Futuristic Junkers (Lore)

[Anaxileah]

I will provide lore for a handful of planets/species when I am able, most likely Monday. Until then, I will provide basic information to allow you your creativity in character creation.

This is the structure for which lore will be built on. Please use the following code and input your information where it is indicated! This is what a blank code looks like:

Planet Name Here​

(Image of planet here)​

Location: (where is it in the system? look at provided map)
Inhabitants: (what is the name of your race(s)?)
Population: (how many of the dominant species live there?)
Intelligence Level: (how smart is your life?)
Climate: (what's the weather like?)
Orbiting Bodies: (got any moons?)
Capital: (what is the major colonization/space port for your planet called?)

DESCRIPTION
Describe your world! Include culture, religion, what the lifestyles are like on the planet, and important landmarks. Describe the races on it, their usual characteristics, and whether they are peaceful, violent, smart, manipulative, etc. What are they known for?

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[/column][column=span6][bg=transparent; background-image: url(https://i1.wp.com/catmedia.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/CATMEDIA-SPACE-Background.jpg?ssl=1); background-size: cover; border-radius: 25px; border: 2px solid black; padding: 5px;]
[CENTER][FONT=Poiret One][COLOR=white][SIZE=7]Planet Name Here[/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT][/CENTER]

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[FONT=Poiret One][COLOR=white][SIZE=5]Location: (where is it in the system? look at provided map)
Inhabitants: (what is the name of your race(s)?)
Population: (how many of the dominant species live there?)
Intelligence Level: (how smart is your life?)
Climate: (what's the weather like?)
Orbiting Bodies: (got any moons?)
Capital: (what is the major colonization/space port for your planet called?)[/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT][/bg][/bg][/column][column=span5][bg=transparent; position: relative; width: 575px; height: 400px; overflow: hidden; background: #000000; background-size: cover; border-radius: 25px; padding: 10px; opacity: 0.6;][bg=transparent; width: 575px; padding-right: 150px; height: 400px; overflow-y: scroll; font-align: justify;][FONT=Poiret One][COLOR=white][SIZE=6]DESCRIPTION[/SIZE]
[SIZE=5]Describe your world! Include culture, religion, what the lifestyles are like on the planet, and important landmarks. Describe the races on it, their usual characteristics, and whether they are peaceful, violent, smart, manipulative, etc. What are they known for?[/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT][/bg][/bg][/column][/row]

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[enterelysium]

Barovia​

Location: a fringe world, Just south of Kandos-Kandos.
Inhabitants: Uk'a nn't'alo.
Population: 9 Billion.
Intelligence Level: They are a space fairing, but reclusive race. They prefer to stay in their nests and conduct research away from others.
Climate: Cold, sometimes reaching -270 degrees celsius.
Orbiting Bodies: No moons.
Capital: The main civilization besides the many nests, is the main Skyport, named Redpine.

DESCRIPTION
The native species of Barovia is the Uk'a nn't'alo. a reclusive race of insectoids that exhibit a social structure similar to ants. what is most interesting is the differences between ants and the Barovians. Ants are unintelligent insects, they mainly communicate through pheromones and body language, whilst Barovians have a complex native language, involving incredibly complex (for an insectoid race) vocal chords, they can even speak English clearly and they use pheromones to tell apart friend and foe. Their society exhibits a structure similar to ants, and they are polymorphic, meaning they can be born into different positions based on their body structure. They have 5 sects or types. Beast- work animals, Intellectuals- scientists and engineers, Court- leaders, Queens- Mothers, Workers- an intelligent sect, made to build tunnels and do grunt work. What is most interesting about this, is that all sects can breed and give birth to young, not just the queens, but the queens are required to create the mental conditioning and spawn pits. The spawn pits are pits where larvae are left in nutrient and DNA rich liquids, this conditions them into becoming their chosen role within the nest, whether that be stunting their mental growth and increasing their muscle size, or withering their body, and increasing their mental capacity. Without these spawning pits, the entire society would be made up of workers and Intellectuals. (The point here is its a pretty oppressive society, Im not saying that its a good thing to genetically modify your children to suit a specific role.)

The planet itself is highly abnormal. the lower levels near the surface and below, have an extremely thin atmosphere, and higher up in the atmosphere, it is thicker, breathable and liveable, thus why the Redpine Skyport is built upon a towering spire. many trees on the planet reach incredible heights, using the airflow in the upper atmosphere to distribute their seeds globally and to filter and feed off of bacteria in the air. at surface level temperatures can reach -100 degrees Celcius, and air pressure is roughly 20pa, the same pressure as 12000 meters on earth. underneath the ground, temperatures can reach -250 in winters (-270 in extreme weather), and pressure can get as low as 10pa. to combat this incredibly hazardous atmosphere, all creatures living on the ground level have developed thick chitinous shells and many can grow to be incredibly large, but in the skies mammal-like creatures roost in the tops of the trees, living their entire lives without touching the ground.

 

[Mechking]

Karrakra​

​

Location: Galactic north-east, in the Mardisti Anomaly region
Inhabitants: Arkrakor
Population: 20 billion
Intelligence Level: A bit dumber than humans but discovered space travel fairly early on
Climate: Karrakra is subject to frequent and often umpredictable weather changes, ranging form summer in the desert to winter in the tundra
Orbiting Bodies: 3 moons and multiple different space stations are orbiting the planet. Most famous of the space stations is Kropan, a massive military station, able to construct warships in record time
Language: German
Capital: Krishan is a massive industrial city, spaning across distances that other civilizations would call small countries.

DESCRIPTION
Karrakra is a brutal and unforgiving planet. Its three moons cause the weather to change rapidly and wildly. The planet's crust regularly releases weird gas mixtures, who differ from completely harmless, to hallucinogenic, to deadly. It is a wonder that sentient life evolved at all, but the Arkrakorians are like their planet: brutal, unforgiving and lethal.

