Tzynn Empire
The Tzynn Empire is a major interstellar government organised as a star empire. Its capital is Tzynnia, located in the Sal'Tzynn System. The primary population are Tzynn, who evolved on Tzynnia, achieving global unification in 1754 CE (Earth calendar). The population of the Tzynn Empire is notable for its highly structured, hierarchical society that emphasises order and martial prowess. Much of the political power within the Empire rests with a number of slaver guilds. In addition, a large police force heavily monitors the citizens of the Empire, quashing any traces of dissent. Diplomatically, the Tzynn Empire regularly conducts campaigns of conquest in order to secure steady supplies of slaves, generally attacking smaller, diplomatically isolated nations.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Government
The Tzynn Empire is structured as a unitary absolute hereditary monarchy. It is typically classified as an authoritarian mixed-market autocracy, with high levels of corruption.The ultimate power in the Tzynn Empire rests in the hands of the Emperor. Since its creation by the warlord Hask'Mezak in 1754 CE, the Emperor of the Tzynn has ruled all of Tzynnia as a hereditary monarch, with little to no checks on the position's power. The Emperor is the head of both the civilian bureaucracy and the military, the latter of which holds a place of particular prominence in Tzynn governance. The Emperor selects one heir from their children, and the rest are sent to serve the military.
The Emperor is attended to by the Tzynn Imperial Council, a body of hundreds of high-ranking advisors, military officers, and bureaucrats that run the day-to-day operations of imperial governance. Each of them compete with each other for membership on the privy council, a select group of less than a dozen that are afforded direct access to the Emperor's ear.
Outside of the Emperor, there are three particularly influential groups in Tzynn politics: the military, the Ministry of Imperial Security, and the slaving guilds. The military has long been the favourite of the Emperor, and holds many positions of prominence within the government and planetary administrations. The Ministry of Imperial Security is responsible for policing and counterintelligence efforts within the Empire. With their powerful police and surveillance regime, as well as their own paramilitary forces, they have access to significant amounts of private information on both civilians and government officials alike.
Slaving guilds, while not directly part of the government in most cases, have had a longstanding relationship with the monarchy. Around a third of the Tzynn population is enslaved, either as chattel slaves, indentured servants, or battle thralls, and the majority of these slaves are owned or managed by the private guilds. They supply the Tzynn government with essentially unlimited and disposable manpower, conditioned to follow any orders. The top slavers in the Empire are among the wealthiest individuals in the galaxy, rivaling even galactic megacorp CEOs.
History
Hask'Mezak
The history of the Tzynn Empire begins on Tzynnia, in the early 1700s CE. The world was divided between numerous nations, kingdoms, warlords, and other governments. In one such warlord's domain, a young Tzynn named Hask'Mezak was conscripted as a soldier from a nondescript village. However, his remarkable ability to command loyalty from those around him soon became apparent. Official Tzynn history claims that the warlord Hask'Mezak served stepped down in recognition of the young warrior's skills, but some suppressed documents from the time claim that he came to power in a coup d'etat. By the age of sixteen, Hask'Mezak had assumed control of a petty warlord kingdom and the absolute loyalty of its population, and began expanding.Unification
Compared to the conscripted and mercenary armies of Hask'Mezak's neighbours, his forces fought with a fanatic zeal that caused enemies many times their size to crumble and flee. In addition, Hask'Mezak spent considerable time both learning and instructing his generals on military theory and logistics, allowing his armies to operate far from home independently, and with competent command. When his armies came to an enemy settlement, they offered the ruling elites a choice: they could either serve Hask'Mezak, or be destroyed. After news of settlements that had resisted were wiped out, save for a single survivor to carry the news, many potential enemies instead fell in line.Against larger states, however, Hask'Mezak instead employed symmetric warfare. However, a key part of Hask'Mezak's ultimate victory was that he did not radically upend existing social structures when he came across them. Instead, he reinforced them, creating rigid hierarchies that gave cause for ruling elites and the military to maintain his order, rather than oppose it. In less than three decades after he became a warlord, Hask'Mezak was crowned the first Emperor of the Tzynn. The myriad regional armies were standardised into the Imperial Tzynn Army, and the planet was united for the first time in its history.
