor and dishonor is individual, and that all Sinta must find their own path to the purpose aligned for them, instead of simply falling into the patterns of their birth. This independent spirit has been proclaimed heretical by some of Azente’s fellows in the Church, but he has never been officially censured for it. This focus on an individual’s path in life, and the idea of Sk’akh wishing for Their children to find their own way, means that the Ouerean church does not share the doctrine that an Unathi’s gender must match their sex, with Archpriest Azente having applied the doctrine of Sk’akh’s perfect creation to the matter - if such a thing was unnatural, the Three in One would not create Sinta who felt in such a way. So far, this has gone either unnoticed or ignored by Azente’s fellow Archpriests, and the absence of a High Priest means there is little oversight to ensure he falls in line with the teachings of the Moghresian church. Some among the priesthood, both on Moghes and Ouerea, fear the potential of a schism whenever the Church appoints a new High Priest - but for now, at least, the Ouerean and Moghresian branches of the faith persist in an uneasy equilibrium.

Th'akh on Ouerea

Most of the followers of Th’akh on Ouerea arrived in the post-contact wave of colonists, with settlers from across the Hegemony recruited to settle the new world. As such, Ouerea is home to nearly every variation of Th’akh found on Moghes, though with those practiced in the regions of the former Traditionalist Coalition being less common. Shrines can be found across the planet dedicated to the Court of Stars, the Stone Lords of the Zazalai Mountains, the River Court of the Southlands and a thousand other variations of the faith. While many keep to the traditions and rituals of their ancestors, the cosmopolitan and independent culture of Ouerea has shaped the practice of Th’akh on the planet.

There is much less of a focus on particular holy sites and ancestral spirits in Ouerean Th’akh - the Unathi on this world are the first and second generation of colonists. There are no honored ancestors who have walked before them on this world, and most believe that, while they watch Ouerea from the spirit world, their ancestors remain on Moghes. For better or for worse, Ouerean Th’akhists know that they will be the ancestors whose spirits are invoked by future generations, the founders of a new civilisation and a new world. This has led to the rise of what is known as Ouerean Syncretism by theological scholars, and simply ‘Ouerean Th’akh’ by others.

Ouerean Th’akh is a synthesis of a thousand variations on the faith - while the colonists all have their own spirit-gods and sacred rituals, their own clans and honored ancestors, they are all equally outsiders now, facing new spirits of a strange new world. The spirits of Ouerea are viewed as wilder and more primal forces than those of Moghes, solely forces of the elemental nature of the planet uninfluenced by the Sinta’Unathi. As such, many Th’akh shamans on Ouerea are equal parts teacher, preacher and survivalist - exemplifying the pioneering spirit of the first Ouereans in learning to work with the spirits of the new world, naming them and seeking to shape a harmonious relationship.. Some of the more prominent among these shamans have been vocal in opposition to Hephaestus Industries’ expansion onto the planet, believing that their exploitation of Ouerea will lead to great spiritual misfortune across the planet.

Respect for both the old spirits of Moghes and the new spirits of Ouerea is the duality that shapes Ouerean Th’akh - its shamans teach that the colonists have brought their spirits with them in part, and that only through achieving a peace between the old and the new can one reach true harmony. Those who abandon their old ways and traditions completely may be dishonorable and bring shame to their ancestors - but those who cling to them and refuse to adapt will surely invite the wrath of the Ouerean spirits upon themselves.

Widespread exposure to human and Skrell culture has also shaped Ouerean Th’akh in a way that most other variations of the faith have not yet seen. Humans and Skrell are recognised as having their own spirits that they carry with them, both ancestral and reflected in the Th’akh understanding of the alien religions. While there are no known alien converts to Th’akh, the shamans of the faith often seek to work closely with alien religious figures in furthering mutual understanding of both each other, and the world they must share.

Aut'akh on Ouerea

Ouerea is the birthplace of the Aut’akh faith, with the secretive religion’s followers having revealed themselves to the Spur for the first time there, though its communes are now spread across the wider Spur. Its origins lie with a group of Th’akh scientists and engineers, the foremost among them being Emzal Paossini, the elusive archaeologist now known by the Aut’akh as the ‘Creator of Paradigms’.

These founders synthesized their Th’akh beliefs with Paossini’s studies of the ancient Sinta’Mador, and their ruins at the North Pole of Moghes, as well as the Ouerean ideas of self-governance to form the roots of what is now the Aut’akh faith. The Aut’akh of Ouerea exist in an odd state - despite the persecution throughout the wider Hegemony, the Ouerean government is largely content to leave them to their communes - and while some of the more militant among the Sk’akh and Th’akh faithful will occasionally call for stamping them out, this has yet to gain any traction.