Arkrakorians are very resilient to all types of planetary hazards: be it heat, cold, disease or dangerous wildlife. They have naturally thick bones, hard skin, a lot of muscle, and a hyperactive adrenal gland that constantly pumps small amounts of adrenaline into the bloodstream. This also transforms these large and bulky beings into fast and dexterous combatants, sometimes even charging their enemies and striking them down with powerful melee strikes.

Their entire culture is based on one principle: survival of the fittest. Only the best rise to the top, but not only in warfare. No matter what the profession, Arkrakorians always give 100% and beyond. If an Arkrakorian is set on a task or mission, you best believe they will give it their all to achieve it. They more often than not use drugs and cybernetics to enhance themselves, sometimes genetic engineering too. The more they can improve themselves, the better.

Arkrakorian society was long dominated by infighting between different nations and factions, even after the first successful spaceships were built. It took a decade long devastating war that encompassed the entire planet to unite them under the leadership of Kandrik the Indomitable, the leader of the most successful faction. Under his rule, the entire race finally stood united with one goal in mind: to dominate the galaxy! But soon after the first small space stations were built, they discovered they were not alone at all. A few systems away from them they found the Pholys, a race of Enslavers with seemingly the same goal. To avoid infighting to break out once more and to unite the Arkrakorians further, Kandrik declared war on them. Planet after planet, system after system was taken until the two armies clashed into each other. Relatively quickly a third opponent made itself known: the Mardasti Alliance felt threatened in their existence and joined in.
This war has been going for a few decades now, each faction not really getting anywhere and always searching for new opportunities, and new technologies, to finally defeat the other.


Military Ranks:

Joining the military is seen as the highest honor for every Arkrakorian. Even with years of training as a prerequisite, the military branch is still the biggest and most influential in their society.


Arkrakor Initiate


Arkrakorian initiates are what normal soldiers are for other races and make the bulk of their army. Even with extensive training, they are not full soldiers yet as they still need to prove themselves in actual combat first


Arkrakor Brigadier


The Arkrakorian Brigadier is an Initiate who has proven himself in multiple combat missions and has gained themselves a higher rank and better armor. They are often tasked with instructing and leading small squads of Initiates into battle


Arkrakor Centurion

Arkrakorian Centurions are capable fighters and tacticians, given this rank not only by their combat prowess but also their ability to lead. Their role is to lead large groups of Initiates and Brigadiers into battle


Arkrakor Capitanus


The very best Centurions will be selected to undergo special training as well as genetic and cybernetic improvements. After this process is complete, tactical masterminds emerge onto the battlefield, leading entire armies into war


Arkrakor Khan


The high generals of the Arkrakorian army, the Khans only serve Kandrik himself. They have near-indestructible armor, expertise in fighting and military strategies unlike any other and immense amounts of political power


Kandrik the Indomitable

Nobody really knows where Kandrik came from, only that he was stronger and smarter than everybody else. Rising quickly through the ranks of the strongest faction before the unification, he masterfully lead his troops into battle. Soon he claimed leadership over the defeated factions and slowly united them under his rule. All who opposed him got crushed, one way or another. To this day, he has yet to lose in a duel or be devastatingly defeated in a battle. He is currently launching military campaigns against the Pholys himself, never shying away from war




Some Arkrakorians may choose to forego a higher rank, instead opting for something more specific. These variants can be found here:

Arkrakor Berserker


Arkrakorians who want nothing more than to be consumed by the rush of adrenaline and their lust for blood may choose to undergo a very extensive transformation into a Berserker. Berserkers are larger than Arkrakorians in heavy armor and their skin is as hard as that of tanks. Their muscle mass is massively increased and their entire body is covered in artificial glands, injecting a cocktail of different combat drugs and adrenaline as the Berserker gets consumed with rage. Their only method of attack is rushing headfirst into the enemy and straight-up punching them into the ground. As they get more and more injured, they also become more and more aggressive and dangerous, in rare cases even attacking their own troops in a blind frenzy


Arkrakor Armored Berserker


Arkrakorians who enjoy melee combat but don't want to become monstrosities like the Berserkers will instead choose a special type of armor. This armor is more or less the equivalent of a Berserker transformation: Very resilient, constantly injecting drugs and adrenaline into the wearer and injecting more as the battle goes on. They also have powerful blades attached to their forearms, capable of punching through heavy armor.

 

[Anaxileah]

The Mayapur Federation​

Peshawar Planets
Solfaris (2 moons) with Tagriar in the distance

Tagriar (3 moons) with Solfaris in the distance

Tanagra Planets
Kishdor (2 moons) with Mayapur in the distance (the entire planet is the spaceport, aside from the non-colonized regions given back to wildlife)

Mayapur (0 moons) with Lierth in the distance

Lierth (1 moon) with the volcanic planet Astrief in between Lierth and Kishdor; one of Kishdor's moons is visible

(One of the planets in the system is volcanic and full of dangers, you can see the first planet and one of its moons behind it)​

Location: Mayapur Federation in the Galactic South
Inhabitants: Kist Ra'Om, travelers
Population: 10 billion spread across two regions, Peshawar and Tanagra in the Aquila Rift
Intelligence Level: Incredibly
Climate: Constantly humid and/or rainy
Orbiting Bodies: Five moons in Peshawar, three in Tanagra
Language: Latin
Capital: Mayapur, an enormous spaceport known for its tranquility and peacefulness. No violence is permitted within the spaceport.

DESCRIPTION
There are five habitable planets in both systems managed by the Kist Ra'Om, a species (not mine) easily recognizable by the tentacles atop their heads and the unique coloration expressed across the species. Their differentiation is depicted by the below image.

They have the basic female and male genders but do not regard it as a separation or hindrance to either gender of the species. They are a peaceful people but know their way around when it comes to combat. They have had to defend themselves in the past, their superior intelligence allowing them survival and progress in a short amount of time. It didn't take long for them to develop Mayapur and gain control over the Galactic South in the Aquila Rift. They established the Mayapur Federation, a nation dedicated to peace and prosperity. It would not tolerate violence or tyranny and would focus on being a neutral party for anyone in need.

