Scyldari Confederacy
The Scyldari are aquatic mammalians originating from the archipelagos and deep oceans of Scyldaria. Although their early civilizations were mostly confined to the sea, they soon expanded onto what little landmass the planet had to offer.
Their society adapted accordingly, building an advanced industry that exploited the riches of the ocean floor without harming Scyldaria's delicate ecosystem. Scyldari philosophy is one of balance and moderation in all things, a lesson learned from having to nurse their limited resources when they were confined to the bottom of the sea. The Scyldari do everything in accordance with the Manifold Way, their religion, philosophy and way of life and the lessons of the faith stand as cornerstone to their republic. Though consummate pacifists the Scyldari are not helpless, and are quick to pick up a weapon in defense of others or when faced with injustice.
Scyldari Confederacy - Civilization In Brief
Pre Space-flight History
The Scyldari civilization developed quite quickly, relatively speaking, in the shallow seas of Scyldaria, an ocean world with a thick nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere. As the largest moon of the gas giant Dissadia, Scyldaria was protected from the worst of the comets and asteroids that routinely hit the young worlds of the Scyldon system. Its thick atmosphere meant that even a large part of the asteroids that did make it would burn up before hitting the ground. Even so, before the development of space flight, a medium sized asteroid would hit Scyldaria about once every 60 years or so, causing tidal waves and tectonic disturbances. Nonetheless life flourished in the warm tidal pools of the world and was much faster to evolve than in other systems. The Scyldari civilizations first developed in the sheltered inner seas of the tidal moon's largest archipelago.
Since prehistoric times the Scyldari nation states developed a complex system of trade and crafting centered around equitable material and cultural exchanges. Warfare existed but was always punitive, with several factions ganging up against agressors. Civilization was initially entirely water-based even as the Scyldari themselves have always been amphibious. It was believed that land-living dimmed the “soul” and encouraged Clans to become belligerent and individualistic as land-forts could not be overtaken except by great expenditure of life. Consequentially, without the widespread benefits of fire and metallurgy, Scyldari technology was stone and bone based well into their evolution, even while culturally and philosophically they eclipsed equivalent civilizations.
This however changed when the Scyldari began to create industrial camps on land which quickly grew into entire cities. In a hundred years the Scyldari took a leap from basic metalworking to industrial revolution. Undersea mines were carefully established while land-based foundries processed the recovered ore. The rich mineral springs of the young and geologically active Scyldaria had sustained undersea plantations for centuries, now they were crucial for a fledgling chemical industry. It was around this time that the various faiths and ancestor worship systems of the Scyldari started to be united into the Manifold Way by the great prophet Uthlan. It was also around this time that with the advent of gunpowder the last war was fought on Scyldaria, between the most powerful industrialized nations and the rest of the world. After several decades of painful struggle the Last War was over and Scyldaria was united in faith, if not yet politically.
It took a powerful asteroid strike that sent tidal waves across the land and industrial spillage into the seas for the Scyldari first started to consider complete unity. A faith council with elected spiritual leaders had been established in the wake of the Last War to avoid any further conflicts through mediation and coordination and its rapid reaction to the asteroid disaster led to more power being delegated to these religious representatives. Over the next decade the civilian and military reaction forces were united under the control of the Confederacy Council and this elected body became the de-facto world government. Uthlan's Manifold Way became part and parcel of both governance and private life, with each citizen practicing it in private at their own pace. Flight, advanced materials, nuclear energy and spaceflight were all developed independently by Scyldari nations but all were equally distributed by the Council and its Revered Elder.
The Scyldari folk religions had always placed a large importance on celestial objects and the syncretic Manifold Way had integrated all these beliefs into it so it was no surprise that the Scyldari took to space not only to harvest resources or to protect against asteroid impacts but also to visit the planets and moons that held so much significance. Shrines were established alongside research bases and it was the search for the waystar, the legendary guiding star that would lead Scyldari to their eternal union that radio-spectrometers first discovered the hyperlanes.