The main opposition the Aut’akh face on Ouerea comes in the form of Hephaestus Industries, with the planet’s communes having stood in fierce opposition to the human megacorporation for years. Aut’akh salvagers will frequently launch raids on Hephaestus compounds or equipment, stealing synthetics, machinery and supplies to sabotage the corporation’s efforts and bolster their own communities. Over the years since the Ouerean Revolution and the rise of the Aut’akh faith, Hephaestus has extensively hired mercenaries from the Fighters’ Lodge to protect its investments on the planet - and to engage in borderline warfare against the Aut’akh wherever they may be found.

More information about the Aut’akh of Ouerea can be found here.

Alien Religions

When the alien colonists came to Ouerea, they brought their gods with them. Nearly every religion that is common in either the Sol Alliance or Nralakk Federation can be found on the world. In New Skalamar, the First Scept of Ouerea is by far the largest religious building - but it is not alone, standing on what has become known as the Street of Ten Thousand Temples. Human, Skrell and Unathi sites of worship all stand there, visited by their myriad adherents - with some locals jokingly referring to it as ‘the holiest place in the Spur’.

The human religions seen on Ouerea are too many to count. In New Skalamar alone one can find churches, mosques, synagogues, temples, shrines and monasteries alike, representing nearly every faith practiced amongst the vast sprawl of the human population. The only major human religions with little to no representation on Ouerea are those primarily practiced in regions outside the Sol Alliance, such as Luceism or the Moroz Holy Tribunal. These religious buildings are mostly used by the largely mega corporate employee human population of the planet, whose parent corporations funded the construction of most of these buildings.

While human religions can be found in equal measure, the Skrell faiths primarily practiced on Ouerea are those deemed deductive by the Nralakk Federation - with many of the Skrell who stayed behind finally seeing a chance to practice their faith freely.

Qebalak is one of the most common religions among Skrell, and many of those living on Ouerea remain followers of it. At the northernmost end of the Street of Ten Thousand Temples lies the Grand Observatory of New Skalamar - while not nearly as spectacular as those found in the Federation, it provides a place for the Qebalak Skrell of New Skalamar to contemplate the stars above them. The Ouerean Starkeepers do maintain contact with their clerical superiors in the Federation, and some detractors of the faith have claimed that they report to Federation authorities on subversive behaviors among the Skrell of Ouerea - even if they do not seem to have the inclination to act on it at this time.

Weishii is also present on Ouerea, though the crowded streets of New Skalamar are ill-suited to sanctuaries of the faith, leading to no real places of worship on the Street of Ten Thousand Temples. A short distance outside the city, however, lying in the shallows of the Trizkizki Sea, lies an isolated Weishii sanctuary, where the faithful of New Skalamar congregate. While its presence on Ouerea is a small one, the Weshiiq of the sanctuaries scattered across Ouerea tend to them faithfully - and tend to be somewhat more welcoming of those practicing what the Federation would refer to as deductive behaviors. Several prominent members of the Weshiiq have been at the forefront of the protest against Hephaestus’s massive aquacultural expansion, believing that it will destroy the seas that many of their sanctuaries lie in.

Suur’ka has grown rapidly among the Ouerean Skrell population - its emphasis on strength, independence and self-reliance is a popular sentiment among the people of Ouerea, and its martial inclinations are very complimentary to the Unathi ideas of a warrior’s honor. On the Street of Ten Thousand Temples, the Grand Ouerean Cloister stands - where followers of Suur’ka are able to openly train, meditate and discuss their faith. Though the religion itself remains followed near-exclusively by Skrell, humans and Unathi can often be seen visiting the Grand Cloister, and a few of them have picked up the martial art of Sqai'Laaq from the Skrell adherents.

Followers of Kir’gul are also common on Ouerea - with the planet’s smaller Skrell population and its vast distance from the Federation leading to many practitioners falling under the wide umbrella of the faith seeking to travel there. Many Kir’gul Skrell can be found seeking to make a living as artists on Ouerea, or in similar lines of work involving creative personal expression. While most do not achieve particular notoriety, some of the most prominent literature, poetry and music not considered anti-Federation in theme has been produced on Ouerea. Kir'gul artists on Ouerea are influenced primarily by Unathi culture, with their history and the Contact War being primary inspirations.

Several constellations have become particularly important to Ouerean Skrell despite the short amount of time that they've been on the planet. These constellations influence and reinforce many of the ideals held by Skrell living on Ouerea today.

Fish - bounty, labour, famine, celebration Chains - emancipation, liberation, oppression, tyranny Gecko - allies, friendship, confrontation, solidarity

Geography and Climate

Ouerea is best known for its lush, verdant jungle landscape, which covers almost all of the planet’s surface besides the polar ice caps. This jungle cover is attributed to the planets closer proximity to the sun when compared to Moghes, having a much shorter orbit. The Trizkaka Sea is the most prominent feature of the planet, being a large body of water with many island chains, that has become the lifeblood of the colony. The planet also has several mountain ranges.