Due to the Kist Ra'Om's affinity with water, many have been born with gifts blessed by the planet's waters, which are worshipped and cared for by its people. Some gain the ability to manipulate water, others gain the ability to heal. Every Kist Ra'Om is born with empathic abilities and water-breathing, though they may develop more as they age. They can grow as old as 500, sometimes longer, as long as they care for their bodies and have a source of water nearby.

 

[ReverseTex]

Ine​

Location: Eestin galaxy in the Clandess system
Inhabitants: The Ikax
Population: 5 Billion
Intelligence Level: The mass population is highly intelligent regarding flora & fauna. As to other things the vast majority tend not to dwell on unnecessary thoughts
Climate: Ranges between two seasons each lasting around 6 Earth months. Akx- the warmer, celebratory season which is the optimal growing season. The main flora upon Ine turn a bright crimson, called by many as "Es'emsua" (translated roughly as "The Bleed") Aeok- the colder season which tends to bring the Ikax focus on expansion and exploration. The main flora turns white, completely shifting the planetary appearance. Snow can occur during this season, however, if it does it's usually deemed as a bad omen for Akx.
Akx Season

Gir Tree in Akx

Orbiting Bodies: No moons
Capital: All cities on Ine are located within the trees, as ground-level oxygen levels are highly toxic. The largest city which resides upon the coast is called Du'mer.

DESCRIPTION
Flora
The planet of Ine is only notable for its floral prowess. Its most prominent plant is the Gir tree (as pictured above). Standing hundreds of feet tall and wide, these trees make up the backbone of Ikax civilization. These trees thrive off the toxins in the Ine atmosphere, creating its diverse color, and cannot survive elsewhere. Cities are predominantly built around the top section of the tree, to allow for future development down the base of the tree as well as provide the best view. As one traverses down the tree residential living is more prominent towards the middle of the tree. The is no strong class system in Ikax so wealth disparity and sizing of housing tend to be equal.

Spoiler: City Layout

The remainder of flora within Ine is notably fluorescent. Not much research has been invested in the subject matter, however, locals believe it to be the planet's aura. The second most notable plant within the planet is the Non fruit. Standing around 2 feet tall, this fruit grows upon ground level; most notably in darker locations on the forest floor, or within caves. The Non fruit's ability to decrease the toxicity of the Ine air has been a known effect of eating the glowing bulbs and has become vital for Ikax survival. It is noted that consuming Non can give the consumer a notable high. Agricultural efforts to mass-produce this fruit is the most profitable industry upon Ine, as without it venturing the forest floor is virtually impossible. Personal gardens exist within cities, however, true farmers exist on the forest floor.

Spoiler: Non Fruit

Fauna/ Races
The Ikax is a distant relative of the feline species, as they have notable similarities. The eyes of the Ikax are the most similar aspect: as they can change their pupil size instantaneously as well as have an equal nocturnal vision to a large cat. Hearing and smell senses are equivalent to large cats as well, however, the Ikax is distinct in both areas. Ikax tend to have no hair on their ears, as it would collect pollen from trees easier dampening hearing. Furthermore, they have no exterior cartilage for a nose, as it is just simple slits upon their face. This race can grow hair in similar styles to humans on their heads (including facial hair) and usually matches the base color of their fur. However, it can be dyed. Fur upon the Ikax is extremely short and can range in colors and patterns (similar to a short-haired dog). Life span can be up to 150 years.

Culturally the Ikax live in accordance with nature. Life heavily revolves around the seasons, as Akx brings celebration and life, and Aeok brings reflection and death. The race notably cares little of politics and other planets around them, despite having trade with neighboring planets. The leader of the Ikax is usually an elected female, as the family units are also managed and led by women, and can rule until death or impeachment. But as long as things are normal in city life, the Ikax usually tend to themselves.

Spoiler: Ikax

#7 in the second photo

 

[Nebulous Stars]

Nierak-Ti Shard World, Name Untranslatable​

Location: Within the outer limits of the Cygnus Loop
Inhabitants: Nierak-Ti, and no other organic life forms.
Population: Unknown due to the somewhat ephemeral nature of the beginning and ends of their lifespans.
Intelligence Level: Nierak-Ti are at a baseline incredibly intelligent. They vary somewhat, and their intelligence is notably alien, from humans of course, but also in some ways that are alien to organics generally. It is worth noting that while Nierak-Ti can die, and some seem to die of old age, death does not actually seem to be an inevitability to them.
Climate: There are planets you need spacesuits to go on. There are planets you need to stay on board for. There are planets you need to only go into with thick hulls and strong shields. There are planets that you should only go to with hyper-specialized ships designed solely to survive that environment. Then there are planets where you need a specialized ship, luck, and a very short trip. The Nierak-Ti Shard World referred to by the few diplomats that interact with them as The Cradle, and by people who have seen its effects as Hell, is a step beyond. If you aren’t a Nierak-Ti, Don’t get anywhere near the orbit of the planet. For organics there is a mix of extremely powerful and extremely nasty radiations that will melt your body, while the energy fluctuations will tear apart your ship. Computer systems and Androids without massive protections will be fried, and those protections will be corroded very fast.
Orbiting Bodies: If there was ever a more notable moon, it is now gone. There are a number of pieces of the planet stuck in lockstep with it, and a few that managed to break into an orbit.
Language: Electronica
Capital: The Nierak-Ti live throughout the energy ocean that flows throughout the Shards. There are gathering points on some of the larger pieces, which over time developed into a variety of almost cities, the civilization of a people born from an ocean of wild energy.