The Tzynn Empire
Emperor Hask'Mezak continued to rule for another four decades, until passing away in 1796 CE at the age of 84. The creation of a fanatically loyal Imperial Guard, as well as the converting of the Imperial Tzynn Army into an internal security force ensured the stability of the Empire. The Empire's elites were granted immense privileges, such as wealth, land, and vast numbers of slaves, in return for their loyalty to the state. This hierarchical system furthered the stability of the Tzynn Empire throughout its industrial age and beyond.The first Tzynn Empress, Torba'Kari, oversaw the development of atomic weapons and the first spaceflight undertaken by a Tzynn in the late 1990s CE. Unlike many other societies, the institution of slavery continued on Tzynnia well after its industrial age. Slaver guilds became a driving force in the Empire's politics, nearly equivalent to the military in political power. Although the Empire had always been something of a police state, it wasn't until the early 21st century that computing technology allowed its government to truly become one. The Ministry of Imperial Security was formed in 2037 CE, and continues to be one of the most powerful forces in the Empire to this day.
Spaceflight
Imperial exploration into the Sal'Tzynn System continued into the 21st and 22nd centuries CE, with outposts being established on other planets in the system. In order to police the space around Tzynnia (and allegedly due to an imagined alien incursion), the Imperial Tzynn Starfleet was formed in 2086 CE.In 2190 CE, Imperial scientists discovered the dimension of subspace, and several years later, hyperspace. By 2200 CE, the first exploration vessel had been constructed, and was sent through a hyperlane with a manned crew.
Demographics
The population of the Tzynn Empire is predominantly Tzynn, with significant numbers of Hazbuzi, Humans, Xani, and Vheln. The Empire has strict citizenship laws in place, allowing only select species to migrate and fully naturalise. The majority of xeno species within the Empire are fully enslaved, either as chattel or domestic servants. In addition, approximately one-third of the Tzynn species themselves are enslaved, either by the government or the various slaving guilds that dominate the Empire's economy.Quality of life is highly dependent on income. Wealthy Tzynn are able to afford advanced cybernetics and genetic therapies to prolong and enhance their lives, while slaves are afforded such luxuries only if they would enhance their workplace performance. Lower-class non-slaves are likewise unable to afford much more than basic necessities. While not as large as in other civilisations, the Tzynn Empire has something of a middle class. Specialists have much more disposable income, and are able to afford healthcare, education, and leisure to a much greater extent than the working class.
Economy
The Tzynn Empire is a large, industrial, mixed economy. While the imperial government directs the economy and controls major utilities (such as spaceports and planetary infrastructure), prviate institutions play a major role in the economy. The central pillar of the Tzynn economy is primary resource extraction, especially mining and energy generation. These industries employ huge numbers of slaves, which are provided by slaving guilds. Slavery is one of the largest industries in the Tzynn Empire, and it is primarily controlled by a small number of guilds. These guilds effectively control the supply of labour within the Empire, giving them immense political and economic influence. Aside from primary resource extraction, the Empire also has sizable secondary, and to some extent, tertiary economic sectors. In particular, spacecraft manufacturing is a major sector of the economy, as the Tzynn Empire controls a very large number of systems.Economic classes are very stratified within the Tzynn economy. The elite of society, such as industrialists, high-ranking military officers, and members of slaving guilds, have access to the latest innovations from outside the empire, such as cybernetics and genetic therapies. While the Tzynn middle class is smaller than in other economies, it does enjoy a standard of living comparable to most societies, such as access to healthcare, education, and discretionary income. The Tzynn lower class is divided in two: free individuals, and slaves. Although free individuals are better off, they lack access to many services, and have little opportunity for social mobility. Slaves, on the other hand, are completely at the mercy of their owners, and have virtually no opportunities outside of what they can provide to their masters.