The strangest thing about the geography and climate of Ouerea, however, is its compatibility with Unathi as a species. For most other species, their first steps of colonization were titanic struggles which required heavy use of terraforming, adaptation, and equipment to survive on their new planet. Whereas Ouerea is essentially a Moghes covered in entirely jungle, well suited for habitation by Unathi. The plants and animals pose little danger to Unathi, and are even edible by them, which is what allowed the first colonists to survive so long cut off from Moghes. Many scholars have puzzled over this question, why Ouerea seems to be such a perfect candidate for colonization, right on the doorstep of the Unathi homeworld, but most have either attributed it to some form of divine intervention, or pure galactic luck. However there are more radical scholars who believe that Ouerea was once a colony of a Unathi precursor race, who terraformed the planet to live on in ancient times, before the evolutionary base of the Unathi stepped out of the ocean. There has been no evidence of this, despite many archaeological expeditions being launched on the world, and it is unclear if any will ever be found.

Flora and Fauna

Awth’una are a warm-blooded reptilian species that gives live birth. They are four-limbed with long, snake-like prehensile tails. They resemble iguanas with a more generally ape-like body structure. Their grasping hands are very dextrous, and they have feet that have a grasping toe. They are the primary tree-dwelling type of lizard that is found in jungles across Ouerea. Typically they are omnivorous foragers that also scavenge from other species’ kills, and are not averse to raiding bird nests or eating the birds themselves. A typical Awth’una troop will be led by a patriarch. The patriarch's daughters remain with the troop for their entire lives. The young of Awth’una stay with their mothers for typically a year before becoming fully independent. They learn to forage for food and how to behave from their mothers. Orphaned Awth’una can become aggressive or ill-tempered as a result of not having their mother’s guidance on how to behave properly. Noticing this behavior, Unathi xenobiologists often cite them as evidence of the importance of proper cultural values evident in even the animal kingdom.

Subterranean flora are mysterious. Only the creatures that are found in the more shallow layers of the caverns are even known at all. Several kinds of reptilian monsters are found there, blind with pale scales and sharp claws. Deeper, lichen-grazing creatures crawl through the tunnels and chambers, stocky-limbed and snakelike and partially aquatic. Cataloguing the incredible breadth and diversity of the subterreanean eco-systems is a task that will keep xenobiologists busy for decades, if not more.

The Azkrazal or Threshbeast has also taken to Ouerea quite well. A tall, swift-running grazer, in some areas feral herds have outcompeted native Naearzi. However, most Azkrazal on Ouerea are domesticated and thrive in the pastures across Ouerea’s grasslands. They are used as a primary method of conveyance in the homesteads due to their high speed and stamina. However, they are typically found on farms worked by the serfs of rich nobility, due to the cost of importing them and their comparative rarity. The poorer class on Ouerea uses primarily Naearzi harnessed in teams for pulling wagons and carriages. The domestication efforts over the past 20 years have gone well, and the new generations of Naearzi are born less shy and grow to trust their trainers more quickly. Unathi society is learning the secrets of their husbandry quickly, and things like diet and pasture size have been studied to great effect.

Mier’vesh are a small, reptile-avian creature with forked tongues that sample the air. They are popular animals as they are small and sweet tempered, making them slow to respond to danger. They are used as an ideal tool to teach Ouerean hatchlings how to hunt and eat at an early age. They have a strong flocking instinct which leads them to stay together around a lead hen, typically who has the brightest crest or the loudest cry. They are popular with Unathi clanmothers who are too busy to cook, since they can simply put their hatchling outside in the yard to chase Mier'vesh.

Tul are large, muscular, leathery creatures, about a head taller than your average unathi that are native to Moghes but introduced into the local ecosystem. They have sharp claws on each feet and the strange ribbed, flat teeth found on most herbivores. Their most striking feature, however, is their tusks. A large array of long, pointed tusks protrudes from their skull and jaw. They move like a cat - deliberate, pronounced movements, with very broad shoulderblades.

They have a long flat tongue they use for feeding. Tul are commonly poached for their tusks which can be used in various luxuries, from jewelry, to cutlery, to pieces of ornamental weaponry. Hunting Tuls requires personal permission from the Lord of the land, and the honor is almost exclusively reserved for the landed elite. Common Unathi found poaching Tul's or illegally trading the tusks are often given harsh prison sentences.

Owning these animals is reserved for only the richest clans due to how tightly they are controlled. They are sometimes brought out for large events by Lords to impress guests and visitors. Sometimes they can be found wandering the private gardens of the wealthy.