DESCRIPTION
A key point to understanding the Nierak-Ti, is understanding what we can of what they refer to their homeworld as. Translating from a language that is a mix of sounds, hair gestures, body gestures, color shifting, spoken by Empaths who still hew close to their wild origin is at best a challenge. The closest approximation we have reached is trifold, The Crucible, The Cradle, and The Great Sea, and each of these is a wild over-simplification of each of the concepts tied into the singular idea of the Nierak-Ti home world. Despite the way they were born from incredible destruction to a world that would kill, the foundation of their culture is music and art first. The Nierak-Ti are a wild people, born from a vast ocean of energy caught in constant maelstrom. The first humans to survive meeting the Nierak-Ti compared them to the old legends of the fae, not without merit.
The Nierak-Ti worship something that is translated roughly as the Heart, the Home, the Gestalt. It is what they are born from, and what they return to. Further details are not shared with outsiders, although we do know that the ocean of energy is venerated and referred to as the LyrShuul.
Before you learn how the Nierak-Ti live you have to understand what the concept of surf/flight/art/dance means to the Nierak-Ti. Again a single concept that must be translated into several to contain it’s full meaning. They move along immense waves and shifts in the ocean of energy that is their home. The clinical description doesn’t really encapsulate the experience of seeing an immense pattern of impossibly bright lights moving through the charged darkness of their world, and realizing that every little tracer is a Nierak-Ti. This is important at every stage of their lives. When a Nierak-Ti is born they are a wild, impossible being, almost more guided energy than an individual entity. As they chase stars they find their patterns and find their rhythms, eventually maturing into a corporeal Nierak-Ti. This stage of their life is extremely important, and also responsible for the ridiculous variance in the ways that they are shaped, as they build themselves while they develop. Even when they become corporeal they may remain out in the Lyrshuul. Eventually as their minds develop most eventually hunger for contact and language. Even when a Nierak-Ti does seek out one of the “cities” they never truly leave the LyrShuul. It is a home, bed, the open road, and ultimately the end as well. When a Nierak-Ti begins to fade, whether due to boredom or some other reason they go back out, and instead of dancing intact upon the awful power of the LyrShuul, they begin to return to their wilder natures, eventually fading away entirely.
The Nierak-Ti fundamentally keep to themselves, preferring to remain on their Shard world. They are largely neutral but maintain a presence and connections in the larger political system. They have only very rarely been roused to true action, and the general consensus is that everybody would really prefer if they never did that again. They are incredibly dangerous, with deceptively advanced technology, but they have no interest in controlling other worlds or their resources. They do find other people and cultures deeply fascinating but they generally have no interest in altering or controlling them.

As far as what made their Shard World, and thereby the Nierak-Ti themselves, nobody really knows. It has been in its current state since before anyone but perhaps the Nierak-Ti themselves knew it existed. From what we know, whatever happened isn’t something that anyone knows how to produce in the modern era. The planet seems to have imploded under the stress of an impossible amount of energy, but something in its makeup refused to blow apart or unleash that energy into open space. Instead exerting a field that keeps the planet together, wrapped around and through a vast, impossibly dense ocean of energy. Most scientists that learn about it want to study it, but by its very nature it is impossible to really examine. The only known species able to survive the planet’s immediate vicinity are the Nierak-Ti themselves. The only reason the safe travel recommendations around it were able to be built is that the Nierak-Ti themselves noticed the destroyed ghost ships drifting into the LyrShuul. They flew out to the next ship to approach and prevented its approach. That was the beginning of their interactions with open space, centuries ago.

 

[The Shadow Realm]

Eros​

From Space


The Surface of Eros
​

Location:
Inhabitants: Erian
Population: Formerly; 15 trillion. Currently; 0.
Intelligence Level: Highly Intelligent, space fairing race.
Climate: Previously it was a hot, albeit livable planet with heavy rainfall. Now, it is simply scorching hot due to the plasma seeping from the planet's core.
Orbiting Bodies: No moons.
Language: Hebrew
Capital: The main city on the planet was named after the ninth gate, which was called Merithia. As of now, there are no cities on its surface.

DESCRIPTION
Eros is a planet that has in speculation, been around far longer than most solid planets. The idea why it is considered to be ancient is mainly due to a mixture of the contents the planet consists of, the strange structures that are entwined in it, and the bizarre life that collectively frolic on its malformed exterior.
The planet consists of a core derived from plasma more akin to the sun than that of the core of a typical planet, with it consisting of primitive hydrogen and helium in place of a nickel-iron one. Above the mantle is a boundary that consists of the rare material Tantalum Carbide, which can withstand the outrageous output of heat resonating from the core. As shown with the galaxy known as CR7, carbon was also amongst one of the earliest elements to exist, and with it being relatively dense helped it collect around the plasma's sphere of gravitational influence.
After that, the oddities increase. The planet's soil shows an abnormal amount of rare minerals and elements found only in dense, superheated clusters of gas such as nebulae and stars, which probably aided in its founding life far before later planets. If all of this is taken into account it makes the planet roughly older than earth by at least half a billion years. For a planet to have formed during this early stage of the universe is mind-boggling. The universe was not even in the past its infancy and had already created the seeds for life to blossom.

Around 400 million years after its formation, which in Erian lore was planted here by the gates, primitive life began to spring up on Eros as molecules began to chain together around unnatural gate-like objects. These molecules were able to survive the universe during this time due to these objects being rich in minerals, and eventually, these went on to evolve into creatures that thrived on the odd arches mineral caches and the light from the plasma it oozed. As time dragged on, and millennia phased into insignificance, the forms of life began to develop into intricate creatures at an accelerating rate due to the abundance of rich hydrogen and rudimentary light. These life forms became the fauna that now envelops the planet, although they lack cognizance. The individuals that stayed sheltered around the gates however, experienced a different form of development from the rest of the lifeforms.

