Kingdom of Yondarim
The Kingdom of Yondarim is a major interstellar government organised as a divine empire. Its capital is Yondarim, located in the B'Yond System. The primary population are Yondar, an avian species that evolved on the alpine world of Yondarim. The population of the Kingdom of Yondarim are notable for their highly spiritual society, as well as its hierarchical structure. The Kingdom of Yondarim is comprised of a number of Sky Clans, which are ruled by a High King and landed nobility. The Kingdom as a whole is ruled by the God-Emperor, who is worshipped as a deity by the population, and succeeded by a Saint. Diplomatically, the Kingdom of Yondarim aggressively expands its territory and spreads its faith to other polities, typically through the use of military force.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Government
The Kingdom of Yondarim is structured as a unitary absolute theocratic hereditary monarchy. It is typically classified as an authoritarian mixed-market economic, with moderate-to-high levels of corruption.The God-Emperor of Yondarim is the head of state of the Kingdom, and the centre of its religion. Unlike other theocratic systems, the God-Emperor is directly worshipped by the population as a living deity. The God-Emperor has unlimited authority to issue edicts and decrees, though often refrains from using this power in practice. Instead, governance is typically left to the high priests of the state religion. The official Yondari religion serves a dual purpose as the state bureaucracy, with millions of lower-ranking priests carrying out the will of the God-Emperor.
In addition to the state religion, the Kingdom of Yondarim has a large and powerful aristocratic elite. Noble families, called "sky clans", often trace their ancestry back hundreds or thousands of years. Large regions of Yondarim are under the control of the sky clans, and the God-Emperor often grants land on colonies for further estates. Noble families have special privileges, such as titles, estates, government and military offices, and permission to levy additional taxes on those living within their estates. In areas that a sky clan does not control, the Imperial Dynasty governs via secular governors in a manner similar to other states.
History
Prior to the development of urban areas, Yondar formed migrating flocks called Sky Clans. Sky Clans placed great importance on their elders, and they all developed strong religious traditions. When agriculture was developed and cities began to appear, these Sky Clans became the basis of government across the entire planet. As the Yondar progressed through the ages, Sky Clans merged and split, but overall there became fewer over time. The ones that survived did so by adapting their religious traditions to suit their geographic and political environment, even if the traditions were held firmly.The current ruling Sky Clan of the Kingdom of Yondarim is simply called the Imperial Dynasty, as its original name has been lost. The mythical founder of the Imperial Dynasty is Koriik, who allegedly took the throne in 1254 BCE, but the first recorded emperor was L'Krami, who ascended to the throne in 402 CE. Over the centuries, the currently ruling Imperial Dynasty managed to subsume many of the other Sky Clans across Yondarim. During the 17th century CE, the Imperial Dynasty declared that the ruling monarch was a God-Emperor, deserving of worship as a god, and retroactively created a pantheon of the previous emperors. It must be noted that this statement is illegal within the Kingdom of Yondarim, which claims all emperors have always been deities.
In 1854 CE, the new God-Emperor S'Porak was alleged to use his "divine power" to convince the leaders of all the Sky Clans to submit to his authority as a living god. Based on the now-understood Yondar psionic potential, it is believed that S'Porak possessed this power. It is believed that the bloodline of the Imperial Dynasty possesses a significantly higher than average psionic potential, even compared to other Yondar. Gradually, the faiths of the Sky Clans were subsumed into the imperial faith, until the entire planet shared a single state religion. The first Yondar reached orbit in 2110 CE, and the hyper drive was successfully developed in 2200 CE.
Demographics
The predominant species of the Kingdom of Yondarim is the avian Yondar. They make up a significant majority of the population, withe the remainder a combination of xeno citizens, residents, and slaves. Xeno citizens are primarily immigrants or descended from immigrants from other members of the Divine Compact. Xeno residents are typically from non-allied states, such as Humans from the United Nations of Earth and the Commonwealth of Man. Slaves are taken through conquest in battle, bilateral exchanges, or the galactic slave market. The single largest slave species in the Kingdom are Voor, captured during Yondar conquests of their colonies.Legally, all citizens of the Kingdom are required to follow an official faith. Apostasy is illegal, and is punishable by death. Until the establishment of the Divine Compact, the only official faith was the worship of the God-Emperor and the Imperial Dynasty. As part of negotiations to form the federation, the Kingdom of Yondarim permitted the primary faiths of its new allies as official religions for citizens. Non-accepted faiths are merely tolerated in the Kingdom, and those that do not follow an official faith are forbidden from becoming citizens. Atheism is punishable by death, though in practice this is not widely enforced on slaves - a significant number of which are atheist Voor.