The tul also have a few small myths surrounding them. According to some regional cultures, the tul cultivated the forests before the Sinta could walk on two feet, whereas some say they were responsible for raising the sun - sticking their long tusks into the ether and pulling it back up into the sky. Some of the oldest clans will have a tul displayed as the clan's insignia.

Cities of Ouerea

The tropical regions around the Trizkizki and Riztizkzi Seas are the most populated areas of Ouerea - nearly all the major cities on the planet are located in and around this region. Due to its warmth making it ideal for Unathi biology, it was targeted from the beginning of the colonization process.

New Skalamar

The oldest city on Ouerea and capital of the planet, New Skalamar has humble beginnings - the reassembled shelter of five colonists, growing over the years into a ramshackle town and further into the bustling metropolis that it is today. A strange mixture of Unathi, human and Skrell-style architecture defines the city, with the Nralakk Federation and Solarian Alliance having played a major role in its expansion into a true city.

In the Founding District, lying at the center of the city on a plain of undisturbed grass, is the Pioneers’ Field - a near-perfect recreation of the pre-contact settlement built by the first Unathi to arrive on the planet. Statues of each of the five founders stand around it, and each of them was buried beneath its earth, having given all of themselves to the establishment of Ouerea as a thriving world. The Field is a popular spot for tourists, and the locals will often frequent it to remind themselves of the humble beginnings that their world rose from. One of the most famous images of the Ouerean Revolution shows a crowd of rebels - Skrell and Unathi alike - standing shoulder to shoulder on the Pioneers’ Field, refusing to bend or break before Overlord Yiztek’s forces. Frequently, the entrance to the Field is decorated with wreaths of flowers in tradition, or offerings to the restless spirits - honoring those who gave their lives in the Months of Blood and the Revolution, for the freedom and prosperity of their home.

Just a short distance south stands a building that has had many names - initially built as the Ouerean Colonial Administration building by the Nralakk-Sol government, briefly transformed into the seat of Overlord Yiztek, and then renamed again following the Revolution to the Synod of Scales, as the newly formed government of Ouerea took up residence there. The Founding District is filled with grand buildings, any one of which could have made a suitable seat for the newly-appointed Overlord - but so far, Overlord Zik’san has refused to name a proper seat, remaining instead in a modest home a short distance outside the city. While most of the Founding District consists of city or planetary government buildings, there is one exception. Looming over the skyline like a dagger aimed at Moghes, the Hephaestus Regional Branch Office - nicknamed by some locals as ‘the Titan’s Tower’ - is the center of the megacorporation’s operations on Ouerea, and is second only to the Skalamar office in importance to the corporation’s overall strategy in the Hegemony.

Not all of New Skalamar is so picturesque, however. Around the city’s docks, immigrant workers and refugees from Moghes have settled - hoping to find work and prosperity. Many of them have been left to languish, however, with the slums of the Docklands being known as a hotbed of organized - and disorganized - crime and poverty. Frequent calls are made in the Synod to address this issue, but no solution has yet been reached. Clashes between the Ouerean locals and the Moghresian arrivals are common, and many fear that if something is not done for the Docklands, they will erupt into outright war.

K'rath

A short distance to the east of New Skalamar, K’rath lies on the edge of the sea, in the foothills of the K’rath Mountains. Surrounded by a wide swathe of coastal lowland, it is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful cities on Ouerea - the bottle-green and tropically warm waters of the Trizkizki Sea stretch towards the Horizon, and the snow-capped mountains rise just a short distance to the south. By its locals, it is considered a paradise city, and the tourism industry of K’rath has thrived since the end of the Contact War, with wealthy nobles and guildsmen of Moghes seizing the opportunity to get away from their ruined world and take in the beauty of Ouerea.

The majority of K’rath’s residents are Unathi, with a large number of those wealthy enough to afford it having immigrated there following the end of the Contact War. During the days of feudalism on Ouerea, the region surrounding K’rath was quickly returned to the feudal way of life, with many of the farmers and fishers in the region suddenly finding themselves as serfs, with the rights they once held stripped away. The anger at this treatment, and at being forced to bow to the new lords of the region, exploded violently during the Revolution. Many of the nobility reigning over the K’rath region were executed by the rebels, and those who managed to escape now make up the core of the faction known as the Oldbloods - pointing to the killings carried out by the K’rath rebels as proof of the danger of Ouerean democracy.

K’rath still bears scars from the Revolution, with many of its grander and more luxurious hotels and resorts being rebuilt from the fighting. However, the tourists have begun to visit again, and though many of the locals complain about how their city now caters to the same parasites they once drove out, the influx of foreign wealth has greatly accelerated the rebuilding efforts. Its proximity to the ocean has given K’rath a large Xiialt Skrell population, with a small and insular district referred to as ‘Little Nralakk’ having sprung up on the waterfront. Many of the locals have leaned into the strange reputation of their species, offering services to tourists such as ‘psionic fortune readings and ‘psionic healing’ - neither of which tend to involve any actual psionics.