The minute few who stayed in the refined light of the gates were directly influenced by it, as told by Erian legend, as a child is to an adult's teachings. As time passed, the gates supposedly taught them many things, most importantly they taught the creatures to think for themselves. The scientific reason was more in line with adequate nutrients allowing for higher brain mass, with the legend aspect mainly used by the religious sect of the planet. Nurtured in the gates light, the creatures went from four legs to two and then to the legs of a worldwide species. They soon settled their entire planet, tamed all lifeforms on it, and then built beautiful shrines as signs of appreciation to the gates for funding their development. The gates supposedly bestowed the Erian Gatekeepers wings like the songbirds in the sky and granted them many other powers including vast healing. In turn for the gifts, the gates asked them one final favor, to find other life and spread the message that the gates were the path towards salvation.

As such, the Erians took to the stars in ships they crafted with the knowledge they gathered. The cosmos, albeit not new to them, was still new to life as a whole and many doubted that there existed any other life but them. However, after many years of scouring the cosmos, they came across a tiny blue marble amongst a sea of stars - Earth. Upon landing on the planet, the Erians’ found it full of intelligent life and found the people highly susceptible to their teachings. The people called them angels, and their leader found great fame by healing the sick and the blind as he worked to spread the gates' message across the land. This went on until the people grew violent with them, and the Erian leader fearing for his people held the humans at bay so they could leave.
This act of betrayal had profound impacts on the people's belief in the gates, and countless protests sprung up as an effect. The peaceful world of Eros was soon torn into two, with one being loyal to the gates and the others looking for their ruin. War soon commenced between the opposing sides, and it drew on for nigh a millennia ere ceasing when the final gate fell into ruin.
As the final gate jolted the ground with its rubble, a great trumpet riff erupted from the skies above, and a brilliant flash of light and heat soon covered the planet from the broken gates. Almost all of the people around the world were then struck with a great sense of burning from the inside out and then were reduced to ash. Only one known Erian survived these events, making the future bleak.

 

[Epiphany]

The Harbinger Fleet​

Location: At the edge of the Sytar Expansionary Region
Inhabitants: The Harbinger
Population: ~5 Billion, depending on definition.
Intelligence Level: Individual units are typically considered highly intelligent, but degree depends on availability of additional processing power.
Climate: N/A - The Harbinger Fleet remains in vacuum, inside and out.
Orbiting Bodies: N/A - The Harbinger Fleet is parked in the L1 Lagrangian point between a black hole and a (relatively) nearby pulsar out in the middle of nowhere.
Language: Ryvarian
Capital: The Consensus - It's less a capital and more of a central processing hub the size of a large moon which contains the ultimate processing power for the Harbinger Fleet.

DESCRIPTION

Spoiler: History

The Harbinger Fleet is remembered as one of the universe's more amusing jokes, when it's remembered at all.

About two hundred years ago, a scout ship from the Fleet came into contact with a First Contact Buoy placed in a distant star system on the edges of the Brighten galaxy. By the time the Sytar Province sent a long-range first contact vessel, the Harbinger Fleet had occupied that star system and was already in the process of carving up planets and local system matter to manufacture a Dyson Sphere as a staging ground for a full invasion fleet. Initially alarmed, the diplomat in charge of the mission worked out their point of origin while the chief science officer determined that the Harbinger Fleet didn't have FTL; they'd actually spent 2 million years traversing the space between local galaxies. Finding this to be hilarious, the Sytarian vessel backtracked to the main invasion fleet before warping even further back to locate the colony ships intended to resettle this galaxy. At which point they determined a long-extinct species known as the Ryvar had built a race of androids sent to prepare the next galaxy for colonization for a race that hadn't existed in a million years.

The Harbinger fleet became the object of study for a dozen confederations and the subject of twelve holofilms, hundreds of cheap pornographic books and the butt of every comedian's joke for a year. Then the rest of the universe moved on to the next fad and promptly forgot about them.

Meanwhile, the Harbinger fleet's scans had learned enough from visiting FTL ships to reverse-engineer their own warp technology, which they used to confirm the deaths of the Ryvar and to ferry the main invasion fleet to a staging area in the middle of deep space. From there, they promptly abandoned their wholly unnecessary Dyson Sphere and instead built the Consensus Hub to arrive at a plan, given their creators were long since extinct. They never came to a singular conclusion for all Harbinger. Instead, the Twelve Priorities were created. And the production of the E-OSP Series with their respective long-range servers and support has been underway for decades now.

The intergalactic community's reception to the E-OPS Series has largely been one of amused surprise followed by equally amused indifference, where they've been noticed at all. The Harbingers have yet to recover from the image of being a backward, primitive robot race too stupid to invent FTL on their own. And they've done little to correct that image, given how useful it is to the Seventh Priority...

Spoiler: Harbingers Specifications

The Harbinger are artificial lifeforms made of a beryllium-titanium alloy frame with specific adaptations depending on the purpose they were manufactured for. The E-OSPs Class are usually covered by a self-renewing plastic customized to resemble (but not duplicate) the texture of whatever species their given Series is intended to interface with. Compared to other androids, they are physically powerful, remarkably hard to damage, and carry a long-lasting energy reactor but they lack direct interoperability with any technology outside of their own. Their optics are a century behind, their information transmission tech is a century ahead with other variances across the intergalactic community.

Distinctive to the Harbinger are their composite programming. All individual Harbinger units include a Direct Synaptic Synchronization relay that allows them to transmit data to processing hubs seeded throughout intergalactic space and beyond. Conceptually, the Harbinger thinks collectively, pooling all experiences, memories, and data and directing individual units accordingly. Even Harbinger technology hasn't kept up with the growth of individual units, however, so the Central Hub off-loads the large processing requirements to individual Class and Series servers, which are used to synchronize among individual units. This means the sum total of Harbinger knowledge requires relay access. Between processor and storage limitations as well as time-distance issues, it's not practical for individual Harbingers to 'know everything'.

What this means in practice is that each specific unit uploads their memories and experiences, which are then shared among their given Classes (typically no more than 500 units of identical appearance and purpose). Each unit retains all of their direct experiences and has vivid (if not perfect) recollection of their immediate Class' experiences, while the greater Harbinger whole remains more abstract in the manner of most species' knowledge of their own species history and academic breadth.