Economy
The Kingdom of Yondarim is a large, industrial, mixed economy. The Imperial Dynasty exerts the most control over the economy, followed by the nobility, and then by non-aristocratic private enterprise. The primary sector is the largest sector of the economy, and is the sector most dominated by the nobility. Many sky clans operate large mines and farms, both within their ancestral lands and as investments further afield. The secondary sector is more heavily tied to the Imperial Dynasty, which controls most of the production in the Kingdom. Due to this, the Imperial Dynasty maintains an economic high ground over the sky clans, thanks to better revenues from manufacturing.Unlike many other economies, the Kingdom of Yondarim almost entirely eschews modern automation practices. Aside from the Kingdom's ban on artificial intelligence, even simple droids and robots are banned. Due to this, Yondar industries are significantly more manpower-intensive than their competitors. However, robotic assembly lines, self-evolving logic systems, and other labour-saving measures "not made in the image of sacred life" are permitted, keeping the Yondar economy competitive with its peers.
Society
Yondar society is extremely spiritual. Religion is heavily embedded within the social, economic, and political lives of all its inhabitants. Virtually all Yondar attend temple service at least once a week, and a majority at least once a day. Temples provide both a place for Yondar to express their spirituality, and a social place for interacting with their local community. Each Yondar community has some kind of spirtual place, ranging from small shrines in villages, to the grand Citadel of Faith where the God-Emperor himself delivers sermons.The psionic awakening of the Yondar species in the late 23rd century CE drastically altered the Kingdom's society. To outsiders, the most obvious change is that telepathy replaced verbal speech as the preferred method of communication. This period was particularly fraught, as the emergence of mind-readers destroyed any semblance of privacy within one's own thoughts. This was eventually overcome through the development of meditation techniques to secure one's mind against intrusion, though particularly powerful psychics (such as those of the Psionic Security Corps) are still able to read minds. Visitors to the Kingdom are advised to undergo mind-resistance training before departing, to prevent unauthorised telepathy.
While not as stratified as the Tzynn Empire or the Xanid Suzerainty, the Kingdom of Yondarim is an authoritarian nation. Democracy is non-existent, and politics are dominated by two classes: the nobility and the clergy. The noble sky clans reside in lavish villas on Yondarim and the colonies, typically perched atop the highest peaks available. Traditionally, the higher a residence was constructed, the more prestigious it was considered to be. Citizens often work for the sky clans (rather than being tied to their land as serfs), and can fully own land (unlike peasants). Sky clans are permitted to levy their own taxes on properties and businesses within their territory, but compete with each other (and the government, which does not levy additional taxes) to retain inhabitants.
The official state religion of the Kingdom of Yondarim, worship of the God-Emperor and the Imperial Dynasty, has no local name. It is considered so integral to life in the Kingdom that it is viewed more as a fact of reality than a separate religion, as is the case in secular states. Priests are drawn from the citizenry, excluding residents and slaves. Most priests work as an equivalent to bureaucrats, running the Kingdom's civil service on behalf of the God-Emperor. Some may go on to become preachers or even high priests, but most priests spend their entire lives in quiet service to the God-Emperor.
Military
The Kingdom of Yondarim is defended by the Yondar Royal Navy and the Yondar Royal Army, both of which are commanded directly by the God-Emperor. Both operate on a conscription system, where every non-noble citizen is required to register at their age of maturity. If necessary, conscripts are called up via a draft system, but this is an uncommon case. A majority of the officer corps are nobles, as they have a significantly easier time attaining higher ranks than commoners.As is the case with civilian life, the Yondar military is affected by the Kingdom's ban on artificial intelligence. Computers are restricted to non-intelligent systems, though are augmented by so-called 'precognitive interfaces' that connect psionic operators directly to a computer.
Type
Geopolitical, Kingdom
Capital
Government System
Monarchy, Theocratic
Power Structure
Unitary state
Economic System
Mixed economy
Subsidiary Organizations
Controlled Territories
Related Species
Comments