Society
Tzynn society is highly structured, hierarchical, and stratocratic. Although it does not have a formal caste system, social mobility within the Empire is uncommon. Being born into a class effectively guarantees remaining there for life, save for uncommon cases of downwards mobility and rare cases of upwards. Individuals are expected to work for the betterment of the Empire as a whole, as opposed to working for themselves, instilling a collectivist belief in society. The Tzynn Empire has some of the worst inequality in the galaxy, with extremely stark differences between worker and slave strata, and the ruling strata. This is partially due to a lack of a strong middle class, as well as a stranglehold on the means of production (both capital and labour, through slaving guilds) by the ruler strata of society.The Tzynn society exists on the backs of one of the largest slave populations in the galaxy. It is estimated that between one third to one half of the population is enslaved, primarily by large slaving guilds. Many middle class Tzynn households own at least one slave, and wealthy Tzynn have staffs that number into the hundreds or thousands. Slaves are treated according to the whims of their owners, which can range from brutal (in the case of chattel slaves), to modest (for many indentured servants). The Imperial government is partially beholden to the political demands of the slaving guilds, due to their near monopoly on the supply of labour. In order to lessen the political power of the guilds, the Imperial government often imports xeno slaves from the galactic slave market to increase their own control over the labour pool.
In order to manage dissent, especially among the slave class, Tzynn society acts as something of a police state. The Ministry of Imperial Security is the second largest Imperial organ, behind the military, and its employees number in the tens of millions. Aside from constant monitoring by sophisticated surveillance systems, the MIS uses vast numbers of informants to keep tabs on the population, and especially on slaves. Becoming an informant is effectively the only means of social advancement for a slave, especially a chattel slave. Dissidents are often publicly executed in holo-broadcasts, or made to fight in the Tzynnia Imperial Arena against trained gladiators or xeno-fauna. Relatives of dissidents are required to publicly denounce them in order to maintain their status in society.
True power in Tzynn society is held by the military, to an extent even greater than the slaving guilds. High-ranking government positions are usually given to current or retired military officers, and professional military personnel usually have an easier time finding government work after mustering out. Even prospective heirs of the Emperor are required to undertake military service, though usually they (and the children of influential Tzynn) have more desirable postings than their peers.
Military
In terms of manpower, the Tzynn military is the largest in the galaxy. The miliary holds an extremely prominent place in society, and high-ranking officers are regularly consulted by the Emperor for advice on military and civil matters. Military service is one of the few avenues of social advancement for lower class Tzynn, as the military is somewhat more meritocratic than society as a whole. Though rare, particularly skilled enlisted Tzynn have been known to advance to officer ranks. Hereditary titles of nobility are awarded to military officers who particularly distinguish themselves, though noble privileges have long since been abolished.Upon reaching adulthood, every able-bodied Tzynn is legally required to report for service as a conscript for a period of one year. However, between loopholes and high corruption levels, upper- and middle-class Tzynn are typically able to avoid service. Non-Tzynn citizens are not required to serve as conscripts. As part of their service, conscripts are normally deployed to the Imperial Army or Imperial Starfleet, though some may serve in the Ministry of Imperial Security. The officer corps of the Tzynn military is primarily made up of volunteers from the middle and upper class, who serve on a more professional basis.
Regular slaves are typically not used in military situations. Instead, the Tzynn use a special class of slave called "battle thralls". Although they invented the concept independently, it bears a remarkable similarity to the one used by Minamar Specialized Industries. Battle thralls are slaves who are trained and conditioned from birth to be loyal to the state and their officers and fight as soldiers. They are often considered more loyal and reliable than free Tzynn by their superiors, and some manage to become officers. In addition to battle thralls, both the Imperial Army and Starfleet utilise military clones, based on genetic material sampled during conscription.
Founding Date
1754 CE
Type
Geopolitical, Empire
Capital
Ruling Organization
Leader Title
Founders
Government System
Monarchy, Absolute
Power Structure
Unitary state
Economic System
Mixed economy
Subsidiary Organizations
Related Ranks & Titles
Controlled Territories
Notable Members
Related Species
Comments