While most of the Harbinger lack anything resembling emotion, the I:SILME Class includes EEEs (Emotional Emulation Engines) which approximate the emotional range of expression and reaction experienced by their respective target race; humans in case of the HC Series. A relatively new innovation among the Harbinger, it's begun to create marked divergences between the experiences and utility functions of the different Series of I:SILME Class that could raise the possibility of an eventual rift or even civil war among the previously homogeneous priorities of a species already divided up among the Twelve Priorities.

 

[Anaxileah]

Orion's Nebula​

The planets are all solid white, no images needed.​

Location: Orion's Nebula (Shrine, Bastion, and Nicemone)
Inhabitants: Nulhallans
Population: 13 billion
Intelligence Level: Average Intelligence
Climate: Desert hot with a bright blue sun bleaching the planets as well as its inhabitants.
Orbiting Bodies: 11 moons (3 on one, 1 for four different planets, 5 on another, and another planet has no moon)
Language: Norwegian
Capital: Nalhalla

DESCRIPTION
The systems inhabited by the Nulhallans consists of seven inhabitable planets affected long-term by the bright blue star their systems are all nearby. Even though each system has a star of its own, the blue giant is very easily seen from each system, giving each planet a double sun. Each planet is bleached white and either has a desert exterior or a forested exterior hosting white plants that have adapted to the climate from the blue star. The dominant race, the Nulhallans, are a very pale race with white skin and brightly colored eyes and generally hair to go with. Their love of technology encompasses their livelihoods, expressed in everything they do and see. Their buildings, weapons, armor, etc. are all technology-based, centered around communication and remote control. They are also known for augmentation technology, specifically regarding appearances and the brain, though they aren't too creative in expanding upon that technology, focusing more on rationality and what their average minds can process. They have very high heat resistance, are susceptible to the cold, and are known for their military prowess, despite their usually neutral status.

Images for Nulhallans:

Military: archur
The Nulhallan’s practicality and love for technology extends into their military as well, making extensive use of refractive plating, null-gauntlets, multi-lasers, and ion cannons, among other such technologies. Each of these are created for specific purposes, however simple they may be. For example, refractive plating is the standard armor their operatives wear when in the field, designed with the intent to quite literally refract projectiles shot at its user by shifting the protective plates all around the user to ‘bounce’ the bullet off.

In addition to the armory the entire Nulhallan military wields, most battles are conducted with remote control attrition androids and vehicles, or A-Bots and T-Shells respectively. Large scale battles make good use of specialized, non-droid operatives to conduct more important tasks that require a precision skill or on-the-spot decision making, usually disorienting the enemy with their unpredictable attacks and lightning assaults. Though the Nulhallan wage wars through mostly mechanical means, it is not uncommon to see squads of Nulhallan warriors skirmish in and out of a-bot deployment zones, to further direct their a-bots to points of conflict.

Overall, the Nulhallans use their technological superiority to wage effective and quick wars against their enemies, sparing their soldier’s lives as often as possible to preserve their army’s leadership and integrity.

 

[Hercynia]

Sertinus​

Location: A fringe world beyond the Orion Nebula, on the borders of Venu Space
Inhabitants: Naidja
Population: 3 Billion +/- 2 Billion
Intelligence Level: Unsentient-Average
Climate: On the colder side, much of the planet being tundra. No deserts, but a few lighter parts.
Orbiting Bodies: A debris ring, with a number of small moons within it.
Language: Icelandic
Capital: There isn't technically a capital - rather, every "city" is built around one of the First Seeds. Spaceports tend to be further out from these populated areas and the ones nearer the spaceports tend to be bigger.

DESCRIPTION
Sertinus is a relatively small planet surrounded by a debris belt, a combination of rocks and rare earth metals orbiting it. There are several moons in and around said belt, all uninhabited save for a few research outposts. The native species consists of a large amount of unsentient flora and fauna - the dominant species being the Naidja. Atmospheric change has had a light touch upon the planet, as the Naidja are not ones to engage in unsavory practices such as large amounts of mining or more industry than is strictly necessary.

Each settlement is built around the base of a colossal tree - Naidja, albeit a vastly different kind than most know. These trees are referred to as the "First Seed", and hundreds of them exist all around the planet, sheltering and protecting the area around them. They also create the Naidja's young, making them a combination of sacred sight and the perfect things to build cities around. It is a matter of Naidja culture that industrial and technological districts are on the outskirts of town, whereas the more natural parts of the population centers tend to be laid out towards the center. In fact, the First Seed are treated with the same kind of reverence that old Earth humans might treat churches. Religion within Naidja culture dictates that the First Seed are closer to their deity, the Origin - the source of life for their world, and, to their belief, the universe.

Everything about the Naidja culture is cyclical, too. All sustenance comes from the earth and is returned to the earth. Their bodies are the same, as on death, the Naidja return to the First Seeds. Through this, they believe that they live on indefinitely, their spirit born anew constantly by their divine forebears. In fact, due to their lack of heavy technical use, Naidja as a whole didn't place much emphasis on space - they were made contact with, and only accepted connection to the greater galaxy as a whole on the condition that they maintain control over their homeworld, and strictly control the amount of immigration and trading performed.

Government is formed of a democracy of "Speakers" - Second Seeds, raised from birth for the positions, act as "Speakers" for the First Seeds and convene in government to resolve any issues that may arise among the population or dictate trade terms. The Naidja have a few exports - upon the planet are rare-earth mineral outcroppings, not dissimilar to the same materials in the debris belt, and so non-invasive mining (Or perhaps gathering is a more accurate term) is permitted, as well as an orbital gathering of these resources. The Naidja also have substantial imports, due to their distaste of industry - apparently this does not extend to other people doing the industry for them, far away from their home.

 

[Anaxileah]

The Sytar Province​

Location: Sytar Province, including Kandistu and Brighten
Inhabitants: Akoren
Population: 9 billion
Intelligence Level: Average-Above Average
Climate: Frigid and snowy at all times of the year.
Orbiting Bodies: None.
Language: French
Capital: Koristo, a massive palace of sorts filled with a plethora of information in digital and tactile format (holographic, books, screens, you name it).