Um'a'yid

Um’a’yid lies on the western coast of the Trizkizki Sea, and is a major fishing port on Ouerea. It is home to the planetary guildhall of the Fishing League and has rapidly become one of the most prosperous chapters of the enormous guild. Since the beginning of the famine gripping the Hegemony, the Guild has brought in enormous amounts of labor from Moghes in order to expand fishing operations across the region. As Hephaestus Industries expands its aquacultural operations, it remains unclear as to whether or not the League will continue to keep its iron grasp on the city.

The city is currently majority Unathi, in large part due to the numbers of peasant workers and guildsmen brought in to assist the guild in its food production efforts. Prior to the guild’s expansion into the city, however, the population was fairly evenly split between the planet’s three species. As the Fishing League only recruits Unathi as full guildsmen, much of the work available in the city to humans and Skrell is limited, usually for much lower pay - though some with backgrounds in xenobiology or environmental science have managed to secure prestigious advisory positions to the guild, and have been instrumental in the establishment of some of the guild’s existing aquacultural centers across Ouerea.

For the rest, however, the most common work is on the city’s docks or as non-guild labor on fishing boats. The low pay of non-guildsmen has meant that many humans and Skrell have left the city in recent years, with many of them seeking similar work in the employ of Hephaestus Industries.

Tr’ha’rem

Along the land bridge separating the Trizkizki and Riztizkzi Seas lies the city of Tr’ha’rem, a major shipping port on Ouerea. Nearly all cargo bound to and from Z’ek or Sahat passes through the city, and the massive tropical rainforests surrounding the city have proven very valuable for logging and farming. A spicy fruit known as kizau (A Sinta’Unathi word meaning ‘sweet sting’) is an extremely popular export from the city, which sees frequent use in Ouerean cuisine, being one of the rare foodstuffs to have proved equally popular among Skrell, humans and Unathi alike.

Due to its position on the northern edge of the Ouerean equator, Tr’ha’rem is less hot and humid than most of the planet. This has made it a popular destination for non-Ouereans, as it is widely considered to be more livable. Tr’ha’rem is also home to one of the larger human communities on Ouerea - though colonists came from many different parts of Solarian space, largely in the employ of megacorporations, traveling halfway across the Spur is not something done lightly, and generally only by those with little to gain remaining on their homeworld. Perhaps it is unsurprising, then, that a large number of Martians wound up living and working on Ouerea, primarily in the employ of Hephaestus Industries. As its climate is more bearable year-round for humans, a great many of these workers dwell in Tr’ha’rem, with a district near the city’s docks being named "New Olympia" by its residents. The locals tend to view Hephaestus favorably and have bitter feelings towards the Solarian Alliance, which were only amplified by the Violet Dawn disaster of 2462. Though many of them have not seen Mars in decades, if at all, they still consider themselves as Martian as they are Ouerean, and many of the locals have donated extensively to relief efforts following the disaster.

Due to its large human population, Tr’ha’rem often plays a key role in many human-centric political developments. Some of the earliest fires of the Ouerean Revolution were sparked in the streets of New Olympia, and since the establishment of the Confederation, it has been a key part of the campaign for human representation on the Synod of Scales. Though the Hegemony is unwilling to allow aliens to hold power over Sinta, the humans of Tr’ha’rem have fiercely agitated for at the very least an observer similar to that which the Skrell of Ouerea have. So far, this campaign has not been met with any official response, with the believed reasoning being very few humans have fully settled on the planet as the Skrell did, instead being there as megacorporate workers.

Xrqii-Zek'Qlip

A small settlement in the Z’ek Crater, the town of Xrqii-Zek'Qlip (often abbreviated to Zek by non-Skrell) is considered to be a gateway to a tropical paradise - for humans and Skrell, anyway. The humidity in the region is generally considered too much to bear for Unathi due to it causing embarrassing and frequent fungal infections of the scales. As such, there are very few Unathi inhabiting this region, though the warm and idyllic tropical waters are a perfect environment for Xiialt Skrell, who make up a majority of the small settlement’s population.

Though briefly settled by Unathi at one point, with the village of Zek being the first settlement on the island, the constant humidity and scale infections led to most of the settlers rapidly leaving. Following their departure, the Nralakk Federation considered the use of the islands as an environmental research facility, and it was their surveying which led to the discovery of their ideal conditions for Skrell. Though the Federation decided against it, moving their efforts elsewhere, this was what attracted the second wave of settlers to come to the island. The Skrell that moved here would name their town after the original settlement in respect to the native Unathi who originally tried living here.