First Contact and Expansion
With the advent of interstellar travel Scyldari started to explore their nearby systems, both for scientific reasons and because Discovery was one of the 50 good deeds according to the Way. It was shortly after their first exploration vessels had left dock that the Scyldari had first contact, with a civilization that should have been antithetical to everything the Confederacy stood for - the Lokken mechanists. The lizard-like mechanists had shed all religious beliefs in their species infancy and were more preoccupied with the perfection of industry than of the soul. Nonetheless the two species had cordial relations since the beginning and quickly became partners in trade and exploration even as the slowly expanding Scyldari territory began to be encroached by the Chinorr from further up the Orion arm and the slave taking, brutal Tzynn threatened their corewise border. The Confederacy would have a very different time with both the Tzynn and the Chinorr, the former taking many of their citizens as slaves in a series of disastrous wars and the latter gobbling up a lot of the real estate. It was with the start of friendly relations with the Humans of the UNE that the Scyldari, and the Lok found the third party to a long standing alliance to protect against the dangers of the sector. Today the Scyldari are part of the Lower Belt Federation, and there are Small scyldary monasteries called Refuges on any world that can sustain them.
Recent Developments
Sight in the Darkness
In recent years there has been a growing number of births where the children have manifested psionic aptitude since a young age. While scientists are baffled by this evolution practitioners of the Way claim this was foretold and it is actually an important part of the foretold ascension. Yet before any talks of ascension an honest discussion must be had over the growing power of these psions and the impact they might have on the Scyldari and the Manifold Way.
Tzynn enslavement
Although the Scyldari do not share a border with the Tzynn the Confederacy's border worlds are a favorite target for Tzynn clan raiding parties. Even if the raiders are unsanctioned by the Empire, as the Tzynn claim, an all out attack on the slaver vessels is impossible as the belicose empire would be honor-bound to retaliate and spark a true war. A solution to this impasse is needed, and fast. The Tree of Life
The wondrous discovery of the tree of life and its guardians on the outer rim has sparked a flurry of interest among Scyldari scientists, philosophers and theologians. The existence of something so out of place and with such baffling properties have ignited dormant debates about the truth of the universe and there are growing calls for the tree to be investigated and either claimed and returned to Scyldaria or turned into a shrine.
Scyldari Confederacy - Civilization In Brief
| Homeworld | Scyldaria, Scyldon |
| Government | Theocratic Republic |
| Ethics | Spiritualist, Pacifist, Xenophile |
| Biotype | Mammalian Amphibious Biped |
| Variance | None |
| Ascension | Spiritual |
| No. of Planets | 13 |
| No. of Systems | 52 |
| No. of Advanced Facilities | 7 |
| Population | 45.000.000.000 |
| Alien Status | Citizenry |
| Synthetic Status | Free Residency |
| Borders | Closed to Hostiles, Open to Refugees |
| Alliance | Lower Belt Federation |
Pre Space-flight History
The Scyldari civilization developed quite quickly, relatively speaking, in the shallow seas of Scyldaria, an ocean world with a thick nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere. As the largest moon of the gas giant Dissadia, Scyldaria was protected from the worst of the comets and asteroids that routinely hit the young worlds of the Scyldon system. Its thick atmosphere meant that even a large part of the asteroids that did make it would burn up before hitting the ground. Even so, before the development of space flight, a medium sized asteroid would hit Scyldaria about once every 60 years or so, causing tidal waves and tectonic disturbances. Nonetheless life flourished in the warm tidal pools of the world and was much faster to evolve than in other systems. The Scyldari civilizations first developed in the sheltered inner seas of the tidal moon's largest archipelago.
Since prehistoric times the Scyldari nation states developed a complex system of trade and crafting centered around equitable material and cultural exchanges. Warfare existed but was always punitive, with several factions ganging up against agressors. Civilization was initially entirely water-based even as the Scyldari themselves have always been amphibious. It was believed that land-living dimmed the “soul” and encouraged Clans to become belligerent and individualistic as land-forts could not be overtaken except by great expenditure of life. Consequentially, without the widespread benefits of fire and metallurgy, Scyldari technology was stone and bone based well into their evolution, even while culturally and philosophically they eclipsed equivalent civilizations.