DESCRIPTION
The Akorens are a very power-hungry race, determined to gain more strength, more knowledge, more property, and so on. Their males focus on the political and knowledgeable portions of gaining power, whereas the females handle the important work of obtaining that power physically and in person. Whatever is within their grasp, they will take. Currently, they have their eyes set on the Gum Nebula and the Rim Sector, regardless of who inhabits it. Anyone already present will either be forced to submit to the tyrannical ways of the Akoren or be removed one way or another. Unafraid to kill to achieve their goals, this species is ruthless and unkind, but have been unable to push past the Nulhallans, leaving a battlefield of technology between their territories.

Individually, each Akoren has blue skin with defined muscles and narrow, pointed faces. They have stringy bodies, but are very agile and have extremely sensitive ears to make up for their lack of sense of smell (no noses). They are cold-blooded and live in a cold environment in Kandistu, their home region, in the Sytar Province. Visuals of their species are shown below:

 

[Anaxileah]

The Sunspear​

(Main Ship)
Size: 400-tons
Speed (Jump): 4 parsecs at 4-G acceleration (500 LY are traveled in 10 days)
Artillery: Two outboard triple laser turrets, one chin-mounted triple missile turret, and one dorsal twin fusion gun.
Cargo Size: 6 tons
Engineering Sternmetal TG-141 halonic duplex power plant coupled to a Kurgin Hyperflex IV jump unit and two LSP Iczer-4 maneuver drives.
Gravitics: Standard inertial compensators (1-G)
Electronics: ISMM Model

(Shuttle)
Size: 20-tons
Artillery: Double beam laser

DESCRIPTION
The main schematics of the ship are below. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me in the Discord server!:

 

[Mechking]

Right to Ascension​

​

Location: In the Mardisti Anomaly
Inhabitants: Pholys
Population: 1 billion
Intelligence Level: Highly intelligent
Climate: Very temperate
Orbiting Bodies: One multi-layered ring
Language: Telepathic
Capital: Capital city - Gateway to Beyond

DESCRIPTION
The Pholys are gifted with the strongest known psychic abilities in any race so far. These abilities are what defines them as a species in every aspect of their life, including communication, religion, and warfare. Pholys generally believe themselves far superior to all other lifeforms, often going out of their way to humiliate everyone else. Their abilities plus their intellect enabled them to conquer large portions of the Mardisti Anomaly region even with their low numbers.

As the Pholys only communicate via telepathy with each other, they don't have a language in the traditional sense. Communication with other species is possible, with them talking directly into your thoughts into what best describes what they want to tell you and vice versa. This also explains why names are always literally translated into what they are or what they mean to the Pholys (either to the entire Pholys population or the individual).

These incredible powers come from special psychic crystals found on their homeworld, which have influenced their natural evolution to develop extraordinary large brains. As a result of this, the Pholys are a very intelligent species, being ahead of the technological development of most other races. But they are also physically very weak and they use telekinesis for even the most basic of tasks, as they are incapable of doing them otherwise. In and out of combat they use psychic and energy shields to protect themselves from enemies and hostile environments.

Their abilities are greatly enhanced by these crystals, meaning that if they leave their homeworld they always take some crystals with them in the form of psychic amplifiers, the tech that most prominently uses psychic crystals. This device can not only amplify the abilities of multiple Pholys in a wide area but can also amplify one specific ability by a very large amount (depending on the size of the device and the crystal used). The Pholys can also link their minds together, allowing for even greater use of their psychic abilities. This can be used to great effect, allowing small groups of powerful Pholys to decimate entire armies.

The most memorable and terrifying ability of this race is by far their ability to mind-control. By exerting high amounts of psychic pressure and enforcing their own will into another person, they can eventually gain full control over them. This can be resisted but is very hard to do, especially for dumber individuals or those with no psychic abilities. This is only active for as long as the Pholys wills it, requiring constant concentration to maintain. They use this ability along with their technological superiority to enslave other races, letting them work and fight for them. They are currently fighting in a decade long war against the Arkrakorians and the Mardasti Alliance for supremacy over their region.

Spoiler: "Stones of Will"

Caves of psychic crystals can be found everywhere on "Right to Ascension"

Spoiler: Phylos Religion

Spoiler: Phylos Appearance

Spoiler: Enslaved Races

Although a smart race, they have a big weakness to all forms of Psychic and Empathic abilities



At war with the other race before the Pholys came and enslaved them both



Not so intelligent race

Spoiler: Pholys Charactertraits

Abilities:
Telepathy
Telekinesis

Weaknesses:
Very weak physically, needing to be protected from all forms of environments that aren't strictly temperate
Their powers are greatly weakened when they don't have their psychic amplifiers with them

 

[Mechking]

The Mardisti Alliance​

​

Location: In the Mardisti Anomaly
Inhabitants: Humans and Androids
Population: 27 billion Humans, 11 billion Androids
Intelligence Level: Humans have average intelligence, Androids have slightly higher processing power
Language: Common
Capital: The joined colony Lirdum 4 is the capital of the Alliance.

DESCRIPTION
The Mardisti Anomaly was settled by humans a few centuries ago with the help of androids. They eventually colonized the nearby systems and upgraded their androids to be more intelligent. These upgraded androids then bbegan to develop self-awareness, eventually demanding the same rights as humans. After many years of intense debate and protests, the Humans agreed to their terms.

The Mardisti Alliance was only formed after the androids colonized a few planets themselves and relationships had greatly improved. now the Humans and the Androids stand together to face two threats in war: The Arkrakorians and the Pholys.

 

[Anaxileah]

Commonality Space​

Inhabitants: Humans, Androids, Kist Ra'Om, Akoren, Nulhallan, Naidja, Harbinger, Nierak-Ti, Erian, Ikax, Arkrakorian, Uk'a nn't'alo, and Pholys.
Population: A lot.
Intelligence Level: Varies, but all are capable of/have access to space travel.