The islands of the Z’ek crater are considered to be one of the wonders of Ouerea, looking like the archetypal island paradise. While most of the locals make their living largely off fishing or farming, the small town has seen a boom of late, as the Ouerean government wishes to further exploration into the Azareazi Sea to the south, which is still unsettled and not nearly as well-explored as the equatorial region of Ouerea. As Xrqii-Zek'Qlip is the closest settlement, in recent years the town has become a frequent stopping point for researchers and supply shipments bound south, to various research bases.

Sahhat

Far to the east of the Riztizkzi Sea lies the Sahhat Crater - a volcanic crater in the middle of the savannah. Aside from the grassland around it, the middle of the crater holds a large and very deep lake, branching off into unexplored underwater caverns. The beauty of the crater, and its warm yet not unpleasant waters, have led to it becoming something of a tourist destination, with the small town of Sahhat catering to the wealthy Unathi, humans and Skrell who come to visit.

Originally, Sahhat was the site of the Sahhat Geographical Research Complex - a Nralakk Federation scientific outpost dedicated to understanding the unique biosphere of the underwater caverns of the crater. Following the Federation’s withdrawal from Ouerea, the facility stood abandoned, though it has since been reopened as a museum dedicated to the unique flora and fauna found in the caverns.

A small settlement arose over time near the research base, as primarily Unathi settlers from the core of the colony ventured out to the region, and formed what is now the town of Sahhat. The town largely existed to support the research base, but the friendships built over many years between the two groups led to a few of the Skrell scientists choosing to remain on Ouerea when the Federation left. Now, Sahhat is a beautiful town, looming over the crater and descending down the cliffsides of the ancient volcanoes. It offers every luxury - fine food and drink from human, Skrell and Unathi culinary traditions, entertainment in its small yet thriving theatrical district, and the unique sights of diving into the crater itself and exploring the scenic underwater caverns. While this is a profitable industry, and usually divers are accompanied by a Skrell guide - every now and then a foolhardy tourist will dive into the crater’s water and never resurface.

Likely, they simply got lost in the caves and ran out of oxygen. Some of the locals, however, whisper of something more sinister - an alien beast lurking in the depths of the Sahhat Crater, picking off tourists when it sees the opportunity. Though some have sought out to hunt whatever monster this may be, none of these parties have ever turned up anything, leading most serious scholars to conclude that the ‘Sahhat Leviathan’ is nothing more than a ghost story to sell souvenirs.

Skrell on Ouerea

The Skrell are not inexperienced when it comes to settling on the worlds of other species, having spread themselves out across Human space soon after they made first contact with Humanity. Settling on Ouerea came with its own set of unique issues though, and combined with a tumultuous history it has culminated in a subsection of Skrell who are culturally distinct from most of its species.

History

Shortly after first contact in 2403, a small number of Skrell moved to Ouerea. These Skrell were only Federation Representatives and their associates at first, their purpose being two-fold: develop relations with the Unathi and learn more about their culture and people, and assist their struggling first colony by turning it into a burgeoning, self-sufficient one. These first Skrell joining the colony would not go on to form the contemporary Skrell on Ouerea, but laid the foundations for what was to come for the species.

During the first month of diplomatic and cultural exchanges, the Skrell were also beginning to look at what the colony would need to truly be self-sufficient. It was obvious that educated workers and those who had experience in colony development were needed, so the Representatives made a request to the Grand Council. The call was barely received back in the Federation as many Skrell felt unease at the thought of leaving their homes for a pre-existing fledgling colony of a nation less advanced than Humanity. While a small number of Secondary and Primary Numericals accepted the call, it was mostly Tertiaries and other oppressed groups within Federation society who were willing to leave their home for a planet still struggling to survive. The influx of oppressed groups joining Ouerea influenced its already existing anti-Feudalistic movements, introducing foreign concepts that matched the Unathi colonist's goals for egalitarianism and democracy. These ideas were unimpaired by the politics of those who worked for the Federation, who had to keep the Hegemony in mind while on Ouerea, and these oppressed Skrell were more than happy to teach the colonists that there was a way of living that did not involve serving under the Izweski's or any lord's rule.

The move to Ouerea was slow, but over time Skrell moved to the planet on a larger scale than in Human space as the colony's needs outpaced any xenophobia held by the Unathi living there. Ouerea would soon become a well-known destination for those who needed to flee Federation space, either as a stop along the way to the Coalition of Colonies, or as a final destination for those looking to make a new life for themselves. It wouldn't be until the Contact War began and the Federation took over administration of the planet that their numbers would increase dramatically. A planet which the Federation administered appealed to many across all of Federation society; the average citizen saw it as an opportunity to safely explore the Spur, knowing they would not be at the whim of a xenophobic or unenlightened government, while Tertiaries and criminals saw it as an opportunity to leave the Federation and live where its laws are not heavily enforced without arousing too much suspicion. While still having to live secretly at this point, not openly practicing their subversive beliefs, the compartively lax monitoring of citizens on Ouerea gave these Skrell unprecedented freedom compared to Federation space.