This however changed when the Scyldari began to create industrial camps on land which quickly grew into entire cities. In a hundred years the Scyldari took a leap from basic metalworking to industrial revolution. Undersea mines were carefully established while land-based foundries processed the recovered ore. The rich mineral springs of the young and geologically active Scyldaria had sustained undersea plantations for centuries, now they were crucial for a fledgling chemical industry. It was around this time that the various faiths and ancestor worship systems of the Scyldari started to be united into the Manifold Way by the great prophet Uthlan. It was also around this time that with the advent of gunpowder the last war was fought on Scyldaria, between the most powerful industrialized nations and the rest of the world. After several decades of painful struggle the Last War was over and Scyldaria was united in faith, if not yet politically.
It took a powerful asteroid strike that sent tidal waves across the land and industrial spillage into the seas for the Scyldari first started to consider complete unity. A faith council with elected spiritual leaders had been established in the wake of the Last War to avoid any further conflicts through mediation and coordination and its rapid reaction to the asteroid disaster led to more power being delegated to these religious representatives. Over the next decade the civilian and military reaction forces were united under the control of the Confederacy Council and this elected body became the de-facto world government. Uthlan's Manifold Way became part and parcel of both governance and private life, with each citizen practicing it in private at their own pace. Flight, advanced materials, nuclear energy and spaceflight were all developed independently by Scyldari nations but all were equally distributed by the Council and its Revered Elder.
The Scyldari folk religions had always placed a large importance on celestial objects and the syncretic Manifold Way had integrated all these beliefs into it so it was no surprise that the Scyldari took to space not only to harvest resources or to protect against asteroid impacts but also to visit the planets and moons that held so much significance. Shrines were established alongside research bases and it was the search for the waystar, the legendary guiding star that would lead Scyldari to their eternal union that radio-spectrometers first discovered the hyperlanes.
First Contact and Expansion
With the advent of interstellar travel Scyldari started to explore their nearby systems, both for scientific reasons and because Discovery was one of the 50 good deeds according to the Way. It was shortly after their first exploration vessels had left dock that the Scyldari had first contact, with a civilization that should have been antithetical to everything the Confederacy stood for - the Lokken mechanists. The lizard-like mechanists had shed all religious beliefs in their species infancy and were more preoccupied with the perfection of industry than of the soul. Nonetheless the two species had cordial relations since the beginning and quickly became partners in trade and exploration even as the slowly expanding Scyldari territory began to be encroached by the Chinorr from further up the Orion arm and the slave taking, brutal Tzynn threatened their corewise border. The Confederacy would have a very different time with both the Tzynn and the Chinorr, the former taking many of their citizens as slaves in a series of disastrous wars and the latter gobbling up a lot of the real estate. It was with the start of friendly relations with the Humans of the UNE that the Scyldari, and the Lok found the third party to a long standing alliance to protect against the dangers of the sector. Today the Scyldari are part of the Lower Belt Federation, and there are Small scyldary monasteries called Refuges on any world that can sustain them.
Recent Developments
Sight in the Darkness
In recent years there has been a growing number of births where the children have manifested psionic aptitude since a young age. While scientists are baffled by this evolution practitioners of the Way claim this was foretold and it is actually an important part of the foretold ascension. Yet before any talks of ascension an honest discussion must be had over the growing power of these psions and the impact they might have on the Scyldari and the Manifold Way.
Tzynn enslavement
Although the Scyldari do not share a border with the Tzynn the Confederacy's border worlds are a favorite target for Tzynn clan raiding parties. Even if the raiders are unsanctioned by the Empire, as the Tzynn claim, an all out attack on the slaver vessels is impossible as the belicose empire would be honor-bound to retaliate and spark a true war. A solution to this impasse is needed, and fast. The Tree of Life
The wondrous discovery of the tree of life and its guardians on the outer rim has sparked a flurry of interest among Scyldari scientists, philosophers and theologians. The existence of something so out of place and with such baffling properties have ignited dormant debates about the truth of the universe and there are growing calls for the tree to be investigated and either claimed and returned to Scyldaria or turned into a shrine.
Type
Geopolitical, Republic
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