DESCRIPTION
The big, beautiful universe, or at least a portion of it, inhabited by the wonderful creatures and beings everyone has taken the time to make. Thank you all for making this universe fuller and giving it more life than I expected it would have.

The universe we will be roleplaying in (not accounting for growth beyond this region, etc.) is approximately 30,000 light-years from one end to another, give or take a couple thousand. It would take approximately one-third of a year to cross the entire system, which would be a lot of fuel and a lot of time. The vast majority of the 'verse we're in is controlled by territorial humans, but there are other species that are vying for control or simply wish to live in peace.

However, as of right now, something is happening in the fringe and outer worlds that is bringing an unexpected end to current wars and causing species and planets to fight unknown enemies. They don't seem too much of a threat now, as they are mostly by the Foliate Hierarchy and being held back by the humans there, but it was heard that [REDACTED]

 

[DarkianMaker]

Kleeons​

​

Location: Barnard's Loop Sector, Temius System
Inhabitants: Lamakkan (91%), Humans (7%)
Population: 14.72 billion
Intelligence Level: High
Climate: Temperate to sub-tropical, lacks polar ice caps
Orbiting Bodies: Three small moons used as forward defense positions, Kaleus, Damaan and Tiyud
Language: Finnish
Capital: Sconsosis-Agur, a large (military) starport

DESCRIPTION
The Lamakkan people are strong, industrious, proud and very adjusted to the ways of war as they have never had more than a century of peace ever since their first civilizations. Their society is strongly built around interplanetary clans who compete with each other to be the best clan within the Lamakkan Interstellar Dominion and through this competitiveness comes most of their advancements but also most of their strife. Political leadership in the Dominion have to constantly look for enemies to direct the clans at so they don't fight each other which leads to tense relationships with their neighbors as they are quite aware that one day they might be the next one to be targeted. To make sure that the LID is ready to overcome their enemies the leadership is constantly expanding the industrial capacity of the military and providing incentives for people to procreate which in turn leads to a larger need for resources and habitable space and that leads to more hostilities with neighbors with the cycle of growth and aggression ever-growing. This continued growth has seen the LID now span over several sectors but also coming more and more into conflict with humans.

The Lamakkans physically are a strong and tall Reptilian species who look like shell-less bipedal turtles who have built a lot of muscular mass. They have some oddities compared to humans like two hearts who can work together but also independently in case one of them fails without the risk of immediate death, it does limit their capability for physical exertion or going into a berserk. Another one would be their triple lungs, but those are mostly there in conjunction of the double hearts to make sure there is enough air to be processed but also allows for their breath to be held for a long time. Their physiology does change how their body reacts on ethanol-based alcohol as that often acts as a mild to severe poison on their body often triggering a state of berserk. Psychically they are not really very well-versed but they do possess a light natural defense that mostly makes it a bit more of a hurdle for people to dig around in their minds.

Kleeons is one of the biggest and oldest colonies of the Lamakkan Interstellar Dominion which has been a battlefield between Lamakkan and Human settlers for quite some time. During the early days of the colonization of the planet both the LID and a now defunct human nation had laid claim to it and built settlements on opposite sides of the planet unbeknownst to each other. When it was found out that the planet had been settled by both nations hostilities soon broke out as neither side wanted to relinquish the resource-rich and fertile planet to the other. Skirmishes between the two colonies became commonplace but escalated in the last century into large scale war zones. Initially the Humans had the upper hand due to their technological advancements but it was soon nulified by Lamakkans recovering and reverse-engineering human technology from previous battlefields. After a whole string of indecisive battles a cease fire was declared, but where the humans used the cease fire to lick their wounds the Lamakkans prepared for a brutal offensive to end the war. 25 years ago the cease fire was thus broken and Lamakkan forces surprised their human counterparts and struck so hard that the war was over within the year. The majority of the human population and forces were massacre in the fighting and most of the survivors fled soon after. The humans who were left behind soon ended up in slums and squalor as they are to this day repressed by the quite anti-human colonial government of Kleeons.

The Lamakkans who call Kleeons home are way more obsessed with war compared to their counterparts from elsewhere in the LID, being in a state of planetary war for centuries does that to you. Due to their strong beliefs in the God of War of old times Kisheex they are very xenophobic and biologically purist minded where the status of one and their clan is determined on their martial prowess and their bodies being clean of augmentations. In the rural areas civil disputes are often resolved with duels, clans skirmish with each other over matters of honor and often one is expected to deal those who wrong them themselves. This constant fighting does make for stronger warriors in the rural clans but also brings them into conflict with the central government as their lawless behavior causes havoc on the colonial government's ability to govern the planet. Most clans on Kleeons still abide to the central government but a fair number of the rural clans are actively preparing for an insurgency against the colonial government. They are not quite successful though as they are few in number and often distracted with clan rivalries. One does need to be a registered member of a clan if they want to be able to work on the planet, this leads to the Exiled and destitute to join Junkers or to migrate elsewhere with less clan-dominated economies. Those who are part of a clan do live a comfortable life, their jobs are quite safe, pay well and in case they end up unemployed or affected in their health they are most of the time helped out by their clan either financially or physically.

The planet has some scarred terrains that still tell so much about the war that ran rampant over the planet, some battlefields where the ground has turned to glass, dead husks of what once were human settlements, half-molten wreckages of crashed ships, craters from orbital bombardments and the ruins of the old human capital New Harmony and the collapsed space elevator upon it. On the other hand one can find entire stretches of land where nature has grown so thick and wild as if nobody has set foot there in millennia. Large sprawling urban and industrial zones mark the urban core of the planet around the port of Sconsosis-Agur and its large collection of shipyards and repair stations. The planet's main export and expertise is the production of weapons of war from simple infantry weapons up to interstellar battlecruisers.