The Federation's administration of the planet would see democratic elections begin, as now freed from the feudal obligations of the Izweski the population took to implanting its long hoped for government. The administration created by the Federation was not a true government in any sense, instead acting more as an oversight committee, allowing the planet to form its own government and the policies that come with it as the people saw fit, rather than imposing their own. This is attributed to the lack of true support the Federation Administration received, as the population of the Nralakk Core Systems saw no reason for their government to begin establishing colonies so far from home, especially in the de-facto territory of another species with whom they cooperated. The Federation Administration would instead work with the locally elected government of the Synod of Scales, who it recognized as the legitimate government of Ouerea, assisting them in the growth and stability of the colony, essentially acting as a liaison group between the Synod and the larger Federation. To the surprise of many, while a majority of elected positions were still in the hands of Unathi, a large proportion of positions across all levels of Ouerean society would be held by Skrell when considering their minority presence on the planet, as they were some of the only colonists with experience or the slightest education in civil administration. At this point, the life for Skrell on Ouerea was compared to the early days of the Skrell Space Age. Advanced technology was not imported over in large numbers, and was only used by Federation officials to facilitate communication back home and to the Hegemony when possible. The Skrell's quality of life suffered, obviously, as they would be too used to what the Federation had, but many enjoyed the subsistence lifestyle Ouerea offered. The Skrell settling on Ouerea began to see the colony as an example of what cross-species cooperation could achieve if given the opportunity.

At the end of the Contact War, the Hegemony slowly began to stabilise and take notice of its holdings once again, and saw what became of its colony. The Hegemony took disproportionate action, taking a number of Skrell Kala officers captive and making a grand display of its fleet in orbit of Ouerea as a message to the Federation and Alliance: the Hegemony would not bow down to aliens, and Ouerea belongs to the Hegemony. The Nralakk Federation and Solarian Alliance would then "cede" their claims to the colony, not wanting to fight over a planet that didn't belong to them to start with and was too far away from their territory anyway, and took their citizens with them. Those who worked with the Federation directly, along with the Primary Numericals and many Secondaries, would leave the planet with their job of making Ouerea self-sufficient considered complete. Those who fled the Federation and those who established roots and relationships in their local communities, however, were not interested in leaving their new home and had no intention of leaving. Those that stayed on Ouerea were forced to passively observe as the new Overlord began to tear down the equal society that they had helped create for the Unathi, unable to defend it in fear of xenophobic reprisal as discrimination against the Skrell almost immediately became common once the old Feudal system was put in place; as the Skrell were seen as a direct cause for the introduction of democracy and other "alien ideals" to the Unathi population, the new Unathi colonists and rulers were quick to view them with contempt. This said the Skrell were spared during the Months of Blood, serving prison sentences or simply being brought back down to the rank of peasant rather than the normal punishment of execution, as the Hegemon feared the response by the Spur's superpowers if he were to kill his alien subjects. After two years of uncertain fear of their status in the Hegemony and internal debate about what to do with these new alien subjects, the Ouerean rebellion began.

The Skrell's role in the rebellion was not insignificant, but the species was divided on where they stood. One side saw it as their fight just as much as it was the Unathi's now that they were considered Hegemonic subjects, while the other viewed their participation in the rebellion as a death sentence; so far away from home and no hope of escaping what punishment they may face by a Feudal ruler, many Skrell wished to stay on the sidelines and hope that they would be left alone. Some even believed that they may be granted special privileges as a species, and didn't want to spoil their chances of negotiating these rights with the Izweski or Yiz’tek Lords if they openly rebelled against Hegemony rule. Participation in the rebellion itself by Skrell was not significant due to their minority presence on the planet, but while the number of Skrell fighting on the streets in solidarity with the Unathi peasants was small, the number of sympathetic Skrell who offered their services to those impacted by the rebellion was much higher. Those with medical backgrounds would help the wounded after a riot, engineers would repair the damages done by the lord's levies after a crackdown, and religious leaders would help organise communities to help those most impacted by Overlord Yitzek's heavy handed rule. Skrell who took part in the actual fighting notably helped train those peasants who were not defected levies in fighting as a unit, and advised them on how to best engage with the better equipped Yiz’tek forces on the planet.

After Not'zar Izweski's negotiations with the rebels, and the arrest of Overlord Hutay’zai, the Skrell's place in Ouerean society was secured. The Skrell were given a permanent observer within the re-established Synod of Scales, whose role is to speak and bring forward issues related to the Skrell without requiring prior approval by the Overlord, a privilege not given to Humanity, as little to none of them are on the planet for any reason besides work, but otherwise has no other powers within the Synod. This special privilege has made the Skrell of Ouerea more content with the situation, knowing that they still have representation within the government. The reasoning behind Not'zar's decision of giving the Skrell this privilege isn't specifically known, but it can be assumed that Not'zar sees the Skrell on Ouerea as a key to greater technological advancement for the Hegemony, as most Skrell have had decades of intense higher education and a more advanced skillset than your average Unathi.

Life and Culture

The Skrell of Ouerea today are in much the same situation as they were before the Hegemony took back control of the planet, and in similar situations seen by Skrell living abroad elsewhere in the Spur. Despite an individual Unathi's thoughts on the species, Skrell are in high demand for their knowledge and skills, and it is common to see Skrell in higher positions in most fields. Skrell in teaching positions are also common, although for the most part they are not tied into the local education system in an official capacity and are usually hired on by guildsmen for their workplace instead. This has given the Skrell a certain amount of respect by the other species, with the common thought being that if a Skrell is in your workplace, you know that you are in good hands. This said, Skrell still face a large amount of discrimination in Ouerean society as some Unathi feel as though they have been cheated out of better opportunities. Even with Ouerea's emphasized importance on equality, the Unathi still struggle when it comes to how they treat non-Unathi. This has translated to many senior positions being held by Unathi, while Skrell are relegated to positions that hold no authority over their peers.

Outside of work, Skrell see more of the egalitarianism that Ouerea embraces. Communities are rarely fully segregated, with the only real exception being Xrqii-Zek'Qlip due to its environment being unsuitable for Unathi. Even here, however, the Skrell population has issues fully assimilating; the cultural differences between Unathi and Skrell have made life in mixed areas difficult, and it can be a challenge for the two species to interact without it being abrasive. This isn't to say that tensions are high between the species, but it has made the existence of "Skrell Quarters" or "Little Qerrbalak's" common in the larger cities such as New Skalamar as Skrell choose to live mostly alongside other Skrell where possible.

Skrell culture and attitudes have changed as a result of mingling with the Unathi and Human populations on Ouerea, particularly views related to individuality. Just as how Ouerean Unathi have placed more importance on the individual rather than the clan you belong to, Skrell on Ouerea have begun to emphasise the importance of individual Skrell rather than focusing on the group as a whole. While by no means completely removing the importance of community, or making the species unable to see the importance of sticking together as a minority on an alien planet, the definition of a group and community for Ouerean Skrell is much smaller than that of a Skrell from the Federation; while Skrell in the Federation are more willing to see themselves part of a greater whole, that "greater whole" for a Skrell on Ouerea may not extend much further than their town or city. Other Unathi ideas have also influenced the Skrell living here, particularly those related to loyalty and honour which match well with pre-existing views. These ideas can be seen the most in younger Skrell, either those who fled the Federation for already having similar views or those who were born on Ouerea. Non-mainstream Skrellian beliefs have seen popularity on Ouerea as well, with Suur'ka being seen as a necessity for a physically weaker and minority species living alongside Unathi. The Suur'ka ideology followed on Ouerea is not unified, but still follows the main tenets of Suur'ka and its connected Sqai'Laaq martial art: the mental and physical honing of oneself, self-reliance, and independence. Suur'ka's tenet of independence is particularly popular with Skrell, especially those who took part in the rebellion, and is often brought up as a point when the topic of Ouerea's role in the Hegemony is mentioned.

The majority of Skrell on the planet would be considered subversives back in the Federation even before this cultural shift thanks to those staying mostly being Skrell who were either outcasts in Federation society, criminals, or otherwise not ideal citizens. The mix of Skrell from all backgrounds, regardless of ideology or subculture, has allowed the proliferation of Skrell ideas that is unprecedented elsewhere save for perhaps the Republic of Biesel. With their status as Hegemony subjects and the lack of formal agreements between the Hegemony and Federation, Ouerea continues to be a destination for those willing to flee Federation space - albeit one that is considerably less popular than fleeing to the Coalition of Colonies or joining the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion.

There is still a small group Skrell who are still pro-Federation, however, made up of those who did not wish to leave Ouerea for one reason or another, and are who make up the majority of non-Unathi supporters of the Restorationists political movement. Ironically, this group of Skrell are considered outcasts by the greater Skrell community on Ouerea, seeing their pro-Federation, conformist beliefs as precisely what the idea of Ouerea is against. Their support for an authoritarian nation such as the Federation is compared to the Izweski Hegemony, and are widely shunned by both Skrell and Unathi alike as a result. Pro-Federation Skrell on Ouerea do not last long, either finally giving in and adopting the wider culture held by Skrell on the planet or giving up and moving back to the Federation.